NEWS OF THE DAY
Syria attack: A twin explosion, believed to be caused by a suicide attack, in Syria’s rebelcontrolled Idlib province Sunday killed at least 14 members of a powerful ultraconservative insurgent group, Syria opposition activists said. Northern Idlib is an opposition stronghold, but an al Qaeda-linked group has the most sway there and it is at odds with Ahrar al-Sham, the powerful ultraconservative group targeted in the attack. The two groups are essentially fighting for control over Idlib, the one province in Syria that is totally under opposition control and has a border with the outside world, through Turkey.
Nigeria battle: Nigerian troops fought Boko Haram in the Lake Chad area Sunday, killing 13 of the Islamic extremists and arresting 10 others, including 6 women believed to have helped smuggle supplies to the insurgents, said an army spokesman. Soldiers spent 72 hours clearing the location where the Boko Haram fighters were hiding, said battalion spokesman Col. Timothy Antigha. Many other Boko Haram fighters were wounded by gunfire, he said.
Nuclear power: Swiss voters supported a referendum to withdraw the country from nuclear power in favor of renewable energy. A projection from Sunday’s referendum shows a majority of cantons (states) voted for the plan. Under Switzerland’s direct democracy system, initiatives need a majority of both cantons and votes to pass. The projection for SRF public television showed 58 percent of voters in favor and 42 percent against the proposal.
Rule by decree: In a signal that Turkey faces indefinite rule by decree, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced on Sunday that a state of emergency, introduced as a temporary measure after last year’s failed coup, would continue until the country achieved “welfare and peace.” The state of emergency allows Erdogan and his Cabinet to issue sweeping decrees without parliamentary oversight or review by the constitutional court.
New cardinals: In a surprise announcement Sunday, Pope Francis named five new cardinals, for Spain, El Salvador and three countries where Catholics are a tiny minority: Mali, Laos and Sweden. Those chosen are Monsignor Jean Zerbo, archbishop of Bamako, Mali; Monsignor Juan Jose Omella, archbishop of Barcelona, Spain; Monsignor Anders Arborelius, bishop of Stockholm; Monsignor Louis-Marie Ling Mangkhanekhoun, apostolic vicar of Pakse, Laos; and Monsignor Gregorio Rosa Chavez, an auxiliary bishop in San Salvador, El Salvador. Francis expressed hope that the new cardinals with their work and “their advice will sustain me more intensely in my service as bishop of Rome, universal pastor of the church.” Everest fatalities: Three Mount Everest climbers died and a fourth was missing as storms and high winds closed fleeting windows of good weather that opened a chance for teams to push toward the top of the world’s tallest peak, authorities said Sunday. Roland Yearwood, a doctor from Alabama who returned to Everest after surviving the earthquake-triggered avalanche in 2015, died not far from the summit on the Nepal side, according to tourism officials. Slovak mountaineer Vladimir Strba also died Sunday, and search operations continued for an Indian climber who was separated from his guide. And on the Tibet side of the mountain, a 54-year-old Australian climber, Francesco Enrico Marchetti, died after suffering altitude sickness, according to press reports.