NewsEastern Congo crisis escalates as M23 captures Goma airport. A tragedy in India. This is what happened in the news overnight
Eastern Congo crisis escalates as M23 captures Goma airport. A tragedy in India. This is what happened in the news overnight
It happened while you were sleeping. Here's what the world agencies reported from Tuesday to Wednesday night.
- Rebels from M23 have taken over the airport in the largest city of eastern Congo, Goma, potentially cutting off the main route for delivering aid to hundreds of thousands of displaced people. This marks the most significant escalation of the conflict in a decade. The International Red Cross has warned that a laboratory storing Ebola virus samples could be destroyed at any moment due to ongoing clashes between Congolese forces and rebels supported by Rwandan troops. The spread of Ebola virus samples and other pathogens at the laboratory in Goma could have "unimaginable consequences and even power outages pose a danger," said Patrick Youssef, the regional director for Africa at the International Committee of the Red Cross. Protests have also erupted in Kinshasa.
- There was a tragedy during the Maha Kumbh Mela festival in northern India. Tens of millions of people gathered to take a holy bath on the most important day of the six-week Hindu festival, and panic ensued. The media reported casualties and injuries.
- In several Serbian cities, demonstrations were held on Tuesday against violence towards protesters. The incident that triggered the protests happened on the night from Monday to Tuesday when a group supporting the ruling party attacked several students, with a young woman sustaining serious injuries. Even with the resignation of Prime Minister Miloš Vučević, the situation remains tense. Thousands of people gathered on the streets of Novi Sad, Belgrade, Niš, and Kragujevac. They expressed their opposition to the violence inflicted upon the students by those sympathetic to the Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) on that unfortunate night.
- As White House spokesperson Karoline Leavitt said, mysterious drones that appeared over New Jersey had flight permits, and many belonged to hobbyists. U.S. President Donald Trump had previously suggested that former authorities concealed the truth about this issue.
- The Mona Lisa will have its room as part of the comprehensive renovation of the Louvre. The renovation project, "The New Renaissance of the Louvre," will last until 2031. President Macron has not disclosed the exact budget allocated for the modernization project of the world's most visited museum. However, it is estimated to amount to up to 1.16 billion Canadian dollars.
