Global Pulse

博客

  • US teenager appears in court over alleged Hindu temple shooting plot

    US teenager appears in court over alleged Hindu temple shooting plot

    A foiled alleged mass shooting plot targeting a Hindu temple outside Chicago has ended in the arrest of a 19-year-old Illinois man with documented white supremacist extremist beliefs, law enforcement officials confirmed this week.

    Alexandros Paporakis, a resident of Palatine, Illinois, made his first court appearance on Wednesday following the weekend arrest, according to CBS News, the BBC’s partner outlet in the United States. He faces two separate criminal charges: one felony count of terrorist threat, and a weapons charge for unlawful possession of a short-barreled rifle measuring less than 16 inches in length.

    The investigation was triggered by two of Paporakis’ co-workers at the local Taco Bell where he was employed, who contacted Palatine police on Sunday to report alarming statements and messages the suspect had shared. Prosecutors told the court that Paporakis reached out to one co-worker by phone to complain that his weapon had jammed, then followed up the call with digital messages that included images of an AR-style rifle, photos that showed the gun failing to fire when the trigger was pulled, and a picture of himself wearing a tactical vest. Prior to that, Paporakis had already made his extremist views known at work, prosecutors added: he openly identified as a white supremacist while on the job, and repeatedly made derogatory, hateful remarks about people from non-white racial backgrounds.

    Over the weekend before the arrest, prosecutors allege Paporakis told another co-worker that he was planning an attack at a Hindu temple located in Aurora, a Chicago suburb, and stated that the upcoming Sunday would be “a special day” — a clear reference to the planned attack.

    When law enforcement executed a search warrant at Paporakis’ Palatine home, they uncovered a large cache of weapons and tactical equipment: the short-barreled rifle in question, multiple loaded magazines, hundreds of rounds of ammunition for the rifle, and full body armor, Palatine Police Chief William Nord confirmed. Working alongside FBI agents, officers also seized and analyzed Paporakis’ digital devices and communication records. On those devices, they found a written manifesto in which Paporakis openly affirmed his white supremacist identity, laid out his violent hatred for non-white people, and laid out detailed plans to carry out a mass shooting, Nord said.

    While law enforcement has confirmed the alleged plot referenced a local Hindu temple, officials noted that a specific exact target location has not yet been definitively confirmed, and the investigation remains active as of Wednesday.

    Local elected officials have condemned the alleged plot, stressing the need for collective action against violent racial extremism. “Every American deserves to live and worship without fear, and we must stand together against hatred in all its forms,” said Illinois Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi in a public Facebook statement, adding that he was horrified by the planned attack.

  • SA chief pledges review over ‘disappointing’ Test crowds

    SA chief pledges review over ‘disappointing’ Test crowds

    Top-tier Test cricket, billed as one of the most highly anticipated matchups of the southern hemisphere cricket calendar, has hit a major stumbling block in South Africa after alarmingly low turnout for the opening Test of a three-match series against Australia in Durban.

    Even with two of the world’s top-ranked sides – reigning World Test champions South Africa and the world’s number one Test team Australia – taking the field across five days of play, total attendance across the entire match barely crept under 20,000. For context, a concurrent South African Premier Division Cup final between Orlando Pirates and Mamelodi Sundowns held across the same city pulled in more than 50,000 spectators, highlighting the stark gap in public draw between the two biggest sports in the country.

    Heinrich Strydom, chief executive of the KwaZulu-Natal Cricket Union, the governing body that hosts matches at the Durban ground, has publicly acknowledged the scale of the disappointment and announced a full internal review to identify the root causes of the low turnout. “A Test match of this quality deserved greater support in the stands. This is something we will reflect on through a thorough internal review,” Strydom said in a statement following the match. “We need to listen to our supporters, reconnect with our communities and continue to find ways to make Test cricket more accessible, engaging and appealing. Test cricket is part of our sporting heritage and its future depends on all of us.”

    Strydom added that while organizers recognize cricket fans face increasing competing demands for both their limited leisure time and discretionary income, the governing body needs a clearer understanding of what drives fans’ decisions to skip live matches – and what changes can be made to position Test cricket as a must-attend live experience. Declining attendance at Test matches is not an issue unique to South Africa; global audiences for the five-day format have shrunk steadily over the past two decades, with particularly steep drops in South Africa and the West Indies. The question of long-term financial sustainability for traditional Test cricket has become an increasingly urgent topic of discussion among global cricket governing bodies in recent years.

    On the field, Australia claimed a convincing 214-run victory in the first Test, putting them in a position to seal the series with a win in the second Test, which kicks off Sunday in Gqeberha. The Australian tour marks the first time the side has returned to South Africa since the 2018 sandpaper ball-tampering scandal that disrupted cricketing relations between the two nations.

    Following their disappointing opening defeat, South Africa’s coaching staff have made significant changes to their squad for the second Test, adding hard-hitting batsman Matthew Breetzke at the expense of out-of-form Tristan Stubbs, who notched scores of 32 and 1 in Durban. Wicketkeeper Kyle Verreynne retains his spot in the squad but will step back from wicketkeeping duties, with Ryan Rickelton set to take over gloves. Breetzke and uncapped batsman Marques Ackerman are expected to slot into the top order in place of Stubbs and Verreynne.

    Breetzke, 27, earned the nickname “Aussie agitator” earlier in the tour after he drew the ire of Australian players when he took a single after a throw rebounded off his body during a one-day international, where he scored a century. South Africa head coach Shukri Konrad admitted Breetzke’s competitive temperament was a key factor in his call-up. “The attitude and character that Matt brings and has, I think that will go a long way,” Conrad said. While Breetzke has only notched 14 runs across three innings in two previous Test appearances and has not played a first-class match since February, he has posted an exceptional average of nearly 59 across 17 ODI matches to start his international limited-overs career.

    South Africa face a must-win (or at minimum must-draw) match in Gqeberha to avoid having the series decided with one match still left to play. The 214-run loss was the first defeat for the Proteas in captain Temba Bavuma’s 13 matches leading the side. Pace bowler Kagiso Rabada, who missed the first Test while recovering from a hamstring injury, is widely expected to rejoin the starting line-up for the second Test.

    For Australia, coaching staff are facing selection questions of their own as key players return from injury. Cameron Green (abdominal injury) and Josh Inglis (broken finger) were forced to miss the first Test, opening up a spot for Nic Maddinson – who played his first Test in 10 years, after 19 months out of first-class cricket while receiving treatment for testicular cancer. Maddinson’s inclusion forced Matthew Renshaw to move down to the number five batting spot, where he delivered a career-best performance, scoring 190 in the first innings and 82 in the second, while also picking up two wickets with his off-spin.

    Australia head coach Andrew McDonald confirmed Green is progressing well in his recovery, while Inglis has resumed batting practice. If one or both players are cleared fit for selection, Maddinson is likely to be dropped from the starting eleven, with Renshaw moving back up to open the batting.

  • Popular Nigerian gospel singer Toluwanisings dies aged 41

    Popular Nigerian gospel singer Toluwanisings dies aged 41

    The family of one of Nigeria’s most celebrated gospel music artists, Olayemi Bayonile Bolaji — professionally known by his stage name Toluwanisings — has confirmed his passing. In an official statement shared to the late singer’s official Instagram account, the family confirmed that Toluwanisings passed away in the early hours of Wednesday, October 14, at the age of 41.

    As the family enters this period of grief, they have issued a heartfelt appeal to the artist’s global fanbase, asking supporters to hold Toluwanisings’ wife, young children, and extended family in their thoughts and prayers. The statement also noted that details of funeral and burial arrangements will be released to the public at a later date once the family has finalized plans.

    Toluwanisings’ death comes just several months after he survived a serious road accident that he was involved in alongside several members of his touring band. No official cause of death has been released to the public as of yet.

    When initial unconfirmed reports of the singer’s passing began circulating on social media earlier this week, thousands of his fans were thrown into shock and widespread panic. That anxiety only lifted once the Bolaji family issued their official confirmation to put an end to swirling rumors.

    Across social platforms, fans have remembered Toluwanisings for his distinctive warm vocal tone and high-energy praise worship performances that regularly invited full crowd participation, turning ordinary concerts into immersive communal experiences. Over his decades-long career, he built a loyal following across Nigeria and beyond through hit gospel tracks including *Unreserved Praise*, *A Very Big God*, *Onibuore*, *E Lagbara*, and *Owo Re Meji Meji*.

    In the wake of the official announcement, tributes have continued to flood in from fellow entertainment figures, industry colleagues, and fans alike. Notable public figures have shared their condolences, including prominent Nigerian lawyer Pelumi Olajengbesi and popular comedian Woli Agba, both of whom previously called for public prayers for the artist before his passing was confirmed.

    Additional reporting on African news and culture is available at BBCAfrica.com. Audiences can follow BBC Africa’s coverage on Twitter at @BBCAfrica, Facebook at BBC Africa, and Instagram at @bbcafrica.

  • Obama says drift towards extremism ‘not inevitable’

    Obama says drift towards extremism ‘not inevitable’

    Former U.S. President Barack Obama delivered a stark yet hopeful address to a crowd of more than 12,000 attendees at Glasgow’s OVO Hydro Monday, as part of his three-city speaking tour across the United Kingdom. In conversation with British journalist and author Sathnam Sanghera, the 44th U.S. president reflected on his time in the White House, unpacked the growing political and social rifts reshaping the modern world, and pushed back against the narrative that a global slide toward extremism is unavoidable.

    Obama recalled that during his historic 2008 presidential campaign, when social media and digital connectivity were just beginning to go mainstream, he viewed these emerging technologies as a powerful force for good. Tools that could mobilize grassroots movements for democracy, human rights and collective action, he once believed, would open new avenues for marginalized voices to be heard. That optimism, he argued, was not entirely misplaced—but it overlooked a critical flaw in how these platforms have evolved in the years since.

    Today, Obama explained, the business models of major online platforms prioritize content that taps into humanity’s most primal emotional impulses: anger, fear, resentment, and the paranoia that external groups are threatening one’s way of life. “The reptilian side of our brain really gets attracted to anger, fear, resentment and the sense that someone is out to get you,” he told the packed venue. “So a lot of social media and a lot of our information is informed around that.” This algorithmic focus on divisive content, he argued, is a core driver of the record political polarization and rising populism seen across Western democracies and beyond. He added that the constant flood of outrage-driven content creates an unhealthy “information diet” for the public, leaving many young people particularly discouraged about the future of politics.

    Looking ahead, Obama raised urgent alarms about the emerging threat of artificial intelligence, warning that increasingly sophisticated AI tools will make it even harder for the public to distinguish factual information from deliberate misinformation. This erosion of shared basic facts, he stressed, poses a fundamental threat to the functioning of democratic systems.

    The former president drew a historical parallel to post-World War II efforts to regulate harmful propaganda, noting that after Hitler’s use of misinformation to incite violence and seize power, governments in the U.S. and Europe put guardrails in place to hold bad actors accountable for spreading dangerous lies. Today, he argued, global leaders have failed to update that framework for the digital age, choosing inaction over targeted regulation.

    Obama emphasized that governments and tech actors must strike a critical balance between protecting the principle of free speech and putting guardrails in place to prevent the spread of harmful disinformation. New mechanisms and institutional frameworks, he said, are needed to support robust, respectful debate while helping the public separate fact from fiction.

    He also touched on a repeating cycle of collective amnesia that plagues modern societies: over time, populations forget the lessons of past conflicts and prejudice, and begin normalizing harmful rhetoric that scapegoats marginalized groups including immigrants, Jewish people, Black people and LGBTQ+ people. What starts as “just talk” or edgy humor gradually erodes public tolerance, opening the door to far more dangerous outcomes, he warned.

    Despite his stark warnings about the risks facing the modern world, Obama closed his remarks on a note of deliberate hope. When asked whether he still stands by the famous Martin Luther King Jr. quote about the moral universe bending toward justice, Obama reaffirmed his belief in the idea, framing hope not as passive optimism but as an active, intentional choice that people must make. “It is a decision about how do we face and embrace this finite amount of time we have on the planet,” he said. While progress is never guaranteed, Obama argued that acting on the belief that change is possible leads to incremental improvement over time. The world faces unprecedented challenges, he acknowledged, but fighting to build a better future remains a cause worth fighting for.

  • Two dead in Istanbul after heaviest rainfall in 84 years, governor says

    Two dead in Istanbul after heaviest rainfall in 84 years, governor says

    Deadly flash flooding triggered by the heaviest rainfall Istanbul has seen in 84 years has left two people dead and hundreds displaced, according to a report from BBC Turkish. City officials have declared emergency measures, including school closures and targeted administrative leave for vulnerable workers, as the region braces for continued severe weather.

    The two fatalities were identified as a 14-year-old boy and a 34-year-old man. The teenager was electrocuted after stepping into a waterlogged puddle, and the Istanbul governorship has launched an official investigation into his death. The man died after slipping on a flooded road and striking his head against the pavement. Multiple districts across the sprawling Istanbul metropolitan area, home to more than 16 million people, have reported significant damage. In Sariyer district, an underground shopping center car park was entirely inundated, leaving dozens of vehicles submerged. Other parts of the city have reported collapsed road sections and a local river that overflowed its banks, leaving cars trapped in standing water in multiple neighborhoods.

    As of Thursday, local officials confirmed that 595 stranded residents have been rescued and evacuated to safe shelters. More than 8,000 emergency response workers have been deployed across the city to assist with rescues, clear floodwaters, and repair damaged infrastructure. Istanbul Deputy Mayor Nuri Aslan announced that metro operating hours have been extended to 2:00 a.m. local time to accommodate residents, and urged the public to use public transportation instead of private vehicles to reduce congestion and risk for travelers. “I urge all our citizens to remain vigilant against the expected heavy rain and storm, particularly during nighttime hours,” Aslan shared in a post on X.

    Istanbul Governor Davut Gül has advised residents to stay indoors unless travel is absolutely essential. According to Turkish Interior Ministry data, some parts of the city have already received rainfall equal to one-seventh of the city’s average annual precipitation, with more rain forecast in the coming days. In response to the ongoing weather emergency, all schools in Istanbul were ordered closed for Thursday and Friday. The Interior Ministry has also issued flood warnings for several other neighboring Turkish provinces.

    Adminstrative leave has been authorized for at-risk public sector workers to reduce unnecessary travel and risk: the policy applies to disabled employees, pregnant workers, military veterans, and female public sector employees who have children under the age of 8. Employees working in critical emergency sectors including healthcare, public safety, and rainwater drainage are exempt from the leave order.

    The flooding has also disrupted air travel to Istanbul, with BBC Turkish reporting that 46 commercial aircraft were unable to land at the city’s major airports Thursday due to poor weather conditions and unsafe infrastructure.

  • Brazil’s Congress approves shorter working week in win for Lula

    Brazil’s Congress approves shorter working week in win for Lula

    In a historic move that marks the most significant expansion of Brazilian workers’ rights since the country’s return to democracy in 1988, Brazil’s Congress has formally approved a constitutional amendment that will reduce the standard workweek from 44 to 40 hours, guaranteeing full pay for all employees alongside a mandatory two-day weekend. Championed by left-wing incumbent presidential candidate Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, the reform’s passage comes less than two weeks before the country’s high-stakes October 25 presidential runoff election, opening up new political dynamics in the tight race.

    After the amendment cleared the Chamber of Deputies, Brazil’s lower legislative house, back in May, senators delivered a landslide endorsement of the policy on Wednesday, approving it by a 75-1 vote. The vote followed weeks of public pressure and pro-reform rallies held by national trade unions, with polling consistently showing broad public support for the change. A nationwide survey found nearly 70% of Brazilian adults back the shorter workweek, a level of popularity that prompted a last-minute policy shift from right-wing candidate Flávio Bolsonaro, the son of former president Jair Bolsonaro.

    Flávio Bolsonaro, who currently holds a Senate seat and led the first round of voting with 47% of the vote compared to Lula’s 45.2% (neither candidate hit the 50% threshold needed to avoid a runoff), had previously opposed the amendment, dismissing it as “opportunistic” political pandering to working-class voters from his rival. He also argued that work schedule arrangements should be left to negotiations between employers and individual employees, rather than enshrined as a constitutional right. However, facing overwhelming public support for the reform, Flávio Bolsonaro reversed his position ahead of the final vote, announcing he would back the change. “Most Brazilian workers want to see the end of the six-day workweek, so I’m going to vote in favour of ending it,” he explained Tuesday ahead of the vote.

    Lula quickly dismissed Bolsonaro’s reversal as “electoral opportunism” while celebrating the amendment’s passage, framing the reform as a transformative win for working people across the country. “It means more time to live, rest, be with family, watch your children grow up, look after yourself and enjoy life,” Lula wrote on social media following the vote. Lula’s backers believe the reform, which is projected to deliver improved working conditions to more than 30 million Brazilian workers, will give his campaign a critical boost in the closing days of the runoff race as he seeks to close the narrow gap with his rival.

    The policy has not been without its critics, who have warned that shorter working hours will drive up production costs for businesses, with those added expenses eventually passed on to consumers in the form of higher prices that could fuel existing inflationary pressure in the Brazilian economy. But supporters of the reform push back against these concerns, arguing that a two-day weekend will allow workers to rest more fully, translating to higher productivity and better output during working hours that offsets any added costs. Parent advocacy groups were also among the notable backers of the change, highlighting the benefits of increased family time for working parents.

    The shorter workweek will be rolled out in a phased transition to give businesses time to adjust. After a two-month grace period, the standard workweek will first be reduced to 42 hours, before dropping to the final 40-hour benchmark at a later date. The full rollout is expected to take more than a year to complete, but many workers who stand to benefit are already celebrating the change. For Luciana de Almeida, a 36-year-old single mother and supermarket cashier working six-day weeks in Rio de Janeiro, the reform will be life-changing. Almeida, who currently only gets one day off a week that is almost entirely consumed by housework, said she has missed out on critical time with her three children. “My body, and my mind in particular, are very tired,” she told BBC Brasil. “I need time with my daughters, have some leisure time, or even just some time resting at home.”

  • Actor Imran Khan ordered to leave India after participating in protest

    Actor Imran Khan ordered to leave India after participating in protest

    A high-profile Bollywood actor has found himself at the center of a growing political controversy in India after authorities ordered him to leave the country by the end of October, following his participation in a youth-led demonstration demanding sweeping electoral reforms. Imran Khan, the American-born nephew of legendary Bollywood star Aamir Khan, holds an Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) card, a status that grants people of Indian descent visa-free travel and long-term residency in the country, but bars them from voting or running for public office. The order comes after Khan was briefly detained by Mumbai police on October 10 while joining a mass protest at the city’s August Kranti Maidan, organized by the GenZ-driven Cockroach Janta Party (CJP). The CJP movement has spent days holding demonstrations across India, calling for the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over unproven allegations of systemic vote fraud — claims India’s national election commission has repeatedly denied. In an official statement released Thursday, police confirmed that the Foreigners’ Regional Registration Office (FRRO) had served Khan a notice alleging he violated domestic laws by joining the protest, noting that the actor is not an Indian citizen. The complaint that triggered legal action against Khan was filed by Kirit Somaiya, a senior leader of India’s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), who accused the actor of being part of a deliberate conspiracy to destabilize the country and spread public anarchy. Khan has not directly responded to Somaiya’s conspiracy allegations, but he spoke publicly to reporters shortly after his detention to defend his right to participate in the demonstration. “I don’t have personal demands. I’m here as a person who lives in this city,” he told reporters, adding, “I’m here to see why freedom of movement is being restricted, why people’s voices are being suppressed.” He also clarified that he attended the protest as an individual, not as a representative of any political or activist group. After his brief detention, Khan shared a lighthearted photo of himself inside a police detention van on his personal Instagram page, captioned “Apparently I’m going for a drive.” The post quickly went viral, earning more than two million likes from his social media followers. Khan’s legal team has announced plans to immediately challenge the deportation order at the Bombay High Court, arguing that no existing Indian law or OCI cardholder regulation explicitly bars non-citizen residents from participating in peaceful public protests. The petition filed against the Mumbai police notice calls the government action “drastic,” according to reports from India’s leading national news agency Press Trust of India. The controversy unfolds as Khan makes a highly anticipated return to acting this year, more than a decade after he stepped back from the Bollywood industry. His new project, a Netflix original film titled *Adhure Hum Adhure Tum*, marks his first lead role since his breakout 2008 hit romantic comedy *Jaane Tu… Ya Jaane Na*. Khan first entered the public eye as a child actor in the late 1980s and early 1990s, appearing in iconic Bollywood films including 1988’s *Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak* and 1992’s *Jo Jeeta Wohi Sikandar*, before making his lead debut in 2008. He went on to star in a string of popular films over the following years, including *I Hate Luv Storys*, *Mere Brother Ki Dulhan* and *Delhi Belly*. The CJP-led protest movement has gained significant traction across India in recent weeks, particularly among young voters, ahead of crucial upcoming state elections. Over the weekend, thousands of demonstrators marched in Delhi, Mumbai and other major urban centers to back the CJP’s demands for election commission leadership changes. On Monday, senior leaders of India’s main opposition parties — including Congress Party MP Rahul Gandhi — led a mass protest march from Delhi’s central Connaught Place district to the country’s Supreme Court. Earlier this week, two top CJP leaders were arrested on allegations of trespassing at a Delhi protest site, and were subsequently sentenced to five days in jail. The movement has already announced plans for another mass demonstration in the national capital Friday evening, as pressure for electoral reform continues to build.

  • Coe aims for African ‘legacy’ with 2029 World Championships

    Coe aims for African ‘legacy’ with 2029 World Championships

    For the first time in history, the World Athletics Championships will touch down on African soil, and outgoing World Athletics President Sebastian Coe is framing the 2029 tournament in Nairobi as a transformative opportunity to build a lasting, multi-layered legacy for the continent.

    Kenya’s capital secured hosting rights last month, beating out competing bids from London and Rome to break the mold for one of track and field’s most prestigious global events. The milestone comes four years after Kenya fell short in its bid for the 2025 Championships, a disappointment Coe says made this historic selection even more meaningful. In an interview with BBC Focus on Africa, Coe noted that every instinct around the decision pointed to expanding the sport’s footprint across Africa. “All our instincts – and certainly mine – was to have that opportunity to build our sport to an even higher level in the continent,” he said.

    Coe emphasized that the legacy of the 2029 event will extend far beyond the closing ceremony. Beyond the tangible infrastructure gains of a newly upgraded competition venue, the tournament will cultivate critical local expertise and experience that will enable Kenya and other African nations to host more major international events in the future. “That’s the legacy of experience and expertise,” Coe explained.

    The coming years will mark a busy period for Kenya’s sports calendar: the country will co-host the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations football tournament alongside neighboring Tanzania and Uganda, and the Kasarani Stadium – already undergoing renovations for the 2027 continental football event – will serve as the main venue for the 2029 World Athletics Championships. During a visit to Nairobi Wednesday where he met with Kenyan President William Ruto, Coe acknowledged that significant work remains to get the nation ready to welcome thousands of elite athletes and global spectators. He stressed that this note of caution is standard for any newly selected host city, given the enormous complexity of staging the World Athletics Championships.

    The flagship event generates more than 90% of World Athletics’ annual revenue, funding that is critical to supporting global development programs, competition expansion, innovative new race formats, and grants for member federations around the world. Staged over nine days with 2,000 competing athletes across 46 different disciplines, the Championships require seamless cross-organizational coordination to deliver an optimal environment for athletes to hit peak performance – a priority Coe says remains at the center of all planning efforts. “Our overall objective must be to provide the best possible environment for the athletes, and the fans will appreciate it as well,” he added.

    One key challenge that Kenya must address ahead of 2029 is its long-standing record of doping violations. Since 2017, more than 140 Kenyan athletes, the vast majority of them elite distance runners, have been suspended by the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU), the independent anti-doping body Coe established shortly after he first took office as World Athletics president in 2017. Earlier this month, World Anti-Doping Agency President Witold Banka told the BBC that Kenya must prove it can host a “clean” World Championships to protect the sport’s credibility ahead of the tournament.

    Despite these ongoing challenges, Coe says he is confident Kenya is already making meaningful progress to turn the tide on doping. He recalled successfully persuading the Kenyan government to increase funding for national anti-doping programs, investments that are already starting to deliver results. Coe noted that increased testing, improved funding, and more advanced anti-doping technology have naturally led to more violations being detected – a sign of progress, not failure. “If you want to catch fish, you have to go fishing,” he said. Over the long term, Coe projects that the number of doping violations will decline, pointing to already visible improvements in track and field events, even as challenges remain in road running competitions.

    Coe’s third and final term as World Athletics president is set to conclude next year, bringing a close to a tenure that has prioritized expanding the sport’s global reach and strengthening anti-doping safeguards.

  • Ukraine to restart strikes on Russian oil refineries, Zelensky says

    Ukraine to restart strikes on Russian oil refineries, Zelensky says

    In a sharp, defiant rebuke of Washington’s shifting stance on the ongoing war in Ukraine, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has announced that Kyiv will immediately resume targeted strikes on Russian oil refinery infrastructure, after confirming he paused such attacks for three days at the explicit request of the United States. During that three-day window, Zelensky charged in an interview with the Financial Times while in London, Russia never halted its own bombardment of Ukrainian energy facilities – leaving Kyiv with no choice but to lift its self-imposed restriction. “We’re done,” Zelensky stated plainly, marking a sharp departure from his more restrained tone in recent weeks.

    The Ukrainian leader went further, levelling serious accusations that the U.S. under the Trump administration has withdrawn core forms of military support to pressure Kyiv into abandoning its strikes on Russian energy assets. These cuts include halting critical intelligence sharing related to incoming Russian strikes, as well as intentionally slowing Starlink satellite internet services that are integral to Ukrainian military operations across the front line. Zelensky noted that the pressure campaign came after the U.S. struck a new deal to import Russian diesel.

    The dispute traces back to a so-called “energy ceasefire” proposal announced by U.S. President Donald Trump over the weekend. Zelensky initially confirmed he would accept the terms of the truce – which would have restricted strikes on energy infrastructure on both sides – only if Moscow also agreed to abide by it. But within hours of the proposal being made public, Zelensky said Russia violated the framework by launching new strikes that cut power to hundreds of thousands of Ukrainian civilians. The Kremlin has never confirmed it agreed to the ceasefire deal at all.

    During an interview with Piers Morgan on Wednesday evening, Zelensky openly acknowledged feeling betrayed by the U.S. following the withdrawal of key support. He told the Financial Times that Ukrainian defense officials received a direct warning from their U.S. counterparts: if Kyiv refused to end its strikes on Russian oil infrastructure, U.S. intelligence support would be blocked. For Ukraine’s military, U.S. early-warning intelligence on incoming Russian aerial attacks is a critical component of its air defense systems, allowing forces to position and intercept strikes before they hit civilian and military targets. Starlink satellite uplinks, meanwhile, are woven into nearly every layer of Ukraine’s war effort, from frontline communications to logistical coordination.

    Some reports have suggested the slowdown in Starlink services stemmed from an unplanned technical fault, but SpaceX owner Elon Musk has indirectly pushed back on that claim, pointing instead to direction from the Trump administration. Zelensky echoed that assessment during his London interview, saying “It was not a technical problem, it was the will” of the U.S. administration.

    Zelensky outlined one condition under which Ukraine would resume a pause on strikes against Russian oil infrastructure, which Kyiv views as a key target to cut off critical revenue streams that fund Moscow’s full-scale invasion: the U.S. must provide additional Patriot air defense missile systems to shore up Ukraine’s vulnerable air defense networks.

    In comments that highlight the growing rift between Kyiv and the Trump White House, Zelensky questioned the U.S. president’s long-documented affinity for Russian President Vladimir Putin, an autocratic leader who launched the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. When asked about repairing fractured relations between the U.S. and Ukraine, Zelensky pushed responsibility back to Washington, noting “We didn’t destroy any relationship.”

  • Indian woman and boyfriend get death sentence in ‘blue drum’ murder case

    Indian woman and boyfriend get death sentence in ‘blue drum’ murder case

    In a high-profile criminal case that has gripped public attention across northern India, a 26-year-old woman and her male romantic partner have received death penalty sentences following their conviction for the brutal killing of the woman’s husband. The verdict, delivered on September 30 by a sessions court in the city of Meerut in Uttar Pradesh state, brings a key milestone to the case that has become widely known as the ‘blue drum murder’, named for the large blue plastic storage container where the victim’s remains were discovered after the killing.

    The convicted pair are Muskan Rastogi, the wife of deceased Saurabh Rajput, and her co-accused lover Sahil Shukla, aged 28. The murder was carried out on March 3, 2025, when Rajput – who worked full-time in London – was visiting his family in Meerut. Court documents from the prosecution lay out a long-running context for the crime: Rastogi and Shukla first became close as school classmates, and their romantic relationship developed while Rajput was living abroad for work.

    When Rajput first uncovered the affair in 2021, he moved forward with plans to file for divorce. But pressure from his extended family, who cited the couple’s young daughter as a reason to preserve the marriage, convinced him to abandon the divorce proceedings. Years later, during his 2025 visit home, Rastogi allegedly served Rajput food laced with sedatives before the pair carried out the killing, according to Meerut Police official accounts.

    Following the murder, Rastogi and Shukla fled the state to hide out in Himachal Pradesh, in northern India’s Himalayan region. To cover up their crime, they continued using Rajput’s mobile phone to send fake text messages to his family, claiming he was away on a work trip and in good health. For several days, the ruse held, but Rajput’s family soon grew suspicious of his extended absence and filed a missing person report with local law enforcement.

    The case broke open when Rastogi returned to Meerut from Himachal Pradesh to visit her own parents on March 17. During the visit, the couple’s six-year-old daughter asked Rastogi where her father was. When Rastogi attempted to shift blame for Rajput’s disappearance onto her in-laws, her own parents were unconvinced by her account. They ultimately took Rastogi directly to a local police station for questioning, where she confessed to her role in the killing. Within days, both Rastogi and Shukla were taken into custody and formally charged with murder.

    In statements to media following the September 30 verdict, relatives on both sides of the case spoke out about the crime. Rajput’s brother told BBC Hindi that his sibling had been killed at the hands of unnecessarily cruel perpetrators. Even Rastogi’s own family has called for the harshest possible penalty. In a comment to Indian news agency ANI, Rastogi’s father said, ‘My daughter, along with a friend, murdered her husband in her own home. She is not fit for this society and is a danger to others.’

    Under India’s legal system, the death sentence handed down by the lower Meerut court cannot be carried out until it receives formal confirmation from the Uttar Pradesh High Court. Both convicted defendants also retain the legal right to file an appeal challenging the guilty verdict and the sentence. Notably, Rastogi has given birth to a second child while being held in jail awaiting trial. The case remains ongoing through the appeal and confirmation process.