5 DIE, MILLIONS EVACUATED IN CHILE QUAKE
Chile has been walloped yet again, this time by an “8.4-magnitude earthquake in the central-north zone” of the country, Santiago daily La Tercera reported this morning. It happened last night near the city of Illapel. The government’s National Emergency Office (ONEMI) has so far confirmed five deaths, three from heart attacks and two from fallen debris. Another person is reported missing. ONEMI estimates that a million people evacuated coastal areas in response to a tsunami alert that authorities issued for the entire length of Chile’s extensive Pacific shoreline. Read more in our Extra! feature.
BURKINA MILITARY CONFIRMS COUP
A representative of Burkina Faso’s rebel military announced this morning on national television that the government had been overtaken in a coup and that the interim president, Michel Kafando, had been overthrown and detained. A National Council for Democracy is set to replace the transitional authorities, a report published by Burkina24 says. “We are working on forming a government … to reach inclusive and peaceful elections,” the representative said. The military announced that Gilbert Diendéré, the former chief deputy of Blaise Compaoré, the country’s president who was ousted in October 2014, would become leader of the National Council for Democracy, Le Monde reports.
ON THIS DAY
[rebelmouse-image 27089408 original_size=”322×249″ expand=1]
Egyptian President Anwar El Sadat and Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin shared the 1978 Nobel Peace Prize after the Camp David Accords reached 37 years ago today led to the Egypt-Israel Peace Treaty. That and more in your daily shot of history.
REFUGEES LEAVE HUNGARY FOR CROATIA
A day after violent clashes with the Hungarian police along the border in northern Serbia, hundreds of refugees have left for Croatia by bus, emptying makeshift camps created after Hungary closed its border, Reuters reports. Hungarian riot police fired water cannons and tear gas on asylum seekers attempting to cross the border into the EU, and some refugees were reported to have pelted police with stones. Hungarian authorities said they detained 29 people, among them an “identified terrorist,” state television M1 reports.
TRUMP PUMMELLED IN GOP DEBATE
Photo: Armando Arorizo/Prensa Internacional/ZUMA
Last night’s second Republican presidential debate saw party frontrunner Donald Trump come under attack by most of the other 10 candidates on stage. During the three-hour debate at California’s Ronald Reagan Presidential Library, Carly Fiorina captured the biggest applause of the night with her response to Trump’s published criticism of her appearance. Jeb Bush demanded that the real estate mogul apologize to his wife, and Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker told him, “We don’t need an apprentice in the White House.” Read more from CNN.
RUSSIA PROPOSES TALKS WITH U.S. OVER SYRIA
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said Wednesday that Russia had proposed talks between its military and the U.S. over the situation in Syria, and that the Obama administration was considering it, The New York Times reports. This comes a day after Washington expressed concerns about a Russian military buildup in war-torn Syria. “It is vital to avoid misunderstandings,” Kerry said. The talks could aim to minimize the risk of military confrontation in Syria, where Russia is reportedly backing Bashar al-Assad’s regime, while the U.S. wants to support moderate anti-government rebels.
WORLDCRUNCH-TO-GO
Gadgets that make it possible to spy on spouses, children, clients and bosses are more popular than ever, but as L’Obs reports, they are rarely legal. “For private individuals, these devices are proliferating in specialized shops that are flourishing in France,” the newspaper writes. “There are GPS trackers used under vehicles to follow them in real time (starting at 100 euros), microphones that can be hidden in a room or a bag for remote listening (from 50 euros), miniature cameras to hide in lamps or coat racks to record and watch able to watch comings and goings (from 30 euros). More impressive still are USB keys that make it possible to recover automatically any deleted files and conversations on any instant messaging service, on a computer or a smartphone (from 95 euros), or even crack any password (from 170 euros). The paradox is that while this material is sold over the counter, it is mostly illegal.
Read the full article, Spy At Your Own Risk, Why Most Amateur Espionage Is Illegal.
REMAINS OF SECOND MEXICAN STUDENT IDENTIFIED
The burnt remains of a second Mexican student, part of a group of 43 that disappeared in the town of Iguala last year while on their way to a demonstration, have been identified, El Universal reports. Austrian forensics who made the identification confirmed that the remains of Jhosivani Guerrero de la Cruz were found in a trash dump outside the city. The remains of a first student, Alexander Mora Venancio, had been identified last December. While the Mexican government says corrupt police officers handed over the students to local drug gangs, relatives of the victims accuse authorities of covering up possible involvement of high-ranking officials.
MOZAMBIQUE DECLARED MINE-FREE
The last known landmine in Mozambique, located at the base of a bridge in the center of the country, was destroyed yesterday after more than two decades of combined work between the government and NGOs to get rid of the explosives. Albert Augusto, director of Mozambique’s National Demining Institute, told The Guardian that “many people thought Mozambique would take a hundred years to demine the whole country. We ended up demining in less than 30.” He added that the government’s commitment to a clear plan and the generosity of donors enabled them to do so. Mozambique, which more than 20 years ago had close to 171,000 mines, is the first large mine-contaminated country to be completely cleared of the explosive devices.
MY GRAND-PÈRE’S WORLD
[rebelmouse-image 27089409 original_size=”610×600″ expand=1]
MIGRATION MAP
The International Organization for Migration has created an interactive map that allows users to see the numbers for inward and outward migration in any given country.
