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  • AfD candidate elected speaker of German regional parliament for first time

    AfD candidate elected speaker of German regional parliament for first time

    Just one month after Germany’s far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party secured a landmark electoral victory in the eastern state of Saxony-Anhalt, the faction has achieved another unprecedented breakthrough: its candidate Tobias Rausch has won election as the state parliament’s speaker, marking the first time a far-right party has claimed this prestigious parliamentary post since the end of World War II.

    Despite the AfD holding three fewer seats than the 42-seat majority required to control the 83-member legislature on its own, the 35-year-old candidate secured a comfortable victory in Tuesday’s vote, drawing backing from nine lawmakers across rival political parties. Five of those cross-party votes came from members of the hard-left Bündnis Sahra Wagenknecht (BSW), while the identities of the remaining four supporters remain undisclosed – a detail that has sparked intense political speculation across the country. Political observers have openly questioned whether the four unknown votes came from members of Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s center-right Christian Democratic Union (CDU), a party that has publicly ruled out any cooperation with the AfD. All 15 CDU state lawmakers had previously pledged not to support Rausch, but only five abstained from the vote as planned, leaving unaccounted-for voting behavior that has fueled ongoing questions.

    Following his win, Rausch, a trained real estate agent who has served as a state lawmaker for a decade and is a close confidant of regional AfD leader Ulrich Siegmund, rejected the long-standing post-war German political consensus that erected a “political firewall” to block far-right politicians from institutional power. “The days of political firewalls should be a thing of the past,” Rausch said in his post-vote remarks.

    While the role of parliament speaker is largely ceremonial in Saxony-Anhalt, it carries significant institutional authority: Rausch will now preside over parliamentary debates, regulate access to the state parliament building in Magdeburg, and serve as the official representative of the legislature at state and national public events. Ahead of the inaugural session, the AfD also successfully pushed to shift its seating from the far-right fringe of the legislative chamber to the center, another symbolic shift that underscores the party’s growing institutional influence in the state.

    The election result triggered immediate condemnation from across Germany’s mainstream political spectrum. Susan Sziborra-Seidlitz, leader of the Saxony-Anhalt branch of the Green Party, called the outcome a watershed moment that had crossed a fundamental red line in post-war German politics. “A line has been crossed,” she said. “We will not let ourselves be intimidated, and we will not sit by when rights are curtailed either here or for people in the state.”

    Outside the Magdeburg parliament building, more than 300 protesters gathered to voice their opposition to Rausch’s win, holding aloft banners reading “Never again is now” – a deliberate reference to Germany’s post-war commitment to preventing the reemergence of extremist politics. Crowds surrounded regional AfD leader Siegmund as he spoke to reporters, repeatedly displaying the anti-far-right protest signs to push back against the party’s breakthrough.

    Germany’s domestic intelligence agency has already classified the Saxony-Anhalt branch of the AfD as a “right-wing extremist” organization, a label the party’s leadership has repeatedly rejected. The AfD is widely known for its pro-Russian policy stance, anti-immigrant agenda that includes proposals to segregate child refugees in public schools, and documented intolerance toward LGBTQ+ communities.

    Siegmund, the popular and charismatic regional AfD leader, is now set to run for the post of state premier in a December legislative vote, a bid that will also require the support of 41 additional lawmakers to win. Just as with Rausch’s speaker bid, Siegmund will need cross-party backing to secure the role, but the BSW has already ruled out entering a formal coalition with the AfD. The hard-left party has instead announced it will back an independent non-partisan candidate for state premier and abstain from the December vote, leaving Siegmund’s path to the top state office uncertain at this stage.

  • Lawyer for one of Cornell 7 case calls for special prosecutor to be removed over previous comments

    Lawyer for one of Cornell 7 case calls for special prosecutor to be removed over previous comments

    A high-profile sexual assault case involving seven Cornell University students has triggered two major new developments: a defense lawyer’s demand that the appointed special prosecutor step aside over pre-investment public comments, and a looming faculty no-confidence vote aimed at the university’s top leadership over its handling of the 2024 incident.

    The case dates back to October 2024, when a female student, identified only as Jane Doe in court filings, alleges she was drugged and repeatedly raped by seven men over the course of several hours during a fraternity party on the Ivy League campus in Ithaca, New York. She has since filed a lawsuit against both the seven accused men and Cornell University, claiming the institution failed to uphold its responsibility to protect her from harm.

    The allegations have sent shockwaves across the campus and drawn national outrage. Last week, in response to widespread criticism over how local law enforcement and university officials handled the initial response to the claims, New York Governor Kathy Hochul appointed New York State Attorney General Letitia James to serve as the special prosecutor overseeing the independent investigation.

    But just days before Hochul announced her appointment, James made public remarks on social media platform X that have now called her impartiality into question. In a September 28 post, James wrote that “what this young woman has been forced to endure is horrific and unacceptable,” adding “I’m holding her in my heart and in my prayers. To her, and to all survivors: you’re not alone. We stand with you.”

    Now, a defense lawyer representing one of the seven accused men is calling on James to voluntarily recuse herself from the case, arguing that her pre-investigation comments cast an unnecessary cloud over the inquiry’s integrity and independence.

    In a statement shared with CBS News, the BBC’s US media partner, the lawyer clarified that the demand does not accuse James of corruption, bad faith, or professional incompetence, nor does it claim a court has already ruled her legally disqualified from the role. Instead, the argument centers on the avoidable doubt her public comments have created: voluntary recusal, the lawyer says, would eliminate that question mark and preserve the investigation’s credibility. James’ comments, the statement argues, run counter to the core requirement of an impartial probe that evaluates evidence without pre-judgment.

    Alongside the controversy over the special prosecutor, Cornell’s central administration is facing growing backlash from within the institution over its alleged mishandling of the incident. According to US media reports, Cornell’s Faculty Senate — the governing body made up of professors and other academic staff — will hold a vote on a no-confidence resolution targeting university leadership next week.

    A majority vote of no confidence would carry largely symbolic weight, but it would send a clear signal of widespread discontent among faculty and ramp up public pressure on the administration to implement meaningful changes in how it addresses sexual assault on campus. The case has already spurred mass public demonstration: hundreds of students and faculty gathered on campus Monday to protest the university’s response to Jane Doe’s allegations.

    The BBC has reached out to Cornell University for official comment on the upcoming no-confidence vote and the ongoing controversy. During a recent press conference addressing concerns over James’ impartiality, Governor Hochul defended the appointment, saying James would “follow the facts” wherever they lead. “She’ll examine the evidence and go wherever it leads, and if the evidence supports charges, she will pursue them,” Hochul told reporters.

  • Russia responds to US help offer after death of plague researcher

    Russia responds to US help offer after death of plague researcher

    In a surprising moment of diplomatic exchange amid long-standing global tensions, Russia has issued an official response to a United States offer of assistance extended following the passing of a prominent plague researcher. The brief but notable interaction has also revealed a two-way gesture of cooperation: both Moscow and Washington have now publicly extended offers of mutual support to one another in the ongoing fight against dangerous infectious diseases. This exchange comes at a time when global public health challenges remain a pressing shared concern, even as geopolitical rifts between the two nuclear powers continue to define much of their bilateral relationship. While few additional details have been released regarding the specifics of the assistance offers or the circumstances surrounding the researcher’s death, the reciprocal gestures stand out as a rare point of potential collaboration between the two nations in a critical public health domain. Experts note that infectious disease research, particularly into high-risk pathogens like plague, requires international coordination to mitigate global health risks, making even limited cooperation between major powers a development worth monitoring.

  • US televangelist Jim Bakker, disgraced from sex scandal and fraud, dies at 86

    US televangelist Jim Bakker, disgraced from sex scandal and fraud, dies at 86

    Jim Bakker, the polarizing American televangelist who built a sprawling Christian media empire before its dramatic collapse amid fraud convictions and public scandal, has died at the age of 86. His second wife, Lori Bakker, confirmed the news in a statement Monday, but did not disclose a cause of death.

    Bakker first rose to prominence in 1974 alongside his first wife, Tammy Faye Messner, when the pair founded *The PTL Club* – a Christian television program whose name stood for both “Praise the Lord” and “People That Love”. At the height of its popularity, the daily show drew more than 13 million viewers across the United States, turning Bakker and Tammy Faye into household names in evangelical circles.

    Building on the show’s success, the couple expanded their media enterprise into a multi-million dollar empire. They constructed Heritage USA, a sprawling 2,300-acre Christian theme park complex in Fort Mill, South Carolina, that employed more than 2,000 workers. The pair embraced a notoriously lavish lifestyle, counting a private jet, multiple luxury residences, high-end vehicles, expensive jewelry, and even an air-conditioned dog house among their assets.

    By the late 1980s, however, the empire began to unravel. In 1987, a decade-old sexual encounter between Bakker and former church secretary Jessica Hahn came to light, prompting Bakker’s immediate resignation from the PTL ministry. Hahn later accused Bakker of sexual assault, a claim he repeatedly denied, insisting the encounter had been consensual. Further investigation revealed that Hahn had been paid $265,000 in hush money using PTL ministry funds, leading the Assemblies of God to defrock Bakker, revoking his formal ministerial credentials.

    In 1989, Bakker was found guilty on 24 counts of mail fraud, wire fraud, and conspiracy connected to deceptive fundraising for the Heritage USA theme park. He served more than four years in federal prison for his crimes. Though Tammy Faye stood by Bakker throughout his trial, she filed for divorce in 1992 while he was still incarcerated; she never faced any criminal charges connected to the PTL scandal, and died of cancer in 2007.

    After his release from prison in 1994, Bakker expressed public remorse for his actions, publishing a memoir titled *I Was Wrong* that detailed his rise, fall, and time behind bars. He rebuilt his personal and professional life in the following years, marrying Lori Bakker in 1998, and the pair launched a new television ministry in 2003. Five years later, they began production on *The Jim Bakker Show*, which became the anchor of his second act in evangelical broadcasting.

    In her statement announcing Bakker’s death, Lori Bakker remembered her late husband as a trailblazer for Christian television. “He was my best friend, and the man I was honoured to walk beside through so many seasons of life and ministry,” she wrote. For many American evangelicals and observers of 20th-century religious media, Bakker leaves behind a complicated legacy: a figure who revolutionized Christian broadcasting while bringing disgrace to the movement through his financial and personal misconduct.

  • Trump on Iran: ‘Let them take out LA, let them take out San Diego’

    Trump on Iran: ‘Let them take out LA, let them take out San Diego’

    Former U.S. President Donald Trump has sparked fierce public debate after making a series of extraordinary remarks regarding escalating tensions with Iran. In comments that have sent shockwaves through political circles, Trump argued that even major hostile actions from Tehran—including strikes that would destroy major American cities like Los Angeles and San Diego—would qualify as a worthwhile sacrifice. He went on to frame such devastating outcomes as merely a “small price to pay” for upholding long-term global security, even as he acknowledged that this stance would likely lead to sharp increases in American gasoline prices.

    The comments mark an extraordinarily hardline turn in discourse around U.S.-Iran relations, breaking with longstanding norms that place the protection of American civilian lives and infrastructure as the non-negotiable top priority for any presidential administration. Political analysts across the ideological spectrum have highlighted that the framing of a major attack on two major U.S. population centers as an acceptable cost represents a dramatic shift in how national security tradeoffs are discussed in mainstream American politics. Critics have already slammed the remarks as reckless, arguing that no national security goal can justify accepting the loss of hundreds of thousands of civilian lives and the destruction of major economic and cultural hubs. Supporters of Trump’s hardline approach to Iran have framed the comments as a rare honest admission of the high stakes involved in confronting Iranian regional aggression, arguing that long-term global security requires a willingness to accept short-term risks.

  • From films to streaming prices – how the Warner Bros deal could affect you

    From films to streaming prices – how the Warner Bros deal could affect you

    After months of negotiations and regulatory reviews, two of Hollywood’s most iconic legacy studios, Paramount Skydance and Warner Bros Discovery, have officially closed their $110 billion mega-merger, creating a new entertainment giant named Skydance that unites globally beloved franchises ranging from *Harry Potter* to *Game of Thrones*. The transformative deal, however, comes with a series of binding regulatory conditions that dictate everything from annual film output quotas to the structure of newsroom oversight, setting off widespread discussion about how the merger will reshape what audiences watch, how content is made, and the future of Hollywood’s workforce. Below is a breakdown of the four most significant shifts that will follow this industry-altering combination.

    ## Higher Streaming Costs Ahead for Subscribers
    Warner Bros Discovery previously operated HBO Max, the streaming home to hit series including *The Sopranos*, *House of the Dragon*, and *Euphoria*, while Paramount Skydance ran Paramount+, which hosts popular titles such as *Yellowstone*, *Parks and Recreation*, and *NCIS*. Industry analysts broadly expect the two platforms will eventually combine into a single integrated service or a discounted bundled offering, but consumers should prepare for long-term price increases despite potential short-term savings for dual subscribers.
    The newly formed Skydance carries an eye-watering $80 billion in debt from the merger transaction, even as leadership has targeted $6 billion in annual cost cuts to improve profitability. Forrester Research research director Mike Proulx acknowledges that the merger will give subscribers access to a far larger combined content catalog, but he notes that price hikes are inevitable for most users. “There’s no way that a combined Paramount+ and HBO Max streaming service won’t end up costing more for those who subscribe to only one of the services,” Proulx told the BBC.

    ## Binding Quotas Secure Cinematic Releases for the Next Five Years
    As part of a regulatory settlement with U.S. states that had raised antitrust concerns about the merger, Skydance has agreed to mandatory minimum film release requirements for the next five years. For the first two years, the company must release 30 feature films annually, rising to 32 films per year for the remaining three years, for a total of 156 new films over the mandate period. The majority of these releases must be wide theatrical releases, and the company is also required to distribute at least four independent films each year.
    Failure to meet these quotas would trigger a severe penalty: Skydance could be forced to sell its 49% controlling stake in Miramax, the historic studio co-founded by disgraced former media mogul Harvey Weinstein. Corporate attorney Breanne Gilliam, of Maddin Hauser, notes that the quota requirement is a meaningful win for theatrical exhibition, even though it is only temporary. “Once those obligations expire, the company will have far more flexibility,” Gilliam explained. “Temporary rules cannot permanently fix a structural market shift.”
    History suggests that after regulatory obligations lapse, mega-mergers often lead to fewer wide theatrical releases, as companies prioritize content for their internal streaming platforms. Following Disney’s $71 billion acquisition of 21st Century Fox in 2019, 20th Century Fox’s annual theatrical slate shrank from 12 to 17 films per year to just 3 to 6 releases annually under Disney’s leadership.

    ## Thousands of Industry Jobs At Risk Amid Consolidation
    For entertainment workers across Los Angeles, the merger has been greeted with deep alarm, with on-the-ground creators describing the combination as an industry disaster. Actors, writers, and crew recently gathered to protest the deal outside Paramount Studios in Los Angeles, accusing federal and state regulators of failing to protect working people’s livelihoods in the entertainment sector.
    Kirsten Vangsness, best known for her role on the long-running series *Criminal Minds*, told the BBC she was “heartbroken” by the approval of the deal. “It’s people that make this city,” Vangsness said. “It’s people that make entertainment, it’s the everyday creatives that this industry is built on – this is who it hurts.”
    An independent analysis from consultancy CVL Economics, commissioned by Los Angeles County, estimates the merger could eliminate roughly 4,500 direct film and television jobs over three years, cutting total industry wages by $1.26 billion in the region. The projected job losses would hit a local industry that has already shed roughly a third of its total workforce – equivalent to 50,000 positions – since 2020. National University business professor Syleecia Thompson notes that the damage extends far beyond cast and crew, hitting small local businesses that rely on film and TV production. “it hits small businesses, vendors, caterers and local communities,” Thompson said, warning that Hollywood could gradually shift from a centralized production hub to a more geographically dispersed network of production locations.
    While the regulatory settlement established a special workforce fund to retrain workers displaced by consolidation, the agreement does not include any restrictions on layoffs. “Nothing in the settlement limits layoffs,” attorney Gilliam confirmed.

    ## Questions Remain Over Newsroom Independence at CNN and CBS
    The merger brings two of the United States’ most prominent national television news operations under single corporate ownership: Paramount previously controlled CBS News, while Warner Bros Discovery owned CNN. Both outlets have faced intense political pressure in recent years – CNN was among a small group of major news organizations banned from White House access during the first Trump administration – and both have undergone repeated leadership shifts amid broader media industry consolidation.
    As part of the regulatory settlement to address public concerns over journalistic independence, the merger agreement creates a special news editorial independence board, whose members will be appointed directly by Paramount. Paramount chief executive David Ellison has requested that CNN head Mark Thompson, the former director-general of the BBC, retain his leadership role post-merger, and Bari Weiss will remain editor-in-chief of CBS News. Even with these guardrails in place, newsroom staff remain concerned that Skydance’s push for billions in cross-company cost cuts will lead to widespread layoffs at both CNN and CBS News.
    Beyond potential job losses, press freedom advocates and legal experts remain deeply skeptical that the newly created board can meaningfully protect independent journalism. Seth Stern, chief of advocacy at the Freedom of the Press Foundation, called the Paramount-appointed oversight board “worthless”. “The board creates the same First Amendment problems it claims to solve, the government meddling in news,” Stern said. Gilliam echoed that critique, noting that paper commitments do not replace actual enforceable authority. “An oversight board only has as much power as the agreement gives it. Oversight without authority is just observation,” she said.

  • Paramount takes over Warner Bros in $110bn Hollywood merger

    Paramount takes over Warner Bros in $110bn Hollywood merger

    After months of high-stakes legal battles, public scrutiny, and competitive bidding, the $110 billion merger that will redefine Hollywood’s power structure is finally complete: Paramount Skydance has formally taken over Warner Bros Discovery, creating a new entertainment giant that will reshape how audiences worldwide access film, television, and news content.

    The combination of two of Los Angeles’ largest and most storied studios was anything but straightforward. The deal faced fierce opposition from regulators and critics, who warned that sweeping consolidation would suppress market competition, drive up costs for consumers, and disrupt the existing media ecosystem. Even with final approval secured, the merger’s far-reaching impacts are already rippling across the industry, from streaming platforms that serve millions of households to the future of major U.S. news outlet CNN, which now enters a period of uncertain transition.

    Beyond structural change, the merger unites a roster of the world’s most recognizable media brands under one umbrella. Iconic properties including HBO, CBS, Nickelodeon, Showtime, Comedy Central, DC Studios, and Food Network will now fall under the new corporate umbrella. Perhaps most notably, the combined entity brings under single ownership some of the highest-grossing and culturally defining media franchises in modern history, spanning Harry Potter, *Game of Thrones*, *The Lord of the Rings*, and *Mission: Impossible*.

    The newly formed corporation will operate under the name Skydance Corporation, a brand that traces its origins to the independent production house founded by David Ellison, who has now led the acquisition of both Paramount and Warner Bros Discovery. Ellison, who will serve as chairman and chief executive officer of the new entity, framed the completed deal as a transformative milestone for the global entertainment industry.

    “From the start, our ambition was to bring these two storied studios together and create a stronger competitor, with the talent, resources, and reach to tell great stories in every genre, on every platform, for audiences everywhere. Now that ambition is a reality,” Ellison said in a statement following the merger’s closing.

    The road to this final approval has been mired in controversy from the earliest stages of negotiations. Initially, streaming giant Netflix had secured a deal to acquire a portion of Warner Bros Discovery, but Paramount Skydance launched a competitive bidding war that ultimately pushed Netflix to abandon its plans and exit the process. Soon after, attorneys general from roughly a dozen U.S. states—led by California—filed a suite of lawsuits seeking to block the merger entirely. Regulators argued the combination would stifle competition, raise consumer prices for streaming and cable services, and inflict substantial harm on movie theaters, independent cable distributors, and ultimately audiences across the country.

    A settlement reached between the states, Paramount, and Ellison last month removed the final legal barrier to the deal’s completion, clearing the way for the formal takeover. As a core condition of that settlement, several strict guardrails were put in place to address key regulatory concerns. To address widespread fears of political interference in news coverage, Paramount agreed to establish a dedicated “news editorial independence board” tasked with protecting independent, fact-based reporting at both CNN and CBS. Concerns over editorial independence at CBS first emerged in 2025, when Skydance Media completed a separate merger with Paramount that brought the broadcaster under its control. Ellison, who hosted a dinner for U.S. President Donald Trump earlier this year, has repeatedly sought to reassure the public and journalists that the outlet’s editorial independence will remain intact.

    The settlement also includes strict requirements designed to protect film production, domestic job growth, and content authenticity. California Attorney General Rob Bonta, who led the multi-state lawsuit and subsequent settlement negotiations, noted the agreement is structured to guarantee the merged entity delivers on promises to produce large-scale original films that drive economic activity and create U.S. jobs. To prevent the company from meeting annual production quotas with low-budget or algorithmically generated content, the deal includes explicit restrictions on reliance on AI-generated films. Under the terms, Paramount must release a minimum of 30 full feature films annually. If the company fails to meet this quota for any year, it will be required to sell its 49% stake in Miramax, the legendary independent studio founded by disgraced media mogul Harvey Weinstein and his brother Bob.

    Additional terms also mandate domestic production growth to support U.S. industry workers: 20% of all film production must take place within the United States for the first two years after the merger, rising to more than 30% for the following three-year period.

    Both merging studios carry century-long legacies of industry success. Warner Bros, founded 103 years ago, has taken home more than 100 Academy Awards over its history, including a dominant performance at last year’s Oscars ceremony, where it tied the record for most wins in a single year with 11 Oscars spread across *One Battle After Another*, *Sinners*, and *Weapons*. Paramount, whose origins date back to 1912, also boasts more than 100 Academy Awards for genre-defining classics ranging from *The Godfather* to *Titanic*, though the studio has not matched its historic award success in recent years. It received no Academy Award nominations for any of its projects last year, with its most recent Oscar win coming in 2022 for *Top Gun: Maverick*.

  • South Africa hope to host first African Olympics

    South Africa hope to host first African Olympics

    The race to secure hosting rights for the 2036 Summer Olympic Games is officially underway, with the International Olympic Committee (IOC) confirming that seven countries across four continents have formally entered the early bidding process, including one contender that would make history as the first African nation to ever host the Summer Games.

    South Africa, the trailblazer aiming to break Africa’s long-standing drought as an Olympic host, has advanced its plans to stage the 2036 Games across three major urban hubs: Cape Town, Durban, and Johannesburg. While Durban was originally selected to host the 2022 Commonwealth Games before pulling out in 2017, the country has moved forward to reframe its large-scale event experience into a bold Olympic bid.

    South Africa is joined by four other first-time hopefuls: Hungary, India, Qatar, and Turkey, all of which have ramped up preparations to bring the Olympic movement to their shores for the first time. Two veteran hosts, Germany and South Korea, have also entered early talks with the IOC, bringing decades of major international event experience to their 2036 bids.

    Under the IOC’s revised timeline for future host selection, all seven bidders are currently engaged in ongoing, structured dialogue with the Olympic governing body. National committees are required to submit their formal notices of intent by October 31, per the IOC’s announced schedule. Following the submission deadline, all interested parties will deliver virtual presentations to the IOC Future Host Commission in November 2025. Independent feasibility assessments of each bid will be completed by March 2027, after which the successful shortlisted candidates will advance into formal strategic dialogue with the IOC ahead of a final selection.

    Breaking down the details of each national bid: India has selected Ahmedabad as its proposed host city. The western Indian metropolis is already lined up to host the 2030 Commonwealth Games and has submitted a bid for the 2036 Asian Games, and it boasts the 132,000-seat Narendra Modi Stadium, the world’s largest cricket venue, which has hosted four of the last five Indian Premier League finals.

    Hungary has tapped its capital Budapest as its host city, which most recently proved its ability to handle elite global competition by hosting the 2022 World Aquatics Championships and the 2023 World Athletics Championships. Qatar, which successfully hosted the 2022 men’s FIFA World Cup across a network of purpose-built venues in its capital, is putting forward Doha as its bid city. Turkey, which has fallen short in three previous Olympic bids for 2000, 2008, and 2020, has once again nominated its largest city Istanbul, which is already scheduled to host the 2027 European Games to build on its event credentials.

    For the returning hosts, Germany is putting forward Munich, which previously hosted the 1972 Summer Olympics (Germany also hosted the 1936 Games in Berlin). South Korea’s bid combines its 1988 Olympic host city Seoul with the neighboring North Jeolla Province, drawing on the country’s decades of experience in managing elite global sporting events.

    Beyond the 2036 contest, the IOC confirmed it is also holding preliminary non-committal talks with multiple other national Olympic committees interested in hosting Games beyond 2036. Most notably, the UK government confirmed back in May that it is holding early discussions about backing a potential British bid for the 2040s Olympics and Paralympics.

    The Olympic host calendar is already locked in through the next decade: Los Angeles will stage the 2028 Summer Games, and Brisbane, Australia will host the 2032 edition, marking the first time the Games have returned to Australia since the Sydney Olympics in 2000.

  • Seven arrested for using Ghanaian banknotes to make ‘money bouquets’

    Seven arrested for using Ghanaian banknotes to make ‘money bouquets’

    A major enforcement crackdown on misuse of Ghana’s national currency has resulted in seven arrests, sending a sharp warning to individuals and businesses engaging in the increasingly popular trend of turning banknotes into decorative gifts. All seven suspects, who are women, were taken into custody during a coordinated operation by Ghanaian police and the Bank of Ghana in different districts of the capital, Accra, following a public tip-off about their illegal activities.

    The suspects are accused of crafting so-called “money bouquets” — arrangements of folded banknotes designed to look like floral arrangements — and decorating cakes with cedi banknotes to sell to customers for events including weddings, birthday celebrations, graduation parties and other milestone occasions. In recent years, this decorative practice has grown in popularity across Ghana and spread to several other African nations, prompting regulatory action in multiple countries.

    The Bank of Ghana has long classified this activity as a violation of national currency law, framing it as improper handling and misuse of the cedi, the country’s legal tender. Back in July of this year, the central bank issued a formal public notice, explicitly warning that creating decorative arrangements from banknotes constitutes a criminal offense. The regulator’s warning explicitly prohibited all actions that damage, devalue or undermine the integrity of the national currency, including altering or defacing banknotes for non-monetary uses.

    Dinah Bonzi, a senior official in the Bank of Ghana’s currency department, emphasized that the landmark arrests are intended as a clear warning to all Ghanaians. “The Ghana cedi is legal tender… and must be treated with respect. The misuse or abuse of the currency is an offence and may attract sanctions under the law,” she stated in a public address following the operation. “Today’s arrest should serve as a clear warning to the public. Let us all handle the Ghana cedi with dignity.” Bonzi also added that any person found aiding or abetting these illegal activities could face arrest and prosecution as well.

    Currently, law enforcement agencies are conducting ongoing investigations into the case, and the seven suspects will face formal prosecution in court. If convicted, they could face either a monetary fine or a jail term, with the exact penalty to be determined by a presiding judge. This operation marks the most aggressive enforcement of Ghana’s currency misuse laws to date, following repeated public warnings from the central bank about other harmful practices including “spraying” — the common cultural practice of throwing loose banknotes at celebrations — writing on banknotes, and altering currency for decorative uses.

    The trend of currency-based decorations is not unique to Ghana. In recent years, financial regulators in neighboring African countries including Kenya, Nigeria, South Africa and Botswana have also issued similar public warnings against the misuse of their own national currencies, echoing Ghana’s concerns about protecting the integrity of legal tender.

    For more reporting from across the African continent, visit BBCAfrica.com, or follow BBC Africa on Twitter @BBCAfrica, Facebook at BBC Africa, and Instagram at bbcafrica.

  • Italian PM files to trademark her voice against AI threats

    Italian PM files to trademark her voice against AI threats

    As the threat of AI-powered deepfakes grows increasingly pressing for public figures worldwide, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has taken a proactive step to safeguard her identity by filing an application to trademark her distinctive voice with European Union regulators.

    The application, submitted to the European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO) on Monday, is publicly visible on the agency’s official website, and a spokesperson for the prime minister’s office has since confirmed the filing to reporters. As a core part of the application process, Meloni recorded a four-second audio clip that features her repeating the Italian phrase “Io sono Giorgia” – translated to “I am Giorgia Meloni” – twice. This phrase holds special personal and political significance: it served as the title of Meloni’s 2021 autobiography and has been a staple of her political campaigning for years.

    Meloni is far from the first high-profile individual to seek legal protection for their personal identity against unauthorized AI manipulation. Earlier this year, American actor Matthew McConaughey pioneered this approach in January by trademarking both his likeness and voice. Just a few months later in April, global pop superstar Taylor Swift followed suit, submitting three separate trademark applications in the United States: one centered on a promotional photograph from her record-breaking Eras Tour, and the other two featuring audio clips of her introducing herself during the rollout of her most recent album.

    By August, the movement for stronger legal protections had gained broad traction among performers, with more than 80 artists calling on Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham (note: the original text incorrectly referenced this as the British Prime Minister) to introduce new legislation that would enshrine a universal legal right for all UK residents to own and control their own voice. High-profile actors including Matt Lucas, Hugh Bonneville, and Nicola Coughlan were among the signatories, warning that unregulated AI cloning leaves performers vulnerable to having their voices exploited without consent or compensation.

    Voice cloning technology works by training AI models on existing audio recordings of a target individual. While low-quality clones can be generated from as little as a few seconds of sample audio, high-fidelity, convincing replications typically require hours of recorded material to train properly. For public figures, who often have thousands of hours of speeches, interviews, and public appearances available online, the risk of unauthorized cloning is particularly acute.

    Meloni’s decision to trademark her voice comes less than a year ahead of Italy’s upcoming general elections, scheduled for 2025, making the threat of manipulated deepfake audio and video to disrupt the political process particularly urgent. This is not the first time Meloni has been targeted by bad actors using deepfake technology: in 2024, she sought €100,000 (£84,920) in damages after non-consensual deepfake pornographic videos of her were uploaded to public platforms online. Just a few months ago, in May 2024, deepfake AI-generated images of Meloni wearing lingerie circulated widely across social media, prompting her to speak out publicly about the broader dangers of this technology.

    In a social media post addressing the incident, Meloni emphasized that the issue extends far beyond her own experience. “Deepfakes are a dangerous tool, because they can deceive, manipulate, and strike anyone. I can defend myself. Many others cannot,” she wrote. Her latest move to trademark her voice represents one of the most high-profile proactive steps by a sitting head of government to address the growing regulatory and security challenges posed by unregulated AI deepfakes.