The Paris Appeals Court found the airline and aircraft manufacturer guilty of corporate manslaughter over the incident, in which flight AF447 between Rio de Janeiro and Paris crashed into the Atlantic Ocean.

The passenger jet stalled during a storm and plunged into the water, killing all on board.

A court had previously cleared the companies in April 2023 but they were found guilty after this appeal.

The Airbus A330 vanished from radars during a storm, with its wreckage found after a long search of 10,000 sq km (3,860 sq miles) of sea floor.

The black box was found after months of deep-sea searches in 2011.

All 12 crew members and 216 passengers on board the flight were killed when the plane crashed into the sea from a height of 38,000ft (11,580m), making it the deadliest incident in French aviation history.

Relatives of some of the passengers, which included mainly French, Brazilian and German nationals, gathered to hear the verdict on Wednesday.

The companies have been asked to pay the maximum fine, €225,000 ($261,720; £194,500) each – but some of the victims’ families have criticised the amount as a token penalty.

Two possible “candidate vaccines” against the Bundibugyo species are being developed, but neither has gone through clinical trials yet, WHO advisor Dr Vasee Moorthy said on Wednesday.

WHO chief Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said there have been 600 suspected cases of Ebola and 139 suspected deaths, but numbers are expected to rise given the time taken to detect the virus.

Speaking to journalists in Geneva, he said 51 cases have been confirmed in the Democratic Republic of Congo – where the first case was reported – and two in neighbouring Uganda.

On Sunday, the WHO declared a public health emergency of international concern, but said it was not at pandemic level.

Tedros said that after meeting on Tuesday, the health organisation’s emergency committee agreed the situation was “not a pandemic emergency”.

“WHO assesses the risk of the epidemic as high at the national and regional levels and low at the global level,” he explained.

The 51 cases confirmed in DR Congo are in its eastern Ituri province – the epicentre of the outbreak – as well as North Kivu province. Of the two confirmed in Uganda’s capital, Kampala, both had travelled from DR Congo, one of whom has died.

“We know the scale of the epidemic in DRC is much larger,” the WHO chief said, adding that healthcare workers were among those who had died, which was a particular concern.

Local health workers say some facilities are being overwhelmed. Although personal protective equipment has started to arrive, they say they are still working without adequate protection.

Trish Newport, a Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) emergency programme manager, said health facilities are telling them: “‘We are full of suspect cases. We don’t have any space.’

“This gives you a vision of how crazy it is right now,” she told AFP news agency.

A WHO official said investigations were underway to find out how long the virus had been spreading for, but that their priority was to curb transmission.

The first known case was a nurse who developed symptoms and died on 24 April, in Ituri’s provincial capital Bunia.

The body was repatriated to Mongwalu, one of two gold-mining towns where the majority of cases have been reported.

Araali Bagamba, a lecturer who lives in Bunia, said people understand how dangerous the situation is.

“For the last three days I haven’t shaken anyone’s hand, and I observe that within the general population,” she told the BBC World Service Newsday programme. “It’s our habit to shake hands all the time… [but] the habit has changed.”

Ebola is spread through direct contact with bodily fluids and through broken skin, causing severe bleeding and organ failure.

Bagamba said people “believe it will get worse before it gets better”, because people did not initially realise it was Ebola.

Ebola was first discovered in 1976 in what is now DR Congo, and is thought to have spread from bats.

There are four species of Ebola known to cause disease in humans, including Zaire, which DR Congo has dealt with on numerous occasions and is most familiar with.

The country is facing its 17th outbreak of Ebola, but the Bundibugyo species – which has not been seen for more than a decade – brings its own difficulties.

Bundibugyo has only caused two previous outbreaks – in Uganda in 2007 and DR Congo in 2012 – when it killed about a third of those infected.

Although less deadly than other Ebola species, the rarity of Bundibugyo means there are fewer tools to stop it.

There is no approved vaccine for Bundibugyo, but experimental ones are in development. It is possible that a vaccine for Zaire may offer some protection.

Speaking alongside Tedros on Wednesday, WHO advisor Moorthy said one possible vaccine currently under development “would be the equivalent of” the only vaccine currently available to prevent the spread of Ebola. This is only effective against Zaire.

“This needs to be prioritised as the most promising Bundibugyo candidate vaccine,” he explained.

According to what they know, he said it was “likely to take six to nine months” before it was ready.

On the second possible vaccine, based on the same platform as the AstraZeneca vaccine used for Covid-19, Moorthy said it was currently being manufactured, but there was no animal data to support its effectiveness.

“It is possible that doses of that could be available for clinical trial in two to three months, but there is a lot of uncertainty”, he added, explaining that it will depend on animal trials as to whether it can be considered “a promising candidate research vaccine” for Bundibugyo.

There are also no drugs that target Bundibugyo, which makes it harder to treat.

Following criticism from the US on Tuesday that the WHO was “a little late” in identifying the outbreak, Ghebreyesus said these comments might have been caused by a lack of understanding.

“We should appreciate what was done so fast in a highly complex setting,” the WHO said.

Initial symptoms of Ebola mirror illnesses such as malaria and typhoid, which are common in DR Congo.

Eastern DR Congo is also badly hit by years of conflict, bringing additional difficulties in dealing with the virus.

ALSO READ:

• Ebola outbreak spreads across borders as WHO warns of rising deaths and urban transmission

• Ministry of Health issues public alert amidst Ebola outbreak in Uganda, DR Congo

Tourists from 93 countries have been able to visit without needing a visa for 60 days since July 2024, as part of a government effort to boost the economy following the Covid pandemic.

But it approved plans on Tuesday to revoke this exemption, with how long travellers can stay to now be decided on a country-by-country basis. It cited security and a confusing visa scheme among reasons for the change.

There have been a series of high-profile arrests of foreigners in the south-east Asian nation, including cases linked to drugs and sex trafficking.

Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul said the government found the policy needed revising “to be more suitable for the current situation, both in terms of the economy and national security”.

Nationals who have enjoyed the 60-day exemption include those from Australia, China, France, Germany, India, Italy, Spain and the US.

Many of those countries’ citizens will have to apply for a visa for stays longer than 30 days, the Thai foreign ministry said, though some will have exemption periods shorter or longer than this based on reciprocal agreements with individual countries.

The new visa system will come into effect 15 days after it appears in the Royal Gazette, where legal and regulatory notifications are published.

The foreign ministry said it aimed to reduce instances of multiple visa exemptions applying to the same country “that confuse foreigners”.

Thailand is one of Asia’s top holiday destinations, with tourism a key component of the nation’s economy.

It had nearly 40 million visitors in 2019, but this number fell dramatically during the pandemic and has only recovered in the past two years. Nearly 12 million people have already visited so far this year, official figures show.

But a number of foreign nationals have been arrested for a range of crimes in recent months, including UK citizens accused of drug smuggling.

In April, Thai police raided an unlicensed international school in the capital, Bangkok, and arrested 10 foreigners who had been employed there without work permits, local media reported at the time.

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Former Nigerian minister arrested in hiding after corruption conviction

Bimbilla NPP Chairman withdraws resignation, returns to office

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) said Mamman was arrested in the early hours of Tuesday in the northern Kaduna state after “weeks of surveillance and intelligence gathering”.

In a statement, the agency said the former minister had gone into hiding after being convicted by a court in the capital, Abuja, earlier this month.

Mamman was found guilty on 12 counts related to the diversion of funds meant for two hydroelectric power projects.

The court ruled that prosecutors had proved their case beyond reasonable doubt. He was sentenced in absentia after failing to appear in court.

His arrest on Tuesday marks a rare follow-through in the fight against high-level corruption, with convictions of top officials uncommon in the West African nation.

EFCC chairman Ola Olukoyede said authorities were determined to ensure the former minister served his sentence.

“For us, getting the convict to serve his jail terms is extremely important in view of the seriousness with which we are tackling corrupt practices,” he said.

The judge who ruled on his case said during the trial that the EFCC had shown that Mamman and his associates diverted at least 22bn naira ($14m; £10m) intended for critical electricity projects.

The judge described the diversion of public funds as a gross abuse of public trust and said proxy companies and associates were used to siphon money from the projects.

The former minister was sentenced for multiple prison terms across the charges, which are to run consecutively, making it to a total of 75 years.

He also faces a separate corruption trial in Abuja over allegations of fraud involving 31bn naira. Earlier this month, another judge issued a warrant for his arrest after he failed to appear in court in that case.

Mamman served as Nigeria’s power minister between 2019 and 2021 under former President Muhammadu Buhari.

His conviction has sparked outrage over Nigeria’s lingering electricity problems, especially as he had promised to improve power supply while in office.

Despite being one of Africa’s biggest energy producers, Nigeria still faces frequent blackouts and power cuts which affect homes and businesses.

Many people rely on fuel generators for electricity, but rising fuel costs have made this increasingly difficult.

READ ALSO:

Bimbilla NPP Chairman withdraws resignation, returns to office

WAEC sanctions Ekumfi T.I Ahmadiya SHS over alleged exam malpractice

Officers responded to an emergency call in Manhattan and found the woman unconscious and unresponsive down the manhole just before midnight on Monday.

The woman, identified by police as Donike Gocaj, 56, of Briarcliff Manor, New York, was taken to a local hospital, where she was pronounced dead, the New York Police Department said.

The utility company told US media that, after reviewing video footage, they believe the manhole cover was dislodged by a truck.

“Approximately 12 minutes later, the person involved in the incident parked her car nearby,” a spokesperson for utility company Con Edison told the BBC’s media partner CBS.

“We are reviewing the details, and while this is a rare occurrence, manhole covers can get displaced by heavy vehicles. Our thoughts remain with her family, and safety remains our top priority.”

The BBC has contacted Con Edison for further comment.

Gocaj’s family told CBS at the scene of the incident on Tuesday that they are trying to understand how the tragedy could have taken place.

The woman’s daughter-in-law, visibly shaken as she spoke, said there were no cones, warning signs, or barriers around the maintenance hole.

There is an ongoing investigation, police said, though no criminal activity is suspected at this time.

The city medical examiner’s office will determine the cause of death.

Open manholes are a common issue in the city.

The New York City Department of Environmental Protection manages the city’s water supply and wastewater infrastructure, including thousands of miles of sewer lines and about 100,000 active manholes, according to its website.

The department has received more than 700 service requests regarding open manholes so far this year, the New York Times reports.

The death of ‌Etienne Davignon, an aristocrat who served as a European commissioner in his decades as one of Belgium’s leading diplomats and industrialists, was confirmed by the Jacques Delors Institute think tank, where he served on the board.

Davignon ​had been ordered to stand trial for war crimes for alleged involvement in Lumumba’s killing ​65 years ago, a final attempt to shed light on one of ⁠the 20th century’s most consequential political assassinations.

Lumumba, who became prime minister of the country now ​called the Democratic Republic of Congo upon independence from Belgium in 1960, was ousted months ​later and killed by Belgian-backed secessionist rebels on January 16, 1961.

The murder was a dark chapter in Belgium’s colonial history and a watershed for African countries’ liberation struggles.

Prosecutors said Davignon, a junior diplomat at the ​time, had participated in Lumumba’s unlawful detention or transfer and deprived him of his right to an ​impartial trial.

Davignon was also accused of involvement in the murders of two of Lumumba’s political allies, Maurice ‌Mpolo ⁠and Joseph Okito. He had denied any wrongdoing and at the time of his death was awaiting the outcome of an appeal against his referral to trial.

Davignon was the last person still alive being investigated in a case opened almost 15 years ago. The court ruled that cases against ​other suspects would not remain open after ​they died.

The Lumumba family ⁠said the decision from prosecutor and tribunal that the case merited trial was now a matter of record, adding: “The last living accused ​does not close the historical record.”

Their attorneys said in a statement they ​were preparing ⁠further legal actions such as a civil complaint against the Belgian state.

After his Congo assignment, Davignon rose to become a leading figure in the Belgian establishment, serving as cabinet chief to Prime Minister ⁠Paul-Henri ​Spaak in the late 1960s and European commissioner from 1977 to ​1985. He held a number of board positions at Belgian and foreign companies.

In a unanimous verdict, the jury in the Oakland, California, federal court said Musk had brought his case too late.

The trial began on April 28. It has widely been seen as a critical moment ​for the future of OpenAI and artificial intelligence generally, both in how it should ​be used and who should benefit from it, including financially.

People use AI for myriad purposes, such as education, facial recognition, financial advice, journalism, legal research, medical diagnosis, and harmful deep-fakes.

Many people express distrust of the technology and worry it could displace people from their jobs.

The verdict followed 11 days of testimony and arguments, during which Musk’s and Altman’s credibility came under repeated attack.

Each side accused the other of being more interested in money than serving the public.

In his closing argument, Musk’s lawyer Steven Molo ​reminded jurors that several witnesses questioned Altman’s candour or branded him a liar, and that Musk ​did not give an unqualified yes when asked during the trial if he was completely trustworthy.

“Sam Altman’s credibility is ‌directly ⁠at issue,” Molo said. “If you don’t believe him, they cannot win.”

Musk accused OpenAI of wrongfully seeking to enrich investors and insiders at the nonprofit’s expense and of failing to prioritise AI’s safety. He also contended that Microsoft knew all along that OpenAI cared more about money than being altruistic.

OpenAI countered that it was Musk who saw dollar signs, and that he waited too long to claim that OpenAI breached its founding agreement to build safe artificial intelligence to benefit humanity.

“Mr. Musk may have the ​Midas touch in some areas, but not in AI,” William Savitt, a ​lawyer for OpenAI, ⁠said in his closing argument.

OpenAI competes with AI companies such as Anthropic and xAI, and is preparing for a possible initial public offering that could value the business at $1 trillion.

Microsoft has spent more than $100 billion on ⁠its partnership ​with OpenAI, a Microsoft executive testified.

Musk’s xAI is now part of his space and rocket company, SpaceX, which is preparing for an IPO that could exceed OpenAI’s in size.

The assault took place on Monday morning as officers were investigating a call about a possibly suicidal teen who had run away from home.

Police were alerted to the shooting at the Islamic Centre of San Diego and found three victims with gunshot wounds outside the front of the building.

Shortly afterwards, they received another call that shots had been fired nearby from a vehicle at a landscaper. Officers found the suspects – aged 17 and 18 – dead of self-inflicted wounds in a vehicle blocks away from the mosque.

Among the deceased victims was a security guard who worked at the centre and “played a pivotal role” in preventing the attack from being “much worse”, officials said.

“It’s fair to say his actions were heroic,” San Diego Police Chief Scott Wahl told a news conference. “Undoubtedly, he saved lives today.”

Authorities have not yet identified the three victims by name. But the security guard was a father of eight, a person who knew him told the BBC’s US partner CBS.

Investigators said the motive for the attack was unknown, but it was presumed to be a hate crime because of the mosque, which is the largest in San Diego County, and because of writings attributed to one suspect.

Police were first called to the mosque at 11:43 local time (18:43 GMT) and “observed what appeared to be three deceased victims out front”, Wahl said.

“There were no officers involved in firing their weapons,” Wahl said, and there was no sign of any gunman.

About two hours before the attack, the mother of one of the suspects had called police to report that her son had left home with several of her guns and her car.

The woman said he had gone with a companion, and both were dressed in camouflage.

Wahl said police found the suspect’s behaviour to be “not consistent” with someone who is considered suicidal.

A note the youth left behind also included “generalised hate rhetoric and hate speech”, he said.

Wahl added that the note contained no specific threat to the mosque or to any other location or individual.

Investigators went to a local high school, where one of the teens was a student, and to a shopping mall where the car had been tracked.

When the shooting took place, officers were still speaking to the mother and were only a few blocks away from the mosque.

Those officers, upon finding the three victims outside the building, rushed inside and began following active shooter protocols.

While they were clearing rooms, more reports came in of another shooting nearby.

The suspects had opened fire from their car at a landscaper, who was uninjured, police said.

Wahl said a bullet may have deflected off the landscaper’s hard hat, although this had yet to be confirmed.

When police arrived at the second scene, a few blocks away from the mosque, they discovered the dead bodies of both suspects.

Children were in class as the incident unfolded on Monday. The Islamic Centre campus houses the Al Rashid School, which offers religion and language courses.

Aerial video from the scene on Monday showed children holding hands and being escorted through a car park at the centre as police responded.

Nearby schools were also placed on lockdown.

The FBI appealed to the public for any information that could help the investigation.

A witness speaking to CBS said he heard up to 30 gunshots from what sounded like “a semi-automatic weapon”.

He said he first heard about a dozen shots, then a pause, then another possibly dozen shots.

The man, who is retired and was eating lunch at home, said he called 911 and that police arrived within “five to 10 minutes”.

Imam Taha Hassane, director of the Islamic Centre of San Diego, said at a news conference: “It is extremely outrageous to target a place of worship.”

The facility “is a house of worship, not a battlefield”, he added.

The Muslim community is currently preparing for one of its holiest seasons and its biggest feasts.

It’s days before Eid al-Adha, or the Festival of Sacrifice, which commemorates the obedience of Prophet Ibrahim.

California Governor Gavin Newsom released a statement that he was “horrified by today’s violent attack” at the centre, “where families and children gather, and neighbors worship in peace and fellowship”.

The state “will not tolerate acts of terror or intimidation against communities of faith”, Newsom added.

Asked about the shooting on Monday, US President Donald Trump called it a “terrible situation”.

“I’ve been given some early updates, but we’re going to be going back and looking at it very strongly,” he said during an unrelated White House event.

Dangote last week filed a fresh suit against the Nigerian government, Reuters reported, challenging permits issued to marketers and the state oil firm NNPC to import refined products, arguing they undermine Dangote’s $20 billion refinery and risk entrenching inefficiencies.

The refinery has previously ⁠sought limits on imports, saying it can meet domestic demand.

However, the Depot and Petroleum Products Marketers Association of Nigeria (DAPPMAN) said on Sunday that the licences granted by the regulator, the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority, were “not administrative courtesies” but legal tools underpinning the country’s fuel supply chain.

DAPPMAN said the Petroleum Industry Act empowers the regulator to issue ​licences where necessary to ensure supply security. “These licences exist to protect supply, not ‌to ⁠disadvantage any single producer,” it said in a statement.

The group also warned that retroactively voiding permits could destabilise the downstream sector, where companies have invested heavily in storage and logistics networks based ​on existing approvals.

“We ​respect Dangote’s ⁠right to pursue legal remedies,” DAPPMAN added. “What we do not accept is that a private refinery’s ​commercial interests should override a regulator’s mandate.”

Nigeria has long ​relied ⁠on imports despite being a major crude producer.

The Dangote refinery, which began processing crude in 2024, is seen as key to reducing that dependence, though supply dynamics and pricing remain contentious.

DAPPMAN said it would engage legal counsel and relevant authorities, arguing the market ​should remain competitive and open to multiple participants.

The global benchmark Brent crude sank from $112 (£83) to $109 after Trump made the comments on Truth Social.

Before the social media post, the price had swung throughout Monday. Trump warned Iran on the weekend that the “clock is ticking”, with talks to bring the war to an end apparently stalled.

Energy markets have been on a wild ride after Iran effectively closed the key Strait of Hormuz waterway in retaliation for US and Israeli strikes on the country, which started on 28 February.

Around a fifth of the world’s oil and liquefied natural gas usually passes through the narrow shipping route.

The oil market has been reacting swiftly to any signs of progress, or lack of it, towards a peace deal that will reopen the strait.

The rise in crude in early trade on Monday came after Trump wrote on social media that Iran had “better get moving, FAST, or there won’t be anything left of them”, adding “TIME IS OF THE ESSENCE!”

The president warned last week that the ceasefire was on “massive life support” after rejecting Iran’s demands, labelling them “totally unacceptable”.

According to news platform Axios, Trump is expected to hold ​a ​meeting on ⁠Tuesday ​with his ​top national security advisers to ​discuss the ​options for military ‌action ⁠regarding Iran.

However, oil prices fell back later after reports that an Iranian news agency said the US had accepted a temporary waiver on sanctions on Iran’s crude oil during the negotiations, raising hopes of progress in peace talks.

Later on Monday, Trump said, “Serious negotiations are now taking place”.

In a post on Truth Social, he said he had been asked to hold off a military attack on Iran planned for Tuesday by the leaders of Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.

Trump said he had been informed that a deal would be made that is “very acceptable” to the US, adding that there would be “NO NUCLEAR WEAPONS FOR IRAN!”

But he warned that the US military would be prepared to “go forward with a full, large-scale assault of Iran, on a moment’s notice” if there was no acceptable deal reached.

Iran has not publicly commented on Trump’s latest statement.

Government borrowing costs rise

The rise in energy costs since the conflict began has also pushed up government borrowing costs, as measured by bond yields.

The fear is that higher energy bills will increase inflation leading central banks to hike interest rates.

On Monday, the benchmark 10-year US Treasury yield – effectively the interest rate charged to the US government for a 10-year loan – hit 4.63% at one point, its highest level in more than a year, before falling back.

Yields on Japanese bonds also jumped after Reuters reported the government there was likely to issue fresh debt as part of funding for a planned extra budget to help cushion the economic blow from the war.

The yield on the 30-year Japanese government bond rose to its highest on record at 4.2%, while the 10-year yield jumped to 2.8%, its highest since October 1996.

Yields on eurozone bonds also started the day higher before they fell back as oil prices declined.

The latest moves came as G7 finance ministers met in Paris.

European Central Bank head Christine Lagarde, asked as she arrived if she was worried by a sell-off in global bond markets, replied to reporters: “I always worry, that’s my job.”

‘Summer of pain’

Claudio Galimberti, chief economist at Rystad Energy, told the BBC that the high level of oil prices was “a very dire situation and it’s going to get worse unless the strait is opened”.

“We are approaching a summer of pain, I am afraid, unless Hormuz is opened.”

Higher oil prices have pushed up fuel costs for businesses, including airlines, many of which are entering the peak holiday season.

Irish airline Ryanair reported its full-year results on Monday and said: “The conflict in the Middle East has created economic uncertainty and we still don’t know when the Strait of Hormuz will reopen.”

The carrier said it had secured contracts to fix the price for 80% of its jet fuel in the months ahead.

But it said the price of the remaining 20% “has spiked due to the Middle East conflict”.

Ryanair’s profits rose to €2.26bn (£2bn) from €1.6bn last year, with sales up 11% to €15.5bn for the year to the end of March.

But it said the business’s outlook was difficult to predict at the moment due to the Iran war and the ongoing conflict in Ukraine.

During the Middle East conflict, Iran has launched attacks on neighbouring countries, including Israel, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

On Sunday, the UAE said a drone strike had triggered a fire near its nuclear power station, calling the incident a “dangerous escalation”.

Officials are investigating the source of the strike. The country’s defence ministry said three drones had entered the UAE from the “western border direction”.

While two were intercepted, the third drone struck an electrical generator “outside the inner perimeter” of the Barakah Nuclear Power Plant in Abu Dhabi, sparking a fire.

No injuries were reported and there was no impact on radiological safety levels, local authorities said.

One of the men, who claimed to be a 24-year-old college student, is accused of scaling a fence to gain access to Punch’s enclosure on Sunday morning. The other man claimed to be a 27-year-old singer.

Both have denied the allegations. Police have said no monkeys were injured during the incident.

Clips of the now nine-month-old macaque attracted millions of views online earlier this year after it was spotted hugging an stuffed toy orangutan given to him by keepers at Ichikawa City Zoo after he was rejected by his mother.

Footage purportedly of Sunday’s incident filmed by other zoogoers and shared on social media shows a person wearing a costume and carrying a stuffed toy jumping over a fence and into the monkey enclosure. The costume was said to be promoting a cryptocurrency.

The person can then be seen being led out by a zookeeper.

The two men held by police over the incident have been arrested on suspicion of forcible obstruction of business, according to local media.

Ichikawa City Zoo said in a statement on Monday that it had filed a damage report with the police and was putting countermeasures in place to prevent future incidents.

These included expanding the enclosure’s viewing restriction area and installing intrusion prevention nets, it said.

The zoo added that it was considering a full ban on filming around the monkey enclosure and was putting requests to film from YouTubers temporarily on hold.

The men did not get close to the animals and were quickly apprehended by zoo workers, an Ichikawa Police official said, according to news agency AFP.

Since he moved into the shared enclosure in January, the zoo has regularly shared social media updates on Punch, who first gained attention for his attachment to his soft toy, being seen dragging it around and playing with it.

The zoo previously said Punch initially struggled to bond with the other monkeys, with only the toy and zookeepers providing him company after he was abandoned by his mother.

But recent updates indicate he is integrating with the other macaques – including being hugged by other monkeys and grooming them.

There have been other incidents of people trespassing into zoo enclosures of zoo animals after they became internet sensations.

Last month, a man was fined $300 (£223) for breaking into the enclosure of Moo Deng, an endangered baby pygmy hippo who gained global attention after images of her went viral online, at a zoo in Thailand.

READ ALSO:

Toronto police arrest Ghanaian over two separate sexual assault incidents

Six poorest districts in Ghana found in North East region – GSS

Police identified the suspect as Samuel Opoku, who they said has no fixed address.

According to investigators, the first incident occurred on Sunday, 10 May 2026, at about 5:30 p.m. in the Dundas Street West and Bloor Street West area.

Police said an adult woman was inside a commercial building when the suspect allegedly followed her into an office space, approached her from behind and sexually assaulted her before fleeing the scene.

Authorities said the victim and suspect were not known to each other, and the victim did not suffer physical injuries.

In a separate incident on Saturday, 9 May 2026, at about 8:10 p.m., police responded to another reported sexual assault near Dundas Street East and De Grassi Street.

Investigators said a group of women were walking along the sidewalk when the suspect allegedly approached them, grabbed one woman’s forearm, made verbal sexual advances and sexually assaulted her before fleeing.

Police confirmed that the victim and suspect were strangers and that no injuries were reported.

Following investigations into the two incidents, officers arrested the suspect on Tuesday, 12 May 2026.

Mr Opoku has been charged with two counts of sexual assault and one count of indecent exposure.

Police said he was scheduled to appear before the Toronto Regional Bail Centre at 2201 Finch Avenue West on Tuesday, 12 May 2026.

The Toronto Police Service reminded the public that sexual assault includes any form of unwanted sexual contact and encouraged victims and witnesses to report incidents and seek support services where necessary.

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• Ghanaian pastor, 14 others arrested in Canada over alleged homeless fund fraud

• Ghanaian pastor in Canada jailed over assault case involving 13-year-old congregant

The global benchmark Brent crude was 1.7% higher at $111.13 (£83.44), while US-traded oil was up by 2.1% at $107.62.

Government borrowing costs in the US, Japan and Europe also rose as fears over inflation continue to grow.

Energy markets have been on a wild ride after Iran effectively closed the key Strait of Hormuz waterway in retaliation for US and Israeli strikes on the country, which started on 28 February.

Around a fifth of the world’s oil and liquefied natural gas (LNG) usually passes through the narrow shipping route.

“They better get moving, FAST, or there won’t be anything left of them,” Trump wrote on social media. “TIME IS OF THE ESSENCE!”

Iranian media, meanwhile, reported Washington had failed to make any concrete concessions in its response to Tehran’s latest proposals to end the conflict.

A lack of compromise from the US would lead to an “impasse in the negotiations”, the semi-official Mehr news agency reported.

Trump’s message echoed his threat that a “whole civilisation” would die unless Tehran agreed to a peace deal, shortly before a ceasefire was announced in early April.

The president warned last week that the truce was on “massive life support” after rejecting Iran’s demands, labelling them “totally unacceptable”.

He is expected to hold ​a ​meeting on ⁠Tuesday ​with his ​top national security advisers to ​discuss the ​options for military ‌action ⁠regarding Iran, according to news platform Axios.

Inflation worries have been pushing up bond yields, or government borrowing costs, around the world in recent weeks, with investors increasingly expecting central banks to hike interest rates.

On Monday, the benchmark 10-year US Treasury yield – effectively the interest rate charged to the US government for a 10-year loan – hit 4.63%, its highest level in more than a year.

Yields on Japanese bonds also jumped after Reuters reported the government there was likely to issue fresh debt as part of funding for a planned extra budget to help cushion the economic blow from the war.

The yield on the 30-year Japanese government bond rose to its highest on record at 4.2%, while the 10-year yield jumped to 2.8%, its highest since October 1996.

Yields on eurozone bonds were also higher.

The latest increases come as G7 finance ministers are meeting in Paris.

European Central Bank head Christine Lagarde, asked as she arrived if she was worried by a sell-off in global bond markets, replied to reporters: “I always worry, that’s my job.”

‘Summer of pain’

As oil prices climbed above $111,Claudio Galimberti, chief economist at Rystad Energy, told the BBC: “This is a very dire situation and it’s going to get worse unless the strait is opened.

“We are approaching a summer of pain, I am afraid, unless Hormuz is opened.”

Higher oil prices have pushed up fuel costs for businesses, including airlines – many of which are entering the peak holiday season.

Irish airline Ryanair reported its full-year results on Monday and said: “The conflict in the Middle East has created economic uncertainty and we still don’t know when the Strait of Hormuz will reopen.”

The carrier said it had secured contracts to fix the price for 80% of its jet fuel in the months ahead.

But it said the price of the remaining 20% “has spiked due to the Middle East conflict”.

Ryanair’s profits rose to €2.26bn (£2bn) from €1.6bn last year, with sales up 11% to €15.5bn for the year to the end of March.

But it said the outlook for the business was difficult to predict at the moment due to the Iran war as well as the ongoing conflict in Ukraine.

During the Middle East conflict Iran has launched attacks on neighbouring countries including Israel, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

On Sunday, the UAE said a drone strike had triggered a fire near its nuclear power station, calling the incident a “dangerous escalation”.

Officials are investigating the source of the strike. The country’s defence ministry said three drones had entered the UAE from the “western border direction”.

While two were intercepted, the third drone struck an electrical generator “outside the inner perimeter” of the Barakah Nuclear Power Plant in Abu Dhabi, sparking a fire.

No injuries were reported and there was no impact on radiological safety levels, local authorities said.

“They better get moving, FAST, or there won’t be anything left of them,” he wrote on his Truth Social platform. “TIME IS OF THE ESSENCE!”

The message came as the president spoke with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday, the Times of Israel reported, citing Netanyahu’s office.

On Monday Iran said it had responded to the latest US proposal and that exchanges with Washington were continuing through Pakistani mediators.

“As we announced yesterday, our concerns were conveyed to the American side,” the country’s foreign ministry spokesperson said at a media briefing, the AFP reported.

Iranian media earlier reported the US had failed to make any concrete concessions to Tehran, with the semi-official Mehr news agency saying a lack of compromise would lead to an “impasse in the negotiations”.

Trump’s message echoed his threat that a “whole civilisation” would die unless Iran agreed to a deal to end the war, shortly before the ceasefire was announced in early April.

The president warned earlier this week that truce was on “massive life support” after rejecting Tehran’s demands, labelling them “totally unacceptable”. Esmail Baghaei, an Iranian foreign ministry spokesperson, then insisted they were “responsible” and “generous”.

According to Iran’s semi-official Tasnim news agency, the Iranian asks included an immediate end to the war on all fronts – a reference to the continued Israeli attacks against Iran-supported Hezbollah in Lebanon – a halt to the US naval blockade of Iranian ports, and guarantees of no further attacks on Iran.

They also reportedly included a demand for compensation for war damage and an emphasis on Iranian sovereignty over the Strait of Hormuz.

Iran’s semi-official Fars news agency said on Sunday that Washington had set five conditions in response to Tehran’s proposal.

They reportedly included a demand that Iran keep only one nuclear site in operation and transfer its stockpile of highly enriched uranium to the US.

Trump suggested on Friday that he would accept a 20-year suspension by Iran of its nuclear programme – a major sticking point between the two countries – in what appeared to be confirmation of a shift in position away from a demand for a total end to it.

Israeli and US forces began massive air strikes on Iran on 28 February. The ceasefire meant to facilitate talks has largely been observed despite occasional exchanges of fire.

Iran has also continued to control the Strait of Hormuz, effectively closing the vital waterway through which around 20% of the world’s oil and liquefied natural gas travels.

The move, which Iran has said is in retaliation for US and Israeli attacks, has sent oil prices soaring globally.

The US, for its part, has been enforcing a blockade of Iranian ports to exert pressure on Tehran to agree to its terms.

Pakistan has been playing the role of mediator between the US and Iran, but both sides still appear to be far apart.

Police told the BBC a 72-year-old man was seriously injured after being attacked on Sunday while he was inside the animal’s enclosure, located in a privately-owned facility on the outskirts of the German city of Leipzig.

The tiger escaped the enclosure and was found shortly after by armed police, who shot and killed the animal.

The site of the enclosure is believed to be owned by controversial trainer and private owner Carmen Zander, who describes herself as Germany’s “Tiger Queen”.

The animal was one of eight big cats kept at the industrial site near the German town of Schkeuditz, according to local media.

In a statement to the BBC, police said officers shot the animal, a male tiger, to eliminate any further risk to the public.

It added that the local police department received the emergency call at around 12:50 local time (11:50 BST) on Sunday, with officers arriving at the scene quickly.

A spokesperson said how the tiger escaped is part of an ongoing investigation.

No other animals have escaped from the site and police have planned a drone search to ensure it is fully secure.

District Mayor Thomas Druskat called for the other animals to be relocated and told local media it was “unthinkable” what could have happened if anyone else had been harmed.

Nearby residents told the Deutsche Presse-Agentur (DPA) that the incident was “terrible and worrying”, with one claiming the animals were not kept in appropriate conditions.

Animal rights charity Peta called on the government to act, telling DPA that stricter rules needed to be put in place to protect privately-owned animals.

According to a website using Zander’s name and nickname, the trainer holds “unforgettable” and “one-of-a-kind” tiger petting events open to the public.

The website says visitors can pay to pet the “250kg powerhouses” at a site near Leipzig.

Another section of the website features the pictures of eight tigers – three which appear to have died in the last nine years. The tigers include 190kg Kiara, 20-year-old Aschanti, and two-year-old cub Imana.

Social media posts appearing to be from the trainer show several pictures of the tigers playing in the enclosures.

It also says the tigers are looked after and kept healthy in an animal-friendly environment.

The BBC has reached out to Zander for comment.

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The Mayor of Rubavu District in Rwanda’s Western Province, Prosper Mulindwa, told local media that the closure of the borders linking Goma and Rubavu-Gisenyi border will remain in place for an indefinite period as part of measures aimed at preventing the spread of the deadly disease.

“The borders connecting Goma and Gisenyi have been temporarily closed in response to the Ebola outbreak. We will continue engaging with our residents to explain why this decision was made,” Mulindwa said.

He urged residents to remain patient and cooperative, stressing that the decision was taken to safeguard public health and protect communities from possible infections.

Despite the temporary closure, health authorities continue to screen Rwandans crossing from the DRC, as well as Congolese citizens returning home, who are still being allowed to use the border points under strict health monitoring procedures, according to local media.

The death toll from the latest Ebola outbreak in the DRC has risen to 87, the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Saturday, warning that the outbreak is driven by the Bundibugyo strain, for which no strain-specific vaccine is currently available, and that it carries a high risk of regional spread.

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This comes amid growing concerns over cross-border transmission and high mortality.

A statement issued by WHO and shared with the Ghana News Agency said, the declaration was made after consultations with affected countries under the International Health Regulations (IHR).

It said the outbreak was first detected in Mongbwalu Health Zone in Ituri Province, eastern DRC, where health authorities reported a cluster of severe illnesses and deaths, including among healthcare workers.

Laboratory analysis conducted by the Institut National de Recherche Biomédicale (INRB) in Kinshasa confirmed Bundibugyo virus disease (BVD) in eight out of 13 blood samples collected from the Rwampara Health Zone in Ituri Province.

The DRC Ministry of Public Health, Hygiene and Social Welfare officially declared the country’s 17th Ebola outbreak on May 15.

It said Uganda had also confirmed an outbreak following the detection of an imported case involving a Congolese national who later died in Kampala.

WHO said previous outbreaks of the Bundibugyo virus disease recorded fatality rates ranging between 30 and 50 per cent.

Unlike the more common Ebola virus disease, there were currently no licensed vaccines or specific treatments for Bundibugyo virus disease, although WHO noted that early supportive care significantly improves survival chances.

Health authorities in both countries have intensified response measures, including the deployment of rapid response teams, strengthened disease surveillance, laboratory testing, infection prevention and control measures, and community engagement campaigns.

Treatment centres and isolation facilities were also being established in affected areas, it stated.

WHO said it was supporting both countries in coordinating response efforts, case management, and strengthening cross-border preparedness to limit further spread of the disease.

The organisation has also issued public health advice to countries worldwide as part of efforts to enhance preparedness and prevent international transmission.

Ebola is a severe and often fatal disease transmitted through direct contact with infected bodily fluids, contaminated materials, or infected animals.

Symptoms include fever, weakness, muscle pain, vomiting, diarrhoea, and in severe cases, internal and external bleeding.

Health experts have urged the public in affected areas to observe strict hygiene measures, avoid contact with suspected cases, and report symptoms early to health authorities.

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Eight people have been injured, two seriously. They include a woman who reportedly had both her legs crushed.

Passers-by gave chase and managed to detain the man, who has now been taken into custody.

Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni described the incident as “extremely serious”. City Mayor Massimo Mezzeti added that it would be “even more serious” if it turned out to be a premeditated attack.

“Our determined Nigerian Armed Forces, working closely with the Armed Forces of the United States, conducted a daring joint operation that dealt a heavy blow to the ranks of the Islamic State,” Tinubu said in a statement.

The operation was first announced by US President Donald Trump, who described Abu-Bilal al-Minuki as the “second in command of ISIS globally” and “the most active terrorist in the world”.

Al‑Minuki was declared a Specially Designated Global Terrorist by Washington in 2023.

The killing marks another significant setback for Islamic State group (IS) following the killing of its leader Abu Bakr al‑Baghdadi in 2019.

Tinubu said in a statement that al-Manuki was killed along with “several of his lieutenants”, during a strike on his compound in the Lake Chad Basin.

The Nigerian Military said the “precision operation” was made possible through the “recently formed US-Nigeria partnership and intelligence sharing efforts.”

It said al-Minuki had been promoted to “Head of General Directorate of States”, making him one of the most senior figures within the global IS hierarchy.

Before that, officials said he oversaw IS-linked operations across the Sahel and West Africa, including attacks targeting civilians and minority communities.

The military also linked al-Minuki to the 2018 Dapchi schoolgirls kidnapping when more than 100 girls from a boarding school in north-eastern Nigeria were taken by militant group Boko Haram.

Nigeria military’s spokesperson Samali Uba said he previously helped move fighters to Libya in support of IS operations in North Africa. Before pledging allegiance to IS in 2015, he was described as a senior Boko Haram commander.

Boko Haram began its military campaign to impose Islamic rule in northern Nigeria in 2009.

The group pledged its allegiance to Islamic State after what was believed to be the then-leader Abubakar Shekau posted an audio statement on Boko Haram’s X account in 2015.

Its aim has been to establish a “caliphate”, a state ruled by a single political and religious leader according to Islamic law, or Sharia.

Trump described al-Minuki’s death as a major blow to IS’s African and global networks, disrupting funding channels and command structures.

The US president thanked the Nigerian government for their “partnership”, adding that Minuki “will no longer terrorize the people of Africa or help plan operations to target Americans”.

Nigeria and the US have increased military cooperation as the country ramps up efforts to fight extremist violence.

In April, IS claimed responsibility after gunmen killed at least 29 people at a football pitch in Nigeria’s north-eastern Adamawa state.

Last Christmas, US and Nigeria carried out a joint airstrike in Nigeria’s Sokoto state targeting IS-linked groups.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defence Minister Yisrael Katz said in a joint statement that Haddad had been “responsible for the murder, kidnapping and injury of thousands of Israeli civilians and IDF [Israel Defense Forces] soldiers”.

Three eyewitnesses told the BBC that a residential building known as Al-Mu’taz was struck by three missiles launched simultaneously from two separate directions, before a fleeing car was hit.

The strike is the latest launched by Israel on Gaza despite a ceasefire with Hamas.

Hamas has neither confirmed nor denied claims Haddad, the commander of the group’s armed wing, the Qassam Brigades, had been killed.

The air strike, targeting the apartment block in the centre of Gaza City, sparked a large fire.

Rescue teams rushed to the scene but faced significant difficulties evacuating the wounded, witnesses said.

One eyewitness told the BBC that a body and several injured people had been removed from the building.

A second air strike, targeting a car seen leaving the scene, killed three people, according to eyewitnesses and a local source.

Sources said the vehicle may have been carrying Haddad after he had been seriously injured in the initial strike.

Eyewitnesses and a local source said armed members of Hamas dressed in civilian clothing evacuated a severely wounded person through a side entrance and placed him in a vehicle.

Witnesses said the car was hit around 1.5km (0.9 miles) from the apartment block.

A senior Israeli security official said preliminary information indicated that Haddad had been successfully targeted.

A ceasefire in Gaza came into effect on 10 October, but Israel has conducted regular strikes across the Palestinian territory since then.

Hamas has repeatedly accused Israel of breaching the terms of the ceasefire and attacking civilians. The Israeli government maintains it has license to target Hamas members.

It, in turn, accuses Hamas of refusing to disarm in breach of the ceasefire agreement.

Meanwhile, US-led peace efforts have stalled since the start of the Iran war, with latter phases of the plan yet to come into effect

The US announced the start of the second phase of the plan in January, with governance of Gaza assumed by a transitional, technocratic administration alongside the demilitarisation and reconstruction of the territory.

However, talks on disarmament remain deadlocked, while Hamas has since reactivated its police force and appears to be reasserting its authority.

Netanyahu and Katz said Haddad had “refused to implement the agreement led by US President Trump to disarm Hamas and demilitarise the Gaza Strip”.

They added: “We will continue to act forcefully and decisively against anyone who took part in the October 7 massacre.”

The two-year-long Gaza 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 by launching a military campaign against Hamas in Gaza, during which more than 72,744 people have been killed, according to the Hamas-run health ministry. Of these, 857 have been killed since the ceasefire began, it says.

“I’m not looking to have somebody go independent,” the US president told Fox News on Friday, at the end of his two-day summit with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping in Beijing.

Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te has previously stated that Taiwan does not need to declare formal independence because it already sees itself as a sovereign nation.

The US has long supported Taiwan, including being bound by law to provide it with a means of self-defence, but has frequently had to square this alliance with maintaining a diplomatic relationship with China.

Trump earlier said he had “made no commitment either way” about the self-governing island – which China claims as part of its territory and has not ruled out taking by force.

Washington’s established position is that it does not support Taiwanese independence, with continued ties with Beijing being contingent on its acceptance that there is only one Chinese government.

Beijing has been vocal in its dislike of Taiwan’s president, who it has previously described as a “troublemaker” and a “destroyer of cross-strait peace”.

Many Taiwanese consider themselves to be part of a separate nation – though most are in favour of maintaining the status quo in which Taiwan neither declares independence from China nor unites with it.

In his interview with Fox News, Trump reiterated that US policy on the matter had not changed.

“You know, we’re supposed to travel 9,500 miles (15,289km) to fight a war. I’m not looking for that. I want them to cool down. I want China to cool down.”

On the flight back to Washington, the US president had told reporters that he and Xi had spoken “a lot” about the island, but said he had declined to discuss whether the US would defend it.

Xi “feels very strongly” about the island and “doesn’t want to see a movement for independence”, Trump said.

“The Taiwan question is the most important issue in China-US relations,” Xi warned during the talks, according to Chinese state media, adding: “If mishandled, the two nations could collide or even come into conflict.”

Asked if he foresaw a conflict with China over Taiwan, Trump had said: “No, I don’t think so. I think we’ll be fine. [Xi] doesn’t want to see a war.”

China has ramped up military drills around the island in recent years, raising tensions in the region and testing the balance that Washington has struck.

Late last year, the Trump administration announced an $11bn ($8bn) package of weapons to be sold to Taiwan, including advanced rocket launchers and a variety of missiles, which Beijing condemned.

Trump said he would soon decide whether that sale could go ahead, adding that he and Xi had discussed it “in great detail”.

He added: “I’m going to say I have to speak to the person that right now is, you know, you know who he is, that’s running Taiwan.”

The US does not have formal relations with Taiwan, though it maintains substantial unofficial relations. US presidents do not traditionally speak directly to Taiwan’s leader, and to do so would be likely to cause significant tensions with Beijing, which considers Taiwan’s President Lai Ching-te a separatist.

Trump told Fox News: “We’re not looking to have wars, and if you kept it the way it is, I think China’s going to be OK with that. But we’re not looking to have somebody say, ‘Let’s go independent because the United States is backing us.'”

The US has previously provoked anger from China for seeming to soften its stance on independence.

Its State Department dropped a statement from its website reiterating Washington’s opposition to Taiwanese independence in February 2025 – something Beijing said “sends a wrong… signal to separatist forces”.

US officials in Taiwan said at the time: “We have long stated that we oppose any unilateral changes to the status quo from either side.”

Taiwan’s Foreign Minister Lin Chia-lung said his team had been monitoring the US-China summit, and had maintained good communication with the US and other countries “to ensure the stable deepening of Taiwan-US relations and safeguard Taiwan’s interests”.

He said Taiwan had always been a “guardian of peace and stability” in the region and accused China of escalating risk with its “aggressive military actions and authoritarian oppression”.

Speaking in an interview on Adom FM’s Dwaso Nsem, Mr. Quarshie said consular teams had been deployed to areas where concerns had been raised to assess the situation and provide immediate humanitarian assistance to affected residents.

“We got information yesterday about some group of people. My consular teams and others are on their way there. It’s about five hours from Pretoria to go and see the situation,” he said.

According to him, the mission is not only providing relief items but also engaging local authorities to ensure affected Ghanaians are protected and allowed to return to their businesses without fear.

“We are going to provide them with humanitarian aid and then lead them to the authorities in those localities so that they can be readmitted into doing their businesses,” he explained.

Mr. Quarshie said some affected persons had been unable to reopen their shops due to fear and uncertainty following the disturbances, but the mission is working closely with provincial authorities to ensure their safety.

“We will speak to the authorities in our province to ensure they treat Ghanaians right,” he stressed.

He disclosed that the team left at dawn to reach the affected areas and would first listen to the concerns of residents before determining the immediate support required.

“When we listen to their challenges, most of them are saying we should provide them with basic foodstuffs and things they can cook on their own,” he noted.

The High Commissioner added that those requiring medical attention would also receive support.

“Those who need medical care will be taken to the hospital, we will take care of them and bring them back if they want to return,” he said.

Mr. Quarshie, however, acknowledged the financial strain involved in such emergency interventions, revealing that the mission does not have dedicated funding for crisis response.

“It is very difficult for the mission to undertake these things because we don’t have any dedicated funds for it. But we continue to work because we are here to take care of the welfare of the Ghanaian people,” he stated.

His comments come amid growing concerns over the safety of foreign nationals in South Africa following renewed reports of tensions in some communities.

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President John Mahama on Tuesday granted presidential approval for the immediate evacuation of 300 Ghanaians currently residing in South Africa following renewed xenophobic attacks in parts of the country.

The 300 individuals approved for evacuation are said to be among those who officially registered with the mission following reports of renewed violence and insecurity in some communities.

Speaking in an interview on Adom FM’s Dwaso Nsem, Mr. Quarshie disclosed that the Ghanaian mission is currently working to secure the necessary documentation for the first batch of evacuees.

“That is the first window, so we are working hard to get the documentation. About 410 people will be the first,” he said.

According to him, once arrangements for the initial group are completed, authorities will reopen the process for a second batch of Ghanaians who may also wish to return home.

“Then we come and open the portal for the second batch of people who want to go home,” he added.

The High Commissioner explained that the evacuation exercise will be fully funded by the Government of Ghana as part of efforts to protect citizens living abroad during difficult situations.

“It is full cost for Ghana. After President John Dramani Mahama gave the presidential permission for us to go ahead, the Honourable Minister has also led us in different things. That is the Ghana government’s nature to protect its citizens who are in foreign lands and are having challenges,” he stated.

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Around 246 cases and 65 deaths have been reported, mainly in the gold-mining towns of Mongwalu and Rwampara, said the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC Africa).

Its statement on Friday added that it was convening a meeting with DR Congo, Uganda, South Sudan and other international partners to discuss response efforts and cross-border surveillance.

Ebola was first discovered in 1976 in what is now DR Congo, and is thought to have spread from bats. This is the 17th outbreak of the deadly viral disease in the country.

It is spread through direct contact with bodily fluids, causing severe bleeding and organ failure.

Early symptoms include fever, muscle pain, fatigue, headache and sore throat. There is no cure for Ebola.

Preliminary tests conducted at the Institut National de Recherche Biomédicale (INRB) in the capital, Kinshasa, have detected the virus in 13 of 20 samples analysed, following consultations with DR Congo’s Ministry of Health and National Public Institute.

Of the 65 deaths, four were reported among lab-confirmed cases, CDC Africa said.

Additional suspected cases have also been reported in Ituri’s provincial capital, Bunia, with laboratory confirmation pending.

The Congolese government has not yet officially declared an outbreak. A staffer told the BBC a press conference was expected later on Friday.

Ituri has been under military rule since 2021, with the civilian authority replaced by a military general in an attempt to neutralise dozens of armed groups which have operated in the area for many years. These include the Allied Democratic Forced (ADF), affiliated to the Islamic State group.

Around 50,000 people have died from the virus in different African countries over the past 50 years.

DR Congo’s deadliest outbreak was between 2018 and 2020, during which nearly 2,300 people died.

Last year, 45 people died after an outbreak in the central Kasai province.

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Ghanaian pastor in Canada jailed over assault case involving 13-year-old congregant

The sentencing, delivered by Justice Robert Gattrell, has drawn attention within both the Ghanaian and wider immigrant communities in Canada, where the case has sparked discussions about religious authority, accountability, and the responsibility of community leaders entrusted with the care of young people.

Yeboah was convicted of sexual assault, sexual interference, and assault after a trial centred on an incident that occurred three years ago.

Court proceedings heard that Yeboah was regarded not only as a pastor by members of his congregation but also as a trusted family friend of the victim’s relatives. According to evidence presented in court, he had offered to take the teenager to a piano lesson, an outing prosecutors argued later became an abuse of trust.

While the court avoided disclosing graphic details, testimony indicated that inappropriate conduct occurred while the pair were alone together. The victim later returned home, distressed by the experience.

During sentencing, Justice Gattrell noted that some of Yeboah’s actions reflected behaviour commonly associated with grooming, including attempts to build trust through gifts and friendly gestures.

The emotional impact on the teenager became more evident days later when she unexpectedly encountered Yeboah again at her family home. The court heard that she became frightened and sought refuge at a neighbour’s residence.

The case later resulted in an additional assault conviction linked to efforts to return her home.

Throughout the proceedings, Yeboah maintained his innocence. Even after the guilty verdict, the court heard that he continued to receive support from some members of his congregation and community.

During sentencing submissions, Crown prosecutors sought a four-year prison term, arguing that the offences involved a serious breach of trust and emotional harm to a vulnerable young person.

However, the defence requested a reduced sentence of one year, citing Yeboah’s lack of a prior criminal record, his role as the sole provider for his family, and the continued support he received within his community.

Justice Gattrell ultimately imposed an 18-month custodial sentence, taking into account several mitigating factors raised by the defence.

Among the considerations were the impact the sentence would have on Yeboah’s wife and children, as well as the immigration consequences he may now face as a permanent resident of Canada.

Under Canadian immigration law, non-citizens who receive custodial sentences exceeding six months may face removal proceedings. Although criminal courts do not directly determine deportation matters, the judge acknowledged that Yeboah could face deportation after serving his sentence.

Upon his release, Yeboah will also be subject to strict court-imposed conditions restricting contact with persons under the age of 18 unless another responsible adult is present.

The proceedings also raised questions about Yeboah’s pastoral background and qualifications.

Although he was widely described during the trial as a pastor, little information was presented about any formal religious training, official ordination, or the registration of a church organisation associated with him.

A LinkedIn profile linked to a Barrie resident with the same name identified him primarily as a courier driver and did not reference pastoral work. Court records also indicated that Yeboah supported his family through work as an Uber driver and other gig economy jobs.

The case has generated extensive discussion within sections of the Ghanaian-Canadian community, particularly regarding the level of trust placed in religious figures and the need for stronger accountability within faith-based settings.

Community advocates say the case serves as a reminder that positions of spiritual leadership should never place individuals beyond scrutiny or responsibility.

Child protection experts have long warned that abuse involving trusted authority figures can be especially traumatic because victims often fear they will not be believed or worry about dividing families and communities.

Following the sentencing, Yeboah was taken into custody while his wife, who had accompanied him to court, quietly left the courtroom alone, underscoring the wider emotional consequences the case has had on multiple families.

Although the legal proceedings have concluded, the broader impact of the case is expected to continue resonating within the community for years.

For many parents, faith leaders, and child advocates, the case has become a sobering reminder that trust must be matched with accountability, transparency, and safeguards designed to protect vulnerable young people.

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According to a newly unsealed indictment in United States v. Jamal Abubakari, et al., the accused persons are Jamal Abubakari, also known as Jamal Abubakar and “Arrangement,” Kamal Abubakari, also known as Kamal Abubakar and “Lancaster,” and Amanda Joy Opoku-Boachie, also known as Amanda Joy Glum and Amanda Joy Kessei Bierman.

All three were arrested in Virginia and remain in custody pending further court proceedings.

U.S. prosecutors allege that between July 2024 and April 2026, the group conspired with others to run romance scams by using fake identities to establish emotional and romantic relationships with victims, most of whom were elderly Americans.

After gaining the trust of victims through fabricated stories, the suspects allegedly convinced them to send money through wire transfers into accounts controlled by members of the conspiracy. Investigators say portions of the funds were later transferred to accomplices in Ghana and other locations.

The indictment charges the accused persons with conspiracy to commit wire fraud and money laundering.

Authorities say the case forms part of a broader crackdown on alleged Ghana-linked fraud syndicates targeting elderly victims in the United States.

Several related cases have already resulted in convictions and lengthy prison sentences.

In one of the cases, Frederick Kumi, also known as Emmanuel Kojo Baah Obeng and Abu Trica, and Daniel Yussif, also known as Denteni and Slab, were charged in December 2025 with conspiracy to commit wire fraud and money laundering conspiracy.

Other defendants linked to separate but related schemes have already been sentenced to prison terms ranging from 12 months to 108 months after pleading guilty.

The investigation was led by the FBI Cleveland Division with support from several U.S. and Ghanaian agencies, including the Economic and Organised Crime Office, Ghana Police Service, Cyber Security Authority, Ghana Immigration Service and the FBI Legal Attaché Office in Accra.

The prosecution is being handled by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Brian M. McDonough and Elliot Morrison for the Northern District of Ohio.

Authorities stressed that an indictment is only an allegation and that all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty in court.

The case is part of the U.S. Department of Justice’s Elder Justice Initiative, which focuses on combating elder abuse, financial fraud and scams targeting older citizens.

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US President Donald Trump met Chinese President Xi Jinping on Thursday for more than two hours of talks, describing the US-China relationship as “the world’s most consequential economic relationship”.

The White House described the meeting as “highly productive”. Trump, speaking at the Great Hall of the People, called it potentially “the biggest summit ever”.

President Xi said previous trade negotiations between the two countries in South Korea had delivered “progress”, according to China’s foreign ministry, but he paired that with a stark warning on Taiwan, saying: “If mishandled, the two nations could collide or even come into conflict.”

Tech and trade

This was a visit where optics mattered as much as outcomes, with one of the most closely watched moments coming as Air Force One touched down in Beijing.

Elon Musk stepped off the presidential aircraft ahead of senior cabinet officials, including Pete Hegseth, Marco Rubio and US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer – on a trip that was always going to be defined by trade.

Musk and Nvidia chief Jensen Huang also remained close to Trump during the welcome ceremony.

The symbolism was hard to miss. Musk and Huang represent some of the most sensitive pressure points in the US-China economic relationship: electric vehicles, artificial intelligence (AI) and semiconductor microchips.

Both are also exposed to China. Tesla depends heavily on its Shanghai gigafactory and Chinese consumers, while Nvidia’s chips sit at the centre of the global AI race and US export controls designed to limit China’s access to advanced computing.

Huang’s presence was particularly notable given he was not on the original delegation list, fuelling speculation that AI and chip access may feature more centrally in discussions than previously expected.

No deal but fragile trade truce continues

Despite the choreography, there was no major trade deal or structural agreement.

Both sides instead pointed to continuity in the October trade truce, under which Washington suspended steep tariff increases on Chinese goods while Beijing eased back from restricting rare earth exports.

The White House said both leaders agreed to establish a “Board of Trade” – a mechanism to manage the relationship without having to reopen tariff negotiations.

US officials have cautioned, however, that there is a lot of work to be done before it is fully operational.

US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said he expected “large Boeing orders” to be announced during the visit, alongside broader Chinese purchases of US energy and agricultural goods.

Market access and co-operation

According to the White House, the talks included discussion of expanding Chinese market access for US companies and increasing Chinese investment into US industries.

Beijing signalled it would increase purchases of US agricultural and energy products.

Farmers in the US have been seeking more Chinese access for soybeans, beef, poultry, but no firm details were announced.

Bessent downplayed expectations of major new agricultural breakthroughs, suggesting some soybean commitments had already been addressed under previous agreements, but said there was scope for China to increase purchases of US energy, including LNG.

Xi told US business leaders that China’s “doors will open wider” and that American firms would have “broader prospects” in the Chinese market, according to news site Xinhua.

He also called for expanded cooperation in trade, agriculture, healthcare, tourism and law enforcement, describing bilateral ties as “mutually beneficial” and delivering “win-win results”.

For US companies, China remains both a major market and a difficult operating environment due to regulation, red tape and geopolitical uncertainty.

The ‘most sensitive’ issue

One of the clearest shifts emerging from the summit was the way Beijing is now linking Taiwan directly to the broader economic relationship with the United States.

Over the past year of trade talks, Taiwan had largely been treated as one of several friction points between the US and China – particularly US collaboration with semiconductor companies, US-Taiwan trade ties, and arms sales to Taipei.

But Chinese messaging from the meeting suggested Taiwan is increasingly being framed as a condition for the US-China trade relationship.

According to Beijing’s readout, Xi said the two sides had agreed to a “new positioning” for relations based on “constructive strategic stability”, but warned that Taiwan remained the most sensitive issue.

“The Taiwan question is the most important issue in China-US relations,” Xi warned during the talks, according to Chinese state media.

“If mishandled, the two nations could collide or even come into conflict,” he said.

Unresolved fault lines

Technology remains the biggest divide between the US and China.

US export controls on advanced semiconductors and chipmaking equipment – aimed at limiting China’s access to frontier AI capabilities – remain in place.

Beijing continues to push for greater access to advanced technologies, while criticising what it sees as efforts to constrain its industrial development.

Trump also entered the talks hoping for Chinese cooperation on the Iran conflict and oil market stability.

Oil price volatility and repeated disruptions to supply routes have increased China’s import costs and pushed up prices worldwide.

Trump has said that China could use its influence to encourage Iran to stabilise flows through the Strait of Hormuz, a key global energy artery.

Chinese readouts indicated the Middle East was discussed, though again, details were limited.

Speaking on Adom TV’s Badwam show, the MP said the continued attacks and the absence of visible action against perpetrators suggest that authorities in South Africa are not doing enough to protect foreigners.

“It is now clear that the attacks are being perpetrated by the South African government and people,” he stated.

According to him, he initially believed the violence was being carried out by isolated groups and expected the South African government to take decisive action against those involved.

“At the early stages, I condemned it and even said it was probably a group doing that, and we expected the government to put in place sanctions,” he said.

However, he argued that the situation has worsened without any meaningful intervention from authorities.

“They condemned it and vowed to take action, but till now, have you heard of any arrest or action against anyone?” he questioned.

The Akwatia MP said that if South Africa no longer wants foreigners within its borders, the government should openly communicate that position so African migrants can make informed decisions.

“If they no longer want foreigners in their country, they should make it clear so we advise ourselves,” he added.

Mr. Bediako further expressed disappointment in the silence of international bodies, including the African Union, over the attacks.

“It appears that international organisations are focused on other global issues while the AU remains silent on what is happening in South Africa,” he said.

“So if we spend money on conferences and cannot condemn such acts, then what are we doing?” he asked.

He also referenced Africa’s historical support for South Africa during the apartheid era, arguing that the country should be the last on the continent to witness xenophobic violence.

“With the history of South Africa, they are the last country to do this because other African countries contributed to where they are today,” he noted.

The MP expressed concern about the safety of foreigners currently living in South Africa, stating that many may no longer feel protected by the authorities.

“Clearly, I don’t think foreigners will get protection from the South African government, so people should advise themselves and start going back to their countries,” he said.

He added that any evacuation effort by governments would likely have to be voluntary, explaining that “you cannot force everyone to move.”

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Speaking in an interview on Adom TV’s Badwam show, the MP expressed concern over the recurring attacks on foreign nationals, arguing that the situation has persisted for too long without decisive action from South African authorities.

“This is becoming one too many and has gone on for long. South Africa has stabbed the rest of Africa in the back because there was a time they went through difficult moments under apartheid,” he said.

According to him, countries across Africa, including Ghana and Nigeria, stood firmly with South Africa during its struggle against racial oppression.

“During the time of Kwame Nkrumah and our forefathers, Africans supported South Africa. We stood by them,” he noted.

Mr. Awuku stressed that national development cannot rely solely on citizens, pointing out that many South African companies operate freely in Ghana and other African countries.

“National development doesn’t take only indigenes. It requires foreigners too. When you come to Ghana, we have many South African companies here,” he said.

He questioned why xenophobic violence continues to resurface in South Africa almost every year despite repeated assurances of action from authorities.

“We are in Ghana and we are seeing videos of these xenophobic attacks, so how can the South African government claim not to know what is happening?” he asked.

The MP also criticised the response of South African authorities, arguing that the country’s strong media and security systems should make such incidents easier to control.

“They have radio and television stations to inform, educate and entertain. So if South Africa, with all its security architecture, cannot deal with this, then it is worrying,” he stated.

Mr. Awuku suggested that if South Africa no longer wants foreign nationals, authorities should openly declare it.

“If it is now an orientation that they don’t want foreigners in their country, then they should make it clear and close their borders so people won’t even attempt to go there to do business,” he said.

However, he warned that such actions could trigger retaliatory measures across the continent.

“When that happens, they should know there will be reprisals because they cannot eat their cake and have it. They cannot ignore international laws and expect others to accept it,” he added.

The Akuapem North MP also shared a personal example, revealing that his uncle has worked as a medical doctor in South Africa for more than a decade and has built a family there.

“My uncle has practiced medicine there for over 10 years, married and has South African children. So because he is a foreigner who has saved lives, he still won’t be considered part of them?” he questioned.

Mr. Awuku further called on regional and continental bodies, including ECOWAS and the African Union, to take a stronger stance on the attacks.

“ECOWAS, the AU and other regional blocs must speak truth to power,” he said.

He warned that while some governments may consider evacuating their citizens for safety reasons, many affected persons could lose their livelihoods and properties in the process.

“People may be evacuated for safety, but they cannot move with their businesses and properties. Many of them will lose their livelihoods,” he lamented.

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Speaking after leading members of the committee to a conference in The Gambia, Dr. Agyemang said increasing public awareness on human rights is essential to addressing many of the continent’s social and developmental challenges.

According to him, many cases of abuse and neglect persist because citizens are often unaware of their rights and the responsibility of governments to protect them.

“It is important that we educate people on human rights and human rights violations. People need to know their rights so they can demand accountability and justice where necessary,” he said.

Dr. Agyemang explained that issues such as preventable diseases, poor healthcare systems, unsafe roads and lack of access to clean water should also be seen as human rights concerns.

“When a child dies from a preventable disease, that is a human rights issue because every child has the right to live and should not die from illnesses that can be prevented,” he stated.

He also highlighted the struggles faced by many women in rural communities, particularly pregnant women who travel long distances in search of water under unsafe conditions.

“When a pregnant woman has to walk long distances to fetch water and gets bitten by a snake, that is also a human rights issue because she is being denied access to quality roads and clean, accessible water,” he added.

The Abuakwa South MP stressed that education remains one of the strongest tools for addressing human rights challenges and proposed the inclusion of human rights studies in school curricula across Africa.

He suggested that human rights education should be introduced at the basic, secondary and tertiary levels to help raise a generation that better understands justice, equality and civic responsibility.

Dr. Agyemang further called on churches, marketplaces, civil society organisations and community groups to actively promote conversations around human rights issues.

According to him, broadening public understanding of human rights would help strengthen democracy and improve the quality of life for citizens across the continent.

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Russia had launched more than 1,560 drones since the start of Wednesday, President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said. At least 11 people have been killed in the strikes, officials said

He said Moscow had launched more than 670 attack drones and 56 missiles overnight, and air defence units shot down 41 of ​the missiles and 652 drones, the air force said.

“These are definitely not the actions of those who believe the war is coming to ​an end,” Zelenskiy said.

“It’s important that partners do not remain silent about this strike. And it is equally important ⁠to continue supporting the protection of our skies.”

At least five people were killed in Kyiv, Zelenskiy said. Six people were killed in a rare daytime ​attack carried out across western Ukraine on Wednesday, officials said.

Russia began its full-scale invasion in February 2022. The war, which has killed hundreds of thousands and ravaged swathes ​of Ukraine, has continued despite a U.S.-backed peace push although Moscow’s battlefield advances have stalled this year.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Saturday he thought the war was coming to an end. There was no immediate comment from Moscow on Thursday’s attacks.

Kyiv was the main target of the overnight strikes, Zelenskiy said, adding that there was damage across 20 locations ​in the city and also in the Kyiv region. About 40 people including two children were wounded, officials said.

Dozens of emergency workers were cutting through ​concrete at the site of a Russian drone strike on a nine-story residential building where an entire section had been destroyed.

Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko said more than 10 ‌people were ⁠still missing as rescuers cleared the debris.

“There were people there, children. What happened to them? You have to understand, an entire building collapsed,” Alla Komisarova, 74, a pensioner, told Reuters on the site of the strike, holding back tears.

“I heard something flying, it’s flying nearby…And then there was such a terrible sound, and our house, which is opposite (to the one hit) jumped and staggered.”

DAMAGE ACROSS UKRAINE

Zelenskiy said that overall 180 facilities had been damaged in Ukraine, including more ​than 50 residential buildings.

He said a UN ​Office for the Coordination of ⁠Humanitarian Affairs vehicle had come under fire from drones during a humanitarian mission in the Ukrainian city of Kherson.

The Russian striikes disrupted water supplies in Kyiv, and authorities were turning on generators to restore flows to households, the city’s mayor ​said.

Twenty-eight people including three children were wounded in Ukraine’s second-largest city, Kharkiv, where civilian infrastructure was targeted, regional ​governor Oleh Syniehubov said.

Ukraine’s ⁠energy ministry said electricity supplies in 11 regions had been disrupted, and the strikes also targeted port infrastructure in the southern Odesa region and railways, officials said.

Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said the attack – while U.S. President Donald Trump is visiting China – showed Russia wanted to continue fighting despite Washington’s peace push, and said pressure was needed on ⁠Moscow to ​end the war.

“I am certain that the leaders of the United States and China have ​enough leverage over Moscow to tell Putin to finally end the war,” he wrote on X.

British defence minister John Healey, writing on social media, said he had directed officials to send air-defence ​aid to Ukraine “as fast as possible”.

Additional reporting by Pavel Polityuk, Dan Peleschuk, Valentyn Ogirenko and Ron Popeski; Editing by Daniel Flynn, Toby Chopra and Timothy Heritage

The sentencing was announced in a press release on Wednesday by the Office of the US Attorney for the Western District of Michigan.

The sentencing was delivered by Chief US District Judge Hala Y. Jarbou, who also imposed a concurrent 60-month sentence for tax evasion and ordered Ezeh to pay $1.4 million in restitution and $390,174 to the U.S. Internal Revenue Service.

Ezeh, 61, of Kent County, Michigan, was the founder and former CEO of Early Learning Neighborhood Collaborative, a West Michigan nonprofit that provided early childhood services in underserved communities.

She is also a former Associate Professor of Education and Director of Early Childhood Education Program at Aquinas College.

She was immediately remanded into federal custody after sentencing.

During the proceedings, Judge Jarbou described Ezeh as “a fraud and a thief,” adding that the scheme was “brazen and widespread,” and involved funds intended for some of the region’s most vulnerable children.

US Attorney for the Western District of Michigan, Timothy VerHey, said Ezeh diverted money meant for low-income children for personal use.

“Nkechy Ezeh’s greed is beyond reprehensible.

“She stole taxpayer and private-donor dollars meant for low-income children in our community. Instead of helping kids, she spent that money on herself.

“The stolen money could have supported hundreds of West Michigan children and their families. Judge Jarbou’s sentence was perfectly appropriate,” VerHey said.

According to court filings, Ezeh used stolen funds to finance personal expenses, including travel to Hawaii, Europe and Africa, as well as a family wedding.

Prosecutors also said she placed relatives on a “ghost payroll,” enabling them to receive hundreds of thousands of dollars for little or no work.

She was further accused of using intermediaries to transfer stolen funds to family members in Nigeria.

The nonprofit, ELNC, was funded by US federal programmes including Head Start, the Department of Education, and private donors. It provided meals, transport and support services to children in low-income communities.

Following the fraud, ELNC shut down in 2023, leading to the loss of funding for several preschools and the layoff of 35 employees.

A former bookkeeper at the organisation, Sharon Killebrew, who was identified as a co-conspirator, was earlier sentenced to 54 months in prison for her role in the scheme.

US authorities said the case highlights the abuse of federal grants and its impact on vulnerable communities, particularly children in low-income neighbourhoods.

The investigation was conducted by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General and the Internal Revenue Service–Criminal Investigation unit, while Assistant U.S. Attorney Clay Stiffler prosecuted the case.

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Kelvin Evans, 41, pleaded guilty to charges including entering an automobile and criminal trespass last year in Atlanta, Georgia. A judge sentenced him to an additional three years of probation.

Apparently at random, Evans broke into a Jeep Wagoneer rented by a choreographer and dancer for Beyoncé on 8 July 2025, as the singer’s Cowboy Carter tour was coming to Atlanta.

The two returned to find the vehicle’s rear window smashed and their luggage gone. Investigators have not recovered the hard drives or other stolen items.

Evans struck a plea deal in court on Tuesday ahead of his trial this week, according to court documents filed in Fulton County Superior Court.

The records, obtained by the BBC, indicate that Evans was a repeat offender.

His lawyer told the judge his client was “hoping for a future where he can make money legitimately and be part of society like the rest of us”, according to the BBC’s US media partner CBS News.

Jury selection in the case began on Monday and prosecutors showed surveillance footage of a red Hyundai driven by Evans, pulling up next to the rental car in a parking garage.

Another surveillance video showed the same red Hyundai arriving at an apartment block, with Evans handling suitcases believed to belong to Beyoncé choreographer Christopher Grant and dancer Diandre Blue.

Grant and Blue had told police that the items stolen from their rental car included two MacBook laptops, Apple headphones, luxury clothing and accessories, and hard drives that investigators said contained unreleased Beyoncé material.

Grant also told authorities he was carrying “personal sensitive information” belonging to Beyoncé.

Prosecutors said the stolen laptops had tracking technology that placed the items at the address seen in the second video.

As part of his sentence, Evans has been ordered to stay away from the victims as well as the car park where the theft took place.

He has been in jail since his arrest in August last year. He was indicted by a grand jury in October and originally pleaded not guilty to charges in January.

He rejected a similar plea deal in March, according to CBS.

The break-in happened just before Beyoncé launched the four-night leg of her Cowboy Carter tour at Atlanta’s Mercedes-Benz Stadium.

They said the worst-hit was the central Dnipropetrovsk region, where eight people were killed and 11 injured throughout Tuesday. One casualty was reported in the eastern Donetsk region. Overall, 14 regions were attacked.

On Wednesday morning, President Volodymyr Zelensky said more than 100 Russian drones were currently over Ukraine, warning of “more waves” of attacks throughout the day.

Meanwhile, Russian officials said a gas processing plant and two other industrial facilities in three regions were hit by Ukrainian drones overnight. No casualties were reported.

The latest attacks come shortly after a three-day US-brokered ceasefire expired late on Monday.

Both Russia and Ukraine reported multiple violations – mostly along the vast frontline – during the truce, but no major aerial attacks.

Russian President Vladimir Putin launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

In a post on Telegram on Wednesday morning, Dnipropetrovsk regional head Oleksandr Hanzha reported more than 30 Russian attacks on three districts throughout Tuesday.

He said two people were killed in Zelensky’s hometown of Kryvyi Rih, and another six in the Synelnykove district – just south-east of the regional capital Dnipro.

“More than two dozen houses were damaged,” Hanzha added.

In the north-eastern Kharkiv region, five people were reported injured and a number of residential houses damaged.

Russian drone strikes were also reported in the southern Odesa, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions, as well as in Poltave – Ukraine’s central region.

Writing on Telegram on Wednesday morning, Zelensky said 14 Ukrainian regions were attacked throughout Tuesday, and there were more attacks overnight.

He accused Russia of “purposely” targeting Ukraine’s railway infrastructure and other civilian facilities.

In its latest update on Wednesday, Ukraine’s air force said Russia launched 139 drones in the past 24 hours.

It said 111 projectiles were shot down or intercepted, but recorded 20 direct hits in 13 locations.

Meanwhile, the Russian defence ministry said 286 Ukrainian drones were intercepted since Tuesday evening over 14 Russian regions and Crimea – Ukraine’s southern peninsula annexed by Moscow in 2014.

In the southern Astrakhan region, Governor Igor Babushkin said that overnight, falling drone debris triggered a fire at a gas processing plant in the regional capital.

“There is no threat of air pollution,” he added.

Local officials also said two industrial facilities were damaged during Ukrainian overnight attacks in the southern Krasnodar region and in the city of Yaroslval, north-east of the Russian capital Moscow.

In recent months, Ukraine’s military has intensified its strikes on key energy facilities across Russia.

Kyiv says they are legitimate targets, as they allow Russia to continue its war effort.

The Ghana High Commission in Pretoria has issued a security advisory to Ghanaians living in Durban and surrounding areas ahead of a planned anti-immigration demonstration scheduled for Wednesday, May 13, 2026.

According to the Mission, available information indicates that an anti-immigration rally is expected to take place in the city, raising concerns over the safety of foreign nationals, including Ghanaians.

In a statement, the High Commission advised members of the Ghanaian community to exercise heightened caution before, during and after the planned protest.

Ghanaians have been urged to avoid areas where demonstrations or gatherings are expected to take place and to refrain from engaging in confrontations, provocations or counter-demonstrations.

The Mission also advised citizens to carry valid identification and immigration documents at all times, and to cooperate with local law enforcement authorities where necessary.

As a precautionary measure, Ghanaian-owned shops and businesses in affected areas have also been advised to close temporarily.

The High Commission said it is engaging relevant South African authorities and closely monitoring developments to ensure the safety and welfare of Ghanaian nationals.

Members of the Ghanaian community have further been encouraged to remain calm, vigilant and law-abiding, while staying in touch with the Mission through its official communication channels for emergency assistance.

The summit, co-hosted by Kenyan President William Ruto and French President Emmanuel Macron, focused on issues including energy transition, healthcare reforms and strengthening African financial institutions.

President Mahama took part in high-level discussions on energy and green transition initiatives, joined a strategic working session on African financial institutions, and co-chaired a dialogue on transforming healthcare systems across the continent.

On the sidelines of the summit, he also held bilateral meetings with key international figures, including Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund Kristalina Georgieva, United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres, officials of the African Continental Free Trade Area, and representatives of the International Fund for Agricultural Development.

The engagements reinforced Ghana’s commitment to international cooperation, economic transformation and sustainable development.

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The 2026 celebration brought together government officials, members of the diplomatic corps, traditional leaders, development partners and private sector representatives.

Among the dignitaries present were the Minister for Gender, Children and Social Protection, Agnes Naa Momo Lartey, who represented the government officially. The reception also welcomed the Minister of Tourism, Culture and Creative Arts, the Minister of State for Climate Change and Sustainability, and the Buipewura, Abdulai Jinapor, Paramount Chief of the Buipe Traditional Area in the Savannah Region.

In his remarks, Rune Skinnebach reflected on the significance of the milestone and reaffirmed the EU’s commitment to strengthening its partnership with Ghana.

“Today, we celebrate a successful partnership built on shared values, dialogue and cooperation, and a partnership we remain committed to strengthening for the benefit of our peoples,” he stated.

The Ambassador noted that EU-Ghana relations have evolved into a mature and strategic partnership anchored on mutual respect, peace, democracy, security and sustainable development.

He added that the European Union remains Ghana’s leading development and security partner, largest investor and top export market. He also reaffirmed the EU’s commitment to regional peace and stability through the implementation of more than 30 security initiatives in Ghana valued at over EUR 100 million.

Agnes Naa Momo Lartey congratulated the European Union and its member states on the milestone and praised the long-standing relationship between Ghana and the EU.

“It is not only a celebration of history, but also a reflection of a partnership that has matured, evolved and deepened over the decades,” she said.

The Minister described the EU-Ghana relationship as one built on trust, shared values and mutual respect, with cooperation spanning governance, infrastructure, agriculture, health, education, trade, investment and security.

She also welcomed the EU’s Global Gateway initiative and reaffirmed Ghana’s commitment to creating an enabling environment for sustainable investment, transparency, innovation and macroeconomic stability.

The Europe Day Reception celebrated Europe’s cultural diversity through culinary experiences from 14 EU member states.

A special highlight of the event was a live performance by Ghanaian music legend Kojo Antwi, popularly known as “Mr. Music Man,” whose performance added excitement and national pride to the celebration.

As the European Union and Ghana commemorated the historic milestone, both parties expressed optimism about the future of the relationship and reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening the “golden bridges” connecting their peoples, economies and shared aspirations for sustainable growth and prosperity.

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The Constitutional Court said that allowing unlimited repeat applications without proper legislation in place could create a “never-ending cycle” that prevents deportations and causes administrative chaos.

Leon Schreiber, the minister of home affairs in South Africa’s coalition government, welcomed the ruling as a “major victory” against the “abuse” of the refugee system.

The ruling ends a long-running case that was brought by two nationals from Burundi, who reapplied for asylum in 2018 after their applications were rejected in 2014.

The two argued that their new applications should be considered as Burundi had been hit by political violence during the 2015 presidential election.

At least 70 people were killed in unrest after then-President Pierre Nkurunziza took the controversial decision to run for a third term.

The Burundians won the case in the Supreme Court of Appeal, but, in a majority judgement, the Constitutional Court overturned its ruling. It is the final court of appeal.

The UN refugee agency (UNHCR) says that in 2025, South Africa was hosting more than 167,000 refugees and asylum seekers, primarily from Burundi, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Somalia, South Sudan, Rwanda and Zimbabwe.

Schreiber called the ruling important for government efforts to bring about a more “effective and fair system to manage refugees and asylum seekers”.

Speaking to local broadcaster Newzroom Afrika, he explained that the Department of Home Affairs led the argument against the Supreme Court of Appeal’s ruling.

If upheld, it would have allowed individuals “multiple bites at the cherry” and to “constantly abuse the system” by submitting new applications, Schreiber said.

The minister is a member of the Democratic Alliance (DA), the second-biggest party in the coalition government led by President Cyril Ramaphosa of the African National Congress (ANC).

South Africa has recently been hit by a wave of protests against undocumented migrants, with thousands taking to the streets in major cities to demand mass deportations.

Several African governments have raised concerns with the African Union, and warned their citizens in South Africa about possible attacks.

Earlier this week, Ramaphosa said “opportunists” had orchestrated anti-immigrant attacks on foreigners.

“The recent violent protests and criminal acts directed at foreign nationals in parts of our country do not represent the views of South Africa’s people nor reflect our government’s policy,” he said in an open letter.

South Africa is home to about 2.4 million migrants, just less than 4% of the population, according to official figures, although many more are thought to be in the country unofficially.

As Africa’s most industrialised country, people from across the continent travel to South Africa to seek work.

Immigrant groups in recent months have intensified protests against foreigners, particularly other Africans, with some incidents resulting in the forced closure of businesses, verbal abuse and physical attacks.

Ghana’s High Commissioner to South Africa, Benjamin Anani Quashie, says the situation has become deeply troubling, citing a recent incident in a local municipality where the mayor allegedly shut down foreign-owned businesses, handed them over to residents and ordered foreign nationals to leave within 21 days.

Speaking on JoyNews’ PM Express on Monday, May 11, Mr Anani Quashie said the mayor in an area known as Estcourt, near Durban, had seized keys to shops owned by Ghanaians and other African migrants who were legally operating businesses.

He said the affected businesses included mechanic shops and other small enterprises, and that the allegations had been verified by diplomatic missions.

“The mayor in Estcourt has taken keys belonging to Ghanaians and other African migrants who are genuinely and legally working in his area. He has taken the keys, handed over their shops and businesses to locals,” he said.

“A lot of Ghanaians are affected. We have close to about 25 Ghanaians whose businesses have been closed,” he disclosed.

Mr Anani Quashie said the issue is not limited to Ghanaians. He revealed that the Nigerian and Angolan ambassadors had also raised similar complaints after their nationals were affected by the same operation.

The High Commissioner said Ghana and the other affected African countries are preparing to challenge the directive in court.

“We’ve told them that we’re going to fight this legally. No law in South Africa gives the mayor the right to say whatever he’s saying. We’re going to ensure that the right thing is done,” he stated.

He said all affected countries have already collected statements from their nationals and submitted them to the legal department of the African ambassadors’ group for review.

According to him, although court proceedings have not formally begun, legal steps are already underway to stop the 21-day eviction order before it takes effect.

“No, we are in the process. It’s not only one country that is going. All the countries involved have made statements and given them to the legal department. They have confirmed there is no legal basis for what he is doing,” he said.

Mr Anani-Quashi noted that the deadline is fast approaching, with only 17 days left, but said diplomatic missions are acting urgently to ensure the matter is resolved before any forced removals occur.

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Speaking on JoyNews’ PM Express, Mr Quashie disclosed that nearly 200 Ghanaians have already expressed interest in returning home voluntarily.

The comments come after government facilitated the return of Emmanuel Akowuah Asamoah, the Ghanaian national who appeared in a viral video linked to the recent attacks.

According to the High Commissioner, businessman Ibrahim Mahama has stepped in to support Mr Asamoah with employment.

“Fortunately, Mr Ibrahim Mahama has decided to offer him employment, which he has gladly accepted.”

Mr Quashie said the businessman wants Mr Asamoah’s story to inspire other Ghanaians facing hardship abroad.

“Mr Ibrahim indicated to him that he wants him to be an ambassador so that other Ghanaians in other countries can look up to him and say, when they sacked him from one country, he got back to Ghana, and he was helped, and was able to make a difference in his life.”

Asked what kind of work Mr Asamoah did in South Africa, the envoy said he had been working in a salon but added that discussions are ongoing about other opportunities available to him in Ghana.

The High Commissioner revealed that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has directed the mission in South Africa to begin compiling names of Ghanaians seeking repatriation.

“So we’ve been asked by the Minister to gather the names of the Ghanaians. After this evening, we have close to about 200 and something people who want to come back home.”

He said government will bear the cost of travel documentation and transportation.

Those who don’t have a passport. We need to get them travel certificates. The ministry is going to take up the cost so that we ensure that we bring them back home.”

Mr Quashie stressed that the government’s priority is the safety of its citizens.

“The whole understanding is that we don’t want to leave any Ghanaian at the mercy of any other national. Ghanaians are valued in Ghana.”

“We would ensure that if we have to bring them back home to reintegrate them, to do something better, we will do that.”

He warned that the number of returnees could rise significantly, noting that many Ghanaians in South Africa have lost businesses and livelihoods through repeated xenophobic attacks.

“There are a lot of Ghanaians in South Africa. Some of them are doing very well. Some are working in the mines. Some are working in hospitals. Some are lecturers here and there.”

“But these are people who believe that, over the years, they struggle, put up a business. Xenophobic attacks happen. They lose everything.”

He added that discussions are underway with businesses in Ghana to support reintegration efforts and employment opportunities for returnees.

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According to a statement from the Presidency, the summit, organised by French President Emmanuel Macron, has brought together African Heads of State, international partners and global business leaders to strengthen collaboration on key development priorities across the continent.

The statement said President Mahama, in his role as African Union Champion for African Financial Institutions, is expected to participate in a high-level discussion on green industrialisation and energy transition on Tuesday.

The discussions will focus on how Africa can accelerate industrial growth while addressing climate change and the global shift toward clean energy.

President Mahama is also expected to join a working lunch on reforms to the international financial system.

The meeting will examine ways to improve access to sustainable financing for African countries and push for a global financial structure that better responds to the continent’s development challenges.

As part of the summit activities, the President will co-chair a roundtable discussion on health under the theme, “Rethinking global health and building resilient national health systems.”

The Presidency said the engagement forms part of the Accra Reset Initiative, which seeks to strengthen healthcare systems and improve preparedness for future global health emergencies.

On the sidelines of the summit, President John Dramani Mahama is scheduled to hold bilateral meetings with António Guterres, Kristalina Georgieva and Alvaro Lario.

The meetings are expected to focus on economic stability, food security and broader global cooperation involving Ghana and the African continent.

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The MV Hondius departed Tenerife for the Netherlands on Monday after its final six passengers – four Australians, one Briton and one New Zealander – and some crew members disembarked.

Three passengers have died after travelling on the ship, two of whom were confirmed to have had the virus.

An American, a Spaniard and a French national who had previously returned home have tested positive, authorities said. Seven cases of hantavirus linked to the MV Hondius have been confirmed, with two others suspected, according to the World Health Organisation (WHO).

Spain’s health ministry said one Spaniard who is quarantining in Madrid after being evacuated from the vessel had also provisionally tested positive for hantavirus on Monday.

On Monday, the US health department said a second American national on Sunday’s repatriation flight had also shown mild symptoms, adding that both passengers had travelled back in “biocontainment units out of an abundance of caution”.

French Health Minister Stéphanie Rist said a woman was isolating in Paris and that her health was deteriorating, with 22 contacts traced.

Two British nationals with confirmed cases are currently being treated in the Netherlands and South Africa.

Hantaviruses are usually carried by rodents, but human transmission of the Andes strain – which the WHO believes some of the ship’s passengers contracted in South America- is possible.

Symptoms can include fever, extreme fatigue, muscle aches, stomach pain, vomiting, diarrhoea and shortness of breath.

Officials say the risk of a major outbreak is very low.

As of Monday evening, the ship’s operator, Oceanwide Expeditions, said 27 people remain on board the ship, including 25 crew members and two medical staff.

These include 17 people from the Philippines, four from the Netherlands (including the two medical staff), four from Ukraine, one from Russia and one from Poland.

Ukraine’s foreign ministry said the Ukrainians on board would help with the ships’ transfer to the Netherlands and would quarantine at a medical facility on arrival. It added that they had shown no signs of illness.

More than 90 passengers of the MV Hondius, which wasdocked in Spain’s Canary Islands, have been repatriated over the past few days.

Four Canadian passengers landed in Victoria, British Columbia, on Sunday after taking a chartered flight from Tenerife to Quebec. Authorities said they would self-isolate and be monitored for at least three weeks.

The US Department of Health and Human Services said all 17 US citizens on Sunday’s flight would undergo “clinical assessment” at a medical facility in Nebraska. A British national living in the US was also repatriated alongside them.

Seven other US passengers had already returned home and are being monitored in their home states.

Before the American case was confirmed, WHO head Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus warned that the decision by the US not to follow the organisation’s guidelines over the hantavirus outbreak “may have risks”.

The WHO has recommended 42 days of isolation for those leaving the MV Hondius.

But Dr Jay Bhattacharya, acting head of the US Centres for Disease Control (CDC), said he did not want to cause public panic, insisting that human-to-human transmission was rare and it should not be treated like COVID.

Cruise ship passengers were pictured wearing blue gowns, bouffant caps and medical face masks as they disembarked in Tenerife.

Twenty British nationals flown to Manchester from Tenerife on Sunday were taken to Arrowe Park Hospital in Merseyside to isolate for 72 hours. None have reported symptoms.

Fourteen Spaniards flown to Madrid are in mandatory quarantine at a military hospital, while another two evacuation flights were scheduled for Monday.

A separate flight carrying 26 passengers and crew – including eight Dutch nationals – arrived in the Netherlands on Sunday.

In a video message released on Monday by Oceanwide Expeditions, which operates the MV Hondius, the captain said the crew’s thoughts were “with the ones that are no longer with us”.

Jan Dobrogowski added that “the past few weeks have been extremely challenging to us all”, while praising the patience, discipline and kindness shown on board the vessel.

The Spanish health minister said that a police officer involved in the repatriation operation had died of cardiac arrest.

An elderly Dutch man was the first passenger who died on board the MV Hondius on 11 April. He had earlier developed symptoms and is believed to have been the first infected in the outbreak, but died before he could be tested.

His wife left the ship on 24 April on the island of St Helena and flew to South Africa. She died two days later in a clinic in Johannesburg.

A German woman died on board the cruise ship on 2 May. Both women are confirmed cases.

The MV Hondius had been carrying 147 passengers and crew from 23 countries after departing from Ushuaia in Argentina on 1 April.

Abubakar Gamandi Usman, chairman of Lake Chad Basin Fisheries Association of Nigeria, said several of the union’s members were missing and estimated more than 40 had died.

No bodies have yet been recovered, but Usman believes some fishermen were hit by the strikes, while others drowned after attempting to flee in overloaded boats.

Authorities in Chad and Nigeria have not commented, but on Sunday, Chad’s presidency said it had carried out retaliatory “intensive air strikes” on Boko Haram strongholds.

In a statement on Facebook, the presidency said it had responded to “unjustified attacks” by Boko Haram, which took place last Monday and Wednesday and targeted Chadian military bases near Lake Chad, reportedly killing at least 24 soldiers and two generals.

The Lake Chad basin is a huge region of waterways and swampland shared by Nigeria, Chad, Niger and Cameroon. It has long been a stronghold for Boko Haram and its rival faction, Islamic State West Africa Province (Iswap).

“After Boko Haram attacked Chadian forces, they retreated to islands they operate from. Fishermen also inhabit these islands,” Usman told the BBC.

After Chad’s air force began circling overhead on Friday, panic broke out, with both Boko Haram fighters and fishermen attempting to flee.

The search for the missing fishermen has been slow, Usman said, as some parts of Lake Chad are very deep. The local community also has limited access to canoes, as many are controlled by Boko Haram, Usman added.

“Boko Haram controls access to the fishing grounds, transporting fishermen to and from the fish market to the fishing site. Boko Haram collects taxes from these fishermen,” he said.

Recently, the region has seen a rise in attacks on security forces, as well as kidnappings and raids on communities.

Chadian military operations have been accused of causing civilian deaths before – in October 2024, the air force was said to have killed dozens of Nigerian fishermen during air strikes targeting Boko Haram fighters on Tilma Island in Lake Chad.

Nigeria’s military has also been accused of claiming civilian lives during operations against armed groups and jihadist fighters, though authorities often describe such deaths as unintended collateral damage.

Most recently, the armed forces denied media reports that civilians were killed during a series of air strikes in the central Niger state on Sunday.

Military spokesperson Maj Gen Michael Onoja said the operations were “executed based on credible, actionable intelligence”.

David Malpass, who also served as Treasury Under Secretary for International Affairs under US President Donald Trump from 2017 to 2019, was speaking to the World Service’s World Business Report on the eve of the Trump-Xi summit in Beijing.

“They have the biggest world stockpile of foodstuffs and of fertiliser,” he said. “They can stop building their stockpiles.”

His comments come as nations around the world scramble to secure fertiliser supplies ahead of spring planting, with the closure of the Strait of Hormuz severely disrupting shipments.

China has itself halted fertiliser exports since March, citing the need to protect domestic supplies.

Malpass, who served as World Bank president from 2019 to 2023, also said that Beijing’s claim to be a developing nation is no longer credible.

“They present themselves as a developing country when they’re the second biggest economy in the world and in many ways rich,” he said.

“And yet they still have the pretence of being a developing country in the WTO and in the World Bank, and they could suspend that,” Malpass added.

The BBC has contacted the Chinese embassy in Washington for comment.

On the Iran ceasefire, which Trump on Monday described as being on “massive life support”, Malpass said the world should unite behind the United States and demand a resolution.

“You can’t have a rogue state with plutonium, and you can’t block the Strait of Hormuz,” he said.

Malpass was hopeful that China would help resolve the deadlock in the Strait of Hormuz, saying that the free movement of ships was in its economic interest: “China benefits from open waterways worldwide.”

“They run the shipping lines, own the containers, and make huge profits from trade with the rest of the world. So, they would be a big loser if Iran in some way had control of the Strait of Hormuz”, he said.

On the economic outlook for ordinary Americans ahead of Tuesday’s US inflation data for April, Malpass said prices are heading higher. “I expect some up, yes, prices will go up on many products,” he said.

But he added “robust” jobs data showed the US economy was resilient.

In total seven cases of hantavirus linked to the MV Hondius have been confirmed, with two other cases suspected, the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Monday.

The US health department said a second American national on the repatriation flight had also shown mild symptoms, adding that both passengers had travelled back in “biocontainment units out of an abundance of caution”.

French Health Minister Stéphanie Rist said a woman was isolating in Paris and her health was deteriorating, with 22 contacts traced.

Three passengers have died after travelling on the ship, two of whom were confirmed to have had the virus.

The WHO said the person who is believed to have been the first to be infected in the outbreak died before he could be tested.

Two other British nationals with confirmed cases are currently being treated in the Netherlands and South Africa.

Hantaviruses are usually carried by rodents, but human transmission of the Andes strain – which the World Health Organization (WHO) believes was contracted by some of the Dutch ship’s passengers while in South America – is possible.

Symptoms can include fever, extreme fatigue, muscle aches, stomach pain, vomiting, diarrhoea and shortness of breath.

Officials say the risk of a major outbreak is very low.

More than 90 passengers of the MV Hondius ship, currently docked in Spain’s Canary Islands, are being repatriated.

In its latest update from Tenerife on Monday, Spanish officials said 54 passengers and crew were still on board the ship. Spanish Health Minister Mónica García said six of those were passengers: four Australians, one Briton and one New Zealander.

Some 22 people would disembark the ship to fly to the Netherlands on Monday, she said – including the Australians who had been expected to be flown home directly but whose plane could not be guaranteed to arrive on time.

The MV Hondius was then expected to leave for the Netherlands later on Monday, she said.

Four Canadian passengers, meanwhile, have landed in Victoria, British Columbia, on Sunday evening after taking a chartered flight from Tenerife to Bagotville, Quebec. Authorities said they would be self-isolating and monitored for at least three weeks.

In its statement early on Monday, the US Department of Health and Human Services said all 17 US citizens on Sunday’s flight would undergo “clinical assessment” at a medical facility in Nebraska. A British national living in the US was also repatriated alongside them.

Seven other US passengers had already returned home and were being monitored in their home states.

Before the American case was confirmed, WHO head Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus warned that the decision by the US not to follow his organisation’s guidelines over the hantavirus outbreak “may have risks”.

The WHO has recommended 42 days of isolation for those leaving the MV Hondius.

But Dr Jay Bhattacharya, the acting head of the US Centers for Disease Control (CDC) said he did not want to cause public panic, insisting that human-to-human transmission was rare and it should not be treated like the Covid virus.

Cruise ship passengers were pictured wearing blue gowns, bouffant caps, and medical face masks as they disembarked on Sunday at the port of Grandilla de Abona in Tenerife.

There is, however, a gap between Traoré’s triumphant declaration, official figures, and the reality of people’s experiences.

On social media and in the media, the announcement was immediately amplified, celebrated, and erected as a symbol of the new national sovereignty.

But two weeks before this speech, the president’s office had produced figures that tell a completely different story.

To measure the gap between the proclamation and the reality, we must go back to the Council of Ministers meeting of December 17, 2025. On that day, the Ministry of Agriculture presented the provisional results of the 2025-2026 agropastoral campaign.

The figures are, overall, good. National cereal production is estimated at 7,142,484 tonnes, up 17.63% compared to the previous season and 37.19% compared to the average of the last five years.

The apparent coverage rate of cereal needs stands at 126.6%, compared to 111.5% in the previous season. Non-cereal food crops reached 1,246,132 tonnes, up 27.9% compared to the five-year average. Cash crops other than cotton amounted to 1,353,298 tonnes, up 37%. Forage production exceeded 10 million tonnes of dry matter.

The government attributes these performances to “the multiple forms of state support for farmers and livestock breeders, particularly through the provision of inputs, fertilisers, and equipment”.

But in this same document, the ministry doesn’t hide the grey areas. These are the areas that the presidential address glossed over two weeks later. According to the report, of the country’s 47 provinces, 15 are in deficit, eight are balanced, and only 24 have a surplus.

The growing season was also marked by infestations of fall armyworms on corn and sorghum. Of the 47,213 hectares surveyed, 20,568 hectares were infested, of which 17,724 were treated, leaving 2,844 hectares infested without intervention.

The minister himself did not claim “self-sufficiency”

On the evening of December 17, the Minister of State for Agriculture, Commander Ismaël Sombié, was a guest on the 8 PM news on national television. He was directly asked about food self-sufficiency. His response was cautious and measured: “I think that if we maintain this pace, we are confident we can achieve the food self-sufficiency goal we have set for ourselves. Of course, other aspects will need to be considered, particularly processing and strengthening our achievements in terms of infrastructure and resources.”

For the head of the agricultural sector, food self-sufficiency has therefore not yet been achieved. It remains a prospect to be reached.

Two weeks later, the head of state took hold of some of these figures and drew a conclusion that his own ministers had not dared to formulate.

The proclamation of December 31 also raises a fundamental question: Is this the first time that Burkina Faso has recorded a cereal surplus?

No. Official data shows that this is not the first time. The 2024-2025 season, under the current government, already had a cereal coverage rate of 111.7%. Under the presidency of Roch Marc Christian Kaboré, the 2018-2019 season produced approximately 4.95 million tons of cereals, a 22% increase, with a national coverage rate of 104% and a gross surplus of approximately 194,000 tons. The following season, 2019-2020, reached 5.03 million tons, generating a surplus of 204,000 tons. Of course, these surpluses were not as high as the last season.

Need for intervention revealed to donors

On February 17, 2026, 48 days after the proclamation of self-sufficiency, the government convened an emergency meeting at Ouagadougou City Hall. On the agenda was the need for a request for the international humanitarian community’s contribution to the financing of an emergency plan of 735.1 billion CFA francs to help 4.47 million Burkinabe, described as “vulnerable” and in “need of vital assistance“.

The meeting, chaired by the National Council for Emergency Relief and Rehabilitation (CONASUR) in collaboration with the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), is an advocacy session to mobilise external funding.

The Minister of Family and Solidarity, Lieutenant-Colonel Passowendé Pélagie Kaboré, announced the figures without mincing words: more than 1.3 million children under five years of age need nutritional support; more than 2.1 million people (almost the equivalent of the population of Lesotho) will need food assistance, and more than 3.3 million people will need protection support.

These data are confirmed by the Burkina Faso Humanitarian Needs and Partner Response Plan (HNRP) 2026 report.

^{The country’s humanitarian needs, ranked by severity, according to the report HNRP 2026}

Behind the grain surplus

The humanitarian response plan helps to understand why a national cereal surplus is not enough to speak of food self-sufficiency.

The April 2025 food security and nutrition analysis establishes that approximately 2.26 million people were in a situation of acute food insecurity, including more than 220,000 in the emergency phase, one step away from famine.

The national average cereal coverage of 111.5% for the 2024-2025 cereal season masks catastrophic regional realities. In the areas most exposed to insecurity, the Yaadga province covers only 57% of its needs, the Liptako province 56%, and the Koulsé province barely reaches 45%.

Physical access to markets exacerbates the situation. Several secondary markets remain closed in areas experiencing security tensions, such as Barga, Kain, Koumbri, Thiou, Tin-Akoff, Oursi, Gorgadji, Dablo, and Bouroum, forcing residents to rely on escorted convoys for supplies. While prices have fallen on average (7% for maize, 15% for millet, and 17% for sorghum), they remain 15% to 17% above the five-year average. In the most isolated areas, the price increases are staggering: +77% for millet in Arbinda, +106% for sorghum in Sebba, and +148% in Kompienga.

The livestock sector has not been spared. Erratic rainfall, degraded pastures, dwindling water sources, and insecurity that disrupts transhumance routes have forced many herders to sell their livestock at rock-bottom prices. Fall armyworms destroy up to 25% of maize crops, granivorous birds ravage up to 80% of rice, millet, and sorghum crops, while peste des petits ruminants (PPR) and foot-and-mouth disease decimate herds due to a lack of access to veterinary services.

In terms of nutrition, the report estimates that 1.38 million people require emergency assistance, of whom 134,701 live in areas where the malnutrition rate exceeds 15% – one and a half times the World Health Organisation’s alert threshold of 10%.

Chinese food donations to a self-sufficient country

Seventy-two days after the proclamation of self-sufficiency, one scene sums up the whole paradox.

On April 10, 2026, in Ouagadougou, Commander Passowendé Pélagie Kaboré, the Minister of Solidarity, Humanitarian Action and Family, received the Chinese Ambassador, Zhao Deyong. The two parties signed the handover agreement for food aid: more than 1,800 tons of rice, with an estimated value of over 1.6 billion CFA francs.

According to a statement from the Chinese embassy, the ambassador “congratulated Burkina Faso on achieving its goal of food self-sufficiency by 2025“. He also presented the country with 1,800 tons of rice.

The minister, for her part, recalled that Chinese food aid “for two consecutive years has helped to improve the living conditions of many vulnerable families” and that by 2025, “nearly 140,000 people had benefited from Chinese support“.

Two days later, on April 12, the same minister received the Indian ambassador, who announced a donation of 1,000 tons of rice and pharmaceutical products, with an estimated value of 125 million CFA francs.

Relative to the scale of needs, the Chinese donation represents approximately 2.1% of the financial need of the food sector alone, estimated at 75 billion CFA francs in priority terms.

Less than a year earlier, on May 13, 2025, Lu Shan, former ambassador of the People’s Republic of China to Burkina Faso, officially handed over a significant humanitarian donation of 1,629.9 tons of rice. This donation was received by the Minister of Solidarity, Humanitarian Action and Family in the presence of the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Regional Cooperation, and Burkinabè Abroad, Karamoko Jean Marie Traoré. The donation is valued at 1.7 billion CFA francs.

Thus, within the space of a year, Chinese food aid, accepted by the Burkinabe authorities, amounted to 3.3 billion FCFA (3,429.9 tonnes of rice), a sign of the real needs on the ground for humanitarian aid.

These donations come after a note from the Prime Minister, dated November 28, 2025, where he urged all leaders to refuse aid that is degrading and that does not honour Burkina Faso.

“The government now prioritises cooperation that is fully aligned with our national interests and promotes real and endogenous progress (…) It is imperative to break with this vision and refocus partnerships around structuring projects, in line with our priorities and reinforcing the vision of the Comrade President. (…) I therefore urge you to decline any support that would be degrading in nature, contrary to the values of honour and dignity of the Burkinabè people, or that would not be in line with the vision of the RPP (Progressive and Popular Revolution),” he reminded them.

China’s food donation has reignited debates on social media, especially in the comments under the post announcing the operation and on news sites like Lefaso.net.

The Chinese rice donation to Burkina Faso sparked a wave of irony on social media, as the transitional government had claimed to have achieved food self-sufficiency in 2025. “And what about our food self-sufficiency? Did we include China in the calculations?” one internet user mocked. Between skepticism and pragmatic gratitude, these reactions reflect the growing distrust among part of the population toward the official narrative.

What people are saying

Beyond the figures and diplomatic ceremonies, the HNRP 2026 report is based on 21,619 community feedback and complaints collected between January and October 2025, and on a survey covering 6,214 households in 13 regions and 31 provinces. These populations are not talking about self-sufficiency. They are talking about hunger.

According to the report, the preferred forms of assistance for the affected populations are, first, the free distribution of food, followed by sales at moderate prices, the construction/rehabilitation of infrastructure, essential social services, and agricultural support. “More than 80 percent of households in the Liptako, Sirba, Soum, and Tapoa regions recommend it first, and more than 50 percent in Goulmou, Koulsé, Sourou, and Yaadga, ” the report states.

Food assistance is declared an absolute priority, almost unanimously “among internally displaced and returned persons”, particularly in Soum, Liptako, Tapoa and Sirba.

The main sources of dissatisfaction are insufficient quantities and delays in the delivery of aid.

The actual coverage of food assistance illustrates the extent of the gaps. In the Koulsé, Goulmou, and Nakambé areas, it does not exceed 25 to 55% of surveyed households. In Bankui, Sourou, and Yaadga, it falls to 15-27%. In Guiriko and Tannounyan, it does not exceed 10%. As of September 30, 2025, only 1.4 million people, or 39% of the target population, had actually received assistance.

According to a summary document of the government’s humanitarian response plan, the country needs 173.7 billion FCFA to ensure food security for 2.1 million people and 57.5 billion FCFA to meet the nutritional needs of 1.4 million people. The total of these two needs is 231.2 billion FCFA. In the government’s ranking of humanitarian needs, food security tops the list.

A humanitarian assessment that raises questions

In 2025, more than 155 humanitarian partners mobilised $271.3 million, enabling assistance to 1.7 million people in Burkina Faso. However, the 2025 Humanitarian Response Plan aimed to reach 3.7 million people with a budget of $792.6 million. The result: only 34.2% of the financial needs were met, and only 45.9% of the targeted population was reached.

For 2026, partners have pledged to mobilise $658.5 million. However, a methodological anomaly warrants attention: the decrease in the number of people in need, from 5.9 million in 2025 to 4.5 million in 2026, “does not reflect an improvement in the humanitarian situation,” the report itself acknowledges. Instead, it “results primarily from methodological changes”. Eighteen provinces were excluded from the calculation, even though approximately 500,000 people in need were identified there in 2025.

“Rapid, flexible and predictable funding is essential to save lives and prevent further deterioration of the situation,” UN Resident Coordinator and Acting Humanitarian Coordinator, Maurice Azonnanko, observed in the foreword of the 2026 report.

The essential question remains: does a proclamation of self-sufficiency, even partial, risk drying up the funding on which millions of Burkinabe still depend and which the authorities themselves are seeking through the 2026 response plan?

This article was produced with support from the African Academy for Open Source Investigations (AAOSI) and the African Digital Democracy Observatory (ADDO) as part of an initiative by Code for Africa (CfA). Visit https://disinfo.africa/ for more information.

The army identified him as 27-year-old 1st Lt Kendrick Lamont Key Jr, a platoon leader and air defence artillery officer from Richmond, Virginia.

A Moroccan military search team found Key’s body in the water along the shoreline within about a mile of the cliffs where both soldiers went missing on 2 May.

US and Moroccan forces are using ground, air and maritime assets to continue their search for the other missing soldier.

Brig Gen Curtis King, commanding general of the 10th Army Air and Missile Defence Command, said in a statement that the army is mourning the loss of Key.

“Our hearts are with his Family, friends, teammates, and all who knew and served alongside him,” King said.

“The 10th Army Air and Missile Defense Command Family is grieving, and we will continue to support one another and 1st Lt. Key’s Family as we honor his life and service.”

Both soldiers were participating in African Lion 2026, an annual joint military exercise designed to strengthen operations between US forces, Nato allies, and African nations.

African Lion is the continent’s largest annual joint military exercise, and is hosted across Morocco, Ghana, Senegal and Tunisia.

The soldiers had been hiking with a group to view the sunset when one fell into the ocean, the BBC’s US partner CBS News reported, citing a preliminary report.

The other service members in the group then used their belts to form a human chain in an attempt to rescue the soldier, the report said, according to CBS. When that failed, another soldier jumped into the ocean to try to save their colleague, who did not know how to swim, CBS reported.

That soldier was immediately hit by a wave, prompting a third to jump in after them both, CBS reported. The third soldier was able to make it back to camp on their own after failing to rescue the first two, officials said, according to CBS.

It’s not clear whether Key was the soldier to first fall in, or the second who attempted to rescue the first.

His body was transported to a nearby morgue and will be repatriated to the US, the army said.

This mineral-rich region remains a primary battleground for armed groups seeking control over gold and other valuable resources.

Retaliatory Cycles of Violence

The killings reportedly stemmed from an earlier clash involving the Convention for the Popular Revolution (CRP). This Hema-affiliated group recently attacked Congolese army (FARDC) positions near the locality of Pimbo. CODECO fighters, who claim to represent the mainly farming Lendu community, responded with a series of retaliatory strikes across several villages.

The violence underscores the long-running ethnic conflict between the Lendu and the mainly pastoral Hema community in a province that borders Uganda and South Sudan.

Recovery Efforts Hampered by Insecurity

The presence of armed militants forced a delay in recovering the deceased for several days. “Only 25 bodies have been buried,” said civil society leader Dieudonne Losa. He noted that “more than 70 people were killed” in the late April raids, and several remains have yet to be retrieved.

A humanitarian source described the grim scene as bodies “strewn on the ground” near the village of Bassa. While security sources put the toll at 69—including 19 militia members and soldiers—local officials suggest the count is higher.

International Response and Condemnation

The United Nations Organisation Stabilisation Mission in the DRC (MONUSCO) rescued “nearly 200 people caught under fire” during the initial CRP assault on the FARDC. On Saturday, the mission stated it “strongly condemns the recent wave of deadly attacks targeting civilians” in the east.

Supporting this alarm, UN spokesman Farhan Haq confirmed in a May 8 briefing that at least 34 civilians were killed in a three-day window across Ituri and North Kivu.

Haq noted that “dozens of civilians have been killed in recent days” and highlighted the dire humanitarian toll, as the violence continues to drive massive displacement across the northern parts of the eastern DRC. Meanwhile, the Ente association described the killings as a “massacre” and urged Hema community members to avoid further retaliation. 

Historical Roots of Mineral Conflict

For over 30 years, the former Belgian colony has suffered from corruption and bloodshed linked to its vast mineral wealth. The region produces significant global supplies of cobalt, copper, uranium, and diamonds.

This resource abundance continues to fund various militia groups and fuel a humanitarian crisis that has displaced nearly one million people in Ituri alone, according to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).

Resurgence of Notorious Warlords

The province has seen a 2025 resurgence of the CRP, a group founded by Thomas Lubanga. Lubanga was found guilty in 2012 by the International Criminal Court for recruiting children into his rebel army and was released in 2020.

Fighting between his forces, the national army, and CODECO has been defined by widespread civilian abuses. Paradoxically, the Congolese army sometimes uses CODECO as an auxiliary force despite the group’s history of violence.

Overstretched Security Forces

The Congolese military faces a complex security landscape involving the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF), which has roots in Uganda and pledged allegiance to the Islamic State in 2019.

Rawya Rageh of Amnesty International noted that “there are multiple challenges facing the Congolese authorities” because “there are multiple competing actors – M23, ADF, CODECO.”

She explained that “most of the forces are overstretched responding to the threat from M23,” a Rwanda-backed rebel group that has seized key cities in the eastern region.

Escalating Regional Instability and ADF Abuses

The ADF has intensified its brutal campaign, killing at least 40 people and looting homes in a cross-border rampage across Ituri and North Kivu between Wednesday and Thursday. Charité Banza, leader of the Ituri civil society group, confirmed that 15 victims were murdered in Ituri while 25 were killed in the Beni territory of North Kivu—a grim surge following a July 2025 “bloodbath” that claimed 66 lives.

Despite the joint deployment of Ugandan and Congolese troops since 2021, Amnesty International’s Rawya Rageh warns that “entire areas that are emptied of troops that have been diverted to other front lines” allow rebels to “capitalise on security gaps.”

As local officials fear the death toll will rise with many residents still missing, the vacuum created by overstretched security forces continues to leave civilian populations completely vulnerable to these lethal incursions.

Findings of War Crimes and Crimes Against Humanity

In a landmark report, Amnesty International has formally accused the ADF of war crimes and crimes against humanity. Secretary-General Agnes Callamard stated these “abuses constitute war crimes which the world must not continue to ignore.”

The group is accused of systematic kidnappings, forced labour, and recruiting child soldiers. Furthermore, the report documented horrific “crimes against women and girls, including forced marriage, forced pregnancy and various other forms of sexual violence.”

Continental Stakes and African Solidarity

The instability in the DRC remains a focal point for the African Union and regional bodies like the East African Community. For nations like Ghana, which has a long history of contributing to UN peacekeeping missions, the deteriorating situation in Ituri represents a challenge to the “African solutions to African problems” doctrine. The persistent presence of foreign-affiliated groups like the ADF threatens to destabilise not just the Congo but the entire Great Lakes region.

A Call for Sustained African Leadership

The latest massacre in Ituri underscores the fragility of peace in one of Africa’s most resource-rich zones. True stability will require more than military intervention; it demands a unified continental approach to resource governance and ethnic reconciliation. As the DRC moves deeper into 2026, the priority must remain on protecting African lives and ensuring that the nation’s wealth benefits its people rather than fueling perpetual militia warfare.

According to the WHO, the vessel, carrying 147 people – 88 passengers and 59 crew members from 23 nationalities – departed Ushuaia, Argentina, on April 1, 2026, and travelled through several remote regions, including Antarctica, South Georgia, Tristan da Cunha, Saint Helena and Ascension Island. 

As of May 4, health authorities had identified two laboratory-confirmed hantavirus infections and five suspected cases.  

One patient remains critically ill in intensive care in South Africa, while three others with mild symptoms are still on board the ship, which is currently moored off the coast of Cabo Verde. 

WHO said the first case involved an adult male who developed fever, headache and diarrhoea on April 6 during the voyage.  

His condition rapidly deteriorated into respiratory distress, leading to his death aboard the vessel on April 11. 

A second case, involving a close contact of the first patient, emerged after disembarkation at Saint Helena on April 24.  

The woman later died in South Africa on April 26 after developing severe respiratory complications during a flight to Johannesburg. Laboratory tests subsequently confirmed hantavirus infection. 

A third confirmed patient was medically evacuated from Ascension Island to South Africa after developing pneumonia and severe breathing difficulties. He remains in intensive care. 

WHO said investigations were ongoing to determine the source of exposure, noting that hantavirus infection is commonly linked to contact with rodents or contaminated environments. The agency added that the extent of passengers’ contact with wildlife during the voyage remains unclear. 

“Hantavirus infection is primarily acquired through exposure to urine, faeces or saliva of infected rodents,” WHO explained, adding that although the disease is rare, it can cause severe respiratory illness and death. 

The organisation noted that limited human-to-human transmission had previously been documented in outbreaks involving the Andes virus strain in South America, particularly among close contacts. 

Authorities in Cabo Verde, the Netherlands, South Africa, Spain and the United Kingdom have launched a coordinated international response involving epidemiological investigations, laboratory testing, medical evacuations and contact tracing. 

Passengers on board have been advised to remain in their cabins where possible, practise physical distancing and monitor symptoms for up to 45 days. 

Additional laboratory testing is being conducted by the National Institute for Communicable Diseases in South Africa and the Institut Pasteur in Senegal. 

WHO currently assesses the risk to the global population as low and has not recommended any travel or trade restrictions related to the incident. 

The UN health agency urged travellers and healthcare workers to remain vigilant, especially in areas where hantavirus is endemic, stressing the importance of early detection, infection prevention measures and rapid access to intensive medical care. 

Hantavirus pulmonary syndrome is a zoonotic disease caused by viruses carried mainly by rodents.  

Symptoms often begin with fever, headache, muscle pain and gastrointestinal illness before rapidly progressing to respiratory failure and shock in severe cases. 

There is currently no approved antiviral treatment or vaccine for hantavirus pulmonary syndrome, though WHO says early supportive treatment in intensive care units can significantly improve survival rates.