NEWS OF THE DAY

From Around the World

1

Missile defense: The first shipment of a Russian missile defense system has arrived in Turkey, the Turkish Defense Ministry said Friday, moving the country closer to possible U.S. sanctions and a new standoff with Washington. A Defense Ministry statement said “the first group of equipment” of the S400 air defense systems has reached the Murted Air Base near the capital, Ankara. The U.S. has strongly urged NATO member Turkey to pull back from the deal — reportedly costing more than $2 billion — warning the country that it will face economic sanctions under the Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act if it goes ahead with the purchase. Washington has repeatedly said that the Russian system is incompatible with NATO systems and is a threat to U.S. F35 jet fighters.

2

Sudan pact: A transition agreement between Sudan’s ruling military council and a prodemocracy coalition was scheduled to be signed Saturday, a top African Union diplomat said, just hours after the military claimed it thwarted an attempted coup by a group of officers. The AU’s Mohammed elHassan Labat made the announcement Friday. The transition agreement sets up a joint Sovereign Council that will rule for a little over three years while elections are organized.

3

Canadian released: A Canadian educator who has said he was wrongfully sentenced to 11 years in prison on charges of sexually abusing children at a Jakarta school has been granted clemency and returned to Canada, his family said Friday. Neil Bantleman, an administrator at the prestigious Jakarta Intercultural School, was convicted in 2015 along with six Indonesians on what critics contended was a flawed police investigation and preposterous evidence. Among the evidence submitted were claims that Bantleman had used magical powers to seduce the children and render the scenes of his crimes invisible. The highprofile trial called into question the competence of the police, the fairness of Indonesia’s judicial system and the desirability of Indonesia as a place for foreigners to live and work.

4

Underwater archaeology: A joint AlbanianAmerican underwater archaeology project says it has found amphoras that are at least 2,500 years old in the Ionian Sea off the Albanian coast, which might yield an ancient shipwreck. The research vessel Hercules of the RPM Nautical Foundation said Friday they had found 22 amphoras — a twohandled jar with a narrow neck used for wine or oil scattered around the seabed near the Karaburun peninsula. Archaeologist Mateusz Polakowski said they believe the Corinthian A type amphoras date to between the seventh and the fifth century B.C. Since 2004, RPM has mapped Albania’s offshore seabed for ancient and modern shipwrecks, with ongoing plans to open an underwater museum in western Albania.

5

Bull run: A man was gored and five other people injured in the sixth bull run of the 2019 San Fermin festival Friday, officials in the northern Spanish city of Pamplona said. The dash with six bulls along cobbled streets to Pamplona’s bullring Friday lasted 2 minutes and 18 seconds. Four people — two Americans and two Spaniards — had previously been gored since the daily races started Sunday. The nineday fiesta draws thousands of revelers each year from around the world. Mostly wearing white with a red sash, they test their courage by running alongside and in front of six fighting bulls.