Nicaragua: Despite a government attempt to defuse a mounting political crisis, protesters in Nicaragua took to the streets again by the thousands, as the violent unrest that started nearly a week ago over social security payments has swelled into broader outrage over President Daniel Ortega's authoritarian rule. After five days of protests and deadly clashes with police, Ortega went on television yesterday and announced he would reverse his decision to overhaul the social security system, a move he had pushed to require citizens to pay more during their working lives and receive less upon retirement. But his attempt to appease Nicaraguans appeared insufficient, as thousands of flag-waving residents marched through downtown Managua in opposition to violence by security forces, as well as in other cities such as Granada and Esteli.
Britain: A Scottish man who filmed a dog appearing to give Nazi salutes was fined £800 after being convicted of a hate crime, in a case that has sparked a debate about the limits of free speech. Mark Meechan filmed his girlfriend's pug responding to phrases such as "sieg heil" by raising its paw and posted the footage on YouTube in 2016. Meechan — a comedian and video blogger who uses the name Count Dankula — said the stunt was meant as a joke, but he was convicted last month of posting "grossly offensive" material. A judge at Scotland's Airdrie Sheriff Court imposed the fine today. Sheriff Derek O'Carroll said the video "contained menacing, anti-Semitic and racist material." The dog was filmed responding to "Gas the Jews," a phrase repeated 23 times in the video, O'Carroll said. Outside court, Meechan, 30, said his conviction set a "really dangerous precedent" for free speech and he would appeal.
United States: Documents show that Oregon child welfare officials knew the family in an 4WD that plunged off a California cliff had faced a child abuse investigation in another state when it looked into allegations in 2013. KOIN-TV in Portland reports that Oregon Child Protective Services obtained records from Minnesota before investigating Jennifer and Sarah Hart, who adopted six children. The agency closed its case after it couldn't determine whether abuse occurred. Records obtained by the TV station show the agency found "some indications of child abuse or neglect" but insufficient information to conclude it happened. California authorities say Jennifer Hart was drunk when she drove the family off a cliff and that her wife and several children had large amounts of a drug in their systems that can cause drowsiness. It happened days after authorities in Washington state opened an investigation.
North Korea: Leader Kim Jong Un has visited the Chinese Embassy in Pyongyang to express "deep sympathy" over a bus crash that killed 32 Chinese tourists and critically injured two, the North's state media says. "He said that the unexpected accident brought bitter sorrow to his heart and that he couldn't control his grief at the thought of the bereaved families who lost their blood relatives," the North's central news agency said. The accident occurred when a bus crashed off a bridge in North Hwanghae Province. Four North Koreans were also killed in the accident.
Peru: The attorney-general has ordered the arrest of two suspects in the killing of a Canadian man who travelled to the Amazon rain forest to study hallucinogenic medicine, officials said. Authorities said over the weekend that a mob dragged Sebastian Woodroffe by the neck to his death shortly after people accused him of killing Olivia Arevalo, an octogenarian plant healer from the Shipibo-Konibo tribe of northeastern Peru. Prosecutors said the two suspects were identified in a video shot on a cellphone showing the moment Woodroffe was killed last week. Officials said forensic experts were studying Woodroffe's body to determine whether he had any involvement in Arevalo's killing.
Britain: The Government will compensate some Caribbean immigrants who have lived legally in Britain for decades and have wrongly been labelled illegal immigrants because of trouble documenting their status, Home Secretary Amber Rudd has announced. The Government will also waive fees associated with becoming a citizen and ensure these long-term British residents do not have to pass Britain's citizenship test, Rudd told Parliament. Instead, she said individuals would be assigned a case worker who would decide on nationality, and the burden of proof has been shifted so the Government would take a more lenient approach. "The state has let these people down," Rudd said. "None of this can undo the pain already endured, but I hope it demonstrates the gGvernment's commitment to put these wrongs right going forward."
United States: Authorities in Houston have taken a woman into custody after witnesses reported she set her car on fire as she sat inside with her three children. Houston police say 31-year-old Ana Segovia was at a car wash when she began repeatedly revving the engine to the point that it caught fire. Witnesses intervened and rescued Segovia's three daughters, ages 9, 11 and 13. Witnesses told investigators that at one point she said, "We're going to see Jesus." She left on foot with the children but was later detained by a Harris County deputy constable. Segovia is charged with aggravated assault on a family member. A mental health evaluation is pending.The children are with relatives.
Yemen: An airstrike by the Saudi-led coalition hit a wedding party in northern Yemen, killing at least 20 people including the bride, health officials said, as harrowing images emerged on social media of the deadly bombing, the third to hit Yemeni civilians since the weekend. Khaled al-Nadhri, the top health official in the northern province of Hajja, told AP that most of the dead were women and children who were gathered in one of the tents set up for the wedding party in the Bani Qayis district. He said the bride was also among the dead. A Saudi-led coalition has been battling Iran-allied Shia rebels known as Houthis since 2015 in a stalemated war that has killed more than 10,000 people.
Armenia: Serzh Sargsyan, who ruled Armenia for 10 years, resigned today as Prime Minister after thousands of people poured into the streets to protest against his political maneouvering to cling to power in this former Soviet republic. The stunning development touched off jubilation in the capital of Yerevan, with car horns blaring and people dancing, hugging and waving the tricolour Armenian flag. The opposition called for a meeting with the acting prime minister to discuss a "peaceful transfer of power." Sargsyan, 63, was President of the Caucasus mountains nation from 2008 until term limits forced him out in March. But Parliament, which is controlled by his party, voted to reduce the powers of the presidency and give them to the prime minister, ultimately installing Sargsyan in that post last week.