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The group says it attacked an Israeli military base with a hypersonic missile.

Yemen’s Houthis have claimed responsibility for launching two missiles towards northern Israel, targeting the Ramat David military airbase and the Tel Aviv area, as the group continues its military pressure in solidarity with Palestinians under Israeli fire.

The Israeli military said on Friday it intercepted the first missile and launched another interceptor at the second, which was also fired from Yemen.

Alarms were triggered in several locations, though authorities reported no casualties or damage. The military added that the outcome of the second interception was still under review.

Yahya Saree, spokesperson for the Houthis – also known as Ansar Allah – confirmed the group had carried a “military operation” against a key Israeli military target.

Saree said hypersonic missiles were used and had successfully hit their intended destination.

The Israeli army responded that “interception attempts were made” without providing further details.

The Houthi group has repeatedly said its attacks on Israel as well as United States and British ships in the Red Sea and Bab al-Mandeb Strait will only cease if Israel agrees to a permanent Gaza truce.

The Houthis did not carry out attacks during the Gaza ceasefire earlier this year until Israel blocked all aid into the besieged enclave in early March and followed that with a full resumption of the war.

Growing civilian death toll

The attacks come as the US escalates its military operations in Yemen.

Since March, the US has launched large-scale attacks not only on infrastructure but increasingly on individuals linked to the Houthi leadership.

Civilian casualties are mounting, with UK-based monitor Airwars estimating between 27 and 55 civilians were killed in March alone, and suggesting April’s toll is even higher.

One of the deadliest US strikes in April hit Ras Isa port in Hodeidah, killing at least 80 people and wounding more than 150.

On Monday at least 68 people were killed in the overnight strike on detained African migrants, and eight people were killed around the capital, Houthi media reported.

Rights advocates have been alarmed about the growing civilian death toll. Three US Democratic senators recently wrote to Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth, demanding an accounting for civilian lives lost.

“Strikes pose a growing risk to the civilian population in Yemen,” United Nations spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said on Monday. “We continue to call on all parties to uphold their obligations under international humanitarian law, including the protection of civilians.”

Control over city gives the RSF strategic advantage in its bid to take Darfur capital el-Fasher, located 400km to the west.

Fighting in the Sudanese city of al-Nahud, a strategic city in West Kordofan state acting as a gateway to the Darfur region, has killed 19 people and left 37 wounded, according to sources who spoke to Al Jazeera, in the latest eruption of violence in the brutal two-year civil war.

Local sources told Al Jazeera that the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), which declared on Telegram that it had “liberated” al-Nahud from the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) on Thursday, had rampaged through neighbourhoods, looting the market, houses and cars.

Al Jazeera understands that a doctor, a journalist and a police officer were among those killed as paramilitaries overcame the city, held by the SAF since the start of the conflict that has left tens of thousands dead and uprooted more than 12 million.

Control over al-Nahud has become a priority for both the RSF and SAF as fighting between the pair intensifies in Darfur, where 542 people have been killed in the past three weeks alone, according to the United Nations on Thursday.

The RSF has been doubling down on Darfur in recent weeks after losing the national capital, Khartoum, last month, in a bid to seize regional capital el-Fasher, the last major population centre still in the army’s hands, located 400 kilometres (250 miles) west of al-Nahud.

Recent violence in el-Fasher and the nearby refugee camps of Zamzam and Abu Shouk has caused hundreds of thousands of people to flee 60km (37 miles) across the desert to the town of Tawila.

As it continues its campaign in Darfur, the paramilitary group has also been inching closer to Khartoum again, shelling the presidential palace in its second attack on the capital in less than a week.

On Saturday, the RSF bombarded the army’s General Command headquarters in Khartoum.

Volker Turk, the UN high commissioner for human rights, commenting on the death toll in Darfur and extrajudicial executions conducted by both sides in Khartoum state, said on Thursday that the “horror unfolding in Sudan knows no bounds”.

The conflict between SAF, led by Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, and the RSF’s Mohamed Hamdan “Hemedti” Dagalo has divided Sudan in two, with the army holding sway in the north and east, while the RSF controls most of Darfur and parts of the south.

Chile has issued a tsunami warning and said people should evacuate coastal areas in the south of country after a large earthquake.

The warning was issued for the remote Magallanes region on the country’s southern tip and parts of the Chilean Antarctic Territory.

It comes after a 7.4 magnitude earthquake struck 219km (136 miles) off the coast of the city of Ushuaia, in neighbouring Argentina, on Friday, according to the United States Geological Survey.

The earthquake was also felt in Ushuaia, local media reports, and aftershocks have been reported in the region.

In a post on X, Chilean President Gabriel Boric said: “We call for evacuation of the coastline throughout the Magallanes region.” All state resources would be made available to deal with any impact, he added.

More than 1,700 people have been evacuated to higher ground in the sparsely-populated Magallanes region so far, including 1,000 from the town of Puerto Williams and 500 from Puerto Natales, according to Chile’s disaster agency (Senapred).

Some 32 people also followed evacuation procedures in Chile’s Antarctic research bases, Senapred added.

The agency advised residents to “act calmly and follow the instructions of authorities and response teams”.

Footage posted on social media, as yet unverified by the BBC, showed people calmly heading for higher ground in Puerto Williams, with sirens blaring in the background.

Local media is reporting that this is a precautionary measure, with residents being asked to evacuate to safe areas which are 30m above sea level.

The earthquake struck the Drake Passage between Cape Horn and Antarctica at a depth of 10km (6 miles), the US Geological Survey said.

BREAKINGBREAKING,

Chile issues evacuation alert for coastal areas in the Magallanes region in the country’s far south.

A magnitude 7.4 earthquake has struck off the southern coasts of Chile and Argentina, the United States Geological Survey (USGS) says.

Chilean authorities issued an evacuation alert on Friday for the entire coastal section of the Strait of Magellan, in the far south of the South American country.

Citing the threat of a tsunami, the Chilean National Service for Disaster Prevention and Response also ordered the evacuation of the beach area of the Antarctic Territory, Magallanes Region.

Argentina did not immediately issue a similar tsunami warning.

No damage or casualties have been initially reported.

The earthquake struck Drake Passage between Cape Horn and Antarctica at a depth of just 10km (6 miles), the USGS said.

Magallanes is Chile’s largest and southernmost region and one of its least populated. According to government figures, in 2017, the population totalled about 166,000 people.

Chilean President Gabriel Boric said all of the country’s resources were available to respond to the quake.

“We call for evacuation of the coastline throughout the Magallanes region,” he wrote in a social media post. “At this time, our duty is to be prepared and heed the authorities.”

British retail giant Marks & Spencer (M&S) and the iconic Knightsbridge department store, Harrods, have become the latest to be hit by cyberattacks in the UK.

Online orders at M&S, one of the United Kingdom’s most prominent high-street stores, remain paused and the attack has already cost the company millions of pounds in lost revenues.

Here is what we know about the incident, its effect and where things stand.

What happened in the cyberattack on Harrods and Marks and Spencer?

• April 21: Customers begin reporting issues making contactless payments and booking click-and-collect services (ordering online and picking up in store) at Marks & Spencer. Later that day, the company confirms it is dealing with a “cyber incident”.
• April 25: M&S suspends all online orders and pulls its more than 200 job listings offline. Signs begin appearing in stores warning of limited food availability. Gift cards and returns at M&S food stores cannot be processed.
• April 28: Some M&S stores report empty shelves and a shortage of popular items like Percy Pigs sweets. About 200 agency workers at the Castle Donington warehouse in the UK’s East Midlands are told to stay home. Stores continue to suffer from shortages.
• April 29 – May 2: M&S’s website remains unable to process online orders; job applications are still paused. The retailer has issued no further public updates. Physical stores remain open, but some product lines remain unavailable.
• April 30: The United Kingdom’s Metropolitan Police force confirms it is investigating the attack.
• May 1: Upmarket London department store Harrods confirms a cyberattack but assures customers that its operations continue as normal. The company has not revealed how severe the breach is or if customer data has been exposed.

Is M&S back online?

M&S’s online services have not fully resumed. Customers can browse online but they cannot complete purchases. Some difficulties also continue in stores, with gift cards not currently being accepted.

The company has not provided a timeline for recovery.

Why were these retailers attacked?

Although M&S has not confirmed the type of cyberattack it suffered, experts say the company’s shutdown of systems points to a likely ransomware incident.

Ransomware is a type of malicious software which blocks access to files or systems until a ransom has been paid – usually in cryptocurrency. This sort of software can shut down operations and hold critical data hostage.

Harrods has not shared details about its cyberattack, but experts believe the incidents may be connected.

Both the Metropolitan Police and the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) are investigating the cyber attacks. The NCSC has urged all retailers to tighten their cybersecurity and advised consumers to check bank activity and update passwords.

Who is behind the latest cyberattack?

The attack on M&S has been linked by cybersecurity observers to a group called Scattered Spider, which is also known as Octo Tempest.

This is a loose network of mostly young, English-speaking hackers who use tricks like phishing (messages through which criminals trick recipients into handing over sensitive information such as login details), SIM swapping (taking control of someone’s phone number) and Multi-Factor Authentication fatigue (sending repeated login requests until someone accidentally approves one) to break into company systems.

Scattered Spider is believed to have accessed M&S systems using ransomware called DragonForce.

One of the most common ways ransomware infiltrates a system is through phishing emails, according to cybersecurity firm Akamai. Common to all the methods is “the aim of exploiting either a human error or a technical vulnerability”, its website explains. 

Once inside, the malware spreads and encrypts important files, locking them so the company can’t access or use them. The hackers then demand a ransom in exchange for a key to unlock the data.

Tim Mitchell, a senior security researcher at Secureworks, told the UK’s Guardian newspaper that Scattered Spider is an unusual hacking group because most cybercriminal networks tend to operate out of countries like Russia, where looser enforcement provides a more “permissive environment” for cybercrime.

The World Cybercrime Index ranks Russia as the country posing the highest cybercrime threat, followed by Ukraine, China, the United States, Nigeria and Romania.

How much has this attack cost the companies?

Since the attack, more than 700 million pounds ($930m) has been wiped off Marks & Spencer’s market value, with its share price falling 6.5 percent – including a 2.2 percent drop on the first day of disruptions alone.

Online shopping, which makes up about one-third of M&S’s clothing and home sales, generates roughly 3.8 million pounds ($5.05m) in daily revenue – a stream now halted due to the ongoing shutdown.

The company has also paused recruitment, removing nearly 200 job listings from its website.

Harrods, meanwhile, has not disclosed any financial losses. As a privately held company, it does not have a stock price and typically does not make its financial information public.

How have Harrods and M&S responded?

M&S initially responded promptly to the cyberattack, informing customers of the breach and pausing affected services early on. However, communication has since stalled, with only two official statements released – the last on April 25.

The retailer confirmed it took systems offline “as a precaution”, affecting both in-store stock and logistics.

Harrods, meanwhile, has not disclosed any financial losses. A spokesperson said Harrods is “working closely with leading cybersecurity experts and law enforcement to investigate the incident and ensure the integrity of our systems”.

Have other similar cyberattacks occurred recently?

Yes. M&S and Harrods are the latest in the UK to be affected by cyberattacks.

Co-operative Group (Co-op), a British consumer cooperative that operates food stores, funeral services and other businesses, also faced an attempted breach the same week. It shut down parts of its IT system, affecting back-office and call centre functions. Stores remained open.

Synnovis, a partner of the UK’s National Health Service, was hit by a ransomware attack in June 2024, delaying more than 11,000 medical appointments while patient data it relied on was locked. The Russian-linked cybercriminal group, Qilin, demanded $50m to restore access, but Synnovis refused to pay, adhering to the UK government’s policy against paying cybercriminals. In response, the group posted the stolen data online including names, dates of birth, NHS numbers and details of blood test results.

According to the UK government’s Cyber Security Breaches Survey, 74 percent of large businesses were targeted in cyberattacks in 2024. The Information Commissioner’s Office also recorded a 40 percent rise in data breaches in the retail sector in 2023 alone.

Leader Nigel Farage, a Trump ally, hopes to position anti-immigration party as significant political force in UK.

The radical-right Reform UK party has made gains in local and by-elections, seeking to establish itself as a significant political force.

The anti-immigration party won a fifth parliamentary seat, gained its first mayoralty, and took a number of seats on local councils, results on Friday showed. Reform hopes to ride growing support to unbalance the United Kingdom’s political system, which is traditionally dominated by the governing Labour Party and opposition Conservatives.

“It’s been a huge night for Reform,” said Reform leader Nigel Farage after the party was declared winner of the seat of Runcorn and Helsby.

The victory in northwest England, previously a Labour stronghold, came by just six votes.

Reform also prevailed in a mayoral race in Greater Lincolnshire and picked up dozens of council seats from Labour and the Conservatives in the first polls since general elections last year.

The results appear to underline the fracturing of the UK’s political landscape.

Prime Minister Keir Starmer led Labour to one of the largest parliamentary majorities in British history in last year’s election but has gone on to suffer the fastest decline in popularity of any newly elected government.

Brexit champion Farage, a populist who has allied himself in the past with United States President Donald Trump, noted that the win in Runcorn and Helsby, which Labour won in last year’s national election with a majority of almost 15,000 votes, showed that the ruling party’s vote had “collapsed”.

Labour has lost support as the government has raised taxes, cut benefits for the elderly and proposed sweeping welfare reforms, alienating the left-wing party’s traditional voter base and driving some into the arms of Reform.

‘Soft-touch Britain’

In Greater Lincolnshire, newly elected mayor Andrea Jenkyns, a former Conservative minister who defected to Reform after losing her seat last year, became the party’s most powerful elected politician yet, with responsibility for an area covering about a million people.

In her victory speech, Jenkyns pledged to bring an end to “soft-touch Britain” and said asylum seekers should be held in tents, not in hotels as they often are in the country.

“The rebuilding begins here … we’re going to have a Britain where we put British people first,” she said.

Reform UK is the latest in a series of parties led by Farage, a veteran hard-right politician who was crucial in taking the UK out of the European Union through a 2016 referendum. A divisive figure, he has said many migrants come to the UK from cultures “alien to ours”.

Reform, which has pledged to “stop the boats” of irregular migrants crossing the English Channel, is hoping that winning mayoralties and gaining councillors would help it build its grassroots activism before the next general election – likely in 2029.

The party hopes to scoop up hundreds of municipal seats in the elections that are deciding 1,641 seats on 23 local councils and six mayoralties, as well as the parliamentary seat.

Ballots in most of those contests are being counted on Friday and results should be announced in the afternoon.

When Boko Haram attacked a religious gathering in Nassarawo, Yola, the capital of Adamawa State, northeastern Nigeria, and killed 12 persons in January 2012, it ignited deep-seated anger, fear, and suspicion. The incident led to a series of reprisal attacks within Nassarawo, a community where Muslims and Christians once co-existed peacefully, and other parts of the state. 

Schools closed, businesses shuttered, and families fled, some never returning. 

“That evening changed everything,” Kauna Hamman, a resident of Yola, recounted. “We watched a quiet neighbourhood with a history of coexistence, switch to distrust and separation.” 

The event, which was one of several other ethno-religious crises in Nigeria that have claimed hundreds of lives, left Kauna wondering what could be a way out. “If violence can divide us so quickly, can peace not bring us back together?” she asked. 

Kauna eventually joined the North East Social Innovation Fellowship (NESIF), an initiative aimed at countering violent extremism in the region. During the fellowship, she met nine other young people—each, like her, from communities devastated by the Boko Haram insurgency. Together, they shared a deep conviction: that marginalised communities hold the power to drive their development and transformation.

They founded Strategy for Peace and Humanitarian Development Initiative (SPeHDI) in 2018.

Adamawa State is home to a rich blend of cultures, traditions, and religions. While the relationships between the various religions are often defined by peaceful interactions, moments of conflict, like the 2012 incident in Nassarawo, have periodically strained these ties.

SPeHDI’s mission centres on promoting communal peacebuilding and preventing violent extremism through approaches that integrate human capital development, social empowerment, and education. The organisation emphasises core values such as honesty, humanity, transparency, participation, and accountability, believing that these principles are essential in cultivating an environment where peaceful coexistence can flourish. 

“Through engaging communities in interfaith dialogues, sporting events, and ‘catch them young’ programmes, SPeHDI equips children, youths, and women with the necessary conflict resolution and negotiation skills to settle disputes amicably, while also providing them with a source of livelihood,” Kauna, who serves as the Executive Director of SPeHDI, told HumAngle. 

Moreover, SPeHDI actively counters extremist narratives by providing alternative perspectives through social media campaigns, pamphlets, and targeted sensitisation programmes. These efforts address underlying issues such as drug abuse, lack of education, and unemployment, factors that can drive vulnerable populations towards extremist ideologies. 

Operating at the state and local government levels, the organisation’s grassroots initiatives aim not only to enhance social cohesion but also to empower local communities to participate actively in their development.

In September 2021, the initiative hosted an inter-street football competition in Bekaji, a community in Yola, to mark the International Day of Peace.

“It was inspiring to see both Muslims and Christians coming together to play football,” said Yakubu Joel, a resident of Bekaji, who participated in the competition. “This event makes us reflect on our commonalities and shows that when we set aside our differences, we can all contribute to a stronger, more united community.” 

Nearly four years on, the impact of that tournament still resonates. Residents told HumAngle that sports have continued to serve as a unifying force in Bekaji.

“We are benefiting from the football jerseys the organisation gave us in 2021. The jerseys are the official sports wear for the Bekaji football team to date, and it is worn by everyone, regardless of their faith. It is a testament to the unity and harmony SPeHDI has instilled in us,” said Dyangapwa Heman, another resident.

HumAngle has previously reported on other community-led initiatives that use sports, especially football, to bridge divides in conflict-affected areas, such as Jos in North-central Nigeria. 

“For me, peace is not merely the absence of conflict—it’s a process of healing and rebuilding trust,” Kauna said. 

Between 2021 and 2023, SPeHDI organised three week-long annual sporting events across Yola North, Numan, and Girei local government areas. The events drew large youth participation from various religions, not just as players, but also as cheerleaders, spectators, and match officials. 

“Through the engagement of different faiths and involving women and youth in our peace initiatives, we work to dismantle cycles of violence and lay the groundwork for lasting justice and community healing,” she added. 

‘Catch them young’

Although children often bear the brunt of conflict and its aftermath, they are frequently overlooked in peacebuilding and conflict resolution efforts. 

Recognising this gap, Kauna and her team launched Catch Them Young, a programme designed to instil a culture of coexistence among children by equipping them with conflict resolution skills from an early age. As part of the initiative, SPeHDI has established peace clubs in 10 secondary schools across Adamawa State, with several students participating. 

At the Lutheran Junior Seminary School in Mbamba, Yola, Emmanuel Bapatu, a former principal, told HumAngle: “Students meet every Wednesday and Friday from 4 to 5 p.m., where they are equipped with essential conflict resolution and dialogue skills. It’s a vital step toward fostering a peaceful, drug-free environment.”

Tessy Mark is one of the students impacted by the programme. She was in Primary 5 when SPeHDI first introduced “Catch Them Young” to her school. Now in JSS 3 at Colonel Isa Memorial College, Yola, Tessy reflected on how the lessons have shaped her behaviour.

“Whenever I am angry or pissed at someone, I don’t just react immediately,” she said. “What I do is leave the place, calm down, and come back later to talk about the situation and settle it. I’ve applied this for a while now, and it has been working for me.”

‘It is a gradual process’

Building peace, especially in conflict-affected communities, is never without its hurdles. SPeHDI’s management acknowledged that their journey, though marked by hope and determination, has faced numerous challenges. Internally, the team continues to navigate the task of ensuring every member aligns with the organisation’s core values.

“Recruiting and retaining staff who genuinely reflect our community’s diversity is a constant challenge,” said Benjamin Nathaniel, the organisation’s Human Resource Manager. “We strive to ensure that our team embodies the trust and commitment our work demands, but it’s not always easy when expectations are high and there’s no external source of funding.”

SPeHDI is mostly self-funded, according to Meki Maksha, the initiative’s Head of Procurement. He pointed out the resource constraints the organisation regularly grapples with.

“Cost-effectively securing essential supplies often puts us in a tough spot,” he said. “We have to balance our limited resources with our goals carefully.”

These internal challenges not only strain the organisation’s capacity but also test its resolve to uphold the standards required for meaningful peacebuilding.

Externally, working with communities that have endured prolonged conflict presents its complexities.

“Many community members are understandably sceptical,” said Kauna. “They have seen promises broken before, and healing deep-seated wounds doesn’t happen overnight. Building trust in such an environment is a gradual process, and we sometimes face resistance simply because of past disappointments.”

This story is done in collaboration between HumAngle Media and Africa Transitional Justice Legacy Fund (ATJLF) as part of a project amplifying transitional justice efforts in North East Nigeria. 

An aid ship heading to Gaza has sent out a distress signal after crew members say it was hit in a drone attack and has caught fire. There are 30 aid workers on board the Freedom Flotilla ship, which was attempting to break Israel’s 2-month aid blockade.

Han Duck-soo declares candidacy in June 3 election to replace impeached ex-president Yoon Suk-yeol.

South Korea has sworn in its third acting president in less than six months, as his predecessor declared his candidacy in a snap election to replace impeached ex-leader Yoon Suk-yeol.

Education Minister Lee Ju-ho pledged to ensure “stability” as he was appointed acting leader on Friday, a day after Prime Minister Han Duck-soo stepped down to run in the June 3 election.

“I will try my best to ensure government functions are managed stably,” Lee told reporters.

The appointment of a new acting president came as Han’s candidacy injected more uncertainty into an election race that has been upended by doubts over the eligibility of the left-leaning frontrunner, Lee Jae-myung of the Democratic Party.

“I’ve determined to find what I can do for the future of the Republic of Korea that I love and for all of us,” Han told a news conference at the National Assembly on Friday.

“I’ll try my utmost to be chosen by the people at this presidential election.”

On Thursday, the Supreme Court overturned Lee Jae-myung’s acquittal on election law violations, sending the case back to a lower court.

If his conviction is upheld before the election, Lee, who has dominated polls for months, would be disqualified from the race.

Next month’s election was called after Yoon, a former prosecutor-turned-conservative politician, was removed from office over his shock declaration of martial law in December.

While Yoon’s declaration lasted less than six hours before being voted down by South Korea’s legislature, the political uncertainty and chaos it unleashed continues to reverberate nearly six months later.

Han, 75, took over as acting president following Yoon’s impeachment on December 14, before he was himself impeached and replaced by Finance Minister Choi Sang-mok.

In March, the Constitutional Court overturned Han’s impeachment, restoring him to the role of acting leader.

A veteran politician and bureaucrat, Han has served as prime minister in both liberal and conservative administrations, as well as doing stints as trade minister, finance minister, and ambassador to the United States.

While not affiliated with a political party, Han is expected to ally with Yoon’s conservative People Power Party.

He said his campaign platform would focus on limiting the power of the executive and amending the constitution to add more checks and balances.

Following Han’s announcement, the Democratic Party accused him of abandoning his duties as a caretaker leader.

“We warn former Prime Minister Han. Don’t hide your greed with a lie that you are running for the people,” Democratic Party spokesperson Noh Jong-myun said.

Israel has ramped up attacks on Syria following a week of sectarian violence against the Druze community.

Israel’s military has launched air strikes near Syria’s presidential palace in Damascus after accusing the Syrian authorities of failing to protect the country’s Druze minority from sectarian violence.

The attack early on Friday was the second of its kind by Israel this week and is seen as sending a strong message to Syria’s transitional government led by President Ahmed al-Sharaa.

“This is a clear message to the Syrian regime: We will not allow [Syrian] forces to deploy south of Damascus or any threat to the Druze community,” Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu said in a joint statement with Israel’s Defence Minister Israel Katz shortly after the attack.

More than 100 people were killed this week during fighting between pro-government forces and Druze fighters in Syria.

The violence has been condemned as a “genocidal campaign” by Syria’s Druze spiritual leader Sheikh Hikmat al-Hijri, who called for an immediate intervention by “international forces to maintain peace and prevent the continuation of these crimes”.

On Thursday, Israel’s Foreign Minister Gideon Saar urged the international community to “fulfil its role in protecting the minorities in Syria – especially the Druze – from the regime and its gangs of terror”.

Israel has previously called Syria’s transitional government a “terror group from Idlib that took Damascus by force” and has ramped up its support for the Druze minority this week.

The Druze minority are a 10th-century offshoot of a branch of Shia Islam, and live primarily in Syria, Lebanon and Israel, and have been allies of Israel with many Druze serving in the Israeli military.

Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani on Thursday called for “national unity” as “the solid foundation for any process of stability or revival”.

“Any call for external intervention, under any pretext or slogan, only leads to further deterioration and division,” he wrote on X.

The sectarian violence poses one of the most serious challenges yet to the government of al-Sharaa, who led a coalition of rebel groups to overthrow Syria’s President Bashar al-Assad in December.

Syria has been faced with sectarian violence since then.

The fighting this week follows a massacre in March of more than 1,700 civilians from the Alawite community by security forces and allied groups, according to the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

The Alawites, who are traditionally based near the Mediterranean coast in western Syria, are the same ethnic group as the toppled al-Assad.

Everton supporters will be keen to know if the striker is going to be a part of their squad for next season.

Calvert-Lewin is one of a few players at Everton whose future is under discussion and BBC Sport has reported an offer is on the table. When asked about his situation, he says in his mind things are simple.

“I’m an Everton player and my focus will always be on doing my best for Everton and I have a lot of respect for Everton football club,” he says.

“It’s given me everything I have today.

“My main focus is making sure I am in the best condition, it is like going through a mini pre-season to get fit for these last four games.

“With the new manager coming in the club is moving in the right direction, there’s a new stadium and there’s a lot to be positive about.

“Who wouldn’t want to be part of that?

“There was a lot of uncertainty for a long time a little bit higher up and arguably the last three seasons have been the most difficult in Everton’s Premier League history and I have been there leading the line through that.

“For me it’s built a lot of experience, and I have a lot of fond memories. Everton will always be a place that is special to me, so we will see what happens.”

Social media campaign depicts fictional scenes of officials becoming disillusioned with ruling Chinese Communist Party.

The CIA has launched a Chinese-language social media campaign calling on government officials in China to switch sides and leak secrets to the United States.

The two videos released on Thursday depict fictional scenes involving Chinese officials who approach the top intelligence agency after becoming disillusioned with the ruling Communist Party of China (CCP).

In one of the videos, an actor depicting a senior CCP member describes the fear he feels for his family as he witnesses officials around him being purged like “worn-out shoes”.

“This man, who has diligently worked his way to the top throughout his life, now profoundly realises that no matter how high his status is, it is insufficient to protect his family in these turbulent and unsettling times,” reads a Chinese-language description of the video on YouTube.

“He yearns to take control of his destiny and find a path to safeguard his family and the achievements he has built through years of hard work. Aware that everything he possesses could vanish in an instant, he is driven to make a difficult but crucial decision to safely reach out to the CIA.”

The videos, which were released on platforms including Facebook, Telegram, Instagram and X, contain instructions on “safely” and “securely” contacting the CIA, including by using the dark web browser Tor.

“One of the primary roles of the CIA is to collect intelligence for the president and for our policymakers,” CIA director John Ratcliffe said in an interview with Fox News.

“One of the ways we do that is by recruiting assets that can help us steal secrets.”

China’s embassy in Washington did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Desmond Shum, a Chinese property tycoon-turned-dissident who lives in the United Kingdom, described the CIA campaign as the most “aggressive public move” by the agency against China in living memory.

“This kind of public outreach is exactly the sort of provocation that enrages the CCP – and Xi Jinping personally,” Shum said on X, referring to Chinese President Xi Jinping.

“His obsession with lifelong rule stems from a singular goal: to secure the Party’s unshakable control over China.”

These are the key events on day 1,163 of Russia’s war on Ukraine.

Here is where things stand on Friday, May 2:

Fighting

• Russia accused Ukraine of deliberately targeting civilians during a recent drone attack that killed at least seven people and wounded more than 20 on Thursday morning in partially occupied Kherson.
• The drone strike hit a market in the town of Oleshky in Russian-controlled Kherson at approximately 9:30am local time, when many people were outdoors due to the May 1 public holiday, the region’s Moscow-appointed governor said.
• Ukraine’s military said the attack targeted Russian troops, and only military personnel were killed, although the claims by either side have not been independently verified.
• A Russian strike on Ukraine’s Odesa killed two people, and a Russian drone attack in the southeastern Ukrainian city of Zaporizhzhia set a building on fire on Thursday night, injuring 14 people, with no fatalities.
• Ukraine’s SBU Security Service said it has thwarted the attempted murder of Sergiy Sternenko, a prominent activist and video blogger, and also detained a suspect. Sternenko has been heavily involved in anti-Russian activism since 2014.

Diplomacy

• Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has described his country’s landmark mineral deal with the US as a “truly equal agreement that creates an opportunity for quite significant investment in Ukraine”.
• The European Union is preparing new sanctions on Russia, according to French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot. This would be the 17th round of sanctions from the 27-member bloc.
• United States Senator Lindsey Graham has become one of the loudest Ukraine supporters in Washington, according to a Wall Street Journal exclusive report. Graham, a close Trump ally, is pushing for new sanctions on Russia and steep tariffs on countries that buy Russian energy and uranium.

• US Vice President JD Vance told Fox News that the war in Ukraine is “not going anywhere” and it’s “not going to end any time soon” during an interview. It’s “going to be up to the Russians and Ukrainians now that each side knows what the other’s terms for peace are”, Vance said.
• The Trump administration has put forward a Russian-speaking career diplomat, Julie Davis, as their choice for the top US envoy to Ukraine. Davis, whose career experience includes the former Soviet Union, will take up the post as charge d’affaires in Kyiv. She will need to be approved by the Senate to become the ambassador.
• Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic says he will follow through with his promise to visit Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow next week, even if it angers his EU neighbours.
• Russia is holding celebrations to mark the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II.

United States President Donald Trump has announced he plans to reassign Mike Waltz, removing him from his current role as his national security adviser and nominating him instead to be ambassador to the United Nations.

The revelation on Thursday comes after a morning of intense speculation that Waltz and his second-in-command, Deputy National Security Adviser Alex Wong, had been pushed out of their roles.

“I am pleased to announce that I will be nominating Mike Waltz to be the next United States Ambassador to the United Nations,” Trump wrote on his social media platform Truth Social. “Mike Waltz has worked hard to put our Nation’s Interests first. I know he will do the same in his new role.”

Trump said that Secretary of State Marco Rubio would instead step into the role of national security adviser, while continuing in his role as the country’s top diplomat.

“Together, we will continue to fight tirelessly to Make America, and the World, SAFE AGAIN,” Trump said.

The president’s message seemed to confirm the first major staffing shake-up of his second term. Earlier in the day, anonymous sources had told major US news outlets that Waltz had been forced out, after his relationship with Trump cooled.

Waltz’s reputation has suffered from an incident in which he appears to have added a journalist to a private chat on the app Signal where details of US military attacks were shared.

But Trump has publicly stood by Waltz and refused to mete out punishment for the Signal scandal.

During his first term, Trump also made a habit of cycling through national security advisers. Over his four years in office, he had four different national security advisers, starting with retired Lieutenant General Michael Flynn, who lasted only four weeks.

Waltz was a former US Congress member, who represented Florida’s 6th district starting in 2019. Although he was re-elected to his seat in 2024, he stepped down from his congressional role in January to join the Trump administration.

Previously, he had served in the US army as a Green Beret, a branch of the special forces.

“Mike has been a strong champion of my America First Foreign Policy agenda, and will be a tremendous champion of our pursuit of Peace through Strength,” Trump wrote on November 12, when he first announced Waltz as his pick for national security adviser.

But Waltz’s foreign-policy background has been a source of scrutiny. While Trump has positioned himself as a “peacemaker and unifier” during his second term, promising to end world conflict, critics point out that Waltz has historically taken a more hawkish stance.

He served as a counterterrorism adviser to Vice President Dick Cheney under the administration of former President George W Bush, and he opposed the large-scale withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan without concessions from the Taliban.

That made Waltz and his staff a target for some among Trump’s “Make America Great Again” (MAGA) base. At a White House meeting in April, far-right social media personality Laura Loomer reportedly criticised national security officials, including Waltz.

After that meeting, Trump fired six National Security Council (NSC) officials, although Waltz and Wong were not among them.

On Thursday, Loomer appeared to celebrate Waltz’s and Wong’s departures on social media. “Hopefully, the rest of the people who were set to be fired but were given promotions at the NSC under Waltz also depart,” she wrote.

But Waltz’s standing in the White House was particularly weakened after the revelation that editor Jeffrey Goldberg from The Atlantic magazine was added to a private chat in which top officials discussed a bombing campaign in Yemen.

In his chronicle of the incident, Goldberg said he received an unexpected invitation from a Signal account identified as Waltz’s. At first, Goldberg questioned whether the invitation was real. But after accepting, he found himself in the midst of a conversation with individuals including Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth, Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Rubio.

They appeared to be discussing upcoming plans to bomb targets associated with the Houthis, a Yemen-based armed group. Those details, shared by Hegseth, included the precise timings and aircraft used in the bombing campaign.

Waltz has admitted his role in the scandal, and the White House has since said the issue was “case closed”.

“I take full responsibility. I built the group,” Waltz told Fox News in March. Of Goldberg, he added: “We’ve got the best technical minds looking into how this happened. But I can tell you for 100 percent: I don’t know this guy.”

To take up his new role as UN ambassador, Waltz will face a Senate confirmation hearing — a process he did not have to undergo as a national security adviser. His involvement in the “Signalgate” scandal is likely to take a central role in his Senate questioning.

The UN ambassador’s position has been open since Trump yanked the nomination of Representative Elise Stefanik on March 27, on the premise that her seat in Congress was too valuable — and too vulnerable — to be put up for grabs in a special election.

Waltz acknowledged his nomination to the ambassadorship in a one-line social media post on Thursday.

“I’m deeply honored to continue my service to President Trump and our great nation,” he wrote.

Fault Lines wins in News & Documentary category while Close Up wins in Interactive & Immersive category.

Al Jazeera Media Network has been honoured with two prestigious Peabody Awards, one of the most esteemed accolades in broadcast storytelling.

The awards recognise the Al Jazeera English Fault Lines documentary The Night Won’t End in the News & Documentary category, and the Al Jazeera English Digital film One Day in Gaza from the series Close Up, in the Interactive & Immersive category.

The 85th annual Peabody award winners were announced on May 1, 2025, in advance of its annual ceremony in Los Angeles on June 1, 2025.

The awards honour intelligent, powerful and moving stories told in broadcast and digital media.

Al Jazeera English’s Fault Lines documentary The Night Won’t End uncovers the tragic human cost of war. It depicts the realities of the unrelenting Israeli bombing campaign on Gaza, the unsafe “safe zones,” and arbitrary executions through the eyes of three families during the initial 15 months of the war.

The film investigates the death of five-year-old Hind Rajab, who was waiting to be rescued from a car where her family members had already been shot dead. Two medics dispatched to rescue her were also killed, as verified by a forensic watchdog agency.

Laila Al-Arian, executive producer of Fault Lines, stated, “No single piece can fully capture the scale of the atrocities in Gaza, but we aimed through investigative journalism and on-the-ground storytelling to offer a glimpse of what life has been like. We are honoured by this recognition because it helps bring more attention to a continuing story the world needs to see. Though we filmed this over a year ago, the horrors we documented remain a daily reality for more than 2 million Palestinians in Gaza.”

To date, The Night Won’t End has garnered multiple awards, including in the coveted International Current Affairs category at the Royal Television Society Awards in the United Kingdom, the Overseas Press Club prize for best TV, video or documentary about international affairs, and the long-form award from the Centre for Information Resilience Open-Source Film Awards.

The One Day in Gaza film from the series Close Up is a compilation of videos recorded by 10 individuals in Gaza, who were asked to document moments throughout their day, thereby helping viewers understand the immense hardships and constant dangers faced by Palestinians living under the constant bombardment in Gaza.

Juan Carlos Van Meek, director of digital innovation and programming, expressed his gratitude for awarding the team the Peabody Award, stating, “I am immensely proud of our team’s relentless efforts in amplifying the humanity of Palestinians living in Gaza under constant bombardment. Through the brave voices of people on the ground, we have captivated millions of viewers and helped sustain global attention on the ongoing genocide, ensuring their stories are not forgotten.”

The recognition of these documentaries underscores Al Jazeera’s commitment to highlighting the profound human experiences amid conflict.

As the situation in Gaza continues to unfold, The Network remains dedicated to shedding light on the stories that matter, ensuring that the voices of those affected are heard on a global platform.

Relations between Algeria and its former coloniser, France, have rarely been straightforward.

After hitting a low point in July when France supported Algeria’s regional rival Morocco over its claim to the disputed territory of the Western Sahara, relations appeared to be recovering.

But then the April arrest in France of an Algerian consular official along with two other men for alleged involvement in the kidnapping near Paris of Algerian government critic Amir Boukhors has triggered a new wave of tensions.

So why are diplomats now being expelled, and what does this mean for relations between Algeria and its former coloniser?

Let’s break it down:

Who is Amir Boukhors?

Boukhors, or Amir DZ,  is an Algerian online influencer and critic of Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune with more than 1 million subscribers on TikTok.

The French government gave Boukhors political asylum in 2023.

But as far as the Algerian government is concerned, he’s a fraudster and a “terrorist”, who they’ve been seeking to extradite from France since 2016.

Algeria has tried to extradite Boukhors nine times. All attempts have been declined by France.

Why would an Algerian consular official allegedly want to kidnap him?

Speaking to the newspaper Le Parisien in an interview published on April 9, Boukhors said that on returning to his home in Val-de-Marne near Paris during the evening of April 29, 2024, he was stopped by an unmarked car with flashing lights.

Four men in civilian clothes handcuffed him and threw him into the vehicle.

“They first told me that an Algerian official wanted to talk to me, that that was why they were taking me. Then they told me the plan had changed and that I was going to Amsterdam,” Boukhors told the newspaper.

Boukhors said he was then forced to swallow sleeping pills and was held in a “container” for more than 27 hours before being released without explanation.

A subsequent investigation by France’s counterespionage agency uncovered information leading to the arrest on April 11 of three men with a fourth still reportedly at large.

No information has been released about two of the men. However, the third was an Algerian consular employee, French officials said.

Algeria issued a statement the following day strongly denying its official’s involvement and protesting the person’s arrest “in public … without notification through the diplomatic channels”.

The statement denounced what it charged was a “far-fetched argument” based “on the sole fact that the accused consular officer’s mobile phone was allegedly located around the home” of Boukhors.

All three suspects were later charged with “kidnapping or arbitrary detention … in connection with a terrorist undertaking”.

What was the diplomatic response?

On April 14, Algeria announced that 12 French consular officials had 48 hours to leave the country.

The statement, read on public television, confirmed the expulsions had been ordered in response to France’s arrest of the Algerian official.

According to the statement, the arrest had been intended to “humiliate Algeria, with no consideration for the consular status of this agent, disregarding all diplomatic customs and practices”.

France responded in kind the following day, expelling 12 Algerian consular officials from its territory and recalling its ambassador from Algiers.

A statement from the office of French President Emmanuel Macron described the Algerian decision as “incomprehensible and unjustified” and said Algiers should “resume dialogue” and “take responsibility for the degradation in bilateral relations”.

Why have relations between France and Algeria historically been poor?

France colonised Algeria for 132 years, killing Algerian civilians and creating a class structure in which European settlers and their descendants were on top.

The French refused to leave Algeria, considering it an integral part of France. It was only after a war of independence that France finally left in 1962. Algeria is still referred to as the “country of a million martyrs” because of the number of people killed by France during the fight for independence.

But the dispute has not ended there. The issue of the Western Sahara is also causing tension, not just between France and Algeria but also across North Africa.

Western Sahara – a disputed territory in northwestern Africa – is at the centre of the poor relations between Algeria and Morocco. Rabat claims the territory as its own and occupies the majority of it while Algeria supports the pro-independence Polisario Front and has taken in tens of thousands of Sahrawi refugees.

What has France’s position on the Western Sahara been?

France has largely backed Morocco – despite the United Nations not recognising Rabat’s sovereignty over the Western Sahara. And last year, Macron said France’s position was that it supported Moroccan sovereignty over Western Sahara.

At the time, Algeria voiced its “deep disapproval” of France’s “unexpected, ill-timed and counterproductive” decision to endorse Morocco’s autonomy plan for Western Sahara and recalled its ambassador.

However, relations between the two were thought to be improving since then.

Speaking in early April after a series of talks intended to restore relations after the rift, French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot said: “We are reactivating as of today all the mechanisms of cooperation in all sectors. We are going back to normal and to repeat the words of President Tebboune: ‘The curtain is lifted.’”

But the Boukhors case and the diplomatic expulsions that have followed it have made it clear that the curtain has fallen right back down.

French police and May Day demonstrators violently clashed in Paris on Thursday as more than 100,000 people gathered in the capital to march in support of international peace, social justice, and resistance to the growing influence of the far right.

OUR much-loved astrologer Meg sadly died in March 2023 but her column will be kept alive by her friend and protégée Maggie Innes.

Read on to see what’s written in the stars for you today. 

♈ ARIES

March 21 to April 20

Your chart hosts the hottest planet instincts for turning ideas into action – and a new workplace, even if only on a temporary basis, can be an exciting part of your future.

When you stick to your decisions, you stand out, so some resistance that has tested you can be resolved almost overnight.

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♉ TAURUS

April 21 to May 21

Your Neptune knack is an ability to keep big news and ideas close to your chest until the time is really right.

Some VIP eyes are noticing this skill and working out ways to put you to work.

A confidential career can be just one option.

Passion is calmer and a couple, old or new, can close a trust loophole.

Get all the latest Taurus horoscope news including your weekly and monthly predictions

♊ GEMINI

May 22 to June 21

You relish any move from solo success to shared experiences in both love and work.

You may not have felt a role was ready for you before, but now things have changed.

And so has your own ability and desire to be a team player.

Passion-wise, a name that includes two Ls can be a great match for you.

Get all the latest Gemini horoscope news including your weekly and monthly predictions

♋ CANCER

June 22 to July 22

Venus encourages you to aim high and expect more. This can turn your sights toward one special individual, who may have been previously linked to a friend in some way.

When you see this person in a new light, new love can begin.

Ambitions start to feel much more real when you write them down.

Get all the latest Cancer horoscope news including your weekly and monthly predictions

♌ LEO

July 23 to August 23

Ideas or hopes linked to new horizons may clash, but it’s better to deal with this now than run into problems down the line.

Do set up that meeting or message exchange, because you may not have all the details.

Feeling extra confident in love?

So you should – as you’ve earned the right to say exactly how you feel.

Get all the latest Leo horoscope news including your weekly and monthly predictions

♍ VIRGO

August 24 to September 22

Your current Venus attitude is not easy or obvious, but that’s the kind of mind challenge you enjoy.

So do offer a potential partner extra chances, and give your own heart ample time to decide who’s a hit or miss.

A surprise celebration message can come with a luck link, so do get involved if you can.

Get all the latest Virgo horoscope news including your weekly and monthly predictions

♎ LIBRA

September 23 to October 23

More fun in a family, or other close group, can coincide with positive financial change.

You can unlock dormant money-making skills, but also identify an ideal business partner, who could be much younger or older than you expect.

The sun helps you shine light on an ideal name for yourself, and make it stick.

Get all the latest Libra horoscope news including your weekly and monthly predictions

♏ SCORPIO

October 24 to November 22

Put your own needs first today and map out in your mind what you genuinely want to do next.

Even if others may not approve.

Later, you can focus on ways to fund change by finding lost pockets of “F” money, but also giving a side business linked to wellbeing or food a chance.

Luck waits under a green, glass roof.

Get all the latest Scorpio horoscope news including your weekly and monthly predictions

♐ SAGITTARIUS

November 23 to December 21

The moon’s emotional energy transforms you from the inside out, which can be tough, but you’ll welcome it.

It can lead you to someone you’ve always assumed out of the romance running.

Your reaction may surprise you, especially when a quieter connection is on offer.

Luck reviews one bill or ticket three times.

Get all the latest Sagittarius horoscope news including your weekly and monthly predictions

♑ CAPRICORN

December 22 to January 20

Chopping and changing between career goals and love interests is not Capricorn style.

But today you can thrive on thrills and spills and be 100 per cent ready to seize the right options the moment they appear.

In love, if you’ve tried more than once to reconnect, let them come to you instead.

Get all the latest Capricorn horoscope news including your weekly and monthly predictions

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♒ AQUARIUS

January 21 to February 18

Outside news from family, friends or the showbiz world flicks an internal switch, so you see clearly where you need to go next.

This may mean turning a page in a love story before both partners are ready.

But you can make this work.

Neptune adds sincerity to words, but the impact of a conversation is up to you.

Get all the latest Aquarius horoscope news including your weekly and monthly predictions

♓ PISCES

February 19 to March 20

So many love gifts are heading your way. If you’re settled, a couple are ready to grow together and invest in a shared future.

If you’re single, a fun picture of a friend’s big ticket purchase can include a face you are going to adore.

Hold back a work “yes” until you’re sure you’ve been given all the details.

Get all the latest Pisces horoscope news including your weekly and monthly predictions