Tanzania’s Ministry of Energy has officially announced a landmark new natural gas deposit in the southern Mnazi Bay region, marking the country’s first significant onshore gas find in more than 10 years. The milestone was celebrated during a special inauguration event at the Kasa-1X ST2 well, a joint operating asset between state-run Tanzania Petroleum Development Corporation (TPDC) and French energy enterprise Maurel & Prom, where Energy Minister Juma Homera formally confirmed the reserve’s estimated 223 billion cubic feet (6.3 billion cubic meters) of recoverable gas.
Homera framed the discovery as a transformative turning point for Tanzania’s still-growing upstream oil and gas sector, noting that production from the new well is scheduled to kick off as early as the start of next month. Unlike many regional gas projects targeted for export, the new reserve is designed first and foremost to expand domestic energy supplies, serving three core end uses: residential and utility-scale power generation, industrial manufacturing operations, and the fast-growing fleet of vehicles converted to run on compressed natural gas (CNG).
Government data shows natural gas already fuels nearly 80% of Tanzania’s national electricity grid as of 2024, making the fossil fuel a foundational pillar of the country’s energy transition away from more polluting heavy fuel oil and costly imported petroleum. Recent national policy efforts have prioritized expanding CNG infrastructure, with dozens of refueling stations and conversion workshops established primarily in Dar es Salaam, the nation’s economic hub. Thousands of local motorists have already retrofitted their vehicles to run on dual petrol-CNG systems, taking advantage of locally produced gas that costs a fraction of imported gasoline to cut household transportation expenses.
Tanzania’s history of commercial gas exploration stretches back to 1974, when the first subsea reserve was discovered off Songo Songo Island in the southeastern Lindi region, followed by a second major find at the original Mnazi Bay site in neighboring Mtwara Region in 1982. Commercial production from these early deposits launched in 2004, spurring a wave of onshore and offshore exploration activity that culminated in the country’s largest single gas strike of 2.7 trillion cubic feet in 2016. Combined with the new Mnazi Bay discovery, Tanzania’s total proven natural gas reserves now stand at 57.54 trillion cubic feet, positioning the East African nation to meet surging domestic energy demand driven by rapid industrial expansion and urban population growth for decades to come, while keeping consumer energy prices stable and accessible.
For more in-depth coverage of economic and energy developments across the continent, audiences can visit BBCAfrica.com, follow the outlet on X (Twitter) @BBCAfrica, subscribe to the BBC Africa Facebook page, or access exclusive content via the official BBC Africa Instagram account and dedicated podcast series.
作者： admin
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Tanzania celebrates first natural gas discovery in more than 10 years
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Serbian shot dead after attacking officer outside Israeli embassy, minister says
Early Wednesday morning in Belgrade, Serbian law enforcement officers fatally shot a teenage Serbian national during a confirmed terrorist incident directly outside the Israeli diplomatic mission, according to official statements from the country’s top interior leadership. Serbian Interior Minister Ivica Dacic detailed that the unidentified minor, who had been under prior surveillance by domestic security agencies due to documented ties to Islamic State extremist ideology, charged at a posted police guard brandishing two bladed weapons while shouting the religious extremist battle cry “Allahu Akbar”. The on-duty officer sustained a superficial laceration to his face during the assault before discharging his service weapon, killing the attacker at the scene. Dacic confirmed that the injured officer received on-site medical assessment, was in stable condition, and did not require admission to a hospital for treatment. Subsequent reviews of the suspect’s social media activity revealed he had publicly shared an image of the official Islamic State flag on his Instagram account in the lead-up to the assault. In response to the brazen attack, Serbian authorities immediately elevated the national terrorism threat level to its maximum “red alert” tier, mandating expanded security screenings, boosted police deployments at critical infrastructure sites, mass gathering venues, and all high-profile diplomatic facilities across the country. Representatives from Israel’s foreign ministry issued a public social media update confirming that no staff members stationed at the Belgrade embassy were harmed during the incident, as the compound was not operational and all personnel were off-site at the time of the assault. The Wednesday stabbing marks the second targeted terrorist attempt on the Israeli embassy in Belgrade in under three years: the first incident, which took place in June 2024, saw a different assailant use a crossbow to shoot a police officer in the neck. That wounded officer survived the attack and returned fire to kill his attacker, a Serbian national who had converted to Islam and held extremist ideological views. The latest violent incident unfolded just 24 hours after the conclusion of national general elections in Israel, adding a layer of geopolitical timeliness to the security scare. Visual footage and on-site photography taken later Wednesday showed heavily armed law enforcement officers maintaining a heightened, visible security perimeter around the Israeli embassy compound as a full multi-agency investigation into the attacker’s motives and any potential unapprehended accomplices remains underway.
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Kenyan family protest extradition hearing delay of ex-British soldier accused of murdering kin
Nearly 14 years after 21-year-old Kenyan mother Agnes Wanjiru was found dead in a septic tank adjacent to a British military training facility in Nanyuki, a town roughly 200 kilometers north of Nairobi, her family has voiced fierce anger over a last-minute postponement of the extradition hearing for the former British soldier accused of her murder. The proceedings against 38-year-old Robert James Purkiss, which had been scheduled to take place in just three weeks’ time, have now been pushed back to May 2027, a timeline the family has denounced as entirely unacceptable. The family shared that they only learned of the delay via a notification from the British Embassy in Kenya, with no formal, detailed explanation provided by judicial authorities to date, even after they had already raised funds and finalized travel arrangements to attend the UK court hearing in person. “We have held onto patience and navigated unrelenting uncertainty for more than a decade, but now that patience is being exploited,” Esther Njoki, Wanjiru’s niece, told the BBC. “Agnes was taken from us far too soon and deserves full justice. Her now-teenage daughter Stacy, who was only five months old when her mother vanished, deserves clear, unobscured answers about what unfolded that night. Our entire family also deserves basic dignity and regular, transparent updates on legal processes that shape every part of our lives.” Wanjiru disappeared in March 2012 after an evening at a local hotel frequented by British troops stationed in the area for joint training operations. Her body was recovered nearly three months later from the hotel’s septic tank, with post-mortem examinations confirming she sustained fatal stab wounds to her chest and abdomen. A 2019 Kenyan inquest formally ruled that she had been unlawfully killed by one or two British service members. It was not until September 2025 that a Kenyan High Court issued an official arrest warrant for a British national, after prosecutors submitted corroborated evidence supporting formal murder charges. Purkiss was taken into custody in the UK last November and has since mounted a legal challenge against extradition to Kenya to stand trial, maintaining a full denial of the murder allegations. He appeared via video link at Westminster Magistrates’ Court in February, where he was remanded in custody ahead of the now-postponed hearing. His legal team has confirmed their client intends to contest the extradition order in full. The family has issued an urgent public call to both UK and Kenyan judicial and diplomatic authorities to fast-track the long-stalled proceedings, warning that the new 2027 timeline will push the case into its 15th year without a single formal murder trial taking place. A UK court is scheduled to release the official documented rationale for the postponement early next week. The case has drawn public scrutiny after former UK Defence Secretary John Healey met Wanjiru’s family during an official visit to Kenya last year, publicly pledging the British government’s full support for efforts to deliver justice. A spokesperson for the UK government has stated that it remains committed to supporting the Wanjiru family, but declined to offer further comment on the grounds that the case is subject to active, ongoing legal processes.
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Goodbye to the everyman who gatecrashed the greats
The packed stands of Basel’s tennis arena roared with equal parts celebration and bittersweet sentiment on Tuesday, as 41-year-old Swiss tennis icon Stan Wawrinka stepped off the court for the final time in his tour-level professional career. Facing off against world number 21 Czech talent Jiri Lehecka, the former world number three fell to a 7-5, 7-6 (7-2) defeat, but the scoreboard told only a fraction of the story of the evening and the 23-year journey that preceded it.
Long adored by global fans for his fiery, unapologetic competitive spirit and signature devastating one-handed backhand, Wawrinka left every ounce of his trademark intensity on the court during his last match: he chased down seemingly unreachable shots to pull off improbable winners, gestured to the crowd to crank up their volume, and even displayed his familiar fiery edge when a misfired shot nearly prompted him to snap his racquet over his knee. Once the final point landed, tears flowed freely for Wawrinka, his family, and his long-time support team, as the reality of closing a 985-match career that included three Grand Slam titles settled in.
“For over two decades, the only thing that mattered to me in every single match was giving 100% — out of respect for myself, my opponent, the tournament, and every fan who showed up to cheer me on,” Wawrinka shared with the ATP website post-retirement. “I leave this sport with zero regrets, because I gave it everything I had.”
What made Wawrinka’s ascent all the more extraordinary is that he carved his legendary status in an era dominated by the sport’s iconic “Big Three” of Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, and Novak Djokovic, a stretch between 2006 and 2022 that saw nearly every men’s Grand Slam title claimed by that trio plus Andy Murray. Countless top-tier talents of his generation saw the Big Three as an unbreakable barrier to major glory, but Wawrinka refused to be boxed in. After years of steady, unspectacular progress, he stunned the tennis world at 28 years old to claim the 2014 Australian Open title, upsetting Djokovic in the quarter-finals before outlasting Nadal in the final. He followed that milestone with two more historic major wins: a dominant 2015 French Open final dismantling of Djokovic that is still widely ranked as one of the most powerful singles performances of the modern era, and a 2016 US Open title run where he clawed back from a match-point deficit in the third round before defeating Djokovic once more to lift the trophy.
Even as his ranking dipped to 151 in his later career, Wawrinka never lost his love for the sport, willingly competing in lower-tier ATP Challenger Tour events just for the thrill of stepping onto the court. Tributes poured in from across the tennis world following his retirement announcement, including a glowing endorsement from 24-time Grand Slam champion Novak Djokovic, who called Wawrinka a “true legend” of the sport. “Stan had it all: unmatched competitive fire, incredible power, pinpoint precision, and a one-handed backhand that is one of the greatest shots the men’s game has ever seen,” Djokovic said, after joining Wawrinka for a practice session in Basel ahead of his final match.
While Wawrinka openly acknowledges he never reached the consistent, historic heights of the Big Three or Andy Murray — who formed the so-called “Big Four” of the era — his resume of 267 weeks in the global top 10, 1 Masters 1000 title, and 16 total tour-level wins far outstrips the wildest dreams of most professional tennis players. A lavish, star-studded farewell ceremony held in Basel the night before his final match, complete with speeches, live music, and tributes from peers, was a fitting send-off for “Stan the Man”, the everyman champion who defied all odds to etch his name permanently in tennis history.
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Why Hurts played with blood clot and what it means for NFL
Philadelphia Eagles two-time Super Bowl quarterback Jalen Hurts, who led the franchise to its 2025 NFL championship, has sent shockwaves through the entire American football community after details emerged that he suited up for a full international series game in London just hours after being diagnosed with a superficial calf blood clot, a decision that has now left him sidelined for the remainder of the 2025 season due to life-threatening multiple pulmonary emboli. The timeline of events, verified by BBC Sport’s Ben Collins, unfolds over a three-week stretch that has laid bare critical gaps in the NFL’s player safety framework, particularly for its fast-growing overseas matchups. The sequence began on October 4, when Hurts sustained a left calf contusion during a narrow loss to the Los Angeles Rams, playing through the full 60 minutes of competition without reporting lingering discomfort immediately post-game. Four days later, on October 8, Hurts notified team medical staff of persistent calf soreness, receiving targeted therapeutic treatment over the following two days while still participating in full team training sessions. The Eagles traveled to London on the morning of October 10, and Hurts underwent an ultrasound at the NFL’s official London sports medicine partner, the Cleveland Clinic’s UK branch, that evening, where clinicians identified a superficial vein thrombosis in his calf. Despite the diagnosis, he received medical clearance to compete in the October 11 matchup against the Jacksonville Jaguars at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, even returning to the team hotel at 3 a.m. that same day before suiting up to play the entire contest, where he recorded 220 passing yards and one touchdown in a narrow 19-17 last-second Jaguars victory. Post-game, he was cleared to board the team’s transatlantic return flight to Philadelphia, with medical staff only recommending a follow-up ultrasound within 72 hours. Subsequent testing on October 14 revealed the original clot had dislodged and traveled from his calf, and further scans on October 19 confirmed a diagnosis of deep vein thrombosis and bilateral pulmonary emboli, meaning multiple clots had lodged in both of his lungs. While medical professionals have confirmed Hurts is expected to make a full recovery with a course of blood-thinning medication, the 28-year-old 2025 Super Bowl MVP will miss the rest of the current season, and will face elevated lifelong risk of recurrent embolisms per leading sports medicine experts. The incident has ignited fierce debate over the NFL’s lack of formal, league-wide protocols for vascular injuries, a stark contrast to the established, highly structured rules in place for concussions, extreme heat response, and in-stadium emergency care. NFL chief medical officer Dr. Allen Sills, who was present in London for the weekend game, initially defended the medical team’s decisions as “incredibly conservative” during a press briefing, noting he had full confidence in the Eagles’ handling of Hurts’ case, and pushed back on suggestions the care process was flawed. But the NFL Players Association (NFLPA) swiftly pushed back, first criticizing the league’s initial refusal to launch a formal review before announcing a joint collaborative investigation with the NFL to audit every step of the care Hurts received. Leading independent sports medicine specialist Dr. Niko Mihic, Real Madrid’s chief medical officer and the designated lead physician for the NFL’s upcoming November 8 international game in Madrid, noted that blood clot cases in elite athletes are relatively rare, and often difficult to diagnose in a timely fashion because the symptoms do not align with typical contact sports injuries, adding that decisions around long-haul air travel for patients with confirmed clots rely heavily on clinical judgment rather than one-size-fits-all rules. The high-profile incident arrives at a pivotal moment for the NFL, which is hosting a record nine international games in the 2025 season, with long-term plans to expand that slate to 16 overseas fixtures per year. The league has already faced recent pushback from the players’ union over safety concerns related to the 16-hour trans-Pacific flight required for the league’s first-ever Australia-based game earlier this year, as well as complaints about substandard field conditions at the Brazil international matchup. For the Philadelphia Eagles, the loss of their franchise quarterback has sent the once-dominant franchise into a tailspin: third-string backup Tanner McKee, who lacks meaningful regular season starting experience, has led the team to five consecutive defeats, capped off by a lopsided 38-21 home loss to division rival the Dallas Cowboys, marking the longest losing streak of head coach Nick Sirianni’s tenure. With the NFL trade deadline just two weeks away, franchise executives now face a critical crossroads, weighing whether to push for a short-term veteran quarterback rental to salvage the season, or trigger a full rebuild for a team that had appeared to be a perennial Super Bowl contender, having reached two of the past four league championships.
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Disbelief as Tasmanian Tiger head found under bed
A long-forgotten taxidermied head of the now-extinct thylacine, more commonly referred to as the Tasmanian Tiger, spent years tucked away under its owners’ bed before the family realized its extraordinary historical and scientific significance, Bristol-based auction house Auctioneum has confirmed. Dubbed Trevor by the auction team, this remarkably well-preserved specimen is only the third verified complete thylacine taxidermy head known to exist globally, marking it as the most high-value lot the boutique auction firm has ever handled. The landmark discovery traces back to August 2024, when the owners spotted widespread news coverage of a separate misidentified Victorian-era thylacine head — previously mistaken for a fox pelt part — that sold for a five-figure sum after sharp-eyed collectors identified its true nature. The family soon realized their own long-stored heirloom matched the description of the ultra-rare marsupial remains, and brought it to Auctioneum for evaluation. Lead auctioneer Andrew Stowe recalled the moment he first unwrapped the historic artifact, noting he was stunned by its pristine condition and immediate recognition of its rarity. Prior research confirms the specimen was originally harvested by a Tasmanian farmer in Sheffield, northern Tasmania, in the early 1900s, before being transported to the United Kingdom in 1905, where it has remained in private family hands ever since. The thylacine, a dog-sized carnivorous marsupial once native to Australia, New Guinea and Tasmania, was relentlessly hunted by European settlers throughout the 19th and early 20th centuries, pushing the species to total extinction when the last confirmed captive individual died at Hobart Zoo in 1936, with formal extinction classification following shortly after. The sudden emergence of a second intact thylacine head within months of the widely publicized August sale has stunned zoological researchers and private collectors alike, as the vast majority of surviving thylacine specimens are held in museum collections, with almost no new private finds documented for generations. The newly verified specimen has already been formally logged into the International Thylacine Specimen Database (ITSD), a global centralized repository tracking all remaining physical remains of the lost species. Dr. Stephen Sleightholme, a leading thylacine researcher affiliated with the ITSD, emphasized that these rare surviving artifacts provide irreplaceable tangible data for ongoing studies of the unique marsupial predator, as well as critical documentation of human-driven species extinction. The taxidermy head is scheduled to go under the hammer at a public auction in Bath on November 26, with a pre-sale estimated value ranging from £30,000 to £50,000. Stowe noted that the auction team, which initially considered the August thylacine head sale a once-in-a-career event, could scarcely believe they had uncovered a second of the only three known surviving specimens, describing the dual find as a truly unprecedented occurrence in the history of natural history artifact auctions.
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Israeli exit polls show huge Palestinian gains block Netanyahu from forming government
As polling stations across Israel shuttered at 10 p.m. local time on Tuesday, a wave of unprecedented electoral participation from Palestinian citizens of Israel upended longstanding political projections, leaving neither incumbent Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu nor his Zionist opposition rivals with the sufficient Knesset seats needed to secure a ruling majority, according to cross-broadcaster exit poll data.
Israeli Channel 13’s post-vote survey calculated that Netanyahu’s longstanding right-wing parliamentary bloc is on track to claim just 50 seats, while the centrist and centre-left opposition coalition led by former Israel Defense Forces chief of staff Gabi Eisenkot is projected to take 53 seats. Both totals fall well short of the 61-seat threshold required to form a stable governing majority in the 120-seat Knesset. The dramatic gap in both blocs’ expected seat counts can be directly traced to historic turnout among Palestinian citizens, who make up roughly 20% of Israel’s total population. Two electoral slates representing this demographic, the Joint List and Ra’am, are projected to capture a combined 17 seats, marking the highest number of Arab representatives ever to hold seats in Israel’s parliament.
Election observers noted elevated turnout across Palestinian-majority districts from the opening of polling stations, a trend widely attributed to widespread public anger among this 20% minority over the devastating 2023 Gaza conflict, ongoing settler violence in the occupied West Bank, and years of rising state-sanctioned discriminatory policies targeting Arab communities across Israel and the Palestinian territories. For decades, the parties representing Palestinian citizens of Israel have been systematically excluded from formal governing coalitions, a status quo that appeared to crumble in the immediate post-election period.
While the three major Israeli broadcast networks released slightly varying seat projections, all three confirmed that the surge in Palestinian voter support had effectively blocked Netanyahu and his far-right, Jewish supremacist allied factions from cobbling together the 61 seats they had targeted to return to power with an unchallenged majority. The opposition bloc led by Eisenkot, however, now faces a similarly intractable barrier to forming a government: none of its component factions hold enough seats to reach a majority on their own, and nearly all of Eisenkot’s campaign partners explicitly ruled out any form of partnership with Arab electoral slates in the lead-up to voting day.
Under longstanding Israeli parliamentary procedure, the president will first extend a formal mandate to the leader of the single largest party in the Knesset to begin coalition negotiations. Exit poll data confirms Netanyahu’s Likud party is on track to retain its status as the biggest single faction in parliament, meaning the sitting prime minister will be given the first opportunity to assemble a ruling government, even as his bloc falls far short of a majority. Netanyahu remains in the post of caretaker prime minister throughout the mandatory coalition negotiation window.
Eisenkot framed the preliminary exit poll results as a clear public repudiation of the incumbent leader’s years in power. “These numbers reflect a widespread lack of public confidence in Netanyahu’s leadership,” he told assembled supporters late Tuesday. Yair Lapid, the former prime minister and senior opposition figure, went further, describing the preliminary results as a “crushing defeat” for Netanyahu’s long-running political project.
Election officials note that final verified results will not be available for several days, as roughly 500,000 outstanding ballots cast by Israeli military service members are scheduled to be tallied over the remainder of the week. Electoral analysts warn that small shifts in final vote counts could still alter the final seat distribution by one or two seats, though the core dynamic of a hung parliament driven by record Palestinian voter participation is not expected to change. This story remains in active development as official vote counting proceeds.
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Luxury cruise passengers stranded in Cambodia due to soaring fuel costs
The Villa Vie Odyssey, a high-end residential cruise vessel operated by U.S.-based Villa Vie Residences, was 750 days into its ambitious 3.5-year global circumnavigation that was scheduled to stop at nearly 150 countries when it suddenly dropped anchor in Cambodia and announced a full halt to all operations earlier this week. The unexpected shutdown was triggered by unprecedented spikes in global marine fuel prices that erupted following the outbreak of the Iran conflict earlier this year, which far outpaced the operator’s most conservative cost projections.
Prior to the suspension, the 656-foot luxury liner had already exhausted a series of cost-cutting measures to keep the voyage afloat: the team slowed travel speeds, extended layover periods at ports to reduce fuel burn, and adjusted itineraries to minimize long stretches of open-ocean sailing. Even with these changes, per-cabin monthly fuel expenses in Asian regional routes skyrocketed from a pre-trip budget of $1,800 to a staggering $8,000, a 344% jump that the company confirmed it could not absorb, and noted that passing the full unplanned cost burden directly to its on-board residents was not a feasible or fair solution.
According to the firm’s founder, roughly 200 passengers were on board the vessel at the time of the announcement, far fewer than the 650-person maximum capacity the ship is designed to hold. The operator stated it is now coordinating with all stranded guests to arrange disembarkation protocols and temporary local housing accommodations, as the vessel itself will not continue its planned global route.
The multi-year voyage, which originally departed Belfast in October 2024, was already plagued by pre-launch setbacks: extensive last-minute repair work delayed the initial departure for months, leaving early ticket holders stranded in Northern Ireland and costing the company millions of pounds in unplanned expenses. The vessel was marketed as a floating residential community, with private cabins available for permanent purchase between $120,000 and $440,000, or for monthly rentals starting at $3,500. Amenities on board include multiple bars and fine-dining restaurants, a dedicated pool deck, and a dedicated pickleball sports court. The brand had also rolled out niche promotional packages in recent years, including a lifetime at-sea retirement program, and a 2024 “Skip Forward” four-year voyage offer that was pitched to U.S. customers shortly after Donald Trump’s 2024 presidential election win, with the CEO publicly framing it as an escape option for voters unhappy with the election outcome.
Villa Vie Residences has announced it will enter a 60-day period of internal restructuring and recapitalization to assess possible future operations, but explicitly noted in its public statement that no positive outcome or resumption of the Odyssey voyage is guaranteed at this stage. -
Neil Young again sues Trump campaign for playing Rockin’ in the Free World at rally
Legendary 80-year-old Canadian-American rock icon Neil Young has launched a $10 million federal legal action against the Trump 47 fundraising committee, accusing the pro-Donald Trump political group of illegally using his 1989 seminal track *Rockin’ in the Free World* at an October 12 campaign rally in Youngstown, Ohio, without explicit permission or a required public performance license. Filed through Young’s own Silver Fiddle Music, the five-page lawsuit outlines that the track was played to a live rally audience moments before former U.S. President Donald Trump took the stage, constituting a clear unauthorised public performance that violates U.S. copyright law. This marks the second time Young has taken legal action over the misuse of his music by Trump-aligned political entities: back in 2020, he sued Trump’s then-re-election campaign for using both *Rockin’ in the Free World* and his track *Devil’s Sidewalk*, a case that the campaign settled immediately after being served, with a formal promise to never use Young’s creative work without prior written approval. The new legal filing alleges that the Trump 47 Committee, and Trump personally, were fully aware that a public performance license from the song’s copyright holder was mandatory to play the track at campaign events, even if a campaign owns a purchased physical or digital copy of the recording. U.S. copyright regulations specify that no blanket public performance right exists for sound recordings, meaning political event organisers must secure explicit permission directly from the musical work’s copyright holder, or through a licensed performing rights organisation, to play tracks for public audiences. Young, a longstanding vocal critic of Trump’s policies and public conduct, stressed in the suit that *Rockin’ in the Free World* is a scathing, socially conscious anthem that critiques empty U.S. political rhetoric and highlights the systemic hardships facing marginalised, overlooked communities including unhoused and low-income Americans, making the track ideologically diametrically opposed to every value Trump and his campaign represent. Young publicly announced the lawsuit on his official website on a Tuesday, with a sardonic note thanking Trump for attending multiple of his live concerts back in the 1980s and 1990s, but clarifying that this history does not extend to granting permission for political use of his music, adding that he was forced to pursue legal action because financial accountability is the framework the Trump campaign operates within. The lawsuit also notes that the unauthorised play of *Rockin’ in the Free World* has not been an isolated incident, with the track being used repeatedly at multiple other Trump campaign rallies. Young joins a long list of high-profile musical artists including The Rolling Stones, Rihanna, Adele, R.E.M., and the estate of Prince, all of whom have previously publicly condemned Trump for using their creative works at campaign events without prior consent. The BBC has reached out to the Republican National Committee for an official statement, after the White House directed all media inquiries on the matter to the RNC, which has not yet issued a formal response at time of reporting.
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Oman calls for Gulf, Iraq and Iran to unite under one security pact
Delivering a landmark address at the University of Cambridge during an official diplomatic visit to the United Kingdom on Monday, Omani Foreign Minister Badr al-Busaidi laid out a bold new vision for Gulf regional security that would break decades of dependency on outside global powers. His proposal calls for the six core Gulf Cooperation Council member states — Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, and Oman — alongside Iraq and Iran, to sign a collective, inclusive non-aggression security framework fully owned and administered by regional stakeholders.
Busaidi argued that longstanding gridlock over two of the region’s most intractable disputes, the Iranian nuclear program and maritime security in the strategically vital Strait of Hormuz, stems directly from external powers dictating the terms of engagement, rather than local states coming together to negotiate mutually acceptable solutions. He pushed back against the decades-long dominant narrative that frames Iran as an inherent existential threat to Gulf Arab states, describing that externally imposed framing as the single most harmful priority forced on the region by outside actors. Busaidi emphasized that the purported fundamental, irreconcilable antagonism between Arab Gulf states and Iran is a completely false perception, noting that Arab and Persian communities have coexisted peacefully across the Gulf for centuries, with only manageable, resolvable differences between them. He stressed that any regional security architecture that excludes Iran is structurally unsound and inherently unstable, with recent cascading crises proving the catastrophic human and economic costs of perpetuating that false narrative of division.
The Omani foreign minister’s high-profile address landed on the same day that a delegation from the Mecca Defence Alliance, comprising senior representatives from Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and Pakistan, held closed-door negotiations with top Iranian leadership in Tehran. Mohsen Rezaei, Iran’s highest-ranking security official, framed those talks as the opening of a genuine, transformative shift in regional dynamics, noting that U.S. threats had failed to derail independent regional diplomatic efforts. The flurry of shuttle diplomacy comes as regional powers race to mitigate the fallout from the ongoing Israel-U.S. military campaign against Iran, which began on February 28, and growing widespread fears of fresh U.S.-Israeli strikes that could escalate the conflict even further.
The ongoing conflict has already inflicted staggering economic and security harm across the Gulf, according to verified economic data cited in the address. By late March, the war had erased more than $120 billion in combined market capitalization from the Dubai and Abu Dhabi stock exchanges, while more than 18,400 commercial flights to and from the UAE were cancelled, disrupting global travel and supply chains. The persistent blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, a chokepoint through which roughly a third of global seaborne oil trade flows, has sent ripple effects through the entire global economy, driving up energy prices and disrupting industrial output worldwide. Gulf states have also voiced growing public frustration that their longstanding security partnerships with the United States failed to deliver promised protection from Iranian retaliatory strikes targeting U.S. military bases stationed across the region.
Busaidi concluded that the era of unconditionally relying on external security guarantees is no longer viable, urging regional states to move past the habit of shifting blame to outside actors and launch immediate, inclusive new dialogue on the proposed non-aggression pact before external powers impose a new, rigid security order that locks in cycles of dependency and exclusion for generations. He noted that over the long term, regional partnerships with traditional external allies such as the United States should gradually shift away from heavy military commitments toward mutually beneficial economic, trade, and investment collaboration.