NEWS OF THE DAY
_1 Peru quake: A powerful 7.1-magnitude earthquake struck off Peru’s coast early Sunday, collapsing adobe homes in small towns, killing at least one person and injuring dozens, officials said. The U.S. Geological Survey said the quake was centered 25 miles from Acari in the Arequipa department of southwestern Peru. The quake jolted people awake as far as 350 miles away in the capital of Lima. Arequipa officials said a 55-year-old man died when he was struck by falling rocks. The U.S. Pacific Tsunami Warning Center initially warned of the potential for hazardous waves, but later stated there was no tsunami threat from the quake.
_2 Syria fighting: Turkey’s president said Sunday the country will launch a military assault on a Kurdish enclave in northern Syria in coming days and urged the U.S. to support its efforts. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said the operation against the Afrin enclave seeks to “purge terror” from his country’s southern border. Afrin is controlled by a Syrian Kurdish militia known as the YPG. Turkey considers the YPG to be a terrorist group linked to the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party that has waged a bloody insurgency within its borders. The U.S. has been arming some of Syria’s Kurds to defeat the Islamic State group in Syria — a sore point in already tense U.S.-Turkish relations.
_3 Volcano threat: The Philippines’ most active volcano rumbled back to life Sunday with lava rising to its crater in a gentle eruption that prompted authorities to evacuate thousands of villagers. The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology warned a “hazardous eruption” of Mount Mayon — located in Albay province about 210 miles southeast of Manila — is possible. Disaster-response officials said almost 1,000 families have been moved to emergency shelters. The volcano last erupted four years ago.
_4 Collapse at stock exchange: A mezzanine floor inside the Jakarta Stock Exchange tower collapsed on Monday, injuring more than two dozen people and forcing a chaotic evacuation. Indonesian TV footage showed the lobby strewn with debris and people being helped out of the building while others lay on the grass or steps outside the tower. A police spokesman said victims were taken to three hospitals. He ruled out terrorism as a cause of the collapse.
_5 Racist remarks: The U.K. Independence Party on Sunday suspended the membership of the girlfriend of the party’s leader after she reportedly made racist remarks about Prince Harry’s fiancee, American actress Meghan Markle. In a statement, Jo Marney apologized for the “shocking language” she used in a series of text messages to a friend, but said her words had been “taken out of context.” The Mail on Sunday newspaper reported that Marney, 25, who describes herself as a model and actor, made offensive comments about Markle and black people, including calling them “ugly.” UKIP leader Henry Bolton said Marney’s membership in the party, known for its anti-European Union stance, was suspended immediately. Markle, who will wed Harry in May, has spoken publicly and written about being proudly biracial.
_6 Suicide blasts: At least 16 people died in a pair of suicide blasts in central Baghdad on Monday morning, Iraq’s Interior Ministry spokesman said. The rushhour attack at Tayran Square was carried out by two suicide bombers, and the explosions also wounded at least 65 people. The area around the square is usually crowded by people seeking work.
Chronicle News Services