Rescuers are searching through the rubble of a partially-collapsed Indonesian hospital after a deadly earthquake struck the island of Sulwesi, leaving at least 30 dead. The 6.2-magnitude quake on Friday morning came just hours after an earlier, smaller tremor. Hundreds of people were injured and thousands displaced by the quake. Indonesia has a history of devastating earthquakes and tsunamis with more than 2000 killed in a 2018 Sulawesi quake. Local media have reported that six patients and their families were trapped when parts of the Mitra Manakarra hospital in the town of Mamuju collapsed. Arianto, from the rescue agency in Mamuju … Continue reading Update: Sulawesi hospital among collapsed buildings in Indonesia earthquake

At least seven people have been killed and hundreds injured after a magnitude 6.2 earthquake struck and toppled buildings in Indonesia’s Sulawesi island in the early hours of Friday morning, the country’s disaster mitigation agency said. The epicentre of the quake was six kilometres (3.73 miles) northeast of the city of Majene, at a depth of 10 kilometres (6.2 miles), North of Majene. More than a dozen patients and staff are trapped beneath the rubble of a hospital that was flattened by the quake. “The hospital is flattened, it collapsed,” said Arianto from the rescue agency in Mamuju city, who … Continue reading Buildings destroyed as deadly quake hits Indonesia’s Sulawesi

“Black boxes” from a passenger plane that crashed into the sea soon after take-off in Indonesia on Saturday have been located, officials say. Navy divers are confident that they will be able retrieve the two flight recorders when the search operation resumes on Monday. Aircraft parts and human remains have been found, the Sriwijaya Air Boeing 737 was carrying 62 people when it vanished from radar on its journey to Borneo. “We have located the position of the black boxes, both of them,” said Soerjanto Tjahjono, head of Indonesia’s transport safety committee, quoted by AFP earlier on Sunday. “Divers will … Continue reading Update: Indonesia Sriwijaya Air Boeing 737 ‘black boxes’ located

Boeing has agreed to pay $2.5bn (£1.8bn) to settle US criminal charges that it hid information from safety officials about the design of its 737 Max planes, the US justice department said the firm chose “profit over candour”, impeding oversight of the planes, which were involved in two deadly crashes. About $500m will go to families of the 346 people killed in the tragedies, Boeing said the agreement acknowledged how the firm “fell short”. Boeing chief executive David Calhoun said: “I firmly believe that entering into this resolution is the right thing for us to do – a step that … Continue reading Boeing to pay $2.5bn over 737 Max conspiracy

At least seven people have been killed by a knife-wielding attacker in north-eastern China, media reports say. Another seven people were reported wounded in the mass stabbing, which took place in Kaiyuan, a small city in Liaoning province. Police have arrested a suspect, the state-run Xinhua news agency reports, although a motive remains unclear, witnesses described seeing a man stabbing people seemingly at random. Violent crime is relatively rare in China, but the country has seen unrelated knife attacks in recent years, they have usually been carried out by people living with mental illness, or seeking revenge against officials or … Continue reading Seven killed in knife attack in China’s Liaoning province

The body of Karima Baloch, a Pakistani human rights activist, has been found in Toronto, Canada, where she had been living for five years in exile. Ms Baloch, 37, a campaigner from the restive region of Balochistan in western Pakistan, was a vocal critic of the Pakistani military and state. Toronto police issued an appeal after she went missing on Sunday and later confirmed that her body had been found, police said there were “not believed to be any suspicious circumstances”. In 2016, Ms Baloch was named in the BBC’s annual list of 100 inspirational and influential women for her work … Continue reading Pakistani rights activist Karima Baloch found dead in Toronto

A man in India was arrested after throwing acid on his wife when she resisted his demands to be gang raped by group of men who her husband lost a bet to. “The couple was married for about 10 years. Her husband was into gambling and he lost her in a bet in late October,” Rajesh Kumar Jha, a senior police official in the state of the state of Bihar, told The Independent. “After that, he would send her to the gamblers against her wishes, where the men would rape her. If she ever resisted the sexual exploitation, her husband would … Continue reading Indian man threw acid at wife who refused to be gang raped after he lost bet: police

A car has ploughed through a pedestrian area in the western German city of Trier, killing five people including a nine-week-old baby girl, police say. The driver, a 51-year-old local man, has been arrested. The prosecutor said the suspect had drunk a significant amount of alcohol. Authorities said they were not working on the assumption that the incident was politically or religiously motivated, the city’s mayor described the scene as “horrible”. Witnesses said people screamed in panic and some were thrown in the air by an SUV travelling at high speed in Trier’s Brotstrasse and Simeonstrasse streets towards the city’s … Continue reading Five die as car ploughs through Germany pedestrian zone

Patrick Quinn, one of the men who helped drive the wildly popular Ice Bucket Challenge fundraising campaign, has died aged 37. Quinn, a New Yorker, was diagnosed with the incurable neurological disease amyotrophic lateral sclerosis in 2013. He died on Sunday morning, his supporters wrote on his official Facebook page. “He was a blessing to us all in so many ways, ” they said. The viral campaign has raised $220m (£163m) for ALS research, the Ice Bucket Challenge did not begin with Quinn, but he and his family and friends helped it become a global social media phenomenon in the … Continue reading Patrick Quinn: Ice Bucket Challenge activist dies aged 37

Bobby Brown Jr. (left) with his father, Bobby Brown  One of the great names in the music world has lost another child, Bobby Brown’s son Bobby Brown Jr. has died, the Los Angeles Police Department can confirms, he was 28. The cause of Bobby Jr.’s death, first reported by TMZ, is not immediately clear at this time, the producer’s son was reportedly found dead in his home in Los Angeles. His death comes more than five years after the death of Bobby’s daughter Bobbi Kristina Brown, who died tragically in July 2015 when she suffered irreversible brain damage and spent six months in … Continue reading Bobby Brown’s Son Bobby Jr. Dies at 28

A French stuntman famous for airborne feats using jetpacks and carbon-fibre wing packs has been killed in a training accident in Dubai, Vincent Reffet was part of the company ‘Jetman Dubai’. The 36-year-old went viral for flights over the Gulf city’s waterfront and the Alps, a statement said Reffet died “during training in Dubai” but did not give any further details, an investigation into the death is now under way. “Vince was a talented athlete, and a much-loved and respected member of our team,” the statement said . “Our thoughts and prayers are with his family and all those who knew … Continue reading French ‘Jetman’ dies in training accident