Twelve people died and dozens more were injured when a German bus en route to Paris swerved off the highway at the Belgian-French border early today and burst into flames.

Twelve people died and 37 were injured when a German bus swerved off the Brussels-to-Paris road near the French border and hit a concrete road marker, Belgian police said today.

On the eve of a mass anti-G-8 demonstration in Geneva, militant protesters set fire to shops and damaged public buildings in the Swiss city, police said.

A helicopter crashed today in a mountain range near the French border, killing six people and injuring one, the Italian flight safety agency said.

A CROSS-BORDER gang and Irish traffickers based in Europe are suspected of being behind one of the biggest ever drug hauls bound for Ireland.

A large cache of explosives allegedly belonging to the Spanish separatist group ETA has been found near the French border with Spain.