NEWS OF THE DAY
_1 Espionage arrest: A senior French army officer based abroad has been arrested and faces preliminary treason charges for sharing highly sensitive intelligence with a foreign power, authorities said Sunday. Europe1 radio reported that the lieutenant colonel is accused of passing “ultrasensitive” information to Russian secret services. It reported that the officer served on a NATO base in Italy, and was arrested while on vacation in France. Defense Minister Florence Parly said the officer is under investigation for “serious security breaches.” The Russian Embassy in France did not comment.
_2 Refugee crisis: Italian officials hastily chartered more ferries Sunday and put other measures into place to fight severe overcrowding at migrant centers on the small island of Lampedusa, where the arrival of 450 migrants on a rickety fishing boat triggered protests by islanders. Meanwhile, a fire triggered an explosion Sunday on smuggling boat off of southern Italy, tossing 21 migrants into the sea and killing at least 3, the local prefect’s office said. The twin developments were just the latest challenges in Italy’s unending struggle to handle the thousands of migrants and refugees who cross the Mediterranean Sea each year.
_3 Mediterranean tensions: Turkey marked the 98th anniversary of the decisive War of Independence battle against Greek forces Sunday as the threat of a new conflict with Athens looms in the eastern Mediterranean. “Turkey’s struggle for independence and future continues today,” President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said. “It is absolutely not a coincidence that those who seek to exclude us from the eastern Mediterranean are the same invaders as the ones who attempted to invade our homeland a century ago.” In recent weeks, Turkish and Greek forces have engaged in a series of military exercises in the seas between Cyprus and the Greek island of Crete. Turkey says Greece and others are denying its rights to explore for energy resources in the Mediterranean.
_4 Egypt crackdown: Police arrested a highlevel leader in the outlawed Muslim Brotherhood at his hiding place in Cairo, the Interior Ministry said. Investigators recently learned that Mahmoud Ezzat, the acting Supreme Guide of the country’s oldest Islamist organization, was hiding in an apartment on the outskirts of Cairo, a statement from the ministry said. Police found computers and mobile phones with encrypted software that allowed the 76yearold Ezzat to communicate with group members in Egypt and abroad, the statement said. Ezzat had been at large since the summer of 2013, after the military removed Egypt’s first democratically elected president, Mohamed Morsi, who hailed from the ranks of the Muslim Brotherhood. Morsi’s shortlived rule proved divisive and provoked mass protests nationwide. _5 Thailand rally: About 1,000 people gathered in a Bangkok sports arena on Sunday, swearing to defend Thailand’s monarchy from a studentled mass movement that they believe is a threat to the institution’s existence. Calling themselves “Thai Pakdee,” or “Loyal Thai,” most were dressed in yellow shirts — a color closely associated with the monarchy and the ruling establishment. Some clutched portraits of current King Maha Vajiralongkorn and of his late revered father, King Bhumibhol Adulyadej. The gathering took place as antigovernment demonstrations gather momentum across Thailand, posing the strongest challenge yet to the rule of Prime Minister Prayuth Chanocha. The former army chief took power in a coup in 2014, then retained it in an election last year widely seen as rigged.