NEWS OF THE DAY
From Around the World
1 U.S. Embassy bombing: The man who hurled a bomb into the U.S. Embassy compound in Montenegro’s capital of Podgorica, and then killed himself, was identified Thursday as Dalibor Jaukovic. The 43-year-old ex-soldier had been decorated by former Serbian strongman Slobodan Milosevic after NATO’s bombing of Serbia and Montenegro in 1999, authorities said. Police said Jaukovic threw a bomb into the embassy yard and then killed himself by activating another one around midnight Wednesday. The blast created a crater but caused no other material damage to the embassy property. The embassy said Thursday all staff are safe and accounted for after the incident.
2 Saudi opera: Saudi Arabia says construction will soon begin on the first opera house in the kingdom, where concerts have been banned for two decades, along with music in restaurants and stores. The kingdom has been relaxing its decades-old restrictions on entertainment and fun, as part of a wider effort spearheaded by the young crown prince to boost the economy and increase household spending domestically. Thursday’s announcement says the opera house will be built in the Red Sea city of Jiddah. Next month, the kingdom is planning to open the country’s first movie theater after a more than 35-year-ban.
3 Sinai crackdown: Egypt’s military says seven troops have been killed in a massive security operation launched this month against Islamic militants in the restive northern Sinai Peninsula and other areas. The military’s spokesman, Tamer al-Rifai, said on Thursday that six soldiers have been wounded during the operation, which began Feb. 9. He says 71 militants have been killed and five arrested. Troops also arrested 1,852 others, including “criminal elements” and people suspected of supporting militants, many of whom have since been released. The military’s figures cannot be independently confirmed as journalists are barred from the area. Sinai has been the epicenter of a years-long Islamic insurgency.
4 Antigay laws: Kenya’s High Court on Thursday began hearing arguments in a case that challenges parts of the penal code seen as targeting the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender communities. The National Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission argues that sections of the code are in breach of the constitution and deny basic rights by criminalizing consensual same-sex relations between adults. They are also used to justify violence against lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people, said Eric Gitari, the commission’s executive director. It was not immediately clear when a ruling is expected. Many countries across Africa have laws against homosexuality, with people facing severe harassment and physical threats.
5 Criminal tobacco case: Dutch antismoking activists vowed to fight on Thursday after prosecutors rejected their call for a criminal investigation into four major tobacco companies on charges including attempted murder or manslaughter, on the grounds that such a case would be unlikely to lead to a conviction. The decision was a blow to what Dutch antismoking organizations had hoped would be a new legal front in their battle against the tobacco industry, which they argue is criminally liable because it knowingly sells products that can cause deadly disease. An Amsterdam hospital said 55 people die each day in the Netherlands as a result of smoking.