Phra Wachirayan Wi, a former abbot at the prominent 14th-Century Wat Phutthaisawan in the ancient capital of Ayutthaya, allegedly pocketed donations meant for the temple on more than 20 occasions over two years.

In Thailand, Buddhist monks take a vow of celibacy and also renounce material possessions. He was defrocked after his arrest. He has yet to comment publicly.

The latest arrests come just over a year after another sex-and-blackmail case involving senior monks rocked Thailand’s monastic community.

The 66-year-old was known for creating a highly-coveted coin amulet. Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul reportedly owns some of his creations.

Thailand’s Buddhist institution has long been plagued with reports of monks breaking their vow of celibacy, trafficking drugs and committing financial crimes.

In July last year, police opened a hotline for people to report “misbehaving monks” after at least nine monks were found to have had sex with a woman. She then blackmailed them with photos and videos of the acts for nearly $12 million.

Police on Friday said they identified two streams of money linked to donation receipts Phra Wachirayan had issued in the temple’s name – one was meant for temple renovations, while the other was payment for amulets and other sacred objects.

“But the money from both streams did not enter the temple’s account. Not a single baht,” lead police investigator Pattanasak Bupphasuwan told a news conference, according to reports.

Police found cash and gold bars worth more than 100 million baht while raiding Phra Wachirayan’s residence on Thursday, with counting going on until late into the night, Thai news outlet The Nation reported.

While examining CCTV footage in the residence, police found a clip of him having sex with a woman on his dining table.

Authorities identified her as 47-year-old Punyavee Rungrueang, who has been arrested on charges of abetting a state official in illegal activities. She has yet to comment publicly.

Many monks in Thailand receive stipends from the government and are therefore considered state officials.

Police seized 35 gold amulets, along with about 1.5kg of gold bars and jewellery, worth an estimated 6.04 million baht, from Punyavee’s home.

Police believe Punyavee helped Phra Wachirayan manage his embezzled proceeds, noting that tens of millions of baht circulated through her bank accounts each year, The Bangkok Post reported.

Investigators say they started looking into the case in mid July, after receiving an anonymous tip alleging Phra Wachirayan of misconduct and misuse of temple funds.

Two or three other people could be involved in the case, they say.

The force has declared an extraordinary event and it will see gardaí perform 10,000 12-hour shifts between Friday and Sunday.

US President Donald Trump is expected to touch down on Air Force One at Dublin Airport on Saturday morning for a two-day visit.

There will be disruption and traffic restrictions in Dublin and County Clare.

Gardaí said they have been involved in intense, extensive planning for this policing and security operation over recent weeks.

Two water cannon will be sent from Northern Ireland.

What is Trump’s itinerary?

Trump will arrive at Dublin Airport on Saturday 12 September.

He will spend the morning at Phoenix Park, visiting Ireland’s President Catherine Connolly at the Áras an Uachtaráin (official residence) and the Taoiseach (Irish PM) Micheál Martin at Farmleigh House.

Trump is also expected to make a speech at US Ambassador Edward Walsh’s Deerfield Residence.

In the afternoon, Trump will be flying into Shannon Airport, County Clare, to attend the Irish Open at Trump International Golf Links in Doonbeg.

He will leave from the Shannon Airport on Sunday evening.

What disruption is expected?

As a result of the visit, Phoenix Park will be closed to the public until events finish.

That means attractions such as Dublin Zoo and the Magazine Fort will be shut.

Temporary traffic restrictions will be in place on the M50 motorway, with the peak times for these restrictions expected between 08:00-09:00 and 12:00 -13:00 local time, between Junction 3 and 6.

Traffic restrictions are already in place on perimeter roads around Dublin Airport and will remain until Saturday afternoon.

Flight and drone restrictions are also in place around the airport and the Doonbeg golf course.

A temporary maritime exclusion zone and associated outer control area will be in operation on rivers close to Shannon Airport and Doonbeg.

Gardaí have said that normal operations will continue at Dublin Airport and Shannon Airport at all times.

They said members of the public should allow additional time to arrive at the airport due to possible rolling road closures.

At Shannon Airport, there will be additional security checks and passengers should have photo ID and valid flight documentation available for inspection.

Gardaí said access to the areas surrounding Doonbeg village, Trump International Golf Links and Hotel Doonbeg and the wider west Clare areas will be restricted.

Access and traffic along the N67, between Clonadrum Cross (north) and Doonbeg (south) will be restricted from 11 September until the evening of Sunday 13 September.

Protest groups are anticipated at both Shannon Airport and in Doonbeg village.

Sharon Dolan D’Arcy, a journalist with the Clare Champion, said the garda presence in Doonbeg had “certainly ramped up a gear”.

She told the BBC’s Evening Extra programme that: “Every street, every entrance to a farm, every unoccupied house that’s for sale, you will see a garda outside it.”

Despite the heightened security, she described the atmosphere in the village as “very relaxed”, with locals out drinking coffee and “spirits” good.

“It’s almost like a holiday atmosphere. But in the background, in the ether, you have the security and the Gardaí.”

What to do as a golf spectator

Only those working at or attending the Irish Open will be allowed to access the Trump International Golf Links and Hotel.

The event can only be accessed via park and ride bus transfers, with no parking or pedestrian access.

There will be airport-style security checks with small bags allowed onsite.

Gardaí said those attending should allow further additional time to arrive and progress through ticket checks and search zones.

The discovery was made on Thursday when revenue staff searched a passenger’s baggage and found the drugs inside bags of confectionery.

In follow-up searches, gardaí seized €16,000 (£13,700) in cash and more controlled drugs valued at €14,500 (£12,500).

A man in his 60s who was arrested and charged in connection with the seizure appeared in court on Friday morning.

The duo were reportedly killed in separate incidents, raising concerns about xenophobic attacks against Nigerians and other Africans in the country.

Fakunle was killed by unknown persons at his home in Johannesburg on September 4, after allegedly receiving a series of threats, while Nwankwo was reportedly killed on September 5.

Former Minister of Aviation and ambassador-designate to South Africa, Femi Fani-Kayode, announced this in a statement on his X handle on Friday.

He wrote, “I am mortified and deeply shocked to hear about the murder of Bishop Michael Taiwo Fakunle by unknown elements in Johannesburg on September 4th. After issuing a series of threats, his killers went to his home and shot him dead.

“I am equally shocked to hear about the murder of Mr James Uchechukwu Nwankwo by officers of the South African Police Service again in Johannesburg on September 5th. He died as a consequence of what has been described as ‘gruesome interrogation techniques’ by the South African police.”

Fani-Kayode claimed that Fakunle and Nwankwo were the seventh and eighth Nigerians killed in South Africa in 2026, alleging that four of the eight were killed by South African police officers.

He further claimed that more than 100 Nigerians had been killed in South Africa between 2022 and Friday, with more than 30 allegedly killed by officers of the South African Police Service and the South African Defence Force.

“What is most disturbing is the fact that in spite of our constant expressions of concern about this disturbing state of affairs, not one person has been arrested, detained, prosecuted or brought to justice for ANY of these heinous crimes,” he said.

Fani-Kayode called on the South African Government to do more to protect Nigerians in the country and ensure that those responsible for the alleged killings were brought to justice.

“This is unacceptable. We call on the South African Government to do far more to protect our nationals and to bring those that have killed or are planning to kill them to justice. No-one deserves to be targeted and murdered simply because they are Nigerian,” he said.

He said the Nigerian community in South Africa was “deeply disturbed” by the developments and expressed concern over what could happen next.

Fani-Kayode also raised concern over what he described as another deadline issued to African nationals, including Nigerians, to leave South Africa by September 30.

He alleged that the deadline was issued by South African non-governmental organisations and accused the groups of threatening African nationals who failed to comply.

“Equally disturbing is the fact that yet another deadline has been issued to African nationals, including Nigerians, to leave South Africa by September 30th. This deadline, like the last one, was issued by a number of brazenly racist, xenophobic and Afrophobic South African Non-Governmental Organisations who have openly threatened to target and harm our nationals if their illegal deadline is not complied with,” he said.

Fani-Kayode urged the South African Government to protect Nigerians from what he described as the excesses of the organisations and to prosecute those responsible for threats against them.

He also called for action against those he accused of “traumatising, terrorising, torturing and killing” Nigerians.

“Whilst we seek to establish stronger and deeper ties with the South African Government, one thing remains clear. If this vicious cycle of discrimination against and killing of our nationals does not stop, there will be consequences. Simply put, our patience is wearing thin.”

“South Africans are not targeted and killed in Nigeria by our people or our security forces. The least the South African Government can do is to reciprocate this gesture, protect our nationals and address our legitimate concerns,” he said.

He concluded by expressing condolences over the deaths of Fakunle and Nwankwor.

As of Friday evening, there was no immediate official response from the South African government or the South African Police Service on the deaths.

Meanwhile, the Nigerian Citizens Association South Africa and the Nigerian Consulate General in Johannesburg have condemned the killing of Fakunle.

NICASA’s National President, Rev. Frank Onyekwelu, said two suspects allegedly gained access to the Bishop’s residence and opened fire on him, reportedly shooting him more than seven times.

Onyekwelu said the association had reported the incident to the Nigerian Consulate General in Johannesburg and that a murder case had been opened at Jeppe Police Station.

Also, the Consulate General said Fakunle was killed by unidentified assailants at his residence in Kensington, Johannesburg, describing the incident as a “gruesome murder.”

The mission called on the relevant South African authorities to conduct a comprehensive investigation into the circumstances surrounding the killing and ensure that anyone found responsible was prosecuted.

Lee Cheuk-yan, 69, and Chow Hang-tung, 41, were convicted last month of inciting others to subvert state power, under the city’s controversial national security law. A third defendant, Albert Ho, 74, had pleaded guilty in January.

The office of United Nations human rights chief Volker Türk called for “these sentences to be quashed”.

Hong Kong and Macau were for years the only places on Chinese soilwhere people could hold gatherings to mark the Tiananmen crackdown – a highly sensitive and heavily censored topic in mainland China.

These gatherings were banned by Hong Kong’s authorities in 2020, citing Covid-19 policies, but never resumed. That same year, the national security law, which makes illegal a wider range of dissenting acts, officially came into force.

Authorities say the law is necessary to maintain stability, but critics argue it has eroded Hong Kong’s autonomy and created a climate of fear.

Lee, Chow and Ho were charged in 2021. They faced up to 10 years in prison after their conviction.

On Friday, the court sentenced Lee to seven years in prison, while Chow was handed seven years and three months. Ho, who pleaded guilty, was sentenced to five years in prison.

As the court session started, Chow and Lee stood up and smiled at the public gallery, which was full of people. Ho wore a serious expression.

After their sentences were handed down, Lee appeared to pray as he was led out of the dock, while Chow blew a kiss to those seated in the public gallery.

According to a court summary in August, Lee and Chow had “incited other persons to organise, plan, commit or participate in acts by unlawful means with a view to subverting the state power”.

Chow told the court in May the law itself was on trial.

A key part of the trial concerned the group’s slogan of “ending one-party dictatorship”, which the court said had incited people to undermine the Chinese Communist Party.

Lee’s wife, Elizabeth Tang, told Reuters that it was a “sad day” for her.

“I cannot imagine that he has to spend another three years in jail, it is really unacceptable,” she said, adding that Lee intended to appeal his sentence.

Chow’s mother Medina told a crowd outside the court not to be “overly saddened” about the verdict. “Do not lose heart. And above all, do not feel guilty,” she said, Reuters reported.

Speaking to the BBC before her arrest in 2022, Chow said she was “prepared to be arrested” and “willing to pay the price for fighting for democracy”.

The defendants were leaders of the now-disbanded Hong Kong Alliance, a group founded in May 1989 to support students holding pro-democracy rallies.

Weeks later, the Chinese Communist Party sent troops and tanks to crush pro-democracy protests in Beijing’s Tiananmen Square. Estimates of the death toll range from a few hundred to many thousands.

Over the next three decades, the Hong Kong Alliance called on authorities to accept responsibility for the crackdown, free dissidents and introduce democratic reform.

The group also held yearly vigils commemorating the Tiananmen Square crackdown. Organisers said some of the gatherings attracted more than 100,000 people, though police had lower estimates of the turnout.

On Friday, the court also handed a HK$1.5m fine ($191,000; £142,000) to the Hong Kong Alliance.

“This sentencing is a triple tragedy: for the activists being unjustly punished; the survivors and victims of the Tiananmen crackdown itself; and the generations of Hongkongers denied the space to discuss one of the most consequential events in modern Chinese history,” said Amnesty International’s Deputy Regional Director Sarah Brooks.

“The harsh sentences against peaceful Tiananmen vigil organisers expose the cruelty and insecurity of a government afraid of memory and the people,” Human Rights Watch said in a statement.

The cocaine was concealed ⁠inside a container of plastic ​waste arriving from Ghana. The ​shipment was initially destined in part for Antwerp.

The cocaine has since been destroyed ​and the French prosecutor has ​opened an investigation.

France’s judicial police targeted the ‌criminal ⁠network alleged to be behind the shipment before the seizure.

Charges under investigation include the organised importation ​of narcotics ​and participation ⁠in a criminal association carrying penalties of up ​to 10 years’ imprisonment.

French ​customs ⁠seized 108.81 tonnes of narcotics across France in 2025, covering all ⁠drug ​types, with an estimated ​value of €2.197 billion.

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The group is accused of targeting over 100 women in the US and defrauding them of more than 100m rand ($6m; £5m), the South African authorities said.

Those being extradited were arrested in 2021 and are believed to be members of the crime syndicate Black Axe, a a Nigerian mafia-style gang tied to human trafficking, internet fraud and murder.

Some of their reported victims included pensioners and businesspeople “who were targeted through sophisticated online relationships used to defraud them of their money”, according to South Africa’s elite Hawks police unit.

The group will be “transported from a correctional facility in Cape Town” to the airport on Friday morning, where they will be “handed over to officials from the FBI and the United States Secret Service,” Hawks spokesperson Colonel Katlego Mogale said in a statement.

They would face wire fraud and money-laundering charges upon their arrival in the US, she added.

A BBC Eye investigation in 2021 suggested that the syndicate had become one of the most far-reaching and dangerous organised crime groups in the world.

Nigeria is its main recruitment ground and many of its members are university educated and inducted during their schooling.

The group has been on the radar of law enforcement agencies for a number of years.

FBI operations against Black Axe were launched in November 2019 and September 2021, eventually charging more than 35 individuals with multi-million dollar internet fraud.

Since then there have been several other operations across multiple countries targeting Black Axe co-ordinated by the global policing agency Interpol.

Last month, Interpol said during its latest one – which took place between November 2025 and June 2026 – seven sites in South Africa linked to a syndicate involved in romance and investment scams were raided.

It led to the arrests of 39 people, the seizure of money and the blocking of more than 250 bank accounts.

Also read:

• Alleged romance scam pastor’s case withdrawn from Circuit Court 

• Ghanaian woman jailed 70 months in US for role in $1.6m romance scam

Adults are also reported to have died in the fire and there are fears that the death toll could rise further in the densely populated Kadutu commune.

Survivors have been taken to nearby hospitals, and footage of the scene shows children lying on hospital floors in pain.

Some 300 houses have also been destroyed in the fire, the cause of which is unknown.

Rebel‑appointed authorities released a provisional death toll of 24 on Thursday evening, confirming previous reports, but there are fears that more people may have died.

Pictures circulating on social media show young children lying motionless on the ground.

A witness quoted by Reuters news agency said the fire had been put out by afternoon but smoke was still rising from rubble and corrugated metal.

Bukavu, the capital of South Kivu province and one of DR Congo’s most crowded hillside cities, was captured by M23 rebels in February last year.

Meanwhile the government in Kinshasa released a statement on X, without specifying numbers of casualties.

“The Ministry of National Education and New Citizenship expressed deep sorrow over the deadly fire,” it said.

“With several lives lost and many injured, the toll remains provisional. The minister offered condolences, affirmed solidarity with families, and ordered assessments of affected schools to ensure learning continuity.”

The tragedy follows a similar fire in Kinshasa last weekend, where residents died in a stampede at a wedding banquet hall.

In response, the government has ordered strict safety measures and deployed teams nationwide to enforce standards at public gathering places.

Also read:

• DR Congo Ebola outbreak surpasses 6,000 cases as death toll nears 3,000

• ‘We are chasing the virus’ – WHO warns of worsening Ebola outbreak in DR…

Zelensky and his wife, Olena, were on their plane at Chisinau, ahead of Wednesday’s funeral of Norway’s King Harald V, when the unmanned Russian aircraft crossed over the Moldovan border.

The drone prompted an immediate airspace shutdown, and Zelensky’s jet was left on the runway for around an hour before it was cleared for take off.

The flight was only authorised after it was confirmed the drone had come down 160km (100 miles) away in the village of Mihailenii Vechi.

Zelensky’s plane had been due to take off at around 16:30 local time (14:30 GMT) from Chisinau International Airport.

But Moldovan government spokesman Dumitru Ciorici told the BBC that Moldova had closed its airspace after noticing a Russian drone had entered it from the direction of Ukraine.

“Three departures and four arrivals were delayed as a result,” he added.

“After 17:20 (15:20 GMT), the authorities confirmed that the drone had come down and exploded… some 160 kilometres from Chisinau International Airport.”

Zelensky and his wife arrived safely in Oslo on Tuesday evening, where he held talks with Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre and other officials about military aid.

They joined other dignitaries for King Harald’s funeral before flying on to Iceland for a brief visit and then to Canada for further talks.

There had initially been concerns about the threat from the drone incursion when he was in Chisinau.

Støre had told public broadcaster NRK: “His flight was almost hit by a drone when it was taking off from Moldova.”

But a Ukraine source told Agence France Presse the risk had been “exaggerated”.

Russian drones have been targeting Ukraine with increasing intensity in recent weeks and an attack on a Moldovan border crossing at Starokozache killed two people overnight into Tuesday.

The Russian army has new jet-powered unmanned aircraft that are much faster and more difficult to intercept.

Analysis by BBC Verify has shown the capital Kyiv has now suffered more air raid alerts than at any time since 2022 – on average ten times a day.

Ukraine has also had success with its use of drones and on Thursday announced what it called a “record hit” on Russia gas plants.

Drones flew more than 3,000km (1,864 miles) into Russia on Wednesday to hit a gas processing plant in the Yamalo-Nenets autonomous district of Northern Siberia.

Ukraine’s Special Operations Forces said this was its deepest attack into Russia since the war began. Yamalo-Nenets is one of Russia’s key oil and gas processing regions.

Overnight Russian forces attacked a petrol station in Kyiv, seriously injuring four people.

Oil company Ukrnafta’s CEO Bohdan Kukura said on Facebook: “This is terror and intimidation of the civilian population.”

Russia has attacked hundreds of Ukrainian petrol stations in recent months in an attempt to disrupt the country’s military forces.

It has been locked in war with Ukraine since it invaded the country in February 2022.

Peace talks, led by the US’s Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, are ongoing but have failed so far to find a solution to end the conflict.

President Xi Jinping called for urgent search and rescue efforts and a swift investigation.

Premier Li Qiang called for “trapped” people to be rescued and stressed the need to “prevent secondary disasters”.

The vessel was undergoing maintenance at a shipyard in the city of Qingdao when the blaze occurred at 11:15 local time (03:15 GMT), state news agency Xinhua said.

The headline launch was the iPhone Duo, Apple’s first foldable smartphone and a major new direction for its flagship product line.

The Duo opens into a 7.6-inch display and closes into a compact device with a 5.4-inch outer screen.

Apple said the foldable is its thinnest iPhone when opened and is designed to support viewing, gaming, and multitasking on a larger screen.

Priced at $1,999, the Duo will go on sale on October 23. It also supports Apple Pencil input and features a redesigned iOS experience aimed at taking advantage of the larger display.

The launch puts Apple into a foldable smartphone market that has already been developed by rivals including Samsung and Google, with Apple betting that its hardware design and software ecosystem can attract consumers willing to pay a premium for the new form factor.

Apple also introduced the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max, with prices starting at $1,199 and $1,299, respectively.

Both models feature Apple’s new A20 Pro chip, a 48-megapixel Fusion Main camera with variable aperture, and a smaller Dynamic Island.

Apple said the new camera system gives users greater control over photography and video, while the Pro Max delivers the biggest battery-life improvement in iPhone history.

The new Pro models will be available for pre-order from September 12 and go on sale September 18.

Apple is also introducing Siri AI through iOS 27, with the company placing greater emphasis on artificial intelligence while stressing privacy and on-device processing.

Apple expanded its wearable and audio lineup as well.

The Apple Watch Series 12 introduces a new Health Sensing System with more frequent heart-rate and heart rate variability measurements and a new “readiness” score designed to give users an indication of how prepared their bodies are for the day. It starts at $399.

The Apple Watch Ultra 4, aimed at athletes and outdoor users, also gets the new health-sensing system and offers up to 45 hours of outdoor workout tracking. It starts at $799.

Apple also announced AirPods 5, adding active noise cancellation to its open-ear design, along with improved sound, Siri AI integration, and live translation. Prices start at $129, with availability from September 18.

The event was particularly significant for Ternus, who became Apple CEO on September 1 after succeeding longtime chief executive Tim Cook. Wednesday’s presentation was his first major product keynote in the role.

The launch therefore represents more than a new iPhone cycle. With the Duo, Apple is entering a category where competitors have had a head start, while its latest Pro phones, watches, AirPods and AI features show the company continuing to expand its ecosystem around increasingly intelligent devices.

Also read:

• Apple to raise prices as AI boom pushes up chip costs

• Apple may be forced to allow rival app stores in UK

The appointment comes ​ahead of presidential elections due in January, with ​insecurity remaining a major concern after years of ⁠insurgent violence, banditry and kidnappings across parts of ​the country.

Major General Ibikunle Ademola Ajose, who previously served at ​Army Headquarters in Abuja, takes over from Major General Abdulsalam Abubakar, the 15th commander of Operation Hadin Kai, who assumed the role in ​April 2025.

The insurgency by Boko Haram and its ​splinter group, Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), has killed more than 40,000 ‌people ⁠and displaced millions since 2009, according to data from the Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project (ACLED).

Security concerns disrupted voting in parts of northeastern Nigeria during the last presidential election and remain a challenge ahead of next year’s polls.

The army did not link the reshuffle to any ​recent attacks in the northeast.

The change ​was ⁠part of a wider military shake-up involving 14 other generals, which the army said was aimed at improving operational ⁠effectiveness, strengthening ​leadership and aligning command structures ​with Nigeria’s evolving security challenges, spokesperson Appolonia Anele said in a statement.

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• Hundreds of captives freed from Boko Haram mountain hideout

• Dozens of Nigerian fishermen feared dead after Chad air strikes on Boko Haram

“I think the war’s going to end immediately after the election because they can’t hold out any longer,” Trump said of Tehran on Wednesday.

His comments come as he heads to Texas for the party’s first convention ahead of the midterms, when the balance of power in the US government could change.

Trump is facing falling polling numbers and pressure from within his Republican Party to end the war with Iran.

On Wednesday, oil prices rose to $100 (£74) for the first time since July, driven by heightened fighting in the Middle East.

“Right after the election, oil prices are going to be tumbling downward,” Trump told reporters. “I think it’s going to take a little bit longer than the midterm.”

He added that Iran was “desperate to try and affect the election, so that we can get a nice weak group of people in there” – an apparent reference to the Democrats – “and leave them alone and let them have their nuclear weapon”.

Tehran has repeatedly denied it is seeking nuclear weapons.

Trump also said further negotiations with Iran could possibly happen, “but it’s not something we’re looking at”.

The US president initially predicted the war, which is now in its seventh month, would last only a matter of weeks. The conflict, and its knock-on effects on everything from gas to groceries, has led to a steep decline in his approval ratings.

Fighting in the Middle East has intensified in recent days, as oil facilities throughout the region come under attack, driving up the global price of fuel and any item that requires shipping.

On Wednesday, the US military said it had attacked five oil tanker ships with ties to Iran. Tehran, in response, launched attacks on two US Navy destroyers and eight oil tankers in the Strait of Hormuz, causing “heavy damage” to the vessels, according to Iranian state media.

A day earlier, the Iran-linked Houthis in Yemen launched a wave of attacks in Saudi Arabia, sparking fires at oil facilities.

The fighting, which began again recently after a 60-day ceasefire between the US and Iran formally expired last month, has also raised predictions that the rising fuel costs could lead to higher interest rates in the US.

“If the Republicans ⁠win the House of Representatives ​and the United States ​Senate, both of them because of our tremendous strength and success economically, ​I will issue a ​dividend to every adult citizen in ‌the United States of America for $5,000,” Trump said at a Republican convention in Dallas.

“The only ​caveat ​I ⁠have is that the dividend that we’re making ​must be spent ​in ⁠the United States of America,” he added.

No further details were ⁠immediately ​available about ​the proposal.

Trump said last week he had been following Clancy’s trial. The 36-year-old mother was accused of killing her ​three children in their home in January 2023.

“Mr. President, I would hope ​that you would consider this young lady, the type of person ⁠she is and what she’s been through, and consider a pardon,” attorney Kevin Reddington ​said at the end of an interview on ABC’s “Good Morning America.”

A president’s pardon power ​applies only to federal crimes, and Clancy was prosecuted under state law. Trump has nevertheless taken a broad view of his clemency powers and applied them in some cases tried in state ​courts.

Asked about the Clancy pardon request, the White House referred to the president’s ​previous comments on the case.

“She did a horrible, horrible thing. Can’t be worse,” Trump told reporters ‌after a ⁠state judge declared a mistrial because jurors could not reach a unanimous verdict. “But you’ll find out what the price to pay is. There’ll be a price. It’s going to be mental institution or jail or something.”

At trial, Clancy’s lawyers argued she ​was not guilty by ​reason of insanity, ⁠saying she was experiencing a psychotic episode caused by postpartum psychosis.

Prosecutors argued the killings were premeditated. The state could now seek ​a retrial.

Last December, Trump pardoned former Colorado county clerk Tina Peters, ​a Trump ⁠ally who had been convicted on state charges related to voting machine tampering.

The pardon was largely viewed as symbolic because Peters was prosecuted under state law. But the move ⁠added political ​pressure on Colorado Governor Jared Polis, a Democrat, ​given questions about Peters’ nine-year prison sentence.

Polis granted Peters clemency in May, and she later appeared with Trump ​in the Oval Office.

Hafidh Ameir Hassan became Tanzania’s first gentleman in 2021, when his wife took office as the country’s first female president following the death of President John Magufuli.

Hassan had been receiving treatment for a heart condition.

Vice President Deogratius Ndejembi announced Hassan’s death and expressed his condolences to the family.

He said arrangements were being made for his burial in the family’s native Zanzibar, a semiautonomous archipelago that is part of Tanzania.

President Hassan is serving a second term after winning a disputed election in 2025 with more than 97% of the vote.

Candidates from the two main opposition parties were barred from running.

The couple had four children: three sons and a daughter who is a lawmaker.

Kenyan President William Ruto expressed sorrow on behalf of his government and people. “President Samia has lost a lifelong companion, her children a beloved father, and Tanzania a distinguished son,” he wrote.

The protesters, who also included activists, gathered outside a court where a judge was questioning Yousfi on charges of illicit enrichment and money laundering, which critics say were fabricated to punish him for his outspoken journalism.

Yousfi, a fierce critic of Saied and the editor-in-chief of the investigative news website Al-Qatiba, was arrested last Friday as he was preparing to enter Express FM Radio to take part in a radio programme.

His arrest prompted widespread ​condemnation of Saied’s government, with rights groups saying the case was aimed at increasing a climate of fear among journalists.

“The situation is dark and difficult. Journalists who disturb the ​authorities are facing legal persecution and fabricated charges,” Zied Dabbar, the ​head of journalists’ syndicate SNJT, told Reuters.

“Today journalists either end up in exile or in ‌prison… ⁠But we will resist.”

Several media figures have been jailed this year, including Zied Heni, Mourad Zghidi and Borhen Bsaies, while Khaoula Boukrim was sentenced in absentia in June to four years.

Free speech initially flourished following the 2011 ​uprising that toppled ​Zine El Abidine ⁠Ben Ali and ignited pro-democracy protests known as the “Arab Spring”.

But critics say Saied’s accumulation of power in 2021 ​and decrees he has issued since then have dismantled democratic ​safeguards ⁠and enabled the authorities to pursue many journalists.

The leaders of Tunisia’s main opposition parties have been jailed in the last three years, along with dozens of ⁠politicians, ​activists, journalists and businessmen, on charges of conspiring ​against state security, of money laundering and corruption.

Saied says he will not be a dictator ​and that freedoms are guaranteed in Tunisia.

Ubiribo, a Nigerian influencer living in London, died on March 6, less than a day after receiving hyaluronic acid penis filler injections at the clinic, according to Westminster Coroner’s Court inquest records previously obtained by PEOPLE.

An inquest hearing on August 21 heard that a post-mortem examination and toxicology investigation found that Ubiribo’s cause of death was linked to the hyaluronic acid injection and a pulmonary embolism, the records said.

Thailand’s Ministry of Public Health announced on September 7 that an investigation had been launched into the clinic where Ubiribo received the injections.

The ministry said Minister Pattana Phromphat had directed the Department of Health Service Support (DHSS) and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to investigate the circumstances surrounding the case.

According to the ministry, Phromphat told local media that initial investigations showed an emergency medical centre had been contacted by a private hospital in Bangkok to dispatch an ambulance for an unconscious patient.

Inquest records said Ubiribo began experiencing chest pains and collapsed on March 5, several hours after undergoing the cosmetic procedure.

He was taken to a local hospital for a CT scan but lost consciousness before the examination could be carried out. He reportedly received CPR for 101 minutes before he was pronounced dead at 1:05 a.m. on March 6.

Following the incident, authorities inspected the clinic on September 7 to gather information about its compliance with medical standards, according to the Ministry of Public Health.

DHSS Director-General Phuwadet Surakot said the clinic was not named publicly.

However, clinic management reportedly told investigators that Ubiribo had been a patient there since 2024 and had undergone five penile enlargement injections.

The clinic claimed that before the March 5 procedure, a doctor advised Ubiribo to have the treatment divided into two sessions.

According to Surakot, however, Ubiribo requested that the injection be carried out in a single session.

The clinic also claimed that Ubiribo signed a treatment consent form before each visit and was given aftercare instructions following the procedures.

It further claimed that he had never reported any problems associated with his previous treatments.

The investigation is expected to determine whether the clinic complied with medical and professional standards in providing the procedure.

The Ministry of Public Health said authorities would gather evidence before referring the case to the Medical Council for consideration.

“We will gather all facts and evidence to proceed according to our authority and submit the case to the Medical Council for a ruling on professional practice standards, in order to ensure fairness to all parties,” the Ministry of Public Health statement concluded.

Ubiribo had more than 180,000 followers on Instagram, where he regularly shared posts about his lifestyle with his wife, Dani Allen.

Deportees have complained ‌of inadequate medical care, denial of legal assistance and “severe psychological distress” while being held at a hotel in Equatorial Guinea’s former capital, Malabo.

The altercation on Saturday began as a dispute over access to mobile phones but quickly escalated, with men wearing shirts bearing the words “National Police” pointing what appeared to be semi-automatic assault rifles at deportees inside the entrance to the hotel. One migrant appeared to be kneeling on the ground ​while others screamed nearby.

Reuters reviewed the footage but could not independently verify the events that preceded the confrontation.

The Trump administration has since last year struck multiple agreements with ​African governments to accept migrants who it cannot legally return to their home countries. Many of those deported under the so-called third-country arrangements ⁠had previously won protection from U.S. immigration judges, who found they could face torture or other abuses if repatriated.

Washington has defended the third-country deals as lawful and said deportations are ​carried out in accordance with U.S. immigration law. Equatorial Guinea has not publicly detailed the terms under which it is housing the deportees.

Rights groups and advocates have said the arrangements are ​opaque and that some deportees are ultimately returned to the countries they originally fled.

Lawyers representing some of the deportees said the confrontation underscored concerns about their safety.

“Once again, evidence demonstrates that deporting people to Equatorial Guinea is putting their lives in danger. I hope that someone will not be seriously injured or killed,” said Meredyth Yoon, litigation director for Asian Americans Advancing Justice-Atlanta, a legal advocacy group.

The Trump administration is “utilizing all ​lawful options” to carry out deportations, said a spokesperson for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. “When an individual is no longer in ICE custody then ICE will no longer be ​responsible for them. This is common sense,” the spokesperson said, referring to Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

A State Department spokesperson said the U.S. government would “use all legal means to remove those with no right to ‌remain in ⁠our country.”

The government of Equatorial Guinea did not respond to requests for comment.

‘THEY COCKED THEIR GUNS… TELLING ME TO GET ON MY KNEES’

There are currently 31 deportees being held at the hotel in Malabo, according to Yoon and two members of the group of deportees.

Last month, five people whom the U.S. attempted to deport to Liberia resisted getting off the plane and were subsequently transported to Equatorial Guinea instead.

One member of that group, a Cuban man, approached police officers at the hotel on Saturday morning to request the return of his confiscated mobile phone ​so that he could contact relatives and a ​lawyer, the two witnesses said.

The officers ignored ⁠his request, and another deportee, an Egyptian man named Ahmed Soliman, began filming the exchange on his phone.

Within 30 seconds, “I was rushed at by multiple officers, me and a few other people that were outside with us. That is when they started assaulting us, grabbing my ​neck, my shirt, trying to dig the phone out of my pocket,” Soliman told Reuters.

“They cocked their guns, took it off of ​safety, pointed their guns ⁠at me telling me to get on my knees, with my hands up… I had to remain in that position for 10-15 minutes while there was chaos going on in the hotel.”

The situation was defused when the hotel’s director arrived and “calmed everyone down”, allowing the deportees to return to their rooms, Soliman said.

A total of 53 people were deported to Equatorial Guinea under the third-country ⁠deportation deal between ​November 2025 and July, according to Third Country Deportation Watch, a tracker managed by Refugees International and Human ​Rights First.

They come from 11 African countries as well as Georgia, Jamaica, Brazil and Cuba, according to the tracker.

Three deportees told Reuters they had been encouraged to return to their home countries despite fears of torture and other ​abuses, and said they had not been presented with alternative options. Reuters could not independently verify the claim.

Brent crude futures rose 1.4%, to $99.33 a barrel by 0212 GMT, while U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude was at $94.34 ​a barrel, up 1.4%.

Brent crude prices have jumped by a quarter since early August as hopes for a permanent resolution to the six-month-old war faded and fighting flared again, with prices fast approaching the key $100-a-barrel mark.

The Middle East war intensified ​on Tuesday with Iranian-backed Houthis in Yemen launching strikes on several Saudi cities, further embroiling a U.S. ally in the conflict.

The U.S. forces hit multiple ​Iranian oil tankers, and Iran targeted a U.S. base in ​Jordan.

“Recent developments only reinforce the view that we are still some way from ‌a ⁠restart in (peace) talks. In the meantime, the market is likely to continue to price in a sizeable risk premium,” ING analysts said in a note.

The latest attacks threaten to deepen disruptions to Middle ​East oil supplies, ​already strained ⁠by strikes on regional energy infrastructure and key shipping lanes.

While Saudi Arabia has diverted some exports away ​from the Strait of Hormuz, any sustained attacks ​on ⁠the kingdom could complicate efforts to keep crude flowing to global markets, analysts said.

“Iran’s attacks on Saudi energy facilities and the subsequent destruction ⁠of ​five Iranian tankers raised concerns about another ​prolonged disruption to oil supplies,” OCBC analysts said in a note.

The counter-tariffs will apply to nearly C$28bn ($20bn; £15bn) worth of American products, from steel to furniture to cotton T-shirts, and will be as high as 50%.

Fresh fish and lobster were also on the list, but Canada later omitted them after pushback from its seafood industry – a sign of the tricky balance it has to strike as it retaliates against its largest trading partner.

Both US and Canadian officials have said they would like to strike a deal, but no movement has been made to resume talks after they collapsed in late August.

Speaking to reporters last week, Prime Minister Mark Carney said that Canada is still in search of a deal with the US that is “durable” and in the best interests of both countries.

“We’re ready to sit down and strike that deal when the Americans are ready,” Carney said.

US trade representative Jamieson Greer said on Thursday the ball is in Canada’s court.

“We offered them the best deal, they looked at it square in the face and turned around,” Greer said in an interview with Fox News, adding that there has been sparse communication with the Canadians since talks collapsed.

In a separate interview with Canadian broadcaster CBC, Greer cautioned against retaliation and suggested the US might hit back by banning the import of some Canadian products.

President Donald Trump threatened on Monday to halt all US business with Canada-based airplane maker Bombardier unless it moved its manufacturing south.

The aerospace giant is one of the largest in the country, contributing over C$7bn to Canada’s annual GDP in 2024, according to a report by accounting firm PwC.

Trump took aim at Canada in a series of other Truth Social posts over the weekend, including one that called Canada’s exchange rate with the US “unacceptable”.

Another post showed a map of North America – including Canada and Mexico – and Greenland all overlaid with the US flag.

Canada and the US have the world’s largest bilateral trading relationship valued at nearly $900bn in 2025.

With new US tariffs and Canadian counter-tariffs now in effect, businesses on both side are scrambling to deal with what comes next.

The US currently has in place a 25% tax on Canadian cars and trucks, as well as taxes on Canadian steel, aluminium and lumber. In late August, President Donald Trump imposed new 50% tariffs on other goods like dairy, alcohol, hockey sticks and perfume.

Canada’s counter-tariffs, which were described by Carney as “dollar-for-dollar” and range from 15% to 50%, will from Tuesday be applied to hundreds of items coming in from the US.

Products like American milk, golf clubs, steel, aluminium and certain clothing like jackets and T-shirts will face 50% tariffs. Cheese, toilet paper and certain household appliances like air conditioners will face 25% tariffs, while fork-lift trucks and industrial moulds will be hit with 15% tariffs.

These levies are in addition to existing retaliatory taxes Canada had placed on finished American cars and trucks that are non-compliant with a free trade agreement between Canada, the US and Mexico, known as the USMCA in the US and CUSMA in Canada.

Polls suggest the majority of Canadians support their country imposing retaliatory tariffs on the US.

But economists warn that the latest counter-tariffs will raise prices for consumers on everyday goods like clothing, food and furniture.

The Canadian Chamber of Commerce has also urged the Carney government to take a surgical approach to retaliation.

“Businesses understand retaliation but don’t want to see endless escalation,” said the Chamber’s CEO and President Candace Laing in a statement to the BBC on Friday, though she added that businesses “are preparing for this trade dispute to last”.

Pushback from the fisheries industry was enough for Canada to alter its counter-tariffs by removing dozens of seafood items to avoid unintended consequences to its own economy.

The lobster industry in both Canada and the US are heavily dependent on the other, with American-caught lobster often sent north to be processed before it is shipped back to the US and sold.

Ahead of the latest tariffs, Canada’s economy had shown signs of resliency. Its GDP grew 3.3% in the second quarter and it had gained 181,000 jobs from April to July.

But around 41,000 jobs were lost in August, a period that coincided with the new US tariffs on Canada and the collapse in trade talks.

One sector that saw a modest bump was manufacturing – a gain the Canadian government attributes to consumers and businesses buying more made-in-Canada products.

Carney has said he wants to diversify Canada’s trade away from the US.

July figures show the share of US-bound Canadian exports dropped to 66% from an average of 75% before the trade war.

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“NO MORE SELLING BOMBARDIER IN THE UNITED STATES! Their products aren’t good enough!” Trump said on Monday [September 7] in a social media post.

“If they want our Market, they must build here, and stop treating America like a ‘piggybank.'”

Trump’s comments come as tensions flare once again between the US and Canada, which have historically had tight relations.

Trump has imposed a series of tariffs on Canadian products, prompting retaliatory actions. The retaliatory tariffs are set to take effect on early Tuesday [September 8].

The tariffs come as negotiations between the United States and Canada have deteriorated in recent weeks. Canada’s tariffs will cover nearly $20bn of 700 different US goods.

This is not the first time the US president has targeted Bombardier since returning to office in 2025.

Shares of Canadian aeroplane maker Bombardier plunged in January after Trump threatened to decertify the private jet maker’s large-cabin planes and slap 50 percent import tariffs on new planes until Canada certified the latest aircraft produced by US rival Gulfstream.

“Over 50% of their revenue comes from the United States, They live off American Buyers, American Companies, American Airports, and American service,” Trump said on Monday.

“Canada blocks our GREAT American Banks and Companies, throughout the USA. They even blocked Gulfstream Aerospace from doing business in Canada, Completely unjust and unfair! That Era is OVER!”

The move will affect large private jet companies including NetJets, one of Bombardier’s biggest purchasers. In December 2023, the Columbus, Ohio-based company penned a deal with Bombardier to buy 12 Challenger 3500 jets outright, with Bombardier giving NetJets the option to buy up to another 232 aircraft later.

Speaking in an interview, the celebrated actor challenged anyone who considers themselves his senior in the acting profession to come forward and prove it.

Mr Edochie recalled that his first major stage appearance was in William Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice in 1962, at a time when acting in Nigeria was largely centred on the theatre.

“By the time I did Merchant of Venice in 1962, I was 15 years old. Then, there was nothing like film; they were all stage,” he said.

He argued that his acting career was already well established before the Nigerian film industry became known as Nollywood.

According to him, he featured in the television adaptation of Things Fall Apart in 1985, seven years before the term Nollywood became associated with Nigeria’s home-video industry.

“When I did Things Fall Apart, there was nothing like Nollywood. I did Things Fall Apart in 1985. Nollywood came on board in 1992 when they did Living in Bondage,” he stated.

Pete Edochie also claimed that he was among only two African actors recognised by the American film studio Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) following an evaluation of filmmaking efforts across the continent.

He named South African actor John Kani as the other African actor recognised by the studio.

“MGM evaluated filmmaking efforts of the continent of Africa and they said there are only two people who were recognised, Pete Edochie and John Kani of South Africa,” he claimed.

The veteran actor further asserted that his work attracted international attention, claiming that foreign journalists travelled to Nigeria specifically to interview him following one of his film performances.

“I am the only person in this country who did a film and white people flew in to come and interview me. No other person can achieve this. Let the person come out,” he said.

Watch the video below:

“I started acting before Nollywood was created in 1992. I first appeared in The Merchant of Venice in 1962 at the age of 15yo. I’m the only person who has done a film that made white people fly in to Nigeria just to interview me. Nobody has achieved that.”

—Pete Edochie pic.twitter.com/kP7blzxHGt

— carter🌚 (@carter8f) September 5, 2026

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The aircraft overran the runway around 2 p.m. after arriving from San Juan, Puerto Rico. Five people were killed, three critically injured and two others hospitalised with less severe injuries, Miami-Dade County officials told a news conference.

Miami-Dade Rescue Fire Chief Ray Jadallah said some people were trapped inside vehicles. The pilot and copilot were also trapped in the plane. Fire crews were still dealing with a fuel leak on the plane several hours after the crash, Jadallah said.

More than 60 Miami-Dade Fire Rescue units responded to the crash, arriving to find the aircraft on fire as crews worked to extinguish the flames and assess patients.

The Prime Air plane came to rest beside a roadway near two semi-trucks, according to images from the scene. The aircraft appeared to be resting on its belly and was largely intact despite the fire.

The flight had been operated by 21 Air, a cargo carrier based in North Carolina. The 32-year-old Boeing 767 was originally built to carry passengers and flew for several airlines for more than two decades before being converted to a cargo plane in 2015, according to flight-tracking site Flightradar24.

About 250 flights were delayed at the airport late Sunday afternoon, according to FlightAware, a website that tracks flight disruptions.

The National Transportation Safety Board said it is sending a team to Miami led by Chairwoman Jennifer Homendy to investigate.

“We’re working closely with local authorities and officials to understand exactly what happened,” Amazon spokesperson Kelly Nantel said in a social media post. “Right now, our absolute priority is the safety, well-being, and care of everyone involved.”

The suspect, identified as Dunu Bethel Ebubechukwu, was arrested during a sting operation at Article Market, opposite the Trade Fair Market in the Ojo area of Lagos, on Friday, September 4, the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) said.

His arrest followed the interception of 1.2 kilogrammes of cocaine concealed inside phone chargers at a courier company in Lagos on July 31. The consignment was allegedly destined for Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

According to the NDLEA, operatives of its Directorate of Operations and General Investigation traced the alleged mastermind through an intelligence-led investigation.

The agency said Ebubechukwu admitted during questioning that he had masterminded previous illicit drug shipments and discarded his telephone SIM card after learning that the latest consignment had been intercepted.

Investigators also uncovered evidence allegedly linking him to the method used to conceal the cocaine. A search of his residence in Ejigbo, Lagos, produced phone chargers similar to those used in the intercepted shipment. The internal components of the chargers had reportedly been removed to create spaces for concealing drugs.

The latest arrest also brought to light the suspect’s previous conviction for drug trafficking.

The NDLEA said he was first arrested in 2011 at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos after allegedly ingesting 900 grammes of cocaine and 130 grammes of heroin while attempting to travel to Austria.

He was prosecuted, convicted and sentenced to five years in prison.

The agency said that after serving his sentence, he changed his name from Dunu Chukwuyenre Enoch to Dunu Bethel Ebubechukwu and allegedly returned to the illicit drug trade.

His latest arrest formed part of a wider NDLEA crackdown across nine states, during which the agency reported recovering large quantities of cannabis, tramadol, methamphetamine, cocaine and other illicit substances.

The NDLEA said the operations covered Lagos, Adamawa, Ondo, Kaduna, Bauchi, Ekiti, Kogi, Taraba and Enugu states.

Francis Peter Mtema, a teacher at Kalimanyungu School, allegedly became the subject of the scheme after a woman claiming to be his wife reported his death to Select Financial Services Limited.

Police said the woman, identified as Jackleen Phiri, reported in February 2024 that Mtema had died on November 14, 2023.

She allegedly presented a death report, a letter from a village headman and a copy of Mtema’s national identity card to support the claim.

According to Kasungu Police deputy public relations officer Sergeant Miracle Hauli, Mtema had borrowed K1,114,128.15 (almost GHS 8,000) from Select Financial Services Limited and had an outstanding balance of K1,043,497.52 (over GHS 7,000).

Following the reported death, the company stopped deducting money from Mtema’s salary.

The matter later came to light after the company’s internal auditor reported it to Kasungu Police upon discovering that Mtema was still alive.

Police subsequently arrested Mtema at Kalimanyungu School.

He is being held on allegations of giving a false statement for a death register, forgery and uttering false documents.

Meanwhile, police are investigating the matter and trying to locate Phiri, whose full particulars are not yet known.

Mtema hails from Mantchichi in Traditional Authority Chiseka, Lilongwe District.

Police have not indicated when the suspect will appear in court. 

The “Correct the Map” resolution –– put forward by African Union member states, as well as the Bahamas –– passed with overwhelming support: 164 member states voted in favor, six abstained and only the United States voted against it.

The resolution aims to give an “equitable” representation of the globe’s regions, particularly Africa, arguing that the distortions in the current world map mean the continent has undergone a “symbolic minimization” in people’s collective imagination.

At present, many of the world’s maps are based on the Mercator projection, created by European cartographer Gerardus Mercator in 1569. It is widely used for navigation since the north-south lines have constant true bearings relative to the equator.

Detailed political world map in Mercator projection BardoczPeter/Getty Images

However, it is less useful as a world map since the scale is distorted, with countries further from the equator appearing disproportionately larger than those closest. For example, on the Mercator, Greenland appears larger than the continent of South America and appears similar in size to Africa.

In reality, Greenland is roughly the size of the Democratic Republic of Congo and Africa is 14 times the size of Greenland.

Some critics of the Mercator projection suspect it has remained widely used because it enlarges and centers Europe, as well as other Western regions such as North America, perpetuating ideas of European superiority.

The UN resolution notes “with concern that this distortion contributes to minimizing the perceived sizes of Africa, Latin America and South Asia, and perpetuating an unbalanced view of the world.”

It adds that the distortions also “contribute to minimizing the extent of socioeconomic realities, infrastructure needs, development potential and prosperity in the Southern regions, and that they can fuel prejudices in the environmental, geopolitical and security fields.”

France backs campaign to ‘correct’ distortions

The resolution therefore proposes, as an “act of cognitive justice and memorial reparation,” that the Mercator projection is replaced with the Equal Earth projection, which depicts the relative surface areas of the world’s regions more accurately.

In the Equal Earth, which was introduced at the 2018 North American Cartographic Information Society conference, Europe appears to shrink, Brazil balloons, and Greenland dramatically diminishes. Africa appears much larger in comparison.

France’s foreign affairs minister, Jean-Noël Barrot, announced Friday that France “will abandon the Mercator projection” in favor of representations that more accurately depict countries’ surface areas, state-owned TV network France 24 reported.

“The United States, Russia and China take on a disproportionate visual prominence compared to Africa, Latin America or southeast Asia,” Barrot said, adding that “distortions eventually take root in perceptions” and that “the time has come to correct them.”

The UN vote comes after the African Union adopted the Equal Earth Map in March and after Togo, on behalf of the AU, asked UN member states in April to do the same. As a result, a draft resolution was created and the UN General Assembly held informal consultations on it in July.

“Africa, once diminished on maps, now insists on being seen at its true scale – geographically, historically, morally, culturally, economically, diplomatically and globally,” Amma Twum-Amoah, commissioner for the AU’s Department of Health, Humanitarian Affairs and Social Development, said in a statement in March.

A version of the Equal Earth map with Oceania at the center Equal Earth

New Zealand has also taken issue with the Mercator map, with a tourism ad back in 2018 – featuring then-Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern – joking that “New Zealand is disappearing off the world maps” due to its position in the bottom right-hand corner.

The Equal Earth map addresses this, coming in various forms, including one that centers Oceania, rather than Greenwich, London. Greenwich has long been used as the standard for world time and global geographical reference.

Digital map platforms such as Google Maps also currently use a version of the Mercator projection. The draft resolution urges tech platforms to engage with UN member states and regional organizations and adopt the more accurate projection.

Speaking on the AM Show, physician specialist Dr. Rex Kwame Bonsu and nurse Ozwella Yeboah of Vitality Health 360 explained that obesity involves the excessive accumulation of dysfunctional fat tissue, which can affect the body’s biological, physical and metabolic functions.

Dr. Bonsu said obesity is linked to several non-communicable diseases, including hypertension, type 2 diabetes, insulin resistance and obstructive sleep apnoea, as well as certain cancers such as breast, endometrial and colorectal cancers.

He explained that obesity cannot be accurately determined simply by looking at a person, noting that health professionals assess factors such as weight and height and may calculate the Body Mass Index (BMI).

However, he cautioned that BMI is only a screening tool because it does not account for factors such as age, sex, muscle mass, fat mass and bone density. Ms Yeboah explained that weight loss requires a calorie deficit, where the body uses more energy than it receives from food, while regular physical activity can also support the process.

Dr. Bonsu noted that weight loss can be difficult for some people because of hormonal and metabolic factors. He cited thyroid problems and hormonal changes that affect appetite as some factors that may make weight loss more difficult.

He also cautioned against the unsupervised use of weight-loss injections, stressing that such treatments should only be administered under the guidance of qualified health professionals.

“Now, you must have heard about weight loss injections and so on and so forth. That should be done under the guidance of a specialist,” Dr. Bonsu said.

At Vitality Health 360, the experts said clients seeking to lose or gain weight first undergo medical assessments to determine their individual needs.

Ms Yeboah explained that the facility has physician specialists and dieticians who assess clients and provide personalised meal plans, with adjustments made depending on their progress and medical needs.

Dr.Bonsu added that assessments may include full blood count, liver and kidney function tests, cholesterol levels and body-composition analysis. Where necessary, clients may also be referred for a DEXA scan to assess bone density, muscle mass and fat mass.

The experts said some patients may also require medication to help regulate appetite, cravings and certain metabolic conditions, but stressed that such treatment should be determined and supervised by a specialist.

Dr. Bonsu and Ms Yeboah encouraged people struggling with obesity or those seeking professional support to lose or gain weight to visit the facility. Vitality Health 360 is located on Oxford Street at Osu, around Photo Club in Accra.

The experts stressed that weight management is not a one-size-fits-all process and encouraged people to seek professional assessment and guidance rather than relying on unverified diets, treatments or injections.

Arnold Dix has been advising Nepal’s hydropower authorities on how to dig through the blocked tunnel to Trishuli 3A Hydropower Station, which was one of several stations hit by last week’s massive flash flood on the Nepal-Tibet border.

“It’s like layer upon layer of layer of miracles” that they found two men on Friday, he said, given that the multiple challenges they faced.

The first hurdle was to locate the hydropower station, in a landscape rendered nearly unrecognisable by the flood that has so far killed 1,300 people.

“I’ve never known an rescue operation where you had to look for an entrance of a tunnel that was previously up the hill, that was now underground. You can imagine the enormity of the avalanche, it completely buried the entrance,” said Dix, who is the president of the International Tunnelling and Underground Space Association.

Using engineering techniques, old topographic maps, satellite imagery of the area after the disaster, video footage from helicopters, and “anything else we could find on the surface of the mountain such as power poles”, Dix and his team triangulated the likely position of the entrance and started digging.

They found it – but the next challenge was to locate the survivors.

“We knew they would be up ahead, but we didn’t know where exactly. So you just have to start digging in the right direction. And you listen out if you can hear anybody,” he said.

Rescuers had to get through a tunnel blocked entirely by mud and rocks – some bigger than cars – and had to resort to using explosives to clear the way.

“We had to use explosives which we normally never do because of the risk of blowing up people [trapped in the tunnel] and blowing ourselves up,” said Dix.

He credited the Nepalese army for doing “a wonderful job” in managing the explosions with precision to ensure they would not destabilise the tunnel.

At the same time, they discovered the tunnel was still full of water.

Using excavators and pumping machines, Nepalese rescuers dug a series of trenches from the tunnel all the way to the river outside, so they could drain the water.

Finally, they had to dig a passageway, “a tiny tunnel the size of a person”, through the debris at the top of the tunnel.

The advantage of this location “is that you can use the original tunnel’s roof as your little tunnel’s roof. Also, it mitigates risk of flooding,” said Dix.

In the early hours of Friday morning, rescuers heard what they thought could be voices.

According to local reports, they called out “don’t worry, we’re here to rescue you” – and heard back a faint “okay”.

Shortly after that, they pulled out Sanjaya Shah and Kabir Maharjan, alive.

But with dozens of people still thought to be trapped inside the tunnel, the work is far from over.

Rescuers heading to ‘Goldilocks zone’

Dix estimated that they had dug about 60m from the entrance by now, and they would need to dig another 150m more to reach the hydropower station located deep inside the mountain.

Rescuers are hoping that the debris from the flood would not have reached the station, because if it did, “there would be all kinds of complications – anybody in the station could have been hit by rocks and mud or it could be flooded”.

The team on the ground are still facing significant dangers.

“Up ahead, even now, we might run into water which would drown the people tunnelling,” said Dix. “And we also have the risk of another flood outside happening, so water could come from behind. So there’s the risk of facing water on both ends.”

But, buoyed by Friday’s successful rescue, the team is now hopeful it will reach more survivors in time.

“It’s a big relief, that we are on the right track. And it gives us renewed energy that our thinking [on how to conduct the rescue] works… we have never done something like this before.”

Dix said they are now heading towards what he called the “Goldilocks zone” which would be “more friendly to life”.

This zone is at the uppermost level of the hydropower station where there is some space where survivors may be located.

“We got two people out. If we were playing at a casino, some might say it’s time to walk away, but we say game on, time to take on the house.”

Politics

In a statement to the Camden New Journal newspaper, he said it had been a “huge honour and privilege” to represent the constituency for 11 years, but he would now turn his focus to “international affairs”.

Sir Keir stood down as prime minister earlier in 2026 summer, with Andy Burnham replacing him.

It follows weeks of speculation about whether Sir Keir would remain as MP following his resignation.

Government

In a BBC interview shortly after stepping down as PM, Sir Keir said he would stay as an MP until the next general election.

But in his statement released on Tuesday, Sir Keir said he was ready to “pass the baton to a successor”.

He added: “I will now focus on other things, and that will be international affairs, including defence, security, trade, and technology in a fast-changing world.

“I will also continue, as I have done for a long time now with others, to work on combating violence against women and girls; that is an issue that matters to me hugely.

“It’s work I started before I became an MP, and it’s work I’m keen to continue after I’m an MP. So international affairs on the one hand, and continuing my work on violence against women and girls on the other.”

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Adeniyi Mobolaji Kayode, 46, faces charges including causing death by dangerous driving and driving without a valid national driver’s licence. He denies the charges.

The court was told that the group – who had been travelling to visit Joshua’s father in Ogun State, near Lagos in Nigeria, last December – were asleep when Kayode lost control of his Lexus SUV while he overtook a moving truck and collided with a parked lorry.

Joshua’s personal trainer, Latif Ayodele, and strength coach, Sina Ghami, died in the crash.

A second defendant, Abubakar Adamu, 35, the driver of the stationary lorry the car collided with, denies a charge against him of obstructing the free flow of traffic.

Inspector Christopher Ajayi Taiwo of the Ogun State Motor Traffic Division told the court that by the time he arrived at the scene, both the damaged Lexus and the stationary lorry had been removed.

But debris from the crash and soya beans scattered on the road from the lorry’s load were found by officers, he added.

The only items recovered from the Lexus were a logbook, painkillers and an energy drink, which were found near the driver’s side, Ajayi said.

The court heard police have yet to take a statement from Joshua following the crash.

During cross-examination, Kayode’s lawyer questioned Ajayi over the lack of a statement, to which he replied that “efforts are ongoing” and that he had not contacted Joshua because he “didn’t have his number”.

The trial was adjourned until 10 September.

Joshua, who was born in Watford, has family roots in Sagamu – a town in Ogun State, near the crash site.

After the collision, the boxer posted a tribute to Ghami and Ayodele on social media.

“I didn’t even realise how special they are,” he wrote.

“I’ll just be walking with them and cracking jokes with them, not even knowing God kept me in the presence of great men.

“100% it’s tough for me, but I know it’s even tougher for their parents.”

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Officials have described this as the most expansive such prohibition in the United States.

What do we know about the AI ban?

The one-year moratorium bars student-facing generative AI software for students through eighth grade, affecting roughly 600,000 public school students, while officials study how children use the technology.

The city said the policy will halt use of about 40 educational AI tools currently used in classrooms.. Companion chatbots will be banned across all grade levels. 

However, high schoolers will be exempt from the full ban. The city will roll out twice-yearly AI literacy classes for all public high school students and launch pilot programs letting some use select AI platforms under teacher supervision. 

Teachers, meanwhile, will still be permitted to use AI for lesson planning and administrative tasks such as scheduling.

What did Mayor Mamdani say about the restrictions?

Mamdani framed the decision around the value of human connection in education: “Children need teachers and human connection in order to learn and grow. They need to develop skills alongside their peers, build relationships with educators and wrestle with tough problems on their own.” 

He also tied the policy to the district’s broader teaching ideals, saying, “Each day when our children come to school, we teach them to ask questions, to challenge assumptions, to interrogate the premise, to ask why. When it comes to AI in our schools, we hold an obligation to do the same.” 

New York’s move comes as school districts across the country weigh the benefits and risks of generative AI in classrooms.

Is New York alone in banning AI?

New York’s move comes as school districts across the country weigh the benefits and risks of generative AI in classrooms.

One of the largest examples is Los Angeles Unified, the US’s second-largest school district, which is also temporarily blocking generative AI tools on student devices across all grades as it develops a formal policy this school year. LAUSD had already banned devices before second grade and set screen-time limits as part of a broader policy adopted in June.

Like Los Angeles, New York is pairing AI restrictions with broader limits on technology use.

New York’s new plan also includes recommended screen time limits – a cap of 30 minutes daily for grades three to five and 45 minutes for grades six to eight. The plan also calls for a citywide review of education technology tools to eliminate those deemed nonessential to learning. 

At least 37 states already have some form of official AI guidance for schools, according to the Associated Press, but no consistent national standard exists for AI literacy instruction.

Reactions from education and advocacy groups were mixed. Michael Mulgrew, president of the United Federation of Teachers, welcomed the screen time limits but said the AI policy “leaves many questions unanswered,” including how the Education Department will ensure the tools it purchases include adequate safeguards, AP reported.

Spanish Maritime Rescue teams located the vessel some 65 nautical miles southwest of Gran Canaria’s coastal town of Arguineguín on Wednesday and found 44 survivors, with five dead bodies also on board.

The boat is believed to have departed The Gambia in West Africa in early August with 127 occupants on board. Human rights activist Helena Maleno Garzón, founder of Spanish charity Caminando Fronteras, said 83 people had lost their lives.

Rescuers were forced to leave the five bodies they found due to the rough sea conditions, Maritime Rescue said.

The organisation was unable to verify how many people were originally on board.

The 44 survivors are men from sub-Saharan Africa, Maritime Rescue said in a statement.

“Once the rescue was complete, adverse weather conditions in the area – featuring 20-knot winds and 2.5m waves – made it impossible to recover the five bodies found on board the vessel,” it added.

Three of the survivors were airlifted to hospital in critical condition.

The rest were transported by sea to Gran Canaria, where they disembarked in the early hours of Thursday morning.

Fernando Clavijo, head of the Canary Islands government, posted on X: “It is intolerable that lives continue to be lost. The Canaries cannot get used to or accept as normal the fact that the Atlantic continues to be a death trap.”

The Atlantic route from West Africa to the Canary Islands is one of the world’s deadliest migration crossings.

Thousands of migrants attempt the perilous journey each year seeking to reach Spanish territory despite the risks posed by rough seas, strong currents and long distances.

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On Wednesday, the US Mint launched the $1 coin with a portrait of Trump alongside the words “LIBERTY” and “IN GOD WE TRUST”, to celebrate America’s 250th anniversary.

The special-edition coin captures “the spirit, pride, and legacy of a nation approaching its landmark anniversary”, the US Mint said.

The coins – priced at $61 (£45) for a roll of 25 and $154.50 for a bag of 100 – were “not currently in stock” on the mint’s website within hours of going on sale. The BBC has contacted the US Mint, the Treasury and the White House for further details.

The coin has been “created to celebrate this historic national milestone” with a “once-in-a-generation anniversary design destined to become a standout addition to modern collections”, the US Mint said.

They were also being sold in vending machines at the US Mint store in Washington DC.

While the coins have a golden colour they do not contain any actual gold. According to the US Mint, they are 88.5% copper with the balance being made up of zinc, manganese and nickel.

Back in May, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said his department was planning to issue a new $250 bill bearing a portrait of President Trump.

Federal law bars the printing of US money with the image of a living person. Trump allies in Congress have introduced legislation that would make an exception, although the proposal is currently stalled.

At the time, Bessent highlighted that another living US president has previously appeared on the country’s currency.

A half-dollar that was issued to commemorate America’s 150th anniversary in 1926 featured then-President Calvin Coolidge.

The Trump administration has also cited the Circulating Collectible Coin Redesign Act of 2020, from Trump’s first term.

While this statute prohibits portraits of living people on the reverse (tails side) of coins, it does not explicitly cover the obverse (heads side), where Trump’s likeness appears on the new $1 coins.

The Thayer Amendment of 1866 bans the portrait of any living person on US notes, although this traditionally does not apply to coins.

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“It’s absurd to think that the government knew and did nothing,” Sánchez told Spain’s parliament on Thursday, hours after tens of thousands of people joined protests across the country backed by opposition parties.

Sánchez also maintained there was no evidence Morocco was behind the mass crossing and there had been “close co-ordination” between the two countries.

A Spanish police report has highlighted the “total permissiveness” of Moroccan security forces, although senior officials insist it does not point the finger at Rabat.

Although most of the migrants have been sent back to Morocco, some 5,000 remain on the streets and beaches of Ceuta, on the North African coast, including as many as 1,400 children.

There have been several reports that Spanish officials had been warned of a rise in sea arrivals over the border at Ceuta, following a Spanish court ruling that many migrants misunderstood to mean they would not be pushed back if they swam across.

Opposition People’s Party leader Alberto Núñez Feijóo accused the government of lying and a cover-up, and said the prime minister should resign.

Spain’s handling of the migrant influx angered some of its European partners, and Italy responded by imposing border restrictions on arrivals from Spain.

The large turnout for the demonstrations in Madrid and other cities on Wednesday underlined the pressure Sánchez is under domestically too.

The protests were ostensibly held to express support for the people of Ceuta, but as frequent anti-government chants have shown, they also reflected public anger at the ongoing crisis.

As Thursday’s fierce debate in Congress showed, the situation in Ceuta has developed from a humanitarian and logistical crisis into a major  political challenge for the Socialist leader.

One of the issues Sánchez is having to explain is his government’s bilateral relationship with Morocco.

He has tried to walk a delicate line between defending his refusal to blame Morocco while reprimanding it for the sovereignty claims it has been making in recent weeks on both Ceuta and its fellow Spanish exclave of Melilla.

Sánchez has been careful until now not to criticise Rabat and he said he would stick to “proven, verified facts”, although he did complain of “unacceptable” statements by two Moroccan ministers about Ceuta and its sister city Melilla.

The two cities have the EU’s only land borders in North Africa and Sánchez told parliament: “Ceuta is not the border of Spain, it is Spain on the border [of Europe].”

Politicians to both his left and right point to what they say is Morocco’s track record of using the border with Spain as leverage when it has a grievance.

Many have interpreted the police report pointing to the role of Moroccan security forces in the July crossing as reinforcing this theory, although Sánchez maintained there was no solid evidence of government involvement.

Responding to the police report, as well as reports before the influx, Feijóo told MPs that it had “originated in Morocco, was consented to by Morocco and there are indications that Morocco co-ordinated it and the Government knew because it had been warned about it”.

Morocco has denied orchestrating or being involved in the mass crossing.

Sánchez praised the response of Ceuta police who had chosen to “defend human life” when the influx took place, rather than defend the border. He also highlighted close co-operation with Moroccan authorities over the return of more than 90% of the migrants in the following 72 hours.

He addressed the “difficult times” faced by the residents of Ceuta, as he explained the “complexity” of what had happened on 30 and 31 July.

He spoke of an “episode in which numerous actors and interests converge”, doubling down on his assertion that hoaxes and rumours spread by social media had sparked the crisis.

He has already blamed trafficking gangs and angered Russia and Israel for highlighting social media linked to both countries along with “an international far-right movement”. He told MPs that there was no evidence of state actors being involved but doubled down on his allegations of accounts linked to the two countries.

Ceuta was “a humanitarian crisis and also an administrative challenge within the city itself”, he added.

The ride-hailing company announced the decision in a message to customers, saying it had taken the “tough decision” to wind down its operations in Nigeria following a thorough review of its business.

Uber launched in Lagos in 2014 and has since become part of the daily transportation routine of many Nigerians, connecting passengers with independent drivers for work, social engagements and movement across the city.

In its message, the company thanked customers for trusting its platform over the years and acknowledged that its departure could disrupt their routines.

“We know this may cause disruption to your routine, and we sincerely apologise for the inconvenience,” Uber said.

The company also expressed appreciation to users who relied on the platform to connect with drivers and travel safely.

Hackers extorted Manchester Airports Group (MAG) for an undisclosed amount but failed to get their ransom paid.

Customers of Manchester, London Stansted and East Midlands airports are being warned of secondary attacks as the data is now available to other criminals.

“MAG is confident that we have taken effective measures to protect our customers and we have contacted all those affected, including reaching out to all those with upcoming bookings to advise them of additional support,” the company said in a statement.

Contact details, vehicle registrations and postcodes were stolen in the breach that appears to have accessed databases containing wi-fi log in and car parking details.

The cyber-crime group – which the BBC is not naming – is offering the entire data set for free to other criminals or scammers through their website.

“Today we are releasing the Manchester Group database,” they wrote.

“Half a terabyte, and every byte of it is pure PII [personally identifiable information].”

Risk of future scams

Stolen data experts at HaveIBeenPwned have analysed the published material and confirmed it contains people’s email addresses, phone numbers, addresses, licence plate numbers, purchasing history and browsing device data.

Cyber-security expert Kevin Beaumont warned those affected to be on high alert for other forms of scam and hack – especially high profile or wealthy individuals.

“The data includes both historical locations and planned future travel, so individuals sensitive to their movements being known may need to take precautions,” he said.

“People should be alert to scammers reusing the data and so knowing details such as phone numbers and car registration numbers,” he added.

MAG says it is working with the authorities and specialist advisors and says passengers’ physical safety has not be at risk in the airports.

Unusually, the cyber criminals’ website where the MAG data is available is hosted on the clear internet and not on the dark net like most other so-called hacker “leak sites”.

This makes the data easier to access, increasing the risk to victims of MAG and the other companies the gang has breached in recent months.

As well as posting the stolen data, the hackers boasted about how they breached each victim using the same method each time – exploiting weaknesses in how companies store their digital keys for internal networks.

What if my information has been taken?

Data watchdog the Information Commissioner’s Office has advice on its website for people whose data has been hacked. It includes:

• Report any details of stolen documents including passports, credit cards or driver’s licences to the issuer
• Check your bank statement and credit report for any unusual activity
• Keep alert for any suspicious emails, messages or phone calls
• Use strong passwords and multi-factor authentication for online accounts

The United States threatened more devastating strikes. Iran accused Washington of hitting a wedding party, killing five people and wounding dozens.

Asian and European stocks fell after the renewed U.S. airstrikes, which pushed oil prices back up to levels unseen since July, compounding the economic impact of a global sell-off in bonds as disrupted energy supplies fuel inflation worldwide.

The U.S. military’s Central Command said it struck Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps air defences, radar systems, maritime assets, mine-laying capabilities and communications sites on Tuesday. Iranian media reported hits on multiple targets ​near the Strait of Hormuz — the narrow waterway where Tehran has threatened tankers attempting to pass without its permission.

Iran responded by striking what it said were U.S. assets in Bahrain, Jordan, Kuwait and Iraq, and said ​its aim was now to drive U.S. forces out of the vast network of military bases they have maintained for decades across the Middle East.

“American evil in the ⁠region will be met with heavier, more widespread, and devastating responses, and any country that cooperates with the aggressive American army must accept its dangerous consequences,” Iran’s military command said.

Jordan’s military said it dealt with 13 missiles, 10 of ​which were intercepted and three which fell in remote areas. The IRGC said it killed a large number of U.S. forces in Jordan, but U.S. officials told Reuters there had not been any casualties, according to initial assessments.

In Kuwait, Iran ​said it had carried out a missile and drone attack on the vast U.S. Ali Al Salem Air Base and targeted the accommodation of a U.S. commander. Kuwait’s fire service said crews put out a blaze at a residential complex early on Wednesday that was struck by an Iranian drone causing damage but no casualties.

Qatar, home of the largest U.S. airbase in the Gulf, said it “holds the Islamic Republic of Iran fully legally responsible for these attacks and their repercussions and consequences.” Bahrain, which houses the regional headquarters of the ​U.S. Navy, said Iranian drones were intercepted and destroyed.

The IRGC said its ground forces carried out combined missile and drone attacks on U.S. bases in Erbil in northern Iraq, claiming to have killed several U.S. personnel there. Neither Iraq ​nor the U.S. confirmed the attack.

Iran also said two tankers had been struck by mines while being steered across the Strait of Hormuz by U.S. operatives through a channel that Tehran says it has closed.

IRAN SAYS WEDDING STRUCK

Iran reported at least 12 deaths ‌from the night ⁠of U.S. strikes, with five people including a four-year-old said to have been killed while celebrating a wedding at a home in Sirik, a town along the coast of the strait.

Iranian media said as many as 68 people were wounded there, and released images of several injured children in hospital. Iranian officials compared the incident to a strike on a girls’ school that killed 160 people on the war’s first night.

Reuters was unable to independently verify the incident and U.S. officials did not comment on it. Video filmed by Iran’s West Asia  News Agency at the purported site showed rubble strewn across rooms and a courtyard of a home. A pair of strappy women’s dress sandals lay abandoned on a blood-soaked ​carpet.

“I am just glad the casualties weren’t even worse,” said ​Ali Molahi, identified as the father of the ⁠bride.

CONFLICT DRAINING BOTH SIDES

The exchange of fire was the worst since July, when U.S. President Donald Trump abruptly halted two weeks of intense bombing of Iran after warnings from his military brass that they were using up munitions and running out of meaningful targets.

Iran’s war-battered economy and degraded conventional forces have left it stretched thin, while Washington has used up much ​of its stocks of air defence munitions and burned through its precision long-range missiles.

Still, Trump, who has yet to achieve the aims he set when launching “Operation Epic Fury” ​in February — to end Iran’s nuclear ⁠programme, deprive it of the ability to strike its neighbours and create conditions for Iranians to topple their rulers — repeated his declarations that victory was at hand.

“I like our position now much better, with almost total control of the Hormuz Strait, and their economy totally collapsing,” he said on Tuesday. “They are just playing out the inevitable. When are the Iranian people going to rise up and fight?”

Iran, for its part, is determined to humble U.S. forces and emerge from the war stronger than before ⁠it, with sanctions ​lifted, billions in blocked funds released, and its newfound grip over the strait letting it collect fees from ships that carried a fifth ​of global oil before the war.

Trump agreed to many of Tehran’s demands in a June deal, but the ceasefire collapsed within weeks over control of the strait, and no talks between the foes have been held since.

Another 28 people were injured on the road between Red Sea towns of Dahab and Nuweiba in the South Sinai governorate on Wednesday morning.

Reports in Egyptian and Jordanian media say Jordanian nationals were among those killed in the accident.

As many as 20 ambulances were sent to the crash scene to provide first aid and evacuate the injured, the Egyptian health ministry said. The cause of the crash remains unknown.

The area is a popular tourist destination, attracting visitors from around the world.

Deadly road accidents are common across Egypt, with the authorities reporting nearly 6,000 fatalities in 2025.

Such accidents are often blamed on reckless driving and poor road maintenance.

Last month, 18 people were killed and 30 injured when two lorries collided in the north-eastern Ismailia governorate.

The study, published in European Urology Oncology, was led by the University of Birmingham and a diagnostics company Nonacus, and involved nearly 1,000 patients at seven hospitals in England and Scotland.

Researchers hope it could reduce the number of patients needing urgent, more invasive procedures, called cystoscopies, which involve inserting a small camera up the urethra and into the bladder.

If a larger trial is successful, it could mean tens of thousands of patients a year are spared these tests.

More convenient for patients

More than 300,000 cystoscopies are performed in the UK each year and there are significant waiting lists in some areas.

While the urine test is not a replacement for cystoscopies, it could help doctors identify patients at greater risk who should be prioritised for urgent ones rather than wait.

This NHS trial found that the Galeas urine test identified 92% of bladder cancer cases.

A negative result meant there was more than a 99% chance that the patient did not have bladder cancer.

It checks for any genetic material shed into the urine by bladder cancer and was originally developed by the University of Birmingham with funding from Cancer Research UK (CRUK).

It looks for more than 450 DNA mutations associated with bladder cancer across 23 genes.

Prof Richard Bryan, co-author of the study and from Birmingham University, said after spending years developing and evaluating the science, it was exciting to see “very promising early performance” in a large real-world patient population.

Under a licensing agreement, the test has been commercialised by Nonacus, which pays back part of the revenue to the University and CRUK.

Michelle Mitchell from CRUK said: “Too many people are waiting longer than they should for a bladder cancer diagnosis, and it’s essential that we find ways to tackle this problem.

“It’s early days for this test and further research is needed, but it’s vital that we continue to find faster and less invasive ways to help diagnose or rule out cancer.”

Bladder cancer is more common in men over the age of 60 and the main symptom is blood in your urine.

How serious bladder cancer is depends on how big the cancer is and whether it has spread elsewhere in the body.

Early detection and treatment of cancer saves lives.

In a Facebook post announcing his arrival, Baba Sadiq said he was taking up the role with a commitment to strengthening the longstanding Ghana-Nigeria relationship and creating new opportunities for cooperation between the two countries.

“September begins in Abuja.

I arrived in Abuja yesterday to commence my national assignment as Ghana’s High Commissioner-designate to the Federal Republic of Nigeria and Permanent Representative to ECOWAS, with a commitment to strengthening the enduring Ghana-Nigeria relationship and building bridges of opportunity,” he stated.

His new diplomatic assignment comes as Ghana and Nigeria continue to deepen cooperation across areas including trade, investment, regional integration, security and people-to-people relations.

Baba Sadiq is expected to formally take up his responsibilities following the completion of the required diplomatic processes.

He was found guilty of the murder of rapper Tupac Shakur, who died when the black BMW he was travelling in was sprayed with bullets in a drive-by shooting in 1996.

“This is huge. It was a tough case. It’s a cold case,” former prosecutor Neama Rahmani told the BBC. “We’re talking about the greatest rapper of all time, an icon, and not a single arrest or prosecution for 30 years.”

The conviction gives closure to Shakur’s family and has prompted questions from observers as to what it could mean for an almost identical case — the unsolved murder of Notorious B.I.G. or Biggie Smalls, also known by his legal name, Christopher Wallace.

Wallace, a New Yorker, was once one of Shakur’s friends, but the two became rivals and embodied the East Coast-West Coast feud that dominated 1990s hip-hop. Wallace was killed in Los Angeles a few months after Shakur and in similar circumstances – a drive-by shooting. No one has ever been charged.

“Tupac’s murder and Biggie’s murder are two of the great cultural touchstones of our lives,” said Justin Tinsley, a journalist for ESPN’s Andscape and the author of “It Was All a Dream: Biggie and the World That Made Him.”

“Those two men, they were so unique, talented, and impactful, separately,” Tinsley told the BBC. “But it’s impossible to tell each of their stories without telling the other’s.”

“When you talk about these cases, they’re always going to be connected because there are so many mutual figures involved with them, and ancillary figures,” he said.

Theorists have long believed the two murders were linked. Wallace’s name came up during Duane Davis’ trial. He and Davis were at the same party the night Wallace was killed, and police interviewed Davis about it.

The investigator who conducted that interview even testified at the Tupac murder trial.

The breakthrough in finally solving the Shakur case largely came down to one thing: Davis’ own words.

Through documentaries with the media, his own memoir, podcasts and even a secret police interview, he acknowledged his role in Shakur’s death.

Davis said he tossed a firearm in the backseat and his nephew, Orlando Anderson, used the gun to fatally shoot Shakur as they pulled up alongside his vehicle in Las Vegas on 7 September, 1996.

Anderson was shot dead in 1998, having denied killing Shakur.

During the trial, there were no eye-witnesses to place Davis as being in the car, no murder weapon presented, no video or photo evidence. His defence team went as far as to argue there wasn’t even proof that he was in Las Vegas that night.

Rahmani said it was a difficult case to prosecute. He noted the rumours and speculation surrounding Davis were nothing new and had been around for decades – but the decision to charge him and go to trial was an “uphill climb” – a gutsy move – for prosecutors.

“Look, when you’re a prosecutor, you’re expected to win every time. They made a difficult decision to charge a case that a lot of people thought might be a loser,” he explained. “And they got justice, where other people didn’t even bother trying.”

Davis’ attorney Michael Sanft asked the jury to consider “what facts do you have?” He urged the panel, before they decided their guilty verdict, to discredit his client as a liar who told tales to sell books and make money.

“There’s no proof,” he argued to the jury.

The moment the guilty verdict was read in court, there was an outpouring of emotion among Shakur’s family. Some cried and wiped tears with tissues. Others hugged and held hands. A family member embraced one of the prosecutors in the case.

At a press conference on Tuesday, Clark County District Attorney Steve Wolfson thanked the judge, prosecutors and Shakur’s family members, who he said were very relieved and “finally have justice.”

“Their loved one was murdered,” he said. “They waited 30 years for a trial. It’s very understandable that they were relieved.”

Trial lawyer Shaun Kent said the case really evolved with each interview and moment that Davis decided to talk about the case.

“There are no other witnesses, besides him,” Kent told the BBC before the trial, noting that the “strongest witness against him, is him”.

Rahmani believed Davis likely would have never faced charges if he had stayed silent.

“He really couldn’t stop himself,” Rahmani added. “Even when he was arrested and in custody, he was giving interviews.”

Much of the Shakur trial forced the jury to place themselves back in the 1990s, at a time of intense gang violence that had infiltrated roots into hip-hop music and rivalries between East-Coast and West-Coast rappers.

It was a time of deep-rooted mistrust in policing and a street code that forbade reporting to authorities.

Even Shakur, after being hit multiple times in the drive-by shooting that would later kill him, refused to talk to authorities. “We’ll take care of it,” he said in an ambulance as an officer tried to question him.

The silence was echoed months later in the shooting death of Biggie Smalls.

Biggie, one of the biggest East Coast rappers, was leaving an after-party in Los Angeles for the Soul Train Music Awards, when a black Chevrolet pulled up to his vehicle at a red light and opened fire on 9 March, 1997. It was almost exactly six months after the shooting that killed Shakur, one of the biggest West Coast rappers.

Both were Grammy-nominated artists at the top of their genre, making millions and receiving constant radio play. Their feud spilled over into their lyrics, and also led to threats and physical violence.

Violence erupted on the streets of Los Angeles following both shootings, as street gangs sought to hold one another accountable for the rappers’ deaths.

For years, neither murder led to arrests or convictions, just rumours and conspiracies.

“People will search for closure in any way they can get it,” Tinsley said. “People are trying to make sense of it for 30 years.”

Like Shakur’s death, countless theories and names have surrounded the death of Biggie in Los Angeles, but the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) have not made any arrests.

“It’s really a stain on the LAPD. The fact that this could happen and not a single arrest was made and no one was prosecuted,” Rahmani said, noting Biggie’s killing happened on a public street in the middle of the second most populous US city.

“Prosecutors don’t like to lose,” Rahmani explained. “But, maybe this [Tupac’s conviction] will embolden folks in Los Angeles to maybe take another look at it, a cold case that’s coming up on 30 years.”

Asked about the cases and whether the Tupac murder conviction could revive Biggie’s death, the LAPD told the BBC that it was aware of the conviction and the investigation into Biggie’s case remained active.

“The murder of Christopher Wallace remains an open, unsolved case within LAPD’s Robbery-Homicide Division,” Lt Elpidio Orozco said, urging anyone with any tips to call authorities.

Though Wallace’s case has gone cold, the public’s interest has not.

“They’ve been gone longer than they’ve been alive,” Tinsley said, “But the enduring mythology around these guys and their deaths will always be a topic of conversation.”

Ceder, a member of the Christian Union (ChristenUnie), previously received the same distinction in 2025, making this his second time being recognized as the best-performing politician in the Dutch Parliament.

The ranking is based on parliamentary performance and offers an assessment of how effectively MPs fulfil their duties.

For Ceder, the recognition reflects his commitment to public service, integrity, and effective parliamentary work.

Ceder has built a reputation around issues of justice, social responsibility, and community service. Before entering politics, he worked as a lawyer representing vulnerable and marginalized groups.

Born and raised in Amsterdam, his Ghanaian and Surinamese heritage has also played an important role in shaping his outlook on public service.

Ceder previously gained international recognition when he was selected for the Forbes 30 Under 30 Europe list in 2018 in the Law & Policy category.

His Ghanaian roots remain a source of inspiration. Ceder has often spoken about the values he inherited from his family, including resilience, faith and solidarity, and how these principles guide his work as a public servant.

Reacting to the latest recognition, Ceder expressed gratitude and dedicated the achievement to the first generation of Ghanaians who settled in the Netherlands.

“We thank God for His strength and guidance. To be awarded twice is not something I take lightly. I would like to dedicate this recognition to the first generations of Ghanaians who came to the Netherlands. Because of them, we can stand on their shoulders.”

The recognition is based on the National Political Index, which tracks the parliamentary performance of members of the Dutch House of Representatives.

The index uses data maintained by the House of Representatives and assesses MPs using a range of indicators related to their parliamentary duties.

By focusing on parliamentary performance rather than media visibility alone, the index highlights an important but often less visible aspect of democratic politics: how elected representatives actually carry out their responsibilities in Parliament.
His recognition serves as another example of the positive influence that members of the Ghanaian diaspora can have in public life, both in the Netherlands and on the international stage.

Also read:

• Ghanaian-Dutch MP Don Ceder adjudged 2025 Best Politician in the Netherlands

• Lawyers file bail application for detained Asante Akyem North MP in Dutch court

Deep Roots of Insecurity and Displacement

Eastern Congo provides fertile ground for the epidemic to spread rapidly. Armed conflict, mass displacement, and population movements hinder containment efforts. A concurrent strike by local health workers compounds the crisis. Displacement sites present the most acute danger due to severely precarious living conditions. The virus recently breached two additional health zones in the region.

Global Health Alarm

The World Health Organisation warns the outbreak remains entirely out of control. Current transmission trajectories threaten to surpass the devastating 2014-2016 West Africa epidemic. That disaster claimed over 11,000 lives across Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone. Officials trace the current contagion back to February, despite formal declarations arriving in May. The virus has now crossed from three initial zones into nearly 60 areas. Most infections and fatalities occur inside local communities rather than monitored contact networks.

Frontline Violence and Burial Tensions

Response teams face immense hostility while attempting to contain the spread. Armed assailants recently stormed an Ebola burial site outside Mambasa in Ituri province. Attackers wielding machetes injured one response worker and forced the entire team to scatter. Floribert Magene addressed the constant threat of violence faced by medical personnel. “We demand greater security so we can operate in the field and do our work without endangering our lives,” said Floribert Magene, a member of the response team. Traditional funeral practices complicate containment because deceased victims remain highly contagious. Authorities mandate state-managed burials for suspected cases to prevent transmission. These protocols frequently spark friction and protests from grieving families and communities.

Treatment Gaps and Experimental Defences

The current epidemic stems from the Bundibugyo strain, a rare viral type lacking approved treatments or vaccines. Officials launched a vaccination campaign last week targeting health workers and front-line staff. This campaign utilises the Ervebo vaccine, proven effective against the distinct Zaire strain. Clinical trials continue in an urgent race to secure a licensed vaccine for the Bundibugyo variant.

Broader Regional Fallout

Emergency containment measures paralyse daily life across six affected provinces. Restrictions target public gatherings, enforce social distancing, and mandate airport closures. Ituri province bears a double burden from both the epidemic and persistent rebel violence. Advocacy groups urge authorities to deepen community engagement and build local trust. Meanwhile, the World Health Organisation warns that cross-border transmission risks persist despite neighbouring Uganda declaring itself Ebola-free last month.

Humanitarian Crossroads

Balancing immediate epidemiological containment with enduring community trust remains the central challenge for international health bodies and local administrations alike.

In a 5-4 ruling, the justices granted the Trump administration’s emergency request, blocking lower court rulings that would have halted construction of an above-ground portion of the project.

But Chief Justice John Roberts, a conservative, sided with the three liberal justices to dissent, writing that “construction is likely unlawful” because Congress has not approved the project.

The National Trust for Historic Preservation filed the legal challenge, arguing that the president did not have unilateral authority to proceed with construction.

Trump demolished the historic East Wing of the executive residence last autumn to begin building the ballroom. The White House has said the project will be “substantially” finished by November and fully completed by August 2028.

On Friday, the high court had temporarily allowed construction of the 90,000 sq ft (8,400 sq m) ballroom to move forward while the justices considered the lawsuit aiming to halt it entirely.

In Monday’s unsigned order, the five justices who cleared the way for construction said lower courts had “likely exceeded” their authority in blocking the ballroom.

While the majority did not decide on the legality of the East Wing project, they said the preservation group “lacks standing” to sue the  government.

They ruled that the Trump administration had established it was likely to succeed in arguing that it would “suffer irreparable harm without a stay”.

Chief Justice Roberts wrote in dissent: “Today’s decision is no victory for the separation of powers.”

Reacting to the ruling, Trump posted that he was “pleased” the “baseless” lawsuit had failed to halt construction.

“We are living in the Golden Age of America, and this Building will be one of the Greatest ever constructed in Washington, DC,” he said.

Trump has long argued that the White House needs a larger events space, and more recently, that it was important for his security.

The Republican president emphasised the need for the ballroom after an alleged assassination attempt at the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner in April.

But the National Trust for Historic Preservation argued that construction was causing irreversible damage to a historical landmark.

Its position stemmed from a declaration made by preservationist Alison Hoagland, who lives in Washington DC and serves on the trust’s board of trustees.

Hoagland, who says she visits the neighbourhood once a month, asserted that she would “suffer both professional and personal injuries, including to my aesthetic, cultural and historical interests, if a ballroom of the proposed form and scale were constructed”.

In the dissent, Roberts said the injuries claimed by Hoagland were sufficient to allow the lawsuit to go ahead.

The National Trust for Historic Preservation said it was disappointed in the court’s decision, but welcomed the “strong dissent” by Roberts.

“Each President is a temporary steward of the People’s House and does not have the unilateral authority to demolish and redesign it without the approval of Congress,” it said in a statement.

The ballroom project, along with the helipad being constructed on the South Lawn, are just part of the president’s wider effort to transform Washington’s cityscape.

His plans include the renovation of the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool and a planned “Arc de Trump” larger than the Arc de Triomphe in Paris.

The jury found Davis guilty of one count of murder with a deadly weapon for the rap superstar’s death in a drive-by shooting in Las Vegas on 7 September 1996.

Clad in a black suit, the 63-year-old stood impassively in the Las Vegas court as the verdict was read, before saying he would appeal. Shakur’s relatives held hands, some hugging and crying.

Shakur was 25 when he was slain at the height of his career as one of rap’s most influential voices. He has sold more than 75 million records worldwide.

Prosecutors had argued during the trial that although Davis, a former leader of the South Side Compton Crips street gang, did not fire the gun that killed Shakur, he ordered the shooting and supplied the gun that his nephew Orlando Anderson used to open fire.

They told the court that Davis had planned the shooting as retaliation after Anderson was involved in a fight with Shakur and the rapper’s crew in Las Vegas just hours earlier.

For 30 years, the case remained one of America’s most famous cold cases, spurring countless conspiracies – but never a conviction, until now.

Shakur’s murder happened at a time of intense rivalry between the East Coast and West Coast rap scene and amid gang feuds between the Bloods and Crips, which had deep roots within hip-hop at the time.

His family appeared emotional in court, his sister embracing a prosecutor after the verdict was read while others sat crying nearby.

Outside, devoted fans of Shakur were crying and cheering.

The key evidence in the case were Davis’ own words, where he repeatedly and publicly acknowledged being inside the white Cadillac from where the deadly shots were fired.

He had told authorities about his role in Shakur’s death during a secret 2008 police interview related to the death of fellow rapper Notorious B.I.G., real name Christopher Wallace.

Davis elaborated further on his role in his 2019 memoir, Compton Street Legend.

But his book and media interviews voided a protective agreement he had established with authorities that had blocked any criminal charges being filed, with the court ruling his police interview could be used in the murder trial against him.

In closing arguments, prosecutor Binu Palal told jurors to take Davis at his word and find him guilty.

For years, he argued, Davis had been telling people “that he is responsible for Tupac Shakur’s murder” through documentaries, his memoir, podcasts and a police interview.

“He’s the shot caller – in every instance in every iteration he’s the leader of the South Side Crips,” Palal told the jury.

“When you have the shot caller sitting shotgun when shots are fired, there’s no doubt he’s responsible.”

Throughout the trial, Davis’ defence team tried to persuade jurors that his comments were fiction – bravado and exaggeration intended to sell books and make money.

In closing arguments, his lawyer Michael Sanft urged the jury to discredit his client as a liar who just told tales to sell books.

There’s no proof,” he told the jury.

But within hours of the jury being handed the case on Monday, they reached a guilty verdict.

Just before the court emptied out, Clark County District Court Judge Carli Kierny set Davis’ sentencing for 13 October.

While reading out some procedural steps in the case, Davis appeared to interrupt by raising his hand.

“I would like my stuff,” he told the judge, mentioning some personal items including his phone.

He continued: “I would like to appeal this matter.”

The judge explained that this could happen after sentencing.

The meeting, held on Monday, August 31, brought together representatives from the U.S. business community, diplomats, investors and members of the Asantehene’s delegation.

Discussions centred on strengthening economic ties and identifying opportunities that could attract investment into Asanteman while contributing to Ghana’s broader trade and investment agenda.

The engagement forms part of Otumfuo’s broader efforts to leverage strategic partnerships to promote development and economic opportunities for the Asante Kingdom and Ghana.

Among those who attended from the U.S. side were Ghana’s Ambassador to the United States, Victor Smith; Kendra Gaither and Guevera Yao of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce; and former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, Amb. Linda Thomas-Greenfield.

Also present were Kwabena Osei-Sarpong of RIFE International; Dr. Adjoa B. Asamoah of ABA Consulting; Amb. Dr. Jendayi Frazer of 50 Ventures; Sarah Brenholt of Cargill; Michael Coyle of Peak Global Partners; and Victor Swami of Areva Pharmaceuticals.

The Asantehene was accompanied by a delegation comprising former Ghanaian Ambassador to the U.S., Amb. Kobby Koomson; Ernest Sarhene, Head of Protocol to the Asantehene; Charles Sekyere; Dr. Andy Asamoah, CEO of A&C Mall; and Kofi Badu, Chief of Staff at the Manhyia Palace.

The engagement underscores the importance of public-private partnerships and international cooperation in advancing investment, trade and development opportunities for Ghana.

President Mahama made the announcement while addressing fellow African leaders at the 21st Extraordinary Summit of the African Union (AU) in Luanda, Angola, where he provided an update on Ghana’s efforts to advance the international reparations agenda.

According to the President, the UNGA side event will provide a platform for stakeholders involved in the reparations campaign to present progress reports and outline the next steps in implementing the initiative launched in Accra.

He said the event will particularly receive updates from various panels established to advance work arising from the reparations resolution adopted by the United Nations General Assembly in 2025.

The panels are expected to provide expertise and recommendations on the political, legal, historical and cultural dimensions of the reparatory justice campaign.

President Mahama also highlighted the outcomes of the Next Steps Conference held in Accra in June 2026, which brought together Heads of State, experts and other key stakeholders to deliberate on the future of the global reparations agenda.

The conference expanded the scope of the initiative to include indentured labour as a historical injustice and led to the establishment of specialised bodies to deepen the campaign.

They include the High-Level Advisory Council on Reparatory Justice, the Global Experts Panel on the Restitution of Cultural Heritage and the Global Legal Panel on Reparatory Justice.

President Mahama, who was recognised as the African Union Champion for Reparations during the June conference, said Ghana remains committed to providing leadership in the pursuit of justice, restitution and dignity for Africans and people of African descent worldwide.

He said the upcoming UNGA side event would offer an opportunity to assess the progress of the various panels and strengthen international cooperation towards achieving reparatory justice.

President Mahama said:

“In June this year, we convened the Next Steps Conference in Accra. We expanded our mandate to include indentured labour as a historical injustice. We also established a High-Level Advisory Council on Reparatory Justice, a Global Experts Panel on the Restitution of Cultural Heritage, and a Global Legal Panel on Reparatory Justice.

“As a follow-up, Ghana will host a high-level side event during the 81st UN General Assembly Session this September to receive progress reports from our established panels.

“I have invited all Heads of State to join us as we continue to lead the charge for justice, restitution, and dignity for Africa and people of African descent worldwide.”

The announcement reinforces Ghana’s efforts to position itself at the centre of the international campaign for reparations and broader recognition of the historical injustices suffered by Africans and people of African descent.

The 532-member group chat, called “Traders of Greater Europe”, was used to arrange cash transfers across borders for their clients, including to UK cities such as Birmingham and London.

In one case, payments from Brussels went to militants from the Islamic State group (IS) in Syria.

The European Broadcasting Union (EBU) investigative journalism network, which includes the BBC, also found wider evidence of similar cash transfer systems being used in people smuggling and drug trafficking.

The group chat, which contained more than 82,000 messages sent between late February and December 2022, was first uncovered by Belgian investigating magistrate Vincent Guerra. An investigating magistrate is a judge who examines evidence in complex cases before trial and makes a recommendation about whether they should proceed.

Guerra said the number of transactions was “staggering” and the network covered “the entire planet”. The case began as an investigation into terror financing, but “it became just a drop in the ocean of transactions”, he said.

Members of the group chat sent messages in Arabic to each other to set up cash payments using the ancient hawala transfer system. Hawala involves a network of trusted money brokers who can arrange for funds to be sent around the world without any electronic record or physical transport of bank notes.

The system involves an agreement between two brokers, known as hawaladars, in different locations. One of the hawaladars is paid a sum of cash and the other agrees to supply the same sum, minus commission, to the recipient. The hawaladars agree to settle up all their transactions between themselves at a later date.

Hawala transfers are frequently used for legitimate purposes, such as immigrant workers sending funds home to support their families in countries with limited access to banks.

But criminals can also take advantage of hawala transfers to avoid the Swift system used for most international money transfers, where banks typically flag large transactions outside the normal course of business and are required to report any suspicious activity.

The Traders of Greater Europe group was reserved for transactions over €5,000 (£4,279) and payments were often much larger. There is no indication that all those participating in the group were involved in handling criminal funds.

Hawala is illegal in many countries, including most of the EU, but is legal in the UK as long as the brokers are registered with Revenue and Customs (HMRC).

The cache of WhatsApp messages was obtained by the EBU following a 2024 court case in Belgium which convicted six money launderers, including Abu Adam, the head of the network in Brussels, and his number two, Abu Ahmed.

Belgian police had discovered evidence that the defendants had been sending money to IS, which was intended to help the wives of militants escape from detention camps in Syria. When they arrested Abu Adam, they discovered the Traders of Greater Europe group chat on his phone.

Guerra said it was like “hitting the jackpot”, uncovering the inner workings of a vast, underground system. The phone also contained 6,000 photos of €5 notes showing the serial numbers and 6,000 photos of identity cards. These details are often used as unique identifying codes in hawala transactions, and the total number of notes and ID cards suggest Abu Adam had processed at least 12,000 transactions, Guerra said.

“This isn’t just amateur work; it’s professional, and at a level we could never have imagined,” he said. “They’re bankers with no government oversight.”

The EBU also found further gangs across Europe using the hawala system for criminal activity. One former money launderer previously involved in European hawala networks, whom we are calling Frank, told the EBU he had been involved in transactions totalling several hundred million euros.

His first introduction to the hawala system had been at an office in a small town outside Rotterdam, he said. There, five or six messengers had arrived with money in about an hour and a half, transferring at least a million euros, he estimated.

“What I found out later is that it’s not just about money. It’s about the financing of terror. It’s about drug trafficking. It’s about prostitution and all sorts of other crap, to put it nicely,” he said.

Cases in Austria have also revealed how the hawala system is bound up with people smuggling and violence.

In one case investigated by Austrian broadcaster ORF, part of the EBU network, Austrian police raided what they called “the biggest hawala office in Vienna”. It was run from a kebab restaurant on a busy thoroughfare and which authorities say was used to make payments for people smuggling.

Two Syrian brothers who ran the operation were charged with human trafficking, as well as torturing and raping a courier who had lost €350,000 (£300,000), saying he had been robbed. They were convicted last year and sentenced to 18 and 8 years in prison respectively.

Austrian police and Europol also recently dismantled another people-smuggling ring financed through hawala, which officials said had transported about 100,000 people into Europe over 18 months.

Gerald Tatzgern, who leads human-trafficking investigations at Austria’s Criminal Intelligence Service, the BK, told ORF that torture was a reality of people smuggling and was also used to maximise profits.

He said: “Videos of the torture are then sent to the families, saying that if they don’t send another €1,000 or several thousand euros, then the person concerned – your son, your brother, your father – will suffer.”

Payments to stop the torture were demanded through the hawala system, he said.

Police commander and Europol liaison officer Quentin Mugg, who has led a number of money-laundering investigations, said the hawala system was “the primary money-laundering channel for organised crime”.

“Whether the money comes from migrant smuggling, human trafficking, pimping, a grandmother’s savings sent as a birthday present to her son, or a Malian working in France who wants to support his family, [the hawaladars] couldn’t care less,” he said. “And they’ll apply their rates.”

Explosions and gunfire rang out across capital, Niamey, early in the morning, including at a key military airbase and the presidential palace.

Hours later, Niger’s authorities said the rebellion had been contained.

Nigerien forces had repelled the attack “with the assistance of servicemen of the African Corps of the Russian Ministry of Defence”, the foreign ministry in Moscow said on Sunday.

The ministry also said it would continue to support Niger in its fight against “extremists”, but that the situation was now under the control of the legitimate authorities headed by President [Gen Abdourahmane] Tiani”.

Russia’s African Corps has become a key security partner for multiple military governments in the Sahel, who have been struggling to contain long-running jihadist insurgencies.

The Alliance of Sahel States – composed of Niger, Mali and Burkina Faso – said the attempted coup was “a betrayal by a group of soldiers involved in an attempt at destabilisation”.

The authorities have not said how many soldiers were involved in the attempted coup, nor how many casualties there were.

Niger’s military ruler, Gen Tiani, who was sworn in as its president last year after he deposed its elected leader, has also not publicly addressed the incident.

The nation’s state broadcaster showed footage of several alleged mutineers being arrested by the Presidential Guard.

On Sunday, Niger Press Agency reported that commercial activity was returning to normal, with petrol stations, shops and other businesses reopening.

Supporters of the government gathered at a public square in central Niamey in support of the security forces and Tiani’s government.

Air Base 101, the military site attacked on Saturday, is part of the Diori Hamani airport complex.

It hosts Nigerien military aircraft and drones, as well as an Alliance of Sahel States counter-terrorism unit. Russian and Italian forces are also based there, according to news agency Reuters.

Niger, Mali and Burkina Faso are all military-ruled countries that have cut ties with Western partners and strengthened their co-operation with Russia.

But jihadist violence remains widespread in all three countries, despite the shift in alliances.

For Niger’s government, Saturday’s mutiny highlights that the military is dealing not only with an external insurgency, but also signs of discontent within its own ranks.

The airbase where the mutiny began had itself been targeted twice by jihadists this year – once by an Islamic State affiliate and later by an al-Qaeda affiliate.

Nigerien authorities say security forces have increased patrols around key sites in Niamey following the attempted takeover, including the main airport entrance and the presidential pavilion.