| | | | | | | Hello. My colleagues in Kenya are updating us on the massive gas blast that has killed three and injured close to 300 people in Nairobi. In the flat croplands south of Paris, a French farmer tells Andrew Harding why he's blocking roads with his tractor. Today we're also covering proper tea, a Scottish monkey, and a sunk Tesla. |
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| | | | Top of the agenda | | Fears death toll could rise after lorry explosion | | | | About 10 trucks were completely burned inside the compound where the explosion occurred. Credit: AFP |
| | Three people have been killed and nearly 300 injured in an explosion in the Kenyan capital, Nairobi. A lorry carrying gas exploded shortly before midnight, "igniting a huge ball of fire" which then spread to nearby commercial properties and houses, a government spokesman said. Video showed a huge blaze raging close to blocks of flats. Local police chief Wesley Kimeto said a child was among those who died, adding that the death toll could rise. The Energy and Petroleum Regulatory Authority said in a statement the gas plant was illegal and that it had rejected three applications for construction permits to build a storage and filling facility at the site. Witnesses told the BBC the explosion sent objects, including gas cylinders and a shipping container, flying into the air. "I saw a woman on fire, but we couldn't help her. Everyone was running," said Jackline Karimi, who suffered burns on her right hand and arm up to the shoulder and to her right leg. | | | | |
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| | | | | | World headlines | | • | An unprecedented dissent: More than 800 serving officials in the US and Europe have signed a statement warning that their own governments' policies on the Israel-Gaza war could amount to "grave violations of international law". State Department correspondent Tom Bateman has more. | | • | A nationwide manhunt: Three of the UK's biggest police forces are looking for a man accused of an alkali attack on a mother and two young girls in London. The suspect, named as Abdul Shokoor Ezedi, was convicted of a sex offence in 2018 and was later granted asylum after applying three times. | | • | Murder case: Also in the UK, the teenage murderers of the transgender 16-year-old Brianna Ghey have been identified as Scarlett Jenkinson and Eddie Ratcliffe. Their sentencing is ongoing as you're getting this newsletter - our live page has all the updates. | | • | Missing and out: Chinese billionaire banker Bao Fan, who has been missing for almost a year, has resigned from all roles at his firm, China Renaissance Holdings has said. But his disappearance remains a mystery. | | • | Ice bath to nice bath: The users of a floating sauna were able to save passengers of a Tesla after it plunged into a fjord in Norway. The motorists reportedly warmed up in the sauna afterwards. Take a look at the rescue. |
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| | AT THE SCENE | Mousseaux-lès-Bray, France | | 'Not playing by the same rules' | | Farmers in France and the rest of the EU are blocking roads and holding protests against green policies and trade agreements they say are putting an unfair burden on their activity. Yves Coppé, a crop farmer south of Paris, is one of them. | | | | Andrew Harding, Paris correspondent |
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| | As part of the European Union's plans to meet climate commitments, it has introduced new rules requiring farmers to leave 4% of their land unused, or fallow. Yves Coppé reckons that means he's unable to plant wheat on the equivalent of 16 football fields, which translates into "100 tonnes of grain, which is the equivalent of 80 tonnes of flour, which makes 300,000 baguettes. And this is just from my small farm - 300,000 baguettes… A large amount of unmade goods that would, potentially, be imported into the EU. It's not sustainable. We don't follow the logic," Coppé declared. |
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| | | | Beyond the headlines | | What's behind the AI investing hype | | | | It is hard for both humans and computers to predict stock market movements. Credit: Reuters |
| | Would you give your savings to a fashionable piece of computer software? Firms behind "AI trading bots" are promising lucrative returns by letting artificial intelligence make stock market decisions on your behalf - or on the behalf of a mere mortal trader. But it's still much too soon to judge its effectiveness, reports our business reporter Jonty Bloom. | | | | |
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| | | | Something different | | Storm in a teacup | | The idea of adding salt caused a stir. But why do Brits think they make the perfect cuppa? | | |
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| | | | And finally... | | It was a hunt that had Scottish Highlanders on tenterhooks. Not for a missing person or a criminal, but a monkey. The alarm was raised when Honshu, a Japanese macaque, was spotted munching on nuts from a garden birdfeeder - on the wrong side of the fence to the wildlife park enclosure where he lives. And after five days he was finally located - two miles from home. Watch as Iain Macinnes tells the story of the search, from thermal imaging drones to the whistles that usually signify feeding time. |
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| | | | | | US Election Unspun newsletter | | Cut through the noise in the race for the White House, every Wednesday to your inbox. | | |
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| | | | More newsletters from us | | • | Football Extra: Latest news, insights and gossip from the Premier League, weekdays. Subscribe. | | • | Royal Watch: The full story from royal correspondent Sean Coughlan, every Thursday. Subscribe. | | • | Tech Decoded: Timely, trusted tech news from global correspondents, twice-weekly. Subscribe. |
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– Jules |
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