NEWS OF THE DAY
1 Criminal trial: An Israeli court on Wednesday ordered Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to appear for the opening of his criminal trial in Jerusalem on Sunday. Netanyahu’s attorneys had asked the Jerusalem District Court for an exemption from appearing for the opening of proceedings. They argued that his presence was “not essential” for the arraignment because their client had “read this indictment several times already,” and that his bodyguards’ presence would violate Health Ministry social distancing requirements. Netanyahu was indicted on charges of fraud, breach of trust, and accepting bribes last year. He has denied any wrongdoing in the series of scandals involving accepting lavish gifts from wealthy friends, and trading media reforms for positive coverage.
2 Death penalty: Singapore has sentenced a drug suspect to death on the popular videoconferencing app Zoom because of the citystate’s coronavirus lockdown, in a move slammed by a human rights group as callous and inhumane. Defense lawyer Peter Fernando said the Supreme Court announced the penalty to his client, Punithan Genasan of Malaysia, in a virtual hearing Friday. Singapore applies the death penalty to a range of offenses including drug trafficking, murder, kidnapping, waging war against the government and use of firearms.
3 Censored song: A song took aim at an alleged abuse of power by Poland’s ruling party leader, Jaroslaw Kaczynski. It rose to the top of the chart of a public radio station. Then it disappeared. The public broadcaster is now accused of censorship. The scandal, which has been a top issue of public debate in recent days, has prompted several resignations from the station, Radio Trojka. The affair has created new worries about media freedom in Poland. Since Kaczynski’s party won power in 2015, it has used public media as a propaganda tool in violation of its mandate to be neutral. In the past five years, Poland has fallen in the World Press Freedom Index from 18th to 62nd place.
4 Afghan violence: Gunmen killed 14 people in two separate attacks in Afghanistan while the Taliban targeted progovernment checkpoints in the northeast, killing nine militiamen, officials say, the latest in relentless violence that continues to plague the wartorn nation. The attacks came against the backdrop of renewed U.N. calls for an end to violence and as Washington’s special peace envoy, Zalmay Khalilzad, embarked on another round of talks with the Taliban to press them to start negotiating with the newly reconciled Afghan political leadership in Kabul. A powersharing agreement on Sunday between President Ashraf Ghani and his rival, Abdullah Abdullah, ended months of wrangling and raised expectations that talks between the Taliban and Afghan leaders could start soon.
5 Terrorism charge: A teenager accused of stabbing a woman to death at a Toronto massage parlor was charged with terrorism Tuesday after police said they uncovered evidence the attack was inspired by an online community of sexually frustrated men. The 17yearold was originally charged with firstdegree murder and attempted murder Feb. 24 following multiple stabbings with a sword at an adult massage parlor. A 24yearold woman, Ashley Noelle Arzaga, was found dead in the parlor. Toronto Police Service contacted the Royal Canadian Mounted Police’s antiterrorism unit after investigators found evidence the accused was inspired by “incels,” a fringe internet subculture that allegedly plots attacks on people who have sex. “Incel” is short for “involuntarily celibate.”