The 80-year-old authoritarian leader, who has been in office since 2007, also said he would work with the congress he controls to pass new laws that would “build a wall” against the opposition.

Ortega made the announcement on Sunday during the official ceremony marking the 47th anniversary of the 1979 Sandinista revolution, in which he helped overthrow the brutal dictatorship of Anastasio Somoza.

Although his administration and that of his wife and “co-president”, Rosario Murillo, had already been marked by the steady erosion of democracy in the Central American country, many are describing his announcement as a significant rhetorical escalation.

“With this decision, Ortega and Murillo have sealed the country’s transition to a full-fledged family dictatorship,” said Tiziano Breda, Latin America senior analyst at the NGO Armed Conflict Location and Event Data.

During a speech in front of thousands of state employees who, according to local media, had been coerced into attending, Ortega said: “There will be no more elections here so that they [the opposition parties] can try to seize the government, seize power.”

The president, who had not appeared in public for 61 days, added: “We will work with the National Assembly and the relevant institutions on laws, because we need laws that build a wall, a barrier, against the coup plotters and the traitors who sell out their country.”

The elections were due to take place next year, but Ortega gave no details on whether they would be cancelled or whether the opposition would be barred from taking part – something that has already happened in practice. During the 2021 campaign, his regime outlawed parties and jailed all opposition presidential hopefuls.

Breda said: “Ortega and Murillo are evidently afraid of the idea that the slightest political opening could create the conditions for dissent to manifest and threaten their grip on power, possibly suggesting that their already feeble domestic support is further falling.

“Therefore, instead of staging a rigged election, they have opted to eliminate electoral competition altogether.”

Last year, Ortega pushed through a series of constitutional reforms that included extending the presidential term from five to six years and promoting his wife, then vice-president, to the position of “co-president”. The US refers to their administration as the “Murillo-Ortega dictatorship”.

During his speech, the Nicaraguan president criticised the US over the January operation that abducted the Venezuelan dictator Nicolás Maduro: “With all their power, they stormed the presidential palace, where Nicolás and his wife, Cilia [Flores], were. They killed the entire security detail there – most of them were Cubans – and took them away to imprison them in the US. It is monstrous.”

The president said preventing the opposition from returning to power was necessary to protect the country from the “coup plotters” who, he claimed, had been behind the nationwide protests of 2018 – when, according to organisations including the UN, his regime carried out a violent crackdown that killed more than 350 people, wounded hundreds, jailed thousands and forced nearly 1 million Nicaraguans into exile.

Recently, the UN, the US, human rights organisations and 30 former Ibero-American presidents have directly blamed Ortega and Murillo for the death of the Indigenous leader and four-term congressman Brooklyn Rivera, 73, who spent nearly three years “unjustly imprisoned” by the regime, the US state department said.

According to organisations including Human Rights Watch, there are about 50 political prisoners in the country. The regime has stripped 546 people of their citizenship and shut down more than 5,600 non-governmental organisations, 29 universities and 58 media outlets.

She said Africa’s long-term health security will depend on its ability to finance its own priorities and build resilient health institutions capable of responding to emerging challenges.

Speaking on behalf of Vice President Professor Naana Jane Opoku-Agyemang at a High-Level Interactive Policy Dialogue in Accra on July 20, Prof. Ayensu-Danquah urged African governments to strengthen domestic health financing as global development assistance becomes increasingly uncertain.

The dialogue, organised by the African Renaissance Trust and the Jakaya Mrisho Kikwete Foundation on the sidelines of the African Union Extraordinary Summit, focused on advancing domestic health financing, accountability and strategic innovation across the continent.

Reflecting on the Abuja Declaration, under which African countries pledged 25 years ago to allocate at least 15 per cent of their national budgets to health, the Deputy Minister said the continent must critically assess its progress in light of changing global financing realities.

“Official development assistance is less certain. Long-standing funding models are changing. Programmes that many health systems have relied on can no longer be taken for granted,” she said.

“That reality means Africa must strengthen its ability to finance its own priorities, build enduring institutions and invest in health not as a recurring expense, but as a foundation for economic growth and human development.”

Prof. Ayensu-Danquah said Ghana is pursuing universal health coverage through policies aimed at expanding access to quality healthcare, improving health outcomes and reducing out-of-pocket healthcare costs.

She highlighted the Ghana Medical Trust Fund, popularly known as MahamaCares, and the Free Primary Healthcare Initiative as two flagship programmes introduced to address financing gaps and improve healthcare delivery.

According to her, the Ghana Medical Trust Fund provides financial support for the diagnosis, treatment and long-term management of chronic non-communicable diseases that are either inadequately covered or not covered under the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS).

She said the fund also supports specialist healthcare by investing in medical infrastructure, equipment, research and specialist training.

On the Free Primary Healthcare Initiative, Prof. Ayensu-Danquah explained that the programme complements the NHIS by expanding access to essential primary healthcare services, with a strong focus on disease prevention and early detection.

She said every Ghanaian will be entitled to routine health screening for conditions such as hypertension, diabetes and certain cancers, as well as maternal and child healthcare, immunisation, treatment of common illnesses, community outreach, home visits and public health education.

The initiative, she noted, is being rolled out in phases, beginning with 150 underserved districts before nationwide implementation over the next few years.

The Deputy Minister also announced that the government has committed an initial investment of US$50 million to establish the National Vaccine Institute to boost local vaccine production and pharmaceutical manufacturing.

She said the investment builds on Ghana’s growing regulatory capacity, including the Food and Drugs Authority’s attainment of the World Health Organization’s Maturity Level 3 status and ongoing efforts to commercialise locally manufactured anti-snake venom.

Prof. Ayensu-Danquah welcomed the launch of the African Renaissance Health Financing Insights Dashboard, describing it as an important accountability tool that will help governments monitor health financing commitments and measure progress across the continent.

She stressed that building resilient health systems requires more than financing, calling for greater investment in pharmaceutical manufacturing, research, innovation, workforce development and stronger continental health institutions.

Concluding her remarks, the Deputy Minister urged African governments to move beyond policy commitments and deliver tangible improvements in healthcare.

“Our declarations must be translated into measurable progress in the lives of our people,” she said.

She reaffirmed Ghana’s commitment to working with the African Union, regional institutions and development partners to build stronger, more resilient and self-reliant health systems across Africa.

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An announcement is expected from US President Donald Trump’s administration on Wednesday, US officials were cited as saying.

The agreement could be worth billions of dollars to the US, whose companies could be involved in building a facility to produce enriched uranium, which can be used as fuel for power plants but also to make nuclear bombs.

Nuclear experts and former officials in Israel – the US’s top ally in the Middle East – have voiced concern that the plan could ultimately lead to Saudi Arabia being able to develop a nuclear weapon.

The BBC has asked the White House for comment.

The US media reports say that, under the terms of the arrangement, after undertaking a joint study with the US, Saudi Arabia may be allowed to enrich uranium on its soil to produce fuel at a US-built enrichment facility instead of relying on imported fuel.

That provision would distinguish this agreement from another one that was struck by the US in 2009 with Saudi Arabia’s neighbour, the United Arab Emirates, under which the UAE does not produce its own fuel and accepts a host of other restrictions.

For that reason, the agreement is also expected to attract the concern of nuclear non-proliferation campaigners, whose ultimate aim is to prevent an increase in the number of nuclear weapons worldwide.

The nuclear issue has been at the centre of the months-long US-Israeli conflict with Iran. The two nations say one of the reasons they attacked Iran in February was to prevent the country from ever developing a nuclear weapon – something that Tehran denies planning to do.

Saudi Arabia’s de facto ruler, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, told CBS News in 2018 that his own nation was not planning to acquire a nuclear weapon, but that “without a doubt if Iran developed a nuclear bomb, we will follow suit as soon as possible”.

The US-Saudi deal due to be unveiled on Wednesday has already been approved by Trump and will last 30 years, according to the Wall Street Journal.

If the US objects to enrichment taking place in Saudi Arabia following the joint study, the kingdom would not be allowed to do so on its own or with another foreign partner for 10 years, the newspaper says.

The plan will now be sent to the US Congress. Some lawmakers on both sides of the political aisle are also expected to oppose the deal, though Trump’s Republican Party controls both the upper and lower chambers.

The US-Saudi deal has not been made contingent on the Saudis normalising diplomatic ties with Israel, the New York Times reports. The push for Saudi-Israeli normalisation has been an aspiration of successive US presidents.

“In light of trade action threatened by the United States earlier this week, it would be inappropriate to proceed with a celebratory event ​between the two countries,” Jenna Ghassabeh, a spokesperson for Canadian ​Infrastructure Minister Gregor Robertson, said in an emailed statement.

The ⁠bridge is scheduled to open to traffic on July 27. ​A ribbon-cutting ceremony was planned for July 24, with U.S. and Canadian ​officials expected to attend, Windsor Mayor Drew Dilkens said in interviews with local media.

Canada is still “committed” to opening the bridge on July 27 but will ​mark the milestone by celebrating “among Canadians” on July 24, Ghassabeh ​said.

On Monday, Trump unveiled 50% tariffs on a wide range of imports from Canada in ‌response ⁠to what the U.S. administration called its discriminatory treatment of American-made cars, alcohol and dairy goods.

The $4.7-billion bridge, named after the legendary Detroit Red Wings hockey player, had originally been set to open ​in June.

In February, ​Trump threatened to ⁠block the project, citing Canada’s refusal to stock some U.S. alcoholic beverages, its tariffs on dairy ​products and its trade talks with China.

The bridge ​opening was ⁠allowed to proceed after the U.S. and Canada struck a deal on tolls this month.

The new bridge will help ease truck traffic on ⁠the ​Ambassador Bridge into Detroit, the U.S.-Canada ​border’s largest freight port, which handled $126 billion in trade carried by commercial trucks in ​2023.

Ants are not among the 10 insect species approved for human consumption under the country’s laws. The approved list includes grasshoppers, locusts and two-spotted crickets, among others.

Prosecutors on Monday also asked that the restaurant, which holds two Michelin stars, be fined 20 million Korean won ($13,510; £10,100).

The owner admitted to serving ants but argued that they were used in a “small part” of the restaurant’s 15-course menu – as a topping for sorbets – and that diners were told they could opt for non-ant toppings.

The case came to light after officials from the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety found reviews that diners had posted online with photographs of dishes sprinkled with ants.

Investigators estimate that some 49,000 ants, imported from the US and Thailand, were used in several dishes over four years.

Health authorities also found that the restaurant used ants that “contained up to 55 times more heavy metals than typical edible insects”, according to a report on The Chosun Daily.

South Korean authorities consider several criteria in deciding whether insects can be approved as food. These include food safety risks, toxicity, nutritional value, and whether they can be bred and processed hygienically.

In its defence the restaurant owner argued that just 60% of diners had opted to try the ants, while the rest were served alternatives like fermented vinegar and edible flowers.

He added that restaurants in other countries, such as Australia, Denmark and the UK, also use ants as ingredients.

Court documents did not name the restaurant nor its owner. Ten restaurants in South Korea, all located in capital city Seoul, have been awarded two Michelin stars.

The Michelin Guide awards up to three stars to eateries based on ingredient quality, flavour mastery, cooking technique, chef’s personality and consistency.

Two stars denote restaurants that do “excellent cooking” and are “worth a detour”, according to Michelin’s criteria.

The court is set to deliver its verdict on 2 September.

Ants are eaten, sometimes even valued as a delicacy, in several Asian, African and Latin American cultures. Weaver ants and their eggs are used in Thai and Cambodian cooking, while in Colombia, queen ants are as prized as caviar.

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Delegation from Dagbon formally informs Otumfuo of Ya-Na Abukari II’s death

Musa Aliyu, who leads the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission, has alleged that he was stopped while driving in the capital , Abuja, on Saturday, and forced to withdraw 53,000 naira (£28; $38) from a cash machine.

Police Commissioner Ahmed Sanusi accused the men of abandoning their official posts to set up the unauthorised roadblock.

They now face a police disciplinary procedure that could result in their sacking. It is rare that these kinds of cases end up in court.

Aliyu’s report of the incident to the police prompted what the commissioner described as an “intelligence-driven operation”. That led to the arrest of the alleged ringleader and subsequently the other suspects.

In an interview with BBC Hausa, Aliyu explained what happened after he was flagged down on a busy road.

“When I stopped, a policeman came to my car door. I wound down the window, and he told me to open my car, so I did.”

The policeman then got in.

“He then asked me for my driver’s licence. I brought it out, and he asked me to give it to him, so I did. Then he said he would take me to court for violating traffic rules. I told him: ‘Let’s go to court.'”

But instead, Aliyu alleged, the policeman asked him for money by telling him: “You are a big man; you wouldn’t want your time to be wasted, but even if we go to court, you will be fined 52,000 naira.”

“I asked him to give me his bank account number so I could transfer the money, but he refused.” Instead, Aliyu alleged, he went to a cash machine and withdrew the money.

The national police chief condemned the officers’ alleged conduct in strong terms, warning that the command would no longer tolerate abuses of power.

“You have to choose: either a policeman or a thief,” Sanusi said. “You cannot be both. If you fail to choose, your actions will determine where you belong.”

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The study refers only to U.S.-supported care, and some of the children may have received treatment through national governments or other donors.

The analysis of U.S. government data found U.S.-supported pediatric HIV treatment fell by around 14% year-on-year, although the researchers said more detailed country-level data were needed to assess the full impact.

“These are signals, ​not a verdict. But children cannot wait,” said Kenneth Ngure, professor of global health at Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology ​and a co-author of the study, presented at the AIDS 2026 conference in Rio de Janeiro on Tuesday.

Other studies, including ⁠by UNAIDS, have also shown gaps in the HIV response since the cuts.

The U.S. State Department said it had not reviewed the study in ​detail but its methodology was flawed.

They said the decline was a sign of the success of the program, as fewer children were getting infected with ​HIV, and the numbers on treatment had been going down for four years.

But the authors said that the declines last year were steeper than this historical trend in five countries: Uganda, Haiti, Zambia, South Africa and Kenya.

DECLINE IN U.S.-BACKED TREATMENT

To reach their conclusions, Ngure and team analyzed data provided by the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), the international U.S. ​HIV program. They found a decline in U.S.-supported pediatric treatment in 20 of 21 countries analyzed.

Other agencies and national governments may have stepped in to ​keep children on treatment – a stated aim of the U.S – and the decline in coverage is also slightly lower if “central support”, or U.S. funding for national or sub-national ‌level work, ⁠rather than at clinics, is included: around 55,000 fewer children were reached last year under that metric.

The countries were chosen because they all had more than 2,000 children receiving PEPFAR-supported HIV treatment, the team said.

South Africa saw the largest absolute decline of around 30,000 fewer supported children, or 45%, followed by Zimbabwe, Kenya and Malawi.

South Africa, the country which has the most people living with HIV in the world, already funds the majority of its ​response. The U.S. has said it will ​no longer support efforts in ⁠the country.

‘FALLING THROUGH THE CRACKS’

Health advocate Susan Wairimu Metta, who works with HIV-affected communities in Kisumu West, Kenya – the Kenyan area with the highest HIV prevalence rates outside Nairobi – said she recognised the picture painted by the new ​study.

“The funding cuts have had a real impact on paediatric HIV care in Kenya,” she said.

She said ​a decline in the ⁠availability of community support groups as well as new charges for tests that were previously free made it harder for families to stay fully engaged in care. This has led to a rise in the number of children presenting with advanced HIV in her region, she said.

The worst impact was during the initial period ⁠last year ​when the U.S. issued “stop work” orders as it began to dismantle parts of its international ​aid program, she said, but the situation has improved since then, in part because the Kenyan government has trained staff to help fill gaps.

“But many of the community-based support systems that ​prevented children from falling through the cracks have still not been fully replaced,” she added.

Australia made history late last year when it implemented the first ban on social media for under-16s. The British government announced similar restrictions last month, expected to come into effect next year. Spain, Greece and Denmark are also planning to impose minimum age limits for social media use.

French lawmakers overwhelmingly voted in favor of the bill, which was strongly backed by France’s President Emmanuel Macron. He will now sign it into law.

“Social media will be banned for children under 15 starting this school year,” he posted on X after the vote as he thanked lawmakers for passing the bill.

“The brains of our children and our teenagers are not for sale,” he had said in a video message in January. “The emotions of our children and our teenagers are not for sale or to be manipulated, neither by American platforms nor by Chinese algorithms.”

Macron had ordered the French government to expedite the bill’s passage through parliament, with the aim of having legislation in place for the beginning of the new next school year in September.

It is not yet clear how the social media sites will verify users’ ages. Australia requires companies to “take reasonable steps” to prevent underage children from opening or keeping accounts, and the French government has promised to implement age controls to back up the law.

Members of the French Senate debate a draft law that aims to ban social media access for children under 15, in Paris, France, on March 31, 2026. Firas Abdullah/EPA/Shutterstock

The legislation also bans advertising promoting social media to children, including by influencers, and requires advertisements for social media platforms to carry the warning: “Dangerous products for children under 15.”

The new law will be enforced by Arcom, France’s audiovisual and digital communications regulator. It is expected to apply to all the major platforms.

According to Arcom, children aged 12 to 17 in France spend an average of 1 hour and 21 minutes a day on TikTok. The regulator says the platform’s recommendation algorithm tends to promote the most “extreme” content, exposing teenagers to a continuous stream of anxiety-inducing or otherwise harmful videos.

Social media companies say they already take steps to protect children from some kinds of content.

‘Real change of atmosphere’

The proposal for a ban was welcomed by many French parents earlier this year.

“I think it’s great,” mother-of-six Geraldine Delacroix told CNN in March. “Now I’m waiting to see how it’s workable, but in any case, it’s better than nothing,” she added, noting that children could often get around existing parental controls. “Even if we block, they find ways to get around it,” she said.

In her work as a pediatrician, Delacroix has seen a growing distrust of smartphones and social media over the past decade among her patients’ families. “People are tense (about smartphones),” she said. “There’s been a real change of atmosphere.”

A smartphone displays a folder of social media applications, including TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, X, Snapchat, and YouTube, in Creteil, France, on March 31, 2026. Samuel Boivin/NurPhoto/Getty Images

Her daughter Ariane said she saw little downside to the ban, but wished it had come in sooner, telling CNN it was “a bit too late for the young people of my generation who are 13 to 14.”

“We have a tendency to say, ‘OK, I’m just going to look at my phone for five or 10 minutes’ and then, as it’s super-addictive, we spend an hour, two hours on the phone,” she said.

Ariane, who is on all the major social networks, said that while they provided “fast, easy entertainment, without effort,” she saw almost no upside for children of her own age.

Her older sister, Gabrielle, who said she’d had access to Instagram and TikTok since before her 10th birthday – well before the age limit of 13 for most social networks – blamed Covid-19-era lockdowns for sowing bad habits of excessive smartphone use among her generation.

“Once you’re, like, used to it, you just keep on using it,” she said.

Gabrielle added that she had no doubt that children would find ways around the restrictions and suggested the platforms should instead do more to filter out dangerous content.

‘Not a toy’

For the countries looking into age restrictions, ensuring effective age verification is a major challenge.

“Bans alone won’t be enough,” French Education Minister Édouard Geffray told lawmakers in January. “We can’t just restrict, we have to educate and propose different ways of socializing.”

Katia Roux, of Amnesty International France, sounded a similar note on Tuesday. “The debate over banning social media for those under 15 is legitimate,” she told CNN. “However, this measure is not enough to make digital platforms safe. Only a shift in the business model of social media companies will truly protect all users. To begin with, the platforms’ addictive and manipulative features must be banned.”

Across OECD countries in 2022, at least half of 15-year-olds in most countries spent 30 hours or more per week on digital devices, including learning activities in or out of school.

Last week, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said warned that “social media is not a toy,” in a statement calling for “age-appropriate restrictions.”

“In Europe, whoever develops a product is responsible for its safety. Car manufacturers must make their vehicles safe. We do not expect children to design their own seatbelts. We do not expect parents to fit airbags at home,” she wrote. “This is not about whether children can access social media. It is about whether and when social media can access our children.”

In France, some opposition lawmakers opposed the bill at an earlier stage over concerns about free speech and access to informative online content. Some senators had proposed a blacklist of certain social media platforms.

Teenager Nelya Ouali, whose mother does not permit her to have her own smartphone, said the law could impact her access to educational videos.

“We won’t be able to get more information as a result, because we don’t watch much television anymore,” she said, as she and her friends favor influencers’ videos. “But it’s still important for communication. Social networks are still important; they allow us to talk with our friends,” she said. “They allow us to be entertained, to take our minds off things.”

This is not the first time France has restricted access to online material. A ban on access to online pornography for minors overcame legal challenges to finally come into effect in 2025. It requires users to provide proof of age.

She said sustainable healthcare on the continent can only be achieved if governments take greater responsibility for funding the sector instead of relying heavily on foreign assistance, which she described as increasingly unpredictable.

Speaking at the African Union Extraordinary Health Summit in Accra on Tuesday, July 21, 2026, Ambassador Twum-Amoah acknowledged the value of international partnerships but stressed that external support should complement, not replace, national investment in healthcare.

“We must transform health financing. Africa cannot build sustainable health systems on unpredictable and declining external assistance,” she said.

She called on African governments to strengthen domestic resource mobilisation and ensure healthcare remains a key priority in national budgets.

The AU Health Commissioner also urged countries to safeguard health sector allocations, improve the management of public funds and address inefficiencies that reduce the impact of available resources.

Ambassador Twum-Amoah further renewed calls for African nations to honour the Abuja Declaration by allocating at least 15 per cent of their national budgets to the health sector.

She, however, noted that increasing funding alone would not be enough, stressing that governments must also ensure resources are used efficiently to improve health outcomes.

“This is not simply about spending more. It is about spending better, prioritising prevention, primary healthcare, health workers, essential medicines, and services for those furthest behind,” she added.

According to her, investing in preventive healthcare, strengthening the frontline health workforce and improving access to essential medicines will be crucial to tackling the continent’s persistent health challenges and building stronger, more resilient health systems.

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Everyday consumer items like wine and hockey sticks and industrial goods such as cement are among the goods targeted. However, several key exports will be spared, such as energy, potash, critical minerals and fish.

Prime Minister Mark Carney responded by saying Canada stood ready to “intensify” trade talks with the US in the coming weeks.

The White House said the duties would take effect in 30 days. It marks a major escalation in trade tensions between the North American neighbours.

Canada was one of the few countries to retaliate in 2025 against Trump’s tariffs, placing a 25% levy on about C$30bn (£16bn; $21.7bn) worth of US goods. Carney later dropped some of them but kept tariffs on US cars, steel and aluminium.

The US Supreme  Court ruled earlier this year that many of Trump’s tariffs imposed globally under emergency powers were illegally enacted. But his latest action on Monday night uses a different, obscure law that is untested in court.

The new duties apply to all covered goods regardless of whether the product was included under the existing free trade agreement between Canada, the US and Mexico, known as the USMCA.

“This is the latest in a series of unilateral US trade actions that began with the US imposing a series of tariffs in direct violation of the Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement,” Carney said in a statement on X.

He also cited “threats to Canadian sovereignty”, a possible reference to Trump’s calls to make America’s northern neighbour the 51st US state.

Monday’s import taxes build on trade barriers already in place between the two nations.

The US has been maintaining active tariffs ranging from 15% to 50% on Canadian steel, aluminium and copper. Washington also charges a 35% tariff on Canadian softwood lumber, alongside a 25% tax on non-US parts in cars.

Canada has its own 25% counter-tariff on selected imports of American steel, aluminium and vehicles.

Monday’s announcement comes in the wake of President Trump’s threat to impose tariffs over Canadian wildfire smoke drifting into US cities.

But there is no mention of wildfires in the executive orders that Trump signed on Monday.

Instead, the three proclamations list US trade irritants that were previously known to Canada related to cars, dairy and alcohol – signalling a breakdown of trade negotiations between the two countries.

On cars, Trump is accusing Canada of charging a tax on US motor vehicles and parts that are not covered under USMCA.

He argues it is “unreasonable” and that Canada has discriminated against the US by not charging other countries a similar tax.

Automotive manufacturing in North America is highly integrated between Canada, the US and Mexico.

But Trump’s Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick has said in the past that he believes Canada should “come second” to the US.

Trump has also named cars in the past as one issue where the two countries have competing interests.

Dairy, meanwhile, has long been a problem for the US, specifically Canada’s supply management system, which sets limits on foreign imports. Those that exceed the limit are charged a tariff upwards of 300%.

And lastly, the enduring boycott of US alcoholic drinks by most Canadian provinces has become a major sore point for the Americans since it was imposed last year.

Canadian premiers have said repeatedly that the boycott will be lifted if the US removes its tariffs on key Canadian sectors, including metals and automobiles.

Canadian trade negotiators have been trying to secure a deal that would at least reduce some of the current US tariffs.

Responding to the latest tariffs announcement, Ontario Premier Doug Ford said on X: “If these tariffs proceed, Canada should respond tariff for tariff, dollar for dollar.”

The BBC has contacted the White House and the Canadian government for comment.

Earlier this year, the US chose not to renew the USMCA in its current form.

Canada and Mexico sought a renewal of the trade agreement, but the US wants to make changes to the deal, which was negotiated during Trump’s first term in office.

As it stands, the treaty will continue to govern North American trade over the next decade on a rolling basis, requiring annual reviews.

In February, the US Supreme Court struck down sweeping international tariffs imposed by Trump through the International Emergency Economic Powers Act of 1977.

The justices ruled that the president had exceeded his authority when he announced the duties under a law reserved for national emergencies.

The White House vowed at the time that it would invoke other mechanisms to impose import taxes.

The duties announced on Monday were introduced under Section 338 of the 1930 Tariff Act, which covers trade discrimination rather than national emergencies.

Candance Laing, head of the Canadian Chamber of Commerce, called the latest tariffs a “regrettable decision”, and urged officials to make “meaningful progress” in talks before the new duties take effect in 30 days’ time.

Chris Swonger, head of the Distilled Spirits Council of the United States, also called for both sides to find a solution, warning the decision “raises the risk of further retaliation”.

The agreement was signed in Freetown, Sierra Leone, on Sunday during the summit of Heads of State and Government of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS).

The 6,800-kilometre pipeline is expected to transport Nigerian natural gas along Africa’s Atlantic coastline to Morocco, with the potential to supply European markets through existing connections.

The project, initially conceived as a bilateral initiative between Nigeria and Morocco, has now gained broader regional backing with the involvement of ECOWAS member states in its governance framework.

It was launched after a 2016 meeting between Morocco’s King Mohammed VI and former Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari. It is being developed by Morocco’s National Office of Hydrocarbons and Mines (ONHYM) and the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC).

Moroccan officials say the pipeline reflects King Mohammed VI’s vision of a more integrated and energy-secure Africa, built around shared infrastructure and regional cooperation.

The Freetown agreement marks a major institutional step, although further arrangements are expected to be concluded in Morocco involving Morocco, Nigeria and Mauritania.

Mauritania, like Morocco, is not an ECOWAS member but remains a key country along the proposed route.

The next phase will focus on establishing the project’s management structures, including a dedicated project company expected to be based in Casablanca and a Pipeline Higher Authority to be headquartered in Abuja.

These bodies will oversee operational, regulatory and financial issues while coordinating with participating governments, energy companies, investors and international financial institutions.

The project partners are expected to intensify efforts to secure financing after the completion of technical, environmental and engineering studies.

When completed, the African Atlantic Gas Pipeline will pass through 13 African countries before connecting to Morocco’s existing Maghreb–Europe Gas Pipeline network.

The pipeline is projected to transport about 30 billion cubic metres of natural gas annually. Up to 15 billion cubic metres could be supplied to Morocco and European markets, while the remaining volumes would support energy needs in participating West African countries.

The estimated cost of the project is about $25 billion, with construction expected to begin once financing and regulatory arrangements are finalised.

Beyond gas transportation, the project is being positioned as a regional development corridor that could improve electricity generation, support industrial growth and encourage investment across West Africa.

Several countries along the proposed route continue to face energy challenges, including power shortages and high production costs. Access to natural gas could help improve energy reliability and strengthen industrial competitiveness.

Supporters believe the pipeline could also encourage the development of domestic gas resources, create jobs and deepen economic cooperation among participating countries.

For Europe, the project could provide an additional source of natural gas as countries seek to diversify energy supplies amid global geopolitical uncertainty.

However, officials involved in the project say its primary focus remains improving energy access and supporting economic development within Africa.

The Nigeria–Morocco partnership remains at the heart of the project, combining Nigeria’s position as one of Africa’s leading gas producers with Morocco’s strategic location and infrastructure capabilities.

The Freetown endorsement signals a shift from a mainly bilateral initiative into a broader African integration project.

The next major challenge will be turning political support into concrete financing, construction and long-term operation of what could become one of Africa’s largest energy infrastructure projects.

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• ECOWAS Court seeks stronger compliance with judgments

The Middle East conflict escalated over the weekend, with the U.S. conducting a ninth straight night of attacks against Iran, while U.S. allies Kuwait and Bahrain reported more Iranian strikes.

Brent crude futures settled $1.12, or around 1.3%, higher at $89.22 a barrel after hitting $91.42 for their highest since June 11.

U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude closed 74 cents, or 0.9%, higher at $83.23 after ​touching its highest level since June 12 at $85.39.

Mediators have passed Iran a proposal to de-escalate the war with the U.S., suggesting a 10-day ceasefire ​to find ways to revive an interim deal reached last month, a senior Iranian official told Reuters on Monday.

“While the ⁠conflict remains far from resolved, the prospect of renewed talks has eased immediate concerns over further disruptions to oil supply and shipping through the Strait of ​Hormuz,” said Daniela Hathorn, Senior Market Analyst, at Capital.com.

Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthis said on Monday they would impose a naval blockade on Saudi Arabia, opening a potential new front ​against the United States in its war with Iran and raising the threat to global energy supplies and trade beyond the Gulf.

“If a ceasefire does not materialize and Hormuz remains largely closed while the Houthi threat to Red Sea shipping intensifies, the risk of a significant rebound in oil prices would be substantial,” said Rystad Energy’s Jorge León, head of geopolitical analysis, ​adding that about 2.5 million barrels per day of Saudi oil is at risk from the Houthi threat.

However, a record amount of crude oil on water, ​estimated around at 1.35 billion barrels, could limit the next leg of oil price increases, Kpler analysts said in a note.

DROP IN TANKER TRAFFIC FROM GULF

The collapse of a U.S.-Iran ‌truce has ⁠reignited concerns over energy supplies moving through the Strait of Hormuz. Before the Iran war, about 20% of global oil supplies flowed through the waterway. Iran has also pressed the Houthis to close the Red Sea route if the U.S. attacks Iranian power infrastructure.

Four vessels made the transit through the Strait of Hormuz on Sunday, down from eight the previous day, LSEG data showed. At least three oil products tankers and one very large crude carrier have entered the strait since Friday to load oil, ​the data showed. Oil transfers between ​tankers in waters outside the Strait ⁠of Hormuz have slowed following a wave of recent attacks on vessels by Iranian forces, according to satellite analysis and sources.

Greek shipping company Dynacom Tankers said two of its managed vessels were hit by projectiles of unknown origin on Monday while ​sailing off the coast of Oman.

Meanwhile, Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said two oil tankers “exploded” and were immobilised after attempting to ​take what it called ⁠an unsafe southern route through the Strait of Hormuz. On Sunday, the Guards also pointed to two ships involved in an “accident” in the same area.

It was unclear whether the two incidents were related or connected to attacks on the Dynacom vessels.

“The supply narrative has become more bearish. The anticipated recovery in shipping has effectively stalled, ⁠with Strait ​of Hormuz transit volumes falling to single digits,” ANZ analysts said in a note.

Gulf countries boosted ​crude oil and condensate exports in the first half of July to their highest since before the Iran war began in late February, shipping data showed, though flows through the Strait of Hormuz ​are slowing as fighting escalates.

The 46-year-old leader assumed the position following a decision by regional leaders, placing him at the helm of the West African bloc’s highest decision-making body.

Faye emerged as the new leader of the regional bloc during the 69th Ordinary Session of the ECOWAS Authority held in Sierra Leone.

He takes over from Sierra Leonean President Julius Maada Bio, who assumed the position in June 2025 following the completion of President Bola Tinubu’s tenure as chairman. 

President Faye’s new role will see him provide leadership and direction on key regional issues, including economic integration, peace and security, democratic governance, and cooperation among ECOWAS member states.

His election comes at a critical time for the regional organisation, which has faced challenges including political instability in some member states, security threats, and efforts to strengthen unity among West African countries.

President Faye, who became Senegal’s youngest president after winning the 2024 presidential election, has been widely recognised for his reform agenda and calls for greater sovereignty and cooperation among African nations.

His assumption of the ECOWAS chairmanship places him at the centre of efforts to navigate the future direction of the 15-member regional bloc.

In another major appointment, General Birame Diop, Senegal’s former Minister of Defence and former Chief of the General Staff of the Senegalese Armed Forces, has been named President of the ECOWAS Commission.

General Diop, who also previously served as an adviser to the United Nations Secretary-General, is expected to take over the leadership of the ECOWAS Commission on September 1, 2026, at the Commission’s headquarters in Abuja, Nigeria.

Alec Neel Vance was born on Sunday morning, the vice-president said in a statement on social media.

“Usha and the baby are happy and healthy, and our kids are overjoyed to meet their little brother,” he added, also thanking the military doctors and staff at Walter Reed Medical Center for their care.

It is the first time a baby has been born to a sitting vice-president while in office for more than 150 years, according to the Associated Press.

The pair have three other children: Ewan, 9, Vivek, 6, and four-year-old Mirabel.

Usha Vance was born and raised in the working-class suburbs of San Diego, California, to a father who was a mechanical engineer and a mother who was a molecular biologist, both of whom had moved to the US from India.

She met JD Vance as a student at Yale Law School in 2010, when they joined a discussion group on “social decline in white America”.

Usha Vance (née Chilukuri) was born and raised in the working-class suburbs of San Diego, California, to a mechanical engineer father and a molecular biologist mother who had moved to the US from Andhra Pradesh, India.

JD Vance has been one of the most vocal members of the Trump administration in calling for higher birth rates in the US.

He wrote in his recently published book that Usha had initially been reluctant to have another child but that her mind changed after conservative influencer Charlie Kirk was killed last year.

“Not long after we buried my friend, she became pregnant with our fourth child, a boy,” he wrote. “One life was stolen from us, but another was given.”

The caucus says Parliament must be updated on the government’s response to the incident and the measures being taken to protect Ghanaians living in South Africa amid renewed concerns over attacks on foreign nationals.

Raising the matter on the floor of Parliament, the Deputy Ranking Member of the Foreign Affairs Committee and Member of Parliament for Bosome Freho, Nana Asafo-Adjei Ayeh, said legislators needed an official briefing on the circumstances surrounding the incident and its implications for relations between Ghana and South Africa.

“The young Ghanaian who was shot and killed in South Africa was brought to Ghana. This House has requested that the Minister for Foreign Affairs be scheduled to appear before the House to brief us on issues relating to the diplomatic relationship between Ghana and South Africa,” he said.

Mr Asafo-Adjei Ayeh said the widespread public discussion surrounding the incident, particularly on social media, made it even more important for the government to provide clarity.

“We have been hearing a lot about the issue on social media, and I believe the Majority Leader should schedule the minister to appear before the House to brief us on Ghana’s relationship with South Africa,” he added.

Responding to the request, Majority Leader Mahama Ayariga said the decision on whether the minister should address Parliament would depend on the nature and sensitivity of the issues involved.

“Whether or not the minister comes to brief the House on bilateral relations depends on the minister’s assessment of the sensitivity of the issues and whether they should be discussed,” Mr Ayariga stated.

The killing of Bashiru Isak has sparked renewed public concern over the safety of Ghanaians living in South Africa, prompting calls for stronger diplomatic engagement and enhanced protection for Ghanaian citizens abroad.

Also read:

• Gov’t officials, family receive body of Ghanaian killed in South Africa (Photos)

• Final repatriation of 900 Ghanaians from South Africa to begin July 25

The position was outlined during a parliamentary debate on the increasing number of Zimbabweans returning home from South Africa, where migrants have continued to face hostility, periodic xenophobic violence and calls for mass deportations.

Responding to concerns raised by lawmakers, Zimbabwe’s Justice Minister, Ziyambi Ziyambi, said the government has no intention of targeting South Africans who are legally residing in the country.

He stressed that Zimbabwe would continue to welcome foreign nationals who comply with its immigration laws, adding that the principle of Ubuntu guides the country’s approach.

“We do not have a policy of chasing away visitors,” the minister told Parliament.

His remarks come amid renewed concerns over xenophobic attacks in South Africa, where foreign nationals have frequently been blamed for crime, unemployment and pressure on public services, sparking anti-immigrant campaigns and isolated incidents of violence.

Meanwhile, Zimbabwe’s Health Minister, Douglas Mombeshora, disclosed that more than 99,000 Zimbabweans returning from South Africa have undergone health screening for communicable diseases at border posts.

He said returnees suffering from chronic medical conditions have also been referred to health facilities to ensure they continue receiving treatment without interruption.

The Zimbabwean government said its decision reflects its commitment to protecting legally resident foreign nationals and maintaining its long-standing policy of hospitality, despite growing domestic calls for reciprocal action over the treatment of Zimbabwean migrants in South Africa.

The development comes as migration and recurring xenophobic tensions continue to test relations between South Africa and several countries across the continent.

US Central Command (Centcom) said forces successfully hit Iranian military capabilities, while Iranian state media said Qeshm Island in the Strait of Hormuz had been struck.

Centcom said it also targeted Iran’s Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) responsible for the attack that killed two US troops in Jordan on Friday, where another service member remains missing.

In response to the latest strikes, Iran’s army said it carried out drone attacks on two US bases in Kuwait, according to state media.

The US and Iran have ramped up attacks against each other in recent days, with both sides accused of striking critical infrastructure.

On Saturday, Iran said it carried out “large-scale attacks with kamikaze drones” against an American military “depot at Camp Udairi” and another at “Ali Al Salem Air Base in Kuwait”, according to the IRGC-affiliated Tasnim  news agency.

The US strikes, on the eighth successive night of attacks, were “designed to further degrade Iran’s ability to threaten commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz”, Centcom said.

The strikes were to “swiftly punish Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps forces who launched attacks against American service members in Jordan last night,” the statement continued.

It followed a week of renewed hostilities in which Washington reimposed its blockade of Iranian ports and Tehran declared the Strait of Hormuz closed, as their preliminary ceasefire collapsed less than a month after it began.

In a statement earlier on Saturday, Centcom said: “Two US service members in Jordan were killed in action as US Central Command (Centcom) and partner forces defended against Iranian ballistic missile and drone attacks. Additionally, one service member is currently missing.

“Out of respect for the families, Centcom will withhold additional information, including the identities of the fallen warriors, until 24 hours after the next of kin have been notified.”

US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth responded to the deaths with a post on X that said: “Godspeed, heroes. Their sacrifice only stiffens our resolve.”

The US death toll in the conflict has now risen to 16 after an American Navy pilot who went missing earlier this month was declared dead, marking the second increase in the toll this week.

Washington and Tehran struck a preliminary deal to end the war in June, but the agreement unravelled within weeks – with President Donald Trump declaring the agreement “over” on 8 July.

His son, actor Jason Donovan, confirmed his father died peacefully in Melbourne, Australia on Saturday night.

“Our Dad was a huge character, larger than life. He was our best friend … our world! We will desperately miss him but we take comfort knowing we were all here by his side in his final days,” the post said.

The London-born actor was also popular for his role in Australian police dramas Division 4 and Cop Shop, which aired in the 1970s and 1980s.

Jason’s post, written alongside his brother Paul, said they will take comfort in “knowing that he lived life to the max. Knowing that in life it’s either a daring adventure or nothing at all!”

“How lucky are we to have a Dad like you,” they added.

After moving to Australia as a teenager, Donovan started his career as a singer before he made his screen debut in the early 1960s.

Ten years later, he secured two of his most well known roles as Detective Mick Peters in Division 4, followed by Detective Senior Sergeant Vic Cameron in Cop Shop.

Donovan joined the cast of Neighbours in the 90s as Doug Willis in Neighbours, shortly after his son Jason left the show. He also featured as Al Simpson on Home and Away.

Alongside his six-decade long career in television, his memorable film credits include his role in The Man from Snowy River and Breaker Morant, as well as appearing on stage for a number of performances.

In a tribute, Jason also said his father used his profile during the early 1970s to garner support for an Australian film and television industry after an influx of content from the US and UK.

“The result of that campaign was an obligation on commercial television broadcasters to broadcast Australian stories,” Jason wrote alongside a picture of Donovan marching through the streets of Melbourne under a banner which read ‘T.V. MAKE IT AUSTRALIA NOW’.

“Without people like my Dad we might not have seen the growth in the industry during the 70s and 80s and indirectly, Australian films such as The Man From Snowy River, Breaker Morant, Picnic at Hanging Rock, Priscilla, Muriel’s Wedding, Crocodile Dundee [and] Strictly Ballroom.”

The MV Barima capsized near Iron Punt, on its route from Georgetown to Port Kaituma.

A distress call was received at 23:01 local time (03:01 +1 BST), triggering an urgent search operation involving state and private boats, Public Works Minister Juan Edghill said in a statement posted on social media.

The state of the operation is currently unclear and it is not known whether authorities expect to rescue the remaining passengers.

The MV Barima was built in 1939 and is 40m (131ft) long, according to a listing on VesselFinder.

Edghill said it was fitted with 250 life jackets, two rigid life crafts and six inflatable life crafts.

Prime Minister Mark Phillips is said to be leading the government response.

The US Central Command (Centcom) said four US service members were medically evacuated to hospitals in Jordan but have since been discharged. Others who suffered minor injuries have returned to duty.

Jordan’s military earlier said it had intercepted 10 Iranian missiles fired into its airspace overnight, without reporting any damage.

The US military said it had carried out the seventh consecutive night of strikes on Iran since President Donald Trump declared their temporary ceasefire agreement “over”.

The latest deaths come after a US Navy pilot who went missing earlier this month was declared dead – bringing the American death toll in the ongoing war with Iran to 14.

Under a new Department of Homeland Security (DHS) rule released on Thursday, international students and exchange visitors will generally be limited to four years, while foreign journalists will be admitted for up to 240 days at a time, or just 90 days for Chinese nationals.

Anyone who wants to stay longer will have to apply for an extension or leave the country and apply to come back.

The regulation, which takes effect 60 days after publication in the Federal Register pending congressional review, could impact admissions for college programmes starting in August and September.

It marks the latest step in Trump’s broader crackdown on immigration since returning to office in January 2025.

“For too long, past Administrations have allowed foreign students and other visa holders to remain in the U.S. virtually indefinitely, posing safety risks, costing untold amount of taxpayer dollars, and disadvantaging U.S. citizens,” a DHS news release said when the changes were first proposed last summer.

The administration says the changes will make it easier to keep track of people on these visas.

“DHS has many examples of students and exchange visitors staying for decades in their student or exchange visitor status,” the rule said.

The department said it had found more than 2,100 people who first entered as students from 2000 to 2010 who still had student status in April this year as they enrolled in new programmes, transferred schools or extended their programme dates to remain in the US.

The rule also tightens restrictions on international students transferring schools or changing academic programmes, particularly at the graduate level.

According to the DHS, there were more than 1.8 million student visa admissions in 2024, up more than 11 percent over the previous year.

The department also said the US admitted more than 500,000 exchange visitors and about 37,300 foreign journalists during the 2024 fiscal year, which ended on September 30, 2024.

“The significant increase in the volume of such visitors poses a challenge to DHS’s ability to monitor and oversee these nonimmigrants while they are in the United States,” the department wrote.

It is the latest step in Trump’s broader push to tighten restrictions on both illegal and legal immigration.

In June, the Department of State said it had revoked more than 100,000 visas since Trump returned to office last year, including 8,000 students. Many of those students’ visas were revoked over their  political activism.

Immigration advocates and universities have warned that the policies risk making the US a less attractive place to study, teach or do research by increasing costs and discouraging coming to the US for longer study programmes.

Fricker won the Oscar for best supporting actress in 1990 for playing Daniel Day-Lewis’s on-screen mother in My Left Foot.

She played nurse Megan Roach in the BBC’s Casualty from 1986, making her final appearance in 2010; and was the Central Park pigeon lady in 1992’s Home Alone sequel.

In a statement, her agent Phil Belfield said: “We will never see her like again and the world is lesser for the lack of her.”

He added: “I was honoured to know, love and work with her and she will always have a place in my heart and in the heart of so many film and TV fans the world over.”

Fricker’s former Casualty co-star Derek Thompson, who played long-running character Charlie Fairhead, paid tribute to the actress, telling BBC News: “Truly the best I have ever worked with, and I’ve worked with a lot of actors”.

Cathy Shipton, who played Lisa ‘Duffy’ Duffin, added that Fricker as “one of the most authentic people I’ve ever met”.

“She lived her life courageously warts and all. I loved her for her wit, her intelligence and her brilliant sense of humour,” Shipton told BBC News.

“Life happened when you were around Brenda. We shared a love of dogs – collies and my girl Juno is named after her favourite collie.

“I love her and miss her and am so glad l knew her.”

Born in Dublin, Fricker began her acting career with parts and in TV and the theatre,including Ireland’s first soap opera Tolka Row in the 1960s,ITV soap Coronation Street in 1977, and Licking Hitler, a Play For Today written by David Hare, in 1978.

She was in the cast of the first episode of long-running BBC medical drama Casualty in 1986, remaining a fixture until 1990 and returning regularly in the subsequent years.

She made history in 1990 when she became the first Irish actress to win an Academy Award, beating Hollywood stars including Julia Roberts and Anjelica Huston.

My Left Foot told the true story of an Irish man named Christy Brown, played by Day-Lewis, who was born with cerebral palsy and could control only his left foot. The actor also won an Oscar for his starring role.

Another memorable role came two years later when Fricker was cast as the homeless bird lady befriended by Macaulay Culkin’s Kevin in Home Alone 2.

Her other film credits included 1993’s So I Married An Axe Murderer, 1994’s Angels In The Outfield, 1996’s A Time To Kill and 2003’s Veronica Guerin.

However, she later claimed she would have gone on to have a better career if it hadn’t been for her success at the Oscars.

“What did happen was the old curse of the Oscars, as they call it,” she told the Times in 2024.

The accolade led to her being typecast and overlooked for a lot of roles, including in theatre, she said.

“So there’s a lot that’s not great about an Oscar. And you don’t get any money. They could give you a few bob with it, at least,” she joked.

‘Warmth and toughness in the same breath’

Ireland’s Tánaiste (deputy prime minister) Simon Harris said he was “deeply saddened” by the death of “a national treasure”.

“She was a consummate performer who graced our screens and stages with remarkable talent and authenticity. Brenda brought depth and humanity to every role she undertook,” he said.

“She truly was among the greatest exports this country has ever produced and an ambassador for Irish talent on the world stage. Quite simply, we will never see the like of her ever again.”

The US ambassador to Ireland, Edward Walsh, paid tribute to Fricker as “a giant of Irish film” and praised her “unforgettable” performance in My Left Foot.

Writing on X, he said: “From Dublin to Hollywood, her work brought Ireland’s stories to the world and inspired generations on both sides of the Atlantic.

“She leaves a remarkable legacy, and I extend my deepest condolences to her family, friends, and all who loved her.”

Teenage trauma

Fricker told her life story in her memoir last year, revealing an unstable upbringing in which she was beaten by her mother and groomed at the age of eight by a man who gave her elocution lessons and was sexually fixated with her, but who “never touched me”.

She spent two years in hospital after a bicycle accident at the age of 14, but was truly left “broken” after being raped at 17 at a party, then raped again later by an English actor.

Despite her traumas, she also had fond memories of that era. “When I was growing up, you could be wild and God bless the wild days.”

In that spirit, the path her life took was not calculated, she told The Times. “It’s all been luck… happy accidents.”

The singer made the revelation while arriving in Ghana with members of his team during a live stream with Nigerian streamer Davrel on June 15, 2026.

In a video from the stream, Davido was seen making a phone call to his wife, asking her to send $4,000 to his longtime aide, Lati, after he was unable to access his account.

“Good morning, my love. Please help me send Lati $4,000. I can’t log in and I don’t know why. I love you,” he said during the call.

After the conversation, the award-winning musician explained to a friend why he had relied on his wife to complete the transaction.

Davido said Chioma has taken responsibility for managing his finances because he does not trust himself to handle money due to his spending habits.

“My wife manages my money. I’m a reckless spender, so she’s the one who arranges everything. She’s my life coordinator and I don’t play when it comes to her,” he said.

Watch the video elow:

Davido and the rest of the team walking to the jet and he randomly calls his wife, Chioma to send Lati 4k dollars. Davrel asked if Chioma manages his money, Davido said yes that Chioma handles all his finances cos he’s a very reckless spender 😭😂💔 pic.twitter.com/AYeLVMqdl4

— Oyindamola🙄 (@dammiedammie35) July 15, 2026

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Dozens of others, including school staff, were injured in the crash in the Kapchorwa area on Thursday evening.

Preliminary investigations show the bus suffered a mechanical fault before the driver lost control on Chekwatit Hill, a stretch of road that has been the site of several serious crashes, according to local officials.

“The driver reportedly lost control of the vehicle, which veered off the road, struck a large stone along the roadside, and overturned,” police said.

The bus, carrying pupils from King David Junior School in Ndejje, crashed at about 20:00 local time (17:00 GMT) at Chekwatit village in Kawowo area, police said.

“Sadly, 20 children and 1 adult, who happens to be the founder and director, Mr Tadeo Ssekade, have gone to be with the Lord,” Minister of Local Government, Balaam Ateenyi Barugahara posted on X, while at the scene.

Videos shared by eyewitnesses showed the bus badly damaged, as local residents rushed to help the injured children.

The pupils were returning from a study tour, with local media reporting they had visited the Sipi Falls, a tourist area.

Uganda records thousands of road deaths every year, with speeding, poorly maintained vehicles and dangerous roads among the leading causes, according to traffic authorities.

The latest crash comes amid renewed concern over the safety of school transport after several serious bus accidents were reported in the country in recent weeks.

Gabriel Perez, who had worked at the White House since 2016, is accused of placing bets on words the president would use during major public addresses, including the State of the Union speech.

The trades were made on Kalshi, a prediction markets platform where users can bet on real-world events. The firm confirmed it reported the activity to the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), which regulates the platform.

Kalshi froze Perez’s account before any profits could be withdrawn, according to reports.

The platform told the BBC its analysts noticed unusual betting on “mention markets” – contracts where users predict whether a speaker will use common terms, such as specific countries, economic words, or campaign slogans, in March.

“The words of political leaders like Presidents and Fed chairs cause billions of dollars of movement in FX markets, oil futures, [and] the stock market,” Kalshi said.

Using account data, the company found the user was a federal employee operating White House teleprompters.

The exchange froze more than $90,000 before it could be withdrawn.

Robert DeNault, Kalshi’s head of enforcement, said the firm flagged the trades and had handed evidence to regulators.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said President Trump was aware of the teleprompter operator and that staffer was now on unpaid leave, before adding Perez would no longer work at the White House.

The story, first reported by ABC News, has been confirmed by the BBC’s US partner, CBS News.

Sources said Perez has been “fully cooperative” with the CFTC.

ABC said federal prosecutors in Manhattan declined to open a criminal case.

When contacted by the BBC to confirm it was investigating, the CFTC said it could not “confirm or deny” any probe.

Also read:

• R. Kelly appeals to Trump to commute 31-year prison sentence

• Trump retreat over Hormuz tolls suggests he is struggling to end Iran war

According to court records made public this week by the Office of the Pardon Attorney and first reported by The Guardian, the application is currently pending and seeks a commutation of Kelly’s sentence, not a full presidential pardon.

Kelly, whose full name is Robert Sylvester Kelly, was convicted in 2021 on racketeering charges after prosecutors said he led a criminal enterprise that recruited women and underage girls for illegal sexual activity and the production of child sexual abuse material. He was sentenced to 30 years in prison.

A year later, he was convicted in a separate federal case on three counts involving child sexual abuse images and three counts of child enticement. Although he received another 20-year sentence, all but one year runs concurrently with his earlier sentence, leaving him with a combined 31-year prison term.

The 59-year-old singer is serving his sentence at a federal prison in North Carolina and is not expected to be released until January 2046.

Kelly’s lawyer, Beau Brindley, has been lobbying Trump for executive clemency for more than a year. In 2025, Brindley filed an emergency motion seeking Kelly’s transfer to home detention, alleging that prison officials had conspired with a terminally ill inmate to kill the singer in exchange for an early release.

In a statement at the time, Brindley said: “The only thing that can protect Mr Kelly behind the prison walls now is the fact that now the world is watching. And we will call on the courts and President Trump to help put an end to the corruption that now threatens Mr Kelly’s life.”

However, the emergency motion was later denied by the court.

Kelly has consistently denied the allegations against him, while his request for a presidential commutation remains under review.

The ability to switch programmes and transfer between universities and colleges will also be restricted. Until now, higher education institutions had the power to grant visa extensions.

The policy, which comes into effect in September, “combats rampant visa abuse, and strengthens national security through regular vetting”, the Department of Homeland Security said.

The Association of International Educators described the new rules as “misguided and unnecessary”.

Before now, foreign students on F-1 visas and J-1 exchange visas were admitted to the US under “duration of status”, which meant they could remain in the country for as long as it took to finish their degrees. The new rules will put a time limit on that stay.

Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin said: “For decades, foreign students have been admitted into the US indefinitely, allowing thousands to abuse our immigration system by perpetually enrolling in courses to avoid having to leave the US.”

While most US undergraduate programmes are four years, graduate-level programmes, such as doctorates, typically take longer to complete.

Most international students are enrolled in graduate level courses, especially those in the science and technology fields.

Those courses typically require more time to complete and publish research. Funding shortfalls for research and personal circumstances can also often lengthen the study period.

Under the new rules, foreign students will also now have 30 days to pack up and leave after graduation or change to a different visa category – down from the previous 60-day grace period.

NAFSA: Association of International Educators, a non-profit that advises schools on foreign student enrollment, criticised the new rules.

Its chief executive, Fanta Aw, said the new policy “injects uncertainty, bureaucracy, and fear into a system that has long worked effectively. It is a solution in search of a problem.”

The new rules are part of a broader approach by the Trump administration to reduce the number of foreign students and restrict immigration to the US.

The administration has sought to cap the number of foreign students at some elite colleges and moved to revoke the visas of students who have been critical of US foreign policy.

Meanwhile, Trump on Wednesday praised Iran for freeing Dena Karari, a US detainee that he said had been “wrongfully detained” in December 2024.

“The United States of America appreciates this gesture of Goodwill by Iran!” Trump wrote on Truth Social.

Karari’s attorney, Jared Genser, said she was on her way back to the US.

However, Iran’s judiciary on Thursday said that no US prisoner had been released or exchanged from its prisons, Iranian state media reported.

The development was announced by the the Executive Secretary of the National Identification Authority (NIA), Wisdom Yayra Koku Deku on X, formally Twitter. 

According to the Executive Secretary of NIA , Ghana’s Ambassador to Spain, Kalsoume Sinare Baffoe, officially handed over the first Ghana Card issued at the new registration centre to a Ghanaian applicant.

The NIA is urging Ghanaians residing in Spain who are yet to obtain a Ghana Card to begin the registration process by visiting the NIA’s online portal, where applicants will undergo an interview with officials in Accra before being scheduled to visit the registration centre for biometric capture and card issuance.

The opening of the centre forms part of the Authority’s efforts to expand access to the Ghana Card for Ghanaians living outside the country and strengthen national identity management.

The lecturer, who teaches Biology, was reportedly confronted after students claimed he had repeatedly made sexual advances towards the student.

According to reports, the student, with the support of some colleagues, allegedly set a trap for the lecturer. When she entered his office, she reportedly raised an alarm, prompting other students to rush to the scene.

Students who arrived allegedly found the lecturer in his underwear and attempted to gain access to the room. The lecturer reportedly locked the laboratory door as students gathered outside.

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A video circulating online showed students forcing their way into the room, after which the lecturer allegedly attempted to escape by climbing through a window.

The lecturer was later arrested and taken into custody as authorities began investigations into the allegations.

The incident has sparked concerns among students and members of the public over allegations of abuse of authority and inappropriate relationships between lecturers and students.

Authorities of the institution are yet to officially comment on the matter or provide details on the next steps in the investigation.

The country’s civil protection department said firefighters were still working to contain the blaze as of 06:50 local time (05:50 GMT) on Thursday.

Authorities have not yet disclosed the ages or identities of those who died or were injured in the incident.

The civil protection department said five people with special needs were rescued during the fire and moved to a safe location.

The cause of the blaze remains unclear, with authorities expected to begin investigations into the circumstances surrounding the incident.

Emergency teams continue to assess the extent of the damage and provide support to those affected.

Police confirmed that Andile Mvuyelwa Somgxada, the Gauteng province leader of March and March, was shot outside his home east of Johannesburg earlier this month and died several days later in hospital.

“It’s a retaliation,” March and March spokesperson Sandile Dube told the BBC, explaining how the movement believed he was targeted because of its campaign to get undocumented migrants to leave the country.

He said other leaders of March and March, which has been organising anti-migrant demonstrations across the country, had recently received warnings or death threats.

“This seems like an orchestrated hitman type of killing,” Dube told the BBC’s Newsday programme, urging the authorities to get to the bottom of the matter and the intimidation the organisation was facing.

Acting police chief Lt Gen Puleng Dimpane has announced a multidisciplinary team to investigate the shooting, which he said underscored the seriousness with which the service was treating the case.

“We are committed to conducting a thorough investigation to establish the circumstances surrounding this murder and to ensure accountability,” she said in a statement on Tuesday evening.

Immigration – especially undocumented migration – has become a highly contentious  political issue in South Africa, with protesters accusing them of placing pressure on public services, as well as being involved in crime.

March and March had set an unofficial deadline of 30 June for all migrants without papers to leave the country. Protesters have promised to stage weekly marches until their demands are met.

The South African government has said more than 53,000 foreign nationals have been deported or repatriated since it launched a “migration management” campaign five weeks ago.

Xenophobia has long been an issue in South Africa, which is Africa’s wealthiest nation and has long attracted migrants searching for better economic opportunities.

It has sometimes led to violence – and this current round of demonstrations has seen violence, intimidation and looting.

On Tuesday, five people were arrested in Limpopo province for allegedly impersonating immigration officers and unlawfully demanding foreign nationals leave the country.

The police said the incident involved a Nigerian national – who was legally in South Africa – being intimidated and forced to close his business by the suspects.

Gallo Images via Getty Images

“The law applies equally to everyone; no individual or group has the authority to conduct immigration inspections, verify legal status, or remove people from communities” – Lt Gen Puleng Dimpane, Acting Police Commissioner.

Lt Gen Dimpane issued a “stern warning” to those who “continue to intimidate, harass and perpetrate violence against foreign nationals”.

“The law applies equally to everyone,” she said.

“No individual or group has the authority to conduct immigration inspections, verify legal status, or remove people from communities.”

When questioned on how some foreign nationals had been treated by anti-migrant protesters, Dube said March and March rejected “any form of violence – we reject any form of anti-law”.

There are more than three million documented foreign nationals in South Africa, according to official figures, which does not account for those in the country illegally.

Several countries, including Ghana, Kenya, Malawi, Nigeria and Uganda, have been organising flights or buses for their citizens to return home in recent weeks.

On Wednesday, the last flight organised by the Nigerian government under its voluntary repatriation scheme landed in Lagos carrying 306 passengers. More than 1,200 Nigerians have now returned under the programme.

A report of a vessel in distress came in at 15:37 local time (22:37 GMT), San Francisco Fire Department chief Dean Crispen said.

A marine unit first on the scene witnessed a man in the water “in severe distress” and initiated CPR, Crispen said. He was declared deceased when brought to shore.

He said 20 adults, mostly family members, were on the three-deck pontoon boat, a 50ft (15m) cabin cruiser called Volare, and they were “engaging in some kind of memorial service”.

Authorities said a search and rescue operation by the San Francisco Fire Department and the US Coast Guard would continue throughout the evening.

Three people on the boat were injured and taken to a local hospital, where they were in a stable condition, Crispen told a news conference.

The man who died was 79-year-old Clifford Joseph Boisa, said the San Francisco medical examiner’s office.

Boisa was a resident of Sutter County, which is around a two-hour drive north-west of San Francisco.

The other 13 members on the boat returned safely to shore and were not injured.

The fire department chief said the initial alert had indicated a vessel was on fire.

But he said later there was no evidence of a blaze when the fire service arrived at the scene, with witnesses reporting rough seas and a vessel that began to take on water and was turned over in the bay.

Longshoreman Justin Marceline, who, alongside fisherman Mike Montoya, helped rescue people from the vessel, according to Reuters, said it was “complete chaos when we showed up”.

“Every time we had to grab a person, each one of them, either they were exhausted, or they were frantic and were flailing,” Marceline said.

The Rastafarian community had argued that the ban on smoking cannabis infringed on their rights to freedom of religion and belief guaranteed under the constitution.

In a landmark judgement, Justice Bahati Mwamuye said the community had failed to prove drug laws violated their constitutional rights, but acknowledged the need for a broader national debate on cannabis.

There has been a continued push to legalise cannabis in Kenya, with advocates arguing that its regulated cultivation and trade could create jobs, boost tax revenue and support industrial and medicinal uses.

Under Kenya’s Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (Control) Act, possession of cannabis remains a criminal offence.

A person convicted of possessing cannabis solely for personal use is liable to up to five years’ imprisonment or a fine of up to $800 (£600).

Cultivating cannabis carries a penalty of a fine of $1,900 or three times the market value of the plants, whichever is greater, and/or up to 20 years in jail.

More severe penalties apply to trafficking and other drug-related offences.

In their petition, the Rastafari Society of Kenya had argued that cannabis was a sacred sacrament in their faith and sought permission for followers to grow, possess and use it privately during worship without fear of arrest.

It maintained it was not asking for the wholesale legalisation of cannabis, but a limited exemption for religious purposes in private homes and designated places of worship.

In their submission, the Rastafarians argued that smoking cannabis was part of their religious doctrine which must be respected and upheld.

But the state opposed their plea, arguing that creating a religious exemption would undermine the enforcement of Kenya’s anti-drug laws and could create loopholes for illegal cannabis trafficking.

Justice Mwamuye also found that the evidence presented on the centrality of cannabis to the Rastafari faith was inconsistent and insufficient to establish that its use was an essential element of the religion.

He upheld the constitutionality of the drug laws prohibiting the cultivation, possession and use of cannabis, dealing a major blow to the Rastafarians’ six-year legal battle.

The judge noted that any exemption permitting the use of cannabis for religious purposes would require a sound constitutional and legal foundation.

“We ought to have frank conversations on cannabis and which directions we should take,” Justice Mwamuye said.

“This is not a question for the Rastafarian community only. It is a national question that cuts across the entire spectrum of our society,” he added.

The community’s lawyer Danstan Omari said they would appeal against the court ruling.

“Kenya cannot be the only country that is harassing the Rastafarian people. We are determined to reverse that [court’s ruling] and bring back the dignity and respect of the Rastafarians in Kenya,” he said.

The judgment comes seven years after another High Court ruling recognised Rastafarianism as a protected religion in Kenya, finding that a school’s decision to expel a student over her dreadlocks violated her constitutional rights.

The number of Rastafarians in Kenya is unknown, but the movement is thought to be growing, especially among young people.

Their tradition of wearing dreadlocks also resonates with Kenya’s anti-colonial history as many of the Mau Mau fighters who resisted British rule in the 1950s wore their hair long and matted as a symbol of defiance.

The seizure was made at about 2:00 a.m. on July 12, 2026, by the Commercial Customs Brigade of Karang..

According to a report by the Gambia Youth And Women’s Forum, the suspect was travelling on a public transport vehicle from a neighbouring country when officers intercepted him and conducted a search.

During the inspection, officials discovered that the ecstasy pills had been carefully hidden inside the man’s prosthetic leg in what authorities described as an unusually sophisticated smuggling method.

Customs officials said the seizure underscores the increasingly complex tactics being employed by criminal networks to transport illicit drugs across borders.

The suspect has been taken into custody and is expected to be arraigned before the High Court to face legal proceedings.

Authorities say investigations are ongoing to establish the full circumstances surrounding the attempted drug trafficking operation and to identify any other individuals connected to the case.

Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said the Strait of Hormuz would remain shut until the US ended its “acts of aggression”. They also threatened to close off other regional oil and gas export channels.

The warning came as the US military’s Central Command (Centcom) said it had carried out drone, air and navy strikes on Iran on Wednesday morning, following another seven-hour operation overnight.

Fresh hostilities between the US and Iran in recent days have served to underscore the strategic importance of the Strait to the global economy.

The renewed attacks have also triggered a sharp rise in oil prices, as tanker traffic through the vital shipping route has virtually stalled.

Wednesday morning’s strikes “further degraded Iran’s ability to attack commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz”, Centcom said in a statement.

A 90-minute wave was used to target Iran’s coastal defences and cruise missile storage and launch sites on Greater Tunb Island, the Centcom officials added.

On Tuesday, US President Donald Trump vowed to strike Iran’s bridges and power plants next week if the country did not return to talks.

“I’ll save the energy targets for last, but ultimately we’ll hit energy targets,” Trump said in an interview on Special Report with Bret Baier that aired on Tuesday night.

The escalation in rhetoric came after Trump said a 20% toll he had threatened to impose in the Strait of Hormuz would be replaced by “massive” trade and investment deals with Gulf states.

A previous threat by Trump to bomb Iran’s civilian infrastructure, which was made in April, drew condemnation at the time from UN human rights chief Volker Türk, who said: “Under international law, deliberately attacking civilians and civilian infrastructure is a war crime.”

A renewed US blockade on Iranian ports was imposed on Tuesday evening, which stops vessels from transiting to and from Iranian ports and coastal areas.

The blockade had previously been lifted as part of a deal that was struck by the two countries last month – known as a memorandum of understanding – that aimed to end the months-conflict.

However, a dispute over the strait has become a key point of contention.

In response to the renewal of the US blockade, Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) warned the US that it should “expect the closure of other oil and gas export routes that serve the interests of the United States and its allies”. It did not elaborate on which routes could be affected.

Meanwhile, Iran’s state-run broadcaster reported that the country’s army had carried out separate attacks on US targets in Jordan, Kuwait and Bahrain.

The US allies also said they intercepted drones and missiles launched from Iran.

The charges had been dropped on health grounds, Information Minister Chernor Bah told the BBC.

The 72-year-old former president has always denied involvement in the November 2023 attempted coup when gunmen broke into a military armoury and several prisons, freeing almost 2,000 inmates.

Responding to his case being dropped, Koroma noted his “enduring conviction that peace, justice and reconciliation must always triumph over adversity”.

In his statement on Tuesday, Koroma also expressed gratitude towards Sierra Leonean President Julius Maada Bio, Nigerian President Bola Tinubu and the West African regional bloc Ecowas for their support.

After Koroma was charged and placed under house arrest, Ecowas brokered a deal with the government of Sierra Leone, allowing the former president to go into exile in Nigeria and seek medical attention there.

The attorney general had then filed to discontinue the case against Koroma and drop the charges, Bah said.

“The former president is therefore free to return to Sierra Leone at a time of his choosing and to go about his normal business,” he added.

Koroma led Sierra Leone for 11 years until 2018, when current President Bio was elected.

Eleven civilians and 24 soldiers were found guilty of involvement in the coup attempt and received long prison terms in 2024.

Around 20 people were killed in the uprising, which came five months after a disputed election which saw President Bio narrowly re-elected for a second term.

The results were rejected by Koroma’s All People’s Congress. International observers also criticised the elections, highlighting a lack of transparency in the count.

On Monday morning, in a social media post announcing the resumption of an American naval blockade on Iranian shipping, he said that all vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz – including those of US allies – must pay a 20% fee to reimburse the US “for any and all costs necessary to do the job of providing safety and security to this very volatile section of the world”.

The following day, he abandoned that proposal completely, instead offering to strike “trade and investment deals” with America’s Gulf allies, implying that the US would offer them safe passage through the Strait in return.

The abrupt about-face was the latest twist in a conflict that has now lasted more than four months and, despite a month old “memorandum of understanding” that secured a temporary ceasefire and set up a framework for negotiations, shows no sign of ending.

Trump may be reluctant to escalate the war given its continued unpopularity, the likelihood of rising energy prices and the risks associated with America forces and allies once again coming under Iranian attack. He might find the prospect of ending the conflict without reaching an agreement he can claim is better than the one Barack Obama’s administration negotiated in 2015 also distasteful, however.

“I think the most likely ending is a non-ending,” Rosemary Kelanid, Director of the Middle East program at Defense Priorities “This has turned into a war of attrition, and wars of attrition tend to go on for a long, long period of time.”

The US-Iran memorandum of understanding (MOU) – and the hopes that came with it for an end to the war – died at 10:16 ET (16:16 BST) on Tuesday on Truth Social, when Trump announced a resumption of the US blockade of Iranian shipping, amidst a flurry of new US military strikes on targets across Iran.

The Iranians countered by stepping up attacks on US allies and commercial shipping in the region, grinding traffic through the Strait of Hormuz to a near standstill once more.

After nearly a month of on-again, off-again negotiations between the two nations, punctuated by occasional hostilities that tested the definition of a “ceasefire”, Trump and the Americans appear to be facing the same challenges that had been present through much of the Iran War.

While militarily, the Americans were achieving their objectives, as measured in Iranian ships, planes and targets destroyed and defence capabilities degraded, politically the conflict was far from resolved.

Iran, militarily weakened though it may be, could still deny access to the Strait of Hormuz. And unless the Americans are willing to dramatically escalate their military operations in the region, there was little they could do to stop them.

Trump’s new twist of a 20% fee – possibly a means of making that military commitment more palatable to the American public – wasn’t entirely new. He had suggested such an arrangement on several occasions over the course of the war.

But just last month, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio had condemned an Iranian plan to charge “fees” on shipping through Hormuz.

“No country is allowed to charge tolls or fees on an international waterway,” he said. “That’s existing international law. That’s the way it is in international waterways all over the world, and that’s the way we expect it here.”

Trump’s Hormuz U-turn is just the latest evidence of a president who does not appear to have a clear path forward. The memorandum of understanding, which both Americans and Iranians claimed as a victory for their side, was intentionally vague, leaving much up to later negotiation.

The document envisioned some role for Iran in overseeing shipping in Hormuz. It read: “The Islamic Republic of Iran will make arrangements using its best efforts for the safe passage of commercial vessels with no charge”.

This is a role that Iran has been intent on asserting. The MOU also included billions of dollars in promised “investment” in Iran and an end to international sanctions.

Americans may have believed those sweeteners, accompanied by warnings of the consequences of noncompliance, would be enough to dissuade Iran from attempting to use its geographic advantages to more forcefully assert control over Hormuz. That calculation, at least for the moment, appears incorrect.

“The MOU is completely dead,” said Kelanid. “All of the things that it stipulated have now been undone.”

Now Trump, and the Iranians, find themselves in a familiar predicament. The latter are once again facing American military attacks across their territory, underlining their inability to defend their territorial sovereignty. With the reimposed blockade, their oil revenue – a lifeline for the Iranian regime – is again cut off.

Meanwhile, Trump is again facing a choice between escalation, which comes with domestic economic and political costs, and settling for some kind of resolution that leaves a hostile Iranian regime in power.

“We’re back to where we were initially, where the question was: who’s got more patience?” said Elliot Abrams, senior fellow for Middle Eastern studies at the Council on Foreign Relations. “The Iranians, who will not be able to export oil, or the US and other countries that use Persian gulf oil?”

After months of concern that the Iran war was triggering a new round of popularity-crushing inflation, Trump received some good news on Tuesday that consumer prices were dropping.

A resumption of full hostilities, or even an escalation in the conflict, would inevitably push oil prices back toward previous highs, endangering that positive trend and again putting Republicans in a tenuous position heading into November’s midterm congressional elections.

On Monday, after Trump’s Truth Social post, the price of a barrel of oil jumped nearly 10% – the biggest one-day increase in six years.

The first time around, Trump’s blockade helped pressure the Iranians to the negotiating table and set the table for the memorandum of understanding and a framework for a more lasting peace.

Now, according to Kelanid, the president’s leverage over Iran may be diminished.

“He has already tried the things he can easily do, can credibly do,” she said. “He can attack military targets, regime targets. He’s done that before, and it didn’t cause Iran to surrender.”

The latest target Trump has suggested is Pickaxe Mountain, a heavily fortified nuclear research site south of Tehran. But there is conflicting evidence of the value of the site – or of whether US airstrikes can cause significant damage to the tunnels which are deep beneath granite rock.

If Trump’s latest moves do ultimately end with yet another ceasefire and face-to-face talks, the underlying, difficult-to-reconcile disagreements – over Hormuz, over the disposition of Iran’s nuclear programme, over Iran’s influence in the Middle East – remain.

“I think there’s room for negotiation here over a Strait of Hormuz deal,” said Abrams. “But not a return to the MOU.”

With the war approaching its fifth month, Trump again on Monday noted that other American conflicts – including the Vietnam War – stretched on for years.

That particular quagmire, however, hobbled and ultimately ended the presidency of Lyndon Baines Johnson and damaged US global standing for at least a decade. That is a fate Trump is certainly hoping to avoid.

His supporters also are weary to repeat the kind of Middle East “forever wars” that Trump condemned in previous presidential campaigns.

But with the memorandum of understanding in tatters, the ceasefire ended and the prospect of further conflict looming, the end of the Iran War appears no closer to a resolution than it was in the weeks after it began.

According to the Embassy, normal consular operations will resume on Monday, August 3, 2026, and members of the public are encouraged to plan their travel and documentation needs in advance to avoid disruptions.

In a public notice issued on Tuesday, July 14, the Embassy said the temporary suspension would affect most non-emergency consular services during the maintenance period.

Services that will not be available include walk-in notarial services and Consular Reports of Death Abroad, both of which will resume once regular operations restart.

However, the Embassy noted that some essential services would continue during the period.

Applicants who have already received email confirmation that their U.S. passport or Consular Report of Birth Abroad (CRBA) is ready for collection will still be able to pick up their documents every Thursday between 1:30 p.m. and 3:00 p.m.

The Embassy also said adult passport renewal applications submitted through its drop-box service would continue to be processed throughout the maintenance period. Applicants have been advised to follow the instructions provided on the Embassy’s official website.

Emergency consular assistance for U.S. citizens in Ghana will also remain available. Americans requiring urgent support have been encouraged to contact the Embassy’s duty officer through its emergency telephone line.

The Embassy urged travellers, U.S. citizens, and other clients with pending consular matters to plan ahead to minimise inconvenience before the temporary suspension begins on July 20.

The Embassy further encouraged the public to check its website regularly for updates on the restoration of full services and any additional operational changes.

The Consular Section of the U.S. Embassy in Accra provides a range of services to both U.S. citizens and visa applicants, including passport issuance and renewals, registration of births abroad, notarial services, emergency assistance and other citizenship-related services.

While routine services will be temporarily scaled back during the maintenance period, the Embassy stressed that emergency assistance will continue uninterrupted.

Travellers, U.S. citizens and anyone with pending consular matters have been advised to make the necessary arrangements before the temporary suspension takes effect on July 20.

Also read:

• US Embassy warns Ghanaians on visa fraud, illegal immigration risks

• Most Ghanaians in US not registered with embassy – Ambassador

The comments in a Fox News interview aired as the two countries exchanged fire for the fourth day in a row.

Earlier, Trump reversed a threat to impose a 20% fee on all Strait of Hormuz cargo shipping but resumed the blockade of Iranian ports.

“Next week it gets really bad for them,” Trump said. “We’re going to knock out all their power plants. We’re going to knock out all their bridges unless they get to the table and negotiate,” he said, repeating earlier threats condemned at the time by UN officials.

After Trump threatened in April to bomb civilian infrastructure in Iran, including bridges and power plants, UN human rights chief, Volker Türk said: “Under international law, deliberately attacking civilians and civilian infrastructure is a war crime.”

The 1949 Geneva Conventions on humanitarian conduct in war prohibit attacks on sites considered essential for civilians.

“I’ll save the energy targets for last, but ultimately we’ll hit energy targets,” Trump said in an interview on “Special Report with Bret Baier” that aired on Tuesday night.

He said US negotiators had conveyed to their Iranian counterparts on Tuesday evening that they “‘better make a deal, or you’re not going to have anything left'”.

The escalation in rhetoric comes afterTrump said a 20% toll he had threatened to impose in the Strait of Hormuz would be replaced by “massive” trade and investment deals with Gulf states. His announcement came hours before the US resumed its blockade of Iranian ports.

Renewed strikes between the US and Iran triggered a sharp rise in oil prices as tanker traffic through the Strait has virtually stalled.

US Central Command (Centcom) said late on Tuesday its “forces began launching an additional round of strikes against Iran to continue degrading Iranian capabilities used to attack commercial shipping” in the key waterway.

In a statement late on Tuesday, US Admiral Brad Cooper said Iran had “intentionally targeted civilians” in the region by attacking seven commercial ships, which had resulted in “nearly a dozen civilian crew members killed, missing, or injured”.

The United Arab Emirates said on Monday night that Iranian cruise missiles had targeted two national tankers, killing an Indian crew member and wounding eight others, four seriously.

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) later confirmed the strikes via a statement to Telegram, where it said two tankers had ignored warnings, turned off navigation systems and attempted to pass through a mined route.

It was unclear which other attacks the Centcom statement was referring to. The IRGC did not immediately comment.

In the early hours of Wednesday, Kuwait’s military said it was intercepting Iranian attack drones, while Bahrain activated air raid sirens.

“Kuwaiti air defences are currently engaging hostile drone attacks following the nefarious Iranian aggression,” the Kuwaiti army said. Bahrain’s interior ministry urged citizens and residents to remain calm and head to the nearest safe place.

Tehran said on Tuesday it had targeted US military facilities in Bahrain and Jordan after earlier hitting two United Arab Emirates tankers.

The ongoing strikes have underscored the strategic importance of the Strait of Hormuz. Iran accuses the US of interfering in its management of Hormuz – but controlling it means Tehran can also threaten the global economy.

Trump on Monday declared that the US was now the “guardian” of the Strait of Hormuz, and vowed to impose a 20% charge on all cargo shipped through the waterway to pay for protecting it.

Raising the stakes further, Trump said the US would also reimpose its naval blockade on Iran in a bid to further squeeze the country’s struggling economy.

In his latest post on Truth Social, Trump wrote: “I have decided to replace the 20% United States Reimbursement Fee with Trade and Investment Deals that the various Gulf States will be making into the United States.

“Those Investments will be MASSIVE but, at the same time, extraordinarily good for them, and their future.” The US president provided no further details.

He also said the strait “is open to ALL Ship traffic except for Iran” and that “oil is flowing like never before, thanks to the awesome Power of the United States Military”.

Speaking later after talks in Washington with the new Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi, Trump said: “I don’t like the concept of a fee, but at the same time, it’s not fair that we’re protecting this Strait for the entire world.”

He said he had changed his initial fee plan after receiving numerous calls from Gulf leaders.

In response to Trump’s announcement, Iran said it would remain in control of the Strait of Hormuz.

Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi said Trump’s blockade decision “has, in a way, dismantled” an earlier agreed truce deal, the AFP news agency reported.

Gharibabadi also told state television, as quoted by Reuters news agency: “If the US thinks that by tightening its measures against us, its military actions and its economic blockade, we will return to negotiations, it is making a mistake.”

The US first imposed a naval blockade of all Iranian ports in April to put pressure on Tehran. Roughly five weeks later, the US military said it had redirected 100 commercial vessels and disabled four under the blockade.

The US lifted the blockade in June as part of a deal – known as a memorandum of understanding – between the two countries that aimed to end the conflict, but a dispute over the strait has become a key point of contention.

Meanwhile, shipping data shows traffic through the strait has slowed to a two-month low. The benchmark Brent Crude oil price has also risen sharply.

The allegations were contained in a statement from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Ohio following Kumi’s extradition from Ghana to the United States to face charges of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and conspiracy to commit money laundering.

According to court documents, Kumi and his alleged accomplice, Daniel Yussif, were part of a criminal network that targeted elderly victims across the United States between April 2023 and November 2025.

Prosecutors allege that the group identified victims through online dating platforms and social media, with a focus on elderly widows and divorcees. They are accused of creating fake female profiles and using those identities to develop romantic relationships with victims before persuading them to send money under false pretences.

The U.S. Department of Justice said Kumi allegedly used “advanced techniques,” including AI-driven video platforms, to communicate with victims while posing as fictitious women.

Other members of the alleged scheme are said to have used encrypted messaging platforms and phone calls to maintain the false identities and strengthen the deception.

Investigators allege that victims were convinced they were involved in genuine romantic relationships before being persuaded to send funds based on fabricated claims involving gold and diamond inheritances.

The money was allegedly transferred into bank accounts controlled by members of the network and later distributed to accomplices in Ghana and other countries.

Prosecutors further allege that the group relied on money mules in Ghana and members of the Ghanaian immigrant community in the United States to launder millions of dollars through shell businesses and bank accounts.

According to U.S. authorities, the alleged operation generated more than $8 million from over 80 elderly victims.

Kumi is also accused of using proceeds from the alleged fraud to acquire luxury properties and vehicles, including a mansion in Ghana, a Lamborghini, a Tesla Cybertruck, a Mercedes-Benz and a BMW. The assets have since been seized by law enforcement authorities.

He was arrested in Ghana on December 11, 2025, and extradited to the United States on July 9, 2026.

Kumi faces charges of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and conspiracy to commit money laundering. Prosecutors are also seeking the forfeiture of assets they allege were purchased with proceeds from the scheme.

If convicted, he could face up to 20 years in prison on each count. Any sentence, however, will be determined by the court after considering relevant factors, including his alleged role in the offences and any criminal history.

Kumi is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of law.

Dennis Miracles Aboagye released after meeting GH¢50 million EOCO bail conditions

Scientists at the University of Oxford started developing the vaccine eight weeks ago when a public health emergency was declared on 17 May.

It is the first – out of four vaccines under development – to enter clinical trials.

Volunteers are being recruited, with the first doses expected to be given to healthy adults in the UK “within weeks”.

The Ebola epidemic, centred on the Democratic Republic of the Congo has killed 625 people with 1,792 laboratory confirmed cases.

It is caused by the Bundibugyo species of Ebola, which has started two outbreaks before.

The six different species of Ebola are known as “sisters rather than twins” because while they are similar, they need separate treatments and vaccines. It means there are no approved drugs or vaccines this time.

The outbreak is still not under control and is taking place in a conflict zone with very mobile populations – heightening the need for a vaccine to help stop the spread of disease.

Dr Katrina Pollock, the chief investigator of the trial based at the University of Oxford, told the BBC: “We’re doing phase one (early stage) trials of new vaccines all of the time, precisely to be ready for exactly this kind of outbreak.”

The trial will be on 50 healthy adults aged 18-55. Researchers are also working with partners in Uganda to prepare for trials in Africa.

Volunteers will be monitored for a year, but scientists should know quickly whether the vaccine is producing the right kind of immune response or any unexpected side effects.

The Oxford team have been able to develop their vaccine in a matter of weeks because they are using the same technology that shot to fame during the Covid pandemic and was used in the Oxford/AstraZeneca Covid vaccine.

It uses a common cold virus that infects chimpanzees that has been genetically modified to make it safe.

This acts like an envelope and all the researchers need to do is change the letter inside before posting it into the body.

In Covid, the letter being delivered was a snippet of genetic code from the Covid virus.

This time it’s a snippet from the Bundibugyo species of Ebola.

The vaccine does not cause an infection, but the piece of the genetic code starts producing one viral protein from Ebola inside the body.

This is enough to trigger the immune system to recognise a threat and mount an immune response.

That means the body should already have a head start if it encounters Ebolavirus for real.

The vaccine has been developed, tested on mice and macaque monkeys, and is being manufactured to a clinical standard by the Serum Institute of India. It has manufactured and stockpiled around 620,000 doses.

Based on that data, the UK’s Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency has given the go-ahead for human trials.

Vaccine researcher Alex Sampson told the BBC: “As soon as we heard there was an outbreak, we were able to scale up really, really quickly.”

Vaccines can normally take up to a decade to research, develop and prove effective. But Sampson says no corners are being cut.

“We’re doing all the same tests that we would normally do, just we’re able to do them in parallel, so it means a lot of teams working in lots of different places around the clock, but we’re still doing everything that we would normally,” he added.

The Oxford Covid vaccine was estimated to have saved six million lives in the first year it was used around the world and hundreds of millions of doses have been taken.

However, the vaccine was also restricted for use in some countries because of rare blood clots which affected up to one in 100,000 people.

It is possible this vaccine carries the same risk, although this is much lower than the threat from the Bundibugyo species of Ebola which kills around a third of those infected.

Pollock said severe side effects are “very rare” and they thought “very deeply” about the implications for trials on healthy people, and that any risk would be communicated to volunteers.

“I want to stress that the Covid AstraZeneca vaccine was given to millions of people safely,” she added.

There are three other vaccines being developed for the Bundibugyo species of Ebola.

These include one from biotechnology company Moderna using their mRNA vaccine technology. The International Aids Vaccine Initiative and Public Health Vaccines, based out of the US, are using the same technique that has been proven to work for another species of Ebola, but is slower to manufacture.

In the latest incident, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) said agents were monitoring an address in Biddeford for a person with a final order of removal at around 07:00 EDT (11:00 GMT) on Monday.

When ICE tried to stop someone driving from that address, “the vehicle attempted to flee the scene and, fearing for public safety, an officer discharged his weapon”, ICE said, adding “the driver of the vehicle was struck”.

Dozens of demonstrators gathered in Biddeford afterwards.

ICE did not share details on why the officer feared for safety.

Maine’s top prosecutor said the incident involved an officer from ICE’s Enforcement and Removal Operations department, and the agent has been placed on leave pending an investigation.

Initial statements indicate “the subject attempted to flee in a vehicle in the direction of the officer and was fatally shot”, said Maine’s Attorney General Aaron Frey, a Democrat.

The name of the deceased man is not being released until he is formally identified and his family are notified, the statement added.

The inspector general’s office for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), which oversees ICE, is taking over the investigation, according to Senator Susan Collins, a Republican representing Maine.

Fellow Maine Senator Angus King, a political independent, said he was initially told by DHS chief Markwayne Mullin that the person who was shot dead was a target of an arrest warrant in an immigration operation.

But hours later, King said Mullin called him to say the man was actually not the target of a warrant; his office told the BBC.

The person who was killed was a Colombian national, the Embassy of Colombia confirmed.

The Embassy said it has “requested information and clarification” from DHS “regarding the circumstances surrounding this lamentable death and will continue to follow the case closely as the investigation progresses”.

According to the Maine Immigrants’ Rights Coalition, the person who was killed was a 26-year old Colombian authorised to work in the US.

“He was a member of our community, a neighbour, and a human being whose life was cut tragically short,” the organisation said in a statement, which did not name the man.

Protests broke out in Biddeford, 18 miles (30km) south of Portland, following the shooting. Others gathered outside the entrance of Collins’ office to protest against her vote to fund ICE.

The senator has called for a “full and impartial investigation of what happened”.

One witness told the Biddeford Gazette that at around 07:20 local time, he saw lights flashing from an unmarked white SUV, and “at least two officers wearing green ICE vests”.

Lucas Scott, a Biddeford resident, said the agents were shouting as they surrounded a white sedan. He then heard at least four gunshots.

Another witness told the Associated Press (AP) news agency that the man who was killed lived nearby with his wife and daughter.

“I watched a wife fall to her knees looking at her husband’s dead body on the ground,” Mary Hayes said.

“I watched a little girl crying with a little pink backpack on because she’s never going to see her father again.”

Senator King said that Mullin, the head of DHS, had told him the man was shot after attempting to drive his car at police.

“He was in a vehicle – pulled out in the vehicle, and the term the secretary used was ‘weaponised’ the vehicle and was shot by an ICE agent,” King said.

He added that officers involved did not wear body cameras, and that officials would be investigating whether deadly force was necessary.

“That’s what this investigation is all about and I certainly intend to stay after it to do everything I can to be sure the investigation is as transparent and thorough as possible,” King said, according to the AP.

The incident draws renewed scrutiny on DHS and ICE.

On 7 July, an ICE officer fatally shot 52-year-old builder Lorenzo Salgado Araujo as he was driving to a construction site in Houston.

Federal officials later acknowledged that the Mexican man was not the intended target of the enforcement operation, but they said he had tried to run over an ICE agent.

Mullin took over leadership of DHS in March, replacing Kristi Noem after she was fired by US President Donald Trump.

Noem’s tenure saw fatal shootings by immigration officers of two protesters, Alex Pretti and Renee Good, both American citizens.

The deaths of Pretti and Good came after the Trump administration announced immigration enforcement surges in Minnesota and other states.

Federal officials launched a similar operation in Maine in January, dubbed Operation Catch of the Day.

Civil rights organisations filed a lawsuit alleging that federal agents used aggressive tactics during enforcement surges.

The US president said they were hitting Iran “very hard” as strikes were launched for the third consecutive night amid escalating attacks between the two countries.

Iran’s foreign minister responded to the announcement of a blockade by saying that Tehran would remain the Strait’s “GUARDIAN” – using Trump’s word.

The dispute over control of the Strait of Hormuz threatens to derail efforts to end their war, but Trump insisted a deal was still possible.

As tensions over the international waterway ramped up, the United Arab Emirates said on Monday night that Iranian cruise missiles targeted two national tankers, killing an Indian crew member and wounding eight others, four of which were serious.

Six of those injured were Indian, while two were Ukrainian, the UAE Ministry of Defence said in a statement on X.

“The Ministry of Defence condemns this brazen attack, which constitutes a serious violation and a clear breach of international law, threatening the security and stability of the region,” it said.

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) later confirmed the strikes via a statement to Telegram, where it said two tankers had ignored warnings, turned off navigation systems and attempted to pass through a mined route.

In response, the IRGC said it had hit the tankers and disabled them.

It added that “co-operation with the aggressor enemy” would only lead to regret, damage and delays in opening the Strait – as well as the “creation of an energy crisis in the world”.

Oil prices edged higher in Asian trade on Tuesday. Brent crude was up by 0.7% at $83.87 (£62.79) a barrel, while US-traded oil was 0.9% higher at $79.04.

That followed a more than 9% jump in the price of Brent on Monday as the conflict escalated.

The strait remains a key flashpoint between the US and Iran, with both sides clashing over the waterway’s control on Monday after exchanging strikes in the region over Sunday night.

In a Truth Social post earlier in the day, Trump said the US was reinstating a naval blockade of Iranian ports and would impose a 20% charge on all cargo shipped through the Strait of Hormuz.

He said this would stop “Iran’s ships or customers” from entering or leaving the key oil shipping route, but “all other countries will have fair and open use of the Strait”. The blockade will be in effect from 16:00 Eastern Time (20:00 GMT) on Tuesday.

“The U.S.A. will be, from this point forward, known as “THE GUARDIAN OF THE HORMUZ STRAIT,” but as such, and as a matter of FAIRNESS, will be reimbursed, at the rate of 20% on all cargo shipped, for any and all costs necessary to do the job of providing safety and security to this very volatile section of the World,” he wrote.

Speaking to reporters at the White House, Trump said the US was “hitting them very hard”.

“We’re knocking out all of their offensive capability. And we’re controlling the Strait,” he added.

Asked about peace talks between the two countries, he said: “Yeah, I think a deal is possible, sure, I do.”

US Central Command (Centcom) said the strikes were launched at 16:45 Eastern Time (20:45 GMT) on Monday at “the Commander in Chief’s direction”.

Several hours later, it confirmed it had struck military targets across Iran, including Bushehr, Chah Bahar, Jask, Konarak, Abu Musa, and Bandar Abbas, which it says was to “further degrade Iran’s ability to attack commercial shipping”.

Iran’s army said it had targeted US military assets in Kuwait in response, Iranian state media reported.

Attacks were also launched on Bahrain, where the IRGC said it destroyed several weapons depots, a satellite communications centre and a building housing US forces.

Trump earlier told Fox News the US would “probably run” the Strait of Hormuz, claiming that Iran “broke” a deal that was made with the US.

“We are taking over the strait,” he said.

Centcom said its forces “will resume blockading maritime traffic entering and exiting Iranian ports” on 14 July.

“The US military continues to support traffic flow through regional waters for all vessels not violating the blockade,” a Centcom statement said.

Last Friday, Trump notified Congress in a letter, seen by the BBC, that the US had resumed military action in Iran on 7 July.

Federal law requires congressional approval to continue military actions for more than 60 days. The White House can also extend the deadline for another 30 days, citing national security.

Responding to Trump’sStrait of Hormuz announcement, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi wrote in a post on X: “POTUS is absolutely right. Whoever provides secure and safe passage of commercial vessels through the Strait of Hormuz should be compensated for this service.”

He continued: “Iran has always been the GUARDIAN of the Strait and will remain so FOREVER.”

“20% is of course too much. We will be fair,” Araghchi added.

Meanwhile, a spokesperson for the International Maritime Organisation – the UN agency regulating global shipping – was quoted by Reuters news agency as saying that “IMO stands firmly against charging fees for passage through straits used for international navigation”.

“There is no legal basis through which to introduce mandatory tolls simply to transit through a strait,” the spokesperson added.

Before Trump’s announcement, Iran’s top military headquarters said it would not allow the US to “interfere in the management” of the Strait of Hormuz.

In a statement shared by Iranian media, Ebrahim Zolfaghari, spokesperson of Khatam al-Anbiya, said “repeated adventurism and malicious actions” from the US in the strait have “seriously endangered regional security, international trade and the passage of oil tankers and commercial vessels”.

Any co-operation with the US would be considered an act of “war” against Iran’s sovereignty, he added, warning that if the conflict spreads “the flames of war will engulf all the countries of the region”.

What Trump’s latest announcement means in practice remains unclear.

United Nations rules allow countries to exercise control of territorial seas up to 12 nautical miles (13.8 miles) from their coastline. At the narrowest point, the Strait of Hormuz and its shipping lanes lie entirely within Iran and Oman’s territorial waters.

Iran effectively shut down the strait – through which some 25% of the world’s oil and 20% of global liquefied natural gas previously passed – after the US and Israel launched strikes against Iran on 28 February.

Tehran retaliated by firing missiles and drones on Israel and US military bases in a number of Gulf countries.

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) also earlier fired on commercial ships attempting to go through the strait without its permission, and seized two vessels. Maritime traffic through the strait dropped dramatically, triggering a rise in oil prices.

The US first imposed a naval blockade of all Iranian ports in April to put pressure on Tehran. Roughly five weeks later, the US military said it had redirected 100 commercial vessels and disabled four under the blockade.

The US lifted the blockade in June as part of a memorandum of understanding between the two countries that aimed to end the conflict, but disputes over the strait resurfaced.

Now, many US allies are likely to baulk at the prospect of reimbursing the US and paying 20% of all cargo shipped – and Trump detractors at home and abroad are likely to point out that the strait was open and unencumbered before the war began.

The announcement could also become politically complicated for the president domestically.

Some lawmakers – including fellow Republicans – had openly questioned what the US gained from the ceasefire, its extension and further negotiations.

Many Americans are also likely to wonder why – despite repeated promises to the contrary – oil prices are inching up again. Trump is not on the ballot for the upcoming midterm elections, but other Republicans are and will be hearing from constituents concerned about prices.

The announcement could also be a bid to restart negotiations and push other countries to be more involved, a tactic that Trump has used in the past.

Most were from Malawi, Zimbabwe, and Mozambique, officials say, and the number is likely to rise as repatriations and deportations continue.

South Africa is carrying out one of its biggest crackdowns on undocumented migrants in years, following weeks of anti-immigration protests that have seen violence, intimidation and looting.

Protesters have been demanding tighter border controls and mass deportations, accusing migrants of contributing to high unemployment, rising crime rates and collapse of public services.

The UN has warned against using migrants as scapegoats for South Africa’s socioeconomic challenges.

Anti-migrant activists have threatened to stage weekly protests to pressure the government until their demands are met, and there are fears the protests could turn violent.

The demonstrators had set an “unofficial deadline” of 30 June for all undocumented migrants to leave the country, which has seen many foreigners leave to escape violence and intimidation.

Several countries, including Ghana, Nigeria, Uganda and Kenya, have flown their citizens home in recent weeks.

Justice and Constitutional Development Minister Mmamoloko Kubayi announced on Sunday that 53,499 foreign nationals have been processed for deportation and repatriation, “which is dominated by the Malawians, followed by Zimbabweans and Mozambicans”.

“We are striving to achieve an orderly and regular migration which is mindful and sensitive to the concerns raised by our people, while observing human rights and dignity of all people in our country, irrespective of their citizenship and immigration status,” Kubayi told a news conference in Pretoria.

She said the repatriation and deportation process has helped them catch people who were wanted by the police for alleged criminal activity.

Authorities will continue to enforce its immigration laws, she added, but warned that protesters should not conduct unauthorised searches of homes and businesses that are suspected of sheltering undocumented migrants.

South Africa’s President Cyril Ramaphosa has acknowledged public concerns about immigration but has condemned attacks against migrants, warning citizens against taking the law into their own hands.

South Africa is the continent’s wealthiest nation and has long attracted migrants searching for better economic opportunities, some of whom enter the illegally.

The man, dressed in a white shirt and shorts, can be seen getting into a red vehicle outside a house in Rotherham with a long object appearing to protrude from his shorts pocket, in footage time-stamped at 07:51 on Wednesday, first reported by the Sun.

On Thursday, 78-year-old Widdecombe was found dead at her home in Haytor, Devon, having sustained serious injuries.

Her death sparked a manhunt, which culminated in the arrest of a 28-year-old white British man in Rotherham, South Yorkshire at around 21:00 on Saturday.

Police were continuing to question the suspect on Monday.

Devon and Cornwall Police earlier said there was “nothing to suggest” the murder was politically motivated.

Assistant Chief Constable Matt Longman said officers remained “open-minded” about a potential motive and that there was not thought to be any threat to the wider public.

Devon and Cornwall Police previously said it believed Widdecombe was attacked on Wednesday at about 12:30.

The distance between Widdecombe’s home and Rotherham, where the 28-year-old was arrested, is about 270 miles (430km) – about a four-and-a-half-hour drive.

At least two police vehicles were seen parked outside a property in Rotherham believed to be connected to the investigation on Sunday, which was cordoned off while officers and forensic teams worked at the scene.

Speaking to BBC News on Sunday, one neighbour said: “I was making some food in the kitchen and looked out the window, there was loads of banging, and there was armed police in the pathway and they just went into the house and pulled [the suspect] out.”

Another neighbour said police took a red car off the drive.

Widdecombe served as the Conservative MP for Maidstone for 23 years, holding ministerial roles in Sir John Major’s government between 1994 and 1997.

Following her departure from the Commons in 2010, Widdecombe appeared on BBC’s Strictly Come Dancing that year, and was a runner-up on Celebrity Big Brother eight years later.

She joined the Brexit Party in 2019, where she represented South West England as its MEP from 2019 to 2020.

On Sunday, about 40 mourners gathered in Haytor Vale to pay tribute to Widdecombe.

Hostilities, which flared up again this week, continued on Saturday after the US said it had struck more than 140 targets across Iran. The attacks were a response to Iranian forces hitting a ship passing through the strait, which it said was using an unapproved route.

Iran has been trying to assert control over the waterway, and early on Sunday said it was closed until further notice.

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) also launched wide-ranging attacks on US bases and allies across the region on Sunday, marking an escalation in the scale of hostilities.

It said it had hit a US base in Jordan, while the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Qatar, Kuwait, Oman and Bahrain all said they had responded to missiles and drones from Iran.

The BBC has approached US Central Command(Centcom) for comment on the attack in Jordan.

Qatar, a mediator in ceasefire talks, had not been attacked since April, while the UAE had not been attacked since May.

On Sunday evening, Centcom announced another round of strikes against Iran, which it said started at 17:00 ET (22:00 BST) and would “continue degrading their ability to attack civilian mariners and commercial ships freely transiting the Strait of Hormuz”.

On Sunday afternoon, Iran’s IRNA news agency said missiles were launched by the “enemy” towards Qeshm Island – a strategically important island in the Gulf, home to an important IRGC base.

The renewed fire has put in jeopardy an interim ceasefire agreement signed last month, which aimed ​to reopen the Strait and eventually bring a permanent end to the conflict.

Earlier this week, US President Donald Trump declared the Iranian attacks meant the ceasefire was over, while Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi accused the US of violating the deal.

However, Trump said talks would still continue and mediators were trying to revive the process.

US media reported that Iran told American officials attacks on tankers earlier this week were a mistake and blamed a rogue internal group.

The latest hostilities were sparked after the IRGC said it had fired a naval cruise missile at a vessel that was attempting to sail along an unapproved route.

US Central Command (Centcom) said the IRGC “blatantly attacked” a Cyprus-flagged vessel which was “unable to continue its journey” due to damage to the engine room.

A crew member from the MV GFS Galaxy ship was missing, it added.

The UK’s Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) said it had been informed by military authorities that the crew of the vessel were forced to abandon ship and were in a lifeboat.

“Iran was provided yet another opportunity to demonstrate adherence to the Memorandum of Understanding after being held accountable for earlier attacks on commercial vessels but has again failed,” Centcom wrote on X.

It said US strikes hit 140 Iranian military targets, including missile and drone sites, communication networks, and coastal surveillance locations.

The statement was shared by US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, who wrote: “Iran made a poor choice. Now they pay.”

The IRGC said the US had targeted “a number of coastal bases and telecommunications towers on the southern coast”.

In response, Iran said its “first phase” of retaliation included strikes on the Prince Hassan Air Base in Jordan, saying it had destroyed the base’s command and control centre and MQ9 drone hangars.

On Sunday, US Central Command reiterated the Strait was open, warning the US military was in position to make sure it stayed free-flowing.

Earlier Iran’s parliamentary speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, who is also the country’s chief negotiator with the US, wrote on X that the “era of one-sided deals is OVER”.

He went on: “We told you: keep your word or pay the price. Reality is knocking.”

Speaking in a recent interview with media personality Joey Akan, Iyke argued that many former students, including himself, are now doing far better than their tutors. 

He added that many successful and wealthy people in society don’t have formal education or aren’t academically accomplished. 

He said the true path to success is learning from one’s parents’ or mentors’ experiences, as well as survival and economic skills.

Iyke said, “There is some truth to ‘school na scam.’ I am doing better than all my lecturers. I once met one of my lecturers, who is now late, on a plane, and we both knew who was doing better. If I had taken everything he taught me verbatim and applied it in my pursuit, I wouldn’t have been successful. 

“I will tell you what worked. It is what the uncles, the traders who barely went to school, told me. They told me to go left at all times and never right. The father who told me to forget theories, know when to be ruthless, conform, or stand my ground, and which books to read.

“Some of the wealthiest men in the world did not get it from the classroom. How many of them have PhD? I have a PhD holder who works for me. We can argue all we want, but school is partly a scam.”

Also read:

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The figure, from a team at Imperial College London, the Met Office and the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, is based on what’s known about the dangers of extreme heat.

Most deaths will have occurred in the June heatwave, they say – the warmest June on record in England, when temperatures hit 37.7C (99.9F) at Lingwood, Norfolk, smashing the previous high of 35.6C (96F) set in 1957.

A rare red heat alert was issued for parts of England and Wales at the time, warning even healthy people of the significant risk to life.

Silent killer

May temperatures, meanwhile, hit a new UK high of 35.1C at Kew Gardens on May 26 – a significant increase on the previous high mark of 32.8C, which had been set back in 1922 and equalled in 1944.

Both heatwaves were caused by a “heat dome” – a stalled area of high pressure that trapped hot air over the region, say experts.

The heat dome was made worse by human-induced climate change, the researchers say. This has warmed the planet by around 1.4C since pre-industrial times and scientists believe it added between 3 and 4C to the maximum temperatures recorded in May and June.

Hot tropical nights added to the sweltering conditions, offering little respite.

Many UK homes are not built to cope, leaving people vulnerable to prolonged, high temperatures.

Heat puts immense physical strain on the body, made worse if you are dehydrated, with the heart pumping harder and faster to cool you off.

Babies and older people are among those most at risk of harm, as well as those with existing health conditions.

It can lead to more heart attacks, strokes and other potentially fatal emergencies.

Intense heat can affect anyone, including fit and healthy people, and is dubbed a ‘silent killer’ because early symptoms are easily overlooked.

And when the hot air is very wet or humid, like it was in June, it’s more difficult for the body to cool down through sweating.

Heatwaves could become more frequent

The study uses death records from previous years to model or estimate how many there might have been in May and June 2026.

It makes assumptions about how badly people were affected by the heat, so the findings may not play out.

One of the researchers, Dr Clair Barnes, who is an expert in extreme weather and climate change at Imperial College London, said: “If by putting out these estimates we highlight to people how dangerous it is and they change their behaviour next time there’s a heatwave and our estimates turn out to be high, I will be thrilled.

“These are big numbers and we don’t want to see this many people dying.”

Experts thought 2025 was going to be a very bad year for heat-related deaths, but the numbers who died turned out to be much lower than expected – roughly half the 3,039 predicted.

Heat health alerts, alongside action taken across the NHS and care system are likely to have reduced the impact, the UKHSA said.

Some of the researchers believe, on current trajectories, heat-related deaths in parts of northern Europe could begin to rival cold-related ones within a couple of decades – though they stress that outcome depends heavily on how fast the world cuts climate emissions and how well countries adapt.

Heatwaves are expected to become more frequent, more intense and longer-lasting the more greenhouse gases are emitted.

Kauana Bilhar, 27, of Brazil, was recently traveling to the United Arab Emirates when she fatally fell from the high-rise, her mother, Darla Bilhar, confirmed in a heartbreaking social media post.

The model’s partner, Barbara Abrantes, had been with her at the time, and was the one to break the harrowing news to her family, according to the Sun.

Authorities have not determined whether her death was a suicide, a freak accident or a murder, according to Brazilian outlet Globo. The exact date of her death was not immediately clear.

“There are no words capable of expressing the magnitude of the longing you left behind,” Darla Bilhar posted on Instagram in a touching tribute to her daughter. “Today you are no longer by my side as I dreamed, but you will live forever within me.” 

“I love you infinitely, my girl. Until the day we can meet again,” the influencer’s mother wrote Wednesday.

The grieving mom has traveled to Dubai to speak with investigators and arrange to have her body brought back to Brazil.

The influencer’s family reportedly learned about her death from her partner, Barbara Abrantes, with whom Bilhar had just celebrated her engagement, according to her social media posts.

Kauana Bilhar had more than 21,000 followers on Instagram alone, where she posted videos and photos of her luxurious trips abroad and designer clothing.

As the investigation continues, Dalar Bilhar declared that her “daughter deserves respect” after her social media post was flooded with hateful comments, according to Jam Press.

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) identified the suspect as Will Jessica Ann, who was arrested on Monday, July 6, during the arrival clearance of passengers on Qatar Airways Flight QR1433 from Doha. She was travelling with her three-year-old son.

According to reports, officers discovered 14 large blocks of heroin concealed inside two suitcases linked to the suspect.

The agency said the woman initially denied travelling with any checked baggage. However, further checks revealed that the luggage tags on the suitcases matched the claim tags attached to her passport.

Faced with the evidence, she reportedly admitted ownership of the bags, claiming she had forgotten she had checked them in.

The NDLEA said preliminary investigations indicated that the suspect travelled from Cambodia through Doha before arriving in Abuja.

The agency also alleged that intelligence gathered during the investigation links the suspect and her husband, Jan Coenraad De Jager, to a transnational drug trafficking syndicate operating along the Cambodia–South Africa route.

The suspect remains in the custody of the NDLEA as investigations continue.