Local media report that a meeting scheduled for April 22 at the headquarters of the general staff—expected to include several army officers—was first postponed and later cancelled after the invited officers failed to appear.

According to Radio France Internationale (RFI), a large number of people were seen gathering at the Mogho Naaba Palace, the seat of traditional authority in Burkina Faso. Among them were army personnel and families of missing civilians, further highlighting the growing tension in the West African country.

A cabinet meeting was also held on April 24 at the presidential palace under tight security. Sniffer dogs and helicopters were deployed in the area during the meeting.

Some military camps were placed under high alert. Military vehicles were stationed at the entrance of the General Baba Sy military camp in the southern part of the capital.

The government of Captain Ibrahim Traoré has called for mass demonstrations on April 30 in support of the regime. The main objective is to condemn what the government calls “Western interference,” particularly following accusations by U.S. General Michael Langley that Burkina Faso’s gold reserves were being diverted to fund its security apparatus.

On April 22, Burkina Faso’s military government announced it had foiled a “major plot” to overthrow the junta leader, Captain Ibrahim Traoré.

Authorities say they discovered the plot after intercepting communications between a high-ranking Burkinabé military officer and terrorist leaders.

Security Minister Mahamadou Sana stated on national television that the conspirators included current and former soldiers, along with terrorist collaborators. He identified Captain René David Ouédraogo as one of the soldiers involved in the plan. Ouédraogo is currently on the run.

ALSO READ:

• Burkina Faso army says it foiled ‘major’ coup plot

• Mali, Niger, and Burkina Faso retain regional privileges amid ECOWAS exit negotiations

The tragic incident occurred on Thursday and quickly went viral, with footage capturing the final moments of the entertainer as he appeared visibly distressed before collapsing.

Disturbing, who was also a cobbler and musician, had gained prominence through his active involvement in the Justice for Mohbad movement.

In a statement shared on TikTok, his wife, Omowunmi, revealed that he struck his head against a stone during the fall.

She explained that she was in the kitchen at the time when neighbours alerted her to the emergency.

“Yesterday morning, my husband was on TikTok Live while I cooked his food. Suddenly, he had a seizure, fell, and hit his head on a stone. Blood was coming out of his head. A young boy and some neighbours saw him, thought he had fainted, and poured water on him. They called me from the kitchen,” she said.

He was rushed to the hospital, where doctors placed him on oxygen. However, he sadly passed away on Friday morning.

Omowunmi further revealed that the late TikToker had a medical history of seizures and was undergoing treatment, dismissing online speculation that his death was the result of a spiritual attack.

“The last time he had a seizure was in February. It is purely a medical issue,” she said.

ALSO READ:

• TikTokers offered $5,000 to join Facebook and Instagram

• Popular Nigerian TikToker shot in Lagos

His ambition is boundless. But it also reeks of dangerous hubris and raises a grave question: Where will the planet end up under the leadership of this chaotic and vengeful president?

Trump revealed his plan for global dominance in a new interview with “The Atlantic.” He said he had rid himself of the “crooked guys” and investigations that limited his first term. “The second time, I run the country and the world,” he added.

The president is attempting a massive, simultaneous transformation of life in the United States and the American-led global political and economic systems that have cemented Washington’s primacy since World War II.

He’s indisputably the most ubiquitous world figure, 100 tumultuous days since reclaiming the Oval Office. No one knows what he’ll do next – not the US’ allies nor its enemies. And in this upside-down era of MAGA foreign policy, it’s sometimes hard to know which is which. From Moscow to New Delhi and Gaza to Rome, Trump has a finger in every geopolitical pie.

Many foreigners might be revolted by the president. But they can’t ignore him. That must be especially sweet for a commander-in-chief whose entire life has been a quest for notoriety.

There’s some truth to Trump’s boast

The reality of America’s global role means that the person who has the top job has immense authority, said Majda Ruge, a senior policy fellow at the United States program at the European Council on Foreign Relations.

“Take Ukraine, which is on the borders of the European Union – it’s practically a European issue, but the fact is that without American intelligence, military support and American nuclear deterrence, Europeans are not able to continue supporting Ukraine to the extent that is needed for Ukraine to actually advance on the battlefield,” said Ruge, who was speaking from Brussels.

“Going back to the quote, ‘I run the world,’ there is truth to that because of America’s huge impact on world politics and foreign policy,” Ruge said.

“But the question is, is he actually running it in the direction that is constructive, rather than disruptive and a little bit all over the place? And secondly, is he even running it in a strategic manner to ultimately arrive at the place he wants to go?”

Trump’s supporters argue that the traditional American approaches to foreign policy brought nothing but humiliation. They remember two lost wars in Afghanistan and Iraq and think Europe built bloated welfare states under America’s generous military umbrella.

The president’s bombast puts a lot of people off. But he often asks pertinent questions. For instance – did two decades of US economic engagement with China buy nothing more than a 21st-century superpower rival while destroying American manufacturing? And 80 years after the defeat of Nazism and three and a half decades after the fall of the Soviet Union, shouldn’t Europeans now be taking care of their own defense?

The problem is that Trump’s approach to addressing these questions risks undermining the security and the stability of the world he professes to lead.

The risks of Trump’s volatile temperament

Signs for Trump’s foreign policy priorities don’t currently look promising, especially after he launched trade wars that have rocked global markets and that have no easy way out.

But perhaps his unorthodox approach can find a way to end the Ukraine war that a more traditional US president might miss. He’s surely due something for his frequent genuflecting to Russian President Vladimir Putin. And after trashing the last Iran nuclear deal in his first term, he’s seeking another one to forestall the horrible prospect of US military strikes.

But Trump’s ultra-personalized and volatile approach to the world seems as likely to backfire.

The president made his name as a builder. But he’s better at tearing things down. And barging into the center of global events and tunneling into the psyches of hundreds of millions of people with social media eruptions is hardly statesmanlike. Nor is making up huge tariff rates off the top of his head.

Far from enhancing US power, Trump risks buckling it.

His bullying is forcing foreign nations to hurriedly reevaluate their relationship with the United States. They face the same choice as university presidents, CEOs and media bosses in the US, only with greater stakes: Do they resist America’s new king or flatter him?

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer came to Washington with an offer of a state visit with King Charles to try to play on Trump’s love for British royals.

But Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky tried standing up to Trump – and got kicked out of the White House after a televised dressing down in the Oval Office.

And Canada, one of America’s closest friends, just held an entire election dominated by the need to break with Washington over Trump’s tariffs and his demands it become the 51st state.

“The president and those around him feel they have greater freedom of action today,” said Ian Lesser, distinguished fellow and adviser to the president of the German Marshall Fund of the United States. “That includes not having to take into account the views of traditional allies … It can produce successes. But it also brings with it systemic risks.”

One of those risks is the fracturing of alliances that have bolstered US power and goodwill for decades because Trump views traditional American friends as freeloaders.

He’s made no secret that he’d rather sit down with tyrants such as Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping – who he regards as strongmen in his own image – than leaders of allied nations that have shed blood with the United States to protect freedom and democracy.

Trump’s ‘social Darwinism’

While Trump’s foreign policy actions often seem sudden and ill-thought-out, there’s a clearer ideological basis to his second-term ambitions. It’s just a not very palatable one for nations that have long relied on the United States.

In a new article in the journal Internationale Politik Quarterly, two German foreign policy experts argue that Trump’s behavior is not that of an erratic or “short-tempered hothead” but rather exhibits a coherent worldview.

“Trump knows neither friends nor enemies, he knows only strength or weakness,” wrote former German Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel and Thomas Kleine-Brockhoff, a former adviser to the German presidency who now heads the German Council on Foreign Relations. Trump, they argue, “thrives in a world of social Darwinism.”

If this is the case, one of the pillars of US power has been lost.

The country that was a bastion of stability and led the West to face down Nazism and communism is now the most unpredictable force in global politics.

Trump is hardly the grand master of geopolitical chess he imagines himself to be. His tariff clash with China underestimated Beijing’s pride and unwillingness to fold. (China’s leaders want to run the world, too.)

And, paradoxically, Trump’s aggressive attempts to use US power could result in his frittering away of important areas of US leverage.

One possible outcome of the US trade war with China is a decoupling of the two deeply entwined economies. That could be a painful process for consumers in both nations. But it could also remove one of the factors that might deter Beijing from invading Taiwan: the possibility that a US trade cutoff during a time of war could destroy the Chinese economy.

A similar loss of power could be in store for the US in Europe.

If US allies follow through on vows to rearm amid fears about future US support, their independence might also weaken the Atlantic alliance that has multiplied American power for generations.

Trump’s approach is also shattering the trust allies placed in Washington, draining US non-military power and influence by the day.

Not only is the president apparently willing to recognize Putin’s illegal land grabs in Ukraine, he’s mulling one himself in Greenland.

And he’s reversed President John Kennedy’s maxim that the US does not lead by the example of its power but the power of its example. His disdain for human rights and the rule of law; his elevation of despots over democrats; and his eradication of foreign aid that kept millions of Africans alive may irrevocably tarnish America’s reputation.

Many US friends are now wondering whether they even share the same values as Americans who twice elected a president whose beliefs they reject.

Some US allies in Asia are starting to reexamine their assumptions about US support in a region increasingly dominated by China.

In Europe, Trump’s return to office has supercharged fears that the US has other strategic priorities and its allies must learn to fend for themselves.

“I think that Trump’s election victory has, in a sense, given history a shove, and that a concern that had been in some sense theoretical or a long-term anxiety has suddenly turned into a near-term priority to address,” said Lesser, who was speaking from Ankara.

Trump may think he is running the world now, but he is almost certainly making it more difficult for future presidents to do so.

Mac-Albert Hengari was arrested on Saturday after allegedly attempting to bribe the victim, now 21, to withdraw the case against him, the police say.

Hengari, 59, who has denied any wrongdoing, appeared in court on Monday and was denied bail.

This is the first major scandal for Namibia’s first female President, Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah, since she took office last month.

The statement from the president’s office did not indicate the reasons for the dismissal but said Hengari had also been dismissed from the National Assembly.

Hengari was nominated to parliament by the president to represent the ruling party, Swapo.

He is under investigation for multiple charges related to the case including kidnapping, rape and assault, police say.

On Monday he appeared before a magistrates’ court in the capital Windhoek facing a charge of obstructing the course of justice.

He and his co-accused will remain in custody until 3 June when the next hearing is scheduled. They were denied bail on the grounds that they could be a flight risk and could seek to contact witnesses.

The opposition Independent Patriots for Change said Hengari’s arrest “on allegations of rape, kidnapping and forced abortion” was a “profound failure of leadership and exposes the hollowness of government rhetoric on gender-based violence”.

It said the case came against a backdrop of “widespread gender violence”, with 4,814 gender-violence cases reported last year. The country has a population of three million.

The party also criticised the vetting process, saying the president had appointed Hengari “despite a criminal investigation having allegedly been opened in November 2024”.

President Nandi-Ndaitwah last month unveiled a cabinet described as ground-breaking for female representation – with nine out 14 members being women, including the vice-president.

The 72-year-old won November’s election with a 58% share of the vote.

She is a long-term member of Swapo – which has been in power since the country gained independence in 1990 after a long struggle against apartheid South Africa.

ALSO READ:

The Liberals need to win 172 of the House of Commons’ 343 electoral districts, known as seats, for a majority that would allow them to govern without support from a smaller party.

The Reuters Tariff Watch newsletter is your daily guide to the latest global trade and tariff news. Sign up here.

The Liberals were leading or elected in 161 districts, followed by the Conservatives with 150, with votes still being counted.

The westernmost province of British Columbia, where polls closed last, could decide whether Liberals fall short of a majority government.

Shachi Kurl, president of the Angus Reid Institute, a polling firm, told Reuters the Liberal win hinged on three factors.

“It was the ‘anybody-but-Conservative’ factor, it was the Trump tariff factor, and then it was the Trudeau departure … which enabled a lot of left-of-centre voters and traditional Liberal voters to come back to the party,” Kurl said, referring to the resignation of unpopular former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

Carney had promised a tough approach with Washington over its import tariffs and said Canada would need to spend billions to reduce its reliance on the U.S. But the right-of-centre Conservatives, who called for change after more than nine years of Liberal rule, showed unexpected strength.

Minority governments in Canada rarely last longer than 2-1/2 years.

The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation projected a Liberal win but did not yet say if it expected a minority or majority government.

The result, though, capped a notable comeback for the Liberals, who had been 20 points behind in the polls in January before Trudeau announced he was quitting and Trump started threatening tariffs and annexation.

“I look back to as recently as December, when everyone was writing the Liberal Party off,” Liberal Transport Minister Chrystia Freeland told CTV. “People were even talking about whether we would retain official party status in the next election. Tonight, when it is clear that we are going to form the government, from my perspective, that is an outstanding result.”

Freeland’s resignation from the Liberal cabinet in December after a clash with Trudeau led to his resignation.

Trump’s threats ignited a wave of patriotism that swelled support for Carney, a political newcomer who previously led two G7 central banks.

Trump re-emerged as a campaign factor last week, declaring that he might raise a 25% tariff on Canadian-made cars because the U.S. does not want them. He said earlier he might use “economic force” to make Canada the 51st state.

Carney has emphasised that his experience handling economic issues makes him the best leader to deal with Trump, while Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre has tapped into concerns about the cost of living, crime and a housing crisis.

Trump, in a social media post on Monday, reiterated his call for Canada to become the 51st state.

“Good luck to the Great people of Canada,” he said. “Elect the man who has the strength and wisdom to cut your taxes in half, increase your military power, for free, to the highest level in the World, have your Car, Steel, Aluminum, Lumber, Energy, and all other businesses, QUADRUPLE in size, WITH ZERO TARIFFS OR TAXES, if Canada becomes the cherished 51st. State of the United States of America. No more artificially drawn line from many years ago.”

CONSERVATIVE DISAPPOINTMENT

Tensions with the U.S. have caused supporters of two smaller parties, the left-leaning New Democratic Party and the separatist Bloc Québécois, to shift to the Liberals. The Conservatives, however, appeared on track to make gains in the seat-rich Toronto area to prevent a Liberal majority government.

The Liberals are the last party to win four consecutive elections in Canada, accomplishing the feat in 2004.

Poilievre focused his campaign on domestic issues and the need to fix a country that he said the Liberals had “broken.”

Neither the Carney nor Poilievre camp was immediately available for reaction to the CTV and CBC forecasts.

They had met a decade earlier when they were both undergraduates at the University of St Andrews on the Scottish east coast.

Rather than marking their anniversary at home, the Prince and Princess of Wales, one of the world’s most glamorous couples with Hollywood star appeal, will return to Scotland for a two-day visit to the Isles of Mull and Iona, part of the Hebrides archipelago off the west coast.

British media reported that following their official duties, they would spend their anniversary at a small, isolated self-catered cottage on Mull, famed for its dramatic and beautiful scenery.

The trip is a rare joint public outing for the couple, who have three children – George, 11, Charlotte, 9, and Louis, 7 – since Kate underwent preventative chemotherapy for cancer, for which she is now in remission.

“Scotland is incredibly important to me and will always have a special place in my heart,” William, who as heir holds the title Lord of the Isles, said back in 2021.

“George, Charlotte and Louis already know how dear Scotland is to both of us… We have no doubt they will grow up sharing our love and connection to Scotland.”

During their trip, they will travel to the town of Tobermory on Mull, famed for its brightly coloured houses which overlook the harbour, and visit a market, food producers and community hubs on the islands to hear about the importance of protecting the natural environment, their office said.

One of the children is a four-year-old with Stage 4 cancer who was sent without medication, a lawyer for the child’s family said.

Donald Trump’s border czar Tom Homan said the mothers had made the choice for their citizen children to be removed with them. “Having a US citizen child does not make you immune from our laws,” he said, adding the mothers were in the US illegally.

Trump faced a backlash during his first term for a policy that separated thousands of children from their parents.

On Friday, New Orleans Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials deported the two mothers and three children aged two, four, and seven, to Honduras from Louisiana, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) said in a statement.

The two families – including one pregnant mother – had lived in the US for years and were “deported from the U.S. under deeply troubling circumstances that raise serious due process concerns”, the ACLU said.

One of the US citizen children who was removed was suffering from metastatic cancer and was deported without the ability to consult with doctors, the advocacy group alleged.

Speaking to reporters at a news conference on Monday morning, Homan said deporting families together was better than separating them.

“We’re keeping families together,” he said. “What we did was remove children with their mothers who requested the children depart with them. There’s a parental decision.”

Homan dismissed the use of the word “deported” to describe the removal of the children from the country.

“They weren’t deported. We don’t deport US citizens. Their parents made that decision, not the United States government,” he said.

Last week, a federal judge said he had a “strong suspicion” that one of the children deported to Honduras, a two-year-old citizen, – was sent away with “no meaningful process”.

The Louisiana-born child and her family members were apprehended during a routine appointment at a New Orleans immigration office on 22 April, according to court documents.

Homan, in an interview with CBS Face the Nation on Sunday, said “the judge was due process”, adding that the two-year-old’s mother “had due process at great taxpayer expense and was ordered by an immigration judge after those hearings, so she had due process.”

A hearing has been scheduled in the case for 19 May for the government to address whether the family was given due process.

The second family was detained on 24 April, when ICE refused to respond to their attorneys’ and family members’ requests to contact them, the ACLU said.

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt on Monday touted the administration’s immigration enforcement actions during its first 100 days.

Leavitt said Trump would sign two new executive orders as a part of his crackdown on immigration, including one that directs officials to publish a list of places that administration has identified as “sanctuary cities”.

The term “sanctuary city” has been popular in the US for more than a decade to describe places that limit their assistance to federal immigration authorities. As it is not a legal term, cities have taken different approaches, some establishing policies in law and others simply changing policing practices.

Leavitt also touted an immigration raid at an “underground” nightclub in Colorado Springs, Colorado, on Sunday, where she said officials detained more than 100 undocumented immigrants and seized weapons and drugs.

The Drug Enforcement Administration wrote in a post on X that 114 immigrants were arrested and placed “on buses for processing and likely eventual deportation”.

Thousands of undocumented immigrants have been detained since Donald Trump returned to the White House on 20 January.

It added that 29 other people were rescued.

The boat sank in waters off the city of Abwabed near Sfax, a departure point often used by African migrants.

Search operations were underway for possible missing persons, said Houssem Eddine Jebabli, an official in the national guard.

Tunisia is grappling with an unprecedented migration crisis and has replaced Libya as a major departure point for both Tunisians and others in Africa seeking a better life in Europe.

Nwachukwu was found guilty of culpable homicide resulting in the death of his wife on April 8, 2022.

The judge held that the prosecution had proven the burden of proof placed on it by law and subsequently found the defendant guilty.

Nwachukwu was arraigned on June 3, 2022, by the Office of the Attorney-General of the Federation (OAGF), on behalf of the Federal Government, on a 23-count charge.

The charges included culpable homicide punishable with death, criminal intimidation, cruelty to children, criminal intimidation of children, spousal battery, and others.

During the trial, the prosecution called 17 witnesses, including two children of the late Osinachi, who testified as the fourth and fifth prosecution witnesses (PW4 and PW5), respectively. The prosecution also tendered 25 documents as exhibits before the court.

The defendant testified in his defense and called four other witnesses, tendering four exhibits.

Before sentencing, the defendant’s counsel, Reginald Nwali, pleaded with the court to be lenient in its judgment. Similarly, the prosecution counsel, Mrs. Aderonke Imala, urged the court to give force to the law as stipulated.

Justice Nwosu-Iheme subsequently sentenced Nwachukwu to death by hanging on Count 1, while he was sentenced to two years in prison each on Counts 2, 3, 8, 9, 12, 13, and 18.

The court also sentenced the defendant to six months in prison on Count 10, three years in prison on Count 11, and fined him N500,000 and N200,000 on Counts 6 and 7, respectively.

ALSO READ:

• Court dismisses no case submission by Osinachi’s  husband

• Osinachi begged me not to report her husband’s abuse – Neighbour tells court

Al Masirah reported that another 47 migrants were injured, most of them critically, when the centre in Saada province was bombed. It posted graphic footage showing multiple bodies covered in the rubble of a destroyed building.

There was no immediate comment from the US military.

But it came hours after US Central Command announced that its forces had hit more than 800 targets since President Donald Trump ordered an intensification of the air campaign against the Houthis on 15 March.

It said the strikes had “killed hundreds of Houthi fighters and numerous Houthi leaders”, including senior officials overseeing missile and drone programmes.

Houthi-run authorities have said the strikes have killed dozens of civilians, but they have reported few casualties among the group’s members.

The migrant detention centre in Saada was reportedly holding 115 Africans when it was hit on Sunday night.

Despite the humanitarian crisis in Yemen caused by 11 years of conflict, migrants continue to arrive in the country by boat from the Horn of Africa, most of them intending to cross into neighbouring Saudi Arabia to find work.

Instead, they face exploitation, detention, violence, and dangerous journeys through active conflict zones, according to the International Organization of Migration (IOM).

In 2024 alone, it says, almost 60,900 migrants arrived in the country, often with no means to survive.

Earlier this month, the Houthi-run government said a series of US air strikes on the Ras Isa oil terminal on the Red Sea coast killed at least 74 people and wounded 171 others. It said the terminal was a civilian facility and that the strikes constituted a “war crime”.

Centcom said the attack destroyed the ability of Ras Isa to accept fuel and that it would “begin to impact Houthi ability to not only conduct operations, but also to generate millions of dollars in revenue for their terror activities”.

Who are the Houthis and why is the US targeting them?

Last month, Trump ordered large-scale strikes on areas controlled by the Houthis and threatened that they would be “completely annihilated”. He has also warned Iran not to arm the group – something it has repeatedly denied doing.

On Sunday, Centcom said it would “continue to ratchet up the pressure until the objective is met, which remains the restoration of freedom of navigation and American deterrence in the region”.

Since November 2023, the Houthis have targeted dozens of merchant vessels with missiles, drones and small boat attacks in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden. They have sunk two vessels, seized a third, and killed four crew members.

The Houthis have said they are acting in support of the Palestinians in the war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza, and have claimed – often falsely – that they are targeting ships only linked to Israel, the US or the UK.

The Houthis were not deterred by the deployment of Western warships in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden to protect merchant vessels last year, or by multiple rounds of US strikes on military targets ordered by former President Joe Biden.

After taking office in January, Trump redesignated the Houthis as a “Foreign Terrorist Organisation” – a status the Biden administration had removed due to what it said was the need to mitigate the country’s humanitarian crisis.

Over the last decade, Yemen has been devastated by a civil war, which escalated when the Houthis seized control of the country’s north-west from the internationally-recognised government, and a Saudi-led coalition supported by the US intervened in an effort to restore its rule.

The fighting has reportedly left more than 150,000 people dead and triggered a humanitarian disaster, with 4.8 million people displaced and 19.5 million – half of the population – in need of some form of aid.

ALSO READ:

• US and UK launch fresh strikes on Houthis in Yemen

• Dozen die in Ramadan crush in Yemen

The proceedings, which opened Monday in The Hague, are rooted in a United Nations General Assembly resolution introduced last year by Norway and several other countries. The resolution requested the ICJ’s opinion on whether Israel has breached its obligations under the UN Charter by overriding the immunities afforded to the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA).

Central to the case is Israel’s decision, through two laws passed in the Knesset in October 2024, to sever ties with UNRWA, accusing the agency of harboring Hamas operatives. The legislation instructed the government to halt all cooperation with UNRWA, including visa support for its international staff — severely disrupting the flow of aid to Gaza.

The hearing comes as warnings of famine intensify in the besieged territory. According to the Gaza Government Media Office, more than 61,700 Palestinians have been killed in Israel’s military campaign, now entering its 18th month, with thousands still missing under the rubble. Medical officials in Gaza reported that Israeli forces killed 23 Palestinians in predawn assaults on Sunday, following a day in which at least 53 were killed across the Strip.

Meanwhile, the humanitarian situation has further deteriorated amid escalating regional violence. Houthi-affiliated media reported that U.S. forces bombed a detention center holding African migrants in northern Saada, Yemen, killing at least 68 people and injuring 47 others.

The ICJ hearings are expected to feature submissions from a range of countries. Statements from nations critical of Israel’s conduct are expected in the early days, while Israel’s supporters, including the United States and Hungary, are scheduled to address the court later in the week.

An estimated 1,139 people were killed in Israel during the Hamas-led attack on October 7, 2023, which triggered the current conflict. Over 200 individuals were taken captive during those attacks.

Following this week’s hearings, the ICJ is expected to deliberate for several weeks before delivering its advisory opinion — a ruling that, while non-binding, could carry significant political and diplomatic weight.

ALSO READ:

• Nkwanta South MCE organizes draining of abandoned underpass
• Nkwanta South residents praise MCE after long-abandoned underpass is cleaned

The announcement came during Sunday morning’s service. Jakes, along with his wife Serita Jakes by his side, named Pastor Sarah Jakes Roberts and Sarah’s husband, Pastor Touré Roberts, as the new senior pastors of the church.

The couple will begin their new roles in July. Jakes will remain on the Potter’s House Board of Directors.

The move signifies the mega-church is evolving its ministry into the future, uplifting a new generation.

“As your pastor-elect, co-senior pastor elect, I’m grateful, I’m honored as your daughter,” Jakes Roberts said, fighting through tears as she embraced her father.

T.D. Jakes’ 2024 “health incident”

In November 2024, Jakes suffered a heart attack during a morning service at Potter’s House, which was captured live on video. It was questioned whether he’d return.

“I cannot afford, especially after November, to risk something happening to me, and you be sheep without a shepherd,” Jakes said during the announcement Sunday.

Following the announcement to the congregation Sunday, the Jakes family sent out the following letter:

“Today we shared with the world our long-held plans of purposeful evolution for The Potter’s House and our global church family.

Preparing for this announcement over the past several years has allowed us as a family and a global church family to carefully balance the needs of our community worldwide and the pace at which we performed each step of our plan.

When members of our family moved from LA to Dallas, it was to be more active in the evolution of this growing ministry. In 2022, a handshake between generations took place as we said farewell to Woman, Thou Art Loosed and hello to Woman Evolve. And when we installed our two new assistant pastors in 2023, we continued to forge ahead in the vision we set long ago.

Today marks the continuation of our willingness to evolve as a church and step into broader roles to make certain we continue to meet the needs of this sensitive moment in our collective history.”

As we look across our great nation and survey the unyielding economic, societal and spiritual needs visiting our communities, it’s clear that we can’t afford to squander the potential of our youth or the elders who have paved the way. The hardships of first-time home ownership, the dire need to invest in the growing entrepreneurial landscape and a younger generation needing a home for their faith walk in the midst of increasing skepticism; these issues we face are not a tale of despair; they are a clarion call for change.

And together we will tackle these challenges and the need for this change in each of our unique ways.

As Pastors Touré & Sarah take another step up to further accept the mantle of daily ministry duties at The Potter’s House of Dallas ushering in a new movement and calling, the work of the T.D. Jakes Group to bolster job creation and 21st century workforce readiness, investing in the infrastructure of communities nationwide, lifting communities up from the margins to the center and working alongside like-minded partners to create thriving neighborhoods will be able to accelerate rapidly.

Together, we shall unite for the betterment of this generation and the ones that follow.”

Who is Bishop T.D. Jakes?

Jakes founded the non-denominational, multi-cultural church in South Dallas in 1996. It now has surpassed 30,000 members and has expanded across North Dallas, Fort Worth, and Denver. According to its website, the Potter’s House is consistently ranked as one of the largest and most influential churches in the nation.

Jakes is not only a world-renowned faith leader, but he also heads TDJ Enterprises, which is known for producing both motion pictures and book publishing. He is the leader of the T.D. Jakes Foundation — which promotes community outreach to improve education and housing.

Nigeria’s Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC) fined Meta last July for discriminatory and exploitative practices against Nigerian consumers, compared with other jurisdictions with similar regulations.

The East African country announced its latest outbreak on January 30 after the death of a male nurse who tested positive for the virus.

“Good news! The current Ebola Sudan Virus Disease outbreak has officially come to an end,” the health ministry said in a post on the X platform.

It added the declaration of the end of the outbreak, followed by 42 days “without a new case since the last confirmed patient was discharged.”

In the post, the ministry did not give the latest total caseload recorded during the outbreak.

In early March, when the ministry last reported on the caseload, it said at least ten cases had been recorded with two deaths.

Ebola infections are frequent in Uganda, which has many tropical forests that are natural reservoirs for the virus.

The latest outbreak, caused by the Sudan strain of the virus, which has no approved vaccine, was Uganda’s ninth since the country recorded its first infection in 2000.

Uganda also neighbours the Democratic Republic of Congo, which has recorded over a dozen outbreaks, including one in 2018-2020 that killed nearly 2,300 people.

The outbreak started in Kampala, a crowded city of about four million that is also a crossroads for routes branching out to eastern Congo, Kenya, Rwanda and South Sudan.

Although outbreaks have been common, health experts say the country has been able to leverage its experience battling the disease over the years to bring them under control relatively quickly.

Ebola is transmitted through contact with infected bodily fluids and tissue. Symptoms include headache, vomiting of blood, muscle pains and bleeding.

World leaders and dignitaries from across the globe were among those in attendance.

Francis died on Monday at the age of 88, just a day after he made his final public appearance to offer Easter greetings from a balcony at St Peter’s Basilica.

He became the first Latin American leader of the Catholic Church when he replaced the retiring Benedict XVI in 2013. Francis adopted a markedly less formal tone than previous popes in his time as the leader of the Church, underlining his reputation for simplicity and humility.

This simplicity was again evident in the wishes he had for proceedings following his death. He was laid to rest in a simple wooden casket rather than the more elaborate ones used for previous papal burials, made of three nesting coffins made of cypress, lead, and oak.

More than 100 foreign delegations attended the funeral including British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, French President Emmanuel Macron, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and US President Donald Trump.

World leaders and European royalty sat alongside rows of bishops and nuns as Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, dean of the College of Cardinals, delivered the final commendation and valediction – a prayer which formally entrusts the Pope to God.

Trump and Zelensky met privately inside St Peter’s Basilica minutes before Pope Francis’ funeral. It was the first time the two leaders had met in person since their televised argument in February that resulted in a deep breach between the two countries.

An estimated 250,000 people gathered in St Peter’s Square and the surrounding streets hoping to catch a glimpse of the procession.

After the funeral service, the Pope’s coffin was carried in an armour-plated ‘Popemobile’ through crowd-lined streets, across the River Tiber and past the Colosseum towards the basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore, where Pope Francis requested to be buried.

Although it was a short journey of about 6km (3.75 miles), it is a big change in tradition with Francis becoming the first Pope since Leo XIII, who died in 1903, to be buried outside the Vatican.

Pope Francis made his wishes for a simple burial clear in his will, saying: “The tomb should be in the earth; simple, without special decoration, bearing only the inscription: Franciscus.”

Authorities in Rome and the Vatican stepped up security measures this week to deal with the huge numbers flocking to say farewell to Pope Francis.

Swiss guards dressed in striped yellow, blue and red uniforms kept a close eye on proceedings in the Vatican. Often known as “the world’s smallest army”, this 135-strong force has protected the Pope for five centuries.

The Pope’s army hails from Switzerland because during the Middle Ages and Renaissance the Swiss developed a reputation for being among Europe’s best and most reliable mercenary soldiers.

There are some 1.4 billion Catholics across the world, with the majority of them in the Americas – although the Church’s fastest-growing population is in Africa. In Asia, some followed the funeral on TV or joined requiem masses for the Pope.

cardinals to the Vatican to begin the process of electing the next pontiff, known as a conclave.

A nine-day mourning period, known as Novemdiales, will also begin.

Two officers shot at the man around 07:00 local time (noon GMT), Ontario police’s Special Investigations Unit (SIU) said in a statement.

No police officers were injured, and “there is no known threat to the public”, according to the SIU, which is tasked with investigating incidents involving police shootings.

Authorities say that the shooting happened after they were called to a “dispute”. After several minutes of de-escalation attempts, the man pulled out a gun, and police opened fire.

On Thursday morning, Peel Regional Police officers were investigating a “man in distress” in an SUV at Terminal 1 departures, the SIU said.

Authorities said the incident happened near Terminal 1 departures.

Peel Regional Police Chief Nishan Duraiappah said officers spent about 10 minutes speaking to the group, which included two or three people who were in a dispute.

After “an immense amount of de-escalation”, one of the individuals “abruptly” withdrew a gun, the chief said. Officers opened fire on the man.

The man, who police have not named, was taken to the hospital where he was pronounced dead.

The incident temporarily sparked travel chaos at Canada’s busiest airport.

Police confirmed there were temporary road closures around the terminal, but airport authorities told the BBC that flights “continue to operate normally”.

Ontario Provincial Police advised drivers and commuters to “avoid the area”. Buses to the airport initially were rerouted, but Toronto’s public transit authority has confirmed that normal service has resumed.

Ontario Premier Doug Ford condemned the shooting.

“What’s the world coming to? You go to the airport and shootings is happening,” he said, according to CBC News.

Pearson airport is 20km (12 miles) away from Toronto in the city of Mississauga. It is the country’s busiest airport and sees more than 40 million passengers each year.

This is not the first time it has made headlines this year.

In February, a Delta Air Lines flight from Minneapolis overturned at Pearson and caught fire after skidding along the runway. All 80 passengers survived.

Partly it’s because it has been so long – 20 years – since a pope has died in office.

Benedict retired as Pope in February 2013, and his death nine years later, on 31 December 2022, was overtaken by the new year festivities.

Not since the death of John Paul II, six days after Easter in 2005, have we seen the traditions and rituals of a church mourning its reigning Pope.

But that alone does not explain the reaction of the public. His personality, more than anything else, endeared him to millions of people around the world.

His humility, sense of humour, approachableness, non-judgmental spirit; his willingness to engage in a conversation with the world rather than offer entitled proclamations; and his unpredictability, the sense we all had that he was unscripted and comfortable in his own skin – these were the aspects of Francis’s personality that led some to describe him as “the people’s Pope”.

In fact, many of the traits that could frustrate more conservative Catholics are what earned him a hearing from those outside his Church, those who struggle with faith, and those who have been hurt by religion in one form or another.

One pilgrim in St Peter’s Square told me she “loved” the Pope not because he was Pope but because he didn’t seem like a Pope.

He seemed like a simple pastor,” she said, “a wise friend, an older mentor, who walked alongside me”.

Just opposite the church where Pope Francis will be buried after today’s papal funeral, a large banner hangs from a building bearing a hand-painted slogan: “GRAZIE, FRANCESCO”.

The simple choice of words is telling: “Thank you, Francis”. Not “Your Holiness” or even “Holy Father”. Just “Francis”.

ALSO READ:

• Mahama signs book of condolence for Pope Francis [Photos]

• Tens of thousands queue to see Pope Francis’s body

The group included 15 failed asylum seekers and 11 foreign nationals who had completed prison sentences in the UK. Seven of the individuals reportedly returned voluntarily.

The charter flight, which took off on Thursday, marks the second deportation operation to Ghana and Nigeria since the current government assumed office, bringing the total number of returnees to the two countries to 87.

UK officials say the operation reflects a growing partnership between the British government and its counterparts in Accra and Abuja to curb irregular migration and enforce immigration laws.

“This flight demonstrates how international partnerships deliver on working people’s priorities for swift returns and secure borders,” said Angela Eagle, the UK’s Minister for Border Security and Asylum.

“Through the Plan for Change, we’re going further in restoring order to a broken system, accelerating returns of those with no right to be here and closing expensive asylum hotels,” she added. “I thank the governments of Ghana and Nigeria for facilitating this operation, which reflects our joint commitment to disrupt organised immigration crime and protect our borders.”

According to the Home Office, more than 24,000 people have been returned since the current administration took over—a figure representing an 11% increase over the same period last year.

Deportations of foreign national offenders have also increased by 16%, with 3,594 criminals removed.

Baroness Chapman of Darlington, Minister at the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, said international cooperation remains key to tackling irregular migration.

“Working with other countries and partners around the world is critical to tackling irregular migration—by working internationally, we will meet this global challenge together,” she said. “I welcome our strong cooperation with Ghana and Nigeria to return those with no right to be in the UK, secure our borders, and deliver on the Plan for Change.”

The UK government noted that Immigration Enforcement ensures all deportations are conducted in a “dignified and respectful manner.”

The operation comes on the heels of the recent Organised Immigration Crime Summit hosted by the UK, which brought together representatives from over 40 countries—including Ghana and Nigeria—to advance global efforts against human smuggling and irregular migration.

The Plan for Change is one of the UK government’s flagship strategies aimed at tightening border controls, reducing asylum backlogs, and repatriating individuals who have no legal right to remain in the country.

ALSO READ:

• UK edges towards youth visa deal with EU

• UK Supreme Court rules legal definition of a woman is based on biological sex

Witkoff is in the Russian capital for crunch talks on a potential ceasefire in Ukraine as Trump’s self-imposed deadline of ending the war within the first 100 days of his presidency nears.

The envoy was received by Putin at the Kremlin on Friday afternoon, Russia’s state news agency Tass reported, adding that Witkoff has also met with senior Russian negotiator Kirill Dmitriev.

Dmitriev and Russian presidential aide and former ambassador to Washington, Yuri Ushakov, were part of the meeting with Putin, Tass said.

This is Witkoff’s fourth trip to Russia since Trump returned to the White House in January, and the second one this month.

Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said Moscow was “ready to reach a deal” on ending the war in Ukraine in an interview with CBS News on Thursday, but added that there were still some specific points that needed to be “fine-tuned.”

The United States has been applying more pressure on Ukraine after threatening last week it could walk away from the talks “within days” if it becomes clear a deal cannot be reached.

The latest framework, presented by the Trump administration in Paris last week, proposed significant sacrifices from Kyiv, including US recognition of Crimea as Russian territory and Ukraine ceding large swaths of territory to Russia, according to an official familiar.

Vice President JD Vance on Wednesday called “to freeze the territorial lines at some level close to where they are today.”

Asked what concessions Russia was offering on Thursday, Trump replied, “stopping the war,” suggesting that not “taking the whole country” is a “pretty big concession.”

CNN reported this week that Trump was getting frustrated with the stalling talks and has privately told advisers that mediating a deal has been more difficult than he anticipated.

Recognizing Crimea, the southern Ukrainian peninsula Moscow ilegally annexed in 2014, as Russian would cross a major red line for Ukraine and its European allies, and would be in breach of established international law.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky rejected the idea, saying there was “nothing to talk about” as recognizing Crimea as part of Russia would be against Ukraine’s constitution.

Trump slammed Zelensky for the comments, saying they were “inflammatory” and made it “difficult to settle this war.”

Trump’s scolding of his counterpart in Kyiv came after a meeting in London aimed at bringing about an end to Russia’s war in Ukraine had been downgraded after US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said he wouldn’t attend.

The World Bank made this projection in its Africa Pulse report, released on the sidelines of the ongoing Spring Meetings of the IMF and World Bank in Washington, DC.

The report, among other findings, painted a dire picture of poverty in Nigeria, noting that while economic activity has shown some positive signs, the underlying challenges associated with resource dependence and fragility are expected to escalate poverty levels. This requires focused and effective governance reforms and inclusive economic policies.

The report noted that while Nigeria saw higher-than-expected economic growth in the final quarter of 2024, particularly in its non-oil sector, the country’s status as a resource-rich and fragile nation means it faces a concerning outlook for poverty reduction.

The report indicates that poverty rates in resource-rich, fragile countries, including Nigeria, are expected to increase by 3.6 percentage points between 2022 and 2027. This makes Nigeria part of the only group in Sub-Saharan Africa with a projected rise in poverty.

The report stated: “Sub-Saharan Africa has the highest extreme poverty rate globally, and a large share of the poor is concentrated in a few countries. About 80 percent of the world’s estimated 695 million extreme poor resided in Sub-Saharan Africa in 2024, compared to 8 percent in South Asia, 2% in East Asia and the Pacific, 5 percent in the Middle East and North Africa, and 3 percent in Latin America and the Caribbean.”

“Within Sub-Saharan Africa, half of the 560 million extreme poor in 2024 resided in four countries. Non-resource-rich countries are expected to continue reducing poverty faster than resource-rich countries.”

“Thanks to higher prices of agricultural commodities, non-resource-rich countries will see higher growth overall, despite fiscal pressures. Conversely, resource-rich countries are not expected to grow at the same rate given decelerating oil prices. As a result, resource-rich countries are expected to see less progress in terms of poverty reduction.”

“Importantly, poverty in resource-rich, fragile countries (which include large countries like the Democratic Republic of Congo and Nigeria) is expected to increase by 3.6 percentage points over 2022–2027, being the only group in the region with increasing poverty rates.”

“This follows a well-established pattern: resource wealth combined with fragility or conflict is associated with the highest poverty rates—an average poverty rate of 46% in 2024, 13 percentage points above non-fragile, resource-rich countries.”

“Meanwhile, non-resource-rich, non-fragile countries saw the biggest gains in poverty reduction since 2000 and fully closed the gap in poverty with other non-resource-rich countries by 2010.”

Consequently, the report suggests that for resource-rich countries like Nigeria, improving fiscal management and developing a stronger fiscal contract with citizens is crucial.

READ ALSO:

• Parliament’s Sanitation Committee opposes call to scrap YEA-Zoomlion contrac
• South Africa and Ukraine woo each other – as relationships with Trump turn sour

On Thursday morning, the queue to see the Pope, who is in an open coffin, stretched out of St Peter’s Square and down the street – the longest the line had become since his body was moved to lie in state on Wednesday.

Entry to the church in Vatican City had been due to stop at midnight local time (22:00 GMT), but opening hours were extended to accommodate large crowds.

The pontiff died on Monday at the age of 88 after suffering a stroke. He had spent five weeks in hospital earlier this year with double pneumonia.

Pope Francis was the first Latin American leader of the Catholic Church and held the role for 12 years.

Red-robed cardinals and white-clad priests escorted the Pope’s coffin from his residence to the basilica on Wednesday.

Bells tolled during the 40-minute procession, while the crowd broke into applause – a traditional Italian sign of respect.

Swiss Guards, who are responsible for the Pope’s safety, escorted his coffin to the church’s altar.

Public viewing began at 11:00 local time on Wednesday. By mid-afternoon, tens of thousands of people lined the square.

The church was supposed to close at midnight, but police told the BBC that it would stay open all night so that crowds gathered on the square could file past the coffin.

“I think the Pope was an amazing man, so I wanted to see him,” 13-year-old Edoardo, waiting after midnight with his parents, told the BBC. “I am really sorry. But I think maybe he will enjoy heaven.”

Viewing continued until 05:30 on Thursday, then closed for an hour and a half, before reopening at 07:00. The crowd became so large that some turned away.

“It looks like five or six hours, so we’ll come back later,” Catherine, from Birmingham, said.

The Pope’s body will lie in state in the church until Friday evening, when his coffin will be sealed during a liturgical rite at 20:00, the Vatican said.

The ceremony will be overseen by Cardinal Kevin Farrell, who is the Pope’s “camerlengo”, or chamberlain, and runs the Vatican until a new Pope is chosen.

Luis and Macarena, from Mexico, had come to Rome for their honeymoon and hoped to see the Pope for a special blessing. Luis said seeing the Pope’s final resting place would help them to feel a connection.

“Pope Francis is a saint, and he will bless us from heaven,” Luis said.

Mary Ellen, an American who lives in Italy, said she had come to the Vatican on an overnight train to “say goodbye”.

“I love Papa Francesco,” she said. “He’s humble, kind, and he loves immigrants. I know he’s put up with a lot of difficult things in the Vatican. He’s fought against power and the power of the Vatican to be a true Christian, true Catholic.”

Inside St Peter’s on Wednesday, the atmosphere was quiet and solemn as some people kneeled and prayed, before slowly moving on.

Many lingered to admire the staggering beauty of the basilica.

Two women who had waited for five hours to see the Pope said it was important to them to say goodbye to the pontiff.

“All these years I followed all he did and it’s as if I travelled all over the world with him, even if I was just at home. He liked going everywhere and prioritises the poor,” one woman said.

Fredrik, who is from Ghana but travelled from Poland, said the Pope had “done his best” and “it is left to us to continue the good works”.

Eva Asensio, a Mexican on holiday in Italy, said she felt an affinity for the Pope.

“We saw him as a good Pope – someone who supported everyone, no matter your sexual orientation, no matter where you came from. He united us,” she said with tears in her eyes.

Margaux, who is French and lives in Rome, said it was “powerful to live this”.

To her, Pope Francis meant “hope”, and his more progressive social views were “very important”.

“I hope the next Pope will follow his path,” she said.

Dignitaries from all over the world, including UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and Prince William, will attend the funeral on Saturday.

Pope Francis left clear instructions that he wanted a smaller ceremony in keeping with his simpler tastes as pontiff. He had arranged for a benefactor to pay for it all.

Unlike the vast majority of his predecessors, he will not be buried in St Peter’s, but in a church dedicated to the Virgin Mary in central Rome, beneath a tombstone inscribed only with his name.

Before being moved to St Peter’s, Pope Francis had been lying in an open coffin in the chapel of his home, flanked by Swiss Guards and cardinals in prayer.

His last public appearance was on Easter Sunday, during which he delivered brief remarks to the masses gathered in St Peter’s Square from a wheelchair.

He then greeted worshippers and blessed babies as he was driven in a car through the crowds.

His Papal apartments have been sealed, marking the start of the period known as the Sede Vacante – or empty seat – which continues until a new head of the church is elected.

The visit marked a diplomatic breakthrough for the Ukrainian leader in his efforts to counter Russia’s strong – and growing – influence in Africa.

“I’m sure that Russia will be annoyed by the visit, but I don’t think it can do much about it,” said Steven Gruzd of the South African Institute of International Relations think-tank.

But Russia disrupted Zelensky’s visit by carrying out an air strike on Ukraine’s capital Kyiv, forcing him to announce that he will cut short the trip by returning home immediately after meeting President Cyril Ramaphosa.

The South African leader said the visit had “reaffirmed” the bonds between the two nations, pointing out that Zelensky’s visit was the first in 33 years by a Ukrainian head of state.

Apart from a brief stopover in Cape Verde in 2023 while flying to Argentina, this was also Zelensky’s first visit to Africa since he became Ukraine’s president in 2019.

Ukraine grasped the diplomatic significance of African states when many of them, including regional powerhouse South Africa, refused to condemn Russia’s full-scale invasion of its territory in 2022.

“Ukraine neglected the continent in terms of foreign policy, but it has changed that over the last three years, doubling its embassies from 10 to 20,” Mr Gruzd told the BBC.

“But it’s in a very crowded space – Russia, China, Turkey, and the United Arab Emirates are all trying to increase their influence in Africa.”

Zelensky’s visit to South Africa at this point was especially significant, as Ukraine’s relationship with the US – its main weapons supplier – has soured since President Donald Trump took office in January.

He briefly paused military aid, denounced Zelensky as a “dictator”, and has accused Ukraine of being responsible for the war.

“Ukraine needs every bit of legitimacy it can get internationally, not just in Europe. Wars aren’t only won in the battlefield, but also in courts of public opinion around the world,” said Prof Siphamandla Zondi, a political analyst at the University of Johannesburg.

For South Africa’s President Cyril Ramaphosa, the visit was equally significant, as his country, too, was under intense pressure from the Trump administration.

“The US has turned diplomacy on its head,” Mr Gudz said, adding: “Everyone is looking for new friends.”

Ramaphosa saw Zelensky’s visit as an attempt to boost his credentials as a peacemaker, saying their talks focused on efforts to reach a “comprehensive peace”.

The South African leader also held a phone conversation with Putin ahead of Zelensky’s visit.

“We both affirmed the strong bilateral relations between our respective countries,” Ramaphosa said in a post on X.

“We further committed to working together towards a peaceful resolution of the Russia-Ukraine conflict,” he added.

Ramaphosa first tried to assume the role of peacemaker in 2023 when he led a delegation of African leaders to both Kyiv and Moscow in an attempt to mediate an end to the conflict.

The initiative came as South Africa faced a backlash from then-US President Joe Biden’s administration, which questioned its professed neutrality in the conflict after it held a naval exercise with Russia and China.

Relations worsened after Washington’s then-ambassador to Pretoria accused South Africa of supplying arms and ammunition to Russia.

Ramaphosa later appointed a judge-led inquiry to investigate the allegation. It found no evidence to back up the ambassador’s claim, but relations between South Africa and the Biden administration remained strained.

South Africa’s ties with Russia have not been a sore point for Trump, as he, too, gets along with Putin and has been pushing Zelensky to make a deal with the Russian leader.

However, Trump’s relationship with South Africa has reached rock bottom over its genocide case against Israel at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) and for what he calls the “unjust and immoral practices” against the white-minority Afrikaner community – an allegation Ramaphosa’s government denies.

Prof Zondi said South Africa would have to ensure that Ramaphosa’s talks with Zelensky did not hurt its attempts to mend relations with the Trump administration.

“South Africa will want to explain that it is adding to the efforts to build peace, and its role is not in competition with that of [the] US,” he added.

Ramaphosa was on cue, announcing on Thursday that he had spoken to Trump about the conflict in Ukraine.

Crucially, Ramaphosa also seized the opportunity to discuss relations between South Africa and the US, and said he and Trump had agreed to meet soon.

This would be their first meeting since Trump’s return to office, and Ramaphosa will be hoping that US-South Africa relations get back on track.

Earlier this month, Trump announced a 30% tariff on South African goods, although he later paused the hike for 90 days.

Ramaphosa will be hoping that their talks lead to Trump softening his stance, as such high tariffs would be a major blow to South Africa’s economy.

Ramaphosa’s talks with Zelensky also focused on strengthening trade ties with Ukraine, as South Africa’s economy was in crisis, with low growth and high unemployment.

“Any volume of trade, no matter how small, is critical for South Africa,” Prof Zondi said, adding that strong relations between the two nations could also benefit Ukraine in its efforts to extend its influence on the continent.

“South Africa could be Ukraine’s gateway to Africa because of its ports and financial systems,” Prof Zondi said.

If this happens, it would mark a new chapter in Ukraine-Africa relations, though not necessarily at the expense of Russia.

“Both Russia and Ukraine are the biggest exporters of cereals to Africa. Africa needs both. It cannot be expected to choose sides,” the analyst said.

The UK government is no longer ruling out a youth visa deal with the EU, ahead of a summit next month to “reset” relations after Brexit.

Labour has previously said it has “no plans” for such a scheme, which would make it easier for young people to study and work abroad.

But an agreement has emerged as a key European demand in ongoing negotiations between the two sides to boost co-operation. Downing Street declined to repeat its previous opposition to reporters on Thursday, saying it would not provide a “running commentary” on talks.

It comes as over 60 Labour MPs called on ministers to strike a “new and bespoke youth visa scheme for UK and EU citizens aged under 30”.

In a letter to EU relations minister Nick Thomas-Symonds, they argued a mutual deal for time-limited visas, subject to a cap, would “extend new cultural, educational, and economic opportunities to young people in the UK”.

Sir Keir Starmer met European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen later, as preparations increase for the summit in London on 19 May.

Following the meeting, a Downing Street spokesperson said: “Discussing the ongoing negotiations to strengthen the UK-EU partnership, they both agreed that good progress had been made.

“They asked their teams to continue their important work in the coming weeks, with the aim of delivering as ambitious a package as possible at the first UK-EU summit next month.”

The Labour government is aiming to forge closer economic ties to the EU after Brexit. Both sides have also expressed a renewed interest in a defence and security pact amid the war in Ukraine.

A defence deal would potentially unlock full UK access to a €150bn (£128bn) EU-backed loans scheme, with British firms otherwise limited to providing up to 35% of the value of projects funded under the programme.

Speaking at UK Trade and Business Commission meeting on Thursday, Germany’s ambassador to the UK Miguel Berger said he wanted to see progress on a youth visa deal as part of a “package approach” to the talks, where different topics are linked together.

He added that EU citizens had faced “many obstacles” to moving to the UK since Brexit, including “very high thresholds” for skilled work visas.

Existing schemes

The UK currently offers visas allowing young people from 12 non-EU countries including Japan, South Korea and Uruguay to study or work in the UK for up to two years. Those from Australia, Canada or New Zealand can extend by a further year.

These visas are subject to annual quotas, ranging from 100 visas for Andorra to 42,000 for Australia, with ballots held where they are oversubscribed.

Applicants from these countries need at least £2,530 in savings, cannot apply for most benefits, and have to pay an annual NHS surcharge of £776 for students and £1,035 for workers.

The European Commission first suggested an EU-wide youth deal in April last year, claiming Rishi Sunak’s government had approached European capitals to discuss individual visa deals, risking “differential treatment” of EU citizens.

Under its original proposal, people aged between 18 and 30 would be able to apply for visas lasting up to four years to work, study, train or volunteer, with no overall cap on the number of visas issued.

It also said EU applicants should not have to pay the NHS surcharge, and should be able to pay the same university tuition fees as British students, rather than the higher fees they have had to pay since Brexit.

‘Youth experience’

There have been suggestions that the Home Office, tasked with delivering government plans to lower overall migration, is pushing for any eventual agreement to be more limited than that suggested by the European Commission.

Home Secretary Yvette Cooper is reportedly arguing for visas to be limited to one year so that EU citizens taking part do not show up in official immigration figures, with applications also subject to an overall cap.

Asked about the reports, Mr Berger declined to comment, saying that “we have to leave that to the negotiations”.

The EU has been keen to stress that a visa deal would not replicate the bloc’s rules on freedom of movement, under which EU citizens were automatically entitled to live and work in the UK without applying for a visa.

Documents circulated between EU states also suggest a deal could be rebranded as a “youth experience” scheme, in an apparent bidto downplay any link to migration.

But any deal that is negotiated is likely to lead to a political row, with the Conservatives and Reform UK critical of a proposed agreement.

During a local election campaign visit earlier, Tory leader Kemi Badenoch said a deal risked “another avenue which people might use to game the system,” adding that Labour “doesn’t know how to negotiate”.

She added: “Where are all these people they want to bring in going to work?”

Reform leader Nigel Farage said a deal could lead to a “huge number of people” coming to the UK, adding it would be “completely against what the Brexit vote demanded”.

An agreement has however been strongly supported by the Liberal Democrats and the Greens, which have long been calling on the Labour government to reach an agreement with the EU.

In his comments on Thursday, Mr Berger insisted a deal would have “nothing to do with migration” as those taking part in the scheme would “go home” once their visa has ended.

A Chinese official said there had been no trade talks with the US, despite suggestions otherwise from the Trump administration.

The trade war between the world’s two largest economies has been escalating, with China sending back Boeing planes it ordered from the US in its latest retaliation over tariffs.

But Trump has appeared to soften his stance on China, saying that the taxes he has so far imposed on Chinese imports would “come down substantially, but it won’t be zero”.

A trade war between China and the US is in full swing, with Trump imposing import taxes of up to 145% on Chinese goods coming into the US, and China hitting back with a 125% tax on American products.

In one of China’s strongest statements yet over the tariff war, Commerce Ministry spokesman He Yadong said the US should remove all “unilateral tariff measures” against China, “if it truly wanted” to solve the issue.

“The person who tied the bell must untie it,” he added.

Separately, Foreign Ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun said China and the US had “not conducted consultations or negotiations on tariffs, let alone reached an agreement”.

He added that reports to the contrary were “false”.

Trump previously said negotiations between the countries were “active” – but this was also contradicted by US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, who said on Wednesday they had not yet begun.

Bessent added that there was an opportunity for a “big deal” between the US and China on trade.

He has previously said he expected a de-escalation of the “unsustainable” trade war, and said the current situation was “not a joke”.

Trump said on Tuesday that he would be “very nice” in negotiations with Beijing in the hope of securing a trade deal.

But following China’s latest comments, he said on his Truth Social media platform “Boeing should default China for not taking the beautifully finished planes that China committed to purchase”.

“This is just a small example of what China has done to the USA, for years,” he added, before repeating accusations that synthetic opioid fentanyl “continues to pour into our country from China, through Mexico and Canada, killing hundreds of thousands of our people”.

The boss of plane manufacturer Boeing revealed China had sent back aircraft it had ordered from the US as part of its retaliation to tariffs.

Kelly Ortberg said this week that two planes had already been returned and another would follow due trade tensions between the two countries.

China held a roundtable on Wednesday to address the concerns of more than 80 foreign firms over the impact of US tariffs on their investments and operations in China, the commerce ministry said.

“It is hoped that foreign firms will turn crises into opportunities,” said Vice Commerce Minister Ling Ji.

The authorities had previously said that only eight soldiers were killed.

The revised figure makes it the deadliest known attack since insurgents began operating in northern Benin at the beginning of the decade.

The attack has been claimed by an al-Qaeda-linked group – Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal Muslimeen, (Jnim), which is based in Mali but has in recent years expanded its operations to neighbouring countries.

The jihadist group had said it killed 70 soldiers in raids on two military posts in the north, according to intelligence group SITE.

Jnim is one of several jihadist groups operating in West Africa’s Sahel region, especially Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso, where the military governments are struggling to contain the insurgency.

Benin and Togo have seen a rise in jihadist activity in recent years, as groups linked to Islamic State and al-Qaeda spread to the south.

“Heavy losses for the nation,” wrote presidential spokesman Serge Nonvignon in a Facebook post on Wednesday.

Another government spokesperson, Wilfried Leandre Houngbedji, said that Benin was determined to continue the fight against the jihadists.

“We won’t give in… I can assure you that sooner or later, sooner or later, we will win,” he said.

ALSO READ:

• Ablakwa engages Ghanaians in Benin [Photos]

• WAPCo completes pipeline maintenance, resumes gas supply to Ghana, Togo, and Benin

Here we’ll break down what you’ll be able to see, separate fact from fiction and reveal exactly what this smiley face is.

What is the smiley face?

In short, the ‘smiley face’ is made up of an alignment of Venus, Saturn and the crescent Moon close together in the morning sky.

But the face is on its side. Imagine a smiley face rotated 90° clockwise, and that’s the sort of pattern that will be formed by the two planets and the Moon.

The thin crescent Moon makes the ‘smile’, while Venus makes the face’s right eye and Saturn makes the face’s left eye.

You can see what this will look like in the simulation below. Tilt your head to the right and Venus, Saturn and the crescent Moon form a smiley face pattern.

It will be visible from about 05:00–05:30 local time, wherever you’re observing from, low down and close to the eastern horizon.

It’s not uncommon for planets to appear close to the Moon in the night sky, and a planet appearing close to the Moon is known as a conjunction.

Two or more planets close to the Moon – like this ‘smiley face’ – is known as a massing in astronomy.

Will the ‘face’ really be visible?

There are lots of stories about the 25 April 2025 celestial smiley face circulating online this week, some of which are realistically detailing what will be visible, and some of which are being rather liberal with the truth!

Venus is a bright morning object all this week, rising in the east around 05:00 and visible before the Sun rises just before 06:00.

Each morning leading up to Friday 25 April, Venus rises in the same place at the same time, but the Moon tracks eastward each morning, moving closer and closer to Venus as it does so.

The Moon is a thin crescent, having been a full Moon on 13 April and now waning towards new Moon on 27 April.

This means that, by the morning of 25 April, Venus and the crescent Moon rise together in the morning sky around 05:00 BST, Venus above the Moon.

Bright Venus and the Moon will certainly be visible with the naked eye, provided you have a clear view of the eastern horizon.

The thing likely to make this ‘smiley face’ alignment tricky to see for many observers, however, is Saturn.

Saturn is very faint – much fainter than Venus – and is the last of the three to rise in the morning, sitting below Venus and the Moon in the sky.

And Saturn’s faintness, its low position in the sky and the timing of its rising – close to the oncoming glare of the rising Sun – means it’ll be tricky to spot.

See the smiley face – quick, simple tips

If you do want to see the smiley face, you’ll need a clear eastern horizon, clear weather and good timing.

Get yourself out of bed early!

Find a spot where you have a clear view of the eastern horizon, unobstructed by trees or tall buildings, for example.

Look to the east before sunrise, around 05:00–05:30 local time (give or take, depending where in the world you’re viewing from).

First you’ll see a bright ‘star’ above the horizon. That’s Venus.

Next, the thin crescent Moon will rise.

Saturn will rise at roughly the same time as the Moon, or just after it, depending on where you’re viewing from.

Of this triangle, Venus is at the top, the crescent Moon is bottom left, Saturn is bottom right.

Tilt your head to the right, and you may be able to see these three objects form a smiley face.

A word on safety

Caution must be taken, too. Venus, Saturn and the Moon will be rising in the same area of the sky as the Sun, and just before sunrise.

As a result, you should be careful not to observe the rising Sun with the naked eye.

We’ve also seen some outlets suggest observing the smiley face with binoculars.

This is unadvisable, and certainly for beginners, given its proximity to the rising Sun.

The Sun will be rising shortly after Venus, the Moon and Saturn, and accidentally catching a glimpse of the Sun through binoculars or a telescope could seriously damage your eyesight.

We would recommend making this a naked-eye observation only, and even then care should be taken not to look directly at the Sun.

That aside, we hope you do manage to see this beautiful triangle formed by Venus, the Moon and Saturn, a nice celestial event to see us into the weekend.

The suit, which is led by New York’s governor and attorney general, argues that the president lacked the authority to impose the levies. It notes that such tariffs must be approved by the US Congress.

Twelve states joined the lawsuit, which was filed with the United States Court of International Trade.

The White House accused New York Attorney General Letitia James of “prioritising a witch hunt against President Trump over protecting the safety and well-being of their constituents”.

White House spokesman Kush Desai added that the “administration remains committed to using its full legal authority to confront the distinct national emergencies our country is currently facing—both the scourge of illegal migration and fentanyl flows across our border and the exploding annual U.S. goods trade deficit.”

The lawsuit states that tariffs must be approved by Congress and questions Trump invoking a 1970s law called the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) to enact the levies.

“By claiming the authority to impose immense and ever-changing tariffs on whatever goods entering the United States he chooses, for whatever reason he finds convenient to declare an emergency, the President has upended the constitutional order and brought chaos to the American economy,” the lawsuit states.

Trump invoked the IEEPA as the basis for several of his tariffs against China, Mexico, Canada, and other countries.

A president can use the law “to deal with any unusual and extraordinary threat, which has its source in whole or substantial part outside the United States, to the national security, foreign policy, or economy of the United States,” if he has first declared a national emergency.

The lawsuit argues that the law does not actually grant Trump the power he claims to derive from it. The act has never been used to issue tariffs by any president, congressional research shows.

Last week, the state of California filed its own lawsuit against the Trump administration over tariffs. That lawsuit also argues that Trump lacks the power under the IEEPA to impose these tariffs. Several other lawsuits have similarly challenged Trump’s authority using that law for the levies.

Trump has implemented tariffs on global trading partners in a stated effort to correct what he believes is a trade deficit between the US and other nations.

On 2 April, in an event billed as “Liberation Day,” Trump shook the global economy by announcing “reciprocal” tariffs on nations across the world. A few days later amid a market backlash, he announced a 90-day pause on the tariffs and lowered the rate to 10% for most countries.

That pause didn’t extend to China, which Trump said had a “lack of respect” and was retaliating. Instead, the US issued a 145% tariff on goods imported from China, which has led to a trade standoff and rattled global markets.

On Wednesday, Trump said he hoped to come to a deal with China soon and noted the 145% tariff was “very high”.

The White House has also imposed 25% tariffs on certain goods from it’s neighbours, Mexico and Canada.

Kelly Ortberg said two planes had already been returned, and another would follow after trade tensions between the two countries escalated.

Boeing’s chief executive told CNBC that 50 more planes were due to go to China this year, but their customers had indicated they will not take delivery of them.

The US put 145% tariffs on imports from China and it hit back with a 125% tax on US products.

Speaking in the Oval Office on Tuesday, Trump said he was optimistic about improving trade relations with China, saying the level of tariffs he had imposed would “come down substantially, but it won’t be zero”.

However, Mr Ortberg said China “have in fact stopped taking delivery of aircraft because of tariff environment”.

Boeing is America’s largest exporter with about 70% of its commercial aircraft sales outside of the US.

Mr Ortberg said Boeing was assessing options to re-market 41 of the already built planes to other customers as there was high demand from other airlines.

He said there were nine planes not yet in Boeing’s production system and he wanted to “understand their intentions and if necessary we can assign to other customers”.

He added Boeing was “not going continue to build aircraft for customers who will not take them”.

Boeing in daily talks with Trump’s team

Later in the afternoon, Mr Ortberg told an investor call “there is not a day that goes by that we’re not engaged with either cabinet secretaries or either POTUS himself (President Trump) regarding the trade war between China and the USA.”

He added he was “very hopeful we’ll get to some negotiations”.

On Wednesday, America’s Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent told the International Monetary Fund (IMF) conference there was an opportunity for a “big deal” between the US and China on trade.

Asked about an upcoming meeting between the countries, Bessent said it would be an “incredible opportunity” to strike an agreement, if China was “serious” on making its economy less dependent on manufacturing exports.

Mr Ortberg also told investors others in the Boeing supply chain were now exposed to tariffs – mainly in Japan and Italy where universal tariffs of 10% are being implemented.

Brian West, Boeing’s chief financial officer said during the call “free trade policy is very important to us” and Boeing will continue to work to with suppliers to ensure continuity.

Boeing has reported smaller losses for the first quarter of the year after it manufactured and delivered more planes.

Production had slumped in 2024 due to a series of crises and a strike by about 30,000 American factory workers.

It wants to increase output of its 737 MAX jets to 38 a month in 2025.

ALSO READ:

• US tariffs pose low risk to Ghana’s trade surplus – IC Insights

• Tariffs on imported semiconductor chips coming soon, Trump says

The three countries, all under military rule, have officially exited ECOWAS after more than a year of diplomatic tensions.

Relations between ECOWAS and the trio have remained strained since military takeovers occurred in Mali in 2020, Burkina Faso in 2022, and Niger in 2023.

Following the coup in Niger, ECOWAS imposed severe sanctions on the country, including border closures, a no-fly zone for all commercial flights, and the freezing of central bank assets.

ALSO READ:

• It’s time for ECOWAS to reaffirm commitment to founding principles – Ablakwa
• ECOWAS has worked well for us, despite its huge setback – Emmanuel Bombande

The pastor, whose name was given as Peter James, was, until the incident, the head of charge of Christ Apostolic Church.

He was initially dragged to the palace for  allegedly impregnating the minor, said to be a member of the choir of the church.

According to close sources, the pastor had earlier allegedly impregnated their daughter and aborted the pregnancy without their knowledge.

The family source added that the cleric had earlier confessed to being the one who impregnated the girl.

However, trouble reportedly started when the pastor later denied ownership of the pregnancy, for which the matter was later intervened by the zonal headquarters of the church.

All efforts by his colleagues to persuade the pastor to accept responsibility for the pregnancy proved abortive.

According to the mother of the girl, Mrs. Victoria Bernard, the pastor denied the pregnancy because of the girl’s deformity and reported the issue to the police.

Governor Bago issued the directive during a security meeting held in Minna on Tuesday, stating that the measure was part of efforts to curb the resurgence of insecurity in the state capital.

“Anyone found in possession of any weapon, including knives and sticks, should be treated as an armed robber, and if killed, the parents must pay for the bullet before releasing the corpse. Anyone keeping dreadlock hair should be arrested and shaved,” he stated.

This pronouncement coincided with the governor’s imposition of a dusk-to-dawn curfew across Minna on Tuesday.

Governor Bago further pledged to deploy the full force of his administration against those responsible for perpetuating insecurity in the state.

DAILY POST reports that there has been a surge in attacks and killings in Benue and Plateau States over the past fortnight.

The announcement has been met with mixed reactions—some jubilant, others critical—as many argue it infringes on their right to personal choice.

We’ve taken a look at who was in the chapel and some of the symbolism on show in the images.

The most notable figure in the room is Irish-American Cardinal Kevin Farrell, who is the Pope’s “camerlengo” or chamberlain and runs the Vatican until a new Pope is chosen. The cardinal, in red mozzetta and cassock, is shown blessing the body of the late Pope during the rite of the declaration of death.

Pope Francis is dressed in red robes, holding a rosary and wearing the papal mitre – the large white ceremonial headdress. He is also wearing a simple silver ring.

During his inauguration, Pope Francis was given the Fisherman’s Ring – a symbol of his office – which Cardinal Farrell has the responsibility to destroy so it cannot be used by anyone else.

Pope Francis sometimes used this ring during ceremonies but was more often seen using the simple silver ring adorned with a cross.

One of the significant changes in tradition is the coffin that Pope Francis will be buried in. The coffins used for previous papal burials consisted of three nesting coffins made of cypress, lead and oak – but Pope Francis asked to be buried in a simple wooden casket.

He will remain in the open coffin for the lying in state, whereas other popes have been laid out resting on cushions on a platform.

The chapel itself is nestled within the Casa Santa Marta, a residential building containing more than 100 simple rooms that was built in 1996.

Triangular shapes are present throughout the chapel, in the construction of the ceiling and on the floor tiles, representing the Holy Trinity – a key belief in Christianity where God exists as the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.

On the ceiling behind the coffin is an inscription in Latin, which translates as “Come Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful”.

The Pope’s body is guarded by members of the Vatican’s Swiss Guard. They have protected the Pope since 1506, when Julius II first hired Swiss mercenaries for his personal protection.

Pope Francis will stay in the chapel until Wednesday morning, when his body will be transferred to St Peter’s Basilica in a procession starting at 09:00 local time. From then, he will lie in an open casket in the basilica, where mourners can pay their respects ahead of his funeral on Saturday.

Advance polling stations were open across the country for four days, from Friday to Monday, over the Easter long weekend. Poll workers reported long lines, with two million people casting their ballots last Friday alone.

With less than one week to go before election day on 28 April, federal leaders are now in the final stretch of campaigning.

Voters will consider which party should govern the country amid an ongoing trade war with the US and President Donald Trump’s repeated comments about making Canada the 51st US state.

Elections Canada, the organisation which runs federal elections, said 7.3 million Canadians – about a quarter of eligible voters – had cast their ballots, marking a 25% increase from early votes in the previous 2021 election.

Mail-in voting is up as well, with over 754,000 returning their special ballots to the federal agency. That is more than the 660,000 that did so in 2021.

Latest polling suggests Liberals have a 5-point lead over the main opposition Conservative party, as campaigning enters its last stretch.

Liberal leader Mark Carney held events in Prince Edward Island and Quebec, while Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre had a rally in Vaughan, a suburb of Toronto, on Tuesday evening.

Carney, the former central banker of Canada and the UK, has touted his party as the best option to deal with Trump and his tariffs.

“Pierre Poilievre has no plan to stand up to President Trump,” Carney told supporters on Tuesday.

The US president has implemented blanket 25% tariffs on goods from Canada, with an exemption on products covered by the USMCA – a North American free trade deal.

Canada is also hit with global US tariffs on steel and aluminium, and cars.

The northern country does a majority of its trade with the US, and the tariffs have already resulted in thousands of temporary layoffs in Canada’s auto sector.

A win for the Liberals would mark a dramatic reversal of fortune for the party, which had been polling at just 20% when former Liberal leader and prime minister Justin Trudeau announced his resignation in late January.

Their main rivals, the Conservatives, have focused their campaigning on Canadians’ desire for change following nine years of leadership under Trudeau.

At rallies and events across the country, Poilievre has honed in on issues like housing, crime and the high cost of living, while criticising the Liberals for government overspending.

“It’s time for the government to start pinching pennies,” Poilievre said on Tuesday as he unveiled his party’s platform, before adding: “We can choose change. We can choose hope. We can choose our future.”

Polls suggest the Bloc Quebecois, a party advocating for Quebec separatism that only runs candidates in the French-speaking province, is in third place, with the left-leaning New Democratic Party trailing behind in fourth.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the restructuring was designed to get rid of offices that are “misaligned with America’s core national interests”.

The planned cuts at the department include the Office of Global Criminal Justice, which helps set policy on the US response to war crimes and genocide.

A State Department spokesperson denied that Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (Doge) was behind the proposal.

The proposal would eliminate around 130 of 732 domestic offices and scrap 700 jobs as part of what Rubio presented as a major restructuring, which he said would cut out “radical ideologues” and “bureaucratic infighters”.

Rubio said the State Department cost and size had “ballooned” in the past 15 years.

“The problem is not lack of money, or even dedicated talent, but rather a system where everything takes too much time, costs too much money, involves too many individuals, and all too often ends up failing the American people,” Rubio said on Tuesday.

Another office whose functions look set to be radically changed is one which deals with refugees and migration.

The proposed overhaul does not go as far as some US media reported in the run up to the announcement. It does not impact US embassies and missions overseas, and some functions of offices being cut look set to be moved into other offices that will be retained.

But the planned changes are significant and echo the kind of language the White House and Musk, who has been tasked with slashing the size and spending of the government, have been using since Trump took office.

They have said the US government is beholden to radically liberal civil servants who stifle their conservative agenda, a position vehemently rejected by critics who have condemned the cuts.

Jeanne Shaheen, the leading Democrat on the Senate foreign relations committee, said she would scrutinise the proposed reforms, adding that the Trump administration had engaged in a “slash and burn” campaign of the federal government.

“The lack of transparency to date only underscores that they know this process has been deeply flawed,” she said.

When asked whether Doge was involved in the proposal, State Department spokeswoman Tammy Bruce said: “Doge was not in charge of this, but this is the result of what we’ve learned.”

Musk has already overseen the scrapping of the foreign assistance agency USAID, which has had most of its functions axed.

The head of the Catholic Church died of a stroke on Monday, aged 88, less than 24 hours after leading an Easter address. He had been in poor health after recently battling double pneumonia.

A host of world leaders and royals – including Sir Keir Starmer, Donald Trump, the Prince of Wales, and President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva of Brazil, home to the biggest Catholic population in the world – have confirmed their attendance.

Thousands of mourners have already flocked to Vatican City, carrying flowers, crosses and candles and reciting prayers.

On Tuesday, the Vatican released further details of the Pope’s final 24 hours.

Francis, who had recently spent five weeks in hospital, was slightly apprehensive about appearing on the balcony on Sunday.

“Do you think I can do this?” the Pope asked his personal nurse, Massimiliano Strappetti.

Strappetti reassured him and moments later the pontiff appeared on the balcony, blessing the crowd gathered in St Peter’s Square below.

The following morning at around 05:30 local time (03:30 GMT), Francis began to feel unwell. An hour later, he waved at Strappetti before slipping into a coma.

“Those who were near him in those moments say he didn’t suffer,” the Vatican said in a statement. “It was a discreet death.”

What happens before the funeral?

On Wednesday morning, Pope Francis’s body will be taken in a procession led by cardinals from the Chapel of Santa Marta to St Peter’s Basilica, where he will remain in an open coffin until Friday to allow mourners to pay their respects.

Just before the procession, a moment of prayer will be led by the camerlengo, Cardinal Kevin Farrell, who is running the Vatican in the wake of the Pope’s death.

The Vatican has released photos of the Pope’s body lying in the chapel at Casa Santa Marta – his residence during his 12-year papacy – dressed in a red robe with the papal mitre on his head and a rosary in his hand.

The general public will be able to visit St Peter’s Basilica from 11:00 to midnight on Wednesday, 07:00 to midnight on Thursday and 07:00 to 19:00 on Friday.

Bucking tradition, there will be no private viewing for cardinals, at Pope Francis’s request. The Pope’s coffin will also not be raised on a pedestal.

What time will the service take place?

The funeral will start at 10:00 in the square in front of St Peter’s Basilica.

Patriarchs, cardinals, archbishops, bishops, and priests from across the globe will take part. The dean of the College of Cardinals, Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, will lead the service.

Cardinal Battista Re will deliver the final commendation and valediction – a concluding prayer where the Pope will be formally entrusted to God – and the pontiff’s body will be moved to St Mary Major for the burial.

A nine-day mourning period, known as Novemdiales, then begins.

Who is attending the funeral?

Huge crowds are anticipated on Saturday, with as many as 250,000 people expected to attend the funeral.

Many heads of state and royals have confirmed their attendance,including Prince William, US President Donald Trump, Spain’s King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia and French President Emmanuel Macron.

Other political figures who have announced theywill attend include:

• Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva
• Polish President Andrzej Duda
• EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen
• Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky
• Javier Milei, the president of Argentina, Francis’s home country
• British Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer
• Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni

Where will Pope Francis be buried?

Pope Francis, who famously eschewed some of the pomp of the papacy during his life, will continue to break with tradition in death.

Historically, popes are buried in triple coffins in marble tombs inside St Peter’s Basilica at the heart of the Vatican. Pope Francis requested that he instead be buried at Rome’s Basilica of St Mary Major.

He will become the first pope in more than 100 years to be laid to rest outside the Vatican.

In his final testament, Pope Francis also asked to be buried “in the earth, simple, without particular decoration” and with the inscription only of his papal name in Latin: Franciscus.

His body was moved into the Santa Marta chapel on Monday evening, and his apartment formally sealed, the Vatican said.

When is the new Pope elected?

Following the funeral, a conclave of cardinals will convene to elect a successor.

The dean of the College of Cardinals has 15 to 20 days to summon the cardinals to Rome once the Pope is buried.

Several names have already been floated as potential successors, with more likely to emerge in the coming days.

Security Minister Mahamadou Sana said the coup attempt was led by current and former soldiers working with “terrorist leaders”. The intention was to attack the presidential palace last week, he added.

The aim of the plan was to “sow total chaos, and place the country under the supervision of an international organisation”, Sana said on state television on Monday.

It is the latest of several claims of attempts to remove the junta leader who seized power in 2022 amid increasing militant attacks.

Burkina Faso, like its Sahel neighbours, has been battling armed jihadist groups, with an estimated 40% of the country under their control

Despite promises by Capt Traoré’s military government to improve security and even seeking new security partnerships with Russia, the situation remains dire with frequent attacks from insurgents.

In this latest coup attempt, which happened last week but details of which have only just been released, Sana said the plotters attempted to use Burkinabe religious and traditional leaders to sway army officers into backing the plan.

“The manoeuvre was to culminate, according to the terrorist plotters’ plan, on Wednesday 16 April, 2025 in an assault on the presidency of (Burkina) Faso by a group of soldiers recruited by the nation’s enemies,” he said.

“The brains outside the country are all located in Ivory Coast,” he added, naming in particular two former army officers, believed to be behind the plot.

He said “sensitive information was passed on to “terrorists” to increase attacks on the military and civilians and “incite a revolt against the authorities”.

Last week, several military personnel, including two officers, were arrested for planning to “destabilise” the government, security sources told the AFP news agency.

The Ivorian authorities have not yet commented on claims it hosted the plotters but the Burkinabe junta has often blamed its southern neighbour of supporting its opponents in exile.

The latest claim comes months after Ouagadougou said it thwarted another “destabilisation” plot against the junta last November.

Burkina Faso, along with two other military-led states – Mali and Niger, has broken away from the regional West African bloc, Ecowas, to form a new alliance.

They have cut ties with former colonial power France and allied with Russia instead.

ALSO READ:

• Burkina Faso reverses cereal export ban to Ghana following Mahama’s intervention

• ECOWAS officially withdraws Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso from body

Speaking in an interview on Adom FM’s Dwaso Nsem, Rev. Dr. Opuni Frimpong said the late pontiff’s humility, simplicity, and commitment to social cohesion should serve as a lesson to Christians across the world.

“His death is painful, but it glorifies God. He has done his part on this earth. Although I am not Roman Catholic, I admire his humbleness — it is something we all must learn,” he remarked.

The Executive Director of the Alliance for Christian Advocacy praised Pope Francis for living a life of service, noting that his leadership stood in sharp contrast to some church leaders who, rather than serve, seek to dominate or subvert others when placed in positions of power.

“The Pope came to serve, not to subvert. Unlike some pastors who use their position to look down on people, Pope Francis remained humble and accessible,” he said.

Rev. Dr. Opuni Frimpong stressed that the Pope’s life reflected the true essence of Christian leadership.

“He was simple; he lived among the people, and even though he suffered at the hands of some, his humility never changed. If God raises us to higher positions, we must learn to be humble like him,” he urged.

He further encouraged pastors and Christians alike to adopt the Pope’s approach to human relationships.

“If you’re a pastor and you don’t take care, pride can set in. But if we learn from Pope Francis, we will treat people with respect and humility,” he added.

The Vatican announced on Monday, April 21, that Pope Francis had passed away at the age of 88, days after being discharged from hospital where he had been treated for an infection.

For Rev. Dr. Opuni Frimpong, the Pope’s life leaves behind a lasting message.

“If everyone will learn from his ways, the world will be a better place. He lived a simple life, and that is something worth emulating.”

ALSO READ:

• Ghana Catholic Bishops request prayers following Pope Francis’ death
• ‘We have lost a shepherd’ – Some Accra Catholics mourn Pope…
• May his legacy inspire us – Bawumia mourns passing of Pope…

The Vatican announced on Monday, April 21, that Pope Francis had died at the age of 88, having recently been discharged from hospital following five weeks of treatment for an infection.

Many parishioners were overcome with emotion, recalling the Pope’s legacy of compassion, inclusivity, and devotion to the poor.

Speaking to JoyNews, one mourner shared:
“I’m sad. I was screaming in the crowd, very sad. There were tears in my eyes, and I pray to God that He should receive his soul, because he has been a wonderful Pope.”

Another parishioner remembered Pope Francis for his humility and progressive vision for the Church.
“I remember him for his love for the poor and his desire to open the Church. And we believe that God will grant us a successor who will continue his legacy.”

For many, the sense of loss felt deeply personal.
“He doesn’t discriminate, and when it is necessary for all of us Catholics to pray for something, he would come out openly and say so. I just felt that I have lost something. I’m hurt, in a way.”

Pope Francis was elected to lead the Catholic Church in 2013, succeeding Pope Benedict XVI. His passing marks the end of a transformative papacy, and for the faithful gathered in Accra, it is not just the loss of a pontiff, but of a spiritual father.

ALSO READ:

• Pope Francis dead at 88, Vatican confirms

• 10 interesting facts you didn’t know about Pope Francis

Dozens of activists took the streets in protest, raising slogans against President Kais Saied and demanding an end to the harassment, silencing and imprisonment of critics.

Souab is among the lawyers acting for opposition leaders who received lengthy prison sentences on Saturday on conspiracy charges.

Souab strongly criticised the judge and the trial on Friday, calling it a farce and saying the judiciary had been completely destroyed.

Protesters on Monday marched to Habib Bourguiba Avenue, the main thoroughfare in Tunis, and chanted, “No fear, no terror, the street belongs to the people.” “Dictator Saied, your turn has come”.

“It seems he was detained because of his critical comments on the trial on Friday,” said Samir Dilou, one of Souab’s lawyers. Two others lawyers confirmed the detention.

A spokeswoman for the terrorism court said Souab was detained in a case on “terrorism-related charges” over a video which was seen as a threat to judges.

Political parties rejected the rulings, saying they were retaliatory after a trial aimed at cementing Saied’s authoritarian rule.

Rights groups say Saied has had full control over the judiciary since he dissolved parliament in 2021 and began ruling by decree. He dissolved the independent Supreme Judicial Council and sacked dozens of judges in 202

“The mass conviction of dissidents…is a disturbing indication of the authorities’ willingness to go ahead with its crackdown on peaceful dissent,” the human rights group Amnesty International said.

Those convicted included prominent leaders of the Islamist Ennahda party, the main opposition party to Saied.

Ennahda’s vice president, Noureddine Bhiri, received a 43-year prison sentence, while the court sentenced two senior party officials, Said Ferjani and Sahbi Atig, to ​​13 years each.

The largest sentence was 66 years for businessman Kamel Ltaif, while opposition politician Khyam Turki received a 48-year sentence.

Authorities say the defendants, who include former head of intelligence Kamel Guizani and the former head of Saied’s office, Nadia Akacha, tried to destabilise the country and overthrow Saied.

The opposition leaders denied the accusations and said they were preparing an initiative aimed at uniting the fragmented opposition.

Saied said in 2023 that the politicians were “traitors and terrorists” and judges who would acquit them were their accomplices.

Nadine Menendez, 58, was found guilty on all 15 counts, including bribery and obstruction of justice, for aiding her husband, ex-Sen Robert Menendez, who received lavish gifts in exchange for political favours.

She was indicted with her husband in September 2023, but had her trial delayed for breast cancer treatments.

A sentencing date for Menendez has been set for 12 June. Her husband was convicted in July 2024 and sentenced to 11 years in prison.

In a statement, the US attorney’s office for the Southern District of New York said the couple were “partners in crime” who participated in “corrupt official acts”.

“Today’s verdict sends the clear message that the power of government officials may not be put up for sale,” the statement said.

During the trial, prosecutors argued that Menendez was an indispensable part of her husband’s bribery scheme, telling the jury it was she who often accepted the cash and other gifts on behalf of the former senator.

Her husband, at the time, was the top-ranking Democrat on the powerful Senate Foreign Relations Committee for more than five years, a position that gave him significant influence over US foreign policy.

“She was keeping him in the loop every step of the way,” Paul M Monteleoni, a prosecutor, said in a closing argument, the New York Times reported.

Menendez’s lawyers said the government failed to prove a link between the gold and stacks of cash found in the couple’s home to any “official act” taken by her husband.

Her lawyer, Barry Coburn, said he was “devastated by the verdict”, standing outside the New York courthouse on Monday afternoon.

“We fought hard and it hurts,” Mr Coburn said. “This is a very rough day for us.”

Menendez and her husband were convicted of participating in a wide-ranging scheme to secretly aid the Egyptian government using the former senator’s perch in Washington, prosecutors had said.

The government backed up its claims with evidence from a 2022 FBI search at the couple’s New Jersey home that included over $100,000 (£80,000) worth of gold bars and hundreds of thousands of dollars in cash in envelopes or hidden in clothes.

They also showed digital evidence that included text messages between the couple and their associates, and a Google search by the former senator that said: “How much is one kilo of gold worth?”

Fred Daibes, a New Jersey property developer, and Wael Hana, the Egyptian-born operator of a halal certification company, were also charged and convicted for their roles.

Insurance broker Jose Uribe pleaded guilty in March 2024 to charges related to the corrupt scheme.

The first Latin American leader of the Roman Catholic Church,  died at the age of 88 on Monday. He had suffered various ailments in his 12 year papacy, with severe complications in recent weeks.

In the statement, the Vatican announced that Pope Francis died on Easter Monday, April 21, 2025, at the age of 88 at his residence in the Vatican’s Casa Santa Marta.

At 9:45 AM, Cardinal Kevin Farrell, Camerlengo of the Apostolic Chamber, announced the death of Pope Francis from the Casa Santa Marta with these words:

“Dearest brothers and sisters, with deep sorrow I must announce the death of our Holy Father Francis. At 7:35 this morning, the Bishop of Rome, Francis, returned to the house of the Father. His entire life was dedicated to the service of the Lord and of His Church. He taught us to live the values of the Gospel with fidelity, courage, and universal love, especially in favor of the poorest and most marginalized. With immense gratitude for his example as a true disciple of the Lord Jesus, we commend the soul of Pope Francis to the infinite merciful love of the One and Triune God.”

The Pope was admitted to the Agostino Gemelli Polyclinic Hospital on Friday, February 14, 2025, after suffering from a bout of bronchitis for several days.

Pope Francis’ clinical situation gradually worsened, and his doctors diagnosed bilateral pneumonia on Tuesday, February 18.

After 38 days in hospital, the late Pope returned to his Vatican residence at the Casa Santa Marta to continue his recovery.

In 1957, in his early 20s, Jorge Mario Bergoglio underwent surgery in his native Argentina to remove a portion of his lung that had been affected by a severe respiratory infection.

As he aged, Pope Francis frequently suffered bouts of respiratory illnesses, even cancelling a planned visit to the United Arab Emirates in November 2023 due to influenza and lung inflammation.

In April 2024, the late Pope Francis approved an updated edition of the liturgical book for papal funeral rites, which will guide the funeral Mass which has yet to be announced.

The second edition of the Ordo Exsequiarum Romani Pontificis introduces several new elements, including how the Pope’s mortal remains are to be handled after death.

The ascertainment of death takes place in the chapel, rather than in the room where he died, and his body is immediately placed inside the coffin.

According to Archbishop Diego Ravelli, Master of Apostolic Ceremonies, the late Pope Francis had requested that the funeral rites be simplified and focused on expressing the faith of the Church in the Risen Body of Christ.

“The renewed rite,” said Archbishop Ravelli, “seeks to emphasise even more that the funeral of the Roman Pontiff is that of a pastor and disciple of Christ and not of a powerful person of this world.”

Two others are missing off the coasts of New South Wales and Victoria states.

On Saturday, the body of a man was found in the water near Tathra in southern New South Wales. It came a day after a 58-year-old fisherman and two other men were found dead in separate incidents in the state.

Rescuers are searching for a man who was washed into the water near Sydney. Also on Friday, one woman drowned and a man is missing after their group was swept into the sea in San Remo in Victoria.

“One of the women managed to make her way back to shore but the other woman and the man were unable to,” Victoria police said.

Victoria Premier Jacinta Allan said it marked an “awful start” to the Easter weekend.

“My thoughts are with the family of someone who has lost their life in such tragic circumstances, and potentially there is more difficult news to come,” she said.

Australia’s eastern states have been battered by dangerous waves.

The head of the charity Surf Life Saving Australia, Adam Weir, advised holidaymakers to visit patrolled beaches after their data showed 630 people had drowned at unpatrolled beaches in the past 10 years.

“But these coastal locations can present dangers, some that you can see and some that you can’t, which is why we have some simple advice: Stop, Look, Stay Alive.”

Churches nationwide were also packed with devotees attending Masses and prayers, while others joined various religious processions despite temperatures above 40 degrees Celsius in places.

In over a dozen areas in the country, penitents were nailed to wooden crosses while others whipped their backs bloody as an annual ritual for thanksgiving, penance and prayers.

The most popular site of the crucifixions is the village of San Pedro Cutud, about 60km (37 miles) north of Manila, where thousands of visitors gathered to witness the extreme acts of faith.

Ruben Enaje, 64, took the lead role in the tradition in San Pedro Cutud and was nailed to the cross for the 36th time after carrying a wooden cross weighing 27kg (60lbs) for nearly 2km.

The grandfather of seven said he had to make adjustments to the cross he carried to make it lighter from the original weight of 37kg.

“Unfortunately, I am getting weaker with age,” he said ahead of the ritual. “The cross has become too heavy for me to carry so I had to shave off 10kg.”

“I will try to still take part in the ritual next year, but if not, I know someone will take my place and continue the tradition,” he added.

In the nearby village of Sta Lucia, 60-year-old Joselito Capili was nailed to the cross for the 20th time.

Capili, a part-time construction worker, said he started being crucified in 2002 to pray for healing of his father who was diagnosed with cancer. While his father died one year later, he continued the vow to seek protection for his family.

“We are all healthy, my wife, two children and my six grandchildren,” he said. “We have a good life but I’m afraid I won’t be able to do this much longer. I already get dizzy because I’m old. Maybe I can continue only for a few more years.”

The Catholic Church does not encourage the extreme acts of faith, but does little to stop the practice.

Good Friday is a solemn Christian observance that commemorates the crucifixion and death of Jesus Christ; it falls during Holy Week and leads up to Easter Sunday, in which the faithful celebrate his resurrection.

Easter week is the most important religious event in the Philippines, where more than 85 per cent of the population is Catholic.

Most of the week had been declared public holidays to allow Filipinos to visit their home provinces or take holidays. Government offices, private companies and commercial establishments are closed.

The US president told reporters in the Oval Office on Friday that he was not expecting a truce to happen in “a specific number of days” but he wanted it done “quickly”.

His comments came hours after US Secretary of State Marco Rubio warned that the US would abandon talks unless there were clear signs of progress within days.

“We’re not going to continue with this endeavour for weeks and months on end,” Rubio said, adding that the US had “other priorities to focus on”.

This comes as Russian strikes on Ukraine continue, with two people reported killed and more than 100 injured in the north-eastern cities of Kharkiv and Sumy on Friday.

Moscow launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, and Russian troops have been advancing – albeit slowly – in eastern Ukraine.

President Vladimir Putin has placed a number of conditions on any potential ceasefire.

Trump’s direct diplomacy with Putin and sharp criticism of Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky have raised concern among Nato allies, who argue that support for Kyiv must be maintained.

When asked about a deal between Russia and Ukraine on Friday, Trump said: “We’re talking about here people dying. We’re going to get it stopped, ideally.

“Now if, for some reason, one of the two parties makes it very difficult, we’re just going to say, ‘you’re fools, you’re horrible people,’ and we’re going to just take a pass.”

Despite the Trump administration’s initial confidence that it could secure a deal quickly, attempts to reach a full ceasefire have yet to materialise, with Washington blaming both sides.

Following a meeting with European leaders in Paris about a potential ceasefire on Thursday, Rubio told reporters on Friday: “We need to determine very quickly now – and I’m talking about a matter of days – whether or not this is doable.”

“If it’s not going to happen, then we’re just going to move on,” he said about truce talks.

He admitted that a peace deal would be difficult to strike.

Trump had said before he re-entered office that he would stop the fighting in the first 24 hours of his presidency.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, when asked to respond to Trump saying he expected an answer from Russia on a ceasefire, said “the negotiations taking place are quite difficult”.

“The Russian side is striving to reach a peace settlement in this conflict, to ensure its own interests, and is open to dialogue,” he said.

During a meeting with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni in Rome on Friday, US Vice-President JD Vance said he was still “optimistic” about ending the Ukraine war.

“I want to update the prime minister on some of the negotiations between Russia, Ukraine, and also some of the things that have happened even in the past 24 hours,” he said.

“I won’t prejudge them, but we do feel optimistic that we can hopefully bring this war – this very brutal war – to a close.”

Vance’s comments followed separate news that Ukraine and the US took the first step towards striking a minerals deal, after an initial agreement was derailed when a February meeting between Trump and President Zelensky erupted into a public shouting match.

On Thursday, the two countries signed a memorandum of intent on setting up an investment fund for Ukraine’s reconstruction as part of an economic partnership agreement.

The aim is to finalise the deal by 26 April, the memo published by the Ukrainian government says.

The details of any deal remain unclear. Previous leaks have suggested the agreement has been extended beyond minerals to control of Ukraine’s energy infrastructure, as well as its oil and gas.

Ukrainian negotiators have tried to resist Trump’s demands that a joint investment fund would pay back the US for previous military aid, but have seemingly accepted his claim that it would help the country recover after the war ends.

The memo said the “American people desire to invest alongside the Ukrainian people in a free, sovereign and secure Ukraine”.

Zelensky had been hoping to use the deal to secure a US security guarantee in the event of a ceasefire deal, telling European leaders last month that “a ceasefire without security guarantees is dangerous for Ukraine”.

The US has so far resisted providing Kyiv with security guarantees.

The White House argues the mere presence of US businesses would put off Russia from further aggression, but that did not exactly work when they invaded in 2022.

Economy Minister Yulia Svyrydenko announced the signing of the memorandum on X, with pictures of Svyrydenko and US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent separately signing the document over an online call.

“There is a lot to do, but the current pace and significant progress give reason to expect that the document will be very beneficial for both countries,” Svyrydenko wrote.

Bessent said the details were still being worked out but the deal is “substantially what we’d agreed on previously.”

Trump hinted at the deal during a press conference with Meloni, saying “we have a minerals deal which I guess is going to be signed on (next) Thursday… and I assume they’re going to live up to the deal. So we’ll see. But we have a deal on that”.

Ivanna Klympush-Tsintsadze, an MP and the chair of Ukraine’s parliamentary committee on EU Integration, told the BBC the Ukrainian parliament would have “the last word” in the deal.

She added: “I hope that there will be enough reasoning to ensure that whatever is signed, and if it is going to be ratified that it is in the interest of our country and our people”.

On Thursday, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha met Rubio and Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff in Paris to discuss how to end the war.

Sybiha said they had “discussed the paths to a fair and lasting peace, including full ceasefire, multinational contingent, and security guarantees for Ukraine”.

Several people also sustained severe injuries, while many have gone missing.

The attack came less than 24 hours after residents of the area raised the alarm over the influx of AK-47-bearing herders who moved freely around the communities, unrestricted.

A source in the area disclosed that the armed herdsmen stormed Tyuluv, Saror, and Mbawar communities Thursday night, “and started shooting indiscriminately into early Friday and killing several persons and injured many.”
“Before the attack, they came to our communities with thousands of cows armed with AK-47 rifles, but no one could talk to them because they were ready to kill anyone.

“As we speak, people are fleeing their homes, and the painful thing is that nowhere is safe anymore because they are almost everywhere.

“Among those they killed in Ukum was a family of eight, including children and women who could not escape before they got to them.

“From what we heard, the people also attacked neighboring Logo LGA, and this morning, corpses were being moved from the villages to the mortuary at Anyiin. Those killed in the two LGAs were so many.

“From all indications, they want to take over the Sankera axis of Benue State, which is the food basket of the state. It is a dire situation because our people are already preparing to commence the season’s farming, and this is happening. Food is already very expensive in the state, and now this is happening.”

Confirming the development, the Benue State Police Command, in a statement by its Public Relations Officer, Chief Superintendent CSP Catherine Anene, said 17 bodies had been removed from the scenes of the attacks.

Part of the statement read, “On April 17, 2025, at about 9 p.m., information was received that a large number of suspected militia had invaded the Sankera axis of Benue State with the intention to attack communities around Gbagir, Ukum LGA.

“Upon receipt of this report, the Commissioner of Police, Benue State Police Command, Mr. Steve Yabanet, ordered tactical teams to move to the area and join forces with police officers on the ground and other security agencies to forestall the attack.

“Following this order, a team of officers moved to the area and engaged them. While the attackers were being repelled in the early hours of today, they shot sporadically at unsuspecting farmers as they came across them.
Five persons were recovered in the Gbagir area and taken to the hospital, where they were confirmed dead.

“Unfortunately, an unsuspected simultaneous attack was carried out in Logo LGA, where 12 persons were killed before the arrival of the police, making a total of 17 persons.

“However, security agencies within the Sankera axis are still engaging the bandits as they retreat back to the forest around the Taraba axis.

“The Police Commissioner warns social media users who are reporting unconfirmed reports and inciting the general public to desist from such actions that are capable of creating unnecessary tension in the state.

“He reiterates his commitment to fight the attackers and encourages the good people of Sankera to continue to cooperate with the police as the operation is ongoing.”

Michael Sang Correa was found guilty of being part of a conspiracy to commit torture against suspected opponents while serving under a military unit known as the “Junglers”.

“The torture inflicted by Michael Sang Correa and his co-conspirators is abhorrent,” the Justice Department said.

It follows a week-long trial in Denver, Colorado, under a rarely used law that prosecutes crimes committed outside the US.

Correa was first detained in the US in 2019 for overstaying his visa, three years after settling in Denver where he reportedly worked as a day labourer.

The 46-year-old was charged in 2020 with torture and conspiracy to commit the torture of at least six people in The Gambia under a seldom-used law that allows people to be tried by the US judicial system for torture allegedly committed abroad.

He is the first non-US citizen to be convicted on torture charges in a federal district court for crimes committed overseas, according to the Department of Justice. The law has only been used twice since it was enacted in 1994 but both of the previous cases were brought against US citizens.

The Department of Justice said Correa “tried to evade responsibility for his crimes in The Gambia by coming to the US and hiding his past”.

“But we found him, we investigated him,” said Matthew Galeotti, head of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division.

The evidence at trial showed that Correa and his fellow Junglers tortured five people accused of plotting a coup against Jammeh.

The victims, including high-profile members of Jammeh’s inner circle who fell out with him, told the jury how they were tortured by being electrocuted and smothered with plastic bags.

“Correa and his co-conspirators beat, stabbed, burned, and electrocuted the victims,” the Justice Department said.

Prosecutors on Tuesday said Correa “played an integral role in inflicting this torture on the victims”.

He faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison for each of the five torture counts and the count of conspiracy to commit torture, the Justice Department said.

His lawyers had argued that Correa was a low-ranking soldier who only obeyed orders from his superiors.

But while the jury agreed that there was evidence that the Junglers lived in “constant fear,” prosecutors said at trial that some Junglers had refused to obey orders to torture victims.

“This conviction sends a clear message that perpetrators of human rights violations cannot escape accountability, regardless of where they commit their crimes,” said Sirra Ndow, chairperson of the Alliance of Victim-Led Organisations in The Gambia, (AVLO).

Jammeh, who seized power in 1994, foiled several attempts to overthrow him before he lost an election in 2016 to Adama Barrow in a surprise defeat.

His rule was characterised by allegations of human rights abuses and state repression, which he denied.

He went into exile in Equatorial Guinea after his defeat, though he remains an influential figure in The Gambia.

A Truth, Reconciliation and Reparations Commission (TRRC), held between 2019 and 2021, unearthed the crimes committed under Jammeh and recommended prosecution for those who were involved.

Last year, Jammeh’s former interior minister was sentenced to 20 years in jail by a Swiss court for crimes against humanity.

ALSO READ:

• Mahama visits Ghanaian troops in The Gambia [Photos]

• ECOWAS Court strikes out suit seeking to hold Ghana liable for Jammeh/Gambia killings in…

It marks the culmination of a long-running legal battle which could have major implications for how sex-based rights apply across Scotland, England and Wales.

Judges sided with campaign group For Women Scotland, which brought a case against the Scottish government arguing that sex-based protections should only apply to people that are born female.

Judge Lord Hodge said the ruling should not be seen as a triumph of one side over the other, and stressed that the law still gives protection against discrimination to transgender people.

The Scottish government argued in court that transgender people with a gender recognition certificate (GRC) are entitled to the same sex-based protections as biological women.

 

 

The Supreme Court was asked to decide on the proper interpretation of te 2010 Equality Act, which applies across Britain.

Lord Hodge said the central question was how the words “woman” and “sex” are defined in the legislation.

He told the court: “The unanimous decision of this court is that the terms woman and sex in the Equality Act 2010 refer to a biological woman and biological sex.

“But we counsel against reading this judgement as a triumph of one or more groups in our society at the expense of another, it is not.”

He added that the legislation gives transgender people “protection, not only against discrimination through the protected characteristic of gender reassignment, but also against direct discrimination, indirect discrimination and harassment in substance in their acquired gender”.

Campaigners who brought the case against the Scottish government hugged each other and punched the air as they left the courtroom, with several of them in tears.

The Equality Act provides protection against discrimination on the basis of various characteristics, including “sex” and “gender reassignment”.

Judges at the Supreme Court in London were asked to rule on what that law means by “sex” – whether it means biological sex, or legal, “certificated” sex as defined by the 2004 Gender Recognition Act.

The Scottish government argued the 2004 legislation was clear that obtaining a GRC amounts to a change of sex “for all purposes”.

For Women Scotland argued for a “common sense” interpretation of the words man and woman, telling the court that sex is an “immutable biological state”.

Outside the Supreme Court, For Women Scotland co-founder Susan Smith said: “Today the judges have said what we always believed to be the case, that women are protected by their biological sex.

“Sex is real and women can now feel safe that services and spaces designated for women are for women and we are enormously grateful to the Supreme Court for this ruling.”

A UK government spokesman said: “This ruling brings clarity and confidence, for women and service providers such as hospitals, refuges, and sports clubs.

“Single-sex spaces are protected in law and will always be protected by this government.”

Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch described the ruling as a “victory for all of the women who faced personal abuse or lost their jobs for stating the obvious”.

But Scottish Green MSP Maggie Chapman, a prominent campaigner for trans-rights, said: “This is a deeply concerning ruling for human rights and a huge blow to some of the most marginalised people in our society.

“It could remove important protections and will leave many trans people and their loved ones deeply anxious and worried about how their lives will be affected and about what will come next.”

The Scottish government has not yet commented on the ruling.

Single-sex spaces

For Women Scotland had warned that if the court sided with the Scottish government, it would have implications for the running of single-sex spaces and services, such as hospital wards, prisons, refuges and support groups.

Transgender people warned the case could erode the protections they have against discrimination in their reassigned gender.

The case follows years of heated debate over transgender and women’s rights, including controversy over transgender rapist Isla Bryson initially being put in a women’s prison and an ongoing employment tribunal involving a female NHS Fife nurse who objected to a transgender doctor using a women’s changing room.

The judges ruled that that Interpreting sex as “certificated” rather than “biological” would “cut across the definitions of man and “woman and thus the protected characteristic of sex in an incoherent way”.

They said a “certified” definition of sex would weaken protections for lesbians, citing the example of lesbian-only spaces and associations as it would mean that a trans woman who was attracted to women would be classed as a lesbian.

The ruling found the biological interpretation of sex was also required for single-sex spaces to “function coherently”.

It cited changing rooms, hostels, medical services and single-sex higher education institutions.

The judges noted “similar confusion and impracticability” had arisen in relation to single-sex associations and charities, women’s sport, public sector equality and the armed forces.

The judges added: “The practical problems that arise under a certificated sex approach are clear indicators that this interpretation is not correct.”

How did we get here?

The legal dispute began in 2018, when the Scottish Parliament passed a bill designed to ensure gender balance on public sector boards.

For Women Scotland complained that ministers had included transgender people as part of the quotas in that law.

The issue has been contested several times in the Scottish courts.

Holyrood ministers won the most recent case in Scotland, with judge Lady Haldane ruling in 2022 that the definition of sex was “not limited to biological or birth sex”.

The Scottish Parliament passed reforms that year that would have made it easier for someone to change their legally recognised sex.

The move was blocked by the UK government, and has since been dropped by Holyrood ministers.

ALSO READ:

• Brazilian butt lift ads banned by UK regulator

• Immigration Service foils cocoa smuggling attempt at Kauk-Jago border

People have posted videos of themselves crying, saying that they could not withdraw their investments and worried that their money had gone.

Some furious customers ransacked a CBEX office in the south-west city of Ibadan, carting off chairs, air-conditioners and a solar panel. CBEX has not yet publicly commented.

The company had promised that investors would double their money every month. Nigeria is currently facing straitened economic times, and many are desperate to find a way to boost their income.

One investor, identified as Ola, told BBC Pidgin that he feared he had lost 450,000 naira ($280; £210).

“I was ready to withdraw all my investment just last week, but my friend told me to be patient and wait – and now it has crashed,” Ola said.

Many others have shared similar stories online, with one person talking about losing $16,000.

The problem was first noticed over the weekend, but the anger boiled over when Monday came and people were still not able to access their money.

Some investors who made complaints on the private messaging service Telegram received responses from CBEX.

They were told that the problem was the result of a hack and that things will be resolved soon.

Nigeria’s Securities and Exchange Commission (Sec), which regulates the investment sector, has not yet responded to a BBC request for comment. But Sec has previously warned citizens about the risks surrounding unregulated digital platforms and potential Ponzi schemes

For some, the situation brings back painful memories from 2016 when another popular financial scheme, called MMM, froze its transactions, leaving many investors heartbroken.

Members were supposed to receive a 30% return on their investment in just 30 days. It launched in Nigeria in November 2015 and, according to its founders, had up to three million members before it collapsed.

All of them appeared on Facebook or Instagram and used time-limited deals to “irresponsibly pressurise” customers into booking, says the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA).

One ad, for example, tried to entice customers with an “exclusive opportunity” to get a “perfect peachy look”.

Liquid BBLs involve injecting filler into the buttocks to lift them and make them look bigger or rounded.

The ASA says because of the risks involved, cosmetic surgery should be portrayed as a decision that needs time and thought, rather than urgency to book quickly and grab a deal.

Clinics must be socially responsible and should not trivialise procedures or play on consumers’ insecurities, it says.

One ad said: “Get the curves and contours you’ve always wanted with our safe and effective body filler treatments. Feel confident every step of the way! Safe, proven, and beautifully natural results.”

Another claimed a 0% infection rate at its sterile clinic, with minimal pain.

The ASA says liquid BBLs would carry some level of risk to the patient, such as infections.

It adds: “Marketers must not suggest that happiness or wellbeing depends on conforming to a particular body shape or physical appearance.”

The advertising watchdog says it has been using AI to proactively search for online ads that might break the rules.

Three of the clinics – Beautyjenics, Bomb Doll Aesthetics and Ccskinlondondubai -did not respond to the ASA’s inquiries.

Rejuvenate Clinics said it has reviewed ASA guidance and will remove all references to time-limited offers and state in ads that the surgery is carried out by a medical professional with ultrasound, to minimise risks and enhance safety.

EME Aesthetics said all its clients are given a full consultation and are under no obligation to book any procedures, and it therefore considers that its ad had not pressured consumers or trivialised the risks of cosmetic procedures.

Dr Ducu said it will ensure it follows the ASA’s rules and guidance, that the time-limited Black Friday offer was intended to provide consumers with an opportunity to access the company’s services at a discounted rate, and it always encourages consumers to make informed decisions without pressure.

Liquid BBL facts

• Plastic surgeons say liquid BBLs can carry significant risks and require expert skill and training to perform
• The UK industry is not regulated though – beauty clinics offer them
• Large amounts of filler may be injected with possible serious side-effects, such as blood clots and sepsis
• The recent death of mum-of-five Alice Webb has highlighted safety concerns around BBLs

Posting to Instagram from hospital, the star told his 10.4 million followers that he has “lost control” of the right-hand side of his face.

“This is me doing a full smile right now, by the way,” he said in a video, as he unsuccessfully tried to grin. “Bro, I can’t even laugh right.”

In a follow-up post, Lil Nas X reassured fans that he was “OK” and asked them to “stop being sad”.

“Shake ur ass for me instead!” he joked.

In a third post, he wrote: “I’mma look funny for a lil bit but that’s it.”

In the comments section, his fans and celebrity friends expressed their concern.

“Get well baby,” said actress Taraji P Henson. “Sending you love,” wrote Garbage singer Shirley Manson.

Comedian Wanda Sykes added: “Sometimes your body tells you to sit down somewhere. Rest up.”

The 26-year-old, whose real name is Montero Lamar Hill, appeared to be in good spirits, despite his condition.

In one video, he panned the camera from the left side of his face to the right, joking: “We normal over here, we get crazy over here!”

The star did not disclose the cause of his condition, but fans speculated it could be Bell’s Palsy, a nerve condition that causes paralysis to part of the face, or Ramsay Hunt Syndrome, in which a shingles outbreak affects the facial nerve near the ear, and cause hearing issues such as tinnitus.

Both conditions are usually temporary, and can be triggered by infections or stress.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by ☆dreamboy. (@lilnasx)

Justin Bieber cancelled several dates on his 2022 world tour after contracting Ramsay Hunt Syndrome.

In a video, he showed fans that he was unable to blink his right eye and, although the symptoms persisted for some time, he recovered fully.

Musician and TV presenter Tulisa Contostavlos also has recurring instances of Bell’s Palsy, which developed after she suffered nerve damage in a horse riding accident.

Speaking in 2020, she said that an attack could last up to seven months if she didn’t take steroids within the first 72 hours.

Before his hospital visit, Lil Nas X had been promoting his eight-track EP Days Before Dreamboy, which previews the highly anticipated follow-up to his 2021 debut album, Montero.

Speaking to Atlanta radio station Hot 107.9 last month, he said the album had had a painful gestation.

“At the top of 2024… I feel like I was very lost and trying to cater to everybody except myself,” he said.

The Old Town Road rapper said he had started trying to cater to what he thought “the world wanted from me” – including the need “to be outrageous all the time”.

“But it’s like, no, sometimes I can just be on my chill [side],” he added.

Speaking at last month’s GLAAD Awards, the star added that he’d recently turned down the opportunity to collaborate with Taylor Swift.

“We were working on something,” he told E! News on the red carpet.

“She offered to let me try a verse on something, but I couldn’t catch a vibe for it, so it didn’t happen.”

ALSO READ:

• Nike gets restraining order against Lil Nas X’s ‘Satan shoes’

• ‘Old Town Road’ rapper Lil Nas X bashed on social media after coming out…