Turner launched Cable News Network as the first dedicated rolling news channel, in 1980, which soon became a central part of the media landscape.

“Ted was an intensely involved and committed leader, intrepid, fearless and always willing to back a hunch and trust his own judgement,” CNN CEO and chairman Mark Thompson said in a statement.

“He was and always will be the presiding spirit of CNN. Ted is the giant on whose shoulders we stand, and we will all take a moment today to recognize him and his impact on our lives and the world.”

CNN initially struggled, but proved its worth by providing speedy and continuous coverage of stories like the assassination attempt on US President Ronald Reagan in 1981, and the Challenger space shuttle disaster in 1986.

The network truly came of age with its rolling updates on the 1990-1991 Gulf War.

CNN was far from Turner’s only outlet. He began his career by taking over the successful family billboard company when his father took his own life, then bought a radio station in Atlanta, Georgia.

Within a decade, that station had become the foundation of the Turner Broadcasting System (TBS) and its boss was one of the United States’ biggest media moguls.

Trump said the US would pause its operation to guide ships through the key Strait of Hormuz trade route – a move that triggered an escalation in attacks in the region – to see if a deal could be made.

Brent, the global benchmark for crude, fell by 1.7% to $108 (£79.56) a barrel, while US-traded oil fell by 1.6% to $100.60.

The price of oil jumped by more than 6% earlier in the week as attacks across the Middle East intensified, but has since gradually eased.

Global energy prices have surged since Tehran threatened to attack ships trying to cross the Strait of Hormuz, in retaliation against US-Israeli strikes since 28 February.

About a fifth of global oil and gas shipments cross the strait.

Oil prices overall have been higher since the US-Iran conditional ceasefire, which was announced on 8 April and later extended.

Trump said on social media on Tuesday that Project Freedom, the name of the US-led effort to move ships through the channel, would be “paused for a short period of time to see whether or not the Agreement can be finalized and signed”.

He added that “Great Progress has been made toward a Complete and Final Agreement with Representatives of Iran”. Trump said the US would continue to block ships transiting to and from Iranian ports – a move designed to put pressure on Iran’s economy.

To traders, pausing Project Freedom is “a sign that Washington is willing to give diplomacy another chance,” said Charu Chanana from investment firm Saxo.

She added, however, that it is not a turning point.

“The key question for oil traders is whether this leads to real progress in reopening trade through the Strait of Hormuz,” said Chanana, an investment strategist. “For now, there is little evidence of that.”

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio also told reporters that the initial US-Israeli offensive in Iran was over, as Washington’s objectives had been met.

“We would prefer the path of peace. What the president would prefer is a deal,” Rubio said.

Iran has not responded to Rubio’s remarks. The country’s parliamentary speaker Mohammad Ghalibaf said earlier: “We know well that the continuation of the status quo is intolerable for America, while we are just getting started.”

Project Freedom, which Trump said was meant to ease the flow of energy through the channel, had tested the ceasefire between the sides.

The US said it struck several Iranian “fast boats” in the channel, while the United Arab Emirates also accused Iran of launching strikes on one of its oil ports – a claim Tehran has denied.

The distinguished police officer, who previously served as the first female Executive Director of the Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO), will speak on the theme “The Role of Women Leaders in Promoting Integrity in Public Life in the Era of AI”.

This year’s conference is under the theme “Deploying Artificial Intelligence in the Fight Against Corruption in Commonwealth Africa”.

The 16th Commonwealth Regional Conference of Heads of Anti-Corruption Agencies in Africa is being held in Yaoundé, Cameroon. The conference which began on May 4, 2026 will come to a close on May 8, 2026.

It is being hosted by the National Anti-Corruption Commission (CONAC).

The event aims to strengthen institutional integrity and share best practices to combat corruption, focusing on collaboration across Commonwealth countries.

The National Anti-Corruption Commission (CONAC) is an independent Cameroonian public body established on March 11, 2006, dedicated to fighting corruption through prevention, education, and investigation. Based in Yaoundé, it acts as a specialized focal point for anti-corruption strategies, conducting nationwide campaigns to promote integrity, particularly in education and public sectors.

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Speaking in a JoyNews documentary, he alleged that after being forced to sign a military contract, he was initially paid $30,000 upon enlistment.

He further stated that he subsequently received a monthly salary of about $3,000 while deployed.

According to him, after sustaining injuries on the battlefield, he was additionally compensated with $40,000 by the Russian military.

However, the survivor said his financial situation deteriorated after he was allegedly deceived by another Ghanaian he met in Moscow, who promised to help him escape and return home safely.

“He pretended to help me come back to Ghana, but I was duped,” he claimed, adding that much of the remaining money was spent on securing his journey and survival.

He described his eventual return as bittersweet, arriving back in Ghana physically wounded and “empty-pocketed”, despite the sums he says he had received during his time in the conflict zone.

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According to him, he was recruited by an agent in Dubai in the Middle East under the pretext of securing him a job as a steward in the Russian military.

He explained that, in his search for greener pastures, he accepted the offer, completed the necessary processes, and eventually travelled to Moscow, the capital of Russia.

However, he disclosed that upon arrival at a military camp, he was informed that he was, in fact, expected to join the military and take part in the ongoing war.

The victim further revealed that he was not alone in this experience, stating that he was among hundreds of Africans who had been similarly deceived.

Watch the full documentary in the video below:

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Mali’s army chief of staff, General Oumar Diarra, will serve as a minister delegate for defence, said the report, which described the move as a “strategic decision ​coming in a security context that remains sensitive.”

The simultaneous attacks beginning on the morning of April 25 showed how fighters from different groups ​with different goals were able to strike at the ​heart of the West African country’s military government, which took power after ‌coups ⁠in 2020 and 2021.

Sadio Camara, the former defence minister who was instrumental in forging stronger ties with Russia, was killed when a car laden with explosives driven by ​a suicide attacker ​drove into ⁠his residence, the government has previously said.

The attacks set off fighting across Mali’s vast ​desert north, raising the prospect of significant gains ​by ⁠armed groups that have shown an increasing willingness to strike neighbouring countries and, analysts say, could eventually set their sights ⁠further ​afield.

Malian authorities are investigating soldiers suspected ​of involvement in the attacks, a judicial official said on Friday.

But when Lavinia clicked on an email with results of an at-home DNA test in September 2022, she was filled with a sense of dread.

“Maybe subconsciously I knew,” she says.

Her test results revealed something astonishing: non-identical twins Lavinia and Michelle don’t have the same father.

They were conceived naturally, grown together in the same womb, and born to the same mother within minutes of each other – but they are half-sisters.

Michelle and Lavinia, 49, exist because of an incredibly rare biological process called heteropaternal superfecundation. For it to happen, a woman must produce more than one egg during the same cycle, the eggs must be successfully fertilised by sperm from different men, and the resulting embryos must survive the pregnancy.

Only around 20 cases have ever been identified worldwide. After months of researching their story for the BBC Radio 4 series, The Gift, I’ve found that Lavinia and Michelle are the only set of twins with different fathers ever to be documented in the UK.

For Lavinia, the revelation was devastating. She and Michelle had shared a difficult childhood where they were passed around between homes and carers. The only stability the non-identical twins had was each other.

“She was the one thing that belonged to me, the one thing that I was certain about, the one thing that I was sure of,” Lavinia says. “And then she wasn’t.”

But when Lavinia rang her twin to share the news, Michelle felt differently.

“I wasn’t surprised,” Michelle says. “I’m still in amazement that this can actually happen – it’s super weird, super odd, super rare – but it makes sense.”

Michelle and Lavinia’s mother was a vulnerable 19-year-old when she gave birth to them in Nottingham in 1976.

“She had suffered abuse at the hands of [her] stepfather,” Michelle says. “My mother was in and out of foster care and children’s homes throughout her childhood.”

Whenever the twin sisters asked who their dad was, their mum always said he was someone called James. “He wasn’t in our life,” Michelle continues.

Their mother was absent for much of their lives, too. When they were five years old, she got a place to study at university in London, and left her children behind in Nottingham with her best friend’s mother, who the twins called “grandma”.

Grandma was strict – not very emotional, not very cuddly. The one constant I had was Michelle,” Lavinia says.

As long as she had her twin, Michelle says, she felt safe.

“It was her and I against the world.”

Aged 10, the girls joined their mother in London. But within a few years, Lavinia and Michelle were sent away again, to live in one of their mother’s old foster homes. They couldn’t understand why their mum wanted to maintain a distance from them.

“Physically and emotionally, she was always out of reach,” says Lavinia.

After being absent for most of their childhood, James came back into their lives when the twins were in their mid-teens. Lavinia managed to track him down – and while she thought she recognised herself in him, Michelle never felt sure he was her dad. Deep down, there were niggling doubts.

By late 2021, their mother had early-onset dementia, and was no longer able to answer their questions. Michelle saw a photograph of James, and became more convinced than ever that he couldn’t be her father.
 
“I just thought, you don’t even look anything like me,” Michelle says. “So I bought myself a kit.”

If you take a DNA test, you reveal truths about your family as well as yourself. But Michelle wasn’t thinking of how her results might affect Lavinia when she sent her sample off to be analysed. The results arrived on 14 February 2022 – the same day Michelle and Lavinia’s mother died.

Family

James’s last name didn’t feature in Michelle’s paternal line – he wasn’t her father.

After weeks of investigation, Michelle discovered that her father was Alex, the brother of a woman who had been friends with their mother. Michelle contacted some of Alex’s family, who warned her he had struggled with alcoholism and drug addiction for years, and was living on the streets.

Michelle and Lavinia met up with a woman called Olivine, who Michelle believed was a new first cousin to both her and her twin. Michelle felt an instant connection.

“I just knew she was blood,” she says. But Lavinia didn’t feel the same. And when Olivine took out photographs of her family, Lavinia didn’t see herself in their faces.

Lavinia decided to also do a DNA test. She didn’t expect to get a different result to Michelle, but she had to do something about her growing feelings of unease that Alex’s family was not her own.

The applicants are the first under a new Nigerian government-assisted repatriation scheme, the minister said on Sunday, amid fears that confrontations in ​South Africa could escalate.

Protesters held rallies in Pretoria and Johannesburg ​last week, demanding tougher action against illegal immigration, saying ⁠undocumented foreign nationals were putting pressure on jobs, security and public ​services. Migrant-rights groups say foreigners are often scapegoated for South Africa’s economic ​problems.

Nigeria condemns the violence against its citizens in South Africa, including the deaths of two Nigerians allegedly assaulted by security officials, Kimiebi Imomotimi Ebienfa, a spokesperson ​for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said on Monday.

“Nigeria seeks full ​cooperation in providing autopsy reports, post-mortem documentation, and relevant case files, and in ‌facilitating ⁠access to legal processes for the families of the deceased,” Ebienfa said, adding that accountability should include “appropriate disciplinary and prosecutorial action” where wrongdoing is established.

South Africa last month promised to crack down on ​anyone carrying out xenophobic attacks ​after Ghana ⁠and other African countries reported that their nationals had faced violence and discrimination.

More protests were planned on ​May 4 and May 8 and Nigeria would ​be watching ⁠developments closely, the government said.

It had already summoned South Africa’s High Commissioner in Abuja over the situation, and its diplomatic missions in South ⁠Africa ​are working with local authorities to reduce ​risks to Nigerians, the foreign minister said.

Three Indian nationals were injured in the strike, officials said.

It came after the UAE defence ministry said it had intercepted three missiles launched from Iran, with a fourth falling into the sea. Its foreign ministry earlier reported a tanker affiliated with Adnoc, its state-owned oil company, was hit in the Strait of Hormuz.

The UAE called the attacks a “dangerous escalation”. Iranian state TV has quoted an unnamed military official as saying that Iran had “no plans to target the UAE”.

The rising tensions come as the US said navy destroyers and US-flagged merchant ships sailed through the Strait of Hormuz on Monday.

Iran called the claims “entirely false” and its military said it fired warning shots at a US warship. Washington earlier denied a claim in Iranian state media that Iranian missiles had hit a US ship.

Later on Monday, Donald Trump said the US had “shot down” seven Iranian fast boats in the strait. Iran denied that this had happened.

The Strait of Hormuz has remained largely blocked since the US and Israel launched air strikes on Iran in February and Tehran responded by blocking the crucial waterway through which 20% of the world’s oil and liquefied natural gas is meant to pass freely.

In early April, the US and Iran announced a ceasefire under which Iran ended its drone and missile strikes on Gulf countries, including the UAE, but few vessels have been able to transit the strait since then, and the US imposed its own blockade on Iranian ports.

The benchmark Brent crude oil price passed $115 a barrel shortly after the reports that Fujairah had come under attack, up more than 5% on the day.

Fujairah lies on the east coast of the UAE, beyond the Strait of Hormuz. A pipeline from the oilfields of Abu Dhabi runs to Fujairah, allowing limited amounts of crude to be loaded on to tankers and shipped to world markets despite the strait being effectively blockaded.

Earlier on Monday, South Korea also reported an explosion on one of its ships anchored just off the UAE.

Neighbouring Qatar condemned the attack on the tanker affiliated with Adnoc and called for the strait’s “unconditional reopening”.

In Oman, two people were injured when a residential building was targeted in Bukha, along the coastline of the Strait of Hormuz, state media reported on Monday.

On Sunday, Trump said the US would start helping stranded vessels out of the shipping lane. An estimated 20,000 seafarers on 2,000 ships have been stuck since the US-Iran war began in February.

The president said the US had been asked by countries “from all over the World” to help free up their ships which were “locked up in the Strait of Hormuz” and were “merely neutral and innocent bystanders!”.

And so, in response, the US would “guide their Ships safely out of these restricted Waterways”.

There has been growing concern over dwindling supplies and the effects on sailors’ physical and mental health.

But Trump did not say how they would be able to sail away – he only threatened to use force “if, in any way, this Humanitarian process is interfered with”.

The dog is not resting. He is panting, presumably in pain.

The text on the 15-second clip tells viewers that this dog “got into an accident” and asks them to “to save his life” by donating through an online link.

In the three weeks after the video was first posted on 8 January last year, this dog was featured in hundreds of other fundraising campaigns by at least a dozen accounts.

A social media user from the UK named the dog Russet, which reflected the colour of his coat. Thousands of dollars were raised for his treatment. But he never got better.

BBC Africa Eye has discovered that this dog in Uganda was a prop in a scam that solicits donations for animals in distress, part of a hidden industry profiting from cruelty.

It is impossible to conclusively establish what caused Russet’s injuries, but BBC World Service journalists managed to piece together parts of his story, which suggest he endured prolonged suffering, regardless of the cause.

The story connects a town in Uganda with animal lovers thousands of miles away. They are coaxed into parting with their money through emotional images, lies and the exploitation of Western stereotypes of Africa, such as endemic poverty and widespread indifference towards animal welfare.

But it is dogs like Russet who pay the highest price.

He was filmed in Mityana, a trading centre around 70km (43 miles) from Uganda’s capital, Kampala.

The town has become infamous among online animal rescue activists around the world for one thing – sham dog rescue shelters.

Ugandan scammers have realised just how popular dogs are in Europe, North America and Australia, and how easily social media’s obsession with dogs can be converted into cash.

“There are young men in the [Ugandan] countryside who are always looking for anything to do on the internet,” Bart Kakooza, chairman of the Uganda Society for the Protection and Care of Animals, tells the BBC.

“On the other side, in the Western world, people are very passionate about animals. These young men realised they can make money if they can get a dog.”

It is impossible to say how many social media accounts operate from Mityana. But collectively, they have flooded Instagram, TikTok, Facebook and YouTube with videos of pitiful-looking animals – mostly dogs and cats, but even rabbits – with commentary pleading for donations to shelter, feed and treat them.

A typical video involves a person showing some dogs in a makeshift structure coupled with messages like “our dogs are hungry”, “it’s another day without food at the shelter”, and “please help us”.

The clips often exploit what content creators think will resonate with viewers’ existing perceptions of Africa, depicting it as a place where food is scarce and young dog lovers must fight against the odds to protect animals from societal hostility and neglect.

Data analysis by BBC Africa Eye suggests these videos have been effective in converting views into donations.

Over the past five years, our research has shown that more than $730,000 (£540,000) has been raised for animal shelters in Uganda by hundreds of fundraisers on the donation platform GoFundMe.

Nearly 40% of all the fundraisers analysed by the BBC were connected to Mityana.

In the town, the business of sham dog shelters is an open secret. Several residents tell the BBC it is easy to spot the con artists.

“When you see a young man driving a Subaru [a status symbol car in the area], you just know he is a scammer,” says one.

Another says: “The scammers are the most respected here in Mityana”.

But very few residents are willing to speak openly about specific shelter operations, fearing retaliation. The BBC decides to send an undercover team to Mityana.

The journalists pose as newcomers wanting to enter the business of online dog-shelter content.

They discover that some establishments in the area are rented out to multiple content creators.

The shelters charge an entrance fee to film with the owner’s dogs. The videos are then posted on the scammer’s social media accounts and affiliated online fundraisers, usually a GoFundMe or PayPal link.

This means the same physical shelter and the same dogs are used by several different accounts to solicit money.

The BBC team gains access to one of these shelters, run by a young man who introduces himself as Charles Lubajja.

At the shelter, the journalists find about 15 dogs kept in the same cage, lying in their own waste. Many appear severely underweight and lethargic.

Lubajja tells the undercover reporters that the shelter primarily exists to make money from social media viewers abroad under false pretences. He gives some advice on how to increase revenues, and shares some of the tricks, including:

• Pretending that a landowner has threatened the shelter with eviction, and money is needed to relocate it
• Filming fake veterinary treatments, for example, by placing a syringe in the dog’s fur rather than administering a real injection
• Inflating the cost of dog food by more than 11 times.

“Once you receive the GoFundMe money, you use it to buy a car or build a house,” Lubajja says while being secretly filmed.

“Once you get a white donor, don’t treat them as a brother. You have to squeeze them [take their money]. Drain them.”

But as fake operations like Lubajja’s spread across the internet, a growing number of donors came to realise they had been deceived. Initiatives then sprang up to stop the scammers.

Campaigners’ tactics include raising awareness among potential contributors and naming and shaming the accounts believed to be the worst offenders.

Online activists also say that more than just neglect is taking place in Mityana’s shelters, including deliberately harming the animals.

A campaign which gained ground due to its aggressive style is We Won’t Be Scammed, which has an Instagram account with around 20,000 followers.

In the undercover filming, Lubajja himself mentions the campaign and describes it as the scammers’ “biggest problem”.

What Lubajja probably did not know is that the account is run by a 49-year-old woman who lives some 10,000km away in Yorkshire, in the north of England.

Nicola Baird, the founder of We Won’t Be Scammed, is on the warpath.

“The scammers, I just have hatred for them,” she tells the BBC. “They are the epitome of evil.”

As with others in her network of 20 activists, Baird was once a victim. She sent money to a man in Mityana who said his dog needed surgery after a traffic accident.

When she received photos and videos of the dog’s alleged surgery, Baird started to suspect something was wrong. Veterinary doctors, she shared the images with, confirmed that they looked more like abuse than veterinary care. “That’s when I thought: ‘Oh my goodness, I’ve enabled this abuse.’

“And that’s when it became a real passion to stop the abuse because I felt like they were abusing [my dog] Sebi – they’re abusing part of my family.”

This experience shaped Baird’s belief that animal injuries shown in social media videos – including burns, cuts and even missing limbs – have been deliberately inflicted, a view shared by other online activist groups monitoring accounts linked to Mityana.

Lubajja confirms to the undercover team that scammers have intentionally injured dogs.

“When they ran out of content, some people started cutting the dogs and asking for money,” he says.

But he adds the escalation backfired when some donors started seeing through the abuse and warning others.

“[Scammers] no longer cut the dogs [because] they lost money when the white people realised.”

Baird acknowledges that scammers’ tactics have changed due to increased scrutiny, but maintains that dogs are still being deliberately hurt and remain in danger.

“All that pain is just for a few donations,” she says. “No animal should have to live like this.”

We Won’t Be Scammed, and other online activists think that Russet, the dog who was filmed at the side of the road and featured in dozens of fundraising videos, had his legs deliberately broken.

During the undercover filming, Lubajja is shown a video of Russet, and he identifies it as one of his dogs. When pressed by the journalists for more details, he said the dog had been involved in a traffic accident just outside the shelter.

But that may not have been the case.

After his initial social media appearance, Russet’s image was posted on several different accounts, seemingly as he was passed from one scammer group to another.

Around three weeks later, a British social media user and donor, who wishes to remain anonymous, managed to negotiate Russet’s release from the scammers to a veterinary clinic in Kampala.

Dr Isa Lutebemberwa went to Mityana to pick the dog up and took him to his clinic for treatment, which was funded by the UK donor.

In Lutebemberwa’s opinion, the chances that Russet’s injuries resulted from an accident were low. Describing an X-ray of Russet’s lower body, he says: “If you look at these bones, all of them were broken almost in the same position.

“If you are interested in breaking a bone, it’s the position you would go for, because it is the weakest.”

Lutebemberwa operated on Russet. He survived the surgery but died a couple of days later.

“If you looked in his face, you would see that he had endured a lot of suffering,” Lutebemberwa tells the BBC. “Given everything he had gone through, he did not deserve to die.”

“Russet showed me the pain a dog which is out there can go through.”

The BBC contacted Lubajja, who had told the undercover journalists he had been the owner of Russet, for comment on the investigation’s findings.

When sent images of Russet with the allegations, he said he did not recognise the dog and denied injuring animals. He acknowledged that content creators pay to film at his shelter.

Lutebemberwa and other animal activists in Uganda, like Kakooza, partially blame international donors for the suffering of dogs in Mityana’s shelters, saying they often donate impulsively and without enough scrutiny.

“People who are donating money are causing the problem of animal cruelty here, because they keep on fuelling it, they are fanning the fire,” says Kakooza.

Baird agrees that donations may inadvertently have caused harm: “I think the message that we have to take from Russet’s abuse is the donations prolonged his agony. Had people not donated, Russet would not have suffered as long as he did.”

Most animal activists, in Uganda and beyond, think that more awareness among social media users and potential donors would reduce the flow of donations to Mityana’s shelters. This would dampen scammers’ income and the appeal of the business among young people, and lead to fewer new dogs being captured for the scams.

However, few can point to a concrete solution for the dogs who are currently in the shelters.

Mityana police told the BBC that an operation in 2023 rescued 24 severely injured dogs kept in poor conditions at a sham shelter in town, and transferred them to Kampala for treatment.

Three suspects arrested in the operation were charged with cruelty against animals before being released. Their file was later closed, and they were given a warning.

Now, an international coalition of activists, including Kakooza, is trying to use private prosecutions to tackle the problem. One is already in the works.

“We hope this case will be a deterrent for many other people who wish to continue operating in this illegal trade,” he tells the BBC.

If you’re outside the UK, you can watch the documentary on YouTube.

Peter Obi and Rabiu Kwankwaso, who finished third and fourth respectively in the 2023 presidential race, have both joined the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), raising the prospect of a joint ticket to challenge President Bola Tinubu.

They were previously in the African Democratic Congress (ADC), along with former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar, who came second in the last election.

While this could be seen as a fragmentation of the opposition, supporters of Obi and Kwankwaso say it will give their alliance greater focus.

Both men are former governors and command significant grassroots followings.

Obi is hugely popular among young voters across the south, while Kwankwaso wields considerable influence in the north.

The move comes just nine months after Obi, Kwankwaso and Abubakar joined the ADC but that alliance quickly became mired in legal battles over party leadership – something Obi blamed on the government.

“The same Nigerian state and its agents that created unnecessary crises and hostility within the Labour Party that forced me to leave now appear to be finding their way into the ADC,” Obi said on Sunday.

He was the Labour Party candidate in the 2023 election.

Allies of President Tinubu have denied that they have been trying to sabotage opposition parties.

Obi, 64, and Kwankwaso, 69, were formally received at the NDC’s national headquarters in Abuja by the party’s national leader, Senator Seriake Dickson, on Sunday.

Speaking afterwards, both men called for national unity, greater opportunities for young people, and an end to the infighting that has plagued Nigeria’s opposition.

However, their decision risks upsetting allies within the coalition built around the ADC, which had been positioning itself as the main vehicle for opposition unity.

Some figures within the bloc have privately expressed a sense of betrayal, raising fresh doubts about whether Nigeria’s fragmented opposition can sustain a coordinated challenge against President Tinubu, 74.

In a statement, the Nigerian presidency played down the significance of the defections, suggesting they reflected “the normal fluidity of democratic politics” rather than any fundamental shift.

A presidential spokesperson said the government remained focused on governance.

“Political alliances will come and go,” the spokesperson said. “But our priority is delivering economic reforms, improving security and ensuring stability for all Nigerians.”

Tinubu is widely expected to seek a second term, although he has not yet confirmed it. His supporters recently paid the 100 million naira (£52,000; $73,000) fee needed for the form to contest the primary elections for the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) party.

Political analyst Bala Yusuf told the BBC the move could reshape Nigeria’s electoral landscape.

“If the NDC fields Obi as its presidential candidate and Kwankwaso as vice-president, they will definitely give the ruling APC a run for their money at the polls,” he said.

They have not yet said who the presidential candidate will be – an issue that has broken up several previous Nigerian political alliances.

It remains to be seen how Abubakar will respond, given that he was a key figure who went to great lengths to bring opposition heavyweights into the ADC.

Meanwhile, the party’s leadership crisis continues to play out in the courts.

The Supreme Court last week ordered that the dispute over who runs the party be sent back to the Federal High Court for another hearing – a decision that further reduces the time available for the ADC to get its house in order before the election campaign begins in earnest.

Elections are scheduled for early January next year – they will be the country’s eighth since the end of military rule in 1999.

The police stated on Sunday that landslides were reported in Tharaka Nithi, Elgeyo-Marakwet, and Kiambu counties in the country’s central and eastern regions. They confirmed that 18 lives had been lost to these incidents and urged caution amid the challenging weather conditions.

Mudslides are impacting “multiple families, displacing households, and causing significant damage to property and infrastructure”, the police said, warning residents living in landslide-prone or flood-affected areas to be careful.

It’s unclear how many people have been displaced.

Reports from local media show streets in the capital city, Nairobi, overflowing with water as cars and pedestrians wade through the deluge.

Traders in the city’s Makongeni and Ruai neighbourhoods staged protests on Sunday over the poor state of roads amid the rains, saying it was affecting their businesses.

Weather authorities earlier on Friday warned that the rains posed health risks in the form of waterborne diseases, and that damage to crops and farmland across the country was likely.

This is the second time in less than two months that parts of Kenya are seeing deadly floods. In March, floodwaters swelled to the brim in parts of Nairobi, killing at least 37 people.

The East African country is currently experiencing its seasonal March to May rain season, which usually peaks in the first half of May. However, experts have long warned that human-induced climate change is exacerbating weather conditions in Kenya and other East African countries.

“Across African cities, water extremes, too much during intense rains and too little during droughts, are driving increasingly severe impacts,” Fruzsina Straus, head of Disaster Risk Reduction for the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), said in a brief last week, adding that “cities must adapt rapidly to this new water volatility”.

The reptile suspected to have eaten the missing man had already been killed, but Captain Johan “Pottie” Potgieter said it was still a nerve-wracking experience.

“The sharp end of a crocodile is not the best place to approach it,” he told the News24 website.

After Potgieter had used a rope to secure the animal, both were hoisted away from the Komati River in the north-east of the country.

DNA tests will now be carried out to confirm if the remains are those of the missing man.

His car had become stranded attempting to cross a low bridge in the flooded river last week. By the time the police got to the scene, it was empty, leading them to suspect he had been swept away by the water, Mpumalanga provincial police spokesperson Colonel Mavela Masondo told the national broadcaster, SABC.

The authorities used drones and helicopters in the search mission and noticed a small island where a number of crocodiles were basking in the sun, recounted Potgieter, commander of a police diving unit.

He said that, based on years of experience, they could tell that one of the animals had recently eaten.

“Besides having a massively full tummy, he didn’t move around or try to slip into the river despite the noise of the drones and the chopper,” he told News24.

The reptile was then killed before Potgieter embarked on what police described as the “highly dangerous and complex operation” to recover it.

The massive crocodile, measuring 4.5m (15ft) and weighing 500kg (1,100lb), was then flown to the nearby Kruger National Park, where human remains were discovered inside its intestines.

Potgieter said that, in addition to the body parts, six different types of shoes were found. He said this could indicate it had killed other people, but not necessarily: “A crocodile will eat or swallow anything.”

South Africa’s acting police chief, Lt-Gen Puleng Dimpane, praised Potgieter for his bravery.

It was early November 2025 when Penelope received a call whilst driving home from work in New Jersey in the US. It was her doctor, phoning with news she had been longing for. After an agonising two and a half years of trying, Penelope was finally pregnant.

After many tests, Penelope and her husband Samuel had learned that he had Klinefelter syndrome, a genetic condition that affects males who are born with an extra X chromosome, often not diagnosed until adulthood. Most people with Klinefelter syndrome produce little or no sperm in their ejaculate, a condition known as azoospermia. About 10% of infertile men experience azoospermia.

Bursting with joy and disbelief, Penelope waited until Samuel (both their names have been changed to protect their identity for privacy reasons) returned home that evening to share the news.

“His face was just a wave of emotion,” she says. “He cried… just to finally get to that point, because it took so much effort, time and research. And the fact that we only had one embryo, and it worked, we were just over the Moon.”

Their pregnancy was only made possible thanks to a new technique, known as the Star (Sperm Track and Recovery) system, developed by Columbia University to trace sperm in men with azoospermia. The system uses artificial intelligence to help identify and locate the few “hidden” sperm that men with this condition can have.

“I was scared. I thought that I wasn’t going to be able to have my own kid, which is a really big part of my life,” says Samuel, who was told he had a 20% chance of having a biological child. “And that was a big slap in the face.”

Infertility affects millions of people worldwide, with around one in every six people of reproductive age experiencing problems with getting pregnant at least once in their lifetime. Male infertility is a contributing factor in up to 50% of cases and 1% of all men are azoospermic.

This means potentially millions of men worldwide have sperm counts so low that their individual spermatozoa are so hard to find that they are considered to be azoospermic. But the power of AI to find these hidden sperm could offer hope to those hoping to become parents.

At the end of last year, after five years in development, the first baby to be born using the Star system allowed a couple who had battled with infertility for almost two decades to finally have a child. It’s a moment Zev Williams, director of Columbia University Fertility Center, and his team remember well.

“Everyone was just jumping up and down with joy,” he says. “There are so few things where the reward for all the effort that was put into it is something as wonderful and special as this. Now there’s a baby girl and hopefully, God willing, many, many more.” 

Since the arrival of the first Star baby, the technology has been used regularly at the fertility centre, with the waiting list of people hoping to conceive growing to hundreds from all around the world. Based on the latest 175 patients to have used the technology, Williams says they are finding sperm in just under 30% of cases. These are individuals who had otherwise been told that they had no chance of having a baby using their own sperm.  

In further tests, Star was able to find 40 times more sperm than a manual search by a trained human technician, according to Williams.

Usually a semen sample has tens of millions of sperm per millilitre. A tiny droplet from a sample is examined under a microscope so sperm count can be estimated, while also looking for whether the sperm are moving and healthy. But in azoospermic samples, only a single sperm might be present in the entire sample – although in some cases there are none. Sifting through the sample, one tiny drop at a time, is impractical.

Williams hit on the idea for the Star system in 2020 after reading about how AI is being used to find new stars.

Modern telescopes produce an overwhelming amount of data of the night’s sky that is impossibly time consuming for human astronomers to analyse for objects that haven’t been seen before. But using machine learning algorithms can do this work in minutes.

“The picture of the sky was very reminiscent of what we’re looking for, and what we see in men who are told they have no sperm,” says Williams. He began to ponder whether it would be possible to apply such technologies to identify and isolate sperm in the same way.

He and his team were already using a high-powered imaging technology that could be used to scan the sample. The challenge was to analyse hundreds of images per second in real time to detect and extract any sperm that can be found.

Williams and his colleagues use microfluid chips – glass or polymer etched with a series of channels as thin as a human hair. The sperm sample then flows through and can be scanned by the imager.

A machine learning algorithm detects any sperm cells in the images in real-time so they can be isolated as gently as possible, ensuring they are not destroyed.

“As the sample is flowing through, we’re imaging it at 300 images per second,” says Williams. “Most of what we’re seeing is just debris and fragments. It’s not like it’s an empty liquid. And you’re trying to find that really rare sperm in a sea of all this other debris and cell fragments.”

Williams says that the Star method has achieved a sensitivity rating of 100%, meaning it has the ability to find a single sperm in a sample if there is one present.

“It’s just finding something where we couldn’t see it before,” he says.

Once identified, a robotic system then extracts the sperm cell or cells within milliseconds of their discovery. “The robotics on the microfluid chip sorts out that tiny little part of the fluid that has the sperm in it,” says Williams. “You end up with a tube filled with the seminal fluid, but without any sperm in it, and a tiny droplet that has the sperm in it.”

In Samuel’s case, there was an added challenge and a first for the Star system – with Klinefelter, there’s no sperm in the ejaculate, so to find sperm, urologists need to go in the testicle. Samuel underwent hormone therapy for nine months in preparation for a successful testicular extraction surgery at another fertility centre.

The sample was then sent to William’s team at Columbia for investigation.

“The tissue from the surgery was transported to our andrology laboratory which then processed it to be able to run through the Star system,” says Eric Forman, medical and laboratory director at Columbia University Fertility Center, who supervised the procedure.

At the same time, Penelope was having her egg retrieval procedure. A fresh sperm sample is usually provided on the same day, because it offers the best chance of fertilisation. They were running against time.

Star was able to isolate eight sperm in Samuel’s sample, which were in turn injected into Penelope’s eggs. One turned into a full blastocyst, a more developed stage of an embryo.

Their baby, likely to be the first boy born as a result of Star, is due at the end of July. It’s a point they were never sure they’d reach.

“It’s starting to feel really real now, especially because I’m feeling movement. We had our anatomy scan and everything is just looking so great,” says Penelope.

Hunting out scarce sperm cells is not the only way AI is being used to improve outcomes in fertility treatment.

In ovarian stimulation, for example – an essential process in IVF which helps the ovaries produce multiple eggs – machine learning is allowing for a more personalised dosage of the hormone gonadotropin to be calculated. Meanwhile, deep learning tools are assisting with more accurate and viable gamete and embryo selection.

But to assess long-term outcomes, experts agree that more large-scale clinical trials are needed, as well as clarity around how to handle sensitive medical data, confidentiality and disputes around accountability and ownership.

There are also concerns about the overpromise of a happy ending that can come with AI innovations.

“Couples who have long fertility journeys can become desperate to conceive and are vulnerable to being sold expensive treatments of unproven value,” says Siobhan Quenby, professor of obstetrics at The University of Warwick in the UK.  

“It is very exciting that advanced, imagining, engineering and AI have been combined to develop a new solution for severe male factor subfertility,” she adds. “One successful pregnancy is an important start. However, further research on more patients is needed before the value of this new treatment can be fully assessed.”

For Samuel, however, the prospect that this AI-powered technique could help him and his wife grow their family again in the future is tantalising.

“Of course, now we’re being greedy and we want another kid hopefully in the future, but this is something we’re going to have to go through again because we don’t have anything in reserve besides eggs,” he says. But they also now have hope, he says, where there previously was none.

Two women and a child were among eight killed in Haboush in Nabatieh district, where the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) had issued an evacuation order.

Four people, including two women, were killed in Zrarieh in Sidon district, while another person was killed in Ain Baal in Tyre district. In total, 32 people were injured on Friday.

Fighting between Israel and Hezbollah has continued despite an ongoing three-week ceasefire extension.

On Saturday, Iran-backed group Hezbollah said it had targeted Israeli soldiers and military vehicles in Lebanon.

The Israeli military said one of its soldiers was killed during combat in southern Lebanon on Thursday, bringing the number of Israeli troop deaths since early March to 17.

An initial 10-day pause in hostilities had been announced on 16 April following ambassador talks in Washington between Israel and Lebanon.

The two countries have no diplomatic relations and the first meeting in Washington was the first high-level set of talks between them since 1993.

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A three-week extension to the ceasefire was announced by US President Donald Trump on 23 April, who said the second meeting between the two countries “went very well” and the US would be working with Lebanon “to help it protect itself from Hezbollah”.

The Iran-backed group was not involved in the ceasefire agreement but had indicated it would abide by its terms if it was also respected by Israel.

While the truce largely halted strikes on the capital city Beirut and its southern suburbs, fighting has persisted elsewhere in the south, with continued air raids and repeated evacuation orders.

On 30 April, the US embassy in Beirut suggested a meeting between Lebanon’s President Joseph Aoun and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu would give Lebanon “the chance to secure concrete guarantees on full sovereignty, territorial integrity, secure borders, humanitarian and reconstruction support, and the complete restoration of Lebanese state authority over every inch of its territory”.

The post on X added that this would be “guaranteed by the US”.

The Lebanese president met with the US ambassador to Lebanon Michael Issa on Friday, where Issa affirmed that the US continued support to Lebanon.

Israel and Hezbollah agreed to a ceasefire ending a previous conflict in November 2024, after which Israel carried out near-daily attacks on targets and people it said were linked to Hezbollah.

After the US and Israel attacked Iran on 28 February and killed Iran’s supreme leader, Hezbollah launched rockets and drones into Israel in retaliation on 2 March.

In response, Israel bombarded Lebanon with air strikes. Israeli forces re-entered southern Lebanon in early March, where they have destroyed villages and remained occupying 10km (6.2 miles) of Lebanese territory.

Since early March, 2,586 people have been killed in Lebanon, including 103 health care workers and emergency responders, according to the Lebanese health ministry. It does not distinguish between combatants and civilians.

Along with 17 Israeli soldiers killed in Lebanon, two civilians have been killed by Hezbollah attacks in Israel.

On Saturday morning, the IDF said it had undertaken “around 50 strikes in the last day” on southern Lebanon.

It says the targets struck included headquarters from where Hezbollah operated, along with buildings used for military purposes.

A previous update said the IDF intercepted two “aerial targets” before they managed to cross into Israeli territory.

Two months into the US-Israel war on Iran, the strait remains closed, choking off 20 percent of the world’s oil and gas supplies. That has sent global energy prices surging and heightened concerns about the risks of an economic downturn.

Pakistan-led efforts to resolve the conflict have hit an impasse. Despite a ceasefire in place since April 8, Iran continues to block the strait in response to a US naval blockade of its ports, preventing oil exports – Tehran’s economic lifeline.

Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei defended the closure of the Strait of Hormuz. “This is because of the war and the defence of our right – that is, according to international law, it is legitimate, legal, and accepted,” he said on Thursday night, Iran’s official news agency IRNA reported.

He accused the US of “exploiting a waterway” of which Iran is the coastal state. “In such circumstances, you cannot allow this waterway to be misused,” he said.

Baghaei also justified attacks on US assets in Gulf countries.

“Unfortunately, the regional countries also truly acted unjustly; during the holy month of Ramadan, they cooperated with a foreign party in attacking an Islamic country, and this is something that will remain a permanent demand.”

On Thursday, the United Arab Emirates said it had banned its citizens from travelling to Iran, Lebanon and Iraq, and urged those currently in those countries to leave immediately and return home.

Then, on Friday, in response to Iran’s threat to hit targets in the Gulf, the adviser to the UAE’s president, Anwar Gargash, said: “No unilateral Iranian arrangements can be trusted or relied upon, following its treacherous aggression against all its neighbours.”

Bahraini King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa also condemned what he described as Iranian aggression against Manama and accused Tehran of threatening its security and stability and exposing internal collaborators.

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In a statement, the king expressed anger at individuals and some legislators accused of siding with the attackers, warning that traitors could face imprisonment, loss of citizenship and expulsion. He stressed that loyalty to the nation is “paramount”, urging unity and accountability, and said parliament must be “cleansed” of those who support enemies.

New US strikes?

It is unclear whether the US is planning to renew its attacks on Iran.

Friday is the deadline for Congress to approve the war. Without that – or a 30-day extension, which the Trump administration must also justify by the day – the US will have to scale back its offensive significantly under the 1973 War Powers Resolution.

A senior administration official said late on Thursday that, for the resolution, hostilities had ceased with the start of the April ceasefire between Tehran and Washington, effectively resetting the clock.

President Donald Trump received a briefing from officials on Thursday on plans for a series of further military strikes to pressure Iran to negotiate an end to the conflict, US publication Axios reported, quoting sources.

US Democratic Senator Richard Blumenthal told CNN on Thursday that he had the “impression from some of the briefings”, as well as from other sources, that “an imminent military strike is very much on the table”.

He added that this prospect was “deeply disturbing” because it could “well involve American sons and daughters in harm’s way” and lead to “potential massive casualties”.

Bracing for attack

Meanwhile, Iran has been bracing itself for likely attacks. Air defence activity was heard in some areas of the capital, Tehran, late on Thursday, Iran’s semi-official Mehr news agency reported, and the Tasnim news agency said air defences were engaging small drones and unmanned surveillance aerial vehicles.

A senior official of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said any new US attack on Iran, even if limited, would usher in “long and painful strikes” on its regional positions. Iranian media reports, quoting the aerospace force commander, Majid Mousavi, said: “We’ve seen what happened to your regional bases, we will see the same thing happen to your warships.”

Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei said in a written message to Iranians that “the enemies’ abuses of the waterway” would be eliminated under the new management of the strait, indicating that Tehran intended to maintain its hold over it.

“Foreigners who come from thousands of kilometres away … have no place there except at the bottom of its waters,” he said.

Multiple scenarios

Reporting from the White House, in Washington, DC, Al Jazeera’s Mike Hanna said: “There’s no doubt that there have been various scenarios laid out for him [Trump] by his military advisers and by his intelligence advisers as to what to do should the ceasefire no longer be extended.”

“Obviously, that would involve some form of armed action, some form of intensified economic action.”

“There’s absolutely no doubt that President Trump has all sorts of scenarios that have been laid out in front of him, but very clearly as well, it’s going to be him and him alone who will choose what to do next,” Hanna added.

Her election took place in Johannesburg, where she secured a decisive victory with 131 votes against 51.

The position is considered equivalent to that of a Second Deputy Speaker within the continental legislative body.

With this achievement, Dr. Agyeman-Rawlings becomes the first female representative of the West African Caucus to occupy the role in the history of the Pan-African Parliament.

The development was shared by Rockson-Nelson Dafeamekpor, who congratulated her on the milestone and described the feat as significant for both Ghana and the West African sub-region.

Her election marks a notable step in advancing female representation in leadership within Africa’s parliamentary structures.

BREAKING NEWS!!!!!
—————————————

1. By 131 to 51 votes, the Hon. Dr. Zanetor Agyeman-Rawlings has just been emphatically elected as the 2nd Deputy President of the Pan African Parliament in Johannesburg, South Africa.

2. This is the equivalence of a 2nd Deputy Speaker of the… pic.twitter.com/doQkPz7z4i

— Rockson-Nelson Dafeamekpor, Esq. MP. (@etsedafeamekpor) April 30, 2026

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He insists that justice must first be served before any funeral arrangements proceed.

Speaking on JoyNews PM Express on Wednesday, he revealed that Ghana has demanded a full investigation into the killing, which officials say was initially treated as a routine criminal incident.

“So the current xenophobic actions that are going on, nobody has lost their lives. The statistics are there; they’ve given it to us,” he said, addressing broader concerns about the safety of Ghanaians in South Africa.

He, however, confirmed a specific case involving a Ghanaian man found dead in East London.

“In fact, there was a story going round about a Ghanaian who had lost his life in East London… we went there yesterday on the instructions of the Foreign Affairs Minister,” he said.

Mr Quarshie disclosed that initial findings showed the victim was killed in a violent robbery.

“We got to find out that the gentleman was stabbed to death by armed robbers, and it happened three weeks ago,” he said. “They just left his body there, and we only got to know after three weeks.”

He said Ghana’s Foreign Affairs Ministry has since demanded action. “The Foreign Affairs Minister has officially asked them to open an investigation,” he noted.

According to him, Ghanaian officials moved quickly to prevent what they described as premature disposal of the body.

“In fact, they wanted to mass-bury the gentleman, but the Minister again gave instructions that the gentleman should not be buried until a full investigation is completed,” he said.

He stressed that Ghana’s position is firm: “until we know who killed him, why he was killed, and compensation given to his family.”

Mr Quarshie added that the deceased’s family has been traced in Ghana.

“The family has been identified in Ghana. We’ve spoken to them,” he said, describing the situation as deeply distressing. “It has been a difficult one for them, because this is a breadwinner in the family.”https://www.youtube.com/embed/oeBxpk-F1ow?si=RL_ypcAr4MyE-FwH

He also highlighted the emotional toll of the killing. “When you hear the story as to how they killed him, it’s really, really pathetic,” he said.

The High Commissioner warned that Ghana will no longer tolerate delays or silence in such cases.

“I’m sure that the era of Ghanaians or any other person being killed, and South African authorities just brushing it aside… I think that era is over,” he said.

He pledged to continue pressuring authorities to ensure accountability.

“We will ensure there’s accountability. Will account for every single individual, be it Ghanaian, be it any African person,” he said. “When we get to know it, until justice is done, we will not stop.”

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Speaking on JoyNews’ PM Express with Evans Mensah, he said, “So the current xenophobic actions that are going on, nobody has lost their lives.”

His comments come amid heightened tensions and circulating reports online suggesting that foreign nationals, including Ghanaians, have been targeted and killed in parts of South Africa.

Mr Quarshie said official data available to the mission contradicts those claims. “The statistics are there; they’ve given it to us,” he stated.

He addressed a specific viral case involving a Ghanaian man reportedly killed in East London, clarifying the circumstances surrounding the incident.

“In fact, there was a story going round about a Ghanaian who had lost his life in East London… We went there yesterday on the instructions of the Foreign Affairs Minister,” he explained.

According to him, investigations revealed the death was unrelated to xenophobic violence. “We got to find out that the gentleman was stabbed to death by armed robbers, and it happened three weeks ago,” he said.

He disclosed that the case came to the authorities’ attention only weeks later.

“They just left his body there, and we only got to know after three weeks that the citizen had been stabbed to death,” he added.

The envoy said the Ghanaian government has since intervened at the highest level. “The Foreign Affairs Minister has officially asked them to open an investigation,” he noted.

He revealed that steps have been taken to ensure due process, including halting an attempted burial.

“In fact, they wanted to mass-bury the gentleman, but the Minister again gave instructions that the gentleman should not be buried until a full investigation is completed,” he said.

He stressed that authorities are seeking clarity and justice. “Until we know who killed him, why he was killed, and compensation given to his family,” he stated.

Mr Quarshie confirmed that the victim’s family in Ghana has been identified and contacted. “We’ve spoken to them. It has been a difficult one for them, because this is the breadwinner in the family,” he said.

Describing the circumstances of the killing, he added, “When you hear the story as to how they killed him, it’s really, really pathetic.”

Despite the incident, he maintained that it should not be conflated with xenophobic violence.

He also signalled a shift in how such cases are handled.

“But I’m sure that the era of Ghanaians or any other person being killed, and South African authorities just brushing it aside… that era is over,” he said.

He pledged sustained action from Ghana’s diplomatic mission.

“We would ensure there’s accountability. Will account for every single individual, be it Ghanaian, be it any African person,” he stated.

“Until justice is done, we will not stop,” he added.

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• Close shops, avoid protest areas – Ghanaians in South Africa urged amidst xenophobic attacks

• Diplomacy cannot end xenophobic attacks – UP Communications Director

The House voted 215-211, with no Democrats supporting it. House Speaker Mike Johnson held the vote open for more than five hours as he worked to ​get enough of his fellow Republicans to embrace the measure.

Some, from farm states, were holding out for a future vote on expanding the sale of gasoline blended with ethanol.

The Senate approved the plan on April ​23. With the House going along, it will be up to Republicans in ​both chambers to put together details of the $70-billion proposal and win passage before sending it to President Donald Trump to sign it into law.

Republicans are hoping to do so in May and will ​use a special, rarely used procedure that allows them to steer the legislation through the Senate without any support from Democrats.

Republicans used the same procedure last year ‌to ⁠ram through around $130 billion in funding for the Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Border Patrol agencies – a huge boost that Trump requested to carry out his massive migrant deportation campaign.

Republicans have resisted Democrats’ attempts to constrain ICE and Border Patrol ​operations in U.S. cities ​that have triggered ⁠protests, especially after two U.S. citizens were shot dead by federal agents this year in Minneapolis.

By the end of this week, a series of agencies operating under the Department of Homeland Security will run out of funding unless Republicans in Congress reach an agreement on a separate bill for the fiscal year ending on September 30.

The Senate has passed a bill to fund DHS agencies, including the Secret Service, Coast Guard, and Federal Emergency Management Agency, but House Republicans have so far refused to go along.

The aircraft burst into flames at Parafield Airport in Adelaide after it crashed on Wednesday afternoon local time.

South Australian premier Peter Malinauskas wrote on social media that a “number of others” have been injured.

The plane involved was a twin-engine Diamond DA42, according to the Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB), which has launched an investigation into the accident.

According to the manufacturer’s website, each Diamond DA42 aircraft can seat up to four people.

The South Australian police said in a statement that “the immediate area has been evacuated as emergency services deal with the incident”.

A statement posted on Parafield Airport’s social media said a “serious incident” had occurred at the airport and it was “providing full support to the emergency services in their response to this incident”.

Malinauskas wrote on social media that his “thoughts are with the families and loved ones of those who have passed away, and with everyone affected by this devastating event”.

“The fire in the hangar has now been extinguished, and the airfield has been closed,” he said. “Emergency services remain on the scene and continue to respond with professionalism and urgency.”

Parafield Airport is known to be used by light aircraft and is home to several flight training schools. It’s one of the country’s busiest airports in terms of aircraft movement.

In January, a student pilot escaped unharmed after their plane crashed and caught fire at the airport.

His clarification came at a mining conference in the Kenyan capital, Nairobi, attended by Nigeria’s Minister of Mines and Steel Development, Henry Dele Alake, who told the gathering: “President Ruto, the people of Nigeria have mandated me to inform and assure you that Nigerians speak good English.”

To much laughter, Ruto took to the stage to explain his comments to Kenyans living in Italy last week were intended to be private and had been “taken out of context”.

“The fact is that I was talking about how we in Africa speak very good English, all of us,” he said.

“In fact, in some countries like Nigeria, if you do not speak excellent English like the one we speak in Kenya, you may need a translator to understand the excellent English of Nigeria. So that was the comparison. But somebody misrepresented the facts.”

President Ruto reminded the audience at the mining development conference that Nigerians were his in-laws – one of his daughters, June, is married to a Nigerian.

“I want to send my regards to my brothers and sisters in Nigeria… my in-laws.”

He told Alake to pass on his greetings to his Nigerian counterpart, Bola Tinubu: “Tell President Tinubu that I said, ‘Hi’. And tell him I said that in good English… so that there will be no consequences.”

Following an explanation about how he felt he had been mispresented, the president ended by saying: “It is as well that we can have this conversation – my in-laws, I hope there will be no consequences for whatever was done,” he said.

The good-natured banter was in sharp contrast to the barrage of criticism President Ruto has faced online.

Last week, he boasted that Kenya’s education system was producing some of the world’s best human capital, with strong English proficiency.

“We speak some of the best English in the world, that is true. If you listen to a Nigerian speaking, you don’t know what they are saying. You need a translator even when they are speaking English.”

The condemnation that followed was widespread, fuelling an online cyber rivalry between the two nations.

Kenya and Nigeria are both former British colonies and share English as an official language, but have distinct spoken varieties with different phonetic structures.

These differences reflect the influence of indigenous languages – Nigeria has more than 500 languages which shape its cadence and intonation, while Kenya’s Bantu, Nilotic and Cushitic mix give rise to its own accents.

The 45-year-old from South Australia shaved her son’s head and eyebrows, bandaged his head and hands, and medicated him as part of a ruse to trick family and friends into raising thousands of dollars.

The woman, who cannot be named for legal reasons, pleaded guilty to one count of engaging in acts likely to cause harm to her son and 10 counts of deception.

At a sentencing hearing on Wednesday, a District Court judge described her actions as “cruel”, “calculated” and “manipulative”.

The woman’s deception started after her son went to see an ophthalmologist, a specialist eye doctor, after an accident, the court heard.

After that appointment, she told her husband, family, friends and her school community that her son had eye cancer.

She forced her son to use a wheelchair and limited his daily activities to make people think he was receiving radiation treatment. She also gave him pain relief and health supplements, local media have reported.

In court, the prosecution said that the mother had “selfishly used her son as a prop to deceive” loved ones and the wider community, then used donations so the family could live “the life of the rich and famous”.

The woman’s lawyer said she had developed a gambling addiction after the Covid-19 pandemic and “capitalised” on her son’s accident, but that she never meant to hurt him or the family.

Rather, the mother-of-two had made a “monumental and grave lapse in judgement to selfishly ease her financial stress”, her lawyer told the court.

They said the woman had been diagnosed with borderline personality disorder and accepted her wrongdoing by pleading guilty.

“She regrettably spent more than her earnings allowed and was living beyond her means,” her lawyer said, with a “foolish and misguided” belief her family needed “the latest brands”.

Her husband was initially charged, but police later dropped the case against him.

In his victim impact statement, he said his wife had “destroyed me and my children’s lives”.

“I had complete trust in you as my wife, and I never doubted you. I was devoted to our family. Now I feel like a pawn in a chess game.”

Outside the court, the husband told the media that “no sentence can ever justify what has been done to my children”, according to the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.

The woman was sentenced to four years and three months in prison, but will be eligible for parole next April.

In a speech this week, the North Korean leader said those who “unhesitatingly opted for self-blasting, suicide attack, in order to defend the great honour” were “heroes”.

South Korea estimates at least 15,000 North Koreans have been sent to help Russia recapture parts of western Kursk, and more than 6,000 have been killed so far. Neither Pyongyang nor Moscow have confirmed the numbers.

Intelligence agencies and defectors have said the soldiers were under Pyongyang’s orders to kill themselves rather than be taken prisoner by Ukraine.

“Their self-sacrifice expecting no compensation, and the devotion expecting no reward… This [is] the definition of the height of loyalty of our army,” Kim said in Pyongyang on Monday as he unveiled a memorial for fallen troops, state media KCNA reported.

Russian Defence Minister Andrey Belousov and the speaker of Russia’s parliament, Vyacheslav Volodin, were among those who attended the event.

In North Korea, soldiers are taught that being captured is an act of treason.

Earlier this year, South Korean broadcaster MBC aired a programme featuring two North Korean prisoners of war in Ukraine, one of whom said on camera he regretted not taking his own life.

“Everyone else blew themselves up. I failed,” the prisoner said.

Seoul’s National Intelligence Service said last year they found memos on deceased North Korean soldiers that point to this extreme practice.

In his speech on Monday, Kim also praised those who died in combat.

“Those who fell in the vanguard of charges and those who writhed in frustration at the failure to fulfill their duties as soldiers who were given orders, rather than in pain in their bodies torn by bullets and shells – they too can be called the party’s faithful warriors and patriots,” Kim said.

In June 2024, Russian President Putin and Kim signed a deal pledging that their countries would help each other in the event of “aggression” against either country. At the time, Kim hailed the treaty as the “strongest ever”.

Besides sending soldiers, North Korea also promised to send thousands of workers to help rebuild Kursk.

Trump had urged ABC – whose parent company is Disney – to pull Kimmel’s show after the comedian joked that Melania Trump had the glow of an “expectant widow”. Kimmel made the remarks days before a gunman fired shots at a gala attended by the Trumps.

In an order on Tuesday, the FCC said it had been investigating Disney’s ABC stations for possible violations, including unlawful discrimination.

A Disney spokesperson told the BBC that ABC and its stations serve the public in accordance with FCC guidelines.

The stations “have a long record of operating in full compliance with FCC rules and serving their local communities with trusted news, emergency information, and public‑interest programming”, the company spokesperson said. “Our focus remains, as always, on serving viewers in the local communities where our stations operate.”

The FCC order directs the company to file licence-renewal applications for all of its licensed TV stations within 30 days.

The agency as part of its renewal review can require Disney to prove that it meets the agency’s public-interest standards. The Disney-owned ABC television station licences were not scheduled for renewal until 2028.

The reviews could lead to the revocation of the stations’ licences to broadcast, an action the commission has not taken in more than 40 years, Reuters reported.

In a statement, Democratic FCC commissioner Anna M Gomez called the FCC’s order “a political stunt”.

“This is unprecedented, unlawful, and going nowhere,” she wrote on X. “Companies should challenge it head-on. The First Amendment is on their side.”

The move comes as the White House has continued to pressure ABC to fire Kimmel. White House Communications Director Steven Cheung said on Tuesday that Kimmel should be “shunned for the rest of his life”.

At the start of his show on Monday night, Kimmel had defended his comments about the first lady.

“It was a very light roast joke about the fact that he’s almost 80 and she’s younger than I am. It was not by any stretch of the definition a call to assassination,” he said.

“I’ve been very vocal for many years speaking out against gun violence in particular,” Kimmel added.

Earlier on Monday, Trump had called his late-night sketch a “call to violence” and Melania Trump accused Kimmel of deepening “the political sickness within America”.

The US president and his wife were evacuated unharmed from a gala dinner on Saturday night after a gunman opened fire near a security checkpoint at the Washington Hilton.

The suspect, identified as 31-year-old Cole Tomas Allen, was tackled by authorities near a staircase leading down to a ballroom where the White House Correspondents’ dinner was taking place. Hundreds of journalists, officials and public figures attending. The suspect is now charged with trying to assassinate the president.

The FCC’s call for an early licence review is quite rare, said Jeffrey Schneider, a professor at University of Southern California Gould School of Law. He said the agency has ordered early reviews before, but usually based on technical issues or fraudulent conduct.

He said it was highly unlikely that Disney would lose its licences, saying the burden was on the FCC to show “intentional and repeated violations” of regulations.

“In my opinion, it is a purely political act meant to assuage the administration’s supporters,” he said.

Kimmel was taken off air last September after he made comments about the fatal shooting of conservative influencer Charlie Kirk.

In a monologue, Kimmel had said the “Maga gang” – a reference to Trump’s followers – was trying to “score political points” from the murder of Kirk. His show was reinstated a week later.

The FCC, created in 1934, was originally tasked with authorising then-scarce radio – and later TV – broadcasting frequencies. The commission sets rules for disclosing sponsors, emergency broadcasts, and content regarding obscenity and decency.

Trump has previously suggested that TV networks that give him “bad publicity” should be stripped of their licences, raising questions about the administration’s authority to do so.

Last year, FCC chairman Brendan Carr sent a letter to Disney notifying the firm it was opening an investigation into Disney’s diversity and inclusion practices, saying there were concerns the company was promoting diversity “in a manner that does not comply” with government regulation.

First reported by Fox News, the passports will be released as part of celebrations for the 250th anniversary of the US Declaration of Independence in July.

An administration official has confirmed to the BBC that the new designs will be available to “any American citizen” who applies for a passport when the rollout kicks off, and will continue as long as availability lasts.

The passports will also only be available at the Washington Passport Agency.

In a rendering of the passport released by the US State Department, an image of Trump is seen surrounded by the text of the Declaration of Independence and the American flag, along with the president’s signature in gold.

“President Trump’s new patriotic passport design provides yet another great way Americans can join in the spectacular celebrations for America’s 250th birthday,” a spokesperson for the White House told the BBC.

“Between the UFC250 Fight, the Great American State Fair, Freedom250 Grand Prix, and this new passport celebrating our freedom, President Trump continues to proudly lead a renewal of national pride and patriotism during our historic semiquincentennial celebration,” they added.

Current US passports depict scenes from the country’s history, such as the Moon landing, along with American symbols like the Statue of Liberty.

It is not clear whether US citizens will be able to opt out of the special edition.

The commemorative passport is the latest move by the administration to associate Trump’s name and likeness with various government programmes and public buildings.

The US Mint has recently announced plans for a commemorative gold coin featuring Trump as past of the 250th anniversary, and the president is also set to become the first sitting US president to have his signature on US banknotes.

The board of the Kennedy Center voted to rename the performing arts centre the Trump-Kennedy Center in honour of the president, which was denounced by members of the late President John F Kennedy’s family.

In early April, the White House unveiled the plans for the gold-accented giant victory arch, dubbed the “Arc de Trump”. A federal panel has given preliminary approval for the 250ft (76m) in Washington DC, despite overwhelmingly negative feedback from members of the public and preservationist groups.

The president has also left a permanent mark on the White House itself, demolishing the East Wing to build a ballroom.

The White House has since been sued by the National Trust for Historic Preservation, which alleges that construction began before plans were filed with the National Capital Planning Commission.

This is according to a news report by the international news portal, Reuters.

The deal, the report noted, was part of Washington’s broader “America First Global Health Strategy,” a policy framework introduced under the Trump administration aimed at restructuring foreign aid and encouraging recipient countries to assume a larger share of funding and responsibility for disease control programmes, including HIV/AIDS, malaria, tuberculosis, and polio.

According to the source, the negotiations, first initiated in November 2025, would have provided about $109 million in U.S. health assistance to Ghana over five years.

However, discussions stalled after Accra objected to provisions requiring the sharing of sensitive national health data, which Ghanaian officials considered unacceptable.

“They were pretty normal dealings and negotiations in the beginning, and then increasingly there was a lot more pressure, especially at the end,” the source said, adding that Washington had set an April 24 deadline for finalising the agreement.

The breakdown in talks marks a setback for the U.S. strategy to reconfigure its global health partnerships, which also follows similar disputes elsewhere.

A comparable issue derailed negotiations with Zimbabwe earlier this year, while a Kenyan agreement was temporarily suspended by a court pending a legal challenge from a consumer protection group.

Ghana has not publicly commented on the matter. Spokespersons for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the government did not respond to requests for comment.

The U.S. State Department, meanwhile, said it does not disclose details of bilateral negotiations but reaffirmed Washington’s commitment to continued cooperation with Accra.

“We continue to look for ways to strengthen the bilateral partnership between our two countries,” a spokesperson said.

The United States has already disbursed about $219 million in foreign assistance to Ghana in 2024, including $96 million earmarked for health programmes, according to official foreign aid data. Under the proposed agreement, Ghana would have received $109 million in health funding over five years, though it remains unclear what financial commitments would have been required from Accra.

The U.S. Agency for International Development was dismantled earlier this year as part of the administration’s broader restructuring of foreign aid delivery.

As of Monday, the State Department said 32 agreements had been signed under the new global health strategy, representing $20.6 billion in funding, including $12.8 billion from the United States and $7.8 billion in co-investment from recipient countries. Washington expects additional agreements to be finalised in the coming months.

The warning follows reports and viral videos of xenophobic incidents targeting foreign nationals, including Ghanaians, in parts of the country.

In a statement issued on behalf of the High Commissioner, Benjamin Anani Quashie, the mission urged Ghanaian nationals to prioritise their safety.

“I urge everyone to continue exercising heightened vigilance and to place the highest priority on personal safety during this period,” the statement said.

The High Commission also advised Ghanaian shop owners to temporarily close their businesses and avoid protest areas.

“Shop owners are strongly encouraged to close their businesses for the day and avoid areas where protests or demonstrations are taking place,” it noted.

Ghanaians were further cautioned against participating in any gatherings that could turn confrontational.

“Please refrain from participating in public gatherings that could escalate into confrontation,” the statement added.

It also encouraged nationals to keep a low profile and act with discretion, both in public and online, including avoiding the sharing of content that could be seen as provocative.

The High Commission said it will continue to monitor the situation and provide updates as developments unfold.

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Officials have sent a team to the crash site for investigations, but initial reports suggested the aircraft may have come down “due to adverse weather conditions, particularly low visibility”, the SSCAA added in a statement.

The plane crashed about 20km (12 miles) south-west of the capital, Juba, on Monday morning. It took off from Yei at 09:15 local time ( 07:15 GMT), and air traffic control lost contact about 30 minutes into the flight to the capital.

Among the 15 on board – the pilot and 14 passengers – were 13 South Sudanese and two Kenyans, the manifest says.

The plane, a Cessna 208 Caravan, was operated by CityLink Aviation Ltd.

South Sudan, the world’s youngest country, has a poorly developed transport network, and its aviation industry has a poor safety record.

More than 55 planes crashed in the country, resulting in dozens of fatalities, in the decade following independence in 2011.

Accidents are sometimes due to old aircraft and weak regulatory compliance. Overloading, poor weather and pilot errors are also blamed.

In January 2025, 20 oil workers died after their aircraft, which was headed for Juba, came down three minutes after take-off near the oil fields of Unity state in the north.

The worst plane crash occurred in November 2015, when an Antonov plane crashed near Juba airport, killing 41 people.

Announced in late December, Meta said the deal – estimated to be worth around $2bn (£1.48bn) at the time – would see Manus’ agents used to boost its own AI across its platforms.

But reports on Monday said Beijing’s National Development and Reform Commission had prohibited foreign investment in the deal, requiring “the parties involved to withdraw the acquisition transaction”.

A Meta spokesperson told the BBC, “The transaction complied fully with applicable law”.

“We anticipate an appropriate resolution to the inquiry,” they added.

It comes after months of scrutiny by Chinese regulators of Meta’s acquisition of Manus.

Manus has sought to set itself apart from rival AI developers with what it claims can be a “truly autonomous” agent.

Unlike many chatbots, which require repeated prompting before a user can get their desired response, the company says its service can plan, execute, and complete tasks independently in accordance with instructions.

Analysts described the deal at the time as a “natural fit” for Meta, with founder and chief executive Mark Zuckerberg spurring the firm’s AI development.

It recently told staff it would cut thousands of jobs amid increased spending on AI.

Tech tensions

While Manus is now based in Singapore, it was founded and previously based in China, and as such has come under the country’s regulators.

China has a number of strict laws and regulations around its tech, including controls on their export or sale to foreign firms.

Such regulations, for instance, meant Beijing’s approval was needed to secure President Donald Trump’s deal to keep TikTok available in the US after its sale by Chinese parent company ByteDance.

It was reported in March that Manus’ two co-founders had been prevented from leaving the country amid a review of Meta’s acquisition.

“The outstanding team at Manus is now deeply integrated into Meta, running, improving and growing the Manus service and will continue to make it available to the millions of people who enjoy it,” a Meta spokesperson told the BBC at the time.

Any requirement to unwind the acquisition may, as a result, cause difficulty for Meta.

It also comes amid tensions between the US and China, which have loomed large over the tech industry.

The White House said on Friday it would work more closely with US AI firms to combat “industrial-scale campaigns” to steal advances in the technology – saying new information showed “foreign entities, principally based in China” were copying US models.

A representative of China’s US embassy in Washington DC took issue with “the unjustified suppression of Chinese companies by the US” in response to the memo.

“China is not only the world’s factory but is also becoming the world’s innovation lab,” the representative added.

The first lady called Kimmel’s remarks “hateful and violent”, urging his network, ABC, to take action against his “atrocious behaviour”.

A gunman opened fire at Saturday’s dinner, an attack authorities say may have targeted members of the Trump administration. The joke aired on Thursday, as Kimmel parodied the dinner in advance.

“Our First Lady, Melania, is here. Look at Melania, so beautiful. Mrs Trump, you have a glow like an expectant widow,” Kimmel said.

In a post on X on Monday, Melania Trump said “people like Kimmel shouldn’t have the opportunity to enter our homes each evening to spread hate”, and urged ABC to “take a stand”.

“His monologue about my family isn’t comedy – his words are corrosive and deepens the political sickness within America,” she said. “How many times will ABC’s leadership enable Kimmel’s atrocious behavior at the expense of our community.”

President Trump also weighed in on the issue.

In a post on Truth Social on Monday afternoon, Trump said he appreciated that so many were “incensed by Kimmel’s” remarks, claiming they were a “call to violence”.

“[T]his is something far beyond the pale. Jimmy Kimmel should be immediately fired by Disney and ABC,” he wrote.

The BBC has contacted ABC for comment.

Kimmel was taken off air last September after he made comments about the shooting of conservative influencer Charlie Kirk.

In a monologue, Kimmel said the “Maga gang” – a reference to Trump’s followers – was trying to “score political points” from the murder of Kirk. His show was reinstated a week later.

After returning to the show, Kimmel said he accepted that some people felt his remarks about Kirk’s death had been “ill-timed or unclear or maybe both”, adding: “I get why you’re upset.”

In the latest incident, a resurfaced clip of Kimmel’s Thursday joke sparked backlash on social media after the shooting, with critics accusing the comedian of encouraging political violence. Several conservative social media users called for Kimmel to be taken off air.

At a news conference on Monday, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt also criticised Kimmel’s remarks.

“This kind of rhetoric about the president, the first lady and his supporters is completely deranged,” she said.

Trump and Melania were evacuated unharmed from the gala dinner on Saturday night after a gunman opened fire near a security checkpoint at the event, held at the Washington Hilton.

Trump told reporters that the dinner was “a rather traumatic experience” for his wife.

The suspect, identified as 31-year-old Cole Tomas Allen, was tackled by agents near a staircase leading down to a ballroom where the dinner was taking place, with hundreds of journalists, officials and public figures attending.

Allen appeared in court on Monday where he was charged with attempting to assassinate the president.

He was also charged with weapon offences relating to the incident. He did not enter a plea.

In a statement issued on Sunday, April 27, 2026, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs expressed solidarity with the Government and people of Mali following the deadly assaults on multiple military installations, including locations in the capital, Bamako.

“Violent extremism must have no place in our world, and we must step up collective efforts to end this horror,” the statement noted.

The attacks, which targeted several strategic sites, are reported to have resulted in multiple casualties, including senior military officials and civilians. General Sadio Camara, a key figure in Mali’s military leadership, is said to be among those killed.

The incident marks one of the most significant security developments in the Sahel in recent months, where extremist groups linked to al-Qaeda and ISIS continue to operate amid ongoing political instability.

In response to the deteriorating situation, the Foreign Ministry has advised Ghanaian traders and transport operators who ply the Mali route to suspend their activities temporarily.

“As the Government of Mali takes necessary actions to control the situation, Ghanaian traders and drivers who ply the route for trading activities are advised to suspend movements until further notice,” the statement added.

The Ministry also urged Ghanaians currently residing in Mali to exercise caution, avoid unnecessary travel, and remain in close contact with Ghana’s diplomatic mission in Bamako.

It further indicated that authorities are closely monitoring developments and working with relevant stakeholders to ensure the safety of Ghanaian nationals.

The Government reaffirmed its commitment to the protection of citizens abroad, stressing that their security and well-being remain a top priority, while assuring that updates will be provided as the situation evolves.

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The firing prompted the evacuation of Trump, along with the members of his cabinet, from the media gala, being held at the Washington Hilton on Saturday evening. The president later called the incident an attack by a “would-be assassin”.

Security personnel shot at the suspect after he forced his way through a checkpoint just outside the hotel ballroom, where the president, First Lady Melania Trump, top officials and hundreds of formally dressed guests were assembled.

The man, identified as 31-year-old Cole Tomas Allen in US media reports, was arrested at the scene. Official confirmation has yet to be released.

People dived under tables in chaotic scenes as Secret Service teams swarmed into the glitzy WHCA dinner, held annually at the Washington Hilton in the US capital.

“A man charged a security checkpoint armed with multiple weapons, and he was taken down by some very brave members of the Secret Service,” Trump told a news conference at the White House shortly after the incident.

“They seem to think he was a lone wolf, and I feel that too,” he said, after posting video of the suspect sprinting past security as guards drew their weapons.

So, what do we know about the suspect, and where is he now?

Who is the suspected attacker?

Law enforcement officials, who have not released the suspect’s name, say he lives in Torrance, California, a coastal city in the South Bay region near Los Angeles along Santa Monica Bay.

The chief of Washington, DC’s police department said investigators think the suspect was staying as a guest at the Washington Hilton, where the annual dinner was held, though they have not yet established a motive.

Facebook posts appearing to be linked to Allen indicate he was recognised as “Teacher of the Month” in December 2024 by the Torrance branch of C2 Education, a national private tutoring and test-preparation company for college-bound students.

A LinkedIn profile under the suspect’s name describes him as a “mechanical engineer and computer scientist by degree, independent game developer by experience, teacher by birth”.

Allen contributed $25 to a Democratic Party political action committee in support of Kamala Harris for president in 2024, according to federal campaign finance records.

Meanwhile, speaking to reporters, Trump said it was unlikely the shooting was linked to the US-Israel war on Iran.

“It’s not going to deter me from winning the war in Iran. I don’t know if that had anything to do with it, I really don’t think so, based on what we know,” Trump told reporters.

What do we know about the security measures at the hotel?
The interim chief for the Metropolitan Police Department of the District of Columbia, Jeffery Carroll, told reporters on Saturday that investigators believe the suspect was staying in the hotel, and that is how he apparently entered it at the time of the event.

The hotel was closed to the public beginning at 2pm (18:00 GMT) on Saturday in anticipation of the dinner, which began at 8pm (00:00 GMT). Outside, dozens of protesters gathered in the rain, mostly directing their criticism at the media attending the event.

Access to the hotel was restricted to hotel guests, people with tickets to the dinner, an invitation to one of the receptions held at the hotel before or after the dinner, or documents from the WHCA indicating affiliation with the dinner.

The 2,300 guests at the event in the hotel’s cavernous subterranean ballroom had to pass through several additional checks to enter the room, including showing tickets to association volunteers and hotel staff and passing through magnetometers crewed by the Secret Service and the Transportation Security Administration.

Security camera footage released by Trump on social media shortly after the incident shows the suspect running past security officers who appear to be disassembling the metal detectors.

Once the president was seated in the ballroom, additional attendees were not permitted to enter the secured area, which is why they were taking them down.

“It shows that our multilayered protection works,” Secret Service Director Sean Curran said. His comments were echoed by Carroll, who said the security plan for the evening was developed by the Secret Service and “that security plan did work this evening”.

However, Richard Gaisford, reporting for Al Jazeera from Washington, DC, said, “All eyes will now be on whether there was enough security in place.”

“This isn’t the first time that someone has tried to kill the president if that was the main aim of this evening’s attack,” he said.

“The man is being held, and we’re told, will be asked these questions. And certainly, we’ll get a clearer picture of the intent and more details of what happened tomorrow.”

What do we know about past attacks on Trump?

Trump has been the target of several assassination attempts and numerous death threats during both his presidency and his campaigns.

The most serious incident occurred in July 2024 at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, when a gunman reached a rooftop overlooking the stage where the then-candidate was speaking. A spectator was killed, Trump was wounded in the ear, and Secret Service agents shot dead the attacker, identified as 20-year-old Thomas Crooks.

A few months later, in September, authorities said an armed man lay in wait near Trump’s golf course in West Palm Beach, Florida, intending to kill him.

Prosecutors said the suspect, Ryan Routh, spent weeks planning the attack and aimed a rifle through bushes as Trump played golf, but a Secret Service agent spotted him before he could shoot, and he was arrested shortly afterwards. Routh was convicted last year of attempting to kill the president and received a life sentence in February.

The same month, 21-year-old Austin Tucker Martin was shot dead after entering Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida with a shotgun; Trump was not on the property at the time.

Brent, the global benchmark, rose by 2.2% to $107.70 (£79.66) a barrel, while US-traded crude was up by 2.1% at $96.40.

It comes after US President Donald Trump said on Saturday that Washington had cancelled plans to send a team to Pakistan for negotiations with their Iranian counterparts.

Global energy supplies have been under intense pressure since the start of the Iran war, as the crucial Strait of Hormuz waterway was effectively closed after Iran threatened to attack ships in retaliation for US and Israeli airstrikes on the country.

Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi said on Sunday that “important discussions on bilateral matters and regional developments” are ongoing with Oman, its neighbour along the strait.

He posted on social media: “Our focus included ways to ensure safe transit that is to the benefit of all dear neighbours and the world. Our neighbours are our priority.”

Around a fifth of the world’s crude oil and liquified natural gas (LNG) usually passes through the Strait of Hormuz.

Trump wrote in a Truth Social post on Saturday that there was “too much time wasted on travelling” and “too much work” in sending US representatives to Islamabad.

The president added that “there is tremendous infighting and confusion” within Tehran’s leadership.

“Nobody knows who is in charge, including them,” he said. “Also, we have all the cards; they have none! If they want to talk, all they have to do is call!!!”

Brent crude has risen by more than 10% since Trump announced last week that he would extend a ceasefire with Tehran to give its leadership a chance to present a “unified proposal”.

The royal visitors, arriving on Monday, were already facing a diplomatic challenge with political tensions between the US and the UK.

But the shooting incident in Washington DC at the weekend, at an event attended by President Trump, added another layer of security concerns.

The UK ambassador said the Prime Minister, Sir Keir Starmer, had spoken to President Trump on Sunday, and that the trip would be going ahead largely as planned.

King Charles and Queen Camilla had privately reached out to the Trumps to give their sympathies after the attack.

After US and UK talks over security, it was decided the trip should continue, with only a few modifications to minimise risks.

The four-day state visit will begin in Washington DC, with the King and Queen being greeted at the White House by President Trump and the First Lady, Melania Trump.

There are British and US flags flying in the streets around the White House, ahead of what will be several days of political theatre.

It will be a charm offensive by the UK, with attendance at ceremonial events in Washington and a symbolic show of solidarity at the 9/11 Memorial in New York.

For President Trump, it will also be a chance to be seen on the world stage next to royalty and might be a welcome diversion from his own political battles. And he told the BBC that he thought the visit could help repair relations with the UK, saying: “Absolutely, the answer is yes.”

Sir Christian said the royal visit would emphasise the “shared history, shared sacrifice and common values” of the two countries and would show that the partnership meant both peoples were “safer, richer and happier”.

It’s understood that diplomats no longer use the phrase the “special relationship”, but this visit comes at an unusually difficult time for the US and UK partnership.

President Trump has criticised Sir Keir Starmer over not supporting the US in its conflict with Iran and there have been disagreements between the two allies.

The state visit, which will include events in Washington DC, New York and Virginia, will show that the “partnership ranges well beyond the government of the day”, said the ambassador.

Following the event at the White House on Monday, during which the King and Queen will have tea with the Trumps, they will then attend a garden party with guests who have connections to the US and the UK.

State visits are carried out on behalf of the government and Sir Christian identified three strategic priorities – investment, military co-operation and encouraging “people to people” connections, including tourism and education.

But this visit has faced critics, including Lib Dem leader Sir Ed Davey, who called for it to be cancelled, describing the US president as “unreliable”.

The diplomatic centrepiece will be the King’s speech to the US Congress on Tuesday, in which the King will have to strike a balance between asserting the UK government’s positions and maintaining friendly relations with President Trump.

President Trump will make his own remarks at a state dinner at the White House.

The US president has remained an enthusiastic fan of the monarchy, and in an interview with Fox News on Sunday, he praised King Charles: “He’s really a fantastic person and a tremendous representative.”

The UK government will be hoping that some of that warmth will translate into a stronger political relationship.

In a statement issued on Sunday, April 26, the regional bloc described the coordinated assaults as heinous, warning that they highlight the growing threat posed by extremist groups to peace, security, and stability across West Africa.

Reports indicate that Mali’s Defence Minister, General Sadio Camara, was among those killed during the attacks on military installations nationwide.

ECOWAS expressed grave concern over the persistent insecurity in the region, stressing that instability in Mali has wider implications for neighbouring countries.

“These heinous acts demonstrate once again the barbaric nature of the perpetrators who continue to threaten peace, security, and stability in the West African sub-region as a whole,” the statement said.

The organisation called for urgent and coordinated action, urging member states, security agencies, and citizens across the sub-region to unite in the fight against terrorism and violent extremism.

“ECOWAS calls on all states, security forces, regional mechanisms, and populations of West Africa to unite and mobilise in a coordinated effort to combat this scourge,” it added.

The bloc also extended condolences to the families of victims and expressed solidarity with the people and government of Mali.

Mali has faced prolonged insecurity since 2012, with terrorist activities persisting despite interventions by international forces, including the United Nations peacekeeping mission and French-led operations.

ECOWAS reaffirmed its commitment to working with Mali and other member states to pursue lasting solutions to the region’s security challenges.

In a post shared on X, the Minister explained that the e-Visa regime will apply to travellers visiting Ghana for business and tourism purposes.

He noted that the policy is aimed at positioning Ghana as a more welcoming destination, particularly at a time when some countries are tightening travel restrictions.

“When others make you feel unwelcome, Ghana says this is your home to invest and to enjoy the beauty of nature,” he stated.

Mr Ablakwa also referenced President John Dramani Mahama’s declaration at his inauguration that “Ghana is open for business again,” stressing that the new policy reinforces that commitment.

According to him, the introduction of the e-Visa system forms part of broader efforts to strengthen Ghana’s image as one of Africa’s most peaceful, stable, and business-friendly destinations, while leveraging technology to improve efficiency and convenience for travellers.

He added that the system will be backed by a robust security vetting framework to ensure national safety is not compromised.

The Minister further indicated that the reform aligns with the government’s wider agenda of “resetting Ghana” across key sectors of development.

Cabinet has approved our new e-Visa policy.

The e-Visa regime covers those traveling to Ghana for business and tourism.

When others make you feel unwelcome, Ghana says this is your home to invest and to enjoy the beauty of nature.

As President Mahama declared at his…

— Sam Okudzeto Ablakwa (@S_OkudzetoAblak) April 25, 2026

The man suspected of opening fire at the White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner on Saturday night worked as a teacher and video game developer from Southern California, according to public records, reported CNN.

Cole Tomas Allen, 31, who lives in the Los Angeles suburb of Torrance, has been identified by law enforcement as the armed man subdued near the dinner where President Trump and other officials had gathered, two sources familiar with the matter told CNN.

CNN’s Wolf Blitzer reports that the shooting occurred on the floor above where the dinner was being held. Blitzer said he was very close to the gunman and that a police officer threw him to the ground in an effort to protect him.

“A guy with a very, very serious weapon starts shooting. I happened to be a few feet away from him,” Blitzer said, adding that the shooter was shooting randomly.

“I’m guessing I heard at least half a dozen gunshots. … They were so loud,” he said.

Authorities said the shooter fired shots inside the hotel before being apprehended by the Secret Service.

“Quite an evening in D.C. Secret Service and Law Enforcement did a fantastic job. They acted quickly and bravely,” Trump said in a post on Truth Social.

The president gave additional details about the shooter at a press conference at the White House.

The ship, Honour 25, was overrun late on Wednesday by six gunmen when it was approximately 30 nautical miles offshore, the officials said.

Until three years ago, piracy had almost disappeared in this stretch of the Indian Ocean, once notorious for hijackings, but it has since made a comeback, with fishing trawlers or container ships targeted.

The seizure of a tanker headed for the Somali capital, Mogadishu, is likely to increase anxiety in the city where petrol prices have already tripled since the start of the US-Israel war with Iran.

It was carrying 18,500 barrels of oil, security officials from Somalia’s semi-autonomous Puntland region told the BBC.

The hijacked ship departed the port of Berbera, in the self-declared republic of Somaliland, on 20 February and arrived near the coast of the United Arab Emirates shortly after the conflict began, according to the ShipAtlas website.

The shipping map then shows it circling in the waters close to the entrance to the Strait of Hormuz before turning around on 2 April and making its way towards Mogadishu.

Under the control of the pirates, the vessel, carrying 17 crew – 10 Pakistanis, four Indonesians, one Indian, one Sri Lankan and one from Myanmar, has anchored close to the Somali shore between the fishing towns of Xaafun and Bander Beyla.

Five more armed men have since boarded the Honour 25, sources said.

Officials believe the hijackers set off from a remote area near Bander Beyla. It is unclear how they were able to intercept and take control of the oil tanker.

Neither the Somali authorities nor the European Naval Force, which oversees anti-piracy operations in Somali waters, has release a statement on the hijacking.

Speaking on JoyNews’ Newsfile programme on Saturday, April 25, Mr Quashie revealed that he had been summoned by South African officials who assured him of their commitment to addressing the situation.

“Yesterday, I was summoned by the South African authorities, and they told us they know the people behind these acts, and they will go to great lengths against them,” he stated.

Meanwhile, Ghana’s Minister for Foreign Affairs, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, confirmed that the South African government has expressed regret over the incidents and pledged to investigate the attacks.

According to him, the assurance followed diplomatic engagements after viral videos surfaced showing harassment involving Ghanaian nationals.

Mr Ablakwa noted that Ghana has strongly condemned the attacks and continues to engage South African authorities to ensure the safety of its citizens.

He added that discussions with his South African counterpart underscored the need for swift action to prevent a recurrence, stressing that Ghana expects firm measures to protect the rights and dignity of foreign nationals.

Zambian journalist and digital creator Lilian Chipeso and Ghanaian content creator Goshers captured attention during the widely discussed Ghana–Zambia fufu saga.

What started as lighthearted banter about food and culture quickly gained traction across social media, drawing in audiences from both countries and beyond.

For Lilian, a communications professional and storyteller, the journey to Ghana became more than just a visit it was an opportunity to experience firsthand the culture she had been engaging with online. Her arrival in Accra was met with excitement, reflecting the strong connection she had built with audiences even before setting foot in the country.

Goshers, whose influence helped shape the narrative, emphasized the intention behind the viral moment:

“Everything started during the Ghana–Zambia fufu saga… But when the banter started heading towards division, I knew I had to find a way to bring people together and remind everyone that, after all, it was just banter . we are still one people.”

That message has become the defining theme of their story turning what could have divided into something that unites.

During her stay in Ghana, Lilian was hosted at the Groove Essipong Hotel, where she experienced a blend of comfort and hospitality that complemented her cultural journey.

The hotel’s serene environment and attentive service provided the perfect space for rest and reflection amidst a busy schedule of media appearances and engagements. It also offered a quiet reminder of Ghana’s growing appeal as a destination for both leisure and cultural exchange.

Her time in Ghana, from media tours to cultural immersion, further strengthened the bond between her and Goshers moving their connection beyond screens into a shared real-life experience that resonated with many.

Their story, now amplified on Joy Prime’s Prime Morning, goes beyond viral fame. It highlights how digital platforms can foster meaningful connections, reshape narratives, and promote unity across borders.

In a time when differences are often amplified, Lilian Chipeso and Goshers have offered a refreshing perspective, one that celebrates shared identity, mutual respect, and the simple truth that, despite it all, we remain one people.

Local officials reported that the gunmen arrived at approximately 4:00 p.m. local time (15:00 GMT/Ghana time) and operated with near impunity for several hours. The assault marks a significant escalation in the 17-year insurgency that continues to destabilise Africa’s most populous nation. Despite numerous military campaigns, extremist groups like Boko Haram and the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) remain capable of overwhelming local defences.

Lethal Incursion in Pubagu

The village of Pubagu, situated in the Askira-Uba Local Government Area of Borno State, suffered the highest casualty count with 11 residents confirmed dead. For many, the violence was a shocking departure from the community’s history of relative peace. Mwada Saidu Uba, the local council chairman, noted the unexpected nature of the violence. “Pubagu is one of the locations in our council area that had never suffered such an attack until yesterday,” he stated following the funerals of those killed.

Eyewitnesses in Pubagu detailed a relentless onslaught that lasted over an hour. One survivor, speaking on the condition of anonymity, described the indiscriminate nature of the violence. “Yesterday evening, the terrorists stormed our community in Pubagu. They shot sporadically for hours, burning houses and shops. They killed both men and women after operating for over one hour,” the source said. Usman Rumirgo, a local ward official, confirmed that assailants set several houses ablaze before fleeing, leaving two survivors critically injured.

Assault on Mayo-Ladde

Simultaneously, the attackers crossed into Adamawa State to strike the community of Mayo-Ladde in the Hong Local Government Area. In this secondary location, nine people were killed as the gunmen exploited the porous border between the two states. Like the raid in Borno, the militants focused on the destruction of infrastructure and the seizure of vital resources.

The humanitarian impact of the raid was immediate and devastating. In addition to the loss of life, the militants engaged in systematic destruction of property and essential resources, including the looting of food supplies. Mada Saidu, the chairman of Askira-Uba district, provided a grim assessment of the total scale of the tragedy. “In total, we have 20 deaths, 11 from Askira Uba in Borno, nine from Hong Local Government Area, Adamawa,” Saidu confirmed.

Condemnation and Allegations of War Crimes

The international community has reacted with sharp condemnation to the scale of the atrocities. Amnesty International released a statement strongly condemning the “vicious and unlawful attack,” noting that in addition to the loss of life, Boko Haram militants targeted places of worship and private residences. The organisation emphasised that the deliberate killing of non-combatants represents a grave violation of international law.

“Such horrific killing of civilians by Boko Haram once again demonstrates its brazen disregard for life,” the human rights group stated. “These killings specifically targeting civilians amount to war crimes, and perpetrators must be swiftly brought to justice.” Amnesty further asserted that the consistent targeting of civilians is “unacceptable and must end,” calling for a shift in accountability for the insurgent group’s 17-year campaign of terror.

Military Counter-Offensive and Recent Gains

Following the raids on Pubagu and Mayo-Ladde, the Nigerian military launched a series of high-stakes counter-offensives. In the early hours of April 23, 2026, troops from Operation HADIN KAI (OPHK) successfully repelled a major terrorist assault at the Kukareta location. Lieutenant Colonel Sani Uba, the Media Information Officer for the Joint Task Force, reported that the engagement lasted three hours and resulted in a “disorderly withdrawal” of the insurgent forces.

The military reported that 24 terrorists were neutralised during the encounter. Troops also recovered a significant cache of weaponry, including 18 AK-47 rifles, multiple machine guns, anti-aircraft guns, and mortar tubes. While two personnel were wounded and an armoured tank sustained damage, the military characterised the operation as a decisive success. “This successful operation highlights the resilience, combat readiness and fire superiority of OPHK troops in denying terrorists freedom of action,” Uba stated, adding that exploitation operations are ongoing to recover additional equipment along withdrawal routes marked by blood trails.

Federal Government and Military Response

In response to the surge in violence, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu stated the State House commiserated with the people of Borno and Adamawa. The President characterised the raids as “final, desperate, and frantic attempts” by terrorist elements to spread fear in the face of sustained military pressure. “We will continue to intensify our efforts against all criminal elements, wherever they may be,” Tinubu stated, noting that he has directed security chiefs to move to the region to take direct charge of the situation.

The Nigerian Armed Forces have signalled a simultaneous escalation in counter-terrorism operations, deploying additional troops to the Askira-Uba axis. A spokesperson for the Defence Headquarters confirmed that the army is currently conducting intelligence-led missions to locate the motorcycle-mounted units responsible for the raids. To sustain this momentum, the federal government announced the approval of advanced equipment and operational support to enhance the capabilities of frontline troops stationed in these high-risk “theatres” of conflict.

Despite these strategic gains, the vulnerability of remote hubs remains a critical concern. Mada Saidu noted that when the initial attacks began, local security groups were quickly outmatched. “I later went there together with the army. Initially, it was local security that was there, that is, hunters and vigilantes. But they were overpowered by the terrorists,” Saidu said. This pattern highlights the ongoing difficulty the Nigerian government faces in securing vast rural landscapes against mobile, highly motivated insurgent cells that expertly exploit security gaps.

Regional Instability and Emerging Threats

This latest wave of violence is emblematic of a broader surge in extremist activity across the northeast. Just days prior, on April 16, Boko Haram militants killed four soldiers and a civilian woman in the Mussa community in Askira Uba, highlighting the persistent danger to both military personnel and civilians. Beyond the established presence of Boko Haram and ISWAP, the region now faces emerging threats from the IS-linked Lakurawa and various bandit ggroups specialisingin kidnapping and illegal mining. “Vulnerable rural communities regularly come under fire from Islamic extremists and bandits who take advantage of Nigeria’s vast rural areas and security gaps,” officials observed.

Humanitarian Crisis and Strategic Outlook

The long-standing conflict has claimed thousands of lives and displaced at least 2 million people, creating a humanitarian crisis that aid organisations struggle to contain. As the two critically injured victims from the recent raids receive treatment at a nearby hospital, the incident serves as a stark reminder of the limitations of local vigilante groups against well-armed insurgents. The recurring violence underscores a complex security dilemma where the state must balance the protection of remote agricultural hubs with the pursuit of highly mobile militant factions. To prevent further erosion of authority, a more robust and proactive presence is required to shield these isolated border communities from the shifting frontlines of the 17-year conflict.

The criticism comes after a recent altercation involving Burna Boy and DJ Tunez at a club in Lagos, which also sparked an online feud between Burna Boy and Wizkid.

Reacting to the controversy, some Nigerians accused Burna Boy of frequently getting into physical confrontations and described him as arrogant.

However, speaking in an interview with Ebuka Obi-Uchendu on Channels TV, Bose Ogulu dismissed the criticism, stating that she does not mind being perceived that way.

When asked about the perception of her son, she said if knowing his worth and carrying himself accordingly is seen as arrogance, then it is not a bad thing.

“And I can’t apologise for that,” she added.

Ebuka asked: “Do you mind that Burna Boy is seen as arrogant? Do you mind that you are seen as arrogant in the way you run the Burna brand?”

She responded: “I don’t mind, honestly, I don’t mind at all. I mean, any adjective they want to attach to you is okay. The thing is, who are you? If knowing your worth and carrying yourself as such is arrogant, then it is a good thing. And I can’t apologise for that.

“Because I think we were born into a world where we were expected to put our heads down.

“First is the colour of your skin, the colour of your passport, and for me, my gender. So, I don’t understand the concept of that life. I understand that if I know something, I know it, and I expect you to realise that I know it. And if you don’t realise that I know it, then put me to the test,” she said.

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The trains were travelling early on Thursday on a line linking the towns of Hillerød and Kagerup in the North Zealand area of north-east Denmark, with a total of 37 people on board, according to police.

Tim Ole Simonsen of the Greater Copenhagen fire department was unable to say what led to the crash, but told Danish TV that all the injured had been taken to the hospital by air or by ambulance.

Local mayor Trine Egetved said she was deeply shaken by the accident.

Public broadcaster DR showed images of two yellow and grey trains, both with visible front-end damage, facing each other in a wooded area.

Officials said the trains collided at 06:29 local time (05:29 BST) on Thursday, and fire and rescue teams were alerted immediately.

Egetved, who is the mayor of the Gribskov municipality, said those with critical injuries had been flown to the National Hospital in Copenhagen.

“The local track is used by many Gribskov residents, workers and students,” she wrote on Facebook.

She told public broadcaster DR that it was shocking that two trains could collide head-on, “and we must ensure it never happens again”.

In a statement to government-owned station TV2, Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said she was “very concerned by the terrible train accident”.

Denmark’s Accident Investigation Board arrived at the scene during the morning, and Inspector Morten Pedersen of North Zealand police said they would be working together to find out what had happened.

Pedersen told reporters it was far too early to know the cause of the crash.

The board’s railway unit manager, Klaus Jensen, told broadcaster TV2 that investigators are looking at “all hypotheses”, including “a failure in the signalling system, or whether there may have been a failure due to human factors”.

Claus Pedersson, safety director at Lokaltog – which operates the train line – told public broadcaster DR that several members of staff have been injured.

He described the collision as “one of the worst we can imagine in the railway industry”, adding that “right now we are collecting data” to understand the causes of the incident.

“We see accidents like this happen from time to time, and the most important thing is that we learn from it,” he added.

In a separate interview with broadcaster TV2, Pedersson said initial reports suggest one of the train drivers pulled the brakes and then helped evacuate passengers.

He also reassured passengers, telling them that “very competent” people drive and monitor the trains.

Rail accidents are rare in Denmark, and one expert suggested one of the train drivers had ended up on the wrong line by overriding a stop signal as the train left a local station. The Gribskov line is not thought to have been updated with an automated safety system.

When asked in a phone interview with the BBC whether the visit could help repair the relationship, Trump said: “Absolutely. He’s fantastic. He’s a fantastic man. Absolutely, the answer is yes.”

“I know him well, I’ve known him for years,” he said. “He’s a brave man, and he’s a great man. They would absolutely be a positive.”

The president also spoke about his relationship with UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, who he said could only “recover” if he changed course on immigration.

The King and Queen will travel to the US for a four-day visit beginning on Monday, and will meet with Trump at the White House.

The King will have a private meeting with the president and also deliver an address to Congress.

After two days in Washington DC, they will travel to New York, Virginia and Bermuda before returning to the UK.

The Foreign Office said the trip would mark the 250th anniversary of US independence, and would celebrate a partnership of “shared prosperity, security and history”.

In the five-minute interview on Thursday, Trump was also asked about his relationship with Sir Keir.

The two leaders have appeared at odds over the war in Iran, and the prime minister has faced mounting pressure over his decision to appoint Lord Mandelson as UK ambassador to the US.

In a post on Truth Social on Monday, Trump said Lord Mandelson was “a really bad pick” but the prime minister had “plenty of time to recover”.

When asked what he meant by that post, Trump said: “If he opened the North Sea and if his immigration policies became strong, which right now they’re not, he can recover, but if he doesn’t, I don’t think he has a chance.”

Trump has repeatedly called on the UK to increase oil and gas extraction in the North Sea.

“I make my decisions based on what’s in the British national interest and not what other people say or do,” Sir Keir said while talking to broadcasters about the president’s comments on Thursday.

“That is why I took the decision that we would not be dragged into the war in Iran,” he said. “I’m not going to be diverted or deflected from that by what anybody else says.”

Trump has also criticised the UK government and other allies over their response to the Iran war. He has said he is “not happy” with the level of support offered by the UK, while Sir Keir has repeatedly said the country will not be drawn into a wider conflict.

When the president was asked why he needed allies such as the UK to get involved, he told the BBC: “I didn’t need them at all but they should’ve been there. I didn’t need them, obviously.”

“We’ve wiped Iran’s military out,” he added. “I didn’t need anybody.”

“I wanted to see whether or not they would be involved,” Trump said, describing his calls for support from allies as “more of a test”.

Trump was also asked whether his threat, made earlier this month, that “a whole civilisation will die tonight” unless Iran agreed to a deal was about nuclear weapons. The comment was widely condemned, including by the Pope, the head of the UN and Sir Keir.

“The other side is dying to make a deal,” Trump said. “So whatever I’m saying or whatever I’m doing, it seems to be working very well.”

Towards the end of the phone interview, the president also referenced his multi-billion dollar defamation lawsuit against the BBC.

He is suing over the way a Panorama documentary edited together different sections of a speech he gave before the Capitol riot on 6 January 2021.

Trump said the BBC had to be “very careful” or it could “destroy” its reputation.

The BBC has previously apologised to Trump over the Panorama edit, but rejected his demands for compensation. It has said there is no basis for a defamation claim and filed to dismiss the lawsuit.

“We have said throughout we will robustly defend the case against us,” a BBC spokesperson said on Thursday.

The company told employees in a memo on Thursday that it planned to cut 10% of its workforce – roughly 8,000 staff. It said it would also not fill thousands more open jobs it had been hiring for.

A key reason for the layoffs is Meta’s increased spending in other areas of the company, including AI, for which it will spend $135bn (£100bn) this year. This is roughly equal to the amount it has spent on AI over the previous three years, according to a person who viewed the memo.

A spokesman for Meta confirmed the planned job cuts but declined to comment further.

Mark Zuckerberg, Meta’s co-founder and chief executive, made public comments in January that essentially telegraphed the company would be cutting jobs again this year.

The Meta boss said he had seen how much more productive workers who relied heavily on AI tools had become, noting a single person could now complete projects that would have previously required a large team.

“I think that 2026 is going to be the year that AI starts to dramatically change the way that we work,” Zuckerberg said.

Last week, Reuters reported that Meta was planning to cut more than 10,000 employees this year. The memo to employees on Thursday was first reported by Bloomberg.

While Meta has already cut around 2,000 workers in two smaller rounds of layoffs already this year, employees had been braced for weeks for a much deeper cut, as the BBC previously reported.

Meta’s spending and internal focus had shifted heavily in recent months toward catching up on the development of AI models and tools.

The company just this week informed employees that it would begin tracking and logging their interactions with work computers in order to help train and improve its AI models, a move one employee called “dystopian” given the looming layoffs.

“This company has become obsessed with AI,” they told the BBC.

Since 2022, Meta has enacted several rounds of job cuts, shedding tens of thousands of workers.

But it had started hiring again, and last year its overall number of employees looked to be at around the same level it had been at before its initial layoff.

The upcoming jobs cuts will be Meta’s largest layoff since 2023.

A number of other tech firms, most of which are also spending huge sums on building tools and infrastructure for AI technology, have also enacted swathes of job cuts this year.

Amazon has laid off more than 30,000 workers. Oracle laid off more than 10,000 workers.

Block, which is among the smaller tech companies, laid off nearly half of its staff totaling more than 4,000 workers. And Snap, another smaller tech company, has laid off around 1,000.

Also on Thursday, Microsoft told employees that it would offer voluntary buyouts to thousands of workers with longer tenure at the firm.

Nearly all of the companies have cited the growing capabilities of, or increased investment in, AI technology as a factor in executives’ perceived need for fewer employees.

The US Department of Justice (DOJ) has charged Gannon Ken Van Dyke after he allegedly made trades on Polymarket, a crypto-powered platform, based on classified information.

“That is clear insider trading and is illegal under federal law,” Justice Department officials said.

Van Dyke, an active-duty soldier in the US Army stationed at Fort Bragg in North Carolina, won more than $409,000 (£303,702) as a result of his bets.

US forces seized Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, from their compound in Caracas in a dramatic, nighttime raid on 3 January, and brought them to New York to face allegations of weapon and drug offences, which they deny.

Van Dyke allegedly placed bets on the timing and outcome of the operation, known as Operation Absolute Resolve, “all to turn a profit”, the Justice Department said in a statement on Thursday.

The DOJ alleges that on or about 26 December 2025, Van Dyke created a Polymarket account and began trading on Maduro and Venezuela-related markets.

He is accused of making bets of more than $33,000 (£24,500) while in possession of classified nonpublic information about Operation Absolute Resolve.

In a statement posted on social media on Thursday, Polymarket said: “When we identified a user trading on classified government information, we referred the matter to the DOJ & cooperated with their investigation.”

The company added: “Insider trading has no place on Polymarket. Today’s arrest is proof the system works.”

Van Dyke has been charged with unlawful use of confidential government information for personal gain, theft of nonpublic government information, commodities fraud, wire fraud and making an unlawful monetary transaction, according to an indictment unsealed on Thursday.

“Our men and women in uniform are trusted with classified information in order to accomplish their mission as safely and effectively as possible, and are prohibited from using this highly sensitive information for personal financial gain,” said acting US Attorney General Todd Blanche.

“Widespread access to prediction markets is a relatively new phenomenon, but federal laws protecting national security information fully apply.”

US Attorney Jay Clayton for the Southern District of New York, where the case will proceed, added that prediction markets “are not a haven for using misappropriated confidential or classified information for personal gain”.

The justice department officials said that as a soldier Van Dyke signed nondisclosure agreements in which he promised to “‘never divulge, publish, or reveal by writing, words, conduct, or otherwise . . . any classified or sensitive information’ relating to military operations”.

Federal prosecutors allege that starting from 8 December 2025 until at least 6 January 2026, Van Dyke was involved in the planning and execution of Operation Absolute Resolve and had access to sensitive, nonpublic, classified information about that operation.

The Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), an independent US federal agency, said it had also filed a complaint against Van Dyke accusing him of engaging in insider trading.

Asked about the alleged betting during an unrelated event on Thursday, US President Donald Trump said he had not heard about it but would look into it.

When asked about concerns that prediction markets could lead to insider trading, the president said he is “not happy with any of that stuff”.

“The whole world, unfortunately, has become somewhat of a casino, and you look at what’s going on all over the world, in Europe and every place, they’re doing these betting things,” he said. “I was never much in favour of it.”

The Acting High Commissioner was invited by the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, to formally convey Ghana’s strong concern over alleged intimidation and harassment targeting foreigners, including Ghanaians, as captured in widely circulated social media videos.

In a press release issued on April 23, the Minister cited a specific incident in KwaZulu-Natal Province, where a Ghanaian resident was reportedly confronted, asked to produce proof of legal status, and told to leave South Africa and “fix his country.” He described such actions as conduct that undermines the dignity and rights of law-abiding individuals.

The statement further noted that although no fatalities or injuries have been recorded in the current incidents, similar occurrences in the past have led to loss of lives and property, underscoring the need for swift intervention to prevent escalation.

Mr Ablakwa also highlighted the long-standing relationship between Ghana and South Africa, recalling Ghana’s support during South Africa’s anti-apartheid struggle as a symbol of enduring solidarity.

“Unprovoked harassment of foreign nationals is contrary to the principles of African unity and peaceful coexistence,” he stressed.

The government has since lodged a formal protest, calling for urgent measures to ensure the protection of Ghanaian nationals, prevent further incidents, and guarantee that such situations do not recur.

In response, Mr Dthamba assured that the South African government is taking the matter seriously and has initiated steps to restore calm.

He added that law enforcement agencies are closely monitoring the situation to prevent violence and ensure accountability.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs reaffirmed its commitment to safeguarding Ghanaians abroad, indicating that diplomatic engagements with South African authorities will continue.

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However, commission chairman Mohamed Chande Othman did not say who was responsible for the deaths and recommended further investigations.

Opposition parties and human rights groups had previously accused the security forces of unleashing a brutal crackdown on anti-government protesters.

President Samia Suluhu Hassan was declared the winner of the 29 October poll with 98% of the vote – which the opposition described as a “mockery” of democracy.

At the time, the president said the election was fair and transparent and blamed foreigners for the violence saying it was part of a plot to overthrow her.

International observers, however, last year raised concerns over the lack of transparency in the vote, with the African Union and the southern Africa bloc Sadc saying the election had fallen short of democratic standards.

Last year, the BBC verified multiple videos of police shooting towards groups of protesters. Footage posted online showed that demonstrators were confronted by heavily armed police units blocking their progress and firing tear gas to disperse crowds. In many of the videos, gunfire can clearly be heard as people scatter in the ensuing chaos.

The scale of Tanzania’s election violence was shocking for a nation that had cultivated an image of calm, consensus and order for nearly six decades.

Speaking after receiving the report on the violence, Samia said it “shook our nation” and the government would take lessons from it.

She also defended the actions of the security agencies, saying they had prevented the state from sliding into anarchy.

“We have learnt. The commission has told us that all the violence was planned coordinated, financed and executed by people who were trained and given equipment for committing crimes,” she said.

She believed that the objective of those involved was “to create a leadership vacuum” and make the country “ungovernable”, adding that they would be held accountable.

The main opposition party, Chadema, told the AFP news agency that the report was a “cover-up” and described it as “an attempt to whitewash the regime’s crimes”.

This is the first time the authorities have said how many people died.

Among the 518 dead, 490 were male, 21 were children and 16 were security officers, Othman said, adding that 197 had died from shotgun wounds.

But he explained that the death toll could be higher as some victims had been buried without the authorities being told.

More than 2,000 people were injured, including 120 security officers, he added.

Opposition and religious groups had said thousands of people were killed, with reports of bodies being taken from hospitals and some allegedly buried in mass graves.

Othman said the claims of the existence of mass graves “could not be substantiated”, alleging that AI was used to manipulate some images.

The commission identified several underlying causes of the violence, citing economic, political and social issues, including demands for political reforms, unemployment and “lack of patriotism”.

It said politicians and activists used these issues to persuade citizens to take part in protests. It added that the demonstrations were neither peaceful nor lawful and would not qualify for legal protection.

After the nine‑member commission was appointed by President Samia, opposition parties had raised concerns.

They said the inquiry “cannot be independent or impartial, especially in a situation where the government is the primary suspect in the crimes being investigated”.

The commission had a mandate to determine the root causes of the violence, who was involved and for what purpose.

It was also tasked with examining the consequences of the unrest, the response to it and make recommendations on the way forward.

It collected evidence from across the country from ordinary citizens, victims, political leaders and security agencies. Some of its sessions were held in private.

The protests started in Dar es Salaam on 29 October and spread across the country over the following days.

The demonstrations were largely organised by young people angered by what they saw as a political system dominated by one party since Tanzania gained independence in the 1960s.

The two main opposition leaders were blocked from contesting the poll. Tundu Lissu is still in detention on treason charges, which he denies, while Luhaga Mpina’s candidacy was rejected on technical grounds.

The commission made several recommendations including free medical treatment and psychosocial support for victims and that a national day of mourning be set aside in honour of those who died.

It also proposed setting up a commission of criminal inquiry to determine who is to be held accountable.

Besides, it recommends that a new constitution should be in place by 2028, before the next general election, as well as a new commission to foster reconciliation.

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Speaking on Badwam on Adom TV, he urged the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration to summon the South African High Commissioner in Ghana.

According to him, the situation requires urgent attention at the diplomatic level to address concerns surrounding the treatment of Africans, including Ghanaians, in South Africa.

“With immediate effect, the South African High Commissioner in Ghana should be summoned by the Foreign Minister to address this issue,” he insisted.

He stressed that engaging the High Commissioner would provide an opportunity for Ghana to formally register its concerns, seek clarification on the matter, and find solutions to the issue.

Collins Adomako-Mensah added that swift action by the Foreign Ministry would demonstrate Ghana’s commitment to protecting its citizens and ensuring mutual respect among African nations.