Gaza, Kenya, Panama
Today's three stories you should know
Gaza
Israeli forces fired more than 900 bullets at a clearly-marked convoy of medical vehicles in Gaza last year before advancing and executing survivors at point-blank range, a new investigation has said. The report, carried out by independent research agency Forensic Architecture and audio investigation group Earshot, used advanced techniques, including audio ballistics to analyze the sound of gunfire and determine distance, weapon type and direction. Fifteen aid workers were killed in the attack, including paramedics from the Palestine Red Crescent Society, firefighters from the Palestinian Civil Defence and a staff member of the United Nations agency for Palestinian refugees. Israeli soldiers then buried them along with their vehicles, later admitting a “professional error.”
More from Al Jazeera here.
Kenya
More than 600 Kenyans in Cambodia, who say they were victims of human traffickers, have appealed to the courts in Nairobi to force their government to bring them home. Cambodia’s interior ministry said it recovered them during a crackdown on online fraud centers run by organized criminals. According to the Kenyans, they were tricked into traveling to Cambodia with the promise of legitimate employment but were then made to work in heavily-guarded compounds where they were subject to attacks and abuse, including stabbings. Cambodian authorities have given them until February 28 to leave the country or face potential imprisonment but they say they cannot afford flights back to Kenya.
More from Africa News here.
Panama
Panama’s government has seized two ports from a Hong Kong-based company as U.S. President Donald Trump presses a rivalry with China over the Panama Canal. The move came after the country’s Supreme Court ruled that the CK Hutchison firm’s concession, which it has held since 1997, was unconstitutional. Panama has found itself caught between Beijing and Washington after Trump accused China of running the canal, and said it should be under American control. The two ports, at either end of the canal, will be operated by a local subsidiary of Danish logistics company A.P. Moller-Maersk until a new concession can be bid on, Panamanian President José Raúl Mulino said.
More from AP here.