NEWS OF THE DAY
From Around the World
1 Venezuelans accused: U.N. investigators Wednesday implicated President Nicolás Maduro of Venezuela and other highranking officials in systematic human rights abuses amounting to crimes against humanity — including killings, torture and sexual violence — and called for criminal investigations to determine the extent of their involvement. A threemember panel appointed by the U.N. Human Rights Council said it “had reasonable grounds to believe” that Maduro, the interior minister, the defense minister, and the directors of Venezuela’s security and intelligence services “ordered or contributed to” the arbitrary detention, enforced disappearances and torture of critics and extrajudicial killings. The panel said they also failed to prevent abuses although they had the powers to do so.
2 Palestinians’ woes: The U.N. agency for Palestinian refugees is experiencing a financial crisis that could force it to halt some services to an already impoverished population of more than 5 million people, the head of the agency said Wednesday. Philippe Lazzarini also warned in an interview in Beirut that the spread of coronavirus, an economic meltdown in Lebanon and a huge deficit in UNRWA’s budget are deepening the hopelessness among Palestinian refugees, some of whom are trying to flee the Mediterranean nation on migrant boats.
3 Belarussian’s accusations: Belarus’ authoritarian leader on Wednesday sought to disparage protesters demanding his resignation for a sixth straight week following a disputed election by accusing the United States of fomenting the unrest. In a long speech to top officials, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko ranted against the alleged U.S.led plan to destabilize the country and claimed that American allies in Europe have participated in the effort that took years to prepare, part of his attempts to cast the opposition as Western stooges. Lukashenko didn’t provide evidence to back his claim that the U.S. had any involvement in the demonstrations.
4 Defendant apologizes: A former Marin County man charged with murdering an Italian police officer apologized in court Wednesday, saying he was “filled with remorse” and hoped one day the slain man’s family would forgive him. Finnegan Lee Elder, 20, has been on trial in Rome since February along with a fellow former Marin County resident, Gabriel NataleHjorth, 19. They are accused of stabbing Vice Brigadier Mario Cerciello in a botched drug deal in July 2019. Prosecutors alleged that in the ensuing scuffle, Elder stabbed Cerciello 11 times and that NataleHjorth hid the murder weapon, a militarystyle attack knife. On Wednesday, Elder told the court, “I’ll never be able to forgive myself for this, and I don’t expect Mr. Mario Cerciello’s family to ever forgive me, although I truly hope one day they will.”
5 Barbados independence: Queen Elizabeth II has eight realms in the Caribbean, but Barbados no longer wants to be part of that kingdom. The former British colony announced it plans to replace the monarch with its own head of state in time for next year’s 55th independence anniversary. It is Barbados’ second attempt in five years to replace the queen, but some believe this time will be different, in part fueled by a recent push across the Western Hemisphere to bring down symbols of oppression. Barbados would need a twothirds majority in Parliament to make the constitutional changes required to remove the queen as head of state and implement a ceremonial president. Buckingham Palace and Downing Street said the decision lay in the hands of government officials in Barbados.