QUOTE OF THE DAY

“It is having an effect on the enemy and in some ways I think encourages them, and intelligence supports that.”

Gen. Martin Dempsey, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, who said Afghanistan’s refusal to sign a security agreement with the United States may embolden the Taliban Article, this page

Two in U.K. get life for killing soldier

LONDON - An al-Qaida-inspired extremist was sentenced to life without parole Wednesday for hacking an off-duty British soldier to death on a London street in front of horrified passers-by.

Images of Michael Adebolajo, 29, holding a butcher knife and cleaver with bloodied hands in the moments after the May 22 killing of Fusilier Lee Rigby sparked fears of Islamist terrorism in Britain.

The self-described “soldier of Allah” was sentenced at Central Criminal Court along with his accomplice, 22-yearold Michael Adebowale, who was sentenced to life with a minimum of 45 years in jail because of his age and lesser role in the murder.

Both men were pinned to the flooe and led out of the courtroom after scuffling with guards and shouting at the judge moments before their sentences were read out.

Adebolajo yelled “Allahu akbar” - “God is great” - while Adebowale called out “that’s a lie” as the judge told them they had been radicalized.

After massacre, aid group studies exit

JUBA, South Sudan - Patients in South Sudan have been shot to death in hospital beds and medical facilities have been looted and burned to the ground, forcing the aid group Doctors Without Borders to examine its operations there.

The extreme violence and lack of respect for health-care workers shown by South Sudan’s warring sides have made Doctors Without Borders’ work almost impossible, the international group said in a statement Wednesday.

Members of the aid group discovered at least 14 dead bodies in a hospital in the contested city of Malakal over the weekend, said the statement. Several of the dead had been shot while lying in their beds, the group said.

In addition, Doctors Without Borders’ facilities in the towns of Leer and Bentiu have been looted and completely destroyed, said the group’s leader in South Sudan, Raphael Gorgeu.

Gorgeu said the group does not want to pull out of South Sudan, where 800,000 people are displaced and 3.2 million in immediate need of food because of deadly fighting that broke out in mid-December. But, he said, his group must look at the safety of its workers.

Indian submarine fire injures 7

NEW DELHI - Seven sailors were overcome by smoke on an Indian navy submarine off Mumbai’s coast Wednesday and two other sailors were missing, the navy said.

Navy chief Adm. D.K. Joshi resigned later Wednesday to take responsibility for the accident and other recent problems, which have raised questions about the Indian navy’s safety record.

While at sea for a routine training exercise, the crew on the diesel-powered submarine noticed smoke in the sailors’ rooms. “In the process of controlling the smoke/fire, seven crew members inhaled smoke and felt uneasy,” the Defense Ministry said.

A helicopter took the seven to a navy hospital in Mumbai, formerly known as Bombay, and the navy was trying to locate the two missing crew members, the ministry said.

The submarine was not damaged and was heading back to the Mumbai dockyard, navy Capt. D.K. Sharma said, adding that an inquiry had been ordered into the accident.

Cleaver attack leaves ex-editor critical

HONG KONG - The former editor of a Hong Kong newspaper whose abrupt dismissal in January sparked protests over press freedom was in critical condition after being hacked Wednesday by an assailant with a meat cleaver, police said.

Police said a man wearing a motorcycle helmet attacked Kevin Lau in a residential neighborhood and then fled on a motorcycle driven by another man.

Lau was hospitalized with slashes in his back and legs, said Kwan King-pan, acting superintendent of Hong Kong Police.

Police did not announce any motive for the attack and appealed to the public for information.

Lau, 49, was named editor of the respected Ming Pao newspaper in 2012 but was replaced last month by a Malaysian journalist with no local experience. Lau was transferred to the parent company’s electronic publishing unit. The move raised fears among journalists that the newspaper’s owners were moving to curb aggressive reporting on human rights and corruption in China.

Front Section, Pages 5 on 02/27/2014