FRANCE: Authorities said yesterday that a French warship in the Red Sea was targeted by two drones coming from Yemen. Both were intercepted and shot down.

A short statement from the Armies Ministry did not say who fired the drones at the French Navy frigate Languedoc on Saturday night but Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen have vowed to target ships operating in the Red Sea. 

INDONESIA: Two boats carrying more than 300 Rohingya Muslims, including emaciated women and children, arrived at Indonesia’s northernmost province of Aceh yesterday morning after being adrift for over weeks.

Since November, more than 1,500 Rohingya refugees have arrived by boat in Indonesia’s Aceh province. Some were denied landing by the residents in Aceh Utara district and Sabang island, sparking concerns from human rights organisations.

NIGERIA: West African leaders kicked off a crucial meeting in Nigeria yesterday acknowledging for the first time that their efforts to stem the tide of coups have so far met with little success.

The 15-nation Economic Community of West African States has unsuccessfully tried to restore political stability across the entire West and Central Africa which has recorded eight military takeovers since 2020, including in Niger and Gabon. 

EGYPT: Citizens began voting yesterday in a presidential election in which president Abdel Fattah el-Sissi is almost certain to win another term which would keep him in power until 2030.

The other candidates in the election are opposition Social Democratic Party leader Farid Zahran, Wafd Party chief Abdel-Sanad Yamama and Republican People’s Party head Hazem Omar.