US water-park company charged

WASHINGTON • United States investigators say the company which operates Schlitterbahn Waterpark in Kansas City knew a water slide ride was unsafe and could result in injuries and deaths, but still rushed to open it to the public.

The string of negligence, according to a recently unsealed indictment, resulted in the 2016 death of a 10-year-old boy and more than a dozen injuries.

The Kansas Attorney-General's Office announced criminal charges against the company and one of its former employees last Friday - a year and a half after the boy's death.

WASHINGTON POST

EU membership still a goal: Erdogan

VARNA (Bulgaria) • President Recep Tayyip Erdogan yesterday insisted that Turkey still wanted to become a member of the European Union, ahead of a potentially stormy summit with EU chiefs seeking to repair an increasingly fractured relationship.

But Mr Erdogan also blasted the bloc for what he said were "double standards" towards Ankara. EU President Donald Tusk and European Commission chief Jean-Claude Juncker were slated for talks with Mr Erdogan at the Black Sea resort of Varna, with a litany of problems clouding their discussions.

AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE

Kim Dotcom wins court battle

WELLINGTON • Internet entrepreneur Kim Dotcom won one battle with the New Zealand authorities yesterday, when a Wellington court ruled that the Attorney-General broke the law by refusing Dotcom's request to be given all information about him held by public agencies.

German-born Dotcom faces extradition to the United States relating to his Megaupload site, which was shut down in 2012 following a raid on his Auckland mansion ordered by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Dotcom, who has New Zealand residency, is fighting online piracy charges and the extradition.

REUTERS