NEWS OF THE DAY
From Around the World
1 Mexico storm: Tropical Storm Cristobal weakened to a tropical depression Thursday as it moved inland from Mexico’s Gulf coast toward the Guatemalan border, bringing flooding and winds that have already caused the deaths of six people. The weakening came before a predicted turn northward toward the U.S. The storm’s sustained winds weakened to 35 mph after it moved inland to an area on the MexicoGuatemala border. The storm has already caused one death in Mexico and five in El Salvador. Cristobal is forecast to be out in the central Gulf on Saturday and could be nearing the U.S. Gulf Coast by Sunday.
2 Israel annexation: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu harshly criticized Jewish West Bank settler leaders for disparaging President Trump over what they perceive to be his less than adequate plan allowing Israel to annex parts of the West Bank. Despite what is widely viewed as a proIsrael peace plan, settler leaders have voiced concern that the maps they have seen leave many settlements as isolated enclaves. They also reject any recognition of a Palestinian state, as outlined in the American plan, and have pressed Netanyahu to make changes. “President Trump is a great friend of Israel’s. He has led historic moves for Israel’s benefit,” Netanyahu said in a statement. “It is regrettable that instead of showing gratitude, there are those who are denying his friendship.”
3 Korea tension: South Korea said Thursday it planned to push new laws to ban activists from flying antiPyongyang leaflets over the border after North Korea threatened to end an interKorean military agreement reached in 2018 to reduce tensions if Seoul fails to prevent the protests. The South’s desperate attempt to keep alive a faltering diplomacy will almost certainly trigger debates over freedom of speech in one of Asia’s most vibrant democracies. Defectors and other activists in recent weeks have used balloons to fly leaflets criticizing the North’s authoritarian leader Kim Jong Un over his nuclear ambitions and dismal human rights record.
4 Disputed election: Burundi’s constitutional court on Thursday upheld the results of last month’s presidential election and rejected the complaints filed by opposition leader Agathon Rwasa, who had alleged widespread irregularities. The court upheld the win of ruling party candidate Evariste Ndayishimiye with 68% of the vote, with Rwasa receiving 28%. The court called Rwasa’s complaint unfounded and said any irregularities could not taint the entire electoral process in the East African nation. Rwasa had alleged the stuffing of ballot boxes. Ndayishimiye, 52, will succeed President Pierre Nkurunziza, who has been in power since 2005. The ruling party has said Nkurunziza will have the title “Supreme Guide” after he steps down, and many believe he will wield considerable influence behind the scenes.
5 School attack: A school security guard injured at least 39 people in a knife attack at a kindergarten in southern China on Thursday morning, state media reported. The motive remains unknown. The attack was an eerie throwback to deadly attacks at schools in China over past years that prompted security upgrades and that authorities have blamed largely on people bearing grudges or who had unidentified mental illnesses. The local government in the Guangxi region’s Cangwu county said 37 students and two adults suffered injuries of varying degrees in the attack. The unidentified suspect had been detained, while an investigation is under way. Chinese law restricts the sale and possession of firearms, and mass attacks are generally carried out with knives or homemade explosives.