The extreme athlete died after losing control of his motorised paraglider while flying over Porto Sant’Elpidio in Italy.

News broke yesterday that he fell to the ground near a hotel swimming pool, but that the cause of the accident was not yet clear.

He was 56.

Craig Glenday, Editor-in-Chief of Guinness World Records said: “Parachutist, BASE jumper, skydiver, helicopter stunt pilot… Felix was never more alive than when staring death in the face. His passion for pushing the limits of what a human can do culminated in him making that incredible leap from the edge of space in 2012 – an audacious undertaking that rightly made him a household name and earned him his place in the record books.

“We were lucky enough to witness Felix’s supersonic jump over Roswell and present him with his official GWR certificate. It’s sad to think that we’ll never get the chance to celebrate any more epic achievements from Fearless Felix.”

Felix became an iconic record holder on 14 October 2012 when he jumped from a capsule at the edge of space, 38,969.4 m (127,852 ft) above New Mexico, USA.

The Austrian daredevil fell 36,402.6 m (119,431.1 ft) for 4 min 20 sec before deploying his parachute and landing safely back on Earth, earning him the record for farthest distance in freefall without a drogue.

The epic stunt – the Red Bull Stratos mission – also earned him the record for fastest speed in freefall after he hit a speed of 1,357.6 km/h (843.6 mph).

That blistering speed also made Felix the first human to break the sound barrier in freefall.

His ascent in a helium-filled balloon also earned records for highest altitude untethered outside a vehicle and largest balloon with a human on board.

And his jump was seen by so many people – eight million – that it was the largest audience for a livestream ad.

A Red Bull spokesperson said in a statement: “We are shocked and overwhelmed with sadness to hear the devastating news of our longtime friend Felix Baumgartner.

“Felix was ‘born to fly’ and was determined to push the limits. He was also smart, professional, thorough and meticulous, never leaving anything to chance.  He was generous, giving much of his time to help, and inspired so many people.

“We remember Felix as a lovely person, devoted to his family and friends, to whom we send our heartfelt sympathy.

Marking the first time a sitting London Mayor has visited the Ga State on official duty, the occasion was a powerful testament to renewed ties between Accra and London, cities linked by a complex past and a shared vision for the future.

The Ga Mantse Palace buzzed with energy and a vibrant display of culture and shared history, as the afternoon sun illuminated a scene of cultural splendour. Drummers beat out rhythmic welcomes, dancers swirled in colourful attire, and the air hummed with chants that echoed centuries of Ga heritage.

Chiefs draped in intricate kente and queen mothers adorned with regal elegance gathered to receive the Mayor and his delegation.

Sir Sadiq Khan, visibly touched by the warmth of the reception, walked the sacred grounds of the palace, guided by the resonant pulse of ancestral traditions.

A ceremonial procession led the Ga Mantse, his council, and the London delegation into the palace’s Great Hall, where a profound exchange of words and aspirations unfolded.

Mayor Khan, addressing the gathering, expressed deep admiration for the Ga Mantse’s leadership in fostering unity and empowering the youth. “Your Royal Majesty, your vision for progress resonates deeply,” Khan said. “My journey through Lagos, Accra, and beyond is about building bridges. Coming to this palace, to this city, feels like a step toward a shared future.”

Reflecting on his earlier visit to the Osu Castle, Khan spoke candidly about the painful legacy of the transatlantic slave trade.

“London’s role in that dark chapter cannot be erased,” he said solemnly. “But today, standing here, I see possibility. Together, we can forge a partnership rooted in equality and mutual respect.”

His Royal Majesty King Tackie Teiko Tsuru II responded with a stirring call for collaboration, aligning the Ga State’s goals with London’s strengths.

“Accra is a city of ambition, culture, and resilience,” the King declared. “Your visit is a spark for progress. Let us work together on education, technology, and sustainable development.”

He proposed a bold initiative: a bilateral programme to share expertise in urban planning, environmental sustainability, and youth entrepreneurship, drawing inspiration from London’s global leadership in innovation.

The ceremony was rich with symbolism.

The Nai Wulomo, the Ga State’s Chief Priest, poured libation to invoke ancestral blessings, while the Asafoatsemei performed a rousing display of Ga music and dance.

In a poignant moment, Mayor Khan was adorned with Nyanyra leaves, a sacred Ga gesture of peace and friendship. The exchange of gifts; traditional stool for the Mayor and a symbolic token from London sealed the bond.

Behind closed doors, the delegations discussed practical steps for collaboration, including potential partnerships in waste management, digital innovation, and cultural exchange. The Ga Mantse emphasised that the visit was a foundation for action. “This is not just ceremony,” he said. “It is the start of a partnership that will uplift our people and yours.”

As the event concluded, the palace courtyard, once alive with sound and colour, grew still, but the significance of the day lingered. The visit was more than a diplomatic milestone; it was a bridge across time, connecting two cities through honest reflection on the past and a shared commitment to a brighter future.

The story of Accra and London is being rewritten; not as one of division, but as one of unity, purpose, and possibility. Today, a new chapter began.

Source: NeeLante Bruce

The interior ministry will handle elections in the future, state-run RTB TV reported.

Since seizing power in September 2022, the coup leaders have initiated sweeping reforms, including the postponement of elections, which would lead to a return to civilian rule.

A nationwide vote was due last year, but the junta extended the period of transition to democracy until July 2029, allowing leader Capt Ibrahim Traoré to remain in power and free to contest the next presidential election.

The AFP news agency quotes Territorial Administration Minister Emile Zerbo as saying that the electoral commission was “subsidized” with around $870,000 (£650,000) a year.

Abolishing the commission would “reinforce our sovereign control on the electoral process and at the same time limit foreign influences,” he added.

After coming to power three years ago amid criticism that the civilian authorities were failing to deal with a growing Islamist insurgency, the military leaders have rejected the assistance of former colonial power France in favour of Russia.

Rights groups have since accused the army of targeting civilians in its attempt to quash the militants, as well as suppressing political activity and the freedom of expression.

There are also question marks over the effectiveness of the military operation. In the first half of 2025, jihadist group JNIM said it had carried out over 280 attacks in Burkina Faso – double the number for the same period in 2024, according to data verified by the BBC.

BBC

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• Tensions mount in Burkina Faso after coup attempt

• Ibrahim Traoré: From shy schoolboy to Burkina Faso military ruler

Trump, 79, underwent a “comprehensive examination, including diagnostic vascular studies” with the White House Medical Unit, press secretary Karoline Leavitt said, reading a note from the president’s physician, Capt. Sean Barbabella.

Barbabella’s letter, which was later released by the White House, states that “bilateral lower extremity venous Doppler ultrasounds were performed and revealed chronic venous insufficiency, a benign and common condition, particularly in individuals over the age of 70.”

The examination came after Trump had “noted mild swelling in his lower legs” over recent weeks, Leavitt said.

“Importantly, there was no evidence of deep vein thrombosis (DVT) or arterial disease” and Trump’s lab testing was all “within normal limits,” according to the letter.

“Trump also underwent an echocardiogram. “No signs of heart failure, renal impairment, or systemic illness were identified,” Barbabella wrote.

Chronic venous insufficiency is a condition in which valves inside certain veins don’t work the way they should, which can allow blood to pool or collect in the veins. About 150,000 people are diagnosed with it each year, and the risk goes up with age. Symptoms can include swelling in the lower legs or ankles, aching or cramping in the legs, varicose veins, pain or skin changes. Treatment may involve medication or, in later stages, medical procedures.

“It’s basically not alarming information, and it’s not surprising,” Dr. Jeremy Faust, an assistant professor of emergency medicine at Harvard Medical School, told CNN.

“This is a pretty normal part of aging, and especially for someone in the overweight to obese category, which is where the president has always been. But the bigger concern … is that symptoms like this do need to be evaluated for more serious conditions, and that is what happened.”

Chronic venous insufficiency can be related to conditions like increased pressure from the heart or sleep apnea, cardiologist Dr. Bernard Ashby told CNN.

“Even though he’s diagnosed with a benign condition, venous insufficiency, by itself doesn’t necessarily mean it’s benign. The question is, what’s causing the venous insufficiency? And so I would want to know whether or not he has any evidence of, again, increased pressures in the heart or increased pressures in the lungs, which can be contributing to that, and if so, what is the primary cause of that?”

Trump’s doctors were “covering all their bases” by screening him for heart failure, increased pressure and other conditions, he said.

Age, obesity and inactivity can all lead to the condition. “If a person is older, a person is overweight, a person is not engaging in regular physical activity or exercise, if a person is sitting or standing for prolonged amounts of time, you can get chronic venous insufficiency,” Dr. Chris Pernell told CNN.

“And while it is not life-threatening, it can be debilitating,” she added.

Leavitt later added that the president was experiencing “no discomfort.”

The press secretary also addressed bruising that has appeared on the back of the president’s hand, which she attributed to his “frequent handshaking,” plus his use of aspirin.

“This is consistent with minor soft tissue irritation from frequent handshaking and the use of aspirin, which is taken as part of a standard cardiovascular prevention regimen,” Barbabella’s letter says.

The letter concludes that “President Trump remains in excellent health.”

Trump will become the nation’s oldest president during his second term.

Source: CNN 

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This strategic development follows a productive conversation between Ghanaian President John Dramani Mahama and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Friday, July 11.

President Zelenskyy personally announced the deepening ties via an X post, revealing the wide-ranging discussions. “I had a good conversation with President of Ghana, @JDMahama. We share a mutual interest in developing bilateral cooperation,” President Zelenskyy stated.

The talks primarily focused on bolstering Ghana’s agro-industrial sector and establishing a pivotal food logistics hub.

This aligns with Ghana’s national agenda to enhance food security, reduce post-harvest losses, and position itself as a key agricultural processing and distribution centre for West Africa.

Ghana, a significant producer of staples like maize, cassava, and cocoa, faces challenges with limited access to modern farming techniques, climate change impacts, and inadequate infrastructure, which a robust logistics hub could help mitigate.

Discussions around a food logistics hub were also previously held between former President Nana Akufo-Addo and President Zelenskyy during the World Economic Forum in Davos in January 2024, signalling a sustained interest from Ghana.

However, the most striking aspect of the recent conversation was Ghana’s pronounced interest in Ukraine’s advanced technological capabilities.

“Ghana is also interested in our technologies, the production of various types of drones, and the experience Ukraine has gained during this war,” President Zelenskyy disclosed.

Ukraine has emerged as a global leader in drone innovation and deployment, rapidly developing a formidable indigenous drone industry in response to the full-scale Russian invasion since February 2022.

Its “Army of Drones” programme, launched in 2022, has seen the country produce millions of cost-effective yet highly effective unmanned aerial systems (UAS) for reconnaissance, strikes, and electronic warfare, some capable of deep-strike missions over 1,000 kilometres.

This combat-tested expertise is highly attractive to nations seeking to modernise their defence and surveillance capabilities.

Crucially, President Zelenskyy revealed Ghana’s readiness to invest directly in Ukrainian production.

“Ghana is ready to finance our production, and we are ready to help our partners secure their borders,” he affirmed.

This willingness to finance underscores Ghana’s urgent need to enhance its border security, particularly given growing regional instability, including threats from extremist groups in the Sahel region and issues of illicit cross-border activities.

I had a good conversation with President of Ghana, @JDMahama.

We share a mutual interest in developing bilateral cooperation. We discussed areas where we can already deepen our partnership, first and foremost in the agro-industrial sector and the creation of a food logistics hub… pic.twitter.com/HYapyIiB1q

— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) July 11, 2025

Ghana’s porous borders have long posed a challenge, with concerns about human trafficking, irregular migration, and cross-border crime requiring enhanced surveillance and interdiction capabilities.

To cement these promising areas of cooperation, both leaders have agreed to hold a ministerial-level meeting in the near future, with a Ukrainian delegation set to visit Ghana.

This upcoming visit is expected to translate the initial discussions into concrete agreements and implementation timelines.

Ghana and Ukraine established diplomatic relations on June 17, 1992, and despite the geographical distance, ties have been strengthening, particularly in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Ghana has consistently maintained a principled stance, condemning the aggression and affirming Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, a position that contrasts with the neutrality adopted by some other African nations.

Ukraine officially opened its embassy in Accra in December 2023, signifying its commitment to fostering stronger ties across the African continent.

Furthermore, in June 2025, officials from both countries also agreed to deepen cooperation in cybersecurity, digitalisation, and information technologies.

In a concluding gesture of goodwill and a testament to the burgeoning relationship, President Zelenskyy extended an invitation to President Mahama to visit Ukraine.

Such a high-profile visit would further underscore the strategic importance both nations place on this burgeoning partnership, potentially opening doors for even broader collaboration in the future.

Source: David Apinga

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• Zelenskyy is attempting to use Mahama in a political stunt – Kwesi Pratt Jnr

In a strongly-worded article published in The Insight newspaper on Thursday, July 17, 2025, Pratt cautioned Ghanaians against allowing President Zelenskyy to “export his troubles” into the country.

“Unfortunately for Ghanaians, Zelenskyy has chosen Ghana as one of his export destinations to sow seeds of mistrust and undermine the Non-Aligned foreign policy advocated by Osagyefo Dr. Kwame Nkrumah,” he asserted.

Sharing the same article on his X (formerly Twitter) page, Pratt alleged that Zelenskyy had recently called President John Dramani Mahama to discuss ongoing projects originally initiated with former President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo.

He noted that unlike Akufo-Addo, President Mahama has maintained a neutral stance, advocating for immediate and permanent ceasefires in both the Russia-Ukraine and Israel-Gaza conflicts. “Zelenskyy was fully aware of this,” Pratt said, “yet he unilaterally decided to publicize the private conversation on his X page.”

More troubling, according to Pratt, was the Ukrainian Embassy in Accra reposting Zelenskyy’s statements. He argued that this act risks dragging Ghana into Ukraine’s conflict with Russia and tarnishes Mahama’s image as a neutral actor seeking dialogue between the Alliance of Sahel States and ECOWAS.

Zelenskyy’s tweet claimed Ghana was interested in Ukrainian technology, including drone production, and that Ghana was “ready to finance” such initiatives. He further stated Ukraine would assist Ghana in securing its borders.

But Pratt questioned the logic: “What sense does it make for Ghana to finance Ukraine’s drone production when we can’t even settle our US$3.7 billion power sector debt?” He added that just the day before, President Mahama had announced austerity measures, including cancelling fuel allowances for political appointees.

Pratt also raised concerns about Ukraine’s offer to help Ghana secure its borders. “From whom? Our security threats stem not from neighboring governments but from terrorist groups that Ukraine is allegedly assisting in the Sahel,” he warned.

He asked how Mahama could maintain trust with the leaders of Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger if Ghana is perceived as funding drone production used against their troops.

“As for the proposal to deepen ties in agro-industry and food logistics in Ghana, the less said, the better,” he added.

According to Pratt, Ukraine—reliant on international aid—cannot credibly offer economic salvation to Ghana. “Over the last three years, Ukraine has received about US$280 billion in assistance, including US$199.6 billion in military aid from the U.S. alone,” he revealed.

He called on Ghanaians to resist any attempt to embroil the country in foreign conflicts, emphasizing: “Zelenskyy must be stopped from exporting the chaos in Ukraine to Ghana. His support for Sahel terrorists has already caused enough problems.”

Media Complicity & Embassy Overreach

Pratt also took aim at the Ghanaian media, accusing several outlets of uncritically amplifying Zelenskyy’s claims without fact-checking or consulting the Presidency.

“This raises serious concerns that some articles may have been sponsored,” he warned. “If true, this represents an alarming overreach by the Ukrainian Embassy and a disturbing attempt to manipulate Ghana’s free press.”

He concluded by urging the country to stay vigilant: “Ghana must remain committed to the Non-Aligned principles that have long safeguarded our sovereignty.”

Source : Citinewsroom

It is a major milestone for the once fringe industry, which has been lobbying Congress over regulation for years and poured millions into last year’s election, backing candidates that included Donald Trump.

The bill sets up a regulatory regime for so-called stablecoins, a kind of cryptocurrency backed by assets seen as reliable, such as the dollar.

Trump is expected to sign the legislation into law on Friday, after the House passed the bill on Thursday, joining the Senate, which had approved the measure last month.

Known as the Genius Act, the bill is one of three pieces of cryptocurrency legislation advancing in Washington that is backed by Trump.

The president once derided crypto as a scam but his opinion shifted as he won backing from the sector and got involved in the industry as a businessman, with ties to firms such as World Liberty Financial.

Supporters of the legislation say it is aimed at providing clear rules for a growing industry, ensuring the US keeps pace with advances in payment systems. The crypto industry had been pushing for such measures in hopes it could spur more people to use digital currency and bring it more into the mainstream.

The provisions include requiring stablecoins, an alternate cryptocurrency to the likes of Bitcoin, to be backed one-for-one with US dollars or other low-risk assets. Stablecoins are used by traders to move funds between different crypto tokens.

The use of these coins, which are viewed as less volatile, has grown rapidly in recent years.

Critics argue the bill will introduce new risks into the financial system by legitimising stablecoins without erecting sufficient protections for consumers.

For example, they said it would deepen tech firms’ participation in bank-like activities without subjecting them to similar oversight, and leave customers hanging in a convoluted bankruptcy process in the event that a stablecoin firm should fail.

They had also tried to rally opposition to the bill by arguing that voting in favour was effectively condoning Trump’s business activities – including his family’s promotion of their own crypto coins.

But it nevertheless drew significant support from Democrats, about half of which supported the bill, as well as the majority of Republicans.

“Some members may believe passage of this bill, even with flaws, is better than the status quo. We believe this is a fundamental misunderstanding of the risks involved with these instruments,” a coalition of consumer and advocacy groups wrote in a letter to Congress this spring.

They warned that passage would “allow the proliferation of assets that consumers will wrongly perceive as safe”.

Analysts had expected Congress to pass all three bills earlier this week, but unexpected hiccups led to delays.

The two other bills have passed the House and are headed to the Senate, where Republicans hold a narrow majority. Those bills would prevent the US central bank from establishing a digital currency and set up a regulatory framework for other forms of crypto.

The advance comes as Trump is reportedly working on an presidential order that could allow retirement accounts to be invested in private assets, such as crypto, gold and private equity.

The value of Bitcoin hit a new record this week, passing $120,000 (£89,000).

But Terry Haines of Washington-based analysis firm Pangaea Policy, said he did not expect the other two bills, which are more significant, to go further.

“This is the end of crypto’s wins for quite a while – and the only one,” he wrote. “When the easy part, stablecoin, takes ~4 to 5 years and barely survives industry scandals, it’s not much to crow about.”

Source: BBC

The streaming giant’s co-CEO Ted Sarandos said AI, which produces videos and images based on prompts, was used to create a scene of a building collapsing in the Argentine science fiction show, The Eternauts.

He praised the technology as an “incredible opportunity to help creators make films and series better, not just cheaper.”

The use of generative AI is controversial in the entertainment industry and has sparked fears that it will replace the work of humans.

The comments came after the company unveiled revenue of $11.08bn (£8.25bn) for the three months to the end of June,16% higher than the same time last year.

Netflix said the better-than-expected performance was boosted by the success of the third and final series of South Korean thriller Squid Game, which has so far attracted 122 million views.

Asked about Netflix’s use of AI, Mr Sarandos said the technology has allowed productions with smaller budgets to use advanced visual effects.

The generative AI used in The Eternauts helped its production team to complete a sequence 10 times faster than if they had used traditional special effects tools, he said.

“The cost of it would just wouldn’t have been feasible for a show in that budget.”

“That sequence actually is the very first [generative] AI final footage to appear on screen in a Netflix original series or film. So the creators were thrilled with the result,” said Mr Sarandos.

AI was among the key concerns raised during a Hollywood strike in 2023.

During the three-month walkout, the Screen Actors Guild–American Federation of Television and Radio Artists union called for tighter regulation of the use of AI.

Source: BBC

The man’s sister, Adriana Metz, who had been searching for her long-lost brother for decades, said she had spoken to her sibling for the first time last week.

Ms Metz was able to find him with the help of the campaign group Grandmothers of the Plaza de Mayo, which has long tried to reunite the estimated 500 babies stolen by the military junta with their families.

Ms Metz’s brother, whose identity has not been revealed publicly to protect his privacy, is the 140th baby the group has found.

In a news conference, the founder of the Grandmothers of the Plaza de Mayo, Estela de Carlotto, read out a statement while members of the group clapped and cheered.

“Today we welcome the son of Graciela Alicia Romero and Raúl Eugenio Metz,” the 94-year-old said, while sitting next to a beaming Adriana Metz.

While the man, whom the group referred to as “Grandchild 140”, was not present, the group gave details of how he had been separated from his family.

His parents were both political activists in Bahía Blanca, a city in Buenos Aires province.

His father, Raúl Metz was one of 10 siblings. He followed in his father’s footsteps and worked on the railways, while also being an active member of the Communist Party.

His mother, Graciela Romero, studied economics and joined a Marxist guerrilla group, the PRT-ERP, with Metz shortly before the two got married.

The couple had a daughter, Adriana, and Ms Romero was five months pregnant with a second child when the two were arrested at their home in December 1976.

Shortly after seizing power in a military coup in March 1976, the junta tried to eradicate any opposition to its rule by rounding up critics.

Tens of thousands were snatched in raids and held in clandestine detention centres.

Many were tortured. Human rights groups estimate that some 30,000 people were killed or forcibly disappeared between 1976 and the end of military rule in 1983.

Survivors told the Grandmothers of the Plaza de Mayo that Graciela Romero had given birth to a son on 17 April 1977 while in captivity in the clandestine detention centre known as “La Escuelita” (Little School).

Fellow detainees say that both Romero and Metz were physically and psychologically tortured while in captivity, before being disappeared.

Their one-year-old daughter Adriana was first looked after by neighbours who eventually handed the infant to her paternal grandparents.

Both the Romero and Metz family searched for the couple and their son for decades.

The pair are listed as disappeared and are feared to be among the many left-wing activists who were killed by the military regime.

The Grandmothers of the Plaza de Mayo said it was an anonymous tip-off which had eventually led the group to “Grandchild 140”.

Working with the National Identity Commission (Conadi), an official body created to find children abducted by the military junta, they approached the man in April and offered him a DNA test.

He agreed to take the test, and on Friday Conadi informed him that he was indeed the baby snatched from Graciela Romero in 1977.

Adriana Metz said that during their phone call last week, he said that he had been raised as an only child.

“I told him ‘hey, here I am’,” she said at the press conference.

Adriana added that she was eager to meet her brother, who lives 400km (250 miles) away, in person to hug him.

Estela de Carlotto, who found her own missing grandson in 2014, said the fact that the Grandmothers of the Plaza de Mayo had managed to locate one of the missing after 48 years showed how crucial their work was even after so many decades.

Source: BBC

“Based on the ridiculous amount of publicity given to Jeffrey Epstein, I have asked Attorney General Pam Bondi to produce any pertinent Grand Jury testimony, subject to Court approval,” Trump said in a social media post.

It’s unclear whether Trump is authorising the public release of these documents or when that could come, though such action would typically require the approval of a court.

The development comes after days of sustained pressure from some of Trump’s most loyal supporters demanding further disclosures in the Epstein case.

Attorney General Pam Bondi posted minutes after the president: “We are ready to move the court tomorrow to unseal the grand jury transcripts.”

A grand jury is a group of citizens set up by a prosecutor to determine whether there is enough evidence for charges to be filed. In legal terms, it determines whether probable cause exists to believe a crime has been committed.

Grand jury decisions still must be tested before a normal jury in court, in order for a suspect to be convicted of a crime.

It is unclear whether the president’s post concerned grand jury testimony from the first set of cases concerning Epstein in the early 2000s or whether it stemmed from the federal charges brought in 2019. The BBC has inquired with the White House.

Some grand jury documents have already been released concerning the case in Florida in 2006 that led to him being charged with solicitation of a prostitute. The case was heavily criticised over the lack of serious charges and the severity of the testimony given by victims, which included multiple minors.

While campaigning last year, Trump promised to release files relating to the disgraced financier.

However, Bondi last week announced that the US justice department did not believe Epstein had a so-called client list that could implicate high-profile associates, and that he did take his own life, despite conspiracies over his death.

It came after Bondi had touted she was set to announce major revelations about the case, including “a lot of names” and “a lot of flight logs” – a nod to those who travelled with the financer or who visited his private islands where many of his purported crimes were said to have occurred.

Her reversal prompted furious response from scores of Trump’s most ardent supporters who have called for Bondi to resign after failing to produce the list, which Trump officials had previously claimed to have in their possession.

Conservative commentator Charlie Kirk, who was critical of the administration’s handling of the files in recent days, praised Trump’s move.

“This is massive, this is something that we’ve been talking about for quite some time, and really a power to the grassroots,” he said.

Epstein died in a New York prison cell in 2019 as he awaited trial on sex trafficking charges. His death while incarcerated happened more than a decade after his conviction for soliciting prostitution from a minor, for which he was registered as a sex offender.

The directive came a short time after Trump said he would sue The Wall Street Journal newspaper for publishing an article alleging that a “bawdy” birthday greeting bearing Trump’s name was sent to Epstein in 2003, before the late financier was charged with sex crimes.

The letter, which the newspaper claims was sent on Epstein’s 50th birthday, has been decried by Trump as a “fake”.

In a post, Trump said that the newspaper and owner Rupert Murdoch “were warned directly” they would be sued if they printed the story, describing it as “false, malicious, and defamatory”.

According to The Wall Street Journal, a letter bearing Trump’s name “contained several lines of typewritten text framed by the outline of a naked woman, which appears to be hand-drawn with a heavy marker.”

“Inside the outline of the naked woman was a typewritten note styled as an imaginary conversation between Trump and Epstein, written in the third person,” the paper reported.

The letter, according to The Wall Street Journal, allegedly ends with the words: “A pal is a wonderful thing. Happy Birthday – and may every day be another wonderful secret.”

“These are not my words, not the way I talk. Also, I don’t draw pictures,” Trump said on social media in response to the story.

According to the newspaper, the letter was part of a compilation of birthday greetings that was put together by Epstein associate Ghislaine Maxwell. Maxwell was convicted in 2021 of helping Epstein to sex-traffick children and sentenced to 20 years in prison.

Source: BBC

She spoke at an event organised by the United Nations Information Centre (UNIC) and the Ghana Armed Forces in Accra on Thursday, July 17, 2025.

The award recognises the dedication and efforts of a military peacekeeper in promoting the principles of UN Security Council Resolution (UNSCR) 1325 and aims to enhance awareness and understanding of mainstreaming gender perspectives within UN peacekeeping missions.

Speaking at the event, Squadron Leader Syme reflected on her deployment to the United Nations Interim Security Force for Abyei (UNISFA) in Sudan.

According to her, the experience was a defining and humbling moment in her career, as it provided an opportunity to engage in humanitarian work and human rights advocacy, including efforts to combat female genital mutilation.

Her commitment and dedication during her deployment in Sudan earned her global recognition—an honour she says she will forever cherish.

UN Women’s Senior Gender Specialist, Dr. Afua Ansre, commended Squadron Leader Syme on her achievement, stating that it perfectly embodies the core mission of UN Women.

“Her achievement stands as a testament to the fact that empowering women within peacekeeping leads to stronger teams, more inclusive peace processes, and a greater positive impact on communities,” she lauded.

Dr. Ansre described the event not just as a platform to celebrate an individual accomplishment, but also as an illustration of the tangible results that stem from advancing the ideals and objectives of the UN and UN Women.

“When women lead, participate in, and shape peace operations, it sends a powerful message: inclusive peacekeeping, as championed by the UN, is fundamental to building sustainable peace and achieving true gender parity.”

She added, “Her recognition is also a call for us to renew our efforts to break down the barriers women face in the security sector and to promote their sustained leadership.”

Dr. Ansre reaffirmed UN Women’s unwavering commitment to ensuring that every woman and girl has the opportunity to contribute to, influence, and benefit from peace and security initiatives—ultimately championing a world that genuinely leaves no one behind.

“Squadron Leader Sharon Mwinsote Syme’s recognition as Military Gender Advocate of the Year is not merely a personal milestone but a testament to the transformative change that occurs when women are empowered to lead and contribute meaningfully to conflict resolution and peacebuilding,” she said.

“Her work with UNISFA demonstrates how the integration of gender perspectives strengthens teams, enhances mission outcomes, and leaves a lasting impact on the communities served,” she added.

For her part, the Chief Gender Policy Advisor at the Ghana Armed Forces, Captain Veronica Arhin, described the remarkable achievement as a moment that not only celebrates the excellence of one of Ghana’s own but also reaffirms the country’s unwavering commitment to gender equality in peacekeeping operations.

“We acknowledge Squadron Leader Syme, a Ghanaian officer who has been awarded the prestigious 2024 Military Gender Advocate Award for her outstanding contribution to gender mainstreaming in peacekeeping. Her dedication, courage, and skill have placed her on a global stage—highlighting what Ghana has long believed: that inclusion and diversity are fundamental pillars of effective leadership and conflict resolution,” she said.

She emphasised that this is the second time a Ghanaian officer has received this award, the first being in 2022, with Captain Ezra as the recipient.

“These achievements speak volumes and send a clear message that gender mainstreaming is not merely a checkbox exercise in the Ghana Armed Forces, but a steadfast commitment being translated into action,” she stated.

Captain Arhin announced that, in celebration of Squadron Leader Syme’s award, the Minister for Defence, Dr. Edward Omane Boamah, together with the Military High Command, honoured her with a citation at Burma Camp on Wednesday.

“This gesture signifies that recognition of gender advocates should not only come from abroad, but must be proudly celebrated at home as well. These are moments that inspire future generations—especially young ladies—to envision themselves as leaders in spaces where their forebears were once excluded. As we celebrate Sharon today, let us remember that peace cannot be achieved, let alone sustained, where voices are silenced and perspectives excluded,” she charged.

UN Women champions the inclusion and empowerment of women within all aspects of peace and security and serves as an advocate for the Women’s Peace and Security agenda, ensuring that gender perspectives are integrated across the work they do with the United Nations and partners.

It also builds bridges between the UN, governments, the military, and civil society to drive policies and actions that foster gender equality in peacekeeping.

In addition, UN Women provides technical support and guidance to ensure its missions reflect the voices and needs of women and girls, especially in conflict and post-conflict contexts.

Source: Joseph Odotei

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The U.S. Homeland Security Department said on Tuesday that a deportation flight carrying immigrants from five countries had landed in Eswatini, after the U.S. Supreme Court lifted limits on deporting migrants to countries that are not their own.

The five individuals on the flight were convicted criminals from Vietnam, Jamaica, Laos, Cuba and Yemen, it said. U.S. Department of Homeland Security spokeswoman Tricia McLaughlin said on X that their home countries had refused to take them back.

“Government acknowledges the widespread concern regarding the deportation of third-country prisoners from the United States of America into the Kingdom of Eswatini,” said Eswatini’s acting government spokesperson Thabile Mdluli in a statement.

“Indeed, five inmates are currently housed in our correctional facilities in isolated units,” she said, adding that this was “the result of months of robust high-level engagements” with the United States government.

Eswatini, a landlocked nation in Southern Africa, is home to about 1.2 million people and is ruled by an absolute monarch who has been in power since 1986.

The statement said that Eswatini and the United States would “collaborate with the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) to facilitate the transit of the inmates to their countries of origin.”

The IOM could not immediately be reached for comment.

Source: Reuters

Dismissing the chair of the Federal Reserve would be a major break with precedent.

Trump has repeatedly called on Powell to lower US interest rates in a series of highly critical outbursts, which continued on Wednesday when the president called him a “knucklehead” and claimed he was “doing a lousy job”.

Speaking at the White House, the president acknowledged that he had revived discussions about firing Powell – who Trump nominated for the role during his first term – but said he was “not planning on doing anything”.

Pressed on whether he was ruling out the idea, he said: “It’s highly unlikely unless he has to leave for fraud.”

The president’s allies have joined in the attacks against Powell by accusing the central bank boss of mismanaging the renovation of Fed properties.

Last week, budget director Russell Vought called for an investigation into cost overruns on a $2bn (£1.5bn) project to renovate Fed buildings in Washington. Trump said earlier this week he thought it was “sort of” a fireable offence.

Analysts at Deutsche Bank said the recent shift in the focus of the attacks suggested the administration was building a case against Powell.

“Whether or not the president chooses to act on this case is an open question,” they wrote, noting that recent developments “suggest that the risk has risen”.

The Federal Reserve was established by Congress and has power to set policy independently of the White House.

Powell’s second term as Fed chair ends in May next year, and he can stay on as a governor of the central bank until 2028.

Under federal law, the president can remove Fed governors before the end of their terms “for cause”. The phrase typically implies serious misconduct.

Powell has repeatedly stated his intent to serve out his term as chair, denying that Trump has the power to fire him over a policy disagreement.

The Fed has also pushed back against the criticism of the renovations, updating its website with information to respond to some of the attacks.

It has been said that the renovations will ultimately reduce costs by allowing it to consolidate operations and blame the increase in expenses on “unforeseen conditions” such as more asbestos than anticipated.

Trump has flirted with the idea of firing Powell since his first term, when he objected to the Fed raising rates. He has repeatedly stepped back from the plan in the face of investor concern, however, including most recently this spring.

But on Tuesday, Anna Paulina Luna, a Republican congresswoman from Florida, wrote on social media that the firing was “imminent”. It followed posts by other Trump allies in recent weeks suggesting Powell might be stepping down or calling for him to go.

A senior White House official confirmed to the BBC that Trump had indicated to Republicans that Powell’s firing could happen soon.

The White House’s increasingly determined aggression against one of the most important independent institutions in the world is adding a new dimension to a fragile global financial system, which is already reeling from Trump’s trade wars.

The US economy is slowing and facing stressors from the president’s sweeping tariffs, which economists have warned could fuel inflation.

As head of the Fed, Powell plays a key role in helping to determine where the US central bank sets interest rates, a decision with implications for borrowing costs across the economy.

The key interest rate is currently hovering around 4.3% which is down from last year.

However, the Fed has not reduced it as quickly as other central banks such as the European Central Bank and the Bank of England – something Trump has highlighted.

The president is among those arguing that it should be lowered to make it easier to borrow and give the economy a boost.

Powell has said the bank, which is charged with keeping inflation stable, should proceed cautiously given concerns that tariffs could raise prices.

Many economists and investors have warned that political interference in the leadership of the Fed could risk undermining price stability and investor confidence.

Speaking to analysts earlier this week, the head of America’s biggest bank warned that the Fed’s independence was “absolutely critical”.

Jamie Dimon, chief executive of JP Morgan Chase, said: “Playing around with the Fed can often have adverse consequences, the absolute opposite of what you might be hoping for.”

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said earlier this week that a “formal process” was underway to identify a replacement for Powell. He described Trump’s criticism of Powell as “working the refs” – alluding to efforts to pressure referees in sports games.

Trump has floated Bessent as a candidate. Others in the running include Kevin Hassett, who currently leads Trump’s National Economic Council, and conservative economist Kevin Warsh.

Powell was nominated to lead the Fed by Trump in 2017, replacing Barack Obama’s appointee Janet Yellen.

Former President Joe Biden extended his term in 2021.

Source: BBC

The Princess of Wales wore the coat during her visit to the Interconnections Systems factory in South Shields on December 9, 1992.

This was on the same day the then-Prime Minister John Major announced she and Prince Charles, now King Charles III, had separated.

The coat, auctioned by Anderson & Garland, was bought by Graham Greaves of Annitsford in North Tyneside for £4,500, who said he wanted a “little bit of history”.

The coat, which has been kept in a wardrobe ever since, had been expected to fetch between £800 and £1,200.

Mr Greaves, who had never been to an auction, bid for the coat online.

He said: “I think Diana’s story was very intriguing, this coat is a little tale of when she came to the North East, and it’s very nice to have a bit of history.

“It’s something you can look back on, and I hope it becomes a family heirloom in years to come – in my era, we liked Diana.”

The coat, made by Scottish firm Alexandra, features the embroidered text H.R.H. The Princess of Wales is on the pocket and is labelled Euro size 50.

The coat’s seller, who worked as a team leader at the factory, said it was left behind on a hanger after the visit, and she was given permission to keep it.

She said she had never washed the coat in the last three decades.

A spokesperson for the auctioneer said: “The fascination with Diana’s legacy continues around the globe.

“This simple lab coat, worn on one of the most pivotal days of her life, offers collectors a poignant and tangible connection to the People’s Princess.”

Source: BBC

Coca-Cola uses corn syrup in its American products, but Trump’s Health Secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr has voiced concern about the ingredient’s health impacts.

“I have been speaking to Coca-Cola about using REAL Cane Sugar in Coke in the United States, and they have agreed to do so,” Trump wrote on social media. “I’d like to thank all of those in authority at Coca-Cola.”

Without explicitly confirming the recipe tweak, a Coca-Cola spokesperson said they “appreciate President Trump’s enthusiasm” and “more details on new innovative offerings within our Coca-Cola product range will be shared soon”.

Trump said in Wednesday’s post on Truth Social: “This will be a very good move by them – You’ll see. It’s just better!”

While Coke sold in the US is typically sweetened with corn syrup, Coke in other countries, such as Mexico, the UK and Australia, tends to use cane sugar.

In April, Coca-Cola CEO James Quincey told investors that “we continue to make progress on sugar reduction in our beverages”.

He said the Atlanta-based company has “done this by changing recipes as well as by using our global marketing resources and distribution network to boost awareness of and interest in our ever-expanding portfolio”.

But any decision to use cane sugar instead might leave a bitter aftertaste for American corn farmers.

Corn Refiners Association President and CEO John Bode said in a statement: “Replacing high fructose corn syrup with cane sugar would cost thousands of American food manufacturing jobs, depress farm income, and boost imports of foreign sugar, all with no nutritional benefit.”

The US health secretary and his Make America Healthy Again movement have advocated for companies to remove ingredients such as corn syrup, seed oils and artificial dyes from their products, linking them to a litany of health problems.

Kennedy has also been critical of the amount of sugar Americans consume and reportedly plans to update nationwide dietary guidelines this summer.

Trump is a regular drinker of Diet Coke – which uses the artificial sweetener aspartame. He had a button installed in the Oval Office’s Resolute desk so he can be served the soda.

Source: BBC

“She took me back!” Barack Obama said on the “IMO with Michelle Obama and Craig Robinson” podcast. “It was touch and go for a while.”

Speculation about the former first couple’s marriage has run rampant in recent months. Some of the rumours picked up steam after several public appearances where Michelle Obama did not join her husband, including President Donald Trump’s inauguration in January.

“It’s so nice to have you both in the same room together,” said Robinson, who is Michelle Obama’s brother, to the couple. Michelle responded, “I know because when we aren’t, folks think we’re divorced.”

Robinson recounted a story when a woman at an airport approached him to ask about their marriage. “‘What did he do?’” Robinson said she asked him.

“These are the kinds of things that I just miss,” Barack Obama said. “So I don’t even know this stuff’s going on, and then somebody will mention it to me, and I’m like, what are you talking about?”

Michelle Obama continued saying, “There hasn’t been one moment in our marriage where I’ve thought about quitting on my man. And we’ve had some really hard times and we’ve had a lot of fun times, a lot of adventures, and I have become a better person because of the man I’m married to.”

The former first lady has previously addressed the speculation about her marriage and her decision not to attend Trump’s inauguration.

“My decision to skip the inauguration, what people don’t realise — or my decision to make choices at the beginning of this year that suited me were met with such ridicule and criticism,” she explained on an episode of her podcast earlier this year. “People couldn’t believe that I was saying no for any other reason than that they had to assume that my marriage was falling apart.”

The Obamas married in 1992 and have two daughters, Malia and Sasha.

Barack Obama warns about ‘what’s happening to boys’

The former president, who was raised by a single mother, shared why he believes he would’ve had more difficulty raising a son than daughters.

“I think I might have been more judgmental, harder,” he said. “I like to think I would’ve been more self-aware enough to combat that, but I just think father-son relationships, for me particularly, if I don’t have a dad around to show it to me, might’ve been more difficult.”

Both Obamas also reflected on how parents and communities need to focus on nurturing young men and acknowledged the political shift seen with that group.

Trump made inroads during the 2024 presidential election with appeals to younger men in particular, though he’s started to face criticism within the podcast “manosphere” since taking office.

“If you’re not thinking about what’s happening to boys and how they are being raised, then that can actually hurt women, and I would argue that some of the broad political trends we’ve seen not just in this country but around the world have to do with this sense of boys, men not feeling as if they are seen, feeling as if they count,” Barack Obama said.

He continued, “That then makes them more interested in appeals by folks who say, ‘You know what, the reason you don’t feel respected is because women have been doing this or this group has been doing this or that group’s been doing this.’ And that is not a healthy place to be.”

“We rightly have tried to invest in girls to make sure that there’s a level playing field and then they’re not barred from opportunities,” he added.

“But we haven’t been as willing, I think, to be intentional about investing in the boys, and that’s been a mistake.”

Source: CNN

Syria’s Interior Ministry announced a ceasefire agreement for Suwayda later on Wednesday. Druze religious leader Sheikh Yousef Jarbou confirmed a truce would take effect immediately.

Jarbou said the agreement was “to completely halt all military operations in Suwayda by all parties” and “to fully integrate Suwayda into the Syrian state.”

Footage showed four explosions from Israeli strikes battering the sides of the Syrian military headquarters in Damascus earlier on Wednesday, leading to large plumes of smoke rising in the sky, before another air strike hit close to the presidential palace.

Israel claims it has been carrying out the strikes in Syria to protect Syria’s Druze minority, which Israel views as a potential ally and which has been involved in clashes with Syrian government troops in Suwayda, a Druze stronghold. The community there has not welcomed Israeli intervention in the past.

Syrian state news agency SANA reported that one person was killed, and 28 others were wounded in the strikes, citing the Ministry of Health.

Reporting from Damascus, Al Jazeera’s Zeina Khodr witnessed the attack on the headquarters of the Syrian military, which followed Israeli drone strikes on the complex hours earlier.

“We watched those strikes come in, one after another, in the heart of the Syrian capital,” she said, adding that the sight of Israeli war planes overhead “caused panic”.

“This is a significant escalation,” she said. “This is the Israeli leadership giving a very, very direct message to Syria’s new authorities that they will intensify such strikes … if the government does not withdraw its troops from southern Syria.”

Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz said in a statement posted on X that the “warnings in Damascus have ended – now painful blows will come”. As Israel’s military announced it was beefing up its forces along the Syrian border, and had carried out strikes on Syrian military convoys moving south, he added that Israel’s military would “continue to operate forcefully in Suwayda to destroy the forces that attacked the Druze until their complete withdrawal”.

Initial ceasefire collapsed quickly

The strikes followed the resumption of fierce fighting in Suwayda, a major centre for the Druze community, after a ceasefire announced by the Syrian government on Tuesday swiftly collapsed.

Syria’s Defence Ministry officials blamed groups “outside the law” for breaking the ceasefire and attacking government troops, who they said were responding to fire while taking measures to protect civilians. The ministry told Al Jazeera it had opened safe corridors in the city for civilians to flee.

Speaking from Damascus, Al Jazeera’s Bin Javaid said at least 70 people were believed to have been killed in the fighting so far. Medical sources in the city say more than 200 people have been injured in the violence.

Meanwhile, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a war monitor based in the United Kingdom, says more than 250 people had been killed as of Wednesday morning, including four children, five women and 138 soldiers and security forces. The observatory added that at least 21 people were killed in “field executions”.

One woman, 20-year-old Evelyn Azzam, told the Associated Press news agency from her home in Jaramana, near Damascus, that she feared her husband had been killed by security forces in Suwayda.

She had been speaking to her husband, Robert Kiwan, on the phone when he was questioned by security forces about whether he was affiliated with Druze militias, when her husband was shot in the hip, she said. She had had no update on his condition since he was taken to hospital.

Chaos at the border

The bloodshed has led to chaotic scenes along the border separating the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights from Syria. Large numbers of Israeli Druze gathered there, with some crossing into Syria to support Druze groups there, while hundreds gathered on the other side of the fence, calling on Israel and the international community to intervene and stop the violence.

Source: Aljazeera

Consumer prices rose 2.7% in the year to June, up from 2.4% the previous month, with prices rising at the fastest pace since February, the Labour Department said.

Higher energy and housing costs, such as rents, were the major drivers of the increase.

But the data also suggested that consumers are starting to feel the impact of tariffs, as some firms begin to pass along the costs of Trump’s new taxes on imports.

Coffee prices jumped 2.2% from May to June, while prices for citrus fruits climbed 2.3%. Toy prices rose 1.8%, appliance prices increased 1.9%, while clothing prices gained 0.4% – the first increase to hit the sector in months.

But the overall increase remained contained and came in largely within expectations, offset by declines in prices for new and used cars, airfare and hotel bookings.

“There is a trickle of what is likely tariff-induced inflation in some categories, particularly household appliances and furnishings,” said Olu Sonola, head of US economic research at Fitch Ratings.

“This trickle is likely to gain momentum in the coming months.”

The average effective tariff rate in the US has surged this year, as Trump imposed a 10% tax on most goods entering the country, hitting key items, such as steel and cars, with even higher levies.

Though he suspended some more aggressive plans, in recent weeks, he has revived tariff threats, warning of plans to raise duties on goods from most countries from 1 August. Ongoing talks have raised hopes that deals will avert punishing duties.

Trump said on Tuesday he had struck a “great deal” with Indonesia, without offering details. So far, his tariff talks with other countries have concluded with tariff levels for goods from those countries far higher than the US had at the start of the year.

The president says the taxes will protect American businesses from foreign competition, boost domestic manufacturing and jobs, and bring in revenue for the government.

The White House has dismissed forecasts that the measures will lead to higher prices for Americans, arguing that companies and foreign exporters will absorb the costs.

That view is at odds with most economic forecasters, who have argued the US economy has been shielded so far because firms stocked up on many goods in advance.

Despite pressure from Trump to cut interest rates, the US central bank has resisted making any changes, saying it wants more time to understand the effect of the tariffs.

Analysts on Tuesday said they were not expecting any cuts at the Fed’s meeting this month and were divided about September, given the new inflation figures.

Source: BBC

Buhari ruled Africa’s most populous nation between 2015 and 2023 and died in a London hospital on Sunday after an undisclosed illness.

He was one of two former Nigerian military strongmen who returned to power via the ballot box.

In his hometown of Daura, supporters chanted “Sai Baba”, an endearing name used by followers, while they attempted to catch a last glimpse of Buhari’s casket as it was lowered into the ground.

The coffin, draped in Nigeria’s white and green national colours, had arrived at the airport in Katsina earlier and was received by President Bola Tinubu, government officials and men and women in traditional Muslim attire.

The former president was given a military parade and a 21-gun salute at the airport before his body was transported to Daura, about 80 kilometres away.

Tinubu has declared seven days of national mourning and a public holiday on Tuesday to honour Buhari.

After first rising to power in the early 1980s as a military leader following a coup, Buhari made a comeback as a democratically elected president when he defeated incumbent Goodluck Jonathan in 2015.

Buhari’s eight-year rule was marked by economic recession, foreign currency shortages, a slump in oil production and insecurity that spread across the country.

Even so, Buhari continued to enjoy a cult-like following in his home state and across the largely Muslim northern Nigeria.

Many supporters admired his austere lifestyle and anti-corruption crusade, although critics say few public officials were jailed for graft.

Source: Reuters

Nimisha Priya, who was sentenced to death for killing a local man, was set to be executed on 16 July, according to campaigners working to save her.

The nurse, who is from the southern Indian state of Kerala, denied murdering her former business partner Talal Abdo Mahdi, whose chopped-up body was discovered in a water tank in 2017.

The postponement of her execution is only a temporary reprieve – the only way she can be saved is if Mahdi’s family pardons her.

Yemen’s Islamic judicial system, known as Sharia, offers her one last hope – securing a pardon from the victim’s family by paying diyah, or blood money, to them. Her relatives and supporters say they have raised $1m (£735,000) and offered it to Mahdi’s family.

“We are still trying to save her. But ultimately the family has to agree for pardon,” Babu John, a member of the Save Nimisha Priya International Action Council, told the BBC last week after the date for her execution was set.

Mahdi’s family, however, have made clear that they will settle for nothing less than her being put to death.

“Our stance on the attempts at reconciliation is clear; we insist on implementing God’s Law in Qisas [retaliation in kind], nothing else,” his brother, Abdelfattah Mahdi, told BBC Arabic on Monday, before the execution was postponed.

He added that his family had suffered “not only from the brutal crime but also the long, exhausting litigation process in a horrible and heinous but obvious crime case”.

“We feel sorry to see the attempts to distort the truth, especially from the Indian media that portrays the convicted as a victim, to justify the crime. And we say it clearly that they are aiming to influence public opinion,” he said.

“Any dispute, whatever its reasons and however big, can never justify a murder – let alone dismembering, mutilating and hiding the body.”

The Indian foreign ministry sources said on Tuesday that its officials had been in touch regularly with jail authorities and the prosecutor’s office in Yemen, where there has been a civil war since 2011.

The government “made concerted efforts in recent days to seek more time for the family of Ms Nimisha Priya to reach a mutually agreeable solution with the other party”, they said.

Nimisha Priya left Kerala for Yemen in 2008 to work as a nurse. She was arrested in 2017 after Mahdi’s body was discovered. The 34-year-old is presently lodged in the central jail in Sanaa, the Yemeni capital.

In 2020, a local court sentenced her to death. Her family challenged the decision in Yemen’s Supreme Court, but their appeal was rejected in 2023.

In early January, Mahdi al-Mashat, president of the rebel Houthis’ Supreme Political Council, approved her execution.

Nimisha’s mother, a poor domestic helper from Kerala, has been in Yemen since April 2024 in a last-ditch effort to save her.

She has nominated Samuel Jerome, a Yemen-based social worker, to negotiate with Mahdi’s family.

Source: BBC

It will include the Brazilian government’s policies “related to digital trade and electronic payment services; unfair, preferential tariffs; anti-corruption interference”, a statement from the US trade representative said.

The investigation seeks to determine whether they are “unreasonable or discriminatory and burden or restrict US commerce.”

Last week, US President Donald Trump urged Brazilian authorities to end their prosecution of the country’s former President Jair Bolsonaro, accusing them of carrying out a “witch hunt”.

US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer said the probe was being launched at Trump’s direction “into Brazil’s attacks on American social media companies as well as other unfair trading practices that harm American companies, workers, farmers, and technology innovators”.

“I have determined that Brazil’s tariff and non-tariff barriers merit a thorough investigation, and potentially, responsive action,” he said.

Greer accused Brazil of disadvantaging American exports by offering lower tariffs to other trade partners.

Investigators will look into alleged attempts by Brazil to penalise US companies involved in digital trade and services for not censoring political speech.

The office also alleged a lack of adequate enforcement of intellectual property rights, harming US workers “whose livelihoods are tied to America’s innovation- and creativity-driven sectors.”

Trump first threatened the investigation in a letter to Brazil’s president, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, last week.

In the same letter, the US president announced a 50% tariff on Brazil starting on 1 August. Lula said in response that Brazil would match any increase in tariffs.

Last year, trade between the two countries was worth $90bn (£67.2bn).

Washington reported a trade surplus with Brazil of $7.4bn in 2024, a 33% percent increase on the previous year.

Source: BBC

The body of the former president, accompanied by Vice President Kashim Shettima, Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila, and some family members of the late former president, landed at the airport runway at about 1:59 pm.

President Bola Tinubu and some members of Buhari’s family were on the ground to receive the remains.

The body was, thereafter, taken to Daura, the ex-president’s hometown, where he will be buried.

See photos below:

Source: ChannelsTV

The first multi-gigawatt data centre, called Prometheus, is expected to come online in 2026, Zuckerberg said.

He said one of the sites would cover an area nearly the size of Manhattan (59.1 sq km/22.8 sq miles).

Meta has invested heavily in efforts to develop what it called “superintelligence”—technology “that it said could outthink the smartest humans.

The company, which has made most of its money from online advertising, generated more than $160bn in revenue in 2024.

In a post on his social media platform, Threads, Zuckerberg said Meta was building several multi-gigawatt clusters, and that one cluster, called Hyperion, could scale up to five gigawatts over several years.

“We’re building multiple more titan clusters as well. Just one of these covers a significant part of the footprint of Manhattan,” he added.

Prometheus will be built in New Albany, Ohio, while Hyperion will be built in Louisiana and is expected to be fully online by 2030, Zuckerberg said.

He said Meta would “invest hundreds of billions of dollars… to build superintelligence” and that the centres had been given “names befitting their scale and impact”.

Karl Freund, principal analyst at Cambrian AI Research, told the BBC, “clearly, Zuckerberg intends to spend his way to the top of the AI heap”.

“The talent he is hiring will have access to some of the best AI Hardware in the world,” Freund added.

Meta shares were trading 1% higher following the announcement, Reuters news agency reported. The stock has risen more than 20% so far this year.

There are at least 10,000 data centres around the world hosting the cloud, remote servers that store digital information, with most of them located in the US, followed by the UK and Germany.

AI-driven data centres are extremely energy and water intensive. One study estimates that these centres could consume 1.7 trillion gallons of water globally by 2027. A single AI query—for example, a request to ChatGPT—can use about as much water as a small bottle you’d buy from the corner shop.

Source: BBC

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The global recommendation issued Monday at the International AIDS Conference in Kigali, Rwanda, comes about a month after the US Food and Drug Administration approved lenacapavir as a twice-yearly injection for the prevention of the human immunodeficiency virus or HIV.

Lenacapavir was approved in 2022 to treat certain HIV infections, and in trials for prevention, it was found to dramatically reduce the risk of infection and provide almost total protection against HIV.

“These new recommendations are designed for real-world use. WHO is working closely with countries and partners to support the implementation,” Dr. Meg Doherty, director of WHO’s Department of Global HIV, Hepatitis and Sexually Transmitted Infections Programmes, said in a news briefing.

“The first recommendation is that a long-acting injectable, lenacapavir, should be offered as an additional prevention choice for people at risk for HIV and as part of combination prevention. With that, we call it a strong recommendation with moderate to high certainty of the evidence,” Doherty said.

The second recommendation in the guidelines is that rapid diagnostic tests like at-home tests can be used to screen someone for HIV when they are starting, continuing or stopping long-acting medication to prevent infection – called pre-exposure prophylaxis, or PrEP.

HIV spreads primarily through unprotected sex or sharing needles. It attacks the body’s immune system, and without treatment, it can lead to acquired immunodeficiency syndrome, or AIDS. Globally, about 40 million people were living with HIV at the end of 2023, according to WHO.

Growing concern around HIV funding

PrEP has been used to prevent HIV infections for years. In the United States, this may involve taking pills, such as a daily medication called Truvada, or getting injections, such as every two months of the medication Apretude.

But twice-yearly injections of lenacapavir, or LEN, have become another option in the prevention toolbox – not just for the United States but for the world.

“LEN is a six-monthly injectable option, and it may be particularly attractive for people who prefer fewer clinic visits or have challenges with daily oral PrEP. … It could improve adherence and reach more people who need HIV prevention and can be used in pregnant and breastfeeding women,” Doherty said.

“WHO is providing technical assistance to countries interested in adopting LEN and simplified testing strategies, in coordination with global partners like the Global Fund, UNAIDS and several other partners and donors,” she said. “We call on governments, funders, implementers and civil society to work together for implementing and integrating LEN into the HIV programs. And we believe time to act is now.”

There has been growing concern around funding for global HIV prevention efforts.

International assistance accounts for 80% of prevention programs in low- and middle-income countries, according to the United Nations. But in the past six months, the United States has significantly withdrawn funding for much of its foreign assistance.

The Trump administration has dismantled the US Agency for International Development, or USAID, and reduced funding for the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, or PEPFAR, which acts as the largest commitment by any nation to address a single disease in history.

Gilead Sciences, maker of lenacapavir, announced Wednesday that it has reached an agreement with the nonprofit Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria to supply lenacapavir for HIV prevention at no profit to the company. Under this agreement, Gilead’s pricing reflects only the cost of producing and delivering lenacapavir.

“We are providing the medicine at no profit to Gilead, and in enough supply to reach up to two million people in low- and lower-middle-income countries ahead of generic lenacapavir becoming available,” Gilead Chairman and CEO Daniel O’Day said in a news release.

The company added that the cost of lenacapavir under this agreement remains confidential.

In the United States, the only place where lenacapavir has received approval for HIV prevention so far, the drug has an annual list price of $28,218 when used for HIV prevention. The cost is similar to the price of other prevention medicine options, according to Gilead.

Lenacapavir can “fundamentally change the trajectory of the HIV epidemic,” but only if it reaches the people who need it most, Peter Sands, executive director of the Global Fund, said in the news release.

“Our ambition is to reach 2 million people with long-acting PrEP. But we can only do that if the world steps up with the resources required,” he said. “This is a pivotal moment — not just for the fight against HIV, but for the fundamental principle that lifesaving innovations must reach those who need them most — whoever they are, and wherever they live.”

‘It’s a ticking time bomb’

The United Nations warned in a report released Thursday that millions more people could die from HIV-related causes by 2029 if funding for HIV programs permanently disappears.

Among the 60 low- and middle-income countries included in the report, 25 have indicated increasing their domestic budgets for HIV response efforts next year. But the report noted that may not be sufficient to replace the scale of international funding that these countries have been heavily reliant on.

“We know that PEPFAR had committed $4.3 billion to over 50 countries in 2025, and that support was suddenly ended in January of 2025,” Mary Mahy, director of UNAIDS’s Data for Impact department, said in a news briefing.

“If none of the PEPFAR funding is replaced, we’d expect something like 4 million additional deaths between 2025 and 2029, and another 6 million additional new infections,” she said. “We also know that drug resistance would likely occur with some of those people going off treatment.”

Some countries already have seen effects of the rollback of funding for HIV programs, according to Mahy. In Nigeria, facilities reported that there were about 40,000 people who received PrEP at least once during the later part of last year. That number dropped to fewer than 7,000 in April, according to UNAIDS data.

A similar trend emerged in Kenya, where there has been a decline in the number of women living with HIV who recently gave birth and received medications to reduce their risk of transmitting the virus to their newborns. About 3,000 women already received medications and nearly 900 initiated medications in October 2024, but those numbers fell to only about 300 already receiving and 100 starting medications in April.

“This is not just a funding gap — it’s a ticking time bomb. … We have seen services vanish overnight. Health workers have been sent home. And people — especially children and key populations — are being pushed out of care,” UNAIDS Executive Director Winnie Byanyima said in a news release Thursday.

“There is still time to transform this crisis into an opportunity,” Byanyima said. “Countries are stepping up with domestic funding. Communities are showing what works. We now need global solidarity to match their courage and resilience.”

Source: CNN

ALSO READ:

• More HIV patients not on treatment – New report reveals
• HIV surge signals limited access to sexual health education – Mahama

The popular actress, known for her roles in Heart Surgeons (2018) and Nobody Knows (2020), died early on Monday morning, local time.

She was reportedly battling stage 4 acute stomach cancer at the time of her death.

The US president was pressed on whether he trusts the Russian leader, and replied: “I trust almost no-one.”

Trump was speaking hours after he announced plans to send weapons to Ukraine and warned of severe tariffs on Russia if there was no ceasefire deal in 50 days.

In an interview from the Oval Office, the president also endorsed Nato, having once described it as obsolete, and affirmed his support for the organisation’s common defence principle.

The president made the phone call, which lasted 20 minutes, to the BBC after conversations about a potential interview to mark one year on since the attempt on his life at a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania.

Asked about whether surviving the assassination attempt had changed him, Trump said he liked to think about it as little as possible.

“I don’t like to think about if it did change me,” Trump said. Dwelling on it, he added, “could be life-changing”.

Having just met with Nato chief Mark Rutte at the White House, however, the president spent a significant portion of the interview expanding on his disappointment with the Russian leader.

Trump said that he had thought a deal was on the cards with Russia four different times.

When asked by the BBC if he was done with Putin, the president replied: “I’m disappointed in him, but I’m not done with him. But I’m disappointed in him.”

Pressed on how Trump would get Putin to “stop the bloodshed” the US president said: “We’re working it, Gary.”

“We’ll have a great conversation. I’ll say: ‘That’s good, I’ll think we’re close to getting it done,’ and then he’ll knock down a building in Kyiv.”

Russia has intensified its drone and missile attacks on Ukrainian cities in recent weeks, causing record civilian casualties.

The conversation moved onto Nato, which Trump has previously criticised as “obsolete”.

Asked if he still thought this was the case, he said: “No. I think Nato is now becoming the opposite of that” because the alliance was “paying their own bills”.

He said he still believed in collective defence, because it meant smaller countries could defend themselves against larger ones.

Trump said that the leaders of countries including Germany, France and Spain, had come to respect him and his decision making, partly because world leaders believed that there was a “lot of talent” in being elected to the presidency twice.

When asked whether world leaders were at times “obvious in their flattery”, Trump replied that he felt they were “just trying to be nice”.

President Trump was also asked about the UK’s future in the world and said he thought it was a “great place – you know I own property there”.

On the issue of Brexit, he said it had been “on the sloppy side but I think it’s getting straightened out”.

The president also said of Sir Keir Starmer, “I really like the prime minister a lot, even though he is a liberal”, and praised the UK-US trade deal.

He spoke about how he was looking forward to an unprecedented second state visit to the UK in September this year.

On what he wanted to achieve during the visit, Trump said: “Have a good time and respect King Charles, because he’s a great gentleman.”

Source: BBC

Announced on Monday by Musk’s company xAI, the $200m (£149m) contract is part of its “Grok for Government” programme, and aligns with the Trump administration’s push for more aggressive adoption of artificial intelligence.

It comes just days after Grok sparked backlash for spouting antisemitic posts, including praise for Adolf Hitler on X, the social media platform owned by Musk.

Musk said the bot was “too compliant” and “too eager to please”. He said the issue was being addressed.

Musk’s xAI says the new deal will give US government departments access to Grok 4, the latest version of the chatbot, and offer custom tools for national security use.

The company also plans to provide technical support for classified environments.

The Pentagon also announced awarding similar contracts to Anthropic, Google and OpenAI – each with a $200m ceiling.

“The adoption of AI is transforming the Department’s ability to support our warfighters and maintain strategic advantage over our adversaries,” said the administration’s Chief Digital and AI Officer Doug Matty.

• Musk says Grok chatbot was ‘manipulated’ into praising Hitler
• What is AI and how does it work?

Musk’s expanding government partnerships come amid a deteriorating relationship with President Donald Trump.

The Tesla and SpaceX boss had spent a quarter of a billion dollars on Trump’s re-election effort in 2024, and actively campaigned for him.

He was later appointed to run the Department of Government Efficiency (Doge) – a federal cost-cutting initiative tasked with reducing the size of the US government.

But in recent months, Musk began openly criticising what Trump had dubbed the “Big Beautiful Bill”, a sprawling spending and tax cuts legislation that the Tesla boss said was too costly for Americans.

Musk resigned from his post at Doge in May, though the department has not been officially disbanded.

Since then, Trump had suggested Doge could be deployed to harm Musk’s companies.

Trump also suggested he might deport Musk, who is an American citizen and was born in South Africa. He also holds Canadian citizenship.

While at the helm of Doge, the White House was criticised for allowing Musk to have unfettered access to troves of government data on American citizens.

Despite the fallout, Musk’s xAI has continued to expand its government work. Its newly-announced contract may also create an avenue for that data collection to continue.

Grok was introduced in late 2023 as a more unfiltered alternative to other AI chatbots like ChatGPT. It is already integrated into Musk’s social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter.

Source: BBC

Hector Corona Villanueva, 23, is accused of planting false evidence and causing an emergency by leaving the bizarre creation at an AMPM service station on Sunday afternoon in the city of Victorville.

The bear’s discovery led to a police investigation and a coroner’s examination of the item, while the petrol station was closed as a sense of unease spread in the community.

On Monday, the sheriff’s office ruled the bear wasn’t made of any human body parts and dubbed the toy a “prank”.

Mr Villanueva was identified and arrested on Monday. It is unclear whether he has hired a lawyer who can speak on his behalf.

The gruesome discovery in Victorville, 80 miles (130km) northeast of Los Angeles, had locals worried about a possible serial killer on the loose.

The item was found around midday on Sunday at the filling station on Bear Valley Road when a witness called police to report that “a teddy bear made of what looked like human flesh was left in front of the business”.

A video posted online shows police responding to the scene as a glove-clad official from the coroner’s office examines the object and places it into an evidence bag.

A statement from the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s office on Monday did not mention a potential motive, and said the “investigation into who left the teddy bear at the business is continuing”.

“Incidents such as this take up valuable emergency resources and put the public at risk, possibly delaying response time to legitimate calls for service,” the statement said.

“We would like to thank those that reported information that was helpful during the investigation of this case.”

South Carolina artist Robert Kelly has taken credit for creating the object, telling US media that he recently sold the figure to a buyer in Victorville.

“Our work is pretty easily recognisable, and people were sending the articles (about the petrol station) left and right. I looked, and sure enough it was the bear I sent out last week,” Mr Kelly told People magazine.

“Every artist wants credit [for] their work, so I said ‘I made that’, and haven’t been able to catch up with messages since.”

In a post to Facebook on Sunday, Mr Kelly denied having any knowledge of what the buyer intended to do with the bear.

“No I did not have any knowledge of the [buyer’s] intentions nor was I involved in a prank on the other side of the nation from me,” he wrote.

Mr Kelly, who sells his work through a shop on the website Etsy, specialises in horror creations for Halloween displays and films.

Other items are also made to resemble construction from human body parts, similar to the bear.

Source: BBC

“We want to make sure Ukraine can do what it wants to do,” Trump said following a meeting with NATO chief Mark Rutte in Washington.

Rutte confirmed the US had decided to “massively supply Ukraine with what is necessary through NATO” and that the Europeans would foot the bill.

European countries will send Kyiv their own Patriot air defence systems, which Ukraine relies on to repel Russia’s deadly air strikes, and replacements will then be issued by the US, Trump said.

Neither Rutte nor Trump elaborated on the weaponry that will be sent to Kyiv, but Rutte said the deal included “missiles and ammunition”.

However, the president did say “top-of-the-line-weapons” worth billions of dollars would be “quickly distributed to the battlefield” in order to support Ukraine.

“If I were Vladimir Putin today… I would reconsider whether I should not take negotiations about Ukraine more seriously,” Rutte said, as Trump nodded.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on X that he spoke with Trump after his meeting with Rutte, and thanked him for his “willingness to support Ukraine and to continue working together to stop the killings and establish a lasting and just peace”.

“We discussed the necessary means and solutions with the President to provide better protection for people from Russian attacks and to strengthen our positions. We are ready to work as productively as possible to achieve peace,” he said.

On the tariffs front, Trump said that the US would impose 100% secondary tariffs targeting Russia’s remaining trade partners if a peace deal with Ukraine was not reached within 50 days.

This would see any country that trades with Russia face a tax if they want to sell their products to the US.

For example, if India keeps buying oil from Russia, US companies that purchase Indian goods would have to pay a 100% import tax, or tariff, when the products reach American shores.

This would make the goods so expensive that US businesses would likely choose to buy them cheaper from elsewhere, resulting in lost revenue for India.

The intention is also to hobble Russia’s economy. Theoretically, if Moscow were unable to generate money by selling oil to other nations, it would also have less money to finance its war in Ukraine.

Given that oil and gas account for almost a third of Moscow’s state revenue and more than 60% of its exports, 100% tariffs could make something of a dent in Russia’s finances.

Still, the Moscow Stock Exchange Index rose sharply following the announcement, likely as investors were expecting Trump, who last week teased a “major statement” on Russia, to pledge even harsher measures.

Although details about both the tariffs and the Nato weapons deal was scant, Monday was the first time Trump pledged new military equipment for Ukraine since returning to the White House.

The briefing was also notable for the tone struck by the US president, whose rhetoric on Vladimir Putin has become increasingly harsh.

Not for the first time, Trump implied Kyiv bore some responsibility for Russia’s decision to launch its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

But he mostly appeared frustrated at the lack of progress in ending a conflict which he once seemed to believe could be easily solvable.

Asked about his relationship with Putin, Trump said that the two speak “a lot about getting this thing done” but voiced his displeasure at the fact that “very nice phone calls” with the Russian president are often followed by devastating air strikes on Ukraine, which have been growing in intensity and frequency.

“After that happens three or four times, you say: the talk doesn’t mean anything,” Trump said.

“I don’t want to call him an assassin, but he’s a tough guy. It’s been proven over the years, he fooled a lot of people – Clinton, Bush, Obama, Biden,” he added. “He didn’t fool me. At a certain point, talk doesn’t talk, it’s got to be action.”

Two rounds of ceasefire talks between Russia and Ukraine took place earlier this year, but no other meetings have so far been scheduled – something Moscow has blamed on Kyiv.

Ukraine’s President Zelensky is currently hosting US envoy Keith Kellogg in Kyiv and earlier on Monday hailed a “productive meeting” – saying he was “grateful” to Trump for his support.

The Kremlin did not immediately comment on the announcement, but commentary trickling in from Moscow appeared to indicate a measure of relief.

Pro-Kremlin pundit and former Putin aide Sergei Markov called the tariffs announcement “a bluff” that indicated Trump had “given up on trying to achieve peace in Ukraine”.

Senator Konstantin Kosachev argued that “if this is all Trump had to say about Ukraine today, then so far it’s been much ado about nothing”.

In 50 days, a lot could change “both on the battlefield and in the minds of the powers that be in the US and NATO,” Kosachev wrote.

Trump’s decision led to praise from critics, including from within the rival Democratic Party.

The decision to send Patriot missiles to Ukraine, “made possible through the meaningful investments of our European partners, will save countless Ukrainian lives from Putin’s horrific assault,” said Democratic Senator Jeanne Shaheen, the top Democrat on the powerful Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

She called the measure “positive, but overdue” and said that the US needs to provide “a sustained flow of security assistance to Ukraine over the long term” in order to convince Putin to end the war.

Denys Podilchuk, a 39-year-old Ukrainian dentist from Kyiv, praised European leaders for helping to persuade Trump.

“I am pleased that finally European politicians, with their patience and convictions, have slightly swayed him (Trump) to our side, because from the very beginning it was clear that he did not really want to help us,” he told Reuters.

Source: BBC

Hard drives containing the unreleased songs, show plans, and past and future set lists for her tour were among the items stolen from a rental car used by the singer’s choreographer and one of her dancers, according to a police report.

The theft occurred on 8 July, two days before Beyoncé’s first Atlanta performance.

Atlanta police say an arrest warrant has been issued, but the suspect’s name has not been made public.

Choreographer Christopher Grant and dancer Diandre Blue told police they had parked the rented Black Jeep Wagoneer and gone inside a nearby food hall. When they returned, the vehicle’s rear window had been smashed and two suitcases were missing, a police incident report states.

They told police they were “carrying some personal sensitive information for the musician Beyoncé” in the vehicle that was also stolen.

That included “five jump drives containing watermarked music, unreleased music, footage plans for shows past and future, and set list”, the report states.

Other items reported stolen included a laptop, designer clothes and Apple AirPods. Authorities used tracking information on the laptop and headphones to track where the items may have gone, the police report notes.

Authorities also dusted the vehicle for any fingerprints and discovered “two very light prints”.

It is unclear whether the stolen items have been recovered.

The BBC has contacted a representative for Beyoncé for comment.

Beyoncé is currently on tour in Atlanta as part of her Cowboy Carter stadium tour. She has been performing in the city since 10 July, and her last show was set for Monday night.

Her husband, the rapper Jay Z, made a surprise appearance on the third night of her show in the city.

Choreographer Mr Grant has worked with other major musicians, including Shakira. Dancer Mr Blue appeared alongside Beyoncé in a 2024 Super Bowl advert, during which she released two singles from her Cowboy Carter album, released later that year.

Source: BBC

Buhari, a former military ruler after a coup in the 1980s, returned to frontline politics to become the first Nigerian president to oust an incumbent through the ballot box in 2015. He was re-elected for a second term four years later.

Nigeria’s Vice President Kashim Shettima and government officials were in London on Monday to organise the repatriation of the former president’s remains.

Katsina state governor Dikko Umaru Radda said after consultation with Buhari’s family, it was agreed the body would arrive in Nigeria on Tuesday for burial the same day in his home town of Daura.

Among those who paid tribute to Buhari was Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who posted on the X platform that “his wisdom, warmth and unwavering commitment to India–Nigeria friendship stood out.”

Buhari earned a devoted following for his brand of anti-corruption conviction politics, especially in Nigeria’s largely Muslim north.

He referred to himself as a “converted democrat” and swapped his military uniform for kaftans and prayer caps.

Ibrahim Babangida, another former military ruler who toppled Buhari in a coup in 1985, said he knew Buhari as a deeply spiritual and humble man.

“We may not have agreed on everything, as brothers often don’t, but I never once doubted his sincerity or his patriotism,” Babangida said in a statement.

After leaving office in 2023, Buhari spent most of his time in Daura, away from the public eye.

His successor, Bola Tinubu, inherited a country grappling with double-digit inflation, foreign exchange shortages, economic hardship, low oil production and insecurity that had spread to most parts of Nigeria.

Buhari’s supporters, however, viewed him as Nigeria’s conscience because he had a reputation for shunning corruption and ostentatious lifestyles often associated with the country’s political elites.

To his critics, Buhari was “an absentee landlord — a leader who governed by delegation, who disappeared for long stretches (often to London for medical treatment), and whose aloofness felt like abandonment,” the local BusinessDay newspaper said.

Source: Reuters

The US president also says he will introduce “very severe” secondary tariffs of 100% if no ceasefire deal is reached within 50 days.

He is meeting Nato Secretary General Mark Rutte in the White House.

Trump’s dramatic U-turn indicates he has run out of patience with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Meanwhile, Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky says he has had “productive” talks with the US envoy to Ukraine, Keith Kellogg, in Kyiv today.

In Russia, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov says it’s “very important” talks over Ukraine continue.

“Rest assured that my determination to serve you matches the urgency of the challenges we face,” he said in a post on X.

He added that his decision to go for an eighth term came after “numerous and insistent” calls by people from all regions in Cameroon and the diaspora.

Biya’s administration has faced criticism over corruption, embezzlement, bad governance, and failure to tackle security challenges. There have also been concerns about his health and ability to govern.

His absence from the public for more than six weeks last year led to speculation about his well-being and unfounded rumours that he had died.

His candidacy was expected but not formally confirmed until Sunday’s social media post.

Biya has never lost an election since taking power in 1982, and if he wins another seven-year term he could be president until he is nearly 100.

There have been growing calls from inside and outside Cameroon for him to step aside and give way for fresh leadership in the central African nation.

His candidacy follows a recent political divorce from key allies from the northern regions, who had been crucial in helping secure votes in previous elections from that part of the country.

Two of these men prominent minister Issa Tchiroma Bakary and former Prime Minister Bello Bouba Maigari, recently quit the ruling coalition and separately announced plans to run in the election.

Last month, Tchiroma said the Biya administration he belonged to had “broken” public trust and he was switching to a rival party.

Multiple opposition figures, including 2018 runner-up Maurice Kamto, as well as Joshua Osih, Akere Muna, and Cabral Libii, have also announced their candidacies.

However, members of the governing Cameroon People’s Democratic Movement and other supporters have since last year publicly called for Biya to seek another term. He was already the de facto candidate as the party leader.

Biya abolished term limits in 2008, enabling him to seek the presidency indefinitely.

He won the 2018 elections with more than 71% of the vote although opposition groups accused the process of widespread irregularities.

BBC

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Hamilton Police responded to a “brazen daylight shooting” at about 5:25 p.m. near the Jackson Square shopping mall at the corner of King St. E. and James St. N., where a male suspect allegedly encountered three people who appear to have been the intended targets.

Police said the male opened fire and struck one of the intended individuals, while also striking an innocent bystander — Belinda Sarkodie, 26 — who was “simply going about her day” before being slain.

Belinda Sarkodie, 26, who immigrated to Canada from Ghana last year, was at a bus stop heading home after work when she was killed by a stray bullet on Friday, July 11, 2025.

Despite life-saving efforts from officers, police said Sarkodie was pronounced dead at the scene. The other victim, a male, was treated for non-life-threatening injuries.

Police said Mackale Lavoie, 17, is wanted for second-degree murder and two counts of attempted murder. Cops said they obtained an order permitting the publication of Lavoie’s identity, who remains at large and whose identity would usually be protected by the Youth Criminal Justice Act.

Police warned the public not to approach Lavoie and to contact police immediately by calling 911 or 905-546-4925.

Police previously said that Sarkodie immigrated to Canada from Ghana last year and was living and working in Hamilton. Her brother lives in Manitoba and police have notified her family in Ghana.

A video shared to Facebook shows a distraught woman wailing near the crime scene in Hamilton.

“Belinda was just 26 years old,” a Ghanaian woman who witnessed the incident told Ghana Web. “She came to Canada for school. Today is my off-day. I was going to shop and she was also going to shop when she met her untimely death.”

It was the second time in less than three months that an innocent young woman was fatally struck by a stray bullet while waiting at a Hamilton bus stop.

Harsimrat Randhawa, a 21-year-old woman from India who was studying at Mohawk College, was shot dead April 17 on Hamilton Mountain while waiting for a bus at Upper James St. and South Bend Rd.

Source: yahoo.com

This means citizens from these regions no longer need an Electronic Travel Authorization (ETA), do not have to fill out lengthy forms, and are not required to pay any visa fees.

Moreover, this will allow eligible travelers to show up at the border and enter the country hassle-free.

However, the privilege does not extend to Libya and Somalia because they pose security risks, according to the government.

What the Visa Changes Mean

Further, the changes now allow African visitors to stay in Kenya for up to two months, while East African Community (EAC) nationals benefit from a six-month stay as per existing free movement protocols within the EAC.

According to the cabinet, the decision will enable Kenya to support open skies policies and encourage growth in the tourism sector.

Additionally, President William Ruto believes that simplifying entry procedures will make it easier for travelers to move across borders, strengthening ties between Kenya and the rest of the continent.

In a January 2025 notice, the government stated that it was introducing several other measures to improve the travel experience.

“As part of efforts to support open skies policies and tourism growth, a key proposal is to grant ETA exemptions to all African countries, except Somalia and Libya, due to security concerns,” a dispatch from the cabinet read in part.

Kenya also promised to put in place measures that allow travelers to receive ETA approval instantly, or within 72 hours, depending on operational capacity

In addition, the government promised to introduce a new passenger information system to enhance pre-screening, strengthen security, and streamline passenger processing at entry points.

Kenya Introducing Nomad Visas

On the other hand, in October 2024, the president announced the introduction of the digital nomad work permit will allow individuals working remotely to live and work in Kenya.

According to Ruto, the government was expanding its cyber optic footprint, to allow tourists to remain connected to the internet and work, even as they explore different parts of the country.

Also, he announced the introduction of the electronic travel authorization to give tourists permission to explore the country for 12 hours.

Therefore, individuals with connecting flights do not have to wait at the terminals. Instead, they will be able to explore various cities and attraction sites.

Source: thekenyantimes.com

The Indian Commercial Pilots’ Association (ICPA) said the crew “acted in line with their training and responsibilities under challenging conditions and the pilots shouldn’t be vilified based on conjecture”.

“To casually suggest pilot suicide without verified evidence is a gross violation of ethical reporting and a disservice to the dignity of the profession,” it added.

A preliminary report did not blame the pilots. It said seconds after take-off, both of the Boeing 787 Dreamliner’s fuel-control switches moved to the “cut-off” position, starving the engines of fuel.

The report released on Saturday gave details of the cockpit voice recording with one pilot asking the other why he “did the cut-off”, to which the other replies that he didn’t. The recording doesn’t clarify who said what. Data shows the switches were then moved to “run” position, but the plane crashed within seconds.

Aviation experts and pilots say the fuel switches are designed to prevent accidental activation and they must be pulled up to unlock before flipping. Protective guard brackets further shield them from accidental bumps.

The preliminary report does not throw any light on how the switches were moved to cut-off, but since its release, sections of media and social media has been awash with unsavoury speculation about the role of pilots.

“We are deeply disturbed by speculative narratives emerging in sections of the media and public discourse – particularly the reckless and unfounded insinuation of pilot suicide,” the Indian Commercial Pilots’ Association (ICPA) said in a statement released late on Saturday night.

“Let us be unequivocally clear: there is absolutely no basis for such a claim at this stage, and invoking such a serious allegation based on incomplete or preliminary information is not only irresponsible – it is deeply insensitive to the individuals and families involved.”

The statement added that until the official investigation was concluded and the final report was published, “any speculation – especially of such a grave nature – is unacceptable and must be condemned”.

The preliminary investigation was led by Indian government with experts from Boeing, General Electric, Air India, Indian regulators and participants from the US and UK. A final report is due to come out in a year.

On Saturday, another pilots’ grouping – the Airline Pilots’ Association of India (ALPA India) – had raised concerns over the way the investigation was being handled.

It highlighted that the report also mentions that in December 2018, the US Federal Aviation Administration issued a Special Airworthiness Information Bulletin (SAIB) highlighting that some Boeing 737 fuel control switches were installed with the locking feature disengaged.

While the issue was noted, it wasn’t deemed an unsafe condition requiring an Airworthiness Directive (AD) – a legally enforceable regulation to correct unsafe conditions in a product.

The same switch design is used in Boeing 787-8 aircraft, including Air India’s VT-ANB which crashed. As the SAIB was advisory, Air India did not perform the recommended inspections.

Taking note of the bulletin, ALPA India said “it demands clarity on whether the recommendations outlined in the bulletin were implemented before the flight”. (Air India hasn’t commented on the specific issue.)

The pilots’ union said it was “surprised at the secrecy surrounding these investigations” and alleged that “suitably qualified personnel were not taken on board for the probe”.

The union also urged the authorities to allow it to join the process “even in the capacity of observers so as to provide the requisite transparency in the investigations”.

Following the report’s release on Saturday, Indian Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu told reporters to not “jump to any conclusions at this stage. Let us wait for the final report”.

Describing the pilots and crew in India as the “backbone of this civil aviation”, he said India had “the most wonderful workforce in terms of pilots and the crew in the whole world”.

Flight 171 had taken off from the western Indian city of Ahmedabad for Gatwick in London on 12 June with 242 people on board. The crash killed 241 onboard – one passenger miraculously survived – and 19 people on the ground.

The report says the pilots, based in Mumbai, had arrived in Ahmedabad the previous day and were adequately-rested. They had passed breathalyser tests and were cleared to fly, it adds.

Source: BBC

In Sunday’s live televised speech to the nation, Ramaphosa also announced a judicial commission would probe the claims, which he said undermined the constitution and threatened national security.

He added that law professor Firoz Cachalia had been appointed as interim police minister.

Mchunu denied any wrongdoing, saying in a statement that he “stood ready to respond to the accusations” against him.

In his speech, the president said that the allegations against Mchunu, which include interference in investigations into political killings and corruption within law enforcement agencies, “call for an urgent and comprehensive investigation”.

He said the judicial commission, led by the country’s deputy chief justice, would examine all the claims.

The commission will also investigate current and former police officials, as well as members of the national executive, Ramaphosa said.

Ramaphosa has been under growing public pressure to act swiftly over the high-profile case.

Mchunu, 67, is an influential figure in Ramaphosa’s African National Congress (ANC) party.

Political analysts have suggested he could run for a leadership position at the ANC’s next elective conference in 2027.

In a statement, Mchunu said: “I welcome and respect the president’s decision and pledge my commitment to the process.

“Honour and integrity are the virtues I personally subscribe to and which we all need to make efforts to uphold.”

The allegations were first made public by KwaZulu-Natal provincial police boss Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi last Sunday.

He claimed Mchunu was receiving financial support from an allegedly corrupt businessman to fund his “political endeavours”.

Gen Mkhwanazi also detailed a sequence of events he claimed led to the “orchestrated” disbandment of a task force that was set up in 2018 to investigate the killing of politicians, mainly in KwaZulu-Natal.

He said the team’s investigations had uncovered links to high-profile individuals – including politicians, police officials, and businesspeople tied to a drug cartel syndicate – and this is why the team was disbanded.

When he dissolved the unit earlier this year, Mchunu said it was not adding value in the province, despite many cases remaining unsolved.

According to Gen Mkhwanazi, a total of 121 case files were allegedly removed from the unit on the minister’s instruction and without the authorisation of his boss, the national police commissioner Gen Fannie Masemola.

“These case dockets have, since March, been sitting at the head office ever since without any investigation work done on them. Five of these dockets already had instructions to [effect] arrests,” Gen Mkhwanazi said.

He also alleged Mchunu had ties to a controversial businessman who was “financially supporting” the minister’s political career.

Vusimuzi Matlala had a lucrative contract with the police before it was abruptly cancelled when he was arrested for attempted murder in May. Gen Mkhwanazi shared copies of text messages and a payment allegedly made by Mr Matlala to prove this.

Source: BBC

The US president will be accompanied by his wife, First Lady Melania Trump, for the trip, which is set to take place from 17 to 19 September, and will be hosted at Windsor Castle.

The location for the state visit was chosen as the typical venue, Buckingham Palace, which continues to undergo renovations.

Trump was hosted by Queen Elizabeth II for his first state visit in 2019 during his first term in office.

Traditionally, second-term presidents are not offered a state visit and have instead been invited for tea or lunch with the monarch.

A full programme of events has not yet been announced but like all visits of this kind, it will include a full ceremonial welcome and a state banquet in St George’s Hall in Windsor Castle.

All senior members of the Royal Family will be involved, including the Prince and Princess of Wales, who live in the grounds of the castle.

French President Emmanuel Macron was hosted by the King at Windsor last week, marking the first time a state visit had been held in the Berkshire residence for more than a decade.

Macron and his wife, Brigitte, also took part in a carriage procession through the town of Windsor.

Any visit from a US president brings with it security challenges, and Trump’s programme is unlikely to include events that are public-facing.

During his 2019 visit, there was no procession along The Mall for security reasons, and Trump was mostly flown between locations instead of travelling by road.

It is also unclear whether Trump will have the opportunity to speak to parliamentarians, which is often included in the choreography of a state visit.

The House of Commons will not be sitting at the time of Trump’s visit as it will be in recess for party conference season, but the House of Lords will be in session.

In February, Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer presented Trump with a letter from the King inviting him to visit the White House.

As the pair were sitting next to each other in the Oval Office, Trump said it was a “great, great honour”, adding: “And that says at Windsor – that’s really something.”

The state visit will come several months after the King visited Canada, where he opened the country’s parliament to mark the official start of Prime Minister Mark Carney’s leadership.

Many Canadians saw the King’s two-day visit to Ottawa in May as a symbol of support for the country after Trump imposed tariffs on one of its largest trading partners and threatened to make it the 51st US state.

The lure of a state visit for Trump has the potential to be a powerful tool of soft diplomacy by the British government towards a president who is an ardent monarchist.

Speaking in April, he said: “I’m a friend of Charles, I have great respect for King Charles and the family, William. We have really just a great respect for the family.”

The invitation came as Sir Keir sought to influence Trump over the war in Ukraine and lessen the tariffs placed on UK exports to the US – both issues that continue to dominate the so-called special relationship.

The US president is expected to be in Scotland later this month for the opening of his new golf course in Aberdeenshire.

It had initially been thought that the King and Trump would meet informally during that trip.

But it is understood that there were logistical challenges surrounding the dates, and there will be no private meeting ahead of his September visit.

Source: BBC

The countermeasures, which were due to start on Tuesday, came in response to US President Donald Trump’s initial import taxes on steel and aluminium.

The EU’s retaliation, which would have hit € 21bn worth of US goods, was first suspended in March. This break has been extended until early August, von der Leyen told a press conference on Sunday.

EU trade ministers are expected to meet in Brussels on Monday to discuss how to respond.

It comes after Trump wrote a letter to von der Leyen announcing his plans to impose 30% tariffs on EU imports from 1 August.

He warned that if the trade partner retaliated with import duties of their own against the US, he would hit back by raising tariffs above 30%.

In a pre-recorded interview with Fox News which aired on Saturday night, Trump said some countries were “very upset now” but he insisted the tariffs meant “hundreds of billions of dollars” were “pouring in”.

Von der Leyen told journalists on Sunday: “The United States has sent us a letter with measures that would come into effect unless there is a negotiated solution, so we will therefore also extend the suspension of our countermeasures until early August.

“At the same time, we will continue to prepare for the countermeasures so we’re fully prepared.”

The European Commission president insisted that the EU has “always been very clear that we prefer a negotiated solution”.

“This remains the case, and we will use the time that we have now till August 1,” she added.

‘Defend European interests’

EU trade ministers are set to meet on Monday in Brussels to discuss how strong a line to take with Washington.

Germany’s finance minister Lars Klingbeil said on Sunday that “serious and solution-oriented negotiations” with the US were still necessary, but added that if they fail, the EU would need “decisive countermeasures to protect jobs and businesses in Europe”.

“Our hand remains outstretched but we won’t accept just anything,” Klingbeil told daily newspaper Sueddeutsche Zeitung.

His comments came after French President Emmanuel Macron on Saturday urged the European Commission – which negotiates on behalf of all EU countries – to “resolutely defend European interests”.

As of Saturday, the Trump administration has now proposed tariff conditions on 24 countries and the EU, which is composed of 27 countries.

On 12 April, White House trade adviser Peter Navarro set a goal to secure “90 deals in 90 days”.

So far, the president has announced the outlines of two such pacts with the United Kingdom and Vietnam as negotiations with others continue.

Source: BBC

US District Judge Maame Ewusi-Mensah Frimpong, an appointee of former President Joe Biden, ordered that DHS must develop guidance for officers to determine “reasonable suspicion” outside of the apparent race or ethnicity of a person, the language they speak or their accent, “presence at a particular location” such as a bus stop or “the type of work one does.”

Friday’s ruling comes after the ACLU of Southern California brought a case against the Trump administration last week on behalf of five people and immigration advocacy groups, alleging that DHS — which oversees Immigration and Customs Enforcement — has made unconstitutional arrests and prevented detainees’ access to attorneys.

The ruling is limited to the seven-county jurisdiction of the US Central District of California, which includes Los Angeles and surrounding areas.

Frimpong said in her ruling that the court needed to decide whether the plaintiffs could prove that the Trump administration “is indeed conducting roving patrols without reasonable suspicion and denying access to lawyers.”

“This Court decides—based on all the evidence presented—that they are,” Frimpong wrote.

Frimpong went on to say that the administration “failed” to provide information about the basis on which they made the arrests. The temporary restraining order also applies to the FBI and the Justice Department, which were also listed as defendants in the lawsuit and have been involved in immigration enforcement.

In Friday’s ruling, Frimpong also ordered DHS to maintain and provide regular documentation of arrests to plaintiffs’ counsel.

In a hearing Thursday before she ruled, Frimpong appeared skeptical of the government’s arguments. The government said in court that DHS agents initiate stops based on intelligence or “trend analysis,” not on race or ethnicity. Frimpong repeatedly pressed the government to provide evidence that arrests were based on actionable intelligence rather than targeting areas where undocumented immigrants are presumed to gather.

“It’s hard for the court to believe you couldn’t find one case with a report of why someone was targeted,” she said Thursday.

In a separate temporary restraining order, Frimpong blocked DHS from denying the detainees’ access to counsel, including visits and calls, in a holding facility referred to as “B-18” in court documents.

Immigration advocacy groups had raised concerns that detainees in B-18 weren’t afforded the opportunity to contact a lawyer. They also claimed that the detainees were held in inhumane conditions, such as not having access to beds, showers or medical facilities.

DHS spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin condemned the ruling in a statement, saying, “A district judge is undermining the will of the American people.”

Since returning to the White House, President Donald Trump has moved aggressively to crack down on immigration.

Last month, the Trump administration called for ICE to expand deportation efforts in Democratic cities and “do all in their power” to achieve mass deportations. Trump also ordered the deployment of thousands of National Guard troops to Los Angeles last month in response to protests against his administration’s immigration raids. The administration previously sued the city of Los Angeles over its so-called “sanctuary city” policy.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom, a Democrat, celebrated Friday’s ruling in a post on X, saying, “California stands with the law and the Constitution — and I call on the Trump Administration to do the same.” Similarly, Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass hailed the ruling as “an important step toward restoring safety, security and defending the rights of all Angelenos.”

Mohammad Tajsar, senior staff attorney for ACLU of Southern California, said in a statement, “No matter the color of their skin, what language they speak, or where they work, everyone is guaranteed constitutional rights to protect them from unlawful stops.”

Credit: CNN.com

The prison service has launched an investigation after the man escaped from Lyon-Corbas prison in south-east France on Friday, according to broadcaster BFMTV.

He “took advantage of the liberation of his fellow inmate to hide himself in his luggage and get out”, the prison service said in a statement to AFP news agency.

French media have reported that the escaped prisoner was serving several sentences and was also under investigation in a case linked to organised crime.

A judicial investigation has also been opened into possible “escape as part of an organised gang and criminal conspiracy”, according to local media.

Last month, the Lyon Bar Association expressed alarm about overcrowding at the Lyon-Corbas prison.

As of 1 May 2025, around 1,200 people were detained in the prison, which has a capacity for 678 places, BFMTV had reported.

Source: BBC

The incident, which occurred on Friday, July 11, has sent shockwaves through the local community and the Ghanaian diaspora in Canada.

According to preliminary reports, Ms. Sarkodie was checking herself in a mirror at the bus stop when she was fatally shot in the head.

The act of violence also involved two other individuals, one of whom died at the scene, while the third sustained injuries but survived.

Eyewitness accounts, including one relayed to Bigscout Media, suggest that Belinda Sarkodie may have been an unintended victim, potentially struck by a stray bullet amidst what is believed to have been a gang-related shootout.

This scenario, where innocent bystanders become casualties of escalating gun violence, has become a growing concern in several Canadian cities. Just in April 2025, an international student from India, Harsimrat Randhawa, was similarly killed by a stray bullet while waiting for a bus in Hamilton, highlighting a disturbing pattern.

In February 2024, Adu Boakye, another Ghanaian, was tragically shot dead in a random attack near a bus stop in northwest Toronto, leaving behind a family in Ghana for whom he was the sole breadwinner.

As of the latest reports, Hamilton Police have cordoned off the crime scene and are actively investigating the incident.

The motive behind the shooting remains unclear, and no arrests have been made. Information from various media outlets indicates that Belinda Sarkodie had no known immediate family in Canada, a detail that deepens the sorrow for those in the Ghanaian community who are now grappling with her sudden and violent death.

Hamilton also hosts a significant number of Ghanaian immigrants, many of whom are professionals and students seeking better opportunities.

The news of Ms. Sarkodie’s death reverberates strongly within this close-knit community, raising concerns about safety and security for Ghanaians living abroad.

The Ghanaian High Commission in Ottawa and other Ghanaian associations in Canada are expected to be in contact with local authorities to follow up on the investigation and offer support, particularly in facilitating arrangements given Ms. Sarkodie’s reported lack of local family.

This tragic event underscores the global reach of gun violence and its devastating impact on individuals and their communities, regardless of their origin.

As the police continue their work, the Ghanaian community in Hamilton and beyond mourns the loss of Belinda Sarkodie, an innocent life caught in the crossfire.

Source: Myjoyonline.com

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A court in Madagascar has sentenced a man to surgical castration for the rape of a child in 2024, a judicial official said, in the first such measure on the Indian Ocean island.

The court ruled that the prosecution proved its case beyond reasonable doubt.

The tragic incident occurred on 28 October 2023 at the lecturer’s residence in Gbaiko. Joy, who had been employed as a housemaid earlier that month, was introduced to the victim’s household by Pastor Ojo Peters of the Voice of Mercy Church, which both the victim and Joy’s mother attended.

During her brief stay, Joy reportedly began stealing valuables, including foreign currency. Upon discovery, Dr. Adefolalu dismissed her.

Following the dismissal, Joy allegedly conspired with two accomplices—identified as DJ Wallex and DJ Smart, who are currently at large—to attack the lecturer.

In her confession to the State Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Department (SCIID), Joy detailed how her friends stabbed the lecturer multiple times before bludgeoning her with a wooden stool.

The attackers stole the victim’s phones, a laptop, and more foreign currency before fleeing the scene.

In delivering the judgment, the judge noted that the evidence—including Joy’s confession and in-court testimony—clearly established her role in the crime.

Although Joy was only 14 years old at the time of the offence, she was sentenced to life imprisonment, as Nigerian law prohibits the death penalty for minors.

Her two accomplices remain at large as investigations continue.

A New Hampshire judge approved a class action lawsuit against Trump’s executive order and temporarily stopped the president’s order from taking effect.

The class action lawsuit was brought by the American Civil Liberties Union on behalf of immigrant parents and their infants.

The decision comes weeks after the Supreme Court introduced limits on how and when universal injunctions are issued by federal courts. However, the decision still allows them through certain legal avenues.

The class action suit was introduced after the Supreme Court decision, in keeping with the new standards set by the court.

Still, the White House challenged the validity of the judge’s ruling.

“Today’s decision is an obvious and unlawful attempt to circumvent the Supreme Court’s clear order against universal relief. This judge’s decision disregards the rule of law by abusing class action certification procedures,” spokesman Harrison Fields said in a statement Thursday. “The Trump Administration will be fighting vigorously against the attempts of these rogue district court judges to impede the policies President Trump was elected to implement.”

The US Constitution guarantees citizenship to all born on US soil, but Trump has sought to revoke that right for babies born to undocumented immigrants and foreign visitors, as part of his crackdown on immigration.

The class-action lawsuit seeks to challenge the order as harmful and unconstitutional, and the judge ruled that it can proceed on behalf of the babies who would be affected by the restrictions.

The ruling also once again pauses an order that was a priority for Trump. The judge has given the government seven days to appeal.

Restricting birthright citizenship was one of his first actions in office.

Multiple courts across the US issued nationwide injunctions as they considered legal challenges to the order.

The Trump administration appealed those temporary holds to the highest US court, arguing judges did not have the authority to block a presidential order nationally while the courts considered the cases.

The Supreme Court’s conservative majority sided with Trump in a 6-3 ruling that broadly curtailed judicial power, though the justices did not address the constitutionality of Trump’s birthright citizenship order.

Following the Supreme Court’s decision, Trump’s order had been set to take effect on 27 July.

Source: BBC

What Trump might have missed is that Liberia shares a unique and long-standing connection with the US.

English is the country’s official language, and many Liberians speak with an American accent because of those historical ties to the US.

It may have been this accent that Trump picked up on.

Here are six things to know about the West African country:

1: Founded by freed slaves

Liberia was founded by freed African-American slaves in 1822 before declaring independence in 1847.

Thousands of black Americans and liberated Africans, rescued from transatlantic slave ships, settled in Liberia during the colonial era.

Former US President Abraham Lincoln officially declared Liberia’s independence in 1862 but the country retained a lot of US heritage, and it remained in the American “sphere of influence” during the colonial period.

Due to this integration, Liberian culture, landmarks and institutions have a strong African-American influence.

Ten of Liberia’s 26 presidents were born in the US.

The descendants of these freed slaves, known as Americo-Liberians, dominated the country for more than 100 years.

This was resented by some indigenous Liberians, and the last president from that community, William Tolbert, was overthrown and killed in a coup in 1980.

They account for about a quarter of the population, according to the Britannica website, which says more than two dozen languages are spoken in the country.

President Boakai is from the Kissi ethnic group and so would have spoken that as his mother tongue, before learning English at school.

2: The capital is named after a former US president

Liberia’s capital, Monrovia, was named in honour of America’s fifth President, James Monroe, who was a strong supporter of the American Colonisation Society (ACS).

The ACS was the organisation responsible for resettling freed African-Americans in West Africa, which eventually led to the founding of Liberia.

Not surprisingly, the early architecture of the city was largely influenced by American-style buildings.

Many streets in Monrovia are named after colonial American figures, reflecting the city’s founding and historical ties to the US.

The city’s main hospital is called the John F Kennedy Medical Centre (JFKMC), named after the former US president.

3: Nearly identical flags

The flag of Liberia closely resembles the American flag. It features 11 alternating red and white stripes and a blue square with a single white star.

The white star symbolises Liberia as the first independent republic in Africa.

The US flag, in comparison, has 13 stripes representing the original 13 colonies and 50 stars, one for each state.

The Liberian flag was designed by seven black women, all born in America.

4: Ex-president’s son plays for US football team

Timothy Weah, the son of Liberia’s former President George Weah, is an American professional football player who plays for Italian club Juventus as well as the US national team.

The 25-year-old forward was born in the US but began his professional career with Paris St-Germain in France, where he won the Ligue 1 title before moving on loan to the Scottish team, Celtic.

His father, George, is a Liberian football legend who won the Ballon d’Or in 1995 while playing for Juventus’s Italian rivals AC Milan. He is the only African winner of this award, and went on to be elected president in 2018.

5: Former president won the Nobel Peace Prize

Liberia produced Africa’s first elected female president, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf.

She was elected in 2005, two years after the nation’s bloody civil war ended, and served as president until 2018.

Johnson Sirleaf has a strong American background as she studied at Madison Business College and later went to Harvard University, where she graduated as an economist.

She has received worldwide recognition and accolades for maintaining peace during her administration.

Her story is pitted with remarkable feats of defiance and courage.

In 2011, along with Leymah Gbowee and Tawakkul Karmān, she won the Nobel Prize for Peace for her efforts to further women’s rights.

In 2016, Forbes listed her among the most powerful women in the world.

6: World’s largest rubber plantation

The plantation, which measures 185 square miles (479 sq km), is owned by Firestone Liberia, a subsidiary of the US tyre manufacturer.

It was founded in 1926 to give the US access to rubber at a time when the product was controlled by the UK.

Firestone remains Liberia’s largest private employer, with more than 4,000 workers.

The company has been accused of human rights abuses going back almost to the foundation of the rubber industry in Liberia. In 2006, a UN report into Liberia’s rubber industry said: “Plantation workers are exposed to hazardous working conditions without adequate training or safety equipment.

“Many workers… do not receive fair wages or equal remuneration, and do not have the right to strike. Child labour is frequently used on the plantations,” it said.

Firestone has always denied such allegations and, in 2011, it was cleared of using child labour by a US court.

Rubber remains one of Liberia’s biggest exports, and the US its largest market.

What do Liberians make of Trump’s comments?

Foreign Minister Sara Beysolow Nyanti denied it was an awkward moment, saying there was a “lack of understanding” around the world about the languages people speak in Africa, which she described as a “multi-lingual continent”.

“Liberia happens to have the American-English intonation, and I believe President Trump heard something familiar in the way President Boakai spoke, which is different from the way others speak on the continent,” she told the BBC’s Newsday programme.

“We were not offended at all,” she said, adding that away from the TV cameras, there was a discussion of the two countries’ shared history.

But there was a mixed reaction among other Liberians.

Accountant Joe Manley, 40, told the BBC that Trump should have been properly briefed before meeting Liberia’s leader.

“Liberia has always been an English-speaking country. Our president represents a country with a rich educational tradition.”

For human resources professional Henrietta Peters Magbollah, the US president’s surprise at Boakai’s eloquence reflects a broader problem of global ignorance regarding African nations and their peoples.

“From travel experiences and observations, most citizens of other nations outside Africa do not know a lot about African countries,” she said. “The few that know a little, their minds are clouded by narratives of war, poverty, and lack of education.”

However, lawyer and politician Kanio Gbala agreed with the foreign minister that no insult was meant.

“I believe President Trump’s remark was a genuine compliment on President Boakai’s command of English,” he told the BBC. “There is no evidence of sarcasm. Reading it as disrespectful may reflect political agendas.”

Source: BBC

The black leather bag was made for singer Jane Birkin in 1985 after she spilled her belongings while sitting next to the boss of luxury fashion house Hermès on a flight.

She asked why they didn’t make bigger bags, so he sketched out the design for a new, more practical but still highly desirable item on the aeroplane’s sick bag.

The prototype he made was sold to a private collector from Japan at Sotheby’s in Paris on Thursday, far surpassing the €439,000 (£378,000; $513,000) previous record sale.

The auction house said there was an “electrifying” 10-minute bidding war between “nine determined collectors”.

Morgane Halimi, Sotheby’s global head of handbags and fashion, said the price was a “startling demonstration of the power of a legend and its capacity to ignite the passion and desire of collectors seeking exceptional items with unique provenance, to own its origin”.

She added: “The Birkin prototype is exactly that, the starting point of an extraordinary story that has given us a modern icon, the Birkin bag, the most coveted handbag in the world.

The €8,582,500 total includes commission and fees. Sotheby’s did not publish a pre-auction estimate.

After creating the bag for the Anglo-French singer and actress, Hermès put the bag into commercial production, and it remains one of the most exclusive status symbols in fashion.

Some styles cost many tens of thousands of dollars and have waiting lists of years, with owners including celebrities like Kate Moss, Victoria Beckham and Jennifer Lopez.

The original has some unique features, such as Birkin’s initials on the front flap, a non-removable shoulder strap, the nail clippers she kept attached to the strap, and marks where she put stickers for causes she supported, such as Médecins du Monde and Unicef.

Birkin, who died in 2023 at the age of 76, owned the original bag for a decade and donated it to an auction to raise funds for an Aids charity in 1994.

It was later bought by Catherine Benier, who has a luxury boutique in Paris, who owned it for 25 years before selling it on Thursday.

Sotheby’s said the previous record price for a handbag was set by a White Himalaya Niloticus Crocodile Diamond Retourne Kelly 28 in 2021.

Source: BBC

Johan Forssell confirmed on Thursday that the person named by the anti-racism watchdog Expo recently as being a “close relative” of an unnamed minister and “active in the far right” was his 16-year-old son.

Forssell said he had not known about his son’s activities until he was contacted by the country’s security service a few weeks ago and that he had followed all proper protocol.

“Perhaps many parents can relate to not having a complete picture of what their children are doing on social media,” he told Swedish broadcaster TV4.

Forssell’s comments came after Expo said last week that the close relative of a government minister had “collaborated” with a member of the neo-Nazi Nordic Resistance Movement (NMR) group.

Expo also said that the relative had been involved with two other extremist groups – allegedly recruiting members into one of them.

Magnus Ranstorp, a veteran terrorism researcher and associate professor at the Swedish Defence University, said the groups the teenager was involved in have become more sophisticated at recruiting young people online.

He told the BBC that they also use members’ physical prowess as a means of attracting new recruits in some cases.

Forssell – who has been openly critical of political extremism and an advocate of greater parental responsibility when it comes to youth involved in crime – says he did not publicly address the allegations when he found out about them out of his duty to his child.

“This has not been about protecting me as a politician, but about protecting a minor,” he said.

Forssell also took to social media to, as he put it, explain the situation in his own words.

He said he and his wife had had “long and important conversations” with their son, who has now “cut off contact and is deeply remorseful”.

“It is a closed chapter,” he added, going on to explain that Sweden’s security service, known as Sapo, had told him that his son’s activities had mainly taken place on social media and that he was not being investigated for a crime.

Dr Ranstorp, who has been involved in many security threat assessments, said the activities of Forssell’s son could have potentially become a security issue if they had progressed, but cautioned that they had not.

He added that the safety of the young man – whose identity has been revealed online – and the right to freedom of expression should also be taken into consideration.

“He will have to live with this for the rest of his life,” Dr Ranstorp said.

Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson says he “continues to have confidence” in his minister.

“I think that Johan Forssell has acted as a responsible parent should when you learn that your child is doing wrong and is in bad company,” Kristersson wrote on social media.

However, Forssell and the wider Swedish centre-right minority government are facing accusations of double standards and of turning a blind eye when it comes to countering extremism.

The opposition Left Party said on Wednesday that it would summon the minister before a parliamentary committee once lawmakers return from the summer break.

Kristersson’s government has been in power since 2022 and has faced a backlash for working with the Sweden Democrats (SD) – a radical anti-immigration party that was founded by Nazi sympathisers.

Source: BBC

The movement had mobilised citizens to demonstrate against the rising cost of living, the arrest of public commentators, and controversial constitutional reforms.

Protesters also called for the resignation of President Faure Gnassingbé, who was recently appointed President of the Council of Ministers following the country’s transition from a presidential to a parliamentary system.

At a press briefing held in Lomé on Wednesday, July 9, Togolese authorities confirmed the issuance of arrest warrants.

Minister for Security, Calixte Madjoulba, announced that investigations were actively underway to apprehend the organisers.

“Rest assured, investigations are ongoing. Arrest warrants have been issued. The countries where these individuals reside are urged to cooperate. Wherever they are, we will pursue them,” the minister declared.

Government officials accused the M66 movement, whose members are reportedly living abroad, of manipulating the public to incite unrest.

Colonel Hodabalo Anate, Minister of Territorial Administration, described the calls for protest as “acts of subversion” and likened them to terrorism.

“It is terrorism when you invite citizens to engage in gratuitous violence,” he stated, adding that unauthorised demonstrations cannot be considered legitimate democratic expression.

Despite the government’s crackdown and a shutdown of certain social media platforms in recent days, opposition to the current administration continues to mount.

Authorities have insisted that the local elections to elect mayors—scheduled for July 17—will proceed as planned, rejecting calls from opposition parties for a postponement.

Meanwhile, the M66 movement has called for renewed demonstrations on July 16 and 17.

Some political analysts argue that the arrest warrants are part of a broader strategy to silence dissent.

“Rather than initiating dialogue with actors across the socio-political landscape, particularly youth-led movements, the authorities are opting for suppression,” said Kao Atcholli, President of the Association of Torture Victims of Togo.

Civil society organisations have reported at least seven deaths and numerous arrests during the June protests, which were met with force by security personnel.

In response to public outcry, the government has launched a judicial inquiry into the fatalities recorded during the demonstrations.

Source:  Albert Kuzor and Ekou Blame  

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