Prince Al-Waleed bin Khalid Al-Saud, a Saudi royal widely known as the “Sleeping Prince,” has died at the age of 36, nearly two decades after a car accident left him in a coma.
The prince was just 15 years old when he suffered a brain haemorrhage and internal bleeding in a devastating car crash in London in 2005.
He never regained full consciousness and was kept on life support at King Abdulaziz Medical City in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, until his death.
His father, Prince Khaled bin Talal Al Saud, confirmed the passing in a post on X on Saturday.
“With hearts believing in Allah’s will and decree, and with deep sorrow and sadness, we mourn our beloved son: Prince Al-Waleed bin Khaled bin Talal bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, may Allah have mercy on him, who passed away today,” the post read.
Prince Al-Waleed was a student at a military college in London at the time of the accident.
Despite the grim prognosis, his father remained devoted to his care and consistently rejected calls to withdraw life support, holding out hope that his son would one day recover.
The announcement of his death has triggered an outpouring of sympathy on social media, with the hashtag “Sleeping Prince” trending widely.
“May Prince Al-Waleed bin Khaled, Rest In Peace. Deepest sympathies to his loved ones,” one user wrote.
Another post read, “Your time on earth was a blessing to your family and the world in general.”
“May his gentle soul rest in perfect peace,” added a third.
Funeral prayers for the late prince are scheduled to take place at the Imam Turki bin Abdullah Mosque in Riyadh.
United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres, on Friday, paid tribute to late former President Muhammadu Buhari and personally conveyed the UN’s solidarity with the government and people of Nigeria.
Guterres, during his visit to Nigeria House in New York, described Buhari as a leader whose unwavering dedication to Nigeria, Africa and global cooperation will stand as his enduring legacy.
The News Agency of Nigeria reports that Guterres signed the condolence register during his visit.
“On behalf of the United Nations, I extend my heartfelt condolences on the passing of His Excellency, Muhammadu Buhari.
“President Buhari will be remembered for his steadfast commitment to selfless service, his leadership in advancing peace and stability across the African region and his dedication to strengthening institutions in Nigeria.
“President Buhari was also a great supporter of the United Nations and a strong voice for multilateralism, solidarity and sustainable development around the world,” Guterres wrote in the register.
The UN chief concluded his condolence message, “In this moment of loss, our thoughts are with his family, the Government and the people of Nigeria.”
Speaking afterwards with NAN, the UN Chief reflected on his working relationship with Buhari and praised his lifetime of service.
“I had the privilege to work with President Buhari, and I will say, I am a great admirer of his extraordinary work.
“Not only in defence of the interest of his own country, Nigeria but in his commitment to the African continent, to sustainable development and very particularly to the United Nations and multilateralism,” he said
Speaking about Buhari’s contributions to West Africa’s peace and security, Guterres described the late Nigerian leader as a crucial stabilising figure for the region.
“I think President Buhari has been a leading personality in defending the interests of West Africa and in a very difficult context, in affirming Nigeria’s leadership,” he said.
The UN chief affirmed that Buhari’s contributions to West Africa’s peace and security “was of course very much appreciated,”.
Guterres extended the UN’s sympathy to Buhari’s family, the Nigerian government and people, assuring that the world remembers him as a true servant-leader whose legacy will inspire generations to come.
The Chargé d’Affaires, Permanent Mission of Nigeria to the UN, Mr Syndoph Endoni, thanked Guterres for the condolence visit.
Endoni said the condolence visit highlighted Buhari’s standing as a statesman whose voice carried weight far beyond Nigeria’s borders.
Bola Asaju and the Head of Chancery of the Mission, Mr Razak Lawal, were among the officers who received the UN chief during his condolence visit.
Buhari ruled Nigeria as a military leader from 1983 to 1985 and returned as a democratically elected President from 2015 to 2023.
Buhari died on Sunday at a London hospital at the age of 82 and was buried in his hometown in Daura, Nigeria on Tuesday.
The United States Mission in Nigeria has announced the arrival of its new Consul General in Lagos, Rick Swart.
Swart, who arrived on Wednesday, will represent the US government across 17 states in southern Nigeria.
This was contained in a statement made available to newsmen on Friday by the Public Diplomacy Section, US Consulate General Lagos.
Swart is expected to oversee efforts aimed at deepening trade, strengthening ties with Nigerians, and advancing key U.S.-Nigeria priorities in the region.
“I am honoured to serve in Nigeria. I am excited about the opportunity to travel across the region, meet the people, experience the culture, while advancing the shared goals of making our two countries safer, stronger, and more prosperous,” Swart was quoted as saying.
He succeeds JoEllen Gorg who had served in an interim capacity since November 2024, following the departure of Will Stevens.
Swart praised Gorg’s efforts, saying, “I thank JoEllen for her remarkable leadership and for the outstanding work she has done to promote our close partnership with the Nigerian people in the region.
“I look forward to working closely with Ambassador Mills and the team at the U.S. Embassy in Abuja, to further advance the shared objectives between Nigeria and the United States.”
A career diplomat, Swart was previously Deputy Chief of Mission at the U.S. Embassy in Chad.
His past assignments have taken him to Congo, Burundi, Iraq, Geneva, London, Manila, and Dubai, among others.
He also served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Mali before joining the State Department in 2002.
Russian drone and bomb fire killed at least six people across Ukraine’s east and south, local authorities said Friday, as Russia resists US President Donald Trump’s call to halt its invasion.
Moscow has escalated long-range aerial attacks on Ukraine’s towns and cities as well as frontline assaults and shelling over the past weeks, defying Trump’s warning it could face massive new sanctions if no peace deal is struck.
The latest strikes killed at least three people in the Dnipropetrovsk region — an important industrial mining territory under increasing pressure from Russia’s attacks.
“Administrative buildings, a shop and private houses have been damaged,” Governor Sergiy Lysak said on Telegram after a morning drone attack caused a fire to break out in the region’s Kamyanske district, where two were killed.
A 52-year-old man was killed in another drone attack elsewhere in the region.
And in the Donetsk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions — all of which are partially occupied by Russian forces — attacks killed another three people.
Ukraine said Russia fired 35 long-range drones overnight — a relatively low number compared to the several hundred Moscow is capable of launching.
Moscow said it shot down 73 Ukrainian drones over its territory, including 10 it said were heading for the capital, Moscow.
EU countries on Friday signed off on a new package of sanctions on Russia over the war in Ukraine, including lowering a price cap on Moscow’s oil exports.
The 18th round of economic punishment against Russia since its 2022 invasion was approved after Slovakia dropped a weeks-long block following talks with Brussels over separate plans to phase out Russian gas imports.
“The EU just approved one of its strongest sanctions packages against Russia to date,” EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said.
“Each sanction weakens Russia’s ability to wage war. The message is clear: Europe will not back down in its support for Ukraine. The EU will keep raising the pressure until Russia ends its war.”
Slovakia’s Russia-friendly leader Robert Fico dropped his opposition after getting what he called “guarantees” from Brussels over gas prices as the bloc pushes to cut off Russian imports by the end of 2027.
As part of the new sanctions designed to sap Russia’s war chest, diplomats said the EU has agreed to lower its price cap on Russian oil exported to third countries around the world to 15 percent below market value.
That comes despite EU allies failing to convince US President Donald Trump to go along with the plan.
The cap is a G7 initiative aimed at limiting the amount of money Russia makes by exporting oil to countries across the globe such as China and India.
The oil price cap, set at $60 by the G7 in 2022, is designed to limit the price Moscow can sell oil around the world by banning shipping firms and insurance companies dealing with Russia to export above that amount.
Under the new EU scheme — which is expected to get the backing of G7 allies like Britain and Canada — the new level will start off at $47.6 and can be adjusted as oil prices change in the future.
In adddition, officials said the EU is blacklisting over 100 more more vessels in the “shadow fleet” of ageing tankers used by Russia to circumvent oil export curbs.
There are also measures to stop the defunct Baltic Sea gas pipelines Nord Stream 1 and 2 from being brought back online.
Among other targets, sanctions will be placed on a Russian-owned oil refinery in India and two Chinese banks as the EU seeks to curb Moscow’s ties with international partners.
There is also an expanded transaction ban on dealings with Russian banks and more restrictions on the export of “dual-use” goods that could be used on the battlefield in Ukraine.
The new sanctions will be formally adopted by EU ministers later on Friday.
The Defence Headquarters has stated that Nigeria remains an independent nation capable of making its own decisions, particularly on security and counterterrorism matters.
This follows recent comments by the Turkish government alleging that members of a group it designates as the Fethullah Terrorist Organisation are operating in Nigeria under the guise of educational and healthcare institutions.
Speaking at a dinner in Abuja on Tuesday to mark Turkey’s Democracy and National Unity Day, the Turkish Ambassador-designate to Nigeria, Mehmet Poroy, claimed that FETO still has an active presence in the country.
He said, “The presence of such an organisation poses a threat to every country in which it operates… particularly in the fields of education and healthcare.”
Poroy added that Turkey continues to brief Nigeria on what it views as the group’s subversive activities and urged Nigerian authorities to remain “vigilant and cautious.”
However, in a response while briefing journalists on the military operations in Abuja on Thursday, the Director of Defence Media Operations, Major General Markus Kangye, said the Defence Headquarters does not recognise the claims as official or verified.
“Information from the person you are talking about, as far as Defence Headquarters is concerned, is an unofficial announcement. Everybody is free to say whatever they want. There is freedom of information, “he said.
He noted that Nigeria cannot be swayed by external commentary or claims that do not align with its own intelligence and national interest.
“Nigeria is an independent sovereign nation that can think and act for itself,” Kangye said.
While acknowledging Nigeria’s diplomatic and military relationships with several countries, Kangye cautioned against accepting unverified foreign narratives, especially those that may undermine national integrity or incite suspicion.
“We cannot take what other people are saying about Nigeria and accept it without our own independent assessment. Nigeria knows what it is, and the Nigerian military has its own code of conduct and operational guidelines,” he said.
Kangye also pointed to the rise of global propaganda and psychological operations, suggesting that foreign assertions could be part of broader strategic manoeuvres.
“There are propagandists all over the world. Psychological oppressions go on everywhere. That’s why we must be vigilant,” he added.
Kangye, however, reaffirmed Nigeria’s commitment to fighting terrorism on its own terms, guided by national priorities and internal intelligence.
He reiterated that while the country values its international allies, its security decisions will always reflect its status as a sovereign state.
British inflation jumped unexpectedly to an 18-month high in June, official data showed Wednesday, heaping more pressure on the government and the UK economy.
The Consumer Prices Index increased to 3.6 per cent last month compared with an annual inflation rate of 3.4 per cent in May as motor fuel and food prices stayed high, the Office for National Statistics said in a statement.
June’s level was the highest since January 2024, according to the ONS, while most analysts had forecast no change.
The inflation update follows recent official data showing Britain’s economy unexpectedly contracted for a second month running in May, placing more strain on Prime Minister Keir Starmer and the UK government as it faces uncertainty caused by US tariffs.
“Inflation ticked up in June driven mainly by motor fuel prices which fell only slightly, compared with a much larger decrease at this time last year,” ONS acting chief economist Richard Heys said in a statement.
“Food price inflation has increased for the third month to its highest annual rate since February 2024,” he added.
In response, finance minister Rachel Reeves said “there is more to do” to help Britons “struggling with the cost of living”.
Analysts said that despite the rise in inflation, the Bank of England could still cut its key interest rate next month as the UK economy struggles to expand.
“The unexpected rise in CPI inflation… may not prevent the Bank of England from cutting interest rates by 25 basis points in August,” said Ruth Gregory, deputy chief UK economist at Capital Economics research group.
“But it will add to the pressure on the Bank to continue to cut rates at a gradual pace,” she added.
An American who spied on Ukrainian troops to help Moscow’s military offensive in the country has been granted Russian citizenship, Moscow-installed authorities said Tuesday.
Daniel Martindale spent two years in Ukraine after Russia launched its offensive, transmitting coordinates of military facilities to Russia’s secret services, according to reports in Russian state media.
“By decree of our President Vladimir Putin, a passport of a citizen of the Russian Federation was awarded to Daniel Martindale,” Denis Pushilin, the head of the Russian-occupied part of Ukraine’s Donetsk region said on Telegram.
Pushilin said that Martindale had “long since proven with his loyalty and actions that he is one of us.”
“He spent more than two years in the territory under enemy control. And not only did he survive — he helped. He supported our guys, passed on important information to our special services, risked his life,” he added.
Martindale received his passport from interior ministry officials at a ceremony in Moscow, according to state media and a video published by Pushilin.
Martindale thanked Russia for “accepting me”, and said becoming a Russian citizen was a “dream”.
“Russia is not only my home, but my family,” he said in Russian on the video.
After two years spying on Ukraine, he was extracted in “a complex evacuation operation” after Moscow started to fear his life was in danger if he stayed any longer, Pushilin said.
In November 2024, state media reported Russian security forces had taken him to Russia and Martindale lodged his application for Russian citizenship.
A Telegram account purporting to be his posted that same month: “Hello, I’m Daniel Martindale, the guy that Russian soldiers risked their lives to evacuate from the village where I had lived for two years.”
Gaza’s civil defence agency said Israeli air strikes on Sunday killed at least 29 Palestinians, including six children, near a water distribution point.
The attacks came with apparent deadlock in a week of indirect talks in Qatar between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas for a ceasefire in the territory.
Civil defence spokesman Mahmud Bassal told AFP that Gaza City was hit by several strikes overnight and in the early morning, killing eight, “including women and children” and wounding others.
An Israeli air strike hit a family home near the Nuseirat refugee camp, south of Gaza City, resulting in “10 martyrs and several injured”, Bassal said.
In central Gaza, six children were among eight people killed when a drone “hit a potable water distribution point in an area for displaced people” in the Nuseirat camp, he added.
Several other people were wounded, he said.
In the territory’s south, three people were killed when Israeli jets hit a tent sheltering displaced Palestinians in the coastal Al-Mawasi area, according to the civil defence spokesman.
There was no immediate comment from the Israeli military, which has recently intensified its operations across Gaza, more than 21 months into the war triggered by Hamas’s October 2023 attack.
On Saturday, the military said fighter jets had hit more than 35 “Hamas terror targets” around Beit Hanun in northern Gaza.
The vast majority of Gaza’s population of more than two million people have been displaced at least once during the war, which has created dire humanitarian conditions in the territory.
Media restrictions in Gaza and difficulties accessing many areas mean AFP is unable to independently verify tolls and details provided by the civil defence agency and other parties.
A farm worker died on Friday after being injured during a raid by US immigration agents on a legal cannabis farm in California that resulted in the arrests of 200 undocumented migrants and clashes with protestors.
President Donald Trump, meanwhile, called demonstrators involved in attacks on Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents “slimeballs” and said they should be arrested.
In another development, a district judge ordered a halt to “roving patrols” in Los Angeles by federal agents who were detaining suspected undocumented migrants without probable cause and denying them due process.
District Judge Maame Ewusi-Mensah Frimpong ordered an end to the arrests, which she said were being made “based upon race alone,” on whether a person was speaking Spanish or English with an accent or because of their place of work and ordered them stopped.
Trump’s remarks and the court order come a day after a chaotic raid on a cannabis plantation in Ventura County some 56 miles (90 kilometers) from Los Angeles, left one farm worker critically injured.
The United Farm Workers labour union said in a post on X on Friday that the worker had “died of injuries they sustained as a result of yesterday’s immigration enforcement action.”
Tricia McLaughlin, a Department of Homeland Security (DHS) spokeswoman, said the man who died was never in custody.
“Although he was not being pursued by law enforcement, this individual climbed up to the roof of a green house and fell 30 feet (10 meters),” McLaughlin said. “(Customs and Border Patrol) immediately called a medivac to the scene to get him care as quickly as possible.”
The DHS said 200 undocumented migrants were arrested during raids on marijuana growing sites in Carpinteria and Camarillo on Thursday, and 10 children were rescued “from potential exploitation, forced labour, and human trafficking.”
Glass House Brands, which owns the farms, said in a statement that it has “never knowingly violated applicable hiring practices and does not and has never employed minors.”
DHS said more than 500 “rioters” had attempted to disrupt the operation and four US citizens are facing charges for assaulting or resisting officers.
Tear gas was used against the protestors, some of whom were seen in television footage throwing projectiles at law enforcement vehicles.
The department said immigration agency vehicles were damaged and a $50,000 reward was being offered for the arrest of an individual who allegedly fired a gun at law enforcement officers.
In a post on his Truth Social platform, Trump said he had watched footage of “thugs” throwing rocks and bricks at ICE vehicles, causing “tremendous damage.”
Trump said he was authorising law enforcement officers who are “on the receiving end of thrown rocks, bricks, or any other form of assault, to stop their car, and arrest these SLIMEBALLS, using whatever means is necessary to do so.”
“I am giving Total Authorisation for ICE to protect itself, just like they protect the Public,” he said.
Trump, who campaigned on a pledge to deport millions of migrants, has been involved in a showdown over immigration enforcement with Democratic-ruled California for weeks.
The Republican president sent thousands of National Guard troops to Los Angeles last month to quell protests against roundups of undocumented migrants by federal agents.
California Governor Gavin Newsom has said the troops were not necessary to address the mostly peaceful protests, but his legal efforts to have them removed have failed so far.
The cannabis farm in Camarillo was calm during a visit by an AFP reporter on Friday as workers waited in line to collect their belongings and paychecks.
“We’ve been here since six this morning asking questions but they’re not giving us any information,” said Saul Munoz, a 43-year-old Colombian whose son was detained on Thursday.
“I just want to know how he’s doing,” Munoz said. “Bring him back to me and if it’s time for us to leave, we’ll leave.
“The truth is the American dream is no longer the American dream.”
