Senegal’s lawmakers have passed a controversial constitutional reform that expands their powers while curbing those of the president, triggering protests outside parliament. The reforms were passed by an overwhelming majority after heated exchanges in parliament, underscoring an escalating power struggle between President Bassirou Diomaye Faye and his former ally-turned-rival, parliamentary Speaker Ousmane Sonko. The government said the reforms would be put to a national referendum, although no date has been announced. Faye and Sonko came to power together in 2024 on the promise of sweeping reforms, but their alliance has recently fractured, fuelling political uncertainty in the country. Relations between…
Author: Oki Bin Oki
Thousands of people have marched in South Africa’s main cities to demand that all undocumented migrants leave the country. Police officers – backed by private security guards – have been deployed because of fears that protests could turn violent. Anti-migrant groups had set Tuesday as the deadline for undocumented migrants to leave. Many foreigners have already fled to escape violence and intimidation. South African police say 25,000 have been repatriated so far. Most are from other African countries. One undocumented Malawian told the BBC he was “happy to be going back” but “heartbroken” to be leaving behind four young children.…
People granted asylum in the UK face having to pay back around £10,000 towards the cost of their accommodation and support once they start earning, under government plans. The new measures, which are part of the Immigration and Asylum Bill, are aimed at recovering costs from all adults with sufficient funds. Asylum seekers who have the right to work in the UK will have to pay the flat-rate fee before they are eligible to settle permanently. Those whose claims have been rejected and leave the country will have to repay the costs before they can return to the UK. Home…
A manhunt is under way in southern France after a parcel bomb exploded at a residential building in neighbouring Monaco, severely injuring a wealthy Ukrainian businessman. Vadym Yermolaiev, his wife and their 13-year-old son were all injured in the attack, French media report, and are being treated at a hospital in Nice. Yermolaiev and his partner are in critical condition, they say. The blast occurred shortly before 21:00 local time (19:00 GMT) at an apartment building on Rue Révérend Père Louis Frolla, near the border with France. Monaco’s government said the explosion was caused by a parcel bomb. Minister of…
Ford says it has hired back some human engineers after AI failed to match their skills and experience. In a bid to reap the benefits of the tech, which developers claim can cut costs and boost productivity, the US carmaker adopted it across some parts of its operations including for quality checks. But, according to Bloomberg, its executives said the firm has rehired more than 300 “veteran” quality inspectors in recent years to make up for the pitfalls of automated systems. “Artificial intelligence is a fantastic tool, but it’s only as good as the information you use to train it,”…
The US Supreme Court has blocked President Donald Trump’s attempt to fire a governor of the US central bank, in a ruling seen as affirming the Federal Reserve’s independence. In a 5-4 decision, justices from the country’s top court said the administration had not provided Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook sufficient “due process” for her to contest her removal. The decision sends the matter back to lower courts, where the administration will have to prove its allegations that Cook has committed mortgage fraud if it wishes to proceed with the firing and where Cook would have a chance to challenge…
Mass gatherings have been banned in the Democratic Republic of Congo capital, Kinshasa, as well as three other areas, in order to halt the spread of Ebola, the interior minister says. The current outbreak of the deadly disease has so far been detected in three provinces in the east – some 1,800 km (1,100) miles from Kinshasa – but the authorities fear it spreading to the city of 18 million people. The three other provinces affected by the ban – Tshopo, Haut-Uele and Bas-Uele -border those where Ebola has been confirmed. Prominent figures from DR Congo’s opposition parties have criticised…
The US Supreme Court will not hear an appeal requested by President Donald Trump to review the civil case that found he defamed and sexually abused writer E Jean Carroll. A New York jury awarded Carroll $5m (£3.6m) in damages in 2023 over her civil claim that Trump sexually assaulted her in the 1990s, and then branded the incident a hoax on social media. Trump denied the allegations and repeatedly claimed that the judge who oversaw the civil trial improperly allowed evidence to be presented that affected how the jury viewed him. A federal appeals court agreed with the jury’s…
Four women and a man have been killed in a shooting at a youth welfare centre in Stade, northern Germany, police have said. A spokesman said a number of people had been injured, without providing further details. Police earlier told the BBC that two people had been arrested, including the suspected shooter. German media reported all five victims were adults and that the facility housed women and children, citing the police. Officials said there was no further threat to the public after Monday’s shooting just west of Hamburg. The possible motive of the perpetrator was not immediately clear . “Homicides…
Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was killed on February 28, 2026, at the age of 86, during a joint US-Israeli airstrike on his residence in Tehran. The attack also killed several of his family members and senior military commanders and marked the beginning of a widespread conflict in the region. Funeral Schedule: A Six-Day, Multi-City Event The official funeral ceremonies are scheduled to take place over six days, from July 4 to July 9, 2026. July 4-5 (Tehran): Farewell ceremonies will be held at the Imam Khomeini Grand Prayer Grounds (Mosalla). The public farewell will begin at 6:00 AM local time on…
South Korea has unveiled plans for at least $880bn (£666bn) of investments to build out the country’s chip manufacturing and artificial intelligence (AI) capabilities in the coming years. It is part of the country’s so-called Three Mega Projects to develop new chip production hubs, data centres and robotics technology. The plan is aimed at rejuvenating the economies of areas outside the capital Seoul, President Lee Jae-myung said on Monday. It comes as regional rivals like Taiwan, China and Japan are investing heavily in chip factories and other technologies as the AI boom pushes up demand for semiconductors. “We must secure…
The recently released Michael Jackson movie has overtaken Oppenheimer as the highest-grossing biopic of all time, after taking $977m (£739m) at the worldwide box office. Michael was already the biggest ever musical biopic, having leapfrogged 2018’s Bohemian Rhapsody – about the band Queen. But it has now also surpassed director Christopher Nolan’s 2023 film about the American theoretical physicist J Robert Oppenheimer, which previously held the box office record for any film based on a real-life figure. Directed by Antoine Fuqua, Michael tells the story of the late US singer’s journey from being a child star in family group the…
A leading journalists’ body in India has condemned what it says is the denial of voting and passport rights to a former editor. R Rajagopal, who worked at The Telegraph newspaper, says his passport renewal was held up after his name was removed from the electoral roll in West Bengal during a controversial voter list revision. Known as the Special Intensive Revision (SIR), the exercise is being carried out by the Election Commission of India (ECI) to identify ineligible voters. Critics say it has wrongly removed millions of eligible voters, a charge the ECI rejects. In a statement on Sunday,…
Missing Huruma youth Abdulaziz Duba Molu aka Zizo was in 2024 arrested by police over illegal possession of a pistol. Police had rounded up a gang of six and recovered two firearms and 18 rounds of ammunition, in a sting operation conducted in Kayole, Umoja 3 and Kiamaiko in Huruma. Pursuit of the gang comprising two women and four men including Zizo kicked in after Nairobi-based detectives led by crime researchers stationed at the region unearthed a trend in which club-hopping women spike drinks of targeted revellers, mostly those licensed to carry firearms. Once stupefied and knocked out, the women…
One of South Africa’s most senior police officers has survived an attempted assassination in Johannesburg, police say. Suspended deputy crime intelligence boss Maj-Gen Feroz Khan was shot on Sunday evening as he was driving home and has since been rushed to hospital for emergency surgery, local media say. The shooting comes just days before Khan was due to testify at a public inquiry set up to investigate criminality in South Africa’s police force. Khan, alongside two other people, was arrested in May for alleged illegal gold dealing. South African police spokesperson Brig Athlenda Mathe said in a statement released on…