Brazilians arrest 5 in deadly dam break
BRUMADINHO, Brazil -- Brazilian authorities arrested five people Tuesday in connection with a dam collapse that killed at least 84 people and left nearly 300 missing, and dead fish were seen downstream floating at the banks of a river that an indigenous community depends on for food and water.
The dam that held back iron-ore waste, owned and operated by big mining company Vale SA, collapsed on Friday -- burying a company cafeteria and other Vale buildings and inundating part of the small southeastern city of Brumadinho.
Grieving relatives of the dead buried some of the victims in Brumadinho, and rescue teams continued a delicate search through muck for more victims or survivors.
The Pataxo Indians living alongside the Paraopeba River -- who use it to fish, bathe and gather water for the plants they cultivate as food -- were told by Brazilian environmental officials that they should no longer do so, said Hayo, the village chief who goes by one name.
The signs of possible ecological consequences came as the arrests of company workers with links to the dam were made in Sao Paulo and in the state of Minas Gerais.
Three of the arrested worked for Vale, the company said, adding that it was cooperating with investigating authorities.
A German company that has inspected the dam said two of its employees were arrested.
Authorities said the five will be detained for 30 days while officials investigate possible criminal responsibility.
Killed 8 victims, Canadian tells court
TORONTO -- A former landscaper accused of sexually assaulting, killing and dismembering men he met in Toronto's Gay Village district over seven years pleaded guilty on Tuesday to eight counts of first-degree murder.
Bruce McArthur, wearing a black sweater, stood up and said "guilty" as each charge was read. Sentencing and victim impact statements are to start Monday.
Police last year found the remains of seven of the men in large planters at a property where McArthur had worked and that he used for storage. The remains of the eighth victim were found in a ravine behind the same property in midtown Toronto.
The prosecutor, Michael Cantlon, said the cases ranging from 2010 to 2017 involved sexual assault or forcible confinement. Several of the victims were apparently strangled.
McArthur, now 67, moved to the Toronto area around 2000 and previously lived in a suburb where he was married, raised two children and worked as a traveling salesman of underwear and socks.
Toronto police detective David Dickinson called the guilty pleas the best possible outcome.
German abortion providers OK to say so
BERLIN -- Germany's governing coalition has agreed to let doctors and hospitals state that they perform abortions, despite a long-running ban on advertising the procedure.
Chancellor Angela Merkel's junior governing partners, the center-left Social Democrats, wanted to remove the ban from Germany's criminal code. It provides for a fine or a prison sentence of up to two years. But Merkel's center-right party insisted it should stay.
Social Democrat leader Andrea Nahles tweeted late Monday that the parties agreed on a change so "women will at last get the information they need."
News agency dpa reported the ban will formally remain in place but that doctors and hospitals will be able to say on their websites that they perform abortions. The German Medical Association will establish a central list of doctors and clinics performing abortions.
African migrants missing after boats flip
JOHANNESBURG -- More than 130 migrants were thought to be missing after two boats capsized Tuesday off the tiny East African nation of Djibouti, the U.N. migration agency said.
Local police had found five bodies and search efforts were underway, the United Nations statement said. Witnesses said the boats were overloaded and that large waves caused them to tip over about a half-hour after departing.
The migration agency said its team at the site found an 18-year-old survivor who reportedly boarded a boat with another 130 people, including 16 women. There were no immediate details on the second boat.
Thousands of migrants from the turbulent Horn of Africa region set off every year from Djibouti to cross the Bab al-Mandab Strait for the Arabian Peninsula with hopes of finding work in rich Persian Gulf countries.
The crossing is dangerous, with smugglers in some cases forcing migrants overboard before reaching their destination. Other boats have been fired on as they approach the coast of Yemen, where fighting continues between pro-government forces backed by a Saudi-led coalition and Houthi rebels.
A Section on 01/30/2019