NEWS OF THE DAY
From Across the Globe
1 L’Oreal heiress: A French court handed a famed photographer a three- year prison sentence on charges of swindling hundreds of millions of dollars from France’s richest woman, L’Oreal heiress Liliane Bettencourt, by taking advantage of her weak mental state. The court also ordered the photographer, Francois-Marie Banier, to pay $ 174 million in damages and a $ 382,000 fine. In 2007, Bettencourt’s daughter accused the photographer of manipulating Bettencourt, now 92, into giving him artwork, cash and other favors.
2 Pakistan executions: Three rebels behind a hijacking attempt 17 years ago were among eight death row prisoners hanged in Pakistan on Thursday, officials said. The separatists from the southwestern province of Balochistan attempted to hijack a plane with 38 people on board in 1998 to force the government not to conduct planned nuclear tests in their region.
3 Burundi election: Catholic Church leaders said on Thursday they no longer support the Burundi government’s decision to hold elections next month amid political unrest over President Pierre Nkurunziza’s bid for a third term. Parliamentary elections are set for June 5, and presidential elections for June 26, which many consider unconstitutional and a violation of peace accords. Burundi experienced an ethnic- based civil war from 1993 to 2003 in which at least 250,000 people died. Critics say the political environment is too unstable to hold elections, with almost daily street demonstrations in the capital, Bujumbura, starting a month ago after the ruling party announced it had nominated Nkurunziza as its candidate.
4 Artist detained: Authorities detained a Chinese artist after he posted a humorous portrait of President Xi Jinping online, his wife said Thursday. Judy Zhu said police detained her husband, Dai Jianyong, near their Shanghai home and accused him of “creating a disturbance.” Dai faces up to five years in prison if convicted.
5 Baghdad bombings: A coordinated bomb attack hit two of the Iraqi capital’s most upscale hotels Thursday night, hitting targets frequented by foreigners and wealthy Iraqis. Two car bombs packed with explosives detonated within minutes of each other at the Babylon Hotel and Cristal Grand Ishtar Hotel, a security official said. At least 10 people were killed, and 27 injured. No one immediately claimed responsibility for the bombings, but Islamic State militants have made frequent attacks on the Iraqi capital, with bombings on the rise in recent weeks. Police said six people died at the Babylon Hotel while four perished at the Cristal Grand Ishtar.
6 Swiss cheese mystery solved: The mystery of Swiss cheese and its disappearing holes has been solved by a Swiss agricultural group: The milk’s too clean. The state- funded Agroscope Institute discovered that tiny specks of hay are responsible for the famous holes in cheeses like Emmentaler or Appenzeller. As milk matures into cheese these “microscopically small hay particles” help create the holes in traditional varieties.