Aid begins to flow in after earthquake kills 246 in Ecuador
Aid begins to flow in after earthquake kills 246 in Ecuador
PEDERNALES, Ecuador — Aid began to flow in Sunday to areas devastated by Ecuador’s strongest earthquake in decades and the death toll continued to rise as people left homeless hunkered down for another night outside in the dark.
Officials said the quake killed at least 246 people and injured more than 2,500 along Ecuador’s coast. Vice President Jorge Glas said the toll was likely to rise because a large number of people remained unaccounted for, though he declined to say how many.
Much damage was reported in the cities of Manta, Portoviejo and Guayaquil, which are all several hundred miles from the epicenter of the quake that struck shortly after nightfall Saturday.
But the loss of life seemed to be far worse in isolated, smaller towns closed to the center of the earthquake.
In Pedernales, a town of 40,000 near the epicenter, soldiers put up a field hospital in a stadium where hundreds of people prepared to sleep outside for a second straight night. Downed power cables snaked across the streets with no prospect of electricity being restored soon, making it unsafe for many to return to their homes.
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Trump’s rants risk annoying those who may decide nomination
DES MOINES, Iowa — Donald Trump’s relentless assault on the rules that govern how Republicans choose their nominee is coming far too late to change what even defenders acknowledge is a complicated selection system.
He seems to know it, too.
Instead, his railing against a “rigged” process appears aimed at amplifying his central message to an angry electorate: America is a mess, and only Trump can clean it up.
In the Wall Street Journal Friday, he equated the party’s nomination procedures with the “unfair trade, immigration and economic policies that have also been rigged against Americans.”
He added, “Let me ask America a question: How has the ‘system’ been working out for you and your family?
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Pro-impeachment camp moves closer to victory in Brazil
BRASILIA, Brazil — Brazilian legislators pushing to oust President Dilma Rousseff appeared to have the upper hand Sunday night, with a wide margin voting to impeach her and cut short a term running through 2018.
More than two hours into voting, the pro-impeachment camp was leading 254 to 87. If 342 of the Chamber of Deputies’ 513 members vote in favor, the proceedings move to the Senate for a possible trial. If senators voted to hold a trial that would suspend Rousseff and hand over the top job to Vice President Michel Temer.
A close ally of the president lamented that many of her colleagues had “betrayed” Rousseff.
“It was a herd effect, and many (legislators) betrayed us. It was a double defeat,” said Brazilian Community Party legislator Orlando Silva, a close supporter of Rousseff.
After more than 40 hours of debate that began Friday, legislators in Congress’ lower house began voting one by one Sunday evening, the culmination of months of political wrangling that exposed deep polarization in Latin America’s largest nation and most powerful economy.
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Oil meeting in Qatar collapses without freeze as Iran absent
DOHA, Qatar — A meeting of oil-rich countries in Qatar that had been expected to boost crude prices by freezing production fell apart Sunday as Iran stayed home and vowed to increase its output despite threats by Saudi Arabia.
Oil prices, which hit a 12-year low in January by dipping under $30 a barrel, had risen above $40 in recent days, buoyed by the bullish talks surrounding the Doha summit.
But instead of a quick approval of a production freeze, the meeting of 18 oil-producing nations saw hours of debate and resembled the dysfunction of an unsuccessful meeting of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries in December that sent oil prices tumbling.
The fact that producers couldn’t agree to a freeze, let alone a production cut, likely means oil prices will drop again as markets open Monday.
“Prices will trade lower. Maybe sharply lower,” said Robert Yawger, director of energy futures at Mizuho Securities USA, noting the failure to reach agreement in Doha.
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US to join quake relief effort in Japan; 41 dead, 11 missing
MINAMIASO, Japan — Eleven people remained missing Sunday in southern Japan from two powerful earthquakes that killed at least 41 people, as the U.S military announced it was preparing to join relief efforts and Toyota said it would suspend nearly all of its vehicle production in Japan.
Thousands of rescue workers fanned out in often mountainous terrain to search for the missing. Rescue helicopters could be seen going into and out of the area, much of which has been cut off by landslides and road and bridge damage.
With 180,000 people seeking shelter, some evacuees said that food distribution was a meager two rice balls for dinner.
U.S. Forces, Japan said it was getting ready to provide aerial support for Japan’s relief efforts. The U.S. has major Air Force, Navy and Marine bases in Japan, and stations about 50,000 troops in the country.
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said, “We are extremely grateful, and we would like to coordinate quickly and have the emergency relief be transported in as soon as possible.”
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‘Jungle Book’ roars with $103.6 million debut
NEW YORK — The Walt Disney Co.’s “The Jungle Book” opened with $103.6 million in North America, making it one of the biggest April debuts ever at the box office and continuing the studio’s streak of unearthing live-action riches buried in its animated classics.
Jon Favreau’s update of Disney’s 1967 animated version of Rudyard Kipling’s book tells the tale of Mowgli with computer-generated imagery and big-screen bombast. A sizable 42 percent of the film’s domestic sales came from 3-D and premium-format screens.
“The Jungle Book” is just the latest of Disney’s string of live-action remakes of classic cartoons (“Cinderella,” ”Alice in Wonderland,” ”Maleficent”), most of which have fared well at the box office. More plundering of the Disney library is in the works: “Cruella De Ville” and “Peter Pan” are in development; “Beauty and the Beast” is scheduled for next March.
“There’s some consistency that’s happened here in the last few years as we’ve really made this a priority and a strategy from a company perspective,” said Disney distribution head Dave Hollis, who credited production president Sean Bailey with overseeing the live-action adaptations. “He’s been able to do it in a way that really makes them contemporary and, certainly in this case, fully utilizes available technology.
“We’ve got a lot more of these stories to tell.”
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Marathon bombing survivor will run using prosthetic leg
BOSTON — Adrianne Haslet heard all the talk about taking back Boylston Street in the years after the Boston Marathon bombings.
Her mind was 26.2 miles away.
After losing her left leg in the 2013 finish-line explosions, Haslet decided that she would return to the course — this time as a runner. When the race leaves Hopkinton on Monday, Haslet will be one of 31 members of the One Fund community — survivors of the attacks, their families and supporters— who will be in the field.
“A lot of people think about the finish line,” she said. “I think about the start line.”
More than 30,000 runners are scheduled to head to Hopkinton for the 120th edition of the race this Patriots Day. Among them are Haslet and Patrick Downes, a Boston College graduate who had his left leg amputated after the bombings.