4 skiers killed, 5 missing in Alps avalanche

LYON • At least four skiers were killed and five were missing in the French Alps yesterday after a massive avalanche swept through Tignes ski resort, rescue workers said.

The four victims were from a group of nine people - eight holidaymakers and a guide - who were skiing off-piste when the avalanche hit.

AGENCE FRANCE PRESSE

Airport closure not due to attack

HAMBURG • The German authorities said the leak of a corrosive substance through the air-conditioning system at Hamburg airport was not an attack, adding that police were investigating the incident that forced the brief closure of the facility.

Firefighters and ambulances were rushed to the scene after some 50 people at a terminal complained of eye irritation and breathing difficulties.

A Hamburg fire department spokesman said "a pepper spray-like canister", which might be the source, was found.

REUTERS

UK job vacancies grow after Brexit vote

LONDON • British businesses are struggling to fill vacancies because of a drop in the supply of European Union nationals following the Brexit vote, a report revealed yesterday.

The survey by the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development highlighted that the growth of EU nationals in employment halved to just 30,000 in the final quarter of last year.

AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE

NZ begins cleanup of 300 whale carcasses

WELLINGTON • The New Zealand authorities cut holes in 300 whale carcasses yesterday, to avoid them exploding as they decompose on Golden Bay, after more than 600 whales became stranded in one of the country's largest whale strandings.

REUTERS