Journalists Beaten at Hands of Taliban

^{PHOTO: VIDEO OF BEATEN JOURNALIST GETTING HELP WHILE WALKING STILLS OF BEATEN JOURNALISTS}

INTERNATIONAL: Five Afghan journalists have been briefly detained and beaten for covering a protest by women in Kabul. They were taken to a detention centre and held for more than 4 hours, while two of them were badly beaten at the hands of the Taliban. Both sustained injuries to their backs, legs, shoulders and arms. Their faces were also bruised and cut. The Taliban’s actions have sent a chilling message to the media in Afghanistan, where an independent press, much of it funded by Western donors, has flourished in the past twenty years. A Taliban government minister, who declined to be identified, says any attack on journalists would be investigated. The Taliban has vowed to allow press freedom, but incidents like this raise serious doubts.

Migrants Rescued off Italian Coast

^{PHOTO: ITALIAN COAST GUARD RESCUING 125 MIGRANTS FROM THE SHORES OF A SMALL ISLAND NEAR LAMPEDUSA}

The Italian Coast Guard has rescued 125 migrants huddling together on the rocky edge of a tiny uninhabited island. Their boat had started sinking near the larger island of Lampedusa. The migrants, including 49 women and 20 children, were said to be a “in a clear state of shock”. Complicating the rescue were rough seas and jagged reefs. Special coast guard rescue swimmers jumped into the sea, to bring the migrants an inflatable raft. All 125 were hoisted safely aboard rescue vessels and taken to a holding centre.

Covid-19 Field Hospital Goes Up in Flames

^{PHOTO: FLAMES AND SMOKE RISING FIREFIGHTERS ON SCENE OF DEADLY FIRE NORTH MACEDONIAN PRIME MINISTER ZORAN ZAEV SAYING THE FORENSICS TEAM ARRIVED AT THE FIRE SITE}

And, forensics teams are on the scene of a fire at a makeshift hospital, that killed at least 14 people in the North Macedonian town of Tetovo. The fire occurred on Wednesday night, on the 30th anniversary of its independence from the former Yugoslavia. An explosion caused the fire. With the hospital made from recycled plastic, the fire spread extremely quickly. The modular Covid-19 unit was built last year to look after patients in the town of about 50,000 people. The prosecutor's office says DNA analysis will be needed to identify some of the victims. All those injured are in a serious condition. The country’s Health Minister says 26 Covid-19 patients were being treated at the time.