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A building collapse in South Africa kills three people, including a 1-year-old

JOHANNESBURG (AP) — Three people, including a one-year-old child, died when a two-story building collapsed in South Africa’s Soweto township, west of Johannesburg, in the early hours of Sunday morning, authorities said.

Three others sustained injuries during the incident and were receiving treatment at the Chris Hani Baragwanath Hospital.

According to authorities, a total of six people were inside the building when it collapsed and emergency personnel rescued the three people injured who were trapped under the rubble.

“Tragically, three lives were lost in this incident, two adult females and one child. The incident has been handed over to the relevant authorities for further investigation,” said Xolile Khumalo, spokesperson for Johannesburg Emergency Management Services.

On Dec. 12, five people died when a multistory building at the site of a Hindu temple collapsed near the coastal city of Durban.

The building was being constructed on top of the temple in the town of Verulam, about 25 kilometers (15 miles) north of Durban, when it collapsed.

One person was reported dead at the time, but search teams later pulled four more bodies from the rubble, bringing the death toll to five.

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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