Celebrated photographer Elliott Erwitt, known for his candid and often funny black and white images, has died at 95.

He died “peacefully at home surrounded by family,” Magnum, the collective of photographers that he had been part of since 1953, said in a statement.

Born in Paris to Russian parents, Erwitt moved to the US as a child.

He captured major moments including an infamous spat in 1959 between then US Vice-President Richard Nixon and Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev.

In pictures: Elliott Erwitt’s workIn 2017, on the centenary of Russia’s October Revolution, he spoke to the BBC about what it was like to witness two world leaders having a spat during the Cold War.

“They were grandstanding – they were playing for their audience,” he said of the moment.

As well as political standoffs, Erwitt was known for capturing sorrow (Jacqueline Kennedy at her husband’s funeral), animals (especially dogs) and significant cultural moments.

In 1960, aged 32, he took promotional shots for Western classic The Misfits – a film starring none other than Marilyn Monroe, Montgomery Clift and Clark Gable.

The images, shot on location in the Nevada desert, show Monroe, Clift and Gable laughing and interacting with one another.

In an extended remembrance of his life, Magnum said Erwitt would be remembered for “seeking out the most absurd and charming moments of life”.

“It was Erwitt’s firm belief that photography should speak to the senses and emotions rather than intellect,” the statement read.

Magnum added that it would “proudly protect the inspiring legacy that his image-making will keep on playing in the history of art and photography”.

A collection of Erwitt’s work is on show at La Sucrière in Lyon, France, until March 2024.

He was married and divorced four times, and is survived by his six children, 10 grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.

Japan has asked the US military to ground its Osprey hybrid planes, as search and rescue operations continue following Wednesday’s deadly crash.

The pause should last until the aircraft can be confirmed as safe, Japan’s NHK broadcaster cited the defence ministry as saying.

One crew member has been confirmed dead from the crash off Yakushima island. The search for six others continues.

First introduced in 2007, Ospreys have a history marked by fatal crashes.

Japan has temporarily grounded its own Ospreys, which function as a helicopter and a turboprop aircraft, the aircraft that went down on Wednesday was thought to be heading from Iwakuni base in the western Yamaguchi prefecture to Kadena base in the country’s south-westernmost Okinawa region.

Japan’s defence ministry said the aircraft disappeared from the radar at 14:40 local time (05:40 GMT) on Wednesday.

Earlier reports said eight people were on board the aircraft, but that number was later revised down to seven by the Japanese Coast Guard.

They have recovered what appeared to be pieces of wreckage near the coast of the island in southern Japan.

The Osprey, from Yokota Air Base, experienced “an aircraft mishap” during a routine training mission, US Air Forces Special Operations Command said in a statement, adding that the cause of the mishap is unknown.

Earlier reports said eight people were on board the aircraft, but that number was later revised down to seven by the Coast Guard.It posted photos of what is believed to be the plane’s wreckage off Yakushima.

Yakushima, in Kagoshima prefecture, is located south of Japan’s Kyushu island.More than 50,000 US troops are stationed across Japan.

An Osprey crashed in northern Australia in August this year, killing three US marines.

A similar incident in 2017 also killed three marines when an Osprey crashed after clipping the back of a transport ship while trying to land at sea off Australia’s northern coast.

Oregon Tool Incorporated, a U.S.-based company that sells farming equipment and precision cutting tools, has reached an agreement with the U.S. Department of Justice to pay $1.7 million fine for shipping multibillion-naira worth of tools to two Nigerian fraudsters known as ‘Yahoo Boys’, without carrying out due diligence.

Regulators from the U.S. government accused Oregon Tool Inc. of enabling two Internet scammers of Nigerian descent to use their company as an intermediary to collect fraud proceeds in exchange for agricultural equipment.

“The USAO (U.S. Attorney Office for the District of Oregon) will not criminally prosecute the Company or any of its parents, subsidiaries or affiliates for any crimes relating to the conduct described in the Statement of Facts attached hereto as Attachment A, including and Abetting an Unlicensed Money Transmitting Business, in violation of 18 U.S.C. §§ d 2,” the agreement dated September 20 and signed by U.S. attorney Natalie K. Wight and assistant attorney William Narus and Quinn Harrington.

The business organisation denied the allegations but agreed to pay the fine in exchange for non-prosecution over their laxity in enforcing policies that would have made the financial crime impossible to commit.

Unbeknown to the company, ‘Yahoo Boys’ were asking their victims to transfer money into Oregon Tool accounts, which they said was payment for expensive farming tools to be shipped to Nigeria.

The equipment, upon landing in the West African nation, were then sold for millions of naira. The company said it was not aware the monies came from fraud victims but could not thoroughly argue their innocence since their account housed monies from entities defrauded by the Nigerian scammers.

The fraudsters, between 2014 and 2020, perpetrated the fraud because of the porous and ineffectual policies of the company, which did not follow the laid down rules and regulations of the U.S. government.

The company received money from entities who do not bear the same name as the recipient of the invoice and cargo, running afoul of the U.S. anti-money laundering regulation, which recommends that the invoice should carry the same name as the cargo recipient.

“The nature and seriousness of the offence conduct that, among other things, involved receiving payments for products sold to two Nigerian distributors from 2014 to 2020 under circumstances in which employees of Blount were aware that the payments were transmitted to Blount through unlicensed money services businesses,” reads the agreement dated September 20.

A statement on the company website states that Oregon Tool Inc., which was formerly known as Blount International Inc., changed its name in 2021 to unite all of its other brands.

The authorities have given Oregon Tool Inc. some credit for its full cooperation in making amends for its wrongdoing with the USAO and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).

In exchange, the authorities agreed not to prosecute the company as long as a $1.724,802.75 million fine was paid and global anti-money laundering controls were implemented.

Also, Oregon Tool Inc terminated all business transactions with the Nigerian ‘Yahoo Boys’ to shield their company from litigation by the American authorities who frown on such corrupt practices.

The FBI did not immediately disclose the identities of the fraudsters but the crime underscores different methods and lengths Nigerian fraudsters can go to defraud others.

Ramon Abbas, also known as Ray Hushpuppi to his millions of Instagram fans, and his partner Woodberry, whose real name is Olalekan Ponle, were jailed for coordinating multimillion-dollar scams involving business email compromise schemes.

While Woodberry has already begun serving his eight years and three months jail time, Hushpuppi would spend 11 years languishing in a U.S. prison facility to pay for his crime.

At least 13 people were killed in a hostel fire that broke out in Kazakhstan’s largest city Almaty before sunrise on Thursday, according to the city’s emergencies department.

“In the course of reconnaissance and extinguishing the fire, 13 dead were initially discovered, and their identities are being established,” the department said in a statement.

“Preliminarily, they died of carbon monoxide poisoning.”

The fire on Adi Sharipov Street, in the centre of the former capital, was reported just after 5:30 am (2330 GMT Wednesday).

Firefighters arrived seven minutes later to find the basement of a three-storey residential building burning, according to the statement.

The emergency department said that 72 people were staying at the hostel at the time of the fire, 59 of whom had safely evacuated.

By 6:22 am, the fire was extinguished.

The cause of the incident is under investigation

A Chinese student and video game streamer, identified by the surname Li, has been declared dead, with exhaustion suspected as the cause, after livestreaming continuously for five consecutive nights.

According to MailOnline on Wednesday, Li, a final-year student at Henan’s Pingdingshan Vocational and Technical College, was under contract with a Chinese media company as part of an internship crucial for his graduation in June.

The terms of his contract required him to livestream for 240 hours within 26 days and upload 15 short clips, all to earn a meager minimum salary of 3000 yuan (£323).

This commitment translated to Li lives streaming for 38.4% of the days he was contracted, in addition to managing his academic responsibilities and personal life.

Li’s housemates, residing together in Zhengzhou, raised the alarm when they discovered him unresponsive and breathing rapidly during sleep.

According to livestream records obtained by a Chinese news outlet, he had been actively streaming for Henan Yihui Culture Media from 9 pm to 6 pm in the five days leading up to his unfortunate death on November 10.

Li’s father revealed that his son had been coerced into taking night shifts for better tips, a claim disputed by the company.

While the company denied pressuring Li into the night shifts, a representative acknowledged that many livestreamers struggled with maintaining a work-life balance.

The company asserted that Li was not a formal employee or intern but engaged in “simple cooperation,” providing the location and taking a commission from tips.

In an attempt at resolution, the company offered the family 5000 Yuan (£555) “out of humanitarianism,” but insisted that any further compensation requests must follow legal channels.

The deceased student’s father has not confirmed whether he plans to take legal action against the company.

He mentioned that the school had offered assistance, and he was exploring compensation options through insurance companies.

A United States Osprey military aircraft with eight crew members on board crashed on Wednesday off the coast of Japan, the coastguard said.

“We received information at 2:47 pm (0547 GMT) today that the US military’s Osprey crashed off Yakushima Island,” a spokeswoman told a news agency.

“We were also notified that eight crew members were on board,” she added.

“There is no further information at the moment.”

However, no casualty has been reported.The island of Yakushima lies south of Japan’s southernmost main island, Kyushu.

Japanese broadcaster NHK reported that the Osprey departed from the Iwakuni US base in the Yamaguchi region and headed for the Kadena base in Okinawa.

NHK also cited defence ministry sources as saying that the aircraft was a CV-22 Osprey belonging to Tokyo’s US Yokota air base.

The tilt-rotor Osprey aircraft has a troubled history, with a string of fatal crashes over the years.

Four months ago, a plane crash in northern Australia killed three US Marines among the 23 on board.

Marlian Music record owner, Azeez Fashola, also known as Naira Marley and popular show promoter, Balogun Eletu, known as Sam Larry, have made their first public appearance following their release from custody.

Sam Larry shared a video of himself, Marley and Zino, all together in Lekki.

The duo were in October arraigned and remanded over their alleged involvement in circumstances that led to the death of a musician, Ilerioluwa Aloba, popularly known as Mohbad.

They were, however, released on November 17, by the Lagos State Police Command after they met their bail conditions.

A British-Nigerian man has confessed in a US court to defrauding and stealing more than $6m (£4.7m) over seven years.

Idris Dayo Mustapha, 33, was part of a hacking ring that infiltrated email and brokerage accounts of US firms between 2011 and 2018, causing losses worth $6m (£4.7m), officials said.

A dual national of the UK and Nigeria, Mustapha was extradited from the UK in August, two years after his arrest.

His crimes carry a jail term of up to 20 years.

He has not yet been sentenced.

Mustapha pleaded guilty plea at a court in Brooklyn, New York, on Tuesday to four charges: computer intrusion, securities fraud, wire fraud and access device fraud.

Authorities say Mustapha and his ring hacked into the computer servers of financial institutions in the US to access confidential user data, such as users’ personal identifying information.

They then used the stolen information and passwords to wire funds and transfer securities from the accounts of their victims to accounts under their control.

They also used the hacked accounts to conduct stock trades without the knowledge of the account holder.US authorities had been pursuing Mustapha for several years.

Coaches will no longer be able to weigh gymnasts under new British Gymnastics rules designed to stop “harmful practices” which it says are “on the fringes of abuse”.

The 2022 Whyte Review found “systemic” physical and emotional abuse in the sport “borne of inadequate practice”.

This included athletes having their bags searched for food in the “tyranny” of weight management.

“Weighing was used as a punishment,” former gymnast Eloise Jotischky said.

“In the past, because there were no policies relating to excessive and inappropriate weight management, often coaches were able to kind of exploit that and would use very harmful practice,” Jotischky told BBC Sport.

In June 2022, Jotischky became the first – and to date only – gymnast to win a civil case against British Gymnastics for the abuse she experienced from coach Andrew Griffiths, with British Gymnastics admitting full liability and issuing an apology.

She alleges that between 2016 and 2018, she was left “physically exhausted” after being subjected to inappropriate weight management techniques by Griffiths, who is no longer permitted to coach.

“I think it’s a big step,” Jotischky said of the new policies. “It’s massive to have something in concrete.

“Under the new rules – which are now policies instead of guidelines, meaning gyms have to adhere to them or face sanctions – no gymnasts aged 10 or under can be weighed. Those above that threshold can only be weighed with the consent of both the gymnast and their parent or guardian, if aged under 18.

The safeguarding rules also say only sports science or medical practitioners are allowed to do the weighing, with “scientifically valid rationale” being the reason for it.

That means weighing must only be undertaken to monitor whether an athlete is undergoing a growth spurt, for example, or to work out the optimum strength and conditioning exercises for their body.

The policy has been introduced “to prevent inappropriate practices and prevent potential areas of concern around weighing, due to some of the related psychological distress and risks of the development of mental health problems such as eating disorders/disordered eating, anxiety, and depression”, British Gymnastics says.

“Inappropriate or excessive weighing of gymnasts is an example of poor practice which may be on the fringe of abuse, and if/or repeated could amount to abuse,” it added.

The Whyte Review, co-commissioned by UK Sport and Sport England, focused on the period from August 2008 to August 2020 and received more than 400 submissions.

Of those submissions, more than 40% described physically abusive behaviour towards gymnasts by coaches, including physical chastisement, inappropriate training on injury, overstretching to the point of distress, as well as withholding food, water and access to the toilet.

Alongside the weighing rules, a new hydration policy says it is “physical abuse” to restrict a gymnast from drinking water or going to the toilet while in training.It stresses gymnasts should be able and encouraged to taken on fluids regularly, while visits to the toilet should be allowed “at the earliest available opportunity”.

“This is about making sure that within gymnastics, we actually don’t see them as gymnasts, we see them as young people, we see them as children,” said British Gymnastics chief executive Sarah Powell.

“There is no desire for us to put medals above welfare,” she added.

In addition, a new academic education policy says no child under 12 can now be taken out of school to train, and those over 12 can only miss school in “exceptional circumstances”.

Previous interventions by British Gymnastics on areas of safeguarding have not been mandatory, which now means clubs who fail to comply could face sanctions.

“We’ve been really clear with this moving from guidelines to policy,” said Powell.

“It’s really important that we’re clear that their performance in gymnastics is not reliant on them missing school.

“The policy does not impact competitions, where gymnasts remain permitted to be taken out of school.

In June, campaign group Gymnasts for Change criticised British Gymnastics for not implementing enough changes a year on from the initial Whyte Review findings.

To date, only one of the 38 civil cases brought against the governing body has been settled.

The organisation was among those critical of the governing body when a public list of banned coaches was published in September, which review author Whyte suggested “doesn’t go far enough”.

British Gymnastics is working through a case load of around 350 ‘concerns’ from gymnasts, many of which date back years.

The governing body says it is continuing to strengthen the complaints process and to improve communication and support for those involved.

Another 12 hostages held by Hamas in Gaza have returned to Israel via Egypt, the Israel Defense Forces said on Tuesday.

This occurred as the temporary truce in the Gaza war appeared to hold amid reports of an exchange of fire between the two sides.

According to the office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the latest group of freed hostages comprises 10 Israelis and two Thai nationals.

Among the Israeli nationals are senior female citizens – one in her 80s and a 17-year-old teenager, released together with her mother.

One of the released hostages also holds German citizenship, German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said on X, formerly Twitter.

This puts the total number of hostages released from Gaza since the beginning of a breakthrough truce agreement between Israel and the Palestinian extremist organisation Hamas on Friday at 81, including 61 Israeli nationals.

In return for the group released from Gaza on Tuesday, 30 Palestinian prisoners were released from different Israeli jails on Tuesday evening, according to the Israeli prison authority.

Among them were 15 women, some of them minors, and 15 male minors, the youngest being 14 years old.

In total, 180 Palestinian prisoners have been released from Israeli prisons since the beginning of the temporary ceasefire negotiated by Qatar and Egypt last week.

In return, Hamas has released a total of 81 hostages, including 61 Israelis.

One male Israeli, who also has Russian citizenship, was released on Monday evening as a gesture of goodwill to Russia, with no Palestinians being released in return.

Some 240 people had been abducted into the Gaza Strip amid the October 7 terrorist attacks on southern Israel by Hamas and other militant groups.

The pause in fighting, which came into effect on Friday and initially set to last four days, has been extended by another two days under the previously negotiated conditions.It is unclear whether it can be extended further. The agreement has also facilitated the delivery of urgently needed humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip.

In spite of the ongoing truce, an exchange of fire between Israel and Hamas was reported in the north of the Gaza Strip on Tuesday, according to the Israel army. Israeli soldiers were reportedly shot at and returned fire.

In addition, a total of three explosive devices exploded next to soldiers at two locations.

This meant that the framework of the ceasefire had been “violated,” the IDF said. According to the army, several soldiers sustained slight injuries.

The soldiers were at the locations agreed upon as part of the ceasefire. Hamas confirmed a confrontation with the Israeli army.

The group charged that Israel had violated the truce in the north of the Gaza Strip.

However, Hamas emphasised that it would continue to feel bound to the agreement as long as Israel also felt committed.

Hamas called on mediators Qatar and Egypt to put pressure on Israel to respect the ceasefire.

Netanyahu meanwhile reiterated Israel’s commitment to continue its military campaign in Gaza to destroy Hamas once the truce agreement runs out.

In an interview with German broadcaster Welt TV published on Tuesday, the premier did not comment on how long the deal could be extended.

“We agreed that women and children as well as the foreign hostages would be released first,” Netanyahu said in the interview, conducted in English and later translated by Welt TV into German.

“After that has happened, we will continue the fighting,” he added.

Hamas, who took power in Gaza by force in 2007, had committed the worst murders, Netanyahu said, referring to the brutal October 7 attacks committed by Hamas fighters and other groups from Gaza on Israeli border communities in which some 1,200 people were killed.

“We have absolutely no choice but to destroy Hamas,” Netanyahu said in view of the massacre.

Israel would continue to do everything in its power to spare civilians in the Gaza Strip as much as possible, he said.

However, according to Hamas, almost 15,000 people have already been killed and around 36,000 injured amid Israel’s military campaign in Gaza triggered by the October 7 attacks.

A further 7,000 inhabitants of the densely populated coastal area are considered missing.

The numbers cannot currently be independently verified.

Foreign affairs minister Yusuf Tuggar, along with that of Indonesia, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, and Egypt, has asked for France’s support toward ending the humanitarian crisis in Gaza due to the Israeli-Hamas war.

According to a statement by Abdulkadir Alkasim, the media aide to Mr Tuggar, the request was collectively conveyed by the foreign ministers and the Secretary General of the Arab League, Ahmed Aboul Gheit, in Paris at a meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron.

The minister again noted the disproportionate use of violence against innocent civilians and underscored the need to swiftly find a lasting political solution that will result in a two-state solution.

Mr Tuggar, the statement indicated, reaffirmed Nigeria’s commitment to a two-state solution and called for a ceasefire between the Israeli Defence Forces and Hamas.

He condemned the disproportionate use of force against innocent civilians and the destruction of critical infrastructure in Gaza.

The statement said the meeting discussed the situation in the Gaza Strip and its surroundings, ceasefire efforts, protection of civilians, and the importance of establishing and building a truce.

The meeting also discussed many topics of common interest to enhance the security and stability of the Middle East and the world.

According to the statement, Mr Tuggar and the Committee had, on November 21, met with David Cameron, the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth, and Development Affairs of the United Kingdom, where they had a robust discussion on the situation in Gaza.

The visit was part of the ongoing efforts by the Ministerial Committee constituted by the Joint Arab-Islamic Extraordinary Summit to find a lasting solution to the war in Gaza, the statement said.

The ministerial committee chaired by Saudi’s foreign affairs minister, Faisal bin Farhan bin Abdullah, met with Catherine Colonna in Paris to further the committee’s engagement with global leaders to restore permanent peace in the Gaza Strip.

Coup leaders in Niger have overturned an eight-year-old law criminalising migrant smuggling in the country.

The legislation allowed authorities to take action against smugglers who transported migrants through Niger’s vast desert on to Libya and Europe.

But President Mohamed Bazoum – who had worked with the EU to stem the flow of people across the Mediterranean – was overthrown in July in a coup.

Gen Abdourahmane Tchiani has since declared himself the new head of state.His ruling junta announced the repeal in a statement, saying the law “did not take into account the interests of Niger and its citizens”.

It also said convictions handed down under the 2015 law would be “erased”.

The move is an indication that the junta in Niger’s capital Niamey plans to assert its authority over the country’s sovereignty, in defiance of international pressure.

Following the coup in the summer, the EU suspended all security co-operation with the landlocked country in West Africa.

Josep Borrell, the EU’s foreign policy chief, joined the US and France in July by refusing to recognise Gen Tchiani as leader. He also said budgetary aid to Niger would be suspended indefinitely.

It is not yet clear how the European bloc will respond to what is a huge blow to its strategy for managing migration flows from Africa.

In 2015, more than a million asylum seekers and migrants tried to reach Europe, prompting the push for Niger to pass the now-overturned law.

Numbers reduced significantly as a result – but traffickers bemoaned its implementation in the years that followed.

One, Bachir Amma, told the BBC back in 2019: “If the law was eased I would go back to people trafficking, that’s for sure. It earned me as much as $6,000 [£4,700] a week, far more money than anything I can do now.

“He added that the law’s strictness meant, if caught, traffickers could go to prison for a “long time” and have their vehicles confiscated.

There are now concerns that trafficking gangs could see the repeal of the law as an opportunity to once again push migrants into countries that border Niger, such as Libya or Algeria, for onward transport to Europe.

Niger is a key part of the African region known as the Sahel – a belt of land that stretches from the Atlantic Ocean to the Red Sea.

More Palestinians have been freed from Israeli prisons on the fourth day of a truce between Israel and Hamas.

The release of 33 people means 150 Palestinians have been released since Friday – the day both sides began swapping hostages and prisoners.

Fifty-one Israeli hostages, including three-year-old-twin sisters, have been freed by Hamas as part of the deal.

Qatar has said the pause in fighting will be extended by two days, which Israel has not confirmed or denied.

Little information has been released about the latest group of Palestinians to be freed.

On Monday both Hamas and Qatar – which has played a major role in the talks between the warring sides – said 30 Palestinian children and three women were due to be freed.

The Israel Prison Service later said 33 people had been freed from Ofer prison in the West Bank, and a detention centre in Jerusalem, but did not specify their genders or ages.

By the evening, Reuters news agency reported that a bus carrying the newly released Palestinian prisoners had arrived in Ramallah, in the occupied West Bank.Images showed people in the Palestinian city, waiting to greet them – some carrying Hamas flags, their faces covered with balaclavas.

Separate images showed a Palestinian boy named Muhammad Abu Al-Humus reuniting with his mother, and other family members, at the family’s home in east Jerusalem.

It was not immediately clear which facility he had been detained in, or for how long.

While fighting between Hamas and Israel is temporarily suspended, aid organisations have taken the opportunity to send lorries into Gaza filled with essentials such as food, water, fuel and medicines.

Hamas has committed to releasing another 20 women and children, should a two-day extension of the truce go ahead.

Israel has not commented explicitly on the extension, but Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said on Monday evening that it had “approved the inclusion of 50 female prisoners in the list of prisoners eligible to be released, in the event that a release of additional Israeli hostages is carried out”.

The UK’s first human case of swine flu strain H1N2, very similar to what has been circulating in pigs, has been detected, the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) said on Monday.

Routine surveillance in general practitioner (GP) surgeries picked up the case after the person suffered a mild illness.

The UKHSA said it is now carrying out contact tracing to prevent further spread of the virus.

At this stage, it is unknown how transmissible the strain is or if there could be other cases in the UK. It is too early to say if the strain could have pandemic potential.

The UKHSA has notified the World Health Organisation (WHO) of the latest case.

There have been about 50 reported human cases worldwide of the H1N2 virus since 2005; none of them are related genetically to this strain.

The person involved is not known to have worked with pigs and has fully recovered.

The case was detected as part of routine national flu surveillance undertaken by UKHSA and the Royal College of GPs, which was in place even before the COVID-19 pandemic.

The patient was tested by a GP in North Yorkshire after experiencing respiratory symptoms.

The strain was identified via polymerase chain reaction (PCR) testing and genome sequencing.

The UKHSA said people with respiratory symptoms should continue to follow the existing guidance, avoiding contact with other people while suffering symptoms and taking particular care around vulnerable people and older people.

It said it was “monitoring the situation closely and is taking steps to increase surveillance within existing programmes involving GP surgeries and hospitals in parts of North Yorkshire.

“To assist in the detection of cases and assessment of transmission, those people who are contacted and asked to do the test are encouraged to do so.’’

Meera Chand, incident director at the UKHSA, said: “It is thanks to routine flu surveillance and genome sequencing that we have been able to detect this virus.

“This is the first time we have detected this virus in humans in the UK, though it is very similar to viruses that have been detected in pigs.

“We are working rapidly to trace close contacts and reduce any potential spread.

“In accordance with established protocols, investigations are underway to learn how the individual acquired the infection and to assess whether there are any further associated cases.’’

The chief veterinary officer, Christine Middlemiss, said, “We know that some diseases of animals can be transferred to humans, which is why high standards of animal health, welfare and biosecurity are so important.”

Based on early information, the UKHSA said the strain detected in the UK differs from recent human cases of H1N2 elsewhere in the world but is similar to viruses in UK pigs.

In 2009, there was a pandemic in humans caused by the flu strain H1N1, commonly referred to as swine flu.

Throngs of pro-Palestinian protesters shut down both sides of the Manhattan Bridge for nearly four hours on Sunday, according to police.

The demonstrators flooded the span around 1:45 p.m. (1845 GMT) on one of the busiest travel days of the year, cops said.

More than 1,000 protesters called for a ceasefire at the demonstration organised by the anti-Zionist organisation Jewish Voice for Peace.

The demonstrators sat in the roadway at the Manhattan-side approach to the bridge and hung a gigantic banner that read ‘Let Gaza Live’ on the iconic granite arch, a video posted to X shows.

The bridge reopened to traffic around 5:40 p.m., and it was not immediately clear if there were any arrests, police said.

On Thursday, protesters stormed the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade in Midtown Manhattan, forcing some of the parade’s 26 floats, 32 balloons, and 8,000 participants to avoid them as police worked to remove them from the parade’s path.

The fragile cease-fire between Israel and Hamas was back on track Sunday as the militants freed 17 more hostages, including 14 Israelis and the first American, in a third exchange under a four-day truce that the U.S. said it hoped would be extended.

In turn, Israel released 39 Palestinian prisoners.Most hostages were handed over directly to Israel, waving to a cheering crowd as they arrived at an air force base. Others left through Egypt.

Israel’s army said one was airlifted to a hospital, and the director of Soroka Medical Center said Elma Avraham, 84, was in life-threatening condition as “a result of an extended period of time when an elderly woman was not taken care of as needed.”

The youngest hostage released was Abigail Edan, a 4-year-old girl and dual Israeli-American citizen whose parents were killed in the Hamas attack that started the war on Oct. 7.

“What she endured was unthinkable,” Biden said of the first American freed under the truce. He did not know her condition and did not provide updates on other American hostages.

Biden said his goal was to extend the cease-fire deal as long as possible.In all, nine children ages 17 and younger were on the list, according to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office. Three more Thai nationals were released.

Separately, Hamas said it released a Russian hostage “in response to the efforts of Russian President Vladimir Putin.” The Russian-Israeli citizen was the first male hostage to be freed.

The Palestinian prisoners released were children and young men, ages 15-19, largely accused of public disorder, property damage and in some cases causing or threatening physical harm to Israeli officers by throwing stones and Molotov cocktails.

Many were scooped up from protests and confrontations with troops. In turn, many Palestinians view prisoners held by Israel, including those implicated in attacks, as heroes resisting occupation.

A fourth exchange is expected on Monday — the last day of the cease-fire during which a total of 50 hostages and 150 Palestinian prisoners are to be freed.

Most are women and minors.International mediators led by the U.S., Egypt and Qatar are trying to extend the cease-fire that began Friday.

“We can get all hostages back home. We have to keep pushing,” said two of Edan’s relatives, a great aunt and cousin, in a statement thanking mediators.

Hamas for the first time said it would seek to extend the deal by looking to release a larger number of hostages.

Netanyahu issued a statement saying he had spoken to Biden and reiterated his offer to extend the cease-fire by an additional day for every 10 hostages Hamas releases.

But he said Israel would resume its offensive “with all of our might” once the truce expires.Ahead of the latest release, Netanyahu in body armor visited the Gaza Strip, where he spoke with troops.

“At the end of the day we will return every one,” he said of the hostages, adding that “we are continuing until the end, until victory. Nothing will stop us.” It was not clear where he went inside Gaza.

This is the first significant pause in seven weeks of war, marked by the deadliest Israeli-Palestinian violence in decades.

More than 13,300 Palestinians have been killed, roughly two thirds of them women and minors, according to the Health Ministry in Hamas-ruled Gaza.

The war has claimed more than 1,200 Israelis, mostly civilians killed in the initial attack.

Eight persons died in an auto crash at Oke-Onigbin on the Omu-Aran-Ilorin Highway in Irepodun Local Government Area of Kwara on Friday.

An articulated vehicle and a bus were involved in the accident.

Sector Commander of the Federal Road Safety Corps in Kwara, Stephen Dawulung, said in a statement issued by its spokesman, Busari Basambo, on Saturday in Ilorin that the accident happened in the night.

“Preliminary investigations showed that the Ilorin-bound Mitsubishi bus was overtaking another bus when it had a head-on collision with the articulated vehicle.

“The collision resulted in the deaths of eight persons on the spot. They were one male adult, three female adults and four children.

“Six other persons sustained injuries in the crash,’’ he said.

Mr Dawulung said the dead were deposited in a mortuary, while the injured were taken to another hospital for medical attention.

He added that the crash was blamed on overspeeding, wrongful overtaking and poor visibility.

He advised motorists to always avoid nighttime journeys and overspeeding and to ensure they rested for 30 minutes after every four hours of driving.

“This is to avoid crashes resulting from poor visibility, fatigue, dozing or loss of control of vehicles.

“The highest level of caution and concentration must be exercised while driving,” Mr Dawulung advised.

Troops of Operation Safe Haven (OPSH) of the Nigerian Army have arrested a suspected killer of a couple in Kwi Community, Riyom Local Government Area (LGA) of PlateauLt.-Col. Ishaku Takwa, the acting deputy director of army public relations of the 3 Division of the Nigerian Army, Rukuba, near Jos, disclosed this at a news conference on Saturday in Jos.

On August 14, suspected gunmen killed a newly married couple, one Rwang Danladi, 37 and his wife, Sandra, 28.

The couple, both teachers of BECO Comprehensive Secondary School, Kwi, were killed when gunmen stormed the school on that fateful day.

Mr Takwa explained that the suspect was arrested on November 18 in Tafawa community of Barkin Ladi, following the resilience and commitment of the troops.

You will recall that in August, gunmen forced themselves into BECO Comprehensive Secondary School, Kwi, and killed a couple, who are both teachers in the school.

We commenced an investigation and arrested one Lukman Aminu, who has been on our wanted list for numerous criminal offences.

He was arrested at Tafawa village in Barkin Ladi and has since confessed to committing the crime.

We are on the trail of the remaining attackers, and they will be brought to justice soon,” he said.

Mr Takwa said that eleven other suspects were arrested for murder and illegal manufacturing of weapons, among other crimes in the state.

He further said that the successes recorded by the task force followed the directive of the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) and the support of the Chief of Army Staff (COAS) that criminals, irrespective of their status, are brought to justice.Mr Takwa also commended the commitment of Maj.-Gen. Abdusalam Abubakar, the commander of the task force, to ensure the safety of lives and property of all residents in Plateau.

He said that the troops recovered six rounds of 7.62mm ammunition, one sub-machine gun, one rifle, one pistol and seven unfinished fabricated rifles from the suspects.

Other items recovered include a lister generator, fabricating materials, military kits, four mobile phones and cash.

Chad’s military-led government has issued an amnesty to security forces responsible for killing at least 50 opposition protestors.

In 2022 people took to the streets to oppose interim President Mahamat Idriss Deby Itno extending his rule.

The authorities responded with a brutal crackdown which officials say left 50 people dead on what has been called “Black Thursday”.

Human rights groups put the number of dead much higher, at more than 300.Over 600 people were arrested, including 83 minors and sentenced in mass trials.

The amnesty is part of a deal signed with opposition leader Succès Masra to foster national reconciliation.

But some members of the opposition have criticised it, describing it as an attempt to evade justice.

“It’s just an intelligent way for the junta to cover its crimes on the altar of peace and reconciliation,” Yaya Dillo, president of the Socialist Without Borders Party, told the BBC.

He is encouraging victims of last year’s incident to seek judicial redress at international levels.

More than 943 people were arrested and 265 convicted, according to Amnesty International.

Those convicted were found guilty of “unauthorised assembly, destruction of property and arson”.

In April 259 were pardoned and released by the president.President Deby was proclaimed leader of the Central African country following the death of his father, in 2021, who ruled Chad with an iron fist for 30 years.

He promised to return power to civilians through elections at the end of an 18-month transition period.

But at the end of the transitional period he extended it by two years, sparking the protest.

There have been renewed promises that the government will announce a date for free elections in December and move to civilian rule.

Amazon workers in the United Kingdom will embark on strike on Black Friday – one of the busiest shopping days of the year – in a long-running dispute over pay.

Members of the GMB union at the online giant’s site in Coventry will walk out, mounting a picket line outside the centre.

Amazon said Friday’s industrial action will not affect customers.

Strikes and demonstrations are also being held in other European countries and the U.S., which unions say will be the biggest day of action in Amazon’s history.

The GMB said more than 1,000 workers at the Coventry site will strike, making it the 28th day of action in the dispute. A protest will also be held outside Amazon’s UK head office in London.

GMB official Amanda Gearing, said, “Today will go down as a turning point in Amazon’s history. Working people who make Amazon’s business model possible stand up to demand their share of the company’s enormous wealth.”

“Despite that, Amazon bosses are desperate to claim it will be business as usual for Amazon and their customers this Black Friday. The truth is that today will see the largest day of industrial disruption in Amazon’s history.

“With industrial action escalating and workers joining strike action in Europe and the USA, it’s clear this strike is inspiring Amazon workers worldwide to fight to force the company to change its ways.”

An Amazon spokesperson said, “There will be no disruption to customers. We regularly review our pay to ensure we offer competitive wages and benefits.

“By April 2024, our minimum starting pay will have increased to £12.30 ($15.41) and £13 per hour depending on location. That’s a 20 per cent increase over two years and 50 per cent since 2018.

“We also work hard to provide great benefits, a positive work environment and excellent career opportunities. These are just some of the reasons people want to come and work at Amazon, whether it’s their first job, a seasonal role or an opportunity for them to advance their career.”

Amazon said its pay rates were well above the national living wage and the voluntary real living wage, while benefits included private medical insurance, life assurance, subsidised meals, and an employee discount.