News In Brief

Flooding kills nearly 70 in Burundi
Cnn Online

At least 69 people, including children, have been killed in the central Africa nation of Burundi because of torrential rains, an aid group said Thursday.
More than 180 people have been injured, the group said, adding that it would expect to see more casualties as rescue teams reach more of the affected areas. Close to 20,000 people have been displaced and more than 2,000 families have been left homeless, the aid group said. Roads and crops have also been damaged.

ETA to hand over arms in Spain
The Guardian Online

The Basque separatist group Eta is expected on Friday to take a historic step towards handing over weapons and bomb-making equipment used in its terror campaign for independence that has claimed more than 800 victims over decades. Sources in the northern Basque region of Spain and elsewhere said mediators would declare that Eta had already made significant moves in readying itself for giving up or disabling weapons and was ready to go further.

Steve Jobs will appear on a stamp
The Guardian Online

The US Postal Service is developing a stamp featuring Apple co-founder Steve Jobs, to be printed in 2015. Jobs, who died in 2011, appears on a list of future stamp subjects obtained by the Washington Post alongside Elvis Presley, the Anniversary of the US coast guard, and the great spangled fritillary, a butterfly.

Court convicts 8 anti-Putin protesters
Afp, Moscow

A Russian court yesterday found eight people guilty of mass riots and attacking police at a 2012 protest against Vladimir Putin's third term in office.
The Zamoskvoretsky district court in Moscow found the seven men and one woman guilty of participating in mass riots and using violence against police, an AFP correspondent reported. Prosecutors have asked for prison terms of up to six years for the eight defendants.  Sentences are expected to be handed down on Monday.

Presidential chopper crashes in Ecuador
Afp, Quito

A military helicopter assigned to the presidency crashed in southern Ecuador, killing three people, President Rafael Correa has announced. The Indian-made Dhruv helicopter was on a flight between Guayaquil and Quito when it crashed in the region of Chimborazo, a military spokesman said. The cause of the crash was under investigation.

Turkey abolishes military tribunals
Afp, Ankara

Turkey's parliament passed a law yesterday abolishing specially appointed courts that have convicted hundreds of military officers for coup plotting. The conciliatory move toward the military comes as Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan is grappling with a high-level corruption scandal.