Blast jolts Dutch virus-test center
THE HAGUE, Netherlands -- A blast caused by a "homemade device" smashed windows at a coronavirus testing center in a small Dutch town early Wednesday, police said. Nobody was hurt in the explosion, which was condemned by the government and health officials.
"For more than a year, we've been leaning heavily on the people on the front line. And then this. Crazy," Health Minister Hugo de Jonge tweeted.
The head of the country's umbrella organization for local health services that carry out coronavirus testing called the blast a "cowardly act."
"Our people have to be able to do this crucial work safely," Andre Rouvoet tweeted.
[CORONAVIRUS: Click here for our complete coverage » arkansasonline.com/coronavirus]
Police in the province of North Holland said in a statement that forensic investigations revealed that the blast was caused by a "homemade device" that exploded close to the glass facade of the test center in Bovenkarspel just before 7 a.m. Police cordoned off the area, which is 40 miles north of Amsterdam, to investigate.
Police spokesman Menno Hartenberg said earlier that it was clear that the explosive device didn't "get there by accident. But we have no idea at the moment who exactly left it there and what the intention was."
Canadian van's driver guilty in 10 deaths
TORONTO -- A man who admitted using a van to kill 10 pedestrians in Toronto was found guilty Wednesday in a case that drew attention to an online world of sexual loneliness, rage and misogyny.
Alek Minassian faced 10 counts of first-degree murder and 16 counts of attempted murder in connection with the April 23, 2018, attack.
Minassian, 28, told police he belonged to an online community of sexually frustrated men, some of whom have plotted attacks on people who have sex. He admitted to police that he drove a rental van into crowds of pedestrians in a busy north Toronto neighborhood. Eight women and two men ranging in age from 22 to 94 died.
His lawyer argued he didn't know what he was doing was wrong because he has autism spectrum disorder, angering advocates for the rights of autistic individuals. Minassian had pleaded innocent and his lawyer argued his client was not criminally responsible.
Justice Anne Molloy said his lawyers failed to prove he was not criminally responsible. She said there is no doubt his actions were planned and deliberate and that he was fully aware of what he was doing.
Damaged Israeli ship departs Dubai port
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates -- An Israeli-owned cargo ship that suffered a mysterious explosion last week has left Dubai's port and was transiting the Gulf of Oman on Wednesday, satellite tracking data showed. The suspected attack has raised tensions in the region.
The giant MV Helios Ray, a Bahamian-flagged roll-on, roll-off vehicle cargo ship, was sailing along the Omani coast toward the Arabian Sea, according to satellite-tracking data from website MarineTraffic.com, days after docking in Dubai for repairs. Overnight, the vessel passed through the strategic Strait of Hormuz, the narrow mouth of the Persian Gulf through which a third of all oil traded by sea flows. Its destination remained unclear.
Last week, a blast struck the cargo ship in the same waterway, raising alarms about ship security in the Mideast. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu accused Israel's regional foe Iran of attacking the ship. Iran swiftly denied the accusation.
It remains unclear what caused the explosion, which reportedly punched two holes in the vessel's port side and two on its starboard side, just above the waterline.
Quake drives frightened Greeks outdoors
ATHENS, Greece -- Fearful of returning to their homes, thousands of people in central Greece were spending the night outdoors late Wednesday after a powerful earthquake, felt across the region, damaged homes and public buildings.
The shallow, magnitude-6.0 quake struck near the central city of Larissa. One man was hurt by falling debris but no serious injuries were reported.
Officials reported structural damage, mainly to old houses and buildings that saw walls collapse or crack. One of them was a primary school, stone-built in 1938, in the quake-hit village of Damasi where 63 students were attending classes.
"The teachers kept their cool and the pupils stuck to the emergency drill, and everyone got out OK," headmaster Grigoris Letsios said while on a video call with Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis. "The building will be condemned now ... We'll need a new school."
The army set up tents and meal counters at a nearby soccer field as local officials urged people to remain outside their homes until they could be inspected. A series of powerful aftershocks of up to 5.2 magnitude kept many residents on edge.
The quake struck at 12:16 p.m., according to the Athens Geodynamic Institute, and was also felt in neighboring Albania and North Macedonia, and as far north as Kosovo and Montenegro.
