North America

Three dead, 16 missing in Danube river cruise sinking: Hungarian media

BUDAPEST, Hungary (AFP) — Three people died and 16 were missing Wednesday after a river cruise boat capsized in Budapest and sank in the Danube, Hungarian public television said, quoting the interior ministry. The M1 channel said 15 people had been safely rescued following the accident near the iconic parliament building in the heart of the Hungarian capital after a collision with another boat. The accident happened at around 10:00 pm (2000 GMT). Divers were […]

21 killed in fiery Mexico road accident: officials

COATZACOALCOS, Mexico (AFP) — A semi truck and a bus carrying passengers back from a religious pilgrimage to a Catholic shrine crashed and burst into flames Wednesday in eastern Mexico, killing 21 people and injuring 30, officials said. “The forensics experts at the scene report 17 bodies of passengers who were traveling in the bus, plus two people who died in the semi truck,” said the head of the Civil Protection service for the state […]

Tornadoes in Ohio leave at least one dead, widespread damage

WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — Ohio residents inspected destroyed homes and debris-strewn streets Tuesday after powerful tornadoes ripped through the US state overnight, killing at least one person and causing widespread damage and power outages. One twister that barreled through the city of Dayton left 80,000 people without power as day broke, the city’s assistant fire chief Nicholas Hosford told ABC News. “We have homes flattened, entire apartment complexes destroyed, businesses throughout our community where […]

Millions without power after tornado hits Ohio

WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — A huge tornado that plowed through the central US state of Ohio injured several people and left millions more without power, officials said Tuesday. The twister barrelled over the town of Dayton late Monday, damaging homes and uprooting trees. No deaths have been reported so far. The National Weather Service said the tornado cut electricity supplies to five million people and parts of the state faced the risk of flash […]

Japanese man dies mid-flight with stomach full of cocaine

MEXICO CITY, Mexico (AFP) — A Japanese man with 246 packets of cocaine in his stomach and intestines died mid-flight on his way from Bogota to Tokyo, authorities said Monday in northern Mexico, where the plane made an emergency landing. The 42-year-old man, identified only as Udo “N,” began having a seizure after traveling from the Colombian capital to Mexico City and catching a connecting flight to Japan, said the prosecutor’s office for the state […]

Alberta wildfire forces thousands from homes, threatens High Level community

By Thomas I. Likness in Edmonton & Marvi Abellera in Slave Lake, Alberta EBC Edmonton Bureau (Eagle News) – More bad news for residents of the northern Alberta community of High Level in western Canada which is threatened by a wildfire. An Alberta government agency said a shift in wind direction could push the blaze even closer to the town. The fire remains out of control. It is only three kilometres from the town limits. […]

Clashes between prisoners in Brazil jail leave 15 dead: official

SAO PAULO, Brazil (AFP) — Clashes between inmates killed 15 people at a jail in Amazonas state in northern Brazil on Sunday, the regional prison authority said. The clashes broke out around 11:00 am (1500 GMT) during visiting hours at the facility, located some 28 kilometers (17 miles) from the state capital Manaus, the prison authority said. © Agence France-Presse

Powerful tornado devastates US town, killing two

WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — Rescuers in the US state of Oklahoma were searching Sunday for survivors in the tangled remains of mobile homes and other structures demolished overnight by a powerful tornado that killed at least two people. “Right now (we are) doing a search effort to assess everything,” El Reno Mayor Matt White told reporters in a televised news conference. “We can confirm there have been two fatalities at this time.” “It is […]

Florida executes serial killer, 35 years after crimes

WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — A serial killer was put to death on Thursday in the US state of Florida, 35 years after he raped and killed at least eight young women in the Tampa Bay region. Robert “Bobby” Long, 65, was executed at 6:55 pm (2255 GMT) at the Florida State Prison in Raiford, the state’s Department of Corrections said. “The execution took place without incident,” Michelle Glady, the department’s director of communications, said […]

Trump unveils $16-billion aid for farmers hurt by China trade war

by Heather SCOTT WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — President Donald Trump on Thursday unveiled a new $16 billion aid package to help farmers caught in the crossfire his trade war with China. “The farmers have been attacked by China,” Trump told reporters at the White House. “We’re going to help out our farmers and we’re giving them that level playing field that is so important.” Trump again claimed that China is paying the 25 percent […]

Trump, Pelosi trade barbs as impeachment talk stirs anger

by Michael Mathes / Sebastian Smith WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — Democratic congressional leader Nancy Pelosi on Thursday said Donald Trump is angry that her party is not rushing to impeach him, as the relationship reached new lows with the rivals trading crude personal barbs. It was the second straight day of a very public war of words between Trump and the speaker of the House of Representatives, who earlier questioned the president’s mental fitness […]

Tornadoes kill three in central US, region braces for more storms

by Nova SAFO WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — Rescuers searched door-to-door for survivors Thursday in the central US state of Missouri following a deadly storm that swept through the region, triggering dozens of tornadoes and damaging floods. Three people were killed in the small town of Golden City, Missouri, officials said, while residents in the state capital Jefferson City were taking stock of damage caused by what the National Weather Service called a “large and […]