A 5.3-magnitude quake in southeast Albania Saturday injured four people and damaged houses, local officials said.
Media reports said four people were hurt in Floq, 15 kilometres southeast of the city of Korca, which lies 180 kilometres southeast of the capital Tirana.
Officials in Korca said the quake had damaged around 60 houses.
According to Albania's Institute of Geosciences, it struck at 6:26 am (0426 GMT) and was followed by seven weaker aftershocks.

Albania quake causes injuries, damages houses: officials

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The captain of a river cruise ship that collided with a smaller sightseeing vessel was charged Saturday over an accident in Budapest that killed seven South Korean tourists dead and left 21 missing.
A Budapest court official said the Ukrainian captain of the Viking Sigyn was charged but did not give further details.
The 64-year-old was detained Thursday for questioning "in relation to 'endangering waterborne traffic resulting in multiple deaths'", a day after his vessel collided with the smaller Mermaid carrying mainly South Korean tourists, causing it to overturn and sank on a busy stretch of the Danube.

Captain charged over deadly Budapest boat accident

At least 38 people were injured in a blast at a major explosives plant in central Russia on Saturday, local news agencies reported, citing emergency services.
The blast took place at the "Kristall" factory in Dzerzhinsk about 400 kilometres east of Moscow, in the Nizhny Novgorod region.
Earlier reports said 19 people were injured in the accident and two were missing.
"Thirty eight people are injured, four of them are in a serious condition," a spokesman for local emergency services told the TASS news agency.
He said 25 are in a state of "medium" severity while nine others had "light" injuries.
Nobody was killed in the blast, the source told TASS.
Earlier health ministry officials told news agencies that the wounded had "shrapnel wounds of mild and moderate severity" and that they were receiving medical assistance.
The deputy governor of the Nizhny Novgorod region, Dmitry Krasnov, told Russian state television that "two people are missing."
Russia's Investigative Committee said it had .

Blast at Russian explosives plant injures 38

A fire in a shelter for migrants in northwest Bosnia on Saturday left 32 people hurt either from burns or injuries after they jumped from windows to escape the flames, authorities said.
The blaze broke out after dawn in the privately-run facility in the town of Velika Kladusa, said Ale Siljdedic, spokesman for the Bihac regional interior ministry.
"The fire has been put out, 32 migrants have been injured," some of them after jumping from the second floor, Siljdedic told AFP, adding the blaze was "doubtless" due to an electrical fault.
One person was taken to hospital, regional International Migration Organization coordinator Vladmir Mitkovski told FTV television.
Around 500 migrants were in the shelter at the time, Siljdedic said.
It was the second blaze in recent weeks to hit a place where migrants were staying in Bosnia.
Three weeks ago, three migrants died when a candle they were using set fire to the abandoned building they were in, according to Indira Kulenovic, a manager for ...

Fire in Bosnian migrant shelter injures 32

Polish inventor and entrepreneur Jerzy Wysocki catches a brown plate -- still warm -- as it drops out of a machine and he begins to eat the crunchy, fibrous tableware.
"A pork chop will always be more delicious on this wheat bran plate than on plastic," says Wysocki with a big grin at the Biotrem factory in Zambrow in northeast Poland.
Taking a bite, the plate does not have much of a flavour. It calls to mind dry cereal flakes or maybe what you would imagine cardboard to taste like.
But Wysocki says what matters is the tableware is biodegradable.
The sexagenarian invented the plate some 15 years ago, and today Biotrem makes around 15 million of them a year.
That figure could soon skyrocket thanks to a decision by the European Union to ban plastic plates and cutlery starting in 2021.
A son and grandson of millers, Wysocki got the idea for the tableware when he was looking to use up the leftovers of flour production, which take up a lot of space.
But he says he is also driven by the ...

You can have your plate and eat it too, says Polish inventor

The number of people injured at a blast in an explosives plant in central Russia on Saturday has risen to 38, local emergency services said, quoted by Russian agencies.
The blast took place at the "Kristall" factory in Dzerzhinsk about 400 kilometres east of Moscow.
Earlier reports said 19 people were injured and two were missing.

Injured toll in Russian plant blast rises to 38: agencies

Thirty years ago millions of mourners crowded the streets of Tehran for the funeral of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, and today the founder of the Islamic republic remains a guiding figure in Iran.
The image of the black-turbaned cleric who brought down the monarchy in 1979 stares out at people across the country, from hotel lobbies and the front of stadiums to hospitals and banknotes.
In life Khomeini was recognised by his followers as the "Imam", leader of the Shiite community, and decades after his death he remains enshrined in the Iranian constitution as "the great source of imitation".
"His key legacy is the strong notion of independence, sovereignty and resilience against foreign hegemony and imperialism that still continues to exist among Iranians," Mohammad Marandi, head of the American studies department at Tehran University, told AFP.
Born in 1902, Khomeini died on 3 June 1989 following a battle with cancer just over 10 years after he led the Islamic revolution that swept ...

Khomeini's legacy looms over Iran 30 years after death

Stefanos Tsitsipas became the first Greek player in 83 years to reach the second week at Roland Garros on Saturday as he survived a scare in the third round against Filip Krajinovic.
The sixth seed led by two sets overnight, with the match suspended at 5-5 in the third due to darkness at 9:52 p.m. local time, and saw Serbia's Krajinovic launch a comeback.
Tsitsipas lost the set in a tie-break but sealed a 7-5, 6-3, 6-7 (5/7), 7-6 (8/6) success on Court Philippe Chatrier after overturning a 5-3 deficit and saving a set point in the fourth.
The 20-year-old will take on either former champion Stan Wawrinka or Grigor Dimitrov for a place in his second Grand Slam quarter-final, after their match was also suspended on Friday evening.
"It's really tricky when you come back after a day. It's unusual, you don't do it that often," said Tsitsipas.
"It was important I saved those set points. Closing in the fourth set, it's important to save energy." The last Greek player to reach the second week .

Tsitsipas first Greek in 83 years to reach Roland Garros last 16

Former Arsenal, Real Madrid and Spain star Jose Antonio Reyes has been killed in a car crash, his hometown club Sevilla said on Saturday. He was 35.
Reyes, who shot to fame at Sevilla before a switch to Arsenal, followed by spells at Real and Atletico Madrid, was on the books with second-tier Spanish club Extremadura.
"We couldn't be confirming worse news. Beloved Sevilla star Jose Antonio Reyes has died in a traffic collision. Rest in peace," Sevilla, where he spent two four-year spells, said on Twitter.
The emergency services in Andalusia and the authorities in the player's home town, Utrera, said Reyes died in an accident on the main road from Sevilla to Utrera. They said another member of his family also died and a third person was injured.
Spain captain Sergio Ramos, who is also from the province of Seville, came through the youth team just after Reyes and later played with him at Real Madrid also tweeted his grief.
"Broken. Shattered," wrote Ramos.
"I have no words. All the ...

Grief in Sevilla as former star Reyes killed in car crash

Afghanistan captain Gulbadin Naib took the bold decision to bat against champions Australia in their World Cup opener at Bristol on Saturday.
Rank outsiders Afghanistan's strength lies in their spin bowling rather than batting, with the team dismissed for just 160 by tournament hosts England in a warm-up match on Monday.
Australia boast an impressive pace attack but that did not stop Gulbadin opting to bat first, with the captain explaining he wanted to give his spinners a target to defend.
"It looks quite a good, flat wicket," he said at the toss.
"We have three spinners in the side and we want to put a score on the board for them. Morale is high and hopefully we can start well."
As expected former Australia captain Steve Smith and opener David Warner were both included for their first full major international match since they completed year-long bans imposed after a ball-tampering scandal in South Africa.
Warner was passed fit to play after recovering from a sore glute.
Australia ...

Afghanistan bat against Australia in World Cup

Matt Henry led the New Zealand charge with three wickets to help dismiss Sri Lanka for just 136 in their opening match of the World Cup in Cardiff on Saturday.
Henry returned figures of 3-29 in his seven overs of pace and swing to justify skipper Kane Williamson's decision to bowl first as New Zealand ran through the Sri Lanka line-up in 29.2 overs.
Lockie Ferguson also claimed three wickets in the absence of senior paceman Tim Southee, who missed the game due to a calf injury.
Sri Lanka skipper Dimuth Karunaratne was the lone batsman to impress amid the carnage with his unbeaten 52.
His 52-run stand with Thisara Perera, who made 27 off 23 balls, was all that stood between Sri Lanka and complete humiliation.
Henry's early strikes, including two in succesive deliveries, pushed Sri Lanka on the back foot on 53 for four in just the 12th over.
He struck with the second delivery of the game to send Lahiru Thirimanne trudging back to the pavilion after the left-handed opener had hit a ...

Henry leads Kiwi charge to dismiss Sri Lanka for 136

At least 19 people were injured in a blast at a major explosives plant in central Russia on Saturday, the Interfax news agency reported, citing the local health ministry.
The blast took place at the "Kristall" factory in Dzerzhinsk about 400 kilometres (250 miles) east of Moscow.
"All of those who were injured -- around 19 people -- are receiving medical assistance," a representative of the local health ministry told Interfax.
"We are talking about shrapnel wounds of mild and moderate severity," she said.
Representatives of Kristall told the agency that five people were working in the plant at the time of the explosion and that they were safely evacuated.
Local fire fighters told agencies they had no information about any more people still inside the plant.
"There was a technical explosion in one of the workshops, followed by a fire of around 100 square meters," a spokesman of the local emergency ministry told news agencies.

Blast at central Russia explosives plant injures 19: report

South Korean troops stationed along the world's last Cold War frontier have been put on high alert in the face of a new infiltration threat from the nuclear-armed North -- fever-stricken wild boar.
An outbreak of African swine fever that has cut swathes through China, Vietnam and Mongolia has spread to the isolated country, sparking worries that sick animals crossing the heavily militarized border could devastate the South's US$5.9 billion pork industry.
"We need to focus on preventing wild boars in the North from entering our territory," the South's Prime Minister Lee Nak-yeon said Saturday after visiting a pig farm near the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) that divides the two countries.
African swine fever is known to be harmless to humans but is fatal to pigs and wild boar and has devastated supply chains in China -- the world's largest consumer of pork -- where authorities have ordered the culling of hundreds of thousands of pigs.
Pyongyang told the World Organisation for Animal Health ..

North Korea swine flu outbreak puts South on edge

The European Commission says Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babis must return millions of euros subsidies after a draft audit report found the billionaire in a conflict of interest, Czech media reported Saturday.
The Commission conducted the audit in January and February, suspecting Babis of taking decisions on EU subsidies as a politician but drawing them as an entrepreneur.
It found Babis, the second wealthiest Czech, still rakes in profits from the Agrofert food, chemicals and media holding he founded.
The Commission, which halted subsidies to Agrofert pending the audit verdict, said it wanted the Czech Republic to return the equivalent of 17.4 million euros (USD 19.5 million) in subsidies drawn counter to the rules.
The 64-year-old Slovak-born Babis transferred Agrofert to two trust funds in February 2017 -- months before he became prime minister -- to comply with conflict of interest regulations.
But citing the funds' articles of association, the Commission said that "Mr Babis is ...

EU says Czech PM in conflict of interest, wants money back

Chelsea manager Maurizio Sarri has told the club he wants to leave after a single season to join Italian champions Juventus, according to reports on Saturday.
Sarri has been an uncomfortable fit with fans at Stamford Bridge and despite winning the Europa League this week and finishing third in the Premier League, there is a perception the chain-smoking coach is unwilling to adapt tactics when things go wrong.
Sarri has been widely linked with Juventus, who are seeking a successor to Massimiliano Allegri, although sports daily Gazzetta reported Saturday that Tottenham boss Mauricio Pochettino was also on their radar.
Sarri held talks with Chelsea director Marina Granovskaia on Friday and informed her that he wanted to return to his homeland, the reports in Britain and Italy said.
Granovskaia, it is said, has promised to talk to club owner Roman Abramovich about his future, but it would seem Chelsea will seek compensation from any suitor.
Sarri succeeded Antonio Conte as Chelsea manager 

Chelsea boss Sarri close to Juventus switch

New Zealand skipper Kane Williamson won the toss and elected to bowl first against Sri Lanka in their opening World Cup match in Cardiff on Saturday.
Paceman Tim Southee missed out due to a calf injury as the Kiwis -- runners-up in the 2015 edition -- went in with two all-rounders in their starting line-up.  Batsman Henry Nicholls was also injured, with Mitchell Santner the only spinner in the side.
"Just a one spinner and two all-rounders. That helps with the balance," Williamson said at the toss.
Sri Lanka captain Dimuth Karunaratne admitted he would also have bowled first to take advantage of the green tinge on the pitch.
"I would have bowled as well. We wanted to take advantage," said Karunaratne, who has returned to the side after missing out on four years of one-day cricket.
"We don't have much pressure. We want to do well. We want to show what we can do." Sri Lanka, World Cup winners in 1996, are ninth in the one-day rankings and have been given little chance in the 10-team ...

New Zealand bowl against Sri Lanka in World Cup

Tens of thousands gathered Saturday for a mass by Pope Francis on his second day in Romania with the ceremony in a predominantly ethnic-Hungarian part of the Transylvania region set to be the highlight of his trip.
The mass has been keenly awaited for reasons of both faith and national identity in majority Orthodox Romania where believers suffered under the post-war decades of Communist rule.
For Catholics in the "Szeklerland" area, where some 600,000 ethnic-Hungarians comprise a majority of the population, the pope's visit -- a first for that region -- is seen as welcome recognition of their identity.
In pouring rain, a sea of colourful umbrellas and rain coats formed around the hillside Sumuleu Ciuc shrine early Saturday.
In all, an estimated 200,000 people were expected to attend the ceremony, which will see the Argentinian pontiff present a golden rose at the large wooden replica of the Madonna -- a tradition for popes visiting major Marian shrines.
Most pilgrims will be ...

Pope to hold giant mass for Romania's ethnic-Hungarian minority

Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido renewed calls for President Nicolas Maduro to resign on Friday while campaigning in the birthplace of former leader Hugo Chavez, following inconclusive talks in Norway to end the country's crisis.
Guaido -- who is backed by the United States and is recognized as interim president by more than 50 countries -- has been leading a push to oust leftist firebrand Maduro, who has presided over a crumbling economy after succeeding Chavez in 2013.
During a brief speech before a handful of followers in the small town of Sabaneta, Guaido called for a "large mobilization" of protesters to rally against the government over shortages of gasoline and prolonged blackouts in the country.
"The real solution is, without a doubt, to leave once and for all and let us live in peace," he said of Maduro.
Sabaneta has been turned into a shrine for the hugely popular Chavez, who mixed a larger-than-life personality with a man-of-the-people style and generously-funded ...

Guaido renews call for Maduro to step down after Norway talks

The Taliban are unlikely to call a ceasefire any time soon, the group's leader indicated Saturday, though he said the "doors of dialogue" with the US remain open.
The rare message from Haibatullah Akhundzada comes after a sixth round of US-led talks ended last month in Qatar with little sign of progress and amid continued bloodshed across Afghanistan.
"The doors of dialogue and negotiations have been kept open and at this very moment, the (Taliban) negotiation team... is engaged in negotiations with the American side," Akhundzada said in a message ahead of the upcoming festival of Eid, which marks the end of the holy month of Ramadan.
Afghan President Ashraf Ghani had proposed a nationwide ceasefire at the start of Ramadan early last month, but the Taliban rejected the offer.
Last year, the Taliban observed a three-day ceasefire over Eid and many Afghans -- exhausted by decades of war and violence -- had pinned their hopes on another truce this year.
But Akhundzada said: "No one ...

Taliban leader indicates no ceasefire anytime soon

The 2020 Tokyo Olympic torch relay will commence on March 26 in disaster-hit Fukushima and pass through other areas in north-east Japan devastated by the 2011 tsunami, organisers said Saturday.
The Olympic flame will begin its journey around Japan at the J-Village sports training centre in Fukushima that housed workers battling to remove radioactive waste after the nuclear crisis triggered by the killer tsunami.
It will then cross all of Japan's 47 prefectures, travelling to 857 municipalities, and pass by many iconic landmarks over a period of 121 days.
Around 98 percent of Japan's population live within one hour by car or train of the proposed route, Tokyo organisers added.
The torch relay will take in World Heritage sites such as Mt Fuji and the Miyajima shrine in Hiroshima prefecture famous for its "floating" gate.
It will also visit the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park, dedicated to the victims of the world's first atomic bombing in 1945, before arriving at Tokyo's new Olympic ...

Tokyo Olympic torch relay to pass through Japan's disaster-hit areas

Masked protesters set fire to the gate of the US embassy in Honduras on Friday during massive demonstrations against public sector reforms in the country.
Thousands of doctors, teachers and students had taken to the streets to demand the government abandon plans to privatize the health and education sectors.
Firefighters came to extinguish the blaze, which destroyed the diplomatic mission's gate without damaging the main embassy building.
The US embassy issued a statement after the attack urging Hondurans to refrain from "acts of violence." Police spokesman Jair Meza told local media that one of the suspects, a 23-year-old man, had been arrested.
Relatives of the suspect later went with a crowd to the police headquarters where they shouted demands for his freedom.
Demonstrators blamed "government infiltrators" for the damage to the embassy.

AFP

AFP

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