Top stories from DAWNS Digest
Japan to Invest Billions in Africa
Tokyo is making moves on the continent. “Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe announced the assistance Sunday, on the second day of the three-day Tokyo International Conference on African Development, being held in Yokohama, south of the capital city. The money is part of the $32 billion in government and private-sector aid Abe announced on Saturday. Abe says the investment of public and private funds over the next five years is aimed at helping growth on the continent and encouraging Japanese companies to invest there.” (Voice of America http://bit.ly/149nJQz)
Chinese Slaughterhouse Fire Kills over 100
Breaking: A fire and poultry plant in northeastern China went up in flames this morning killing at least 112 people, say Chinese Authorities. “Xinhua said more than 300 workers were in the plant when the blaze broke out. About 100 workers managed to escape from the buildings, although the gates were locked when the fire occurred. The exact number of those trapped in the plant has not yet been confirmed and the death toll could rise further.” (VOA http://bit.ly/14aSrsI)
A Turkish Spring?
There have been three consecutive days of demonstrations around the country. “Protests over the demolition of Gezi Park to make way for the rebuilding of an Ottoman era barracks, reportedly to house a shopping centre, began on a small scale earlier this week. Protesters said the park was one of the few green spaces in Istanbul, and were angry at the loss of public space for commercial purposes. But after police used tear gas and water cannon were used to break up the protests, triggering accusations of excessive force, the numbers in Taksim Square, next to the park, rocketed. Tens of thousands of people took to the streets of towns and cities, many calling on the government to resign.” (BBC http://bbc.in/11fWzDo)