International news brief: Series of earthquakes rattle Hawaii and more

Washington, Oct 15: Two earthquakes, with magnitudes of 5.0 and 4.6, shook the southeastern flank of Mauna Loa on Hawaii island this morning. The series started with a 4.6-magnitude quake 24 seconds before the larger one, which the USGS previously reported as having magnitude of 5.1.

The first one was slightly offshore and south of the town of Pahala, followed by the larger quake just south of Pahala beneath a highway, the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory said in a statement.

91-year-old activist releases 1st statement since stabbing

A 91-year-old education equity pioneer and civil rights activist who was stabbed while walking her dog in a Boston park released her first public statement Friday since the attack, keeping the focus on her lifetime work of helping children, news agency PTI reported.

"We as a community can never forget that we need to stand together and continue working to empower our children through learning,'' Jean McGuire said in the statement released by her family. "We are at our best as a people; when it's about we' not me'. I love you all and I will see you soon." McGuire, the first Black woman to serve on the Boston School Committee, was stabbed multiple times in an apparently unprovoked attack in Franklin Park about 8:30 p.m. Tuesday, authorities said. She remains in the hospital.

14 dead, 28 hurt after blast in Turkish coal mine

Turkey's interior minister says a blast inside a coal mine in northern Turkey has left 14 workers dead.

Suleyman Soylu said at least 28 others were rescued with injuries from the coal mine in the Black Sea coastal province of Amasra.

Energy Minister Fatih Donmez said the explosion is likely to have been caused by firedamp, a reference to flammable gases found in coal mines.

Passenger bus hits improvised bomb in central Mali; 10 dead

A passenger bus struck an improvised explosive device in central Mali, killing at least 10 people and wounding dozens of others, authorities said Friday, blaming Islamic extremists with links to al-Qaida.

The explosion took place Thursday afternoon in the village of Tile in Bandiagara region, the Malian military said in a statement. Among the victims was a 5-year-old girl. Some 38 other passengers were taken to regional hospitals for treatment.

(with PTI inputs)