Israel loosens restrictions on Gaza fishermen
AFP, Jerusalem
Israel loosened restrictions on fishermen off the blockaded Gaza Strip on Monday by allowing them to travel up to 15 nautical miles into the Mediterranean, the largest distance in years.
The decision comes after Hamas, the Islamist movement that rules Gaza, said it had been engaged in Egyptian-brokered talks with Israel on easing parts of the blockade in return for calm.
26 killed in China forest fire
AP, Beijing
At least 26 firefighters were killed while battling a forest fire high in the mountains of western China’s Sichuan province, the government said Monday.
The deaths occurred after a change of wind Sunday as the firefighters were battling the blaze in a rugged area at an altitude of 3,800 meters (12,500 feet), according to the Ministry of Emergency Management and the military.
Five dead in France food poisoning
AFP, Toulouse
Five residents at a retirement home in southern France have died and around a dozen others are in a serious condition after a suspected case of mass food poisoning, officials said Monday.
Twenty-two people at the privately operated Cheneraie residence in Lherm, a town south of Toulouse, began showing symptoms including vomiting after dinner on Sunday, police said in a statement.
Two pilots of US Marine Corps killed in copter crash
AP, Washington
Two pilots of the United States Marine Corps were killed when their chopper crashed near Yuma in Arizona on Saturday (local time), the US Marine Corps said in a statement.
CNN reported that a routine training mission was underway when the AH-1Z Viper helicopter crashed around 8:45 pm (local time). An investigation has been launched to find out the reason behind the helicopter crash.
Russia’s richest woman among 3 killed in plane crash
AFP, Berlin
A plane crashed in Germany on Sunday killing three people, police said, as one of Russia’s richest women was identified by the company she co-owns as among the victims.
Natalia Fileva, a co-owner of private Russian airline S7, died in the accident, the company said in a statement.
20 dead in Peru bus fire
AFP, Lima
At least 20 people were killed and about a dozen injured Sunday night in a bus fire at a Peruvian transport terminal the emergency services said.
A number of the victims died trapped on the second level of the interprovincial bus in the capital Lima, firefighters said, and passersby described scenes of panic and cries of terror.
