In a statement, Dr. Bawumia said he received with sadness news of the deaths, as well as reports that several others were injured in the attack.

He extended condolences on behalf of the NPP and his wife, Samira Bawumia, to the bereaved families and wished the injured a speedy recovery.

Dr. Bawumia stressed that Ghanaian traders must not be left vulnerable as they go about their businesses and urged the government to deepen intelligence collaboration with neighbouring countries to ensure the safety of Ghanaians abroad.

He also called for the strengthening of Ghana’s framework for preventing and countering violent extremism and terrorism to better protect citizens.

Below is the full statement:

STATEMENT ON SOME GHANAIAN TRADERS KILLED IN BURKINA FASO

I have received with shock news that some Ghanaian traders have been killed, while several others were injured, in a terrorist attack in Burkina Faso.

The NPP, Samira, and I extend our condolences to the families of the bereaved and wish the injured a speedy recovery.

Ghanaian traders must not be left exposed to such peril as they go about their trade.

I urge the government to deepen intelligence collaboration with all our neighbours to ensure that Ghanaians are protected wherever they find themselves.

Our well-established framework for preventing and countering violent extremism and terrorism must be strengthened.

Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia
Flagbearer, New Patriotic Party

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Speaking at the “Accra Reset’s Addis Reckoning” forum on the sidelines of the 39th Assembly of the African Union on Sunday, February 15, President Mahama emphasized that currency conversion requirements remain a major obstacle to boosting trade within Africa.

Referencing concerns raised by Wamkele Mene, Secretary-General of the African Continental Free Trade Area, the President questioned the logic of current payment systems on the continent.

“The Pan-African payment and settlement system is a thing whose time has come — and with urgency. I should be able to ship my goods to Kenya and get paid in cedis rather than a foreign currency,” he stated.

According to President Mahama, reforming payment systems is a key component of the broader Accra Reset agenda, which seeks to dismantle long-standing structural dependencies within Africa’s financial architecture.

Beyond financial reforms, he highlighted improvements in transport and logistics as signs that continental integration is steadily progressing. He commended ASKY Airlines for enhancing connectivity across West Africa and noted the expansive African route network of Ethiopian Airlines. He also pointed to emerging maritime services along the West Coast, including reefer vessels redistributing cargo between Dakar and Douala, and plans for a proposed ferry system connecting Accra, Lagos, and Monrovia.

“Once supply and demand are in place, the logistics will follow,” he observed.

President Mahama stressed that Africa’s growth would generate shared global benefits, echoing sentiments that African prosperity strengthens global prosperity.

However, he repeatedly called for decisive action.

“We take time. And we behave like time is waiting for us,” he said, urging African leaders to move beyond policy discussions toward concrete, measurable implementation.

“As we said, this is the Addis reckoning. From Addis, we must stop talking and start implementing.”

While his speech did not fully allay their concerns, it was seen as reassuring allies that, while US relations may have frayed under Donald Trump, they will not break.

Rubio’s was not the only US political voice at the security summit, however.

And even if the secretary of state’s remarks had not been so well-received – if he had sharply criticised Europeans the way Vice-President JD Vance did at the conference last year – there were other US politicians doing their best impression of the Persian poet, counselling: “This too shall pass.”

“If there’s nothing else I can communicate today,” California Governor Gavin Newsom said at a conference event on Friday, “Donald Trump is temporary. He’ll be gone in three years.”

Newsom was just one of dozens of American legislators and governors in attendance – including some Democrats, like the Californian, who may contend for their party’s 2028 presidential nomination.

Many emphasised that the US would remain a strong partner to Europe, along lines similar to those offered by Rubio, but without his criticism of cultural decline on the continent.

“The reason we’re here is to provide reassurance that we understand how important our European allies are,” Democratic Senator Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire said.

A Republican in attendance, Senator Thom Tillis, echoed her, noting that the US and Europe were not in a “civil war”. He cautioned American allies not to get caught up in the “rhetoric of American politics”.

That has been easier said than done recently, as Trump has imposed steep tariffs on many US trading partners, and he and some of his top aides have been blunt in their desire to reshape the international order, use American military power, and refocus American foreign policy on the Western Hemisphere.

The president’s designs on Greenland – which he repeated before departing the White House for a weekend in Florida on Friday – have been only the most jarring example of the shift in the American outlook.

Trump’s willingness to push boundaries and test the limits of his power has not been limited to foreign affairs. Several Democrats took time in Munich to address additional domestic concerns.

Virginia Senator Mark Warner warned that the president’s talk of nationalising elections and instituting stringent identity requirements for voting via executive order mean the freedom and fairness of November’s midterm congressional elections are at stake.

“I never thought I would say that in 2026 America,” he said.

Trump has defended his effort – and the SAVE act, which would implement a national voter identification requirement legislatively – as both popular with a sizable majority of Americans and necessary to prevent voter impersonation at the ballot box.

Senators Mark Kelly and Elissa Slotkin, who were the focus of a recent unsuccessful indictment attempt by the Department of Justice for their video urging US soldiers to disregard “illegal” orders, both commented on being in the administration’s spotlight.

The US, Slotkin said, was “going through something profound”, before adding: “We’ll get through it.”

Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez proved to be one of the conference’s biggest attractions, alongside Rubio.

She drew a line between growing wealth inequality – a focus of her domestic policy agenda since she won an upset victory in Congress in 2018 – and the rise of authoritarian governments.

“It is of the utmost urgency that we get our economic houses in order and deliver material gains for the working class,” she said.

“Otherwise, we will fall into a more isolated world governed by authoritarians who also do not deliver to working people.”

Ocasio-Cortez was another Democrat who may have presidential ambitions. While her appearance could enhance her foreign policy experience, it also underscored some of the risks associated with stepping onto the international stage.

At one point, she struggled to answer whether the US should defend Taiwan in the event of a Chinese invasion.

While Ocasio-Cortez comes from a different wing of the Democratic Party, her view that Western democracies must provide a compelling alternative to authoritarian governments is similar to one Joe Biden expressed during his presidency.

Trump, with his “America First” foreign policy and talk of preserving Western culture, provided a decidedly different view of world affairs.

And in 2024, a plurality of Americans voted to return Trump to the White House, setting off a tumultuous year in which Vance’s confrontational Munich speech was just the scene-setter.

While Rubio has smoothed over some rough edges, the Democrats who travelled to Munich sought to offer a more distinct counterpoint.

“Right now, Europe just wants us to be better, right? And I think this has been a very good conference to reassure nerves,” Arizona Senator Ruben Gallego said. “Sometimes you have to remind them that this is not all Trump… We’re still here.”

Several of the men and women sent to Cameroon on a January 14 flight from Alexandria, Louisiana, did not know their destination until they were put on a Department of Homeland Security flight and placed in handcuffs and chains, the newspaper said, citing government documents and attorneys for the deportees.

DHS, the State Department and Cameroon’s Ministry of External Affairs did not immediately respond to Reuters requests for comment. Reuters could not immediately reach attorneys representing the detainees.

The administration of President Donald Trump has not announced any deal under which Cameroon agreed to accept deportees from other nations.

Two years on from the death of Navalny at a Siberian penal colony, Britain and its allies have blamed the Kremlin following analysis of material samples found on his body.

Speaking from the Munich Security Conference, Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper said “only the Russian government had the means, motive and opportunity” to use the poison while Navalny was imprisoned in Russia.

According to Tass news agency Moscow has dismissed the finding as “an information campaign”, but Cooper said there is no explanation for the toxin, called epibatidine, being found.

While Cooper announced the findings, a joint statement was issued by the UK, Sweden, France, Germany and the Netherlands.

Cooper met with Navalny’s widow Yulia Navalnaya at the conference this weekend.

“Russia saw Navalny as a threat,” Cooper said at the event.

“By using this form of poison the Russian state demonstrated the despicable tools it has at its disposal and the overwhelming fear it has of political opposition,” she added.

In the statement the allies said: “Only the Russian state had the means, motive and opportunity to deploy this lethal toxin to target Navalny during his imprisonment in a Russian penal colony in Siberia, and we hold it responsible for his death.

“Epibatidine can be found naturally in dart frogs in the wild in South America. Dart frogs in captivity do not produce this toxin and it is not found naturally in Russia.

“There is no innocent explanation for its presence in Navalny’s body.”

The Foreign Office said the UK has informed the Organisation on the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons of Russia’s alleged breach of the Chemical Weapons Convention.

Praising Navalny’s “huge courage”, UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said “his determination to expose the truth has left an enduring legacy”.

“I am doing whatever it takes to defend our people, our values and our way of life from the threat of Russia and Putin’s murderous intent,” he added.

French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot also said his country “pays tribute” to Navalny, who he suggested was “killed for his fight in favour of a free and democratic Russia”.

Navalny – an anti-corruption campaigner and Russia’s most vociferous opposition leader – died suddenly in jail on 16 February 2024 at the age of 47.

In 2020 he was poisoned with a Novichok nerve agent. He underwent treatment in Germany, and was arrested at the airport upon his return to Russia.

‘Extremely rare’ toxin

Epibatidine, the toxin the UK and its European allies have said was used to kill Alexei Navalny, was first derived from a group of poison dart frogs native to northern South America.

Though epibatidine has previously been investigated as a pain killer and for relief from painful inflammatory conditions of the lungs, it has been deemed too toxic to use clinically.

Speaking to BBC Russian, toxicology expert Jill Johnson said it was “200 times more potent than morphine”.

By acting on receptors in the central nervous system, it can cause “muscle twitching and paralysis, seizures, slow heart rate, respiratory failure and finally death,” Johnson said.

The extremely rare neurotoxin is only found in one wild frog species in tiny quantities, and only when the frog eats a specific diet, she told the BBC.

Researchers believe the frogs acquire it through their diet because animals from different habitats have displayed different levels of the toxin, and those raised in captivity have none.

Johnson described it as an “incredibly rare way to poison a person”.

She added: “Finding the wild frog in the correct location that is eating the specific diet to create the correct alkaloids is almost impossible…almost.”

Before Saturday’s announcement, Navalny’s wife Yulia Navalnaya had consistently argued that her husband was killed by poisoning while serving a prison sentence in an Arctic penal colony in 2024.

In September last year, Navalnaya said analysis of smuggled biological samples carried out by laboratories in two countries showed that her husband had been “murdered”.

She did not provide details on the poison allegedly used, on the samples or on the analysis – but challenged the two laboratories to publish their results.

Reacting to the announcement, Navalnaya said: “I was certain from the first day that my husband had been poisoned, but now there is proof.

“I am grateful to the European states for the meticulous work they carried out over two years and for uncovering the truth,” she added.

According to the state-run news agency Tass, Kremlin spokesperson Maria Zakharova said: “All the talks and statements are an information campaign aimed at distracting attention from the West’s pressing problems.”

Russian President Vladimir Putin, who studiously avoided naming Navalny while he was alive, briefly referred to him a month after his death by stating that a person passing was “always a sad event”.

At the time of his death, Navalny had been in jail for three years on trumped-up charges and had recently been transferred to the penal colony.

According to Russian accounts, the 47-year-old took a short walk at his Siberian penal colony, said he felt unwell, then collapsed and never regained consciousness.

The offensive video included a clip depicting Obama and his wife Michelle as apes, which drew widespread criticism from Democrats and Republicans.

The White House initially defended the video, calling backlash “fake outrage”. The post was later blamed on a staff member and deleted.

Obama spoke to liberal podcaster Brian Tyler Cohen, who asked the first black US president about the tone of political discourse. Cohen cited Trump’s post among several recent controversies.

The clip – set to the song The Lion Sleeps Tonight – was included at the end of a video Trump’s Truth Social account shared containing unfounded claims about voter fraud in the 2020 election.

The post led to outrage from politicians, including from senior members of Trump’s Republican party.

Senator Tim Scott – the only black Republican senator – described it as “the most racist thing I’ve seen out of this White House”.

The clip recalls racist caricatures comparing black people to monkeys, and appears to have been taken from an X post shared by conservative meme creator Xerias in October.

Trump has told reporters that he “didn’t see” the part of the video that showed the Obamas.

“I didn’t make a mistake,” he told reporters when asked whether he planned to apologise.

The 47-minute podcast featuring Obama was released on Saturday. The episode begins with the host asking him to comment on US “discourse”, which he says “has devolved to a level of cruelty that we haven’t seen before”.

Cohen notes claims by the White House that the “victims” of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) are “domestic terrorists”, and adds “just days ago, Donald Trump put a picture of you, your face, on an ape’s body”.

Obama responds by saying: “It’s important to recognise that the majority of the American people find this behaviour deeply troubling.

“It is true that it gets attention. It’s true that it’s a distraction.”

But Obama said that while travelling around the US, he found himself meeting people who “still believe in decency, courtesy, kindness”.

“There’s this sort of clown show that’s happening in social media and on television,” he continued.

“And what is true is that there doesn’t seem to be any shame about this among people who used to feel like you had to have some sort of decorum and a sense of propriety and respect for the office, right?

“That’s been lost.”

He did not mention Trump by name in his response.

During the interview, Obama spoke about a range of issues. He praised protesters who have peacefully organised against immigration operations, discussed electoral redistricting and talked about his presidential library, which is due to open in Chicago next year.

On Valentine’s Day, people are dressed in red, the colour of love and romance, or are carrying red roses.

Traders are quick to cash in, selling fresh blooms from local farms, as Kenya is one of the world’s top producers of cut flowers.

Recently, though, instead of the soft red petals, some people have been opting for the brown, blue or purple of crisp banknotes, folded, rolled or fastened together into floral-like bouquets.

The trend has spread to other African countries and has become so pervasive that it has drawn the concern of central banks in Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, Botswana and Namibia.

They have all issued public warnings against damaging or defacing banknotes when making these bouquets of cash.

The Central Bank of Kenya (CBK) says that in many instances, banknotes are “glued, taped, stapled, pinned or otherwise affixed”.

Damaged notes can then be rejected by automated teller machines (ATMs) and cash‑sorting equipment, meaning they have to be withdrawn from circulation, at a cost to the taxpayer.

In its notice, the CBK said it was not opposed to the use of cash gifts – only to practices that damaged notes – an offence that could lead to creators of money bouquets being jailed for up to seven years.

Cash bouquets have been popularised by celebrities and online influencers, who often share videos of themselves presenting such gifts.

The celebrations are not limited to Valentine’s Day – they extend to birthdays and other special occasions, meaning money bouquets are in demand throughout the year.

The bouquets come in various designs, with creators arranging the banknotes to suit the taste and budget of each customer.

The wads of cash used in such bouquets vary widely – they can amount to as little as 1,000 shillings ($8; £6) or as much as a million shillings, says Angela Muthoni, a florist at the Gift and Flowers shop in central Nairobi.

While many are created in floral designs, or a mix of flowers and money with elegant wrappings, they can also be part of cake designs or be given in gift boxes.

Muthoni says money bouquets have become popular in the last two years. In the run-up to Valentine’s Day, she has been receiving orders of between 15 and 20 bouquets every day, despite the CBK’s warning.

“Everyone loves money,” she tells the BBC, adding that gifting people cash takes away the stress of choosing a present.

Some Kenyans, however, argue that it just shows that people are becoming more materialistic, seeking to buy love with money, rather than romance.

“It’s some form of peer pressure,” 24-year-old Haskell Austin tells the BBC.

He prefers giving flowers, describing the idea of gifting money as “materialistic”.

But if cash must be given, he prefers a straightforward transfer instead of folding or decorating it into bouquets.

A woman who identifies herself only as Lynn is disappointed by the timing of the CBK’s caution against making cash bouquets, coming just ahead of Valentine’s Day, as she was looking forward to receiving one.

“People are still excited about the trend,” she tells the BBC at Koinange Street, a popular spot for buying flowers in Nairobi.

“I would prefer cash,” Nicole Rono tells the BBC. “Who doesn’t love money? Flowers are OK, yes, but now with what the CBK has said, you can still give cash without damaging it,” she says.

For university student Benjamin Nambwaya, the fact that women are usually the recipients is based on social expectations.

He tells the BBC that the culture of giving money bouquets is a “bad thing” and can end up “destroying relationships”, especially when it creates an expectation even when one cannot afford to give money.

He would prefer to give flowers.

“I think flowers are cool, because this is a small celebration or something just to show how how much you really adore this person,” he says.

Economic expert Odhiambo Ramogi says it is all about “our capitalistic approach to life”.

“Capitalistic societies are driven by advertising, by marketing and special days like Valentine’s are a very good opportunity.”

For Muthoni, the florist, it comes down to how someone wants to express their love.

“Love people the way they want to be loved,” she says, although she concedes that ultimately money is at the heart of it.

“You can buy a lot of things with money. You might not know what someone likes, but money is the solution.”

Discussions about money bouquets have been widespread on social media since the CBK’s warning, drawing both praise and derision.

It has sparked some humour as well, such as memes of bouquets made from rolled chapati bread.

Speaking about the trend on TikTok, Kenyan Scott Ian Obaro said it may also have encouraged a culture of “showing off”.

Ramogi argues that the idea of giving flowers is largely a foreign concept in Africa, which he says helps explain why the culture of gifting money is more readily embraced.

“The African hardly gave flowers,” he says, adding that the practice is a Western tradition and that many Kenyans would prefer money “to take care of a need” rather than a flower given purely for sentimental reasons.

“But now it’s combined with the fact that we are more materialistic. The natural flower has been replaced with the currency flower,” he says.

The intervention by Kenya’s regulator, along with those in other countries, may slow the culture of giving money bouquets.

Muthoni fears the move could lead to a loss of income for people who have built livelihoods around the bouquets, though she believes there is room for innovation.

She says she has designed bouquets with transparent pocketsthat can hold money without it getting damaged and is considering other ideas such as digital bouquets.

Some have switched to using US dollars, which would not be affected by the warning from Kenya’s central bank.

So the money bouquet culture is unlikely to be nipped in the bud any time soon.

The elections were held during the 39th Ordinary Session of the AU Assembly of Heads of State and Government in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, where President Ndayishimiye succeeded Angola’s President João Lourenço as Chair of the Union.

The newly constituted Bureau of the Assembly for 2026 reflects representation from Africa’s five regions. Burundi takes the Chair position for Central Africa, while Ghana’s President Mahama serves as First Vice representing West Africa.

Tanzania occupies the role of Second Vice for East Africa, and Angola serves as Rapporteur for Southern Africa. The Third Vice position representing North Africa remains yet to be confirmed.

Addressing the Assembly, AU Commission Chairperson Mahmoud Ali Youssouf highlighted the summit’s focus on water and sanitation, describing access to clean water as a shared public good essential for development, peace, and regional stability.

The two-day summit is being held under the theme “Assuring Sustainable Water Availability and Safe Sanitation Systems to Achieve the Goals of Agenda 2063.”

H.E. Mahmoud Ali Youssouf observed that the meeting comes at a period of geopolitical uncertainty, marked by persistent conflicts, institutional fragility, and a resurgence of unconstitutional changes of government in some parts of the continent.

He urged member states to strengthen political and economic integration in line with Agenda 2063, while calling for greater African solidarity, financial independence, and a stronger collective voice on global issues.

President Mahama’s election as First Vice Chair positions him to work closely with the AU Chair in coordinating continental activities and advancing strategic priorities throughout 2026.

Ghana has historically played notable roles within the African Union, including former President John Kufuor’s tenure as AU Chair in 2007.

Kim Ju Ae – who is believed to be 13 – has in recent months been pictured beside her father in high-profile events like a visit to Beijing in September, her first known trip abroad.

The National Intelligence Service (NIS) said it took a “range of circumstances” into account including her increasingly prominent public presence at official events” in making this assessment.

The NIS also said it would keep close tabs on whether she will attend the North’s party congress later this month – its largest political event that is held once every five years.

The party Congress is where Pyongyang is expected to give more details about priorities like foreign policy, war planning and nuclear ambitions for the next five years.

On Thursday lawmaker Lee Seong-kwen told reporters that Ju Ae, who was previously described by the NIS as being “trained” to be a successor, was now at the stage of “successor designation”.

“As Kim Ju Ae has shown her presence at various events, including the founding anniversary of the Korean People’s Army and her visit to the Kumsusan Palace of the Sun, and signs have been detected of her voicing her opinion on certain state policies, the NIS believes she has now entered the stage of being designated as successor,” Lee said.

Ju Ae is the only known child of Kim Jong Un and his wife, Ri Sol Ju. The NIS believes Kim Jong Un has an older son, but this son has never been acknowledged nor shown on North Korean media.

News of Ju Ae’s existence first emerged through an unlikely source: the American basketball player Dennis Rodman, who revealed to The Guardian newspaper back in 2013 that he “held baby Ju Ae” during a trip to the secretive state.

Ju Ae made her first appearance on state television in 2022. She was shown inspecting North Korea’s latest intercontinental ballistic missile while holding her father’s hand.

What do we know about Kim Jong Un’s daughter – and potential successor?

She has since made frequent appearances on state media, softening her father’s image of a ruthless dictator. She accompanied him to Beijing for China’s largest-ever military parade, where she was seen stepping off his armoured train at Beijing Railway Station.

She is often seen wearing her hair long, which is forbidden for her peers, and wearing designer clothes, which are out of reach for most in her country.

Another lawmaker, Park Sun-won said the role Ju Ae had taken on during public events indicated that she has started to provide policy input and is being treated as the de facto second-highest leader.

The North Korean power had passed down the three generations of the Kim family, and it is widely believed that Kim Jong Un will pass on the throne to Ju Ae.

In recent months, she was shown standing taller than her father, walking beside him, rather than following him.

In North Korea, where photos published by the state media are believed to carry a great symbolic weight, it is rare for individuals other than Kim Jong Un to be positioned equally prominently in the frame.

Although the South Korean spy agency now believes Ju Ae is the designated heir, it still raises questions.

It is puzzling why Ju Ae, a daughter, would be selected as the heir above an older son in North Korea’s deeply patriarchal society.

Many defectors and analysts had previously dismissed the idea of a woman leading North Korea as an unlikely scenario, referring to the country’s entrenched traditional gender roles. But Kim Jong Un’s sister – Kim Yo Jong – does offer a precedent for female authority in the regime.

Kim Yo Jong currently holds a senior position in the Central Committee of the Workers’ Party of Korea, and is reported to have influence over her brother.

However, it is also a mystery why Kim Jong Un, who is still young and appears relatively healthy, is already designating a 13-year-old child as his heir now.

It is unclear what changes Ju Ae’s succession may bring to North Korea.

Many North Koreans hoped that Kim Jong Un, a Western-educated young man, would open their country up to the outside when he succeeded his father.

Yet such hope was unfulfilled. Whatever plans this teenager may have for her country, she would likely have the singular power to shape it however she likes.

The news comes days after it emerged that Russian authorities were restricting access to Telegram, another instant messaging app that is used by millions of people in Russia, including the military, top-level public officials, state media services and government bodies, such as the Kremlin and Roskomnadzor, the communications regulator.

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told journalists Thursday that the decision to block WhatsApp was made due to what he called violations of the law by the app’s parent company, without elaborating.

“Max is an affordable alternative on the market for citizens, a developing national messenger. Regarding the blocking of WhatsApp, our authorities did indeed state that the decision was made and implemented due to the corporation’s unwillingness to comply with the law,” Peskov said.

WhatsApp is owned by Meta (META), which also owns Facebook and Instagram.

Earlier on Thursday, WhatsApp put out a statement saying the Russian government had “attempted to fully block WhatsApp.” WhatsApp described it as an effort to “drive people to a state-owned surveillance app.”

The statement added: “Trying to isolate over 100 million users from private and secure communication is a backwards step and can only lead to less safety for people in Russia. We continue to do everything we can to keep users connected.”

CNN has contacted Meta to ask whether WhatsApp is now indeed fully blocked in Russia.

Some users in Russia reported Thursday being able to access WhatsApp using a VPN. But the Kremlin has increasingly cracked down on VPNs across the country, including restricting access to 439 VPN services in order to prevent the bypassing of state restrictions. In September, a law came into force banning the advertising of VPNs and other means of bypassing blocks on social media.

This is not the first time Russia has gone after the app. In August 2025, Roskomnadzor – a federal agency responsible for monitoring and controlling the country’s mass media – announced restrictions on video and voice calls via WhatsApp and Telegram “in order to counter criminals.” WhatsApp, in its turn, accused Russia of attempting to block access to the app for its Russian users.

Russia has already banned Facebook, Instagram and X.

Max is a homegrown messenger that Russia is pre-installing on all new devices as part of a broader push to replace foreign platforms.

Similarly to China’s WeChat, it is designed as an all-in-one super-app combining messaging, calls, payments and other services, allowing users to authenticate their identity for government platforms that provide public services. Critics have raised safety and privacy concerns about Max, warning that the app has excessive tracking capabilities and lacks strong encryption.

On Tuesday, the Russian government said it was restricting access to Telegram for the “protection of Russian citizens,” accusing the app of refusing to block content authorities consider “criminal and terrorist.”

The app’s Russian-born founder Pavel Durov said in a statement that day that Russia’s attempts to restrict Telegram would fail, writing that “Telegram stands for freedom of speech and privacy, no matter the pressure.”

When you line all the planets in our solar system up, the four closest to the sun are rocky and the four furthest are giant gassy balls.

This pattern – rock then gas – isn’t unique to us and has been seen countless times in other star systems.

Yet an international team of scientists has discovered that 116.27 light-years away from us is an interstellar system that is the other way around.

LHS 1903 is a star orbited by three planets, the closest being a rocky one with two gas worlds close by.

The researchers, led by Thomas Wilson from the University of Warwick, found a fourth planet circling LHS 1903, but it was rocky rather than gassy.

Wilson tells Metro: ‘This system really opens up what a star system should look like.

‘Before our study, we thought that smaller planets were only in the inner system and larger planets were further away.

‘But now LHS 1903 breaks this thinking and unveils that a whole wide range of systems could be out there for us to discover.’

Why is this star system inside-out?

Stars are constantly hurling out solar radiation, which can easily strip away a planet’s atmosphere, leaving it barren. Take Mercury, for example.

Further out, however, the atmosphere can safely wrap around a planet and form gas giants, like Saturn or Uranus.

Despite being a red dwarf, so named because these small stars emit reddish light, LHS 1903 still spews enough radiation to shear its planets.

So, how did the outermost planet in the system get so rocky? Why isn’t it gassy?

Wilson and his team’s observations, published in Science, suggest that the fourth planet may have had its atmosphere torn off, or it never formed one.

‘What we think happened was that the planet closest to the star was born first, and then the second furthest was formed, and then the third and fourth,’ explains Wilson, a process called inside-out planet formation.

‘This means that these alien worlds would have been born at different times and in different environments.

‘This is a big deal because it would mean that planets in the same star system look different because of where and when they were formed.’

To demonstrate how, well, strange this is, Wilson says to picture how different Earth would be if our solar system were inside out.

Jupiter and Saturn would gravitationally throw around the other planets, either out of the system, into each other, or into the sun,’ he says.

‘If Earth survived this, it’ll likely be very far from the Sun and so very cold.’

How did scientists discover this?

The team spotted this out-of-place planetary system using the European Space Agency’s CHaracterising ExOPlanet Satellite (Cheops).

Thousands of exoplanets – planets orbiting other stars – have been discovered over the years. It’s Cheops’ job not to find new ones, but help us understand the ones we already know about.

The space agency’s project scientist, Max Guenther, says that figuring out if a planet is rocky or gassy is harder than it sounds for astronomers.

The picture right at the top of the story certainly isn’t what they see when they peek through their telescopes.

‘You can compare it to the body mass index, or BMI,’ Guehtner says.

‘You measure a human in terms of size and mass but once you start to draw and describe the person, they become a person.

‘What you see in the images is an interpretation of the actual measurements.’

These measures come from a method of observation called transmission spectroscopy, also called the blink method.

‘Cheops is no different from a smartphone camera – just way more expensive and stable,’ Guehtner says.

‘If you take a photo on a cloud-free night, you’ll see white dots on a black background. That’s the same pictures that we’re taking.’

By taking a few photos of the same patch of sky every 30 seconds or so, scientists can see if these tiny, smeared pixels flicker at all.

If they do, there’s a good chance a planet just drifted by, called a transit blip. ‘Sometimes it’ll be a change of just 1% of light,’ Guehtner says.

When light from LHS 1903 shines through a planet’s atmosphere, some gases filter the starlight. For a brief moment, astronomers can see clues about the planet’s chemical makeup.

Experts can also guess the mass of a planet by observing the gravitational tug – or wobble – that it exerts on its star as it orbits.

With all this BMI-grade data, astronomers can calculate whether planets are rocky, like Earth, or fluffy, like clouds.

One day, we think every interstellar system has rocky planets in the front, gas giants in the back. The next day, they can be anything but.

But when it comes to science, being proven wrong is one of the ‘best outcomes’ scientists can hope for.

‘It doesn’t mean that everything is wrong,’ Guehtner adds, ‘it just means it was too simplistic because we had limited data so far.’

Based in Somalia, the group has masterminded a series of deadly assaults in Kenya, including one on a shopping centre in the capital, Nairobi, killing 67 people in 2013 and one at a university in Garissa two years later, killing 148.

The plan was announced in 2023, but subsequent attacks delayed the implementation.

Ruto said the intention to reopen two crossings follows years of security assessments, adding that there will be a heavy deployment of security forces to ensure the move does not compromise safety.

Kenya has also been concerned about illicit weapons and other contraband goods being smuggled across the border.

The president announced the plan on a visit to the border town of Mandera, in Kenya’s far north-east, which has a large population of ethnic Somalis.

“It is unacceptable that fellow Kenyans in Mandera remain cut off from their kin and neighbours in Somalia due to the prolonged closure of the Mandera Border Post,” Ruto posted on X.

He hoped that the re-opening would boost “cross-border trade for the mutual prosperity of our people”.

In a speech, he asked all residents of Mandera, which has been targeted several times, to “join in the battle against al-Shabab. These al-Shabab are useless, I want to assure that Kenya will work together with you, just help us combat these criminals and terrorists.”

In addition to the attack on the Westgate mall and Garissa University, other major al-Shabab attacks in Kenya include the killing of 28 bus passengers in Mandera county in 2014 and an assault on a hotel in Nairobi five years later, which left at least 21 people dead.

In 2015, Kenya had embarked on building a perimeter barrier along the country’s 680km (423-mile) common border because of the militant threat, but the project was suspended after nearly three years when only 10km (6 miles) of a wire fence had been built at a cost of $35m (£26m).

Presidents would be chosen by MPs rather than in a direct vote and could serve a maximum of two seven-year terms, rather than the current five-year terms, under the proposals.

Justice Minister Ziyambi Ziyambi said public consultations would be held before the bill heads to parliament for debate, where both chambers are dominated by the ruling Zanu-PF party.

Legal challenges are likely as constitutional experts argue a referendum is needed if term limits are changed – and also point out that such amendments cannot benefit a sitting president.

Mnangagwa, who first came to power in 2017 after a military coup ousted long-time leader Robert Mugabe, won a presidential election the next year and a second term in 2023 – though the results were disputed.

Known as “the crocodile” because of his political cunning, his final five-year term is due to expire in 2028.

In a referendum held 13 years ago, Zimbabweans overwhelmingly voted for a new constitution that introduced presidential term limits when Mugabe’s grip on power seemed entrenched – he had ruled the country since independence in 1980.

Hints that Mnangagwa, who was once Mugabe’s deputy until they fell out over the growing political ambitions of the then-first lady, wanted to stay in power beyond 2028 started two years ago.

The slogan “2030 he will still be the leader” began to be chanted at Zanu-PF rallies with his supporters saying he needed to remain in office to complete his “Agenda 2030” development programme – though President Mnangagwa publicly rejected the idea.

He has faced some fierce detractors within Zanu-PF, but his main critic – Blessed Geza, also known as “Bombshell” – died last week.

This time last year Geza, a respected veteran of the 1970s war of independence and then member of Zanu-PF’s powerful central committee, had launched a scathing attack on Mnangagwa’s ambition to stay in power.

He apologised for helping him come into office and accused the president of nepotism in his bid to stay in office beyond 2028.

Zanu-PF expelled Geza from the party for disloyalty and he was forced into hiding.

Yet he continued to attract a large following on social media, where he regularly posted videos calling for protests.

Hours before his death a message posted on his social media pages urged Zimbabweans to carry forward the “noble war” to remove President Mnangagwa and “end the plunder of our country”.

He was in South Africa when his family announced his death on Friday.

“At a time when silence would have been easier, he chose to speak out against corruption and nepotism that continue to undermine the promise of independence,” Andrease Ethan Mathibela, national chairman of the influential Zimbabwe National Liberation War Veterans Association, said.

The government is now forging forward with its 2030 plans for Mnangagwa and says the intention behind the draft law is to strengthen governance and bring political stability.

In a 219-211 vote, six Republican lawmakers joined Democrats to back a resolution seeking to end the tariffs Trump imposed on Canada last year.

The vote is largely symbolic as it will still need to be approved by the US Senate and then approved by Trump, who is very unlikely to sign it into law.

Since his re-election, Donald Trump has imposed a series of tariffs on Canada and has recently threatened a 100% import tax in response to Canada’s proposed trade deal with China.

As the vote was taking place on the House floor, Trump posted on Truth Social: “Any Republican, in the House or the Senate, that votes against TARIFFS will seriously suffer the consequences come Election time.”

“TARIFFS have given us Economic and National Security, and no Republican should be responsible for destroying this privilege,” he added.

The vote came after US House Speaker Mike Johnson, a Trump ally in Congress, unsuccessfully tried to block discussion of Trump’s tariffs on the chamber floor.

With Republicans holding a thin majority in the US House, the six Republican defections, along with a near-united front from Democrats, were enough to secure the votes.

The measure had been introduced by Democrat Gregory Meeks, who said that Trump had “weaponised tariffs” against allies and destabilised the global economy.

“Not only have these tariffs done immense harm to our relationship with Canada, pushing them closer to China, but they have also driven up prices here at home,” he said before the vote.

Representative Don Bacon from Nebraska was one of the six Republicans who crossed the aisle to join Democrats in approving the measure. Before the vote, he said, “tariffs have been a ‘net negative’ for the economy and are a significant tax that American consumers, manufacturers, and farmers are paying.”

The bill now heads to the US Senate, where Republicans also hold the majority. Even if it cleared that hurdle, it is unlikely to be signed into law.

Separately, Trump’s tariffs are facing legal scrutiny, with the US Supreme Court set to rule soon on a case challenging the president’s authority to impose the levies.

Meeks, the top Democrat on the US House Foreign Affairs committee, said the measure on Canada is the first of several bills he plans to introduce that aim to roll back Trump’s signature trade action.

“Our fight doesn’t stop here,” he said in a video posted online before the vote. “I have resolutions also to end Trump’s tariffs on Mexico, on Brazil, and on his Liberation Day global tariffs.”

Starsky Aviation said the pilot’s quick thinking was crucial in saving the 50 passengers and five crew.

The crew of the Fokker 50 aircraft reported a problem shortly after takeoff from Mogadishu on Tuesday morning and requested that the plane return, Somalia’s Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) said.

It then touched down but failed to stop on the runway, overshooting the tarmac before coming to rest in shallow water, the CAA’s director, Ahmed Macalin Hassan, said.

It is not clear yet exactly what the issue was.

Footage posted on X appeared to show passengers leaving the aircraft and walking away from the wreckage on the shore of the Indian Ocean. No serious injuries have been reported.

The African Union’s mission in Somalia said UN and AU troops were “swiftly deployed” to help with rescue efforts. Somalia’s transport minister was also at the scene, its post on X added.

“We are relieved to confirm that all passengers and crew are safe. Investigations are underway to establish what caused the technical issue that led to the emergency landing,” Starsky spokesman Hassan Mohamed Aden said.

“The pilot’s swift and calm decision-making played a decisive role in ensuring the safety of everyone on board, and we commend him for how he handled the situation,” he added.

The document is a written record of a 2019 FBI interview with the former Palm Beach police chief, who alleges Trump called him after the department launched an investigation into Epstein and said: “Thank goodness you’re stopping him, everyone has known he’s been doing this.”

The officer’s name is redacted, but the document identifies the interview subject as the Palm Beach police chief at the time of its Epstein investigation. That was Michael Reiter, who told the Miami Herald that he received the call from Trump.

The president has consistently denied any wrongdoing in relation to Epstein and has said he did not know about his crimes. The alleged call, however, is likely to raise further questions about what Trump knew and when.

Asked by reporters in 2019 – when Epstein was arrested by federal agents for sex trafficking – if he had “any suspicions” about the disgraced financier, Trump said: “No, I had no idea. I had no idea. I haven’t spoken to him in many, many years.”

According to the FBI summary of the interview, which was released in the latest tranche of Epstein files, Reiter said Trump told him in a July 2006 call that he had thrown Epstein out of his Mar-a-Lago club and “people in New York knew he was disgusting”.

Reiter also claims Trump told him Ghislaine Maxwell was Epstein’s “operative”, and “she is evil and to focus on her”.

Maxwell was convicted in 2021 for her role in luring underage girls for Epstein.

Reiter also told the FBI that Trump said he was around Epstein when he was with teenagers and that he “got the hell out of there”.

According to the document, he said Trump was one of the “very first people to call” Florida police when he heard they were investigating Epstein.

In 2006, Palm Beach police were investigating the disgraced financier for the alleged sexual exploitation of underage girls. The case was later turned over to federal prosecutors, who in 2008 made a controversial plea deal with Epstein that included a non-prosecution agreement that protected him from more serious charges.

In a statement to the BBC, a justice department official said: “We are not aware of any corroborating evidence that the president contacted law enforcement 20 years ago.”

At a briefing on Tuesday, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt was asked about the reported call and said it “may or may not have happened in 2006. I don’t know the answer.”

“What President Trump has always said is that he kicked Jeffrey Epstein out of his Mar-a-Lago club because Jeffrey Epstein was a creep,” she said. “And that remains true in this call. If it did happen it corroborates exactly what President Trump has said from the beginning.”

The BBC has also contacted Reiter for comment.

Trump and Epstein socialised and appeared in photographs together in the 1990s, but the president and the White House have repeatedly said he was in the dark about Epstein’s crimes before he broke off contact with him in around 2004 – years before he was first arrested.

Trump has said their falling out came after he learned Epstein had been trying to “steal” his employees from Mar-a-Lago.

“When I heard about it, I told him, we don’t want you taking our people,” Trump said in July. “He was fine and then not too long after that he did it again and I said ‘outta here’.”

Reports of the alleged call came after Maxwell – who is serving a 20-year prison sentence for recruiting teenage girls to be sexually abused by Epstein – testified virtually before the US House Oversight Committee on Monday.

During the closed-door deposition, Maxwell refused to answer questions and pleaded the Fifth Amendment, invoking her right to remain silent, Oversight Committee chairman James Comer said.

Maxwell’s lawyer claimed she was “prepared to speak fully and honestly if granted clemency by President Trump”.

Trump has said he has not considered granting a pardon to Maxwell.

Speaking at the closing ceremony of the International Year of Quantum Science and Technology (IYQ2025) in Accra, the Minister said the gathering of leading figures in science, policy and education reflects a shared global understanding that science and innovation remain central to human progress.

According to him, UNESCO’s proclamation of 2025 as the International Year of Quantum Science and Technology signals the growing importance of quantum science in the modern world, while also placing responsibility on nations to ensure scientific development benefits society.

“Over the past year, attention has focused not only on discoveries, but also on the responsibility that accompanies scientific development,” he noted.

Mr Iddrisu pointed out that significant gaps remain globally, revealing that about 145 countries are yet to develop national quantum strategies, a situation he said must be addressed to ensure inclusive participation in frontier science.

He highlighted the practical impact of quantum technologies, noting their application in agriculture, food systems, climate forecasting, soil and water monitoring, and national security.

“For countries like Ghana, where agriculture sustains livelihoods, quantum science is not optional, it is significant and paramount,” he stressed.

The Education Minister said hosting the closing ceremony under the Global Scientific Dialogue platform affirms Africa’s place in the future of frontier science, adding that African talent, perspectives and intellectual contributions must be fully recognised.

He further emphasised that education remains the most powerful driver of scientific progress, noting that sustained investment in teachers, researchers and young people will determine how effectively quantum science and its applications serve Africa and the wider world.

Construction on the “Monte Galala Towers and Marina” project would start in the second half of the year and run for seven years, Ahmed Shalaby, managing director of the main developer, Tatweer Misr, said.

The 10-tower development – a partnership with the housing ministry and other state bodies, including the armed forces’ engineering authority – would cost about 50 billion Egyptian pounds ($1.07 billion), he added.

The project, also announced by the cabinet, will cover 470,000 square metres on the Gulf of Suez, about 35 km south of Ain Sokhna, Shalaby said.

Egypt aims to boost total tourist arrivals to around 30 million by 2030, from around 19 million recorded by the tourism ministry in 2025.

Francisca Yawson, 38, stole from charity donations between September 2018 and August 2019.

The mother of four had been employed as a “Gift Aid and Operations Technician” at the Roman Catholic diocese, which included Westminster Cathedral, since 2013, according to her LinkedIn profile.

She bought her family presents from John Lewis and transferred £8,500 to Jamaica to help pay medical bills for her grandmother.

Yawson, of Stonebridge Park, north-west London, admitted nine counts of theft totalling £96,331 at Southwark Crown Court.

‘Deeply saddened by betrayal’

In an impact statement, Nicholas Seed, the Diocese’s chief financial officer, said: “The gift aid money stolen is not an abstract number of a spreadsheet. Her actions reverberated beyond this courtroom into every corner of our community.

“We are deeply saddened by Ms Yawson’s betrayal and the harm it has caused to our charitable mission.”

Sentencing Yawson, Judge Mark Weekes referred to a 2021 conviction for defrauding her partner’s mother of £16,000.

“It might be thought that once bitten twice shy, but it would appear not,” the judge said. “It seems that temptation overwhelmed you again for reasons that are not entirely clear.”

Yawson claimed that she stole the money to support her grandmother in Jamaica who suffers from leukaemia but the judge said the money she had sent there was “dwarfed” by the amount “you spent on yourself”.

‘Small children went hungry’

In October, Judge Weekes was forced to postpone sentence as Yawson was about to give birth to her fourth child.

The judge said that people in need missed out on money from charitable donations because of Yawson, adding: “Small children, like the ones you look after, went hungry or more hungry while you helped yourself to a high lifestyle.”

Ryan Evans, defending, said Yawson felt remorse and knew she had done wrong. He added that removing Yawson from her three-month-old baby would have a “detrimental impact on both parties”.

Judge Weekes said Yawson did not “present a high risk of reoffending or harm” despite her previous conviction.

Referring to “shocking delays” in the case, which was brought in 2019, he sentenced her to two years in prison suspended for two years.

Yawson will also have to complete 15 days of a rehabilitation activity requirement, 150 hours of unpaid work, and pay £1,000 in compensation to the diocese within 12 months.

She will also have to abide by a five-month electronically tagged curfew between 7pm and 6am.

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The former Ghanaian leader is heading a high-level delegation mandated to observe the electoral process, with a focus on pre-election preparations, stakeholder engagement and the overall readiness of the country ahead of polling day.

Confirming his arrival in Dhaka in a post on X (formerly Twitter) on February 8, Akufo-Addo said the Observer Group had begun preliminary engagements with key stakeholders.

According to him, the team has started a series of consultations to gain a broad understanding of Bangladesh’s political and electoral environment ahead of the polls.

“Arrived in Dhaka, Bangladesh, as Chair of the Commonwealth Observer Group to observe pre-poll arrangements ahead of the country’s Parliamentary Election and Referendum on February 12.

“The group has met with representatives of the media, civil society, youth and women’s groups, political parties and other stakeholders,” he stated.

These engagements form a key part of the Commonwealth’s election observation process, allowing the team to hear directly from a wide range of actors and assess the credibility, transparency and inclusiveness of the electoral process.

Akufo-Addo’s appointment highlights his continued involvement in international diplomacy and democratic governance following the end of his presidency.

As President of Ghana, he played an active role in regional and global affairs, particularly in promoting democracy, constitutional rule and multilateral cooperation through platforms such as the African Union, ECOWAS and the Commonwealth.

The Commonwealth Observer Group is expected to remain in Bangladesh through election day and the immediate post-election period to observe voting, counting and the collation of results.

Akufo-Addo officially handed over power on January 7, 2025, after completing two terms in office. This assignment marks one of his major international engagements since leaving office.

The Nobel Peace Prize winner said on Sunday that Guanipa, leader of the Justice First party, was taken in the Los Chorros neighbourhood of the capital Caracas.

“Heavily armed men dressed in civilian clothes arrived in four vehicles and took him away by force,” she wrote on social media early on Monday.

A former vice-president of the National Assembly, Guanipa spent eight months in prison and was among several political prisoners released since the US seized Venezuela’s then-President Nicolas Maduro in January.

His centre-right party said Guanipa had been kidnapped by the “repressive forces of the dictatorship” while he was moving between locations.

They added that those accompanying him said weapons were pointed at the group before Guanipa was loaded into a car.

“We hold Delcy Rodríguez, Jorge Rodríguez, and Diosdado Cabello responsible for any harm to Juan Pablo’s life,” Justice First wrote on social media, referring to Venezuela’s interim president, the National Assembly speaker, and the interior minister respectively.

The party also called on the international community to demand the “immediate release” of Guanipa and an end to the Venezuelan government’s “persecution of the opposition”.

Just hours earlier, Guanipa’s son Ramón was celebrating his father’s release on social media: “Our entire family will be able to hug again soon.”

Guanipa was among at least 30 people who had been freed on Sunday, according to Foro Penal, which provides assistance to political prisoners in Venezuela.

The leader of the Justice First party, he was elected governor of the Zulia region in 2017 but barred from taking office after he refused to swear an oath before Maduro’s National Constituent Assembly.

Guanipa went into hiding after being accused of terrorism and treason for challenging the 2024 election result.

He was tracked down by Venezuela’s security forces and detained in May 2025.

Opposition and human rights groups say the government under Maduro had for years used detentions of political prisoners to stamp out dissent and silence critics.

The 33-year-old brothers are among five defendants on trial near Paris, accused of a double murder and several subsequent attempted killings in 2020, according to reputable French newspaper Le Parisien.

It reports that both are suspected of conspiring to plot the double murder, but that DNA on an assault rifle used in one of the later gun battles could only be from one twin.

A police officer told the court that forensic experts were unable to tell which of the brothers had been conclusively implicated.

“Only their mother can tell them apart,” one investigator is quoted as telling the court in Bobigny, north of the French capital.

There is reportedly a tense atmosphere in the court where the trial is taking place. On Tuesday, both twins were said to have been expelled from the courtroom for refusing to stand up.

Police believe they have taken advantage of their resemblance to cover their tracks. A senior officer quoted by Le Parisien said the pair frequently exchanged clothes, phones and identification documents.

Identical twins develop from a single fertilised egg that splits during pregnancy. Because they originate from the same egg and sperm, they share exactly the same DNA, making forensic identification extremely difficult.

With genetic data unable to distinguish between them, investigators relied on phone records, surveillance footage, wiretaps and efforts to corroborate their whereabouts and movements, according to Le Parisien.

But the crucial question of who fired the recovered weapon remains an open one.

The trial continues, with court due to reach a decision in late February.

Saturday’s assault in Kauru district highlights persistent insecurity in the region, and came days after security services rescued all 166 worshippers abducted in attacks by gunmen on two churches elsewhere in Kaduna.

Such attacks have drawn the attention of U.S. President Donald Trump, who has accused Nigeria’s government of failing to protect Christians, a charge Abuja denies. U.S. forces struck what they described as terrorist targets in northwestern Nigeria on December 25.

The Catholic Diocese of Kafanchan named the kidnapped clergyman as Nathaniel Asuwaye, parish priest of Holy Trinity Catholic Church in Karku, and said 10 other people were abducted.

Three residents were killed during the attack, which began at about 3:20 a.m. (0220 GMT), the diocese said in a statement.

A Kaduna police spokesperson confirmed the incident, but said five people had been abducted in total and that the three people killed were members of the security forces.

“Security agents exchanged gunfire with the bandits, killed some of them, and unfortunately two soldiers and a police officer lost their lives,” he said.

Rights group Amnesty International said in a statement on Sunday that Nigeria’s security crisis was “increasingly getting out of hand”. It accused the government of “gross incompetence” and failure to protect civilians as gunmen kill, abduct and terrorise rural communities across several northern states.

A presidency spokesperson could not immediately be reached for comment.

Pope Leo, during his weekly address to the faithful in St. Peter’s Square, expressed solidarity with the victims of recent attacks in Nigeria.

“I hope that the competent authorities will continue to act with determination to ensure the security and protection of every citizen’s life,” Leo said.

Ramaphosa has told U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres about the decision, which was influenced by the need to “realign” the resources of South Africa’s armed forces, the statement said.

South Africa has supported U.N. peacekeeping efforts in Congo for 27 years and has more than 700 soldiers deployed there.

The U.N. mission had a total of nearly 11,000 troops and police deployed when its mandate was extended in December.

The U.N. mission’s mandate is to counter the many rebel groups active in Congo’s restive east, where conflict has raged for decades and where there has been a recent escalation in fighting.

“South Africa will work jointly with the U.N. to finalise the timelines and other modalities of the withdrawal, which will be completed before the end of 2026,” the statement added.

South Africa will continue to maintain close bilateral ties with Congo’s government and support other multilateral efforts to bring lasting peace to Congo, Ramaphosa’s office said.

President Mahama concluded a three-day state visit to Zambia on Friday, February 6, 2026, during which his wardrobe sparked conversation as much as his diplomacy.

In a gesture blending cultural pride and economic diplomacy, President Mahama and his delegation showcased the Ghanaian fugu, also known locally as batakari or smock, as their primary attire during official events.

The garments, rich in heritage and symbolism, ignited a social media storm and inspired commentary ranging from admiration to playful mockery.

Among those swept up in the buzz was Zambian President Hakainde Hichilema, who publicly expressed his admiration for the smock. “I asked my team to post on various platforms that were associated with that. The President of Zambia will be ordering more of that stuff for himself,” President Hichilema stated, in a nod to both fashion and African unity.

However, as the garment grew in popularity, questions over the tax implications of importing fugu from Ghana took centre stage.

The ZRA stepped in to clarify the legalities—especially under the evolving regulatory environment shaped by the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).

In an official statement released via its verified social media channels, the ZRA confirmed that a single fugu imported for personal wear is exempt from import duties and taxes.

However, the situation changes significantly when import quantities suggest commercial intent.

“A Fugu imported from Ghana for personal use doesn’t attract duties and taxes, but 20 of those imported for reselling will have duty charged. If made in Zambia, applicable domestic taxes such as Turnover Tax are paid,” the ZRA noted in its post.

More Than a Garment: The Story Behind the Fugu

The sudden popularity of the fugu in Zambia isn’t merely a reaction to wardrobe aesthetics—it illuminates the deeper cultural power of clothing in African politics.

In Ghana, the fugu is steeped in historical gravitas. It has long been worn at festive, religious, and political events.

In March 1957, Ghana’s first president, Dr Kwame Nkrumah, and his entire team wore fugu as a symbol of deep roots to the motherland during the declaration of independence and a clarion call towards the liberation of the entire African continent.

In northern Ghana, where fugu originates, the handwoven garment serves as a powerful symbol of leadership, spiritual protection, and regional identity. Historically, it was used as warrior attire and chiefly regalia, but today it is recognised as a national icon of Ghanaian heritage.

Notably, in pre-colonial Ghana, the fugu was worn as an armour of war.

One of the most symbolic examples of this comes from 1715, when Yaa-Naa Gariba, the ruler of Dagbon in northern Ghana, gifted a sacred fugu to Asantehene Osei Tutu I of the Ashanti Kingdom during peace negotiations.

This fugu, later known as the Batakari Kɛseɛ—literally “Supreme Batakari”—became a symbol of royal invincibility.

In historical lore, the Batakari Kɛseɛ was believed to imbue its wearer with mystical protection: no blade or bullet could penetrate the fabric when worn by a true king.

It has become a royal relic passed down through generations of Ashanti rulers to the present day.

Ghana’s pantheon of freedom leaders, including Yaa Asantewaa—the famed warrior queen who led battles against British annexation—was known to have worn a fugu into conflict.

Today, the fugu continues to transcend function, symbolising political resistance, unity, indigeneity, and Afrocentric pride across Ghana and the diaspora.

From Accra to Lusaka: Cultural Diplomacy in Action

President Mahama’s style was not incidental.

As part of his “Accra Reset” campaign—an initiative to renew bilateral relations and promote West African industry—his sartorial choices became a statement of intent.

Foreign Affairs Minister Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa also dressed regally in smock garb; the pair used imagery and symbolism to amplify their message of African self-reliance and internal trade growth.

Their fashion diplomacy appears to be working.

Several prominent Zambian designers and tailors have already begun fielding enquiries about adapting or replicating the smocks using local materials.

Ghana’s textile companies may soon find themselves in trade talks with Zambian retailers and fashion industry players to meet the new demand.

What started as viral banter—sparked by social media users jestingly calling the fugu a “blouse”—has matured into a serious conversation about tax policy, cultural heritage, and Pan-African economic development.

For now, Zambia’s customs regulations remain clear: one can walk through Kenneth Kaunda International Airport with a fugu and pay nothing—just don’t pack twenty.

The order does not specify the rate that could be imposed, but uses 25% as an example, and says it will apply to goods imported into the US from any nation that “directly or indirectly purchases, imports, or otherwise acquires any goods or services from Iran”.

Trump has not directly commented on the order, but reiterated “no nuclear weapons” for Iran when speaking from Air Force One on Friday night.

It comes amid ongoing talks between senior US and Iranian officials in Oman, following several weeks of threats from both sides.

Trump threatened a 25% tariff of countries doing business with Iran earlier this year, in a post to Truth Social.

On 12 January, he wrote: “Effective immediately, any country doing business with the Islamic Republic of Iran will pay a tariff of 25% on any and all business being done with the United States of America.”

At the time, no further detail was provided on how the tariffs would work in practice.

The White House said that this latest executive order reaffirmed the “ongoing national emergency with respect to Iran”, and noted that the president may modify it of circumstances change.

It read: “The President is holding Iran accountable for its pursuit of nuclear capabilities, support for terrorism, ballistic missile development, and regional destabilization that endanger American security, allies, and interests.”

There has been no immediate comment from Iran.

Starting in Oman on Friday, the ongoing talks are the first involving US and Iranian officials since last June, when the US bombed Iran’s three main nuclear facilities.

The Iranian delegation was led by Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, while the US was represented by special envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner.

Speaking to reporters onboard Air Force One, Trump said Friday’s talks were “very good”, and that Iran “looks like it wants to make a deal very badly”.

“If they don’t make a deal, the consequences are very steep,” the president said, adding that there will be another meeting early next week.

Oman’s Foreign Minister Badr Albusaidi, who mediated the discussions, said they had been “useful to clarify both Iranian and American thinking and identify areas for possible progress”.

In a statement to X, Araghchi described the talks to date as “a good start” and said that a “positive atmosphere prevailed”. He said negotiators had now returned to their respective capitals for consultation.

Rising tensions between the US and Iran have raised fears of a conflict between the countries, with Trump declaring that Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei should be “very worried” as recently as Wednesday.

The president has said he would be prepared to strike the Middle Eastern nation if it refused to reach a deal on its nuclear programme.

Iran insists its nuclear programme is entirely peaceful and has repeatedly denied accusations by the US and its allies that it is seeking to develop nuclear weapons.

The US has also built up a significant military presence in the region, including what Trump describes as a “massive armada” in response to Iran’s violent repression of nationwide anti-government protests last month.

Human rights groups have said that many thousands of people were killed in the crackdown, but the full scale of the bloodshed remains unclear due to internet restrictions imposed by the government since 8 January.

For instance, Liberia, Africa’s oldest republic, was founded by freed black American slaves in 1822. After Ghana became independent in 1957, a wave of black intellectuals and artists moved there from the US. Martin Luther King, Malcolm X and Muhammad Ali subsequently paid high-profile visits to Ghana, while Guinea became home to Black Panther leader Stokely Carmichael.

This transatlantic connection has ebbed and flowed over time – but in recent years, there has been a real resurgence, helped by the use of DNA tests.

A number of black American celebrities have sought the nationality of African countries – singer Ciara has become a citizen of Benin, rapper Ludacris and film star Samuel L Jackson are officially Gabonese, actors Meagan Good and Jonathan Majors are citizens of Guinea and musical icon Stevie Wonder has Ghanaian papers.

Just last week, wildly popular content creator IShowSpeed was approved for a Ghanaian passport after stopping in the country on a whirlwind African tour.

The celebs have, in most cases, flown out for elaborate citizenship ceremonies and tours of local beauty spots, all of which have been captured for glossy social media content.

Posting photos of her citizenship ceremony in Guinea, Meagan Good told her 7.8m Instagram followers last month: “This is history in motion”.

Good, who has featured in films like Think Like A Man and Saw V, and her husband Majors, known for Creed and Marvel flick Ant-Man and the Wasp, became citizens after DNA testing traced their ancestry to Guinea.

“This recognition goes beyond titles, it is a homecoming and a reconnection to our Afrodescendant roots,” said Good.

Messaging from the various African governments has echoed this sentiment.

“In conferring Ghanaian citizenship upon Stevie Wonder,” former president Nana Akufo-Addo said at Wonder’s 2024 ceremony, “we not only extend our warmest embrace to a beloved son of Africa but also reaffirm our belief in the enduring spirit of pan-Africanism and the global African family”.

Ghana has long promoted its pan-African credentials – for a decade anyone whose ancestors came from Africa have been entitled to Ghanaian nationality, a policy that arguably inspired Benin to launch a similar scheme.

Ghana also launched the “year of return” in 2019, a buzzy initiative encouraging Africans in the diaspora to relocate there.

More than 1,000 African-Americans have done so in the past decade, according to Dr Erieka Bennet, ambassador for the Diaspora African Forum, which helps people relocate to Ghana.

“It is not only about romanticism,” Marie-Roger Biloa, a Cameroonian journalist with a focus on West Africa, tells the BBC.

“It’s all very much about how can we tap into the potential they have, the Americans.”

Tourism is an obvious motivator. Governments hope that social media posts from the stars will encourage other black Americans, a large group with a growing economic power, to visit and inject money into their countries.

Biloa notes that Benin’s president, a former business tycoon, is keenly aware that his country’s former role as a key departure point for slaves makes it a poignant destination for black Americans.

“President [Patrice] Talon has really started investing in cultural heritage, in a way to engage the African-Americans worldwide. He understood it could be an engine for a new form of tourism and a new branch of economy,” she says, mentioning The Marina Project, a memorial and tourist complex being built in Ouidah, once one of Benin’s main slave ports.

Positive publicity from stars like Ciara may also encourage diasporans to invest or buy property in Benin, as they have been doing in Ghana since the year of return.

Soft power is also an important factor – by promoting their culture and building a robust network around the world, countries like Benin, Guinea, Gabon and Ghana stand to gain global influence.

In this mission, celebrity citizens act as ambassadors, Francis Kpatindé, a Beninois lecturer at France’s Sciences Po University, tells the BBC.

“Benin has no diamonds like the Democratic Republic of Congo, no petrol, nothing. We just have cotton, the ports and culture,” he says.

The celebrity ambassadors are “a way for us to be on the record, to be on-screen. Now it’s working. You can go to the social networks. You see Benin everywhere,” Kpatindé says.

Many peoplefrom the countries involved recognise the economic and political benefits of giving citizenship to black American celebrities, but others are more critical.

There is an underlying feeling that the stars are bypassing what can be, for those born in the countries, a cumbersome and costly process to get passports.

Taufic Suleman, a painter and decorator from Ghana, felt “irritated” when the foreign minister announced that IShowSpeed, who grew up in the US but has a Ghanaian mother, had been approved for a passport.

“It is really, really, really a bad precedent… why do people, your citizens, have to go through vetting? Sometimes others end up being denied,” Suleman, aged 32, tells the BBC.

“You just can’t hand out a passport to anyone just because the person is a celebrity.”

Following the foreign minister’s announcement, Patrick Boamah, a member of the Ghanaian parliament’s Foreign Affairs Committee, told local broadcaster Channel One that the content creator must follow the required legal procedures to get a passport, although the authorities “may waive certain steps for him”.

Sindé Chekete, the head of Benin’s tourism authority, told the BBC that “citizenship processing is not influenced by celebrity status” and that Ciara “followed the same standard procedure as any other applicant”.

Another criticism of the celebrity citizenship trend is that it will be superficial and fleeting – the stars will collect their certificates, publish a few social media posts, then go quiet.

It is not clear whether, in all cases, the celebrities are required to publicise or maintain lasting links to their second homes, but Chekete stressed that Beninois citizenship “is not a transaction and it does not come with contractual obligations, whether promotional, financial, or otherwise”.

Six months after getting her citizenship, Ciara returned to Benin in January to play at the Vodun Days festival.

Meagan Good and Jonathan Majors have stressed that their connection with Guinea would be “long-term and evolving”.

“We could absolutely see ourselves having a home here and spending meaningful time in Guinea,” they told the BBC over email.

Yaw Nyame, one of the numerous Ghanaians who welcomed IShowSpeed’s naturalisation, says he hopes the content creator uses his passport to set up a base in the country.

“Even if he’s not going to come to Ghana all the time, at least him having his presence in Ghana or doing a project in Ghana,” Nyame says.

The doctor says giving IShowSpeed, real name Darren Watkins Jr, a passport is a “brilliant, strategic move” as the creator currently has “all eyes on him”. He has more than 50 million YouTube subscribers, with a recent 20-country tour of Africa contributing to the growth of his platform.

It will take time for Ghana, Gabon, Guinea and Benin to gauge whether their strategies have paid off – maybe one or two decades, Kpatindé says.

Earlier this week, Benin’s government said it would open a government agency specifically dedicated to nationalising “Afro-descendants”.

However, Ghana reached a roadblock in its plans to reconnect with the diaspora, announcing it was pausing its citizenship applications as it needed to make the system more accessible and user-friendly.

Regardless, Kpatindé believes that by welcoming home some of the diaspora’s brightest stars, the African countries are on the right trajectory.

People on the continent have long hailed pan-Africanism, “but now we need action,” he says. “We need concrete acts, not to just speak”.

In a video that has gone viral on social media, officials and guests were captured moving forward to the stage for a group photograph.

As participants climbed onto the stage from the front, one female attendee appeared to misjudge her footing and suddenly lost balance.

Before anyone else could react, President Mahama, who was standing close by, noticed the movement and stretched out his hand. In one swift motion, he grabbed her arm and steadied her before she could tumble off the platform.

With calm assurance, the President helped her regain balance and guided her safely onto the stage, drawing quiet relief from those nearby.

Although the incident lasted only seconds, Mr. Mahama has earned the admiration of many for turning a potentially embarrassing and painful accident into a moment of care and composure at a high-level diplomatic event.

Watch a video shared by Daily Graphic below:

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The Ghana Gold Board is the sole authority mandated to buy, sell, weigh, grade, assay, value and export gold and other precious minerals in Ghana.

President Mahama, accompanied by the First Lady, Lordina Mahama, is on a three-day State Visit to Zambia at the invitation of President Hakainde Hichilema.

Addressing Parliament, President Mahama said Africa must move beyond rhetoric and boldly leverage its natural resource endowments to drive economic transformation.

He stressed the need for African countries to exercise greater sovereignty over their resources to deliver sustainable prosperity for their people.

“The era of parceling out large-scale concessions to speculators who then flip them for huge profits must end,” he said.

“We have the know-how; the technology and capital are available. Indigenous companies must be encouraged to participate in the extractive sector.

“We must support our indigenous private sector to capture the commanding heights of our economies.”

President Mahama noted that mining and the extractive sector play a critical role in Ghana’s economy, adding that, like Zambia and many African countries, Ghana is richly endowed with minerals such as gold, bauxite and manganese, but had historically added little local value.

“My country is changing that narrative. Ghana established the Gold Board in April last year to take control of and regulate gold exports,” he stated.

He reiterated that the Board has sole authority to export gold from Ghana and said its impact had been significant.

According to the President, gold exports from the artisanal and small-scale mining sector increased from 63 tonnes to 104 tonnes within 10 months of the Board’s establishment.

He said the increase had generated more than 10 billion dollars in foreign exchange earnings over the same period.

“We are taking steps to domesticate the value addition of our minerals,” President Mahama said.

He disclosed that the Board had recently signed an agreement with a local refinery to process about one tonne of gold per week, rather than exporting raw doré gold.

The President added that Ghana also plans to commence local processing of manganese and bauxite instead of exporting raw ore.

He further announced that government has replaced the flat-rate mineral royalty regime with a sliding scale of between five per cent and 12 per cent, depending on prevailing international market prices.

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Reflecting on his address to the Zambian Parliament on Thursday, February 6, President Mahama said Africa can no longer depend on declining humanitarian assistance and must urgently adopt a self-sustaining development path.

“Humanitarian assistance has gone down. Africa cannot continue going cup in hand begging for that kind of support. We need to pull ourselves together,” he said in an interview with Joy News .

The President explained that his address was intentionally designed to provoke a shift in thinking among African leaders and to promote the ideals of the Accra Reset, which emphasises unity, regional cooperation and collective action.

“I chose to give a speech that rallies Africa together based on the objectives of the Accra Reset so that we can come together and make collective decisions,” he stated.

He noted that Africa’s long-term prosperity depends on stronger collaboration, particularly in trade, natural resource management and coordinated economic planning. According to him, working together will help African nations stabilise their economies, enhance their global bargaining power and reduce reliance on external support.

President Mahama stressed that only through unity and self-reliance can Africa free itself from aid dependency and fully take control of its place in the global system.

President John Dramani Mahama announced the agreement at the Ghana–Zambia Business Dialogue in Lusaka on Friday, February 6, 2026, describing it as a major step toward improving connectivity and reducing the cost of travel and trade between the two nations.

“Partnership in execution will determine our success. I am encouraged by the agreements we have signed during this state visit, including the visa waiver that will allow citizens of both countries to travel visa-free, and the bilateral air services agreement that will enable direct flights between Ghana and Zambia,” President Mahama said.

He added that the agreements would enhance mobility and facilitate the movement of goods, capital, and people, strengthening economic and diplomatic ties between the two countries.

The air services deal is expected to create new opportunities for businesses, investors, and tourism operators by making travel faster and more affordable.

The agreement forms part of President Mahama’s three-day state visit to Zambia, aimed at deepening trade, investment, and private sector cooperation between Ghana and Zambia.

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The Zambian leader made the light-hearted remark at the Ghana–Zambia Business Forum on Friday, February 6, 2026, as President Mahama continues a three-day visit aimed at strengthening bilateral relations.

While the visit has featured high-level diplomatic and economic engagements, public attention quickly shifted to President Mahama’s choice of outfit. The Ghanaian leader has been seen wearing the fugu — a traditional smock associated with northern Ghanaian culture and heritage.

The attire, which symbolizes identity, pride, and cultural expression, generated mixed reactions online. Many Ghanaians applauded the president for promoting local culture on an international stage, while some Zambian social media users referred to it as a “blouse,” sparking playful exchanges between the countries’ netizens.

Addressing the matter with humor, President Hichilema embraced the cultural moment.

“I am very happy that the foreign minister is wearing that,” he said, referring to Ghana’s Minister for Foreign Affairs, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa. “I have asked my team to post on various platforms that the president of Zambia will be ordering more of that for himself.”

Responding to the remarks, Mr. Ablakwa said the conversation had grown beyond fashion, sparking a wider reflection on African identity and culture.

“This is my president’s favourite attire, the fugu,” he said. “We are excited about the buzz it has generated. It has triggered a renaissance in what Kwame Nkrumah described as the African personality.”

He added that the discussion highlights deeper issues of identity and self-worth on the continent.

“That is about reclaiming African identity, dignity, and culture. When we talk about restitution and reparation, it is not only about compensation for the transatlantic slave trade; it is also about reconnecting with our roots and identity,” the Foreign Minister explained.

What began as online banter has now evolved into a light-hearted cultural exchange, allowing both countries to celebrate Africa’s rich diversity and shared heritage.

Delivering a keynote address at the Africa Prosperity Dialogues on the theme, “Africa Without Borders: Youth, Creativity, and Power in an Integrated Africa,” Mr. Ayariga stressed that Africa’s integration agenda must prioritise young people, creativity, and services.

While AfCFTA has created a single market of over 1.4 billion people with a combined economic output exceeding US$3 trillion, Mr. Ayariga said markets are ultimately built by people, not goods alone.

“If AfCFTA is implemented as a goods-only agreement, it will structurally fail Africa’s youth,” he warned.

He noted that the fastest-growing segments of the global economy—services, digital production, and the creative industries—are driven by skills, mobility, and innovation. Yet, Africa currently captures less than one per cent of the global creative economy, a gap he attributed to policy failures rather than a lack of talent.

Citing Nigeria’s film industry as an example, Mr. Ayariga said global streaming platforms invested about US$40 million into Nollywood between 2016 and 2022, helping African stories reach international audiences. He emphasised that culture has evolved beyond soft power to become a tool of economic and diplomatic influence.

He urged African governments to invest deliberately in cultural diplomacy or risk being defined by others. The NYA CEO also called for urgent political action, including mutual recognition of skills across borders, labour-sensitive mobility frameworks, and a managed free-movement regime that allows Africans to live, work, and create across the continent with dignity.

“Africa’s youth are already borderless in imagination and ambition. Policy is lagging behind reality,” he concluded.

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The DA, South Africa’s second-largest party, entered into a coalition with its arch-rival, the African National Congress, in 2024 after the ANC lost its parliamentary majority.

Steenhuisen assumed leadership of the pro-business DA in 2019 and currently serves as the agriculture minister in President Cyril Ramaphosa’s government.

The 49-year-old was widely expected to run again but reportedly withdrew his bid amid several controversies.

“For the rest of this term of office, I will focus all of my time and energy as minister of agriculture on defeating the most devastating foot-and-mouth disease outbreak our country has ever seen,” he told a press conference.

Steenhuisen began his political career at age 22, when he was elected to the Durban city council for the Democratic Party, the DA’s predecessor.

He rose through the party’s local and regional leadership before becoming the party’s leader, a role traditionally held by white candidates, two decades later.

It was widely reported that Steenhuisen would run unopposed for the DA leadership at its upcoming conference.

But it seems a variety of issues led to his decision not to do so, including his fallout with another senior DA member, ex-Environment Affairs Minister Dion George, and allegations, of which he was cleared in January, that he had abused his party credit card.

He has also been criticised for his handling of the foot-and-mouth outbreak, with farmers accusing his department of being an “obstacle in a crisis”, according to South Africa’s News24 website.

The country has struggled over the past four years to contain the highly infectious virus, which has now spread to most provinces, severely affecting the livestock industry.

It causes blisters inside an animal’s mouth and under its hooves, which can lead to lameness and feeding problems. In dairy cattle, milk production will decline, and the cattle’s value will be permanently reduced.

Under Steenhuisen, the DA party agreed to join the ANC as its biggest partner in the government of national unity nearly two years ago.

It was a historic moment for the country as the ANC, the party that brought in democratic rule in 1994 with Nelson Mandela and ended white-minority rule, had lost its parliamentary majority.

As expected, it has been a fractious political marriage, but despite some differences, they have stayed together – and Steenhuisen and Ramaphosa have shown how the partnership can work.

This was best exemplified when they supported each other in the Oval Office showdown with US President Donald Trump in May last year.

After Trump confronted the delegation with a video in support of discredited claims of a white genocide in South Africa, it was Steenhuisen who assured the US president that the majority of white farmers wanted to stay in the country.

Their performance proved to South Africans that the government of national unity was worth the domestic bickering.

No DA leaders have announced their candidacies for the top post yet, but Cape Town mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis has been touted as a possible successor.

Steenhuisen and Hill-Lewis are close, and the latter has repeatedly said he would not run against his friend, according to the TimesLive news site.

In an email exchange from 2015 with Japanese entrepreneur Joi Ito, the disgraced financier suggested they approach then-President Mugabe to introduce a new currency for Zimbabwe after the local dollar collapsed due to hyperinflation.

FBI documents from 2017, also released, had unverified testimony from a “human confidential source”, who claimed Epstein was a wealth manager for Russia’s President Vladimir Putin and provided the same service for Mugabe.

Being named among the Epstein files is not an indication of wrongdoing.

The BBC has asked the Mugabe family for a response.

Robert Mugabe, Zimbabwe’s independence leader and long-time president, died in September 2019, aged 95, two years after being ousted in a coup.

Epstein, a well-connected US financier and convicted sex offender, was found dead in prison by suicide while awaiting trial on sex-trafficking charges in August 2019.

He had been convicted in 2008 of soliciting sex from a 14-year-old girl in Florida and completed his sentence in July 2010.

The latest tranche of files released by the US Department of Justice (DOJ) shows the email correspondence between Joichi “Joi” Ito and Epstein that took place five years later.

In response to the email about providing Zimbabwe with a new currency, with the subject “fertile land for exploration”, Ito, whose email address is redacted, asked if Epstein was friends with Mugabe, to which he replied: “No, but can easily get his attention, zimbabwe would be a great petrie dish, its also supposed to be beautiful.”

Ito resigned in September 2019 as head of MIT’s Media Lab after the academic centre had received donations from Epstein.

The BBC has contacted the FBI for more information about the documents contained in the recent release of Epstein files, as the US financier would have been violating sanctions had he been Mugabe’s wealth manager.

Mugabe was subject to US sanctions since 2003, and US companies and citizens were prohibited from trading with or conducting financial transactions with him.

Zimbabwe and Mugabe come up in other correspondence in the Epstein files.

An email written in April 2012 suggested incorrectly that Mugabe was on his deathbed in Italy.

The sender’s full name and email are redacted, but the message is signed off as “jonathan”. He asks Epstein for possible contacts in the country, adding “they have some great companies if this guy is really done whi=h he is”.

Mugabe was then 88 years old – and appeared fit and well days later on his return from Singapore to lead independence celebrations.

One of his old allies, who asked to remain anonymous, told the BBC that such inaccuracies suggested the information on Mugabe was fabricated.

Zimbabwe is still governed by Mugabe’s Zanu-PF party and has struggled with inflation for decades since the abandonment of the Zimbabwean dollar in 2009.

Several attempts to introduce a new currency failed, but a gold-backed currency called the Zig, launched two years ago, has managed to stabilise the economy after a shaky start – though many people still rely on the US dollar.

The incident reportedly occurred on February 3, 2026, at the residence of the tenant, Anozie Tochukwu, who lives in the apartment with his pregnant wife and two children.

According to Tochukwu, he moved into the apartment in January 2024 and had consistently paid his rent. He said problems began in the last quarter of 2025 when Frimpong served him with a notice to vacate, explaining that he intended to renovate the property and directing him to hand over the keys by the end of January 2026.

Tochukwu explained that on February 1, he met with his landlord and pleaded for an extension until February 14 to allow him time to complete arrangements to relocate. He said he showed Frimpong proof of payment for a new apartment he had secured, believing the matter had been amicably resolved.

However, he said he was shocked when, two days later, the landlord allegedly arrived at the premises and began removing the roof of the apartment while his family was still inside.

Shortly after the roof was removed, a heavy rainfall reportedly destroyed most of the family’s belongings.

Tochukwu estimated his losses at about ₦25 million, listing damaged items to include household furniture, electronic appliances, official documents such as degree and NYSC certificates, professional credentials, clothing, food items, baby and pregnancy medications, and savings accumulated over several months.

He further alleged that some items, including a ceiling fan and his savings box, went missing during the incident.

The matter was reported to the police, leading to the arrest of Frimpong on Wednesday, February 3.

Confirming the arrest, the Rivers State Police Public Relations Officer, Grace Iringe-Koko, said the suspect is currently in police custody and investigations are ongoing.

He described the agreement as a significant milestone towards promoting the free movement of people across the African continent.

“This afternoon, we have signed 10 Memorandums of Understanding as the framework for our cooperation. Prominent among these is the MoU to allow visa-free travel for all categories of passport holders between Ghana and Zambia.

“This is an important step towards the free movement of our people on the African continent,” President Mahama said.

The announcement was made during his official address to the National Assembly of the Republic of Zambia on Thursday, 5 February, where he underscored the importance of deeper regional integration to boost trade, investment and shared prosperity.

Read the full text below:

ADDRESS BY H.E. JOHN DRAMANI MAHAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE REPUBLIC OF GHANA, TO THE NATIONAL ASSEMBLY OF THE REPUBLIC OF ZAMBIA ON THURSDAY, 5 FEBRUARY 2026

Rt. Honourable Speaker,
Honourable Members of Parliament,
Honourable Ministers of State,
Senior Government Officials,
Members of the Diplomatic Corps,
Distinguished Ladies and Gentlemen,

I am deeply honoured to address this august House and to convey warm fraternal greetings from the Government and people of the Republic of Ghana.

I wish, at the outset, to express my profound appreciation for the gracious hospitality extended to me and my delegation since our arrival in the beautiful city of Lusaka.

This visit reaffirms the enduring bonds of friendship and solidarity between Ghana and Zambia—bonds forged during the historic struggle for Africa’s political emancipation under the visionary leadership of our founding fathers, Osagyefo Dr Kwame Nkrumah and Dr Kenneth
David Kaunda.

Their shared Pan-African conviction, sacrifice, and courage laid the foundations on which our two nations, and indeed our continent, continue to build.

Ghana’s historic support for Zambia’s liberation struggle is well documented, and generations of Zambian freedom fighters were shaped by Pan-African ideals fostered at institutions such as the Kwame Nkrumah Ideological Institute in Winneba. Today, our friendship remains grounded
in mutual respect, shared democratic values, and a common aspiration for peace, development, and African dignity.

Rt. Honourable Speaker,

The responsibility of our generation is clear: to translate historic solidarity and political goodwill into concrete economic and social dividends for our peoples. Our forebears won us independence and nationhood. Now we must win the fight for economic transformation and prosperity for our people.

We must confront the battle for the economic emancipation of our countries at a time when global geopolitics is undergoing tectonic shifts. Today, global humanitarian assistance is shrinking. Official development assistance is declining, defence spending is rising, and traditional multilateral systems are under strain.

Africa, therefore, faces a different pandemic—the pandemic of unfulfilled potential. Millions of young people remain unemployed; health systems are fragile; and economies extract wealth without building capacity.

Madam Speaker,

Africa must confront this changing reality with transparency and pragmatism. Only days ago, I had the opportunity to address global leaders in Davos, where I spoke about the Accra Reset Initiative and the urgent need for Africa to redefine its development trajectory.

Too many African countries remain trapped in what I describe as triple dependency:
1. Dependency on external actors for security choices;
2. Dependency on donors for health and education systems; and
3. Dependency on suppliers of critical minerals while capturing little or no value.

This condition undermines genuine sovereignty. History teaches us, however, that a crisis can sharpen resolve. Africa must take its destiny into its own hands.

The Accra Reset does not seek to disrupt global partnerships. The Accra Reset advocates the forging of new partnerships to transform global systems that have been rigged against Africa and much of the global south for a long time. We must reset the narrative through unity of action, self-reliance, and the leveraging of our comparative advantages for industrial growth and economic transformation.

Madam Speaker,

We demand a redesign of outdated governance systems, including greater representation in global institutions such as the UN Security Council. We are calling for a rejigging of the global financial system that keeps Africa in poverty and debt. While we must work collectively to achieve these objectives, much depends on how we act locally.

Leadership is fundamental to achieving the Accra Reset’s goals. In Ghana, we are taking action to change our narrative. Since my return to office one year ago, my administration has been guided by a clear, pragmatic Reset Agenda focused on economic recovery, macroeconomic stability, job creation, and inclusive growth.

This approach is anchored in fiscal discipline, productive investment, good governance, and strengthened regional cooperation. We have chosen execution over excuses. We have reduced the size of government to 58 ministers and deputy ministers, including regional ministers.

We are digitalising public services to fight corruption. We are investing in skills for the future— digital, green, and industrial skills. We have restructured debt to invest in people, not just to service loans.

This is what “Resetting Ghana” means, and it is delivering results. I am pleased to note that Ghana has made tangible progress. Inflation has declined sharply from over 23.4% at the end of 2024 to 3.8% in January 2026.

Currency stability has been restored, with the Ghanaian cedi appreciating by 32% and ranking among the five best-performing currencies in 2025. We have successfully renegotiated our debt obligations on terms that safeguard our national sovereignty and ensure sustainability, and we are steadily exiting the IMF’s Extended Credit Facility with dignity as partners, not as supplicants.

These reforms are not merely national achievements; they contribute to regional confidence and integration. In this regard, Zambia is a natural partner. The complementarities between our economies—notably in mining, agriculture, energy, and manufacturing—present compelling
opportunities for joint ventures, value-chain development, and expanded bilateral trade.

Rt. Hon. Speaker,

To achieve economic transformation, Africa must not be ashamed to leverage its comparative advantage in natural resources. Africa must exercise greater sovereignty over its natural resources if it is to create prosperity for its people.

The era of parceling out large-scale concessions to speculators who then flip them for huge profits must end. We have the know-how; the technology and capital are available. Indigenous companies must be encouraged to participate in the extractive sector. We must support our indigenous private sector to capture the commanding heights of our economies.

In Ghana, mining and the extractive sector play a significant role in our economy. Much like Zambia and other African countries, we are a source of critical minerals like gold, bauxite, and manganese, yet very little value is added to them locally. My country is changing that narrative.

Ghana established the Gold Board in April last year to take control of and regulate gold exports. The Gold Board was given sole authority to export gold out of Ghana.

Since the board’s establishment, gold exports from the artisanal and small-scale mining sector have increased from 63 tons to 104 tons over the past 10 months. This has earned Ghana over $10 billion in forex inflow over the period.

We are taking steps to domesticate the value addition of our minerals. The Board has recently signed an agreement with a local gold refinery to refine about 1 ton of gold per week, rather than exporting raw Dore gold. We aim to commence local processing of our manganese and
bauxite as well, instead of exporting the raw ores.

We have also replaced the flat-rate royalty system for minerals with a sliding scale from 5% to 12%, depending on the international market
price of the mineral.

Rt. Hon Speaker,

In Dubai this week, I attended the launch of the Global African Investment Summit. This initiative, led by Akin Adesina, former President of the African Development Bank, and a few collaborators, seeks to find new ways to leverage the continent’s natural resource endowment to raise more affordable financing to support Africa’s economic transformation.

This is an exciting initiative and has the potential to unlock enormous financial resources for Africa’s development. As the African Union (AU) champion of African financial institutions, I am leading advocacy for the repatriation and investment of part of Africa’s huge foreign reserves in African Financial Institutions.

Most of these foreign reserves are by colonial construct held in Western financial institutions and, in most cases, generate no interest. If 30% of these reserves were repatriated and invested in our own financial institutions, it would create an immense pool of wealth that could drive rapid infrastructural expansion and economic growth.

No African country can survive in isolation. We must build regional prosperity platforms— shared manufacturing zones, integrated energy grids, and digital infrastructure. We must negotiate with one voice on minerals, trade, and climate finance. Unity must be our strategy, not just our slogan.

Madam Speaker,

A critical factor in changing Africa’s story is governance and leadership. Africa needs and deserves transparent and accountable leadership. The institutions and laws to fight corruption must be allowed to operate without fear or favour. Abuse of public trust must be punished.

We must protect public resources and use them efficiently for the good of our people. As President Obama said during a visit to Ghana, “Africa does not need strongmen, it needs strong institutions.” We must build our democratic institutions to be independent and efficient.

Parliament and the judiciary must work independently in the public interest. Leaders must respect the oath they swear to respect the Constitution.
In our sub-region of West Africa, democracy is backsliding with a return to military dictatorships. Ghana, however, is on a mission to prove that democracy works.

Our people can achieve prosperity and opportunity under a constitutional democracy.

Rt. Hon. Speaker,

I commend the efforts of the Government and people of Zambia to stabilise your macroeconomic environment. The improved performance of the Zambian Kwacha and the ongoing reform agenda send positive signals to investors and regional partners alike. Ghana looks forward to deepening trade, investment, and financial cooperation with Zambia to reinforce resilience and shared prosperity.

Ghana follows Zambia’s democratic journey with keen interest and confidence. As Zambia prepares for general elections in August 2026, we express our trust in the strength of your democratic institutions and the commitment of the Zambian people to peaceful, free, and fair elections.

It is in this spirit that Ghana and Zambia have revitalised the Permanent Joint Commission for Cooperation, providing a structured, results-oriented framework for collaboration across priority sectors, including trade and investment, energy, tourism, mining, agriculture, education, science and technology, youth development, and defence cooperation.

This afternoon, we have signed 10 Memorandums of Understanding as the framework for our cooperation. Prominent among these is the MOU to allow visa-free travel for all categories of passport holders between Ghana and Zambia. This is an important step towards the free movement of our people on the African continent.

Peace and security remain indispensable foundations for sustainable development. Ghana values our cooperation with Zambia in defence training, intelligence exchange, and peacekeeping, and we remain committed to strengthening collective security across our continent.

Madam Speaker,

Equally important is the quest for jusPce, restoraPon, and dignity. The African Union’s 2025 theme JusPce for Africans and People of African Descent through ReparaPons—is both a moral imperaPve and a forward-looking call to acPon.

As the African Union Champion for ReparaPons, Ghana will shortly sponsor a United NaPons resoluPon on slavery, and we would be honoured to count Zambia among its co-sponsors.

Rt. Honourable Speaker,
I am also addressing you this a^ernoon in my capacity as the African Union Champion for Gender and Development. Ghana has moved beyond symbolism to acPon. We have elected our first female Vice President and operaPonalised the AffirmaPve AcPon (Gender Equity) Act, mandaPng a minimum of 30 per cent female representaPon in public appointments.

Our Reset Agenda includes establishing a Women’s Development Bank to unlock financing for female-led enterprises. But this is a conPnental struggle. I urge us to advance together toward the Decade of African Women’s Financial and Economic Inclusion. When we invest in women, we accelerate naPonal development.

Madam Speaker,
The future is African. The African ConPnental Free Trade Area offers an unprecedented opportunity to boost intra-African trade, promote value addiPon, and accelerate industrialisaPon. Ghana remains commi]ed to working closely with Zambia to reduce trade barriers, harmonise standards, and sPmulate private-sector partnerships.

Our people are the true custodians of this partnership. The presence of Ghanaians in Zambia and Zambians in Ghana enriches both sociePes. Africa’s demographic dividend, projected to account for a quarter of the world’s populaPon by 2050, demands investment in skills, innovaPon, and representaPon in global governance. Rt. Honourable Speaker, Honourable Members, I thank you sincerely for the honour of this invitaPon. Ghana remains steadfast in its commitment to strengthening cooperaPon with Zambia, guided by implementaPon, mutual respect, and shared desPny.
Zikomo.
May God bless the Republic of Zambia.
May God bless the Republic of Ghana.
And may Africa conPnue to rise

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It comes after specific batches made by Nestle and Danone were recalled after possible contamination with the toxin, cereulide.

The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) says it has received clinical notifications of young children developing symptoms, including vomiting and diarrhoea, consistent with cereulide poisoning.

None of the infants – all around or under one – are reported to be gravely ill, the BBC understands.

Gauri Godbole, from UKHSA, said it was not unexpected, given “the widespread availability” of the affected products prior to the recall and “subsequent testing”.

Godbole said there did not seem to be any signs that huge numbers of children had been affected so far.

“Current surveillance indicators do not show unusual increases in reports of vomiting in children under the age of 1 for this time of year,” she added.

But the agency said it would continue monitoring the situation and providing updates.

The UKHSA has not been able to confirm categorically that the infants had been poisoned but it has been confirmed they consumed the specific brands of infant formula affected.

The Danone batch affected is the 800g pack coded EXP 31-10-2026.

Meanwhile, for Nestle the concerns of possible contamination relate to SMA infant formula and follow-on formula. The batches affected are listed on the company’s website.

Cereulide is a toxin which is unlikely to be destroyed by cooking, or when making the infant milk.

If it is consumed it can lead to symptoms like nausea, vomiting and abdominal cramps developing quickly.

The Food Standards Agency (FSA) has said the toxin was present in a specific ingredient identified as arachidonic acid oil. The oil is added to infant formula to give it some of the important growth properties contained in breast milk.

The FSA has urged parents who had any of the affected products left, to stop using them and switch to an alternative formula.

If you have fed it to your baby and are concerned, contact your GP or NHS 111 for advice, it added.

The FSA is working with manufacturers to trace all products that may have used the affected ingredient and ensure all affected products are removed from sale.

The two leaders held meaningful discussions about their ongoing initiatives and explored opportunities to support each other’s work.

Key highlights from the meeting included sharing their experiences with social development programmes, exploring potential partnerships between Ghana and Zambia, identifying areas for mutual support and collaboration, and reaffirming their commitment to impactful community initiatives.

Mrs Mahama is in Lusaka with President John Dramani Mahama, who is on a three-day State Visit to Zambia.

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He described the agreement as a significant milestone in promoting the free movement of people across Africa.

Speaking to the National Assembly of the Republic of Zambia on Friday, February 5, President Mahama revealed that the visa-free arrangement was among 10 MoUs signed to strengthen bilateral cooperation between the two countries.

“This afternoon, we have signed 10 Memorandums of Understanding as the framework for our cooperation. Prominent among these is the MoU to allow visa-free travel for all categories of passport holders between Ghana and Zambia,” he said, emphasizing that the move supports Africa’s integration agenda.

President Mahama also highlighted the importance of deeper regional collaboration to boost trade, investment, and shared prosperity, while commending Zambia for stabilizing its macroeconomic environment. He praised the improved performance of the Zambian kwacha and ongoing economic reforms, noting that these developments send positive signals to investors and regional partners.

The President further expressed confidence in Zambia’s democratic institutions ahead of the country’s general elections in August 2026 and reaffirmed Ghana’s support for peaceful, free, and fair polls.

He added that both nations have revitalized the Permanent Joint Commission for Cooperation, providing a structured framework for collaboration across key sectors, including trade, energy, tourism, mining, agriculture, education, science and technology, youth development, and defence.

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The reception marked a proud and historic moment for the Ghanaian diplomatic mission.

In keeping with Ghanaian hospitality and tradition, the Asantehene was graciously welcomed by the High Commissioner and officials of the Mission before being conveyed to the High Commissioner’s Residence.

There, His Majesty held a brief engagement with the High Commissioner and members of staff, reflecting mutual respect and shared national pride.

The visit highlighted the enduring importance of Ghana’s traditional institutions and their complementary role in the country’s international relations.

It also underscored the respect accorded to the Asantehene as a symbol of cultural heritage, unity, and leadership, both at home and abroad.

The reception further reinforced the strong cultural and people-to-people ties between Ghana and South Africa, demonstrating how traditional authority and diplomacy can intersect to deepen bilateral relations and promote Ghana’s rich heritage on the international stage.

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President Donald Trump however — whose name appears in some investigative files about the disgraced financier — has no such concerns.

While the political crisis deepens on the eastern side of the Atlantic, victims of Epstein are fighting inertia in Washington as they seek justice.

This discrepancy reflects the relative political strength of Trump and the possibly existential weakness of Starmer.

It shows that while British political institutions dedicated to accountability and investigation are functioning, Trump’s control of the Justice Department and his stranglehold on the Republican Congress spares him from critical scrutiny.

But above all, the global tentacles of the Epstein files — also now reaching into Norway and Poland — underscore the massive footprint of a scandal that continues to spread nearly seven years after its progenitor died.

It’s not just Starmer who is feeling the heat.

Public outrage over ties to Epstein is so acute in the United Kingdom that King Charles III has stripped his own brother and Epstein pal, the ex-Prince Andrew, of royal titles and forced him out of his lodge of the Windsor Castle estate.

There’s been no equivalent defenestration in the United States for anyone who has links with Epstein, who investigators ruled died by suicide in prison in 2019 before facing trial for sex trafficking and abuse of underage girls.

The most high-profile figure to face reprisals over his friendship with Epstein may be former Treasury Secretary Larry Summers. The one-time president of Harvard University stepped back from public commitments last year saying he was “deeply ashamed” after emails with Epstein showed him making sexist remarks and asking for romantic advice.

President Donald Trump boards Air Force One on January 27, at Joint Base Andrews, Maryland. Win McNamee/Getty Images/File

Trump meanwhile is making his latest bid to put the furor behind him after the DOJ insisted there will be no further prosecutions.

There is no evidence of any wrongdoing by Trump, and authorities have not laid charges against him or anyone else mentioned in the newly released files.

While some of the references to Trump in the Epstein files are benign, others include newly disclosed unverified sexual assault claims against him as well as fresh details about how some of Epstein’s victims described their interactions with the future president.

But Trump told CNN’s Kaitlan Collins this week, “It’s really time for the country to get onto something else.”

Starmer in crisis

How Starmer must wish that could be the case in the UK.

His premiership hung by a thread Thursday morning after a revolt by MPs in his Labour Party further damaged a 10 Downing Street operation staggering from crisis to crisis.

The prime minister was forced to admit during a fiery Question Time session on Wednesday that he knew about the friendship between former Cabinet minister Peter Mandelson and Epstein — but still made him ambassador to Washington.

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer talks with Britain’s ambassador to the United States Peter Mandelson during a welcome reception at the ambassador’s residence on February 26, 2025, in Washington, DC. Carl Court/Pool/Reuters

Starmer fired Mandelson last year after an earlier release of Epstein files that showed he continued to support his friend even after he was convicted for sex offenses in Florida in 2008.

But the scandal revived this week after newly disclosed files suggested Mandelson may have leaked secret and market-moving information to Epstein at the height of the 2008 financial crisis. This would have been priceless data for Epstein and his Wall Street crowd. Mandelson is now facing a criminal probe and has resigned from the House of Lords and Labour.

“Mandelson betrayed our country, our parliament and my party,” Starmer told parliament.

The former ambassador to Washington apologized for his relationship with Epstein in a statement sent to the BBC last month.

“I was wrong to believe him following his conviction and to continue my association with him afterwards. I apologize unequivocally for doing so to the women and girls who suffered,” Mandelson said.

He said this week that he resigned from the Labour Party to spare it “further embarrassment.”

But Starmer’s fury doesn’t really explain why the Epstein fallout seems to be more severe in Britain than in Washington, where the files were released.

The explanation is that, in many ways, the storm raging in Britain is not directly about Epstein and his alleged trafficking and abuse of young girls. It’s instead a scandalous thread that is exacerbating a trio of long-running melodramas that already dominate British politics and media and public life.

This is a tale of a Prime Minister already on borrowed political time less than two years after winning a landslide election victory. His excruciating display in parliament on Wednesday hardened the narrative of a leader on the brink and boosted speculation about a challenge to his leadership from within the Labour Party.

It can be hard in Washington, where presidents serve fixed terms, to appreciate the pressure on British prime ministers.

Keir Starmer, UK prime minister, leaves 10 Downing Street in London, UK, on Monday. Jason Alden/Bloomberg/Getty Images

As soon as a new leader enters the famous black door in Downing Street, speculation mounts in the feverish Westminster Village about how long they will last. This mania — and behind-the-scenes plotting that haunts all PMs — has become even more intense over 11 years of turmoil in which a nation once known for political stability has burned through five prime ministers before Starmer.

The Epstein saga is also the latest twist of the 30-year political tragedy of the disaster-prone Mandelson, a politician with consummate skills whose nickname, the “Prince of Darkness,” reflects his contemporaries’ admiration but also his spectacular downfalls during previous Labour governments.

Mandelson, along with future prime ministers Tony Blair and Gordon Brown, made the sad-sack Labour Party electable again during the 1990s. They drove it to the political center with a more moderate brand of politics after huge shellackings by the Conservative Party under Margaret Thatcher and John Major. But the journey exposed Mandelson’s fatal flaw — a craving to be among the rich, famous and well connected — which triggered scandals that caused several resignations from the Cabinet and would eventually lead to his cursed friendship with Epstein.

The third consequence of the Epstein saga is a new chapter in Britain’s perennial drama over the royal family. The story of the now Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor’s friendship with Epstein has been making sordid headlines for years — not least because of his own falsehoods. The settlement Andrew made with the late Virginia Guiffre, who was trafficked by Epstein and accused the former prince of abuse, was the final straw for many Britons, although he made no admission of liability or guilt.

Mountbatten-Windsor’s unpopularity reopened a debate into the gilded lifestyle of the royals, especially those further away from the line of succession. The need to protect the institution helps explain the ruthless damage control that deprived Andrew of his titles and his banishment to spartan quarters on the King’s Sandringham estate in the countryside.

President Donald Trump, left, walks with Britain’s Prime Minister Keir Starmer on the sidelines of the G7 Summit, Monday, June 16, 2025, in Kananaskis, Canada. Mark Schiefelbein/AP

Trump has advantages Starmer lacks

So far, the twists and turns over Epstein have not had an existential impact on Trump. The president hasn’t been accused of any crimes — even if his past relationship with Epstein raises doubts about his choice of friends.

And while he’s not as politically strong as he once was, Trump is not so vulnerable that there’s any chance of him being turfed out of the Oval Office. Starmer’s plight is much more severe.

Trump seems almost immune from political damage on the character question at this point. And the Epstein affair is only one of multiple constantly swirling political crises and outrages in Trump’s America — from his immigration crackdown in Minnesota that killed two protestors to his new attempts this week to undermine public faith in the electoral system ahead of midterm voting.

Trump’s technique is to flood the zone with so much noise that individual threats to his political standing cannot be heard above the cacophony.

And the president doesn’t have to face a bear pit of baying lawmakers like the one that further wounded Starmer at Prime Minister’s Questions. Often, when he’s asked about Epstein — especially by a female reporter like CNN’s Kaitlan Collins this week — he erupts.

By contrast, Trump has turned the Republican Congress into a tame rubber stamp.

True, the Epstein files are only being released because of a revolt by congressional Republicans who felt heat from the base. But there are few signs that unique political moment can be recreated — especially since Trump can wield leverage over GOP members facing tough primaries.

And the Republican House leadership is hardly holding the administration’s feet to the fire. House Oversight Chairman James Comer has succeeded in forcing former President Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to agree to testify under subpoena. But he’s got no wish to summon Trump.

There is no evidence of criminal wrongdoing by Clinton in relation to the Epstein case, and the former president has denied knowledge of any of his crimes.

Trump said Tuesday he feels “badly” that the Clintons should have to go through the ordeal of testifying.

But his surprising empathy probably doesn’t represent a sudden thawing in his relationship with the former president and his vanquished 2016 general election foe. Trump might instead be intuiting that the Clintons’ testimony will ignite yet another sequel in a scandal he can’t make go away.

This means that if placed across a standard FIFA goal, this prodigious python would occupy essentially the entire width from post to post. Alternatively, it is around the length of six-and-a-half shopping carts/trolleys in a row.

Under anaesthesia, when snakes’ bodies fully relax, she could be at least 10% longer – so in reality her true length is likely nearer 7.9 m (26 ft). But owing to the inherent risks of anaesthetic, GWR believes that animals should only ever be “put under” for safety reasons or necessary medical procedures, so this has not been put to the test.

The superlative serpent, who is now in the care of local conservationist Budi Purwanto, was assessed by Diaz Nugraha – a wildlife guide, rescuer and licensed snake handler from Kalimantan, Borneo, along with Radu Frentiu – an explorer and natural-history photographer who has resided in Bali for two decades. (A mutual associate of Frentiu’s and GWR’s – George Beccaloni, Director of the Wallace Correspondence Project – helped to relay details of the discovery.)

Nugraha and Frentiu arranged a trip to Sulawesi as soon as they heard rumours of this supersized snake, keen to see it with their own eyes and to make sure it was properly documented. They also hoped that shining a spotlight on this phenomenal specimen could help protect both her and others like her in the future.

Every coil of muscle is a powerhouse on that snake and it seemed to work individually. So it’s the power of such a snake that silently impresses you the most, along with its ability to expand when swallowing enormous prey, right up to the size of a cow, which is virtually impossible for most people to comprehend – Radu Frentiu, explorer and nature photographer

As well as being measured with a surveyor’s tape, the python was also weighed (while placed in a big canvas sack) at 96.5 kg (213 lb), which is akin to a full-grown giant panda! This was done on scales that are usually reserved for weighing bags of rice.

It’s worth noting that she had not recently eaten a big meal, after which she would doubtlessly have surpassed the 100-kg (220-lb) mark.

The remarkable reptile has been named “Ibu Baron” (which translates as “The Baroness”). She joins a number of other serpents that Purwanto has rescued in Sulawesi in recent years as he has developed something of a snake sanctuary.

Ibu Baron almost certainly owes her life to Purwanto, who acted quickly when news of her discovery emerged in December 2025 to acquire her from those that found her, ensuring that she came to no harm. He has done the same for several other snakes, and now keeps them in their own spacious enclosures on his estate in Maros County, ensuring the safety of both the animals and residents in his local community.

Ibu Baron with local Maros County snake conservationist Budi Purwanto

In this part of the world, there has long been conflict between people and snakes, particularly larger specimens such as Ibu Baron. They are – with fair reason – seen as a serious threat to livestock, pets and even humans (particularly children), with several people claimed by pythons in recent years, and many more domestic animals like dogs.

While none of the python family are venomous – the largest venomous snakes are king cobras (Ophiophagus hannah) of India and south-east Asia which can reach up to 4 m (13 ft) long – they’re still lethal owing to their powerful, muscular bodies that are capable of coiling around a victim and squeezing until they are asphyxiated.

As a result, when reticulated pythons do come into the vicinity of an inhabited area, they tend to be exterminated immediately, and more generally they are also hunted as a source of bushmeat.

Bornean wildlife rescuer and snake expert Nugraha told GWR said that this human-snake friction has been exacerbated in recent times: “Appearances of these giant snakes are increasing because their habitats are reducing and availability of the snake’s natural food [such as wild pigs and wild anoa cattle] is decreasing likely as the result of poaching, meaning pythons are coming into contact with people more often than in the past.”

Iconic species like the reticulated python are also highly sought within the illegal exotic pet trade, so this is another threat faced by these record-setting reptiles.

This general example of a reticulated python shows how they are naturally at home in semi-aquatic habitats. Unsplash / David Clode

Reticulated pythons are on average the longest species of snake, typically reaching between 3 and 6 m (9 ft 10 in–19 ft 2 in), though giants greater than 6 m have been documented from time to time. The largest individuals for the most part tend to be females.

In terms of weight, another colossal constrictor is thought to surpass them on balance. Females of the more bulky-bodied green anaconda (Eunectes murinus and E. akayima) of South and Central America average 3–5 m (9 ft 10 in–16 ft 4 in) long and typically weigh between 30 and 70 kg (65–155 lb). But extra-large individuals after a substantial meal or during pregnancy might tip the scales at up to 300 kg (660 lb)! As such, GWR recognizes them as the heaviest snake species overall.

Green anacondas of the Americas also reach incredible sizes, and are generally more hefty in bodyweight than reticulated pythons. Pixabay / Denis Doukhan

The longest scientifically measured wild reticulated python in recent years is thought to be a 6.95-m (22-ft 10-in) female found in East Kalimantan, Borneo, in August 1999. She came to light after devouring a recently released sun bear that was fitted with a tracking device. This specimen was discussed in a paper published in the Raffles Bulletin of Zoology in 2005.

Over the decades and centuries, there have been historical reports of even longer wild “retics” but a key distinction is that documentary evidence of their measurements are scarce to non-existent.

Furthermore, for the reasons already discussed, in the vast majority of cases, they sadly often do not survive very long after discovery, either being killed or mysteriously disappearing, making reported figures tricky to retroactively corroborate.

One widely cited specimen from the chronicles is a reticulated python that was hunted in Sulawesi (then known as Celebes) in 1912 that was claimed to be 10 m (32 ft 10 in) long. This would have made the snake the same length as a US school bus today!

This general example of a reticulated python yawning shows just how far their jaws can stretch apart. Unsplash / David Clode

A couple of historical reptile reference books, such as MWF Tweedie’s The Snakes of Malaya (1954), allude to extraordinary pythons exceeding 8 m (26 ft 3 in), but these rely on anecdotal historic accounts and again do not have the first-hand evidence of the measuring process as we have for Ibu Baron.

More recently in 2016, there was a huge retic python found on a building site on the island of Penang, Malaysia, reported to be between 7.5 and 7.9 m (24 ft 7 in–26 ft). While video of the snake did feature in the news, a formal measurement does not appear to have been conducted (or at least not recorded) and it sadly died just a couple of days later.

With more than a decade’s experience giving wildlife tours and capturing/relocating snakes in Indonesian Borneo, we asked Nugraha if he believes it’s possible there are bigger snakes than Ibu Baron out there: “I think so, yes. How big? It is quite realistic to expect snakes of 9 m [29 ft 6 in] or even larger exist somewhere, quite possibly again in Indonesia, if not [anacondas] in the Amazon Basin.”

For Nugraha, Frentiu and Parwanto, they are hoping that the rescue and documentation of Ibu Baron can raise awareness about the threats faced by giant snakes in Indonesia and inspire more effective conservation efforts.

Speaking to GWR, Frentiu said: “Our hope is for pythons and other giant snakes to no longer be seen as vermin, but rather as a symbol of the islands and necessary animals to the ecosystem. They can be a local wildlife treasure to generate tourism, encouraging ever-more popular herpetological safari trips (known as ‘herping’). All these things could bring revenue to local people, create awareness, serve conservation and boost local pride.”

Babirusa wild pigs are traditional prey of reticulated pythons in Sulawesi, though as pig populations have declined, encounters between pythons and people have increased. Pexels / Richard Ho Low Hong

Nugraha firmly believes that more needs to be done in terms of legal policy to protect his country’s native reptiles: “My opinion is more towards stricter safeguarding, accompanied by strong laws for preserving the forest which is the habitat of the snake, as well as a ban on killing snakes in protected areas.”

There are methods that can be applied to reduce contact between humans, their livestock and snakes, as well as better maintain the natural food chain and ecosystem so that snakes will come less to villages looking for prey – Diaz Nugraha, wildlife guide, conservationist and snake handler

The longest snake in captivity ever was a reticulated python on a similar scale to Ibu Baron. Medusa stretched 7.67 m (25 ft 2 in) as confirmed in Kansas City, Missouri, USA, on 12 October 2011.

The superlative slitherer was a much-loved member of a haunted-house exhibit that was overseen by Full Moon Productions (USA).

The record holder prior to Medusa was Fluffy – a resident at Columbus Zoo and Aquarium in Ohio, USA – who was confirmed to be at least 7.3 m (24 ft) long on 30 September 2009.

However any animal in human care has numerous advantages over their wild counterparts when it comes to growing to epic proportions, given that they receive regular meals and veterinary care and face no natural threats or survival challenges.

Going back to prehistoric times, there were serpents that grew to even more mindboggling proportions, perhaps as long as 15 m (49 ft), which is the equivalent of nearly two double-decker buses parked end to end.

The longest snake species ever include Titanoboa cerrejonensis, a type of boa dating back 58–60 million years known from the fossils of 28 specimens found in La Guajira, Colombia. It would have measured approximately 1 m (3 ft 2 in) across at the thickest portion of its body, and weighed roughly 1,135 kg (2,500 lb).

Competition to Titanoboa has recently emerged though. In April 2024, details were published of Vasuki indicus, a fossil species of madtsoiid snake known from 27 vertebrae unearthed in the Indian state of Gujarat during 2005. This species is estimated to have measured 10.9–15.2 m (35 ft 9 in–49 ft 10 in) long. It lived 47 million years ago, during the Mid-Eocene Epoch.

The cuts, announced on Wednesday, will impact employees across departments with roles in the newsroom’s sports, local and foreign sections hit particularly hard.

It marks the latest upheaval for the leading US newspaper, which is owned by billionaire Jeff Bezos, the founder of Amazon.

Executive editor Matt Murray said the cuts would bring “stability”. But the announcement was met with condemnation from the paper’s employees and some former leaders, one of whom described it as among the “darkest days in the history of” the storied newspaper.

“Today’s news is painful. These are difficult actions,” Murray wrote in a note to staff on Wednesday.

“If we are to thrive, not just endure, we must reinvent our journalism and our business model with renewed ambition.”

In his explanation of the cuts, Murray said that the paper’s online traffic had plummeted in the last three years amid the artificial intelligence boom, and that it was “too rooted in a different era”.

“Even as we produce much excellent work, we too often write from one perspective, for one slice of the audience,” he said.

Ahead of the announcement, foreign correspondents and local reporters had pleaded with Bezos to preserve their jobs.

“Continuing to eliminate workers only stands to weaken the newspaper, drive away readers and undercut The Post’s mission,” the Washington Post Guild said in a statement on Wednesday.

Laid off journalists took to social media, with many voicing anger about the decision to scale back coverage of foreign news.

The paper’s former Cairo bureau chief said she was laid off alongside the “entire roster” of Middle East correspondents and editors. A correspondent based in Ukraine lamented losing her job “in the middle of a warzone”.

Another reporter said most of the paper’s metro section, which is focused on news in the Washington DC region, had also been laid off.

Marty Baron, who served as The Post’s editor until 2021, called it “among the darkest days in the history of one of the world’s greatest news organizations”.

He said Bezos, who bought the newspaper for $250mn in 2013, had spoken “forcefully and eloquently of a free press” during his tenure as the paper’s editor, which encompassed President Donald Trump’s first term in the White House.

But, Baron added: “I wish I detected the same spirit today. There is no sign of it.”

A spokesperson for The Post said in a statement that the steps were “designed to strengthen our footing and sharpen our focus”.

The layoffs mark the latest in a series of staff cuts and buyouts across The Post’s departments in recent years, amid backlash to some of the paper’s editorial decisions.

The newspaper swiftly lost tens of thousands of subscribers after it announced, shortly before the 2024 US presidential election, that it would not endorse a presidential candidate – a decision made by billionaire owner Bezos.

The move broke with decades of tradition, with the paper having endorsed a candidate in most presidential elections since the 1970s – all of whom had been Democrats.

Bezos’ move last year to focus the paper’s opinion section on “personal liberties and free markets” prompted the section’s editor to resign.

The Post’s financial woes and falling subscriber base stand in contrast to The New York Times, which reported on Wednesday that it added about 450,000 digital-only subscribers in the last quarter of 2025.

She told an NPR podcast she felt “unbelievable sadness”, and that “whatever questions remain” needed to be answered by those named in the records, including her ex-husband.

“I am so happy to be away from all the muck,” she said. The couple divorced in 2021.

Records released by the US Justice Department include an allegation by Epstein that Bill Gates caught a sexually transmitted disease. Gates’s spokesperson has called the claim “absolutely absurd”.

Bill Gates has not been accused of wrongdoing by any of Epstein’s victims, and the appearance of his name in thefiles does not imply criminal activity of any kind.

In a statement to the BBC, a spokesperson for Bill Gates said the Microsoft co-founder had never attended parties with the late financier and had no involvement in illegal activities associated with Epstein.

“While Mr Gates acknowledges that meeting with Epstein was a serious error in judgment, he unequivocally denies any improper conduct related to Epstein and the horrible activities in which Epstein was involved,” the statement said.

The billionaire broke his silence on the release of files by the US Department of Justice (DOJ) in an interview with 9News in Australia this week.

He said the interactions with Epstein were limited to dinners and that he did not visit Epstein’s island.

“Every minute I spent with him I regret, and I apologise that I did that,” Gates added.

In the interview with NPR’s Wild Card podcast, Melinda French Gates said, “For me, it’s personally hard whenever those details come up, right? Because it brings back memories of some very, very painful times in my marriage.”

She added: “Whatever questions remain there of what – I can’t even begin to know all of it – those questions are for those people and for even my ex-husband. They need to answer to those things, not me.”

US media have reported that, before their separation, which followed 27 years of marriage, Melinda French Gates was upset about her husband’s association with Epstein. After their split was announced, Bill Gates acknowledged having had an affair with a Microsoft employee in 2019.

The allegations about Bill Gates were included in more than three million documents released last week by the Justice Department.

Two emails from 18 July 2013 appear to have been drafted by Epstein, but it is unclear if they were ever sent to Gates.

Both were sent from Epstein’s email account and returned to the same account. No email account associated with Gates is visible, and both emails are unsigned.

One email is written as a resignation letter from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and complains about having had to procure medicine for Bill “to deal with the consequences of sex with Russian girls”.

The other, which begins “dear Bill”, complains about Bill Gates having ended a friendship and makes more claims about Bill Gates having tried to cover up a sexually transmitted infection, including from his then-wife, Melinda.

In his interview with Australian media, Bill Gates added that the email was never sent and the contents of it were “false”.

Over the years, Bill Gates and his representatives have downplayed his connection with Epstein. He has previously said they only had “several dinners” to discuss a philanthropy project that did not happen.

After the latest allegations, a spokesperson for Bill Gates said: “The only thing these documents demonstrate is Epstein’s frustration that he did not have an ongoing relationship with Gates and the lengths he would go to entrap and defame.”

They added: “These claims – from a proven, disgruntled liar – are absolutely absurd and completely false.”

Many of the documents, emails and photos included in the millions of files released by the justice department last week shed light on Epstein’s vast network of celebrities, business chiefs and world leaders – contacts that persisted in some cases even after his 2008 conviction for soliciting sex from a 14-year-old girl.

Epstein died in a New York jail in 2019 while awaiting trial in a sex-trafficking case.

The attackers set fire to shops and homes, along with the residence of the traditional leader, forcing the residents of Nuku and Woro to flee, he added.

The death toll is unclear, with Ahmed saying at least 35 people had died, while a Red Cross official told the AFP news agency the figure had gone up to 162.

The attack, one of several across Nigeria in the last 24 hours, comes as the defence minister confirmed to the BBC that a small team of US troops was in the country to help with intelligence and training.

It is the first official acknowledgement from Nigeria of an American troop presence since US President Donald Trump ordered the military in November to prepare for action in Nigeria to tackle Islamist militant groups.

Defence Minister Chrisopher Musa did not provide details on the team’s size, arrival date, location or duration of stay.

His comments follow those made on Tuesday by Gen Dagvin Anderson of US Africa Command (Africom), who said the deployment followed a Nigerian request and was focused on intelligence support.

“Our partnership with Nigeria is a great example of a very willing and capable partner who requested the unique capabilities that only the US can bring,” he said.

Nigeria faces an array of security challenges including criminal gangs – known locally as “bandits” who loot and kidnap for ransom – an Islamist insurgency, clashes over land and separatist unrest.

Kwara police spokesperson Adetoun Ejire-Adeyemi told the BBC that the attack on the neighbouring villages of Nuku and Woro began at 17:30 local time on Tuesday – and she blamed suspected bandits.

She added that various security forces had now been deployed to the area but details of casualties were still unclear as were reports that people were missing.

“Reports said that the death toll now stands at 162, as the search for more bodies continues,” a Red Cross official in Kwara, Babaomo Ayodeji, told AFP.

The whereabouts of the traditional king are reportedly unknown.

Ahmed, the local MP, said the attack on Woro came after several smaller attacks in the area in recent days.

“They started shooting sporadically, they burnt shops, at least 35 bodies have been retrieved – more bodies could be retrieved because people ran into the forest with gunshot wounds,” he told BBC Hausa.

“It was complete chaos… Everybody is terrified.”

For years the bandits have mainly targeted those in the north-west of Nigeria – but they have been moving to other parts of the country, like Kwara and Niger states, more recently.

Some jihadists – suspected to be from a Boko Haram splinter faction – have also been active in Kwara, carrying out targeted killings, often riding in on motorcycles and attacking markets and vigilante groups set up to protect villagers.

Kwara State Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq said Tuesday’s attack was a result of recent counter-terrorism operations in the region.

AbdulRazaq belived the attack was “apparently to distract the security forces who have successfully hunted down several terrorist and kidnapping gangs”, his press secretary Rafiu Ajakaye said in a statement.

Also on Tuesday, in the north-eastern Borno State, 17 people were killed in a series of attacks by suspected Boko Haram militants.

The US and Nigerian forces have conducted joint training programmes and exercises for decades.

But the US military has recently become more involved – launching airstrikes on Christmas Day on two camps run by an Islamist militant group in north-western Nigeria.

Late last year, the White House pressed Nigeria’s government to improve security and strengthen protections for Christian communities.

Trump had previously claimed there was a “Christian genocide” under way in Nigeria – an allegation strongly rejected by Nigeria’s government, which said Muslims, Christians and people of no faith were victims of attacks.

There are more than 250 ethnic groups in Nigeria, which is roughly divided into a mainly Muslim north, a largely Christian south, with intermingling in the middle.

Nigeria’s Foreign Minister Yusuf Tuggar said the Christmas-Day strikes were approved by President Bola Tinubu and involved Nigerian forces.

Since then security co-operation between the two nations has increased – with the US saying last month that it had delivered critical supplies to support Nigeria’s security efforts.

Nigeria’s military then told the BBC the equipment had been purchased earlier to aid counter-insurgency operations.

In recent weeks, Nigerian forces have stepped up operations against armed groups.

On Sunday, the army said it had killed a senior Boko Haram commander and 10 other militants during an operation in Borno state.

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Routh, 59, was found guilty last year of trying to kill Trump, then still a presidential candidate, at the Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach.

A US Secret Service agent in the area spotted a rifle barrel poking out of the bushes and fired at Routh, who then fled the scene. He was arrested nearby.

In a sentencing memorandum, Judge Aileen Cannon said Routh’s crimes “undeniably warrant a life sentence”.

“[H]e took steps over the course of months to assassinate a major Presidential candidate, demonstrated the will to kill anybody in the way, and has since expressed neither regret nor remorse to his victims,” she wrote.

Routh’s lawyer, Martin Ross, said they would be appealing the case.

Routh pleaded not guilty and elected to represent himself during the trial, which began on 8 September.

A native of North Carolina who lived in Hawaii prior to his arrest, Routh repeatedly acted erratically during the court proceedings, including challenging Trump to a game of golf and making references to Adolf Hitler and Russian President Vladimir Putin.

After a jury found him guilty, Routh attempted to stab himself in the neck with a pen before US marshals quickly escorted him out of the courtroom.

While Routh is not believed to have had a clear line of sight to Trump at any point during the incident, federal agents told jurors they later recovered a semiautomatic rifle with a scope and an extended magazine in the spot where he had been hiding.

Additionally, jurors were told that Routh left behind a list of places where Trump was likely to appear, as well as a note for a friend which described the incident as “an assassination attempt”.

In his closing statement during the trial, Routh spoke in the third person and touched on a wide variety of unrelated topics, including US history, the Russia-Ukraine war and his intention to buy a boat – prompting the judge to repeatedly interrupt him and send the jury away.

The lead prosecutor in the case, John Shipley, said that a “mountain of evidence” was presented which points to “how close he got to actually pulling this off”.

The incident in Florida was the second attempt on Trump’s life in 2024, after a gunman opened fire at a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, in July.

That shooting left one person dead and several wounded, including Trump.

The shooter, later identified as 20-year-old Thomas Crooks, was killed by officers at the scene.

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The Israeli military said tanks and aircraft carried out “precise strikes” against what it called “terrorists” who opened fire on troops in the north of the strip, seriously wounding an officer.

It added that the attack happened close to the Yellow Line, beyond which Israeli forces are stationed in Gaza, and that it constituted a “blatant violation” of the three-month-old ceasefire deal with Hamas.

Hamas accused Israel of using the shooting as “a flimsy pretext to justify the continuation of killing and aggression against our people”.

Al-Shifa hospital in Gaza City said it had received the bodies of 13 people, including five children, who were killed when tents for displaced families and homes in the eastern Zeitoun and Tuffah neighbourhoods were hit.

Among the mourners gathered in the hospital’s courtyard for funeral prayers was Abu Mohammed Haboush, who said his family was asleep in their home when it was shelled.

“Our children were martyred – my son was martyred, my brother’s son and daughter were martyred,” he told Reuters news agency.

“We have nothing to do with anything, we are peaceful people.”

Nasser hospital in the city of Khan Younis said four dead, including one child, were brought there following strikes on tents in the southern Qizan Rashwan area.

Another two children, sisters Rahaf and Remas Abu Jamea, and paramedic Hussein al-Samiri were later killed in the coastal al-Mawasi area west of Khan Younis, hospital officials said.

A first responder from the Hamas-run Civil Defence agency, Jihad al-Hinnawi, told Reuters that the paramedic had rushed to help victims of a strike on a tent in the coastal al-Mawasi area and was then killed by a second strike on the same location.

The Palestinian Red Crescent said separately that Samiri was killed “while carrying out his humanitarian duty in Khan Younis”. It also accused the Israeli military of a “grave violation” of international humanitarian law, which protects medical personnel.

When asked to comment, an Israeli military source confirmed that strikes were conducted in Gaza on Wednesday in response to the shooting of the Israeli officer.

Both Israel and Hamas have accused each other of near-daily violations since the ceasefire took effect on 10 October.

On Sunday, more than 30 people were killed in Israeli strikes across Gaza. Israel’s military said it launched those strikes after gunmen emerged from a tunnel in the southern Rafah area, beyond the Yellow Line.

Gaza’s Hamas-run health ministry has said at least 556 people have been killed by Israeli fire, while the Israeli military has said four of its soldiers have been killed in Palestinian attacks.

The war was triggered by the Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on 7 October 2023, in which about 1,200 people were killed and 251 others were taken hostage.

Israel responded to the attack by launching a military campaign in Gaza, during which more than 71,820 people have been killed, according to the territory’s health ministry.

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The Ghanaian leader will travel from Dubai, where he attended the World Governments Summit, aboard an aircraft provided by the President of the United Arab Emirates and Ruler of Abu Dhabi.

A ceremonial welcome is scheduled at Kenneth Kaunda International Airport, with President Hichilema, members of the diplomatic corps, senior officials from both countries, and cultural performers expected to attend.

A key highlight of the visit will be President Mahama’s address to the Zambian National Assembly, where he is expected to present Ghana’s vision for deeper regional integration and a more prosperous Africa.

Ghana’s High Commissioner to Zambia, Elizabeth Nyantakyi, said the engagement would further strengthen bilateral ties and revealed that several Memoranda of Understanding are expected to be signed, including a visa waiver agreement to boost cooperation and people-to-people relations between the two countries.

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An F-35C stealth fighter jet which took off from the USS Abraham Lincoln warship shot down the drone “in self-defence” to protect the aircraft carrier and its personnel, US Central Command spokesman Capt Tim Hawkins said.

The ship was approximately 500 miles from the Iranian coast when the drone approached it with “unclear intent”.

No US equipment was damaged and no service members were harmed.

It comes as the US continues to build up a military presence in the region, with tensions high between Washington and Tehran.

US President Donald Trump has threatened to take military action against Iran if it does not negotiate an agreement to restrict its nuclear programme.

Speaking after the downing of the Iranian drone, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told Fox News that negotiations between the US and Iran are still scheduled for later this week.

She said Trump “remains committed to always pursuing diplomacy first”, but added he “has always a range of options on the table, and that includes the use of military force”.

Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has previously warned that any attack on the country would spark a “regional war”.

Tehran has not commented on Tuesday’s drone incident.