NEWS OF THE DAY
From Around the World
_1 Pakistan quake: A strong magnitude 6.1 earthquake rattled Pakistan and Afghanistan on Wednesday, including the capital cities of both countries, killing a young girl and injuring 15 others, officials said. The U.S. Geological Survey reported the quake’s center was in northeast Afghanistan near the Pakistan border in the Hindu Kush region. It had a depth of 119 miles.
_2 Tough warning: Egypt’s president on Wednesday angrily threatened to take strong action against anyone trying to disrupt the country’s stability in a warning that followed calls by opposition politicians for a boycott of upcoming presidential elections. The sharp warning by a visibly furious President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi was a signal that authorities will tolerate no questioning of the legitimacy of the March 26-28 vote. Those calling for a boycott have called the election a farce after a string of wouldbe candidates were arrested, forced out of the race or dropped out in protest.
_3 Life sentences: A court in Istanbul sentenced three people to life prison terms on Wednesday for their involvement in an Islamic State suicide bombing in 2016 at Istanbul’s historic Sultanahmet district that killed 12 German tourists. The three — Hasan al Mayyuf, Fevzi Muhammed Ali and Halil Dervis — were sentenced to life terms for breaching Turkey’s constitution and to additional 329 years each for killing 12 people and the attempted murder of 16 people injured in the blast, the state-run Anadolu Agency reported. Turkish authorities said the suicide bomber, a Syrian identified as Nabil Fadli, set off the bomb near a group of German tourists steps away from the landmark Blue Mosque. The attack was one of several to rock Turkey since 2015. The wounded included nine Germans and citizens of Norway, Peru and South Korea.
_4 Bus accident: Indian rescue workers on Wednesday recovered another body from a canal where a bus fell earlier this week, reportedly while its driver was talking on his cell phone, bringing the death toll to 43. District Magistrate P. Ulganathan said rescuers were continuing to search for four people still missing after the bus plunged 30 feet into the canal in Murshidabad district in West Bengal state on Monday. More than 110,000 people are killed annually on India’s roads. Most crashes are attributed to reckless driving, poorly maintained roads and aging vehicles.
_5 Ivory ban: Hong Kong lawmakers gave final approval on Wednesday to a government proposal banning local ivory trading in the Chinese territory by 2021, with conservation groups hailing it as a major victory in the fight to save elephants. Lawmakers overwhelmingly supported the measure, voting 49-4 to amend the existing law to outlaw sales of ivory in Hong Kong, which researchers say is the world’s biggest retail ivory market. Under the new law, the maximum sentence will increase to a $1.3 million fine, double the current amount, and 10 years in prison, up from the current two years. _6 Nazca lines: Authorities in Peru have detained a truck driver accused of damaging part of the world-renowned Nazca lines. The nation’s Ministry of Culture says Jainer Flores drove into an unauthorized section of the U.N. World Heritage site Saturday, leaving tracks and damaging part of three lines. The Nazca lines are huge etchings depicting imaginary figures, creatures and plants that were scratched on the surface of a coastal desert between 1,500 and 2,000 years ago. They are believed to have had ritual astronomical purposes.