Four people were killed in attacks on the Ukrainian capital, while five rescue workers died trying to put out a fire caused by a strike on the north-eastern city of Kharkiv, officials said.

The 11th Century Dormition Cathedral was significantly damaged in what Zelensky called “one of the biggest Russian crimes against Christian culture today”. Russia denied hitting the site.

Meanwhile, a Ukrainian drone attack in the Russian city of Tula killed three people and wounded three others, including a one-year-old, local officials said.

Drone and missile strikes set fire to buildings and cars and left more than 140,000 people in Kyiv without electricity, its Mayor Vitali Klitschko said.

Most of Ukraine was under air raid warnings on Monday morning.

The Kyiv strikes, which targeted several residential buildings, left at least 23 people wounded. Zelensky said a total of 53 people had been injured across Ukraine.

The Dormition Cathedral is part of the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra, an architectural ensemble of monastic buildings declared a Unesco World Heritage Site.

A gaping hole could be seen on one side of the church, with flames visible from the partially destroyed roof.

Zelensky said Russia launched 70 missiles and 611 drones in the overnight attack, and that the fire had since been extinguished.

French President Emmanuel Macron joined the Ukrainian leader in condemning the strike.

“Nothing justifies this attack on our universal heritage,” he said on X.

EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas called the attacks on the cathedral and Ukrainian civilians “war crimes”.

The strikes come ahead of a G7 meeting of world leaders this week in France, where the war in Ukraine is on the agenda.

Zelensky said the meeting’s response should be “decisive and meaningful: more pressure on the aggressor, more assistance to Ukraine with air defense, primarily with anti-ballistic missiles”.

The Ukrainian leader earlier said he had spoken to US President Donald Trump about efforts to end the long-running conflict.

Russia said a US-manufactured Patriot air defence missile had hit the cathedral, possibly after misfiring. It did not provide evidence to support its claim.

Russia’s military said its “massive strike” had targeted Ukrainian military sites.

This is not the first time the cathedral has been struck during Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, which began in 2022.

In January, Russian attacks damaged several buildings in the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra complex, Ukraine’s Ministry of Culture said at the time.

During World War Two, it was almost entirely destroyed, with the exception of its south-eastern tower, Unesco says on its website.

The UN agency condemned the strike on “one of Ukraine’s most significant spiritual and cultural landmarks”.

“Damage to such institutions deprives communiteies of access to culture, education and shared spaces that are essential for recovery and social cohesion,” it said in a statement.

A coronial inquest into the death of her 21-month-old son, Nknau, at Euracare hospital in January had been due to start in April, Adichie said.

The author now alleges that Euracare has “stalled and muddied and obfuscated” over the inquest and has requested Nigeria’s Federal High Court block the inquiry.

The BBC has approached Euracare for comment. An investigation panel set up by the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria had previously found evidence of possible medical negligence by the hospital.

Adichie recently published a letter on social media which she had sent to the hospital’s director in April.

It was her first public comment since the death of her son, who was one of twin boys born in 2024, using a surrogate.

“If Euracare cares about the truth, then why create delays and distractions and now, finally, try to stop an inquest?” she wrote in her post.

Explaining why she posted the letter, she wrote: “The ultimate and utter loneliness of grief is that only you can know the true depth of your despair.

“I long for, at least, peace to mourn, but Euracare Hospital has robbed me even of that.”

In her letter, Adichie said that the hospital noted her son’s death was from bacterial meningitis, to which she responded: “There was no medical evidence to make such a claim on his death certificate.”

Adichie and her family have accused Euracare of negligence, saying medics denied Nkanu oxygen and gave him too much sedation, causing a cardiac arrest.

The hospital has expressed its “deepest sympathies” over the death but denied wrongdoing, saying its care had been in line with international standards.

In the letter, she accuses the hospital of providing incomplete medical records, which she described as “strikingly unprofessional”, adding that “one was inaccurate”.

According to submissions made to the court by Adichie’s legal team, Nkanu had initially been admitted to Atlantis Hospital in Lagos with what was described as a worsening but mild illness.

Plans had been made to transfer him to the United States for further treatment at Baltimore’s Johns Hopkins Hospital, before the toddler was referred to Euracare for a pre-flight inspection, including an MRI and a spinal tap, or lumbar puncture.

Nkanu died on 7 January after undergoing the various diagnostic tests at Euracare hospital.

Adichie has authored multiple award-winning novels, including Half of a Yellow Sun (2006) and Americanah (2013), and has recently hosted panels of world leaders, including former US Vice-President Kamala Harris while she was promoting her autobiography and ex-Chancellor of Germany Angela Merkel.

She lives in the US but was in Nigeria for the Christmas holidays.

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The airplane, which was leased by a skydiving company, took off around 11:20 local time on Sunday, according to a Bates County Emergency Management spokesperson.

After failing to gain altitude, it made a sharp left turn and crashed about 200 yards away from Butler Memorial Airport, the spokesperson told the BBC.

All 12 people on board died, he said.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said a Pacific Aerospace P750 crashed while departing the airport.

“Air traffic services were not being provided at the time,” the FAA said.

Local media reported that first responders are checking the area to see if any of the skydivers had jumped from the plane before the crash.

The city of Butler is about 50 miles south of the Kansas City metropolitan area.

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is leading the investigation into the crash, the FAA said.

The 32-year-old had been on a world tour when the crash occurred over Rio de Janeiro on Sunday. One of the helicopters then fell onto the car park of a dealership, setting around 20 vehicles ablaze.

Footage published by Brazilian media shows one of the helicopters dropping from the sky, as well as flames and thick smoke rising from the crash site.

Authorities say an investigation into the cause of the collision is now underway.

The Military Fire Department of the State of Rio de Janeiro said it was called to the crash site around 09:00 local time (12:00 GMT).

Argentine content creator Gaspar Prim Diaz – also known as Gaspi – was also believed to have been in one of the helicopters, according to the Associated Press.

The other passengers on the helicopter’s manifest were Lucas Brito Chaves, Lucas Vignale and pilot Alexandre Souza. The crew manifest for the second aircraft lists only the pilot, Charles Marsillac.

Tree – born Oliver Tree Nickell in Santa Cruz, California, in 1993 – first rose to fame in 2016 after going viral on social media.

With his distinctive bowl haircut, he was known for hits including Life Goes On, Miss You and Alien Boy.

Tree had just begun a world tour, with his most recent show in São Paulo, Brazil, on 6 June. He was next scheduled to perform in Lisbon, in Portugal, on 1 July and had been due to play dates in Glasgow, Manchester and London in September.

YouTuber KSI, who collaborated with him on the track Voices, paid an emotional tribute.

In a post shared on X, Britain’s Got Talent judge KSI said: “Can’t believe I’m actually having to type this. You’re 32 man. You should still be here. You still had so much life to live. So much music to make. So much content to make.

“You’re a legend and will always be a legend. Still doesn’t feel real. Genuinely feel sick. I love you bro.”

Jackass star Steve-O, real name Stephen Glover, also paid tribute to the late singer online, sharing a photograph of the two of them together.

“I was incredibly lucky to become friends with Oliver Tree,” he wrote.

“He would check in on me regularly, and let me know he cared about how I was doing. Such a great person… I’m going to miss him.”

Tree was nominated for a Brit Award in 2024 for his song Miss You, alongside German producer Robin Schulz.

In 2020, he broke the Guinness World Record for building the largest kick scooter at 0.16m tall and 3.13m long.

Commenting on the attacks, Dr Tedros expressed concern over the loss of lives and the displacement of thousands of people.

“Earlier in the attacks, five Mozambicans died in Mossel Bay. Thousands more are now fleeing for their lives,” he stated.

The WHO chief said the incidents contradict the spirit of African unity that played a crucial role in ending apartheid and securing South Africa’s freedom.

“To see South Africa turn to xenophobia is a tragic betrayal of the country’s struggle for independence and freedom,” he said.

Reflecting on Africa’s collective support for South Africa’s liberation, Dr Tedros recalled Ethiopia’s role in assisting former President Nelson Mandela during the anti-apartheid struggle.

“African nations stood united to dismantle apartheid. Ethiopia proudly supported ‘Madiba,’ Nelson Mandela, in 1962 and issued him a passport so he could travel the continent. Other countries helped in many ways, including with political and financial support,” he wrote.

He urged both authorities and citizens to resolve grievances through legal and peaceful channels rather than targeting foreign nationals.

“Disagreements and grievances must be addressed by the justice system and the rule of law, never through vigilante violence and collective punishment,” he stressed.

Dr Tedros concluded his remarks with a call for compassion, solidarity and the protection of vulnerable people.

“South Africa deserves better. Africa deserves better. Stop the hate. Protect the vulnerable. Uphold our shared humanity.”

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The Iranian American Legal Defence Fund (IALDF) said on ‌Thursday that three Iranian women who fled persecution were at risk of deportation, including one who had converted to Christianity.

In the end, only the activist was on the flight that took off from Louisiana on Thursday night, said her lawyer, Emily Trostle, while not ruling out that the others could be deported later.

The plane landed in Bangui, the ​capital of the Central African Republic, shortly before 10 p.m. local time (2100 GMT), after a stop in Ghana’s capital, Accra, according to the ICE ​Flight Monitor managed by Human Rights First.

It was not immediately clear where the deportees would be housed or how long ⁠they would be able to stay in the Central African Republic.

“They have absolutely no connection to this place. In all of my filings, I submitted tons ​of information about how this was super dangerous,” Trostle told Reuters.

“These individuals are being removed from the United States and abandoned in a country where they ​have no status, no connection and no support network. We fear they will ultimately be forced to return to the countries they originally fled,” Trostle said.

The U.S. State Department and Central African Republic’s presidency did not immediately respond to requests for comment about the deportations to Central African Republic. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security said last week that ​all deportees would receive full due process.

Ghana and Central African Republic have signed deals with President Donald Trump‘s administration to take in third-country deportees who in ​many cases secured legal protections from U.S. courts so that they could not be repatriated.

The United States has used the deals — including with Central African Republic’s neighbour Democratic Republic of ‌Congo, which ⁠is facing an Ebola outbreak — to deport people it cannot legally send home.

The Trump administration has said the deals are lawful. Rights groups and advocates have said that the details of the deals are opaque and many of the deportees are ultimately repatriated.

RISK OF REPATRIATION

The IALDF said the Iranians facing deportation had their asylum claims denied because of a rule requiring that asylum seekers first apply in countries they transit through before reaching the U.S. A federal court in California ​vacated that rule in May.

The group ​said deporting Iranians to Central African ⁠Republic was “a potentially fatal action,” citing security issues in the country and the risk that they would be sent back to Iran.

President Faustin-Archange Touadera signed peace deals last year with several rebel groups. Others were weakened as Russian ​mercenaries and troops from Rwanda were deployed to shore up Touadera’s government as well as U.N. peacekeepers.

Ali Rahnama, interim ​executive director at the ⁠IALDF, said the Russian presence in Central African Republic was concerning because Russia had close intelligence ties with Iran.

The U.S. and Israel launched strikes on Iran on February 28, starting a now three-month-old war.

Trump said in April that he thought that the Iranian people should rise up against the government in Tehran if a ceasefire ⁠were declared, ​but understood that it was too dangerous for them to do so.

It was unclear how many ​people would be deported to Central African Republic on the first flight.

An official briefed on the matter told Reuters on Thursday it was expected to transport about 20 people, including Syrians and ​Afghans. The official said hundreds of migrants could ultimately be deported there under the deal.

The confirmed cases include 181 deaths, according to the government’s latest situation report.

The data shows that the outbreak, Congo’s 17th, remains confined to three eastern provinces: Ituri, North Kivu, and South Kivu.

But it showed that cases had been confirmed for the first time in the Nia-Nia health zone in Ituri and the Mabalako health zone in North Kivu.

There are now confirmed cases in 20 of Ituri’s 36 ​health zones, 10 of North Kivu’s 34 health zones, and 1 health zone in South Kivu.

The ban forms part of the government’s package of sanctions on Moscow following the war with Ukraine.

In May, the government said it would gradually phase out the use of diesel and jet fuel refined in third countries from Russian crude oil as it introduced new sanctions, saying extra flexibility was needed due to global oil supply issues.

The move prompted criticism, with the EU warning it is “not the time to roll back sanctions” against Moscow.

Trade Minister Chris Bryant said: “The end date is a clear signal that we continue to ratchet up maximum pressure on Russia.”

The temporary licence to import those products will be reviewed every two weeks, the government said. It is understood the review process means the licence could be revoked sooner than 1 January.

“I made a commitment to the House of Commons that we would review the temporary general licence for diesel and jet fuel on a fortnightly basis and lift it as soon as practicable,” Bryant said.

“Today we’re confirming that the government will include an end date of 1st January 2027 in the licence at the latest and that we will continue to keep the licence under continuous review.”

Global oil prices have been pushed up by the US and Israel conflict with Iran, as the effective halt of trade through the Strait of Hormuz has reduced global oil supplies.

Before the conflict, the global oil benchmark Brent crude was trading around $70 a barrel, but is currently trading around $87 as a deal to end the conflict appears close.

Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office Minister Stephen Doughty said: “These new measures that strengthen our sanctions will stop refined oil made from Russian crude from entering the UK through third countries.

“We are maximising pressure on Russia while maintaining stability at home, and we will continue to use every lever available to debilitate Putin’s war machine and support Ukraine.”

But a campaigner said the decision was “absurd” and would provide billions of pounds of financing to Russia’s war machine.

Speaking to the BBC, Sir Bill Browder, a longstanding critic of Russian President Vladimir Putin, said: “It’s absurd. On one hand we are giving Ukraine billions to fight off Russia.

“On the other we’re giving Russia billions for their diesel and jet fuel to buy weapons to attack Ukraine.

“For anyone to not see the connection and absurdity, they must be willingly blind.”

Source: BBC

Seyed Abbas Araghchi told state TV the deal also includes the lifting of a US blockade of Iran, but that talks on Iran’s nuclear programme would begin later.

US officials have confirmed some of the details of the agreement, saying economic benefits for Iran would depend on Tehran meeting its obligations.

The war began with US and Israeli strikes across Iran on 28 February, prompting Iran to attack Israel and US-allied states in the Gulf – as well as effectively closing the Strait of Hormuz, a key shipping route for the world’s oil and liquefied natural gas.

Despite having agreed a ceasefire in April, the US and Iran have exchanged intermittent fire, including two rounds of tit-for-tat strikes this week.

US President Donald Trump said on Thursday that he had cancelled “scheduled attacks” against Iran, because negotiators had “just made a great settlement” – a deal that was likely be to signed imminently.

On Friday, Iranian media published some details from the alleged 14-point deal which Trump said had “nothing to do with the terms that were agreed to” and “bears no relation to the truth”.

A few hours later, Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, whose country helped mediate the deal, said the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the US and Iran had been agreed and awaited finalising.

Iran’s Araghchi was quoted in state media saying there are “supporters and opponents” of the latest terms of the deal among Iran’s top security body, the Supreme National Security Council.

However, he added that a collective decision had not been reached. “For now, we must wait. If approved, the agreement will be signed remotely,” he said.

In a detailed briefing with journalists on Friday afternoon, US officials said the deal would reopen the Strait of Hormuz, in return for the US lifting its blockade on Iranian shipping.

Those steps would come into effect more or less immediately. This would be followed by a 60-day period of negotiation – focusing on Iran’s enriched uranium – an essential ingredient to make a nuclear bomb. Officials said that this would result in all that material being destroyed on site and then removed from the country, though the precise mechanism for doing so is still to be worked out.

On the economic side, officials stressed there would be no money provided up-front – an apparent rejection of earlier Iranian news reports suggesting some Iranian assets would be unfrozen before substantial negotiations had begun.

Instead, US officials said, there would be a staged reintegration of Iran into the global economy, with measures such as the lifting of sanctions and the potential unfreezing of assets happening incrementally.

The deal calls on Iran to stop funding proxy groups in the region – a reference to Hezbollah and other Iranian proxies across the Middle East.

The US officials emphasised that the MOU was not based on trust or promises, but on “performance” – Iran would only receive economic benefits when it could be verified it had implemented measures it had committed to.

Even though there is a sense of cautious optimism from all sides – the US, Iran, Pakistan and Qatar which has also helped with mediation efforts – there is still a small distance to go. Variations of this agreement have been expected several times over the past month or two, only to fall away at later stages.

The difference now, according to the US administration, is both a greater level of optimism and a greater openness about the substance of the agreement.

For his part, the Iranian foreign minister said that “as soon as the final stages of our negotiations are completed, this agreement will be signed and announced”.

“This could happen in the coming days. I am very hopeful,” Araghchi told state TV.

He stressed that the first point mentioned in the MOU was the lifting of the US naval blockade of Iran.

As for the Strait of Hormuz – the crucial waterway through which some 20% of the world’s oil and liquefied natural gas normally transits – Araghchi said its administration would “no longer be the same as before”. Since closing the Strait, Iran has insisted on a fee to be paid by vessels seeking to cross, with the US insisting passage should be free to all shipping.

The senior Iranian official also said the MOU envisaged an end to the conflict between Israel and the Hezbollah in Lebanon. Previous reports from the US have suggested Lebanon may not be part of this deal – with Iran reportedly insisting on it.

Israel’s prime minister has said his country will strike Hezbollah if it continues attacks against northern Israel.

Source: BBC

“At my direction, the United States Southern Command delivered a swift and lethal kinetic strike to successfully execute Niño Guerrero,” Trump wrote on social media.

Niño Guerrero, whose full name is Héctor Rusthenford Guerrero Flores, was the longtime leader of Tren de Aragua. The gang is one of the most notorious criminal groups in Latin America and has been a target of the Trump administration.

The president has accused the group of engaging in “irregular warfare” against the US and declared it a foreign terrorist organisation.

Trump posted footage of what appears to be the airstrike, showing a green building with a nearby shed being blown up, debris flying into the air. Trump said the military action was “coordinated closely with our friends in Venezuela, with whom we are working very well”.

Venezuelan authorities confirmed their involvement in what they described as a “joint operation”.

In January, American forces seized then-Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro from his compound in a dramatic overnight raid to face criminal charges in New York. The US accused him of collaborating with the gang. The indictment named Guerrero Flores as a co-conspirator.

Since then, the US has sought to tighten ties with Maduro’s successor, Delcy Rodríguez, lifting sanctions on her and pushing to collaborate on the extraction of Venezuela’s oil reserves – the most plentiful on earth.

Under Guerrero’s leadership, Tren de Aragua expanded into Colombia, Ecuador, Peru and Chile and diversified from extorting migrants into sex-trafficking, contract killing and kidnapping.

It was originally a prison gang that Niño Guerrero turned into a “transnational criminal organisation”, according to the US state department, which had offered millions for information leading to his arrest.

Guerrero spent years in and out of prison. In 2012, he escaped by bribing a guard and was then rearrested in 2013.

Upon his return, he transformed the Tocorón Prison in the northern Venezuelan state of Aragua into a leisure complex, complete with zoo, restaurants, nightclub, betting shop and swimming pool.

In September 2023, Maduro – then still president – sent 11,000 soldiers to storm and wrestle back control of the jail. Guerrero escaped – again.

In and out of prison, he was still able to expand the gang’s influence, seizing control of gold mines in Bolivar state, drug corridors on the Caribbean coast, and clandestine border crossings between Venezuela and Colombia, according to the US state department.

By most accounts, Tren de Aragua spread out of Venezuela when the country entered a humanitarian and economic emergency in 2014 that made crime less profitable, and now is believed to have nodes in eight other countries, including the US.

The group, in part, operates by forming alliances and partnerships with local criminal organisations.

In Ecuador, for example, the gang is believed to work with groups loosely affiliated with Mexico’s Sinaloa cartel, while in Colombia some have alleged that they have worked with members of the left-wing National Liberation Army guerrilla group, or ELN.

Under the Trump administration, US forces have launched dozens of strikes on boats they say are part of a large-scale operation to ferry drugs into the US, including those it claims are linked to Tren de Aragua.

More than 200 people have been killed in strikes since September, according to US media.

But the military has not provided evidence that the attacked boats were carrying drugs or drug smugglers, sparking criticism of the operation and questions around its legality.

Some legal experts have argued that the strikes could violate international law by targeting civilians without offering them due process.

The Trump administration has said the killings are lawful. In a statement to Congress last year, the White House said US President Donald Trump had “determined” that the US was in a formal armed conflict with drug cartels and that crews of drug-running boats were “combatants”.

Source: BBC

His warning comes amid growing concerns among Ghanaian doctoral students in the UK, many of whom say prolonged funding delays have left them struggling to meet basic living expenses and continue their studies comfortably.

Speaking on Accra-based Citi FM, Bansah described the situation as increasingly difficult for affected students and called for urgent intervention from government.

According to him, the challenges facing scholarship recipients have been worsened by what he sees as inadequate communication from the leadership of the Ghana Scholarships Authority, particularly the Registrar.

Bansah said the Registrar has met with executives of the PhD cohort only once and engaged students directly only once since assuming office, despite repeated calls for regular updates on outstanding payments and the status of funding.

“Our plea is that the President directly engages the Registrar to get the issue resolved because it appears the Registrar himself does not know what he is doing. The condition of some of these colleagues in the UK is debilitating. Some of us can survive it, but there are those who cannot survive the situation,” he said.

When asked whether he would recommend that a prospective student accept a Ghana Scholarships Authority scholarship under the current circumstances, Bansah’s response was unequivocal.

“Don’t even try,” he said.

His remarks follow concerns raised by the executive body of Ghanaian PhD students sponsored by the Ghana Scholarships Authority in the United Kingdom over delays in the release and disbursement of scholarship funds.

In a statement issued on June 8, the students said government and the scholarship management body had failed to release funds to cover outstanding tuition fees and stipends despite earlier assurances that payments had been processed.

According to the group, beneficiaries were informed in April 2026 that funds had been released to settle outstanding obligations. However, as of June 8, no member of the PhD cohort, nor any undergraduate or master’s scholarship recipient known to them, had received payment.

The students warned that the continued delays are taking a toll on their academic work, welfare and overall well-being, and called for immediate action to address the situation before it worsens further.

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In a statement issued on Friday, June 12, the Ministry said 228 of the affected Ghanaians had already returned home on Thursday, June 11, while arrangements had been completed for the remaining returnees to arrive in Ghana on Friday.

According to the Ministry, the affected individuals were residing in areas impacted by the demolition exercise and became stranded after losing their livelihoods and accommodation.

The Government of Ghana has provided buses and trucks free of charge to transport the returnees and their belongings safely back home.

The Ministry further disclosed that Ivorian authorities have expressed willingness to compensate victims affected by the demolitions. It noted that Ghana’s diplomatic mission in Abidjan will continue to engage relevant stakeholders to ensure the promised compensation is received by the affected Ghanaian nationals.

The government reaffirmed its commitment to the welfare and protection of Ghanaians abroad and pledged continued support to facilitate the successful return and reintegration of those affected.

The Ministry also expressed appreciation to the authorities of Côte d’Ivoire and all stakeholders for their cooperation in facilitating the repatriation exercise.

Prosecutors argued that Yoon ordered the operation in October 2024 to provoke Pyongyang and create a pretext for his failed martial law bid later that year.

When Yoon declared martial law on 3 December, he had claimed he was protecting the country from “anti-state” forces that sympathised with North Korea. But it soon became clear he was driven by domestic troubles, and he rolled back the order in the face of mass protests.

Yoon was impeached and is now serving time in prison after he was sentenced to life for insurrection over his botched martial law attempt.

On Friday, the Seoul District Court found Yoon, as well as his former defence minister Kim Yong-hyun, the former head of the Defence Counterintelligence Command Yeo In-hyung, and the former head of the Drone Operations Command Kim Yong-dae, guilty of treason and abuse of power.

Kim was sentenced to 30 years in prison, while Yeo received 15 years, and Kim Yong-dae received 3 years in prison with a 5-year suspended sentence.

“The defendants used the guise of a military operation to induce provocations from North Korea with the aim of creating a state of emergency,” the court said.

It added that all three officials had “provoked North Korea”, thus “increasing the risk of a military conflict”, but concluded that Yoon bore the “greatest responsibility” in this event.

Yoon’s lawyers had argued that his actions were a “legitimate” response to North Korea’s “provocations with rubbish balloons”.

This was a reference to North Korea dropping hundreds of balloons in 2024, which were later found to contain “filthy waste and trash”, across the border in the South.

The two countries have used such “propaganda balloons” in their campaigns since the Korean War, with messages placed inside them.

But tensions shot up in 2024 when North Korea accused the South of flying drones into its capital. These drones allegedly scattered propaganda leaflets all over Pyongyang, in what the North described as a provocation that could lead to war.

It was Yoon who sent these drones into the North, expecting it to strike back, said a judge in Friday’s ruling.

Apart from insurrection, Yoon was also sentenced to five years in jail for abuse of power and obstructing his own arrest.

Yoon’s attempt at martial law and the protests that followed created months of chaos in the country, culminating in an election in which the opposition Democratic Party’s Lee Jae-myung won a decisive mandate.

The TikTok reel shared on Monday depicts border agents placing people in handcuffs, with Grande’s 2024 hit Bye as a soundtrack. It is captioned: “Bye-bye… President Trump has delivered the most secure border in history”.

Grande commented on the post: “Please do not use my music in relation to this barbaric, inhumane, heinous nonsense.”

White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson told US media: “What’s actually barbaric, inhumane, and heinous are the criminal illegal ‌aliens ⁠who have injured and murdered innocent American citizens.”

The White House video comes after Donald Trump signed a bill into law approving more than $70bn (£52bn) in funding for immigration agencies for the remaining two-and-a-half years of his presidential term.

The video shows officers placing handcuffs on people, ushering them into cars and then placing them into detention centres.

After Grande replied to the post, the video was muted and her comment removed. Several users then commented under the post noting that Grande’s comment was missing and that the sound had been muted.

The Wicked actress joins a growing list of artists who have demanded that Trump’s team do not use their music to promote the president’s policy agenda.

Last year, Sabrina Carpenter wrote “do not ever involve me or my music to benefit your inhumane agenda” after a White House clip used part of her 2024 song Juno in a compilation showing ICE operations.

ABBA, Céline Dion and Beyoncé were among those insisting Trump’s campaign not use their music during his re-election bid in 2024, including at campaign rallies.

She collapsed in December 2022 while exercising with her dogs. Her doctors attributed it to a severely irregular heartbeat, caused by a mycoplasma infection in her heart.

With her death, the Thai royal family has lost its most visibly accomplished member, and someone who might have played a pivotal role in an as-yet-unclarified succession.

She was the eldest of King Vajiralongkorn’s seven children, born on 7 December 1978 to his first wife and cousin, Princess Soamsawali.

“The medical team provided the closest and most intensive care possible, but her condition continued to decline progressively,” the palace said in a statement on Friday morning, adding that she passed away at 19:48 local time (12:48 GMT) the previous day in Chulalongkorn Hospital.

She trained as a lawyer, getting two post-graduate degrees from Cornell University in the US. She worked briefly at the Thai mission to the United Nations in New York before returning to Thailand to work in the Attorney-General’s offices in Bangkok and elsewhere in the country.

From 2012 to 2014, she was Thailand’s ambassador to Austria, where she built a relationship with the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC).

She started speaking out on the need for penal reform, with a particular focus on vulnerable women who end up in prison; Thailand has one of the world’s highest numbers of female inmates.

Once back in Thailand, she became the UNODC’s Ambassador for the Rule of Law in South East Asia and continued to advocate for reform of Thailand’s criminal justice system, in which severe sentences are often handed down to people convicted of relatively minor drug possession charges.

In 2021, her father made her a chief of staff in his private bodyguard, giving her the rank of general.

Princess Bajrakitiyabha was also a fitness enthusiast who often took part in long-distance runs.

Her abilities and the trust her father appeared to have in her made her an inevitable topic of speculation about the royal succession.

King Vajiralongkorn, who is 73 years old, has not yet named an heir. Thai custom dictates that the heir must be male, but a 1974 amendment to the constitution allows a female to take the throne.

The king has five sons, but four of them, born of his second marriage, were disowned in 1996 and have lived with their mother in the US since then.

His fifth son, Dipangkorn, by his third wife, is the presumed heir, although questions have been raised about his ability to serve as monarch in a country where the royal institution wields so much influence.

For many Thai royalists, Princess Bajrakitiyabha seemed the most promising figure to succeed her father, either as queen or as a regent to help Prince Dipangkorn.

Her death leaves the question of the succession in Thailand unanswered, and the severity of the country’s lese majeste law rules out any public discussion of it.

US Central Command (Centcom) said it had completed a wave of “self-defence strikes” targeting military, surveillance and radar sites in southern Iran, hours after President Donald Trump vowed US forces would hit Iran “hard”.

Tehran responded to the attack with a round of strikes targeting US military assets across the region in Bahrain, Kuwait and Jordan.

Iran’s foreign ministry said early on Thursday that the overnight attacks violated the two-month-old ceasefire, rendering it “practically meaningless”.

It said in a statement that responsibility for the “extremely serious consequences of this criminal act” lay with the leaders of the US.

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said it had fired ballistic missiles at a US command centre in Jordan, state media reported.

It said it had destroyed “a large number” of US fighter jets and “facilities” after firing 12 ballistic missiles at the Muwaffaq Salti Airbase.

Jordanian state media reported 20 missiles had been intercepted and shot down by the country’s air defence systems and air force, citing an unnamed military official.

The missiles had been fired towards Azraq in central Jordan, it reported, “without any human casualties or material damage” caused.

Meanwhile, Bahrain’s interior ministry said its air raid sirens were activated and that falling shrapnel from intercepted Iranian drones had damaged homes and vehicles in the capital, Manama, and Hamad Town.

Kuwait’s Army posted on X that its anti-air defence systems intercepted “hostile aerial targets”.

Kuwait said it had temporarily closed its airspace due to the Iranian attacks, before reopening it early on Thursday.

In Iran, state media reported explosions around Tehran, the port city of Bandar Abbas and other southern areas near the Strait of Hormuz.

The IRGC said it had hit two oil tankers passing through the crucial shipping channel shortly after state media reported it was “completely closed to all type of vessel” – although there was no immediate confirmation of a strike.

Centcom, however, said “commercial ships are continuing to transit in and out of the Strait of Hormuz”.

Oil prices rose shortly after the closure of the shipping channel and the apparent attack on the ships was announced.

Brent crude oil, seen as the global benchmark, climbed to around $95 a barrel after rising by about 2%.

Hours before the US launched its latest attack, Trump had warned: “We hit them hard yesterday and we’re going to hit them hard again today.”

Trump wrote on Truth Social that Iranian leaders had “taken too long to negotiate a deal” and threatened further attacks were a deal not reached.

US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth said Iran had been given a chance to make a deal but had not taken it and said bombs would be “dropping on key facilities” in the country.

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said the country would “stand firm against any pressure or threat”. The foreign ministry in Tehran has accused the US of damaging the diplomatic process through “contradictory messages”.

In April, the US and Iran agreed a ceasefire that was initially meant to last for two weeks. Both sides have since exchanged intermittent fire, without returning to full-scale hostilities.

However, recent efforts to broker a peace agreement have stalled and attacks have grown more frequent.

This week, a US helicopter was downed in an attack that the US blamed on Iran. The IRGC in turn responded by targeting US bases across the Middle East.

UN Secretary General António Guterres said in a statement on X that the Middle East was “being pulled deeper into crisis” and that recent attacks meant “the ceasefire is more like a lesser-fire”.

“We should not minimise the risks of lesser fire becoming full fire. All parties must work towards a diplomatic settlement. No more attacks. No more excuses,” he said.

The Palau-flagged MT Settebello came under attack on Wednesday, accused by the US military of violating an American blockade by “attempting to transport oil from Iran”.

US Centcom said an aircraft fired “precision munitions” into the engine room of the tanker “after the crew repeatedly failed” to follow directions.

The US and Israel launched wide-ranging strikes on Iran on 28 February.

Iran responded by attacking Israel and US-allied states in the Gulf, and effectively closing the Strait of Hormuz, through which around 20% of the world’s oil and liquefied natural gas travels.

That oil comes not only from Iran, but also Gulf states such as Iraq, Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.

Shortly after a ceasefire was agreed in early April, the US established a blockade of Iranian ports, which Trump said would remain “in full force and effect until an agreement is reached, certified, and signed”.

These concerns were raised during high-level talks with a delegation from the West African Monetary Institute (WAMI), led by Dr. Abraham Abdulai, at the GIS Headquarters in Accra.

The meeting formed part of WAMI’s study visit to assess challenges in the implementation of the ECOWAS Protocol on Free Movement, trade, and the use of the ECOWAS biometric identification system.

Deputy Comptroller-General of Immigration in charge of Command, Post and Operations, Mr. Faisal Disu, warned that “Ghana is currently attracting a lot of bad actors into the country,” stressing that proceeds from organised begging networks could potentially be used to finance terrorism.

Discussions also highlighted the slow progress in implementing the ECOWAS National Biometric Identity Card, with only Ghana, Senegal, and Côte d’Ivoire currently fully implementing the system. Currency disparities across the sub-region were also identified as a key challenge.

Dr. Abdulai noted that WAMI’s ongoing exercise will help develop strategies and benchmarks, including a centralised database of ECOWAS citizens, to strengthen border management.

Both institutions emphasised the urgent need for public advocacy and sensitisation campaigns on regular migration and the dangers of irregular migration and the use of unapproved border crossing routes.

The GIS announced plans to intensify border patrols to safeguard national security while ensuring that the principle of free movement supports, rather than undermines, Ghana’s peace and stability.

Further recommendations from the meeting are expected to inform ECOWAS policy reforms aimed at protecting lives, securing borders, and advancing genuine regional integration.

A flight carrying 268 Nigerians has landed in Lagos after leaving Johannesburg on Thursday morning. The passengers were part of around 1,000 people who the Nigerian consulate in South Africa says have registered to be repatriated.

Ghana, Zimbabwe and Malawi have already carried out evacuations, ahead of a 30 June deadline set by some campaigners for undocumented migrants to leave.

Many people from other parts of Africa moved to South Africa around the time white-minority rule ended in 1994, hoping for a better life.

But with South Africa facing an unemployment rate of more than 30%, anti-migrant sentiments have risen, with protest marches being held in major cities and people facing xenophobic attacks.

At the main international airport in Johannesburg, Justin, one of the Nigerian passengers, told the BBC that he had lived in South Africa since 1998.

“I’m leaving because of the conditions they’ve given us here. They say we must leave on or before 30th June. And because of the way they are killing people, killing our brothers, so I’m not safe,” Justin said.

Justin told the BBC that he had already been targeted.

“Recently they attacked me in a taxi. I ran away and left my things. I left my phone and everything.

“They call us names and say you must leave this country. When we tried to beg them, they started insulting us.”

There have been no official figures regarding the number of deaths caused by xenophobic violence in recent weeks.

The police have said two Mozambican men were killed in Western Cape province earlier this month but have not given a motive.

The Mozambican authorities said the death toll was higher, and their citizens have been killed as a result of xenophobia.

Some of the protesters have pointed the finger at migrants for South Africa’s high unemployment rate, and putting pressure on public services like schools and hospitals.

However, Nigeria’s Consul General in South Africa, Ninikanwa Okey-Uche, told the BBC that migrants made up less than 10% of South Africa’s population, and could not be “blamed for broken systems in education, health care, policing, unemployment”.

“They are not and cannot be the problem. So, migrants are basically being scapegoated,” Okey-Uche added.

A spokesman for South Africa’s Border Management Agency told local TV station Newzroom Afrika that none of the passengers on the flight had documents to live in South Africa legally.

Okey-Uche said she did not have the figures, but delays in processing applications could lead to some people ending up as undocumented migrants.

She added that the South African authorities need to do more to act against people “propagating these xenophobic attacks and anti-foreigner sentiments”.

“There are a lot of top South African politicians who have spoken up against what’s happening, saying it’s absolutely wrong.

“But down on the street, we need to see arrests. We know the people in charge. They’re not hiding. They’ve caused mayhem in people’s lives, but they’re walking free. Some of them are running for election,” Okey-Uche said.

South Africa is due to hold local government elections in November, with some analysts believing that migration is being turned into a major campaign issue.

On Sunday, President Cyril Ramaphosa made a televised address responding to the protests, announcing new measures to crackdown on illegal migration.

These include jailing employers who hire undocumented workers, setting up dedicated courts to speed up the deportations and having a biometric database for everyone in the country to avoid identity theft.

He also warned South Africans not to take the law into their own hands by targeting those they suspect of being in the country illegally.

In a statement issued on Wednesday, June 10, the department said the operation uncovered a sophisticated scheme in which individuals allegedly used fraudulent documents and visa facilitators to obtain U.S. visitor visas with the intention of giving birth in the United States.

According to the State Department, the network relied on visa “fixers” who helped applicants secure travel documents and make arrangements aimed at obtaining U.S. citizenship for children born on American soil.

“A U.S. embassy in West Africa uncovered a sophisticated birth tourism network of more than 100 foreign nationals using fraudulent documents and visa ‘fixers’ to get themselves visas in order to get U.S. citizenship for their children. We shut it down, revoked these foreign nationals’ visas, and are coordinating with local authorities to systematically identify and cut off any similar operations,” the department stated.

The State Department did not disclose the specific West African country involved but said it is collaborating with local authorities to prevent similar operations from emerging elsewhere in the region.

The revelation forms part of a broader crackdown on birth tourism, a practice in which foreign nationals travel to the United States primarily to give birth so their children can acquire U.S. citizenship under the country’s birthright citizenship laws.

Reiterating its position, the department stressed that obtaining a visitor visa for the primary purpose of giving birth in the United States violates U.S. visa regulations.

“No foreigner is permitted to obtain a visitor visa for the primary purpose of acquiring U.S. citizenship for a child by giving birth in the U.S.,” the statement said.

U.S. authorities indicated that the West African operation is one of several cases uncovered globally. In Europe, officials have identified more than 400 suspected birth tourism cases since 2024, linked to at least six companies accused of coaching visa applicants, arranging accommodation and coordinating childbirth-related travel to the United States.

The department said visas connected to those cases had been revoked, while several individuals involved in facilitating the schemes were permanently barred from travelling to the United States.

In a separate operation, a U.S. embassy in North Africa revoked more than 100 visas issued to parents who had travelled to the United States primarily to give birth.

“Consular officers – working with law enforcement and using data analytics – identified several networks abusing the system and put a stop to it,” the department noted.

The State Department said it would continue targeting visa fraud and birth tourism operations worldwide, describing access to a U.S. visa as a privilege rather than a right.

“A U.S. visa is a privilege, not a right. The State Department is taking action around the world to stop this abuse, dismantle birth tourism networks, and hold accountable those who try to scam our system,” it added.

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Ghanaians stranded in South Africa appeal to Mahama for help after evacuation exercise ends

In a video circulating on social media and shared by WeLoveGhana on X, the group—comprising men, women, and children—described worsening living conditions and pleaded with the government not to abandon them.

Some of the stranded Ghanaians said they have been sleeping in open spaces and temporary shelters for nearly two weeks, with limited access to money, accommodation, or employment.

Speaking on behalf of the group, a visibly emotional woman appealed directly to the President for assistance.

“We are sleeping outside. We have children among us. Many others are at other places and we have been here for nearly two weeks. Please, President John Mahama, come and help us,” she pleaded.

Another member of the group recounted how his decision to join the evacuation process has left him without shelter or income.

“I was owing my landlord rent and after I told him I was leaving for Ghana, he cancelled the debt. We signed all tenancy agreements and now I cannot go back. I don’t even have any money on me. We have been sleeping in this place for almost two weeks and I have no job,” he said.

A woman in the group also revealed that some stranded Ghanaians have resorted to paying for temporary sleeping spaces in private homes.

“Some people are sleeping in someone’s living room where they pay 100 rands each day, and because of that, they have run out of money,” she said.

The latest appeal comes days after the Government of Ghana undertook an evacuation exercise for citizens affected by recent tensions and attacks targeting foreign nationals in parts of South Africa.

So far, 979 Ghanaians have been evacuated, following the arrival of the final batch of 342 on Sunday, June 7, 2026.

The operation, coordinated through Ghana’s diplomatic mission and relevant state agencies, facilitated the return of Ghanaians who expressed willingness to leave amid growing fears for their safety and livelihoods.

Government officials have indicated that support measures, including temporary accommodation and reintegration assistance, are being considered for returnees upon arrival in Ghana.

However, the latest developments suggest that some Ghanaians may have been unable to join the evacuation flights or were left behind after arrangements had already been completed.

The stranded group is now urging the government to reconsider its intervention and provide urgent assistance before their situation worsens further.

Their appeal adds a human dimension to ongoing concerns about the welfare of Ghanaians affected by recent unrest in South Africa, with many hoping for a swift response from authorities in Accra.

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“The first aspect we have to look into is how it happened, who forced them out and all that. And that is the process that we are currently undergoing,” Mr Lamola said.

Speaking on Super Morning Show on June 10, Mr Lamola said authorities are examining all aspects of the matter, including how the incidents occurred and who may have been responsible.

He stressed that it would be premature for the government to make any pronouncements on compensation while investigations are ongoing.

“At this stage, there is no ground for any compensation because we are still looking into all the aspects, because you need to be sure,” he stated.

The minister noted that many of the affected individuals had already been declared undesirable in South Africa due to immigration violations, a factor he said must be considered as part of the assessment.

“Most of them had to come back home because they had already been declared to be undesirable in South Africa. So you have to check all those aspects,” he explained.

Mr Lamola said legally, Ghanaian residents whose businesses were affected, each case would be handled on its merits.

“We will not stipulate. We’ll have to deal with each case to be able to say,” he said.

Mr Lamola said, “It is an issue that is being discussed.

I can’t make a political announcement that has not yet been confirmed, but it is an issue that is being discussed, and it will definitely be this process that we’re undergoing. It’s one of the issues that we will pronounce on.”

“As I’ve said earlier on, with the bulk of all Ghanaians that have come back home, almost 74% had overstayed, and they had been declared undesirable through our processes, and this is the law, and this has been communicated to the High Commissioner,” Mr Lamola said.

Speaking on the Super Morning Show on June 10, Mr Lamola said that despite these immigration breaches, the South African government remains committed to protecting all persons within its borders, including Ghanaian nationals.

“We are indeed protecting all people within the borders of South Africa. Constitutionally, we are duty-bound to protect everyone, including Ghanaian nationals,” he stated.

He noted that many Ghanaians continue to make meaningful contributions to South Africa’s economy across various sectors and deserve protection.

“There is a huge number of them in the various sectors of our economy. The South African government is duty-bound to ensure that they feel safe and play their role as they are supposed to in the country,” he added.

Mr Lamola stressed that constitutional protections apply to everyone living in South Africa, regardless of immigration status.

“The Constitution does not differentiate. The government has a responsibility to ensure that everyone is safe,” he said.

The remarks were made as the government condemned violence against foreign nationals and reiterated its obligation to ensure the safety of all residents.

“It is for that reason that we are condemning the violence against foreign nationals, because it is our duty as the government of South Africa to protect everyone within our borders,” he explained.

At the same time, he said the government would continue to enforce immigration laws to address irregular migration.

“We also have a duty to deal with irregular migration by enforcing immigration policy,” he added.

Police say Purwadi Wahyudi ordered chicken skewers on 18 May, dipped them in toxic chemicals, then couriered them to the alleged victim’s house because he felt disrespected by her.

He tried to frame his sister-in-law, who discovered the 57-year-old woman’s body, covered in vomit, at her home in Central Java the next day, detectives added.

Purwadi, 40, has been made a suspect and detained, but has not been formally charged with murder, which in Indonesia attracts the death penalty or at least 20 years in prison.

Police say the family contacted them after the woman – identified only as Aminah – was buried, suspicious that she had not died of natural causes.

The woman’s youngest daughter, Luriyanti Putri, told investigators the alleged victim had reported receiving a delivery of chicken satay from an unknown person the day before her body was discovered. Putri said it wasn’t from her, and told her mother not to eat the food.

Aminah’s neighbour also reported seeing dead chickens near her coop.

Her body was exhumed and forensic testing found signs of poisoning in most of her major organs, as well as traces of toxic chemicals.

The head of the Boyolali police’s criminal investigation unit, Indrawan Wira Saputra, added that the killing was carefully planned, according to Indonesian media outlet Kompas.

Purwadi had pretended to be Putri on a delivery app, using her name and photo as the account details.

The delivery driver raised suspicions about this – expecting a woman, and the person who sold Purwadi the satay says the food was in different packaging by the time it was delivered to Aminah.

Police said the pilot, 59-year-old Geoffrey Wall from Ontario, had been flying with forged credentials since his promotion to captain in 2009. He now faces several fraud-related charges.

Air Canada said the pilot was immediately removed from duty once the false documents were discovered last year. “The company voluntarily reported the matter to Transport Canada,” the airline said.

The airline said passenger safety was never at risk, noting that all pilots undergo competency training every six months.

Deputy Chief Nick Milinovich of Peel Regional Police said Wall had been flying with Air Canada for 27 years, beginning his career in 1998.

The pilot allegedly had been misrepresenting his credentials since 2009, when he was promoted to the position of pilot-in-command, or captain, police said.

For that role, pilots are required to hold an airline transport pilot licence (ATPL), which is obtained in part by passing a series of written exams.

“This is very similar to a doctor who is licensed to practice family medicine, but is doing brain surgery in their office,” said Milinovich.

For the last 17 years, police said Wall flew several types of Boeing aircraft and a total of 900 domestic and international flights, and earned millions of dollars in salary, all allegedly without the proper credentials.

Officials said the alleged fraud was discovered last year during a routine evaluation when inconsistencies were flagged with the accused pilot’s licence documentation, prompting an investigation by Transport Canada, Canada’s federal transport department.

Peel Regional Police, a force in the Toronto area, then began a criminal investigation into Wall that included a search warrant and an analysis of the licence, which police said they determined was forged.

Wall was charged on 1 June with a total of seven counts, including fraud, forging documents and possession of a counterfeit mark.

Air Canada said the pilot was fully trained and held a valid commercial pilot licence, but did not have the ATPL required to operate as a captain under Canadian regulations.

In its statement, the airline added that it “takes this matter with utmost seriousness” and said it completed an audit of its pilots and found no other issues of non-compliance.

Asked why Wall’s alleged fraud went undetected for years, Milinovich noted that offenders can become “very good” at “deceit and trickery”.

“It is not uncommon for fraud to continue for years and years,” he said. “Eventually it catches up to you, and that’s when we get involved.”

Wall is due to appear in court on 29 June.

The US military said it targeted air defence systems, ground control stations and radar sites in response to the downing of an American helicopter on Monday.

In response, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said it launched strikes on 21 targets at US bases in the region, one in Bahrain and the other in Jordan, while Kuwait’s army said it was also intercepting an attack.

The US has described its strikes as “a proportional response” for the downing of an Apache helicopter, while the IRGC described the attacks as “vicious”.

The exchange of fire comes after two crew members of the downed helicopter were rescued by an American sea drone on Monday, Centcom said. It was the first time the US military publicly confirmed that type of vessel was used in such an operation.

According to US officials, Iran used a drone to launch the attack on the helicopter. But it’s not clear whether the Iranian drone had deliberately attacked, an unnamed US official told CBS News, the BBC’s US partner. The semi-official Mehr News Agency reported that Iran had not claimed responsibility for the downed aircraft.

In response, Centcom said US fighter jets “struck Iranian air defense, ground control stations, and surveillance radar sites near the Strait of Hormuz”.

The IRGC said US strikes had damaged a telecommunications tower and two water tanks.

Iran said the US had targeted the cities of Jask and Sirik, and Qeshem – an island in the Gulf.

Centcom released the statement saying the mission was “completed” just over three hours after it announced an initial wave of strikes triggered by the downing of the US helicopter on Monday.

US officials have yet to comment on reports of attacks on its bases, and it is unclear if there has been any damage. However, an air raid alert was issued in Bahrain, according to local authorities who said Iranian attacks had been repelled.

US President Donald Trump said earlier on Tuesday the downed helicopter had been patrolling the Strait of Hormuz, a critical shipping channel that was effectively closed days after the US launched its first strikes on Iran in late February.

“There were two pilots involved, both are safe and uninjured,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “Nevertheless, the United States must, of necessity, respond to this attack.”

In Washington, US House Speaker Mike Johnson said he was in the room with Trump when he decided that US attacks on Iran should resume.

“We lament that it became necessary,” said the top Republican in Congress, adding that “we’re gonna have to take care of this business”.

Iran’s foreign minister issued a threat to the US in the aftermath of the renewed US attacks, saying the country “will leave no attack or threat unanswered”.

“Despite its defeats on the battlefield, the US opted to test our determination,” Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi wrote on X.

He added: “Leave our region if you want to be safe.”

Araghchi said on Tuesday that foreign forces near Iran’s territory were at “constant risk on account of their own human errors, plain accidents or potentially being caught in crossfire”.

“To reduce risk, best solution is for them [foreign forces] to leave,” the Iranian leader said in a post on X.

Minutes before Trump’s comments on the downed American Apache helicopter on Tuesday, Iran’s top negotiator in peace talks with Washington, Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf, took to social media to signal retaliation.

“We prefer the language of diplomacy, but we speak other languages far more fluently. Break your commitments, and we’ll switch to what we speak best.”

“You ride the horse you saddled!,” he wrote.

The flare-up between the US and Iran comes after Israeli forces carried out strikes across southern Lebanon on Tuesday.

Tehran had warned that Israeli attacks on southern Lebanon would trigger another wave of retaliatory strikes.

Israel and Iran halted attacks on each other after exchanging fire over the weekend for the first time since April’s truce.

Trump publicly told both countries to “immediately stop ‘shooting'” because they were jeopardising negotiations between Washington and Tehran on a deal to end the regional war.

He said on Truth Social that Israel and Iran are looking to do “an immediate ceasefire” but peace is “subject to ignorance or stupidity getting in its way”.

On Tuesday he also told journalists: “We’re in the final throes of what will be a very, very good deal,” adding that it could take “two or three days” and the Strait of Hormuz would open immediately after.

In April, Nigeria’s Senate gave its approval to the agreement, joining other African borrowers like Senegal and Angola who have tapped into similar arrangements over the past year.

• “Our view is that the transactions ​in these types of structures carry risks. Usually they are opaque ⁠so the terms are not always very transparent when we reviewed these instruments ​across countries,” Christian Ebeke, IMF resident representative in Nigeria, told reporters.
• Ebeke said Nigeria could instead ​issue eurobonds to finance its deficits or other means to raise funding, including on concessional terms.
• Nigeria intends to use proceeds from the total return swap, or TRS, to refinance expensive debt and ​pay for infrastructure.
• In its latest Article IV review, the Fund praised Nigeria’s sweeping ​reforms, saying they had strengthened economic stability and investor confidence, but warned that the benefits had ‌yet ⁠to reach millions of citizens and could be undermined by global shocks, including the Middle East conflict.
• The reforms since 2023 under President Bola Tinubu – including fuel subsidy removal, tighter monetary policy and exchange rate liberalisation – had rebuilt buffers and improved macroeconomic ​management, the IMF said.
• However, it cautioned that the reforms were also contributing to social strain, with poverty at 63% and millions facing food insecurity, underscoring a widening gap between macro gains and household realities.
• The IMF said ​improved policy ⁠credibility and forex reforms had helped Nigeria regain access to international capital markets and attract portfolio inflows, while reducing risk premiums. The central bank says gross reserves are at $50 ⁠billion, ​the highest in 17 years.
• But reliance on volatile foreign ​portfolio investment poses rollover risks, the IMF said, urging a shift towards more stable, long-term capital such ​as foreign direct investment.

At his first trial in 2022, Colonel Jean de Dieu Mambweni received ​a 10-year term for failing to assist persons in danger and disobeying orders. Military prosecutors appealed, arguing ​that he bore greater responsibility.

The High Military Court in Kinshasa agreed, finding Mambweni guilty ⁠on Friday of the war crime of murder for actively orchestrating the killings, and sentencing him to death, according to ​a ruling reviewed by Reuters and the sister of one of the victims.

Congo has not carried out an execution ​since 2003, meaning the sentence will in practice become life imprisonment.

U.N. experts Zaida Catalan, a Swedish-Chilean, and Michael Sharp, an American, were investigating mass killings in the Kasai region when fighters from the Kamuina Nsapu militia stopped them on March 12, 2017 ​at a bridge near the village of Moyo-Musila. They were marched into the bush and shot. Their bodies ​were found 16 days later.

SUSPICIONS THAT MURDERS SERVED CONGO’S STATE INTERESTS

The ruling, which closes nearly nine years of proceedings, also upheld ‌death sentences ⁠against dozens of militia fighters handed down in 2022.

Prosecutors initially dismissed suggestions that state agents were involved, but later arrested the colonel and other officials who they said had been working with the rebels.

Catalan’s sister, Elizabeth Morseby, welcomed the court’s finding that there had been a conspiracy. “This confirms that Zaida and Michael were not simply victims of a ​random act of violence,” she ​said.

But she said justice ⁠remained incomplete, pointing to recordings presented in court attributed to Mambweni in which he allegedly expressed concern that the U.N. experts could incriminate authorities and expose efforts to conceal mass ​graves.

In January, Human Rights Watch said the 2022 trial had ignored video evidence showing ​government agents ⁠helping to direct the experts toward the ambush site. Morseby said that “true accountability requires not only convictions, but a full understanding of how and why these crimes were allowed to happen”. She argued that Mambweni had had no personal motive ⁠to kill ​the experts.

Paul Nsapu Mukulu, president of Congo’s National Human Rights Commission, ​said Mambweni was unlikely to have acted alone.

“All the evidence suggests that the double murder of the U.N. experts constitutes a state crime, ​and a state crime is not easily dealt with.”

MSF said 7,850 suspected cases had been recorded across 14 local government areas ​as of June 7, citing the state ministry ​of health, with infections rising sharply each day.

The outbreak ⁠is straining an already fragile healthcare system in a ​region at the heart of a 17-year Islamist insurgency, mass ​displacement and poor water and sanitation, raising the risk of wider spread if containment falters.

MSF, working with the state ministry of health, has ​set up a cholera treatment centre in the capital ​Maiduguri to support the response.

“Every day, we see more people arriving with ‌severe ⁠watery diarrhoea and dehydration, many of whom have travelled long distances to reach care,” said Bienfait Tombola, MSF project medical coordinator for the surge response in Maiduguri.

MSF said it had ​treated 7,439 ​patients, averaging about ⁠230 admissions per day, with more than 500 cases recorded on June 5 alone, the ​highest number admitted in a single day ​since the ⁠response began.

Cholera, a waterborne disease, thrives in areas lacking clean water and sanitation. Authorities are planning a vaccination campaign, MSF said, as the aid group continues to scale up treatment, hygiene, and surveillance to contain the outbreak.

The announcement was made by the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, in a post on social media on Tuesday.

The conference, which is to be hosted by President John Dramani Mahama, is expected to focus on advancing global discussions on reparatory justice for historical injustices, particularly those linked to the transatlantic enslavement of Africans.

According to the Minister, President Macron is expected to engage in what has been described as a good-faith dialogue on historical injustices against Africans, while also outlining France’s position and commitments on reparatory justice.

The engagement comes in the wake of the adoption of a Ghana-led United Nations resolution which recognised transatlantic enslavement as the gravest crime against humanity, a development that has renewed international discourse on reparations and historical accountability.

The Accra conference is expected to bring together global leaders, policymakers and stakeholders to explore practical steps towards addressing historical wrongs and advancing justice-focused dialogue at the international level.

The participants, mainly Nollywood stars, praised the administration’s achievements in infrastructure and security, while also calling for an end to kidnappings across the country.

The rally, organised by the Re-elect Tinubu For Inclusive Nigeria (RTIFN) movement under the slogan “Relax, Tinubu Is Fixing Nigeria,” followed a major medical outreach programme that provided free consultations, treatment, and medication to hundreds of residents, particularly low-income earners.

Orji, who serves as Deputy Director-General of the movement, addressed journalists during the event and urged Nigerians to support President Tinubu’s reform agenda ahead of the 2027 elections.

The demonstration comes amid growing public concern over insecurity, with recent abductions reported in parts of Oyo and Borno states, as well as continued economic hardship linked to rising inflation and the high cost of living.

However, attention on social media quickly shifted from the rally itself to Orji’s appearance during the march. Videos and photographs circulating online showed the actor walking slowly and appearing physically frail, prompting a wave of reactions on X.

Several users questioned why celebrities were publicly supporting the administration despite widespread economic challenges.

One user, identified as @AdenolaOla…, wrote: “Nollywood actors declaring Tinubu is fixing Nigeria while millions of Nigerians are eating garri with no sugar and fuel is ₦1,200 per litre. Is this ‘fixing’ or paid PR?”

Another user, @Dammyse…, dismissed the rally as “fake support,” alleging that some entertainers were seeking political relevance rather than addressing issues such as inflation and kidnapping.

Another commenter, @CHILDwitGrace, accused celebrities supporting the president of misleading struggling Nigerians, while others suggested the actors were motivated by political interests.

While many on social media reacted negatively, some users defended public figures’ right to openly support candidates and political causes of their choice, arguing that political affiliation should not be grounds for personal attacks.

The debate reflects the deep divisions that continue to shape public discourse around President Tinubu’s administration.

While supporters point to ongoing infrastructure projects, economic reforms, and security interventions as evidence of progress, critics argue that many Nigerians have yet to feel the benefits amid rising living costs and persistent insecurity.

The controversy surrounding Orji’s appearance and political activism has further highlighted the increasingly prominent role celebrities play in Nigeria’s political landscape, where endorsements often generate as much debate as the policies being promoted.

The lynching of other Africans by mobs with police collaboration or indifference, the denial of care to pregnant women from other African countries by South African women, the half-hearted legalistic, ritualistic expressions of regret and empty pledges from South African leaders have put paid to our dreams and fantasies of Pan-Africanism!

What is the point of granting unrestricted travel to other African countries when the very governments extending such courtesies would permit your lynching by their citizens?

Not even Trump’s American or Netanyahu’s right-wing Israeli government would permit such treatment of foreigners by its citizens. And for this to come from South Africa is particularly galling!

Heck, my OKESS friends and I swayed to Sonny Okosun’s “Fire in Soweto” when it came out after Steve Biko’s death and discussed how we could sign up for the anti-apartheid struggle.

And we all had crushes Miriam Makeba! When Mandela took the oath of office, we all belted out “Nkosi Kelele Africa” as the South African airfoce flew overhead in salute and this is our reward? Not even Botha’s apartheid government would have stood for this nonsense.

How can we call out the distant slave-holders and colonialists when we tolerate this inhumanity from our own, to our own, on our continent? Wasn’t it South Africa that took Israel to court for its genocidal conduct in Gaza to global applause only a few months ago? Ghana and Nigeria are doing the right thing in evacuating their citizens, but the response across Africa has been too restrained.

If this were being done to us in America, Canada or Britain, our condemnation would be louder. South Africa needs to be condemned, shamed and ostracized more forcefully. It is this kind of hypocrisy that make us condemn the genocide in Gaza more than the one in Sudan! We behave as if black lives don’t matter.

South African International Relations Minister Ronald Lanola’s bluff must be called. Let’s see them in court, just as they saw the Isrealites in court and expose their hypocrisy.

With the exception of President Mbeki, Malema and a few others, South African leaders have been brazenly disappointing. Africa deserves better from them.

While on the subject of hypocrisy, I am baffled by how the government and business leaders can have jobs for those evacuated from South Africa when our stay-at-home youth have been suffering massive unemployment for all these years.

I understand the parable of the prodigal son, but shouldn’t the few jobs we have go to our youth who have been looking for jobs all these years? Long live Ghana!
As the Osagyefo said, “Africa Must Unite!
Aluta Continua!

For years, Iran has generally justified direct attacks on Israel as retaliation for actions against Iranian territory, commanders or interests. This time was different. Tehran acted after an attack on one of its allies, following an Israeli strike on what it said was a Hezbollah-linked building in southern Beirut.

On Monday, Iran’s military said it would stop strikes on Israel, but the decision to strike at all raises an important question: why did Iran’s leadership feel that the time was right to take such a step, knowing it risked renewed Israeli military action and potentially jeopardising fragile peace negotiations with the United States?

Part of the answer may lie in how Iran’s leaders assess their position after months of conflict.

The Islamic Republic emerged from the war weakened in some respects but also with a stronger sense of its own resilience.

Despite extensive Israeli and American military pressure, economic sanctions and a US naval blockade, the state survived. The government is still in power, its security apparatus remains intact, and no mass uprising materialised despite repeated predictions from its opponents.

That experience may have altered Tehran’s calculations.

Rather than seeing itself as a vulnerable actor seeking to avoid confrontation at all costs, Iran may increasingly view itself as a power that has weathered the worst and can now afford to enforce new red lines.

The strike on Israel may therefore have been intended less as retaliation and more as deterrence. Tehran could be signalling that attacks on its regional allies will no longer be treated as separate from attacks on Iran itself.

Such a message would have particular importance for Hezbollah, Iraqi militias and other members of Iran’s regional network known as the “Axis of Resistance”. The credibility of Iran’s influence has always rested partly on the belief that it will stand behind its partners. Failing to respond after publicly warning Israel could have damaged that credibility.

Viewed in this light, the strike was not simply aimed at Israel. It was also directed at US and Israeli allies across the region who were watching closely to see whether Tehran would act on its threats.

The timing is equally intriguing.

US President Donald Trump had recently suggested that a deal might be within reach. Conventional logic would suggest that Iran should avoid actions that could endanger diplomacy.

Yet Tehran may believe the opposite.

Iranian leaders could have concluded that demonstrating strength through a limited or calculated military action may actually strengthen their position at the negotiating table rather than weaken it.

From Tehran’s perspective, demonstrating a willingness to use force may be intended to remind both Washington and Israel that Iran still possesses options.

That does not necessarily mean Iran wants the talks to fail. Tehran appeared to have taken action to establish a precedent and send a political message, but not on a scale that would make escalation unavoidable.

Whether that calculation proves correct remains to be seen.

Ordinary Iranians’ reactions to the latest exchange reflect the wider debate.

Some see Iran’s actions as a justified response. One BBC Persian audience member said: “Iran joining the conflict to defend Lebanon is loyal and right. Since the nuclear deal, Iran hasn’t broken international laws, and this attack was in response to the other side breaking ceasefire rules.”

Others question Tehran’s priorities: “For nearly two months there has been some fighting (bombing) in southern Iran, but no serious response. It seems that southern Lebanon is considered more important than southern Iran.”

For many, however, the dominant feeling is concern about where the confrontation could lead. “Honestly, my heart sank when the war started again,” one audience member told BBC Persian.

Others believe the exchange is unlikely to escalate into a major conflict. One viewer argued: “This clash isn’t very serious and won’t turn into a full war like the last two. Iran knows America doesn’t want a direct war anymore, so it’s taking the lead. It’s partly for show and propaganda, to make their supporters feel like they’re winning.”

Another possibility is that the strike reflects growing dissatisfaction with the direction of negotiations. If Iran believes it is being asked to make concessions without receiving meaningful benefits in return, this action may be a way of increasing leverage before the next phase of talks.

Either way, the attack suggests a leadership that is feeling more confident than many outside observers expected only a few months ago.

The key question is not whether Iran was willing to absorb another round of Israeli bombing. It is whether Tehran now believes it can do so while simultaneously pursuing diplomacy. If that is the case, Iran may be attempting to establish a new regional reality: one in which it negotiates from a position of strength while actively enforcing its own red lines.

As risky as that approach may be, it would represent a significant shift in how the Islamic Republic sees both its security and its place in the Middle East.

The quake occurred on Monday at 07:37 local time (Sunday 23:37 GMT), triggering tsunami alerts in the Philippines, Indonesia, Japan and Australia. Some of those were cancelled hours later.

Videos and images showed buildings collapsing, including a clip of a Jollibee fast food restaurant reduced to rubble.

At least 134 people were reportedly injured across several provinces – South Cotabato, Sultan Kudarat, Sarangani – and the city of General Santos, a local official said. These numbers still need to be verified by the national disaster agency.

The official count from the agency – the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council – typically comes about a day after the incident. They tabulate all the numbers given by various sources including the police, local officials and disaster relief agencies.

Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr said in a statement that agencies were coordinating their disaster response.

“The national government is moving and we will not leave Mindanao behind,” he promised.

Marcos also ordered the suspension of classes in affected areas after the quake, which coincided with the first day of the school year in the Philippines.

In one video posted by a primary school in Davao Occidental province, dozens of terrified students can be seen squatting on the shaking ground.

The video also showed a corrugated-roof shelter collapsing behind them, though the school said in its post that no-one was injured.

More than 130 aftershocks, with magnitudes ranging from 1.3 to 6.7, were recorded after the initial quake.

In the coastal province of Sarangani, the quake temporarily downed power and communication networks – though they were later restored.

General Santos, the city near the quake’s epicentre, is known as the Philippines’ tuna capital. It’s also known as the hometown of Manny Pacquiao, the world boxing champion who later became a politician.

Earthquakes are common in the Philippines, which sits on the geologically unstable “ring of fire”. While most of these quakes are minor and pass relatively peacefully, some have proven deadly: Last September, a magnitude-6.9 earthquake struck the central Visayas region, killing more than 70 people.

Shortly after the quake on Monday morning, authorities in Japan warned of one-metre-tall tsunami waves reaching its shores.

A tsunami wave measuring a few centimetres was later observed in the southern prefecture of Okinawa, while a 20cm (0.7ft) wave was measured in the distant Ogasawara Islands, authorities said.

Waves were also detected at several locations along the coasts of Indonesia, Palau and the Philippines. The height of those waves ranged from a few centimetres to 1.4m (4.6ft), according to authorities.

Scolyer, 59, made global headlines for his decision to undergo a risky world-first experimental treatment for his glioblastoma at the hands of his friend Professor Georgina Long – based on the pair’s own scientific breakthroughs in skin cancer.

Their work on advanced melanoma – once a death sentence – has saved countless lives, and their encouraging findings in treating Scolyer’s brain tumour have triggered an early stage clinical trial in the US.

“I wanted to keep contributing, even in my darkest hour,” Scolyer said in an open letter announcing his death.

“I pen this letter as a final goodbye to all those I have had the immense privilege of loving, sharing life’s adventures with, working alongside and meeting during what can only be described as a life filled with happiness, optimism, opportunity and passion.”

Australia’s Prime Minister Anthony Albanese called Prof Scolyer “one of our brightest lights and one of our biggest hearts”.

“Every day, this remarkable man – the cancer specialist who became his own subject – took us into his confidence, and he lifted us all in the process.”

One of the country’s most respected medical minds, Prof Scolyer became a national treasure. In 2024, he was named Australian of the Year alongside Long.

As co-directors of the Melanoma Institute Australia, over the past decade the pair’s research on immunotherapy, which uses the body’s immune system to attack cancer cells, has dramatically improved outcomes for advanced melanoma patients globally. Half are now essentially cured, up from less than 10%.

Scolyer also pointed to the mentoring of up-and-coming pathologists as a source of pride in his career.

“I have always been driven by the belief that we all have a responsibility to try to change the future for others and leave the world a better place… I have lived that ethos to the fullest.”

Becoming a ‘guinea pig’

Speaking to the BBC in 2024, Scolyer said he refused to take his shock diagnosis lying down.

Glioblastomas, found in the brain’s connective tissue, are notoriously aggressive and the general protocol for treating them – immediate excision then radiotherapy and chemotherapy – has changed little in two decades. Most patients with Scolyer’s form of tumour survive less than a year.

“It didn’t sit right with me… to just accept certain death without trying something,” Prof Scolyer said.

“It’s an incurable cancer? Well bugger that!”

Long was similarly determined. She spent the hours after she was told of her friend’s diagnosis grieving, then plotting.

In melanoma, her team discovered that immunotherapy works better when a combination of drugs is used, and when they are administered before any surgery to remove a tumour. And so, Prof Scolyer in 2023 became the first brain cancer patient to ever have combination, pre-surgery immunotherapy.

He was also given a vaccine personalised to his tumour’s characteristics, which boosts the cancer-detecting powers of the drugs.

Scolyer and Long knew the odds of a cure were “minuscule”, but hoped the experimental treatment would prolong Prof Scolyer’s life.

Subsequent scans appeared to show a positive immune response in the brain – and a small clinical trial is now trying to replicate those results.

“This was science in action!” esteemed melanoma surgeon John Thompson AO said in a statement paying tribute to his friend.

Describing Scolyer as a “cheery, down-to-earth, lad from Launceston” and a brilliant, internationally recognised scientist, he said: “He will be remembered as a truly great Australian.”

Albanese said in a statement on Monday: “Richard’s journey was difficult and confronting. ‘My uncertain path’, as he termed it with characteristic understatement. Yet it was one he travelled with courage, determination, and a grace that never ceased to be remarkable. The way he shared it with us was an act of profound generosity.”

Scolyer is survived by his wife, fellow pathologist Katie Nicholl, and his three children.

In his letter, he said he was “perhaps lucky” that the physical and cognitive impacts of his brain cancer meant he was unlikely to have been fully aware of his own decline over these final weeks.

“I write this knowing that my wonderful family would have been by my side every minute, as they have been throughout my cancer journey… They are shining examples of the best of humanity and make me extremely proud.”

Scolyer – who documented his treatment online – also thanked Australians for the outpouring of love.

“You’ve laughed with me, cried with me, and provided encouragement and support to keep going just when I needed it most. I haven’t sugar coated my journey and I sincerely thank you for allowing me the space and opportunity to share it with you, warts and all.”

He issued a call for scientists to keep being brave and inquisitive, and for governments to fund their innovations.

“We can and should continue to push boundaries to propel the cancer field forward.”

He was accompanied by Ghana’s Ambassador to Russia, Dr Steem Jehu-Appiah, Presidential Advisor and Special Aide Joyce Bawah Mogtari, officials from the Belarusian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and representatives of the Ghana Mission in Moscow.

The fortress, located near the border with Poland, is one of Belarus’ most significant World War II memorials. It was among the first sites attacked by Nazi Germany on June 22, 1941, just hours after the invasion of the then-Soviet Union began.

During a guided tour, the Governor of Brest, Piotr Alexsandrovich, briefed the President on the historical importance of the site, describing it as a sacred national monument and one of the most visited landmarks in Belarus, attracting over 120,000 visitors in 2025.

President Mahama, who described himself as a historian, said it was a privilege to witness firsthand the bravery and resilience of the Belarusian people, noting that their resistance has become a defining feature of the country’s modern identity and development.

Providing historical context, he referenced how Soviet soldiers and their allies mounted a fierce defence for weeks despite severe shortages of ammunition, food and water, holding their position until eventual liberation.

The fortress still preserves bombed barracks, gates and a church in their wartime condition, alongside weapons, letters and personal belongings of defenders. It has since become a global symbol of the “no step back” resistance during the Second World War.

Following the tour, President Mahama was hosted to a luncheon, where he described the reception as a reflection of growing ties between Ghana and Belarus.

“The heroism of the people of Brest is well documented in history. Brest has demonstrated that it is not only about history; it is about production, development, industrialisation and culture. It is about everything that makes human life better,” he said.

He added that the visit should help deepen cooperation between Ghana and Belarus, particularly in agriculture, mining and manufacturing.

President Mahama also extended an invitation to Belarusian investors to explore opportunities in Ghana, expressing hope for a sustained partnership between the two nations.

Below are some photos

• The Nigerien nationals were returning home to their families when the truck carrying them got lost and later broke down in a remote area near the borders of Mali and Algeria, according to a statement published on Thursday by the governor of Niger’s Agadez region.
• “Stranded without ​water and unable to repair the vehicle… the travellers found themselves trapped in the middle of a hostile environment ​where extreme temperatures and the lack of ​supply points make survival extremely difficult,” the statement said.
• Two men ‌walked ⁠dozens of kilometres to reach the nearest town and alert authorities about the incident.
• The bodies of 49 people were found under the stranded truck ​and in the ​surrounding area ⁠by responders, who buried victims in mass graves dug on site.
• The responders also assisted another truck ​that had been stranded for three days with more than 60 people on board after its car battery failed.
• Young Nigeriens travel ⁠to ​Mali for work at artisanal ​mining sites despite risks from militant groups.

The ​confirmed ​cases ‌include 91 deaths, ​government ​data showed.

The World Health Organization and the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention announced a $518 million emergency response plan on Friday aimed at containing the Bundibugyo Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda. The plan, which runs through November, covers emergency coordination, surveillance, testing, infection prevention, clinical care and community outreach.

It came as the DRC’s Ministry of Health reported 71 new confirmed cases in a single 24-hour stretch this week, bringing the country’s confirmed total to at least 452 cases and 82 deaths. Uganda confirmed three additional cases on Friday, putting its total at 19 confirmed cases and two deaths.

WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said earlier this week that health officials were “catching up” with the virus, even as he acknowledged it had a “big head start.” Tedros also pushed back against blanket travel bans put in place by some countries, warning that they could discourage transparency and disrupt the response.

Frustrations also remain over U.S. plans to open a controversial Ebola isolation facility in Kenya. Proposals to establish a 50-bed quarantine facility for U.S. citizens affected by the outbreak in DRC have provoked a public backlash in Kenya, although the country’s president, William Ruto, said the plan was safe. Two people were reportedly killed last week amid a protest close to the Laikipia Air Base, where the facility is due to be placed.

Kenya’s high court temporarily blocked the quarantine facility, citing public health concerns. Some U.S. health experts have also criticized the plan after the Trump administration said it was determined to ensure the virus did not cross U.S. borders.

Addressing the nation on Sunday, President Ramaphosa said no individual or group has the right to confront people in public spaces and demand proof of identity amid growing tensions over illegal immigration and recent anti-foreigner campaigns in South Africa.

His remarks come against the backdrop of renewed xenophobic incidents and protests targeting foreign nationals, raising concerns about public safety and social cohesion.

“The responsibility for enforcing immigration laws rests with the state, and the state alone,” the South African leader stated.

Ramaphosa acknowledged that many South Africans have genuine concerns about illegal immigration but stressed that such concerns must not be used to justify violence, intimidation, or unlawful actions against foreign nationals.

“I must make it clear that only authorised government officials may act against violations of the law, including violations of our immigration laws,” he said.

The president also warned against the spread of misinformation and inflammatory rhetoric, particularly on social media, saying some individuals and groups were exploiting immigration issues to advance political, personal, and criminal interests.

“We will not allow groups to use the legitimate concerns of South Africans to destabilise our country by inciting lawlessness and violence,” he stated.

He added that authorities would take action against anyone seeking to exploit public concerns over illegal immigration for ulterior motives.

Meanwhile, Ghana has reportedly evacuated about 1,500 of its citizens from South Africa after they voluntarily opted to return home following recent waves of xenophobic attacks and anti-immigrant protests targeting foreign nationals.

The development has renewed calls for calm and the protection of migrants as South African authorities work to address concerns surrounding immigration while maintaining law and order.

The circumstances of how they were freed are disputed. The army says it had launched an unprecedented intelligence-led operation that had been weeks in the planning and taken the Islamist militants by surprise.

But a local group, the Borno South Youth Initiative, says it mediated the unconditional release, putting the number of those freed at 416.

Mass abductions by groups for ransom have become a common tactic in Nigeria. Boko Haram gained notoriety in 2014 for kidnapping more than 200 schoolgirls from Chibok.

That spawned a range of groups that use kidnapping to raise funds, focusing on soft targets such as schools, churches, mosques and remote villages.

It is illegal to pay ransoms in Nigeria, but analysts say payments by desperate families, intermediaries or, in some cases, state authorities have fuelled the abductions.

Military spokesperson Lt-Col Haruna M Sani described the assault on Boko Haram’s Mandara mountain hideout, “under cover of darkness”, as one of the military’s “most significant hostage rescue operations” in the north-east.

“Faced with the speed, precision, and overwhelming combat power of the advancing troops, several insurgents abandoned their positions and fled into surrounding mountainous terrain, while others surrendered,” he said in a statement.

The authorities say the hostages are receiving medical care.

“Sadly, two infants died due to exhaustion from prolonged captivity and harsh terrain,” Daniel Bwala, a special adviser to President Bola Tinubu, posted on X.

He said the government, which has been coming under fierce criticism for the widespread insecurity across Nigeria, commended the troops.

The captives are from around Ngoshe, a mainly Muslim community near the border with Cameroon.

In early March, the area came under attack from Boko Haram fighters reportedly as people were breaking their Ramadan fast.

Samaila Kaigama, president of the Borno South Youth Alliance (Bosaya), told journalists that his group had been advocating for their release and had been in contact with the militants.

In a video posted on Facebook he hit out at “government boys” who he said were “claiming glory for our efforts”.

On Sunday morning, the military released videos and photos of the freed captives as they sat under trees overnight.

Several news outlets also had a video of a local government official telling them that the authorities were doing their utmost to secure the area so that they could go home to their farms.

He also explained that it was thought some of those captured were believed to have escaped into Cameroon and efforts were being made for their safe return.

Boko Haram began its military campaign to impose Islamic rule in northern Nigeria in 2009. It no longer controls the huge swathes of territory it once did, but it, and other splinter groups, remains active and dangerous.

Earlier this year, a small contingent of US soldiers deployed to Nigeria to train the West African nation’s armed forces and help them with intelligence in their battle against growing security threats.

These are complex, overlapping and include the Islamist insurgency, kidnapping gangs, clashes over land and separatist unrest.

Last month, Nigeria and the US said they had killed a senior Islamic State (IS) leader in a joint-operation.

The Toledo Police Department said 10 people “are reported to be in stable condition, while two remain in critical condition”.

It said it responded to a report of a shooting near the Old West End Festival at around 17:37 local time (21:37 GMT) on Saturday.

Toledo Deputy Police Chief Joe said it appeared that two people fired weapons and they were “probably shooting at each other”.

Footage shared online – which the BBC has not yet independently verified – appears to show people running and screaming as a volley of gunshots rings out.

The victims’ ages ranged from 16 to 61. Toledo Mayor Wade Kapszukiewicz earlier told local news outlet WTOL 11 that they all were expected to survive.

The Old West End Festival describes itself as “a two-day event celebrating one of the largest historic districts in the country with live music, multiple food markets, a beer garden, house tours, shopping, and much more”.

Police say the investigation currently includes the area of Delaware Avenue and Robinwood Avenue. A map on the festival website suggests a music and food area was at that intersection.

Other clips shared online appear to show two people being wheeled away in stretchers, and several injured people lying on a grassy area near a marquee.

“I am deeply concerned about the situation in Toledo tonight,” Ohio Governor Mike DeWine said in a statement on social media.

“Summer festivals should be safe spaces for families to spend time together without fear of violence. Fran and I are praying for everyone impacted by the incident at the Old West End Festival, and we are confident that law enforcement will locate the suspects involved in this senseless crime.”

The BBC has reached out to the Toledo police department for further comment.

A total of 345 returnees were received by government officials as part of an ongoing evacuation exercise aimed at bringing home Ghanaians who wish to leave South Africa amid growing anti-immigrant sentiment and security concerns.

The latest arrivals join hundreds of compatriots who were repatriated in the first phase of the operation. The first batch of approximately 300 evacuees arrived in Ghana on May 27.

The evacuation follows the government’s commitment to assist Ghanaians affected by the renewed wave of xenophobic incidents in South Africa, where reports of attacks, intimidation and destruction of property have heightened fears among foreign nationals.

According to officials, more than 1,500 Ghanaians have registered for repatriation, reflecting increasing concerns within the Ghanaian community in South Africa.

Speaking during the reception, the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, assured the returnees that government was exploring legal avenues to seek compensation for losses suffered during the attacks.

“We are preparing legal action to secure compensation for items you may have lost in South Africa,” he stated.

Also present at the airport to welcome the evacuees were the Minister for Gender, Children and Social Protection, Agnes Naa Momo Lartey; the Minister for Health, Kwabena Mintah Akandoh; Deputy Foreign Affairs Minister, James Gyakye Quayson, and other government officials.

Authorities have indicated that another flight carrying more than 300 evacuees is expected to arrive in Ghana on Sunday, June 7, as the evacuation exercise continues.

Adomonline’s photojournalist Joseph Odotei was present to capture key moments from the event.

According to the South African delegation, the Charter’s definition of marriage as exclusively between a man and a woman is inconsistent with the country’s Constitution and the international legal principles it upholds.

The position was communicated by the head of the South African delegation, Zandile Majozi, during deliberations at the conference.

South Africa stated that while it respects the objectives of the Charter, it could not support provisions that conflict with its constitutional framework and legal obligations.

Meanwhile, Mozambique has also announced its abstention from the adoption of the Charter, citing logistical challenges and legislative scheduling constraints.

The decision was conveyed in a letter addressed to the Speaker of Parliament, Alban Bagbin, by the head of the Mozambican delegation, Carlos Tembe. The letter was later read to conference participants by the Member of Parliament for Ho West, Emmanuel Bedzrah.

The developments come as lawmakers and delegates from across Africa continue deliberations on the proposed Charter, which seeks to promote family values, sovereignty, and cultural norms across the continent.

Speaking on Newsfile on Saturday, Mr Ablakwa disclosed that more than 11,000 South Africans visited Ghana as tourists in 2025, demonstrating that travel between the two countries is mutually beneficial.

According to him, the significant number of South African visitors highlights Ghana’s attractiveness as a tourist destination and reflects the strong people-to-people ties between the two nations.

“In 2025, South Africans who travel from South Africa to Ghana, they speak as though they don’t come to Ghana, they don’t travel. There are 11,981 South Africans who travelled to Ghana just last year.”

“This year promises to be even higher. Between 1st January 2026 and 5th June this year, we have 10,282 South Africans who have visited Ghana mostly as tourists,” he noted.

Mr Ablakwa said that despite hosting these thousands of South African visitors annually, Ghanaians will not resort to xenophobic attacks against them, unlike the treatment some foreign nationals have faced in South Africa.

“We will continue to demonstrate that we are the true Pan-Africans, we believe in African integration, we will not take it on any African nationals, we are not going to be retaliatory, we will welcome them, they should keep coming,” he said.

“We will welcome them, we are happy that the numbers are going up even as they target Ghanaians and other Africans,” he said.

He made the remarks during a discussion with host Samson Lardy Anyenini on the recent wave of xenophobic incidents targeting foreign nationals in South Africa.

The Foreign Affairs Minister reiterated Ghana’s commitment to African unity and called for greater tolerance and protection for migrants across the continent.

US forces “subsequently struck Iranian coastal surveillance radar sites in Goruk and on Qeshm Island to defend against further attacks”, US Central Command (Centcom) said in a statement.

Iran has not publicly commented on the incident.

It comes several days after Washington and Tehran exchanged strikes, in an escalation that threatened a shaky ceasefire between the two countries.

One person was killed and more than 60 injured in Iranian drone strikes on Kuwait’s international airport on Wednesday, local officials said.

Iran’s Islamic Revolution Guard Corps (IRGC) denied responsibility for the airport strike, claiming the damage was caused by an error from a US missile interceptor.

Centcom said this was false and claimed Iran struck the airport in a “deliberate, calculated and unjustified attack”.

The IRGC earlier said it had targeted US bases in the Gulf in retaliation for US strikes on an Iranian oil tanker and Qeshm Island.

The attacks happened as ceasefire negotiations between the US and Iran stalled, with a deal to end the war failing to advance.

The US and Israel launched wide-ranging strikes on Iran on 28 February, sparking conflict across the Middle East.

Iran responded by attacking Israel and US-allied states in the Gulf, and effectively closing the Strait of Hormuz, through which around 20% of the world’s oil and liquefied natural gas travels. The move sent oil prices soaring globally.

Shortly after a ceasefire was agreed in early April, the US established a blockade of Iranian ports which President Donald Trump says will remain “in full force and effect until an agreement is reached, certified, and signed”.

Iran’s ​ambassador to Mexico, Abolfazl Pasandideh, said late on Thursday the squad had still not received their U.S. visas but ​these were granted overnight, the White House official said.

A spokesman for Iran’s World Cup federation could ⁠not immediately be reached for comment.

The U.S. had not yet issued visas to some members of the Iran team’s technical and administrative staff, ​the semi-official Fars news agency reported on Friday.

“Visas for some members of the national team’s technical and executive staff have not ​yet been issued, and the U.S. embassy has so far refused to issue them,” it said, without citing a source.

The Iran war has turned the World Cup – the biggest global sporting event – into a geopolitical contest, with both sides appearing to use the tournament for political posturing.

It is the ​first World Cup, since its inception in 1930, in which a host nation is set to receive a country it is ​at war with.

Tehran negotiated a last-minute move of the team’s base from Arizona to Tijuana in Mexico due to the visa issues and a ‌growing feeling ⁠in Iran that the squad’s presence in the United States should be kept to a minimum.

They are scheduled to land in Tijuana early on Sunday.

Iran are due to play their first Group G match on June 15 against New Zealand in Los Angeles, where they will also face Belgium before taking on Egypt in Seattle.

The U.S. had never formally said it did not want the Iran ​team to stay on its territory, ​ambassador Pasandideh said.

However, Secretary ⁠of State Marco Rubio told lawmakers on Tuesday that the U.S. would not allow Iran to include in its World Cup delegation individuals linked to the Islamic Revolutionary Guards, a powerful branch of the Iranian armed ​forces.

Mehdi Taj, president of Iran’s soccer federation, was denied entry for the tournament draw in ​Washington in December. He ⁠is a former commander in the Revolutionary Guards.

Iran’s desire to compete in the World Cup underscored its efforts to reach a resolution in the war with Washington, Pasandideh said.

“Iran’s participation in the World Cup — even on the soil of what is seen as its enemy — ⁠shows that ​Iran seeks peace,” Pasandideh said, speaking through a Spanish interpreter at the Iranian ​embassy in Mexico City.

Progress in peace talks between Iran and the U.S. has been slow, with both sides seemingly inching toward an interim agreement even as ​they continue to carry out military strikes.

The group were returning from Mali, where they had attended celebrations for the Muslim festival of Eid al-Adha, when they ran out of water, stranded more than 80 km (50 miles) west of Assamaka, a major border crossing point between Niger and Algeria.

“The travellers found themselves trapped in the heart of a hostile environment where extreme temperatures and lack of supply points make survival extremely difficult,” said the governor of Agadez.

Only two survived, trekking across the desert to Assamaka, where they alerted authorities.

“This is something we have been working against, for years,” Chehuo Azizou, the head of a local NGO, told the BBC.

“We have been sensitising drivers, travellers, and any person involved immigration activities, about the risk of crossing the desert. This recent incident is not unusual. Generally, we witness such cases on the route heading to Libya or Algeria”.

In this latest case, the lorry had departed from the Malian town of Telhandek but veered away from its intended route, the Agadez governor’s statement said.

The driver and passengers made repeated attempts to repair the vehicle over several days, but their efforts ultimately proved unsuccessful.

“Deprived of water and unable to repair the vehicle” most were unable to survive, the statement added.

“Dozens of lifeless bodies were found under the immobile truck and in its surroundings,” it said.

The victims, all nationals of Niger, were buried in mass graves by the rescue team dispatched to the area by local authorities.

While returning from the scene, the rescue team said it came across another broken-down lorry carrying more than 60 people, who had been stranded for three days after a battery failure.

The lorry had set off from the Malian town of Harouba, more than 300km (186 miles) from the Niger border, the governor said in a follow-up statement.

The rescue team, which included Nigerien troops, distributed water to the “exhausted and distressed travellers” and helped repair the vehicle, allowing them to safely resume their journey.

The Niger desert remains a major transit corridor for migrants from across West Africa trying to reach Europe, repeatedly defying the risks associated with the perilous journey.

The governor of the nearest city, Agadez, said the tragedy underscored the “vulnerability of young people engaged in migratory and cross-border economic activities, often forced to pass through unstable areas in order to survive or seek better living conditions”.

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Ghanaian-American sentenced to 17 years for leading US$38m global email fraud scheme

According to prosecutors, Nkwantabisa, 33, who operated under the aliases Kevin Brown and KO, led the United States arm of a transnational cybercrime network that stole more than US$38 million through sophisticated email fraud.

Court documents revealed that members of the network gained unauthorised access to victims’ email accounts and secretly monitored communications relating to pending business transactions and payments. The fraudsters then impersonated trusted business partners and redirected funds into bank accounts under their control.

Investigators said the criminal network used multiple bank accounts and shell companies to conceal the origin of the stolen funds and evade detection by authorities.

Prosecutors told the court that Nkwantabisa coordinated overseas accomplices, directed the establishment of bank accounts across several states, monitored incoming fraudulent transfers and instructed co-conspirators on how to launder the proceeds of the crime.

His central role in the operation resulted in the longest sentence handed down in the case.

Three other members of the network were also sentenced.

Leshea Moore, 29, of Georgia, received more than 11 years in prison after admitting to creating shell companies, opening fraudulent bank accounts and helping to move stolen funds.

John Jouissance, 33, of Ohio, was sentenced to four years after pleading guilty to establishing shell companies and bank accounts used to receive illicit proceeds.

Justice Amoh, 37, of New York, who operated under the alias Samuel Andrews, received a three-year prison sentence for opening accounts using false identities and processing fraudulent transactions at Nkwantabisa’s direction.

Commenting on the case, United States Attorney Jason A. Reding Quiñones said the defendants exploited legitimate business relationships and abused the trust of their victims to steal millions of dollars.

He noted that the convictions send a strong message to individuals who seek to use the American financial system to facilitate fraud and money laundering.

The investigation was led by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Fort Lauderdale, while prosecutors from the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida handled the case.

Business Email Compromise schemes remain one of the most costly forms of cybercrime globally, causing billions of dollars in losses to businesses and individuals each year. The sentencing forms part of a broader effort by United States authorities to crack down on transnational l financial and cybercrime networks.

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Dubai Public Prosecution told the BBC that Zenab Javadli was detained following a complaint made by the father of her three children – her former husband, Sheikh Saeed bin Maktoum bin Rashid Al Maktoum.

Javadli’s family and friends had lost contact with her since Tuesday night and had raised the alarm over her whereabouts.

For almost two days, no news was received as to where Javadli or her children had gone.

For months, she had barely left the house as she believed security officers were waiting to take her children from her and put her under arrest.

According to Dubai Public Prosecution, her ex-husband has alleged she abducted the children during a court-approved visitation session.

Last year, he lodged a complaint with the police accusing her of kidnapping their daughters.

That was after the children changed hands between their parents several times, with each accusing the other of kidnap.

Javadli – a former international gymnast – has also been facing potential arrest for e-crimes – online offences – in the UAE after she livestreamed one of the showdowns last year.

At the time she explained her actions in a video message to the British human rights lawyer David Haigh, who has been advocating for her: “I knew that it was the last chance to be with my children as they would never let me see them again. I genuinely believed that it was my last chance, so I just opened a livestream and called for help.”

Lawyers acting for Sheikh Saeed bin Maktoum bin Rashid Al Maktoum have claimed in court hearings in the custody case over their children that she was an unfit mother who had failed to send her daughters to school, was living in a place unsuitable for the children when she was in a hotel, and that she had put the health of the youngest girl at risk.

In a statement on Thursday evening, Dubai Public Prosecution said the matter remained under investigation and was subject to ongoing legal proceedings.

“[We] will continue to take the necessary legal measures in accordance with applicable laws, while safeguarding the children’s wellbeing and best interests,” it added.

In response, Haigh called on the UAE to immediately grant Javadli access to her lawyer, her consulate and her family and be released back to her home in Dubai.

The seizure, worth $AU200,000 ($143,000; £106,000), included Madagascar hissing cockroaches and dubia cockroaches from a breeder in Bathurst, 200km west of Sydney. Both species cannot be legally imported into Australia or kept, bred or sold.

It is the largest seizure of illegal exotic invertebrates, authorities said. The illegal insects can spread disease and harm native wildlife and agriculture, they added.

The illegal cockroaches, often fed to pet reptiles, will be killed and disposed of by authorities.

“We’re seeing illegal breeding and trading of exotic cockroaches and we’re putting pet businesses and pet owners on notice,” a spokesperson for the Department of Climate Change, Energy, Environment and Water (DCCEEW) said.

“If you are found to possess, breed or trade exotic cockroaches such as dubia cockroaches and Madagascar hissing cockroaches they will be seized and you could face penalties under federal law.”

The spokesperson urged reptile owners who have been using dubia roaches as feeders to seek legal alternatives such as crickets and wood roaches.

Madagascar hissing cockroaches, one of the largest species in the world, are so called because they can produce a hissing sound loud enough to be heard.

Bathurst snake catcher Stefanie Lesser said she had seen the illegal invertebrates being sold online as reptile food, according to the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC).

“People do have them because they are big, they’re sort of like the size of your palm of your hand,” she told the ABC.

“They probably are cost-effective, rather than feeding each lizard three or four woodies, which are quite small, you could only give them one.”

Amido fled and spent two nights in the mountains. Now he is sheltering ‌in a local town hall, like other immigrants from Malawi and Mozambique across South Africa’s Western Cape province, forced to hide from anti-immigrant mobs in several coastal towns.

South Africa has seen a wave of anti-immigrant protests, which have sometimes turned violent, in recent weeks. Mozambique said five of its ​citizens were killed in xenophobic attacks in the town of Mossel Bay over the weekend.

Amido lives in Kleinmond, about 300 ​km (186 miles) away.

“On the 31st, people came to my house, knocked on the door, and then took ⁠all my belongings,” said the 49-year-old, who had been in South Africa since February looking for work.

In Kleinmond town hall ​he is with about 100 other immigrants, some of whom are hoping to join voluntary repatriation programmes set up by their governments.

IMMIGRANTS BLAMED ​FOR ECONOMIC WOES

Xenophobic attacks are a recurring problem in South Africa, where immigrants are often blamed for economic woes such as high unemployment and crime.

Despite the absence of any evidence for this claim, politicians from nearly all parties have tended to lend it credence in an effort to score ​populist votes ahead of elections, such as the local polls coming up at year end.

“As we work to build a safer … ​and more prosperous society, we need to address the challenge of migration,” President Cyril Ramaphosa told parliament on Tuesday, while also condemning recent ‌xenophobic violence.

Grant ⁠Cohen, a ward councillor for Kleinmond, said that immigration authorities had visited the town in recent weeks to check restaurants and other businesses for undocumented workers.

But many of the immigrants sheltering at the town hall are in the country legally, he told Reuters.

“We’ve got kids here at the moment who should be in school, who have been in school in Kleinmond… (but) now want to flee ​the country out of fear ​and intimidation,” said Cohen.

“I don’t ⁠believe that residents should take things into their own hands.”

SOME PROTESTERS ARMED WITH KNIVES AND STICKS

Michael Markson, a 31-year-old from Malawi, said he spent one night sleeping in the mountains after fleeing ​the informal settlement where he had lived for about a year on Saturday.

“My landlord came ​telling me that ⁠I should evacuate because if they find us, they’re going to kill us,” he said.

The next day, one of his friends called his boss, who brought them food as they hid in the woods.

Markson said he was close enough to see a large crowd of ⁠protesters in ​town, some carrying knives and sticks.

Now he is waiting for assistance to travel ​home, which he can’t afford.

“In our country, there’s no good economy… (but) it’s better than living in a community where your life is under threat.”

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