NEWS OF THE DAY
From Around the World
1 Burundi attack: Burundian police say 21 people been wounded in a grenade attack in the capital, nine of them seriously. Police spokesman Pierre Nkurikiye said the attack occurred in Bujumbura on Thursday in a crowded area. The grenade was concealed in a bag that was thrown into the crowd by two men on a motorcycle. Grenade and gun attacks are common in Bujumbura amid unrest stemming from President Pierre Nkurunziza’s decision last year to seek a third term despite violent protests. Hundreds of people have been killed since April 2015, according to the United Nations
2 Human smugglers on trial: Two suspected people- smugglers went on trial in Bodrum, Turkey on Thursday accused of causing the death of 3year- old Aylan Kurdi — whose drowning put a human face on the Syrian refugee crisis — and four other people. The image of the boy’s lifeless body lying face down on a Turkish beach galvanized world attention on the refugee crisis, graphically illustrating the magnitude of the suffering, the lives destroyed and the treacherous journeys the migrants risk. Aylan’s brother, Galip, and mother, Rihan, were also among the five victims who drowned when their boat went down in the ill- fated journey from Bodrum to the Greek island of Kos. The defendants, Syrian nationals Muwafaka Alabash and Asem Alfrhad, have denied any responsibility.
3 Royal corruption: A witness at the trial of Spain’s Princess Cristina and 16 others has testified that the princess’ husband wanted a commission of $ 339,000 as a “toll” to help the regional Balearic Islands government land a cycling sponsorship deal. Former Environment Minister Jaume Matas said Thursday he approved the 2003 payoff deal in return for Inaki Urdangarin’s influence. Matas, regional leader of Spain’s Balearic Islands at the time, is among the defendants in the trial. Urdangarin is accused of using his former title of Duke of Palma to embezzle public funds for sporting deals through his nonprofit Noos Institute. Money was allegedly funneled from Noos for personal use. Cristina, King Felipe VI’s sister, is charged with tax fraud.
4 Train derailment: At least 69 people were injured when a train derailed and two of its cars overturned as it was traveling north toward Cairo on Thursday, an Egyptian Health Ministry official said. The accident took place early Thursday near Beni Suef, a city south of Cairo when the train hit a cement wall while trying to avoid a second one heading in the opposite direction. Railroad accidents due to negligence are common in Egypt. Egyptians have long complained that the government has failed to deal with the country’s chronic transport problems. Egypt’s worst railway disaster was in 2002 when a train heading to southern Egypt caught fire, killing 363 people.
5 “Star Wars” accident: British health authorities said Thursday that they have issued criminal charges against the producers of “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” over an on- set accident in which Harrison Ford broke his leg. The actor was struck by a hydraulic door on the set of the Millennium Falcon — his character Han Solo’s spaceship — at Pinewood Studios near London in June 2014. He was airlifted to a hospital where he underwent surgery. The Health and Safety Executive said Thursday that it had charged Foodles Production ( UK) Ltd. — a subsidiary of the Walt Disney Co. — with four breaches of workplace health and safety laws.