NEWS OF THE DAY
From Across the Globe
1 Bird flu death: Canadian health officials said Wednesday a fatal case of H5N1 bird flu has been reported in Canada, the first such case in North America. The victim was travelling from China when symptoms first appeared. Health Minister Rona Ambrose said the case, in Alberta, was an isolated one and that the risk to the general public is very low.
2 Train derailment: Officials in Canada said a derailed freight train carrying crude oil and propane continued to burn Wednesday, and about 150 residents remained evacuated from their homes. There were no deaths or injuries. Of the 17 cars that derailed Tuesday in New Brunswick province, five contain crude oil and four contain propane, said a CN Rail official.
3 Morsi trial: The trial of Egypt’s ousted Islamist President Mohammed Morsi on charges of inciting the murder of protesters was adjourned Wednesday until next month, after security officials said heavy fog grounded the helicopter meant to bring Morsi to court.
4 Police scandal: The Turkish government removed police chiefs in 15 cities and the deputy head of the country’s police force, police said Wednesday. The removals came after around 350 Turkish police officers in Ankara were reassigned to different positions Tuesday in the largest single purge of the police force since a corruption investigation plunged the government into crisis.
5 Train fire: Fire and smoke engulfed three cars of an Indian passenger train early Wednesday, killing nine people as they slept in the latest tragedy to hit the country’s vast railway network, officials said. Authorities were trying to determine what caused the fire to break out before dawn, just hours after the train left Mumbai on a journey to the Himalayan foothill town of Dehradun. Accidents are common on India’s railroad network, one of the world’s largest, with 23 million passengers daily riding on about 11,000 passenger trains. Most collisions and fires are blamed on poor maintenance and human error.
6 Nigeria violence: Gunmen shouting “God is great” fired into worshipers at a mosque in the village of the powerful governor of northern Kano state, witnesses said Wednesday. Police said three people were killed. It was unclear if the attack was staged by Islamic extremists or signals growing violence in political infighting ahead of presidential elections next year. The political conflict comes as Nigeria confronts an Islamic uprising in three northeastern states that poses the greatest threat in decades to the security and cohesion of the country, Africa’s most populous of more than 160 million people.
7 Muslim veil: A French court convicted a woman for insulting police who ticketed her for wearing a face-covering Muslim veil, banned by French law. The confrontation between Cassandra Belin, her husband and police triggered riots in the Paris suburb of Trappes last year. Police sporadically ticket women who wear the veil, banned since 2011. Belin was fined $204 and given a one-month suspended sentence.
8 Journalists released: Two Swedish journalists who were abducted in Syria were released after a month and a half in captivity, Red Cross officials said Wednesday. One of them, Niclas Hammarstrom, said he had been shot in the leg during a failed escape attempt. Hammarstrom and reporter Magnus Falkehed, both freelancers, were abducted on in November.