The organisation’s Executive Secretary, security expert and humanitarian critic Francis Ahovi, issued the assessment in a press statement dated 27th November 2025, calling for decisive regional and international action to restore stability.

According to him, the current crisis is the product of a sustained breakdown in constitutional order. Repeated unlawful dissolutions of parliament, the unilateral dismissal and appointment of prime ministers, interference in the judiciary, and the politicisation of the security forces have created what Mr Ahovi describes as a “governance vacuum”.

This vacuum, he noted, emboldened military factions and criminal actors, ultimately culminating in the overthrow of constitutional authority.

GLOSARGG identifies multiple, interlinked drivers of instability. These include executive overreach, competing command structures within the military and police, the growing influence of narcotrafficking networks, weak parliamentary oversight, and widespread economic hardship.

Organised crime, in particular the narcotics trade, has, according to Mr Ahovi, penetrated political circles and is shaping decision-making at the highest levels.

He was also critical of the regional response, pointing to weaknesses within ECOWAS and the African Union. He highlighted slow consensus-building, reluctance to sanction sitting presidents who breach constitutional norms, limited rapid-deployment capability, and gaps in intelligence-sharing.

Inconsistent enforcement of sanctions, he warned, has further undermined regional credibility.

The statement outlines several immediate priorities designed to reverse the escalating crisis. These include deploying neutral observers to safeguard civilians, instituting targeted sanctions such as travel bans and asset freezes, and stabilising the security forces by halting politically motivated promotions.

GLOSARGG also calls for an independent fact-finding mission comprising ECOWAS, the AU and the UN to document constitutional breaches and human rights violations.

Looking ahead, the organisation proposes a short-term transitional arrangement lasting six to twelve months, led by a civilian authority and backed by a Security Oversight Mechanism to prevent further factional clashes.

Plans also include intensified anti-narcotics operations with UNODC and EU partners, alongside scaled-up humanitarian assistance for vulnerable and displaced populations.

Medium-term reforms, spanning six to 24 months, include comprehensive security sector reform, tightening constitutional checks on executive power, improving electoral integrity, and strengthening anti-corruption systems such as asset recovery and transparent budgeting.

GLOSARGG also advocates a judicial fast-track system to resolve electoral disputes more efficiently.

In the longer term, the organisation recommends structured civil–military training, enhanced regional intelligence-sharing, civic education programmes to reinforce democratic values, and youth employment initiatives to reduce the appeal of extremist or criminal recruitment.

To strengthen regional responses, Mr Ahovi urged ECOWAS and the AU to establish a Rapid Stabilisation Force, adopt automatic sanctions for unconstitutional actions, including those committed by sitting presidents, and create a permanent joint monitoring commission involving the UN and CPLP, with public updates every 90 days.

He concluded that resolving Guinea-Bissau’s political and security crisis will require more than negotiation between political elites.

“A viable solution must confront breaches of executive constitutional authority, the politicisation of the security sector, and the criminal economies that perpetuate instability,” he stated, adding that only bold institutional reforms and firm regional leadership will ensure long-term resilience and prevent future upheavals.

The country’s foreign ministry called Trump’s comments “another extravagant, illegal and unjustified aggression against the Venezuelan people”.

The US does not legally have the authority to close another country’s airspace, but Trump’s online post could lead to travel uncertainty and deter airlines from operating there.

The US has been building its military presence in the Caribbean, which officials say is to combat drug smuggling. Venezuela’s President Nicolás Maduro has dismissed US claims of drug trafficking as an attempt to oust him.

In a post on Truth Social, Trump wrote: “To all Airlines, Pilots, Drug Dealers, and Human Traffickers, please consider THE AIRSPACE ABOVE AND SURROUNDING VENEZUELA TO BE CLOSED IN ITS ENTIRETY.”

The White House did not immediately respond to the BBC’s request for comment.

With Trump ratcheting up his threats, Democrat and Republican members of US Congress have expressed anger that he has not sought legislative approval.

“President Trump’s reckless actions towards Venezuela are pushing America closer and closer to another costly foreign war,” top Senate Democrat Chuck Schumer posted on X on Sunday.

“Under our Constitution, Congress has the sole power to declare war,” he added.

Republican Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene, until recently a close Trump ally, said: “Reminder, Congress has the sole power to declare war.”

Trump’s comments come days after the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) warned airlines of “heightened military activity in and around Venezuela”.

In a statement on Saturday, Venezuela’s foreign ministry said that the US had “unilaterally suspended” its weekly migrant repatriation flights.

“We call directly on the international community, the sovereign governments of the world, the UN, and the relevant multilateral organizations to firmly reject this immoral act of aggression,” it said.

Also Saturday, Venezuela’s military conducted exercises along coastal areas, with state TV showing anti-aircraft weapons and other artillery being manoeuvred.

Venezuela on Wednesday banned six major international airlines – Iberia, TAP Portugal, Gol, Latam, Avianca and Turkish Airlines – from landing there after they failed to meet a 48-hour deadline to resume flights.

The US has deployed the world’s largest aircraft carrier, the USS Gerald Ford, and about 15,000 troops to within striking distance of Venezuela.

It has insisted that the deployment – the largest by the US in the region since it invaded Panama in 1989 – is to combat drug trafficking.

On Thursday, Trump warned that US efforts to halt Venezuelan drug trafficking “by land” would begin “very soon”.

US forces have carried out at least 21 strikes on boats they said were carrying drugs, killing more than 80 people. However, the US has not provided evidence that the boats carried drugs.

The Venezuelan government believes the aim of the US action is to depose Maduro, whose re-election last year was denounced by the Venezuelan opposition and many foreign nations as rigged.

The US has also designated Cartel de los Soles, or Cartel of the Suns – a group it alleges is headed by Maduro – as a foreign terrorist organisation.

Labelling an organisation as a terrorist group gives US law enforcement and military agencies broader powers to target and dismantle it.

Venezuela’s foreign ministry has “categorically, firmly, and absolutely rejected” the designation.

Venezuela’s interior and justice minister Diosdado Cabello, who is alleged to be one of the high-ranking members of the cartel, has long called it an “invention”.

The US state department has insisted that the Cartel de los Soles not only exists, but that it has “corrupted Venezuela’s military, intelligence, legislature, and judiciary”.

At least 128 people are now known to have died in the fire, which engulfed seven tower blocks on Wednesday. A further 83 were injured and 150 remain unaccounted for.

Eight people have been arrested on suspicion of corruption over the renovation works the blocks had been undergoing. Three others were detained earlier on manslaughter charges.

The cause of the fire has yet to be determined, but officials have said it spread up and between the blocks rapidly because of flammable materials placed on their exterior.

Saturday morning’s ceremony was held outside government headquarters, and saw city leader John Lee joined by other Hong Kong officials to observe three minutes of silence.

The flags of China and Hong Kong were flown at half mast.

The government has also set up memorial points across the city, where the public can pay their respects and sign condolence books.

Once the fire started, it spread quickly to seven of the eight towers in Wang Fuk Court, in Hong Kong’s northern suburban Tai Po district.

It then took more than 2,000 firefighters almost two days to bring the blaze under control.

The cause of the fire remains unclear, though authorities have said that polystyrene placed on the outside of the windows and plastic netting around the scaffolding on the buildings facilitated its spread.

The tower blocks were also covered in bamboo scaffolding, which is commonly used for construction and renovation work in Hong Kong. The fire has sparked a debate on whether it should still be used.

Officials have confirmed that an investigation will be taking place over the next few weeks, with police already gathering evidence from the scene.

The fire has caused anger throughout Hong Kong, which is known for its high-rise buildings, as questions about who should be held accountable grow.

Residents of Wang Fuk Court have reported broken fire alarms and negligence from the company carrying out the renovations on the Wang Fuk Court, while Hong Kong’s fire service has said fire alarms in all eight blocks were not working effectively.

The Independent Commission Against Corruption (Icac) said those arrested in the corruption probe on Friday included directors at an engineering company and scaffolding subcontractors.

Hong Kong’s Labour and Welfare Secretary, Chris Sun, told reporters that his department had made 16 checks on the works at Wang Fuk Court since July last year.

The housing estate was built in 1983 and had provided 1,984 apartments for some 4,600 residents, according to a 2021 government census.

In August, Russia began limiting some calls on WhatsApp, owned by Meta Platforms, and on Telegram, accusing ⁠the foreign-owned ‌platforms of refusing to share information with law enforcement in fraud ‍and terrorism cases.

On Friday, the Roskomnadzor watchdog again accused WhatsApp of failing to comply with ​Russian requirements designed to prevent and combat ‌crime.

“If the messaging service continues to fail to meet the demands of Russian legislation, it will be completely blocked,” Interfax news agency quoted it ⁠as saying.

WhatsApp has accused Moscow ​of trying to block ​millions of Russians from accessing secure communication.

Russian authorities are pushing a state-‍backed rival ⁠app called MAX, which critics claim could be used to track users. ⁠State media have dismissed those accusations as false.

On Friday, in a post on X, Edlow said the pause would be in place “until we can ensure that every alien is vetted and screened to the maximum degree possible”.

The announcement comes hours after President Donald Trump pledged to “permanently pause migration” to the US from all “third world countries”.

On Thursday, Trump announced that a US National Guard member had died from her injuries after Wednesday’s shooting, for which an Afghan national has been blamed.

Officers at the USCIS, a branch of the Department of Homeland Security, were instructed to refrain from approving, denying or closing asylum applications received by the agency for all nationalities, according to reporting by CBS News, the BBC’s US partner.

According to guidance seen by CBS, officers could continue to work asylum application and review cases up to the point of making a decision.

“Once you’ve reached decision entry, stop and hold,” the directive said.

There are still few details available about both Friday’s directive and Trump’s earlier remarks.

Trump did not name which countries might be affected by his plan. Such a move could face legal challenges and has already prompted pushback from UN agencies.

Both announcements followed Wednesday’s fatal attack, and represent a further toughening of the Trump administration’s stance towards migrants during his second presidency.

Among other moves, Trump has sought to enact mass deportations of migrants who entered the US illegally, to drastically cut the annual number of refugee admissions, and to end automatic citizenship rights that currently apply to nearly anyone born on US territory.

In the wake of Wednesday’s shooting, Trump promised to remove from the US any foreigner “from any country who does not belong here”. The same day, the US suspended processing all immigration requests from Afghans, saying the decision was made pending a review of “security and vetting protocols”.

Then on Thursday, the USCIS said it would re-examine green cards issued to individuals who had migrated to the US from 19 countries. The agency did not explicitly mention Wednesday’s attack.

When asked by the BBC which countries were on the list, the USCIS pointed to a June proclamation by the White House that included Afghanistan, Cuba, Haiti, Iran, Somalia and Venezuela. There were no further details about what the re-examination would look like.

Trump’s strongly worded two-part post on Thursday night went further still, pledging to “end all federal benefits and subsidies to noncitizens”.

The US president wrote on Truth Social that this would “allow the US system to fully recover” from policies that had eroded the “gains and living conditions” of many Americans.

‘Third-world countries’
In the post, the president also blamed refugees for causing the “social dysfunction in America” and vowed to remove “anyone who is not a net asset” to the US.

He said that “hundreds of thousands of refugees from Somalia were completely taking over the once great State of Minnesota” and took particular aim at the state’s Democratic lawmakers.

“I will permanently pause migration from all Third World Countries to allow the U.S. system to fully recover,” the president wrote.

The phrase “third world” is a term that was used in the past to describe poorer, developing nations.

The president had already imposed a travel ban on nationals of Afghanistan – and 11 other countries, primarily in Africa and Asia – earlier this year. Another travel ban targeting a number of majority-Muslim countries was enacted during his first term.

The UN responded to Trump’s words by urging his administration to observe international agreements regarding asylum seekers.

“We expect all countries, including the United States, to honour their commitments under the 1953 Refugee Convention,” the deputy spokesperson for the UN secretary general told Reuters.

The Trump response amounted to a “scapegoating” of migrants in the US, argued Jeremy McKinney, president of the American Immigration Lawyers Association.

Speaking to the BBC World Service’s Newsday programme before Trump’s latest comments, Mr McKinney highlighted that the attacker’s motive was not known.

“These types of issues – they don’t know skin colour, they don’t know nationality,” he said. “When a person becomes radicalised or is suffering some type of mental illness, that person can come from any background.”

Suspect in DC shooting is Afghan
The flurry of announcements come after officials said that the suspect in the Washington DC shooting, Rahmanullah Lakanwal, had come to the US in 2021.

He travelled under a programme that offered special immigration protections to Afghans who had worked with US forces in the wake of the American withdrawal from Afghanistan.

Mr Lakanwal previously worked alongside the CIA, the agency’s current director has said.

Mr Lakanwal would have been vetted by the US both at the time the he started his work alongside the CIA, and when he ultimately travelled to the US, according to a senior US official who spoke to CNN.

A childhood friend told the New York Times that Mr Lakanwal had experienced mental health issues after his work with his unit.

Mr Lakanwal later applied for asylum in 2024. His application was reportedly granted earlier this year, after Trump returned to power.

But his request for a green card, which is tied to the asylum grant, is pending, a Homeland Security official told CBS.

The suspect was arrested after the attack and was said to be not co-operating with authorities. Trump described the incident as an “act of terror”.

He said the following day that one of the two members of the National Guard who were shot had died.

Sarah Beckstrom, a 20-year-old from West Virginia, was working in the city as part of Trump’s deployment of National Guard members to crack down on crime.

She had volunteered to work in DC over the US Thanksgiving holiday, Attorney General Pam Bondi said.

The second National Guard member, 24-year-old Andrew Wolfe, was said by Trump to be “fighting for his life”.

Eight people have been arrested on suspicion of corruption over the renovation works the blocks had been undergoing before the fire. Three others were detained earlier on manslaughter charges.

The cause of the fire remains unclear, though officials said that polystyrene and protective netting placed on the outside of the windows facilitated its spread.

A further 79 people were injured in the blaze – the city’s deadliest in more than 70 years. Dozens remain missing.

Police went into the buildings to start gathering evidence, after authorities said that an investigation would take place over the next three to four weeks.

The Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) said that those arrested on Friday included directors at an engineering company and scaffolding subcontractors.

Some 2,311 firefighters worked to bring the fire under control after it spread across seven of Wang Fuk Court’s eight apartment blocks.

Firefighting efforts have now ceased. The fire was fully extinguished by 10:18 local time (02:18 GMT) on Friday, the fire department said at a news conference.

It also said 89 bodies have yet to be identified, and 16 bodies remain inside the buildings.

Meanwhile, crowds have been gathering at a nearby community hall that has been opened to families looking for missing loved ones. Relatives are being asked to help with the identification process by bringing in family photos.

The Hong Kong government has also set up shelters and support centres for displaced residents. Groups of volunteers have been packing and organising supplies for those affected, including clothing and hygiene products.

The blaze started at 14:51 local time (06:51 GMT) on Wednesday, and by 18:22 local time it had been upgraded to the most serious category by fire officials.

The fire department said the fire started at a lower level before moving upwards, and reached a peak temperature of 500C (932F).

As a result, the blaze reignited in some places after being doused, they said.

One former resident, who moved out earlier this year and only gave his surname, told the BBC: “There was nothing we could do. Together we watched our homes burn gradually.”

The fire spread quickly across the separate blocks due to the presence of flammable netting and other materials on the outside of the buildings.

Firefighter Ho Wai-ho, 37, has been identified as among those killed. He was found collapsed at the scene on Wednesday, about 30 minutes after contact with him was lost.

Twelve other firefighters have also been injured, authorities said.

Two Indonesian nationals who had been working on the buildings were also killed in the fire, a migrant charity said. Indonesian and Filipino workers are among those still unaccounted for.

Indonesian worker Fita had been inside the building with her employer when she heard the fire brigade siren. She described it as scary and confusing, but added that she felt “so grateful” to be safe.

“But I’m concerned about friends I know… Usually we talk, and then I haven’t met them [since the fire],” she told news agency Reuters.

Many of those in the shelters have been unwilling to speak to the media while reeling from the trauma.

Shock has quickly shifted to anger in Hong Kong, as questions grow on who should be held accountable for the blaze.

Several residents have said they did not hear a fire alarm when the fire broke out. Hong Kong’s fire service found that fire alarms in all eight blocks were not working effectively.

Meanwhile, one resident told the BBC that some of the alarms had been turned off by construction workers.

Reports of residents’ prior complaints over high renovation fees and whether the materials used complied with fire-safety regulations have also resurfaced and are circulating widely online.

“We have reason to believe that those in charge at the company were grossly negligent, which led to this accident and caused the fire to spread uncontrollably, resulting in major casualties,” a police spokesperson said.

Wang Fuk Court was built in 1983 and had provided 1,984 apartments for some 4,600 residents, according to a 2021 government census.

Nearly 40% of its residents are estimated to be at least 65 years old. Some have lived in the subsidised housing estate since it was built.

Hong Kong’s deadliest fire on record killed 176 people in 1948 and was caused by a ground-floor explosion at a five-storey warehouse.

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It follows negotiations by the regional West African bloc Ecowas to secure his transfer amid rising tensions in Guinea-Bissau.

Senegal’s foreign ministry said in a statement that Embaló had landed in the country “safe and sound” on a chartered military flight late on Thursday.

The military in Guinea-Bissau has already sworn in a new transitional leader, Gen Horta N’Tam, who will rule the coup-prone country for a year.

Wednesday’s coup came a day before authorities were due to announce the provisional results of a presidential and parliamentary election.

The military has suspended the electoral process and blocked the release of the results.

It said it was acting to thwart a plot by unnamed politicians who had “the support of a well-known drug baron” to destabilise the country, and imposed a night-time curfew.

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Sarah Beckstrom, 20, succumbed to her injuries, President Trump said on Thursday evening.

The second National Guard member, 24-year-old Andrew Wolfe, “is fighting for his life”, he said.

Both were shot at close range near Farragut Square in downtown Washington just after 14:00 EST (19:00 GMT) on Wednesday. Police have arrested one suspect in the shooting, Rahmanullah Lakanwal, a 29-year-old from Afghanistan.

President Trump confirmed Ms Beckstrom’s death while on a Thanksgiving call with US service members.

“Sarah Beckstrom of West Virginia, one of the guardsmen that we’re talking about, highly respected, young, magnificent person … She’s just passed away. She’s no longer with us,” he said.

Trump later spoke with her parents, a White House official told BBC’s US partner CBS News.

Ms Beckstrom had enlisted on 26 June 2023 and was assigned to the 863rd Military Police Company, 111th Engineer Brigade of the West Virginia Army National Guard.

She had volunteered to work in the nation’s capital over the American Thanksgiving holiday, Attorney General Pam Bondi told Fox News after the shooting.

Jim Justice, a Republican senator from West Virginia, said he was “absolutely devastated” to learn of Ms Beckstrom’s passing.

“Our prayers are with her family, friends, and fellow guardsmen during an incredibly difficult Thanksgiving Day,” he said in a statement.

“We are also lifting up Andrew Wolfe in prayer as he continues his journey to recovery.”

Both soldiers had been on a high-visibility patrol near the corner of 17th and I streets, an area where many office workers mill around at lunchtime.

More than 2,000 troops have been guarding the nation’s capital since August, when the president began deploying troops to cities to tackle what he called “out of control” crime.

Ms Beckstrom and Mr Wolfe were among those who were deployed in August, the West Virginia National Guard confirmed to BBC News.

National Guard troops are a reserve force that can be activated to serve as military troops, but have limited power as they cannot enforce the law or make arrests.

The location of the shooting, just blocks from the White House, meant a number of law enforcement officials were quickly on the scene to treat the two victims and apprehend the gunman.

The suspect was shot four times while he was apprehended, law enforcement sources told CBS News.

Suspect once worked alongside CIA in Afghanistan

Officials said Mr Lakanwal came to the US from Afghanistan in 2021.

He will be charged with three counts of assault with intent to kill while armed as well as possession of a firearm during a crime of violence, US Attorney Jeanine Pirro said on Thursday morning at a news conference, before news of Ms Beckstrom’s death.

“We are praying that they survive and that the highest charge will not have to be murder in the first degree,” Pirro added. “But make no mistake, if they do not, that will certainly be the charge: murder in the first degree.”

Attorney General Bondi told Fox News on Thursday that her office will seek the death penalty against the suspect, calling him a “monster who should not have been in our country”.

Mr Lakanwal reportedly came to the US under a programme named Operation Allies Welcome, which offered special immigration protections to Afghans in the wake of America’s withdrawal from Afghanistan.

He had helped guard US forces at Kabul airport in 2021 as thousands scrambled to escape Afghanistan before the Taliban took power, a former military commander who served alongside him told the BBC’s Afghan Service.

The suspect had been recruited to Unit 03 of the Kandahar Strike Force. His unit was known locally as Scorpion Forces, operating initially under the CIA but eventually for the Afghan intelligence department known as the National Directorate of Security.

Mr Lakanwal was a GPS tracker specialist, the former commander told the BBC, describing him as a “sporty and jolly character”.

His whole unit was moved from Kandahar to Kabul five days before the Taliban entered the capital. They continued to protect the airport for another six days, before they too were airlifted out to the US.

At a press conference on Thursday morning, FBI Director Kash Patel confirmed Mr Lakanwal’s connection to US forces, saying the suspect “had a relationship in Afghanistan with partner forces”, before moving to the US.

Mr Lakanwal applied for asylum in 2024, and his application had been granted earlier this year, an official told CBS.

On Thursday, Joseph Edlow US Citizenship and Immigration Services chief said the president had directed him to conduct “a full scale, rigorous re-examination of every Green Card for every alien from every country of concern”.

When asked by the BBC which countries were on the list, the agency pointed to a June proclamation by the White House that included Afghanistan, Cuba, Haiti, Iran, Somalia and Venezuela.

Godfrey Arthur Jalale, who served as State House deputy chief of staff under former President Lazarus Chakwera, has been arrested in connection with the theft of the four German Shepherds. He denies the charge.

Chakwera vacated the palace after losing the elections to President Peter Mutharika.

Late on Wednesday, police denied reports that Chakwera had been arrested but confirmed securing a search warrant for his residence after information suggested the stolen dogs were being kept there.

Chakwera, who came second with 33% of the vote in the September election, is facing numerous allegations of public resources mismanagement, especially during the handover.

His Malawi Congress Party (MCP) has accused Mutharika’s administration of “harassing and intimidating” the former leader. Chakwera has not commented.

Local media have reported the theft of state property from two presidential residences – the Kamuzu Palace in Lilongwe, and Sanjika Palace, in Blantyre, the country’s second biggest city.

The four dogs, valued at $2,300 (£1,700), were taken out of the palace between 19 September and 4 October, according to the state prosecutors.

In a statement on Wednesday, police said they had “intensified investigations following reports of property looting” from Kamuzu Palace.

“The Malawi Police Service assures the public that the investigation is progressing smoothly,” it added.

MCP MPs boycotted parliamentary sessions on Wednesday and camped out at Chakwera’s residence in Lilongwe amid reports that he faced arrest following a heightened police presence, local media reported.

Chakwera, a pastor before entering politics, accepted defeat and has kept a low profile since the election.

He made his first public appearance last week when he announced that he had accepted a Commonwealth appointment to help mediate in Tanzania’s post-election unrest.

Mutharika, who first served as president between 2014 and 2020, campaigned on a pledge of a “return to proven leadership” – which resonated with Malawian voters.

He returned to power in a country that is in deep crisis, with a severe shortage of fuel and foreign currency.

The former law professor was rarely seen in public during the campaign, in contrast to Chakwera who held numerous rallies across Malawi.

As a result, speculation about Mutharika’s health is rife and there are questions about whether he has the stamina to lead Malawi again at the age of 85.

The long-dormant Hayli Gubbi volcano in the Afar region in Ethiopia’s northeast roared to life Sunday, covering the neighboring villages in dust and creating challenges for farmers.

While no casualties were reported, the eruption poses a threat to the local community of livestock herders by smothering vital grazing lands, local administrator Mohammed Seid told The Associated Press

Residents described hearing a terrifying blast at the moment of the eruption.

“It felt like a sudden bomb had been thrown with smoke and ash,” local resident Ahmed Abdela told the news agency.

The eruption was visible from satellites, with NASA images showing thick plumes of dust rising into the sky and billowing across the Red Sea.

Volcanic clouds from the eruption drifted over Yemen, Oman, and into Pakistan and India, according to the Toulouse Volcanic Ash Advisory Center.

Pakistan’s Meteorological Department issued a warning after ash entered its airspace late on Monday.

In India, flag carrier Air India cancelled several domestic and international flights to carry out “precautionary checks on those aircraft which had flown over certain geographical locations after the Hayli Gubbi volcanic eruption,” it said on X.

Delhi, which is experiencing a wave of severe air pollution, is not expected to be significantly affected because the ash is drifting at a high altitude, India’s Meteorological Department (IMD) said.

Ash billows from an eruption of the long-dormant Hayli Gubbi Volcano in Ethiopia’s Afar region on November 23, 2025. Afar Government Communication Bureau/AP

The plumes are expected to rapidly move eastwards, the IMD added.

Located about 800 kilometers (500 miles) northeast of capital Addi Ababa, Hayli Gubbi is the southernmost volcano of the Erta Ale Range, a volcanic chain in Ethiopia’s Afar region.

It rises about 500 meters in altitude and sits within a zone of intense geological activity where two tectonic plates meet.

In a press statement issued on Wednesday, November 26, 2025, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the takeover disrupts the democratic process, particularly following the peaceful presidential and legislative elections held on November 23.

Ghana expressed “profound concern and deep dissatisfaction” over what it called a brazen attempt to overturn the will of the people, warning that the situation has dangerously derailed Guinea-Bissau’s democratic trajectory and obstructed the expected announcement of election results scheduled for November 27.

The statement urged all actors in Guinea-Bissau to respect democratic processes and to address any electoral grievances through peaceful, transparent, and legally recognized mechanisms.

Ghana also called for the protection of all citizens and foreign nationals, particularly the officials of the ECOWAS Election Observation Mission currently in the country, emphasizing that their safe passage must be ensured without delay.

Additionally, the government appealed to the people of Guinea-Bissau to remain calm, exercise restraint, and avoid actions that could escalate tensions.

Ghana reaffirmed its full support for ECOWAS and the African Union in coordinating a regional response that upholds democracy, good governance, and constitutional rule.

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Police said a lone suspect opened fire on two National Guard members from West Virginia on Wednesday afternoon, before being subdued by other National Guard members nearby who had heard the gunfire.

President Donald Trump, who was in Florida at the time, said the alleged gunman was an Afghan national who entered the US in September 2021.

He vowed his administration would ensure the suspect “pays the steepest possible price” for “an act of evil, an act of hatred and an act of terror”.

Multiple law enforcement sources earlier identified the alleged gunman to the BBC’s US partner CBS as Rahmanullah Lakanwal, a 29-year-old Afghan national. His immigration status was unclear.

Tens of thousands of Afghans entered the US under special immigration protections following the chaotic US withdrawal from that country in 2021 under former President Joe Biden.

“We must now re-examine every alien who has entered our country from Afghanistan under Biden,” said Trump in a live address on Wednesday night.

A statement from Joint Task Force DC, which is co-ordinating the National Guard deployments to the nation’s capital, said the attack took place at around 14:15 EST (17:15 GMT) on Wednesday near the Farragut Square Metro Station.

The soldiers were on a high-visibility patrol near the corner of 17th and I streets, a busy lunch spot for office workers.

FBI Director Kash Patel – whose agency is leading the investigation – told a news conference the soldiers were “brazenly attacked in a horrendous act of violence”.

Metropolitan Police Assistant Chief Jeff Carroll said the suspect “came around the corner” and “immediately started firing a firearm”.

He said the soldiers had been “ambushed”.

Other National Guard members nearby heard the gunfire and responded, he said.

“They actually were able to intervene and to kind of hold down the suspect, after he had been shot, on the ground until law enforcement got there within moments,” Carroll said.

The suspect was shot four times, law enforcement sources told CBS.

It is unclear what weapon was used in the assault. Nor was a motive immediately clear.

The suspect was not co-operating with authorities, law enforcement sources told CBS on Wednesday night.

President Trump – who is at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Palm Beach – vowed to punish the attacker.

“The animal that shot the two National Guardsmen, with both being critically wounded, and now in two separate hospitals, is also severely wounded, but regardless, will pay a very steep price,” he wrote on Truth Social.

“God bless our Great National Guard, and all of our Military and Law Enforcement,” he added.

US Vice-President JD Vance, who was addressing troops in Kentucky at the time of the attack, urged “everybody who’s a person of faith” to pray for the victims.

West Virginia Governor Patrick Morrisey said in a post on X that both victims were members of his state’s National Guard and had died from their injuries.

But he soon posted a second statement that cited “conflicting reports” about their condition.

The attack prompted a temporary stoppage at the city’s main airport on the eve of the US Thanksgiving holiday.

Flights through Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport were briefly grounded after the attack, according to the Federal Aviation Administration.

At the scene, glass from a bus stop lay shattered on the pavement.

The intersection was full of police cars, armed security personnel and National Guard troops.

One witness told the BBC he heard two gunshots, followed by three more.

People ran in panic, some trying to take shelter in a liquor store.

Another witness who was in his car close to the metro station showed the BBC footage he took of the two soldiers lying on the street in their uniforms while being treated by medics.

A third person, apparently the alleged gunman, was also on the pavement being treated.

Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth said the president had asked him to send 500 more National Guard members to Washington DC, following the attack.

“This will only stiffen our resolve to ensure that we make Washington DC safe and beautiful,” the Pentagon chief said.

There are currently nearly 2,200 National Guard troops in Washington DC.

The force includes contingents from the District of Columbia as well as Louisiana, Mississippi, Ohio, South Carolina, West Virginia, Georgia and Alabama.

They are a reservist force that can be activated to serve as military troops, but have limited power as they cannot enforce the law or make arrests.

The National Guard were deployed to Washington DC in August to tackle what Trump called “out of control” crime.

Overall crime in the nation’s capital has fallen since the force was sent, which Trump credits to the troops’ presence on the streets.

Washington DC police figures show 62 homicides (a category that includes murder) between 25 May and 25 November this year.

That compares with 107 homicides recorded in the same period last year.

Nearly 6,500 offences have been recorded by police since 12 August, down from about 9,500 in the same period in 2024.

Trump, a Republican, has sent the National Guard to Democratic-led US cities, including Los Angeles, Chicago and Memphis.

He argues the deployments were needed to tackle crime, but opponents legally challenged the moves, accusing the White House of overreach.

The person, who appears to be male and wearing a hood and a mask, puts the 8ft soldier, which cost £900, horizontally across his lap and rides off.

The incident, which happened at Copper Blossom at the corner of George Street and North Castle Street at 22:10 on Monday, has been reported to the police.

Manager Paul Paxton told BBC Scotland he was “shocked” at the brazen theft, which took place while people were walking past.

Nutcracker Soldier dolls are a traditional German Christmas decoration dating back to the 17th Century.

The 28Ib (13kg) figure was part of a Christmas display costing thousands of pounds outside the basement bar.

The video shows the man pushing over furniture and breaking a £350 table.

He then rips the statue from the railings and drags it onto his bike before riding off while balancing the soldier across the vehicle.

The thief is then seen riding east on George Street in the direction of St Andrew’s Square.

Mr Paxton said when he watched the CCTV footage back, he could not believe how the thief removed the decoration in front of three passers-by.

“People were walking past as he was loading up his bike; it’s so shocking,” he said.

“We were still open and had just stacked up all the outdoor furniture in front of the statue five minutes beforehand. He cycles up on his e-bike, and it all happens in the space of a minute; it’s so fast.

“He pushed everything aside and pulled the tables over, and one falls and breaks, and then he yanks the Nutcracker away.

“He falls off his bike once while trying to put it on and struggles to lay it horizontally across him.

“It’s an 8ft statue horizontally across a little e-bike. The people on the street didn’t really bat an eyelid.”

He said it was “frustrating” to have lost one of the front door centrepieces of the display when it wasn’t even December yet.

“We’re a city centre venue, but we are small, so we rely on our front door to get some traffic because we are a basement venue.”

The statue was part of a pair, and the other one is now being kept indoors overnight.

Police Scotland said inquiries were at an early stage.

Firefighters were still trying to get parts of the fire under control on Thursday morning – more than 16 hours since the blaze first broke out – with rescue officials saying extremely high temperatures inside the buildings were hampering their ability to reach residents they knew to be trapped.

Questions are swirling on how such a fire in a skyscraper-filled city with a usually strong public safety record and construction standards could become so deadly, leaping from building to building.

More than 4,000 people lived in Wang Fuk Court, a public housing estate home to many people aged 65 and older in the city’s Tai Po neighborhood, just miles from the border with mainland China.

The exact cause of the fire is not yet known but a criminal investigation has been launched.

The complex was under renovation and encased in bamboo scaffolding and safety netting – a construction technique that’s ubiquitous in Hong Kong and parts of mainland China. Authorities are also investigating whether flammable material, including polystyrene boards blocking windows of multiple apartments, may have contributed to the inferno.

As of Thursday morning, first responders are focusing their efforts on three of the seven blocks affected, where at least 279 people are still missing.

How did the blaze start?

Firefighters first received a call about the fire shortly before 3 p.m. local time (2 a.m. ET), according to the Hong Kong Fire Department.

The blaze started at Wang Cheong House, a 32-story residential building and one of eight tower blocks that make up the Wang Fuk Court complex, which was undergoing renovations, Derek Armstrong Chan, the fire department’s deputy director of operations, said.

By the time fire crews were on the scene at the first building, the scaffolding and netting was on fire. Firefighters began tackling that blaze, but it quickly spread from building to building, turning a single tower block fire into multiple simultaneous multi-story infernos.

At least seven of the eight tower blocks within the complex were affected by the blaze, forcing those who were able to escape the flames into temporary accommodation.

But it quickly emerged many residents remained trapped inside their apartments, with firefighters unable to reach them amid searing temperatures inside the buildings as well as falling debris.

By the early hours of Thursday morning local time, fires were extinguished in three buildings, with four still showing “scattered traces of fire,” according to the city’s leader, Hong Kong Chief Executive John Lee.

It is not yet known how many of the 279 missing people were trapped – or simply people still listed as uncontacted in the chaos of evacuating such a huge complex.

Firefighters knew where many people were trapped, Chan said. “However, due to extreme heat inside the specific buildings, we are currently unable to reach upward to those trapped inside. We will keep going and keep trying.”

More than 800 firefighters were deployed to tackle the blaze, with 128 fire trucks and 57 ambulances sent to the scene.

Early Thursday morning local time, a police spokesperson said Hong Kong Police arrested the three men, accusing them of “gross negligence.”

Police found the construction company name on inflammable polystyrene boards that firefighters found blocking some windows at the apartment complex. Officials added that they suspect other construction materials found at the apartments – including protective nets, canvas, and plastic covers – failed to meet safety standards.

“These polystyrene boards are extremely inflammable and the fire spread very rapidly,” Director of Fire Services Andy Yeung said.

Shortly after gunshots were heard in the capital, Bissau, government sources told the BBC that Embaló had been detained.

Military officers then appeared on state TV, saying they had suspended the electoral process and would be in charge until further notice.

The West African nation had been awaiting the outcome of Sunday’s presidential election, in which the main opposition candidate had been disqualified from running.

The results were expected on Thursday – both Embaló and his closest rival Fernando Dias have claimed victory.

Late on Wednesday afternoon, Embaló told France 24 in a phone call: “I have been deposed.”

Witnesses in Bissau heard gunfire earlier on, at around 13:00 GMT, but it was not immediately clear who was involved in the shooting or if there were any casualties.

Hundreds of people on foot and in vehicles fled, seeking shelter as the shots rang out, the AFP news agency reported.

Later on, General Denis N’Canha, head of the military household at the presidential palace, read out a statement declaring a takeover.

He said officers had formed “the High Military Command for the Restoration of Order” and closed the border.

Gen N’Canha instructed the population to “remain calm”.

In addition to Embaló, the president’s army staff and a number of ministers have reportedly been arrested.

Guinea-Bissau, one of the poorest countries in the world, has seen nine coups or attempted coups since it gained independence from Portugal in 1974.

Embaló has said he has survived multiple coup attempts during his time in office. However, his critics allege he has fabricated crises in order to crack down on dissent.

Guinea-Bissau has a population of just under two million people and has been called a “narco-state” by the UN, due to its role as a key transit point in trafficking cocaine from Latin America to Europe.

Lawrence Reed who was arrested for the crime had 72 prior arrests that include eight felony convictions and seven misdemeanors, according to the White House.

The victim, 26-year-old Bethany MaGee, survived the attack but is “now fighting for her life with horrific burns”, the White house said in a statement.

In court on Monday, Mr Reed yelled three times in succession “I’m guilty”, after the judge warned he could receive a life sentence for charges that include committing a terrorist attack, according to reports from inside the courtroom.

The White House has sought to blame the incident on Democrats’ policies on crime, casting them as “soft”.

Both the state of Illinois and the city of Chicago are led by Democrats, and President Donald Trump is currently seeking to withhold federal funds from Illinois over its elimination of “cash bail”, where an arrested person posts a sum of money to be released from jail before trial.

The suspect “was walking free because of the radical, dangerous ‘no cash bail’ law proudly signed by Governor JB Pritzker and celebrated by Chicago’s defund-the-police Mayor Brandon Johnson”, the White House said in a statement it released on Tuesday.

Mayor Johnson said in a statement that the attack “was a tragic incident, and the Mayor’s prayers are with the victim and her family.”

Mr Reed, 50, has a history of mental illness and has been arrested 72 times since he turned 18, according to a Chicago affiliate of the BBC’s partner CBS News.

In August, he was charged with aggravated battery for allegedly hitting a social worker and after his arrest was released with electronic monitoring against prosecutors’ objections.

The attack against Ms MaGee happened while she was “minding her own business and reading her phone”, prosecutors said.

According to the criminal complaint, she was approached by Mr Reed arriving from the back of the train car who then doused her with gasoline before she ran.

As he chased her, the complaint said, Mr Reed ignited the rest of the liquid in the bottle and set Ms MaGee on fire.

Footage of the incident appeared to show Mr Reed watching Ms MaGee as she rolled on the floor engulfed in flames attempting to extinguish the fire.

Last week, Mayor Johnson said the attack “should have never happened”, characterising it as “an absolute failure of our criminal justice as well as our mental health institutions”.

He said the suspect clearly faced mental health challenges and presented a danger to himself and the community.

As a county commissioner, Johnson in 2020 introduced a nonbinding resolution to redirect funds from police and jails to other public services, but while running for mayor in 2023 he promised not to cut police spending.

Pairat Soodthoop, general manager of the Wat Rat Prakhong Tham temple, was “startled” to hear a faint knock from the coffin, he told the Associated Press news agency.

Mr Soodthoop said he asked for the coffin to be opened and saw the woman “opening her eyes slightly and knocking on the side of the coffin”. “She must have been knocking for quite some time,” he added.

The brother of the 65-year-old woman said local officials told him his sister had died. However, the temple’s manager said the brother did not have a death certificate.

As Mr Soodthoop tried to explain to the brother how to obtain a death certificate, the temple’s staff heard a faint knock coming from inside the coffin.

Once it became clear the woman was alive, the temple’s abbot (head of a Buddhist monastery) said the woman should be taken to hospital immediately.

A doctor later confirmed that the woman had been experiencing severe hypoglycaemia – a condition where blood sugar levels get critically low, local reports said.

The doctor ruled out the possibility that she had suffered respiratory failure or cardiac arrest, according to the reports.

The brother said his sibling had been bedridden for the last two years and, as her health deteriorated, she appeared to have stopped breathing on Saturday, according to the temple’s manager.

The family had travelled nearly 500km (311 mile) from the province of Phitsanulok in Thailand for the cremation ceremony.

The 1,632 represented four per cent of the total applicants for a visa last year.

“In 2024, 1,632 applicants from Ghana used fraudulent means when applying for UK visit visas.

While that represents only four per cent of all Ghanaian applicants, it is still far too many people misled by agents into taking an action that resulted in a 10-year visa ban. 

“Fraud is never worth the risk,” the British High Commissioner to Ghana, Dr Christian Rogg, said when the High Commissions of Australia, Canada, and the United Kingdom in Ghana joined forces to launch a one-week public awareness campaign aimed at tackling the growing threat of visa fraud. 

Misinformation

Visa fraud continues to affect many Ghanaians, with fraudulent agents and misinformation leading to financial loss, emotional distress, and long-term travel restrictions.

A joint statement issued by the three high commissioners said the initiative was part of a wider global effort led by UK Visas & Immigration, and supported by partner countries including Australia, Canada, and New Zealand.

“The campaign coincides with International Fraud Awareness Week ( November16–22, 2025) and seeks to educate the public on the dangers of visa scams, promote safe application practices, and encourage the use of official government channels,” it said.

The Australian High Commissioner to Ghana, Berenice Owen-Jones, said Australia was proud to stand with its international partners to combat visa fraud.

“The Fighting Visa Fraud campaign sends a clear message — if you are applying for a visa, always use trusted, official sources and beware of anyone promising shortcuts or guaranteed results,” she said.

Safe

The Canadian High Commissioner to Ghana, Myriam Montrat, said Canada remained firmly committed to promoting safe, orderly and regular migration, and “we are taking decisive steps to stop fraudulent practices that put applicants at risk.

We are proud to collaborate on the “Fighting Visa Fraud Together” campaign with Australia and the United Kingdom, reflecting our shared commitment to protect applicants, strengthen the integrity of our immigration systems, and ensure that people have access to accurate, reliable and trustworthy information.” 

The statement said the three countries were committed to protecting genuine applicants and ensuring that visa processes remained transparent, secure, and accessible to all Ghanaians.

“Throughout the campaign, the High Commissions will share educational content across social media platforms.

The public is encouraged to follow the campaign using the hashtag #AUSCANUKGH,” it emphasised.

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Stardom can shorten lives by 4.6 years, according to research published in the Journal of Epidemiology & Community Health.

Touring, performing, and rock’n’roll lifestyles have previously been found to lower life expectancy for musicians.

However, the new analysis shows a direct link between fame and mortality for the first time.

Researchers from the University Witten Herdecke based in Witten, Germany, examined data of 648 singers, half of whom were dubbed famous and the other half less famous. These included a mix of solo artists, lead and back-up singers in a band.

Famous stars were selected from the top 2,000 Artists of All Time, a list collated by the ranking website Acclaimed Music. The Beatles, Bob Dylan, and the Rolling Stones, David Bowie, and Bruce Springstein round out the site’s top five most recognised names.

Academics matched each famous singer to a less famous one, paired up based on their characteristics such as gender, nationality, and genre of music.

They found that famous singers lived to an average age of 75 while less famous singers lived to 79.

“The increased mortality risk associated with fame is comparable to other well-known health risks such as occasional smoking,” the authors wrote.

By isolating fame as a risk factor, the study shows achieving stardom can be a “turning point” in bringing about greater health concerns.

Solo artists also carried a higher mortality risk, the study found, compared with singers who could turn to band members for “emotional and practical support”.

Loss of privacy, intense public scrutiny, and performance pressure are all mooted contributing factors, although the study notes it is not conclusively linked.

“Being famous is an important factor influencing longevity and underscores the need for targeted interventions to mitigate its detrimental effects on longevity.”

The study was however gender-skewed, 83.5% male to 16.5% female.

“Live fast, die young” lifestyles have been the focus of previous research into mortality risks associated with fame, including greater chance of drug and alcohol abuse.

Pop stars experiencing fame between the ages of two and 25 were found to be two to three times more likely to experience risks of mortality compared to the general population, a US-based study found in 2007.

Popular culture has made reference to the 27 Club, made up of rock stars who died at the age of 27, including Amy Winehouse, Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, Jim Morrison, Kurt Cobain, and Brian Jones.

In 2011, a study published in the British Medical Journal concluded there was no heightened risk of death for famous musicians at the specific age of 27, finding instead that young rock stars have a “generally increased risk throughout their 20s and 30s”.

In recent years, fans and loved ones have been left devastated by the deaths of young popular artists such as rapper Mac Miller (26), DJ Avicii (28), and One Direction’s Liam Payne (31).

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Armed assailants stormed the Government Girls Comprehensive Senior Secondary School (GGCSS) in Nigeria’s Kebbi State on 17 November, killing one staff member and abducting 25 students. One was able to escape soon after.

Nigerian President Bola Tinubu praised security forces for their “swift response” to the incident – although the circumstances of the girls’ release remained unclear.

Africa’s most populous nation has suffered a spate of abductions in recent years – with more than 250 children abducted from a Catholic school last Friday still missing.

In a statement, a special adviser to the president confirmed that all the girls taken from the school in Kebbi State had been accounted for, noting that the incident triggered copycat kidnappings in two other Nigerian states.

Tinubu said that more personnel would be deployed to “vulnerable areas to avert further incidents of kidnapping”.

In a separate post on X, Tinubu wrote: “The Air Force is to maintain continuous surveillance over the most remote areas, synchronising operations with ground units to effectively identify, isolate, disrupt, and neutralise all hostile elements.”

More than 1,500 children have been abducted from Nigerian schools since 2014, when 276 girls were abducted during the infamous Chibok mass abduction.

On Friday, at least 300 children and staff were abducted from St Mary’s School, a Catholic boarding school, in Nigeria’s Niger state.

Fifty of those abducted from the school have since escaped, according to the Christian Association of Nigeria – but at least 250 remain unaccounted for.

The main Catholic cleric in the region has told the BBC that Nigeria’s government is making “no meaningful effort” to rescue those still missing.

The abduction at the school was the third to hit Nigeria in a week, forcing President Bola Tinubu to cancel his trip to the G20 summit, held in South Africa at the weekend, to deal with the crisis.

UN education envoy Gordon Brown called on the international community to “do our utmost” to support efforts to return the abducted children.

Brown, a former UK prime minister, said: “It’s also incumbent on us to ensure that Nigerian schools are safe spaces for learning, not spaces where children can be plucked from their classroom for criminal profit.”

Since their divorce in 2019, Zeynab Javadli has been involved in a bitter custody battle with her ex-husband, Sheikh Saeed bin Maktoum bin Rashid Al Maktoum, who is the nephew of the ruler of Dubai.

It has come to a head in recent weeks as the children have changed hands between the parents several times, with each accusing the other of kidnapping them.

Ms Javadli also potentially faces arrest for e-crimes – online offences – after she livestreamed the latest showdown.

In going public, she says she realised that she was taking a big risk.

“I knew that it was the last chance to be with my children as they would never let me see them again. I genuinely believed that it was my last chance, so I just opened a livestream and called for help,” she said in a video message to her British lawyer, David Haigh.

Ms Javadli was speaking from her house in Dubai, where she claims that she and her three daughters have essentially once again been isolated since she took them back with her after they’d been with their father for several weeks.

Up until then, Ms Javadli had had effective custody of the children under a deal she says was agreed with the ruler of Dubai, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, in 2022. That agreement, she says, guaranteed her custody of the children until they were 18 years old, as well as a house and other assistance. Their schooling has been paid for by their father.

In return, David Haigh says she had to sign papers saying that she would – among other things – not speak to the media again about her situation, nor would she do any more livestreaming.

A subsequent court ruling granted custody to Sheikh Saeed, but Ms Javadli says she received assurances from those involved in her case that the deal with Dubai’s ruler would not be affected.

That remained the situation until two months ago.

That was when – during one of the regular visitations of the children with Sheikh Saeed – that Ms Javadli says she received a message from him through Dubai police telling her there was no need to wait as they would not be returned to her that day.

She heard nothing from them for several weeks. She was finally granted a visitation for three hours at a child protection centre and headed there with her driver on 8 November. She says that when she entered the centre, her children were not there. As she was coming out of the building, she saw them. She says they rushed towards her.

She says they were shouting “Mama, take us from here!” She told her driver to lock the doors and drive them home.

But she claims their way was blocked by cars belonging to people working for her ex-husband. That was when she decided to open a livestream and plead for help. In doing so, she knew that she risked breaking the deal she had signed with the authorities in the UAE and that she could face arrest for doing so, but she insists that it was her only recourse.

She has been at home with her children since then and says she does not dare to go out for fear of arrest. The three girls – aged nine, seven and six – have not been going to school.

The BBC has contacted a number of officials in the UAE, who are involved in the case, for comment, but has received no reply so far. However, the perspective of Sheikh Saeed is clear from court depositions.

The most recent gives a very different version of what happened on 8 November, accusing Ms Javadli of forcibly placing the children into her car with the help of her driver and then kidnapping them. It also accuses Ms Javadli of posting videos on social media in which “she insulted and slandered” her former husband as well as defaming the state and violating state laws.

Previously, lawyers acting for Sheikh Saeed had claimed in court that Ms Javadli was an unfit mother, who had failed to send her daughters to school, was living in a place unsuitable for the children when she was in a hotel, and that she had put the health of the youngest girl at risk.

Ms Javadli rejected the accusations and her Emirati legal team submitted evidence to the contrary in court.

David Haigh says that there’ve been other similar cases involving former wives of members of Dubai’s royal family or other female members of the family. He himself has been involved in campaigning for several of the women. None of these cases involve Sheikh Saeed.

Princess Haya – the ex-wife of Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum – fled the UAE in 2019, saying that she feared for her life. Three years later, the princess won a custody battle that played out in the highest court in the UK, which gave her sole custody of their two children.

The most sensational saga was that of one of the daughters of Dubai’s ruler, Princess Latifa, who mounted a bid for freedom in 2018 from what at the time she claimed was her family’s coercive control.

The boat on which she was making her escape was intercepted in the Indian Ocean and she was forcibly returned to Dubai. She then claimed that she was being held captive in secret videos. She has since re-emerged to a limited extent in public, saying that she was well and living as she wished.

Ms Javadli and David Haigh say that Dubai portrays itself as promoting women’s rights and encouraging women – whether from the UAE or from outside – to lead fulfilling lives, both professionally and personally. For many, this is no doubt the case.

But they claim that Ms Javadli’s case shows that beneath the glittering surface of Dubai, for some women the situation can be more complicated and more uncomfortable.

But Bishop Bulus Dauwa Yohanna’s accusation was disputed by the state’s police chief, who accused the school of failing to cooperate with its search and rescue operations.

It is unclear who abducted the children from St Mary’s school in Papiri village, but criminal gangs have been involved in kidnappings for ransom across Nigeria.

US President Donald Trump has threatened to intervene militarily in Nigeria if the government fails to stop “the killing of Christians”.

Nigeria is the most populous state in Africa, with a large Christian and Muslim population.

Its government says that people of all faiths and no faith are victims of insecurity in the country.

Militant Islamist groups are also waging an insurgency in Nigeria, with the government confirming last week that a senior army general had been killed by jihadists in an ambush in north-eastern Borno state.

US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth held talks with Nigeria’s National Security Adviser Mallam Nuhu Ribadu last week to discuss ways to make “tangible progress on stopping violence against Christians in Nigeria and combating West African jihadist terrorist groups”, the U.S. Department of War said in a statement.

Nigeria’s presidential spokesman Bayo Onanuga said that Ribadu’s delegation refuted allegations of state-sanctioned religious persecution in the West African state, and said that the security crisis was driven by criminality, extremism and land-related conflicts.

Mr Onanuga added that the two governments had agreed to set up a working group to focus on strengthening defence and security cooperation.

The Niger state chapter of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) says that 303 students and 12 members of staff were abducted from the school in Papiri village, but 50 children managed to escape and have been reunited with their families.

Bishop Yohanna – who is the chairman of the Niger chapter of CAN and leads the Catholic church in the region – told the BBC that the only official action taken so far to rescue the students had been to compile their names.

“I’m not aware of any effort made by government beyond collecting the names of the students from us,” he said.

He disputed allegations made by the governor of Niger state, Umar Bago, in local media that the church had defied an order to close its school after threats of attacks.

“We did not receive any order at any point,” the bishop added.

Responding to criticism about the presence of police in Papiri, Niger state police chief Adamu Abdullahi Elleman said enough had been deployed despite the fact that the BBC only saw three officers at the school.

The BBC also drove about 60km (37 miles) from Yauri, a major link road to Papiri, but came across only one police checkpoint and none of the officers was armed.

However, the police commissioner insisted that a tactical police team and members of other security agencies were stationed in the community.

He said the police headquarters in Agwara town, not far from Papiri, had been made the operational base.

“So they moved from Agwara police station to the school. Probably when you got there, they must have moved back to the headquarters,” the police commissioner told the BBC.

He stressed that a search operation for the children was continuing, but said the school was yet to “report” to his command.

Meanwhile Nigeria’s police chief Kayode Egbetokun said that he had stepped up operations, including on the intelligence front, to ensure the children and members of staff were freed.

“We are ready to give everything to ensure that the remaining pupils and their teachers still in captivity are rescued unhurt,” he said, in a statement issued after talks with the state governor.

The abduction at the school was the third to hit Nigeria in a week, forcing President Bola Tinubu to cancel his trip to the G20 summit, held in South Africa at the weekend, to deal with the crisis.

On Tuesday, Mr Onanuga said that 24 girls who were kidnapped last week from a boarding school in Kebbi state, which borders Niger, had been released.

The presidential spokesman did not give details of how their freedom was secured.

Tinubu said on Sunday that 38 worshippers abducted from a church further south in Kwara state had also been released.

Two people were killed in the attack on the church.

The spate of abductions has forced the closure of many boarding schools across Nigeria, with parents rushing to collect their children.

The authorities in Lagos – the most populous state in Nigeria – said they were beefing up security at schools, places of worship and other key buildings to prevent attacks.

Additional reporting by Chris Ewokor, Abayomi Adisa and Gift Ufoma

Nkosazana Zuma-Mncube alleged that Duduzile Zuma-Sambudla, who serves as an MP, and two others tricked 17 men into fighting for Russian mercenaries.

The men were told they were travelling to Russia to train as bodyguards for Jacob Zuma’s political party Mkhonto Wesizwe (MK), Zuma-Mncube’s statement says.

The police say they are investigating the matter, while Zuma-Sambudla, aged 43, has not responded to the BBC’s request for comment.

South Africa’s government previously said it had received distress calls from 17 citizens who had joined mercenary forces in the Russia-Ukraine conflict.

The men, aged from 20 to 39, were lured to join the mercenary forces under the pretext of lucrative contracts, the government said.

South Africa has an unemployment rate of more than 30%. Joblessness among young people is even higher, making them especially vulnerable for recruitment, analysts say.

Zuma-Mncube said she had a “moral obligation” to file a police complaint against her younger sister.

Earlier this week, international financial outlet Bloomberg reported similar allegations against Zuma-Sambudla and said some men had also been recruited from neighbouring Botswana.

The allegations add to Zuma-Sambudla’s legal woes – she is currently on trial over terrorism-related charges.

The MP is being prosecuted over comments she made on social media four years ago during deadly protests in South Africa, following the arrest of her father.

A week of anarchy in several parts of the country in July 2021, including looting and arson, left at least 300 people dead.

Zuma-Sambudla has been accused of fuelling this unrest but she says the charges against her are politically motivated.

Jacob Zuma was jailed for contempt of court for refusing to take part in an inquiry into allegations of corruption during his presidency that led to his sacking.

He subsequently formed the MK party and led it to third place in last year’s elections.

The BBC has contacted MK and the Jacob Zuma Foundation for comment.

She is under general anaesthesia: unconscious, insensate and rendered completely still by a blend of drugs that induce deep sleep, block memory, blunt pain and temporarily paralyse her muscles.

Yet, amid the hum of monitors and the steady rhythm of the surgical team, a gentle stream of flute music plays through the headphones placed over her ears.

Even as the drugs silence much of her brain, its auditory pathway remains partly active. When she wakes up, she will regain consciousness more quickly and clearly because she required lower doses of anaesthetic drugs such as propofol and opioid painkillers than patients who heard no music.

That, at least, is what a new peer-reviewed study from Delhi’s Maulana Azad Medical College suggests. The research, published in the journal Music and Medicine, offers some of the strongest evidence yet that music played during general anaesthesia can modestly but meaningfully reduce drug requirements and improve recovery.

The study focuses on patients undergoing laparoscopic cholecystectomy, the standard keyhole operation to remove the gallbladder. The procedure is short – usually under an hour – and demands a particularly swift, “clear-headed” recovery.

To understand why the researchers turned to music, it helps to decode the modern practice of anaesthesia.

“Our aim is early discharge after surgery,” says Dr Farah Husain, senior specialist in anaesthesia and certified music therapist for the study. “Patients need to wake up clear-headed, alert and oriented, and ideally pain-free. With better pain management, the stress response is curtailed.”

Achieving that requires a carefully balanced mix of five or six drugs that together keep the patient asleep, block pain, prevent memory of the surgery and relax the muscles.

In procedures like laparoscopic gallbladder removal, anaesthesiologists now often supplement this drug regimen with regional “blocks” – ultrasound-guided injections that numb nerves in the abdominal wall.

“General anaesthesia plus blocks is the norm,” says Dr Tanvi Goel, primary investigator and a former senior resident of Maulana Azad Medical College. “We’ve been doing this for decades.”

But the body does not take to surgery easily. Even under anaesthesia, it reacts: heart rate rises, hormones surge, blood pressure spikes. Reducing and managing this cascade is one of the central goals of modern surgical care. Dr Husain explains that the stress response can slow recovery and worsen inflammation, highlighting why careful management is so important.

The stress starts even before the first cut, with intubation – the insertion of a breathing tube into the windpipe.

To do this, the anaesthesiologist uses a laryngoscope to lift the tongue and soft tissues at the base of the throat, obtain a clear view of the vocal cords, and guide the tube into the trachea. It’s a routine step in general anaesthesia that keeps the airway open and allows precise control of the patient’s breathing while they are unconscious.

“The laryngoscopy and intubation are considered the most stressful response during general anaesthesia,” says Dr Sonia Wadhawan, director-professor of anaesthesia and intensive care at Maulana Azad Medical College and supervisor of the study.

“Although the patient is unconscious and will remember nothing, their body still reacts to the stress with changes in heart rate, blood pressure, and stress hormones.”

To be sure, the drugs have evolved. The old ether masks have vanished. In their place are intravenous agents – most notably propofol, the hypnotic made infamous by Michael Jackson’s death but prized in operating theatres for its rapid onset and clean recovery. “Propofol acts within about 12 seconds,” notes Dr Goel. “We prefer it for short surgeries like laparoscopic cholecystectomy because it avoids the ‘hangover’ caused by inhalational gases.”

The team of researchers wanted to know whether music could reduce how much propofol and fentanyl (an opioid painkiller) patients required. Less drugs means faster awakening, steadier vital signs and reduced side effects.

So they designed a study. A pilot involving eight patients led to a full 11-month trial of 56 adults, aged roughly 20 to 45, randomly assigned to two groups. All received the same five-drug regimen: a drug that prevents nausea and vomiting, a sedative, fentanyl, propofol and a muscle relaxant. Both groups wore noise-cancelling headphones – but only one heard music.

“We asked patients to select from two calming instrumental pieces – soft flute or piano,” says Dr Husain. “The unconscious mind still has areas that remain active. Even if the music isn’t explicitly recalled, implicit awareness can lead to beneficial effects.”

The results were striking.

Patients exposed to music required lower doses of propofol and fentanyl. They experienced smoother recoveries, lower cortisol or stress-hormone levels and a much better control of blood pressure during the surgery. “Since the ability to hear remains intact under anaesthesia,” the researchers write, “music can still shape the brain’s internal state.”

Clearly, music seemed to quieten the internal storm. “The auditory pathway remains active even when you’re unconscious,” says Dr Wadhawan. “You may not remember the music, but the brain registers it.”

The idea that the mind behind the anaesthetic veil is not entirely silent has long intrigued scientists. Rare cases of “intraoperative awareness” show patients recalling fragments of operating-room conversation.

If the brain is capable of picking up and remembering stressful experiences during surgery – even when a patient is unconscious – then it might also be able to register positive or comforting experiences, like music, even without conscious memory.

“We’re only beginning to explore how the unconscious mind responds to non-pharmacological interventions like music,” says Dr Husain. “It’s a way of humanising the operating room.”

Music therapy is not new to medicine; it has long been used in psychiatry, stroke rehabilitation and palliative care. But its entry into the intensely technical, machine-governed world of anaesthesia marks a quiet shift.

If such a simple intervention can reduce drug use and speed recovery – even modestly – it could reshape how hospitals think about surgical wellbeing.

As the research team prepares its next study exploring music-aided sedation, building on earlier findings, one truth is already humming through the data: even when the body is still and the mind asleep, it appears a few gentle notes can help the healing begin.

Minister for Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, confirmed the development in a Facebook post on Monday, November 24, 2025.

He explained that the decision, which took effect on November 13, 2025, followed a new executive order issued by President Trump.

The Minister noted that U.S. officials had formally communicated the change, clarifying that the tariff removal applies to cocoa beans and other major Ghanaian products, including cashew nuts, avocado, banana, mango, orange, plantain, pineapple, guava, coconut, ginger, and various types of peppers.

The move is expected to significantly benefit Ghana’s cocoa sector. The country ships an estimated 78,000 metric tons of cocoa beans to the United States annually, and with current spot prices around $5,300 per metric ton, the Minister estimated that the tariff reversal could generate an additional US$60 million (GHS 667 million) each year.

He welcomed the decision and emphasized that the two countries will continue to strengthen cooperation for mutual benefit.

The earlier tariff increase followed a July 31 executive order by President Trump, which imposed 15% reciprocal tariffs on several countries, including Ghana. The move raised concerns among Ghanaian exporters, particularly in the cocoa industry, a key source of foreign exchange.

Ghana’s government had strongly opposed the measure. Deputy Trade Minister Sampson Ahi described it as unfair, noting that the United States does not produce cocoa.

Trade analysts say the episode underscores the importance of expanding intra-African trade under initiatives such as the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).

ALSO READ:

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• Trump tariffs could harm Ghana and global trade – Mahama

Earlier on Saturday, leaders from Europe, Canada and Japan said the plan had elements “essential for a just and lasting peace”, but would “require additional work”, citing concerns over border changes and caps on Ukraine’s army.

On Sunday, security officials from Britain, France, Germany, the US and Ukraine will meet in Geneva, Switzerland.

President Volodymyr Zelensky earlier warned Ukraine faced “one of the most difficult moments in our history” over US pressure to accept the plan seen as favourable to Moscow.

Trump has given Ukraine until 27 November to accept the 28-point plan, while Russia’s President Vladimir Putin said it could be the “basis” for a settlement.

When asked on Saturday whether the current draft plan was his final offer for Ukraine, Trump told reporters at the White House: “No, not my final offer.”

“One way or another we have to get it [the war] ended, so we’re working on it,” he added.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and special envoy Steve Witkoff will be among those taking part in talks in Geneva on Sunday. National Security Adviser Jonathan Powell will attend on the UK’s behalf.

Saturday’s joint statement at the G20 summit in South Africa was signed by the leaders of Canada, Finland, France, Ireland, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands, Spain, the UK, Germany and Norway. Two top EU officials were also among the signatories.

The statement said: “We believe, therefore, that the draft is a basis which will require additional work. We are ready to engage to ensure that a future peace is sustainable. We are clear on the principle that borders must not be changed by force.

“We are also concerned by the proposed limitations on Ukraine’s armed forces, which would leave Ukraine vulnerable to future attack.”

It added: “The implementation of elements relating to the European Union and relating to Nato would need the consent of EU and Nato members respectively”.

UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, who is at the G20 summit in Johannesburg, spoke to Zelensky on the phone on Saturday, followed by a call with Trump.

On the Trump call, a Downing Street spokesman said Sir Keir “relayed the discussions that have been taking place between Coalition of the Willing partners [Ukraine’s allies] in attendance at the G20 summit today”.

They added: “The leaders agreed their teams would work together on the 28-point US peace proposal in Geneva tomorrow. They agreed to speak again tomorrow.”

Sir Keir earlier said he was concerned about proposed caps on Ukraine’s military in the US plan, saying “it’s fundamental that Ukraine has to be able to defend itself if there’s a ceasefire”.

The widely leaked US peace plan proposes Ukrainian troops withdraw from the part of the eastern Donetsk region that they currently control, and de facto Russian control of Donetsk, as well as the neighbouring Luhansk region and the southern Crimea peninsula annexed by Russia in 2014.

The plan also includes freezing the borders of Ukraine’s southern Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions along the current battle lines. Both regions are partially occupied by Russia.

The US draft would also limit Ukraine’s military to 600,000 personnel, with European fighter jets stationed in neighbouring Poland.

Kyiv would receive “reliable security guarantees”, the plan says, although no details have been given. The document says “it is expected” that Russia will not invade its neighbours and Nato will not expand further.

The plan also suggests Russia will be “reintegrated into the global economy”, through the lifting of sanctions and by inviting Russia to rejoin the G7 group of the world’s most powerful countries – making it the G8 again.

On Friday, Trump said Zelensky would “have to like” the US proposals, adding that otherwise Ukraine and Russia would continue fighting.

Earlier in the day, the Ukrainian leader addressed the nation with a stark warning that the country “might face a very difficult choice: either losing dignity, or risk losing a key partner”.

“Today is one of the most difficult moments in our history,” Zelensky added, pledging to work “constructively” with the Americans on the plan.

On Saturday, Zelensky announced that his head of office, Andriy Yermak, would lead Ukraine’s negotiating team for future talks on a peace deal, including any that may involve Russia.

“Our representatives know how to defend Ukraine’s national interests and exactly what must be done to prevent Russia from launching a third invasion, another strike against Ukraine,” the president said in a video statement posted on social media.

Kyiv is critically dependent on deliveries of US-made advanced weaponry, including air defence systems to repel deadly Russian air assaults, as well as intelligence provided by Washington.

Putin on Friday confirmed Moscow had received the US plan – but said it had not been discussed with the Kremlin in detail.

He added Moscow was willing to “show flexibility” – but was also prepared to fight on.

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

In recent months, Russian troops have been slowly advancing in Ukraine’s south-eastern region – despite reported heavy combat casualties.

Chancellor Rachel Reeves is expected to give Sir Sadiq Khan and other civic chiefs the authority to do so through the English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill, which is currently going through Parliament.

Sir Sadiq has been vocal in calling for such powers to be devolved, with estimates suggesting a tourist tax in London could raise up to £240m a year.

In 2024, London saw 89 million overnight stays.

Currently, England is the only country among the G7 (Group of Seven) – the world’s seven largest so-called “advanced” economies – where national government prevents local authorities or mayors from implementing tourist levies.

Scotland and Wales have both recently introduced different types of taxes on overnight visitors, with local authorities in the former able to set their own levy as a percentage rate of the daily bill for accommodation.

From 2026, Welsh authorities will be able to collect £1.30 per night from visitors.

How would it work in London?

The Greater London Authority (GLA) recently asked the Centre for Cities thinktank to probe promising areas for further devolution in the capital.

In a briefing released last week, the authors noted that three types of tourist levy exist across the G7 primary cities – Paris, Munich, Milan, Toronto, New York, and Tokyo.

New York City and Toronto impose percentage rate levies on stays, with the former raising £493m every year with a £14.86 average nightly rate per visitor.

Tokyo has a single flat fee for all bookings, which raises just £35m despite the Japanese capital having the highest number of overnight stays of any primary city.

In France and Italy, the amount paid depends on the location, type of accommodation and official “star rating”.

London would be more suited to either a percentage or flat fee system, the authors suggested, as Britain “lacks a statutory national ‘star’ system for hotels present in France and Italy”.

The GLA previously estimated in 2017 that a £1 a day levy, including international visitors, could raise £91m, and that a 5% levy could raise £240m.

The Centre for Cities briefing also concluded that “London is unlikely to see a significant drop in visitors if it introduces a levy at a rate comparable to peer primary cities”.

This is due to research showing that visitors are less sensitive to levies in more popular destinations.

Would London benefit?

The Centre for Cities suggests that, if implemented effectively, a tourist levy would boost both economic growth and improve infrastructure and the business environment in London.

The mayor having control over the tax rate and use of revenues would also allow them to reduce or increase rates more swiftly in response to visitor patterns, it reported. It cites Toronto increasing theirs ahead of next year’s World Cup in North America.

Andrew Carter, chief executive of Centre for Cities, said: “The model the government should adopt is already underway in Scotland, where Edinburgh, Glasgow and Aberdeen are introducing levies valued at a percentage rate on overnight stays in hotels, B&Bs and short-let accommodation.”

He said a “key benefit” of that approach was that it was “flexible”, and the rate could rise and fall depending on the demand for overnight stays.

“A tourist levy would benefit the capital’s tourist economy, provided the revenues go to local government – ideally split between City Hall and the boroughs – and are not ring-fenced by central government for specific purposes,” Mr Carter added.

“Hopefully, introducing a tourist levy is the start of a bigger programme of devolving tax and spending powers to the capital. London is the most productive big city in the UK, and devolving more fiscal powers would give the capital more policy tools to accelerate growth in the economy.”

What does the hospitality sector think?

Kate Nicholls, chair of UK Hospitality, the trade body for the hospitality industry, called the idea “shocking”.

She said: “Overseas visitors are incredibly important to central London but across London as a whole, this is builders coming to work, businesses coming to conferences, it’s families coming for concerts and theatres and going to see family and friends.

“This will have a really big impact on British consumers, it’s a tax on hardworking British families having a short break in London and it will deter visitors from coming in.”

She added: “VAT rate in England and Wales and Scotland is 20% and that is really significant – it’s a tax on a tax.

“Our customers are already paying the highest tax. Customers can vote with their feet, if we tax them out of coming to London, then we will tax the London economy out of jobs, growth and investment.”

Would London’s boroughs support it?

Westminster, which is home to many of the capital’s famous landmarks including Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament and Buckingham Palace, has been campaigning for an overnight stay levy for “many many years”, its council leader said.

Adam Hug said: “We have a daytime population of over a million compared to a night-time population of about 200,000 and that means our local council tax payers are helping to subsidise things for the rest of London.

“So something through an overnight stay levy that helps redress that balance would be enormously welcome and enable us to do more creative things in the future.”

The Labour councillor added: “There are huge pressures at the moment both on local councils and the government, so this small measure is unlikely to significantly affect consumer behaviour but what it would do is give local councils an important revenue stream to support the local economy.”

Other councils, including Southwark and Brent, have also been in support of introducing such a levy.

What does Sir Sadiq think?

The mayor’s office appeared to welcome the proposed changes but said they would not comment on “speculation” and would wait before making any concrete preparations.

A spokesperson for the mayor of London told the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS): “The mayor has been clear that a modest tourist levy, similar to other international cities, would boost our economy, deliver growth and help cement London’s reputation as a global tourism and business destination.”

What’s next?

While the chancellor is widely expected to announce the move in the coming months, nothing has yet been formalised.

A Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government spokesperson told the LDRS: “We are always open to hearing views from local leaders on issues like this.

“Places can already choose to introduce a levy on overnight stays through the Accommodation Business Improvement District (ABID) model.”

Richmond Council is looking into creating an ABID for the borough, which is home to attractions such as Hampton Court Palace and Kew Gardens. It is understood that if a London-wide tourist levy was introduced, any existing local schemes would likely be scrapped.

It will highlight tangible areas of collaboration, including sustainable climate-smart development, education, innovation, inclusive sports, and the Commonwealth. 

In Aburi, His Royal Highness will visit a Kindergarten and a teaching student class at the Presbyterian Women’s College of Education.

He will observe how Sabre Education has supported the Government of Ghana to deliver a play-based teaching and learning programme that is equipping Ghanaian teachers with the skills to provide better early childhood education.

The UK has supported Ghana on this journey to ensure universal access to quality early childhood education. 

 At the iconic nearby Aburi Botanical Gardens, the Duke of Edinburgh will visit a plant nursery, which propagates and preserves flora and serves as a practical learning space for horticultural students.

He will meet with entrepreneurial trailblazers from both the UK and Ghana’s cocoa industry, whose work in artisanal production, sustainable trade, and inclusive growth is helping transform cocoa communities.

The Duke will also plant a tree as a symbolic commitment to sustainability, joining past dignitaries including Her Late Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, and His Majesty King Charles III. 

His Royal Highness will meet participants of the Commonwealth Startup Fellowship Programme Bootcamp in Accra, which brings together entrepreneurs from 24 Commonwealth countries.

Delivered in partnership between the Commonwealth Scholarship Commission in the UK and Imperial College London, the programme supports innovative startups tackling global challenges.

This engagement highlights the UK’s commitment to fostering entrepreneurship, innovation, and inclusive economic growth across the Commonwealth. 

A highlight of the visit will be The Duke’s meeting with Ghana’s Paralympic and sports associations and teams ahead of next year’s Commonwealth Games in Glasgow.

This event underscores the transformative power of inclusive sports not only for physical well-being but also for character development and social cohesion.

It will highlight Ghana’s leadership as a Commonwealth partner in Africa and reaffirm the shared commitment of both Ghana and the UK to inclusion. 

The Duke will attend a UK-Ghana Theatre and Creative Arts event, which will position the UK as a partner of choice while highlighting Ghana’s dynamic creative sector.

Discussions will focus on opportunities for collaboration in skills development and investment to drive sustainable growth of the sector.

There will also be a special performance of the play, “The Black Star- Teacher of Africa”, by Kofi Adinkra, celebrating Dr Nkrumah’s legacy. The event will showcase how cultural partnerships can spark innovation and deepen UK-Ghana ties. 

His Royal Highness will also call on President John Mahama, President of Ghana, and attend a durbar with the National House of Chiefs, highlighting the enduring bonds between the British Royal Family and Ghana’s traditional leadership.

He will also honour the legacy of Ghana’s first President, Osagyefo Dr Kwame Nkrumah, and his wife, Fathia Nkrumah, by paying his respects at their place of rest in Kwame Nkrumah Memorial Park. 

Speaking ahead of the visit, British High Commissioner, Dr Christian Rogg, said: “His Royal Highness’s visit to Ghana is a celebration of the strong and evolving relationship between the UK and Ghana.

“It’s about recognising our shared values and the real impact of our collaboration from education and climate action to inclusive development and innovation. It also honours Ghana’s vital role and enduring leadership within the Commonwealth.” 

The Duke is also scheduled to undertake a range of engagements that reflect the vibrant living bridge between the UK and Ghana.

These include high-level interactions with government officials, development partners, and engagements with the Ghanaian diaspora, community and business leaders.

The visit will conclude with His Royal Highness attending the King’s Birthday Party at the British High Commissioner’s residence.

This is an annual celebration that brings together key stakeholders from across government, business, civil society, and the diplomatic community to honour the enduring partnership between the UK and Ghana. 

The Christian Association of Nigeria says they have been reunited with their families.

A major military-led search and rescue operation is underway for the remaining 265 children and 12 teachers who were taken with them.

Calling for the release of the abductees, Pope Leo XIV expressed “immense sadness” and urged the authorities to act swiftly.

Authorities in several Nigerian states ordered schools to shut following the mass abduction in Niger and another smaller hostage-taking in Kebbi state on Monday, when 20 pupils were kidnapped from a boarding school.

Orders were given for many schools to close in the states of Kebbi, Niger, Katsina, Yobe and Kwara.

News of the children’s escape brought welcome relief for families and for a country that has been agonising over the fate of hundreds of schoolchildren abducted in Nigeria’s northwest.

According to a Christian group involved in the case, the pupils managed to escape between Friday and Saturday in what is being described as a brave and risky attempt to flee their captors.

The students and teachers were taken from St Mary’s School in Papiri, Niger state. Earlier reports spoke of 303 students and 12 teachers being taken.

Their number surpasses the 276 abducted during the infamous Chibok mass abduction of 2014.

Local police say armed men stormed St Mary’s at around 02:00 (01:00 GMT), abducting students staying there.

Niger state governor Mohammed Umaru Bongo announced on Saturday that all schools in the area would close, warning that it was “not a time for blame game”.

Dominic Adamu, whose daughters attend the school but were not taken, told the BBC: “Everybody is weak… It took everybody by surprise.”

One distressed woman tearfully told the BBC that her nieces, aged six and 13, had been kidnapped, adding: “I just want them to come home.”

The military, police and local vigilantes are searching for the children, combing nearby forests and remote routes believed to have been used by the gunmen.

Authorities in Niger state said St Mary’s School had disregarded an order to close all boarding facilities following intelligence warnings of a heightened risk of attacks. The school has not commented on that allegation.

The kidnapping of people for ransom by criminal gangs, known locally as bandits, has become a major problem in many parts of Nigeria.

The payment of ransoms has been outlawed in an attempt to cut the supply of money to the criminal gangs, but it has had little effect.

On Monday, more than 20 schoolgirls, who the BBC has been told are Muslim, were kidnapped from a boarding school in Kebbi state.

Authorities there have now ordered all secondary schools and colleges to close.

A church was also attacked further south in Kwara state, with two people killed and 38 others abducted.

Nigerian President Bola Tinubu postponed foreign trips – including to this weekend’s G20 summit in South Africa – in order to address the security concerns.

This week’s attacks follows claims by right-wing figures in the US, including President Donald Trump, that Christians are being persecuted in Nigeria.

For months, campaigners and politicians in Washington have been alleging that Islamist militants are systematically targeting Christians. The Nigerian government has dismissed this claim.

Earlier this month, Trump said he would send troops into Nigeria “guns a-blazing” if the African nation’s government “continues to allow the killing of Christians”.

The Nigerian government has called claims that Christians are being persecuted “a gross misrepresentation of reality”.

An official said that “terrorists attack all who reject their murderous ideology – Muslims, Christians and those of no faith alike”.

In the north-east, jihadist groups have been battling the state for more than a decade.

Organisations monitoring violence say most of the victims of these groups are Muslim because most attacks happen in the majority-Muslim north of the country.

In the centre of Nigeria, there are also frequently deadly attacks between herders – who are mostly Muslim – on farmers, who are largely Christian.

However, analysts say these are often motivated by competition for resources, such as water or land, rather than religion.

The militant Islamist group Boko Haram took 276 girls from their school in the town of Chibok in 2014.

The incident drew international attention and sparked a global campaign seeking their return, which included an intervention from then-US First Lady Michelle Obama.

Many have since either escaped or been freed, but as many as 100 remain missing.

Warning: This article contains details some readers may find disturbing.

The mother of an 11-year-old boy murdered as part of a suspected black magic killing four years ago is devastated that no one has yet been brought to justice for his death.

“Today I’m in pain. They killed my child and now there is just silence,” Sallay Kalokoh told BBC Africa Eye, explaining how her son Papayo was found with parts of his body removed, including his vital organs, eyes and one arm.

He had gone out to sell fish at the market and never came back.

His family searched for him for two weeks – and finally found his mutilated corpse at the bottom of a well.

“We always tell our children to be careful. If you are selling, don’t go to a corner or take gifts from strangers. It happens frequently in this country,” Ms Kalokoh said.

This murder in my hometown of Makeni, in central Sierra Leone, has haunted me as we often hear of reports of killings linked to black magic, also known as juju, that are never followed up or properly investigated by the authorities.

In Papayo’s case, the police did not even confirm that it was a “ritual killing” – when a person is murdered so that parts of their body can be used in so-called magic rituals by illicit juju practitioners.

They promise things like prosperity and power to clients who pay large sums in the false belief that human body parts can make such charms more potent.

But with the authorities severely under-resourced – there is only one pathologist in a country that has a population of 8.9 million – it is often impossible to gather the evidence needed to track down the culprits.

Belief in witchcraft is also so deeply ingrained in Sierra Leone, even among many police officers, that there is often a fear of pursuing cases further, and most go unsolved.

But I wanted to find out more about this underground trade in human body parts that leaves tragedy in its wake.

Our BBC Africa Eye team was able to find two people who claimed they were juju practitioners and offered to obtain body parts for ritual purposes.

Both said they were part of much larger networks – and one boasted that he had powerful clients across West Africa. The BBC was unable to verify these claims.

One member of our team went undercover, using the name Osman, to pose as a politician who wanted to achieve power through human sacrifice.

We first travelled to a remote area of Kambia district, in the north of the country near the Guinean border, to meet the juju man in his secret shrine – an area in dense bush where he consulted with his clients.

Calling himself Kanu, he wore a ceremonial red mask covering his whole face to conceal his identity and boasted of his political connections.

“I was working with some big, big politicians in Guinea, Senegal and Nigeria. We have our team. Sometimes during election time, at night, this place is full of people,” he claimed.

Election season is regarded by some as a particularly dangerous time when parents have been warned to take special care of their children because of the heightened risk of abductions.

On a second visit, Kanu became more confident and showed Osman what he said was evidence of his trade – a human skull.

“You see this? This belongs to someone. I dried it for them. It is a woman’s skull. I am expecting the person to pick this up today or tomorrow.”

He also pointed to a pit behind his shrine: “This is where we hang human parts. We slaughter here, and the blood goes down there… Even big chiefs, when they want power, come here. I give them what they want.”

When Osman specified that he wanted limbs from a woman to be used in a ritual, Kanu got down to business: “The price of a woman is 70m leones [£2,500; $3,000].”

Anxious not to put anyone at risk, we did not meet Kanu again. He may have been a scammer, but we handed over our evidence to the local police to investigate further.

Such juju men sometimes refer to themselves as herbalists, the name given to healers who use traditional medicine, often made from local plants, to treat common illnesses.

World Health Organisation data shows that Sierra Leone, which suffered a brutal civil war in the 1990s and was at the centre of the Ebola epidemic a decade ago, had around 1,000 registered doctors in 2022, compared to reported estimates of 45,000 traditional healers.

Most people in the West African nation rely on these healers, who also help with mental health issues and treat their patients in shrines where there is an element of mysticism and spiritualism culturally associated with their craft and the remedies they sell.

Sheku Tarawallie, president of Sierra Leone’s Council of Traditional Healers, is adamant that “diabolic” juju men like Kanu are giving healers a bad name.

“We are trying very hard to clear our image. The ordinary person doesn’t understand, so they class us [all] as bad herbalists. One rotting fish can destroy the batch of fish… We are healers, we are not killers,” he told BBC Africa Eye.

Mr Tarawallie is, in fact, trying to work with the government and another non-governmental organisation to open a traditional medicine clinic to treat patients.

It was those with a lust for power and money who were often behind the ritual killings, he believed.

“When somebody wants to become a leader… they remove parts from human beings. They use that one as a sacrifice. Burn people, use their ashes for power. Use their oil for power.”

The number of ritual killings in Sierra Leone, where most people identify as Muslim or Christian, is not known.

“In most African countries, ritual murders are not officially recorded as a separate or sub-category of homicide,” Emmanuel Sarpong Owusu, a researcher at the UK’s Aberystwyth University, told the BBC.

“Some are misclassified or misreported as accidents, deaths resulting from attacks by wild animals, suicides, natural deaths… Most perpetrators – possibly 90% – are not apprehended.”

When we found another suspected supplier of body parts, he was located in a suburb of the capital, Freetown, called Waterloo, which is notorious for drug abuse and other crime.

“I’m not alone, I have up to 250 herbalists working under my banner,” the man calling himself Idara told Osman, who was again undercover and wearing a secret camera.

“There are no human parts that we don’t work with. Once we call for a specific body part, they bring it. We share the work,” Idara said.

He went on to explain how some of his collaborators were good at capturing people, and on Osman’s second visit, played a voice message from one of them who claimed they were prepared to start going out every night in search of a victim.

Osman told him not to proceed yet but when he later received a call from Idara claiming his team had identified a victim, we contacted Police Commissioner Ibrahim Sama.

He decided to organise a raid – but said his officers would not do so without the involvement of Mr Tarawallie, who often assists the police on such operations.

“When we got intelligence that there is a particular dangerous witchdoctor operating a shrine, we will work with the traditional healers,” said an officer on the raid, Assistant Superintendent Aliu Jallo.

He went on to express the superstitions some officers have about tackling rogue herbalists: “I will not go and provoke situations. I know that they have their own powers that are beyond my knowledge.”

After Idara was captured – discovered hiding in the roof clutching a knife – Mr Tarawallie began searching the property for evidence, saying there were human bones, human hair and piles of what looked like dirt from cemeteries.

This was enough for the police to arrest Idara and two other men, who were charged in June with practising sorcery as well as being in possession of traditional weapons used in ritual killings. They pleaded not guilty to the charges and have since been granted bail, pending further investigations.

As we never heard back from the police in Kambia about Kanu, I tried to call him myself to challenge him about the allegations directly, but he was unreachable.

There are occasions when even high-profile cases appear to stall. Two years ago, a university lecturer went missing in Freetown, and his body was later found buried in what police say was the shrine of a herbalist in Waterloo.

The case was referred in August 2023 by a magistrate to the High Court for trial, but two sources have told the BBC it has not been pursued so far, and those detained by police have been released on bail.

My family is facing similar hurdles in finding justice. In May, during our BBC investigation, my 28-year-old cousin Fatmata Conteh was murdered in Makeni.

A hairdresser and mother of two, her body was dumped the day after her birthday by the side of the road, where a resident told the BBC two other bodies had been found in recent weeks.

Several of her front teeth were missing, leading the community to believe it was a ritual killing.

“She was a lady who never did harm. She was very peaceful and hard-working,” said one mourner as family, friends and colleagues gathered for a big funeral at her local mosque.

We may never know the true motive for Fatmata’s murder. The family paid for her body to be transported to Freetown for an autopsy – something the authorities could not afford to do – but the post-mortem was inconclusive and no arrests have yet been made.

As is the case for Papayo’s mother, the lack of closure and feeling of abandonment by the police fuels fear and terror in poor communities like Makeni.

Additional reporting by Chris Alcock and Luis Barrucho

According to the police, Omoyemen circulated a false claim that she was kIdnapped along Upper Sakponba road in Benin city and later rescued by officers who reportedly detained her at Akpata police station and collected N10,000 as bail.

In a viral video, a voice could be heard in the background urging viewers to follow her page.

The command revealed that after reviewing the video, an investigation confirmed that the kidnapping story was entirely fabricated. During interrogation, the suspect admitted she staged the incident solely to drive online traffic and increase followers.

Yamu noted that the content was misleading, capable of inciting hostility toward the police, and could create unnecessary tension in the state.

He added that the suspect had deleted an earlier video that showed an accomplice in the background encouraging viewers to follow her page, exposing the true motive behind the hoax.

The suspect has been arrested, charged to court while efforts continue to locate her accomplices to face legal action.

The police also issued a warning against creating or spreading fake news that could disturb peace and security in the state.

The Vietnamese government says 186,000 homes have been damaged across the country, with more than three million livestock swept away. Officials estimate there has been hundreds of millions of pounds worth of damage.

The mountainous province of Dak Lak has been severely impacted, recording more than 60 deaths since 16 November, according to news agency AFP.

The floods are the latest extreme weather event to hit Vietnam in recent months, after typhoons Kalmaegi and Bualoi hit the country within weeks of each other.

Some 258,000 people were without power on Sunday morning and sections of major motorways and train tracks were blocked, officials said.

Military and police resources have been mobilised to assist in the hardest hit areas.

The government said the most severe impacts had been observed in five provinces – Quang Ngai, Gia Lai, Dak Lak, Khanh Hoa, and Lam Dong – clustered in south and south-central Vietnam.

Mach Van Si, a farmer in Dak Lak, told AFP: “Our neighbourhood was completely destroyed. Nothing was left. Everything was covered in mud.”

Prime Minister Phạm Minh Chính chaired a virtual emergency meeting on Sunday morning from South Africa, where he had been attending the G20 summit.

Rainfall had exceeded 1.5m (5ft) in several areas leading up to Friday, with some areas surpassing a 5.2m level not seen since 1993. The rain is forecast to ease in the coming days.

Scientists say that Vietnam has been left more exposed to extreme weather events by human-driven climate change, which has made typhoons stronger and more frequent.

In an official communication dated 14th November 2025, ECOWAS conveyed its decision to dispatch an 80-member observation team to Guinea-Bissau from 19th to 26th November 2025.

The mission will consist of experts drawn from foreign ministries, electoral commissions, ECOWAS Ambassadors, the Council of the Wise, ECOWAS Court of Justice, civil society organisations, media practitioners, and other electoral specialists across the sub-region.

The appointment recognises Ambassador Kamara’s extensive diplomatic and security expertise, spanning more than four decades of public service to Ghana and West Africa. A former National Security Advisor, he has served in several high-level roles, including Ghana’s High Commissioner to Nigeria (with concurrent accreditation to Cameroon, Chad, and São Tomé & Príncipe) and Ghana’s Permanent Representative to the ECOWAS Commission from 2009–2012.

He also served as Senior Presidential Advisor before assuming the role of National Security Advisor between 2013 and 2017.

Ambassador Kamara is widely recognised as a respected statesman with deep insight into peace, security, democracy, and governance across West Africa. His experience in election observation includes serving as Deputy Head of the ECOWAS Observation Mission for Nigeria’s 2023 Presidential Elections, as well as participating in election monitoring exercises in Togo and Côte d’Ivoire.

Currently, Ambassador Kamara holds the position of Special Envoy for Counterterrorism for ECOWAS, a role to which he was appointed in July 2023 by the Authority of Heads of State and Government, in recognition of his depth of experience in regional security and diplomacy.

Ambassador Kamara’s leadership is expected to strengthen ECOWAS’ commitment to promoting credible, transparent, and peaceful elections in Guinea-Bissau as part of its broader mandate to uphold democracy and good governance in the region.

President Mahama appoints Kwame Griffiths as Deputy MD of Cocoa Processing…

The directive was issued through a circular dated November 21, 2025, from the Federal Ministry of Education.

According to the document, the Minister of Education, Tunji Alausa, approved the shutdown following “recent security challenges” in parts of the country and the need to prevent breaches.

The circular asked principals of affected schools to enforce the closure without delay. The 41 schools are in states across the North-West, North-East, North-Central, and parts of the South.

“Sequel to the recent security challenges in some parts of the country and the need to prevent any security breaches, the Honourable Minister of Education has approved the immediate closure of the listed Federal Unity Colleges (FUCs) with immediate effect. Principals of affected Colleges are to ensure strict compliance,” the circular, signed by the Director of Senior Secondary Education, Hajia Abdulkadir, on behalf of the Minister, read in part.

See the full list:

1. FGGC MINJIBIR

2. FTC GANDUJE

3. FGGC ZARIA

4. FTC KAFANCHAN

5. FGGC BAKORI

6. FTC DAYI

7. FGC DAURA

8. FGGC TAMBUWAL

9. FSC SOKOTO

10. FTC WURNO

11. FGC GUSAU

12. FGC ANKA

13. FGGC GWANDU

14. FGC BIRNIN YAURI

15. FTC ZURU

16. FGGC KAZAURE

17. FGC KIYAWA

18. FTC HADEJIA

19. FGGC BIDA

20. FGC NEW-BUSSA

21. FTC KUTA-SHIRORO

22. FGA SULEJA

23. FGC ILORIN

24. FGGC OMUARAN

25. FTC GWANARA

26. FGC UGWOLAWO

27. FGGC KABBA

28. FTC OGUGU

29. FGGC BWARI

30. FGC RUBOCHI

31. FGGC ABAJI

32. FGGC POTISKUM

33. FGC BUNI YADI

34. FTC GASHUA

35. FTC MICHIKA

36. FGC GANYE

37. FGC AZARE

38. FTC MISAU

39. FGGC BAJOGA

40. FGC BILLIRI

41. FTC ZAMBUK

Renewed Attacks on Schools

The closure comes on the heels of rising security threats across the country, with two mass abductions of students taking place in recent days.

In Niger State, gunmen attacked St. Mary’s Primary and Secondary School in Papiri on Friday, abducting an unspecified number of students. Witnesses said that the attackers rode over 60 motorcycles and shot the school’s gatekeeper, who sustained serious injuries.

Before that, assailants had seized 25 schoolgirls during an attack on a school in Maga town, Kebbi State.

Meanwhile, the rising tension sparked a rumour of the abduction of students in Nasarawa, claims police authorities in the state immediately dismissed.

The Nasarawa State Police Command described the report that two pupils were taken from St. Peter’s Academy in Rukubi as “false and not reflective of the true state of affairs”.

In response to the escalating threats, President Bola Tinubu directed the Minister of State for Defence, Bello Matawalle, to relocate to Kebbi to oversee rescue operations.

Tinubu also postponed his planned trips to Johannesburg and Angola. The surge in school attacks and kidnappings has intensified insecurity across northern states, prompting urgent calls for coordinated action.

The renewed abduction of students is the latest in a series of kidnappings in learning institutions, dating back to 2014 when students were taken away in Chibok, Borno State.

Since then, there have been mass abductions of students across the country, especially in northern Nigeria.

Global bodies, including the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), have repeatedly condemned the kidnapping of students, asking Nigerian authorities to prioritise the safety of learners.

Addressing the nation on Friday, Zelensky said Ukraine “might face a very difficult choice: either losing dignity, or risk losing a key partner”, adding that “today is one of the most difficult moments in our history”.

The widely leaked US peace plan includes proposals that Kyiv had previously ruled out: ceding eastern areas it now controls, significantly cutting its army size, and pledging not to join Nato.

These provisions are seen as heavily slanted towards Russia, whose President Vladimir Putin said the plan could be a “basis” for peace settlement.

At Friday’s meeting with his security cabinet, Putin said Moscow had received the plan, which had not been discussed with the Kremlin in detail. He said Russia was willing to “show flexibility” but was also prepared to fight on.

Later in the day, US President Donald Trump said Zelensky would “have to like” the plan, adding that otherwise Ukraine and Russia would continue fighting.

Ukraine is critically dependent on deliveries of US-made advanced weaponry, including air defence systems to repel deadly Russian air assaults, as well as intelligence provided by Washington.

Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

In his 10-minute address in front of the presidential office in Kyiv, Zelensky warned that Ukraine would face “a lot of pressure… to weaken us, to divide us”, adding that “the enemy is not sleeping”.

Urging Ukrainians to stay united, he stressed that the country’s “national interest must be taken into account”.

“We’re not making loud statements,” he went on, “we’ll be calmly working with America and all the partners… offering alternatives” to the proposed peace plan.

Zelensky also said he had been reassured of continuous support during a phone call with UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz.

Sir Keir said late on Friday that Ukraine’s allies remained committed to securing “a just and lasting peace once and for all”.

Ahead of the G20 summit, which begins on Saturday in South Africa, the prime minister said he and other world leaders would “discuss the current proposal on the table, and in support of President Trump’s push for peace, look at how we can strengthen this plan for the next phase of negotiations”.

Trump is not attending the gathering over widely discredited claims that white people are being persecuted in the country.

Separately, Zelensky said he had spoken “for almost an hour” with US Vice-President JD Vance and Army Secretary Dan Driscoll, adding that Ukraine “always respected” Trump’s efforts to end the war.

In Washington, Trump warned that Ukraine would lose more territory to Russia “in a short amount of time”.

He said it was “appropriate” to give Ukraine until 27 November – Thanksgiving in the US – to agree to the peace deal, but added deadlines could be extended if things were “going well”.

Speaking at the White House on Friday, the US president said “we think we have a way of getting peace”, adding that Zelensky “is going to have to approve it”.

Washington has been pressing Kyiv to quickly accept the plan, and sent senior Pentagon officials to the Ukrainian capital earlier this week.

On Thursday, Putin sounded determined to continue the war despite reported heavy Russian combat casualties.

“We have our tasks, our goals,” the Kremlin leader, wearing a military uniform, told his army commanders. “The chief one is the unconditional achievement of the aims of the special military operation [full-scale war].”

The 28-point US peace plan emerged as Russia claims small territorial gains in south-eastern Ukraine, while Zelensky faces a domestic crisis implicating top officials in a $100m (£76m) corruption scandal.

The White House has pushed back on claims that Ukraine was frozen out of the drafting of the proposal, following meetings between US special envoy Steve Witkoff and Russian counterpart Kirill Dmitriev.

An unnamed US official told CBS News, the BBC’s US partner, that the plan was drawn up “immediately” following discussions with Ukraine’s top security official Rustem Umerov, who agreed to the majority of it.

Umerov is said to have made several modifications before he presented it to Zelensky.

The leaked draft proposes Ukrainian troops’ withdrawal from the part of the eastern Donetsk region that they currently control, and de facto Russian control of Donetsk, as well as the neighbouring Luhansk region and the southern Crimea peninsula annexed by Russia in 2014.

The plan also includes freezing the borders of Ukraine’s southern Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions along the current battle lines. Both regions are partially occupied by Russia.

The US plan also limits Ukraine’s military to 600,000 personnel, with European fighter jets stationed in neighbouring Poland.

Kyiv would receive “reliable security guarantees”, the plan says, although no details have been given. The document says “it is expected” that Russia will not invade its neighbours and that Nato will not expand further.

The draft also suggests Russia will be “reintegrated into the global economy”, through the lifting of sanctions and by inviting Russia to rejoin the G7 group of the world’s most powerful countries – making it the G8 again.

Ukrainians both under and free of Russian occupation struck a defiant tone in reaction to news of the US proposal.

In Kyiv, the widow of a Ukrainian soldier told the BBC: “This is not a peace plan, it is a plan to continue the war.”

Another person speaking from one of the occupied territories in Ukraine told the BBC: “I’m trying to keep my sanity here in the conditions of constant propaganda that Ukraine has forgotten us. I hope they will not sign this.”

Russia currently controls about 20% of Ukrainian territory and its troops have been making slow advances along the vast front line, despite reported heavy losses.

The epicentre of the earthquake was close to the Narsingdi district, about 30 kilometres (18.6 miles) from the capital, Dhaka.

People rushed from residential buildings as buildings shook and makeshift structures collapsed. At least 10 students were injured in a stampede as they tried to leave Dhaka University on Friday.

“We have never experienced an earthquake this powerful in the last five years,” said the country’s environmental adviser Syeda Rizwana Hasan.

At least three people were killed when a railing and debris fell from a five-storey building in Dhaka’s Armanitola area, deputy police commissioner Mallik Ahsan Uddin Sami said.

Nitai Chandra De Sarkar, director of the department’s monitoring division, said 461 people have been reported injured across the country, including 252 in the Gazipur district, north of Dhaka.

Sarker told the BBC: “Our main task at the moment is to assess casualties and damage. We are not yet seeing the challenge of rescue from the rubble or debris management at that level.”

Bengali Sadman Sakib told Reuters news agency: “I have never felt such tremor in my 30 years of life. We were at the office when the furniture started shaking.

“We rushed down the stairs on the street and saw other people on the road already.”

A student called Abdullah, who was sleeping at the time of the earthquake, told Reuters the “whole building was shaking”.

Tremors were felt in eastern Indian states bordering Bangladesh, but there were no reports of major damage.

The earthquake caused Ireland’s second cricket test match in Bangladesh to stop temporarily.

Coaches and players not involved gathered at the boundary, while those in the stands took shelter. The game was stopped for three minutes but play soon resumed.

Ireland’s head coach Heinrich Malan said: “I’ve been involved in a couple of earthquakes from my time living in New Zealand.

“It’s never a nice feeling and you’re trying to understand what is happening in the moment around you, but also the bigger impacts about where the earthquake struck.

“Everything stood still for a couple of minutes and we got back to business, but we’re thinking of everyone and hoping there wasn’t too much damage done.”

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The latest attack targeted St Mary’s School in Papiri, Niger state, where authorities had already ordered the temporary closure of all boarding schools due to rising security threats.

Details remain unclear but residents fear that close to 100 students and staff may have been taken away during the early-morning raid.

Nigeria has faced a renewed wave of attacks by armed groups in recent days, including the kidnapping on Monday of more than 20 schoolgirls, who the BBC has been told are Muslim, from a boarding school in neighbouring Kebbi state.

A church was also attacked in the south-western Kwara state, with two people killed and 38 abducted while the service was being broadcast online.

Police said armed men – locally known as bandits – stormed St Mary’s School on Friday at about 02:00 local time (01:00 GMT) and abducted an unconfirmed number of students from their hostel.

Fear and uncertainty have gripped the area as families wait for news.

The authorities in Niger state said the school had disregarded an order to close all boarding facilities following intelligence warnings of a heightened risk of attacks.

“Regrettably, St Mary’s School proceeded to reopen and resume academic activities without notifying or seeking clearance from the state government, thereby exposing pupils and the staff to avoidable risk,” they said in a statement.

The school has not commented.

The police said that security agencies were “combing the forests with a view to rescue the abducted students”.

The attack follows claims by US President Donald Trump that Christians are being persecuted in Nigeria, an allegation dismissed by the Nigerian government.

Earlier this month, Trump said he would send troops into Nigeria “guns a-blazing” if its government “continues to allow the killing of Christians”.

The Nigerian government has pushed back on these claims, describing them as “a gross misrepresentation of reality”.

An official said that “terrorists attack all who reject their murderous ideology – Muslims, Christians and those of no faith alike”.

Nigeria is currently grappling multiple overlapping security crises.

The country’s 220 million people are roughly evenly split between followers of the two religions, with Muslims in the majority in the north.

The kidnapping of people for ransom by criminal gangs, known locally as bandits, has become a major problem in many parts of the country.

In the north-east, jihadist groups have been battling the state for more than a decade. Organisations monitoring violence say most of the victims of these groups are Muslim because most attacks happen in the north.

In the centre of the country, there are also frequently deadly attacks between herders, who are mostly Muslim, on farmers, who are largely Christian. However, analysts say these are often motivated by competition for resources such as water or land, rather than religion.

Local media report that the kidnappers have demanded a ransom for those abducted from the church in Eruku, Kwara state.

The payment of ransoms has been outlawed in an attempt to cut the supply of money to the criminal gangs but to little effect.

Two of the schoolgirls abducted on Monday in Maga, Kebbi state have managed to escape, while 23 are still missing. Two people were killed in that attack. They were both Muslim.

President Bola Tinubu this week postponed his foreign trips to address the rising wave of attacks across Africa’s most populous country.

READ ALSO:

A massive operation has been launched to find the men who robbed the van in the heart of Bengaluru city in daylight.

The robbery occurred on Wednesday afternoon. Six men in an SUV stopped a cash transport van on a busy road as it was moving money between bank branches, Bengaluru police commissioner Seemant Kumar Singh told the BBC.

The van was carrying a driver, a cash custodian and two armed security guards.

Mr Singh says the robbers told the people in the van that they were officials from the Reserve Bank of India and needed to verify if they had the correct documents to transport such a huge amount of money.

The gang told the cash custodian and guards to leave their weapons in the van and get into the SUV, while the driver was instructed to continue driving with the cash, police said.

The SUV followed the cash van for a few kilometres before the gang forced the driver out of the van, made the cash custodian and guards get out of the SUV, transferred the cash at gunpoint, and fled.

The area had little CCTV coverage, and police are investigating if the gang used multiple vehicles in the operation.

The cash transportation service company has filed a police complaint.

The SUV used in the heist had a fake number plate and a sticker that read “Government of India”, a police official told the BBC on condition of anonymity.

The official added that police were also investigating if the company employees had anything to do with the heist.

Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah told reporters that police have recovered the SUV used in the heist.

But Home Minister G Parameshwara has said that it is not yet clear which vehicle the suspects had used to escape.

“It was verified that they changed vehicles and moved the money,” he told reporters.

He said he was confident police would solve the case soon, as they had with other recent high-profile bank robberies in Karnataka.

In May, 59kg of gold worth 532.6m rupees was stolen from a Vijayapura district bank using a duplicate locker key. Police have since recovered 39kg of gold and some cash, and arrested 15 people, including two former employees.

The Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood has announced the qualifying period for indefinite leave to remain will be extended from five to 10 years, and will apply to the estimated 2.6 million who arrived since 2021.

The changes will not apply to people who have already obtained a settlement.

Mahmood said becoming part of the UK was “not a right but a privilege – and one that must be earned”.

The package is the latest in a string of changes to the immigration system announced by Mahmood over the past week.

Settlement, also known as Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR), allows someone to live in the UK permanently, work without restrictions and access public services. It is also a key step towards British citizenship.

Currently, most work and family visa holders can apply for settlement after five years.

Under the proposed changes the standard wait will be 10 years – with a range of criteria that would lengthen or shorten that period.

• Legal migrants who claim benefits for less than 12 months will have to wait 15 years
• People who arrived on post-Brexit health and social care visas would have to wait 15 years, up from five year currently
• Migrants reliant on benefits for more than 12 months face a 20-year wait for settlement, four times more than the current period and the longest in Europe

There is also a reduction to three years for applicants who earn £125,140 in the three years prior to applying for settlement, with this reduced to five years for anyone earning £50,270.

Time spent volunteering and competency in the English language are also factors which could reduce the wait.

Announcing the changes in the Commons, Mahmood said: “Migration will always be a vital part of Britain’s story.

“But the scale of arrivals in recent years has been unprecedented.”

Conservative shadow home secretary Chris Philp accused Labour of “copying and pasting” policies from his party that it had previously “voted against”.

Philp said his part would support the changes, but warned the new system could create loopholes and urged ministers to adopt a migration cap.

Reform UK did not respond to the statement in the Commons. But the party has previously announced it would abolish ILR – replacing it with visas that migrants must reapply for every five years.

That includes hundreds of thousands of migrants currently in the UK.

Home Office figures show net migration added 2.6 million people to UK population between 2021 and 2024.

Because of this, settlement grants are also expected to spike over the next five years, with around 1.6 million people forecast to settle between 2026 and 2030.

Ministers plan to introduce an “earned settlement” system, requiring migrants to demonstrate social integration, economic contribution and good “character” before being granted settled status.

Applicants will need to meet stricter minimum requirements including the equivalent to A-level standard English language, a clean criminal record and earning above £12,570 a year for at least three years.

There will be accelerated routes for those who make an “outsized contribution” to the UK.

Doctors and nurses working in the NHS will be able to settle after five years. The “brightest and best” international talent could have settlement fast-tracked, with high earners and entrepreneurs able to stay after just three years.

Family members will not gain automatic status when the main applicant qualifies. Children who came to the UK under the age of 18 may settle with parents, but older dependants could face separate requirements.

Existing fast-track routes for victims of domestic abuse, bereaved partners and resettled refugees will remain.

Public service union Unison said the changes would be “devastating to thousands of essential workers” and put services at risk.

Christina McAnea, Unison’s general secretary, said: “Forcing staff, many of whom stepped up during Covid, to wait 15 years for certainty about their futures betrays the promises they were made.”

Ms McAnea warned the government not to “overlook the care workers, nursing assistants and school support staff from overseas” as without them “care services would collapse”.

The changes build on measures first set out in the government’s May white paper.

The government plan to roll out changes from spring 2026, after a consultation ends on 12 February.

On Monday, Mahmood announced a sweeping overhaul of the UK’s asylum system – including plans to end permanent refugee status and replace it with temporary status subject to review every 30 months.

Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick is accused of laundering some of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) money into her 2021 election campaign.

The 46-year-old Democrat is under investigation by the House of Representatives Ethics Committee and could be expelled from the chamber. Attorney General Pam Bondi called it a “particularly selfish, cynical crime”.

In a statement, Ms Cherfilus-McCormick – who was elected to Congress in 2022 – maintained she was innocent and vowed to clear her name. She faces up to 53 years in prison if convicted.

The fraud was allegedly carried out through a healthcare company operated by the congresswoman and her brother, Edwin Cherfilus, 51, now co-accused.

Ms Cherfilus-McCormick was chief executive of the family firm, Trinity Healthcare Services, at the time.

The company had won a Fema contract to register people for Covid vaccines, but in July 2021 it received an overpayment of $5m in federal funds, according to the justice department.

The siblings allegedly tried to disguise the money’s source by routing it through several accounts and eventually used “a substantial portion” on her congressional campaign.

Ms Cherfilus-McCormick and another person named in the indictment allegedly diverted funds from the Fema contract to friends and relatives, who donated the money back to her campaign as personal contributions, prosecutors said.

“No-one is above the law, least of all powerful people who rob taxpayers for personal gain,” the attorney general said.

“We will follow the facts in this case and deliver justice.”

A federal grand jury in Miami approved the indictment on Wednesday.

Ms Cherfilus-McCormick said in a statement: “This is an unjust, baseless, sham indictment – and I am innocent.”

She added: “I am deeply grateful for the support of my district, and I remain confident that the truth will prevail.”

Her lawyers, David Oscar Markus, Margot Moss, and Melissa Madrigal, said in a statement: “We will fight to clear her good name.”

Ms Cherfilus-McCormick is also under investigation by the House Ethics Committee.

The Office of Congressional Conduct said in its referral that she “may have requested community project funding that would be directed to a for-profit entity”.

On Thursday, a Florida Republican congressman, Greg Steube, said he would introduce a resolution to expel Ms Cherfilus-McCormick.

“Defrauding the federal government and disaster victims of $5 million is an automatic disqualifier from serving in elected office,” he said in a social media post.

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He has been given four life sentences, along with other terms, to be served concurrently. The prosecution had called for the death penalty but Judge James Omotosho said that executions were now “frowned upon”.

In his ruling he said he was satisfied that Kanu had made a series of broadcasts to incite violence and killings, as part of his campaign for a separate state in south-east Nigeria, known as Biafra.

Kanu was convicted on all seven charges he faced. As well as terrorism, they included treason and involvement with an outlawed movement.

Kanu always denied the charges and challenged the court’s jurisdiction. At the start of the trial he sacked his lawyers but refused to defend himself.

He was not in court when the verdict was delivered, after being removed for unruly behaviour.

Security around the courthouse in the capital, Abuja, was tightened ahead of the verdict in case of protests by Kanu’s supporters.

Once a relatively obscure figure, he came to national prominence in 2009 when he started Radio Biafra, a station that called for an independent state for the Igbo people, broadcast to Nigeria from London.

Though he grew up in south-eastern Nigeria, where he attended the University of Nsukka, Kanu moved to the UK before graduating and acquired British nationality.

In 2014, he set up the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), a movement demanding independence.

IPOB was banned as a terrorist organisation in 2017. Its armed wing – the Eastern Security Network – has been accused of killings and other acts of violence in recent years.

Delivering his judgement, Justice Omotosho said: “Mr Kanu knew what he was doing, he was bent on carrying out these threats without consideration to his own people.

“From the incontroverted evidence, it is clear that the defendant carried out a preparatory act of terrorism.

“He had the duty to explain himself, but failed to do so.”

Kanu is a popular figure in his movement’s heartland in south-eastern Nigeria, but reaction to the verdict there has so far been muted.

In court ahead of the ruling, Kanu insisted that proceedings could not continue because he had not yet filed his final written address, accusing the judge of bias and not understanding the law.

The judgment was delivered after Kanu had been forcibly removed from the courtroom for unruly behaviour.

He was first arrested in October 2015 but he jumped bail in 2017 and left the country after a military raid on his home. The court later revoked his bail in March 2019.

Two years later, the government announced that he had been re-arrested. His lawyers say he was detained in Kenya and forcibly returned to Nigeria. Kenya has not commented.

In 2022, an appeal court ordered that the charges against him be dropped, saying he had been illegally arrested abroad, but this ruling was overturned by the Supreme Court the following year.

The calls for Biafran independence date back many years.

In 1967, Igbo leaders declared a Biafran state, but after a brutal civil war, which led to the deaths of up to a million people, the secessionist rebellion was defeated.

Many Igbo people continue to feel that they are marginalised by the Nigerian state; however, it is not clear how many are in favour of independence.

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The initiative forms part of an accelerated effort to bolster regional security as extremist violence expands beyond traditional hotspots.

President of the ECOWAS Commission, Dr. Alieu Omar Touray, revealed the plan while addressing the United Nations Security Council during a high-level discussion in New York on strengthening cooperation against terrorism in West Africa and the Sahel.

Dr. Touray disclosed that early-warning systems in the region have recorded 450 terrorist attacks and nearly 2,000 deaths in 2025 alone, underscoring the severity of the crisis. He cautioned that terrorist activity, once concentrated in the Sahel and Lake Chad Basin, has now spread across the wider West African subregion, posing a direct threat to regional stability.

He also warned that violent extremist groups are increasingly engaging in “economic warfare,” deliberately targeting critical infrastructure by restricting fuel supplies, disrupting trade corridors, and destabilising local economies to weaken states and entrench their influence.

“To confront the escalating violence, ECOWAS is fast-tracking the deployment of its standby force, starting with 1,650 troops, with plans to scale up to 5,000 personnel through additional contributions from member states and support from international partners,” he said.

However, Dr. Touray noted that significant challenges remain. Fragmented national responses, mistrust among neighbouring states, weak intelligence-sharing frameworks, and limited operational coordination continue to hamper regional counterterrorism efforts.

He appealed to the UN Security Council to support initiatives aimed at restoring trust among member states, securing predictable and sustainable funding, and strengthening collaborative mechanisms in the fight against terrorism.

Dr. Touray stressed that ECOWAS’ ability to tackle the growing insurgency would depend on unified political will and deeper international partnerships to prevent further deterioration of security across West Africa.

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Eswatini is among several African nations that agreed to receive third-country deportees as part of President Donald Trump’s crackdown on illegal immigration. Others include South Sudan, Ghana and Rwanda.

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Details of the agreements have not been disclosed, and Eswatini’s government is facing a lawsuit from human rights lawyers who claim the secretive deal was unconstitutional.

Finance Minister Neal Rijkenberg confirmed the $5.1 million figure in a text message but declined to give further details, saying the transaction was handled by the prime minister and that he was unaware of it until afterwards.

Reuters has seen an unverified copy of the agreement which both governments have so far declined to comment on.

The document, signed on May 14 in Eswatini’s capital Mbabane, said that the U.S. would provide Eswatini with $5.1 million to “build its border and migration management capacity” and that in exchange, Eswatini would accept up to 160 third-country deportees.

“We have no comment on the details of our diplomatic communications with other governments,” a U.S. State Department spokesperson said, adding that implementing the Trump administration’s immigration policies was a top priority.

The U.S. has sent at least 15 immigrants to Eswatini so far, from countries including Vietnam, Cuba, Laos, Yemen and the Philippines. They are imprisoned there, except for one who was repatriated to Jamaica.

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Gnassingbe, whose family has ruled Togo since 1967, was invited to visit Russia by Putin, according to a statement from Togo.

“Their Excellencies will hold a one-on-one meeting focused on strengthening bilateral cooperation, particularly in the fields of diplomacy, economy, trade, agriculture, energy, training, and food security,” it said.

Russia’s growing clout in Africa, including in countries such as Angola, Central African Republic, Equatorial Guinea, Libya, Madagascar, Mali and Mozambique, is viewed with concern by Western European states and the United States.

Russia sells grain to Togo. Russia is the world’s second-largest fertiliser producer behind China and the largest global exporter of fertiliser.

A spate of environmental and anti-government protests prompted by a worsening economic crisis and disruptions in public services has posed the biggest challenge to President Kais Saied since he seized all power in 2021.

“We are exhausted, underpaid and working in a system that is breaking down,” said Marwa, who declined to give her surname, while attending a protest rally in the capital Tunis with hundreds of other doctors.

“If nothing changes, more doctors will leave and the crisis will only deepen,” she added.

The protesters, wearing white coats, brandished placards that read “Dignity for doctors” and “Save our hospitals” as they gathered near Tunisia’s parliament.

As well as low wages, the protesters complained of outdated equipment and shortages of essential medical supplies, factors which they said were fuelling a growing exodus of young health professionals to Europe and the Gulf.

“As long as the authorities ignore our demands, we will continue to escalate, resist and lead the social movement in the country,” Wajih Dhakkar, head of the Young Doctors’ Organisation, told Reuters.

The Health Ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

President Saied has accused what he describes as conspirators and infiltrators of fabricating crises in various sectors in order to undermine the state.

Tunisia has seen strikes over pay by transport workers and bank employees in recent months, while the southern city of Gabes has been a focal point of protests over a pollution crisis blamed on a state-owned chemical plant.

Officials said the Queen Jenuvia 2 is stuck on a reef and unable to move, but there is currently no risk of it sinking or capsizing.

The accident happened near Jangsan Island in Sinan County on Wednesday evening local time. The vessel ran aground on rocks near the uninhabited island of Jogdo.

Twenty-seven people sustained minor injuries from the impact of the grounding, the Coast Guard said, but there have been no other casualties.

Some passengers described the incident in real time on social media.

“There was a loud bang, and then the ship tilted,” one was quoted as saying by South Korea’s Yonhap news agency.

“An announcement told everyone to put on life jackets, so we’re wearing them and waiting on the top deck.”

The 26,000-tonne ferry was travelling to the port city of Mokpo after departing from the resort island of Jeju, officials said.

The area is near the site of the sinking of the Sewol ferry in 2014 that killed more than 300 people, mostly school children heading for a school trip.

The salvaged wreck of the Sewol ferry was brought to Mokpo nearly three years later.

Kim Namhyun, a diving instructor on Jeju Island, told Reuters: “I thought I might die. The sound was too loud.

“But having seen the Sewol ferry, I knew that in situations like this, you have to stay calm, move outside, wear a life jacket, and wait.”

The Coast Guard plans to move the vessel ashore at high tide.

Nine-storey blocks of flats were hit in the strikes, as Russia fired more than 470 drones and 47 missiles at Ukraine overnight in a “brazen attack”, Zelensky said.

Three districts of Ukraine’s second city, Kharkiv, were also hit by a massive drone attack which injured more than 30 people, including children. Photos posted online showed buildings and cars ablaze.

Power cuts are affecting a number of regions across the country, Ukraine’s energy ministry said.

The attack early on Wednesday was one of the deadliest on western Ukraine since Russia’s full-scale invasion began in February 2022.

Zelensky said there had been “significant destruction” in Ternopil, adding that people could be trapped under the rubble.

Energy facilities, transport and civil infrastructure were damaged elsewhere in western Ukraine.

The energy sector in Ivano-Frankivsk region was also attacked, and two of the three injured were children.

Critical infrastructure and energy were hit in the Lviv region, Zelensky said, while the head of the region said a energy facility had been struck.

The Russian strikes came a day after Ukraine’s military said it had fired US-supplied longer-range Atacms missiles at military targets inside Russia, the first time they have admitted using the Atacms on Russian soil.

Russia’s defence ministry accused Ukraine of firing four of the missiles at the southern city of Voronezh but said they had all been shot down by air defences.

Meanwhile, Zelensky is heading to the Turkish capital Ankara, in an attempt to revive a US bid to end the war. He will hold talks with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan amid reports that President Donald Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff has been working on a plan with Russian counterpart Kirill Dmitriev.

The Kremlin said no Russian representative would be joining the talks in Ankara.

In a separate development, Romania’s defence ministry said a Russian drone had flown for about 8km (5 miles) through its airspace in the early hours of Wednesday. The drone then crossed into Ukraine and Moldova before returning to Romania, it said.

Romanian and German air force planes were scrambled in response to the incursion and the defence ministry said it was unclear where the drone had come down.

Poland also deployed jets early on Wednesday and temporarily closed two airports in the southeast in response to the strikes in western Ukraine.

As the fourth anniversary of the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion approaches next February, Moscow and Kyiv remain fundamentally opposed in their views of how to end the war.

Earlier this month Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said that Russia’s conditions for a peace deal had not changed since Putin laid them out in 2024.

The visit, led by Rev. Sr. Imelda Mali, was primarily to introduce the newly arrived Indonesian Reverend Sisters, who are posted to various missions across Ghana.

Among the new arrivals, one sister is scheduled to depart for missionary work in South Sudan next year, while another will be reassigned to Zambia.

During the meeting, H.E. Rois and the delegation engaged in warm and insightful discussions centered on the harmonious environment Ghana continues to offer to foreign missionaries, particularly Indonesians.

The Reverend Sisters commended H.E. Rois for his unwavering support, noting that he has always been approachable, responsive, and committed to ensuring their welfare and smooth integration in Ghana.

They also expressed gratitude to his wife, Mrs. Gifty Etsa Rois, who has been especially supportive whenever H.E. Rois travels outside the country—ensuring the Sisters always feel welcomed, safe, and at home.

H.E. Rois thanked the delegation for their exemplary conduct, emphasizing that since assuming his role, he has never received any reports from the Ghana Police Service, Immigration Service, or the Ghana Prisons Service concerning misconduct by Indonesians.

He expressed pride in their behavior and encouraged them to continue upholding such values to maintain the peaceful coexistence both nations enjoy.

A Lesson in Shared History: Ghana and Indonesia

In a moment of historical reflection, H.E. Rois shared with the Sisters the lesser-known but profound story of Ghana’s historical connection with Indonesia. Between 1831 and 1872, approximately 3,000 Ghanaian soldiers, famously known as Belanda Hitam
(Black Dutchmen), were recruited by the Dutch from Elmina to serve in the Royal Netherlands East Indies Army in Java, Indonesia. Many later returned to Ghana, while others settled permanently in Indonesia—contributing to the cultural diversity seen today, including among the Melanesian populations of eastern Indonesia and Papua.

He further highlighted the existence of the Java Museum in Elmina, which documents the deep historical ties between the two nations. The Reverend Sisters expressed surprise and appreciation for this enlightening historical account.

Missionary Concerns and Immigration Matters

Rev. Sr. Imelda Mali, on behalf of the group, appealed to the Honorary Consul to explore the possibility of a waiver for missionaries who have lived in Ghana for more than seven years, especially regarding residence permit renewals. In response, H.E. Rois assured them that he would engage the Ghana Immigration Service and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to determine if such a consideration could be made.

Ghana–Indonesia Cooperation: A Growing Partnership

H.E. Rois also briefed the delegation on his recent high-level visit to Indonesia, accompanied by key Ghanaian officials. He announced that with the continued support of the Indonesian government, Ghana is expected to begin producing its first vaccines by early next year, a significant milestone that aligns with President H.E. John Dramani Mahama’s vision to make Ghana the Vaccine Manufacturing Hub of West Africa and Africa. Currently, only South Africa and Senegal are engaged in vaccine production on the continent.

He further revealed that the Government of Indonesia will establish an Embassy in Ghana in 2026, a development expected to strengthen diplomatic, economic, and cultural relations. It is anticipated that Ghana will reciprocate by opening its Embassy or High Commission in Indonesia.

The Role of Indonesian Missionaries in Ghana

H.E. Rois acknowledged and praised the extraordinary contributions of Indonesian missionaries in Ghana. Many serve in hospitals, schools, churches, and community support programs, playing vital roles in the development of children, youth, and the elderly across the country. He encouraged the Sisters to share their experiences with fellow missionaries in Indonesia and around the world, emphasizing Ghana’s peace, hospitality, and cultural warmth.

Closing Remarks

In closing, H.E. Paskal A.B. Rois thanked the Reverend Sisters for their visit, extended his best wishes for their mission in Ghana, and reaffirmed his readiness to support them at all times.

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Trump’s comments appeared to contradict a US intelligence assessment in 2021, which determined the crown prince had approved the operation that led to Khashoggi’s death at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul in 2018.

The crown prince, who has denied any wrongdoing, said at the White House that Saudi Arabia “did all the right things” to investigate Khashoggi’s death, which he called “painful”.

It was his first US visit since the assassination, which sent shockwaves through the US-Saudi relationship.

In the Oval Office on Tuesday, Trump shot back at a reporter who asked a question about the killing.

“You’re mentioning someone that was extremely controversial,” the US president said.

“A lot of people didn’t like that gentleman that you’re talking about. Whether you like him or didn’t like him, things happen.”

“But he [the Crown Prince] knew nothing about it,” Trump added. “You don’t have to embarrass our guests.”

The crown prince added that Saudi Arabia “did all the right steps” to investigate the murder, which he called “painful” and a “huge mistake”.

A US intelligence report made public in 2021 – under President Joe Biden’s administration – determined that the crown prince had approved of a plan to “capture or kill” Khashoggi in Istanbul. During his first administration, Trump White House officials declined to release the report.

While dozens of Saudi officials faced sanctions in the wake of the assassination, none directly targeted the crown prince.

Reacting to Trump’s comments, Khashoggi’s widow, Hanan, told BBC Newsnight the US president’s defence of the crown prince did not match up with bin Salman’s own acknowledgment of responsibility for her husband’s murder.

“The crown prince himself, in 2019 and 60 minutes interview, he did take accountability about and hold responsibility about this horrible crime,” she said.

In a post on X, she also called for a meeting with the crown prince and an apology along with compensation for her husband’s murder.

Granted political asylum in the US, she lives in the Washington DC area.

Tuesday’s meeting between Trump and Mohammed bin Salman was expected to include deals on civilian nuclear power, artificial intelligence and Saudi investment in the US, which the crown prince said was being upped to $1tr (£761bn) from $600bn pledged earlier this year.

Echoing Trump’s own words, bin Salman said that the US was the “hottest country on the planet” and praised the US president for creating “long-term opportunity”.

The two men also discussed the potential sale of advanced F-35 fighter aircraft to the Saudis.

Trump said that while export licences were still being announced, he expected a deal between the Saudis and US defence giant Lockheed Martin.

The potential sale has caused alarm among some Israeli officials, who have said that it could potentially hurt the country’s “qualitative military edge” in the Middle East, where it is so far the only nation to have F-35s.

The US president said the model sold to the Saudis would be broadly similar to the one the Israelis operate.

“This [Saudi Arabia] is a great ally, and Israel is a great ally,” Trump said. “I know they’d like you to get planes of reduced calibre.

“But as far as I’m concerned, I think they are both at a level where they should get top of the line,” he added.

The crown prince’s visit to Washington continues with a gala dinner on Tuesday night, followed by an investment summit on Wednesday.

Portuguese footballer Cristiano Ronaldo – who plays in the Saudi professional league – was also expected to be at the White House on Tuesday, a White House official confirmed to the BBC.

Biden did not host the crown prince and vowed to make Saudi Arabia a “pariah” over its human rights record. In 2022, however, Biden visited the kingdom to reach agreement on other issues.

The allegations reportedly stem from 2020 and involve a music producer who was asked to attend a photo shoot inside a Los Angeles warehouse where Combs allegedly assaulted him.

Combs, who is serving a four-year prison sentence in New Jersey for prostitution related charges, has denied this and all allegations of sexual abuse.

“Let me make it absolutely clear, Mr Combs categorically denies as false and defamatory all claims that he sexually abused anyone,” one of Combs’ attorneys, Jonathan Davis, said in a statement to the BBC.

“He looks forward to vindicating himself in court, where such matters are decided—and not in the media—based on admissible, material evidence, not rank speculation and unsubstantiated allegations,” Mr Davis continued.

The sheriff’s department confirmed to the BBC that its special victims bureau is in the preliminary stages of investigating a sexual battery allegation against Combs. It said that additional details would not be released “given the sensitivity of the case”.

The male music producer accuses Combs eof xposing himself and masturbating while at the warehouse photoshoot, according to US media. Combs is accused of asking him to assist in the sexual acts and throwing a dirty shirt when the producer refused, multiple news agencies report.

Dozens of people – including underage accusers – have filed civil lawsuits against Combs on allegations that include being drugged and sexually assaulted. Some claims include that the music mogul made both promises of career advancement or threats if accusers spoke up.

Earlier this year, the rapper was convicted in a New York trial on two counts of transportation for prostitution. He was sentenced last month to 50 months in sentence.

The high-profile criminal case accused Combs of running a sprawling sex-trafficking operation and his trial included testimony from stars that included rapper Kid Cudi and Combs’ ex-girlfriend Cassie Ventura.

He was ultimately found not guilty of the most serious charges, which could have resulted in him spending the rest of his life in jail.

“I lost my way,” he wrote to the judge before his sentencing. “My downfall was rooted in my selfishness. I have been humbled and broken to my core.”

Combs is currently serving out his sentence in New Jersey.