NEWS OF THE DAY
1 Deadly air strike: An early morning NATO air strike in Afghanistan’s eastern Logar province accidentally killed five Afghan soldiers on Thursday, the coalition and Afghan defense ministry officials said. The air strike is likely to draw another verbal attack from President Hamid Karzai against U.S. and NATO soldiers in his country. He has accused the international troops of being occupiers, colluding with the Taliban insurgents and carelessly killing Afghan civilians.
2 Bitcoin CEO: The American CEO of a virtual currency exchange was found dead near her home in Singapore. A police spokesman said Thursday that initial investigations indicated there was no suspicion of “foul play” in the Feb. 26 death of 28year-old Autumn Radtke, meaning officers do not suspect murder. Police have so far classified the death as “unnatural,” which can mean an accident, misadventure, or suicide. Radtke’s company, First Meta, said it was “shocked and saddened by the tragic loss.”
3 Tunisia emergency ends: Tunisia’s President Moncef Marzouki on Thursday lifted the state of emergency that has been in place since the outbreak of a popular revolution three years ago. The state of emergency was imposed by longtime President Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali and maintained after he was overthrown. It was repeatedly renewed.
4 President’s affair: The former companion of French President Francois Hollande won her invasion of privacy law suit on Thursday against a gossip magazine, while the actress at the center of the presidential break-up took the publication to court, saying its revelations had shattered her life. The courtroom spotlight shone on the two women with a common link — Hollande — on the same day in the same court house. Neither woman was present. Valerie Trierweiler, the president’s long-time companion who had served as first lady until Closer magazine revealed his secret visits to Julie Gayet, won $16,500 in damages from the publication. Gayet is seeking $75,000 in damages and legal fees from Closer.
5 Libya aid: World diplomats worked Thursday to help Libya create a stable government and more secure environment amid the violence and growing political tensions that have festered since Moammar Khadafy’s regime crumbled in 2011. The meeting of foreign ministers, mostly from the West and Gulf states, focused largely on easing disagreements among Libya’s diverse tribal, religious and ethnic populations, looking toward writing a new constitution and holding elections this year. The ministers are also working to secure weapons and ammunition left over from the Khadafy regime to help bring more security to the country.
6 Expelled for rooting: Dozens of Muslim students from the disputed Indian territory of Kashmir were expelled from their university and briefly threatened with sedition charges because they cheered for the Pakistani cricket team during a televised match against archrival India, police said Thursday, while the Indian state’s elected leader called for leniency. Akhilesh Yadav, chief minister of northern Uttar Pradesh state, said Thursday he told state officials that such a serious charge as sedition, which carries a possible life sentence, should be withdrawn because the students probably didn’t understand the gravity of their actions. A senior state official told the Hindustan Times that the sedition charges were dropped.