The returnee, who arrived in Accra on Wednesday with the first batch of evacuees, spoke to journalists at the airport while showing visible bruises and marks on his body, which he said were from physical assaults he suffered in South Africa.

According to him, the situation became increasingly unbearable for many Ghanaians living there, with some reportedly detained, stranded, or left without support.

“God bless Ghanaian leaders for thinking about us and bringing us back,” he said.

“People who were in jail and those who were in great need and suffering have been brought back.”

Recounting his own experience, he said he narrowly escaped more serious harm during the attacks.

“Personally, I suffered beatings. Look at my marks. It is God that brought me here,” he stated.

Despite the pain he says he endured, the evacuee called for peace and forgiveness rather than revenge.

“I have forgiven anyone who offended me. They [South Africa] should also forgive me. I don’t believe we should retaliate,” he added.

He also commended the Ghanaian government for intervening and organising the evacuation exercise to bring stranded citizens home safely.

“Our government thinks about us. We want peace, not pieces,” he said.

The evacuation exercise forms part of government efforts to protect Ghanaians affected by renewed hostility against foreign nationals in parts of South Africa.

Officials say the returnees will receive medical care, counselling, and reintegration support as they begin rebuilding their lives back home.

Lebanon’s health ministry confirmed that at least 31 people were killed in the latest attacks, including several children and three women, while 40 others were wounded.

The Israeli military stated that it targeted more than 100 Hezbollah fighters and infrastructure sites overnight. The assault marked one of the heaviest periods of bombardment since a U.S.-brokered ceasefire took effect in mid-April.

The escalation came immediately after Netanyahu instructed forces to “press the pedal even harder” against the group. Meanwhile, Hezbollah reported that its fighters directly confronted advancing Israeli troops as the military expanded ground operations deeper into Lebanese territory.

The deadly strikes heavily impacted southern municipal areas, causing 14 deaths in Burj al-Shamali near Tyre, five in Kawthariyat al-Riz, four in Habbush, six in Maarakeh, and two in Salaa. Operations struck deep into sovereign territory. Structural damage occurred near critical humanitarian infrastructure and historical landmarks, including the 900-year-old, UNESCO-recognised Beaufort Castle.

Early Wednesday, sirens sounded in northern Israel after a projectile was launched from Lebanon. The Israel Defence Forces stated the projectile landed in an open area, causing no injuries.

Israel Deepens the Security Buffer

The latest military surge follows a clear policy directive from Jerusalem to fundamentally alter the security landscape along the border. Netanyahu, speaking at a security cabinet meeting on Tuesday, confirmed that Israel was systematically expanding its footprint to prevent cross-border operations by the Iran-backed Shia Muslim group.

“The IDF is operating with large forces on the ground and seizing dominant terrain,” Netanyahu said. He added that troops were “fortifying the security zone” to protect communities in northern Israel from Hezbollah attacks.

The operational shift has pushed Israeli forces deeper into Lebanese territory. An Israeli military official confirmed that troops have begun operating beyond the initial, Israeli-announced “Yellow Line,” which extends roughly 10 kilometres (six miles) deep inside Lebanon. This mandate followed a video statement on Monday in which Netanyahu declared that Israel would increase both the volume and intensity of strikes to counter Hezbollah’s evolving deployment of fibre-optic drones, which have successfully evaded standard air defences.

“We will deal them a crushing blow,” Netanyahu vowed.

Urban Exodus and Casualties in the Rubble

Netanyahu’s warnings triggered immediate panic in Beirut’s southern suburbs, a prominent Hezbollah stronghold. Thousands of families packed vehicles, lining the streets in a desperate bid to flee the capital’s periphery. While deliberate strikes spared the capital itself during the immediate overnight bombardment, Israeli warplanes launched dozens of strikes, hitting nearly 50 distinct locations across the country.

The human toll of the bombardment concentrated heavily in the eastern Bekaa Valley and southern municipalities. In the eastern town of Mashghara, an overnight strike levelled multiple residential homes. The Lebanese health ministry stated that “yesterday’s Israeli enemy airstrike on the town of Mashghara in West Bekaa resulted in a preliminary toll of 11 martyrs, including two girls and a woman, and 15 wounded, including a child.”

Among the survivors in Mashghara was a seven-year-old boy named Mohammad, who was pulled from the debris by rescue crews after his father and two sisters were killed.

“When I woke up, I felt like I couldn’t move, and beside me was just darkness,” Mohammad said from his hospital bed, his body covered in lacerations and his head wrapped in bandages. “I heard the sound of the guys who were rescuing me. They took a long time to pull me out.”

The strikes have transformed municipal areas into hollowed-out conflict zones. Ahmad, a local municipality member in Mashghara, described the scale of destruction while navigating collapsed residential blocks and shops.

“I’m not a member of Hezbollah, but everyone in the village stands with the resistance, and the enemy is sparing no one,” Ahmad said. His assessment was abruptly cut short by the roar of overhead jets and a subsequent explosion along a nearby transit route.

Hezbollah Rebounds with Direct Confrontations

The IDF defended its widespread aerial campaign by releasing surveillance footage of the Mashghara strikes, asserting that the targets were specific “Hezbollah infrastructure sites where terrorist activity was identified.” The military reported hitting 90 weapons storage facilities, command centres and observation posts overnight.

Col. Avichay Adraee, the IDF’s Arabic-language spokesman, issued sweeping evacuation orders for at least 50 southern and eastern towns—including the major southern city of Nabatieh. Adraee claimed that repetitive ceasefire violations by Hezbollah left Israeli forces with no operational alternative but to act.

Hezbollah has actively resisted the push, utilising asymmetric tactics and launching explosive drones and rockets at Israeli army barracks in northern Israel.

The group stated that its fighters directly confronted an advancing Israeli force attempting to enter Zawtar al-Sharqiyah, a strategically vital town overlooking Nabatieh city, using heavy artillery and close-quarters engagements.

Hezbollah characterised its operations as a direct “response to the violation of the ceasefire” by Israel. The political and military calculations in Israel shifted rapidly after the IDF confirmed a soldier was killed in combat in southern Lebanon on Sunday.

That casualty brought total Israeli military losses from Hezbollah attacks to 23 soldiers and one civilian contractor since this phase of the conflict ignited on March 2. Conversely, the Lebanese health ministry stated that Israeli strikes over that same period have killed at least 3,185 people.

Threats to Civil Infrastructure and Global Diplomacy

The geographical expansion of the conflict has raised urgent alarms regarding Lebanon’s civil infrastructure. Multiple airstrikes landed near the Qaraoun Dam on the Litani River, a primary water and power installation in eastern Lebanon.

The Litani River Authority issued a sharp public warning, stating that “any direct or indirect targeting of the Qaraoun Dam or its facilities could lead to catastrophic risks for residents, infrastructure, and vital installations in the areas downstream.” The agency implored international diplomats to intervene immediately to shield the installation from kinetic strikes.

The risks to humanitarian workers continue to climb. Lebanon’s civil defence reported that a first responder succumbed to wounds sustained during a double-tap strike in the town of Qaraoun while attempting to treat a civilian injured in a previous attack.

Another strike in Srifa killed a rescuer from the Risala Scouts association, an organisation linked to the Hezbollah-allied Amal movement, raising the total number of dead rescue workers to 121 since March.

The escalating violence threatens to permanently derail backchannel diplomatic talks involving the United States, Israel, and Iran aimed at salvaging the formal cessation of hostilities. Figures from international observers suggest the truce has effectively collapsed on the ground.

UN Secretary-General spokesperson Farhan Haq revealed that UN peacekeepers (UNIFIL) detected “91 airspace violations, the highest number since the cessation of hostilities came into effect.” Haq added that UNIFIL recorded 399 firing incidents attributed to the IDF alongside 11 projectile trajectories attributed to Hezbollah in a 24-hour window, underscoring a systemic unravelling of the diplomatic framework.

The Diplomatic Crossroads

With the U.S.-brokered truce unravelling on the ground, the conflict has reached a critical bottleneck. Israel continues to frame its intensified deep-theatre incursions as a defensive requirement to permanently neutralise threats to its northern borders. Conversely, Hezbollah remains committed to military resistance, asserting its right to retaliate against what it labels systemic Israeli violations.

As international mediators scramble to preserve the diplomatic architecture of the mid-April agreement, the accelerating violence threatens to lock both factions into a broader, unchecked war of attrition, with trapped civilian populations bearing the ultimate cost.

According to the South African public broadcaster South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC), the group was scheduled to depart from OR Tambo International Airport for Accra amid growing anti-undocumented migrant protests in parts of South Africa.

Home Affairs Immigration and Law Enforcement head Stephen van Neel told reporters that authorities found widespread immigration violations among the group.

“Of the 300 individuals that were on that list, we only found 10 of them being legal in the country,” van Neel said.

He added that the remainder were either undocumented, non-compliant, or had overstayed their permits, and that the Department of Home Affairs would implement the necessary sanctions.

Ghana’s High Commission in South Africa later confirmed that fewer than 300 nationals ultimately boarded the repatriation flight after some were reportedly turned away because of documentation issues. Those affected are expected to be considered for a second repatriation flight later this week.

The repatriation process comes amid heightened tensions over undocumented migration in South Africa, where groups linked to anti-immigration protests have intensified demonstrations in recent months.

Ghana’s High Commissioner to South Africa, Benjamin Kofi Quashie, urged calm and ruled out retaliatory action against South Africans living in Ghana.

“We believe that if there are any South Africans that need to be repatriated, it is the responsibility of state institutions, not individuals,” Quashie said.

He also said that Ghana would continue to promote cooperation and “the spirit of pan-Africanism,” despite the ongoing tensions.

ALSO READ:

• Okudzeto Ablakwa sends goodwill message to Ghanaians returning from South Africa today

• First batch of Ghanaians set to be repatriated from South Africa over anti-immigrant protests

Political analysts said the speaker position could give the former premier, who was ousted on Friday, a platform to challenge Faye, though ​Sonko moved to downplay that prospect.

“We are not here to fight against the president of the ​republic, but the assembly will fully play its role,” Sonko told lawmakers as he accepted ⁠the new post.

International investors are likely to price in a higher risk of Senegal defaulting on its debt ​following Sonko’s removal as prime minister, investment bank Morgan Stanley warned on Tuesday, as the country’s bonds fell sharply.

Lawmakers rebelled ​against Faye’s decision to dissolve the cabinet and fire Sonko by reinstating him as a member of parliament and overwhelmingly backing him as speaker with the support of 132 lawmakers in the 165-member assembly.

The opposition described the manoeuvre as a scandal and questioned ​its legality.

A POWER STRUGGLE BETWEEN FORMER ALLIES

As parliamentary speaker, Sonko will have significant scope to block Faye’s legislative ​agenda, according to Signal Risk analyst Greg Musiker.

The two former allies – both senior figures in the ruling PASTEF party – have been ‌engaged in ⁠a fast-moving battle for control since they swept to power together in 2024, falling out over policy, authority and the direction of Senegal’s reform agenda.

Faye appointed Ahmadou Al Aminou Lo, a seasoned economist and former regional central bank official, to replace Sonko late on Monday.

Sonko, a vocal critic of the International Monetary Fund, had opposed any ​restructuring of Senegal’s debt, whereas ​Lo’s views on the ⁠subject are not yet clear.

Sonko’s return to a powerful political post ramps up uncertainty over the approach the government will take in talks with the IMF and Senegal’s creditors.

“I ​must be truthful and say that we have some differences,” Sonko said, referring ​to Lo. “Notably on ⁠monetary policy, debt management and other similar issues.”

Before the cabinet was dissolved last week, Senegal had expected to resume talks with the IMF over a new lending programme next month.

Sonko said on Tuesday the latest political developments were a ⁠test of ​the West African nation’s democracy.

“Senegal must show Africa that a political ​crisis can be faced without hatred, without violence and without institutional collapse. We must prove that an African people can debate firmly without ​destroying its own state,” he said.

ALSO READ:

• Senegal’s parliament speaker quits two days after Prime Minister was sacked

• Senegal president sacks PM Sonko, dissolves government after months of friction

In a Facebook post, the Minister said government was pleased to receive the returning citizens as arrangements were underway for their safe evacuation.

“Ghana wishes our cherished citizens a safe flight from South Africa. We cannot wait to warmly welcome you all to our beloved nation. Come let’s celebrate Eid al-Adha together. We love our citizens. For God and Country,” he wrote.

The message comes as government facilitates the return of Ghanaians from South Africa, with authorities describing the exercise as part of efforts to ensure the safety and wellbeing of citizens abroad.

The group is part of a wider repatriation exercise triggered by renewed reports of attacks, intimidation, and hostility against foreign nationals in parts of South Africa, sparking fear among migrant communities, including Ghanaians.

The evacuation is being coordinated by Ghana’s diplomatic mission in South Africa in collaboration with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Although the process was initially scheduled to begin on May 21, it was delayed after officials recorded a higher-than-expected number of Ghanaians registering for assistance to return home.

ALSO READ:

• First batch of Ghanaians set to be repatriated from South Africa over anti-immigrant protests

• South Africa evacuation: No Ghanaian desirous of returning home will be left behind –…

The woman unsuccessfully argued that “water is a natural resource and a universal human right” after a waiter only offered her €7 (£6) bottled mineral water at the restaurant of the five-star Hotel Sassongher in Corvara during the 2019 ski season.

The Italian Supreme Court denied her request for €2,700 to compensate her for emotional distress and economic damage, Italian media reports.

Silvio Belardi, the lawyer representing the hotel, is quoted in the newspaper Corriere Alto Adige as saying the court held that “there is no obligation to supply tap water”.

Media reports say she initially filed the claim in a lower court in Rome. They have not confirmed her identity or background.

She claimed her consumer rights were violated when staff refused her request for tap water, saying it was a key part of the hotel’s service and likened it to “finding a bed with sheets” and “soap in the bathroom”.

Supreme Court judges dismissed her claim, ruling that Italian laws and regulations do not mandate venues to provide tap water to guests and that the decision to serve it is up to individual venues.

Licensed venues across England and Wales are legally required to serve free drinking water upon request.

The BBC has approached Hotel Sassongher for further comment.

Amazon founder Jeff Bezos’s space company Blue Origin is one of several companies picked to build the machines.

The US wants to land Americans back on the Moon before President Donald Trump leaves office in 2029.

But NASA is competing with China to return humans to the lunar surface, meaning the space agency is under pressure to appear to be winning the new space race.

China is forging ahead with its own plans to land humans on the Moon by 2030.

On Monday it launched its Shenzhou-23 spacecraft, sending a crew of astronauts to the country’s Tiangong space station.

In March, NASA announced a $20 billion programme to construct a permanent base powered by nuclear and solar energy at the Moon’s south pole by 2032.

NASA administrator Jared Isaacman said on Tuesday that the announcements mean the US will “never give up the Moon again”.

A base would allow the US to carry out scientific experiments, potentially mine valuable resources, and travel to Mars more easily.

But most experts agree that NASA’s timeline is unrealistic.

Despite the US’s success in sending four astronauts around the Moon in its Artemis II mission in April, some scientists believe China is likely to be the next country to land humans on the lunar surface.

“It would not surprise me at all if China gets there first,” Dr Simeon Barber, Lunar Scientist at Open University, told BBC News, citing NASA’s setbacks in securing a craft that can land humans on the Moon.

NASA’s Ignition Moon Base programme has three phases.

Before humans travel there, the space agency wants to send robotic landers and hopping drones to explore and map the Moon’s challenging terrain.

Delivery vehicles would also be taken that could drive astronauts over the lunar surface and carry communications and scientific instruments.

On Tuesday, Nasa said companies including Blue Origin, Intuitive Machines, and Astrobotic have been awarded the contracts to build the machines.

NASA wants Blue Origin’s lunar lander, called Endurance, to be able to carry out precise landings, as well as autonomous navigation and control.

Astrobotic’s Griffin-1 lander is expected to land at Nobile Crater near the South Pole.

The machines will also deliver scientific instruments for NASA, including high-resolution cameras and tools that use reflected laser light to help the craft land.

This robotic exploration should last until 2029, with 25 launches and 4 metric tonnes of cargo landed on the Moon, Carlos García-Galán, Moon Base programme executive said on Tuesday.

Next, NASA wants to build nuclear and solar power facilities on the Moon, including fission reactors.

By 2032, the space agency wants humans to be able to live on the Moon in “semi-permanent” housing.

Rovers would also enable astronauts to travel long-distance across the rocky surface.

The Moon’s South Pole is particularly appealing because frozen water could be used for drinking water or to produce oxygen.

However, Nasa’s plans rely on a spacecraft being ready that can safely transport humans to the Moon.

Elon Musk’s company SpaceX is contracted to build a craft called Starship Human Landing System, but it has faced numerous setbacks and delays.

“The limiting step is getting the astronauts down onto the surface,” explains lunar scientist Simeon Barber.

“It sounds to me like [Nasa] feel they’re in a position where they have to start saying they’ve got plans. So I think there’s a lot of political drive behind this,” he says.

While previous pontiffs have expressed regret for Christian participation in the trans-Atlantic slave trade, this marks the first time a Pope has publicly acknowledged, and apologised for, the explicit authority granted by past popes to European sovereigns to subjugate and enslave “infidels.”

The apology was delivered by the first U.S.-born Pope, whose own family history encompasses both enslaved individuals and slave owners. It featured in his inaugural encyclical, Magnifica Humanitas (Magnificent Humanity), released on Monday.

This comprehensive manifesto primarily addresses the imperative of safeguarding humanity amidst the growing reliance on artificial intelligence.

Pope Leo drew a parallel between the historical trans-Atlantic slave trade and what he termed new forms of slavery and colonialism, now exacerbated by the digital revolution – citing, for instance, the unregulated labour required to extract rare minerals essential for AI chip production.

In doing so, Leo responded to decades of calls by Black American Catholics, activists and scholars for the Holy See to atone for its own role in the colonial-era trade in human beings.

“It is impossible not to feel deep sorrow when contemplating the immense suffering and humiliation endured by so many in stark contrast to their immeasurable dignity as persons infinitely loved by the Lord,” Leo wrote. “For this, in the name of the Church, I sincerely ask for pardon.”

Centuries of legitimizing slavery for European colonizers

The Vatican has insisted that it always upheld the dignity of all human beings as children of God. But a series of 15th-century directives from the Vatican authorized Portuguese sovereigns to conquer Africa and the Americas and enslave non-Christians.

In 1452, for example, Pope Nicholas V issued the papal bull Dum Diversas, which gave the Portuguese king and his successors the right “to invade, conquer, fight and subjugate” and take all possessions — including land — of “Saracens, and pagans, and other infidels, and enemies of the name of Christ” anywhere.

The bull also gave the Portuguese permission “to reduce their persons to perpetual slavery.”

That bull and another issued three years later, Romanus Pontifex, formed the basis of the Doctrine of Discovery, the theory that legitimized the colonial-era seizure of land in Africa and the Americas.

Nicholas V’s permissions to the Portuguese were confirmed or renewed by Pope Callixtus III in 1456, Pope Sixtus IV in 1481, and Pope Leo X in 1514, according to the Rev. Christopher J. Kellerman, a Jesuit priest and author of “All Oppression Shall Cease: A History of Slavery, Abolitionism, and the Catholic Church.”

Spanish kings received the rights for the Americas.

In 2023, the Vatican formally repudiated the Doctrine of Discovery, but it never formally rescinded, abrogated or rejected the bulls themselves. The Vatican insists that a later bull, Sublimis Deus in 1537, reaffirmed that Indigenous peoples shouldn’t be deprived of their liberty or the possession of their 

property, and weren’t to be enslaved.

Holy See late to condemn slavery, Leo says

In his encyclical, Leo recalled that his namesake, Pope Leo XIII was the first pope to explicitly condemn slavery in 1888, though that was long after many countries had already abolished it. Before that, in antiquity and the Middle Ages, even church institutions had slaves.

In acknowledging the Holy See’s own role and the 15th-century papal bulls, Leo wrote in his encyclical: “Already in the early modern period, the Apostolic See of Rome, responding to the requests of sovereigns, intervened several times in order to regulate and legitimize forms of subjugation, and, in certain cases, including the enslavement of ‘infidels.’”

Leo said that it wasn’t possible to judge the morality of the decisions with today’s standards.

“Yet neither can we deny or diminish the delay with which both society and the church came to denounce the scourge of slavery,” he said.

The pope said that the church has long affirmed the dignity of every human being as the basis of its doctrine, “even if it took eighteen centuries for its full incompatibility with slavery to be explicitly recognized.”

“This constitutes a wound in Christian memory, one from which we cannot consider ourselves detached,” he said.

Leo said that the church today must firmly condemn all forms of trafficking related to the digital technological revolution “if we want to avoid the need to ask for pardon again in the future for having failed to respect the treasure of human dignity that is required by our faith.”

Leo’s own family history and past apologies

During a 1985 visit to Cameroon, St. John Paul II asked forgiveness of Africans for the slave trade on behalf of Christians who participated in it, but not for the popes’ own role in it. In a 1992 visit to Goree Island, Senegal, which was the largest slave-trading center in West Africa, he denounced the injustice of slavery and called it a “tragedy of a civilization that called itself Christian.”

According to genealogical research published by Henry Louis Gates Jr., 17 of Leo’s American ancestors were Black, listed in census records as mulatto, Black, Creole or a free person of color. His family tree includes slaveholders and enslaved people, Gates wrote in The New York Times.

During a visit to Angola last month, Leo prayed at a Catholic shrine located at the site of an important hub of the African slave trade during Portugal’s colonial rule. While at the Sanctuary of Mama Muxima, Leo recalled the “sorrow and great suffering” Angolans endured for centuries, but he didn’t refer specifically to slavery.

ALSO READ:

• Ghana thanks China, Cuba and Gulf States for UN support on slavery resolution

• Britain shouldn’t be paying for a crime we helped eradicate – Kemi Badenoch on…

The BBC saw dozens of buses chartered by the Ghanaian embassy dropping off passengers at Johannesburg’s OR Tambo airport around 03:00 local time (01:00 GMT) on Wednesday.

There were men, women and children of all ages. A smaller group of people also arrived in a police van, were kept apart from the majority of passengers, and were watched over by the police.

It follows a wave of protests against illegal immigration in South African cities in recent weeks, leading to fears there could be a resurgence in xenophobic violence in the country.

All the passengers were registered by the embassy and airport staff.

Ghanaian authorities told the BBC that an initial 300 people would leave on Wednesday morning. The remaining registered citizens were still being screened and would depart at a later date.

Few of the departing passengers wanted to speak to journalists, but Rudolph, who’s lived in South Africa for 10 years and runs a salon, told the BBC he was leaving because of the recent protests.

“It’s not comfortable for us to stay here anymore, so we have to go. I think we will find peace at home,” he said.

There are an estimated 25,000 Ghanaians living in South Africa.

Demonstrators say illegal migrants are putting pressure on public services and have asked the South African government to do more to stop it.

The demonstrations have been organised by a group called March and March, which describes itself as a citizen-led movement for immigration reform.

It has set a 30 June deadline for illegal immigrants to leave the country. Rudolph worries that the deadline could lead to violence.

“The protests started in Durban, and they’ve escalated to other provinces. So definitely something bad could happen.” He added he would never return to South Africa.

Ghanaian High Commissioner Benjamin Quashie told the BBC he wanted to ensure the country’s citizens were safe.

“The Ghanaian government listened to the plight of its citizens in South Africa, who felt that their lives were in danger, who felt like the economic activity that they were engaging in had come to a standstill, who felt unwelcome in this country, and it is the responsibility of every government to ensure that its citizens are taken care of both home and abroad.”

When asked what they were doing to ensure illegal migrants from Ghana did not come to South Africa, he said they had a reintegration strategy in place for those returning.

“The government is willing to establish them in whatever business they were doing in South Africa. In a way, we’re also helping the South African economy, because it’s clear that some of them are undocumented. So taking them out of here will let them know that we are not people who condone undocumented people in countries.”

Some analysts have suggested the resurgence of anti-migrant sentiment in South Africa could be linked to local elections scheduled for November.

In 2019, at least 12 people were killed, and in 2008, 62 foreign nationals died in attacks on foreigners across the country.

But the organisers of recent protests have said they have been peaceful.

Earlier this month, the South African government condemned criminal acts directed at foreigners, whilst conceding the country needed to deal with illegal immigration.

ALSO READ:

• First batch of Ghanaians to be airlifted from South Africa on May 26 –…

• ‘I’m sick and tired of this country’ – Ghanaians in South Africa pour out…

• South Africa evacuation: No Ghanaian desirous of returning home will be left behind –…

The agreement was signed on the sidelines of the African Development Bank’s Annual Meetings in Brazzaville on May 26, 2026, and is expected to strengthen collaboration on health financing, demographic resilience and human capital development across the continent.

The partnership is particularly significant within the framework of the Media Forum, as UNFPA is expected to become a future partner of the Réseau des Médias Africains pour la Promotion de la Santé et de l’Environnement (REMAPSEN), further deepening collaboration between development institutions and African media stakeholders.

According to the press release, the agreement positions maternal health not only as a health issue, but as a strategic economic priority for the continent.

“Africa has made huge progress in reducing maternal mortality, but ongoing challenges remain, linked to structural obstacles, unequal access to quality health services, and financing gaps,” the statement noted.

Speaking during the signing ceremony, Diene Keita, Executive Director of UNFPA, highlighted the immense development potential tied to investments in women and young people.

“Immense opportunity is within Africa’s grasp if we make strategic investments in women and young people,” she said.

She further stressed that, “Economic progress for Africa is only possible if we prioritize women’s health and address one of the continent’s most pressing development challenges: preventable maternal deaths.”

Describing the significance of the renewed collaboration between the two institutions, Diene Keita added, “this renewed partnership reflects our shared commitment to put maternal health and human capital development at the heart of Africa’s economic transformation agenda.”

Under the new framework, UNFPA and AfDB will jointly explore innovative financing and implementation mechanisms to help countries unlock investments in women and young people as drivers of Africa’s growth.

The agreement outlines key priorities including investments to modernize the health workforce through digital training, strengthening local procurement systems, upgrading climate-resilient health infrastructure, and supporting the digitization of health information systems.

Since 1992, the two organizations have collaborated on several initiatives aimed at strengthening health systems and data-driven development across Africa.

Achievements highlighted in the release include modernization of Côte d’Ivoire’s population census, improved emergency obstetric and newborn care services in Cameroon, reproductive health awareness campaigns in Madagascar, and climate adaptation programmes integrating gender and reproductive health concerns in Eastern and Southern Africa.

The press release also underscored the long-term objective of the partnership, stating that: “UNFPA will work with the AfDB to ensure that demographic transition roadmaps sit at the heart of national financing strategies, ensuring that investments in health and rights are recognized as smart investments for Africa’s future.”

The agreement is expected to reinforce continental advocacy around maternal health, gender equality and sustainable development, while strengthening the role of African media networks such as REMAPSEN in amplifying public awareness and policy dialogue on critical health and development issues.

ALSO READ:

• Finance Minister signs AfDB grant for feasibility studies on 37 Military Hospital interchange, four…

• African Finance Ministers laud GoldBod at high-level AfDB meeting in Washington

The US Central Command (Centcom) said Iranian missile sites and boats attempting to place mines had been targeted with what it called “self-defence strikes” in southern Iran on Monday.

Iran’s foreign ministry said it held the US responsible for the consequences of its “aggressive and unjustified actions” in the Hormozgan region, which has a coast along the Strait of Hormuz – the crucial waterway Iran has blocked causing a spike in world energy prices.

It is unclear what impact the strikes will have on talks aimed to end the conflict.

“Without a doubt, the Islamic Republic of Iran will not leave any evil unanswered and will not hesitate to defend the Iranian nation,” the Iranian statement said.

However, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said a deal from the talks was still possible, but it would “take a few days”.

One of the stumbling blocks reportedly centres on Tehran’s request for the release of frozen Iranian funds held abroad.

The talks have been mainly mediated by Pakistan.

However, Iranian negotiators have been taking parts in Qatar this week.

An official briefed on the Doha visit told Reuters news agency that Iran’s central bank governor had attended Monday’s talks to discuss the frozen assets, with discussions focusing primarily on Iran’s stockpile of highly enriched uranium, and the Strait of Hormuz.

Iran has effectively blocked the vital shipping lane, through which around one fifth of the world’s oil passes, since the US and Israel started the conflict on February 28.

US, Israel and many Western countries have accused Iran of enriching uranium in order to make a nuclear weapon. Iran says the programme is for peaceful purposes only.

Airstrikes Formally Characterised as Defensive Action

U.S. Central Command confirmed the operation but noted that the engagement does not cancel out the temporary truce held since April 8. The strikes occurred near Bandar Abbas, a pivotal southern port city that hosts a major Iranian naval base. The base directly overlooks the strategic Strait of Hormuz—the narrow gateway to the Persian Gulf, which handles roughly 25% of the world’s maritime oil trade.

In an official statement, U.S. Central Command asserted that the strikes were executed in “self-defence,” adding that they were specifically designed “to protect our troops from threats posed by Iranian forces.”

Military officials maintained that the operations were precise and reactive rather than expansionist. Central Command spokesperson Navy Capt. Tim Hawkins noted that “U.S. forces conducted self-defence strikes in southern Iran today to protect our troops from threats posed by Iranian forces.” He added that the specific “targets included missile launch sites and Iranian boats attempting to emplace mines. U.S. Central Command continues to defend our forces while using restraint during the ongoing ceasefire.” The Pentagon noted that these engagements follow previous bouts of friction; in early May, American forces targeted Iranian military sites tied to unprovoked missile, drone, and small-boat actions against U.S. warships navigating the strait.

Explosions Recorded Along the Persian Gulf

The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps noted that three distinct explosions were heard in Bandar Abbas, followed by subsequent detonations near the local airport. Air defence systems in the sector were promptly activated to counter what local military officials labelled hostile targets. Before the activation of the air defences, Iran’s armed forces stated they had successfully intercepted and destroyed a hostile drone operating over the Persian Gulf.

Iranian state media reported that local municipal and military officials in Bandar Abbas were actively investigating the immediate aftermath of the blasts. Similar acoustic disturbances were reported by witnesses further along the coast near Sirik and Jask.

While the military environment remains tense, the broader domestic posture inside Iran shows signs of internal shifts. Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian ordered the Ministry of Communications to begin restoring domestic internet access. Tehran had implemented a near-total digital disconnection starting in late December 2025 to suppress widespread domestic protests linked to severe economic inflation and currency depreciation. Independent monitoring networks like NetBlocks noted the blackout surpassed 2,064 hours, complicating transparency surrounding state executions. Despite the tactical military engagement, semi-official Iranian media channels broadcast messages stating that the domestic situation in Bandar Abbas remained entirely under control and posed no cause for wider public concern.

Diplomatic Progress Tempered by Core Disputes

The military friction occurred concurrently with high-stakes diplomatic deliberations in Qatar. A high-level Iranian delegation, featuring chief negotiator Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, and Central Bank Governor Abdolnaser Hemmati, met with Qatari mediators in Doha to review a potential memorandum of understanding with the United States.

The framework under review includes a 60-day extension of the current ceasefire, mechanisms to ensure the permanent reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, and an explicit roadmap for future negotiations regarding Iran’s nuclear profile. However, senior diplomats from both governments cautioned that a definitive peace treaty remains distant.

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baqai acknowledged that while structural progress has been achieved, expectations of an immediate breakthrough should be managed. “It is correct to say that we have reached a conclusion on a large portion of the issues under discussion… But to say that this means the signing of an agreement is imminent – no one can make such a claim,” Baqai stated.

United States Secretary of State Marco Rubio had previously suggested that a formal framework agreement could potentially materialise as early as Monday. This timeline was initially echoed by President Donald Trump over the weekend, though the president subsequently adjusted his rhetoric, noting that he had formally instructed American diplomatic envoys “not to rush into” an immediate settlement.

Logistical obstacles have further slowed the pace of the Doha deliberations. Intelligence assessments indicate that Iran’s Supreme Leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, is currently operating from an undisclosed location. Khamenei sustained injuries during an initial Israeli airstrike on the opening day of the war—an attack that killed his father and predecessor. The physical displacement of the Supreme Leader has hampered direct, rapid communication with Iranian envoys in Qatar.

Nuclear Stockpiles Remain Central Sticking Point

The main diplomatic barrier centres on the status of Iran’s highly enriched uranium stockpile. The current military conflict began following coordinated U.S. and Israeli strikes on February 28. At that time, Iran held an estimated 440 kilograms (970 pounds) of uranium enriched to 60 per cent purity.

Western intelligence agencies warn that this inventory is dangerous. It requires only minimal additional processing to reach the 90 per cent weapons-grade threshold needed for an atomic bomb. Because of this, White House officials have adopted a strict negotiating posture. Their policy is summarised by the internal phrase, “No dust, no dollars.” Under this rule, the U.S. will block all economic sanctions relief and frozen asset releases until the nuclear material is permanently neutralised.

President Trump detailed these non-negotiable terms on social media on Monday. Trump stated that the “Enriched Uranium (Nuclear Dust!) will either be immediately turned over to the United States to be brought home and destroyed or, preferably, in conjunction and coordination with the Islamic Republic of Iran, destroyed in place or, at another acceptable location, with the Atomic Energy Commission, or its equivalent, being witness to this process and event.”

The public post marks a subtle shift from Trump’s comments last Thursday in the Oval Office. He previously told reporters, “We’ll probably destroy it after we get it, but we’re not going to let them have it.”

The core demand for absolute disposal remains unchanged. However, the updated language introduces a new option. The material could potentially be destroyed on Iranian soil under international oversight. Senior White House aides minimised the change. They clarified that this is not a new demand, but simply a public reminder of terms already delivered to Iranian intermediaries.

Regional Postures Harden Amid Lebanese Friction

The deep friction between Washington and Tehran is fueled by a hard-line consensus within Iran’s security apparatus. Mohammad Bagher Zolghadr recently took over as the head of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council. In his first public address since taking office, he promised an uncompromising approach to Western pressure.

Zolghadr is a veteran Revolutionary Guard commander. He stepped into the role following the wartime death of his predecessor, Ali Larijani. Zolghadr declared to the public that “there will be no retreat” in the country’s ongoing strategic confrontation. Other military leaders in Tehran echoed this defiance. They insisted their forces stand in a much stronger position today than at the war’s outset.

Meanwhile, the wider regional war keeps expanding along Israel’s northern border. A U.S.-brokered ceasefire is technically in place between Israel and Lebanon. Despite this truce, the Israel Defence Forces spent Monday preparing to widen combat operations against Hezbollah infrastructure.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu confirmed that military pressure will ramp up. In a video address, he stated that Israel will “intensify the blows” and “increase the force” used against the group.

“We are not taking our foot off the gas pedal; on the contrary … we need to push the gas pedal even harder,” Netanyahu remarked.

The IDF claimed it struck over 70 Hezbollah infrastructure targets on Monday. The strikes hit command hubs and weapons caches across the Beqaa Valley and Tyre. Israel launched the raids to blunt a wave of advanced, fibre-optic drones.

A U.S. official came out in full support of Israel’s military response. The official stated that “Israel will never be expected to passively absorb attacks on its forces and civilians.”

The American official placed direct blame on the militant group for the ongoing violence.

“Since April 17, Hezbollah has fired over a thousand drones and over 700 rockets to try and derail ongoing negotiations between Lebanon and Israel. The status quo is untenable,” the official said.

The official added that Hezbollah “is entirely responsible for the current situation. It broke the ceasefire on March 2 and is now intent on denying the Lebanese people a path to peace and reconstruction.”

Domestic Memorial Tributes and War Costs

The global economic shockwaves of this war drag on. Persistent shipping disruptions along the closed Strait of Hormuz continue to block international trade routes. As a result, worldwide fuel prices remain high.

Back in Washington, the human toll of the fighting took centre stage during Memorial Day services at Arlington National Cemetery. President Trump dedicated much of his speech to honouring the American service members killed in the conflict. He tied their sacrifices directly to the active nuclear negotiations with Tehran.

“In Operation Epic Fury, we lost 13 wonderful souls, wonderful special people. These incredible men and women gave their lives to ensure that the world’s No. 1 state sponsor of terror will never have a nuclear weapon. Oh, and they won’t. They will never have a nuclear weapon,” Trump said.

During the address, Trump recognised the family of Capt. Ariana G. Savino, a fallen service member who died when a military refuelling plane crashed in Iraq.

“Ariana’s selfless gift will not be in vain,” Trump stated. “Our debt to you is everlasting, and it’s always going to end in victory. We’re having victories all over the place, more than we’ve had many, many decades.”

Vice President JD Vance spoke to the grieving families just before the president took the stage.

“I know, from every American across every political persuasion, that we love you, we’re grateful to you, and we commit to make the United States of America the very best version of itself,” Vance said.

The president wrapped up his remarks by contrasting the conflict with a separate U.S. operation in Venezuela. He noted that the military “lost no one” during the mission that captured Nicolás Maduro. Across both recent foreign campaigns, Trump summarised, the U.S. has lost a total of 13 service members.

Strait of Hormuz Remains the Flashpoint of War and Peace 

The overlapping realities of live combat and back-channel diplomacy underscore the volatile nature of the Middle Eastern theatre. While localised U.S. strikes near Bandar Abbas signal Washington’s resolve to enforce maritime freedom, the presence of Iranian negotiators in Doha highlights a mutual reluctance to return to total warfare. Neither side appears to want an uncontained conflict.

Consequently, the survival of any impending framework agreement has become a high-stakes race against time. The ultimate success of a memorandum of understanding hinges on whether technical consensus regarding sanctions relief and nuclear dismantling can outpace the daily military friction destabilising the world’s most critical energy corridor.

The new strikes will target “decision-making centres and command posts”, alongside drone manufacturing facilities in the city, Russia’s foreign ministry said in a statement.

Moscow has called for foreign nationals and diplomats to leave Kyiv “as soon as possible” and warned citizens to stay away from administrative and military buildings.

Large-scale Russian strikes on Saturday night killed four and injured about 100 people in Kyiv and other areas, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said.

Moscow said that barrage and threatened further strikes were in response to what it claims was a deliberate Ukrainian attack on a student dormitory in the town of Starobilsk on Friday, in which Russian officials said 21 people were killed.

Ukraine’s military said its forces had struck an elite Russian military drone unit in the area, in Russian-occupied eastern Ukraine, and had not targeted civilians.

Russia has launched several waves of deadly missile and drone attacks on Kyiv since a brief ceasefire, that coincided with Moscow’s annual Victory Day parade, expired earlier in May.

Shortly after that, Russian strikes on Kyiv killed 24 people, including three children, in a block of flats.

Days later, Russian officials said three people were killed in a large-scale Ukrainian drone attack on the Moscow region, with Zelensky saying the strikes were an “entirely justified” response to deadly Russian attacks.

Kyiv then suffered one of the biggest aerial assaults of the war overnight on Saturday.

Videos posted on social media showed explosions lighting up the sky throughout the night, and many Kyiv residents reported blasts rocking the city as numerous civilian targets were hit.

Russia employed dozens of ballistic and cruise missiles and hundreds of drones to hit the capital, as well as firing a hypersonic, nuclear-capable Oreshnik missile on the area of Bila Tserkva, 90km south of Kyiv.

Non-military targets such as the Chernobyl Museum in Kyiv’s historic district and the National Art Museum of Ukraine were damaged or destroyed. A shopping centre, a market and several residential buildings in the area of Lukanivka were also destroyed.

On Monday evening, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov urged US Secretary of State Marco Rubio to evacuate American diplomats from Kyiv in a phone call, Russia’s foreign ministry said.

Many are interpreting Russia’s warning for foreign nationals to leave Kyiv as a form of psychological pressure.

Russia already carries out large-scale strikes on the capital, and has done so since it launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

But four and a half years of war have taught Ukraine to develop and ramp up a sophisticated and layered air defence system.

It now intercepts a vast proportion of drones and missiles – although Russia often fires them in such great numbers they overwhelmed air defences and many do get through.

Ukraine also remains heavily dependent on foreign air defence systems for missile interception.

In March, Zelensky warned that his country would face a deficit of such weapons due to the US and Israel’s war with Iran.

Ndiaye, a senior figure in the ruling ​PASTEF party, said on Sunday ​his resignation was a personal decision, giving ⁠the “higher interest of the nation” as ​a reason for his departure.

President Bassirou Diomaye ​Faye dismissed Prime Minister Ousmane Sonko on Friday and dissolved the government after months of mounting tension ​between the two leaders.

Ties between Faye ​and Sonko, allies who swept to power together ‌in ⁠2024, soured against a backdrop of growing economic challenges linked to debt and domestic fallout from the Iran war.

Members of parliament ​are set ​to convene ⁠on Tuesday to vote on reinstating Sonko as a lawmaker ​and to elect a new ​speaker ⁠for the National Assembly to replace Ndiaye.

Some critics say reinstating Sonko would be illegal ⁠as ​he has never been ​a member of parliament.

Girls Tag, described as an all-in-one period care pack designed for girls aged nine and above, recently launched with Mercy Johnson and her daughter, Purity Okojie, as brand ambassadors.

Shortly after the launch, Regina Daniels was also announced as an ambassador for the brand.

However, the product launch has sparked backlash on social media, with critics describing the price as unrealistic and insensitive. They argue that many Nigerian women and girls struggle to afford basic menstrual products and are often forced to resort to unsafe alternatives or miss school during their periods.

“PHIL, not everyone is a philanthropist! Nigeria’s problems are not everyone’s problem. She knows who her customers are… she is not interested in the average Nigerian lady or every girl child. Again, not everyone is a philanthropist. We don’t tell Dangote to sell fuel at ₦100 to support poor or small business owners. This is business… and again, Nigeria is not everybody’s problem,” @Lai stated.

@Ms Jorji said, “Mercy Johnson, you are an embarrassment to women. In a country where women are struggling to afford sanitary pads, you want to charge ₦25,000 for sanitary pads.”

“The target audience had to be baddies,” @A Tall Edo Girl said.

@Rebekah wrote, “Dear @realmercyj, Nigeria is a poor country. Elitism should never extend to the basic rights and dignity of girls and women. Sanitary pads are not luxury items. How many Nigerians can realistically afford ₦25,000 monthly for a basic necessity? What is wrong with us Nigerians?”

@Ara stated, “The way some of you kiss celebrities’ ass is annoying. In a country where sanitary pads are meant to be free, someone is selling them for ₦25,000 and I’m seeing, ‘oh, the packaging is worth it’—yen yen yen. Hypocrites! Since when did pads start having a target audience?”

“To be honest, sanitary pads shouldn’t cost this much. I believe it should be a basic amenity just like food,” @Matt wrote.

@Okafor Gift said, “Selling pads for ₦25,000. As how???”

@Olaámi wrote, “Most Nigerian celebrities don’t actually stand for anything; all they care about is their bottom line. Greedy people.”

ALSO READ:

• My kids are bullied in school – Mercy Johnson cries out over false witchcraft…

• Jackie Appiah and Mercy Johnson break the internet with wild dance moves

Kwara, in Nigeria’s north-central region, has in recent years faced a spillover of violent attacks linked to armed groups often referred to ​locally as bandits, who operate across forested border regions and ​are known for kidnappings for ransom.

The attackers struck around 2 ⁠a.m. (0100 GMT) in Yashikira, a community in Baruten local government area near ​Nigeria’s northwestern border, in what authorities described as a coordinated assault.

When the ​police divisional headquarters came under attack, officers on duty repelled the gunmen, the Kwara State Police Command said in a statement.

During the same raid, the assailants set ​sections of the Emir of Yashikira’s palace ablaze and kidnapped 10 residents, ​taking them to an unknown location.

Police Commissioner Ojo Adekimi said security forces had launched ‌a ⁠joint operation involving the military, forest guards and local vigilantes to search nearby forests and suspected hideouts, with the aim of rescuing the victims and arresting those responsible.

Separately, police confirmed a second attack in the state ​in which gunmen ​targeted a prayer ⁠gathering in the Ekiti local government area late on Friday. Armed assailants opened fire at worshippers holding a ​night vigil at Ori-Oke Ajaiye, killing three people and ​abducting ⁠15 others, according to police.

The incident was reported by a local pastor, who said the attackers stormed the gathering at about 8:30 p.m. (1930 GMT), shooting ⁠sporadically ​before taking victims away.

Police said tactical teams, ​including a drone unit and specialised mobile force personnel, had been deployed to carry out search-and-rescue ​operations and track down the attackers.

ALSO READ:

• Nigeria’s Tinubu to run for second term after party primary win

• Nigeria launches manhunt after abductions by bandits in northwest Zamfara

A statement read on state media said all ministers were dismissed, with the outgoing government tasked with handling day-to-day affairs, according to Oumar Samba Ba, secretary-general of the presidency.

The decision follows months of growing tensions between the two allies-turned-rivals. Sonko, a charismatic figure ​with a strong youth following, had backed Faye in the 2024 election after being barred from running himself due to ​a defamation conviction.

In a post on social media after the announcement, Sonko said: “Tonight I will sleep with a ⁠light heart in the Keur Gorgui neighbourhood,” referring to his residence.

The split comes as Senegal faces mounting economic pressure. The International Monetary Fund ​froze its $1.8 billion lending program with Senegal following the discovery of misreported debt, pushing the country’s end-2024 debt level to 132% of its economic ​output.

Faye’s move raises the risk of further delays in reaching a new agreement with the IMF, seen as key to reviving the economy.

Earlier on Friday, before Sonko’s dismissal, Finance Minister Cheikh Diba told parliament that Senegal expects to resume talks with the IMF in the week of June 8 and hopes to reach an agreement on key ​points by June 30.

Diba also warned the country’s fuel subsidy bill could exceed its 2026 budget allocation by as much as 1.15 trillion ​CFA francs ($2 billion) if oil prices rise to $115 per barrel, adding that Sonko had rejected his request to raise fuel prices.

Sonko had opposed any restructuring of ‌the debt, ⁠estimated at $13 billion, which he said the IMF was advocating, while Faye has been less vocal on the issue.

SPECULATION OVER SONKO’S POLITICAL FUTURE

Sonko was a popular opposition leader under the previous administration of President Macky Sall, whose decision to delay the 2024 election spurred unrest.

Both Faye and Sonko are former tax officials who were jailed ahead of the 2024 election. They were released 10 days before the rescheduled contest, which Faye ​went on to win with 54% ​of the vote.

Faye then appointed ⁠Sonko as prime minister.

Now that Sonko is out of that job, it is unclear what his next steps will be.

In March, he said he would be willing to take his Pastef party out of the government ​and return to opposition if Faye departed from the party’s agenda, fuelling speculation that the two men’s ​power struggle was ⁠irresolvable.

Pastef dominates the National Assembly, meaning it could complicate governance and the passage of reforms needed to secure IMF support.

Last month, lawmakers overwhelmingly approved electoral code changes that could pave the way for Sonko to run for president in 2029.

Among the anti-establishment, pan-Africanist prime minister’s signature initiatives was an audit ⁠of Senegal’s ​resource deals, including those governing its emerging oil and gas sector.

In March, Sonko declared ​a BP gas contract for the Greater Tortue Ahmeyim project unfair and revoked some 71 mining licenses.

He had argued that renegotiating oil and gas contracts would lower domestic energy prices ​and help rebuild Senegal’s battered finances.

ALSO READ:

• Senegal president backs new anti-LGBT law banning ‘promotion’

• Senegal’s president faces budget challenge after likely parliamentary win

At least three such incidents have occurred in the northeastern province of Ituri, where the first Ebola cases were reported, including two at the weekend, targeting the same hospital that permitted more than two dozen patients to run away.

The attacks recall the widespread violence targeting health facilities during a 2018-2020 outbreak in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo that killed more than 25 health workers.

Some ​were perpetrated by civilians who were angry about not being able to bury their loved ones or were convinced that the outbreak was a hoax. ​The influx of money and manpower into an area that had felt neglected during decades of conflict and humanitarian crisis has spurred local suspicions about the real motives behind the sudden spike in interest.

A similar dynamic seems to be playing out now, said Dr Richard Lokodu, medical director of ​the Mongbwalu General Referral Hospital, which came under attack first on Saturday and again on Sunday.

“There is denial of the disease within the population, with some members wanting ​to claim the bodies of suspected and/or confirmed cases,” he said.

The World Health Organisation has declared the outbreak of the rare Bundibugyo strain of Ebola, the third-largest such outbreak on record, a public health emergency of international concern.

WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on Sunday there had been more than 900 suspected cases in the outbreak so far, including 101 confirmed cases.

On Monday, Tedros said there ​had been 220 suspected deaths in the current Ebola outbreak and that a delay in detecting cases meant responders were now “playing catch-up”.

PATIENT DIED WHILE TRYING TO FLEE

At the ​Mongbwalu General Referral Hospital, located in Mongbwalu town, where many cases have been reported, 18 Ebola patients fled on Saturday after “unidentified individuals” burned tents, erected by medical charity Médecins Sans Frontières, ‌where patients ⁠were being isolated, Lokodu said.

Four lab results from those patients have come back – three negative results and one positive result, he said.

“So we have one confirmed case of Ebola that continues to circulate in the community and evade the response,” Lokodu said.

On Sunday, the hospital came under four waves of attacks by young people mobilised by relatives of a Christian religious leader who died of Ebola, he said.

Seven other patients escaped, and Congolese police and soldiers had to mobilise to restore order, he said.

A suspected ​Ebola patient who was in critical condition ​with haemorrhaging died in the second ⁠attack while trying to flee from his bed, Lokodu added.

The perpetrators of the attacks wanted the dead Ebola victims’ bodies released for burial, Lokodu said.

The bodies of Ebola victims are highly infectious after death, and unsafe burials – in which family members handle the ​body without proper protective equipment – are a leading driver of transmission.

LONG HISTORY OF ATTACKS ON EBOLA TREATMENT CENTRES

Health workers faced ​a handful of attacks ⁠by angry mobs during the 2013-2016 Ebola outbreak in West Africa, the largest on record, some of whom accused them of spreading the virus.

But the phenomenon exploded during the 2018-2020 outbreak in eastern Congo, a region marked by rampant insecurity and mistrust of formal authorities.

In addition to more spontaneous outpourings of anger by local communities, many attacks were carried out ⁠by militia ​groups looking to exploit the outbreak for political and financial gain, researchers found.

The current outbreak is believed ​to have originated in Ituri before spreading to North and South Kivu provinces – including areas under the control of Rwanda-backed M23 rebels – and across the border into neighbouring Uganda.

On Monday, Uganda reported two more confirmed ​cases of Ebola, bringing the total number of cases in the country to seven.

ALSO READ:

• Attacks on Ebola centres intensify in eastern DR Congo

• UN releases $60m from emergency response fund to tackle Ebola outbreak

Nasire Best, as he has been identified to the BBC by Washington DC’s Metropolitan Police Department, previously obstructed a White House entry lane in June of 2025 and told Secret Service agents he was Jesus Christ.

He was sent for a mental evaluation after that incident.

Best is accused of firing shots outside the president’s home just after 18:00 EST (23:00 GMT) on Saturday – reporters filming outside ducked and ran for cover inside. US President Donald Trump was at the White House but was unharmed.

Court documents show that during a June 2025 incident with the Secret Service, Best, of Dundalk, Maryland, told agents he wanted to be arrested.

Despite having a mental evaluation, a month later in July, he again tried to access the White House.

Best was arrested by Secret Service agents after that second incident and charged with unlawfully entering a federally controlled property, according to court records.

He was released after being arraigned on the unlawful entry charge, but in August of 2025, he failed to appear for a status hearing, the documents show. That led to a no-bond bench warrant, allowing law enforcement to arrest him.

Then on Saturday, less than a year later, he reappeared outside the White House and began firing at a Secret Service checkpoint at the intersection of 17th Street and Pennsylvania Avenue NW, near the Eisenhower Executive Office Building.

Secret Service officers posted on the corner returned fire, striking the gunman. Best was taken to hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

A bystander was also wounded in the shooting, but the Secret Service did not give further details on their condition. No officers were injured in the attack.

Trump was at the White House at the time, but officials said no “protectees” or operations were impacted.

“Thank you to our great Secret Service and Law Enforcement for the swift and professional action taken this evening against a gunman near the White House,” Trump wrote on social media.

The shooting occurred a month after a gunman opened fire at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner, forcing a swift end to the event and forcing Trump to be escorted out by Secret Service as hundreds of attendees were evacuated.

Police said four other people were injured in the incident in Murchison Falls National Park in the northwest of the country on Sunday evening.

The vehicle was carrying seven officials from the Uganda Revenue Authority (URA), it added.

Car accidents are common in Uganda and incidents involving wildlife and humans are also on the rise, as expanding communities encroach on protected wildlife areas.

The car had been travelling from Arua city back to the capital, Kampala, when the collision took place, the Uganda Police Force said on X.

The injured were rushed to a local hospital and later to Kampala for treatment, it said. Officials did not provide information on the elephant’s condition.

The Ugandan Wildlife Authority urged drivers to watch out for animals crossing the roads.

“Motorists travelling through Protected Areas are strongly advised to drive cautiously, as wild animals frequently cross the roads,” it said.

Extra security forces were deployed to the jail after prisoners climbed the roof and burned mattresses in protest at their alleged mistreatment.

Witnesses reported hearing explosions and inmates said they had been shot at.

Organisations lobbying for prisoners’ rights have long denounced the poor conditions at many of Venezuela’s penitentiaries.

Non-governmental organisation Venezuelan Prison Observatory (OVP) said that the inmates at the jail, known as Injuba, had been complaining for more than a week about their treatment under the prison’s new director.

They allege they were violently searched, kept in solitary confinement and mistreated.

The prison director has so far not publicly commented, nor has the government of interim President Delcy Rodríguez.

In footage published by OVP, groups of inmates can be seen protesting on the roof, with some burning mattresses.

In one video, a man can be seen showing wounds on his torso and his arm, with another man shouting “they’re shooting at us”.

Others can be heard joining into chants of “we want justice”.

In another recording shared by OVP, a woman wearing dark glasses and a face mask addresses Rodríguez directly and demands that the minister of prisons and Injuba’s director resign.

She insists that their protest is peaceful before stating their demands, which include medicine for prisoners who have tuberculosis.

OVP has long drawn attention to the poor conditions in Venezuelan jails, with the organisation warning that many do not meet the “minimum standards” which should be guaranteed by law.

Since the United States seized Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro in a military operation in the capital, Caracas, on 3 January, US pressure has led to the release of hundreds of political prisoners.

However, more than 400 are still behind bars, according to pressure group Foro Penal.

While Injuba is not one of the prisons where most political prisoners are usually kept, Venezuela’s Committee for the Freedom of Political Prisoners expressed its solidarity with the inmates there, alleging that “punishment, hunger, solitary confinement, torture and inhumane conditions” were being used to control and subdue prisoners and “formed part of prison policy”.

In March, the United Nations’ High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, said that his office had been receiving reports alleging that detainees had continued to be tortured in Venezuela following Maduro’s ouster by the US.

Speaking on JoyNews’s AM Show on Monday, May 25, Mr Glover said authorities in South Africa had failed to take proactive steps to protect foreign nationals, including Ghanaians, amid growing concerns over attacks on migrants.

His comments come as the first batch of Ghanaians in South Africa is expected to return home on Wednesday.

According to him, although evacuation efforts are underway, there are concerns that many Ghanaians living outside major cities such as Pretoria and Johannesburg may be left out due to transport and accessibility challenges.

“The Foreign Minister should have taken his time a bit because, as we speak now, some of these Ghanaians are beyond Pretoria and Johannesburg. Even access to public transport to reach the embassy to register is a problem. So how do you reach these people?” he questioned.

Mr Glover argued that the situation reflects what he described as a lack of urgency on the part of the South African authorities in addressing the attacks.

“That is why I am blaming the South African government for not being proactive. President Cyril Ramaphosa has disappointed some of us. The South African government has not been up and doing,” he said.

He further alleged that authorities had failed to intervene in some incidents involving foreign nationals.

“You see Ghanaians being beaten, and they stand aloof and watch. They stand and watch and see how these foreigners are beaten,” he stated.

Reflecting on Africa’s historical support for South Africa during the anti-apartheid struggle, the former lawmaker expressed disappointment over the treatment of foreign nationals today.

“Everybody in Africa contributed to making sure you are who you are today. They gave you money, scholarships, and passports to move around these African countries. Look at what they are doing, and the South African government is watching these things while our people are being beaten,” he said.

Mr Glover also called on President John Dramani Mahama to reconsider the operations of South African mining companies in Ghana, suggesting he would oppose the renewal of their licences.

“I will appeal to President Mahama that next year the licences of those South African companies should never be renewed,” he said.

He added that he would support demonstrations over the issue and was prepared to personally join protests if the situation persists.

READ ALSO:

Keta MP donates relief items to Anlo Afiadenyigba SHS after dormitory fire

Government will not tolerate shoddy road projects – Roads Minister

The Vice President left Ghana on Sunday, May 24, 2026, as part of Ghana’s delegation to the historic national event being commemorated by the government and people of Guyana.

Upon her arrival, Prof. Opoku-Agyemang was received by Ghana’s Ambassador to Brazil, Nii Amasah Namoale, together with members of the diplomatic team.

She was also welcomed by Guyana’s Minister for Culture, Youth and Sport, Charles Ramson, as well as members of the Ghanaian community living in Guyana.

The visit forms part of efforts to strengthen diplomatic relations and deepen the historical ties between Ghana and Guyana.

The two countries share longstanding cultural and historical connections rooted in African heritage.

The anniversary celebrations are expected to feature official state events, cultural displays and engagements highlighting Guyana’s history, achievements and future aspirations.

Ghana and Guyana have maintained cordial diplomatic relations over the years and continue to explore opportunities for cooperation across several sectors of mutual interest.

Guyana gained independence from British colonial rule in 1966 and is marking six decades of nationhood this year with activities attracting leaders and representatives from different parts of the world.

READ ALSO:

Mali threatens to revoke Nguvu Mining Licences over tax and foreign exchange breaches

BoG’s multi-billion-cedi losses were part of economic recovery – IMF

Here are some details:

• Google argued that U.S. Judge Amit Mehta made legal errors in his 2024 ruling, which ​found the company illegally blocked competitors by ​paying billions of dollars annually to firms ⁠, including Apple, to be the default search ​engine on new devices.
• The arrangements did not prevent ​device makers and browser developers from promoting rival search services, such as Microsoft’s Bing, Google argued.
• The company said it ​fairly excelled in the market by developing a “superior search engine through hard work, bold innovation, and shrewd ‌business ⁠decisions.”
• The U.S. Department of Justice is expected to file papers making its own arguments in July. A spokesperson for the DOJ declined to comment.
• Mehta had ordered Google to share some search data with competitors, potentially including artificial intelligence companies such as OpenAI, to restore competition. An ​appeals ⁠court ruling in Google’s favour would overturn that order.
• If Google loses at the U.S. Court of ⁠Appeals ​for the District of Columbia ​Circuit, it could appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court.

• The governing All Progressives Congress party held its presidential primaries on Saturday after a surprise candidate, Stanley Osifo, challenged Tinubu.
• The president ended up getting nearly 11 million votes, compared to 16,500 for Osifo.
• Tinubu has won plaudits from foreign investors after rolling out some of Nigeria’s boldest reforms, including the removal of fuel and electricity subsidies, the end of foreign exchange controls, and the overhaul of the tax code.
• The president’s chances of re-election were enhanced after an opposition pact to field a single candidate against Tinubu collapsed earlier this month.
• Tinubu came into office in 2023 after defeating his two main rivals, who unsuccessfully challenged the result in court, alleging the vote was rigged. Tinubu said he won fairly.

ALSO READ:

• Nollywood actor arrested over alleged involvement in coup plot against President Tinubu

• Nigeria’s president Bola Tinubu ‘in great shape’ after falling at Turkey reception

Nguvu, a subsidiary of Ghana-based Adamus Resources Limited, operates two gold concessions in Mali through SEMICO-SA and MIKO-SA.

A recent audit by the Ministry of Mines uncovered serious violations linked to MIKO-SA’s Segala and Kofi projects in the Kéniéba Circle, a major gold mining area near the Senegal border.

In a letter, Mines Minister Amadou Keita, Commander of the National Order, directed the company to remedy the infractions within 90 days or face the “outright withdrawal” of its permits without compensation.

The warning follows high-level regulatory reviews of SEMICO-SA and MIKO-SA, which hold exploitation permits for the Segala and Kofi mines respectively.

According to the Ministry, findings against MIKO-SA include the unauthorised suspension of mining activities for more than two consecutive years without notifying or obtaining clearance from the mining authorities.

Investigations also found that the company failed to remit taxes, duties, and royalties owed to the Malian state.

Foreign exchange violations were also established, including the operation of an unauthorised offshore bank account and failure to repatriate foreign currency earnings, in breach of Uniform Law No. 2016-007 of March 17, 2016.

The Ministry further cited Article 18 of Ordinance No. 99-032/P-RM of August 19, 1999, of Mali’s Mining Code, which allows the state to cancel mining titles without compensation if a company fails to comply with a formal notice within 90 days.

“In light of the foregoing, I request that you remedy these breaches within a period of ninety days,” Minister Keita stated. “Failing this, the State reserves the right to proceed with the outright withdrawal of your permit.”

Nguvu Mining Group is part of Adamus Resources Limited, which operates the Nzema Gold Project in Ghana’s Western Region.

As a major West African mining player, regulatory action against Nguvu is likely to attract attention from investors and industry watchers across the region.

Mali’s transitional government has intensified audits of foreign mining companies under a broader policy of resource nationalism.

While the 1999 Mining Code remains applicable, parts of the sector are gradually shifting toward a stricter 2023 framework.

The 90-day notice to Nguvu reflects the government’s firm stance on unapproved operational shutdowns and foreign exchange non-compliance.

ALSO READ:

Ghana to destroy over 4,000 illegal weapons in nationwide gun amnesty…

Teenager allegedly kidnaped by gunmen at Kabulya near Bimbilla, demand ransom

Rubio told reporters in New Delhi that the U.S. would give diplomacy every chance to ‌succeed before exploring “alternatives”, after President Donald Trump said on Sunday he had told his representatives not to rush into any Iran deal.

There was a “pretty solid thing on the table in terms of their ability to open up the Strait, get the Strait open, enter into a very real, significant, time-limited negotiation on the nuclear matter, and hopefully we can pull it off,” Rubio said.

A day earlier, Trump wrote on Truth Social that the U.S. blockade on Iranian ​ships in the Strait of Hormuz would “remain in full force and effect until an agreement is reached, certified, and signed”.

He added, “Both sides must take their time and get it ​right.”

There was no immediate response from Iran’s government. But the Tasnim news agency, linked to Iran’s Revolutionary Guards, said the U.S. was still obstructing parts ⁠of a potential deal, including Tehran’s demand for the release of frozen funds.

Oil prices fell 6% to two-week lows on Monday, as optimism grew that the United States and Iran were moving ​closer to a peace deal.

Trump raised expectations of an imminent deal on Saturday when he said Washington and Tehran had “largely negotiated” a memorandum of understanding on a peace agreement that would reopen the Strait ​of Hormuz.

Before the conflict, the critical waterway had carried a fifth of global shipments of oil and liquefied natural gas.

The two sides remain at odds on several difficult issues, such as Iran’s nuclear ambitions, Israel’s war in Lebanon with the Iranian-backed Hezbollah militia and Tehran’s demands for the lifting of sanctions and the release of tens of billions of dollars of Iranian oil revenues frozen in foreign banks.

STICKING POINTS

A senior Trump administration official outlined what he said ​were the latest contours of issues being negotiated.

Speaking on the condition of anonymity, the official said Iran had agreed “in principle” to open the Strait of Hormuz, in exchange for the United States ​lifting its naval blockade, and to dispose of Tehran’s highly enriched uranium.

The U.S. understood that Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, had endorsed the broad template of the deal, he added.

There was no immediate confirmation from Iran or ‌elaboration on ⁠what an “in principle” agreement meant.

The U.S. official said Washington envisioned first reopening the strait and lifting the U.S. naval blockade. Negotiating the details of the nuclear measures would take more time.

The official pushed back on suggestions that Iran had not accepted disposing of its stockpiled enriched uranium. “It’s a question about how,” the official said.

A second senior administration official said on Sunday the proposed framework would give negotiators 60 days to reach a final deal.

Iranian sources had told Reuters that in future stages, “feasible formulas” could be found to resolve the dispute over its highly enriched uranium stockpile, including diluting the material under ​the supervision of the U.N. nuclear watchdog.

Iran has ​long denied U.S. and Israeli accusations that it ⁠is pursuing nuclear weapons and says it has a right to enrich uranium for civilian purposes, although the purity it has achieved far exceeds that needed for power generation.

Trump, whose approval rating has been hit by the war’s impact on U.S. energy prices, and who has faced congressional efforts to curb ​his war powers, has repeatedly played up the prospect of a deal to end the conflict started by the U.S. and Israel on February ​28.

A tenuous ceasefire has held ⁠since early April.

The president hit back at critics of his handling of the negotiations and his willingness to compromise with Iran.

“If I make a deal with Iran, it will be a good and proper one … So don’t listen to the losers, who are critical about something they know nothing about,” Trump posted on Sunday.

Any deal reinforcing the current fragile ceasefire would bring relief to markets but not immediately defuse a global energy crisis, which has driven up the costs of fuel, fertiliser and food.

The U.S.-Israeli bombing of Iran killed thousands of people in ​Iran before it was suspended in early April.

On Saturday, US President Donald Trump said an agreement with Tehran had been “largely negotiated”, and details would be announced soon, but the following day, he urged his negotiating team not to rush an agreement.

On Monday morning in Asia, the global oil benchmark Brent was down 4.8% to $98.52 (£73.11), while US-traded crude was 5% lower at $91.76.

Trump had previously said the deal would include reopening the key Strait of Hormuz shipping route, without providing further details.

The narrow waterway, through which around a fifth of the world’s oil and liquefied natural gas (LNG) usually passes, has been effectively closed since the conflict started on 28 February.

The Nikkei 225 stock index in Japan rose above 65,000 for the first time after gaining 2.9% on hopes that the strait would soon reopen.

Japan, like nearby South Korea, has been particularly affected by the conflict, as it is heavily reliant on energy from the Gulf.

UK and US energy and financial markets are closed on Monday for public holidays.

Trump said on social media on Saturday that he had a “very good call” with the leaders of Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, and others about a “Memorandum of Understanding pertaining to PEACE”.

“An agreement has been largely negotiated, subject to finalisation between the United States of America, the Islamic Republic of Iran, and the various other Countries, as listed,” Trump said.

“Final aspects and details of the deal are currently being discussed and will be announced shortly.”

He also said he had a call on Saturday with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, which “went very well”.

The president did not give any further details on the deal, but has insisted any agreement would “absolutely” prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon.

But on Sunday, he said on Truth Social: “Both sides must take their time and get it right. There can be no mistakes!”

Iranian foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei earlier told state television that US and Iranian positions had been converging in the last week, but warned that did not mean agreements would be reached on key issues and accused the Americans of “contradictory statements”.

Global energy markets have seen big price swings since early March after Iran threatened to attack ships trying to use the Strait of Hormuz in retaliation for US and Israeli attacks on the country.

While crude oil prices have fallen sharply today, they remain significantly higher than before the war.

In the lead-up to the conflict, Brent was trading at around $70 a barrel.

Tehran also attacked Israel and US-allied states in the Gulf, including Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates.

A ceasefire was agreed in early April, and since then, Washington and Tehran have engaged in talks over a long-term peace deal.

“There is now some light at the end of the tunnel, which will bring some near-term oil price relief,” Saul Kavonic, head of energy research at MST Financial.

“But even in the most optimistic scenario from here, oil markets will remain tight through 2027 given the time required to normalise oil flows through the Strait, repair damaged oil facilities, and rebuild global oil stocks that have seen record depletion since the war began,” he added.

Dr. Forson joined other dignitaries in Cotonou for the historic swearing-in ceremony, where he represented John Dramani Mahama.

President Wadagni officially began his first seven-year term in office after succeeding Patrice Talon. Prior to his election, he served as Benin’s Finance Minister for a decade and was widely recognised for his role in managing the country’s economy.

In a Facebook post after the ceremony, Dr. Forson stated: “Congratulations to the newly inaugurated President of the Republic of Benin, H.E. Romuald Wadagni. It was a privilege to represent President Mahama at this historic inauguration ceremony in Cotonou.”

The inauguration ceremony attracted high-level government officials and dignitaries from across Africa and beyond.

On Thursday, the Rwampara health centre was stormed by a group of angry residents demanding the bodies of relatives who had died from Ebola, according to local sources. The incident was also confirmed by partners of the Congolese government involved in the response in the area.

A day later, a tent provided by Doctors Without Borders, also known by its acronym MSF, at a hospital in Mongbwalu in Ituri province was set on fire.

“Following the death of a patient showing symptoms of Ebola virus disease in one of the tents, healthcare staff isolated the body in line with strict health protocols,” the NGO Alliance for International Medical Action (ALIMA) said in a statement sent to Al Jazeera.

It said that while the body was being prepared for burial, tensions flared, resulting in the burning of two tents.

“Despite this incident, the teams were also able to secure the body of the deceased patient in preparation for a dignified and safe burial, in accordance with Ebola response standards,” ALIMA added.

Health workers in Ebola-hit areas of the eastern DRC have repeatedly faced resistance from communities over strict burial protocols, which require specialised handling of bodies to prevent further transmission of the virus. Aid agencies said the tensions are often driven by fear, rumours and mistrust of medical teams.

“Some people here believe that Ebola is a business,” said Gloire Idriss, a resident of Rwampara who witnessed the scene. “When healthcare providers refuse to hand over the bodies of those who have died from Ebola, people think they might be trafficking their organs.”

The Congolese health minister has said the bodies of Ebola victims remain highly contagious and must be handled only by trained teams in protective gear.

“Let us bury the deceased safely,” Roger Kamba told Radio France Internationale. “The dead must not take others with them into the grave.”

In the eastern DRC, it is customary for relatives and neighbours to gather at the home of the deceased to pay their last respects, and some mourners touch the body as a final act of farewell.

“When my daughter died of Ebola last month, the medical team came to bury her. We didn’t get to say our final goodbyes. It still upsets me that I had to watch her funeral helplessly without our cultural rites,” said Lokana Jean, a 40-year-old resident of Mongbwalu. Name changed for privacy reasons.

“Under normal circumstances, I would have held her close and felt her final warmth,” he told Al Jazeera.

Rising cases

As of Saturday, nearly 180 people had died from the disease and close to 800 cases had been recorded, according to the Congolese Ministry of Public Health.

Authorities in Ituri have introduced measures to try to slow transmission, including limits on public gatherings, suspension of wake services and a ban on moving bodies between locations.

Rodriguez Kisando, a doctor specialising in health and the environment, said violence targeting Ebola treatment facilities is being driven by rumours and misinformation.

“When an epidemic breaks out, rumours spread quickly. If accurate information is not shared fast, people will believe anything, and that is when violence takes hold,” he told Al Jazeera.

Response under strain

He warned that attacks on treatment centres along with patients fleeing before completing care could speed up the spread of the disease.

“As long as there are scenes of violence and sick people escape from Ebola treatment centres before they are cured, the disease will continue spreading. This is extremely serious,” he said.

Amid a sharp decline in international aid, Congolese authorities said the national treasury is covering a large share of the response, and shortages are becoming more visible.

ALIMA said resources for detecting, treating and preventing Ebola remain severely inadequate and called for more international support.

A senior Congolese official involved in the response in Rwampara, speaking on condition of anonymity, said treatment centres were overwhelmed.

“We are receiving new confirmed cases almost every day. The resources we have are not enough for the scale of the outbreak,” he said.

Authorities in Ituri and North Kivu are urging residents to wash their hands regularly, keep their distance from the sick, cook food thoroughly, avoid self-medication and trust response teams.

The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention has placed 10 African countries on high alert: South Sudan, Rwanda, Kenya, Tanzania, Ethiopia, the Republic of Congo, Burundi, Angola, the Central African Republic and Zambia.

The DRC, Uganda and South Sudan have agreed to strengthen cross-border coordination, including surveillance, early warning systems, border monitoring and improved laboratory and response capacity.

Five people were confirmed trapped, including two in contact with rescuers, ​and 18 more were feared under the rubble, officials said.

“We have five ⁠confirmed trapped victims, and we have a figure of 18 workers from the list ​of construction workers on duty today, but no feedback yet from their families. This ​brings the estimated number of trapped victims to 23 as of today,” Maria Leah Sajili, information officer at the regional Bureau of Fire Protection, told a press briefing.

At the site of the collapsed multi-storey building ​under construction in the city of Angeles, north of the capital Manila, rescuers were seen ​clambering over a mound of concrete slabs and mangled steel, covered in green netting, searching for ‌survivors.

The ⁠number of rescued, including those in the vicinity, remained at 24, with no deaths reported, Sajili said.

Among the rescued was a 51-year-old Malaysian national who was staying in a nearby budget hotel, which was damaged when the concrete structure collapsed, Jay Pelayo, the Angeles city ​information officer, told Reuters ​in a phone ⁠interview.

He had earlier told DZBB radio that 30 to 40 people were feared trapped, based on information from a site foreman who was among ​those who escaped.

Officials said the cause of the collapse is ​under investigation, ⁠but records showed the building was intended as a nine-storey condo-hotel under the approved permit, but a 10th floor for a pool was being constructed.

Ambulances were on standby, and fire ⁠trucks had ​been deployed to assist in the rescue, Pelayo ​said, adding that moving the concrete debris was a challenge for rescuers.

The BBC’s US media partner CBS has named the suspect as Nasire Best, a 21-year-old man who was known to the protection agency and had a documented history of mental health conditions.

US President Donald Trump thanked the officers for their “swift and professional action” in apprehending the gunman, who he said in a Truth social post had a “violent history and possible obsession with our Country’s most cherished structure”.

The shooting comes only a month after a gunman opened fire at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner.

The incident on Saturday remains under investigation and road closures around the White House will likely stay in place overnight.

Shortly before 18:00 local time (23:00 GMT), a man pulled a gun from his bag and “began firing” outside the White House at the intersection of 17th Street and Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington DC, near the Eisenhower Executive Office Building.

Secret Service officers posted on the corner returned fire, striking the gunman. He was then taken to hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

A bystander was also wounded in the shooting, but the Secret Service did not give further details on their condition. No officers were injured in the attack.

Trump was at the White House at the time, but “no protectees or operations were impacted”, the agency said.

The suspect was later identified in US media as Best, who had been known to both the Secret Service and the Metropolitan Police Department and had used a revolver, law enforcement sources told CBS.

A source familiar with the investigation told CBS that Best had attempted to gain entry to the White House in July 2025 and had been arrested by officers nearby, after which he spent time at a psychiatric facility. He had been living in Washington DC for 18 months.

“Thank you to our great Secret Service and Law Enforcement for the swift and professional action taken this evening against a gunman near the White House,” Trump wrote on social media.

Noting that the shooting had occurred since the White House Correspondents’ Dinner was disrupted by a different shooter, he said it showed how important it was “for all future Presidents, to get, what will be, the most safe and secure space of its kind ever built in Washington” – a reference to his planned White House ballroom.

After shots were heard, reporters at the White House were rushed into a briefing room. Some had been filming when the incident occurred and shots could be heard in the distance as they spoke to camera.

Footage shared by ABC’s senior White House correspondent Selina Wang showed her taking cover as a volley of shots could be heard from across the North Lawn.

“We were told to sprint to the press briefing room where we are holding now,” Wang wrote on X.

Aaron Navarro, a CBS News reporter, told the BBC he had been on the North Lawn when he heard gunshots, “at points sounding like they were coming from different guns, just outside the grounds”.

“As soon as we heard it, we ducked down and I started to see other reporters starting to run, and you shortly heard Secret Service officers saying ‘get inside, get inside’,” he said.

Once inside, he said reporters were locked down in the press briefing room for around 30 minutes. Outside, they saw Secret Service officers and then, just beyond the grounds, they eventually saw ambulances.

Navarro said it was unclear exactly where Trump was inside the White House when the shooting took place and “whether he even heard it, as it was a good distance [away]”.

He said the shooting took place in a busy area with a cafe and restaurants, but that it was not as busy as it could have been since the shooting occurred on a weekend evening.

Senate Majority Leader John Thune and House Speaker Mike Johnson praised the Secret Service for their “decisive action” in responding to the shooting.

Thune wrote on a social media that he was “grateful” for their efforts, while Johnson said on X: “Our prayers are with the victims of tonight’s senseless shooting for a speedy recovery.”

ALSO READ:

Ghanaian actress Beverly Afaglo is dead

Police arrest four Ada SHTS students over viral cutlass threat video

The documentary, titled What Happened on October 29?, seeks to provide what Hundeyin describes as a deeper and more complete account of the unrest that erupted after the ruling CCM party, led by Samia Suluhu Hassan, was declared winner of the polls.

According to him, several important aspects of the events were either overlooked or insufficiently explored in international reporting.

Hundeyin, who is currently based in Ghana, reportedly spent months investigating the incidents surrounding the election. His work involved interviews with individuals within and outside Tanzania, reviews of local and foreign media reports, and analysis of findings from the Commission of Inquiry chaired by retired Chief Justice Mohamed Chande Othman.

According to the journalist, the documentary presents evidence suggesting the violence was organised and involved both domestic and external actors.

He argued that the global narrative surrounding the events failed to capture the broader political context behind the unrest.

“The story that was told to the world was a simple one, but the truth is far more complex,” Hundeyin said.

“There were other actors involved, and other agendas at play.”

Hundeyin stated that the project is intended to encourage more African-led storytelling on major political developments across the continent. He argued that African journalists and content creators must play a stronger role in shaping narratives about the continent instead of relying heavily on external interpretations.

The investigative journalist is the founder of West Africa Weekly and The Spearhead. His reporting has previously appeared on major international outlets including CNN, Al Jazeera and The Washington Post.

The World Bank document did not name the countries or the total amount of funds potentially being sought. The World Bank declined ​to comment.

The document showed that three countries had approved new instruments since the Middle ​East conflict began on February 28, while the others were still completing the ⁠process.

The war and resulting disruption of global energy markets have hit global supply chains and ​prevented vital fertilizer shipments from reaching developing countries.

Officials in Kenya and Iraq have confirmed they are seeking rapid financial ​support from the World Bank to deal with the war’s fallout, such as surging fuel prices hitting the African nation to a massive drop in oil revenue for Iraq.

The 27 countries are among 101 that had access ​to some form of pre-arranged financing instrument that they could tap in a crisis, including 54 ​that signed up to the Rapid Response Option, which allows countries to use up to 10% of their ‌undisbursed financing.

World ⁠Bank President Ajay Banga last month said the bank’s crisis toolkit would allow countries to draw on pre-arranged contingent financing, existing project balances and fast-disbursing instruments to access an estimated $20 billion to $25 billion.

He said the bank could also reorient parts of its portfolio to bring the total to $60 ​billion over six months, with ​further longer-term changes ⁠possible to bring the total to around $100 billion.

At the time, the head of the International Monetary Fund, Kristalina Georgieva, said she expected up to a ​dozen countries to seek $20 billion to $50 billion in near-term assistance from the ​global lender. ⁠But few requests have been logged, according to three sources familiar with the matter.

“Countries are definitely in wait-and-see mode,” said one of the sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity.

Kevin Gallagher, director of the ⁠Global ​Development Policy Center at Boston University, said countries were more ​willing to seek World Bank funds than negotiate with the IMF because IMF programs generally require austerity measures that could ​compound the social unrest already seen in countries like Kenya.

Officials said the policy is intended to ensure Green Card applications follow standard immigration procedures, rather than allowing people to remain in the US while seeking permanent status through what the administration describes as “loopholes” in the system.

“An alien who is in the US temporarily and wants a Green Card must return to their home country to apply. This policy allows our immigration system to function as the law intended instead of incentivising loopholes,” the Department of Homeland Security said on X.

In new guidance issued on Friday, US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) said adjustment of status, obtaining permanent residency from within the US, is a discretionary benefit rather than an automatic right.

The agency said the immigration system is generally designed with the expectation that temporary visa holders will leave the country once the purpose of their stay ends, while noting that immigration officers should evaluate applications on a case-by-case basis.

The memo instructs officers to consider factors including visa violations, overstaying authorised periods of stay, unauthorised employment, fraud and whether applicants complied with the terms of their admission to the United States.

USCIS also acknowledged limited exceptions, including visa categories that allow “dual intent”, meaning some temporary visa holders are legally permitted to live in the US while also seeking permanent residency. The agency said those categories do not guarantee approval for Green Cards or change Congress’s expectation that visitors leave the country once the purpose of their stay ends.

The agency said on Friday that the updated guidance would help free up resources to focus on processing other immigration cases.

Rights groups warn migrants at risk

Immigrant advocacy groups criticised the measure, warning it could force vulnerable people to return to unsafe or unstable conditions while awaiting decisions on their applications.

HIAS, a nonprofit organisation that supports refugees and other migrants, said the policy could affect survivors of trafficking as well as abused and neglected children by requiring them to leave the US to complete parts of the permanent residency process.

The guidance marks the latest step in a broader push by US President Donald Trump to tighten immigration rules and restrict pathways to long-term residency in the United States.

Last year, the administration moved to shorten the duration of visas for some students, cultural exchange visitors and media workers.

In January, the State Department announced that it had revoked more than 100,000 visas since Trump returned to office.

The emergency funding will support an intensified response in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and other vulnerable countries within the central and eastern African region, amid growing fears among global health experts that the virus could spread beyond borders if urgent action is not taken.

According to international health coordinators, the funds will go directly into frontline medical operations rather than administrative expenses, as efforts are scaled up to control the outbreak.

A major portion of the money has been allocated to strengthening contact tracing systems, which health experts consider critical in stopping the spread of Ebola. Since the virus is transmitted through direct contact with bodily fluids, health workers are racing to identify and monitor everyone who may have been exposed to confirmed cases.

Specialised field teams are being equipped with digital tracking tools and personal protective equipment to trace infections in crowded urban areas as well as remote forest communities.

The funding is also being used to rapidly establish specialised treatment centres and mobile isolation units to care for infected patients and prevent further transmission.

Medical supplies, including experimental drugs, rehydration fluids, and bio-secure protective gear, are already being transported into affected areas using the newly released emergency funds.

The UN also says community engagement will play a central role in the response, noting that mistrust and misinformation have complicated previous Ebola outbreaks in the region.

Ebola: UN allocates $60 million from emergency response fund to fight deadly outbreak affecting the Democratic Republic of the Congo & the wider region.

Resources being directed toward contact tracing, establishment of treatment centres, community engagement & more. pic.twitter.com/nP9NNPwXZS

— United Nations (@UN) May 22, 2026

As part of the strategy, portions of the funding will support local leaders, youth groups, and traditional authorities to carry out public education campaigns aimed at helping residents recognise symptoms early, report suspected infections, and cooperate with health officials.

The UN has indicated that it will continue monitoring the situation closely, warning that although the emergency funding provides critical support, containing the outbreak will require sustained cooperation among governments and strong cross-border surveillance efforts across the region.

ALSO READ:

• Angry crowd sets Ebola hospital tents on fire in DR Congo

• No Ebola cases recorded in Ghana despite WHO emergency declaration – Health Minister assures

Six people were killed and 39 injured in the overnight strike in the town of Starobilsk, Luhansk region, Putin said. Another 15 people were missing.

Ukraine’s military said it hit the headquarters of Russia’s elite Rubicon drone military unit in Starobilsk. It did not say whether it was the same building as the one identified by Russia.

“There are no military facilities, intelligence service facilities, or related services in the vicinity,” Putin said in Moscow.

“Therefore, there is absolutely no basis for claiming that the munitions struck the building as a result of our air defence or electronic warfare systems,” he said at a reception in his Kremlin residence on Friday.

He ordered the Russian military to prepare its “proposals” on how to retaliate.

The Russian leader said the Ukrainian strike had been carried out in three waves using 16 drones.

Russia’s state-run TV showed what it said was one of the injured students, identifying her as Diana Shovkun, aged 19.

She had head injuries after being hit by a collapsing concrete slab, the TV said report said.

No photos or videos of those who Moscow says were killed were shown.

Later on Friday, Ukraine’s military said its overnight strike targeted Rubicon’s headquarters in Starobilsk. It accused fighters from the special drone unit of regularly striking civilians and civilian infrastructure in Ukraine.

The statement also said that Ukrainian forces “are causing damage to military infrastructure and facilities used for military purposes, strictly adhering to the norms of international humanitarian law, laws and customs of war”.

On Thursday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said the headquarters of Russia’s security service FSB was hit in the Moscow-seized area of Ukraine’s southern Kherson region.

About 100 Russian “occupiers” were either killed or injured, he added.

Moscow’s military has not commented on the issue. But one pro-Kremlin Telegram channel reported “casualties” after what it said was a “massive drone strike”.

Ukraine has repeatedly accused Russia’s military of deliberately targeting civilians since the start of Moscow’s full-scale invasion in 2022 – a charge Moscow regularly denies.

Last week, Ukrainian officials said 24 people were killed – including three girls – when a Russian missile destroyed a block of a high-rising residential building in the capital Kyiv.

Speaking in an interview with Adom News journalist Abena Opokua Ahwenee, the Ambassador refuted earlier claims that out of 150 applicants, only three were granted visas.

Ambassador Smith explained that he had made checks, and it turns out the figure was not correct, although he is yet to get the official number.

“I don’t know where that 147 came from because I inquired from the Acting Head of Mission in Accra, and he told me it wasn’t true,” he said. “He didn’t confirm the figure and told me he will get the accurate figure and get back, but I am yet to follow up.”

According to him, the consular section is currently under pressure due to heightened demand linked to preparations for the World Cup, making the period unusually busy for visa processing.

“The consular people are busy around this time because of the World Cup. In these last days, they will be extremely busy,” he noted.

He further explained that applicants going through the Ministry of Sports are already on a tight schedule, with interview dates set for next week. He stressed that delays could be costly.

“If you get in, then you go, but if you don’t, there will be no time for appeal,” he said, adding that interviews are expected to be brief and decisive.

“The interviewing officers will just ask two or three major questions. If they are certain, then you go.”

The clarification comes amid growing public concern among Ghanaian football fans hoping to travel to the United States to support the Black Stars at the global tournament, with fears that many passionate supporters could miss out due to visa challenges.

ALSO READ:

• Dress properly for visa interviews; it can influence approval – Ghana’s Ambassador to US…

• African fans face World Cup issues despite visa bond U-turn

Speaking in an interview with Adom News, the Ambassador revealed that Worcester hosts a large Ghanaian population, estimated at 45,000 people.

According to him, while many Ghanaians in the US are thriving and contributing positively to society, others are struggling to adapt and take advantage of opportunities available to them.

He specifically expressed worry about a growing trend where some people spend most of their time in churches instead of pursuing meaningful employment.

“When some wake up, they go to sit in churches instead of finding jobs to do,” he told Abena Opokua Ahwenee.

Mr. Smith stressed that survival and success abroad require effort and determination, not just prayers.

“God doesn’t drop manna from heaven. You have to do something. Make the effort so that He increases it,” he stated.

The Ambassador urged Ghanaians abroad to seek productive work and avoid becoming idle, especially at a time when immigration enforcement in the United States has intensified.

“They should find something meaningful to do because currently, ICE is on people,” he warned.

Despite the concerns, Mr. Smith acknowledged that many Ghanaians across the United States are excelling in various fields and building successful lives, adding, “In certain places, Ghanaians are doing very well.”

ALSO READ:

• Victor Smith recounts how US forced Rawlings to return Ghana to democracy

• I don’t want my people to be mistreated by ICE — Ambassador Victor Smith…

• Dress properly for visa interviews; it can influence approval – Ghana’s Ambassador to US…

Speaking in an interview with Adom News, he explained that while visa appointment timelines can typically stretch up to a year, the situation is different given the tournament’s time-bound nature, which is just weeks away.

“Normally, visa appointments can be given one year ahead of time,” he said.

“But because of the World Cup, which is time-bound, they have to interview all applicants before the tournament starts, and the World Cup is just about a month away, so they were rushing, but the procedure is the same,” he explained to Abena Opokua Ahwenee.

Ambassador Smith stressed that visa officers are primarily interested in ensuring applicants have strong ties to their home country and will return after their visit.

“What the interviewing officer expects from you is the same thing,” he said, adding that for countries like the United States, officers want to be convinced applicants will not overstay.

“If you want to travel to America, which has about 50 states, the officer would want to be sure you are tied to Ghana and will come back,” he noted.

He further explained that applicants who are employed or well-established in Ghana are more likely to meet that requirement. However, the situation may be different for applicants without stable ties.

“So take someone who is gainfully employed for instance in Ghana, you will definitely come back to Ghana,” he said.

“But others are hustlers, and they are just going to try,” he added.

The Ambassador also underscored the importance of dressing well for interviews, saying presentation can influence perception.

“So I advise people that look good, dress well when going for visa interviews,” he stated. “Don’t wear tattered clothes because how will you get the visa. You will be denied the visa.”

He urged applicants to present themselves properly and show seriousness of purpose.

“Dress properly and I expect that people would have good intentions, not that they are coming to hustle,” he said.

Mr. Smith also referenced his experience with immigration enforcement in the US, saying it reflects how seriously authorities treat migration issues.

“I have seen how the ICE operates here,” he noted. “They tackle people to the ground in shopping malls and you find people running for their lives. How can you live like that?”

He added that enforcement has recently eased but expressed uncertainty about what to expect during the World Cup period.

“It is now that they have calmed down, and I don’t know if it will be the same during the World Cup. They also feel people are destroying their country. So, if you have nothing to contribute to America, then you stay in your home country,” he cautioned.

ALSO READ:

• I don’t want my people to be mistreated by ICE — Ambassador Victor Smith…

• Cabinet approves e-Visa policy to boost tourism and investment – Ablakwa

• Cabinet approves visa waiver agreements with Zambia, Maldives and Antigua and Barbuda

In a Facebook post on Thursday, May 22, the Minister praised Ghana’s High Commissioner to South Africa, Benjamin Quarshie, for locating Sylvester Boakye, a Ghanaian who reportedly missed an updated evacuation notice and was the only person to report at O.R. Tambo International Airport on Wednesday, May 21.

Mr. Ablakwa assured that Mr. Boakye would be included in the wider evacuation arrangement expected to cover about 800 Ghanaians, stressing that “no Ghanaian desirous of returning home would be left behind.”

He also dismissed reports that Mr. Boakye had already been flown back to Ghana, describing such claims as false.

The Minister clarified that the Government of Ghana had not deployed any chartered flight for the exercise. He explained that the evacuation had been temporarily put on hold after an agreement with South African authorities to address legal, technical, and logistical issues.

Mr. Ablakwa further said efforts were ongoing to ensure a smooth and coordinated process, adding: “Truth stands; and truth always wins.”

ALSO READ:

• Ghana defers evacuation of citizens from South Africa over logistics and screening processes

• Ghana High Commission breaks silence on viral video of Ghanaian ‘stranded’ at South Africa…

This means, for instance, that a trans woman – a biological male who identifies as a woman – should not use female toilets or changing rooms, according to the code of practice.

The guidance, produced by the Equalities and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) and now approved by ministers, makes it clear that transgender people should instead be offered a third or a gender-neutral space.

The code states that leaving a trans person without access to any services or facilities would be unlikely to be proportionate and could be discriminatory.

The guidance was published on Thursday following the landmark Supreme Court ruling last year that the definition of a woman under the Equality Act should be based on biological sex.

The code of practice sets out how associations, businesses and services open to the public should organise their facilities. It covers a wide range of settings from shopping centres and gyms to hospitals and restaurants.

Women and Equalities Minister Bridget Phillipson said the aim was to allow people to live free from discrimination and harassment.

“Our focus has always been making sure organisations have clear, accessible guidance on how to implement the law,” she said.

Within the guidance, it was recommended that gender-neutral toilets or changing rooms should have self-contained, lockable areas with floor-to-ceiling walls and wash basins.

The watchdog said it did not think the requirements would be too onerous, as services could decide to let trans people use toilets for disabled people, for example.

The EHRC also said if a service just had two toilets – one for men and one for women – they could be changed into unisex facilities.

With the guidance now before parliament, MPs and peers have 40 days to raise any concerns. If there are no objections, the guidance becomes statutory.

The guidance, which is more than 300 pages long, was first sent to the government in September 2025.

The EHRC said it expected ministers to spend six weeks examining it before either asking for revisions or placing it before parliament.

Instead, the government said it would deal with the issue “thoroughly and carefully”, and took eight months to release the guidance.

EHRC chair Dr Mary-Ann Stephenson said she hoped people would read the code with an “open mind”.

“I think we do need to broaden out the debates, and we need to start from a point of saying, how do we make sure that everyone has access to the services they need, and that will be different things for different people,” she said.

At the Watershed arts cinema in Bristol, chief executive Clare Reddington said they pride themselves on being inclusive.

She said it had taken too long for the guidance to be published, which has led to confusion and misinformation.

Reddington described the impact on trans people as “toxic”, and said they had been waiting to hear what the guidance meant “for their ability to live a full public life”.

The Watershed has gender neutral toilets, which won a Loo of the Year award in 2024.

The brightly coloured cubicles have floor-to-ceiling doors, and some have sinks inside. They also have separate male and female toilets.

“I would say that designing toilets for everyone is great for business,” Reddington said.

‘Fewer rights’

Maya Forstater, of Sex Matters, a gender-critical women’s rights group, said: “Finally, there are no more excuses for the many public and private sector organisations that said they were ‘waiting for guidance’ before fixing their unlawful policies.

“The government’s long delay in placing the updated code of practice before Parliament was seized on as cover by organisations that preferred to break the law than enrage trans lobby groups.

“The new guidance is long and detailed, but at its heart is a simple principle: ‘sex’ means what it says – male and female. What people call themselves and how they dress doesn’t change their sex.

“Any business, charity or public service provider that took a wrong turn and started letting men who identify as women use women’s spaces or vice versa must now urgently fix its policies.”

But a spokesperson for TransActual, a trans rights campaign group, said the guidance left trans people with fewer rights.

“Not only does this new guidance fail to protect the rights and dignity of transgender people, but it also appears to have weakened protections for the LGBT community as a whole,” they said.

“TransActual will continue to fight for equal access to public life for all trans people, and will publish our full thoughts on the new code once we have had the time to properly scrutinise it.”

Joanne Moseley, of Irwin Mitchell Solicitors, said she is being regularly asked to provide advice to businesses and services on what they need to do.

She believes that good signage and, where appropriate, ensuring a gender-neutral space are important.

She said some businesses and employers made changes to their facilities immediately after the Supreme Court judgement, but others are putting off making any changes until the EHRC guidance comes into force.

However, she warned the guidance was not “a silver bullet” and that if someone made a claim of discrimination against an organisation, it was not a defence to say “we’re waiting for the guidance”.

“They started throwing projectiles at the hospital. They even set fire to tents that were being used as isolation wards,” local politician Luc Malembe Malembe told the BBC about the scene he witnessed at Rwampara General Hospital.

In the chaos, police fired warning shots to disperse the crowd.

The body of a dead Ebola victim is highly infectious, and the authorities need to ensure safe burial to stop the spread of the virus.

Medical workers at the Rwampara hospital, located near the city of Bunia in Ituri province, where almost all of the cases have been reported, were placed under military protection as the police moved in to restore order.

A healthcare worker was injured by stone-throwing protesters before law enforcement agents intervened, a hospital worker told the AFP news agency.

The man who died was a popular figure in the local community, and those upset by his death did not “grasp the reality of the disease,” Jean Claude Mukendi, who is coordinating the security response to Ebola in Ituri, told the Associated Press.

Witnesses told Reuters the young man was a footballer who had played with several local teams. His mother told the news agency she believed her son had died of typhoid fever, not Ebola.

Malembe said the crowd did not believe the virus, which has so far killed more than 130 in eastern DR Congo, was real.

“People are not properly informed or sensitised about what is happening. For a certain segment of the population, especially in remote areas, Ebola is an invention by outsiders – it does not exist,” the politician said.

“They believe it is the NGOs and hospitals creating this to make money, and this is tragic.”

He said two tents had been burned down, along with a body that had been due to be buried.

The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends “safe and dignified burials” for Ebola victims, with trained teams using protective equipment to handle bodies.

Six patients had been receiving treatment in the tents on the grounds of the hospital – and it was reported they may have fled in the mayhem.

But according to the medical charity Alima, which reportedly ran the tents, they are all accounted for and “are currently being cared for at the hospital”.

The unrest came as it was announced that DR Congo’s national football team had cancelled its pre-World Cup training camp in the capital, Kinshasa, because of the outbreak.

The WHO has called it a “public health emergency of international concern”, but said it was not at pandemic level.

On Wednesday, the WHO said 139 people in DR Congo were thought to have died from Ebola, out of 600 suspected cases.

However, on the same day, Congolese Health Minister Samuel Roger Kamba told state broadcaster RTNC TV that authorities had registered 159 deaths.

Two cases of the virus have been detected in DR Congo’s neighbour, Uganda.

The authorities there have temporarily suspended flights, buses and all other public transport crossing the border as a result of the outbreak. Passenger ferries are also not permitted on the Semliki River, which forms part of the border between DR Congo and Uganda.

The outbreak has been caused by a rare species of Ebola known as Bundibugyo. There is currently no vaccine for this species and the WHO has said it could take up to nine months for a jab to be ready.

On Thursday, the M23 – a rebel group that controls parts of eastern DR Congo – said it had confirmed the first case of Ebola in the South Kivu province, which is hundreds of kilometres away from the epicentre in Ituri.

The 28-year-old, who had travelled from Kisangani, died before the diagnosis was confirmed, according to a rebel statement.

Kisangani is a large city in north-central Tshopo province where no Ebola infections have currently been recorded.

There are growing concerns about access to areas under M23 control.

The group has never managed a crisis like Ebola, but has said it will work with international partners to contain the virus.

ALSO READ:

• No Ebola cases recorded in Ghana despite WHO emergency declaration – Health Minister assures

• Ebola vaccine could take nine months as death toll rises further – WHO warns

The Chinese foreign ministry called on the US to stop using “coercion” and “threats” against its ally, while the Kremlin said the pressure being exerted on Havana “borders on violence”.

The US has accused Castro over the 1996 downing of two planes, an incident that killed four people and fuelled diplomatic tensions between Washington and the Caribbean island.

US President Donald Trump has repeatedly sought to exert pressure on Cuba and has openly discussed toppling its communist regime.

The US has imposed fresh sanctions on the country and imposed an effective blockade on oil shipments to Cuba, exacerbating a fuel crisis there and leading to extended blackouts and food shortages.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told Russian state media on Thursday that the US pressure campaign against Russia’s long-time ally, including the indictment Castro, “cannot be condoned”.

“We believe that under no circumstances should such methods – which border on violence – be used against either former or current heads of state,” he added.

Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun had earlier said the US should “stop threatening force at every turn”, and that Beijing “firmly supports Cuba”.

He said Beijing opposed “any attempt by external forces to exert pressure on Cuba under any pretext”.

Guo continued: “The United States should cease using sanctions and judicial apparatus as tools of coercion against Cuba and refrain from making threats of force at every turn.”

Castro was charged alongside five others on Wednesday over their alleged involvement in the shooting down of the two planes, which had been travelling between Cuba and Florida when they were struck.

He was accused of offences that carry penalties of life in prison or death.

The aircraft, which were operated by the Cuban-American dissident group Brothers to the Rescue, had been carrying three US citizens when they were downed, all of whom were killed.

At the time, Castro – who stepped down as president in 2018 – was head of the country’s armed forces.

The incident caused outcry among Cuban exiles living in the US and has long been a source of contention between Washington and Havana.

Cuba’s President Miguel Díaz-Canel has described the charges as “a political manoeuvre, devoid of any legal foundation”.

Since capturing former Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro in January, Trump has openly mused that Cuba was “ready to fall”.

It was a federal indictment against the left-wing authoritarian Maduro that was used by the Trump administration as its justification for its raid on the Venezuelan capital, Caracas, to seize him and his wife, Cilia Flores. The pair are now due to stand trial in New York on charges including drug trafficking.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio declined to comment on whether or how the administration was planning to get Castro to the US to stand trial.

He told reporters in Florida on Thursday that the former Cuban leader “openly admits and brags about” giving the order to shoot down the planes.

Asked about the US using force to achieve regime change in Cuba, Rubio said the administration’s preference was a negotiated settlement, but added: “He has the option to do that if there’s a threat to the national security of the United States – and he has shown his willingness to do that when he identifies such a threat.”

On Wednesday, he issued a message to the Cuban people in Spanish that similarly cast the Trump administration’s moves as “offering a new path”, trading a kleptocratic regime for the sorts of freedoms enjoyed by Cuban-Americans.

Cuban officials have been in talks with the US on finding solutions to the two countries’ differences for several months, with a single Russian shipment of oil that was allowed to reach the island running out earlier this month.

But in the meantime, the White House has continued to ratchet up pressure on Havana.

Earlier this month, Trump signed an executive order imposing sanctioning against officials in Cuba’s energy, defence, financial and security sectors, as well as individuals the US alleges have carried out human rights abuses or stolen public assets.

US surveillance flights near the island have also reportedly increased and the CIA director demanded that Cuba “no longer be a safe haven for adversaries” while on a visit there last week.

Cuba had until recently survived crippling Western sanctions due to the help of regional allies, such as Maduro’s government in Venezuela, which was believed to have sent it around 35,000 barrels of oil a day prior to his capture.

“We have to stop blaming young people,” John Boumphrey told the BBC, adding the education system isn’t “producing young people who are ready for work”.

Nearly a million young Britons are not in education, employment or training, yet Boumphrey says Amazon struggles to recruit workers with the skills it needs.

He called for work experience to be mandatory for over-16s. “It’s not a motivation problem, it’s a system problem, and that requires a system response.”

Amazon employs 75,000 people in the UK, half of whom come straight from education or unemployment, according to Boumphrey.

Official figures show the UK’s unemployment rate rose slightly to 5% in the three months to March from 4.9% in the three months to February.

Boumphrey, Amazon’s country manager for the UK, said: “I think too often you read about young people that somehow they lack motivation, they lack resilience, they lack the will to develop skills. That is not our experience.

“We work with some individuals who are probably furthest from work and that’s where we actually see the biggest transformation.”

Work experience should be mandatory for over-16s because it is “transformative” in helping young people learn “things that I don’t think we teach in our curriculum, but that all employers are looking for”, he said.

“If you get a T-level student, they come in for a week, they understand the value of teamwork, of communication and problem solving,” he told the BBC’s Big Boss interview.

The UK is experiencing a weak jobs market, with young people particularly affected by cuts in hospitality and graduate schemes.

But Boumphrey said Amazon has the opposite problem – it struggles to find enough workers with the skills the company needs.

The company has 100 premises in the UK, including 30 warehouses.

“I think you need businesses to come together with local governments and further education colleges, and you need that to happen on a regional basis so that you can understand what the skills gaps are,” he said.

Boumphrey said when Amazon introduced robots into its warehouses there was some concern they would replace people.

“Actually, the reverse happened…we ended up employing more people,” he said.

“Mechatronics engineers, people who can actually maintain the robots, people who are technicians…they’re not roles that exist. We can’t find enough people to fill those roles.”

Amazon has been scrutinised for the amount of tax it pays in the UK, with critics saying its tax bill has not increased in line with its sales with the rise of online shopping since the Covid-19 pandemic.

Earlier this year, it overtook US superstore giant Walmart to become the world’s largest company, by annual sales.

In the UK, Amazon accounts for 30% of all online sales.

Asked about tax, Boumphrey said: “Last year we contributed more than £5.8bn.

“Of course we pay all the tax we’re meant to pay, but when you think about our contribution, it isn’t just the amount of tax we pay, it’s also the 75,000 jobs we create.”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

ALSO READ:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

READ ALSO:

Former Nigerian minister arrested in hiding after corruption conviction

Bimbilla NPP Chairman withdraws resignation, returns to office

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

READ ALSO:

Bimbilla NPP Chairman withdraws resignation, returns to office

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