Indonesia
Deadly quake hits province
A strong undersea earthquake rocked Indonesia’s province of Aceh early Wednesday, causing several deaths and buildings to collapse in a district near the epicenter. The U.S. Geological Survey said the shallow 6.4-magnitude earthquake that struck at 5:03 a.m. was centered about 6 miles north of Reuleut, a town in northern Aceh. Indonesia’s Climate, Meteorology and Geophysics Agency said the quake has no potential to trigger a tsunami. Indonesia is prone to earthquakes due to its location on the Pacific “Ring of Fire,” an arc of volcanoes and fault lines.
Germany
Merkel seeks veil ban
Chancellor Angela Merkel won a new term Tuesday as the leader of Germany’s main conservative party after stressing her determination to prevent a repeat of last year’s huge migrant influx and advocating a partial ban on face-covering veils. Merkel, who ran unopposed, won 89.5 percent of delegates’ votes at a congress of her Christian Democratic Union in the western city of Essen for a new two-year term. That was short of the 96.7 percent she won in 2014, but still a solid mandate as she prepares to seek a fourth term as chancellor in next year’s German election.
Syria
Advances made in Aleppo
Syrian government forces and allied militias captured Aleppo’s centrally located al-Shaar neighborhood from rebels on Tuesday, securing nearly three quarters of the besieged enclave less than two weeks after launching a ground offensive, according to the Syrian military. The Syrian government and its ally Russia meanwhile rejected a cease-fire for the war-torn city, keeping up the military offensive amid rebel retreats and massive displacement.
Bolivia
Chief of airline detained
The head of the charter airline whose plane crashed in the Andes last week was detained by Bolivian prosecutors for questioning Tuesday as authorities look into whether the tragedy that killed 71 people stemmed from negligence. Gustavo Vargas, a retired Bolivian air force general, was picked up in Santa Cruz along with a mechanic and secretary who worked for him at LaMia airline. All are being questioned about their roles in letting a British-built short-range jet attempt a more than four-hour flight from Santa Cruz to Medellin, Colombia, for which it barely had enough fuel in violation of aviation norms.
Compiled from wire reports