NEWS OF THE DAY
From Around the World
1 Poland tribute: An American teacher who together with his students shed light on the story of a Polish woman who saved hundreds of Jewish children during the Holocaust was honored Monday with the award that bears her name. Irena Sendler and her story were largely unknown until Norman Conard and his high school students in rural Kansas began producing a play about her, “Life in a Jar,” in 1999 as part of a history project. The play has since been performed around the world, movies have been made and dozens of schools in Poland and some in Germany have been named after Sendler. Poland’s Culture Ministry and San Francisco’s Taube Philanthropies presented Conard with the 2018 Irena Sendler Memorial Award in Warsaw.
2 Severe storm: Hurricane Bud grew to Category 3 force off Mexico’s Pacific coast on Monday, but forecasters said it was likely to weaken before a possible brush with the resort-dotted southern tip of the Baja California peninsula late this week. Bud was centered about 260 miles southwest of Cabo Corrientes on Monday. Forecasters said it is expected to strengthen further before a slow weakening trend starts Tuesday. The storm could generate swells that cause life-threatening surf and rip currents over the coming days along Mexico’s southwestern coast.
3 Italy trial: An Italian court convicted a Polish man Monday of kidnapping a 20year-old British model for ransom, rejecting the defendant’s claim that the abduction was staged to boost the victim’s career. The court sentenced Lukasz Herba to 16 years and nine months in prison. The lawyer for model Chloe Ayling, Francesco Pesce, called it “quite an important verdict.” Defense lawyer Katia Kolakowska expressed disappointment that the court did not take into account in sentencing that Ayling emerged from the ordeal physically unharmed. The six-day kidnapping in Milan in 2017 and Ayling’s release garnered global attention, in part because of the model’s professional life. During trial, prosecutor Storari said the kidnapping started with the promise of a modeling job.
4 Panama extradition: Former President Ricardo Martinelli returned to Panama to face political espionage and embezzlement charges after being extradited from the United States on Monday. Panama’s Foreign Ministry said the U.S. turned Martinelli over at Panama City’s airport after a flight from Miami. Martinelli had been jailed in Miami since his arrest at his home in June 2017. The 66-year-old was Panama’s president from 2009 to 2014. He is accused of embezzlement and illegally monitoring phone calls and other communications.
5 Jordan aid: Three Gulf Arab states pledged $2.5 billion in aid to Jordan on Monday in an effort to stabilize the U.S.-allied kingdom as it faces its worst protests in years over government austerity plans that include tax increases. The money from Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates will go toward a deposit in Jordan’s Central Bank, cover World Bank guarantees for the kingdom, offer budget support and finance other development projects. The hope is the five-year aid package, which mirrors a similar package offered by Gulf states in 2011, will help Jordan devise a more palatable austerity plan to satisfy international lenders and its public. Jordan’s protests have led to the firing of its prime minister. While peaceful, the protests threaten the stability of a kingdom strained by hosting scores of refugees who have fled the wars in Iraq and Syria.