World briefs

Actor Heath Ledger died of an accidental overdose of six prescription drugs, with a combination of painkillers, tranquilizers and sleeping aids found in his system, officials said yesterday.

"We have concluded that the manner of death is accident, resulting from the abuse of prescription medications," the New York City Medical Examiner's Office said in a statement.

Australian-born Ledger, 28, renowned for his role as a conflicted gay cowboy in the 2005 movie "Brokeback Mountain," was found dead in his Manhattan apartment on January 22, naked and with several prescription drugs nearby. His death shocked film fans and fellow actors around the world and added his name to the list of movie stars who died young, like Marilyn Monroe and James Dean.

Adrift for three months

Three Myanmar fishermen who say they spent nearly three months adrift at sea in a raft after their boat was destroyed in a cyclone were rescued off the east Indian coast yesterday.

Local fishermen spotted the trio drifting aimlessly near the resort town of Gopalpur in a bamboo raft, a senior police officer said.

"They lived on turtles and fishes for food after they were separated from three other groups in the sea," he added after questioning the trio.

Cyclone Sidr smashed into the coast of southern Bangladesh on November 15 with 250 kph winds that whipped up a five-metre tidal surge.

At least 3,000 people died in Bangladesh under its impact.

Runaway train

A Romanian train driver leapt aboard a runaway engine to stop it after having left the brake off in a station but was killed when the stunt backfired, railway police said yesterday.

Ioan Colceriu, 55, was at a train station in the central town of Odorheiu Secuiesc, when he realised he had forgotten some papers in the station office. He went to fetch them but forgot to put the hand brake on the engine.

When the engine moved off without him, the driver flagged down a taxi and chased it for six kilometres before catching up with it. He jumped aboard the moving engine but slipped and fell under its wheels.

The engine travelled another 26 kilometres until it was stopped by rail workers.

Paper planes for space

Japanese scientists are planning to launch paper planes from the International Space Station to see if they make it back to Earth.

Yesterday the University of Tokyo researchers tested small, origami planes made of special paper for 30 seconds in 250