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Kyiv hit by barrage of drone strikes as Putin rejects Trump's truce bid

DSNS An elderly woman and man with ambulances and smoke in the sky behind themDSNS
The latest Russian attack broke another record with 550 missiles raining down on Ukraine overnight

A pall of acrid smoke hung over Kyiv on Friday morning following a night of intensive Russian strikes that hit almost every district of the capital, according to Ukrainian authorities.

The hours of darkness were once again punctuated by the staccato of air defence guns, buzz of drones and large explosions. Ukraine said Russia had fired a record 550 drones and 11 missiles during a long night of bombardment.

The strikes came hours after a phone call between Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin, after which the US president said he was "disappointed" that Putin was not ready to end Russia's war against Ukraine.

A woman was killed in Russia following Ukrainian drone attacks, officials said.

The acting governor of the southern Rostov region said she had been killed in a strike on village not far from the Ukrainian border.

Russia's overnight air strikes broke another record, Ukraine's air force said, with 72 of the 550 drones penetrating air defences - up from a previous record of 537 launched last Saturday night.

Air raid alerts sounded for more than eight hours as several waves of attacks struck Kyiv, the "main target of the strikes", the air force said on the messaging app Telegram.

Ukraine's foreign minister condemned "one of the worst" nights in the capital and said "Moscow must be slapped with the toughest sanctions without delay".

"Absolutely horrible and sleepless night in Kyiv. One of the worst so far," wrote Andrii Sybiha on X.

Noting that it came directly after Putin's call with Trump, Sybiha added that "[Putin] does it on purpose" and "clearly shows his disregard for the United States and everyone who has called for an end to the war".

Footage shared on social media by Ukraine's state emergency service showed firefighters battling to extinguish fires in Kyiv after Russia's large-scale overnight attack.

At least 23 people were wounded in the attacks on Kyiv, according to Ukrainian authorities, with railway infrastructure damaged and buildings and cars set ablaze across the capital.

Friday's attacks were the latest in a string of major Russian air strikes on Ukraine that have intensified in recent weeks as ceasefire talks have largely stalled.

War in Ukraine has been raging for more than three years since Russia launched its full-scale invasion in February 2022.

Following his conversation with Putin on Thursday, Trump said that "no progress" to end the fighting had been made.

"I'm very disappointed with the conversation I had today with President Putin, because I don't think he's there, and I'm very disappointed," Trump said.

"I'm just saying I don't think he's looking to stop, and that's too bad."

The Kremlin reiterated that it would continue to seek to remove "the root causes of the war in Ukraine". Putin has sought to return Ukraine to Russia's sphere of influence and said last week that "the whole of Ukraine is ours".

Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said that he hoped to speak to Trump on Thursday about the supply of US weapons after a decision in Washington to halt some shipments of critical weapons to Ukraine.

Kyiv has warned that the move would impede its ability to defend Ukraine against escalating airstrikes and Russian advances on the frontlines.

Speaking to reporters, Trump said "we're giving weapons" and "we haven't" completely paused the flow of weapons. He blamed former President Joe Biden for sending "so many weapons to Ukraine that it risked weakening US defences".

Sport agent Jonathan Barnett accused of rape in US lawsuit

Adam Fradgley - AMA/West Bromwich Albion FC via Getty Images Barnett with thinning white hair, wearing darkened glasses, a dark overcoat, white shirt and blue tie, stands in front of a microphone in 2018. Adam Fradgley - AMA/West Bromwich Albion FC via Getty Images
Barnett denies the woman's allegations that he kept her as a "sex slave"

High-profile British sports agent Jonathan Barnett has been accused of raping a woman more than 39 times, in a US lawsuit.

In a civil complaint lodged at a US district court in Los Angeles, the unnamed woman, referred to as "Jane Doe", says Mr Barnett "trafficked" her from Australia to the UK in 2017, "tortured" and kept her as a "sex slave" over a six year period.

She says Mr Barnett made "repeated threats to her life and the lives of her minor children".

The 75-year-old known for representing leading footballers including Gareth Bale and Jack Grealish, says the charges "have no basis in reality and are untrue".

"We will vigorously defend this lawsuit through the appropriate legal process. I am looking forward to being entirely vindicated and exonerated," a statement from his lawyers said.

Mr Barnett was ranked as the world's most powerful sports agent in 2019 by Forbes magazine.

The civil case was filed on Wednesday.

According to court documents, the pair first met in the 1990s through a professional athlete in London and reconnected online and then in person in 2017.

Within a matter of weeks she relocated to the UK with her teenage children - with sports agency CAA Stellar, headed by Mr Barnett, covering moving expenses.

The filing says that upon her arrival, he told her he "owned" her and raped her in a hotel room.

Mr Barnett went on to impose strict rules to obey him at all times, referring to him as "My Master" and to "never say it hurts", according to the lawsuit.

The complaint goes on to describe alleged degrading acts that included drinking urine or ingesting faeces.

The alleged torture also included the woman "tied up overnight without food or water".

She says she was "trafficked, threatened, tortured, and held" in bondage in different locations throughout the world, including Los Angeles, from 2017 to 2023.

"Realising she was powerless against a dangerous predator, Ms Doe submitted to Barnett in order to avoid being severely beaten or even killed," the lawsuit said.

"Jane Doe" is also suing Hollywood talent firm Creative Artists Agency and sports agency CAA Stellar, where Mr Barnett was executive chairman until his retirement last year.

The court documents state the CAA Stellar's parent companies, talent agencies ICM and CAA, "failed to find and/or willfully or recklessly disregarded" that substantial payments were made between 2017 and 2023, despite the woman not being an athlete or agent.

It is claimed Barnett referred to her as "slave" in emails sent from his work account.

Court documents say Mr Barnett used his "money and power to maintain coercive control" over the woman who was "in fear of her life and the lives of her children".

Lawyers for "Jane Doe" state the case is about "institutional abuse at the highest level".

They are seeking compensation on her behalf.

According to LA Times, CAA said it first heard of the woman's allegations last year when her lawyers made settlement demands - and the press inquired.

"While the complaint attempts to connect these allegations to CAA's business, Ms Doe has never been an employee, consultant, or contractor of CAA, ICM, or Stellar, nor has she ever had any business connection to CAA, ICM, or Stellar," CAA said in its statement.

"CAA takes any allegations of this nature seriously, and through counsel, promptly urged Ms Doe to contact law enforcement in the United Kingdom."

Trump gets major win now - but it comes with risks down the road

Anthony Zurcher: Passage of megabill is big win for Trump

Donald Trump has his first major legislative victory of his second presidential term.

The "big, beautiful bill", as he calls it, is a sprawling package that includes many key pieces of his agenda – delivering on promises he made on the campaign trail.

It also, however, contains the seeds of political peril for the president and his party.

That Trump and his team were able to shepherd the legislation through Congress despite narrow majorities in both the House of Representatives and the Senate is no small achievement.

His success required him and his allies to win over budget hawks within his Republican Party who were intent on slashing government spending, as well as centrists who were wary of cuts to social programmes.

When this congressional session started in January, there were doubts about whether House Republicans could even agree to return Congressman Mike Johnson to the speaker's chair, let alone agree on major pieces of legislation.

Agree they did, however – as did Republicans in the Senate, a notoriously unwieldy chamber.

Reuters US President Donald Trump holds a fist in the airReuters

The spending package approved by lawmakers directs about $150bn (£110bn) in new spending for border security, detention centres and immigration enforcement officers. Another $150bn is allocated for military expenditures, including the president's "gold dome" missile defence programme.

The really big numbers, however, are in the tax cuts in this legislation. They amount to more than $4.5tn over 10 years.

Some of these are cuts that were first enacted in Trump's first term, and were set to expire before the bill makes them permanent. Others, like ending taxes on tips and overtime, where 2024 campaign promises that are implemented by will end in 2028.

All this adds up to massive new debt for the US. The White House contends that the tax cuts will spur economic growth that will generate sufficient new revenue, when taken alongside tariff collections.

But outside projections suggest that this legislation will add more than $3tn in new US debt.

A pair of bar charts compare the estimated increases and savings in US federal spending from Trump's budget bill. The first bar chart shows the cumulative cost increases over 10 years. It highlights tax-cut extensions (worth $4.5tn), defence (worth $150bn) and borders (worth $129bn). The bar representing tax-cut extensions is much longer than any of the bars on the bar chart that shows total savings. This second bar chart highlights Medicaid (worth $930bn in savings), green energy (worth $488bn) and food benefits (worth $287bn)

As critics like Republican Senator Rand Paul of Kentucky have pointed out, the legislation raises the amount of new debt the federal government can issue by $5tn – a step that would not be necessary if the White House truly believed their budget projections.

Paul and others like tech multibillionaire Elon Musk have warned that this massive amount of debt will be growing burden on the federal government, as interest payments crowd out other spending and drive up interest rates. A fiscal reckoning is coming, they warn.

Another senator who voted against the legislation, Thom Tillis of North Carolina, had a different warning for Trump and his party. In a fiery speech on the floor of the chamber, he accused the president of breaking a promise to those who supported him - citing the bill's cuts worth approximately $1tn to Medicaid, a government-run health insurance programme for low-income Americans.

"Republicans are about to make a mistake on healthcare and betray a promise," he said, declaring that more than 660,000 people in North Carolina would be "pushed off" Medicaid.

Watch: Trump reacts to the Senate narrowly passing his "big, beautiful" bill

A year after Trump made inroads with working-class Americans, including minority voters who traditionally have supported opposing Democrats, his legislation will cause nearly 12 million Americans to lose Medicaid coverage in the next 10 years, according to the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office.

Democrats are already preparing an onslaught of attacks against Republicans for what they say is legislation that cuts social service in order to provide tax cuts to wealthier Americans.

Although those cuts won't come into effect until after next year's congressional midterm elections, Democrats will try to remind American voters of the consequences the decisions Republicans made over the past few weeks.

Trump is preparing what should be a celebratory bill signing ceremony on 4 July - American Independence Day - and will tout his ability to govern not just through executive order, but also through enacting new law.

But the fight to define the benefits – and consequences – of this bill is just beginning.

Katy Perry and Orlando Bloom confirm split

Reuters Katy Perry with Orlando Bloom at the Vanity Fair Oscars party. She is wearing a shoulderless silver dress, while he is wearing a traditional black and white tuxedo. Reuters
Katy Perry and Orlando Bloom have been romantically linked since 2016

Pop star Katy Perry and actor Orlando Bloom have officially confirmed they have split, US media outlets say, six years after getting engaged.

The couple have been romantically linked since 2016 and have a four-year-old daughter.

A joint statement said "representatives have confirmed that Orlando and Katy have been shifting their relationship over the past many months to focus on co-parenting," according to outlets including People magazine and USA Today.

"They will continue to be seen together as a family, as their shared priority is - and always will be - raising their daughter with love, stability and mutual respect."

The statement was being released due to the "abundance of recent interest and conversation" surrounding their relationship, it added.

The pop star, 40, and the 48-year-old actor split in 2017 but got back together shortly afterwards. They got engaged on Valentine's Day in 2019.

A year later Perry revealed she was pregnant in the music video for her single Never Worn White.

Their daughter Daisy Dove was born later that year, with Unicef announcing the news on its Instagram account. Both Perry and Bloom are goodwill ambassadors for the United Nations agency that helps children.

US singer Perry, who was previously married to Russell Brand, shot to fame in 2008 with the single I Kissed A Girl, which reached number one in the UK.

Her hits since then have included Roar, California Gurls, Firework and Never Really Over.

Bloom was previously married to Australian model Miranda Kerr, and they have a son, 14-year-old Flynn.

The British actor has starred in Pirates Of The Caribbean, The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit.

Roadblocks replace rallies as Serbian protesters demand new elections

Getty Images A woman in a white top and green trousers stands in front of riot police dressed in blackGetty Images

As Serbia's anti-corruption protests enter their ninth month, they show no sign of abating – and are instead changing in their leadership, composition and tactics.

At the climax of last weekend's 140,000-strong protest in Belgrade's Slavija Square the students who led the protests since November declared that they would no longer spearhead the rallies.

They had set a deadline of Saturday for the government to call for fresh elections.

When that was not met, they invited other groups to take on the protest mantle - and called for a campaign of "civil disobedience" from anyone opposed to the leadership of President Aleksandar Vucic and his long-governing Progressive Party (SNS).

Since then roadblocks have been popping up in cities across Serbia this week and people have been deploying dustbins, chairs and other improvised barriers to block junctions in major cities including Belgrade, Novi Sad and Nis. Local residents' associations - known as "citizens' assemblies" - have been heavily involved.

As soon as the police dismantle one blockade, another one pops up somewhere else.

Police crackdown triggers backlash

In recent days there have been dozens of arrests – along with complaints of excessive police force. A number of students were treated in hospital – one with a broken collarbone – after Gendarmerie members entered Belgrade University's Law Faculty on Wednesday.

Officers also arrested high school students, triggering a protest by parents in front of a central Belgrade police station until their children were released.

A striking range of voices have condemned the police conduct. Complaints by the journalists' association and the opposition Centre Party were matched by statements from the Bar Association and even Serbian Orthodox Church Archbishop Grigorije Duric. The EU, for its part, decried the "acts of hatred and violence" and called for calm.

Meanwhile, in Belgrade, the pop-up roadblocks continue – and so does the ensuing travel chaos for commuters.

One resident, while ruefully noting that she had to walk 5km (3 miles) to and from work, described the mood as more like a series of street parties than a protest.

But many observers doubt whether this approach will be any more effective than the months of rallies, faculty blockades and half-hearted general strikes.

The 2024 Novi Sad railway disaster

The protest movement started with a relatively simple purpose: to ensure accountability for last November's disaster at Novi Sad railway station, when a concrete canopy at the recently renovated facility in Serbia's second city collapsed, killing 16 people who were standing beneath it.

The outpouring of grief was instant – and the outrage swiftly followed.

Much of it has been directed at President Vucic.

A large section of Serbians have long been uneasy with his "strongman" style of leadership, since he came to power in 2012. But others have accepted his party's firm grip on state institutions and much of the media as a trade-off for strong economic growth and improvements in infrastructure.

The station disaster shattered that tacit agreement.

"We are all under the canopy" was one slogan frequently seen on banners in the early days of the protests. Others included "blood on your hands" and "corruption kills".

University students took leadership of the movement, demanding full transparency about the railway station project and the prosecution of those responsible for the disaster.

Months of protests eventually forced the resignation of Milos Vucevic as prime minister. But he was simply replaced by another Vucic appointee, Djuro Macut – and the protest movement has otherwise achieved little in terms of concrete results.

Getty Images A smashed window of the Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) office in Novi SadGetty Images
A smashed window of the Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) office in Novi Sad during this week's protests

No end in sight for protest movement

Still, the protests have now brought hundreds of thousands out into the streets and are galvanising large sections of society.

One opposition leader, Srdjan Milivojevic of the centre-left Democratic Party, compared the moment to the early 2000s, when the student-led protests against the notorious President Slobodan Milosevic "became a people's movement".

Then, a coalition of interest groups stood firm against Milosevic's attempts to manipulate the result of the September 2000 presidential election. Mass protests forced the president's resignation the following month and ushered in democracy in Serbia for the first time.

But despite efforts to invoke the "spirit of 5 October", the current situation is different. President Vucic and his party remain in a relatively comfortable position, with polls indicating that the SNS remains the most popular party.

In the aftermath of the last, big student-led rally, Mr Vucic declared that "Serbia won" in the face of an attempt to "overthrow the state".

The people blocking the roads in Serbia's cities view it differently. They are asking for change through the ballot box – even if it is far from clear who would run against the SNS. And the president insists there will be no elections before December next year.

So now it is perhaps a question of which side blinks first. And with temperatures already pushing towards 40C, it could be a simmering summer in more ways than one.

Congress passes Trump's 'big, beautiful bill' cutting taxes and spending

Watch: First comments from Trump since his megabill passed

The US Congress has passed Donald Trump's sprawling tax and spending bill in a significant and hard-fought victory for the president and his domestic agenda.

After a gruelling session on Capitol Hill, the House of Representatives passed the bill by a vote of 218 to 214 on Thursday afternoon. It was approved in the Senate on Tuesday by one vote.

Trump had given the Republican-controlled Congress a deadline of 4 July to send him a final version of the bill to sign into law.

The Congressional Budget Office estimates the bill could add $3.3tn (£2.4tn) to federal deficits over the next 10 years and leave millions without health coverage - a forecast that the White House disputes.

Speaking to reporters on Thursday evening, Trump said the bill would "turn this country into a rocket ship".

"This is going to be a great bill for the country," he said.

He is expected to sign it into law at a ceremony on the 4 July national holiday at 17:00 EDT (22:00 BST).

A triumphant Republican Speaker Mike Johnson emerged from the House after the vote and told reporters "belief" was key to rallying support within his party.

"I believed in the people that are standing here behind me... Some of them are more fun to deal with," he said. "I mean that with the greatest level of respect."

Among those he had to convince was Representative Chip Roy, a Texas Republican who was a firm "no" just days ago when the Senate passed its version of the bill. He called the Senate version a "travesty", but changed his mind by the time voting had begun.

Watch: Moment Trump's megabill passes final vote in the US House

"I feel like we got to a good result on key things," Roy said, although the House did not make any changes to the Senate bill.

While some Republicans, like Roy, had resisted the Senate version, only two lawmakers from Trump's own party voted "nay" on Thursday: Thomas Massie and Brian Fitzpatrick.

After Johnson announced that the legislation had passed the chamber by four votes, dozens of Republican lawmakers gathered on the House floor chanting "USA! USA!"

The bill's passage on Thursday was delayed by Democratic House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, who delivered the longest speech in the chamber's history.

His "magic minute" address, which is a custom that allows party leaders to speak for as long as they like, ran for eight hours and 45 minutes.

Jeffries pledged to take his "sweet time on behalf of the American people", decrying the bill's impact on poor Americans.

Watch: The moment Hakeem Jeffries ends record-breaking speech

The legislation makes savings through making cuts to food benefits and health care and rolling back tax breaks for clean energy projects.

It also delivers on two of Trump's major campaign promises - making his 2017 tax cuts permanent and lifting taxes on tips, overtime and Social Security recipients - at a cost of $4.5tn over 10 years.

About $150bn (£110bn) will be spent on border security, detention centres and immigration enforcement officers. Another $150bn is allocated for military expenditures, including the president's "gold dome" missile defence programme.

Democrats, who had used procedural manoeuvres to stall the House vote, were roundly critical of the final bill.

They portrayed it as taking health care and food subsidies away from millions of Americans while giving tax cuts to the rich.

A pair of bar charts compare the estimated increases and savings in US federal spending from Trump's budget bill. The first bar chart shows the cumulative cost increases over 10 years. It highlights tax-cut extensions (worth $4.5tn), defence (worth $150bn) and borders (worth $129bn). The bar representing tax-cut extensions is much longer than any of the bars on the bar chart that shows total savings. This second bar chart highlights Medicaid (worth $930bn in savings), green energy (worth $488bn) and food benefits (worth $287bn)

California's Nancy Pelosi, the former speaker, said "today ushers in a dark and harrowing time", and called the bill a "dangerous checklist of extreme Republican priorities".

North Carolina's Deborah Ross said: "Shame on those who voted to hurt so many in the service of so few."

While Arizona's Yassamin Ansari said she was "feeling really sad right now", while Marc Veasey of Texas labelled the Republican Party the party of "cowards, chaos and corruption".

The fate of the so-called 'big, beautiful bill' hung in the balance for much of Wednesday as Republican rebels with concerns about the impact on national debt held firm - prompting a furious missive from Trump.

"What are the Republicans waiting for??? What are you trying to prove??? MAGA IS NOT HAPPY, AND IT'S COSTING YOU VOTES!!!," he wrote on Truth Social just after midnight local time on Thursday.

Both chambers of Congress are controlled by Trump's Republican Party, but within the party several factions were at odds over key policies in the lengthy legislation.

In the early hours of Thursday, Republican leadership grew more confident, and a procedural vote on the bill passed just after 03:00 EDT (07:00 GMT).

The final vote on the bill would come almost 12 hours later, at 14:30 EDT (19:30 GMT).

Boxer Julio Cesar Chavez Jr arrested by US immigration

Watch: Julio Cesar Chavez Jr and Jake Paul weighed in before their boxing match in June

US immigration agents have arrested famed Mexican boxer Julio Cesar Chavez Jr, 39, and plan to deport him to Mexico where he has "an active arrest warrant... for his involvement in organised crime", US officials announced on Thursday.

Less than a week before his arrest, the former middleweight world champion was defeated by influencer-turned-boxer Jake Paul at a match in California.

US officials say he is affiliated with the notorious Mexican Sinaloa drug cartel. His lawyer denied the claims.

"Under President Trump, no one is above the law - including world-famous athletes," a spokeswoman for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said in a statement following his arrest.

Chavez Jr was arrested by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers in Studio City, Los Angeles, on Thursday.

His fight against Paul was in nearby Anaheim on Saturday. Chavez Jr is the son of former boxing champion Julio Cesar Chavez Sr, who is considered to be the best boxer in Mexico's history.

The DHS statement said that the "prominent Mexican boxer and criminal illegal alien" is being processed for "expedited removal" .

"Chavez is a Mexican citizen who has an active arrest warrant in Mexico for his involvement in organized crime and trafficking firearms, ammunition, and explosives," the statement said.

It added that officials believe that he may be affiliated with the Sinaloa Cartel, which President Donald Trump designated as a terrorist organisation on his first day back in office in January.

Describing the alleged connection, the statement says he applied for US permanent residency last year due to his marriage to a US citizen "who is connected to the Sinaloa Cartel through a prior relationship with the now-deceased son of the infamous cartel leader Joaquin 'El Chapo' Guzman".

According to US officials, Chavez Jr has been arrested and jailed for several offences in the US, many involving weapons.

In January 2024, he was arrested and later convicted for illegal possession of an assault weapon, officials said.

In 2023, a local judge in the US issued an arrest warrant against him for allegedly trafficking weapons for a criminal organisation. Nearly a decade earlier, in 2012, he was arrested for driving without a licence under the influence drugs or alcohol.

He also allegedly made multiple fraudulent statements to US immigration authorities in his attempts to gain permanent residency and over-stayed a tourist visa that expired last February.

A lawyer for Chavez Jr called his arrest "nothing more than another headline to terrorise the Latin community".

Asked about the allegations of a cartel connection, lawyer Michael Goldstein told NBC: "This is the first we've ever heard of these outrageous allegations."

Two weeks before the bout against Paul, Chavez Jr held a public workout in LA where he spoke to the LA Times about the massive uptick in immigration raids that have swept the city in the past month.

Getty Images Chavez Jr punching Jake Paul during a boxing matchGetty Images

He said that his own trainer was afraid to come to work, due to fear of deportation.

"I was even scared, to tell you the truth. It's very ugly," he said, accusing US immigration agents of "giving the community an example of violence".

"I'm from Sinaloa, where things are really ugly, and to come here, to such a beautiful country with everything... and see Trump attacking immigrants, Latinos, for no reason. Not being with God makes you think you know everything. Trump made a bad decision."

He added: "After everything that's happened, I wouldn't want to be deported."

Reservoir Dogs actor Michael Madsen dies aged 67

Getty Images Michael MadsenGetty Images

Hollywood actor Michael Madsen died in his California home on Thursday morning, US media reported. He was 67.

He was found unresponsive by authorities responding to a 911 call at his Malibu home and pronounced dead at 08:25 local time (BST), according to The Hollywood Reporter.

He is believed to have died of cardiac arrest, according to a representative.

Madsen was a prolific actor, best known for his roles in Quentin Tarantino movies Reservoir Dogs, Kill Bill: Vol. 2, The Hateful Eight and Once Upon a Time in Hollywood.

In one of the seminal movies of the 1990s, Tarantino's Reservoir Dogs, Madsen played psychotic thief Mr Blonde, who shocked audiences in a scene where he cut off a policeman's ear.

During a career spanning four decades, Madsen also took on a number of tv roles.

In both tv and film, he often portrayed the law enforcers like sheriffs and detectives, as well as the law breakers, such as a washed-out hitman in the Kill Bill franchise.

In recent years, he lent his voices to video games, including Grand Theft Auto III and the Dishonored series.

Russia becomes first state to recognise Afghanistan's Taliban government

Getty Images Afghanistan's Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi, with a long black beard, is in profile with a microphone directly in front of him. Getty Images
Afghanistan's Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi met with Russia's ambassador on Thursday

Russia has become the first country to formally recognise Taliban rule, with Afghanistan's Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi calling it a "courageous" decision.

He met Russia's ambassador to Afghanistan, Dmitry Zhirnov, in Kabul on Thursday, where Mr Zhirnov officially conveyed his government's decision to recognise the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan.

Muttaqi said it was "a new phase of positive relations, mutual respect, and constructive engagement", and that the shift would serve as "an example" to other countries.

The Taliban have sought international recognition and investment since they returned to power in August 2021, despite reports of increasing violations on human rights.

"We believe that the act of official recognition of the government of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan will give impetus to the development of productive bilateral cooperation between our countries," Russia's foreign ministry said in a statement.

It said Russia saw the potential for "commercial and economic" cooperation in "energy, transportation, agriculture and infrastructure", and that it would continue to help Kabul to fight against the threats of terrorism and drug trafficking.

Reuters A battered green police vehicle is driving down a tree-lined street, with five men hanging off the sides waving white flags with Arabic text on them. The men are cheering and wearing elements of military dress, and two of them have large guns strapped to their chests. Reuters
Members of the Taliban mark the third anniversary of the fall of Kabul in 2024

Russia was one of very few countries that did not close down their embassy in Afghanistan in 2021, and said on Telegram that "expanding the dialogue with Kabul" was critical in terms of regional security and economic development.

The country was also the first to sign an international economic deal with the Taliban in 2022, where they agreed to supply oil, gas and wheat to Afghanistan.

The Taliban was removed from Russia's list of terrorist organisations in April this year with the intention to pave the way for the establishment of a "full-fledged partnership" with Kabul, according to the Russian foreign ministry.

Russian President Vladimir Putin also referred to the Taliban as an "ally" in fighting terrorism in July last year, with representatives travelling to Moscow for talks as early as 2018.

The two countries have a complex history, after the Soviet Union invaded the country in 1979 and fought a nine-year war that cost them 15,000 personnel.

The decision to install a USSR-backed government in Kabul turned the Soviets into an international pariah, and they eventually withdrew from Afghanistan in February 1989.

Western governments and humanitarian organisations have widely condemned the Taliban government, in particular for their implementation of Sharia, which places heavy restrictions on women and girls.

In the past four years, women have been barred from accessing secondary and higher education, are unable to leave their homes without a male chaperone and are subject to strict dress codes.

Legislation has become increasingly restrictive, with the latest installation of 'virtue' laws banning women from speaking outside of their home.

The United Nations has said the rules amount to "gender apartheid", while also reporting public floggings and brutal attacks on former government officials.

Strict sanctions were placed on Afghanistan in 2021 by the United Nations Security Council, most notably the freezing of approximately $9bn in assets.

While China, the United Arab Emirates, Uzbekistan and Pakistan have all designated ambassadors to Kabul, Russia is now the only country to recognise the Taliban government since their return to power almost four years ago.

American teen pilot detained on small island in Antarctica

Getty Images Three penguins on an iceberg at King George islandGetty Images
King George island is part of the the continent of Antarctica, and is claimed by Chile

An American teenager has been detained on an Antarctic island, creating a major delay in his attempt to fly his small plane to every continent that is being followed online by more than a million people.

Chilean authorities stopped Ethan Guo, 19, after he submitted a false flight plan, according to the BBC's US partner CBS News.

His deviation from that plan in the air had "activated alert protocols", Chile's General Directorate of Civil Aeronautics said in a statement.

Mr Guo was taken into custody after landing on King George Island, home to a number of international research stations and their staffs, where July temperatures typically stay well below freezing.

Mr Guo's small Cessna 182 aircraft took off from the city of Punta Arenas, near the southernmost point of Chile, and flew to the island off the Atlantic coast, which is claimed by Chile. It is named after England's King George III.

He was detained at Teniente R. Marsh airport.

Mr Guo had allegedly submitted a plan to fly over Punta Arenas, but not beyond that, according to regional prosecutor Cristian Cristoso Rifo, as cited by CBS.

He has been charged for violating two articles of the country's aeronautical code, including one that could lead to short-term imprisonment.

In the statement, Chile's General Directorate of Civil Aeronautics said Mr Guo had also allegedly violated the Antarctic Treaty, which regulates international relations with respect to the uninhabited continent.

Mr Guo posted an update on X on Wednesday, saying: "I'm alive everyone, I'll make an update soon."

Ethan Guo has flown his Cessna aircraft to all the other six continents in his journey spanning more than 140 days, according to his social media feed.

He is hoping to become the first pilot to complete solo flights across all seven continents in the Cessna aircraft, and simultaneously aims to raise $1m (£ 731,000) for cancer research at the St. Jude Children's Research Hospital.

Gaza aid contractor tells BBC he saw colleagues fire on hungry Palestinians

SUPPLIED View from inside a GHF aid distribution centreSUPPLIED
The contractor shared footage from inside a GHF site with the BBC

A former security contractor for Gaza's controversial new Israel- and US-backed aid distribution sites has told the BBC that he witnessed colleagues opening fire several times on hungry Palestinians who had posed no threat, including with machine guns.

On one occasion, he said, a guard had opened fire from a watchtower with a machine gun because a group of women, children and elderly people was moving too slowly away from the site.

When asked to respond the GHF said the allegations were categorically false.

They referred us to a statement saying that no civilians ever came under fire at the GHF distribution sites.

The GHF began its operations in Gaza at the end of May, distributing limited aid from several sites in southern and central Gaza. That followed an 11-week total blockade of Gaza by Israel during which no food entered the territory.

The system has been widely criticised for forcing vast numbers of people to walk through active combat zones to a handful of sites. Since the GHF started up, Israeli forces have killed more than 400 Palestinians trying to retrieve food aid from its sites, the UN and local doctors say. Israel says the new distribution system stops aid going to Hamas.

Continuing his description of the incident at one of the GHF sites - in which he said guards fired on a group of Palestinians - the former contractor said: "As that happened, another contractor on location, standing on the berm overlooking the exit, opened up with 15 to 20 shots of repetitive weapons fire at the crowd.

"A Palestinian man dropped to the ground motionless. And then the other contractor who was standing there was like, 'damn, I think you got one'. And then they laughed about it."

The contractor, who spoke to us on condition of anonymity, said GHF managers had brushed off his report as a coincidence, suggesting that the Palestinian man could have "tripped" or been "tired and passed out".

The GHF claimed the former contractor who made these allegations is a "disgruntled former contractor" who they had terminated for misconduct, which he denies. He showed us payslips suggesting that he continued to be paid for two weeks after leaving the post.

SUPPLIED a congested queue of people in a fenced in corridor near a GHF site in GazaSUPPLIED
Supplied footage showed long queues of aid seekers in a fenced corridor

The man we spoke to, who said he had worked at all four of the GHF distribution sites, described a culture of impunity with few rules or controls.

He said contractors were given no clear rules of engagement or standard operating procedures, and were told by one team leader: "if you feel threatened, shoot – shoot to kill and ask questions later".

The culture in the company, he said, felt like "we're going into Gaza so it's no rules. Do what you want."

"If a Palestinian is walking away from the site and not demonstrating any hostile intent, and we're shooting warning shots at them regardless, we are wrong, we are criminally negligent," he told me.

He told us that each site had site CCTV monitoring activity there, and GHF insistence that no one there had been hurt or shot at was "an absolute bare-faced lie".

GHF said that gunfire heard in footage shared with the BBC was coming from Israeli forces.

Team leaders referred to Gazans as "zombie hordes", the contractor told me, "insinuating that these people have no value."

The former contractor also said Palestinians were coming to harm in other ways at GHF sites, for example by being hit by debris from stun grenades, being sprayed with mace or being pushed by the crowds into razor wire.

He said he himself had witnessed several occasions in which Palestinians appeared to have been seriously hurt, including one man who had a full can of pepper spray in his face, and a woman who he says was hit with the metal part of a stun grenade, improperly fired into a crowd.

"This metal piece hit her directly in the head and she dropped to the ground, not moving," he said. "I don't know if she was dead. I know for a fact she was unconscious and completely limp."

Reuters  Palestinians gather to collect what remains of relief supplies from the distribution center of the U.S.-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, in Rafah, in the southern Gaza Strip. Empty cardboard boxes litter the arid ground. Reuters
The GHF operation has been criticised for forcing people to walk through active combat zones

Earlier this week more than 170 charities and other NGOs called for the GHF to be shut down. The organisations, including Oxfam and Save the Children, say Israeli forces and armed groups "routinely" open fire on Palestinians seeking aid.

Israel denies its soldiers deliberately shoot at aid recipients and says the GHF's system provides direct assistance to people who need it, bypassing Hamas interference.

The GHF says it had delivered more than 52 million meals in five weeks and that other organisations "stand by helplessly as their aid is looted".

The Israeli military launched a campaign in Gaza in response to Hamas's 7 October 2023 attack on Israel, in which about 1,200 people were killed and 251 others were taken hostage.

At least 57,130 people have been killed in Gaza since then, according to the territory's Hamas-run health ministry.

Additional reporting by Gidi Kleiman and Samantha Granville

Death of Liverpool forward Jota leaves football world in shock

Death of Liverpool forward Jota leaves football world in shock

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Watch Diogo Jota's best career moments

  • Published

The death of Liverpool and Portugal forward Diogo Jota in a car crash aged 28 has left the football world in shock.

Jota and his brother, Andre Silva, both died after the Lamborghini they were travelling in crashed in the Spanish province of Zamora.

BBC Sport has been told the 28-year-old was on his way to return to Liverpool for pre-season training by ferry because he had undergone minor surgery so doctors advised him against flying.

Jota married his long-term partner Rute Cardoso, with whom he had three children, just 11 days ago.

Liverpool said his death is a "tragedy that transcends" the club, while fans gathered outside Anfield to lay tributes.

Reds manager Arne Slot said Jota was "the essence of what a Liverpool player should be".

BBC Sport understands a wake for Jota and his brother will take place on Friday afternoon before their funeral on Saturday in Porto, Portugal.

What happened?

Map showing the province of Zamora, in Spain, the highway A-52 and the town of Cernadilla, where Diogo Jota’s car crashed
Image caption,

Map showing the province of Zamora, in Spain, the highway A-52 and the town of Cernadilla, where Diogo Jota's car crashed

Jota and 25-year-old Silva, also a professional footballer for Portuguese second-tier club Penafiel, were killed after their car left the road because of a tyre blowout that occurred while overtaking another vehicle.

The Guardia Civil told BBC Sport both men died at about 00:30 local time on Thursday.

With Jota intending to return to Liverpool by boat, this is understood to mean he was travelling by car from Porto to take a ferry from Santander in northern Spain.

There are ferry routes from Santander to Plymouth and Portsmouth in the south of England.

Zamora, close to the Portuguese border, is about 190 miles from Porto and a similar distance from the port.

It is understood Jota had also travelled by road and sea to get to Porto for his wedding.

Liverpool and Ronaldo lead tributes

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Some Diogo Jota's best Premier League goals

Liverpool led the tributes to Jota, saying the club was "devastated" by such an "unimaginable loss".

He scored 65 goals in 182 appearances for Liverpool, helping them win the FA Cup and League Cup in 2022 and the Premier League title last season.

The club put out further statements later on Thursday, with boss Slot paying tribute to a player who had become "a loved one to all" at the club.

The Dutchman added: "Someone who made others feel good about themselves just by being with them. A person who cared deeply for his family."

Slot said he last spoke to Jota to congratulate him on Portugal winning the Nations League and wish him luck for his wedding.

"In many ways, it was a dream summer for Diogo and his family, which makes it all the more heartbreaking that it should end like this," he added.

Slot said Liverpool and their supporters are "all with" Jota's family and the "the same can be said of the wider family of football".

A statement from the the club's owners and leadership group, Billy Hogan, John Henry, Tom Werner and Mike Gordon, said they have been left "numb with grief" as they offered condolences to Jota's family.

They added: "Beyond the player that we all knew was a wonderfully humble human being, he was sincere, intelligent, funny, tough and created connections with people everywhere he went. He had a zest for life that was utterly contagious."

Liverpool sporting director Richard Hughes and Fenway Sports Group chief executive of football Michael Edwards said in statement: "This is a tragedy that transcends Liverpool football club."

They added the club will look to honour Jota with the "respect and affection" he deserves in the coming days, but for now "express a love that is filled with deep sorrow and pain" after losing someone "truly irreplaceable".

Jota had previously played for Pacos de Ferreira, Atletico Madrid, Porto and Wolves - for whom he netted 44 goals in 131 games - before joining Liverpool in 2020.

His final match was for Portugal in their Uefa Nations League final win against Spain. He scored 14 goals in 49 internationals.

Portugal captain Cristiano Ronaldo wrote on social media: "It doesn't make sense. Just now we were together in the national team, you had just got married."

Five-time Ballon d'Or winner Ronaldo sent his condolences to Jota's family, wife and children, and added: "I know you will always be with them. Rest in Peace, Diogo e Andre. We will miss you."

Jurgen Klopp, the former Liverpool manager who signed Jota for the Reds, said he was "heartbroken".

"Diogo was not only a fantastic player, but also a great friend, a loving and caring husband and father," the German coach posted on Instagram.

"We will miss you so much."

Fans gather at Anfield

Tributes left by fans at AnfieldImage source, Getty Images
Image caption,

Tributes left by fans at Anfield

Thousands of football fans gathered at Liverpool's home ground Anfield on Thursday to pay their respects.

They laid tributes at the club's Hillsborough disaster memorial, with a sea of flowers, football shirts, scarves, balloons and flags outside the stadium.

Lifelong fan John Barlow from Leyland in Lancashire, a survivor of the Hillsborough disaster in 1989, said he was "absolutely devastated" when the news broke and had to stop what he was doing at work to travel to Anfield.

Jota was a fan favourite, respected as a tenacious player on the pitch but also known to supporters as a laid-back and outgoing character off the pitch.

"The success that he has helped bring to this city will never be forgotten", said Steve Rotheram, Metro Mayor of the Liverpool City Region.

Liverpool have opened physical and digital books of condolence and supporters and members of the public can sign the physical book at Anfield , externalfrom Thursday until Sunday.

Dozens killed in Gaza as Israel intensifies bombardment, rescuers say

Reuters Mourners react during the funeral of Palestinians reportedly killed in an overnight Israeli strike on a tent in southern Gaza, at Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis (3 July 2025)Reuters
Women and children were said to have been killed in an Israeli strike on a tent in southern Gaza

At least 69 people have been killed by Israeli fire across Gaza on Thursday, rescuers say, as Israel intensified its bombardment of the Palestinian territory.

One air strike killed 15 people at a school-turned-shelter for displaced families in Gaza City, according to the Hamas-run Civil Defence agency. The Israeli military said it targeted a "key" Hamas operative based there.

The Civil Defence also reported that 38 people were killed while queueing for aid, or on their way to pick it up. The military said such reports of extensive casualties were "lies".

It comes as pressure mounts on both Israel and Hamas to agree to a new ceasefire and hostage release deal being pushed by US President Donald Trump.

Trump announced on Tuesday that Israel had agreed to the "necessary conditions" to finalize a 60-day ceasefire. However, there are still obstacles that could prevent a quick agreement.

Hamas has said it is studying the proposals - the details of which have still not been made public - but that it still wants an end to the war and an Israeli withdrawal from Gaza.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who will travel to Washington on Monday, has meanwhile insisted that the Palestinian armed group must be eliminated.

On Thursday, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said its aircraft had struck around 150 "terror targets" across Gaza over the previous 24 hours, including fighters, tunnels and weapons.

Gaza's Hamas-run health ministry said 118 people had been killed during the same period.

Fifteen people, most of them women and children, were killed when a school housing displaced families in the al-Rimal neighbourhood of Gaza City was struck before dawn on Thursday, the Hamas-run Civil Defence agency and medics said.

Witness Wafaa al-Arqan told Reuters news agency: "Suddenly, we found the tent collapsing over us and a fire burning... What can we do? Is it fair that all these children burned?"

The IDF said it struck a "key Hamas terrorist" who was operating in a "command-and-control centre" in Gaza City, without mentioning the school.

The IDF added that it took numerous steps to mitigate the risk of harming civilians and accused Hamas of using human shields - an allegation the group has repeatedly denied.

At least another five displaced people were reportedly killed when a tent was struck overnight in the southern al-Mawasi area, where the IDF has told residents of areas affected by its evacuation orders to head for their own safety.

Ashraf Abu Shaba, who lived in a neighbouring tent, said he saw the bodies of children and women wrapped in blankets afterwards.

"The occupation [Israel] claims there are safe zones, but there are no safe zones. Every place is a target... The situation is unbearable," he added.

Later, Civil Defence spokesman Mahmoud Bassal told AFP news agency that another 38 people were killed by Israeli forces while seeking aid.

He said 25 were killed near the Israeli military's Netzarim corridor in central Gaza. Six died at another location nearby, while seven were killed in the southern Rafah area, he added.

Medics at Nasser hospital in the southern city of Khan Younis separately told Reuters that at least 20 people were killed while making their way to an aid distribution centre.

There was no direct response to the reports from the IDF.

Reuters Palestinian men are treated after reportedly being shot by Israeli forces while trying to collect aid in southern Gaza, at Nasser hospital, Khan Younis (3 July 2025)Reuters
Nasser hospital treated Palestinians men reportedly shot by Israeli forces while seeking aid

Last week, the IDF said it was examining reports of civilians being harmed while approaching sites in southern and central Gaza run by the US- and Israel-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF).

On Thursday, IDF spokesman Brig-Gen Effie Defrin acknowledged at a briefing that Israeli forces were facing a "complex challenge" and drawing "lessons from every incident to prevent similar cases in the future".

But he declared: "The reports of allegations of extensive casualties in the aid distribution centres are lies."

There have been reports of deadly incidents near the distribution sites almost every day since the GHF began operating on 26 May.

According to Gaza's health ministry, at least 408 people have been killed near GHF centres over the past five weeks. Another 175 people have been killed seeking aid elsewhere, including along routes used by UN aid convoys, it says.

The GHF, which uses US private security contractors, said "distribution at all sites ran smoothly" on Thursday and that it had now handed out more than one million boxes of food.

The GHF also rejected as "categorically false" allegations from a former security contractor, who told the BBC that he witnessed colleagues opening fire on civilians waiting for aid.

The UN and other aid groups refuse to co-operate with the GHF, saying its new system contravenes fundamental humanitarian principles.

The US and Israel say the GHF's system will prevent aid being stolen by Hamas.

The Israeli military launched a campaign in Gaza in response to Hamas's 7 October 2023 attack on Israel, in which about 1,200 people were killed and 251 others were taken hostage.

At least 57,130 people have been killed in Gaza since then, according to the territory's health ministry.

Austria to change two streets named after Nazi supporters

LightRocket via Getty Images A large flat stone with a German inscription engraved into it. It takes up most of the image but behind it is a buliding.LightRocket via Getty Images
A stone from the Mauthausen concentration camp now stands outside Hitler's birthplace and reads: "For peace, freedom and democracy. Never again fascism. Millions dead are a warning."

Two streets in Adolf Hitler's hometown in Austria are to be renamed following longstanding complaints that they commemorate Nazis, officials say.

The council of Braunau am Inn made the decision on Wednesday after a "secret vote", according to local media. It followed a report, commissioned by the local government, which concluded that keeping the names was unconstitutional.

The streets are named after composer Josef Reiter and entertainer Franz Resl, both of whom were members of the Nazi party.

About 200 households will get a new address after the names are changed.

The Austrian government has long been criticised by historians for the way it has acknowledged its part in World War Two, and in particular for positioning itself as a victim rather than a participant.

The move to rename the streets has been welcomed as a "decision with symbolic significance" by the committee that oversees the Mauthausen concentration camp in northern Austria, where at least 90,000 prisoners were killed between 1938–1945.

Committee chairman Willi Mernyi told local media that they had "worked hard for this", and thanked all who supported them.

Robert Eiter, a committee member, added that they had suggested the names be changed to honour Austrians who actively opposed the Nazis - former deputy mayor Lea Olczak, whose father died in Mauthausen, and Maria Stromberger, who joined the resistance while working as the head nurse at Auschwitz concentration camp in Poland.

Many streets in Austria have already been renamed due to their Nazi associations, including one honouring Ferdinand Porsche, founder of the luxury car company, in the city of Linz - but 80 years on since the end of the war, others still remain.

Around 65,000 Austrian Jews were killed in the Holocaust during World War Two, when the Nazi party, led by Adolf Hitler, worked to eradicate Europe's Jewish population, as well as the Slavic and Roma population.

During the war, the Nazi regime systematically murdered more than six million Jewish people.

UN expert calls for companies to stop doing business with Israel

Reuters Israeli soldiers in a tank near the Gaza border (file photo)Reuters
The report called out companies which sell technology and weapons to Israel

A United Nations expert has called on dozens of multinational companies to stop doing business with Israel, warning them they risk being complicit in war crimes in Gaza and the occupied West Bank.

Francesca Albanese, presenting her report to the UN human rights council, described what she called "an economy of genocide" in which the conflict with Hamas provided a testing ground - with no accountability or oversight - for new weapons and technology.

Israel has rejected her report as "groundless", saying it would "join the dustbin of history".

UN experts, or special rapporteurs, are independent of the UN, but appointed by it to advise on human rights matters.

Ms Albanese is an international lawyer from Italy, and she is known for her bluntness; in previous reports she has suggested that Israel is committing genocide in Gaza.

On Thursday she repeated that claim, accusing Israel of "committing one of the cruellest genocides in modern history".

In this report Ms Albanese names companies she says are profiting from, and therefore complicit in, war crimes in Gaza.

Her list includes arms manufacturer Lockheed Martin for selling weapons, and tech firms Alphabet, IBM, Microsoft and Amazon for providing technology which allows Israel to track and target Palestinians.

She also lists Caterpillar, Hyundai, and Volvo, which her report claims have supplied vehicles used for demolishing homes and flattening bombed communities.

Financial institutions are included too - Ms Albanese claims banks BNP Paribas and Barclays have been underwriting Israeli treasury bonds throughout the conflict.

The BBC has approached the companies named above for comment.

Lockheed Martin said foreign military sales were government-to-government transactions, and discussions were best addressed by the US government.

Volvo said it did not share Ms Albanese's criticism which it believes was based on "insufficient and partly incorrect information". It added that it is committed to respecting human rights and constantly works to strengthen its due diligence. But it said that since its products have a long life and change hands often "there is unfortunately a limit to how much control or influence we can have on how and where our products are used during their lifetime".

For the companies named, the business is lucrative, the report says, and helps Israel to continue the war. Ms Albanese says all the companies should stop dealing with Israel immediately.

But how likely is that? UN reports like this one have no legal power, but they do attract attention.

Ms Albanese is, in targeting economic ties, trying to remind multinationals, and governments, of what happened with apartheid South Africa.

For a while many businesses made good money trading with South Africa, but the injustice of apartheid attracted global condemnation and UN sanctions which forced disinvestment and, eventually, helped to end the apartheid regime.

By listing companies which are household names, Ms Albanese is probably also hoping to provide millions of consumers worldwide with information they can use when choosing whether or not to buy something, as they did with South Africa.

But the suggestion they are complicit in possible genocide is the one the multinationals themselves may take most seriously. The law on genocide is strict, it needs to be determined by a court of law, and in fact the International Court of Justice is currently considering a case against Israel on this very question, brought by South Africa.

Complicity is defined as a person or entity having engaged in actions whose foreseeable results may have contributed to genocide, but without having personally intended to commit genocide.

This is an accusation that Ms Albanese suggests could be levelled against businesses selling anything that might contribute to Israel's war effort. It is known that international lawyers have privately advised European governments that continued arms sales to Israel may lead to charges of complicity.

Israel, which has long accused Ms Albanese of being extremely hostile to it, and even antisemitic, has rejected her latest report as "groundless, defamatory and a flagrant abuse of office".

Israel denies genocide, claiming the right of self-defence against Hamas.

But when Ms Albanese presented her report to UN member states, she received primarily praise and support.

African, Asian, and Arab states backed her call for disinvestment, many agreed that genocide was taking place, and some also warned Israel against vilifying international lawyers like Ms Albanese for doing their job.

European states, traditionally more supportive of Israel, also condemned the denial of aid to Gaza, and said Israel had a legal responsibility, as the occupying power, to ensure Palestinians had the means to survive.

But Israel's biggest ally, the United States, left the UN Human Rights Council when President Donald Trump took office in January. Washington's response to the report has simply accused Ms Albanese, whose team contacted US companies for information about their dealings with Israel, of an "unacceptable campaign of political and economic warfare against the American and worldwide economy".

It's unlikely the US administration will pay much more attention to the words of one international lawyer. But the big US companies named in her report, listening to the condemnation from so many countries where they have financial interests, may start to question their ties with Israel.

Angélique Kidjo first black African to get Hollywood Walk of Fame star

Corbis via Getty Images Angélique Kidjo sings into a microphone with her eyes closed. She wears gold hoop earrings, red lipstick and a brown headscarf.Corbis via Getty Images

Musical icon Angélique Kidjo has become the first black African performer to be selected for a star on the prestigious Hollywood Walk of Fame.

Kidjo, who comes from the West African country of Benin and has won five Grammy awards, was among the 35 names announced as part of the Walk of Fame's class of 2026 list.

The 64-year-old was hailed as Africa's "premier diva" during a press conference announcing the list on Wednesday.

Singer Miley Cyrus, actor Timothée Chalamet, actress Demi Moore and former basketball player Shaquille O'Neal are also among those set to be honoured with a star on Los Angeles' famous walk.

Kidjo receives the honour after making music for more than four decades and releasing 16 albums.

The songstress has won fans across the world with her commanding voice and ability to fuse West African styles with the likes of funk, jazz and R&B.

Her long list of collaborators includes forces such as Burna Boy, Philip Glass, Sting and Alicia Keys.

Kidjo joins Charlize Theron, a white South African actress, in representing Africa on the Walk of Fame. Theron received her star in 2005.

The date on which Kidjo will see her star unveiled on the Walk of Fame has not yet been announced.

After recipients have been selected for a star, they have two years to schedule induction ceremonies.

Kidjo grew up in Benin, but left for Paris in 1983, citing oppression from the country's then communist government.

"From the moment the communist regime arrived in Benin, I became aware that the freedom we enjoy can be snatched away in a second," she told the BBC in 2023.

She said she has been driven by curiosity since childhood, adding: "my nickname was 'when, why, how?'. I want to understand things, to understand my place in this world."

Kidjo worked as a backing singer in France before striking out as a solo artist in 1990, with the album Parakou.

She is a Unicef and Oxfam goodwill ambassador, and has her own charity, Batonga, which is dedicated to supporting the education of young girls in Africa.

More about African music from the BBC:

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

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

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Bear kills motorcyclist in Romanian mountains

Salvamont Argeș Rescue workers pictured on the edge of a hilltop pathway. They are holding ropes which they are using to hoist up the victim, who is not pictured. Salvamont Argeș
Emergency workers at the scene of the attack

A man has died after he was attacked by a bear in one of Romania's most scenic mountain regions.

The victim, who had been riding a motorcycle, stopped at a popular tourist area on the Transfagarasan road on Tuesday morning, authorities said.

The bear dragged him down a steep ravine with an elevation drop of around 80 metres (262ft), they added.

"Unfortunately, he was already dead when we arrived," Ion Sanduloiu, head of the Arges County Mountain Rescue Service, told the BBC.

"The injuries were extremely severe. Even though he was wearing a helmet and full protective gear, it wasn't enough."

Sanduloiu said the victim had parked his bike next to a sign that warned not to feed the bears.

"My advice is simple: do not stop, do not feed them, and keep your distance," he added.

The animal has not yet been euthanised, officials said. An investigation into the incident is ongoing.

Romania is home to the largest brown bear population in the European Union.

Human-bear encounters have increased in recent years, with several fatal incidents prompting calls for clearer regulations and investment into prevention strategies.

Recent genetic population studies conducted by Romania's environment ministry estimated the country's brown bear population to be between 10,400 and 12,800 - significantly higher than previous counts.

Former environment minister Mircea Fechet considered the optimal sustainable population to be around 4,000 bears - roughly one-third of the current estimate.

Fechet has proposed simplifying laws to allow local authorities to take more immediate action, including the ability to euthanise bears that enter residential areas.

The ministry also plans to introduce risk zone maps to better manage bear populations, balancing conservation efforts with public safety.

Conservationists say the death reflects deeper structural problems in Romania's wildlife management.

Gabriel Paun, founder of the environmental NGO Agent Green, which campaigns for wildlife protection and against illegal logging, said the issue was mismanagement, not overpopulation.

"The recurring tragedies on the Transfagarasan road are the result of multiple failures: tourists stopping to interact with wild animals, local authorities not doing enough to drive bears back into the forest, and the national government – particularly the environmental ministry – failing to properly implement the national plan for coexistence between wildlife and humans," he said.

Paun said the bear population was threatened by "climate change, habitat destruction and human persecution", adding that Romania has become a "key destination" for international trophy hunters.

Sanduloiu believes stronger deterrents are needed to prevent further loss of life.

"The solution is simple, in my opinion: higher fines and even prison sentences for those who stop to feed the bears," he said.

Kilmar Ábrego García alleges torture and abuse in El Salvador prison

Reuters Kilmar Ábrego García in a black Chicago Bulls hatReuters
Kilmar Ábrego García was returned to the US in June to face human trafficking charges

A Maryland man who was mistakenly deported to El Salvador and detained in one of that country's most notorious prisons was subjected to "severe beatings" and "torture", new court documents allege.

Lawyers for Kilmar Ábrego García, 29, alleged that assaults from guards left him with visible injuries within a day of his arrival at the CECOT prison.

The Trump administration had previously alleged Mr Ábrego García was a member of the Salvadorian gang, MS-13, which his lawyers and family have strongly denied.

While officials initially said Mr Ábrego García could never return to the US, in June he was extradited to Tennessee to face human trafficking charges - to which he has pleaded not guilty.

According to new court documents filed on Wednesday as part of a lawsuit his wife brought against the Trump administration, Mr Ábrego García and 20 other detainees were repeatedly beaten when they arrived at El Salvador's Terrorism Confinement Centre, or Cecot.

Once there, according to the documents, Mr Ábrego García and 20 other deported inmates "were confined to metal bunks with no mattresses in an overcrowded cell with no windows, bright lights that remained on 24 hours a day, and minimal access to sanitation".

Mr Ábrego García has also alleged that he and the other prisoners were "forced to kneel" from 9 PM to 6 AM, "with guards striking anyone who fell from exhaustion".

At one point, guards allegedly threatened to confine him with gang members who would "tear" him apart.

His mistreatment led to him losing 30lbs (14kg) within the first two weeks of his incarceration in El Salvador, according to the complaint.

The Trump administration has asked the federal judge in Maryland overseeing the case to dismiss the lawsuit, arguing that it was overtaken by events after Mr Ábrego García was returned to the US. The lawsuit was filed by Mr Ábrego García's wife after his deportation.

Mr Ábrego García first entered the US illegally in 2011 and was granted protection from deportation by an immigration judge in 2019 because it was determined he might face danger from gangs if returned to his native El Salvador.

But in March 2025 the Maryland resident was deported and initially held in El Salvador's Cecot mega-prison, in what Trump administration officials later admitted was a mistake. A judge ordered the government to "facilitate" his return, but White House officials initially refused to bring him back.

Following his return to face charges in June, Attorney General Pam Bondi said that "this is what American justice looks like".

He has denied any wrongdoing, and his attorneys have called the trafficking charges "preposterous".

In late June, a federal judge in Tennessee ruled that Mr Ábrego García is eligible for release, but he has remained in jail over fears from his own legal team that he could be swiftly deported again if he leaves the facility.

US Supreme Court to review bans on trans athletes in female sports

Getty Images  A transgender rights supporter takes part in a rally outside of the U.S. Supreme Court as the high court hears arguments in a case on transgender health rights on December 04, 2024 in Washington, DC. She is wearing a face-mask with the pride flag on it, and is waving a giant transgender flag. Getty Images

The US Supreme Court has agreed to review whether state laws can ban transgender athletes from competing in women's and girls' sports.

The case concerns laws in Idaho and West Virginia, where two transgender students won injunctions from lower courts allowing them to continue competing.

How the top court rules could have significant implications across the country.

It comes two weeks after the conservative majority court upheld a Tennessee law that bans gender transition care for young people - a ruling that some advocates say delivered a major blow to transgender rights in the US.

The Supreme Court will review the cases of Becky Pepper-Jackson, 15, and Lindsay Hecox, 24, who successfully challenged state bans in West Virginia and Idaho by arguing they were discriminatory.

Idaho was the first state to pass a law prohibiting transgender athletes from competing in women and girls' sports. Two dozen other states have since followed.

Ms Hecox, a long distance runner, lodged a legal challenge against the Idaho law in 2020 shortly after it was enacted. She was later granted an injunction by both a district court and an appeals court.

State lawmaker Barbara Ehardt, who introduced the law, said at the time of its passing that it would ensure "boys and men will not be able to take the place of girls and women in sports because it's not fair".

But in the appeals ruling, a panel of three judges found that the Idaho law violated constitutional rights, and that the state had "failed" to provide evidence that the law protects "sex equality and opportunity for women athletes."

West Virginia Attorney General John McCuskey backed the top court's intervention.

"The people of West Virginia know that it's unfair to let male athletes compete against women; that's why we passed this common sense law preserving women's sports for women," he said.

Joshua Block of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), which is representing the athletes, insisted lower courts were correct to block the "discriminatory laws".

"Categorically excluding kids from school sports just because they are transgender will only make our schools less safe and more hurtful places for all youth," he said.

How the Supreme Court decides to rule on the issue will likely impact other states that have similar bans in place.

At the federal level, President Donald Trump signed an executive order earlier this year that aimed to ban transgender women and girls from competing on female sports teams.

The Supreme Court will hear the challenges during its next term, which begins in October. A hearing date has not yet been set.

Four dead, 14 injured in drive-by shooting outside Chicago nightclub

Anadolu via Getty Images Male firefighter hosing down the pavement outside the nightclubAnadolu via Getty Images
The Chicago Fire Department cleaned the street following the shooting

At least four people were killed and 14 others injured in a drive-by shooting outside a Chicago nightclub, police said.

Chicago Police said a dark-coloured car drove past the club around 23:00 local time (04:00 GMT) on Wednesday, when gunmen inside the vehicle opened fire into a crowd of people outside.

The crowd was said to be leaving the nightclub following an album release party for rapper Mello Buckzz, the BBC's US partner, CBS News reported.

Police said the vehicle fled the scene immediately and no one has been taken into custody.

The victims of the shooting were rushed to several different area hospitals. Two men, ages 24 and 25, and two women, aged 26 and 27 years old, were pronounced dead, police said.

At least four people taken to hospital are reported to be in critical to serious condition. The identities of the victims have not yet been released.

Eyewitness Pastor Donovan Price said there were scenes of "absolute chaos" unlike he had ever seen before.

"From people screaming to blood on the streets to people laying on the streets... horrific," he told Reuters.

"It's something that you wouldn't expect to find in the city. We have a lot of shootings, but nothing like this."

Following the incident, rapper Mello Buckzz said all she can do is "talk to god and pray".

In a statement on social media, she said: "Prayers up for all my sisters god please wrap yo arms around every last one of them."

"Feel like everything just weighing down on me," she added.

Ethiopia has finished building mega-dam on Nile, PM says

AFP / Getty Images In red uniform, a member of Ethiopia's Republican March Band poses for a photo  at the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) in Guba, Ethiopia, on 20 February 2022AFP / Getty Images
The dam is the biggest hydro-electric project in Africa

Ethiopia says it has completed building a mega-dam on the Blue Nile that has long been a source of tension with Egypt and Sudan.

Launched in 2011 with a $4bn (£2.9bn) budget, the dam is Africa's biggest hydro-electric plant, and a major source of pride for Ethiopians.

Ethiopia sees the dam as vital to meeting its energy needs but Egypt and Sudan see it as threatening their water supply from the Nile.

In a statement announcing the completion of the project, Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed sought to reassure his neighbours. "To our neighbours downstream - Egypt and Sudan - our message is clear: the Renaissance Dam is not a threat, but a shared opportunity," he said.

US President Donald Trump said in 2020 that Egypt had threatened to "blow up" the dam - officially known as the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (Gerd).

In a conciliatory move, Abiy said that both Egypt and Sudan would be invited to its official inauguration in September.

"We believe in shared progress, shared energy, and shared water," he said.

Egypt's President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and Sudan's military chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan met earlier this week and "stressed their rejection of any unilateral measures in the Blue Nile Basin", AFP news agency reports.

More than a mile long and 145m high, the dam is on the Blue Nile tributary in the northern Ethiopia highlands, from where 85% of the Nile's waters flow.

Ethiopia wants the dam to produce desperately needed electricity, as the majority of its population - about 60% - have no supply.

Egypt relies on the River Nile for nearly all of its fresh water, and fears that the flow of water could be disrupted.

It has argued that just a 2% reduction in the amount of water it gets from the Nile could result in the loss of 200,000 acres of irrigated land.

Sudan is also heavily reliant on water from the Nile, and shares Egypt's concerns.

Abiy said Ethiopia was "willing to engage constructively" with the two countries.

However, previous talks have failed to resolve differences.

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Wildfire forces evacuation of thousands on Greek island of Crete

Watch: Beachgoers look on as wildfires burn in Greece

A major wildfire in Greece continues to burn out of control in eastern Crete, after breaking out on Wednesday afternoon in rugged forested terrain near the municipality of Ierapetra.

Fanned by gale-force winds reaching up to eight on the Beaufort scale, the flames have spread rapidly southward, threatening homes, tourist accommodation, and critical infrastructure, including a fuel station.

The fire front now extends over at least 6km, according to emergency services, making containment increasingly difficult.

Thick smoke engulfed the wider area, reducing visibility to near zero in places.

EPA Tourists stand around next to a minibus outside a hotel after evacuating during a wildfire in Ierapetra, on Crete islandEPA
Tourists evacuate a hotel during a wildfire in Ierapetra, on Greek island of Crete

The smoke stretched as far as Makry Gialos beach, 10km from Achlia in Lasithi where firefighters were battling the blaze.

The main road near the settlement of Agia Fotia has been closed by police, who have urged residents and visitors to avoid all non-essential travel due to hazardous air quality, extreme heat, and falling ash.

In the settlement of Agia Fotia, homes and rental properties have been destroyed, and the area is experiencing a power outage, according to local reports. At least four elderly people have been taken to hospital with respiratory problems caused by smoke inhalation.

As a precaution, all hospitals in Crete have been placed on alert by health authorities.

Authorities have also ordered the mass evacuation of hotels, rental rooms and homes in the Ferma municipality, as the flames approach the area. The operation is underway with the support of the fire service, police and local volunteers.

So far, approximately 1,500 people have been evacuated from surrounding settlements and tourist areas and moved to Ierapetra. Around 200 evacuees are being sheltered in the town's indoor sports arena.

EPA A firefighter works at the scene of a wildfire in Ierapetra, on Crete island, GreeceEPA

The firefighting response has been significantly reinforced. As of Wednesday night, 155 firefighters, eight specialised foot teams, and 38 fire engines are operating on the ground. Four helicopters carried out water drops until nightfall. Local municipalities have also deployed water tankers and heavy machinery.

Additional forces are en route. Seventeen firefighters and one foot team from the 1st EMODE (Special Forest Firefighting Unit) are travelling by ferry from Piraeus, along with five fire engines, while 33 firefighters and four additional EMODE teams are due to arrive by air from Elefsina.

According to public broadcaster ERT, the fire service has ordered a tactical withdrawal from the fire front to protect personnel and prioritise the creation of firebreaks around at-risk settlements. Crews are expected to remain on the ground throughout the night.

Emergency alerts via the 112 public warning system were issued throughout the day, calling for evacuations from Achlia, Ferma, Agia Fotia, Galini, and later Koutsounari, instructing residents and tourists to move towards Ierapetra.

Some individuals who were cut off by road were reportedly evacuated by boat from local beaches.

The fire, believed to have started between Agia Fotia and the village of Skinokapsala, continues to burn through dense, highly flammable forest, with steep terrain, dry conditions and strong winds making containment extremely difficult.

Earlier this week in Turkey more than 50,000 people were evacuated due to wildfires in the western province of Izmir.

At least six heat-related deaths have been reported in Europe as the continent reels under an early summer heatwave. The latest recorded fatalities were in Spain and Italy. There were also casualties in France.

Gaza hospital director killed in Israeli strike, relative says

Gaza Ministry of Health A man with short, dark hair and glasses looks into the camera, smiling, in an outdoor photographGaza Ministry of Health
Dr Marwan Sultan was the director of the Indonesian Hospital in north Gaza

The director of Gaza's Indonesian Hospital has been killed in an Israeli air strike on his home in Gaza City along with several family members, the Hamas-run health ministry has said.

The ministry said Dr Marwan Sultan had a long career in medicine, and condemned "this heinous crime against our medical cadres".

The Israeli military said it had struck a "key terrorist" from Hamas in the Gaza City area and that claims "uninvolved civilians" were harmed as a result of the strike were being reviewed.

Meanwhile, at least five people were killed and others injured, including children, in a strike on the al-Mawasi "safe zone", one of several other attacks reported by news agencies.

The health ministry said Dr Sultan's career was one of compassion "during which he was a symbol of dedication, steadfastness and sincerity, during the most difficult circumstances and most trying moments experienced by our people under continuous aggression".

Dr Sultan was the director at the Indonesian Hospital, declared out of service by the health ministry after what the UN later described as "repeated Israeli attacks and sustained structural damage". The Israeli military had said it was fighting "terrorist infrastructure sites" in the area.

There are now no functioning hospitals in the north Gaza governate, according to the UN.

The health ministry accused the Israeli military of targeting medical and humanitarian teams.

In its statement, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said it "regrets any harm to uninvolved individuals" and "operates to mitigate harm to them as much as possible".

The IDF said Hamas "systematically violates international law while using civilian infrastructure for terrorist activity and the civilian population as human shields".

Across Gaza, at least 139 people were killed by Israeli military operations in the 24 hours before midday on Wednesday, the health ministry said.

In the al-Mawasi area of Khan Younis, at least five people were killed and others, including children, wounded in a strike that hit a tent housing displaced people, news agencies reported.

Family members of those killed said it hit at 00:40 local time (22:40 BST) while they were sleeping.

Tamam Abu Rizq told AFP the strike "shook the place like an earthquake", and she "went outside and found the tent on fire".

The al-Mawasi area was declared a "safe zone" by the Israeli military, as the UN says 80% of Gaza is either an Israeli military zone or under an evacuation order.

"They came here thinking it was a safe area and they were killed... What did they do?" Maha Abu Rizq said.

At the scene, surrounded by destruction and a jumble of personal items, one man held up a pack of nappies and asked: "Is this a weapon?"

Children were also wounded in the strike.

Footage recorded by AFP shows men alighting from a car in front of nearby Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis and rushing inside carrying blood-covered children in their arms. Inside the hospital, young children cry as doctors treat their wounds.

Reuters A woman wearing a black abaya and hijab holds a hand to her chest as she stands among a jumble of personal belongings - blankets, a jug, and more - after an Israeli strike.Reuters
Palestinians inspect the damage at the site of a strike on a tent sheltering displaced people in Khan Younis

Women weep over the bodies of their relatives in funerals at the hospital in other AFP footage.

"Anyone of any religion must take action and say: Enough! Stop this war!" Ekram al-Akhras, who lost several cousins in one of the strikes, said.

In Gaza City, another four people from the same family were killed in an Israeli air strike on a house, news agencies reported.

The four people killed were Ahmed Ayyad Zeno, his wife Ayat Zeno, and their daughters, Zahra Zeno and Obaida Zeno, according to Palestinian news outlet WAFA.

The BBC has contacted the IDF for comment about the two incidents.

Reuters A young man wearing a yellow jumper cries, his eyes clenched closed and his mouth open, as a woman beside him in a black abaya and hijab looks down.Reuters
At Nasser Hospital, people grieve those killed in an overnight Israeli strike on a tent

Rachel Cummings, who is working in Gaza with Save the Children, told reporters that during "wishing circles" at the charity's child-friendly spaces, children have recently been "wishing to die" in order to be with their mother or father who has been killed, or to have food and water.

As a heatwave spread across the UK and Europe this week, temperatures also topped 30C in Gaza.

Displaced people living in tents said they were struggling to stay cool without electricity and fans, and with little access to water.

Reda Abu Hadayed told the Associated Press the heat is "indescribable" and her children cannot sleep.

"They cry all day until sunset, when the temperature drops a little, then they go to sleep," she said. "When morning comes, they start crying again due to the heat."

Israel has continued to bomb Gaza and control the entry and distribution of humanitarian aid as mediators meet to negotiate a potential ceasefire proposal.

Hamas attacked Israel on 7 October 2023, killing around 1,200 people and taking 251 back to Gaza as hostages.

Since then, Israel's military offensive in Gaza has killed more than 57,000 people, according to the territory's Hamas-run health ministry.

Six dead, dozens missing after ferry sinks off Bali

Getty Images Woman hugging each other and cryingGetty Images
Family members wait for updates as a search for missing passengers continue, after a ferry sank off Bali, Indonesia

At least four people have died and dozens are missing after a ferry sank off Indonesia's tourist island of Bali, rescuers said.

The boat was carrying 53 passengers and 12 crew members when it sank at 23:20 local time (15:35 GMT) on Wednesday while on its way to Bali from Banyuwangi on the eastern coast of Java island, the Surabaya office of the National Search and Rescue Agency said.

Four passengers were found on a lifeboat in the early hours of Thursday while the search for more survivors continues.

Photos published by Antara news agency showed ambulances on standby and residents waiting for updates by the roadside.

Bali Search and Rescue Rescuers wearing orange helmets on a boat. They are sailing in waters in the dark.Bali Search and Rescue
Rescue operations are underway in the Bali strait

Authorities are investigating the cause of the sinking.

The ferry operator told local media that the vessel had reported engine trouble shortly before it sank.

The vessel's route is often used by locals going between the islands of Java and Bali.

The four survivors were all residents of Banyuwangi, the Surabaya search and rescue team said.

Marine accidents are frequent in Indonesia, a sprawling archipelago of around 17,000 islands, where uneven enforcement of safety regulations is a longstanding concern.

An Australian woman died in March after a boat capsized off Bali with 16 people on board.

Big shake-up in Nigerian politics as heavyweights join forces

AFP via Getty/Reuters Peter Obi, on the left hand side of the composite photo, wears a black shirt and black-rimmed glasses. He is smiling in the photo. Atiku Abubakar, on the right hand side, wears glasses, a suit and a patterened tie.AFP via Getty/Reuters
Political heavyweights Peter Obi (left) and Atiku Abubakar (right) have joined forces

Nigeria's two main opposition leaders have joined a new political party to challenge President BolaTinubu and his ruling party in the next election.

Atiku Abubakar and Peter Obi have chosen the African Democratic Congress (ADC) as their new political home after breaking away from their respective parties - the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the Labour Party (LP).

This is one of the biggest shake-ups in Nigerian politics since the end of military rule in 1999.

Some political heavyweights from Tinubu's All Progressives Congress (APC) party have also thrown their weight behind the formation.

Why have they joined forces?

The announcement of the ADC is the culmination of a series of talks between the leaders to put up a united front in the 2027 election, rather than splitting their vote.

Tinubu won the 2023 election with just 37% of the vote after opposition supporters were divided between Abubakar who got 29%, and Obi with 25%.

Obi had broken away from the PDP after the party chose Abubakar as its presidential candidate.

At the unveiling of the ADC, interim chairman David Mark said it was an attempt to save the country’s democracy and to stop Nigeria from becoming a one-party state.

Both the PDP and LP are also battling internal crises which some believe were instigated by external forces.

Analyst Shehu Iliyasu said Abubakar and Obi are learning the lessons of the last election.

"Both Atiku [Abubakar] and Obi felt they came so close in 2023 and would have maybe won on a joint ticket so they want to amend their mistake by working together this time around," he told the BBC.

Who are the main characters in the ADC?

Getty Images Former Nigerian vice president Atiku Abubakar wearing a traditional gown and holding a microphoneGetty Images
Former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar is expected to run again in 2027

Tinubu's biggest challengers in the last elections, Atiku Abubakar and Peter Obi are the face of the coalition.

Although there’s a long way to go before candidates are officially announced, political commentators are predicting that 78-year-old Abubakar will have another shot at the presidency - it would be his fifth attempt - with former Anambra governor Obi, 63, as his vice-presidential pick.

Other political heavyweights in the coalition include former Senate President David Mark, who like Atiku is leaving the PDP, former Tinubu ally turned foe Nasir El-Rufai and powerful minister in the last dispensation Rotimi Amaechi.

What are their chances in 2027?

Analyst Ben Kenneth say he believes the coalition has a better chance of defeating Tinubu than last time.

"If you look at what Atiku and Obi got in the last election, it's clear to see that they would've won assuming they worked together, so it’s a good thing they have realised they need each other,” he noted.

However, another analyst Sani Hamisu feels 73-year-old Tinubu has a better chance now than in 2023.

"In Nigeria and Africa, when a leader is in office seeking a second term, he hardly loses, it is very rare and that's why I feel Tinubu has a better chance now than when he wasn't in office in 2019," he said.

Is the ruling party worried?

The ruling party says it is not bothered in the least by the coalition which it does not see as a real threat.

Acting chairman Ali Bukar Dalori told BBC Hausa the coalition would have no impact on the APC.

"Nobody is talking about a coalition except in Abuja. Even in Abuja, they are in a hotel, and when they are defeated in elections, they will leave the country," he said.

What are the main political parties saying?

The country's biggest opposition party, the PDP had since ruled out joining the coalition, preferring to face the APC on its own.

The Labour Party also called on its supporters to remain focused and resolute behind the party, denying any plans to join a coalition.

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Diddy denied bail after being cleared of most serious charges

Watch: BBC reporter inside courtroom on reaction as Diddy verdict read

Music mogul Sean "Diddy" Combs has been found not guilty of racketeering and sex-trafficking charges, but guilty of transportation to engage in prostitution after a nearly two-month long federal trial in New York City.

Prosecutors had accused Combs of using his celebrity status and business empire to run a criminal enterprise to sex traffic women and conceal his crimes.

A panel of 12 jurors deliberated for 13 hours before acquitting Combs of three of the most serious five charges he was facing.

The rapper had admitted to domestic violence, but denied any non-consensual sexual encounters or a larger racketeering scheme.

The mood in the courtroom was extremely emotional after jurors told the court they had acquitted Combs of the most serious charges of racketeering and sex trafficking.

Before Combs left court, he got on his knees, put his face into his chair and appeared to be praying. He was shaking.

The judge will consider whether to release Combs on bail at 13:00 EST (18:00 BST).

The verdict comes after jurors on Tuesday told the court that they had reached a decision on the sex trafficking and transportation to engage in prostitution charges against Combs, but they were unable to reach a verdict on the racketeering count.

The jurors said they had had "unpersuadable" opinions on both sides about the charge, which is the most complicated of any of the counts Combs was facing and also the most severe.

Racketeering conspiracy, or directing an illegal enterprise under the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (Rico), is the formal name for the charge.

To convict Mr Combs on this charge, prosecutors had to prove that he used his loyal network of associates to run a criminal enterprise to commit crimes including sex trafficking, kidnapping, drugging and obstruction of justice.

In this case, that network would include his employees, who prosecutors argued played a part in setting up the "freak-offs" at the centre of the case.

Defence lawyers argued that the case cannot be considered to be racketeering if members of Mr Combs' staff were not knowingly complicit.

Prosecutors called more than 30 witnesses over the course of the seven-week trial, including Combs ex-girlfriend, musician Casandra Ventura, rapper Kid Cudi, several ex-employees and hotel security workers.

They alleged Combs relied on a "loyal" inner circle of employees to coerce his partners into so-called "freak-offs", in which his girlfriends would have sex with a male escort while he watched and filmed.

Reuters Three people walk through a crowd of cameras Reuters
Combs' family leaves court on Wednesday

The government relied on testimony from Ms Ventura, taking the stand at eight-months pregnant, who told the court Combs pressured her into the sex acts and threatened to release tapes of the freak-offs if she disobeyed him.

At the centre of their case was a video of the rapper beating and dragging Ms Ventura in a Los Angeles hotel hallway in 2016, surveillance footage that security employees testified that Combs tried to pay them to delete.

Combs' attorneys conceded that their client was violent toward women, but argued that his behaviour was motivated by drugs and jealousy, not evidence of a larger sex trafficking and racketeering scheme.

Sex trafficking and racketeering both carry a maximum sentence of life in prison.

Combs is also facing dozens of civil lawsuits alleging sexual assault and violence.

The Harlem-born rapper founded Bad Boy Records in 1993, a label that represented some of the biggest names in hip hop - including Notorious B.I.G. and Usher. He went on to establish a clothing line called Sean John and a variety of other businesses including fragrances, alcohol and even a media company.

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Ryanair cancels flights for 30,000 passengers due to French strike

Reuters A flight information screen showing cancelled flights destined for the Heathrow International Airport, at the Paris-Charles de Gaulle Airport
Reuters
Cancellations will not only impact routes to and from France, but also aircrafts flying over French airspace

Tens of thousands of passengers have been hit by a French air traffic control strike that has cancelled flights in France on Thursday and Friday and had a knock-on effect elsewhere in Europe.

Budget airline Ryanair said it had been forced to cancel more than 170 flights and the holiday plans of more than 30,000 passengers had been disrupted.

Two French unions were staging the two-day strike over working conditions, leading to a quarter of flights being cancelled at the main airports in Paris and half of flights at Nice airport.

French Transport Minister Philippe Tabarot condemned as unacceptable both the unions' demands and their decision to go on strike at such an important time for people going on holiday.

Ryanair said the strike had affected not only its flights to and from France, but also aircraft flying over French airspace to destinations including the UK, Ireland, Spain and Greece.

Its chief executive, Michael O'Leary, accused the air traffic controllers of "holding European families to ransom".

"It makes no sense and is abundantly unfair on EU passengers going on holidays," he complained, calling on European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen to take "urgent action" to ensure minimum service levels during strikes and to protect flights going through French airspace from domestic industrial action.

France's civil aviation authority, DGAC, asked airlines to reduce flight schedules at several airports across the country.

Disruption is expected to worsen at French airports on Friday, with 40% fewer flights from the Paris airports at Charles de Gaulle, Orla and Beauvais.

The strike was called by the UNSA-ICNA union, which cited staffing shortages, management issues and the planned introduction of a controversial clock-in system for controllers among its concerns. Talks with the DGAC earlier this week failed to resolve the dispute.

Airlines for Europe (A4E), the continent's leading aviation body, described the strike as "intolerable", warning that it would severely disrupt travel plans at the height of the holiday season.

EasyJet, another low-cost carrier affected by the disruption, expressed "deep disappointment" and urged a resolution.

Ryanair said on Wednesday it also had been hit by the recent conflict in the Middle East and had cancelled more than 800 flights last month.

Despite the cancellations, the airline said it still operated more than 109,000 flights in June, indicating that fewer than 1% of flights were affected.

Five dead, dozens missing after ferry sinks off Bali

Getty Images Woman hugging each other and cryingGetty Images
Family members wait for updates as a search for missing passengers continue, after a ferry sank off Bali, Indonesia

At least four people have died and dozens are missing after a ferry sank off Indonesia's tourist island of Bali, rescuers said.

The boat was carrying 53 passengers and 12 crew members when it sank at 23:20 local time (15:35 GMT) on Wednesday while on its way to Bali from Banyuwangi on the eastern coast of Java island, the Surabaya office of the National Search and Rescue Agency said.

Four passengers were found on a lifeboat in the early hours of Thursday while the search for more survivors continues.

Photos published by Antara news agency showed ambulances on standby and residents waiting for updates by the roadside.

Bali Search and Rescue Rescuers wearing orange helmets on a boat. They are sailing in waters in the dark.Bali Search and Rescue
Rescue operations are underway in the Bali strait

Authorities are investigating the cause of the sinking.

The ferry operator told local media that the vessel had reported engine trouble shortly before it sank.

The vessel's route is often used by locals going between the islands of Java and Bali.

The four survivors were all residents of Banyuwangi, the Surabaya search and rescue team said.

Marine accidents are frequent in Indonesia, a sprawling archipelago of around 17,000 islands, where uneven enforcement of safety regulations is a longstanding concern.

An Australian woman died in March after a boat capsized off Bali with 16 people on board.

South Korea revises martial law rules after political crisis

Getty Images Lee Jae Myung in a suit, sitting in front of two microphones. He is speaking and gesturing with his hands.Getty Images
Lee Jae Myung was elected president in a snap election following the martial law crisis

South Korean lawmakers have voted to revise the rules around martial law, now barring any attempt to obstruct lawmakers from entering the National Assembly.

This comes after former President Yoon Suk Yeol's short-lived martial law order last December, which plunged the country into a political crisis.

As military forces gathered in front of the the National Assembly that night, lawmakers had to scale the walls to vote down Yoon's order.

The amendment on Thursday also bans the military and police from entering the National Assembly without the approval of its speaker.

Yoon declared martial law on 3 December 2024 as his political troubles grew, from parliamentary deadlock to corruption scandals.

He claimed that the shock move would protect the country from "anti-state" forces that sympathised with North Korea, but provided little evidence to support that.

The crisis shook South Korea, which had endured decades of military rule before holding democratic elections again in the late 1980s.

Senior officials in Yoon's administration have been ousted and detained for their role in the December decision. Yoon himself was impeached and removed from office, and is now on trial for insurrection.

The months of political uncertainty left Yoon's ruling People Power Party in disarray. A snap election in June saw the opposition's Lee Jae Myung win the presidency.

At a press conference in Seoul on Thursday marking 30 days in office, Lee told reporters that his administration would seek better ties with North Korea - a departure from his predecessor, who maintained a tough stance on the Communist regime.

South Korean politics remains bitterly divided. When the parliament approved Lee's pick for prime minister on Thursday, the vote was boycotted by Yoon's party, which is now the main opposition.

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