NEWS OF THE DAY
From Around the World
1 Nigeria violence: Authorities in Nigeria’s Kaduna state are reporting at least 66 deaths in a wave of violence Samuel Aruwan, a spokesman for Kaduna state’s governor, said Friday that the victims include 22 children. One resident blamed the killings on fighting between Christian farmers and Fulani Muslim herdsmen. Deadly clashes between the two communities have erupted in recent years as the groups compete for land and water. Also, the electoral commission delayed the presidential election until Feb. 23, making the announcement hours before polls were to open Saturday. It cited unspecified “challenges.”
2 Trade talks: President Trump said that “there’s a possibility” he would extend a March 2 deadline in trade talks with China if the two countries are closing in on a deal. Trump made the remarks after two days of highlevel negotiations broke up in Beijing on Friday, and the two nations announced plans to resume talks next week in Washington. The world’s two biggest economies are locked in a dispute over China’s aggressive push to challenge American technological dominance. The U.S. is scheduled to hike import taxes on $200 billion worth of Chinese goods on March 2.
3 Trump criticized: Germany’s foreign minister called for a return to multilateral solutions, criticizing President Trump’s go-italone approach as counterproductive. Foreign Minister Heiko Maas told Munich Security Conference delegates Friday that with the increasing power of China, Europe and the United States should be working with each other. He says Trump’s steel tariffs cost jobs in the U.S., increased steel prices and are threatening jobs in Europe.He says “for me, it’s a classic case of lose-lose.” Maas also criticized the U.S.’s unilateral withdrawal from the nuclear deal with Iran. He said Germany, France and Britain are trying to preserve the deal because if it collapses, it will bring the region “a step closer to open confrontation.” The annual security conference brings together more than 30 heads of state and 80 defense and foreign ministers.
4 Haiti protests: Haitians on Friday vowed to keep protesting until President Jovenel Moise resigns, despite his announcement of upcoming economic measures designed to quell more than a week of violent demonstrations across the country. Moise said during a televised address Thursday that he would not surrender the country to armed gangs and drug dealer, and he accused people of freeing prisoners to kill him. It was the first time Moise had spoken since the demonstrations began. and he made another call for dialogue with the opposition. Protesters are angry about skyrocketing inflation and the government’s failure to prosecute embezzlement from a multi-billion-dollar Venezuelan program that sent discounted oil to Haiti. 5 Franco’s remains: Spanish authorities are giving Gen. Francisco Franco’s descendants a 15-day deadline to find a new burial place for the former dictator’s embalmed body before his remains are exhumed from a lavish mausoleum in the Valley of the Fallen near Madrid. Justice Minister Dolores Delgado says the new location can’t be a crypt under the capital’s Almudena Cathedral, where Franco’s relatives own a tomb. She says government studies have found that burying Franco, a divisive figure in Spain, there could lead to “public disorder.” But family attorney Luis Felipe Utrera says the Francos have the right to appeal Friday’s decision.