NEWS OF THE DAY
From Around the World
1 Civilians killed: Government air strikes and shelling outside the Syrian capital of Damascus killed at least 23 civilians, activists reported Sunday, as the fighting showed no signs of letting up ahead of the resumption of U.N. peace talks in Geneva. The government’s jets and artillery began a wave of strikes on residential areas in the Eastern Ghouta suburbs, said the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitoring group. Rebels in Eastern Ghouta have held out against government forces throughout the nearly seven years of the country’s civil war. The U.N. is to resume peace talks between the government and the opposition in Geneva on Tuesday.
2 Active volcano: Indonesian authorities ordered a mass evacuation of people Monday from an expanded danger zone around an erupting volcano on Bali that has forced the island’s international airport to close, stranding tens of thousands of travelers. Mount Agung has been hurling clouds of white and dark gray ash about 9,800 feet into the atmosphere since the weekend. Video released by the National Disaster Mitigation Agency showed a mudflow of debris and water moving down the volcano’s slopes. The agency raised the volcano’s alert to the highest level early Monday.
3 Yemen aid: The U.N. child agency said Sunday that it has flown 1.9 million doses of vaccines to war-torn Yemen, its first aid delivery since a Saudi-led coalition fighting Shiite rebels tightened a sea and air blockade earlier this month. Regional UNICEF director Geert Cappelaere described Saturday’s shipment as a “very small step” at a time of immense need. More than 11 million children in Yemen require aid, and it is estimated that every 10 minutes a child in Yemen dies of a preventable disease, he said.
4 Nepal elections: Residents of mountain villages and foothill towns voted Sunday in Nepal’s first provincial polls, with the hope of bringing government closer to the Himalayan nation’s rural and remote areas. Nepal’s chief election commissioner, Ayodhi Prasad Yadav, said turnout was more than 65 percent among the 3.2 million voters who were choosing lawmakers in seven newly formed federal states as well as the national assembly. The lawmakers elected Sunday, and Dec. 7 in the remaining parts of the country, will be able to name their states, draft provincial laws and choose local leaders. Nepal’s slow path to democracy began in 2006, when protesters forced the king to give up his rule. Two years later, Nepal officially abolished the centuries-old monarchy and decided that a federal system would best deliver services to all corners of the nation.
5 Nightclub injuries: Spanish authorities say that 22 people were hurt on the island of Tenerife when the floor of a nightclub collapsed and sent the revelers plunging into the basement. Emergency services for the Canary Islands said people fell “about one story” into the basement early Sunday after a hole opened in the floor. Two suffered serious injuries, including broken legs and ankles.
6 Attack anniversary: As the Indian city of Mumbai commemorated the 2008 terror attacks that left 168 people dead, relatives of the victims said Sunday that they’re angry Pakistan has released a militant linked to the massacre. Indian and U.S. authorities were also outraged at Friday’s release of Hafiz Saeed. He ran an organization widely believed to be a front for the Lashkar-eTaiba militant group, which India believes was behind the attack.
Chronicle News Services