NEWS OF THE DAY
Mistaken bombing: Five Afghan soldiers and a police officer were killed in an air strike carried out by an Afghan military helicopter in western Farah province, Afghanistan’s Ministry of Defense said Saturday. The ministry said the helicopter used “inaccurate information from ground forces” when it conducted the air strike late Friday. The forces were being attacked by insurgents in the Bala Buluk district. When they called for air support, the helicopter incorrectly fired a rocket at a checkpoint occupied by Afghan security forces. Refugee crisis: French police fired tear gas and water cannons on protesters defending refugees in the northern city of Calais on Saturday as the government prepares to shut down the city’s notorious refugee camp. The demonstrators defied a ban by authorities on the protest. Hundreds of people came in by bus from other cities and were met by police, who used tear gas to disperse them and keep them from marching into the city center.
Volcano evacuations: Eruptions at the Colima volcano in western Mexico have led authorities to evacuate hundreds of people from three hamlets on the volcano’s slopes. The state of Colima said 230 people were evacuated from La Becerra and 80 others from Yerbabuena. Authorities in the neighboring state of Jalisco evacuated residents of Juan Barragan. Friday’s eruption sent lava down the volcano’s flanks and a column of ash and vapor into the air. The 12,533-foot volcano is 430 miles northwest of Mexico City.
Poland protest: Thousands of Poles, many dressed in black, rallied Saturday in front of parliament in Warsaw to protest a proposed bill that would impose a complete ban on abortion. Speakers said a total ban on abortion, including for victims of rape or women whose lives are endangered by a pregnancy, would be “barbaric.” Poland already has one of Europe’s most restrictive abortion laws. Organizers chose black as a symbol of mourning for the loss of reproductive rights that that say women could suffer if the law passes. The proposal is the latest example of deepening tensions under Poland’s conservative Law and Justice party, which took power last year and holds a majority in the parliament.
Iran drone: Iran’s Revolutionary Guard has built a new attack drone that is similar to a U.S. unmanned aerial vehicle captured five years ago, Iranian media reported Saturday. The Tasnim news agency said the Saegheh (Thunderbolt) drone is similar to the RQ-170 Sentinel spy drone. Iran’s state-run Press TV said the long-range drone can carry four precision-guided bombs. Neither report gave figures for the drone’s range. Iran claimed to have shot down an RQ-170 drone used by the Central Intelligence Agency in December 2011 and broadcast footage of the recovered aircraft. It also claims to have captured three American ScanEagle drones.
Congo vote: The electoral commission president announced Saturday that the national election, originally scheduled for November this year, will likely take place at the end of 2018 — a two-year delay likely to cause more unrest in the tense central African nation. Corneille Nangaa’s comments come after dozens died recently in Kinshasa after security forces clashed with antigovernment demonstrators opposed to a vote delay. President Joseph Kabila’s political future has been a source of tension. His mandate was supposed to end in December. Opposition leaders accuse him of delaying elections to keep power.