At least five die in bus crash in eastern Germany
At least five people have died after a bus travelling from Berlin to Switzerland came off a major road in eastern Germany and ended up on its side, authorities said.
The accident happened on the A9 highway near Leipzig at about 9.45am (8.45am GMT), leading to the road being closed in both directions.
It was not immediately clear why the bus, which was operated by Flixbus and en route from Berlin to Zurich, came off the road. Rescue helicopters and ambulances are at the scene.
Police spokesman Olaf Hoppe told n-tv television that there were “numerous injured and at least five dead”.
Flixbus said there were 53 passengers and two drivers on board, German news agency dpa reported.
The A9 is a major northsouth route that links Berlin with Munich.
Taiwan has commissioned two new navy ships as a safeguard against the rising threat from China.
Beijing has been ratcheting up its naval and air force missions around the island that it claims as its own territory – to be annexed by force if necessary.
The pair of Tuo Chiang class corvettes completes the first order of six of the domestically produced catamarans with stealth capabilities.
The ships are relatively small, capable of carrying just 41 sailors and officers, but are fast and highly manoeuvrable, and carry a range of missiles and deck guns aimed at countering larger Chinese vessels and rocketry.
Outgoing president Tsai Ing-wen oversaw the commissioning on Tuesday at the northern port of Suao, emphasising her push to revitalise Taiwan’s defence industries, alongside extensive arms purchases and support from key ally the United States.
Ms Tsai has also fasttracked the production of trainer jets and the island’s first home-built submarines, sometimes pushing budgets for such purchases through the legislature against resistance from representatives of the opposition Nationalist Party, which favours eventual unification with China.
Health supplement products believed to have caused two deaths and made more than 100 other people ill have been ordered off shop shelves in Japan.
The products from Kobayashi Pharmaceutical Co, billed as helping to lower cholesterol, contained an ingredient called “benikoji”, a red species of mould.
In addition to the products from Osakabased Kobayashi, more than 40 products from other companies containing benikoji, including miso paste, crackers, and a vinegar dressing, were recalled, starting last week, a government health ministry official said.
At least 106 people had been hospitalised and many more are believed to have become ill, although it is unclear if all the illnesses are directly linked to benikoji.
The ministry has put up a list on its official site of all the recalled products, including some that use benikoji for food colouring.
The company is investigating the cause of the problem. The recalled products could be bought without a prescription from a doctor, and were available at chemists.