Afghanistan

German Apology

Six Afghan soldiers have been killed in a “friendly fire” incident near Kunduz. The Afghan troops were in two cars that failed to stop at a checkpoint, so German soldiers opened fire. The regional governor blamed it on a “misunderstanding”. Germany has around 4,300 troops in Afghanistan.

Iraq

Leaked Video

The website WikiLeaks has released a video that allegedly shows US pilots killing innocent civilians and journalists. The site says that the footage comes from an Apache helicopter. At the time, in July 2007, US spokesmen claimed that the victims belonged to enemy forces.

Jordan

Frightening fool

A newspaper’s April Fool prank almost led to 13,000 people being evacuated from a town. Al-Ghad’s front page said that aliens had landed in Jafr, but local parents were so scared by the story that they didn’t send their kids to school. April Fools are not a tradition in Jordan.

USA

Mine disaster

An explosion in a coal mine has killed 25 miners in Charleston. Seven of the victims were in a vehicle driving away from the mine when the huge blast happened. As First News went to press, four men were still missing underground and one was in intensive care at a local hospital.

USA

Young driver

An eight-year-old boy has crashed his dad’s mini van, after deciding to be helpful and fill it up with petrol. Jordan Winters was only travelling at a few km/h when he crashed into a ditch 100m away from his home in Bethel, Ohio. Jordan wanted to do his parents a favour while they were sleeping and was still in his pyjamas when he crashed.

Senegal

Statue unveiled

A 49m-high monument has finally been revealed, to celebrate Senegal’s 50th anniversary of independence. The statue cost £18m, which many people say is a waste of money in a poor country. The statue shows a man, woman and child, and Muslims have criticised the woman’s short skirt.

Sweden

Green Award

The European Union (EU) has awarded its first ever Green Capital award to Stockholm. Around 40% of the Swedish capital is made up of green spaces and 95% of residents live no more than 300m from a green area. The city has also taken steps to reduce air and noise pollution and make water cleaner.

India

Soldiers attacked

At least 40 Indian troops have been killed by rebels in a series of attacks. Maoist rebels have been fighting to overthrow the government for 20 years. They say that the attacks will increase unless the government stops sending troops to capture or kill the rebels.

China

Dramatic rescue

As First News went to press, 115 out of 153 trapped miners had been rescued. The men had been trapped underground in Xiangning for a week after the mine flooded with water. Pumps were used to extract the water, and men were heard banging on pipes. Some of the men were so thirsty that they drank the flood water. Five bodies were found, but the rest are still missing.

Australia

Tanker crash

Officials are furious that a Chinese tanker has crashed into the Great Barrier Reef. The ship has been leaking oil, although experts hope that the leaks should stop. The tanker was travelling 12km off course when it struck the coral at Douglas Shoals, near Great Keppel Island.