NEWS OF THE DAY
From Around the World
Myanmar flooding: Torrential rains have killed 12 people and forced more than 132,000 others to take shelter at nearly 300 temporary camps, a report said Wednesday. The state newspaper Global New Light of Myanmar cited the National Natural Disaster Management Committee as saying the highest death toll was in the Bago region north of Yangon, where four people died and more than 94,000 others took refuge in 186 camps. It said rains and strong winds destroyed some bridges and forced people to flee their homes in low-lying areas.
Jewel thieves: Thieves in Sweden walked into a small town’s medieval cathedral in broad daylight and stole priceless crown jewels dating back to the early 1600s before escaping by speedboat, police said Wednesday. Two men vanished after the noon heist Tuesday into a vast patchwork of lakes around Strangnas, 37 miles west of the capital of Stockholm, police said. The thieves snatched two gold crowns and an orb made for King Karl IX and Queen Kristina in the daring robbery. One of the crowns is encrusted with precious stones. The stolen items were on display at an exhibition in the cathedral, and visitors were inside at the time.
Ebola cases: Congo’s health ministry says at least four new cases of Ebola have emerged in the country’s east, just a week after an outbreak in the northwest was declared over. The ministry says there is no indication the two epidemics separated by more than 1,553 miles are related. The North Kivu health division notified the ministry on Saturday of 26 cases of hemorrhagic fever, including 20 deaths in North Kivu province. The ministry says four of six samples sent to the capital for analysis came back positive for Ebola. Congo on July 24 declared the end of an Ebola outbreak that began in May in northwest Equateur province. Those 54 Ebola cases included 33 deaths.
Poet sentenced: An Israeli court has sentenced an Arab poet to five months in prison for incitement to violence over social media posts she made during a wave of Israeli-Palestinian violence. Dareen Tatour’s case drew international attention after Israel put her under extended house arrest for her poems. More than 150 literary figures, including authors Alice Walker and Naomi Klein, called for Tatour’s release. Critics called her arrest a violation of freedom of expression. In delivering its sentence Tuesday, the court says Tatour’s poem was inciting and that free expression has limits. Tatour was also convicted of supporting a terror group. She says her poem was not a call to violence.
Golan withdrawal: Russian President Vladimir Putin’s envoy to Syria says Iran-backed fighters have withdrawn more than 50 miles from Syria’s frontier with the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights in order not to “irritate” Israel. Alexander Lavrentyev told the Russian Interfax news agency on Wednesday that an agreement was reached “with Russian guarantees,” without elaborating. Russian-backed Syrian forces regained full control of the frontier on Monday. Israel has escalated its attacks against targets inside Syria suspected of being linked to Iran, insisting that it won’t allow Iran to establish a permanent military presence near the frontier. Iran has military advisers in Syria and backs Shiite militias fighting alongside Syrian troops. Israel occupied the Golan Heights in the 1967 Mideast war. The frontier was quiet for decades before Syria’s civil war began in 2011.
Chronicle News Services