50 dead in bus collision
A head-on collision between two buses has killed at least 50 people in Zimbabwe where road accidents are common due to poor roads and bad driving. Two long-distance buses going opposite directions collided near Rusape, about 170km east of the capital Harare. The death toll could rise because there 80 others admitted to hospital, some with serious injuries. One of the buses tried to pass two haulage trucks on a stretch of the road where overtaking is prohibited. Both buses were speeding, she said.
270kg of heroin seized European authorities say they have seized 270kg of heroin in Genoa’s port and allowed part of it to travel on, under police surveillance, to its final destination in the Netherlands where two people were arrested. Eurojust, the European agency that coordinates cross-border investigations, called the drug bust the largest in Genoa in 20 years. Police say the heroin was camouflaged in bags of bentonite, a clay powder used in skincare products, which was transported from the Iranian port of Bandar Abbas aboard a tanker named Artabaz.
Jewel thieves caught Croatian police say they have arrested four suspects in the brazen theft last January of precious Indian jewels from the famed Al Thani Collection that were on display in a Venetian palace. Police said the men are all Croatians ranging in age from 43 to 60. The thieves made off with a brooch and a pair of earrings by mixing in with the crowd on the final day of the exhibition at Venice’s Doge’s Palace. Croatian police say the value of the stolen jewels is estimated at some $3 million.
Terror cell convictions
An Egyptian court has convicted 65 suspected militants of setting up a terrorist group and declaring allegiance to the extremist Islamic State group, sentencing 18 of them to life in prison. Yesterday’s verdict by a Cairo criminal court also sentenced 41 people to 15 years in prison and six more to five years. Two defendants were acquitted. The prosecutors said the group set up cells in six provinces and members received training on firearms and explosives.
Human traffickers probed An official says police are interrogating six suspected human traffickers after Bangladeshi guards separately rescued nearly 50 Rohingya refugees from boats heading for Malaysia through the Bay of Bengal. A Police official said 33 refugees were rescued from a fishing boat near the Saint Martins Island while another 14 Rohingya were rescued at Shahporir Island.
Seoul fire kills seven
A fire at a low-cost dormitory-style housing facility in central Seoul has killed at least seven people and injured 11 others. The Seoul Metropolitan Fire & Disaster Headquarters the blaze was extinguished but it remains to be seen whether the death toll could rise. It says the cause of yesterday’s fire is under investigation. The facility, called “goshiwon” in Korean, is where poor manual laborers or student preparing for bar exams or civil service exams stay. South Korean media reported most of the victims fromyesterday’s blaze are laborers in their 40 to 60s. The fire agency couldn’t confirm the report.