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At least 21 dead as Venice bus plunges from bridge

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Firefighters worked at the scene in Mestre (pic BBC)

At least 21 people including two children have died after a bus crashed off a flyover near the Italian city of Venice and caught fire, officials say.

The bus broke through a barrier and plunged near railway tracks in the district of Mestre, which is connected to Venice by a bridge.

Among the dead are five Ukrainians, one German and the Italian driver, city prefect Michele Di Bari said.

Venice Mayor Luigi Brugnaro said a “huge tragedy” had taken place. “An apocalyptic scene, there are no words,” he said on social media.

The bus is thought to have been rented to take tourists between Venice and a campsite in the nearby Marghera district. The incident happened at about 19:45 (17:45 GMT) as the bus was reportedly taking tourists back to the campsite.

Some reports say the bus was powered by methane gas and fell on to power lines and caught fire.

Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi warned the death toll could rise.

The cause of the crash is not yet known and rescue workers are continuing to work at the scene.

At least 18 people are known to have been injured, five of them seriously.

A reception point staffed by psychologists and psychiatrists has been set up at a nearby hospital to provide support for the victims’ families.

Italy’s Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said she was following developments and expressed condolences. “Our thoughts go out to the victims and their family and friends,” she said.

EU Commission president Ursula von der Leyen said she stood by Italian leaders in this “moment of profound pain”.

In 2013, 38 people were killed after a coach lost control on a viaduct near the south Italian town of Monteforte Irpino, hitting several other cars before falling into a ravine.

(BBC)



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US top court orders Trump to return man deported to El Salvador in ‘error’

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The Supreme Court refused to block a judge's order requiring the Trump administration to facilitate Mr Garcia's return (BBC)

The US Supreme Court has ordered the Trump administration to facilitate the return of a Maryland man, who was mistakenly deported to El Salvador’s notorious mega-jail.

The Trump administration had conceded that Kilmar Abrego Garcia was deported by accident, but appealed against a federal court’s order to return him to the US.

On Thursday, in a 9-0 ruling, the Supreme Court declined to block the lower court’s order.

The judge’s order “requires the Government to ‘facilitate’ Abrego Garcia’s release from custody in El Salvador and to ensure that his case is handled as it would have been had he not been improperly sent”, the justices ruled.

(BBC)

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Woman jailed over £39 donation to Ukraine freed in US-Russia prisoner swap

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Ksenia Karelina was detained in Yekaterinburg in 2024 [BBC]

A Russian-American citizen has been released in a prisoner swap between Moscow and Washington.

Amateur ballerina Ksenia Karelina, a Los Angeles resident, had been in prison in Russia for over a year, after being arrested in the city of Yekaterinburg in early 2024.

She was found guilty of treason for donating money to a US-based charity providing humanitarian support to Ukraine and was sentenced to 12 years in a penal colony.

In exchange, the US reportedly freed Arthur Petrov, a dual German-Russian citizen arrested in Cyprus in 2023. He was accused of illegally exporting microelectronics to Russia for manufacturers working with the Russian military.

[BBC]

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Nationwide strike for better pay brings Greece to standstill

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Demonstrators shout slogans during a protest, marking a 24-hour strike over low wages, in Athens, Greece, April 9, 2025 [Aljazeera]

A nationwide general strike disrupted public services across Greece, with ferries tied up in port, flights grounded and public transport running only part-time as labour unions press for higher wages to cope with rising living costs.

The 24-hour strike on Wednesday was called by the two main umbrella unions covering the public and private sectors, seeking a full return of collective bargaining rights which were scrapped as part of international bailouts during Greece’s financial crisis.

Greece has emerged from a 2009-18 debt crisis, which saw rolling cuts in wages and pensions in turn for bailouts worth about 290 billion euros ($319bn) and economic growth seen at 2.3 percent this year, outpacing other eurozone economies.

Tapping on the country’s progress, the conservative government increased the monthly minimum wage by a cumulative 35 percent to 880 euros ($970). But many households still struggle to make ends meet amid rising food, power and housing costs, the labour unions say.

The country braces for further global financial turmoil triggered by US tariffs.

[Aljazeera]

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