John Bolton, Donald Trump's former national security adviser, has arrived at a federal court to surrender to authorities on charges of mishandling classified information.
Bolton served during Trump's first administration but parted with the White House contentiously, and has become one of the president's most vocal public critics.
The indictment makes Bolton, 76, the third of the US president's political opponents to face charges in recent weeks. Bolton has said he would defend his "lawful conduct".
On Friday, Bolton did not respond to shouted questions from reporters as he entered the courthouse in Greenbelt, Maryland, to surrender to authorities.
He is expected to make an initial appearance before a judge and may have to stop at US Marshals office for "possible" fingerprinting and booking photo, CBS News, the BBC's partner in the US, reported.
Prosecutors have accused Bolton of using personal messaging apps and email to illegally transmit sensitive information.
"These documents revealed intelligence about future attacks, foreign adversaries, and foreign-policy relations," prosecutors wrote.
Responding to the charges, Bolton said he would defend his "lawful conduct."
He added he had "become the latest target in weaponizing the Justice Department to charge those he [Trump] deems to be his enemies with charges that were declined before or distort the facts."
The indictment issued this week accused Bolton of sharing "diary-like entries" with two unnamed individuals, and using his personal email account to transmit messages with sensitive materials.
The indictment also states that between 2019 and 2021, Bolton was allegedly the target of a hacking attack from a "cyber actor believed to be associated with the Islamic Repubilc of Iran" gained access to his account, exposing the classified materials.
An indictment in the US justice system is a formal accusation issued by a grand jury - a group of members of the public set up by a prosecutor to review evidence to determine if a case should proceed.
Bolton has been scrutinised for his handling of classified information since 2020, when he sought to publish a book about his time in the first Trump administration.
The Justice Department tried to block the book's release, alleging it could contain classified information.
A federal judge ruled against the government, but rebuked Bolton in his decision, writing he had "gambled with the national security of the United States".
An investigation into Bolton continued into the Joe Biden administration.
Baek Se-hee's 2018 memoir was lauded for its honest portrayal of mental health conversations
Baek Se-hee, the South Korean author of the bestselling memoir I Want to Die but I Want To Eat Tteokbokki has died at the age of 35.
Her 2018 book, a compilation of conversations with her psychiatrist about her depression, was a cultural phenomenon with its themes of mental health resonating with readers across the world.
Originally written in Korean, it found international acclaim after its English translation was published in 2022.
The details surrounding her death are unclear.
Baek donated her organs - her heart, lungs, liver and kidneys - which have helped to save five lives, the Korean Organ Donation Agency said in a statement on Friday.
The statement also included comments from her sister, which said that Baek had wanted to "share her heart with others through her work, and to inspire hope".
I Want to Die but I Want to Eat Tteokbokki, published in 2018, has sold more than a million copies worldwide and been translated in 25 countries.
The runaway bestseller was celebrated for normalising mental health conversations and its nuanced take on inner struggles - most notably, the author's personal conflict between depressive thoughts and her appreciation for simple joys.
Bloomsbury
I Want to Die but I Want To Eat Tteokbokki contains a record of conversations between the author and her psychiatrist
"The human heart, even when it wants to die, quite often wants at the same time to eat some tteokbokki, too," goes the book's most famous line.
Born in 1990, Baek Se-hee took creative writing in university and worked for five years at a publishing house, according to her short biography on Bloomsbury Publishing, which produced the English version of her 2018 memoir.
For a decade she received treatment for dysthymia, a mild but long-lasting type of depression, which formed the basis of her bestseller, said her Bloomsbury bio.
A sequel, I Want to Die but I Still Want to Eat Tteokbokki, was published in Korean in 2019. Its English translation was published in 2024.
A list of organisations in the UK offering support and information with some of the issues in this story is available at BBC Action Line. If you are outside of the UK, you can visit the Befrienders website.
Col Michael Randrianirina said Madagascar was entering a new chapter - and change was on the cards
Col Michael Randrianirina has been sworn in as the new president of Madagascar days after a military takeover on the Indian Ocean nation.
He swapped his fatigues for a suit and thanked the young people who took to the streets for weeks of protests that prompted President Andry Rajoelina to flee the country and led to his impeachment.
The ceremony took place at the Constitutional Court in the capital, Antananarivo, where a large crowd gathered to watch - including those who spearheaded the demonstrations.
"Today marks a historic turning-point for our country. With a people in full fervour, driven by the desire for change... we joyfully open a new chapter in the life of our nation," he said.
The former French colony now enters a transition period, which will be full of political obstacles and legal uncertainty - though there is cautious optimism about Col Randrianirina's leadership.
Constitutional Court president Florent Rakotoarisoa has criticised the international community for describing the situation in Madagascar as a coup.
He denied that there had been a violation of the constitution in Madagascar, instead blaming the constitution for causing the situation to deteriorate.
Protesters had hoped that Rajoelina would simply resign and pave the way for a smooth, democratic transition.
Instead, he clung to power, dissolving his government and holding a series of dialogues with different groups of people, efforts that were not enough to appease the protesters.
The protests, which started last month, were initially organised by a youth movement known as Gen Z Mada - angered by persistent power and water shortages.
Reuters
Reuters
Col Michael Randrianirina, looking relaxed, addressed the media immediately after being sworn in.
Security was tight at the proceedings - as seen when the vehicle carrying the new president left the country's top court.
Col Randrianirina was head of Madagascar's elite CAPSAT army unit, when on Tuesday his troops joined the thousands of protesters on the streets of the capital.
He told the Gen Z demonstrators he was taking power and that the military would form a government and hold elections within two years.
Pro-democracy advocates, both inside and outside the country, hope that this promise will be fulfilled.
At the ceremony at the country's top court, Reuters news agency reports that trumpets blared after Randrianirina took his oath of office, promising to "dedicate all my strength to defending and strengthening national unity and human rights".
Wearing an official sash and star of office, he reaffirmed his commitment to change.
"We will work hand in hand with all the driving forces of the nation to draft a fine constitution," he said, adding that electoral reforms would be instituted before a new vote was held.
"We are committed to breaking with the past. Our main mission is to thoroughly reform the country's administrative, socio-economic and political systems of governance."
After the ceremony, the new president spoke to reporters outside the constitutional court and outlined in more detail what he considered to be his top priorities.
He said he would start with launching an investigation into the state-owned water and power company, Jirama.
"Today and tomorrow, we will examine the situation at Jirama - what is happening there and what problems currently exist. This review aims to prevent further difficulties in the future. That is our first social priority," he said.
"The second priority is rice farming. As we enter the agricultural season, we must assess how best to proceed.
"The third priority is the appointment of the prime minister and formation of the government."
Like other former French colonies in Africa that have experienced coups in recent years, it has been hinted that relations with France may also change under his leadership with warmer ties sought with Russia.
On Thursday, Randrianirina attended a meeting with Russian embassy officials to reportedly discuss "serious" co-operation between the two countries.
Earlier during the protests, people had been seen on the streets waving Russian flags calling for Moscow's intervention.
Weeks of unrest in Bangladesh last July ousted Sheikh Hasina, who has since fled to India
Prosecutors in Bangladesh have demanded that former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina be put to death over a deadly crackdown on student-led protests last year that ousted her from power.
Hasina, who has fled to India, is on trial for crimes against humanity. According to a leaked audio clip, she ordered security forces to "use lethal weapons" against protesters. She denies the charges.
Up to 1,400 people were killed in weeks of unrest that ended Hasina's 15-year rule. It was the worst violence Bangladesh had seen since its 1971 war of independence.
Chief prosecutor Tajul Islam said Hasina deserves 1,400 death sentences. "Since that is not humanly possible, we demand at least one," he said.
"[Hasina's] goal was to cling to power permanently, for herself and her family," Islam told the court on Thursday.
"She has turned into a hardened criminal and shows no remorse for the brutality she has committed," he said.
The protests started in July 2024 against civil service job quotas for relatives of those who fought in the 1971 war but soon escalated into a mass movement to overthrow Hasina.
Police killed at least 52 people that day in a busy Dhaka neighbourhood, making it one of the worst cases of police violence in Bangladesh's history.
Hasina's state-appointed defence lawyer argues that the police were forced to open fire in response to violent actions from the protesters.
Hasina is being tried alongside her ex-interior minister, Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal, and former police chief Chowdhury Abdullah Al-Mamun.
Prosecutors have sought the death penalty for Kamal, who is also in hiding. Chowdhury pleaded guilty in July but has not been handed a sentence.
Hasina has already been sentenced to six months in prison for contempt of court, and separately faces corruption charges.
Bangladesh is due hold its next elections in February, which will see Hasina's rival party BNP as frontrunner in the vote. Her party Awami League has been banned from all activities, including participating in elections.
A US Governor took home $1.4m (£1m) in a gambling windfall last year, a copy of his recent tax filing shows.
JB Pritzker is reported to have won the sum while playing blackjack at a casino in Las Vegas while on holiday with his wife and friends.
The two-term Democrat already has a net worth of $3.9bn (£2.9bn), according to Forbes, and is an heir to the Hyatt Hotel fortune.
A campaign spokesperson told CBS, the BBC's partner in the US, that Pritzker planned to donate the money to charity but did not respond when asked why he hadn't already done so.
Speaking at a press conference on Thursday, the Illinois Governor described the win and himself as "incredibly lucky".
"You have to be to end up ahead, frankly, going to a casino anywhere," Pritzker added.
He previously founded a charitable Chicago Poker Challenge which he says has "raised millions of dollars" for the Illinois Holocaust Museum and Education Center.
Pritzker and his wife, Mary Kathryn, reported a total income of $10.6m (£7.8m) in 2024, mostly from dividends and capital gains. It's understood they paid $1.6m (£1.1m) in taxes on taxable income of $5.87m (£4.36m).
He described his Sin City winnings as a "net number" across his trip. He declined to say what his winning hand was, according to CBS.
"Anybody who's played cards in a casino knows, you often play for too long and lose whatever it is you won," Pritzker said. "I was fortunate enough to have to leave before that happened."
The governor has emerged as one of US President Donald Trump's strongest critics of late, clashing with the president over the federal deployment of national troops to Chicago - actions which he called "authoritarian".
Trump called for the jailing of the Illinois official, accusing him and Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson of not doing enough to ensure the safety of federal immigration officers who are conducting raids in Chicago.
Pritzker intends to seek a third term in the governor's mansion in 2026, it is understood, and has deflected questions about any ambition beyond his current position.
News of the phone call between US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday, in which they agreed to meet in person to discuss the war in Ukraine, will have come as an unwelcome surprise to Kyiv.
The country is being hit hard.
The last 24 hours alone have seen Russia launch dozens of missiles and more than 300 drones at multiple targets.
Once again, they include a large amount of civilian infrastructure with further damage to the country's gas supply network, just as the first signs of cold herald a long, hard winter ahead.
Attacks on the electrical grid are already leading to nationwide power outages.
For Ukraine's government it's a sign of Russian desperation.
The frontlines are at effective stalemate, involving huge loss of life for incremental territorial gains.
Watch: Trump says he will have 'separate but equal' meetings with Putin and Zelensky
And the Russian economy is feeling the effects of the Ukrainian military's increasingly effective drone strikes on oil depots.
So, President Volodymyr Zelensky's big hope was for more American military assistance to keep up that pressure.
Before he boarded his plane to Washington, he seemed to believe that things were going his way.
There was optimistic talk about Trump beginning to see the world through Ukraine's eyes, a big shift from that angry, humiliating Oval Office exchange in February when he accused Zelensky of "gambling with World War Three".
The failure of the Trump-Putin Alaska summit in August and the intensifying bombardment of Ukraine were – it was thought – all causing the US president to lose patience with his "good friend", as he has called Putin.
There were high hopes that Friday's meeting would finally yield the prize Ukraine has been seeking - Trump's permission for the purchase of long-range Tomahawk missiles.
Trump's frustration with Putin was obvious on Sunday when he told reporters: "Do they [Russia] want Tomahawks going in their direction? I don't think so."
But how much of a game changer the missiles would really be is in much dispute among military experts and, with the complicated logistics, it could be months before they were deployed.
But at the very least they would add to Ukraine's ability to strike deep into the heart of Russia and with a much more powerful weapon than any it currently possesses.
They would also send a potent physical message to Putin about America's shifting allegiances.
So, the two-and-a-half-hour Trump-Putin phone call, that took place while Zelensky was in flight, somewhat steals a march on the Ukrainian president's big moment.
So far, though, he's putting something of a brave face on it, suggesting in a post sent on his arrival in Washington that Russia was panicking.
The Kremlin was "rushing to renew dialogue", he said, precisely because of all the talk of the Tomahawks.
Other analysts will see less panic and more of a classic Putin play at work in the phone call, which was said by the Kremlin to have taken place at Russia's behest.
The issue of the Tomahawks was indeed discussed, with Putin reinforcing his view that their deployment would be seen as a significant act of provocation.
The two men apparently discussed the "colossal prospects" – in Russia's words – for trade if peace were achieved.
And then they agreed to their summit in Hungary. That will probably happen within the next two weeks, Trump said.
As Ukraine faces its fourth winter of war, few people here had much belief in Trump's claim that he could turn his "success" in the Middle East into momentum towards peace in Ukraine.
One woman the BBC spoke to, badly injured in a Russian strike on a civilian railway carriage, shrugged her shoulders when we asked her if she saw an easy way out.
"A person like Putin can't be trusted," she said from her hospital bed.
After touching down in Washington on Thursday evening, Zelensky met representatives of defence companies who produce the powerful weapons he says he needs to strengthen Ukraine's protection.
He will still ask the White House for the Tomahawks.
But Trump's willingness to give them was always in doubt and must, surely, be now further called into question.
Meanwhile, Russia is being given something.
A familiar pattern is developing. Every time Trump grows increasingly frustrated with Putin's intransigence over Ukraine he is then placated by a conversation with the Russian president.
Each time they speak he seems to be persuaded of Putin's point of view and backs off his threats to apply tougher sanctions or supply more destructive weapons.
The Hungary summit, offered without concessions, doesn't look like much of a loss of American patience.
Never mind the Tomahawks.
For now, Ukraine has been given a long-range curveball instead.
Follow the twists and turns of Trump's second term with North America correspondent Anthony Zurcher's weekly US Politics Unspun newsletter. Readers in the UK can sign up here. Those outside the UK can sign up here.
The flight attendant's death has sparked anger in Taiwan
A Taiwanese airline has apologised for requesting paperwork from a dead employee, in the latest development of a case that has sparked widespread anger.
The 34-year-old Eva Air flight attendant, surnamed Sun, died earlier this month after reportedly feeling unwell during a flight.
Many online have speculated she was overworked.
Taiwanese authorities and Eva Air are investigating her death, focusing on whether she was denied medical help or discouraged from taking sick leave.
Ms Sun reportedly felt ill on 24 September during a flight from Milan to Eva Air's base in Taoyuan City in Taiwan.
She was hospitalised upon arrival and eventually died on 8 October.
Anonymous social media users claiming to be her colleagues have alleged Ms Sun was pushed to continue working even when she felt unwell.
The China Medical University Hospital in Taichung, where she died, has not officially disclosed the cause of her death.
Flight records in the last six months showed that Ms Sun had flown an average of 75 hours per month, which is within regulatory limits, Taiwan's Central News Agency (CNA) reported. She joined the airline in 2016.
According to Ms Sun's family, days after her death her phone received a text message from an Eva Air representative asking for documents proving that Ms Sun had applied for leave in late September, which was the period she was in hospital.
The representative asked her to send in a picture of the leave documents. The family replied the text with a copy of Ms Sun's death certificate.
Senior officials of the company told a press conference on Friday that the text was "a mistake by an internal employee" and that they have personally apologised to Ms Sun's family for the error.
At the press conference on Friday, EVA Air President Sun Chia-Ming said "the departure of Ms Sun is the pain in our hearts forever."
"We will carry out the investigation [into her death] with the most responsible attitude," he said.
Since 2013, Eva Air has been fined seven times, mostly for offences related to staff working overtime, CNA said.
A US Governor took home $1.4m (£1m) in a gambling windfall last year, a copy of his recent tax filing shows.
JB Pritzker is reported to have won the sum while playing blackjack at a casino in Las Vegas while on holiday with his wife and friends.
The two-term Democrat already has a net worth of $3.9bn (£2.9bn), according to Forbes, and is an heir to the Hyatt Hotel fortune.
A campaign spokesperson told CBS, the BBC's partner in the US, that Pritzker planned to donate the money to charity but did not respond when asked why he hadn't already done so.
Speaking at a press conference on Thursday, the Illinois Governor described the win and himself as "incredibly lucky".
"You have to be to end up ahead, frankly, going to a casino anywhere," Pritzker added.
He previously founded a charitable Chicago Poker Challenge which he says has "raised millions of dollars" for the Illinois Holocaust Museum and Education Center.
Pritzker and his wife, Mary Kathryn, reported a total income of $10.6m (£7.8m) in 2024, mostly from dividends and capital gains. It's understood they paid $1.6m (£1.1m) in taxes on taxable income of $5.87m (£4.36m).
He described his Sin City winnings as a "net number" across his trip. He declined to say what his winning hand was, according to CBS.
"Anybody who's played cards in a casino knows, you often play for too long and lose whatever it is you won," Pritzker said. "I was fortunate enough to have to leave before that happened."
The governor has emerged as one of US President Donald Trump's strongest critics of late, clashing with the president over the federal deployment of national troops to Chicago - actions which he called "authoritarian".
Trump called for the jailing of the Illinois official, accusing him and Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson of not doing enough to ensure the safety of federal immigration officers who are conducting raids in Chicago.
Pritzker intends to seek a third term in the governor's mansion in 2026, it is understood, and has deflected questions about any ambition beyond his current position.
Thousands of mourners have gathered at a national stadium in the Kenyan capital for the state funeral of former Prime Minister Raila Odinga.
Many carried national flags, portraits of the late leader, and wore T-shirts printed with his image to pay their final respects.
Security remains tight in and around the stadium, with police and military officers deployed to prevent a recurrence of the unrest witnessed on Thursday during the body-viewing ceremony.
Earlier on Friday morning, Odinga's body was taken to parliament, where MPs and selected dignitaries viewed it.
Odinga, a giant figure on Kenya's political scene, died on Wednesday aged 80 in India, where he had been receiving medical treatment.
Mourners have been carrying branches and palm fronds, a symbol of mourning and grief among the Luo ethnic group to which Odinga belonged.
On Saturday his body will be transported to Kisumu, a city in western Kenya on the shores of Lake Victoria - his political stronghold.
Members of the public will get a chance to view the body before he is buried on Sunday at his farm in Bondo, about 60km (40 miles) west of Kisumu.
According to the family, it was Odinga's wish to be laid to rest within the shortest time possible, ideally within 72 hours.
A seven-day period of mourning has been declared.
He was a towering figure in Kenyan politics and for many years was the country's main opposition leader, losing five presidential campaigns, most recently three years ago.
Odinga repeatedly said he was cheated of victory, citing the manipulation of votes.
Putin and Trump met in person at a US base in Alaska in August 2025
US President Donald Trump says "great progress" was made during a phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday, with the pair agreeing to face-to-face talks in Hungary.
He said the call, the first with Putin since mid-August, was "very productive", adding that teams from Washington and Moscow will meet next week.
Trump did not confirm a date for his meeting with Putin in Budapest. The Kremlin said work on the summit would begin "immediately" after the "extremely frank and trustful" call.
The talks came a day before Ukraine's President Zelensky was to visit the White House, and with Trump weighing whether to arm Ukraine with Tomahawk missiles capable of striking deep into Russia.
As he arrived in the US, Zelensky said Moscow was "rushing to resume dialogue as soon as it hears about Tomahawks".
Writing on his Truth Social platform after the call concluded, Trump said he and Putin "spent a great deal of time talking about Trade between Russia and the United States when the War with Ukraine is over".
He said "high level advisors" from both countries would meet at an unspecified location next week, with Secretary of State Marco Rubio leading the American delegation.
Trump also said he would update Zelensky on his talks with Putin on Friday, adding: "I believe great progress was made with today's telephone conversation."
He later told reporters he expected to meet Putin "within two weeks".
Asked about the prospect of giving the missiles to Ukraine after his call with Putin, Trump said "we can't deplete" the US stockpile of Tomahawks, adding "we need them too... so I don't know what we can do about that".
Ukraine's ambassador to the US, Olga Stefanishyna, said Russia launching overnight strikes on Ukraine "hours before" Putin's call with Trump "exposes Moscow's real attitude toward peace".
In a statement to the BBC's US partner CBS, she added: "These assaults show that Moscow's strategy is one of terror and exhaustion. The only effective response is pressure - through tougher sanctions, reinforced air defense, and the supply of long-range capabilities."
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban said on X the planned Budapest meeting was "great news for the peace-loving people of the world".
Earlier, he also said: "Peace requires patience, strength, and humility. Europe must shift its stance. Instead of arrogance and fanning the flames of endless war, we need negotiations with Russia. Only dialogue can bring peace to our continent."
Trump has taken a much tougher line towards Putin over the Ukraine war since a face-to-face summit in Alaska in August failed to produce a decisive breakthrough in attempts to broker a peace deal.
The pair met on US soil on 15 August for a summit which the US president hoped would help convince the Russian president to enter comprehensive peace talks to end the Ukraine war. Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
EPA
The two leaders last met in Alaska in August for a summit which last only a few hours
They spoke again days later when Trump interrupted a meeting with Zelensky and European leaders to call Putin.
Since then, neither the White House or Kremlin have public confirmed any communications between the two.
During his presidential election campaign, Trump claimed he would be able to end the war in Ukraine within days but has since admitted resolving the conflict has been more challenging than any he has been involved in since returning to power.
Trump had been seen as more sympathetic to Russia than his predecessor Joe Biden, and strained relations with Zelensky came to a head on 28 February when he and Vice-President JD Vance berated the Ukrainian president in the Oval Office on live television.
But public relations with Zelensky have vastly improved in recent months.
In September, Trump signalled a major shift in his view of the conflict, saying he believed Kyiv could "win all of Ukraine back in its original form", a far cry from his public calls for Kyiv to cede territory occupied by Russia.
During Zelensky's upcoming visit to Washington on Friday, his third since January, the subject of Tomahawk missiles is likely to be high on the agenda.
Zelensky has called on the US to provide Ukraine with the advanced missiles, which have a range of 2,500 km (1,500 miles).
Asked earlier this week if he was considering giving Ukraine the missiles, he said: "We'll see... I may."
In late July, Trump set Putin a deadline of less than a fortnight to agree to a ceasefire or face sweeping sanctions, including measures against countries which still trade with Russia.
But he did not follow through the threat after Putin agreed to meet Trump in Alaska, which the US president hailed as a significant diplomatic success at the time, despite it not producing any tangible outcome.
Earlier on Thursday, India's foreign ministry cast doubt on a claim made by Trump a day earlier saying Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi had agreed to stop purchasing Russian oil.
An Indian government spokesman said he was "not aware of any conversation between the two leaders" taking place the previous day, after Trump said Modi had assured him purchases would stop "within a short period of time".
The US has pushed for countries - in particular India, China and Nato members - to stop buying Russian energy in an effort to increase economic pressure on the Kremlin. Zelensky has also repeatedly echoed those calls.
Watch: Grocery bills, Trump and Gaza - How NYC mayoral debate unfolded
Live from New York: It's mayoral debate night.
The three leading candidates for New York City mayor took the stage at Rockefeller Center in Manhattan Thursday night to make a case to lead America's biggest city.
Early voting in the race is set to begin next week, and the most recent polling, suggests Zohran Mamdani has widened his lead to 46 percent, while Andrew Cuomo stands at 33 percent.
The outcome of the race could have political implications beyond the Empire State as President Donald Trump looms large, and whoever wins will likely face pressure from Washington in some form.
The Democratic Party nationally also is likely watching to see if the America's biggest Democratic stronghold chooses an establishment, centrist Cuomo, who is running as an independent or the progressive Mamdani. The winner could help determine the kind of candidate and platform Democrats choose in the future following their staggering 2024 loss to Trump.
Republicans also will watch to see if their candidate, Curtis Sliwa, continues to make inroads with his public safety platform.
Here are five big takeaways from tonight's debate.
Mamdani addresses his support for Palestinians
Mamdani's past statements on Israel and Palestinians came up several times during the night in questions from moderators and opponents' criticisms.
The candidate has stressed his support for Palestinians and statehood, and has criticized Israel's military operation in Gaza.
He also was criticized for declining to condemn the phrase "globalise the intifada" when probed by interviewers, but has said he would seek to serve as a mayor for all New Yorkers, including its large and ideologically diverse Jewish population.
Cuomo, however, attacked Mamdani for his views, calling the New York state assemblyman a "divisive personality across the board."
Angelina Katsanis/Pool via REUTERS
The fourth man: Donald Trump
Although there were three candidates at tonight's debate, another name kept coming up: Donald Trump.
President Trump has implied he wants to send the National Guard into cities controlled by Democrats - in spite of resistance - and has moved to withhold government funds for infrastructure projects in New York City. Trump also has prioritized New York City for his mass deportation policy, and the mayor — who has little power over federal immigration enforcement — will likely have to weigh the city's response.
Sliwa, the Republican, noted that the mayor would need to get along with Trump regardless of political views. But Mamdani made his opposition to Trump explicit from his very first response, promising to "take on Trump."
Cuomo positioned himself as the only candidate experienced enough to deal with the current White House, warning "it will be Mayor Trump" if Mamdani is elected.
"I fought Donald Trump," he told voters. "When I'm fighting for New York, I am not going to stop."
Affordability front and center
As large as Trump looms, the biggest policy issue around this mayoral election is affordability. New Yorkers face high costs of living on everything - especially rent and groceries.
In his opening statement, Sliwa acknowledged the "really serious issues of affordability" facing the city. He called for the next mayor to free up vacant apartments in NYCHA - New York's public housing programme — and allow people to move in.
The moderators directly asked each candidate how much they paid for rent, groceries and whether they paid off credit card debt monthly. The candidates pitched a volley of proposals, including Mamdani's plan to make buses free and Cuomo's proposal to place income limits on people who resided in rent-stabilized apartments.
He criticised Mamdani for living in a rent-stablised apartment, even though his parents are wealthy (his mother is the filmmaker Mira Nair).
"If you think that the problem in this city is that my rent is too low, vote for him," Mamdani said. "If you know the problem in this city is that your rent is too high, vote for me."
Cuomo also opposed Mamdani's proposed rent freeze on stabilized apartments, saying it would only postpone future increases, force building owners into bankruptcy, and fail New Yorkers who don't live in rent-stabilized apartments.
Cuomo touted his decades of experience in office, rising from federal housing secretary during President Bill Clinton's administration to New York's governor.
But his controversies while governor have shadowed his campaign and Cuomo came prepared for a fight.
He resigned as governor in 2021 after an investigation by the state attorney general found he had sexually harassed 11 women. Cuomo apologised for acting "in a way that made people feel uncomfortable" but denied allegations.
The New York attorney general also investigated his administration for undercounting nursing home deaths during the Covid-19 pandemic, finding he understated the actual number of deaths.
Mamdani attacked Cuomo on these matters, accusing him of "sending seniors to their death in nursing homes," and accused him of lacking integrity.
Cuomo said the allegations about harming seniors in nursing homes was "totally false."
"During Covid, everyone did whatever they could in this state, and there have been numerous investigations where they've gone through it, and they said we followed federal guidance," Cuomo said. "But yes, people died during Covid. And my heart breaks for everyone that broken, that died in this state and across this nation."
Sliwa, too, attacked Cuomo for the "lawsuits filed against you for sexual harassment." The former governor rebutted that the case brought New York attorney general Letitia James, who investigated the misconduct claims, "was political."
Curtis Sliwa makes his mark
Sliwa held his own as the only Republican on stage.
His voting bloc might be in the minority in New York City, but the 2024 presidential election revealed that residents prioritise public safety issues and Sliwa hammered that repeatedly. As the founder of the Guardian Angels, a New York City organization devoted to crime prevention, he seized the opportunity to connect with voters.
The longtime New York media and political personality also knew how to make himself heard. He frequently interjected, telling moderators he wanted to speak, and elbowing his way into the debate's most heated moments. From centre stage, he took swings at both opponents in equal measure.
He felt confident after the debate, saying his night went "extraordinarily well" and likening his opponents to "two kids in the schoolyard.
Baek Se-hee's 2018 memoir was lauded for its honest portrayal of mental health conversations
Baek Se-hee, the South Korean author of the bestselling memoir I Want to Die but I Want To Eat Tteokbokki has died at the age of 35.
Her 2018 book, a compilation of conversations with her psychiatrist about her depression, was a cultural phenomenon with its themes of mental health resonating with readers across the world.
Originally written in Korean, it found international acclaim after its English translation was published in 2022.
The details surrounding her death are unclear.
Baek donated her organs - her heart, lungs, liver and kidneys - which have helped to save five lives, the Korean Organ Donation Agency said in a statement on Friday.
The statement also included comments from her sister, which said that Baek had wanted to "share her heart with others through her work, and to inspire hope".
I Want to Die but I Want to Eat Tteokbokki, published in 2018, has sold more than a million copies worldwide and been translated in 25 countries.
The runaway bestseller was celebrated for normalising mental health conversations and its nuanced take on inner struggles - most notably, the author's personal conflict between depressive thoughts and her appreciation for simple joys.
Bloomsbury
I Want to Die but I Want To Eat Tteokbokki contains a record of conversations between the author and her psychiatrist
"The human heart, even when it wants to die, quite often wants at the same time to eat some tteokbokki, too," goes the book's most famous line.
Born in 1990, Baek Se-hee took creative writing in university and worked for five years at a publishing house, according to her short biography on Bloomsbury Publishing, which produced the English version of her 2018 memoir.
For a decade she received treatment for dysthymia, a mild but long-lasting type of depression, which formed the basis of her bestseller, said her Bloomsbury bio.
A sequel, I Want to Die but I Still Want to Eat Tteokbokki, was published in Korean in 2019. Its English translation was published in 2024.
A list of organisations in the UK offering support and information with some of the issues in this story is available at BBC Action Line. If you are outside of the UK, you can visit the Befrienders website.
Thousands of mourners have gathered at a national stadium in the Kenyan capital for the state funeral of former Prime Minister Raila Odinga.
Many carried national flags, portraits of the late leader, and wore T-shirts printed with his image to pay their final respects.
Security remains tight in and around the stadium, with police and military officers deployed to prevent a recurrence of the unrest witnessed on Thursday during the body-viewing ceremony.
Earlier on Friday morning, Odinga's body was taken to parliament, where MPs and selected dignitaries viewed it.
Odinga, a giant figure on Kenya's political scene, died on Wednesday aged 80 in India, where he had been receiving medical treatment.
Mourners have been carrying branches and palm fronds, a symbol of mourning and grief among the Luo ethnic group to which Odinga belonged.
On Saturday his body will be transported to Kisumu, a city in western Kenya on the shores of Lake Victoria - his political stronghold.
Members of the public will get a chance to view the body before he is buried on Sunday at his farm in Bondo, about 60km (40 miles) west of Kisumu.
According to the family, it was Odinga's wish to be laid to rest within the shortest time possible, ideally within 72 hours.
A seven-day period of mourning has been declared.
He was a towering figure in Kenyan politics and for many years was the country's main opposition leader, losing five presidential campaigns, most recently three years ago.
Odinga repeatedly said he was cheated of victory, citing the manipulation of votes.
Cheryl Grimmer vanished from a beach in New South Wales in 1970
The family of a British girl who disappeared in Australia more than 50 years ago has threatened to name a key person of interest unless he comes forward to answer their questions.
Authorities believe three-year-old Cheryl Grimmer was abducted from Fairy Meadow beach in Wollongong in January 1970.
A suspect was charged with her abduction and murder, but his 2019 trial collapsed after a detailed confession made when he was teen was ruled inadmissible. He denies any wrongdoing.
Known only as Mercury, the man's identity is protected as he was a minor at the time, but a politician has offered to name him under parliamentary privilege as the family pushes for a fresh investigation.
"[Mercury]'s got until Wednesday night," Cheryl's brother Ricki Nash told reporters on Friday.
Jeremy Buckingham, a New South Wales parliamentarian who has been supporting the Grimmer family, said he's prepared to use parliamentary privilege to name the man when state parliament resumes sitting on Thursday.
Mr Nash wants Mercury to explain to the family how he knew information contained in his confession - and if it was true or not.
"Enough is enough," he said, at times on the verge of tears. "We want the truth to come out."
Cheryl had been on the beach at Fairy Meadow with her family on 12 January 1970. When the family decided to pack up, Mr Nash, as the eldest brother, had been put in charge of his siblings and told to go to the bathroom block.
Cheryl ran giggling into the ladies' changing rooms and refused to come out. Too embarrassed to enter himself, Mr Nash went back to the beach to tell his mother to help. When they returned, 90 seconds later, the toddler was gone.
The family had only recently migrated to Australia from Bristol as so-called Ten Pound Poms.
Despite extensive searches, there were no leads. Then in 2017, a man in his 60s was charged with Cheryl's abduction and murder after officers discovered a confession made to police by a teenage boy in 1971.
A judge later ruled the confession could not be presented as trial evidence and the charges against him were dropped.
On Friday, the family released a lengthy document detailing the missteps they say were made by authorities in NSW in the search for Cheryl, and called for more answers.
"We've made various requests to NSW authorities for a fresh prosecution or a fresh inquest but to no avail," the family said in the letter.
"We feel that we have been fobbed off numerous times by the police, saying that they're conducting reviews of the case or exploring leads that make no sense to us. The incompetence and negligence in the NSW police investigation of this case over much of the past 55 years is unfathomable."
NSW Police have defended their conduct, reiterating that homicide detectives are still investigating Cheryl's disappearance - and that a A$1m reward for information remains on offer.
"Police continue to examine every line of inquiry and search for answers into Cheryl's death," NSW Police said in a statement.
ABC News/Kelly Fuller
Ricki Nash is pushing for a fresh investigation into his sister's disappearance
Three potential eyewitnesses came forward after the BBC aired the Fairy Meadow true crime podcast in 2022, which has since been downloaded five million times. Their contacts were passed on to investigators.
But the family was recently told that a four-year-long review of the case found there was no new evidence that could lead to a conviction - even though the new potential eyewitnesses were not formally interviewed by officers.
The family, alongside a volunteer team using cadaver detection dogs, also searched an "area of interest" they hoped would be a breakthrough in the case earlier this month. But police said that a subsequent search of the area only found animal bones.
Cheryl's family disputes the police's response and said volunteers were back in the area on Friday, collecting soil samples to be sent to the UK and the US for further analysis.
"Cheryl disappeared more than 55 years ago. It's time for answers, it's time for accountability," the family said.
It comes as the NSW parliament announced an inquiry into long-term missing persons cases in the state - including Cheryl's. It will look into how investigations have been carried out and ways of improvement.
Watch: Grocery bills, Trump and Gaza - How NYC mayoral debate unfolded
Live from New York: It's mayoral debate night.
The three leading candidates for New York City mayor took the stage at Rockefeller Center in Manhattan Thursday night to make a case to lead America's biggest city.
Early voting in the race is set to begin next week, and the most recent polling, suggests Zohran Mamdani has widened his lead to 46 percent, while Andrew Cuomo stands at 33 percent.
The outcome of the race could have political implications beyond the Empire State as President Donald Trump looms large, and whoever wins will likely face pressure from Washington in some form.
The Democratic Party nationally also is likely watching to see if the America's biggest Democratic stronghold chooses an establishment, centrist Cuomo, who is running as an independent or the progressive Mamdani. The winner could help determine the kind of candidate and platform Democrats choose in the future following their staggering 2024 loss to Trump.
Republicans also will watch to see if their candidate, Curtis Sliwa, continues to make inroads with his public safety platform.
Here are five big takeaways from tonight's debate.
Mamdani addresses his support for Palestinians
Mamdani's past statements on Israel and Palestinians came up several times during the night in questions from moderators and opponents' criticisms.
The candidate has stressed his support for Palestinians and statehood, and has criticized Israel's military operation in Gaza.
He also was criticized for declining to condemn the phrase "globalise the intifada" when probed by interviewers, but has said he would seek to serve as a mayor for all New Yorkers, including its large and ideologically diverse Jewish population.
Cuomo, however, attacked Mamdani for his views, calling the New York state assemblyman a "divisive personality across the board."
Angelina Katsanis/Pool via REUTERS
The fourth man: Donald Trump
Although there were three candidates at tonight's debate, another name kept coming up: Donald Trump.
President Trump has implied he wants to send the National Guard into cities controlled by Democrats - in spite of resistance - and has moved to withhold government funds for infrastructure projects in New York City. Trump also has prioritized New York City for his mass deportation policy, and the mayor — who has little power over federal immigration enforcement — will likely have to weigh the city's response.
Sliwa, the Republican, noted that the mayor would need to get along with Trump regardless of political views. But Mamdani made his opposition to Trump explicit from his very first response, promising to "take on Trump."
Cuomo positioned himself as the only candidate experienced enough to deal with the current White House, warning "it will be Mayor Trump" if Mamdani is elected.
"I fought Donald Trump," he told voters. "When I'm fighting for New York, I am not going to stop."
Affordability front and center
As large as Trump looms, the biggest policy issue around this mayoral election is affordability. New Yorkers face high costs of living on everything - especially rent and groceries.
In his opening statement, Sliwa acknowledged the "really serious issues of affordability" facing the city. He called for the next mayor to free up vacant apartments in NYCHA - New York's public housing programme — and allow people to move in.
The moderators directly asked each candidate how much they paid for rent, groceries and whether they paid off credit card debt monthly. The candidates pitched a volley of proposals, including Mamdani's plan to make buses free and Cuomo's proposal to place income limits on people who resided in rent-stabilized apartments.
He criticised Mamdani for living in a rent-stablised apartment, even though his parents are wealthy (his mother is the filmmaker Mira Nair).
"If you think that the problem in this city is that my rent is too low, vote for him," Mamdani said. "If you know the problem in this city is that your rent is too high, vote for me."
Cuomo also opposed Mamdani's proposed rent freeze on stabilized apartments, saying it would only postpone future increases, force building owners into bankruptcy, and fail New Yorkers who don't live in rent-stabilized apartments.
Cuomo touted his decades of experience in office, rising from federal housing secretary during President Bill Clinton's administration to New York's governor.
But his controversies while governor have shadowed his campaign and Cuomo came prepared for a fight.
He resigned as governor in 2021 after an investigation by the state attorney general found he had sexually harassed 11 women. Cuomo apologised for acting "in a way that made people feel uncomfortable" but denied allegations.
The New York attorney general also investigated his administration for undercounting nursing home deaths during the Covid-19 pandemic, finding he understated the actual number of deaths.
Mamdani attacked Cuomo on these matters, accusing him of "sending seniors to their death in nursing homes," and accused him of lacking integrity.
Cuomo said the allegations about harming seniors in nursing homes was "totally false."
"During Covid, everyone did whatever they could in this state, and there have been numerous investigations where they've gone through it, and they said we followed federal guidance," Cuomo said. "But yes, people died during Covid. And my heart breaks for everyone that broken, that died in this state and across this nation."
Sliwa, too, attacked Cuomo for the "lawsuits filed against you for sexual harassment." The former governor rebutted that the case brought New York attorney general Letitia James, who investigated the misconduct claims, "was political."
Curtis Sliwa makes his mark
Sliwa held his own as the only Republican on stage.
His voting bloc might be in the minority in New York City, but the 2024 presidential election revealed that residents prioritise public safety issues and Sliwa hammered that repeatedly. As the founder of the Guardian Angels, a New York City organization devoted to crime prevention, he seized the opportunity to connect with voters.
The longtime New York media and political personality also knew how to make himself heard. He frequently interjected, telling moderators he wanted to speak, and elbowing his way into the debate's most heated moments. From centre stage, he took swings at both opponents in equal measure.
He felt confident after the debate, saying his night went "extraordinarily well" and likening his opponents to "two kids in the schoolyard.
Bolton, who Trump fired from his first administration in 2019, has been a vocal critic of the president
John Bolton, who served as Donald Trump's national security adviser before becoming a vocal critic of the president, has been criminally indicted on federal charges.
The Department of Justice presented a case to a grand jury in Maryland on Thursday, and they agreed there was enough evidence to indict Bolton.
It comes after FBI agents searched Bolton's home and office in August as part of an investigation into the handling of classified information.
The indictment makes Bolton, 76, the third of the US president's political opponents to face charges in recent week, after former FBI Director James Comey and New York Attorney General Letitia James.
Bolton has not yet commented, but he has denied any wrongdoing. His lawyer, Abbe Lowell, earlier said Bolton had handled records appropriately.
He was fired from Trump's first administration in 2019. His 2020 memoir, The Room Where It Happened, recounted his time working under Trump and portrayed him as a president who was ill-informed about geopolitics and whose decision-making was dominated by a desire to be re-elected.
The White House filed a lawsuit to block the book from being published, arguing it contained classified information and had not been properly vetted. A judge denied the request and the book was released days later.
The US Department of Justice then opened an investigation into whether Bolton had mishandled classified information by disclosing certain information in the book.
Asked about the indictment on Thursday at the White House, Trump said he did not know about it, but added that Bolton was "a bad guy".
Trump has previously described Bolton as "grossly incompetent" and "a liar". He has also called for him to be prosecuted.
Asked in August about the investigation into Bolton, Trump said he did not "want to get involved" and had not directly ordered the searches of Bolton's home and office, but referred to Bolton as a "sleazebag".
Watch: How the FBI raids on John Bolton's home and office unfolded
Around the time the searches began, FBI Director Kash Patel posted on X: "NO ONE is above the law." The post did not name Bolton.
US Attorney General Pam Bondi shared the post and added: "America's safety isn't negotiable. Justice will be pursued. Always."
Bolton, who served as George W Bush's UN ambassador, was among former officials critical of Trump who had their Secret Service protection stripped by the Trump administration in January.
He is the third Trump critic to be criminally charged since September.
Former FBI director James Comey was indicted in late September on charges of lying to Congress and obstructing a congressional proceeding.
The indictments followed a social media post from Trump, where he called on US Attorney General Pam Bondi, who leads the justice department, to prosecute his political opponents.
The post named Comey, James and Democratic Senator Adam Schiff, who oversaw Trump's first impeachment trial.
"We can't delay any longer, it's killing our reputation and credibility," he wrote.
Witherspoon has co-written her debut novel with bestselling author Harlan Coben
Growing up, Reese Witherspoon's dad was a huge James Bond fan - which meant she also watched a lot of 007 films.
But she questioned why the girls all wore bikinis, with the young Reese asking herself what their revealing attire had to do with solving a crime.
The Oscar-winning actress - and now novelist - says that's why she wanted her new thriller to centre on a woman who has a unique skill, rather than being about her sex appeal.
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Witherspoon won an Oscar in 2006 for her portrayal of June Carter Cash in Walk The Line
Witherspoon, 49, is best known for roles in Legally Blonde and The Morning Show, but has now written her first adult fiction book.
Gone Before Goodbye, co-written with bestselling author Harlan Coben, tells the story of a talented surgeon called Maggie, who is trapped in a deadly conspiracy.
Speaking exclusively to BBC News, she admits that part of her was worrying, "Oh God, why did I do this?" - but says she also felt excited to see her idea come to life.
Witherspoon, who already runs an influential book club that's picked out hits like Where the Crawdads Sing, adds that she mainly cares about how other writers will receive it. "I have so much reverence for authors," she says.
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The actress starred as Elle Woods, a fashionable sorority queen, in hit 2001 film Legally Blonde
Witherspoon was born in New Orleans to a medical doctor father and a mother who worked as a nurse.
Her breakthrough role came with the 1999 teen drama Cruel Intentions, alongside her now-ex husband Ryan Phillippe.
Legally Blonde, released in 2001, made her a major star, and was followed by roles including country singer June Carter Cash in Walk The Line, which earned her an Academy Award in 2006.
Witherspoon says her parents' line of work helped inspire the characters in her new novel.
"I grew up in a medical military family and I grew up on a military base, so I was surrounded by other mums and dads who were medical military people," she says.
"There was this sense of service, and that what they were doing was an important service to humanity, but also to their country."
"We both have the viewpoint that doctors are heroic," adds Coben, who is married to a pediatrician. "They really are. I mean, it's a cool profession."
Getty Images
Coben and Witherspoon co-wrote Gone Before Goodbye
In the book, Maggie has lost her medical licence after a series of tragedies, but is thrown a lifeline by a former colleague.
The theme of career setbacks is familiar to Witherspoon, who starred a string of poorly received films in the years after her Oscar win and her 2008 divorce from Phillippe, with whom she shares two children.
In 2014, she opened up in an interview about how her marriage breakdown affected her career.
"You can't really be very creative when you feel like your brain is scrambled eggs," she told CBS's 60 Minutes. "I was just kind of floundering career-wise. I wasn't making things I was passionate about."
Asked whether her personal experience of a career setback inspired her book's plotline, Witherspoon says: "I think every great story has a character who is taken to their knees. We just happen to start the story with her on her knees."
It was "a great place to start" the book, she adds, "because it can really only go up from there".
Witherspoon's acting career has bounced back. And through her production company Hello Sunshine, she has made a point of celebrating strong female characters through films and TV series including The Morning Show and Big Little Lies, which she produced and starred in.
'Skills more important than sex and violence'
I ask Witherspoon how rare it is to see a female character like Maggie, who is not about her sex appeal but rather about her particular skill.
"Growing up, I always saw James Bond movies, my dad was obsessed with them, but I was like, why are [the girls] all in bikinis, and I don't understand what that's got to do with solving the crime," she replies.
"If I was going to do a thriller, I wanted the woman to be at the centre of it. I wanted her to have a unique skillset everybody in the world wanted, but she didn't even realise it, and that she doesn't have to shoot guns or punch bad guys. She's actually just very smart and very intuitive and an incredible surgeon."
But the film industry still has further to go in creating such roles for women, Witherspoon suggests.
When I ask whether Hollywood still suffers from a lack of strong female leads, the A-lister says: "I always see the gap, I see the white space.
"I started Hello Sunshine in 2011 because I just wasn't seeing complex storytelling for women in the movie space.
"So, in a way, I was just taking the relationships I've had from 30 years of being an actor and just helping shine a light on women who were ready for those opportunities."
Entertainment journalist Lauren Morris believes Witherspoon has been "quite clever" in the way she's built her business empire.
"She has her book club, where she publicises books, often centring female stories. Then she has her production company, where she adapts it for TV or film, and she often stars in it herself too," she says.
"It's a good business model and it's working well for her."
'I'm really enjoying this moment'
Celebrity novels have been all the rage in recent years, with stars such as Keanu Reeves and Millie Bobby Brown among those releasing books.
Often, collaborations involve a ghostwriter or co-author who does the majority of the writing, with minimal input from the celebrity. Reeves admitted as much to BBC News last year, when he said his novel had been mostly written by British science fiction author China Miéville.
But both Witherspoon and Coben insist that wasn't the case for them. Witherspoon originally brought the idea to Coben, and the pair say they were both involved in the writing, to the point that - according to Witherspoon - "we couldn't figure out who wrote what".
A number of Coben's books have recently been adapted for the small screen, with mystery thriller Fool Me Once becoming one of Netflix's most-watched dramas last year.
So will Gone Before Goodbye get the same treatment? For Coben, the answer is yes.
"I think one day it'll be adapted. I think I have somebody in mind who I think would like to play Maggie, but I'm not going to say anything," he says.
Is he thinking about Witherspoon by any chance? He laughs. "Yeah."
I ask Witherspoon whether she sees herself in Maggie.
"Every character I play is some part of my personality," she responds. "My personality is a big pie. Each character is a piece of the pie."
So, having conquered film, TV, book clubs and now novels, what's next?
"Wow, when you put it like that, I want to lie down," Witherspoon laughs.
"I'm just really enjoying this moment. This is a big new frontier for me. And it just made me feel like, gosh, creativity doesn't stop at any one age. It just goes on and on."
Gone Before Goodbye is published on 23 October in the UK.
Gus was last seen playing outside his house on the family's remote sheep station
Australian police have called off a search for a four-year-old boy who has been missing in the outback for almost three weeks, after fresh efforts failed to find any traces of the child.
Gus Lamont was last seen playing outside his home on a remote sheep station near Yunta, about 300km (186 miles) from Adelaide, on 27 September.
His grandmother left him alone for about half an hour before checking on him, only to find the boy missing, prompting one of the largest land and air searches in South Australian history.
Police - who do not suspect foul play - say they will continue investigating, but that the case has become a "recovery operation".
Last week, authorities briefly wound down the search, only to restart it on Tuesday alongside 80 Australian Defense Force personnel.
Commissioner Grant Stevens said authorities were searching a wider area based on updated assessments from survivability, medical and search specialists, rather than any new information.
On Friday, police confirmed that the new search had not uncovered any signs of Gus.
"The fact Gus is a small child, the terrain is extremely rugged, harsh and subject to changing weather conditions has made the searching difficult and more challenging for those involved," police said in a statement.
About 470 sq km - an area roughly twice the size of Edinburgh - has now been covered, and a 12-person taskforce set up earlier this week is expected to continue investigating. Police have not ruled out more searches of the property in the future.
Gus, who has been described as an adventurous but shy boy, was last seen wearing a grey hat, light grey long pants, boots and a blue long-sleeve T-shirt featuring a yellow Minion character. Police believe he wandered off.
The case has sparked huge interest across Australia, with images of the blond, curly-haired boy featured across local media and speculation running rife online.
It prompted police to ask that members of the public stop calling them with their "opinions", and appeal for them to source information from credible places.
Their warning came after fake AI-generated images of the child spread on social media, which the BBC's Verify team investigated.
Police earlier this week said the boy's family remain "stoic" despite the tragic circumstances.
"You can imagine just how they are feeling... without having answers as to exactly where Gus is and what's happened to him. This would be traumatic for any family," Commissioner Stevens said.
Through a spokesperson, the Lamont family has previously said they are "devastated" by Gus's disappearance.
"This has come as a shock to our family and friends, and we are struggling to comprehend what has happened," Bill Harbison said, according to the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.
"Gus's absence is felt in all of us, and we miss him more than words can express."
President Yoweri Museveni (C) came to power as a rebel leader and is serving his sixth term in office following the 2021 election
Toting sub-machine guns and sometimes wearing masks as they drive along the streets of Uganda, members of an elite military unit are increasingly viewed as a private army to keep 81-year-old President Yoweri Museveni in power - along with his ever-growing family dynasty.
Museveni has led Uganda since 1986, when his rebel forces marched into the capital, Kampala. He has since won four elections - all marred by allegations of violence and rigging.
But this is nothing new in the country - since Uganda gained independence in 1962, power has only ever changed hands through rebellions or military coups.
Museveni is seeking re-election next year and the opposition fears that the Special Forces Command (SFC) could be used to prevent it from campaigning, as it says was the case in 2021.
But the SFC, which for years was commanded by Museveni's son Gen Muhoozi Kainerugaba, has been accused by government critics of abducting, torturing and killing opposition activists all year round, not just during elections.The SFC denies these allegations.
"It's like a shadow army within the army which is only answerable to the president and his son. Its rise and influence is causing resentment among senior generals," one military source told the BBC.
This is compounded by the fact that Gen Kainerugaba, 51, who is now the army chief, and has said he wants to succeed his father one day, has enlisted his own son into the army.
Gen Kainerugaba has also been contemptuous of some long-serving generals, calling one a "buffoon".
His remarks sent shockwaves through military and political circles, but the government downplayed them as "mere social-media banter" - something for which Gen Kainerugaba is well known.
Analysts say the unit has become so influential that it rivals the power of the regular army, which still has commanders who fought in the guerrilla war that brought Museveni and his National Resistance Movement (NRM) to power.
These observers have raised fears that the two could clash one day - as in Sudan where a civil war has broken out following a power struggle between the army and a paramilitary group once allied with it, the Rapid Support Forces (RSF).
The unit now known as the SFC was established when Museveni first took office, and has a motto stating "there is no substitute for loyalty".
"The SFC is the most powerful unit within the Ugandan military, comprising the [most] highly trained, best-equipped, and best-funded officers in the country," Dr Gerald Bareebe, a Uganda-born academic based at Canada's York University, told the BBC.
Both the Ugandan army and the SFC declined to comment when approached by the BBC.
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Museveni's son Gen Muhoozi Kainerugaba first became commander of the SFC in 2008
Museveni has previously defended the SFC, saying it was formed for Ugandans. He said that only people who did not wish Uganda well could be unhappy with such a force.
But Museveni's critics see it differently - arguing that the president has ruled with an iron fist since seizing power, and has turned the country into his family's fiefdom.
They note that the president's wife, Janet, is the education minister and Gen Kainerugaba is the army chief. His grandson's enrolment into the army - announced in July - is seen as perpetuating the family dynasty.
Gen Kainerugaba has twice led the SFC and is credited with expanding it into a force with an estimated membership of more than 10,000. The regular army is thought to have around 40,000 active members.
"They go through specialised training. And also they have sophisticated weapons, unlike the regular army," a former senior military officer told the BBC.
Although his father promoted him to chief of the defence forces in March last year, Gen Kainerugaba is said to have maintained de facto control over the SFC, with its current commander, Maj Gen David Mugisha, reporting to him.
Gen Kainerugaba mostly operates from the unit's headquarters - in a building named after his father - in Entebbe, about 34km (21 miles) south of the capital, Kampala.
State House Uganda/X
Those in the SFC are highly trained and the unit is estimated to now be 10,000 strong
The SFC boasts on its website that it carries out specialised missions "at a moment's notice", and is assigned to secure critical installations such as the main airport and oil fields.
It is widely suspected to have crossed into Kenya last November to capture opposition politician Kizza Besigye, once Museveni's doctor, and take him back to Uganda to face trial for treason, which has yet to start. The army's prosecutor has acknowledged the involvement of the Ugandan security forces.
Analysts like Dr Bareebe feel the SFC's core function "is to guarantee regime survival" by fending off threats - not only from the opposition but also army generals.
"It plays a disproportionately central role in suppressing anti-regime mobilisation and shielding the ruling NRM from both internal dissent and external threats," Dr Bareebe said.
Although the SFC has denied involvement in the wave of abductions and torture of opposition members, some of its officers have been convicted of abusing their power.
The most prominent case was that of a 32-year-old SFC soldier, who was court-martialled and sentenced to death last November for shooting dead three people and injuring two others, including a one-year-old child.
In May, the presidency said it was investigating a reported incident where SFC soldiers were accused of torturing the driver of a boda boda - as motorbike taxis are known locally. The rider had been rushing to reach his pregnant wife when he got caught up in a presidential convoy.
He said his "boys" were holding Edward Sebuufu, alias Eddie Mutwe, "in my basement", and in a social media post, attached a photograph of the bodyguard with a clean-shaven head.
Gen Kainerugaba mocked Mr Sebuufu, saying he was "looking very smart these days" as his beard had been shaved by "my boy", referring to a junior soldier.
The Uganda Law Society said Mr Sebuufu's ordeal had not been an isolated case, but was "part of a systematic campaign to silence dissent and crush the aspirations of people yearning for freedom".
It added that the incident underscored "a dangerous nexus of military power and political oppression".
The shadowy nature of the unit and its operations have often led to accusations that its existence was illegal.
But in June, parliament passed a controversial legislative amendment, recognising the SFC as one of four official military services - along with the land forces, air force and reserve force.
Opposition MPs criticised the move, saying the unit should not be given such legitimacy and should instead be disbanded.
"The new law validates an entity that has been operating illegally," said opposition MP Ibrahim Ssemujju Nganda.
For Dr Bareebe, the SFC's "elevation in law merely reflects its already dominant position within Uganda's militarised power structure and reinforces its role as the cornerstone of regime security".
This concern was shared by respected Ugandan analyst Godber Tumushabe. He recently warned that despite the country's apparent stability, "all that we have is the absence of war".
State House Uganda/X
This year, parliament recognised the SFC as one of the four official military services
A senior army officer, who preferred not to be named for fear of repercussions, told the BBC that there has been growing discontent within the military about the unit's recruitment process as it appeared to be along ethnic lines.
Various sources, including those in the military, told the BBC that the SFC was heavily dominated by officers from President Museveni's Banyankore ethnic group, and related communities, in order to guarantee loyalty.
"If you look at all SFC commanders since its inception, they come from Museveni's ethnic group," says Nganda, the opposition MP.
Of the six commanders who have held the position since 2007, only one does not hail from the west country, where the Banyankore live.
Given these competing interests, analysts fear that a power struggle could break out between rival military factions in the post-Museveni era.
"My greatest fear is that we don't know what will happen when Museveni goes and there is dissent within the army," Nganda said.
Dr Bareebe echoed this concern: "A stand-off between the SFC and the regular army - each with its own loyalties, interests, and command structures - could trigger significant political instability and even violence, especially in the absence of a clear succession plan."
But other analysts disagree, saying that this is where Gen Kainerugaba will come into his own given his long career with both the army and SFC.
They argue he is well placed to hold the rival factions together and ensure that the Museveni dynasty continues, guaranteeing stability in Uganda.
Such an outcome would of course be seen as undemocratic by the opposition.
Robert Kyagulanyi, a former pop star better known as Bobi Wine who is running against President Museveni for a second time next year, describes the unit as a "torture squad".
Earlier this year Gen Kainerugaba threatened to behead the opposition leader, though he later deleted the "joke" tweet and apologised.
Bobi Wine told the BBC he and his colleagues were often targeted and beaten up by SFC officers - and he wants the squad disbanded.
"This is largely seen as the section in the military that is responsible for regime survival through brutality," he said. "They operate with impunity and they operate under the protection of General Museveni and his son."
Putin and Trump met in person at a US base in Alaska in August 2025
US President Donald Trump says "great progress" was made during a phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday, with the pair agreeing to face-to-face talks in Hungary.
He said the call, the first with Putin since mid-August, was "very productive", adding that teams from Washington and Moscow will meet next week.
Trump did not confirm a date for his meeting with Putin in Budapest. The Kremlin said work on the summit would begin "immediately" after the "extremely frank and trustful" call.
The talks came a day before Ukraine's President Zelensky was to visit the White House, and with Trump weighing whether to arm Ukraine with Tomahawk missiles capable of striking deep into Russia.
As he arrived in the US, Zelensky said Moscow was "rushing to resume dialogue as soon as it hears about Tomahawks".
Writing on his Truth Social platform after the call concluded, Trump said he and Putin "spent a great deal of time talking about Trade between Russia and the United States when the War with Ukraine is over".
He said "high level advisors" from both countries would meet at an unspecified location next week, with Secretary of State Marco Rubio leading the American delegation.
Trump also said he would update Zelensky on his talks with Putin on Friday, adding: "I believe great progress was made with today's telephone conversation."
He later told reporters he expected to meet Putin "within two weeks".
Asked about the prospect of giving the missiles to Ukraine after his call with Putin, Trump said "we can't deplete" the US stockpile of Tomahawks, adding "we need them too... so I don't know what we can do about that".
Ukraine's ambassador to the US, Olga Stefanishyna, said Russia launching overnight strikes on Ukraine "hours before" Putin's call with Trump "exposes Moscow's real attitude toward peace".
In a statement to the BBC's US partner CBS, she added: "These assaults show that Moscow's strategy is one of terror and exhaustion. The only effective response is pressure - through tougher sanctions, reinforced air defense, and the supply of long-range capabilities."
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban said on X the planned Budapest meeting was "great news for the peace-loving people of the world".
Earlier, he also said: "Peace requires patience, strength, and humility. Europe must shift its stance. Instead of arrogance and fanning the flames of endless war, we need negotiations with Russia. Only dialogue can bring peace to our continent."
Trump has taken a much tougher line towards Putin over the Ukraine war since a face-to-face summit in Alaska in August failed to produce a decisive breakthrough in attempts to broker a peace deal.
The pair met on US soil on 15 August for a summit which the US president hoped would help convince the Russian president to enter comprehensive peace talks to end the Ukraine war. Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
EPA
The two leaders last met in Alaska in August for a summit which last only a few hours
They spoke again days later when Trump interrupted a meeting with Zelensky and European leaders to call Putin.
Since then, neither the White House or Kremlin have public confirmed any communications between the two.
During his presidential election campaign, Trump claimed he would be able to end the war in Ukraine within days but has since admitted resolving the conflict has been more challenging than any he has been involved in since returning to power.
Trump had been seen as more sympathetic to Russia than his predecessor Joe Biden, and strained relations with Zelensky came to a head on 28 February when he and Vice-President JD Vance berated the Ukrainian president in the Oval Office on live television.
But public relations with Zelensky have vastly improved in recent months.
In September, Trump signalled a major shift in his view of the conflict, saying he believed Kyiv could "win all of Ukraine back in its original form", a far cry from his public calls for Kyiv to cede territory occupied by Russia.
During Zelensky's upcoming visit to Washington on Friday, his third since January, the subject of Tomahawk missiles is likely to be high on the agenda.
Zelensky has called on the US to provide Ukraine with the advanced missiles, which have a range of 2,500 km (1,500 miles).
Asked earlier this week if he was considering giving Ukraine the missiles, he said: "We'll see... I may."
In late July, Trump set Putin a deadline of less than a fortnight to agree to a ceasefire or face sweeping sanctions, including measures against countries which still trade with Russia.
But he did not follow through the threat after Putin agreed to meet Trump in Alaska, which the US president hailed as a significant diplomatic success at the time, despite it not producing any tangible outcome.
Earlier on Thursday, India's foreign ministry cast doubt on a claim made by Trump a day earlier saying Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi had agreed to stop purchasing Russian oil.
An Indian government spokesman said he was "not aware of any conversation between the two leaders" taking place the previous day, after Trump said Modi had assured him purchases would stop "within a short period of time".
The US has pushed for countries - in particular India, China and Nato members - to stop buying Russian energy in an effort to increase economic pressure on the Kremlin. Zelensky has also repeatedly echoed those calls.
Putin and Trump met in person at a US base in Alaska in August 2025
US President Donald Trump says "great progress" was made during a phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday, with the pair agreeing to face-to-face talks in Hungary.
He said the call, the first with Putin since mid-August, was "very productive", adding that teams from Washington and Moscow will meet next week.
Trump did not confirm a date for his meeting with Putin in Budapest. The Kremlin said work on the summit would begin "immediately" after the "extremely frank and trustful" call.
The talks came a day before Ukraine's President Zelensky was to visit the White House, and with Trump weighing whether to arm Ukraine with Tomahawk missiles capable of striking deep into Russia.
As he arrived in the US, Zelensky said Moscow was "rushing to resume dialogue as soon as it hears about Tomahawks".
Writing on his Truth Social platform after the call concluded, Trump said he and Putin "spent a great deal of time talking about Trade between Russia and the United States when the War with Ukraine is over".
He said "high level advisors" from both countries would meet at an unspecified location next week, with Secretary of State Marco Rubio leading the American delegation.
Trump also said he would update Zelensky on his talks with Putin on Friday, adding: "I believe great progress was made with today's telephone conversation."
He later told reporters he expected to meet Putin "within two weeks".
Asked about the prospect of giving the missiles to Ukraine after his call with Putin, Trump said "we can't deplete" the US stockpile of Tomahawks, adding "we need them too... so I don't know what we can do about that".
Ukraine's ambassador to the US, Olga Stefanishyna, said Russia launching overnight strikes on Ukraine "hours before" Putin's call with Trump "exposes Moscow's real attitude toward peace".
In a statement to the BBC's US partner CBS, she added: "These assaults show that Moscow's strategy is one of terror and exhaustion. The only effective response is pressure - through tougher sanctions, reinforced air defense, and the supply of long-range capabilities."
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban said on X the planned Budapest meeting was "great news for the peace-loving people of the world".
Earlier, he also said: "Peace requires patience, strength, and humility. Europe must shift its stance. Instead of arrogance and fanning the flames of endless war, we need negotiations with Russia. Only dialogue can bring peace to our continent."
Trump has taken a much tougher line towards Putin over the Ukraine war since a face-to-face summit in Alaska in August failed to produce a decisive breakthrough in attempts to broker a peace deal.
The pair met on US soil on 15 August for a summit which the US president hoped would help convince the Russian president to enter comprehensive peace talks to end the Ukraine war. Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
EPA
The two leaders last met in Alaska in August for a summit which last only a few hours
They spoke again days later when Trump interrupted a meeting with Zelensky and European leaders to call Putin.
Since then, neither the White House or Kremlin have public confirmed any communications between the two.
During his presidential election campaign, Trump claimed he would be able to end the war in Ukraine within days but has since admitted resolving the conflict has been more challenging than any he has been involved in since returning to power.
Trump had been seen as more sympathetic to Russia than his predecessor Joe Biden, and strained relations with Zelensky came to a head on 28 February when he and Vice-President JD Vance berated the Ukrainian president in the Oval Office on live television.
But public relations with Zelensky have vastly improved in recent months.
In September, Trump signalled a major shift in his view of the conflict, saying he believed Kyiv could "win all of Ukraine back in its original form", a far cry from his public calls for Kyiv to cede territory occupied by Russia.
During Zelensky's upcoming visit to Washington on Friday, his third since January, the subject of Tomahawk missiles is likely to be high on the agenda.
Zelensky has called on the US to provide Ukraine with the advanced missiles, which have a range of 2,500 km (1,500 miles).
Asked earlier this week if he was considering giving Ukraine the missiles, he said: "We'll see... I may."
In late July, Trump set Putin a deadline of less than a fortnight to agree to a ceasefire or face sweeping sanctions, including measures against countries which still trade with Russia.
But he did not follow through the threat after Putin agreed to meet Trump in Alaska, which the US president hailed as a significant diplomatic success at the time, despite it not producing any tangible outcome.
Earlier on Thursday, India's foreign ministry cast doubt on a claim made by Trump a day earlier saying Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi had agreed to stop purchasing Russian oil.
An Indian government spokesman said he was "not aware of any conversation between the two leaders" taking place the previous day, after Trump said Modi had assured him purchases would stop "within a short period of time".
The US has pushed for countries - in particular India, China and Nato members - to stop buying Russian energy in an effort to increase economic pressure on the Kremlin. Zelensky has also repeatedly echoed those calls.
The controversial US and Israeli-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) has confirmed it suspended operations in Gaza after the ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas came into effect on 10 October.
Despite being funded until November, the organisation said its final delivery was on Friday.
The GHF has been heavily criticised after hundreds of Palestinians were killed while collecting food near its distribution sites. Witnesses say most were killed by Israeli forces.
Israel has regularly denied that its troops fired on civilians at or near the sites and the GHF has maintained that aid distribution at its sites has been carried out "without incident".
The group's northernmost aid distribution site, known as SDS4, was shut down because it was no longer in IDF-controlled territory, said a spokesman.
Satellite imagery revealed it was dismantled shortly after the 10 October ceasefire came into effect. Images show tyre tracks, disturbed earth and detritus strewn across the former compound.
"Right now we're paused," the GHF spokesman said. "We feel like there's still a need, a surge for as much aid as possible. Our goal is to resume aid distribution."
Despite the group's apparent desire to continue there has been speculation the final terms of the ceasefire deal between Hamas and Israel would exclude them.
Meanwhile, analysis of UN-supplied data shows little change in aid collected from crossings after the ceasefire deal came into effect last Friday.
The average amount of aid "collected" - defined by the UN as when it leaves an Israeli-controlled crossing - each day has increased slightly compared with the previous week, but it remains in line with September figures.
UN data shows about 20% of aid leaving a crossing has made it to its intended destination since 19 May. More than 7,000 aid trucks have been "intercepted" either "peacefully by hungry people or forcefully by armed actors", according to UN data.
Aid sources told the BBC they hoped looting would subside in coming weeks as law and order is re-established and the populace is given assurances the ceasefire would hold.
A spokesperson from the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said while it was critical for the ceasefire to allow for an increase in aid and other essential supplies, it was important to reach vulnerable Gazans, including in areas that were inaccessible until recently.
OCHA has hundreds of community and household service points involved in distributing aid. It lost access to many, sometimes due to conflict and sometimes due to Israel denying it access.
"We need to re-establish our service points, we need looting to reduce, we need roads to be cleared of unexploded ordnance and we need safety assurances," the OCHA spokesperson said.
Wilder Fernández is a young fisherman in the west of Venezuela who is concerned by the US military presence in the Caribbean
Wilder Fernández has caught four good-sized fish in the murky waters of a small bay north of Lake Maracaibo.
The contents of his net will serve as dinner for his small team before they set out to go fishing again in the evening.
But this daily task is a job he has recently become scared of doing.
After 13 years as a fisherman, Mr Fernández confesses that he now fears his job could turn lethal.
He is afraid he could die in these waters not at the hands of a night-time attacker - a threat fishermen like him encountered in the past - but rather, killed in a strike launched by a foreign power.
"It's crazy, man," he says of the deployment of US warships, fighter jets, a submarine and thousands of US troops in waters north of Venezuela's coast.
The US force patrolling in the Caribbean is part of a military operation targeting suspected "narco-terrorists", which according to the White House have links to the Venezuelan government led by Nicolás Maduro.
Since 2 September, the US has carried out a number of strikes against what it labelled "narco-boats", in which at least 27 people have been killed.
The US has accused those killed of smuggling drugs but has so far not presented any evidence. Experts have suggested the strikes could be illegal under international law.
Tensions between the US and Venezuela escalated further on Wednesday when US President Donald Trump said that he was considering strikes on Venezuelan soil.
He also confirmed that he had authorised the CIA to carry out covert operations inside Venezuela.
Gustavo Ocando Alex
Many fishermen are wary of going out to sea given the new risks
Mr Fernández is across the latest news.
Even though the strikes are said by the US to have happened thousands of kilometres from where he fishes, his wife has been trying to convince him to leave Lake Maracaibo.
Every day she begs him to leave his fishing job. "She tells me to look for another job, but there's nowhere to go," he explains.
He does not rule out that his boat could be hit "by mistake".
"Of course it worries me, you never know. I think about it every day, man," the father of three says.
One day after BBC Mundo spoke to Mr Fernández, Trump announced that "six narco-terrorists" had been killed in the latest US strike in international waters off the Venezuelan coast.
Trump added that "intelligence confirmed the vessel was trafficking narcotics, was associated with illicit narcoterrorist networks".
Reuters
The US government has shared images of the boats it has attacked, saying that they originated in Venezuela
The Trump administration accuses Maduro of leading the Cartel of the Suns drug trafficking gang and is offering a $50m (£37m) reward for information leading to his capture.
Maduro, whose legitimacy as Venezuela's president is internationally contested after disputed elections last year, has denied the cartel accusations. He has dismissed them as an attempt by the White House to oust him from office.
In his most recent statement, he appealed on TV for peace with the US.
Meanwhile, Venezuela's Defence Minister General Vladimir Padrino has warned Venezuelans to prepare "for the worst".
Speaking after the incursion on 2 October of five F-35 fighter jets in Venezuelan airspace, Gen Padrino said that his nation was facing a "serious threat" which he warned could involve "aerial bombings, naval blockades, undercover commandos landing on Venezuelan beaches or in the Venezuelan jungle, swarms of drones, sabotage, and targeted killings of leaders".
Venezuela also denounced the "mounting threats" from the US at the United Nations Security Council last week.
In response, the US representative at the UN meeting, John Kelley, stressed that his country "will not waver in our action to protect our nation from narcoterrorists".
Gustavo Ocando Alex
The US government claims the attacked Venezuelan ships were transporting drugs, but has not presented evidence
Meanwhile, the attacks in the Caribbean have undermined the security of the fishermen in Venezuela, laments Jennifer Nava, spokeswoman for the Council of Fishermen in El Bajo, in Venezuela's Zulia state.
Ms Nava tells BBC Mundo that people employed in the fishing industry fear being hit in the crossfire between US forces and alleged drug traffickers.
AFP vía Getty Images
There are more than 115,000 people employed in the fishing sector in Venezuela
Ms Nava argues that the added risks fishermen are facing could drive some of them into the arms of drug and arms smugglers looking to recruit people to transport their illicit shipments.
"Some of these guys are approached by traffickers," she explains, adding that a downturn in the fishing industry could leave fishermen more vulnerable to those approaches.
There is certainly a sense of nervousness among the fishermen of Lake Maracaibo.
Most of the crew of two small fishing boats owned by Usbaldo Albornoz refused to work when news of the US strikes broke.
Mr Albornoz, who has been in the fishing business for 32 years, describes the situation as "worrying".
"The guys didn't want to go out to sea to fish," he told BBC Mundo on the beach in San Francisco de Zulia, which sits at the northern shore of Lake Maracaibo where it meets the Gulf of Venezuela.
Gustavo Ocando Alex
Usbaldo Albornoz says his employees have refused to go out and fish
The fear of being hit by a US strike is the the latest of a long list of risks he and his men face, including pirates, oil spills and a decline in earnings in recent years, Mr Albornoz explains.
In a leaked memo recently sent to US lawmakers, the Trump administration said it had determined it was involved in a "non-international armed conflict" with drug-trafficking organisations.
The White House described the attacks on the boats in the Caribbean as "self-defence" in response to criticism by legal experts who said they were illegal.
Gustavo Ocando Alex
José Luzardo is defiant in the face of the US deployment
But beyond the fear many are experiencing, there is also a feeling of defiance.
At the end of September, hundreds of fishermen on dozens of boats took to Lake Maracaibo in a show of support for the Maduro government and in protest at the US military deployment.
José Luzardo was one of them. A spokesman for the fishermen of El Bajo, he has been fishing for almost 40 years and accuses the US of "pointing its cannons towards our Venezuela".
He says he is not afraid and would give his life to defend his homeland.
Gustavo Ocando Alex
Fear of US strikes is just one of the issues threatening the fishing industry
"The Trump administration has us cornered. If we have to lay down our lives to defend the government, then we'll do it, so that this whole shebang is over," he says.
He insists that what the fishermen want is "peace and work", not war, but gets visibly angry when he refers to the "military barrier" he says the US has deployed in the Caribbean.
Last month, the Venezuelan government mobilised members of the militia and called on those who had not signed up to the civilian force to do so.
More than 16,000 fishermen followed his call, according to fisheries minister Juan Carlos Loyo.
Luzardo, who has been fishing since he was 11 years old says he will "be ready for battle, wherever needed".
"If they [the US] want to kill us, then so be it, but we're not afraid."
Authorities say mourners gained access to restricted areas at the main airport
Operations have been suspended at Kenya's main airport after thousands of mourners turned out to receive the body of former Prime Minister Raila Odinga, a day after he died in India.
Large crowds of mourners carrying twigs and palm branches breached security at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) immediately after the body of the former leader arrived on Thursday morning.
Authorities said mourners gained access to restricted areas, prompting a "precautionary closure" to allow security teams to restore order and ensure safety.
"Members of the public and travellers are advised to remain calm and avoid the airport area until further notice," the aviation agency said.
Reuters
A seven-day period of mourning has been declared
Because of the unexpectedly huge crowds, the public viewing ceremony for his body has been moved to Nairobi's Moi International Sports Centre, rather than inside Parliament.
The 80-year-old former prime minister collapsed during a morning walk in India on Wednesday morning and he was taken to Devamatha Hospital, about 50km (30 miles) east of the port city of Kochi.
The hospital said he had suffered a cardiac arrest, did not respond to resuscitation measures and was "declared dead at 09:52" local time (04:22 GMT).
Kenyan politicians and world leaders have been sending their condolences, including Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who described Odinga as a "towering statesman and a cherished friend of India".
Kenya's President William Ruto said the veteran politician was a "beacon of courage" and "father of our democracy".
A seven-day period of mourning has been declared. Odinga will also be accorded a state funeral with full military honours, Ruto said.
Odinga spent many years as an opposition leader, losing five presidential campaigns, most recently three years ago.
Getty Images/BBC
Go to BBCAfrica.com for more news from the African continent.
Benjamin Netanyahu addressed a memorial ceremony at the Mount Herzl cemetery in Jerusalem
Israel's prime minister has told a memorial for victims of the Hamas-led attack on 7 October 2023 that he is "determined" to secure the return of the dead hostages still inside Gaza, and that the country will continue to fight terrorism with "full force".
Benjamin Netanyahu made the comments hours after Hamas returned the bodies of another two hostages but said it was not able to access the remaining 19.
Israel has responded to the delay by threatening to restrict the amount of aid flowing into Gaza.
Earlier on Thursday, the Israeli government confirmed that two bodies handed over by Hamas to the International Committee of the Red Cross on Wednesday night had been identified as Inbar Hayman and Sgt Maj Muhammad al-Atarash.
Their return, which was overseen by masked Hamas gunmen in Gaza City, took the number of dead hostages returned since Monday to nine out of 28.
All 20 living hostages were released on Monday, in exchange for 250 Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails and 1,718 detainees from Gaza.
Hamas's military wing said on Wednesday that it would continue to search for the remaining bodies, but that it would require major efforts and specialist equipment.
On Thursday, Netanyahu addressed an official memorial ceremony at the Mount Herzl national cemetery in Jerusalem, two days after the Hebrew calendar anniversary of the 7 October attack.
The prime minister said he remained committed to securing the return of all the dead Israeli and foreign hostages, and reiterated his government's willingness to return to military action if Israel was attacked again.
He said: "Our fight against terrorism will continue with full force. We will not allow evil to raise its head. We will exact the full price from anyone who harms us."
The Israeli military launched a campaign in Gaza in response to the 7 October attack, in which Hamas-led gunmen killed about 1,200 people in southern Israel and took 251 others hostage.
At least 67,967 people have been killed by Israeli attacks in Gaza since then, according to the territory's health ministry, whose figures are seen by the UN as reliable.
Reuters
Israeli Bedouin soldier Sgt Maj Muhammad al-Atarash was buried on Thursday, a day after his body was returned by Hamas
The Hostages and Missing Families Forum in Israel said Netanyahu's government should "immediately halt the implementation" of the ceasefire deal until the 19 bodies were returned.
After Hamas said it was unable to retrieve all the bodies, two senior advisers to US President Donald Trump said preparations to move to the next phase of the ceasefire deal were continuing.
The advisers told reporters that the US government did not so far believe Hamas had broken the agreement by not retrieving more remains, and said the group had acted in good faith by sharing information with interlocutors.
While the full text of the agreement between Israel and Hamas has not been made public, a leaked version which appeared in Israeli media appeared to allow for the possibility that not all of the bodies would be immediately accessible.
One senior US adviser pointed to the level of destruction in Gaza as one reason the search might be slowed, and said rewards could be offered to civilians with information about the location of remains.
Hamas has complained to mediators that more than 20 people have been killed by Israeli forces in Gaza since the ceasefire took effect on Friday.
Israel's military, which still controls more than half the territory, has said that it opens fire to remove threats to its troops.
There had been some reports that the Rafah crossing with Egypt would reopen on Thursday, having been shut since the Gaza side was seized by Israeli forces in May 2024.
The ceasefire deal specifies its reopening would be "subject to the same mechanism implemented" during a temporary ceasefire earlier this year, when wounded Palestinians were briefly allowed to pass through to receive medical treatment.
On Thursday, an official from Israeli military body Cogat said: "The date for the opening of the Rafah crossing for the movement of people only will be announced at a later stage, once the Israeli side, together with the Egyptian side, completes the necessary preparations."
The official also stressed that "aid will not pass through the Rafah crossing". Instead, they said, it would continue to enter Gaza through the nearby Kerem Shalom crossing in southern Israel and other crossings following Israeli security inspections.
EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said the danger to Europe would not end when the Russian war in Ukraine was over
EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas has said a planned anti-drone system should be "fully operational by the end of 2027", as part of a drive to toughen defences against Russia and be fully prepared for possible conflict by 2030.
"Drones are already redefining warfare. Having drone defences is no longer optional for anyone," Kallas said, referring to Russia's ongoing war in Ukraine and fears that Moscow may attack the EU.
The "defence roadmap" by the European Commission also proposes strengthening the EU's eastern borders and creating European air and space "shields".
Several European countries have faced repeated incursions into their airspace and US President Donald Trump has urged the EU to do more to defend itself.
Several Western intelligence agencies have warned that Russia could continue its westward aggression after the war in Ukraine is over.
"Danger will not disappear even when the war in Ukraine ends. It is clear we need to toughen our defences against Russia," Kallas told reporters in Brussels.
Although there seems little chance of the war ending soon, Trump was due to speak to Russian President Vladimir Putin later on Thursday, ahead of talks with Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelensky on Friday.
Trump has indicated that if Putin does not not move to end the war, the US could send Ukraine long-range Tomahawk missiles.
Standing alongside Kallas, European Defence Commissioner Andrius Kubilius stressed that "our roadmap shows all the major milestones to achieve defence readiness by 2030, so we can deter Russian aggression, prevent war and preserve peace".
It also urged the bloc to "close critical capability gaps" - including in air and missile defence, and artillery systems - "through joint development and procurement".
Many EU countries are also members of Nato and its chief, Mark Rutte, said they were working together to protect member states on the eastern flank from aerial threat.
The EU stressed its "flagship" projects would be developed in "close co-ordination" with Nato, and would not duplicate the Western defensive alliance's work.
No estimates were given to the overall cost, but Kubilius said "we're not talking here about hundreds of billions".
Reuters
Several EU states have already backed plans for multi-layered drone defences
The "defence roadmap" still needs to be approved by member states at a leaders' summit next week.
However, a number of EU states have already backed plans for a multi-layered "drone wall" to quickly detect, then track and destroy Russian drones.
Russia, which launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, said its planes were on a "scheduled flight... in strict compliance with international airspace regulations and did not violate the borders of other states".
A number of European politicians and military experts have said that Russia's aim is to test Nato's capabilities and and try to sow discord within the alliance.
Several Nato members reacted to the reported Russian incursions by sending troops, artillery, and air defence systems to secure the alliance's eastern flank.
Authorities say mourners gained access to restricted areas at the main airport
Operations have been suspended at Kenya's main airport after thousands of mourners turned out to receive the body of former Prime Minister Raila Odinga, a day after he died in India.
Large crowds of mourners carrying twigs and palm branches breached security at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) immediately after the body of the former leader arrived on Thursday morning.
Authorities said mourners gained access to restricted areas, prompting a "precautionary closure" to allow security teams to restore order and ensure safety.
"Members of the public and travellers are advised to remain calm and avoid the airport area until further notice," the aviation agency said.
Reuters
A seven-day period of mourning has been declared
Because of the unexpectedly huge crowds, the public viewing ceremony for his body has been moved to Nairobi's Moi International Sports Centre, rather than inside Parliament.
The 80-year-old former prime minister collapsed during a morning walk in India on Wednesday morning and he was taken to Devamatha Hospital, about 50km (30 miles) east of the port city of Kochi.
The hospital said he had suffered a cardiac arrest, did not respond to resuscitation measures and was "declared dead at 09:52" local time (04:22 GMT).
Kenyan politicians and world leaders have been sending their condolences, including Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who described Odinga as a "towering statesman and a cherished friend of India".
Kenya's President William Ruto said the veteran politician was a "beacon of courage" and "father of our democracy".
A seven-day period of mourning has been declared. Odinga will also be accorded a state funeral with full military honours, Ruto said.
Odinga spent many years as an opposition leader, losing five presidential campaigns, most recently three years ago.
Getty Images/BBC
Go to BBCAfrica.com for more news from the African continent.
A black bear in Iwate, northern Japan - one of two types of bear found in the country
The number of people killed by bears in Japan this year has reached a record high, the country's environment ministry has said.
Seven people have died since April - the highest since 2006 when data was first recorded - with fatalities mostly in north-eastern regions and the northern prefecture of Hokkaido.
A 60-year-old man cleaning an outdoor hot spring bath has gone missing what is suspected to be the latest incident.
Attacks by bears tend to surge in autumn before bears hibernate, with experts saying low yields of beech nuts because of climate change could be driving hungry animals into residential areas. Depopulation has also been cited as a factor.
iStock/Getty Images
A brown bear sighted at a house entrance in Hokkaido this year
The environmental ministry figures show the seven fatalities this year surpassed the five recorded in the year to April 2024.
About 100 other people have also been injured so far this year, up from 85 injuries and three fatalities, in the previous 12 months.
Investigators found human blood and bear fur at the scene of the latest suspected bear attack in the city of Kitakami in Iwate prefecture on Thursday.
It comes after it was confirmed that a man found dead last week in Iwate was killed by a bear.
Another recent incident took place in Numata, Gunma, north of Tokyo, when a 1.4m (4.5ft) adult bear entered a supermarket, lightly injuring two men, one in his 70s and another in his 60s.
The store is close to mountainous areas, but has never had bears come close before.
According to local media, the store's manager said about 30 to 40 customers were inside, and the bear became agitated as it struggled to find the exit.
The same day a farmer in Iwate region was scratched and bitten by a bear, accompanied by a cub, outside his house.
And earlier this month a Spanish tourist was attacked by a bear at a bus stop in the village of Shirakawa-go in central Japan.
Two types of bear are found in Japan - Asian black bears, and bigger brown bears which are found on the island of Hokkaido.
Greece's parliament has approved a contested labour bill that would allow 13-hour workdays, despite fierce opposition and nationwide strikes.
The government said it will modernise Greek labour laws, but a spokesperson for the left-wing opposition Syriza party called the bill a "legislative monstrosity".
Under the new law, annual overtime is also capped at 150 hours, and the standard 40-hour week remains in place.
The government insists that the longer workday is optional, only affects the private sector, and can only be applied up to 37 days a year.
Thursday's vote was backed by MPs from the ruling centre-right New Democracy party, with centre-left Pasok party - now the main opposition - voting against the bill, while the left-wing Syriza party abstained.
Unions have staged two general strikes demanding the bill's withdrawal this month that brought public transport and services to a standstill.
Labour Minister Niki Kerameus defended the bill, saying the reforms align Greek legislation with modern labour-market realities, and accused opposition leaders of misleading the public.
The laws will give workers the option to take on additional hours with the same employer for 40% higher pay, while ensuring they cannot be dismissed for refusing overtime.
This complies with European Union working-time rules, which limit the average week to 48 hours including overtime but allow flexibility over 12 months, the government said.
According to officials, the law gives employees the option to work longer for one employer rather than hold multiple part-time jobs, and that participation will remain voluntary.
But opposition parties have accused the government of eroding workers' rights and "pushing the country back to a labour middle age". They say Greek employees already work longer hours than most Europeans while earning less and still "struggle to make ends meet."
The public-sector union ADEDY said flexible working hours in practice mean "the abolition of the eight-hour day, the destruction of family and social life and the legalisation of over-exploitation," the AFP news agency reports.
New legislation, which came into effect at the start of July, allows employees to work up to 48 hours in a week as opposed to 40.
Across the EU in 2024, the longest working weeks in 2024 were recorded in Greece (39.8 hours), followed by Bulgaria (39.0), Poland (38.9) and Romania (38.8).
The shortest working week in the bloc is in the Netherlands (32.1), according to Eurostat.
As of January 2025, Greece's national minimum wage stood at €968 (£839, $1127) a month, placing it in the lower tier among EU countries.
Unemployment, which had peaked at 28% during the financial crisis, was 8.1% in August compared with an EU average of 5.9%, figures from Eurostat show.
Greece is recovering since its decade-long debt crisis, which ended in 2018, but wages and living standards remain among the lowest in the EU.
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