Insurgents breach Syria’s largest city for the first time since 2016

BEIRUT (AP) — Insurgents have breached Syria’s largest city and clashed with government forces for the first time since 2016. That’s according to a war monitor and fighters. They described a surprise attack Friday on Aleppo that sent residents fleeing and added fresh uncertainty to a region reeling from multiple wars. The advance on Aleppo followed a shock offensive launched by insurgents Wednesday, as thousands of fighters swept through villages and towns in Syria’s northwestern countryside. Witnesses said residents fled neighborhoods on the city’s edge because of missiles and gunfire. The attack injected new violence into a region experiencing dual wars in Gaza and Lebanon involving Israel, and other conflicts, including the unresolved Syrian civil war that began in 2011.

Nigeria confirms that at least 27 people died after boat capsized

ABUJA, Nigeria (AP) — Authorities say 27 people have died and at least 100, mostly women, are missing after a boat transporting them to a food market capsized along the River Niger in northern Nigeria. The boat was taking the passengers from Kogi state along the river to neighboring state of Niger early on Friday morning when it capsized. That’s according to Niger State Emergency Management Agency spokesman Ibrahim Audu. Authorities said no survivor had been found at the river and that local divers were searching for the victims. Authorities have not confirmed what caused the sinking but reports suggest the boat may have been overcrowded.

British lawmakers give initial OK to a bill to allow terminally ill adults to end their lives

LONDON (AP) — British lawmakers have given initial approval to a bill that would help terminally ill adults end their lives in England and Wales. The assisted dying bill was approved on Friday by a vote of 330 to 275 after an impassioned Parliamentary debate. The vote signals lawmakers’ approval in principle for the bill and sends it on to further scrutiny in Parliament. Similar legislation failed to pass that important first test in 2015. Supporters say the law will provide dignity to the dying and prevent unnecessary suffering. Opponents argue that vulnerable people could be coerced to end their lives so they don’t become a burden.

Death toll in Uganda landslides rises to 20

KAMPALA, Uganda (AP) — More bodies buried under the mud have been found in eastern Uganda and an injured person died in a hospital, bringing the death toll from this week’s landslides to 20. Officials said on Friday that search efforts pressed on in the stricken area. Heavy rains had triggered the landslides that engulfed six villages in the mountainous district of Bulambuli, east of Uganda’s capital of Kampala on Wednesday night. Some 40 homes were buried under the mud as rains across the country cut off major roads. Soldiers have been deployed to help with the digging.