British baby in treatment battle dies
LONDON— Charlie Gard, the terminally ill British baby at the center of a legal and ethical battle that attracted the attention of Pope Francis and President Donald Trump, died Friday. He was one week shy of his first birthday.
Charlie’s parents fought for the right to take him to the United States for an experimental medical treatment for his rare genetic disease, mitochondrial depletion syndrome, which left him brain damaged and unable to breathe unaided. His case ended up in the courts when doctors opposed the plan, saying the untested therapy wouldn’t help Charlie and might cause him to suffer. A family spokeswoman confirmed Charlie’s death Friday.
Barcelona train crash
BARCELONA, Spain — A Spanish commuter train crashed into a buffer early Friday at a station in northeastern Barcelona, tossing passengers to the floor and sending 53 people to the hospital, officials said. Regional health authorities said three of those people were seriously injured, but their lives were not in danger.
Aspokesman for the Catalan police told The Associated Press that the train’s driver passed a drug and alcohol test taken after the crash. He also said agents were examining the train’s two black boxes andthat it could take days to finish the investigation. The spokesman asked to remain anonymous as dictated by police policy.
Iranian sanctions
WASHINGTON— The U.S. moved to add more sanctions on Iran for its ballistic missile program as President Donald Trump signals increasing frustration with the Islamic Republic and the accord over its nuclear program reached during the Obamaadministration.
The latest move prohibits U.S. persons from engaging in transactions with the sanctioned companies and says financial institutions that deal with them “risk exposure to sanctions that could sever their access to the U.S. financial system,” according to a statement from Treasury Secretary Steven T. Mnuchin. The Treasury Department announced Friday it was adding six companies associated with Iran’s Shahid Hemmat Industrial Group.
The sanctions are the second set imposed by the Trump administration this month targeting the ballistic missile program.
Fear in Venezuela
CARACAS, Venezuela — Venezuela prepared Friday for a possible showdown between opposition protesters and government forces ahead of a vote that critics decry as a final step toward authoritarian rule in the South American nation.
Ahead of Sunday’s vote, the socialist government of President Nicolás Maduro issued a ban on public gatherings and protests through Tuesday. The opposition answered with a vow to pour into the streets nationwide, though exactly how many would heed that call remained unclear.
Opponents are boycotting Sunday’s vote, which would create a super-congress that could prolong Mr. Maduro’s rule. It would possess awesome powers, including the right to change the constitution and supplant the National Assembly.
Jordanian tribe ultimatum
AMMAN, Jordan — A powerful tribe has given the Jordanian government an ultimatum: Release the killer of three U.S. soldiers or face a wave of tribal unrest. Maarik al-Tawayha, a soldier, was sentenced in July to life in prison by a Jordanian military tribunal for killing the three Americans at an air base in southern Jordan in November.