In brief: Polar bear kills British student
OSLO, Norway – A polar bear attacked a group of British students camping on a remote Arctic glacier as part of a high-end adventure holiday, killing a 17-year-old boy and injuring four other young people Friday before a trip member fatally shot the bear.
Two were hospitalized with severe injuries, according to the British Schools Exploring Society, the organizer of the trip.
The attack took place on the Svalbard archipelago, which is home to about 2,400 people and 3,000 polar bears and attracts well-off and hardy tourists with stunning views of snow-covered mountains, fjords and glaciers.
With their broad paws and claws as long as two inches, polar bears are extremely dangerous, and visitors to Svalbard are advised to be armed, avoid confrontation and store food securely.
Police arrest former premier
KIEV, Ukraine – Acting on a judge’s orders, police arrested former Ukraine Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko during her abuse-of-office trial on Friday for violations of court procedures.
Her supporters in court, including national lawmakers, squabbled with riot police, trying to prevent them from driving her away in a prison car.
Dozens of Tymoshenko’s supporters then tried to block the road outside the court building, but riot police pushed them aside.
The United States and the European Union have condemned court cases against Tymoshenko and several of her top allies as selective prosecution of political opponents. Germany on Friday expressed “great concern” about Tymoshenko’s arrest.
Powerful typhoon nearing China
BEIJING – More than 200,000 coastal residents in eastern China have evacuated and thousands of ships have been called back to shore ahead of the arrival of Typhoon Muifa, a powerful storm that has already battered the Philippines, Taiwan and Japan.
Typhoon Muifa was forecast to hit China sometime Sunday, China’s Central Meteorological Administration said. The storm is expected to make landfall in either northern Zhejiang or southern Jiangsu and skim the coast as it heads north.
China’s commercial hub of Shanghai, population 23 million, lay in Muifa’s expected path, but it was unclear whether the city would take a direct hit from the storm. Torrential rain was forecast for the city beginning today.