Global Pulse

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  • 4 people have been stabbed in London’s Covent Garden area and a woman arrested, police say

    4 people have been stabbed in London’s Covent Garden area and a woman arrested, police say

    A violent stabbing incident disrupted the busy tourist hub of Covent Garden in central London on Wednesday, leaving four men injured and prompting the swift arrest of a local woman, London’s Metropolitan Police have confirmed.

    Initially, authorities reported that three individuals had been wounded in the attack, which took place on Endell Street in the afternoon. But an updated statement from the force later corrected this count, confirming that four men, aged 34, 39, 42 and 52, were located with visible stab wounds following the disturbance.

    A 47-year-old woman has been taken into police custody in connection with the event. She faces suspicion on two charges: possession of an offensive weapon and assault, according to official police briefing. All four injured men were quickly transferred from the scene to a leading major trauma center for urgent medical care. As of Wednesday evening, law enforcement has not released any additional details on the severity or current status of the victims’ injuries.

    London Ambulance Service also confirmed its response to the emergency. A service spokesperson noted that paramedics administered on-site first aid to all four patients before transporting them via road ambulance to the trauma center. The incident, which unfolded in one of London’s most crowded and visitor-favorite districts, triggered an immediate emergency response, though no further details about a potential motive or the relationship between the suspect and victims have been made public.

  • Party in Spain’s government questions co-hosting 2030 World Cup with Morocco after migration crisis

    Party in Spain’s government questions co-hosting 2030 World Cup with Morocco after migration crisis

    In the wake of a chaotic mass migration surge through the Moroccan-Spanish border last week that left dozens dead, a key junior partner in Spain’s ruling government is pushing for the country to re-examine its plan to co-host the 2030 FIFA World Cup alongside Morocco and Portugal.

    Sumar, a small left-wing party that holds cabinet positions in Socialist Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez’s governing coalition, tabled a non-binding parliamentary motion Wednesday calling on Spanish sports governing bodies to revisit the 2030 co-hosting agreement finalized with Morocco and Portugal. While Sumar only controls 26 of 350 seats in Spain’s national parliament, its position carries outsize political weight as a member of Sánchez’s ruling administration — a government that has already drawn sharp criticism from other European Union members over its handling of the Ceuta crisis. Party leaders have acknowledged that beyond backing from other small left-wing blocs, additional parliamentary support for the motion remains unlikely at this stage.

    Last week, more than 72,000 migrants crossed the border from Morocco into Ceuta, a small Spanish autonomous territory located on the North African coast. By the time the initial surge calmed, Moroccan authorities helped Spanish officials repatriate nearly all of the arrivals, with roughly 2,000 people — 1,000 of them minors — remaining in the enclave as of the latest figures from Spain’s Interior Ministry. At least 84 migrants died while attempting to cross by swimming around the breakwater and border fence separating the two territories, a surge that was largely coordinated and fueled by viral social media posts encouraging mass crossings.

    Prime Minister Sánchez has publicly defended Moroccan authorities’ response, crediting them with acting quickly to facilitate the repatriation process. But his stance has drawn backlash from opposition figures and even within his own cabinet: Spain’s defense minister has joined calls for Morocco to issue a more detailed public explanation of the events that led to the crisis.

    Nahuel González, a Sumar lawmaker and one of the co-authors of the motion, has gone further, accusing the Moroccan government of deliberately weaponizing migration to gain political leverage. “The Moroccan state, the Moroccan monarchy, does not respect human rights, it uses migrants to exercise political pressure,” González told Spanish public broadcaster TVE. When pressed to clarify whether Sumar was calling for Morocco to be stripped of its co-hosting status or for Spain to exit the joint hosting plan entirely, González declined to specify, saying only that the motion asks for “Spain’s sports institutions [to] reconsider this World Cup that is to be shared with Morocco because we believe that we must defend human rights.”

    Concern over the joint hosting plan has spread to co-host Portugal, where a small parliamentary party Livre has echoed Sumar’s calls. The party sent an official letter to Portuguese Prime Minister Luís Montenegro and the president of the Portuguese Football Federation calling for a full reassessment, arguing that continuing with the current co-hosting arrangement is “unsustainable” in the wake of the Ceuta crisis.

    The 2030 FIFA World Cup is structured as a joint project that will see most matches hosted across Spain, Morocco and Portugal. To mark the 100-year anniversary of the first World Cup hosted by Uruguay in 1930, three South American nations — Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay — will each host one opening round match as part of the centenary celebration.

    Videojournalist Helena Alves contributed reporting from Lisbon, Portugal.

  • Drone carrying explosives found at German airport, police say

    Drone carrying explosives found at German airport, police say

    A serious aviation security incident has unfolded at Germany’s Leipzig/Halle Airport, after authorities discovered an unidentified object suspected to be an explosive-laden drone close to parked Ukrainian aircraft near a runway, triggering a major criminal investigation and widespread flight disruptions.

    The incident began late Wednesday night, when local police first received reports of an unidentified flying object in the airport’s restricted airspace shortly before midnight. In response to the potential security threat, air traffic control redirected multiple inbound aircraft – including a commercial passenger jet arriving from Mallorca – to alternate airports across the country to avoid any risk of harm. After securing the area, search teams located the suspicious object adjacent to the airport’s southern runway, in the immediate vicinity of parked Ukrainian Antonov transport planes.

    To safely examine the item, law enforcement deployed a specialized explosive detection robot. Citing unnamed security sources, Germany’s national news agency DPA reported that the drone was outfitted with an explosive device and a functional detonator. As of the latest updates, the southern runway – a critical hub for global logistics giant DHL’s cargo operations – remains closed to all traffic. Police confirmed that limited operations resumed on the airport’s northern runway at 1:55 p.m. local time, allowing a partial restart of flight activity.

    In a separate development, German tabloid Bild reported that a second cargo plane collided with an unknown airborne object shortly after taking off from Leipzig Airport the same night. The aircraft was able to divert and land safely at Hanover Airport, where inspectors found only minor damage to the plane’s nose section, with no injuries reported among crew or passengers.

    Armin Schuster, interior minister for the state of Saxony where the airport is located, has labeled the incident an “extremely serious security event” that demands a full, urgent investigation. The discovery comes amid a growing wave of unauthorized drone incursions at sensitive German infrastructure sites over the past several months. Unmanned aircraft have been repeatedly spotted over military bases, commercial airports, energy export terminals, seaports, and major logistics facilities, prompting nationwide security alerts.

    Federal law enforcement officials have publicly warned that many of these unapproved overflights may be coordinated by Russian intelligence operatives, as part of a campaign to destabilize German infrastructure and disrupt support for Ukraine. This suspicion builds on a previous incident at Leipzig Airport in July 2024, when a package burst into flames on the tarmac before it could be loaded onto a DHL cargo plane. German authorities have openly entertained the theory that the incident was an act of sabotage linked to Moscow, though the Kremlin has consistently denied any involvement in all such incidents across Germany.

    This is not the first time the airport has been tied to geopolitical espionage. Last year, a Chinese national was convicted in German court of providing sensitive intelligence, including details of flight schedules and cargo movements at Leipzig/Halle Airport, to a Chinese intelligence agent operating in the country.

    German federal and state security forces have now heightened alert levels at all major airports across the country, as investigators work to determine the origin of the drone, who organized the incursion, and what the intended target was.

  • Bill aiming for peace between Turkey and Kurdish fighters goes to parliament

    Bill aiming for peace between Turkey and Kurdish fighters goes to parliament

    In a landmark step toward resolving one of the Middle East’s longest-running internal conflicts, Turkey’s ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) has tabled a parliamentary bill to advance a new peace initiative with the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), including provisions for a broad pardon for former militants. This legislative push comes months after the PKK announced it would disarm and disband in response to a call from its imprisoned founder Abdullah Öcalan, a decision that marked a dramatic shift in a confrontation stretching back 40 years.

    The PKK first launched an armed insurgency against the Turkish state in 1984. Over the following decades, the conflict has killed more than 40,000 people, with violence spilling across the country’s borders into northern Iraq and Syria, where the PKK maintains regional bases. Originally formed to demand an independent Kurdish state, the group later adjusted its goals to push for greater political autonomy and expanded cultural rights for Turkey’s Kurdish population. Multiple past peace efforts between Ankara and the PKK have collapsed, most recently in 2015 when hostilities reignited after a two-year ceasefire. Designated a terrorist organization by Turkey, the United States, and the European Union, the PKK carried out a symbolic disarmament ceremony in its northern Iraq headquarters last year after Öcalan’s call, and began withdrawing remaining fighters from Turkish territory to Iraqi bases.

    Officially named the bill “to strengthen national solidarity and social cohesion”, the new legislation lays out clear, formal procedures for overseeing the complete disarmament of the PKK and outlines the judicial process for the group’s members. Abdullah Güler, the AKP’s parliamentary group chair, confirmed to reporters that the bill has already secured the support of 360 sitting members of parliament, with additional lawmakers expected to add their backing in the coming days. The legislation will go first to parliament’s Justice Committee for review this Friday, before moving to a full debate in the general assembly. The government has set an aggressive timeline, aiming to pass the bill before parliament enters its summer recess later this month.

    Under the terms of the proposed framework, the Turkish National Security Council will be responsible for verifying that the PKK has fully disbanded and surrendered all of its weapons stockpiles, which the group still retains the majority of. Once these conditions are met, the bill will grant an effective pardon to approximately 4,000 PKK members not directly implicated in violent acts. This provision would clear the way for the release of people already convicted of minor offenses related to PKK membership, as well as those convicted of providing financial support or propaganda for the group. It would also allow PKK members based in Iraq, Syria, and exiled across Europe to return to Turkey without facing prosecution, according to reporting from leading Turkish daily *Hürriyet*. For cases still under active investigation or prosecution, legal proceedings will be paused for a period proportional to the severity of the alleged offenses, and cases will be dismissed entirely if no additional terror-related offenses are committed during the waiting period. All applications for amnesty must be filed within six months of the law being officially published in the Official Gazette, and the entire process will be overseen by a joint ministerial committee and parliamentary commission.

    Notably, the bill excludes senior PKK figures from its amnesty provisions: militants convicted of intentional homicide and those sentenced to life in prison before 2005, including Öcalan himself, are not eligible for pardon. Öcalan has been imprisoned on İmralı Island since his capture in 1999, and the pro-Kurdish DEM Party has long lobbied for Öcalan to be granted official status to coordinate the disarmament process, with the ultimate goal of securing his release. While that demand is not included in the current draft legislation, Turkish media reports indicate that the question of Öcalan’s status could be taken up in future legislation if the current peace process moves forward. In the near term, officials are expected to improve Öcalan’s prison conditions, expanding his access to visitors and external communication.

    In a statement delivered through DEM Party lawmakers who visited him in prison earlier this week, Öcalan expressed full support for the new legislation, framing it as a historic turning point for Turkey. “With this law, we are setting out to resolve a historical issue,” he said. “We are at the beginning of a democratization process that will be at least as significant as the founding of the republic.” The proposed legal framework is set to remain in effect for up to four years, though parliament has the authority to extend the timeline if needed. If the process advances successfully, policymakers have indicated additional legislation will be introduced to address unresolved issues, including the question of Öcalan’s eventual release.

  • Moroccan families seek missing loved ones after the migrant surge to Spain’s Ceuta

    Moroccan families seek missing loved ones after the migrant surge to Spain’s Ceuta

    FNIDEQ, Morocco — Along the sunbaked Moroccan side of the border fence separating the country from Spain’s North African enclave Ceuta, crowds of anxious relatives gather every day. Mothers clutch crumpled printed photos, fathers scan every approaching returnee’s face, and siblings lean against the barrier, calling out names of loved ones who crossed into Ceuta during last week’s unprecedented mass migration surge. Each returning traveler is stopped with the same urgent question: Have you seen my son? My daughter? My brother?

    In what has become one of the most high-profile migration crises to shake Europe in recent years, more than 72,000 Moroccan migrants flooded across the border into Ceuta in a matter of days. The sudden surge was triggered by a toxic mix of widespread economic desperation and unfounded online rumors claiming the border had been permanently opened, drawing thousands of young people hoping to start new lives in the European Union. Today, authorities confirm that all but roughly 2,000 migrants have returned to Morocco — but hundreds of families are still without any word of where their relatives are.

    The human cost of the crossing has already been devastating. Official counts put the death toll at more than 80, with migrants drowning while attempting to swim across border waters or suffering fatal injuries while scaling the heavily fortified border fence. It remains unclear if all bodies have been recovered and repatriated; a morgue source in Tetouan, Morocco’s largest city near the border, told the Associated Press that more than a dozen fatalities have already been brought to the facility, though journalists have not been granted access to confirm the count.

    As survivors trickled back across the border in recent days, the AP witnessed first-hand the agony of families waiting for news. Many returnees lost or abandoned their mobile phones during the chaotic crossing, so they borrowed devices from strangers to call anxious family members waiting at home. For those whose loved ones have not come home, the border has become a site of endless, heart-wrenching waiting.

    “I have been looking for my son for five days now,” said Ibtissam Chari, whose 19-year-old son Rayan crossed into Ceuta with a group of friends after seeing the viral rumors of an open border online. “He called me when he arrived, and since then I haven’t heard anything from him.”

    Another woman, who asked to remain anonymous to protect her children, spoke to reporters while staring silently toward the Ceuta side of the border. Her 12-year-old son crossed the border with his older brother; only the older boy made it back to Morocco. “I have nothing else to do but come here and wait,” she said. “I spend all my days here. I will come back tomorrow again.”

    Of the migrants still unaccounted for, an estimated 1,000 are minors remaining in Ceuta. Under Spanish law, security forces lack the authority to expel unaccompanied minor migrants, leaving their long-term fate uncertain. Moroccan authorities have already welded shut the small opening in the border fence that was temporarily opened to allow returning migrants to cross back into Morocco, closing off the main passage for returnees.

    The same social media groups that helped coordinate the mass crossing — sharing tips on where to swim and how to avoid patrols — have now pivoted to serve as clearinghouses for missing person posts. Families flood the groups with photos and descriptions of their unaccounted-for relatives, begging any migrants still in Ceuta for information. “If anyone has seen this girl in Ceuta or Castillejos, please let us know. Her family is going crazy,” user Hiba Nakaax wrote in the popular Facebook group Fnideq Bab Sebta, one of the main hubs for crossing coordination.

    For many young Moroccans, attempting the crossing to Europe is a decades-long common aspiration, rooted in persistent economic inequality across the country. While coastal tourist regions have seen steady economic growth in recent years, inland areas continue to grapple with crippling poverty and youth unemployment that tops 30%. Last year’s widespread youth-led Gen Z protests across Morocco laid bare the deep public frustration over limited economic opportunity and underfunded public services, driving many young people to see migration to Europe as their only shot at stability.

    That desperation is so deeply rooted that even after the deadly chaos of the Ceuta surge, some parents still urge their children to find another way to cross. After 17-year-old Mohamed Chakor from the inland city of Taounate returned home traumatized from the failed attempt, he called his father to share the news. Instead of urging him to abandon the plan, his father asked him to start looking for another route to Europe.

    Twenty-six-year-old Othmane El Merzoug, who returned barefoot and hungry after being turned away from Ceuta, called his father in Salé from a reporter’s phone. “Dad, I’ve returned from Ceuta. They didn’t allow me to stay,” he said over the speakerphone. His father immediately promised to send money so he could make the trip back home — and left unsaid what many here already know: for many young Moroccans, the next attempt to cross will come soon.

  • Alarm as explosive drone found near Ukrainian plane at German airport

    Alarm as explosive drone found near Ukrainian plane at German airport

    A major security emergency unfolded overnight at Germany’s Leipzig-Halle Airport, after an explosive-packed drone was discovered on the tarmac just meters from a Ukrainian cargo plane, and a separate mid-air collision between a commercial cargo aircraft and an unknown airborne object left authorities scrambling to contain the incident.

    Starting around midnight, all incoming flights to the eastern German transport hub were diverted to alternate airports for several hours as specialized bomb disposal units deployed a remote-controlled robot to safely disarm the unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV). Located near a Ukrainian Antonov Airlines cargo plane emblazoned with Ukraine’s national blue-and-yellow colors and the slogan “Be Brave Like Kherson” — a tribute to the southern Ukrainian region repeatedly targeted by Russian missile and drone strikes — the discovery sparked immediate security concerns across European capitals.

    Leipzig-Halle Airport is a strategically critical site for European and transatlantic logistics: it serves as a major hub for global logistics giant DHL, a key transport node for German military and NATO military supplies, and an official base of operations for Ukraine’s Antonov Airlines. This combination of roles makes it a high-profile target for actors seeking to disrupt military and commercial supply lines linked to Ukraine’s defense efforts.

    In comments Wednesday to German broadcaster Welt TV, Ukraine’s ambassador to Germany Oleksii Makeiev openly questioned Moscow’s involvement in the incident, saying “Who else could it be but Russia?” German authorities have not yet released concrete evidence linking the drone to Russia, and Moscow has not issued any immediate response to the accusation.

    Hours after the initial alert, police and prosecutors confirmed the quadcopter drone carried both explosive and incendiary components, matching the description of improvised devices used in recent sabotage attempts across Europe. A robot successfully removed the drone’s detonator, eliminating the immediate threat to airport infrastructure and personnel.

    A secondary incident compounded security fears: a DHL cargo plane, which had aborted its landing at Leipzig-Halle following the alert, collided with an unidentified second airborne object roughly six kilometers from the airport. The aircraft sustained minor damage to its nose cone but landed safely at Hanover Airport, where the damage was later documented by police.

    By early Wednesday morning, commercial air traffic had resumed on the airport’s northern runway, while investigators sealed off the southern runway to collect forensic evidence. A German counter-terrorism unit has launched an urgent manhunt for the drone operator or operators, publicly appealing for any witnesses who saw suspicious activity near the airport in the hours before the incident to come forward with information.

    This discovery is the latest in a growing string of unexplained drone incursions at sensitive sites across Germany and wider Europe. In recent months, unidentified UAVs have been repeatedly spotted over airports, military installations, and critical industrial facilities across the continent. German security officials have repeatedly stated they believe many of these incidents are orchestrated by Russia as part of a coordinated hybrid campaign of espionage, sabotage, and intimidation targeting European support for Ukraine.

    Just months earlier in July 2024, a parcel burst into flames on the tarmac at Leipzig Airport before it could be loaded onto a DHL cargo plane, an incident German security services have linked to a Russian arson sabotage plot. Moscow has repeatedly denied any involvement in sabotage activities on German or European territory. In a separate 2023 case, a Chinese national was convicted of espionage for leaking sensitive information on flight schedules and cargo movements at Leipzig-Halle Airport to Chinese intelligence operatives.

    Addressing reporters Wednesday, Ambassador Makeiev drew a direct line between the latest drone incident and previous alleged Russian attacks, arguing that the term “hybrid war” often understates the scope of Moscow’s aggression. “Indeed, Russia has long been waging this hybrid war,” he said. “Yet the word ‘hybrid’ somehow downplays the fact that Russia is waging war not only against Ukraine but also against Europe.”

  • Nigeria’s president orders a 80% salary increase for junior soldiers

    Nigeria’s president orders a 80% salary increase for junior soldiers

    Nigeria’s President Bola Tinubu has greenlit a sweeping second round of military salary increases in just one month, granting hikes of up to 80% for the lowest-ranking troops as the government ramps up efforts to combat a sprawling multi-front security crisis that has gripped the nation for years.

    The new adjustment, which will go into effect starting September, marks a dramatic jump from an already significant pay raise implemented just last month. Back in July, Nigeria’s defense ministry lifted the monthly wage of privates—the military’s lowest rank—from $36 to $73. Following Tinubu’s latest intervention, these junior troops will now earn $132 per month. The tiered pay structure allocates the largest increases to the most junior personnel: troops from the rank of private up to staff sergeant receive the maximum 80% hike, warrant officers through colonels get a 50% raise, and senior officers from brigadier general to general will see a 30% increase in their salaries. Overall, the adjustment will push Nigeria’s annual military wage bill from $484 million to $678 million.

    Tinubu framed the pay increase as a tangible demonstration of the administration’s deep gratitude for service members who confront the country’s persistent and evolving security threats. Nigerian troops are currently engaged against a complex array of armed adversaries across multiple regions: Boko Haram and the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) carry out regular insurgent attacks in the country’s northeast, while criminal gangs locally known as bandits operate kidnap-for-ransom schemes and looting campaigns across the northwest and north-central regions. Additional security challenges include separatist unrest in the southeast and recurrent deadly intercommunal clashes over land and water resources between farming and herding communities.

    In an official statement announcing the pay adjustments, Tinubu praised the courage and sacrifices of military personnel combating what he called “the scourge of banditry, kidnapping and terrorism.” “The men and women who help to keep us safe in our homes must be supported and appreciated in the course of their duties to our nation,” he said, urging troops to view the pay hike as a clear signal of the government’s commitment to their wellbeing. “Together we shall prevail over the enemies intent on destroying the fabric of our nation,” he added.

    The pay increase is the latest in a series of security-focused reforms rolled out by the Tinubu administration over the past month. Just weeks ago, the president ordered the recruitment of 28,000 additional troops and the creation of four new army divisions, bringing the total number of army divisions across the country to 12. The restructuring is designed to improve operational coordination, intelligence sharing, and response times to security incidents across Nigeria’s diverse regions. Tinubu has also committed to continuing broader military modernization efforts, equipping the armed forces with updated weapons and technology to counter emerging threats.

    While the pay hike has been broadly welcomed as a long-overdue step, security analysts have raised questions about its long-term sustainability and what it leaves unaddressed. Retired major general and military expert Bashir Galma told the BBC that the adjustment aligns with what defense stakeholders have been demanding for years. However, he noted concern that future Nigerian administrations may struggle to maintain the increased wage commitments given the $194 million annual jump in military salary spending. Galma also argued that other Nigerian security agencies deserve similar pay reviews, emphasizing that national security is a collective responsibility that relies on more than just the military. Beyond pay, he added that critical gaps remain in troop welfare and equipment, including insufficient uniforms, footwear, and most importantly, modern firearms to counter heavily armed armed groups. For their part, currently serving troops have declined to comment publicly on the adjustment, saying they will wait to see the new wages reflected in their bank accounts before forming an opinion.

    Persistent nationwide insecurity has emerged as one of the most pressing political issues for the Tinubu administration, as Nigeria approaches general elections scheduled for 2027. Successive Nigerian governments have struggled to contain widespread violence across the country’s regions despite years of increased military deployment and security spending.

  • German court sentences young members of right-wing extremist group ‘Last Defense Wave’ to prison

    German court sentences young members of right-wing extremist group ‘Last Defense Wave’ to prison

    In a landmark ruling issued Wednesday, a Hamburg court has handed down prison sentences to eight individuals linked to the far-right extremist terror network “Last Defense Wave,” convicting the group on charges spanning attempted murder, arson, aggravated assault, and participation in a banned terrorist organization. The Hanseatic Higher Regional Court’s verdict concluded that the eight defendants — seven active members and one supporter — had orchestrated multiple violent attacks targeting refugee accommodation and left-wing political hubs across eastern Germany, while also engaging in a violent vigilante practice they called “pedo-hunting,” the unauthorised hunting of people they falsely accused of being child predators.

    All of the offenders were aged between 14 and 21 at the time the crimes were committed, so their trials proceeded under Germany’s juvenile justice framework. Sentences range from 18 months to five years of imprisonment. German national news agency dpa confirmed that the youngest defendant’s 18-month sentence has been suspended, and all Wednesday rulings remain open to appeal, per German legal procedure.

    Court documents and the official indictment lay out a string of planned and carried out attacks dating to early 2024. In January 2024, two group members attempted to ignite a blaze at an asylum seeker shelter in Schmölln, a town in the eastern state of Thuringia, using pyrotechnic devices. The attempt failed to trigger a large fire, but the attackers defaced the building’s exterior with swastikas and anti-immigrant slogans reading “foreigners out.”

    That October, the group carried out a successful arson attack on a cultural center in Altdöbern, located in the neighboring state of Brandenburg. The indictment notes that no occupants were injured in the attack only by pure chance; the entire structure was completely destroyed by the spreading fire. Three additional members had also finalized plans to launch an arson attack on a second asylum shelter in Senftenberg, Brandenburg, but that plot was derailed before it could be executed after a journalism team tipped off law enforcement to the plan.

    The conviction marks the latest development in a broader crackdown on the extremist network: in June of this year, two more teenage suspects were taken into custody in Thuringia on charges of belonging to “Last Defense Wave,” according to dpa’s reporting.

  • Congressman Chuck Edwards drops re-election bid after ethics investigation

    Congressman Chuck Edwards drops re-election bid after ethics investigation

    A sitting Republican congressman from North Carolina has announced he will end his campaign for a new term, a decision that comes just days after a congressional investigative panel officially censured him over findings of persistent sexual harassment. Chuck Edwards made the announcement of his withdrawal from the 2026 re-election race in a public social media statement published in the early hours of Wednesday.

    In his statement, Edwards framed the choice as a difficult one, reached after a period of deep personal reflection, prayer and extensive discussions with his immediate family. The announcement caps off a months-long ethics probe conducted by the U.S. House of Representatives Ethics Committee, which concluded last week that Edwards had repeatedly engaged in unprofessional and inappropriate behavior that violated House conduct standards, aligned with the sexual harassment allegations first brought against him.

    Crucially, Edwards has maintained his innocence from the start of the investigation, and the committee’s censure and investigative findings do not constitute a formal legal finding of criminal or civil guilt. This story remains actively developing as new details about the race for Edwards’ now-open congressional seat emerge, and updates will be issued as more information becomes available.

  • Uganda team manager has ‘no idea’ why boxers have disappeared

    Uganda team manager has ‘no idea’ why boxers have disappeared

    In the aftermath of the 2026 Commonwealth Games hosted in Glasgow, a puzzling disappearance has captured public attention: four elite Ugandan boxers who competed at the event have gone missing ahead of their scheduled return flight to their home country. The group, made up of 20-year-old Ibrahim Kemis, 22-year-old Nuhu Batte, 32-year-old Emily Nakalema, and 21-year-old Angel Katushabe, was set to depart Scotland for Uganda on Tuesday, but never arrived at the airport. Since their disappearance, all of their mobile phones have been switched off, cutting off all contact with team officials.

    Godwin Kayangwe, Uganda’s chef de mission for the Commonwealth Games, spoke exclusively to BBC Scotland News, stating that team leadership remains completely in the dark about the boxers’ motivations for vanishing. While Kayangwe confirmed that he has no confirmed information about the athletes’ whereabouts, he told reporters he believes the four are likely still in Glasgow or somewhere else in Europe. “They told their team manager they would return to the team before the flight, but after that conversation, all contact stopped,” Kayangwe said. “This is a clear violation of team camp rules, as no athlete is permitted to leave the group without explicit approval from leadership.”

    Local media in Uganda has circulated widespread speculation that the four boxers made the deliberate decision to disappear in order to seek asylum in Europe, citing better athletic opportunities and improved training infrastructure overseas. One of the missing boxers spoke to Ugandan sports outlet NBS Sports, confirming that the group intended to apply for asylum and pursue their professional boxing careers in a nation that can offer greater resources and competitive opportunities than they had access to in Uganda. The unnamed athlete also issued a public appeal, asking Ugandan citizens to show understanding and refrain from passing judgment on their life-altering choice.

    When questioned about the asylum speculation, Kayangwe pushed back on assumptions about political or social motivations for the disappearance, saying, “I have absolutely no idea what asylum they could be seeking. This is not a political issue, it has nothing to do with gender persecution or anything of that sort – I cannot explain why they chose to do this.” Despite the breach of team rules, Kayangwe struck a hopeful tone, noting that the boxers’ British visas remain valid through October, and that he holds out hope they will change their minds and return home before the visas expire.

    Scottish law enforcement have launched official inquiries into the disappearances, along with a number of other unreported absences of Commonwealth athletes who failed to board return flights after the Games. Police officials noted that no formal action can be taken to locate the athletes until their current visas expire, as they are still legally residing in the UK. The case is now being handled by the Ugandan High Commission, which is coordinating with Scottish law enforcement and government authorities to resolve the situation.

    In a public message to the four missing boxers, Kayangwe emphasized his core request: “My message is straightforward: abide by local laws, do not overstay your visas before sorting out your status. If you return to Uganda now, you will be free to apply for travel back to Europe at any point in the future.” He added that he hopes the athletes will make the “right decision” and rejoin their team in Uganda.

    This is not the only unexplained disappearance from the 2026 Glasgow Commonwealth Games: Pakistani outlet Pakistan Today has also reported that Pakistani boxer Qudrat Ullah failed to join his teammates for their return flight home, and was not found in his team accommodation when officials came to search for him.