News in Brief (04-04-2018)

S Africa's petrol bomb attack leaves six dead
JOHANNESBURG, Apr 03: Six miners were killed in South Africa's northern province of Limpopo when a suspected petrol bomb was thrown into their bus, police said Tuesday, adding no motive was known for the attack. "The bus immediately caught fire, instantly killing six people on board and injuring several others," police said in a statement. The bus was carrying night-shift workers to a platinum mine on Monday evening when it was attacked outside the town of Burgersfort. — AFP

UN chief leads drive for aid pledges for Yemen
GENEVA, Apr 03: The UN secretary-general is joining top officials from dozens of countries at a pledging conference for war-battered Yemen, a relatively overlooked conflict that has killed thousands and created the world's biggest humanitarian crisis. Sweden and Switzerland joined the United Nations and Secretary-General Antonio Guterres in hosting the day-long event aimed at raising awareness and mobilising resources amid a deteriorating situation in the poor Arabian Peninsula nation. — AP

Indian helicopter crash injures four
NEW DELHI, Apr 03: An Indian Air Force's transport helicopter crashed during landing after catching fire in the northern Indian state of Uttarakhand Tuesday, injuring four people on board, Defence sources said. "The Mi-17 helicopter, which was ferrying stuff for the Indian Army, caught fire after it collided with an iron girder while landing at a helipad near a temple in the mountains. Four people, including the pilot, on board sustained injuries," sources said. — Xinhua

6.8-magnitude quake hits Bolivia
WASHINGTON, Apr 03: A strong but deep earthquake measuring 6.8 struck in Bolivia on Monday but there were no reports of damage or injuries, the US Geological Survey said. The quake struck in the southeast of the country at a depth of 562 kilometers (348 miles), about 200 kilometers from Tarija, and near the border with Paraguay, the USGS said. — AFP

Soldier, separatist die in fresh Papua violence
JAYAPURA, Apr 03: An Indonesian soldier and at least one separatist rebel have been killed near a huge US-owned mine in Papua, the latest in a string of deadly clashes, authorities and separatists said Tuesday. Papua on the western half of New Guinea island has been the scene of a simmering insurgency since it was annexed by Indonesia in the late 1960s. — AFP

Massive crystal meth seizure on Thai border
BANGKOK, Apr 03: Thai authorities have seized a massive methamphetamine haul worth almost $38 million near the Laotian border, officials said Tuesday, highlighting the kingdom's role as a pipeline for drugs flooding through Southeast Asia. Early Tuesday authorities found some 788 kilogrammes (1,737 pounds) of crystal meth-a high-purity form of the stimulant-in an abandoned pick-up truck in northern Chiang Rai province, the heart of the notorious "Golden Triangle" drug producing zone. — AFP

Climate change threatens Fiji survival: PM
Fiji's Prime Minister (PM) has said the Pacific island nation is in "a fight for survival" as climate change brings "almost constant" deadly cyclones. Frank Bainimarama said Fiji had entered a "frightening new era" of extreme weather that needed to be confronted. His comments came after Cyclone Josie caused deaths and flooding on Fiji's main island, Viti Levu, at the weekend. In 2016, a cyclone hit Fiji leaving 44 people dead and wiping out one-third of the nation's economic production. Four people have died in severe flooding caused by Cyclone Josie, according to Reuters news agency. — BBC