A passenger from the hantavirus-stricken MV Hondius cruise ship is in quarantine on tiny Pitcairn Island, a volcanic outcrop in the South Pacific famously settled by mutineers from the HMS Bounty.

The woman, a US citizen, journeyed halfway across the globe to reach remote Pitcairn Island after disembarking the cruise ship in Saint Helena, authorities said.

“We can confirm that someone who had contact with a hantavirus-exposed individual is currently isolating on Pitcairn Island, showing no signs of illness,” said a Pitcairn government spokesman.

“We are working closely with the health authorities and the UK Government to manage the situation. The wellbeing of our community remains the top priority.”

It was not clear how long the woman might be stuck on Pitcairn Island or how she will be isolated from the around 50 people who call the British territory home.

Pitcairn Islanders contacted by AFP said they had been advised against speaking with journalists and should pass all questions on to government officials.

It was no small effort for the jet-setting American to reach Pitcairn Island, which bills itself as a “must see for adventurous travellers seeking truly remote horizons

She first flew from San Francisco to Tahiti and then onwards to the isle of Mangareva in outer French Polynesia.

From Mangareva most tourists reach Pitcairn by hitching a 32-hour ride on one of the cargo ships that shuttle back and forth every few days.

The government of French Polynesia said she had done all this without telling authorities of her possible exposure to hantavirus.

She will not be allowed to leave the island as long as she “poses a risk to others”, the government said in a statement earlier this week.

The UK government — which counts Pitcairn as an overseas territory — said the woman was not symptomatic, but it was still taking a “precautionary approach”.

There is only one grocery store on Pitcairn Island, which typically opens three times a week.

The nearest hospitals are in French Polynesia, some 1,350 miles (2,170 kilometres) to the northwest, or New Zealand, about 5,300 kilometres (3,300 miles) southwest

Three people died after the rare rat-borne hantavirus spread through passengers holidaying on the MV Hondius cruise ship, sparking a global health scare.

Health authorities have repeatedly emphasised that the broader risk to public health from the outbreak of the Andes strain of hantavirus — the only one known to spread between people — is low.

Globally, the death toll remains at three.

No vaccines or specific treatments exist, but health officials have said the risk is low and have dismissed comparisons to the Covid-19 pandemic.

The Pitcairn Islands were colonised in 1790 by the mutinous crew of the Royal Navy ship HMS Bounty, led by the master’s mate Fletcher Christian.

Their actions, casting adrift the ship’s captain William Bligh, have been immortalised in books and film.

Pitcairn’s people are descended from the mutineers and their Tahitian companions.

AFP

The United States said Wednesday it would ease its system of demanding bond payments of visa applicants for certain fans seeking to come for the World Cup.

Under one of President Donald Trump’s many initiatives to crack down on migration, the United States has begun asking people from 50 developing countries to hand over anywhere from $5,000 to $15,000 for a US visa, refundable once they return home.

The State Department said it would waive the bonds for team members competing in World Cup matches in the United States as well as for fans from competing countries who already have tickets and signed up for a priority system set up for visas.

“We remain committed to strengthening US national security priorities while facilitating legitimate travel for the upcoming World Cup tournament,” said Mora Namdar, the assistant secretary of state for consular affairs.

She said the Trump administration wanted to organize the “biggest and best FIFA World Cup in history.”

“Today’s announcement from the US State Department further demonstrates our ongoing collaboration with the US Government and the White House Task Force for the FIFA World Cup to deliver a successful, record-breaking and unforgettable global event,” a FIFA spokesperson said in a statement.

Five countries that qualified for the World Cup are among those whose nationals are required to pay visa bonds: Algeria, Cape Verde, Ivory Coast, Senegal and Tunisia.

At least two other countries that have qualified for the soccer showcase have seen nearly total bans on entry into the United States under Trump: Haiti, the poorest nation in the Western Hemisphere, and Iran, which the United States and Israel attacked on February 28.

The Trump administration has also sharply expanded scrutiny for visitors from friendly Western countries, requiring them to provide access for the US government to look through their social media postings.

A study by the Mendoza Law Firm found that Haiti could play its matches with virtually no fans traveling from the country due to the restrictions.

It said that in the five qualifying countries affected by the visa bonds, $15,000 is equivalent to an average of three years of income.

The World Cup, which kicks off June 11, is being co-hosted by Canada, Mexico and the United States.

AFP

Iran on Wednesday hanged a man found guilty of selling information to Israeli intelligence, the judiciary said, the latest in a wave of executions during the war with the country.

Since the start of the conflict with Israel and the United States in February, Iran has ramped up executions, particularly in cases involving alleged espionage or security-related charges.

“Ehsan Afreshteh, a spy trained by Mossad in Nepal who sold sensitive information to Israel, has been executed,” said the Iranian judiciary’s Mizan Online website.

“Arrested and tried for espionage and collaboration with the Zionist regime, he was hanged this morning after… the verdict was upheld by the Supreme Court,” it added.

Iran is the world’s second-most prolific executioner after China, according to rights groups.

On Monday, the country hanged an aerospace engineering student who had also been convicted of spying for Israel and the United States.

AFP

As reported by the Economic Times on Wednesday, the “Study in Japan” portal operated by the Japan Student Services Organization states that applicants are required to complete multiple stages before entering the country. These include securing admission from a recognised institution, obtaining a Certificate of Eligibility (COE), applying for a student visa, and completing residence registration after arrival.

Certificate of Eligibility is a key requirement.

A central part of the process is the Certificate of Eligibility (COE).

According to official guidance, the COE must be applied for through a regional immigration services bureau in Japan. In most cases, the accepting educational institution acts as the applicant’s representative.

The COE serves as official proof that the student meets Japan’s immigration requirements for long-term study. Without it, applicants may face significant difficulties in obtaining a student visa.

Students are also advised to coordinate directly with their university or language school regarding documentation requirements and processing timelines.

According to official guidance, the COE must be applied for through a regional immigration services bureau in Japan. In most cases, the accepting educational institution acts as the applicant’s representative.

The COE serves as official proof that the student meets Japan’s immigration requirements for long-term study. Without it, applicants may face significant difficulties in obtaining a student visa.

Students are also advised to coordinate directly with their university or language school regarding documentation requirements and processing timelines.

Financial proof is required

Japan also requires international students to demonstrate that they can financially support themselves during their stay.

This typically includes submitting bank balance certificates, income records, or documents showing the source of funds. These may belong either to the student or to a financial sponsor.

The requirement is intended to ensure students can cover tuition fees, accommodation, and living expenses throughout their studies.

Student visa application process

Once the COE is issued, students can apply for a visa at a Japanese embassy or consulate in their home country or region of residence.

Standard requirements include:

Passport
Completed visa application form
Passport-sized photographs
Certificate of Eligibility (copy accepted)
Additional documents, if requested

Applicants are also expected to carry these documents when entering Japan for immigration checks.

Arrival and residence procedures

Students staying in Japan for more than three months are issued a residence card, known as a zairyu card, upon arrival at major airports such as Narita, Haneda, Kansai, and Fukuoka.

After arrival, students must register their residential address at a local municipal office within 14 days. The residence card must be carried at all times while living in the country.

“My Number” system for residents

Foreign residents are also assigned a 12-digit identification number known as “My Number.” It is issued after residence registration and is used for taxation, banking, employment, and other administrative services.

Students may also apply for a My Number card, which serves as an official identification document in Japan.

Short-term entry rules for exams

Students travelling to Japan solely for entrance examinations must apply for a Temporary Visitor visa using an official exam voucher issued by the institution where they plan to sit the test.

Depending on nationality, short stays may last 15, 30, or 90 days. In some cases, students must return to their home country after passing exams to apply for a formal student visa before beginning studies.

Overall, the system reflects Japan’s structured approach to managing international student entry, with a strong emphasis on documentation, financial verification, and post-arrival compliance.

A British-Nigerian man, Ifedayo Adeyeye, who was serving a jail term in the United Kingdom for abducting his son, has fled the country after being mistakenly released from prison.

At the resumption of hearing on Monday, the court was told that HMP Pentonville failed to notify police of the accidental release, giving Adeyeye a three-day head start before a manhunt was announced by Scotland Yard.

According to The Telegraph UK on Tuesday, a judge had earlier ruled in June that Adeyeye had abducted his son from his mother, Claire N’Djosse, in France and taken him to Nigeria via the UK.

The boy, Laurys Adeyeye, was said to have been born in France and had lived with his mother since birth.

The court further heard that July 27, 2024, the day of the abduction, was the first time he (Laurys) stayed overnight with his father.

After failing to return the child as ordered by the UK court, Adeyeye was arrested on his return to the UK and jailed for six months in January for contempt of court.

He was later handed an additional 12-month sentence on April 20 for again failing to facilitate the child’s return to his mother.

However, he was reportedly mistakenly released the following day “after details of the new prison sentence were not passed to the officers responsible for authorising his release.”

Following the error, the court was said to have allowed reporting of the case at a hearing on May 1, where the court criticised an “alarming lack of urgency” from prison officials.

The judge also warned that the incident might have been prevented if police had been informed immediately, stating, “If the police had been contacted immediately, this could perhaps, almost certainly perhaps, have been prevented. The public is entitled to expect far better than this.”

At Monday’s hearing, the court was told Adeyeye might have fled to Spain shortly after his release and believed to have left the UK on April 22.

“The Metropolitan Police recognises both the seriousness of this matter and how traumatic the present situation must be for both [Ms N’Djosse] and her son,

“We are using the powers at our disposal to pursue all reasonable lines of enquiry to locate and arrest [Adeyeye] and will continue to do so diligently and expeditiously,” the police told the court on Monday.

The Telegraph UK further reported that the case wass part of a wider pattern of prison errors, with Ministry of Justice data showing 179 inmates were mistakenly released between April 2025 and March 2026

A similar incident involving convict of Nigerian root occurred in November last year, when a man, Ola Abimbola, who was serving a 21-year sentence for kidnapping in the United Kingdom, reportedly walked out of HMP Ford at about 8am on October 10, just a month after being transferred to the facility.

At the time, Sussex Police said it was working to locate him but had not been successful in tracing his whereabouts in Sussex, UK

UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer told his top team Tuesday that he was getting on with governing the country, defying mounting calls from ministers and MPs to step down.

The Labour premier dared any leadership hopefuls to challenge him, but his position looked precarious after two junior ministers resigned from his government, which could trigger a domino effect.

“The Labour Party has a process for challenging a leader and that has not been triggered,” Starmer told ministers during crunch talks over his future, as no one person has stepped forward to challenge him yet.

“The country expects us to get on with governing. That is what I am doing and what we must do as a cabinet,” he added, on what has become the most crucial day yet of his almost two-year-old premiership.

Do the right thing’ –

At least 80 of Labour’s 403 members of parliament have now called for Starmer to quit immediately, or to set out a timetable for his resignation.

Starmer’s vow on Monday to fight on and prove his doubters wrong did little to calm the clamour for his removal.

Miatta Fahnbulleh on Tuesday became the first junior minister to do resign, calling on Starmer “to do the right thing for the country and the party and set a timetable for an orderly transition”.

Jess Phillips then quit as safeguarding minister, telling Starmer in a letter that she was not seeing the change “I, and the country expect”.

Interior minister Shabana Mahmood, late Monday, became the most senior government figure to advise Starmer to consider his position, UK media reported.

Newspapers reported that other senior ministers, including deputy prime minister David Lammy and Yvette Cooper, had spoken to Starmer about his position.

– Growing pressure –

Pressure on Starmer has been soaring since Labour suffered disastrous local election results last week, losing hundreds of councillors to the hard-right Reform UK party and left-wing populist Greens.

Labour also lost its century-old dominance in Wales and were hammered by the Scottish National Party in the devolved parliament in Edinburgh.

The results added to a miserable few months for Starmer who has been engulfed in scandal over his decision to appoint — and then sack — Peter Mandelson as ambassador to Washington.

Mandelson was a former friend of US sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, and Starmer earlier this year fended off calls to quit over his decision to appoint him.

Starmer has also failed to spur promised economic growth to help British citizens suffering with the cost of living.

On Monday, Starmer pledged that Labour would be “better” and bolder to assuage disgruntled voters impatient for change.

But dozens of Labour MPS later urged him to step down, including four government aides who resigned their positions.

– ‘Steadfast’ –

Several cabinet ministers backed Starmer after the meeting, including Defence Secretary John Healey who warned that “more instability is not in Britain’s interest”.

Technology Secretary Liz Kendall said he had her “full support” while Business and Trade Secretary Peter Kyle said Starmer was “showing really steadfast leadership”.

Housing minister Steve Reed also noted that a leadership challenge had not been triggered, “so we all intend to get on with our jobs”.

Under party rules, any challenger would need the support of 81 Labour MPs — 20 percent of the party in parliament — to trigger a leadership contest.

Starmer has vowed to contest any challenge.

A contest would likely spark damaging infighting, with MPs from the left and right of the party battling to position their preferred candidate or shore up Starmer.

– Who could succeed? –

It has long been rumoured that Health Secretary Wes Streeting and former deputy prime minister Angela Rayner could try to oust Starmer.

But neither is universally popular within Labour.

Another much-touted contender, Andy Burnham, the mayor of Greater Manchester, is unable to stand as he does not have a seat in parliament.

Some of his supporters want Starmer to set a date for his departure that allows their man time to become an MP first.

AFP

The consumer price index (CPI) rose 3.8 percent year-on-year, up from March’s 3.3 percent figure, the US Bureau of Labor Statistics said.

The US-Israel war on Iran has engulfed the Middle East in violence, with Iranian retaliatory action targeting Washington’s regional allies and virtually blocking the Strait of Hormuz.

Roughly a fifth of the world’s oil and natural gas passes through the waterway under normal circumstances, and the blockade has sent worldwide energy prices surging.

In April, the US price index for energy rose 17.9 percent compared to a year ago, BLS data showed, by far the largest price jump for any category.

Food prices were up 3.2 percent in April over last year, the data showed.

Core consumer price index inflation, which excludes volatile food and energy prices, came in at 2.8 percent in April, up from 2.6 percent the month before.

US consumers have been battered by years of higher-than-expected inflation, with policymakers struggling to achieve price stability more than five years after the pandemic began.

The US Federal Reserve has a long-term two-percent target for inflation and several policymakers at the central bank have indicated the possible need for interest rate hikes to address rising prices.

AFP

President Donald Trump on Monday said the US-Iran ceasefire was on “massive life support” as the two sides failed to agree terms to start talks on ending their war.

The ceasefire is on massive life support, where the doctor walks in and says, ‘Sir, your loved one has approximately a one percent chance of living,'” he told reporters

South Korea is set to roll out a second batch of cash assistance for the bottom 70 per cent of income earners, in an effort to ease financial strains caused by rising fuel prices amid the war in the Middle East.

According to officials on Monday, the National Assembly has approved a 26.2 trillion-won (17.8 billion dollars) extra budget bill to address the economic fallout from the Middle East conflict, which includes the introduction of the cash assistance plan.

Under the first programme launched in April, the government handed out up to 600,000 won to recipients of basic livelihood security and other vulnerable groups.

The government will begin accepting applications next Monday for the second round of the assistance programme.

Eligible individuals living in the broader Seoul area will receive 100,000 won, while those in areas with declining populations may receive up to 250,000 won each.

Assistance eligibility will be determined by a household’s national health insurance payment in March this year. For single-person households, those who paid 130,000 won or less will be eligible.

In terms of annual income, a single-person household earning 43.4 million or less is expected to be eligible for assistance.

A welfare ministry official, however, noted that eligibility will be based on the national health insurance payment.

Also, about 930,000 households that held assets exceeding 1.2 billion won as of 2025 or earned more than 20 million won in financial income in 2024 will not be eligible for the programme, according to the official.

The government will accept applications for the cash assistance through July 3.

Recipients can receive the assistance through their credit and debit cards, prepaid cards, or local currency vouchers.

The funds, which will expire Aug. 31, can only be used at small local businesses with annual sales of 3 billion won or less.

Interior Minister Yun Ho-jung, in a briefing, said “the high-oil price support fund is expected to reduce the people’s burdens stemming from the prolonged war in the Middle East and revive dampened consumption.’’ (Yonhap/NAN

The United Nations must be reformed to increase African representation, Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said on Monday when he broke ground on an expansion of the UN’s Kenyan campus.

Guterres has repeatedly called over the years for change to give Africa and other regions better representation at the UN.

But this request has made little progress since it requires the five permanent Security Council members, Britain, China, France, Russia and the United States, to agree to dilute their own power.

“We need deeper reforms of… global institutions that reflect the world as it is today, not as it was 80 years ago, and this includes the Security Council, where a historic injustice persists in denying Africa permanent seats,” Guterres told reporters.

Asked by AFP for a realistic roadmap towards Security Council reform, Guterres said it would be “difficult”.

“But there are some steps already in the right direction,” he said.

He pointed to efforts by Britain and France to limit the use of the veto by permanent members on the Security Council in extreme situations like genocide.

It’s important to say that reform is absolutely necessary, because with the geopolitical divides we are witnessing, to secure peace and security in the present world is becoming extremely, extremely difficult, and we need an effective Security Council,” Guterres said.

His comments came as French and Kenyan foreign affairs officials also discussed reform of the Security Council.

They were meeting on the sidelines of a two-day summit co-hosted by France and Kenya to bring together African leaders and business executives.

Guterres was in Kenya to break ground on a $340-million expansion of the UN’s Nairobi campus — part of efforts to cut costs by moving staff from its New York and Geneva offices.

“It is a cheaper location than others… It’s good business for the UN,” Guterres said.

The campus began as a regional hub for the UN’s environmental and housing arms but has grown to house more than 80 of its offices and more than 4,000 staff.

Washington has severely cut contributions to the UN under President Donald Trump, especially related to humanitarian aid, and threatened more cuts, putting additional pressure on the organisation to cut costs.

AFP

US President Donald Trump branded Iran’s terms for ending the Middle East war “totally unacceptable”, raising the possibility of fresh conflict and sending oil prices sharply higher in early Asian trade on Monday.

Iran had on Sunday responded to Washington’s latest peace proposal and warned it would not hold back from retaliating against any new US strikes or permit more foreign warships in the Strait of Hormuz.

Trump made clear in a post on his Truth Social platform that he would reject Tehran’s counter-proposal, though he did not offer details on its contents.

“I have just read the response from Iran’s so-called ‘Representatives.’ I don’t like it — TOTALLY UNACCEPTABLE!” Trump said

The impasse unnerved global energy markets, with international benchmark Brent crude prices rising 4.65 percent to $99.95 a barrel during Monday morning trade in Asia.

Benchmark US oil contract West Texas Intermediate (WTI) also surged by just over 4 percent to $105.5 a barrel, as investors braced for further disruptions to supplies through the strait, where Tehran has imposed a partial blockade.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu — whose forces launched the war on Iran along with the United States on February 28 — also insisted the conflict would not end until Iran’s nuclear facilities were removed.

It’s not over, because there’s still nuclear material — enriched uranium — that has to be taken out of Iran. There are still enrichment sites that have to be dismantled,” Netanyahu told CBS’s “60 Minutes.”

Tehran has publicly maintained a defiant line during diplomatic efforts to bring the warring sides back to the negotiating table.

“We will never bow down to the enemy, and if there is talk of dialogue or negotiation, it does not mean surrender or retreat,” Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian posted to X on Sunday.

According to state broadcaster IRIB, Tehran’s response to the US plan, passed to Pakistani mediators, focuses on ending the war “on all fronts, especially Lebanon” — where Israel has kept up its fight with Iran-backed Hezbollah — as well as on “ensuring shipping security.”

It provided little further detail, though the US proposal had reportedly focused on extending the truce in the Gulf to allow for talks on a settlement of the conflict and Iran’s contested nuclear program.

Trump is expected to press China’s President Xi Jinping — a major buyer of Iranian oil — on the Iran issue when he visits Beijing on Thursday, according to a senior US official.

– ‘Decisive response’ –

The Wall Street Journal, citing people familiar with the matter, said Iran’s counter-proposal had included the possibility of diluting some of its highly enriched uranium, with the rest transferred to a third country.

Iran had sought guarantees that the transferred uranium would be returned if negotiations failed or Washington abandoned the agreement, sources told the Journal.

The lack of a clear path to a resolution has focused concern on the Strait of Hormuz, where Iran is restricting maritime traffic and setting up a payment mechanism to charge tolls for crossing ships.

US officials have stressed it would be “unacceptable” for Tehran to control the international waterway – the route for a fifth of the world’s oil.

The US Navy is also blockading Iran’s ports, at times disabling or diverting ships heading to and from them.

Britain and France are sending vessels to the region and are leading efforts to create an international coalition to secure the strait after a peace deal is reached.

The two countries will also host a multinational meeting of defense ministers from more than 40 nations on Tuesday to discuss military plans to restore trade flows through the strait.

But French President Emmanuel Macron insisted his country had “never envisaged” a naval deployment in Hormuz, but rather a security mission “coordinated with Iran”, after Tehran warned the two countries would face a “decisive and immediate response” if their ships were deployed to the strait.

– ‘Restraint over’ –

As diplomatic momentum appeared to dwindle, fresh drone attacks in the Gulf on Sunday rattled the ceasefire.

The United Arab Emirates said its air defenses intercepted a drone attack launched from Iran, while Kuwait reported “hostile drones” in its airspace.

Qatar’s defense ministry also said a freighter arriving in its waters from Abu Dhabi was hit by a drone.

In a social media post on Sunday, the spokesman for the Iranian parliament’s national security commission warned Washington: “Our restraint is over as of today.”

“Any attack on our vessels will trigger a strong and decisive Iranian response against American ships and bases,” Ebrahim Rezaei said.

AFP

“One passenger currently has mild symptoms and another passenger tested mildly PCR positive for the Andes virus,” the Department of Health and Human Services said.

Both passengers are currently travelling in the plane’s biocontainment units “out of an abundance of caution,” it said.

The US passengers evacuated from the Spanish Canary Islands, where the ship made a stop, will be taken to a specialized center in the rural state of Nebraska. The person with mild symptoms will be taken to a second center.

Upon arrival, “each person will undergo clinical assessment and receive appropriate care and support based on their condition.”

Three passengers from the MV Hondius have died, while others have fallen sick with the rare disease, which usually spreads among rodents.

AFP

US President Donald Trump has said in an interview aired Sunday that it would only take two weeks to hit “every single target” in Iran, adding that the Islamic republic was “militarily defeated.”

In the interview with independent journalist Sharyl Attkisson, which was recorded last week, he also called NATO a “paper tiger” and accused Washington’s allies of failing to assist in the campaign against Tehran.

The comments come as Iran is reported to have responded to the latest US proposal on ending a conflict that began on February 28 with US and Israeli strikes on Iran.

“They’re militarily defeated. In their own minds, maybe they don’t know that. But I think they do,” Trump said in the interview, before adding: “That doesn’t mean they’re done.”

He suggested the US military could “go in for two more weeks and do every single target. We have certain targets that we wanted, and we’ve done probably 70 percent of them, but we have other targets that we could conceivably hit.”

“But even if we didn’t do that, you know, that would just be final touches,” Trump said.

On NATO, he said the alliance “has proven to be a paper tiger. They weren’t there to help.”

AFP

Militants detonated a car bomb at a checkpoint in northwestern Pakistan and opened fire on police, killing at least 12 and wounding five, officials said on Sunday.

“Last night in the Fateh Khel area of Bannu, a suicide bomber rammed an explosives-laden vehicle into a police checkpoint, after which multiple militants entered the post,” Bannu police official Muhammad Sajjad Khan told AFP.

He said that 12 officers were confirmed dead with one more missing, the latest attack in the border province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa during a wave of militancy that has strained ties between Islamabad and Kabul.

Gunmen stormed the police checkpost after the car blast, opening fire, according to officials who said they also used small drones in the attack.

“During the assault, the militants used quadcopters along with heavy weaponry,” a senior administrative official in Bannu told AFP on condition of anonymity.

“In addition, while retreating, the attackers took police personnel and weapons from the station with them,” he added.

Bannu has been gripped in recent years by militant activity that has grown across Pakistan’s border regions.

The Taliban government in Kabul denies Pakistan’s accusations that Afghan territory is a safe harbour for militants, but the frosty relationship has spiralled into deadly armed conflict, including Pakistani airstrikes on cities in Afghanistan in recent months.

AFP

The latest figures, contained in the agencies’ March 2026 international trade report, show that the value of U.S. imports of Nigerian crude oil on a Cost, Insurance and Freight basis stood at $578.78m year-to-date, down by $102.62m or 15.06 per cent from the $681.40m recorded in the same period of 2025.

This comes despite Nigeria maintaining a steady position among key African crude suppliers to the United States, even as overall trade dynamics shifted.

A breakdown of the data shows that the U.S. imported 7.84 million barrels of crude oil from Nigeria in the first three months of 2026, compared to 8.44 million barrels in the same period of 2025. This represents a decline of 0.59 million barrels or 7.03 per cent year-on-year.

On a monthly basis, U.S. imports from Nigeria dropped sharply between February and March 2026. In February 2026, imports stood at 4.64 million barrels before falling to 1.54 million barrels in March, indicating weaker short-term demand or supply adjustments.

In value terms, the CIF value of Nigerian crude imports also declined month-on-month from $345.33m in February 2026 to $114.49m in March 2026.

The customs value data, which excludes freight and insurance costs, followed a similar pattern. Year-to-date customs value for Nigerian crude stood at $561.69m in 2026, compared to $663.79m in 2025, reflecting a drop of $102.10m or 15.38 per cent.

The broader African context shows that Nigeria remained a major contributor to U.S. crude imports from the continent, although overall African exports to the U.S. also declined. Total U.S. crude imports from Africa stood at $1.66bn in the first quarter of 2026, up from $1.10bn in 2025, indicating shifting contributions among African exporters

Within Africa, Nigeria’s share of total U.S. crude imports from the continent dropped to about 34.8 per cent in Q1 2026, from roughly 61.7 per cent in the same period of 2025, highlighting increased competition from other suppliers such as Libya and Ghana.

Despite the year-on-year decline, Nigeria’s crude still accounted for a notable share of U.S. oil imports, reflecting the continued relevance of its light sweet crude grades in the American refining system.

The U.S. trade report noted that import values reflect the landed cost of crude oil, including freight and insurance, providing a more comprehensive measure of trade flows than customs values alone.

The data points to a moderation in U.S. demand for Nigerian crude in early 2026, driven by a mix of shifting global supply patterns, price movements, and evolving energy trade flows.

Details from the most recent monthly report of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited showed that crude oil sales dropped sharply to 17.37 million barrels in March, down from 22.85 million barrels in February and 25.75 million barrels in January, suggesting that evacuation and logistics challenges persist.

An analysis of the figures also showed that crude oil output remained flat in March compared to February at 1.56 million barrels per day, but improved from 1.51 million barrels per day recorded in January.

In its report, NNPC acknowledged that pipeline disruptions significantly impacted output during the period. It stated, “The Trans Forcados Pipeline outage, resulting from a leak at the Keremor axis, negatively impacted production volumes, leading to curtailments across several assets from February 20 to March 25, alongside other operational challenges.”

Despite these setbacks, the company maintained that it is implementing targeted recovery strategies to stabilise output. It noted, “NNPC Limited continues to strengthen production resilience by executing restoration plans focused on improving asset reliability, resolving evacuation constraints, and implementing other targeted recovery initiatives.”

Saudi Arabia prohibited the United States from using its airspace and bases on its territory to launch operations for its brief bid to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, two Saudi sources told AFP on Friday.

But the sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive matters, said Washington’s access to Saudi airspace and bases would continue for other uses.

Saudi Arabia has repeatedly said it will not allow its territory and airspace to be used to attack Iran.

Earlier this week, US President Donald Trump announced a pause in the two-day-old “Project Freedom” to guide ships through the strait, after a flare-up with Iran strained a fragile ceasefire.

US media reports on Thursday said Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the de facto Saudi leader, talked directly to Trump and refused to let US forces use Saudi airspace and bases for the operation.

Saudi Arabia “did not allow flights for operation Freedom”, one of the sources told AFP.

Saudi Arabia was against the operation because it felt it would just escalate the situation and would not work,” the source added.

On Friday morning, Saudi Arabia’s Deputy Minister for Public Diplomacy Rayed Krimly said the kingdom “maintains its position supporting de-escalation and negotiations efforts”, in a post on social media.

The comments came as Trump said the ceasefire with Iran was still in place despite an Iranian attack on three American destroyers in the Strait of Hormuz.

The US military said it carried out strikes on Iranian military targets in response, although Tehran charged that it was Washington that had initiated the exchange of fire.

AFP

Pope Leo has called on global leaders to seek divine guidance in reducing tensions and ending cycles of hatred, saying God should “touch hearts, calm rancour and fratricidal hatreds, and enlighten those who have special responsibilities of government.”

According to Reuters, the appeal came on Friday during a visit to Pompei, a modern city south of Rome near the ruins of the ancient volcanic eruption site, as the pontiff marked the first anniversary of his leadership of the Roman Catholic Church.

His message followed a meeting on Thursday at the Vatican with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, a visit that took place amid reported tensions between the Holy See and Washington.

The Vatican said after the talks that both sides had agreed to work towards improving bilateral relations, with officials describing the exchange as unusually frank given what insiders have called strained ties. The U.S. embassy to the Holy See later said on X that discussions focused on “topics of mutual interest in the Western Hemisphere.”

Leo, the first U.S.-born pope and former Cardinal Robert Prevost, was elected on May 8, 2025, to succeed Pope Francis as leader of the Church’s 1.4 billion members. He spent decades as a missionary and bishop in Peru before his election.

In recent months, he has become increasingly vocal on global conflict, including criticism of the Iran war, which has drawn sharp reactions from U.S. President Donald Trump.

Addressing thousands gathered in Pompei’s main square, Leo said he would join prayers that God would guide those in positions of power.

God would begin touching hearts, calming rancour and fratricidal hatreds, and enlightening those who have special responsibilities of government,” he said.

He also warned that global peace was under growing strain.

“World peace is endangered by international tensions and by an economy that prefers the arms trade to respect for human life,” he said.

The pope urged people not to become desensitised to conflict.

“We cannot resign ourselves to the images of death that the news shows us every day,” he said.

President Emmanuel Macron on Saturday embarks on a visit to Africa aimed at renewing France’s engagement with the continent after years of strained ties with former French‑speaking colonies.

In English‑speaking Kenya, Macron will co‑host a summit on Monday and Tuesday bringing together African leaders and business executives, as he seeks to cement his legacy one year before the end of his term.

He will also travel to Egypt and Ethiopia as part of his Africa tour.

“The Africa Forward summit marks a major milestone in relations between France and the African continent,” the Elysee Palace said.

The meeting will focus on economic development and cross‑border investment, among other themes, the French presidency said, stressing that it will be the first such forum held in an English‑speaking country.

Macron hopes to highlight France’s renewed relationship with the continent as a “report card on his Africa policy”, said one diplomat.

Anti‑French sentiment runs high in some former African colonies as the continent becomes a renewed diplomatic battleground, with Russian and Chinese influence growing.

Once master of vast expanses of northern, central and western Africa, France has played a crucial role in the continent’s post‑colonial history, repeatedly intervening militarily since the early 1960s.

France has vowed to abandon the so‑called “Francafrique” strategy, under which Paris sought to keep francophone Africa under its thumb through political collusion, exclusive access for French businesses and oblique financial deals including graft.

– ‘Anglophone Africa’ –

Macron has gone further than his predecessors in admitting France’s colonial-era abuses in countries including Rwanda, Cameroon and Senegal. But he has ruled out any official apology for torture and other abuses carried out by French troops in Algeria.

Ahead of his trip, French parliament definitively adopted legislation to simplify the return of artworks looted during the colonial era.

But under his watch, French forces deployed in Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger withdrew following successive coups, as the juntas in those countries drew closer to Russia.

The unravelling of those ties came after Macron in 2020 summoned leaders of Mali, Niger, Burkina Faso, Chad and Mauritania to the southwestern French town of Pau, threatening to pull out French troops.

The meeting was widely seen as a throwback to the colonial era and accelerated France’s crisis in ties with the countries in the Sahel.

Amaka Anku, head of the Africa section at Eurasia Group, a risk analysis firm, said Macron should not be blamed for France’s loss of influence in the Sahel.

That was a long time coming, it’s inherited,” she told AFP.

“The best thing Macron did was to try to expand France’s relations with anglophone Africa.”

The military leaders of Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger will not attend the summit.

– ‘Too much baggage’ –

Africa expert Niagale Bagayoko expressed scepticism about what Macron might be able to achieve.

Nothing particularly new can happen in Franco‑African relations before the end of Emmanuel Macron’s term,” she said.

“There is too much baggage.”

She said Macron was perceived by many in Africa as a leader who had “failed to grasp” the evolution of public opinion and was seen as “arrogant and paternalistic”.

Some still remember how Macron in 2017 nearly sparked a diplomatic incident with Burkina Faso’s then‑president Roch Marc Christian Kabore as he spoke to students in Ouagadougou.

Some complained of persistent electricity cuts, and when Kabore briefly left the room, Macron joked that he had gone to fix the air conditioning.

Critics also pointed out that the overhaul of the CFA franc, a French-backed currency used by some African countries and seen as a relic of the colonial past, did not amount to much.

Former French ambassador Nicolas Normand said the reform was “homoeopathic”, accusing Macron of failing to grasp the symbolic weight of a colonial‑era legacy.

Before travelling to Kenya, Macron will unveil the new campus of a university in Alexandria in northern Egypt alongside President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi.

On Wednesday, the French president will travel to Addis Ababa, where he will hold talks with Mahmoud Ali Youssouf, chairperson of the African Union Commission, and UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres.

AFP

The United States Department of State has warned that Americans owing more than $2,500 in child support risk having their passports revoked under existing federal regulations.

The department disclosed this in a statement on its official website on Thursday, stating that individuals with outstanding child support debts above the threshold are ineligible to obtain or renew a US passport.

“Individuals with significant child support debt should contact their state child support agency immediately to make payment arrangements and avoid passport revocation.

“If you owe more than $2,500, federal regulations do not allow us to issue you a U.S. passport and we may revoke your valid U.S. passport,” the statement read.

The agency explained that affected passport holders would receive revocation notices either by email or through the mailing address provided in their most recent passport application.

It advised indebted parents to contact the state where the child support debt is owed to arrange repayment before they can regain eligibility for a passport.

The department noted that even after repayment, a revoked passport cannot be used for travel and affected individuals would need to apply for a new passport.

t further warned that the process of clearing a debtor’s name from government records could take a minimum of two to three weeks after payment.

“If you have urgent travel, be aware the process for your state and the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to remove your name from its records may take a minimum of 2-3 weeks,” the statement said.

The State Department also said U.S. citizens overseas whose passports are revoked due to unpaid child support would only qualify for a limited-validity passport for direct return to the United States until the debt is settled and verified.

According to the agency, applicants who have already submitted passport applications must first pay all outstanding child support owed to relevant state enforcement agencies before processing can continue.

The Department of Health and Human Services is responsible for notifying the State Department after a debtor’s name has been removed from its records following repayment.

The policy is grounded in a 1996 federal law that allows the State Department to deny or revoke passports for individuals owing more than $2,500 in child support.

Federal law has restricted passport issuance and renewal for delinquent child support obligors for nearly three decades, but the State Department previously acted primarily on notifications during renewal applications.

Improved data-sharing between HHS and the State Department now enables more systematic identification and revocation.

US President Donald Trump said the ceasefire with Iran was still in place despite an Iranian attack on three American destroyers in the Strait of Hormuz that fanned fears on Friday that the truce was faltering.

The US military said it carried out strikes on Iranian military targets in response, although Tehran charged that it was Washington that had initiated the exchange of fire.

The latest violence threatens to unravel a fragile truce in effect since April 8 that brought an end to weeks of US-Israeli attacks on the Islamic republic, which has retaliated with strikes across the Middle East and by blocking the strait, a vital route for oil and gas shipments.

The United Arab Emirates said Friday that its air defences were “engaging missile and drone attacks originating from Iran”.

Asked in Washington on Thursday if the Iran ceasefire was still on, Trump said: “Yeah, it is. They trifled with us today. We blew them away. They trifled. I call that a trifle.”

US Central Command (CENTCOM) said in a post on X that Iranian forces launched “multiple missiles, drones, and small boats” at the three US warships, but none were hit, and that it “eliminated inbound threats and targeted Iranian military facilities responsible.”

“CENTCOM does not seek escalation but remains positioned and ready to protect American forces,” it said.

For its part, Iran’s central military command accused the United States of violating the ceasefire by attacking an oil tanker and another ship, saying Tehran’s forces “immediately and in retaliation attacked American military vessels.”

Trump this week fueled hopes of a deal, saying an agreement could be near even as he again threatened to return to bombing if Tehran refused to back down.

He doubled down on that stance after Thursday’s clash, posting on his Truth Social platform: “We’ll knock them out a lot harder, and a lot more violently, in the future, if they don’t get their Deal signed, FAST!” he said.

Iran’s foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei said Tehran would communicate its position to mediator Pakistan “after finalizing its views.”

Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had struck an optimistic tone prior to the exchanges of fire on Thursday, saying in televised remarks: “I firmly believe that this ceasefire will turn into a long-term ceasefire.”

Lebanon talks

But, inside Iran, civilians were cynical.

“Neither side in these negotiations is really capable of reaching an agreement,” 42-year-old photographer Shervin told AFP reporters in Paris, messaging from Tehran.

“This is another one of Trump’s games; otherwise, why are so many warships and military forces being sent toward Iran?”

Any agreement between the United States and Iran could also help lower tensions in Lebanon, where a separate truce was under renewed strain after an Israeli strike on southern Beirut killed a commander from militant group Hezbollah on Wednesday.

A US State Department official confirmed on Thursday that the new Israel-Lebanon talks would take place on May 14 and 15.

It will be the third meeting in recent months between the two countries, which have technically been at war for decades and have no diplomatic relations.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Tuesday that a peace deal between the two sides was “eminently achievable,” insisting Hezbollah was the sticking point, rather than any issue between the two governments.

Lebanon was drawn into the Middle East war when Hezbollah fired rockets at Israel in retaliation for the killing of Iranian supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

Ships, crew stranded

A ceasefire between the two countries, and including Hezbollah, was extended after the last round of talks in Washington, but Israel has kept up its strikes on the group, which has claimed attacks of its own on Israeli forces occupying parts of Lebanon’s south.

Lebanon’s health ministry reported at least 12 people killed in a series of Israeli airstrikes on Thursday.

Following the start of the war with US-Israeli attacks on February 28, Iran largely shuttered the Strait of Hormuz.

Around 1,500 ships and 20,000 international crew are now trapped in the Gulf region because of the conflict, the secretary-general of the UN’s International Maritime Organization, Arsenio Dominguez, told a Maritime Convention of the Americas meeting in Panama.

Trump had this week briefly launched a naval operation to force open the strait to commercial vessels, only to stand it down within hours, citing progress on negotiations with Iran.

The US president — who has lambasted Europe for not backing his war against Iran—said Thursday he had a “great call” with European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen, saying they were “completely united that Iran can never have a nuclear weapon.”

AFP

The United Arab Emirates will form a committee to document Iran’s attacks during the Middle East war to support legal action, state media said Thursday, after earlier calling for reparations.

Major landmarks including Dubai’s luxury Palm development, as well as airports and energy facilities, were among the sites hit in Iran’s retaliatory attacks on the Gulf.

The UAE bore the brunt of the attacks, having been targeted by more than 2,800 drones and missiles from the neighbouring country.

A new national committee has been tasked with “documenting and monitoring all incidents of attacks and military actions associated with the Iranian aggression”, the official WAM news agency said.

“The outcomes of the committee’s work will contribute to supporting the UAE’s legal efforts at both the national and international levels by preparing a comprehensive documentation file,” it added.

Last month, the UAE insisted that Iran should pay for the damage it has caused.

The attacks “necessitate a firm position, including ensuring that Iran is held accountable and fully liable for damages and reparations”, a foreign ministry statement said.

The Middle East war has rocked the wealthy UAE, cutting off most oil exports and undercutting the safe-haven image that helped it become the region’s financial hub.

AFP

White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt on Thursday announced the birth of her second child — a girl named Viviana — just days after delaying her maternity leave following an alleged assassination attempt against President Donald Trump.

“On May 1st, Viviana aka ‘Vivi’ joined our family, and our hearts instantly exploded with love,” Leavitt, who at 28 is the youngest White House press secretary in history, said on X.

She is perfect and healthy, and her big brother is joyfully adjusting to life with his new baby sister. We are enjoying every moment in our blissful newborn bubble.”

Trump’s spokeswoman — who is best known for her acid put-downs of journalists — posted a picture of herself in a nursery, cradling her baby daughter to her chest.

Leavitt had announced that she was taking maternity leave on April 24.

But her last day in the briefing room ended up being on April 28, after a gunman tried to storm the White House correspondents dinner.

That echoed the birth of her son Nicholas in summer 2024, when she returned to work on Trump’s campaign just days later following an assassination attempt against the then Republican candidate at Butler, Pennsylvania.

Leavitt thanked people who had “reached out with prayers during my pregnancy”, adding: “I truly felt them throughout the entire experience. God is Good.”

The White House has not named an official replacement for Leavitt but Secretary of State Marco Rubio stepped into her shoes earlier this week, winning positive reviews with a relaxed performance at the podium.

AFP

Twenty-three soldiers were killed and 26 others injured on Monday in an assault by Boko Haram militants on the Barka Tolorom Island military base in the region.

Late Wednesday, Chadian President Mahamat Idriss Deby Itno signed a decree declaring the mourning.

During this period, flags are flown at half-mast, and all festive activities are prohibited.

“Only religious music and prayers are permitted in the media and places of worship,” the decree stated.

The mourning declaration came just hours after local media reported another deadly Boko Haram attack on soldiers in Lake Chad on Wednesday.

There was no official announcement regarding the number of casualties.

The Lake Chad region, bordering Nigeria, Niger and Cameroon, has long faced attacks by Boko Haram and its splinter faction, the Islamic State West Africa Province. (Xinhua/NAN)

The administration of President Donald Trump will move to revoke the citizenship of naturalised Americans found to have committed fraud during the immigration process, Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche has said.

Speaking in an interview with CBS News correspondent Camilo Montoya-Galvez, Blanche defended the administration’s denaturalisation campaign, insisting that citizenship obtained through deception should not be protected.

I’m not sure why this is even controversial,” Blanche said. “We shouldn’t tolerate fraud. We shouldn’t tolerate lies.”

The comments signal a renewed focus by the Trump administration on reviewing the records of naturalised citizens suspected of providing false information during their immigration or citizenship applications.

Denaturalisation — the legal process through which citizenship is revoked — has historically been used in cases involving war crimes, terrorism, or major immigration fraud. Critics, however, argue that expanding its use could create fear among immigrant communities and raise concerns about due process.

The administration has not yet outlined how broadly the policy would be applied or how many cases are under review.

A United States lawmaker, Riley Moore, has called on the administration of President Donald Trump to take what he described as “forceful action” to protect Christians in Nigeria following renewed attacks in Plateau State.

Moore made the call in a statement on Thursday while reacting to reports and videos from Barkin Ladi Local Government Area of Plateau State, where gunmen attacked mourners during a mass burial Wednesday.

Several people were feared killed and many others injured after the assailants reportedly opened fire on residents gathered to bury seven people who had been killed earlier in the community.

However, the attack had yet to be officially confirmed by the police as of the time of filing this report.

In his statement, Moore contrasted Nigeria’s military intervention in neighbouring Benin Republic during an attempted coup with what he described as the government’s failure to stop killings in parts of Plateau State.

“When I visited Nigeria, the government responded swiftly to quell a coup in Benin,” he said, referring to Nigeria’s December 2025 deployment of fighter jets and troops to support the Beninese government against an attempted takeover.

“Nigeria’s willingness to step in to stop a violent attack in another country, while they stand by as their own Christian citizens are brutalised, makes these absolutely horrific scenes unfolding in Plateau State all the more unconscionable,” Moore stated.

He alleged that Christians gathered for a mass burial “were viciously murdered by radical Islamic terrorists,” adding that the Nigerian government had failed to act despite warnings of impending attacks.

“The Nigerian Government could root out the terrorism and stop the martyrdom of its own citizens. But, despite receiving early warnings of impending attacks, they are nowhere to be found as Christians are murdered for their faith, like lambs led to slaughter. Enough is enough,” he added.

Moore further said he was encouraged that the Trump administration had identified the protection of Christians in Nigeria in its counterterrorism strategy, adding, “Now, I am asking the Trump Administration to take forceful action to defend our innocent brothers and sisters in Christ in the Middle Belt of Nigeria, the epicentre of an ongoing Christian genocide.”

His position also drew support from Senior Counsel for Global Religious Freedom with Alliance Defending Freedom International, Sean Nelson, who described Moore’s comments as “very forceful.”

In a post on X, Nelson said, “Very forceful statement from @RepRileyMoore on continuing grave persecution of Christians in Nigeria & Nigerian officials’ unwillingness to respond effectively to early warnings.

“And he’s completely right. We need max US pressure, in line with new counter terror strategy.”

The comments followed Wednesday’s attack in Fan District, Barkin Ladi, where mourners came under gunfire while preparing graves for victims of an earlier assault.

An eyewitness, journalist Masara Kim, said the attackers emerged from surrounding hills and opened fire as villagers were conducting the burial.

“There is an ongoing massive attack on communities south of Jos. More than five communities are under simultaneous assault. While we were at the burial site, the attackers emerged from the hills and began shooting,” he said.

Kim added that mourners “barely dug a shallow grave when the attackers struck,” forcing residents to flee for safety.

The development comes amid growing claims by some U.S. conservative politicians and advocacy groups, including allies of Trump and Senator Ted Cruz, alleging that Christians in Nigeria are facing a “genocide” by Islamist militants.

The Federal Government has consistently rejected the allegations, maintaining that insecurity in the country affects both Muslims and Christians and is driven by broader criminality, insurgency, and communal conflict.

Ted Turner, the media entrepreneur who transformed global television journalism by launching the world’s first 24-hour news network, has died at the age of 87, according to a statement from Turner Enterprises on Wednesday.

Turner is widely known for founding CNN in 1980, a pioneering move that reshaped how the world consumes news by offering continuous, real-time coverage of global events. The network grew into one of the most influential media organisations in the world.

“Turner’s vision changed journalism forever by making news immediate, global, and constant,” the statement from Turner Enterprises said.

A colourful and often controversial figure, Turner built a sprawling media empire that extended beyond news into entertainment and sports, including channels such as Cartoon Network and Turner Classic Movies. He also owned the Atlanta Braves, helping to raise the team’s national profile

He was a once-in-a-generation media pioneer whose influence touched every corner of modern broadcasting,” a former CNN executive said.

Beyond media, Turner was a major philanthropist and environmental advocate. He founded the United Nations Foundation after pledging $1 billion to support United Nations initiatives and became one of the largest private landowners in the United States.

His environmental work included wildlife restoration projects and awareness campaigns, including the creation of the animated series Captain Planet and the Planeteers.

In 1991, Time named him Man of the Year, recognising his global impact on media and public awareness.

“He turned viewers into instant witnesses to history,” the magazine wrote at the time.

Turner stepped back from active business leadership after selling much of his media empire to Time Warner, but he remained closely associated with CNN and often referred to it as his proudest achievement.

In 2018, he revealed that he had been diagnosed with Lewy body dementia. He had faced declining health in recent years.

“Ted was fearless in his ideas and relentless in pursuing them,” a longtime associate said. “He believed in his instincts when few others did.”

Turner’s death marks the passing of one of the most influential figures in modern media history, whose bold vision permanently changed television news and global communication.

President Donald Trump issued an ultimatum Wednesday for Iran to accept a deal to end the war or face renewed, more intense US bombing, in the latest of a series of abrupt policy shifts.

“Assuming Iran agrees to give what has been agreed to, which is perhaps a big assumption, the already legendary Epic Fury will be at an end,” Trump posted on his Truth Social platform,” using the US name for its campaign against Iran.

If they don’t agree, the bombing starts, and it will be, sadly, at a much higher level and intensity than it was before,” he added.

Trump’s post came after US news outlet Axios reported that Washington and Tehran were close to agreeing on a one-page memorandum of understanding to end the war and set a framework for more detailed nuclear negotiations.

Trump late Tuesday announced a pause in a US military operation to guide stranded commercial ships through the Strait of Hormuz — after only a day — citing a chance to seal a deal to end the war.

The US leader said Washington’s blockade of Iranian ports would remain in place as Tehran kept up its own closure of the vital trade route, which has rocked markets and spiked fuel prices.

Trump wrote on social media that the decision to halt his so-called “Project Freedom” a day after it began came after requests from “mediator Pakistan and other countries”, saying “Great Progress has been made toward a Complete and Final Agreement” with Tehran.

“We have mutually agreed that, while the Blockade will remain in full force and effect, Project Freedom… will be paused for a short period of time to see whether or not the Agreement can be finalized and signed,” Trump wrote late Tuesday.

The United States has called on the United Nations to rally international condemnation against Iran and ensure the safety of navigation through the Strait of Hormuz.

The US Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, on Tuesday, while addressing journalists, said Iran must not be allowed to dictate access to the strategic waterway, following reports of attacks on vessels, according to Reuters.

On Monday, the US Central Command said Iran fired cruise missiles and drones, and deployed small boats against US-flagged ships in the strait, noting that no vessels were hit and no injuries were recorded.

Iran, however, described the strikes as “warning shots” near hostile vessels after US destroyers allegedly attempted to approach Hormuz, warning that such moves would be considered a violation of the ceasefire

On the same day, South Korea and the United Arab Emirates reported strikes on ships in the channel.
Iran also accused the US of killing five civilians in the strait, claiming its forces targeted passenger vessels rather than boats belonging to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, as alleged by Washington.

About a quarter of the world’s oil trade, along with significant volumes of fuel and fertiliser, passes through the narrow seaway.

Geographically, Iran exercises de facto control over the strait, though this has been contested by the US, particularly after Washington launched a joint attack with Israel against Iran in February.

Iran subsequently moved to block the waterway, prompting US President Donald Trump to order a naval blockade against the Islamic Republic.

Trump said he directed the US Navy to shoot any vessel attempting to deploy mines in the strait.

Rubio, in his address, said Iran was “unlawfully, criminally, and illegally taking possession of an international waterway, and blowing up commercial vessels and putting mines in the water.

“I don’t know if people appreciate how outrageous this is, how unacceptable it is, that any country would fire at and try to sink commercial vessels or put mines in the water. Both of these things are illegal”.

The Secretary of State added that the US would take the matter to the UN.

“All we’re asking them to do is to condemn it, to call on Iran to stop attacking ships, to remove these mines, and to allow humanitarian relief to pass through because there’s aid that is trapped. That’s it. This is a very modest request.

“And if you’re telling me that the international community and hundreds of countries cannot rally behind that, then I don’t know what the utility of the UN system is if it can’t even solve something as straightforward as that,” he said.

Iran had offered to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and end the conflict if the US lifts its blockade on the waterway. Trump acknowledged receipt of the proposal but did not indicate acceptance.

Meanwhile, the US has fast-tracked billions of dollars in arms sales to Israel, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates and Kuwait, according to statements released by the State Department.

Iranian authorities have warned that ships passing through the Strait of Hormuz must coordinate with them after the United States announced an effort to open the strait by escorting ‘stranded ship’ through the critical oil channel.

US, yesterday, kicked off an effort to guide stranded ships from the Iran-gripped Strait of Hormuz after President Donald Trump announced what he called “Project Freedom,” that would see US Navy help free up their ships, which are locked up in the strait. 

Trump’s new mission, which he announced on social media overnight, was the first apparent attempt to use naval power to unblock the world’s most important energy shipping route, creating a showdown at sea with Iran, which said no ships might pass without its permission.

Following Trump’s announcement, the Joint Maritime Information Center said the US had set up an enhanced security area south of typical shipping routes and urged mariners to coordinate closely with Omani authorities “due to anticipated high traffic volume.”

The centre warned that passing close to the usual routes, known as the traffic separation scheme, “should be considered extremely hazardous due to the presence of mines that have not been fully surveyed and mitigated.”

However, responding to the new Washington mission,  Foreign Ministry spokesman, Esmail Baghaei, said at a briefing in Tehran: “Ships, their owners and shipping companies know well that to ensure their security and safety, they need to coordinate with relevant bodies in the Islamic Republic of Iran,”

Meanwhile, the warring sides issued contradictory statements yesterday about the impact of the new mission, with Iran saying that it struck US warship that tried to navigate the strait. 

“The frigate, which was sailing in violation of navigation and maritime safety rules near (the port of) Jask, was targeted by a missile attack after ignoring a warning from the Iranian navy,” Fars said, without citing a source.

“The American frigate that was hit was unable to continue its journey and was forced to turn back and flee the area,” the Iranian news agency reported.

But in a post on X, U.S. Central  Command said some of its Navy guided-missile destroyers were inside the Gulf supporting the operation, and that two U.S.-flagged merchant vessels had crossed the strait “and were safely headed on their journey”.

It did not identify either the warships or the merchant vessels or say when any of those crossings had taken place.

Iran denied any crossings had taken place, and there was no indication that Trump’s Project Freedom had led to a meaningful surge of shipping through the waterway.

There was reports of a South Korean ship that was hit by an explosion in the Strait of Hormuz yesterday, while Iranian drones caused a fire at a UAE oil port, as Tehran demonstrated its grip on Middle East oil after .In the two months since the U.S launched an air war against Iran alongside Israel, Tehran has largely blocked the strait to ships apart from its own, causing the biggest disruption to global energy supplies in history. 

Since last month, the United States imposed a separate blockade of ships leaving or entering Iranian ports.

French university canteens began offering one-euro meals to all students regardless of income on Monday, in a measure designed to address financial hardship.

The move follows a push by student unions to extend the one-euro rate ($1.17) for a three-course meal to all students, down from the usual 3.30 euros.

The price, which covers a starter, main course and dessert, was previously only available to those with low incomes or receiving financial aid.

For Alexandre Ioannides, an 18-year-old student in Paris, the measure will slash his monthly canteen expenses.

I come here 20 times a month. That’s about 60 euros. Whereas now, I’ll pay 20 euros,” he said, adding the savings would go towards “going out or eating at a restaurant”.

The policy aims to alleviate financial strain for students in France, where a January survey by a student union organisation found 48 percent have gone without food for financial reasons and 23 percent do so several times a month.

Around 667,000 students benefited from the one-euro lunch scheme in 2024, a 5.3-percent increase from the previous year, with around 46.7 million meals served at both the discounted and standard 3.30-euro rates, according to university restaurant operator Crous.

Authorities are preparing for a rise in demand, with Higher Education Minister Philippe Batiste promising 120 million euros in 2027 to back the scheme.

“It is a small internal revolution,” said Batiste, who pledged to oversee the programme to ensure it does not lead to an excessive workload for canteen staff or a decline in food quality.

AFP

Iran’s Fars news agency said Monday that Iranian forces struck a US Navy frigate in a missile attack in the Strait of Hormuz, but the US military quickly denied the claim.

The report from Fars came hours after President Donald Trump said US forces would on Monday begin guiding ships through the waterway.

“The frigate, which was sailing in violation of navigation and maritime safety rules near (the port of) Jask, was targeted by a missile attack after ignoring a warning from the Iranian navy,” Fars said, without citing a source.

“The American frigate that was hit was unable to continue its journey and was forced to turn back and flee the area,” the Iranian news agency reported

There was no confirmation from other sources of missiles being fired, and the US military’s Central Command issued a denial on X.

“No US Navy ships have been struck,” it wrote.

Trump had said the United States would on Monday begin guiding ships through the strategic strait, which was a major transport route for oil, gas and fertiliser before the Middle East war broke out on February 28 and Iran began blockading the waterway.

Jask, in southern Iran on the coast of the Gulf, is located about 200 kilometres (124 miles) from the narrow strait, which separates the Arabian Peninsula from Iran.

The exact location of the alleged missile incident was not specified by Fars.

Iran’s military has warned that US forces will be attacked if they approach the strait.

Since the beginning of the war, Iranian forces have allowed only a handful of ships to pass through the waterway.

In retaliation, the United States says it has been blocking access to Iranian ports since April 13.

AFP

Following high-profile testimony from billionaire Elon Musk last week, one of OpenAI’s co-founders will testify Monday in the California lawsuit brought by the world’s richest man against the creators of ChatGPT.

Musk is seeking to force his rivals in artificial intelligence (AI) development to revert to a non-profit foundation.

Greg Brockman, co-founder and president of OpenAI, will face questioning from Musk’s lawyers on Monday in the Oakland courthouse.

OpenAI CEO and co-founder Sam Altman, who in 10 years has gone from being Musk’s protege to a bitter rival, is not expected to take the stand until the week of May 11.

The outcome of the case could shape the future of OpenAI, the fast-rising generative AI giant now valued at over $850 billion and preparing for an IPO.

Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella, whose company is accused of illegally funding OpenAI’s commercial transformation, may also testify this week.

Over three days of testimony last week, Musk portrayed himself as a selfless early supporter of OpenAI, saying he contributed $38 million between 2016 and 2020 before being sidelined.

The head of SpaceX and Tesla argued that he wanted to counterbalance Google’s dominance and ensure that transformative AI technology — which he has warned poses risks to humanity — remains free from profit-driven pressures.

— Global competition —

OpenAI’s current structure, while highly lucrative, still operates under a nonprofit parent entity.

Last week, Altman and Brockman sat in the front row for almost the entire hearing and made no statements inside or outside the courtroom. The trial has drawn intense media attention, with dozens of journalists covering the hearings daily.

OpenAI’s legal team has pushed back, questioning Musk’s own financial motives.

The billionaire recently folded his AI venture, xAI — maker of the chatbot Grok — into SpaceX, which is reportedly valued at about $1.25 trillion and may also pursue a public offering.

The stakes are high. If Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers ultimately rules in favour of Musk, OpenAI’s IPO could be jeopardised.

That could reshape the global AI landscape, where major players like Google and Chinese tech firms are competing aggressively.

OpenAI is also facing growing competition from Anthropic and its Claude model.

While the sector is already generating tens of billions in annual revenue, those figures still fall short of the massive investments required for talent, advanced processors and the construction of energy-intensive data centres powering the AI revolution.

AFP

Iran warned on Monday that it would consider any US attempt to interfere in the Strait of Hormuz a breach of the Mideast ceasefire, as President Donald Trump said the United States would begin escorting ships through the blocked waterway.

Negotiations between the two countries have been deadlocked since a ceasefire came into effect on April 8, and Iran’s stranglehold on the strategic strait following US-Israeli attacks on Tehran has been a main point of contention.

Trump said on Sunday that the new maritime operation, which he dubbed “Project Freedom,” was a “humanitarian” gesture for crews aboard the many ships swept up in the blockade and which may be running low on food and other crucial supplies.

“We will use our best efforts to get their Ships and Crews safely out of the Strait. In all cases, they said they will not be returning until the area becomes safe for navigation,” Trump said in a Truth Social post, noting operations would begin on Monday.

In response, the head of the Iranian parliament’s national security commission said: “Any American interference in the new maritime regime of the Strait of Hormuz will be considered a violation of the ceasefire.”

By blocking the Strait of Hormuz, Iran has choked off major flows of oil, gas and fertiliser to the world economy, while the United States has imposed a counter-blockade on Iranian ports.

Trump, in his post, said he was “fully aware that my Representatives are having very positive discussions with the Country of Iran, and that these discussions could lead to something very positive for all.”

He made no direct mention of what Tehran described as a 14-point plan “focused on ending the war.”

US Central Command said it would use guided-missile destroyers, over 100 land and sea-based aircraft, multi-domain unmanned platforms and 15,000 service members in the Hormuz effort.

As of April 29, more than 900 commercial vessels were located in the Gulf, according to maritime intelligence firm AXSMarine.

Impossible operation

US news website Axios, citing two sources briefed on the proposal, reported that Iran set “a one-month deadline for negotiations on a deal to reopen the strait,” dissolve the US naval blockade and end the war.

Earlier Sunday, the Revolutionary Guards sought to put the onus back on Trump, saying he must choose between “an impossible operation or a bad deal with the Islamic Republic of Iran.”

Washington’s European allies are concerned that the longer the strait remains closed, the more their economies will suffer, and German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul demanded that it be reopened.

In a call with his Iranian counterpart Abbas Araghchi, Wadephul stressed that Germany supported a negotiated solution but that “Iran must completely and verifiably renounce nuclear weapons and immediately open the Strait of Hormuz.”

Oil prices are currently about 50 per cent above pre-conflict levels, largely due to the supply snarls in the strait.

Suffocating the regime

The US president, who spent the weekend at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida, declined on Sunday to specify what could trigger new American military action.

But in his post, he said that “if in any way, this Humanitarian (ship-guiding) process is interfered with, that interference will, unfortunately, have to be dealt with forcefully.”

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said the US naval blockade was only part of a broader economic embargo.

“We are suffocating the regime, and they are not able to pay their soldiers. This is a real economic blockade, and it is in all parts of government,” he told Fox News.

In yet more bellicose rhetoric, Mohsen Rezaei, a military adviser to Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, said Iranian forces would sink US ships.

“The US is the only pirate in the world that possesses aircraft carriers. Our ability to confront pirates is no less than our ability to sink warships. Prepare to face a graveyard of your carriers and forces,” he posted on X.

AFP

An American independent charismatic prophetess, speaker, author, and co-founder of Generals International, Mrs Cindy Jacobs, has said that God has positioned the Governor of Abia State, Alex Otti, to become a model in leadership and governance.

Jacobs made the declaration on Saturday during the National Thanksgiving Worship Service at The Father’s House Church, Jahi, Abuja, as Otti honoured the invitation of the organisers of the programme.

The preacher, who is visiting Nigeria 23 years after her last visit alongside her husband, Mike Jacobs, said she saw massive road construction projects spreading across the state, connecting villages and enabling farmers to move their produce easily to markets. She also revealed that she saw God supplying the finances needed to execute the projects.

She said, “God is going to begin to give you finances for infrastructure. I see literal supernatural finances that will enable farmers to market their produce.

I see roads being built from the villages to places where they need to sell their produce. I don’t know anything about where you are, but I just see that God wants you to be a model.”

She further declared that Otti would introduce transformative policies that would make Abia one of the most educated states in the region, lifting many citizens out of poverty through education.

“God wants you to be a prototype of what can be done in the region when God is exalted.

And the Lord also showed me that you’re going to be able to put some policies in place that will begin to make your state known as one of the most educated. I see you building schools and strengthening teacher education in particular.

“And so, God is going to help you raise people out of poverty, and education will take them out of poverty. God is going to do this,” she said.

Responding, Otti told the gospel minister that since assuming office, his administration has consistently allocated 35 per cent of the state’s annual budget to education and healthcare, with education receiving 20 per cent and health 15 per cent.

He noted that the prophetess was “speaking in the spirit,” and disclosed that his administration had recruited and onboarded 5,394 teachers in the first phase of its recruitment exercise, with plans to employ an additional 4,000 teachers.

The governor also said that before the end of the month, three new smart schools built by his administration would be commissioned.

“And before the end of this month, we are commissioning three brand-new smart schools we built,” Otti added.

Addressing the congregation, Otti stressed the need for Christians, especially leaders, to live according to their teachings, noting that leadership is an opportunity to serve. He emphasised that people are more interested in what leaders do than what they say.

The governor maintained that while fasting and prayers are important, righteousness exalts a nation, stressing that wrongdoing undermines prayers.

Online reports that the National Thanksgiving Worship Service, currently ongoing at The Father’s House, is an interdenominational gathering organised to offer intercessory prayers for Nigeria, particularly for an end to killings and bloodshed in parts of the country caused by terrorists and bandits. The programme also seeks divine healing for the nation and its progress.

The event attracted several religious leaders from different parts of the world, with Jacobs serving as the lead guest preacher.

Nigeria’s former Minister of Education, economic policy expert and activist, Oby Ezekwesili, and her husband, Pastor Chinedu Ezekwesili, who were among the organisers of the programme, described Governor Otti as a shining light in governance in Nigeria.

Former Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson has been taken to the hospital after reportedly feeling unwell ahead of the Premier League clash between Manchester United and Liverpool at Old Trafford on Sunday.

According to reports by the Manchester Evening News and Daily Mail on Sunday, the 84-year-old began feeling unwell more than an hour before kick-off at Old Trafford, where he had arrived to watch the match.

Ferguson was said to have received medical attention at the stadium before being taken to the hospital by ambulance as a precaution. Reports added that the situation was not being treated as an emergency and he is expected to recover at home.

Witnesses at Old Trafford said the former manager had earlier been seen interacting with fans and posing for photographs before his condition changed and medical staff stepped in.

Ferguson remains a regular presence at Manchester United matches, often drawing admiration from supporters given his legendary status at the club.

He famously managed Manchester United from 1986 to 2013, winning 13 Premier League titles and two UEFA Champions League trophies, cementing his reputation as one of football’s most successful managers.

The veteran coach previously suffered a brain haemorrhage in 2018, which required emergency surgery, though there is no indication that Sunday’s incident is related.

For now, reports suggest he is stable, with fans across football circles wishing him a swift recovery as one of the game’s enduring giants takes a brief pause from the stands.

The United States Embassy in the United Kingdom has issued a fresh security advisory urging Americans to remain vigilant while in the United Kingdom, following a rise in threat levels and growing concerns over potential attacks.

“Keep a low profile; remain aware of your surroundings; review your personal security plans,” the Embassy stated in an advisory on Friday, warning citizens to stay alert in public places such as schools, hospitals, churches, tourist locations, and transportation hubs.

It also urged individuals to report suspicious activity and any threats encountered on social media.

The warning comes as the UK’s Joint Terrorism Analysis Centre (JTAC) raised the national terrorism threat level from “substantial” to “severe,” indicating that an attack is considered highly likely in the near term.

The decision follows a stabbing incident in Golders Green, north London, which police have formally declared a terrorist act.

The attack, which targeted members of the Jewish community, has heightened concerns about public safety and prompted increased security measures.

A 45-year-old suspect, Essa Suleiman, a Somali-born British national, has been charged with multiple offenses, including attempted murder.

A preliminary court hearing in the case is scheduled for May 15.

However, UK officials stressed that the threat level increase was not based solely on the Golders Green attack.

“The change reflects a broader and evolving threat picture,” authorities said, citing risks posed by both radical Islamist networks and extreme right-wing groups operating within the country.

The UK last recorded a “severe” threat level in November 2021, following incidents such as the Liverpool Women’s Hospital bombing and the killing of Sir David Amess.

Security officials say the latest advisory and threat level adjustment are precautionary, aimed at increasing awareness and preventing further attacks, while encouraging the public to remain cautious but not alarmed.

Alex Zanardi, the Italian Formula One driver who became a Paralympic champion after losing both legs in an accident, has died aged 59, his family announced Saturday.

Zanardi was one of his country’s most loved and respected sportsmen, credited with helping transform the perception of disability in Italy.

In a statement issued through the charity he founded, Obiettivo3, his family said he died “suddenly” on Friday evening, without giving any further details.

But they said he died “peacefully, surrounded by the love of his family and friends”.

Zanardi had both his legs amputated in a motor racing accident in 2001, but went on to become a Paralympic champion with his handbike, wining four gold medals.

He had been out of the public eye since a second horror crash in June 2020, when his handbike crashed into an oncoming truck during a race in Tuscany.

Zanardi, who was married with a son, suffered serious head injuries and only returned home 18 months later.

Alex was a pioneer, icon and legend of the Paralympic Movement,” a spokesman for the International Paralympic Committee said.

“His performances were truly out of this world, engaged new fans to the Games, and showed the world that anything is possible.

“The iconic picture of him raising his handcycle above his head in victory at London 2012 will go down in history as one of the great sporting images.

“He will be remembered forever.”

– ‘Half that remained’ –

Zanardi raced for Jordan, Minardi and Lotus in F1 in the early 1990s before switching to the CART championship in the United States where he was series champion in 1997 and 1998.

He returned to F1 with Williams in 1999 before heading back to CART.

But then came the horrific accident in 2001 at the Lausitzring track in Germany.

His car stalled in the middle of the track after a spin and was struck by another car at a speed of over 300 km/h (186 mph).

The impact tore off his two legs and Zanardi lost a lot of blood, with a chaplain giving him the last rites.

His heart stopped beating several times and he underwent 15 operations in a Berlin hospital.

“When I woke up, I didn’t think about my legs. I thought about the half of me that remained,” Zanardi recalled.

Just three months later, the Italian made his first public appearance in his hometown of Bologna during an award ceremony.

“What emotion, my legs are trembling,” he said.

– Courage and determination –

After a few years driving in specially-adapted cars, Zanardi went on to become an icon for disabled athletes competing on his handbike.

He won two gold medals at the 2012 London Games and two more in Rio de Janeiro, four years later.

He also won the Rome marathon in 2010 and New York the following year, relying on what he described as his “five-seconds rule”.

“When you have given everything, go on for five seconds. This is where the others can’t do it anymore,” he said.

He wrote several books, presented television shows and performed a voiceover for the Italian version of animated film “Cars”.

Through his charity and his advocacy work, Zanardi encouraged countless other disabled athletes.

The FIA, motorsport’s governing body, said he was “an enduring symbol of courage and determination”.

Cordiano Dagnoni, head of the Italian Cycling Federation, said he “transformed the culture of our country, bringing joy and happiness to those fortunate enough to know him, and hope to so many in Italy and around the world”.

He said a minute’s silence would be observed observed at this weekend’s races in tribute.

On X, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni hailed Zanardi as “a great champion and an extraordinary man, capable of turning every trial of life into a lesson in courage, strength and dignity”.

AFP

Agency Report

US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has ordered the withdrawal of about 5,000 troops from Germany within the next year, the Pentagon said on Friday, in the latest rift in transatlantic ties over the Mideast war.

The move came as US President Donald Trump announced that tariffs on cars and trucks from the European Union will increase to 25 percent next week, accusing the bloc of not complying with a trade deal inked last summer.

Trump has renewed criticism of German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, who said Monday that Iran was “humiliating” Washington at the negotiating table. Trump said Merz “thinks it’s OK for Iran to have a Nuclear Weapon. He doesn’t know what he’s talking about!”

On Wednesday, the American leader said Washington was “studying and reviewing the possible reduction” of US troops in Germany, and that he would decide in a “short period of time.”

Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said in a Friday statement that “We expect the withdrawal to be completed over the next six to twelve months.”

This decision follows a thorough review of the Department’s force posture in Europe and is in recognition of theater requirements and conditions on the ground,” Parnell added.

During both of his terms in office, Trump has made a number of threats to slash US troop numbers in Germany and other European allies, saying he wants Europe to take on greater responsibility for its defense rather than depending on Washington.

Trump on Friday accused German automakers like Mercedes-Benz and BMW of ripping off Americans, saying that Germany and “other European nations have not adhered to our trade deal.”

Germany would likely be hit hard by a sharp vehicle tariff, as it is responsible for a significant portion of EU auto exports.

– ‘Why shouldn’t I?’ –

Trump now appears determined to punish allies who have failed to back the war or contribute to a peacekeeping force in the crucial Strait of Hormuz waterway, which Tehran’s forces have effectively closed.

On Thursday, Trump said he may pull US troops from Italy and Spain due to their opposition to the war, telling reporters in the Oval Office: “Italy has not been of any help to us and Spain has been horrible, absolutely horrible.”

“Yeah, probably, I probably will. Why shouldn’t I?” Trump said.

As of December 31, 2025, there were 12,662 active-duty US troops in Italy and 3,814 in Spain. In Germany, there were 36,436.

Speaking during a visit to Morocco, German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul said Thursday that Germany was “prepared” for a reduction in US troops and was “discussing it closely and in a spirit of trust in all NATO bodies.”

While saying he was “relaxed” about the idea of fewer US troops in Germany, Wadephul said that large American bases in Germany are “not up for discussion at all.”

He said for example that the Ramstein Air Base had “an irreplaceable function for the United States and for us alike.”

– Ukraine support –

The EU said Thursday that the deployment of US troops in Europe was in Washington’s interest, and that the United States was “a vital partner in contributing to Europe’s security and defense.”

Trump meanwhile took aim at Merz again, telling him to focus on ending the Ukraine war instead of “interfering” on Iran.

European powers have been on alert since Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022, and a spate of drone incursions in the last year — as well as US promises to move away from defending the continent — have pushed the issue to the top of the agenda.

Merz has made national security a priority, announcing unprecedented investments in an army that has been underfunded and under-equipped for decades.

He has also reaffirmed support for Ukraine, for whom Germany has been the second-largest individual supplier of aid after the US.

AFP

President Donald Trump said Friday that he will hike US tariffs on cars and trucks from the European Union next week, charging that the bloc is not complying with an earlier trade deal.

The pact, which was struck last summer, had capped the US tariff on EU autos and parts at 15 percent, which is lower than the 25-percent duty that Trump imposed on many other trading partners.

But the US leader said Friday: “Based on the fact the European Union is not complying with our fully agreed to Trade Deal, next week I will be increasing Tariffs charged to the European Union for Cars and Trucks coming into the United States.”

The Tariff will be increased to 25%,” he wrote on his Truth Social platform.

He did not give a further reason for the planned hike, but the announcement came a day after his renewed criticism of German Chancellor Friedrich Merz.

Trump told Merz to focus on ending the Ukraine war instead of “interfering” on Iran.

Germany would likely be hit hard by a sharp tariff on cars and parts, as it is responsible for a significant amount of EU auto exports.

AFP

President Donald Trump said Friday he was unhappy with a new proposal from Iran for peace talks with the United States, with negotiations between the two sides stalled amid a weeks-long ceasefire.

“At this moment I’m not satisfied with what they’re offering,” Trump told reporters.

The United Arab Emirates foreign ministry on Thursday announced a travel ban on Emirati nationals going to Iran, Lebanon and Iraq, citing regional developments including the Middle East war.

Iran has targeted the Gulf nation throughout the Middle East conflict sparked by a US-Israeli attack before a fragile ceasefire was announced, including missiles fired at civilian and energy infrastructure.

In light of current regional developments, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) announces a travel ban on UAE nationals travelling to the Islamic Republic of Iran, the Lebanese Republic, and the Republic of Iraq,” state news agency WAM reported.

It said the ministry called on “all UAE nationals currently in these countries to expedite their immediate return” to the UAE.

AFP

US President Donald Trump said Thursday he wasn’t keen on wearing a bulletproof vest despite multiple alleged assassination attempts — as he is worried it may make him look fat.

“I don’t know if I can handle looking 20 pounds heavier,” Trump told reporters when asked if there were discussions about him wearing a protective vest.

Reports in US media said it was under consideration following the latest alleged attempt to kill the 79-year-old president at a Washington gala on Saturday.

I’ve been asked about that. I guess it’s something you consider. In one way, you don’t like to do it because you’re giving in to a bad element. And so, I don’t know. But I have been asked about it.”

A man has been charged with trying to assassinate the Republican on Saturday night at the White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner at the Washington Hilton hotel. Secret Service agents tackled the alleged assailant before he was able to reach the ballroom where the gala was taking place.

It was the third alleged attempt on Trump’s life in the space of two years.

The most serious was when the president was wounded in the ear by a gunman at an election rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, in 2024. One audience member was killed.

Former reality TV star Trump is notoriously sensitive about his appearance.

His weight has been a concern, although he is slimmer in his second term as president.

A self-confessed fast food fan, Trump weighed 224 pounds (101.6 kilograms) as of his last full annual medical in April 2025, down from 243 pounds in 2019.

AFP

United States said it will now deny temporary visas to applicants who say they fear harm or mistreatment if they return to their home country, under new State Department guidance that drastically raises the stakes for millions of visa seekers worldwide.

The Department of State ordered consular officers at embassies and consulates globally to halt visa interviews unless applicants confirm they have not experienced harm and do not fear returning home. “Those who answer yes or refuse to respond to either question will see their chances of approval skyrocket toward denial,” the directive first reported by the Guardian stated. 

The two mandatory questions – “Have you experienced harm or mistreatment in your country of nationality or last habitual residence?” and “Do you fear harm or mistreatment in returning to your country of nationality?” according to the Department are designed to cut down on people “misrepresenting themselves during the visa process.” 

The new rule effectively screens out asylum seekers and applicants from conflict zones who use visitor, student, or business visas to flee danger, forcing them to disclose fears that could trigger automatic refusal.  

The new rule is the latest in a string of visa restrictions rolled out by the Department of State since 2024, as part of a broader immigration crackdown.  

Early last year, the Department introduced expanded social media vetting for all F, M, and J visa applicants, requiring consular officers to review five years of public online activity for hostile attitudes toward U.S. institutions.  

In October 2025, it suspended visa interview waivers for most non-immigrant categories, ending pandemic-era drop-box renewals and forcing applicants back into in-person interviews. 

By January 2026, the State Department had rolled out visa bond pilot programme for high-overstay countries, requiring some B1/B2 applicants to post bonds of $5,000 to $15,000 refundable only on timely departure. 

Consular officers were also directed to apply heightened scrutiny to applicants from countries with elevated fraud or security risks, with Nigeria, Ghana, and Cameroon among those flagged internally for additional checks on financial documents and travel history.  

The new directive takes immediate effect at all embassies and consulates.  

Dubai has eased its residency visa rules for property investors, removing a long-standing minimum investment threshold for single-property buyers to broaden access to the emirate’s real estate market.

As reported by the Economic Times on Thursday, under the revised framework introduced by the Dubai Land Department, individuals who fully own a property can now qualify for a renewable two-year residency visa regardless of the property’s value.

Previously, buyers were required to invest at least AED 750,000 to be eligible, a barrier that excluded many mid-market and first-time investors.

The change is expected to open the door to a wider pool of foreign buyers, particularly those looking to enter Dubai’s property market at lower price points.

Officials say the policy is part of a broader strategy to sustain growth in the sector and reinforce Dubai’s appeal as a global investment hub.

However, the relaxed rules apply mainly to sole ownership.

For jointly owned properties, each co-owner must still meet a minimum investment threshold to qualify for residency benefits, ensuring that eligibility is tied to a meaningful financial stake.

The reform comes as Dubai continues to roll out investor-friendly initiatives to maintain momentum in its real estate sector, even as global economic uncertainty and regional tensions weigh on sentiment.

While the updated policy simplifies access to the standard two-year investor visa, higher-tier residency options—such as long-term visas linked to larger property investments—remain unchanged and require significantly higher capital commitments.

Analysts say the move could stimulate demand in the mid-range property segment, attract new categories of investors, and further strengthen Dubai’s position as one of the most accessible real estate markets for international buyers.

“While it opens the door for solo buyers of any budget, the new AED 400,000 floor for joint owners ensures the market doesn’t turn into a ‘visa-pooling’ game.

“At the same time, the removal of the minimum property value for solo owners is a direct invitation to the global mid-market to take root in Dubai,” the CEO of Proact Luxury Real Estate, a real estate advisory firm, Ritu Ojha, said.

U S President Donald Trump has stirred fresh controversy after appearing to endorse a proposal to rename the Strait of Hormuz as the “Strait of Trump,” amplifying the idea through a reshared post on Truth Social on Wednesday.

The post, which included a map labeling the narrow but strategically vital waterway under the new name, quickly drew attention given the Strait’s global importance.

Connecting the Persian Gulf to the Gulf of Oman, the route serves as a critical artery for international oil shipments, with a significant portion of the world’s crude supply passing through it daily.

While the gesture appears largely symbolic, it comes at a time of heightened geopolitical tension involving the United States and Iran

The Strait has long been a flashpoint in relations between the two countries, frequently at the centre of disputes over security, sanctions, and freedom of navigation.

Trump’s reshared post also echoes earlier remarks in which he hinted at renaming the waterway, a suggestion widely viewed as provocative rather than a formal policy initiative.

International waterways such as the Strait of Hormuz are governed by longstanding conventions and global recognition, making any unilateral renaming effectively impossible.

Nonetheless, the timing of the message has added to market jitters as oil prices climbed, as concerns grew over potential disruptions to supply, with Brent crude rising to its highest level in years amid uncertainty surrounding the Strait.

As reported by the Economic Times on Thursday, oil prices rose on Thursday as worries mounted over a prolonged U.S. blockade on Iranian exports and stalled nuclear negotiations, increasing fears of tighter global supply.

Brent crude climbed to its highest level since mid-2022, as tensions linked to the Iran conflict continued to disrupt flows through the Strait of Hormuz.

The surge followed an Axios report that Trump rejected Iran’s proposal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, indicating the blockade may persist until a wider nuclear agreement is reached.

Health professionals and researchers in the health sector have called for urgent, coordinated action to address the growing burden of sickle cell disease in Nigeria and across Sub-Saharan Africa.

They made the call at the Centre of Excellence for Sickle Cell Disease Research and Training and the Patient-Centred Sickle Cell Disease Management in Sub-Saharan Africa Consortium meeting, held at the University of Abuja, now known as Yakubu Gowon University, on Wednesday.

In his welcome remarks, the Vice Chancellor of the university, Professor Hakeem Fawehinmi, stressed the significance of the gathering, describing it as “timely and critical to millions affected by the condition.”

Fawehinmi noted that Nigeria bears one of the highest burdens of sickle cell disease globally, with about 150,000 children born annually with the condition.

Sadly, many of them will face a lifetime of pain, interrupted schooling, compromised livelihood, and inadequate care, mostly because of a lot of our resource-poor settings in the areas outside the centre, peri-urban areas, rural areas,” he stated.

The prof added that research carried out under the PACTS programme over the past four years has generated evidence capable of transforming outcomes if properly implemented.

“As PACTS enters its final phase, the question before us goes beyond what research we have uncovered, what have we discovered?

Equally important is what we do with these findings, and who is responsible for ensuring that these gains are implemented and sustained,” he added.

The VC urged stakeholders to move beyond discussions to concrete action.

“The evidence before you today is a clearer call to action. We need a clear action plan with a clear, focused roadmap,” Fawehinmi urged.

Also speaking, the Bursar of the university, Shiva M’ovul-Kondoun, shared a deeply personal account of the impact of sickle cell disease, describing the initiative as a beacon of hope.

M’ovul-Kondoun recounted losing six siblings to the disease, highlighting the devastating consequences of poor access to care.

“I have witnessed firsthand the catastrophic effects of poor management of sequential disease in this country.

“I have watched my siblings lying side by side in one room with my mother and the rest of us running to see how their lives could be saved while they received blood transfusions. It was a nightmare I wished not to remember.

Equally important is what we do with these findings, and who is responsible for ensuring that these gains are implemented and sustained,” he added.

The VC urged stakeholders to move beyond discussions to concrete action.

“The evidence before you today is a clearer call to action. We need a clear action plan with a clear, focused roadmap,” Fawehinmi urged.

Also speaking, the Bursar of the university, Shiva M’ovul-Kondoun, shared a deeply personal account of the impact of sickle cell disease, describing the initiative as a beacon of hope.

M’ovul-Kondoun recounted losing six siblings to the disease, highlighting the devastating consequences of poor access to care.

“I have witnessed firsthand the catastrophic effects of poor management of sequential disease in this country.

“I have watched my siblings lying side by side in one room with my mother and the rest of us running to see how their lives could be saved while they received blood transfusions. It was a nightmare I wished not to remember.

“I lost six siblings to the hands of sickle disease before they ever got to the age of 30,” the bursar narrated.

M’ovul-Kondoun stressed the need for local ownership of interventions amid declining global funding.

She said, “Access to care was scarce and inclusive management systems were almost non-existent. But today, I am encouraged that CESTRA is changing the narrative.

“I want to thank you all for choosing this university for this workshop, while I end by calling on all stakeholders to ensure that the management of sickle cell in this country is not just left in the hands of foreign partners.”

A Co-Principal Investigator of PACTS, a researcher and haematologist with the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, Prof Imelda Bates underscored the patient-focused approach of the project.

Bates explained, “We are really focused on the patients with sickle cell disease, their families and their carers.

“We are trying to understand what their main problems are and talking to them about solutions they can put in locally that will be sustainable.”

Bates highlighted the social and economic challenges faced by patients and their families.

“They are a very vulnerable group of patients. They have to pay a lot of out-of-pocket costs. And then they have many children with sickle cell disease. So it is a really difficult problem,” she said.

She also stressed safeguarding reforms across participating institutions.

The co-principal investigator added, “One of the good things that’s happened from this project is that the safeguarding practices and training have now been taken up by all the universities in the project.

“So that will now impact tens of thousands of students.”

Bates also revealed that about one in four Nigerians carries the sickle cell gene, while between 1.5 and 2 per cent of the population lives with the disease.

“So it is really common,” she said, adding that increased screening is essential for early diagnosis and improved outcomes.

The Director of the Centre in Nigeria, and Co-Principal Investigator, PACTS, Prof Obiageli Nnodu, said the consortium has been assessing care delivery across health facilities in the Federal Capital Territory, covering about 300 patients across six facilities.

“We have been mapping, talking to patients who are enrolled in care in six hospitals, healthcare facilities across the FCT.

“Three tertiary hospitals and three primary healthcare facilities. There are about 300 of them,” Nnodu said.

The Country Lead explained that the study evaluates adherence to national treatment standards.

“There are certain standards that they ought to have about penicillin prophylaxis, hydroxyurea utilisation, which is a disease-modifying treatment, and blood transfusion.

“We are looking at how these standards are being applied in the way that they are receiving care in the hospitals,” she added.

Nnodu added that community engagement has revealed significant barriers.

She said stigma remains a major obstacle to early care.

“We found that stigma in the communities prevents mothers from bringing their babies in for care,” she said.

Nnodu also highlighted ongoing awareness efforts.

“We even have a radio programme, ‘Before it’s too late,’ which we are going to air soon across our stations. Just to sensitise the community around it,” the director noted.

The meeting, which brought together stakeholders from African countries alongside international partners.

PACTS is a research programme aimed at improving care for people with sickle cell disease in sub-Saharan Africa. Funded by the UK’s National Institute for Health and Care Research, it brings together researchers, health workers, policymakers, and communities to strengthen health systems and improve patient outcomes.

The programme works in countries like Ghana, Nigeria, and Zambia using a patient-centred approach. It focuses on better clinical care, training health workers, improving data systems, and involving communities, while using joint problem-solving methods to design and test solutions in real healthcare settings.

Overall, PACTS uses research and data to guide decisions and improve access to quality care. It aims to reduce inequalities and build stronger, more sustainable health systems for people living with sickle cell disease in the region.

CESRTA in Nigeria was created to address the country’s heavy burden of sickle cell disease, where over 150,000 babies are born with the condition each year. It focuses on closing major gaps in knowledge, diagnosis, and treatment, as well as reducing early childhood deaths linked to delayed or missed diagnosis.

Established in 2015, CESRTA conducts research, trains health workers, and works to turn findings into health policy. Its multidisciplinary team works with national and international partners to improve care, develop better treatment approaches, and strengthen the SCD workforce across Nigeria and beyond.

The centre also runs large-scale programmes like SPARC-Net and CONSA, which have built extensive patient registries and supported newborn screening across multiple African countries. These efforts have helped identify and enrol thousands of patients into care, train healthcare workers, and create scalable models for early detection and treatment of sickle cell disease.

A South African court on Wednesday ordered the deportation of the youngest son of Zimbabwe’s former leader, Robert Mugabe, implicated in the shooting of a gardener after an altercation.

Bellarmine Chatunga Mugabe has been in custody since mid-February alongside his cousin and co-accused, Tobias Mugabe Matonhodze, on attempted murder charges stemming from an incident at the family’s home in Johannesburg’s upscale Hyde Park district.

After a failed plea deal, Mugabe, 28, admitted to being in South Africa illegally and to pointing a toy gun in a separate incident, while Matonhodze, 32, pleaded guilty to attempted murder and other charges.

The Alexandra Magistrates’ Court fined Mugabe 600,000 rand ($36,000) on two counts, or 24 months’ imprisonment in default.

It also ordered his immediate deportation, with police to escort him to Johannesburg’s OR Tambo International Airport.

“Mr Mugabe, you can count yourself very lucky that the complainant in your case was not injured,” Magistrate Reiner Boshoff ruled, adding it was unclear whether Matonhodze had “taken the rap” for his cousin in the case involving the gardener.

Matonhodze received concurrent prison terms of up to three years, which the court described as “merciful,” citing, among other mitigating factors, that the complainant had been remunerated.

He will be deported after serving his sentence.

Investigators told the court the gardener had been paid 250,000 rand ($15,000) in cash, with a further 150,000 rand ($9,000) promised.

The firearm used in the shooting has not been recovered since the two were arrested on February 19.

Bellarmine is one of two sons that Robert Mugabe had with his second wife, Grace. The brothers have at times lived in Johannesburg, where they have gained a reputation for partying and living the high life.

Robert Mugabe ruled Zimbabwe for almost four decades until he was deposed in a coup in 2017. He died two years later, aged 95.

AFP

Ghana has ended talks for a multi-year aid deal with the United States after Washington demanded access to citizens’ personal data, a source close to the West African nation’s government has told AFP.

The United States has been striking new health aid deals across Africa after the administration of US President Donald Trump dismantled the long-standing USAID agency and curtailed the role of NGOs.

“The deal is dead,” the source said this week, noting that Ghana’s negotiating team included health officials, suggesting it may have been partly tied to health.

The US team became “hostile” and piled on “pressure” after Ghana pushed back on the demand for personal data, the source told AFP.

A spokesman for Ghana’s health ministry did not immediately respond to AFP’s request for comment.

The deal would have provided Ghana $109 million in funding for five years, according to the source who spoke to AFP on condition of anonymity, without confirming the specific areas of focus of the proposal.

A spokesperson told AFP in an emailed statement that the US State Department “does not disclose the details of ongoing bilateral negotiations” and suggested the funding would have supported “fighting HIV/AIDS, malaria, tuberculosis and other infectious diseases”.

AFP

Elon Musk’s courtroom showdown with Sam Altman got underway here Monday with the start of jury selection in a trial over the billionaire’s accusation that his OpenAI co-founders betrayed a non-profit mission to build artificial intelligence for the good of humanity and not for the money.

The legal clash in a courtroom across the bay from San Francisco pits the world’s richest person against a startup Musk once backed and now competes with in the booming AI sector.

OpenAI’s ChatGPT is a formidable rival to the chatbot Grok, made by Musk’s xAI lab.

“This is a tech soap opera that all investors will be watching,” Wedbush analyst Dan Ives said in a note to investors.

There will be a lot of dirt and slings thrown around in court between Musk and Altman and that is not a good thing for anyone involved…but Musk has made this personal.”

While Musk’s lawsuit is part of a feud between him and OpenAI Chief Executive Sam Altman, it spotlights a debate as to whether AI should ultimately serve to benefit a privileged few or society as a whole.

Court filings lay out how Altman convinced Musk to back OpenAI in 2015, acting as a co-founder for a non-profit lab whose technology “would belong to the world.”

Musk pumped millions of dollars into the lab, which he subsequently left.

However, OpenAI established a commercial subsidiary, as it needed hundreds of billions of dollars for data centers to power its technology.

Microsoft has poured billions of dollars into OpenAI and its CEO Satya Nadella is among those slated to testify at the trial.

Benevolence or power? –

Musk argues in his lawsuit that he was deceived about OpenAI’s mission being altruistic.

San Francisco-based OpenAI has countered in court filings that its break-up with Musk was due to his quest for absolute control rather than its nonprofit status.

This case has always been about Elon generating more power and more money for what he wants,” OpenAI said in a recent X post. “His lawsuit remains nothing more than a harassment campaign that’s driven by ego, jealousy and a desire to slow down a competitor.”

The startup noted that days after Musk entered the AI race in 2023 he called for a six-month moratorium on development of advanced AI.

The judge presiding over the trial will decide by mid-May — guided by an advisory jury’s findings — whether OpenAI broke a promise to Musk in a drive to lead in AI, or just smartly rode the technology to glory.

Along with calling for OpenAI to be forced to revert to a pure nonprofit, Musk’s suit urges the ouster of Altman and co-founder Greg Brockman, who is the startup’s president.

Musk, who had sought as much as $134 billion in damages, has since renounced any personal benefit, pledging to redirect any award to the OpenAI nonprofit. Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers has reserved the right to determine any remedies herself, without the jury’s input.

OpenAI now has a hybrid governance structure giving its nonprofit foundation control over a for-profit arm.

Musk, who gutted the trust and safety team at Twitter after buying the social media platform that he renamed X, faces the challenge of convincing a jury and a judge that the company behind ChatGPT was built on a lie.

AFP

Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem on Monday rejected Lebanon’s planned direct negotiations with Israel, calling them a “grave sin” that will destabilise Lebanon.

Lebanon and Israel’s US ambassadors held two meetings in Washington over the past weeks, the first of their kind in decades.

The first meeting led to a truce in the Israel-Hezbollah war, while Beirut has been preparing for direct negotiations with the aim of striking a peace deal with Israel. The two countries have officially been at war since 1948.

We categorically reject direct negotiations with Israel, and those in power should know that their actions will not benefit Lebanon or themselves,” Qassem said in a statement, aired by the group’s channel Al-Manar.

He called on authorities to “back down from their grave sin that is putting Lebanon in a spiral of instability”.

He added that the Lebanese government “cannot continue while it is neglecting Lebanon’s rights, giving up land, and confronting its resistant people”.

Lebanese authorities have repeatedly stated that the goal of the US-sponsored negotiations is to stop the war, secure Israel’s withdrawal from southern Lebanon, and return displaced people to their homes after the fighting forced more than a million people to flee.

“These direct negotiations and their outcomes are as if they do not exist for us, and they do not concern us in the slightest,” Qassem said.

“We will continue our defensive resistance for Lebanon and its people,” he added.

“No matter how much the enemy threatens, we will not back down, we will not bow down, and we will not be defeated.

We will not give up our weapons… and the Israeli enemy will not remain on a single inch of our occupied land.”

Tehran-backed Hezbollah drew Lebanon into the Middle East war on March 2 by firing rockets at Israel to avenge the death of Iran’s supreme leader Ali Khamenei in US-Israeli strikes.

Since the truce went into force on April 17, Israeli strikes have killed at least 36 people, according to an AFP tally of Lebanese health ministry figures.

Hezbollah has meanwhile claimed several attacks on Israeli troops in southern Lebanon, as well as missile and drone launches at northern Israel, saying it is responding to Israeli “violations”.

According to details of the truce released by the US State Department, which said both Lebanon and Israel agreed to it, Israel reserves the right to continue targeting Hezbollah to prevent “planned, imminent, or ongoing attacks”.

Hezbollah strongly rejects this clause, saying the text of the agreement was not presented to the cabinet, in which the group and its allies are represented.

“Has the government decided to work alongside the Israeli enemy against its own people?” Qassem said in his speech.

Israeli attacks on Lebanon killed more than 2,500 people since March 2, according to Lebanese authorities.

AFP

US President Donald Trump will hold talks on the Iran war on Monday with his top security advisors, US media reported, as negotiations between the rival parties seemed to reach an impasse.

Tehran’s top diplomat blamed Washington on Monday for the failure of talks in Pakistan this month — the first and only round of negotiations in a bid to strike a deal to end the conflict that has engulfed the Middle East and strangled the global economy.

Barak Ravid, global affairs correspondent for US media outlet Axios, reported that Trump was expected to hold a meeting with his top national security and foreign policy team on Monday to discuss the next steps.

ABC News quoted two unidentified US officials as saying that Trump would meet with his key security advisors on Iran, adding that a new deal proposed by Tehran to resolve the conflict fell short of Washington’s red lines.

That deal centred on reopening the Strait of Hormuz and ending a US naval blockade of the vital waterway, with nuclear negotiations postponed for a later stage, Axios reported.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi’s visit to Islamabad had fanned hopes for fresh negotiations with Washington at the weekend until Trump scrapped a planned trip by envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner.

Trump told Fox News after calling off his emissaries’ trip that, if Iran wanted talks, “they can come to us, or they can call us.”

Iran’s foreign minister returned to Islamabad for more consultations on Sunday, as international mediators tried to keep peace talks on track despite US President Donald Trump calling off his envoys’ planned trip.

According to the Iranian news agency ISNA, Abbas Araghchi was to sit down with Pakistani officials to convey “Iran’s positions and views on the framework of any understanding to completely end the war” in the Middle East.

The minister had already been in Islamabad only the day before, after which he travelled to Oman, while other Iranian envoys went to Tehran “to consult and obtain the necessary instructions on issues related to ending the war”, according to the agency.

Before Saturday’s Iran-Pakistan meetings in Islamabad, the White House had announced that Trump’s peace envoy Steve Witkoff and son-in-law Jared Kushner were planning to leave for Pakistan to engage in further negotiations.

But Trump later told Fox News he had scrapped the trip, saying there was no point “sitting around talking about nothing”. He dismissed Tehran’s negotiating position, but added that it had revised its proposal within minutes of his decision.

“They gave us a paper that should have been better and — interestingly — immediately when I cancelled it, within 10 minutes, we got a new paper that was much better,” he told reporters, without elaborating.

• ‘Very fruitful’ –

Asked separately whether halting the trip meant a return to open hostilities, Trump said: “No, it doesn’t mean that. We haven’t thought about it yet.”

Later, after a gunman was arrested at the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner in Washington, Trump said he did not think the incident was related to Iran but that it would not deter him “from winning the war”.

On Saturday, Araghchi met Pakistan’s military chief Asim Munir, a key mediator, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, before flying on to Muscat.

He is expected to go to Moscow after the talks in Islamabad.

Araghchi described his initial Pakistan trip as “very fruitful” but signalled scepticism over Washington’s intentions. “Have yet to see if the US is truly serious about diplomacy,” he said.

• Hormuz blockade deepens –

Pressure to end the war has intensified as the Strait of Hormuz — a vital oil and gas route — remains closed.

Iran’s powerful Revolutionary Guards said they had no intention of lifting their blockade, which has roiled energy markets.

“Controlling the Strait of Hormuz and maintaining the shadow of its deterrent effects over America and the White House’s supporters in the region is the definitive strategy of Islamic Iran,” the Guards said on their official Telegram channel.

The United States has imposed a blockade of Iranian ports in retaliation.

In a statement carried by state media, Iran’s military warned that continued US “blockading, banditry and piracy” would draw a response.

• Israel strikes Lebanon –

On the war’s Lebanese front, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered strikes on Hezbollah and accused the Iran-backed group of violating a ceasefire that was extended this week.

“It must be understood that Hezbollah’s violations are, in practice, dismantling the ceasefire,” Netanyahu said, during Sunday’s weekly cabinet meeting.

Lebanese official media said Israel’s military began striking the country’s south after issuing an evacuation warning for seven locations, despite the ceasefire with the Iran-backed group.

“Israeli warplanes launched a strike” in Kfar Tibnit — one of the locations included in the warning — the state-run National News Agency said, adding that there were reports of casualties.

Under the terms of the ceasefire, Israel reserves the right to act against “planned, imminent or ongoing attacks”.

United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has arrested a 53-year-old Nigerian national, Olatunde Abiodun Olusanjo, in Los Angeles over previous criminal allegations including child molestation and other sex offences.

Olusanjo was apprehended on Tuesday, April 21, 2026, by officers of the Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) unit. He is currently in ICE custody pending deportation proceedings.

The Los Angeles ERO office announced the arrest via its official Xchannel, describing the suspect as a “criminal illegal alien and convicted sex offender.”

Los Angeles ERO arrested Olatunde Abiodun Olusanjo, 53, of Nigeria, Apr. 21,” the agency stated. “Olusanjo has previous arrests for child molestation, sexual battery and soliciting lewd conduct. He is in ICE custody pending removal.”

A video accompanying the announcement shows Olusanjo in handcuffs being escorted from an ICE vehicle into custody. The narrator in the clip identified him clearly: “Los Angeles ICE arrested criminal illegal alien and convicted sex offender Olatunde Abiodun Olusanjo on April 21, 2026, a citizen of Nigeria. Olusanjo’s criminal record includes child molestation, sexual battery, and sexual solicitation.”

The arrest forms part of broader enforcement actions by US immigration authorities targeting foreign nationals with prior criminal convictions.

In February this year, the US Department of Homeland Security announced the arrest of 79 Nigerians described as among the “worst of the worst” criminal offenders, facing charges ranging from sexual assault and fraud to manslaughter, drug smuggling, kidnapping, and robbery.

Olusanjo remains detained as removal proceedings continue

Culled from vanguard

The United States Secret Service has launched an investigation into a shooting incident that occurred in Washington during the annual White House Correspondents’ Dinner at the Washington Hilton.

In a statement, the agency said it is working with the Metropolitan Police Department to determine the circumstances of the incident, which occurred near a security screening area.

The shooting was reported close to the main magnetometer checkpoint used to screen guests, prompting an immediate response from law enforcement officers on duty.

The Chief of Communications, United States Secret Service,  Anthony Guglielmi, on its X handle on Sunday, confirmed that all protected individuals, including the president and first lady, were safe following the incident.

One suspect has been taken into custody, while authorities continue to assess the condition of those involved.

Guglielmi said teams are on the ground actively investigating and gathering information, adding that updates will be provided as more details are confirmed.

“We will provide updates as they become available and confirm information. Our teams are on the ground assessing the situation and investigating. All of our protectees are safe,” he added.

The incident has raised fresh concerns about security at major public events in the US capital, with authorities expected to review procedures as the investigation continues.

US President Donald Trump has described the suspect behind the shooting incident at a Washington media gala as a “would-be assassin,” saying the individual was heavily armed and breached security before being stopped.

The incident occurred on Saturday night during the annual White House Correspondents’ Dinner at the Washington Hilton, where gunfire near a security checkpoint triggered panic and forced the evacuation of senior officials, journalists, and guests.

According to the BBC on Sunday, speaking after the incident, Trump said the suspect “charged past a security checkpoint” and was carrying multiple weapons.

He confirmed that one law enforcement officer was shot but survived due to wearing a bulletproof vest.

Authorities said the suspect was quickly apprehended by Secret Service agents, while the president, first lady, and other high-profile attendees were safely escorted from the venue.

Witnesses described chaotic scenes as guests ducked under tables and security personnel rushed in with weapons drawn to secure the area.

Trump also raised concerns about the venue’s security, noting that it was “not a particularly secure building” based on the events that unfolded.

The event has since been cancelled and is expected to be rescheduled, while investigations continue into the motive of the suspect and how the breach occurred.

The shooting has renewed scrutiny over security arrangements at high-profile public events in the US, particularly those attended by top political leaders and members of the press.

A French court on Friday sentenced a former high school student to 15 years in prison for the fatal stabbing of his Spanish teacher in 2023.

Now 19, the defendant had been charged with murdering Agnes Lassalle, 53, at a school in the southwestern seaside town of Saint-Jean-de-Luz.

After three hours of deliberation, judges at the juvenile criminal court imposed a sentence slightly below the 16 years requested by prosecutors and well under the maximum 20-year term he faced

Lassalle was stabbed in the chest during a lesson in February 2023. The court heard the student, then 16, locked the classroom door before attacking her with a kitchen knife he had taken from his father’s home.

The trial, held behind closed doors in the city of Pau, focused on the teenager’s mental state, with psychiatric experts delivering conflicting assessments.

The court ruled that his judgement was impaired at the time of the attack — a finding that could have reduced the sentence to 13 years — but said a longer term was justified given the “undeniable seriousness” of the crime.

Lassalle’s death sparked widespread anger in France, especially after images emerged of her partner dancing alone beside her coffin during the funeral.

Jury selection is to begin on Monday in a high-profile legal battle between billionaire Elon Musk and artificial intelligence startup OpenAI, which he accuses of betraying its non-profit mission.

The clash in a courtroom across the bay from San Francisco pits the world’s richest man against a startup that Musk once backed and now competes against in the booming AI sector.

OpenAI’s ChatGPT is a formidable rival to the Grok chatbot made by Musk’s xAI lab.

While the lawsuit filed by Musk is part of a feud between him and OpenAI chief executive Sam Altman, it spotlights a debate whether AI should ultimately benefit the privileged few or society as a whole

Court filings lay out how Altman tried to convince Musk to back OpenAI in 2015, acting as a co-founder for a non-profit lab whose technology “would belong to the world.”

Musk pumped some $38 million into the lab before he left.

OpenAI is now valued at $852 billion, with Microsoft among its backers, and is preparing to go public on the stock market.

The judge presiding over the trial is aiming for a jury to decide by late May whether OpenAI broke a promise to Musk in its drive to be a leader in AI or just smartly rode the technology to glory.

– Musk duped? –

Musk argues in his lawsuit that he was deceived about OpenAI’s mission being altruistic.

The tycoon cites an email from Altman in 2017 claiming that he remained “enthusiastic about the non-profit structure” of their AI venture after Musk threatened to cut off funding for the lab.

Just a few months later, however, OpenAI established a commercial subsidiary in the face of needing to invest hundreds of billions of dollars in data centers to power its technology.

Over the course of the following two years, Microsoft pumped billions of dollars into OpenAI and the tech stalwart’s stake in the startup is now valued about $135 billion.

Microsoft chief executive Satya Nadella is among those slated to testify at the trial

Aimed at Altman –

Along with calling for OpenAI to be forced to revert to a pure nonprofit, Musk’s suit urges the ousting of Altman and OpenAI co-founder and president Greg Brockman.

Musk is also seeking as much as $134 billion in damages and to have the court make OpenAI sever ties with Microsoft.

During pre-trial hearings, US Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers mused that Musk team seemed to be “pulling numbers out of the air” when it came to calculating damages.

If the jury sides with Musk, it will be left to Rogers to determine any remedies or payment.

In what OpenAI has dismissed as a public relations stunt, Musk has vowed that any damages awarded in the suit will go to the startup’s nonprofit foundation.

– Quest for control? –

OpenAI internal communications brought to light by the lawsuit reveal tensions that culminated with the temporary ouster of Altman as AI chief executive in late 2023.

Musk’s legal team highlighted a 2017 entry in Brockman’s personal journal reasoning that it would be lying if Altman publicly asserted OpenAI would stay a nonprofit but became a corporation a short time later.

OpenAI now has a hybrid governance structure giving its nonprofit foundation control over a for-profit arm.

In court filings, OpenAI countered that its break-up with Musk was due to his quest for absolute control rather than its nonprofit status.

“This case has always been about Elon generating more power and more money for what he wants,” OpenAI said in a post on X, a platform Musk owns.

“His lawsuit remains nothing more than a harassment campaign that’s driven by ego, jealousy and a desire to slow down a competitor.”

The startup noted that days after Musk entered the AI race in 2023 he called for a 6-month moratorium on development of advanced AI.

AFP

The U.S. Secret Service has officially opened applications for its Accelerated Candidate Event (ACE), a surge hiring initiative designed to significantly speed up recruitment for protective and investigative roles.

In a post on its official X account on Friday, the agency said participation in ACE can reduce an applicant’s overall time to hire by up to 120 days.

The upcoming May ACE is scheduled for May 14–17, 2026, and will be held at the National Conference Center in Leesburg, Virginia.

The event is intended to allow qualified applicants to complete multiple key stages of the hiring process within a condensed timeframe of one to four days.

These stages include the Special Agent Entrance Exam (SAEE), the Physical Abilities Test (PAT), and required interviews, steps that are typically completed over a longer period in the standard hiring process.

The fastest path to the Secret Service starts here! Our Accelerated Candidate Events (ACE) let you complete your entrance exam, physical abilities test, and official interviews all in one weekend. Take the first step. Apply by April 28 to be invited to the May 14 ACE event,” the post read.

The initiative comes as the agency continues efforts to expand its workforce in response to increasing demands across security and investigative operations.

Eligible roles under the ACE program include Special Agents, Uniformed Division Officers, and specialized units such as the Emergency Response Team, Counter Sniper Teams, and Canine Explosives Detection Teams.

The Secret Service emphasised its core values—Duty, Justice, Courage, Honesty, and Loyalty—and urged U.S. citizens who meet strict eligibility requirements, including age, physical fitness, background checks, and security clearance standards, to apply.

Interested candidates are advised to submit applications through the official U.S. Secret Service careers website.

China has imposed restrictions on seven European entities related to the defence sector, Beijing said on Friday, citing their involvement in alleged arms sales or “collusion” with Taiwan.

The measures, which took effect immediately, are needed “to safeguard national security and interests and fulfill international obligations such as non-proliferation”, the commerce ministry said in a statement.

The curbs apply to companies including Belgian guns manufacturer FN Herstal and German defence electronics firm Hensoldt, as well as the national aerospace research and development centre in the Czech Republic, VZLU Aerospace.

They prohibit exports of “dual-use items” to the seven named entities or transfers of such items that originated in China by “foreign organisations and individuals”, the statement said.

“Any ongoing related activities must be immediately ceased,” the statement said.

Applications could be submitted to the commerce ministry “in special circumstances where export is truly necessary”, it added.

Beijing claims self-ruled Taiwan as part of its territory and has vowed to take control of it one day — by force if necessary.

In a separate statement, an unnamed commerce ministry spokesperson said that the measures target “only a small number of EU entities involved in military-related activities, specifically those that have participated in arms sales to Taiwan or engaged in collusion with Taiwan”.

“Law-abiding and trustworthy EU entities have absolutely no cause for concern,” the statement added.

Beijing has tightened export controls in recent years, complicating access overseas to Chinese technology and products in certain strategic areas.

In February, the commerce ministry imposed export controls against 20 Japanese entities, ramping up pressure on Tokyo in the midst of heightened political tensions sparked by comments on Taiwan in November by Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi.

Prior to that, China’s curbs on rare earth exports last year sparked global concerns over supply, also giving Beijing crucial leverage in trade talks with Washington.

The European Union Chamber of Commerce in China warned in a report earlier this month that Beijing’s stringent export controls — particularly on rare earths — are posing a “long-term business risk”.

AFP

The US State Department is offering up to $10 million for information on the leader of the Tehran-backed Iraqi armed group Kataeb Sayyid al-Shuhada (KSS), which Washington designates as a terrorist organization.

US officials said in a social media post Thursday they were seeking information on KSS leader Hashim Finyan Rahim al-Saraji, also known as Abu Alaa al-Walai.

The group has “killed Iraqi civilians and attacked U.S. diplomatic facilities in Iraq, as well as attacking U.S. military bases and personnel in Iraq and Syria,” Washington said.

The post notes “you could be eligible for relocation and a reward” for information on al-Saraji’s whereabouts.

Al-Saraji has a seat within the Coordination Framework, the ruling Shiite alliance that holds the parliamentary majority.

Iran-backed groups have targeted the US embassy in Iraq’s capital, its diplomatic and logistics facility at Baghdad’s airport, and oil fields operated by foreign companies.

Iraq, which had recently regained some stability after decades of conflict, was immediately dragged into the Middle East war triggered when the United States and Israel attacked Iran February 28.

Earlier this month, a similar reward was offered for the leader of Kataeb Hezbollah, a powerful Iraqi armed group who kidnapped US journalist Shelly Kittleson last month and held her for a week before setting her free.

Washington has piled pressure on Baghdad to fight the pro-Tehran groups by suspending cash shipments and freezing funding for security programs in Iraq, according to US media reports this week.

AFP

Chinese startup DeepSeek released a new artificial intelligence model on Friday, more than a year after it stunned the world with a low-cost reasoning model that matched the capabilities of US rivals.

DeepSeek-V4 “features an ultra-long context of one million words”, the company said in a statement on social media platform WeChat, hailing it as “cost-effective” in a separate announcement on X.

The announcement came as Meta said it planned to cut a tenth of its staff as it looks for productivity gains from the rest of the workforce while investing heavily in artificial intelligence. Reports said Microsoft was also looking to trim its ranks.

DeepSeek-V4’s context length, which determines how much input a model is able to absorb to help it complete tasks, “(achieves) leadership in both domestic and open-source fields across agent capabilities, world knowledge, and reasoning performance”.

A “preview version” of the open source model is now available, the company said.

DeepSeek-V4 is released as two versions, DeepSeek-V4-Pro and DeepSeek-V4-Flash, with the latter being “a more efficient and economical choice” because it has smaller parameters.

V4-Pro has 1.6 trillion parameters while the V4-Flash has 284 billion parameters, which refine models’ decision-making ability.

The model has also been “optimised” for popular AI Agent products such as Claude Code, OpenClaw, OpenCode and CodeBuddy, the statement said.

“In world knowledge benchmarks, DeepSeek-V4-Pro significantly leads other open-source models and is only slightly outperformed by the top-tier closed-source model, (Google’s) Gemini-Pro-3.1,” the statement added.

Hangzhou-based DeepSeek burst onto the scene in January last year with a generative AI chatbot, powered by its R1 reasoning model, that upended assumptions of US dominance in the strategic sector. 

This so-called “DeepSeek shock” sparked a sell-off of AI-related shares and a reckoning on business strategy in what was also described as a “Sputnik moment” for the industry.

The chatbot performed at a similar level to ChatGPT and other top American offerings, but the company said it had taken significantly less computing power to develop.

However, its sudden popularity raised questions over data privacy and censorship, with the chatbot often refusing to answer questions on sensitive topics such as the 1989 Tiananmen crackdown.

At home, DeepSeek’s AI tools have been widely adopted by Chinese municipalities and healthcare institutions as well as the financial sector and other businesses

This has been partly driven by DeepSeek’s decision to make its systems open source, with their inner workings public — in contrast to the proprietary models sold by OpenAI and other Western rivals.

“China-made large AI models spearheaded the development of the global open-source AI ecosystem,” Chinese Premier Li Qiang told an annual gathering of China’s top decision-makers last month.

The AI race has intensified the rivalry between China and the United States, and the White House on Thursday accused Chinese entities of a massive effort to steal artificial intelligence technology.

“The US has evidence that foreign entities, primarily in China, are running industrial-scale distillation campaigns to steal American AI,” science and technology chief Michael Kratsios said in a post on X.

“We will be taking action to protect American innovation.”

AFP

A United States senator, Ted Cruz, has accused Nigerian government officials of involvement in attacks against Christians in the country

Cruz made the allegation during a Senate Foreign Relations subcommittee hearing focused on the United States counterterrorism strategy in Africa on Tuesday

Efforts to get the federal government’s reaction yesterday proved abortive but former information Minister under the late President Muhammadu Buhari,  Lai Mohammed, said in United Kingdom yesterday that more Muslims than Christians were being killed by Boko Haram.

However, speaking at the hearing, the lawmaker claimed that Nigeria records the highest number of Christians killed because of their faith anywhere in the world. 

He said since 2009, more than 50,000 Christians had been killed, while over 20,000 churches, schools and other religious buildings had been destroyed.

Nigerian officials had been, unfortunately, complicit in facilitating these atrocities,” Cruz said.

He linked part of the violence to the operation of Sharia law in some northern states, and also criticised Nigerian authorities, saying their response to insecurity in the country had been slow.

Cruz recalled a previous meeting with Nigerian defence and security officials, where assurances were given that the violence would be addressed. 

However, he said those promises have not yet produced results.

I told them I would judge their commitment by the results. Those results have yet to materialise,” he said.

The senator also revealed that in October, he introduced the Nigeria Religious Freedom Accountability Act of 2025. 

According to him, the bill is designed to hold Nigerian government officials accountable over alleged involvement in attacks on Christians.

During the session, Cruz questioned a senior official of the US State Department’s Bureau of African Affairs, Nick Checker, on whether engagements between Nigeria and the United States had led to meaningful progress, especially after actions taken under US President Donald Trump.

In his response, Checker said Nigeria had shown some level of cooperation with the United States, pointed to changes in the country’s security structure, including leadership adjustments, recruitment of more troops and deployment of forest guards to troubled areas.

We’ve seen some positive movements, including leadership changes in Nigerian security services, recruitment of additional troops, and deployment of forest guards to areas affected by violence,” he said.

He added that there had been an increase in the prosecution of suspected terrorists, mentioning the creation of a bilateral high level working group after discussions between Nigeria’s National Security Adviser, Malam Nuhu Ribadu, and US Under Secretary of State, Allison Hooker.

Checker noted further that recent support from the United States to Nigerian security forces showed continued cooperation between both countries.

“We’ve seen positive steps by the Nigerians, but certainly more can be done,” Checker said, adding that the US would continue to push for further action.

Boko Haram killing more Muslims than Christians — Lai Mohammed

Meanwhile, former Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, has dismissed claims of a targeted genocide against Christians in Nigeria, saying insurgent groups have killed more Muslims than Christians.

Mohammed spoke in the United Kingdom yesterday, while fielding questions from students of Abbey College, Cambridge.

The session was organised to give students from diverse backgrounds an opportunity to engage on developments in Nigeria, particularly governance and youth participation in politics.

Responding to a question on religious persecution, especially against Christians, the former minister said narratives of a “Christian genocide” in Nigeria were inaccurate.

“There should be more understanding on the part of the developed world. Now, people say that there is religious persecution in Nigeria and that there is genocide against Christians. It’s not true. It is fake news,” he said.

Mohammed argued that Nigeria’s security challenges were complex and not driven by a deliberate campaign to eliminate any religious group.

Nigeria as a country has challenges that will not be resolved by genocide against any religion,” he added.

He said Boko Haram initially emerged as a movement targeting Muslims who embraced Western education, noting that early victims were largely Muslims.

“At the beginning, the victims of Boko Haram were largely Muslims, not Christians. Boko Haram started as a revolt by extreme Muslims against conventional Muslims like me.

“Look at the meaning of Boko Haram — ‘haram’ means forbidden or illicit, ‘boko’ means Western education. So for Boko Haram, I, Lai Mohammed, having gone to school, am an enemy.

“They realised that Muslims killing one another doesn’t gain traction. When Muslims start killing Christians, it causes uproar. That is the honest truth,” he said.

The former minister also dismissed claims that banditry in Nigeria was driven by religion, describing it instead as a criminal enterprise affecting people of the same ethnic and religious backgrounds.

He insisted that records showed Muslims account for the largest number of victims of insurgent attacks in Nigeria.

He said: “The bandits are Muslims, they are Hausa-Fulanis. Their victims are Muslims, they are Hausa-Fulanis. So how can you now talk about religion? It has nothing to do with religion. 

“We have a spirit of religious tolerance in Nigeria and I challenge anyone to say it is not true. People can hide under anything to commit crime but one, it is not a policy. Number two, the average Nigerian is not bothered about your religion or ethnicity.

“In Nigeria, the average Muslim and Christian only disagree over money. They won’t disagree over theology. They are more concerned about the economy and ways of life. That is why you have many Christians marrying Muslims and vice versa.

So, this narrative about Christian genocide is not true and we must vigorously use public communication to challenge it.” 

culled from vanguard 

Iran’s vow not to reopen the Strait of Hormuz — so long as a US naval blockade remained in place — was held into Thursday despite a ceasefire extension, as the Gulf nation announced the seizure of two ships trying to cross the strategic waterway.

US Central Command (CENTCOM) said late Wednesday that it had also “directed 31 vessels to turn around or return to port” as part of its own “blockade against Iran”.

As the clock ticked for a return to the war that has engulfed the region, US President Donald Trump had said Tuesday he would maintain the truce to allow more time for Pakistani-brokered peace talks.

Iran said it welcomed the efforts by Pakistan but made no other comment on Trump’s announcement.

A complete ceasefire only has meaning if it is not violated through a naval blockade,” said Iranian parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, who led Tehran’s delegation in the first round of talks in Islamabad.

“Reopening the Strait of Hormuz is not possible amid a blatant violation of the ceasefire.”

Oil prices jumped four percent before easing Thursday after Iran vowed not to reopen the Strait of Hormuz so long as a US blockade remained in place.

At around 0025 GMT, the benchmark US oil contract West Texas Intermediate (WTI) climbed 4.06 percent to $96.73 per barrel. International oil benchmark Brent North Sea crude rose 3.62 percent to $105.63. Both eased back in the following minutes.

Trump had said he wanted to give time for Iran’s “fractured” leadership to come up with a proposal, in what many observers saw as a face-saving way to avoid renewed war.

Trump told the New York Post that talks could resume in Pakistan within two to three days, even though Iran has not confirmed participation and Vice President JD Vance put his travel to Islamabad on hold Tuesday.

Trump also claimed that Iran at his request had halted alleged plans to execute eight women arrested over massive anti-government protests in the weeks before the attack.

But Iran’s judiciary described his remarks as “false news”, saying the women had never faced the death penalty.

– Ships seized –

Iran’s elite Revolutionary Guards said they forced two ships to the Iranian shore from the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow gateway for about one-fifth of the world’s oil.

“The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps naval force this morning identified and stopped in the Strait of Hormuz two violating ships,” the Guards said in a statement.

They identified the vessels as the Panama-flagged container ship MSC Francesca and the Liberia-flagged Epaminondas.

Panama’s foreign ministry confirmed the seizure of the MSC Francesca, calling it a “serious attack on maritime security” and an “unnecessary escalation”.

UK-based maritime security monitors confirmed that three commercial vessels had reported incidents involving gunboats in the strait.

Among them, a container ship reported being fired upon by a Revolutionary Guards boat 15 nautical miles northeast of Oman, causing damage to the bridge but no casualties, monitor UKMTO said.

Under orders from Trump, the US Navy is attempting to block vessels heading to or from Iranian ports, seeking to ramp up pressure on the Iranian economy even without all-out war.

In the midst of the blockade, the Pentagon announced Wednesday that the Secretary of the Navy John Phelan would leave “immediately”.

It gave no reason for his sudden departure, the latest removal of a senior officer under Trump’s combative Pentagon chief, Pete Hegseth.

Iran in retaliation for being attacked has said that vessels must seek permission to leave or enter the Gulf through the strait. It had earlier promised free passage during the ceasefire but returned to defiance after Trump announced the blockade.

The US Defense Department said Tuesday that US forces had intercepted and boarded a “stateless sanctioned” vessel. AFP has identified the ship as one linked to Iranian activity. Both sides accuse the other of ceasefire breaches.

– More Lebanon violence before talks –

After the ceasefire with Iran, the United States helped broker a truce between Israel and Lebanon including Hezbollah, the Iranian-backed Shia Muslim movement that had fired rockets into Israel in revenge for the attacks on its patron.

Despite the declared truce, Israeli strikes killed five more people on Wednesday, Lebanese media said.

Amal Khalil, a journalist for the newspaper Al-Akhbar, was killed and her fellow reporter Zeinab Faraj wounded in an Israeli strike near the border, the paper said.

French President Emmanuel Macron announced that a second French soldier, who had been wounded in a weekend ambush against UN peacekeepers in Lebanon blamed on Hezbollah, had died.

A first soldier was shot dead in the Saturday ambush, for which Hezbollah has denied responsibility.

Israel and Lebanon, which have no diplomatic relations, will hold a second round of talks in Washington on Thursday.

Lebanon will request a one-month extension of the ceasefire during the meeting, a Lebanese official told AFP.

Lebanon will also seek “an end of Israel’s bombing and destruction in the areas where it is present and a commitment to the ceasefire”, the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity given the sensitive nature of the talks.

Israeli attacks on Lebanon have killed more than 2,450 people since the start of the war, according to Lebanese authorities.

AFP

Metro learnt on Wednesday from a statement by the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, Jay Clayton, that Olujobi and his wife were arrested in Poughkeepsie and are expected to appear before a U.S. Magistrate Judge in White Plains.

Clayton said that the duo allegedly used stolen identities to fraudulently access hundreds of credit card accounts and carried out unauthorised purchases amounting to over $500,000.

He noted that the defendants were part of a conspiracy that targeted numerous victims through identity theft and account takeovers.

According to the statement, the suspects allegedly used personal details such as Social Security numbers, dates of birth, phone numbers, and addresses to impersonate legitimate account holders.

Clayton continued, “From at least May 2023 through October 2024, Olujobi, Davidson, and/or their co-conspirators contacted a publicly traded consumer financial services company and used other people’s names, Social Security numbers, dates of birth, phone numbers, and addresses to falsely identify themselves as the true accountholders of over 200 store credit card accounts.

“After gaining access to the cardholders’ accounts, the perpetrators changed the address listed on the account to one of four addresses in Hopewell Junction, New York, including their residence, and also altered victims’ phone numbers to those controlled by members of the scheme.”

The statement said the suspects then reported the cards as lost or stolen and requested replacements, which were delivered to addresses under their control.

The attorney said that once the suspects had the cards, they allegedly used them to purchase gift cards and other items across multiple retail outlets.

“After they obtained their victims’ credit cards, Olujobi, Davidson, and/or their co-conspirators used those cards at various retail locations to make around $575,000 in unauthorised purchases of gift cards and other merchandise.

Video surveillance associated with many of these transactions shows Olujobi and Davidson using the stolen cards,” the statement added.

It further revealed that the suspects sometimes contacted the bank to request approval for declined transactions or to increase credit limits as needed.

The attorney also alleged that Davidson laundered part of the proceeds through an online betting account before transferring the funds into her personal bank account.

The charge sheet accompanying the statement indicated that the suspects were charged with a four-count indictment bordering on conspiracy and fraud.

Olujobi, 28, and Davidson, 29, are each charged with conspiracy to commit mail fraud, wire fraud, and bank fraud, which carries a maximum sentence of 30 years in prison, among other charges.

“Davidson is also charged with money laundering, which carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison.”

The statement, however, concluded that the charges were only allegations and that the defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty in court.

Metro reported on Wednesday that a US-based Nigerian, Animashaun Adebo, pleaded guilty to wire fraud conspiracy over his involvement in a series of business email compromise and romance scams that resulted in more than $50m in losses.

Adebo and his co-conspirators were said to have orchestrated multiple fraudulent schemes targeting individuals and small businesses across the United States, particularly within the Eastern District of New York.

Britain’s financial market regulator said on Wednesday it had carried out an operation targeting eight locations in London suspected of hosting illegal peer-to-peer cryptocurrency exchanges.

Peer-to-peer trading allows people to buy and sell crypto directly with one another, bypassing centralised platforms that are subject to regulations such as anti-money laundering rules.

Payments can be made by bank transfer or via gift cards, and participants can coordinate online through dedicated websites or in person, according to data analytics firm Chainalysis.

The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) said it had issued cease and desist letters to eight London addresses, “ordering traders to stop illegal activity immediately.”

Evidence obtained during the on-site inspections is supporting a number of ongoing criminal investigations,” the regulator added.

The FCA operation is aimed at preventing such traders from providing a route for criminals to move, disguise and spend illegal money.

Peer-to-peer exchanges are particularly widespread in regions lacking a robust traditional banking system, such as parts of South America and Africa, or in areas affected by unrest, Chainalysis said.

Another analytics firm, TRM Labs, highlighted the role of these traders in Venezuela, who convert the local currency, the bolivar, into stablecoins.

AFP

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer insisted Wednesday he would not resign, claiming allegations of misleading MPs over his appointment of a party loyalist as UK envoy to Washington had been “put to bed”.

Starmer’s remarks in parliament came as the beleaguered premier faced fresh calls to step down over his admitted error of judgement in appointing veteran former politician Peter Mandelson to the coveted post

The premier spoke to lawmakers a day after the foreign ministry’s most senior official, Olly Robbins, gave evidence to a parliamentary committee having been fired by Starmer over the affair last week

Starmer has accused Robbins of failing to tell him about problems that emerged during Mandelson’s security clearance.

He has repeatedly insisted that despite previously stating that “all due process” had been followed he would not have allowed the appointment to proceed if he had known that independent vetting officials had recommended security clearance be denied.

Starmer told MPs that Robbins clearly answered “no” when asked if he had shared the recommendation “with me, number 10 or any other ministers”.

That puts to bed all the allegations levelled at me … in relation to dishonesty,” he said, adding a week ago opposition politicians “were all saying that it must have been shared with me… It was not.”

Mandelson was named to the top diplomatic post in December 2024, just weeks before US President Donald Trump was inaugurated the following month. He took up the job in February 2025.

The exact nature of the risks raised by vetting officials has not been made public.

Robbins has said that they did not relate to Mandelson’s relationship with late US sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

Main opposition Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch dismissed Starmer’s denial demanding why he had not ditched the appointment when he found out about other controversial issues.

A document produced during the appointment process “said Mandelson remained on the board of the Kremlin-linked defence company, Systema, long after Putin’s first invasion of Ukraine in 2014,” Badenoch claimed.

The prime minister told us on Monday that he’d read that due diligence report. Why did the prime minister want to make a man with links to the Kremlin, our ambassador in Washington?” she added.

Morgan McSweeney, Starmer’s former top aide, who resigned over his role in the crisis, is to appear before MPs on Tuesday.

Robbins said Tuesday that Starmer’s Downing Street office put constant pressure on civil servants to approve Mandelson’s appointment and seemed to dismiss security concerns.

Robbins described the tone not as “just please get this done quickly” but “get it done”.

“I think, a pretty unmistakable feeling,” he said.

Oil prices edged higher Wednesday while Europe’s main stock markets eased on uncertainty surrounding the prospect of resumed Mideast peace talks following an extension to the US-Iran ceasefire.

Asian equities had a mixed trading day as investors wait for clarity but broadly expect that both US President Donald Trump and the authorities in Iran want to end a war that has sent oil and gas prices soaring.

“The ceasefire extension hasn’t done much to calm nerves given that worries remain about the impact of the energy squeeze on the global economy,” said Susannah Streeter, chief investment strategist at Wealth Club.

“Shipments from the Middle East are in limbo and a resolution to the conflict remains elusive, and the price of Brent crude, the benchmark, reflects this.”

Brent North Sea was once more closing in on $100 a barrel while main US contract, West Texas Intermediate, traded back above $90.

Iranian gunboats attacked at least one container ship in the Strait of Hormuz on Wednesday, maritime agencies said, despite US President Donald Trump announcing he was extending a ceasefire to allow more time for peace talks.

Trump said the US blockade of Iran’s ports would continue while Pakistani mediators try to revive dialogue.

Tehran has all but shut the strait in the seven weeks since the United States and Israel launched attacks on Iran that plunged the Middle East into war, with higher energy prices threatening economic growth worldwide.

“The US and Iran may be trying to shore up leverage and playing a game of who blinks first,” said Christopher Wong, a strategist at Oversea-Chinese Banking Corp.

“Whatever the outcome, the suspense in the interim may see risk appetite being curtailed,” he said.

Away from the war, investors were keeping tabs on the confirmation hearing by senators of Kevin Warsh, Trump’s pick to replace Federal Reserve boss Jerome Powell, whose term ends in May.

Warsh told lawmakers he would not be controlled by the president as he fielded questions on his assets and central bank independence during his first hearing.

Trump has assailed Powell for not cutting interest rates more aggressively, and told CNBC on Tuesday that he would be disappointed if the new chair did not swiftly lower borrowing costs despite rising inflation.

In Britain, official data showed that annual inflation jumped to 3.3 percent in March as the Middle East war sent oil and gas prices surging.

Key figures around 1045 GMT –

Brent North Sea Crude: UP 0.6 percent at $99.04 a barrel

West Texas Intermediate: UP 0.5 percent at $90.15 a barrel

London – FTSE 100: DOWN 0.1 percent at 10,491.92 points

Paris – CAC 40: DOWN 0.3 percent at 8,208.83

Frankfurt – DAX: DOWN 0.3 percent at 24,209.60

Tokyo – Nikkei 225: UP 0.4 percent at 59,585.86 (close)

Hong Kong – Hang Seng Index: DOWN 1.2 percent at 26,163.24 (close)

Shanghai – Composite: UP 0.5 percent at 4,106.26 (close)

New York – Dow Jones: DOWN 0.6 percent at 49,149.38 (close)

Euro/dollar: UP at $1.1752 from $1.1749 on Tuesday

Pound/dollar: UP at $1.3520 from $1.3511

Dollar/yen: UNCHANGED at 159.25 yen

Euro/pound: DOWN at 86.91 pence from 86.96 pence

AFP

“Iran is collapsing financially! They want the Strait of Hormuz opened immediately,” he wrote on Truth Social, adding that the Islamic republic was “starving for cash.”

Trump posted earlier that Tehran said it supported the closure of the strait to “save face” under the US blockade of Iranian ports.

AFP

Pope Leo XIV will visit a prison known for its squalid conditions in Equatorial Guinea on Wednesday, the second-to-last day of a marathon African tour on which he has spoken out forcefully on world issues.

The pope, who arrived in the oil-rich but deeply unequal country on Tuesday after stops in Algeria, Cameroon and Angola, will meet with inmates at Bata prison, a facility criticised by rights experts for extreme overcrowding, poor sanitation and mistreatment of prisoners.

He will also meet with families and young people at Bata’s stadium, and pay tribute to the victims of a deadly accident that rocked the coastal city in 2021, when a fire set off a series of explosions at a munitions depot that killed more than 100 people and wounded around 600 others.

Besides Bata, the country’s largest city and economic capital, the pope will visit Mongomo, near the Gabonese border, giving mass and touring a school.

Leo began his visit on Tuesday urging Equatorial Guinea to place itself “in the service of law and justice” — pointed remarks in an authoritarian country regularly accused of rights abuses.

However, his tone was more measured than on his previous stops, when he lambasted the “tyrants” ransacking the world, condemned “exploitation” by the rich and powerful, and clashed with Donald Trump after the US president took issue with the first American pontiff’s call for an end to the Middle East war.

– 18,000 kilometres –

Leo, 70, must strike a delicate balance in Equatorial Guinea, supporting the faithful without backing the government of Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo, who has been in power since 1979 and at 83 is the world’s longest-serving head of state who is not a monarch.

Eighty percent of the small coastal country’s two million people are Catholics, a legacy of Spanish colonisation.

Hydrocarbon production accounts for 46 percent of Equatorial Guinea’s economy and more than 90 percent of exports, according to African Development Bank figures.

But according to Human Rights Watch, “vast oil revenues fund lavish lifestyles for the small elite surrounding the president, while a large proportion of the population continues to live in poverty”.

The pope was welcomed on Tuesday by the president, and spoke out against the “dramatically” widening wealth gap in the country at an event attended by Teodoro Nguema Obiang Mangue, known as Teodorin, who is the president’s son and also vice president.

Teodorin, who was convicted in France in 2019 for money laundering and embezzlement of public funds, is known for his luxurious lifestyle that he flaunts on social media, in a country where the majority of the population lives below the poverty line.

The pope will wrap up his 11-day, 18,000-kilometre (11,200-mile) Africa trip on Thursday with an open-air mass in the capital, Malabo, then return to Rome.

AFP

Iranian authorities have arrested more than 3,600 people on charges related to the US-Israeli war ranging from sharing videos with media outlets based overseas to possessing Starlink internet terminals, an NGO said on Tuesday.

Norway-based Iran Human Rights (IHR) said the figure, based on state media reports and its own research, represented a minimum given the current internet restrictions in the Islamic Republic, and that the actual number of arrests was “likely much higher.”

It said at least 3,646 people had been arrested since the war broke out on February 28, with at least 767 of the cases reported after the start of a ceasefire on April 8.

“The charges levelled against the detainees predominantly include espionage, communicating with foreign intelligence services, transmitting images or coordinates of sensitive locations to foreign-based media, and attempting to establish operational cells or conduct armed activities,” it said.

People have also been arrested for using and distributing Starlink satellite-based internet terminals to circumvent internet blackouts, and for alleged cooperation with pro-monarchist groups.

IHR said more than 100 civil society activists were among those arrested, including prize-winning rights lawyer Nasrin Sotoudeh, who was detained on April 2.

Sotoudeh’s daughter, Mehraveh Khandan, wrote on Instagram on Saturday that her mother had telephoned for the first time since her arrest, saying she was being held by the intelligence ministry but was not allowed to disclose where.

Her fellow rights activist and 2023 Nobel Peace Prize winner, Narges Mohammadi, remains in prison after her arrest in December, which took place before the war and mass protests in January.

Mohammadi on Tuesday turned 54 behind the bars of her prison in the northern city of Zanjan, her foundation said, after warning last week her health was “critical” following a heart attack in March.

AFP

In a joint official communiqué released on April 17, 2026, on its website, by Belgium’s Federal Immigration Office and cited by PUNCH Online on Monday, under the new system, employers and authorised representatives will be required to submit all applications exclusively through the country’s official online portal, replacing the long-standing email-based submission process.

The change is expected to affect short-term work permits typically issued for non-EU professionals undertaking assignments such as technical support, business visits, training, or equipment installation, usually lasting up to 90 days.

Authorities say the shift is designed to improve efficiency, reduce administrative errors, and eliminate delays caused by incomplete or misplaced email submissions. By centralising applications on a digital platform, officials will be able to track submissions more accurately, verify documents faster, and streamline processing times.

The new system will require employers to register on the government’s online portal and obtain valid digital credentials before submitting applications. Officials have warned that failure to set up access in advance could lead to processing delays once the system becomes mandatory.

“A temporary transition arrangement has been introduced in the Wallonia region, where email submissions will still be accepted until August 31, 2026. However, no similar grace period has been confirmed for Flanders or the Brussels-Capital Region, where full compliance with the online system is expected by the May deadline,” the statement noted.

The reform is part of Belgium’s broader push to modernise its immigration and labour administration systems, aligning with wider European trends toward fully digital public service delivery.

Once implemented, the policy will mark the end of email-based submissions for these categories, representing one of the most significant changes to Belgium’s work permit application process in recent years.

The US military said it killed three people in a strike on an alleged drug-trafficking vessel in the Caribbean on Sunday, bringing the controversial campaign’s death toll to at least 180.

President Donald Trump’s administration insists it is effectively at war with what it calls “narco-terrorists” in Latin America, and began targeting suspected drug-smuggling boats last September.

US Southern Command, which is responsible for Washington’s forces in the region, said it conducted a “lethal kinetic strike on a vessel operated by Designated Terrorist Organisations.”

“Intelligence confirmed the vessel was transiting along known narco-trafficking routes in the Caribbean and was engaged in narco-trafficking operations. Three male narco-terrorists were killed during this action,” it said in a post on X.

US military officials have claimed at least six such strikes in April, bringing the total toll of people killed in these operations to at least 180, according to an AFP tally.

The Trump administration has provided no definitive evidence that the vessels it targets are involving in drug trafficking, prompting heated debate about the legality of the operations.

International legal experts and rights groups say the strikes likely amount to extrajudicial killings as they have apparently targeted civilians who do not pose an immediate threat to the United States.

AFP

The strategic Strait of Hormuz was again closed on Sunday in the stand-off between Iran and the United States, with Iran’s powerful parliament speaker signalling a final peace deal remained “far” off despite some movement in negotiations.

As mediation efforts continued following high-level talks in Pakistan that failed to reach a deal, Iran said it will not allow the crucial maritime trade chokepoint to re-open until the United States ends a blockade of Iranian ports.

Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, speaker of the Iranian parliament, said in a televised address on Saturday night that there had been “progress” with Washington “but there are many gaps and some fundamental points remain”.

“We are still far from the final discussion,” said Ghalibaf, one of Tehran’s negotiators in the talks aimed at ending the war launched by Israel and the United States against the Islamic republic.

A two-week ceasefire is set to end on Wednesday unless it is renewed.

US President Donald Trump said “very good conversations” were going on with Iran but warned Tehran against trying to “blackmail” the United States.

On Friday, Tehran had declared the Strait of Hormuz, through which a fifth of the world’s oil and liquefied natural gas usually transits, open after a temporary ceasefire was agreed to halt Israel’s war with Iran’s ally Hezbollah in Lebanon.

That prompted elation in global markets and sent oil prices plunging, but Tehran reversed course after Trump insisted the US blockade of Iranian ports would continue until a final deal was struck.

“If America does not lift the blockade, traffic in the Strait of Hormuz will definitely be limited,” Ghalibaf said.

Iran’s supreme leader Mojtaba Khamenei, who has yet to be seen since taking power after his father was killed in the war’s opening strikes, said in a written message that Iran’s navy “stands ready” to defeat the United States.

Trump accused Iran of getting “a little cute” with its recent moves and warned Tehran not to try to “blackmail” Washington by flip-flopping on the strait.

“We have very good conversations going on,” the president told reporters at the White House, adding that the United States was “taking a tough stand”.

– ‘Targeted’ –

Iran’s Revolutionary Guards warned that any attempt to pass through the strait without permission “will be considered cooperation with the enemy, and the offending vessel will be targeted”.

A handful of oil and gas tankers crossed the strait early on Saturday during the brief reopening, tracking data showed, but others retreated and hardly any vessels were crossing the waterway by the late afternoon.

A UK maritime security agency said the Revolutionary Guards fired at one tanker, while security intelligence firm Vanguard Tech reported the force had threatened to “destroy” an empty cruise ship that was fleeing the Gulf.

In a third incident, the UK agency said it received a report of a vessel “being hit by an unknown projectile, which caused damage” to shipping containers but no fire.

The Indian foreign ministry said it had summoned the Iranian ambassador to lodge a protest over a “shooting incident” involving two Indian-flagged ships in the strait.

– French UN peacekeeper killed –

On the diplomatic front, Egypt, which has been involved in mediation efforts with Pakistan, appeared optimistic on Saturday with Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty saying Cairo and Islamabad hoped to secure a final agreement “in the coming days”.

A major sticking point has been Iran’s stockpile of near-weapons-grade enriched uranium.

Trump said Friday that Iran had agreed to hand over its roughly 440 kilograms of enriched uranium. “We’re going to get it by going in with Iran, with lots of excavators,” he said.

Iran’s foreign ministry has said the stockpile, thought to be buried deep under rubble from US bombing in last June’s 12-day war, was “not going to be transferred anywhere” and surrendering it “to the US has never been raised in negotiations”.

The Middle East war began on February 28 with a massive wave of US-Israeli attacks on Iran, despite Washington and Tehran being engaged in negotiations at the time.

The conflict rapidly spread across the region, with Iran targeting neighbouring Gulf countries that are home to US military bases, and Iran-backed Hezbollah dragging Lebanon into the war by launching rockets at Israel.

A French soldier was killed and three others wounded in an ambush on Saturday on UN peacekeepers in Lebanon that France’s president blamed on Hezbollah, an accusation the group denied.

Israel’s military reported that two of its soldiers had also been killed in combat in southern Lebanon since the start of a 10-day truce on Friday between Israel and Lebanon.

AFP

US President Donald Trump has ordered a federal investigation into the deaths and disappearances of at least 10 American scientists and researchers with links to sensitive aerospace, defence, and unexplained aerial phenomena programmes.

Officials confirmed that the president was briefed earlier this week on the cases, some of which date back to mid-2023. The White House said it is working with the Federal Bureau of Investigation and other relevant agencies to examine whether any connections exist among the incidents.

“These are serious matters,” Trump said, noting that several of those involved were “very important people.”

As reported by the Economic Times on Sunday, Trump added that more information is expected to emerge in the coming days and expressed hope that the cases are unrelated

Concerns about a possible pattern have been raised by a member of the House Oversight Committee, Eric Burlison, who described the incidents as “too coincidental” to ignore.

Burlison has called for a comprehensive investigation, suggesting that the scientists’ access to classified information—including research related to unidentified anomalous phenomena (UAPs), commonly known as UFOs—may be a factor.

According to reports, some individuals died under unclear or violent circumstances, while others vanished without a trace.

Among them is Michael David Hicks, a physicist at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory who specialised in comets and asteroids, who died in July 2023. The cause of his death was not publicly disclosed.

Other cases include the killing of a Massachusetts-based nuclear physicist and the disappearance of researchers and contractors linked to institutions such as Los Alamos National Laboratory and NASA facilities.

In one instance, a scientist reported missing in late 2025 was later found dead months afterward.

Burlison also pointed to the disappearance of a senior Air Force official who had reportedly attempted to contact him regarding research into UAPs before vanishing earlier this year.

While no official link has been established among the cases, Burlison has speculated that foreign adversaries, including China, Russia, or Iran, could be involved.

Authorities have not confirmed any such connection.

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said the administration is conducting a “holistic review” of all reported incidents to identify any potential commonalities.

No stone will be unturned,” she said, adding that updates will be provided as the investigation progresses.

The cases have drawn widespread attention due to the high-level nature of the individuals involved and the sensitive areas of research they were associated with.

For now, officials stress that the investigation remains in its early stages, with no definitive conclusions about whether the deaths and disappearances are linked.

Pope Leo XIV said Saturday he regretted remarks he made were interpreted as a response to criticism from President Donald Trump, insisting he had no interest in debating the US leader.

An example was a speech about “tyrants” ransacking the world that he delivered in Cameroon on Thursday, on the second leg of a tour of Africa, Leo told journalists as he travelled to Angola.

The remarks had been written well before Trump’s “comment on myself and on the message of peace that I am promoting,” he said.

“And yet it was perceived as if I were trying to start a new debate with the president, which doesn’t interest me at all,” Leo said

Much of what has been written since then has been more commentary on commentary, trying to interpret what has been said,” he said.

Leo had blasted “tyrants” ransacking the world on Thursday while on a high-security visit to Cameroon’s northwestern city of Bamenda, the epicentre of a nearly decade-long English-speaking separatist insurgency that has killed thousands.

The remarks were interpreted by the US media in particular as a reference to Trump.

But they were written well before Trump’s criticisms, Leo said, adding “there’s been a certain narrative that has not been accurate in all of its aspects”.

Trump had said on April 12 he was “not a big fan of Pope Leo”, and accused him of “toying with a country (Iran) that wants a nuclear weapon”.

He later doubled down on his comments to reporters with a post on Truth Social, saying: “I don’t want a Pope who thinks it’s OK for Iran to have a Nuclear Weapon.”

“Pope Leo is weak on Crime and terrible for Foreign Policy,” the US leader said.

AFP

Pope Leo XIV on Friday warned that the AI boom could fuel “conflict, fear and violence” while on a trip to Cameroon marked by his ongoing spat with US President Donald Trump.

While Leo has called for caution on artificial intelligence several times since his election in May 2025, his latest warning comes as Trump faces a backlash over a now-deleted AI-generated post seemingly depicting the US leader as Jesus.

After holding Mass in the stifling heat in Cameroon’s economic capital Douala for more than 120,000 joyous worshippers — the biggest event of his landmark Africa trip so far — the leader of the world’s 1.4 billion Catholics sounded the alarm over the perils of the technology.

“The challenge posed by these systems is greater than it appears: it is not just about the use of new technologies, but about the gradual replacement of reality by its simulation,” he said in a speech to teachers and students at the Catholic University of Central Africa in the capital Yaounde.

“In this way, polarisation, conflict, fear and violence spread. What is at stake is not merely the risk of error, but a transformation in our very relationship with truth.”

It marks the pontiff’s latest outspoken intervention on his 11-day Africa tour that has seen him abandon his previous restraint to deliver impassioned pleas for world peace — and tussle with fellow American Trump.

– ‘Handful of tyrants’ –

After the pope criticised the US-Israeli war with Iran, Trump lashed out at Leo, branding him “weak on crime and terrible for foreign policy”.

He then posted an AI-generated image seemingly depicting himself as a Christ-like figure, which he later deleted after religious leaders accused him of blasphemy.

And shortly after Leo denounced the “handful of tyrants” ravaging the world in a speech on Thursday, the US president said the pope needed to understand the realities of a “nasty world”.

Far from the Trump broadsides, Leo has been greeted by adoring, singing-and-dancing crowds wherever he has gone in Cameroon.

Some of Friday’s throng had travelled far or arrived the previous night in the hope of catching a glimpse of the pope at his Douala Mass.

Waving “branches of peace” and Vatican flags, to lively choral music punctuated by percussion, the crowd chanted “Long live the pope!” as Leo arrived in a popemobile at the esplanade outside the Japoma Stadium.

“It’s the achievement of a Christian lifetime. When I was little, I thought you couldn’t see the pope with your own two eyes,” Marguerite Tedga, 72, said after waiting all night with friends from her parish.

Edith Fifi, a 25-year-old beautician, said seeing the pontiff gave her “a feeling of deliverance”.

“I was deeply moved by his message, and what I remember most is his call for sharing,” she said.

But some Cameroonian Catholics had feared that Leo’s visit could help President Paul Biya, who has ruled with an iron fist since 1982, burnish his image.

Douala, one of central Africa’s largest ports, was among the cities to see a violent crackdown on demonstrations against the re-election in October of a man who at the age of 93 is already the world’s oldest head of state.

Witnesses have reported that the security forces fired live rounds into the crowds. The authorities have acknowledged dozens of deaths without giving a precise toll.

– No to ‘plunder’ –

Without mentioning Trump or Biya by name, Leo has delivered unusually pointed speeches across his African tour — ignoring Catholic US Vice President JD Vance’s call to “stick to matters of morality”.

In his speech on AI on Friday, the pope also condemned the “environmental devastation” caused by the extraction of the rare earths essential to the technology’s stunning growth — a cornerstone of the Trump administration’s approach to Africa.

And Leo also demanded an end to the corruption of a mining industry through which foreign powers — China foremost among them — reap the riches of Africa’s wealth while locals suffer.

After arriving in the country Wednesday, the pope urged Cameroon’s leaders to root out corruption and abuses carried out in the name of order — within Biya’s earshot.

The Catholic Church plays an important social role in Cameroon, where more than a third of the population of 30 million people are Catholic.

Leo wraps up his visit to the country with a Mass early Saturday.

He was previously in Muslim-majority Algeria for a visit marred by two suicide bombings.

The pope heads on to Angola before wrapping up his 18,000-kilometre (11,200-mile) tour in Equatorial Guinea.

A fragile ceasefire across parts of the Middle East has failed to halt a deepening health emergency, with the World Health Organisation, WHO, warning that health systems across multiple countries are now under severe strain from conflict, mass displacement, and infrastructure breakdown

In its latest situation report, WHO said the cessation of hostilities remains unstable, warning that the region is facing “operational system disruption” that extends far beyond battlefield injuries, with hospitals, supply chains, and essential services increasingly unable to function.

“The cessation of hostilities remains fragile, underscoring the need to sustain operational readiness for deterioration in the situation,” WHO stated, noting that health services are being undermined by fuel shortages, damaged infrastructure, and continuous population movements across borders.

Hospitals under severe pressure in conflict zones

Lebanon remains one of the worst-affected countries, where intensified fighting and repeated evacuation orders have placed major referral hospitals under extreme strain.

In some cases, hundreds of patients, including those in intensive care, face uncertain relocation due to the absence of alternative facilities capable of receiving them.

WHO warned that essential medicines are becoming increasingly scarce, particularly for patients with chronic conditions such as diabetes and kidney failure.

“In southern Lebanon, the health system is shrinking under extreme pressure,” a WHO official said. “Insulin stocks are low, dialysis services are stretched, and trauma cases continue to rise.”

Several hospitals in the south have also been damaged by nearby strikes, with health workers injured and critical emergency equipment destroyed, further weakening response capacity.

System-wide collapse beyond battlefield injuries

The WHO report highlights a shift from direct conflict casualties to broader system failure, where entire health networks are being undermined by fuel shortages, transport disruptions, and broken supply chains.

In Gaza, healthcare delivery, water systems, sanitation services, and hygiene infrastructure continue to deteriorate, while fuel shortages in other settings are crippling hospital operations and emergency response services.

Cold chain failures, medicine shortages, and transport bottlenecks are also affecting the delivery of vaccines and essential drugs, raising fears of secondary health crises.

Displacement intensifying health risks

Across the region, continued displacement is worsening health outcomes, with large population movements driven by insecurity and deteriorating living conditions.

WHO warned that overcrowded shelters and temporary settlements are increasing the risk of infectious disease outbreaks, while mental health and psychosocial needs are rising sharply.

Women, children, the elderly, and people with chronic illnesses remain the most affected, with limited access to maternal care, essential medicines, and basic health services.

Iran, Syria and wider region remain fragile

In the Islamic Republic of Iran, authorities have requested international assistance for emergency medical supplies and chronic disease management, while WHO is preparing coordination mechanisms for potential deployment of Emergency Medical Teams.

In Syria, more than 240,000 people have returned from neighbouring countries since the escalation, placing additional pressure on already fragile health systems. Risks from unexploded ordnance, flooding, and overcrowded settlements remain significant.

Elsewhere in the region, WHO reports continued disruptions to essential health services, disease surveillance systems, and medical supply chains, despite relative calm in some countries.

WHO scales up emergency response

WHO says it has activated global emergency surge mechanisms, including rapid deployment teams, logistics support systems, and expanded medical supply chains.

Through its global logistics hubs, including the Dubai Global Logistics Hub, the agency is distributing trauma kits, essential medicines, and supplies for chronic disease management.

In Lebanon alone, 20 trauma emergency kits have been delivered, with 40 more in transit to public hospitals.

The organisation is also strengthening disease surveillance and risk communication to support early outbreak detection and improve public awareness of emerging health threats.

Funding shortfall threatens response

Despite rising needs, WHO says funding remains critically insufficient. Of the US$30 million required for its Eastern Mediterranean response between March and August 2026, only US$1.6 million has been received so far.

This level of funding is not enough to sustain life-saving operations,” WHO warned, noting that gaps in medicines, trauma care, and emergency response capacity are widening.

Fragile calm masking deeper crisis

WHO cautioned that although hostilities have eased in some areas, the underlying drivers of the crisis remain unresolved, with continued displacement, infrastructure damage, and energy shortages threatening further deterioration.

“The situation is not stabilising, it is transforming,” a senior WHO official said. “We are witnessing a regional health emergency unfold in real time.”

US President Donald Trump said Friday that Iran had agreed to never again shut the Strait of Hormuz, during a string of social media posts indicating a peace deal with Tehran was near.

“Iran has agreed to never close the Strait of Hormuz again. It will no longer be used as a weapon against the World,” Trump said on his Truth Social network, after Iran earlier said the crucial sea passage would remain open during a Middle East ceasefire.

Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Friday that the strategic Strait of Hormuz, vital for the global oil trade, will remain “completely open” to commercial ships as long as a ceasefire in the Middle East holds.

“The passage for all commercial vessels through Strait of Hormuz is declared completely open for the remaining period of ceasefire,” Araghchi said on X.

It was not clear whether he was speaking of the 10-day truce agreed by Lebanon and Israel that went into effect at midnight or an earlier two-week truce between Iran and the United States that began on April 8.

Iran, which sent shockwaves through the global economy by essentially blocking passage through the crucial Strait, had made the extension of a ceasefire to Lebanon a condition of opening the waterway, state media reported.

Lebanon was drawn into the broader war launched by the United States and Israel on February 28 when Hezbollah attacked Israel in support of Iran, its key ally.

An Iranian senior military official told the state broadcaster that only civilian vessels would be allowed passage through designated routes and with permission of the navy of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.

“The passage of military vessels through the Strait of Hormuz remains prohibited,” the official said.

US President Donald Trump welcomed the Iranian announcement that the narrow waterway would be open, but said the US naval blockade of Iranian ports would remain in place until a peace deal with Tehran was reached.

“The naval blockade will remain in full force and effect as it pertains to Iran, only, until such time as our transaction with Iran is 100% complete,” Trump said on his Truth Social network, adding that “this process should go very quickly”.

Oil prices that had spiked during the supply disruptions plunged after the Iranian announcement of opening the Strait.

AFP

A blackout on several social media platforms in Guinea has been lifted, bloggers and users in the West African nation said on Friday.

The disruption had affected major platforms including Facebook, Messenger, YouTube, and TikTok, according to the Association of Bloggers in Guinea (ABLOGUI), which first reported the blockage.

Authorities in Guinea have not issued any official statement explaining the restrictions, which were initially announced by the bloggers’ association on Thursday.

The country is governed by Mamady Doumbouya, a former army general who came to power following a 2021 coup and was later elected in a vote last December that excluded major opposition figures.

Guinea’s communications regulator had earlier warned about the spread of “verbal attacks, unverified information, and messages harmful to social cohesion,” though it did not directly link the statement to the shutdown.

ABLOGUI President Baro Conde welcomed the restoration of access, describing it as a positive development for civil liberties.

Citizens will once again be able to enjoy their freedoms of information and expression,” he said.

However, he cautioned that similar restrictions could return, especially ahead of elections.

“Guinea has developed a habit of restricting social media access during election periods,” he added.

Legislative and municipal elections are scheduled for May 31, raising concerns about possible future disruptions to online communication.

AFP

Airtel Nigeria has announced the temporary suspension of its airtime and data credit services, which previously allowed eligible prepaid customers to borrow airtime or data and repay on their next recharge.

In a statement on Friday, the Director, Corporate Communications & CSR Airtel Nigeria, Femi Adeniran, said the decision is part of ongoing adjustments to align its operations with evolving regulatory and operational requirements in Nigeria’s telecommunications sector.

Despite the suspension, Airtel Nigeria assured customers that they will continue to have uninterrupted access to standard airtime and data purchases through existing channels.

According to the company, the pause in the credit service is not expected to affect overall service quality or network performance across the country.

Commenting on the development, Airtel Nigeria’s Director of Marketing, Ismail Adeshina, described the move as necessary and responsible.

“This is a necessary and responsible step as we align our operations with evolving requirements. Airtel Nigeria remains committed to the highest standards of compliance, transparency, and consumer protection, while continuing to innovate responsibly within Nigeria’s digital ecosystem,” he said.

The telecom operator added that updates on the status of the suspended service will be communicated to customers in due course.

The development comes amid growing regulatory scrutiny of digital lending and credit-based services in Nigeria’s telecom sector, as operators adjust to new compliance expectations.

The firefight with police and soldiers happened in the Muslim-populated south of the mainly Catholic Asian nation, where remnants of Islamic State-inspired groups operate.

Among the dead was Amerol Mangoranca, leader of an armed group called the Maute-Dawlah Islamiya, a regional police report said.

The government force arrived near the town of Marantao before dawn to serve arrest warrants for murder, homicide, and kidnapping against Mangoranca and his group, it said.

This triggered an hour-long firefight with the group, which included the rebel leader’s wife and three other women.

A separate military report said an unharmed infant was recovered after the gunfight.

Government forces sustained no casualties and recovered guns and explosives, the military added.

The group is suspected of being behind a January attack that killed four soldiers and wounded another, said the Philippine Army’s First Infantry Division report.

The slain gunmen were from the “same network responsible for the Marawi siege and years of violence”, the military unit’s commander, Major-General Yegor Barroquillo, said in the statement.

In May 2017, hundreds of Filipino Muslim fighters, as well as foreign militants, joined forces to take over the Mindanao city of Marawi, intending to make it the capital of a Southeast Asian caliphate to be ruled by their radical interpretation of Islam.

A bloody siege by government forces ended five months later with the loss of more than a thousand lives and with many of the militant groups’ most senior leaders being killed.

AFP

Former Virginia Lieutenant Governor Justin Fairfax shot and killed his wife, Cerina Fairfax, before taking his own life early Thursday morning inside their home in Annandale, Fairfax County police said.

The incident occurred shortly after midnight on the 8100 block of Guinevere Drive. According to police, the couple’s two teenage children were inside the house at the time of the shooting.

Fairfax County Police Chief Kevin Davis linked the tragedy to the couple’s ongoing and “complicated” divorce proceedings.

I don’t think it’s a secret that there’s been divorce proceedings that have been ongoing,” Chief Davis said. “From what I understand in this early stage, former Lt. Gov. Fairfax was recently served some paperwork associated with an upcoming court proceeding that apparently led to this incident last night.”

The couple had appeared in court on Monday as part of their divorce case, which Mrs. Fairfax first filed last summer. Although they had separated, they were still sharing the family home.

Mr. Fairfax, 47, a Democrat, served as Virginia’s lieutenant governor from 2018 to 2022 under former Governor Ralph Northam.

His political career faced significant challenges in 2019 when two women publicly accused him of sexual assault from years earlier. Fairfax denied the allegations, maintaining the encounters were consensual. He completed his term but lost a bid for governor in 2021, effectively ending his political career.

Authorities are continuing to investigate the incident.

A Nigerian couple, Luciana and Femi Akanbi, have been jailed in the United Kingdom for orchestrating a large-scale fraud involving the stolen personal data of Transport for London employees, in a case described as the ‘worst’ data breach in the agency’s history.

According to a report by KentLive, the couple were each sentenced to three years and nine months’ imprisonment after defrauding the UK tax authority through false rebate claims.

The report said Luciana Akanbi, 38, who worked in the human resources department of Transport for London, accessed sensitive personal information of her colleagues, including passport details, National Insurance numbers and bank records.

Prosecutors told Woolwich Crown Court that the couple used the data of at least 40 employees to submit 139 fraudulent tax rebate claims to HM Revenue and Customs.

The fraud, carried out between September 2021 and January 2022, resulted in losses of over £433,000 to the public purse, although the total value of claims submitted was close to £650,000.

Delivering judgment, Judge David Miller said the case represented the most severe data breach in the history of the transport authority.

Judge Miller said, “TfL suffered their worst ever data breach. It meant they had to change their systems.

“It affected their morale, I am told, and staff performance. You acquired and used the personal details of 40 employees in relation to making the claims for tax rebates, but accessed the details of 107 employees.

“There were 139 claims in respect of 40 employees by self-assessment accounts being set up by you and others, using 38 computer devices from your own home and others. The effect was that there were 139 claims for tax rebates totalling just under £649,000.

“The money lost to HMRC amounted to just over £433,000. That money was almost instantly dissipated in a complex money laundering scheme.”

The court heard that Luciana Akanbi, who had been employed by TfL since 2017, used her position to access the personal records of 107 employees, which were subsequently exploited for fraudulent claims.

Prosecutor Andrew Evans described the operation as sophisticated, involving extensive preparation and a large number of victims.

“The fraud was sophisticated in nature, required significant planning and involved a large number of victims,” he said.

He added that the proceeds of the fraud were rapidly moved through a complex money laundering network.

Evidence presented in court showed that about £66,000 was traced to Femi’s bank account, while £16,000 was linked to his wife, although the court held that their total benefit from the scheme exceeded those amounts.

The court further heard that financial pressures contributed to the crime, with Femi reportedly struggling with a gambling addiction following illness during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Judge Miller said over £50,000 of the stolen funds had been paid into various gambling accounts.

He also noted that Luciana, a mother of three, initially attempted to deflect blame by suggesting that a relative working in the IT sector may have been responsible for the data breach.

The judge, however, ruled that both defendants were central to the scheme, stating that the fraud was only possible because of the access granted to Luciana as a trusted employee.

“You, Luciana Akanbi, had been colleagues with some of these people who were extremely badly let down.

“That is damaging; to have your credit ratings impacted, to deal with HMRC and to have to rearrange your finances. There was immense damage to third parties,” the Judge said.

Judge Miller added that no compensation order would be made, stating that the couple had no recoverable assets.

Following the ruling, a representative of Transport for London said the organisation had strengthened its internal data protection systems to prevent a recurrence.

“We take any cases of fraud extremely seriously and welcome the court’s sentencing of these two individuals.

“This crime meant that hundreds of thousands of pounds was unable to be reinvested elsewhere to the wider public benefit, and involved working closely with HM Revenue and Customs to secure a successful prosecution,” he said.

A spokesperson for HM Revenue and Customs warned that the agency would continue to pursue individuals who attempt to exploit the tax system.

The court also indicated that the couple could face deportation proceedings after serving their sentences.

Culled from punch

The Nigeria Police Force has extradited a fugitive, Matthew Chukwuemeka Adebiyi, to the United Kingdom over alleged involvement in murder and drug trafficking.

The Force said the extradition was carried out through the INTERPOL National Central Bureau Abuja following a formal request by UK authorities in September 2024 to locate, arrest and extradite the suspect.

In a statement on Thursday, the Force Public Relations Officer, Anthony Placide, said the suspect was wanted over the alleged murder of one Joshua Boadu on June 18, 2018, after which he fled to Nigeria to evade arrest.

He added that Adebiyi was also accused of involvement in the supply of crack cocaine, a Class-A controlled drug, between October 2017 and March 2018 in the UK

Placide stated, “The suspect was arrested on 23rd January 2025 by operatives of the INTERPOL NCB Abuja, following which extradition proceedings were initiated at the Federal High Court, Lagos Judicial Division, in Suit No. FHC/L/CS/416/2025.”

According to the statement, the Federal High Court, Lagos Division, granted the application for extradition on February 16, 2026, in line with the provisions of the law.

It added, “Pursuant to the court order and the execution of a surrender warrant by the relevant Nigerian authorities, the fugitive was formally handed over to United Kingdom law enforcement officials on 14th April 2026 at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport for diligent prosecution.”

The Inspector-General of Police, Olatunji Rilwan Disu, reaffirmed the commitment of the Force to international collaboration.

He added that Nigeria does not serve as a safe haven for fugitives.

US President Donald Trump has said that leaders of Israel and Lebanon will speak on Thursday, as Washington pushes to ease hostilities after the rivals’ first direct talks in decades.

Lebanon was pulled into the Middle East war on March 2 after pro-Tehran group Hezbollah attacked Israel.

Since then, Israeli strikes have killed more than 2,000 people and displaced more than one million in Lebanon, despite international calls for a ceasefire, and Israeli ground forces have invaded the country’s south.

“Trying to get a little breathing room between Israel and Lebanon,” Trump said Wednesday on his Truth Social platform, referring to a meeting held in Washington the day before — the first direct negotiations between senior officials from the two countries since 1993

He said the leaders would speak on Thursday, without identifying participants or giving further details.

A senior US administration official said earlier that Trump would “welcome” an end to hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon, but stressed that any such outcome is not part of talks between Washington and Tehran.

“The president would welcome the end of hostilities in Lebanon as part of a peace agreement between Israel and Lebanon,” the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity.

The United States wants to see a durable peace but did not demand an immediate ceasefire,” and “negotiations between the US and Iran are not linked to ongoing peace talks between Israel and Lebanon,” according to the official.

Washington’s focus is on building trust between the Lebanese and Israeli governments “so that we can create space for a peace deal, and so that any future understandings can be durable.”

“Both sides need to build political momentum,” the official added.

Netanyahu spoke on Wednesday of two central objectives in the talks with Lebanon: “First, the dismantling of Hezbollah; second, a sustainable peace… achieved through strength.”

AFP

The BBC is set to cut 2,000 jobs, British media reported Wednesday, citing sources.

The cuts will be the biggest round of redundancies at the broadcasting corporation in almost 15 years, ITV News and The Press Association news agency reported.

The BBC has not confirmed the planned job cuts, reportedly announced to staff Wednesday, and did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

AFP

A 13-year-old opened fire at a Turkish school on Wednesday, killing nine people and wounding 13, with students jumping from windows to escape the second school shooting in the country in as many days, officials said.

Wednesday’s attack unfolded in the Kahramanmaras province in the south of the country, where such mass shootings are usually rare.

“We regret to report nine deaths (…) and 13 wounded. Six of them are currently in intensive care, three of whom are in critical condition,” Interior Minister Mustafa Ciftci said in a statement, upping the previous toll of four dead and 20 wounded.

“A student came to school with guns that we believe belonged to his father in his backpack. He entered two classrooms and opened fire randomly, causing injuries and deaths,” Kahramanmaras province governor Mukerrem Unluer told reporters earlier in the day.

The attacker, an eighth‑grade student, was the son of a former police officer, Unluer said, adding that the suspect was carrying five guns and seven magazines. He died during the incident.

“We suspect he may have taken his father’s weapons,” the governor said.

“He shot himself. It is not yet clear whether this was suicide or happened amid the chaos,” he said.

Police detained the ex-student’s father, Ugur Mersinli, the official Anadolu news agency reported.

Footage released by IHA private news agency showed a person, body and face covered, being evacuated in an ambulance, as well as tearful parents who had rushed to the school in the southern province’s main city, Kahramanmaras.

Another video, taken by a resident of a nearby building, verified by AFP, shows students jumping from a first-floor window of the school to escape the gunfire, while dozens of others flee through the courtyard.

About 15 gunshots can be heard in the one-and-a-half-minute video.

Police increased security around the building, and television footage showed ambulances in the area.

The incident prompted the interior and education ministers to travel to the city.

Justice Minister Akin Gurlek said prosecutors had launched an immediate investigation into the shooting.

Vulnerability’-

The shooting came a day after an ex-student opened fire with a shotgun at his former high school in Siverek district of Sanliurfa province, also in the centre of the country.

The gunman wounded 16 people before killing himself in a showdown with police. Ten students were among the casualties.

Speaking to the ruling AKP party in parliament, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan promised that those found to have been negligent or at fault “will certainly be held accountable” over the school shootings.

Police detained one suspect after Tuesday’s attack and suspended four officials from duty, Erdogan said. The school was ordered closed for four days.

Main opposition CHP leader Ozgur Ozel called for broader security measures.

“At this point, it is clearly evident that violence in schools can no longer be explained by isolated incidents,” he wrote on X.

This issue has turned into a growing and deepening security vulnerability,” he said.

Measures such as ensuring full control at school entrances and exits, increasing the number of security personnel, strengthening camera systems, intensifying police patrols around schools, and keeping emergency crisis plans ready are now essential, he added.

“The security of schools is entrusted to our state. No negligence or deficiency in this regard can be excused anymore,” Ozel said.

School shootings in Turkey had been rare until this week. In May 2024, a former student killed a private high school principal in Istanbul with a firearm five months after he was expelled.

Turkey has strict gun laws that require licensing, registration, mental and criminal background checks, and severe penalties for illegal possession.

AFP

United States President Donald Trump said Wednesday that China has agreed not to send weapons to its close partner Iran and that he has received personal assurances from leader Xi Jinping.

“They have agreed not to send weapons to Iran. President Xi will give me a big, fat, hug when I get there in a few weeks,” Trump wrote on Truth Social, referring to his planned May 14-15 summit with Xi in Beijing.

Trump told Fox Business host Maria Bartiromo in a separate interview aired Wednesday that Xi had “essentially” promised not to deliver weapons.

“I had heard that China’s giving weapons to, I mean — you’re seeing it all over the place — to Iran,” Trump said.

“And I wrote him a letter asking him not to do that, and he wrote me a letter saying that essentially he’s not doing that.”

The conflict in the Middle East has added tension to the already complicated relationship between the world’s top economic powers.

The Trump-Xi summit had originally been scheduled for March but was delayed due to Trump’s decision to launch the war.

China accused the United States on Tuesday of “dangerous and irresponsible” behavior over its blockade of Iranian ports in the Strait of Hormuz, with Xi vowing Beijing would play a “constructive role” in promoting peace in the Middle East.

In his Truth Social post, Trump insisted that “China is very happy that I am permanently opening the Strait of Hormuz. I am doing it for them, also – And the World.”

China is Iran’s biggest trading partner and a major client for the country’s oil.

Trump was asked in the Fox interview about reports that China had recently conducted a major cyber attack against the FBI. He did not directly confirm the report, but said: “We do it to them. They do it to us.”

“China’s China,” he said. “They’re never easy, but we’re doing great with China.”

Trump said he was “the toughest person” on China.

AFP

A United States-based humanitarian worker, Alex Barbir, has denied allegations that his activities and public statements have contributed to violence in parts of Nigeria, insisting that his mission is centred on protecting vulnerable communities and supporting reconstruction efforts.

Barbir spoke during an interview on TVC News on Tuesday, where he addressed concerns over his influence in Plateau and Benue states, as well as claims linking his presence to rising tensions in conflict-affected areas.

Responding to accusations that his rhetoric may have incited attacks, he rejected the claims, stating, “I have never once called for anybody to be murdered. I have called for people to be protected.”

He maintained that his advocacy has consistently focused on urging authorities to improve security while supporting the right of individuals to defend themselves when faced with imminent threats.

Barbir also dismissed reports connecting his recent visit to Plateau State with a reprisal attack that reportedly left two people dead, clarifying that the incident occurred before his arrival.

“They had killed two people before I arrived. So it’s a false narrative to say my presence caused that,” he said.

He described the violence in the region as longstanding, noting that cycles of attacks and reprisals predate his involvement.

While acknowledging criticism of his position, Barbir defended his stance on self-protection in areas plagued by insecurity.

“If the government is failing to protect you, you should protect yourselves from people who would take your life. There’s nothing wrong with that,” he stated.

Barbir emphasised that violence in Nigeria affects both Christians and Muslims, stressing that his advocacy is not targeted at or against any particular group.

He also rejected allegations that he is promoting foreign or political interests, challenging critics to provide evidence.

According to him, his work is funded through charitable donations, churches and humanitarian organisations.

Despite the controversy, Barbir said he plans to return to Nigeria to continue reconstruction projects in Benue State and Plateau State, maintaining that his efforts are rooted in peacebuilding and community support.

Born on August 17, 1997, in Lawrenceville, Georgia, Barbir said his upbringing was shaped by discipline and sports, influences he believes guide his humanitarian work.

His activities in Nigeria are linked to initiatives such as Building Zion and Equipping the Persecuted, led by filmmaker Judd Saul. Through these platforms, he has been involved in rebuilding homes, schools and places of worship in communities affected by violence, particularly in Benue State

An ex-student opened fire at his former high school on Tuesday in Turkey, where school shootings are rare, wounding 16 people, including students, before killing himself, officials said.

Special security forces were deployed to the school in southeastern Turkey’s Sanliurfa province, where students were evacuated, the local governor, Hasan Sildak, told reporters.

Television footage showed ambulances standing by outside the school in the Siverek district as students fled the building in panic.

Sildak identified the attacker as a former student at the school, born in 2007.

“He took his own life when cornered by police,” the governor said.

“We have evacuated the school and will carry out a thorough investigation into this tragic incident,” he added.

Local media reported that most of the wounded were students.

AFP

Baghdad’s oil ministry said Tuesday it has “understandings” with the United States and Iran to reduce the impact of the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz on Iraqi oil exports.

The ministry did not elaborate or say when these reported understandings were reached.

But Iran announced earlier this month — before the fragile ceasefire was reached last Wednesday with the United States — that it would allow Iraqi shipping to transit the key waterway.

Iraqi oil ministry spokesperson Saheb Bazoun told the Iraqi News Agency (INA) “there are understandings with the American and Iranian sides to circumvent the blockade imposed on the Strait of Hormuz, and with all parties to guarantee exports”.

A founding member of the OPEC oil cartel, Iraq normally exports the majority of its crude through the strait, but like other exporters in the oil-rich region, it has been left scrambling for alternative routes.

Bazoun told INA that Iraq was continuing to use secondary export routes, including a pipeline to the Turkish port of Ceyhan and via Syria’s Baniyas port.

Authorities announced earlier this month Iraq has begun exporting crude using tanker trucks through Syria, after resuming oil exports of 250,000 barrels per day through Ceyhan.

The Middle East war has wrought havoc on energy markets, especially after Iran tightened the screws on the Strait of Hormuz — through which roughly a fifth of global oil and gas passes — sharply slowing maritime traffic, and reportedly charging transit fees.

Despite the two-week ceasefire between the United States and Iran, and after a failed attempt to reach an agreement, Washington imposed a blockade on Iranian ports in the Strait of Hormuz, sending tremors through global energy markets.

Oil exports account for some 90 percent of Iraq’s budget revenues, which plummeted more than 70 percent in March compared with February.

AFP

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Tuesday that a pipeline carrying Russian oil through Ukraine to Hungary and Slovakia and damaged in Moscow’s strikes would reopen by the end of April.

“As for the oil pipeline, as we promised, it will be repaired by the end of April — not completely, but enough for it to function,” Zelensky told reporters in Berlin, adding he was ready to meet with Hungary’s prime minister-elect, Peter Magyar

The status of the pipeline had been a major source of tension between Zelensky — who wants all EU countries to stop buying Russian energy — and Hungary’s Viktor Orban, who had heavily criticised the Ukrainian leader throughout the election campaign.

AFP

“We delivered the heaviest blow in that regime’s history. It stands weaker than ever before,” Netanyahu said in remarks at a state ceremony held in the Yad Vashem Holocaust memorial centre in Jerusalem and broadcast on Monday.

Israel has been engaged in a multi-front conflict since October 7, 2023, when Iran-backed Palestinian militant group Hamas attacked the country, triggering a deadly war in Gaza that ultimately drew in other allies of Tehran.

“For two-and-a-half years, we have been systematically crushing the Iranian axis of evil” in Gaza, Lebanon, Syria, Yemen and the occupied West Bank, Netanyahu said.

“Had we not acted, names like Natanz, Fordow, Isfahan and Parchin might have become synonymous with horror — like Auschwitz, Treblinka, Majdanek and Sobibor,” he added, comparing Iranian nuclear sites to Nazi-era extermination camps.

Israel has been engaged in a multi-front conflict since October 7, 2023, when Iran-backed Palestinian militant group Hamas attacked the country, triggering a deadly war in Gaza that ultimately drew in other allies of Tehran

“For two-and-a-half years, we have been systematically crushing the Iranian axis of evil” in Gaza, Lebanon, Syria, Yemen and the occupied West Bank, Netanyahu said.

“Had we not acted, names like Natanz, Fordow, Isfahan and Parchin might have become synonymous with horror — like Auschwitz, Treblinka, Majdanek and Sobibor,” he added, comparing Iranian nuclear sites to Nazi-era extermination camps

Israel will observe its annual Holocaust Remembrance Day from Monday evening until Tuesday evening, with memorials in honour of the six million Jews murdered by the Nazis during World War II.

The observance, held each year in April or May according to the Hebrew calendar, is separate from International Holocaust Remembrance Day on January 27.

This year’s commemoration comes in the midst of a two-week ceasefire with Iran in a regional war that began on February 28 with joint US-Israeli attacks on Iran.

Despite the ceasefire, Israel continues to engage in fighting with Hezbollah militants in southern Lebanon.

AFP

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has publicly condemned U.S. President Donald Trump’s recent criticism of Pope Leo XIV, describing the remarks as an insult to the pontiff and a desecration of Jesus Christ.

Trump said on Sunday that he is “not a big fan” of Leo XIV, saying he is “weak on crime” and “terrible for foreign policy.”

He made the comments in response to the 70-year-old American pope’s criticism of ongoing conflicts involving the U.S., Israel, and Iran.

Trump argued that the pontiff had unfairly criticised his administration while overlooking actions taken against religious gatherings during the COVID-19 pandemic.

He’s a very liberal person, and he’s a man that doesn’t believe in stopping crime,” the U.S. president said.

He added that he does not “want a Pope who thinks it’s OK for Iran to have a nuclear weapon,” and said, “If I wasn’t in the White House, Leo wouldn’t be in the Vatican.”

The remarks sparked global outrage.

Reacting in a post on X on Monday, Pezeshkian wrote, “His Holiness Pope Leo XIV (@Pontifex), I condemn the insult to Your Excellency on behalf of the great nation of Iran, and declare that the desecration of Jesus, the prophet of peace and brotherhood, is not acceptable to any free person. I wish you glory by Allah.”

US under Trump’s directive and in collaboration with Israel, launched missile strikes on Iran in February under Operation Epic Fury, sparking retaliation from Iran, which struck some nations in the Gulf.

A reconciliation meeting was held in Islamabad, Pakistan, over the weekend but ended in deadlock.

A Norwegian man has been effectively cured of HIV after receiving a stem cell transplant from his brother, doctors announced on Monday.

The patient’s brother happened to carry a rare, virus-blocking genetic mutation.

The 63-year-old man, dubbed the “Oslo patient”, is the latest in around 10 people worldwide who have gone into long-term remission from HIV after receiving a transplant to treat unrelated blood cancer.

The high-risk procedure normally requires a donor to have a specific mutation of their CCR5 gene, which blocks HIV from entering the body’s cells.

Only around one per cent of people in northern Europe have the necessary mutation.

The Oslo patient, who had been living with HIV since 2006, was diagnosed with a fatal blood cancer called myelodysplastic syndrome in 2017.

His doctors searched for a donor who would help treat both. When they couldn’t find one, they chose the man’s elder brother.

However, on the day of the transplant in 2020, the doctors were stunned to discover that the brother carried the CCR5 mutation.

“We had no idea… That was amazing,” doctor Anders Eivind Myhre of the Oslo University Hospital told AFP.

– ‘Winning the lottery twice’ –

The patient said, “it was like winning the lottery twice”, added Myhre, who was also the lead author of a study describing the case in Nature Microbiology.

Two years after the transplant, the patient stopped taking the anti-retroviral drugs, which had been reducing the level of HIV in his body.

The researchers found no trace of the virus in samples of the man’s blood, gut and bone marrow.

“For all practical purposes, we are quite certain that he is cured,” Myhre said.

Now the Oslo patient, whose name was not revealed, is “having a great time” and has more energy than he knows what to do with, Myhre said.

The painful and potentially dangerous transplant procedure is for people who have both HIV and deadly blood cancer, so it is not a feasible option for the millions of people living with the virus across the world.

However, researchers believe that studying these rare cases will reveal more about how HIV works in the hope of finding a cure for all patients.

– ‘No longer a patient’ –

The Oslo patient is the first person to receive a transplant from a family member.

The patient’s immune system had been “completely replaced” by the donor’s, said study co-author Marius Troseid of the University of Oslo.

It was the first time this had been observed in a cured patient’s bone marrow and gut, he told AFP.

Even before the researchers found out the brother had a CCR5 mutation, they had some hope that the Oslo patient’s HIV could be cured.

That is because in 2024, it was revealed that the so-called “next Berlin patient” entered long-term remission despite receiving a transplant that did not have two copies of the mutated gene.

The original Berlin patient, Timothy Ray Brown, was the first person declared cured of HIV back in 2008. Patients in London, New York, Geneva, Düsseldorf, and elsewhere followed.

Given the Oslo patient’s robust health, Troseid suggested that his nickname was no longer suitable.

“The Oslo patient is perhaps no longer a patient. At least he doesn’t feel like it,” Troseid said.

AFP

The U.S. Department of State says visa rules, categories, and requirements are subject to regular updates and should be verified through its official website, travel.state.gov, which provides comprehensive guidance for both immigrant and non-immigrant visa applicants.

The portal contains details on application steps, required documentation, interview procedures, processing timelines, and country-specific eligibility requirements.

According to a post on its X handle on Monday, the mission was quoted as saying, “Make sure you are getting official information about U.S. visa policies. Please always check official sites for travel guidance. Visit http://travel.state.gov
to learn more. Please always check official sites for travel guidance.”

Officials say relying on unofficial sources can lead to misinformation, delays, or errors in the application process.

The notice also emphasised that visa policies may change due to administrative updates, security considerations, or diplomatic factors, making it important for applicants to regularly check official updates.

Applicants are also advised to confirm requirements with their nearest U.S. Embassy or Consulate before submitting applications or planning travel.

The advisory aims to improve compliance, reduce errors, and ensure travelers follow the correct procedures when applying for U.S. visas.

The United Kingdom is considering introducing a ban on social media use for children under the age of 16 as part of wider efforts to address concerns about excessive screen time and online safety.

As reported by Economic Times on Monday, the proposal, discussed by Prime Minister Keir Starmer, forms part of ongoing consultations on how to regulate children’s access to platforms such as Instagram and TikTok.

Starmer said the government is also reviewing measures including app curfews, time limits, and restrictions on algorithm-driven feeds, which he described as contributing to “addictive scrolling” behaviour among young users.

“We’re consulting on whether there should be a ban for under 16s. But equally important, the addictive scrolling mechanisms are really problematic and they need to go,” Starmer said.

The government says the aim is to better understand how social media use affects children’s sleep patterns, education, and family life, while also addressing growing concerns from parents about online habits

Technology Secretary Liz Kendall said the consultation on children’s online safety has already received tens of thousands of responses, with submissions still open for public input.

“We want to hear from parents, teenagers, and families about their experiences and views on curfews, AI chatbots, and addictive features,” Kendall said.

The debate comes as several countries move to tighten rules on children’s social media access. Australia has already implemented a ban for users under 16, while other nations such as Greece and Indonesia have introduced similar restrictions.

The UK government says no final decision has been made, but the consultation process will help shape future policy on how social media platforms operate for younger users and whether stricter age-based limits should be introduced.

The government of Singapore has announced plans to admit up to 40,000 permanent residents annually over the next five years as it adjusts its population strategy to address slowing growth and long-term workforce needs.

The announcement was made by Gan Kim Yong during the Budget 2026 Committee of Supply debate in Parliament, according to reports cited by PUNCH Online on Monday.

He said, “We estimate an intake of about 40,000 PRs annually in the next five years, slightly higher than the 35,000 PRs we granted last year.”

He added that immigration policy will continue to be carefully calibrated based on demographic conditions.

He further said, “We will also have to adjust our PR intake, as permanent residence is the pathway to work towards citizenship,” adding that intake levels will vary yearly based on applicant suitability, demographic needs, and infrastructure capacity.

The government’s approach reflects a balancing act for Singapore as it seeks to sustain economic growth while managing a rapidly ageing population and persistently low birth rates.

A review of the population strategy is expected by 2030, as policymakers assess longer-term demographic and labour market conditions.

“I’m not a big fan of Pope Leo. He’s a very liberal person, and he’s a man that doesn’t believe in stopping crime,” Trump told reporters at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland.

He accused the pontiff of “toying with a country that wants a nuclear weapon.”

On Saturday, the 70-year-old American pope publicly implored leaders to end the violence, telling worshippers at St. Peter’s Basilica: “Enough of the idolatry of self and money! Enough of the display of power! Enough of war!”

Trump reiterated his comments to reporters with a post on Truth Social saying: “I don’t want a Pope who think it’s OK for Iran to have a Nuclear Weapon.”

Washington and the Vatican have recently denied reports of a rift.

On Friday, a Vatican official denied reports that a top Pentagon official gave the church’s envoy to the United States a “bitter lecture” over Pope Leo’s criticisms of the Trump administration.

The story in the Free Press — which the Pentagon had already dismissed as “distorted” — reported that Cardinal Christophe Pierre was summoned in January to the Pentagon, where he was given a dressing-down by US Under Secretary of Defence for Policy Elbridge Colby.

The military official reportedly told the cardinal that the United States “has the military power to do whatever it wants — and that the Church had better take its side.”

Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni said in a statement, “The account presented by certain media outlets regarding this meeting does not correspond to the truth in any way.”

While both parties insist the meeting was cordial, the Holy See and the White House have openly been at odds over the Trump administration’s hardline mass deportation campaign — which the pope called “inhuman” — and the use of military force in the Middle East and Venezuela.

When Trump made genocidal threats against Iran on Tuesday, saying “A whole civilisation will die tonight, never to be brought back again” — the pontiff slammed the “truly unacceptable” statement and urged parties to “come back to the table” for negotiations.

Earlier this month, Pope Leo hailed the news of a ceasefire between the United States and Iran as a “sign of real hope.”

But peace talks between the United States and Iran, held in the Pakistani capital Islamabad, ended abruptly Saturday with US Vice President JD Vance telling reporters after a marathon session of talks that Washington has delivered its “final and best offer.”

AFP

President Donald Trump on Sunday threatened China with “staggering” new tariffs on its goods entering the United States if Beijing provides military assistance to Iran during the Middle East war.

“If we catch them doing that, they get a 50 percent tariff, which is a staggering — that’s a staggering amount,” Trump told Fox News show “Sunday Morning Futures with Maria Bartiromo.”

The US leader is scheduled to visit Beijing next month for talks with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping, after delaying an earlier summit because of the war against Iran.

President Donald Trump on Sunday ordered a US naval blockade of the Strait of Hormuz in response to Iran’s “unyielding” refusal to give up its nuclear ambitions during peace talks in Islamabad.

While acknowledging that the marathon negotiations in Pakistan had gone “well” and “most points were agreed to,” Trump said Tehran had refused to concede on the issue of its nuclear program.

Effective immediately, the United States Navy, the Finest in the World, will begin the process of BLOCKADING any and all Ships trying to enter, or leave, the Strait of Hormuz,” Trump said on his Truth Social platform.

Any Iranian who fires at us, or at peaceful vessels, will be BLOWN TO HELL!”

US Vice President JD Vance left Pakistan without a deal after weekend talks with a team led by Iran’s parliamentary speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf — the highest-level meeting between the two sides since the 1979 Islamic revolution.

Tehran’s delegation also included Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi.

“We leave here with a very simple proposal, a method of understanding that is our final and best offer. We’ll see if the Iranians accept it,” Vance told reporters.

In two lengthy posts on Truth Social, Trump slammed Iran for promising to open the Strait of Hormuz, a strategic waterway through which a fifth of the world’s crude oil passes, and “knowingly” failing to deliver.

“They say they put mines in the water, even though all of their Navy, and most of their ‘mine droppers,’ have been completely blown up. They may have done so, but what ship owner would want to take the chance?” Trump said.

Iran had effectively blocked the Strait of Hormuz for weeks, since the United States and Israel launched a bombing campaign against the Islamic republic more than six weeks ago.

On Saturday, the US military announced that two US warships had transited the strait at the start of a mine clearance operation.

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Sunday called his Iranian counterpart Masoud Pezeshkian, offering support to help resolve the escalating Middle East crisis following the collapse of talks between Iran and the United States.

“Vladimir Putin emphasised his readiness to further facilitate the search for a political and diplomatic settlement to the conflict, and to mediate efforts to achieve a just and lasting peace in the Middle East,” the Kremlin said in its readout of the call, according to AFP.

The development came as the entire US negotiating team withdrew from failed discussions in Islamabad, with no officials remaining in the Pakistani capital to continue back-channel efforts, a US official confirmed.

Officials said the delegation, including chief negotiators Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, departed after marathon talks yielded no meaningful progress on the conflict involving Iran.

During a stopover at Ramstein Air Base in Germany, a US official travelling with Vice President JD Vance said no members of the team stayed behind, despite earlier speculation that further negotiations might continue.

Iran’s parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said Washington failed to build trust during the discussions.

“My colleagues in the Iranian delegation put forward constructive initiatives, but the other side was unable to gain the trust of the Iranian delegation,” he said in a post on X.

Saudi authorities executed seven people who had been convicted of drug trafficking in a single day, state media said Sunday.

The Saudi Press Agency said five Saudis and two Jordanians were found guilty of trafficking amphetamine pills into the kingdom.

“The death penalty was carried out as a discretionary punishment against the perpetrators,” the agency reported, adding that the executions took place on Sunday in the Riyadh region.

Since the beginning of 2026, Riyadh has executed 38 people in drug-related cases, the majority of the 61 executions carried out, according to an AFP tally based on official data.

Foreign nationals make up the majority of those executed this year, totalling 33 people.

In 2025, executions in the kingdom reached a record level for the second consecutive year, with authorities executing 356 people, including 243 in drug-related cases.

The number of executions in 2025 marked the highest in a single year since Amnesty International began documenting death penalty cases in the Gulf kingdom in 1990.

The previous record, 338, was recorded in 2024.

Saudi Arabia resumed executions for drug offences at the end of 2022, after suspending the use of the death penalty in narcotics cases for around three years.

The Arab world’s largest economy is also one of the biggest markets for captagon, an illicit stimulant that was Syria’s largest export under deposed leader Bashar al-Assad, according to the United Nations.

The Gulf kingdom has faced sustained criticism over its use of the death penalty, which rights groups have condemned as excessive and in marked contrast to the country’s efforts to present a modern image to the world.

Activists say Riyadh’s continued embrace of capital punishment undermines the image of a more open, tolerant society that is central to de-facto leader Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s social and economic reform agenda.

AFP

The CEO of SpaceX and owner of X, Elon Musk, on Sunday criticised his birth country’s government, claiming that Starlink is being denied an operating licence on the basis that he is not Black.

In a series of posts on his X handle, the South Africa-born billionaire referenced ongoing regulatory hurdles tied to the country’s Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment policies.

He claimed the post-apartheid rules require telecommunications licensees to have at least 30 per cent ownership by historically disadvantaged groups, primarily Black South Africans, women, and people with disabilities.

He wrote, “South Africa won’t allow Starlink to be licensed, even though I was born there, simply because I am not black!

We were offered many times the opportunity to bribe our way to a license by pretending that a black guy runs Starlink SA, but I have refused to do so on principle.

“Racism should not be rewarded no matter to which race it is applied. Shame on the racist politicians in South Africa.

“They should be shown no respect whatsoever anywhere in the world and shunned for being unashamedly racists!”

The dispute centres on licensing requirements enforced by the Independent Communications Authority of South Africa.

Starlink has not formally received a licence and has argued that current telecom regulations do not fully recognise Equity Equivalent Investment Programmes, alternatives to direct ownership transfers that allow companies to invest in skills development, infrastructure, or community projects instead.

South African officials have, over the years, repeatedly dismissed claims of racism, citing other foreign investors operating in the country.

They argued that the company has not submitted a complete formal application compliant with existing rules.

“Sir, that’s not true and you know it! It’s got nothing to do with your skin colour. Starlink is welcome to operate in South Africa provided there’s compliance with local laws.

“This is a global international trade and investment principle. There are over 600 USA companies investing and operating in #SouthAfrica…all complying and thriving! @Microsoft just announced additional investments yesterday,” South Africa’s Head of Public Diplomacy, Clayson Monyela, said in March 2025, when Musk initially raised the allegation.

Replying again via X on Sunday, he posted a comical video of a kid watching what appears to be ice cream enviously and wrote, “@elonmusk watching the more than 600 USA companies investing more in South African, complying with #SouthAfrican laws and thriving. Zero drama!!.”

The United States Government has confirmed the enforcement of visa restrictions against individuals found to have violated religious freedom, warning that perpetrators of religious persecution will be barred from entering the country.

The United States Principal Advisor for Global Religious Freedom, Mark Walker, disclosed this in a post on X on Friday.

He recalled that in the last month of 2025, the United States Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, announced plans to restrict those found to have links to violations of religious freedom.

“In December, Secretary Rubio announced that the State Department will restrict US visas for those who have directed, authorised, funded, significantly supported, or carried out violations of religious freedom.

“We have already executed on this policy, and we will continue to subject perpetrators to additional scrutiny.

“If you engage in persecution, you are not welcome in America. The United States is safer when we keep those responsible for religious persecution from entering our homeland,” Walker said.

The policy is grounded in Section 212(a)(3)(C) of the Immigration and Nationality Act and allows the State Department to extend restrictions to the immediate family members of affected individuals where appropriate.

Walker also shared a link on X referencing a statement published by the United States Department of State outlining the policy.

“The United States is taking decisive action in response to the mass killings and violence against Christians by radical Islamic terrorists, Fulani ethnic militias, and other violent actors in Nigeria and beyond.

“A new policy under Section 212(a)(3)(C) of the Immigration and Nationality Act will allow the State Department to restrict visa issuance to individuals who have directed, authorised, significantly supported, participated in, or carried out violations of religious freedom and, where appropriate, their immediate family members,” the US State Department website posted.

It further wrote, “As President Trump made clear, the United States cannot stand by while such atrocities are happening in Nigeria, and numerous other countries.”

This policy will apply to Nigeria and any other governments or individuals engaged in violations of religious freedom.”

Walker’s post was in response to a statement on X by a US lobbying firm, Von Batten-Montague-York, L.C, which criticised the Nigerian government’s handling of insecurity.

The post read, “The United States will not stand by while innocent Nigerians, Christians and Muslims alike, are slaughtered by terrorists as the current Nigerian government remains idle. That same government now appears to be attempting to circumvent the electoral will of the Nigerian people. It has, through its inaction, demonstrated complicity.

“Under the leadership of President DonaldTrump, those responsible for the murder of Nigerians will be held accountable. Likewise, any officials within the current government who enable such violence, or who seek to undermine the integrity of Nigeria’s presidential election, will also be held to account.”

Earlier, Nigeria had been named by the US government among countries of concern, with Marco Rubio stating that the restrictions could be applied to “Nigeria and any other governments or individuals engaged in violations of religious freedom.”

Meanwhile, on Thursday, the United States Mission in Nigeria shut down visa appointment services at its embassy in Abuja following the authorisation for non-emergency personnel and their families to leave Nigeria over worsening security concerns.

In a notice posted on X on Thursday, April 9, 2026, the mission stated: “U.S. Embassy Abuja is closed for visa appointments. Applicants should check their email for details on rescheduled appointments.

“Visa operations at the U.S. Consulate General Lagos continue. American citizen services are available in emergencies and by appointment.”

The development came barely 24 hours after the US government authorised the departure of non-essential staff from its Abuja embassy, citing what it described as a deteriorating security situation across Nigeria.

The authorisation, granted on Wednesday, was contained in an updated travel advisory issued on April 8, 2026, which maintained Nigeria at Level 3, urging American citizens to reconsider travel to the country due to escalating insecurity driven by terrorism, kidnapping, violent crime, and civil unrest.

The luxury San Francisco home of OpenAI boss Sam Altman was hit by a Molotov cocktail on Friday, the company said, as police announced the arrest of a suspect.

No one was injured in the incident, and the firm behind the popular ChatGPT artificial intelligence chatbot would not confirm if the CEO was home at the time.

The motive for the attack and subsequent threats to set fire to OpenAI’s San Francisco headquarters — apparently by the same 20-year-old man — were not immediately known.

But they come as Altman’s profile has risen with the increasing use of AI, amid fears it could massively disrupt employment patterns and cause irreversible societal changes.

Police in San Francisco responded after reports that someone had tried to set fire to a gate at the sprawling home.

A statement from the San Francisco Police Department said officers were dispatched to the home just after 4:00 am (1100 GMT).

“At the scene, officers learned that an unknown male subject threw an incendiary device at a home, causing a fire to an exterior gate. The suspect then fled on foot,” SFPD said.

A short time later, they were called to the firm’s offices, where a man was making threats.

“When officers arrived on scene, they recognised the male to be the same suspect from the earlier incident and immediately detained him,” the statement said of the unnamed 20-year-old suspect.

A spokesman for OpenAI confirmed the attack on the chief executive’s residence and the threats to the San Francisco headquarters.

“The individual is in custody, and we’re assisting law enforcement with their investigation,” the spokesman told AFP.

– AI for war –

Altman and OpenAI have become targets for people protesting AI as a threat to society.

Detractors have been particularly troubled by OpenAI’s decision to provide its technology to the US Department of Defence

n a rare post on his personal blog, Altman shared a photo of his husband and their baby “in the hopes that it might dissuade the next person from throwing a Molotov cocktail at our house.”

The OpenAI chief defended his convictions and called for a de-escalation of the rhetoric surrounding.

“I empathise with anti-technology sentiments and clearly technology isn’t always good for everyone,” Altman wrote.

“But overall, I believe technological progress can make the future unbelievably good, for your family and mine.”

OpenAI last month said it was valued at $852 billion after a funding round that raised $122 billion.

The figure reflects the surging costs of computing power and came amid lingering questions about whether OpenAI and rival companies can generate sufficient revenue to cover expenses.

ChatGPT claims the top position in consumer AI, with more than 900 million weekly active users and some 50 million subscribers.

Use of ChatGPT’s online search engine has tripled over the course of a year, according to OpenAI.

AFP

Nigerian and other international students in Canada will no longer need a separate co-op work permit for internships, co-ops, and practicums under a new rule that took effect on April 1, 2026.

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) said a valid study permit is now enough for work placements that are part of a student’s course, as long as they make up 50% or less of the program. Secondary school students still need a co-op work permit

Students who already applied for a co-op work permit can withdraw their applications, and IRCC may also cancel some of them since the permit is no longer required.

The change is the first step in wider immigration reforms being reviewed by the government. Other proposals include allowing students and graduates to work while waiting for study permit extensions or Post-Graduation Work Permit (PGWP) decisions, and removing study permit rules for some foreign apprentices. These ideas are still under consultation.

IRCC said the goal is to reduce paperwork and make the system easier by removing the need for multiple permits for one study program. It also hopes to reduce delays and confusion when students move between study and work status.

If fully approved, the reforms could make it easier for international students to work during and after their studies, and reduce gaps when permits expire. However, no timeline has been set for the remaining changes.

The government has already introduced other updates in its immigration plan, including fee increases for permanent residence, citizenship, and other services.

At the same time, Canada is seeing fewer international students and foreign workers. New arrivals dropped sharply in 2026 compared to the previous year, continuing a broader downward trend.

The federal government says it plans to further reduce temporary migration levels in the coming years as part of its immigration strategy.

Russia on Friday added Stanford to its “undesirable organisations” blacklist, essentially outlawing any study in the prestigious US university for Russians.

Being declared “undesirable” effectively bans entities from operating in Russia and makes anyone who cooperates with them liable to prosecution.

The list also includes more than 300 rights groups, nonprofits, academic institutions and independent media outlets.

Among its most prominent entries are the US universities Yale and Berkeley, as well as the rights group Human Rights Watch and the anti-corruption NGO Transparency International.

Under a controversial law passed in 2015 — but rarely used before the war on Ukraine — Russia can ban overseas organisations deemed a threat to national security.

Since sending troops to Ukraine in 2022, the Kremlin has not only suppressed opposition to the war but has also carried out a wider crackdown on dissent on a scale unseen since Soviet times.

Stanford University has produced 36 Nobel Prize winners since it was founded in 1885.

AFP

Spanish police announced Friday the arrest of a man suspected of defrauding young South Americans by promising them access to major football clubs in Spain in exchange for up to 3,000 euros ($3,500), only for many to end up abandoned and on the street.

At least six alleged victims reported the suspect, arrested in Madrid, “as the presumed perpetrator of the crimes of facilitating illegal immigration, document forgery and fraud,” Spain’s national police said in a statement.

The man allegedly offered the young players the chance to travel to Spain, obtain the necessary legal documents and sign for some of the country’s most prestigious football clubs’ youth academies.

He asked the victims, most of whom had very limited financial means, for sums that could reach up to 3,000 euros to supposedly help pay for the paperwork.

Once in Spain, however, the young men were given access to trials with lower-division teams and, as they were unable to obtain the required federation licenses, many were left without funds and neglected.

Some of them, according to the police, ended up spending nights on the street or taking out loans.

The suspect contacted the young men in their home countries after learning, through their sporting circles, of their aspirations to become professional footballers.

He then assured them that he had contacts in prominent Spanish clubs through whom he could facilitate their entry to the country and the processing of their documents.

To prove it, he presented the players with a series of “invitation commitments” supposedly issued by the clubs, guaranteeing their incorporation into the first team for three months.

However these documents turned out to be falsified, as police confirmed after checking with the clubs.

The detainee also coached the young men on what they had to say at border controls. 

During the investigation, officers also became aware of players being recruited through the same scheme to be taken to other European countries such as Italy.

US First Lady Melania Trump made a surprise statement on Thursday denying any knowledge of Jeffrey Epstein’s abuse, or that she herself was a victim of the convicted sex offender.

The 55-year-old’s rare on-camera remarks at the White House came out of the blue, in an extraordinary intervention in a scandal that has long haunted her husband President Donald Trump.

The lies linking me with the disgraceful Jeffrey Epstein need to end today,” she said. “The individuals lying about me are devoid of ethical standards, humility and respect.”

It was not clear why the Slovenian-born former model decided to give the public statement, and she did not detail any specific allegations about her and the late, convicted sex offender.

Melania and Donald Trump had previously been photographed with Epstein, but she said that she had met her husband independently two years prior to meeting Epstein.

I am not Epstein’s victim. Epstein did not introduce me to Donald Trump,” Melania Trump said.

She said “fake images and statements about Epstein and me” had been circulating on social media “for years now. Be cautious about what you believe: these images and stories are completely false.”

The first lady also urged Congress to hold a public hearing for survivors of Epstein’s abuse to “give these victims their opportunity to testify under oath.”

But some Epstein survivors and their families, including the brother of Epstein’s main accuser Virginia Giuffre, called the speech a “deflection of responsibility.”

First Lady Melania Trump is now shifting the burden onto survivors under political conditions that protect those with power” including “the Trump Administration, which has still not fully complied with the Epstein Files Transparency Act,” according to a joint statement posted on social media.

Two of Epstein’s accusers, sisters Maria and Annie Farmer told US media in a separate statement: “We can’t speak for other survivors, but what we want is accountability, transparency and justice.”

The sisters called for the release of “the remaining records held by the Department of Justice — including my complete FBI records from 1996.”

Epstein died in federal custody in 2019 while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges involving minors, but the scandal has repeatedly overshadowed Trump’s second presidency.

– ‘Epstein’s abuse’ –

The US Justice Department has over the past year released huge tranches of files related to Epstein. Trump, 79, has also denied any link to Epstein’s crimes.

One widely-seen picture in the files showed Donald and Melania Trump at their Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida along with Epstein and his accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell.

I have never had any knowledge of Epstein’s abuse of his victims. I was never involved in any capacity. I was not a participant. Was never on Epstein’s plane, and never visited his private island,” Melania Trump said.

“I have never been legally accused or convicted of a crime in connection with Epstein sex trafficking, abuse of minors and other repulsive behavior.”

Democrat Suhas Subramanyam, who sits on the congressional committee probing Epstein, called on Melania Trump to “testify under oath.”

Speculation ran riot on social media about why the US first lady had decided to put the Epstein scandal back in the headlines after weeks of relative quiet.

It comes just two days after her husband announced a ceasefire in the US-Israeli war on Iran, which critics say has left the crucial Strait of Hormuz still largely shuttered by Tehran.

Melania Trump has long been an elusive and often mysterious presence at the White House, who only rarely gives public remarks of the kind she delivered on Thursday.

Donald Trump told MS Now that he didn’t “know anything about” the statement ahead of time.

The last time the first lady was seen with her husband was at an Easter Egg Roll with hundreds of children on Monday.

Pope Leo XIV embarks Monday on an 11-day visit to Algeria, Cameroon, Angola and Equatorial Guinea for his first major international trip since becoming pontiff last year.

From dialogue with Islam to peace efforts, inequality and human rights, the US-born pontiff will address a myriad of issues as he covers more than 18,000 kilometres (11,000 miles) across the African continent.

Leo, who took over as head of the world’s 1.4 billion Catholics in May, will make 11 speeches, preside over seven masses and visit a dozen locations during the trip, which lasts until April 23.

The 70-year-old’s words and actions, always closely watched, will have even deeper resonance at a time of deep global uncertainty caused by the Middle East war and resulting energy shock.

It will be Leo’s third trip outside Italy, after Turkey and Lebanon last year, and Monaco in March.

Algeria (13-15 April)

Leo will be the first pope to go to the North African country of Algeria, where Islam is the state religion.

He will visit the Great Mosque of Algiers and meet with President Abdelmadjid Tebboune. He will also meet members of the Augustinian order to which the pontiff belongs, in Annaba, the one-time home of Saint Augustine.

The pope is “a brother who comes to visit his brothers”, Cardinal Jean-Paul Vesco, the archbishop of Algiers, told AFP ahead of the visit.

Leo will pray privately in a chapel dedicated to 19 priests and nuns murdered during Algeria’s 1992-2002 civil war.

Ahead of the visit, three international NGOs called on the pope to raise concerns about the treatment of religious minorities with Algeria’s authorities.

Cameroon (15-18 April) – Call to peace

A call to peace and reconciliation is expected to dominate the pope’s visit to majority-Christian Cameroon in central Africa, where the English-speaking northwest has been torn apart by nearly a decade of conflict.

The Catholic Church has played a mediating role in the conflict and the centrepiece of Leo’s visit will be a speech and mass in Bamenda, the epicentre of the violence, to be held under heavy security.

Leo will visit some of the Church’s vast network of hospitals, schools and charitable organisations in Cameroon, where about 37 percent of the 30 million inhabitants are Catholic.

And he will meet with President Paul Biya, 93, one of the world’s longest-serving heads of state who has at times faced criticism from senior Cameroonian clergy over his hold on power.

Angola (18-21 April)
The visit to Angola, a former Portuguese colony in southern Africa, will be a chance for Leo to expound on social themes dear to his heart.

The country is rich in oil and minerals but plagued by poverty, and still scarred by a long civil war that ended in 2002.

Leo is expected to emphasise the need for a more equitable distribution of the wealth from natural resources, as well as the fight against corruption.

His presence is eagerly awaited by Angolan Catholics, who make up around 44 percent of the population, but some are less enthusiastic.

“At the societal level, it represents nothing, because millions of dollars will be taken from the state treasury to prepare, without bringing any benefits to our country,” teacher Rosa Kanga, 42, told AFP.

Leo will visit the capital, Luanda — where affluent neighbourhoods contrast with vast slums — but also venture outside. He will go to a centuries-old church on a former slave-trafficking route in the village of Muxima, one of the holiest sites in southern Africa.

Equatorial Guinea (21-23 April) – Balancing act

Leo’s visit to Equatorial Guinea, which has been under iron-fisted rule by President Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo since 1979, will require a delicate balancing act.

Some 80 per cent of the two million inhabitants are Catholic, but Jean-Paul II is the only pope to have visited, almost half a century ago.

Leo will have to tread carefully between trying to support local Catholics and being seen as endorsing the authoritarian government. Many expect him to deliver a message on human rights and social justice.

In Malabo, recently downgraded as the country’s capital by presidential decree, giant photos of the pontiff were displayed across the city ahead of Leo’s arrival, with national television broadcast adverts about the trip on loop.

AFP

The truce reached on Tuesday showed signs of unravelling, with Israel bombarding Lebanon and Washington contradicting some of Iran’s demands to end the war ahead of planned talks.

“All U.S. Ships, Aircraft, and Military Personnel, with additional Ammunition, Weaponry, and anything else that is appropriate and necessary for the lethal prosecution and destruction of an already substantially degraded Enemy, will remain in place in, and around, Iran, until such time as the REAL AGREEMENT reached is fully complied with,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform.

While he said a deal falling through was “highly unlikely,” Trump threatened to revert to “bigger, and better, and stronger” strikes if an agreement was not reached.

In the meantime our great Military is Loading Up and Resting, looking forward, actually, to its next Conquest. AMERICA IS BACK!” Trump wrote.

Iran agreed to reopen the vital thoroughfare during the two-week truce, but said it would maintain “dominion” over it.

The Strait of Hormuz is a key chokepoint through which one-fifth of the world’s oil passes in peacetime.

In a Farsi-language release of demands circulated by Iranian state media, the Islamic Republic also insisted that Washington accept its uranium enrichment programme.

That was not included in Iran’s demands released via the UN, and Trump has said the matter of enrichment would be “taken care of” in any deal.

Ahead of planned negotiations in Pakistan, Trump said Iran will have “no nuclear weapons” and the “Strait of Hormuz WILL BE OPEN & SAFE.”

AFP

United States President Donald Trump on Wednesday warned against supplying weapons to Iran, threatening immediate 50 percent US tariffs on any country that does so.

“A Country supplying Military Weapons to Iran will be immediately tariffed, on any and all goods sold to the United States of America, 50%, effective immediately. There will be no exclusions or exemptions,” Trump said on his Truth Social platform

He also said in a separate post that his administration is “talking Tariff and Sanctions relief with Iran,” several hours after he announced a temporary ceasefire with Tehran, which had agreed to temporarily reopen the critical Strait of Hormuz.

AFP

The Israeli military said it carried out its “largest coordinated strike across Lebanon”.

Israel has insisted the two-week truce in its war with Iran does not apply to Lebanon.

Simultaneous strikes on the capital came without warning, prompting people on the streets to start running and motorists to honk their horns in an effort to clear the way, according to AFP journalists.

I saw the blast, it was very strong, and there were children killed, some with their hands cut off,” Yasser Abdallah, who works in an appliance store in central Beirut, told AFP.

One of the strikes hit Corniche al-Mazraa, one of the main roads in the capital

An AFP photographer saw widespread damage, buildings ablaze and destroyed cars

“A plane struck, and people started running left and right, and smoke was billowing” from the targeted building, said another witness, Ali Younes.

Israel also hit Beirut’s southern suburbs and southern Lebanon, where Hezbollah holds sway, after issuing evacuation warnings for these areas, in parallel with strikes on the east.

Ambulances were heard in the targeted areas.

AFP

The White House denied Tuesday that remarks by Vice President JD Vance about military operations in Iran had contained any suggestion of a US nuclear strike against the Islamic republic.

After Vance said US forces have tools they “so far haven’t decided to use” to enforce a dramatic ultimatum from President Donald Trump, the White House said on X: “Literally nothing @VP said here ‘implies’ this, you absolute buffoons.”

The post was in response to one from an account associated with former vice president Kamala Harris that said Vance implied Trump “might use nuclear weapons.”

AFP

President Donald Trump warned that “a whole civilisation will die” in Iran on Tuesday if the country does not heed his ultimatum to accept US war demands.

The wildly provocative statement — the latest in a recent torrent of strident language by Trump — prompted swift and severe criticism, with one of his former close allies calling for his removal from office.

Vice President JD Vance offered his own threatening assessment of what may follow, warning Tehran that US forces have tools they “so far haven’t decided to use” against the Islamic Republic.

Since February 28, the United States and its ally Israel have levelled Iranian military targets, killed the country’s top leadership and devastated parts of its infrastructure.

Early Tuesday, Trump issued one of his most glaring threats of war.

“A whole civilisation will die tonight, never to be brought back again. I don’t want that to happen, but it probably will,” he wrote on his Truth Social platform.

Trump did not give details, but he has already said the US military could bomb Iran’s bridges, power plants and other civilian infrastructure into the “stone age.”

Trump has announced a deadline of midnight GMT Tuesday for Iran to end its de facto closing of the Strait of Hormuz, a narrow, strategic waterway used to transport oil and other commodities.

On Monday, he said a temporary ceasefire proposal being circulated was insufficient.

Iran has rejected US pressure, with state media reporting that authorities are insisting that instead of a ceasefire, it wants a full end to the war.

– ‘Sick beyond measure’ –

On Truth Social, Trump left the door open for a last-hour agreement.

“Now that we have Complete and Total Regime Change, where different, smarter, and less radicalised minds prevail, maybe something revolutionarily wonderful can happen, WHO KNOWS? We will find out tonight,” he wrote.

Trump said Monday that starting in Washington late Tuesday evening, US forces would destroy “every bridge in Iran” and cripple “every power plant” — something many experts say would be a blatant war crime.

The extent of Trump’s sabre-rattling and goading language has appalled critics.

“These are the rantings of a bloodthirsty lunatic. It is sick beyond measure to threaten to wipe out an entire civilisation,” said longtime Democratic Senator Patty Murray, one of several lawmakers to lash out at Trump.

“This is not what the American people want. It is well past time for the Republican Congress to join Democrats and put an end to this war.”

Even some political figures once close to Trump are calling for his removal through the US Constitution’s 25th Amendment, which provides for a transfer of power if a president is unable to govern, particularly in the event of illness.

“25TH AMENDMENT!!! Not a single bomb has dropped on America,” former congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene wrote on X. “We cannot kill an entire civilisation. This is evil and madness.”

Anthony Scaramucci, a financier who briefly worked in Trump’s White House, urged Republicans to “wake up” because the president “is calling for A NUCLEAR STRIKE. Seek his removal immediately.”

Meanwhile, Vance, visiting Hungary, delivered an ominous warning to Iran.

They’ve got to know we’ve got tools in our toolkit that we so far haven’t decided to use,” Vance said. Trump “will decide to use them if the Iranians don’t change their course of conduct.”

Team Trump denied Vance’s remarks contained any suggestion of nuclear attack.

“Literally nothing @VP said here ‘implies’ this, you absolute buffoons,” the White House said on X.

The post was in response to one from an account associated with Kamala Harris, which said Vance implied Trump “might use nuclear weapons.”

AFP

The Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu, has formally presented Letters of Credence to three Nigerian ambassadors-designate, authorising them to represent the country abroad.

In a statement on Tuesday, Odumegwu-Ojukwu said, “I am honoured to present Letters of Credence on behalf of the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, H.E. President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.”

According to the statement, the recipients are: Ambassador Aminu Dalhatu – Ambassador-Designate to the United Kingdom; Ambassador Ayodele Oke – Ambassador-Designate to France; and Senator Jimoh Ibrahim – Permanent Representative-Designate to the United Nations, New York.

Odumegwu-Ojukwu further explained that in diplomatic practice, Letters of Credence are “formal documents issued by a Head of State to another, introducing a newly appointed ambassador or high commissioner and officially accrediting a diplomat to a foreign nation, authorizing them to represent their home country’s interests and act on its behalf, and requesting the host country to give credence (trust) to that representative

She added, “Congratulations, and wishing you a successful tour of duty in service to the Nation.”

The presentation follows President Tinubu’s approval of 65 ambassadors-designate and high commissioners to various countries and the United Nations, as earlier reported by PUNCH Online in March.

According to Bayo Onanuga, Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, 31 non-career and 34 career ambassadors were assigned to their duty posts, with the Senate confirming all nominees in December 2025 following screening by the Committee on Foreign Affairs.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs had been directed to commence an induction programme for the envoys, who will assume their posts after receiving agrément from the host countries.

US President Donald Trump brushed off concerns on Monday that hitting Iran’s power facilities as he has threatened after a deadline expires this week would be a war crime.

“I’m not worried about it,” Trump told reporters at an Easter egg roll at the White House when asked what he would say to those who allege that striking power plants would breach the laws of war.

You know the war crime? The war crime is allowing Iran to have a nuclear weapon,” the president said.

dk/mlm

culled from vanguard 

Defence Minister Israel Katz said Monday that Israel had conducted a “powerful strike” on Iran’s largest petrochemical complex after Iranian media reported multiple explosions at the site.

The military “just carried out a powerful strike on Iran’s largest petrochemical facility, located in Asaluyeh—a central target responsible for about 50 per cent of the country’s petrochemical production,” Katz said in a video statement.

Israel carried out a similar strike on the Mahshahr Petrochemical Special Zone in southwest Khuzestan province on Saturday, a local Iranian official said, adding that five people were killed.

“At this point, the two facilities, which together account for roughly 85 percent of Iran’s petrochemical exports, have been taken out of operation and are no longer functioning,” Katz said.

This represents a severe economic blow amounting to tens of billions of dollars to the Iranian regime.”

Israel also carried out strikes last month on gas facilities at the South Pars Special Economic Zone in Asaluyeh

The South Pars/North Dome mega-field—the largest known natural gas reserve in the world—is shared between Iran and Qatar.

In recent days, Israel has targeted key industrial sectors as part of the ongoing military campaign against Iran.

On Friday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israeli strikes had destroyed around 70 percent of Iran’s steel production capacity, significantly undermining Tehran’s ability to manufacture weapons.

Steel is a strategically important material used in industrial and military production, including for missiles, drones, and ships.

Katz said he and Netanyahu had ordered the military “to continue striking with full force Iran’s national infrastructure.”

AFP

Three Indonesian peacekeepers killed in two separate explosions in southern Lebanon last week were laid to rest in their hometowns on Sunday.

Peacekeeper Farizal Rhomadhon, 28, died when a projectile exploded on March 29 in southern Lebanon, where Israel and Hezbollah have been fighting since Lebanon was drawn into the Middle East war.

Two other blue helmets, Zulmi Aditya Iskandar, 33, and Muhammad Nur Ichwan, 26, died a day later when an explosion struck a logistics convoy of the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), also in southern Lebanon.

The deadly incidents sparked calls from Indonesian authorities for an investigation and security guarantees for peacekeeping forces.

The soldiers were buried on Sunday in coffins draped in the Indonesian flag during military funerals with gun salutes.

Weeping family members scattered flower petals on their graves.

Zulmi was buried in a military cemetery in his hometown in Bandung, West Java, while Ichwan and Farizal were laid to rest in their respective hometowns in Central Java and Yogyakarta.

“I’m letting him go proudly. I accept it sincerely, even though it is not what I had hoped as a parent,” Zulmi’s father Iskandarudin, told reporters after the funeral.

“I am certain that he’s waiting for me in heaven.”

Agus Subiyanto, the commander of the Indonesian National Armed Forces, told reporters that every fallen soldier will receive compensation in recognition of their service.

“We have prepared all the rights and entitlements that must be given to the fallen soldiers. Among these is compensation from the United Nations,” Agus said after attending Zulmi’s funeral.

The bodies of the three peacekeepers arrived in Jakarta on Saturday, received with honours in a ceremony attended by President Prabowo Subianto.

Prabowo said on Instagram that Indonesians “strongly condemn every heinous act that undermines peace and causes the deaths of our nation’s soldiers”.

Less than a week after the explosions that killed the three peacekeepers, another blast took place at a UN facility near El Adeisse on Friday, injuring three more Indonesian blue helmets.

Indonesia’s Foreign Ministry called the attacks “unacceptable” and urged the UN Security Council “to immediately convene a meeting of troop-contributing countries to UNIFIL to conduct a review and take measures to enhance the protection of personnel serving with UNIFIL”.

Foreign Minister Sugiono, who like many Indonesians only has one name, told reporters on Saturday that Indonesia wanted a thorough UN investigation and demanded better security guarantees for peacekeeping soldiers.

AFP

President Donald Trump said on Sunday that US forces had safely recovered a second airman downed in Iran, calling it “one of the most daring Search and Rescue Operations in U.S. History”.

The announcement came as Iran launched missiles and drones at Israel and Kuwait early Sunday, and a day after Trump said the Islamic republic had 48 hours to cut a deal or face “all Hell”.

“This brave Warrior was behind enemy lines in the treacherous mountains of Iran, being hunted down by our enemies,” Trump said on Truth Social.

“He sustained injuries, but he will be just fine.

This miraculous Search and Rescue Operation comes in addition to a successful rescue of another brave Pilot, yesterday, which we did not confirm, because we did not want to jeopardise our second rescue operation.”

The war has spread conflict throughout the Middle East and convulsed the global economy. Iran’s forces maintain a tight grip on the Strait of Hormuz shipping lane — a vital conduit for oil and gas — and strike economic targets in Gulf neighbours they see as linked to the US-Israeli war effort.

The economic strikes are also going the other way. An Israeli or US strike on a petrochemical hub in the southwest of Iran killed five people Saturday, according to the deputy governor of Khuzestan province.

Time is running out’ –

“Remember when I gave Iran ten days to MAKE A DEAL or OPEN UP THE HORMUZ STRAIT,” Trump wrote Saturday on Truth Social, referring to an ultimatum issued on March 26.

“Time is running out — 48 hours before all Hell will reign (sic) down on them.”

Iran’s central military command rejected the ultimatum, with General Ali Abdollahi Aliabadi saying Trump’s threat was a “helpless, nervous, unbalanced and stupid action”.

Echoing Trump’s language, he warned that “the gates of hell will open for you”.

Kuwait and Israel said their air defences were responding Sunday to the latest attacks from Iran, part of the war that erupted more than a month ago with US-Israeli strikes that triggered retaliation by Tehran.

The United Arab Emirates also said its air defences were responding to missile attacks Tehran said were targeting the country’s aluminium industries, while Bahrain officials reported a fire at a refinery “as a result of Iranian aggression”.

Bushehr nuclear plant –

A strike near Iran’s Bushehr nuclear plant on Saturday killed a guard and led Russia, which partly constructed the facility and helps operate it, to announce it was evacuating 198 workers and to condemn the strike as “an evil deed”.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi warned that continued attacks on the plant on the southern coast could eventually lead to radioactive fallout that would “end life in GCC (Gulf Cooperation Council) capitals, not Tehran”.

Bushehr is considerably closer to Kuwait, Bahrain and Qatar than it is to the Iranian capital.

Rafael Grossi, head of the International Atomic Energy Agency, wrote on X that no increase in radiation levels had been reported at the site, but nonetheless voiced “deep concern” at what he said was the fourth such strike in recent weeks.

The former director of the watchdog, meanwhile, urged Gulf nations to prevent Trump from turning the region into “a ball of fire” after the US president’s latest threat to Tehran.

“To the Gulf governments: Please, once again, do everything in your power before this madman turns the region into a ball of fire,” Mohamed El-Baradei, who led the IAEA from 1997 to 2009, wrote on X.

Economic sites hit –

Strikes by all sides have increasingly targeted economic and industrial sites, raising fears of wider disruption to global energy supplies.

US-Israeli strikes on Saturday hit a petrochemicals hub, a cement plant and a trade terminal on the Iran-Iraq border, where one person was reported killed.

Iran has retaliated with missile and drone attacks on Israel and US allies in the Gulf.

Shrapnel from intercepted drones injured four people in Bahrain on Saturday, and two buildings in Dubai were hit by debris, including one housing the US cloud computing firm Oracle, authorities said.

On another front, the Israeli military said Friday it had struck more than 3,500 targets across Lebanon in the month since the latest round of fighting with Iran-backed Hezbollah began.

As night fell Saturday, Israel warned it would strike near a border crossing between Syria and Lebanon, ordering residents to evacuate.

In Tel Aviv, hundreds of Israelis marched to protest against the war and demand peace talks.

AFP

US President Donald Trump on Saturday said Iran had 48 hours left to make a deal on opening the vital Strait of Hormuz or face “Hell.”

“Remember when I gave Iran ten days to MAKE A DEAL or OPEN UP THE HORMUZ STRAIT,” Trump wrote on Truth Social, referring to his ultimatum issued on March 26.

“Time is running out — 48 hours before all Hell will reign (sic) down on them,” the president said, adding: “Glory be to GOD!

United States President Donald Trump on Friday signed an executive order aimed at regulating US collegiate sports in the wake of rule changes that allow student athletes to be compensated financially.

The order, which is the second that Trump has issued on college sports, directs the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) to create rules that allow college athletes to play for “no more than a five-year period.”

He also asked that rules be put in place that would allow them to transfer schools just once before they graduate without having to sit out a season.

The changes are scheduled to go into effect on August 1, and institutions who allow athletes who don’t meet the criteria risk losing federal funding.

Trump said that the loosening of “consistent rules or limits concerning eligibility, transfers, and pay-for-play schemes has created an out-of-control financial arms race… that is driving universities into debt.”

Friday’s order came as the hugely popular NCAA basketball tournament reached its closing stages.

The women’s semi-finals took place on Friday and the men’s Final Four semi-finals were scheduled for Saturday.

In addition to demanding eligibility and transfer limits, it calls on governing bodies to ban “improper” financial arrangements and urges Congress to pass legislation to address the issues.

It follows an order issued by Trump in July that sought to block some recruiting payments by third parties to college athletes in big-money sports like football and men’s basketball in order to preserve funds available for women’s and non-revenue sports.

The president said last month that the rising value of name, image and likeness (NIL) contracts for players in high-visibility sports like football has created a burden for colleges that forces some to abandon other sports.

Some of those sports — such as athletics, swimming and gymnastics — have long been pipelines for US Olympic teams.

The NCAA long prohibited student athletes from accepting any compensation for use of their name, image and likeness, but after a 2021 Supreme Court ruling, the rules were changed so that some collegiate athletes could receive financial compensation.

AFP

Despite losing $22 billion in March, Elon Musk continues to hold the title of the world’s richest person. As of April 1, 2026, Musk’s net worth stands at $817 billion, according to Forbes on Friday.

The billionaire’s fortune took a hit amid broader market declines, with the S&P 500 and Nasdaq both falling nearly 5% during the month, fueled in part by geopolitical tensions in the Middle East. Musk was one of the five of the top 10 wealthiest individuals to lose at least $20 billion during the period.

Much of Musk’s wealth is tied to his holdings in SpaceX and Tesla. Earlier this year, SpaceX merged with his AI and social media company xAI in a deal valued at $1.25 trillion, briefly boosting his net worth to a record $852 billion. However, market fluctuations and challenges in the tech and space sectors contributed to the recent decline.

Despite the loss, Musk remains more than three times wealthier than his closest competitor, Google cofounder Larry Page, whose fortune fell by $20 billion to $237 billion.

Musk, 54, first became the world’s richest person in September 2021 and has intermittently held the top spot since then. He continues to lead SpaceX as CEO and Tesla as chairman, while also maintaining a high-profile presence in technology and space ventures globally.

Even amid market volatility, Musk’s standing at the top underscores the enduring value of his companies and his unique position in the global wealth hierarchy.

Here’s the compiled full list of the world’s top 10 richest people as of April 1, 2026, based on the latest Forbes ranking:

Elon Musk – $817 billion (net worth)
Source: Tesla, SpaceX

Larry Page – $237 billion
Source: Google/Alphabet

Jeff Bezos – $223 billion
Source: Amazon

Sergey Brin – $219 billion
Source: Google/Alphabet

Mark Zuckerberg – $196 billion
Source: Meta (Facebook)

Larry Ellison – $189 billion
Source: Oracle

Jensen Huang – $151 billion
Source: Nvidia

Michael Dell – $143.1 billion
Source: Dell Technologies

Rob Walton – $142.6 billion
Source: Walmart

Bernard Arnault – $142.5 billion
Source: LVMH / luxury goods

Iran’s Fars news agency said Friday the army had launched a search for the pilot of a US fighter jet hit by an air defence system.

Contacted by AFP, the US Central Command (CENTCOM), responsible for military operations in the Middle East, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

“Military forces have launched a search operation to find the American fighter pilot who was hit earlier today,” Fars said.

A local television station aired footage of what it said was wreckage of a downed US jet.

It said the aircraft was targeted over central Iran and may have gone down in Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad province, citing a police statement.

The statement urged residents of the area to join the hunt for the pilot or pilots, offering a bounty for the capture of any US servicemen.

The incident is the first report of a US fighter jet being downed in Iranian territory since the United States and Israel launched its war on the Islamic republic on February 28.

AFP

“I have a clear message for Naim Qassem… you and your associates will pay an extraordinarily heavy price for the intensified rocket fire directed at Israeli citizens as they gathered to celebrate Passover Seder,” Katz said in a video statement.

“You will be consigned to the depths of hell alongside Nasrallah, Khamenei, Sinwar and the other fallen figures of the axis of evil,” he said, referring to the former leaders of Hezbollah, Iran, and the Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas, who have been assassinated by Israel over the past two and half years.

The Hezbollah terrorist organisation you now lead, and its supporters in Lebanon, will bear the full and severe consequences,” Katz added.

His warning followed claims by Hezbollah that it had carried out a series of rocket attacks on northern Israel late Wednesday and early Thursday, as Israeli Jews began marking the Passover holidays.

Katz also reiterated that Israeli forces “will clear Hezbollah and its supporters from southern Lebanon, maintain Israeli security control throughout the Litani area, and dismantle Hezbollah’s military capabilities across Lebanon.”

Lebanon was drawn into the Middle East war in early March when  Tehran-backed Hezbollah launched rockets towards Israel to avenge the attack that killed Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

Israel has responded with massive strikes across Lebanon and a ground offensive.

culled from vanguard 

The Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu, has reiterated Nigeria’s commitment to operationalising its cooperation agreements and Memoranda of Understanding with the Republic of Turkey.

She made this known when the Turkish Ambassador to Nigeria, Mehmet Poroy, paid her a courtesy visit at her office in Abuja.

In a statement issued on Thursday and signed by the Special Assistant on Communication and New Media to the minister, Magnus Eze, it was recalled that at the invitation of Turkish President Recep Erdoğan, President Bola Tinubu undertook an official visit to Ankara on January 27, 2026, to strengthen bilateral relations.

The statement noted that the Nigerian delegation, which included no fewer than six ministers and the National Security Adviser, witnessed the signing of several key bilateral agreements between both countries.

These include an agreement on cooperation in the field of education; a Memorandum of Understanding between the Foreign Service Academy of Nigeria and the Diplomacy Academy of Turkey’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs; a Joint Declaration on the establishment of a Joint Economic and Trade Committee; and a protocol on military cooperation.

Other agreements cover cooperation in halal quality infrastructure, media and communications, as well as an MoU aimed at enhancing social services for women, children, persons with disabilities, and older persons.

Odumegwu-Ojukwu told the envoy that President Tinubu had emphasised the need to maximise the outcomes of the visit by directing Ministries, Departments, and Agencies to submit implementation roadmaps for the agreements signed in Ankara.

She added that the President also expressed optimism that the upcoming political consultations between both countries in Abuja later this year would produce positive outcomes.

The minister stressed that MoUs must go beyond documentation, noting that their true value lies in effective implementation for the benefit of citizens.

“Bilateral relations between Nigeria and Türkiye have blossomed over the years in all ramifications, and political relations between both countries remain cordial.

“Nigeria and Türkiye hold similar views on strategies to address global issues, including terrorism, climate change, human migration, promotion of international peace and security, as well as the need for reforms in global governance systems to ensure inclusiveness,” she said.

She further noted that economic relations between Nigeria and Türkiye were progressing steadily, with trade volume approaching $2 billion, including estimates from the informal sector.

According to her, the January 2026 trade forum in Ankara aligned with the Federal Government’s Renewed Hope Agenda by translating diplomatic engagements into practical steps towards achieving a $5 billion bilateral trade target.

A key outcome of the forum was the activation of the Joint Economic and Trade Committee, designed to provide a structured platform for addressing trade barriers and strengthening private sector participation

The forum also prioritised the modernisation of Nigeria’s energy and agricultural sectors through Turkish technical expertise, particularly by leveraging halal quality standards to expand access to European and Middle Eastern markets.

In his remarks, Ambassador Poroy highlighted ongoing defence cooperation between both countries and underscored the importance of holding counter-terrorism consultations in Abuja.

He expressed optimism that the Joint Economic and Trade Council would further strengthen economic ties, urging both countries to maximise the platform to achieve the $5 billion trade target.

The male suspect gained access by posing as a parent before attacking the children, who local media reported were aged between two and three.

Angry residents attempted to lynch the suspect as he tried to escape before security forces intervened and arrested him, police spokeswoman Racheal Kawala said.

“We confirm a tragic incident at the Ggaba Early Childhood Development Program school in Makindye Division, Kampala City, where a male suspect brutally stabbed and killed four juveniles,” Kawala said.

The motive behind the killings remains unclear and police are investigating.

Videos on social media showed distressed parents outside the nursery school, now cordoned off, anxiously seeking news of their children and demanding their release.

Such killings are rare in Uganda.

AFP

Both the United Kingdom and Canada have announced fee increases for immigration and citizenship applications in 2026, affecting Nigerians and other foreign nationals seeking to visit, study, work or settle in either country.

The UK’s revised fees take effect from April 8, 2026, while Canada’s updated permanent residence and citizenship charges follow on April 30, 2026.

A comparison of the two countries’ revised fee schedules, drawn from rates published by the UK Home Office and Canada’s Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada, shows the cost difference across categories.

Naira conversions are based on exchange rates of £1 to N1,822.81 and CA$1 to N992.36 as of April 2, 2026.

Categories revised by both countries:

Permanent residence and settlement

Canada’s revised permanent residence fees from April 30 cover seven categories.

The Right of Permanent Residence Fee rises from CA$575 to CA$600 (N595,416).

Under the Provincial Nominee Programme, the principal applicant fee increases from CA$950 to CA$990 (N982,436).

Business Class fees rise from CA$1,810 to CA$1,895 (N1,880,022), while Family Class moves from CA$545 to CA$570 (N565,645).

Protected Persons and Humanitarian and Compassionate Grounds applicants will pay CA$660 (N654,958) each, up from CA$635.

Permit Holders will pay CA$390 (N386,820), up from CA$375.

In the UK, indefinite leave to remain costs £3,226 (N5,878,544), up from £3,029.

The route to settlement costs £2,064 (N3,760,279), up from £1,938.

A dependant relative on the settlement route pays £3,635 (N6,625,913), up from £3,413, and a refugee dependant relative pays £452 (N823,910), up from £424.

Visitor extensions in-country cost £1,172 (N2,136,333), up from £1,100, and other leave to remain applications cost £1,407 (N2,564,593), up from £1,321.

Nationality and citizenship

Canada’s Right of Citizenship Fee rose from CA$119.75 to CA$123 (N122,060), effective March 31, 2026.

Canada also charges CA$100 (N99,236) for minor citizenship processing and CA$75 (N74,427) for a citizenship certificate, both unchanged.

In the UK, naturalisation as a British citizen costs £1,709 (N3,115,480), up from £1,605.

Adult registration as a British citizen costs £1,540 (N2,807,127), up from £1,446.

Child registration has been reduced from £1,214 to £1,000 (N1,822,810).

Other nationality fees include renunciation at £513 (N935,100), up from £482, nationality review at £513 (N935,100), up from £482, and status or non-acquisition letters at £489 (N891,255) each, up from £459.

Categories revised by the UK only:

Canada did not revise its temporary residence fees in April 2026. The following UK categories were updated from April 8.

Visit visas

The UK short-term visit visa of up to six months costs £135 (N246,080), up from £127.

Long-term visit visas cost £506 (N922,341) for up to two years, up from £475; £903 (N1,645,397) for up to five years, up from £848; and £1,128 (N2,056,129) for up to 10 years, up from £1,059.

The visiting academic and private medical treatment visa for stays of more than six months up to 12 months costs £234 (N426,537), up from £220.

The direct airside transit visa costs £41.50 (N75,647), up from £39, and the landside transit visit visa costs £74.50 (N135,799), up from £70.

Canada’s visitor visa remains at CA$100 (N99,236) per person for single or multiple entry. Families of five or more pay a capped CA$500 (N496,180).

Student visas

The UK student visa covering the main applicant and dependants costs £558 (N1,017,127), up from £524.

The child student visa costs £558 (N1,017,127), up from £524.

A short-term English language student visa for stays of over six months up to 11 months costs £228 (N415,601), up from £214.

Canada’s study permit remains at CA$150 (N148,854).

Work visas

The UK Skilled Worker visa costs £819 (N1,492,881) for up to three years, up from £769, and £1,618 (N2,949,305) for over three years, up from £1,519.

Under the Immigration Salary List, the same visa costs £628 (N1,144,725) for up to three years, up from £590, and £1,235 (N2,251,170) for over three years, up from £1,160.

The Health and Care visa costs £324 (N590,590) for up to three years, up from £304, and £628 (N1,144,725) for over three years, up from £590.

Other UK work visa categories include the Innovator Founder at £1,357 (N2,473,133), up from £1,274; Scale-up at £937 (N1,707,952), up from £880; Graduate Route at £937 (N1,707,952), up from £880; Start-up at £495 (N902,291), up from £465; and the High Potential Individual visa at £880 (N1,604,073), unchanged.

The T2 Minister of Religion costs £819 (N1,492,881), up from £769. International Sportsperson visas cost £340 (N619,755) for up to 12 months, up from £319, and £819 (N1,492,881) for over 12 months, up from £769.

Temporary work categories, including Seasonal Worker, Religious Worker, Charity Worker, Creative Worker, International Agreement, Government Authorised Exchange, Youth Mobility Scheme and India Young Professionals Scheme, cost £340 (N619,755), up from £319. The representative of an overseas business visa costs £819 (N1,492,881), up from £769.

Global Business Mobility categories include Senior or Specialist Worker at £819 (N1,492,881) for up to three years and £1,618 (N2,949,305) for over three years; Graduate Trainee, Service Supplier, UK Expansion Worker and Secondment Worker each at £340 (N619,755), all up from £319.

Canada’s work permit remains at CA$155 (N153,816) per person.

Travel documents

The UK adult certificate of travel costs £320 (N583,299), up from £300, and the child certificate costs £161 (N293,472), up from £151. Convention travel documents cost £102 (N185,927) for adults, up from £94.50, and £66.50 (N121,217) for children, up from £61.50.

Canada’s permanent resident travel document remains at CA$50 (N49,618).

The UK charges an Immigration Health Surcharge on most visa categories, currently £1,035 per year, which is separate from the visa application fee. Canada charges a biometrics fee of CA$85 (N84,351) per individual or CA$170 (N168,701) per family, and the Right of Permanent Residence Fee of CA$600 from April 30 is charged separately on top of processing fees for most permanent residence applications.

President Donald Trump insisted om Wednesday that the United States was nearing victory in Iran as he laid out his case more than a month into a war that has sent his approval rating tumbling.

In an evening speech from the White House, Trump broke little new ground on how the war would end and vowed two to three weeks further of “extremely hard” strikes against Iran.

“We are going to finish the job, and we’re going to finish it very fast. We’re getting very close,” he said in remarks that largely rehashed his daily streams of social-media postings and rapid media interviews.

With his approval rating hitting new lows and Americans feeling a pinch from soaring oil prices, Trump offered a retroactive explanation on why he joined Israel in the attack launched on February 28.

Standing before American flags, Trump delivered the type of speech most presidents would offer at the start of a conflict. Trump on February 28 instead released a video in which he was wearing a baseball cap and no tie.

In his Wednesday address, Trump said the United States was aiming to crush Iran’s military, end the clerical state’s support for regional armed groups and prevent it from obtaining a nuclear bomb — a prospect that the UN nuclear watchdog and many observers say was not imminent.

“I’m pleased to say that these core strategic objectives are nearing completion,” Trump said in a 19-minute speech.

Israel on the first day of the conflict killed Iran’s longtime supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, and Trump boasted how “their leaders — most of them” in the Islamic republic are dead.

But Iran has also responded by taking control over the Strait of Hormuz, the passageway out of the Gulf for one-fifth of the world’s oil, which was open before the war.

Gasoline prices in the United States have surged above $4 a gallon (over $1 a liter) for the first time in years, while consumer confidence has weakened, dragging down Trump’s already fragile standing on the economy.

Oil prices again surged in early trading Thursday and share prices tumbled, with Trump’s speech dashing hopes he would call a quick end to the war.

Democratic US Senator Chris Murphy said: “Anyone watching that speech has no idea whether Trump is escalating or deescalating the war with Iran.”

“But to be fair, neither does he so,” Murphy

wrote on X.

Bomb to ‘Stone Ages’

Trump again threatened that if Iran does not reach a negotiated settlement with him, the United States would “hit each and every one of their electric generating plants.”

Attacks on civilian energy infrastructure are widely considered to be illegal under the laws of war and could constitute a war crime.

“Over the next two to three weeks, we are going to bring them back to the Stone Ages, where they belong,” Trump said.

There was little in his address about actual diplomacy.

Earlier Wednesday, Trump claimed that Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian — an elected moderate long considered in the shadow of the military and clerical establishment — was seeking a ceasefire.

This was swiftly denied by Iran’s foreign ministry, which also accused Washington of making “maximalist and irrational” demands.

Boasting of American military might, the 79-year-old former real estate developer used one of his favorite analogies: “We have all the cards. They have none.”

Trump offered conciliatory words to Gulf Arab allies, saying he would not let them “get hurt or fail” — even though they have already been hit by more than a month of Iranian retaliatory fire that has shattered their reputation for stability.

Trump again berated European allies that have balked at supporting his war — on which he did not consult them in advance — as he noted that they are more dependent on Gulf oil.

The countries that “receive oil through the Hormuz Strait must take care of that passage,” Trump said, urging them to “build up some delayed courage.”

AFP

The conflict began when the United States and Israel launched airstrikes across Iran that killed supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, quickly mushrooming into a regional war that has sent oil and gas prices soaring and threatened to torpedo the global economy.

But Trump, whose statements on the war have swung from combative to conciliatory, said late Tuesday that the fighting could be over in “two weeks, maybe three”.

The White House said he would give “an important update on Iran” to the nation at 9:00 pm Wednesday (0100 GMT Thursday).

Tehran has insisted there are no ongoing negotiations, and that it has not responded to a reported 15-point proposal from Washington to end the war.

But Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said the Islamic republic had the “necessary will” to end the war, provided its enemies guaranteed it would not flare up again.

With the status of diplomatic efforts uncertain, Iranian state television reported that Tehran was under attack on Wednesday, and explosions were heard in the capital.

An AFP journalist said strikes hit an area near the former US embassy — which was transformed into a museum known as the “Den of Spies” and has become a symbol of the decades-long animosity between Tehran and Washington.

Strikes also hit steel complexes in central and southwest Iran, according to Iranian media, causing “significant damage and destruction”.

The Israeli military confirmed it had carried out the strikes, while it also intercepted an Iranian missile attack which medics said wounded 14 people including an 11-year-old girl.

Israel also said Wednesday its air defences had responded to a missile fired from Yemen — the third attack by the Iran-backed Houthi rebels since they entered the war over the weekend.

– ‘Nobody knows what’s happening’ –

Thousands of people have been killed throughout the region during the conflict, which has displaced millions more from their homes.

In Lebanon, seven people were killed in strikes around south Beirut, the health ministry said Wednesday, while the Israeli military said it had struck a senior Hezbollah commander.

A Lebanese security source and a Hezbollah source both told AFP that the strike had killed Hezbollah’s top commander for Iraq military affairs, Yousef Hashem.

AFP correspondents at the site saw a blackened, debris-strewn street.

“Nobody knows what’s happening,” resident Hassan Jalwan told AFP, adding that “displaced people have been sleeping in the open” in the area.

Lebanon was drawn into the war on March 2 when Tehran-backed militant group Hezbollah launched attacks on Israel.

Israel has responded with broad strikes and a ground offensive that the Lebanese health ministry says has left more than 1,200 dead.

US allies in the Gulf have also been pulled into the war, with Iran carrying out retaliatory attacks on nations it says have been launchpads for strikes.

A Bangladeshi national was killed Wednesday by falling shrapnel from an intercepted drone in the United Arab Emirates.

Kuwait said its international airport had come under Iranian drone attack that led to “a large fire” at its fuel tanks, while the National Bank of Kuwait said it will close its headquarters for two days “in the interest of everyone’s safety”.

Elsewhere, Bahrain’s interior ministry said a fire broke out at a business facility “as a result of the Iranian aggression”, and Saudi Arabia said several drones were intercepted.

A tanker was also hit in the waters off Qatar, a British maritime security agency said, reporting damage but no casualties.

“Every day, we hear the sound of drones,” Waad Abdulrazaq, a 31-year-old truck driver, told AFP near Iraq’s Erbil international airport, which has faced regular attacks by pro-Iran groups.

“We hear them in the morning, and we hear them at night. We can no longer sleep or live in peace.”

– Economic fallout –

Iran has maintained a chokehold on the vital Strait of Hormuz, through which one-fifth of global oil normally passes.

Average US gasoline prices topped $4 a gallon for the first time in four years this week, while European inflation spiked and governments around the world started to unveil a range of support measures.

Optimism sparked by Trump’s comments on the end of the war helped oil prices fall on Wednesday, with stock markets rallying in Europe and Asia.

The United States has not said who it is speaking with in Iran, which has denied it is in talks.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi told Al Jazeera that he still receives messages from US envoy Steve Witkoff, “directly, as before, and this does not mean that we are in negotiations”.

Trump threatened earlier this week that if Iran didn’t agree to a deal, US forces would “obliterate” its oil wells, its main Kharg Island export terminal, and possibly water desalination plants.

Britain said Wednesday it will host a meeting of about 35 countries this week to discuss how to reopen the Strait of Hormuz.

AFP

The investigation found the site in Ceuta concealed under an industrial warehouse that was protected by pumping and soundproofing systems to avoid detection, police said in a statement.

The bottom of the three-level tunnel, which led directly to Morocco, resembled “a maze typical of a mine”, equipped with trolleys “that moved on a rail system of complex construction and characteristic of perfectly designed feats of engineering”

The bales of hashish were prepared and stored on the middle level, from where they were lifted “thanks to a system of cranes and pulleys designed to move heavy loads”, the police said.

The entire structure is 19 metres (62 feet) deep, but investigators cannot determine how long the tunnel is “because it is flooded”, the officer responsible for the operation, Antonio Martinez, explained at a press conference.

The tunnel, measuring 1.2 metres high and 80 centimetres wide, was “well-equipped” and “purpose-built” by “an extremely powerful organisation” that contacted other groups to transport the drug in speedboats and fishing vessels, he added.

Police began their investigation in February 2025, seizing more than 17 tonnes of hashish and 1.4 million euros ($1.6 million) in cash in various operations in Ceuta and mainland Spain over several months.

They also made 27 arrests, including the network’s two suspected leaders.

One of them, based in Morocco and held on March 26, is also suspected of running another drug tunnel police dismantled in Ceuta last year.

Spain’s close ties with Latin America and proximity to Morocco, a top cannabis producer, make it a key entry point for drugs into Europe

Its small Mediterranean coastal exclaves of Ceuta and Melilla, adjacent to Morocco, share the European Union’s only land borders with Africa.

Culled from vanguard

French President Emmanuel Macron’s office said Tuesday it was “surprised” by US President Donald Trump’s criticism of France, stressing the country’s position on US military overflights had not changed.

“France has not changed its position since day one,” the presidency said.

“We are surprised by this tweet,” it said, referring to Trump’s social media post in which he accused France of being “very unhelpful” in the US-Israeli war on Iran and not allowing planes carrying military supplies to “fly over French territory”

The Japanese government has increased the residency requirement for foreign nationals seeking citizenship from five to ten consecutive years, as part of efforts to tighten the naturalisation process.

The Justice Ministry announced that the new rule, which takes effect from April 1, also introduces stricter documentation requirements for applicants.

As reported by the Economic Times on Tuesday, Justice Minister Hiroshi Hiraguchi said the move was necessary to address concerns over the ease of acquiring citizenship.

“The changes aim to address concerns that obtaining Japanese nationality has been easier than securing permanent residency. Lawmakers had raised questions in parliament last year, noting that citizenship grants voting rights, and argued it should not be simpler to acquire than permanent residency,” he said.

Under the revised guidelines, applicants must submit two years of social insurance records and five years of tax payment certificates, expanding on previous requirements.

A ministry noted that the changes are unlikely to disrupt applications.

“Naturalisation applications undergo comprehensive screening, and most successful applicants typically have lived in Japan for ten years or longer,” an official said.

The ministry clarified that the revisions affect administrative guidelines rather than the nationality law itself, which still formally requires five years of residence. However, officials say the updated framework brings citizenship standards closer to those for permanent residency.

Applicants who filed before April 1 under the previous five-year rule will still be assessed based on existing criteria, with final decisions subject to the minister’s discretion.

The policy shift follows concerns raised by lawmakers, who argued that the process for obtaining citizenship should reflect its long-term legal and civic implications.

In 2025, more than 9,200 foreign nationals were naturalized, with Chinese and South Korean citizens making up the majority. By comparison, about 932,000 foreigners held permanent residency in Japan as of June 2025.

The visit would “celebrate the historic connections and the modern bilateral relationship between the United Kingdom and the United States”, the statement said

Washington’s envoy to Britain warned last week it would be a “big mistake” for the visit to be cancelled amid the Middle East war and US President Donald Trump’s harsh criticism of Prime Minister Keir Starmer.

AFP

Senegalese President Bassirou Diomaye Faye has signed into law legislation doubling the maximum penalty for same-sex relations, making them punishable by up to 10 years in prison amid a crackdown on the country’s gay community.

The law, which was signed on Monday and appeared in the official journal that was distributed on Tuesday, passed by an overwhelming majority in the National Assembly and also includes criminal penalties for those found guilty of promoting or financing same-sex relationships.

UN rights chief Volker Turk called the law “deeply worrying” after its passage in parliament and said that it “flies in the face of the sacrosanct human rights”.

The law punishes “acts against nature”, a term used to signify same-sex relations, by five to 10 years’ imprisonment, compared with one to five years previously.

It also provides for three to seven years in prison for those found guilty of promoting or financing same-sex relationships.

According to media reports, dozens of men have been arrested under the anti-LGBTQ laws since February, when police detained 12 men, including two local celebrities, the start of a spate of detentions.

Arrests have often been based on accusations and phone searches, which are reported almost daily, with the names of those detained made public.

The new law additionally penalises anyone who accuses another of same-sex offences “without proof”.

After debating for several hours, lawmakers approved the bill by a vote of 135 in favour, zero opposed and three abstentions on March 11.

Under the law, the maximum sentence will be handed down if the act was committed with a minor.

Punishment will additionally include fines from two million to 10 million CFA francs ($3,500 to $17,600), compared to 100,000 to 1.5 million CFA francs previously.

LGBTQ rights group ILGA World had called on Faye not to sign the bill, urging him to uphold “respect for individual liberty and the human person”.

In recent years, LGBTQ issues have stirred controversy in Senegal, where gay rights advocacy is frequently denounced as a tool used by Westerners to impose foreign values.

Religious associations in the Muslim-majority west African country have staged demonstrations to demand tougher penalties

Ousmane Sonko, before becoming Senegal’s highly influential prime minister in 2024, had promised to make same-sex relations a crime, upping the offence from its current classification as misdemeanour.

However, the new law, which Sonko himself presented to parliament, maintains the same misdemeanour status.

AFP

A Swedish prosecutor on Monday charged a man, suspected of exploiting his “vulnerable” wife to have sex with men for money, with aggravated pimping, several rapes and assault in a case implicating some 120 men.

Sweden has been shocked by the revelations and comparisons have been made to Frenchwoman Gisele Pelicot, whose husband Dominique Pelicot was sentenced to 20 years in prison in 2024 after admitting to repeatedly drugging his then-wife and inviting dozens of men to rape her while she was unconscious.

The 62-year-old suspect, reportedly a former Hell’s Angel, was arrested in October after his wife reported him to police in northern Sweden. He has been held in custody since.

According to the charges, the man had for years made money from pressuring his wife “to perform and submit to sexual acts”.

The man was accused of creating online adverts, setting up meetings, keeping guard and pressuring the woman, who is now in  to perform sexual acts online in order to attract more clients.

He was also accused of using violence and threats, taking advantage of her drug addiction as well as supplying her with drugs.

The prosecutor labelled it “ruthless exploitation”.

Sweden’s law on prostitution bans the buying of sex but not the selling, however it is also illegal to facilitate the sale of sex.

In addition to being charged with aggravated pimping, the man — who denies the accusations — was charged with eight rapes.

They include one incident with a client and several incidents where she was made to perform sexual acts to herself for online video.

Prosecutor Ida Annerstedt told AFP that the woman, who was described as being in a vulnerable position, to “some extent” had “agreed to sell sex”.

Boundaries

But the woman had objected to selling sex to certain people or under certain circumstances.

“There are certain boundaries she has had. When he hasn’t respected them, when he has steamrolled her after she has said ‘no’, those are the situations when he is charged with attempted rape, or rape,” Annerstedt told AFP.

He was also charged with four attempted rapes and four assaults.

The charges also detailed threats made to the wife, with some of them including warnings about unleashing “the monster”.

The incidents were alleged to have occurred between August 11, 2022, and October 21, 2025.

A trial is scheduled to start on April 13.

Annerstedt told AFP that authorities had identified some 120 individuals suspected of having bought sexual services.

Twenty-six men have been charged over the buying of sex related to the case, and Annerstedt said the other individuals were being investigated.

Silvia Ingolfsdottir, a lawyer representing the woman, told AFP the charges resulted from the “serious and aggravated crimes” her client had been a victim of.

“She now hopes to obtain justice,” Ingolfsdottir said in a text message.

According to public broadcaster SVT, the man had previously been a high-ranking member of the Hells Angels biker group.

The case has received widespread attention in Sweden.

Sweden’s Minister for Gender Equality, Nina Larsson in February said that men must “stop buying and selling women’s bodies.”

“The media reports about the so‑called ‘Swedish Pelicot case’ are shocking and disgusting,” she said in a post to X.

AFP

Violence has erupted in Eastern Cape Province of South Africa, following protests against the controversial coronation of an Igbo traditional ruler named Chief Solomon Ogbonna Eziko, with demonstrators torching vehicles and looting shops owned by foreign nationals.

The protests, led by members of ActionSA alongside traditional leaders and local residents on Monday, were initially staged in opposition to what organisers described as a violation of the province’s sovereignty, constitutional order and recognised traditional leadership structures.

However, tensions escalated rapidly in KuGompo City, where the demonstrations turned violent, forcing police to intervene and disperse crowds, according to SABC News.

Video evidence on X indicated that protesters set several vehicles and buildings allegedly belonging to foreign nationals on fire while security forces intensified efforts to restore order.

Protesters have torched vehicles and buildings allegedly belonging to foreign nationals in protest against the installation of a Nigerian king in the Eastern Cape,” Newsroom Afrika reported.

Similarly, CDR Africa said the unrest reflected growing outrage over the coronation, with foreign-owned properties becoming primary targets.

The situation further deteriorated, with eNCA reporting that violence turned deadly after a stabbing incident allegedly involving Ethiopian shop owners.

At least two people were taken to the hospital for treatment, while several vehicles were destroyed in the chaos.

ActionSA’s Eastern Cape chair, Athol Trollip, reaffirmed the party’s opposition to the coronation in East London, describing it as unlawful and inconsistent with South Africa’s traditional leadership framework.

He said the party stood firmly with recognised traditional authorities, insisting that due process must be followed in matters of cultural and traditional governance.

Some protesters issued stark warnings, vowing to escalate resistance if authorities fail to address their concerns.

One demonstrator reportedly said residents were prepared to “take up arms” if the matter remained unresolved, while others called for the deportation of Nigerians linked to the coronation.

The protesters had earlier marched through parts of the province demanding immediate government intervention, warning that failure to act could trigger further unrest.

Culled from punch

Canada has introduced sweeping new immigration and asylum measures that will affect Nigerians and other foreign nationals seeking entry or protection in the country.

The new rules follow the passage of Bill C-12, also known as the Strengthening Canada’s Immigration System and Borders Act, which received royal assent on March 26, 2026.

This was contained in a report obtained from Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada’s website on Monday.

The legislation introduces stricter eligibility requirements for asylum seekers, a revamped application process, expanded information-sharing powers, and new authorities over immigration documents.

Stricter asylum eligibility

Under the new law, “asylum claims made more than one year after someone’s first entry into Canada after June 24, 2020, won’t be referred to the Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, regardless of whether the person has since left and returned.

“Asylum claims from people who enter Canada between ports of entry along the Canada–US land border and who make a claim after 14 days won’t be referred to the IRB.”

Canadian authorities said the changes are aimed at reducing pressure on the asylum system, closing loopholes, and discouraging misuse of refugee pathways as alternatives to regular immigration routes.

However, affected individuals may still apply for a pre-removal risk assessment to ensure they are not returned to countries where they could face persecution, torture, or other serious harm.

The government also noted that special consideration would be given to vulnerable groups such as unaccompanied minors.

No change to US border agreement

Officials confirmed that there is no change to the existing Safe Third Country Agreement with the United States.

Under the agreement, most asylum seekers arriving at official land border crossings or within 14 days of irregular entry will continue to be returned to the U.S., unless they qualify for exemptions.

Faster, digital asylum process

Canada said it will also modernise its asylum system in the coming months by simplifying online applications and eliminating duplicate documentation requirements.

Under the new rule, the government said,  “only complete and “schedule-ready” claims will be referred for adjudication, while cases may be deemed abandoned if applicants leave Canada before a decision is made.”

“The changes will remove inactive cases from the system and speed up voluntary departures by making removal orders effective on the same day a claim is withdrawn.”

Authorities added that support mechanisms would be strengthened for vulnerable applicants, including appointing representatives to guide them through immigration procedures.

Expanded data-sharing powers

The law grants immigration authorities broader powers to share applicants’ personal data within government institutions.

According to IRCC, the new provisions will allow sharing of identity, status, and official documents with federal, provincial, and territorial partners under formal agreements, while maintaining safeguards to protect privacy and legal rights.

Provinces and territories are barred from sharing such information with foreign governments without written consent from federal authorities.

New powers over visas, permits

The Canadian government also has new tools to manage immigration documents, such as visas, work permits, and study permits.

Under the law, authorities may cancel, suspend, or modify large groups of documents, or pause application processing in situations involving fraud, public health risks, administrative errors, or national security concerns.

Such decisions will require approval by the Governor in Council and must be published in the Canada Gazette and reported to Parliament.

Officials said the measures are designed to improve responsiveness to emergencies while ensuring transparency and accountability.

The new rules are expected to have significant implications for Nigerians and other migrants seeking to study, work, or claim asylum in Canada, particularly as enforcement of stricter eligibility criteria takes effect.

Culled from punch

Around a fifth of global crude oil and liquefied natural gas passes through the waterway in peacetime.

The war erupted on February 28 when the United States and Israel began bombing Iran, prompting Tehran to retaliate with strikes across the region and sharply restrict access to the strait.

Handful of crossings

Fifteen vessels crossed the strait over the weekend, 12 of them on Saturday, making it one of the busiest days for crossings since March 1, according to Kpler.

From March 1 to 30 as of 0900 GMT Monday, commodities carriers made just 195 crossings, according to data from analytics firm Kpler — a decrease of 95 percent from peacetime.

Of these, 121 were by oil tankers and gas carriers and most were travelling east out of the strait.

Chinese container ships pass

Later on Monday, two further ships — ultra-large container vessels owned by Chinese shipping giant Cosco — appeared to have successfully crossed the strait after an aborted attempt last week, maritime tracker MarineTraffic said on X.

It interpreted their passage as “signalling a potential shift in conditions for commercial shipping”.

Steel, soybeans shipped

Seven of the ships passing through the strait over the weekend were dry bulk carriers transporting steel, iron ore pellets and soybean meal.

Four vessels were liquified petroleum gas tankers and the rest were liquid tankers.

The channel in peacetime sees around 120 daily transits, according to shipping industry intelligence site Lloyd’s List.

2,000 ships in Gulf

Around 2,142 vessels have sent transponder signals in the Gulf west of the Strait of Hormuz in the past day, according to Bloomberg data.

Of those, 298 were tankers, including 10 very large gas carriers and 55 very large crude carriers.

No reported incidents since March 22

Since March 1, 2026, 24 commercial vessels, including 11 tankers, have been attacked or reported incidents in the Gulf, the Strait of Hormuz or the Gulf of Oman, according to the British naval maritime security agency UKMTO.

No incidents have been logged since March 22, when the bulk carrier Phoenix reported an explosion next to the ship in Emirati waters, according to the UKMTO.

Drones struck fuel tanks at Oman’s Salalah port on Saturday, injuring one worker and disrupting operations but hitting no vessels.

Eight sea workers killed

Since the conflict began, at least eight seafarers or dock workers have died in incidents in the region, according to the International Maritime Organization (IMO).

A further four remained missing and 10 were injured.

Around 20,000 seafarers are affected in the region, according to the IMO.

Iran-approved route

Recent crossings appeared to have mainly used a route apparently approved by Iran around Larak Island just off the country’s coast.

Leading shipping journal Lloyd’s List last week said at least 34 ships had been tracked using it.

Over the weekend three ships sent signals close to Larak Island before turning off their transponders to cross the strait.

Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said the route was closed to vessels travelling to and from ports linked to its “enemies”.

45% sanctioned ships

Since the war started, 45 percent of the crossings have been by ships under US, EU or UK sanctions, according to an AFP analysis of passage data.

Of the crossings by oil and gas tankers, 61 percent were by vessels under sanctions.

AFP

Israeli police prevented the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, from entering the Church of the Holy Sepulchre to celebrate Palm Sunday mass, the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem said.

“This morning, the Israeli Police prevented the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, His Beatitude Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, Head of the Catholic Church in the Holy Land, together with the Custos of the Holy Land, the Most Reverend Fr. Francesco Ielpo, OFM, the official Guardian of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, from entering the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem, as they made their way to celebrate the Palm Sunday Mass,” a statement from the Patriarchate said.

It said the two were stopped while proceeding privately without any characteristics of a procession or ceremonial act, and had to turn back.

“As a result, and for the first time in centuries, the Heads of the Church were prevented from celebrating the Palm Sunday Mass at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre,” the statement said.

This incident is a grave precedent and disregards the sensibilities of billions of people around the world, who during this week, look to Jerusalem.”

There was no immediate response from the Israeli police.

Since the Middle East war began on February 28, Israeli authorities have banned large gatherings, including at synagogues, churches and mosques.

Public gatherings are limited to around 50 people.

The Latin Patriarchate had already announced it had cancelled the traditional Palm Sunday procession that normally runs from the Mount of Olives into Jerusalem and draws thousands of worshippers each year.

“The heads of churches have acted with full responsibility and, since the outset of the war, have complied with all imposed restrictions,” the Patriarchate said.

“Preventing the entry of the Cardinal and the Custos, who bear the highest ecclesiastical responsibility for the Catholic Church and the Holy Places, constitutes a manifestly unreasonable and grossly disproportionate measure,” it said.

“This hasty and fundamentally flawed decision, tainted by improper considerations, represents an extreme departure from basic principles of reasonableness, freedom of worship, and respect for the status quo.”

AFP

Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said on Sunday they launched missile and drone strikes on aluminium plants in Bahrain and the UAE over the weekend, targeting what they described as industries linked to the US military.

Since the Middle East war erupted at the end of February, Bahrain and other Gulf countries have regularly been targeted by Iranian missile and drone strikes in retaliation for the US-Israeli campaign, now in its second month.

In a statement carried by Iranian state broadcaster IRIB, the Guards said they hit an aluminium facility in the UAE and Aluminium Bahrain’s main plant, calling both sites “industries affiliated with and connected to the US military and aerospace sectors in the region”.

The IRGC said the strikes were retaliation for a US-Israeli attack on Iranian industrial infrastructure launched from bases in Gulf states.

Aluminium Bahrain, one of the world’s largest aluminium producers, said two employees were wounded in an Iranian strike targeting its facility on Saturday.

The company, also known as Alba, said the workers suffered minor injuries.

Alba added that it was assessing the impact on operations and would provide updates when available. It gave no details on damage to the site.

Emirates Global Aluminium said Saturday that an Iranian attack inflicted significant damage on one of its sites in Abu Dhabi and wounded six employees.

On Friday, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi vowed a “heavy price for Israeli crimes” after strikes on major steel and nuclear-related facilities inside Iran.

AFP

British police said they arrested a man after a car struck several pedestrians in a city in central England on Saturday night, leaving some victims seriously injured.

Police in Derby, located about 40 miles north of Birmingham, posted on Facebook that a black Suzuki Swift hit multiple people at the Friar Gate around 9:30 pm on Saturday.

Paramedics treated the injured at the scene before taking them to the hospital, without specifying how many were hurt.

“Although we know this will be alarming, we would like to reassure people that we do not believe there is an ongoing risk to the public,” the Derby police said in its Facebook post.

Officers stopped a vehicle believed to be involved shortly after the incident and arrested the driver, a man in his 30s, who remains in custody.

Friar Gate has been closed from Curzon Street and Cheapside to Ford Street and is expected to remain shut for some time as investigators work the scene.

AFP

Iran’s Revolutionary Guard on Sunday threatened to target US universities in the Middle East after saying US-Israeli strikes had destroyed two Iranian universities.

“If the US government wants its universities in the region to be free from retaliation… it must condemn the bombing of the universities in an official statement by 12 noon on Monday, March 30, Tehran time,” the statement published by Iranian media read.

The statement added, “We advise all employees, professors, and students of American universities in the region and residents of their surrounding areas to stay a kilometre away from campuses.”

Several US universities have campuses scattered throughout the Gulf region, such as Texas A&M University in Qatar and New York University in the United Arab Emirates.

Strikes overnight Friday to Saturday hit Tehran, including the University of Science and Technology in the northeast of the capital, damaging buildings but not causing any casualties, according to media reports.

AFP

US President Donald Trump warned Iran on Thursday to engage in talks to end the Middle East war “before it is too late”, after Tehran publicly spurned US overtures to resolve the nearly four-week conflict.

Trump’s warning came as Israel said it had killed the commander of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards’ navy, calling him “directly responsible” for throttling the Strait of Hormuz since the war’s outbreak.

Hopes for a negotiated end to the US-Israeli war with Iran, which has engulfed much of the region, rose after Washington was said to have put a peace plan to Tehran, only for the Islamic republic to deny the sides were speaking.

But Pakistan confirmed Thursday it was indeed facilitating “US-Iran indirect talks” by relaying messages — and that a 15-point American plan was being “deliberated upon” by Tehran.

They better get serious soon, before it is too late, because once that happens, there is NO TURNING BACK, and it won’t be pretty!” Trump warned on social media, saying Iran had been “militarily obliterated, with zero chance of a comeback”.

Iran’s foreign minister flatly denied Wednesday that “negotiations” had been engaged with Trump’s administration — but did concede messages were being exchanged through “friendly countries”.

“We seek an end to the war on our own terms,” Abbas Araghchi said on state TV.

Islamabad has been touted as a go-between, given its longstanding ties with both neighbouring Iran and the United States, as well as its network of regional contacts.

Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar said “brotherly countries” Turkey, Egypt and others, were also supporting the process — while the Gulf Cooperation Council said it wanted to be involved in any talks.

– Conflict spreads east –

Under near-daily bombardment since February 28, Iran was hit by a new wave of Israeli strikes Thursday — one of which Israel said had “blown up and eliminated” the Guards’ naval commander, Alireza Tangsiri, and several senior officers.

Defence Minister Israel Katz blamed Tangsiri for throttling the vital Hormuz shipping lane — which Iran is blocking to all but “non-hostile” vessels, with Malaysia for instance saying its tankers were being allowed passage.

Elsewhere, the Israeli army was conducting what it called “wide-scale” strikes targeting Iranian infrastructure.

Local media reported attacks in the central cities of Isfahan and Shiraz, in Bandar Abbas in the south and Tabriz in the northwest — but also Mashhad and Birjand, towards the Afghan border in an area largely spared until now.

Off the coast from Bandar Abbas on Qeshm — the largest Iranian island in the Persian Gulf — one local resident told AFP via Telegram he hoped the site would not be taken over by the military.

The suffering of people, the poverty, and the political oppression have been getting worse every year,” said 42-year-old Sadeq.

“I don’t think war is the solution to these conditions, but ending it won’t change much for us either,” he said. “Our bigger war is with the Islamic Republic.”

Iran, in turn, kept up retaliatory attacks on several parts of Israel, where falling shrapnel from intercepted missiles wounded seven people.

And fresh violence flared in the Gulf, with two killed by debris from an Iranian ballistic missile intercepted near Abu Dhabi, and drones fired at both Saudi Arabia and Kuwait.

– ‘Top person’? –

Iran has targeted Gulf nations it accuses of serving as launchpads for US strikes, including hits on energy sites and other civilian infrastructure that threaten lasting damage to the world economy.

Crude prices had fallen since last week, but the wavering messages on talks saw oil prices jump again Thursday with equities mixed.

Trump has accused Tehran officials of covering up ongoing talks for fear of becoming assassination targets, following the killing of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.

The White House has declined to identify the “top person” it is speaking with in Iran — beyond saying it is not the late leader’s son Mojtaba Khamenei, who is believed to be injured and has not been seen since succeeding his father.

– No Lebanon ‘surrender’ –

To avenge Khamenei’s killing, pro-Iran Hezbollah began firing rockets into Israel on March 2, drawing Lebanon into the war.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the military had “created a genuine security zone” in southern Lebanon, where an Israeli soldier was killed Thursday.

Hezbollah, meanwhile, launched a new volley of missiles at military sites in central Israel, after its chief Naim Qassem said negotiations with Israel would amount to “surrender”.

AFP

The Chinese Ambassador to Nigeria, Yu Dunhai, has praised the United Nations General Assembly’s resolution, which, for the first time, declared the transatlantic slave trade the “gravest crime against humanity”.

Dunhai, in a statement issued on Thursday, hailed the resolution as a major step toward global historical justice and reparations for Africans and people of African descent.

The resolution was adopted on March 25, 2026, during the 80th session of the General Assembly, coinciding with the International Day of Remembrance of the Victims of Slavery and the Transatlantic Slave Trade.

It received overwhelming support from member states, signalling a growing international consensus on addressing the enduring legacy of slavery.

Dunhai described the resolution as a historic milestone and a victory for justice.

“Justice may be delayed, but it will never be absent,” Dunhai said while extending warm congratulations to African nations and the wider developing world for their role in securing the adoption.

According to the envoy, the resolution aligns with the theme of the 38th African Union Summit, which focused on “Justice for Africans and People of African Descent Through Reparations.”

He noted that it underscores sustained efforts by African countries to push for reparatory justice on the global stage.

“With profound historical significance, it represents a powerful affirmation of historical justice, a firm defence of the common dignity of humanity, and a major victory for the international community in opposing the remnants of colonialism, resisting racial discrimination, and upholding fairness and justice,” Dunhai said.

China, he disclosed, was among 123 countries that voted in favour of the resolution, reiterating Beijing’s longstanding position on addressing historical injustices.

“China has always stood firmly on the right side of history, actively promoting the international community’s recognition of historical responsibilities and remedying historical injustices,” he stated.

The ambassador further stressed that the transatlantic slave trade remains one of the darkest chapters in human history, noting that tens of millions of Africans were subjected to trafficking, enslavement, and death.

He said the consequences of the system continue to impact Africa’s development and the rights of people of African descent globally.

“The UNGA Resolution fairly restores historical truth, effectively counters contemporary racial discrimination and structural injustice, and lays an important legal and moral foundation for advancing historical reparations, the return of looted cultural artefacts and trauma healing,” Dunhai added.

Highlighting China’s relationship with Africa, the envoy noted that 2026 marks 70 years of diplomatic ties between China and the continent.

He emphasised that China’s engagement with Africa has consistently been rooted in mutual respect, non-interference, and development cooperation.

“China-Africa cooperation is based on equality, aims at development, and focuses on people’s well-being. It responds to Africa’s urgent needs and helps enhance Africa’s capacity for independent development through tangible cooperation,” he said.

Citing the recent implementation of zero-tariff treatment for African countries with diplomatic relations with China as evidence of this commitment.

Speaking on bilateral relations, Yu noted that China and Nigeria share a common historical experience of colonial oppression and are committed to safeguarding sovereignty and development.

He added that both countries have strengthened ties in recent years, upgrading their relationship to a comprehensive strategic partnership.

“China is ready to work with Nigeria to further align our development strategies, transform cooperation outcomes into tangible benefits for our peoples, and inject strong momentum into Nigeria’s economic and social development,” he said.

The ambassador also used the opportunity to criticise what he described as rising hegemonism and unilateralism in global affairs. He warned against colonial mindsets and the law of the jungle, stressing that such approaches undermine international order and justice.

“History has long proven that power politics finds no popular support, unilateral bullying leads nowhere, and any attempt to gain benefits through oppression or seek hegemony through bullying will ultimately be discarded by the times,” he said.

Reaffirming China’s commitment to Africa, Yu concluded that Beijing would continue to support African nations in defending their dignity and advancing development.

“The adoption of this historic UNGA Resolution has added a significant chapter to the cause of global justice. China will, as always, stand side by side with Nigeria and all African countries.

“We will let the sunshine of equality, development and dignity illuminate the African continent, and make new and greater contributions to the prosperity and revitalisation of Africa as well as to a better future for all humanity,” Dunhai said.

A runner who stopped during a marathon in China to pose doing the splits and another who hoarded energy gels have been banned for two years, the local athletic association said Thursday.

The incidents happened during Sunday’s marathon in the southwestern city of Chengdu, capital of Sichuan province, and were widely shared online.

Videos showed a woman runner stopping suddenly and dropping to the ground with her legs in a perfect split position, holding up her arms in a heart shape as she apparently posed for a photograph.

“(She) committed obstructive fouls during the race, affecting the safe participation of other runners,” the Sichuan Athletics Association said in a statement, which identified the runner by her surname, Wang

A viral photo also showed a man in a neon yellow top carrying a transparent drawstring backpack packed to the brim with packets of energy gels and other food supplies, all apparently taken from supply stations during the race.

The male runner, surnamed Zhang, had “illegally taken a large quantity of race supplies for personal use”, the association said.

Both have been banned from marathons in Sichuan for two years, it said.

This was to “enforce race discipline, maintain a fair competition environment… and ensure the safe and orderly conduct of events”.

Both runners were also disqualified from Sunday’s race.

Footage of the incidents attracted up to three million views on China’s Weibo micro-blogging platform and sparked a social media backlash.

“These people should be permanently banned from participating in all marathon races,” one angry user said.

“All (these are) manifestations of extreme selfishness,” another user posted.

It is just the latest incident to hit China’s fast-growing marathon scene.

A race official was suspended for a year this month after he mistakenly blocked the eventual winner from crossing the finish line at an event in Chongqing.

Previous incidents also included marathon runners jumping on rental bikes and making shortcuts.

AFP

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Thursday urged European countries to pass legislation blocking Russia’s so-called “shadow fleet” ships from sailing in their waters and to confiscate Russian oil.

“We need joint action to create strong laws in Europe that allow countries to block Russian tankers and confiscate the oil,” Zelensky said in a video message to leaders of the Joint Expeditionary Force meeting in Helsinki.

JEF is a UK-led alliance of 10 Northern European countries.

“This should be a real tool to take away Russia’s ability to pressure Europe,” he said.

Please also help others in Europe move these decisions forward and implement them at home,” he said.

Zelensky also thanked Denmark, Sweden and France for recently seizing ships suspected of belonging to the shadow fleet.

Their actions were “a clear demonstration that enforcement is not only possible but effective,” he said.

Moscow’s shadow fleet consists of vessels used to skirt Western sanctions since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

They are often ageing ships in poor condition, without proper insurance and with opaque ownership.

The French navy seized a third “shadow fleet” tanker in the Mediterranean last week, while in Sweden, authorities seized the Sea Owl I tanker in mid-March and arrested its captain on suspicion of falsifying documents and violating maritime regulations.

On Wednesday, the British government announced that its military will now be able to board and seize ships sanctioned as part of the shadow fleet if they enter UK territorial waters.

Some 598 ships suspected of being part of the fleet are under European Union sanctions.

AFP

Hezbollah chief Naim Qassem said Wednesday that negotiating with Israel under fire would amount to “surrender” for Lebanon, as Israeli premier Benjamin Netanyahu said his forces were “expanding” a “buffer zone” in Lebanon.

Netanyahu said the Israeli military had “created a genuine security zone” inside Lebanon and was “expanding this zone,” as its ground forces tried to push deeper into Lebanon, on a day when Hezbollah issued dozens of statements claiming attacks on Israeli forces.

Israel, which occupied southern Lebanon for around two decades until 2000, has once again sent ground troops into Lebanon, saying it is attempting to take control of the area up to the Litani River, around 30 kilometres (20 miles) from the border.

As the two sides fought in the south, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned that “the Gaza model must not be replicated in Lebanon”, a comparison previously drawn by Israeli officials talking about their goals in Lebanon.

“Hezbollah must stop launching attacks into Israel. And Israel must stop its military operations and strikes in Lebanon, which are hitting civilians the hardest,” Guterres told reporters at the United Nations.

By late on Wednesday, Hezbollah said it had launched more than 80 attacks against Israel, the largest number the Iran-backed group has claimed since the start of the latest war.

It also said it had attacked Israeli forces in nine border towns.

Israel’s military said that one of its soldiers was severely wounded by rocket fire in southern Lebanon, having earlier reported an officer being lightly injured in combat.

It also reported several rockets fired towards the Haifa area in northern Israel, but no injuries.

– ‘Imposition of surrender’ –

Lebanon was pulled into the Middle East war when Hezbollah began firing rockets into Israel on March 2 to avenge the killing of Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

In an attempt to put an end to the fighting, Lebanon’s president is calling for unprecedented direct negotiations with Israel, which has so far rebuffed his proposal.

Hezbollah chief Qassem said Wednesday his group would have none of it: “When negotiations with the Israeli enemy are proposed under fire, this is an imposition of surrender.”

Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency (NNA) reported Israeli strikes and artillery shelling in several locations in the south on Wednesday.

It also said that “enemy warplanes… launched a strike” on Beirut’s southern suburbs, after a renewed Israeli army evacuation warning.

An AFP correspondent saw a street covered in debris, including shattered cement and warped metal, after the early morning strike, while an apartment building’s upper floors appeared damaged.

The area has been targeted multiple times during the conflict and is largely empty of residents, who have fled.

Late on Wednesday, the Lebanese health ministry reported three people killed by an Israeli airstrike in the Bint Jbeil region of southern Lebanon.

Israel’s military said it struck Hezbollah targets across Lebanon overnight “including a command centre” in Beirut’s southern suburbs.

It also said it attacked petrol stations belonging to the Al-Amana fuel company, which it says is controlled by Hezbollah and finances the group.

– Paramedics killed –

According to the ministry, 42 health workers are among more than 1,000 people killed in Lebanon in more than three weeks of Israeli strikes

Lebanese authorities say upwards of one million people have been displaced.

Hezbollah said its fighters on Wednesday targeted Israeli troops “massed in the border towns of Naqura and Qawzah” and in sites across the border “with more than 100 rockets”.

The statement came as the group claimed a series of attacks on Israeli troops in south Lebanon, northern Israel, and the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights.

In an earlier statement, Israel’s military said ground troops in southern Lebanon had “dismantled a weapons storage facility”, and the air force killed “several terrorists”.

It also said troops had “dismantled Hezbollah command centres in which numerous weapons were located”, without specifying where.

AFP

Iran would target shipping in the Red Sea, a crucial conduit for global oil and other goods leading up to the Suez Canal, if the US launches a ground invasion, an unnamed military official told local media on Wednesday.

“If the enemy attempts a ground operation on Iranian islands or anywhere else on our territory, or if it seeks to impose costs on Iran through naval manoeuvres in the Persian Gulf and the Sea of Oman, we will open other fronts as a ‘surprise’,” the official was quoted as saying by the Tasnim agency

“The Bab el-Mandeb Strait is among the most strategic straits in the world, and Iran has both the will and the capability to pose a fully credible threat against it,” the official continued.

adp/dcp

South African prosecutors said Wednesday they had summoned the head of police over a $20-million health tender, in a case that has rocked the country and pulled in a dozen other officers.

National Police Commissioner Fannie Masemola has been served with a summons to appear in court next month, said Kaizer Kganyago, spokesman for South Africa’s National Prosecuting Authority.

The case centres on a now-cancelled 2024 police tender for health services awarded to businessman Vusimuzi “Cat” Matlala, who is suspected of links to organised crime.

It was not immediately clear what charges Masemola will face, but a police spokeswoman confirmed he will honour the April 21 court appearance.

Fifteen people, including a dozen police officers and a director of Matlala’s company, were charged on Wednesday on suspicion of corruption in the awarding of the tender.

All of them — except Matlala, who had already received 50 million rand ($2.9 million) before the contract was terminated — were granted bail.

Described locally as a “tenderpreneur”, a term referring to individuals who have made fortunes through government contracts, Matlala shot to national prominence after a regional police chief accused the force and South Africa’s police minister of drabbling in criminality.

The allegations triggered the minister’s removal from office and a formal commission of inquiry was set up by the president, turning the saga into a national spectacle.

Broadcast daily on television and radio, the hearings have become a closely followed saga for South Africans.

A separate parliamentary inquiry is also probing claims that senior officers had corrupt ties with crime bosses and took money for favours.

Matlala was arrested in May last year in connection with the 2023 attempt on his ex-partner Thobejane’s life.

His name had already surfaced in the Tembisa Hospital scandal, where more than 2.2 billion rand ($129 million) was allegedly siphoned off.

The Tembisa hospital case cost whistleblower Babita Deokaran her life in 2021, when she was shot nine times outside her home.

AFP

The council, known as PCAST, will be co-chaired by AI and crypto czar David Sacks and Michael Kratsios, a tech investor who previously served as the country’s chief technology officer during Trump’s first term.

The list of appointees includes Trump ally Larry Ellison and Silicon Valley heavyweight Marc Andreessen, as well as Nvidia chief Jensen Huang.

“The United States has the opportunity to lead the world in AI. I’m honoured to join the president’s council and work with other industry leaders to help make this happen,” Zuckerberg said in a statement sent to AFP.

AFP

The Chief Executive Officer of Dangote Refinery, David Bird, has said the facility is receiving far below its agreed crude oil supply under the Federal Government’s crude-for-naira arrangement.

Bird disclosed this during an interview on ARISE News on Wednesday, noting that the refinery currently gets only about five cargoes of crude monthly, against an expected 13 to 15 cargoes.

He said the shortfall has affected the refinery’s ability to fully optimise local crude supply despite existing agreements.

“What we see under that agreement, we should be getting about 13 to 15 cargoes a month. And that’s what we could process to meet the domestic fuel requirements of Nigeria. Currently, we’re only getting five. So, that’s an underperformance against that pre-agreed volume contract,” he said.

According to him, the gap has forced the refinery to source preferred Nigerian crude grades from the international market at higher costs.

“And that value between the purchase price and the premium that we’re now seeing is money that Nigeria is leaking to the international trading community,” he said.

He explained that the crude-for-naira policy was designed to stabilise Nigeria’s foreign exchange market rather than provide financial advantages to the refinery, noting that the company still purchases crude at international benchmark prices.

Just to start on the crude for Naira, crude for Naira is not there to benefit Dangote Refinery. That is a fundamental misunderstanding. The crude for Naira programme is to provide resilience to foreign exchange.

“It is the benefit of the country to process domestic crude in the domestic currency,” Bird said.

Despite the supply challenges, Bird said the refinery is currently operating at its full installed capacity of 650,000 barrels per day, supplying both domestic and regional markets.

He, however, noted that global oil market disruptions, particularly tensions in the Middle East, have increased operational costs across the refinery’s value chain, including freight, insurance and logistics.

Bird added that fuel pricing remains tied to international market forces, stressing that the refinery operates without subsidies or discounts on crude inputs.

He called for improved crude allocation and long-term strategic planning, including building national reserves, to strengthen supply chain resilience in Nigeria’s oil sector.

Culled from punch

Hundreds of British teenagers will trial social media bans and time limits on apps as part of consultations over new measures to keep children safe online, the government announced Wednesday.

The pilot comes as the government seeks views from parents on whether to follow Australia and issue a blanket ban on social media for children under 16.

Three hundred youngsters aged 13 to 17 will try out different restrictions on social media use over six weeks to gauge the impact on their schoolwork, sleep and family life.

Some will have their social media apps disabled entirely, while others will have no access to them overnight, said the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology.

A third group will have a one-hour-per-day cap on the most popular apps for teenagers, including Instagram, TikTok and Snapchat.

The results will be compared to a fourth set of children who will continue to receive unlimited access.

“We are determined to give young people the childhood they deserve and to prepare them for the future,” said technology minister Liz Kendall.

These pilots will give us the evidence we need to take the next steps, informed by the experiences of families themselves.”

Australia in December became the first nation to prohibit people under the age of 16 from using immensely popular and profitable social media platforms.

Several other countries are considering similar bans, including France where lawmakers in January passed a bill that would prohibit use by under-15s, which still needs final approval.

The British government has launched a consultation on a potential Australia-style ban, which will also look at measures including age restrictions and banning addictive features like scrolling.

Earlier this month, British MPs struck down proposals by the upper House of Lords chamber to ban social media for under-16s while it awaits the outcome of the consultation, due to close on May 26.

British public figures including actor Hugh Grant have urged the government to back a prohibition, saying parents alone cannot counter social media harms.

But some experts warn restrictions could be easily circumvented and would rather that tech platforms focus on making their sites safer.

Labour Prime Minister Keir Starmer has not ruled out a ban.

AFP

Israel said on Tuesday that its military would take control of south Lebanon up to the Litani River, around 30 kilometres (20 miles) from the border, as deadly strikes pounded the country.

In the latest unprecedented step by Lebanese authorities since a new war erupted between Israel and Hezbollah, Lebanon’s foreign ministry declared the Iranian ambassador persona non grata, giving him until Sunday to leave the country.

Lebanon was pulled into the Middle East war when the Tehran-backed Hezbollah militant group began firing rockets into Israel on March 2 to avenge the killing of Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

Israel has since launched strikes across Lebanon, killing at least 1,039 people and displacing more than a million others in more than three weeks of fighting. It has also sent ground troops into the country’s south.

Israel kept up strikes across Lebanon on Tuesday, with the state-run National News Agency (NNA) reporting attacks in the country’s south and east, as well as near Beirut, after a night of bombardment on the capital’s southern suburbs.

On Tuesday morning in south Beirut, an AFP photographer saw vast destruction near the site of an Israeli strike overnight, with rubble piled up and debris covering the street.

The Israeli army said that overnight its forces “struck Hezbollah terrorist infrastructure in Beirut and in additional areas in Lebanon”.

– ‘Nothing left’ –

In Bshamoun, a mixed town in the Aley region southeast of Beirut, outside of Hezbollah’s traditional strongholds, AFP correspondents saw destruction to an apartment building hit by an Israeli strike.

“There’s nothing left. It’s all burned or destroyed… No walls, the windows are gone, the facade is gone, all my hard work has been lost,” said Abbas Qassem, 55, weeping at the damage to his unoccupied flat near the targeted apartment.

“What have I done to have my home destroyed? I’m just a normal person,” said Qassem, who works for the state telecoms provider.

Lebanon’s health ministry said three people were killed including a three-year-old girl, and reported five others killed in Israeli strikes in south Lebanon.

Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz said the military “will control… the security zone up to the Litani”, adding that displaced Lebanese residents will not return south of the river “until security is guaranteed for the residents of the north” of Israel.

The area south of the Litani has seen vast destruction since hostilities erupted between Israel and Hezbollah in 2023 in the wake of the Gaza war, and despite a November 2024 ceasefire.

Many border villages were largely empty of residents even before the Israeli army resumed heavy bombardment and incursions into the area since the latest war erupted more than three weeks ago.

– ‘Violation of diplomatic norms’ –

Israel has repeatedly issued sweeping orders for residents to evacuate the area, while Hezbollah has reporting regular attacks on Israeli troops there, including in the strategic border town of Khiam in recent days, and in the village of Qawzah on Tuesday.

Katz said Israel’s military was “following the model of Rafah and Beit Hanoun”, two cities that were effectively razed during more than two years of war in Gaza, and which remain under Israeli military control

Lebanon’s foreign ministry said it summoned the Iranian charge d’affaires in Lebanon over “Tehran’s violation of diplomatic norms” and said Beirut had withdrawn approval “of the accreditation of the appointed Iranian ambassador”.

On Sunday, Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam said members of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards were commanding Hezbollah’s operations in the war against Israel, and authorities this month banned the Guards’ activities in the country.

Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar welcomed Lebanon’s decision to expel the envoy as a “justified and necessary step” and urged the government to take steps against Hezbollah.

“We call on the Lebanese government to take practical and meaningful measures against Hezbollah, whose representatives still serve as ministers within it,” Saar said in a post on X.

Israel has said it has struck Guards operatives in Lebanon in recent weeks, including on Monday.

Iran’s Guards on Tuesday threatened “heavy” attacks on Israel “if its crimes against civilians in Lebanon and Palestine persist”.

Iran launched another round of missiles towards Israel on Tuesday morning, state television announced, after earlier strikes hit a building in the north while a loud explosion rang out in Jerusalem.

“Iran fires new wave of missiles at occupied territories,” the state-run Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB) posted on Telegram.

Moments later, it posted that the “Iranian missiles pass(ed) through several Israeli missile defences”.

The Magen David Adom emergency services released video of a damaged building in the north of Israel, and said there were no deaths from the incident.

The Israeli military later on Tuesday morning issued several notices that it had detected incoming Iranian missiles and was working to intercept them.

bur-lb/tc

culled from vanguard 

British police said they were investigating an online claim of responsibility for an arson attack after four volunteer ambulances run by a Jewish organisation based next to a London synagogue were set on fire early Monday.

Here is what we know about the attack, in which four vehicles were destroyed, but no one was injured. Prime Minister Keir Starmer has denounced the incident as a “deeply shocking antisemitic arson attack”.

What happened? –

The London Fire Brigade said it was alerted to vehicles on fire at Highfield Court in Golders Green, a north London area with a substantial Jewish population, at 1:40 am (0140 GMT).

Some 40 firefighters called to the scene found that multiple cylinders on the vehicles had exploded, breaking windows in an adjacent block.

London’s Metropolitan Police force said the charred vehicles were four Hatzalah ambulances belonging to the Jewish Community Ambulance service.

Nearby homes were evacuated as a precaution while some roads in the area were closed. All the fires were extinguished.

The little-known Iran-aligned Harakat Ashab al-Yamin al-Islamiya group, meaning The Islamic Movement of the People of the Right Hand, appeared to claim responsibility Monday in a video posted on its recently created Telegram channel.

– Police probe –

Police said in a statement “the arson attack is being treated as an antisemitic hate crime”.

Counter-terrorism police are now leading the inquiry, even though it was not yet determined to be a terror attack. The group’s online claim is being investigated.

“Establishing the authenticity and accuracy of this claim will be a priority for the investigation team,” Detective Chief Superintendent Luke Williams told reporters at the scene

He added police were “looking for three suspects at this early stage. CCTV footage appears to show three people in hoods pouring an accelerant on to the vehicles before igniting them and fleeing”.

There have been no arrests so far, and police appealed to people to come forward with information.

Horrific news’ –

Starmer said in a post on X: “Antisemitism has no place in our society”.

He called the attack “horrific news” and has urged Britain’s communities to “all stand together at a moment like this”.

Chief rabbi Ephraim Mirvis vowed: “We’re not going to be intimidated by terrorists, and this was a terrorist attack.”

And he told the Press Association news agency it was “highly lamentable” that synagogues, schools and other Jewish facilities “can now only function behind walls, behind gates”.

Shomrim North West London, a charity and volunteer neighbourhood watch group, branded the arson a “targeted and deeply concerning incident affecting a vital emergency service serving the local Jewish community”.

It was “an attack on the safety, wellbeing, and resilience of our community,” the group wrote on Facebook.

– What is the volunteer service? –

The ambulances are run by Hatzalah, which was established in 1979 and is operated by volunteers.

It provides free medical transportation and emergency response to those living in north London.

Our… volunteer ambulance corps is an extraordinary service, whose sole mission is to protect life, Jewish and non-Jewish alike,” Mirvis said on X.

Health Secretary Wes Streeting said the government would provide four replacement ambulances.

“The Jewish community should not be left footing the bill for this despicable attack, which is why tomorrow morning, at the latest, we will have four ambulances in place to replace those that have been destroyed,” he said.

– Similar attacks –

Monitoring groups have reported an upsurge in both antisemitic and Islamophobic incidents in Britain in recent years, particularly during the recent war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza.

The Community Security Trust, a charity which tracks antisemitism in the UK, recorded 3,700 instances of anti-Jewish hate across the UK last year, a four percent rise on 2024, but down on 2023.

The group likened the attack to recent similar incidents in Belgium and the Netherlands, where schools and synagogues were targeted.

The Harakat Ashab al-Yamin al-Islamiya group also claimed it was behind the attacks in Belgium and the Netherlands, according to the SITE monitoring service. Until the start of the Iran war, the group had not been heard of.

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The International Committee of the Red Cross demanded on Monday a halt to the “war on essential infrastructure” in the Middle East, warning of potential “irreversible consequences” including harm to nuclear facilities.

“What we have seen in recent days in the Middle East risks reaching a point of no return,” ICRC president Mirjana Spoljaric warned in a statement.

“Most alarming is the potential harm to nuclear facilities, whether deliberate or incidental,” she said.

Energy infrastructure has been repeatedly hit since the start of the war on February 28, when the United States and Israel began their attacks on Iran. Tehran has responded by striking targets in Israel and the Gulf states.

Over the weekend, an Iranian strike hit the southern Israeli town of Dimona, home to a nuclear facility, in what Tehran said was in response to an earlier attack on its nuclear site at Natanz.

“Damage to these sites could trigger irreversible consequences, which is why they are afforded heightened protections under the rules of war,” Spoljaric said.

She cautioned that “war on essential infrastructure is war on civilians”.

Deliberate attacks on essential services and civilian infrastructure can amount to war crimes.”

Her comments came as US President Donald Trump suddenly backtracked on a threat to “obliterate” Iran’s power infrastructure if it did not reopen the strategic Strait of Hormuz.

In response to Trump’s initial threat, Iran had threatened to deploy naval mines in the Gulf and target power plants across the region.

On Monday, Trump said he was putting his ultimatum on hold after “very good” talks with unidentified Iranian officials, while Iranian media outlets quoted the foreign ministry in Tehran denying any negotiations and suggesting Trump was angling to bring down energy prices.

“Attacks on essential infrastructure have already punished millions of civilians both near and far from the front lines,” Spoljaric said in her statement.

“This pattern, combined with an escalatory rhetoric that disregards the limits imposed by international humanitarian law, normalises a style of warfare that strips away our shared humanity.”

AFP

Iranian media said on Monday there were no negotiations between Tehran and Washington after US President Donald Trump announced talks towards ending the war.

“There are no talks between Tehran and Washington,” said Mehr news agency, citing Iran’s foreign ministry, adding that Trump’s statements were part of a push “to reduce energy prices.”

Other media carried similar reports.

The rebuttal follows a social media post that immediately sent oil prices tumbling.

Trump said Washington and Tehran had held “productive conversations” over the last two days towards “a complete and total resolution” of hostilities in the Middle East.

He asserted he had told the Pentagon, on the basis of talks to date, to “postpone any and all military strikes against Iranian power plants and energy infrastructure for a five day period, subject to the success of the ongoing meetings.”

He said the US-Iranian sides would keep talking “throughout the week.

The bombshell announcement came ahead of a Monday night ultimatum for the Islamic Republic to reopen the Strait of Hormuz shipping lane—or see Trump “obliterate” its power plants.

In response, Iran had threatened to deploy naval mines in the Gulf and target power plants across the region—ramping up its rhetoric after warnings the world faced an energy crisis of historic proportions if the US-Israeli war with Iran drags on.

AFP

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed on Sunday to pursue senior commanders of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards “personally”, during a visit to an Israeli town struck by an Iranian missile the previous day.

“We’re going after the regime. We’re going after the IRGC, this criminal gang,” Netanyahu said, as he inspected the damage in the southern town of Arad.

“We’re going after them personally, their leaders, their installations, their economic assets. We’re going after them personally.”

Culled from vanguard

Iran’s military threatened on Sunday to completely shut down the strategic Strait of Hormuz if US President Donald Trump acts on threats to target the country’s power plants.

Trump has given Iran 48 hours to reopen the strait, which has been effectively closed since the start of the war sparked on February 28 by US-Israeli bombardment of Iran.

The war has since spread across the Middle East, with Iran responding with drone and missile attacks on Israel and US interests in the region.

“If the United States’ threats regarding Iran’s power plants are carried out… the Strait of Hormuz will be completely closed, and it will not be reopened until our destroyed power plants are rebuilt,” the military’s operational command Khatam Al-Anbiya said in a statement carried by state TV.

The military said it would also strike Israel’s “power plants, energy, and information and communications technology (ICT) infrastructure”, along with power plants in regional countries hosting US bases and companies with US shareholders.

It added that the measures will be taken “to defend our country and the interests of our nation.”

Traffic through the vital strait—through which 20 per cent of the world’s crude oil and liquefied natural gas normally passes—has been brought to a near standstill since the start of the war.

A relatively small number of vessels have been able to transit it—around five per cent of its pre-war volume, according to analytics firm Kpler.

Iranian forces have attacked multiple vessels, saying they failed to heed “warnings” against transiting the waterway.

In recent days, Iran has allowed some vessels from countries it considers friendly to pass, while warning it would block ships from countries it says have joined the “aggression” against it.

Iran’s parliament is mulling imposing tolls on shipping through the strait, with Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf saying maritime traffic would “not return to its pre-war status.”

AFP

A predator and his accomplice have been jailed for a total of 21 years after raping a 15-year-old schoolgirl who was plied with alcohol and drugs, Daily Mail reports.

Nigerian national Akinsanya, 34, and 29-year-old Raji targeted their victim after buying her drinks at Irish pub Paddy’s Yard in Brixton, south London, on February 8 last year.

They invited the girl and some of her friends back to Raji’s flat to smoke cannabis and dance. 

The victim’s friends tried to persuade her to leave with them as they felt uncomfortable but she started blacking out and collapsed, Inner London Crown Court heard. 

The defendants then put the girl through a prolonged ordeal, with Raji filming her.

Prosecutor Diana Wilson read to the court the victim’s impact statement, in which she told of now finding it ‘hard to trust people’.

The schoolgirl described her attackers as ‘disgusting’, while also rejecting the offer to watch the footage of what happened because it was ‘too stressful’.

Akinsanya, from South Croydon, denied but was convicted by a jury of rape and has now been jailed for 10 years. 

Raji, from Brixton, denied but was convicted of two counts of rape and one of taking an indecent image of a child and was given 11 years behind bars.

The girl said in her statement: ‘I was in year 10 at school when I was raped – my school life was affected a lot. ‘I didn’t want to go to my lessons. 

‘I find it hard to trust people. I’m in year 11 now, I still feel like my school life is being affected by the rape.’ 

The court heard how she has stopped playing football, the only sport she liked, due to a loss of confidence following the attack. 

She was asked to watch the video Raji took of her naked but had to stop, saying: ‘I found it too stressful.’

The victim added: ‘The men who did this to me are disgusting – I can’t find the words to describe them. These men must go to prison.

Ms Wilson said the girl was ‘particularly vulnerable due to her personal circumstances’, adding: ‘She was young and naive and vulnerable and unconscious.

‘We have a sociable, outgoing 15-year-old who’s cut off from friends, cannot leave her house, impacting her schoolwork and feels unable to go to counselling. 

‘It may be thought that that’s beyond the normal level of psychological harm.’

Ms Wilson told how both defendants ‘took advantage of an unconscious girl’.

William Pope, defending Raji, asked for his previous good character to be taken into account

The defence lawyer pointed to Raji’s evidence suggesting the girls the pair met said they were aged over 18, with Mr Pope adding: ‘He thinks he had a one-night stand.’

Judge David Richards said it should have been obvious the girls were underage from their behaviour, saying: ‘The whole tenor of that group is of schoolgirls’. 

Defending Akinsanya, Anne Faul described him as ‘a lost soul, somewhat vulnerable’.

She also told the court he was partially paralysed from an attack, meaning prison life was more difficult for him.

Sentencing, Judge Richards said of the victim: ‘She’s lost her self-confidence. She can no longer go out. She will live with this for the rest of her life.’

He told the two culprits: ‘The fact that you two abused her one after the other clearly aggravates the matter. The victim was harmed for a long time.

‘Alcohol was used to render her vulnerable, the effect of the alcohol was exploited by both of you. Whilst incapable, she was raped by both of you.’ DailyMail.

The US Department of State Bureau of Global Public Affairs has reported a 97 per cent compliance rate among travellers under its visa bond programme, as it moves to expand the policy to more countries in a bid to curb visa overstays.

In a statement issued on the US Department of State website on March 18, the bureau disclosed that nearly 1,000 visas had been issued under the scheme, with the overwhelming majority of beneficiaries returning to their home countries as required.

The development comes in contrast to figures from the final year of former US President Joe Biden, when more than 44,000 visitors from countries currently under the visa bond programme overstayed their visas.

The US government said the disparity underscores the effectiveness of the initiative, noting that its expansion to 50 countries is expected to further reduce violation

Beginning April 2, 2026, foreign nationals from affected countries seeking B1 (business) or B2 (tourism) visas will be required to post a refundable bond of $15,000 before entry into the United States.

“The State Department is expanding its visa bond program to apply to a total of 50 countries on April 2 and will require foreign nationals from these countries to post a bond of $15,000 before receiving B1 or B2 visas for business and tourism in the United States. The bond will be returned to visa recipients who return home in compliance with the terms of the visa and the bond or does not travel.

“Preventing Illegal Visa Overstays: The visa bond program has already proven effective at drastically reducing the number of visa recipients who overstay their visas and illegally remain in the United States,” the statement read.

According to the statement, the new phase of the policy will extend the requirement to 12 additional countries, including Cambodia, Ethiopia, Georgia, Grenada, Lesotho, Mauritius, Mongolia, Mozambique, Nicaragua, Papua New Guinea, Seychelles and Tunisia.

These nations will join 38 others already participating in the programme, among them Nigeria.

“These countries join 38 nations that are already included in the visa bond program. Those countries are Algeria, Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Bangladesh, Benin, Bhutan, Botswana, Burundi, Cabo Verde, Central African Republic, Cote d’Ivoire, Cuba, Djibouti, Dominica, Fiji, Gabon, The Gambia, Guinea, Guinea Bissau, Kyrgyzstan, Malawi, Mauritania, Namibia, Nepal, Nigeria, Sao Tome and Principe, Senegal, Tajikistan, Tanzania, Togo, Tonga, Turkmenistan, Tuvalu, Uganda, Vanuatu, Venezuela”.

The State Department explained that countries may be added to the visa bond list based on various immigration risk indicators, stressing that the measure has already proven effective in reducing the number of individuals who overstay visas and remain in the US unlawfully.

It added that the bond is fully refundable once travellers comply with the terms of their stay and return home within the stipulated period.

Highlighting the financial implications, the department said the programme is also saving American taxpayers significant costs associated with immigration enforcement.

“It costs the US taxpayer over $18,000 on average to remove an alien illegally present in the United States.

The Department of State is saving US taxpayers up to $800 million per year that would otherwise be required to remove these aliens who overstay,” the statement said.

culled from punch

The presidents of Kenya and Uganda were set to meet near their shared border Saturday to mark the multi-billion-dollar, long-delayed extension of a Chinese-built railway that has left Kenya heavily in debt.

The Standard Gauge Railway, built from 2013 to 2019, connects the Kenyan port of Mombasa to its capital, Nairobi, and on to the lake town of Naivasha, but China refused further lending before it could be extended to Uganda as planned.

Kenya now spends roughly $1 billion a year servicing Chinese debt, most of it borrowed to build the railway.

That is far more than the line generates in revenue — around $165 million last year — even if passenger and cargo numbers have been growing strongly over the past year.

A report by Kenya’s auditor general last year found more than $260 million had been wasted just on penalties and interest from late debt payments.

Yet despite the controversy over the cost, Kenya has been keen to finish the line.

President William Ruto broke ground on the next phase in Narok County on Thursday, arguing that it will “catalyse regional economic growth, and firmly position Kenya as a leading transport and logistics hub in eastern and central Africa”, while creating jobs and reducing road congestion.

We have thought through this project (and)… its finance,” he insisted.

Ruto is due to meet his Ugandan counterpart, Yoweri Museveni, in Kisumu near the Kenya-Uganda border, where the line is due to reach by June 2027 if the ambitious building schedule is to be believed.

The next phase will then take the line to Malaba, a town on the border.

Treasury estimates say the overall cost will be more than 500 billion shillings ($3.9 billion), according to Kenya’s Business Daily.

Kenya is not taking more cash from Chinese banks this time — instead borrowing against future cargo taxes — though it is partnering with Chinese transport firms to build the new phase.

China lent Kenya $9.7 billion between 2000 and 2019, according to the Chinese Loans to Africa Database by Boston University, with around half of that going to the railway.

It stopped lending from 2020 to 2023 as Kenya struggled to make repayments, at a time when China revised its broader lending strategy to Africa.

Kenya considers the railway extension crucial for strengthening trade through east and central Africa, hoping to reach landlocked countries such as Uganda, Rwanda, South Sudan and the mineral-rich Democratic Republic of Congo.

AFP

Saudi Arabia’s foreign ministry condemned on Saturday Israel’s strikes on Syrian army camps as “aggression”, joining other Arab nations and Turkey in calling on the international community to intervene.

Israel’s military said on Friday it had struck southern Syria in response to what it called attacks against the Druze community in Sweida province.

Israel had bombed Syria during a deadly bout of sectarian violence last year, saying it was acting to defend the minority group.

The Saudi foreign ministry said in a statement that the kingdom condemned “the blatant Israeli aggression… in flagrant violation of international law and Syrian sovereignty”.

It urged the international community “to put an end to Israel’s violations of international laws and norms”.

The Turkish foreign ministry earlier called the Israeli attack “a dangerous escalation” that must be stopped.

Egypt, Jordan, Qatar and Kuwait all joined in condemning the Israeli strikes, stressing the need to ensure Syria’s sovereignty and the global community’s role in preventing such attacks.

Cairo’s foreign ministry urged “the UN Security Council to assume its responsibilities and take immediate action to put an end to these ongoing Israeli violations and attacks”.

The Israeli strikes came as war roiled the Middle East after the US and Israel attacked Iran on February 28, sparking a conflict that has engulfed much of the region, although Syria has avoided being dragged into it.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) reported on Thursday that clashes with government forces in Sweida province left at least four Druze fighters dead.

Israeli shelling later hit residential neighbourhoods in Sweida city, the Observatory said.

After the overthrow of Syria’s longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad in December 2024, Israel moved its forces into the UN-patrolled demilitarised zone on the Israeli-annexed Golan Heights, and has carried out hundreds of strikes in Syria as well as regular incursions.

The military said on Friday it “will not allow harm to come to Druze in Syria and will continue to act for their protection”.

The Syrian foreign ministry denounced an “outrageous assault on Syria’s sovereignty and territorial integrity” and called the Israeli justification “flimsy pretexts and fabricated excuses”.

President Ahmed al-Sharaa said on Friday that he was working “to keep Syria away from any conflict” and that his government was on good terms “with all neighbouring states”.

AFP

Britain has authorised the United States to use its bases to strike Iranian sites threatening the Strait of Hormuz shipping lane, the government said Friday.

A spokesperson said ministers met and “confirmed that the agreement for the US to use UK bases in the collective self-defence of the region includes US defensive operations to degrade the missile sites and capabilities being used to attack ships in the Strait of Hormuz”.

Since the war began on February 28, Britain has allowed the US to use two bases for defensive operations and has deployed air assets to support allies targeted by Tehran’s regional retaliatory campaign.

Culled from vanguard

Iran’s Supreme leader Mojtaba Khamenei said Friday the country had dealt its enemies a “dizzying blow” in the war with the United States and Israel, as fresh blasts hit Tehran on the first day of the Persian New Year festival.

Israel accused Tehran of an “attack on the holy sites” of Jerusalem, after a blast blew a crater in the Old CIty a few hundred metres from the Al-Aqsa Mosque, the Western Wall and the Church of the Holy Sepulchre

Khamenei has not appeared in public since being named to succeed his father Ali Khamenei, who was killed in Israeli airstrikes at the start of the war that has engulfed the region, and has only issued written statements.

Iranians have “dealt him (the enemy) a dizzying blow so that he now starts uttering contradictory words and nonsense,” Khamenei said in a written message for Nowruz, the Persian New Year.

“At the moment, due to the particular unity that has been created between you our compatriots — despite all the differences in religious, intellectual, cultural and political origins — the enemy has been defeated,” Khamenei said in the message.

The statement of defiance came as Iranians marked a muted Nowruz under the shadow of a war now approaching its fourth week.

AFP journalists heard several blasts in Tehran on Friday, from the eastern and northern parts of the city.

In the Iranian capital’s markets, shoppers were out in force buying new clothes and gifts, although sidewalks were less packed than usual for this time of year, with many people having fled north, AFP correspondents said.

– ‘Decimated’ –

Huge banners bearing images of Nowruz, which begins officially in the evening, have replaced portraits of the former leader Ali Khamenei, assassinated on the first day of the war on February 28 by Israel.

Israel said it had confirmed that Ismaeil Ahmadi, the chief of Iran’s Basij paramilitary force, was “eliminated” in a strike earlier this week that also killed its top commander.

Elsewhere in Iran, the Israeli army also targeted a northern region around the Caspian Sea, a popular holiday destination that has so far been largely spared attacks.

And in Jerusalem’s Old City, a blast was caused “Iranian missile fragments”, the Israeli military wrote on X, and drew an angry response from Israel’s foreign ministry.

“The Iranian attack on the holy sites sacred to all three religions reveals the madness of the Iranian regime, which claims to be religious,” the foreign ministry wrote on X, calling it an “Iranian gift” for the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Fitr.

On Thursday Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu indicated that an end to the fighting could be close.

Netanyahu said Iran was “being decimated” and the war was “ending a lot faster than people think”, though he warned a “ground component” may be needed to dislodge the Iranian government.

French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot said “major concessions — a radical change of stance” would be needed from Iran to secure a lasting political end to the war.

– Trump brands allies ‘cowards’ –

The war has sent global energy markets into turmoil, with Iran all but closing the Strait of Hormuz — a crucial transit route for tankers leaving the Gulf — and strikes on oil and gas infrastructure panicking traders.

Drone attacks hit Kuwait’s giant Mina Al-Ahmadi refinery on Friday, causing a fire later brought under control, a day after a direct hit on Qatar’s vital Ras Laffan facility.

US President Donald Trump renewed his attack on his NATO allies, branding them “cowards” for rebuffing his call to send military hardware to reopen Hormuz, which normally carries a fifth of the world’s oil and liquefied natural gas (LNG).

US allies “don’t want to help open the Strait of Hormuz, a simple military maneuver that is the single reason for the high oil prices,” Trump posted on his Truth Social platform

So easy for them to do, with so little risk. COWARDS, and we will REMEMBER!”

Six major international powers, including Britain, France, Germany and Japan said Thursday they were ready to “contribute to appropriate efforts” to secure the strait, without making any specific commitments.

– Energy costs –

Energy analysts and consumers are scrambling to count the cost of Iranian missiles hitting Qatar’s huge Ras Laffan natural gas complex on Thursday.

The attack caused “extensive damage” that Qatar’s state energy company said could cost $20 billion a year in lost revenue and take five years to repair.

That could lead to high energy prices that outlast the conflict, which would increase inflation and lower economic growth.

Short disruptions create price volatility. Sustained damage creates lasting economic shock,” Robert Pape, a political science and military expert at the University of Chicago, wrote on his Substack.

“This is how a regional war becomes an historic global economic crisis.”

Spain became the latest country to take action to cushion the economic impact of the war, announcing a five-billion-euro package including a VAT cut on petrol to slash pump prices.

The war, which has killed thousands and displaced millions, quickly spread to Lebanon where the Israeli military has carried out regular bombardments in response to rocket fire on Israel by Iran ally Hezbollah.

Lebanon’s health ministry said the death toll from Israeli airstrikes on southern and eastern Lebanon as well as on the capital Beirut and its southern suburbs has surpassed 1,000.

NATO has pulled its mission in iraq back to Europe, the alliance said Friday. The mission was in an Iraqi military base in Baghdad’s Green Zone near the US embassy, which has been targeted several times since the start of the war.

AFP

The Presidency has addressed claims surrounding a recently signed migration agreement with the United Kingdom, stressing that the deal applies strictly to Nigerians residing illegally in the UK.

Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Temitope Ajayi, said the clarification became necessary following reports suggesting Nigeria had agreed to accept foreign deportees.

In a statement posted on X on Friday, Ajayi explained that the agreement only concerns Nigerians who lack legal status to live and remain in the UK.

He said: “For clarity, it is important to state that the agreement signed by the Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, during the state visit of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, on behalf of the Government of Nigeria, and the UK Home Secretary, Shabana Mahmood, only relates to Nigerians who do not have legal status to live and remain in the UK.

“The Nigerian government is not taking back non-Nigerians. The UK government is not compelling Nigeria to take those who are not our citizens. This clarification becomes necessary because of those who have already revved up their misinformation machinery.”

Ajayi added that the agreement guarantees that returnees who are Nigerian citizens will be treated with dignity, retain their rights under domestic law, and may re-enter the UK in the future if they meet applicable immigration requirements.

The Ministry of Interior, in a separate statement, noted that the arrangement provides a framework for the dignified return and reintegration of Nigerians without legal residency in the UK.

According to the ministry, the deal includes the use of secure travel documentation, case-by-case identity verification, and safeguards for vulnerable individuals, including potential victims of trafficking.

It also outlines areas of cooperation such as information sharing, capacity building, training, and joint research on migration management and border security.

Recall that Nigeria on Thursday signed the agreement with the UK to facilitate the return of failed asylum seekers, visa overstayers, and convicted offenders, as part of efforts to strengthen migration control and bilateral ties.

The agreement was signed by Tunji-Ojo and Mahmood during President Tinubu’s state visit to the UK, according to the UK Home Office.

Under the deal, the UK can return individuals with no legal right to remain in the country, including failed asylum seekers and foreign national offenders.

It also introduces administrative measures to ease deportation, including allowing Nigeria to accept “UK letters”, alternative identification documents issued to individuals without valid passports, to speed up the process.

culled from vanguard 

Police in the UAE’s Abu Dhabi emirate said on Friday that they arrested more than 100 people for filming and posting misinformation during the Middle East war.

The arrests come as Gulf countries crack down on footage and posts related to Iran’s attacks during the conflict triggered by US and Israeli strikes on the Islamic republic.

Abu Dhabi Police announced the arrest of 109 individuals of various nationalities who filmed sites and incidents and circulated incorrect information via social media platforms during current events,” it said in a statement on X, adding that some had shared “misleading information”.

Such actions are liable to incite public opinion and spread rumors among members of the community,” it added.

The UAE attorney-general has ordered the arrests of 35 people so far for publishing misinformation, filming or publishing footage of incidents related to the war or glorifying “a hostile state and its political and military leadership”.

Similar measures have been taken across the Gulf as Iran hits US assets but also civilian infrastructure including landmarks, oil and and gas facilities, airports and residential areas.

In Qatar, authorities have arrested more than 300 people for sharing images and what they described as “misleading information” during the war.

Bahrain and Kuwait have also made similar moves.

The Gulf has borne the brunt of Iran’s attacks in response to the US-Israeli military campaign.

Culled from vanguard

Findings showed that the 650,000-barrels-per-day refinery owned by Nigerian billionaire Aliko Dangote has received multiple inquiries from governments seeking alternative fuel sources.

South Africa is reportedly seeking a 12-month supply contract, while countries such as Ghana and Kenya have also reached out to the refinery.

The development comes as the Middle East crisis continues to disrupt global fuel supply chains, raising concerns across several regions.

In Africa, the impact is expected to be more pronounced in eastern and southern regions, where about 75 per cent of refined fuel imports come from the Middle East, according to energy consultancy CITAC.

Bloomberg reports that South Africa, in a statement on Wednesday, said it was engaging stakeholders to secure crude oil and refined products from diverse sources as part of efforts to manage potential supply risks.

The government in the statement said it “is actively coordinating with industry stakeholders to secure both crude oil and refined petroleum products from a diversified range of sources.

A comprehensive plan is in place to manage potential supply risks.”

President of the Dangote Group, Aliko Dangote, in an interview with Economist said availability, rather than pricing, had become the key concern in the current situation.

“I think the situation will continue for a while,” he said.

Despite the concerns, South African authorities said the country has sufficient fuel for the coming weeks, while Kenya also indicated there was no immediate threat of shortages.

Despite the concerns, South African authorities said the country has sufficient fuel for the coming weeks, while Kenya also indicated there was no immediate threat of shortages.

Industry data also show that Africa’s dependence on fuel imports has increased due to declining refining capacity in several countries, heightening vulnerability to external shocks.

The Dangote refinery is expected to play a key role in easing supply pressures, although about 75 per cent of its output is reserved for domestic use, with the remainder available for export.

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez announced Friday a sweeping package worth five billion euros ($5.8 billion) aimed at cushioning the economic impact of the Middle East war, including a “drastic reduction” in energy-related taxes.

Speaking after an emergency cabinet meeting, the Socialist leader said the 80-measure package was necessary to shield households and key sectors from surging costs.

“Extraordinary situations require extraordinary responses,” Sanchez said.

The package, set to take effect Saturday following publication in the official gazette, includes cuts to value-added tax on gas and fuel expected to reduce pump prices by as much as 30 euro cents per litre, or roughly 20 euros per tank for the average car.

The government will also slash electricity taxes by 60 percent, suspend a production tax and reduce the value-added tax on electricity to 10 percent from 21 percent.

Additional support includes a direct subsidy of 0.20 euros per litre of fuel for transport operators, farmers, ranchers and fishermen, along with equivalent aid for fertiliser purchases.

Sanchez also announced a decree introducing a “temporary freeze” on rents nationwide, a measure that still requires parliamentary approval after tough negotiations with his coalition partner, the far-left Sumar party.

Clearly, these measures will not prevent the effects of this illegal war from reaching Spain, but they will at least mitigate their impact and make them somewhat more bearable,” Sanchez said.

AFP

A drone from war-torn Sudan killed 17 people when it bombed the border town of Tine in eastern Chad, the Chadian government said Thursday, raising an earlier toll.

The incident late Wednesday was the latest spillover into Chad from the conflict in Sudan, where the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces have been fighting the Sudanese army since April 2023.

The paramilitaries have conducted several operations near the Chad border, leading to deaths on the Chadian side.

Chad shut the border on February 23 in a move it said was aimed at preventing “any risk of the conflict spreading”.

Despite various firm warnings addressed to the different belligerents in the Sudan conflict and the closure of the border… the town of Tine… has again been the target of a drone attack,” a spokesman for the Chadian government said Thursday in a statement.

“This latest assault of extreme gravity has caused the death of 17 of our compatriots and left several others injured,” it added.

Late Wednesday, a military source told AFP a drone attack from Sudan attributed to the RSF had killed 16 people in Tine.

The RSF denied involvement in a post on Telegram, blaming Sudan’s army, its rival in the three-year civil war.

Chadian President Mahamat Idriss Deby called a meeting of the defence and security council during the night.

He ordered the army to “retaliate starting from tonight to any attack coming from Sudan”, according to a presidency statement on social media.

A rocket launched from Sudan caused damage at the end of February in Tine, where 15 soldiers and eight civilians had already been killed as a result of the conflict since late December, according to an AFP tally.

Darfur, a vast region in western Sudan bordering Chad, has been almost entirely controlled by RSF paramilitaries since they captured the city of El-Fasher in October.

On February 21, they claimed control of the border town of Tina, the twin of Tine in Chad, from which it is separated only by the narrow bed of a watercourse that is dry most of the time.

Nearly 1,400 kilometres (870 miles) long and located in a desert region, the border between Chad and Sudan remains porous and difficult to control.

The civil war in Sudan has killed several tens of thousands of people and displaced more than 12 million, nearly one million of them to Chad, according to the UN.

AFP

Nigeria and the United Kingdom have signed a £746 million export finance deal to support the redevelopment of Lagos’ Apapa and Tin Can Island port complexes.

As reported by the BBC, the agreement was finalised during a meeting between Prime Minister Keir Starmer and President Bola Tinubu at Downing Street, London, on Thursday.

The report stated that under the deal, UK Export Finance will guarantee loans for the refurbishment of the two port complexes, adding that the financing arrangement will be coordinated by Citibank.

It stated that as part of the project, British Steel will supply 120,000 tonnes of steel for the port works under a £70 million contract.

According to the report, at least 20 per cent of project components will be sourced from the UK, generating an estimated £236 million in supplier contracts for British companies.

Commenting on the deal, UK Trade Secretary Peter Kyle said, “This deal will reinforce British Steel’s world-class expertise while supporting jobs and growth in Scunthorpe.”

Also speaking during the signing, Starmer described the agreement as “historic,” noting that it is the first time a West African leader has signed such a deal in 37 years.

He added that President Tinubu’s visit marks a significant milestone in bilateral relations.

He added that President Tinubu’s visit marks a significant milestone in bilateral relations.

Speaking before the meeting, President Tinubu said discussions with the UK government would focus on “trade, economic cooperation, and shared challenges — including security and climate change.”

The Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Adegboyega Oyetola, said the port redevelopment would strengthen Nigeria’s role in regional trade.

He said, “This project will strengthen Nigeria’s position as a leading maritime hub in West and Central Africa.”

PUNCH Online reports that Tinubu’s state visit to the UK began on Wednesday, following an invitation from Their Majesties King Charles III and Queen Camilla at Windsor Castle.

The visit also includes plans to sign a Memorandum of Understanding to deepen trade and investment ties between the two countries.

Tinubu was accompanied by a high-profile delegation, including Senate President Godswill Akpabio; Attorney General and Minister of Justice, Prince Lateef Fagbemi; Minister of Solid Minerals, Dele Alake; Minister of Information and National Orientation, Idris Mohammed; and Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Bianca Ojukwu.

Other members of the delegation include Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Wale Edun; Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Dr. Jumoke Oduwole; Minister of Culture and Creative Economy, Hannatu Musawa; Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Bosun Tijani; Minister of Defence, Gen. Christopher Musa; National Security Adviser, Malam Nuhu Ribadu; and Director-General of the National Intelligence Agency, Mohammed Mohammed.

culled from punch

US intelligence concluded Wednesday that Iran was not rebuilding nuclear enrichment capacities destroyed last year by the United States and Israel, contradicting a key justification by President Donald Trump for his ongoing war.

Tulsi Gabbard, a Trump ally who is director of national intelligence, offered mixed signals on the backdrop and outcomes of three weeks of war as she and other officials appeared before Congress

She also assessed that Iran’s leadership remained intact

As a result of Operation Midnight Hammer, Iran’s nuclear enrichment program was obliterated,” Gabbard said in prepared testimony to the Senate intelligence committee, referring to the June 2025 US attack.

“There has been no efforts since then to try to rebuild their enrichment capability,” Gabbard wrote.

She did not repeat the conclusion before cameras. Pressed by a Democratic senator, Gabbard said that she did not have enough time to read the full testimony at the hearing but did not refute the assessment.

Trump has repeatedly said he ordered the attack on Iran alongside Israel on February 28 because of an “imminent threat.”

Trump said after the June 2025 bombing that the United States had completely destroyed Iran’s nuclear sites, but since his latest war he has maintained that Tehran was nonetheless weeks away from a nuclear bomb and that he had to act.

The UN nuclear watchdog and most observers have not supported the finding of an imminent nuclear bomb by Iran, which was negotiating with Trump’s envoys on a deal in the days before the attack.

John Ratcliffe, director the CIA, told senators when asked about the negotiations: “It was very clear that Iran, while they were talking, they had no intentions of following through.”

Policeman of the world’ –

Gabbard herself had been an outspoken opponent of war with Iran as a Democratic congresswoman.

One of her senior aides, Joseph Kent, resigned in protest Tuesday as director of the National Counterterrorism Center, saying that Iran posed no “imminent threat” and that Trump was misled by Israel and media outlets.

Democrats attacked Gabbard over the war, saying she had not proven that Iran posed any threat beyond what it has since the 1979 Islamic revolution.

“President Trump said, we are not the policemen of the world. He ran on that,” Democratic Senator Michael Bennet said.

“Now he’s turned us into the world’s policeman, into its jury, into its judge, into its executioner,” he said.

In her remarks to senators, Gabbard said Iran had been suffering heavy blows in the weeks of attacks — which included the killing of the longtime supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei — but that the Islamic republic was still functioning.

The US intelligence community “assesses the regime in Iran to be intact but largely degraded due to attacks on its leadership and military capabilities,” Gabbard said.

“If a hostile regime survives, it will likely seek to begin a years-long effort to rebuild its military, missiles and UAV forces,” Gabbard said, referring to unmanned aerial vehicles, or drones.

– Russia ‘upper hand’ –

In other findings, Gabbard predicted that Russia would keep pressing its four-year invasion of Ukraine, a war that Trump had vowed to end upon taking office, largely by pressing Kyiv to compromise.

US intelligence “assesses that Russia has maintained the upper hand in the war against Ukraine,” Gabbard said.

US-led negotiations between Moscow and Kiev are ongoing. Until such an agreement is met, Moscow is likely to continue fighting a slow war,” she said.

Gabbard said the United States faced a threat if there were an “escalatory spiral” in Ukraine or elsewhere, which could potentially lead to the use of nuclear weapons.

She said that China was “rapidly” modernizing its military with a goal of being able to seize Taiwan, the self-governing democracy claimed by Beijing.

However, US intelligence “assesses that China likely prefers to set the conditions for an eventual peaceful reunification with Taiwan short of conflict.”

Trump plans to travel in the coming weeks to China, a trip he delayed due to the war in the Mideast.

AFP

Nigeria’s longest serving private domestic airline, Overland Airways, has resumed flight services to Akure from Lagos, effective March 23, 2026.

Overland Airways will operate the Lagos-Akure-Lagos route from Monday to Saturday every week, offering morning arrival and departure into and from Akure.

The flights will depart from Lagos to Akure at 08:30 am and Akure to Lagos at 09:40 am.

Chief Operating Officer of Overland Airways, Mrs Aderonke Emmanuel-James, said: “Overland Airways’ resumption of flight services from Lagos to Akure marks a significant milestone in our commitment to providing reliable and convenient air travel services to the people of Ondo State and adjoining communities across the Southwestern zone of Nigeria. With the existing Abuja-Akure-Abuja flights, it complements and strengthens our dedication to providing safe, excellent and customer-centric air travel services to our passengers. Welcome back and we look forward to seeing you on board.

We have commenced with six days weekly flight services from Lagos to Akure and back to Lagos, catering to the early morning travel needs of our passengers. This schedule is designed with our customers in mind, whether they are travelling for business or leisure. We express our appreciation to our customers and assure them of the consistent and reliable flight services that Overland Airways is noted for.”

Culled from punch

Largest network operating carrier in Africa, Ethiopian Airlines, is set to resume direct passenger service between Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, and Atlanta, United States.

The airline would resume operations on May 21, 2026, after a temporary interruption of the route since February 2026.

According to the airline, the resumption further restores a key connection between Africa and the United States for business and leisure travellers.

The service will reconnect Addis Ababa Bole International Airport with Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, providing customers with greater flexibility and convenient access between Atlanta and the vast Ethiopian network.

Commenting on the service resumption, Ethiopian Airlines Group CEO, Mr Mesfin Tasew, said: “Atlanta is one of the most vibrant markets in the United States, and Ethiopian Airlines is delighted to bring this route back into its network. The route serves growing demand from business travelers, members of the African diaspora, and tourists seeking convenient access to destinations across the African continent.”

Atlanta serves as a major economic and cultural center in the United States and hosts one of the largest African diaspora communities in the country.

The renewed service will provide convenient travel options for passengers connecting to cities across the southeastern United States as well as onward destinations throughout Africa via Addis Ababa. Ethiopian Airlines currently operates flights to multiple destinations across the US and continues to strengthen its transatlantic network as part of its long-term growth strategy.

The Saudi Arabian authorities have declared Friday, March 20, 2026, as the day for the celebration of Eid-el-Fitr after confirming that the crescent moon was not sighted.

This announcement was made known on the HaraminInfo handles across all social media platforms on Wednesday.

“The crescent moon has NOT been sighted in Saudi Arabia. Therefore, #EidAlFitr will be celebrated on Friday, 20th March 2026

May Allāh allow us to utilise the remaining moments of this blessed month to engage in that which pleases Him, may He accept our siyām, qiyām & a’māl and may He allow us to witness many more Ramadāns in good health. Āmīn,” the platform wrote.

Details later…