A woman has been charged over a theft at the Louvre Museum in Paris last month, French media report.

The 38-year-old, who has not been named, was charged with complicity in organised theft and criminal conspiracy with a view to committing a crime. She appeared before a magistrate, who will decide whether to detain her.

The woman was arrested earlier this week with four others. Two men who had previously been arrested were already charged with theft and criminal conspiracy after officials said they had "partially recognised" their involvement in the heist.

Jewels worth €88m (£76m; $102m) were taken from the world's most-visited museum on 19 October.

Four men carried out the daylight theft.

Two of the alleged thieves - who had been arrested earlier - later admitted their involvement in the theft, while the fourth person has not yet been caught.

Appearing before the magistrate on Saturday, the woman was in tears as she confirmed that she lived in Paris' northern suburb of La Courneuve suburb, a journalist working for the AFP news agency reported.

The hearing then continued behind closed doors at the prosecution's request.

She was one of the five people arrested earlier this week in and around the French capital, including the suburb of Seine-Saint-Denis. One of those held has been released without charge.

However, one of the five is thought to have taken part in the heist.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has said the defence of Pokrovsk is a "priority", as elite special force were deployed to the embattled town on the eastern front line.

Ukrainian army sources told the BBC that special forces from military intelligence and assault groups were being used as regular infantry to protect supply lines to troops holding the town in the Donbas region.

There have been growing reports of Russian advances around the strategic town to the west of Donetsk. Ukraine has denied claims their forces were surrounded.

Moscow wants Kyiv to cede the entire Donbas region as part of a peace deal, including the parts it currently does not control.

Russia currently controls around a fifth of Ukrainian territory, including the Crimean peninsula it annexed in 2014.

The deployment of special forces suggests officials in Kyiv are determined to try to hold onto the town, which Russia has been trying to seize for more than a year.

Local media reports that the head of Ukraine's military intelligence, Kyrylo Budanov, was in the region to personally oversee the operation.

Pokrovsk is a key transport and supply hub whose capture could unlock Russian efforts to seize the rest of the region.

But Kyiv also believes its capture would help Russia in its efforts to persuade the US that its military campaign was succeeding - and, therefore, that the West should acquiesce to its demands.

Washington has grown increasingly frustrated with the Kremlin's failure to move forward with peace negotiations - culminating in US President Donald Trump placing sanctions on its two largest oil producers and axing plans for a summit with Russia's Vladimir Putin.

Zelensky has indicated he was open to Trump's proposal for a ceasefire that would freeze the war along the current front lines. Russia has publicly insisted Ukrainian troops leave the remainder of the Donbas.

In his nightly address, the Ukrainian president said: "Pokrovsk is our priority. We continue to destroy the occupier, and that is what matters most... They must be halted where they have reached - and destroyed there."

Images shared with news agencies appear show a Ukrainian Black Hawk helicopter deploying about 10 troops near Pokrovsk, although the location and date could not be verified.

Russia's defence ministry has claimed it thwarted the deployment of Ukrainian military intelligence special forces north-west of the town, saying all 11 troops who landed by helicopter had been killed.

DeepState, a Ukrainian open-source monitoring group, estimates about half of Pokrovsk is a so-called "grey zone" where neither side is in full control.

A military source in Donetsk told the BBC that Ukrainian forces were not surrounded but their supply lines were under fire from Russian troops.

"The situation in the city has changed so much that [Ukraine's commander-in-chief, General] Syrsky is now sending elite units into the city to stabilise it," he said.

These included special forces and assault units in Ukraine's Defence Intelligence agency (GUR), he said.

"Fighting is now taking place for the railway station and the industrial zone in the west. The battles for the industrial zone have almost reduced logistics from roughly vehicle-based to foot-based.

"The Ukrainian Armed Forces are not in a physical encirclement, but in an operational one - this means that all logistics are under fire control."

The US-based Institute for the Study of War said Ukrainian forces had "marginally advanced" during recent counter-attacks north of Pokrovsk, but said the town was "mainly a contested 'grey zone'".

President Samia Suluhu Hassan has been declared the winner of Tanzania's presidential election, securing another term in office amid days of unrest across the country.

According to the electoral commission, Samia won 98% of the votes, nearly sweeping the 32 million ballots cast in Wednesday's election.

International observers have expressed concern over the lack of transparency and widespread turmoil that has reportedly left hundreds people dead and hundreds injured.

The nationwide internet shutdown is making it difficult to verify the death toll. The government has sought to play down the scale of the violence - and authorities have extended a curfew in a bid to quell the unrest.

"I hereby announce Samia Suluhu Hassan as the winner of the presidential election under the Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM) party," Jacobs Mwambegele, the electoral chief, said while announcing the results on Saturday morning.

In Tanzania's semi-autonomous archipelago of Zanzibar - which elects its own government and leader - CCM's Hussein Mwinyi, who is the incumbent president, won with nearly 80% of the vote.

The opposition in Zanzibar said there had been "massive fraud", the AP news agency reported.

• Tanzania's first female president faces little opposition
• Why elections are a time of fear for albino Tanzanians
• How Samia's hesitant reforms are fuelling Tanzanian political anger

Protests continued on Friday, as demonstrators in the port city of Dar es Salaam and other cities took to the streets, tearing down Samia's posters and attacking police and polling stations despite warnings from the army chief to end the unrest.

The demonstrations are mostly led by young protesters, who have denounced the election as unfair.

They accuse the government of undermining democracy by suppressing the main opposition leaders - one is in jail and another was excluded on technical grounds.

A spokesperson from the opposition Chadema party on Friday told AFP news agency that "around 700" people had been killed in clashes with security forces, while a diplomatic source in Tanzania told the BBC there was credible evidence that at least 500 people had died.

Foreign Minister Mahmoud Kombo Thabit has described the violence as a "few isolated pockets of incidents here and there" and said "security forces acted very swiftly and decisively to address the situation".

There were two main opposition contenders - Tundu Lissu, who is being held on treason charges, which he denies, and Luhaga Mpina of the ACT-Wazalendo party - but he was excluded on legal technicalities.

Sixteen fringe parties, none of whom have historically had significant public support, were allowed to run.

Samia's ruling party, CCM, has dominated the country's politics and has never lost an election since independence.

Ahead of the election, rights groups condemned government repression, with Amnesty International citing a "wave of terror" involving enforced disappearances, torture, and extrajudicial killings of opposition figures.

The government rejected the claims, and officials said the election would be free and fair.

Samia came into office in 2021 as Tanzania's first female president following the death of President John Magufuli.

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

A federal judge has blocked the Trump administration from halting food aid used by more than 40 million low-income Americans amid the ongoing US government shutdown.

A Rhode Island judge said on Friday that the plan to suspend the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or Snap, is likely unlawful, and issued a retraining order at the behest of the plaintiffs.

The US Department of Agriculture said this week that the food assistance money will not be distributed in November and moving forward due to the shutdown, arguing the "the well has run dry".

The Snap programme works by giving people reloadable debit cards that they can use to buy essential grocery items.

A family of four on average receives $715 (£540) per month, which breaks down to a little less than $6 (£4.50) per day, per person.

The states administer the programmes, with much of the funding coming from the federal government, which has been unfunded and shut down since the beginning of October.

Several states have pledged to use their own funds to cover any shortfall, however the federal government has warned that they will not be reimbursed.

Republicans and Democrats have traded blame for the federal shutdown, which will soon enter its second month, and there has not been any meaningful progress toward a deal.

President Samia Suluhu Hassan has been declared the winner of Tanzania's presidential election, securing another term in office amid days of unrest across the country.

According to the electoral commission, Samia won 98% of the votes, nearly sweeping the 32 million ballots cast in Wednesday's election.

International observers have expressed concern over the lack of transparency and widespread turmoil that has reportedly left hundreds people dead and hundreds injured.

The nationwide internet shutdown is making it difficult to verify the death toll. The government has sought to play down the scale of the violence - and authorities have extended a curfew in a bid to quell the unrest.

"I hereby announce Samia Suluhu Hassan as the winner of the presidential election under the Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM) party," Jacobs Mwambegele, the electoral chief, said while announcing the results on Saturday morning.

In Tanzania's semi-autonomous archipelago of Zanzibar - which elects its own government and leader - CCM's Hussein Mwinyi, who is the incumbent president, won with nearly 80% of the vote.

The opposition in Zanzibar said there had been "massive fraud", the AP news agency reported.

• Tanzania's first female president faces little opposition
• Why elections are a time of fear for albino Tanzanians
• How Samia's hesitant reforms are fuelling Tanzanian political anger

Protests continued on Friday, as demonstrators in the port city of Dar es Salaam and other cities took to the streets, tearing down Samia's posters and attacking police and polling stations despite warnings from the army chief to end the unrest.

The demonstrations are mostly led by young protesters, who have denounced the election as unfair.

They accuse the government of undermining democracy by suppressing the main opposition leaders - one is in jail and another was excluded on technical grounds.

A spokesperson from the opposition Chadema party on Friday told AFP news agency that "around 700" people had been killed in clashes with security forces, while a diplomatic source in Tanzania told the BBC there was credible evidence that at least 500 people had died.

Foreign Minister Mahmoud Kombo Thabit has described the violence as a "few isolated pockets of incidents here and there" and said "security forces acted very swiftly and decisively to address the situation".

There were two main opposition contenders - Tundu Lissu, who is being held on treason charges, which he denies, and Luhaga Mpina of the ACT-Wazalendo party - but he was excluded on legal technicalities.

Sixteen fringe parties, none of whom have historically had significant public support, were allowed to run.

Samia's ruling party, CCM, has dominated the country's politics and has never lost an election since independence.

Ahead of the election, rights groups condemned government repression, with Amnesty International citing a "wave of terror" involving enforced disappearances, torture, and extrajudicial killings of opposition figures.

The government rejected the claims, and officials said the election would be free and fair.

Samia came into office in 2021 as Tanzania's first female president following the death of President John Magufuli.

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

Shares worth €1.3bn (£1.1bn; $1.5bn) have been seized from the company that controls the manufacturer of Campari over alleged tax evasion, Italian police have said.

Officials ordered the confiscation of the Campari Group shares from Luxembourg-based Lagfin as part of a year-long investigation into how it absorbed its Italian arm.

It is accused of failing to pay a similar figure to that of the shares seized in taxes during that merger. The company previously said it had always fulfilled its tax obligations.

Campari - which also produces alcohol brands including Aperol, Grand Marnier and Courvoisier - said neither it nor its subsidiaries were involved in the case.

However, chair Luca Garavoglia is among those under investigation, local media reports.

The BBC approached Lagfin - which owns more than 50% of Campari shares and has 80% of voting rights - for comment.

It previously said in a statement issued on the investigation last year that it had "always fulfilled its tax obligations with the utmost scruples in all the jurisdictions where it operates" and considers any claims to the contrary "devoid of any basis".

Prosecutors in Milan launched a probe into the company last year. Financial police on Friday said they allegedly found €5.3bn of undeclared capital gains between 2018 and 2020 on which it had not paid a so-called "exit tax", levied on firms that transfer their headquarters abroad.

It is also accused of transferring its Italian assets into foreign ownership solely for tax purposes, according to Italian financial newspaper Il Sole 24 Ore.

Mr Garavoglia, the billionaire who inherited ownership of Campari from his late mother, is implicated alongside Giovanni Berto, the head of Campari's Italian branch, local media reports.

One of the largest global producers of spirits, Campari is valued at around €7bn on the Milan Stock Exchange.

The company has its roots in 1860, when Gaspare Campari's homemade bitter liqueur became a popular tipple among patrons of his Milan bar.

It became so successful that, in 1904, his family began manufacturing it commercially, and from the 1990s onwards the firm began acquiring other alcohol brands.

People walk along muddied roads scavenging the wreckage for food. Others jump into damaged stores in the hope of finding bottled water or other supplies.

As the death toll rises, residents of Black River are still searching for loved ones while they also battle to survive, days after Hurricane Melissa made this Jamaican port city ground zero of the devastation seen across the Caribbean.

Residents here say they have been living in a state of chaos the last three days since Melissa slammed into them as one of the most powerful category 5 storms ever recorded in the region.

The fierce winds and storm surge that barrelled through here have decimated nearly everything, leaving roads unusable and a trail of destruction that has them increasingly desperate and isolated with no electricity or running water.

Capsized boats lie curb side. Brick buildings are split in half. Giant sheets of metal are twisted between tree branches. Vehicles sit in crumbled pieces.

Residents who spoke to the BBC said they have seen no aid trucks in the area so far and described having to eat what food they can find in debris by the roads in the coastal town, nearly 150 km (93 miles) west of Kingston.

Others made their way inside battered supermarkets, taking what they could for themselves. Some, who climbed on top of one partially destroyed market, tossed food and bottles of water down below, where people gathered with arms outstretched.

"We have to use whatever we see here, on the street and also in the supermarket," Demar Walker explained, sitting in a shaded area down the street from the store to escape the heat and 80% humidity.

He said he and others had to climb into the market due to its roof caving in and the took what they could. They tossed water and items to others also in need.

"We didn't be selfish, we had to throw food to other people," he said.

Nearby, others told the BBC of a local pharmacy being looted in Black River, describing anarchy as people ran in and out carrying armfuls of drugs and alcohol.

"I saw items covered in mud being hauled out," Aldwayne Tomlinson told the BBC. "At first, I thought the place was still open, but then I really got a second glance.

"I heard a lady say, 'Mi need go get some alcohol.' That's when I knew they were looting the pharmacy as well," he said.

Just down the road, a woman standing atop a pile of debris describes the situation there as "chaos, chaos. Total. No food. No water".

"We don't have access to money. We need help. No help has come," Chegun Braham continues.

One couple told the BBC that they owned multiple stores in the area, several of which they said had been looted. They are now standing guard outside one of their stores in the hope of preventing future thefts.

• 'No inch here was spared': Hurricane Melissa destroys Jamaica town
• Hurricane death toll rises as Jamaica aid effort struggles

'We need food'

A short walk from the market, Jimmy Esson leaned against a massive metal beam that had been knocked to the ground.

"I lost everything, all my things," he said. "We need food. We have no food."

Survival is the primary concern on most people's minds here. The other is the rising death toll. Officials in Jamaica said on Thursday that at least 19 people had died in the country, a big jump from the five that had been counted the day before. Another 30 have died in neighbouring Haiti due to the storm.

"My community, we have dead bodies there," Mr Walker said.

He said he, like many others in the area, still has not heard from family and doesn't know if they made it out of the storm alive. Mr Walker is stuck in Black River, sleeping in whoever's house is still standing that will accept him, he says, while his eight-year-old son is in Westmoreland, the next parish over.

Westmoreland shares Jamaica's western coast, along with Black River in the St Elizabeth parish, and was also severely damaged by Melissa.

"There's no way of getting to my family to find out if they're OK," he said as his eyes began to swell. Along with the unusable roads making travel difficult, there is little to no cell phone service and no electricity or running water in many hard-hit spots.

"The entire town of Black River is devastated," the town's mayor Richard Solomon has said.

He noted to local media about the desperation of residents who are looting and - while not condoning it - said he understands why it is happening.

"It is a delicate balance," Mayor Solomon said of the response to it. "Persons are seizing the opportunity to pick up what they can off the ground (from damaged stores). However, you have others being a little bit more forceful, where they are trying to get into people's properties to get all sorts of supplies."

Local officials estimate that 90% of the houses here were destroyed. Much of the town's vital infrastructure has been destroyed too, including the local hospital, police station and fire station.

"There are entire communities that seem to be marooned and areas that seem to be flattened," Information Minister Dana Morris Dixon said.

Aid supplies are starting to arrive more rapidly to the main airport in the Jamaican capital, Kingston, but smaller regional airports, some of which are located near where humanitarian assistance is most needed, remain only partly operational.

Aid agencies and the military are bringing in the urgently needed supplies from Kingston by land but many roads remain unpassable in places, including in places like Black River.

The town is about a two-hour drive from Kingston but the main road in is - at various points - flooded, damaged and clogged with cars.

Michael Tharkurdeen, a local medic, was in the town's fire station when the storm hit.

"We were upstairs, the entire bottom floor was flooded. The water was around maybe four feet going five feet. When the water came in, the seas came in, flooded everywhere," Mr Tharkurdeen said.

"Nobody could be on the bottom floor. Trust me, there were waves there about this high," he says, pointing to his shoulder.

People that did make it to him from the flooded-out buildings nearby arrived in bad condition. They had "lacerations on their hands, their feet," he says. "Kids, elders, everybody."

Mr Tharkurdee also found a man "lifeless" and with "no pulse" once the flood waters receded.

"I'm not a doctor, I'm a medic, so I couldn't pronounce him dead," he said. "All we could have done was document that and cover his body."

By mid-afternoon on Friday, a fleet of military helicopters flew into Black River - with many hoping they came with desperately needed supplies.

Armed officials carrying machine guns descended onto the streets and soon the crowds rummaging the looted pharmacy and grocery store had cleared. A line of cars that had jammed the sole road in the area had been cleared.

A relative quiet replaced the noise and chaos of hundreds of people fighting for their survival.

"St Elizabeth, we want it to come back again," Shawn Morris said of the area's future and his hopes to get aid here.

"It's not about the money," he said. "We need food and water."

President Samia Suluhu Hassan has been declared the winner of Tanzania's presidential election, securing another term in office amid days of unrest across the country.

According to the electoral commission, Samia won 98% of the votes, nearly sweeping the 32 million ballots cast in Wednesday's election.

International observers have expressed concern over the lack of transparency and widespread turmoil that has reportedly left hundreds people dead and hundreds injured.

The nationwide internet shutdown is making it difficult to verify the death toll. The government has sought to play down the scale of the violence - and authorities have extended a curfew in a bid to quell the unrest.

"I hereby announce Samia Suluhu Hassan as the winner of the presidential election under the Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM) party," Jacobs Mwambegele, the electoral chief, said while announcing the results on Saturday morning.

In Tanzania's semi-autonomous archipelago of Zanzibar - which elects its own government and leader - CCM's Hussein Mwinyi, who is the incumbent president, won with nearly 80% of the vote.

The opposition in Zanzibar said there had been "massive fraud", the AP news agency reported.

• Tanzania's first female president faces little opposition
• Why elections are a time of fear for albino Tanzanians
• How Samia's hesitant reforms are fuelling Tanzanian political anger

Protests continued on Friday, as demonstrators in the port city of Dar es Salaam and other cities took to the streets, tearing down Samia's posters and attacking police and polling stations despite warnings from the army chief to end the unrest.

The demonstrations are mostly led by young protesters, who have denounced the election as unfair.

They accuse the government of undermining democracy by suppressing the main opposition leaders - one is in jail and another was excluded on technical grounds.

A spokesperson from the opposition Chadema party on Friday told AFP news agency that "around 700" people had been killed in clashes with security forces, while a diplomatic source in Tanzania told the BBC there was credible evidence that at least 500 people had died.

Foreign Minister Mahmoud Kombo Thabit has described the violence as a "few isolated pockets of incidents here and there" and said "security forces acted very swiftly and decisively to address the situation".

There were two main opposition contenders - Tundu Lissu, who is being held on treason charges, which he denies, and Luhaga Mpina of the ACT-Wazalendo party - but he was excluded on legal technicalities.

Sixteen fringe parties, none of whom have historically had significant public support, were allowed to run.

Samia's ruling party, CCM, has dominated the country's politics and has never lost an election since independence.

Ahead of the election, rights groups condemned government repression, with Amnesty International citing a "wave of terror" involving enforced disappearances, torture, and extrajudicial killings of opposition figures.

The government rejected the claims, and officials said the election would be free and fair.

Samia came into office in 2021 as Tanzania's first female president following the death of President John Magufuli.

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

Beijing has said it will loosen a chip export ban it imposed after Dutch authorities took over Nexperia - a Chinese-owned chipmaker based in the Netherlands.

In September, the Netherlands used a Cold War era law to take over the company after citing "serious governance shortcomings" and to prevent the chips from becoming unavailable in an emergency.

In response, China said it would not re-export completed Nexperia chips to Europe which raised concern among carmakers. One association had described the move as "alarming".

Around 70% of chips made in the Netherlands are sent to China to be completed and re-exported to other countries.

In a statement on Saturday, China said that it would "comprehensively consider the actual situation of enterprises and grant exemptions to exports that meet the criteria". However, it has not specified what that could entail.

It also went on to criticise the Hague for what it called "improper interference in the internal affairs of enterprises" and blamed it for "the current disruption of global production and supply chains".

The Dutch-controlled firm told customers it would stop sending chips back to China to be processed, according to a letter this week seen by the Reuters news agency.

Last month, the European Automobile Manufacturers' Association (ACEA) had warned Nexperia chip supplies would only last a few weeks unless the Chinese ban was lifted.

"Without these chips, European automotive suppliers cannot build the parts and components needed to supply vehicle manufacturers and this therefore threatens production stoppages," the group said.

The latest plans by Beijing to relax its export controls have emerged after Donald Trump and Xi Jinping met in South Korea earlier this week.

Trump later said the leaders discussed chips, while Beijing's post-meeting readout did not explicitly mention any area of trade.

The White House is expected to release a fact sheet later today detailing its new trade agreement with China. Reuters reports that it will also announce the resumption of Nexperia exports.

In December 2024, the US government placed Wingtech on its so-called "entity list", identifying the company as a national security concern.

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

Protesters have taken to the streets in Tanzania for a third day, defying warnings from the country's army chief to end the unrest.

Demonstrations have been taking place in major cities with young protesters denouncing Wednesday's election as unfair as key opposition figures were excluded from contesting against President Samia Suluhu Hassan.

An internet shutdown remains in place, making it difficult to confirm reports of deaths, and the authorities have extended a curfew in a bid to quell the protests.

The UN has called on the East African nation's security forces to refrain from using unnecessary or disproportionate force.

"We are alarmed by the deaths and injuries that have occurred in the ongoing election-related protests in Tanzania. Reports we have received indicate that at least 10 people were killed," Reuters quoted the UN human rights spokesperson Seif Magango as saying, citing "credible sources".

Amnesty International in Kenya told the BBC that with communications down in neighbouring Tanzania the rights group was not able to confirm reports of deaths.

Hospitals in the country are refusing to give information to journalists or human rights groups when asked about causalities.

The government has sought to play down the scale of the violence.

The electoral commission has announced results from more than half of the country's total 100 constituencies, the state broadcaster, TBC, shows.

• A coronation not a contest - Tanzania's first female president faces little opposition
• Why elections are a time of fear for albino Tanzanians
• How Samia's hesitant reforms are fuelling Tanzanian political anger

President Samia is expected to win the vote under the ruling Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM) party, which has governed the country since independence in 1961.

Official results are expected on Saturday.

Tanzania's chief Muslim cleric - Sheikh Abubakar Zubeir bin Ally - has urged Muslims to perform Friday prayers at home amid fears of escalating violence.

On Thursday, army chief Gen Jacob John Mkunda ordered the protesters off the streets, saying the military would work with other security agencies to contain the situation.

"Some people went to the streets on 29 October and committed criminal acts. These are criminals and the criminal acts should be stopped immediately," Gen Mkunda said on state TV, adding that the army had "controlled the situation".

But the protesters have again taken to the streets of the commercial capital, Dar es Salaam.

On Tanzania's semi-autonomous archipelago of Zanzibar - which elects its own government and leader - the CCM's Hussein Mwinyi, who is the incumbent president, has won with nearly 80% of the vote.

The opposition in Zanzibar said there had been "massive fraud", the AP news agency reported.

Tourists on the archipelago are also reported to be stranded at the airport, with flight delays because of the protests, which have been on the mainland.

The protesters accuse the government of undermining democracy, as the main opposition leader is in jail and another opposition figure was disqualified from the election, bolstering Samia's chances of winning.

Tundu Lissu, the main opposition leader, is in jail on treason charges, which he denies, and his party boycotted the vote.

The only other serious contender, Luhaga Mpina of the ACT-Wazalendo party, was disqualified on legal technicalities.

Sixteen fringe parties, none of whom have historically had significant public support, were cleared to contest the elections.

Samia took office in 2021 as Tanzania's first female president following the death of President John Magufuli.

She was initially praised for easing political repression, but the political space has since narrowed, with her government accused of targeting critics through arrests and a wave of abductions.

More about Tanzania from the BBC:

• 'A bullet went through my skull': Tanzania abduction survivor
• Top opposition politician arrested days before Tanzania election
• 'I want my son back, dead or alive' - mother of missing Tanzanian ex-diplomat

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

People walk along muddied roads scavenging the wreckage for food. Others jump into damaged stores in the hope of finding bottled water or other supplies.

As the death toll rises, residents of Black River are still searching for loved ones while they also battle to survive, days after Hurricane Melissa made this Jamaican port city ground zero of the devastation seen across the Caribbean.

Residents here say they have been living in a state of chaos the last three days since Melissa slammed into them as one of the most powerful category 5 storms ever recorded in the region.

The fierce winds and storm surge that barrelled through here have decimated nearly everything, leaving roads unusable and a trail of destruction that has them increasingly desperate and isolated with no electricity or running water.

Capsized boats lie curb side. Brick buildings are split in half. Giant sheets of metal are twisted between tree branches. Vehicles sit in crumbled pieces.

Residents who spoke to the BBC said they have seen no aid trucks in the area so far and described having to eat what food they can find in debris by the roads in the coastal town, nearly 150 km (93 miles) west of Kingston.

Others made their way inside battered supermarkets, taking what they could for themselves. Some, who climbed on top of one partially destroyed market, tossed food and bottles of water down below, where people gathered with arms outstretched.

"We have to use whatever we see here, on the street and also in the supermarket," Demar Walker explained, sitting in a shaded area down the street from the store to escape the heat and 80% humidity.

He said he and others had to climb into the market due to its roof caving in and the took what they could. They tossed water and items to others also in need.

"We didn't be selfish, we had to throw food to other people," he said.

Nearby, others told the BBC of a local pharmacy being looted in Black River, describing anarchy as people ran in and out carrying armfuls of drugs and alcohol.

"I saw items covered in mud being hauled out," Aldwayne Tomlinson told the BBC. "At first, I thought the place was still open, but then I really got a second glance.

"I heard a lady say, 'Mi need go get some alcohol.' That's when I knew they were looting the pharmacy as well," he said.

Just down the road, a woman standing atop a pile of debris describes the situation there as "chaos, chaos. Total. No food. No water".

"We don't have access to money. We need help. No help has come," Chegun Braham continues.

One couple told the BBC that they owned multiple stores in the area, several of which they said had been looted. They are now standing guard outside one of their stores in the hope of preventing future thefts.

• 'No inch here was spared': Hurricane Melissa destroys Jamaica town
• Hurricane death toll rises as Jamaica aid effort struggles

'We need food'

A short walk from the market, Jimmy Esson leaned against a massive metal beam that had been knocked to the ground.

"I lost everything, all my things," he said. "We need food. We have no food."

Survival is the primary concern on most people's minds here. The other is the rising death toll. Officials in Jamaica said on Thursday that at least 19 people had died in the country, a big jump from the five that had been counted the day before. Another 30 have died in neighbouring Haiti due to the storm.

"My community, we have dead bodies there," Mr Walker said.

He said he, like many others in the area, still has not heard from family and doesn't know if they made it out of the storm alive. Mr Walker is stuck in Black River, sleeping in whoever's house is still standing that will accept him, he says, while his eight-year-old son is in Westmoreland, the next parish over.

Westmoreland shares Jamaica's western coast, along with Black River in the St Elizabeth parish, and was also severely damaged by Melissa.

"There's no way of getting to my family to find out if they're OK," he said as his eyes began to swell. Along with the unusable roads making travel difficult, there is little to no cell phone service and no electricity or running water in many hard-hit spots.

"The entire town of Black River is devastated," the town's mayor Richard Solomon has said.

He noted to local media about the desperation of residents who are looting and - while not condoning it - said he understands why it is happening.

"It is a delicate balance," Mayor Solomon said of the response to it. "Persons are seizing the opportunity to pick up what they can off the ground (from damaged stores). However, you have others being a little bit more forceful, where they are trying to get into people's properties to get all sorts of supplies."

Local officials estimate that 90% of the houses here were destroyed. Much of the town's vital infrastructure has been destroyed too, including the local hospital, police station and fire station.

"There are entire communities that seem to be marooned and areas that seem to be flattened," Information Minister Dana Morris Dixon said.

Aid supplies are starting to arrive more rapidly to the main airport in the Jamaican capital, Kingston, but smaller regional airports, some of which are located near where humanitarian assistance is most needed, remain only partly operational.

Aid agencies and the military are bringing in the urgently needed supplies from Kingston by land but many roads remain unpassable in places, including in places like Black River.

The town is about a two-hour drive from Kingston but the main road in is - at various points - flooded, damaged and clogged with cars.

Michael Tharkurdeen, a local medic, was in the town's fire station when the storm hit.

"We were upstairs, the entire bottom floor was flooded. The water was around maybe four feet going five feet. When the water came in, the seas came in, flooded everywhere," Mr Tharkurdeen said.

"Nobody could be on the bottom floor. Trust me, there were waves there about this high," he says, pointing to his shoulder.

People that did make it to him from the flooded-out buildings nearby arrived in bad condition. They had "lacerations on their hands, their feet," he says. "Kids, elders, everybody."

Mr Tharkurdee also found a man "lifeless" and with "no pulse" once the flood waters receded.

"I'm not a doctor, I'm a medic, so I couldn't pronounce him dead," he said. "All we could have done was document that and cover his body."

By mid-afternoon on Friday, a fleet of military helicopters flew into Black River - with many hoping they came with desperately needed supplies.

Armed officials carrying machine guns descended onto the streets and soon the crowds rummaging the looted pharmacy and grocery store had cleared. A line of cars that had jammed the sole road in the area had been cleared.

A relative quiet replaced the noise and chaos of hundreds of people fighting for their survival.

"St Elizabeth, we want it to come back again," Shawn Morris said of the area's future and his hopes to get aid here.

"It's not about the money," he said. "We need food and water."

Protesters have taken to the streets in Tanzania for a third day, defying warnings from the country's army chief to end the unrest.

Demonstrations have been taking place in major cities with young protesters denouncing Wednesday's election as unfair as key opposition figures were excluded from contesting against President Samia Suluhu Hassan.

An internet shutdown remains in place, making it difficult to confirm reports of deaths, and the authorities have extended a curfew in a bid to quell the protests.

The UN has called on the East African nation's security forces to refrain from using unnecessary or disproportionate force.

"We are alarmed by the deaths and injuries that have occurred in the ongoing election-related protests in Tanzania. Reports we have received indicate that at least 10 people were killed," Reuters quoted the UN human rights spokesperson Seif Magango as saying, citing "credible sources".

Amnesty International in Kenya told the BBC that with communications down in neighbouring Tanzania the rights group was not able to confirm reports of deaths.

Hospitals in the country are refusing to give information to journalists or human rights groups when asked about causalities.

The government has sought to play down the scale of the violence.

The electoral commission has announced results from more than half of the country's total 100 constituencies, the state broadcaster, TBC, shows.

• A coronation not a contest - Tanzania's first female president faces little opposition
• Why elections are a time of fear for albino Tanzanians
• How Samia's hesitant reforms are fuelling Tanzanian political anger

President Samia is expected to win the vote under the ruling Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM) party, which has governed the country since independence in 1961.

Official results are expected on Saturday.

Tanzania's chief Muslim cleric - Sheikh Abubakar Zubeir bin Ally - has urged Muslims to perform Friday prayers at home amid fears of escalating violence.

On Thursday, army chief Gen Jacob John Mkunda ordered the protesters off the streets, saying the military would work with other security agencies to contain the situation.

"Some people went to the streets on 29 October and committed criminal acts. These are criminals and the criminal acts should be stopped immediately," Gen Mkunda said on state TV, adding that the army had "controlled the situation".

But the protesters have again taken to the streets of the commercial capital, Dar es Salaam.

On Tanzania's semi-autonomous archipelago of Zanzibar - which elects its own government and leader - the CCM's Hussein Mwinyi, who is the incumbent president, has won with nearly 80% of the vote.

The opposition in Zanzibar said there had been "massive fraud", the AP news agency reported.

Tourists on the archipelago are also reported to be stranded at the airport, with flight delays because of the protests, which have been on the mainland.

The protesters accuse the government of undermining democracy, as the main opposition leader is in jail and another opposition figure was disqualified from the election, bolstering Samia's chances of winning.

Tundu Lissu, the main opposition leader, is in jail on treason charges, which he denies, and his party boycotted the vote.

The only other serious contender, Luhaga Mpina of the ACT-Wazalendo party, was disqualified on legal technicalities.

Sixteen fringe parties, none of whom have historically had significant public support, were cleared to contest the elections.

Samia took office in 2021 as Tanzania's first female president following the death of President John Magufuli.

She was initially praised for easing political repression, but the political space has since narrowed, with her government accused of targeting critics through arrests and a wave of abductions.

More about Tanzania from the BBC:

• 'A bullet went through my skull': Tanzania abduction survivor
• Top opposition politician arrested days before Tanzania election
• 'I want my son back, dead or alive' - mother of missing Tanzanian ex-diplomat

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

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

The owner of a Turkish hotel and 10 others have been sentenced to life in prison following the deadliest fire in the country's history.

The blaze at the Grand Kartal Hotel in Bolu broke out during school holidays in January, killed 78 people including 34 children.

Owner Halit Ergül, his wife and two daughters were handed the maximum penalty after being found guilty of severe negligence, along with Bolu's deputy mayor and the local fire chief.

In total, there were 32 people facing charges over the fire which tore through the building in the early hours of the morning, resulting in some residents jumping from the 12-storey building to escape the flames.

• What lead to the hotel fire disaster?
• Dozens killed as fire engulfs Turkish ski hotel

In addition, 137 people were injured in the blaze at the northern mountain resort of Kartalkaya.

Hilmi Altin, who lost his wife and nine-year-old daughter, told AFP news agency: "I go to the cemetery each day. No psychologist can ease such a pain."

An inquiry found that some safety equipment had not worked at the time of the fire, which started in the hotel's restaurant. Also, some of the building's gas equipment did not meet safety standards.

Ergul denied responsibility. He said the hotel had regular inspections and blamed the gas supplier. He also said the tourism ministry was responsible for oversight.

"If I had foreseen the risk, I would have closed the hotel myself," he told the hearing which took place inside a specially constructed court room at a local school.

A further 18 defendants received sentences ranging from 12 to 22 years. Most were hotel employees. Others were acquitted, including two cooks.

The Bolu mountains are popular with skiers from Istanbul and Turkey's capital Ankara, which is about 170km (105 miles) away. At the time of the disaster, the hotel was operating at high occupancy as it was the start of school holidays.

Six suspects have been arrested near the French city of Lyon in connection with the country's latest brazen heist.

Thieves used explosives to break into a precious metals refinery on Thursday before making off with the loot, which was mostly gold and worth €12m (£10.5m, $13.8m).

Following a chase, police caught the suspects and recovered the haul, officials said.

The heist came after five more people were arrested over a theft at the Louvre Museum in Paris earlier this month.

In the Lyon incident, footage posted on social media by people living near the facility showed two men near a white van. One could be seen placing a ladder over the company's fence before scaling it.

Another video showed a robber carrying a weapon and opening the rear door of the van, while another loaded briefcases into the vehicle.

An unnamed neighbour told AFP news agency she heard a big explosion. "It was really impressive," she said.

Five employees of the firm Pourquery Laboratories suffered minor injuries in the explosion, officials told AFP.

A woman was among those detained after the chase. Assault rifles and explosives were also seized, police said.

Meanwhile, the latest arrests over the Louvre heist in Paris bring the number of those detained to seven.

On 19 October, four suspects used a mechanical lift to gain access to the museum's Gallery of Apollo in broad daylight.

They cracked open display cases housing crown jewels with a disc cutter and made off with items worth €88m (£76m; $102m).

Police say those arrested include three of the thieves. Officers are still hunting the fourth.

French actor Tchéky Karyo, who had a starring role in the film Nikita and the TV series The Missing, has died aged 72.

Karyo, who was born in Turkey but grew up in Paris, died of a cancer on Friday, his agent told AFP news agency. Known largely for supporting roles, Karyo acted in films for nearly four decades, finding a second career in TV series in his final years.

First making his mark in crime thriller La Balance (1982), he played the handler Bob in Luc Besson's assassin film Nikita (1990).

BBC audiences may chiefly remember him for his role as the TV detective Julien Baptiste in The Missing (2009).

Karyo's wife, actress Valérie Keruzoré, and their children announced his death, AFP adds.

He was born on 4 October 1953 in Istanbul, the son of a Turkish lorry driver of Spanish-Jewish origin and a Greek mother, Le Monde newspaper writes.

After several years as a theatrical actor, Karyo saw his role in La Balance earn him a nomination for the César Award for Best Male Revelation.

With his strong jaw and penetrating stare, he went on to play in dozens of films of all kinds, often in hard man roles.

Other French films included Besson's Joan of Arc (1993) and the anti-war epic A Very Long Engagement (2004), while he was cast in Ridley Scott's 1492: Conquest of Paradise (1992) and in the James Bond film GoldenEye (1995).

One of his starring roles was as the medieval prophet Nostradamus in the 1994 film of the same name, while his tiniest role was undoubtedly in Amélie (2001) where he only appeared as a face in an ID photo in an album.

The detective he portrayed in The Missing, known and loved by viewers for his methodical crime-solving skills, landed him a second series, followed by two series of a spin-off, Baptiste.

Just two years ago he was back in a different role in BBC comedy thriller Boat Story.

A federal judge has blocked the Trump administration from halting food aid used by more than 40 million low-income Americans amid the ongoing US government shutdown.

A Rhode Island judge said on Friday that the plan to suspend the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or Snap, is likely unlawful, and issued a retraining order at the behest of the plaintiffs.

The US Department of Agriculture said this week that the food assistance money will not be distributed in November and moving forward due to the shutdown, arguing the "the well has run dry".

The Snap programme works by giving people reloadable debit cards that they can use to buy essential grocery items.

A family of four on average receives $715 (£540) per month, which breaks down to a little less than $6 (£4.50) per day, per person.

The states administer the programmes, with much of the funding coming from the federal government, which has been unfunded and shut down since the beginning of October.

Several states have pledged to use their own funds to cover any shortfall, however the federal government has warned that they will not be reimbursed.

Republicans and Democrats have traded blame for the federal shutdown, which will soon enter its second month, and there has not been any meaningful progress toward a deal.

More than 60,000 people have fled the Sudanese city of el-Fasher, which was captured by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) over the weekend, according the UN refugee agency.

There have been reports of mass executions and crimes against humanity as the RSF fighters stormed the city after an 18-month siege marked by starvation and heavy bombardment.

The flow of those fleeing the violence towards the town of Tawila, about 80km (50 miles) west of el-Fasher, had increased in the past few days, the UNHCR's Eujin Byun told the BBC.

They were narrating horrendous stories of atrocities, including rape, and the agency was struggling to find enough shelter and food for them, she said.

Every child was suffering from malnutrition, she added.

It is estimated that more than 150,000 people are still trapped in el-Fasher, which had been the army's last stronghold in the western region of Darfur.

The RSF has denied widespread allegations that the killings in el-Fasher are ethnically motivated and follow a pattern of the Arab paramilitaries targeting non-Arab populations.

• 'We saw people murdered in front of us' - siege survivors speak to the BBC
• New videos show executions after RSF militia takes key Sudan city
• A simple guide to what is happening in Sudan

But the RSF has detained one of its militiamen, Abu Lulu, who has been accused of summary executions.

The group shared footage showing the fighter's arrest after BBC Verify identified him as being responsible for the execution of multiple unarmed men near el-Fasher.

TikTok has confirmed to the BBC that it has banned the account associated with Lulu. It is not clear whether he had controlled the account in his name.

Sudan was plunged into a civil war in April 2023 after a vicious struggle for power broke out between its army and the RSF.

It has led to a famine and claims of a genocide in the western Darfur region.

More than 150,000 people have died in the conflict across the country, and about 12 million have fled their homes in what the UN has called the world's largest humanitarian crisis.

The takeover of el-Fasher reinforces the geographic split in the country, with the RSF now in control of western Sudan and much of neighbouring Kordofan to the south, and the army holding the capital, Khartoum, central and eastern regions along the Red Sea.

The two warring rivals had been allies - coming to power together in a coup in 2021 - but fell out over an internationally backed plan to move towards civilian rule.

Additional reporting by Merlyn Thomas

More BBC stories on the Sudan crisis:

• Reports of mass killings in Sudan have echoes of its dark past
• My son's whole body is full of shrapnel
• Rare footage shows plight of civilians in besieged Sudan city
• Last surgeons standing in city's only hospital
• BBC smuggles in phones to reveal hunger and fear

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

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

The South African government has criticised the US's decision to prioritise refugee applications from white Afrikaners, saying claims of a white genocide have been widely discredited and lack reliable evidence.

It highlighted an open letter published by prominent members of the Afrikaner community earlier this week rejecting the narrative, with some signatories calling the relocation scheme racist.

The limited number of white South African Afrikaners signing up to relocate to the US was indication that they were not being persecuted, it added.

On Thursday, the administration of US President Donald Trump announced its lowest refugee annual cap on record to just 7,500.

The exact figures of the number of white South Africans who have been admitted through the US scheme are not available.

South Africa's latest crime statistics do not indicate that more white people have fallen victim to violent crime than other racial groups.

Earlier this year President Trump offered refugee status to Afrikaners - who are mostly descendants of Dutch and French settlers - after South African President Cyril Ramaphosa signed a law allowing the government to seize land without compensation in rare instances.

• Is there a genocide of white South Africans as Trump claims?
• Unpacking the South African land law that so inflames Trump
• On the road incorrectly identified as a 'burial site' by Trump

Most private farmland is owned by white South Africans who make up just over 7% of the population.

Several months ago, South Africa's ambassador to Washington, Ebrahim Rasool, was expelled after accusing Trump of "mobilising a supremacism" and trying to "project white victimhood as a dog whistle".

In the Oval Office in May, Trump confronted South Africa's President Cyril Ramaphosa and claimed white farmers in his nation were being killed and "persecuted".

President Trump held up a photo purporting to show body bags containing the remains of white people in South Africa, but the Reuters news agency later identified the photo as one of their own - taken thousands of miles away in the war-struck Democratic Republic of Congo.

Washington did not comment on the claim that they had misidentified the image.

The White House also played a video which they said showed burial sites for murdered white farmers. It later emerged that the videos were scenes from a 2020 protest in which the crosses represented farmers killed over multiple years.

Additional reporting by Natasha Booty

More BBC stories from South Africa:

• Apartheid police assault killed Nobel laureate Luthuli, South Africa court rules
• 'I eat 6000 calories a day' – The South African 'Rhino' who became World's Strongest Man
• Anti-migrant movement blocks foreigners from South African healthcare
• South Africa debates changing 'colonial' name of world-famous Kruger park
• Steve Biko's new inquest should lead to justice, family tells BBC

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

Canada's Prime Minister Mark Carney accepted an invitation to visit China extended by President Xi Jinping, signalling a "turning point" in the countries' relationship.

The invite came after the two leaders met for 40 minutes on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit on Friday. It was the first meeting between a Canadian prime minister and the Chinese president since 2017.

The countries have had a strained relationship since a diplomatic row in 2018 and been locked in a trade dispute since 2024.

But as trade tensions between Canada and the US continue to rise, Carney has said the country will turn to strengthening its ties with other major economies.

He has signalled his desire to double Canada's non-US exports in the next decade, in response to President Donald Trump placing punishing tariffs on Canadian goods and some of its critical sectors.

That includes closer trade ties with "the economic giants of Asia", Carney said last week.

Speaking briefly to reporters after his meeting with Xi on Friday, Carney said he believes Canada and China have hit a "turning point" in relations that will yield positive developments for the Canadian economy.

"Distance is not the way to solve problems, not the way to serve our people," the prime minister said.

In his own remarks, Xi said "China is willing to work with Canada to push China-Canada relations back onto a healthy, stable, and sustainable correct track" that benefits both countries.

The two leaders directed their officials "to move quickly to resolve outstanding trade issues and irritants," according to a readout released by Carney's office after the meeting.

A 'two-front trade war' with China and the US

A trade dispute has been escalating since Canada placed a 100% tariff on Chinese electric vehicles (EVs) in October 2024, mirroring similar action by the US. Later that same month, Canada placed a 25% tariff on Chinese steel and aluminium.

China retaliated in March by imposing tariffs on several Canadian agricultural products, including a 76% levy on Canadian canola seed imports and a 100% levy on canola oil, meal and peas.

These measures have hurt farmers in the western part of the Canada, as China is by far the largest importer of the country's canola seeds.

Some western provincial premiers, including Wab Kinew of Manitoba and Scott Moe of Saskatchewan, have since called on the federal government to drop tariffs on Chinese EVs. Kinew said earlier this month that Canada has now found itself in a "two-front trade war" with its two largest trading partners — the US and China.

Separately, the US has imposed a 35% tariff on all Canadian goods not covered by an existing free trade agreement, as well as a 50% levy on steel and aluminium and a 25% levy on automobiles.

• Ontario premier demands apology from US ambassador over tariff 'tirade'
• What tariffs has Trump announced and why?

Last week, US-Canada relations hit a new low after Trump suspended all trade talks over an anti-tariff advertisement run by Ontario Premier Doug Ford that featured an address on free trade by former US president Ronald Reagan.

On Friday, Trump said the two countries will not restart trade talks.

Trump has also threatened to raise tariffs on Canada another 10%, though it is unclear if and when that would come into effect.

Prior to the tariffs, Canada-China relations were already reeling from a diplomatic row that resulted in Beijing detaining two Canadian citizens, Michael Spavor and Michael Kovring.

The two were accused by China of espionage and were taken into custody in 2018. Their arrest came days after Canada detained Meng Wanzhou, a Chinese technology executive and chief financial officer of Huawei, at the request of the US.

All three were subsequently released in 2021 after the US Department of Justice dropped an extradition request for Ms Wanzhou on charges of fraud.

China was also one of the countries called out for possibly meddling in Canada's 2019 and 2021 elections, prompting a Canadian public inquiry into foreign interference. That inquiry concluded that attempts by foreign states to meddle in recent elections were "troubling" but had "minimal impact".

China has denied any allegations of meddling.

Carney's APEC meeting with Xi in South Korea comes one day after the Chinese president met with Donald Trump - the first between the two in six years.

In that Thursday meeting, Xi and Trump agreed to dial back their countries' trade war. No formal agreement has been signed, but the two signalled they are closer to a deal that would lower tariffs.

Latvian MPs have voted to withdraw from an international accord aimed at protecting women from violence, including domestic abuse, after a long and intense debate in parliament.

Several thousand people protested against the vote this week in Riga. It is now up to President Edgars Rinkevics to decide whether to approve the law or not.

Known as the Istanbul Convention, the 2011 treaty only came into force in Latvia last year, requiring governments to develop laws and support services to end all violence.

Latvia is the first EU country to move towards pulling out of the treaty. Turkey withdrew in 2021, a move described as a huge setback by top human rights body the Council of Europe.

The treaty was ratified by the EU in 2023, however ultra-conservative groups have argued that the accord's focus on gender equality undermines family values and promotes "gender ideology".

After a 13-hour debate in the Saeima, Latvian MPs voted by 56 to 32 to withdraw from the treaty, in a move sponsored by opposition parties but backed by politicians from one of the three coalition parties, the Union of Greens and Farmers.

The result is a setback for centre-right Prime Minister Evika Silina, who joined protesters outside parliament earlier this week. "We will not give up, we will fight so that violence does not win," she told them.

One of the main political groups behind the withdrawal is Latvia First, whose leader Ainars Slesers has called on Latvians to choose between a "natural family" and a "gender ideology with multiple sexes".

Latvia's ombudswoman Karina Palkova called for the treaty not to be politicised, and the group Equality Now said it was "not a threat to Latvian values, it was a tool to realise them".

Thursday's vote has prompted an outcry both within Latvia and beyond.

Twenty-two thousand people have signed a Latvian petition not to drop the treaty. Women's rights group Centrs Marta has called a protest next Thursday, accusing MPs of not listening to the Latvian people.

The head of the Council of Europe's parliamentary assembly, Theodoros Rousopoulos, said Latvia had made a hasty decision fuelled by disinformation. It was, he said, an "unprecedented and deeply worrying step backwards for women's rights and human rights in Europe".

Since Turkey abandoned the treaty four years ago, femicide and violence against women had risen sharply, he added.

As the vote did not win a two-thirds majority, it means the president could return the bill for another reading, if he has objections.

President Rinkevics said on X that he would assess the decision under the constitution, "taking into account state and legal, rather than ideological or political, considerations".

Last week another member of the ruling coalition, the Progressives, said it would not rule out appealing to the Constitutional Court.

"It's not something you expect," says Franz Zehetner, who opened a parcel addressed to Vienna's St Stephen's Cathedral to discover a skull inside.

The cathedral archivist admits to being taken aback by the package, but alongside the skull was a letter of explanation.

A man in northern Germany said he had stolen the skull as a young tourist about 60 years before and now wanted to hand it back.

He had taken it while on a guided tour of the catacombs beneath St Stephen's which contain the remains of about 11,000 people buried during the 18th Century.

In his letter, the tourist with the guilty conscience described how he wanted to make peace with himself as he came towards the end of his life.

"After his clarification of the matter, it was touching that someone would wish to make amends for an act of youthful exuberance," Franz Zehetner told the BBC. "Also that he had carefully preserved the skull over the years - even it was not according to the rules - instead of carelessly getting rid of it."

It is unclear whose skull the tourist had taken home with him all those years ago, and it has now been re-interred.

Although many of the remains date back to a 40-year period in the 18th Century, members of high-ranking Viennese families were also buried beneath the Cathedral earlier.

A federal judge has blocked the Trump administration from halting food aid used by more than 40 million low-income Americans amid the ongoing US government shutdown.

A Rhode Island judge said on Friday that the plan to suspend the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or Snap, is likely unlawful, and issued a retraining order at the behest of the plaintiffs.

The US Department of Agriculture said this week that the food assistance money will not be distributed in November and moving forward due to the shutdown, arguing the "the well has run dry".

The Snap programme works by giving people reloadable debit cards that they can use to buy essential grocery items.

A family of four on average receives $715 (£540) per month, which breaks down to a little less than $6 (£4.50) per day, per person.

The states administer the programmes, with much of the funding coming from the federal government, which has been unfunded and shut down since the beginning of October.

Several states have pledged to use their own funds to cover any shortfall, however the federal government has warned that they will not be reimbursed.

Republicans and Democrats have traded blame for the federal shutdown, which will soon enter its second month, and there has not been any meaningful progress toward a deal.

Subscribers to YouTube TV have lost access to ESPN, ABC and other Disney channels, as the two companies struggle to negotiate a licensing deal.

Disney said the online pay-TV platform, which is owned by the tech giant Google and available only in the US, had refused to pay fair rates for the content, which also include National Geographic and the Disney channel.

In its own statement, YouTube TV said that Disney's proposed terms "disadvantage our members while benefiting Disney's own live TV products".

After tense negotiations, the channels vanished from YouTube TV just before midnight on Thursday - the deadline to reach a new deal. The blackout affects roughly 10 million subscribers.

If Disney channels remain suspended for an "extend period of time", YouTube TV said it would offer subscribers a $20 credit.

YouTube and Disney-owned Hulu are among the biggest online TV platforms in the US.

Their stand-off follows similarly contentious talks this year between YouTube and other media companies, which had also threatened to limit the shows available to YouTube TV subscribers.

Google struck a deal at the last minute with Comcast-owned NBCUniversal earlier this month to keep shows like "Sunday Night Football" on YouTube TV. It has also reached agreements with Paramount and Fox in recent months.

In separate statements, both Google and Disney said they were working toward a resolution to restore Disney content to YouTube TV.

Still, the companies remain divided on fees.

"With a $3 trillion market cap, Google is using its market dominance to eliminate competition and undercut the industry-standard terms we've successfully negotiated with every other distributor," a Disney spokesperson said in a statement.

But YouTube said in a statement that Disney was proposing "costly economic terms" that would lead to higher prices for YouTube TV customers and limit their options for content, benefiting Disney's own live TV offerings like Hulu+ Live TV.

At least 19 people have died in Jamaica as a result of Hurricane Melissa, Information Minister Dana Morris Dixon has said, as search and rescue efforts continue and authorities try to get aid to hard-hit areas.

The hurricane, one of the most powerful to strike the Caribbean, has also killed at least 30 people in Haiti, officials said.

In Jamaica, "there are entire communities that seem to be marooned and areas that seem to be flattened," Dixon said, adding there are "devastating" scenes in western regions.

Electricity remains out to most of the island and as people try to salvage damaged homes and belongings from floodwaters and mud, many thousands are growing increasingly desperate for aid.

There are parts of the country that have been without water for several days and food is growing increasingly scarce.

Aid supplies are starting to arrive more rapidly with the main airport in the Jamaican capital, Kingston, largely back to normal.

But smaller regional airports, some of which are located near to where humanitarian assistance is most needed, remain only partly operational.

As such, aid agencies and the military are bringing in the urgently needed supplies from Kingston via road, many of which remain unpassable in places.

Satellite imagery shows nearly all buildings in some Jamaican villages have been destroyed by the hurricane.

Residents of towns in western Jamaica told the BBC on Thursday that "words can't explain how devastating" the storm has been on the country.

"No one is able to get through to their loved ones," Trevor 'Zyanigh' Whyte told the BBC from the town of White House in Westmoreland parish.

"Everyone is just, you know, completely disconnected... Every tree is on the road, right, so you can't get too far with the cars, not even a bicycle," he said.

In Haiti, many of the victims in the storm died when a river overflowed in Petit-Goave. A full assessment is ongoing, as there are still areas that authorities have not been able to access.

Around 15,000 people were staying in more than 120 shelters in Haiti, interim UN co-ordinator for the country Gregoire Goodstein said.

In Cuba, more than 3 million people were "exposed to life-threatening conditions" during the hurricane, with 735,000 people "safely evacuated", according to the UN's resident co-ordinator for Cuba Francisco Pichon.

No fatalities have been reported so far in Cuba, but almost 240 communities have been cut off due to flooding and landslides, Cuban authorities said.

Hurricane Melissa made landfall on Tuesday in Jamaica as a category five storm, packing winds of up to 185 mph (295 km/h), before impacting other countries in the Caribbean.

Governments, humanitarian organisations and individuals around the world are pledging support for the nations hardest hit by the storm.

The World Food Programme said it is collaborating with partners to coordinate logistics, cash and emergency supplies across Jamaica, Cuba, Haiti and the Dominican Republic.

The US State Department said it is deploying a disaster response team to the region to help with search and rescue operations, and assisting in efforts to provide food, water, medical supplies, hygiene kits and temporary shelters.

The UK government said it is sending £2.5m ($3.36m) in emergency humanitarian funding to support recovery in the Caribbean.

While Jamaica, Cuba and Haiti assessed the damage left in Melissa's wake, Bermuda braced for impact.

The Bermuda Weather Service expected Melissa to be a category two hurricane when it passed the British overseas territory on Thursday night.

Government offices in Bermuda will close until Friday afternoon and all schools will shut on Friday.

"Until the official 'All Clear' is issued, residents are urged to stay off the roads so Government work crews can safely assess and clear debris," a public alert from the government said.

Protesters have taken to the streets in Tanzania for a third day, defying warnings from the country's army chief to end the unrest.

Demonstrations have been taking place in major cities with young protesters denouncing Wednesday's election as unfair as key opposition figures were excluded from contesting against President Samia Suluhu Hassan.

An internet shutdown remains in place, making it difficult to confirm reports of deaths, and the authorities have extended a curfew in a bid to quell the protests.

The UN has called on the East African nation's security forces to refrain from using unnecessary or disproportionate force.

"We are alarmed by the deaths and injuries that have occurred in the ongoing election-related protests in Tanzania. Reports we have received indicate that at least 10 people were killed," Reuters quoted the UN human rights spokesperson Seif Magango as saying, citing "credible sources".

Amnesty International in Kenya told the BBC that with communications down in neighbouring Tanzania the rights group was not able to confirm reports of deaths.

Hospitals in the country are refusing to give information to journalists or human rights groups when asked about causalities.

The government has sought to play down the scale of the violence.

The electoral commission has announced results from more than half of the country's total 100 constituencies, the state broadcaster, TBC, shows.

• A coronation not a contest - Tanzania's first female president faces little opposition
• Why elections are a time of fear for albino Tanzanians
• How Samia's hesitant reforms are fuelling Tanzanian political anger

President Samia is expected to win the vote under the ruling Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM) party, which has governed the country since independence in 1961.

Official results are expected on Saturday.

Tanzania's chief Muslim cleric - Sheikh Abubakar Zubeir bin Ally - has urged Muslims to perform Friday prayers at home amid fears of escalating violence.

On Thursday, army chief Gen Jacob John Mkunda ordered the protesters off the streets, saying the military would work with other security agencies to contain the situation.

"Some people went to the streets on 29 October and committed criminal acts. These are criminals and the criminal acts should be stopped immediately," Gen Mkunda said on state TV, adding that the army had "controlled the situation".

But the protesters have again taken to the streets of the commercial capital, Dar es Salaam.

On Tanzania's semi-autonomous archipelago of Zanzibar - which elects its own government and leader - the CCM's Hussein Mwinyi, who is the incumbent president, has won with nearly 80% of the vote.

The opposition in Zanzibar said there had been "massive fraud", the AP news agency reported.

Tourists on the archipelago are also reported to be stranded at the airport, with flight delays because of the protests, which have been on the mainland.

The protesters accuse the government of undermining democracy, as the main opposition leader is in jail and another opposition figure was disqualified from the election, bolstering Samia's chances of winning.

Tundu Lissu, the main opposition leader, is in jail on treason charges, which he denies, and his party boycotted the vote.

The only other serious contender, Luhaga Mpina of the ACT-Wazalendo party, was disqualified on legal technicalities.

Sixteen fringe parties, none of whom have historically had significant public support, were cleared to contest the elections.

Samia took office in 2021 as Tanzania's first female president following the death of President John Magufuli.

She was initially praised for easing political repression, but the political space has since narrowed, with her government accused of targeting critics through arrests and a wave of abductions.

More about Tanzania from the BBC:

• 'A bullet went through my skull': Tanzania abduction survivor
• Top opposition politician arrested days before Tanzania election
• 'I want my son back, dead or alive' - mother of missing Tanzanian ex-diplomat

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

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

The Dutch centrist liberal party of Rob Jetten has won Wednesday's neck-and-neck election race, according to vote analysis indicating it cannot be beaten by anti-Islam populist Geert Wilders.

Jetten's D66 currently has a narrow lead of 15,000 votes over Wilders' Freedom Party, and Dutch news agency ANP says even though the vote count is not complete, Wilders can no longer win.

Projections from almost 99% of the vote put both parties on 26 seats in the 150-seat parliament - but ANP says Jetten's centrists could win a 27th seat.

Victory will mean Jetten will be able to start work on forming a coalition.

Wilders had led opinion polls going into Wednesday's election, but Rob Jetten, 38, succeeded in winning in some of the main Dutch cities including Rotterdam, The Hague and Utrecht with a positive campaign using a catchphrase of "Yes, we can".

He has been careful not to declare victory until all votes are in, but ANP said based on figures from the postal voters he could now be declared the winner.

Although his path to forming a coalition is not straightforward, he is tipped to become the youngest prime minister in modern Dutch history.

The UN's human rights chief has condemned US military strikes on vessels allegedly carrying drugs in the Caribbean and Pacific, saying the lethal attacks violate international law and amount to "extrajudicial killing".

Volker Türk said on Friday that more than 60 people have reportedly been killed in US strikes since early September.

Calling the attacks "unacceptable", he said Washington must halt them immediately and conduct prompt, independent and transparent investigations.

The US has been defending its actions. President Donald Trump has said the strikes are necessary to stem the flow of drugs into the US and he has the legal authority to continue bombing boats in international waters.

Türk, while acknowledging the challenges of tackling drug trafficking, said in a statement that the circumstances for the deadly strikes "find no justification in international law".

"Countering the serious issue of illicit trafficking of drugs across international borders is - as has long been agreed among States - a law-enforcement matter, governed by the careful limits on lethal force set out in international human rights law."

Under law, the intentional use of lethal force "is only permissible as a last resort against individuals who pose an imminent threat to life", he said.

He added that based on "very sparse information provided publicly by the US authorities, none of the individuals on the targeted boats appeared to pose an imminent threat to lives of others".

He called on the US to use law enforcement methods including intercepting boats and detaining suspects, and if necessary, prosecuting individuals.

Most strikes have taken place off the coast of South America in the Caribbean, though attacks in the Pacific this week killed at least 18 people, according to US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth.

In the Caribbean, the US has deployed troops, aircraft and naval vessels and last week ordered the world's largest warship - the USS Gerald R Ford - to the area.

The strikes have drawn condemnation in the region and experts have questioned their legality. Members of US Congress, both Democrats and Republicans, have also raised concerns and questioned the president's authority to order them.

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said her government does not "agree with these attacks" and has called for meetings with the US ambassador, insisting that "all international treaties be respected."

The US actions have also heightened tensions between Washington and the governments of Colombia and Venezuela.

The US has placed sanctions on Colombian president Gustavo Petro, accusing him of failing to curb drug trafficking and allowing cartels to "flourish". Petro has responded that he has been fighting drug trafficking "for decades".

Trump has also accused Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro of leading a drug-trafficking organisation, which he denies.

Venezuela's attorney general told the BBC there is "no doubt" that Trump is trying to overthrow the Venezuelan government. He accused the US of hoping to seize the country's natural resources, including reserves of gold, oil and copper.

The US is among many nations that do not recognise Maduro as Venezuela's legitimate leader, after the last election in 2024 was widely dismissed as neither free nor fair. Opposition tallies from polling stations showed its candidate had won by a landslide.

Protesters have taken to the streets in Tanzania for a third day, defying warnings from the country's army chief to end the unrest.

Demonstrations have been taking place in major cities with young protesters denouncing Wednesday's election as unfair as key opposition figures were excluded from contesting against President Samia Suluhu Hassan.

An internet shutdown remains in place, making it difficult to confirm reports of deaths, and the authorities have extended a curfew in a bid to quell the protests.

The UN has called on the East African nation's security forces to refrain from using unnecessary or disproportionate force.

"We are alarmed by the deaths and injuries that have occurred in the ongoing election-related protests in Tanzania. Reports we have received indicate that at least 10 people were killed," Reuters quoted the UN human rights spokesperson Seif Magango as saying, citing "credible sources".

Amnesty International in Kenya told the BBC that with communications down in neighbouring Tanzania the rights group was not able to confirm reports of deaths.

Hospitals in the country are refusing to give information to journalists or human rights groups when asked about causalities.

The government has sought to play down the scale of the violence.

The electoral commission has announced results from more than half of the country's total 100 constituencies, the state broadcaster, TBC, shows.

• A coronation not a contest - Tanzania's first female president faces little opposition
• Why elections are a time of fear for albino Tanzanians
• How Samia's hesitant reforms are fuelling Tanzanian political anger

President Samia is expected to win the vote under the ruling Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM) party, which has governed the country since independence in 1961.

Official results are expected on Saturday.

Tanzania's chief Muslim cleric - Sheikh Abubakar Zubeir bin Ally - has urged Muslims to perform Friday prayers at home amid fears of escalating violence.

On Thursday, army chief Gen Jacob John Mkunda ordered the protesters off the streets, saying the military would work with other security agencies to contain the situation.

"Some people went to the streets on 29 October and committed criminal acts. These are criminals and the criminal acts should be stopped immediately," Gen Mkunda said on state TV, adding that the army had "controlled the situation".

But the protesters have again taken to the streets of the commercial capital, Dar es Salaam.

On Tanzania's semi-autonomous archipelago of Zanzibar - which elects its own government and leader - the CCM's Hussein Mwinyi, who is the incumbent president, has won with nearly 80% of the vote.

The opposition in Zanzibar said there had been "massive fraud", the AP news agency reported.

Tourists on the archipelago are also reported to be stranded at the airport, with flight delays because of the protests, which have been on the mainland.

The protesters accuse the government of undermining democracy, as the main opposition leader is in jail and another opposition figure was disqualified from the election, bolstering Samia's chances of winning.

Tundu Lissu, the main opposition leader, is in jail on treason charges, which he denies, and his party boycotted the vote.

The only other serious contender, Luhaga Mpina of the ACT-Wazalendo party, was disqualified on legal technicalities.

Sixteen fringe parties, none of whom have historically had significant public support, were cleared to contest the elections.

Samia took office in 2021 as Tanzania's first female president following the death of President John Magufuli.

She was initially praised for easing political repression, but the political space has since narrowed, with her government accused of targeting critics through arrests and a wave of abductions.

More about Tanzania from the BBC:

• 'A bullet went through my skull': Tanzania abduction survivor
• Top opposition politician arrested days before Tanzania election
• 'I want my son back, dead or alive' - mother of missing Tanzanian ex-diplomat

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

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

The Dutch centrist liberal party of Rob Jetten has won Wednesday's neck-and-neck election race, according to vote analysis indicating it cannot be beaten by anti-Islam populist Geert Wilders.

Jetten's D66 currently has a narrow lead of 15,000 votes over Wilders' Freedom Party, and Dutch news agency ANP says even though the vote count is not complete, Wilders can no longer win.

Projections from almost 99% of the vote put both parties on 26 seats in the 150-seat parliament - but ANP says Jetten's centrists could win a 27th seat.

Victory will mean Jetten will be able to start work on forming a coalition.

Wilders had led opinion polls going into Wednesday's election, but Rob Jetten, 38, succeeded in winning in some of the main Dutch cities including Rotterdam, The Hague and Utrecht with a positive campaign using a catchphrase of "Yes, we can".

He has been careful not to declare victory until all votes are in, but ANP said based on figures from the postal voters he could now be declared the winner.

Although his path to forming a coalition is not straightforward, he is tipped to become the youngest prime minister in modern Dutch history.