A round-up of other world news in brief
Series of strong aftershocks rattle Chile
SANTIAGO – The ground shook and buildings swayed as Sebastian Pinera took over as Chile’s president yesterday, where he will take on major rebuilding after an earthquake killed hundreds just 12 days ago.
A series of strong aftershocks rattled central Chile minutes before Mr Pinera was sworn in at Congress in the port city of Valparaiso, as Latin American presidents and other dignitaries looked nervously at the ceiling. Workers were briefly evacuated from swaying office towers and took refuge in the streets.
In Constitución, heavily damaged in the earlier quake, residents scrambled for the hills after the navy issued a tsunami alert for the mainland, but it was later called off. – (Reuters)
Turkey recalls Swedish envoy
ANKARA – Turkey recalled its ambassador to Sweden yesterday and cancelled a summit between the countries after the Swedish parliament branded the first World War killing of Armenians by Ottoman forces genocide.
The move comes only a week after Ankara called home its ambassador to the United States because a congressional committee approved a similar resolution.
European Union member Sweden has been one of the strongest supporters of Ankara’s bid to join the bloc, while the US is generally considered a strong western ally of Nato-member Turkey.
The issue of the massacres is deeply sensitive in Turkey, which accepts that many Christian Armenians were killed by Ottoman Turks but vehemently denies that up to 1.5 million died and that it was genocide. – (Reuters)
Haiti victims and veterans' families to benefit from Obama's Nobel prize money
WASHINGTON – President Barack Obama yesterday named 10 charities to share his $1.4 million Nobel Peace Prize, with causes ranging from wounded veterans to Haiti’s earthquake survivors and education for minorities.
The White House said $250,000, the largest single amount, will go to Fisher House, which houses families of wounded veterans while they receive treatment.
This was followed by a $200,000 donation to the Clinton-Bush Haiti Fund, set up by former presidents Bill Clinton and George W Bush at Mr Obama’s request, to help survivors of Haitis January earthquake. – (Reuters)