NEWS OF THE DAY
From Around the World
➊ EU sanctions: The European Union and Britain imposed sanctions Thursday on six Russians, some among the highestranked officials in the nation, and a state research institute over the nerve agent poisoning of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny. The move comes a day after Russia’s foreign minister threatened the 27nation EU with retaliatory action. Those hit by the sanctions, which consist of an asset freeze and travel bans in Europe, include Alexander Bortnikov, the chief of Russia’s Federal Security Service, the top KGB successor agency that is in charge of domestic security, and Sergei Kiriyenko, President Vladimir Putin’s deputy chief of staff.
➋ Hong Kong raid: Police raided the private offices of media tycoon and prodemocracy activist Jimmy Lai on Thursday, according to Lai aide Mark Simon. He wrote in a Twitter post that 14 police officers visited Lai’s office and confiscated documents. Lai, 71, is an outspoken prodemocracy figure who regularly criticizes China’s authoritarian rule and Hong Kong’s government. He is also the founder of media company Next Digital, which operates prodemocracy newspaper Apple Daily. Lai was among those arrested in August, and headquarters of Next Digital were also raided the same day. He was later released on bail.
➌ LGBT petition: Sexual minority groups and human rights activists started a petition on Thursday calling for an LGBT equality law in Japan in hopes that it can be enacted next year, when the country is to host the Olympics and will be the focus of international attention. Japan has slowly shown an increased awareness of sexual diversity but it is often superficial. Pressure to conform still forces many lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people to hide their sexual identities, even from their families. Samesex marriage is not legally allowed, and transgender people are required to remove their reproductive organs to have sex changes reflected in official documents — a requirement that international medical experts and human rights groups criticize as inhumane. ➍ Prisoner swap: Yemen’s warring sides on Thursday kicked off a longawaited, U. N. brokered prisoner exchange, amid a conflict that has spawned the world’s worst humanitarian crisis. The exchange came a day after Yemen’s Iranbacked rebels freed two Americans and released the remains of a third who had died in captivity. The release is part of a U. N. mediated deal between the rebel Houthis and a Saudibacked coalition supporting Yemen’s internationally recognized government in the yearslong civil war. The conflict in the Arab world’s poorest country erupted in 2014, when the Houthis seized the capital, Sanaa, and much of the country’s north. The Saudiled coalition, backed by the U. S., launched a military intervention months later to restore Yemeni President Abed Rabu Mansour Hadi to power. ➎ Mayan ruins: Experts in Mexico said this week they have detected more than 2,000 pre-Hispanic ruins or clusters of artifacts along the proposed route of the controversial “Maya Train” project on the Yucatan peninsula. The discovery of sites using LiDAR elevation mapping technology could slow down the already disputed project, which opponents contend also threatens indigenous communities and water supplies. The data showed a total of 2,187 “archaeological monuments” along 277 miles of the proposed route, about onequarter of the total planned track. Experts already knew about the existence of some of the sites, but some are new. Mexico’s National Institute of Anthropology and History said at least 91 were largescale structures like plazas, pyramid or temple platforms.