Turkey
Train derailment kills at least 10, injures 73
ISTANBUL — At least 10 people were killed and more than 70 injured Sunday when a passenger train derailed in northwestern Turkey, Turkish authorities said.
Five of the train’s six cars derailed in a village in Tekirdag province after “the ground between the culvert and the rail collapsed” due to heavy rains, the Ministry of Transport said.
Health Ministry Undersecretary Eyup Gumus put the number of fatalities at 10 and the number of people injured at 73 based on initial reports from the scene, according to Turkey’s official Anadolu news agency.
The train was heading to Istanbul from Edirne, on the border with Greece, with 362 passengers and six crew members on board, the transportation ministry said.
Kuwait
Lawmakers sentenced over 2011 protest
KUWAIT CITY — Kuwait’s highest court on Sunday ordered an opposition leader and two lawmakers imprisoned for 3½ years over the 2011 storming of parliament amid that year’s Arab Spring protests, in a case involving nearly 70 politicians, activists and others.
Over a dozen people received prison time in the ruling by Kuwait’s Court of Cassation, while the others were released on bail or found not guilty.
Tiny, oil-rich Kuwait, which has a history of representational government and toleration for protests, has been caught up in a wider crackdown on dissent across the Gulf Arab states, whose monarchical rulers were alarmed by the pro-democracy protests that swept the region seven years ago.
Sheikh Sabah Al Ahmad Al Sabah, the ruling emir of the U.S.-allied nation, has said Kuwait must “protect our national unity and ward off the risks of sedition.”
The defendants were initially acquitted in the yearslong case, but a shock court decision in November resurrected the charges against them. That decision accused the defendants of using violence against police officers, destroying government property and inciting violence, charges they long have denied.
Iran
Teenager detained over Instagram dance videos
TEHRAN — Iran has detained a teenage girl who posted dance videos on Instagram and attracted tens of thousands of followers.
State TV broadcast a video on Friday in which Maedeh Hojabri, 18-year-old gymnast, acknowledged breaking moral norms while insisting that was not her intention, and that she was only trying to gain more followers. It was unclear whether her statement was made under duress.
Shabooneh, a local news website, said Hojabri and three other individuals were detained on similar charges in recent weeks before being released on bail.
She had posted around 300 videos on her account, many of which showed her dancing in both Iranian and Western styles. She also appeared in videos without wearing the obligatory Islamic headscarf. Her performances had thousands of followers on various accounts with her name on them, ranging from 12,000 to 66,000 followers. None of the accounts were verified.
Mexico
Journalist hurt; police commander suspended
MEXICO CITY — A Mexico City police commander has been suspended after an incident in which a newspaper photographer was allegedly roughed up by officers while reporting on street-level drug arrests.
The city police department said in a Sunday statement that the suspension is a “precautionary measure” following the pre-dawn encounter in the capital’s notoriously rough Doctores district.
It says a melee broke out “that resulted in injuries to people near the scene, among them a reporter.”
Images posted online showed Reforma photographer Alejandro Mendoza with his face swollen and covered with blood. A TV Azteca journalist was also said to have suffered some sort of aggression.
France
Far-right leader upset about withheld funds
PARIS — French far-right leader Marine Le Pen lashed out Sunday at a decision to withhold the payment of a public subsidy for her party, saying it amounted to “certain death” for the National Rally.
Le Pen said two judges decided Friday to withhold a payment of 2 million euros, or nearly half of the 4.5 million-euro subsidy the party was allocated for the year. The funds were due for disbursement Monday.
The judges made the decision amid an investigation into whether funds for European Parliament assistants were misused. Politicians from other French parties also have been accused of misusing such funds.
Le Pen said the subsidy was already six months overdue and was essential for the party, formerly called the National Front, to meet its running costs, notably salaries and rent.
Political parties in France receive state funding based on the proportion of the vote the party won in the most recent elections and how many seats it holds in parliament.
Poland
Jagger says at Warsaw gig he supports judges
WARSAW — Mick Jagger made a reference to Poland’s controversial judicial system overhaul during a Rolling Stones concert Sunday, according to news portals in Poland.
Gazeta.pl said Jagger spoke in Polish to fans at the concert in Warsaw’s National Stadium, saying: “I am too old to be a judge but not too old to sing.” One of the judicial changes is setting a maximum age of 65 for judges, forcing many of them to retire.
