QUOTE OF THE DAY “It is not up to us to make any decision or agreement regarding federalization. It is up to Ukrainians.” U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry after speaking with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in Paris about a diplomatic solution for tensions in Ukraine Article, 1ASecurity forces take control of Rio slums
RIO DE JANEIRO - More than 1,400 police officers and Brazilian Marines rolled into a complex of slums near Rio de Janeiro’s international airport before dawn Sunday in the latest security push ahead of this year’s World Cup.
Not a shot was fired as the Mare complex of 15 slums became the latest impoverished area to see security forces move in to take control and try to push out heavily armed drug gangs that have ruled Rio’s shantytowns for decades.
In the coming days, army soldiers will begin patrolling the virtually treeless, flat area of about 2 square miles in northern Rio that hugs the main road to the airport and is home to about 130,000 people.
Security forces will set up permanent posts in Mare as part of the “pacification” program that began in 2008 and is meant to secure Rio ahead of the World Cup and also the 2016 Summer Olympics. Police have installed 37 such posts in recent years covering 1.5 million people.
Sunday’s operation comes at a critical time for the security effort. In recent months, gangs have brazenly attacked police outposts in other shantytowns on orders from imprisoned gang leaders who want to stymie the spread of “pacified” slums.
Egypt presidential election set for May
CAIRO - Egypt’s presidential election will be held in late May, the electoral commission announced Sunday, setting dates for the crucial vote widely expected to be won by the country’s former military chief who ousted an elected president last year.
The commission set the first round of voting for May 26 and 27, with results expected by June 5. If a second round is necessary, it will be held by midmonth with results announced no later than June 26, the commission said.
The country’s powerful former military chief Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi, who led the overthrow of Islamist President Mohammed Morsi last summer, has announced his bid for office and is widely expected to win.
A mostly conscript force that fought four wars with Israel, the army has a strong support base among the population, many of whom see it as a pillar of the country’s identity.
Chad peacekeepers said to kill civilians
BANGUI, Central African Republic - Chadian peacekeeping soldiers opened fire on civilians in Central African Republic’s strife-torn capital city over the weekend, killing more than 30 people and sparking fears of reprisal attacks, officials and witnesses said.
Jean-Pierre Sadou, an official with the regional peacekeeping mission, could not confirm the death toll provided by local officials but said the soldiers’ actions were a “legitimate defense” after the attack on their convoy.
The soldiers were returning from a mission in the country’s interior on Saturday when two of their vehicles were attacked by grenades, said Sadou. In response, the soldiers forced their way past a roadblock erected by French soldiers in Bangui’s PK12 neighborhood and started shooting on the crowd, witnesses said.
The same soldiers killed four people in the Gobongo neighborhood, local official Jean Claude Yamodo said, and witnesses said eight more were killed near the airport.
Taiwan crowds protest China trade pact
Large crowds of demonstrators took to the streets of Taipei, Taiwan, on Sunday to protest efforts by the government to approve a trade pact that would open up dozens of service fields to investment by Beijing.
Organizers estimated that the crowd had swelled to more than 500,000 people on the streets around the Presidential Office Building by early afternoon. Police counted 116,000 demonstrators by 4 p.m. on the streets around the Presidential Office Building, according to Taiwan’s Central News Agency, while some television news stations put the number as high as 700,000.
After President Ma Ying-jeou’s ruling party, the Kuomintang, pushed the pact onto the floor of the legislature without an item-by-item review, hundreds of protesters, mostly college students, stormed the legislative chamber March 18.
The trade pact has spurred concerns that it would harm local businesses and increase Beijing’s influence over Taiwan, a self-ruled island it claims as part of its territory. While many demonstrators are opposed to the service trade pact, the most widely held complaint was that the measure has not been sufficiently examined.
Front Section, Pages 5 on 03/31/2014