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.”
Bangladesh’s caretaker government has overturned a long-standing protocol requiring women officials to be addressed as “sir”, calling it an “odd” relic of ousted leader Sheikh Hasina’s regime.
The interim administration, headed by Nobel Peace Prize winner Muhammad Yunus, took office last year after former prime minister Hasina was overthrown by a student-led uprising, forcing her to flee to neighbouring India.
A statement issued by the press wing of the caretaker government late Thursday said the directive mandating the use of “sir” for women in official roles had been “annulled”.
“During Sheikh Hasina’s nearly 16-year-long autocratic rule, a directive was reportedly issued requiring public officials to address her as ‘sir’,” it said.
“This practice extended to other high-ranking women officials, who were – and still are – being called ‘sir’, which is clearly odd.”
A new committee has been formed to revise other protocol-related directives, the statement added.
A woman bureaucrat told AFP that the caretaker government took the call without consulting women officials.
“The tradition began during Sheikh Hasina’s tenure, but many women officers supported it, finding the address gender-neutral,” said the official, speaking on condition of anonymity.
Hasina, 77, who has defied orders to return to Dhaka, faces several charges at Bangladesh’s International Crimes Tribunal for alleged crimes committed during a crackdown on the protests that led to her toppling.
Up to 1,400 people were killed between July and August 2024, according to the United Nations.
Prosecutors say that Hasina held overall command responsibility for the violence.
The Independent National Electoral Commission has announced that it will open its portal for online Continuous Voter Registration in Akwa Ibom State on August 18, 2025, ahead of the 2027 general elections.
The Resident Electoral Commissioner in the state, Obo Effanga, made this known on Wednesday during his maiden media briefing at the INEC state headquarters in Uyo.
Effanga said, “In the next couple of weeks, INEC will start again the process of the Continuous Voter Registration. Starting on the 18th of August, we will have the opportunity for people to do the online pre registration of processes.
“Now this is not going to be different from what we did prior to 2023. You know that INEC has created a portal where members of the public who want to register to vote can process, go online, start the process and then only come to us physically for the capture of the photographs and fingerprints for the registration process to be completed.”
He added that voters who wish to transfer their registration from one location to another, correct errors in their data, or request changes to their voter cards can also use the online platform.
“For those who didn’t collect their cards prior to now, and if there’s any correction they want done to the card, they can do that. But from the 18th, people who have access to the Internet can do the transfer.
“People also want to migrate from one polling unit to another, you can do that through the Internet or you come to us physically from the 25th,” he added.
He explained that physical registration would take place at INEC local government offices across the state from August 25, and urged those who complete the online process to visit the offices for biometric capture to finalise their registration.
He called on those who started the online registration process to come to the state office or local government office headquarters for fingerprints and photographs capturing to complete the registration process.
He explained that the exercise would give room for those who want to effect some corrections or changes on their cards, do card transfers or did not collect their PVCs to have their concerns addressed.
Effanga, however, cautioned against multiple registrations, noting that in case of card loss, the person should go for reprinting of the card in the office, as any attempt to register again would invalidate the whole process.
The United Arab Emirates has imposed tougher entry conditions for Nigerian travellers and banned transit visa applications entirely.
Travel agents confirmed on Tuesday.
According to new directives from Dubai immigration, Nigerians aged 18 to 45 will no longer be eligible for tourist visas unless accompanied.
For those aged 45 and above, visa applicants must present a personal six-month bank statement showing a minimum monthly balance of $10,000 (or its naira equivalent).
Travel agents said the new policy is expected to drastically reduce travel from Nigeria to Dubai, a top destination for business and tourism.
“For Nigerian nationals, please bear in mind that an applicant aged 18 to 45 years travelling alone is not eligible for the TOURIST VISA CATEGORY.
“An applicant who is 45 years or above must provide a Single Nigerian personal bank statement for a period of the last six months, with each month’s end balance reflecting a minimum ending balance of USD 10,000 or its naira equivalent.
“Kindly note that the above points must be taken into consideration before sending your applications with other existing documents such as hotel reservation, data page, etc,” the notification reads.
Indian villagers beat a family of five to death and dumped their corpses in a lake， accusing them of “practising witchcraft” after the death of a boy, police said Tuesday.
Three people have been arrested and have confessed to the crime, police in the northern state of Bihar said in a statement.
Three women — including a 75-year-old — were among those murdered.
The main accused believed that his son’s recent death was caused by one of those killed, and blamed “him and his family of practising witchcraft”, the statement said.
“After beating the victims to death, the perpetrators loaded the bodies onto a tractor and dumped them in a pond,” police said.
The murderers and victims all belonged to India’s Oraon tribe in Bihar, India’s poorest state and a mainly Hindu region of at least 130 million people.
Despite campaigns against superstition, belief in witchcraft remains widespread in rural areas across India, especially in isolated tribal communities.
Some states, including Bihar, have introduced laws to try to curb crimes against people accused of witchcraft and superstition.
Women have often been branded witches and targeted, but the killing of the family of five stands out as a particularly heinous recent example.
More than 1,500 people — the overwhelming majority of them women — were killed in India on suspicion of witchcraft between 2010 and 2021, according to the National Crime Records Bureau.
Some believe in the occult, but attackers also sometimes have other motives including usurping their rights over land and property.
Defending champions Nigeria and Togo are preparing to retain their titles at the 2025 International Table Tennis Africa Federation West Africa Regional Championships in Lagos from July 16 to 19.
The event will take place at the Molade Okoya-Thomas Hall, located within the Teslim Balogun Stadium complex in Lagos.
Nigeria, the region’s most decorated team, will defend the women’s team title it successfully retained in Lomé last year.
This confirmation was made in a statement on Sunday by ITTF Africa.
Togo will pursue back-to-back wins in the men’s team event, after a thrilling 3-2 victory over Nigeria in the 2024 final.
That 2024 triumph came on home soil, spurred by strong local support from enthusiastic fans.
This year, Togo faces tough opposition from Nigeria and other countries including Benin Republic, Ghana, and Côte d’Ivoire.
Other participating nations include Burkina Faso, Guinea, Liberia, Niger Republic, and Sierra Leone.
In the singles event, Nigeria’s top-ranked player, Matthew Kuti, will seek to retain his men’s singles crown.
Kuti won his first regional title last year in Lomé, defeating Oba Oba Kizito of Côte d’Ivoire 4-1 in the final.
Victory this year would make him the first male player to win consecutive singles titles at the tournament.
However, the women’s singles title is wide open due to the absence of reigning champion, Nigeria’s Hope Udoaka.
Her absence provides a golden opportunity for a new female champion to emerge from the competition.
The championship will also serve as a qualifier for the 2025 African Championships in Rwanda later this year.
With home advantage and the largest squad, Nigeria is eyeing a return to the top in the men’s team event.
Nigeria narrowly lost the men’s team title to Togo in last year’s hard-fought final in Lomé.
This year’s edition has seen increased participation, with over ten countries confirming their attendance.
This marks a rise from previous editions, which recorded a maximum of nine participating countries.
Sierra Leone, Guinea, and Niger Republic are returning to the championship after years of absence.
All eyes will be on Nigeria, a country that has dominated both men’s and women’s events in the region.
Ferdinand Sonou, ITTF Africa West Region Vice President, shared his excitement ahead of the event.
He said, “I’m thrilled we’re back in Nigeria for the regional championships. It’s always a favourite for visiting teams.
“Nigeria has a strong reputation for hosting international events, and teams look forward to the experience.
“This tournament signals the start of a packed international table tennis season in Lagos.
“I’m confident we’ll witness the rise of new talents alongside the established stars of the sport.
“The passionate Lagos crowd will certainly bring energy to the matches.”
Sonou also praised ITTF Africa President, Wahid Enitan Oshodi, for his unwavering support for the championships.
He noted that the growing number of teams reflects ITTF Africa’s commitment to developing the sport across the region.
The News Agency of Nigeria reports that the 2025 championship promises intense action and top-tier table tennis talent.
BRICS leaders meeting in Rio de Janeiro from Sunday are expected to decry Donald Trump’s hardline trade policies, but are struggling to bridge divides over crises roiling the Middle East.
Emerging nations representing about half the world’s population and 40 per cent of global economic output are set to unite over what they see as unfair US import tariffs, according to sources familiar with summit negotiations.
Since coming to office in January, Trump has threatened allies and rivals alike with a slew of punitive tariffs.
His latest salvo comes in the form of letters due to be sent starting Friday informing trading partners of new tariff rates expected next week on July 9.
Diplomats from 11 emerging nations, including Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa, have been busy drafting a statement condemning the economic uncertainty.
Any final summit declaration is not expected to mention the United States or its president by name. But it is expected to be a clear political shot directed at Washington.
“We’re anticipating a summit with a cautious tone: it will be difficult to mention the United States by name in the final declaration,” Marta Fernandez, director of the BRICS Policy Center at Rio’s Pontifical Catholic University said.
This is particularly the case for China, which has only recently negotiated with the US to lower steep tit-for-tat levies.
“This doesn’t seem to be the right time to provoke further friction” between the world’s two leading economies, Fernandez said.
– Xi no show –
Conceived two decades ago as a forum for fast-growing economies, the BRICS have come to be seen as a Chinese-driven counterbalance to Western power.
But the summit’s political punch will be depleted by the absence of China’s Xi Jinping, who is skipping the annual meeting for the first time in his 12 years as president.
“I expect there will be speculation about the reasons for Xi’s absence,” said Ryan Hass, a former China director at the US National Security Council who is now with the Brookings Institution think tank.
“The simplest explanation may hold the most explanatory power. Xi recently hosted Lula in Beijing,” said Hass.
The Chinese leader will not be the only notable absentee. War crime-indicted Russian President Vladimir Putin is also opting to stay away, but will participate via video link, according to the Kremlin.
Hass said Putin’s non-attendance and the fact that India’s prime minister will be a guest of honor in Brazil could also be factors in Xi’s absence.
“Xi does not want to appear upstaged by Modi,” who will receive a state lunch, he said.
“I expect Xi’s decision to delegate attendance to Premier Li (Qiang) rests amidst these factors.”
Still, the Xi no-show is a blow to host President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, who wants Brazil to play a bigger role on the world stage.
In the year to November 2025, Brazil will have hosted a G20 summit, a BRICS summit, and COP30 international climate talks, all before heading into fiercely contested presidential elections next year, in which he is expected to run.
– Middle path –
Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian, whose nation is still reeling from a 12-day conflict with Israel is also skipping the meeting.
A source familiar with the negotiations said the BRICS countries were still in disagreement over how to respond to the wars in Gaza and between Iran and Israel.
Iranian negotiators are pushing for a tougher collective stance that goes beyond referencing the need for the creation of a Palestinian state and for disputes to be resolved peacefully.
Artificial intelligence and health will also be on the agenda at the summit.
Original members of the bloc Brazil, Russia, India, and China have been joined by South Africa and, more recently, by Saudi Arabia, Iran, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt, Ethiopia and Indonesia.
Analysts say that it has given the grouping more potential international punch.
But it has also opened many new fault lines.
Brazil hopes that countries can take a common stand at the summit, including on the most sensitive issues.
“BRICS (countries), throughout their history, have managed to speak with one voice on major international issues, and there’s no reason why that shouldn’t be the case this time on the subject of the Middle East,” Brazil’s Foreign Minister Mauro Vieira told AFP.
President Bola Tinubu has arrived in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, to participate in the 17th Summit of Heads of State and Government for the Global South and Emerging Economic Bloc.
The block includes Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa, also called the BRICS.
The President’s flight touched down at the Galeao Air Force Base tarmac at 8:45 pm local time on Friday, where the Galeao Air Force Base Commander coordinated the Guard of Honour.
Tinubu’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, revealed this in a statement he signed Saturday titled ‘President Tinubu Arrives In Rio De Janeiro For BRICS Meeting’.
Brazil’s Deputy Minister for Africa and the Middle East, Carlos Sergio Sobral Duarte, and the Deputy Minister for Trade Promotion, Science, Technology, Innovation, and Culture, received President Tinubu.
Tinubu is in Brazil at the invitation of President Luiz Inacio Lula Da Silva.
The Nigerian leader will attend a bilateral meeting hosted by President Lula on Saturday, July 5, ahead of the summit on June 6 and 7.
At the BRICS Summit, the President will participate in a plenary session and deliver an address on Nigeria’s ongoing reforms to reposition the economy for global competitiveness.
He will also meet with investors to capitalise on the country’s opportunities in agriculture, solid minerals, healthcare, and alternative energy.
The summit’s theme is “Strengthening Global South Cooperation for More Inclusive and Sustainable Governance.”
Deliberations will centre on health, Artificial Intelligence, governance, and Climate Change issues.
Ahead of the Leaders’ Summit, the political negotiators of BRICS brainstormed over aligning more commitments to combat socially determined diseases, artificial intelligence governance, and climate finance.
Their focus was on providing concrete solutions to the structural challenges faced by the Global South.
State Governors participating in the summit with the President are Hyacinth Alia (Benue), Prince Dapo Abiodun (Ogun), Babajide Sanwo-Olu (Lagos), Sheriff Oborevwori (Delta) and Mohammed Umar Bago (Niger).
REAL ESTATE INDUSTRY EXPERTS, STAKEHOLDERS RAISE ALARM OVER BUILDING COLLAPSE IN LAGOS, SEEK URGENT REFORMS
The recurring tragedy of building collapse in Lagos once again came under the spotlight today as stakeholders from across Nigeria’s building industry gathered at the University of Lagos for the Professor Leke Oduwaye-Adron Homes Urban Development Dialogue, a high-level forum aimed at addressing regulatory and construction lapses fueling the crisis.
Themed “Recurring Building Collapse in Lagos: The Challenge of Regulatory Oversight and Construction Practices,” the dialogue was organized by the Department of Urban and Regional Planning (DURP), University of Lagos, in collaboration with real estate giant, Adron Homes.
Delivering goodwill remarks, the Group Chairman of Adron Group, Sir Aare Adetola EmmanuelKing, KOF, issued a strong call for accountability across the building sector. Describing building collapse as a “tragedy that has become far too familiar,” Aare Adetola Emmanuelking emphasized that such disasters are not acts of fate but direct results of human negligence, greed, and systemic failure.
“Buildings do not collapse by accident. They collapse because somewhere along the chain of planning, approval, construction, or supervision, individuals choose to compromise,” he stated firmly”, he stated.
The respected real estate mogul outlined what he termed the three uncompromising actions needed to combat the menace, Verification, Validation, and Control, stressing that all actors within the building industry must be held to the highest standards of competence and ethical responsibility.
The event featured a thought-provoking guest lecture by Tpl. (Dr.) Idris Salako FNITP, former Lagos State Commissioner for Physical Planning and Urban Development. Drawing from his vast experience, Dr. Salako delivered a hard-hitting analysis of the root causes of building collapse in Lagos. He identified critical gaps such as weak enforcement of development control regulations, poor coordination between regulatory agencies, and widespread disregard for approved building plans by some developers.
Dr. Salako further highlighted how political interference, corruption, and the proliferation of quack professionals continue to erode the integrity of the building sector. He stressed the urgent need for capacity building among regulatory bodies, proper training and certification of artisans, and the full digitalization of building approval processes to ensure transparency and efficiency.
The dialogue also featured keynote addresses by Tpl. Tunji Odunlami FNITP, Ogun State Commissioner for Physical Planning and Urban Development, and Professor Ayo Omotayo, Director General, National Institute of Policy and Strategic Studies, Kuru. Both speakers echoed the need for proactive urban planning, robust regulatory frameworks, and collaboration between government, professionals, and private developers to create safer cities.
Other dignitaries in attendance included Tpl. Waheed Kadiri FNITP, PPNITP, Past President, Nigerian Institute of Town Planners (Chairman of the event), Professor Modupe Omirin, Dean, Faculty of Environmental Sciences, UNILAG, Dr. Taofik Salau, Head of Department, DURP, UNILAG, and Dr. S.A. Adeyemi, Chairman, Organizing Committee, among several others.
Participants unanimously called for urgent reforms to curb building failures, emphasizing the need for professionalism, transparency, and stricter enforcement of building regulations.
The dialogue is expected to spark renewed policy debates and strategic actions toward ensuring that Lagos, and indeed Nigeria, builds safe, resilient, and sustainable urban spaces where lives are protected, and dreams can thrive.
