Afghani earthquake kills thousands, destroys city of Nahrin

An entire city and several villages in northeastern Afghanistan were razed by a series of earthquakes. Initial estimates put the death toll as high as 1,800 people with 4,000 more injured, according to The New York Times. The first earthquake, striking at 7:30 p.m. on Monday, reportedly wiped out the city of Nahrin, a densely populated district capital of mud brick huts that had recently been filling up with refugees returning to their homes. Word of the disaster sent the fledgling Afghani government and aid agencies scurrying to move medicine and rescue workers into the area, about 100 miles north of Kabul across a high ride of the Hindu Kush. Until today, the government and aid workers there had focused almost exclusively on reviving the country from the damages of the recent war. The international force of soldiers empowered to maintain order in the capital sent a team of soldiers north toward Nahrin and declared themselves willing to help. Northeastern Afghanistan lies along an extremely active region that has been hit by numerous earthquakes in recent years.

Washington, D.C.

Supreme Court rules on "zero tolerance" drug policy

The Supreme Court ruled 8-0 that the housing authority in Oakland, Calif. was within its rights in moving to evict four longtime tenants whose relatives had used illicit drugs, even if the tenants themselves could not be proven to have abused illegal drugs themselves. This decision is seen as upholding housing agencies' right to implement "zero tolerance" policies on illegal drug use, ruling that a tenant can be evicted if a family member or guest uses drugs-even if the tenant did not know of the infraction. "The statute does not require the eviction of any tenant who violated the lease provision," Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist wrote in the court's opinion. "Instead, it entrusts that decision to the local public housing authorities, who are in the best position [to make that decision]." Critics argue that the law is too harsh. "The only way they can get away with it is because it affects poor people," said Sheila Crowley, head of the National Low Income Housing Coalition, according to the Associated Press. Justice Stephen G. Breyer took no part in the case because his brother Judge Charles Breyer ruled on this case before it made its way to the Supreme Court.

Cambridge, Massachusetts

Cambridge City Council votes to lower voting age to 17

Just nine months after rejecting a proposal to let 16-year-olds vote in local elections, the Cambridge City Council voted Monday to lower the voting age for municipal elections to 17, according to The Boston Globe. Several city councilors, who passed the measure 8-1, cited the perseverance of a student group that had pushed to allow 16-year-olds to vote. However, the lowering of the voting age in local elections must be approved by the Massachusetts House of Representatives before the city, historically known for its liberal and progressive politics, can enact the ground-breaking proposal. According to The Globe, councilor Timothy Toomey, who voted against the teenagers last year, said, "I was very impressed with how they stuck with the issue, their tenacity and their commitment. A lot of people feel that 17-year-olds aren't mature enough, but I think we've seen that they are." Toomey's support is important because he is also a state representative. "I'd say it's 50/50," at the State House, he said. "Hopefully the elected officials will respect the home rule process."