Turkey
Nine dead as 5.7 quake strikes border region
ANKARA — Nine people were killed in eastern Turkey by a magnitude 5.7 earthquake early Sunday morning, Turkish Health Minister Fahrettin Koca said.
The quake was centered just east, in neighboring Iran, west of the Iranian city of Khoy, and affected villages in the Turkish province of Van.
At least three of the dead were children, according to Turkish Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu. The health minister later said at least 37 people were injured, including nine in critical but not life-threatening condition.
Iran’s official IRNA news agency said at least 75 people had been injured inside Iran, six of whom were hospitalized.
Israel
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Gaza clash prompts Palestinian rockets
JERUSALEM — Palestinian militants fired some 20 rockets toward southern Israel on Sunday evening, the Israeli military said, hours after Israel said it killed a Palestinian militant who tried to place a bomb along the Israel-Gaza barrier fence.
There was no immediate claim for the rocket fire, but it appeared to be meant to avenge the death of the militant. Palestinians were furious over the image of the man’s lifeless body dangling off the front of an Israeli bulldozer that had crossed into Gaza to retrieve it. There was also criticism in Gaza of the territory’s Hamas rulers for not responding.
The Israeli military reported air raid sirens throughout southern Israel, and said at least 20 rockets had been fired. There were no reports of damage or injuries on the Israeli side, but it was the heaviest barrage of rockets from the Gaza Strip in several months.
Spain
Storm closes airports on Canary Islands
MADRID — Spanish authorities said Sunday that they closed airports on the Canary Islands because of a wind storm that was blinding the archipelago with sand and dust.
Spain’s airport authorities said incoming planes were rerouted to other destinations and no flights were allowed to leave airports on the islands.
The regional government for the Canary Islands said wind gusts could reach around 75 mph.
Authorities also closed schools for Monday.
Television images showed palm trees whipping in the wind amid a thick yellow haze enveloping the islands.
The storm phenomenon, locally known as “calima,” is capable of lifting up clouds of sand and dust from the Sahara desert and transporting them across the 60 miles separating the islands from the African coast.
Albania
Opposition backs anti-gov’t protest
TIRANA — Albania’s main opposition Democratic Party on Sunday supported a call from the country’s president for an anti-government protest and also asked for a new election.
Earlier this week, President Ilir Meta called for a rally on March 2 against the left-wing government, which he accused of violating the country’s constitution and of links to organized crime.
Democratic leader Lulzim Basha on Sunday wrote on his Facebook page that the party supports Meta’s anti-government protest, adding that Albania is in a constitutional and economic crisis and “democracy is in danger.”
“There is one democratic solution: ending on time the electoral reform and immediately hold free and fair elections,” Basha said.
Germany
Bad weather forces cancellation of parades
BERLIN — Several cities in western Germany canceled their traditional carnival parades on short notice Sunday, citing severe weather conditions, including gusty winds and heavy rains.
In Cologne, the famous school and neighborhood parades were abandoned and in nearby Duesseldorf the carnival celebrations on the city’s glitzy Koenigsallee boulevard were also called off.
Wire reports