NEWS OF THE DAY
From Around the World
1 Priest arrested: Authorities arrested a priest Thursday on accusations of sexually abusing minors, the latest turn in a scandal engulfing Chile’s Roman Catholic Church for having covered up abuses for decades. Oscar Munoz Toledo was arrested on the orders of prosecutor Emiliano Arias, who is investigating 14 other suspended priests in the southern diocese of Rancagua for allegedly participating in a network of abuse. Munoz is accused of the abuse and statutory rape of seven minors. Munoz, 56, is the first active priest arrested for sexual abuse since March, when a report ordered by Pope Francis revealed a culture of abuse and cover-ups for decades in Chile’s church.
2 Historic thaw: Eritrea’s President Isaias Afwerki visited Ethiopia on Saturday, the latest step in an unprecedented diplomatic thaw between the former archrivals that is ending one of Africa’s longest-running conflicts. The visit comes after Ethiopia’s new Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed made a historic trip to Eritrea last weekend for talks with Isaias, setting off the restoration of diplomatic ties after two decades. Some jubilant Ethiopians compared it to the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989. The thaw began when Abiy, who took office in April, announced Ethiopia would fully accept a peace deal that ended a two-year border war that killed tens of thousands and separated families.
3 Israel missile fire: Israel fired a Patriot missile at an unmanned aircraft that approached the country’s border from Syria for the second time this week, the military said Friday. The defense system was fired at a Syrian drone “flying over the demilitarized zone.” It said the military will “operate against attempts to violate the 1974 Separation of Forces Agreement, threats to Israeli sovereignty and any attempt to harm Israeli civilians.” Israeli leaders said they expect Syrian President Bashar Assad and his Iranian-backed allies to honor the agreement, which sets out a demilitarized zone along the frontier and limits the number of forces each side can deploy within 15 miles of the zone.
4 Nerve agent poisoning: British detectives investigating the poisoning of two people by the nerve agent Novichok in southern England say scientists have found the source of the deadly substance. One of the victims, 44-year-old Dawn Sturgess, died in a hospital Sunday after exposure to the nerve agent in Amesbury. Her partner, 45-year-old Charlie Rowley, was in critical condition, but has since regained consciousness. Police said Friday that scientists confirmed the substance in a small bottle found during searches of Rowley’s house was Novichok. Police are still looking into where the bottle came from and how it came to be in Rowley’s house.
5 Endangered rhinos die: Eight critically endangered black rhinos are dead in Kenya after wildlife workers moved them from the capital to a new national park, the government said Friday, calling the toll “unprecedented” in more than a decade of such transfers. Preliminary investigations point to salt poisoning as the rhinos tried to adapt to saltier water in their new home, the Ministry of Tourism and Wildlife said in a statement, describing how the animals likely became dehydrated and drank more salty water in a fatal cycle. Conservationists in Africa have been working hard to protect the black rhino sub-species from poachers targeting them for their horns to supply an illegal Asian market. Between 1960 and 1995 numbers dropped by 98 percent, to fewer than 2,500. Chronicle News Services