NEWS OF THE DAY
From Around the World
_1 Syria strike: The United States struck an al Qaeda gathering in northern Syria killing several “terrorists,” and is investigating the number of civilians killed, a U.S. official said Friday amid reports that some 40 people, mostly civilians, were killed in a mosque in the area. Friday prayers were canceled across rebel-held parts of northern Syria after an air strike that opposition activists and paramedics said struck the crowded Omar Ibn al-Khattab Mosque in the Jeeneh district in Aleppo province, killing and wounding dozens of people, some of whom were left trapped under the rubble. Bahaa al-Halaby, an Aleppo-based opposition activist, said the Thursday night air strike hit as about 250 people had gathered at the mosque for prayers or to attend a religious lesson.
_2 Drought violence: Kenya’s President Uhuru Kenyatta on Friday ordered the military to deploy to the volatile counties of Baringo and Laikipia in the Rift Valley to calm deadly violence fueled by drought that affects roughly half the country. At least 21 people have died in fighting between herders in Baringo county since early February. Thirteen people were killed this week. And in Laikipia county, a British farmer was killed this month by herders invading ranches in search of pasture and water.
_3 Corruption probe: Portugal’s attorney general on Friday granted investigators another extension to conclude their 2 1/2-year investigation into a former prime minister who is suspected of corruption, money laundering and tax fraud. The attorney general’s office said prosecutors now have at least until the end of April to decide whether to formally charge Jose Socrates or drop their case against him. The deadline for a decision had been Friday, after twice being extended. The Portuguese legal system is notoriously slow, but Socrates’ defense lawyers say the delays in the highprofile case are scandalous.
_4 Abdication law: Japanese ruling and opposition parties have given Prime Minister Shinzo Abe a proposal urging his government to write a special one-time law that would allow Emperor Akihito to abdicate. The government is expected to submit the legislation to parliament around May. Akihito, 83, expressed last August his apparent wish to abdicate, citing concerns his age and health may start limiting his ability to fulfill his duties. He would be the first emperor to abdicate in 200 years. Crown Prince Naruhito, Akihito’s oldest son, is first in line to the Chrysanthemum throne.
_5 Prison escape: The son of a top Sinaloa cartel leader escaped from prison in northern Sinaloa state along with four other drug suspects, Mexican authorities say. The escaped prisoner was identified as Juan Jose Esparragoza Monzon, the son of Juan Jose Esparragoza Moreno, alias “El Azul.” The father is a top leader of the Sinaloa gang along with Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman and Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada. Guzman was extradited to the U.S. earlier this year. The whereabouts of Zambada and the elder Esparragoza are unknown. _6 Dog shot: New Zealand police shot and killed a young security dog at the Auckland Airport after it escaped its handler and ran loose for more than three hours on the tarmac, disrupting at least 16 flights. Many people in New Zealand were upset Friday that the dog was killed and some questioned why it couldn’t have been tranquilized instead. Named Grizz, the dog was being trained to detect explosives by New Zealand’s Aviation Security Service.