Graduate student Nicole Lobo moved back to the US in late August after a year in the UK, shipping 10 boxes of possessions back home to Philadelphia that she expected to arrive within a few days.

Six weeks later, she is still waiting for the shipment - and fears it is lost, destroyed by UPS as the company struggles to handle a flood of packages facing new customs and tariff rules.

"It's been horrific," says the 28-year-old, who was notified last month that her boxes would be disposed of, leaving her to make frantic phone calls and send emails to try to head off the outcome.

It's an ordeal facing many UPS customers since the Trump administration in late August stopped allowing parcels worth less than $800 to enter the US without inspection, taxes or tariffs.

The decision abruptly made an estimated 4 million packages each day subject to new, more onerous processing and documentation rules.

As the influx leads to longer processing times and higher, sometimes unexpected, costs across the industry, some customers of UPS like Nicole, say they fear their packages have been lost in the backlog.

"It's beyond comprehension to me," says Janani Mohan, a 29-year-old engineer living in Michigan, who has also spent hours on hold and sent repeated emails since a tracking alert listed a box sent by her parents in India as set for disposal.

The parcel held her wedding dress, which had also been worn by her mother, an heirloom sari from her grandmother and wedding photos, among other items.

"I literally cried to them on the phone," she says. "Everything in there is very close to my heart."

Oregon-based Mizuba Tea Co, which has used UPS for more than a decade to import matcha from Japan, has five shipments together worth more than $100,000 held up in processing.

The firm has received conflicting alerts about their status, including some saying the items were set for disposal.

"My whole team is basically on scan watch," says Lauren Purvis, who runs the business with her family and is now starting to worry about running out of inventory if the limbo continues.

"It's just clear to us that the current importing systems were not prepared to handle the sheer amount of volume and paperwork."

Importers typically have 10 days after goods enter the US to submit documentation about the goods, pay tariffs and other fees, allowing the package to go to its recipient.

But the Trump administration's rapid changes to tariff rules have made it increasingly difficult to meet customs deadlines requirements, say shipping companies like FedEx and UPS, which offer customs services and often act as importers of record.

For example, businesses are now responsible for paying tariffs on any steel or aluminium contained in a product , and in many cases vouching for its country of origin - information that many businesses, let alone their shipping companies, do not know.

"Because of changes to US import regulations, we are seeing many packages that are unable to clear customs due to missing or incomplete information about the shipment required for customs clearance," a UPS spokeswoman said.

While acknowledging longer shipping times, the company said it was still successfully clearing more than 90% of international packages within a day of arrival.

The spokeswoman said its policy was to contact customers three times before moving to dispose of a package.

But seven people interviewed by the BBC, including several businesses responsible for shipping the items, said they had received no word from UPS about issues before seeing the tracking alert that their package would be trashed.

FedEx, another major player in the industry, said it does not typically destroy packages, unless directed to do so by the shipper.

Nicole, the graduate student, says she has been asked to supply more information about her items, which she did promptly in early September.

She did not hear more until seeing the notice about disposal in late September. After the BBC enquired about her package, the tracking information was updated for the first time in weeks to say it was "on the way", raising her hopes.

Likewise, Janani says the company reached out last week, after the BBC got in touch, for a few more documents and her package now appears to have cleared customs.

But for businesses, the chaos has already had real costs.

Swedish candy exporter Swedish Candy Land says more than 700 packages it sent via UPS to customers in the US in the first few weeks of September have been held up.

Co-founder Tobias Johansson says the business switched to FedEx after becoming aware of the problem and its shipments were now arriving without incident, although the process took a few days longer than before .

But the lost packages, some of which have been reported destroyed, have cost the firm roughly $50,000 in refunds, not including the expenses they incurred in shipping and brokerage fees.

"That was a big hit for us and we haven't gotten any answers yet for anything," says Mr Johansson.

Experts say the ripple effects are being felt across the supply chain, even on businesses, like Mizuba, that were not bringing in shipments using the $800 exemption from tariffs, known as de minimis.

"This can be felt pretty much across the board," says Bernie Hart, vice president of business development at Flexport, a logistics and customs business.

In a call with financial analysts last month, FedEx executives said it had been a "very stressful period" for its customers, especially smaller players.

"That is a big headwind," chief executive Raj Subramanian said, warning that changes to the trade environment would likely lead to a $1bn hit this year, including $300m in additional expenses as the firm hires and faces other costs related to the new rules.

But John Pickel, vice president of supply chain policy for the National Foreign Trade Council, which represents many shipping firms, fears the issues may get worse before they get better.

Overall trade volumes last month were lower than is typical, in part because many businesses rushed goods into the US early to beat tariffs.

"There's always been this prevailing thought that companies will figure it out," he says. "What we've seen is that is much harder than anyone anticipated."

Google's parent company Alphabet will invest $15bn (£11.29bn) to build an AI data hub in southern India's Andhra Pradesh state.

The facility, which will be set up in the port city of Visakhapatnam, is going to be a part of Google's global network of AI centres spread across 12 countries.

"It's the largest AI hub that we are going to be investing in anywhere in the world, outside of the United States," Thomas Kurien, the CEO of Google Cloud, said at an event in capital Delhi on Tuesday, adding that the investment will be spread over the next five years.

The announcement comes at a time when US President Donald Trump has been asking American companies to prioritise domestic investment.

India has emerged as a key destination for AI data centres. The country's low data costs and rapidly growing internet user base have made it a hub for cloud and AI expansion for tech giants.

Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai said the facility "will bring our industry-leading technology to enterprises and users in India, accelerating AI innovation and driving growth across the country".

A formal agreement to finalise the project will be signed on Tuesday, the Andhra Pradesh government said.

"It is a massive leap for our state's digital future, innovation, and global standing," said the state's technology minister Nara Lokesh.

The project will combine cloud and AI infrastructure with renewable energy systems and an expanded fibre-optic network.

The project is part of the Andhra Pradesh government's plan to develop 6GW of data centre capacity by 2029, according to Bloomberg News.

Data centres are physical facilities that house the computing and networking equipment that organisations use to collect, process, store, and distribute data.

They contain servers, storage systems and network equipment like routers and firewalls, along with the necessary power and cooling systems to operate them.

In Andhra Pradesh, the government has been offering subsidised land and electricity to attract global investors.

India's data centre industry has grown rapidly over the past five years, crossing the 1GW capacity mark in 2024 and nearly tripling its 2019 level, according to global professional service firm JLL's India Data Centre Market Dynamics 2024 report.

Follow BBC News India on Instagram, YouTube, Twitter and Facebook.

A Kenyan police officer stationed at one of the gates of the president's official residence in the capital, Nairobi, has died after being shot with an arrow, officials have said.

Police said that on Monday morning, a 56-year-old man, armed with a bow and arrows, approached officers at the gate of State House and was ordered to surrender. Instead, he moved forward and shot PC Ramadhan Matanka in the ribs.

The policeman was immediately taken to hospital but died while undergoing treatment, according to a police statement.

The attack has raised questions about possible security lapses as State House is one of Kenya's most heavily guarded locations.

PC Matanka's body is now in a mortuary and there will be a post-mortem later.

An investigation is also under way to establish the motive behind the attack.

Local media are reporting that the dead policeman had been among those screening vehicles entering State House.

The alleged attacker, who had reportedly disguised himself as a homeless person carrying a sack concealing the weapons, was detained following the assault.

Video footage, published by Kenyan television channel NTV later on Monday, showed a handcuffed man with visible injuries. He was in a police vehicle and was reportedly being taken to hospital for treatment.

The man is expected to appear in court later on Tuesday, local media are reporting.

"The National Police Service condemns this heinous act and commends the officers for their swift response, which prevented further harm," police spokesperson Muchiri Nyaga said.

He sent his condolences to the family of the dead policeman, noting that the officer had "paid the ultimate price in the line of duty".

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Go to BBCAfrica.com for more news from the African continent.

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Weeks after widespread protests swept Indonesia over the excessive pays of lawmakers, a new allowance raise has unleashed fresh public anger.

Lawmakers will now get 702 million rupiah ($42,400; £31,800) in recess allowances - a near-double increase from the previous allowance of 400 million rupiah, said the country's deputy house speaker.

The recess allowance is meant to support lawmakers carrying out their official duties, like visiting constituents, when parliament is not in session.

The protests earlier in August were triggered primarily by a $3,000 monthly housing allowances given to lawmakers - nearly 10 times the minimum wage in Jakarta. These were later cut, in a bid to quell anger.

August's protests began after thousands demonstrated against the housing allowances for MPs. But they soon spilled into a wider protest over corruption and economic inequality in South East Asia's largest economy.

And now, news of the latest recess allowance hike - which kicked in on 3 October - has renewed controversy around this.

Indonesian lawmakers take around five recesses a year, during which they visit their electoral districts and gather feedback from residents.

The hike in recess allowances is meant to match the increased activities by lawmakers during their recesses, Sufmi Dasco Ahmad told reporters on Saturday. He told Reuters that the previous allowance did not take into account the rise in food and transport prices.

Dasco also said on Monday that the House of Representatives would release a publicly accessible app where lawmakers are required to report on their expenditure of recess funds, to allow Indonesians to monitor their spending.

It is not unheard of for lawmakers in other countries to receive allowances on top of their basic salaries to cover their official duties to their constituents. In Australia, the electorate allowance ranges from $25,000 to $37,000 per year depending on the size of the lawmaker's constituency.

The latest incident is part of a growing anger over what many Indonesians perceive to be the impunity of the country's political elite.

"It's like Indonesians have been pranked," Lucius Karus from Formappi, a non-profit parliamentary watchdog, told local media outlets.

"We were satisfied by the abolition of the housing allowance … but, in fact, another fantastic allowance has appeared."

Part of this anger also stems from reports that a number of lawmakers had received an extra 54 million rupiah in recess allowance. Authorities later said this was due to human error and that the money had been clawed back.

"[The government's] behavior is not surprising," wrote another X user. "What is surprising is why the Indonesian people still want to choose them."

Venezuela announced on Monday it would close its embassy in Oslo, days after opposition leader María Corina Machado was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.

In a statement, the Venezuelan government did not comment on Machado's prize, saying that the closure was part of a restructuring of its foreign service.

Norway's foreign ministry confirmed that Caracas had closed its embassy in Oslo without providing a reason.

The Nobel Committee in Oslo awarded her the prize on Friday in recognition of what it called "her tireless work promoting democratic rights for the people of Venezuela", while Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro referred to the 58-year-old laureate as a "demonic witch".

The Norwegian foreign ministry called the decision "regrettable".

"Despite our differences on several issues, Norway wishes to keep the dialogue open with Venezuela and will continue to work in this direction," a ministry spokeswoman said.

She added that the Nobel Prize "is independent of the Norwegian government".

Machado has for years been campaigning against Maduro, whose 12-year rule is viewed by many nations as illegitimate.

Caracas also closed its embassy in Australia while opening new outposts in Zimbabwe and Burkina Faso, which it called "strategic partners in the fight" against "hegemonic pressures".

She has been forced to live in hiding for much of the past year.

• María Corina Machado wins Nobel Peace Prize

In honouring her achievement, Nobel chairman Jørgen Watne Frydnes called Machado a "key, unifying figure in a political opposition that was once deeply divided... in a brutal authoritarian state that is now suffering a humanitarian and economic crisis."

Machado told BBC Mundo her award was "like an injection" for her political movement. "It infuses energy, hope, strength on the Venezuelan people because we realise that we are not alone," she said.

Venezuela's closure of embassies in two close US allies comes after weeks of heightened tension between Caracas and Washington.

The US military has destroyed at least four boats that it said were carrying narcotics from Venezuela to the US, killing at least 21 people on board, in what the Donald Trump administration calls a war on drugs.

The strikes have attracted condemnation in countries including Venezuela and Colombia, with some international lawyers describing the strikes as a breach of international law.

The last time Norway suffered a diplomatic blow over the Nobel Peace Prize was with China in 2010, when it was awarded to political dissident Liu Xiaobo. Beijing suspended trade and other relations, and only normalised ties with Oslo six years later.

It's been three months since Jonathan Giba moved into temporary housing for homeless veterans inside a hospital for former members of the US military in West Virginia.

He has been waiting for medical and dental consultations, after medications he was previously prescribed left him without teeth and unable to walk. Now, with the government shut down, he is preparing to wait even longer.

He calls it "political bs". The US Veterans Affairs (VA) hospital where Mr Giba is staying in Martinsburg, West Virginia, is still providing medical care, but the VA stopped other programs that help veterans find jobs and transition from military life.

"The shutdown is a waste of time, and it hurts everyone in the meantime," the Army veteran says.

Martinsburg is an American town particularly fixed to feel the impacts of the US government shutdown.

A city of nearly 20,000 people some 85 miles (136km) outside of Washington DC, federal agencies employ upwards of 3,300 people in the area, between the veterans' hospital, an Internal Revenue Service (IRS) processing facility and an agricultural assistance office.

Another thousand or so federal workers commute to the nation's capital each day from the Amtrak station in Martinsburg's centre.

This is Trump country, where 67% voted for the president in 2024 and a fierce independence undergirds something of a make-it-work mindset.

Because of the government shutdown, a nearby community event - the Freedom's Run Race Series - changed its route from trails near a federal Civil War battlefield site, but otherwise went on as planned. Harper's Ferry, a national park and nearby tourist draw, has been kept open with state money.

But the political bickering in Washington and perceived lack of concern about everyday Americans are not far from people's minds. And they worry about what's coming as the shutdown drags on.

On an unseasonably warm Monday nearly six days after the US government shut down, Mr Giba sits underneath the shade of a large tree chain-smoking cigarettes with fellow veterans.

One of them, Troy Williams, says politics is hurting average Americans. "This isn't a Democrat or Republican issue," he says, "this is a why aren't they working on a solution issue."

Air Force veteran Marcellus Brothers is concerned about what's ahead. "We're in limbo, it's scary."

• What makes this US shutdown different (and more difficult)
• 'No good outcome' - voters across US share concerns about shutdown
• Trump administration starts laying off thousands of workers

Republicans and Democrats have been deadlocked over government funding since it ran out on 1 October, and much of the government shut down, placing more than 700,000 people on unpaid leave. Some 200,000 other workers deemed "essential" are working without pay as the political standoff drags on.

Politicians in Washington have pointed fingers in the direction of the opposing party. On Friday, the White House began laying off thousands of federal employees.

In a state already hit by job cuts from the Trump administration's efforts to scale back the federal workforce, the shutdown threatens even steeper losses, Kelly Allen, the executive director of the West Virginia Center on Budget and Policy warns.

"We have more federal government employees than coal miners in West Virginia," she says. "Of course those jobs are well paying, come with good benefits and in a state with not a whole lot of good paying jobs those are really important."

Tina Hissam, a small business employee in the area, has seen the impact of government shutdowns on her neighbours first hand.

"It hurts the small businesses, they may cancel services, they may not shop locally," she says of federal workers. "The government shutdown has a huge impact and it's really scary, I just pray that it all goes away."

Already, a United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) service centre - which serves the seven surrounding counties - has shut its door.

The office - responsible for assisting farmers, ranchers and landowners with tasks like applying for farm loans and disaster assistance - will remain closed until the government reopens.

And on Wednesday, the IRS furloughed 34,000 workers, so the service centre in Martinsburg may soon be affected.

History has shown that as shutdowns go on, more services are cut or shuttered because of a lack of funding.

West Virginia Senator Shelley Moore Capito has so far remained unbowed despite the potential impact on areas she represents like Martinsburg. She has voted with fellow Republicans to provide government funding without healthcare subsidies that Democrats want. Both sides' proposals have repeatedly failed.

In a local op-ed, Moore Capito noted West Virginia has the third-highest number of federal employees per capita in the country, but blamed Democrats' intransigence.

"These are our neighbours and friends - people who keep our miners safe, process veterans' benefits, secure our borders, and keep drugs out of our communities. They're now facing uncertainty about their pay checks through no fault of their own."

When the first cheques since the shutdown arrive - or don't - on Friday that impact may finally hit.

In previous shutdowns, federal workers who went without pay were given back pay, but it remains unclear if that will be the case this time around.

"The economic loss could have wide-ranging consequences on local communities, businesses and households. It could cause long-term damage to local economies," resident Mark Mulligan says.

"West Virginia is a poor state and dependent on federal jobs and handouts. The pain to the elderly, the disabled and to children could be catastrophic. "

There have been celebrations across Israel and the Palestinian territories as a major hostage and prisoner exchange on Monday marked a significant step towards ending two years of war in Gaza.

In a crucial first phase of the US-brokered plan to end the war, Hamas returned all living Israeli hostages, while Israel freed almost 2,000 Palestinian prisoners and detainees.

US President Donald Trump landed in Israel minutes after the first hostages were reunited with their families in tearful scenes, and in a speech to Israel's parliament declared a "historic dawn in a new Middle East".

Trump then flew on to a summit in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, to meet more than 20 leaders for talks on later phases of his Gaza peace plan.

At the summit Egypt, Qatar, Turkey and the US signed a declaration as guarantors of the ceasefire deal which is aimed at ending two years of war that has left Gaza in ruins.

But amid the diplomatic celebrations and the joy during reunions in Israel and the Palestinian territories, many challenges still lie ahead if the ceasefire is to be built into a lasting peace.

The latter phases of Trump's 20-point peace plan are fraught with sticking points, and intense negotiations will be needed in order to move forward.

Monday's hostage and prisoner exchange completed the initial phase of the deal - and came after a ceasefire took effect on Friday and an increase of humanitarian aid entered Gaza over the weekend.

Families of the Israeli hostages were seen screaming with happiness and crying as they embraced their freed loved ones.

"I am overwhelmed with emotion and joy," said Arbel Yehoud, a former hostage herself who was reunited with her partner Ariel Cunio when he was released on Monday.

"For over two years, the hope of holding Ariel again is what sustained and drove me every single day," she said.

Buses carrying those freed from Israeli jails through Gaza and the occupied West Bank were surrounded by huge crowds waving flags and playing patriotic music.

One Palestinian woman reunited with her son said her heart was finally at peace.

Though the releases went largely as planned, Israel's hostage families expressed outrage that Hamas said it would only return the bodies of four of the deceased hostages. It is thought the remains of up to 24 others hostages remain in Gaza.

As part of the agreement, around 1,700 Palestinian detainees who had been held by Israel without charge were freed.

About 250 Palestinian prisoners serving life sentences were also released by Israel, with about 100 being freed into the occupied West Bank. Others were deported and a small number released into East Jerusalem.

As prisoners exited a Red Cross bus in Ramallah, many draped in traditional Keffiyeh scarves, they were met by raucous cheers - but many looked pale and gaunt, with some struggling to walk.

"There is joy, and there is pain, and there is happiness, and there is sorrow, said Khalil Muhammad Abdulrahman Al-Qatrous, who gathered outside Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis to collect his son who he said had been detained by Israel for about three months.

After being greeted by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Trump visited Israel's parliament, the Knesset, where he conducted the first address by a US president since 2008.

"At last, not only for Israelis but also Palestinians, the long and painful nightmare is finally over," he told the chamber during a long address, with some politicians' breaking out into chants of "Trump, Trump, Trump".

There was a brief interruption, when an opposition member held up a piece of paper that said "Recognise Palestine".

Trump then flew onto Sharm El-Sheikh where he met more than 20 world leaders - including UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, French President Emmanuel Macron, and the leaders of many Muslim and Arab countries.

He posed for photos along with other leaders on a stage emblazoned with the words "Peace in the Middle East".

Among those also in attendance was former UK prime minister Tony Blair, who - under Trump's plan - is slated to play a key role in a "Board of Peace" for Gaza that would be headed and chaired by the US President.

The plan would see Gaza initially governed by a temporary transitional committee of Palestinian technocrats overseen by the "Board of Peace", before power is eventually transferred to the Palestinian Authority (PA) once it has undergone reforms.

But difficult negotiations will be needed in order to move forward with the latter phases of the plan.

Among the points of contention are the extent and timeline of Israeli troop withdrawal, the disarmament of Hamas, and the future governance of the Gaza Strip.

Hamas has previously said it would not disarm unless a Palestinian state was established - and has rejected the idea of foreign governance in Gaza.

Netanyahu has pushed back on any future involvement of the PA.

Asked when phase two of negotiations on a peace agreement will begin, Trump replied: "It's started".

"The phases are all a little bit mixed in with each other," he added.

Israel launched its offensive in response to the Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on 7 October 2003, which saw 1,200 people killed and 251 others taken hostage back to Gaza.

Since then more than 67,000 people have been killed by Israel's offensive, according to Gaza's Hamas-run health ministry. Its figures are seen as reliable by the UN and other international bodies. More than 9 in 10 residential buildings have been damaged or destroyed according to the UN.

US President Donald Trump has told cheering Israeli lawmakers that "this is the historic dawn of a new Middle East", after helping to broker a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas in Gaza.

During the first such address by a US president since 2008, Trump said Monday was a "day of profound joy" after "two harrowing years".

Trump's address to the Israeli parliament, the Knesset, comes on the day that the last 20 living hostages held in the Palestinian enclave were released by Hamas.

Israel is releasing 250 Palestinian prisoners and more than 1,700 other Palestinians detained during the two-year military operations in Gaza.

During a whirlwind trip to the region, Trump is also expected to attend a peace summit in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt, alongside Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and other world leaders.

After hearing politicians' chants of "Trump, Trump, Trump" in the Knesset, the American president said the occasion would represent "not only the end of a war" but also the possibility of a new age for "what will soon be a magnificent region".

Trump's suggestion that the region was on the dawn of a new era echoed the words he used when Israel signed landmark deals with several Arab states during his first presidency.

Trump was introduced to parliament by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who saluted his counterpart's various acts of solidarity with Israel.

Trump was the "greatest friend" Israel had ever had in the White House, Netanyahu said.

"Everything changed" in the American attitude to Israel's military campaign in Gaza when Trump was re-elected as US president last year, Netanyahu added.

The Israeli prime minister thanked Trump for his "unremitting help" in securing the return of the remaining hostages - part of a group of 251 people seized during the 7 October 2023 attacks in southern Israel by Hamas.

Trump went on to offer a tribute of his own to his counterpart, saying: "He's not the easiest guy to deal with, but that's what makes him great."

• Follow live updates
• Who are the released hostages?
• What we know about Gaza ceasefire agreement

Earlier, the US president declared the "war is over" in Gaza, after two years of fighting, as he flew to the region from the US on board Air Force One.

The ceasefire in Gaza took effect on Friday morning after Israel and Hamas agreed to the first phase of Trump's 20-point peace plan. The next phases are still to be negotiated.

Trump told reporters on Air Force One that the ceasefire would hold, and that a "board of peace" he is due to head would quickly be set up to administer the territory.

In his remarks to parliament, Netanyahu said he was "committed to this peace".

Also welcomed to the Knesset alongside Trump were other key US officials, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth.

The names of Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump's son-in-law and adviser Jared Kushner received particularly loud cheers from Israeli MPs, for their own roles in brokering the ceasefire. Kushner was accompanied by his wife Ivanka Trump.

Members of Trump's audience wore red caps. Instead of Trump's signature slogan "Make America Great Again", they read "Trump the Peace President".

Trump was told by the parliamentary speaker that there was "no-one" more deserving of next year's Nobel Peace Prize.

But some Israeli lawmakers who want the war in Gaza to continue did not attend.

Soldiers have threatened to seize the state TV headquarters in Madagascar as President Andry Rajoelina was due to address the nation, his office says, amid unconfirmed reports that he has fled the country.

A French military aircraft is said to have airlifted Rajoelina from the Indian Ocean island to an unknown location, following a fortnight of nationwide protests aimed at kicking him out of power.

His failed attempts to placate young protesters - dubbed "Gen Z Mada" - saw him sack his entire government and make other concessions to no avail.

On Sunday, his office said an attempt was under way to force him from power. He has not been seen in public since Wednesday.

Rajoelina's planned address to the nation has been delayed several times - it was initially due at 1900 local time (1600 GMT).

Over the weekend, a powerful army unit - known as CAPSAT - that helped install Rajoelina in power in 2009 moved to undermine him by declaring itself in command of all the armed forces, while some of its officers joined protesters on the streets of the capital, Antananarivo.

• As it happened: How a day of drama unfolded in Madagascar

Following a meeting of military commanders on Monday, the new Chief of Army Staff installed by CAPSAT, Gen Demosthene Pikulas, assured the public that the security forces were working together to maintain order in the island nation.

By Monday evening, the general was at state TV headquarters trying to resolve the crisis, according to a statement from the presidency.

Speaking on condition of anonymity, a senior leader in Madagascar's largest opposition party told the BBC that Madagascar was now effectively being run by CAPSAT.

The TIM party has also said it plans to bring impeachment proceedings against Rajoelina for "abandonment of post".

Several of Rajoelina's inner circle have fled to nearby Mauritius. They include former Prime Minister President Richard Ravalomanana and the businessman Maminiaina Ravatomanga.

Despite its abundant natural resources, Madagascar is one of the poorest countries in the world. About 75% of people there live below the poverty line, the World Bank says, while data from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) shows just over one-third of people have access to electricity.

The protests began over anger with repeated water and power cuts, then escalated to reflect wider dissatisfaction with Rajoelina's government over high unemployment, corruption, and the cost-of-living crisis.

At least 22 people were killed and more than 100 injured in the first few days of the protests, according to the UN, although the government has rejected these figures.

Eyewitnesses describe security officers opening fire on protesters with live ammunition. In one case, a newborn baby died from smoke inhalation after being exposed to tear gas.

Madagascar has been rocked by multiple uprisings since it gained independence in 1960, including mass protests in 2009 that forced then-President Marc Ravalomanana to step down and saw Rajoelina ushered into office.

Aged just 34 at the time, Rajoelina became Africa's youngest leader - going on to govern for four years, then returning to power again after the 2018 election.

Rajoelina was born into wealth and, before entering politics, had made a name for himself as an entrepreneur and DJ - setting up a radio station and an advertising company along the way.

But his sharp-suited, baby-faced appeal soon waned, as allegations of cronyism and entrenched corruption became unshakeable.

More on Madagascar's crisis:

• Behind the Gen Z protesters who want to force Madagascar's president from power
• Army general named as Madagascar PM to quell Gen Z protests

Go to BBCAfrica.com for more news from the African continent.

Follow us on Twitter @BBCAfrica, on Facebook at BBC Africa or on Instagram at bbcafrica

About a dozen of us walked into a US immigration office in Virginia on Saturday morning, people born all over the world excited to take the final step in becoming American citizens.

We clutched our naturalisation notices as we filed through security and lined up at the check-in desk. Soon, we would raise our right hands and swear the Oath of Allegiance to the United States in a ceremony that is known as both solemn and celebratory. Carrying small American flags, we would walk out citizens.

But then, abruptly, we learned the ceremony had been cancelled because of the government shutdown.

"You should have been notified," said the staff member at the desk.

None of us had received any emails or phone calls. The staff at the entrance had let us in without warning, raising the possibility that they too had not been notified.

Later, when I checked the US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) website, it was temporarily down.

When it came back online, I saw my appointment had been cancelled days earlier "due to unforeseen circumstances." If you hadn't checked the website yourself, you would never have known.

"We regret any inconvenience this may cause," the notice said.

Around me at the office, disappointment quickly turned into confusion.

One woman in a hijab quietly asked if I had been turned away too, worried it might have been because of her clothing.

A man had gathered his family to celebrate his final step to becoming a US citizen, only to leave anxious and uncertain.

A few people seemed genuinely frightened, wondering how the delay might affect their work, lives and plans.

This was more than an inconvenience.

Some of us had spent years plodding through paperwork and interviews, as well as preparing for the citizenship test. After more than a decade of having a green card, I had decided to become a citizen and vote. All of us now were stuck in limbo.

At the office, we were told to come back on 1 November. With the ongoing federal shutdown, though, there's a chance that could slip.

The immigration service is largely funded by application fees and so it typically stays open during a government shutdown.

But its director, Joseph Edlow, said in a post on X that public-facing services such as interviews and naturalisation ceremonies can be delayed. He added that the agency "regrets any negative impacts but must ensure it complies with the law".

It's unclear how many USCIS appointments or oath ceremonies have been cancelled nationwide. The service lists field office closures on a web page, but it does not provide totals for cancelled ceremonies. Anecdotal reports have circulated online about other oath ceremonies that have been scrapped.

What's also unclear is when the government will reopen.

Republicans and Democrats have been deadlocked over government funding since 1 October, leading to a shutdown that has placed more than 700,000 federal workers on unpaid leave.

Add on the many rapid changes made to US immigration policies in the last nine months, and the anxiety among those of us working to become American citizens can only rise. The effects of a Washington stalemate are rippling into the everyday lives - and possibly futures - of those of us hoping to call the US our permanent home.

Soldiers have threatened to seize the state TV headquarters in Madagascar as President Andry Rajoelina was due to address the nation, his office says, amid unconfirmed reports that he has fled the country.

A French military aircraft is said to have airlifted Rajoelina from the Indian Ocean island to an unknown location, following a fortnight of nationwide protests aimed at kicking him out of power.

His failed attempts to placate young protesters - dubbed "Gen Z Mada" - saw him sack his entire government and make other concessions to no avail.

On Sunday, his office said an attempt was under way to force him from power. He has not been seen in public since Wednesday.

Rajoelina's planned address to the nation has been delayed several times - it was initially due at 1900 local time (1600 GMT).

Over the weekend, a powerful army unit - known as CAPSAT - that helped install Rajoelina in power in 2009 moved to undermine him by declaring itself in command of all the armed forces, while some of its officers joined protesters on the streets of the capital, Antananarivo.

• As it happened: How a day of drama unfolded in Madagascar

Following a meeting of military commanders on Monday, the new Chief of Army Staff installed by CAPSAT, Gen Demosthene Pikulas, assured the public that the security forces were working together to maintain order in the island nation.

By Monday evening, the general was at state TV headquarters trying to resolve the crisis, according to a statement from the presidency.

Speaking on condition of anonymity, a senior leader in Madagascar's largest opposition party told the BBC that Madagascar was now effectively being run by CAPSAT.

The TIM party has also said it plans to bring impeachment proceedings against Rajoelina for "abandonment of post".

Several of Rajoelina's inner circle have fled to nearby Mauritius. They include former Prime Minister President Richard Ravalomanana and the businessman Maminiaina Ravatomanga.

Despite its abundant natural resources, Madagascar is one of the poorest countries in the world. About 75% of people there live below the poverty line, the World Bank says, while data from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) shows just over one-third of people have access to electricity.

The protests began over anger with repeated water and power cuts, then escalated to reflect wider dissatisfaction with Rajoelina's government over high unemployment, corruption, and the cost-of-living crisis.

At least 22 people were killed and more than 100 injured in the first few days of the protests, according to the UN, although the government has rejected these figures.

Eyewitnesses describe security officers opening fire on protesters with live ammunition. In one case, a newborn baby died from smoke inhalation after being exposed to tear gas.

Madagascar has been rocked by multiple uprisings since it gained independence in 1960, including mass protests in 2009 that forced then-President Marc Ravalomanana to step down and saw Rajoelina ushered into office.

Aged just 34 at the time, Rajoelina became Africa's youngest leader - going on to govern for four years, then returning to power again after the 2018 election.

Rajoelina was born into wealth and, before entering politics, had made a name for himself as an entrepreneur and DJ - setting up a radio station and an advertising company along the way.

But his sharp-suited, baby-faced appeal soon waned, as allegations of cronyism and entrenched corruption became unshakeable.

More on Madagascar's crisis:

• Behind the Gen Z protesters who want to force Madagascar's president from power
• Army general named as Madagascar PM to quell Gen Z protests

Go to BBCAfrica.com for more news from the African continent.

Follow us on Twitter @BBCAfrica, on Facebook at BBC Africa or on Instagram at bbcafrica

The organisers of the Eurovision Song Contest have postponed a vote on whether Israel should be allowed to perform in next year's competition.

The European Broadcasting Union (EBU) said "recent developments in the Middle East" had prompted it to cancel the virtual meeting to vote on the matter, which was scheduled to take place in November.

It said Israel's participation would instead be discussed at an in-person meeting in December, though it did not make clear whether a vote would still take place.

Israel's participation in Eurovision has faced opposition from some other participating countries due to the war in Gaza.

On Monday, all 20 living Israeli hostages were freed by Hamas in exchange for the return of hundreds of Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli jails. It comes after a ceasefire came into force on Friday between Israel and Hamas over the Gaza war.

• Ceasefire live updates
• 'You're my life, my hero': Hostages reunite with families after two years
• Palestinians celebrate return of detainees freed by Israel

In a statement, the EBU said: "In the light of recent developments in the Middle East, the EBU's executive board (meeting on October 13) agreed there was a clear need to organise an open and in-person discussion among its members on the issue of participation in the Eurovision Song Contest 2026."

"Consequently, the board agreed to put the issue on the agenda of its ordinary winter general assembly, which will be taking place in December, rather than organising an extraordinary session in advance," it added.

The EBU announced last month it would invite 68 member countries to give their view on whether Israel should take part at a general assembly meeting in November.

Austrian national broadcaster ORF, which will host the contest in 2026, said it welcomed the EBU's decision.

It had previously urged countries not to boycott the contest next year in Vienna, with its Foreign Minister Beate Meinl-Reisinger saying Eurovision and the arts in general are "not the appropriate arenas for sanctions".

Spain, Ireland, Slovenia, Iceland and the Netherlands have all said they would consider boycotting next year's contest if Israel were to take part.

Dutch broadcaster AvroTros said last month it would not change its position if a ceasefire in Gaza was reached.

"If a ceasefire is reached in the near future or the conflict develops differently, that will not change our position for 2026. We will reassess participation in subsequent years, depending on the circumstances at that time," it said in a statement.

The BBC has asked Israel's national broadcaster, Kan, for comment.

In September it said it should be allowed to take part, saying it was "one of the contest's longstanding, popular and successful participants".

Israel came second in the the most recent Eurovision Song Contest in May, with its act Yuval Raphael receiving the largest combined public vote.

However, the inclusion of jury votes led to Austria being declared the overall winner.

Matan Zangauker, 25, walks grinning into his mother's arms.

"You're my life," she exclaims, hugging him tightly in footage filmed by the Israeli military. "My life. My hero. Come, come."

Matan was one of 20 living hostages remaining in Gaza after being taken during the Hamas-led attacks of 7 October 2023, who were freed on Monday after two years in captivity.

His mother, Einav, has campaigned fiercely for Matan's return. She became among the best-known faces of the movement, and demanded the Israeli government agree a hostage exchange with Hamas.

Last week, she and her daughter lit fireworks in Hostages Square in Tel Aviv to celebrate the ceasefire deal that had been agreed between Israel and Hamas as part of Donald Trump's peace plan.

On Monday, crowds gathered and cheered in the same square as they watched footage on big screens of Matan and the other 19 freed hostages returning to Israel and reuniting with their families.

People waved the Israeli and US flags and held up photos of the hostages and signs saying "they're coming home".

Matan was taken with his partner Ilana Gritzewsky from Nir Oz, but Ilana was released during a ceasefire the following month.

In December 2024, Hamas released a video showing Matan in captivity in which he said he and his fellow hostages were suffering from skin ailments and shortages of food, water and medicine.

In a video call with Matan on Monday shortly after his release, Einav told him: "Thank God, the war is over. The war is over."

In a later statement, the family said that "after two years of hell, today we begin a new chapter of our lives - one of healing and rehabilitation".

• Who are the released hostages?
• Follow live updates
• Palestinians celebrate return of prisoners freed by Israel

That sentiment was shared by several of the families who were reunited with their loved ones.

The family of Eitan Horn, who was also taken from Nir Oz, and whose brother Yair was released during a ceasefire in February, said they would have "hugs and lots of love and we will accompany him through the entire recovery process".

Relatives of 24-year-old Evyatar David, who was taken from the Nova music festival and was seen emaciated in a tunnel in a video published by Hamas in August, said they always "knew he would return".

"After two years of suffering, he is here. Now a new journey of healing will begin for Evyatar and us," they said in a statement.

The living hostages were collected from meeting points in Gaza by the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), which has acted as a neutral intermediary in the handovers.

They were then reunited with loved ones at reception points near the Gaza border, before being airlifted to hospitals to begin the process of physical and psychological treatment.

There were celebrations across Israel as the 20 hostages returned. People waved at the sky and cheered when they were flown overhead in military helicopters on their way to hospitals.

Inbar Goldstein, whose own relatives were released in the November 2023 ceasefire, told the BBC she was feeling "happy and thankful".

"I know that sad days are still ahead but I want to separate between what I know and what I feel," she said.

Elsewhere in the square, teenager Yarden told the BBC: "We're here for the hostages, their release and to celebrate them. Today all Israelis are together - it's not about left or right, it's about all being together to celebrate the hostages."

But while the living hostages have now been returned, many families of those killed in captivity are still waiting, with Hamas saying only four bodies out of 28 would be released on Monday. The Israeli military said it would carry out forensic tests before confirming their identities and informing their families.

A copy of the ceasefire agreement published by Israeli media had stated that the remains of all of the deceased hostages should be handed over by 12:00 local time (09:00 GMT) on Monday. However, it also appeared to acknowledge that Hamas and other Palestinian factions may not be able to locate all of them within that timeframe.

The deal also involved the release of about 250 Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails who had been convicted of crimes including murder and deadly attacks against Israelis - and about 1,700 detainees from Gaza who had been held by Israel without charge.

In a statement, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) urged Hamas to "uphold its end of the deal" by returning all of the bodies.

Matan's family said there could be no closure until this happened.

"We will continue to stand beside the bereaved families and to fight until the last hostage is brought home," they said.

Hundreds of freed Palestinian prisoners and detainees were welcomed with tears and screams of joy as they were released by Israel to be reunited with their families in Gaza and the occupied West Bank.

The release involved about 250 prisoners who had been convicted of crimes including murder and deadly attacks against Israelis - and about 1,700 detainees from Gaza who had been held by Israel without trial.

As prisoners exited a Red Cross bus in Ramallah, many draped in traditional Keffiyeh scarves, they looked pale and gaunt, with some struggling to walk.

They were freed as part of an exchange in which 20 Israeli hostages, and the remains of some deceased hostages, were released by Hamas.

"He is ready to embrace freedom," said Amro Abdullah, 24, who was waiting for his cousin Rashid Omar, 48, who was arrested in July 2005 and sentenced to life in prison by an Israeli court after being found guilty murder and other crimes.

"I want peace," Mr Abudullah said. "I want to live a happy life, safe and peaceful, without occupation and without restrictions."

It is thought about 100 prisoners were released into the West Bank, with many others set to be deported and a small number freed into East Jerusalem.

Israel made clear before the release process it wanted to avoid the jubilant scenes that surrounded prisoners arriving in Ramallah during previous hostage deals, when large crowds waved Hamas flags.

Many families were reluctant to speak to the media, saying they had been warned against doing so by the Israeli military.

In Gaza, families gathered at Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis in hope of being reunited with their loved ones. A field hospital adjacent to the main hospital building was set up to receive them.

"This is a very beautiful feeling - happy, a day of joy," said Muhammad Hasan Saeed Dawood, 50, who told the BBC he was there to collect his son who he says was arrested by Israeli forces at a checkpoint.

"We call it a national holiday, that our detainees are being released despite the cost of the war, the martyrs, the injured, and the destruction in Gaza."

Khalil Muhammad Abdulrahman Al-Qatrous, who was also there to collect his son who he said had been detained for about three months, said: "There is joy, and there is pain, and there is happiness, and there is sorrow."

"We came here waiting for their release. We came here expecting them to arrive at 10:00am, and now it is past 12:00pm, and we are still waiting, on edge."

Ahead of the release in Ramallah, ambulances from the Palestine Red Crescent Society set up in preparation to treat any injured prisoners.

"The crying and the silence, this shows you how the families are feeling," said Ibrahim Ifani, 23, a volunteer nurse for the organisation.

"For all the people in Palestine, it's a deep, deep emotion," he said.

Multiple medics and family members said the prisoners who were released in Ramallah had had faced beatings in recent days prior to their release.

The BBC cannot verify claims of mistreatment in Israeli prisons. But Israel's top court said last month that Palestinian prisoners were not being given adequate food.

The BBC has also previously reported on Palestinians being tortured in Israeli detention.

"Their rights were violated in the most serious ways," said Aya Shreiteh, 26, from the Palestinian Prisoners Club.

"Most of the prisoners in the past year were subjected to deliberate starvation and exposure to illness," she told the BBC.

"Their bodies are frail from starvation, and they've suffered from beatings."

"But today gives us hope that there will always be an inevitable freedom, no matter the circumstances," she added.

The hostage and prisoner exchange formed part of phase one of Donald Trump's peace plan aimed at ending the war in Gaza, which was triggered by the Hamas-led attacks on southern Israel on 7 October 2023, in which about 1,200 people were killed and 251 taken hostage.

Israel launched a retaliatory military offensive which saw more than 67,682 Palestinians killed, according to the territory's Hamas-run health ministry.

A ceasefire took hold on Friday - and negotiations are now expected to follow over the latter phases of Trump's peace plan.

Rescue workers in Mexico are searching for at least 38 people who are missing after torrential rains triggered flooding in 150 locations across five states.

At least 47 residents are confirmed dead, according to official figures released late on Sunday.

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum has promised help for the affected areas.

The heavy rains, caused by two tropical storms, triggered landslides and caused rivers to overflow, sweeping away entire homes as well as roads and cars.

María Salas, 49, lost five members of her family when their home collapsed in Huauchinango, a town in the mountains in the north of Puebla state.

She told Agence France Press news agency that her own house had been swept away by a landslide: "I can't get my belongings, I can't sleep there. I have nothing."

The town is one of the few which is accessible within the disaster zone.

On Sunday, President Sheinbaum visited a shelter in Huauchinango and said that officials would inspect the damage the town suffered.

"Everyone will get help to rebuild their homes," she told those whose houses had been swept away or made uninhabitable.

An estimated 100 small communities remain cut off as the flooding has damaged power supplies and communication lines.

Vote counting is under way in Cameroon following Sunday's presidential election in which incumbent Paul Biya is seeking to extend his 43 years in power.

Biya, who at 92 is the world's oldest head of state, is being challenged by nine candidates. If he wins, it will be his eighth consecutive term in office, with the next election due in 2032.

Interior Minister Paul Atanga Nji said that voting took place "hitch-free" across the country. But there was a call for a boycott in the English-speaking regions in the west and there were reports of clashes in the north.

The final result should be known within 15 days of the vote.

In the run-up to the election there were complaints from the opposition of attempts to suppress their support.

In August, the Constitutional Council barred 71-year old Maurice Kamto, widely viewed as the main challenger, from taking part.

• Can the world's oldest president keep his title?

On Sunday, angry supporters of leading opposition candidate and former Biya ally, Issa Tchiroma Bakary, 76, took to the streets in his stronghold of Garoua. They clashed with security forces, who fired tear gas, after his residence was cordoned off.

Earlier in the day, Tchiroma had said he was the subject of threats.

"It is not Tchiroma who is the problem, he told reporters, adding that he "places himself under the protection of God and the Cameroonian people."

"I am at home; I will not move. If they intend to come and take me away from home, I will not move," he declared.

Despite this Interior Minister Nji said the polls were held without major incidents in all 10 regions of the country.

He did not comment on the situation in Garoua but rather repeated previous claims that some presidential candidates were planning to publish the results of the election ahead of the official declaration.

Nji described this as a major red line, threatening action against anyone suspected of breaking the law.

In the two restive Anglophone regions, where separatists attempted to bar residents from voting, some did turn out at the polling stations. But many others stayed away for fear of reprisals.

More from the BBC on Cameroon's election:

• Is the world's oldest leader set for an eighth term?
• Social media revamp by 92-year-old president
• The African president who keeps defying death rumours
• Why African leaders maintain secrecy around their health

Go to BBCAfrica.com for more news from the African continent.

Follow us on Twitter @BBCAfrica, on Facebook at BBC Africa or on Instagram at bbcafrica

US President Donald Trump has told cheering Israeli lawmakers that "this is the historic dawn of a new Middle East", after helping to broker a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas in Gaza.

During the first such address by a US president since 2008, Trump said Monday was a "day of profound joy" after "two harrowing years".

Trump's address to the Israeli parliament, the Knesset, comes on the day that the last 20 living hostages held in the Palestinian enclave were released by Hamas.

Israel is releasing 250 Palestinian prisoners and more than 1,700 other Palestinians detained during the two-year military operations in Gaza.

During a whirlwind trip to the region, Trump is also expected to attend a peace summit in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt, alongside Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and other world leaders.

After hearing politicians' chants of "Trump, Trump, Trump" in the Knesset, the American president said the occasion would represent "not only the end of a war" but also the possibility of a new age for "what will soon be a magnificent region".

Trump's suggestion that the region was on the dawn of a new era echoed the words he used when Israel signed landmark deals with several Arab states during his first presidency.

Trump was introduced to parliament by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who saluted his counterpart's various acts of solidarity with Israel.

Trump was the "greatest friend" Israel had ever had in the White House, Netanyahu said.

"Everything changed" in the American attitude to Israel's military campaign in Gaza when Trump was re-elected as US president last year, Netanyahu added.

The Israeli prime minister thanked Trump for his "unremitting help" in securing the return of the remaining hostages - part of a group of 251 people seized during the 7 October 2023 attacks in southern Israel by Hamas.

Trump went on to offer a tribute of his own to his counterpart, saying: "He's not the easiest guy to deal with, but that's what makes him great."

• Follow live updates
• Who are the released hostages?
• What we know about Gaza ceasefire agreement

Earlier, the US president declared the "war is over" in Gaza, after two years of fighting, as he flew to the region from the US on board Air Force One.

The ceasefire in Gaza took effect on Friday morning after Israel and Hamas agreed to the first phase of Trump's 20-point peace plan. The next phases are still to be negotiated.

Trump told reporters on Air Force One that the ceasefire would hold, and that a "board of peace" he is due to head would quickly be set up to administer the territory.

In his remarks to parliament, Netanyahu said he was "committed to this peace".

Also welcomed to the Knesset alongside Trump were other key US officials, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth.

The names of Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump's son-in-law and adviser Jared Kushner received particularly loud cheers from Israeli MPs, for their own roles in brokering the ceasefire. Kushner was accompanied by his wife Ivanka Trump.

Members of Trump's audience wore red caps. Instead of Trump's signature slogan "Make America Great Again", they read "Trump the Peace President".

Trump was told by the parliamentary speaker that there was "no-one" more deserving of next year's Nobel Peace Prize.

But some Israeli lawmakers who want the war in Gaza to continue did not attend.

Hundreds of freed Palestinian prisoners and detainees were welcomed with tears and screams of joy as they were released by Israel to be reunited with their families in Gaza and the occupied West Bank.

The release involved about 250 prisoners who had been convicted of crimes including murder and deadly attacks against Israelis - and about 1,700 detainees from Gaza who had been held by Israel without trial.

As prisoners exited a Red Cross bus in Ramallah, many draped in traditional Keffiyeh scarves, they looked pale and gaunt, with some struggling to walk.

They were freed as part of an exchange in which 20 Israeli hostages, and the remains of some deceased hostages, were released by Hamas.

"He is ready to embrace freedom," said Amro Abdullah, 24, who was waiting for his cousin Rashid Omar, 48, who was arrested in July 2005 and sentenced to life in prison by an Israeli court after being found guilty murder and other crimes.

"I want peace," Mr Abudullah said. "I want to live a happy life, safe and peaceful, without occupation and without restrictions."

It is thought about 100 prisoners were released into the West Bank, with many others set to be deported and a small number freed into East Jerusalem.

Israel made clear before the release process it wanted to avoid the jubilant scenes that surrounded prisoners arriving in Ramallah during previous hostage deals, when large crowds waved Hamas flags.

Many families were reluctant to speak to the media, saying they had been warned against doing so by the Israeli military.

In Gaza, families gathered at Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis in hope of being reunited with their loved ones. A field hospital adjacent to the main hospital building was set up to receive them.

"This is a very beautiful feeling - happy, a day of joy," said Muhammad Hasan Saeed Dawood, 50, who told the BBC he was there to collect his son who he says was arrested by Israeli forces at a checkpoint.

"We call it a national holiday, that our detainees are being released despite the cost of the war, the martyrs, the injured, and the destruction in Gaza."

Khalil Muhammad Abdulrahman Al-Qatrous, who was also there to collect his son who he said had been detained for about three months, said: "There is joy, and there is pain, and there is happiness, and there is sorrow."

"We came here waiting for their release. We came here expecting them to arrive at 10:00am, and now it is past 12:00pm, and we are still waiting, on edge."

Ahead of the release in Ramallah, ambulances from the Palestine Red Crescent Society set up in preparation to treat any injured prisoners.

"The crying and the silence, this shows you how the families are feeling," said Ibrahim Ifani, 23, a volunteer nurse for the organisation.

"For all the people in Palestine, it's a deep, deep emotion," he said.

Multiple medics and family members said the prisoners who were released in Ramallah had had faced beatings in recent days prior to their release.

The BBC cannot verify claims of mistreatment in Israeli prisons. But Israel's top court said last month that Palestinian prisoners were not being given adequate food.

The BBC has also previously reported on Palestinians being tortured in Israeli detention.

"Their rights were violated in the most serious ways," said Aya Shreiteh, 26, from the Palestinian Prisoners Club.

"Most of the prisoners in the past year were subjected to deliberate starvation and exposure to illness," she told the BBC.

"Their bodies are frail from starvation, and they've suffered from beatings."

"But today gives us hope that there will always be an inevitable freedom, no matter the circumstances," she added.

The hostage and prisoner exchange formed part of phase one of Donald Trump's peace plan aimed at ending the war in Gaza, which was triggered by the Hamas-led attacks on southern Israel on 7 October 2023, in which about 1,200 people were killed and 251 taken hostage.

Israel launched a retaliatory military offensive which saw more than 67,682 Palestinians killed, according to the territory's Hamas-run health ministry.

A ceasefire took hold on Friday - and negotiations are now expected to follow over the latter phases of Trump's peace plan.

India and Canada have agreed a host of steps at talks between their foreign ministers in Delhi aimed at restoring ties that plummeted after a Sikh separatist leader was assassinated on Canadian soil.

Canada's Foreign Minister Anita Anand, making her first official visit to India, met her counterpart S Jaishankar and Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Modi told her the visit would strengthen "efforts to impart new momentum" to the two countries' partnership.

Relations hit rock bottom in 2023 when Canada's then PM Justin Trudeau accused India of being linked to the killing of Hardeep Singh Nijjar, claims Delhi denied. Both countries suspended visa services and expelled each other's top diplomats.

Canada is home to nearly 1.7 million people of Indian origin and the developments were being watched anxiously in both countries.

After the meeting of their foreign ministers in Delhi, the two sides announced a series of measures, including starting ministerial-level discussions on bilateral trade and investment.

"Reviving this partnership will not only create opportunities for enhanced economic cooperation but also help mitigate vulnerabilities arising from shifting global alliances," a joint statement said.

Signs of a thaw have appeared this year since Mark Carney took over as Canadian prime minister.

In June, Carney and Modi held a bilateral meeting on the sidelines of the G7 summit in Canada. Two months later, the countries appointed new high commissioners to each other's countries.

Anand and Jaishankar also met each other on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly session in New York in September.

On Monday, Jaishankar said that India-Canada bilateral relations have been steadily progressing in the last few months.

"When we look at Canada, we see a complementary economy. We see another open society. We see diversity and pluralism," he said, adding that this was "the basis for a close sustainable and long-term co-operative framework".

"We are collectively committed to advancing this relationship now and in the long term, particularly when it comes to our mutual priorities in the Indo-Pacific," Anand said.

The two countries will resume the Canada–India CEO Forum, which brings together executives from both countries to increase bilateral trade and investment. The announcement comes as Delhi deals with a punitive 50% tariff imposed by US President Donald Trump on Indian goods.

Anand is also set to meet India's Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal to discuss boosting trade ties, before visiting Mumbai to speak to business leaders about investments and economic opportunities.

She will then travel to China and Singapore as part of Canada's Indo-Pacific strategy that focuses on deepening the country's engagement in the region.

Follow BBC News India on Instagram, YouTube, Twitter and Facebook

A ceasefire deal has taken effect in Gaza that should see Hamas release all the 48 Israeli and foreign hostages it is still holding after two years of war, 20 of whom are assumed to be alive.

All but one were among the 251 people abducted during the Palestinian group's attack on southern Israel on 7 October 2023, during which about 1,200 other people were killed.

Israel responded by launching a military campaign in Gaza, during which more than 67,000 people have been killed, according to the territory's Hamas-run health ministry.

Hostages who are thought to be alive

Ariel Cunio, 28, was abducted in the attack on Kibbutz Nir Oz on 7 October. Ariel's brother Eitan, who escaped the Hamas-led gunmen, said the last message from Ariel said: "We are in a horror movie." Ariel's partner, Arbel Yehud, was freed in January 2025 under a deal that saw Hamas hand over 25 living and eight dead hostages during a two-month ceasefire.

David Cunio, 35, another of Ariel's brothers, was also kidnapped from Nir Oz. David's wife Sharon Aloni Cunio and their then-three-year-old twin daughters Ema and Yuly were among the 105 hostages released during a week-long ceasefire in November 2023. Sharon's sister Danielle Aloni and her daughter Emilia were also freed. In February 2025, David's family said released hostages had told them that had recently seen him alive.

Gali and Ziv Berman, 28-year-old twin brothers, were abducted from Kibbutz Kfar Aza with their neighbour, Emily Damari. Ziv was held with Emily for 40 days before they were separated. She was released in January 2025 during the last ceasefire. Gali and Ziv's family said they had been informed by other hostages released in early 2025 that they were still alive.

Matan Angrest, a 22-year-old Israel Defense Forces (IDF) soldier, was in a tank that was attacked near the Gaza perimeter fence on 7 October. One video showed a crowd pulling him from the tank unconscious and injured. Earlier this year, his family said they had been told by released hostages that he was suffering from chronic asthma, untreated burns and infections.

Matan Zangauker, 25, was taken with his partner Ilana Gritzewsky from Nir Oz. Ilana was released during the November 2023 ceasefire. In December 2024, Hamas released a video showing Matan in captivity. He said he and his fellow hostages were suffering from skin ailments, shortages of food, water and medicine.

Eitan Horn, 38, an Israeli-Argentine dual national, was kidnapped along with his elder brother Yair from Nir Oz. Yair was freed in February 2025 during the last ceasefire. Hamas released a video at the time showing Eitan and Yair hugging and breaking down in tears ahead of the latter's release. "Every day we imagined what we'd do if we were freed," Yair recalled recently.

Nimrod Cohen, 21, was serving as an IDF soldier when his tank was attacked by Hamas at Nahal Oz. In February 2025, his family were told by one of the released hostages that he was still alive in captivity but in poor physical and mental shape. After the new ceasefire was agreed, his mother Viki posted on social media: "My child, you are coming home."

Omri Miran, 48, was abducted from his home in Nahal Oz. His wife, Lishay, said she last saw him being driven away in his own car. She and their two young daughters, Roni and Alma, were not taken with him. In April 2025, Hamas released a video showing Omri marking his 48th birthday. In response: Lishay said: "I always said and I always knew, Omri is a survivor."

Dozens of people were taken hostage during the attack by Hamas gunmen on the Nova music festival. Among those believed to be still alive in captivity are:

Yosef-Chaim Ohana, 25, had been at the festival with a friend, who said they had remained to help people escape the gunfire before running themselves. In May 2025, Hamas published a video showing Yosef and another hostage, Elkana Bohbot. Yosef is seen sitting beside Elkana, who is lying on the ground. An intravenous drip is hooked up to the wall next to Elkana.

Elkana Bohbot, 36, was working at the festival when he was abducted. "In our last conversation on the morning of the massacre at 07:00, I told him, 'It's not just missiles, come home,' and he promised he would return," his wife Rikva said in March 2025. The previous month, Israeli media cited a released hostage as saying Elkana, who has asthma, was being held in inhumane conditions and had developed a severe skin disease.

Avinatan Or, 32, was kidnapped at the festival along with his girlfriend, Noa Argamani, but they were immediately separated. Noa and three other hostages were rescued in an Israeli military operation in central Gaza in June 2024. In March 2025, Avinatan's family said they had received a sign that he was still alive. His British-Israeli mother, Ditza, has said she just wants to put her ear to his chest and hear his heartbeat again.

Guy Gilboa-Dalal, 24, attended the festival with his brother, Gal, who said the last time they saw each other was just before Hamas launched its first barrage of rockets into Israel at the start of the attack. Gal evaded the gunmen on the ground, but Guy was kidnapped. Last month, Hamas released a video showing Guy and another hostage, Alon Ohel, being driven around Gaza City in late August as the Israeli military prepared to launch an offensive there.

Alon Ohel, 24, has Israeli, German and Serbian citizenship. Hamas footage showed him being taken away as a hostage from the Nova festival. Alon was not seen in another video until August 2025, when he was filmed being driven around Gaza City with Guy Gilboa-Dalal. Last month, Alon's family approved the publication of a still from a new video which they said showed he had gone blind in one eye.

Eitan Mor, 25, was working as a security guard at the festival. His father Mor said he saved dozens of people before being kidnapped by Hamas gunmen. In February 2025, Eitan's family said they had received a sign of life from him. Three months later, they said a released hostage who spent time with him in a tunnel had told them how he had acted as a "spokesman to the captors" and "lifted everyone's spirits".

Maxim Herkin, 37, is an Israel-Russian dual national who was invited to the festival at the last moment. His two friends were among the 378 people killed in the attack. In April 2025, Maxim appeared in a Hamas video along with Bar Kupershtein - the first signs of life from either man since they were taken hostage. The following month, Maxim was seen alone in another video and appeared to be bandaged up. Hamas said was the result of an Israeli air strike.

Bar Kupershtein, 23, was working at the festival and stayed behind during the attack to help treat casualties. He told his grandmother that he would head home as soon as they were finished. But he was later identified him in a video of hostages. They heard no further information about him until April 2025, when he was seen in a video with Maxim Herkin.

Segev Kalfon, 27, was running away from the festival with a friend when he was taken hostage by Hamas gunmen. Two months later, the Israeli military found a video of the abduction. In February 2025, released hostage Ohad Ben Ami told Segev's father, Kobi, that they had been held captive with four other men in a tunnel in "terrible conditions".

Evyatar David, 24, was at the festival and on the morning of the attacks. He texted the family to say "they are bombarding the party". His family say they later received a text from an unknown number, containing video footage of Evyatar handcuffed on the floor of a dark room. In August 2025, Hamas published a video of an emaciated and weak Evyatar in a tunnel. The footage caused outrage in Israel and deep concern among his family. "He's a human skeleton. He was being starved to the point where he can be dead at any moment," said his brother Ilay.

Rom Braslabski, 21, was working on security for the festival. According to an account published by Hostages and Missing Families Forum, he was trying to rescue an injured person in the attack when he was caught in a volley of fire. In August 2025, Palestinian Islamic Jihad published a video of Rom, in which he is seen crying as he says he has run out of food and water. He says he is unable to stand or walk, and "is at death's door". Medical experts said he was suffering from "deliberate, prolonged, and systematic starvation".

Hostages whose conditions are unknown

Bipin Joshi, 24, a Nepalese agriculture student, was kidnapped from Kibbutz Alumim. Footage from 7 October 2023 showed him walking inside al-Shifa hospital in Gaza City. His family received no signs of life for a year, until the Israeli military shared a video showing him in captivity around November 2023. The family released the footage just before the new ceasefire was announced, describing it as "proof of life".

Tomer Alon Nimrodi, 20, was an education officer in the IDF at the Erez Crossing on 7 October. The last time his mother, Herut, saw him was in a video of his abduction posted on social media that day. Since then, she has received no signs of life and his fate is unknown.

Hostages who are confirmed dead

Tamir Adar, 38, was a member of Nir Oz's community security squad who was killed while fighting Hamas gunmen during the 7 October attack, his kibbutz announced in January 2024. The body of the farmer and father-of-two is being held by Hamas in Gaza.

Sonthaya Akrasri, 30, was a Thai agricultural worker killed in the attack on Kibbutz Be'eri, Thailand's foreign ministry said in May 2024, citing the available evidence. His body is being held by Hamas in Gaza.

Muhammad al-Atarash, 39, was a sergeant-major in the IDF and served as a tracker. In June 2024, the IDF confirmed the father-of-13 from the Bedouin village of Sawa was killed while fighting Hamas gunmen near Nahal Oz on 7 October and that his body was being held in Gaza.

Sahar Baruch, 24, was kidnapped from Be'eri. In January 2024, the IDF announced that he had been killed during a rescue attempt by Israeli forces in Gaza. It was not clear whether he was killed by Hamas or Israeli gunfire.

Uriel Baruch, 35, was abducted from the Nova festival. In March 2024, the father-of-two's family said they had been informed by the IDF that he was killed in captivity in Gaza.

Itay Chen, 19, was an Israeli-American who was serving as a soldier in the IDF on 7 October. The IDF said he was killed during Hamas's attack on Nahal Oz base and that his body was taken back to Gaza as a hostage.

Amiram Cooper, 85, was abducted from Nir Oz. The IDF said in June 2024 that he had been killed along with three other hostages - Nadav Popplewell, Chaim Peri and Yoram Metzger - during military operations in the Khan Younis area of southern Gaza.

Oz Daniel, 19, was a sergeant in the IDF's 7th Armoured Brigade and was killed during a battle with Hamas gunmen near the Gaza perimeter fence on 7 October. His body was taken to Gaza as a hostage, according to the IDF.

Ronen Engel, 54, was kidnapped from Nir Oz on 7 October along with his wife, Karina Engel-Bart, and their daughters, Mika and Yuval. Karina, Mika and Yuval were released during the ceasefire in November 2023. The following month, the IDF confirmed that Ronen has been killed in captivity.

Meny Godard, 73, was killed during the attack on Be'eri with his wife, Ayelet, and his body was taken to Gaza as a hostage, his family said in February 2024. In March 2025, the IDF said some of Meny's remains had been found at a Palestinian Islamic Jihad outpost in Rafah, but that the group was believed to be holding the rest.

Ran Gvili, 24, was a sergeant in the Israel Police who was killed while fighting Hamas-led gunmen in Kibbutz Alumim on 7 October. His body was subsequently taken to Gaza as a hostage, according to the IDF.

Tal Haimi, 41, was part of Kibbutz Nir Yitzhak's rapid response team and was killed during the attack there on 7 October. The father-of-four's body was taken to Gaza, where it is still being held.

Asaf Hamami, 41, was a colonel in the IDF and commander of the Gaza Division's Southern Brigade. He was killed near Kibbutz Nirim on 7 October and his body is being held in Gaza, according to the IDF.

Inbar Hayman, 27, was kidnapped during the attack on the Nova festival and was killed by Hamas in captivity, her family said. She is the last female hostage being held.

Guy Illouz, 26, was shot twice during the attack on the Nova festival and died of his wounds after being taken hostage, his family said. Released hostages are said to have confirmed his death.

Eitan Levi, 53, was a taxi driver who was killed by Hamas gunmen on a road close to the Gaza perimeter on 7 October. His body was then taken to Gaza, where Palestinians were filmed beating and kicking it.

Eliyahu Margalit, 75, was killed by Hamas fighters in Nir Oz on 7 October, the IDF confirmed in December 2023. His body is being held in Gaza.

Joshua Mollel, 21, was a Tanzanian student who was undertaking an agricultural internship at Kibbutz Nahal Oz when it was attacked on 7 October. The Tanzanian government confirmed in December 2023 that he was killed that day and that his body was being held by Hamas.

Omer Neutra, 21, an Israeli-American and grandson of Holocaust survivors, was serving as an IDF tank commander near Gaza when Hamas attacked on 7 October. The IDF later said he was killed that day and his body taken to Gaza.

Dror Or, 48, and his wife, Yonat, were killed in the attack on Be'eri, the kibbutz confirmed in February 2024. Two of his three children, Noam and Alma, were taken hostage and were released as part of the November 2023 ceasefire deal. Dror's body is being held in Gaza.

Daniel Peretz, 22, was a captain in the IDF's 7th Armoured Brigade. Originally from South Africa, he was killed in an attack on his tank near Nahal Oz on 7 October and his body was taken to Gaza, the IDF said.

Suthisak Rintalak, 43, was a Thai agricultural worker killed in the attack on Kibbutz Be'eri, Thailand's foreign ministry said in May 2024, citing the available evidence. His body is being held by Hamas in Gaza.

Lior Rudaeff, 61, was killed while attempting to defend Nir Yitzhak from attack on 7 October, the kibbutz said. His body is being held as a hostage.

Yossi Sharabi, 53, was kidnapped from Be'eri along with his brother, Eli. In January 2024, the kibbutz announced that the father-of-three had been killed in captivity in Gaza. The following month, the IDF said an investigation had found that he was likely to have been killed when a building collapsed following an Israeli strike on another building nearby. His body is being held by Hamas. Eli, who was released in February 2025, told the BBC last week how important it was for the family to have a funeral and closure.

Arie Zalmanowicz, 85, was abducted from Nir Oz on 7 October. In November 2023, Hamas released a video showing him saying he felt unwell. The following month his kibbutz said he had died in captivity.

Hadar Goldin, 23, was a lieutenant in the IDF's Givati Brigade who was killed in combat in Gaza in 2014. His body has been held hostage by Hamas since then.

The Dutch government said on Sunday that it had taken the "highly exceptional" decision to intervene at Chinese-owned chipmaker Nexperia over a potential "risk to Dutch and European economic security."

The Netherlands-based firm's owner Wingtech said on Monday that it will take actions to protect its rights and will seek government support.

The development threatens to raise tensions between the European Union and China, which have increased in recent months over trade and Beijing's relationship with Russia.

Nexperia was forced to sell its silicon chip plant in Newport, Wales after MPs and ministers expressed national security concerns. It currently owns a UK facility in Stockport.

The Dutch government said its economic affairs ministry had invoked its Goods Availability Act over "acute signals of serious governance shortcomings" within Nexperia.

The law is designed to allow the Hague to intervene in companies under exceptional circumstances. These include threats to the country's economic security and to ensure the supply of critical goods.

The intervention is meant to prevent a potential situation in which Nexperia's chips would become unavailable in an emergency, said the Dutch government.

It added that Nexperia's operations posed a "threat to the continuity and safeguarding on Dutch and European soil of crucial technological knowledge and capabilities."

The company's production can continue as normal, it added.

Nexperia makes semiconductors used in cars and consumer electronics.

The government statement did not detail why it thought the firm's operations were risky. The BBC has contacted Dutch authorities for clarification.

Shanghai-listed shares in Nexperia's parent company Wingtech fell by 10% on Monday morning.

Wingtech is among the firms the US has placed on its so-called "entity list". Under the regulations, US companies are barred from exporting American-made goods to businesses on the list unless they have special approval.

In September, the US commerce department further tightened its restrictions, adding to the entity list any company that is majority-owned by a Chinese firm.

Forty-two Zimbabwean and Malawian nationals have died after a bus taking them home overturned on a South African road, authorities have said.

The crash happened on Sunday night as the bus was moving through "a mountainous section" of the N1 highway in South Africa's Limpopo province, local transport officials said.

"It [then] veered off the road along a steep mountain pass and plunged down an embankment," they added.

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa mourned the high death toll, which includes seven children, and said this was not only a tragedy for the country but for "our sister states of Zimbabwe and Malawi" as well.

The cause of the accident is unknown but an investigation has been launched.

According to reports, the bus was travelling from the city of Gqeberha in the Eastern Cape.

It is not clear how many people were travelling on the bus when it crashed, or its capacity.

As well as the seven children, 18 women and 17 men died, while 49 people were injured, authorities confirmed.

Government officials, including Transport Minister Barbara Creecy, are set to visit the scene of the crash as well as the injured passengers.

More BBC stories on South Africa:

• Top policeman shakes South Africa with explosive allegations about his boss
• Caught in the crossfire - the victims of Cape Town's gang warfare
• On the hunt for fugitive linked to illegal South African gold mine where 78 died

Go to BBCAfrica.com for more news from the African continent.

Follow us on Twitter @BBCAfrica, on Facebook at BBC Africa or on Instagram at bbcafrica

The US has called for the release of 30 leaders of one of China's largest underground church network who were reportedly detained over the weekend in overnight raids in various cities.

The list includes several pastors and Zion Church founder Jin Mingri who was arrested in the early hours of Saturday after 10 officers searched his home, US-based non-profit ChinaAid said.

The Chinese Communist Party promotes atheism and tightly controls religion - still, some Christian groups are calling this the most extensive crackdown against the faith in decades.

Christians have long been pressured to join only state-sanctioned churches that are led by government-approved pastors and toe the party line.

It is unclear if the detainees have been formally charged.

"Such systematic persecution is not only an affront to the Church of God but also a public challenge to the international community," Zion Church said in a statement.

Urging China to release the church leaders, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said in a statement on Sunday that "this crackdown further demonstrates how the CCP exercises hostility towards Christians who reject Party interference in their faith and choose to worship at unregistered house churches".

Former US vice-president Mike Pence and former secretary of state Mike Pompeo have also released statements on X condemning the arrests.

When asked about the arrests at a press conference, Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said he was not aware of the case.

He added: "The Chinese government governs religious affairs in accordance with the law, and protects the religious freedom of citizens and normal religious activities. We firmly oppose the US interfering in China's internal affairs with so-called religious issues."

This could be yet another source of friction in the US-China relationship with trade tensions once again ramping up between the world's two biggest economies over tariffs and export controls.

Already, there is doubt over whether a summit between US President Donald Trump and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping, which was expected to happen in South Korea later this month, will proceed.

Under Xi, Beijing has cracked down even more on religious freedom, especially against Christians and Muslims.

At a national conference on religion in 2016, he called on the party to "guide those [who are] religious to love their country, protect the unification of their motherland and serve the overall interests of the Chinese nation".

Despite this, there has been a growing movement of unregistered house churches in China.

Among them is Zion Church, which Mr Jin started in 2007 with just 20 people. Its network now includes some 10,000 people in 40 cities across the country, making it one of the largest underground churches in China.

In September 2018, the Party officially banned the church after it resisted government pressure to install security cameras at its property in Beijing. Mr Jin and several church leaders were detained briefly.

Many of its branch congregations across the country have since been investigated and shut down. Mr Jin's family relocated to the US for safety, while he remained in China to pastor his flock. Authorities have barred him from leaving the country.

Still the church continued to gather in small groups and shared its sermons online.

ChinaAid has called this roundup of Christian leaders - which involved police across several cities - unprecedented, and the "most extensive and coordinated wave of persecution" against Christians in over four decades.

"This new nationwide campaign echoes the darkest days of the 1980s, when urban churches first re-emerged from the Cultural Revolution," said ChinaAid's founder Bob Fu, referring to a period of mass purges in the 1960s and 1970s which triggered violence and huge upheaval across China.

In a letter seeking prayers, Mr Jin's wife Liu Chunli wrote that her heart is "filled with a mix of shock, grief, sorrow, worry, and righteous anger".

Mr Jin "simply [did] what any faithful pastor would do... He is innocent!" she wrote, adding that her family's hopes for a reunion after being separated for more than seven years have been dashed yet again.

Several house churches in China have also issued statements calling for the release of those detained.

Sean Long, a Zion Church pastor based in the US, said Mr Jin had been prepared for a crackdown of this scale.

In a Zoom call weeks ago between the two pastors, Mr Long had asked what would happen if Mr Jin was put in prison and all the church's leaders detained.

Mr Jin had replied: "Hallelujah! For a new wave of revival will follow then!"

An 11-year-old boy has allegedly shot and killed a farm worker while attempting to shoot at guinea fowls on a farm in South Africa, police say.

According to the police, the child "accidentally discharged" the firearm, though the exact circumstances of the shooting are still under investigation.

His 43-year-old father has been arrested and is expected to be charged with negligent handling of a firearm. The two are due to appear in court on Monday.

Police said they were alerted to the shooting and on arrival at the scene discovered the body of a man believed to be in his 30s lying on his side with a gunshot wound. He was declared dead at the scene.

Saturday's shooting in Thabazimbi, Limpopo province, has renewed concern over firearm safety and parental responsibility in the country. The firearm was seized as evidence.

"This heart-breaking incident serves as a reminder that firearms must be handled with the utmost care and stored securely at all times," Limpopo police chief Thembi Hadebe said.

She added that parents and guardians have a responsibility to ensure that "children do not have access to firearms under any circumstances".

Local media report that the incident has deeply shocked the local farming community and raised public concern about the risks of children accessing weapons in rural households.

Earlier this month, police said they had opened a murder charge against an eight-year-old boy after he fatally shot his seven-year-old cousin with his father's firearm in Eastern Cape province.

His 48-year-old father was charged with failure to safeguard the firearm.

More about South Africa from the BBC:

• South Africa's deadly love affair with guns
• Shamans openly using psychedelic drugs for treatment in South Africa
• South African firebrand MP Malema convicted of firing a gun in public
• Top policeman shakes South Africa with explosive allegations
• South Africa gun crime: 'Every night there are bullets'

Go to BBCAfrica.com for more news from the African continent.

Follow us on Twitter @BBCAfrica, on Facebook at BBC Africa or on Instagram at bbcafrica

In Bucksnort, Tennessee, residents have spent a chilly autumn night heeding a simple message spraypainted on a concrete barrier by the side of the road: "Pray for the AES families".

Community members gathered on Saturday for a candlelit vigil outside the Maple Valley Baptist Church after a blast at local explosives factory Accurate Energetic Systems (AES) left 16 people presumed dead.

This community of Hickman and Humphreys Counties is "not huge, so that's a lot of people to lose in an instant," Deacon Danny Bates said to the approximately 40 attendees, who comforted each other and sang hymns such as "It Is Well With My Soul".

"It was just another day at work, and then in an instant, they were gone. We have unanswered questions".

Vigil-goer Jerri Newcombe said her friend of more than 20 years was among the victims. The two met when Newcombe's granddaughter and the victim's daughter became close as little girls.

"They grew up together - we were in each other's homes," Newcombe told the BBC at the vigil. "We celebrated birthdays together. It's just surreal, because she's gone and her babies are hurting," she said, referring to the victim's children and grandchildren.

Local police have not publicly identified any of the unaccounted-for victims, who authorities presume have all been killed.

Her friend was "full of life", Ms Newcombe said. "She was the type of person that could make you laugh over anything, but you didn't cross her either, or she would tear into you," Ms. Newcombe added amid tears and laughter, as her granddaughter comforted her.

Bucksnort is a close-knit town where the cell service is spotty and a gas station - adorned with a Confederate flag centrepiece - is the local watering hole, residents say. This tragedy has hit the area hard as the community mourns family, friends, neighbours and coworkers.

The town had been holding out hope for good news after the explosion on Friday morning shook homes across the area, clouded the skies with smoke and drew a surge of hundreds of state and national first responders to an otherwise sleepy community tucked behind forests along a busy motorway.

But after nearly two days with no sign of survivors and the explosion site still considered dangerous for first responders, even the previously optimistic Humphreys County Sheriff Chris Davis said the time had come to switch to a recovery - rather than rescue - strategy.

"At some point in time, we have got to rip off the Band-Aid," Davis, who has held back tears at news conferences, said. "We are dealing with remains."

Hickman County Sheriff Jason Craft told the BBC on Saturday night that rapid DNA analysis was still ongoing, but that after a search by 300 first responders, authorities had enough confidence in their assessment of the scene to notify families that their loved ones were likely deceased.

No cause of the blast has yet been identified, and agents from the national Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) are investigating. It could take as long as a month for federal investigators to reach the main site of the explosion, ATF official Brice McCracken told the BBC.

The volatile nature of the explosive materials has also hampered the emergency response, officials said, as controlled detonations to render the site safe are also expected in the coming days.

Tiffany Story says her cousin was also among the victims, along with four other people that she knew, including someone she once used to babysit for.

"Everybody knows everybody here," an emotional Mrs Story told the BBC. "With everybody being so close, it's very comforting to have family. That's what we are - whether [by] blood, not blood, this whole community is family."

"There's probably never gonna be any answers" to the tragedy, she said.

Janie Brown said she also knew victims at the site. "They were loved by their families and by the community," she said outside another prayer vigil at the Hurricane Chapel Free Will Baptist Church in nearby McEwen.

"It's just a sad, sad day," she said.

Residents told the BBC the Accurate Energetic Systems (AES) company employed about 80 workers, and is one of the only private well-paying jobs around in these counties. For many here, the plant was known as a reliable first job for themselves or close friends.

A recent job opening advertised a $19-per-hour salary for an entry-level manual labour job, more than double the state's minimum wage of $7.25.

The factory has seen other difficulties, but none at such a scale as this.

In 2014, an explosion at the company killed one person, and a 2019 workplace safety inspection led to relatively minor financial penalties, which the company settled, according to online records.

Residents who spoke to the BBC had mostly positive feelings towards the company, and local police say they had no previous reports of unsafe working conditions.

Hurricane Chapel Free Will Baptist Church Pastor Tim Ferris praised his congregation's response to the tragedy.

"One thing about a small community is that when something like this happens, they rally around each other, and they come close to be the hands and the feet of Jesus, to administer to these people, to care for them, provide for them.

And that's a wonderful thing," he said.

In Bucksnort, Tennessee, residents have spent a chilly autumn night heeding a simple message spraypainted on a concrete barrier by the side of the road: "Pray for the AES families".

Community members gathered on Saturday for a candlelit vigil outside the Maple Valley Baptist Church after a blast at local explosives factory Accurate Energetic Systems (AES) left 16 people presumed dead.

This community of Hickman and Humphreys Counties is "not huge, so that's a lot of people to lose in an instant," Deacon Danny Bates said to the approximately 40 attendees, who comforted each other and sang hymns such as "It Is Well With My Soul".

"It was just another day at work, and then in an instant, they were gone. We have unanswered questions".

Vigil-goer Jerri Newcombe said her friend of more than 20 years was among the victims. The two met when Newcombe's granddaughter and the victim's daughter became close as little girls.

"They grew up together - we were in each other's homes," Newcombe told the BBC at the vigil. "We celebrated birthdays together. It's just surreal, because she's gone and her babies are hurting," she said, referring to the victim's children and grandchildren.

Local police have not publicly identified any of the unaccounted-for victims, who authorities presume have all been killed.

Her friend was "full of life", Ms Newcombe said. "She was the type of person that could make you laugh over anything, but you didn't cross her either, or she would tear into you," Ms. Newcombe added amid tears and laughter, as her granddaughter comforted her.

Bucksnort is a close-knit town where the cell service is spotty and a gas station - adorned with a Confederate flag centrepiece - is the local watering hole, residents say. This tragedy has hit the area hard as the community mourns family, friends, neighbours and coworkers.

The town had been holding out hope for good news after the explosion on Friday morning shook homes across the area, clouded the skies with smoke and drew a surge of hundreds of state and national first responders to an otherwise sleepy community tucked behind forests along a busy motorway.

But after nearly two days with no sign of survivors and the explosion site still considered dangerous for first responders, even the previously optimistic Humphreys County Sheriff Chris Davis said the time had come to switch to a recovery - rather than rescue - strategy.

"At some point in time, we have got to rip off the Band-Aid," Davis, who has held back tears at news conferences, said. "We are dealing with remains."

Hickman County Sheriff Jason Craft told the BBC on Saturday night that rapid DNA analysis was still ongoing, but that after a search by 300 first responders, authorities had enough confidence in their assessment of the scene to notify families that their loved ones were likely deceased.

No cause of the blast has yet been identified, and agents from the national Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) are investigating. It could take as long as a month for federal investigators to reach the main site of the explosion, ATF official Brice McCracken told the BBC.

The volatile nature of the explosive materials has also hampered the emergency response, officials said, as controlled detonations to render the site safe are also expected in the coming days.

Tiffany Story says her cousin was also among the victims, along with four other people that she knew, including someone she once used to babysit for.

"Everybody knows everybody here," an emotional Mrs Story told the BBC. "With everybody being so close, it's very comforting to have family. That's what we are - whether [by] blood, not blood, this whole community is family."

"There's probably never gonna be any answers" to the tragedy, she said.

Janie Brown said she also knew victims at the site. "They were loved by their families and by the community," she said outside another prayer vigil at the Hurricane Chapel Free Will Baptist Church in nearby McEwen.

"It's just a sad, sad day," she said.

Residents told the BBC the Accurate Energetic Systems (AES) company employed about 80 workers, and is one of the only private well-paying jobs around in these counties. For many here, the plant was known as a reliable first job for themselves or close friends.

A recent job opening advertised a $19-per-hour salary for an entry-level manual labour job, more than double the state's minimum wage of $7.25.

The factory has seen other difficulties, but none at such a scale as this.

In 2014, an explosion at the company killed one person, and a 2019 workplace safety inspection led to relatively minor financial penalties, which the company settled, according to online records.

Residents who spoke to the BBC had mostly positive feelings towards the company, and local police say they had no previous reports of unsafe working conditions.

Hurricane Chapel Free Will Baptist Church Pastor Tim Ferris praised his congregation's response to the tragedy.

"One thing about a small community is that when something like this happens, they rally around each other, and they come close to be the hands and the feet of Jesus, to administer to these people, to care for them, provide for them.

And that's a wonderful thing," he said.

US President Donald Trump is considering sending Tomahawk long-range cruise missiles to Ukraine, saying it would provide "a new step of aggression" in its war with Russia.

When asked on Air Force One if he would send Tomahawks to Ukraine, Trump replied "we'll see... I may".

It follows a second phone call at the weekend between Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who pushed for stronger military capabilities to launch counter-attacks against Russia.

Moscow has previously warned Washington against providing long-range missiles to Kyiv, saying it would cause a major escalation in the conflict and strain US-Russian relations.

Tomahawk missiles have a range of 2,500 km (1,500 miles), which would put Moscow within reach for Ukraine.

Trump spoke to reporters as he flew to Israel. He said he would possibly speak to Russia about the Tomahawks requested by Ukraine.

"I might tell them [Russia] that if the war is not settled, that we may very well, we may not, but we may do it."

"Do they [Russia] want Tomahawks going in their direction? I don't think so," the president said.

Kyiv has made multiple requests for long-range missiles, as it weighs up striking Russian cities far from the front lines of the grinding conflict.

In their phone calls Zelensky and Trump discussed Ukraine's bid to strengthen its military capabilities, including boosting its air defences and long-range arms.

Ukrainian cities including Kyiv have come under repeated heavy Russian bombardment with drones and missiles. Russia has particularly targeted Ukraine's energy infrastructure, causing power cuts.

Last month, Trump's special envoy to Ukraine Keith Kellogg suggested the US president had authorised strikes deep into Russian territory, telling Fox News "there are no such things as sanctuaries" from attacks in the Russia-Ukraine war.

Russia, which launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, downplayed the chances of Tomahawks changing the course of the war.

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said last month: "Whether it's Tomahawks or other missiles, they won't be able to change the dynamic."

For over two months, Paramjit Singh, 48, a US green card holder battling a brain tumour and a heart condition, has been held in a detention centre by US immigration authorities.

Mr Singh, an Indian passport holder, has lived in the US on a green card since 1994. He lives in Indiana with his family, who own a chain of gas stations. His wife and two children are US citizens.

But Mr Singh now faces the threat of deportation.

On 30 July, he was detained by immigration authorities at Chicago O'Hare International Airport while returning from a trip to India and has since been in their custody.

US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) authorities have cited two decades-old cases as reasons for his detention, but Mr Singh's family and lawyer say there are no active cases against him.

They accuse immigration authorities of using old cases to delay his release and allege he lacks proper medical care despite a brain tumour and heart condition.

"Paramjit Singh is not getting the medical help he needs. He is only getting medical check-ups," his lawyer, Louis Angeles, told the BBC.

The BBC has asked ICE for a response to these allegations.

Mr Singh has regularly visited India without immigration issues, his niece Kiran Virk told the BBC. This time, his family waited seven hours at Chicago airport for his arrival.

Ms Virk says immigration officials told them Mr Singh was detained over a 1999 case. He was held at the airport for five days despite family appeals, before being moved to a Clay County detention centre in Indiana.

The case involves Mr Singh using a public phone without paying. Court records show he served 10 days in prison and paid a $4,137.50 fine. The conviction has blocked his US citizenship.

Ms Virk alleges immigration authorities said at a court hearing that Mr Singh still faced a one-and-a-half-year sentence, with only 10 days dismissed.

Immigration authorities also say that Mr Singh was convicted of a forgery offence in Illinois in 2008, but his family contends that there are no such charges against him.

Ms Virk said that the authorities cited the forgery case to stay Mr Singh's release on a $10,000 bond granted by an immigration judge.

She said a private detective hired by the family found no criminal records for a person named Paramjit Singh in the state, suggesting authorities may have mistaken him for someone else.

The BBC has asked ICE for a response to the family's claim that there is no forgery case against Mr Singh in Illinois.

• Sikh granny's arrest by US immigration sparks community anger
• Woman, 73, deported by ICE to India after three decades in US

Mr Singh's lawyer told the BBC he plans to challenge the detention, calling it "unethical".

"We are also taking legal steps to block him from being deported from the US," Mr Angeles told the BBC.

Meanwhile, Mr Singh's family is increasingly worried about his health, as his second brain tumour surgery has been delayed due to detention, Ms Virk says.

She says the family struggles to contact Mr Singh at the detention centre, where limited phones and his poor health make communication difficult.

Mr Singh's case is set to be heard on 14 October.

His detention comes amid a wider crackdown by US President Donald Trump's administration on immigration, and especially illegal immigrants in the US.

Trump has said he wants to deport the "worst of the worst", but critics say immigrants without criminal records who follow due process have also been targeted.

In September, Harjit Kaur, a 73-year-old grandmother who spent more than three decades living in the US was deported to India, sparking anger among the Sikh community.

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US President Donald Trump has said "the war is over" as he travels to Israel for the release of hostages from Gaza under the ceasefire deal agreed between Israel and Hamas.

Speaking on board Air Force One, he said the ceasefire would hold and a "board of peace" would quickly be set up for Gaza, which he said looked like a "demolition site".

He also praised the roles of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Qatar, one of the mediators.

The deadline for Hamas to release all the hostages it is still holding in Gaza is midday local time (10:00 BST). Later on Monday, Trump will travel to Egypt for an international summit aiming to end the war.

The war was triggered by the Hamas-led attacks on southern Israel on 7 October 2023, in which about 1,200 people were killed and 251 taken hostage.

Since then, more than 67,000 Palestinians have been killed by Israel's military response, including more than 18,000 children, the Hamas-run health ministry says.

The ceasefire in Gaza took effect on Friday morning after Israel and Hamas agreed to the first phase of the 20-point peace plan brokered by Trump, with the next phases still to be negotiated.

Twenty of the Israeli hostages are believed to be alive, and Hamas is also due to hand over the remains of up to 28 deceased hostages.

Israel should also release around 250 Palestinian prisoners and 1,700 detainees from Gaza, while increased amounts of aid should enter the Strip. An Israeli government spokesperson said they would be released once the living hostages reach Israeli territory.

Trump told reporters the ceasefire was "going to hold", adding "everybody is happy, and I think it's going to stay that way".

On Saturday hundreds of thousands of Israelis attended a rally in Tel Aviv and chanted their gratitude to the US leader.

Many details for the later phases of the peace plan could be hard to reach agreement on - such as the governance of Gaza, the extent of Israeli troop withdrawal, and the disarming of Hamas.

Trump will land in Israel on Monday, where he will address the country's parliament the Knesset.

He will then travel to lead a summit in Sharm el-Sheikh alongside Egypt's President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi.

Egypt's foreign ministry said a "document ending the war in the Gaza Strip" was expected to be signed.

Leaders from more than 20 countries are expected to attend, including UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.

Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz said that once the hostages were returned, the military would destroy underground tunnels in Gaza built by Hamas.

Aid trucks began entering Gaza on Sunday and hundreds more were queuing at the border.

Palestinians crowded around the convoys arriving in Khan Younis, southern Gaza.

Speaking to the BBC earlier on Sunday, Unicef's James Elder said dozens of trucks had entered the Strip but that this fell short of what was needed.

The UN estimates that at least 600 aid trucks are needed every day to start addressing Gaza's humanitarian crisis.

In August, the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) declared a famine in parts of the territory, including Gaza City.

Israel, however, rejects the IPC report, and its foreign ministry says the conclusions are "based on Hamas lies". Israeli military aid body Cogat says the report ignores the "extensive humanitarian efforts undertaken in Gaza".

Palestinians returning to northern Gaza have described scenes of devastation, with many of them finding their homes reduced to rubble. Rescue workers have warned there could be unexploded ordnance and bombs in the area.

Amjad Al Shawa, who heads a Palestinian organisation coordinating with aid groups, estimated 300,000 tents were needed to temporarily house 1.5 million displaced Gazans.

Hamas has recalled about 7,000 members of its security forces to reassert control over areas of Gaza recently vacated by Israeli troops, according to local sources.

At least 27 people have been killed in fierce clashes between Hamas security forces and armed members of the Dughmush family in Gaza City, in one of the most violent internal confrontations since the end of major Israeli operations in the enclave.