The group included 15 failed asylum seekers and 11 foreign nationals who had completed prison sentences in the UK. Seven of the individuals reportedly returned voluntarily.

The charter flight, which took off on Thursday, marks the second deportation operation to Ghana and Nigeria since the current government assumed office, bringing the total number of returnees to the two countries to 87.

UK officials say the operation reflects a growing partnership between the British government and its counterparts in Accra and Abuja to curb irregular migration and enforce immigration laws.

“This flight demonstrates how international partnerships deliver on working people’s priorities for swift returns and secure borders,” said Angela Eagle, the UK’s Minister for Border Security and Asylum.

“Through the Plan for Change, we’re going further in restoring order to a broken system, accelerating returns of those with no right to be here and closing expensive asylum hotels,” she added. “I thank the governments of Ghana and Nigeria for facilitating this operation, which reflects our joint commitment to disrupt organised immigration crime and protect our borders.”

According to the Home Office, more than 24,000 people have been returned since the current administration took over—a figure representing an 11% increase over the same period last year.

Deportations of foreign national offenders have also increased by 16%, with 3,594 criminals removed.

Baroness Chapman of Darlington, Minister at the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, said international cooperation remains key to tackling irregular migration.

“Working with other countries and partners around the world is critical to tackling irregular migration—by working internationally, we will meet this global challenge together,” she said. “I welcome our strong cooperation with Ghana and Nigeria to return those with no right to be in the UK, secure our borders, and deliver on the Plan for Change.”

The UK government noted that Immigration Enforcement ensures all deportations are conducted in a “dignified and respectful manner.”

The operation comes on the heels of the recent Organised Immigration Crime Summit hosted by the UK, which brought together representatives from over 40 countries—including Ghana and Nigeria—to advance global efforts against human smuggling and irregular migration.

The Plan for Change is one of the UK government’s flagship strategies aimed at tightening border controls, reducing asylum backlogs, and repatriating individuals who have no legal right to remain in the country.

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Witkoff is in the Russian capital for crunch talks on a potential ceasefire in Ukraine as Trump’s self-imposed deadline of ending the war within the first 100 days of his presidency nears.

The envoy was received by Putin at the Kremlin on Friday afternoon, Russia’s state news agency Tass reported, adding that Witkoff has also met with senior Russian negotiator Kirill Dmitriev.

Dmitriev and Russian presidential aide and former ambassador to Washington, Yuri Ushakov, were part of the meeting with Putin, Tass said.

This is Witkoff’s fourth trip to Russia since Trump returned to the White House in January, and the second one this month.

Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said Moscow was “ready to reach a deal” on ending the war in Ukraine in an interview with CBS News on Thursday, but added that there were still some specific points that needed to be “fine-tuned.”

The United States has been applying more pressure on Ukraine after threatening last week it could walk away from the talks “within days” if it becomes clear a deal cannot be reached.

The latest framework, presented by the Trump administration in Paris last week, proposed significant sacrifices from Kyiv, including US recognition of Crimea as Russian territory and Ukraine ceding large swaths of territory to Russia, according to an official familiar.

Vice President JD Vance on Wednesday called “to freeze the territorial lines at some level close to where they are today.”

Asked what concessions Russia was offering on Thursday, Trump replied, “stopping the war,” suggesting that not “taking the whole country” is a “pretty big concession.”

CNN reported this week that Trump was getting frustrated with the stalling talks and has privately told advisers that mediating a deal has been more difficult than he anticipated.

Recognizing Crimea, the southern Ukrainian peninsula Moscow ilegally annexed in 2014, as Russian would cross a major red line for Ukraine and its European allies, and would be in breach of established international law.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky rejected the idea, saying there was “nothing to talk about” as recognizing Crimea as part of Russia would be against Ukraine’s constitution.

Trump slammed Zelensky for the comments, saying they were “inflammatory” and made it “difficult to settle this war.”

Trump’s scolding of his counterpart in Kyiv came after a meeting in London aimed at bringing about an end to Russia’s war in Ukraine had been downgraded after US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said he wouldn’t attend.

On Thursday morning, the queue to see the Pope, who is in an open coffin, stretched out of St Peter’s Square and down the street – the longest the line had become since his body was moved to lie in state on Wednesday.

Entry to the church in Vatican City had been due to stop at midnight local time (22:00 GMT), but opening hours were extended to accommodate large crowds.

The pontiff died on Monday at the age of 88 after suffering a stroke. He had spent five weeks in hospital earlier this year with double pneumonia.

Pope Francis was the first Latin American leader of the Catholic Church and held the role for 12 years.

Red-robed cardinals and white-clad priests escorted the Pope’s coffin from his residence to the basilica on Wednesday.

Bells tolled during the 40-minute procession, while the crowd broke into applause – a traditional Italian sign of respect.

Swiss Guards, who are responsible for the Pope’s safety, escorted his coffin to the church’s altar.

Public viewing began at 11:00 local time on Wednesday. By mid-afternoon, tens of thousands of people lined the square.

The church was supposed to close at midnight, but police told the BBC that it would stay open all night so that crowds gathered on the square could file past the coffin.

“I think the Pope was an amazing man, so I wanted to see him,” 13-year-old Edoardo, waiting after midnight with his parents, told the BBC. “I am really sorry. But I think maybe he will enjoy heaven.”

Viewing continued until 05:30 on Thursday, then closed for an hour and a half, before reopening at 07:00. The crowd became so large that some turned away.

“It looks like five or six hours, so we’ll come back later,” Catherine, from Birmingham, said.

The Pope’s body will lie in state in the church until Friday evening, when his coffin will be sealed during a liturgical rite at 20:00, the Vatican said.

The ceremony will be overseen by Cardinal Kevin Farrell, who is the Pope’s “camerlengo”, or chamberlain, and runs the Vatican until a new Pope is chosen.

Luis and Macarena, from Mexico, had come to Rome for their honeymoon and hoped to see the Pope for a special blessing. Luis said seeing the Pope’s final resting place would help them to feel a connection.

“Pope Francis is a saint, and he will bless us from heaven,” Luis said.

Mary Ellen, an American who lives in Italy, said she had come to the Vatican on an overnight train to “say goodbye”.

“I love Papa Francesco,” she said. “He’s humble, kind, and he loves immigrants. I know he’s put up with a lot of difficult things in the Vatican. He’s fought against power and the power of the Vatican to be a true Christian, true Catholic.”

Inside St Peter’s on Wednesday, the atmosphere was quiet and solemn as some people kneeled and prayed, before slowly moving on.

Many lingered to admire the staggering beauty of the basilica.

Two women who had waited for five hours to see the Pope said it was important to them to say goodbye to the pontiff.

“All these years I followed all he did and it’s as if I travelled all over the world with him, even if I was just at home. He liked going everywhere and prioritises the poor,” one woman said.

Fredrik, who is from Ghana but travelled from Poland, said the Pope had “done his best” and “it is left to us to continue the good works”.

Eva Asensio, a Mexican on holiday in Italy, said she felt an affinity for the Pope.

“We saw him as a good Pope – someone who supported everyone, no matter your sexual orientation, no matter where you came from. He united us,” she said with tears in her eyes.

Margaux, who is French and lives in Rome, said it was “powerful to live this”.

To her, Pope Francis meant “hope”, and his more progressive social views were “very important”.

“I hope the next Pope will follow his path,” she said.

Dignitaries from all over the world, including UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and Prince William, will attend the funeral on Saturday.

Pope Francis left clear instructions that he wanted a smaller ceremony in keeping with his simpler tastes as pontiff. He had arranged for a benefactor to pay for it all.

Unlike the vast majority of his predecessors, he will not be buried in St Peter’s, but in a church dedicated to the Virgin Mary in central Rome, beneath a tombstone inscribed only with his name.

Before being moved to St Peter’s, Pope Francis had been lying in an open coffin in the chapel of his home, flanked by Swiss Guards and cardinals in prayer.

His last public appearance was on Easter Sunday, during which he delivered brief remarks to the masses gathered in St Peter’s Square from a wheelchair.

He then greeted worshippers and blessed babies as he was driven in a car through the crowds.

His Papal apartments have been sealed, marking the start of the period known as the Sede Vacante – or empty seat – which continues until a new head of the church is elected.

The visit marked a diplomatic breakthrough for the Ukrainian leader in his efforts to counter Russia’s strong – and growing – influence in Africa.

“I’m sure that Russia will be annoyed by the visit, but I don’t think it can do much about it,” said Steven Gruzd of the South African Institute of International Relations think-tank.

But Russia disrupted Zelensky’s visit by carrying out an air strike on Ukraine’s capital Kyiv, forcing him to announce that he will cut short the trip by returning home immediately after meeting President Cyril Ramaphosa.

The South African leader said the visit had “reaffirmed” the bonds between the two nations, pointing out that Zelensky’s visit was the first in 33 years by a Ukrainian head of state.

Apart from a brief stopover in Cape Verde in 2023 while flying to Argentina, this was also Zelensky’s first visit to Africa since he became Ukraine’s president in 2019.

Ukraine grasped the diplomatic significance of African states when many of them, including regional powerhouse South Africa, refused to condemn Russia’s full-scale invasion of its territory in 2022.

“Ukraine neglected the continent in terms of foreign policy, but it has changed that over the last three years, doubling its embassies from 10 to 20,” Mr Gruzd told the BBC.

“But it’s in a very crowded space – Russia, China, Turkey, and the United Arab Emirates are all trying to increase their influence in Africa.”

Zelensky’s visit to South Africa at this point was especially significant, as Ukraine’s relationship with the US – its main weapons supplier – has soured since President Donald Trump took office in January.

He briefly paused military aid, denounced Zelensky as a “dictator”, and has accused Ukraine of being responsible for the war.

“Ukraine needs every bit of legitimacy it can get internationally, not just in Europe. Wars aren’t only won in the battlefield, but also in courts of public opinion around the world,” said Prof Siphamandla Zondi, a political analyst at the University of Johannesburg.

For South Africa’s President Cyril Ramaphosa, the visit was equally significant, as his country, too, was under intense pressure from the Trump administration.

“The US has turned diplomacy on its head,” Mr Gudz said, adding: “Everyone is looking for new friends.”

Ramaphosa saw Zelensky’s visit as an attempt to boost his credentials as a peacemaker, saying their talks focused on efforts to reach a “comprehensive peace”.

The South African leader also held a phone conversation with Putin ahead of Zelensky’s visit.

“We both affirmed the strong bilateral relations between our respective countries,” Ramaphosa said in a post on X.

“We further committed to working together towards a peaceful resolution of the Russia-Ukraine conflict,” he added.

Ramaphosa first tried to assume the role of peacemaker in 2023 when he led a delegation of African leaders to both Kyiv and Moscow in an attempt to mediate an end to the conflict.

The initiative came as South Africa faced a backlash from then-US President Joe Biden’s administration, which questioned its professed neutrality in the conflict after it held a naval exercise with Russia and China.

Relations worsened after Washington’s then-ambassador to Pretoria accused South Africa of supplying arms and ammunition to Russia.

Ramaphosa later appointed a judge-led inquiry to investigate the allegation. It found no evidence to back up the ambassador’s claim, but relations between South Africa and the Biden administration remained strained.

South Africa’s ties with Russia have not been a sore point for Trump, as he, too, gets along with Putin and has been pushing Zelensky to make a deal with the Russian leader.

However, Trump’s relationship with South Africa has reached rock bottom over its genocide case against Israel at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) and for what he calls the “unjust and immoral practices” against the white-minority Afrikaner community – an allegation Ramaphosa’s government denies.

Prof Zondi said South Africa would have to ensure that Ramaphosa’s talks with Zelensky did not hurt its attempts to mend relations with the Trump administration.

“South Africa will want to explain that it is adding to the efforts to build peace, and its role is not in competition with that of [the] US,” he added.

Ramaphosa was on cue, announcing on Thursday that he had spoken to Trump about the conflict in Ukraine.

Crucially, Ramaphosa also seized the opportunity to discuss relations between South Africa and the US, and said he and Trump had agreed to meet soon.

This would be their first meeting since Trump’s return to office, and Ramaphosa will be hoping that US-South Africa relations get back on track.

Earlier this month, Trump announced a 30% tariff on South African goods, although he later paused the hike for 90 days.

Ramaphosa will be hoping that their talks lead to Trump softening his stance, as such high tariffs would be a major blow to South Africa’s economy.

Ramaphosa’s talks with Zelensky also focused on strengthening trade ties with Ukraine, as South Africa’s economy was in crisis, with low growth and high unemployment.

“Any volume of trade, no matter how small, is critical for South Africa,” Prof Zondi said, adding that strong relations between the two nations could also benefit Ukraine in its efforts to extend its influence on the continent.

“South Africa could be Ukraine’s gateway to Africa because of its ports and financial systems,” Prof Zondi said.

If this happens, it would mark a new chapter in Ukraine-Africa relations, though not necessarily at the expense of Russia.

“Both Russia and Ukraine are the biggest exporters of cereals to Africa. Africa needs both. It cannot be expected to choose sides,” the analyst said.

The UK government is no longer ruling out a youth visa deal with the EU, ahead of a summit next month to “reset” relations after Brexit.

Labour has previously said it has “no plans” for such a scheme, which would make it easier for young people to study and work abroad.

But an agreement has emerged as a key European demand in ongoing negotiations between the two sides to boost co-operation. Downing Street declined to repeat its previous opposition to reporters on Thursday, saying it would not provide a “running commentary” on talks.

It comes as over 60 Labour MPs called on ministers to strike a “new and bespoke youth visa scheme for UK and EU citizens aged under 30”.

In a letter to EU relations minister Nick Thomas-Symonds, they argued a mutual deal for time-limited visas, subject to a cap, would “extend new cultural, educational, and economic opportunities to young people in the UK”.

Sir Keir Starmer met European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen later, as preparations increase for the summit in London on 19 May.

Following the meeting, a Downing Street spokesperson said: “Discussing the ongoing negotiations to strengthen the UK-EU partnership, they both agreed that good progress had been made.

“They asked their teams to continue their important work in the coming weeks, with the aim of delivering as ambitious a package as possible at the first UK-EU summit next month.”

The Labour government is aiming to forge closer economic ties to the EU after Brexit. Both sides have also expressed a renewed interest in a defence and security pact amid the war in Ukraine.

A defence deal would potentially unlock full UK access to a €150bn (£128bn) EU-backed loans scheme, with British firms otherwise limited to providing up to 35% of the value of projects funded under the programme.

Speaking at UK Trade and Business Commission meeting on Thursday, Germany’s ambassador to the UK Miguel Berger said he wanted to see progress on a youth visa deal as part of a “package approach” to the talks, where different topics are linked together.

He added that EU citizens had faced “many obstacles” to moving to the UK since Brexit, including “very high thresholds” for skilled work visas.

Existing schemes

The UK currently offers visas allowing young people from 12 non-EU countries including Japan, South Korea and Uruguay to study or work in the UK for up to two years. Those from Australia, Canada or New Zealand can extend by a further year.

These visas are subject to annual quotas, ranging from 100 visas for Andorra to 42,000 for Australia, with ballots held where they are oversubscribed.

Applicants from these countries need at least £2,530 in savings, cannot apply for most benefits, and have to pay an annual NHS surcharge of £776 for students and £1,035 for workers.

The European Commission first suggested an EU-wide youth deal in April last year, claiming Rishi Sunak’s government had approached European capitals to discuss individual visa deals, risking “differential treatment” of EU citizens.

Under its original proposal, people aged between 18 and 30 would be able to apply for visas lasting up to four years to work, study, train or volunteer, with no overall cap on the number of visas issued.

It also said EU applicants should not have to pay the NHS surcharge, and should be able to pay the same university tuition fees as British students, rather than the higher fees they have had to pay since Brexit.

‘Youth experience’

There have been suggestions that the Home Office, tasked with delivering government plans to lower overall migration, is pushing for any eventual agreement to be more limited than that suggested by the European Commission.

Home Secretary Yvette Cooper is reportedly arguing for visas to be limited to one year so that EU citizens taking part do not show up in official immigration figures, with applications also subject to an overall cap.

Asked about the reports, Mr Berger declined to comment, saying that “we have to leave that to the negotiations”.

The EU has been keen to stress that a visa deal would not replicate the bloc’s rules on freedom of movement, under which EU citizens were automatically entitled to live and work in the UK without applying for a visa.

Documents circulated between EU states also suggest a deal could be rebranded as a “youth experience” scheme, in an apparent bidto downplay any link to migration.

But any deal that is negotiated is likely to lead to a political row, with the Conservatives and Reform UK critical of a proposed agreement.

During a local election campaign visit earlier, Tory leader Kemi Badenoch said a deal risked “another avenue which people might use to game the system,” adding that Labour “doesn’t know how to negotiate”.

She added: “Where are all these people they want to bring in going to work?”

Reform leader Nigel Farage said a deal could lead to a “huge number of people” coming to the UK, adding it would be “completely against what the Brexit vote demanded”.

An agreement has however been strongly supported by the Liberal Democrats and the Greens, which have long been calling on the Labour government to reach an agreement with the EU.

In his comments on Thursday, Mr Berger insisted a deal would have “nothing to do with migration” as those taking part in the scheme would “go home” once their visa has ended.

A Chinese official said there had been no trade talks with the US, despite suggestions otherwise from the Trump administration.

The trade war between the world’s two largest economies has been escalating, with China sending back Boeing planes it ordered from the US in its latest retaliation over tariffs.

But Trump has appeared to soften his stance on China, saying that the taxes he has so far imposed on Chinese imports would “come down substantially, but it won’t be zero”.

A trade war between China and the US is in full swing, with Trump imposing import taxes of up to 145% on Chinese goods coming into the US, and China hitting back with a 125% tax on American products.

In one of China’s strongest statements yet over the tariff war, Commerce Ministry spokesman He Yadong said the US should remove all “unilateral tariff measures” against China, “if it truly wanted” to solve the issue.

“The person who tied the bell must untie it,” he added.

Separately, Foreign Ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun said China and the US had “not conducted consultations or negotiations on tariffs, let alone reached an agreement”.

He added that reports to the contrary were “false”.

Trump previously said negotiations between the countries were “active” – but this was also contradicted by US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, who said on Wednesday they had not yet begun.

Bessent added that there was an opportunity for a “big deal” between the US and China on trade.

He has previously said he expected a de-escalation of the “unsustainable” trade war, and said the current situation was “not a joke”.

Trump said on Tuesday that he would be “very nice” in negotiations with Beijing in the hope of securing a trade deal.

But following China’s latest comments, he said on his Truth Social media platform “Boeing should default China for not taking the beautifully finished planes that China committed to purchase”.

“This is just a small example of what China has done to the USA, for years,” he added, before repeating accusations that synthetic opioid fentanyl “continues to pour into our country from China, through Mexico and Canada, killing hundreds of thousands of our people”.

The boss of plane manufacturer Boeing revealed China had sent back aircraft it had ordered from the US as part of its retaliation to tariffs.

Kelly Ortberg said this week that two planes had already been returned and another would follow due trade tensions between the two countries.

China held a roundtable on Wednesday to address the concerns of more than 80 foreign firms over the impact of US tariffs on their investments and operations in China, the commerce ministry said.

“It is hoped that foreign firms will turn crises into opportunities,” said Vice Commerce Minister Ling Ji.

Here we’ll break down what you’ll be able to see, separate fact from fiction and reveal exactly what this smiley face is.

What is the smiley face?

In short, the ‘smiley face’ is made up of an alignment of Venus, Saturn and the crescent Moon close together in the morning sky.

But the face is on its side. Imagine a smiley face rotated 90° clockwise, and that’s the sort of pattern that will be formed by the two planets and the Moon.

The thin crescent Moon makes the ‘smile’, while Venus makes the face’s right eye and Saturn makes the face’s left eye.

You can see what this will look like in the simulation below. Tilt your head to the right and Venus, Saturn and the crescent Moon form a smiley face pattern.

It will be visible from about 05:00–05:30 local time, wherever you’re observing from, low down and close to the eastern horizon.

It’s not uncommon for planets to appear close to the Moon in the night sky, and a planet appearing close to the Moon is known as a conjunction.

Two or more planets close to the Moon – like this ‘smiley face’ – is known as a massing in astronomy.

Will the ‘face’ really be visible?

There are lots of stories about the 25 April 2025 celestial smiley face circulating online this week, some of which are realistically detailing what will be visible, and some of which are being rather liberal with the truth!

Venus is a bright morning object all this week, rising in the east around 05:00 and visible before the Sun rises just before 06:00.

Each morning leading up to Friday 25 April, Venus rises in the same place at the same time, but the Moon tracks eastward each morning, moving closer and closer to Venus as it does so.

The Moon is a thin crescent, having been a full Moon on 13 April and now waning towards new Moon on 27 April.

This means that, by the morning of 25 April, Venus and the crescent Moon rise together in the morning sky around 05:00 BST, Venus above the Moon.

Bright Venus and the Moon will certainly be visible with the naked eye, provided you have a clear view of the eastern horizon.

The thing likely to make this ‘smiley face’ alignment tricky to see for many observers, however, is Saturn.

Saturn is very faint – much fainter than Venus – and is the last of the three to rise in the morning, sitting below Venus and the Moon in the sky.

And Saturn’s faintness, its low position in the sky and the timing of its rising – close to the oncoming glare of the rising Sun – means it’ll be tricky to spot.

See the smiley face – quick, simple tips

If you do want to see the smiley face, you’ll need a clear eastern horizon, clear weather and good timing.

Get yourself out of bed early!

Find a spot where you have a clear view of the eastern horizon, unobstructed by trees or tall buildings, for example.

Look to the east before sunrise, around 05:00–05:30 local time (give or take, depending where in the world you’re viewing from).

First you’ll see a bright ‘star’ above the horizon. That’s Venus.

Next, the thin crescent Moon will rise.

Saturn will rise at roughly the same time as the Moon, or just after it, depending on where you’re viewing from.

Of this triangle, Venus is at the top, the crescent Moon is bottom left, Saturn is bottom right.

Tilt your head to the right, and you may be able to see these three objects form a smiley face.

A word on safety

Caution must be taken, too. Venus, Saturn and the Moon will be rising in the same area of the sky as the Sun, and just before sunrise.

As a result, you should be careful not to observe the rising Sun with the naked eye.

We’ve also seen some outlets suggest observing the smiley face with binoculars.

This is unadvisable, and certainly for beginners, given its proximity to the rising Sun.

The Sun will be rising shortly after Venus, the Moon and Saturn, and accidentally catching a glimpse of the Sun through binoculars or a telescope could seriously damage your eyesight.

We would recommend making this a naked-eye observation only, and even then care should be taken not to look directly at the Sun.

That aside, we hope you do manage to see this beautiful triangle formed by Venus, the Moon and Saturn, a nice celestial event to see us into the weekend.

Kelly Ortberg said two planes had already been returned, and another would follow after trade tensions between the two countries escalated.

Boeing’s chief executive told CNBC that 50 more planes were due to go to China this year, but their customers had indicated they will not take delivery of them.

The US put 145% tariffs on imports from China and it hit back with a 125% tax on US products.

Speaking in the Oval Office on Tuesday, Trump said he was optimistic about improving trade relations with China, saying the level of tariffs he had imposed would “come down substantially, but it won’t be zero”.

However, Mr Ortberg said China “have in fact stopped taking delivery of aircraft because of tariff environment”.

Boeing is America’s largest exporter with about 70% of its commercial aircraft sales outside of the US.

Mr Ortberg said Boeing was assessing options to re-market 41 of the already built planes to other customers as there was high demand from other airlines.

He said there were nine planes not yet in Boeing’s production system and he wanted to “understand their intentions and if necessary we can assign to other customers”.

He added Boeing was “not going continue to build aircraft for customers who will not take them”.

Boeing in daily talks with Trump’s team

Later in the afternoon, Mr Ortberg told an investor call “there is not a day that goes by that we’re not engaged with either cabinet secretaries or either POTUS himself (President Trump) regarding the trade war between China and the USA.”

He added he was “very hopeful we’ll get to some negotiations”.

On Wednesday, America’s Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent told the International Monetary Fund (IMF) conference there was an opportunity for a “big deal” between the US and China on trade.

Asked about an upcoming meeting between the countries, Bessent said it would be an “incredible opportunity” to strike an agreement, if China was “serious” on making its economy less dependent on manufacturing exports.

Mr Ortberg also told investors others in the Boeing supply chain were now exposed to tariffs – mainly in Japan and Italy where universal tariffs of 10% are being implemented.

Brian West, Boeing’s chief financial officer said during the call “free trade policy is very important to us” and Boeing will continue to work to with suppliers to ensure continuity.

Boeing has reported smaller losses for the first quarter of the year after it manufactured and delivered more planes.

Production had slumped in 2024 due to a series of crises and a strike by about 30,000 American factory workers.

It wants to increase output of its 737 MAX jets to 38 a month in 2025.

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We’ve taken a look at who was in the chapel and some of the symbolism on show in the images.

The most notable figure in the room is Irish-American Cardinal Kevin Farrell, who is the Pope’s “camerlengo” or chamberlain and runs the Vatican until a new Pope is chosen. The cardinal, in red mozzetta and cassock, is shown blessing the body of the late Pope during the rite of the declaration of death.

Pope Francis is dressed in red robes, holding a rosary and wearing the papal mitre – the large white ceremonial headdress. He is also wearing a simple silver ring.

During his inauguration, Pope Francis was given the Fisherman’s Ring – a symbol of his office – which Cardinal Farrell has the responsibility to destroy so it cannot be used by anyone else.

Pope Francis sometimes used this ring during ceremonies but was more often seen using the simple silver ring adorned with a cross.

One of the significant changes in tradition is the coffin that Pope Francis will be buried in. The coffins used for previous papal burials consisted of three nesting coffins made of cypress, lead and oak – but Pope Francis asked to be buried in a simple wooden casket.

He will remain in the open coffin for the lying in state, whereas other popes have been laid out resting on cushions on a platform.

The chapel itself is nestled within the Casa Santa Marta, a residential building containing more than 100 simple rooms that was built in 1996.

Triangular shapes are present throughout the chapel, in the construction of the ceiling and on the floor tiles, representing the Holy Trinity – a key belief in Christianity where God exists as the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.

On the ceiling behind the coffin is an inscription in Latin, which translates as “Come Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful”.

The Pope’s body is guarded by members of the Vatican’s Swiss Guard. They have protected the Pope since 1506, when Julius II first hired Swiss mercenaries for his personal protection.

Pope Francis will stay in the chapel until Wednesday morning, when his body will be transferred to St Peter’s Basilica in a procession starting at 09:00 local time. From then, he will lie in an open casket in the basilica, where mourners can pay their respects ahead of his funeral on Saturday.

Advance polling stations were open across the country for four days, from Friday to Monday, over the Easter long weekend. Poll workers reported long lines, with two million people casting their ballots last Friday alone.

With less than one week to go before election day on 28 April, federal leaders are now in the final stretch of campaigning.

Voters will consider which party should govern the country amid an ongoing trade war with the US and President Donald Trump’s repeated comments about making Canada the 51st US state.

Elections Canada, the organisation which runs federal elections, said 7.3 million Canadians – about a quarter of eligible voters – had cast their ballots, marking a 25% increase from early votes in the previous 2021 election.

Mail-in voting is up as well, with over 754,000 returning their special ballots to the federal agency. That is more than the 660,000 that did so in 2021.

Latest polling suggests Liberals have a 5-point lead over the main opposition Conservative party, as campaigning enters its last stretch.

Liberal leader Mark Carney held events in Prince Edward Island and Quebec, while Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre had a rally in Vaughan, a suburb of Toronto, on Tuesday evening.

Carney, the former central banker of Canada and the UK, has touted his party as the best option to deal with Trump and his tariffs.

“Pierre Poilievre has no plan to stand up to President Trump,” Carney told supporters on Tuesday.

The US president has implemented blanket 25% tariffs on goods from Canada, with an exemption on products covered by the USMCA – a North American free trade deal.

Canada is also hit with global US tariffs on steel and aluminium, and cars.

The northern country does a majority of its trade with the US, and the tariffs have already resulted in thousands of temporary layoffs in Canada’s auto sector.

A win for the Liberals would mark a dramatic reversal of fortune for the party, which had been polling at just 20% when former Liberal leader and prime minister Justin Trudeau announced his resignation in late January.

Their main rivals, the Conservatives, have focused their campaigning on Canadians’ desire for change following nine years of leadership under Trudeau.

At rallies and events across the country, Poilievre has honed in on issues like housing, crime and the high cost of living, while criticising the Liberals for government overspending.

“It’s time for the government to start pinching pennies,” Poilievre said on Tuesday as he unveiled his party’s platform, before adding: “We can choose change. We can choose hope. We can choose our future.”

Polls suggest the Bloc Quebecois, a party advocating for Quebec separatism that only runs candidates in the French-speaking province, is in third place, with the left-leaning New Democratic Party trailing behind in fourth.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the restructuring was designed to get rid of offices that are “misaligned with America’s core national interests”.

The planned cuts at the department include the Office of Global Criminal Justice, which helps set policy on the US response to war crimes and genocide.

A State Department spokesperson denied that Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (Doge) was behind the proposal.

The proposal would eliminate around 130 of 732 domestic offices and scrap 700 jobs as part of what Rubio presented as a major restructuring, which he said would cut out “radical ideologues” and “bureaucratic infighters”.

Rubio said the State Department cost and size had “ballooned” in the past 15 years.

“The problem is not lack of money, or even dedicated talent, but rather a system where everything takes too much time, costs too much money, involves too many individuals, and all too often ends up failing the American people,” Rubio said on Tuesday.

Another office whose functions look set to be radically changed is one which deals with refugees and migration.

The proposed overhaul does not go as far as some US media reported in the run up to the announcement. It does not impact US embassies and missions overseas, and some functions of offices being cut look set to be moved into other offices that will be retained.

But the planned changes are significant and echo the kind of language the White House and Musk, who has been tasked with slashing the size and spending of the government, have been using since Trump took office.

They have said the US government is beholden to radically liberal civil servants who stifle their conservative agenda, a position vehemently rejected by critics who have condemned the cuts.

Jeanne Shaheen, the leading Democrat on the Senate foreign relations committee, said she would scrutinise the proposed reforms, adding that the Trump administration had engaged in a “slash and burn” campaign of the federal government.

“The lack of transparency to date only underscores that they know this process has been deeply flawed,” she said.

When asked whether Doge was involved in the proposal, State Department spokeswoman Tammy Bruce said: “Doge was not in charge of this, but this is the result of what we’ve learned.”

Musk has already overseen the scrapping of the foreign assistance agency USAID, which has had most of its functions axed.

The head of the Catholic Church died of a stroke on Monday, aged 88, less than 24 hours after leading an Easter address. He had been in poor health after recently battling double pneumonia.

A host of world leaders and royals – including Sir Keir Starmer, Donald Trump, the Prince of Wales, and President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva of Brazil, home to the biggest Catholic population in the world – have confirmed their attendance.

Thousands of mourners have already flocked to Vatican City, carrying flowers, crosses and candles and reciting prayers.

On Tuesday, the Vatican released further details of the Pope’s final 24 hours.

Francis, who had recently spent five weeks in hospital, was slightly apprehensive about appearing on the balcony on Sunday.

“Do you think I can do this?” the Pope asked his personal nurse, Massimiliano Strappetti.

Strappetti reassured him and moments later the pontiff appeared on the balcony, blessing the crowd gathered in St Peter’s Square below.

The following morning at around 05:30 local time (03:30 GMT), Francis began to feel unwell. An hour later, he waved at Strappetti before slipping into a coma.

“Those who were near him in those moments say he didn’t suffer,” the Vatican said in a statement. “It was a discreet death.”

What happens before the funeral?

On Wednesday morning, Pope Francis’s body will be taken in a procession led by cardinals from the Chapel of Santa Marta to St Peter’s Basilica, where he will remain in an open coffin until Friday to allow mourners to pay their respects.

Just before the procession, a moment of prayer will be led by the camerlengo, Cardinal Kevin Farrell, who is running the Vatican in the wake of the Pope’s death.

The Vatican has released photos of the Pope’s body lying in the chapel at Casa Santa Marta – his residence during his 12-year papacy – dressed in a red robe with the papal mitre on his head and a rosary in his hand.

The general public will be able to visit St Peter’s Basilica from 11:00 to midnight on Wednesday, 07:00 to midnight on Thursday and 07:00 to 19:00 on Friday.

Bucking tradition, there will be no private viewing for cardinals, at Pope Francis’s request. The Pope’s coffin will also not be raised on a pedestal.

What time will the service take place?

The funeral will start at 10:00 in the square in front of St Peter’s Basilica.

Patriarchs, cardinals, archbishops, bishops, and priests from across the globe will take part. The dean of the College of Cardinals, Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, will lead the service.

Cardinal Battista Re will deliver the final commendation and valediction – a concluding prayer where the Pope will be formally entrusted to God – and the pontiff’s body will be moved to St Mary Major for the burial.

A nine-day mourning period, known as Novemdiales, then begins.

Who is attending the funeral?

Huge crowds are anticipated on Saturday, with as many as 250,000 people expected to attend the funeral.

Many heads of state and royals have confirmed their attendance,including Prince William, US President Donald Trump, Spain’s King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia and French President Emmanuel Macron.

Other political figures who have announced theywill attend include:

• Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva
• Polish President Andrzej Duda
• EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen
• Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky
• Javier Milei, the president of Argentina, Francis’s home country
• British Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer
• Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni

Where will Pope Francis be buried?

Pope Francis, who famously eschewed some of the pomp of the papacy during his life, will continue to break with tradition in death.

Historically, popes are buried in triple coffins in marble tombs inside St Peter’s Basilica at the heart of the Vatican. Pope Francis requested that he instead be buried at Rome’s Basilica of St Mary Major.

He will become the first pope in more than 100 years to be laid to rest outside the Vatican.

In his final testament, Pope Francis also asked to be buried “in the earth, simple, without particular decoration” and with the inscription only of his papal name in Latin: Franciscus.

His body was moved into the Santa Marta chapel on Monday evening, and his apartment formally sealed, the Vatican said.

When is the new Pope elected?

Following the funeral, a conclave of cardinals will convene to elect a successor.

The dean of the College of Cardinals has 15 to 20 days to summon the cardinals to Rome once the Pope is buried.

Several names have already been floated as potential successors, with more likely to emerge in the coming days.

Speaking in an interview on Adom FM’s Dwaso Nsem, Rev. Dr. Opuni Frimpong said the late pontiff’s humility, simplicity, and commitment to social cohesion should serve as a lesson to Christians across the world.

“His death is painful, but it glorifies God. He has done his part on this earth. Although I am not Roman Catholic, I admire his humbleness — it is something we all must learn,” he remarked.

The Executive Director of the Alliance for Christian Advocacy praised Pope Francis for living a life of service, noting that his leadership stood in sharp contrast to some church leaders who, rather than serve, seek to dominate or subvert others when placed in positions of power.

“The Pope came to serve, not to subvert. Unlike some pastors who use their position to look down on people, Pope Francis remained humble and accessible,” he said.

Rev. Dr. Opuni Frimpong stressed that the Pope’s life reflected the true essence of Christian leadership.

“He was simple; he lived among the people, and even though he suffered at the hands of some, his humility never changed. If God raises us to higher positions, we must learn to be humble like him,” he urged.

He further encouraged pastors and Christians alike to adopt the Pope’s approach to human relationships.

“If you’re a pastor and you don’t take care, pride can set in. But if we learn from Pope Francis, we will treat people with respect and humility,” he added.

The Vatican announced on Monday, April 21, that Pope Francis had passed away at the age of 88, days after being discharged from hospital where he had been treated for an infection.

For Rev. Dr. Opuni Frimpong, the Pope’s life leaves behind a lasting message.

“If everyone will learn from his ways, the world will be a better place. He lived a simple life, and that is something worth emulating.”

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The Vatican announced on Monday, April 21, that Pope Francis had died at the age of 88, having recently been discharged from hospital following five weeks of treatment for an infection.

Many parishioners were overcome with emotion, recalling the Pope’s legacy of compassion, inclusivity, and devotion to the poor.

Speaking to JoyNews, one mourner shared:
“I’m sad. I was screaming in the crowd, very sad. There were tears in my eyes, and I pray to God that He should receive his soul, because he has been a wonderful Pope.”

Another parishioner remembered Pope Francis for his humility and progressive vision for the Church.
“I remember him for his love for the poor and his desire to open the Church. And we believe that God will grant us a successor who will continue his legacy.”

For many, the sense of loss felt deeply personal.
“He doesn’t discriminate, and when it is necessary for all of us Catholics to pray for something, he would come out openly and say so. I just felt that I have lost something. I’m hurt, in a way.”

Pope Francis was elected to lead the Catholic Church in 2013, succeeding Pope Benedict XVI. His passing marks the end of a transformative papacy, and for the faithful gathered in Accra, it is not just the loss of a pontiff, but of a spiritual father.

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Dozens of activists took the streets in protest, raising slogans against President Kais Saied and demanding an end to the harassment, silencing and imprisonment of critics.

Souab is among the lawyers acting for opposition leaders who received lengthy prison sentences on Saturday on conspiracy charges.

Souab strongly criticised the judge and the trial on Friday, calling it a farce and saying the judiciary had been completely destroyed.

Protesters on Monday marched to Habib Bourguiba Avenue, the main thoroughfare in Tunis, and chanted, “No fear, no terror, the street belongs to the people.” “Dictator Saied, your turn has come”.

“It seems he was detained because of his critical comments on the trial on Friday,” said Samir Dilou, one of Souab’s lawyers. Two others lawyers confirmed the detention.

A spokeswoman for the terrorism court said Souab was detained in a case on “terrorism-related charges” over a video which was seen as a threat to judges.

Political parties rejected the rulings, saying they were retaliatory after a trial aimed at cementing Saied’s authoritarian rule.

Rights groups say Saied has had full control over the judiciary since he dissolved parliament in 2021 and began ruling by decree. He dissolved the independent Supreme Judicial Council and sacked dozens of judges in 202

“The mass conviction of dissidents…is a disturbing indication of the authorities’ willingness to go ahead with its crackdown on peaceful dissent,” the human rights group Amnesty International said.

Those convicted included prominent leaders of the Islamist Ennahda party, the main opposition party to Saied.

Ennahda’s vice president, Noureddine Bhiri, received a 43-year prison sentence, while the court sentenced two senior party officials, Said Ferjani and Sahbi Atig, to ​​13 years each.

The largest sentence was 66 years for businessman Kamel Ltaif, while opposition politician Khyam Turki received a 48-year sentence.

Authorities say the defendants, who include former head of intelligence Kamel Guizani and the former head of Saied’s office, Nadia Akacha, tried to destabilise the country and overthrow Saied.

The opposition leaders denied the accusations and said they were preparing an initiative aimed at uniting the fragmented opposition.

Saied said in 2023 that the politicians were “traitors and terrorists” and judges who would acquit them were their accomplices.

Nadine Menendez, 58, was found guilty on all 15 counts, including bribery and obstruction of justice, for aiding her husband, ex-Sen Robert Menendez, who received lavish gifts in exchange for political favours.

She was indicted with her husband in September 2023, but had her trial delayed for breast cancer treatments.

A sentencing date for Menendez has been set for 12 June. Her husband was convicted in July 2024 and sentenced to 11 years in prison.

In a statement, the US attorney’s office for the Southern District of New York said the couple were “partners in crime” who participated in “corrupt official acts”.

“Today’s verdict sends the clear message that the power of government officials may not be put up for sale,” the statement said.

During the trial, prosecutors argued that Menendez was an indispensable part of her husband’s bribery scheme, telling the jury it was she who often accepted the cash and other gifts on behalf of the former senator.

Her husband, at the time, was the top-ranking Democrat on the powerful Senate Foreign Relations Committee for more than five years, a position that gave him significant influence over US foreign policy.

“She was keeping him in the loop every step of the way,” Paul M Monteleoni, a prosecutor, said in a closing argument, the New York Times reported.

Menendez’s lawyers said the government failed to prove a link between the gold and stacks of cash found in the couple’s home to any “official act” taken by her husband.

Her lawyer, Barry Coburn, said he was “devastated by the verdict”, standing outside the New York courthouse on Monday afternoon.

“We fought hard and it hurts,” Mr Coburn said. “This is a very rough day for us.”

Menendez and her husband were convicted of participating in a wide-ranging scheme to secretly aid the Egyptian government using the former senator’s perch in Washington, prosecutors had said.

The government backed up its claims with evidence from a 2022 FBI search at the couple’s New Jersey home that included over $100,000 (£80,000) worth of gold bars and hundreds of thousands of dollars in cash in envelopes or hidden in clothes.

They also showed digital evidence that included text messages between the couple and their associates, and a Google search by the former senator that said: “How much is one kilo of gold worth?”

Fred Daibes, a New Jersey property developer, and Wael Hana, the Egyptian-born operator of a halal certification company, were also charged and convicted for their roles.

Insurance broker Jose Uribe pleaded guilty in March 2024 to charges related to the corrupt scheme.

The first Latin American leader of the Roman Catholic Church,  died at the age of 88 on Monday. He had suffered various ailments in his 12 year papacy, with severe complications in recent weeks.

In the statement, the Vatican announced that Pope Francis died on Easter Monday, April 21, 2025, at the age of 88 at his residence in the Vatican’s Casa Santa Marta.

At 9:45 AM, Cardinal Kevin Farrell, Camerlengo of the Apostolic Chamber, announced the death of Pope Francis from the Casa Santa Marta with these words:

“Dearest brothers and sisters, with deep sorrow I must announce the death of our Holy Father Francis. At 7:35 this morning, the Bishop of Rome, Francis, returned to the house of the Father. His entire life was dedicated to the service of the Lord and of His Church. He taught us to live the values of the Gospel with fidelity, courage, and universal love, especially in favor of the poorest and most marginalized. With immense gratitude for his example as a true disciple of the Lord Jesus, we commend the soul of Pope Francis to the infinite merciful love of the One and Triune God.”

The Pope was admitted to the Agostino Gemelli Polyclinic Hospital on Friday, February 14, 2025, after suffering from a bout of bronchitis for several days.

Pope Francis’ clinical situation gradually worsened, and his doctors diagnosed bilateral pneumonia on Tuesday, February 18.

After 38 days in hospital, the late Pope returned to his Vatican residence at the Casa Santa Marta to continue his recovery.

In 1957, in his early 20s, Jorge Mario Bergoglio underwent surgery in his native Argentina to remove a portion of his lung that had been affected by a severe respiratory infection.

As he aged, Pope Francis frequently suffered bouts of respiratory illnesses, even cancelling a planned visit to the United Arab Emirates in November 2023 due to influenza and lung inflammation.

In April 2024, the late Pope Francis approved an updated edition of the liturgical book for papal funeral rites, which will guide the funeral Mass which has yet to be announced.

The second edition of the Ordo Exsequiarum Romani Pontificis introduces several new elements, including how the Pope’s mortal remains are to be handled after death.

The ascertainment of death takes place in the chapel, rather than in the room where he died, and his body is immediately placed inside the coffin.

According to Archbishop Diego Ravelli, Master of Apostolic Ceremonies, the late Pope Francis had requested that the funeral rites be simplified and focused on expressing the faith of the Church in the Risen Body of Christ.

“The renewed rite,” said Archbishop Ravelli, “seeks to emphasise even more that the funeral of the Roman Pontiff is that of a pastor and disciple of Christ and not of a powerful person of this world.”

Two others are missing off the coasts of New South Wales and Victoria states.

On Saturday, the body of a man was found in the water near Tathra in southern New South Wales. It came a day after a 58-year-old fisherman and two other men were found dead in separate incidents in the state.

Rescuers are searching for a man who was washed into the water near Sydney. Also on Friday, one woman drowned and a man is missing after their group was swept into the sea in San Remo in Victoria.

“One of the women managed to make her way back to shore but the other woman and the man were unable to,” Victoria police said.

Victoria Premier Jacinta Allan said it marked an “awful start” to the Easter weekend.

“My thoughts are with the family of someone who has lost their life in such tragic circumstances, and potentially there is more difficult news to come,” she said.

Australia’s eastern states have been battered by dangerous waves.

The head of the charity Surf Life Saving Australia, Adam Weir, advised holidaymakers to visit patrolled beaches after their data showed 630 people had drowned at unpatrolled beaches in the past 10 years.

“But these coastal locations can present dangers, some that you can see and some that you can’t, which is why we have some simple advice: Stop, Look, Stay Alive.”

The US president told reporters in the Oval Office on Friday that he was not expecting a truce to happen in “a specific number of days” but he wanted it done “quickly”.

His comments came hours after US Secretary of State Marco Rubio warned that the US would abandon talks unless there were clear signs of progress within days.

“We’re not going to continue with this endeavour for weeks and months on end,” Rubio said, adding that the US had “other priorities to focus on”.

This comes as Russian strikes on Ukraine continue, with two people reported killed and more than 100 injured in the north-eastern cities of Kharkiv and Sumy on Friday.

Moscow launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, and Russian troops have been advancing – albeit slowly – in eastern Ukraine.

President Vladimir Putin has placed a number of conditions on any potential ceasefire.

Trump’s direct diplomacy with Putin and sharp criticism of Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky have raised concern among Nato allies, who argue that support for Kyiv must be maintained.

When asked about a deal between Russia and Ukraine on Friday, Trump said: “We’re talking about here people dying. We’re going to get it stopped, ideally.

“Now if, for some reason, one of the two parties makes it very difficult, we’re just going to say, ‘you’re fools, you’re horrible people,’ and we’re going to just take a pass.”

Despite the Trump administration’s initial confidence that it could secure a deal quickly, attempts to reach a full ceasefire have yet to materialise, with Washington blaming both sides.

Following a meeting with European leaders in Paris about a potential ceasefire on Thursday, Rubio told reporters on Friday: “We need to determine very quickly now – and I’m talking about a matter of days – whether or not this is doable.”

“If it’s not going to happen, then we’re just going to move on,” he said about truce talks.

He admitted that a peace deal would be difficult to strike.

Trump had said before he re-entered office that he would stop the fighting in the first 24 hours of his presidency.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, when asked to respond to Trump saying he expected an answer from Russia on a ceasefire, said “the negotiations taking place are quite difficult”.

“The Russian side is striving to reach a peace settlement in this conflict, to ensure its own interests, and is open to dialogue,” he said.

During a meeting with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni in Rome on Friday, US Vice-President JD Vance said he was still “optimistic” about ending the Ukraine war.

“I want to update the prime minister on some of the negotiations between Russia, Ukraine, and also some of the things that have happened even in the past 24 hours,” he said.

“I won’t prejudge them, but we do feel optimistic that we can hopefully bring this war – this very brutal war – to a close.”

Vance’s comments followed separate news that Ukraine and the US took the first step towards striking a minerals deal, after an initial agreement was derailed when a February meeting between Trump and President Zelensky erupted into a public shouting match.

On Thursday, the two countries signed a memorandum of intent on setting up an investment fund for Ukraine’s reconstruction as part of an economic partnership agreement.

The aim is to finalise the deal by 26 April, the memo published by the Ukrainian government says.

The details of any deal remain unclear. Previous leaks have suggested the agreement has been extended beyond minerals to control of Ukraine’s energy infrastructure, as well as its oil and gas.

Ukrainian negotiators have tried to resist Trump’s demands that a joint investment fund would pay back the US for previous military aid, but have seemingly accepted his claim that it would help the country recover after the war ends.

The memo said the “American people desire to invest alongside the Ukrainian people in a free, sovereign and secure Ukraine”.

Zelensky had been hoping to use the deal to secure a US security guarantee in the event of a ceasefire deal, telling European leaders last month that “a ceasefire without security guarantees is dangerous for Ukraine”.

The US has so far resisted providing Kyiv with security guarantees.

The White House argues the mere presence of US businesses would put off Russia from further aggression, but that did not exactly work when they invaded in 2022.

Economy Minister Yulia Svyrydenko announced the signing of the memorandum on X, with pictures of Svyrydenko and US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent separately signing the document over an online call.

“There is a lot to do, but the current pace and significant progress give reason to expect that the document will be very beneficial for both countries,” Svyrydenko wrote.

Bessent said the details were still being worked out but the deal is “substantially what we’d agreed on previously.”

Trump hinted at the deal during a press conference with Meloni, saying “we have a minerals deal which I guess is going to be signed on (next) Thursday… and I assume they’re going to live up to the deal. So we’ll see. But we have a deal on that”.

Ivanna Klympush-Tsintsadze, an MP and the chair of Ukraine’s parliamentary committee on EU Integration, told the BBC the Ukrainian parliament would have “the last word” in the deal.

She added: “I hope that there will be enough reasoning to ensure that whatever is signed, and if it is going to be ratified that it is in the interest of our country and our people”.

On Thursday, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha met Rubio and Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff in Paris to discuss how to end the war.

Sybiha said they had “discussed the paths to a fair and lasting peace, including full ceasefire, multinational contingent, and security guarantees for Ukraine”.

Several people also sustained severe injuries, while many have gone missing.

The attack came less than 24 hours after residents of the area raised the alarm over the influx of AK-47-bearing herders who moved freely around the communities, unrestricted.

A source in the area disclosed that the armed herdsmen stormed Tyuluv, Saror, and Mbawar communities Thursday night, “and started shooting indiscriminately into early Friday and killing several persons and injured many.”
“Before the attack, they came to our communities with thousands of cows armed with AK-47 rifles, but no one could talk to them because they were ready to kill anyone.

“As we speak, people are fleeing their homes, and the painful thing is that nowhere is safe anymore because they are almost everywhere.

“Among those they killed in Ukum was a family of eight, including children and women who could not escape before they got to them.

“From what we heard, the people also attacked neighboring Logo LGA, and this morning, corpses were being moved from the villages to the mortuary at Anyiin. Those killed in the two LGAs were so many.

“From all indications, they want to take over the Sankera axis of Benue State, which is the food basket of the state. It is a dire situation because our people are already preparing to commence the season’s farming, and this is happening. Food is already very expensive in the state, and now this is happening.”

Confirming the development, the Benue State Police Command, in a statement by its Public Relations Officer, Chief Superintendent CSP Catherine Anene, said 17 bodies had been removed from the scenes of the attacks.

Part of the statement read, “On April 17, 2025, at about 9 p.m., information was received that a large number of suspected militia had invaded the Sankera axis of Benue State with the intention to attack communities around Gbagir, Ukum LGA.

“Upon receipt of this report, the Commissioner of Police, Benue State Police Command, Mr. Steve Yabanet, ordered tactical teams to move to the area and join forces with police officers on the ground and other security agencies to forestall the attack.

“Following this order, a team of officers moved to the area and engaged them. While the attackers were being repelled in the early hours of today, they shot sporadically at unsuspecting farmers as they came across them.
Five persons were recovered in the Gbagir area and taken to the hospital, where they were confirmed dead.

“Unfortunately, an unsuspected simultaneous attack was carried out in Logo LGA, where 12 persons were killed before the arrival of the police, making a total of 17 persons.

“However, security agencies within the Sankera axis are still engaging the bandits as they retreat back to the forest around the Taraba axis.

“The Police Commissioner warns social media users who are reporting unconfirmed reports and inciting the general public to desist from such actions that are capable of creating unnecessary tension in the state.

“He reiterates his commitment to fight the attackers and encourages the good people of Sankera to continue to cooperate with the police as the operation is ongoing.”

It marks the culmination of a long-running legal battle which could have major implications for how sex-based rights apply across Scotland, England and Wales.

Judges sided with campaign group For Women Scotland, which brought a case against the Scottish government arguing that sex-based protections should only apply to people that are born female.

Judge Lord Hodge said the ruling should not be seen as a triumph of one side over the other, and stressed that the law still gives protection against discrimination to transgender people.

The Scottish government argued in court that transgender people with a gender recognition certificate (GRC) are entitled to the same sex-based protections as biological women.

 

 

The Supreme Court was asked to decide on the proper interpretation of te 2010 Equality Act, which applies across Britain.

Lord Hodge said the central question was how the words “woman” and “sex” are defined in the legislation.

He told the court: “The unanimous decision of this court is that the terms woman and sex in the Equality Act 2010 refer to a biological woman and biological sex.

“But we counsel against reading this judgement as a triumph of one or more groups in our society at the expense of another, it is not.”

He added that the legislation gives transgender people “protection, not only against discrimination through the protected characteristic of gender reassignment, but also against direct discrimination, indirect discrimination and harassment in substance in their acquired gender”.

Campaigners who brought the case against the Scottish government hugged each other and punched the air as they left the courtroom, with several of them in tears.

The Equality Act provides protection against discrimination on the basis of various characteristics, including “sex” and “gender reassignment”.

Judges at the Supreme Court in London were asked to rule on what that law means by “sex” – whether it means biological sex, or legal, “certificated” sex as defined by the 2004 Gender Recognition Act.

The Scottish government argued the 2004 legislation was clear that obtaining a GRC amounts to a change of sex “for all purposes”.

For Women Scotland argued for a “common sense” interpretation of the words man and woman, telling the court that sex is an “immutable biological state”.

Outside the Supreme Court, For Women Scotland co-founder Susan Smith said: “Today the judges have said what we always believed to be the case, that women are protected by their biological sex.

“Sex is real and women can now feel safe that services and spaces designated for women are for women and we are enormously grateful to the Supreme Court for this ruling.”

A UK government spokesman said: “This ruling brings clarity and confidence, for women and service providers such as hospitals, refuges, and sports clubs.

“Single-sex spaces are protected in law and will always be protected by this government.”

Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch described the ruling as a “victory for all of the women who faced personal abuse or lost their jobs for stating the obvious”.

But Scottish Green MSP Maggie Chapman, a prominent campaigner for trans-rights, said: “This is a deeply concerning ruling for human rights and a huge blow to some of the most marginalised people in our society.

“It could remove important protections and will leave many trans people and their loved ones deeply anxious and worried about how their lives will be affected and about what will come next.”

The Scottish government has not yet commented on the ruling.

Single-sex spaces

For Women Scotland had warned that if the court sided with the Scottish government, it would have implications for the running of single-sex spaces and services, such as hospital wards, prisons, refuges and support groups.

Transgender people warned the case could erode the protections they have against discrimination in their reassigned gender.

The case follows years of heated debate over transgender and women’s rights, including controversy over transgender rapist Isla Bryson initially being put in a women’s prison and an ongoing employment tribunal involving a female NHS Fife nurse who objected to a transgender doctor using a women’s changing room.

The judges ruled that that Interpreting sex as “certificated” rather than “biological” would “cut across the definitions of man and “woman and thus the protected characteristic of sex in an incoherent way”.

They said a “certified” definition of sex would weaken protections for lesbians, citing the example of lesbian-only spaces and associations as it would mean that a trans woman who was attracted to women would be classed as a lesbian.

The ruling found the biological interpretation of sex was also required for single-sex spaces to “function coherently”.

It cited changing rooms, hostels, medical services and single-sex higher education institutions.

The judges noted “similar confusion and impracticability” had arisen in relation to single-sex associations and charities, women’s sport, public sector equality and the armed forces.

The judges added: “The practical problems that arise under a certificated sex approach are clear indicators that this interpretation is not correct.”

How did we get here?

The legal dispute began in 2018, when the Scottish Parliament passed a bill designed to ensure gender balance on public sector boards.

For Women Scotland complained that ministers had included transgender people as part of the quotas in that law.

The issue has been contested several times in the Scottish courts.

Holyrood ministers won the most recent case in Scotland, with judge Lady Haldane ruling in 2022 that the definition of sex was “not limited to biological or birth sex”.

The Scottish Parliament passed reforms that year that would have made it easier for someone to change their legally recognised sex.

The move was blocked by the UK government, and has since been dropped by Holyrood ministers.

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All of them appeared on Facebook or Instagram and used time-limited deals to “irresponsibly pressurise” customers into booking, says the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA).

One ad, for example, tried to entice customers with an “exclusive opportunity” to get a “perfect peachy look”.

Liquid BBLs involve injecting filler into the buttocks to lift them and make them look bigger or rounded.

The ASA says because of the risks involved, cosmetic surgery should be portrayed as a decision that needs time and thought, rather than urgency to book quickly and grab a deal.

Clinics must be socially responsible and should not trivialise procedures or play on consumers’ insecurities, it says.

One ad said: “Get the curves and contours you’ve always wanted with our safe and effective body filler treatments. Feel confident every step of the way! Safe, proven, and beautifully natural results.”

Another claimed a 0% infection rate at its sterile clinic, with minimal pain.

The ASA says liquid BBLs would carry some level of risk to the patient, such as infections.

It adds: “Marketers must not suggest that happiness or wellbeing depends on conforming to a particular body shape or physical appearance.”

The advertising watchdog says it has been using AI to proactively search for online ads that might break the rules.

Three of the clinics – Beautyjenics, Bomb Doll Aesthetics and Ccskinlondondubai -did not respond to the ASA’s inquiries.

Rejuvenate Clinics said it has reviewed ASA guidance and will remove all references to time-limited offers and state in ads that the surgery is carried out by a medical professional with ultrasound, to minimise risks and enhance safety.

EME Aesthetics said all its clients are given a full consultation and are under no obligation to book any procedures, and it therefore considers that its ad had not pressured consumers or trivialised the risks of cosmetic procedures.

Dr Ducu said it will ensure it follows the ASA’s rules and guidance, that the time-limited Black Friday offer was intended to provide consumers with an opportunity to access the company’s services at a discounted rate, and it always encourages consumers to make informed decisions without pressure.

Liquid BBL facts

• Plastic surgeons say liquid BBLs can carry significant risks and require expert skill and training to perform
• The UK industry is not regulated though – beauty clinics offer them
• Large amounts of filler may be injected with possible serious side-effects, such as blood clots and sepsis
• The recent death of mum-of-five Alice Webb has highlighted safety concerns around BBLs

Posting to Instagram from hospital, the star told his 10.4 million followers that he has “lost control” of the right-hand side of his face.

“This is me doing a full smile right now, by the way,” he said in a video, as he unsuccessfully tried to grin. “Bro, I can’t even laugh right.”

In a follow-up post, Lil Nas X reassured fans that he was “OK” and asked them to “stop being sad”.

“Shake ur ass for me instead!” he joked.

In a third post, he wrote: “I’mma look funny for a lil bit but that’s it.”

In the comments section, his fans and celebrity friends expressed their concern.

“Get well baby,” said actress Taraji P Henson. “Sending you love,” wrote Garbage singer Shirley Manson.

Comedian Wanda Sykes added: “Sometimes your body tells you to sit down somewhere. Rest up.”

The 26-year-old, whose real name is Montero Lamar Hill, appeared to be in good spirits, despite his condition.

In one video, he panned the camera from the left side of his face to the right, joking: “We normal over here, we get crazy over here!”

The star did not disclose the cause of his condition, but fans speculated it could be Bell’s Palsy, a nerve condition that causes paralysis to part of the face, or Ramsay Hunt Syndrome, in which a shingles outbreak affects the facial nerve near the ear, and cause hearing issues such as tinnitus.

Both conditions are usually temporary, and can be triggered by infections or stress.

 

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Justin Bieber cancelled several dates on his 2022 world tour after contracting Ramsay Hunt Syndrome.

In a video, he showed fans that he was unable to blink his right eye and, although the symptoms persisted for some time, he recovered fully.

Musician and TV presenter Tulisa Contostavlos also has recurring instances of Bell’s Palsy, which developed after she suffered nerve damage in a horse riding accident.

Speaking in 2020, she said that an attack could last up to seven months if she didn’t take steroids within the first 72 hours.

Before his hospital visit, Lil Nas X had been promoting his eight-track EP Days Before Dreamboy, which previews the highly anticipated follow-up to his 2021 debut album, Montero.

Speaking to Atlanta radio station Hot 107.9 last month, he said the album had had a painful gestation.

“At the top of 2024… I feel like I was very lost and trying to cater to everybody except myself,” he said.

The Old Town Road rapper said he had started trying to cater to what he thought “the world wanted from me” – including the need “to be outrageous all the time”.

“But it’s like, no, sometimes I can just be on my chill [side],” he added.

Speaking at last month’s GLAAD Awards, the star added that he’d recently turned down the opportunity to collaborate with Taylor Swift.

“We were working on something,” he told E! News on the red carpet.

“She offered to let me try a verse on something, but I couldn’t catch a vibe for it, so it didn’t happen.”

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This recognition of His Majesty’s pivotal role in supporting the Palestinian cause, particularly in relation to Al-Quds Asharif, was expressed in a joint communiqué issued during the 7th session of the Moroccan-Omani Joint Commission.

The session was co-chaired on Sunday in Muscat by Morocco’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, African Cooperation and Moroccan Expatriates, Nasser Bourita, and Oman’s Foreign Minister, Badr Bin Hamad Bin Hamoud Al Busaidi.

Josh Sullivan had been conducting a service at Fellowship Baptist Church in Motherwell, a township in Gqeberra in the Eastern Cape, on Thursday evening when “four armed and masked male suspects entered”, police spokesman Captain Andre Beetge told the BBC.

The men stole two phones before fleeing the church in the 45-year-old pastor’s silver Toyota Fortuner. Police later found the vehicle abandoned, but there was no trace of Mr Sullivan.

A spokesperson from the US State Department told the BBC that they were aware of the kidnapping of a US citizen in South Africa.

They said there was no “greater priority than the safety and security of US citizens abroad”.

Capt Beetge told the BBC the case had been handed to South Africa’s elite police unit, known as the Hawks, which investigates serious organised and commercial crimes and high-level corruption.

“The police is currently following all possible leads to locate the victim and apprehend the perpetrators,” said Hawks spokesman Lt Col Avele Fumba.

Jeremy Hall, the Sullivan family’s spokesman, told local newspaper TimesLive that he was at the church with his wife and their children when the incident took place.

“They knew his name,” he said.

Mr Sullivan’s mother, Tonya Morton Rinker, wrote on Facebook that she was heartbroken over the news.

She added: “Our congressman and American embassy are working on finding him.”

No ransom has been requested, according to the privately-owned News24.

Mr Sullivan describes himself as “a church planting missionary” on his personal website.

On it, he says he moved to South Africa with his wife and children in 2018 to establish a church for Xhosa-speaking people.

Over the past decade, there has been 264% increase in kidnappings in South Africa, according to police statistics.

Just a few days ago, a Chinese national was kidnapped in Gqberra.

Many in the crowd reached out to touch Francis’ hand or garments as he was brought in a wheelchair down a ramp to the main altar, where he issued his brief greeting into a microphone.

The 88-year-old pope was not wearing nasal tubes for supplemental oxygen, as he had during a similar appearance last Sunday.

On his way back to St. Peter’s Basilica from where he had emerged, Francis stopped to bless a rosary and offered candy to a boy who greeted him.

The 88-year-old Francis is entering his fourth week of convalescence, during which doctors have advised him to avoid crowds.

While Francis is clearly eager to show he is feeling better, he has not spoken more than a few words in public as he recovers from a severe respiratory crisis that has labored his speech.

The Vatican said it was waiting to advise on what role he may play in upcoming Holy Week events leading up to Easter Sunday.

It was his second time in St. Peter’s Square before a crowd since leaving the hospital, following last Sunday’s unexpected appearance that thrilled the faithful.

He also met privately with King Charles III and Queen Camilla this week, and made an impromptu tour of St. Peter’s Basilica, stopping to pray, and to thank a pair of restorers for their work on the basilica’s masterpieces.

On Saturday, the eve of Holy Week, Francis went to the St. Mary Major Basilica in central Rome to pray privately before a favorite icon of the Virgin Mary, Salus Populi Romani. The basilica, which he typically visits before and after his foreign trips, was also his first stop after leaving the Gemelli hospital on March 23.

In the traditional Sunday blessing, the pontiff thanked the faithful for their prayers. “At this time of physical weakness, they help me to feel God’s closeness, compassion and tenderness even more.” For the ninth week, including his five-week hospitalization starting Feb. 14, the blessing was delivered as a text.

The pope offered prayers for those suffering in the conflict in Sudan, which marks its second anniversary on Tuesday, and for Lebanon, where civil war began 50 years ago, as well as for peace in Ukraine, the Middle East, Congo, Myanmar and South Sudan.

In a prepared Palm Sunday homily read by a top Vatican cardinal, Francis urged the faithful to carry the cross “of those who suffer around us” to mark the start of the solemn Holy Week.

Cardinal Leonardo Sandri, vice dean of the College of Cardinals, led the celebrations, leading a procession of cardinals around the piazza’s central obelisk carrying an ornately braided palm that recalls Jesus’ triumphant entrance into Jerusalem, when crowds waved palm branches to honor him.

The initial welcome contrasts with the suffering that follows, leading up to his crucifixion, which Christians observe on Good Friday, followed by his resurrection, celebrated on Easter Sunday.

The faithful emerged from St. Peter’s Square carrying blessed palm fronds or olive branches to mark the occasion.

While the pope’s appearance was widely expected, pilgrims acknowledged some concern that gusts of wind might keep him from entering the square.

“There was a bit of worry when a few drops fell and it was windy but then at the end he surprised us and it was a really great emotion,’’ said Luigi Mighali. “I think his words, ‘Happy Holy Week and Happy Palm Sunday,’ moved everyone.’’

Yesica Andagua, a Peruvian nun, said she was gratified to see the pope doing so well.

“The truth is that it has given me a lot of joy, at least for me, to see that he is getting better and may he get better soon, God willing,” she said.

The Harvard faculty chapter of the American Association of University Professors and the national arm of the academic organization said in a lawsuit, opens new tab filed on Friday in a Boston federal court, that the administration was trying to unlawfully undermine academic freedom and free speech on the school’s campus.

The U.S. Department of Justice, which is defending the administration’s policies in court, did not respond to a request for comment on Saturday. Cambridge, Massachusetts-based Harvard declined to comment.

Several elite universities, including Harvard, have seen their federal funding threatened by President Donald Trump’s administration over pro-Palestinian campus protests as well as other issues such as diversity, equity and inclusion programs and transgender policies.

The U.S. Departments of Education and Health and Human Services along with the U.S. General Services Administration on March 31 said that $255.6 million in contracts between Harvard, its affiliates and the federal government were being reviewed, along with $8.7 billion in multi-year grant commitments.

In a subsequent letter, those agencies demanded Harvard meet numerous conditions to continue receiving federal funds, including banning the use of masks, eliminating DEI programs and agreeing to cooperate with law enforcement agencies.

Many pro-Palestinian protesters have worn masks during demonstrations. The letter also said Harvard must review and make changes to programs and departments that “fuel antisemitic harassment” and hold students accountable for policy violations.

The administration has cited its authority to enforce Title VI of the 1964 Civil Rights Act, an anti-discrimination law covering institutions that receive federal funding.

But the lawsuit alleged the administration had failed to follow the statute’s requirements in seeking to cut off funding and that its actions violated free speech rights enshrined in the U.S. Constitution’s First Amendment.

The plaintiffs alleged that the goal was to “impose on Harvard University political views and policy preferences advanced by the Trump administration and commit the university to punishing disfavored speech.”

“The First Amendment does not permit government officials to use the power of their office to silence critics and suppress speech they don’t like,” Andrew Crespo, a Harvard law professor and general counsel to the school’s AAUP chapter, said in a statement.

The president’s pledge means that the exclusion of smartphones and computers from his reciprocal tariffs on China is likely will be short-lived as Trump looks to reset trade in the semiconductor sector.

“We wanted to uncomplicate it from a lot of other companies, because we want to make our chips and semiconductors and other things in our country,” Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One as he traveled back to Washington from his estate in West Palm Beach.

Trump declined to say whether some products such as smartphones might still end up being exempted, but added: “You have to show a certain flexibility. Nobody should be so rigid.”

Earlier in the day, Trump announced a national security trade probe into the semiconductor sector.

“We are taking a look at Semiconductors and the WHOLE ELECTRONICS SUPPLY CHAIN in the upcoming National Security Tariff Investigations,” he posted on social media.

The White House had announced the exclusions from steep reciprocal tariffs on Friday, creating some hope that the tech industry might escape being ensnared in the escalating conflict between the two nations and that everyday consumer products such as phones and laptops would remain affordable.

However, Trump’s commerce secretary, Howard Lutnick, earlier on Sunday made clear that critical technology products from China would face separate new duties along with semiconductors within the next two months.

Trump’s back-and-forth on tariffs last week triggered the wildest swings on Wall Street since the COVID pandemic of 2020. The benchmark Standard & Poor’s 500 index is down more than 10% since Trump took office on January 20.

Lutnick said Trump would enact “a special focus-type of tariff” on smartphones, computers and other electronics products in a month or two, alongside sectoral tariffs targeting semiconductors and pharmaceuticals. The new duties would fall outside Trump’s so-called reciprocal tariffs, under which levies on Chinese imports climbed to 125% last week, he said.

“He’s saying they’re exempt from the reciprocal tariffs, but they’re included in the semiconductor tariffs, which are coming in probably a month or two,” Lutnick said in an interview on ABC’s “This Week,” predicting the levies would bring production of those products to the United States.

Beijing increased its own tariffs on U.S. imports to 125% on Friday in response. On Sunday, before Lutnick’s comments, China said it was evaluating the impact of the exclusions for the technology products implemented late on Friday.

“The bell on a tiger’s neck can only be untied by the person who tied it,” China’s Ministry of Commerce said.

Billionaire investor Bill Ackman, who endorsed Trump’s run for president but who has criticized the tariffs, on Sunday called on him to pause the broad and steep reciprocal tariffs on China for three months, as Trump did for most countries last week.

If Trump paused Chinese tariffs for 90 days and cut them to 10% temporarily, “he would achieve the same objective in causing U.S. businesses to relocate their supply chains from China without the disruption and risk,” Ackman wrote on X.

‘CHANGES EVERY DAY’

Sven Henrich, founder and lead market strategist for NorthmanTrader, was harshly critical of how the tariff issue was being handled on Sunday.

“Sentiment check: The biggest rally of the year would come on the day Lutnick gets fired,” Henrich wrote on X.

“I suggest the administration figures out who controls the message, whatever it is, as it changes every day. U.S. business can’t plan or invest with the constant back and forth.”

U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren, a Democrat, criticized the latest revision to Trump’s tariff plan, which economists have warned could dent economic growth and fuel inflation.

“There is no tariff policy – only chaos and corruption,” Warren said on ABC’s “This Week,” speaking before Trump’s latest post on social media.

In a notice to shippers, opens new tab late on Friday, the U.S. Customs and Border Protection agency published a list of tariff codes excluded from the import taxes. It featured 20 product categories, including computers, laptops, disc drives, semiconductor devices, memory chips and flat panel displays.

Witnesses said the strike destroyed the intensive care and surgery departments of the hospital.

Video posted online appeared to show huge flames and smoke rising after missiles hit a two-storey building. People, including some patients still in hospital beds, were filmed rushing away from the site.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said it targeted the hospital because it contained a “command and control center used by Hamas”. No casualties were reported, according to Gaza’s civil emergency service.

However, one child who previously suffered a head injury died as a result of “the rushed evacuation process”, according to a statement from the Episcopal Diocese of Jerusalem, which is affiliated to the hospital.

Gaza’s Hamas-run health ministry said the building was “completely destroyed”, leading to the “forced displacement of patients and hospital staff”.

The IDF said it had taken steps “to mitigate harm to civilians or to the hospital compound, including issuing advanced warnings in the area of the terror infrastructure, the use of precise munitions, and aerial surveillance”.

A local journalist, who was working at the hospital, said the IDF had phoned a doctor who was operating in the emergency department and asked them to evacuate the hospital immediately.

“All patients and displaced people must go out to a safe distance,” the officer reportedly said.

“You have only 20 minutes to leave.”

Footage on social media showed staff and patients leaving the building while it was still dark outside.

Dozens of Palestinians, including women and children, were also seen fleeing from a courtyard inside the hospital where they had been seeking shelter.

Al-Ahli – a small medical facility before the war – is now the only hospital still functioning in Gaza City following the destruction of Al-Shifa medical complex and hospitals in the northern part of the Strip.

In its statement, the Hamas-run government media office condemned the attack.

Israel “is committing a horrific crime by targeting Al-Ahli Hospital, which houses hundreds of patients and medical staff”, it said.

In October 2023, an explosion at the same hospital killed hundreds of people.

Palestinian officials blamed an Israeli strike for the blast. Israel said the blast was caused by a failed rocket launch by the Palestinian Islamic Jihad militant group, which denied responsibility.

The Israeli military launched a campaign to destroy Hamas in response to an unprecedented cross-border attack on 7 October 2023, in which about 1,200 Israelis were killed and 251 others were taken hostage.

More than 50,933 people have been killed in Gaza since then, according to the territory’s Hamas-run health ministry.

Of those, 1,563 have been killed since 18 March, when Israel restarted its offensive in the Gaza Strip, the ministry said.

US Customs and Border Patrol published a notice late on Friday explaining the goods would be excluded from Trump’s 10% global tariff on most countries and the much larger Chinese import tax.

The move comes after concerns from US tech companies that the price of gadgets could skyrocket, as many of them are made in China.

The exemptions also include other electronic devices and components, including semiconductors, solar cells and memory cards.

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New York City authorities said six people died after a helicopter crashed into the Hudson River on Thursday.

“All six victims have been removed from the water. And sadly, all six victims have been pronounced deceased,” New York Mayor Eric Adams told a briefing, adding that there were three adults and three children on board.

The victims include the helicopter’s pilot and a family of tourists from Spain, Adams told the press conference.

On Friday, Germany’s Siemens said Agustin Escobar, the company’s global CEO for its rail infrastructure division, was killed in the crash along with his family.

“We are deeply saddened by the tragic helicopter crash that claimed the lives of Agustin Escobar and his family. Our deepest condolences go out to all of his relatives,” Siemens said.

The helicopter had taken off at 2:59 pm local time (6:59 pm UTC) before crashing about 20 minutes later.

Officials and witnesses said the aircraft’s propeller and tail had come off in midair before hitting the water upside down.

Four of the deceased were pronounced dead at the scene after police and fire department divers had pulled them out of the water. Two others died in hospital shortly after.

The Hudson River is a busy shipping channel that lies west of Manhattan and it was also the scene of a dramatic event in 2009 dubbed the “Miracle on the Hudson,” when a US Airways jet safely landed in the water, with all 155 people on board escaping safely.

US broadcaster CBS reported the helicopter had been a tourist charter flight, which had flown over Governor’s Island and then near the Statue of Liberty.

Marine emergency responders attended the scene, with water temperatures around 45 degrees Fahrenheit (6 degrees Celsius).

The weather conditions in the area were overcast skies, with visibility over the river not substantially impaired.

The US Federal Aviation Administration identified the helicopter as a Bell 206, which is commonly used in commercial and government aviation.

Accident is third high profile crash this year

Manhattan’s skies are regularly filled with both private and commercial aircraft, and there have been several crashes over the years.

In 2009, nine people died when a plane and a tourist helicopter collided over the Hudson. In 2018, a charter helicopter crashed into the East River on the other side of Manhattan, killing five.

Thursday’s incident is the latest in a series of recent high profile air crashes in the US.

In January, seven people died when a medical transport plane crashed in Philadelphia.

That crash took place two days after all 64 passengers and crew aboard an American Airlines jet and three Army helicopter crew were killed in a collision near Washington DC’s Ronald Reagan National Airport, the worst air disaster in the US for years.

In a separate incident at Reagan airport on Thursday, two passenger planes clipped wings in a minor ground collision.

Six members of Congress were reportedly on board one of the flights. No injuries have been reported.

The former first lady has not accompanied her husband to several high-profile events – including Donald Trump’s inauguration and the funeral of former President Jimmy Carter – fuelling speculation that they might be separating.

Without explicitly mentioning these occasions, Mrs Obama told the Work in Progress podcast hosted by actress Sophia Bush that she was now in a position to control her own calendar as a “grown woman”.

She said that people were not able to believe that she was “making a decision” for herself and instead “had to assume that my husband and I are divorcing”.

Mrs Obama shared that she felt some guilt for stepping back from certain duties.

“That’s the thing that we as women, I think we struggle with like disappointing people,” she said.

“I mean, so much so that this year people couldn’t even fathom that I was making a choice for myself that they had to assume that my husband and I are divorcing.

“This couldn’t be a grown woman just making a set of decisions for herself, right? But that’s what society does to us.”

Mrs Obama also said in the podcast: “I chose to do what was best for me. Not what I had to do. Not what I thought other people wanted me to do.”

Her absence from President Trump’s inauguration was seen as a break from tradition.

Despite carving out more time for herself, the former first lady said she still finds time to “give speeches, to be out there in the world, to work on projects. I still care about girls’ education”.

The Obamas celebrated their 32nd anniversary last year in October.

Mrs Obama has previously been open about the struggles she faced in her marriage due to Mr Obama’s political ambitions and time in the White House in her best-selling memoir, Becoming.

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The meeting took place on the third day of their state visit to Italy and ahead of a state banquet in Rome on Wednesday evening.

It is understood the meeting was only confirmed on Wednesday morning. It came after previous plans for the couple to meet the pontiff in a state visit to the Vatican were postponed because of the Pope’s ill health.

A still picture of the meeting, which lasted 20 minutes, is due to be released on Thursday morning.

The meeting took place on Wednesday afternoon at the Vatican’s Casa Santa Marta, where Pope Francis has been convalescing since being released from Gemelli Hospital.

According to the Vatican, the Pope is showing signs of gradual improvement and he “reciprocated” the King’s “best wishes for a speedy recovery of his health”.

This was a reference to the Pope offering his own best wishes, after the King recently suffered side effects from his cancer treatment.

There was also an exchange of private gifts between Pope Francis and the royal visitors.

The King and Queen have been enjoying a warm welcome on their state visit to Italy, but it was a trip that originally had a significant focus on visiting the Vatican and planned events such as a service at the Sistine Chapel.

That had been no longer been possible after the serious health problems of Pope Francis – but with his health improving the King and Queen had the opportunity for a brief meeting.

After visiting the Pope, King Charles and Queen Camilla spent their wedding anniversary evening at a state banquet in Rome hosted by the President of Italy Sergio Mattarella.

The King joked to his Italian hosts at the Quirinale Palace about laying on such a spectacle for their anniversary.

“I must say it really is very good of you, Mr President, to lay on this small romantic, candle-lit dinner for two..,” the King told the banquet.

There were 150 guests at the dinner, including the singer Andrea Bocelli, chef Giorgio Locatelli, hotelier Rocco Forte and UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy.

Earlier in the day, at the Italian Parliament, Queen Camilla had worn the same outfit she had worn at her civil wedding ceremony in 2005.

The ivory silk dress designed by Anna Valentine had been “repurposed” to wear again for this anniversary day.

The King’s speech at the state banquet, at the Italian presidential palace, touched on a mix of comic and serious themes about the long relationship between the UK and Italy, back to the ancient Romans.

“I for one, have never asked that question, made famous by Monty Python, ‘What have the Romans ever done for us?’,” the King joked.

“We see their imprint on what they knew as Britannia every day – from London to Carmarthen, from York to Hadrian’s Wall.”

But he also warned that “we are living in a very precarious and fragile world” and there was a need to stand up for “values and the liberty we hold so dear”.

“In difficult times, friends stand together,” he told his audience, in a speech that once again referenced the conflict in Ukraine.

The menu for the state banquet, in the splendour of the medieval palace, included bottoni pasta with aubergine caponata, salt encrusted sea bass, fried artichokes and roast potatoes.

That was followed by a fior di latte ice cream cake with raspberries.

This was the King’s second speech of the day, as earlier he had become the first UK monarch to address both houses of the Italian Parliament.

The King received a standing ovation from Italy’s lawmakers, in their ornately-decorated chamber in the Palazzo Montecitorio, with a rallying call to defend shared values and the need to reinforce the military partnership between the UK and Italy.

“We are both European countries,” he said, standing in front of the Italian and European Union flags.

He welcomed that the UK and Italy “stood by Ukraine in her hour of need”, but warned that images of wars were now reverberating across the continent.

“Our younger generations can see in the news every day on their smartphones and tablets that peace is never to be taken for granted,” said the King.

Such threats meant it was important that “Britain and Italy stand today united in defence of the democratic values we share”, he told Parliament.

Delivering some of the speech in Italian, he spoke of the long history between the UK and Italy, going back to the ancient Romans arriving on Britain’s “windswept shores”.

As head of the Commonwealth, he also spoke of the role of Canadian troops in helping to liberate Italy in the Second World War.

The speech went down well with the assembled Parliamentarians – with the applause so long at one point that an Italian official began to thank him, assuming that the King had finished.

The King began the day by meeting Italy’s Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, receiving a ceremonial red-carpet welcome at the Villa Doria Pamphili, on the outskirts of Rome.

The Italian public has given a warm reception to the royal couple on their trip to Italy, including outside the Colosseum, when the King and Queen posed for photos near the ancient site of the Temple of Venus.

There were calls of “Carlo” – Italian for Charles – from crowds waiting to see the royal visitors and local media also seemed interested by their car, the claret coloured State Bentley.

The Royal Family’s official X account marked the wedding anniversary by posting a video which showed guards playing a version of Madness’s 1981 hit It Must Be Love.

US President Donald Trump has announced a 90-day pause on higher tariffs for dozens of countries but hikes levies on China to 125%

Earlier this month, the US president announced a “baseline” tariff of 10% on all countries, with higher rates for the “worst offenders”

He now says the higher rates will be paused for 90 days, and instead, the “reciprocal tariff” will be 10%

But he says the rate for China will rise again, to 125%, because of “the lack of respect that China has shown to the world’s markets”

Earlier on Wednesday, China announced an 84% tariff on US imports after Donald Trump imposed a 104% tariff on Chinese goods entering the US.

The world is ready to work with Trump – Lutnick

US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick says in a social media post that he was in the room when US President Donald Trump wrote the Truth Social post announcing the 90-day pause on most tariffs and increase to China’s tariff rate.

“Scott Bessent (head of the US treasury) and I sat with the President while he wrote one of the most extraordinary Truth posts of his Presidency,” Lutnick posted on X.

“The world is ready to work with President Trump to fix global trade, and China has chosen the opposite direction,” he says.

Mexico and Canada included in 10% tariffs

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent says Mexico and Canada are included in the 10% baseline tariffs imposed by the US, following Donald Trump’s announcement to pause higher tariffs for 90-days.

Markets soar after Trump announces tariffs pause

Financial markets have soared after President Trump announced a 90-day “pause” on the tariffs against countries who have not retaliated against the US.

As we’ve just reported, Donald Trump has raised tariffs against China to 125%, and also issued a 90 day pause to some tariffs.

Here’s his Truth Social statement in full:

“Based on the lack of respect that China has shown to the World’s Markets, I am hereby raising the Tariff charged to China by the United States of America to 125%, effective immediately.

“At some point, hopefully in the near future, China will realize that the days of ripping off the U.S.A., and other Countries, is no longer sustainable or acceptable

“Conversely, and based on the fact that more than 75 Countries have called Representatives of the United States, including the Departments of Commerce, Treasury, and the USTR, to negotiate a solution to the subjects being discussed relative to Trade, Trade Barriers, Tariffs, Currency Manipulation, and Non Monetary Tariffs, and that these Countries have not, at my strong suggestion, retaliated in any way, shape, or form against the United States, I have authorized a 90 day PAUSE, and a substantially lowered Reciprocal Tariff during this period, of 10%, also effective immediately. Thank you for your attention to this matter!”

Trump raises tariff on Chinese goods to 125%

Chinese goods imported to the US will carry tariffs of 125% effective immediately, Donald Trump says.

“At some point, hopefully in the near future, China will realise that the days of ripping off the USA, and other Countries, is no longer sustainable or acceptable,” the US president writes on social media platform Truth Social.

Chinese goods imported to the US will carry tariffs of 125% effective immediately, Donald Trump says.

“At some point, hopefully in the near future, China will realise that the days of ripping off the USA, and other Countries, is no longer sustainable or acceptable,” the US president writes on social media platform Truth Social.

Wall Street opened with mixed trading this morning, with both S&P 500 and Dow Jones down, we’re now seeing some slight changes as it reaches lunchtime in the US.

The trade in goods between the two economic powers added up to around $585bn (£429bn) last year.

Though the US imported far more from China ($440bn) than China imported from America ($145bn).

That left the US running a trade deficit with China – the difference between what it imports and exports – of $295bn in 2024. That’s a considerable trade deficit, equivalent to around 1% of the US economy.

But it’s less than the $1tn figure that Trump has repeatedly claimed this week.

A lower court had temporarily blocked the deportation of alleged Venezuelan gang members to El Salvador on 15 March, ruling that the actions under the 1798 Alien Enemies Act needed further scrutiny.

Trump has alleged that the migrants were members of the Tren de Aragua gang “conducting irregular warfare” against the US and could therefore be removed under the Act.

While the administration is claiming the ruling as a win, the justices mandated that deportees must be given a chance to challenge their removal.

“The notice must be afforded within a reasonable time and in such a manner as will allow them to actually seek habeas relief in the proper venue before such removal occurs,” the justices wrote in the unsigned decision on Monday.

“The only question is which court will resolve that challenge,” they wrote.

Monday’s ruling said the challenge – brought by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) on behalf of five migrants – was raised improperly in a Washington DC court and not in Texas, where the migrants are confined.

Conservative Justice Amy Coney Barrett joined the court’s three liberal justices in dissenting with the majority ruling.

In the dissent, they wrote that the administration’s “conduct in this litigation poses an extraordinary threat to the rule of law”.

Trump called the ruling a “great day for justice in America”.

“The Supreme Court has upheld the Rule of Law in our Nation by allowing a President, whoever that may be, to be able to secure our Borders, and protect our families and our Country, itself,” he wrote on Truth Social.

The ACLU also claimed the rulingas “a huge victory”.

“We are disappointed that we will need to start the court process over again in a different venue but the critical point is that the Supreme Court said individuals must be given due process to challenge their removal under the Alien Enemies Act,” lead ACLU attorney Lee Gelernt said in a statement to US media.

At least 137 people have been deported by the Trump administration under the Alien Enemies Act, a move widely condemned by rights groups.

The act, last used in World War Two, grants the US president sweeping powers to order the detention and deportation of natives or citizens of an “enemy” nation without following the usual processes.

It was passed as part of a series of laws in 1798 when the US believed it would enter a war with France.

The Trump administration says all the deportees are members of the Tren de Aragua gang. The powerful multi-national crime group, which Trump recently declared a foreign terrorist organisation, has been accused of sex trafficking, drug smuggling and murders both at home and in major US cities.

US immigration officials have said the detainees were “carefully vetted” and verified as gang members before being flown to El Salvador, under an agreement with that country.

But many of the deportees do not have US criminal records, a US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) official acknowledged in court documents.

Some relatives of the deported migrants have told the BBC the men have been wrongly swept up in the immigration crackdown, and that they are innocent.

Several other families have said they believe that deportees were mistakenly identified as gang members because of their tattoos.

Monday’s decision vacates an earlier ruling by federal judge James Boasberg, later upheld by a federal appeals court, which had temporarily blocked the use of the law to carry out the deportations.

Boasberg had dismissed the government’s response to his order as “woefully insufficient”. The White House had said the judge’s order itself was not lawful and was issued after two flights carrying the men had already left the US.

Rights groups and some legal experts have called the invocation of the Act unprecedented, arguing it has only previously been used after the US officially declared a war, which under the US constitution only Congress can do.

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On Sunday, Mali accused its northern neighbour of being a sponsor and exporter of terrorism after Algeria attacked one of its drones last week.

A strongly worded statement from Mali’s foreign ministry challenged Algeria’s earlier explanation that the unmanned surveillance aircraft had violated its airspace.

The statement described the downing of the drone as a “hostile premeditated action”. Algeria described the allegations as “lacking in seriousness [and they]… warrant no attention or response”.

Mali’s armed forces are fighting ethnic Tuareg separatists in the north. They have a stronghold in the town of Tinzaoutin, which straddles the Mali-Algeria border.

The shooting down of the drone raised diplomatic tensions, as Mali, along with its allies Niger and Burkina Faso, recalled their ambassadors from Algiers.

Last year, the three junta-led countries formed a regional bloc, the Alliance of Sahel States, known by its French acronym AES.

In their joint statement condemning Algeria, they said the shooting down of the drone “prevented the neutralisation of a terrorist group that was planning terrorist acts against the AES”.

Mali has also summoned the Algerian ambassador in Bamako over the incident, declaring that it would file a complaint with “international bodies”. It also withdrew from a regional security grouping that includes Algeria.

In its response on Monday, Algeria said it noted the Malian and AES statements with “deep dismay”. It described Mali’s allegations as an attempt to divert attention away from its own failures.

It also said this was the third violation of its airspace in recent months.

“Due to the repeated violations of our airspace by Mali, the Algerian government has decided to close it to air traffic coming from or to Mali, effective today,” Algeria’s defence ministry said on Monday.

Last Wednesday, Algeria acknowledged that it had shot down an “armed reconnaissance drone” close to Tinzaoutin saying it had “penetrated our airspace over a distance of 2km”.

But the junta in Bamako denied that the drone had violated Algeria’s airspace. It said that the aircraft’s wreckage was found 9.5km inside its borders.

Giving more details on Monday, Algeria said that the aircraft had entered its airspace “then exited before returning on an attack trajectory”.

Mali regularly accuses Algeria of giving shelter to Tuareg armed groups.

The north African country once served as a key mediator during more than a decade of conflict between Mali and the separatists. Their relations have soured since 2020 after the military took power in Bamako.

Algeria recently deployed troops along its borders to prevent the infiltration of militants and weapons from jihadist groups who operate in Mali and other countries in West Africa’s Sahel region.

The imposition of tariffs on the Heard and McDonald islands was meant to close “ridiculous loopholes” and would prevent other countries from shipping through the islands to reach the US, Howard Lutnick told the BBC’s US partner CBS.

Authorities in Australia reacted with surprise last week when they found out about the tariffs on the island, which sits 4,000km (2,485 mi) from Australia.

Its trade minister Don Farrell told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation the tariffs were “clearly a mistake” and indicated a “rushed process”.

But when asked about the inclusion of the Australian territory on Trump’s tariffs list, Lutnick said: “If you leave anything off the list, the countries that try to basically arbitrage America go through those countries to us.”

“The President knows that, he’s tired of it, and he’s going to fix that.”

Lutnick’s interview was one of several given by US government officials to defend the president’s new tariffs after all three major stock indexes in the US plunged more than 5% on Friday, in the worst week for the US stock market since 2020.

Shipping products through one port to another in a process known as transshipment is common in global trade. But Pew Charitable Trusts, a public policy organisation, says this method can also “enable bad actors to obscure or manipulate data” around the shipping events.

They estimate that hundreds of millions of dollars of tuna and similar species are illegally moved via this method in the western and central Pacific each year.

It’s difficult to get a clear picture on the imports from the Heard and McDonald islands to the US.

According to export data from the World Bank, the islands have, over the past few years, usually exported a small amount of products to the US.

It peaked in 2022, when the US imported US$1.4m (A$2.3m; £1.1m) from the territory, nearly all of it unnamed “machinery and electrical” products.

Also included on Trump’s list was the British Indian Ocean territory, which is solely occupied by military personnel and requires a permit to visit. World Bank export data shows the territory exported US$414,350 to the US in 2022.

The president’s office described Shahram Dabiri’s trip as “unjustifiable and unacceptable given the ongoing economic challenges” in Iran.

A picture of Dabiri and his wife posing in front of MV Plancius, which was bound for the South Pole, circulated widely on social media and caused outrage in Iran.

In a statement on Saturday, Pezeshkian said Dabari had been removed as vice president of parliamentary affairs for “indefensible” actions, regardless of whether they were financed from his own pocket.

“In a government that seeks to follow the values of the first Shia Imam (Imam Ali), and amid significant economic pressures on our people, the lavish travels of government officials, even when personally financed, are indefensible,” Pezeshkian said.

Iran’s economy is under significant strain and subject to Western sanctions due in part to its support of groups including Hamas and Hezbollah, which have been proscribed terrorist organisations by the US, UK and the EU.

Iran’s unemployment rate as of October 2024 was 8.4%, according to the International Monetary Fund (IMF), while its annual inflation rate was 29.5%.

Pezeshkian said Dabiri’s actions “starkly contradict the principle of simplicity that is paramount for those in positions of authority”.

The Antarctica expedition on the MV Plancius reportedly has a starting cost equivalent to $6,685 (£5,187).

Usually, visits to the coldest and least populated continent in the world are carried out by scientists and seasoned explorers.

However, tourism voyages on cruises have surged in popularity in recent years. The Dutch vessel pictured in the picture of Dabiri, for example, was used by the Royal Netherlands Navy for military and civilian research between 1976 and 2004.

It is not clear what expedition package Dabiri chose or what mode of transport he took from Iran to Antarctica.

On one of the many package deals available online, explorers need to embark and disembark from Ushuaia, one of the southernmost points of Argentina. The town is about 3,079km (1,913 miles) from Buenos Aires, the Argentinian capital.

The Iranian president was elected last year with a promise to revive the economy and improve Iranians’ daily lives. He replaced Ebrahim Raisi, who was killed in a helicopter crash.

Iranian media reported that many of Pezeshkian’s supporters urged him to remove Dabiri from post as the public grew disgruntled over the trip.

The video, published by the Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS), shows the vehicles moving in darkness with headlights and emergency flashing lights switched on – before coming under fire. The PRCS said the video was obtained from the phone of a paramedic who was killed.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) initially denied the vehicles had their headlights or emergency signals on.

But in response to the new video, the IDF told the BBC: “All claims, including the documentation circulating about the incident, will be thoroughly and deeply examined to understand the sequence of events and the handling of the situation”.

A surviving paramedic previously told the BBC that the ambulances were clearly marked and had their internal and external lights on.

The latest video, which the PRCS said had been shown to the UN Security Council, shows the marked vehicles drawing to a halt on the edge of the road, lights still flashing, and at least two emergency workers stepping out wearing reflective clothing.

The windscreen of the vehicle being filmed from is cracked and shooting can then be heard lasting for several minutes as the person filming says prayers. He is understood to be one of the dead paramedics.

The footage was found on his phone after his body was recovered from a shallow grave one week after the incident. The bodies of the eight paramedics, six Gaza Civil Defence workers and one UN employee were found buried in sand, along with their wrecked vehicles. It took international organisations days to negotiate safe access to the site.

Israel claimed a number of Hamas and Islamic Jihad militants had been killed in the incident, but it has not provided any evidence or further explained the threat to its troops.

Israel’s Foreign Minister Gideon Saar earlier this week echoed the army account, saying “the IDF did not randomly attack an ambulance”.

The IDF promised to investigate the circumstances after a surviving paramedic questioned its account.

In an interview with the BBC, paramedic Munther Abed said: “During day and at night, it’s the same thing. External and internal lights are on. Everything tells you it’s an ambulance vehicle that belongs to the Palestinian Red Crescent. All lights were on until the vehicle came under direct fire.”

He also denied he or his team had any militant connections.

“All crews are civilian. We don’t belong to any militant group. Our main duty is to offer ambulance services and save people’s lives. No more, no less,” he said.

Speaking at the United Nations yesterday the President of the PRCS, Dr Younis Al-Khatib, referred to the video recording, saying: “I heard the voice of one of those team members who was killed. His last words before being shot…’forgive me mum, I just wanted to help people. I wanted to save lives’. It’s heartbreaking”.

He called for “accountability” and “an “independent and thorough investigation” of what he called an “atrocious crime”.

One paramedic is still unaccounted for following the 23 March incident.

The initial 10% “baseline” tariff took effect at U.S. seaports, airports and customs warehouses at 12:01 a.m. ET (0401 GMT), ushering in Trump’s full rejection of the post-World War Two system of mutually agreed tariff rates.

“This is the single biggest trade action of our lifetime,” said Kelly Ann Shaw, a trade lawyer at Hogan Lovells and former White House trade adviser during Trump’s first term.

Shaw told a Brookings Institution event on Thursday that she expected the tariffs to evolve over time as countries seek to negotiate lower rates. “But this is huge. This is a pretty seismic and significant shift in the way that we trade with every country on earth,” she added.

Trump’s Wednesday tariff announcement shook global stock markets to their core, wiping out $5 trillion in stock market value for S&P 500 companies by Friday’s close, a record two-day decline. Prices for oil and commodities plunged, while investors fled to the safety of government bonds.

Among the countries first hit with the 10% tariff are Australia, Britain, Colombia, Argentina, Egypt and Saudi Arabia. A U.S. Customs and Border Protection bulletin to shippers indicates no grace period for cargoes on the water at midnight on Saturday.

But a U.S. Customs and Border Protection bulletin did provide a 51-day grace period, opens new tab for cargoes loaded onto vessels or planes and in transit to the U.S. before 12:01 a.m. ET Saturday. These cargoes need arrive to by 12:01 a.m. ET on May 27 to avoid the 10% duty.

At the same hour on Wednesday, Trump’s higher “reciprocal” tariff rates of 11% to 50% are due to take effect. European Union imports will be hit with a 20% tariff, while Chinese goods will be hit with a 34% tariff, bringing Trump’s total new levies on China to 54%.

Vietnam, which benefited from the shift of U.S. supply chains away from China after Trump’s first-term trade war with Beijing, will be hit with a 46% tariff and agreed on Friday to discuss a deal with Trump.

Canada and Mexico were exempt from both Trump’s latest duties because they are still subject to a 25% tariff related to the U.S. fentanyl crisis for goods that do not comply with the U.S.-Mexico-Canada rules of origin.

Trump is excluding goods subject to separate, 25% national security tariffs, including steel and aluminum, cars, trucks and auto parts.

His administration also released a list, opens new tab of more than 1,000 product categories exempted from the tariffs. Valued at $645 billion in 2024 imports, these include crude oil, petroleum products and other energy imports, pharmaceuticals, uranium, titanium, lumber and semiconductors and copper. Except for energy, the Trump administration is investigating several of these sectors for further national security tariffs.

Culled from The Reuters

The courtesy call marked the beginning of Madam Botchwey’s tenure as the 7th Secretary-General of the 56-nation Commonwealth, succeeding Baroness Patricia Scotland.

She becomes the first Ghanaian and the second African to hold this prestigious position.

Madam Botchwey, who previously served as Ghana’s Minister for Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration, was elected by consensus during the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in Apia, Samoa, in 2024.

On April 1, during her address at the Commonwealth Secretariat’s headquarters in London, the new Secretary-General highlighted the critical role the Commonwealth plays in addressing global economic and political challenges.

“The world we live in today is unlike any we have seen before,” she stated, underscoring the effects of economic downturns, increased defense expenditures, and weakened multilateralism on employment, poverty, and social protection.

She reiterated that the Commonwealth’s long-standing values—democracy, good governance, peace, human rights, and equal opportunity—remain crucial in addressing these challenges.

Outlining her strategic vision for the Commonwealth, Madam Botchwey emphasized three key areas: empowering women and young people with essential skills and opportunities, revitalizing trade and investment to foster inclusive growth, and strengthening climate action to support vulnerable member states.

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As he read the verdict in court on Friday morning, acting Chief Justice Moon Hyung-bae dismissed each of Yoon’s reasons for declaring martial law and said the president had overstepped his authority by deploying troops on the streets of the capital in December.

“The defendant mobilised military and police forces to dismantle the authority of constitutional institutions and infringed upon the fundamental rights of the people. In doing so, he abandoned his constitutional duty to uphold the Constitution and gravely betrayed the trust of the Korean people,” Moon said.

“Such unlawful and unconstitutional conduct constitutes an act that cannot be tolerated under the Constitution,” the justice continued.

“The negative consequences and ripple effects of these actions are substantial, and the benefit of restoring constitutional order through removal from office outweighs the national costs associated with the dismissal of a sitting president,” he said.

Yoon briefly declared martial law late on the evening of December 3 , claiming that anti-State and North Korean forces had infiltrated the government.

But senior military and police officials who were sent to shut down the country’s National Assembly have testified that Yoon ordered them to detain rival politicians and prevent the assembly from voting to lift his military rule order.

South Korea’s National Assembly voted to impeach Yoon on December 14 , but they needed the approval of the Constitutional Court to formally expel him.

The government now has 60 days to hold a presidential election. Acting President Han Duck-soo will remain in his position until then.

Outside the courthouse, the verdict was met with cheers by critics of Yoon. The pro-Yoon crowd of mostly older protesters, by contrast, was relatively quiet, with a few grumbles of “rigged election” and “corruption” rippling through the crowd.

The case has been a political lightning rod in South Korea, which has seen protests both for and against Yoon in the weeks since he was impeached.

The Constitutional Court allotted 20 seats for the public to observe the trial proceedings, but a staggering 96,370 people applied for the slots.

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The removal of General Timothy Haugh comes amid what appears to be a wider purge of top security officials at the agency and at the White House.

Democrats have said they are “deeply disturbed” by the move and say it jeopardises national security.

It is not clear why Gen Haugh was removed, but it comes after a meeting between President Donald Trump and far-right activist Laura Loomer on Wednesday.

Ms Loomer reportedly urged Trump to fire specific employees whom she suspected lacked support for his agenda.

She posted on X that Gen Haugh and his deputy Wendy Noble, who US media reported was also sacked, “have been disloyal to President Trump. That is why they have been fired.”

Before their firings were reported, Trump told reporters he would get rid of any staff deemed to be disloyal.

“We’re always going to let go of people – people we don’t like or people that take advantage of, or people that may have loyalties to someone else,” he told reporters aboard Air Force One.

Trump made the comments as reports emerged of the firings of at least three other officials at the White House National Security Council (NSC), following the reported meeting with Ms Loomer. The president did not confirm names.

The National Security Agency (NSA) referred the BBC to the Office of the Secretary of Defense Public Affairs for a comment on the firings.

The White House previously told the BBC that the NSC “won’t comment on personnel” matters.

The top Democrats on the House and Senate intelligence committees – Representative Jim Himes of Connecticut, ranking member of the House Intelligence Committee, and Senator Mark Warner of Virginia, vice chair of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence – disclosed Gen Haugh’s firing to CBS.

Himes said in a statement that he was “deeply disturbed” by the decision, CBS reported.

“I have known General Haugh to be an honest and forthright leader who followed the law and put national security first — I fear those are precisely the qualities that could lead to his firing in this Administration,” Himes said.

Those fired from the NSC on Thursday included Brian Walsh, a director for intelligence; Thomas Boodry, a senior director for legislative affairs; and David Feith, a senior director overseeing technology and national security, CBS reported.

It was not clear if Gen Haugh and Ms Noble’s removals were connected to those at the NSC.

The firings follow a major controversy involving the NSC last month when senior officials inadvertently added a journalist to a Signal messaging thread about military strikes in Yemen.

Gen Haugh, who was not on the Signal chat, testified on Capitol Hill last week about the leak.

The extent to which that controversy played a role in the firings is unclear.

Trump has so far stood by top officials involved in the incident, including National Security Adviser Mike Waltz, who took responsibility for the Atlantic magazine reporter being added to the Signal chat, and said it was an accident.

According to CBS, a source familiar with the situation said the Signal incident “opened the door” to looking into staff members believed not to be sufficiently aligned with Trump, while Ms Loomer’s visit sealed the fate for those who were terminated.

The administration has been looking at outside meetings held by national security staff, reprimanding some for meeting people not believed to be aligned with the president, according to the source.

Aboard Air Force One en route to Miami, Florida, on Thursday, Trump praised Ms Loomer and confirmed he had met with her, calling her a “great patriot” and a “very strong person”.

“She makes recommendations… sometimes I listen to those recommendations,” he said. “I listen to everybody and then I make a decision.”

In a phone call with the BBC, Ms Loomer said it would be “inappropriate” to divulge details of her meeting with Trump on Wednesday.

“It was a confidential meeting,” she said. “It’s a shame that there are still leakers at the White House who leaked this information.”

She texted a statement that said: “It was an honor to meet with President Trump and present him with my research findings.

“I will continue working hard to support his agenda, and I will continue reiterating the importance of STRONG VETTING, for the sake of protecting the President of the United States of America and our national security.”

Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth, who posted information in the chat, is now the subject of an internal review into his use of Signal and whether he complied with his department’s policies, the Pentagon’s office of the acting inspector general said on Thursday.

Inspector general offices routinely conduct independent investigations and audits of federal agencies and look into possible security breaches.

Upon returning to the White House in January, Trump removed many of the government’s inspectors general and has installed acting heads of the watchdogs at the defence, commerce, labour and health departments.

US Senator Cory Booker has broken the record for the longest speech ever delivered in the Senate.

The New Jersey Democrat’s marathon address, a symbolic protest against President Donald Trump, in which he warned of a “grave and urgent” moment in American history, ended after for 25 hours and four minutes.

Although it was not a filibuster – a speech designed to obstruct passage of a bill – it held up legislative business in the Republican-controlled Senate. The rules for such speeches require a speaker to remain standing and forgo bathroom breaks.

The previous record was held by Republican Senator Strom Thurmond who, when still a Democrat in 1957, spoke for 24 hours and 18 minutes against the Civil Rights Act.

The annual ranking, published on Saturday, reveals that Africa now boasts 22 billionaires, with their collective wealth soaring to $105 billion—up from $82.4 billion in 2024.

This surge has been attributed to rising market valuations and economic gains.

At the helm of the list is Aliko Dangote, owner of Dangote Petroleum Refinery, with a staggering net worth of $23.9 billion, a sharp increase from $13.9 billion last year.

Forbes credited this jump to the refinery’s valuation, which was factored into his wealth for the first time.

Following Dangote is Mike Adenuga, chairman of Globacom, ranked fifth in Africa with a net worth of $6.8 billion. Abdulsamad Rabiu, chairman of BUA Group, secured the sixth position with $5.1 billion.

Femi Otedola, chairman of First Bank of Nigeria (FBN) Holdings Plc, shares the 16th spot, with a net worth of $1.5 billion.

Top Richest Africans on Forbes 2025 List

– Aliko Dangote (Nigeria) – $23.9 billion (Dangote Petroleum Refinery)

– Johann Rupert (South Africa) – $11.1 billion (Luxury goods, Richemont)

– Nicky Oppenheimer (South Africa) – $9.4 billion (Diamonds, De Beers)

– Mike Adenuga (Nigeria) – $6.8 billion (Telecoms, Globacom)

– Nassef Sawiris (Egypt) – $6.7 billion (Construction, Orascom)

– Abdulsamad Rabiu (Nigeria) – $5.1 billion (Cement & Sugar, BUA Group)

– Issad Rebrab (Algeria) – $4.6 billion (Food industry, Cevital)

– Nathan Kirsh (Eswatini/South Africa) – $4.1 billion (Retail, Jetro Holdings)

– Patrice Motsepe (South Africa) – $3.9 billion (Mining, African Rainbow Minerals)

– Koos Bekker (South Africa) – $2.8 billion (Media, Naspers)

– Mohamed Mansour (Egypt) – $2.6 billion (Diversified business, Mansour Group)

– Strive Masiyiwa (Zimbabwe) – $2.5 billion (Telecoms, Econet)

– Youssef Mansour (Egypt) – $1.9 billion (Retail, Mansour Group)

– Mohammed Dewji (Tanzania) – $1.8 billion (Manufacturing, MeTL Group)

– Aziz Akhannouch (Morocco) – $1.7 billion (Petroleum, Afriquia Gaz)

– Yasseen Mansour (Egypt) – $1.7 billion (Consumer goods, Mansour Group)

– Othman Benjelloun (Morocco) – $1.6 billion (Banking & Insurance, BMCE Bank)

– Femi Otedola (Nigeria) – $1.5 billion (Banking, FBN Holdings)

– Michiel Le Roux (South Africa) – $1.4 billion (Banking, Capitec Bank)

– Christoffel Wiese (South Africa) – $1.3 billion (Retail, Pepkor & Shoprite)

Forbes also highlighted that South Africa led the rankings with seven billionaires, followed by Nigeria and Egypt with four each. Other nations represented include Morocco (3), Algeria (1), Tanzania (1), and Zimbabwe (1).

“Our list tracks the wealth of African billionaires who reside in Africa or have their primary business there,” Forbes explained. “This excludes Sudanese-born billionaire Mo Ibrahim, a U.K. citizen, and South African Nathan Kirsh, who operates out of London.”

The net worth figures were determined using stock prices and currency exchange rates as of March 7, 2025.

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Officers say they identified the individuals through social media posts and a WhatsApp group, as well as at the scene in the capital, Harare.

Very few people turned up for the demonstrations as citizens opted to stay away rather than take to the streets amid a heavy security presence.

The protests were called by a veteran of the governing Zanu-PF party, Blessed Geza.

He has spoken out against moves by a faction of the party to keep the president in power beyond the end of his second term 2028.

Geza, who wants Vice-President Constantine Chiwenga to replace Mnangagwa, had previously called for Zimbabweans to “fill the streets” in a final push to force the president to step down.

Police in Zimbabwe have often been accused of using violence to break up protests.

Numerous videos were shared on social media throughout Monday. In one, police can be seen using tear gas to disperse a crowd gathered at Harare’s President Robert Mugabe Square.

In another, a woman details the police’s efforts to clamp down on what was regarded as a “peaceful protest” as she vowed “we’re not going anywhere, we’re going to stay here”.

“I am 63 and life is tough… I am taking care of my grandchildren because my children cannot afford to,” a protester on crutches also told local media house Citizens Voice Network.

“We want General [Constantine] Chiwenga to take over,” she added.

The vice-president has not commented publicly about the calls for him to replace Mnangagwa and government officials deny there is a rift between the two men.

Reacting to Monday’s low turnout, Farai Murapira from the governing Zanu-PF party, said social media was not a reflection of reality.

But political scientist Ibbo Mandaza said those disparaging the turnout were wrong.

“The shutdown was a massive political statement,” he said.

Across various cities and towns, the majority of businesses were shuttered and streets were empty of the usual bustle of street vendors and choking traffic. Schools closed and public transport was scarce as fearful residents opted to steer clear of the potential chaos.

The police tightened security, mounting roadblocks into Harare and carrying out patrols on foot and trucks in the city centre throughout the day. They were also seen removing the stones, and cement blocks thrown by protesters.

The country’s clergy has since called for cool heads, as it warned that unrest could destabilise an already fragile country.

A petrol station attendant told the BBC in a hushed voice that ordinary people did not want the country to slide into civil war.

At the heart of the recent protest is a reported plan by the president to extend his final term by two years to 2030. Mnangagwa’s second term expires three years from now.

The slogan “2030 he will still be the leader” has been shared by his supporters even though Zimbabwe’s constitution limits presidential terms to two five-year terms.

Despite a recent assurance from the president that he did intend to step down in three years, many remain unconvinced.

This has angered Geza, a veteran of the 1970s war of liberation and former senior Zanu-PF member, who has led a verbal attack on Mnangagwa.

In a series of often expletive-laden press conferences, gritty-voiced and with a furrowed forehead, he repeatedly called on the 82-year-old president to go or face being removed.

Ghanaian authorities said Saturday they were investigating “a suspected pirate attack” on a Ghanaian-registered fishing vessel that left three Chinese crew members missing.

Ghana’s armed forces in a statement said that on Thursday evening, “reports indicated that seven armed individuals boarded the vessel and fired warning shots, prompting several crew members to seek cover in a safe area.”

The armed forces said the “pirates” stayed on board for about three hours after assembling everyone on deck and confiscating their phones. After the armed individuals left the ship, the crew discovered the missing members.

It said the MENGXIN 1 vessel was now docked.

Piracy is not uncommon in the Gulf of Guinea off West Africa.

Over the years, the Chinese have flown Ghanaian flags on their vessels to fish in Ghanaian waters, according to watchdogs.

China’s foreign ministry told reporters that all crew members were safe.

“China will continue to work with Ghana to effectively safeguard the safety of Chinese citizens and institutions in Ghana,” ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun said.

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One of the rogue agents is a Nigerian doctor who has worked for the NHS in the field of psychiatry.

The Home Office has acknowledged the system is open to abuse, but the BBC World Service’s investigation shows the apparent ease with which these agents can scam people, avoid detection, and continue to profit.

Our secret filming reveals agents’ tactics, including:

• Illegally selling jobs in UK care companies
• Devising fake payroll schemes to conceal that some jobs do not exist
• Shifting from care to other sectors, like construction, that also face staff shortages

Reports of immigration scams have increased since a government visa scheme – originally designed to let foreign medical professionals work in the UK – was broadened in 2022 to include care workers.

To apply for the visa, candidates must first obtain a “Certificate of Sponsorship” (CoS) from a UK employer who is licensed by the Home Office. It is the need for CoS documents that is being exploited by rogue relocation agents.

“The scale of exploitation under the Health and Care Work visa is significant,” says Dora-Olivia Vicol, CEO of Work Rights Centre, a charity that helps migrants and disadvantaged people in the UK access employment justice.

“I think it has turned into a national crisis.”

She says there is “systemic risk inherent” in the sponsorship system, because it “puts the employer in a position of incredible power” and has “enabled this predatory market of middlemen to mushroom”.

The BBC sent two undercover journalists to approach relocation agents working in the UK.

One met Dr Kelvin Alaneme, a Nigerian doctor and founder of the agency, CareerEdu, based in Harlow, Essex.

His website states his business is a “launchpad for global opportunities catering to young Africans”, claiming to have 9,800 “happy clients”.

Believing the BBC undercover journalist was well-connected in the UK care sector, Dr Alaneme tried to recruit her to become an agent for his business, saying it would be very lucrative.

“Just get me care homes. I can make you a millionaire,” he said.

As a potential business partner, our journalist was then given unprecedented insight into how immigration scams by agents like Dr Alaneme actually work. Dr Alaneme said he would pay £2,000 ($2,600) for each care home vacancy she was able to procure, and offered £500 ($650) commission on top.

He then said he would sell the vacancies to candidates back in Nigeria.

Charging candidates for a job is illegal in the UK.

“They [the candidates] are not supposed to be paying because it’s free. It should be free,” he said, lowering his voice.

“They are paying because they know it’s most likely the only way.”

The BBC began investigating him following a series of online complaints about his relocation services.

Praise – from south-east Nigeria and in his mid-30s – was one of those who complained, claiming he paid Dr Alaneme more than £10,000 ($13,000) for a job in the UK.

He says he was told he was going to be working with a care company called Efficiency for Care, based in Clacton-on-Sea. It was only when he arrived that he realised the job didn’t exist.

“If I had known there was no job, I would have not come here,” he says. “At least back home in Nigeria, if you go broke, I can find my sister or my parents and go and eat free food. It’s not the same here. You will go hungry.”

Praise says he messaged Efficiency for Care and Dr Alaneme for months, asking when he could start working. Despite promises of assistance from Dr Alaneme, the job never materialised. Almost a year later, he found a position with another care provider willing to sponsor him to remain in the UK.

Our investigation found that Efficiency for Care employed – on average – 16 people in 2022, and 152 in 2023. Yet a letter sent from the Home Office to the company dated May 2023 – and seen by the BBC – showed it had issued 1,234 Certificates of Sponsorship to foreign workers between March 2022 and May 2023.

Efficiency for Care’s sponsorship licence was revoked in July 2023. The care company can no longer recruit from abroad, but continues to operate.

It told the BBC it strongly refutes the allegation it colluded with Dr Alaneme. It said it believed it lawfully recruited staff from Nigeria and other countries. It has challenged the Home Office’s revocation of its sponsorship licence, it said, and the matter is now in court.

• Outside of the UK – watch on YouTube

In another secretly filmed meeting, Dr Alaneme shared an even more sophisticated scam involving sponsorship documents for jobs that did not exist.

He said the “advantage” of having a CoS that is unconnected to a job “is that you can choose any city you want”.

“You can go to Glasgow. You can stay in London. You can live anywhere,” he told us.

This is not true. If a migrant arrives in the UK on a Health and Care Work visa and does not work in the role they have been assigned, their visa could be cancelled, and they risk being deported.

In the secret filming, Dr Alaneme also described how to set up a fake payroll system to mask the fact the jobs are not real.

“That [a money trail] is what the government needs to see,” he said.

Dr Alaneme told the BBC he strenuously denied services offered by CareerEdu were a scam or that it acted as a recruitment agency or provided jobs for cash. He said his company only offered legitimate services, adding that the money Praise gave him was passed on to a recruitment agent for Praise’s transport, accommodation and training. He said he offered to help Praise find another employer free of charge.

The BBC also carried out undercover filming with another UK-based recruitment agent, Nana Akwasi Agyemang-Prempeh, after several people told the BBC they had collectively paid tens of thousands of pounds for care worker positions for their friends and family that, it transpired, did not exist.

They said some of the Certificates of Sponsorship Mr Agyemang-Prempeh gave them had turned out to be fakes – replicas of real CoS issued by care companies.

We discovered Mr Agyemang-Prempeh had then begun offering CoS for UK jobs in construction – another industry that allows employers to recruit foreign workers. He was able to set up his own construction company and obtain a sponsorship licence from the Home Office.

Our journalist, posing as a UK-based Ugandan businessman wanting to bring Ugandan construction workers over to join him, asked Mr Agyemang-Prempeh if this was possible.

He replied it was – for the price of £42,000 ($54,000) for three people.

Mr Agyemang-Prempeh told us he had moved into construction because rules are being “tightened” in the care sector – and claimed agents were eyeing other industries.

“People are now diverting to IT,” Mr Agyemang-Prempeh told the undercover journalist.

The government revoked more than 470 licences in the UK care sector between July 2022 and December 2024. Those licensed sponsors were responsible for recruiting more than 39,000 medical professionals and care workers from October 2020.

Mr Agyemang-Prempeh later asked for a down payment for the Certificates of Sponsorship, which the BBC did not make.

The Home Office has now revoked his sponsorship licence. Mr Agyemang-Prempeh’s defence, when challenged by the BBC, was that he had himself been duped by other agents and did not realise he was selling fake CoS documents.

In a statement to the BBC, the Home Office said it has “robust new action against shameless employers who abuse the visa system” and will “ban businesses who flout UK employment laws from sponsoring overseas workers”.

BBC investigations have previously uncovered similar visa scams targeting people in Kerala, India, and international students living in the UK who want to work in the care sector.

In November 2024, the government announced a clampdown on “rogue” employers hiring workers from overseas. Additionally, from 9 April, care providers in England will be required to prioritise recruiting international care workers already in the UK before recruiting from overseas.