JERUSALEM, April 14 (Xinhua) — A combined attack of dozens of ballistic missiles and hundreds of drones from Iran triggered air raid alerts across Israel early on Sunday, the Israeli army said, as residents reported multiple bombings were heard.

The projectiles triggered sirens in Jerusalem, the Negev Desert and the Dead Sea in the south, the Israeli-annexed Golan Heights in the north as well as the occupied West Bank. Israel Defense Forces (IDF) Spokesman Daniel Hagari confirmed during a press briefing that Israel was under attack by ballistic missiles and unmanned aerial vehicles from Iran, noting that aerial defense systems have intercepted some of the missiles. Israel’s state-owned Kan TV news reported that about 100 drones, out of about 400-500 that have been launched, were intercepted before reaching Israel by allied countries, including the American, Jordanian and British forces.

Israel’s Maged David Adom rescue service said in a statement that a 10-year-old boy from a Beduin village in the Negev was seriously injured. A projectile or parts of a projectile fell near Umm Al Fahm, an Arab city in northern Israel, causing no injuries. Israel is planning to launch a “significant response” to the Iranian aerial attack, Israel’s state-owned Kan TV news reported early on Sunday, citing an anonymous senior Israeli official. “The fact that Iran fires for the first time from its territory at Israel requires a significant response. It will come soon,” the official said.

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) confirmed in a broadcast statement Saturday night that it had launched missile and drone attacks on Israel. Israel’s state-owned Kan TV news reported that the drones were launched from Iran as well as from other countries allied with Iran. The Israeli military said earlier in a statement that “the IDF Aerial Defense Array is on high alert, along with Israel Air Force fighter jets and Israeli Navy vessels that are on a defense mission in Israeli air and naval space.” Meanwhile, two Israeli officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, confirmed to Xinhua that several cruise missiles were also launched from Iran toward Israel. Israel has been on heightened alert over the past few days following Iranian threats to avenge the killing of seven Iranian officers in its consular building in Damascus, Syria, earlier in April, which was carried out by Israel, according to Iran.

Rwandans honor fallen politicians as genocide commemoration week ends

KIGALI, April 13 (Xinhua) — Rwandans on Saturday paid tribute to politicians killed during the 1994 genocide against the Tutsi after they opposed the genocide plan, as the 30th national commemoration week came to a close.

The event took place at the Rebero Memorial site in the capital of Kigali, where more than 14,400 victims of the genocide are interred. It was marked by a presentation on the life and struggle of the 21 fallen politicians. Senior government officials, members of the diplomatic corps, families of the fallen politicians and representatives of survivors’ associations attended the event and laid wreaths at the graves in honor of the victims. Senate President Francois Xavier Kalinda, who presided over the ceremony, urged Rwandan political parties and politicians to “foster unity among Rwandans and avoid divisive politics” so as not to drag the country back to its dark past.

Abbas Mukama, spokesperson for the National Forum of Political Parties, said the politicians were killed because they stood against genocide, hatred, dictatorship and segregation. As politicians, “we have the duty to continue to educate our party faithful and all Rwandans about peaceful co-existence, upholding unity, being exemplary and working toward good governance,” he said. The commemoration week began on April 7 under the theme “Remember-Unite-Renew,” during which various commemorative activities were held throughout the country, including a “Walk to Remember” march in Kigali and night vigils. The commemorative activities will continue until July 4, marking the 100-day calamity when about 1 million people, mostly of the Tutsi community and moderate Hutus, were killed in the genocide by Hutu extremists.

AU expresses concern over Malian gov’t’s ban on political parties

ADDIS ABABA, April 13 (Xinhua) — African Union (AU) Commission Chairperson Moussa Faki Mahamat on Saturday expressed concern over the Malian government’s blanket ban on political parties.

In a press release, Faki said he was greatly concerned by the Malian government’s decree suspending all activities of political parties and citizen associations. The statement also said the suspension of political parties and citizen associations in Mali is likely to hinder the implementation of an inclusive transition process in the West African country. The AU Commission chief called on the Malian authorities to reconsider their recent decision and to work on a roadmap aimed at completing the ongoing transition process. The AU statement further said, “The chairperson of the AU Commission reaffirms the continued support of the AU to the Malian peoples and reiterates the continental body’s desire to work with the Malian transitional government and all Malian stakeholders to restore constitutional order within the prescribed deadlines, with a view to promoting lasting peace, stability, and development in Mali.” The Malian government announced Wednesday that it has indefinitely suspended all political activities in the country.

Boat found adrift with over 10 bodies in northern Brazil

SAO PAULO, April 13 (Xinhua) — More than 10 bodies were found on Saturday inside a boat drifting at the mouth of Amazonian rivers flowing into the Atlantic, off the coast of the northern Brazilian state of Para, local fire department said.

The police said in a statement that specialized teams had traveled to the Brazilian Amazon region to investigate the identities of the people in the boat. According to the local authorities, the boat was discovered by fishermen on Saturday morning in Braganca. The news network GloboNews reported that 10 to 20 bodies were found on board. The state authorities announced in a statement that it had launched an investigation into the incident.

Thousands protest in Niger demanding withdrawal of U.S. troops

NIAMEY, April 13 (Xinhua) — Thousands of demonstrators marched in the streets of Niger’s capital of Niamey on Saturday, calling for the withdrawal of U.S. troops, following the government’s decision to terminate a military agreement with the United States.

Braving the heatwave, young men and women holding signs staged a peaceful protest. “U.S. army, you leave, you move, you vanish,” read the signs.Mohamed Alkabir, who is in charge of synergizing Nigerien civil society organizations, said that this mobilization aims to urge the U.S. side to promptly announce its timetable for withdrawing its troops from Niger.In March, the nation halted its military pact with the United States.A White House report to Congress indicated that approximately 650 U.S. personnel were in Niger in December.

15 killed in road accident in central Ethiopia

ADDIS ABABA, April 13 (Xinhua) — A traffic accident in Ethiopia’s central region of Oromia has killed at least 15 people, a local official said on Saturday.

Kemal Aman, an official with the West Arsi Zone police department in the Oromia Region, said the road accident occurred early Saturday when a bus collided head-on with a truck traveling on the opposite side of the road, the state-affiliated media outlet Fana Broadcasting Corporate reported. The injured are currently being treated in two nearby hospitals. The official also said negligent driving was the cause of the fatal traffic accident.Although Ethiopia has one of the lowest per capita car ownership rates in the world, fatal traffic accidents are relatively common. The blame is often put on bad roads, reckless driving, lax enforcement of safety rules, and a flawed system for issuing driving licenses.

Chinese company signs MoU with Ethiopia to light up off-grid areas

ADDIS ABABA, April 13 (Xinhua) — The Ethiopian Electric Utility (EEU) and Chinese telecom company Huawei signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on Friday to bring electricity to people living in off-grid areas of Ethiopia.

The MoU, signed at the Ethiopia Green Energy Summit 2024 in Addis Ababa, the capital of Ethiopia, is part of the national electrification project that aims to achieve universal access to electricity in the East African country by 2030, according to Shiferaw Telila, chief executive officer (CEO) of the EEU. Telila said the EEU would work with Huawei to use solar energy to light up off-grid areas, which refer to locations that are not connected to the national electricity network.”The MoU focuses on partnering with Huawei to accelerate the digitization of electricity, build and maintain data centers, and expand electric vehicle charging in Ethiopia,” said Telila.

Speaking to Xinhua, Liu Jifan, CEO of Huawei Ethiopia, said the agreement aims to deepen cooperation between the EEU and Huawei to promote efficient green technology solutions in the country. “We are providing off-grid technology solutions to Ethiopia and want to be part of the country’s clean energy development,” said Liu. According to official statistics, Ethiopia’s current energy production is heavily dependent on hydropower, which accounts for about 90 percent of energy production. Ethiopia has the potential to generate more than 60,000 megawatts of electricity from renewable energy sources, including wind, solar and geothermal.