The convicts were given sentences ranging from five years to life imprisonment after being linked to Boko Haram or a rival splinter group, the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP).

The trials came at a time when the government is under intense pressure to curb rising insecurity in Africa’s most populous state. Security forces are battling multiple armed groups, from militant Islamists to separatists and kidnapping-for-ransom gangs.

Boko Haram launched an insurgency in the north-east in 2009, killing tens of thousands of people and displacing more than two million, aid groups say.

On Wednesday, the US urged its citizens to reconsider travelling to the country because of the deteriorating security situation.

More than 500 suspects were put on trial in the federal high court in the capital, Abuja, on charges of either taking part in attacks or supporting the militants through funding, supplying arms, or giving logistical support.

On Friday, judges convicted 386 of them, acquitted two, discharged eight, and adjourned the cases of 112 suspects, officials said.

Five of the accused had pleaded guilty at the start of the trials to charges that included selling livestock, supplying food and information to the militant groups.

The US carried out airstrikes in northern Sokoto state on Christmas Day to target a militant Islamist group known as Lakurawa after President Donald Trump alleged that Christians were being persecuted in Nigeria.

The government denied Trump’s claim, saying that people of all faiths and no faith were victims of violence.

Lisa Phillips, a US survivor of Epstein, told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: “We’ve already sent letters to him [the King], and we’re already requesting meetings with him“.

She added her voice to US Congressman Ro Khanna and the family of the late Virginia Giuffre, calling for the royal visitors to engage with Epstein’s victims, who have questions about the involvement of the King’s brother, Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor.

Mountbatten-Windsor, who has faced his own calls to testify for a congressional inquiry, has denied any wrongdoing from his links to Epstein.

The four-day trip to meet President Trump, from 27 to 30 April, was already likely to be controversial.

It is against the backdrop of the Iran war, with no certainty about where the ceasefire might stand during the state visit.

It might be difficult to be chinking glasses in the White House if bombs are still falling. Not to mention the awkwardness if there are more volleys of disparaging comments from Trump about the UK’s prime minister, armed forces or Nato allies.

The King, facing one of the biggest speeches of his reign when he addresses Congress, will be expected to help restore the rather frayed friendship between the US and UK.

But it increasingly seems that the King and Queen, in the wake of the Mountbatten-Windsor scandal, will be the focus of some difficult questions themselves, with calls for some kind of public response to Epstein’s victims during their trip.

The survivors want to be part of the conversation.

Phillips, a former model who has spoken out about her experiences as a survivor of Epstein, believes there is a greater chance of meeting Queen Camilla than the King.

“It may happen with Camilla,” she told the Today programme on Friday.

“She’s always been supportive of the survivors. She’s taken a stand for us. She would be the more likely person to meet with us. So we’re hopeful that maybe she will”.

The Queen has been a longstanding campaigner against domestic abuse and violence against women and girls, including talking about her own experience of an assault.

“To every survivor of every kind of violence, many of whom have not been able to tell their stories or who have not been believed, please know that you are not alone,” the Queen told a reception at St James’s Palace, in a speech seen as a thinly-veiled reference to Epstein’s victims.

A previous statement from Buckingham Palace had said the King and Queen’s “thoughts and sympathies have been, and remain with, the victims of any and all forms of abuse”.

In terms of a practical response, the Palace has already taken unprecedented action by stripping the former Prince Andrew of his titles and removing him from his home.

So far, there have been no signs that the state visit will include any reference to Epstein or his survivors. A meeting with the King and Queen remains very unlikely.

It is understood that there are serious concerns that any comments or remarks in meetings could jeopardise the legal process underway following the arrest of Mountbatten-Windsor.

Although US Congressman Khanna has rejected this, telling The Times there could be a meeting between survivors and the King without any “specific facts regarding his brother” being discussed.

The Democrat, who co-sponsored legislation that required the US justice department to release the Epstein files, has already written to the King calling on him to engage with Epstein victims, saying: “As you are aware, this is not solely an American matter.”

The state visit falls only a couple of days after the first anniversary of Giuffre taking her own life.

Giuffre was a prominent accuser of Mountbatten-Windsor, and her brother and sister-in-law, Sky and Amanda Roberts, have said they “strongly urge” the King to “meet with survivors and us and hear ⁠what we have to say”.

The idea of the Epstein scandal becoming part of the state visit would be as uncomfortable for the Trumps as it would be for the visiting royals.

The First Lady, Melania Trump, felt it necessary to publicly deny any connection to Epstein, also calling for victims to be able to testify to Congress.

President Trump has been an enthusiastic supporter of the monarchy and has spoken warmly of the King’s visit.

On social media, he announced he would “look forward to spending time with the King, whom I greatly respect. It will be TERRIFIC!”

So the Trump administration will want to avoid anything disrupting the positive notes of the visit.

Although the UK public might seem less enthusiastic, a recent YouGov opinion poll suggests 49% are against the state visit, compared with 33% in favour.

The BBC’s Royal Watch newsletter has received emails from readers opposing the trip.

That’s included criticism such as a warning that “appalling insults” from the president are “punching at not just Starmer but at our soldiers, our institutions”. Another said, “Stay home. Why be insulted?”

But such state visits are carried out on behalf of the government and the US trip has been months in the planning, with an important task of improving relations.

State visits are tightly choreographed events, carefully planned in advance, with limited opportunities for adaptations. And the royals are not deciding the agenda.

But the calls over Epstein are getting louder and harder to ignore. Survivors are likely to be doing interviews and making their points during the visit, contrasting their stories with the ceremonial splendour.

There might not be answers from the royal visitors, but the questions will be inescapably part of the state visit story.

There was curiosity, yes, but no one guessed it would be must-see viewing. Not even those most plugged into the administration had any forewarning of the topic, according to officials.

Flanked by American flags, her first sentence jolted those listening. “The lies linking me with the disgraceful Jeffrey Epstein need to end today.”

With those words, the Epstein crisis that had plagued the president was once again front and centre thanks to his wife.

Immediately, US cable channels broke away from their coverage on Iran, given the gravity of what was unfolding.

The first lady has always maintained a relatively low profile, strategically selecting her few public events. She hardly shares the same flare for the dramatic, or the desire to shock and awe the press, as her husband.

Reading from a prepared statement, she said she never had a relationship with Epstein or Maxwell, was not introduced to her husband by Epstein, and was unaware of Epstein’s crimes. She ended by calling for public congressional hearings for Epstein survivors to testify to uncover the truth.

If she had stayed to answer any questions, surely the first one would have been why did she feel the need now, seemingly out of the blue, to distance herself from the convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and to go on the record for the first time?

Rumours swirled that perhaps she was trying to get ahead of something new, given the general claims she referenced have circulated for years and she’s usually relied on her lawyers to respond.

Investigative journalist Vicky Ward who has reported on Epstein for decades says the timing of the press conference is confusing.

“I think if Melania Trump had done this at the start of the Epstein crisis – a year ago – and called on Congress to put the victims on record and hear their stories, we’d feel quite different about it.”

The context of her remarks also don’t make sense, she adds. “There isn’t really much of Melania Trump in the Epstein files besides that one email, friendly email to Ghislaine Maxwell. I’m baffled by it. I don’t think anyone ever believed she was a victim.”

Adding to the intrigue, President Donald Trump said he didn’t know that she was going to give that statement, even though a spokesperson for the first lady had initially said he did.

Reaction to Melania Trump’s announcement came swiftly.

Several survivors reached out to each other, sharing their incredulity at what had just unfolded, and began coordinating how they would respond. Thirteen of them, along with the family of Virginia Roberts Giuffre, put out a statement saying that asking more of survivors was a deflection of responsibility, not justice.

“First Lady Melania Trump is now shifting the burden onto survivors under politicized conditions that protect those with power: the Department of Justice, law enforcement, prosecutors, and the Trump Administration, which has still not fully complied with the Epstein Files Transparency Act.”

Democrats continue to argue that the Department of Justice has withheld too many documents without proper justification. Out of six million documents, the Department of Justice released 3.5 million and said there are legal limits on releasing the rest.

Marina Lacerda, who was just 14 years old when she was abused by Epstein as detailed in the 2019 federal indictment against the disgraced financier, was one of the survivors to sign that statement. But she went even further in a separate video shared on social media, slamming the first lady’s suggestion.

“It sounds like you’re just trying to shift attention from something to something else. So how does this benefit the Trump family, is my question,” Ms Lacerda said.

But survivor Lisa Phillips praised Melania Trump for countering the Department of Justice’s narrative that they were closing the chapter on the Epstein files.

Ms Phillips told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme that her call to have survivors telling their stories was a “bold move”. But she also challenged the first lady to follow her words with actions.

“What I would do is I would call her bluff and I would, you know, push her a little bit and say, okay, Now that you’ve said that, what can you do? What can you do to help us? And what can you do to move us along?”

The chairman of the House Oversight Committee, which is investigating the Epstein files, told Fox News on Friday that he always planned to hold hearings with survivors of Epstein’s crimes once the committee finishes its investigation. “I agree with the first lady and appreciate what she said,” Republican James Comer said. “We will have hearings.”

Barry Levine, author of The Spider: Inside the Tangled Web of Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell, says the fact that Melania Trump included and acknowledged the victims is very significant because she’s chosen to go against her husband’s stance.

He says President Trump has always turned a cold shoulder to the victims.

“He had been given many opportunities to say something supportive of the survivors in terms of getting accountability for them and he has continually said the files are nothing but a hoax.”

His wife Melania, says Levine, is very much her own person who speaks her own mind. “Even the president has previously acknowledged this.”

Tammy Vigil, author of Melania and Michelle: First Ladies in a New Era, told the BBC that the fact that her statement didn’t include her husband shows a fissure in the White House between the president and first lady and the agendas they’re forwarding.

“She’s pushing an agenda that by all outward appearances he doesn’t want to push. So she’s helping her own agenda. It’s a very independent statement and we’ve seen her do that a few times before.”

Democrats, meanwhile, see this as a political gift.

Melania Trump has now placed herself squarely into the Epstein story and put herself at odds with the administration, which wants to end the investigation.

The highest-ranking Democrat on the House Oversight Committee, Robert Garcia, has said that he was stunned by the speech and the Trump administration must now follow the first lady’s lead.

“If Melania Trump wants real justice, she should ask her husband to release the rest of the Epstein files and ensure that Pam Bondi testifies,” he said.

President Trump, who socialised with Epstein in the 1990s and appears in the files many times but has denied any knowledge of his crimes, has called the Epstein files uproar a politically motivated hoax.

But this time he cannot accuse the person putting the story back into the headlines of having malicious intentions.

It is the enduring crisis that the administration cannot get past, and Melania Trump’s announcement has just breathed fresh life into it.

The appointment was announced by the UN Secretary-General, António Guterres in a press statement. He commended Ms Gbeho’s extensive experience across political, humanitarian and development operations within the United Nations system.

She takes over from the late Nicholas Haysom, whose leadership of UNMISS was praised for its impact on peacebuilding efforts in the conflict-affected country.

Ms Gbeho brings more than 25 years of experience working in complex environments, including conflict and post-conflict settings across Africa and beyond.

Her career has seen her contribute to UN operations in countries such as Somalia, Sudan, Iraq and Cambodia, positioning her as a seasoned figure in international diplomacy and crisis management.

Prior to her latest appointment, she served as Deputy Special Representative of the Secretary-General in South Sudan, while also holding the roles of Humanitarian Coordinator and Resident Coordinator. In these capacities, she was instrumental in coordinating humanitarian responses and development initiatives, and at times acted as Officer-in-Charge of the mission.

Her previous assignments include senior leadership roles within the United Nations Assistance Mission in Somalia and the African Union-United Nations Hybrid Operation in Darfur, where she worked on stabilisation and peace support efforts.

She also served with the United Nations Development Programme in Namibia and held positions within the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.

Ms Gbeho’s academic background includes studies in the United States and Ghana, earning degrees in social sciences and international relations from the University of Ghana and the State University of New York.

Her appointment comes at a critical time for South Sudan, where the United Nations continues to play a central role in peacekeeping, humanitarian assistance and support for political stability. As head of UNMISS, Ms Gbeho is expected to lead efforts aimed at sustaining fragile peace and advancing long-term recovery in the country.

The development also underscores Ghana’s continued contribution to global diplomacy and peacekeeping, with Ms Gbeho joining a distinguished list of nationals who have served in high-level international roles.

The Persian Gulf is a major source of aviation fuel, accounting for about 50% of Europe’s imports.

Airports Council International (ACI) Europe said its members had “increasing concerns” about the availability of jet fuel, particularly as the summer tourism season approached.

It warned that smaller airports are particularly vulnerable.

“A supply crunch would severely disrupt airport operations and air connectivity – with the risk of harsh economic impacts for the communities affected, and for Europe,” ACI Europe’s director-general, Olivier Jankovec, wrote in a letter to the European commissioners for energy and tourism.

“At this stage, we understand that if the passage through the Strait of Hormuz does not resume in any significant and stable way within the next three weeks, systemic jet fuel shortage is set to become a reality for the EU.”

Several airlines worldwide have already cut flights and hiked passenger charges due to concerns about fuel shortages.

Last week, the benchmark European jet fuel price hit an all-time high of $1,838 (£1,387) per tonne, compared with $831 before the war began.

Jankovec urged the EU to intervene, writing that “relying on market forces and adaptation alone is not an option”.

He criticised the lack of EU-wide assessment and monitoring of jet fuel production and availability.

ACI Europe wants the EU to engage in collective jet fuel purchasing. The body has also called for the temporary lifting of restrictions and regulations on importing jet fuel.

The letter, which was written on 9 April and first reported by the Financial Times, said: “This crisis should also be the opportunity to reinforce support for SAF [sustainable aviation fuel] production and affordability,

“The price of conventional jet fuel is likely to remain at higher levels in the medium to long-term.”

Jankovec added that airports with fewer than a million passengers per year were already struggling with viability “without even accounting for the impact of jet fuel shortages”.

He warned the current crisis could make airports even more fragile and threaten local communities, potentially impacting European cohesion.

Air travel contributes €851bn (£741bn) to European economies’ GDP every year and supports 14 million jobs.

This was the deadline for the Entry/Exit System (EES) to be active at every Schengen border crossing point in all 29 participating countries.

The system was gradually introduced from October to strengthen security and ultimately make travel smoother, though some hiccups have delayed the rollout of every point.

There have been long queues at some European airports and warnings that delays could be worse during busy holiday periods.

What is EES, and where is it being introduced?

EES is a digital system designed to track when non-EU citizens, including those from the UK, enter and leave the Schengen Area.

This covers 29 European countries – mainly in the EU – where people can travel across without border controls.

It includes many popular destinations for UK travellers, such as France, Spain, Portugal, Italy and Greece.

Under the new system, fingerprints and a photo have to be registered.

EES will eventually replace the current system in which border officers stamp passports.

Will I need to use EES when I go on holiday?

When you first encounter EES will depend on where you’re travelling to, and when. If you’re flying, you will go through the process when you land at European airports.

The gradual introduction of EES began on 12 October, and the plan was to phase it in over six months.

There have already been hours-long queues at pinch points. Airports have warned that things could worsen during the upcoming holiday periods.

John and Phil, a married couple from Motherwell, queued for five hours after landing in Pisa Airport.

They arrived at 12:30 pm local time (11:30 am BST) after flying from Glasgow and didn’t get through until the evening.

John has an Irish passport and waited in the queue for an hour, but his wife had to wait in a separate queue with other British passport holders.

John told the BBC: “When I came through, all the planes which had arrived in the hours before had all their suitcases unloaded from the carousel, left stacked on the concourse floor.

“There were several elderly people in those queues and, as you can imagine at this time, lots of children.

“Our government must do something about this,” he said.

Travellers arriving at the popular ski destination of Geneva experienced long delays due to the system earlier this year.

Travel experts have told the BBC that the system has at times been blighted by IT issues, and long queues can form when travellers are unable to use it easily.

The European Commission has indicated that suspending EES checks to ease queues will be permitted during busy periods until September.

On Friday, not all airports in Europe will be switching the system on, including Milan and Lisbon.

What do passengers have to do to use EES?

The first time they use the new system, people from most non-EU countries will need to register biometric information and have their passports scanned.

Flight passengers will register at their destination airport.

But if you are crossing the English Channel by ferry from Dover, taking the Eurotunnel shuttle to France, or taking the Eurostar train, it will be done as you leave the UK.

At these places, most passengers will have to follow the instructions at special kiosks.

The machines will scan each passport, then take fingerprints and a photo.

Children under 12 won’t have to provide fingerprints. Staff should be on hand to help.

The screen will also present travellers with four questions about their trip, such as confirming where they will be staying and that they have enough money.

However, at Eurotunnel, those questions will be asked by border officers at their discretion.

The EES registration will be valid for three years, with the details verified on each trip during that period.

At Dover, ferry passengers in coaches started using the new system in October. Other tourist traffic was initially meant to follow on 1 November.

However, people in cars have not yet begun using it, with no date confirmed.

Eurotunnel, which runs vehicle shuttles through the Channel Tunnel, is also introducing the EES in stages.

At the port of Dover and Eurostar’s London St Pancras terminal, the questions will also not be presented on the machines during the introductory period. It will not be switched on on 10 April.

Big changes have had to be made at Dover. The port has reclaimed some land from the sea to create an additional processing area.

People will head to this new area, a mile from the ferry terminal, to do their EES checks.

Because the French border has in effect been moved to a coach processing building in this new area, coaches will be sealed after passengers have completed their checks. They will then drive over to catch their ferry.

The port’s boss says groups of schoolchildren will be able to do some of their registration in advance, so they will only need to present their passports at the border.

Eurostar has installed 49 EES kiosks in three areas around its London St Pancras terminal. Passengers will use them before presenting their ticket at the departures area.

However, checks are currently being completed manually by border officers rather than at the machines. Eurostar says it will bring in the kiosks “once the operational software and the activation timetable are confirmed and approved by the French Ministry of Interior”.

Eurotunnel has installed more than 100 kiosks on both sides of the Channel.

Customers who are travelling in cars will be directed to drive up to a kiosk bearing their registration number and provide their biometric information there. Coach passengers will go through the process with a border officer.

A mobile phone app has been developed to enable passengers to do part of the process before reaching the border. However, this isn’t being widely used at the moment.

Concerns have repeatedly been raised that the extra couple of minutes it takes for each traveller to complete the registration process could lead to big queues, particularly at space-constrained Dover.

However, bosses at cross-Channel travel hubs hope that the decision to introduce EES gradually, instead of with a “big bang” start, will reduce the risk of disruption.

Eurotunnel chief executive Yann Leriche says there will be no “chaos” or queues at the Channel Tunnel and that his company is fully prepared.

Similarly, Eurostar hopes its decision to limit EES initially to some business travellers before expanding its use will help prevent queues.

What is ETIAS and when is that coming?

The EU is also introducing a new passport-linked visa waiver system, the European Travel Information and Authorisation System (ETIAS), which will build on the EES.

Citizens of non-EU countries who don’t need a visa to enter the EU -including people from the UK – will be able to apply online for authorisation before they travel.

ETIAS isn’t due to start until the end of 2026, but the final date has not yet been confirmed.

It will cost €20 (£17.47) per application, and will be valid for three years.

People aged under 18 and over 70 will need to apply, but won’t have to pay.

Over 10 days from April 13 to 23, Leo will travel nearly 18,000 km (11,185 miles) to visit 11 cities and towns in Algeria, Cameroun, Angola and Equatorial Guinea as part of a whirlwind itinerary that includes 18 flights.

The Pope is making the visit with a mission “to help turn the world’s attention to Africa”, Cardinal Michael Czerny, a senior Vatican official and close adviser to Leo, told Reuters.

“By heading to Africa so ​early in his pontificate, the Pope shows that Africa matters,” Czerny said. “Leo wants to make sure that Africa is not forgotten by countries and people caught ​up in their own concerns.”

Leo, who in recent weeks has emerged as an outspoken critic of the Iran ⁠war, has made only one big overseas trip since being elected last May, visiting Turkey and Lebanon in November and December. He visited Monaco in March.

Vatican officials and African Church ​leaders say the upcoming tour is a personal priority for Leo, the first US Pope, and a sign of the value the Church places on the continent, the place ​where Catholicism is growing fastest.

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More than 20 per cent of the world’s Catholics live on the continent, according to Vatican statistics. Three of the countries Leo is visiting have populations where more than half of the people identify as Catholic.

Equatorial Guinea, which has not been visited by a Pope since 1982, is more than 70 per cent Catholic. Algeria is an overwhelmingly Muslim country with under 10,000 Catholics among its population of ​some 48 million people.

Popes have dedicated attention to Africa with tours since the late 1960s. Leo’s will be the 24th by a leader of the 1.4-billion-member Church.

“The African Church ​is vibrant and alive, full of vocations to the religious life and priesthood,” said Rev. Mark Francis, a US Priest and friend of the Pope since the 1970s.

Pope Leo, succeeded the late Pope Francis and is 70, relatively young for a Pope and in good health. He is planning to give 25 speeches over 10 days, as well as holding official meetings with political leaders and local Catholics.

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Sentebale, which supports young people in Africa, is shown on online court records as suing Prince Harry, in a case filed on 24 March.

Representatives of Prince Harry and Sentebale have not provided any more details about the claim.

Prince Harry left the charity last year in an acrimonious dispute over how Sentebale was being managed.

The court filings show Prince Harry as a defendant alongside Mark Dyer, another former trustee of the charity, in a claim listed as “defamation – libel and slander”.

There are no other documents published alongside or any further information.

Prince Harry and his fellow founder, Prince Seeiso, left the charity in March 2025 along with a group of trustees, in a dispute with the charity’s chair, Sophie Chandauka.

There was a Charity Commission investigation which found blame on all sides and criticised the way the dispute had played out so publicly, in a way that harmed the charity.

The charity works in Botswana and Lesotho to support the health and wellbeing of young people, especially those with HIV and Aids

In a statement issued in Accra on April 9, 2026, the Ministry said the system, introduced under EU Regulation 2017/2226, began phased implementation in October 2025 and is expected to be fully operational by April 10, 2026.

The EES will apply to non-EU nationals entering or exiting Schengen countries for short stays and is aimed at enhancing border security while streamlining travel processes.

According to the Ministry, the system will electronically record travellers’ details, including facial images, fingerprints, passport information, and entry and exit records.

It noted that implementation may vary across countries depending on their technical readiness.

The Ministry also clarified that certain categories of travellers are exempt, including holders of residence permits and long-stay visas, some family members of EU nationals, diplomatic officials, and individuals on specific international assignments.

Ghanaian travellers have been advised to familiarise themselves with the new requirements and comply with all entry procedures as the system is rolled out.

The Ministry reaffirmed its commitment to protecting the interests of Ghanaians abroad and urged the public to rely on official updates for guidance.

Read the statement below

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Fatalities And Rescue Operations

Police officials confirmed that three of the girls died on the spot after being swept away by strong currents. Local residents who witnessed the incident rushed to the scene to begin rescue efforts before authorities arrived.

One girl was rescued from the water in critical condition. Bystanders and local youths immediately transported her to a nearby hospital for emergency treatment. Her condition remains unstable as doctors continue to monitor her recovery.

Victims Identified by Police

According to the preliminary investigation conducted by the local police, the deceased have been identified as residents of Jumbuvalasa village in Hukumpeta Mandal. The victims had traveled to the waterfall area in Anantagiri for a recreational outing.

The police have registered a case regarding the accidental drowning. The bodies of the three girls have been moved for post-mortem examination as per standard legal procedure in such mishaps.

Safety Concerns at Tourist Spots

The incident highlights the recurring safety risks at waterfalls and hilly terrains in the ASR district, especially during the tourist season. Local authorities have previously advised visitors to exercise caution and avoid standing near slippery edges for photographs.

The administration is expected to review safety measures at Patra Mulagummi to prevent similar accidents. This includes potential installation of warning signs and barriers at high-risk points frequently visited by youth and tourists.

In a surprise announcement on Thursday, the first lady called for congressional hearings for survivors of Epstein’s sex trafficking.

She also denied online rumours that Epstein introduced her to Donald Trump, calling them “mean-spirited attempts to defame my reputation”.

It is unclear what prompted the announcement.

There was no prior indication from her office that she would make a statement on Epstein, and the White House did not share the topic earlier when her remarks were put on its daily schedule.

She said she had not been a victim of Epstein, with whom she only briefly “crossed paths” in 2000.

“I have never had any knowledge of Epstein’s abuse of his victims,” she said. “I was never involved in any capacity. I was not a participant.”

She also denied knowing Ghislaine Maxwell, the disgraced financier’s jailed associate.

She referred to a 2002 email between her and Maxwell released in the Epstein files, calling it nothing more than “casual correspondence” and a “polite reply”.

An email that appears to be the one she referenced is addressed to “G” – presumably for Ghislaine – and includes compliments about a story featuring “JE” with a photo of G that appeared in New York Magazine. She wrote that she “cannot wait” to go to Palm Beach.

“Give me a call when you are back in NY,” the email says. “Have a great time! Love, Melania”

The New York Magazine article included quotes from now-President Donald Trump calling Epstein a “terrific guy” and saying “he’s a lot of fun to be with”.

“It is even said that he likes beautiful women as much as I do, and many of them on the younger side,” the story quoted him saying. “No doubt about it – Jeffrey enjoys his social life.”

Melania Trump on Thursday additionally called on lawmakers to “give these victims their opportunity to testify under oath in front of Congress with the power of sworn testimony”.

“Each and every woman should have her day to tell her story in public if she wishes, and then her testimony should be permanently entered into the congressional record,” she said. “Then, and only then, we will have the truth.”

Several prominent business leaders have been forced to resign their positions in recent months after new details emerged about their ties to Epstein – a fact that Melania Trump referenced in her remarks.

“Of course, this doesn’t amount to guilt, but we still must work openly and transparently to uncover the truth,” she said.

She did not take questions from reporters.

In a statement published soon after she spoke, California Representative Robert Garcia, the most powerful Democrat on the House Oversight Committee, said that “we agree with Melania Trump’s call for a public hearing”.

He urged the committee chairman, Republican Representative James Comer, “to respond to the First Lady’s request and schedule a public hearing immediately”.

Family of Epstein accuser Virginia Giuffre, Sky and Amanda Roberts, and other survivors told BBC Newsnight that they “have already shown extraordinary courage by coming forward, filing reports, and giving testimony.

“Asking more of them now is a deflection of responsibility, not justice,” they said in a statement. They accused the first lady of protecting “those with power”, including members of her husband’s administration, who they said still have not released all of the investigative files related to Epstein.

“Survivors have done their part,” they said. “Now it’s time for those in power to do theirs.”

The relationship between the first lady and Epstein has already led to legal battles.

In October 2025, for example, HarperCollins UK said it would retract passages from a book that included “unverified” claims that Donald Trump and his wife met through Epstein. Similarly, the Daily Beast retracted and apologised for an article that the publication later said “did not meet our standards.”

The first lady also has been embroiled in an ongoing legal dispute with author Michael Wolff over a claim in his book Fire and Fury that she was first introduced to her husband through a modelling agent tied to Epstein.

Wolff moved to counter-sue her after she threatened him with a $1bn (£745mn) defamation lawsuit.

“My attorneys and I have fought these unfounded and baseless lies with success, and will continue to maintain my sound reputation without hesitation,” she said on Thursday.

Her statement at the White House is an extremely rare appearance by the first lady, one of only a handful of similar events for a first lady who has proven both elusive and influential since her husband returned to the White House

The first lady’s statement is likely to reignite intense public debate over the handling of the Justice Department’s investigation into Epstein and the subsequent release of its files.

While Donald Trump has acknowledged that he knew Epstein for a time, he later claimed he expelled him from his Mar-a-Lago club in Palm Beach for being a “creep”.

The president was mentioned numerous times in the Epstein files, but there is no indication of wrongdoing.

Since October 2025, 4,499 refugees have been resettled in the US, according to the Refugee Processing Centre. All, except three from Afghanistan, were South African.

In the last full fiscal year of the Biden administration, which started in October 2023, 125,000 people were accepted from 85 countries.

Last year, Trump halted all refugee admissions, including for applicants from war zones, but allowed Afrikaners, a white minority group he said was persecuted, to seek resettlement. South Africa objected to his characterisation.

In announcing the change, Trump said it would help strengthen national security and public safety.

Priority was to be given to Afrikaner South Africans and “other victims of illegal or unjust discrimination in their respective homelands”, according to an announcement.

Diplomatic tensions between Washington and Pretoria have been rising since Trump returned to the White House.

Just over a year ago, South Africa’s ambassador in the US, Ebrahim Rasool, was expelled after accusing Trump of “mobilising a supremacism” and trying to “project white victimhood as a dog whistle”.

Then, in the Oval Office in May, Trump confronted his South African counterpart, Cyril Ramaphosa, where he claimed that white farmers in South Africa were targets of persecution and “genocide”.

Ramaphosa tried to refute Trump’s assertions and was backed up by John Steenhuisen, the white leader of the Democratic Alliance, which is part of the coalition government.

“Certainly, the majority of South Africa’s commercial and smallholder farmers really do want to stay in South Africa and make it work,” Steenhuisen told Trump.

In October, the South African government criticised the US decision to prioritise refugee applications from white Afrikaners, saying claims of a white genocide have been widely discredited and lacked reliable evidence.

It highlighted an open letter published by prominent members of the Afrikaner community – including academics, businesspeople and descendants of apartheid-era figures – who rejected the narrative, with some signatories calling the relocation scheme racist.

The first group of 68 South African refugees reached the US in May last year. The numbers began ticking up this year, with 2,848 people arriving across February and March.

They have resettled across the US, with the highest concentration – 543 – living in Texas.

The state department’s travel update on Wednesday added that specific Nigerian states that pose an increased risk have been placed under the most severe warning that advises against all travel in the affected areas.

Washington also authorised the departure of “non-emergency” staff and their families from the US embassy in Abuja, following what it calls a “deteriorating security situation” across the country.

The advisory comes amid a fresh surge in deadly attacks across parts of the country, and despite an expanding security partnership between the two nations.

According to the US State Department, Washington has been working with Abuja on counter‑terrorism, maritime security, intelligence sharing and military training.

Recent cooperation has included surveillance and reconnaissance support, and the use of US‑supplied aircraft and helicopters by Nigerian forces against Islamist insurgents and armed groups.

The decision to scale back embassy staffing underscores the gap between strategic military cooperation and the reality of daily insecurity faced by civilians in many parts of the country.

In the travel advisory, US citizens were warned that attacks could occur with little or no warning in public spaces, including markets, hotels, places of worship, schools and transport hubs.

While, in Washington’s classification, the country remains at “level 3” – to reconsider travel – in the updated advisory, at least 23 states have been placed under “level 4”. “The security situation in these states is unstable and uncertain,” the advisory said, adding: “Do not travel to these areas for any reason.”

States from the north-west and central Nigeria have been added to the most severe category, including Plateau, Jigawa, Kwara, Niger and Taraba. These join states such as Borno and Yobe in the north-east, long affected by an Islamist insurgency.

In Plateau and Benue, weeks of violence blamed on a mix of armed banditry, communal clashes and reprisal attacks have left dozens of people dead.

In the northeast, the Boko Haram group and its offshoot, Islamic State West Africa Province, continue to mount attacks on civilians, military convoys and aid workers, particularly in Borno.

With violence spreading beyond traditional flashpoints and public frustration growing, some Nigerians say the US warning highlights the urgency of restoring security and rebuilding confidence – both at home and abroad.

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Video of the rescue shows him standing in waist-deep water, telling his rescuers that he never lost faith during his ordeal.

The search continues for another miner who is still missing.

Twenty-five workers were inside the gold mine when the tailings dam – a structure which holds mining waste – burst on 25 March.

Twenty-one managed to get out, but four were trapped. José Alejandro Cástulo was rescued after five days under ground, and another miner died, but it took rescuers a full 13 days to locate Francisco Zapata.

Following more than 300 hours of searching, divers finally spotted the blinking of the miner’s torch light, which Zapata had turned on and off to alert them to his location.

“How are you, how are you?” rescuers asked as they reached him.

Once they had identified themselves as specialised military divers, they tell the miner that “your torchlight helped us a lot”.

“It guided us,” one of the divers added.

“I didn’t lose faith, I didn’t lose faith,” Zapata told his rescuers.

While Zapata appears visibly relieved in the footage, his ordeal was not yet over.

Due to the flooding in the tunnel leading to his location, the divers could not immediately extract him.

Instead, they left him behind with water, cans of tuna and energy bars – and a promise to return soon.

After 20 more hours in which the rescue teams used pumps to lower the water level in the flooded tunnels, Zapata could finally be taken to the surface.

Wrapped in a thermal blanket and sitting on an electric cart he emerged from the mine on Wednesday and was taken by helicopter to hospital, where he was able to reunite with his family.

Doctors said he was frail but stable and would receive the necessary treatment.

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum praised the Mexican army and Zapatero’s faith and resilience, which she said had made the “astounding rescue” possible.

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Two men and two women died after they “tried to board a water taxi” and “the currents, which can be dangerous here, swept them away”, the Pas-de-Calais prefecture said at a news conference.

The death toll was still “provisional”, local official François-Xavier Lauch said.

One person was treated for hypothermia and had non-life-threatening injuries, and 37 others were taken to the hospital, he added.

French media is reporting that rescue efforts were still under way on Thursday morning after the incident off the coast of Boulogne, between the beaches of Équihen and Écault, south of Calais.

Firefighters and intensive care units arrived at the scene at 07:30 local time (06:30 BST).

After weeks of difficult conditions, the weather in the Channel has been calm over the last few days. Crossings tend to increase in the summer months.

Over the past three years, crossings in the Channel have increased, with 41,472 people arriving in the UK by small boat in 2025.

Between 1 January and 26 March 2026, a total of 4,441 people crossed the English Channel by small boat from France.

This is 33% lower than the number who had reached the UK by this point in 2025, which was 6,642, although weather conditions may have played a part in this, with rougher conditions in the Channel compared with the same period in 2025.

People smugglers have begun using taxi-boats as a tactic to avoid police.

Instead of inflating their boats in the dunes along the coast, close to police patrols, the people smuggling gangs are launching them from better hidden locations, often dozens of kilometres from the main departure beaches.

They then cruise along the coastline, like taxis or buses, picking up their paying customers who now wait in the sea, out of reach of the police.

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Hackett will head a newly created office charged with dealing with the cases from a period characterised by widespread repression, enforced disappearances and extrajudicial killings.

The Truth, Reconciliation and Reparations Commission (TRRC) was set up to document the extent of the alleged abuses.

In its final report, handed to current President Adama Barrow in 2021, it identified those most responsible and recommended their prosecution.

The TRRC, which heard harrowing testimony from victims, former security operatives and other witnesses, also called for reparations to be paid to the victims, warning that failure to act risked entrenching impunity.

The TRRC has started phased compensation payments, starting with victims of abuses committed shortly after the 1994 coup when Jammeh first came to power.

But for many survivors, financial compensation is secondary to accountability.

Among the most notorious cases highlighted by the TRRC were the 2004 killing of journalist Deyda Hydara and the murder of more than 50 mainly West African migrants, executed by security forces after being wrongly accused of plotting a coup.

A handful of perpetrators have already been convicted abroad under the principle of universal jurisdiction, including former members of the notorious paramilitary unit and death squad known as “the Junglers” – some of whom have been jailed in Germany and the US.

The appointment of Hackett, who has previously served at the UN-backed Special Tribunal for Lebanon and who investigated war crimes committed by senior military commanders during the Kosovo war, is seen as a decisive step towards domestic accountability.

Attorney General Dawda Jallow was quoted as saying that Hackett had a four-year mandate and was chosen from a wide selection of candidates.

Jammeh, who refused to co-operate with the TRRC, only left power at the insistence of regional leaders.

They sent in troops to The Gambia when he refused to step down after his shock election defeat in December 2016.

Now aged 60, Jammeh has previously denied wrongdoing and is believed to be living in exile in Equatorial Guinea.

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“All U.S. Ships, Aircraft, and Military Personnel, with additional Ammunition, ​Weaponry … will remain in place in and around ​Iran until such time as the REAL AGREEMENT ⁠reached is fully complied with,” Trump said on his Truth Social platform.

“If ​for any reason it is not, which is highly unlikely, ​then the ‘Shootin’ Starts,’ bigger, and better, and stronger than anyone has ever seen before,” the president added.

Iran had said earlier on Wednesday ​that it would be “unreasonable” to proceed with talks to ​forge a permanent peace deal with the United States after Israel ‌pounded ⁠Lebanon with its heaviest strikes yet on Wednesday, killing hundreds of people.

The two sides appeared to be far apart on Iran’s nuclear program, with Trump saying Iran ​had agreed to ​stop enriching ⁠uranium, and Iran’s parliament speaker, Mohammed Bager Qalibaf, saying it was allowed to continue ​enriching uranium under the terms of the ​ceasefire.

“It was ⁠agreed, a long time ago, and despite all of the fake rhetoric to the contrary – NO NUCLEAR WEAPONS and, ⁠the ​Strait of Hormuz WILL BE ​OPEN & SAFE,” Trump added in his late Wednesday’s Truth Social post.

The first discovery is in the Ghadames oil basin, made in conjunction with a production subsidiary and Algeria’s state-owned energy company, Sonatrach, showing production rates of 13 million cubic feet of gas and 327 barrels of condensate daily, NOC said.

The Ghadames basin is located in northwestern Libya, near the Libyan-Algerian border.

The second gas discovery ​was with Italy’s Eni North Africa, with ​two separate tests showing flow rates of 14 million cubic ‌feet ⁠and 24 million cubic feet.

The discovery is in the western Libya offshore area, approximately 95 kilometres from the coast.

The NOC also made a ​discovery with ​Spain’s Repsol ⁠Libyan branch REMSA at exploratory wells in Murzuq Basin, some 800 kilometres ​south of Tripoli. Tests after drilling showed a ​production ⁠rate of 763 barrels of oil per day, it said.

Libya’s economy relies on oil for more ⁠than ​95% of its economic output.

“Africa stands at a defining moment. We are the youngest continent in the world, and our youth are creative, connected, and determined,” he stated.

However, he cautioned that “youthfulness alone will not deliver transformation,” warning that the continent must go beyond celebrating its demographics.

He highlighted that nearly 60 per cent of Africa’s population is under the age of 25, describing it as “an immense asset” but also “an urgent task.”

According to Mr. Ayariga, “it can be an asset or a ticking time bomb,” depending on how governments respond to employment and skills challenges.

He pointed out that job creation across the continent is not keeping pace with population growth, while technological advancement continues to outstrip the ability of education and training systems to adapt.

“If we do not align leadership, skills, and innovation systems, we risk deepening inequality and exclusion,” he warned.

He emphasised that Africa must act decisively to unlock its demographic dividend, stressing that failure to do so could worsen socio-economic inequalities rather than drive prosperity.

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Trump announced the agreement late on Tuesday, April 8, just two hours before a deadline he had set for Iran to open the blockaded Strait of ‌Hormuz or face the destruction of its “whole civilisation”.

Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said he had invited Iranian and U.S. delegations to meet in Islamabad on Friday. The deal is subject to Iran’s agreement to pause its blockade of oil and gas passing through the strait, Trump said.

The waterway typically handles about one-fifth of global oil and liquefied natural gas shipments. News of the deal, and the prospect that the worst disruption to global energy markets in history could finally come to a close, caused a sharp fall in oil prices and ​a surge in share markets around the world.

Breaking news alert

Iran’s foreign minister, Abbas Araqchi, said in a statement that Tehran would cease counter-attacks and provide safe passage through the waterway – if attacks against it stopped.

IRAN’S RULING ESTABLISHMENT ​SURVIVES

Crowds took to the streets of Iran overnight to celebrate, waving Iranian flags and burning flags of the United States and Israel. But there was also wariness that ⁠a deal would not hold.

“Israel will not allow diplomacy to work and Trump might change his view tomorrow. But at least we can sleep tonight without strikes,” Alireza, 29, a government employee in Tehran, told Reuters by ​phone.

The ceasefire suspends the war launched on February 28 by Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who had said at the time that they sought to prevent Iran from projecting force beyond its borders, end its nuclear programme ​and create conditions for Iranians to topple their rulers.

Trump told the French news agency AFP that the ceasefire represented a “total and complete victory” and said on Truth Social that the U.S. had achieved its military objectives.

But the war has yet to deprive Iran either of its stockpile of near-weapons-grade highly enriched uranium or its ability to hit its neighbours with missiles and drones. The clerical leadership, which faced a mass uprising months ago, withstood the superpower onslaught with no sign of domestic opposition.

And Tehran’s proven ability ​to cut off Gulf energy supplies, despite the massive U.S. military presence built across the region over decades, could reshape the power dynamics of the Gulf for generations.

“The enemy, in its unjust, illegal and criminal war against the ​Iranian nation, has suffered an undeniable, historic and crushing defeat,” Iran’s Supreme National Security Council said in a statement.

Netanyahu’s office said Israel supported the decision to suspend strikes on Iran for two weeks. But the agreement is likely to be seen ‌as a blow ⁠for the Israeli leader, who had repeatedly said he wanted Iran’s rulers to fall.

“There has never been such a diplomatic disaster in all our history,” opposition politician Yair Lapid said. “It will take us years to repair the diplomatic and strategic damage that Netanyahu caused due to arrogance, negligence and lack of strategic planning.”

Yair Golan, a former military deputy chief of staff who plans to run in the next election, wrote on X that the outcome was a “complete failure that endangered Israel’s security”.
“The nuclear program was not destroyed. The ballistic threat remains. The regime is still intact and is even emerging from this war stronger,” he said.

ISRAEL’S ATTACKS ON LEBANON CONTINUE

Reviving shipping from the Gulf could ​take time: shipping companies will need assurances of safety before ​sailing.

Container shipper Maersk said it was not yet ⁠making changes: “Any decision to transit the Strait of Hormuz will be based on continuous risk assessments, close monitoring of the security situation, and available guidance from relevant authorities and partners.”

The agreement did not halt Israel’s parallel campaign in Lebanon, which it invaded in March in pursuit of the Iran-aligned Hezbollah militia. Netanyahu’s office said the ceasefire did not ​apply to Lebanon, apparently contradicting Sharif.

The Lebanese state news agency NNA reported continued Israeli strikes across southern Lebanon, including artillery shelling and a dawn air strike ​on a building near a hospital ⁠that killed four people. Israel’s military issued repeated urgent warnings to residents that it planned to attack the city of Tyre in southern Lebanon.

A senior Lebanese official told Reuters that Lebanon had received no information on its inclusion in the ceasefire, and had not been involved in talks.

The U.S.-Iranian truce leaves the main demands of the warring sides unresolved.

An Israeli official said senior Trump administration officials had assured Israel that they would firmly insist, in talks over the next two weeks, ⁠on previous conditions ​such as the removal of Iran’s nuclear material, a halt to enrichment and the elimination of ballistic missiles.

But Iran could also make ​further demands. It has previously demanded the lifting of all sanctions, compensation for damage, guarantees that the war will not resume and a new system that would allow it to collect payment from ships that use the Strait of Hormuz.

Hossein Shariatmadari, editor-in-chief of Kayhan, a newspaper closely ​associated with late supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, derided the ceasefire in an editorial, saying “compromise and negotiation are a gift to the enemy”.

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Mr Stephen Akuoko, of 21 Lincoln Green Court, Haines Way, Watford, pleaded guilty to two food safety offences at St Albans Magistrates Court on 11 February.

The court heard that Mr Akuoko had been illegally processing fish products from his flat, which is owned by Watford Community Housing (WCH).

He was sentenced at St Albans Crown Court on Thursday 2 April.

The investigation began after cooked and smoked fish products traced back to Mr Akuoko were found being sold in Watford town centre.

Mr Akuoko had gone to considerable lengths to conceal where the fish products were being prepared, but a subsequent tip-off from the Fire Service helped officers identify that he was producing them from his home.

Environmental Health officers then served Mr Akuoko with a formal notice requiring him to cease production immediately.

Despite this the officers found he continued to supply products for sale and consumption by the public.

The decision to prosecute was taken due to the seriousness of the breaches, Mr Akuoko’s lack of cooperation during the investigation, his flagrant disregard for the law, and the potential risk posed to public health.

The judge also imposed two consecutive 12-month custodial sentences, suspended for two years, and signed a prohibition order banning Mr Akuoko from working in the food industry for five years.

He awarded £2,500 in costs (payable within three years) to reflect the council’s investigation, rather than issuing a fine. He described the evidence as overwhelming and praised the team’s persistence.

Fish and seafood production is tightly regulated because it poses higher food safety risks if not handled correctly, and businesses must be specially approved.

Poor storage or hygiene can cause illnesses such as Salmonella, Listeria or norovirus, leading to vomiting and diarrhoea. These rules protect residents and ensure safe operation.

Justine Hoy, Associate Director Housing and Wellbeing for Watford Borough Council, said: “Food safety laws exist to protect the public.

In this case, there was a clear and sustained failure to comply with legal requirements, despite formal enforcement action being taken.

“We will not hesitate to take action where businesses or individuals put public health at risk. This successful prosecution demonstrates our commitment to maintaining high food safety standards across Watford.”

The council continues to work proactively with food businesses to ensure compliance with food hygiene regulations and to safeguard the health of residents and visitors.

Speaking as co-chair of the High-Level segment of the One Health Summit in Lyon, France, on April 7, 2026, he highlighted disparities in global health preparedness and resource distribution, noting that countries most at risk often have the least capacity to respond.

He stressed that a healthy and thriving Africa would not pose a threat but would instead serve as a positive force for global progress.

President Mahama urged the international community to ensure fair access to financing, technology, data, and innovation, as well as enhanced research and knowledge sharing to strengthen health systems.

He also called for greater political will to drive reforms and improve coordination across global health systems.

The summit brought together world leaders, policymakers, and experts to address key issues such as disease prevention, environmental risks, and global health security.

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Brent fell $14.84, or 13.6%, to $94.43 a barrel, and WTI slid $16.13, ​or 14.3%, to $96.82 a barrel as of 0023 GMT.

Trump’s turnaround came shortly before his ​deadline for Iran to open the Strait of Hormuz, where 20% of ⁠the world’s oil transits, or face widespread attacks on its civilian infrastructure.

“This will be a ​double-sided ceasefire!” he wrote on social media, after posting earlier on Tuesday that “a whole ​civilisation will die tonight” if his demands were not met.

Iran said it would halt its attacks if attacks against it stopped and that safe transit through the Strait of Hormuz would be possible for two weeks in ​coordination with Iranian armed forces, according to a statement by Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi ​on Wednesday.

However, multiple Gulf states have identified missile launches and drone attacks or issued warnings to civilians to take shelter.

“Even with ‌a ⁠peace deal, Iran may be emboldened to threaten the Strait of Hormuz more frequently in the future, and the market will price in heightened risk to the Strait of Hormuz going forward,” MST Marquee analyst Saul Kavonic said.

The U.S.-Israeli war with Iran saw the steepest monthly ​oil price rise in ​history in March ⁠of more than 50%.

Trump said the U.S. had received a 10-point proposal from Iran, which he called a workable basis to negotiate, and ​said the parties were very far along on reaching a definitive ​agreement for long-term ⁠peace.

“It’s a good start and could pave the way to a more permanent reopening – but lots of ifs still to work out,” IG analyst Tony Sycamore said.

WTI has maintained its price premium over ​Brent, reversing typical price patterns, due to its May delivery contract, while Brent is for June, reflecting that barrels with an earlier delivery date are commanding a higher price.

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The incident took place shortly before 07:00 (05:00 GMT) on Tuesday morning between Béthune and Lens in the northern Pas-de-Calais region.

Two people initially deemed to have sustained critical injuries following the crash were “doing well”, while 13 others sustained minor injuries, local authorities said.

The driver of the lorry, which was carrying military equipment at the time, is in police custody, but officials said it was too early to determine the cause. An investigation into potential aggravated manslaughter is underway.

The vehicle belonged to a commercial haulier, and the driver was not a member of the military, officials said.

The train had been travelling from Dunkirk to Paris when the collision occurred. After hitting the lorry, it continued moving for several hundred metres before coming to a stop.

One person staying nearby told regional newspaper La Voix du Nord that they heard the train’s horn blaring for about 8 to 10 seconds before the crash.

Max, who is staying around 500m from the collision site, said the windows of the house rattled from the impact.

CEO of France’s state-owned rail operator, Jean Castex, confirmed the train driver had been a 56-year-old long-term employee of the company at a news conference on Tuesday.

“My first thoughts go to his family, his loved ones and colleagues,” he said.

“I also want to pay tribute to the two train staff members who were on board and who calmly stepped in and helped the passengers.”

Castex, also a former French prime minister, said there had been no indication of a problem with the barriers at the level crossing, adding that a lower-speed train had passed through minutes earlier.

The region’s President Xavier Bertrand described the incident as a “terrible tragedy”.

A passenger on the train told La Voix du Nord that some people had broken their noses due to the impact.

Eliot, who had been commuting to Paris for work, described seeing windows shattering and passengers hitting their heads, adding that he was “lucky” compared to them.

The regional rail network, TER Hauts-de-France, said direct services between Béthune and Lens had been suspended until Thursday, with trains taking an alternative route.

Services on other lines in the area are gradually resuming, but with significant delays.

Rail union SUD-Rail has called for “total transparency” regarding the investigation into the incident.

The collision comes less than a fortnight after a person died in the south-eastern Var region following a collision between a regional train and a truck.

Collisions at level crossings in France are relatively rare – but much more common than in the UK.

There were 89 incidents recorded in France in 2024, causing 20 deaths, compared to six in the UK, official figures show.

More than 100 collisions were recorded each year in France in 2021, 2022 and 2023.

“This is a coup, a slow coup that is unfolding in Zimbabwe,” veteran opposition politician and former finance minister Tendai Biti told the BBC.

But Zanu-PF, in power since independence in 1980, has vehemently defended the proposed changes.

“There’s nothing that stops us from changing, to go to another system that’s less costly, less controversial,” party spokesman Patrick Chinamasa said.

The conflicting views highlight the deep polarisation that draft legislation – aimed at changing the constitution – has caused, pitting Zanu-PF and opposition supporters against each other.

This became clear during public hearings that parliament held recently to give people a chance to express their views on the proposed shake-up that will lead to:

• Presidential elections – held since 1990 – being scrapped
• Parliamentary and presidential terms being extended from five to seven years
• Parliamentary elections scheduled for 2028 being delayed to 2030
• President Emmerson Mnangagwa, whose second and final term is due to end in 2028, is expected to remain in office until 2030
• The new parliament will elect the next president.

“I support the bill in its entirety,” a woman said at a public hearing in a sports arena in the capital, Harare, last week.

Thousands filled the venue, with speaker after speaker taking the microphone to echo calls for Mnangagwa to remain in office beyond 2028.

Mnangagwa took power in 2017 after ousting long-time ruler Robert Mugabe with the backing of military – and went on to win disputed elections in 2018 and 2023.

“Term limits must be extended from five to seven years and the MPs that we vote in, must be allowed to elect the president,” a man said at the public hearing.

When the microphone was moved to the area where leading critics of the bill were sitting, there were scenes reminiscent of the violence and intimidation that has often marred Zimbabwean politics, with pushing, shoving and fighting – along with the snatching of mobile phones and journalists being ordered to delete videos of the chaos.

Leading opposition member and lawyer Fadzayi Mahere told the BBC that Zanu-PF supporters had caused the “commotion” in order to prevent critics from registering their disagreement with the bill.

Chinamasa denied that the ruling party’s backers were behind the chaos.

“What reason do we have as Zanu-PF to be violent when the masses are behind us? The opposition does not accept that their view is failing to prevail,” he told the BBC.

But the opposition says Zimbabwe is seeing a new wave of repression. In the run up to the hearings, the opposition groups say, the police banned more than a dozen of their meetings.

Opposition National Constitutional Assembly leader Lovemore Madhuku said he was beaten by masked assailants last month as the police watched.

Biti, who leads the Constitution Defenders Forum, is out on bail after being accused of holding a public meeting without official permission.

“We have a history of repression [in Zimbabwe],” Biti told the BBC.

Parliament is expected to pass the bill in the coming weeks, marking the culmination of a campaign that began in 2024, with the slogan “2030 – he (Mnangagwa) will still be the leader” being chanted.

The campaign faced some fierce detractors within Zanu-PF, but its main critic – Blessed Geza, also known as “Bombshell” – died earlier this year.

For supporters of the 83-year-old president, the political overhaul will entrench democracy, ending what they regard as toxic presidential election campaigns that often trigger violence and lead to disputed results.

“As you know, any election of the president – and it’s not just Zimbabwe alone -. violence is associated with a popular vote,” Chinamasa told the BBC, as he defended the proposed changes.

But for critics, the bill is a step towards recreating the “imperial presidency” they fought to end during Mugabe’s 37-year rule.

A new constitution adopted in 2013 restricted a president to serving a maximum of two terms, further stating that any move to extend term limits would need to be endorsed by voters in a referendum – and, crucially, that a sitting president cannot benefit from any extension unless voters give their approval in a second referendum.

For the likes of Biti, the bill reverses these hard-fought gains, and could be challenged in the courts as, they argue, it violates the constitutional requirement that a referendum be held before the president’s term is extended.

But Zanu-PF is confident that it is acting constitutionally, saying there is no need for a referendum as, in its view, the two-term limit remains – all that is happening is that a term will now be seven, rather than, five years.

But critics fear that Zanu-PF – led by Mnangagwa – could be moving stealthily to scrap term-limits.

“If they can get away with two years what stops them from getting away with 20 years?” Biti said.

Chinamasa dismissed suggestions that the bill signals a “dramatic shift” in how Zanu-PF will govern Zimbabwe.

“It’s just that for this moment we would want to continue the political stability. We want to continue the economic development that is taking place since his excellency took over in 2018,” Chinamasa said.

“When his time is up we will choose other leaders.”

For the opposition, Zimbabwe is returning to its dark past.

“They are making the mistake that Mugabe made. That of closing [the democratic] space absolutely,” Biti said.

In a statement broadcast on state media on Monday evening, the foreign ministry called on the families ​of the dead to make contact with ministry officials in ​the capital city of Yaounde.

A Cameroonian diplomatic note, also dated ⁠Monday and seen by Reuters, referred to the deceased ​as “military contractors of Cameroonian nationality” operating in a special military operation ​zone, a term Russia uses to describe the war in Ukraine.

Neither the statement nor the diplomatic note specified how the 16 men ended up ​fighting for Russia, nor did they provide details on ​the location, timing and circumstances of their deaths.

The Russian embassy in Yaounde did ‌not ⁠immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment.

Ukraine said in February that more than 1,700 Africans were fighting for Russia, though analysts say the true figure is likely higher.

Russian authorities have ​denied illegally recruiting ​African citizens ⁠to fight in Ukraine.

In an internal memo issued in March 2025 and seen by Reuters, Cameroon’s defence minister expressed concern that soldiers were leaving the country to join the war in Ukraine and instructed commanding officers to closely monitor their units.

Cameroon has said it does not officially deploy troops abroad outside international or regional mandates and has warned citizens against taking part in foreign conflicts.

Several African governments have responded to surging global oil prices, spurred by the Iran war, by implementing sharp fuel price increases, energy-saving measures, or electricity rationing.

“This decision was taken following the observation ​that the country is facing ​a deep crisis due to disruptions in energy ‌supply ⁠across the island, linked to the conflict in the Middle East,” the cabinet said in a ​statement.

“The declaration ​of ⁠a state of energy emergency allows authorities to take ​exceptional and urgent measures to ​restore ⁠energy supply and ensure the continuity of public services.”

Local media in ⁠Madagascar ​reported widespread fuel ​shortages nationwide on Tuesday.

Trump’s announcement represented an abrupt turnaround from his extraordinary warning earlier in the day, ​when he said “a whole civilisation will die tonight” if his demands were not met. Pakistan’s military chief, Field Marshal Asim Munir, and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif helped mediate the ceasefire.

Sharif said in a post on X ‌he had invited Iranian and U.S. delegations to meet in Islamabad on Friday.

Trump said the last-minute deal was subject to Iran’s agreement to pause its blockade of oil and gas supplies through the strait, which typically handles about one-fifth of global oil shipments. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said in a statement Tehran would cease counter-attacks and provide safe passage through the waterway, if attacks against it stop.

“This will be a double sided CEASEFIRE!” Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform. “The reason for doing so is that we have already met and exceeded all Military objectives, and are very far along with a definitive Agreement ​concerning Longterm PEACE with Iran, and PEACE in the Middle East.”

Iran’s Supreme National Security Council portrayed the deal as a victory over the U.S., claiming Trump had accepted Iran’s conditions for ending hostilities.

Trump told the French news agency AFP that ​it was a “total and complete victory“.

“Total and complete victory. 100 percent. No question about it,” Trump said when asked if he was claiming victory with the ceasefire.

He later said Truth Social: “A big day ⁠for World Peace! Iran wants it to happen, they’ve had enough! Likewise, so has everyone else!”

Iran could start the reconstruction process and the U.S. would help in traffic buildup in the Strait of Hormuz, he added.

The war, now in its sixth week, has claimed more ​than 5,000 lives in nearly a dozen countries, including more than 1,600 civilians in Iran, according to tallies from government sources and human rights groups.

A source briefed on the talks expressed wariness about the two-week ceasefire holding, saying the U.S. side believed Iran might be ​trying to buy time. It was a “trust-building exercise,” the source said.

CONDITIONED ON STRAIT’S REOPENING

Israel supported the decision to suspend strikes on Iran for the two-week period, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said in a statement. The ceasefire does not apply to Lebanon, it said, in an apparent contradiction to comments from Pakistan’s Sharif who said earlier the agreement included a cessation of Israel’s campaign in Lebanon.

It was not immediately clear how soon the ceasefire would take full effect. Israeli media reported it would begin once Iran reopened the strait and that Israel expected Iranian attacks to continue in the interim.

Iraq’s Islamic Resistance also ​said it would suspend operations in Iraq and across the region for two weeks.

More than an hour after Trump’s announcement, the Israeli military said it had identified missiles launched from Iran, and explosions from intercepted missiles could be heard in Tel Aviv. Gulf countries ​including Kuwait, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates also issued near-simultaneous alerts and activated air defences.

Israeli first responders were providing medical treatment to two 15-year-old males who were in mild condition after blast injuries in the southern town of Tel Sheva, according to a spokesperson from ‌the MDA ambulance ⁠service.

Israeli media said its military was striking back at launch sites in Iran.

Trump, who has issued a series of threats in recent weeks only to back away, said progress between the two sides had prompted him to agree to the ceasefire. He said Iran had presented a 10-point proposal that was a “workable basis” for negotiations and that he expected an agreement to be “finalised and consummated” during the two-week window.

Trump later said to AFP: “We have a 15 point transaction, of which most of those things have been agreed on. We’ll see what happens. We’ll see if it gets there,”

Markets enjoyed a relief rally as oil prices dropped , stocks surged and the dollar weakened in Asian trade, bolstered by hope that trade through the strait could resume.

Global leaders also welcomed the ceasefire with the Australian government saying that “the longer ​the war goes on, the more significant the impact on the ​global economy will be, and the greater the human ⁠cost”.

By agreeing to the ceasefire, Trump may be showing an awareness that the war – which is deeply unpopular in many parts of the United States – is dragging on longer than he expected, analysts said.

“President Trump has clearly noticed that escalating against the Iranian regime is not going to lead to their collapse in the short- to medium-term, as he may perhaps have hoped,” said Jessica Genauer, academic ​director of the Public Policy Institute at Australia’s University of New South Wales.

“In the last few days we’ve seen President Trump wanting to find a route towards a way that the ​U.S. military can back out of the ⁠war with Iran, but also frame that as a kind of victory for the U.S.”

ABRUPT TURNAROUND

Trump’s announcement capped a whirlwind day that was dominated by his threat to destroy every bridge and power plant in Iran unless Tehran reopened the strait. That unnerved world leaders, rattled global financial and energy markets and drew widespread condemnation, including criticism from the head of the United Nations and Pope Leo.

Some international law experts have said attacking civilian infrastructure indiscriminately could constitute a war crime.

The closure of the Strait of Hormuz has sharply increased oil prices, escalating the chances ⁠of a global ​economic downturn or even recession. The U.S. Energy Information Administration warned earlier on Tuesday that fuel prices could continue to rise for months even after the strait ​reopened.

With the U.S. midterm election campaign ramping up, Trump’s approval ratings have hit their lowest level ever, leaving his Republican Party at risk of losing its narrow majorities in Congress. Polls show sizable majorities of Americans are opposed to the war and frustrated by the rising cost of gasoline.

As the clock ticked down to Trump’s 8 p.m. EDT (0000 ​GMT) deadline, U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran had intensified, hitting railway and road bridges, an airport and a petrochemical plant. U.S. forces attacked targets on Kharg Island, home to Iran’s main oil export terminal.

Yetbarek Dawit is alleged to have operated five detention warehouses in Libya, torturing migrants there to try and force their relatives to send extra money.

He was detained along with nine of his alleged accomplices in the northern town of Shire, according to police. They are yet to be charged in court.

Police say testimonies collected so far suggest the network has been involved in the deaths of more than 100 people and the sexual abuse of more than 50 women.

The arrests were the result of a complex and cross-border investigation, the police said, involving an organisation called the Regional Operational Centre (Rock) – set up to tackle smuggling networks in East Africa and funded by the European Union.

Warning: This story contains details some may find distressing.

Photos of suspects – seven men and three women – taken after their arrest in Shire, which is in the northern region of Tigray and borders Eritrea and Sudan, were posted on the Ethiopian Federal Police’s Facebook page.

The traffickers are alleged to have transported more than 3,000 mainly young people from Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia and Sudan to Libya using various routes.

According to the police, Yetbarek is wanted internationally and uses a variety of aliases:

• “Adhanom” in Sudan
• “Ahmed” in Djibouti and Somalia
• “Munir” in Kenya
• “Kibrom” in Sweden and other European countries.

Armed with these names, investigators had been able to use advanced technology to track down Yetbarek, the police said.

The bank accounts of Yetbarek and his accomplices had been frozen and the properties belonging to the group confiscated, it added.

Testimonies gathered from more than 100 alleged victims and their families living in Ethiopia, Libya, the Netherlands, Switzerland, the UK and Canada had also aided the investigation, the police said.

They told of the gruesome experience of those held in the warehouses in Libya – allegedly forced to contact their families to send more money to the traffickers.

Those who could not pay were allegedly given food only once a day and were subjected to extreme torture.

This allegedly included beatings with rubber, sticks and electric wires, being chained by their hands and feet, and having melted plastic dripped on to their bodies.

Women were allegedly subjected to sexual violence, also resulting in severe physical and psychological injuries.

The group is believed to have generated more than $19m (£14m) through these criminal activities, according to the police.

Following their arrest in Tigray, the 10 suspects were taken on Monday to the capital, Addis Ababa.

The summit brings together world leaders, health ministers and global health experts to deliberate on issues at the intersection of human, animal and environmental health.

Upon arrival, President Mahama was warmly received by members of the Ghanaian community in Lyon. A number of families gathered to welcome him, expressing excitement at the opportunity to meet him on Easter Monday.

Following the summit on Tuesday, the President is scheduled to travel to Paris for a bilateral meeting with President Macron.

The meeting will take place at the Élysée Palace, where both leaders are expected to discuss areas of cooperation between Ghana and France.

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The new round of strikes against Iran will be devastating. They will begin at 20:00, Washington DC time on Tuesday (00:00 GMT on Wednesday) . Within four hours, every bridge and power plant in the nation will be “decimated”.

“Very little is off-limits,” Trump said on Monday.

To avoid this fate, according to the president, Iran has to make a deal “that’s acceptable to me”. A component of the agreement should include “free traffic of oil” through the Strait of Hormuz.

As the final hours tick down, there has been little indication that Iran is ready to agree to Trump’s ultimatum. They’ve rejected a temporary ceasefire and issued their own list of demands, which a US official described as “maximalist”.

This places the American president in a delicate position. If there is no agreement, Trump could extend his deadline – for the fourth time in the past three weeks.

But backing away after such detailed threats, punctuated with expletives and dire warnings, could undercut his credibility as the war grinds on.

It’s possible Iran, and the rest of the world, could conclude that despite America’s military might and tactical skill – readily displayed in this weekend’s intricate operation to rescue two downed airmen deep in Iran – it is not negotiating from a clear position of strength.

“We won,” Trump insisted during his press conference on Monday afternoon. “They are militarily defeated. The only thing they have is the psychology of: ‘Oh, we’re going to drop a couple of mines in the water’.”

That “psychology” – the ability to deter oil tankers from transiting the Strait of Hormuz with drones, missiles and mines – may be a more potent Iranian asset than the US has been willing to acknowledge.

During Monday’s press conference, Trump marvelled at American military precision on display in last year’s “Midnight Hammer” bombing raid on Iran’s nuclear sites, the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro in January and this weekend’s rescue mission.

He and his national security team celebrated that most recent effort, which included coordinating hundreds of aircraft and elite military personnel and employing misdirection and technological wizardry. But the effort, while remarkable, was to avoid what Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth acknowledged was a “potential tragedy”.

Even if that tragedy was averted, the triumphant rescue underlined the risk American forces still face in Iran. And the president may be learning that American military power has its limits.

“We can bomb the hell out of them,” he said. “We can knock them for a loop. But to close the Strait, all you need is one terrorist.”

The other option is for Trump to follow through with his threats. On multiple occasions on Monday, he said that was a course he did not want to pursue.

While Trump said that the Iranian people were willing to endure the ongoing US military campaign – and, in fact, welcomed the bombs falling on their cities – he also acknowledged that anything the US destroys now would eventually have to be rebuilt and that the US might ultimately contribute to that rebuilding effort.

“Do I want to destroy their infrastructure? No,” he said. “Right now, if we leave today, it will take them 20 years to rebuild their country.”

He added that if he followed through with his bombing threats, the rebuilding effort would take a century.

It’s not exactly the “stone age” that he has warned Iran would be reduced to, but an ensuing humanitarian crisis – including the regional impact of the “crushing” retaliation that Iran has promised – could be devastating.

Even in this late hour, however, Trump continues to hold out hope of a breakthrough.

“We have an active, willing participant on the other side,” he said. “They would like to be able to make a deal. I can’t say any more than that.”

Given the stakes, the president’s opacity is notable. He has a plan – “every single thing has been thought out by all of us”, he said on Monday – but he won’t divulge it.

It could be an indication that, behind the scenes, negotiations are farther along than have been publicly acknowledged. Or it could be some combination of bluff and wishful thinking.

“They have till tomorrow,” Trump said. “We’ll see what happens. I believe they’re negotiating in good faith. I guess we’ll find out.”

Iran conveyed its response to the U.S. proposal for ending the war to Pakistan, rejecting a ceasefire and emphasising the necessity of a permanent end to the war, the official IRNA news agency said on Monday, April 6. ‌
The Iranian response consisted of 10 clauses, including an end to conflicts in the region, a protocol for safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz, lifting of sanctions, and reconstruction, the agency added.

President Donald Trump, who has threatened to rain “hell” on Tehran if it did not make a deal by 8 p.m. EDT Tuesday (midnight GMT) to open the vital route for global energy supplies, rejected the Iranian proposal on Monday and said his deadline was final.

“They made a proposal, and it’s a significant proposal. It’s a significant step. It’s not good enough,” Trump told reporters at an annual White House Easter event, referring to Iran.

Iran responded to U.S. and Israeli ​attacks in February by effectively closing Hormuz, a conduit for about a fifth of the world’s oil and natural gas supply. The waterway’s stranglehold on the global economy has proved a powerful Iranian bargaining chip and on Monday, it showed reluctance ​to relinquish it too easily.

The Pakistani-brokered framework for ending the war emerged from intense overnight contacts and proposes an immediate ceasefire, followed by talks on a broader peace settlement to be concluded within 15 to ⁠20 days, a source aware of the proposals said on Monday.

Pakistan’s army chief, Field Marshal Asim Munir, was in contact “all night long” with U.S. Vice President JD Vance, special envoy Steve Witkoff and Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi, the source said.

Iran’s foreign ministry spokesperson Esmaeil ​Baghaei said on Monday, April 6, that Tehran’s demands “should not be interpreted as a sign of compromise, but rather as a reflection of its confidence in defending its positions.” He added that earlier U.S. demands, such as a 15-point plan, were rejected as “excessive”
.
CEASEFIRE PROPOSAL ‘ONE OF MANY IDEAS’

Trump will speak about the ​ceasefire proposal at a press conference at 1 p.m. ET (1700 GMT), a White House official told Reuters.`

“This is one of many ideas, and (Trump) has not signed off on it. Operation Epic Fury continues,” they said, referring to the U.S. name for the operation against Iran.

Brent crude futures were up 0.5% to $109.60 a barrel at 1545 GMT.

In a post laden with expletives on his Truth Social platform on Sunday, April 5, Trump threatened further strikes on Iranian energy and transport infrastructure if Iran failed to make a deal and reopen the Strait by Tuesday.

Anwar Gargash, an adviser to the president of the United Arab Emirates, said any settlement ​must guarantee access through Hormuz. He warned that a deal that failed to rein in Iran’s nuclear programme and its missiles and drones would pave the way for “a more dangerous, more volatile Middle East”.

Fresh aerial strikes were reported across the region on Monday, more than ​five weeks since the U.S. and Israel began pounding Iran in a war that has killed thousands and damaged economies by sending oil prices surging.

Iranian state media said the Revolutionary Guards’ intelligence chief, Majid Khademi, has died. Israel on Monday claimed responsibility for his death.

A U.S.-Israeli attack hit the data ‌centre at Sharif ⁠University of Technology in Tehran, damaging infrastructure underpinning the country’s national artificial intelligence platform and thousands of other services, Fars News Agency said on Sunday.

ISRAEL VOWS TO DESTROY IRAN’S INFRASTRUCTURE

Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz, in a statement issued on Monday, threatened to destroy Iran’s infrastructure and hunt down its leaders “one by one”. The Israeli military also said they had targeted Iran’s air force through a series of strikes on the Bahram, Mehrabad, and Azmayesh airports over the previous night.

Iran said on Monday two of its petrochemical complexes were attacked.

Emergency and firefighting teams brought a blaze under control at the South Pars complex in Asaluyeh, Iran’s National Petrochemical Company said. No casualties were reported

An Israeli attack in mid-March on the South Pars gas field that Iran shares with Qatar prompted an escalation in the war, with Iran striking energy targets across the ​Middle East.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Monday that the ​strike on the petrochemical facility in southern Iran was part ⁠of dismantling Iran’s Revolutionary Guards’ “money machine”.

“Iran is no longer the same Iran, and Israel is no longer the same Israel. Israel is stronger than ever, and the terrorist regime in Iran is weaker than ever,” Netanyahu said in a statement.

Trump has repeatedly warned Iran he could expand U.S. strikes to include civilian infrastructure, such as power plants and bridges, attacks that experts say would constitute war crimes.

The Geneva Conventions ​say that parties involved in military conflict must distinguish between “civilian objects and military objectives”, and that attacks on civilian objects are forbidden.

IRAN CONTINUES TO FIGHT BACK

Iranian weekend strikes on petrochemical facilities and ​an Israeli-linked vessel in Kuwait, Bahrain and ⁠the UAE underscored the country’s ability to fight back despite Trump’s repeated claims to have knocked out its missile and drone capabilities.

Israel saw a heavy day of rocket volleys on Monday, with the sounds of sirens and missile interception booms ringing out across the country throughout the day.

Israel’s military told Reuters there had been 20 missile launches from Lebanon and five from Iran during the day.

Several of the attacks resulted in impacts, although it was unclear whether it was from falling missile debris or direct strikes. A missile hit Haifa overnight tearing a building apart and killing ⁠four under the ​rubble, taking the death toll in Israel to 23, according to Israel’s ambulance service.

Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthis said on Monday that they also carried out missile and drones ​attack against Israel.

About 3,540 people have been killed in Iran in the war, including at least 244 children, said U.S.-based rights group HRANA.

Israel has also invaded southern Lebanon and struck Beirut in a fight against Iran-backed Hezbollah militants that has become the most violent spillover of the war on Iran.

Lebanon’s heavy casualties include 1,461 killed, including ​at least 124 children, Lebanese authorities say.

Thirteen U.S. service members have died and hundreds of others have been wounded

He argued that the current administration’s approach to regional integration and free movement reflects a continuation of Nkrumah’s vision for a more united and economically integrated African continent.

Speaking on JoyNews’ AM Show on Monday, April 6, Mr Tanko-Computer described President Mahama as an emerging global figure, crediting him with growing international influence.

“You will see that the ideas that Dr Kwame Nkrumah was trying to push, the current president is pushing those ideas. And that is why he’s now become like a global icon. Look at what he achieved in the UN.
Unprecedented,” he said.

He further claimed that the president had demonstrated significant diplomatic influence on the global stage, pointing to a recent vote at the United Nations.

“For an African leader to go and marshal the Western world, 123 of them, to vote in favour of a motion that he pushed.https://www.youtube.com/embed/NsENAQb-G-A?si=PVi3WMmzpUZZODRm

“That one alone tells you that he has the support of most of the African leaders here,” he added.

Mr Tanko-Computer also suggested that President Mahama was likely to assume a prominent role within continental leadership structures, including the African Union.

He also claimed that at the next African Union gathering, President Mahama is expected to assume the chairmanship, adding that West African leaders had broadly agreed to support his leadership. According to him, this development is evidence, in his view, that Ghana made the right electoral choice in 2024.

He also characterised the election outcome as the country’s most beneficial political choice, saying early indications point to positive gains under the current administration. He added that the president is in discussions with regional counterparts to advance the opening of African borders, emphasising that the initiative is being pursued without direct government funding.

According to him, the goal is to create a more open environment that will encourage business growth and strengthen economic activity.

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Speaking to journalists in a lengthy interview on state television on Thursday, Traore referenced Libya as an example of a country where he said outsiders attempted to “impose democracy” but failed.

“People need to forget about the issue of democracy,” he said. “We have to tell the truth: democracy isn’t for us.”

“Democracy kills”, Traore said, according to French broadcaster RFI.

“Look at Libya, it’s a prime example right next to us! Everywhere they try to establish democracy in the world, it’s done with bloodshed … Democracy is slavery…”

It’s the latest sign of Traore’s government distancing itself from the initial promises it made to set the country back on a democratic path.

Traore seized power in September 2022, eight months after an earlier military coup he was involved in overthrew the democratically elected government of President Roch Marc Kabore.

The military governments promised to battle al-Qaeda and ISIL-linked armed groups that have swarmed the country and now control large areas of territory. However, the country has continued to come under repeated attacks and hundreds of thousands of civilians are displaced.

Traore, who has gained widespread admiration from the African diaspora for his anti-Western rhetoric, initially promised to organise elections in 2024. A year later, the leader reneged and said elections would not be held until all parts of Burkina Faso are safe for voting.

Concerns from political opposition, journalists, lawyers

In January, Traore’s government scrapped more than 100 political parties in the country and seized their assets.

Parliament and all political activity had previously been suspended after Traore took power. The Independent National Electoral Commission was dissolved in July 2025 after Traore’s government claimed the agency was too expensive.

Analysts have also raised concerns about the government’s apparent targeting of other institutions, including the media and judiciary.

Journalists, political opposition leaders and prosecutors critical of the military government have been forcibly conscripted and sent to the front lines in recent months, with some later released.

Similar moves against political parties have been taken by neighbouring military governments in Niger and Mali, which are also battling armed group violence.

All three countries exited the regional Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) bloc to form their own Alliance of Sahel States (AES) last January after pressure to hold elections.

They have also turned to Russian paramilitary fighters after evicting former colonial power, France, which had deployed some 5,000 soldiers to help fight armed groups in the Sahel region.

Violence has continued to mar Burkina Faso. Fatalities tripled in the three years since Traore took power, reaching 17,775 by last May.

That’s compared with the three years prior, when combined recorded deaths were 6,630, according to analysis by the US-based Africa Centre for Strategic Studies.

Most of those killed were civilians, many by government forces and allied militias.

According to a statement issued by the President’s spokesperson, Felix Kwakye Ofosu, President Mahama will begin his trip in Lyon, where he will participate in the 2026 One Health Summit. He will later travel to Paris for bilateral engagements at the Élysée Palace.

During the summit, President Mahama is expected to co-chair the high-level segment alongside President Macron, joining global leaders, health ministers, and experts to deliberate on critical issues affecting global health systems and sustainable development.

He will also deliver two keynote addresses, including one at a meeting on Global Health Architecture co-chaired by President Macron and Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus of the World Health Organization.

The summit will focus on reforms in global health systems and strategies to address emerging health challenges.

On April 8, President Mahama will hold bilateral talks with President Macron aimed at strengthening Ghana–France relations in key areas such as health, education, trade, investment, and regional security.

He is also scheduled to meet with Gérard Larcher before returning to Accra at the end of the visit.

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The gunmen raided Kurfa Danya ​and Kurfan Magaji villages in the Bukkuyum ​area on Thursday, opening fire on vehicles and ⁠homes before sweeping through the communities, a ​local official said.

Umar Abubakar Faru, the local council ​chairman, told Reuters more than 150 people, mostly women and children, were abducted and taken toward surrounding forest ​areas, forcing residents to flee and leaving villages ​largely deserted.

Zamfara state police confirmed the attack but said the ‌number ⁠of abducted people was still being verified.

The police in a statement said a joint team of police, military and other security agencies had ​been deployed ​and were ⁠actively pursuing the attackers.

Some residents who escaped into surrounding areas were taken ​to the hospital, police said, adding that ​rescue ⁠operations were ongoing.

Northwest Nigeria has struggled for years with bandit violence, including mass kidnappings for ransom ⁠and village ​raids, with armed groups ​operating from vast forest hideouts across the region.

Amuri Greene, 21, has been charged with three counts of murder and one of attempted murder after police accused him of fatally shooting Kaori Patterson-Moore on April1.

Greene appeared in court on Friday, April 3 where he pleaded not guilty, according to CBS News, the BBC’s US partner. Officers believe the baby was the unintended victim of a gang-related shooting.

Police said a second suspect, Matthew Rodriguez, 18, had been arrested in connection with the shooting in Pennsylvania and charges were pending.

Footage from the incident appears to show two men on a motorcycle riding against the flow of traffic through the Williamsburg neighbourhood of Brooklyn, before a man on the back of the vehicle took out a gun and fired, police said.

Officers believe Greene carried out the shooting and was on the back of the scooter, CBS reported.

He was thrown from the vehicle following the incident and was taken to hospital for treatment where he was placed in police custody.

Greene also pleaded not guilty to charges of five counts of criminal possession of a weapon, two counts of attempted criminal possession of a weapon, and two counts of assault, CBS reported.

Rodriguez is believed to be the man seen driving the scooter the gunman was on during the shooting. The driver crashed into oncoming traffic after the gunfire and fled, police said.

Family and friends gathered on Friday night for a candlelight vigil at the corner where the shooting took place.

He left the country on Friday, April 3, 2026, after undertaking a series of official engagements aimed at strengthening bilateral relations between Ghana and Zimbabwe.

Prior to his departure, President Mnangagwa visited the Sweden Ghana Medical Centre, where he was briefed on healthcare services and infrastructure at the facility.

The visit is expected to yield concrete outcomes, with relevant institutions in both countries set to begin implementing the Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) signed during the engagement.

The agreements are aimed at deepening cooperation and fostering stronger interaction between Ghana and Zimbabwe.

The group arrived on Wednesday after a US judge approved their cases, Uganda’s foreign ministry said.

The ministry said in a statement that its deal with the US designated Uganda as a safe third country for migrants who cannot return to their countries, for reasons such as persecution.

The Uganda Law Society has condemned the deportations, saying the individuals had effectively been dumped in the country “through an undignified, harrowing and dehumanising process”.

The organisation called the process illegal and said it would challenge it in court.

The BBC has asked the US Department of Homeland Security for comment.

US President Donald Trump’s administration has deported dozens of people to third countries since coming into power last January – part of its hard-line approach towards immigration.

Human rights campaigners have condemned the policy, with some questioning its legality.

Uganda’s foreign ministry said it could not give many details about the deportees for privacy reasons, but said: “Uganda continues to uphold its longstanding commitment to providing sanctuary to persons in need and assuring they are treated with dignity.”

It said they were neither Ugandan nor US citizens but were “of African origin who may not be granted asylum in the USA and are reluctant to or may have concerns about returning to their country of origin”.

The BBC’s US partner CBS News reports that Uganda agreed to accept deported migrants as long as they did not have criminal histories.

According to the US, many of those transferred to other third countries have been convicted criminals.

Since the start of his second term, Trump has embarked on sweeping efforts to remove undocumented migrants – a key election promise that drew mass support during this campaign.

Uganda is among several African countries which, as a third country, have accepted deportees from the US. These include Eswatini, Ghana and South Sudan.

Tehran said it had shot down the F-15 warplane, while US media reported United States special forces had rescued one of its two crew members, with the other still missing.

Iran’s military also said it downed a US A-10 ground attack aircraft in the Gulf, with US media saying the pilot was rescued.

The war erupted more than a month ago with US-Israeli strikes on Iran that killed supreme leader Ali Khamenei, triggering retaliation that spread the conflict throughout the Middle East, convulsing the global economy and impacting millions of people worldwide.

US Central Command did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the loss of the F-15, but White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said: “The president has been briefed.”

President Donald Trump told NBC the F-15 loss would not affect negotiations with Iran, saying: “No, not at all. No, it’s war.”

‘Valuable reward’

A spokesperson for the Iranian military’s central operational command said “an American hostile fighter jet in central Iranian airspace was struck and destroyed by the IRGC Aerospace Force’s advanced air defence system”.

“The jet was completely obliterated, and further searches are ongoing.”

An Iranian television reporter on a local official channel said anyone who captured a crew member alive would “receive a valuable reward”.

The US military has announced the loss of several aircraft during Iran operations, including a tanker that crashed in Iraq and three F-15s shot down by Kuwaiti friendly fire.

Retired US brigadier general Houston Cantwell, who has 400 hours of combat flight experience, said a pilot’s training would likely kick in before he or she parachutes to the ground.

“My priority would be, first of all, concealment, because I don’t want to be captured,” he told AFP.

Mohammad Ghalibaf, the speaker of Iran’s parliament, mocked the Trump administration.

He wrote on X: “After defeating Iran 37 times in a row, this brilliant no-strategy war they started has now been downgraded from ‘regime change’ to ‘Hey! Can anyone find our pilots? Please?’

“Wow. What incredible progress. Absolute geniuses.”

Fresh strikes

Fresh strikes were aimed at Israel, Iran and Lebanon.

On Saturday several blasts were heard coming from Tehran’s north, an AFP journalist said.

Strikes by all sides have increasingly targeted economic and industrial sites, raising fears of wider disruption to global energy supplies.

In the area around a bridge west of Tehran that was targeted by the United States, an AFP reporter saw a villa and residential buildings with blown-out windows, but no military installations.

According to the martyrs foundation of Alborz province, cited by the official IRNA agency, the attack killed 13 civilians and wounded dozens.

Writing in the US journal Foreign Affairs, Iran’s former foreign minister, Mohammad Javad Zarif, said Tehran should make a deal with Washington to end the war by offering to curb its nuclear programme and reopen the Strait of Hormuz in exchange for sanctions relief.

Iran has virtually blocked the key waterway since the war began, where one-fifth of the world’s oil and natural gas normally passes.

Iranian military spokesperson Ebrahim Zolfaghari warned that Iran would increase its own attacks on energy sites in the region in response to threats from Trump of attacks on infrastructure.

A drone attack on a refinery owned by Kuwait’s national oil company on Friday sparked fires, while a separate Iranian attack damaged a power and desalination complex.

Gulf states once seen as safe havens are now under threat, accused by Iran of serving as launchpads for US strikes.

Dubai’s media office said authorities there responded to “a minor incident caused by debris from an aerial interception” that fell on a building around the marina area.

No injuries were reported, it said.

Beirut explosions

The Israeli military said Friday it had struck more than 3,500 targets across Lebanon in the month since fighting with Iran-backed Hezbollah began.

It added that it would attack two bridges in Lebanon’s eastern Bekaa region “in order to prevent the transfer of reinforcements and military equipment”.

Lebanese state media later reported that Israel destroyed one bridge in the region, and local media said that a second bridge was also hit.

The Israeli military said it had begun striking “Hezbollah infrastructure” in Beirut.

An AFP journalist heard two loud explosions in the capital within half an hour early Saturday and saw smoke billowing from one of them.

Lebanon’s health ministry said Thursday that 1,345 people had been killed — and 4,040 wounded — since the start of the war.

Hezbollah has not announced its losses.

The mission’s commander, Reid Wiseman, took the “spectacular” images, Nasa says, after the crew completed a final engine burn that set them on a trajectory towards our closest celestial neighbour.

The first image, called Hello, World, shows the vast expanse of blue that is the Atlantic Ocean, framed by a thin glow of the atmosphere as the Earth eclipses the Sun and green auroras at either pole.

The Earth appears to us as upside down, with the western Sahara and Iberian peninsula visible to the left and the eastern portion of South America to the right.

Nasa identified the bright planet to the bottom right as Venus.

The images were taken after the crew successfully completed a trans-lunar injection burn in the early hours of Friday.

The burn took the Orion spacecraft out of Earth orbit as the four astronauts aboard aim to travel the more than 200,000 miles to the Moon.

Artemis II is now on a looping path that will carry the crew around the far side of the Moon and back again. It is the first time since 1972 that humans have travelled outside of the Earth’s orbit.

The crew should pass around the far side of the Moon on 6 April and return to Earth on 10 April.

After the burn was completed, the crew were “glued to the windows” taking pictures, mission specialist Jeremy Hansen told mission control in Houston.

“We are getting a beautiful view of the dark side of the Earth, lit by the Moon,” he said.

Wiseman later called back down to mission control in Houston to ask how to clean the windows, as the astronauts’ enthusiasm to see into space had left them dirty.

The commander had initially found it difficult to take pictures of our planet from the spacecraft, saying taking photos at such a distance made it hard to adjust exposure settings.

“It’s like walking out back at your house, trying to take a picture of the moon,” he told mission control. “That’s what it feels like right now.”

But that is no longer an issue.

Another view captured by Wiseman shows the Earth divided by night and day. That frontier between light and darkness is known as the terminator.

Later, Nasa published another image showing the Earth in near-complete darkness, with the electric lights of humankind twinkling in the nighttime.

It also produced a side-by-side comparison of 2026’s view of the Earth and a similar one taken by the Apollo 17 team in 1972 – the last time humans set foot on the Moon.

“We’ve come so far in the last 54 years, but one thing hasn’t changed: our home looks gorgeous from space!” it wrote.

He clarified that although the policy, introduced by President John Dramani Mahama, removes visa fees for African travelers, it does not eliminate the requirement to apply for and obtain approval through the standard visa process.

In a Facebook post on Friday, April 3, he emphasized that “not paying visa fees is not the same as automatic entry into Ghana,” stressing that security screening remains a key priority.

Under the new arrangement, applicants will be processed through an electronic visa (e-Visa) system set to be launched in May. This platform will act as the main channel for all travel applications, including those from African nationals who qualify under the free visa policy.

According to Mr. Ablakwa, the system will be linked to Ghana’s Advanced Passenger Information and Passenger Name Record (API-PNR) systems, along with international crime databases, to ensure comprehensive background checks. This means individuals with criminal records or those flagged as security risks will not be permitted entry.

He also noted that the Ministries of Foreign Affairs, Interior, and Transport have invested significantly in building the technological infrastructure required to support the initiative.

The policy, scheduled to take effect on May 25, 2026, coinciding with Africa Day, is designed to promote regional integration and facilitate easier movement across African borders, while still maintaining strict national security controls.

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It has taken him five years to fulfil that promise.

Today, the newly-elected parliament chose him to be the next president. Min Aung Hlaing has already stepped down as armed forces commander, as required by the constitution before he can take the post of president.

But this is civilian rule in name only.

The parliament, sitting for the first time since the coup, is filled with his loyalists. With the armed forces guaranteed one quarter of the seats, and the military’s own party, the USDP, winning nearly 80% of the remaining seats in an election which was tilted heavily in its favour, this was a preordained outcome. More of a coronation, than an election.

Military men are also likely to dominate the new government when it is formed. Min Aung Hlaing has ensured that a staunch ally, General Ye Win Oo, a hardliner with a reputation for brutality, replaces him at the head of the armed forces.

He has also created a new consultative council, which will exercise paramount authority over civilian and military affairs. He is ensuring that in taking off his uniform, he does not dilute his power.

For young activists like Kyaw Win – not his real name – all hope of change has gone. As a student he was arrested for taking part in a flash mob protest against the coup in 2022, and tortured for a week, before being jailed. He was only recently released.

“They beat me on my back with an iron rod. They burned me with cigarettes, and slashed my thigh with a knife. Then they stripped my underwear and sexually assaulted me. They interrogated me, but it was never clear what they wanted me to say.”

Kyaw Win says his commitment to the revolution, as the activists call it, is unchanged, but he feels unable to do much now from inside Myanmar. He is planning to seek work outside the country.

The five years since Min Aung Hlaing’s coup have been a catastrophe for Myanmar.

He appears to have massively miscalculated the public anger he would provoke by seizing power just as the parliament was about to confirm another term of office for Aung San Suu Kyi and her National League for Democracy, following their landslide win in the November 2020 election.

His decision to use lethal force against the mass protests which broke out across the country ignited a civil war which has killed thousands, displaced millions and ruined the economy.

The military regime has ceded control of huge areas of the country to the armed resistance. It has responded by unleashing its air power on opposition-controlled villages with indiscriminate attacks that have destroyed schools, homes and hospitals.

This is a long-standing military tactic in Myanmar, known as “the four cuts” intended to devastate communities that support insurgent groups. With Chinese and Russian help, the junta has now recaptured some of the ground lost over the past two years.

So, as he presided for the last time over the spectacular parade the Myanmar armed forces hold every year in the capital Nay Pyi Taw, we listened carefully for any hint in his speech of reflection or regret over the damage his coup has caused. There was none.

Instead, we were treated to the same unapologetic justifications for military intervention we have heard so many times before. The soldiers had a constitutional mandate for “constructive engagement in national politics”, he said. It was they who had upheld multi-party democracy.

Those opposing military rule were “armed terrorist factions”, supported by “foreign aggressors and self-serving political opportunists”. Nothing in the speech suggested that Min Aung Hlaing in civilian clothes was going to rule Myanmar any differently than when he was in uniform.

“The conflict in Myanmar will remain largely unchanged,” says Su Mon, senior analyst at ACLED, an organisation which collects data on armed conflicts.

“The new commander-in-chief, General Ye Win Oo, is a loyalist whose family has a close relationship with that of Min Aung Hlaing. He is likely to follow in his footsteps, first and foremost to regain control of lost territory. Resistance groups still control around 90 towns. This means more air and drone strikes on civilians in resistance-controlled areas, more scorched earth campaigns.”

The National Unity Government, representing the administration overthrown by the coup, which operates from resistance-held areas near the border with Thailand, is also not changing its tune.

It has struggled to impose its authority on the myriad armed groups operating all across Myanmar, but it still views the new government, the parliament and the recent election as wholly illegitimate. It insists it will keep fighting to purge the military from political life, and to enact a new federal constitution.

“This is not the time to compromise,” spokesman Nay Phone Latt said. “If the military cannot accept our objectives, our revolution will go on. We have to go on. If we give up now, the next generation, our people, will suffer more and more.”

Min Aung Hlaing’s coup has dealt a staggering blow to the economy.

The UN estimates that more than 16 million people are now in need of life-saving assistance. The number of those displaced by the war is approaching four million. Runaway inflation has collapsed living standards.

This is now compounded by fuel shortages caused by the war in the Middle East.

Myanmar imports 90% of its oil and petroleum products, much of it from neighbouring countries which are now restricting exports. Petrol and diesel are being rationed, and prices, already significantly higher than in neighbouring Thailand, have risen sharply.

“The difference between now and 10 years ago is like night and day,”, said Tin Oo, a motorbike taxi driver in Yangon’s industrial district of Hlaing Tharyar. “We cannot earn enough even to cover our rent and food.”

He put little faith in the new government.

“They won’t care about us. We will still have to depend on ourselves. These days if you try to make a simple honest living, it is difficult to survive, but if you are dishonest, you can become rich.”

The fuel shortage is especially tough for businesses in Myanmar because so many depend on generators for power; the electricity grid provides only a few hours of power a day in most of Yangon.

Into this cheerless stalemate, Mya Aye, a veteran political activist who has spent many years in military jails, has this week brought a rare voice of reason and restraint, arguing that the only way out of the crisis is to find a compromise between the military and its many opponents.

He has formed a new council trying to bring together all those who agree with him, calling for dialogue and the release of all political prisoners. He has a few prominent political figures with him, but claims he’s actually talking confidentially to many more.

“This election is not the solution,” he said. “It is a game played by Min Aung Hlaing on his people. Nor can we progress with the current constitution. But the public is tired of the situation. If we cannot find a way out, the country will collapse. In fact it is already in a state of collapse.”

He argues that if the jailed democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi is released, she could play a decisive role, even at the age of 80, in finding an acceptable compromise.

There is talk of her being freed some time this year by Min Aung Hlaing, now that he has finally fulfilled the ambition to be president which played a big part in his decision to launch the coup.

But if there is a path to peace in Myanmar, it is certainly a very narrow one, and for now it is not a path the country’s military rulers seem inclined to follow.

Police believe the baby was the unintended victim of a suspected gang-related shooting.

Footage from the scene on Wednesday shows two men driving a motorbike against the flow of traffic through the Williamsburg, Brooklyn, neighbourhood. A man on the back of the motorbike takes out a gun and fires “at least two rounds”, New York City Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch said at a news conference.

The bike then crashed and the suspected shooter was apprehended, but a “massive” manhunt was under way for the driver, she said.

“A life that had barely begun was taken in an instant,” New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani said.

“Today is a devastating reminder of how much more work there is to be done to combat gun violence across this city.”

Several adults and children, two of whom were in carriages, had been on a street corner when the shooting occurred.

The seven-month-old’s parents ran for cover in a nearby shop, where they realised their child had been shot, the BBC’s US partner CBS reported.

“All the kids started ducking in the corner. The family went to the store and the mom started screaming when she noticed the baby was bleeding from [her] head,” witness Bernius Maldonado told CBS.

Footage from inside the shop, published by the New York Post, shows the moment the child’s mother, as she’s about to pick up the infant, notices the injuries.

The mother then becomes hysterical, and starts jumping up and down with her hands clasped behind her head.

Emergency services were called at 13:21 local time (17:21 GMT).

The child was taken to nearby Woodhull Hospital where she was pronounced dead. Police reported no one else killed or injured in the incident.

“As a mother, I cannot imagine the pain that this family is feeling or the grief that they now carry with them,” Tisch said. “It is unspeakable.”

Footage seen by police showed the suspects crashing into a carshortly after fleeing the scene.

Both suspects were thrown from the moped – but the rear passenger landed so hard he lost “both of his shoes”, Tisch said.

An ambulance was called for the injured man who was brought to Brooklyn Hospital, where he was then taken into police custody.

Investigators said they believe he fits the description of the shooter, based on the clothing he was wearing and his appearance, but he was taken into custody as part of an unrelated investigation.

No one has been charged in the shooting.

Trump praised her in a post on Truth Social and said she would be “transitioning” to a role in the private sector.

Bondi’s time leading the justice department was often overshadowed by its handling of the release of files relating to Jeffrey Epstein and its investigation into the convicted sex offender.

She is the second Trump administration official in recent weeks to be cut from her post, after Kristi Noem was ousted as homeland security chief in March. Bondi will be replaced by her former deputy, Todd Blanche.

Bondi said she would be “working tirelessly” to transfer her work to Blanche, adding that the job had “been the honour” of a lifetime.

She added that in her new private sector position – which she did not identify – she would “continue fighting for President Trump and this administration”.

The announcement comes less than two months after a combative congressional hearing in which Bondi was peppered with questions from lawmakers, at times descending into shouting matches in which she called one Democrat a “washed-up loser”.

As recently as Thursday morning, Trump was defending Bondi, saying: “She is a wonderful person and she is doing a good job.”

But hours later, Trump confirmed her departure on Truth Social, saying that her new private sector role would be “announced at a date in the near future”.

Trump lauded Bondi’s performance as attorney general in his post, saying she had done “a tremendous job overseeing a massive crackdown in crime across our country”.

But Trump reportedly had grown increasingly frustrated with Bondi, in particular over her handling of the Epstein files.

When she was sworn into the post in February 2025, she vowed transparency over the Epstein case and promised to release an alleged client list associated with the disgraced financier, who died in 2019.

The department later said no such list existed.

In the end, millions of files related to Epstein were released under pressure – including from Trump supporters – and only after Congress passed a law requiring the Department of Justice to make unclassified records public.

Some lawmakers say that Bondi and the Justice Department had not redacted victims’ identities from the released documents as required by law.

Others have said the department failed to fully comply with the law and was inappropriately withholding documents, which it denies.

The agency, and subsequently Bondi, faced bipartisan backlash, with lawmakers accusing the justice department of failing to obscure some identifying information about survivors while protecting the identities of those who were not victims.

A handful of Republicans who worked with her closely over the years praised her on Thursday.

“Pam Bondi led this Department with strength and conviction and I’m grateful for her leadership and friendship,” Blanche wrote on X. “We will continue backing the blue, enforcing the law, and doing everything in our power to keep America safe.”

Others quickly celebrated her departure.

Among them was Kentucky lawmaker Thomas Massie, a regular critic of Bondi’s handling of the Epstein files.

“I hope the next AG will release all the Epstein files according to the law and follow up with investigations, prosecutions and arrests,” he wrote on X.

California Democrat Ro Khanna – who worked with Massie on the bipartisan law to compel the release of the files – posted that the Senate “must fight to make sure Bondi is not replaced with another lawless sycophant”.

Another Republican critic of Bondi’s, South Carolina representative Nancy Mace, accused her of having “stonewalled every effort to hold the guilty accountable” and “seriously undermined” Trump with her handling of the files.

Survivors also told the BBC that Bondi had yet to meet them or respond to their emails about Epstein’s wrongdoing, and that the matter had become a political liability for Trump.

Bondi has called Epstein a “monster” and told the victims she was sorry for the abuse they endured.

Most recently, a congressional committee formally summoned Bondi to answer questions over her handling of the Epstein investigation. She was expected to appear before them this month.

Under her leadership, the justice department has pursued a number of criminal investigations into political opponents of the president, including California Senator Adam Schiff, New York Attorney General Letitia James and former FBI Director James Comey.

In September, Trump pushed Bondi to more aggressively investigate his political adversaries. He said in a social media post addressed directly to Bondi: “We can’t delay any longer, it’s killing our reputation and credibility.”

The justice department under her tenure faced questions over its handling of the investigation into federal immigration agents fatally shooting two people during confrontations in Minneapolis, Minnesota, which sparked nationwide demonstrations in January.

With Trump’s announcement, Bondi becomes the third high-profile member of Trump’s cabinet to leave this term, following Noem and, last year, National Security Advisor Mike Waltz – whose duties were given to US Secretary of State Marco Rubio.

The relatively intact inner circle of this term stands in stark contrast to his first term in office between 2017 and 2021, which saw a flurry of firings and replacements.

In the first year alone, the administration saw the departure of acting Attorney General Sally Yates, National Security Adviser Mike Flynn, FBI Director James Comey, Chief of Staff Reince Priebus, chief strategist Steve Bannon and two press secretaries, among others.

Since returning to the White House last year, commentators and political strategists had remarked that Trump’s approach in his second term had been more disciplined and less chaotic.

Bondi was part of Trump’s legal team during his first impeachment trial and when he made false claims that the 2020 election had been stolen from him due to voter fraud.

She also publicly supported him by showing up at court during his hush money trial in New York, which ended in May with a conviction of 34 counts of fraud. Trump is appealing against the verdict.

The quake, which struck at 06:48 local time (22:48 GMT) at a depth of 35km, sparked tsunami warnings which have since been withdrawn.

A 70-year-old woman in North Sulawesi died after being crushed by building debris, and another person broke their leg after jumping off a building, Indonesia’s national news agency Antara reported.

While the region experiences high levels of seismic activity, some residents told the BBC this was one of the strongest earthquakes they have felt in at least the past six years.

The Hawaii-based Pacific Tsunami Warning Center initially warned that tsunami waves less than 0.3m (1 ft) “were possible” along the coasts of Guam, Japan, Malaysia, Papua New Guinea, the Philippines and Taiwan. The tsunami alert was lifted after two hours.

Journalist Isvara Safitri, who lives in central Manado, recalled how furniture in her room shook for several seconds.

“It was really strong… My head even felt dizzy,” Safitri told BBC Indonesian.

Even the roads outside the house were shaking, she said, adding that the earthquake “feels like the strongest” she’s experienced over the past six years.

Yayuk Oktiani, who lives in Bitung, a city on the north-eastern coast of Sulawesi, said she often experiences tremors, “but they’re never as strong as this one”.

Oktiani was at the market when “everything started shaking”. Several stores experienced power outages and as the tremors got stronger, people fled, she told the BBC.

She headed straight for her child’s school, which is located “very close” to the sea.

“The situation there was chaotic… The teachers immediately told parents to bring their children home, even though they had only just arrived,” she told the BBC.

In Ternate, resident Budi Nurgianto said the walls in his house vibrated for what felt like more than a minute. He rushed outside, into a scene of panic.

“There were many people outside… I even saw some people leaving their house without having finished their shower,” he told AFP news agency.

Manado and Bitung are located on the island of Sulawesi, while Ternate is a volcanic island in the North Maluku province.

The epicentre of the quake was roughly midway between Manado and Ternate.

At least two aftershocks, with magnitudes 5.5 and 5.2, followed the major quake, with authorities warning of more to come.

The national geological agency reported “damage to buildings and injuries” about an hour after the initial tremor, but did not provide further detail.

Footage from a search and rescue team in Manado shows residents and officials walking through the rubble at a sports complex, with some shouting “oh my God”.

Large pieces of furniture were flung onto the ground, with some metallic structures bent out of shape.

A patient at Siloam Hospital in Manado recalled the frantic efforts to evacuate staff and patients.

“We were sitting there drinking tea… [Initially we] didn’t realise it was an earthquake. And then we heard a child scream, ‘Come down, hurry up,’ ” said Admini, 69.

Nurses and doctors quickly set up makeshift treatment areas, out in the open and inside vehicles.

He made the call during bilateral talks with Zimbabwean President Emmerson Mnangagwa on Thursday, April 2, as part of ongoing efforts to enhance relations between the two countries.

President Mahama noted that both countries have already taken steps to strengthen ties in recent years. “In recent years, we’ve taken deliberate steps to revitalise and deepen our cooperation,” he said, referencing the general cooperation agreement signed in 2023.

Highlighting Ghana’s role in continental trade, he added that “the successful convening of the inaugural permanent secretariat of the African Continental Free Trade Area remains committed to promoting economic integration.”

He pointed out that the positions of both countries within their respective regional blocs present an opportunity for broader continental collaboration. “Ghana’s strategic position within ECOWAS and Zimbabwe within SADC presents a unique opportunity to strengthen the linkages between West and Southern Africa,” he said.

Touching on priority sectors, the President emphasised the importance of cooperation in mining, noting the need for both countries to maximise benefits from their natural resources.

“In the mining sector, both our countries are richly endowed with natural resources. We must work together to promote responsible mining practices and, importantly, enhance value addition and beneficiation so that Africa retains a greater share of the wealth derived from our natural resources,” he said.

On agriculture, he indicated that Ghana could benefit from Zimbabwe’s experience, particularly in addressing climate-related challenges.

“Zimbabwe’s experience in irrigation and climate-smart agriculture offers valuable lessons for Ghana as we continue efforts to strengthen our food security and modernise our agricultural sector,” he stated.

Energy was also highlighted as a key area of cooperation, especially in driving industrialisation.

“Energy remains central to our development ambitions. There is significant scope for cooperation in renewable energy and power infrastructure to support industrialisation and economic transformation,” he said.

Beyond economic sectors, President Mahama called for stronger collaboration in areas that foster closer ties between citizens.

“We must also deepen cooperation in education, tourism, culture, and sports areas that strengthen people-to-people connections and sustain long-term partnerships,” he said.

He expressed particular interest in tourism, suggesting joint initiatives that connect major destinations in both countries.

“I’m particularly encouraged by discussions on potential tourism collaboration, linking destinations such as Cape Coast and Victoria Falls,” he said.

“This presents an opportunity to combine Ghana’s rich historical heritage with Zimbabwe’s globally renowned natural attractions.”

The President also underscored the role of the private sector, urging increased business engagement to unlock economic potential.

“We must actively encourage business-to-business engagements to unlock the full economic potential of our partnership,” he said, adding that improved transport links would be critical.

“Improving connectivity, including exploring direct air links between Accra and Harare, will be essential to facilitating trade, tourism, and investment,” he noted.

President Mahama expressed optimism that the discussions would yield tangible outcomes.

“I’m confident that our discussions today will allow us to review the progress we have made, address any challenges, and chart a clear and forward-looking path for our bilateral relations,” he said.

“I look forward to productive and fruitful deliberations that will further strengthen the bonds between our two countries and advance our shared vision for Africa’s development,” he added.

Meanwhile, President Mnangagwa commended Ghana for its leadership in advocating for the recognition of the transatlantic slave trade as the gravest crime against humanity.

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In an official statement, authorities described the achievement as a “historic qualification” for the Leopards, highlighting its significance for football in the country. The Ministry of Employment and Labour confirmed the day would be observed as a paid holiday nationwide.

“Following the historic qualification of the Leopards of the Democratic Republic of the Congo for the 2026 World Cup, Wednesday, April 1, 2026, is declared a public holiday and paid day off across the entire national territory,” the statement said.

DR Congo secured their place at the tournament after a dramatic playoff victory over Jamaica, with defender Axel Tuanzebe scoring a decisive late winner in the 100th minute.

The goal sparked wild celebrations among Congolese fans at the Estadio Guadalajara, who had anxiously watched as their side sought a breakthrough.

This marks DR Congo’s first World Cup appearance since 1974, when the country—then known as Zaire—lost all three group matches. The Leopards have been drawn into a challenging Group K, where they will face Colombia, Portugal, and Uzbekistan.

Elsewhere, Iraq also qualified for the 2026 World Cup after defeating Bolivia 2-1 in a playoff, marking their first appearance since 1986.

The Leopards’ triumph has triggered jubilant celebrations across DR Congo, with citizens hailing the qualification as a major boost to national pride and the country’s global football ambitions.

Lawmakers voted overwhelmingly in favour of the bill earlier this month, but President Bassirou Diomaye Faye has since come under pressure from international human rights groups not to sign it.

U.N. human rights chief Volker ​Turk said on March 12 that the bill “flies in ⁠the face of the sacrosanct human rights we all enjoy: the rights ​to respect, dignity, privacy, equality and freedoms of expression, association and peaceful ​assembly.”

Faye and Prime Minister Ousmane Sonko, both of whom promised to deliver a tougher anti-LGBT law while on the campaign trail in 2024, approved the bill on ​Friday, according to a government statement dated Monday and distributed by ​a government spokesperson on Tuesday.

Senegal’s penal code already included an article imposing up to five years’ imprisonment and fines of up to 1,500,000 CFA francs ($2,700) for “acts against nature”.

The new version doubles the maximum term and allows for fines of up to 10 million CFA francs.

It specifies that acts against nature relate ​to homosexuality, bisexuality, “transsexuality”, ​zoophilia and necrophilia.

Those ⁠found guilty of promoting or financing such acts also face prison time.

Reuters reported this month that Senegalese proponents ​of the bill discussed campaign strategy and mobilisation tactics ​with a ⁠U.S.-based “pro-family” group that calls homosexuality a public health threat.

The period leading up to lawmakers’ vote on the bill was marked by a surge in ⁠arrests of ​men on suspicion of “acts against nature” as ​well as, in some cases, “voluntary transmission” of HIV – a crime carrying up to 10 years ​in prison.

Sara Di Vita, 15, and her mother Antonella Di Ielsi, 50, fell ill after a lunch in their hometown of Pietracatella, a small municipality 260km (161 miles) south-east of Rome.

Sara’s father, Gianni, the former mayor of Pietracatella, was also taken to the hospital but later recovered. The couple’s eldest daughter was not there that day.

Doctors initially attributed the symptoms to food poisoning, but the new focus comes after laboratory tests revealed the presence of a deadly poison, ricin, Italian media say – even though police still do not have a suspect.

Doctors are said to have thought the infection originated from either fish or mushrooms and discharged the mother and daughter after they went to the hospital.

However, their symptoms quickly worsened, and the pair were soon re-admitted.

Dr Vincenzo Cuzzone, head of the intensive care unit at Cardarelli hospital in nearby Campobasso, told Italian media that liver failure occurred first and was followed by multi-organ failure “at truly unparalleled speed”.

Di Vita and Di Ielsi’s deaths were initially attributed to medical negligence, and doctors who discharged them were placed under investigation for manslaughter, Italian media report.

They published the test results carried out at laboratories in Italy and Switzerland.

Ricin, a highly toxic chemical, is a poison found naturally in castor beans.

Ingesting a tiny quantity can cause rapid organ failure and lead to death. There is no known antidote for ricin poisoning.