Toll up to 5 in Italian power plant blast
MILAN -- Divers in northern Italy discovered the bodies of two more workers who died in an explosion that collapsed and flooded several levels of an underground hydroelectric plant, bringing to five the number of confirmed dead, officials said Thursday.
The explosion Tuesday at the Enel Green Power plant, in the northern Bologna province, occurred at a depth of some 130 feet below water level. The search for two other missing workers was continuing.
Divers who have been working to recover victims likened the scene to an underwater earthquake-struck building.
The blast at the Enel Green Power's Bargi plant happened during work to increase the plant's efficiency, the company said in a statement. A fire broke out when a turbine exploded on the eighth floor below the surface, flooding the floor below. The cause was still unknown.
Junta in Mali bans political reporting
BAMAKO, Mali -- In a deepening crackdown, Mali's ruling junta on Thursday banned the media from reporting on activities of political parties and associations, a day after suspending all political activities in the country until further notice.
The order, issued by Mali's high authority for communication, was distributed on social media. The notice said it applied to all forms of the media, including television, radio, online and print newspapers.
Mali has experienced two coups since 2020, leading a wave of political instability that has swept across West and Central Africa in recent years. Along with its political troubles, the country is also in the grip of a worsening insurgency by militants linked to al-Qaida and the Islamic State group.
Thursday's order was issued by the high authority for communication.
The scope of the ban -- or how it would be applied in practice -- was not immediately clear. It was also not known if journalists would still be allowed to report on issues such as the economy, which are closely tied to politics, and who would monitor their work.
The umbrella organization that represents journalists in Mali responded with an unusually stern rebuttal.
The group, known as Maison de le Press, or Press House, said it rejects the order and called on journalists to continue to report on politics in the country. It also urged them to "stand tall, remain unified and to mobilize to defend the right of citizens to have access to information."
The clampdown on the media followed similar action on Wednesday, when the junta ordered the suspension of all activities by political parties until further notice, citing a a need to preserve public order.
3 climbers die in Austrian avalanche
BERLIN -- An avalanche near the Austrian ski resort of Soelden on Thursday killed three people from the Netherlands who were on a skiing and hiking trip, authorities said. Another person was rescued and taken to a hospital.
Police said a group of 17 people from the Netherlands, accompanied by four Austrian mountain guides, was climbing toward a mountain refuge, the Martin-Busch-Huette, at about 8,200 feet above sea level when the avalanche, which was about 262 feet wide, hit just before 11 a.m.
The mountain rescue service said that three members of the Dutch group were killed, the Austria Press Agency reported. A fourth was rescued from under the snow and flown to a hospital in the nearby town of Zams.
The Netherlands' foreign ministry said the country's embassy in Vienna "is currently investigating exactly what happened and is ready to provide consular assistance if needed."
The avalanche warning level in Tyrol province, where Soelden is located, was "moderate," the second level on a five-tier scale, but experts warned of the possibility of avalanches caused by loose snow.
Probe: Norwegian official plagiarized
COPENHAGEN, Denmark -- An academic probe said Thursday that Norway's Health Minister Ingvild Kjerkol plagiarized parts of her masters' degree thesis three years ago, the second such case this year in the Norwegian government.
The investigation by Nord University in Bodoe, northern Norway, found Kjerkol's 2021 thesis contained "far more serious errors than sloppiness," Norwegian broadcaster NRK reported. The broadcaster said the probe's conclusion was to deprive Kjerkol of her master's degree in health management.
The 48-year-old Kjerkol did not comment Thursday. But she has previously rejected the allegations, saying she and a co-author did not copy to parts of another student's thesis from 2015.
Kjerkol has been in office since October 2021 when Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre presented a coalition government of his own Labor party and the junior Center Party.
The conclusion of Thursday's probe immediately prompted the opposition to urge Gahr Støre to say whether he has trust in Kjerkol.
Jan Tore Sanner, a senior member of Norway's main opposition party, Hoeyre, told Norwegian news agency NTB, that the prime minister must address "the matter of confidence" in Kjerkol.