Haiti, Lebanon, Mongolia
Today's three stories you should know
Haiti
At least 70 people were killed and 30 wounded in a massacre in Haiti, a rights group said, significantly higher than the figure of 16 cited by authorities. Gang members stormed communities near Petite-Riviere in the Artibonite region, killing people and setting homes on fire. Artibonite, an important agricultural area, has seen some of the worst violence as criminal gangs and armed groups seek to take territory. Haiti’s capital Port-au-Prince is now estimated to be 90 percent controlled by gangs despite the deployment of thousands of Kenyan police alongside government forces. More than 1.4 million people, about 12 percent of the population, have been forced from their homes by the conflict, which has caused an economic crisis and pushed people into hunger.
More from DW here.
Lebanon
Israel will destroy every house in Lebanese villages near its border and 600,000 people who have fled southern Lebanon will not be allowed to return, the defense minister said, adding that Gaza would provide the model. Israel Katz reiterated Israel’s plan to occupy Lebanon to establish what it calls “a buffer zone” between the two nations. More than 1,200 people have been killed in Lebanon and more than 1.2 million people displaced since Israel launched renewed attacks against Hezbollah on March 2, building on the almost daily bombings of southern Lebanon it has carried out for more than a year despite an ostensible ceasefire.
More from Reuters here.
Mongolia
Mongolia has chosen its third prime minister in nine months after prolonged bouts of infighting in the ruling party and a deadlock in the legislature. Uchral Nyam-Osor was voted in by parliamentarians to the second most senior position in the country’s semi-presidential system with 88 out of 107 votes. The 39-year-old former minister of digital development and communications, who was also a well-known hip-hop artist, has positioned himself as a reformist leader who will cut red tape. He is now faced with the immediate challenge of getting parliament working again and placating the country’s youth, who have been taking to the streets to protest corruption, high prices and a host of other issues.
More from the Independent here.