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‘No going into Nato by Ukraine,’ says Trump as Zelensky prepares for White House talks

Jude Sheerin

BBC News, Washington

Watch: How Friday’s Trump-Putin summit unfolded… in under 2 minutes

Donald Trump has said the Ukrainian president can end Russia’s war “if he wants to”, but there would be “no going into Nato by Ukraine” as part of a peace deal.

Hours before he was due to host Volodymyr Zelensky at the White House, Trump also said there would be “no getting back” of the Crimean peninsula, which Moscow illegally annexed in 2014, eight years before launching its full-scale invasion.

Trump’s remarks follow his summit with Russian leader Vladimir Putin in Alaska that resulted in the US president dropping a demand for a ceasefire and calling instead for a permanent peace deal.

After arriving in the US late on Sunday, Zelensky reiterated his call for allies’ effective security guarantees.

A US envoy said on Sunday that Putin had agreed to a possible Nato-like security pact for Ukraine.

The Russian president has consistently opposed the idea of Ukraine joining the military alliance.

Posting on his Truth Social platform on Sunday night, Trump said: “President Zelenskyy of Ukraine can end the war with Russia almost immediately, if he wants to, or he can continue to fight.

“Remember how it started. No getting back Obama given Crimea (12 years ago, without a shot being fired!), and NO GOING INTO NATO BY UKRAINE. Some things never change!!!” Trump added.

Before Trump’s return to power in January, Nato countries agreed on Kyiv’s “irreversible path” to membership in the alliance.

Nato Secretary General Mark Rutte, alongside European leaders including UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, will join Zelensky in Washington for talks on Ukraine’s future on Monday.

Also attending are French President Emmanuel Macron, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, Finnish President Alexander Stubb and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. It is unclear how many of them will go to the White House.

Trump later added: “Big day at the White House tomorrow. Never had so many European Leaders at one time. My great honor to host them!!!”

Zelensky posted on social media saying he was “grateful” for Trump’s invitation. “We all share a strong desire to end this war quickly and reliably”.

He also doubled down on the need for effective security guarantees from allies, “not like it was years ago… when Ukraine was given so called ‘security guarantees’ in 1994 but they didn’t work”.

“Of course, Crimea should not have been given up then,” he added. “Just as Ukrainians did not give up Kyiv, Odesa, or Kharkiv after 2022”.

For so many heads of state to travel with such little notice across the Atlantic to what is essentially a wartime crisis meeting appears without precedent in the modern era, underscoring the sky-high stakes.

Diplomatic sources say European officials are concerned that Trump may try to press Zelensky to agree to terms, after the Ukrainian leader was excluded from the Trump-Putin meeting on US soil last Friday.

But US Secretary of State Marco Rubio told the BBC’s US partner CBS that any suggestion Zelensky might be bullied by Trump into accepting a peace deal was a “stupid media narrative”.

February’s row between Zelensky, Vance and Trump

Nato leaders also appear eager to avoid a repeat of Zelensky’s February trip to the Oval Office that ended abruptly after an argument with Trump and US Vice-President JD Vance.

The altercation – which saw Trump accuse Zelensky of “gambling with World War Three” – left Washington-Kyiv ties in tatters.

But European leaders have been working diligently behind the scenes since then to mend the relationship. The Ukrainian leader has been coached to talk in terms of deal-making – language that resonates with Trump.

In April, Ukraine signed a minerals agreement that gave the US a financial stake in the country, and Trump and Zelensky spoke privately at the Vatican before Pope Francis’s funeral. Ukraine made clear it was willing to pay for US weapons.

By July, the two leaders had a phone call that the Ukrainian president described as “the best conversation we have had”.

Meanwhile, Trump had begun to express exasperation with Russia’s unrelenting onslaught in Ukraine. He called Putin “absolutely crazy”, drastically shortened his deadline for a peace deal, and threatened economic sanctions on Moscow.

As these deliberations grind on, Russian forces continue to advance on the battlefield. They now occupy almost a fifth of Ukraine since Moscow launched its full scale invasion in February 2022.

EPA European Commission President Ursula van der Leyen and Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky attend a video conference with EU leaders in Brussels, Belgium, on 17 August 2025EPA

Zelensky joined a virtual summit on Sunday with Nato and European leaders

A virtual summit was held on Sunday between Zelensky and the so-called coalition of the willing – a group of nations including the UK, France and Germany that have pledged to protect peace in Ukraine once it is achieved.

Afterwards, Emmanuel Macron told reporters their plan was to “present a united front” for Monday’s talks with Trump.

Zelensky and the Nato leaders said they were keen to learn more after US envoy Steve Witkoff told US television that Putin had agreed on Friday to “robust security guarantees that I would describe as game-changing”.

Witkoff said such an agreement could see Europe and the US protect Ukraine from further aggression with a Nato-like defence agreement.

“We were able to win the following concession: that the United States could offer Article 5-like protection, which is one of the real reasons why Ukraine wants to be in Nato,” Witkoff told CNN on Sunday.

Putin has long opposed Ukraine joining Nato, and Witkoff said the arrangement could be an alternative if the Ukrainians “can live with it”.

Article 5 is a principle at the heart of the 32-member transatlantic military alliance that says its members will come to the defence of an ally that is under attack.

Witkoff also told CNN that Russia made “some concessions” around five heavily contested regions of Ukraine.

In talks with European allies after the Alaska summit, Trump said Putin had reiterated that he wants the key Donetsk and Luhansk regions that make up Donbas, eastern Ukraine, according to European officials.

But at Sunday’s virtual summit with Nato leaders, Zelensky stressed that the Ukrainian constitution makes it impossible to give up territory – and that this should only be discussed by the leaders of Ukraine and Russia at a trilateral summit with the US.

The US secretary of state, meanwhile, sought to temper hopes that a deal to end Europe’s deadliest conflict for 80 years could be imminent.

“We’re still a long ways off,” Rubio said on Sunday.

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More than 40 missing after boat capsizes in Nigeria’s Sokoto | Shipping News

Officials say about 10 people rescued after accident in African country’s northwestern region.

Rescuers are searching for more than 40 people who are missing after a boat capsized in Nigeria’s northwestern state of Sokoto, according to authorities.

Nigeria’s National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) said on Sunday that its Sokoto operations office had deployed a response team to support rescue efforts following the “tragic boat mishap”.

NEMA’s director general, Zubaida Umar, said the agency responded after “receiving reports that a boat conveying over 50 passengers to Goronyo Market had capsized”.

NEMA said in a statement shared on social media that about 10 people had been rescued, and more than 40 other passengers were missing.

Nigeria’s The Punch newspaper, citing a local official, said the accident may have been caused by overloading, a recurring issue for boats in the state’s riverine communities.

Boat accidents are common in Nigeria, particularly during the annual rainy season, from March to October, when rivers and lakes overflow.

At least 16 farmers died in a similar accident in Sokoto State in August 2024, when a wooden canoe carrying them across a river to their rice fields capsized.

Last month, at least 13 people died and dozens more went missing after a boat ferrying about 100 passengers capsized in Niger State, in north-central Nigeria.

Two days later, six girls drowned after a boat taking them home from farm work capsized midstream in the northwestern Jigawa State.

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James Bond should be a man, says Dame Helen Mirren

Getty Images An older woman with white hair cut in a chin-length bob is looking to the right of the camera. She is wearing pearl earrings and a chunky gold and pearl necklace, with a high necked white top.Getty Images

Dame Helen Mirren has said James Bond should be played by a man, even though she is “such a feminist”.

In a new interview with Saga Magazine, the Oscar-winning actor said “you can’t have a woman. It just doesn’t work. James Bond has to be James Bond, otherwise it becomes something else”.

Amazon MGM Studios will produce the next iteration of the spy franchise, with Peaky Blinders creator Steven Knight set to write what will become the 26th film in the series.

The Studios previously said they were planning a “fresh” take on franchise but would honour the “legacy” of the “iconic character”.

The 80-year-old is currently starring opposite former James Bond actor Pierce Brosnan in the much anticipated film adaption of The Thursday Murder Club, in which she plays a retired spy.

Brosnan, 72, also told the magazine that he believed a male actor should continue to play Bond and he was excited to “see a whole new exuberance and life for this character.”

He starred in four Bond films during his tenure as 007, starting with GoldenEye in 1995 and finishing with Die Another Day, which was released in 2002.

Mirren has previously been quoted saying that the concept of James Bond was “born out of profound sexism”, and that women have always been an “incredibly important part” of the Secret Service.

Mirren and Brosnan are not the first to push back on the idea of Bond being played by a woman, with the sentiment echoed by Brosnan’s Die Another Day costar, Halle Berry.

“In 2025, it’s nice to say, ‘Oh, she should be a woman.’ But, I don’t really know if I think that’s the right thing to do,” she said, speaking at Cannes Film Festival in May.

The James Bond franchise was owned by the Broccoli family for more than 60 years, but producers Barbara Broccoli and Michael G. Wilson sold creative control to Amazon for a reported $1bn (£760m) earlier this year.

Speculation about who will next play the titular character has been rife, with British actors Aaron Taylor-Johnson and James Norton rumoured as frontrunners for the part.

There is no current release date set for the next film.

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Pan-Africanism finds fresh momentum in the Caribbean

Wedaeli Chibelushi

BBC News

Gemma Handy

BBC News in St John’s

EPA Four people stand in a row, wearing African print outfits. Two wear white masks, the other two carry parasolEPA

Trinidad and Tobago pays tribute to the nation’s Afro-descendant community on Emancipation Day, which marks the ending of slavery throughout the British Empire

Augustine Ogbo works as a doctor, treating patients in clinics across the striking Caribbean island of St Lucia.

When he returns to his home in the coastal town of Rodney Bay, he clocks in for his second job – as the owner and solo chef of a Nigerian takeaway.

“Egusi soup and fufu, that’s more popular… they love jollof rice too,” Dr Ogbo says, reeling off a list of his customers’ favourite dishes.

The 29-year-old hails from Nigeria – population 230 million – but crossed the Atlantic for St Lucia – population 180,000 – to train as a doctor in 2016.

He set up his home-based takeaway, named Africana Chops, in 2022, after being incessantly asked by his St Lucian friends for Nigerian fare.

The takeaway is now thriving, Dr Ogbo tells the BBC, and not just because his island customers think the food is tasty.

“They know that we all have the same ancestral origin. So most of the time, they want to get in touch with that,” Dr Ogbo explains, adding that interest in African culture has grown “tremendously” since he arrived almost a decade ago.

St Lucia is not alone in this phenomenon.

Across the Caribbean, the desire to reconnect with the population’s African heritage appears to have strengthened over the past few years.

People across the Caribbean have been expressing African pride through cultural means, such as food, clothing and travel, while governments and institutions from both sides of the Atlantic have been meeting to forge economic ties.

Africa has had a long presence in the Caribbean.

A significant part of the islands’ population descended from enslaved West and Central Africans, who were forcibly transported to the Caribbean by European merchants in the 17th and 18th Centuries.

Slavery was abolished in much of the Caribbean during the 1800s, while independence from European powers came the following century.

The descendants of enslaved people retained some African customs, but largely developed their own standalone cultures, which differ from island to island.

In the past, there have been major campaigns to encourage African pride, as Dorbrene O’Marde, who runs the Antigua and Barbuda Reparations Support Commission, says.

“It was particularly strong in the 1930s or so, and then again in the 1960s – we saw a major outpouring in sync with the [American] black power movement during that period,” he says, talking to the BBC on the island of Antigua.

Mr O’Marde believes the Caribbean is witnessing a renewed, more promising version of such “pan-Africanism” (a term used to describe the idea that people of African descent should be unified).

“It has widened beyond psychological and cultural themes and we are now talking in broader economic terms, such as stronger transportation links between the Caribbean and Africa,” he says.

“We are in a different phase now of pan-Africanism – one that’s not going to wane like before.”

EPA/Shutterstock Four youngsters play the drums. They are stood in a row and dressed in bright, patterned clothing.EPA/Shutterstock

The cultural ties are strong but new trends on social media, as well as African musicians going global, have excited a new generation

One thing that separates this wave of African pride from the ones that came before is social media.

Dennis Howard, an entertainment and cultural enterprise lecturer at the University of the West Indies, says a “significant” amount of Jamaicans are connecting with Africa through platforms such as TikTok.

“People are learning more about black history beyond slavery,” he tells the BBC from his home in the Jamaican capital, Kingston.

Mr Howard also points to the global rise of Afrobeats, a musical genre from Nigeria and Ghana.

He feels that in Jamaica specifically, the popularity of Afrobeats is partly down to a desire to reconnect with the continent.

“Through the music videos, [Jamaicans] are seeing certain parts of Africa are similar to Jamaica and are developed. We had a concept of Africa as this place where it is backward and it’s pure dirt road… the music is changing that.”

Asked about the view of some Jamaican commenters online – that islanders do not need to reclaim their African heritage as they have an equally valid, hard-won Jamaican heritage of their own – Mr Howard stresses that the two are not distinct.

“Our whole culture is African, with a little sprinkling of Indian and European and Chinese. But for the most part it is African-derived. It is the most dominant part of our culture,” he says.

Those leaning into their African heritage are not just consuming the culture, but actually getting on flights and exploring the continent first-hand.

The tourism authority in Ghana – once a major departure point for enslaved Africans being shipped to the Caribbean – told the BBC there had been a “notable increase” in holidaymakers from the islands in recent years.

Similarly, Werner Gruner, South Africa’s consul to the Bahamas, says that over the past two or three years, his office has seen a rise in local people travelling to South Africa, Ghana and Kenya.

“I see a lot of interest in safaris and I think people also start to realise that South Africa and other African countries are actually very well developed,” Mr Gruner says.

EPA Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago, Kamla Persad-Bissessar dressed in Nigerian-inspired clothed stand with other dignitaries.EPA

Trinidad and Tobago Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar (second from the right) wore a Nigeria-inspired outfit when she met African dignitaries on Emancipation Day

Even Burkina Faso, an economically struggling country under military rule that is not well known for tourism, is apparently on some people’s buckets lists. Mr O’Marde says some of his countrypeople want to visit the country because of the pan-African leanings of its leader, Ibrahim Traoré.

Getting to the mother continent from the Caribbean can, however, be complicated, with travellers often forced to fly via Europe.

Earlier this year, in a speech in which she referred to herself as a “daughter of Africa”, Prime Minister of Barbados Mia Mottley called for the construction of “air and sea bridges” between Africa and the Caribbean.

“Let us make these changes, not just for heads of state, but for ordinary people who wish to trade, travel, and forge a shared future,” she said.

Key institutions like the African Union, African Development Bank (AfDB) and African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank) have been working on the “trade” angle, hosting conferences and setting up memorandums of understanding with their Caribbean counterparts.

Afreximbank says trade between the two regions could jump from around $730m (£540m) to $1.8bn (£1.33bn) by 2028, provided the right conditions are achieved.

But at the moment, Africa and the Caribbean have some of the lowest indicators in the world for transport infrastructure, logistics quality and customs efficiency, according to the World Bank.

In an attempt to reduce trade barriers, the prime minsters of Grenada and the Bahamas this year called for Africa and the Caribbean to launch a shared currency.

Bahamian Prime Minister Philip Davis told delegates at an Afreximbank meeting in Nigeria they should “seriously” consider a single digital currency, while Grenada’s Dickon Mitchell said: “Such a move would symbolically and practically affirm our shared identity not just as trading partners, but as members of a truly global Africa”.

Getting more than 60 countries to coordinate and launch a standard system would be no easy feat, but Mitchell said this must be done if the regions are to “take control of [their] own future”.

Back in St Lucia, Dr Ogbo says his attempts to bring egusi, fufu and jollof to local people are a small but worthy contribution to the strengthening of relations between Africa and the Caribbean.

In June, Nigerian President Bola Tinubu signed various cooperation agreements with St Lucia during a state visit and Dr Ogbo sees Africana Chops as an extension of that.

“I can say I’m working hand-in-hand with the Nigerian government and even the St Lucian government to promote the African culture,” he says.

The doctor and businessman is now trying to upgrade his food business to a full-fledged restaurant – and he hopes the “cultural exchange” between Africa and the Caribbean also goes from strength to strength.

“It’s awesome!” he says. “I’m really, really excited about that.”

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Getty Images/BBC A woman looking at her mobile phone and the graphic BBC News AfricaGetty Images/BBC

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Cincinnati Open: Iga Swiatek to face Jasmine Paolini in final

World number three Iga Swiatek powered to a straight-set win over Elena Rybakina to reach the final of the Cincinnati Open where she will face Jasmine Paolini.

Their meeting will be a repeat of last year’s French Open final – won by Poland’s Swiatek in dominant fashion.

Swiatek, the reigning Wimbledon champion, swept past Kazakhstan’s Rybakina 7-5 6-3 on Sunday to reach her first Cincinnati showpiece.

Rybakina – who beat world number one Aryna Sabalenka in the quarter-finals – started brightly but failed to exploit an early break in the first set before Swiatek took control.

“That was a tough match,” said Swiatek. “At the beginning it was pretty crazy, we played so fast that sometimes we couldn’t even run to the second ball.

“I was there to play with intensity and good quality and I am super happy with the performance.

“It will be super tough in the final. I will have to prepare tactically but I will focus on myself and try to continue the work I have been doing.”

Italy’s Paolini battled past Russian Veronika Kudermetova in her semi-final 6-3 6-7 (2-7) 6-3.

Paolini served for the match in the second set only to see her advantage slip away, but the story of the encounter was Kudermetova’s tally of 75 unforced errors.

The final takes place on Monday night.

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Can a national dialogue solve South Africa’s problems? | Government

The process aims to shape the country’s next chapter of democracy, three decades after apartheid.

South Africa’s President Cyril Ramaphosa wants people to come together and talk.

He has launched a national dialogue process – billed as citizen-led – for South Africans from all walks of life to decide how to deal with challenges from crime and corruption to poverty and inequality.

But critics say his party, the African National Congress (ANC), has had 30 years in power to do just that.

So, can a conference help to solve longstanding problems in the country?

Will the talks address the divisions in the ANC?

And what’s the next chapter for South African politics?

Presenter: Adrian Finighan

Guests:

Lindiwe Zulu – Member of the National Executive Committee of the African National Congress

Imraan Buccus – Senior research associate at the Auwal Socio-Economic Research Institute

William Gumede – Associate professor at the University of the Witwatersrand’s School of Governance

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The Hundred 2025 results: Sonny Baker takes hat-trick and Liam Livingstone stars as Originals & Phoenix win

Liam Livingstone continued his fine form in The Hundred with a strong all-round display – picking up 2-26 with the ball before scoring an unbeaten 45 from 20 balls to guide Birmingham Phoenix to a seven-wicket win over London Spirt.

Chasing 127, Joe Clarke struck a 25-ball 54 to give the Phoenix a solid platform and captain Livingstone finished the job with a knock that included five sixes and a four.

The 32-year-old, who also struck an unbeaten 69 in the Phoenix’s win against two-time defending champions Oval Invincibles on Tuesday, now has the most runs in this season’s Hundred with 211.

The knock further strengthens Livingstone’s reputation as one of the best finishers in The Hundred. He has scored 543 runs across 17 innings at an impressive average of 49.36 and a blistering strike-rate of 166 in chases.

However, he was left out of the England squads that were announced for the series against South Africa and Ireland on Friday.

The Phoenix skipper also picked up the wickets of Spirit opener David Warner and Ollie Pope as the Phoenix bowlers had delivered a masterclass in death bowling to restrict the Spirit to 126-6 after deciding to bowl first.

“It is a big win for us, we needed it,” said Livingstone after the game.

“We are up against it in this tournament, we know we are, but all we can do is win games and try to improve our run-rate, then we’ll see where we are.”

The tone was set early when Trent Boult sent back Spirit opener Jamie Smith for a duck and though Kane Williamson offered some resistance with a 29-ball 33, the Phoenix never let the momentum slip away.

Remarkably, they did not concede a single boundary in the final 15 deliveries as Boult and Adam Milne tightened the screws to set the stage for the win.

Their second win of the season sees the Phoenix leapfrog the Spirit to sixth place on a superior net run-rate. With eight points, they are also level with the Manchester Originals and Southern Brave.

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Arsenal capitalise on Bayindir error to win 1-0 at Manchester United | Football News

United’s expensively-assembled new forward line draw a blank as Arsenal began title campaign with a tight win at Old Trafford.

Arsenal kept Manchester United’s expensively assembled forward line at bay and scored again from a set piece to win 1-0 at Old Trafford in the marquee match in the opening round of English football’s Premier League.

Arsenal defender Riccardo Calafiori nodded in from close range in the 13th minute on Sunday after United back-up goalkeeper Altay Bayındır flapped at the ball from a corner whipped in by Declan Rice.

After finishing second for the past three seasons, the pressure is on Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta to deliver the club’s first league title since 2003-04.

The Spaniard was left to depend on his reliable defence and goalkeeper David Raya to secure a huge three points as the visitors never fully got going as an attacking force.

United, meanwhile, fell to a loss that is all too familiar under Ruben Amorim following a woeful 15th-place finish last season by the struggling giants of English football.

United spent around 200 million pounds ($270m) on revamping their attack in the preseason, with Bryan Mbeumo and Matheus Cunha starting the match and Benjamin Sesko coming off the bench in the second half.

Cunha and Mbeumo unsettled Arsenal’s normally unflappable centre-back pairing of Gabriel Magalhaes and William Saliba early on.

However, United’s good work was undone by a glaring error from Bayindir, who was deputising for Andre Onana.

Patrick Dorgu came closest to a United reply before half-time with a powerful effort from distance that came back off the post.

Patrick Dorgu reacts after missing a chance
Manchester United’s Patrick Dorgu reacts after hitting the woodwork [Peter Powell/Reuters]

Mbeumo and Cunha saw tame efforts easily saved by Raya, while the Spaniard did brilliantly to divert another Cunha shot across the face of goal.

Arsenal had held interest in Sesko for well over a year before instead pursuing a move for Viktor Gyokeres as the solution to their need for a number nine. The Swede had a quiet Premier League debut and was replaced before the hour mark by Kai Havertz.

Sesko made his entrance moments later to a hero’s welcome after rejecting the advances of Newcastle for the lure of the 20-time English champions.

United continued to enjoy the better of the play without finding the finish as Mbeumo saw a powerful header expertly clawed out by Raya.

But Arsenal held firm to keep pace with title rivals Liverpool and Manchester City, who also won on the opening weekend of the campaign.

Calafiori told Sky Sports after the match that his side have room to improve, despite the win.

“Like always, we were working a lot on our set pieces, and that is what we showed today. We have to improve if possible and keep going,” he said.

“If we want to compete at the high level, we have to be good in every position. My teammates are ready to play, and it is not easy to play every game. The confidence we have inside is going to bring up the level. Hopefully, I play a lot but if not there is another teammate that can play.”

Manchester United captain Bruno Fernandes said that while his team played well, they need to be more clinical in front of goal.

“We created lots of chances and didn’t score, so we have to do better next time. We controlled the game well, we were good on the ball,” he told Sky Sports.

“[Matheus Cunha and Bryan Mbeumo] created a lot [of opportunities and] they were in the right positions. We know they are dangerous, and they are a threat. We are very aware of what they can give to the team. It was a good first impression for them, but I’m pretty sure they will do much better.”

 

Elsewhere in the Premier League on Sunday, Chelsea failed to score in their opening league game, as they were held 0-0 by Crystal Palace in the Blues’ first competitive match as the Club World Cup champions.

A month after stunning Paris Saint-Germain in the Club World Cup final, Chelsea toiled at Stamford Bridge after a short preseason because of the team’s exertions in the United States.

Meanwhile, Nottingham Forest hit the ground running with a 3-1 win over Brentford, with striker Chris Wood – the team’s top scorer last season, with 20 goals – netting twice in the first half, on either side of a goal by Dan Ndoye on his debut.

All matches on Sunday featured a period of silence before kickoff as a tribute to Diogo Jota and Andre Silva, the brothers who were killed in a car crash in Spain last month. Jota was a player for Liverpool at the time.

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Hong Kong pro-democracy activists granted asylum in Australia and Britain | News

Dozens of activists are on the run from authorities in the China-ruled city after a crackdown on civil liberties.

A Hong Kong pro-democracy activist and a former parliamentarian wanted by the city’s Chinese authorities have been granted asylum in Britain and Australia, more than four years after facing criminal charges over the 2019 antigovernment protests.

Tony Chung, an activist who was imprisoned under Hong Kong’s sweeping national security law, and Ted Hui, a former lawmaker facing trial for his role in the mass demonstrations, both announced over the weekend that they have received asylum in Britain and Australia, respectively, where they now live.

They are among dozens of activists on the run from Hong Kong authorities. Civil liberties in the China-ruled city have been greatly eroded since 2020 when Beijing imposed a national security law essentially criminalising dissent.

Penalties can run up to life in prison for endangering national security, treason and insurrection; 20 years for espionage and sabotage; and 14 years for external interference.

Hui, who fled Hong Kong in December 2020, is part of a group of overseas activists for whom police have offered rewards of up to 1 million Hong Kong dollars ($127,800). The former lawmaker is now working as a lawyer in Adelaide.

The outspoken pro-democracy lawmaker is known for disrupting a legislative session by throwing a rotten plant in the chamber to stop a debate on a bill seeking to make it illegal to insult the Chinese national anthem. He was subsequently fined 52,000 Hong Kong dollars ($6,600) for the act.

He announced on Facebook on Saturday that he and his family have been granted protection visas.

“I express my sincere gratitude to the Government of Australia – both present and former – for recognising our need for asylum and granting us this protection,” Hui wrote. “This decision reflects values of freedom, justice, and compassion that my family will never take for granted.”

He also expressed regret for the exile he has been forced into. “When people around me say ‘congratulations’ to me, although I politely thank them, I can’t help but feel sad in my heart. How to congratulate a political refugee who misses his hometown?” he wrote.

“If it weren’t for political persecution, I would never have thought of living in a foreign land. Immigrants can always return to their home towns to visit relatives at any time; Exiles have no home.”

Chung, who fled to Britain, had advocated for Hong Kong’s independence and was sentenced to almost four years in prison for secession and money laundering in 2020. He was released on a supervision order, during which he travelled to Japan and then to the United Kingdom.

In a post on the social media platform Threads on Sunday, he expressed his excitement at receiving refugee status in Britain along with a five-year residency permit. He said that despite his challenges over the past few years, including persistent mental health problems, he remains committed to his activism.

British and Australian authorities didn’t immediately comment on the activists’ statuses.

Hong Kong’s government did not comment directly on the cases but issued a statement on Saturday condemning “the harbouring of criminals in any form by any country”.

“Any country that harbours Hong Kong criminals in any form shows contempt for the rule of law, grossly disrespects Hong Kong’s legal systems and barbarically interferes in the affairs of Hong Kong,” the statement read.

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Kuwait arrests 67 over illegal alcohol production after 23 deaths | News

Kuwait bans the import of alcoholic beverages, but bootleg liquor is sold with no oversight or safety standards.

Kuwaiti authorities have arrested 67 people accused of producing and distributing locally made alcoholic drinks that killed 23 people in recent days, including a Bangladeshi national said to head the criminal network, the Interior Ministry has said.

In a statement on X late on Saturday, the ministry said it seized six factories and another four that were not yet operational in residential and industrial areas.

A Nepali member of the criminal group told authorities how the methanol was prepared and sold.

Kuwait, a Muslim nation, bans the import or domestic production of alcoholic beverages, but some are manufactured illegally in secret locations that lack oversight or safety standards, exposing consumers to the risk of poisoning.

The arrests come after the Ministry of Health said on Thursday that cases of methanol poisoning linked to the tainted drinks had reached 160, with 23 deaths, mostly among Asian nationals.

At least 51 people required urgent kidney dialysis while 31 needed mechanical ventilation, the ministry said.

The Embassy of India in Kuwait, which has the largest expatriate community in the country, said around 40 Indian nationals in Kuwait were hospitalised in the last few days, without specifying the cause.

“There have been some fatalities, some are in a critical condition while others are recovering,” it said in a statement on X.

Methanol, a toxic colourless alcohol used in industrial and household products, is hard to detect. Symptoms of poisoning are typically delayed and include nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, hyperventilation and breathing problems.

It is reported that thousands of people suffer from methanol poisoning every year, especially in Asia. If not treated, fatality rates are often reported to be 20 percent to 40 percent, according to the medical charity Doctors Without Borders (MSF).

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Actor Terence Stamp, who starred as Superman villain General Zod, dies aged 87

Terence Stamp, the English actor who played the arch-villain General Zod in Superman films, has died at the age of 87.

In a career that spanned six decades, the Oscar-nominated actor starred in films including The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert, Far From the Madding Crowd and Valkyrie.

Stamp died on Sunday morning, his family said in a statement to Reuters news agency.

“He leaves behind an extraordinary body of work, both as an actor and a writer that will continue to touch people for years to come,” they said.

Born in Stepney, east London, to working-class parents on 22 July 1938, Stamp attended grammar school before pursuing a career in advertising.

After securing a scholarship to go to drama school, he shot to fame in the 1960s, making his debut playing the titular role in Billy Budd, a 1962 film about a naive young seaman in the 18th century.

His performance earnt him an Oscar nomination for best supporting actor and a Golden Globe for best newcomer.

He soon made a name for himself as a villain, with stand-out performances in Superman and Superman II as General Zod and Sergeant Troy in the 1967 Far From the Madding Crowd.

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European leaders to shore up Ukraine’s Zelenskyy for DC talks with Trump | Russia-Ukraine war News

European leaders will join Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy during his visit to Washington, DC, seeking an end to the Russia-Ukraine war, after United States President Donald Trump dropped both his push for a ceasefire and the threat of punitive actions against Russia following his Alaska summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Securing a ceasefire in Ukraine, more than three years after Russia’s invasion, had been one of Trump’s core demands before Friday’s Alaska summit, to which Ukraine and its European allies were not invited.

Special US envoy Steve Witkoff said on Sunday that Putin agreed at the summit with Trump to allow the US and European allies to offer Ukraine a security guarantee resembling NATO’s collective defence mandate as part of an eventual deal to end the 3 1/2-year war.

“We were able to win the following concession: That the United States could offer Article 5-like protection, which is one of the real reasons why Ukraine wants to be in NATO,” he said on the CNN news programme State of the Union. Witkoff said it was the first time he had heard Putin agree to that.

Ukraine’s Zelenskyy, speaking in Brussels on Sunday after meeting European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, said the current front lines of the war should be the basis for peace talks.

“We need real negotiations, which means we can start where the front line is now,” Zelenskyy said, adding that European leaders support this and reiterating his long-held position that it was necessary to establish a ceasefire in order to then negotiate a final deal.

But after the summit on Friday with Putin yielded no clear breakthrough, Trump ruled out an immediate ceasefire – a move that aligns with Putin, who has long argued for negotiations on a final peace deal.

According to a New York Times report, after his meeting with Putin, the US president also told European leaders that he had offered to support a plan to end the war that involved Ukraine giving up parts of its territory to Russia.

Ukraine and its European allies have criticised Putin’s stance as a way to buy time and press Russia’s battlefield advances, and they have expressed unease over Trump’s land swap proposal from the outset.

In an effort to try show a firm, united front to the US president in White House talks on Monday, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, French President Emmanuel Macron, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte, Finland’s President Alexander Stubb, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and von der Leyen will accompany Zelenskyy to Washington, DC.

“The talks will address, among other things, security guarantees, territorial issues, and continued support for Ukraine in its defence against Russian aggression,” the German government said in a statement about the trip to the US capital. “This includes maintaining pressure on sanctions.”

Ahead of the visit, von der Leyen said on X that she would welcome Zelenskyy for a meeting in Brussels on Sunday, which other European leaders would join by video, before accompanying the Ukrainian leader on his US trip at his “request” and with “other European leaders”.

Strength and safety in numbers appear to be factors in the group visit, with memories still fresh about the hostile reception Zelenskyy received in February from Trump and US Vice-President JD Vance in a public White House dressing-down, castigating the Ukrainian leader as being ungrateful and “disrespectful”.

No land swaps

While Zelenskyy has welcomed Trump’s efforts to end the war, in a post on social media on Saturday, he warned that “it may take a lot of effort to get Russia to have the will to implement far greater – peaceful coexistence with its neighbors for decades”.

The Ukrainian president has also repeatedly reiterated that Kyiv will not swap any of its land to attain a ceasefire. Ukraine’s constitution forbids the ceding of territory.

According to Zelenskyy, Putin has asked that Russia be handed over all of Ukraine’s eastern Donetsk region, a third of which Kyiv still holds.

In exchange, Russian forces would halt their offensive in the Black Sea port region of Kherson and Zaporizhia in southern Ukraine, where the main cities are still under Ukrainian control.

Earlier this month, the Ukrainian president said that  “Ukrainians will not give their land to the occupier” and pointed out that he doesn’t have the authority to sign off on land swaps. He said that changing Ukraine’s 1991 borders runs counter to the country’s constitution.

Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 and has been gradually advancing for months.

In his statement after the Alaska summit, Putin signalled no movement in Russia’s long-held demands, which also include a veto on Kyiv’s desired membership in the NATO alliance.

He also warned Ukraine and its European allies not to “create any obstacles” and “that they will not attempt to disrupt the emerging progress through provocation or behind-the-scenes intrigue”.

Trilateral summit in the works?

The diplomatic focus now switches to Zelenskyy’s talks at the White House on Monday with the European leaders in tow.

In an interview with broadcaster Fox News after his sit-down with Putin, Trump had suggested that the onus was now on Zelenskyy to secure a peace deal as they work towards an eventual trilateral summit with Putin.

“It’s really up to President Zelenskyy to get it done,” Trump said.

European powers, however, want to help set up a trilateral meeting between Trump, Putin and Zelenskyy to make sure Ukraine has a seat at the table to shape its future.

They also want security guarantees for Ukraine with US involvement, and the ability to crank up pressure on Moscow if needed.

“They will spell out what they consider essential in terms of security guarantees: what they can do themselves, what falls to the coalition of volunteers, and also what they expect from the United States,” a European government official told the Reuters news agency.

“Indeed, they expect a very robust commitment.”



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Bolivia heads to the polls as 20 years of leftist rule expected to end | Elections News

People in Bolivia are headed to the polls to elect the next president as well as the members of the Congress, with the governing socialists expected to lose power after almost 20 years due to a deep economic crisis and division within the leftist coalition.

Ballot stations opened on Sunday at 8am (12:00 GMT) and will close at 4pm (20:00 GMT), with initial results expected after 9pm (01:00 GMT on Monday).

The election is also the first time in almost two decades that polling indicates Bolivia’s incumbent Movement for Socialism, or MAS, could face defeat. MAS-affiliated and other left-leaning candidates trail the right-wing opposition by about 10 percent, according to the latest August Ipsos MORI survey.

Eight presidential candidates are in the running – from the far-right to the political left. But two candidates appear to have a comfortable lead: Jorge “Tuto” Quiroga, who served as interim president and vice president under former military ruler Hugo Banzer, and Samuel Doria Mediana, a wealthy businessman and former planning minister.

Medina, 66, and Quiroga, 65, are neck-and-neck, according to the polling survey.

Former leftist President Evo Morales has been barred from running, and the outgoing socialist President Luis Arce, who had fallen out with Morales, opted out of the race.

Bolivia
Samuel Doria Medina (L) and Jorge Quiroga are neck-and-neck, according to the polling survey [AFP]

Divided left

Eduardo del Castillo, who is backed by outgoing President Arce, is the official MAS party candidate. Andronico Rodriguez, who has distanced himself from the MAS party, is running as an independent.

Morales, Bolivia’s undisputed left-wing leader for the last 15 years, is holed up in his tropical stronghold, where he still leads the coca growers union. He has asked his followers to cast invalid votes.

“Brothers, we are on the right track. Absenteeism, blank ballots, undecided voters, all of it,” Morales told Radio Kawsachun Coca, his media outlet in the Bolivian jungle of Chapare, where he has been holed up for months among fiercely loyal coca-growing labour unions.

If Morales leaves his tropical stronghold, he risks arrest on charges related to statutory rape. He denies the allegations.

Official results are due within seven days. Voters will also elect all 26 senators and 130 deputies, and officials assume office on November 8.

A run-off will take place on October 19 if no candidate wins an outright majority.

‘Worst crisis in a generation’

The Andean country is struggling through its worst crisis in a generation, marked by annual inflation of almost 25 percent and critical shortages of dollars and fuel.

The two frontrunners have pledged significant changes to Bolivia’s big-state economic model if elected.

Doria Medina, a millionaire former planning minister, made a fortune in cement before going on to build Bolivia’s biggest skyscraper and acquire the local Burger King franchise.

Seen as a centrist, he has promised to halt inflation and bring back fuel and dollars within 100 days, without cutting anti-poverty programs.

“We will change everything, absolutely everything after 20 lost years,” said the tough-talking Quiroga, who trained as an engineer in the United States, during his closing rally in La Paz on Wednesday.

Bolivia enjoyed more than a decade of strong growth and Indigenous upliftment under Morales, who nationalised the gas sector and ploughed the proceeds into social programmes that halved extreme poverty during his stint in power between 2006 and 2019.

But underinvestment in exploration has caused gas revenues to implode, falling from a peak of $6.1bn in 2013 to $1.6bn last year.

With the country’s other major resource, lithium, still underground, the government has nearly run out of the foreign exchange needed to import fuel, wheat and other foodstuffs.

Bolivians have repeatedly taken to the streets to protest rocketing prices and hours-long waits for fuel, bread and other basics.

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Israelis hold nationwide protest to end Gaza war, ‘bring back the hostages’ | Israel-Palestine conflict News

Thousands of protesters in Israel have taken to the streets demanding an end to the war in Gaza and a deal to free captives held there, as the military intensifies attacks on Gaza City to force tens of thousands of starving Palestinians to flee again.

Israeli schools, businesses and public transport have been shut down, with demonstrations planned in major cities as part of a national day of action by two groups representing a number of the families of captives and bereaved families.

Protesters, who fear further fighting could endanger the 50 captives believed to remain in Gaza, only about 20 of whom are thought to be alive, chanted: “We don’t win a war over the bodies of hostages.”

“Military pressure doesn’t bring hostages back – it only kills them,” former captive Arbel Yehoud said at a demonstration in Tel Aviv’s so-called “Hostage Square”. “The only way to bring them back is through a deal, all at once, without games.”

Police said they had arrested 32 as part of the nationwide demonstration – one of the fiercest since the uproar over six captives found dead in Gaza last September.

Sunday’s rallies came just days after Israel’s security cabinet approved plans to advance on Gaza City, nearly two years into a genocidal war that has devastated the enclave, left much of its population on the brink of famine, and led to Israel being increasingly internationally isolated.

At Tel Aviv’s so-called “Hostage Square”, activists unfurled a huge Israeli flag covered with the faces of captives still held in Gaza. Protesters also blocked major roads, including the highway linking Tel Aviv and Jerusalem, where tyres were set alight and traffic came to a standstill, according to local reports.

The Hostages and Missing Families Forum, which represents relatives of those held, declared a nationwide strike. “We will shut down the country today with one clear call: Bring back the 50 hostages, end the war,” the group said, pledging to escalate their campaign with a protest tent near the Gaza border.

“If we don’t bring them back now – we will lose them forever,” the group warned.

Israeli police use a water cannon to disperse demonstrators blocking traffic in a tunnel. [Menahem Kahana/AFP)
Israeli police use water cannon to disperse demonstrators blocking traffic in a tunnel [Menahem Kahana/AFP]

In Jerusalem, businesses closed as demonstrators joined marches. “It’s time to end the war. It’s time to release all of the hostages. And it’s time to help Israel recover and move towards a more stable Middle East,” said Doron Wilfand, a 54-year-old tour guide speaking to the AFP news agency.

Alon Pinkas, a former Israeli diplomat and consul general in New York, told Al Jazeera from Tel Aviv that while protests were spread across the country, turnout remained relatively small.

“The number of people is pretty small … I do expect it to increase during the day,” he said, noting many shops, restaurants and universities were closed, with public transport running at half capacity. “It’s not a general strike in the sense that people envisage, but it is palpable, it’s tangible, you can feel it in the air.”

On Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s response to the unrest, Pinkas was scathing. “Most prime ministers would have resigned after October 7th … He is not just another prime minister. He cares only about his survival. He is driven by some Messianic delusions of redrawing the Middle East.”

Pinkas added that Netanyahu was deflecting public anger by blaming “the elites” and a “deep-state cabal” rather than taking responsibility.

Israeli government condemns protests

President Isaac Herzog voiced support for the captives’ return, urging international pressure on Hamas rather than heeding calls to halt the war.

But senior government figures lashed out at the protests.

Far-right Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich denounced them as “a perverse and harmful campaign that plays into the hands of Hamas,” while Culture Minister Miki Zohar said blocking roads “is a serious mistake and a reward to the enemy”.

Police reinforced their presence across the country, warning that no “public order disturbances” would be tolerated. Demonstrations were also held near the Gaza border, including in Beeri, a kibbutz badly hit during the Hamas-led attack of October 2023. At least 1,139 people were killed in that attack that triggered what campaigners say is Israel’s war of vengeance. More than 61,000 Palestinians have been killed, the majority women and children, in an Israeli offensive that has been dubbed genocide by multiple rights groups.

Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yaov Gallant have been issued arrest warrants by the International Criminal Court for war crimes.

Meanwhile, Egyptian officials said efforts were under way to broker a 60-day truce that would include captive releases. A previous round of talks in Qatar collapsed without progress. The last trace agreed to in January was broken by Israel in March.

Israel’s plan to expand the offensive into Gaza City has been met with international alarm, as United Nations-backed experts warn of famine across the territory.

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Flights to resume as union told to end strike

Watch: Moment Air Canada ends news conference after union activists disrupt event

Air Canada flights will resume on Sunday after the government ordered cabin crew to end a strike that led to hundreds of cancellations, the airline has said.

The Canadian Industrial Relations Board (CIRB) told staff to return to return to work by 14:00 EDT (18:00 GMT) and said that a collective agreement that expired on 31 March would be extended until a new one was agreed, Air Canada added.

Jobs Minister Patty Hajdu ordered binding arbitration to end the dispute, after more than 10,000 Air Canada flight attendants walked earlier on Saturday causing 700 cancellations.

The union accused the government of “caving to corporate pressure”, having resisted a forced agreement.

Flight attendants are calling for higher salaries and to be paid for work when aircraft are on the ground.

The strike took effect at 00:58 EDT on Saturday, though Air Canada began scaling back its operations before then.

Air Canada said it had suspended all flights, including those under its budget arm Air Canada Rouge, for the duration of the strike, and advised affected customers not to travel to the airport unless with a different airline.

Flight attendants picketed major Canadian airports, where passengers were trying to secure new bookings earlier in the week.

But later on Saturday, Hadju said “stability and supply chains” must be preserved, while the two parties had been “unable to resolve their differences in a timely manner”.

She invoked Section 107 of the Canada Labour Code to restart negotiations arbitrated by the government, with a resulting deal being legally binding.

Air Canada, which flies directly to 180 cities worldwide, said the first flights will begin this evening, but cautioned that it would take several days to return its operations to normal.

“During this process, some flights will be canceled over the next seven to 10 days until the schedule is stabilised,” it said in a statement. “Air Canada deeply regrets the inconvenience for its customers.”

The Canadian Union of Public Employees (Cupe) described Hadju’s decision to intervene in the dispute as “violating our charter rights”, saying it will cause “incalculable damage” to workers’ rights.

It alleges that forcing a bargain to end the strike will “ensure unresolved issues will continue to worsen by kicking them down the road”.

Cupe has yet to publicly respond to the directive to end the strike.

In contract negotiations, Air Canada said it had offered flight attendants a 38% increase in total compensation over four years, with a 25% raise in the first year.

Cupe said the offer was “below inflation, below market value, below minimum wage” and would still leave flight attendants unpaid for some hours of work, including boarding and waiting at airports ahead of flights.

The union and the airline have publicly traded barbs about each other’s willingness to reach an agreement.

Earlier this month, 99.7% of employees represented by the union voted for a strike.

Cupe has asserted that it had been negotiating in good faith for more than eight months, but that Air Canada instead sought government-directed arbitration.

“When we stood strong together, Air Canada didn’t come to the table in good faith,” the union said in a statement to its members. “Instead, they called on the federal government to step in and take those rights away.”

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Thousands of small boat arrivals since new migrant deal with France

Simon Jones & Ruth Comerford

BBC News

Getty Images Migrant families wade into the sea in an attempt to board a small boat on 12 August 2025 in Gravelines, France.Getty Images

More than 2,500 migrants have crossed the Channel in small boats in the 11 days since the new “one in, one out” agreement with France took effect, figures from the Home Office show.

The plan proposes that for each migrant the UK returns to France, another person with a strong case for asylum in Britain will be allowed to stay.

Around 28,000 people have reached the UK in small boats so far this year and more than 50,000 have crossed since Labour came into power in July 2024.

Meanwhile, a boat holding more than 100 people was reportedly sighted in the Channel this week.

A Home Office spokesperson said the people-smuggling gangs “do not care if the vulnerable people they exploit live or die, as long as they pay”.

“That is why this government is implementing a serious and comprehensive plan to break the business model of the gangs, including enhanced cooperation with France to prevent small boat crossings and a pilot scheme to detain and return small boat migrants back to France.”

Rob Lawrie, a volunteer aid worker, told the BBC’s Today Programme on Friday smugglers estimate they can send up to 150 people on boats.

“That’s a lot more people, overcrowding an extra large boat,” he said.

“We’ve already had reports of children getting crushed, not only in the rush but within the dinghy itself.”

He added it was unclear how many people were falling overboard during crossings.

Crossings tend to increase in the summer months when the weather is calm in the Channel. Last August, more than 4,000 people made the journey.

These numbers can vary depending on factors including the supply of boat parts and how actively the police are patrolling the beaches in northern France, to try to prevent boats from launching.

A line chart showing the cumulative number of people who crossed the English Channel in small boats each year for 2021 to 2025 so far. Each year is represented by a line which tracks the numbers from January to December. 2021 saw the lowest of the five years, at 28,526 and 2022 saw the highest with 45,774. So far this year to 5 August the total is 25,436, which is the highest for that point in the year of any of the others.

The “one in, one out” pilot scheme was set up as part of a deal announced by Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and French President Emmanuel Macron during his state visit to the UK in July.

The first group of people to arrive under the scheme were detained in Dover earlier this month. Removals to France have yet to take place and could take up to three months.

When Labour came to power it promised to smash the gangs organising the crossings, but warned that it would not be quick or easy to do. Ministers are now under pressure to deliver results, though the deterrent effect of the returns deal may not become clear until deportations begin in earnest and increase in number.

Speaking about the first detentions earlier this month, Sir Keir said: “If you break the law to enter this country, you will face being sent back. When I say I will stop at nothing to secure our borders, I mean it.”

Set to last 11 months, the project will see the UK accepting an equal number of asylum seekers who have not tried to cross and can pass security and eligibility checks.

At the time, shadow home secretary Chris Philp criticised the government’s new deal as “having no deterrent effect whatsoever”.

The National Crime Agency said it has had some success in disrupting the business model of the smugglers.

Last week, 20 inflatable boats believed to be destined for the Channel were seized from a lorry in Bulgaria – the second such discovery in less than three weeks.

The government says it’s an illustration of the need for international cooperation to tackle illegal immigration.

Afghans were the top nationality arriving by small boat in the year to March 2025, according to Home Office figures.

Syrians made up the second largest group, followed by people from Iran, Vietnam and Eritrea.

These five nationalities accounted for 61% of all arrivals.

In 2024, almost one third of the 108,000 people who claimed asylum in the UK arrived on a small boat.

The Home Office can remove people with no legal right to stay in the UK, or refuse to let them enter.

But the 1951 Refugee Convention establishes the right to claim asylum in a foreign state if an applicant can prove they face a serious threat to life or freedom in their country of origin.

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Israeli military bombs power plant near Yemeni capital Sanaa | Benjamin Netanyahu News

Israeli navy fires missiles at the energy facility south of Sanaa saying it was used by Houthis, but provides no evidence.

The Israeli navy has carried out attacks on a power plant near the Yemeni capital Sanaa, according to Israeli media reports.

Houthi-affiliated Al Masirah TV reported on Saturday that the “aggression” damaged generators at the Hezyaz power plant, sparking a fire that was later contained. The country’s deputy prime minister confirmed emergency crews managed to prevent further damage. Residents in Sanaa also reported hearing at least two loud explosions.

The Israeli military claimed that the site was being used by Houthi fighters. But it did not present evidence to justify hitting a civilian power station, raising concerns that the strike may constitute a war crime.

In a statement carried by Israeli outlets on Sunday, the military said the assault was a direct response to repeated Houthi attacks, including missiles and drones launched towards Israel.

The Houthis have repeatedly fired rockets and drones at Israel since 2023 in response to Israel’s genocide in Gaza. Israel has retaliated by bombing Yemen’s infrastructure, including Hodeidah port, a vital lifeline for humanitarian aid deliveries.

Israel has also attacked Yemen’s international airport, claiming it was being used by Houthis.

Most Houthi projectiles aimed at Israel have been intercepted, but the exchanges have widened the regional fallout of Israel’s war on Gaza.

The United States and the United Kingdom have also carried out bombings in Yemen as the Houthis attacked ships linked to Israel passing through the Red Sea. Houthis said the move, which disrupted global trade passing through the waterway, was in response to Israel’s war and blockade of Gaza.

In May, Washington announced a surprise truce with the group, halting its bombing campaign in exchange for an end to Houthi attacks on US-linked vessels in the Red Sea. The Houthis insisted the deal did not apply to their operations against Israel.

US forces had carried out hundreds of air raids in Yemen, killing more than 250 people, before the ceasefire was declared. US President Donald Trump said the truce would “stop the bombing”.

The deal appeared to blindside Israel, with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stressing his country would “defend ourselves alone” if necessary.

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Antigovernment protesters clash with police in several Serbian cities | Protests News

Protesters have clashed with riot police in Serbia’s capital, Belgrade, and other cities, on the fifth consecutive night of demonstrations against the government of right-wing President Aleksandar Vucic.

Clashes also broke out in Belgrade late on Saturday after police stopped demonstrators heading for the governing Serbian Progressive Party’s (SNS) headquarters.

Late on Saturday, thousands gathered in the central city of Valjevo to show their growing anger against the government, while a small group of masked young men attacked the empty offices of the governing SNS party, setting them alight.

They subsequently clashed with riot police, with protesters throwing fireworks and rocks as the officers responded with stun grenades and tear gas.

Some clashes were also reported in the northern city of Novi Sad, the country’s second largest.

Almost daily protests have gripped Serbia since November, following the collapse of a railway station roof that killed 16 people.

The tragedy became a symbol of deep-rooted corruption in the Balkan nation, with demands for a transparent investigation growing into calls for early elections.

At their height, the protests drew hundreds of thousands onto the streets.

However, the mostly peaceful demonstrations deteriorated earlier this week when large groups of pro-government supporters – many masked and some armed with batons and fireworks – attacked protesters.

That has led to violent clashes for several nights, leaving many injured on both sides.

Protests were further heightened after several videos shared online showed police striking unarmed demonstrators with batons.

Police have denied allegations of brutality, accusing demonstrators of attacking officers.

While the protests have so far led to the resignation of the prime minister and the collapse of the government, President Vucic has remained defiant.

He has repeatedly rejected calls for early elections and denounced the demonstrations as part of a foreign plot to overthrow him.

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