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This is VOA News. I'm Alexis Strope.
Israel's military says an airstrike on a school in Gaza City was targeting Hamas and Islamic Jihad fighters. But Gaza authorities say the compound was housing displaced families and that over 100 have been killed. Reuters correspondent David Doyle reports. Around 100 people died here, Gaza's Hamas-run government said on Saturday, in an Israeli strike. Mahmoud Bassal, a spokesperson for Gaza's civil defense, said thousands of people displaced amid Israel's 10-month assault on the Palestinian enclave had been sheltering in the school compound. "The Israeli occupation forces hit people this morning at dawn when they were getting ready for the dawn prayers." Israel's military said the death toll was inflated. It said around 20 Hamas and Islamic Jihad militants were operating at the site. Hamas said the strike was a horrific crime and a serious escalation, and that the dead did not include a single combatant. Correspondent David Doyle. Brazilian authorities are investigating the cause of the fiery plane crash that killed 62. AP correspondent Lawrence Brooks has more. An ATR 72 twin engine turboprop belonging to the local airline, VoePass, was heading for São Paulo's international airport with 58 passengers and four crew members when it went down in the city of Vinhedo. Images recorded by witnesses showed the aircraft in a flat spin and plunging vertically before smashing to the ground and catching fire. A report from a Brazilian TV network said it confirmed the possibility of the formation of ice in the region, and local media said experts are pointing to ice buildup as a possible cause for the crash. But earlier reports said the plane's pilots didn't call for help nor say they were operating under adverse weather conditions. Authorities say the plane's black box has been recovered and that after an investigation the cause of the crash will be fully explained to the Brazilian people. I'm Lawrence Brooks. This is VOA News. A group of women, nearly all Muslims and ethnic minorities, took part in a self-defense class on Saturday organized in response to riots targeting migrants in Britain. Organizer Maya Hassan said the event was designed to help women know what to do if they faced abuse. Olivia Zollino from Reuters has more. Organizer Hassan says while she wants participants to be prepared, she also wants to build a sense of community. "The aim is mainly people having the knowledge that they are not alone out there and there are resources out there to report hate crimes. There are resources out there to have community solidarity." For a fourth day in a row on Saturday, counter-protesters far outnumbered anti-migration demonstrators in several towns and cities. Thousands of police officers are on duty in case violence flares up. Olivia Zollino from Reuters. A Sierra Leonian military court has convicted 24 soldiers of their roles in last year's attempted coup. The soldiers were sentenced to lengthy prison terms, some for up to 120 years. They faced up to 88 counts on charges of murder, mutiny, communicating with the enemy and willful damage to public or service property, among others. Dozens of gunmen at the time broke into the country's armory in the capital city and into a prison where the majority of the more than 2,000 inmates were freed. Friday's verdict comes two weeks after a local court sentenced 11 civilians for their role in the attempted coup. 911 calls made in May of 2022 during the Uvalde school shooting were released. Nineteen students and two educators were killed. AP correspondent Julie Walker reports. Robb Elementary School student Khloie Torres, who survived the Uvalde shooting that killed 19 students and two educators, begs for police in a 911 call as she cowers in a classroom with others telling dispatch about the dead and injured. "... send help for my teacher, she is shot ..." Meanwhile, the shooter's uncle, Armando Ramos, begs 911 to let him try to talk his nephew down. "He could listen to me because he does listen to me." That call came in shortly after Salvador Ramos was killed in the 2022 school massacre. Police have been criticized for waiting more than 70 minutes before confronting him. The former police chief of the Uvalde School District and another former officer are the only two people charged. Both pled not guilty. I'm Julie Walker. The U.S. is atop the international men's basketball world once again after Steph Curry scored 24 points and led the way to a 98-87 win over France in the final at the Paris Games on Saturday night. It was the fifth consecutive gold medal for the U.S. and the 17th in 20 all-time appearances for the Americans at the games. For additional stories, visit our website voanews.com. I'm Alexis Strope, VOA News. |