Earthquakes rumble through central Ark.

Earthquakes rumble through central Ark.

GREENBRIER, Ark.

A pair of magnitude-3.9 earthquakes rumbled through central Arkansas this week, about a month after two companies halted operations at nearby injection wells over concerns that they may be linked to the seismic activity plaguing the region.

The latest big quake struck near Greenbrier on Friday morning, less than 24 hours after an equally strong quake hit nearby, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. Officials said no one was hurt, and damage was minimal.

The quakes are the largest in the area, about 35 miles north of Little Rock, since the companies agreed to temporarily cease operations at the wells at the behest of the Arkansas Gas and Oil Commission. The wells, used to dispose of wastewater from natural-gas production, ceased operations March 4.

Powder at West’s office not anthrax

BOCA RATON, Fla.

Authorities say a white powder found in a letter sent to a Florida congressman is not anthrax.

Boca Raton Fire Rescue spokesman Frank Correggio said no dangerous substance was found at the office of Republican Allen West on Friday.

West’s chief of staff said the letter contained derogatory comments about the politician and contained the word anthrax. He said the letter was opened by a campaign staffer.

West is a freshman congressman and tea-party favorite who swept incumbent Rep. Ron Klein from office. West was in Washington when the letter was opened. He said in a news release he is deeply disturbed by the incident.

Bombs kills 8 in Nigeria before vote

IBADAN, Nigeria

A bomb targeting an election office in Nigeria exploded Friday on the eve of the first of the oil-rich country’s three crucial April elections, killing at least eight people and spreading fears that violence reminiscent of the nation’s flawed 2007 vote could spread.

The explosion struck the Independent National Electoral Commission office in Suleja in the afternoon as workers hurriedly prepared for today’s National Assembly polls. A government official who requested anonymity said the blast injured so many people that local hospitals quickly became overwhelmed, forcing doctors to send patients into nearby Abuja, the country’s capital.

The official requested anonymity due to government concerns about talking about the death toll ahead of the election.

Israel pounds Gaza

GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip

Israeli aircraft and tanks pounded Gaza on Friday, killing seven Hamas militants and five civilians in a surge of fighting sparked by a Palestinian rocket attack on an Israeli school bus the day before.

Israel and Gaza’s Hamas rulers seemed on the brink of another round of intense violence, just a little over two years after a three-week war in which persistent rocket fire from Gaza triggered a devastating Israeli military offensive in the territory.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the attack on the school bus “crossed a line” and warned that “whoever tries to harm and murder children will pay with their life.”

In Thursday’s attack, Gaza militants hit a yellow Israeli school bus near the border with a guided anti-tank missile, injuring the driver and badly wounding a 16-year-old boy.

Associated Press