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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In an open letter to the Russian president, the Ukrainian leader said it would be “wrong to simply wait” until the war in Europe once more becomes the focus of the US’s attention, adding that peace could only come “through direct engagement between” Ukraine and Russia.

He also called for a full ceasefire for the duration of proposed negotiations – something Putin ruled out earlier on Thursday.

US President Donald Trump said on Thursday he thought “it would be great” if the two leaders met.

The Kremlin confirmed it had received the letter and that Putin would be briefed on it.

The tone of the letter was defiant, even mocking, drawing attention to Ukraine’s recent strikes on Russian territory.

Zelensky stated that “after 26 years in power, age is beginning to take its toll” on Putin.

The letter also provided an invitation.

“Ukraine proposes ending this war through direct engagement between us — and you. I am proposing a meeting,” Zelensky wrote.

It’s not a new offer from Ukraine’s leader.

As it has before, the Kremlin responded, saying Zelensky was welcome to meet Putin in Moscow.

Notably, Kyiv publicly acknowledged that the US “is fully focused on the issue of Iran”.

“It would be wrong to simply wait until the war in Europe returns to the centre of its attention,” Zelensky wrote.

Speaking to foreign journalists in St Petersburg, without apparently having seen the contents of the letter, Putin said he was “certainly prepared and willing to reach an agreement with Ukraine” but that compromises were needed.

Putin suggested that, as Trump was busy with Iran, the EU could talk Zelensky into surrendering territory.

Putin’s longstanding position has been that Ukraine should withdraw from four regions partially occupied by Russia – Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia – and give up its efforts to join NATO.

Ukraine has ruled out ceding territory, saying it would embolden Russia to invade again, as it had in 2022 when it launched its full-scale war eight years after illegally annexing Crimea.

Ceasefire negotiations have stalled in recent months, and previous peace talks in Geneva, Abu Dhabi and Istanbul have failed.

In the letter, which is more than 1,800 words long, Zelensky said: “It is not as if we in Ukraine are concerned about the fate of Russian soldiers after everything your war has brought to our country.

“But I do care about Ukrainians. We are losing our people, and every loss is painful to us.”

Zelensky said Russians had become tired of Ukrainian drone and missile attacks, petrol shortages and rising prices, as well as war.

“Do not be afraid to take the path out of this war. That is the main thing that is required of you now,” he implored.

He said Ukraine was proposing to end the war “through direct engagement between us”.

Zelensky said face-to-face negotiations could take place in a country such as Switzerland or Turkey.

Ukrainian foreign minister Andriy Sybiha said: “This open letter is a serious and meaningful proposal to end the war”.

“We expect a meaningful response to this proposal. It’s time to end this war. It’s time to choose peace,” he added.

The Ukrainian president’s letter came on the same day Putin was in St Petersburg, where a major economic forum is taking place.

The previous day Kyiv had launched a drone attack on the city’s outskirts, a strike mentioned in Zelensky’s message as “paying a visit”.

Separately Russian-backed authorities in occupied Crimea blamed Ukraine for the death of four people in attacks on Simferopol. Ukraine said it had hit a fuel depot.

During his press conference on Thursday, Putin appeared to immediately cast doubt on whether a meeting or deal could ever take place.

“Whether Mr Zelensky is a legitimate representative of Ukraine, this is a question for the lawyers, for a legal analysis,” he said.

Trump said he thought the US had been instrumental in bringing the two countries closer to peace.

“I think it would be great if they met. They should. Get it done,” he said.

Asked about the compromises the two sides would have to make, he said he would “rather not say”.

“I want them each to make certain compromises, and I think they’re going to do it.”

President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud’s term in office ended on 15 May but was extended by a year. The opposition said this was unconstitutional and called for protests on Thursday.

Gunfire was reported in several neighbourhoods of the capital and persisted throughout the night, according to accounts by residents.

Police said they were conducting a “large-scale security operation” against “heavily armed militias who launched mortar attacks” in some areas.

Following the expiry of the president’s term, the federal government and the opposition started talks but did not reach an agreement.

President Mohamud has been attempting to move Somalia towards democratic elections, replacing a system in which clan elders choose MPs, who in turn select a president.

Somalia last held a one-person, one-vote election in 1969 and has been ravaged by civil war for more than 30 years.

Former Prime Minister Hassan Ali Khaire said he had been attacked by government forces while he and other leaders were preparing for Thursday’s “peaceful” demonstrations.

“The responsibility for any casualties or damage resulting from this incident lies with the president whose term has expired,” he said on X.

“This attack is a grave assault on the constitutional rights of Somali citizens and a deliberate attempt to suppress peaceful assembly,” he added.

The number of casualties is not yet known and the president has not commented.

In statement on X, former President Sharif Sheikh Ahmed said the violence would not halt the planned demonstrations.

“If the President and his soldiers think that we are afraid or that we will flee, we are not going to run away,” he said.

The US embassy in Mogadishu has described the violence as “reckless”, adding that leader on all sides “have a responsibility to preserve stability and resolve differences through peaceful means”.

Dawa Sherpa was assisting a Polish climber when he disappeared on 29 May above Camp 3, around 7,500m (24,600ft) above sea level. Hopes for his survival were slim as oxygen levels at that altitude are critically low.

He was thought to be another fatality, until he was spotted alive by a cleaning crew on Thursday.

“This is a true self-rescue,'” said Pemba Sherpa, executive director of 8K Expeditions which was overseeing search efforts. “Dawa managed to survive against all odds for days. It’s nothing short of a miracle.”

Five people have died so far in this year’s climbing, three of them Nepalis who were involved in the Everest preparations, according to AFP News Agency.

More than 1,000 reached the Everest summit this season, making it the busiest on record.

An experienced climber, Dawa Sherpa is also known as Hillary Dawa Sherpa after famed mountaineer Edmund Hillary.

Dawa Sherpa was “slowly sliding through” the Khumbu Icefall toward Base Camp when he was found, Pemba Sherpa said, adding he was in overall good health.

“As far as I know, no one has survived alone at that altitude on Everest so far. This is a miracle to have survived for six days alone and descended safe. I think he must have lived inside the tents to keep himself safe,” Pemba Sherpa said.

Before he was found, Dawa Sherpa’s wife told AFP that she had offered last rite prayers for his sould.

On Wednesday, Chris Thrall, a climber and former British Royal Marine, posted a tribute on Instagram for the climbing guide, thinking he had died on the mountain.

In the video he recalled that Dawa Sherpa had “sat down for a rest with his backpack” as they descended from Camp 4, the highest campsite before the summit.

“And I turned and I said, ‘Hillary, are you okay, brother?’ He said, ‘Yes, yes, fine Chris, please go, go!'” Thrall said. “This is nothing new, you know, I’d go ahead, he’d go ahead.”

As Thrall went down he found a struggling Polish climber, and they continued descending together. But Dawa Sherpa never caught up with them.

In the days that followed, 8K Expeditions reportedly launched an aerial search but did not manage to find him.

CBP works alongside more than 40 federal agencies, including the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), to ensure that unsafe, illegal, or harmful products do not enter the country.

According to the agency, CBP officers stationed at ports of entry serve as the first line of defence against threats that could endanger American communities, workers, children, and domestic plant and animal life.

The agency noted that many items prohibited from entering the United States may appear harmless at first glance. However, some products pose significant risks to public safety, health, or national interests.

Among the items strictly prohibited are dangerous toys, vehicles that fail to meet U.S. safety standards, bush meat, and certain illegal substances, including absinthe and Rohypnol.

Other goods fall under restricted categories, meaning travellers must obtain special permits or licences from relevant federal agencies before bringing them into the country. These include firearms, selected fruits and vegetables, animal products and by-products, as well as certain live animals.

CBP advises travellers to verify the status of any item they intend to bring into the United States before departing their country of origin. Officials say early consultation can help avoid delays, confiscations, penalties, or other enforcement actions at the border.

The agency stressed that protecting the nation’s borders goes beyond immigration enforcement and includes preventing potentially harmful products from reaching American communities.

As international travel continues to grow, CBP is encouraging visitors and returning residents alike to familiarise themselves with U.S. import regulations to ensure a smooth entry process.

When traveling into the U.S., please note that bushmeat is prohibited to bring into the country. Before you come back from your trip abroad, check CBP's restricted items list about the items you plan to bring back. ➡️ https://t.co/02J14VASbn pic.twitter.com/xUXZwpKccR

— CBP (@CBP) June 3, 2026

Tehran responded to Israel’s strikes on Lebanon by threatening to suspend talks with the US – a potential setback to Trump’s efforts to extricate himself from an unpopular war with Iran.

Trump was asked by a journalist about an Axios report that he had called Netanyahu “effing crazy” and accused him of ingratitude during a phone call on Monday.

“I did,” Trump told the Pod Force One podcast in an interview broadcast on Wednesday. “I wouldn’t say angry. I was a little bit perturbed at his constantly fighting with ​Lebanon, you know.”

Trump added: “I like Bibi a lot. And I work very well with him.”

He would be far from the only US president to tangle with the Israeli PM. The prime minister has a long history of testing the White House’s patience – and of politically surviving any fallout.

The latest reported clash came as Trump mulls a deal that would extend the US-Iran ceasefire and open the door to talks on the future of Tehran’s nuclear programme.

The reopening of the Strait of Hormuz – a vital global shipping lane – is also at stake.

Netanyahu laughed off any suggestion of tensions with his American ally.

“Sometimes we have, as in the best of families, you have these tactical disagreements,” he told CNBC in an interview on Wednesday. “We always find a way to work them out, and we do so as great friends.”

He added that the two can “disagree in the morning” and be in agreement by afternoon.

Experts, however, cautioned that the call could point to frustration in the White House over the alignment of US and Israeli military and political goals nearly 100 days after they launched strikes on targets in Iran on 28 February.

“Netanyahu has a long history of doing his own dance, irrespective of what he has heard from Washington,” Brett Bruen, a former diplomat and president of crisis communications agency the Global Situation Room, told the BBC.

“Trump… decided to take the plunge with him, and is now learning a really hard lesson about what happens when you get into war with a pretty mercurial leader that has an agenda which doesn’t always align with your own priorities,” he added.

Broadly, Netanyahu and Trump agree on the key US objective of preventing Iran from manufacturing or having a nuclear weapon.

In Lebanon, however, those interests slightly diverge, with Israel vowing to target the Iran-backed Hezbollah militia even as US-Iran talks continue. Iran has insisted that any ceasefire must also include Lebanon.

It comes as a growing percentage of the American public has grown critical of longstanding US support for Israel.

One Pew Research Poll released in April found that 60% of Americans now hold a negative view of Israel. Before the start of the war with Hamas in 2023, 42% held a negative view.

Several prominent conservative figures have also publicly spoken out against what they perceive as an Israeli role in convincing Trump to go to war in Iran, which the White House and Netanyahu deny.

Among the prominent critics of the war is Joe Kent, who led the National Counterterrorism Center before resigning in March, citing a belief that “we started this war due to pressure from Israel and its powerful American lobby”.

The pro-Israel lobbying group, the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, responded to Kent’s exit by reposting a statement accusing him of trafficking in “old-age antisemitic tropes”.

In this political climate, some observers believe that Trump has an incentive to disagree with Netanyahu to placate critics at home in the US.

“I think there is a political necessity now to create daylight between Israel and the US,” Bruen added.

“Whether it’s in Lebanon or in Gaza, there are things that Netanyahu has chosen to do which are politically problematic even for Trump or the Republicans.”

Other US presidents have found themselves frustrated by Netanyahu.

The Israeli prime minister famously clashed with Bill Clinton over the implementation of the Oslo peace accords.

He had an even more difficult relationship with President Barack Obama, particularly after a March 2015 speech to Congress – focused on Iran policy – that was scheduled without the White House’s knowledge.

Netanyahu’s relationship with Biden also seemed to sour after he accused the US of withholding weapons and ammunition – comments that White House officials described as “vexing” and “deeply disappointing”.

“He’s had extremely fraught relationships with US presidents,” said Natan Sachs, an expert on US-Israeli relations at the Washington-based Middle East Institute.

“He is a very difficult negotiator, not just in terms of being tough, but in terms of being very suspicious,” Sacks added.

Trump has previously expressed frustration with Netanyahu, and used an expletive on camera in front of reporters last year after Israeli strikes on Iran threatened a shaky ceasefire at the end of the so-called 12-day war with Tehran.

But overall, their relationship has been largely positive, and Netanyahu has repeatedly described Trump as the “greatest friend to Israel” in US history.

“With Trump, he [Netanyahu] found someone who is willing to break the mould for how Middle East affairs are conducted,” Sacks said.

“That’s something Netanyahu related very easily. He wanted to change the rules of the game and the willingness of the US and Israel to militarily confront the Iran axis.”

However, whether their recent apparent disagreement will change that warm relationship in the long term remains unclear.

“It’s potentially significant. We don’t know if it was a one-time event or a harbinger of broader things,” Sacks said.

“I would not rule that out. The president has changed his mind about many people in the past.”

The President and the British Monarch held a closed-door meeting at the Palace in London.

King Charles III is the constitutional Head of State of the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth.

While executive authority is exercised by the elected Government led by the Prime Minister, the Monarch performs important ceremonial, diplomatic and unifying functions within Britain’s constitutional framework.

The audience with King Charles III marked the climax of a visit that combined diplomacy, trade promotion, investment attraction and engagement with the Ghanaian diaspora.

Prior to the Palace meeting, President Mahama held bilateral talks with British Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer at 10 Downing Street, where discussions centred on strengthening Ghana-UK relations and expanding economic cooperation.

The President also met members of the Ghanaian community in the United Kingdom during a Town Hall engagement in London, where he outlined his administration’s priorities and reaffirmed the Government’s commitment to engaging the diaspora in national development.

As part of efforts to deepen economic ties between Ghana and the UK, President Mahama opened the Ghana-UK Investment Summit and declared Ghana open for business.

The summit witnessed the signing of a landmark UK-Ghana Growth Partnership, a roadmap for cooperation between the two countries from 2026 to 2028.

The partnership is expected to deliver tangible benefits to Ghanaian businesses and citizens, with investment and commercial deals worth up to £215 million at the centre of the collaboration.

President Mahama also addressed policy experts and business leaders at Chatham House on the theme: “Navigating a Changing Global Order: Ghana’s Strategic Priorities.”

During the engagement, he outlined Ghana’s vision for a more equitable, inclusive and representative international system.

The President further visited two Ghanaian-owned businesses in Tottenham – Uncle John Bakery and Waakye Joint – as part of efforts to promote Ghanaian entrepreneurship and support businesses owned by Ghanaians abroad.

On the final day of the visit, President Mahama presided over the Market Open ceremony at the London Stock Exchange, officially signalling the start of trading by ringing the iconic opening bell.

He also delivered the keynote address at the 2026 Africa Debate at the historic Guildhall in the City of London, where he presented Ghana as an example of democratic resilience and economic transformation for the African continent.

Beyond diplomacy, the visit placed significant emphasis on attracting British investment, strengthening trade relations and promoting Ghana as a preferred destination for business and economic growth.

Members of the President’s delegation included Mrs Joyce Bawa Mogtari, Presidential Adviser and Special Aide to the President; Mr Felix Kwakye Ofosu, Minister of State in charge of Government Communications and Presidential Spokesman; Dr Cassiel Ato Baah Forson, Minister of Finance; and Mrs Elizabeth Ofosu-Adjare, Minister of Trade, Industry and Agribusiness.

The others were Mr Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, Minister of Foreign Affairs; Mr James Gyakye Quayson, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs; Mr Stan Xoese Dogbe, Deputy Chief of Staff in charge of Operations at the Presidency; and Mr Kwami Governs Agbodza, Minister of Roads and Highways.

President Mahama has since departed the United Kingdom for a state visit to Belarus.

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The suspect was killed in “an officer-involved shooting involving Federal Bureau of Investigation personnel” on Wednesday, the Bakersfield Police Department said.

The fatal shooting ended a tense period after the suspect barricaded himself with several others inside the multistorey Chase Bank building on Tuesday in Bakersfield, 110 miles (177km) north of Los Angeles. Police had originally responded to a bomb threat at the scene.

Two hostages were released on Tuesday during negotiations. The remaining hostages released on Wednesday were unharmed, police said.

Police arrived to the scene on Tuesday at around 13:00 PST (22:00 BST), after calls of a bomb threat and reports of a man who had barricaded himself inside with several people.

Bakersfield City Hall, the local police headquarters, nearby buildings and multiple roads were closed during the hostage situation, as the police department’s negotiation team began contacting the suspect via telephone.

“Every single resource is at the site’s disposal,” Bakersfield Police Sergeant Eric Celedon told the press on Tuesday.

“SWAT team, bomb squad, K9 team, gang unit, negotiators, drone team. Every single asset we have to bring this to the safest conclusion is out here right now,” he continued.

Members of the FBI’s Hostage Rescue Team were also on the scene, according to CNN.

Representatives for Chase Bank said on Tuesday the compnay was “aware of the ongoing situation occurring at the building where our branch is located on the ground floor”.

“The branch is currently empty, and we are working with authorities,” a Chase spokesperson told the BBC’s US partner CBS News in an earlier statement.

Bakersfield mayor Karen Goh had said she was also monitoring the situation.

Forty-one worshippers were killed and more than 100 others injured when they opened fire at the St Francis Catholic church in the town of Owo during a Pentecost service.

The court in the capital Abuja also sentenced the men – Idris Abdulmalik Omeiza, Al Qasim Idris, Jamiu Abdulmalik and Abdulhaleem Idris – to 20 years in prison for belonging to a terrorist group.

Presidential assent is required before any death sentence is carried out in Nigeria. There have not been any executions in the country for several years.

Judge Emeka Nwite, who presided over the case, said the evidence presented against them was “neither shaken nor contradicted during cross examination”.

He had ordered an accelerated hearing after the high-profile trial commenced in August 2025.

In his judgement, Justice Nwite said that the prosecution had proved their case beyond reasonable doubt as they had brought before the court witnesses who saw the attack, including one who testified to recognising two of the defendants as attackers.

“Hence this court finds the first to fourth defendants guilty of all nine counts,” he added.

One of the witnesses the court heard from was a woman who had her legs amputated from the knees, and had lost her left eye as a result of a dynamite explosion which the attackers had detonated.

The nine counts included joining a terror group, and planning and carrying out killings.

Prosecutor Ayodeji Adedipe said: “Justice has been served, justice has been done to the deceased who were murdered in cold blood.”

The men’s defence lawyer said they would appeal against the sentence.

During the trial, the defendants said they had been tortured, including being hung from the ceiling, beaten countless times, and using electric shocks on their genitals.

A fifth defendant, Momoh Otuho Abubakar, was discharged and acquitted by the court due to insufficient evidence against him.

He was accused of having financed the attack, by allegedly receiving 800,000 naira (£440; $590) twice from another suspect – who is still at large – and then disbursing the funds to the attackers.

During cross examination, however, Abubakar said the money in his account was the proceeds of his farming business, as well as activities from his cooperative society. He denied that the four other defendants were beneficiaries of the money.

Since the Owo attack, Nigeria has witnessed many more attacks on churches across the country as it continues to grapple with rising insecurity.

US President Donald Trump has accused Nigeria of failing to protect its Christian population from jihadist attacks.

On Christmas Day, the US hit two camps run by a jihadist group in north-western Nigeria, and threatened more if attacks continued.

Claims of a genocide against Nigeria’s Christians have been circulating for some time in right-wing US circles, but organisations monitoring political violence in Nigeria say most victims of the jihadist groups are Muslims.

The Nigerian government also denies that Christians are being persecuted in the country.

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Randy Feenstra, who was seen by many as a frontrunner, conceded the race on Tuesday, having received a last-minute presidential endorsement ahead of the vote.

The three-term Iowa congressman, who was running for his party’s nomination for November’s governor contest, had also been a reliable Trump supporter.

But for his part, the winner, farmer and businessman Zach Lahn, campaigned on a decidedly Trumpian platform – with slogans like “Make Iowa Healthy Again” and “Iowa first”.

He campaigned on limiting foreign and out-of-state ownership of Iowa land and railed against “global elites”.

Lahn also had the backing of Turning Point USA, the conservative group founded by the late Charlie Kirk, and grassroots conservatives in the state who viewed Feenstra as too much a part of the Washington establishment.

Trump has been out of the public eye the past six days, other than prerecorded interviews with friendly media and his postings on Truth Social, which included an assertion that negotiations with Iran over the war “have been going on continuously”.

While the talks may be ongoing, they don’t seem to be making much progress. It’s been a rough week for Trump domestically as well – his administration has abandoned plans to create a $1.8bn (£1.3bn) “anti-weaponisation” fund. The fund had been designed to compensate individuals who claimed to be targets of political investigation by previous presidential administrations.

And Tuesday night marked a hit to his golden track record of political endorsements.

Over the past few weeks, it has appeared like a Trump endorsement was a guaranteed ticket to success.

Congressman Thomas Massie in Kentucky and Senator Bill Cassidy were both unseated by Trump-backed challengers. And Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton won his state’s Republican Senate nomination contest over incumbent John Cornyn – although it appeared increasingly likely that Paxton was going to defeat his opponent with without Trump’s help.

As for the Feenstra result – that may prove to be a case of the president’s political instincts being off in a state that, while voting for him in three straight elections, appears to be a souring a bit.

Trump’s wide-ranging programme of trade tariffs – and the Chinese response to them – have hit Iowa’s farmers hard. And then came the US-Israeli war with Iran, packing a double punch with its higher fuel and fertiliser costs.

According to a recent YouGov/Economist poll, Trump has a net approval rating of -20% in Iowa.

This unease has given Democrats hope of flipping the governorship, where Lahn will now face off in November against Democratic State Auditor Rob Sand.

Democrats are also targeting the Senate seat being vacated by Republican Joni Ernst. Projected results show that Paralympian Josh Turek – a centrist who had the backing of national Democrats – won his party’s primary and will go on to face Republican candidate Ashley Hinson.

Several election analysis groups have moved both races to a toss-up or leans Republican.

So, while Texas gets a lot of national attention, the key to Democratic success in November may lie amidst the cornfields of Iowa – which was once generally blue but has voted red in recent years.

That all makes it worth keeping a close eye on the Hawkeye State.

Republican lawmakers and Trump allies viewed the controversy as an unforced error by Trump in a moment when the president and his party can least afford one.

“This was a total self-inflicted wound and completely unnecessary,” said a former Trump adviser who asked not to be named to speak candidly.

“It speaks to the president’s myopic view sometimes,” the source added. “He’s going to do what he wants to do regardless of whether it hurts Republicans.”

Trump is grappling with an unpopular war in Iran, high gas prices at home and a low approval rating that could drag down Republicans in the midterm elections.

The fund, part of a settlement over a lawsuit Trump dropped against the IRS, would have paid people the administration decided were unjustly targeted by the Biden administration.

It also banned current tax audits of Trump and his family and businesses, a provision Republicans and Democrats criticised as corrupt. The adminstration argued the fund was needed to “make whole” Americans wrongly prosecuted in the past and insisted anyone was eligible for payouts, including Democrats.

But adminstration officials had refused to rule out paying Jan 6 rioters. And on Tuesday, Acting US Attorney General Todd Blanche said the provision shielding Trump and his family from tax audits would remain in place, further angering Republicans who said it should be scrapped.

The firestorm over the fund was the latest example of a trend taking shape in Trump’s second term – the willingness of some Republicans to push back when they feel the president’s attempts to expand his power, reward allies and punish political opponents have gone too far.

They have taken on Trump multiple times since he returned to office, a sign the president does not have an ironclad grip on his party in his second term.

Several Senate Republicans joined Democrats in passing a war powers resolution last month to limit the length of the conflict with Iran. (A similar resolution still has not passed the House, and it’s unclear if the measures would force Trump’s hand on Iran). Last year, in another blow to Trump, Republicans voted to force the Justice Department to release files related to the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

The White House sought to contain Republican anger over the Epstein scandal over a period of months before Trump finally bowed to pressure and agreed to release the files. In this case, the Republican condemnation of the DOJ fund was swift and appeared to catch Trump and his top aides off guard.

Senate Republicans criticised the fund in a contentious private meeting on 21 May with Blanche, two days after it was announced. Republicans were “blasting the attorney general,” Republican Senator Ted Cruz of Texas said the day after the meeting on his podcast Verdict.

“There were multiple senators yelling at the attorney general, saying this feels like self-dealing,” Cruz said.

The pressure campaign from Republicans to abandon the fund only increased from there.

Republicans stalled progress on legislation to fund US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Patrol (CBP), sending Trump a message that this planned fund could unravel a long-delayed spending plan for two key immigration agencies. When lawmakers returned to Washington this week, Senate Majority Leader John Thune urged the administration to end its plans for the fund.

“The best way to handle it is if the administration decides to shut it down themselves,” Thune told reporters at the Capitol on Monday.

The mounting Republican opposition came as Democrats vowed to hold up the immigration bill over the fund, and as several groups filed lawsuits in court to block the programme.

It was a rare – but of late increasingly frequent – moment of bipartisan anger in Washington directed at Trump. The outrage from Democrats was not a surprise, as the party has opposed Trump at nearly every turn in his second term. But among Republicans, who have largely been stalwart supporters of the president regardless of controversy, few rushed to defend him in public.

The uproar also sparked another test for the courts, where numerous legal battles have played out over Trump’s expansion of executive power since he returned to power. In a ruling on Friday, a federal judge ordered the justice department to suspend the fund to allow for a lawsuit against it to move forward.

The justice department on Monday said it was temporarily suspending the compensation scheme, citing the court decision. But critics, including some Republicans, demanded the administration go further and make clear it was giving up on the idea altogether. Blanche finally pulled the plug on Tuesday, telling House lawmakers: “We’re not moving forward with the fund.”

But that likely isn’t the end of the saga. Much as the administration may want to move on, the issue won’t disappear anytime soon. Blanche also told lawmakers he wasn’t “committing to putting anything in writing”, a sign some interpreted as leaving the door open to return to the issue in the future. And even before Blanche’s announcement, critics on Tuesday vowed to press forward with legal challenges.

“Litigation provides a safeguard to make sure” Trump doesn’t revive the idea, said Norm Eisen, the co-founder of the Democracy Defenders Fund, a group representing plaintiffs in one of the lawsuits against the administration.

Democrats have also vowed to introduce amendments to the immigration bill that would prevent presidents from using taxpayer dollars to reward political allies. The issue has already become a flashpoint on the left and will surely feature in Democratic campaign ads against Trump this fall ahead of the crucial midterm elections.

On Tuesday evening, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, the chamber’s top Democrat, said the administration’s promise to end the fund was not enough.

“Blanche and Trump’s words are worthless,” Schumer said in a social media post. “The only way to stop Trump’s nearly $2 billion MAGA slush fund and his blank check to commit tax fraud is to abolish it by law – permanently.”

He added: “Senate Democrats will force a vote on the floor to end Trump’s corrupt scheme for good.”

Denis Pushilin, the Kremlin-installed leader of Ukraine’s eastern Donetsk region, said the bus was struck in the early hours of Wednesday as it was travelling between Moscow and Simferopol, in Russian-occupied Crimea.

Black smoke could also be seen rising over St Petersburg on Wednesday morning, with Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky confirming the city’s oil terminal had been hit.

The attack comes as the city hosts the annual International Economic Forum, an event designed to showcase Russia to the world.

The strikes come a day after a massive Russian assault on cities across Ukraine killed at least 22 people, including several women and children.

On the drone which hit the bus in Donetsk, Pushilin said: “In Yenakiyevo, a UAV attacked a Moscow-Simferopol coach; according to preliminary reports, seven civilians were killed.”

He added the 11 injured people were receiving medical care.

Andriy Kovalenko, the head of the Ukrainian government’s centre for combating disinformation, has talked about a “parallel reality” created by Russian state propaganda, while not explicitly denying claims that the strike took place.

“Russia attacks civilians with drones all the time… of course, when everyone is talking about this, when there is evidence of such actions by the Russians, they use their main propaganda tool: creating a parallel reality,” he told the BBC.

“Against this background of attacks on our civilians, they come up with stories in which Ukraine acts just like Russia. This is done to justify their own terror as a response to our actions.”

The BBC has approached the Ukrainian military for comment.

Drones were downed over Belgorod, Kursk and other western regions, as well as near Moscow and over the Sea of Azov, Russian officials added.

In total, Russia says it shot down 350 Ukrainian drones overnight.

At least 50 of the drones were downed over the Leningrad region northwest of Moscow, according to the regional governor Alexander Drozdenko.

The region includes St Petersburg, which is welcoming delegates from around the world for the economic forum from Wednesday.

Russian President Vladimir Putin is expected to address attendees on Friday.

“Important facilities on Russian territory were hit last night,” Zelensky wrote on X, sharing a video of black smoke rising above St Petersburg.

He described the strikes as “long-range sanctions” and said Ukrainian forces also hit military targets in Russia’s Tambov region.

These overnight strikes saw Pulkovo airport temporarily restrict flights, according to Russian aviation watchdog Rosaviatsia.

Meanwhile, an 86-year-old woman was killed following a drone attack in Ukraine’s southern Kherson region overnight, Yaroslav Shanko, head of the city’s military administration said.

This came as part of a wider attack by Moscow overnight, with Ukraine’s air force saying Russia launched 198 drones at several different regions, 189 of which were shot down.

The latest wave of strikes comes a day after Russia launched one of its largest attacks on Ukraine since its full-scale invasion began in 2022.

At least 22 people were killed after Russia launched more than 700 missiles and drones overnight into Tuesday, Ukrainian officials said.

Russia’s defence ministry said the strikes had been a response to previous Ukrainian attacks, saying in a statement that the “strike objectives” had all been achieved.

The Kremlin said on Tuesday it was carrying out the “systematic strikes” it had pledged after accusing Kyiv of a deadly attack on a student dormitory in an occupied part of eastern Ukraine in late May.

Kyiv said it had hit a Russian military unit.

“This practice will continue,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters on Tuesday, claiming the strikes were targeting Ukrainian military infrastructure.

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It is the second time President Donald Trump’s administration has announced new import taxes since the US Supreme Court struck down many of his previous duties in February.

The US Trade Department said these countries will face the tariffs because they failed to address the importing of goods made with forced labour.

The UK said it is tackling forced labour, China denied goods are made with forced labour, and the EU said the tariffs were unjustified.

Meanwhile, an India analyst said the move was a pressure tactic.

The 60 trading partners listed – including the UK, the EU, Canada, India and Japan – account for almost all of the goods sold to the US.

The US government’s stance is that trading with countries which buy things made with forced labour is unfair on the US.

US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer said it “creates a dynamic where American workers are forced to compete globally on an unlevel playing field”.

The tariffs announced have not yet been enforced. The Trump administration will need to go through a process to do so.

The proposed tariffs come after an investigation launched in March by Greer into the 60 trading partners, and whether those countries had failed to act on prohibiting forced labour.

The report into the investigations concluded that 54 of the countries had “failed to impose a legal prohibition on the importation of goods produced wholly or in part with forced labour and to effectively enforce such a prohibition”.

It said six other trading partners – Canada, the EU, Ecuador, Indonesia, Mexico and Pakistan – had “failed to effectively enforce a forced labour import prohibition”.

The trade department said it would impose 10% tariffs on imports from Canada, the EU, Britain, Indonesia, Mexico, Pakistan, Argentina, Bangladesh, Cambodia, El Salvador, Guatemala, Indonesia, Malaysia and Taiwan.

The remaining 45 countries, which include China and India, would face 12.5% duties.

‘Unjustified’ move

A UK government spokesperson said: “We’re tackling forced labour in the UK and in global supply chains to ensure UK businesses are not complicit in forced labour and human rights violations.

“We continue to engage regularly with the US administration as part of our negotiations, and have made clear the actions we’re taking.”

China said it opposed any form of unilateral tariff, and denied allegations of forced labour.

“There is no so-called forced labour in China, and we oppose using this as an excuse for political manipulation,” Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said.

The European Commission said the EU remained committed to the trade deal agreed with the Trump administration last year.

“The EU considers tariffs imposed on these grounds to be unjustified,” a spokesperson said. “On the EU side, we are on track to ensure implementation of our Joint Statement tariff commitments by the end of June.”

Ajay Srivastava of the Delhi-based think tank Global Trade Research Initiative said India should challenge the legal basis of the proposed tariffs, arguing they stretch the scope of Section 301 – a US trade law that allows Washington to investigate and penalise foreign trade practices deemed unfair.

The move appeared to be part of “broader US pressure tactics”, he said, and should be kept separate from ongoing trade negotiations.

“India should reassess its participation and consider stepping away from the bilateral trade agreement, as Malaysia has done,” Srivastava said.

The UK’s Independent Anti-Slavery Commissioner has previously said: “Since the Modern Slavery Act 2015 was passed, much has been achieved to improve our awareness and understanding of modern slavery and human trafficking.”

The tariff decision comes after the US began an investigation in March into the 60 trading partners, which comprise 99.4% of US imports, over the forced labour concerns.

Following its investigation, the US Trade Department said on Tuesday all 60 countries had “failed both to impose a legal prohibition on the importation of goods produced wholly or in part with forced labor (forced labor goods) and to effectively enforce such a prohibition”.

The Trump administration has not announced new tariffs since February when the Supreme Court ruled the so-called ‘Liberation Day’ tariffs imposed by Trump on a slew of countries around the world in April 2025 were unlawful.

Trump called the ruling “terrible” and said the justices who rejected his trade policy were “fools”.

Immediately after the ruling, Trump announced a 10% temporary global tariff but later said it would be 15%.

However, the duty came in at 10%, and it has not been increased. Trump and other officials have said will be raised to 15%.

The measure is due to expire in July, unless extended by Congress.

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A former youth leader in the far-right Conservative Party —which opposed the ‌end of apartheid — he said he grew up fearing what would happen to white South Africans like him if they lost control of the country, and that those fears have persisted despite not having experienced tangible mistreatment.

Du Venage, now a 56-year-old council member for the Freedom Front Plus party in the Western Cape province, is among a group of Afrikaners applying to a programme Trump ordered to help South ​Africa’s white minority, who he claims face racial persecution — an assertion the government rejects as a fantasy.

CLAIMS OF PERSECUTION DISPROVEN

All of Trump’s individual claims of abuses, ​including allegations of state-sponsored violence and mass land seizures, have been disproven, but Du Venage still feels unsafe.

“When Trump’s offer came, it was an ⁠opportunity from heaven,” said Du Venage, speaking from a rented seaside house in Saint Helena Bay, north of Cape Town.

Du Venage said he had a seven-hour interview with U.S. ​Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) in Pretoria in February to assess his eligibility.

He has sold his home and completed medical and background checks required by U.S. authorities, and is waiting to ​find out if he has been accepted.

The life coach and former personal trainer said his refugee claim is based on fear of future persecution rather than past harm — either of which can qualify someone for the programme, according to the U.S. embassy.

Du Venage pointed to a threatening message he received from a stranger after organising a memorial for a white farmer whose 2020 killing became a racial flash point.

“I ​was asked in the questionnaire who do I think wants to kill me, and I don’t really know,” he said, adding that he believed his activism around farm murders ​had made him a target.

Murders of white farmers make up a small fraction of South Africa’s high homicide rate, which overwhelmingly affects Black people, but they have become a focal point for right-wing ‌activists domestically ⁠and internationally.

The United States has admitted more than 6,000 South Africans as refugees since last year, according to State Department data, and recently raised the annual cap to 17,500 to allow more white South Africans to enter, even as broader refugee programmes have been frozen.

WHITE VICTIMHOOD NARRATIVE CHALLENGED

South Africa considers the scheme a privileged immigration pathway for Afrikaners — white South Africans mostly descended from Dutch settlers — and disputes claims that they face systemic persecution.

“There is a very well-organised lobby in South Africa that is emphasising white victimhood, and that is being ​hugely emboldened by Donald Trump,” said Fanie Du ​Toit, executive director of the Institute ⁠for Justice and Reconciliation, a South African think-tank.

Data does not support the claim that white South Africans as a group are oppressed or unsafe, said Du Toit, a member of “Afrikaners for South Africa,” a group speaking out against this narrative.

In a nationally representative survey conducted ​by the institute in 2022, about three in four white respondents said they never or rarely felt unsafe walking in their ​neighbourhood, and a similar ⁠proportion described their living conditions as good. By contrast, only one third of Black respondents described their living conditions as good.

Even within Afrikaner political circles, support for emigration is limited.

Freedom Front Plus leader Corne Mulder told Reuters that while he appreciated Trump’s attention, he would prefer the U.S. assist Afrikaners in South Africa, since only a small minority want to leave.

Du Venage, who ⁠is not an ​elected public representative but serves on the party’s internal structures, said he expects the transition to the ​U.S. to be difficult and hopes to be placed somewhere with weather similar to Cape Town’s.

“The feedback that we get is there is a small percentage that’s very lucky, that land in a nice place with a ​lot of support, but a lot of our people are really struggling,” he said.

U.S. crude futures jumped around 2% to $95.40 a barrel. The dollar hit 160 yen , ‌then paused as traders became wary of potential Japanese intervention around that level.

S&P 500 futures dipped, although the AI bull run pushed on in Asia, where stock indexes climbed to record highs in Taiwan and Japan. South Korean markets were closed.

U.S. Central Command said Iran fired missiles at Kuwait and Bahrain, which were thwarted ​or failed, prompting U.S. forces to hit back at Iran’s Qeshm Island in the Strait of Hormuz.

Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said it had ​attacked the U.S. Fifth Fleet headquarters. Iran and the United States said last week that they had reached ⁠a tentative deal to halt the war, but the two sides have yet to sign off on any agreement.

“Last week … trajectory was towards ​some sort of MOU and markets were high on the belief that that was coming,” said Chris Weston, head of research at broker Pepperstone ​in Melbourne.

“Things are looking more precarious (now). It does suggest that people are coming back to the negotiating table with less scope to get that done, and I think we’re seeing some of those bets being unwound.”

Cryptocurrencies were tumbling, with bitcoin now down nearly 10% in three sessions to hit a two-month low of $66,123 on ​Wednesday.

Still, the artificial intelligence theme seems impervious to war worries and Wall Street stock indexes eked small gains overnight, led by AI.

Shares in Marvell Technology (MRVL.O), opens new tab ​soared 32.5% to a record high after Nvidia (NVDA.O), opens new tab boss Jensen Huang called the chipmaker the next trillion dollar company at the Computex week in Taipei.

SpaceX plans ‌to raise $75 ⁠billion in a blockbuster initial public offering next week, by selling 555.6 million shares at a target price of $135 per share, according to a source familiar with the matter.

Bonds, which had rallied through Tuesday, were steady early on Wednesday with the benchmark 10-year U.S. Treasury yield at 4.46%.

Overnight data showed U.S. job openings increased by the most in five years in April, pointing to a resilient job market and offering little ​evidence the economy needs lower rates.

The ​U.S. services ISM is due later ⁠on Wednesday, ahead of labour market data on Friday.

“In our view, the pickup in momentum across the U.S. economy over early 2026 could see the U.S. jobs report exceed downbeat consensus forecasts,” Peter Dragicevich, Asia-Pacific ​currency strategist at payments firm Corpay, said.

“If realised, we think this may bolster the view that the U.S. ​Fed could raise ⁠interest rates down the track, which in turn might see the USD strengthen.”

Markets, which had expected rate cuts before the Iran war, have priced in about 18 basis points of U.S. rate increases this year. A hike in Europe next week is all but fully priced in, following data showing inflation accelerated further last month, while traders see about a 75% chance of a June rate rise in Japan.

Foreign ​exchange markets were broadly steady, with the euro at $1.1627 and the dollar just shy of 160 yen at 159.86.

Australia’s economy slowed in the March quarter, data showed, as a boom ​in data centres boosted business investment but also sucked in imports, though the currency held steady at $0.7177.

With demand on the African continent lower than in other regions, ​the refinery has a surplus to export.

“We’re very grateful ​to be seen as a reliable, high-quality and dependable ⁠supplier able to land our product competitively all over the ​world,” Bird said at the S&P Global Energy Middle East ​Petroleum and Gas Conference in London.

Jet fuel has been one of the fuels most acutely affected by the Iran war and closure of the Strait of ​Hormuz.

That has presented refiners based outside the Gulf region, such ​as Dangote, the opportunity to supply global markets. Bird said the refinery is ‌currently ⁠running flat out at nameplate capacity.

The refinery is planning what Bird described as a “ruthless replication” project to double capacity.

“We will bring 700,000 barrels per day of fully complex refining capacity on stream by ​the end of ​2028,” Bird ⁠said, adding that long-lead items have been purchased and the company is in the process of ​awarding construction contracts.

The group could then lift refining ​capacity ⁠to 2.1 million bpd with another refinery planned in East Africa, helping it to become a significant player in crude and refined products ⁠flows, ​Bird said.

Nigeria has gone from fuel scarcity ​to absolute fuel abundance since the Dangote refinery came online, Bird said.

Speaking to Adom News, he said the inclusion of the Ghana flag in the widely viewed video presents a unique opportunity to showcase Ghana to millions of people worldwide and strengthen the country’s tourism drive.

“This is a great opportunity for Ghana. The visibility the country is receiving through IShowSpeed’s platform will contribute significantly to promoting Ghana and attracting more visitors,” he said.

According to him, the government, led by President John Dramani Mahama, together with the Ministry of Tourism, is working to market Ghana internationally, and such exposure from global influencers complements those efforts.

His comments follow the release of IShowSpeed’s World Cup song and video, which prominently features the Ghana flag.

Abeiku Santana noted that since his visit to Ghana, IShowSpeed has continued to project a positive image of the country to his global audience.

“IShowSpeed has mentioned Ghana on several occasions since his visit. He even refers to himself as Barima Akufo, the Ghanaian name given to him. That shows the connection he has built with Ghana. He received a Ghanaian name and a Ghanaian passport during his visit, and he continues to promote the country wherever he goes,” he stated.

The GTA Deputy CEO also highlighted several initiatives introduced by the Ghana Tourism Authority to enhance tourism promotion, including the Ghana Tourism Information System (GTIS), the Ghana Tourism Marketplace, and the Ghana Tourism Development Company.

He further commended President Mahama and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for efforts to position Ghana as a preferred destination for tourists and investors.

Touching on football, he urged Ghanaians to rally behind the Black Stars as preparations continue for the upcoming FIFA World Cup.

“We must all support the Black Stars. Awareness and sensitisation campaigns are already ongoing, and we are confident Ghanaians will unite behind the national team,” he said.

He disclosed that a committee comprising representatives from the Ministry of Youth and Empowerment, the Ghana Football Association (GFA), the Ghana Tourism Authority, and the Office of the President has been set up to coordinate activities ahead of the tournament.

He added that Ghana plans to use the World Cup as a platform to showcase its culture and heritage globally, including food, music, dance, Kente, African prints, and other unique traditions.

“The World Cup is not only about football; it is also an opportunity to promote Ghana and everything that makes us special,” he added.

He encouraged Ghanaians to wear national jerseys and support the Black Stars as the country prepares for the tournament.

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In a post shared after the meeting, Mr Ablakwa said it was a privilege to co-chair the event alongside South Korea’s Foreign Minister, Cho Hyun.

“It has been an honour co-chairing the 2026 Korea-Africa Foreign Ministers’ Meeting with my distinguished colleague host Foreign Minister, H.E. Cho Hyun in South Korea.”

According to him, Africa and South Korea share a common colonial history and are committed to building a stronger partnership focused on economic transformation and opportunities for their citizens.

“Africa and the Republic of Korea have a shared colonial history and are determined to forge a new mutually beneficial partnership which transforms nations and creates opportunities for the people we serve.”

Mr Ablakwa noted that African leaders are increasingly prioritising value addition, industrialisation, job creation and improved returns from trade and investment engagements.

“Africa’s new leaders insist on value addition, industrialization, job creation for the world’s youngest population and better returns on transactions. These are terms South Korea is happy to collaborate with Africa to achieve leveraging its reputation as a technology and manufacturing powerhouse.”

He further outlined ongoing bilateral cooperation between Ghana and South Korea in sectors including energy, agriculture, maritime affairs, education, shipbuilding, roads and healthcare.

“Ghana and South Korea have significant bilateral projects in the energy, agriculture, maritime, education, ship manufacturing, roads and health sectors.”

The Foreign Affairs Minister also announced several major initiatives expected to be rolled out this year.

“This year, our two countries will open a new university in Ghana; establish a West Africa Hyundai Automotive Manufacturing Plant in Ghana and launch new solar irrigation systems.”

He added that both countries had agreed to deepen cooperation in artificial intelligence, energy and critical minerals.

“Additionally, we agreed to have collaboration in AI and new partnerships for energy and critical minerals.”

On travel and diplomatic relations, Mr Ablakwa revealed that discussions on a visa waiver agreement are advancing positively.

“Ghana and South Korea’s Visa Waiver Negotiations intended to cover all categories of passports are progressing very well with diplomatic and service passport holders already secured yesterday.”

The minister also used the platform to commend South Korea for supporting a Ghana-led United Nations resolution on the transatlantic slave trade.

“During my address, I commended South Korea for supporting the Ghana-led landmark UN resolution declaring the transatlantic enslavement as the gravest crime against humanity.”

Looking ahead, he expressed optimism about the future of relations between the two countries as they prepare to mark a major diplomatic milestone.

“We look forward to commemorating 50 years of formal diplomatic relations next year.”

Mr Ablakwa concluded by reaffirming his commitment to stronger Africa-Korea relations.

“Long live this impactful and trusted Africa-Korea relations.”

“I don’t want so-called ‘artists’ that get paid far too much money, who aren’t happy,” the president wrote on Truth Social. “I only want to be surrounded by happy people, smart people, successful people and people who know how to win.”

The president instructed his “representatives” to look into making him the featured attraction of a planned 16-day “Great American State Fair” celebration on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., later this month.

While it’s unclear whether the musicians will, in fact, be replaced by what Trump has called a “giant Make America Great Again Rally”, it would only be the latest, most pointed illustration of how the president has inserted himself directly into America’s Independence Day celebrations.

Since returning to office in January 2025, Trump has frequently reflected on how his four-year break from the presidency means that he is now serving a second term during historic national events – including this year’s World Cup, the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles and America’s 250th birthday celebrations.

The last of these, with its red-white-and-blue pageantry dripping with patriotic pride, seems to be of particular interest to the president.

While the US Congress established an “America 250” commission to oversee the celebrations a decade ago, Trump-backed groups formed a competing, privately funded “Freedom 250” committee to host their own events.

The current list includes the state fair on the National Mall, a UFC fight at the White House, a physical fitness competition in Orlando, Florida, an August Grand Prix race through the streets of Washington and what Trump is billing as the world’s largest fireworks display on the Fourth of July.

The president frequently boasts of these events on social media, including through AI-generated images of him waving a green flag to kick off the street race and standing in front of an octagon fighting ring by the White House, flanked by lightning.

America 250, by contrast, is decidedly smaller, sponsoring art exhibits and coordinated “block parties” across the country.

Trump also focused on “beautification” projects around Washington in preparation for months of events.

Fountains in Sheridan Circle, Meridian Park and Columbus Circle – among more than a dozen others – have been repaired. Lafayette Park, across from the White House, is currently closed for significant renovations.

A contractor is resurfacing the reflecting pool that stretches between the Lincoln Memorial and the Washington Monument – albeit with some concern over funding and the methods used.

Four bronze horse statues that stand near Memorial Bridge are set to be coated with 23.75 karat gold leaf. Crews have repaved streets in downtown Washington and repainted lamp posts.

In talking about the renovations, Trump has at times sounded more like a municipal official than the leader of a global superpower – for example, devoting more than 20 minutes to the improvements during last week’s Cabinet meeting.

“I love construction,” the president, who spent much of his adult life as a real-estate developer, said. “DC is looking beautiful.”

Last month, the US Commission of Fine Arts also approved the construction of a 250-foot triumphal arch across the Potomac from the Lincoln Memorial – although the project requires further approval and faces legal challenges from critics.

Independence Day celebration efforts have spanned Trump’s administration, as top aides and advisers have taken steps to directly tie the current president to the festivities.

In March, the US Treasury approved a commemorative gold coin featuring Trump standing at a desk. Last week, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent confirmed that his department was also working on a special $250 note with Trump’s face – although putting a living president on currency would require congressional approval.

That latest move prompted sharp condemnations from Democrats, who appear united in their opposition.

“Get over yourself,” Congressman Hakeem Jeffries, Democratic leader in the House of Representatives, wrote on X. “The upcoming July 4th anniversary is not about a wannabe king. It is about celebrating the American journey.”

Trump and his officials deride such criticism as unpatriotic and claim the administration’s efforts befit a momentous occasion.

The result, however, is a celebration that, instead of being a unifying event, has become yet another partisan battleground, as Trump presides over a nation as sharply divided as ever.

The almost 50 U.S. embassies and consulates that are processing visa applications will be reduced to 20 in the coming weeks, according to three U.S. officials and an internal memo obtained by The Associated Press. There is not yet a set date for the change, but it is expected in June, according to the officials, who were not authorized to comment to the media and spoke on condition of anonymity.

The move is part of the Trump administration’s effort to crack down on issuing both immigrant and non-immigrant visas as part of its broader aim to limit immigration to the U.S. and clamp down on those who travel on temporary visas but then overstay them. The administration also has scaled back personnel at embassies and consulates around the world.

On a conference call last Friday, U.S. diplomats, including consular chiefs, were told the U.S. would be scaling back its visa services across Africa, according to one of the officials who was on the call.

Under a directive approved by Secretary of State Marco Rubio last week, the State Department will reduce consular operations in all but 20 “hubs” in Africa, according to the officials and the memo.

Visa processing in Africa has already been affected by a travel ban on certain countries as well as a requirement for applicants to post up to $15,000 bond in order to apply and more recently by restrictions caused by the Ebola outbreak.

The new rules mean that a citizen of a non-hub country will have to travel to one of the 20 approved sites, which could pose formidable travel challenges and costs.

Consular sections in non-hub countries will stay open but be limited in the services they can offer. They will still be able to assist American citizens with passport renewals and emergency consular requests as well as special national interest cases and diplomatic visa applications.

The State Department did not address the specific issues in the memo but said it “is constantly evaluating its overseas operations in order to deploy taxpayer resources in a way that advances America’s priorities as efficiently and effectively as possible.”

It said this “includes a visa process that maintains rigorous standards of security screening and vetting and aligns resources and operational capacity with America’s national interests.”

According to the memo, the 20 hubs to remain open for all processing are: Abidjan, Ivory Coast; Accra, Ghana; Addis Ababa, Ethiopia; Cape Town, South Africa; Dakar, Senegal; Dar-Es-Salaam, Tanzania; Djibouti, Djibouti; Johannesburg, South Africa; Kampala, Uganda; Kigali, Rwanda; Kinshasa, Congo; Lagos, Nigeria; Lome, Togo; Luanda, Angola; Malabo, Equatorial Guinea; Monrovia, Liberia; Nairobi, Kenya; Port Louis, Mauritius; Praia, Cape Verde; and Yaounde, Cameroon.

The fire, which broke out in the early hours of Thursday at Utumishi Girls Academy in Gilgil, about 120km north-west of the capital, Nairobi, destroyed the upper floor of a dormitory that housed 135 bunk beds.

Following interviews with students and staff, as well as a forensic review of CCTV footage, the National Police Service said eight pupils were identified as “persons of interest in connection with the planning and execution” of the fire.

Investigations are ongoing to determine the exact cause of the blaze.

Police said the students were detained for questioning after being traced to their homes and brought back to the school, while others who had remained in the area were also picked up for questioning. The eight were among 30 students initially recalled by detectives probing the deadly incident.

On the aftermath of the fire, Education Minister Julius Ogamba said preliminary findings pointed to multiple breaches of safety regulations at the school, including overcrowded dormitories and a locked exit door.

“In particular, there was congestion in the dormitory and one exit door was locked, contrary to the prescribed safety requirements,” he said.

He has since dissolved the school’s board of management and ordered action against the headteacher, adding that appropriate disciplinary and legal measures would be taken against anyone found culpable.

As investigators continued their work at the site, distraught parents and relatives searching for their loved ones were seen in tears. Security has been heightened around the school as growing crowds demand answers and accountability.

“I arrived at the school at 07:00, and three hours later I still don’t have any information,” Njuki Nthimba, who is looking for his niece, told the BBC on Friday morning.

“Some officers came from the school and asked the parents to group themselves into three categories. Group one is for parents whose children have been arrested in relation to the incident, group two is for parents whose children died, and group three is for parents who do not know where their children are.

“I handed them my niece’s name, and I am now waiting to be told information about her.”

Samuel Githua, who went to the school in search of his sister, also expressed distress over the uncertainty surrounding her whereabouts.

“I don’t know where my sister is. We’ve been told some children are in hospital, some in the mortuary… Our mother died when we were young, so I took care of her like both a father and a mother. She has been like my child,” he said.

As well as the fatalities, the fire resulted in injuries to 79 pupils – some as a consequence of jumping from the first floor.

Seven of those injured were transferred to Nairobi on Thursday for specialised medical care, while the rest have been treated and discharged.

The bodies of those who died have been taken to the nearby mortuary for preservation and DNA identification.

Kenya has had a long history of school fires – just two years ago at least 21 people died in a dormitory fire in central Kenya.

Many fires reported in boarding schools have been the result of arson, with disgruntled pupils – angry about the discipline and living conditions – accused of being responsible, while others were caused by accident.

Overcrowding in dormitories and the failure to follow safety guidelines, such as keeping exits clear and windows unlocked, have frequently been blamed for the high number of casualties.

According to a statement issued on June 1, 2026, the suspension takes effect from June 2, 2026.

The High Commission explained that the decision is intended to allow officials to process and screen the large number of applications already received under the programme.

It noted that more than 1,500 Ghanaians have so far registered, with verification and processing currently underway.

The Commission stressed that the temporary suspension does not signal the end of the repatriation exercise.

It assured applicants yet to register that another registration phase will be announced in due course.

“The date of the next phase for new registration will be communicated in due course,” the statement said.

It further indicated that the suspension will enable the Commission and relevant Home Affairs authorities to effectively manage submitted applications and ensure a smooth process.

The High Commission expressed appreciation to members of the Ghanaian community in South Africa for their cooperation, patience, and understanding throughout the exercise.

The voluntary repatriation programme was introduced to assist Ghanaians in South Africa who wish to return home, with authorities working to facilitate an orderly and structured process.

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He said the French Navy boarded the Tagor, which maritime authorities said had been flying a false flag when it was detained around 400 nautical miles west of Brittany in international waters.

“It is unacceptable for ships to circumvent international sanctions, violate the law of the sea, and fund the war that Russia has been waging against Ukraine for more than four years,” Macron wrote on X.

The Kremlin said the “illegal” seizure was “bordering on international piracy”.

“Russia is taking measures to ensure the safety of its cargo,” said spokesman Dmitry Peskov.

Moscow has been operating a so-called “shadow fleet” of tankers with obscure ownership structures to evade international sanctions imposed on its oil exports since launching its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

It is the fourth such ship that France has boarded since September 2025.

Macron said the operation had been undertaken “in strict compliance with the law of the sea”.

“These vessels, which fail to adhere to the most basic rules of maritime navigation, also pose a threat to the environment and to everyone’s safety,” he said.

In a video shared by the French president, armed naval officers could be seen boarding the tanker via a helicopter. The BBC has not verified the footage.

Previously, French authorities had allowed these ships to continue operating after their owners paid fines but have since vowed to block them.

UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer announced in March he similarly had granted permission for the UK military to board sanctioned Russian ships.

But almost 200 Russian “shadow fleet” vessels had entered UK waters as of 11 May since the prime minister threatened to intercept them in mid-March, BBC Verify analysis suggests.

The Ministry of Defence said at the time it was “disrupting and deterring” shadow fleet vessels, without providing specific details.

Speaking at the opening of the Ghana-UK Investment Summit, he said Ghana offers entry into the ECOWAS market of over 425 million people and the African Continental Free Trade Area, which represents more than 1.4 billion consumers.

He added that Ghana’s stable democratic system, predictable governance, and strong institutions make it an attractive investment destination.

“Our greatest competitive advantage is our people,” he said.

He further highlighted ongoing reforms to improve investment protection and reduce bureaucratic bottlenecks.

The President encouraged investors to take advantage of Ghana’s position as a regional trade hub.

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Africa cannot achieve sustainable development in isolation – Mahama

Benjamin Netanyahu said “terrorist targets” in the Hezbollah stronghold of Dahieh would be struck in response to attacks on Israeli civilians and other violations of a US-brokered ceasefire announced in April that has failed to end the fighting.

A senior Lebanese government official told the BBC that it was relying on US mediation efforts to pressure Israel to end its own violations and prevent further civilian casualties.

On Sunday, Secretary of State Marco Rubio spoke to Netanyahu and Lebanese President Joseph Aoun.

According to a US official, he proposed that, as a first step, Lebanese officials should pressure Hezbollah to stop its attacks on Israel and that, in return, Israel would refrain from escalation in Beirut.

The official said this would create space for gradual de-escalation and an effective cessation of hostilities.

It came after Israeli troops occupying southern Lebanon crossed the Litani river to seize the 900-year-old Beaufort Castle that sits on top of a strategically important ridge.

Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz said their campaign was “not over” and that they were “determined to crush Hezbollah’s power”.

Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam accused Israel on Saturday of pursuing a “scorched-earth policy and collective punishment”.

Lebanon was drawn into the war between the US, Israel and Iran on 2 March, when Hezbollah launched rockets into Israel in retaliation for an Israeli strike that killed Iran’s supreme leader. Israel responded with an air campaign across Lebanon and a ground invasion.

At least 3,371 people have been killed in Lebanon since the start of the war, according to the country’s health ministry. Its figures do not distinguish between combatants and civilians.

Israel says 24 of its soldiers and four Israeli civilians have been killed over the same period on both sides of the border.

Speaking at a diaspora town hall meeting in London on Sunday during his official visit to the United Kingdom, President Mahama said Africa’s transformation depends on deeper collaboration among nations and a renewed commitment to unity.

He noted that Ghana has consistently championed the cause of African integration and continues to support initiatives aimed at strengthening economic ties across the continent.

President Mahama highlighted the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) as a key vehicle for boosting intra-African trade, attracting investment and removing barriers to the movement of people, goods and services.

“We have always pushed for Africa’s unity, so it is sad to see some of the things that are happening on the continent. There is no way that any African country can achieve the kind of progress that it needs without working with other countries; we cannot achieve it in isolation,” he said.

He added that the AfCFTA was designed to create opportunities for Africans to invest across borders and move freely within the continent.

“And that is why we passed the African Continental Free Trade Area, so that our people can invest and our people can move freely. Ghana is ushering this,” he stated.

The President also touted Ghana’s visa-free policy for holders of African passports, describing it as a practical measure to promote mobility, strengthen trade relations and deepen people-to-people connections across Africa.

“Recently, we have made visas to our country for all African passport holders free of charge, so any African travelling to Ghana does not have to pay for a visa. In doing that, we have introduced the e-Visa system, which makes it more convenient for our citizens living in the diaspora,” he explained.

According to President Mahama, such initiatives are critical to accelerating Africa’s development agenda and enhancing the continent’s competitiveness in the global economy.

He therefore urged African leaders to remain committed to integration efforts, stressing that unity, cooperation and collective action are essential for the continent’s long-term prosperity and shared future.

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“Cancel it,” he said in a post on Truth Social, calling the slated performers “overpriced” and “boring”.

As of Sunday, only a few musical acts were still scheduled to perform out of the nine featured artists originally announced on Wednesday. Martina McBride, The Commodores, Young MC and Bret Michaels dropped out.

Vanilla Ice and Milli Vanilli are still on for 26 June, as is Flo Rida on 2 July. Trump said he is now considering replacing the event with a “Make America Great Again rally”.

Freedom 250, the group behind the Great American State Fair concert series, was launched last year by the Trump administration and the president appointed its CEO – but it says the event is non-partisan.

The White House is partnering with Freedom 250 on the fair, part of a “series of once-in-a-generation events for America’s momentous anniversary”.

Freedom 250 announced on Saturday that the president will headline the fair’s opening ceremony.

“As the visionary behind the Great American State Fair, we are excited to announce that President Trump will personally kick off this historic celebration on Wednesday, June 24 in an opening ceremony celebrating America’s 250th birthday,” spokeswoman Danielle Alvarez said.

Congress created an organisation a decade ago to arrange and oversee events commemorating the country’s 250th birthday, America250.

That group is led by appointees from both parties, Democrat and Republican, and has its own events. They include 4 July celebrations in New York City, Philadelphia and California, and block parties across the US.

Trump signed an executive order last year establishing his own taskforce “to provide a grand celebration worthy of the momentous occasion of the 250th anniversary of American Independence”. The taskforce created Freedom 250 “to achieve that ambitious mission”, the White House site states.

Freedom 250 unveiled the artists on Wednesday for the 16-day series of events planned on the National Mall in Washington DC between 25 June and 10 July.

Country singer McBride had been scheduled to perform the first night. Poison frontman Michaels was scheduled on 3 July, the eve of Independence Day. Both cancelled.

Young MC, best known for his 1989 hit Bust a Move, said on his social media that artists had not been told about any “political involvement with the event” and that he looked forward to performing in DC in the future at an event that was “not so politically charged”.

McBride said in a statement on X that she was “presented with an opportunity to perform at a nonpartisan event but that turned out to be misleading”.

But Vanilla Ice, whose real name is Robert Matthew Van Winkle, said: “This is not a political platform. This is celebrating America’s birthday,” in a caption to a video post on his Instagram account.

One half of Milli Vanilli’s public-facing duo, Fab Morvan, said he will also perform as scheduled. The voices behind Milli Vanilli’s music said in a statement on X that they will not be performing.

Trump said in a post on Truth Social that he had heard artists were getting “the yips” – a term used in golf for involuntary spasms or freezes that impact a swing. He said he was thinking of appearing himself at the same time and location.

“I am ordering my Representatives to look at the feasibility of doing an AMERICA IS BACK Rally on Wednesday, Washington, DC, same time, same location. Only Great Patriots invited,” he wrote, calling himself the “Number One Attraction anywhere in the World” and saying he “gets much larger audiences than Elvis in his prime”.

He later doubled down, saying he wanted to replace the planned fair altogether with a rally.

“We should have a giant MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN RALLY, for 250, instead of having overpriced singers, who nobody wants to hear, whose music is boring, and yet who do nothing but complain,” he said.

The White House is backing a number of events organised by Freedom 250 to mark the anniversary of US independence.

They include a UFC fight on its South Lawn, the Great American State Fair in June and July, and a Grand Prix race in the US capital in August.

The US will also release a limited number of commemorative passports that feature a portrait of Trump.

He warns that growing hostility toward foreign nationals is based on a false narrative that distracts from the real causes of South Africa’s economic challenges.

Speaking at the Thabo Mbeki Foundation and AUDA-NEPAD Business Breakfast, Mbeki argued that undocumented African migrants are being unfairly blamed for unemployment and crime, while those responsible for the country’s economic decline escape scrutiny.

His remarks come days after nearly 300 Ghanaians voluntarily returned home from South Africa amid heightened fears following anti-immigrant protests and growing concerns about the safety of foreign nationals.

“We’ve got many problems here. The problem legitimately led to high levels of unemployment; that’s correct. High levels of crime, that’s correct. But the finger is being pointed at the wrong people,” Mbeki said.

He rejected suggestions that undocumented African migrants were responsible for South Africa’s unemployment crisis.

“The levels of high unemployment in this country are not due. They are not due to undocumented Africans. They are not,” he stressed.

Mbeki said South Africa’s economic difficulties were rooted in developments that long predated the current immigration debate.

“We know the history in detail of how South Africa, from 1994 to 2002, 2008, 2009, can’t go up like this. Growth rates reach 6% from 2009 onward, going in the opposite direction. It isn’t caused by undocumented immigrants.”

According to him, those truly responsible for the country’s economic decline have escaped public criticism because attention has been diverted elsewhere.

“The people who cause that will look at it, that decline, they are laughing in a corner there, because we’re pointing not at them, but we’re pointing somewhere else is wrong,” he said.

Mbeki predicted that migration into South Africa would continue regardless of political pressure or anti-immigrant sentiment.

“So, one prediction I will make is that the Africans will continue to come to South Africa. It doesn’t matter what you do,” he said.

He argued that South Africans must find practical ways of managing migration rather than turning migrants into scapegoats for broader structural problems.

“You are not going to solve the problem of unemployment here by shouting against undocumented Africans and leaving the culprit,” he said.

“The culprits are sitting here. I can even tell you their names, but we’re pointing fingers at the wrong people.”

In one of the strongest moments of his address, Mbeki accused anti-immigrant campaigners of pursuing the wrong targets.

“What are we doing to say to the South Africans, the positions you are taking on this and that are wrong? Here is the truth: you are busy chasing after ghosts, and you are leaving this devil.”

He urged South Africans to confront the real causes of unemployment and economic hardship rather than embrace what he described as fiction.

Mbeki also appealed for greater recognition of the historic bond between South Africans and the rest of the continent.

“People are beating drums about the wrong people and failing to understand an organic connection between these Africans on the continent and these Africans here, because we’re together in the same struggle, you can’t certainly turn against them,” he said.

The outspoken legal practitioner and policy analyst argued that the state should no longer single-handedly shoulder the massive fiscal burden of emergency repatriations while South African commercial entities comfortably repatriate billions of dollars in profits from the Ghanaian market.

According to Mr Bentil, forcing these businesses to contribute financially towards the evacuation exercise being undertaken by the government would serve as a tangible demonstration of their stance against the unfortunate developments in their country of origin.

He maintained that corporate organisations benefiting so heavily from integrated African markets have a non-negotiable moral and structural responsibility to publicly condemn violence against fellow Africans and actively support affected communities.

Singling out major South African retail, telecommunication, and financial giants operating in Ghana and across the continent, Mr Bentil stated, “Companies that make billions across Africa cannot remain silent when Africans are attacked in their home country. What the government is doing comes at a cost. They must bear part of the cost.”

He was speaking on TV3 on Saturday, May 30, 2026.

An Assault on the Sovereign State

Advocating a fundamental shift in Ghana’s traditional diplomatic engagement with Pretoria, Mr Bentil pushed for significantly tougher, uncompromising measures.

He insisted that when a foreign nation repeatedly fails to protect Ghanaian migrants, the state apparatus must elevate the crisis beyond a standard immigration dispute and treat the systemic violence as a direct, hostile infringement on the nation of Ghana itself.

Reflecting on the duty of care owed to citizens in the diaspora, he asserted:

“When citizens of a country are under attack, the country itself is under attack,” he said.

The policy analyst highly commended the Ghanaian government’s rapid efforts to evacuate affected citizens. He revealed that he had previously advised state authorities to swiftly organise emergency airlift flights to bring vulnerable Ghanaians home the moment their physical safety could no longer be guaranteed by host law enforcement.

He rallied the nation to cast aside internal partisan bickering, stating that moments of acute national crisis should transcend political divisions and unite all citizens behind the fierce protection of supreme national interests.

“There are times when a nation must assert itself, and one of those times is when its citizens are under attack,” Mr Bentil stated.

Rejecting the Illegal Migrant Narrative

Mr Bentil aggressively dismissed defensive arguments often put forward by South African commentators that seek to justify or rationalise the violence by focusing solely on the irregular immigration status of some of the victims.

He noted that international humanitarian law and basic human decency dictate that every single person within a sovereign country’s territory deserves total protection under the law, regardless of their documentation status.

“If anybody enters your territory, you have a responsibility to protect that person,” he argued.

The IMANI Vice President described the recurring, bloody nature of the pogroms as clear, undeniable evidence of a broader, systemic failure by South African authorities to definitively address xenophobia. He pointed out that decades of repeated incidents suggest the violence can no longer be swept under the carpet as isolated occurrences.

Invoking a well-known analytical principle to demand accountability from Pretoria, Mr Bentil remarked:

“When something happens once, it may be accidental. Twice may be a coincidence. By the third time, it becomes a pattern that demands accountability,” he noted.

AU Weakness and Economic Retaliation

The African Union (AU) also came under heavy fire from the policy chief, who criticised the continental body for its persistent inability to effectively respond to structural challenges affecting ordinary Africans on the ground.

He noted that continental institutions must evolve past issuing generic press releases and play a more active role in protecting citizens while boldly holding member states accountable when human rights breaches occur.

To force a change in behaviour, Mr Bentil suggested that Ghana should immediately begin a thorough reassessment of aspects of its economic relationship with South African businesses if meaningful, permanent action is not taken to stop the attacks.

While clarifying that he was absolutely not advocating for violence or unlawful retaliation against South African businesses or citizens located in Accra, he maintained that governments possess an array of completely legitimate economic, fiscal, and regulatory tools they can deploy to defend national interests.

He stressed that all future bilateral engagements and corporate licensing regimes granted to South African companies must take into account the treatment of Ghanaians and other Africans within South Africa.

“We must ensure that our citizens are respected wherever they are. There has to be accountability and there has to be consequences,” he concluded, calling for a coordinated response involving diplomacy, legal action, and strategic economic pressure to end the cycle of violence.

Yvonne Moynihan told the BBC the long delays getting through passport control at some European airports had caused some passengers to miss return or connecting flights.

Airports said queues were worsening under the Entry Exit System (EES) which requires travellers to register fingerprints.

But a European Commission spokesperson said EES was working well at “almost all border crossing points”.

ACI Europe, a trade body for airports, told the BBC that passengers should arrive at airports according to the time set out by their airline.

The EES requires travellers from outside the EU to register biometric information when entering many European countries, which is then checked when they leave.

Since October, almost 80 million entries and exits have been registered, with 35,000 refusals of entry recorded.

From 10 April, it is meant to be fully in use at borders of the Schengen free movement zone, including airports.

However, Greece has effectively suspended biometric checks at its borders for British citizens in order to prevent summer disruption.

‘Prepare for queues’

Wizz Air’s Moynihan said the impact of the new checks was “fragmented across Europe”.

While there has been some “seamless travel”, she said there had been long queues at “usual hotspots such as Spain, Portugal, France”.

When Moynihan travelled to Mallorca for half term, she encountered no queues, with extra staff on hand and “a significant amount of [EES] kiosks”.

However, she said in general her airline was advising passengers to prepare for long waits.

“When you land in the destination airport, there might be queues, so you should bring a portable charger or water,” she said.

Because EES information has to be verified when people leave, she also highlighted the risk of queues before flights back to the UK.

“Because there is another passport check…that’s where we see that people have, again, experienced longer waiting times than anticipated,” she said.

She said usual advice is to get to the airport two hours ahead of your flight – “but in these circumstances, we are advising three hours”.

Moynihan advised anyone taking a connecting flight to allow “a number of hours” between flights in case of border queues.

She said border officials were proactively suspending EES checks if long waits built up.

The European Commission says EES isn’t the only thing that can cause delays, and registering information usually only takes around a minute.

ACI Europe, a trade body for airports, said it surveyed 45 airports in 20 EU states earlier this week.

The results suggested EES was now causing queues of up to three and a half hours.

The group said more airports were now reporting excessive waiting times, despite the “extensive use of partial suspension of EES”.

It expected the situation “to deteriorate further” and “become unmanageable” as passenger volumes increased towards the summer peak.

ACI Europe wants any technical issues such as “instability of the central IT system and national interfaces” addressed, as well as border staffing levels.

The Commission said it was up to member states to ensure EES was properly implemented, and they should provide enough border guards.

Portugal, where very long waits have been reported, has announced 360 more border officers for airports in July.

Wizz Air’s Moynihan acknowledged improvements had been made after initial teething issues and glitches.

But she thought the higher number of people travelling over summer would test the system, and called for more countries to suspend the checks over the peak period.

The European Commission told the BBC that until September it was allowing biometric registration to be suspended “at specific border crossing points and for a limited amount of time in cases of exceptional circumstances that lead to excessive waiting times”.

‘Book with confidence’

With the summer holidays approaching, there has been speculation that the situation in the Middle East could spark jet fuel supply issues and cancellations.

Like other airlines, Wizz has seen a trend of late bookings.

This has led to “very affordable prices” to stimulate demand.

But Moynihan also insisted passengers “should feel confident booking”, echoing the words of other short-haul airline bosses such as EasyJet and Jet2.

However, the Wizz Air UK boss insisted its suppliers had adapted, no shortages were anticipated, and no cuts to its schedule were expected.

Fares are likely to go up in the future if oil prices remain high. However, Moynihan said in the short term, carriers like hers could save costs in other areas.

Bondi, who in April was removed from her post as America’s top law enforcement officer by US President Donald Trump, testified behind closed doors on Friday in Washington DC.

“We demonstrated an unprecedented commitment to transparency in the Department’s search for, collection, and review of the Epstein files, producing nearly 3 million pages of material,” she said in opening remarks to the US House Oversight Committee.

Bondi was formally summoned by the panel in March, just before Trump announced her ouster as his administration’s top prosecutor.

As attorney general, Bondi was tasked with implementing the Epstein Files Transparency Act, legislation signed into law by Trump that mandated the US Department of Justice publicly release unclassified records.

But Bondi and the US Justice Department have been widely criticised, with accusations that documents were withheld and files were published that made victims of Epstein’s crimes publicly identifiable.

“I am proud of the Department’s record and commitment to transparency under my leadership,” she said. “This was an enormously complicated and labor-intensive process. To the best of my knowledge, the Department produced everything required under the Epstein Files Transparency Act.”

The committee’s Republican chairman, James Comer, wrote in a subpoena letter that they are investigating the “possible mismanagement” of the Epstein investigation and compliance with the act.

Ahead of today’s meeting, Comer told reporters that successive governments had failed Epstein’s victims and that Bondi will be pressed about her handling of the release of the documents.

“We’re going to try to determine whether or not there could be more documents legally turned over,” Comer said. “I want every document. I don’t want anything held back, and I think the majority of the committee’s the same way.”

But three hours into the congressional interview, Democrats emerged accusing Bondi of being evasive in her answers, deferring responsibility to her former deputy, and said government lawyers stepped in to prevent her from answering questions.

“She said she would not speak or respond to any questions that had anything to do with President Trump,” said Robert Garcia, the committee’s leading Democrat.

Congressman Suhas Subramanyam, a Democrat on the House Oversight Committee, told the BBC the process was a cover-up and Republicans on the committee set the interview up with voluntary transcription and no video tape.

“She was simply not wanting to answer questions or wanting to not take any responsibility for how poorly she handled the entire situation,” Subramanyam said. “I believe a lot of it was because the president himself told her not to, but she refused to answer any questions about her conversations with the president or anyone else in the administration.”

Maria Farmer, an Epstein survivor, was also critical of Bondi’s appearance.

“At every turn, Bondi has ignored and disregarded the will of Epstein survivors who have waited for justice for decades and even now, as a private citizen, she refuses responsibility for her missteps and failures,” she said in a statement.

Bondi rebuffed accusations that during questioning she shifted blame to her former deputy, Todd Blanche, now the acting attorney general.

“NOT TRUE,” she posted online. “I praised Acting AG Blanche’s management of this Herculean task. I said his ethics are beyond reproach and that he is an incredible Attorney General.”

Bondi’s summons came weeks after Nancy Mace, a Republican lawmaker, accused the justice department of a “cover-up” and introduced a motion to subpoena Bondi.

The Trump administration has faced enormous bipartisan pressure to release all documents related to the probe of the sex-trafficking financier and faced criticism over its handling of the files, including the failure to redact the names of Epstein’s victims. Epstein died in prison while awaiting trial in 2019.

In February 2025, Bondi declared during a Fox News interview that she had a list of Epstein’s high-profile clients “sitting on my desk right now”, only to have the justice department walk back the statement that July when it said there was no “client list” and that Bondi had meant the overall case file was on her desk.

During her tenure as the country’s top law enforcement official, Bondi also came under fire from Democrats for weaponising the justice department after Trump called on her to more aggressively investigate his political adversaries.

She was replaced on an interim basis by Blanche, formerly Trump’s personal lawyer.

Earlier this week, it was revealed that Bondi, 60, had been diagnosed with thyroid cancer. She told the BBC’s US media partner CBS News that she is undergoing treatment, which included surgery a few weeks ago.

Bondi is set to join the White House’s new advisory council on AI, the Presidential Council of Advisors on Science and Technology.

When she left the Department of Justice at the beginning of April, she said she was excited to be entering a role in the private sector. Bondi’s inclusion on the president’s council is the first news of her work beyond the department.

The congressional committee has previously interviewed former President Bill Clinton and former First Lady Hillary Clinton, the current Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, and the convicted Epstein accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell. Philanthropist Bill Gates is set to make an appearance in the coming weeks, Comer said.

What could be regarded as the first season of this real-life inquiry into allegations made by a senior officer last July – that organised crime groups had infiltrated the police and government – ran from September to December. The revelations included details of an alleged drug cartel and named those at the heart of the alleged corruption.

The “second season” of this inquiry has just wrapped up -with another interim report on the proceedings handed over to President Cyril Ramaphosa on Friday.

Like the first interim report from the Madlanga Commission, it was not made public, though the contents are likely to be fairly explosive – if the public hearings are anything to go by.

Before the third and final phase gets under way next month – aka “season three” – here are some eye-catching moments from the last 64 days of hearings that saw 32 witnesses testifying.

Brazilian butt lift denial

In February, senior police officer Brig Rachel Matjeng appeared before the commission, which is named after retired Constitutional Court Justice Mbuyiseli Madlanga who is heading the inquiry.

She was there as she had overseen a tender awarded in 2024 to controversial businessman Vusimuzi “Cat” Matlala’s company Medicare24 Tshwane District, which was meant to provide health services to the police.

The contract was cancelled a year later and since then a dozen senior police officers, including Matjeng, have been formally charged over their role in awarding the contract. None of them have yet been asked to plead in court.

In her testimony to the commission, Matjeng denied receiving kickbacks from Matlala – and instead alleged that the pair were in an on-off romantic relationship that lasted until his arrest last year and that he had lavished her with gifts.

One of these presents were shots of the weight-loss drug Ozempic, which she had asked her “boyfriend” to source for her.

Matjeng said she had not been bribed with a Brazilian butt lift (BBL), as had been alleged online, telling the commission: “So, for me, from my boyfriend [Matlala], I only ask for Ozempic, unlike those that ask for BBL (sic)”.

Matlala himself has yet to appear before the commission.

He was named in testimony last year from the police crime intelligence boss as one of the main figures in an alleged drug-trafficking and crime cartel, known as the Big Five, that allegedly also carried out contract killings, cross-border hijackings and kidnappings.

Matlala is currently in custody facing 25 criminal charges, among them attempted murder. He has denied all the charges against him.

It is believed that he will make a much-anticipated appearance – to respond to allegations made against him – during the final leg of the commission’s hearings.

Drug heist allegations

Another key focus of the Madlanga Commission has been the handling of two major drug operations that occurred just a month apart in 2021.

One was in the south of the port city of Durban in June that year and another occurred in Johannesburg a month later.

In the first, police intercepted 541kg of cocaine, hidden in a shipping container carrying animal bone meal, worth more than 200m rand ($12m; £9m). Five months later the confiscated drugs were stolen from a poorly secured building owned by the police’s elite unit, the Hawks, in what was believed to be an inside job.

Senior Hawks official Maj-Gen Hendrik Flynn detailed to the inquiry a series of missteps by officers in the lead-up to the theft.

These included a failure to collect DNA or fingerprint samples from the scene and the decision to store the drugs at a building that lacked proper security despite the availability of safer ones closer to police locations.

“I am of the view that it is no coincidence and that the sequence of events is indeed… by design,” Flynn said.

Another senior Hawks official, Lt Col Nkoana Sebola, told the commission that circumstances around the second seizure – 700kg of cocaine worth an estimated $17.3m – from a warehouse in an industrial suburb in southern Johannesburg in July 2021 were also suspicious.

The drugs had been hidden inside black bags among lorry parts being imported for a well-known transport company. The container had also come in via Durban’s harbour.

Sebola said he believed the first officers on the scene were carrying out a heist as they were working outside their jurisdiction.

One of them, Marumo Magane, an office-bound analytics officer with no experience in investigative work or handling drug busts, told the commission that he had been called to assist at the scene by a senior traffic officer – who was also unqualified to handle drug busts but said he had received a tip-off.

The commission heard how both officials entered the premises of a logistics company in the east of Johannesburg without a search warrant.

Accompanied by an alleged informant, Magane said they asked an employee to open the container so they could “verify the information”.

But they were told to wait until the container was delivered to its final destination in southern Johannesburg, where Magane then ordered the bags of drugs be unloaded on to the back of his lorry.

Suspicious staff at that warehouse called the local police and later the Hawks investigating officer arrived on the scene.

Magane, who did not call in the police unit responsible for processing crime scenes, repeated during his testimony that he had no intention of stealing the drugs. The traffic officer is yet to appear before the commission.

But Magane did admit to a series of blunders in his handling of the scene, including tampering with exhibits and evidence and loading the drugs on to his police-issued vehicle.

Madlanga put it to Magane: “You were clueless, and you knew that you were clueless.”

The hapless analytics officer replied: “That is correct, commissioner.”

He and several others were arrested for their role in the botched operation, but the charges were dropped in 2022 as prosecutors saw “no prospects of success”.

The inquiry also heard how the confiscated haul was taken to a forensic science laboratory to be stored and where it was discovered in February 2025 that 136kg of the cocaine had disappeared.

The reluctant witness

Alleged police informant and political fixer Oupa “Brown” Mogotsi first appeared before the inquiry in November as he is alleged to be one of the central figures who facilitated the infiltration of the police force by corrupt individuals. He denies the allegations.

Beforehand, Mogotsi, a businessman and former member of the African National Congress (ANC) party, said he had survived an assassination attempt.

“I ran for my life,” he told the commission during his first appearance, saying his car had come under fire in an area east of Johannesburg. Police opened an investigation into the case and seized the vehicle.

During his November testimony he went on to make dramatic claims, which he later retracted, that Gen Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi – the police whistleblower whose explosive allegations led to President Ramaphosa setting up the Madlanga Commission – and the Zulu king were CIA spies.

The businessman was due to return to the commission in March, but this was postponed after saying he was too ill to appear.

Justice Madlanga stated that his sick note was “useless” and Mogotsi reluctantly returned for cross-examination in May.

However, he first tried to get Matthew Chaskalson, the lawyer responsible for presenting evidence to the commission, removed for perceived bias, saying he was trying to get him to implicate another witness.

When his bid was dismissed, Mogotsi was clearly furious and refused to answer many of the questions put to him over fears he might incriminate himself.

In an ironic twist of fate, shortly after giving his testimony he was arrested by a dedicated police unit set up earlier this year to investigate referrals and evidence arising from the inquiry.

Known as the Commission’s Recommendations Task Team (CRTT), it has been responsible for five high-profile arrests over the last few months, though many of them have not been directly related to evidence from the inquiry.

Mogotsi appeared in court accused of faking the attempt on his life. Despite vehement denials that he staged the hit, he faces a litany of charges related to the incident – and is currently applying for bail.

The final Madlanga Commission report is due in August – and that one is expected to be made public.

He said Iran must agree to never have a nuclear weapon or bomb, that the Strait of Hormuz be reopened for “unrestricted shipping traffic, in both directions”, and that any mines in the waterway are “destroyed”.

The meeting was held in the White House’s Situation Room, used for dealing with major crises. Iran earlier said it was not negotiating on its nuclear programme – which it insists is wholly for civilian purposes.

On Thursday, the two countries had agreed a framework of a deal – known as a memorandum of understanding – pending the approval of Trump and Iran’s leadership, according to US officials.

The deal would reportedly extend the ceasefire for 60 days and launch talks on the future of Iran’s nuclear programme.

“President Trump will only make a deal that is good for America and satisfies his red lines. Iran can never possess a nuclear weapon,” a White House official told CBS News, the BBC’s US news partner.

Since the ceasefire came into effect on 8 April, Trump repeatedly has suggested that US and Iran are close to a deal and negotiations are progressing, but so far there have been no substantive results.

In a social media post earlier on Friday, Trump said he was prepared to lift the US naval blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, allowing ships caught in the waterway to “start the process of ‘heading home!'”

He also insisted that Iran allow the US to remove and destroy its enriched uranium.

“No money will be exchanged, until further notice,” he said. “Other items, of far less importance, have been agreed to.”

Later, a White House official confirmed to the BBC that the meeting in the Situation Room had concluded. The official provided no further details.

Iran’s Fars news agency cited informed sources as saying that Trump’s latest comments were a “mixture of truth and lies”.

There was no provision to destroy nuclear materials in the memorandum of understanding, the agency reported.

Meanwhile, Iran’s foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei told state TV it was “focused on ending the war, and there are no negotiations on the nuclear issue”.

The US has long demanded that Iran stop producing highly enriched uranium and dispose of its existing stockpile, which in theory could be used to create nuclear weapons.

Iran says its nuclear programme is entirely peaceful and denies it is seeking to develop nuclear weapons.

The possibility of the US being able to “recommence” strikes in Iran was floated by US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth.

Speaking at a security summit in Singapore, he said “our stockpiles are more than suited for that, both there and around the globe, because of how we balance exquisite and more plentiful munitions,” and added: “so we’re in a very good place”.

The US and Israel launched strikes against Iran on 28 February. Iran responded by attacking Israel and US-allied states in the Gulf, and effectively closed the strait, which has sent global oil prices soaring. In normal times about 20% of the world’s energy supplies gets shipped through the strait.

On Thursday, US Vice-President JD Vance said negotiators were “going back and forth on a couple of language points”, including the “question of enrichment”.

“We’re not there yet, but we’re very close and we’re going to keep on working at it,” he said.

Iran’s chief negotiator Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf said earlier on Friday that it has “no trust in guarantees or words”, only actions.

“No action will be taken before the other side acts,” he said in a social media post. “The winner of any agreement is the one who is better prepared for war the day after.”

Both Iran and the US have accused each other of violating the ceasefire in recent days.

On Thursday, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said it targeted a US air base in Kuwait that was “the source” of earlier strikes on Bandar Abbas, a strategic Iranian port city near the Strait of Hormuz.

US Central Command said the attack on Kuwait was an “egregious ceasefire violation”.

Hours before, US District Judge Leonie Brinkema stated in her order that “the welfare of the petitioners and the interests of justice are best served by allowing petitioners to return home immediately.”

Earlier, Brinkema told the US government Friday that the pregnant woman, who came to the United States from Ghana for a medical appointment for her child but also acknowledged to authorities she planned to seek asylum, must be released from the hold room at the airport before the end of the day.

“She cannot spend tonight at Dulles,” said Brinkema, a Clinton nominee to the federal bench, at a hearing in Alexandria, Virginia. “One way or another, we’re going to get her out.”

Her attorneys argued she had been held at the airport illegally, while the government said her tourist visa was not valid because Gyasi “admitted under oath … her intent was not to leave the United States to return to Ghana.”

A federal judge heard arguments Friday in Anabella Gyasi’s case. United States District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia

After an immigration judge denied her asylum request on Wednesday, making it virtually impossible for Gyasi and her son to remain in the country, her legal team said its main concern was her well-being after what turned into an indefinite layover.

“We were very pleased that the judge recognized one fundamental principle, which is that human beings should not be detained under the conditions our client was being detained at Dulles Airport in a windowless room without access to appropriate food or medical care,” said Mary Bauer, executive director of the ACLU of Virginia.

Gyasi’s case is among the latest to be challenged in a federal court system struggling to keep up with the administration’s aggressive moves to maximize the number of immigrants removed from the US and increase vetting of visitors on nonimmigrant visas.

Woman and son came for a medical appointment, attorneys say

Gyasi, 38, came to the United States on a tourist visa after getting an appointment for her son at the Akron Children’s Hospital to be evaluated for possible surgery to address severe physical abnormalities affecting his fingers on both hands, the petition states. They’d traveled to the US for treatment two years earlier, but Gyasi was told her child was too young for surgery at the time. Their tourist visas expire in 2028, the petition states.

Instead of being able to board her connecting flight to Ohio, the Ghanaian citizen – who is four and a half months pregnant – and her son were “locked in a holding room” at the airport and “denied adequate food and medical care,” her petition said.

They were taken into custody after Gyasi “disclosed her fear of returning to Ghana based on the persecution she and her son faced,” when being questioned at US Customs, according to the allegations in the document.

Gyasi, who is a teacher, told authorities her mother “is a traditional priest and when she saw my child as a baby and his disability, she said I should kill him,” according to a government transcript of her statement to an immigration officer.

Gyasi “claimed a fear of returning to Ghana, received a credible fear interview from an asylum officer, and review of that negative credible fear determination by an Immigration Judge, who affirmed the asylum officer’s determination. And thus, her expedited removal order stands ready to be executed through her removal to Ghana,” the government wrote in the court filing.

The mother was hospitalized twice over the past week, initially for lightheadedness and then for vaginal bleeding, the petition said, which doctors said was due to high stress and high blood pressure. The medical staff was also “concerned that she was not eating enough and fed her. They even gave her food to take back with her,” her attorneys allege in the court document.

She told officials she and her son are not familiar with the food in the US, and it is making her sick and weak, according to a transcript in the court documents.

Four days after her arrival – and after repeated requests for more food – the petition said Gyasi agreed to be deported, “fearing that she might lose her unborn child.”

“Because I’m pregnant, I am getting weaker and weaker by the day,” she told a CBP officer, according to the official transcript.

Her son had “spent much of the day crying because of his hunger pains,” and CBP officers allegedly denied her request to purchase food, “saying she could only access the food they gave her,” the petition said.

But after she initially agreed to drop her asylum request, officers “offered to get her whatever food she wanted” and let her and her son shower for the first time since their detention,” according to her petition.

Gyasi’s attorneys said her agreement for self-deportation was prompted by “desperation for the health and well-being” of her son and her unborn child and that she did “not wish to relinquish their asylum claims.”

“These windowless rooms were never designed for long-term detention,” said Eden Heilman, Gyasi’s lead attorney with ACLU of Virginia.

The Department of Homeland Security said the allegations of mistreatment “are false.”

“Everyone in CBP custody, including this individual, has access to appropriate care, including medical evaluation by a doctor, medication, and food,” a DHS spokesperson told CNN Thursday. “The individual is currently in CBP custody at Washington Dulles International Airport and will remain in custody pending her immigration hearing.”

Gyasi planned to ask for asylum, the government alleges

Gyasi said in a statement to immigration authorities under oath she had been researching the possibility of claiming asylum “for the past 2 years” after officers examined her phone and found a history of searches on the topic, a CBP officer wrote, adding she had also considered asylum in Canada and Australia.

Her attorneys argue she is being punished for her honesty.

“If she did not disclose the fear that she was having about persecution in her country, she could have still entered on the tourist visas,” Heilman told CNN. “Unfortunately, because she was honest and shared her concerns, that’s what funneled her into this separate asylum-seeker category.”

The government’s response says an immigration judge has already denied Gyasi’s request for asylum, and the government “would begin the process of executing the order to remove Petitioners to Ghana,” but did not indicate how long that process might take.

Brinkema said in Friday’s hearing Gyasi and her son could leave Virginia and be deported only if the government could guarantee she would no longer be held at Dulles while that deportation is processed.

The judge gave the Trump administration a 2 p.m. deadline to show they had arranged for Gyasi and her son to have a nonstop flight back to Ghana before the end of the day, court records show.

Birthright citizenship debate adds to scrutiny

Gyasi’s attorneys say CBP agents seemed to be focused on the fact she was pregnant when they first took her into custody, and they believe it is in response to President Donald Trump’s push to end birthright citizenship, under which children born in the US are automatically American citizens.

“She is just one of a number of pregnant people who’ve been detained in shocking numbers in the wake of President Trump’s executive order trying to end birthright citizenship – and it has to stop,” ACLU attorney Sophia Gregg said in a statement Wednesday.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement policy dating back to the Obama administration says pregnant women should not be detained unless there are “extraordinary circumstances” requiring it.

That policy was rescinded a year ago by acting CBP commissioner Pete Flores, saying it and other policies regarding vulnerable detainees were “either obsolete or misaligned with current Agency guidance and immigration enforcement policies.” But the Trump administration has not changed a policy that says, “Detainees should generally not be held for longer than 72 hours in CBP hold rooms or holding facilities.”

“Ms. Gyasi is following all the rules she was given – but CBP is not,” Movasseghi said in a statement.

Although Gyasi’s hopes that she and her son could remain in the United States were dashed in the federal courthouse Friday morning, the judge insisted on one thing: no more nights in a windowless room.

“She’s not gonna spend tonight at Dulles,” Brinkema reiterated at the end of the hearing.

According to him, Ghana has begun documenting and registering businesses owned by its citizens in South Africa, including details of their legal ownership, as part of efforts to safeguard their investments.

“We’ve instituted measures to ensure that everybody who has business in this country is protected,” he said in an interview with Accra-based Citi FM.

“And ensure that if the government of South Africa wants to take that business, there should be compensation to the owners of those businesses.”

Mr Quashie said Ghana would insist on what he described as “realistic compensation” for affected business owners who have spent years building their enterprises.

“We know what the businesses are, we know the legal documents that they have, and we intend to take it strongly up against the government of South Africa,” he added.

He further disclosed that Ghana plans to escalate the matter to the African Union level as part of efforts to address recurring xenophobic attacks against African nationals living in South Africa.

According to him, Ghana has already engaged South African authorities on the issue and expects urgent attention to prevent further diplomatic tensions.

“If not, then compensation and other things they will be paying to those people will be a matter determined by a court of competent jurisdiction,” he stated.

His comments come after Ghana petitioned the African Union to place xenophobic attacks in South Africa on the agenda for its upcoming Mid-Year Coordination Meeting.

The petition is seeking stronger continental action, including monitoring mechanisms, fact-finding missions, and dialogue initiatives aimed at tackling recurring violence and protecting African nationals.

In recent weeks, Ghana also coordinated the evacuation of some of its citizens from South Africa following renewed tensions and reports of attacks on foreign nationals. The first batch of evacuees arrived in Ghana on Wednesday, May 27.

Officials say diplomatic engagements and protective measures remain ongoing as authorities continue to monitor the situation closely.

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Saskatoon police announced this week that a fraud investigation that began in January 2025 has revealed international connections, with a Land Rover stolen from a business on Faithfull Avenue eventually found in Ghana.

According to police, a man from Alberta visited the business on January 14, 2025 and purchased a Land Rover. It was later discovered that the vehicle was bought using identity fraud. Police investigation found the vehicle had been taken to British Columbia, and with help from Edmonton police and the Canada Border Services Agency, officers learned it was being shipped to Ghana.

Officers later confirmed the vehicle was in Ghana.

During the investigation, police received word that on 3rd February 2025, a BMW X5 was fraudulently purchased from another business on Faithfull Avenue. The suspect travelled from Alberta using a Quebec driver’s licence that had been altered after being reported lost in Quebec. The suspect was arrested in Edmonton.

Saskatoon police have charged a 21-year-old man with fraud over 5,000 Canadian dollars, theft of a motor vehicle, possession of an identity document belonging to another person, fraudulently impersonating another person, using a forged document and breaching court-imposed conditions.

Ghana Police task force impounding luxury vehicles

The development comes as Ghana’s Criminal Investigations Department has been actively working to intercept stolen vehicles arriving at the country’s ports. In August 2025, the CID formed a specialised task force to investigate and seize high-end vehicles reported stolen abroad but cleared through Ghana’s ports.

During a joint press conference in Accra on August 4, 2025, Director-General of the CID, Commissioner of Police Lydia Yaako Donkor, disclosed that between January and July 2025, the task force impounded six luxury vehicles stolen from Canada. These included four Toyota Tundras, one Toyota RAV4, and one Range Rover.

COP Donkor explained that some suspects failed to complete rental agreements abroad, cutting off contact with the rental firms before shipping the vehicles. Others used fake or stolen credit card details to acquire vehicles through hire-purchase schemes, then disabled their tracking systems before exporting them.

She stressed that paying customs duties in Ghana does not make a stolen vehicle legal, and warned vehicle importers to conduct thorough checks before bringing in vehicles from abroad. Those who fail to do so risk losing their property and facing legal consequences.

The CID, working with Interpol Ghana, has recovered 43 stolen luxury vehicles between January and July last year. Eighteen of the vehicles have been marked for repatriation, with eight already returned to their countries of origin. The remaining ten are awaiting transfer.

The task force will continue to carry out intelligence-led operations and work with international agencies to tackle cross-border vehicle crime and protect Ghana’s ports, COP Donkor said.

ALSO READ:

• Ghana identified as destination for stolen vehicles in U.S. car theft ring

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The July OSP for flagship Arab Light crude may slide to a premium of $7.50 to $12.50 a barrel ​above the average Dubai and Oman quotes, five industry sources said in the survey, $3 to $8 a ​barrel lower than the OSP for June.

The expected cut follows a price decline and tepid ⁠trading in the spot market in May. The cash Dubai price’s premium to swaps has averaged $8.90 a ​barrel so far this month, down from April’s average of $13.92, Reuters data showed, with spot Oman premiums showing ​a similar trend.

Dubai’s premium rallied to a record high of over $60 per barrel in March after the U.S.-Israeli war involving Iran disrupted supplies via the Strait of Hormuz. It then collapsed, along with global crude premiums, mainly because Chinese refiners slashed refining runs and reduced imports, while the U.S. exported more oil and fuel to global markets to help plug the supply gap from the Middle East.

Meanwhile, the possibility of a U.S.-Iran deal to end their war and reopen ‌the ⁠vital Strait of Hormuz has pushed Brent crude futures below $100 per barrel this week.

A number of crude oil tankers have left the Gulf this month, although energy flows through the key waterway remain far below pre-war levels.

Hence, a deep price cut for Saudi oil is needed to attract demand, said one survey respondent.

Buyers in China have been lifting less Saudi crude in May and June, given their refining losses at current high prices.

Saudi Aramco has been using the Red Sea port of Yanbu to export Arab Light crude ​after the war restricted shipping through the Strait of Hormuz.

The survey respondents project ​that July OSPs for other Saudi grades will fall by the same extent. Saudi crude OSPs are usually released around the fifth day of each month. Saudi Aramco, which sets the prices, as a matter of policy, does not comment on them.

Below are ⁠expected ​Saudi prices for July (in $/bbl against the Oman/Dubai average):

According to him, retaliatory actions could escalate tensions across the continent and undermine African unity and peaceful coexistence.

Speaking to Citi News on Thursday, May 28, Most Rev. Gyamfi urged Ghanaians and Africans generally not to respond emotionally by targeting South Africans or their businesses.

“I believe that Ghanaians who have been repatriated, and indeed all Africans, should see this as a misunderstanding by some people in South Africa and should not react by repatriating South Africans back,” he stated.

He warned that such actions could trigger a chain reaction across the continent.

“Once you begin that, it will have a snowball effect all over Africa. We just want everybody to keep calm. Initially, people may want to act emotionally to settle scores, but that is not the proper way to handle these issues,” he added.

The Catholic Bishop stressed the need for peaceful coexistence among African countries, noting that citizens across the continent continue to live and do business in one another’s nations.

“Ghanaians will continue to live in South Africa and South Africans will also continue to live in Ghana. Ghanaians have businesses there and South Africans also have businesses here. Let us live in unity and love,” he appealed.

Most Rev. Gyamfi acknowledged that misunderstandings and isolated incidents may occur but cautioned against allowing them to define relations between African nations.

“There will always be some aberrations. You should not build on the deviations,” he said.

He further described it as unfortunate that Africans continue to divide themselves along colonial boundaries, instead of strengthening unity on the continent.

“It is very sad that Africans continue to build on the divisions created by Europeans instead of breaking away from them. We keep emphasising artificial boundaries and differences,” he lamented.

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Federal law bars printing US money featuring the image of a living person, but Trump allies in Congress have introduced legislation to make an exception.

A Treasury Department spokesperson told the BBC the agency “is conducting appropriate planning and due diligence” in response to the legislation.

The lawmakers behind it said the bill amount would symbolise the country’s 250th anniversary this year. If approved, it will be the latest example by Trump and his allies to put his face, name, and likeness on national institutions and symbols.

Artistic concepts of the $250 bill have not been publicly released, but designs have been requested by the Bureau of Engraving and Printing (BEP), a sub-agency of the Treasury that develops and produces US currency. The Washington Post first reported the Treasury Department’s plans.

“Should this legislative mandate be signed into law, the BEP is moving proactively to produce a $250 commemorative note which will appropriately recognise the 250th Anniversary of our great nation,” the Treasury spokesperson said in a statement.

Trump’s signature is already set to appear on US paper notes as part of the nation’s semiquincentennial celebrations.

The new legislation was introduced last year by US House Representative Joe Wilson, a Republican from South Carolina. It would need approval from both the US House and Senate.

When asked about a possible new bill during a White House briefing on Thursday, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said “it’s all in the hands” of Congress and that, while his department was preparing in case the legislation passes, the Treasury would follow the law.

He also said he did not “think there’s anything untoward” about including an image of the person in office on a bill marking the country’s 250th anniversary.

The move to create the $250 note could also break with a different federal law that specifies the denominations that can be produced. That law doesn’t include $250.

US Senator Mark Warner, who sits on the Senate Banking Committee, criticised the plans.

“As Americans struggle with the rising cost of gas, groceries, housing, and health care, President Trump’s priorities for taxpayer dollars are completely detached from the challenges families face every day,” Warner, a Democrat from Virginia, said in a statement.

“If this White House put even half as much energy into working to lower costs as it does into stoking the president’s ego, American families wouldn’t need that new $250 bill just to fill up their gas tanks.”

The $100 bill, featuring Benjamin Franklin, one of the US founding fathers, is the largest bill printed today. The US has previously issued larger notes including $500, $1000 and $10,000 notes but these were discontinued in 1969. They remain legal tender but not in circulation, as they are largely kept by private currency collectors.

New currency notes typically take years to develop and involve a range of agencies including the Federal Reserve Board and the US Secret Service. The designs are also held in secret.

“Note designs are typically made public six to eight months ahead of time for global public education and cash handler education purposes,” according to the BEP. “To do so earlier would aid counterfeiters and cause confusion in the marketplace, lowering confidence in U.S. currency.”

It is unclear if the notes could be printed in time for the 250th anniversary on 4 July.

Since taking office last year, Trump and his allies have worked to put his face, name, and likeness on public buildings and US symbols.

The Kennedy Centre was renamed to include Trump’s name, and his portrait will feature on US passports. The presidential jet Air Force One is also being repainted in Trump’s preferred colours.

WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said ​the ​effort ⁠aims to strengthen the laboratory ​network to ​deliver ⁠real-time data, rapidly identify confirmed ⁠cases ​and save ​lives.

His comments come in the wake of Ghana’s evacuation exercise, under which about 300 Ghanaian nationals have already been repatriated from South Africa following reported incidents of xenophobic attacks, intimidation, and rising insecurity affecting foreign communities.

The operation has been coordinated through Ghana’s diplomatic mission and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs as part of efforts to safeguard citizens who opted to return home voluntarily.

Speaking to the press, Malema said Ghana’s reaction was not well timed and could unintentionally deepen divisions.

“The Ghana response was not necessary, and it now creates a perception that we are all like that,” he said, warning that such narratives could unfairly stigmatise communities and complicate ongoing efforts by authorities.

He stressed that diplomatic engagement would have been the better route, allowing South African institutions space to manage the situation internally.

“We don’t think Ghana responded in a manner that really enforces dialogue and diplomatic engagement. It actually creates a very bad, extreme situation,” he said.

Malema added that discussions were still ongoing with relevant stakeholders to stabilise the situation and protect affected foreign nationals, including Ghanaians.

“We are persuading government to still act on this, and we are saying they must give us time,” he stated.

He also emphasised that legally documented migrants should be able to seek protection from law enforcement without fear of further harm.

“Those that feel safe, especially the legally documented Ghanaians, should be able to run to the police station for safety, and they will be directed to rightful places where they will be secured,” he said.

Referencing accounts from affected individuals, including a Ghanaian woman who described alleged mistreatment and limited police response in some cases, Malema said the emotional toll of the situation was clear but urged restraint in diplomatic reactions.

“This is an emotional issue for many of them, and I understand that,” he noted.

WATCH | Julius Malema on migration issues says Ghana’s response was not necessary as it creates an impression that “we are all like that”. He adds that South Africa should not respond in the same way, saying Ghana’s approach does not reinforce dialogue and diplomatic engagement. pic.twitter.com/O3zpPyxfzp

— SABC News (@SABCNews) May 28, 2026

However, he insisted Ghana’s intervention should have been delayed to avoid escalating tensions.

“We think the reaction from the Ghana government should have been postponed a bit to give us the opportunity to deal with what is happening here in South Africa,” he added.

The debate continues alongside Ghana’s ongoing evacuation and reintegration programme for returnees, which includes reception support and plans for longer-term resettlement assistance for affected citizens.

• Let’s not politicise South Africa evacuation; NPP would have done same – Mpraeso MP

• 26 prisoners among first batch of Ghanaians evacuated from South Africa — Ablakwa

Speaking in an interview on Asempa FM’s Ekosii Sen following the arrival of 300 evacuated Ghanaians from South Africa on Wednesday, teh Bosome Freho said African leaders and the African Union must take decisive steps to address the recurring violence.

According to him, the attacks have become deeply troubling and should no longer be treated as ordinary diplomatic concerns.

“When this issue started, I was even calling for the closure of some of the embassies so that it demonstrates to South Africans that this thing is unbecoming,” he said.

He warned that the continued attacks against foreign nationals could escalate if firm action is not taken.

“I won’t be surprised if we wake up one day and they apprehend all foreign nationals, put them in a room and set ablaze,” he stated.

The lawmaker argued that African countries, including Ghana, played a major role in supporting South Africa during the apartheid struggle and therefore deserve better treatment.

“The freedom South Africa is enjoying, they didn’t get it alone. We all fought for it. Ghana just didn’t fight, we even supported with our money,” he stressed.

Nana Asafo-Adjei Ayeh further accused some local politicians in South Africa of exploiting anti-foreigner sentiments for political gain.

“The individual politicians involved are making political campaign promises with it to embolden their base, so they are not able to deal with it as they should,” he said.

He also expressed concern over videos showing alleged attacks taking place in the presence of police officers without intervention.

“You sometimes see videos with police present but doing nothing about the attacks. So it tells you clearly that the South African government itself cannot deal with the issue,” he added.

The MP believes African leaders must collectively impose tougher diplomatic measures to send a strong signal to South Africa.

“We must pick the venom and tell South Africa that we are not happy,” he stated.

He further urged the African Union to consider continental resolutions and possible legal action to seek justice for victims of the attacks.

“We can take this matter up as a country to get justice for our people who have suffered these brutalities,” he said.

According to him, Ghana should properly document cases involving affected citizens and pursue compensation and justice through international legal processes where necessary.

“If we are able to document our evidence well and put all the facts together, we can pursue this case at the international court,” he noted.

He stressed that victims who lost livelihoods and property deserve more than repatriation support.

“Any Ghanaian who suffered any loss and now has to start from ground zero reparation package alone is not enough for such a person. You must let him have justice beyond bringing me back home,” he added.

ALSO READ:

• Let’s not politicise South Africa evacuation; NPP would have done same – Mpraeso MP

• 26 prisoners among first batch of Ghanaians evacuated from South Africa — Ablakwa

Demonstrators led by unions and indigenous groups have set up roadblocks across Bolivia, causing serious shortages of basic goods and paralysing large parts of the nation.

Groups are calling for the reinstatement of fuel subsidies and a rollback of austerity measures, as well as Paz’s resignation.

But the US-backed leader, who took office six months ago during an economic crisis, said anyone “wanting to destroy the nation” would have to deal with him and the full force of the constitution.

Paz has been battling growing fury over his centre-right policies, with the protests originally triggered at the end of April by a land reform he proposed.

Some small-scale farmers were worried the measure would make it easier for large landowners to buy up small properties.

The government insisted any sale would have to be voluntary, but powerful organisations representing small-scale farmers were not convinced and blocked the country’s main highways in protest.

Paz has since scrapped the reform, but by then the farmers had been joined by other sectors of society venting their grievances.

The government has also scrapped long-standing fuel subsidies amid shortages and inflation, which in turn has raised living costs and enraged a large sector of the population.

Road blockades erected by angry protesters have further exacerbated fuel shortages, creating a vicious circle.

The Bolivian leader renewed his appeal for dialogue and insisted the country needs order, but has not ruled out using so-called “constitutional instruments” to end the blockades.

On Tuesday, Bolivia’s Congress voted to make it easier for the president to declare a state of emergency and use the military to regain control.

Lawmakers who backed the move said “violent” groups should not be able to dictate to the elected government, but those who voted against the measure warned it could heighten social tensions.

Paz has previously tried to quell the unrest by reshuffling his cabinet, slashing his salary and that of his ministers, and announcing the creation of a council to negotiate with sectors of society which feel isolated under his government.

But so far, these measures have not subdued the widespread anger.

It’s estimated that the protests are causing daily economic losses of more than $50m nationwide.

The lawsuit ‌is one of several that Trump has brought in his personal capacity against news organisations, part of what critics say is a wider pressure campaign against the media.

• Trump’s lawsuit said the Rupert Murdoch-owned newspaper tarnished his reputation with an article describing a birthday card to ​deceased sex offender Jeffrey Epstein as bearing Trump’s signature. Trump and his lawyers said the card is ​fake, even after it was released by lawmakers investigating Epstein’s case.
• Trump is seeking at ⁠least $10 billion in damages, according to the amended lawsuit. He had previously sought the same amount.
• “At the time ​of publication, Defendants recklessly disregarded whether the Defamatory Statements were true and/or they purposefully avoided the discovery of the ​truth,” lawyers for Trump wrote in the amended complaint.
• The lawsuit filed in Miami federal court names Rupert Murdoch, Dow Jones, News Corp (NWSA.O) and its CEO Robert Thomson, along with two Wall Street Journal reporters, Khadeeja Safdar and Joseph Palazzolo, as defendants, saying they ​defamed Trump and caused him to suffer “overwhelming” financial and reputational harm.
• Dow Jones has said it has full confidence in ​the rigour and accuracy of the Journal’s reporting and will vigorously defend the lawsuit.
• Epstein, the disgraced financier and sex offender, died ‌in ⁠a New York jail cell in 2019. His case generated conspiracy theories that became popular among Trump’s base of supporters, who believed the government was covering up Epstein’s ties to the rich and powerful. Trump has said he parted ways with Epstein before the financier’s legal troubles became public in 2006.
• U.S. District Court Judge Darrin P. Gayles, ​an appointee of former President ​Barack Obama, threw out ⁠Trump’s first complaint in April. The judge found that Trump had not met the “actual malice” legal standard for public figures in defamation cases, which requires evidence that a defendant published a statement they knew or should have known was false.
• Trump has also ​filed defamation ⁠and other lawsuits against other media organisations, including the New York Times, the BBC and Iowa’s Des Moines Register. Those outlets have denied wrongdoing and are fighting the cases in court.
• Trump’s administration has acted to restrict press access to government ⁠agencies ​and threatened to use regulatory powers against critical outlets, drawing legal ​challenges by media organisations.
• The White House has described Trump as the most open and accessible U.S. president ever, saying his administration has broadened press ​access in unprecedented ways.

“I was frightened, because I had never ever seen Joe like that before or since. Never,” Jill Biden told CBS News, the BBC’s US partner.

“I don’t know what happened,” she said. “As I watched it, I thought, ‘Oh, my God, he’s having a stroke.’ And it scared me to death.”

President Biden faced intense pressure from fellow Democrats to step down as their candidate after a poor debate performance against then-Republican candidate Donald Trump.

Biden ultimately dropped out of the race and endorsed then-Vice President Kamala Harris.

The former first lady’s interview with CBS News Sunday Morning’s Rita Braver will air on Sunday.

Jill Biden has stood beside her husband throughout his decades-long career, from his time as a Delaware senator to his years as president.

She was considered to be one of his most influential advisers during his presidency, and among those who ultimately encouraged him to drop out of the 2024 race.

Following the June 2024 debate, months ahead of the presidential election, Democrats expressed unease at the president’s shaky debate performance.

Biden’s campaign at the time insisted the president would not step down as the Democratic candidate and that he would debate Donald Trump again.

During the debate in which both men sought a second term, Biden and Trump sparred on major topics including immigration, the economy and abortion rights.

Biden had a raspy voice, which his team said was due to illness, and a moment when he seemed to lose his train of thought.

At a post-debate rally in Atlanta, Jill Biden introduced her husband on stage and praised his performance against Trump.

“Joe, you did such a great job. You answered every question. You knew all the facts,” she told the crowd.

But elsewhere, Democratic leaders and donors expressed concerns about the then-president’s performance. Kamala Harris, who rarely criticised Biden publicly, even admitted it was a “slow start” to the debate.

Voters’ concerns about Biden’s health, mental acuity and age – 81 at the time – already weighed heavily on the debate.

Analysts piled on the president across most major US media outlets, with concerns raised about Biden’s ability to do the job of president as well as his chances in the November 2024 election.

It was thought unlikely that Biden, the incumbent president, would be replaced as the Democratic Party’s nominee just a few months before the election. The difficult process of choosing another nominee was seen as having the potential to derail the party’s White House bid.

But his debate performance – along with gaffes during a Nato summit in the following weeks and a frail demeanour after a Covid diagnosis – ultimately led to him ending his candidacy.

Harris assumed the Democratic nomination about three months before the election and ultimately lost her bid to Trump.

In the aftermath of her election loss, Harris criticised her former boss, calling Biden’s decision to seek a second term “recklessness”.

“‘It’s Joe and Jill’s decision.’ We all said that, like a mantra, as if we’d all been hypnotised,” Harris wrote in her memoir. “Was it grace, or was it recklessness? In retrospect, I think it was recklessness.”

The decision has prompted governments to step up travel-related containment ​measures. Here is a list of screening steps and travel restrictions announced by different countries.

Keep up with the latest medical breakthroughs and healthcare trends with the Reuters Health Rounds newsletter. Sign up here.

UNITED STATES

Last week, Washington banned non-citizens who had ‌travelled to the DRC, Uganda or South Sudan in recent weeks from entering the United States. On Friday, the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) extended the ban to green card holders who have been in those countries in the past 21 days.

The CDC on Saturday added Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport to its travel funnelling list, alongside Washington Dulles. U.S. passport holders returning from affected regions are escorted to designated screening areas for temperature checks, travel history verification, and CDC-led symptom tracking.

UGANDA

Uganda’s government said ​on Wednesday it closed its border with neighbouring Democratic Republic of Congo, with immediate effect and for four weeks.

Ebola response teams, humanitarian and security operations, and food and cargo transport are exempt from the closure, senior health official Diana Atwine said at a press conference. Any person authorized ​to enter Uganda from Congo would be required to undergo mandatory self-isolation for 21 days, she added.

CANADA

The Canadian government said on Tuesday that residents from the DRC, Uganda ​and South Sudan will be banned from entering Canada for 90 days starting Wednesday.

Canadian citizens, permanent residents and other foreign nationals who have been in affected areas in recent weeks and do not have symptoms will have to quarantine for 21 days from May 30, according to a statement from Canada’s public health agency.

THE BAHAMAS

The Bahamian government said on Tuesday that a ban on ​residents from the DRC, Uganda and South Sudan will take immediate effect and remain in place for 30 days.

The Bahamas also announced enhanced health screenings and ​possible quarantines for foreigners who were present in those countries within 30 days of arriving in the Caribbean country.

INDIA

India has launched screening and surveillance measures at airports and other entry points, issued advisories on precautions, and urged citizens to avoid non-essential travel to Congo, Uganda, and South Sudan.

JORDAN

On May 19, the Jordanian government suspended entry for travellers arriving from the DRC and Uganda, according to the Jordanian state agency.

BAHRAIN

Bahrain said on May 19 it was suspending for 30 days the entry of foreign travellers arriving from South Sudan, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda.

CAYMAN ISLANDS

The Cayman Islands government said on May 20 it would implement enhanced screening measures as a precaution after a flight landed carrying two passengers with ​a recent travel history to the DRC.

THAILAND

Thailand’s Public Health Ministry said on Tuesday that passengers arriving from the DRC and Uganda will be allowed to enter the country only through Suvarnabhumi Airport, where they will undergo screening.

Travellers from or through those countries will be required to quarantine ​for at least 21 days if they do not have symptoms, and will be referred to isolation for at ​least 21 days if ⁠they have symptoms compatible with Ebola virus disease.

KENYA

The Kenyan Ministry of Health said on Monday it has enhanced screening of travellers at high-risk points of entry, coordinated through the Kenya National Public Health Institute (KNPHI) under the fully activated National Incident Management System. Isolation and holding facilities have been activated in designated border locations to support potential containment ⁠efforts, the ​ministry added.

EUROPEAN UNION The European Union’s Health Security Committee said on Friday entry screenings were not necessary ​for passengers arriving from the DRC and Uganda, citing low risk to the population.

MEXICO

Mexico’s Health Secretary, David Kershenovich, addressed the media on Monday, outlining tighter Ebola screening measures at airports, urging the public to avoid travel to Congo, and asking arrivals from the country to observe a 21-day quarantine.