France The chief prosecutor in the negligence trial of Christine Lagarde, the head of the International Monetary Fund, has called for her acquittal, saying that the hearing had failed to support the “very weak” accusation against her. Ms Lagarde, 60, denies charges of being negligent when, as French finance minister, she approved a payout of €403 million to the businessman Bernard Tapie in an out-of-court settlement in 2008. Jean-Claude Marin called for the case to be dismissed and Phillippe Lagauche, a prosecution official, said: “No negligence sanctionable by law can be held against Madame Lagarde.” (Reuters)
Murder-suicide doctors
Berlin German prosecutors say that two doctors, aged 53 and 67, have been shot dead in a medical practice in the western city of Marburg. They told the dpa news agency that no other people were involved but provided no further details. Investigators said that one doctor killed his colleague and then committed suicide at a medical office near the main train station in the city, 60 miles north of Frankfurt. (AP)
Air hose ‘attack’ death
Dhaka A teenage worker at a yarn spinning factory died after he was allegedly assaulted with a high-pressure air hose. The victim, identified locally as Md Yamin, aged 13 or 14, had been cleaning lint from his body with the hose after a shift at the factory south of the Bangladeshi capital. “Air went through Yamin’s rectum and he fell ill,” a police spokesman said. He died en route to hospital. A fellow worker has been arrested.
Prisoners of war freed
Kiev Ukraine will unilaterally release 15 prisoners captured in the war-torn east of the country to encourage a prisoner swap with pro-Russian rebels. Some of the 15 are seriously ill or elderly and six are women freed by presidential decree. The last prisoner swap took place in September. Ukraine says that more than 100 servicemen remain in captivity in the rebel-held parts of Donetsk and Lugansk. (AFP)
Nasa probes hurricanes
Miami A rocket has propelled into orbit eight tiny Nasa satellites that are designed to peer deeply into the core of hurricanes and give scientists a better understanding of how they gain force so rapidly. The spacecraft, costing a total of $157 million, will also be able to measure wave height to estimate wind speeds better. The present remote-sensing technology is blinded by heavy rain. (AFP)