Beijing

At least five dead in moderate earthquake

A moderate earthquake hit a sparsely populated area of southwestern China’s interior early Saturday, killing at least five people and injuring 29, authorities and witnesses said.

It was the third fatal quake in six months in the seismically active region.

The 5.1-magnitude quake rumbled through Zhaotong, a town in Yunnan province’s Ludian County, at 2:49 a.m. Saturday, according to an official at China’s State Seismological Bureau in Beijing. He gave only his surname, Yu.

Czech Republic

Police: Suspects tried to sell uranium

Undercover Czech officers arrested two Slovaks who tried to sell them nearly seven pounds of radioactive material in a sting operation, police said Saturday.

The potential uses of the uranium and thorium remained unclear pending an investigation, with experts differing on whether it could be used in a dirty bomb.

Police seized the suspects Friday in the Voronez hotel in the city of Brno, 125 miles southeast of Prague.