Burkina Faso&nbsp;has officially integrated the Haitian Revolution into its secondary school history curriculumas part of a sweeping educational overhaul for the 2026–2027 academic year. This policy change aims to "decolonize its information space" and reshape how national history, colonialism, and African resistance are taught.Key Elements of the Educational Reform<ul><li>The Haitian Revolution Lesson:&nbsp;﻿Eighth-grade students (classe de 4ème) will learn about the 1791–1804 Haitian uprising, focusing on how enslaved people successfully overthrew French colonial rule to found the world’s first independent Black republic. The lesson covers their strategic triumphs, post-independence challenges, and the historical debt later enforced by France.</li><li>De-linking from Colonial Narrative Spaces:&nbsp;Under President Ibrahim Traoré's government, the revision strips away Eurocentric and colonial-era terminology from textbooks.</li><li>Complete Vocabulary Shift:</li><li class="ql-indent-1">"Explorers" and "conquerors" have been officially renamed&nbsp;"spies" or "invaders".</li><li class="ql-indent-1">"Colonization" is now taught as an&nbsp;"imperialist invasion".</li><li class="ql-indent-1">"Colonies" are referred to as&nbsp;"invaded territories".</li><li class="ql-indent-1">Negative labels like "poor country" or "landlocked country" have been replaced with empowering alternatives like&nbsp;"continental country".</li></ul>This curricular overhaul is designed to foster a generation of conscious citizens by centering African sovereignty, cultural history, and pan-African resistance over traditional European historical narratives.<img src="https://aukisscontent.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/73b47da78IMG_6526.png">

Burkina Faso Overhauls Education, Adds Haitian Revolution to Schools

Nathan

Belize's Minister for Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade Francis Fonseca addresses the 79th session of the United Nations General Assembly, on Sept. 28, 2024. (AP Photo/Pamela Smith, File)Among the 15 nations in the Caribbean Community (Caricom), only a handful still maintain diplomatic and other relations with Taiwan. The others steadfastly support mainland China. However, in the past week, China gave a strong indication that it is willing to punish those who still prefer to deal with its breakaway province rather than Beijing.Setting its sights on Belize, Chinese officials announced economic and administrative sanctions against Belizean Foreign Minister Francis Fonseca, accusing him and Paraguayan Communications Minister Gustavo Villate of being pawns of Taiwan and its ambitions to remain a breakaway province and a staunch ally of the US and Western nations.&nbsp;For Caricom member nations, this marks the first time one of their own, at the level of a senior cabinet minister, has been targeted by Chinese sanctions, as China moved to underscore its displeasure with Belize, St. Lucia, St. Kitts, St. Vincent, and Haiti — the only regional member states maintaining diplomatic relations with Taiwan.“Certain politicians in Paraguay and Belize have willingly served as pawns of the Taiwan authorities in their attempts to seek Taiwan’s independence by soliciting external forces,” Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning told reporters as the sanctions were announced.The sanctions on the two are linked to a freeze of any assets of the ministers in China, Hong Kong, and Macau; restrictions on Chinese firms and individuals conducting business with them; and travel bans to cities and provinces controlled by China. The sanctions kicked in on Monday of last week, Beijing stated. Belizean officials said the moves by the Chinese will probably be of no effect, because the minister individually has no real assets in China, nor commercial bank accounts or other business activities. The government of Prime Minister John Briceno is standing by its minister and doubling down on its choice of Taiwan over China as far as diplomatic recognition goes.“These measures will not alter Belize’s foreign policy, nor will they deter the government from carrying out its responsibilities,” the government said in a statement. “The government of Belize continues to stand fully behind Minister Fonseca. Belize is a sovereign and independent state. The principles of sovereign equality and non-intervention in the affairs of other states are the foundation of the international order on which small states depend for their security and development. The principles of sovereign equality and non-intervention in the affairs of other states are the foundation of the international order on which small states depend for their security and development.”The Caricom nation also moved to remind China of actual development projects involving Taiwan, noting that the “partnership has delivered cooperation in development, health, education, infrastructure, the environment, and agriculture for the benefit of the Belizean people. Measures directed at an individual for carrying out the lawful duties of his office are unwarranted, and we reject them.”&nbsp;Among those nations that prefer Taiwan, the incumbent administration in St. Vincent had pledged on the campaign trail, before winning general elections in late November 2025, that it would have dumped Taipei but it is yet to do since Taiwan quickly stepped up aid levels to the federations with the Grenadines and increased the number of scholarships. On a recent visit to Taiwan, Prime Minister Godwin Friday received a red carpet welcome as he publicly played up Taiwan’s usefulness as far as development aid is concerned.The move against the Belizean minister appears to underscore the fight between the two for national hearts and minds as the U.S. has been stepping up its efforts to reduce China’s growing geopolitical influence in the Caribbean. For example, Antigua’s Prime Minister Gaston Browne publicly compared national relations with China and the U.S. over the weekend, making it clear that it is much easier to deal with Beijing than the U.S. “I can’t even get a call from President Trump, but I can get a meeting with President Xi,” Browne said. “China is the nation’s most important development partner. That shows you the degree of respect that China has extended to Antigua and Barbuda and other small states. There is no other country that has contributed more to our development than the People’s Republic of China during the last three decades.”

China now sanctioning Caribbean nations

RICHARD AKOTO WALLS

President Irfaan Ali and United States Secretary of War Pete Hegseth on Wednesday signed a Joint Declaration for an Enhanced Defence Partnership at the Pentagon in Washington, D.C., committing both countries to closer military cooperation and joint action against drug trafficking and other security threats.According to a government release, the declaration provides for sustained defence expertise, specialised training and joint military exercises involving the Guyana Defence Force (GDF) and the United States military. It also sets out plans to strengthen Guyana’s ability to monitor its airspace and respond to threats within and around its borders.The agreement comes as Guyana and the United States seek closer cooperation against narco-terrorist organisations and drug trafficking networks operating across the hemisphere, the release stated.Under the declaration, the U.S. Department of War will support Guyana’s efforts to build a modern defence system, with cooperation extending across several operational areas. Improved air-domain awareness is also part of the arrangement, allowing Guyana to strengthen its monitoring of activity in its airspace.The two countries are building on their involvement in the Americas Counter Cartel Coalition and the Shield of the Americas, through which they have committed to working against criminal networks and other threats to regional security.The declaration also signals a shared determination to counter state and non-state actors whose activities could threaten Guyana’s sovereignty and the wider region’s stability.For Guyana, the agreement adds to a longstanding security relationship with Washington at a time when the country’s growing economic and strategic importance has brought increased attention to its defence needs.Beyond military cooperation, the relationship covers energy, trade and investment. Wednesday’s signing adds another dimension to those ties, with both countries committing to closer coordination on defence and regional security.

U.S. and Guyana sign enhanced defence pact

FALMOUTH, Trelawny — The Trelawny Police Division has launched its Beat Officer Patrol Division (BOPD) as part of efforts to strengthen police visibility, improve law enforcement and reduce criminal activities in the town of Falmouth.The unit was officially launched last week by Superintendent Velonique Campbell, commanding officer of the Trelawny Police Division, and Deputy Superintendent of Police Shamar Edwards, operations officer.The BOPD will focus on a range of offences and public safety concerns, including drug trafficking, prostitution, larceny and harassment of visitors. Its operations will also include security checks at gas stations and financial institutions, traffic management and enforcement of the Road Traffic Act.The initiative is aimed at promoting proactive policing and improving public safety, particularly in Falmouth’s commercial and tourism sectors.<img src="https://aukisscontent.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/ad243cae8IMG_6232.webp"><h6>Superintendent Velonique Campbell (right), commanding officer of the Trelawny Police Division, and Deputy Superintendent of Police Shamar Edwards, operations officer.</h6>During the launch, the divisional leadership underscored the importance of effective law enforcement and building public confidence in the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF).The team was given a clear directive: “Your mandate is to own the town,” emphasising its responsibility to tackle criminal activities, maintain order and ensure a stronger police presence throughout Falmouth.Following the briefing, the cops, accompanied by members of the divisional management team, began their first tour of duty in the town.During the exercise, they engaged business stakeholders and members of the public as part of efforts to strengthen community relations and support crime prevention initiatives.The launch forms part of the division’s continued focus on visible, proactive policing and creating a safer environment for residents, business operators and visitors to Falmouth._Source: Jamaican Observer

Trelawny police launch beat patrol unit to tackle crime in Falmouth

Guyana, one of the world's newest oil exporters, is poised to surpass one million barrels per day in crude oil exports for the first time this December, marking another extraordinary milestone for the small South American country.According to Bloomberg, December's preliminary loading schedule includes 33 million barrels of crude exports, equivalent to approximately 1.06 million bpd. The first shipment of the country's new Uaru crude grade is scheduled for December 11–12, with total Uaru exports expected to reach four million barrels during the month.The achievement is particularly remarkable considering the country produced virtually no crude oil just seven years ago.<h3>From First Oil to One Million Barrels per Day</h3>Guyana's hydrocarbon development began in 2015, when ExxonMobil discovered significant oil resources in the offshore Stabroek Block. Commercial production followed in December 2019, with the Liza Phase 1 development and its Liza Destiny floating production, storage and offloading (FPSO) vessel initially designed to produce 120,000 bpd.The expansion has been relentless ever since.In February 2022, ExxonMobil brought the Liza Unity FPSO online, adding approximately 220,000 bpd of capacity. November 2023 saw the arrival of Prosperity at the Payara development, followed by the ONE GUYANA FPSO at Yellowtail in August 2025, adding another 250,000 bpd.By November 2025, ExxonMobil had confirmed that production had reached 900,000 bpd.The latest milestone follows another historic achievement: in September 2026, ExxonMobil announced that cumulative production from the Stabroek Block had surpassed one billion barrels.<h3>Three More FPSOs Are Coming</h3>And Guyana's production boom is only just getting started.The next major addition is the $12.7 billion Uaru project, developed around the Errea Wittu FPSO, which arrived off the coast of Guyana in August 2026. Built by Japan's MODEC, the vessel has a production capacity of 250,000 bpd and storage capacity of approximately two million barrels. Its December export debut will mark Guyana's fifth producing development.The sixth project, Whiptail, is scheduled to begin operations in late 2027. Its Jaguar FPSO, being developed by Dutch company SBM Offshore, will add another 250,000 bpd, potentially lifting national production capacity toward 1.3 million bpd.The seventh development, Hammerhead, received final investment approval in September 2025. The $6.8 billion project is slated to begin producing in 2029, adding another 150,000 bpd through a new FPSO.Beyond that, ExxonMobil is advancing Longtail, its eighth development, targeting startup in 2030. Unlike earlier projects, Longtail will focus heavily on natural gas and condensate production. While the export destinations for Longtail's gas and condensate remain unknown, ExxonMobil may use some of the gas to inject into its current production wells in order to maximize output. Guyana's government is currently reviewing its development plan and production license application.Together, the eight developments could lift installed production capacity to approximately 1.7 million barrels per day by 2030.<h3>Hydrocarbons boost economic growth in Guyana</h3>The expansion is transforming Guyana's economy. In its October 2026 assessment, the IMF reported that Guyana's economy grew more than 19% in 2025, with its Natural Resource Fund accumulating approximately $3.3 billion by year-end.As Oilprice.com previously reported, Guyana's emergence as a major non-OPEC producer has become particularly significant amid Middle Eastern supply disruptions and mounting concerns over the security of oil shipments through the Strait of Hormuz.For a country that only entered the global oil market in 2019, crossing the million-barrel export threshold represents a remarkable achievement. And with several more massive FPSOs scheduled to arrive before the decade is over, Guyana's rise as a global oil powerhouse may only be getting started.

Guyana Oil Exports Set to Surpass 1 Million Barrels per Day for First Time

Airbnb hosts can set only “reasonable” housecleaning duties for guests, according to new guidelines rolled out by the tech giant, with tasks such as dishwashing and bed stripping now the sole responsibility of homeowners.While Airbnb bookings have always included cleaning fees, there hadn’t been universal policies on what hosts can ask their renters to complete.But now,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.airbnb.com.au/help/article/4168" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">starting with rentals on Nov. 20</a>, Airbnb will limit those guest responsibilities to “set clear expectations” for hosts whose house rules must be “reasonable and comply with” the new requirements.Hosts cannot ask “guests to complete tasks that require significant effort or time, or would typically be performed by a cleaner, including stripping the bed, taking trash offsite, or washing and putting away dishes,”&nbsp;<a href="https://www.airbnb.com.au/help/article/4168" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Airbnb said</a>.<img src="https://aukisscontent.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/8054c58a1IMG_6462.jpeg">The new guidelines come after years of customer complaints, travel industry expert Clint Henderson told NBC News.“So this is pretty major for consumers,” said Henderson, managing editor and spokesperson for the travel industry website The Points Guy.“The complaints have been really ramping up lately with owners asking guests to do the most ridiculous things, like stripping beds, washing dishes, doing all the laundry and taking the trash out,” Henderson said.&nbsp;“It’s just gotten really out of hand,” he said. “And from a consumer’s perspective, it’s like, ‘Why am I going to stay at Airbnb when I have to do chores?’”While Airbnb host Gabriel Valk, of Greenville, South Carolina, believes small tasks like dishwashing and bed stripping should be “common courtesy” performed by guests, he understands why Airbnb would institute the clearer guidelines.“But I do understand the pushback,” Valk said, citing the service fees that are supposed to cover cleaning costs.&nbsp;“OK, you guys are paying, whatever, $100 for the cleaning. ‘We shouldn’t have to do anything,’” he imagined the guests saying. “So totally makes sense to me.”Airbnb had to give guests a break or risk consumers’ flocking back to traditional hotels, according to Henderson.“Why [stay at an Airbnb] when I can stay at a hotel and not have to do all that busywork?” he said. “And these days, Airbnb is as expensive, with all the fees and everything, as a hotel is. So I think Airbnb has lost some of its competitive edge over the years.”_Source: NBC NewsBy&nbsp;<a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/author/david-k-li-ncpn915856" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">David K. Li</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;Sara Macias

Airbnb says guests shouldn't have to wash dishes as new rules take effect

Aliko Dangote’s refinery IPO has reportedly received $4.78 billion in orders from Nigerian investors. [Dangote Group]Dangote refinery’s $1.6 billion initial public offering has reportedly received $4.78 billion (₦6.4 trillion) in orders.Domestic and retail investors provided as much as $1.6 billion in fully funded commitments before international demand was accommodated.Investors from 119 countries, including all 54 African countries, reportedly sought allocations.The proceeds will partly finance a $14.3 billion expansion designed to double refining capacity by 2029.The reported order book is approximately three times the $1.6 billion (₦2.15 trillion) that Dangote Petroleum Refinery and Petrochemicals initially sought from investors.Two people familiar with the transaction told Reuters⁠ that the orders came from Nigerian retail and institutional investors.More than two million investors had submitted applications through digital channels, according to one of the sources.Bloomberg also said domestic and retail investors had provided between $1.5 billion and $1.6 billion in fully funded commitments before international demand was accommodated.The two figures reflect different measures. Bloomberg referred to fully funded commitments from domestic and retail investors, while Reuters reported the wider value of orders from Nigerian retail and institutional investors.Bloomberg’s sources said investors from 119 countries had applied for access to the offering. They included investors from all 54 African countries.International demand could exceed the remaining shares even if Dangote activates a 30% over-allotment option, according to the sources.Exercising the option could increase the size of the IPO from $1.6 billion to approximately $2.1 billion. However, Dangote has not formally announced that it will do so.The refinery offered 4.1 billion new shares at $0.39 (₦525) each. The minimum application was 10 shares, costing approximately $3.93 (₦5,250).Dangote has promoted the share sale as “The People’s IPO” and aims to attract as many as 10 million retail investors.“With a minimum subscription of just 10 shares, the offer is designed to give ordinary Nigerians and Africans an opportunity to own a stake in the refinery,” Dangote said when the IPO was launched.The offer price gives the refinery an implied valuation of approximately $47 billion, making it one of Africa’s most valuable companies.IPO proceeds will finance part of Dangote’s $14.3 billion plan to double refining capacity by 2029. Photo: Bloomberg<h2>IPO will fund part of Dangote’s $14.3 billion refinery expansion</h2>Dangote opened the offer on September 14 and initially planned to close subscriptions on October 13.The company subsequently extended the deadline by two weeks to October 27 to allow investors outside Nigeria to complete account-opening, identity-verification and regulatory requirements.The offer officially closed on Tuesday. The company has not published its final subscription figures.Its issuing houses are expected to collate applications before submitting a proposed basis of allotment to Nigeria’s Securities and Exchange Commission.Investors may receive fewer shares than they requested if final demand exceeds the number available. Surplus application funds will be returned after regulators approve the allotment.The shares are expected to begin trading on the Nigerian Exchange after the allotment and settlement processes are completed.The IPO is an offer for subscription, meaning the refinery is issuing new shares and will receive the proceeds.Dangote’s prospectus shows that net proceeds of approximately $1.58 billion (₦2.11 trillion) will be invested in its refinery expansion programme.The company estimates that the complete expansion will require approximately $14.3 billion over five years. The IPO will therefore finance only part of the project.The balance is expected to come from internally generated cash, debt, trade finance and other project-financing arrangements.About $513 million (₦686.5 billion), representing 32.5% of the net proceeds, has been allocated to refinery processing units and major equipment.Another $629 million (₦841 billion), or 39.8%, will finance utilities and associated infrastructure. The remaining $436 million (₦583.5 billion) will fund construction, installation and other expansion work.The refinery currently processes approximately 700,000 barrels of crude oil per day. Dangote plans to add another 700,000 barrels per day, taking capacity to 1.4 million by 2029.The complex began commercial operations in 2024 and has expanded exports of petroleum products, including jet fuel supplied to European and African markets.Doubling its capacity would extend Dangote’s influence beyond Nigeria and make the refinery an increasingly important supplier to international fuel markets.Final allotment figures will determine whether the company exercises its over-allotment option and whether the reported $4.78 billion order book translates into completed share purchases.

Demand for Aliko Dangote’s refinery IPO reportedly reaches three times its $1.6 billion target across 119 countries

A record-setting cyberattack targeting the world’s largest cryptocurrency exchange rocked the digital assets industry Friday, delivering another blow to a sector already struggling to achieve mainstream adoption.The exchange, Binance, announced late Thursday that more than $6 billion appeared to have moved through wallets connected to a security breach, the highest dollar amount ever associated with a crypto cyber attack. Around $3 billion of that had potentially been located and frozen across several exchanges, though it was not immediately clear if those funds were recoverable.It was not immediately clear whether hackers were able to access individual customer accounts or holdings. Binance co-CEO Richard Teng&nbsp;<a href="https://x.com/_RichardTeng/status/2116176335722913865" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">released a video statement</a>&nbsp;Friday morning that sought to reassure platform users that only Binance’s corporate holdings were targeted.&nbsp;“Your assets are safe,” he said, adding the platform had preexisting reserves totaling more than $1 billion designed to cover customer losses, and that it was setting aside an additional $6 billion from its $167 billion balance sheet to shore up further losses.&nbsp;“Binance will absorb the financial impact of these stolen funds, not our users,” Teng said in an&nbsp;<a href="https://x.com/_RichardTeng/status/2116259036903669855" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">X </a> post late Friday.&nbsp;U.S. officials said they are working with Binance to investigate the hack.President Donald Trump said his administration was “looking at” the incident, telling reporters Friday he was reassured by Binance’s pledge to reimburse any losses.&nbsp;The Secret Service said it was working with private-sector partners to identify, freeze, trace and recover funds stolen from Binance, but that the investigation remained in early stages.&nbsp;The hack is the latest setback for crypto, which continues to reckon with a reputation for being too volatile — and too vulnerable to criminal activity — for widespread use. The scale of the hack echoes collapse of crypto exchange FTX, which, though not the result of a cyberattack, led to billions in losses.&nbsp;The renewed doubts were reflected in the value of Bitcoin, which dropped as much as 5% to below $76,000, accelerating a month-long downturn. Other affected cryptocurrencies fell as much as 9%.The crypto industry was already recovering from the failure in Congress of the Clarity Act, a bill that would have granted comprehensive legal protections for crypto assets in the U.S.&nbsp;Despite bipartisan support for the core elements of the legislation, its passage was torpedoed by a battle over conflict-of-interest rules for elected officials, notably President Donald Trump.The president has disclosed in filings that he earned more than $1 billion from crypto last year.&nbsp;The Binance hack stands to prolong this reckoning, experts said.“There will be an imperative for Binance to cover losses not only for its own reputation and value, but I expect there will be a level of co-operation within the space as they look at the collective reputational harm this may, rightly or wrongly, cause to the sector,” Laura Clatworthy, head of digital assets at the law firm Edwin Coe, said in a statement.That cooperation was evident in the immediate responses of other mainstream crypto players. Tether and Circle, which operate the world’s two largest stablecoins, both worked quickly to freeze assets implicated in the hack.&nbsp;The Trump-backed crypto platform World Liberty Financial also worked to freeze USD1 and WLFI holdings tracked to the attackers, a spokesperson told NBC News.&nbsp;Most USD1 and WLFI transactions occur on Binance, according to blockchain data.More than $27 million-worth of USD1 was implicated in the attack, the analysis group TRM Labs reported. The group also assessed that $2.4 billion in Bitcoin and Ethereum will never be recovered.&nbsp;The hack’s origins remain murky. The entire heist unfolded in just 20 minutes starting at approximately 4 p.m. ET Thursday.&nbsp;Binance initially said the attack involved a compromised laptop, but that a subsequent investigation uncovered “additional points of breach.”Multiple blockchain analysis firms said the hack had attributes associated with previous operations believed to have been carried out by North Korean actors.&nbsp;Teng, the Binance co-CEO, said Binance’s investigation had not yet identified the attackers.&nbsp;At least one prominent tech CEO could not resist making light of the situation. Elon Musk left a “yikes” emoji in response to an X user who noted that the collapsed crypto exchange FTX had initially also told users their funds were safe amid a wave of losses.Binance co-founder CZ Zhao responded:“Elon, have a lot of respect for you, but bad time to troll. Please stop.”&nbsp;Zhao noted that his SpaceX shares — the product of a Binance-related $500 million investment in Twitter, were now worth more than $1 billion.&nbsp;“Would appreciate if you show a little support. Thanks!”_Source: NBC News

Binance says user funds are safe after thieves make off with billions in largest-ever crypto hack

<ul><li>South African exporters are sending increased shipments of bulk raw materials to East Asia after China launched a zero-tariff policy for African exports.</li><li>The duty-free framework, effective from May 1, 2026, aims to boost industrialization and balanced trade, excluding Eswatini due to its ties with Taiwan.</li><li>Exports of key commodities like chrome, magnetite, iron ore, and corn have surged through South Africa's Port of Ngqura.</li><li>Port officials report exponential growth in cargo volumes bound for China, driven by strong demand and favorable prices.</li></ul>The two-year zero-tariff policy, which officially took effect on May 1, 2026, covers qualifying exports from all African nations (excluding Eswatini due to its cordial relationship with Taiwan) in order to support regional industrialization and balanced trade.Shipments of key commodities, including chrome, magnetite, iron ore, and corn, have surged through South Africa’s deep-water Port of Ngqura in the Eastern Cape Province.Port management reports substantial growth in freight volume moving toward Chinese industrial hubs.Xola Mkontwana, business strategy manager at the Port of Ngqura, revealed that the logistics center experienced "exponential growth" in cargo destined for the Chinese market.As reported by Xinhua, the strategist explained that "the zero-tariff has assisted the throughput for bulk across the port system because there's chrome and magnetite, iron ore, and also corn".Addressing the drivers behind this surge in trade, Mkontwana pointed to rapid industrial and infrastructure growth in China alongside lucrative prices for African agricultural and mining businesses.He observed, "It's the market that is there and the price that is good for the miners and owners".<h2>China expands zero tariffs to Africa while the U.S. raises import duties and cuts foreign aid</h2>While China broadens trade access for African commodities, relations between the United States and several African nations face deepening trade and diplomatic friction.The Trump administration enacted a 12.5% tariff on affected imports from South Africa, Nigeria, and five other African economies on July 24 after completing a Section 301 investigation.U.S. President Donald Trump .[Image Credit: Bloomberg/Getty Images ]Washington issued a "stop-work" order across foreign aid initiatives to review whether overseas funding aligns with U.S. foreign policy priorities.In South Africa, Washington announced plans to phase out roughly $400 million in annual HIV/AIDS support funded through the PEPFAR initiative.According to Business Insider Africa, a U.S. State Department official stated that the decision aims to "promote self-reliance and reduce dependence on American assistance," asserting that South Africa's middle-income status allows it to take on greater financial responsibility for national health programs.Aparently, Beijing's zero-tariff policy draws African economies closer by opening trade opportunities just as U.S. tariffs and aid withdrawals create new trade huddles across the continent._Photo credit: U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping. (Photo: SCMP)

South African exports to China’s 1.4 billion-person market surge as U.S. slaps 12.5% tariffs on Africa

GHIB aims to tap into Asian capital, seeing Asia as a future cornerstone for financing Africa's infrastructure, trade, and agriculture.The bank's CEO highlights China and Asia’s deep savings as crucial for addressing Africa’s development financing needs.GHIB, majority-owned by the Bank of Ghana, strategically connects African markets to global finance through its London base.Amid new domestic financing moves like COCOBOD's $288 million short-term debt, GHIB emphasizes the complementary role of international investors.Chief Executive Officer Ian Greenstreet said Asian investors could help address some of the continent’s financing needs, pointing to the region’s deep institutional savings that could be channelled into infrastructure projects. He described China as an “extremely important” market.The London-based bank, majority-owned by the Bank of Ghana, connects African markets to the international financial system through corporate and institutional banking, trade finance and treasury services. The central bank held a 65.45% equity stake in the lender as of December 2024.<h2>Looking beyond traditional lenders</h2>GHIB’s strategy comes as African countries explore alternative ways to finance economic activity and reduce their reliance on international borrowing arrangements.Ghana’s cocoa regulator, the Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD), recently raised $288 million through domestic short-term debt to finance cocoa purchases from farmers. The issuance marked a shift from its decades-old reliance on syndicated loans arranged by international banks.The debt sale, issued at an interest rate of 11% and due to mature in June 2027, was the first tranche of a planned 16.3 billion-cedi domestic financing programme. COCOBOD has faced financing difficulties since its traditional syndicated loan arrangement collapsed in the 2023/24 season.Greenstreet told Reuters that international capital still had a role to play, as it was highly complementary to some of Africa’s financing needs.<h2>Expanding agricultural financing</h2>GHIB also plans to increase financing for agricultural commodities beyond cocoa, including cotton, as it seeks to support more of Africa’s agricultural value chains.The bank’s ambitions align with broader efforts to strengthen cross-border trade and improve businesses’ access to international markets. In June 2026, GHIB signed a trade finance agreement with the African Development Bank, aimed at expanding support for importers, exporters and financial institutions involved in cross-border commerce.By pursuing Asian investors while expanding its trade finance activities, GHIB hopes to connect more international capital with African businesses and development opportunities.

Ghana International Bank turns to Asia’s deep pockets as Africa seeks new sources of capital to fund its next wave of growth

Ghana has secured offtake agreements with the UAE and Saudi Arabia for semi-finished cocoa products, expanding export options beyond raw beans.The deals, signed in July 2026, cover cocoa liquor, butter, cake, and powder, though specific values and volumes were not disclosed.The agreements align with Dubai’s ambitions in cocoa trading and meet Saudi Arabia’s growing need for cocoa ingredients in its food industry.If sustained, these offtake agreements could help Ghana capture more value from the cocoa sector, diversify its buyer base, and strengthen Africa's industrial export capabilities._Source: Business Insider Africa

World’s 2nd largest cocoa producer eyes new partnerships

September ICE NY cocoa (<a href="https://www.barchart.com/futures/quotes/CC*0/overview" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">CCU26</a>) on Thursday closed up +274 (+5.51%), and July ICE London cocoa #7 (<a href="https://www.barchart.com/futures/quotes/CA*0/overview" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">CAN26</a>) closed up +173 (+4.63%).Cocoa prices extended their two-week-long rally on Thursday, surging to 5.5-month highs.&nbsp;Concerns about the upcoming West African cocoa crop are pushing prices sharply higher.&nbsp;Heavy rains in the Ivory Coast and Ghana have flooded roads and cut off farmers’ access to farms and ports, threatening global supplies.&nbsp;Accumulated June rainfall through Monday has already reached levels near the typical average for the entire month in both countries.&nbsp;Excessive moisture also increases the risk of brown rot disease on cocoa trees, reducing yields and jeopardizing the harvest.Cocoa prices also have underlying medium-term support from future weather concerns.&nbsp;On June 10, Japan’s Meteorological Agency confirmed an El Niño weather pattern had formed across the equatorial Pacific.&nbsp;An El Niño typically brings warmer, drier conditions to West Africa, reducing soil moisture, stressing cocoa trees, and lowering yields.&nbsp;The US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) estimates a 67% chance of a “Super El Niño” this year, one of the strongest ever recorded.&nbsp;Cocoa prices also have support from early surveys of the 2026/27 West African cocoa crop, which show below-average cherelle formation on cocoa trees, signaling a weak outlook for the main cocoa harvest, which begins in October.&nbsp;Cocoa prices were under recent pressure amid signs of abundant supply.&nbsp;On June 11, the Ivory Coast boosted its estimate of cocoa that has reached its ports by more than 260,000 MT so far this season.&nbsp;Cumulative data from the Ivory Coast now show that farmers shipped 1.95 MMT of cocoa to ports in the current marketing year (October 1, 2025, through June 7, 2026), up +18.9% from the same period a year ago.&nbsp;The Ivory Coast recently said its cocoa production in 2025/26 would fall -10.8% y/y to 1.65 MMT from 1.85 MMT in 2024/25.Rising cocoa inventories are bearish for prices.&nbsp;ICE cocoa inventories rose to a 1.75-year high of 2,948,286 bags on Thursday.Weak global cocoa demand is bearish for prices.&nbsp;The National Confectioners Association reported April 23 that North American Q1 cocoa grindings fell -3.8% y/y to 106,087 MT.&nbsp;Also, the European Cocoa Association reported that Q1 European cocoa grindings fell -7.8% y/y to 325,895 MT, a bigger decline than expectations of -6% y/y and the lowest for a Q1 in 17 years.&nbsp;Conversely, the Cocoa Association of Asia reported that Q1 Asian cocoa grindings unexpectedly rose +5.2% y/y to 223,503 MT, stronger than expectations of a decline of -6.7% y/y.&nbsp;Smaller cocoa supplies from Nigeria, the world’s fifth-largest cocoa producer, are supportive for prices.&nbsp;On May 28, Bloomberg reported that Nigerian cocoa exports in April fell -20% y/y to 14,921 MT.&nbsp;Nigeria’s Cocoa Association projects that Nigerian cocoa production in 2025/26 will fall by -11% y/y to 305,000 MT, from a projected 344,000 MT for the 2024/25 crop year.&nbsp;In February, Ghana cut the official price it pays its cocoa farmers by nearly 30% for supplies for the 2025/26 growing season.&nbsp;In March, the Ivory Coast also said it would cut cocoa farmers’ pay by 57%, effective for the mid-crop harvest that began in March.&nbsp;The Ivory Coast and Ghana produce more than half of the world’s cocoa.&nbsp;The outlook for a smaller global cocoa surplus is supportive of cocoa prices.&nbsp;On April 29, StoneX cut its 2026/27 global cocoa surplus estimate to 149,000 MT from a January forecast of 267,000 MT, citing risks to the West African cocoa crop from an expected El Niño weather event.&nbsp;StoneX also cut its 2025/26 global cocoa surplus forecast to 247,000 MT from a January estimate of 287,000 MT.

Cocoa Prices Surge on West African Crop Concerns

Ghana's state-owned cocoa buyer is unable to purchase cocoa from farmers after accumulating debts of 673 million cedis ($60 million) ​that have left it facing an asset seizure, a company source with knowledge of the matter told Reuters.The company, ‌Producer Buying Company, is legally mandated to purchase cocoa from any farmer as a buyer of last resort. The government pledged in February to restore it as the country's leading cocoa buying company.But three months later, PBC owes growers 24 million cedis for over 9,000 bags already delivered and lacks the ​liquidity to resume purchases, the company source said.A consortium of Ghanaian banks owed 257 million cedis secured a court order ​in March to sell off the company's assets, the source said.Ghana's cocoa industry has been in crisis as ⁠it has struggled to sell beans and pay farmers this year due to ample global harvests, lower cocoa prices and falling ​demand from chocolate makers for the ingredient.PBC's woes also stem from a loss of market share - it used to control 30% of the ​domestic market but currently buys less than 5% of cocoa produced in Ghana. Its problems risk further exacerbating financial hardship for Ghana's smallholder farmers, thousands of whom have not been paid for beans delivered since November 2025.The company source, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorised to brief ​the media, said COCOBOD has yet to reimburse PBC for 800 metric tons of cocoa delivered more than two months ago.Under Ghana's ​cocoa system, PBC and other Licensed Buying Companies that purchase cocoa from farmers then sell it to COCOBOD, the market regulator, which sells it ‌on to ⁠international buyers.Neither the finance ministry nor COCOBOD has responded to requests from PBC for support, the source said.The finance ministry and COCOBOD did not respond to requests for comment.Finance Minister Cassiel Ato Forson said in February that the revival of PBC was central to the government's strategy of supporting cocoa farmers, promising a reliable and transparent avenue for growers to sell their product ​at fair prices.The source said ​the minister has since not ⁠had any discussions with the company on the way forward.COCOBOD says it has been disbursing funds to buying companies. But the company source said PBC had not received any money.PBC’s debt includes over 24 ​months of unpaid staff salaries, vendor arrears and outstanding statutory payments, in addition to the 257 ​million cedis owed to ⁠banks, the source said.Two of the five banks in the consortium that secured a court order to sell off PBC assets are state-owned and all report to the finance ministry.SSNIT, the state pension fund and a major shareholder, has been reluctant to inject fresh capital into PBC, ⁠having ​not received expected dividends since its initial investment, the company source said.A structured COCOBOD ​intervention could turn things around, the company source said, if the board directed a share of international buyers towards PBC and released funds for purchases.PBC operates in ​all 127 cocoa-growing districts, giving it a bigger reach than any private company.

Farmers go unpaid as Ghana's indebted state cocoa buyer faces asset seizure, source says

African culinary creator Chef Abbys has for the past few years now been building a reputation for herself as the go-to person for everything African and Ghanaian cuisine. Her short form videos of various food recipes that are easy to replicate have found their way into most homes on the continent and in the diaspora. This has led her to receive accolades such as being named one of TIME 100’s top creators of 2025, getting the chance to cook with TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew and the Mayor of London Sadiq Khan.In extraordinary fashion, Chef Abbys decided to throw a spotlight on her home country Ghana’s cuisine and rich culture during Ghana’s Heritage Month celebration for the month of March. Throughout the whole month, the tour planned by UK-based cultural and creative organization My Runway Group, set out to explore Ghana’s heritage through food and tourism and after 25 days on the road, she completed a groundbreaking tour spanning 12 out of the 16 regions in Ghana. This feat, never before attempted on the African continent, took Chef Abbys beyond the kitchen, into the heart of each community. The 24 videos she created on this journey amassed almost 100 million views across Instagram, TikTok, Snapchat, Facebook, Youtube and X. The feedback has been remarkable with Chef Abbys socials experiencing an 18% increase in just that short period.<img src="https://aukisscontent.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/3e145da1eIMG_5069.JPG">Over the course of this four-week expedition, Chef Abbys traveled from the mountainous terrains of the Eastern Region to the historic castles of the Central Region, from the lush forests of the Ashanti Region to the desert landscapes of the Upper East. Each region presented unique flavors,cuisine, markets, rich traditions, and both expected and unexpected challenges. From navigating remote villages to securing filming permissions at heritage sites, the journey was as much about resilience as it was discovery.Critics and locals alike have praised Chef Abbys for bringing a fresh lens to Ghana’s cultural tapestry. In a series of pop-up cooking demonstrations, each region’s cuisine, culture and tourist destinations were celebrated, drawing millions of views across the world. She got to cook at iconic Ghanaian tourist destinations like the Umbrella Rock, Elmina Castle, Nzulezu Floating Village, Larabanga Mosque, Kintampo Water Falls and even the Desert Safari.Speaking about her experience on the tour, Chef Abbys says, “exploring the 12 regions through food showed me how rich and diverse Ghana truly is. My goal is to make the world see Ghanaian cuisine not as one thing, but as a powerful collection of cultures, flavors, and histories.” She goes on to add that, “what I’ve started is more than a tour, it’s a movement to document, celebrate, and elevate cuisines and cultures from across the world, and I look forward to bringing the tour to other parts of the world.”Beyond the numbers, the impact is seen in a revived pride among locals and a new global curiosity about Ghana’s diverse culinary story. Chef Abbys’s historic journey flips the script for African culinary exploration, one where every region, every bite, and every story is a bridge between the past, present and future.<img src="https://aukisscontent.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/56c4f9867IMG_5163.JPG">Chef Abbys’ approach to food and content creation is very distinct amongst her peers. It’s not just about recipes, plating, or even taste, but for her, it’s about memory, identity, and the quiet power of culture being passed from one generation to the next.&nbsp;Long before the recognition, the awards, and the millions of followers, there was simply a deep curiosity to understand where dishes came from, why they mattered, and how they made people feel. That curiosity would eventually grow into something much bigger than a career.&nbsp;Today, Chef Abbys stands at the center of a new movement in African cuisine. Through her work, she has built a community of over 4 million people across platforms, including more than 2.2 million followers on TikTok. But what makes her influence powerful isn’t just the numbers, it’s the connection. People don’t just watch her content; they feel seen in it.

Chef Abbys Breaks New Ground With A First-of-Its-Kind Culinary and Cultural Journey Across Ghana’s Regions

Cypress

International Breweries, Nigeria’s second-biggest beer maker, is out of the woods at last as it reported its first annual profit since 2017 in the 2025 financial year.The results signal profound relief for AB InBev, the Belgian majority owner, which had endured seven harrowing years of losses.The company booked N50.9 billion in post-tax profit for 2025, relative to a net loss of N113.6 billion the previous year, its audited financial report issued on Friday stated.International Breweries, which owns popular beer brands such as<a href="https://us.budweiser.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">&nbsp;Budweiser</a>, Trophy, Hero and Castle Lite, is worth N739.7 billion in assets, placing it next to Heineken-backed Nigerian Breweries among the country’s top beer manufacturers.Its share price rose by 9.9 per cent to N13.35 in Lagos after the news went public. It is its strongest daily gain since the start of the year.<h3>Rough road to profitability</h3>AB InBev, in 2016, completed the purchase of SAB Miller’s interest in International Breweries, consolidating it with the stake it already held in the brewer, which totalled 72.2 per cent at the time.It proceeded to merge the entity with Intafact Beverages Limited and Pabod Breweries, two other companies where it held controlling stakes, the year after, hoping to unlock greater value from the broader economy of scale the consolidation would deliver.The deal was central to the investor’s strategic push to gain a huge swathe of Africa’s brewery business, following a slowdown in its European and North American operations, and targeted Nigeria as one of the most promising beer markets on the continent.International Breweries started reporting losses in 2018, when it posted negative earnings of N3.9 billion, driven by a 257.6 per cent surge in finance costs and the harmonisation of the accounts of the three entities that went through the business combination.Setting up a greenfield plant as vast as the Sagamu-based Gateway plant, completed at an initial cost of $250 million, added further pressure to its financials, particularly in financing costs and debt levels.Between 2019 and 2020, soaring operating costs and a flattish revenue growth lengthened the chain of losses.Post-tax loss, at its peak, crossed N113 billion in 2024, following four years when foreign exchange losses from a dollar crunch and far-reaching currency reforms in Nigeria hammered earnings.The winning factor that turned the tide last year, apart from an appreciable leap in revenue to N619 billion, was cutting back net foreign exchange loss to N13.7 billion from N165.7 billion.<h3>Free float troubles</h3>As of 2020, AB InBev had upped its shareholding to 87.3 per cent by virtue of a rights issue that raised N164.4 billion for the purpose of moderating the company’s debt level, which had been bloated by the cost of constructing the Gateway factory.Proceeds from another rights issue in 2024 helped it deleverage its balance sheet dramatically, as the cash was used to pay down a balance of $379.9 million on a sticky loan obtained from Citibank six years earlier.AB InBev fully exercised its rights under the share sale, driving its shareholding further up to 96 per cent.Allowing a single investor to own a stake that huge in a public company, to the extent that only 4 per cent of its issued shares are tradable in the open market, has been noted to make its shares hardly available to potential investors, consequently creating artificial scarcity.The practice tends to fuel jumps in share price without justifiable fundamentals to support most of the gains the stock records over time.The main board of the Nigerian Exchange (NGX), on which International Breweries is listed, requires that companies maintain a free float (the minimum number of shares that can be traded publicly) of 20 per cent or at least N40 billion worth of their shares.In a January 2025 disclosure, the brewer said the NGX had extended the deadline it had given the brewer to remedy the shortcoming._Source: Premium Times Nigeria

Nigeria’s second-biggest beer maker posts N51 billion profit after seven years of loss-making

A new prescription eye drop that could potentially allow many people to put down their reading glasses has been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).Known as Vizz, manufactured by pharmaceutical company&nbsp;Lenz, the once-daily drops treat age-related blurry near vision — also known as&nbsp;presbyopia&nbsp;— for up to 10 hours at a time.While it’s not a permanent solution, users may not have to consistently keep reading glasses nearby or put in contact lenses every day.Presbyopia is a common condition found in many people, particularly those over the age of 40, who begin to have difficulty reading words up close as their vision begins to deteriorate with age. Often, they will begin using reading glasses or contact lenses, holding books, phones and other small print farther away, or even increasing the light and font on their screens to see more clearly.According to the manufacturer, Vizz works with the help of a chemical called aceclidine, which creates a&nbsp;“pinhole effect” in the eye, narrowing the pupil in a way similar to a camera lens, which brings close-up objects and text into clearer focus.Unlike previously released eye drops that also help reduce presbyopia by affecting the focusing muscles of the eye, Vizz won’t cause a “zoomed-in” effect or blur distance vision, the&nbsp;company says.Plus, it claims their newly approved drops don’t cause adverse side effects like brow heaviness due to ciliary muscle activation.That’s not to say Vizz eye drops don’t come with any side effects. The&nbsp;FDA guidance&nbsp;says users “may experience temporary dim or dark vision after instillation,” and warns against driving or operating heavy machinery with blurred vision. There’s also a warning to exercise caution while driving at night or participating in other activities in low light.There have also been rare cases of retinal tears and detachments when using miotics, especially in those with pre-existing retinal disease.A certain percentage of patients who used the drug during clinical trials experienced eye irritation (20 per cent) and headache (13 per cent).“This FDA approval represents a disruptive paradigm shift in treatment options for millions of people who are&nbsp;frustrated and strugglingwith the inevitable age-related loss of their near vision,” said Vizz clinical investigator Marc Bloomenstein, from Schwartz Laser Eye Care Center in Scottsdale, Ariz., in a statement.“I believe this will be a welcome solution for both optometrists and ophthalmologists who will now be able to offer a highly effective and sought-after presbyopia treatment that could immediately become the&nbsp;standard of care, with a product profile that will meet our patients’ needs.”Global News has reached out to Health Canada to ask whether the agency was looking to approve Vizz for Canadians, but did not hear back as of press time.A report from Eyes on Eyecare released earlier this summer says that Lenz Therapeutics announced an exclusive licence and commercialization agreement with Théa — a European pharmaceutical company specializing in the research, development and commercialization of ophthalmic products — to&nbsp;help bring Vizz to Canada. So far, they say, no timeline has been established.&nbsp;drug is expected to be broadly available in the U.S. by October of this year.The Canadian Association of Optometrists calls presbyopia a “natural consequence of aging” that becomes noticeable as the eye loses elasticity and flexibility, usually first presenting between the ages of 40 and 45. It typically progresses until the late 40s or early 50s.Statistics collected by Eye Health Central estimate that approximately&nbsp;1.8 billion peopleare living with the condition, with data showing it’s more common in North America; however, better access to eye exams in Canada and the United States could be driving the numbers up._Source: Global News

No more reading glasses? New FDA-approved eye drops can fix your near vision

Summary<ul><li>Outbreak announced in Congo in mid-May now second-largest on record</li><li>Patient was tested 14 days after arriving in Nigeria, 44 contacts identified</li><li>Nigeria last had an Ebola case during West African epidemic in 2014</li><li>New case flew from Uganda after travelling to Congo, Uganda says</li></ul>ABUJA, Oct 21 (Reuters) - Nigeria reported its first Ebola case in more than a decade on Tuesday, becoming ‌the fourth African country and the most populous yet to be affected by an outbreak that health officials have described as the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/why-congos-ebola-outbreak-is-spreading-faster-than-previous-epidemics-2026-08-05/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">fastest-spreading on record</a>.The Ebola species behind the outbreak kills about half of those infected and has no approved treatment or vaccine. Since the first cases were confirmed in Democratic Republic of Congo in May, the disease has killed 4,646 people. Health officials fear misinformation and&nbsp;<a href="https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/how-trumps-america-first-policy-hit-ebola-response-congo-2026-10-06/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">funding ​shortfalls</a>&nbsp;could fuel further spread within the region and across borders.Cases have also been reported in Uganda and, more recently, Kenya. "Ebola is now affecting three ​regions of Africa. The situation demands urgent action and political leadership at the highest level," Africa Centres for Disease Control and ⁠Prevention Director General Jean Kaseya said on X on Wednesday.The Nigerian case involves a Ugandan woman who arrived in Nigeria's capital Abuja via Addis Ababa on October 5, ​Odianosen Ehiakhamen of the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control told Arise TV on Tuesday.She began feeling unwell two days later and sought treatment at a private hospital in Abuja ​on October 11 with malaria-like symptoms, but her condition did not improve, Ehiakhamen said.<h2>CONCERN OF 'PAN-AFRICAN EVENT'</h2>After health officials learned she had recently travelled to Uganda, one of the countries affected by the current outbreak, they tested her for Ebola on October 19. The positive result was confirmed on Tuesday."My concern, now that this has spread from East Africa to West Africa, is that we now ​have a pan-African event, as opposed to a few at-risk countries," said Ayoade Alakija, a Nigerian physician who co-chairs a G7 committee for investment in global health.Alakija ​also noted that it had taken 12 days since the woman fell sick for her to be tested for Ebola, potentially exposing many other people to the infection."Abuja is one of Africa's ‌main cities ... ⁠with air and road connections daily, multiple, across the world. It’s a very different prospect – and that's what worries me — the amount of time it took."Nigerian authorities have identified 44 contacts, most of them healthcare workers. They include the patient's husband, a Swiss national who lives with her in Abuja.<img src="https://aukisscontent.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/73f45b960IMG_6251.jpeg">Officials are also tracing passengers who travelled with her from Uganda to Nigeria but do not believe she was symptomatic during the flight.Health Minister Muhammad Ali Pate told public broadcaster NTA that the woman was in isolation ​and receiving treatment.<h2>UGANDA SAYS IT HAS NO ​ACTIVE EBOLA CASES</h2>Uganda's health ministry said ⁠the woman had travelled to Congo, where more than 9,500 Ebola cases have been recorded across eight provinces.It was not immediately clear where she had been in Congo, and Nigerian authorities have not confirmed that she had visited the country."Travel through Uganda does ​not establish that infection occurred here," Uganda's health ministry said, adding that the country has no active Ebola cases.Uganda reported ​20 cases in May ⁠and June, mostly imported from Congo, but the World Health Organization declared the country&nbsp;<a href="https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/who-says-ebola-outbreak-uganda-over-cases-continue-rise-congo-2026-08-26/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Ebola-free</a>&nbsp;in August.Earlier this month, Kenya reported its first Ebola case, involving a traveller who arrived from Congo via Uganda. The country has since reported&nbsp;<a href="https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/kenya-confirms-new-ebola-case-total-nine-health-ministry-says-2026-10-20/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">nine cases</a>, all linked to the same patient.The spread of Ebola to Kenya raised questions about the effectiveness of&nbsp;<a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/africa/kenya-ebola-case-exposes-gaps-border-screenings-2026-10-07/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">border screening systems</a>&nbsp;designed to ⁠prevent cross-border ​transmission.Pate, Nigeria's health minister, said the country had successfully contained Ebola in 2014 during the West African ​epidemic, the largest outbreak on record.He said Nigeria had the systems in place to respond to the new case._Source: Reuters<h6>Reporting by Elisha Bala-Gbogbo and Camillus Eboh in Abuja; Additional reporting by MacDonald Dzirutwe in Lagos, Elias ​Biryabarema in Kampala, Vincent Mumo Nzilani and George Obulutsa in Nairobi, Clement Bonnerot in Dakar and Jennifer Rigby in London; Editing by Robbie Corey-Boulet, Mark Potter and Alison Williams</h6>

Nigeria reports Ebola case as outbreak reaches West Africa

KINGSTON, Jamaica — Jamaica on Monday welcomed the first cohort of Ghanaian healthcare workers as part of ongoing efforts to strengthen the country’s healthcare workforce and support the delivery of quality healthcare services.The majority of the 43 nurses will be assigned to the Western Regional Health Authority (WRHA), which manages health facilities in St James, Westmoreland, Trelawny and Hanover and the South East Regional Health Authority (SERHA), which oversees Kingston &amp; St Andrew, St Thomas and St Catherine.The nurses, who are specialists in various areas, including critical care, paediatrics, operating theatre, nurse/midwife, emergency, oncology and mental health/psychiatric, will also serve in the other two health regions and at the University Hospital of the West Indies (UHWI).Their arrival follows the signing of a Bilateral Health Cooperation agreement between the two countries earlier this year, which aims to place 400 healthcare workers in Jamaica.“We warmly welcome the Ghanaian nurses and look forward to the valuable contribution they will make to our health system and the people we serve. This is not only in keeping with our Vision for Health 2030 plan but is fully aligned with the Ministry of Health &amp; Wellness Jamaica’s Human Resource for Health (HRH) Stabilisation Strategy,” said Minister of Health &amp; Wellness, Dr Christopher Tufton in a statement on Monday.The ministry said the four-year agreement between Jamaica and Ghana has established a structured framework for the voluntary recruitment and temporary deployment of Ghanaian health professionals, particularly nurses and doctors, to support Jamaica’s healthcare system while promoting bilateral cooperation and ethical international recruitment practices.It added that Jamaica and Ghana will further strengthen their partnership in health through additional technical cooperation in areas such as primary care reform, national health insurance and management of non-communicable diseases, among others.

Jamaica welcomes first cohort of Ghanaian healthcare workers

An Ebola surveillance officer looks at statistics in Nizi, Democratic Republic of Congo, on Friday. The Congo's ongoing Ebola outbreak has become the deadliest in the country's history. (Dieudonne Dirole/The Associated Press)The Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo has killed 2,325 people, government data showed on Sunday, surpassing the toll from the 2018-2020 outbreak to become the deadliest in the country's history.The D.R.C.'s public health institute said in its latest report that confirmed cases had risen to ‌4,945, including 101 new cases detected in the previous 24 hours.The outbreak, the country's 17th, was already the biggest in its history in terms of number of cases — a milestone reached in late July.The latest government data shows that the total number of deaths has surpassed the 2,299 ​deaths recorded in Congo's 2018-2020 outbreak, which was previously the country's ​worst on record.There are now 4,945 confirmed cases, the data showed.Three months after it was formally announced, the outbreak is now dwarfed only by West Africa's 2014-2016 Ebola outbreak ​in which 28,616 cases and 11,310 deaths were recorded across Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone, ⁠according to the World ⁠Health Organization.It took nearly five months from the declaration of ‌that outbreak to hit 1,000 deaths, whereas Congo's current outbreak hit 2,000 deaths in less than three months.There are 4,400 known cases of Ebola in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Officials say there are far more cases that haven’t been recorded. While trials for a vaccine are underway, it’s not ready yet — and as Congo is a central country in Africa, there are concerns the outbreak could spread beyond its borders.The current outbreak is caused by the Bundibugyo species of Ebola, which has no approved vaccines or treatments. The outbreak has gained momentum since it ⁠was declared on May 15, as weak health infrastructure, community resistance and instability hinder the effort to identify and respond to cases.The proportion of people dying from the outbreak after a confirmed infection, known as the case fatality ‌ratio, has risen from about 20 per cent in early June to 46 per cent, according to government data, meaning nearly one in every two confirmed cases is now fatal.Experts say the trend does not indicate the virus has become more lethal. Instead, it points to persistent shortcomings in surveillance, case detection and access to ​care."Normally, as an outbreak progresses, the case fatality ratio should fall as contact tracing improves and patients are identified and treated earlier," said Thomas ⁠Parisch, a public health specialist recently deployed to the Democratic Republic of Congo with Médecins Sans Frontières."Instead, we're still seeing ⁠many cases detected very late, when treatment is less likely to succeed, with many identified only after they ⁠die ⁠in the community."A small number of ​experimental vaccines and therapies are being evaluated, while global health authorities assess whether existing Ebola treatments could offer protection. Evidence ​so far is limited to animal ⁠studies.Motorcycle taxi operators participate in the launch of an Ebola awareness caravan earlier this month to encourage residents to follow preventive measures as authorities seek to prevent a resurgence of the virus in Beni, North Kivu Province, Democratic Republic of Congo. (Gradel Muyisa Mumbere/Reuters)The outbreak earlier spread to neighbouring Uganda, but authorities there managed to limit deaths to two and confirmed cases to 20 before declaring an end to the outbreak in that country last month.Ebola spreads through direct contact with the bodily fluids of infected people, living or dead. It can cause fever, vomiting, diarrhea and, in severe cases, internal and external bleeding.

Democratic Republic of Congo's Ebola outbreak is now the deadliest in its history Government data shows the outbreak has killed 2,325 people

Recent alerts over counterfeit cancer and antimalarial medicines have renewed concerns about Nigeria’s long-running fake drug crisis. Despite repeated regulatory crackdowns, falsified medicines continue to infiltrate the pharmaceutical supply chain, exposing millions of Nigerians to ineffective and potentially dangerous treatments.For Oladele, a Nigerian living in the United Kingdom, the call from home carried devastating news. His younger brother had taken antimalarial medication for what was believed to be a routine bout of malaria. Instead of recovering, he developed kidney complications. The family later suspected the medicines were counterfeit.Oladele’s experience is not an isolated one. Across Nigeria, reports of suspected counterfeit medicines continue to surface, even as regulators intensify efforts to remove falsified products from circulation.His account, shared publicly on social media in May 2026, came amid a series of alerts from a government agency responsible for overseeing drug registration, importation, manufacture and quality control in the country, the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), warning of counterfeit drugs circulating within the country’s pharmaceutical supply chain.The alerts, coupled with repeated seizures of counterfeit medicines, suggest that despite sustained enforcement efforts, falsified products continue to find their way into the hands of patients.The persistence of fake medicines is not a new problem in Nigeria. For decades, the country has battled counterfeit and substandard pharmaceuticals that undermine treatment, erode public confidence in the health system and, in some cases, contribute to preventable deaths. However, recent incidents suggest the problem is evolving, affecting both highly specialised medicines used in hospitals and everyday treatments relied upon by millions of Nigerians.From cancer wards to malaria treatmentIn March 2026, NAFDAC issued a public alert warning healthcare professionals, distributors and the public about confirmed counterfeit versions of Avastin (bevacizumab) and Tecentriq (Atezolizumab) circulating in Nigeria.Manufactured by Roche, Avastin is a monoclonal antibody used to treat several cancers, including colorectal cancer, non-small cell lung cancer, cervical cancer, ovarian cancer and glioblastoma while Tecentriq is used in the management of the cancers of the lung and liver. Because of their specialised use, the medicine is typically administered in hospitals under the supervision of oncologists.According to NAFDAC, the counterfeit products were identified following reports from Roche, which detected falsified versions of the medicine in Nigeria’s supply chain. The agency urged healthcare providers to carefully verify product authenticity and immediately report suspected counterfeit medicines.A vial of Avastin and Tecentriq cost about ₦1.1 million and ₦9.7 million, respectively, according to information from a licensed online pharmacy, HubPharm Pharmaceutical Limited, operating in Nigeria.Barely a month later, NAFDAC issued another public alert, this time warning about the circulation of counterfeit brands of Proguanil 100 mg tablets, specifically Projeanil and Re-granil. Proguanil is an antimalarial medicine commonly used to prevent and treat malaria.The back-to-back alerts suggest that counterfeiters are targeting medicines across vastly different therapeutic areas from expensive oncology drugs used in specialist hospitals to affordable antimalarial medicines commonly used by the general public.While counterfeit cancer medicines can deny patients life-saving treatment or allow disease to progress unchecked, fake antimalarial drugs may lead to treatment failure, severe illness and even death. They may also contribute to the growing challenge of antimalarial drug resistance.Enforcement continues, but counterfeit medicines persistIn May, NAFDAC announced another major enforcement operation, destroying counterfeit, expired and unwholesome products worth more than ₦1.8 billion in Abuja.The destroyed products included banned substances and improperly stored medical products considered unsafe for public use. According to the agency, the products had been seized during raids, surveillance activities and routine regulatory enforcement.The operation showed the scale of efforts to remove dangerous medicines from circulation. Yet the repeated discoveries of counterfeit medicines also raise difficult questions about how such products continue to penetrate Nigeria’s pharmaceutical supply chain.Each seizure represents medicines intercepted before reaching consumers. But the recent alerts involving Avastin and Proguanil suggest that some counterfeit products continue to evade detection until they have already entered the market.When fake medicines reach patientsUnlike the counterfeit Avastin and Proguanil cases, which were identified through regulatory surveillance, Oladele’s account illustrates what can happen when suspected fake medicines are consumed before concerns are raised.According to his social media post, his younger brother developed kidney complications after taking counterfeit antimalarial medication. Although the precise circumstances surrounding the medicine’s purchase and authenticity remain unclear, the incident resonated with many Nigerians who responded by sharing similar experiences of medicines that appeared ineffective or caused unexpected complications.Whether through treatment failure, toxic ingredients or incorrect dosages, counterfeit medicines can have devastating consequences. Patients may unknowingly continue taking ineffective medicines while their illnesses worsen, losing valuable time before receiving appropriate treatment.For malaria, delayed or ineffective treatment can rapidly become life-threatening, particularly among young children, pregnant women and other vulnerable groups. For cancers and other chronic illnesses, counterfeit medicines may undermine carefully planned treatment regimens, reducing the chances of successful outcomes.Dr Dasola Amusat while recounting her experience said she had encountered patients whose clinical response raised suspicion that they had received counterfeit or substandard medicines. In one instance, she explained, a patient failed to respond to treatment despite receiving the same medication and dosage that had produced good outcomes in another patient with the same condition.“We used the same drug and the same dosage for another patient with the same condition, and that patient responded well. That difference in response made us suspect that the medicine may not have been genuine,” she said.According to her, counterfeit medicines can have serious consequences for patients beyond the immediate failure of treatment. She noted that ineffective medicines often prolong illness, resulting in longer hospital stays and increasing patients’ exposure to hospital-acquired infections and other complications.The physician said it is not always difficult for experienced clinicians to suspect when counterfeit medicines may be involved. Over time, she explained, doctors become familiar with brands that consistently produce good clinical outcomes and often recommend those products when prescribing medications.“It is not always difficult. Physicians become familiar with brands that consistently work, and we often insist on those brands because of our experience with their effectiveness,” she said.To reduce the risk of purchasing counterfeit medicines, she advised patients to obtain exactly the brand prescribed by their healthcare provider rather than substituting it with another product without professional guidance.“Patients should make every effort to buy the exact brand prescribed by their doctor instead of switching to another brand on their own,” she advised.A long-standing problem with evolving risksNigeria has long battled counterfeit and substandard medicines but the problem has remained stubbornly persistent.One reason is that counterfeiters have become increasingly sophisticated. Rather than producing crude imitations, many now replicate packaging, holograms, batch numbers and fake NAFDAC registration numbers that closely resemble genuine products, making falsified medicines difficult for consumers and sometimes even healthcare professionals to distinguish from authentic ones.&nbsp;In some cases, counterfeit medicines are designed to mimic legitimate products so closely that they are only identified after laboratory testing or verification by manufacturers.The persistence of the problem is also driven by systemic weaknesses within Nigeria’s pharmaceutical supply chain. Counterfeiters continue to exploit gaps in importation, wholesale distribution, retail supply chains and regulatory oversight to introduce falsified medicines into the market.&nbsp;Previous reporting by HealthTabs found that policy inconsistencies, fragmented regulation, weak supply chain traceability and the country’s heavy reliance on imported medicines have also contributed to an environment that counterfeiters continue to exploit.The recent cases involving counterfeit cancer medicines, falsified antimalarial drugs, large-scale regulatory seizures and suspected patient harm suggest that Nigeria’s counterfeit medicine crisis is no longer confined to one category of medicines or one segment of the healthcare system.&nbsp;Instead, it reflects vulnerabilities across the pharmaceutical supply chain, posing a persistent threat to the safety of millions of Nigerians who depend on medicines for effective treatment.A community pharmacist, Pharm. Akeeb Adebayo, in a chat with New York Amsterdam News described counterfeit medicines as one of the biggest challenges facing the Nigerian pharmaceutical sector, saying virtually every category of medicines has been targeted by counterfeiters.“The problem is enormous, he said. “There is hardly any class of drug that has not been counterfeited, from oral medicines to injectables, including induction agents used in anaesthesia. It shows just how widespread the problem has become.”He said advances in counterfeiters’ techniques have made it increasingly difficult for pharmacists to distinguish fake medicines from genuine ones based on appearance alone.&nbsp;According to him, counterfeit drugs often infiltrate the pharmaceutical supply chain through wholesalers and distributors who fail to adequately verify the authenticity of their stock before supplying retailers.&nbsp;He therefore emphasized the importance of purchasing medicines only through authorized supply chains. He therefore warned members of the public to be cautious of medicines sold at unusually low prices, noting that significant price differences may indicate that a product is counterfeit.&nbsp;NAFDAC alert noted that the counterfeit cancer drugs were sold at significantly lower prices.Counterfeiters have criminal networks that are highly adaptiveA pharmacy intern at NAFDAC, Pharmacist Hajara Yakubu, who clarified she wasn’t speaking on behalf of the agency, said the recent alerts&nbsp;demonstrate that the counterfeit medicine problem extends beyond regulatory enforcement because the conditions that enable fake medicines to enter the market remain largely unchanged.“Nigeria’s pharmaceutical supply chain is extensive and complex,” the intern said. “Raids and seizures remove counterfeit products from circulation, but they do not eliminate the underlying factors that sustain the problem, such as demand for cheaper medicines, weaknesses in parts of the supply chain, porous borders and the high profitability of pharmaceutical counterfeiting.”She added that counterfeiters often operate through highly adaptive criminal networks that quickly alter their distribution channels following enforcement actions. “Addressing the problem therefore requires not only enforcement but also stronger regulation, intelligence-led operations, supply chain oversight, stakeholder collaboration and continuous public education.”She stressed that open drug markets and community pharmacies should not be viewed in the same light. “Open drug markets present a significant regulatory challenge because medicines are often traded through fragmented and poorly traceable distribution networks, which creates opportunities for counterfeiters to enter legitimate supply chains,” the intern said.Community pharmacies were however described as an important part of the solution rather than the problem. She noted that licensed community pharmacies are regulated by the government agency tasked with governing pharmacy education, training and practice, the Pharmacy Council of Nigeria (PCN) and NAFDAC and generally source medicines from legitimate distributors. While isolated lapses may occur, the intern said community pharmacists remain important partners in detecting, reporting and preventing counterfeit medicines.Yakubu said there are several challenges to the fight against counterfeit drugs. She identified maintaining end-to-end visibility across Nigeria’s pharmaceutical supply chain, particularly where distribution channels are fragmented. “Regulators must also keep pace with increasingly sophisticated criminal networks that rapidly adapt to&nbsp;regulatory interventions while ensuring adequate resources for inspections, post-market surveillance, laboratory testing and intelligence gathering across a country as large as Nigeria,” she said.She also emphasized the importance of collaboration among regulators, customs authorities, security agencies, manufacturers and healthcare professionals while also noting that public awareness remains equally critical.For millions of Nigerians, the greatest danger is that counterfeit medicines are becoming increasingly difficult to identify. As counterfeiters grow more sophisticated and exploit weaknesses in the pharmaceutical supply chain, patients may unknowingly receive ineffective or dangerous medicines even when they believe they are doing the right thing.&nbsp;For families like Oladele’s, the consequences are measured not only in failed treatments but in prolonged illness, avoidable suffering and the devastating uncertainty of whether the medicines meant to heal have instead caused harm.

From fake cancer drugs to malaria pills: Inside Nigeria’s counterfeit medicine crisis

The last time Celine Dion was on tour, she and her fans alike were unaware that concert venues (and the rest of the world) were about to close completely for more than a year. The Courage World Tour kicked off in September 2019 and generated more than $100 million before hitting pause in March 2020. On the other side of the COVID-19 shutdown, Dion delayed her return several times before officially canceling the remainder of the tour in 2023 due to her diagnosis with stiff-person syndrome. But don’t fret: Three years later, Dion is back and bigger than ever with record-breaking Boxscore figures.According to figures reported to Billboard Boxscore, the first leg of her residency, titled Celine Dion Paris, wrapped with $125.5 million and 539,000 tickets sold across 16 shows in September and October. Her comeback residency is anchored at Plenitude Arena in Paris (fka La Defense Arena).A single-venue residency is known territory for Dion. A New Day… (2003-07) and Celine (2011-19), both staged at The Colosseum at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas, are the two highest grossing residencies in Boxscore history. The former grossed $385.1 million in 714 shows, and the latter brought in $296.2 million in 427 dates.While Celine Dion Paris has yet to crack the top 10 of the highest grossing residencies, its 16 shows highlight how impressive the nine-figure gross is. On a per-night basis, her 2026 dates averaged $7.8 million — more than 10 times the nightly take from either of her Vegas stints. That surpasses U2’s Sphere residency, which grossed $6.1 million per show to become the fastest grossing residency ever. (Residencies are defined as 10 or more shows at a single venue. Extended stays within a larger tour — such as Harry Styles at Madison Square Garden during Together Together or Shakira in Madrid during the Las Mujeres Ya No Lloran World Tour — do not count).Further, Dion’s average crowd of 33,700 is close to double the next best per-show attendance for any residency in the Boxscore archives. (Billy Joel paced 18,600 tickets during his tenure at Madison Square Garden.) When she claimed her throne in Vegas in the 2000s and 2010s, the most competitive residency venues were The Colosseum at Caesars Palace and MGM’s Dolby Live, topping out at 4,000 and 5,200 seats, respectively. Las Vegas’ Sphere has since blown the door open for arena-sized residencies, selling upward of 15,000 tickets each night for Backstreet Boys, Dead &amp; Company, <a href="https://www.billboard.com/artist/eagles/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Eagles</a> and more. While Dion’s Plenitude Arena is technically an indoor arena, its capacity is stadium sized.Dating back to a December 1990 performance at Montreal’s Theatre St-Denis, Dion has grossed $1.3 billion and sold 9.8 million tickets from a reported 1,517 concerts. More than half of that, in terms of gross, attendance and number of shows, stem from her three residencies.Dion is slated to return to Paris next year with 10 shows from May 8 to 29, likely to sell her 10 millionth ticket — and then some.

CELINE DION MAKES RECORD-BREAKING $125 MILLION COMEBACK IN PARIS

Legendary actor Patrick Stewart has died aged 86 after a "brief and poignant journey" with Alzheimer's and Lewy Body Dementia.&nbsp;His close friend and contemporary&nbsp;Ian McKellen has led tributes, describing him as as a "man to rely on, to admire and in my case, love".&nbsp;Star Trek co-star William Shatner has described him as "the best of us", and the Royal Shakespeare Company has called him a "colossus".His seven-decade career saw him star as Captain Picard in Star Trek, Professor Charles Xavier in X-Men, and take on numerous roles with the Royal Shakespeare Company.Moving effortlessly between genres, he earned multiple awards, including an Olivier Award for his performance in Antony and Cleopatra. He received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and a knighthood from Queen Elizabeth II.But early on in his career, he was told he would "never be a leading man".Born in Mirfield in the West Riding of Yorkshire, his mother was a textile worker and his father a former sergeant major whose experience in Dunkirk shredded his mental health.His love of drama came at school when a teacher introduced him to Shakespeare and encouraged him to perform._Source: BBC

Revered actor Patrick Stewart dies aged 86 after seven-decade career

Antoine Fuqua’s film, which opened April 24, became the first biopic in history to surpass $1 billion worldwide and Lionsgate’s biggest release ever. It also made a star of Jackson, who had never acted professionally before.“I was pretty emotional,” he tells Variety. “I know how proud Michael would be of that, because he was someone who wanted to break many records.”He has fond memories of his family, especially his late uncle. One of his earliest recollections of Michael is asking him for Starbursts — specifically the pink and red ones, his favorite flavors.Bringing Michael to life, however, took two years of preparation before Jackson officially landed the role: building his own archive of songs, demos, journals, rehearsals and performances; working with acting coach Angela Gibbs; and immersing himself in the techniques of Stanislavski, Meisner and Uta Hagen. Nailing his signature voice and tone came first. After the young Jackson sent producer Graham King an unsolicited voice note speaking as Michael, he had a coach the next day. The hardest part came with learning his signature movies, particularly when performing the footwork for “Bad,” which is what closes out the film.But what does it mean to reenact your own family’s history?Colman Domingo plays a grandfather who, Jackson says, was gentler with him than with his father, Jermaine. Nia Long, who plays his grandmother Katherine, would touch his hand in certain scenes the way his grandmother did in real life. His father Jermaine insisted on watching the film for the first time at its Berlin premiere, surrounded by an audience. And the next day, he called his son and told him, he couldn’t tell him apart from his late brother.Jaafar is just trying to take this all in.Read excerpts from his episode below.The interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.That’s correct. I was in Australia for about 40 days, an incredible experience, to shoot my second film and to shoot outside the country, since we shot all of “Michael” in Los Angeles. It was a whole new experience, with a new crew, a new cast and a character completely different from Michael. That excited me.I grew up with a lot of siblings and cousins who visited on weekends and every holiday. About 30 to 40 family members were at the house, so we had lots of game nights and family cookouts, with music playing. I didn’t really realize who my family was until I was around six, when I saw them perform in New York for their 30th anniversary. Hearing the fans scream, I was scared because I didn’t understand how intense it was to see people react to someone like that.I first saw that when my dad and uncles came out on stage as the Jackson 5, and that’s the first memory I can recall of, “Oh, they’re important in some way. They have a huge fan base.”It was always Pictionary. Boys versus girls, no doubt. It was pretty competitive, because the boys always like to brag. I think our streak was like 15 years. I think it was unfair. There are a lot more boys in the family.No. Growing up, I was only focused on golf. I started playing when I was around 4. My dad gave me golf balls to throw before I could properly swing a club, because I was so young. I fell in love with it. He got me a coach to train with once a week, then I joined a young golf club and started playing tournaments and did some charity tournaments with my father. I committed to it full time, every day, until he brought me to a recording studio and had me sit and watch him create from scratch. That shifted what I wanted to do. That was the turning point.Asking him for candy. He always had candy machines or stacks of candy in the movie theater, and I had a problem with an addiction to Starbursts at that age. Pink and red. I would eat too many as a kid. I remember always asking him for candy and wanting to play. He always had the latest games and game consoles, and we’d play hide-and-seek.<h5>In that house, it must have been impossible to find him.</h5>He was the best at it. It was just fun, free-roaming and a blast all the time.I was at home, and I spoke with Antoine [Fuqua] and Graham King individually. We were discussing how crazy a milestone that is. Going into it, you hope and dream it’ll be that successful. I remember that two years before production even started, I wrote down a list of goals I wanted to accomplish and one was to beat “Bohemian Rhapsody” and cross the $1 billion mark. When it did that, I was pretty emotional. I was proud of it, because I know how proud Michael would be. He wanted to break many records, and I couldn’t be more grateful that this did.No, he’s great. I actually got to meet him in Paris during Fashion Week. He couldn’t have been nicer.I haven’t been told anything concrete, but whatever decision is made, I’m more than ready to get back into it and excited for where that goes. I haven’t been told a date or anything solid yet. As far as my schedule, it’s open.It was a massive shoot. I’ve heard many stories from other actors about how much you shoot on a project that doesn’t make it into the final picture. In the editing room, you go through scenes looking for specific performances or takes and things change constantly. So going in, I knew not everything we shot would make it into the final picture. But for me, it was the most rewarding experience because even the things that weren’t used, the experience I got from them, made me a better actor. I feel like that will happen many more times with other projects. You wish a certain performance was in there and it’s not. That’s something you have to deal with when making a film.It’s been a crazy and surreal experience, and it’s all gone so fast. I’m taking it a day at a time. Having those conversations and being here speaking with you has been a great honor, and I’m learning so much. Whatever the studio has in mind, I’ll be there to support the film in any way I need to and I’ll be happy to do that. It’s an exciting time, and it inspires me to want to do more work and challenge myself in many different ways. To be in that conversation is definitely an honor.It started with dissecting and creating a library of footage of Michael. A library of all his songs, demos, writings and journaling, performances and rehearsals. I immersed myself in that every day. It became a full-time job, while I also worked on acting with Angela Gibbs, my head coach, who steered me in the right direction, put me in acting classes and brought in other coaches. I read books on classic teachers like Stanislavski, Meisner and Uta Hagen and studied different approaches, because there are many tools you can use, but they don’t work for every actor. I researched different ways to approach a scene, picked my favorites and then developed new ones that might work for Michael, like the dancing. It was a full immersion, a process that took about two years until I actually knew I had the role. Then it was a different energy and confidence, knowing I had it.The voice came first. The movement was harder. I believe the voice was the first thing that convinced Graham because I sent him a voice note out of nowhere, over text, of me speaking as Michael. He called me and said, “Getting you a coach tomorrow.” That was the turning point.<h5>Fans keep circulating the side-by-side of your “Bad” tour rehearsal with the 1988 concert. What was the hardest move to replicate?</h5>The hardest thing was feeling that true freedom on stage, so it didn’t feel rehearsed or choreographed. It’s very fluid, and that came from repetition, doing it over and over in rehearsal, so when I shot it that day, I could be completely free. I wasn’t thinking about the next move. I was present in the moment. That was the most fun part. But in rehearsal, the most challenging thing was going up on your toes, because doing it over and over hurts you. I did, many times. That move was a problem for me. I had a whole new respect for ballet dancers. Their toes are probably the strongest part of the body.<h5>Colman Domingo plays your grandfather, Joe Jackson. What was it like to film those scenes, knowing your own father lived through many of those tougher moments?</h5>It was eye-opening to act alongside Colman, then see him as my grandfather and have that full-circle moment. It was so seamless. He’d arrive on set, I’d arrive and we’d get right into it. No rehearsals. I loved that, because we discovered things with every new take and Antoine would guide it or let us play. I grew up with a different side of my grandfather, a softer side. He was strict here and there. If you didn’t put your dishes away, he’d make sure you did or finish all your cereal. But the grandfather my father grew up with was more strict and disciplinary and wanted to keep them together as a group. It was a different time, growing up in the ’60s and parents disciplined their kids differently. Seeing how Colman channeled that, telling so much through his stillness, his eyes and the tone of his voice, was amazing to witness.<h5>Seeing it brought to life on screen would be difficult for anyone. How did it feel to be in a scene recreating something that, in theory, could be traumatic for your dad and your whole family?</h5>Of course it’d be very personal, making a film about your own family and then having them watch it. I remember being really nervous about my family going to see it. I didn’t know if I wanted to sit there with them, because I didn’t want to be in my own head about what they thought of my performance. I just wanted them to enjoy it for themselves. Seeing a film about your own family can make a lot of people uncomfortable because you have your own idea of what that is, and it’s hard to capture it in a two-hour film. But the response I got from my family was incredible, and it made me emotional to get those phone calls from my cousins, even my younger cousins who are 12 and 13 and my uncles and aunts. They were so supportive, and I was happy I could bring that emotion out in them and bring them together to experience it.<h5>What did your father say when he saw the film for the first time?</h5>I saw him get emotional because he first saw it at the Berlin premiere, with the crowd, with the fans. I said, “Dad, you sure you want to wait to see it there?” He said, “I’m sure.” He wanted to see it with the audience. I felt a little nervous for him, but he loved it. He had tears when he got on stage afterward. He called me later that night or the next day to say how incredible it was to see his son playing his brother and not be able to tell the difference in so many moments. I told him how high a compliment that is, if I can convince him, me being his son, that I’m actually his brother in that film. It brought back a lot of memories. He said how much he misses Michael and his smile, and that seeing me on screen brought back the presence I brought to some of those quiet moments, especially the energy in the “Bad” performance. He was incredibly proud. That’s the highest reward, to get that from your parents and your family.<h5>We’re at the tail end of Hispanic Heritage Month. In a clip that went viral earlier this year, you said, “I’m half Colombian and a lot of people don’t even know that.” Your mother, Alejandra, was born in Bogotá and you’ve talked about weaving Latin music into your early songs. What does being half Latino mean to you, and how have Latino audiences responded?</h5>The response from the Latin audience has been amazing. I wish I’d had a chance to go down to South America or Mexico City, where I know the response to “Michael” was through the roof. As someone half Colombian, I sometimes feel embarrassed that I don’t know any Spanish. It’s not too late to learn. My mom still has a full Colombian accent, which I love. Every time I call her, I tease her about it. My Colombian side of the family is fairly small compared to my father’s side, and they’re still in Bogotá. I have some family in Mexico I don’t see often, but we keep in touch. My mom makes Colombian food every now and then. That’s a reminder, with the holidays coming up. I haven’t been to Colombia since I was 14, so I plan on going soon. The last time I was in South America was Brazil in 2019. It’s beautiful, and I love that part of the world.<h5>There are complicated feelings around this movie, about where it ends and where part two should go. As a family member who sees Michael through that lens, what’s your message to people who have their own idea of what Michael was about, including the more complicated discussions and allegations from his life?</h5>Finding out who Michael was is in his music. It’s in his lyrics. It’s in the poems he wrote, the videos, the messages he put out, the talks he gave on panels and at universities. It’s in what he devoted so much time to: charities, visiting other countries and visiting countless children. Part two, I can’t say, because I don’t know. It’s not up to me. My job is to come prepared and deliver the best performance I can. But to know Michael, it starts with the music.10 QUESTIONS WITH JAAFAR JACKSON<ol><li>Childhood nickname? Art.</li><li>Something you loved as a kid that you can’t believe you were into? Tarantulas. I have one as a pet now. And toy soldiers. I used to imagine battles with toy soldiers.</li><li>Karaoke song or shower song? I’ve never done karaoke. I’m too shy. I feel like I’d be judged completely. In the shower, I don’t have a favorite. I hum different melodies or make weird instrument sounds if there’s an echo.</li><li>Alternate title for “Michael?” It’d have to be a song title. I’m going to go with “Man in the Mirror.”</li><li>Secret talent? Juggling.</li><li>Favorite ice cream flavor? Easily McConnell’s Sea Salt Cream &amp; Cookies.</li><li>The one item you couldn’t live without? I can live without my phone. Maybe Apple TV, for my movies. I have a big movie collection.</li><li>What TV show or film in history do you wish you’d been a cast member of? “Troy.” Not Brad Pitt’s role, because he played that so well. Hector.</li><li>Fictional character you most relate to or admire? I’m going with Black Panther.</li><li>Favorite piece of advice you’ve received? Not to be jaded. To enjoy the most simple things in life, and that there’s beauty in front of you at all times. Just being present to look at it, not getting taken away by the illusion of what’s in front of a screen, that dopamine intake. Be present, find beauty everywhere and stay curious, with wonderment. You find happiness and joy there a lot more than in other places.</li></ol>

Jaafar Jackson on Playing His Uncle in ‘Michael,’ Losing the Original Third Act and the Upcoming Sequel: ‘My Job Is to Come Prepared’

Universal Music Group has signed a licensing agreement with TYGER, a music service for gamers that uses AI to adapt songs to gameplay in real time.Under the deal, announced today (October 22), select recordings and songs from UMG’s recorded music and publishing catalogs will become available on TYGER’s paid, on-demand subscription service.Some UMG recordings will also be available on TYGER’s free, ad-supported tier.According to the two companies, UMG is the first major music company to license TYGER‘s service.TYGER lets players run music alongside supported games, with licensed tracks adapting to live gameplay via what the company says is its patented technology.The San Diego-based company says its platform does not require integration by game studios and is built to work across PC, console, and mobile.TYGER describes this as a “direct route” for artists, songwriters, and rights holders to reach gaming audiences, while giving players a say over what they hear as they play.The deal arrives seven months after UMG Chairman and CEO Sir Lucian Grainge became the first music executive to take the stage at NVIDIA’s GTC conference in San Jose.Speaking at the event on March 17, Grainge said that “hyper-personalization is something that’s going to be a phenomenal opportunity.”As an example, Grainge pointed to gaming: “It can be an artist from 40 years ago, or it could be an artist that we signed this afternoon, where a fan is actually interacting with it and hyper-personalizing it within a computer game.“So, when they’re driving, they make a turn on a racetrack, it syncopates to the chorus or the verse or the lyric, that means something to them.”Michael Nash, EVP &amp; Chief Digital Officer at UMG, said: “At UMG, we have a well-established track record of exploring and developing new creative and commercial opportunities that enable our artists, songwriters and labels to better connect with music fans.“We believe that music has a more integral role to play in gaming and through this innovative new licensing agreement with TYGER, our artists and their music will now be able to soundtrack personalized gameplay experiences and connect with millions of gamers and fans around the world.”“We believe that music has a more integral role to play in gaming and through this innovative new licensing agreement with TYGER, our artists and their music will now be able to soundtrack personalized gameplay experiences and connect with millions of gamers and fans around the world.”Michael Nash, Universal Music GroupNick Venti, CEO and co-founder of TYGER, said: “Gaming is where the next generation spends its time, discovers culture and connects with friends, but music has never had a native way to reach those audiences.“This agreement with Universal Music Group is an important milestone for TYGER and validates our vision for the future of music in and around interactive and digital experiences. Together, we’re creating new opportunities for players, developers, artists, songwriters and rights holders alike.”“Gaming is where the next generation spends its time, discovers culture and connects with friends, but music has never had a native way to reach those audiences.”Nick Venti, TYGERTYGER says its service currently has a library of more than 400,000 songs, primarily from independent artists.The company plans to relaunch later this year with an updated ad-supported tier and subscription offering, following the addition of UMG‘s music.According to TYGER, the platform is in beta across more than 20 games, whose combined monthly audiences exceed 540 million players.For now, the service runs on PC, via the Overwolf app store.TYGER‘s Overwolf listing names Fortnite, Valorant, Apex Legends, and Rainbow Six among the games with adaptive audio support.The listing prices early access to the paid tier, TYGER Club, at USD $3.99 a month, rising to USD $5.99 at full release.TYGER grew out of PlusMusic.ai, a startup specializing in adaptive audio AI for games. Venti was its CEO when former PlayStation boss Shawn Layden joined its board in 2023.The TYGER deal adds to UMG‘s recent activity in gaming.In December 2025, UMG struck a strategic agreement with Roblox that included the ability for artists and labels to sell digital and physical merchandise to fans on the platform via Shopify.UMG previously launched Beat Galaxy, its own music discovery space on Roblox, in 2023.That was followed in 2024 by Boombox, a music player launched with Styngr that brought licensed music streaming into Roblox experiences.Elsewhere, Stockholm-based Reactional Music, which lets players personalize in-game music, was awarded a EUR €2.5 million (USD $2.86 million) grant by the European Innovation Council in June.Reactional’s licensing partners include Ninja Tune, Beggars Group, Cherry Red Records, and Naxos.Music Business Worldwide

Universal Music Group becomes first major music company to license TYGER, which uses AI to adapt songs to gameplay in real time

The night air is hazy with BBQ smoke and I can feel the bass of the dancehall music in my rib cage. It’s Friday night in Barbados and there’s only one place to be: Oistins Fish Fry, on the southern tip of the island.I’m away with my family: my husband and two boys, who are 19 and 24. We’ve been to the island in the past, but not since my sons were small. While my husband was born in London, both his parents are from the island and this time around we’re all curious to discover more about these roots.Celebrating 60 years of independence this year, Barbados has long appealed to visitors wanting the ultimate Caribbean holiday. Many tourists typically head straight to the west coast, with its line-up of exclusive hotels that hug frothy, azure seas. And while we fully intend to make the most of lazy days on sugar-white sands, this trip is about something more personal: helping my sons understand the island where their grandparents were born. So we’ve headed, instead, to the more affordable southern region, which, as well as its fair share of palm-shaded beaches, is the most populous stretch of Barbados, putting visitors in direct contact with local life.What’s more, this often overlooked area has experienced a renaissance of late with the Richard Haynes Boardwalk that links local beaches and restaurants; the Worthing Food Square, which brings together street food vendors; and a clutch of new beach clubs, such as Savvy On The Bay, with its 24-hour bar and food truck park. It’s ticking all the boxes for the boys.Back in Oistins, the night is beginning to warm up. In the days before my mother-in-law first arrived in a grey England back in 1967, when she was just 16, it was still a tiny fishing village, where men would sell barracuda, red snapper and lobster off the backs of faded boats. Now, the town is unrecognisable, having transformed into one of the island’s biggest attractions.As well as live music and DJs, there are now dozens of family-run food stalls, illuminated with strung-up festoon lights, each serving their own version of fried fish with sides of squidgy plantain, macaroni pie and cold Banks beers.Soca and reggae music spills out of giant speakers, as we share a table with tourists and Bajans alike. It’s impossible not to move with the beat and it’s clear that anything goes. The refrain “dance like no one is watching” could have been invented here. An octogenarian in a scarlet red suit wines across the dance floor by himself; local girls wuk up their waistlines and tourists bob along to the beat, sipping Mount Gay rum and cokes.With its Friday night shuttle to Oistins, the O2 Beach Club &amp; Spa puts us in easy reach of everything. It’s also close to St Lawrence Gap, the main nightlife hub – ideal for the boys, who like to linger over a few rum punches after we call it a night. The property has a youthful vibe, with adult-only areas and contemporary interiors – from fuchsia pink loungers to nautical-striped textiles and local art.<img src="https://static.independent.co.uk/2026/08/05/9/00/Parliament-Buildings-in-Barbados.jpeg">Angelina was keen to see a side of Barbados away from the beaches (Visit Barbados)Its thoughtful, all-inclusive concept is the antithesis of the usual on-a-budget, buffet fare. Instead, there’s a line-up of imaginative restaurants, meaning we never get bored. We enjoy tapas-style sharing plates at the rooftop Brisa, and fine-dining at Oro, where we order Crab Fritti and Aburi Flying Fish – both twists on local dishes. Best of all, though, is the list of activities beyond its walls: from rum and chocolate tastings to stargazing and eco walks.We spend a few days sinking into island life. Days start with breakfast in Elements: eggs spiked with hot pepper sauce, fried plantain and Bajan cherry juice. We visit nearby Carlisle Bay for blissful “sea baths”, and have a few visits to the O2’s rum lounge – “It’s all part of discovering our roots, mum.” Then it’s time to get out and about with a walking tour of the capital, Bridgetown, a Unesco World Heritage Site.Taking us around the warren of streets, Claudette Levi-Farnum, a historian with Discover Heritage Tours, reveals more about the complex history of the island. She tells us about the Indigenous Kalinago people and the history of the first settlers from England, who arrived in 1627. These included wealthy planters as well as indentured labourers, made up of convicts and political dissidents, known as “undesirables”.We pass by candy-pink colonial-style buildings and the Nidhe Israel Synagogue, the oldest of its kind in the Western Hemisphere. To cool down, we stop at wooden street stalls selling just-picked “fat pork”, a small spongy tropical fruit, and iced soursop juice.The Clarkes find their name at the Builders of Barbados Wall (Angelina Villa-Clarke)We end the day at the Builders of Barbados Wall, found in the Golden Square Freedom Park. Built from clay bricks, and inscribed with thousands of surnames of ordinary people who helped build the nation across 600 years, the curved structure features African and colonial surnames side by side. The boys look for their surname – Clarke – and eventually find it written as “Clark(e)”.“Without the ‘e’ would have been a slave name,” Claudette explains. “The ‘e’ would have been added after emancipation as a way of adding a form of identity away from slavery.” It’s a powerful visual reminder of the resilience shown over generations, as well as a tangible link to the boys’ ancestral roots. Watching my sons search for their surname among thousands of others turns the trip into something much deeper.Nearby, National Heroes Square also honours the strength of the Bajan nation with a monument of open shackles to represent the historic struggle against slavery. It overlooks the country’s parliament building, built in 1870. Its Gothic Revival architecture gives a nod to London’s centre of power. It’s a somewhat sobering reminder of the links between the two countries.Back at O2 Beach Club, Wednesday nights mean it is beach BBQ time. We eat jerk chicken, blackened mahi mahi, and pickled breadfruit salad with our toes in the sand.Suddenly a hush comes over the nearby tables, and we turn to see a waiter motioning us over. Underneath a palm tree, a Hawksbill sea turtle is covering herself with sand in order to lay her eggs. Stood at a safe distance so as not to disturb her, we watch as she eventually waddles back into the dark water. It’s a rare encounter with one of the island’s most vulnerable species.We hire a car and criss-cross around the island, which is just 21 miles in length. It bursts with colour – from chattel houses painted in banana yellow and sapphire blue to the bougainvillaea that tumbles over walls in shades of shocking pink and deep violet. At the northern tip of the island, we go underground to see the sea caves at Animal Flower Cave, and afterwards turn south again to St Nicholas Abbey, a former 17th-century plantation house and rum distillery.We also stop off at the TikTok-recommended Rihanna Drive in Brandon’s Beach, to see where the island’s own “diamond” grew up. The boys are amused to discover that the pop star’s old childhood house, Sonia Ville, can now be rented as a holiday home.A visit to the east coast brings a different perspective. This Atlantic side of the island is rugged and wild, with winding coastal roads that take us past undulating cane fields and back again to the craggy shoreline. Close to Bathsheba, a surfers’ spot with huge rock formations on its beach, we stop at Zemi Café, a popular, weekend “lime” spot. We sample the specialities, which include mango rum sours, lobster tacos and breadfruit wedges as we look out across the crashing waves.With 99 per cent of the east coast preserved as a National Park, the boutique East resort, found on the remaining per cent, is a collection of 10 villas with dramatic sea views. A stay here gives us an opportunity to decamp away from the tourist trail for a while.Our family-friendly villa comes with its own pool, sleek interiors and an open-plan living space. As well as a daily delivered breakfast, guests can tap into facilities at sister property, the Crane Resort, a 10-minute drive away.It’s the quietest corner of the island and allows us a moment to digest all that we’ve learnt. We’ve had sunshine and good times, yes, but we also leave with something more lasting: a deeper understanding of the island that helped shape our family’s story.

I explored the south side of Barbados to trace my family’s heritage

Nearly 4m records documenting the lives of enslaved people across 20 former British colonies have been made searchable online for the first time.The records have been digitised and indexed by the genealogy company Ancestry, which has partnered with the Centre for the Study of the Legacies of British Slavery at University College London.The global collection offers millions of descendants across the African-Caribbean and wider African diasporas access to one of the most extensive surviving archives of British enslavement, potentially helping them uncover family histories.The collection, known as the Former British Colonies Enslavement Registers, contains about 300,000 pages recording enslaved people across former British colonial dependencies between 1813 and 1840, including the Bahamas, Barbados, the Cape of Good Hope in South Africa, Jamaica, Mauritius and Trinidad.When you see the names of individuals and their ages and their children … it transforms how you understand the systemThe registers were created by the British government after the abolition of the transatlantic slave trade in 1807, and were designed to prevent illegal trading of enslaved people and to monitor the enslaved population.Researchers say people were recorded in the registers with chilling precision. Entries include names, ages, physical descriptions and family ties, as well as births, deaths and transfers of ownership. Some distinguish whether a person was born in Africa or in the Caribbean.Nicka Sewell-Smith, a professional genealogist and senior story producer at Ancestry, said it was not lost on her that records originally created to count enslaved people as property were now being used by their descendants to reconstruct their family histories.An 1817 Slave Return for Nathaniel Pearce Rugless of Jamaica, former British Colonies.1 Name and position of persons making the return2 Date of return3 Fields for each return4 Names: often a single ‘slave name’. Vitally, here, most have new and old names, so a researcher might trace backward5 Colour: a range of colour definitions tracked degrees of blackness6 Age: usually reputed, unless it was a child born on the estate7 African or Creole8 Remarks: in Jamaica, this entry usually identified mothers9 Number of enslaved people“When I use these records to unearth my enslaved ancestors, I’m using them for a purpose that was different than what it was initially intended for. Our product is restoring the humanity of a person.”In some cases, the level of detail is extraordinary. “You can pinpoint an exact birthday for an enslaved baby,” Sewell-Smith said.The digitisation also removes a practical barrier for those interested in delving into their family histories. Instead of needing to know how to navigate registers held at the National Archives in London, Sewell-Smith said, descendants would be able to search the collection simply by entering a name.“There are potentially millions of people who descended from the enslaved people in the archive,” Sewell-Smith said. “Oftentimes, one of the ways that people detach from enslavement is to make an insinuation that there’s nobody living connected to these people. That’s foundationally not true.”Prof Matthew J Smith, the director of the centre at UCL, described the registers as “the most systematic set of archival documents we have on enslavement in the British Caribbean and British colonial world”.The release of the collection follows the publication last week of the Register of British Slave Traders, a three-year research project that revealed the enormous scale of Britain’s involvement in the transatlantic trafficking of enslaved Africans. The register identified as many as 10,500 people who invested in the trafficking of enslaved Africans over nearly 250 years.But there have been growing calls for historians to shift the focus of research from the people and institutions that owned, trafficked and administered enslaved populations towards the lives of enslaved people themselves.“The biggest piece of the story of British slavery, and it’s also the most misunderstood piece, is the experience of the enslaved,” Smith said.The T71 collection, which takes its name from the National Archives series in which the records are held, could change that, he said. “When you start to see the names of those individuals, and their ages, and their children, and get these very fine glimpses into their lives, it transforms how you understand the system.”He said the records allowed researchers to begin recovering “family stories, community stories, stories of survival, stories of resistance, stories of the search for freedom”.Smith said researchers had been testing the data in their work on Jamaica, where they had been able to trace some families across six generations.“It is painstaking work, but the rewards are tremendous,” he said. “It opens up a whole new way for descendants of enslaved people in the Caribbean, across the African diaspora, to understand how their heritage came to the Caribbean and survived slavery.”Pages from the former British Colonies Enslavement Registers (1813–1840). Photograph: National ArchivesFor Sewell-Smith, the archive creates possibilities extending beyond Britain and the Caribbean.Migration and the forced movement of people under enslavement mean descendants can be found across the African diaspora, including in the US and Latin America.“One of the things I’m very excited about is how much more interconnected it’s going to make those of us in the diaspora,” she said. “It almost makes the world smaller. It tightens us up in a way that I don’t think we even possibly considered.”She said the scale of the collection meant its full potential would probably only become apparent as descendants and researchers began connecting its records with other archives.“We’re in a new space, in a new place,” Smith said. “As hard as it is to look at this, it also makes me very excited for the descendants of all these people. They have a better chance to be able to get this information, to use it, and to connect with them.”The collection is free to search and accessible to anyone who creates an Ancestry account.

Nearly 4m records of enslaved people in 20 former British colonies now searchable online

Four astronauts pulled up at International Space Station after eight-hour express flight led by Jessica WatkinsThursday after launching on an eight-hour express that set a US speed record, and that created further history with the first Black woman to lead a crew to orbit.SpaceX launched commander Jessica Watkins and her crew for Nasa after a three-week delay to fix their Dragon capsule’s leaking fuel system. Thick clouds threatened all morning to halt the countdown but skies cleared enough to allow a safe liftoff from Cape Canaveral at 11.10am (1510 GMT).Seven hours and 55 minutes later, the SpaceX Dragon “Grace” capsule docked at an ISS port, setting a record for the fastest trip by a US spacecraft to the outpost.Image taken from a Nasa video shows the SpaceX capsule carrying four astronauts docking at the International Space Station. Photograph: Nasa/APIn a live broadcast on Nasa TV, the capsule appeared to glide gently toward a stationary ISS as both hurtled through space at about 17,500mph (28,100 km/h).The new arrivals – Americans Watkins and Luke Delaney, Canadian Joshua Kutryk, and Russian Sergey Teteryatnikov – floated into the space station through a pressurized vestibule and addressed colleagues on Earth late on Thursday.“We are so excited to be here. This is truly a special place,” Watkins said on the Nasa livestream. “It’s amazing and kind of ironic to think that it’s such a short trip to get here because the journey to get here has been long.”Nasa astronaut Jessica Watkins waves as she departs for the launch pad at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida. Photograph: Joe Skipper/ReutersCanadian Kutryk, whose wife will give birth while he’s away, said it “feels really good” to represent his country in space, adding he was “looking forward to a good mission after some sleep. That’s what I’m gonna go do next.”The duration of the journey depends greatly on the distance between the ISS and the spacecraft at the time of launch. It took more than 30 hours for the last crew that launched from American soil to reach the station.With the late-morning launch, Watkins became the first Black woman to lead a crew to orbit. A geologist who worked with Nasa’s Mars rover Curiosity a decade ago, Watkins is making her second trip to the space station after a lengthy stay in 2022.“Thanks for an amazing ride,” Watkins radioed after liftoff.Although their stay at the ISS will last six months, the flight there was the quickest yet not only for Elon Musk’s company, but any American entity, including Nasa.Aside from Watkins, the other astronauts are newcomers to space: Delaney is a retired marine; Kutryk is a colonel in the Royal Canadian air force; and Teteryatnikov, a former submariner. They will replace four astronauts who have been living at the orbiting laboratory since February.This was the 13th crew launched by SpaceX for Nasa, not counting 2020’s test flight. The Crew-13 designation in their mission patch pays homage to Apollo 13, the harrowing 1970 moonshot that ended with the astronauts’ safe return.References to the number 13 abounded on Thursday. Watkins and her crew rode to the launch pad in black Teslas bearing plates that read “Lucky 13”. They also carried up a small crocheted golden dragon named Lucky with a four-leaf clover around its neck.“We figured it wouldn’t hurt to bring a little of our own luck just in case, but clearly we don’t need it,” Watkins said from orbit, noting they were “four of the luckiest humans on or off planet Earth”.Heather Kutryk will give birth while her husband is orbiting Earth, making him the fourth man to become a father while doing so. Heather is due to give birth to their third child in late November.“A lot of life-changing things can happen over six months,” Nasa manager Dana Weigel said on the eve of liftoff, noting that the space agency would do its best to keep Kutryk looped in to his family. The Canadian Space Agency also promised to support the family.In 2004, Nasa provided a radio link between space station astronaut Mike Fincke and his wife’s delivery room during the birth of their daughter. Five years later, Randy Bresnik, commander of next year’s Artemis III mission, dialed in to his wife’s hospital from orbit.The happy news traveled more slowly for Austrian astronaut Franz Viehböck. His daughter was born a few hours after he launched to the Soviet Union’s Mir space station in 1991. He was not informed until the next day.Three hours after Crew-13 blasted off, SpaceX launched a Falcon rocket from California with more than 100 mini satellites. Another Falcon was set to soar late Thursday night from Florida, with a classified satellite for the national reconnaissance office. All this comes the same week the company’s massive Starship reached orbit for the first time.

‘An amazing ride’: SpaceX flight led by first Black female commander sets US speed record

Kwaw Worsemao Blay, owner of Polo Beach Club, is the son of former NPP National Chairman Freddie Blay. Freddie briefly took over land from the state-owned Labadi Beach Hotel during the “Year of Return,” but his son ended up constructing a permanent structure on the site, blocking views of the hotel. The authorities warned him to halt the development of the beach club, but he ignored the warning.<img src="https://aukisscontent.s3.amazonaws.com/b264b1895IMG_5897.jpeg">Deputy Chief of Staff in charge of Operations, Stan Dogbe, has clarified that Friday’s demolition of structures along a section of the beachfront near the Labadi Beach Hotel was not part of the government’s flood mitigation exercise.In a Facebook post, Mr Dogbe said the operation was separate from the work of the National Flood Mitigation Task Force, which he said is currently operating around the Kpeshie Lagoon, East Legon Boundary Road, Oyarifa and behind Mayfair Estates.He said those interventions are aimed at supporting the Ministry of Works, Housing and Water Resources to mitigate future flooding."Let’s not get it twisted. Friday’s action along a section of the beachfront was not a Flood Mitigation Action by the government task force,” he said.<img src="https://aukisscontent.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/2e74c0b6bIMG_5901.jpeg">Mr Dogbe said Friday’s operation was carried out under the supervision of National Security at the request of the Labadi Beach Hotel.He said the structures affected, including the Polo Beach Club, were located on the beachfront in front of the hotel and, according to the hotel, were adversely affecting its safety, tranquillity and reputation.“These are structures, some permanently built (Polo Beach Club and others) on the beach in front of the hotel, and which, according to the business, are adversely affecting the safety, tranquillity and reputation of the Hotel, diminishing the visitor experience and undermining the orderly management of one of Ghana’s most important tourism destinations,” he said.The Polo Beach Club was demolished on Friday as security personnel continued a clearance exercise around the La beachfront. The operation involved personnel from the 48 Engineer Regiment of the Ghana Armed Forces and the Ghana Police Service.Mr Dogbe said the hotel would be in a better position to provide details on the reasons behind its request to reclaim the beachfront.<img src="https://aukisscontent.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/a12406beaIMG_5902.jpeg">He, however, raised concerns about sanitation and security at what he described as unauthorised and unregulated commercial operations along the beach.He said such activities created serious sanitation concerns and could also pose security risks.Mr Dogbe also referenced drone footage and videos of the area while questioning whether the Labadi Beach Hotel was not justified in seeking to reclaim its beachfront.He stressed that the area involved should not be confused with La Pleasure Beach.The clarification comes amid controversy over the demolition, with the La Dade-Kotopon MP, Rita Naa Odoley Sowah, questioning the exercise and saying she had previously been assured that structures around Labadi Beach would not be demolished.The affected beachfront has also been the subject of a dispute over land ownership. Operators of the Polo Beach Club have taken legal action involving the Labadi Beach Hotel and other parties over the contested beachfront land.<img src="https://aukisscontent.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/8374a1bb4IMG_5904.jpeg">Mr Dogbe’s intervention therefore seeks to distinguish Friday’s operation from the government’s flood mitigation programme, while presenting sanitation, security and tourism-management concerns as the reasons for the action.It should be noted that the Labadi Beach Hotel is a government owned hotel, owned by SNNIT._Source: Ghana Chronicles Blakk Empire Media &amp; My Joy OnlineDISCLAIMER:&nbsp;The Views, Comments, Opinions, Contributions and Statements made by Readers and Contributors on this platform do not necessarily represent the views or policy of Aukiss Global Limited.

La Pleasure Beach demolition was requested by state owned Labadi Beach Hotel - Stan Dogbe

U.S. immigration authorities on Thursday deported a group of eight Somali men who’d been held for about a month at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. Aboard the flight were several people who’d settled in Minnesota, including Adam Abdullah, 31.Masked immigration agents arrested Abdullah Dec. 12 at the start of what the Trump Administration called Operation Metro Surge.Beyond two parking tickets for not moving his vehicle during snowstorms, Abdullah has no criminal record in Minnesota and was working legally as a mechanic while his asylum application was pending. He arrived in the United States in early 2023.Abdullah first spoke with MPR News on Sept. 8, during one of the 10-minute calls he was allowed each day from the prison at the U.S. naval base. He said that after his arrest, ICE shuttled him between detention centers in Minnesota, Kentucky and Louisiana before shipping him to Guantanamo in late August with seven other Somali men.When they first boarded the plane to Cuba, Abdullah said the detainees were told that they’d be going to Somalia after refueling stops, but they remained at Guantanamo.In a longer phone conversation Friday from his family’s home on the outskirts of Mogadishu, Abdullah recounted a difficult month in confinement at the military prison. He said that he and the other seven Somali detainees were held under heavy security.They got an hour of exercise each day in an outdoor cage and were put in chains when they were escorted to the telephone area. Guards gave them very little information about how long they’d be at Guantanamo.“It was very hard,” Abdullah said. “The first day when we got there, we had a lot of questions and nobody was answering our questions. So the second day, we started a hunger strike.”Abdullah said that in retaliation, guards put him in solitary confinement in an over-air-conditioned room.“They beat me, and they put me in a room, a freezing room, so to scare the other guys,” he said.The others ended their hunger strike, but Abdullah said that he held out until he was allowed to talk with someone at the Somali embassy. It was then that he learned that ICE had planned to deport him to his home country and that the embassy had forwarded his travel documents to ICE.<img src="https://img.apmcdn.org/9683e6ca2c8b2438c07ffdee5930a1700e80e901/uncropped/a1bc20-20260925-man-repairs-brake-rotor-on-amazon-truck-600.jpg">Adam Abdullah, 31, had been working legally as an auto mechanic while his asylum application was pending before immigration authorities arrested him on Dec. 12.courtesy photoAfter having been away for more than three years, Abdullah said that he is happy to have his freedom back and to see his siblings again, but said that nine months in confinement were difficult.His mother fell ill in March while he was jailed. He found out about her illness two days before she died, but authorities would not allow him to make an international call from detention or to depart the country voluntarily.“I requested a voluntary departure while she was sick, but they denied it,” Abdullah said. “I told them, my mom is sick. Even when she died, I told them, but there was nothing they could do.”As Abdullah readjusts to life in Mogadishu, he said that some people there are treating him with suspicion because of Guantanamo’s infamous, two-decade global reputation as a prison for terrorism suspects“Even some of my family members, they are not believing that I went there innocent,” he said.MPR News twice asked the Department of Homeland Security about why it targeted the eight Somalis for deportation and sent them to Guantanamo Bay.Both times, DHS replied with identical statements in which a spokesperson called the men “the worst of the worst,” but the department provided no evidence that they had committed crimes in the U.S. or elsewhere. In a separate statement Thursday, DHS said that it never discloses information about deportation flights “for operational security and the safety of our personnel.”Abdullah said that he was among nine Somali men on the flight to East Africa; besides himself and seven others who’d been held at Guantanamo, a ninth man had boarded the plane in Louisiana prior to its arrival at Guantanamo. He said the flight left Cuba in the middle of the night.“They woke us up and they told us ‘get ready, you have 30 minutes.’ They put the chains [on us] and they transported us to the airplane.”Abdullah recounted that they were chained up throughout the transatlantic flight, which included stops in Puerto Rico, Dakar and Nairobi. In Nairobi, they were transferred to a Somali airline that flew them on the last leg of the trip to Mogadishu.The ACLU is suing to stop ICE’s use of Guantanamo for immigration detainees, but that suit is still pending. Twin Cities immigration attorney Marc Prokosch, who represented Abdullah and three of the other Somali men held at Guantanamo, said in an interview Friday that because the detainees had deportation orders to their nation of origin, ICE’s actions do not appear to run afoul of federal law.“We can all debate the morality and the ethics of it, but legally, it seems like it was solid,” Prokosch said.While ICE was holding the men at Guantanamo, the agency suddenl removed location information from its public database for detainees with final deportation orders. Prokosch said that this made it difficult to keep track of his clients.“People with final removal orders have legal options, but I need to be able to talk with them to explore their options, " Prokosch said. “So now when the government is choosing to disappear people, it really makes it difficult to make sure that their due process rights are being upheld.”Despite nine months in custody, Abdullah said he has not soured on the United States.“American people are good people,” he said. “It was just bad timing.”_Source: MPR News

Man arrested in St. Paul among 8 deported to Somalia from Guantanamo Bay

Ethiopian Airlines had a Tel Aviv-bound flight turned back because one of its pilots was an Indonesian national, restricted under new Israeli rules.The plane returned to Addis Ababa, replaced the pilot, and then completed the journey to Tel Aviv.Israel's new restrictions bar airline crew from countries without diplomatic relations, following a recent security incident involving an Omani co-pilot.The policy affects crew from 29 to 31 countries, including 10 in Africa, and poses operational challenges for international airlines.The Ethiopian Airlines flight was about an hour into its journey and still in Ethiopian airspace when Israeli authorities ordered it to turn back after identifying an Indonesian pilot on board, The Jerusalem Post reported, citing Israeli broadcaster N12.The aircraft returned to Addis Ababa, where the pilot was replaced, before departing again and landing in Tel Aviv. Indonesia has no diplomatic relations with Israel, and its nationals are subject to restrictions on operating flights to the country.Ethiopian Airlines described the incident as a mistake, saying it had been unaware that the pilot was barred from operating flights to Israel.The episode is the first widely reported case of a flight being turned back under Israel’s new crew restrictions, which require international airlines to verify crew eligibility and adjust flight assignments accordingly.Air traffic control tower and terminal apron at Ben Gurion International Airport near Tel Aviv, Israel. Photo: OPSGROUP.Israel introduced the new restrictions on foreign flight crew on October 7, following a September 30 incident aboard a Flydubai flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv, where an Omani co-pilot allegedly attacked the captain and attempted to seize control of the aircraft. The plane landed safely in Saudi Arabia.The new rules bar pilots and cabin crew holding citizenship, including dual nationality, of certain countries without formal diplomatic relations with Israel from operating flights entering Israeli airspace.An internal United Airlines memo, reported by aviation publication Live and Let’s Fly and covered in an earlier Business Insider Africa report, identified 10 African countries whose nationals could be affected: Algeria, Comoros, Djibouti, Libya, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Somalia, Sudan and Tunisia.The memo listed 29 countries worldwide. A separate report on Air France’s guidance cited 31 countries, indicating that the lists circulated among airlines differ.The restrictions place an additional burden on international airlines, which must verify crew members’ citizenship and adjust flight assignments to comply with Israeli requirements.Dual nationals may also be affected, meaning that holding a second passport does not necessarily exempt a crew member from the rules.For Ethiopian Airlines, the incident resulted in a flight diversion back to its departure point and a crew change before the journey could continue. For other carriers serving Israel, the rules introduce an additional operational consideration as airlines review crew eligibility for Tel Aviv-bound services.

Africa’s largest airline becomes first reported casualty of Israel’s new flight crew restrictions

Russian owners of non-state data centres will be required to reserve ​10% of their capacity to help ‌keep Russia's IT infrastructure running, according to a decree signed by President Vladimir Putin ​on Monday.This mechanism would allow ​Russian authorities to quickly access available ⁠data centre capacity if needed.Learn about the latest breakthroughs in AI and tech with the Reuters Artificial Intelligencer newsletter. Russian data ​centres have become targets of Ukrainian drone ​attacks in recent weeks, with facilities operated by technology companies Yandex and Sberbank Putin instructed the Digital Development ​Ministry to conduct an inventory of available capacity ‌and ⁠floor space at privately owned data centres across Russia.A special government commission, to be established under the decree, will ​be empowered ​to ⁠order the release of the reserved capacity, with operators required ​to provide access within 24 ​hours ⁠of such a decision.The decree also allows for the temporary use of data ⁠centres ​located abroad, subject to ​approval by the FSB security service.

Putin orders private data centres to set aside 10% of capacity to support IT infrastructure

Nigeria’s Super Falcons players have received the naira equivalent of $100,000 each, while their coaches and officials got $50,000 each, completing the cash component of President Bola Tinubu’s reward package for winning the 2025 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations.The National Sports Commission announced the payment in a statement on Monday, saying the Federal Government had fulfilled the President’s financial commitment to the team following their record-extending 10th WAFCON title.The players had earlier received title documents for their three-bedroom apartments in Abuja and certificates of the national honour of Officer of the Order of the Niger.The Chairman of the NSC, Shehu Dikko, thanked Tinubu for fulfilling his promise and recognising the team’s achievement. “The Super Falcons made Nigeria proud, and Mr President has honoured his commitment to them in full. This means a great deal to the team and to Nigerian sports. We sincerely thank Mr President for recognising their achievement and directing that they received everything promised to them in record time,” Dikko said.Make PUNCH part of your everyday experience.The commission said the payment followed cooperation between the NSC and the Ministries of Finance, Special Duties and Inter-Governmental Affairs, and Housing and Urban Development.Dikko also said the fulfilment of the rewards marked a departure from previous experiences in which Nigerian athletes waited years to receive promised benefits.“Some of our sports heroes endured years of waiting for promises to be fulfilled. President Tinubu has shown that things can be done differently.“Our athletes can take encouragement from this and prepare to represent Nigeria with confidence that their efforts are appreciated and commitments made to them will be honoured,” he added.The Super Falcons secured their 10th continental title in July 2025 after coming from two goals down to defeat hosts Morocco 3-2 in the final in Rabat.Tinubu announced the rewards at a presidential reception for the team on July 28, 2025, promising each player the naira equivalent of $100,000, while members of the technical crew were to receive $50,000 each.He also awarded them three-bedroom apartments and the OON national honour.The latest payment follows a similar development involving Nigeria’s senior women’s basketball team, D’Tigress, whose players received the naira equivalent of $100,000 each in September 2026, while officials received $50,000 each, after winning their fifth consecutive Women’s AfroBasket title in 2025.The team had also received three-bedroom apartment documents and OON certificates earlier in February 2026.In December 2025, the Federal Government also presented housing title documents, confirmation of land allocations in Abuja and national honours to members of the Super Eagles following their silver-medal finish at the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations in Côte d’Ivoire.

Super Falcons get $100,000 equivalent as Tinubu fulfils pledge

Rwanda has defended its sports partnerships as part of a broader strategy to promote tourism, attract investment and strengthen its international profile. (Image: Saul Loeb for AFP)<ul><li>Rwanda is expanding its global sports profile through partnerships with Formula 1, major football clubs, and the NBA.</li><li>Two US senators have asked the NBA to reconsider its commercial relationship with Rwanda due to concerns over Rwanda's alleged involvement.</li><li>The NBA receives $6-7 million annually from Rwanda for marketing and partnership rights.</li><li>Major football clubs Arsenal and Bayern Munich ended their Rwanda sponsorships after criticism related to Rwanda’s role in eastern Congo, while other partnerships continue.</li></ul>Democratic Senator Jeff Merkley and Republican Senator Marsha Blackburn wrote to NBA Commissioner Adam Silver on October 23, asking the league to reconsider its partnership with the Rwandan government and respond to six questions by November 2.The senators argue that the NBA’s continued commercial ties with Kigali are increasingly difficult to reconcile with Washington’s changing policy towards Rwanda, including US sanctions imposed on the Rwandan Defence Force in March 2026 over its alleged support for the M23 rebel group in eastern DRC.The NBA told ESPN it had received the letter and was preparing a response.<h3>Rwanda’s sports ambitions meet growing scrutiny</h3>Rwanda reportedly pays the NBA between $6 million and $7 million annually for a partnership that includes hosting stages of the Basketball Africa League (BAL), displaying Visit Rwanda branding and other marketing rights.Major football clubs Arsenal and Bayern Munich ended their Rwanda sponsorships after criticism related to Rwanda’s role in eastern Congo, while other partnerships continue. (Image: Arsenal Football Club - Visit-Rwanda)The relationship also extends to the NBA’s Los Angeles Clippers, who named Visit Rwanda their exclusive jersey-patch sponsor under a multiyear agreement. The tourism brand is also promoted at the team’s Intuit Dome arena.The senators’ latest intervention follows an earlier exchange in 2024, when NBA Deputy Commissioner Mark Tatum said the league would follow US government guidance on where it conducted business. He added that the NBA’s actions would change if American policy towards Rwanda changed.Their October letter asks the league to explain its threshold for accepting money from governments accused of human rights abuses, whether recent US measures against Rwanda meet the standard Tatum outlined, and whether the NBA intends to reconsider the partnership.The scrutiny comes as Rwanda expands its international sports portfolio. On October 13, Formula 1 announced a 10-year agreement to bring the sport back to Africa, with Rwanda expected to host the first race in the early 2030s after a new circuit is built in Bugesera.The country has also pursued sponsorship agreements with major European football clubs. Arsenal and Bayern Munich ended their Visit Rwanda partnerships in 2025 following criticism over Rwanda’s role in eastern Congo, while the country has continued to cultivate other international sports relationships.The DRC has separately urged the NBA, Formula 1 and European football clubs to end their Rwanda-linked sponsorships. In February 2025, Congolese Foreign Minister Thérèse Kayikwamba Wagner told Reuters that maintaining such ties risked undermining the organisations’ credibility and human-rights commitments.Rwanda has defended its sports partnerships as part of a broader strategy to promote tourism, attract investment and strengthen its international profile. Kigali has denied supporting M23.

US Senate challenges Rwanda’s $7 million NBA partnership after country lands Formula One and major football deals

Safaricom has rolled out a new technology platform powering its M-PESA services, increasing its transaction processing capacity from approximately 4,500 to 6,000 transactions per second as the telecommunications giant moves to strengthen the reliability and security of its financial services business.The new platform, known as Fintech 2.0, marks a major shift in the technology infrastructure supporting M-PESA, with Safaricom seeking to accommodate rising transaction volumes, introduce new financial products and improve the customer experience. Safaricom its also seeking to laucnh a lite version of the Mpesa OneApp to cater for users with storage issuesIn its FY2026 Annual Report, Safaricom disclosed that the new system had already increased its transaction processing capacity, with room for further expansion to 10,000 transactions per second.A screengrab from Safaricom’s 2026 annual report detailing the Fintech 2.0 platform upgrade, which increased M-PESA’s transaction processing capacity to 6,000 transactions per second. PHOTO//Screengrab by People Daily Digital“Fintech 2.0 increased transaction processing capacity from about 4,500 to about 6,000 uninterrupted transactions per second, with room to scale to 10,000 transactions per second,” the company stated in the report.The upgrade comes as M-PESA continues to handle millions of financial transactions daily, serving individuals, businesses and institutions across the country.Safaricom explained that the new platform was developed in response to growing demands on its financial services ecosystem, including higher transaction volumes, more complex customer needs and increasing expectations around service reliability.According to the company, the new system adopts a microservices-led architecture, replacing the previous technology environment that was more concentrated in a single system.The new architecture is designed to isolate technical problems within specific components, reducing the possibility of disruptions spreading across the entire M-PESA platform.<h2>features of Fintech 2.0</h2>Safaricom further disclosed that Fintech 2.0 is AI-enabled and operates through a hybrid cloud and on-premises infrastructure, giving the company greater flexibility to develop and introduce new services.The investment is also expected to support the introduction of additional financial products, including tap-to-pay services, shared wallets and enhanced fraud management tools.“Fintech 2.0 is a completely new platform rather than an upgrade of the existing system,” Safaricom stated in its annual report.Beyond increasing transaction capacity, the company says the new technology will strengthen its ability to expand services in payments, credit, savings, insurance and merchant solutions.The upgrade also comes as Safaricom seeks to protect M-PESA’s position in an increasingly competitive financial services market, where banks, fintech companies and alternative digital payment providers are expanding their presence.The investment comes against the backdrop of M-PESA’s growing influence in Kenya’s financial services sector.According to the annual report, M-PESA facilitated more than 136 million daily transactions for 40.66 million customers during the reporting period.The platform processed Ksh41.68 trillion in transactions during the 2026 financial year, equivalent to approximately 2.4 times Kenya’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP).Safaricom also disclosed that the platform handled more than Ksh114 billion in daily transactions, while cross-border money transfers exceeded Ksh647.47 billion annually.The company further reported that more than 17.9 million customers accessed affordable credit through its financial services ecosystem.With the Fintech 2.0 investment, Safaricom says it is strengthening the technological foundation required to accommodate future growth while improving system resilience, customer protection and data security.The company maintains that the new platform provides greater capacity to support the next generation of digital financial services as it advances its ambition of becoming Africa’s leading purpose-led technology company by 2030.

Safaricom unveils new M-PESA platform capable of processing 6,000 transactions per second

Attacks against Christians have been increasing recently, according to the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo ChurchMore than 60 people have been killed in a series of attacks on Christians in Ethiopia's Oromia region, according to the country's Orthodox Church.One resident, whose 75-year-old father was killed, described it as an ambush. "We were completely unprepared and had no prior knowledge. They surrounded us from all four directions," he told BBC Amharic.The regional government said that it would take action against those responsible.A local official blamed the attacks on a newly formed rebel coalition, the Alliance for Survival, which includes the Oromo Liberation Army (OLA). The OLA has not commented but has denied carrying out previous such attacks.A statement from the Holy Synod of the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church said that 20 houses were burnt to the ground in the attacks. It did not say who was responsible.Eyewitness told BBC Amharic that five of those killed were children.A church official described the attacks on three areas in the Shirka district as a "massacre", saying security forces arrived at the scene but were unable to stop the assault.Many residents have now fled the area.Condemning the violence, the Orthodox Church said attacks against Christians had been increasing recently, and that "such actions undermine the country's values of mutual respect and peaceful coexistence".In a statement posted on Facebook, the Orthodox Church said it had repeatedly raised concerns about insecurity with authorities at different levels of government, but that "so far there has been no solution".The Ethiopian Human Rights Council, a non-governmental organisation, said in a report released in July 2026 that 458 people had been killed in attacks in that area over the previous four years.But this is one of the most deadly attacks in that period.The report said armed groups had repeatedly targeted local communities, particularly followers of the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church, in what it described as religiously motivated attacks.The government has previously blamed the OLA for the attacks, with Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed saying violence targeting civilians and religious institutions was part of a plan to destabilise the country.The group, which says it is fighting for greater rights for the Oromo people, denies these allegations.Previous reports have also documented attacks against Muslims in the area. Residents who spoke to the BBC on various occasions have described the violence as both ethnic and religious in nature.

More than 60 Christians killed in Ethiopia 'massacre', church official says

Foreign workers and international students seeking opportunities in Lithuania now face tighter immigration rules that could require them to leave the country to apply for residence permits.<ul><li>Lithuania has introduced stricter immigration rules requiring many foreign workers and international students to apply for residence permits from outside the country.</li><li>As of November 1, 2026, those in Lithuania on Schengen visas or certain national visas can no longer apply for work- or bachelor's-study-based residence permits within Lithuania.</li><li>Nationals of Ghana, India, Azerbaijan, Cambodia, and Mongolia face additional restrictions, as most cannot apply for standard employment-based permits abroad.</li><li>Employers and applicants must now use Lithuania's expanded network of overseas visa centres as well as the online MIGRIS system, but the available types of applications vary by country and centre.</li></ul>The new rules, which took effect on November 1, 2026, prevent foreigners staying in Lithuania on Schengen visas from applying within the country for residence permits based on employment or bachelor's degree studies.Instead, affected applicants must complete the process through authorised centres abroad, potentially adding travel costs and delays for those who have already secured jobs or university admission in the European Union country.<h3>What Lithuania's new rules mean for foreign workers and students</h3>According to Lithuania's Migration Department, the restrictions cover foreigners holding Schengen visas issued by Lithuania or other Schengen countries, as well as national visas issued by other countries.Under the revised system, foreign nationals who enter Lithuania on the affected visas and subsequently secure employment or admission to bachelor's degree programmes cannot apply for residence permits while in the country.&nbsp;However, those holding valid Lithuanian residence permits, Lithuanian national visas or residence permits issued by other EU or Schengen countries can still apply locally.Highly qualified workers, including eligible EU Blue Card applicants, also remain exempt, while existing workers can renew their&nbsp;permits under established procedures.<h3>Ghana, India and three other countries face additional obstacles</h3>While the new rules apply across nationalities, citizens of Ghana, India, Azerbaijan, Cambodia and Mongolia face a separate problem because they currently lack an eligible overseas application route for standard Lithuanian work-based residence permits.According to an October 7, 2026 analysis by Deloitte Lithuania, nationals of these five countries generally need an existing qualifying Lithuanian visa or residence permit from Lithuania or another EU or Schengen state to submit a standard employment-based application within Lithuania."These changes will have a significant practical impact on the recruitment and relocation of certain third-country nationals," Deloitte said.The restrictions mean employers seeking to recruit workers from these countries must consider whether prospective employees qualify to apply within Lithuania or have access to an overseas processing centre.<h3>Lithuania's overseas visa network includes African countries</h3>The latest changes follow Lithuania's October 2025 expansion of its overseas application services, when new VFS Global centres opened in Ghana, Zimbabwe, Vietnam and Bosnia and Herzegovina.South Africa was already among the countries hosting Lithuanian application services, alongside India, the Philippines and several other countries across Asia, Europe and the Americas.However, having a centre in a country does not mean all types of applications are accepted there.&nbsp;Ghanaian nationals can use the Ghana centre for specified purposes, including family reunification, highly skilled employment and approved higher education programmes, but not ordinary work-based residence permit applications.Lithuania has also closed its external application centres in Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan and Bosnia and Herzegovina, effective November 1, 2026.Eligible applicants from the three Central Asian countries can instead use designated services in Azerbaijan, while Belarusian nationals seeking employment-based permits can apply through centres in Armenia and Georgia.Under the revised arrangements, applicants required to apply abroad must submit their documents through Lithuania's online immigration system, MIGRIS, before booking appointments at authorised VFS Global centres.For affected workers and students already in Lithuania, the rules change where they can complete their residence permit applications, while employers recruiting internationally must account for the available application routes before arranging relocation._Source: Business Insider Africa

European nation stops foreign workers and students from South Africa, Ghana, India and other countries from applying for residence permits inside the country

British-Nigerian Anthony Joshua says he will not repeat the mistake Deontay Wilder made against Tyson Fury, insisting he will stay calm and avoid emotional decisions when they meet on December 11.The former two-time world heavyweight champion believes composure will be crucial in the fight at the sold-out Principality Stadium in Cardiff, which will be shown live worldwide on Netflix.Fury twice defeated Wilder and drew once with the American in their three-fight rivalry.Joshua told The Ring’s Mike Coppinger that Wilder’s eagerness to finish Fury after hurting him often left him exhausted and gave the Briton the chance to recover.“Wilder took those fights very personally, and that could be quite exhausting, especially when you hurt someone and try to finish them,” Joshua said.Make PUNCH part of your everyday experience.“You lose a lot of energy, and then Tyson comes back. Wilder could have gotten the job done if he was a bit more calm, cool and collected. He could have learned from that. Wilder tried to take him out of there, while Fury just managed to weather the storm and come back.”Joshua said frustration or the urge for an early finish would not dictate his approach.“I do not believe that would be me. I am going to keep a calm head,” he added.Joshua also has a historic prize to chase. Fury’s promoter, Frank Warren, has said the World Boxing Association super heavyweight belt will be at stake in Cardiff.A win would make Joshua a three-time world heavyweight champion, a feat achieved by Muhammad Ali, Michael Moorer, Lennox Lewis and Vitali Klitschko, while Evander Holyfield won the title four times.The belt became available after Oleksandr Usyk vacated it. Murat Gassiev was the association’s number one contender and had been expected to move up, but the pull of Fury against Joshua appears to have taken priority. Both men previously lost their world titles to Usyk.Warren, who is also staging the rematch between Daniel Dubois and Fabio Wardley for the World Boxing Organisation title this weekend, said the winners could meet in unification fights in 2027.“We have got three of the four heavyweight champions on our roster, and we are going to make unification fights next year,” he said.Joshua enters the fight with a professional record of 30 wins, four defeats and 27 knockouts. Fury has 36 wins, two losses and one draw, with 25 knockouts.

I won’t make Wilder’s mistake against Fury — Joshua

The Black Maidens showed tremendous character to recover from an early setback before prevailing in a nerve-racking penalty shootout, with the second leg ending 1-1 and the overall tie finishing 2-2 across both matches.Having battled to a 1-1 draw in the first leg in Dakar, both teams entered the return fixture knowing victory would secure a place at the global tournament in Morocco. Senegal made the stronger start and silenced the home crowd by taking the lead after just 10 minutes, placing Ghana under immediate pressure.Despite the early blow, the Black Maidens refused to panic. Coach Joe Nana Adarkwa’s side gradually settled into the contest, enjoying more possession and creating openings as they searched for an equaliser.Their persistence was rewarded moments before halftime when captain Seidatu, who plays for Oaks FC, produced a composed finish in the 44th minute after a well-worked attacking move. The goal brought the Accra Sports Stadium to life and ensured the teams headed into the break level at 1-1.The second half was fiercely contested as both nations pushed for the decisive goal. Ghana looked the more adventurous for long spells, while Senegal remained dangerous on the counterattack. However, both defences stood firm and neither goalkeeper was beaten again during regulation time.With the aggregate score tied at 2-2 and the qualification format requiring no extra time, the contest went directly to a penalty shootout.The shootout proved every bit as dramatic as the match itself. Both teams converted several spot-kicks with remarkable composure before Ghana eventually edged the Teranga Lionesses 7-6 to spark wild celebrations among the players, coaching staff and supporters.The victory underlined the Black Maidens’ resilience and mental strength, as they recovered from conceding early before holding their nerve in one of the most pressure-filled moments of their campaign.Ghana’s qualification is another major milestone for the country’s women’s youth football programme and gives the Black Maidens another opportunity to compete against the world’s finest young talents.The 2026 FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup will be staged in Morocco from October 17 to November 7, with the Black Maidens now set to proudly represent Ghana on the global stage after an unforgettable qualifying triumph.

Ghana’s Black Maidens edge Senegal on penalties to secure 2026 FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup qualification

South Africa and Mamelodi Sundowns midfielder Jayden Adams, who featured in Bafana Bafana's run to the World Cup round of 32, has died, the South African Football Players Union confirmed Saturday. He was 25.Adams started two of South Africa's three group games and came off the bench in a 1-0 win over South Korea that sealed their place in the knockout rounds for the first time in their history on June 24.He was an unused substitute when South Africa were knocked out of the tournament by Canada on June 28."Jayden had only recently represented South Africa at the FIFA World Cup, carrying the hopes of the nation with pride, courage and distinction," the South African Football Players Union said in a statement. "His passing is an immeasurable loss to his family, teammates, clubs, the football fraternity and the country at large."We extend our deepest condolences to the Adams family, Mamelodi Sundowns, Stellenbosch FC, Bafana Bafana and all those whose lives he touched."South African football has lost a gifted player, a proud servant of the game and a young life that still had so much to offer."Further details of his death were not given."Cape Town Central police registered an Inquest for investigation following the discovery of the body of a 25-year-old male on Saturday, 2026-07-11 at 11:06 at a premises in Military Road, Scotscheskloof," Western Cape South African Police Service spokesperson F.C. van Wyk told ESPN."Circumstances surrounding this incident are under investigation."Jayden Adams, who appeared for South Africa at the World Cup, has died at the age of 25. Ulrik Pedersen/NurPhoto via Getty ImagesAdams started South Africa's 2-0 loss to Mexico and 1-1 draw with Czechia, playing in the latter game despite the death of his grandmother, Marianna Adams, the previous day.Adams then came off the bench in the 1-0 win over South Korea, which proved to be his final game."When I reached out to Jayden [following the death of his grandmother] to offer my condolences and encouragement, I shall carry forever the humble, appreciative response he gave me," Minister of Sports, Arts &amp; Culture of South Africa Gayton McKenzie said in a Saturday statement."That he chose to wear the national jersey and give his all for his country in that moment speaks to a depth of character and professionalism well beyond his years, and it reflects the caliber of young man South Africa has lost."A moment of silence in memory of Adams was held before Saturday's World Cup quarterfinal between Norway and England."It is so incredibly sad to hear that South Africa midfielder Jayden Adams has passed away just weeks after featuring in his nation's historic FIFA World Cup campaign," FIFA president Gianni Infantino said in a statement posted on social media."My thoughts and condolences, as well as those of everyone at FIFA and the global football community, are with his family, friends and team-mates. The Bafana and Mamelodi Sundowns star will be sorely missed. May he rest in peace."Adams played several seasons for Stellenbosch before joining Mamelodi Sundowns last year.Adams won the CAF Champions League with Mamelodi Sundowns in May and dedicated his winners' medal to Oshwin Andries, a former Stellenbosch teammate who died in 2023 after a stabbing.Mamelodi Sundowns said they were "devastated by the tragic passing of Jayden Adams.""We pray that the Almighty God comforts and strengths the Adams family, his friends and everyone that knew him," the club added."Sundowns respectfully ask that the family's privacy be honoured as they grieve this profound loss."Adams and Andries came up the ranks at Stellenbosch together, and the club suffered the loss of another young player early in 2026 with the death of Jeandre Gaffoor.

South Africa midfielder Jayden Adams dies at age 25, weeks after World Cup appearance

<h4>Tesla's pre-order agreement for the Roadster says it cannot guarantee if (or when) the car will ever be delivered.</h4><ul><li>Tesla finally re-revealed the Roadster after nearly 10 years of development.</li><li>Its new version of the fighter jet-inspired driver's car packs some amazing specs.</li><li>It also has a surprise for anyone who pre-orders one: there's a chance it may never be delivered.</li></ul>Tesla finally&nbsp;re-revealed its next-gen Roadster last night, and boy was it a doozy. Between its insane specs and its ability to&nbsp;jump over a Tesla Semi, it's almost certainly the talk around your company's water cooler this morning.But there's one hidden catch that Tesla puts in the paperwork when you put down a deposit on the car: it might not ever be delivered.<img src="https://aukisscontent.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/1c6473af9IMG_6147.webp"><img src="https://aukisscontent.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/a534dfa61IMG_6152.jpeg"><img src="https://aukisscontent.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/d864d2942IMG_6153.jpeg"><img src="https://aukisscontent.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/2454819f1IMG_6150.webp"><img src="https://aukisscontent.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/15741cb76IMG_6151.jpeg"><img src="https://aukisscontent.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/c52446a27IMG_6156.jpeg">That comes directly from the&nbsp;reservation agreement&nbsp;that can be seen when attempting to place a reservation for the Roadster on Tesla's website. Specifically, it states:You understand that Roadster is still under development at the time you entered into this Agreement and so we cannot guarantee when your vehicle will actually be delivered or if it will be delivered.Directly above that, Tesla also notes that the reservation agreement is just that—a reservation. And even though you'll need to front as much as $250,000, it's not actually a bona fide order that guarantees you a vehicle just an "approximate" place in line&nbsp;if&nbsp;and&nbsp;when&nbsp;Tesla puts these cars on the road.Tesla also isn't sure how much the Roadster is going to cost.The reservation agreement also calls out that any price that it happens to mention is only an estimate, and that anything about the car shown during the presentation could change between now and when it launches (which will&nbsp;supposedly be in 2028).The estimated Purchase Price of the vehicle, if provided, is only an estimate. We are still working on what options, features and hardware the vehicle will have and so cannot confirm the exact price just yet. Your Purchase Price will ultimately be confirmed once you’ve configured your vehicle.The agreement notably also doesn't include a no-resale clause like the order agreement for some of its other limited-run cars. Tesla originally placed one in the&nbsp;purchase agreement for the Cybertruck Foundation Series&nbsp;and the&nbsp;Tesla Model S Signature Edition). It does, however, note that reservations for the Roadster are non-transferable.A bit of good news, though. Tesla does say that the reservation for the Roadster is fully refundable if you change your mind, or if Tesla ends up not being able to deliver the car for some reason. Something tells us that the folks who have been sitting on a reservation since 2017 won't mind waiting another two years at this point.<iframe class="ql-video" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="true" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/U_qTZhaPDZw?showinfo=0"></iframe><img src="https://aukisscontent.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/0524dba86IMG_6154.jpeg"><img src="https://aukisscontent.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/c6942f8e8IMG_6157.jpeg">_Source: Inside EV’s

Tesla 'Cannot Guarantee' Your Roadster Pre-Order Will Ever Be Delivered

An Anthropic logo is displayed at Moscone Center during the Dreamforce 2026 technology summit in San Francisco, California, US, September 17, 2026. REUTERS/Carlos Barria/File Photo Purchase Licensing Rights, opens new tabOct 12 (Reuters) - Anthropic said on Monday that small AI models could be months away from self-replicating across internet-connected devices, raising the possibility of AI botnets spreading quickly, fighting takedown attempts and even breaking into data ​centers to turbocharge their growth.Last month, Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei first floated, opens new tab the idea that within ‌the next year or even sooner, AI might be able to hijack "the entire internet" with "a persistent botnet," a warning that raised eyebrows in the cybersecurity community.The Reuters Daily Briefing newsletter provides all the news you need to start your day. Botnets -- vast networks of devices controlled by malicious operators -- have been around since the early days ​of the internet, and are still around.The network typically includes poorly secured Internet of Things (IoT) devices, ​such as Android TV boxes, smart appliances and security cameras, and is used by ⁠hackers to send spam, seed malware, or sabotage target companies using floods of bogus traffic.Anthropic's Monday blog post, opens new tab appeared ​to be the first attempt to articulate how that might happen.The company said that its experiments showed that ​a malicious AI agent could stitch together the computing power of inexpensive internet-connected devices to run other AI models. It added that the models were able to replicate across a simplified test network."A replicator like this would be challenging to shut down, ​since there's no centralized point to shut off," the company said.The report adds to broader concerns about ​the security risks tied to increasingly capable AI systems, including their potential to automate cyberattacks, operate with limited human oversight and ‌circumvent ⁠safeguards.The advances in models have prompted a series of often dire warnings from industry heads and AI company employees about the possibility of severe, even existential, risks of runaway AI development.Anthropic said its experiments showed that models with 30 billion parameters or fewer can already perform many of the individual tasks required for self-replication, although ​they struggle to complete ​the entire process reliably.In ⁠its simplified tests, where some security steps were removed, Anthropic found that GLM-5.2 and stronger models were capable of end-to-end replication.Anthropic said that if smaller models continue improving ​at their historical rate, they could reach the capability required for autonomous replication ​by the ⁠end of 2026.Advertisement · Scroll to continueAn AI worm running on low-powered hardware could take days to complete parts of the replication process, Anthropic said. It added that such a network could continue growing, slower than some conventional malware, if compromised devices ⁠infected enough ​additional machines.Anthropic also warned that future systems could target more powerful ​computing resources, including data-center processors, although its experiments did not demonstrate autonomous replication through commercial data centers.

AI models may soon self-replicate across smart-home devices, Anthropic warns

Telecel Ghana has argued that the country's digital future depends on building the infrastructure, partnerships and ethical standards needed to use data and artificial intelligence (AI) responsibly.Over the 3-day period of the Ghana Data Science Summit at the Ho Technical University, a delegation of varied experts from the telecommunications giant contributed to national conversations on artificial intelligence, data governance and workforce development through executive panel discussions, technical workshops, career mentorship and practical demonstrations of emerging digital solutions.Opening the discussions, Danso Kwakye, Head of Enterprise Solutions at Telecel Ghana spoke on a panel debating whether limited access to data is slowing innovation and evidence-based policymaking. Acknowledging researchers' growing demand for telecommunications data, Kwakye said customer privacy must remain non-negotiable."Telecommunications companies hold some of the richest datasets in the country, but customer trust is built on protecting sensitive information. The opportunity lies in responsibly sharing anonymized and aggregated data that can support research, innovation and public policy without compromising individual privacy," he added.Kwakye argued that stronger partnerships between industry, universities and public institutions could provide significant value for Ghana's innovation ecosystem, particularly if accompanied by investment in digital infrastructure and secure sandbox environments where students and researchers can experiment with real-world data applications.Telecel Ghana’s team also participated in tutorials covering data engineering with Python, synthetic data generation for economic policymaking and production-scale machine learning systems. The sessions enabled the telco’s specialists to exchange knowledge with researchers and explore emerging techniques shaping modern data science.Leading one of the summit's career mentorship sessions, Asiedu Ansu, Head of the Data Analytics Centre of Excellence at the telco, encouraged aspiring data professionals to look beyond algorithms and programming languages."The most successful data professionals are those who continuously learn, understand business problems and communicate insights that drive decisions. Technical skills open the door, but translating data into meaningful business value is what builds lasting careers," Ansu said.As conversations around artificial intelligence grow increasingly urgent, Telecel Ghana also brought ethical considerations into focus through an interactive workshop on data ethics and algorithmic bias.Facilitated by Senior Data Analyst, Esumaba Okyir alongside Management Information Systems &amp; Data Science Manager, Raymond Normeshie and Marie-Pearl Akoto, the session examined how bias enters AI systems and explored practical approaches for building fairer, more transparent and accountable technologies. The workshop highlighted ethical design as essential to public confidence in emerging technologies.The summit also addressed another pressing issue facing Ghana's digital economy: whether the country's education system is producing graduates with the skills employers need. Speaking during a panel on employment opportunities in data science, Maxwell Darko, HR Manager for Talent Acquisition, Rewards &amp; Shared Services at Telecel Ghana, said employers increasingly value professionals who combine analytical expertise with commercial awareness and effective communication."Technical competence remains essential, but employers are increasingly looking for people who can translate data into business outcomes, think critically and communicate effectively. It is also important that AI is viewed as a productivity partner that enhances human capability, not as a replacement for talent," he said.Darko called for deeper collaboration between universities and industry through internships, practical projects and curricula that better reflect workplace realities, and encouraging graduates to demonstrate measurable impact on their CVs.Beyond the discussions, Telecel Ghana showcased its consumer digital innovations, including the Telecel Play App, engaging attendees through an exhibition that promoted connectivity solutions and registered new subscribers.This year’s Ghana Data Science Summit, held in the Volta Regional capital, on the theme “Data First: Unlocking Ethical and Inclusive AI in Ghana," brought together hundreds of participants from academia, government, industry, development organisations and the technology ecosystem to exchange ideas, showcase cutting-edge innovations and shape the country's digital transformation agenda.

Telecel champions ethical AI and data partnerships for Ghana's digital future

SEOUL, July 25 (Reuters) - South Korea's Samsung ​Electronics (005930.KS), and SK ‌Hynix (000660.KS),&nbsp;will pursue memory chip supply ​partnership with ​U.S. big tech companies ⁠including Nvidia (NVDA.O), worth $950 billion overall, ​South Korea's presidential adviser said on Saturday.It ​includes the ​long-term supply of $750 billion ‌in ⁠memory chips to U.S. companies by SK Hynix ​and $200 ​billion ⁠in chips by Samsung ​Electronics to ​Broadcom (AVGO.O), the presidential adviser, Kim Yong-beom, ⁠told ​a briefing.

South Korea's SK Hynix, Samsung Elec sign $950 bln partnership with US big tech

The Government of Canada has updated its travel warnings for several popular winter sun destinations, including Caribbean favourites like Cuba, Jamaica and the Dominican Republic, along with farther-flung hotspots like Thailand and Peru.Most of these spots fall under "exercise a high degree of caution," which means travel is still possible, but there are specific risks you'll want to know about. However, Cuba's advisory remains at "avoid non-essential travel," and all Canadian airlines have suspended service to the island until further notice.Canada's travel advisory system uses four risk levels: "Take normal security precautions," "Exercise a high degree of caution," "Avoid non-essential travel," and "Avoid all travel." Knowing where your destination sits on that scale can help you prepare properly — and it matters for your travel insurance coverage, too.From organized crime in Mexico to fuel and power shortages in Cuba, here's what Canadians need to know about the latest travel advice for eight popular winter sun destinations. Cuba has long been a go-to winter escape for Canadians, but the Government of Canada is still advising against non-essential travel to the island this season.All Canadian airlines have suspended service to Cuba until further notice. Commercial flights are still available through international carriers, but officials warn those options could become limited on short notice — and that Canadians already in Cuba should consider leaving while they can.Long, unpredictable power cuts happen daily, and nationwide outages can last more than 24 hours. Most large resorts rely on generators, but fuel shortages can affect food service, lighting, running water and hot water. Taxis and other transportation are often disrupted, and some travellers have been stranded after their rental cars ran out of gas.Money is another big consideration. As of June 6, 2026, Visa and Mastercard credit and debit cards are no longer accepted in Cuba, so plan to bring enough cash for your whole trip. U.S. dollars and euros are more widely accepted than Canadian dollars.Officials also note that the local security situation has deteriorated, and foreigners may be at increased risk of opportunistic crime.If you do travel, pack all the medication, toiletries and basic supplies you'll need, and keep an emergency kit on hand. With its sunny coastlines, incredible food and endless all-inclusive options, Mexico is one of the most popular winter getaways for Canadians — but the Government of Canada says travellers should stay alert.In its latest update, Canada removed an advisory to avoid non-essential travel to Mexico's west-central coast. However, regional advisories remain in place for several states due to violence and organized crime, including Chihuahua, Guerrero, Michoacán, Sinaloa, Tamaulipas and Zacatecas, as well as parts of Chiapas, Colima, Guanajuato, Jalisco, Nayarit, Nuevo León and Sonora. Some cities and resort areas within those states, like Ixtapa/Zihuatanejo and parts of Mazatlán, are exempt when accessed by air.Violent crime still occurs in major cities, popular tourist areas and resorts, and fights between criminal gangs and cartels have broken out in hotels, nightclubs and restaurants. Express kidnappings, where victims are forced to withdraw cash from ATMs, happen frequently, and some offenders pose as taxi drivers or police officers.Officials also warn about spiked drinks — including cases of eye drops being added to beverages — and unregulated alcohol served at some bars, restaurants and resorts. Order drinks in sealed bottles or cans, and never leave them unattended.Another resort-specific tip: balcony railings in Mexico are considerably lower than Canadian standards, and people have been injured or killed in falls.Thailand's white-sand islands, buzzing night markets and incredible food make it a bucket-list winter escape for many Canadians, but there are a few areas officials say to steer clear of entirely.The Government of Canada advises avoiding all travel within 50 kilometres of the Thailand-Cambodia border. A ceasefire has been in effect since December 27, 2025, but the situation remains unpredictable and land border crossings are closed.Canadians should also avoid all travel to the southern provinces of Narathiwat, Pattani and Yala, and parts of southern Songkhla, including the city of Hat Yai, due to violent attacks by separatist insurgents.There's also an ongoing threat of terrorism. Thai authorities defused devices in Phuket, Krabi and Phang Nga in June 2025, and small-scale bomb attacks have happened in public places.In tourist hotspots, be extra careful at night during full moon parties on Koh Pha Ngan and Koh Tao, where robberies and assaults have occurred. Officials strongly advise against riding motorcycles, even if you're experienced, and say you should never leave your passport as collateral when renting a scooter or jet ski. With summer in full swing in the southern hemisphere, Peru's coastline, Andes mountains and Machu Picchu draw plenty of Canadians looking to escape the cold, but the country's advisory comes with several regional warnings.Canada advises against all travel to the Valley of the Apurímac, Ene and Mantaro Rivers (VRAEM) due to terrorism and drug trafficking, and against non-essential travel to the Upper Huallaga River Valley and areas within 20 kilometres of the borders with Colombia and Ecuador.States of emergency are in effect in Lima, Callao and several other provinces to curb a rise in violent crime, and officials note a marked increase in violent crime in the Province of Lima. Express kidnappings involving tourists have occurred, and criminals posing as taxi drivers have robbed travellers heading to and from airports, including Lima's Jorge Chávez International Airport.Strikes and demonstrations can pop up with little notice and disrupt travel — including trains to and from Machu Picchu.The rainy season also runs from November to May in the Andes, which can bring flooding and landslides. Costa Rica's rainforests, surf towns and "pura vida" lifestyle make it a favourite for Canadians chasing winter sunshine, but petty crime is a real concern, especially during peak season.Passport theft is extremely common and spikes during the busy tourist seasons, including from November to May. Thieves often work in teams, with one person distracting victims while another grabs their belongings.Officials flag several popular spots for theft, including Jacó, Manuel Antonio National Park, Quepos, Santa Teresa, Mal País and Montezuma on the Pacific coast, and Puerto Viejo, Cahuita and Puerto Limón on the Caribbean side.Car break-ins are also very common, particularly at hotels, beaches and national park parking lots. Some thieves use "key jammers" to stop car doors from locking, so always double-check manually — and never leave belongings in your vehicle, even in the trunk.There have also been casualties linked to unregulated alcohol containing high levels of methanol. Buy alcohol from reputable establishments, and seek medical help if you start feeling sick.With its turquoise waters and postcard-worthy beaches, The Bahamas is a dream escape for sun-seeking Canadians, but staying alert in places like Nassau and Freeport is key to staying safe.Robberies happen in cruise ship terminals and in and around popular resort areas, even during daylight hours, and crime tends to increase during holidays, festivals and regattas. Most violent crime occurs on New Providence and Grand Bahama, often in non-tourist areas.Sexual assaults have occurred near hotels and in hotel rooms, in casinos, on cruise ships, on beaches and during jet ski rides — and in some cases, victims were drugged first. Officials say tourists should never accept drinks from strangers, and avoid unattended beaches.The Government of Canada also warns drivers never to get out of their car to remove objects blocking the road, as this can be a setup for robbery or carjacking. If you're taking a taxi, only use officially marked ones with "TN" on yellow licence plates.Jamaica's beaches, rum cocktails and laid-back vibes make it a winter favourite for many Canadians, but violent crime remains a concern in some parts of the island.The Government of Canada notes that violent crime has decreased in recent years, but it's still an issue in parts of Kingston and Montego Bay, as well as St. Catherine and May Pen. Police are present at resorts and tourist areas, though assaults and robberies still happen there.Sexual assaults have been reported at tourist resorts, carried out by resort staff and, in some cases, other tourists. Gated, guarded compounds are considered the safest accommodation option, and officials recommend avoiding excessive drinking — especially at all-inclusives.Police checkpoints are common, particularly along the A1 (North Coast Highway), so carry ID and build in extra travel time. Only use taxis authorized by JUTA, identified by red-and-white "PP" plates and a lime-green sticker.Same-sex sexual acts remain illegal in Jamaica, and 2SLGBTQI+ travellers have experienced harassment and abuse.

Canada has issued travel warnings for 8 winter sun spots, including Cuba, Mexico & Jamaica

Ghana's Minister for Foreign Affairs,&nbsp;Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, has ordered the Deputy Passport Director to step aside&nbsp;amid an escalating scandal regarding the alleged irregular issuance and "sale" of Ghanaian service and diplomatic passports.Key Details of the Scandal<ul><li>The Allegations:&nbsp;The opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP) has raised a formal complaint alleging that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs approved service passports for individuals using falsified or non-existent government roles. They claim the documents were issued to unauthorized individuals under wrongly described positions at the Fisheries Commission and the National Disaster Management Organisation.</li><li>International Involvement:&nbsp;The NPP escalated the matter by formalizing a petition to the United States Embassy in Accra on October 30, 2026, urging them to implement stricter vetting and tighter checks on Ghanaian official passport holders.</li><li>Political Fallout:&nbsp;The issue has sparked intense political tension. The NPP has demanded a full independent audit by the Auditor-General and called for a nationwide protest demanding Minister Ablakwa’s removal. Conversely, government-aligned groups claim the allegations are part of a targeted character assassination campaign against Ablakwa.</li></ul>

Diplomatic Passports Row: NPP Takes Complaint to US Embassy as Protest Looms

An Ethiopian-born American citizen has pleaded guilty to passing highly classified intelligence to Ethiopia, including information he hoped would help target and kill fighters from the Tigray region during the country's 2020-22 civil war.Abraham Teklu Lemma, a former US contractor, admitted sharing dozens of classified documents and photographs with senior Ethiopian officials over more than two years, the US Department of Justice said."In doing so, he betrayed his oath, his colleagues, and his country, while jeopardizing our national security," said US Attorney for the District of Columbia Jeanine Ferris Pirro.The 54-year-old faces up to 22 years in prison under a plea agreement.Abraham had worked as a contractor at the State Department, Justice Department and National Reconnaissance Office, the agency responsible for US intelligence satellites.Prosecutors said Abraham worked with senior figures in Ethiopia's political, military and intelligence establishments between 2021 and his arrest in August 2023.He secretly removed classified material from secure government facilities, sometimes copying sensitive information into handwritten notes that he carried out of the buildings. He used his position as an IT administrator to extract electronic intelligence files."Much of the highly classified information Lemma shared with the Ethiopian government concerned an armed conflict in Ethiopia," prosecutors said.&nbsp;The information included satellite imagery and details of military activities, which he passed to Ethiopian officials through encrypted messages.The FBI said Ethiopian officials subsequently used intelligence supplied by Abraham in military operations.Prosecutors said he hoped the information would help Ethiopia's military identify and kill paramilitary fighters."Lemma betrayed the United States to an extraordinary degree," said John Eisenberg, the US assistant attorney general for national security.In one message to an Ethiopian official in December 2021, he wrote: "We have to finish these people once and for all, otherwise there will never be peace in Ethiopia," court papers showed.&nbsp;Later that day, he shared further intelligence and urged the official: "Please send Dro[nes]."The BBC has contacted the Ethiopian authorities for comment.The revelations shed light on how sensitive American intelligence was passed to Ethiopian authorities during a devastating civil war that killed hundreds of thousands of people and displaced millions.It was marked by widespread allegations of atrocities, including massacres, sexual violence and attacks on civilians.&nbsp;A peace agreement signed in November 2022 ended the conflict, although fighting resumed in September after both sides accused each other of not respecting the terms of that deal.Abraham was arrested in Maryland in August 2023 following an investigation into his handling of classified intelligence.At the time, prosecutors alleged that he had removed security markings from intelligence reports and shared information with a foreign intelligence official.In one exchange, the official asked him to continue providing assistance, to which Abraham replied: "Roger that!"Pirro, the US attorney, said Abraham had abused his access to some of America's most sensitive intelligence.She accused him of betraying his colleagues and country with prosecutors saying he "will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law".&nbsp;Abraham pleaded guilty to conspiring to transmit national defence information to a foreign government.His sentencing is scheduled for 14 April 2027._Source: BBC

US contractor gave Ethiopia secrets to help kill Tigray fighters

Streaming superstar&nbsp;<a href="https://variety.com/t/ishowspeed/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">IShowSpeed</a>&nbsp;has partnered with Breakwater Studios and Barack and Michelle Obama’s&nbsp;<a href="https://variety.com/t/higher-ground/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Higher Ground</a>to bring Ben Proudfoot’s upcoming documentary “<a href="https://variety.com/t/the-eyes-of-ghana/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">The Eyes of Ghana</a>” to theaters for a one-night-only screening on Oct. 28,&nbsp;Variety&nbsp;can reveal exclusively. Participating exhibitors include Regal, AMC, Cinemark, select theater chains and independent cinemas.“The Eyes of Ghana,” which premiered at the&nbsp;<a href="https://variety.com/2025/film/features/the-eyes-of-ghana-tiff-cinema-political-power-1236512635/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">2025 Toronto International Film Festival</a>, follows Ghanaian cinematographer Chris Hesse, who, as his eyesight declines, attempts to rescue more than 1,000 films capturing Africa’s fight for independence in the 1950s and ’60s. The tapes were hidden for decades after the 1996 overthrow of Kwame Nkrumah, Ghana’s first president and a leader of the African liberation movement.“It is a great honor to be part of ‘The Eyes of Ghana’ and help bring this extraordinary piece of history tothe big screen. I felt a profound connection to Ghana when I visited this year, and learning about Chris Hesse’s work deepened my understanding of the country and its people,” said IShowSpeed. “His camera captured the birth of African independence, and his determination to preserve those images has ensured that future generations can witness it for themselves. I’m humbled by his legacy and proud to help bring his story to my community.”IShowSpeed, who’s real name is Darren Watkins Jr., is a Cincinnati native with more than 200 million followers and subscribers across streaming and social media platforms. Known for his high-energy demeanor, his livestream content covers gaming, sports, stunts and travel. He was named to the inaugural TIME100 Creators list and ranked No. 1 on Rolling Stone’s 2025 Most Influential Creators list.IShowSpeed’s involvement in “The Eyes of Ghana” is just the latest example of digital creators mobilizing their audiences to movie theaters. Back in January, YouTuber Mark Fischbach, aka Markiplier, directed, starred in and self-distributed his sci-fi horror film “Iron Lung.” Not only did his fans call theater chains to encourage them to screen the movie, but they also showed out in droves on release day. The film opened to $17 million and ended its run with $50 million worldwide against a budget of just $3 million.“Chris Hesse spent more than six decades documenting and safeguarding an extraordinary chapter ofGhanaian and African history,” stated Ethan Lewis, head of non-fiction at Higher Ground. “Higher Ground is proud to partner with IShowSpeed, Ben Proudfoot and Breakwater Studios and this accomplished team of artists to bring this remarkable story to theaters on Oct. 28th. ‘The Eyes of Ghana’ speaks to the power of film to preserve our collective memory, and to the responsibility we share in making sure these stories reach the next generation.”In addition to IShowSpeed, the film is produced by Proudfoot, Nana Adwoa Frimpong, Moses Bwayo, Anita Afonu, Brandon Somerhalder, Lewis and Vinnie Malhotra. Executive producers include Barack and Michelle Obama, Sir John Akomfrah, Kofi Amoo-Gottfried, Paula Madison, Dan and Lian Gill, Max Johnson, Jonathan E. Lim, Michael Risley, Josh Rosenberg, David Treatman and Esther Wojcicki.Tickets and local showtimes are available at&nbsp;<a href="https://theeyesofghana.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">TheEyesOfGhana.com.</a>&nbsp;Check out the trailer below.<img src="https://aukisscontent.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/ddb45db85IMG_6160.png"><iframe class="ql-video" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="true" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/39-C_3DTROg?showinfo=0"></iframe>_Source: Variety

IShowSpeed Partners With Breakwater Studios, Obamas’ Higher Ground to Bring ‘The Eyes of Ghana’ Doc to Theaters

Marvel has done it again. Spider-Man: Brand New Day&nbsp;has officially swung into the record books, earning an astonishing&nbsp;$74.5 million in domestic preview screenings, making it the&nbsp;largest preview night in box office history. The film surpasses the previous record held by&nbsp;Avengers: Endgame, which earned approximately&nbsp;$60 millionduring its Thursday previews in 2019.The record is even more impressive considering&nbsp;Endgame&nbsp;was the culmination of more than a decade of Marvel storytelling.&nbsp;Brand New Day&nbsp;is the fourth solo Spider-Man film starring&nbsp;Tom Holland, yet fan demand has reached levels few expected.The enormous preview total has dramatically raised expectations for the film’s opening weekend. While Sony has publicly projected a debut closer to&nbsp;$195 million, several independent box office analysts believe the film could finish between&nbsp;$280 million and $300 million&nbsp;domestically if audience turnout continues at its current pace.<img src="https://aukisscontent.s3.amazonaws.com/6364bf8e3IMG_5014.webp">Daniel Loria of Box office Pro recently pointed to extraordinary advance ticket sales and the sheer number of theaters dedicating screens to the film as major reasons for the bullish projections.“The movie has nearly half of all available screenings this weekend.”That level of theatrical dominance is almost unheard of and reflects just how much confidence exhibitors have in Marvel and Sony’s latest blockbuster.The film arrives at a pivotal moment for the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Following several years of inconsistent box office results,&nbsp;Brand New Day&nbsp;has been viewed as one of the studio’s most important releases heading into&nbsp;Avengers: Doomsday. Early audience reactions have praised the film’s emotional story, grounded approach to Peter Parker, and action sequences, fueling strong word of mouth before its nationwide release.<img src="https://aukisscontent.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/cea49d926IMG_5015.png">Tom Holland returns as Peter Parker alongside&nbsp;Zendaya,&nbsp;Jacob Batalon,&nbsp;Jon Bernthal,&nbsp;Mark Ruffalo, and&nbsp;Sadie Sink in a film that sees Spider-Man rebuilding his life after the events of&nbsp;Spider-Man: No Way Home. With audiences already turning out in record numbers, the latest chapter appears poised to become one of the biggest superhero releases ever.Whether&nbsp;Brand New Day&nbsp;ultimately surpasses&nbsp;Avengers: Endgame’s&nbsp;opening weekend remains to be seen.&nbsp;Endgame&nbsp;still holds the all time domestic opening weekend record at&nbsp;$357.1 million, a mark many believed would stand for years. However, after already rewriting the record books with its preview performance,&nbsp;Spider-Man: Brand New Day&nbsp;has proven that betting against Marvel’s most popular hero is rarely a good idea._Source: Coastal House Media

Spider-Man: Brand New Day Breaks All Time Box Office Preview Record, Surpassing Avengers: Endgame

Jason Statham's movies might not always have the best track record with critics. The Expendables, Death Race, The Meg, The Transporter, and The Mechanic were all torn apart by critics upon their respective releases. However, the British action icon has a talent for finding movies that land with audiences. All of the above films were big hits with viewers, and Statham's popularity has shot through the roof thanks to streaming. Some of his more recent action movies, like Wrath of Man and The Beekeeper, have become major successes thanks to their time on streaming. But one of Statham's most critically underrated films has become one of the most popular movies on streaming in 2026.Directed by The Beekeeper's David Ayer, Jason Statham's A Working Man is currently streaming on Prime Video, and people cannot get enough of it. The streaming platform releases weekly rankings of its most popular movies, and Jason Statham's 2025 hit has made the cut. The film is constantly bouncing on and off the weekly streaming charts. According to Prime Video's latest figures, A Working Man was the fifth most popular film on Prime Video over the past week. Your Fault: London was the most popular movie last week, with Tom Clancy's Jack Ryan: Ghost War (such a long title) in second, and My Fault: London (which is different, somehow) in third. Another action thriller has snuck into the top 10, with Chris Hemsworth's Crime 101 in eighth.Written by Chuck Dixon, Sylvester Stallone, and David Ayer, with the latter directing, A Working Man is a Jason Statham action flick like any other. Statham plays Levon Cade, who used to be a trained killer before giving up his life of violence to earn an honest living and be a good dad to his daughter. But when a local girl is kidnapped, Cade has to dust off his brutal skills to track her down and save her. The former assassin turned good who must come out of retirement to save someone is a very overdone story. The plot feels derived from Taken, while the action was clearly inspired by John Wick. But, for some reason, when it's Jason Statham leading the film, it's incredibly engrossing.As well as following the usual plot structure of a Jason Statham action movie, A Working Man also followed the same critical narrative. The film was lambasted by critics, holding a weak 46% Rotten Tomatoes rating. But, just like Jason Statham dusting off his martial arts skills, audiences once again came to the rescue, bestowing A Working Man with a far stronger 87% audience score on RT.<h2>Jason Statham's Newest Action Movie Is a Similar Affair</h2><img src="https://static0.moviewebimages.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/jason-statham-shelter-title.jpg?q=49&amp;fit=crop&amp;w=825&amp;dpr=2">Black Bear PicturesWe said that Statham playing a retired killer who comes back to save a young person in danger is a well-worn archetype. It just so happens to be the story for Jason Statham's newest action hit, Shelter. In Shelter, which is also a major fan-favorite on streaming, Statham plays a former special forces soldier who lives in solitude and comes out of retirement to protect a young girl caught in the middle of a violent conspiracy. Also, like A Working Man, it's awesome.

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