NEWS OF THE DAY

From Around the World

_1 Colombia demolition: An apartment building in Medellin that Pablo Escobar once called home was demolished in a ceremony that officials hope will dampen some of the fervor for the notorious drug lord’s criminal life and instead showcase the city’s rebirth. Some 180 detonators were used to topple the building Friday. Colombian President Ivan Duque, who was a teenager when Escobar was killed in 1993 in a rooftop shootout with police, said the explosion “means that history is not going to be written in terms of the perpetrators but by recognizing the victims.” Mayor Federico Gutierrez had been pushing to raze the building and erect in its place a park honoring the thousands of victims killed by Escobar’s army of assassins. _2 Kashmir crackdown: Police have arrested at least 300 activists seeking the end of Indian rule in disputed Kashmir, officials said Saturday, escalating fears among already wary residents that a sweeping crackdown could touch off renewed anti-India demonstrations and clashes. The crackdown comes amid high tensions between India and Pakistan afer the Feb. 14 suicide car bombing of a military convoy by a local Kashmiri militant. Forty Indian soldiers died in the attack. Police said Saturday that they rounded up top leaders and activists of mainly Jama’at-e-Islami, a political-religious group that espouses the right to self-determination for Kashmir, a Himalayan territory divided between India and Pakistan but claimed by both in its entirety. 3 Egypt executions: A U.N. human rights body has expressed concerns about a recent spike of executions in Egypt, following several death sentences handed down amid allegations of the use of torture to extract confessions. Rupert Colville, the spokesman for the U.N. Human Rights Office, said Egyptian authorities should take all measures needed to guarantee due process and investigate allegations of torture. At least 15 people have been executed this month, including nine suspected Islamist militants.

4 Japan outbreak: Health officials in Japan are facing the country’s worst measles outbreak in years, with many infections clustered among attendees of a Valentine’s Day gift fair and a religious group that avoids vaccinations. A total of 167 cases were reported in 20 of Japan’s 47 prefectures as of Feb. 10, the National Institute of Infectious Diseases said, with the largest outbreaks in the prefectures of Mie and Osaka. It is the fastest Japan has reached that many cases at the beginning of the year since 2008. The flare-up of the highly contagious disease comes as the United States is grappling with measles outbreaks in Texas, New York and Washington state, with more than 120 cases reported so far this year.

5 Sudan unrest: President Omar alBashir announced a new prime minister on Saturday, a day after declaring a yearlong state of emergency amid protests calling for his resignation. In a statement by his office, al-Bashir announced the appointment of Mohammed Tahir Ayala as prime minister, part of a major Cabinet reshuffle that disbanded the federal government and replaced all state governors with senior army officers. Al-Bashir — who seized power in a 1989 coup— has also said that he will postpone pushing for constitutional amendments that would allow him to seek a third term in office. Facing genocide charges, al-Bashir’s rule has been marred by civil wars and increasing street demonstrations. The latest wave of protests began in December over price hikes.