At least 12 people died when a migrant boat capsized off the coast of Cap Gris-Nez, in northern France, on Tuesday, according to French authorities.

Nearly 70 people were on board the vessel, according to Boulogne-sur-Mer mayor, Frédéric Cuvillier. The exact number is unclear.

Emergency crews rescued 65 people, the maritime prefecture said. Several of those were in critical condition and required urgent medical care.

Three helicopters, two fishing vessels and two boats have been deployed in the search and rescue operation.

French Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin is scheduled to visit the scene on Tuesday afternoon.

Dangerous small boat crossings of the English Channel have soared in recent years, with dinghies and other small vessels frequently being used to take large groups of people on the dangerous journey in the hope of seeking asylum in the United Kingdom.

The issue became a major political obstacle for the previous Conservative government, which was criticized by migrant rights groups for its hardline rhetoric against asylum seekers, and for the new Labour administration.

Tuesday’s incident is the latest in a string of tragedies to occur in the Channel. Last August, six people died when a boat carrying dozens of migrants capsized.

This is a developing story and will be updated.

A Russian strike against a military educational facility in central Ukraine killed 47 people and injured at least 206 others, according to Ukrainian officials, in one of the deadliest single attacks since the start of Moscow’s full-scale invasion in February 2022.

President Volodymyr Zelensky said preliminary information indicated two ballistic missiles hit the facility in the city of Poltava and a nearby hospital on Tuesday morning.

“We say again and again to everyone in the world who has the power to stop this terror: air defense systems and missiles are needed in Ukraine, not somewhere in a warehouse,” Zelensky said in a statement.

Ukrainian first lady Olena Zelenska announced the latest death toll in an update on Tuesday afternoon, adding: “This is a terrible tragedy for the whole of Ukraine. Russia is taking away our most valuable asset – our lives. We will never forget this.”

Speaking about the attack, President Zelensky repeated his call on Ukraine’s Western allies to supply Kyiv with more air defenses and lift restrictions on his country’s military using their weapons to strike inside Russia.

“Long-range strikes that can protect against Russian terror are needed now, not later. Every day of delay is, unfortunately, the death of people,” he added.

“The only way to intercept them was to have the Patriot system or a SAMP/T air defense system because they are the only one capable of intercepting ballistic missiles,” said Kuleba, who added that he originally came from the Poltava region.

Ukraine has received a handful of Patriot air defense systems from the United States and Germany, although Kyiv has consistently said the number was insufficient to allow it to effectively defend itself.

The Biden administration said in June it was prioritizing critical air defense capabilities for Ukraine over other countries to “ensure Ukraine’s survival.” But Kuleba made it clear on Tuesday that new weapons cannot come soon enough.

“I don’t know how many more tragedies like this have to occur for all promises to be fulfilled and for all new commitments to be made,” Kuleba added, reiterating Zelensky’s calls for more defense systems to be sent to Ukraine.

Three days of mourning

Local authorities said Tuesday was a “terrible day for Poltava” and declared three days of mourning. No more details would be released about the strike due to “security issues,” they said.

Ukraine’s Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko said in a statement that emergency services have already contained a fire on the scene and pulled more than 10 people out of the rubble. They are now clearing the debris, he added.

Klymenko said the strike damaged a number of buildings in the area. Windows were smashed and the facades of high-rise residential blocks were impacted by shock waves from the attack, he said.

Moscow has not commented on the attack, but a well-known Russian military blogger Vladimir Rogov reported earlier on Tuesday that Russia struck a military school in Poltava.

This is a breaking story and will be updated.

With its announcement that militants guarding Israeli hostages in the buildings and tunnels of Gaza had “new instructions” to kill them If Israeli troops closed in, Hamas signalled the opening of a chilling new chapter in an already brutal war.

Seizing on a spasm of public outrage in Israel at Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s inability to bring home the remaining hostages, Hamas released a comic-book style image of a kneeling figure threatened with a gun, followed by a video of Eden Yerushalmi, 24, a bartender at the Nova music festival and one of six hostages who Israel says were shot at close range in Hamas captivity last week before Israeli forces could reach them.

In cruel twist of timing – the funerals of the slain hostages had taken place on Sunday and Monday –  Hamas said it would drip-feed footage of what it described as the “final messages” of the remaining five. It released a second video on Tuesday, featuring Ori Danino, a 25-year-old who was abducted from the Nova music festival on October 7. Danino had helped other festival-goers escape the horror. It was not clear when any of the footage was filmed – not whether it was intended that the videos would be used in the way that Hamas is now doing.

Hamas’ new tactics – which Yerushalmi’s family say amount to “psychological terror” – will further fan the fury in Israeli society. For the past three days, crowds have swelled in multiple Israeli cities, with protesters blaming Netanyahu for, in their view, sacrificing Israeli citizens to stay in power, as rightwing members of his coalition have threatened to bring down the government should he end the war.

But it is not yet clear whether they will compel Netanyahu to change Israel’s approach to the war in Gaza.

Some analysts say that unlike earlier in the war, Hamas may no longer believe that keeping hostages gives it leverage over Israel.

In a statement Monday evening, Hamas spokesperson Abu Obaida said the new instructions had come into place after an “incident” in Nuseirat, seeming to refer to an IDF operation in June that rescued four Israeli hostages from a refugee camp in central Gaza.

The raid, which killed 274 Palestinians, occurred mid-morning when the streets were teeming with people shopping at a nearby market. Some of the captors were killed, and the IDF successfully retrieved the hostages unharmed, further weakening Hamas’ leverage in negotiations with Israel.

Since then, the IDF has rescued one more hostage – Farhan Al-Qadi, 52, a Bedouin Israeli citizen who was retrieved from a tunnel in Gaza last week.

When Hamas took some 250 people hostage from southern Israel on October 7, “they thought they could try to leverage them for a prisoner exchange deal,” Mustafa said. Although an exchange deal was struck as early as November, no further agreement has been reached 10 months later.

A ‘watershed’ moment

The successful rescues may have helped Netanyahu to argue that Israel’s twin war-aims of destroying Hamas and returning the hostages can be pursued simultaneously, making the cries for a ceasefire-for-hostages deal less urgent.

But, after the murder of the six hostages under Hamas’ new directive, hundreds of thousands of Israelis took to the streets on Monday to demand Netanyahu’s government strike a deal to free the hostages, in one of the largest demonstrations since the war began. Many wondered if the nationwide outrage might be enough to force his hand.

Instead, a defiant and bellicose Netanyahu used his first public comments since the discovery of the bodies to double down on his strategy in the Strip. He said Israel will retaliate strongly against Hamas for the killing of the six hostages, hinting that the response would be akin to the strike against Hezbollah in July that killed the Iran-backed group’s top commander Fu’ad Shukr.

He stressed again his commitment to fighting until Hamas is defeated and repeated his refusal to withdraw soldiers from the border between Gaza and Egypt – a new sticking point threatening once again to derail talks to reach a deal.

Although Netanyahu has refused to cede ground under growing pressure, analysts say the killing of the six hostages by Hamas has been a turning point, leading many in the country to ask whether Israel is reaching the limits of what its military power can achieve, and whether its offensive may be endangering the more than 100 hostages from the country still being held in Gaza.

“It became very clear that the presence of the IDF played a direct part in the decision of their Hamas keepers to kill them,” he said. “The sense that the Netanyahu government is incompetent, that Netanyahu is doing all of this for his own reasons, is now much more powerful for a lot of people. So I think it is a watershed moment.”

Nimrod Novik, a fellow at the Israel Policy Forum and former senior adviser to the late Prime Minister Shimon Peres, said many Israelis have felt two waves of grief over the past three days: First, for the death of the six hostages, and then, following Netanyahu’s speech, “the realization that Netanyahu is determined to pursue an open-ended occupation of Gaza.”

New red line

The death of the six hostages also caused the latest spat between Netanyahu and Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant. According to reports in Israeli media, the two men argued furiously over whether, as part of any ceasefire deal, the Israeli military should leave the Philadelphi Corridor – a 14-kilometer (8.7-mile) stretch of land running along the border between Gaza and Egypt.

Although Netanyahu has recently begun to strongly insist that Israel maintain a military presence in the corridor for security reasons, Hamas has long been clear that the proposal is a non-starter. Gallant reportedly told Netanyahu that insisting on this condition means “there won’t be an agreement and there won’t be any hostages released.”

Regardless, the cabinet proceeded to vote on the plans Netanyahu presented, approving them by eight to one, with Gallant the only dissenter.

Novik, the former adviser to Peres, said the newfound focus on the Philadelphi Corridor is merely symbolic.

His “discovery” of the corridor and the effective elevation of its status to a holy site “has no security merit,” Novik said.

If anything, an occupation of the corridor – which runs alongside densely populated towns and cities – risks endangering Israeli troops, as Israel’s previous occupation of the territory that ended in 2005 showed, Novik warned.

“They’re sitting ducks,” he said. “And if Hamas managed to kill our troops in 2004 before it had the kind of munitions and equipment that they have today, the results are going to be even more devastating.”

Since the issue of the corridor was raised last month, Hamas has said it will not agree to Netanyahu’s red line.

“At this point, they cannot accept anything short of the demands they are now calling for: A complete cessation of hostilities and the full withdrawal of Israeli troops,” Mustafa said. “If they were to accept anything short of what they’re demanding, that would be political suicide for the movement.”

Netanyahu’s defiant speech on Monday may have extinguished hopes that the killing of the six hostages could lead to a change in course. Former IDF spokesperson Lt. Col. Peter Lerner, who has become more critical of the government since leaving his post earlier this year, said about the remaining hostages after Netanyahu’s speech: “He sealed their fate.”

The insistence on maintaining troops along the corridor may also spell further tension between Israel and the United States, which has throughout the months-long negotiations insisted that Israel must fully withdraw from Gaza after the war.

When asked Monday whether Netanyahu was doing enough to reach an agreement, President Joe Biden said simply: “No.”

A man is on trial accused of repeatedly drugging and raping his wife, as well as encouraging dozens of other men to rape her in their home while she was unconscious, court documents show.

72-year-old Gisèle appeared in a courtroom in Avignon, France, on Monday for the opening of the trial, sunglasses on, her daughter and two sons by her side.

For the next four months, she will come face to face with her accused abusers, most of whom are complete strangers to her.

Prosecutors say the defendant, 71-year-old Dominique would recruit men online to rape his wife, after drugging her with sleeping pills and anti-anxiety medication.

He faces nine charges including several counts of rape with aggravating circumstances, the drugging of a victim to commit rape, and the sharing of images related to those assaults.

Prosecutors were able to put together a case because Dominique documented a number of the alleged assaults on camera.

Held in pre-trial detention since 2020, courtroom sketches show the defendant entered the courtroom in a black t-shirt and sat facing his wife.

“He recognizes that he’s done what he has done,” his lawyer, Béatrice Zavarro told journalists in court on Monday. “There was not an ounce of contestation during the whole investigation.”

In the dock, the men accused of taking part in these rapes sat with their heads down.

Police have identified at least 92 sexual assaults committed by 72 men, with ages ranging from 26 to 74, court documents show.

Fifty were identified, and most have been charged with either aggravated or attempted rape and are standing trial alongside Gisèle’s husband.

The ordeal lasted almost ten years, the first alleged assaults dating back to 2011.

The crimes came to light in 2020 when Dominique was caught filming under women’s skirts in a shopping center.

After police seized his phone and computer, they say they found evidence of the rapes. An investigation was opened and the wife was made aware of the abuse she had endured for almost ten years.

Court documents show that Dominique has told investigators that the other men were all aware his wife had been drugged without her knowledge, something a number of the other defendants deny.

Throughout the trial, Gisèle will see and hear what was done to her.

On Tuesday, she sat through a reading of the horrific acts she was subjected to, as well as the arguments from each of the defendants’ lawyers.

Last Friday ahead of the trial, another one of her lawyers, Antoine Arebalo-Camus told reporters “she had no idea what had been inflicted on her, so she has no memory of the rapes she suffered for 10 years.”

Gisèle’s daughter says her mother sought medical advice for the memory loss and extreme fatigue she was experiencing as a side effect of the drugs.

Speaking to French media in several interviews, she said that her mother “saw doctors, she saw neurologists,” and that the medical profession failed to detect the problem.

The daughter has now started an awareness campaign called “M’endors Pas,” meaning “Don’t put me to sleep” on drug-facilitated sexual assault.

The trial began on September 2 in the southern French town of Avignon, and a verdict is due on December 20 this year.

A man is on trial accused of repeatedly drugging and raping his wife, as well as encouraging dozens of other men to rape her in their home while she was unconscious, court documents show.

The alleged victim, Gisèle, 72, appeared in a courtroom in Avignon, France, on Monday for the opening of the trial, sunglasses on, her daughter and two sons by her side.

For the next four months, she will come face to face with her accused abusers, most of whom are complete strangers to her.

He faces nine charges including several counts of rape with aggravating circumstances, the drugging of a victim to commit rape, and the sharing of images related to those assaults.

Prosecutors were able to put together a case because Dominique documented a number of the alleged assaults on camera.

Held in pre-trial detention since 2020, courtroom sketches show the defendant entered the courtroom in a black t-shirt and sat facing his wife.

“He recognizes that he’s done what he has done,” his lawyer, Béatrice Zavarro told journalists in court on Monday. “There was not an ounce of contestation during the whole investigation.”

In the dock, the men accused of taking part in these rapes sat with their heads down.

Police have identified at least 92 sexual assaults committed by 72 men, with ages ranging from 26 to 74, court documents show.

Fifty were identified, and most have been charged with either aggravated or attempted rape and are standing trial alongside Gisèle’s husband.

The ordeal lasted almost ten years, the first alleged assaults dating back to 2011.

The crimes came to light in 2020 when Dominique was caught filming under women’s skirts in a shopping center.

After police seized his phone and computer, they say they found evidence of the rapes. An investigation was opened and the wife was made aware of the abuse she had endured for almost ten years.

Court documents show that Dominique has told investigators that the other men were all aware his wife had been drugged without her knowledge, something a number of the other defendants deny.

Throughout the trial, Gisèle will see and hear what was done to her.

On Tuesday, she sat through a reading of the horrific acts she was subjected to, as well as the arguments from each of the defendants’ lawyers.

Last Friday ahead of the trial, another one of her lawyers, Antoine Arebalo-Camus told reporters “she had no idea what had been inflicted on her, so she has no memory of the rapes she suffered for 10 years.”

Gisèle’s daughter says her mother sought medical advice for the memory loss and extreme fatigue she was experiencing as a side effect of the drugs.

Speaking to French media in several interviews, she said that her mother “saw doctors, she saw neurologists,” and that the medical profession failed to detect the problem.

The daughter has now started an awareness campaign called “M’endors Pas,” meaning “Don’t put me to sleep” on drug-facilitated sexual assault.

The trial began on September 2 in the southern French town of Avignon, and a verdict is due on December 20 this year.