Earthquake leaves 68 injured in Turkey
DUZCE, Turkey -- A magnitude-5.9 earthquake hit a town in northwestern Turkey early Wednesday, causing damage to some buildings and widespread panic. At least 68 people were injured, mostly while trying to flee homes.
The quake was centered in the town of Golkaya, in Duzce province, some 125 miles east of Istanbul, the Disaster and Emergency Management Presidency said.
It struck at 4:08 a.m. and was felt in Istanbul, the capital Ankara and other parts of the region. Dozens of aftershocks were reported, including one with a magnitude of 4.3.
The quake woke people from their sleep and many rushed out of buildings in panic in the province that experienced a deadly earthquake 23 years ago.
At least 68 people were treated in hospitals for injuries in Duzce and nearby regions, mostly sustained during the panic, including from jumping from balconies or windows. A 28-year-old Afghan was in serious condition after suffering a brain hemorrhage, Health Minister Fahrettin Koca said.
Schools in the region were closed as a precaution.
Malnourished Haiti ravaged by cholera
PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti -- A cholera outbreak sweeping through Haiti is claiming a growing number of children amid a surge in malnutrition, UNICEF announced Wednesday.
The deadly combination means that about 40% of cholera cases in the impoverished country of more than 11 million inhabitants now involve children, with 9 out of 10 cases reported in areas where people are starving, according to the United Nations agency.
"We have to plan for the worst," Manuel Fontaine, director of UNICEF's Office of Emergency Programs, said Tuesday during a visit to Haiti.
Cholera has killed more than 200 people since the first deaths were announced in early October, and another 9,300 are hospitalized, according to the Haitian Health Ministry, but experts believe the number is much higher due to underreporting.
UNICEF and Haiti's government are seeking at least $28 million to help feed, hydrate and care for 1.4 million people affected by the crisis, with that number expected to increase as malnutrition worsens, especially in urban areas such as the Cite Soleil slum in the capital of Port-au-Prince, something that hasn't been seen before.
"Cholera and malnutrition are a lethal combination, one leading to the other," Fontaine said.
Russian drone flier off to Norway prison
COPENHAGEN, Denmark -- A Norwegian court on Wednesday sentenced a 34-year-old Russian to 90 days in prison for flying a drone in breach of a ban triggered by Russia's war against Ukraine, local media said.
The man, who was not identified, was not suspected of espionage, the Norwegian newspaper Bergens Tidende reported. He said he had a travel agency.
He admitted to flying the drone in southern Norway to photograph nature, the daily said, adding he claimed to be unaware that this was banned.
Numerous drone sightings have been reported in recent weeks near offshore oil and gas platforms belonging to NATO member Norway, a major oil and gas producer. Several Russian citizens have been detained for flying drones or taking photographs of sensitive sites in Norway.
Under Norwegian law, it is prohibited for aircraft operated by Russian companies or citizens "to land on, take off from or fly over Norwegian territory." Norway is not a member of the European Union but mirrors its moves and decided on the ban earlier this year after the invasion of Ukraine.
The man sentenced Wednesday flew the device over 16 different locations in Norway in October, Norwegian broadcaster NRK said. Friends in Russia had sent him articles about Russians being arrested in Norway for flying drones, NRK said.
Dutch court rules 2007 strike unlawful
THE HAGUE, Netherlands -- A local court in the Netherlands ruled on Wednesday that Dutch forces unlawfully bombed a residential complex in Afghanistan in 2007, and ordered the state to pay financial compensation to the victims.
The District Court of The Hague found the late-night attack on a compound that left some 20 civilians dead violated international humanitarian law. The court sided with four survivors of the attack who brought a civil suit against the Dutch state for compensation.
The defense ministry argued that buildings were being used by Taliban fighters when the military hit the walled compound, known as a "quala," with munitions fired from attack helicopters and F-16s. The Dutch were part of the U.S.-led coalition fighting in Afghanistan at the time.
However, some 12 hours had passed from the last time the Taliban used the location as a firing position when the bombing occurred, and judges concluded that the military did not have enough information to designate the compound as a military target.
An estimated 250 Afghans, including between 50 and 80 civilians, were killed during the three days of fighting which became known as the Battle of Chora. In the days leading up to the battle, Taliban fighters had captured a number of police outposts and were advancing on a Dutch military facility.