The actor said he is still struggling to come to terms with the death and is uncertain how long it will take him to fully overcome the grief.

In a video shared on his social media pages on August 13, 2026, IK Ogbonna expressed gratitude to fans, friends and family members for their support, prayers and kind words during the difficult period.

“I just want to say thank you to everyone that has shown support with your love, prayers and kind words. It has not been easy,” he said.

He acknowledged that the grieving process had been difficult and said he hoped time would eventually help him heal.

“I don’t know if this is something I would ever be out of, but I pray that with time, I will be able to get out of it,” he added.

According to the actor, Alexx Ekubo’s death has deeply affected not only him but also the late actor’s family, friends and fans.

“It’s been a very crazy period for not just myself but for friends, fans and family of Alexx. His death is a big blow, honestly,” he stated.

IK Ogbonna explained that the emotional toll of the loss has also affected his social media activity over the past three months.

“For the past three months, I have not been very active on my social media; it’s not like I don’t want to, but I guess it’s a psychological thing,” he said.

He revealed that although he continues to take photographs and record videos, he often lacks the motivation to share them with his followers.

“I will make pictures and videos, but I don’t have the zeal to post them,” he explained.

Despite his grief, the actor acknowledged the need to gradually resume his professional activities and return to his usual routine.

He said he intends to get back to work and social media activities as he continues to process the loss.

“We have to get back to work somehow, someway,” IK Ogbonna said.

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Luigi Mangione, 28, revealed for the first time through his allocution to the court that he posed as a potential investor and emailed the insurance giant to confirm the location of the investors conference so he could track Thompson’s location.

“I emailed UnitedHealthcare with the intent to shoot Brian Thompson,” Mangione said in his statement. “On the morning of Dec. 4, 2024 I shot Mr. Thompson in Manhattan in his back.”

The admitted gunman said he “understood my actions would place [Thompson] in fear of death and bodily injury” and that he “knew what I was doing was illegal.”

Mangione also told the judge that he was driven to kill Thompson because of his experience with the healthcare system as a patient with a back injury. Prosecutors have previously said that Mangione had no personal connection to UnitedHealthcare and he was never a customer.

Thompson’s family issued a rare public statement after the plea hearing, calling it “an important step toward justice for Brian and for our family.”

“While nothing will ease the pain of losing him, we are grateful that the federal justice system has held the person responsible for this heinous act accountable,” the statement said. “Now we look to the court to ensure that sentencing reflects the severity of this crime.”

Mangione faces a maximum sentence of life in prison and prosecutors suggested that his sentencing range under federal guidelines would be 24 to 30 years in prison. Prosecutors later clarified that they would be recommending life in prison, the steepest sentence available.

He will be sentenced at a separate hearing Dec. 18 and the final sentence will be determined by the judge who has full discretion.

His federal court guilty plea is expected to kick off a double jeopardy fight in state court where he still faces murder charges and the possibility of life in prison. Mangione’s defense is expected to argue that the cases cover the same alleged conduct and that proceeding with a state court trial would amount to a legal violation.

“Since December 2024, the Manhattan D.A.’s Office has been tirelessly preparing to pursue a trial conviction in New York State Supreme Court for the alleged cold-blooded murder of Brian Thompson,” a spokesperson for the Manhattan District Attorney’s office said following the federal hearing. “While federal sentencing is pending, we are prepared to litigate the defense motions. The Manhattan D.A.’s Office remains committed to seeking justice for Mr. Thompson and his family.”

Following the guilty plea, Mangione’s lawyer Karen Friedman Agnifilo said, “We just filed our motion in state court explaining why the state charges must be dismissed under New York’s double jeopardy protections.”

She also discussed Mangione’s rationale.

“As Luigi explained in court today, he endured years of severe debilitating pain following a broken back while struggling to navigate our healthcare and health insurance systems,” Friedman Agnifilo said.

“He believed that the system had failed him and destroyed his life,” the attorney added.

The upcoming double jeopardy fight could stall proceedings in New York Supreme Court where he’s set to stand trial Sept. 8. It could also lead to litigation in appeals court.

The suspect, identified as Aisha Musa, was arrested after allegedly mixing a poisonous substance into her husband’s food on August 12, 2026.

According to the command’s spokesperson, SP Nafiu Habib, police received a distress call from an anonymous woman and quickly moved to the scene.

The husband was subsequently taken to the Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University Teaching Hospital in Bauchi, where he is currently receiving treatment.

Police arrested Aisha shortly after the incident. She allegedly confessed during interrogation, although investigations into the circumstances surrounding the incident are continuing.

As part of the investigation, officers reportedly recovered an empty bottle suspected to have contained the poisonous substance, together with remnants of the meal allegedly laced with the substance.

The items have been preserved as exhibits as police work to establish the circumstances surrounding the alleged poisoning.

The case comes barely six weeks after the couple reportedly got married.

President Mahama is expected to assume the AU Chairmanship in January next year.

The committee is chaired by Member of Parliament for North Tongu, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, and brings together diplomats, academics, public servants and other experts with extensive experience in African affairs.

The committee members are Dr Mohamed Ibn Chambas, Amb. Kwasi Quartey, Amb. Chris Kpodo, Amb. Amma A. Twum-Amoah, Dr Delese Mimi Darko, Amb. William Awinador-Kanyirige, Mr Larry Gbevlo-Lartey, Dr Edem Adzogenu, Amb. Khadija Iddrisu, Amb. Francis D. Kotia, Dr Obodai Torto and Mr Clarence Amoatey.

Mr Ablakwa said President Mahama is determined to have an “impactful and transformative tenure” as AU Chairman from day one to meet the expectations of Africa’s 1.5 billion people.

He commended members of the committee for their dedication and sacrifices and called on the public to share their views on the issues they believe President Mahama should prioritise during his tenure.

• Masra, a former prime ​minister, was sentenced to 20 years and ⁠fined 1 billion CFA francs ($1.77 million) last year ​in a trial that was criticised by ​human rights activists as politically motivated.
• Masra will be released in the coming days, the statement said, after the ​presidency agreed to a request for ​a pardon submitted by his attorneys.
• Masra was internationally recognised ‌as ⁠the most vocal figure in the opposition. He will be freed along with eight other political figures, the statement said.
• “These nine individuals ​will be ​released as ⁠soon as the Ministry of Justice makes the necessary arrangements in ​the coming hours and days,” the ​presidency ⁠said.
• “They have been pardoned by the Head of State. However, the pardon does not waive ⁠the ​civil penalties, which remain enforceable.”

The authority said the process would be halted nationwide with immediate effect, citing concerns over reports of violence that had “resulted in the theft of marked ballot papers in ballot boxes”.

President Hakainde Hichilema is seeking a second five-year term. Brian Mundubile is the main opposition candidate among 13 challengers.

The electoral commission had previously set a target to announce the results by the end of Sunday.

Counting got underway immediately after polls closed on Thursday, but no official results had been declared when the halt in the count came into effect.

In Friday’s statement the commission said it would review the decision to suspend vote counting within the next 24 hours.

Just hours before the commission’s statement, Mundubile expressed “grave concern” over delays in announcing the presidential results, warning that the delay could create opportunities for interference or manipulation.

He cited what he described as “deeply troubling reports” from several areas, including alleged military involvement at totalling centres and allegations concerning the movement of ballot boxes.

He called for the immediate publication of results polling station by polling station, protection of the chain of custody and investigations into the reported incidents.

Hichilema also issued a statement urging Zambians to “remain peaceful, patient and patriotic as we await the official outcome from those entrusted with managing the vote”.

Polling day was largely peaceful, with queues reported in many areas and only isolated delays. Along with electing a president and MPs, the more than eight million registered voters had the chance to choose a new parliament and local councils.

Thursday’s vote was seen as a test of Zambia’s reputation as one of Africa’s most stable democracies, amid concerns that  political freedoms are being undermined.

Despite 14 candidates being on the presidential ballot paper, the contest was largely seen as a two-horse race between the incumbent and his main challenger Mundubile – running on the banner of the National Reconciliation Party for Unity and Prosperity (NRPUP).

Hichilema is credited with steering Zambia through a difficult economic climate but his popularity was dented as many people said their circumstances have not improved. Mundubile hoped to capitalise on that dissatisfaction.

Mundubile is a former minister in the Patriotic Front (PF)  government that ruled from 2011 to 2021, with his alliance drawing support from backers of the late former President, Edgar Lungu.

Lungu died more than a year ago and his body remains unburied in South Africa, amid a bitter dispute between Lungu’s family and Hichilema, which has heightened political divisions in Zambia.

Hichilema, 64, won the 2021 election on his sixth attempt and is betting on job creation and an ambitious infrastructure drive to secure a second and final term.

The election was seen as a referendum on his economic record, which has boasted debt restructuring, currency strengthening and lowered inflation.

But his United Party for National Development (UPND) government has also been criticised by Amnesty International for restricting rights and freedoms in the run-up to this election, an accusation that Zambian authorities have yet to comment on.

Civil society monitors reported mostly orderly voting alongside some incidents of delays and procedural issues. International observers are present.

Mwiche Nalupumbwe, 26, was among hundreds who braved Thursday’s morning chill to queue at polling stations well before they opened.

“Zambians are frustrated and this election is a 50-50, that is why we are all here early to make the change,” he told the AFP news agency.

“I voted for HH because he cares about us,” James Phiri, a 29-year-old student at the University of Zambia, told the Reuters news agency, using a common nickname for the president.

“Things are better after he re-introduced meal allowances,” he said.

Samuel Chitendwe, a 47-year-old welder and father of four, said he voted for Mundubile.

“I have just come from firing someone. We are tired of stories about economic progress,” he told Reuters.

If no presidential candidate gets more than 50% of the vote a run-off must be held within 37 days.

Additional reporting by Natasha Booty

Correction 14 August 2026: This story was amended to say the Sunday deadline for announcing the result was one set by the electoral commission and not the law.

The works, with an estimated combined worth of about $200,000 (£148,000), were found on Thursday at a home in São Bernardo do Campo, a suburb south of the city. A 44-year-old male suspect was arrested at the scene.

During the heist at Biblioteca Mário de Andrade on 7 December last year, two thieves overpowered a security guard and an elderly couple who had been visiting the library, before making off with the artworks through the main entrance on foot.

Three other people were previously arrested in relation to the case.

Five engravings by the Brazilian artist Candido Portinari, also taken during the robbery, have not yet been recovered. Police in São Paulo said they suspected the works had been sold.

João Paulo Linhares de Araujo, the man arrested on Thursday, is suspected by police of having stored the Matisse artworks on behalf of those accused of being involved in the theft, as well as illegal possession of a firearm.

Laéssio Rodrigues de Oliveira, 53, described by Brazilian media as a prolific art thief, is suspected of having planned and directed the crime, according to Brazilian news outlet Globo.

He has been in custody since April after being arrested in relation to another case.

Another man and a woman have also been arrested over the library heist.

The Matisse illustrations, made for the limited-edition art book Jazz, along with five engravings by Portinari, created to illustrate a special edition of the novel Menino de engheno (Plantation Boy) by Brazilian writer José Lins do Rego, formed part of a joint exhibition with the São Paulo Museum of Modern Art.

The thieves targeted the exhibition, entitled From Book to Museum, on its final day.

They reportedly entered the library by its main entrance mid-morning and headed towards the nearest metro station following the heist.

Investigators said the theives placed the stolen artworks in a canvas bag to flee the scene.

The local department of culture said the illustrations had already been returned to the library, the security of which had been improved.

Matisse is widely considered to be one of the 20th Century’s most influential artists and art critics say the value of the stolen works is “incalculable”.

Portinari, who often painted rural workers and labourers, is one of the most significant Brazilian Modernist artists.

Shareholders are claiming the pop star failed to fulfil promises that she would be “actively building” the brand, saying her “abject dereliction of her duties” has left the company in a “state of financial calamity”.

The lawsuit seeks to recover around $1.2m (£890,000) it claims was invested as well as costs and damages.

The BBC has contacted Wondermind and Gomez’s representatives for comment.

Gomez, who rose to fame as a child actor before moving into pop music, set up the mental health platform five years ago with her mother Mandy Teefey and businesswoman Daniella Pierson. It came after Gomez publicly discussed her own mental health struggles, including with bipolar disorder.

The 34-year-old is one of the most-followed women in the world on social media, with over 500 million followers, and an estimated net worth of nearly $1bn. She also founded cosmetics company Rare Beauty, in 2020, which is closely associated with her name and image.

Wondermind aimed to make mental health-related content more accessible through a digital platform, recruiting investors to back the venture.

But the lawsuit claims Wondermind’s founders “falsely represented” their position by suggesting “a full slate” of ad deals, celebrity cover stories, an app and other initiatives were already underway and promising that Gomez would take an active role as its head of marketing.

“Gomez purported ‌to ⁠sign a contract obligating her to perform and then ignored it,” the lawsuit claims.

Gomez is currently listed as a co-founder on Wonderminds website, below her mother who is now in the chief executive role, following Pierson’s departure from the company.

The individuals behind the suit, based in New York and Florida, include Brent Saunders, chief executive of eye-health company Bausch + Lomb.

The claimants’ lawsuit alleges Wondermind failed to meet “even its most basic obligations, such as timely paying its employees and vendors”.

Promises including Wondermind’s partnerships and app never materialised, according to the claim.

“For three years, while the company quietly collapsed around them, not one of its founders, officers, or directors said a word to the investors whose money was funding the collapse,” the complaint states.

They said they were unaware of the company’s difficulties until an investigative news story by the online magazine, The Cut, surfaced in September 2025.

That report made allegations about Wondermind’s finances and issues with its management, according to the lawsuit.

The article showed that “Wondermind had no plan for its future – much less a plan for achieving a multi-billion dollar valuation,” the lawsuit claims.

The discovery involved Fred Kwarteng, the Embassy’s IT officer, whose office was searched during a special audit of the Mission, covering the period January 2017 to June 2025.

During the inspection, auditors recovered 18 passport booklets from Mr. Kwarteng’s office. Four of the booklets were blank biometric passport booklets.

One contained Mr Kwarteng’s own image, while the remaining active passport booklets could not be accounted for. Also recovered were fifty-nine (59) used and unused visa stickers, materials that are supposed to be tightly controlled.

Biometric passport booklets are sensitive security documents issued by the  Government of Ghana and require strict custody, inventory management and accountability procedures, according to the auditors.

Every booklet received, issued or held in storage at a diplomatic mission is expected to be properly accounted for. The discovery came despite an earlier internal review that had already raised concerns about the management of biometric passport booklets at the Embassy.

A May 2021 internal audit identified weaknesses in record-keeping and stock management practices. Records from Ridge PAC, Ghana’s biometric passport production partner, showed discrepancies between passport booklet numbers supplied to the Mission and those recorded by the Embassy.

Although the total number of booklets supplied and recorded matched, the differences in serial numbers raised concerns over possible manipulation.

The internal review also found that the Mission was holding excess stocks of biometric passport booklets, increasing the risk of theft or misuse. The review recommended stronger controls, including setting appropriate reorder levels based on usage and ensuring proper reconciliation of passport inventory.

Inside Fred Kwarteng’s Office

However, during the subsequent audit by the Auditor-General, the Embassy could not provide a complete account of passport stock management between 2016 and 2025.

Management was also unable to explain how blank biometric passport booklets came into Mr. Kwarteng’s custody or why earlier recommendations on inventory control had not been implemented.

The possession of blank passport booklets and visa stickers became more significant because Mr Kwarteng also provided visa and passport application support services through a private company whose website he directed traffic to from the official website of Ghana’s Embassy in Washington, D.C.

The circumstances surrounding the materials found in his office, the audit noted, “presuppose” that Mr. Kwarteng may have been engaged in fraudulent issuance of passports and visas outside official Embassy processes.

A source who worked at the embassy at the time, however, told Pledge Against Corruption that the auditors’ conclusion may be wrong.

The source, who wants to remain anonymous, explained that Fred Kwarteng often liaised with printers of Ghana’s passport booklets, so there was a time when some errors occurred during the printing process, resulting in discrepancies in serial numbers.

When it was corrected, some passport booklets whose serial numbers had been duplicated could no longer be used and those may still have been in Mr Kwarteng’s office during the audit.

A forensic examination of 15 empty passport booklets retrieved during the investigation confirmed that they were genuine Ghana passport stock.

The booklets contained standard security features, including Supreme Court watermarks, UV-responsive elements featuring the Parliament House, Coat of Arms and Fawohodie symbol, as well as micro-text reading “Republic of Ghana.”

However, seven of the 15 booklets examined had security deficiencies on their biodata pages. The identified defects included the absence of polycarbonate overlay, missing thermochromic print, missing Optical Variable Ink (OVI), irregular Machine-Readable Zone (MRZ) alignment and cancellation markings.

Beyond the passport materials, the auditors also said they uncovered what appeared to be attempts to conceal digital records in Kwarteng’s office.

The desktop computer assigned to him was found without an internal Solid-State Drive (SSD), the component responsible for storing files and system information. Physical inspection showed that the primary storage device had been removed, leaving the computer without its internal storage medium.

Investigators also recovered multiple electronic devices and storage media associated with Mr. Kwarteng’s office, including six used SATA hard drives, Dell Latitude, MacBook Pro and Lenovo ThinkPad laptops, an iPad tablet, Samsung and iPhone mobile devices, and RAM modules.

The removal of the SSD, combined with the presence of multiple storage devices, created concerns that sensitive consular information may have been copied, removed, altered or destroyed before the inspection.

The audit report said, “Examination of the office environment revealed signs of disruption and disorder consistent with a hurried removal of equipment and documents.

Several drawers and shelves were found open and disorganised, with documents, storage media, cables, and electronic components scattered across the workspace. The condition of the office, including dismantled computer components and removed storage hardware, strongly suggests that the computer system had been tampered with prior to the audit inspection.

“Given that the SSD typically contains the operating system, user files, emails, and system logs, its removal effectively eliminates access to potentially critical electronic records.

This raises a reasonable suspicion that the storage device was intentionally removed to prevent auditors from examining digital records that could provide evidence of unauthorised activities, including possible manipulation of passport records, visa processing data, or financial transactions.”

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The settlers had besieged residents in three homes in the area since Sunday, cutting off their power and water supplies.

Qusra Mayor, Abdel Azim Wadi, told the BBC that his village had been declared a closed military zone – and Israeli forces were using some of the vacated Palestinian houses as barracks. The Israeli military said the aim was “to protect the residents”.

An Israeli spokesman told the BBC the settlers’ action was “deplorable” and “unacceptable” and the  government would investigate and arrest those responsible.

“The Israeli army is acting against it, and we are investigating it and we will arrest those responsible and we will prosecute them,” David Mencer said.

Settlers have been emboldened by the rapid expansion of settlements under the current Israeli government – leading to a dramatic rise in settler violence as they try to drive Palestinians off their land.

All settlements are illegal under international law.

Of the besieged families’ three homes in Qusra, which are made up of the Abu Ridi and Hassan families, the residents of two were told to leave on Thursday, they told the BBC. They said those told to leave had since moved into the third house.

Elsewhere in the village, the residents of 11 other houses had also been told to leave by the army.

One of those was Qaher Odeh, who said more than 20 soldiers had entered his house in the morning. They later left but then came back, telling him and his brother they were in a military post and that they needed to leave.

“We left and kept walking down towards the lower part of the neighbourhood. Shortly afterwards, they sealed off the entire area,” Odeh said.

“There were people being forced out of their homes. A lot of people,” he added.

Earlier, videos shared from Qusra overnight into Thursday showed a dozen Israeli security vehicles – including a bulldozer.

In later footage – filmed in the daylight – there was a long line of Israeli security forces on the road to the Palestinian village.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said they had “dismantled two illegal outposts”.

It added that it had detained one Israeli and confiscated equipment on the outskirts of the Qusra and Jalud areas, near Nablus.

Qusay Abu Ridi, one of the trapped Palestinian family members, told the BBC that the house had been attacked again overnight and that a few settlers had remained in the area, hiding from the army.

His brother – who owns the property – is a Palestinian-American businessman who had complained to the US embassy.

The US Ambassador Mike Huckabee – a longstanding supporter of settlements – called the settler intimidation of the Qusra families “a horrific act of terror.

“Actions by those who carried out this horrific act of terror meant to intimidate and harass this family are disgusting. No excuse for such thuggish behavior,” he posted on X.

The situation in Qusra first began on Sunday when settlers blocked the road to the Palestinian families’ gates and cut off their power and water supplies. The first Israeli soldiers who came to the site prayed with the settlers – an act for which the Israel military later said they would be disciplined.

The Abu Ridi and Hassan families made appeals for help on social media after their water and power supplies were cut off on Sunday.

On Wednesday an attempt by Israeli security forces to dislodge the settlers led to confrontations with a bigger group.

Palestinian security camera video shared with the BBC showed confrontations between Israeli soldiers and border police and a large crowd of settlers. The security forces used tear gas and stun grenades.

In other footage, the Israeli forces appear to have confiscated the canopy under which the settlers were sheltering, while leaving their other equipment.

It is not clear exactly what the settlers in Qusra want. In the past, settlers have forced Palestinians out of their homes and seized their properties.

The stated aim of the settlers is to empty the area of its Palestinian residents.

Settlements are illegal under international law, but the Israeli government has promoted their recent rapid expansion.

The case is the latest to draw attention to the relative impunity of settlers and how Israeli forces are struggling to deal with rising settler violence.

Qusra’s mayor had earlier told the BBC that local residents had seen “a clear and sustained pattern of targeting Qusra”. Last month a newly completed mosque was set on fire with graffiti in Hebrew sprayed nearby.

That settler attack was one of many that followed on from an incident in the Palestinian village of Tal. After Israeli settlers attacked Tal, it triggered an escalation in which six people were killed – four Palestinians and two Israeli soldiers – one of whom acted as a security coordinator for a nearby Israeli settlement.

In July, settlers also surrounded a Palestinian home in the village of Jalud, near Qusra, for more than two weeks. Afterwards, the owners fled and settlers took over the property where they remain until now.

According to the UN’s figures, 76 Palestinians – including 18 children – have been killed in the West Bank this year, by Israeli forces or settlers. At the same time, three Israelis – including one civilian – were killed in confrontations with Palestinians and in an alleged ramming attack by a Palestinian in the West Bank.

Since January 2023, 127 Palestinian communities in the West Bank have experienced full or partial displacement, including 47 that have been entirely displaced, affecting more than 6,390 Palestinians, the UN says.

It has registered that in 2026, about 3,800 Palestinians, nearly half of them children, have been displaced due to settler violence, demolitions and evictions.

Speaking at the UN meeting, Israel’s Ambassador to the UN, Danny Danon dismissed the idea that settlements were an obstacle to peace. He said that they would remain and continue to grow as his country had biblical, historic and legal rights to the land.

He said that the Security Council “must understand a simple truth: we are not going anywhere”.

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The planned executions of inmates Anthony Darrell Hines, 66, Jeremy Williams, 41, and Carlos Cuesta-Rodriguez, 71, in Tennessee, Alabama and Oklahoma, respectively, are indicative of a steep rise in executions across the US.

Last year, in 2025, there were more than four times as many people put to death as there were in 2021, even as juries and the American public at large became increasingly wary of its use.

So what’s driving the increase and is the US public in step with the trend?

The Trump factor

President Donald Trump has long been a major supporter of the death penalty, describing capital punishment as “an essential tool for deterring and punishing those who would commit the most heinous crimes and acts of lethal violence against American citizens”.

In 2020, during his first term, he ended a nearly two-decade moratorium on the federal death penalty, by ordering 13 executions over a six month period.

While the moratorium returned under President Biden, on the first day of Trump’s second term in 2025, he signed an executive order that re-instated the death penalty. No federal executions have been carried out since he signed it, however. In the US, both the federal government and local states authorities can order executions.

Under Trump’s administration, the Department of Justice has also expanded protocols to include additional manners of execution, such as by firing squad, and readopted lethal injections. The agency said in April that it has also streamlined internal processes to expedite death penalty cases.

Trump’s executive order also encouraged states to seek the death penalty for every federal crime when a law enforcement officer is killed, and instructed the attorney general to ensure that states have an ample supply of drugs for lethal injections, facilitating the states’ ability to carry out capital punishment.

But his true impact won’t be known for several years, said Justin Mazzola, deputy director for research at Amnesty International USA, which opposes the death penalty.

“Because of the length it takes for the actual case to happen, and then also all the appeals that are built in once there is a conviction,” he said.

Florida leads the charge

There were a total of 47 executions across 11 states in 2025, a marked increase from the 25 executions carried out in 2024.

But about 40% of the deaths were in one state, Florida, making the Sunshine State the biggest factor contributing to the US’s rise in executions. Just over halfway into 2026, 12 of the 19 executions occurred in Florida.

That, experts say, is because of one man: Republican Governor Ron DeSantis.

“He is the reason we are seeing a record number of executions. He is the reason why Florida is an outlier compared to the rest of the United States,” said Robin Maher, executive director of the Death Penalty Information Center (DPI). The organisation provides statistics and research on the death penalty but does not take a stance on it morally.

DeSantis has been behind changes to laws that make it easier to carry out executions.

In 2023, Florida lowered the legal threshold for capital punishment by reducing the number of jurors required to recommend the death penalty in the trial phase of  court cases, from a unanimous 12 to eight jurors.

Meanwhile, the crime of sexual battery on a minor under 12 years old has become eligible as a capital offence.

DeSantis has championed the death penalty as a “strong deterrent” for crime and “an appropriate punishment for the worst offenders”.

Because individual states have the power to prosecute crimes and order executions, much of the power lies with state governors. Florida is uniquely positioned because its governor has the singular ability to sign a death warrant for prisoners who have no more appeals – without oversight from the courts. Pennsylvania has a similar process, but has not carried out an execution since 1999.

‘Their punishment is, frankly, earned’

The US is one of the few western countries that still has the death penalty, which has been largely phased out in Europe and is beginning to wane in Africa.

In the US, 27 of the 50 states have the death penalty under state law. Four of them – California, Ohio, Oregon and Pennsylvania – have paused executions through executive actions, as issues of botched executions, discrimination and cost have come to the forefront.

But many still support it. Florida’s top prosecutor James Uthmeier has staunchly pursued the death penalty in high-profile murder cases, endorsing “the ultimate form of punishment” for “depraved” criminals.

“The people that engage in this type of conduct, their punishment is frankly earned, and it’s up to a jury of 12 to determine if that sentence is appropriate or not,” Florida State Attorney William Sheiner said in a recent interview with Central Florida Public Media.

“Just because I pursue death as an option doesn’t mean that that’s going to be the sentence. It’s basically me saying to the community: this is up to you guys to decide if death is appropriate.”

Uthmeier and Sheiner’s offices did not immediately respond to the BBC’s request for comment.

A spotlight on executions

How prisoners are executed has become just as much of a point of debate as whether they should be. Pharmaceutical companies have opposed the use of their products for the death penalty, leading to shortages of the drugs necessary for lethal injections. In 2025, facing a shortage, South Carolina began executing inmates via firing squad.

Meanwhile, a number of botched executions have raised alarm. An esti­mat­ed 3% of US exe­cu­tions rom 1890 to 2010 were botched, according to DPI, with lethal injection having the high­est rate of botched exe­cu­tions. In 2022, more than a third of executions in the US were botched or highly problematic, the organisation said.

In May, Tennessee officials tried and failed to give Tony Von Carruthers, who had been on death row for decades, a lethal injection for over an hour. Blood streamed down his chest, and he repeatedly groaned and told prison staff he was in pain, according to witness statements.

Governor Bill Lee, who granted Carruthers a one-year reprieve after the failed execution, has said that Carruthers’ execution was not botched. He has instead said that the doctor simply could not establish IV access.

But it remains to be seen if the execution of the three men on Thursday will go forward – or whether there will be a last minute reprieve.

Anthony Darrell Hines, 66, who has maintained his innocence for four years and is bedridden, is scheduled to be executed in Tennessee on Thursday under the same protocol that failed twelve weeks ago with Carruthers.

In Alabama, Jeremy Williams, convicted for the rape and murder of a 5-year-old girl in 2021, could be the southern state’s first execution of 2026. Williams, who has dismissed his attorneys and has volunteered to be put to death, is slated to die by lethal injection and Alabama Governor Kay Ivey has said she does not plan to grant clemency.

In Oklahoma, septuagenarian Carlos Cuesta-Rodriguez has asked for no clemency and no mercy for the murder of a woman in 2003. He is also slated to die by lethal injection on Thursday, but his age, experts say, heightens his risk for a botched execution.

Thursday’s planned executions are occurring amid a steady decline of support for the death penalty.

“It’s the opposite of a cheap easy political fix,” said Maya Foa, CEO of Reprieve US, an international legal organisation opposed to the death penalty.

Just 52% of Americans say the death penalty is morally acceptable, the lowest number since the 1970s, a Gallup poll shows. Although over half of Americans are in favour, the decline shows shifting trends, Maher said.

And that weakening support is also reflected in the decline in the number of death sentences that are issued by juries. In the 1990s, juries across the country would issue upwards of 300 death sentences in a year. In 2025, they issued only 23.

“That tells us something very important: These are regular citizens that are sitting in judgment of people who are accused of committing the worst possible crimes, and then deciding what sentence fits those crimes,” Maher said. “Those juries are increasingly saying that a death sentence is not the right answer.”

Russian state media reported that Putin visited Iturup, known in Japan as Etorofu, one of four islands in the Kuril chain that are claimed by Russia and Japan.

Putin’s trip “has worsened Japanese sentiment towards Russia,” Takaichi told reporters, maintaining the island chain was “a unique territory of [Japan] historically and under international law”.

The countries have been locked in a dispute over the Kurils for decades, and it is the main reason Moscow and Tokyo did not sign a peace treaty after World War Two.

The Kuril islands sit between Hokkaido in northern Japan and Russia’s Kamchatka Peninsula. Four of the southernmost islands are claimed by Japan, which calls them the Northern Territories.

They are administered by Russia. At the end of World War Two, the Soviet Union annexed the island chain and deported around 17,000 Japanese residents.

During his visit, Putin sampled fish roe and spoke to island locals, Russian state media reported.

Earlier on Thursday,Japan’s foreign minister Toshimitsu Motegi said the islands were “inherently Japanese territory both historically and under international law, and the Government of Japan strongly protests this visit”.

Over the years, attempts to resolve the territorial dispute have made little progress. Bilateral ties have also remained frosty, with Japan imposing sanctions against Russia for its invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

Japan has protested against previous visits by Russian officials to the disputed islands, including Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin and his predecessor Dmitry Medvedev.

The Kuril islands are a strategic area for Russia, which has beefed up its military presence on the islands over the past decade. The island of Iturup is used as its primary military air base in the region.

Last month, Chinese and Russian naval warships sailed through a strait in the Kuril islands during a joint patrol.

Russia also holds regular military drills near the islands, drawing condemnation from Japan.

There is an overwhelming sense of emptiness.

“There is no newspaper anymore,” former chief editor Dmitry Muratov tells me in an exclusive interview, published on the BBC News YouTube channel.

Mr Muratov co-founded Novaya Gazeta more than 30 years ago. It became the flagship for hard-hitting independent journalism in Russia, shining a light on human rights abuses and high-level corruption.

In 2021 Mr Muratov was joint winner of the Nobel Peace Prize for his efforts “to safeguard freedom of expression.” The Nobel Committee noted that “six of [Novaya Gazeta’s] journalists have been killed, including Anna Politkovskaya who wrote revealing articles on the war in Chechnya.”

It was recognition for courageous reporting.

But it didn’t protect the paper.

“Putin issued a decree and the newspaper’s printing presses were nationalised,” Mr Muratov explains. “Its registration was revoked.”

Novaya Gazeta does retain a presence online. But only just: the authorities have blocked access to its website. It can only be accessed from abroad, or with the help of VPNs – virtual private networks used to circumvent restrictions.

The newspaper’s difficulties reflect the broader crackdown on free speech in Russia which has accelerated since the Kremlin’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

“Most opinion leaders have been declared ‘foreign agents’, ‘extremists’ or ‘terrorists’. Several hundred,” says Dmitry Muratov.

“Figures vary, but at a conservative estimate, since the start of Russia’s ‘special military operation’ [in Ukraine] at least 1,500 people are now in prison having spoken out against current state policy. That’s three times more than during the savage days of the KGB in the USSR.”

In his 1975 Nobel Peace Prize lecture dissident Andrei Sakharov listed the names of more than 120 political prisoners he was aware of in the Soviet Union. A decade later Amnesty International estimated more than 600 prisoners of conscience in the USSR.

What the Kremlin had assumed in 2022 would be a short, successful “military operation” has become the bloodiest conflict in Europe since the Second World War.

Yet a confident President Putin continues to predict victory for Russia.

“There will never be ‘victory’,” counters Dmitry Muratov. “Because what has been going on for nearly five years – no matter how it ends – can no longer be considered a victory.

“It cannot be a victory when two Slavic nations have ripped a million people to shreds. Or more than a million.”

“It seems to me that the situation with Ukraine now is this: you can destroy it, but you cannot conquer it. What do I mean by destroy? Continued escalation all the way to the use of a nuclear weapon.”

Does he really believe the Kremlin leader would use nuclear weapons in this war?

“All those political experts who say ‘Putin thinks this’ or ‘Putin is scared of that’…they’re all charlatans,” claims Dmitry Muratov. “It’s in the same league as astrology. Nobody knows what’s going on in Vladimir Putin’s head. And I don’t know.

“I see things only as a journalist. I study big data. And since the beginning of the year the need to use nuclear weapons has been mentioned more than 500 times. When wackos say this, I pay no attention. But I’ve heard it discussed on state TV. And at the St Petersburg International Economic Forum, a state-run event, one of the speakers talked up the use of nuclear weapons as something favourable, something good.”

When he announced the mass invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, President Putin spoke of “ensuring the security of Russia.”

“Tell me, has security increased?” Dmitry Muratov asks. “With Ukrainian drones now attacking warehouses of [Russia’s largest online retailer] Wildberries; with the petrol crisis, the disruption to mobile internet, the political prisoners? Has security increased, or not?”

Despite opinion polls registering a fall in Vladimir Putin’s domestic approval ratings, Russia’s president – Mr Muratov believes – retains a tight grip on power.

“Sorry, I don’t believe all this talk about a split among members of the elite, about secret conspiracies. The country is run by Vladimir Putin. They’re frightened of him.

“And this fear is reinforced in every way by his main support base: the Federal Security Service (FSB).”

As critical as he is of his own government, he has few illusions about the West.

“[Putin] knows very well the true value of European leaders. On the one hand they talk to him about human rights. He laughs out loud because, with the other hand, they sign agreements – or used to sign agreements – with Russia on trading oil, gas, diamonds…all that stuff. When they talk to Putin about European values, he truly laughs out loud. He knows the true value of people who preached to him those values.”

In Russia Mr Muratov has been designated a ‘foreign agent’, a label often used to punish critics of the Kremlin. ‘Foreign agents’ have limited rights: they’re banned from teaching, from taking part in elections; if they sell their flat, they can’t access the assets. The label is also designed to stigmatise, to create the sense in society of an enemy within.

Yet the journalist appears reluctant to focus on the pressures he’s under, preferring instead to highlight the plight of compatriots in prison.

“What worries me most right now is that no one in the world is interested in the political prisoners who were first to speak out against the land grab in our neighbouring country,” Dmitry Muratov explains.

He opens a folder and takes out a stack of large photographs: portraits of prisoners.

One shows four journalists – Antonina Favorskaya, Konstantin Gabov, Sergey Karelin and Artyom Kriger – convicted and jailed on extremism charges. They’d been accused of links to the anti-corruption organisation of the late opposition leader Alexei Navalny.

There’s a photo of Alexei Gorinov: a city councillor jailed for “knowingly spreading false information” about the Russian military after he spoke out against the war in Ukraine.

“And here’s a wonderful pianist, Pavel Kushnir,” says Dmitry Miratov. “An outstanding performer of Rachmaninoff and Schubert.”

The musician was arrested after posting anti-war videos. Dmitry Muratov holds up a second video.

“And this is him in his coffin.”

Pavel Kushnir died in a pre-trial detention centre during a hunger strike. He was 39.

The stream of photos and prison stories highlights the dangers for individuals framed as opponents of those in power. It’s a reminder of the risks that public criticism of the authorities and the war carry.

“Does being a Nobel Prize laureate give you at least some protection to say what you want?” I ask.

“This is not a question for me,” replies Mr Muratov. “Whenever you have the opportunity, ask the authorities that.”

There is one more photo. From April.

“This is the newspaper’s lawyer when she was waiting to get into the building. The police were searching our office. Thirteen hours it took. And they wouldn’t let the lawyers in. Our managing editor Oleg Roldugin is now under house arrest.”

Dmitry Muratov paints a bleak picture of life in Russia for critics of the authorities.

Yet there are moments of hope.

“We live in a time when you stay quiet. But so many people support what we do. On the streets of Moscow, my colleagues and I hear only words of gratitude. They are spoken in a whisper. But what people think is very important.”

Those watching the astronomical phenomenon from the UK were treated to a partial eclipse, which peaked shortly after 19:00 BST, when most saw more than 90% of the Sun covered by the Moon.

But parts of Greenland, Iceland and Spain experienced the complete darkness and spectacle of a total eclipse.

Large crowds at viewing sites across the UK and Europe reacted with gasps and cheers, with astronomy enthusiasts saying it served as a reminder of how “amazing” the universe is.

The path of the total eclipse began at the northern tip of Siberia in Russia, far away from crowds and telescopes.

But it soon began curving around the Arctic Ocean arriving in Iceland in the early evening before sweeping southwards to treat the UK to part of its wonder.

The partial eclipse began at about 18:00 BST in northern Scotland and just before 18:20 on the south coast of England.

It was imperceivable at first, but for those blessed with cloud-free skies, crowds noticed the Moon nibbling away at the Sun.

Much of central and southern England and Wales enjoyed perfect clear skies giving them an unrivalled view as the Moon moved slowly across the Sun over the course of an hour.

Northern England, Scotland and Northern Ireland were cloudier, but it did not stop crowds turning out at famous landmarks across the country.

Some had been successful in getting hold of solar eclipse glasses, but the vital eye protectors were in short supply in the run-up to the event with opticians, hardware shops and bakeries all selling out.

But that did not deter people – colanders, cereal boxes and pieces of paper were deployed to offer them a glimpse of the partial eclipse safely.

A solar eclipse happens when the Moon passes between the Sun and Earth, blocking some or all of the Sun’s light and casting a shadow on our planet.

As time ticked by, slowly but surely the Moon obscured more of the Sun – acting like a dimmer switch as it did so.

As seen from the UK, the Sun, Moon and Earth were not quite directly in line.

The result was a partial eclipse, with the Moon covering about 90% of the Sun for most of the UK – the country’s most dramatic eclipse since 1999. In Cornwall, this was as high as 95%.

Parts of Spain got to experience something even more magical.

At roughly 19:30 BST (20:30 local time), the Sun, Moon and Earth were perfectly aligned – a total eclipse.

Chilean scientist Yasmin Catricheo traveled thousands of miles to A Coruña, northwest Spain, for the event.

In totality, everyone was cheering and sharing the excitement of what we were seeing. No words could describe the feeling,” she said.

“The universe is amazing.”

A total solar eclipse happens somewhere on Earth every 18 months or so.

But they are much rarer for any given place, only occurring once in roughly 400 years.

Crowds along the path of the total eclipse in Spain were treated to that rare event – with the red glow of the Sun behind the Moon to go with it.

The light coming from the darkness was the Sun’s corona – superheated jets of gas thrown thousands of miles out into space.

And for those looking closely, they may have seen small loops of pink gas called prominences following the Sun’s turbulent magnetic field.

And then, the Moon began to reveal the Sun that it had hidden.

The total eclipse lasted for less than two minutes – but for many it was unforgettable.

The fact that we get to experience a total eclipse at all is an incredible cosmological coincidence.

The Sun is 150 million kilometres (93 million miles) away from the Earth – 400 times further away than the Moon.

But because the diameter of the Moon is 400 times less than the Sun’s, they appear exactly the same size in our sky.

If the Moon was slightly smaller or its orbit was a little further away from the Earth then we would never see a total eclipse.

We’re about to enter a “golden age” of total solar eclipses between 2026 and 2028.

Eclipse chasers can travel around the world to be wowed by the spectacle of three total solar eclipses in the next couple of years.

But none of these are visible in the UK. The best the country will see is a partial eclipse in 2027, with about 45% coverage in some regions.

It will be decades until the UK experiences a fuller solar eclipse than today.

That will be in 2081, where up to 99% of the Sun will be covered.

And the UK’s next total solar eclipse will be in 2090.

Simon Levy, 40, was found guilty last week of the murder of Carmenza Valencia-Trujillo in March 2025 ​and of Sheryl Wilkins in August 2025, as well as the rape ​and serious assault of a third woman in January that ⁠year.

Police had arrested Levy several times for sexual assaults against women on ​rush-hours trains before he was again arrested on suspicion of murdering Valencia-Trujillo, 53, ​in April 2025.

But Levy was released and sexually assaulted five women before he killed Wilkins, 39, in a brutal attack.

Judge Mark Lucraft said Levy was “clearly someone who ruthlessly exploits others ​for your own personal, sexual satisfaction” as he sentenced him to a ​whole-life order without the possibility of parole for the murder of Valencia-Trujillo and Wilkins.

He was also sentenced ‌for ⁠two counts of rape, causing grievous bodily harm with intent and intentional strangulation in relation to a third woman.

Levy was separately convicted in February of sexually assaulting 10 women on London trains between October 2023 and May 2025, with ​six of the ​attacks in early ⁠2025, and an 11th charge of sexually assaulting a prison officer in April 2022.

His crimes and the failures by ​police and prosecutors which allowed him to continue offending has ​prompted questions, ⁠while London’s Metropolitan Police has referred itself to the police watchdog for downgrading him to a medium-risk offender.

“Time and time again, opportunities to stop him were ⁠missed,” London ​Mayor Sadiq Khan said in a statement.

“I am ​appalled by his crimes and the failures across multiple agencies that could have prevented him from ​harming, and ultimately killing, more women.”

The sentence ‌was handed down under a law enacted after a 12-day war between Israel and Iran in 2025, legislation that Iranian authorities say is intended to combat espionage and cooperation with hostile states.

When Moaiery arrived at Tehran’s Revolutionary Court, she was not given formal case documents, she said. Instead, a friend accompanying her copied details from a charge sheet by hand. Rights groups say such ​procedures reflect a lack of transparency in Iran’s judicial system.

According to the handwritten notes reviewed by Reuters, the accusations against her include giving interviews to ​media outlets deemed hostile by the authorities and providing photographs to organisations linked to the U.S. and Israel. Reuters could ⁠not independently verify the contents of the charge sheet.

In a statement provided to Reuters, Moaiery said the intelligence wing of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps raided her ​home during anti-government protests in January and confiscated her phone, laptop and other electronic equipment. She said IRGC officers returned after the U.S. launched air strikes on Iran ​this year and again seized her belongings.

“On this occasion, they took everything, including even the cameras I had owned since childhood,” she said.

“I was subjected to several interrogations, and eventually my case was referred to Branch 33 of the Security Prosecutor’s Office and subsequently to the Revolutionary Court.”

The spokesman for Iran’s United Nations Mission in New York did not respond to a request ​for comment on her case.

Roya Boroumand, executive director of the U.S.-based Abdorrahman Boroumand Center for Human Rights in Iran, said that withholding case documents is an ​effort by the Islamic Republic to “silence” defendants and showed the judiciary “blatantly” acting as a state agent.

A CAREER CHRONICLING WOMEN’S LIVES IN IRAN

The handwritten document provided by Moaiery to Reuters lists accusations ‌including “interviewing with ⁠networks hostile to the system” and sending photographs to entities in the United States and Israel that it describes as “hostile”.

Moaiery said she shared photographs showing damage from air strikes in Iran with CNN and appeared in an interview about her reporting, in March 2026.

She has 10 days to appeal under the 2025 espionage law, half the time allowed under previous legislation.

Moaiery has previously been imprisoned for her work. She served two years in Gharchak Prison, a place that she had previously photographed.

In 2022, she ​spent three months in jail and was ​sentenced to eight years in prison ⁠for covering the nationwide “Woman, Life, Freedom” uprisings that erupted after the death of young Iranian woman Mahsa Amini in police custody. An amnesty later reduced the sentence, but she said the case continued to expose her to questioning by authorities.

Reporters Without ​Borders, says 16 journalists have been detained in Iran this year.

Moaiery’s work has mainly focused on women. She photographed some ​of the earliest documented ⁠detentions of women by morality police, including a 2007 image showing two women sitting in white police vans, with tears streaming down their faces.

In 2017, she photographed a student protesting at economic conditions at Tehran University. The woman walks through tear gas, raising her fist in the air. The image was used by the Trump administration in its comments ⁠on human ​rights in Iran.

Moaiery said she remained committed to her work despite the prospect of further imprisonment.

“None ​of these sentences, however, has ever caused me to abandon my path, even for a moment. I have continued to document and show the realities of Iranian society,” she said.

“I don’t have anything to ​lose. The regime took everything from me and the only thing that I still have is my truth and honesty as an observer.”

The attacks, in the Gulf of Oman leading to the strait and at the entrance to the Red Sea — both vital chokepoints ‌for global oil supplies — come as the war shows no signs of ending despite repeated assertions from U.S. President Donald Trump of a deal being imminent.

Oil prices gained and global shares retreated amid renewed pessimism about a quick end to the conflict. Brent crude futures climbed 1.4% to settle at $88.91 per barrel and U.S. crude rose 1.3% to $83.20.

At the southern end of the Red Sea, four crew members were killed in a suspected Houthi attack on a small cargo vessel in the Bab el-Mandeb Strait on Tuesday, Yemen’s Transport ​Ministry said. Two Yemeni rescuers from an anti-Houthi military group were also killed, Yemen’s Coast Guard said.

The fatalities aboard the Egyptian-owned Tihamah, if confirmed, would be the first deaths on shipping by Yemen’s ​Iran-aligned Houthis since the Iran war began.

The Houthi-run news agency Saba reported that the group, which said last month it would impose a naval blockade on Saudi ⁠Arabia in the Red Sea, attacked a Saudi ship they said was carrying military equipment in the Bab el-Mandeb Strait. It did not name the ship, and there was no immediate Saudi response to the report.

The U.S. military, ​meanwhile, said a U.S. Navy MH-60 helicopter fired two Hellfire missiles to disable the steering gear of a Panama-flagged cargo ship.

The ship ignored repeated warnings to stop violating a naval blockade on Iranian ports, the U.S. Central Command said. ​Maritime sources told Reuters the ship was hit off Pakistan while sailing into the Gulf of Oman.

STEPPED UP RHETORIC

Both Iran and the United States have stepped up rhetoric in the past two days.

Iran’s top security official, Mohsen Rezaei, said on Tuesday that the vital Strait of Hormuz shipping route will remain closed unless the U.S. accepts Iran’s conditions to end the war – the release of Iran’s frozen assets and an end to conflicts throughout the region, including in Lebanon and Gaza.

That followed a new demand from Trump ​on Monday that Iran should pay compensation for people killed in 50 years of wars, attacks and protests.

Throughout the conflict, Trump has alternated between threats of escalation and claims that a peace deal is imminent.

In an interview ​released late on Monday, he suggested the uncertainty could last for a while, saying he might just “bop along” and let Tehran fail economically, or hit them “really, really hard.”

“I’m sort of negotiating,” Trump told Real America’s Voice. “They’re very devious negotiators.”

Speaking to ‌reporters after a ⁠visit to Ohio on Tuesday, Trump said “Iran is going fine, going just absolutely fine.”

“We totally control the Strait of Hormuz … Nobody else, only us,” he said.

“At some point, maybe they’ll do something and then they get blown away,” he said of Iran. “But right now, we’re in a very good position. We have a country that has been the bully of the Middle East for 50 years, really 51 if you think about it … and they’re no longer the bully of the Middle East.”

Asked about an incident in which he switched planes in Turkey last month because of worries over reports of a potential Iranian assassination threat, Trump suggested the alternative aircraft may have ​faced greater risk.

“That would be the plane I think ​that they would be more likely to go ⁠for,” he told reporters after The Washington Post broke the story about him secretly taking a military flight instead of Air Force One in an operation involving him being moved between aircraft in a catering truck.

“Any consequential president has a lot of threats,” Trump added. “I don’t worry about anything.”

The comments from Rezaei, appointed on Sunday ​as second-in-command of the body that coordinates Iran’s security and foreign policy, were the strongest indication the Strait of Hormuz would not reopen to shipping anytime ​soon. The waterway handled a fifth ⁠of global oil and liquefied natural gas flow before the war.

“As long as America does not change its behaviour and does not accept Iran’s conditions, the Strait of Hormuz will not be opened,” Rezaei said, according to the semi-official Tasnim news agency.

There was no immediate comment from Washington on Iran’s latest comments.

Thousands of people have been killed in the conflict since the U.S. and Israel launched attacks on Iran on February 28.

Iran has struck U.S. assets and infrastructure in ⁠countries including Oman, ​Jordan, Kuwait, Israel, the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia.

Raising the prospect of further escalation, Mohammad Reza Naqdi, an adviser to the ​commander of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards, said on Iranian state TV on Tuesday that the corps was developing the ability to carry out operations “on enemy soil.”

“We need to be able to move the operations to the enemy’s soil, whenever this is needed and ordered,” he said. “This ​is the characteristic of the offensive doctrine that has to be attained.”

Police said 90 passengers and five crew were onboard the vessel when it capsized on Tuesday, but it may have been overloaded, with other reports pointing to a higher number based on the registered ticket sales.

The vessel was hit by a strong wave and overturned, police added. Footage shared online appears to show the hull floating in the  water.

Lake Kariba, which straddles the border with Zambia, is one of the world’s largest man-made reservoirs, supporting transport and fishing and providing vital hydroelectric power to both countries.

The Zimbabwe Civil Protection Unit (CPU) said that registered ticket sales showed 114 adults were on the vessel. There could also have been an unknown number of children below ticketing age, it added.

The CPU said that 77 passengers had so far been rescued, and 15 bodies had been retrieved.

Two funeral parlours were collecting the bodies, it added.

Mutsa Murombedzi, a local member of parliament, posted a video on X of what she said was the boat at the start of the journey, adding that residents had been using it to travel across the lake to Kariba town, a journey that takes about five hours.

“We have very hard questions that require honest answers. The officials must release the correct number of people who were onboard,” she wrote.

Police said more details would be released “in due course”.

The clash on Monday is ​the latest incident in ​Nigeria’s northwest, where heavily armed gangs known locally as bandits frequently carry ​out killings, kidnappings for ​ransom, and cattle theft despite security ‌operations.

Police ⁠spokesperson Ani Iniedu said officers killed at least 17 of the attackers after intercepting ​the ​heavily ⁠armed group moving between Zamfara and Kebbi states.

Iniedu ​said reinforcements had ​been ⁠deployed to the area, which was now under control, as ⁠security ​forces pursued fleeing ​suspects.

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It is the first conviction against Assad, who fled from Damascus to the Russian capital, Moscow, with his family after his regime was overthrown in December 2024, ending his family’s five-decade grip on power.

Assad’s cousin and the former head of political security in southern Syria’s Deraa province, Atef Najib, was also sentenced to death. He appeared wearing a striped prison uniforminside a cage in the courtroom as the judge read out his sentence.

Deraa is widely seen as the birthplace of the uprising against Assad’s rule.

In March 2011, the detention and alleged torture of a group of teenagers accused of writing anti-government graffiti sparked protests in the city, which were met with a violent crackdown by security forces.

That response helped ignite nationwide demonstrations that escalated into civil war in which hundreds of thousands of people were killed.

Syria’s interim government began trying officials associated with the Assad regime, which ruled the country for more than 50 years, earlier this year.

Najib is one of the highest-ranking officials to be put on trial.

He was convicted of crimes including murder, “the intentional killing of children under 15” and “torture leading to death”.

The court also sentenced six former military and security officials in absentia to death, including Bashar al-Assad’s younger brother, Maher. He ran the army’s elite Fourth Division and also fled to Moscow when the regime fell.

The others convicted include former defence minister Fahd al-Freij.

Outside the courthouse after the ruling, hundreds of people of all ages gathered holding pictures of their loved ones who were killed by the regime.

Crowds were clapping and chanting, while cars drove by excitedly honking their horns.

A group of men passed out flags.

“The joy is indescribable,” one man told the BBC, hoisting up a photo of his late father. “God willing we will see Bashar al-Assad and all his aides hanging on the gallows.”

Another woman told the BBC everyone is feeling a mix of “victory and liberation.”

“The voices of the victims are finally heard. Justice has been achieved!” she exclaimed.

Nouha al-Masri, a prosecutor in the case, lost her brother during the March 2011 crackdown and massacre at al-Omari Square in Deraa.

“We have been waiting for 15 years to reclaim even a small part of our rights, for all those who have spilled our blood, committed crimes, violated our rights, killed, and tortured us,” Masri – now a member of the prosecution team, told the BBC.

“Our demand is that this not be the end of the trials… In the new Syria, there will be no impunity from this day forward.”

The partnership is expected to strengthen institutions, build professional capacity and improve the management and preservation of Ghana’s heritage sites.

The Minister for Tourism, Culture and Creative Arts, Abla Dzifa Gomashie, disclosed this during an engagement with a visiting delegation from the Korean National Commission for UNESCO.

Ms Gomashie said the collaboration presented an opportunity for both countries to deepen cultural exchanges and learn from each other’s strengths.

She noted that Ghana could draw lessons from Korea’s discipline, punctuality and work ethic, while Korea could benefit from Ghana’s rich cultural heritage and creative traditions.

The Minister expressed appreciation to the Korean government for its continued support and reaffirmed Ghana’s commitment to ensuring that the partnership produces sustainable benefits for the tourism, culture and creative arts sector.

She said the collaboration would also contribute to strengthening Ghanaian institutions and developing the skills of professionals within the sector.

The Korean delegation, led by Jinsung Jeon, thanked the Minister for the warm reception and reaffirmed its commitment to deepening the relationship between Ghana and South Korea.

The partnership is expected to provide a platform for increased cultural exchanges and cooperation while supporting efforts to preserve Ghana’s heritage and promote its tourism and creative industries.

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Brigadier Fowzi ​Mansouri was killed in the evening ⁠blast, the sources said, speaking on condition ​of anonymity.

They did not say who ​was responsible for the attack or provide further details on the device.

The killing highlights continuing security ​challenges in Libya, where rival administrations ​and armed groups have retained influence despite a ‌2020 ⁠ceasefire that halted major warfare.

Libya split in 2014 between rival eastern and western factions after a 2011 NATO-backed uprising ​toppled longtime ​autocrat Muammar ⁠Gaddafi.

The Libyan National Army, led by military commander Khalifa Haftar, ​controls much of eastern and southern ​Libya.

⁠It is aligned with authorities based in Benghazi, while the internationally recognised Government of ⁠National ​Unity is based in ​the capital Tripoli and controls much of the west.

The audit, which covers operations at the embassy from 2017 to 2025, revealed disturbing details of financial and other schemes that embassy officials designed and generated millions of dollars outside approved charges.

The audit report, which is available to Pledge Against Corruption,  puts the total amount of illegal funds at $19.4 million, generated from 2019 to 2025, when the illicit transactions at the Embassy were uncovered and halted by the new administration.

Websites and firms linked to the embassy’s IT Officer, Fred Kwarteng, were used to charge applicants $29.75 for the return posting of their visa and passport applications, when the actual charge was around $10.1.

For instance, the report revealed the creation and use of the GhanaPV.Org website, which was used to mimic the Embassy’s official website and confuse unsuspecting applicants into believing they were dealing with official channels.

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 The Auditor-General’s report said: “The audit proved that Ghanapv.org, created in September 2020, replicated official Embassy branding by using Ghana’s Coat of Arms, the name ‘Embassy of Ghana,’ and official contact details. The website redirected applicants from the Embassy’s website to pay fees for postage and application support services. Applicants were charged $29.75 for return postage and additional support service fees through the platform. The site operated under many entities related to Mr Fred Kwarteng.”

According to the audit, Ghanapv.org operated under various companies linked to Fred Kwarteng, including Ghana Travel Consultancy (GTC), Secure Data Center LLC, Travel Ghana, Travel Global, Secure Document Management Center (SDMC) and MFG Technology.

The audit report continued: “The domain TravelGhana.net, originally developed between 2013 and 2014 and relaunched in January 2021, offered mailing and application support services for visa and passport applicants. The platform charged $29.75 for mailing services, $67 for passport support, and $76.78 for visa support services. The website used Ghana’s Coat of Arms and Embassy-like branding between 2021 and 2024, creating the appearance of official affiliation with the Embassy.”

The audit report, which cites Fred Kwarteng in other infractions, accuses senior embassy officials of complicity in his activities.

 It said: “Email correspondence and internal records show that the activities of Mr Fred Kwarteng were enabled through financial and consular channels involving senior Mission officers. Evidence indicates that the Chief Treasury Officer engaged in actions involving welfare account transactions, payment arrangements, and operational coordination with Mr Kwarteng’s associated entities.

“Correspondence also shows that the Minister (Consular) participated in and was copied on communications where private entities linked to Mr Kwarteng handled dispatch services and courier arrangements. These interactions occurred between 2020 and 2024 and involved redirecting applicants to Fred Kwarteng’s private platforms. The communications demonstrate sustained engagement between the officers and Mr Kwarteng’s activities within Mission operations,” The report said.

Citibank staff queries Embassy officials over suspicious account

Details of the operations contained in the appendix of the Auditor-General’s report show what appeared to have been a grand scheme to “create, loot and share,” with the active participation of senior embassy officials.

The audit report reveals that the Ghana Embassy in Washington, D.C., created a bank account through which funds from Fred Kwarteng’s activities were channelled and paid to embassy officials under the guise of “welfare benefits.”

Even before the then Foreign Affairs Minister, Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey, ordered the closure of the account, Citibank, where the Welfare account was opened, had raised queries about the account.

On March 16, 2020, Janet Maku Koranteng, the Treasury Officer of Ghana’s Embassy in Washington, D.C, wrote to Citibank about the opening of an account. In that letter, she said:

 “On behalf of the Ghana Embassy/Mission in Washington DC, this letter is to advise that, effective date April 1, 2020, you are requested to open a new account titled Embassy of Ghana Welfare Account.”

She listed the account signers as Mary Zori, First Secretary; Genevieve Edna Apaloo, Head of Chancery; and herself, Janet Maku Koranteng.

The first query from Citibank was an email from a Citibank staff member, Melissa Peredo, seeking clarification on whether the $80,000 intended to be withdrawn every quarter from the Welfare account as payment for staff welfare would be made in cash or by cheque.

On September 4, 2020, another Citibank staff member, Jay Varkey, sent an email to Janet Maku Koranteng, querying her about payments into the Ghana Embassy Welfare Account.

“A/c ending 9029, which was recently opened, is intended to make welfare benefit payments to Embassy staff. At the time of the account opening, you indicated that this account will [sic] be funded by contributions from the Embassy staff and also from contributions from the Embassy’s couriers.

“The only funding to this account so far was from Ghana Travel Consultancy LLC by way of three checks indicated below. Is this the Embassy Courier that you indicated?

 “Maybe I misunderstood this part, but could you please explain what Ghana Travel Consultancy does for you? Are they just a courier service or are they actually processing the consular service applications on your behalf? Also, why are they making these payments to the Embassy?

Ghana Travel Consultancy is one of the entities linked to Ghana Embassy’s IT Officer, Fred Kwarteng.

Following this email, Citibank’s Jay Varkey and the Ghana Embassy’s Janet Koranteng discussed the query on the phone. After the call, Jay Varkey sent the following email to Janet Koranteng to confirm the explanation Janet had given for the payments from Fred Kwarteng’s entity:

“Please confirm if this accurately summarises our conversation. The consular service applicants can choose a courier/ mailing service of their choice when they apply for passport/visa etc. They make separate payments to such courier/mailing service. These payments are not collected by the Embassy, and they do not pass through the Embassy accounts. Once the consular service process is completed, the Embassy will use the selected courier/mailing service to send back the documents to the applicants.

However, since Embassy staff is doing some of the administration work that the courier/mailing service should be doing (e.g. packaging, etc.), the courier/mailing service has agreements to reimburse the Embassy a portion of the charge that they have collected towards mailing. This will vary for different kinds of applications, but it’s generally in the range of $3 to $5 per application processed. The reimbursed money is credited to the Welfare account and is used for Welfare payments to the Embassy staff.

“Gana Travel Consultancy LLC is one of the courier/mailing service providers that is used. They will send reimbursements as described above to the Embassy on a monthly basis. Check 1010 is towards the reimbursements for the month of December 2019, check  1007 is towards the month of January 2020, and check 1008 is towards reimbursement for the month of February 2020.”

An appendix of the Auditor General’s report shows disbursements to staff made from the so-called welfare account.

In June 2021, the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey, visited the Ghana Embassy in Washington, DC, and ordered the closure of the welfare account used to distribute proceeds from illicit funds.

The account was closed as ordered by the Foreign Affairs Minister, but officials of the Ghana Embassy did not abandon their desire to continue with the scheme.

While communicating the closure of the account to Citibank in an email on August 31, 2021, Janet Koranteng asked if another account could be opened without officially involving the Embassy.

“Can the Welfare Committee open an account without the involvement of the management of the Embassy?” she asked.

In a response, Citibank’s Jay Varkey said, “Citi will not be able to open/maintain the welfare account separately (under non-embassy management) as long as the purpose of the account remains the same (for making welfare payments to embassy employees).”

The account was officially closed on October 10, 2021.

However, the illicit transactions that caused visa and passport applicants to pay far more than they were supposed to pay continued until 2025, when the cover on the Embassy’s underhand dealings was blown, necessitating the subsequent forensic audit.

Also read:

• Forensic audit reveals how Ghana Embassy in US allegedly extorted $19.3m from visa, passport…

• U.S. Embassy in Ghana announces temporary closure of consular unit

According to France 24, rescuers in western Colombia worked through the night and into Tuesday searching for survivors beneath the wreckage after the earthquake.

The disaster is said to have devastated parts of the country’s coffee-growing region on Monday. At least 164 people have been killed, and authorities are warning the number of casualties could still climb.

More than 1,900 people have died from the virus since that declaration on 15 May, making this the second-worst Ebola outbreak ever.

Infection rates are still high, adding to the concern that the authorities are struggling to get to grips with the spread of the disease.

The epicentre of this outbreak of the Bundibugyo species of Ebola, is in the east of DR Congo where insecurity has hampered control efforts.

There is also no approved vaccine or any recognised therapeutic drugs, making treating Bundibugyo harder.

“We are chasing the virus, the virus is ahead of us,” WHO Africa director Dr Mohamed Janabi said at a news conference in the city of Bunia, which is at the heart of this outbreak.

He cited research showing that the virus started spreading in February and was initially misdiagnosed as malaria or typhoid.

Janabi also said that, in part because of insecurity, health workers are only reaching about 30% of the cases with the rest dying at home.

Traditional burial practices – where mourners touch the deceased’s body – and a suspicion of health authorities in some communities have also made things difficult.

But there are now several dedicated treatment centres in the east of DR Congo and people are getting diagnosed much more quickly.

So far there have been 4,294 confirmed cases and 1,960 deaths, DR Congo’s health ministry has said.

The largest recorded outbreak was in West Africa between 2014 and 2016 when 11,325 people died.

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The suitcase was discovered by two men on the side of a road near the small village of Oallen, about 230km (143 miles) south-west of Sydney.

On Monday, police announced a murder investigation, sparking intense interest in the case but backtracked hours later, saying forensic testing had proved the contents were not human.

The contents in the suitcase were “mistaken for a human originally, so they are very realistic in terms of looking like human remains,” said Supt Linda Bradbury from the Hume Police District.

“But we’ve confirmed by other means that they are not.”

The doll was wearing clothing, had hair and a nose piercing,” police said, adding that “the item also had markings that resembled bruises and grazes”.

Supt Bradbury said forensic teams and investigators had attended the scene on Sunday and that all processes had been followed.

“The idea is to not disturb crime scenes as much as possible, to maintain the integrity of our investigation,” Bradbury said, adding she had “no regrets” about how the case was handled.

Hours earlier, Bradbury had told media that it has been “quite a shocking discovery” for the two men who found the suitcase.

“Unfortunately, they were on a weekend drive as a lot of people do over the weekend and stopped for a break,” she said.

She said the pair had made the “right decision” to report the find.

“They were affected yesterday and we will be in touch to let them know that it was not human remains,” Bradbury said.

Police have now closed their investigations.

U.S. President Donald Trump’s proclamation under Section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act of 1962 is aimed at supporting domestic chip and solar supply chains needed to compete with Beijing on artificial intelligence and energy.

“The plan of action in this proclamation will, among other things, help ensure the commercial viability of United States production ​of polysilicon and its derivatives that is necessary to meet United States economic and national security requirements,” the order said.

Polysilicon, an ultra-pure ​form of silicon, sits at the start of the semiconductor and solar manufacturing supply chains. Manufacturers turn silicon ⁠wafers into solar cells and then assemble those into panels used in solar projects.

American solar factories for the last decade have accused their Chinese rivals ​of dumping solar panels in the market, receiving unfair government subsidies and moving their manufacturing to other countries to dodge U.S. tariffs.

The United States has two ​polysilicon factories. Hemlock Semiconductor, which operates a plant in Michigan, is a joint venture between Corning and Japan’s Shin-Etsu Handotai. Munich-based Wacker Chemie runs a factory in Tennessee.

“Today’s decision encourages continued investment in U.S. capacity and supports long-term U.S. competitiveness,” a Corning spokesperson said.

Wacker said it was reviewing the actions to fully understand their impact.

“We appreciate ​the Administration’s continued engagement on the issue given the ramifications for semiconductor supply chain resilience, advanced computing infrastructure, and broader U.S. defense and security ​interests,” the company said in a statement.

Domestic semiconductor manufacturing depends on solar because the solar industry’s larger demand for polysilicon helps support production of the material required for ‌chips. The ⁠chip industry accounts for 2.4% of global polysilicon demand, according to the Semiconductor Industry Association.

U.S. solar manufacturing has expanded since Congress created tax incentives in 2022. Much of that growth, however, has been concentrated in panel assembly, leaving manufacturers dependent on imported wafers and cells, which require longer investment timelines.

Companies with U.S. solar factories, including T1 Energy, First Solar and Qcells, the U.S. solar arm of South Korea’s Hanwha, applauded Trump’s move.

“This is a decisive win for advanced American ​manufacturing and investment in domestic energy ​supply chains,” Dan Barcelo, CEO of ⁠T1 Energy, said in a statement. In addition to its Texas solar panel plant, T1 is investing $510 million in a cell factory.

The trade protections will take effect on December 4, the White House said.

Tim Brightbill, a trade ​attorney with Wiley Rein who has brought several trade cases against Chinese solar companies, warned that the ​delayed implementation could lead ⁠to a surge of imports in the coming months.

Companies that buy solar panels have argued that the delay is needed to adjust supply contracts to higher prices.

According to a White House document, the president set minimum import prices of $21 per kilogram for polysilicon, $100 per kilogram for polysilicon ingots and wafers, $0.22 per watt ⁠for solar ​cells and $0.38 per watt for solar modules, or panels.

The proclamation also authorises the Commerce Department ​to create an incentive program for companies that invest in factories to produce polysilicon or derivative products.

The administration’s plan to pursue a hybrid system combining a minimum import price with tariffs was ​first reported by Reuters.

He explained that he is also rich even though he is not a billionaire like Rihanna and doesn’t feel entitled to her success or money.

Speaking in a recent episode of the Jason CC Show, the rapper noted that he is proud of Rihanna and nothing can make him insecure in the relationship. 

“My woman [Rihanna] got billions, I got multi-millions. Her success isn’t mine. I am proud of my woman. No one can make me insecure because she is richer than I am. It just doesn’t make sense,” he stated. 

Rocky and Rihanna began dating around 2020 and share three children together: sons RZA (born May 2022) and Riot (born August 2023), and daughter Rocki Irish Mayers (born September 2025).

The decision follows concerns raised by the leadership of the scholarship beneficiaries, who have described the exercise as discriminatory and unnecessary.

The exercise is intended to reaffirm the students’ commitment to return to Ghana after completing their studies in the UK.

In a statement issued on Friday, August 7, the student leadership questioned the need for the oath-taking, arguing that beneficiaries had already signed bonds committing them to return to Ghana after completing their programmes.

However, in a Facebook post, Madam Benson defended the planned exercise, citing provisions in the scholarship bonds signed by the students.

She said the bond, issued by former GSA Registrar Kingsley Agyemang, required beneficiaries to comply with requirements set by the Authority, including participating in surveys and evaluations.

She also cited a provision requiring beneficiaries to return to Ghana within two months of completing their studies.

According to the High Commissioner, the agreement further states that beneficiaries who fail to meet their obligations could be held liable for the scholarship funds they received and required to repay the state.

Madam Benson also criticised demands from the students regarding outstanding tuition fees and stipends.

She said the beneficiaries were seeking timelines for the settlement of those obligations, full payment before returning to Ghana and guaranteed reintegration into the Ghanaian job market.

She questioned why such concerns were not raised while Mr Agyemang was still heading the GSA, noting that the students received their scholarships between 2020 and 2025.

The High Commissioner also rejected claims that the oath-taking requirement was being imposed retrospectively, insisting that the exercise falls within the GSA’s mandate.

“The Ghana High Commission, acting on behalf of the GSA, shall go ahead with the planned verification and oath-taking,” she stated.

Madam Benson further dismissed the students’ demand for guaranteed reintegration into the labour market, arguing that no such commitment was contained in the scholarship bond.

“In the bond they signed, I see no obligation by Government to reintegrate them into society,” she said.

She maintained that the GSA had the authority to take measures it considered necessary under the terms of the scholarship agreement.

According to her, the exercise is being conducted in the interest of taxpayers and to ensure that beneficiaries honour the obligations attached to their scholarships.

“We have our reasons for this exercise, and it is in the interest of the taxpayers for us to ensure that we do the right thing even though a huge mess was previously created,” she added.

The High Commissioner also warned that the government would not be pressured into cancelling the exercise, stressing that beneficiaries who had received public funds could not compel the state to abandon measures intended to enforce the terms of the scholarship agreement.

She urged the students to take note of the government’s position as preparations for the verification and oath-taking exercise continue.

Read the bond beneficiaries signed below:

Also read:

• Ghana’s UK High Commissioner alleges NPP gov’t mismanaged scholarship funds

• Ghanaian students in UK allege assault by High Commission officials during protest

Brent crude futures rose 91 cents or 1.09%, to $84.46 a barrel by 0056 GMT, while U.S. West ​Texas Intermediate crude futures rose 61 cents, or 0.78% to $78.79 a barrel.

Both ​benchmarks had fallen more than 7% last week on hopes that ⁠Iran and Oman were close to reaching a deal that would result ​in a reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, which carried a fifth of ​the world’s oil before the war.

While Iran said on Sunday that a deal with Oman was in its “final stages”, it reiterated that the waterway would only reopen once Washington met other ​conditions, including U.S. compensation to Iran for its widespread attacks.

“Traders have been conditioned ​by the on-again, off-again nature of the negotiations and are waiting for tangible evidence, such ‌as ⁠verified tanker movements or formal agreements, before further unwinding the risk premium,” said Tim Waterer, chief market analyst at KCM Trade.

Iran and the U.S. are not engaged in talks and Tehran will not start them as long as Washington ​breaches an interim deal ​signed in June, ⁠Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said on Sunday.

In a further threat to supply, a Saudi oil plant was attacked ​over the weekend.

The Iran-aligned Houthis said they had hit Saudi ​Aramco’s (2222.SE), opens new tab Jazan refinery ⁠on Sunday, two days after the kingdom signed a defence pact with Sunni Muslim allies Turkey and Pakistan in response to growing regional instability from the U.S.-Israeli war ⁠on ​Shi’ite Iran.

Separately, the United Arab Emirates’ ADNOC said on ​Friday that 15 of its vessels had been attacked transiting the Strait of Hormuz since the beginning ​of the conflict.

Simon Levy killed Carmenza Valencia-Trujillo, 53, in March 2025 and 39-year-old Sheryl Wilkins five months later.

The 40-year-old man also raped a third woman in January 2025, before the murders, in the same Tottenham car park where Wilkins was later found dead.

During his trial at the Old Bailey, jurors heard Levy had a string of convictions for attacking women dating back to July 2018, including one carried out against a prison officer in 2022.

The court heard how Levy, from Tottenham, targeted the three vulnerable women, all of whom carried out street sex work in order to fund drug addictions.

He declined to give evidence during his trial but pleaded not guilty to the two murders, as well as two counts of rape, grievous bodily harm with intent, and non-fatal suffocation against the surviving woman.

The jury, which was given a majority direction in the trial, found him guilty of all charges after 13 hours of deliberation.

Members of the victims’ families wept as the verdicts were returned while the defendant, who had a pointed beard and was wearing sunglasses, gave no reaction.

In court, judge Mark Lucraft KC adjourned sentencing until Wednesday 12 August and remanded Levy into custody.

‘Devastating harm’

The Met, British Transport Police and Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) have all admitted failings in how they dealt with Levy, who was on bail as his attacks on women escalated to double murder.

London’s Victims’ Commissioner, Andrea Simon, said she was “appalled by the litany of failures to manage a prolific offender like Levy”.

She told BBC News: “I’m keen now to see how we can uncover every key moment when there was an opportunity to assess the harm Levy posed to women by every justice agency involved, not just the police, and every critical opportunity there was to intervene.”

Crime and Policing Minister, Sarah Jones, said: “The fact that Levy was able to inflict such devastating harm after being freed by police and the courts is deeply concerning.

“It raises serious questions that require urgent answers.”

She said that failures must be identified so they are not repeated.

Helena Croft, the chief executive officer of StreetlightUK charity, said this case “demonstrated the need to treat women involved in the sex industry as women at risk of serious violence”.

She said there were “missed opportunities around listening to frontline services, information sharing, and making full use of specialist organisations that had established relationships with the women most at risk”.

The Metropolitan Police confirmed to the BBC that it believed Wilkins’ death could have been avoided had there not been multiple points of failure in the handling of Levy.

The Met failed to treat Valencia-Trujillo’s death as a murder, despite arresting Levy soon afterwards and finding his DNA on her body, until after Levy killed again.

In February, Levy was convicted of sexually assaulting 10 women on London’s Tubes and trains, as well as a female prison officer in HMP Brixton, with details of that trial now reportable for the first time.

‘Deeply disturbing’

Speaking after the verdicts were given, Det Ch Insp Neil John from the Met said: “Simon Levy is a dangerous and predatory offender.

“His crimes were calculated, cruel and deeply disturbing. Throughout the trial, he has shown complete disregard for the victims and victim-survivor, despite being fully aware of the lasting and devastating impact of his actions.”

He described the investigation as “complex and challenging” but said “my team and I have been steadfast in our professionalism and dedication”.

Standing alongside Wilkins’ two sisters and Valencia-Trujillo’s daughter, he asked for any other victim-survivors of Levy to come forward.

Valencia-Trujillo’s children said she was a “big character” who was “full of life” and was said to be a “much-loved” member of the community with a love of salsa dancing.

Wilkins’ family said she was a much-loved woman who is missed every day by those who knew her.

The Met said since the launch of the investigation, detectives had exhausted numerous lines of enquiry – including working with coroners – to identify whether Levy was responsible for any similar, unsolved incidents, including deaths.

Police have said while they are yet to find anything new on Levy, they emphasised they had significantly strengthened their training and response to violence against women and girls, along with their specialist victim support services.

Two Met officers are under investigation by the Independent Office of Police Conduct (IOPC) for their decision in August 2024 to downgrade Levy from a high-risk sex offender to a medium-risk.

A police constable had been served with a gross misconduct notice and a detective sergeant with a misconduct notice.

The IOPC said it would be investigating how Levy was managed from his first conviction in September 2021 up to his arrest in September 2025.

“We are examining whether action could or should have been taken to prevent his reoffending, and if all officers involved in his management followed policies, procedures, and training.”

The IOPC stressed that the notices indicated the officers’ actions were under investigation and did not mean disciplinary proceedings would follow.

The investigation will also consider whether any lessons can be learned or changes introduced at an individual, force-wide or national level.

The British Transport Police (BTP) said that two of its officers have been moved to other roles due to their “incompetence” in handling the case.

BTP Assistant Chief Constable Charlie Doyle said: “It is clear that opportunities to expedite the investigation were missed and we have amended our procedures to address these issues to ensure that repeat offenders are dealt with expeditiously, and that linked offences are prioritised more effectively.”

Lisa Ramsarran, chief crown prosecutor for the CPS, said: “Our actions fell short of the standards that victims, families and the public are entitled to expect.

“In particular, there were points where we could and should have taken a more robust approach to representations about bail, based on the information available.

“We cannot know what decisions the courts would have made had different or stronger representations been advanced. But we recognise our responsibility and we are sorry for the shortcomings we have identified.”

‘Significant pressure’

Ramsarran said the cases had been handled against a backdrop of significant pressure on the criminal justice system, including busy court lists, late or incomplete information, and the need for agencies to make decisions quickly.

While that did not lessen responsibility for the failings, she said it was important to understand the circumstances in which they had occurred.

She said measures were being introduced to strengthen training, improve oversight of cases and enhance the handling of bail and risk assessments in serious sexual offence investigations.

Levy had attacked the three women while on bail for sex assaults on trains in London, and went on to carry out further assaults on public transport.

Ramsarran explained how Levy was convicted in February of sexually assaulting 10 women on London’s Tubes and trains.

She added: “Nothing can undo the harm caused, but we hope these convictions provide some measure of justice.”

Tube assaults conviction

Earlier this year, Levy, 40, was found guilty by a jury at Inner London Crown Court of groping 10 women on the Tube and an 11th while in prison.

Details of this trial can now be reported after his conviction at the Old Bailey.

The offences took place between April 2022 at the prison, followed by the Tube assaults between 24 October 2023 and May 2025.

He had already been convicted of sexually assaulting two women in 2018, which was why he was in prison in 2022.

The sex offender had lost sight in one eye in an attack in May 2024 and played on this, claiming that his partial sight made him unsteady on his feet and all contact was accidental on these crowded trains.

Levy’s tactic was to tie a jumper or hoodie around his waist, strap his arm down, and then back towards his victim with his hand fully or partially covered so he could grope them.

One of the Tube assault victims told the court: “It wasn’t long before I learned that my attacker was already known to the police for sexual violence and is a convicted sex offender.

“You could not begin to understand the horror I felt at hearing this.

“How could a male who does this so often and so brazenly be allowed to repeat his attacks?

“Knowing this made me feel even more unsafe, the possibility that I could encounter Simon Levy again made me fearful and the idea that he would harm more women and that there would be many more victims was unthinkable.”

During the sentencing hearing in June for the Tube attacks, Judge Michael Evans told Levy : “You were on the Tube for one purpose only, to sexually assault women.”

Levy was convicted of 11 counts of indecent assault, including grabbing the prison guard in 2022, and given an extended sentence consisting of a six-year jail term plus a three-year period on licence.

The three content creators who work with online communications platform Feenal Digital were handed custodial sentences following their prosecution over TikTok posts considered offensive to the president.

According to their lawyer, the posts were intended as comedy and did not warrant criminal charges. He argued that the content creators should not have faced prosecution over satirical expressions shared online.

Mandoumbe Diop received the longest sentence of three months in prison without suspension. Diop, who has more than half a million followers on TikTok, is known for videos that often attract tens of thousands of views.

Two other influencers, Magueye Diaw and Moustapha Ndiaye were each sentenced to two months in prison without parole.

Reuters reports that Diaw and Ndiaye were also fined 500,000 CFA francs (about US$800) each.

The three men are associated with Feenal Digital, a platform that describes itself as producing content promoting government and private-sector activities. The platform has, however, been linked by critics to content that is favourable to the political movement of former Prime Minister Ousmane Sonko, leader of the PASTEF party.

The case comes at a politically sensitive time in Senegal, following tensions between President Faye and his former ally Sonko, who recently moved to establish his own political party.

The convictions have drawn criticism from free speech advocates, who argue that criminalising online commentary, especially satire, could threaten Senegal’s reputation as one of West Africa’s strongest democracies.

Authorities have yet to issue a detailed public response to the criticism, while Feenal Digital and government representatives have not immediately commented on the ruling.

During a farewell meeting, the Vice President, on behalf of President John Dramani Mahama, the Government and people of Ghana, expressed gratitude to Ambassador Madeira for her dedicated service and efforts to deepen cooperation between the two countries during her tenure.

Prof. Opoku-Agyemang praised the ambassador for advancing bilateral ties across several sectors and reaffirmed Ghana’s commitment to sustaining the strong relationship with Brazil.

Ambassador Madeira, in turn, reflected on Ghana’s progress and commended the Mahama administration’s efforts to strengthen the country’s economy.

She described Ghana as an important strategic partner for Brazil and expressed optimism about expanding cooperation in areas of mutual interest.

The meeting focused on enhancing collaboration in agriculture and agribusiness, energy, security and defence, trade and social development.

The Vice President highlighted opportunities for increased partnership in the energy sector, particularly through collaboration with Brazil’s state-owned oil company, Petrobras, as Ghana seeks to expand its energy capacity and attract investment.

She noted that the relationship between Ghana and Brazil extends beyond diplomatic engagement, pointing to the deep historical and cultural ties forged through centuries of interaction across the Atlantic.

Prof. Opoku-Agyemang also acknowledged Brazil’s support for Ghana on several international initiatives, including cooperation on the United Nations resolution on the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade, the Global Alliance Against Hunger and Poverty, and programmes promoting women’s empowerment and social development.

She further commended Ambassador Madeira for broadening diplomatic engagement through partnerships with institutions such as the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection, the Ga Traditional Council and initiatives aimed at improving food security and social welfare.

The Vice President wished the outgoing ambassador success in her future diplomatic assignments and expressed confidence that Ghana would continue to strengthen its relationship with Brazil under her successor.

She said the meeting reaffirmed the commitment of both countries to deepening cooperation and building partnerships that deliver lasting benefits for the people of Ghana and Brazil.

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Inside, police say, a 14-year-old boy had opened fire.

“I was standing in front of the teacher when she was shot,” a shaken seventh grader tells the BBC, near the gates of Debsirin School in Nonthaburi. “She was talking to me when [the gunman] showed up.”

Still in her uniform, with her mother by her side, she explains how the shooter stalked from room to room.

Authorities say he killed five teachers and injured more than 30 people – including fellow pupils – before turning the weapon on himself. Earlier, he had gunned down his grandparents.

“I had to climb over the school fence to escape with other friends,” the girl, who the BBC is not naming, continues.

Her mother says the girl thought she might die. “[She said] ‘I thought I’d never see you again’.”

One 18-year-old student told Reuters he initially thought firecrackers were going off.

“I didn’t think it was a gun at first,” he said. “There were many shots: bang bang bang. Then it went quiet. Then it started again.”

Metres from the school gates, paramedics loaded the wounded into ambulances and rushed them to hospital, as milling crowds hugged and cried.

Rescue worker Kiatikhun Verapongpradith rushed to the scene after hearing children as young as 12 had been hurt.

“I saw students who had been shot, some in the arm, some in the back, some in the chest. So I rushed to help get them to the hospital first,” the 47-year-old rescue worker told Reuters news agency.

One grieving teacher told the BBC his friend was among the dead.

“She was my age. We went to this school together as students. Then we both became teachers at this school,” the 31-year-old, who declined to give his name, said.

It is early days in the investigation and police haven’t said anything about a motive.

They believe the 9mm handgun the shooter used belonged to his grandfather. Forensic officers found the gunman’s shots to be “quite accurate”, with several hitting “vital spots” on victims’ bodies.

Others are filling some of the gaps. A teacher at the school has said the shooter was a good student – not aggressive and with good grades – and education authorities have described him as an avid gamer.

Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul said study pressures may have played a role.

“We learned that his grandmother was a teacher and she might have been strict with him. From what the police gathered from his close friend, they knew he was quite stressed about it.”

It is clear authorities will have many questions to answer in the coming days – many of them about what change this crime must trigger.

Renewed calls for gun control reform

This is Thailand’s deadliest mass shooting in years – and the second at a school this year.

In February, a head teacher and a female student were shot by an 18-year-old gunman during a school siege in southern Thailand.

Four years ago, a 34-year-old in the eastern Nong Bua Lamphu province killed 37 people, most of them preschoolers, in a shooting and stabbing at a nursery.

These crimes have resurfaced questions about gun control in the country.

“This shouldn’t have happened,” the boyfriend of one of the killed teachers told reporters, clearly distressed and trying to hold back tears.

More than seven million people are believed to own guns in the country, one of the highest rates of ownership in the world. Of those, more than one million are unlicensed owners.

While there are restrictions on gun licences in Thailand, people can still acquire the weapons – legally or illegally – with relative ease.

There is a thriving black market, aided by Thailand’s porous land borders with four other nations. Problems with corruption and loose regulation in the police and military have seen weapons end up in the wrong hands.

Prime Minister Anutin said he had tightened regulations when he was interior minister three years ago – suspending new gun permits.

But gun crime remains rife, with deaths from gunshots among the highest in the region. And some in the community are calling for greater action.

“An act of violence in an educational institution, which should be one of the safest places in our society, serves as a stark reminder for Thai society to seriously and systematically review gun control measures,” Natthaphong Ruengpanyawut, leader of the People’s Party – an opposition party – wrote in a Facebook post.

The student killed his grandparents and five teachers before taking his own life, Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul told reporters. The attacker still had “more than 30 bullets left” when he turned the gun on himself, the PM added.

Nine of the injured people remain in a critical condition, authorities added.

The school in Nonthaburi province is a local branch of the renowned Debsirin School, which in Thailand is widely associated with educational prestige.

Police were deployed to the scene during the active shooting.

National police chief police general Kittiratt Phanphet told reporters that forensic officers had found the gunman’s shots were quite accurate, with several hitting the vital spots on the body.

The PM said the attack was “well prepared” with “clear steps and clear goals”.

The attacker has not been publicly named.

Authorities earlier warned people to stay away from the area and for those in trapped in the building to hide and wait for rescuers. At one point police warned in a social media post that the shooter was in the school’s computer room.

The Debsirin School, founded in Bangkok in 1885, is one of Thailand’s top secondary schools with branches across the country. It counts many prominent Thai figures as its alumni, from diplomats and athletes to several prime ministers.

A seventh-grade student, who fled the building, told the BBC that she was in class when she saw the gunman walking from room to room.

When he reached her classroom, he shot the teacher standing near the entrance, she said. She added that she couldn’t see anything else after that.

Another student told Reuters that he had thought the sound of gunshots were firecrackers going off, or someone banging an object.

“There were many shots: bang bang bang. Then it went quiet. Then it started again.”

The 9mm handgun used by the shooter belonged to his grandfather, a former teacher, police said.

Students and school staff were seen fleeing from the scene, and those waiting outside the Debsirin school looked visibly distraught.

0:59Students shelter in classroom as gunshots heard

In a post on social media, the school later shared a call for blood donations.

Other schools in the vicinity suspended classes so students could return home early.

PM Charnvirakul expressed condolences for the victims of the school shooting. He said the tragedy “shouldn’t have happened”, adding “this is why the government do not allow [citizens] to possess firearms”.

“I don’t just feel sorry for the victims but I feel sorry that this happened. How can this happen in our country,” he said.

Thailand has strict gun laws, which punishes the illegal possession of arms with up to 10 years in jail. But enforcement of these laws has been an issue.

The country has one of the highest rates of civilian gun ownership in South East Asia. It is estimated that about 40% of these guns are illegal.

The president said he was signing two executive actions on immigration, including one limiting the number of people eligible for U.S. citizenship after being born in the United States.

The written executive order released later Thursday was narrower in scope than the previous one shot down by the Supreme Court and appeared to focus on restricting automatic citizenship to specific categories of people, including children born to adults with connections to foreign embassies or organisations as well as anyone considered an “alien enemy” of the United States.

It also aimed to restrict birthright citizenship to anyone whose parents “engaged in fraudulent activity to obtain citizenship.”

A second order seeks to curb what Trump called “birth tourism” by increasing restrictions on visitors to the U.S. who want to obtain visas to give birth while in the country.

Trump said he thought his latest actions would be constitutional.

“I thought we were going to win it at the Supreme Court. Unfortunately, we had a bad decision, a very unfair decision. Our country suffers because of it, and we’re ending it a different way,” Trump said.

In June, the Supreme Court rejected Trump’s previous efforts to declare that children born to people in the U.S. illegally or temporarily aren’t American citizens, and upheld a broad conception of birthright citizenship.

On Trump’s first day in office of his second term, he signed an executive order aimed at ending birthright citizenship, which allows anyone born in the United States to automatically become an American citizen.

Trump’s administration was immediately sued by opponents who said the executive order went against the 14th Amendment, adopted after the Civil War, which makes anyone born in the country a citizen, with very limited exceptions.

The executive order was blocked by several lower courts and never took effect.

In June, the Supreme Court struck down Trump’s order by a 6-3 vote. But the vote was too close for many immigration advocates and legal observers who felt the legal question of birthright citizenship was a long-settled issue.

The suspects were arrested following investigations by the Akwa Ibom State Police Command.

According to the Police, the incident came to light on August 3, 2026, after a vigilant resident spotted two men transporting a casket on an unregistered motorcycle under the cover of darkness.

The suspicious movement prompted an intervention, leading to a chase. While one of the suspects, managed to escape, the other was apprehended at the scene and handed over to the Police.

During interrogation, the culprit allegedly confessed that he and his accomplice dug up a freshly buried grave, removed the corpse and stole the casket with the intention of selling it.

Police recovered both the stolen casket and the motorcycle used in transporting it.

Further investigations led to the arrest of the cemetery manager, who allegedly admitted to conspiring with the grave diggers in carrying out the act.

Police say efforts are underway to arrest the fugitive suspect as investigations continue.

Majority-owned by Africa’s richest man, Aliko Dangote, the refinery emerged as a big winner ‌from the Iran war by selling jet fuel across Africa and to western Europe as countries battled shortages.

Dangote now plans to raise funds to expand the capacity of the 650,000-barrel-per-day Lagos-based refinery and replicate its success with a similar facility in Kenya.

His ambition is to reduce Africa’s dependence on expensive, imported fuels and even turn the continent into an exporter.

The planned IPO, whose proposed timeline is fairly tight according to the source, has attracted interest across the continent. Stock exchanges in South Africa, Kenya, Egypt, ​Ghana and Rwanda have held a series of meetings with the refinery’s advisers in recent months to take part in the deal.

Kenya’s capital markets could raise as much as $500 million of the Dangote ​IPO target, the source said, adding that there is “tremendous” appetite for the issue among local investors such as pension funds.

A second source with direct knowledge of ⁠the deal said Dangote Petroleum Refinery & Petrochemicals FZE, which has submitted its IPO application to Nigeria’s Securities and Exchange Commission, is expected to receive approval in the coming weeks and be able to publish a prospectus ​in September.

The first source said the IPO’s target was $5 billion but cautioned that the final figure would depend on what the Nigerian regulator approved, as the primary listing will be on the Nigerian Stock Exchange.

That target ​would account for just over 4% of Nigeria’s main All Share Index, whose total capitalisation stood at $116 billion on Tuesday.

$40 BILLION VALUATION LOOKS AMBITIOUS

The source did not have information on how big a stake would be offered to the public or the potential valuation. However, a $2.5 billion private placement for a 6% stake in the refinery last month gave the business a valuation of around $40 billion, the second source with knowledge of that deal said.

Such a valuation looks ambitious based on the value ​of other stand-alone oil refiners. Turkey’s Tupras, which has the same capacity as Dangote across four refineries, has a market value of just $12 billion.

HF Sinclair listed in New York, has a capacity of 678,000 bpd ​and a market capitalisation of $16 billion.

Both sources spoke on condition of anonymity because the deal is confidential.

Dangote did not respond to a request for comment.

The Nigerian Stock Exchange has a minimum free float of 20% on its main board. However ‌, there have ⁠been exceptions to that rule. The free float for Dangote Cement, another business in Dangote’s industrial empire, is just over 12.7%.

The first source said that other capital markets on the continent that want a slice of the deal will have to craft “structured solutions” for their investors, such as global depositary receipts, or exchange-traded instruments, which mirror the actual shares to be listed on the Nigerian exchange, including the right to accrue future dividends.

A cross-listing, or dual listing, of the shares in other regional markets is not planned at this stage, the source said. The Dangote refinery, which cost around $20 billion, started operations in 2024 before attaining full capacity earlier this ​year. Nigeria’s state oil firm NNPC has a stake ​of just over 7% in it.

Aliko Dangote, 69, ⁠said in April the refinery was aiming to raise its output to 1.4 million barrels per day.

WEALTHIEST MAN IN AFRICA

With an estimated net worth of between $31 billion and $35 billion, Dangote owns a conglomerate that includes production of cement, sugar and salt, and car and truck assembly plants in more than a dozen African countries.

He ​is keen for the IPO to be a pan-African venture, the source said, in line with his vision of helping the continent find local solutions for ​its development challenges.

The source said ⁠the aim was to enable capital markets across the continent to participate in “an African champion”.

Details of whether regional capital markets will get pre-allocations, and the possibility of underwriting, or whether they will be allowed to participate in an open offer whose allocations will be determined later based on the strength of the overall demand for the whole offering, will be worked out at a later date, the source said.

Dangote often boasts of being one of the few ⁠African billionaires who ​have kept their vast wealth at home in Nigeria instead of stashing it in offshore accounts.

He is also planning to start ​the construction of a refinery along the Kenyan coast together with East African governments, but the source did not know if some of the cash to be raised from the IPO could be deployed towards that project.

Dangote will offer investors the option of being paid ​in naira or dollars, the first source said.

President John Dramani Mahama made the declaration while addressing a special sitting of Jamaica’s Parliament on Tuesday as part of his State Visit to the Caribbean nation.

He commended the Jamaican government and people for advancing the global campaign for reparatory justice and reaffirmed Ghana’s commitment to supporting efforts aimed at addressing the historical consequences of the transatlantic slave trade.

Jamaica announced in June that government officials would travel to the United Kingdom in September to formally present a petition to King Charles III, who serves as Jamaica’s Head of State.

The petition is expected to seek legal guidance on Jamaica’s claim for reparations from Britain over its role in the transatlantic slave trade and slavery.

President Mahama also disclosed plans to champion a continental initiative that will make it easier for people of African descent in the diaspora to return to Africa, settle and access residency or citizenship opportunities when he assumes the Chairmanship of the African Union (AU).

He said the initiative would form part of broader efforts to strengthen ties between Africa and the diaspora and address the historical separation caused by slavery and colonialism.

The proposed “right of return” framework is based on the principle that people of African descent whose ancestors were forcibly taken from Africa through the transatlantic slave trade should have pathways to return, establish residence and potentially acquire citizenship in African countries.

President Mahama is expected to use Ghana’s historical role in the transatlantic slave trade and its position as a key destination for diaspora engagement to advance discussions on reparatory justice and stronger Africa-diaspora relations at the continental level.

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According to President Mahama, expanding the AfCFTA framework to accommodate Caribbean nations will strengthen economic relations between Africa and the Caribbean while creating new opportunities for trade, investment and economic cooperation.

He made the remarks during a joint press conference with Jamaican Prime Minister Andrew Holness as part of his official visit to Jamaica.

President Mahama said while increasing trade volumes between Africa and the Caribbean would require deliberate efforts, investment in infrastructure and logistics, as well as the expansion of the trade area, would be critical to achieving that goal.

“With regards to trade, we don’t kid ourselves that you snap your fingers and suddenly our trade volumes will go up. We need to work at it. And that is why I said one way of working at it is to put in the infrastructure and the logistics. But the second is to expand the trade area.

“And that is why I said as chair of the AU, I am going to push for the inclusion of the Caribbean into the African Continental Free Trade Area.”

The President explained that the AfCFTA is designed to facilitate trade among participating countries through the harmonisation of product standards and certification processes.

He noted that once a product meets the required standards and is approved by the relevant national standards authority, it can be registered for export to other markets within the trade area.

“The way the African Continental Free Trade Area works is that we harmonise our standards. And once you get approval from your standards authority that your product is of the standard that you can export, then they put you on a register.

“And if you go on, you can see which commodities qualify. They can be electrical cables. They can be transformers. They can be iron and steel products. They can be processed food products.

“I mean, there are so many pharmaceutical products. And so once you go in there and you decide to trade, you go on the platform. It will get you in touch with the producer in whichever country.”

President Mahama said the proposed closer economic integration between Africa and the Caribbean could provide a platform for businesses on both sides of the Atlantic to explore new markets, partnerships and investment opportunities.

He stressed that strengthening trade links would build on the longstanding historical and cultural connections between Africa and the Caribbean while creating practical economic benefits for businesses and citizens in both regions.

Front-month Brent futures rose $1.12, or 1.3%, to $84.89 a barrel by 0355 GMT after dropping 7% in the previous session to a three-week low.

U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude was up ​77 cents, or 1%, at $81.11 after falling more than 5% in the previous session to stand at its ​lowest in nearly a week.

Prices dropped after U.S. President Donald Trump said on Sunday he was ⁠holding off on new attacks on Iran pending ongoing talks to end their war and settle claims over control of the key ​Strait of Hormuz.

The strategic waterway, which connects Gulf oil producers to global markets, was a channel for about a fifth of ​global shipments of crude oil and natural gas before the conflict.

However, on Monday, Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei rejected Trump’s claim, saying no negotiations with the U.S. were taking place and no meetings were scheduled.

“The scale of the sell-off seems fairly overdone, given that there’s still considerable uncertainty. ​We’ve been in this situation multiple times before, only to see things unravel,” ING analysts said in a note.

“And with Iran ​denying that any talks are underway and Trump issuing warnings if no deal materialises, the backdrop clearly leaves ample room for a renewed ‌escalation.”

The Hormuz ⁠dispute is a central sticking-point in talks. Washington says the memorandum of understanding agreed in June required Iran to open the waterway, while Tehran says the text explicitly preserved its authority.

Analysts at Barclays said crude oil and refined product net exports through the strait averaged 4.2 million barrels per day in the week ended July 31, versus 3.2 million the previous week.

In the ​Red Sea, six Saudi-flagged supertankers changed course ​in the Gulf of ⁠Aden recently for southern Africa, while two tankers laden with Saudi oil crossed the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, shipping data showed on Monday.

Shipping traffic at the key Gulf waterways of Bab el-Mandeb and ​the Strait of Hormuz held largely unchanged at the start of the week.

Hormuz remains dangerous for ​vessels. On Tuesday, ⁠the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations agency flagged an incident 20 nautical miles (37 km) northeast of Oman’s Al Khasab, after a cargo vessel broadcast over VHF channel 16 that it had been hit by an unknown projectile.

“While the fighting between Saudi Arabia and the Houthis ⁠has not ​completely halted energy flows, it has forced longer voyage times, higher insurance ​costs and occasional diversions,” said Tim Waterer, chief market analyst at KCM Trade.

“With the Strait of Hormuz, it keeps a dual-chokepoint risk in the market that prevents ​oil from fully unwinding its geopolitical premium.”

The meeting, held in Kingston, focused on expanding Ghana–Jamaica relations through enhanced collaboration in trade and investment, education, tourism, culture, agriculture and other areas of mutual interest.

President Mahama and his delegation were formally received at King’s House by Jamaica’s Governor-General, Sir Patrick Allen, and Lady Allen, where the Ghanaian leader was accorded a ceremonial welcome and inspected a Guard of Honour.

He later paid a courtesy call on the Governor-General before proceeding to the Office of the Prime Minister for talks with Dr Holness.

The two leaders held a private meeting before leading their respective delegations in formal bilateral discussions aimed at identifying new opportunities to strengthen economic and diplomatic cooperation between the two countries.

According to the Presidency, the discussions also reaffirmed the shared commitment of Ghana and Jamaica to deepening Africa–Caribbean partnerships and promoting closer collaboration on regional and global issues.

The talks further explored ways to boost trade and investment, expand educational and cultural exchanges, enhance tourism, and increase cooperation in agriculture.

The day’s engagements concluded with a joint media briefing at the Executive Building, where President Mahama and Prime Minister Holness highlighted the outcomes of their discussions and reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening the longstanding historical and diplomatic ties between Ghana and Jamaica.

President Mahama’s visit forms part of efforts to deepen Ghana’s engagement with Caribbean nations, promote South-South cooperation, and strengthen economic, cultural and political relations between Africa and the Caribbean.

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Christopher Phillips, 60, was arrested after the body of Sylvia Phillips, 89, was found by officers in February at Poplar Crescent, Porthcawl, Bridgend county.

She had died in March 2023.

Phillips had told doctors he “did not want to let her go” and “wanted more time” after her death.

Sylvia Phillips was discovered wrapped in a leopard print silk blanket, with yellow and pink roses placed on her body, as well as a birthday card signed from him and the family dog Tina.

“To Mum, from Christopher and Tina,” the card read.

Phillips admitted three offences including failing to lawfully and decently bury his mother and continuing to claim her pension and benefits including housing benefits and winter fuel allowances.

Merthyr Tydfil Crown Court heard Phillips had been adopted by Sylvia Phillips at the age of two, was “exceptionally close” to her and was her sole carer.

The day after she died on 8 March 2023 her son held her in his arms and told her he would look after her, the court was told.

Two days after her death, Phillips bought a chest freezer from AO.com, placing it in the dining room of the semi-detached home. She remained there until her body was discovered by police who carried out a welfare check requested by her GP.

The court was told that the local medical practice had made repeated attempts to contact her but were denied access by her son.

When police went to the house, Phillips said his mother had moved to London and did not want to undergo medical tests.

The court heard officers became suspicious, with Phillips seen trembling and fidgeting. He ran upstairs and later could be heard telling a girlfriend on the phone that the “police are going to arrest me, you’ve got the will”.

Officers who opened the freezer found that the 89-year-old was completely frozen and it was some time before a post-mortem was able to be carried out. The pathologist has been unable to ascertain a cause of death, but there were not thought to be suspicious circumstances.

The court heard Phillips moved downstairs to sleep next to his mother’s body. At times he would open the freezer and hold her hand.

Sylvia Phillips had 26 appointments with her local GP practice in 2021, and six in 2022, after which there was no further contact.

The court heard she was last seen in A&E on 24 September 2022 and her local GP made a house call on 26 September but her son continued to pick up her prescriptions.

Sylvia Phillips was invited to a review by the practice, but her son said she would not come to the surgery and she did not need the blood tests.

Christopher Phillips received a total of £78,190.92 in state pension, pensions credit, attendance allowance, winter fuel payments, cost-of-living payments and housing benefit payments, which would have ceased had the death been reported.

He had been her primary carer since 2008, and the court heard he had resigned from his job in late 2022 when her health declined further. The pair were described as “somewhat isolated”.

Ruth Smith, defending, said Phillips had told police: “I basically didn’t want to let her go.”

She added: “He described talking to her as if she was still alive… Sitting next to her, talking to her about television programmes, Coronation Street, the horse racing, just as they always did,” she said, adding that he was a “vulnerable individual”.

Phillips sobbed in the dock as Smith said her client was “extremely close to his mother” and was in “extreme grief” following her death.

She said he showed a “lack of acceptance” about her passing and “had almost created a false narrative that she was still alive”.

Sentencing Phillips, Judge Lloyd-Clarke said he had “deliberately concealed” his mother’s death and “took steps to give the impression that she was still alive”.

“You continued to collect her prescription and lied to medical professionals and eventually the police,” Lloyd-Clarke added.

“Rather than notify the authorities and make arrangements for her lawful burial, you purchased a chest freezer on March 10th and concealed her body within it,” she said.

Lloyd-Clarke added that a timescale for confiscation proceedings would follow.

The incident is said to have occurred on the morning of Sunday, August 2, as worshippers gathered for church amid rainfall.

According to eyewitnesses in a video circulating online, panic erupted when at least seven heavily armed men stormed the church and forcibly whisked away some members of the congregation, including a seminarian.

Residents said some worshippers who were on their way to the church encountered people fleeing the premises, who informed them that the attackers had already abducted several victims.

Locals claimed they attempted to pursue the kidnappers into the surrounding area but were unable to confront them because the assailants were heavily armed while residents had no weapons.

They appealed to the government to strengthen security in the area, saying communities are increasingly vulnerable to attacks and lack the means to defend themselves.

The residents also expressed frustration that even local vigilante groups are not adequately equipped to respond to such incidents.

According to them, one of the abducted victims had recently returned to the community to bury his father before the attack occurred.

Authorities are yet to officially confirm the number of people abducted or provide further details on efforts to rescue the victims.

The attack is the second major Russian aerial assault in two days, with the Kremlin apparently seeking to expose Kyiv’s shortages of key defense systems as it struggles to make advances along the vast front line.

At least nine people were killed and 30 wounded in the latest attack on Ukraine, including four children, with strikes targeting the capital Kyiv and surrounding regions, according to the city’s mayor Vitali Klitschko.

Only one of the 27 ballistic missiles launched by Russia was shot down.

The Ukrainian president has often appealed to Western nations to provide much-needed air defense systems to protect Ukraine’s cities and critical infrastructure from aerial attacks. The country is facing a shortage of US-made interceptors for Patriots – the only defense system that can bring down certain advanced ballistic missiles.

Yet the situation has become more desperate in recent weeks, with massive Russian assaults claiming the lives of civilians. Earlier this week, Ukrainian authorities said a ballistic missile slammed into a house in the rural village of Radushne, in the Dnipro Region, killing at least six family members, including four children.

In the aftermath of the overnight strikes on Saturday, Zelensky wrote on Telegram, “We lack missiles for the Patriot systems. And it is precisely this shortage of anti-ballistic interceptors that only encourages Russia to carry out such deadly strikes.”

On Friday, Trump said he was hesitant to allow Ukraine to build its own Patriot missile interceptors, an idea he first announced on the sidelines of a NATO summit in Turkey last month.

“We’re talking about it, but it’s a hard thing to give away that kind of technology,” Trump said during a Cabinet meeting at Camp David. “We have to be very careful.” He voiced particular concerns about the risk that Ukraine could someday use the Patriot missile interceptors against the US, even though he acknowledged that it’s unlikely to happen.

The deliberations mark a turnaround from earlier this month, when Trump suggested during the NATO summit that he would aid Ukraine’s fight against Russia by permitting them to build the Patriot systems.

Patriots needed ‘here and now’

A CNN team on the ground heard at least three waves of explosions in the capital overnight.

“People are trapped in a five-story residential building due to falling rocket debris in the Solomyanske district,” Klitschko wrote on Telegram. He said a fire had broken out in the courtyard of a residential building and that emergency services are headed to the scene.

A police officer was among those killed in the strikes in Kyiv. Yehor Terekhin, 22, and his patrol partner were helping people at the site of some shelling when a second strike hit the same location, according to a police statement. Terekhin sustained fatal injuries.

“While saving others, he gave the most precious thing he had – his own life,” a statement from Kyiv’s Patrol Police department said. “He will forever be 22.”

While Kyiv took the brunt of the Russian assault, the regions of Dnipropetrovsk, Sumy, Kharkiv and Poltava were also targeted, according to Zelensky.

“Eighteen buildings, a school, the Lithuanian embassy and infrastructure facilities were damaged,” he added.

Russia’s powerful ballistic missiles are incredibly difficult for Ukraine to intercept because they travel at extremely high speeds. Some of the most advanced missiles can only be shot down using the US-made Patriot defense systems.

“It is crucial that our partners understand that these systems are not needed sitting in warehouses for hypothetical scenarios, but here and now,” Zelensky said on Saturday.

“Every anti-ballistic missile package saves the lives of our people. And every night that we lack them results in casualties.”

Overall, at least 14 civilians have been killed and 87 injured across Ukraine over the past 24 hours, data from local authorities shows.

Meanwhile, Russia intercepted and destroyed 274 Ukrainian drones targeting its territory overnight, including over the Moscow region, according to the Russian Ministry of Defense.

The boy is accused of murdering 16-year-old Yap Shing Xuen last October. The girl was found fatally stabbed multiple times in a toilet at their secondary school on the outskirts of the capital Kuala Lumpur.

The boy, who was 14 at the time, has pleaded not guilty. If convicted, he could spend decades in prison.

Police previously said they suspected social media could have influenced the boy.

Police also confirmed a note was found on him at the time of his arrest. Reports about the note’s alleged content have fueled the wider discussion about the role of social media.

Under Malaysian law, the boy cannot be publicly identified as he is still a minor.

His young age also means he will not face the death penalty if found guilty.

However, he could still face 30 to 40 years in jail, and he could also be flogged. The age of criminal responsibility in Malaysia is 10 years old.

The case has profoundly shocked the country and triggered a nationwide conversation about the negative effects of social media on children, particularly exposure to the manosphere and incel culture.

Some have compared the case to the Netflix series Adolescence, which explores similar themes involving teenage boys, online radicalisation and violence.

Last year Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim was asked about the case as well as other recent cases of violence in schools.

He was quoted by local media as saying that “almost all of these issues stem from the use of mobile phones and social media”, and vowed to look into stricter measures.

Authorities have since put in place new rules which they say will protect children and reduce their exposure to harmful online content.

Since June, Malaysia has banned all children under the age of 16 from having accounts on major social media platforms.

According to Spanish authorities, about 50,000 people had crossed into Ceuta by land and sea from Thursday in an unprecedented surge at one of the European Union’s only land borders with Africa. More than 48,000 of them returned to Morocco within 48 hours, Spain said.

Reuters video on Saturday showed Spanish soldiers and police patrolling a mostly ​empty Tarajal beach shrouded in fog.

EU CALLS EMERGENCY MEETING

Civil Guard police started laying the new barrier at 7:50 a.m. (0550 GMT) on the Tarajal breakwater, one ​of the main points used by people trying to enter the tiny Spanish territory, the government said in a statement.

The ⁠pneumatic barrier, alongside a line of anchored naval buoys, is designed to stand 30 to 70 centimetres (12 to 28 inches) above water and extend as much as ​one metre below the surface, it added, while a channel between the barriers will allow Civil Guard vessels to patrol the area.

The mass crossing prompted alarm across the ​European Union, and 22 member states wrote a letter asking for coordinated action to protect external borders and other measures.

Ireland, which holds the rotating EU presidency, said it had called an emergency video conference meeting of the bloc’s interior ministers to discuss the crisis on Tuesday.

Spain’s centre-left Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez criticised Italy’s decision on Friday to suspend passport-free Schengentravel arrangements with Madrid for one month.

“In the ​current international context, the EU cannot afford this kind of selfish, polarising and unlawful reaction,” Sanchez wrote in a letter to the EU Commission and European Council ​presidents.

DEATH TOLL RISES

At least 67 bodies have been recovered on the Spanish side of the frontier, officials said, after some migrants drowned and others were crushed while trying to climb the breakwater ‌and border ⁠fence.

Many were driven to migrate by economic hardship and encouraged by social media rumours.

Spanish Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska blamed people-smuggling networks for exploiting vulnerable migrants and spreading misleading interpretations of a recent Spanish Supreme  Court ruling that migrants intercepted at sea cannot be summarily returned in the absence of a physical barrier.

Speaking from Ceuta, Grande-Marlaska told reporters Spain had largely restored order within 24 hours, but warned that the crisis was not yet formally over and that reinforced police and military deployments would remain ​as long as needed, though overnight crossings ​had fallen to about zero.

“Morocco isn’t ⁠any threat to Ceuta or the rest of Spain — it’s a fully reliable partner,” he said, adding there had been no intelligence indicating a mass entry was imminent.

The AUGC union for Spain’s Civil Guard said it was asking for a reinforcement ​of at least 200 officers, and warned that more work was needed to stop people swimming round the new inflatable ​barrier.

Madrid said the people ⁠who entered Ceuta irregularly could not travel onwards to mainland Spain or elsewhere in the Schengen zone.

In a statement, the foreign ministry added that travellers leaving Ceuta by sea or air undergo police identity checks, representing a second layer of control after the land border with Morocco.

In contrast to most of Europe, Spain has adopted a more open ⁠stance on ​migrants, introducing a programme to grant residency to more than half a million undocumented people.

But it has ​rejected suggestions that the regularisation scheme had encouraged the rush into Ceuta, saying applicants must prove residence in Spain before January 1, 2026, and five continuous months of residence when applying.

Europe has been ravaged by wildfires this summer after a period of record-breaking heatwaves and little rain – conditions that scientists say have been ‌exacerbated by climate change.

Destructive blazes in France and Spain showed signs of easing over the weekend, but several wildfires have broken out in Greece after a period of relative calm there.

Two helicopters collided during a firefighting operation in the area of Psatha in the Attica region, west of Athens, Greece’s fire service said in a statement.

Footage posted on the Forecast Weather Greece Facebook page appeared to show two helicopters closing to cross paths at low altitude, before the main rotor of the lower ​helicopter struck the underside of the one flying above it and crashed in flames. The second helicopter then dumped its load of water and flew away. Reuters has not verified the ​authenticity of the footage.

The crew of one helicopter had been located and were safe, with ambulances on the way to pick them up, government officials said. ⁠As for the second crew, the helicopter had been located, and a search-and-rescue operation was underway, officials said.

‘FORCE OF NATURE’

Gale-force winds that had fuelled a fire around Porto Germeno on the Gulf of Corinth 60 ​km (40 miles) northwest of Athens subsided, but flames crossed a mountain to the south and reached the settlement of Veniza and a military firing range, igniting unexploded ordnance. Firefighters focused their efforts on preventing fire from ​advancing towards the coastal town of Megara, which has a population of around 30,000.

“There are moments when the force of nature and the intensity of weather conditions exceed all human planning and every operational capability,” Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said in his regular Sunday message.

Greek authorities issued emergency alerts for evacuations for a number of settlements in western Attica, including an industrial estate near Megara.

In the village of Agios Konstantinos, residents were doing their best to halt the spread of the ​blaze.

“The fire has been burning since last night, it is certain that they cannot have forces everywhere. We as residents are doing everything we can,” said Tasos Tzempelikos, 61, who along with his son ​was pouring water on the fire.

Greek daily Protothema reported that a major effort was under way to prevent the fire from Veniza from reaching the nearby coastal town of Megara. It said more than 10,000 hectares of land had ‌likely been ⁠destroyed by the fire so far.

Overnight, several settlements on the Ionian island of Kefalonia were evacuated after a fire broke out in the Pastra area in the south.

FIRES IN FRANCE AND SPAIN MOSTLY UNDER CONTROL

In France, wildfires in the Gironde and Var departments showed signs of easing. Authorities reported only minor flare-ups in the southwestern Gironde area and said the blaze in the southeastern Var department had not spread overnight.

In Monfort-Sur-Argents, in the region of Var, Georges Blanc, who fled from the fire, returned home and was busy putting out hot embers to prevent a flare-up, while firefighters watered the wider area.

“With the combined efforts of the two ​Canadairs (firefighting planes) and the firefighters, I think you could ​say all the houses were saved … And now, ⁠well, I’m coming back to check, because since I saw the flames, I thought the houses wouldn’t have survived,” he told Reuters.

In central Spain, wildfires that ripped through tens of thousands of hectares over the past week were mostly under control, though firefighters were dealing with reignitions in some areas.

In the western province ​of Caceres, a forest blaze erupted on Saturday, prompting the evacuation of around 800 people. Those residents were allowed to return on Sunday but remained ​confined to their homes as ⁠the fire was still active.

HUNGARY NUCLEAR PLANT FORCED TO SHUT

Other European countries are struggling with drought and receding water levels in major rivers, including the Rhine and the Danube, which recorded its lowest-ever water levels in Hungary, Serbia and Romania.

Hungary faces a critical five days, Prime Minister Peter Magyar said on Sunday, as the drying out of the Danube forced the country’s sole nuclear power plant to shut for the first time in more than four ⁠decades, with a ​new heatwave looming.

Falls in water levels amid a lack of rain have also disrupted shipping and tourism, opens new tab in Hungary and triggered water-use ​restrictions in more than 100 cities and villages.

Danube levels in Serbia fell to their lowest since 1985, cutting the daily output of the country’s biggest hydropower plant to only 20%, the energy minister said on Sunday.

The event, themed #JP2026, became one of the biggest celebrity weddings of the year, attracting widespread attention on social media, with gifts beginning to pour in even before the couple exchanged their vows.

Businessman and socialite Pascal Okechukwu, popularly known as Cubana Chief Priest, had earlier pledged ₦10 million towards the wedding.

American entrepreneur Gregory Pizarro Jr., a longtime supporter of Peller, also travelled to Lagos and surprised the groom with a cash gift of $20,000 during a meeting at his hotel ahead of the ceremony.

The couple also received a plot of land in Abuja valued at ₦150 million from Lawrence Emmanuel, Chief Executive Officer of Promiseland Estate.

The biggest surprise came during the wedding reception when real estate entrepreneur King Ochacho, on behalf of his family, announced the gift of a fully furnished luxury mansion in Abuja’s upscale Life Camp district, reportedly worth ₦400 million.

In keeping with their reputation as digital content creators, Peller and Jarvis livestreamed the ceremony across multiple online platforms, including Twitch and YouTube, allowing thousands of supporters around the world to follow the celebration in real time.

Peller and Jarvis have built a massive online following through their livestreams, collaborative content and public appearances. Their wedding has since become one of the most talked-about celebrity events of the year across social media platforms.

Officials say almost all whose who reached the enclave on 30 July have returned, while Spain’s interior minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska said on Saturday that the death toll had risen to 67.

It comes after Italy temporarily suspended the EU’s border-free Schengen arrangement with Spain, as Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni called the scenes “shocking”.

Finland and Denmark backed Italy’s move, while Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babiš urged a temporary suspension of Spain’s Schengen membership.

In a letter to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez said he had “serious concern” about some European governments.

He said the Spanish government had fully restored control over the border and prevented any “unauthorised onward movement towards continental Europe” in less than 48 hours.

While most had showed “support and solidarity”, Sanchez said other European governments had chosen to attack Spain, “driven by prejudice, fake  news, ignorance, or  political interest”, and pointed out that Ceuta was not part of the Schengen area.

“The European Union cannot afford this kind of selfish, polarising and unlawful reaction,” he said.

There were chaotic scenes on Thursday in Ceuta as border controls in the North African enclave apparently broke down.

On Saturday morning, Spanish MEP Juan Fernando López Aguilar told the BBC that the situation was “beginning to get under control” and the migrants were “returning peacefully”.

But while the situation on the ground is easing, political and diplomatic fallout is rippling through Madrid and other capitals.

On Thursday, Italy’s Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni wrote on social media that such “uncontrolled immigration” was a threat to national security, before suspending the Schengen zone agreement with Spain for a month.

The Schengen Area is a system of open borders spanning 29 European countries that have abolished controls at their common borders.

Spain responded by summoning the Italian ambassador to Madrid, while its foreign minister said he expected “European solidarity and not partisan demagoguery”.

Finland’s Interior Minister Mari Rantanen said she had started preparations for restoring internal border checks “if the need arises”. She also urged “all European countries” to support Meloni’s move.

Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen also urged the EU to “consider all options, including a suspension of Schengen co-operation”.

France has tightened checks on its border with Spain and said it would increase its police presence by Saturday.

Portuguese PM Luis Montenegro said he was considering reinforcing border checks.

Von der Leyen said the images from Ceuta were “unacceptable”. “We cannot allow anyone to come to our Union without abiding by our rules,” she said on social media.

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said he “supports Spain’s intention not to allow illegal migrants onto the European continent”, and demanded that Morocco “take back illegal migrants immediately”.

In the US, the state department said the incident was a direct result of Spain’s migration policies. President Donald Trump called the situation a “catastrophe” and said “it looks like an invasion of a country by hundreds of thousands of people”.

Spain has defended its handling of the migrant surge. Madrid has sent troops, more police, drones, divers and boats to Ceuta. The country has also deployed its armed forces to bolster security in another Spanish enclave, Melilla, where hundreds of crossings were also reported.

Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, who has visited Ceuta after the migrant influx, said he would consider reinforcing the border with Morocco, and that Moroccan authorities were co-operating.

He blamed trafficking gangs for the migrant surge, calling the incident a “violation of Spain’s territorial integrity”.

“Trafficking mafias took a self-serving interpretation of a Supreme  Court ruling” which “spread like wildfire”, he said.

EU Commissioner Magnus Brunner said, after a phone call with Spanish Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares, that “not a single person has crossed to mainland EU”.

In June, Spain’s Supreme Court ruled that migrants stopped at sea while trying to reach Ceuta or Melilla could not be summarily returned to Morocco without due process.

While the surge of migrants this year is extraordinary, Ceuta has long been a focal point for migrants attempting to reach Europe. During the summer months, there is often a big push to reach Ceuta, typically organised over social media.

In 2021, about 8,000 people entered Ceuta over a matter of days, exacerbating Spain’s diplomatic tensions with Morocco.

Morocco, which has been suffering from a high unemployment rate, witnessed several Gen Z anti-government protests last year, with young people demanding better opportunities and improvements to public services.

Together with Melilla, Ceuta forms the European Union’s only land borders with Africa. Migrants can enter the enclave by swimming several kilometres.

Spain has a relatively friendly approach to immigration. In April, the government approved plans to give legal status to 500,000 undocumented migrants, allowing them to be formally integrated into the workforce.

At that time, the right-wing Italian prime minister had already criticised Sánchez, saying the policy would “affect its neighbours”.

In June the European Parliament approved tougher migration rules that grant authorities broader powers to return irregular arrivals.