The Philippines is bracing for the arrival of another potentially devastating typhoon, less than a week after a different storm killed at least 200 people and left a trail of destruction.

Fung-wong, known locally as Uwan, is forecast to intensify to a super typhoon - with sustained winds of at least 185km/h (115mph) - before making landfall on the island of Luzon on Sunday evening local time at the earliest.

The Philippine meteorological service (Pagasa) says the storm will also bring heavy rain and the risk of life-threatening storm surges.

Several schools have either cancelled classes on Monday or moved them online, while Philippine Airlines has cancelled a number of local flights.

Typhoon Fung-wong is expected to weaken rapidly once it makes landfall but will likely remain a typhoon as it travels over Luzon.

Eastern parts of the Philippines have already begun experiencing heavy rains and winds, a Pagasa official said in a briefing on Saturday evening local time.

While much of the country is expected to be impacted, there are particular concerns about those areas that could take a direct hit - including the small island of Catanduanes, which lies off the coast of southern Luzon.

Residents there, as well as in other low-lying and coastal areas, have been urged to move to higher ground ahead of the storm's arrival.

A civil defence spokesman said evacuations had to be carried out by Sunday morning at the latest and should not be attempted during heavy rain and strong winds.

• How do hurricanes or typhoons form and are they getting stronger?

Typhoon Fung-wong has also forced the suspension of rescue operations following the passage of Kalmaegi, one of the strongest typhoons this year.

Heavy rainfall sent torrents of mud down hillsides and into residential areas. Some poorer neighbourhoods were obliterated by the fast-moving flash floods.

At least 204 people are now known to have died in the Philippines as a result of the earlier storm, while more than 100 are still missing.

Five people also died in Vietnam, where strong winds uprooted trees, tore off roofs, and smashed large windows.

The Philippines government declared a state of calamity across the country after Typhoon Kalmaegi and in preparation for the coming storm.

It has given government agencies more power to access emergency funds and fast-track the procurement and delivery of essential goods and services to those in need.

For some Filipinos, the devastation wrought by Typhoon Kalmaegi earlier this week has left them even more anxious about the storm to come.

"We decided to evacuate because the recent typhoon brought floods in our area, and now I just want to keep my family safe," Norlito Dugan told the AFP news agency.

He is among those who have taken shelter in a church in the city of Sorsogon in Luzon.

Another resident, Maxine Dugan said: "I'm here because the waves near my house are now huge, I live near the shore. The winds there are now very strong, and the waves are huge."

The Philippines is one of the most vulnerable countries in the world to tropical cyclones, due to its location on the Pacific Ocean where such weather systems form.

About 20 tropical cyclones form in that region every year, half of which impact the country directly.

Climate change is not thought to increase the number of hurricanes, typhoons and cyclones worldwide.

However, warmer oceans coupled with a warmer atmosphere - fuelled by climate change - have the potential to make those that do form even more intense. That can potentially lead to higher wind speeds, heavier rainfall, and a greater risk of coastal flooding.

UK military personnel and equipment are being sent to Belgium to help it bolster its defences after drone incursions on its airspace, suspected of being carried out by Russia.

The new head of the UK military, Sir Richard Knighton, told the BBC's Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg that his Belgian counterpart asked for assistance earlier this week and that kit and personnel were on the way.

Belgium's main airport Zavantem was forced to close temporarily on Thursday night after drones were spotted nearby. They were also spotted in other locations, including a military base.

"The defence secretary and I agreed that we would deploy our people and our equipment to Belgium to help them," he told the BBC.

Sir Richard did not confirm if the drones were from Russia, but added it was "plausible" they had been ordered by Moscow.

Alongside Nato allies, he added that the UK would help Belgium "by providing our kit and capability" which he said was already being deployed.

It comes after Sir Richard warned in of an "increasingly certain world" in a Sunday Telegraph opinion column to mark Remembrance Sunday.

Citing Russia's invasion of Ukraine, he said: "This conflict reminds us that peace is never guaranteed. It [the UK] must be defended, and sometimes at great cost".

About 3,000 Brussels Airlines passengers were affected by the disruption, and the carrier said it faced "considerable costs" from cancelling or diverting dozens of flights.

German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius and the Belgian security services have said they suspect Russia, but Belgian Defence Minister Theo Francken has previously admitted there is no accompanying evidence.

"At first, drones flying over our military bases were seen as our problem," Francken said earlier this week.

"Now it has become a serious threat affecting civilian infrastructure across multiple European countries."

A number of drone sightings have caused major flight disruptions across Europe in recent months, including in Sweden, Norway and Denmark.

Despite some officials blaming "hybrid warfare" by Russia, the Kremlin has denied any involvement.

Pistorious has suggested the latest sightings could be linked to European Union discussions to use frozen Russian assets to support Ukraine in the form of a €140bn loan.

While there is no public proof of Russia's involvement, suspicions have been fuelled by more serious airspace incursions by Russia in Eastern Europe over recent months, involving fighter jets and larger attack drones.

The UK has recently sent RAF Typhoon jets to take part in defence missions over Poland as part of Nato's mission to bolster the eastern flank in response to incursions.

US officials are looking into whether to file charges against an Indiana homeowner who shot and killed a house cleaner who mistakenly showed up at the wrong address.

Police say they found Maria Florinda Rios Perez dead in her husband's arms on the front porch of a home on Wednesday shortly before 0700 local time (12:00 GMT).

Authorities had been responding to a call about a possible home invasion in the Indianapolis suburb of Whitestown. The two did not appear to have entered the home, police said in a statement.

They have formally submitted the case to the Boone County Prosecutor's Office for review to determine whether criminal charges will be brought in the case.

Police have not identified the people in the home or who fired the shot, saying in a statement on Friday that it is a "complex, delicate, and evolving case, and it would be both inappropriate and potentially dangerous to disclose that information".

They urged patience, warning of a "concerning spread of misinformation online" about the case.

Mauricio Velazquez, told CBS News, the BBC's US partner, that he wanted justice for his 32-year-old wife.

News reports say that she was a mother of four and originally from Guatemala.

In an interview with CBS affiliate WTTV, Mr Velazquez said the bullet came right through the door of the home.

"They should've called the police first instead of just shooting out of nowhere like that," he said through an interpreter.

Boone County prosecutor Kent Eastwood told The Indianapolis Star that the case is complex due to the language of the state's stand-your-ground law.

Stand-your-ground laws are in place in many US states and most permit an individual to protect themselves with the use of reasonable force, including deadly force, to prevent death or great bodily harm.

Similar incidents have made headlines across the US in recent years.

In 2023, Ralph Yarl, who was then 16, was shot twice after ringing the doorbell of the wrong home in Missouri. Andrew Lester, who was in his 80s, pleaded guilty and died while awaiting sentencing.

In New York, 20-year-old Kaylin Gillis died after being shot upon entering the wrong driveway. The homeowner who shot her is now serving a 25-year sentence.

Tanzania remains gripped by the aftermath of its worst post-election violence in decades, a crisis that has shaken its long-standing reputation as a beacon of peace and stability in Africa.

It has also earned the country rare rebukes from regional and continental organisations.

The death toll is not clear but families continue to search for or bury relatives killed following the recent disputed poll, that President Samia Suluhu Hassan won with 98% of the vote.

Samia, the soft-spoken leader whose calm and gentle demeanour, initially inspired optimism when she assumed power in 2021 after the sudden death in office of her authoritarian predecessor, John Magufuli.

But that has now changed.

"Samia has pushed Tanzania to its thick winter of protests, instability and uncertainty," Prof Peter Kagwanja, a Kenyan policy analyst, told BBC.

The protests, organised by young people, drew clear parallels with global Gen Z-led mobilisations against entrenched leadership and unresponsive governments.

Analysts say while the unrest was unprecedented for Tanzania, it was preceded by a tense political climate - marked by stalled reforms, years of simmering youth anger, power tussles within the ruling party and the sustained persecution of opposition leaders.

"The protests were just a culmination of years of anger and grievances that have been bottled in by Tanzanians," Godfrey Mwampembwa, a Tanzanian-born political cartoonist, popularly known as Gado, said.

Gado's satirical cartoons depicting President Samia as authoritarian and intolerant of political competition, have been circulated widely on social media.

Veteran Tanzanian journalist Jenerali Ulimwengu described in a column how the recent election was "the boiling point reached by societal soups that have been cooking for decades in a slow cooker without being noticed by an absent-minded rulership, totally submerged in the middle of its gravy train".

Similar sentiments were shared by Gado, who accused the ruling Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM) party of "burying its head in the sand" and being "tone-deaf" to Tanzanians' growing calls for change.

"CCM has over the years disenfranchised the masses and disregarded the very state institutions that keep it in power, " said the satirist, who is based in neighbouring Kenya but has been closely following events in his home country.

Charles Onyango-Obbo, political commentator on East African matters, agrees that CCM "had long mistaken calm for maturity, but it was only age and arrogance hiding behind a glorious history".

"It confused the people's silence with peace, not realising it was the quiet of exhaustion," he wrote.

Unlike others in the region, the CCM, which emerged from the Tanganyika African National Union, is a post-colonial liberation party that has maintained a firm grip not only on the levers of power but also on the nation's psyche.

But it is the nature of this latest election that has exposed a shocking new side of Tanzania, a country long seen as protest-shy, especially when compared with neighbouring Kenya.

In the months preceding election day, CCM's government worked to systematically eliminate any credible competition, according to analysts.

The two main opposition leaders were blocked from contesting the poll - Tundu Lissu is in detention on treason charges, which he denies, while Luhaga Mpina's candidacy was rejected on technical grounds.

According to Prof Kagwanja, that act alone negated what Tanzania and its founding President Julius Nyerere stood for.

"You don't jail your opponents, you seek to get support from people against the opposition," said Prof Kagwanja.

Fondly known as Mama Samia, the 65-year-old president is now facing mounting accusations of heading a repressive government responsible for violently crushing historic protests.

Her approach to leadership was initially admired both at home and abroad as she allowed opposition parties to organise rallies and criticise the government without the fear of grave repercussions.

She had pledged to re-open Tanzania to the world through her "4R" doctrine - reconciliation, resilience, rebuilding and reform.

Having been born and raised in Zanzibar, a semi-autonomous archipelago known for humility and hospitality, it was unsurprising that Samia inspired a sense of relief when she assumed power in 2021.

But analysts say that as Samia set her eyes on a second term, she started seeing internal party pressure within the CCM and the resurgence of the opposition as threats to her ambition.

For the last three years, she had reshuffled the cabinet multiple times and replaced military and intelligence chiefs, in moves seen as weeding out loyalists of her predecessor.

"Within the CCM, she resorted to a Magufuli script of manipulating the party, centralising power and creating a cabal of trusted loyalists as the new fulcrum of power," said Prof Kagwanja.

Samia's calculated political manoeuvres - which earned her the nickname "Simba jike" (Swahili for lioness) among her supporters - paid off as CCM nominated her as its presidential candidate in January.

Months to the election, a wave of abductions, arrests and the brutal killings of opposition members gripped the country, shattering hopes for reforms and reconciliation.

The political space had drastically shrunk in the run-up to the recent election, that was overshadowed by an internet blackout and a curfew.

Hundreds may have died in post-election unrest according to the opposition. The authorities are yet to release an official death toll.

The violence was shocking for a nation that had cultivated an image of calm, consensus, and order for nearly six decades.

"The myth of Tanzanian exceptionalism lies in ruins," stated Mr Onyango-Obbo.

In a defiant inauguration speech, Samia said the election was fair and transparent but acknowledged people had died during the protests. She blamed foreign actors for the deadly protests.

In a rare critique, the African Union and the regional Southern African Development Community said Samia's electoral victory did not meet accepted democratic standards, citing ballot-stuffing, repression and systemic flaws.

The main opposition, the Party for Democracy and Development (Chadema), dismissed the results as "completely fabricated".

"Samia's challenge was not winning the election. Instead, it was to win the hearts and minds of Tanzanians and East Africans that she was elected in a fair contest. Lamentably, Samia chose coronation. She closed all avenues to a fair contest," said Prof Kagwanja.

As she begins to serve her second term in office, analysts say Samia is facing mounting international scrutiny which could undermine her legitimacy to lead the East African country.

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Syrian President Ahmed Sharaa has arrived in Washington for an official visit, just two days after the US formally revoked his status as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist.

The former Islamist militant will meet US President Donald Trump at the White House on Monday, eleven months after his rebel alliance ousted Bashar al-Assad.

Hours before his arrival in the US capital it was announced that Syrian security services had detained dozens of suspected members of the so-called Islamic State group.

Joint efforts to tackle what remains of the group in Syria are expected to be high on the agenda during Sharaa's talks with Trump.

Syrian authorities said 71 suspected members of the group were arrested, with weapons and explosives also seized.

Since taking power, Sharaa has looked to reestablish Syria's presence on the world stage after decades of isolation under the Assad regime and 13 years of civil war.

He travelled to the US in September to address the UN General Assembly, where he said Syria was "reclaiming its rightful place among the nations of the world" and called on the international community to remove sanctions.

Earlier this week the UN Security Council backed a US resolution to lift measures, which coincided with Washington continuing a months-long process of gradually easing sanctions on Syria and its new leaders.

On Friday, Sharaa and his interior minister, Anas Hasan Khattab, were removed from a US register of individuals suspected of supporting or funding extremist groups, a decision the Treasury Department said was "in recognition of the progress demonstrated by the Syrian leadership".

Sharaa had been listed under the name Muhammad al-Jawlani, the alias he used as leader of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS). The group was affiliated with al-Qaeda until 2016, when Sharaa severed ties.

Prior to leading HTS, Sharaa fought for al-Qaeda in Iraq and was for a time imprisoned by US forces. He was also subject to an American bounty of $10 million.

The US lifted its sanctions on HTS earlier this year.

Trump previously met Sharaa in May during a visit to Riyadh, where he described him as a "tough guy, very strong past".

Despite his background, Sharaa has drawn backing from governments that opposed the Assad regime by vowing to lead a moderate government which can win support from Syria's various ethnic groups and factions.

Earlier this year, he vowed to root out elements of his security forces which were accused of executing members of Syria's Alawite minority.

Deadly violence has also broken out in recent months between Sunni Bedouin tribal fighters and Druze militias, raising questions over whether the HTS-led government can restore stability to a country defined by war for more than a decade.

A new chapter in South Africa's long-running Zuma saga is set to begin with the 43-year-old daughter of the former president due to go on trial this week on terrorism-related charges.

In what is believed to be a first for the country, Duduzile Zuma-Sambudla is being prosecuted over what she wrote on social media four years ago during deadly protests.

Jacob Zuma's nine-year presidency, littered with controversies, came to a halt in 2018 amid extensive graft allegations - all denied.

Then in 2021 he was jailed for failing to show up at a corruption inquiry, triggering protests and the worst scenes of violence since before the start of the democratic era in 1994.

A week of anarchy in KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng provinces, including looting and arson, left at least 300 people dead and caused an estimated $2.8bn (£2.2bn) damage.

Prosecutors allege Zuma-Sambudla played a central role in stoking this.

This unique trial will be a chance for the state's legal team to prove its mettle in successfully prosecuting cases relating to the 2021 unrest, but the accused sees it as an attempt to settle political scores with her father.

He is now an opposition leader after leaving the African National Congress (ANC) and joining a rival party, uMkhonto weSizwe (MK).

In recent years Zuma-Sambudla has emerged as the former president's most stalwart supporter regularly seen by his side. She has also become an MK member of parliament.

In 2021, she was outraged by his incarceration and posted images from the looting. The allegation is that these praised what was happening and incited her legion of social media followers, some 100,000 at the time, to press on with the mayhem.

Zuma-Sambudla is accused of the incitement to commit terrorism under the Protection of Constitutional Democracy against Terrorist and Related Activities Act. She is also accused of the incitement to commit public violence.

She has denied the charges, with her lawyer describing the state's case as "weak". She used a procedural hearing ahead of the trial to take shots at the prosecution, wearing a shirt ironically branded with the words "Modern Day Terrorist".

Several dozen posts from July 2021 on what was then known as Twitter are at the heart of the state's case against her.

In one tweet, she shared a film of a vehicle transporter ablaze and stacked with cars shot at Mooi Plaza, a tollgate near one of the towns in KwaZulu-Natal hardest hit by the violence. Along with the hashtag #FreeJacobZuma she wrote: "Mooi Plaza…We See You!!! Amandla", along with three fist emojis.

"Amandla" means power in the Zulu language and was a well-known slogan in the resistance movement against white-minority apartheid rule.

In another tweet she shared a poster calling for the "shut down" of KwaZulu-Natal including "roads, factories, shops [and] government" until the former president was released.

She also included the Zulu word "azishe" which literally means "let it burn" but in slang can mean "let it start" or "let it proceed".

The MP was born and raised in Mozambique, where her father was living in exile after spending a decade as a political prisoner in South Africa. She grew up with her twin brother Duduzane and was one of Zuma's five children with his third wife Kate Mantsho - who took her own life in 2000.

Duduzile and Duduzane are arguably the most well-known of Zuma's rumoured 20 children with several wives and former partners.

For several years, it was Duduzane who dominated headlines after his association with the controversial Gupta family came to light in the early 2010s.

That family was at the centre of the corruption allegations that plagued the Zuma presidency. The Guptas and Zuma have denied any wrongdoing.

Apart from her lavish wedding to businessman Lonwabo Sambudla in 2011, dubbed the wedding of the year at the time, Zuma-Sambudla kept out of the spotlight. She mostly focused on raising her two daughters and being a housewife, according to South Africa's Daily Maverick news site.

She separated from her husband in 2017.

It was around that time that she was seen increasingly at her father's side whenever he appeared in public, either in court or at political events - as a result the spotlight turned towards her.

Zuma-Sambudla backed her father when he joined the MK party. Despite being a political novice, she now has a seat in parliament, after last year's general election, and is an influential figure in the party despite holding no official position.

She was also appointed to the African Union's Pan-African Parliament.

Aside from her controversial 2021 tweets, Zuma-Sambudla has become adept at using her social media accounts to show off her regimented fitness routine, provide glimpses into her private life and throw the occasional barb at her political opponents.

Her higher public profile now makes the case against her "very highly politicised with a strong public interest", Willem Els, from think-tank the Institute for Security Studies, told the BBC.

Political science academic Prof Bheki Mngomezulu believes the case is politically motivated and a "way of fighting her father".

"If she wasn't the daughter of the former president, chances are these charges would have been dropped a long time ago," he argued.

Both experts also questioned the delay in charging her.

The police's elite corruption-busting agency, the Hawks, confirmed her arrest in January this year - nearly four years after the deadly protests.

"The fact that so few unrest-related cases have reached conviction also raises eyebrows around whether the prosecution is selective," Mr Els said.

There have only been a handful of other cases relating to the violence in 2021 that have reached court.

The South African Human Rights Commission, in a statement released earlier this year, indicated that 66 possible cases were currently with the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) but it faced challenges due to a "general lack of evidence... and hesitations by witnesses to co-operate or testify due to fears of reprisal and victimisation".

In the Zuma-Sambudla case, the "high evidentiary bar" will be a big challenge for the prosecutors to show that it was not "just commentary or protest".

"Prosecutors need to prove intent and causation that a post directly incited terrorism."

He added that there were "few successful prosecutions" under the relevant legislation and that it was the first time in South Africa's "legal history that someone has been charged specifically with incitement of terrorism via social media".

NPA spokesperson Mthunzi Mhaga acknowledged in January that the case was "complex in nature" and prosecutors had to bring in external "experts on social media because [the police don't] have an expert on social media".

The NPA, however, would not have taken it this far if it was not confident with the case it had built, Mr Els added.

The MK has slammed the case against Zuma-Sambudla as a "social injustice", while spokesperson Nhlamulo Ndlela dismissed the "trumped up charges" as a "political ploy" and persecution.

Regardless of whether the prosecution is successful or not the party could make hay from the case and present her as a martyr.

Meanwhile, it is likely to generate massive interest from the public and become part of the country's continuing Zuma drama.

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The Philippines is bracing for the arrival of another potentially devastating typhoon, less than a week after a different storm killed at least 200 people and left a trail of destruction.

Fung-wong, known locally as Uwan, is forecast to intensify to a super typhoon - with sustained winds of at least 185km/h (115mph) - before making landfall on the island of Luzon on Sunday evening local time at the earliest.

The Philippine meteorological service (Pagasa) says the storm will also bring heavy rain and the risk of life-threatening storm surges.

Several schools have either cancelled classes on Monday or moved them online, while Philippine Airlines has cancelled a number of local flights.

Typhoon Fung-wong is expected to weaken rapidly once it makes landfall but will likely remain a typhoon as it travels over Luzon.

Eastern parts of the Philippines have already begun experiencing heavy rains and winds, a Pagasa official said in a briefing on Saturday evening local time.

While much of the country is expected to be impacted, there are particular concerns about those areas that could take a direct hit - including the small island of Catanduanes, which lies off the coast of southern Luzon.

Residents there, as well as in other low-lying and coastal areas, have been urged to move to higher ground ahead of the storm's arrival.

A civil defence spokesman said evacuations had to be carried out by Sunday morning at the latest and should not be attempted during heavy rain and strong winds.

• How do hurricanes or typhoons form and are they getting stronger?

Typhoon Fung-wong has also forced the suspension of rescue operations following the passage of Kalmaegi, one of the strongest typhoons this year.

Heavy rainfall sent torrents of mud down hillsides and into residential areas. Some poorer neighbourhoods were obliterated by the fast-moving flash floods.

At least 204 people are now known to have died in the Philippines as a result of the earlier storm, while more than 100 are still missing.

Five people also died in Vietnam, where strong winds uprooted trees, tore off roofs, and smashed large windows.

The Philippines government declared a state of calamity across the country after Typhoon Kalmaegi and in preparation for the coming storm.

It has given government agencies more power to access emergency funds and fast-track the procurement and delivery of essential goods and services to those in need.

For some Filipinos, the devastation wrought by Typhoon Kalmaegi earlier this week has left them even more anxious about the storm to come.

"We decided to evacuate because the recent typhoon brought floods in our area, and now I just want to keep my family safe," Norlito Dugan told the AFP news agency.

He is among those who have taken shelter in a church in the city of Sorsogon in Luzon.

Another resident, Maxine Dugan said: "I'm here because the waves near my house are now huge, I live near the shore. The winds there are now very strong, and the waves are huge."

The Philippines is one of the most vulnerable countries in the world to tropical cyclones, due to its location on the Pacific Ocean where such weather systems form.

About 20 tropical cyclones form in that region every year, half of which impact the country directly.

Climate change is not thought to increase the number of hurricanes, typhoons and cyclones worldwide.

However, warmer oceans coupled with a warmer atmosphere - fuelled by climate change - have the potential to make those that do form even more intense. That can potentially lead to higher wind speeds, heavier rainfall, and a greater risk of coastal flooding.

More than 1,000 flights to, from, or within the US were cancelled on Saturday after airlines were told this week to cut traffic during the federal government shutdown.

Nearly 4,000 flights were also delayed, down from over 7,000 delays on Friday, according to flight tracker FlightAware.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) announced earlier in the week that it would be reducing air travel capacity by up to10% at 40 of the nation's busiest airports as air traffic controllers, who are working without pay during the shutdown, report fatigue.

Republicans and Democrats remain divided over how to end the impasse in Congress as the shutdown, which began 1 October, continues.

New Jersey's Newark Liberty International Airport was experiencing some of the longest wait times. As of Saturday afternoon, arrivals to the airport were delayed by an average of more than four hours, while departures from the airport were delayed by an average of 1.5 hours, according to the FAA.

The airports with the most cancelled flights on Saturday, both to and from the location, were Charlotte/Douglas International, Newark Liberty International, and Chicago O'Hare International, according to FlightAware.

Departures to John F Kennedy International, Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International, and La Guardia were delayed by nearly three hours, over 2.5 hours, and about an hour, respectively, the FAA reported as of Saturday afternoon.

With the Thanksgiving holiday approaching on 27 November, it's one of the busiest travel seasons of the year in the US.

It's not just commercial flights that have been affected. Restrictions on private jets are also in place, Secretary Duffy said in a Saturday post on X.

"We've reduced their volume at high traffic airports — instead having private jets utilize smaller airports or airfields so busy controllers can focus on commercial aviation," Duffy wrote. "That's only fair."

And things will likely get worse in the coming days as the FAA increases the percentage of cancelled flights.

On Thursday, the agency announced that the flight reductions would be gradual, starting at 4% of flights on Friday before rising to 6% by 11 November, 8% by 13 November, and the full 10% by 14 November.

The FAA said the cuts were necessary to maintain safety as air traffic controllers have been overworked during the shutdown.

As essential workers, the controllers are required to continue working without pay, and as a result, many have called out sick or taken on second jobs to afford necessities, unions say.

The controllers are just some of the 1.4 million federal workers who have either been working without pay or been put on forced during the shutdown.

Saturday marked the 39th day of the longest shutdown in history as Republicans and Democrats still have not agreed on a funding resolution to reopen the government.

Senators are in Washington over the weekend for bipartisan negotitations aimed at ending the shutdown.

Another factor impacting air travel is that most of the Transportation Security Agency (TSA) 64,000 agents are also not being paid while the shutdown is in place.

During the previous government lockdown, under US President Donald Trump in 2018, it was found that up to 10% of TSA staff chose to stay at home rather than work for free.

American delivery firms UPS and FedEx have temporarily grounded part of their fleets of cargo planes after a mid-takeoff crash in Kentucky on Tuesday left at least 14 people dead.

The UPS aircraft burst into flames as it careered off the runway and collided with neighbouring business premises, triggering a huge fire which gutted several buildings and closed Louisville International Airport.

UPS said the decision to ground MD-11 models followed instructions from manufacturer Boeing, while rival delivery giant FedEx confirmed it would follow suit.

Officials are yet to determine what caused the deadly crash.

Hours before the fleet was ground, it was confirmed the death toll had risen to 14 after another body was found, with buildings caught up in the fire still being searched for possible additional victims.

"We pray for each of the victims' families and pray that no additional victims are lost," Louisville Mayor Craig Greenberg said.

In a statement, UPS said the decision to ground 9% of its fleet was out of an "abundance of caution".

It is unclear to what extent delivery services will be impacted by the moves from UPS and Fedex.

UPS said contingency plans were in place to continue service. A statement continued: "Nothing is more important to us than the safety of our employees and the communities we serve."

The model of aircraft involved in the crash was a MD-11F triple-engine plane, which first entered service 34 years ago with Thai Airways as a passenger jet, but was transferred to UPS in 2006.

MD-11s were originally manufactured by McDonnell Douglas, before the company merged with Boeing in 1997.

According to the National Transportation and Safety Board, the left engine caught fire and detached from the wing during take off.

The aircraft was carrying 38,000 gallons (144,000 litres) of fuel as it attempted to disembark for a long flight to Hawaii, which contributed to the size of the fire which broke out after the crash.

More than 1,000 flights to, from, or within the US were cancelled on Saturday after airlines were told this week to cut traffic during the federal government shutdown.

Nearly 4,000 flights were also delayed, down from over 7,000 delays on Friday, according to flight tracker FlightAware.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) announced earlier in the week that it would be reducing air travel capacity by up to10% at 40 of the nation's busiest airports as air traffic controllers, who are working without pay during the shutdown, report fatigue.

Republicans and Democrats remain divided over how to end the impasse in Congress as the shutdown, which began 1 October, continues.

New Jersey's Newark Liberty International Airport was experiencing some of the longest wait times. As of Saturday afternoon, arrivals to the airport were delayed by an average of more than four hours, while departures from the airport were delayed by an average of 1.5 hours, according to the FAA.

The airports with the most cancelled flights on Saturday, both to and from the location, were Charlotte/Douglas International, Newark Liberty International, and Chicago O'Hare International, according to FlightAware.

Departures to John F Kennedy International, Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International, and La Guardia were delayed by nearly three hours, over 2.5 hours, and about an hour, respectively, the FAA reported as of Saturday afternoon.

With the Thanksgiving holiday approaching on 27 November, it's one of the busiest travel seasons of the year in the US.

It's not just commercial flights that have been affected. Restrictions on private jets are also in place, Secretary Duffy said in a Saturday post on X.

"We've reduced their volume at high traffic airports — instead having private jets utilize smaller airports or airfields so busy controllers can focus on commercial aviation," Duffy wrote. "That's only fair."

And things will likely get worse in the coming days as the FAA increases the percentage of cancelled flights.

On Thursday, the agency announced that the flight reductions would be gradual, starting at 4% of flights on Friday before rising to 6% by 11 November, 8% by 13 November, and the full 10% by 14 November.

The FAA said the cuts were necessary to maintain safety as air traffic controllers have been overworked during the shutdown.

As essential workers, the controllers are required to continue working without pay, and as a result, many have called out sick or taken on second jobs to afford necessities, unions say.

The controllers are just some of the 1.4 million federal workers who have either been working without pay or been put on forced during the shutdown.

Saturday marked the 39th day of the longest shutdown in history as Republicans and Democrats still have not agreed on a funding resolution to reopen the government.

Senators are in Washington over the weekend for bipartisan negotitations aimed at ending the shutdown.

Another factor impacting air travel is that most of the Transportation Security Agency (TSA) 64,000 agents are also not being paid while the shutdown is in place.

During the previous government lockdown, under US President Donald Trump in 2018, it was found that up to 10% of TSA staff chose to stay at home rather than work for free.

Tens of thousands have taken to the streets of Portugal's capital, Lisbon, to protest against proposed labour laws which they say threaten workers' rights.

The centre-right government wants to make it easier for employers to fire people, outsource work to other companies, and limit some types of compassionate leave, including cutting bereavement leave for women who suffer miscarriages.

It says the measures are needed to improve job flexibility and increase productivity in one of western Europe's poorest countries.

The head of Portugal's largest union, CGTP, called the reforms "one of the greatest attacks ever made against workers" in the country and announced a general strike for 11 December.

The bill is likely to pass in parliament with support from far-right party Chega.

The union told Reuters that around 100,000 protesters filled Lisbon's main avenue, while the Associated Press also reported tens of thousands of people were present. No police estimate was available.

Speaking at the protest, Miriam Alves, 31, a worker at a medical device company, told Reuters that reforms are "clearly a step backward in working conditions and could lead to a complete lack of job security".

Archive technician Madalena Pena, 34, said the government was reversing labour rights "in an unfair, subtle, and cunning way, without having said anything before the election" in May.

CGTP general secretary Tiago Oliveira announced the strike for next month at the protest.

On the proposed changes, he said: "If implemented, it would be a real setback in the lives of each and every one of us."

Protesters also wanted higher wages. Official data shows more than 50% of workers earned less than 1,000 euros (£879) per month last year. The minimum wage is only 870 euros (£764).

US officials are looking into whether to file charges against an Indiana homeowner who shot and killed a house cleaner who mistakenly showed up at the wrong address.

Police say they found Maria Florinda Rios Perez dead in her husband's arms on the front porch of a home on Wednesday shortly before 0700 local time (12:00 GMT).

Authorities had been responding to a call about a possible home invasion in the Indianapolis suburb of Whitestown. The two did not appear to have entered the home, police said in a statement.

They have formally submitted the case to the Boone County Prosecutor's Office for review to determine whether criminal charges will be brought in the case.

Police have not identified the people in the home or who fired the shot, saying in a statement on Friday that it is a "complex, delicate, and evolving case, and it would be both inappropriate and potentially dangerous to disclose that information".

They urged patience, warning of a "concerning spread of misinformation online" about the case.

Mauricio Velazquez, told CBS News, the BBC's US partner, that he wanted justice for his 32-year-old wife.

News reports say that she was a mother of four and originally from Guatemala.

In an interview with CBS affiliate WTTV, Mr Velazquez said the bullet came right through the door of the home.

"They should've called the police first instead of just shooting out of nowhere like that," he said through an interpreter.

Boone County prosecutor Kent Eastwood told The Indianapolis Star that the case is complex due to the language of the state's stand-your-ground law.

Stand-your-ground laws are in place in many US states and most permit an individual to protect themselves with the use of reasonable force, including deadly force, to prevent death or great bodily harm.

Similar incidents have made headlines across the US in recent years.

In 2023, Ralph Yarl, who was then 16, was shot twice after ringing the doorbell of the wrong home in Missouri. Andrew Lester, who was in his 80s, pleaded guilty and died while awaiting sentencing.

In New York, 20-year-old Kaylin Gillis died after being shot upon entering the wrong driveway. The homeowner who shot her is now serving a 25-year sentence.

On the surface, the Hungarian prime minister's trip was exactly what he went to Washington for: luxuriant praise and an exemption from sanctions on Russian oil, gas and nuclear supplies.

And all that just five months out from a difficult election.

Look closer, however, and the picture is less clear cut. The US side struck a hard trade deal - and an expensive one for Hungary.

And there's no progress on Viktor Orban's biggest headache: ending the war in neighbouring Ukraine, and with it the long shadow the conflict casts over Hungary.

Let's look first at Orban's key win - a year's exemption from US sanctions.

The time span is interesting. Trump clearly wants to help his friend win the election in April. And the exemption even partially dovetails with the European Commission demand to all member states to end the import of Russian oil, gas and nuclear fuel by the end of 2027.

What is missing, from an EU perspective, is any political commitment from Orban to meet that demand - a commitment made and fulfilled by the Czech government. And the EU is trying to tighten energy sanctions - to the fury of Hungary and Slovakia.

Away from the media spotlight, the Hungarian energy company MOL has been upgrading two of its refineries - Százhalombatta in Hungary and the Slovnaft facility in Bratislava - to process Brent crude instead of the high-sulphur Urals crude which flows through Russian pipelines.

On Friday, MOL said 80% of its oil needs could be imported through the Adria pipeline from Croatia, albeit with higher logistical costs and technical risks.

So Orban's argument, which so impressed Trump, that Hungary, as a landlocked country, has no alternative to Russian oil may not strictly be true.

Overall, Hungary and Slovakia have together paid Russia $13bn (£10bn) for its oil between its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 and the end of 2024.

The one-year window granted by the US is nevertheless a valuable respite for Hungarian households this winter.

Orban told pro-government reporters who travelled with him to Washington that otherwise utility bills "could have gone up by up to three times in December". Capping those bills by various means has been a central plank of his popularity in Hungary since 2013.

Under the US exemption, Hungary can also continue to buy Russian gas through the Turkstream pipeline, which traverses the Balkans, and pay for it in hard currency ($185m in August alone) using a Bulgarian loophole. Orban has agreed to buy LNG from the US worth $600 million, according to Bloomberg.

Another key part of the Washington deal is nuclear.

Hungary agreed to buy US nuclear fuel rods for its Paks 1 nuclear power station (at a cost of $114m), in parallel to those bought from Russia's Rosatom and France's Framatome.

Russian plans to finance and build the nuclear extension, called Paks 2, have been long delayed by technical and licensing issues. The US agreement to lift all nuclear sanctions on Hungary may help restart that project, but thorny problems remain.

Hungary has also agreed to buy US technology to extend the short-term storage of spent nuclear fuel at Paks for between $100m and $200m.

Perhaps the biggest part of the deal was a Hungarian commitment to buy up to 10 small modular nuclear reactors from the US, for somewhere between $10bn and $20bn.

Hungary needs electricity to power the huge Chinese battery plants being built around the country. Smaller nuclear plants are less plagued by building delays, and are easier to licence.

Finally, a currency swap deal - similar to a recent US-Argentina deal to prop up the peso - under which US and Hungarian central banks can exchange currency is being discussed.

This would mean that in a future financial crisis in Hungary, the US central bank could feed dollars to Budapest, which boosts financial security in Hungary.

So in summary, Hungary struck a deal to buy US gas, nuclear energy and unspecified weapons systems in exchange for a temporary waiver from US sanctions on Russian oil and gas.

But it failed to get the re-introduction of the US visa waiver system, abolished in 2022, which harms mutual trade. And it did not get a new date for a potential Trump-Putin summit in Budapest as part of efforts to end the Russia-Ukraine war.

Critics say energy dependence on Russia is being replaced by energy dependence on the US. The Orban government argues it is achieving greater diversity of supply.

At least six people have died after Russia launched hundreds of missile and drone attacks on energy infrastructure and residential targets in Ukraine overnight.

A strike on an apartment building in the city of Dnipro killed two people and wounded 12, while three died in Zaporizhzhia.

In all, 25 locations across Ukraine, including the capital city Kyiv, were hit, leaving many areas without electricity and heating. Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko said on Telegram that major energy facilities were damaged in the Poltava, Kharkiv and Kyiv regions, and work was under way to restore power.

In Russia, the defence ministry said its forces had shot down 79 Ukrainian drones overnight.

The Ukrainian air force said Russia had launched more than 450 exploding bomber drones and 45 missiles. Nine missiles and 406 drones were reportedly shot down.

The Ukrainian Energy Ministry said there were power cuts in the Dnipropetrovsk, Chernihiv, Zaporizhzhya, Odesa and Kirovohrad regions, but restoration work was ongoing.

Svyrydenko said critical infrastructure facilities have already been reconnected, and water supply is being maintained using generators.

Moscow has been stepping up attacks on civilian and energy infrastructure in Ukraine ahead of winter. Russia argues its attacks on energy targets are aimed at the Ukrainian military.

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky said the attacks showed there must be "no exceptions" to Western sanctions on Russian energy as a way of putting pressure on Moscow.

The missile strikes came only hours after the US gave Hungary a one-year exemption from restrictions on buying oil and gas from Russia.

In October, the US effectively blacklisted two of Russia's largest oil companies, threatening sanctions on those who buy from them.

But on Friday, during a visit to Washington by Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban - a close personal and political ally of Donald Trump - the US president announced the exemption for Budapest.

In a message on Telegram, Zelensky said the overnight attacks showed that "pressure must be intensified" on Russia.

He said "for every (one of) Moscow's strike on energy infrastructure - aimed at harming ordinary people before winter - there must be a sanctions response targeting all Russian energy, with no exceptions".

He said Ukraine expected "relevant decisions from the US, Europe and the G7".

The Philippines is bracing for the arrival of another potentially devastating typhoon, less than a week after a different storm killed at least 200 people and left a trail of destruction.

Fung-wong, known locally as Uwan, is forecast to intensify to a super typhoon - with sustained winds of at least 185km/h (115mph) - before making landfall on the island of Luzon on Sunday evening local time at the earliest.

The Philippine meteorological service (Pagasa) says the storm will also bring heavy rain and the risk of life-threatening storm surges.

Several schools have either cancelled classes on Monday or moved them online, while Philippine Airlines has cancelled a number of local flights.

Typhoon Fung-wong is expected to weaken rapidly once it makes landfall but will likely remain a typhoon as it travels over Luzon.

Eastern parts of the Philippines have already begun experiencing heavy rains and winds, a Pagasa official said in a briefing on Saturday evening local time.

While much of the country is expected to be impacted, there are particular concerns about those areas that could take a direct hit - including the small island of Catanduanes, which lies off the coast of southern Luzon.

Residents there, as well as in other low-lying and coastal areas, have been urged to move to higher ground ahead of the storm's arrival.

A civil defence spokesman said evacuations had to be carried out by Sunday morning at the latest and should not be attempted during heavy rain and strong winds.

• How do hurricanes or typhoons form and are they getting stronger?

Typhoon Fung-wong has also forced the suspension of rescue operations following the passage of Kalmaegi, one of the strongest typhoons this year.

Heavy rainfall sent torrents of mud down hillsides and into residential areas. Some poorer neighbourhoods were obliterated by the fast-moving flash floods.

At least 204 people are now known to have died in the Philippines as a result of the earlier storm, while more than 100 are still missing.

Five people also died in Vietnam, where strong winds uprooted trees, tore off roofs, and smashed large windows.

The Philippines government declared a state of calamity across the country after Typhoon Kalmaegi and in preparation for the coming storm.

It has given government agencies more power to access emergency funds and fast-track the procurement and delivery of essential goods and services to those in need.

For some Filipinos, the devastation wrought by Typhoon Kalmaegi earlier this week has left them even more anxious about the storm to come.

"We decided to evacuate because the recent typhoon brought floods in our area, and now I just want to keep my family safe," Norlito Dugan told the AFP news agency.

He is among those who have taken shelter in a church in the city of Sorsogon in Luzon.

Another resident, Maxine Dugan said: "I'm here because the waves near my house are now huge, I live near the shore. The winds there are now very strong, and the waves are huge."

The Philippines is one of the most vulnerable countries in the world to tropical cyclones, due to its location on the Pacific Ocean where such weather systems form.

About 20 tropical cyclones form in that region every year, half of which impact the country directly.

Climate change is not thought to increase the number of hurricanes, typhoons and cyclones worldwide.

However, warmer oceans coupled with a warmer atmosphere - fuelled by climate change - have the potential to make those that do form even more intense. That can potentially lead to higher wind speeds, heavier rainfall, and a greater risk of coastal flooding.

Donald Trump has said the US will not attend the G20 summit in South Africa over widely discredited claims that white people are being persecuted in the country.

The US president said it was a "total disgrace" that South Africa is hosting the meeting, where leaders from the world's largest economies will gather in Johannesburg later this month.

South Africa's foreign ministry described the decision by the White House as "regrettable".

None of South Africa's political parties - including those that represent Afrikaners and the white community in general - have claimed that there is a genocide in South Africa.

Trump posted on his social media platform Truth Social: "It is a total disgrace that the G20 will be held in South Africa.

"Afrikaners (people who are descended from Dutch settlers, and also French and German immigrants) are being killed and slaughtered, and their land and farms are being illegally confiscated," he wrote.

"No US government official will attend as long as these human rights abuses continue."

Trump had earlier said South Africa should not be in the G20 at all, and that he would send vice-president JD Vance, instead of attending himself.

But now the White House says no US official will go.

Every year, a different member state hosts the G20 and sets the agenda for the summit - with the US due to take its turn after South Africa.

The South African foreign ministry said in a statement: "The South African government wishes to state, for the record, that the characterisation of Afrikaners as an exclusively white group is ahistorical.

"Furthermore, the claim that this community faces persecution, is not substantiated by fact."

Since returning to office in January, Trump has repeatedly accused South Africa of discriminating against its white minority, including in May when when he confronted his South African counterpart Cyril Ramaphosa in the Oval Office.

The Trump administration has given Afrikaners refugee status, stating a "genocide" is taking place in South Africa. Last week, the White House announced plans to caps refugee admissions at a record low, and give priority to white South Africans.

South Africa's government said the claims of a white genocide is "widely discredited and unsupported by reliable evidence" and pointed to the "limited uptake" of this offer by South Africans.

The claims were dismissed as "clearly imagined" by a South African court in February.

The G20 was founded in 1999 after the Asian financial crisis. The nations involved have more than 85% of the world's wealth and its aim was to restore economic stability.

The first leaders' summit was held in 2008 in response to that year's global financial turmoil, to promote international co-operation.

Now the leaders get together each year - along with representatives of the European Union and African Union - to talk about the world's economies and the issues countries are facing.

American delivery firms UPS and FedEx have temporarily grounded part of their fleets of cargo planes after a mid-takeoff crash in Kentucky on Tuesday left at least 14 people dead.

The UPS aircraft burst into flames as it careered off the runway and collided with neighbouring business premises, triggering a huge fire which gutted several buildings and closed Louisville International Airport.

UPS said the decision to ground MD-11 models followed instructions from manufacturer Boeing, while rival delivery giant FedEx confirmed it would follow suit.

Officials are yet to determine what caused the deadly crash.

Hours before the fleet was ground, it was confirmed the death toll had risen to 14 after another body was found, with buildings caught up in the fire still being searched for possible additional victims.

"We pray for each of the victims' families and pray that no additional victims are lost," Louisville Mayor Craig Greenberg said.

In a statement, UPS said the decision to ground 9% of its fleet was out of an "abundance of caution".

It is unclear to what extent delivery services will be impacted by the moves from UPS and Fedex.

UPS said contingency plans were in place to continue service. A statement continued: "Nothing is more important to us than the safety of our employees and the communities we serve."

The model of aircraft involved in the crash was a MD-11F triple-engine plane, which first entered service 34 years ago with Thai Airways as a passenger jet, but was transferred to UPS in 2006.

MD-11s were originally manufactured by McDonnell Douglas, before the company merged with Boeing in 1997.

According to the National Transportation and Safety Board, the left engine caught fire and detached from the wing during take off.

The aircraft was carrying 38,000 gallons (144,000 litres) of fuel as it attempted to disembark for a long flight to Hawaii, which contributed to the size of the fire which broke out after the crash.

A fire at a perfume warehouse in north-western Turkey has killed six people.

The blaze broke out at 09:05 local time on Saturday in Dilovasi, Kocaeli Province's governorship said.

The province's governor Ilhami Aktas told Turkish outlet CNN Turk five people were in hospital, with one in critical condition being treated at a burns unit.

The fire has now been extinguished.

Images shown by Turkish media show firefighters extinguishing large flames.

"I heard an explosion... I looked from my balcony and saw that the clothes of a colleague had caught fire. I took a hose and I put the flames out. I then saw flames engulf the factories. There were cries" from the building, a witness told local TV, quoted by AFP.

The origins of the fire in the Mimar Sinon neighbourhood were still unclear. Justice Minister Yilmaz Tunc said a judicial investigation had been launched while the labour ministry also said it was investigating.

Located around 70 kilometres (43 miles) from Istanbul, Dilovasi is an industrial town hosting numerous depots and factories.

American delivery firms UPS and FedEx have temporarily grounded part of their fleets of cargo planes after a mid-takeoff crash in Kentucky on Tuesday left at least 14 people dead.

The UPS aircraft burst into flames as it careered off the runway and collided with neighbouring business premises, triggering a huge fire which gutted several buildings and closed Louisville International Airport.

UPS said the decision to ground MD-11 models followed instructions from manufacturer Boeing, while rival delivery giant FedEx confirmed it would follow suit.

Officials are yet to determine what caused the deadly crash.

Hours before the fleet was ground, it was confirmed the death toll had risen to 14 after another body was found, with buildings caught up in the fire still being searched for possible additional victims.

"We pray for each of the victims' families and pray that no additional victims are lost," Louisville Mayor Craig Greenberg said.

In a statement, UPS said the decision to ground 9% of its fleet was out of an "abundance of caution".

It is unclear to what extent delivery services will be impacted by the moves from UPS and Fedex.

UPS said contingency plans were in place to continue service. A statement continued: "Nothing is more important to us than the safety of our employees and the communities we serve."

The model of aircraft involved in the crash was a MD-11F triple-engine plane, which first entered service 34 years ago with Thai Airways as a passenger jet, but was transferred to UPS in 2006.

MD-11s were originally manufactured by McDonnell Douglas, before the company merged with Boeing in 1997.

According to the National Transportation and Safety Board, the left engine caught fire and detached from the wing during take off.

The aircraft was carrying 38,000 gallons (144,000 litres) of fuel as it attempted to disembark for a long flight to Hawaii, which contributed to the size of the fire which broke out after the crash.

Israel has received a coffin that Hamas and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad said contains the body of a hostage, Israel's military says.

Hamas's armed wing said the body had been found on Friday in Khan Younis in southern Gaza. The body has been transported to Israel via the Red Cross for identification.

Before this handover, Hamas had returned all 20 living hostages and 22 out of 28 deceased hostages under the first phase of a ceasefire deal that started on 10 October. Five of the six dead hostages still in Gaza were Israelis and one was Thai.

Israel has criticised Hamas for not yet returning all the bodies. Hamas says it is hard to find them under rubble.

During the first phase of the US-brokered ceasefire deal, Israel freed 250 Palestinian prisoners in its jails and 1,718 detainees from Gaza.

Israel has also handed over the bodies of 285 Palestinians in exchange for the bodies of the 19 Israeli hostages returned by Hamas, along with those of three foreign hostages - one of them Thai, one Nepalese and one Tanzanian.

The parties also agreed to an increase of aid to the Gaza Strip, a partial withdrawal of Israeli forces, and a halt to fighting, although violence has flared up as both sides accused one another of breaching the deal.

Israel launched air strikes after accusing Hamas fighters of killing two of its soldiers on 19 October and of killing another soldier on 28 October. Hamas said it was unaware of clashes in the area of the first incident and had no connection to the second attack.

Israeli military actions have killed at least 241 people since the start of the ceasefire, according to the Hamas-run health ministry, whose figures are seen by the UN as reliable.

The Israeli military launched a campaign in Gaza in response to the 7 October 2023 attack, in which Hamas-led gunmen killed about 1,200 people in southern Israel and took 251 others hostage. All but one of the dead hostages still in Gaza were abducted in the attack.

At least 68,875 people have been killed by Israeli attacks in Gaza since then, the health ministry reported.

Human rights groups in Kenya say two activists who disappeared in neighbouring Uganda five weeks ago have turned up alive and well.

Eyewitnesses reported seeing Bob Njagi and Nicholas Oyoo being forced into a car by masked uniformed men after a political event where they were supporting the Ugandan opposition leader Bobi Wine.

On Saturday, activist organisation Vocal Africa confirmed the men were safe, and being transported from Busia in Uganda to Kenya's capital, Nairobi.

"Let this moment signal an important shift towards upholding the human rights of East Africans anywhere in East African Community," the organisation wrote on its Instagram page.

Ugandan police denied the men were in their custody, but Kenyan rights groups lobbied the Ugandan authorities to free them.

In a joint statement, Vocal Africa, the Law Society of Kenya and Amnesty International thanked the Kenyan and Ugandan governments, activists, journalists, diplomats and "all active citizens who have tirelessly campaigned for this moment".

Former pop star Bobi Wine is running for the presidency in next year's elections, challenging President Yoweri Museveni, 80, who has held power since 1986.

Wine accused the Ugandan government of targeting the two Kenyans for associating with him.

Ugandan security agencies have often been accused of orchestrating the detention of opposition politicians and supporters while not in uniform. Some of those arrested have later resurfaced in court facing criminal charges.

The latest disappearances mirror past incidents involving politicians and activists across the East African region.

Last year, Njagi was picked up in Kenya by masked men during a wave of abductions believed to have been targeting government critics in the country.

He surfaced a month later, after a court ordered police to produce him. He later recounted the harrowing conditions in captivity, where he said he was often isolated and denied food.

Earlier this year, Kenyan activist Boniface Mwangi and his Ugandan counterpart Agather Atuhaire were detained in Tanzania and held incommunicado for days before being abandoned at their respective national borders.

They later recounted being brutally mistreated, including sexual torture at the hands of the Tanzanian authorities – allegations which police dismissed as "hearsay".

Last year, another Uganda opposition figure, Kizza Besigye, mysteriously disappeared in Nairobi only to surface four days later in a military court in Uganda, where he faces treason charges.

The cases have since sparked widespread condemnation and concerns that East African governments could be collaborating to contain dissent.

You may also be interested in:

• How a Ugandan opposition leader disappeared in Kenya and ended up in military court
• 'We live in fear' - forced expulsions taint Kenya's safe haven image
• Uganda's Yoweri Museveni: How an ex-rebel has stayed in power for 35 years
• Bobi Wine: Uganda's 'ghetto president'

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

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

US President Donald Trump says he will consider allowing Hungary's Prime Minister Viktor Orban to buy Russian oil, in an exemption from sanctions aimed at helping to end the Ukraine war.

Speaking on Friday during Orban's visit to the White House, Trump said an allowance might be made because "it's very difficult for him [Orban] to get the oil and gas from other areas".

The comments come after the US effectively blacklisted two of Russia's largest oil companies last month, threatening sanctions on those that buy from them.

Following the meeting, Hungary's foreign minister wrote on X that the US had given Budapest "a full and unlimited exemption from sanctions on oil and gas".

Trump added that while Hungary faced unique logistical challenges, including access to a sea that could be used to drill oil, he was "very disturbed" by other European countries that he said continued to buy Russian commodities despite not being landlocked.

Orban, who is one of Trump's closest allies in Europe and who has long resisted EU efforts to pressure Moscow over Ukraine, has defended his energy ties with Russia, saying on Friday that pipelines are neither "ideological" nor "political", but a "physical reality" due to the lack of ports.

He has been using his country's heavy dependence on Russian oil and gas as a means to maintain his good relations with Moscow, as well as a platform upon which he hopes to win re-election next April in Hungary. He has promised "cheap Russian energy" to voters.

Trump and Orban also discussed the war in Ukraine on Friday - their first formal talks since Trump returned to power - including the possibility of holding talks with Putin.

"He [Orban] understands Putin and knows him very well... I think that Viktor feels we're going to get that war ended in the not-too-distant future", Trump said.

The Hungarian leader, meanwhile, said only their two nations truly wanted peace in Ukraine.

"All the other governments prefer to continue the war because many of them think that Ukraine can win on the front line, which is a misunderstanding of the situation."

Trump asked him: "So you would say that Ukraine cannot win that war?" To which Orban replied: "You know, a miracle can happen."

Aside from the issue of oil and gas sanctions, Hungary's export-driven car industry has been hit by Trump's tariffs on European goods, adding to an already weak economy.

Despite frequent clashes with EU leaders over migration, democracy, and the rule of law, Trump urged Europe to "respect this leader very, very strongly because he's been right on immigration."

with additional reporting by Nick Thorpe

Serbia's parliament has passed a law which paves the way for a controversial property development led by US President Donald Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner in the capital Belgrade.

His firm Affinity Partners has sought to build a luxury hotel and apartment complex on the site of the former Yugoslav Army headquarters.

The ruined building, which was bombed by Nato forces in 1999 during its intervention to stop Serbia's military campaign in Kosovo, has symbolic value to some who view it as a memorial and symbol of ongoing opposition to the military alliance.

Serbia's President Aleksandar Vucic, who has pursued close ties with Trump, backed the plans despite protests and legal challenges.

Last year, the Serbian government stripped the building of its protected status and agreed a 99-year lease with Kushner's firm, which had set out plans for a $500m (£379.9m) development.

The decision triggered demonstrations and led to an investigation into whether a Serbian official had forged documentation used during the process to change the building's status.

In a conversation with the BBC in June, Vucic defended the proposal, saying "it's important to overcome the burden from 1999".

He continued: "We are ready to build better relations with the US – I think that is terribly important for this country."

The stalled planning process came to a head on Friday when Vucic's party - which has a majority in parliament - pushed ahead with a special vote on clearing the site and won.

Opposition politicians have labelled the decision unconstitutional, including Aleksandar Jovanovic, who described it as a crime, and told the AFP news agency that the landmark would be replaced with "casinos and Jacuzzis".

Meanwhile, centre-left MP Marinika Tepicċ said the government was sacrificing the country's history "to please Trump", Politico reported.

The passage of the law has also been criticised by architectural experts, and comes after Transparency Serbia, an anti-corruption organisation, raised concerns about state-backed developments.

According to Serbian media reports pre-dating his first presidential run, Trump has previously considered building a hotel in Belgrade.

Last March, Kushner told the New York Times he was not aware of his father-in-law's reported past interest.

The decision to clear the way for the development comes as Vucic's government seeks to maintain good relations with both Washington and Moscow.

Serbia has been impacted by both Trump's tariffs and sanctions on Russian interests in the country, including on its sole oil-refinery, the majority Russian-owned Nafna Industrika Srbije (NIS).

Dozens of people have been injured in an explosion during Friday prayers at a mosque inside a high school complex in Indonesia's capital, Jakarta.

Fifty-four people were admitted to hospital, city police chief Asep Edi Suheri told a televised news conference, with the injuries ranging from minor to serious and including burns.

Authorities said three people had suffered serious injuries and 17 others came away with minor injuries. Others have been treated and discharged, local media reports.

The Jakarta Metropolitan Police is now investigating the cause of the explosion at the site in Kelapa Gading, a district in North Jakarta, with a bomb disposal team deployed to the search area.

Images from the scene show bystanders watching on as military personnel cordon off and guard the entrance to the state-run high school complex.

The explosion occurred around 12:15 local time (05:15 GMT), according to local reports.

A high-ranking Jakarta Metropolitan Police officer confirmed the presence of two objects resembling firearms at the scene.

Images from Indonesia's government-owned news agency Antara suggest one of the objects appeared to be a submachine gun and another looked like a pistol.

The submachine gun-type object appears to be inscribed on its barrel with: "14 words. For Agartha."

On its body, it says: "Brenton Tarrant. Welcome to Hell."

Brenton Tarrant is the perpetrator of a 2019 mass shooting at a mosque and Islamic centre in Christchurch, New Zealand, that killed 51 and injured dozens of others.

A minister who visited the scene later on Friday sought to dispel suggestions that weapons were present at the site, telling CNN Indonesia what had been pictured "turned out to be a toy gun, not a real gun".

Lodewijk Freidrich Paulus also called on the public not to presume the explosion was a "terrorist act" as investigators were still combing over the scene.

Another object found at the site was a dark green belt for storing gun cartridges.

A pupil at the school alleged to Antara that a homemade bomb had been brought in by a student who had often been bullied by other students.

Indonesia has the world's largest Muslim population.

One day, some 85 years ago, Mutuku Ing'ati left his home in southern Kenya and was never seen again.

The 30-something Mr Ing'ati had disappeared with no explanation - for years his family desperately tried to track him down, following lead after lead that would eventually dry up.

As decades passed, memories of Mr Ing'ati faded. He had no children and many of those close to him passed away. But then, roughly eight decades later, his name re-emerged in British military records.

The Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC), which works to commemorate those who died in the two world wars, contacted Mr Ing'ati's nephew, Benjamin Mutuku, after mining old documents.

He learnt that on the day his uncle left his village, Syamatani, he travelled roughly 180km (110 miles) westwards to Nairobi - the seat of the British colonial government then in control of the country.

There, he signed up as a private with the East African Scouts, a regiment in the British army that fought in World War Two. The UK recruited millions of men from its empire to fight in both of the 20th Century's global conflicts in theatres across the world.

Mr Ing'ati responded to the call for recruits - when exactly is not clear - and then on 13 June 1943, he was killed in action, according to the records unearthed by CWGC. Where and how he died is not known.

Like thousands of Kenyans who fought in the British army, he died without his family being notified and was buried in a location unknown to this day.

Decades on, as the UK marks Remembrance Sunday to honour those who contributed to the war effort, the sacrifices of many Kenyan soldiers, like Mr Ing'ati, remain unrecognised.

The world knows little of their service and they were not formerly commemorated in the way their white counterparts were.

After all these years, Mr Mutuku was pleased to learn where his uncle had disappeared to and when he died. Despite being born after Mr Ing'ati left the village, Mr Mutuku feels a strong connection to his uncle, from whom he got his name.

"I used to ask my father, where is the person I was named after?" Mr Mutuku, now 67, tells the BBC.

Although he welcomes the fresh information, Mr Mutuku feels angry that his uncle's body is somewhere out in the world, and not buried in Syamatani.

His family are from the Akamba ethnic group, who believe being laid to rest near the family home is very important.

"I never got a chance to see a tomb where my uncle got buried," Mr Mutuku says. "I would have liked so much to see that."

The CWGC is trying to find out where Mr Ing'ati died and where his body is, along with the details of other forgotten Kenyan soldiers.

A search is also on for details about East Africans who fought and died during World War One.

With help from the Kenyan Defence Forces, the CWGC recently unearthed a treasure trove of rare colonial military records in Kenya dating from that conflict. As a result researchers have been able to recover the names and stories of more than 3,000 soldiers who served at that time.

The records, thought to have been destroyed decades ago, concern the King's African Rifles. Comprised of East African soldiers, the regiment fought against German troops in the region, in what is now Tanzania in World War One, and Japanese troops in what is now Myanmar in World War Two.

"These are not just dusty files - they are personal stories. For many African families, this may be the first time they learn about a relative's wartime service," George Hay, a historian at the CWGC, tells the BBC.

For example, there is George Williams, a decorated sergeant major with the Kings African Rifles. Described as 5ft 8in (170cm) with a scar on the right side of his chin, Mr Williams received several medals for gallantry and was recognised as a first-class shot. He died, aged 44, in Mozambique just four months before the war ended.

There are also records for Abdulla Fadlumulla, a Ugandan soldier who enlisted with the King's African Rifles in 1913, aged only 16. He was killed just 13 months later, while assaulting an enemy position in Tanzania.

The records demonstrate how the wars "touched every fabric in Kenya", Patrick Abungu, a historian at CWGC's Kenya office, says.

"Because the narrative is, they went and never came back. And now we are answering those questions: where they went and where [their bodies] could be," he adds.

The historian wants to answer these questions for thousands of families across Kenya - his own included.

His great uncle, Ogoyi Ogunde, was conscripted into the British army during World War One and never returned home.

"It's very traumatic to lose a loved one and not know where they are," he tells the BBC.

"It does not matter how many years go by, people will always look at the gate and hope that he will walk in one day."

Mr Abungu and the CWGC hope to build memorials to finally commemorate the thousands of soldiers identified from the newly discovered documents.

The organisation also wants the records to help inform Kenya's school curriculum, so that new generations come to understand the outsized, yet overlooked role Africans played in the world wars.

"The only way any of this matters is that it isn't coming from people like me saying, 'This is your history'," CWGC's Mr Hay says.

"It's about people saying, 'This is our history' - and using the materials that we're working with."

The CWGC will continue recovering the details of Kenyan individuals who served in the British forces until every fallen soldier is commemorated.

"There is no end date... I mean this could go on for 1,000 years," Mr Abungu says.

"The process that is taking place is ensuring that those thousands of people who went away and never came back... we keep their memories going so that we don't forget them."

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Nobel Prize-winning American scientist James Watson has died aged 97.

His co-discovery of the structure of DNA opened the door to help explain how DNA replicates and carries genetic information, setting the stage for rapid advances in molecular biology.

But his honorary titles were stripped in 2019 after he repeated comments about race and intelligence. In a TV programme, he made a reference to a view that genes cause a difference on average between blacks and whites on IQ tests.

The death of Watson, who co-discovered the double-helix structure of DNA in 1953, was confirmed to the BBC by Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, where he worked and researched for decades.

Watson shared the Nobel in 1962 with Maurice Wilkins and Francis Crick for the DNA's double helix structure discovery.

"We have discovered the secret of life," they said at the time.

His comments on race led to him saying that he felt ostracised by the scientific community.

In 2007, the scientist, who once worked at the University of Cambridge's Cavendish Laboratory, told the Times newspaper that he was "inherently gloomy about the prospect of Africa", because "all our social policies are based on the fact that their intelligence is the same as ours - whereas all the testing says not really".

The comments led to him losing his job as chancellor at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory in New York.

His additional comments in 2019 - when he once again suggested a link between race and intelligence - led the lab to strip his honorary titles of chancellor emeritus, Oliver R Grace professor emeritus and honorary trustee.

"Dr Watson's statements are reprehensible, unsupported by science," the laboratory said in a statement, adding that they effectively reverse his apology.

DNA was discovered in 1869, but researchers had yet to discover its structure, and it took until 1943 before scientists realised that DNA made up the genetic material in cells.

Working with images obtained by King's College researcher Rosalind Franklin, without her knowledge, Crick and Watson were able to construct a physical model of the molecule.

Watson sold his Nobel Prize gold medal at auction for $4.8m (£3.6m) in 2014.

He had said he planned to sell the medal because he was ostracised by the scientific community after his remarks on race.

A former British soldier is facing extradition to Kenya in connection with the alleged murder of a 21-year-old woman there in 2012.

The National Crime Agency (NCA) said Robert James Purkiss was arrested in Tidworth, Wiltshire on 6 November and appeared at Westminster Magistrates' Court on Friday.

He was arrested by specialist officers from the NCA's National Extradition Unit in connection with the killing of Agnes Manjiru after a warrant was issued in September, the agency added.

Mr Purkiss, 38, told the court he intended to contest the extradition and was remanded into custody ahead of his next appearance at the same court on 14 November.

His lawyers told the court that he "vehemently denies" murder.

Ms Wanjiru's body was discovered in a septic tank near a hotel in the town of Nanyuki, about 124 miles (200km) north of Nairobi, three months after she had gone missing on 31 March 2012. She had a five-month-old baby at the time.

Her body was found near a British army training camp. On the night she was killed, she had reportedly been at a bar with friends where British soldiers were also present.

Ms Wanjiru's niece, Esther Njoki, met the UK's defence minister last month in order to push for Mr Purkiss's extradition.

In a statement issued through Leigh Day, the lawyers acting for Ms Wanjiru's family, on Friday Ms Njoki said: "My family is incredibly relieved to hear that the suspect in my aunt's case has been arrested.

"We have waited so many years for this moment which marks an important step towards finally obtaining justice for our beloved Agnes."

Leigh Day partner Tessa Gregory said: "This is a huge moment for our client and her family who have been fighting for over a decade to obtain justice for Agnes.

"We hope the UK and Kenyan authorities will now work together to ensure that the suspect can face trial in Kenya as quickly as possible."

Ms Wanjiru's family has long accused the British army of covering up her death and the Kenyan authorities of failing to properly investigate the case at the time.

An inquest into her death was opened in 2018 following pressure from Ms Wanjiru's family, as well as Kenyan rights groups and feminists.

In 2019, it concluded that Ms Wanjiru had been unlawfully killed by one or two British soldiers and that she had suffered stab wounds to the chest and abdomen.

Later in 2021, a Sunday Times investigation reported that a British soldier had confessed to colleagues that he killed Ms Wanjiru. The soldier left the army after the incident and reportedly continued to live in the UK.

In 2024, the army announced it was launching an internal review into the conduct of British soldiers in Kenya, including in Nanyuki.

It found 35 suspected cases of soldiers having engaged in sexual exploitation and abuse, including transactional sex, with local women - nine of these being after the army officially banned such conduct in 2022.

Israel has received a coffin that Hamas and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad said contains the body of a hostage, Israel's military says.

Hamas's armed wing said the body had been found on Friday in Khan Younis in southern Gaza. The body has been transported to Israel via the Red Cross for identification.

Before this handover, Hamas had returned all 20 living hostages and 22 out of 28 deceased hostages under the first phase of a ceasefire deal that started on 10 October. Five of the six dead hostages still in Gaza were Israelis and one was Thai.

Israel has criticised Hamas for not yet returning all the bodies. Hamas says it is hard to find them under rubble.

During the first phase of the US-brokered ceasefire deal, Israel freed 250 Palestinian prisoners in its jails and 1,718 detainees from Gaza.

Israel has also handed over the bodies of 285 Palestinians in exchange for the bodies of the 19 Israeli hostages returned by Hamas, along with those of three foreign hostages - one of them Thai, one Nepalese and one Tanzanian.

The parties also agreed to an increase of aid to the Gaza Strip, a partial withdrawal of Israeli forces, and a halt to fighting, although violence has flared up as both sides accused one another of breaching the deal.

Israel launched air strikes after accusing Hamas fighters of killing two of its soldiers on 19 October and of killing another soldier on 28 October. Hamas said it was unaware of clashes in the area of the first incident and had no connection to the second attack.

Israeli military actions have killed at least 241 people since the start of the ceasefire, according to the Hamas-run health ministry, whose figures are seen by the UN as reliable.

The Israeli military launched a campaign in Gaza in response to the 7 October 2023 attack, in which Hamas-led gunmen killed about 1,200 people in southern Israel and took 251 others hostage. All but one of the dead hostages still in Gaza were abducted in the attack.

At least 68,875 people have been killed by Israeli attacks in Gaza since then, the health ministry reported.

Lady Gaga and Kendrick Lamar lead the nominees for the 2026 Grammy Awards, while K-Pop has broken into the song of the year category for the first time.

For the second year in a row, Compton rapper Lamar has the most nominations - nine in total - including a coveted album of the year nod for the sleek, fiery GNX.

Gaga is also up for the main prize for Mayhem, a record that leans into her own history, and marks a return to her electro-pop roots. She has seven nominations overall.

Meanwhile, two K-Pop songs are shortlisted for song of the year: Rosé and Bruno Mars' frothy pop hit APT, and Hunter/x's Golden, the breakout hit from Netflix's animated film K-Pop Demon Hunters.

Both Gaga and Lamar have five previous nominations for album of the year, but neither has ever lifted the coveted gold gramophone in that category.

If Lamar wins next February, GNX would become the first rap album to earn the night's main prize since Outkast's Speakerboxxx/The Love Below in 2004.

He faces competition from fellow rap maverick Tyler, The Creator with his wildly inventive Chromakopia; and reunited hip-hop duo Clipse, whose Let God Sort Em Out is their first release since 2009.

It is the first time in Grammy history that three rap albums have made the shortlist for album of the year.

Also nominated is Puerto Rican star Bad Bunny - who is also set to headline next year's Super Bowl half time show.

He's shortlisted for the musically ambitious Debí Tirar Más Fotos, which fuses live instrumentation with the hip-swaying pulse of reggaeton.

British stars Olivia Dean and Lola Young have got their first ever Grammy nominations in the best new artist category, where they will compete against pop star Addison Rae and global girl group Katseye.

The nominees were revealed in a live stream by a host of stars, including 2025 winners Chappell Roan, Doechii and Sabrina Carpenter, and British stars such as Sam Smith and Marcus Mumford.

Who has the most nominations?

• Kendrick Lamar - nine
• Lady Gaga - seven
• Bad Bunny, Sabrina Carpenter, Leon Thomas - six

The 'big four' awards

Song of the year

• Lady Gaga – Abracadabra
• Doechii - Anxiety
• Rosé & Bruno Mars - APT
• Bad Bunny - DtMF
• Hunter/x - Golden
• Kendrick Lamar feat SZA - Luther
• Sabrina Carpenter - Manchild
• Billie Eilish - Wildflower

Record of the year

• Bad Bunny - DtMF
• Sabrina Carpenter - Manchild
• Doechii - Anxiety
• Billie Eilish - Wildflower
• Lady Gaga – Abracadabra
• Kendrick Lamar feat SZA - Luther
• Chappell Roan - The Subway
• Rosé & Bruno Mars - APT

Album of the year

• Bad Bunny - Debí Tirar Más Fotos
• Justin Bieber - Swag
• Sabrina Carpenter - Man's Best Friend
• Clipse – Let God Sort Em Out
• Lady Gaga - Mayhem
• Kendrick Lamar - GNX
• Leon Thomas – Mutt
• Tyler, the Creator – Chromakopia

Best new artist

• Olivia Dean
• Katseye
• The Marias
• Addison Rae
• Sombr
• Leon Thomas
• Alex Warren
• Lola Young

Why isn't Taylor Swift nominated?

This is the first time since 2006 that Taylor Swift hasn't been eligible for the Grammys.

The star's latest album, The Life of a Showgirl, was released in October, missing the cut-off point for nominations.

To qualify, a song or album must have been released between 31 August, 2024, and 30 August, 2025.

The Life of a Showgirl will therefore be eligible for the 2027 ceremony, and looks certain to secure Swift her eighth nomination for album of the year.

How are the Grammys decided?

Almost 23,000 entries were submitted for the 2026 Grammys awards.

The biggest field was for song of the year, which had 1,015 entries.

The least populated category was best compilation soundtrack for visual media, with just 48 entries.

Once the submissions are screened and verified, voting members take over. Nearly 15,000 musicians, critics and music industry professionals cast ballots to decide the final nominees.

After the publication of the shortlist, a final round voting will take place between 12 December and 5 January.

The winners will be announced at a star-studded ceremony in Los Angeles on 1 February 2026.