China, Iran, Gabon.

Today's three stories you should know.

Jul 10, 2023

China

Horror in China today as six people, including three children, were killed in a stabbing attack at a kindergarten. “The victims include one teacher, two parents and three students … and one suspect has been arrested,” a spokeswoman for the city of Lianjiang told the AFP news agency. China has seen a spate of attacks on kindergartens and schools over the last few years. In the most recent, three people were killed last August in an attack on a nursery school in Jiangxi province.

Iran

Iranian rapper Toomaj Salehi has been sentenced to six years and three months in prison for supporting anti-government protests that rocked the country last year, according to his lawyer. Salehi was convicted of “corruption on earth” - one of the most serious charges in Iran and one that often results in the death penalty. The protests erupted over the death in police custody of a young woman, Mahsa Amini, who was arrested for allegedly not wearing her hijab correctly. Thousands were arrested and seven have so far been executed over involvement in the demonstrations.

Gabon

Gabon's President Ali Bongo Ondimba has said he will run for a third term, which would extend his family’s rule of the West African nation to an astonishing 55 years. Ali Bongo took over in 2009 after the death of his father Omar Bongo. The country’s last elections in 2016 were overshadowed by claims of rampant fraud. Bongo’s opponent in that poll, Jean Ping, refused to accept the results after which the government confiscated his passport and imposed a five-year travel ban on him.