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Minibus taxi catches fire in Zimbabwe, killing several people

HARARE, Zimbabwe (AP) — A minibus taxi in southwest Zimbabwe caught fire on a highway Thursday, killing about a dozen and a half people, police said.

Police spokesperson Paul Nyathi said that authorities needed more time to confirm the exact number of victims, but that it was “approximately 18.”

The vehicle “exploded into fire” on a highway near the second biggest city of Bulawayo, police said in a separate statement. They didn’t immediately give a cause of the fire.

Minibus taxis are a popular method of public transport in the southern African nation and are often packed beyond their recommended capacity, including by squashing people onto the driver’s seat.

Deadly road accidents involving public transportation are common in Zimbabwe, where speeding is also widespread as drivers attempt to maximize daily trips. Poorly maintained roads add to the danger.

Zimbabwe, with a population of about 15 million, records a road accident every 15 minutes, killing at least five people daily, according to the national statistics agency — one of the highest road fatality rates in Africa.

Neighboring South Africa also struggles with high accident rates for its popular minibus taxis and has also reported several deadly crashes involving the vehicles recently, including one in January that left 14 schoolchildren dead.

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AP Africa news: https://apnews.com/hub/africa

Beijing bans 4 New Zealand lawmakers from entering China because they visited Taiwan

WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — Beijing banned four New Zealand lawmakers from traveling to China for a year and demanded they apologize because they visited Taiwan on a parliamentary trip, according to a message from the Chinese embassy conveyed via parliamentary officials and shown to The Associated Press on Thursday. China has hit lawmakers from other countries with sanctions related to contact with Taiwan before, but it's the first time for New Zealand parliamentarians, the government in Wellington said. Beijing has been increasing pressure in recent years on the democratically governed island that it claims as its own territory. Two lawmakers reached by the AP on Thursday rejected the demand for an apology, while the other two could not be immediately reached. New Zealand's government said it would express concern about the travel bans to Beijing. The elected officials visited Taipei in May, as New Zealand parliamentarians have done “for decades,” a spokesperson for Foreign Minister Winston Peters said in a statement.
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