Stories you may have missed because of the Syria strikes

With Saturday’s US-led airstrikes on Syrian government positions dominating coverage internationally, here is a roundup of some of the stories you may have missed.

Israeli troops open fire on Palestinians

Israeli soldiers killed at least four Palestinians and wounded around a 1,000 others during protests in the Gaza Strip.

The deaths bring the number of people killed by the Israeli army since protests began on March 30 to at least 37.

Winnie Mandela funeral

Thousands are gathering in Johannesburg to pay their final respects to the anti-apartheid activist Winnie Mandela.

The 81-year-old ex-wife of late South African president Nelson Mandela died on Monday. 

Vigil for slain activist in Brazil

Thousands are expected to gather in Brazilian cities on Saturday to mark one month since the murder of Rio de Janeiro city councilwoman Marielle Franco, whose killing shocked the country and the international community, and until now remains unsolved.

Franco, a rights activist and feminist, was killed when a gunman opened fire on her vehicle at close range in central Rio de Janerio.

Her murder sparked protests throughout Brazil. Many believe the politician, who was critical of the endemic police violence in Rio’s poor communities, was killed in a targeted attack.

Egyptian soldiers killed in Sinai

At least eight Egyptian soldiers were killed in Sinai on Saturday when gunmen wearing explosive belts raided a checkpoint.

The country’s military said it had killed at least 12 fighters during the attack.

Egypt is battling an armed campaign by the local affiliate of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) group.

Chinese social media network bans ‘gay’ content 

Social media platform Weibo has banned content deemed to promote homosexuality in a move it says is to comply with China’s new cyber security law.

The ban prompted protests and a trending hashtag “I am gay”.

Indian ministers resign after rally for rape-murder suspects

A pair of officials from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) have resigned after they were criticised for attending a protest in support of eight men accused of raping and murdering an eight-year-old Muslim girl in Indian-administered Kashmir.

Chaudhary Lan Singh and Chander Prakash Ganga were ministers in the Jammu and Kashmir government.

Authorities have arrested eight men in connection with the kidnap, rape, and killing of the Muslim girl at a Hindu temple in the mainly-Hindu Kathua district.

The suspects included a policeman and former government official.

Officials are accused of a cover-up and Hindu nationalists have rallied in support of the accused.

Protests have also broken out calling for justice for the murdered girl.

UAE officers leave Somalia

Reports out of Somalia say Emirati military officers have been forced to leave Somalia without their weapons.

The development comes shortly after Somali authorities seized almost $10m in cash from a plane inbound from the UAE.

UAE troops have been training their Somali counterparts but tensions between the two governments have grown partly over the UAE’s plans to establish a military base in the breakaway Somaliland territory.

Russia rubbish protests

Thousands of people have come out to protest amid a growing rubbish collection crisis in the Moscow region.

In the town of Volokolamsk, protesters demanded the closure of an overloaded landfill which has been releasing toxic gas and forcing many local residents to seek medical help.

Local activist Artem Lyubimov who has led the protest effort in Volokolamsk and who was detained on charges of “resisting arrest” went on hunger strike earlier this week.

In eight other towns in Moscow’s suburbs, Russians protested against mismanaged landfills and plans to build rubbish-burning plants.