QUOTE OF THE DAY
“I call on those who were lured to be part of the terrorism machine led by al-Qaida to return to reason.”
Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, who hinted at a possible pardon for supporters of al-Qaida’s local branch, the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, if they abandon the fight Article, this page
Derailed train in Canada still burning
PLASTER ROCK, New Brunswick - Officials in Canada said a derailed freight train carrying crude oil and propane continued to burn Wednesday, and about 150 residents remained evacuated from their homes. There were no deaths or injuries.
Of the 17 cars that derailed late Tuesday in New Brunswick province, five contained crude oil and four contained propane, said Claude Mongeau, the chief executive of CN Rail. Some of the propane cars were venting and some of the crude-oil cars were burning, he said.
“It is contained, but it is evolving,” Mongeau said.
The train’s brakes came on unexpectedly, Canada’s Transportation Safety Board said based on preliminary information from the rail company and police. Daniel Holbrook, a manager with the safety board, also said the crew found a broken axle.
The derailment in a sparsely populated region, roughly 20 miles from the U.S. border and northern Maine, again raised concerns about the increasing use of rail to transport oil throughout North America. In July, 47 people were killed in Quebec when a train carrying crude oil derailed.
India adds U.S. Embassy ban in face-off
NEW DELHI - Stepping up the pressure in an escalating diplomatic fight, India asked the U.S. Embassy in New Delhi on Wednesday to stop commercial activities on its premises by Jan. 16, acting before the U.S. authorities are to decide whether to prosecute an Indian diplomat in New York City who was arrested in a visa-fraud case.
Prosecutors have a Monday deadline to decide whether to go ahead with an indictment of Devyani Khobragade, the Indian deputy consul general in New York. Accounts of her arrest set off an angry backlash in India after she was held on charges that she fraudulently obtained a work visa for her housekeeper, forced her to work longer hours than agreed to and paid her far less than the minimum wage.
An Indian official who spoke on condition of anonymity said the ban on commercial activities at the U.S. Embassy involves shutting down a club with a restaurant, bar and parlor that sells imported liquor and other duty-free goods to diplomats. The goods were being supplied to nondiplomats, a rules infraction, the official said.
Turkish police hold 24 in new inquiry
ANKARA, Turkey - A corruption scandal that has rocked Turkey’s government expanded Wednesday as police detained two dozen people in Izmir for questioning in a new bribery and fraud investigation, and the government hit back by removing high-ranking police in that city from their posts.
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s government was forced to dismiss three ministers from his Cabinet last month after their sons were implicated in a corruption scandal linked to alleged illicit money transfers to Iran and bribery for construction projects.
The government has pointed fingers at followers of an Islamic movement led by an influential U.S.-based cleric, Fethullah Gulen. Erdogan has accused Gulen’s followers of infiltrating Turkey’s police and judiciary, and of attacking the government with corruption probes.
Hundreds of police officers have been demoted or reassigned since the initial police probe began Dec. 17. The European Union on Wednesday criticized the wave of police firings, saying the issue would become a problem for Turkey in its bid to join the 28-member group.
Fog grounds copter, delays Morsi trial
CAIRO - The trial of Egypt’s ousted Islamist president on charges of inciting the killings of protesters was adjourned Wednesday until next month, after security officials said heavy fog grounded the helicopter meant to take Mohammed Morsi to court.
Two defense lawyers in the case of Morsi, 13 leading Muslim Brotherhood members and an Islamist accused the government of trying to keep the toppled president out of the public eye ahead of a coming constitutional referendum. They also said authorities denied Morsi visits from his family and his defense team.
Wednesday’s hearing was to be Morsi’s second court appearance since his ouster in a popularly backed military coup on July 3. In his first appearance, he insisted that he was still the country’s legitimate president and challenged the legitimacy of the court.
Morsi is held in a high-security prison in Borg el-Arab, just outside the Mediterranean city of Alexandria, requiring him to be flown in for each of the court appearances on the outskirts of Cairo. Under Egyptian law, a defendant in a criminal trial must be in court for hearings to proceed.
Interior Minister Mohammed Ibrahim said a helicopter had been ready to transport Morsi, but thick fog prevented it from taking off.
Front Section, Pages 5 on 01/09/2014