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3 French tourists drown when their boat capsizes in Oman

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Three French tourists drowned in Oman after the boat they were in capsized in waters off the sultanate’s capital city of Muscat, police said Tuesday.

The Royal Oman Police said the ship carried 25 French tourists, as well as a tour guide and a boat captain, when it capsized in the Gulf of Oman. It said three tourists died and two suffered minor injuries.

The police said in a short statement that “investigations are still ongoing to determine the circumstances of the incident.”

The French Foreign Ministry expressed condolences to the victims’ loved ones, and said in a statement that French consular authorities are working with Oman authorities to support their families. French officials did not provide further information.

Oman, on the eastern edge of the Arabian Peninsula, draws tourists from around the world for its diving and natural beauty, though the nation remains overshadowed as a destination by skyscraper-studded Dubai in the neighboring United Arab Emirates.

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

By WTOP Staff
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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