News in Brief
MOSCOW (Reuters) -- The Kremlin on Monday rebuffed a call by an international maritime tribunal for Russia to release 24 Ukrainian sailors, saying the court had no jurisdiction over the strait where Russian security forces captured them.
The Russian navy captured the Ukrainian sailors and their three vessels in the Kerch Strait, which links the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov, on Nov. 25, 2018, after opening fire on them.
The waterway separates Crimea, which Russia annexed in 2014, and Russia.
"The convention on the law of the sea from 1982 is not applicable in the case of the Kerch Strait,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters on a conference call. He did not elaborate on why the convention did not apply.
Russia plans to press ahead with its investigation into the incident in which the Ukrainian sailors were captured and to take the matter to trial, Peskov was quoted by the daily Vedomosti newspaper as saying late on Sunday.
***
BRUSSELS (AP) — A yellow vest protest march was taken over by black-hooded demonstrators and turned violent in Brussels, forcing authorities to detain a few hundred people.
The yellow vest demonstration was intended to be against social injustice on the day of European Parliament elections. But it degenerated into disorder, with some protesters pelting buildings and smashing barricades. Police intervened to disperse the violent demonstrators.
Brussels police spokeswoman Ilse Van de Keere said around 350 people were briefly detained but were released later Sunday.
Police on horseback patrolled the historic center and scuffles broke out in different areas.
***
PARIS (AFP) -- Staff at the Louvre in Paris went on strike Monday, forcing the museum to close and disappointing tourists hoping to catch a glimpse of the Mona Lisa and other masterworks.
The museum said staff were striking on the grounds that their numbers were no longer sufficient to cope with ever increasing visitor numbers.
"Due to a strike by reception and security staff linked to high visitor numbers, the Louvre will exceptionally be closed on Monday," the museum said on Twitter.
The Sud Culture Solidaires trade union said in a statement that the Louvre was "suffocating" and staff were being overwhelmed by the number of visitors.
"Staff have noticed an unprecedented deterioration in working and visiting conditions," it said.
"More than 10 million people visited the Louvre in 2018. Although visitor numbers have grown by more than 20 percent since 2009... staff numbers are falling," the union said.
***
MOSCOW (Reuters) -- Russia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on Monday that Moscow was ready to play a role in talks between the Venezuelan government and opposition in Oslo if the participants felt it was useful.
Norway said on Saturday that representatives of Venezuela’s government and opposition would return to Oslo following an initial round of preliminary talks about how to address the country’s political crisis.
The Russian foreign ministry said in a statement it welcomed the fact that the talks were continuing, but warned against any external powers trying to foist ultimatums on the Venezuelan leadership.
***
EL RENO, Okla. (AP) — A tornado leveled a motel and tore through a mobile home park near Oklahoma City overnight, killing two people and injuring at least 29 others before a second twister raked a suburb of Tulsa more than 100 miles (160 kilometers) away, authorities said Sunday.
The first tornado touched down in El Reno, about 25 miles (40 kilometers) west of Oklahoma City, late Saturday night. It crossed an interstate and walloped the American Budget Value Inn before ripping through the Skyview Estates trailer park, flipping and leveling homes, Mayor Matt White said at a news conference.
"It’s a tragic scene out there,” White said, adding later that, "People have absolutely lost everything.”
***
COLOMBO (AFP) -- Sri Lanka's military has detained nearly 100 suspects during four days of search operations against remnants of a Takfiri group blamed for the Easter attacks that killed 258, officials said.
Some 3,000 military personnel were deployed in and around the capital as well as other key towns for cordon-and-search activities that began on Thursday, a military official said.
In the first three days, security forces took 87 suspects into custody and they were handed over to police for further investigations, he added.
"The number of people detained could be around 100 by now," a security official said adding that almost all were taken in for possessing drugs and in some cases illegal weapons.
A few were also detained along with video and other propaganda material of the local Takfiri group, the National Thowheeth Jama'ath (NTJ) which has been blamed for the April 21 bombings. Daesh has also claimed a role in the attacks.
***
PORT-AU-PRINCE (AFP) -- More than 1,000 Haitians took to the streets of the capital Port-au-Prince to denounce sexual violence in the country after two students were gang-raped this week.
Marchers dressed in white walked to the city center from the university where one of the recent victims studied, passing the scene of the attack while screaming loudly to imitate the cries of rape victims.
"Rape is becoming a form of repression against women in working-class neighborhoods and in universities across the country," said feminist activist Pascale Solages.
There has been little study of sexual assault in Haiti, but in 2017, the Ministry of Health released a survey saying one in eight women report experiencing sexual violence at some point in their lives.
The Russian navy captured the Ukrainian sailors and their three vessels in the Kerch Strait, which links the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov, on Nov. 25, 2018, after opening fire on them.
The waterway separates Crimea, which Russia annexed in 2014, and Russia.
"The convention on the law of the sea from 1982 is not applicable in the case of the Kerch Strait,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters on a conference call. He did not elaborate on why the convention did not apply.
Russia plans to press ahead with its investigation into the incident in which the Ukrainian sailors were captured and to take the matter to trial, Peskov was quoted by the daily Vedomosti newspaper as saying late on Sunday.
***
BRUSSELS (AP) — A yellow vest protest march was taken over by black-hooded demonstrators and turned violent in Brussels, forcing authorities to detain a few hundred people.
The yellow vest demonstration was intended to be against social injustice on the day of European Parliament elections. But it degenerated into disorder, with some protesters pelting buildings and smashing barricades. Police intervened to disperse the violent demonstrators.
Brussels police spokeswoman Ilse Van de Keere said around 350 people were briefly detained but were released later Sunday.
Police on horseback patrolled the historic center and scuffles broke out in different areas.
***
PARIS (AFP) -- Staff at the Louvre in Paris went on strike Monday, forcing the museum to close and disappointing tourists hoping to catch a glimpse of the Mona Lisa and other masterworks.
The museum said staff were striking on the grounds that their numbers were no longer sufficient to cope with ever increasing visitor numbers.
"Due to a strike by reception and security staff linked to high visitor numbers, the Louvre will exceptionally be closed on Monday," the museum said on Twitter.
The Sud Culture Solidaires trade union said in a statement that the Louvre was "suffocating" and staff were being overwhelmed by the number of visitors.
"Staff have noticed an unprecedented deterioration in working and visiting conditions," it said.
"More than 10 million people visited the Louvre in 2018. Although visitor numbers have grown by more than 20 percent since 2009... staff numbers are falling," the union said.
***
MOSCOW (Reuters) -- Russia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on Monday that Moscow was ready to play a role in talks between the Venezuelan government and opposition in Oslo if the participants felt it was useful.
Norway said on Saturday that representatives of Venezuela’s government and opposition would return to Oslo following an initial round of preliminary talks about how to address the country’s political crisis.
The Russian foreign ministry said in a statement it welcomed the fact that the talks were continuing, but warned against any external powers trying to foist ultimatums on the Venezuelan leadership.
***
EL RENO, Okla. (AP) — A tornado leveled a motel and tore through a mobile home park near Oklahoma City overnight, killing two people and injuring at least 29 others before a second twister raked a suburb of Tulsa more than 100 miles (160 kilometers) away, authorities said Sunday.
The first tornado touched down in El Reno, about 25 miles (40 kilometers) west of Oklahoma City, late Saturday night. It crossed an interstate and walloped the American Budget Value Inn before ripping through the Skyview Estates trailer park, flipping and leveling homes, Mayor Matt White said at a news conference.
"It’s a tragic scene out there,” White said, adding later that, "People have absolutely lost everything.”
***
COLOMBO (AFP) -- Sri Lanka's military has detained nearly 100 suspects during four days of search operations against remnants of a Takfiri group blamed for the Easter attacks that killed 258, officials said.
Some 3,000 military personnel were deployed in and around the capital as well as other key towns for cordon-and-search activities that began on Thursday, a military official said.
In the first three days, security forces took 87 suspects into custody and they were handed over to police for further investigations, he added.
"The number of people detained could be around 100 by now," a security official said adding that almost all were taken in for possessing drugs and in some cases illegal weapons.
A few were also detained along with video and other propaganda material of the local Takfiri group, the National Thowheeth Jama'ath (NTJ) which has been blamed for the April 21 bombings. Daesh has also claimed a role in the attacks.
***
PORT-AU-PRINCE (AFP) -- More than 1,000 Haitians took to the streets of the capital Port-au-Prince to denounce sexual violence in the country after two students were gang-raped this week.
Marchers dressed in white walked to the city center from the university where one of the recent victims studied, passing the scene of the attack while screaming loudly to imitate the cries of rape victims.
"Rape is becoming a form of repression against women in working-class neighborhoods and in universities across the country," said feminist activist Pascale Solages.
There has been little study of sexual assault in Haiti, but in 2017, the Ministry of Health released a survey saying one in eight women report experiencing sexual violence at some point in their lives.