‘Outrage’ after 7 aid workers killed in air raid
- International condemnation and calls for an urgent investigation after Israeli attack kills six foreign aid workers and their Palestinian driver in Gaza.
- US-based aid group World Central Kitchen says staff from Australia, Poland, the UK and a US-Canada citizen, were killed in “targeted Israeli strike”. PM Benjamin Netanyahu admits Israeli army responsible for the strike.
Anera suspends relief operations in Gaza Strip
The organisation, which runs the second largest humanitarian operation in Gaza after UNRWA, has said it is suspending its work in the besieged coastal enclave following yesterday’s attack on World Central Kitchen (WCK) workers by Israeli forces.
“The killing of WCK humanitarians, occurring less than a month after the still-unexplained killing of Anera staff member Mousa Shawwa, alongside the loss of numerous other aid workers and their families, has led our team to conclude that delivering aid safely is no longer feasible,” Anera said in a statement.
“The ongoing targeting of humanitarian workers and the lack of adequate safety measures demand thorough investigation and immediate action. Israel bears the ultimate responsibility for ensuring the unhindered delivery of urgent humanitarian assistance and basic services to those in need,” it said.
Eight cruise passengers stranded on African island scramble to rejoin ship
Passengers missed schedule departure time for Norwegian Cruise Lines vessel and captain would not allow late guests to board
Eight cruise passengers had to scramble to reunite with their cruise ship after being left behind in São Tomé and Príncipe.
The passengers, including a pregnant woman and a paraplegic traveller, missed their scheduled departure time from the island of São Tomé in the Gulf of Guinea, about 250km off the coast of Gabon, after disembarking the Norwegian Dawn to take a local tour.
Another passenger in her 80s was reportedly late to the ship because she was receiving emergency medical treatment on the island.
Senegal inaugurates youngest president, who promises change
Former tax inspector Bassirou Diomaye Faye is Senegal's youngest president ever. He has vowed to fight corruption and renegotiate contracts with foreign companies.
Former tax inspector Bassirou Diomaye Faye was sworn in as Senegal's president on Tuesday.
At 44, he is Senegal's youngest president ever.
Faye defeated Amadou Ba, who was supported by outgoing President Macky Sall's ruling coalition.
What did Faye say at his inauguration?
Senegal's new president said that his victory showed that voters wanted change.
"The results of the election showed a profound desire for change," Faye said after taking the oath of office.
"Senegal will be a country of hope, at peace, with an independent justice system and a stronger democracy," he said.
Taipei replica in remote Chinese province fans Taiwan invasion fears
Satellite images verified by FRANCE 24 reveal that China has built a replica of Taipei’s presidential district in remote Inner Mongolia, fuelling speculation that Beijing intends to use the site as a training ground to prepare for a future invasion of Taiwan.
The satellite images show a detailed replica of the heart of Taipei – albeit surrounded by the arid landscape of Inner Mongolia instead of Taiwan’s lush vegetation.
First posted on social media by a Taiwanese data analyst, on March 26, they were later picked up by the website Taiwan News, under the ominous headline: “China creates Taipei mockup to train for invasion”.
FRANCE 24 was able to verify the existence of the mockup, located some 1,200 kilometres west of Beijing.
Fire at Istanbul nightclub kills dozens during renovation work, state media says
At least 29 people have died in a blaze which started during daytime repair work at a nightclub in Istanbul, Turkey, state media reported Tuesday.
A further eight people were injured, with seven of those in serious condition, the Istanbul governor’s office said.
The governor’s office said the fire started in the Besiktas district in central Istanbul on the European side of the city, and that all of the victims were construction workers.
Finland shooting: Child held after pupil aged 12 shot dead at school in Vantaa
By Paul Kirby,BBC News
A child has died and two others have been seriously wounded in a shooting at a school in Finland, police say.
Police said all three victims were 12 and that a suspect, also aged 12, had fled but was later detained.
Parents told Finnish media that the shooting had taken place in a classroom at Viertola school in Vantaa, to the north of the capital, Helsinki.
Police said they arrived at the school within nine minutes at 09:17 (06:17 GMT) and tended to the three victims.
