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UK police arrest a man after a car hits pedestrians in the English city of Derby, injuring 7

LONDON (AP) — Police in the English city of Derby arrested a man on suspicion of attempted murder after a car struck a number of pedestrians in the busy city center, sending seven people to hospitals.

Counterterrorism officers were assisting local police in the investigation, which is common practice for this type of incident, Chief Superintendent Emma Aldred of the Derbyshire Constabulary told a news conference on Sunday.

“I would like to clarify that this does not mean the incident is currently being treated as terrorism,” Aldred said. Police are “keeping an open mind” about the motive, she said.

The incident occurred at about 9:30 p.m. Saturday on Friar Gate, a popular night spot in central Derby, a city of about 275,000 people northeast of Birmingham.

A 36-year-old-Derby man was arrested a short distance away and remains in police custody, Derbyshire Police said.

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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