During the previous flight on Friday – a nearly 17-hour journey from Perth to Rome – some passengers had complained that they were being bitten by bugs, according to the Sydney Morning Herald.

They were reportedly given antihistamines to help ease the itch of the bites, but supplies ran out.

The Boeing 787 Dreamliner had to be grounded for “a deep clean”, a Qantas spokesperson told the BBC.

“We sincerely apologise to customers for the cancellation of Saturday’s Rome to Perth service, which allowed our engineers and maintenance teams to carry out a deep clean of the aircraft after an issue was identified on a small number of economy seats,” the spokesperson said.

All affected customers were provided with accommodation and were rebooked on alternative flights within 48 hours of their original departure, the carrier said.

Bedbugs are small, wingless parasites that can live on clothes, furniture and bedding. Their bites can be itchy but they do not usually cause more serious health problems, the NHS website says.

But they can be difficult and expensive to get rid of. Treatment includes washing all bedding, clothing, and household materials like curtains on a hot wash and tumble dry, or they can be put in plastic bags in a freezer for three or four days.

Bedbugs causing travel chaos is not unusual – less than two weeks ago, several Southeastern train services in England were cancelled after drivers discovered the creepy-crawlies in their cabs.

In 2017, British Airways apologised to a family travelling from Vancouver to London, after they were left covered in bug bites from an overnight flight.

And Turkish Airlines faced with a PR nightmare last year after the New York Times reported of several instances of bedbug infestations on its planes – and allegations at the time that the airline did nothing about it.

Abhijeet Dipke, who began the movement in May after India’s Chief Justice likened some jobless young people to “cockroaches”, and other leaders had been detained on arrival in Delhi on Saturday to lead protests seeking electoral reforms.

Police refused them permission to protest and unprecedented curbs were in place to thwart the protesters from reaching the venue.

But thousands did try—media reports said 7,000 were detained and released late at night.

The CJP—which is not registered as a political party in India—is seeking electoral reforms just months before crucial state elections.

It has also demanded the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar over allegations of manipulating voters’ lists – which the Election Commission has denied.

On Sunday morning, the CJP lawyer Ratna Singh said she had been informed by the police that Dipke and two other senior CJP leaders – Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka – will be produced before the magistrate by the police seeking their remand “to maintain public peace”.

She later posted on X that the three had been set free by the court “on the condition that they will not engage in breach of peace for one year” – it’s not clear what that means and whether the CJP leaders can take part in protests.

Saturday saw dramatic developments as police officials boarded the flight to detain Dipke, Das and Ranka as their plane landed.

Police had refused permission for the protest to take place at Jantar Mantar, a landmark in the Indian capital, and the city was in a virtual lockdown to prevent the protesters from reaching the venue.

At least 45 metro stations were shut and Delhi’s main railway stations were shut with major train services cancelled. Many protesters attempting to travel from outside were de-boarded en route.

Much of Delhi looked like a city under siege on Saturday, with roads barricaded and offices, shops and restaurants shut.

The day began with expectations of a major gathering at Jantar Mantar, but only a handful of protesters managed to reach the site before police swiftly removed them.

The road that the CJP had occupied for weeks earlier this summer seeking education reforms remained barricaded at both ends, guarded by thousands of police and paramilitary personnel.

The deployment continued through the day, but little happened at the site.

Elsewhere in the city, thousands of protesters still turned up, including activists and senior lawyers who were all detained.

Student leader Neha Bora tried to march from Dilli Haat to Jantar Mantar but was also stopped and taken away. They were all released later on Saturday.

One woman who managed to evade the police and reach Connaught Place told us: “In a democracy, everyone has the right to protest and to say if we are not happy.

“Peaceful protests have been there for ages. We are not living in pre-independent India. We request the government to let us protest.”

The CJP has called for more protests on Sunday.

The row centres over a mammoth exercise to update electoral rolls nationwide – the commission has said it’s a routine exercise to weed out dead, duplicate or ineligible voters.

At least 130 million voter names have been purged from the rolls so far and in many states, the exercise has been shrouded in controversy, with tens of thousands of people alleging they have been wrongly removed.

The CJP – and opposition parties – accuse Kumar of favouring Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the way the electoral rolls are being updated.

The Election Commission and the BJP have denied this.

The CJP first emerged as a major protest movement during weeks of demonstrations over the summer demanding education reforms and the resignation of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan.

Track Exec Orders

The group stemmed from a joke made by Dipke in response to a remark by Chief Justice Surya Kant, who had likened jobless youngsters to “cockroaches”. He later said the comments were misinterpreted.

Dipke, who previously worked with the opposition Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), had just completed a master’s degree at Boston University when he posted a question on X in May: “What if all cockroaches come together?”

The post went viral, and the CJP was born. Momentum built around the movement which tapped into anger over unemployment, exam paper leaks and government accountability.

Their five-week-long protest ended in celebration for the protesters in July after the resignation of India’s education minister.

Also read:

• ‘Cockroach’ group leaders among hundreds detained in Delhi protest

• Four die in Delhi building collapse as rains batter India, trigger landslides

About 1,900 children aged 0-14 are diagnosed with cancer each year, according to Cancer Research UK.

Thirteen-year-old Amelia Carroll, who is now in remission, was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukaemia (AML) last year.

Her mum Gemma recalls the initial symptoms being easy to overlook.

There was the tiredness, she says, and being out of breath after mild exercise but both were put down to being unfit and just post-school fatigue.

It was only when Amelia started presenting with bruises Gemma knew something wasn’t right – within 10 days Amelia got her leukaemia diagnosis.

What are the symptoms to look out for?

Prof Bob Phillips, a paediatric oncologist, says it’s key for parents to look out for clusters of symptoms that may be persisting, getting worse or bigger.

Consider contacting a doctor over the following:

• Extreme tiredness
• Looking really pale
• Bruises that you can’t explain
• Lumps and bumps that are getting bigger or not going away and growing over time

Cancer in children develops much more quickly than in adults – effectively due to them growing.

Experts like Phillips at CCLG, the Children and Young People’s Cancer Association, are urging people to follow a national campaign aiming to raise awareness and improve diagnosis times.

It includes a rule-of-three for professionals: If a child has had three persistent symptoms, or has visited their doctor three times, or has had three weeks of unexplained symptoms consider making a referral.

Although, it’s important to note survival rates have risen significantly since the 1970s, with eight out of 10 children surviving beyond five to 10 years or more after diagnosis.

For Amelia, her cancer journey began with a single red bruise that came out of nowhere, says Gemma.

Three days later, she had bruises down both of her shins on both legs, which were sore and raised.

“We’d gone to the opticians for a routine appointment and they noticed that she’d got some burst blood vessels but they weren’t sure why,” she adds.

Within 10 days, doctors had confirmed what type of leukaemia Amelia had and she was admitted to hospital to begin treatment.

“On the day that they confirmed what she had, I sat her down and she said to me ‘have I got cancer?’ and I said yes you have. She asked me if she was going to die.”

“I said no, they’re doing everything they can, they’ve got a plan in place and the treatment is going to do everything it can to beat the cancer.”

Amelia is currently in remission, undergoing regular bone marrow and blood tests every three months, and has returned to school.

Phillips says survival rates for childhood cancer in the UK are over 80% but that even quicker diagnosis would lead to less intensive treatments.

‘Raising awareness is his legacy’

Around the UK, about half the children diagnosed with cancer get their diagnosis within two weeks, he says.

“It’s pretty quick but we want the other half to not have the wait of 16, 18, 20, 25 weeks from those first symptoms to get a diagnosis.”

Cancer Research UK data shows that there are more than 400,000 new cases of cancer diagnosed every year in the UK, with only 54% being told within the 28-day NHS target window, according to the British Medical Journal (BMJ).

An additional 2,300 teenagers and young adults (aged 15–24) are diagnosed each year.

Lynsey Swinscoe is mum to Jake, who died of soft tissue cancer aged 13. Jake was diagnosed with stage three, fusion positive alveolar rhabdomyosarcoma in July 2023.

Before his diagnosis, Jake’s initial symptoms of a stuffy nose and watery eyes were put down to hayfever, and falling asleep after school was thought to be just end-of-term tiredness.

“It was only when he started to get a swelling across the bridge of his nose that we thought right, we need to take him to the GP,” Lynsey says.

“But at that point we didn’t really think the fatigue and hayfever symptoms were related.”

A mass was found in Jake’s nose and nasal cavity and he was diagnosed with soft tissue sarcoma. He completed nine rounds of chemotherapy and proton beam radiation.

After suffering seizures and feeling very unwell from the chemotherapy, Jake opted out of continuing treatment.

He passed away peacefully at home on 26 April 2024, just two weeks before his 14th birthday.

“I think the main thing with Jake is he was not scared to die. We had lots of conversations about dying and what it might feel like to die and the only thing that he was sort of scared about was, ‘are all the people going to remember me? Is everyone just going to forget who I am?’

“That’s why I’m doing this, to make sure that people know who Jake is, to make sure people know how incredible he was. And so with that comes the raising awareness, which I think, that’s his legacy.”

In a post on X, Mr Ablakwa said he hosted the General Superintendent of the Assemblies of God, Ghana, Rev. Dr Stephen Yenusom Wengam, and his delegation at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to discuss preparations for the congress.

He said the Ministry, together with Ghana’s embassies and high commissions across 73 countries, was ready to provide the necessary diplomatic and protocol support for the event.

“The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and all our embassies and high commissions across 73 countries are delighted to be offering diplomatic and protocol support, as we have done for many organisations, and consistent with our traditions,” he stated.

It was a great honour hosting the revered Rev. Dr. Stephen Yenusom Wengam, the General Superintendent of the Assemblies of God, Ghana, and his esteemed delegation at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. We reviewed preparations for the prestigious World Assemblies of God Congress which Ghana is blessed to host as the first African country to ever be given the privilege. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and all our embassies and high commissions across 73 countries are delighted to be offering diplomatic and protocol support, as we have done for many organisations, and consistent with our traditions. Ghana must continue to position our country as the preferred international convening destination as we effectively leverage our famed hospitality, warmth, stability, economic rebound and democratic credentials. I convey very best wishes for a successful and life-transforming event and may our dear nation receive more blessings during this global congress later this week. For God and Country 🇬🇭 🙏🏾

— Sam Okudzeto Ablakwa (@S_OkudzetoAblak) October 12, 2026

Mr Ablakwa said Ghana must continue to position itself as a preferred destination for international gatherings by leveraging its hospitality, political stability, economic recovery and democratic credentials.

He expressed optimism that hosting the global congress would further enhance Ghana’s international profile and bring additional blessings to the country.

“I convey very best wishes for a successful and life-transforming event and may our dear nation receive more blessings during this global congress later this week,” he added.

Also read:

• Cabinet approves diplomatic agreement between Ghana and Holy See

• World Cup visa scandal: Don’t shift blame to Ablakwa – Ekow Assafuah warns Sports…

The boat, carrying 305 people, capsized near Guhere, north of Obock, a port town in Djibouti, during the night of October 8-9, ​the IOM said, citing survivor accounts.

Around 82 people survived the shipwreck, the statement said. A spokesperson for the Ethiopian government did not immediately respond ​to requests for comment.

Photographs shared by the UN agency showed worn-out sandals and sneakers washed up on the shore.

“Our teams ⁠are on the ground alongside local authorities to provide emergency assistance,” said IOM Chief of Mission in Djibouti Alexandre Coissac.

“This tragedy is a stark reminder ​of the dangers faced by migrants along this migration corridor as they seek economic opportunities,” Coissac said.

Djiboutian authorities are continuing search and rescue operations, the IOM statement ​said, adding that local authorities are also providing medical care to survivors and arranging burials for the deceased.

The Djibouti government could not be immediately reached for comment.

The migrants were heading to Yemen, with the hope of eventually making it to wealthier Gulf nations, even as Yemeni nationals themselves flee their country, which is experiencing the most serious escalation in fighting between Saudi ​Arabia-backed government forces and the Iran-backed Houthis since a UN-brokered truce in 2022.

“Despite the violence in Yemen, migrants are still making the perilous journeys hoping ​to make it to the Gulf countries,” the IOM statement said.

FIGHTING IN ETHIOPIA

Fighting has also broken out in Ethiopia since last month in the biggest escalation of violence since the ‌2020-2022 Tigray ⁠war.

An IOM official told Reuters that the UN agency had documented heavy migrant traffic along the so-called Eastern Route through Djibouti for several years.

“People continue to use the route amid changing conditions in Ethiopia and Yemen, although the volume and direction of movement can shift over time,” the official said.

Ethiopian migrants interviewed as part of the agency’s most recent situation report on Djibouti from September 20 to September 30 said they had left their country due to difficult living conditions, ​including the impact of drought.

“Some migrants ​also reported that they were fleeing ⁠conflict and forced recruitment by armed forces,” the report said.

Multiple residents of Tigray, where fighting erupted on September 23, have told Reuters that they had seen Tigrayan rebels forcibly recruit young men into the defence forces. The rebels have ​denied conducting forced recruitment.

The conflict has sparked fears of a return to all-out war with Ethiopia and Eritrea severing ​relations over alleged Eritrean ⁠support for the rebel alliance seeking to overthrow Ethiopia’s government. Eritrea has denied backing the alliance.

SEVERE RISKS

The so-called Eastern Route presents many dangers, including accidents at sea, trafficking and arbitrary arrests once on land. In 2025, more than 900 migrants died or went missing along the route, according to IOM’s Missing Migrants Project, as the ⁠number of ​people undertaking the journey increased by 18%.

IOM has described the crisis sparked by the fighting in ​Yemen as alarming, with displacement figures surging to 200,000 from 76,000 in mid-September, according to data released by the agency last week.

More than 3,700 people have fled Yemen by sea to Djibouti ​as of last week, it said.

Brent crude futures fell $1.54, or 1.47%, to $103.18 a barrel by 0154 GMT, while US West Texas Intermediate crude fell $ 1.54, or 1.68%, to $ 90.31 a barrel.

ICE gasoil futures fell 3% to $1,436 per barrel ​after President Trump said on Friday that Russia will immediately supply more than 300,000 metric tons (2.25 million barrels) of diesel to US ​and global markets.

Russia would supply another 500,000 tons in November and a further 1 million tons “immediately thereafter”, Trump ⁠added. The daily diesel consumption globally is forecast at close to 29 million barrels, according to the International Energy Agency.

Trump also unexpectedly announced ​on Sunday that Ukraine and Russia had agreed to an energy ceasefire, but Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelenskiy said he was still waiting to see details ​of the energy ceasefire while Russia did not comment.

The announcements eased some of the immediate supply pressure, Tim Waterer, KCM Trade chief analyst, said.

“Questions remain over the validity and longevity of any such ceasefire, and without clearer evidence that it will actually hold, the extent of the pullback is likely to stay limited,” he added.

IEA’s ​Executive Director Fatih Birol said on Sunday that all members should assess whether additional diesel releases are necessary and that countries which have not yet fully delivered ​pledged volumes accelerate their remaining releases prioritising diesel.

CRUDE SUPPORTED BY MIDDLE EAST CONFLICT

However, the Middle East conflict continued to support Brent crude at above $100 a barrel.

The Houthis claimed ‌responsibility ⁠for a Saturday strike on Riyadh’s international airport that killed 13 people and wounded more than 300, while Saudi authorities reported that people were injured in a new attack on the airport on Sunday.

US President Donald Trump said on Saturday the United States was considering joining Saudi strikes on the Houthis in the conflict, a spillover from the wider war with Iran that the US and Israel launched in February.

In addition, more attacks on ​tankers sailing through the Strait of ​Hormuz have been reported so far ⁠this month, threatening to dampen a recovery in Middle East crude exports seen in September.

A tanker was struck by a drone in the vicinity of Sohar anchorage, Oman, while another was damaged by an unknown projectile while ​transiting the Strait of Hormuz, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations reported over the weekend.

Goldman Sachs raised its Brent crude price forecast for December to $90 a barrel, up from $85 previously, its analysts, led by Daan Struyven, said in a note.

“We maintain our base case that continued adaptation of Mideast supply will eventually reduce crude oil prices, while potential renewed escalation still poses significant net upside risk,” the analysts said, estimating a ⁠risk premium ​of just over $20 a barrel.

“We forecast WTI prices, which are unusually low vs Brent ​because of high US-Europe shipping costs, to average $81 in December 2026 and $73 in 2027,” they added.

In the Gulf of Mexico, energy majors Shell, Chevron and BP were seeking to redeploy personnel ​and restore production at their platforms after Hurricane Isaias made landfall early on Saturday.

“The doctors found an early, well-localised nodule on my lung,” he told the public during his weekly Sunday prayers in St. Peter’s Square in Rome.

The 71-year-old said his medical team “believe it would be right to intervene” and he had agreed to the operation, while reassuring pilgrims that the mass was “well-contained” and caught “at an early stage.”

The pontiff’s admission that he would need surgery comes nearly a year-and-a-half after he succeeded the late Pope Francis, who also experienced issues with his lungs that required hospital treatment.

Leo concluded his Angelus prayer by thanking everyone for their “spiritual closeness” and said he entrusted himself to their prayers.

Holy See Press Office spokesman Matteo Bruni told the media that “the operation is scheduled for the first days of next week.”

He added that the Pope is expected to take about a week to recover.

Vatican News, the Holy See’s news portal, said the operation will take place at Gemelli Hospital in Rome.

The hospital set up a special Papal suite following the failed assassination attempt on Pope John Paul II’s life in May 1981, which is still in use today.

Italy’s Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni expressed her “personal solidarity” with the Pope as he “faces the ordeal ahead in the coming days”.

Her sentiments were echoed by Italian President Sergio Mattarella, who offered his “sincerest wishes for a peaceful recovery and a speedy and full return to health”.

Isaac Herzog, the president of Israel, also wished the pontiff “a full and speedy recovery”.

The Pope, born Robert Francis Provost, is the 267th occupant of the throne of St Peter – the first US citizen to do so.

He was ordained in 1982 and spent years as a missionary in Peru, where he is remembered as a figure who worked with marginalised communities.

During Sunday’s service, the Pope confirmed his upcoming visit to Uruguay, Argentina and Peru in November will still go ahead.

The Archbishop of Montevideo, Daniel Sturla, said preparations for his tour will continue with “greater enthusiasm” as he called for prayers for his recovery.

A lung nodule is a small lump of tissue that is usually detected following an X-ray or CT scan of the chest, according to the NHS.

Most nodules do not cause other symptoms.

The directive had sought to implement a July 7 Constitutional Court ruling that said asylum seekers cannot be denied access to South Africa’s ​asylum system solely on procedural grounds, such as entering ​the country illegally.

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Home Affairs said in a statement ⁠that the directive was issued as an operational measure, and ​the implementation had overwhelmed refugee reception offices within days, put officials ​at risk and led to threats to public safety and order.

The government has blamed disinformation over the court’s ruling, adding that it did not ​automatically grant refugee status, permanent residence or other legal ​rights to undocumented migrants.

Africa’s biggest economy grapples with a surge in anti-immigrant protests ‌that have ⁠strained relations with other African countries and forced thousands of foreign nationals to leave.

Migrants are often blamed for unemployment, crime and pressure on public services, accusations that social scientists say ​are unsupported by ​evidence.

Rioters torched 14 ⁠vehicles in the coastal city of Durban and 10 in Johannesburg’s Soweto township on Thursday. ​Foreign-owned shops were also looted.

A top police official, ​Lieutenant ⁠General Puleng Dimpane, told a press briefing in Soweto on Friday, near the remains of torched vehicles, that calm had returned to ⁠the ​area.

In Durban, police spokesperson Robert Netshiunda ​said the situation had stabilised, adding that a swift police response had prevented ​more damage.

Also read:

• Cars torched and shops looted as anti-migrant violence erupts in South Africa

• Ghana ready to evacuate more citizens from South Africa if situation worsens – Ablakwa

The court denounced the ‌move as an “assault on the rule of law and on the very foundations of the international legal order” and called on its 125 member states to take action to defend it.

“The Court cannot stand alone. Its fate now rests also in the hands of the states that created it,” it said in a statement. “This is not just about defending a single institution but about safeguarding the international order grounded upon the rule of law. History will judge this moment.”

The Trump ​administration has long been hostile to the court, founded in 2002 to prosecute war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide, and has previously imposed sanctions on its prosecutors and judges.

Friday’s move goes much ​further, potentially punishing companies that provide services to the court itself, amounting to an unprecedented attack on an institution founded on an international treaty. The ⁠US initially signed the Rome Statute that founded the court but never ratified it.

“President Trump will never allow the International Criminal Court to prosecute Americans,” Secretary of State Marco Rubio said in a statement, ​first published by Reuters.

“That is why, today, the United States is sanctioning the International Criminal Court. We will ban transactions with this rogue court, cutting off their resources and crippling its ability to operate.”

SANCTIONS INCLUDE ​GRACE PERIOD

The US Treasury announced the sanctions with a six-month initial grace period, and some other exemptions that would allow some transactions for telecoms, software, payment of pensions and transactions related to detainees.

Rubio said the sanctions had been structured to give the court and its member states an opportunity to address US concerns, and would be adjusted if those demands were not met.

Washington has denounced the ICC over arrest warrants issued for Israeli officials, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and ​an investigation into actions of US soldiers in Afghanistan, which the ICC says is “deprioritised.”

Rubio in his statement, cited calls from outside experts for the ICC to prosecute American service members, border patrol agents and ​elected leaders. ICC officials have not taken steps toward such prosecutions.

“The sanctions are intended to undermine the rule of law internationally and the work that an independent judicial institution is doing,” ICC Deputy Prosecutor Nazhat Shameem Khan told ‌Reuters. “Our work ⁠will continue across all our situations, our investigations, and our prosecutions.”

EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said on social media that the six-month period “offers a window for dialogue” but added that the bloc “has options to ensure that (the ICC) can continue its vital work.”

Belgium’s foreign minister called for an EU blocking statute to be activated to protect the court.

The ICC has issued arrest warrants against more than 70 people, including world leaders and major figures in global conflicts.

In addition to Netanyahu, it has sought the arrest of Hamas figures. Others who were the subject of arrest warrants include Russian President Vladimir Putin, former Sudan President ​Omar al-Bashir and former Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi. ​

Charges against Kenyan President William Ruto and former ⁠Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta were withdrawn.

NOBEL COMMITTEE CITES POLITICAL ATTACKS IN AWARDING PRIZE

Despite US calls for countries to quit the court, it has received strong backing from most member states, which include all EU countries and all members of the NATO alliance apart from the United States and Turkey. It is based in ​the Netherlands, an EU and NATO member.

The Nobel Prize awarded hours earlier to South African jurist Navi Pillay, who sat on the ICC’s Appeals ​Chamber from 2003 to 2008, was explicitly ⁠described by the prize committee as a gesture of support for such tribunals at a time when “judges and institutions of international law are under political attack.”

“An international legal system in which war criminals are held to account and the victims of abuse see justice served is a precondition for a peaceful world,” the prize committee said.

US sanctions typically bar all US-based companies from any work with a sanctioned organization, forcing banks to shut accounts, ⁠insurers to end ​coverage and software companies to halt cooperation.

The Trump administration previously imposed targeted sanctions on court officials during his first term, ​which were rescinded under President Joe Biden. Washington announced new sanctions just days after Trump returned to office in January 2025.

Court officials have been preparing for months for the prospect of sanctions on the court itself, shifting office computers from Microsoft software to open-source ​equivalents and making new arrangements for banking and health insurance.

The group said its founder Abhijeet Dipke, who began the movement in May after India’s Chief Justice likened some jobless young people to “cockroaches”, was detained with other leaders shortly after landing in Delhi.

Tens of thousands of security personnel were deployed and roads barricaded ahead of the demonstration, though the CJP insisted it would go ahead.

Delhi Police has not commented on the detentions, but had refused permission for the protest to take place at Jantar Mantar, a landmark in the Indian capital.

The group – who are not registered as a political party in India – are seeking electoral reforms just months before crucial state elections.

It has also demanded the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar over allegations of manipulating voters’ lists – which the Election Commission has denied.

Under Kumar’s leadership, India’s election commission has undertaken a mammoth exercise to update electoral rolls nationwide – it said this was a routine exercise to weed out dead, duplicate or ineligible voters.

But in many states, the exercise has been shrouded in controversy, with tens of thousands of people alleging they have been wrongly removed.

The CJP – and opposition parties – accuse Kumar of favouring Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the way the electoral rolls are being updated.

The Election Commission and the BJP have denied this.

Before arriving in Delhi, the CJP’s founder Dipke said: “If you think you can stop us by threatening us with jail or trying to intimidate us with the fear of imprisonment, you are mistaken.”

He and and two other leaders, Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka, were detained on their flight from Mumbai on Saturday.

The group claimed the three men have been taken to an undisclosed location. Delhi Police have not commented.

Ajinkya Shinde, the CJP’s new designated leader while the others are in detention, released a video telling protesters that “if Delhi Police tries to stop you, wherever they stop you will become your Jantar Mantar”.

Student activist Neha Bora, who had also been detained by Delhi Police, urged demonstrators to “hold the line”.

The large number of protesters expected to descend on Delhi were unable to get anywhere close to Jantar Mantar due to the heavy security presence and road blocks.

Announcements could be heard across the city, asking people to co-operate with the police.

One protester, Sabika Muzaffar, told the BBC she and her mother expected to be detained.

“On the way to the protest site, instead of reciting hymns and verses as we usually do, my mother and I were rote learning our lawyer’s number,” she said.

She said that showing up to protest was “her way of defending the country and its democracy”.

A few minutes after Muzaffar spoke to the BBC she was taken away by police.

Several trains to and from major Delhi stations had been cancelled and dozens of metro stations were closed from Friday night.

Buses packed with detained protesters were seen being driven away from the protest site.

The CJP first emerged as a major protest movement during weeks of demonstrations over the summer demanding education reforms and the resignation of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan.

The group stemmed from a joke made by Dipke in response to a remark by India’s Chief Justice Surya Kant, who had likened jobless youngsters to “cockroaches”. He later said the comments were misinterpreted.

Dipke, who previously worked with the opposition Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), had just completed a master’s degree at Boston University when he posted a question on X in May: “What if all cockroaches come together?”

The post went viral, and the CJP was born. Momentum built around the movement which tapped into anger over over unemployment, exam paper leaks and government accountability.

In July, Dipke watched from the stage as the five-week-long protest ended in celebration after the resignation of India’s education minister.

The boat was travelling from Djibouti to Yemen with 350 people on board when it capsized near the port town of Obock on Thursday night. Around 80 people were rescued, the IOM said.

IOM’s Djibouti mission chief Alexandre Coissac called the tragedy a “stark reminder” of the dangers migrants face while seeking a new life elsewhere.

Tens of thousands of migrants from the Horn of Africa make the perilous journey each year hoping to reach Gulf countries for safety and work, according to the UN agency.

In a statement on Friday, the organisation said 52 men, 42 women, nine girls and six boys were among the bodies recovered.

“This is a devastating loss of life,” Coissac said.

“Our thoughts are with the survivors and the families who have lost loved ones or remain without news of their relatives,” he added.

Local authorities are also arranging burials for those who have died, while the survivors – all Ethiopian nationals – have medical care readily available to them.

Yemen remains engulfed in a devastating civil war which has lasted more than a decade. Despite this conflict – and growing instability across the wider region – migrants still cross the Bab el-Mandeb Strait to Yemen driven by poverty, insecurity and the growing impacts of climate change.

Since 10 September, the IOM said its Displacement Tracking Matrix has observed more than 20,000 “movements” from Ethiopia to Djibouti.

IOM said it is providing assistance to 64 of the survivors at its response centre in Obock, including healthcare and support to “restore contact with their families”.

The UN agency is working in “close collaboration” with local authorities to help migrants and “prevent deaths at sea and on land”, it added.

According to IOM figures, more than 900 migrants died or went missing taking the same route in 2025, with an 18% increase in the number of people attempting the journey.

In March 2026, nine people were killed, and 45 were missing after a similar incident.

The Nigerian star will become the first African artist to headline one of the American football league’s international games when the Philadelphia Eagles take on the Jacksonville Jaguars in London on Sunday.

Ahead of the performance at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, Starr told BBC Newsbeat her history-making performance “itself is a message”.

Earlier this year, Puerto Rican superstar Bad Bunny used his Super Bowl half-time show to celebrate Latin American culture.

The 32-year-old also made history by becoming the first musician to perform entirely in Spanish at the sporting event, normally the most-watched each year on US TV.

Starr said it’s “very important” for singers to seize opportunities like this.

“At the end of the day, as artists, we speak for the culture and we speak for the people that listen to us,” she added.

“And we have to represent any way that seems fit, that they need.”

She didn’t want to give away too much about her performance, but confirmed it would feature tracks from her new studio album, Starrgirl, which was released in August.

“Sunday is gonna be amazing,” she said.

“I’m still in rehearsals. It’s a lot of work we’re putting in so I’m really excited.”

The 24-year-old has been making waves in recent years, becoming the first African woman to win best international act at the Mobo Awards and the first Nigerian woman to surpass one billion video views on YouTube.

But before she became a superstar, the singer studied for a degree in political sciences and international relations – and said this has influenced her work.

“When it comes to matters of women and equality and the girl child and even just children – I’m very outspoken on any platform that sees fit.

“Even with my music, my music is very much like ‘I will do what I want’ and freedom.”

The Afrobeats genre, which originates from West Africa, has massively grown in recent years – dominating playlists and seeing artists, including Starr, featuring at major festivals such as Glastonbury.

She said the rest of the world is just “catching up” to a style that’s been “popping in Africa for the longest time”.

The singer added that becoming one of the dominant faces of the music she grew up listening to, alongside artists such as Wizkid and Burna Boy, is “crazy”.

Starr acknowledged it’s a male-dominated field and would like female artists to have more “space in the genre” and be “allowed the same privileges”.

But she also feels this is just the beginning.

“Afrobeats just keeps evolving, it keeps growing and it just keeps getting better… I want it to be one of the top genres in the world.”

The actress shared the experience in a video posted on her Instagram page on Saturday, October 10, to mark her 25th birthday and explain her prolonged absence from social media.

Daniels, who has been away from the public space for sometime, appeared in a wheelchair in the video, acknowledging that her condition might come as a surprise to fans who had been asking about her whereabouts.

“I know many of you may be surprised seeing me in a wheelchair. Well, welcome to another chapter of my life. Let me walk you through what my life has been since many of you have asked questions about my absence,” she said.

The actress explained that her health challenges began with what she initially considered a minor issue but gradually worsened, affecting her ability to move around freely.

She identified the period after a Children’s Day carnival she hosted as a turning point, saying the pain intensified as she underwent repeated medical tests.

“For several months now, I have lost my freedom to move around as I please. It started as something minor, very minor, but eventually led to this,” she said.

Recounting the severity of the condition, Daniels said the pain sometimes left her unable to move, adding that the experience had taken an emotional toll on her.

“The pain became excruciating. Sometimes I can walk, and sometimes I can’t move. I cried,” she said.

Despite the difficulties, the actress expressed gratitude for what she described as significant progress in her recovery, saying the improvement had encouraged her to speak publicly about her experience.

“Well, me sitting here today, in front of this camera, sharing this with y’all, it’s because there’s been some really significant developments in my recovery. And I say, thank you, Lord,” she said.

Daniels also spoke about relying on her faith in God for healing and expressed hope for calm and peace as she entered a new chapter of her life.

She further disclosed that she had moved closer to her loved ones, particularly her children, whom she described as very dear to her.

The actress, who is a mother of two, said she decided to share her experience to address concerns from fans and well-wishers over her absence from social media.

Watch the video below:

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The West African nation held a presidential election in November last ​year that was disrupted when soldiers toppled the civilian ​government before the results could be announced

Voters in ⁠August approved a new constitution that expanded presidential powers

The prime ​minister told reporters that political parties had not held ​their congresses to choose their leaders, and potential candidates for the election had missed the October 6 deadline for submitting their bids ​to the nation’s Supreme Court

The prime minister did ​not offer a timeframe for setting a new date for a ‌vote, ⁠stating, “there are no conditions for holding the elections scheduled for December 6”

Last week, the government blocked the former president, Umaro Sissoco Embalo, from returning, citing national security concerns. Embalo ​had planned ​to return on ⁠Sunday and contest the presidential election

Civil society activists say the current interim government ​has used fear to crush political dissent, citing ​the unsolved ⁠murder of Vigario Luis Balanta, a popular rapper and founder of a political movement, as a high-profile example.

The ⁠government ​denies a role in Balanta’s ​killing, and says it is investigating to find those responsible

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• Guinea-Bissau coup rooted in constitutional breaches and criminal networks – Security Expert

Clashes broke out on Thursday in Soweto, a sprawling township outside Johannesburg, the country’s largest city, and Durban, a major port on the east coast.

The violence comes amid growing anger over a court ruling requiring the government to remove barriers that had prevented some migrants from applying for asylum.

South Africa has experienced repeated outbreaks of xenophobic violence, often targeting migrants from neighbouring countries.

Thursday’s demonstration turned violent following allegations that a foreign national had assaulted one of the protesters in Durban. Three foreign nationals were arrested in connection with the alleged assault, police said.

In Durban, in the eastern province of KwaZulu-Natal, protesters gathered outside a government refugee reception centre demanding that it stop accepting asylum applications.

Police fired rubber bullets to disperse crowds as businesses in the city centre shut their doors.

“There were clashes between foreign nationals in the area and South African nationals,” senior local police officer Xolani Fihla told state broadcaster SABC.

“At the present moment, I can confirm that no injuries have been reported,” he added.

Police said 14 vehicles were torched in Durban and 10 in Soweto, where gunshots were also reported during confrontations between residents and foreign shopkeepers.

Acting national police commissioner Lt Gen Puleng Dimpane condemned the destruction of property.

In Orlando West, a neighbourhood of Soweto, residents had initially gathered to demand the closure of small convenience stores, known locally as spaza shops, operated by foreign nationals.

Protesters forced foreign traders out of some areas, while shops were attacked and a building was set on fire, local media reported. Police said reinforcements had been deployed to prevent further violence.

The authorities have promised to pursue those responsible for the destruction. The latest unrest follows a July ruling by South Africa’s Constitutional Court, the country’s highest court, which struck down restrictions preventing some people from seeking asylum because of how they entered the country or missed immigration deadlines.

The judgment means asylum seekers must be allowed to submit applications, even if they entered South Africa without the required documents.

It has prompted hundreds of people to gather at refugee reception centres, fuelling anger among anti-immigration campaigners who fear the decision will encourage undocumented migration.

Government spokesman William Baloyi told Reuters news agency that people had deliberately spread false claims about the judgment, creating the impression that undocumented migrants would automatically be granted legal status.

Baloyi insisted that the ruling does not automatically give migrants refugee status or the right to remain permanently in South Africa.

Officials say applications will still be assessed individually and applicants will remain subject to immigration checks.

The protests forced tens of thousands of migrants to flee, with some returning home through repatriation programmes organised by their governments.

South Africa has struggled with xenophobic attacks for nearly two decades. In 2008, more than 60 people were killed and tens of thousands displaced during widespread attacks on foreign nationals.

The latest unrest comes against a backdrop of widespread poverty, deep inequality and unemployment affecting roughly a third of the workforce.

Migrants are frequently accused of taking jobs, contributing to crime and placing pressure on public services, although researchers say such sweeping claims are not supported by evidence.

Despite its economic difficulties, South Africa remains one of the continent’s main destinations for migrants seeking employment, safety and better opportunities.

The attacks also resulted in “injuries to a number of Saudi citizens and residents of various nationalities,” the General Authority of Civil Aviation said in a statement on X.

It said the first attack on Thursday targeted the airport while the second one struck an aircraft belonging to state carrier Saudia.

One of its pilots was among those killed, the airline said in a statement.

Air traffic had returned to normal, the civil aviation authority said.

Yemen’s Houthi group said on Thursday it had attacked the airport with two missiles, reports said.

The Iran-aligned group said it had also targeted an airport in Najran city near the Saudi border with Yemen, and Khamis Mushait air base further north. Saudi Arabia has not confirmed these attacks.

The latest casualties follow the deaths of three people in Houthi attacks on two Saudi airports on October 6 and 7.

Two were killed and 28 wounded in an attack at Abha International Airport, the civil aviation body said on Wednesday. Another person was killed at King Khalid airport.

The latest attacks come amid mark an escalation in renewed fighting between Yemen’s Saudi-backed government forces and the Houthis, who control most of the country’s north-west.

The Houthi military spokesperson said the previous two attacks on Saudi Arabia’s airports were in “response to the Saudi aggression against our country” which saw “60 airstrikes and missile attacks in the past 24 hours”.

The group says it is targeting Saudi Arabia over its support for government forces in Yemen’s civil war.

The conflict has worsened in recent weeks, after the Houthis seized strategically important stretches of the Red Sea coast in a rapid offensive.

That included the port of Mokha on the Bab al-Mandab Strait, which is the narrowest point of the Red Sea and a chokepoint for global shipping.

But Yemeni pro-government forces have since said they had “secured” the Bab al-Mandab Strait at the southern end of the Red Sea.

A Saudi-led coalition was formed in 2015 after Arab countries joined forces to stop the Houthis taking over Yemen from the country’s internationally recognised government.

A temporary ceasefire was brokered in 2022 after years of air strikes and ground fighting led to the deaths of hundreds of thousands of people, triggering one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises.

But the informal ceasefire began to unravel in July.

The Houthis announced a “maritime embargo” against Saudi Arabia and began missile and drone attacks on Saudi airports, oil facilities and tankers in the Red Sea. They said they were retaliating for what they say is a years-long Saudi blockade, and for an air strike on Sanaa airport.

The move marks an escalation in the long-running rivalry between Meta and ByteDance, whose video-sharing app, TikTok, has emerged as one of Meta’s most formidable competitors for user engagement, creators, and advertising dollars.

Meta’s ban ​takes effect immediately in the US, Canada, Egypt, Indonesia, Japan, Thailand and Vietnam, and ​extends to third-party advertisers running campaigns that link to TikTok and other ⁠ByteDance properties in those countries, Meta said.

“We don’t have to run ads from a competitor ​whose goal is to pull people off our apps,” Meta said. “Declining promotional services to a ​competitor is a normal business practice across industries. We will continue to compete on product quality and user experience.”

TikTok and ByteDance did not immediately respond to Reuters requests for comment on Meta’s move.

TikTok’s website shows ​that it does not support links that open or log users into other social media ​apps. However, users can still add links to their profiles that direct people to those platforms’ websites.

Meta has ‌been urging, opens new tab ⁠TikTok and YouTube to follow steps it agreed to take on teen safety in August following a settlement of up to $18 billion with US states over social media harms to children.

Meta in August agreed to impose daily usage limits and restrict nighttime use by children on ​Facebook and Instagram, and ​to enhance measures to prevent children from accessing age-restricted content.

TikTok has not publicly commented on Meta’s campaign, but it reached a settlement with Alabama in September that requires the social media platform to impose new usage limits and enhance age-verification measures for users in the state, resolving claims that it endangered children and misled consumers about its safety.

TikTok operates in the US as a majority American-owned joint venture after a deal aimed at safeguarding US ⁠user data ​and averting a US ban on an app used ​by more than 200 million users in the country.

Bloomberg News first reported Meta’s ban earlier on Thursday.

The plane crash occurred in Igbokoda in Ondo State on October 5, 2026.

In a press statement issued on Thursday, October 8, 2026, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said President John Dramani Mahama, the government and people of Ghana were saddened by the incident and stood in solidarity with Nigeria at the difficult time.

The Ministry noted that Ghana shares in Nigeria’s grief, particularly as the country continues to remember the loss of six Ghanaian compatriots in a similar incident barely a year ago.

“We extend our heartfelt condolences to all those affected by this devastating loss,” the statement said.

Ghana also expressed sympathy to the bereaved families, friends and colleagues of the victims, as well as members of the Nigerian Armed Forces and the people of Nigeria.

The government said its thoughts and prayers were with the families who had lost their loved ones in the crash.

Read the statement below:

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The Nigerian Air Force (NAF) said the helicopter made what it described as a “precautionary landing” on a farmland in Makurdi while returning from an operation targeting suspected kidnappers.

The NAF said the helicopter had been deployed to provide close air support to ground forces during an operation against suspected kidnappers in the Ogbadigbo area of Benue, near the Enugu-Benue boundary.

Director of Public Relations and Information at the NAF, Air Commodore Ehimen Ejodame, said the operation successfully disrupted the activities of the suspected kidnappers and supported the advance of ground forces.

He said that after completing the mission, the pilot exercised his professional discretion to make a precautionary landing approximately 10 nautical miles from the airfield.

“This is in accordance with established operational and safety procedures following combat missions. The helicopter has returned to base,” he said.

The NAF did not report any casualties or injuries in connection with the latest incident.

The landing comes two days after a Nigerian military aircraft crashed in Ondo State, killing 35 people and raising renewed concerns over aviation safety within the country’s security services.

Despite the incident, the NAF said its operations against criminal groups would continue, stressing its commitment to providing air support to ground forces and protecting communities.

The force said the successful outcome of the Benue operation demonstrated its continued resolve to deny criminal elements freedom of action and support efforts to restore security in affected communities.

The judges are Mr Désiré Henri Aihou of Benin, Justice Awa Bah of The Gambia, Mrs Charlyne M. Brumskine of Liberia, Mrs Henrietta Uzoamaka Didigu of Nigeria and Dr Yaouza Ouro-Sama of Togo.  

The five judges were appointed for a non-renewable four-year term by the ECOWAS Authority of Heads of State and Government at its 69th Ordinary Session in Lungi, Sierra Leone, on July 19, 2026.  

Their appointment was pursuant to the December 2025 Supplementary Act SA.1/12/25 on the Community Court of Justice.  

The new judges succeeded Justice Ricardo Cláudio Monteiro Gonçalves of Cape Verde, Justice Sengu Mohamed Koroma of Sierra Leone, Justice Dupe Atoki of Nigeria, Justice Gberi-Bè Ouattara of Côte d’Ivoire and Justice Edward Amoako Asante of Ghana, whose four-year tenure had ended.  

President Faye, who administered the oath at the ECOWAS Commission in Abuja, said the judges were assuming office at a time the region faced political, economic, security and environmental challenges.  

He said the Court had a key responsibility to ensure fairness in the application of ECOWAS legal instruments, protect citizens’ rights and strengthen confidence in regional institutions.  

“Through its decisions, it protects rights, serves as a reminder of everyone’s obligations, and strengthens trust in our institutions,” he said.  

President Faye urged the judges to let their oath guide them throughout their four-year tenure, particularly in determining cases before the Court.  

He charged them to administer justice fairly, consider cases according to their conscience and perform their duties impartially without yielding to pressure from any quarter.  

“That is why I urge you, throughout the duration of your mandate, to constantly keep in mind -especially at the moment of decision-making—the foundation of your oath,” he said.  

He said the Court’s credibility would depend on the quality of its decisions and the confidence they inspired among citizens.  

General Birame Diop, ECOWAS Commission President, described the ceremony as a commitment by the new judges to the citizens of the Community and its common legal order.  

He said the oath required them to put aside personal interests and external influences and uphold community law with honour, loyalty, impartiality and conscience.  

“The oath marks the moment when the individual sets aside their personal interests and all external influences to serve only community law,” he said, adding that the ceremony also reflected member states’ recognition of the Court’s authority and their commitment to respecting its independence.  

Also read:

• ECOWAS Court seeks stronger compliance with judgments

• ECOWAS Court requires proof of human rights violations for admissibility – Justice Asante

Monsuru was apprehended on Wednesday, the third day of the promotion examination.

He was reportedly arrested by security personnel deployed to monitor the examination on the orders of FCT Minister Nyesom Wike.

According to a statement issued by the Minister’s spokesperson, Lere Olayinka, Monsuru told security operatives that his father was sick but was also at the university where the examination was being held.

The 33-year-old reportedly confessed that his father had asked him to sit for the examination on his behalf.

During questioning, Monsuru reportedly gave his father’s age as between 67 and 68 years. However, Musa Mohammed told authorities that he would turn 60 in February 2027.

Further questioning established that the father completed his secondary education in 1982 and primary education in 1977.

Following the incident, both father and son were handed over to the police for further investigation after making statements to operatives of the State Security Service (SSS).

The incident has raised concerns over examination impersonation and attempts to circumvent the integrity of promotion exercises within the public service.

It comes after a parliamentary panel earlier this year recommended that medically assisted dying – known as Maid in Canada – should not be expanded.

On Wednesday, Canada’s justice minister, Sean Fraser, said that “while there is not a perfect consensus on this issue, we believe this is the correct approach”.

Supporters of extending the programme to those with mental illness alone argue that not doing so violates their constitutional rights and access to healthcare.

A federal case remains before the courts challenging the government’s earlier decision to delay access to Maid for people with mental illness.

Wednesday’s announcement means that Canadians with mental illness as their sole condition will not be able to access assisted dying by March 2027 as previously planned.

Medically assisted dying became legal in Canada in 2016 for people with terminal illnesses, who still account for the vast majority of cases.

Following a court case in Quebec, it was expanded in 2021 to people with incurable conditions but whose death was not imminent. In Canada, that mechanism is known as “track two” Maid.

The expansion has been the subject of controversy, with disability advocacy groups reporting cases where assisted dying was offered to people with disabilities without a patient requesting it themselves.

Canada was first set to expand its assisted dying laws to people whose sole condition is mental illness in 2023, but it delayed doing so twice to allow for time to study its potential delivery.

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Author and former politician Jeffrey Archer dies aged 86

Oil prices rise as storms and air strikes threaten supply

Kenya Airways said the incident occurred on Tuesday, October 6, 2026, at about 9:20 p.m. Nigerian time, when a passenger became unresponsive approximately 20 minutes before landing.

The airline said its crew immediately administered first aid in line with their training and followed the required emergency procedures while the aircraft continued its journey to Lagos.

The flight landed safely at Murtala Muhammed International Airport at 9:41 p.m., where medical personnel boarded the aircraft to attend to the passenger.

Following further examination, the medical personnel confirmed that the passenger had died.

Reports surrounding the incident have suggested that the passenger had earlier displayed aggressive and restless behaviour during the flight, with other passengers reportedly intervening.

He attempted opening the emergency exit door of the plane mid flight, leaving passengers alarmed.

The airline expressed its condolences to the deceased passenger’s family and friends and apologised for any inconvenience the incident may have caused other passengers.

Kenya Airways said it was working closely with the deceased’s family, local authorities and aviation regulators to provide the necessary support.

The circumstances surrounding the passenger’s death are expected to be examined as part of the ongoing response by the relevant authorities.

A funeral Mass was held in his memory on 2 October at St Andrew Catholic Church, where family, friends, colleagues, students and members of the Ghanaian community gathered to honour his life.

In a tribute read on behalf of Ghana’s Ambassador to the United States, His Excellency Victor Emmanuel Smith, Dr Akamani was remembered as an academic who readily shared knowledge.

The message, delivered by Ms Annie Ampofo, described his life as a reflection of Ghanaian intellectual excellence, public service and a commitment to improving human well-being.

“It is with profound sorrow and deep sense of loss that the Embassy joins the family, colleagues, friends, and wider community in mourning the untimely passing of Professor Kofi Akamani,” the tribute stated.

Dr Akamani served in the Department of Forestry at Southern Illinois University, where his research focused on the human dimensions of natural resource management. His work examined rural communities, forest governance, conservation and the resilience of people whose livelihoods depend on natural resources.

His academic path began at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) in Kumasi and later took him to the University of Oslo and the University of Idaho. Over the course of his career, he earned recognition for his research on the relationship between people, communities and the natural environment.

One of his notable contributions was his role as a Coordinating Lead Author of the IUFRO-GFEP report, Forests as Pillars of Social and Economic Resilience: A Global Assessment Report, published in June 2025. He was also a valued member of the Global Forest Expert Panel that prepared the assessment.

Colleagues in the international forest research community remembered him as a dedicated and enthusiastic scholar whose work deepened understanding of how forests and natural resources support social and economic resilience.

Beyond his professional achievements, the Embassy’s tribute portrayed Dr Akamani as a father, mentor, teacher, colleague and friend.

“To his children, he was daddy, irreplaceable. To his students, he was a source of guidance and inspiration. To his colleagues, he was a thoughtful and dedicated professional,” the tribute said.

It noted that his research was driven not only by the pursuit of knowledge but by a desire to improve human well-being, strengthen rural communities and promote responsible stewardship of forests, water resources and agricultural landscapes.

The Embassy extended condolences to his family, students and colleagues at Southern Illinois University, as well as all those whose lives he touched. It also recalled his quiet influence on others, including his guidance in communication, language and handling difficult situations with grace.

For the Embassy, his death represents the loss of a Ghanaian scholar whose work reached beyond the classroom and contributed to global understanding of forests, communities and sustainable natural resource management.

“His scholarship will continue to form others. His students will carry forward the lessons he imparted, and his memory will remain a source of pride to Ghana,” the tribute concluded.

In a more personal family tribute, Dr Akamani was remembered through shared meals, music, conversations and private moments. He was described as a quiet but deeply influential presence.

“You were so low-key that you let your actions do all the talking. You were remarkably kind, humble, selfless and polite to everyone you encountered,” the family tribute recalled.

He was remembered as someone who quietly lived out the values of faith and integrity, demonstrating them through his conduct rather than through words.

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Archer sold more than 300 million books in his five-decade writing career, including the Clifton Chronicles and Kane and Abel, and often set the novels in his home town of Wellington, Somerset.

In a statement, Archer’s publisher HarperCollins said the author died “suddenly and peacefully at home” on Monday between writing sessions.

The former Conservative MP was jailed for perjury in 2001 after being found guilty of lying and cheating in his 1987 libel case against the Daily Star.

Archer was born in north London on 15 April 1940 but would quickly move to Weston-super-Mare in Somerset, where his family bought a house from John Cleese’s mother.

In 1969, Archer was elected MP for the Lincolnshire constituency of Louth.

He served as an MP for five years before becoming Conservative Party deputy chairman.

His political career was paused in 2001 when he was jailed for four years for perjury and perverting the course of justice.

He was found to have lied in libel action he had brought against The Star newspaper, in which he was awarded £500,000 in damages.

He was released in 2003 and returned to the House of Lords until he retired in 2024.

His last book, Adam and Eve, is set to be released this week, HarperCollins added, describing him as a “master storyteller” whose readers “meant everything to him”.

Last week, Archer returned to his former school to promote his last book.

“It’s wonderful to come back. What I got a real thrill about when I was walking towards the library is seeing the young boys and girls and thinking, ‘that’s the next generation’,” Archer said at Wellington School.

Archer was due to attend the Cheltenham Festival on Saturday to discuss his final novel.

He and his wife Mary had celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary this year, HarperCollins said.

The pair have two sons and five grandchildren.

Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch described Archer’s death as a “huge shock”.

Writing on X, she said: “I am incredibly saddened to hear this news. He had sent me a lovely message just this morning and was always a great source of encouragement to me personally.”

Paying tribute to the bestselling author, Kate Elton, HarperCollins UK CEO and Jeffrey’s editor, said: “It has been one of the great privileges of my publishing life to have been Jeffrey Archer’s editor.

“He was the master storyteller and an editor’s dream – phenomenally hard-working, utterly committed to completing draft after draft to get every word as perfect as possible, and a true champion of the ‘team’ nature of great publishing.”

HarperCollins said the author had been at the Leicester Square Theatre in London on Sunday, signing books for fans with broadcaster Gyles Brandreth.

Writing on X, Brandreth said: “Just yesterday I did a show with Jeffrey Archer to celebrate his new novel – he said it was to be his last.

“He was in the most wonderful, ebullient form and had such a great reception from a packed house. He was funny, engaging and self-deprecating – a great storyteller to the last.”

Former Conservative chancellor Nadhim Zahawi paid tribute to the bestselling author on X, describing him as a “dear friend and extraordinary human being”.

He wrote: “His gift for storytelling was matched by his wit, warmth and boundless energy. Life was never dull in Jeffrey’s company.”

Brent futures rose 93 cents, or 0.92%, to $101.51 a barrel by 0022 GMT. ‌US West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude rose 82 cents, or 0.92%, to $90.25.

US forecasters said on Tuesday a storm forming in the Gulf of Mexico would become the first Atlantic hurricane of 2026 within two days and would likely hit oil and gas producing facilities.

The offshore ​areas in the Gulf in the storm’s path produce 15% of US crude oil and 5% ​of the country’s natural gas.

KCM Trade chief analyst Tim Waterer said the storm was an “unwelcome ⁠complication for crude, raising the prospect of production and refining disruptions at a time when the market ​already has enough supply-side headaches”.

The storm could affect six refineries.

Refineries in US Gulf states account for about 50% of ​the national capacity of 18.2 million barrels per day (bpd).

US crude oil and gasoline inventories fell, while distillate stocks rose marginally last week, market sources said on Tuesday, citing data from the American Petroleum Institute.

Crude stocks fell by 2.09 million barrels in the week ended ​October 2.

Supply had been rising as the East-West pipeline hit 5.8 million barrels a day, according to Saudi ​Energy Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman on Tuesday.

Around 12 million barrels per day of crude oil and 2 million bpd of ‌refined products ⁠were leaving the Middle East on tankers in the last 7 to 10 days, the head of Vitol said.

However, Saudi Arabia’s airports in Jazan and Najran were targeted in two attacks on Monday evening, the Saudi aviation authority said, as hostilities between the kingdom and Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthis escalated.

The attacks occurred as Saudi-backed Yemeni government forces pressed a ​major offensive to retake territory ​from the Houthis, after ⁠weeks of rebel advances, with Riyadh stepping up airstrikes in support of the campaign.

Attacks and refinery outages are “likely to keep the cracks elevated and scarcity will transmit to ​crude. Prices will stay elevated near a $100 level without any material de-escalation emerging,” ​said Mukesh Sahdev, ⁠chief oil analyst at X Analysts in Sydney.

US-Iran relations are no closer to repair with US President Donald Trump saying on Tuesday that nobody knew who was running Iran during the eight-month US-Israeli war with Iran.

“Their leaders are gone, their ⁠second group ​of leaders are gone, and the biggest problem I have is ​nobody knows who the hell is running the country,” Trump said.

Iran’s foreign ministry spokesman said on Sunday Washington knows very well who their ​counterpart is in Iran and how the decision-making system in Iran works.

For the past two years, the initiative has focused on celebrating personalities whose work has left a mark on Ghana’s creative arts industry. Among those honoured so far are veteran actress Grace Omaboe, popularly known as Maame Dokono, football legend Asamoah Gyan, veteran actor Fred Amugi and actor Adjetey Anang.

Having established the project in Ghana, King-Dawie Publishing is now taking the initiative beyond the country’s borders, with Nigeria marking the first stop in its new Pan-African chapter.

Pete Edochie has become the first beneficiary of this expansion, receiving the honour on Sunday, October 4, at the Kempinski Hotel Gold Coast City in Accra.

Speaking to the Project Manager of King-Dawie Publishing Limited, he explained why Pete Edochie was chosen as the first non-Ghanaian to be honoured under the project.

“I just take delight in celebrating people. Looking at his life and the contributions he’s made to African cinema, I felt he’s well positioned to be celebrated. And besides, a lot of people love him,” he said.

But for the guests at the celebration, the night went beyond the speeches and awards. From politicians and industry players to actors and cultural leaders, they shared why they believe the Nigerian screen legend deserves to be celebrated.

“Of course, he’s worth celebrating. This is someone I grew up watching, and I was fortunate to do so many movie productions with him. He’s like a big father. Another thing I like about him is that he always calls to check up on you. He advises us all the time on set. I just love him. And the moment he said he was doing something here, I’m like, no matter where I am in the world, I will be there,” Ghanaian actress Jackie Appiah shared.

“I have never met him in person before, but I have admired Pete from afar. He’s been one of the few Nigerians I can pick and say he’s one of the best amongst the best,” veteran actor Fred Amugi praised.

“Growing up as a kid and you see this man; at a point he is very wicked. And at a point he is very diabolic. So, these are some of the things we saw. When we were growing up, most of the people who found themselves in the art industry, I can say that most of the influence came from people like Pete Edochie.

“Acting comes to him effortlessly. He made us love acting, and I always felt that during that era, he should have been eulogised and celebrated more than what we are doing today. But it’s better late than never,” Member of Parliament for the Pru East Constituency, Emmanuel Kwaku Boa, noted.

“One of the things that turns me on is when a person can be in the spotlight, but behind the scenes, they’re an impactful humanitarian, philanthropist, a person that understands that it’s not all about you. And I can say he ticks all the boxes. He is selfless,” Executive Producer of The Black I Am International Awards, Dr Angela Harris, highlighted.

And while the conversation looked ahead, the evening also paused to honour some of the legends whose work has helped shape the African film industry.

Leading that recognition was Western Regional Representative on Ghana’s Council of State, Dr Maxwell Nana Yaw Palasco Boakye, who presented awards to veteran actors Grace Omaboe, Fred Amugi and Pete Edochie.

The event also saw a number of tributes and contributions in honour of Pete Edochie. Among several donors, Ghanaian actress Jackie Appiah and entrepreneur Maame Gold each donated GH¢20,000 towards the project, while watch brand Caveman honoured the veteran actor with a specially customised timepiece bearing his image.

Pete Edochie expressed gratitude for the recognition and the warm reception he has received from Ghanaians.

“Each time I get an invitation to come to Ghana, I am particularly delighted for so many reasons. I don’t know what to say. Thank you very much,” he said.

The ceremony culminated in the official launch of the Pete Edochie Legacy Project, marking the beginning of the initiative’s expansion beyond Ghana.

From Ghanaian icons to one of Nigeria’s most recognisable screen legends, the Legacy Project is gradually becoming bigger than a celebration, evolving into an archive of African stories, one personality at a time.

“Kenya is most likely for the next stop,” Project Manager Kelvin King-Dawie hinted.

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The agreements form part of efforts by the two countries to deepen their bilateral relations and expand areas of mutual cooperation.

India’s External Affairs Minister, Dr Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, is in Ghana for a two-day official visit, during which both sides are expected to explore new opportunities to enhance economic and diplomatic ties.

Speaking to the media at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ghana’s Foreign Affairs Minister, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, disclosed that Cabinet had approved Ghana’s application to join the BRICS group of emerging economies.

He said the decision was informed by Ghana’s interest in strengthening its economic partnerships with the countries that make up the BRICS bloc.

Mr Ablakwa said Ghana hoped to leverage its existing relations with member countries to create new opportunities for economic cooperation, trade and investment.

He also outlined the potential benefits of Ghana’s proposed membership and said the government would work towards advancing the application process.

For his part, Dr Jaishankar said India’s relationship with Ghana dates back to the country’s independence in 1957 and has continued to develop over the years.

He said India remained committed to strengthening the partnership and exploring areas that would deliver mutual benefits to both countries.

The Indian minister also indicated that Ghana’s interest in joining BRICS would be considered as part of the broader engagement between the two countries.

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The Ministry said some Ghanaians recruited through purported legitimate job opportunities had been subjected to coercive conditions after travelling to Zambia.

The warning follows the arrest of six Ghanaians in Lusaka on August 23, 2026, during a joint operation by the Zambia Police Service, the Drug Enforcement Commission (DEC) and the Department of Immigration.

The operation, which targeted a facility suspected of being involved in organised cybercrime, led to the arrest of 79 people.

Those arrested included 10 Zambians and 69 foreign nationals, among them the six Ghanaians.

According to reports received by the Ghana High Commission in Lusaka, some of the individuals were recruited through what appeared to be legitimate employment opportunities, including online data-entry positions.

However, upon arrival, they were allegedly forced to participate in online scam activities after their passports were confiscated by their employers.

The Ministry said the development highlights the growing use of fraudulent employment opportunities by human trafficking syndicates to lure unsuspecting job seekers into illicit activities.

It has therefore advised Ghanaians travelling to or seeking employment in Zambia to exercise extreme caution and thoroughly verify the authenticity of employment offers, recruitment agencies and prospective employers before travelling.

Ghanaians already living in Zambia have also been urged to remain vigilant and exercise caution when responding to online employment opportunities.

The Ministry further encouraged them to maintain regular contact with the Ghana High Commission in Lusaka for consular assistance whenever necessary.

It reiterated the government’s commitment to safeguarding the welfare and interests of Ghanaians travelling to or residing abroad.

Authorities say the plane was on a routine mission from Benin City to Lagos when it came down near a naval base on Monday morning.

A resident told the BBC that the plane had crashed near a swamp and that clothes and shoes had been found at the site. Smoke could be seen rising from the area.

Tinubu offered his deepest condolences for the 25 passengers and seven crew members on board and has ordered a full investigation.

The president also ordered national flags to be flown at half-mast across the country as a mark of respect for those who died.

“This is a painful moment for our Armed Forces and for the entire nation,” Tinubu said.

“Our Air Force personnel put their lives on the line every day to secure Nigeria. Their sacrifice will never be forgotten,” he added.

Aviation Minister Festus Keyamo earlier said he had been informed: “of the disappearance of a military aircraft with tail number NGR 931, en route from Benin to Lagos at 0913 hours earlier today”.

He said “efforts to raise the aircraft on radio proved abortive” before subsequent confirmation that it had crashed near a naval base in Igbokoda, Ondo State.

He said search and rescue efforts were ongoing.

The crashed plane, described as an ATR-42 aircraft, carries between 30 and 50 passengers, according to its manufacturer.

Tinubu has ordered the Air Force to immediately begin a thorough investigation into the cause of the crash to help prevent similar incidents in the future.

The identities of those who died have not yet been released. Authorities say the names of the officers will be published after their families have been informed.

The Nigerian Air Force plays a key role in the country’s military operations, including efforts to tackle armed groups and insecurity in several parts of the country.

The accident is one ​of the deadliest air disasters ​in ⁠Nigeria in recent years.

In May 2021, Nigeria’s army chief, Lt-Gen Ibrahim Attahiru, was killed in a plane crash alongside 10 other officers in the northwestern state of Kaduna amid bad weather.

In February of the same year, seven people died after a military plane crashed short of a runway in the capital, Abuja.

The two leaders reached the understanding during a bilateral meeting on the sidelines of the 8th African Union Mid-Year Coordination Summit, held alongside the maiden Alamein Africa Forum in Egypt.

The discussions focused on strengthening the longstanding relationship between the two countries while exploring new areas of cooperation to support economic development and regional security.

President Mahama and President El-Sisi also reflected on the historical ties between Ghana and Egypt, recalling the Pan-African vision shared by Ghana’s first President, Dr Kwame Nkrumah, and former Egyptian President Gamal Abdel Nasser.

They agreed that the historic relationship between the two countries should provide a foundation for addressing contemporary development challenges across Africa.

President Mahama expressed appreciation to Egypt for its support for Ghana’s resolution on reparations at the United Nations and urged President El-Sisi to maintain that support as discussions on the issue continue.

On trade, the two leaders discussed measures to strengthen political consultations and expand commercial activities between Ghana and Egypt.

Pharmaceuticals emerged as a key area of interest, with discussions focusing on facilitating the registration of Egyptian pharmaceutical products in Ghana to improve access to medicines and encourage investment in the sector.

Defence and regional security also featured prominently in the meeting. President Mahama expressed Ghana’s interest in expanding security cooperation with Egypt, particularly in intelligence sharing, capacity building and counter-terrorism.

He pointed to Egypt’s defence industry as a model from which Ghana could draw lessons as it seeks to strengthen its own security capabilities.

The discussions also covered support for the Sahel-Gulf of Guinea Accord and the development of social housing.

On infrastructure and urban development, President Mahama said Ghana was interested in learning from Egypt’s experience in executing large-scale projects, particularly the development of its New Administrative Capital.

According to the Presidency, Ghana hopes to draw on Egypt’s technical experience as it advances its own strategic plans for a new capital city.

The latest discussions come as both countries seek to broaden their longstanding relationship beyond political ties to include practical cooperation in trade, healthcare, security and infrastructure development.

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On Sunday evening, the United States Coast Guard said it was ending its search for survivors off the coast of Nantucket, a Massachusetts island.

“We must now face the heartbreaking reality that the four members of our Latitude team, our patient and the patient’s family escort, who were aboard Heartbeat 104, are presumed to have died,” Latitude Air Ambulance said in a statement shortly thereafter.

“Our thoughts are first and foremost with their families, loved ones, friends, and colleagues.”

The Federal Aviation Administration lost contact with the Gulfstream G-100 plane just after 01:00 local time (05:00 GMT) on Saturday morning.

On Saturday evening, authorities located a “debris field” confirmed to be from the aircraft.

The plane departed from Bermuda’s L.F. Wade International Airport at 23:40 local time on Friday night, according to FlightAware data, and was due to land at Boston’s Logan International Airport at 01:30 EDT (05:30 GMT).

Four Canadian nationals and two Bermudian nationals were onboard.

“This is an unimaginable loss for our Latitude family and for everyone who loved the six people aboard Heartbeat 104,” said Peter Byl, President of Latitude Air Ambulance, on Sunday evening.

“Our focus now is on supporting their families, supporting our people and assisting the authorities. We will honour our colleagues by remembering the care, professionalism, and commitment they brought to their work every day.”

Latitude Air Ambulance is a Canadian company that provides international medical flights for patients returning home.

Two pilots and two medical staff, both Canadian, had flown to Bermuda to collect a patient and their relative, Clarence Togeretz, director of flight operations at Latitude, told CBC News.

FlightAware’s tracker shows that the aircraft significantly dropped in altitude before its communications went dark, plummeting from around 7,300m (24,000ft) to 3,300m (11,000ft).

Radio transmissions show trouble with communications between the air traffic controller and the pilot, the Boston Globe reported, based on transmissions provided by LiveATC.net.

“You’re coming in blind? Is that what you said?” the air traffic controller asked. “Are you declaring an emergency, or no?”

The pilot’s response was inaudible.

“You’re coming in a little weak so I didn’t hear what your response was, if you were declaring an emergency or not,” the air traffic controller said, according to the Globe.

The air traffic controller later confirmed the pilot had declared an emergency.

An area fire dispatcher asked emergency crews just after 01:00 EDT to prepare to meet a plane with an “electrical issue”.

The dispatcher later said “the aircraft has lost radio and radar”.

Latitude said in a statement on Sunday evening that it would continue to cooperate with the relevant authorities in ongoing recovery efforts and investigations.

“Determining the circumstances and cause of an aviation accident is a careful and methodical process, and we will not speculate about what occurred,” the company said.

The Federal Aviation Administration told the BBC it had lost contact with the Gulfstream G-100 plane just after 01:00 local time (05:00 GMT) on Saturday, while it was travelling from Bermuda to Boston, Massachusetts.

The search for survivors continues off the coast of Nantucket, a Massachusetts island, the US Coast Guard said.

Authorities have notified the next of kin of those on the flight, four Canadian nationals and two Bermudian nationals.

“Search crews located a debris field confirmed to be from the aircraft off the coast of Nantucket,” the US Coast Guard said in an update on Saturday night. It added that ships, helicopters and planes were involved in searches that would through continue the night.

The plane departed from Bermuda’s L.F. Wade International Airport at 23:40 local time, according to flight data from FlightAware, and was due to land at Boston’s Logan International at 01:30 EDT (05:30 GMT).

According to the tail number released by the Coast Guard, the plane belonged to Latitude Air Ambulances, a company that provides international medical flights for patients returning home.

Among those on board were two pilots and two medical staff, both Canadian, Clarence Togeretz, director of flight operations at Latitude, told CBC News.

The crew flew to Bermuda to collect a patient and their relative, who are not Canadian, Togeretz said.

FlightAware’s tracker shows the aircraft significantly dropped in altitude before its communications went dark, plummeting from around 7,300m (24,000ft) to 3,300m (11,000ft).

Radio transmissions shows trouble with communications between the air traffic controller and the pilot, the Boston Globe reported based on transmissions provided by LiveATC.net.

“You’re coming in blind? Is that what you said?,” the air traffic controller asked. “Are you declaring an emergency, or no?”

The pilot’s response was inaudible.

“You’re coming in a little weak so I didn’t hear what your response was, if you were declaring an emergency or not,” the air traffic controller said, according to the Globe.

The air traffic controller later confirmed the pilot had declared an emergency.

An area fire dispatcher asked emergency crews just after 01:00 EDT to prepare to meet a plane with an “electrical issue”

The dispatcher later said “the aircraft has lost radio and radar”.

The Coast Guard said it would provide an update on Sunday morning local time.

The dog, named Rowdy, flagged a bag arriving from Ghana that was found to contain about 72 pounds of yams, vegetables and spices.

In a post shared on X, officials confirmed that all the items were banned and were prevented from entering the United States.

“K9 Rowdy had a busy day at JFK! He alerted to a bag from Ghana with 72 lbs of yams, veggies, and spices, all prohibited. Thanks to Rowdy, these items were stopped at the border,” the post read.

.@CBPPortDirJFK K9 Rowdy had a busy day at JFK! He alerted to a bag from Ghana with 72 lbs of yams, veggies, and spices—all prohibited. Thanks to Rowdy, these items were stopped at the border. Who’s a good dog? 🐶🦴 pic.twitter.com/Dqdhx1omcj

— Executive Asst. Commissioner Diane J. Sabatino (@OFOEAC) October 1, 2026

The United States enforces strict rules on certain agricultural products to safeguard its farming sector and block the entry of pests and plant diseases.

Authorities closed the post with a light-hearted tribute to the hardworking dog: “Who’s a good dog?”

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The social messaging app’s new tools will give parents a range of options, such as being told when their child joins or leaves a group. It will also let them decide on privacy settings for their account.

In a blog post, WhatsApp clarified that parents would not be given the ability to see the messages their teen sends and receives, which, along with calls, would remain private and protected by end-to-end encryption.

And it said the controls were optional, which social media analyst Matt Navarra called an “obvious weakness”.

He said the move was “fairly convenient” for Meta, which owns WhatsApp, because it reduced the company’s reliance on age verification by putting some responsibility on parents and teenagers.

“Meta is trying to show regulators we have a child safety system, we have parental controls, and we’re rolling it out across our platforms,” he said.

“I think the big unanswered question is whether enough families will actually use it.”

The minimum age to use WhatsApp is 13 in the UK, although it is higher in some countries.

According to the firm, parents will be able to adjust or switch off the controls at any time.

The settings will be “straightforward to set up” using a Pin set by a parent, which teens will need if they want to switch off the controls.

Some of the new privacy tools include selecting who can see a child’s profile photo and who can add them to groups.

Parents can also choose how their teenager uses Channels, which allows organisations and public figures to send out content.

And they will have the option of choosing between the default 13+ setting for Meta AI, the app’s optional built-in AI assistant, or a stricter “Limited Content” option.

“All of these controls are being designed to support open conversations about how to use WhatsApp between parents and teens, while keeping everyone’s personal messages private,” the company said.

The changes come as pressure mounts on tech companies from governments and regulators to change the way they operate in order to better protect children using their platforms.

In June, the government announced it plans to ban under-16s from social media platforms, with the restrictions expected to come into force in March 2027.

It said “highly effective age assurance” measures would be used to check the age of those using social media.

WhatsApp is currently excluded from the ban because the government considers it a messaging service.

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Her legal team filed an emergency motion to halt the convicted murderer’s execution as it was happening, saying: “Ms Pike has lost consciousness and still has a heartbeat and is audibly snoring.”

One of her attorneys told the BBC that Pike, 50, was now “being provided life-saving measures” in hospital after two syringes of pentobarbital had been administered.

Pike was sentenced to death in 1996 for the murder of 19-year-old Colleen Slemmer. Her execution was the subject of a last-minute legal battle.

This culminated in the US Supreme Court allowing the lethal injections to go ahead.

Pike was 18 when she and her then-boyfriend, Tadaryl Shipp, beat, tortured and killed 19-year-old Slemmer, whom they had met at a job training camp for troubled teens.

Slemmer’s mother May Martinez was among those who wanted the execution to take place. Speaking to NBC News after Wednesday evening’s events, she said: “It was a mess.”

The attempted execution took place at Riverbend Maximum Security Institution in Nashville at about 20:00 local time (01:00 GMT on Thursday).

Pike was given two doses of the chemical pentobarbital, and the curtain in the witness room was closed twice, the AP news agency reported.

Media were at some point asked to leave, the news agency said.

AP added that Tennessee’s execution protocol calls for a secondary set of drug syringes in case the person being put to death does not die after the first set. But it does not spell out what happens if the subject is alive after the second set.

In a statement reported by US media, Tennessee Governor Bill Lee said he had ordered “a comprehensive, third-party review to determine exactly what occurred”. He said the year’s last remaining execution would not go ahead as planned.

The attempted execution of Pike was not the first in the state in 2026 that did not unfold as planned. The execution of Tony Carruthers, who was convicted of kidnapping and murdering three people in 1994, was postponed in May after staff were unable to find a vein to administer a lethal drug.

The Tennessee Department of Correction has said it stands by all the actions it took during the attempted execution of Pike.

“The Tennessee Department of Correction followed every step of the State’s lawful, established execution protocol approved by the Attorney General’s Office,” department spokesperson Dorinda Carter told the Tennessean newspaper.

“The lethal injection chemical in the protocol has consistently been effective, and the protocol does not allow for additional procedures beyond what was carried out this evening. Christa Pike has been transported to an off-site medical facility,” she said.

Pike’s legal team said in a statement to the Tennessean newspaper: “Tonight the State of Tennessee once again failed to carry out a lawful execution.

“We take no pleasure in being right, but the concerns raised by Ms Pike proved to be true: difficult vein access, blown veins, degraded pentobarbital, no emergency medical care available when things inevitably go wrong, all under a protocol that remains veiled in secrecy.”

Pike’s lawyers filed an emergency motion to stay her execution and provide medical care after the lethal injection was apparently botched.

District Judge Clifton L Corker issued a ruling noting that “medical personnel have begun to administer medical care as requested in the motion”.

Dr Joel Zivot, a professor at the Emory University School of Medicine who told the BBC he had been retained by Pike’s legal team as a medical expert, said she likely never achieved a sufficient blood level of pentobarbital to cause apnoea and cardiovascular failure during the attempted execution.

“It’s very possible that as a consequence of the delay of the beginning of resuscitation she will have a brain injury,” Zivot said in an email.

The attempted capital punishment went ahead after multiple last-minute legal challenges by Pike’s lawyers failed.

The US Supreme Court had thwarted two separate efforts to stop the lethal injection.

Late on Wednesday, America’s highest court overturned a reprieve granted by a lower court earlier in the day. The lower court had granted a pause, saying it needed more time to consider the arguments in Pike’s case.

The Supreme Court had previously dismissed an appeal by Pike’s lawyers, who had argued the jury did not get the chance to weigh mitigating evidence of Pike’s documented history of childhood sexual abuse, before they sentenced her to death in 1996.

The defence said that for years, the state of Tennessee had argued in court that she lied about being sexually abused as a child.

But at a recent hearing about her execution method, the state said it did not dispute that she had suffered sexual abuse and rape.

Tennessee’s governor denied a clemency request this week from Pike, the only woman on the state’s death row.

In her clemency petition, Pike said that she intended to beat Slemmer, not kill her, but that she was unable to “put the brakes on”.

“I was a mentally ill 18-year-old kid,” she said in a statement. “It took me numerous years to even realise the gravity of what I’d done. Even more to accept how many lives I affected. I took the life of someone’s child, sister, friend. It sickens me now to think I had the ability to commit such a crime.”

The murder in 1995 created a media frenzy in Knoxville, Tennessee, after Colleen was found with an inverted pentagram – a symbol that is associated with satanic groups – carved into her chest. Pike has denied carving the symbol herself.

Before the killing, Pike had accused Colleen of insulting her and trying to steal her then-boyfriend.

Two other residents at the camp later testified that Pike had bragged about the murder before and after, and showed them a piece of Colleen’s skull.

Pike’s boyfriend and co-defendant Shipp was 17 at the time so spared the death penalty under state law. He remains in prison.

Martinez, Slemmer’s mother, said at the weekend that she had waited decades to see Pike’s sentence carried out.

She told AP that a group helped raise funds for her and her husband to travel from Florida to Tennessee to witness the execution.

“Not a day goes by, or a minute goes by that I do not think about Colleen. Holidays are the worst,” Martinez said.

Since 1976, when the Supreme Court resumed the death penalty, only 18 women have been executed in the US, compared to 1,663 men. That is about 1% of all US executions.

Joshua Frederick Kofi Edzie, 63, is facing three charges in Minnesota, according to the US Department of Justice (DOJ).

In a press release issued on Wednesday, September 30, 2026, the Department of Justice alleged Edzie falsely claimed to be a US citizen in order to vote on October 23, 2024, and August 11, 2026.

Prosecutors also allege that he voted in Minnesota’s August 11, 2026 primary election although he is not a US citizen.

Edzie made his initial appearance before US Magistrate Judge Elsa M. Bullard on September 28, the DOJ said.

He is one of 10 foreign nationals indicted in separate cases by a federal grand jury on September 24 over alleged voter fraud in Minnesota.

The other defendants include four Liberian nationals, as well as nationals from Lithuania, Germany, Bosnia, Brazil, Canada and South Africa.

Some of the defendants are accused of falsely claiming US citizenship when registering or voting, while others are charged with voting despite being non-citizens.

The DOJ said the alleged offences relate to the November 2022 and 2024 general elections and the August 2026 primary election.

According to the DOJ, making a false claim of US citizenship to vote carries a maximum prison sentence of five years, while voting by a non-citizen carries a maximum sentence of one year.

The cases were investigated by Homeland Security Investigations and are being prosecuted by the US Attorney’s Office in Minnesota.

The DOJ stressed that an indictment is only an allegation and that all 10 defendants are presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court.

Describing the event ​as “a highly severe security incident,” Netanyahu said Saudi authorities would interrogate ⁠the co-pilot of flydubai flight FZ1073 from the United Arab Emirates to Israel.

The alleged ​assailant, who an Israeli official identified as an Omani national, was arrested after the ​plane landed, Netanyahu said.

“All passengers are out of harm’s way,” Netanyahu, who described the passengers as being almost all Israeli, said in a video statement released by his office.

The Israeli leader quoted a ​passenger as saying that passengers along with a member of the crew broke into ​the cockpit after the aircraft “entered a tailspin and began to dive” and found the co-pilot “trying to ‌sabotage ⁠the plane’s systems.”

“They saved many lives. They prevented a heavy disaster,” he said.

An Israeli official had earlier told Reuters the plane transmitted emergency signals. The aircraft’s data appeared to show that it had suddenly and rapidly descended by nearly 14,000 feet in less ​than 30 seconds before ​a first emergency ⁠signal was sent, according to flight-tracking website Flightradar24.

Around the time the plane landed in Saudi Arabia, Doron Spielman, a spokesperson for ​the Israeli prime minister’s office, told Reuters the incident was not ​believed to ⁠have been a hijacking, describing it as a “different incident”.

The Israeli officials, speaking on the condition of anonymity to brief reporters, said Israel’s current assessment is that the incident was ⁠an attempted “terror ​attack” and not related to any kind of ​mental health issue with either of the pilots.

Junta leader Ibrahim Traoré said the move was part of a wider effort to end the country’s reliance on exporting raw materials for processing abroad.

“We want to refine all our metals on site… we want to have the entire value chain on site,” he said at the plant’s inauguration in the capital, Ouagadougou, on Monday.

Burkina Faso is one of Africa’s biggest gold producers, but the authorities have struggled to regulate the informal mining sector, which has been blighted by jihadist violence.

Traoré’s government hopes the new facility can turn the landlocked country into a regional gold-refining hub.

With gold production on the rise, Traoré’s government set up a state-owned mining company two years ago.

Foreign mining firms are now required to give the state a 15% stake in their operations and train local workers.

The World Gold Council said output rose by 17% year-on-year in the second quarter of 2026, helped by increased production at several mines.

But successive governments have struggled to regulate the country’s extensive artisanal and small-scale mining industry, where smuggling and informal trading have made it difficult for the authorities to account for all the gold produced.

The government has also alleged that some illegally traded gold helps finance the Islamist insurgency that has engulfed much of the country.

Burkina Faso has been fighting armed Islamist groups linked to al-Qaeda and Islamic State for years, with large areas outside full government control.

The new refinery, known as Raffinor-BF, cost more than 11bn CFA francs ($19m; £14m), according to the presidency.

It said the project was financed by the state, including through the National Precious Metals Company (Sonasp), in partnership with Burkina Faso’s private sector.

The plant will initially be capable of refining 164 tonnes of gold a year, significantly more than the country’s current annual production.

The government says its eventual capacity could rise to 515 tonnes, suggesting it also wants the refinery to process gold from elsewhere in the region.

“This is the day we take back the keys to our own house,” Mines Minister Yacouba Zabré Gouba said at the opening.

“Our gold will no longer be used to create added value for others while our people remain in need.”

The refinery is the latest element of Capt Traoré’s drive to increase state control over Burkina Faso’s natural resources and reduce its economic dependence on foreign companies and former Western partners.

Since taking power in a coup in September 2022, the 38-year-old army captain has promoted a nationalist economic agenda centred on domestic production and greater control of strategic industries.

His government has increased state involvement in the mining sector and has sought to reorganise the trade in artisanal gold.

The authorities suspended exports of gold produced by artisanal and semi-mechanised mines in 2024, saying the move was intended to better regulate the sector.

Capt Traoré has previously accused smugglers of taking large quantities of gold out of Burkina Faso illegally and said some of the proceeds were helping finance militant groups.

The refinery also forms part of a broader government campaign to process more commodities domestically rather than exporting them in raw form.

Traoré has presented such projects as evidence of Burkina Faso becoming more economically self-reliant, alongside investments in industries including cotton, textiles and food processing.

His policies have coincided with historically high international gold prices and increased global production. Worldwide mine output reached an estimated record 3,672 tonnes in 2025, according to the World Gold Council.

Burkina Faso’s government says the new plant should eventually be capable of refining all the gold produced by both its industrial mines and artisanal miners.

Several West African countries are also seeking to process more of their gold at home.

Guinea and Ghana have restricted exports of unrefined gold, while Mali is building its first refinery with help of a Russian firm. Ivory Coast also plans to open a refinery next year.

Caleb Flynn, 40, fatally shot Ashley Flynn twice in the back of the head while she slept at their Ohio home on 16 February this year, then tried to claim that intruders had shot her.

Flynn wept in court as the jury delivered its verdict after deliberating for less than three hours.

He also was found guilty of the other eight charges against him, which included aggravated murder and tampering with evidence. He faces life in prison without parole.

Closing arguments ended on Tuesday in Flynn’s trial after eight days of testimony, including a song played in court that prosecutors say he wrote and dedicated to the woman with whom he was having an affair.

Throughout the trial, the prosecution presented evidence including police body camera footage, and activity on Flynn’s iPhone and Apple Watch around the time of the murder.

They also called dozens of witnesses, including his former mistress Alleigha Botner, whom he met while she was an intern at his church.

Some of their 100,000 exchanged text messages were read aloud in court. The defence called no witnesses.

“I was up until 4am last night crying, literally thinking of ways to kill her and not go to jail,” Flynn wrote in a message to Botner, 24, in August 2025.

In another message, he wrote: “I just want her dead and gone.”

Testifying in court, Botner said she now hates Flynn “because I believe that he murdered his wife”.

During closing arguments on Tuesday, prosecuting attorney Paul Watkins leaned heavily into Flynn’s text exchanges, which he said demonstrated the defendant’s “hatred” for his wife.

An emotional Flynn was seen in court at times sniffling and wiping tears from his eyes.

Watkins also said that when police arrived at the family home in Tipp City in the early hours on 16 February, Flynn told police he had been in his daughters’ bedroom when he heard gunfire.

Flynn said he found his 37-year-old wife dead in the bedroom, after noticing the garage side door was open. Watkins said Flynn later told investigators he had not been to the garage, contradicting his earlier statement.

Flynn’s defence lawyer Patrick Mulligan, meanwhile, told the court there was no concrete evidence, saying: “Connecting a couple of meaningless dots doesn’t solve the case.”

Mulligan said the issue was not whether Flynn was a good husband and that evidence of infidelity was not evidence of murder.

“They can’t find the gun, therefore they blame it on him?” Mulligan questioned, referring to the charge of tampering with evidence that Flynn also faced.

Flynn’s gun, which had been kept in the console of his truck, has been missing since investigators arrived at the scene and found the truck’s centre console open.

Earlier in the trial, Botner took the stand as a witness for two days, offering testimony about her nearly 18-month relationship with Flynn.

In addition to reading some of their text exchanges, she also explained the lyrics line by line from an AI-generated song.

Video of the jury’s reaction to the song, including what looked like laughter, went viral.

Prosecutors also called Joseph Wilhelm, a special agent from Ohio’s Bureau of Criminal Investigations, as a witness.

He said multiple apps were uninstalled from Flynn’s phone before his wife’s death, including Instagram and an AI-music generating app.

The music-generating app, Wilhelm said, “related to his relationship with Alleigha Botner”.

Flynn appeared in 2013 on the 12th series of American Idol. He was featured in televised auditions, and was given a “golden ticket” to go to Hollywood, but he never reached the main competition.

“Music is all I know, it’s what I live to do and I love to sing, so that’s why I auditioned,” he said in videos shown on the programme.

“Maybe my wife kinda nudged me a little, too.”

He is due to be sentenced on 5 October.

Her appointment makes her the second woman to lead a government in the Arab world, after Tunisia’s Najla Bouden.

She was named by King Mohammed VI, who chose her as prime minister over the country’s football chief Fouzi Lekjaa, a top politician from the same party. El Mansouri, 50, has been the mayor of Marrakesh for a number of years and also served as a minister in the previous coalition government.

Morocco is a constitutional monarchy but most power remains in the hands of the king.

At a victory press conference, prior to her announcement as prime minister, El Mansouri was asked whether the state would need to make changes to accommodate her in Muslim religious ceremonies attended by the king, including Friday and Eid prayers, where men and women pray in separate sections.

She did not directly answer the question, instead praising the king as “the biggest advocate for women” in the country.

“His Majesty is the holder of wisdom… If I am entrusted with the responsibility of head of government, it will be a great honour,” she said.

El Mansouri is one of Morocco’s most prominent female politicians.

A lawyer by training, she studied at Mohammed V University in the capital, Rabat, before continuing her education in France and the US, specialising in business and corporate law.

She entered politics after Pam was founded in 2008 and became the first woman to serve as mayor of Marrakesh in 2009. She returned to the post after the 2021 elections.

In the past five years, she served as a minister for national territory planning, urban planning, housing and city policy under former Prime Minister Aziz Akhannouch.

In February 2024, she became the coordinator of Pam’s leadership coalition.

El Mansouri has rejected her portrayal as an “iron woman,” telling Pam’s magazine in 2021: “I am neither a woman of steel nor iron… I am a free activist.”

During her political career, El Mansouri has rarely spoken publicly about women’s rights or gender inequality, despite ongoing debates in Morocco over issues such as whether polygamy should be banned and whether men and women should have equal inheritance rights.

Under Morocco’s constitution, the king appoints the head of government from the party that comes first in elections to the House of Representatives.

PAM has been led by a collective leadership since February 2024, rather than a single secretary general.

After the results were announced last week, El Mansouri said the decision was ultimately up to the king to choose between her and Lekjaa.

In the past, the appointment was largely a formality, as most Moroccan parties were led by a single secretary general, making it clear who would be nominated to head the government.

With 97 seats, Pam does not have a majority and will need to form a coalition to reach the 198 seats required for an absolute majority in the 395-member parliament.

It is not clear which party it will work with as it has fallen out with the National Rally of Independents (RNI), which led the outgoing government in which Pam was a junior partner.

The Islamist Justice and Development Party (PJD) ⁠rebounded with 54 seats, from only 13 in the previous election – buoyed by the return of party leader Abdelilah Benkirane, a former prime minister.

After the vote, Benkirane said the party would stay in opposition, refusing a partnership with Pam.

Patrick Branco Ruivo, who has been director general of the Paris landmark since 2018, will leave his job at the end of the year, the company SETE said in a statement.

It said an internal investigation found that “operational flaws and shortcomings” in organising the visit led to the “unacceptable” removal of female staff.

They were replaced by male colleagues as a delegation of around 100 people linked to the Bochasanwasi Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha (BAPS) group visited the Eiffel Tower earlier this month.

BAPS – a movement whose beliefs originate in the 18th Century – strictly separates men and women, including in temple activities and building entrances.

At the time, SETE said the Hindu delegation had requested that the visit be organised so as to limit “interactions with women” and said that “these conditions should not have been accepted”.

A staff union representative said “women were asked to leave their places of work” and felt “humiliated”.

Staff at the monument said female employees were also “instructed not to go through or cross certain areas while the delegation was present”.

The visit led to the closure of the tower as staff went on strike to show their outrage and politicians condemned the incident.

Yaël Braun-Pivet, the president of France’s National Assembly, said after the visit: “I refuse to allow women to be compelled to step aside in order to meet the demands of foreign visitors.”

The Socialist mayor of Paris, Emmanuel Gregoire, called it an “absurd, unjust and unacceptable decision” and ordered two separate investigations.

SETE chair Ariel Weil said on Tuesday that he had requested measures and training programmes promoting gender equality to be implemented.

“The coming months will allow us to prepare for the leadership transition under the best possible conditions,” he said.

BAPS apologised “for any pain or inconvenience caused” earlier this month, adding “we believe in the universal values of mutual respect and service”.

On its website, the group describes itself as a “spiritual, volunteer-driven fellowship dedicated to improving society” through Hindu values.

It has temples in major cities around the world, including London, Los Angeles and Sydney.

It draws its beliefs from the teachings of Lord Swaminarayan, a late 18th-Century celibate ascetic who is regarded by his followers as an incarnation of Vishnu, the revered Hindu god of preservation.

BAPS says the segregation of men and women was introduced for the benefit of women, but critics say 18th-Century beliefs have no place in today’s world, and keeping women out in the name of religious practices is discriminatory.

The incident happened on Monday when the man, identified as 57-year-old Yaw Boahene, was leaving a Manhattan-bound train at the Utica Avenue station in Brooklyn’s Bedford-Stuyvesant neighbourhood when his shopping bag became caught between the subway’s doors.

The man was subsequently dragged backwards, pulled between train cars and onto the tracks, ABC7 reports, citing investigators.

New York police, who received a 911 call about the accident at about 6.05pm ET on Monday, said that Yaw Boahene was from Brooklyn.

“Upon arrival, officers were informed that a 57-year-old male was discovered unconscious and unresponsive on the roadbed of the northbound ‘A’ train. EMS responded and pronounced [the man] deceased [at the] scene.

The New York City Office of Chief Medical Examiner will determine the cause of death, and the investigation is ongoing,” New York police said in a statement.

Speaking to ABC7, a witness said she was returning home from school when the incident unfolded, prompting people on the subway platform to panic.

While subway accidents are rare, in 2022 a 20-year-old man was killed after his clothes were caught between the doors of a 1 train at Columbus Circle station in Manhattan during rush hour.

According to the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, which oversees New York City’s transit system, subway customer accidents increased slightly in 2025 by 2%.

However, the MTA noted, “Ridership grew at a greater rate than accidents,” adding: “As a result, the 12-month rate decreased by 4.7%.”

Also read:

• Twelve women killed in one part of South Africa since July; here’s what we…

• Three-month-old baby killed, others injured in head-on collision on Bompata-Wenchi road

Foreign Affairs Minister Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa made the call during a speech at the United Nations General Assembly marking the 25th anniversary of the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action.

“The ICC needs our protection, not our condemnation,” he said, adding that there must be severe consequences for those who commit crimes against humanity and flagrantly violate the declaration’s principles.

Ablakwa said the anniversary demanded action on racism, racial discrimination, and historical injustice.

Twenty-five years after the Durban Declaration was adopted, he argued, the world was still confronting anti-Black racism, xenophobic attacks, and devastating crises in Palestine and Sudan.

He also questioned why Africa, with a population of 1.4 billion, still had no permanent seat on the UN Security Council.

Turning to reparatory justice, the Minister said the consequences of slavery and the trafficking of enslaved Africans continued to shape present-day inequalities. He cited this year’s adoption of a Ghana-led UN resolution declaring the trafficking of enslaved Africans the gravest crime against humanity.

Ghana was now seeking a sincere apology, the return of what was looted, repair for continuing harm, and a commitment that such atrocities would never happen again, he said.

“The Durban Commitments must become reality, not a mere slogan,” Ablakwa told the General Assembly.

The latest bodies were found in Ekurhuleni between Saturday and Monday morning, according to local police.

Police have made arrests in three of the cases, which do not appear to be related to the others. Nevertheless, police have said they cannot rule out the possibility of a serial killer.

The discoveries have caused widespread alarm in Ekurhuleni, particularly around Kempton Park, and come against the backdrop of longstanding concerns about high levels of violence against women in South Africa.

Here’s what we know.

Busisiwe Mahlangu

Case 1

Busisiwe Mahlangu’s body was found in Kempton Park on 15 July 2026, the first of a string of bodies found in Ekurhuleni within a two-month period. The 37-year-old was found naked with her hands bound with cable ties.

Police arrested a suspect, believed to be her partner, two days after her murder. He has been in police custody since then and has not been linked to the other deaths that followed.

Itumeleng Kekana

Case 2

Itumeleng Kekana, 32, was the second woman whose body was found in the same area on 3 August 2026.

The young mother disappeared in July and her body was found badly bruised, partially clothed and dumped on a bridge in Kempton Park.

No arrests have been made so far.

Nomfesane Mjobo

Case 3

Nomfesane Mjobo’s body was found on 26 August, also in Kempton Park.

Few details around her death have been released but like most of the victims, she was found partially or fully naked with bruises.

No arrests have been made.

Unknown woman

Case 4

Police confirmed the discovery of an unknown woman, in her 20s, on 7 September. The woman’s body was found floating in a river in Olifantsfontain wearing only her underwear.

No further details have been shared about her death and no arrests have been made.

Gracious Nkomo

Case 5

Gracious Nkomo was the fifth woman whose body was discovered, again in the Kempton Park area.

Her partially clothed body was found on 10 September along a road close to South Africa’s busiest airport. No arrests have been made in the 28-year-old’s death.

Elizabeth “Tsontso” Moselakgomo

Case 6

Elizabeth Moselakgomo was the sixth woman to be found, after a highly publicised nationwide search for her. The 38-year-old went missing while out for a daily run near her home in Kempton Park.

Her body was found badly bruised and partially clothed on 12 September. It was the discovery of her body that really raised the alarm about the spate of killings. No arrests have been made in her case.

Unidentified woman

Case 7

Police confirmed the discovery of another body just two days after Moselakgomo was found. The body was found in Olifantsfontein on 14 September, but police have withheld her name as her family has not yet been informed.

No arrests have been made.

Dineo Motapane

Case 8

The body of Dineo Motapane, 38, was discovered on 15 September just two days after she was last seen alive.

Motapane’s battered and partly burned body was found on the side of the road in Springs, another part of Ekurhuleni.

She leaves behind a young child. No arrests have been made in her case.

Jabulile Ntimba

Case 9

The body of Jabulile Ntimba, in her 30s, was discovered half-naked and wrapped in a sheet on the side of a road in Boksburg on 17 September. This was the ninth body found in Ekurhuleni.

According to police, it appears Ntimba was killed because of a possible love triangle. Three people, two women and a man, were initially arrested for her grisly murder but the man was released due to insufficient evidence.

The two women have been charged with premeditated murder and defeating the ends of justice.

Ntombifuthi Nxumalo

Case 10

The body of Ntombifuthi Nxumalo, the 10th body found in Ekurhuleni, was discovered at a cemetery in the Tembisa neighbourhood north-east of central Johannesburg on 26 September. She was found naked with serious head injuries as well as stones near her body.

This has led to police believing she may have been stoned to death.

A 36-year-old man was arrested a day after Nxumalo’s death after he had travelled to another province. He faces a murder charge.

Unidentified woman

Case 11

The body of a yet-to-be identified woman was found in Springs on Sunday – the 11th body found in Ekurhuleni.

The grim discovery was made by a security company patrolling the area.

The woman was found in an open field, but no further details have been shared.

No arrests have been made.

Unidentified woman

Case 12

Another woman was shot and killed on Monday in Tembisa Ekurhuleni, this time in an apparent robbery. The 23-year-old woman was on her way to work when she was gunned down and her belongings were also taken.

She has not yet been named.

This is the 12th body found in the same area but police have not found any link between this case and the discovery of the other bodies.

While most of the bodies were found in the same area, police confirmed the discovery of another body about 39 miles (63 km) away from Ekurhuleni on 20 September.

The body of a young woman, believed to be in her 20s, was found wrapped in a duvet in a dam in Soweto, south-west of Johannesburg.

It’s unclear if her murder is linked to those in Ekurhuleni.

President Cyril Ramaphosa said the killing of these women and others was a “stain on our national conscience”.

South Africa has one of the highest homicide rates, with 5,427 people murdered between April and June this year alone.

South African police statistics do not differentiate victims by gender but the South African Human Rights Commission said last week that 569 women were killed between April and June this year. This works out as an average of six women killed each day.

Police have set up a task team to investigate these murders and have offered a reward of 400,000 rand ($24,000; £18,000) for information that could lead to arrests.

Also read:

• 10th woman found dead in South Africa’s string of killings

• Two mass shootings in South Africa leave 27 dead

The victims, identified as Rev. Abiodun David and his wife, Funmilayo Bamidele, were travelling with four others on Saturday evening, September 26, 2026, when gunmen reportedly intercepted their vehicle.

The group had attended an engagement ceremony in Eruku and was returning from the event when the incident occurred.

Sources familiar with the incident said the group was initially expected to use the Isanlu Road. However, the driver reportedly opted for a back road to allow him to drop off the best man and other members of the group at Iyamoye.

The vehicle was intercepted by the gunmen after the change of route, with all six occupants reportedly taken away.

The incident has heightened concerns among residents and travellers who use the route, while efforts are reportedly underway to locate the victims and secure their release.

Further details on the identities of the other four victims and the circumstances surrounding the abduction remain unclear.

Audio firm Taction Technology claimed in 2021 that Apple had infringed two of its patents for haptics systems, which enable vibrations for actions such as receiving a message or pressing a button.

This tech is built into devices like the iPhone and Apple Watch.

Apple has been approached for comment. In a statement given to news outlets including CNBC, the company said it had not used Taction’s vibration tech and would appeal the verdict.

“While we thank the jury for their consideration, we strongly disagree with today’s verdict and the damages awarded, which are entirely unsupported by the facts,” Apple said.

“Apple’s Taptic Engine is fundamentally different from Taction’s technology, which Taction’s own testing of Apple’s products confirmed during trial.”

Haptics allow people to interact with devices by simulating the sense of touch or feel through vibrations.

They have become a hallmark of modern devices, with smartphones, watches and video game controllers among those containing small motors that move in response to specific electronic signals.

Apple’s “Taptic Engine” system—enabling haptic feedback in its devices—first debuted with the Apple Watch in 2014.

Since then, it has improved its underlying system, and with that expanded haptics in its devices.

Taction, which makes headphones and gaming headsets, claimed in 2021 that these improvements infringed patents it was issued in 2020.

It wrote in its complaint that by producing better haptic vibrations in its devices, Apple had been able to improve its overall user experience.

As such, the tech giant had been “capitalising on Taction’s innovation and success by selling devices that infringe [its] patents”, Taction said.

It also accused Apple of using its inventions “without license or authority.”

A San Diego judge ruled in 2023 that Apple did not infringe upon Taction’s patents.

However, an appeal was subsequently taken up by a federal appeal circuit – resulting in a September jury trial at the US District Court for the Southern District of California which found in its favour.

In Friday’s verdict, jurors did not find that Apple had infringed the patents in question willingly.

It marks one of many similar lawsuits the tech giant has defended itself against in recent years.

In November 2025 a judge ordered Apple to pay $634m to medical tech firm Masimo after a jury found it had infringed a patent for blood-oxygen reading tech.

The discovery adds to growing concern over violence against women in a country long plagued by violent crime, while police work to establish whether the killings are connected.

The semi-naked body was found near a cemetery in the Tembisa township, police said.

“At this stage, we can only confirm the discovery of the body. Crime scene management and all the necessary role players are currently on the scene,” police spokeswoman Brigadier Brenda Muridili said.

Provincial police chief Tommy Mthombeni said the victim appeared to have been stoned to death, and a post-mortem examination would be conducted to determine the cause of death.

“We have put highly capable investigators on this case,” he told reporters at the scene, vowing to find those responsible for the killings.

The nine other victims were mostly in their 20s and 30s, with some found stripped of their clothes and showing signs of sexual assault.

The first victim, a 37-year-old woman, was found naked and bound with cable ties on July 15. A suspect was arrested two days later.

Two other suspects, women aged 31 and 38, were arrested in connection with the ninth victim and charged on Monday.

Police have said that killing may have stemmed from a relationship-related matter.

Police have offered a 400,000 rand ($25,000) reward for information leading to the arrest of the killer or killers, while the Democratic Alliance, South Africa’s second-largest political party, has put up a further $31,000.

Gender-based violence is endemic in South Africa, despite years of government pledges to tackle the problem and the declaration of gender-based violence as a national disaster.

Last week, the South African government said the national Gender-Based Violence (GBV) Command Centre received 6,782 distress calls between September 1 and 16, an average of 424 a day. 

That was a 21 percent increase from the same period in August, when the centre averaged 350 calls a day.

South Africa, a nation of 62 million people, has one of the world’s highest murder rates, with more than 60 killings a day on average.

In his first comments on the recent military developments, Army Chief of Staff Field Marshal Berhanu Jula said the army was responding to what he called provocations from the Tigray front with “wisdom and restraint”.

He accused Eritrea of funding and supporting armed groups to weaken Ethiopia, describing the “Tsimdo” alliance as an extension of a longstanding pattern of hostile alliances, which he said cannot confront the state without outside backing.

Eritrea, wary that landlocked Ethiopia may be seeking to invade it to gain access to the Red Sea, denied the accusations.

The fighting has spread from Tigray into neighbouring Afar and Amhara regions after seven armed groups announced an alliance, the Ethiopian Peoples’ Forces Alliance for Survival, committed to removing Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed’s government.

In Afar, the latest battles have taken place around Abala, where the military has been trying to prevent rebels from seizing control.

Separately, in North Wollo, a zone of Amhara bordering Tigray, the army said on Thursday it had killed 272 Tigrayan fighters and wounded 260 in a counter-offensive, reporting heavy losses for the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF).

The TPLF’s Tigray Army said the federal government had launched a “full-scale offensive” involving infantry, mechanised units and drones.

Addisalem Balema, a TPLF central committee member, told Al Jazeera the situation had become a “full war”.

Fighting has also continued around Sama, Soqota and Raya Alamata, with government forces reportedly closing in on the town of Alamata.

The army command said it prefers a strategy of “strategic calm” over a large-scale military confrontation, arguing the Tigray front’s popular support is dwindling and its leadership divided.

Internet access was reportedly cut across northern Ethiopia on Friday, a day after the UN said it was alarmed by reports of drones being used against civilians there.

The renewed fighting has put the 2022 Pretoria Agreement, which ended a brutal two-year civil war in Tigray, under severe strain. It comes weeks after Washington lifted sanctions on Ethiopia and Eritrea tied to atrocities from the last war, saying the “national emergency … has expired”.

It marks the most serious challenge yet to that agreement, raising fears of a wider regional conflict that could draw in armed groups from across Ethiopia.

Addressing the UN General Assembly, Ethiopia’s president sought to portray the country as a force for regional stability, accusing unnamed external actors of meddling in Ethiopia’s affairs while highlighting Addis Ababa’s role in supporting peace efforts in neighbouring Sudan.

Alemayehu Weldemariam, a professor of law at Indiana University, told Al Jazeera that the federal government bears much of the blame for the collapse of the Pretoria Agreement.

“This war has been in the making for a while now. Much of the provisions in the cessation of hostilities [in the 2022 agreement] were primarily sabotaged by the federal government itself,” he said, citing fuel, service and cash restrictions imposed on Tigray, and the government’s failure to set up the interim administration the deal had promised.

“What was supposed to be an interim arrangement turned out to be permanent,” with Tigray excluded from national elections since,” he added.

Seventeen people were killed when eight gunmen stormed a bar close to Johannesburg on Saturday evening, with 15 more injured.

In a separate shooting in the early hours of Sunday morning, 10 people were killed outside an entertainment venue in a township near Cape Town and a further 11 were injured.

South Africa has one of the highest murder rates in the world and has struggled to contain gang-related gun violence in recent years. Police have not indicated a motive for either of the latest attacks.

In Johannesburg, gunmen opened fire on customers outside the bar before continuing the attack inside and torching two vehicles before fleeing.

Police said thirteen men and four women were killed, adding that the motive was not clear.

In Cape Town, five victims died at the scene and a further five people died in hospital.

No arrests had been made in either case on Sunday morning.

The two mass shootings came days after 11 people were killed in the city of Durban when gunmen stormed a house in the KwaMakhutha township.

Illegal weapons are prevalent in South Africa and gun violence has been a persistent problem for decades, with about 60 murders recorded every day in the country of 62 million.

But a recent spate of mass shootings has raised fears that the problem is deepening, with violence often linked to turf wars between gangs engaged in drug trafficking and illegal mining.

In February, President Cyril Ramaphosa called organised crime “the most immediate threat to our democracy, our society and our economic development”.

Earlier this year the military was deployed alongside police in areas with the highest murder rates in an effort to reduce armed violence.