The world in brief

Authorities work at the scene of Wednesday’s crane collapse in London.
(AP/PA/Dominic Lipinski)
Authorities work at the scene of Wednesday’s crane collapse in London. (AP/PA/Dominic Lipinski)

Collapse of crane deadly at London site

LONDON -- A 65-foot crane collapsed onto a block of apartments under development and two houses in east London, killing one person and injuring four others, authorities said Wednesday.

"Sadly, despite the efforts of emergency services, a fifth person has been found and died at the scene," the London Ambulance Service said.

Four people were treated, including two people taken to the hospital with head injuries. Crews and a team of specialist paramedics who work in hazardous environments were at the scene in the Bow neighborhood.

Graham Ellis, the fire brigade assistant commissioner, said crews were using specialized equipment to search the properties as part of "a complex rescue operation."

"This is a multiagency response and is likely to be a protracted incident," Ellis said.

Thais draw up bills on same-sex unions

BANGKOK -- Thailand's Cabinet has approved two draft bills that would give same-sex unions legal status similar to that of heterosexual marriages.

The draft Civil Partnership Act and amendments of the Civil and Commercial Code will be sent to Parliament soon for approval, deputy government spokeswoman Ratchada Thanadirek said after Wednesday's Cabinet meeting.

The Civil Partnership Act would allow couples who were born with the same sex to register their partnership if they are both at least 17 years old and at least one is a Thai citizen. Although their union is not defined as a marriage, it grants many legal rights that are the same as those held by married heterosexual couples in matters such as adoption of stepchildren and inheritance. However, partners would not be entitled to all the same financial benefits from the state.

Such unions could be ended by death, voluntary separation or court order.

The Civil and Commercial Code amendments specify further regulations for civil unions, such as barring involvement in more then one partnership at a time and declaring that the right to alimony for a partner in a disbanded union is lost when a new union is formed.

Pope cites 'hell' of Libya migrant centers

ROME -- Pope Francis denounced the unimaginable "hell" of Libya's migrant detention camps as he celebrated a Mass on Wednesday in honor of would-be asylum-seekers who risk their lives for a better future.

Wednesday marked the seventh anniversary of Francis' visit to the Sicilian island of Lampedusa to meet with migrants who had recently arrived aboard smugglers' boats from Libya. The July 8, 2013, trip was Francis' first pastoral visit outside Rome after his election, and it was in Lampedusa where Francis first uttered his now-frequent appeal for an end to the "globalization of indifference" that greets migrants globally.

This year's commemoration was restricted to the staff of the Vatican's migrants office because of coronavirus restrictions.

Francis recalled that he heard stories of suffering from the migrants he met on Lampedusa in 2013, but realized when he got back to the Vatican that his translator had relayed only a fraction of what the migrants had recounted.

"He gave me the distilled version," Francis said of the translator, explaining that this is often the case when the world hears blandly of war and suffering in Libya.

"You cannot imagine the hell that is being lived there," he said, referring to Libyan detention camps as "lagers."

Human-rights groups have documented cases of rape, torture and other widespread abuses in the centers, where asylum-seekers are returned after they are rescued by the Libyan coast guard and returned to shore.

Kashmir attack kills pro-India politician

SRINAGAR, India -- Assailants late Wednesday fatally shot a pro-India politician along with his father and brother in Kashmir, police said, in the first major attack against India's ruling party members in the disputed region.

Police blamed militants fighting against Indian rule in Kashmir for the attack.

Militants fired at Sheikh Wasim Bari, a leader with Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party in northwestern Bandipora town Wednesday night, police said in a statement. The statement said that "during indiscriminate firing," Bari, his brother and father were injured but later died at a hospital. Bari's brother and father also were members of Modi's party.

Bari, who was about 35 years old, was an executive council member of the party in the Muslim-majority Kashmir valley. He helped the party strengthen its base in the region and was considered the face of the party in Bandipora district.

According to police officials, at least two assailants fired at the three outside their home. Bari was guarded by at least eight policemen, but it was unclear whether they were present at the time of shooting.

Government forces cordoned off the area and searched for the attackers, police said. No rebel group claimed responsibility for the attack.

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