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.

Atotal of 141,000 Nigerians have migrated to the United Kingdom in the last year, fresh data released by the UK’s government has shown. The figure released by the Office for the National Statistics came as Nigerians embrace economic migration in what has been famously termed “japa,” a Yoruba word roughly translated to mean “to flee.”

In the data, the UK disclosed that five non-EU nationalities for immigration flow into the British country among which is Nigeria.

“In the year ending June 2023, the top five non-EU nationalities for immigration flows into the UK were: Indian (253,000), Nigerian (141,000), Chinese (89,000), Pakistani (55,000) and Ukrainian (35,000),” the release from the UK government revealed.

Early this year, the UK government announced some changes to its immigration laws.

By January 2024, the changes would come into effect and it includes the ban on dependants accompanying international students on non-research postgraduate courses.

While the development may likely force Nigerians to seek options of study somewhere with their families, a review of the data further revealed that Nigerians studying in the UK grew from 6,798 in 2017 to 59,053 as of December 2022.

Also, the number of dependents grew along. In 2019, there were 1,586 dependants and it increased last year to 60,923.

“The non-EU figures are based on Home Office Borders and Immigration data while EU figures are based on Registration and Population Interaction Database (RAPID) data received from the Department for Work and Pensions and HM Revenue and Customs and British nationals’ figures are based on the International Passenger Survey (IPS),” the UK’s Office for National Statistics said.

The increase in the number of migrants from Nigeria to the UK is coming amid the country’s harsh economic situation under President Bola Tinubu following the removal of fuel subsidy by his government.

Barely seven months after Mr Tinubu assumed office, the country’s economy had worsened and resulted in public outcry.

The President’s economic reforms which included the abolishment of the multiple exchange rate system and floating of the naira triggered inflation and also choked many Nigerians.

On Monday, Mr Tinubu expressed worries over the exodus of health workers from the country to seek a better life abroad.

A Ghanaian MP has apologised to Manchester United footballer Harry Maguire after mocking him last year.

MP Isaac Adongo was debating the budget when he compared Vice-President Mahamudu Bawumia’s economic management to Maguire’s performances on the pitch.

Maguire has come in for heavy criticism from some fans but fellow footballers have come to his defence.

On Tuesday, Mr Adongo said he wanted to correct the record and hailed Maguire as a “transformational footballer”.

He was a “key player” for Manchester United, Mr Adongo said during a budget debate.But he did not let up in his criticism of Vice-President Bawumia.

“As for our Maguire, he is now at the IMF, with a cup in hand,” he added.

Mr Bawumia is the head of the government’s economic management team as Ghana faces its most severe economic crisis in years.

As government debt has soared, the country had to take a $3bn (£2.4bn) loan from the International Monetary Fund (IMF).

In December 2022 inflation in Ghana reached a record 54% but has since fallen to around 35%.

A year ago Mr Adongo compared Mr Bawumia to Harry Maguire, who Mr Adongo said “became the biggest threat at the centre of the Manchester United defence”.

The video of the speech was widely shared on social media.It came amid a torrent of criticism of the footballer.

England manager Gareth Southgate has condemned the mockery as “ridiculous treatment” and said he’s been “an absolute stalwart” for the team.

Mr Maguire’s mother also defended her son and said the abuse he has faced has been “disgraceful” and “unacceptable”.

Some Ghanaians have been reacting to Mr Adongo’s apology, saying that the Manchester United player has really improved, but the same cannot be said of the managers of the Ghanaian economy.

Others feel such a comparison should not have been made.

According to Mr Adongo, the Ghanaian government has had to increase taxes and tariffs on services as part of the agreement with the IMF.

This caused widespread anger among voters and triggered protests over the rising cost of living and unemployment in the country.

Despite this, Ghana’s governing New Patriotic Party (NPP) has selected Mr Bawumia as its candidate for the 2024 elections.

He will be the first Muslim to contest the presidency under the NPP’s banner since multi-party democracy was restored in 1992.

Mr Bawumia has promised to lead a “united and energized” NPP into the election and that it is “the only party that can transform Ghana”.

Israel’s government and Hamas agreed on Wednesday to a four-day pause in fighting to allow the release of 50 hostages held in Gaza in exchange for 150 Palestinians imprisoned in Israel, and the entry of humanitarian aid into the besieged enclave.

Officials from Qatar, which has been mediating secret negotiations, as well as the U.S., Israel, and Hamas have for days been saying a deal was imminent.

Hamas is believed to be holding more than 200 hostages, taken when its fighters surged into Israel on October 7, killing 1,200 people, according to Israeli tallies.

A statement by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said 50 women and children will be released over four days, during which there will be a pause in fighting.

For every additional 10 hostages released, the pause would be extended by another day, it said, without mentioning the release of Palestinian prisoners in exchange.

“Israel’s government is committed to returning all the hostages home. Tonight, it approved the proposed deal as a first stage to achieving this goal,” said the statement, released after hours of deliberation closed to the press.

Hamas said the 50 hostages would be released in exchange for 150 Palestinian women and children held in Israeli jails.

The truce deal will also allow hundreds of trucks of humanitarian, medical, and fuel aid to enter Gaza, the Palestinian group said in a statement.

It added that Israel committed not to attack or arrest anyone in all parts of Gaza during the truce period.

During the four-day truce, air traffic will completely stop in southern Gaza and will halt for six hours a day, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. (local time), in northern Gaza, the statement said.

The accord is the first truce of a war in which Israeli bombardments have flattened swathes of Hamas-ruled Gaza, killed 13,300 civilians in the tiny densely populated enclave and left about two-thirds of its 2.3 million people homeless, according to authorities in Gaza.

Before gathering with his full government, Netanyahu met on Tuesday with his war cabinet and wider national security cabinet over the deal.

Ahead of the announcement of the deal, Netanyahu said the intervention of U.S. President Joe Biden had helped to improve the tentative agreement so that it included more hostages and fewer concessions.

But Netanyahu said Israel’s broader mission had not changed.

“We are at war and we will continue the war until we achieve all our goals. To destroy Hamas, return all our hostages and ensure that no entity in Gaza can threaten Israel,” he said in a recorded message at the start of the government meeting.

Hamas said in its statement: “As we announce the striking of a truce agreement, we affirm that our fingers remain on the trigger, and our victorious fighters will remain on the look out to defend our people and defeat the occupation.”

Three Americans, including a three-year-old girl whose parents were among those killed during Hamas’s October 7 attack, were expected to be among the hostages to be released, a senior U.S. official said.

Israeli media said the first release of hostages was expected on Thursday.

The report indicated that implementing the deal must wait for 24 hours to give Israeli citizens the chance to ask the Supreme Court to block the release of Palestinian prisoners.

Hamas has to date released only four captives: U.S. citizens Judith Raanan, 59, and her daughter, Natalie Raanan, 17, on October 20, citing “humanitarian reasons,” and Israeli women Nurit Cooper, 79, and Yocheved Lifshitz, 85, on October 23.

The armed wing of the Palestinian militant group Islamic Jihad, which participated in the October 7 raid with Hamas, said late on Tuesday that one of the Israeli hostages it held since the October 7 attacks on Israel had died.

“We previously expressed our willingness to release her for humanitarian reasons, but the enemy was stalling and this led to her death,” Al Quds Brigades said on its Telegram channel.

As attention focused on the hostage release deal, fighting on the ground raged on.Mounir Al-Barsh, director-general of Gaza’s health ministry, told Al Jazeera TV that the Israeli military ordered the evacuation of the Indonesian Hospital in Gaza City.

Israel said militants were operating from the facility and threatened to act against them within four hours, he said.

Hospitals, including Gaza’s biggest Al Shifa, have been rendered virtually inoperable by the conflict and shortages of critical supplies.

Israel claims that Hamas conceals military command posts and fighters within them, a claim that Hamas and hospital staff deny.

On Tuesday, Israel also said its forces had encircled the Jabalia refugee camp, a congested urban extension of Gaza City where Hamas has been battling advancing Israeli armoured forces.

The Palestinian news agency WAFA said 33 people were killed and dozens wounded in an Israeli air strike on part of Jabalia.

According to the United Nations, most Palestinians in Gaza are registered as refugees because they or their ancestors were displaced by the 1948 war of Israel’s creation.

In southern Gaza, Hamas-affiliated media said 10 people were killed and 22 injured by an Israeli air strike on an apartment in the city of Khan Younis.

Reuters could not immediately verify the accounts of fighting on either side.

GPT creator, OpenAI, announced Tuesday that Sam Altman would return as its Chief Executive Offier, days after his shock dismissal plunged the pioneering artificial intelligence firm into crisis.

Altman’s dramatic exit on Friday sparked intense lobbying from OpenAI’s biggest investors, including tech titan Microsoft, for his return.

Hundreds of OpenAI staff had threatened to quit in a letter released to the media, demanding the resignation of the board as speculation swirled about the future of the company.

OpenAI wrote on X that it “reached an agreement in principle for Sam Altman to return to OpenAI as CEO with a new initial board of Bret Taylor (Chair), Larry Summers, and Adam D’Angelo.

“We are collaborating to figure out the details.

“Microsoft CEO, Satya Nadella, had announced this week that he would hire Altman to lead an AI research team.

Altman said on Tuesday that his return had Nadella’s backing.

Microsoft has invested billions of dollars into OpenAI, incorporating its tech into various products including its search engine Bing.

Authorities in Brazzaville, the capital of the Republic of Congo, reported on Tuesday that 37 young people were killed in a stampede that occurred overnight during an army recruitment drive in a stadium.

The Congolese army declared last week that it was hiring 1,500 individuals between the ages of 18 and 25.

According to Prime Minister Anatole Collinet Makosso, 37 people died in the “tragedy” and an unknown number were injured.

“A crisis unit has been set up under the authority of the prime minister,” a statement added.Prospective recruits were instructed to report at Brazzaville’s Michel d’Ornano stadium.

Many people were still inside the stadium on Monday night when the rush started, according to locals.

Residents stated that several persons had tried to force their way through gates, causing many to be trampled in the rush.

At the time this report was filed, the specifics of the incident were still unclear.

North Korea may attempt a third spy satellite launch as early as midnight on Wednesday, Japanese media reported.

Tokyo said Pyongyang has notified them of a nine-day window for the launch, which closes at 23:59 local time (14:59 GMT) on 30 November.

Japan will work with South Korea to “strongly urge” the North not to proceed with the launch, which they said would violate UN resolutions.

Pyongyang has twice failed this year to get a spy satellite into space.

The Japan Coast Guard said Pyongyang’s notification designated three maritime zones believed to be the areas where debris from the rocket carrying the satellite will fall.

Two are to the west of the Korean Peninsula and the other is to the east of the Philippines’ island of Luzon.

Kang Ho-pil, chief director of operations at the South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff, warned that Seoul will take “necessary measures” should the launch proceed.

A spy satellite is a coveted prize for North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, as it will allow him to monitor incoming attacks and plot his own more accurately.

However the United Nations Security Council has banned Pyongyang from launching satellites because it sees them as a pretext to test the North’s missile technology.

South Korea retrieved debris from the North’s first launch in May and said the satellite had “no military utility”. After a second attempt in August failed, Pyongyang’s space agency said it would try again in October but did not do so.

Russian President Vladimir Putin suggested in September after a meeting with Mr Kim that Moscow could help Pyongyang build satellites, but the details of what was actually promised are unclear.

Earlier this month, South Korea announced plans to launch its own spy satellite by the end of November. The satellite is to be carried by a rocket from US company SpaceX.

This is reportedly the first of five spy satellites Seoul plans to launch into space by 2025.

BBC NewsBrazil has recorded its hottest ever temperature – 44.8C (112.6F) – as parts of the country endure a stifling heatwave.

The record was hit on Sunday in the town of Araçuaí, in Brazil’s south-eastern state of Minas Gerais.

The unprecedented heat has been attributed to the El Niño phenomenon and climate change.

Forecasters say some of the heat is likely to ease this week.

According to the National Institute of Meteorology (Inmet), only three state capitals would see temperatures approaching 40C, CNN Brasil reported.

The government agency said Araçuaí’s high of 44.8C had beaten the country’s previous record of 44.7C, measured in 2005.

The heat has seen red alerts issued across the country, a month before the beginning of summer in the southern hemisphere.

Brazil’s energy consumption has soared to record levels as people try to keep themselves cool.

The weather led to Taylor Swift cancelling one of her concerts in Rio de Janeiro after a fan fell ill and died before a show on Friday.

According to the organisers, 23-year-old Ana Clara Benevides Machado had sought help at the stadium after feeling unwell. She was transferred to hospital but died one hour later.

Official research released two weeks ago showed that the average temperature in the country had been above the historical average from July to October.

Extreme weather is becoming more frequent and more intense in many places around the world because of climate change.

According to scientists, heatwaves are becoming longer and more intense in many places and this is expected to continue whilst humans keep releasing planet-warming greenhouse gases.

Meanwhile, the Earth is currently in an El Niño weather phase, during which time global temperatures typically increase.

An economist and television personality, Javier Milei, has won Argentina presidential election.

An outlier and a right libertarian, Mr Milei, defeated Sergio Massa, Argentina’s center-left economy minister, in the presidential polls on Sunday.

With 95 per cent of ballots counted, 53-year-old Mr Milei won 56 per cent of the vote, while Mr Massa, 51, won 44 per cent of the vote.

Mr Milei, a political rookie, is coming on board as Argentina is rocked with an economic crisis.

In his victory speech, he said, “Today begins the reconstruction of Argentina. Today begins the end of Argentina’s decline. The model of decadence has come to an end. There is no way back. Argentina will return to its place in the world that it should never have lost. We are going to work shoulder-to-shoulder with all nations of the free world, to help build a better world.’’

Conceding defeat, Mr. Massa said “Obviously the results are not what we expected. I have contacted Javier Milei to congratulate him. From tomorrow the responsibility of providing certainty belongs to Milei.”

Millions of Indians are nursing broken hearts after the national cricket team lost to Australia in the World Cup final on Sunday.

Australia, who have now lifted the World Cup six times, won by six wickets with seven overs left to play.

The team beat South Africa in the semi-final while India beat New Zealand to make it to the final.

The match was played in the world’s largest stadium in the western state of Gujarat.

Cricket is the most popular sport in India and more than 100,000 fans showed up at the Narendra Modi stadium in Ahmedabad city to cheer on the team.

The stadium looked like a sea of blue as spectators sported team jerseys in support of their favourite players.

Those who were unable to travel to Ahmedabad tuned in from their homes to watch the match, hoping that India would lift the Cup. India last won the World Cup in 2011.

But the hopes of millions of Indians were dashed after Australia defeated India and thousands took to social media to express their disappointment over India’s loss.

“Heartbreak continues for India,” wrote one user on X (formerly Twitter), while another said “this hurts more than anything”.

Many of India’s top actors and sporting stars also took to X to congratulate the Indian cricket team for their stellar performance throughout the World Cup and to offer support after their loss.

“It’s a sport and there are always a bad day or two. Unfortunately it happened today, but thank you Team India for making us so proud of our sporting legacy in cricket. You bring too much cheer to the whole of India,” wrote Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan who was among the spectators in the stadium.

Olympic medalist Abhinav Bindra congratulated the Australian cricket team over their win and expressed solidarity with team India.

“You may not have clinched the final, but your performance was every bit the epitome of champions. Every match, every run, every wicket was a testament to your skill, spirit, and sportsmanship,” he wrote.

Many fans also expressed hope about India winning the next World Cup.

“India’s World Cup journey might have hit a speed bump, but remember, even the greatest stories have their unexpected chapters. This is just a plot twist, not the end,” wrote one X user.

“This game was an example that hard work doesn’t always pay, sometimes luck matters too. Better luck next time team India,” wrote another.

On Sunday, Australia won the toss and put India in to bat. The Australian pacers were lethal, bowling India out for just 240 runs. It was the first time in the tournament that the Indian side lost all 10 wickets.

India put up a brave fight in their bowling attack, with Mohammed Shami and Jasprit Bumrah getting rid of three of Australia’s top batters in the first seven overs.

But despite India’s best efforts, Australia put up a stubborn batting partnership and managed to defeat India with six wickets to spare.

Former US First Lady Rosalynn Carter, the wife of ex-President Jimmy Carter, has died at the age of 96.

The Carter Center confirmed in a statement that she died peacefully with her family by her side.

On Friday, it was reported that she had entered a hospice care home in the state of Georgia, and was spending time with her 99-year-old husband, who has been in hospice care since February.

Mrs Carter was diagnosed with dementia in May.The longest-married first couple marked their 77th wedding anniversary in July.

“Rosalynn was my equal partner in everything I ever accomplished,” said Mr Carter in the statement.

“She gave me wise guidance and encouragement when I needed it. As long as Rosalynn was in the world, I always knew somebody loved and supported me.

“Mrs Carter was born Eleanor Rosalynn Smith on 18 August 1927.

She married Jimmy Carter on 7 July 1946 and they had four children.The Carters’ son, Chip, described her as a loving mother, extraordinary first lady and “a great humanitarian in her own right.”

“She will be sorely missed not only by our family but by the many people who have better mental health care and access to resources for caregiving today.

“She is also survived by 11 grandchildren and 14 great-grandchildren, after losing a grandson in 2015.

When her husband began his political career in the 1960s – first as Georgia state senator, governor, and later US president – Mrs Carter was focused on raising mental health awareness and reducing the stigma attached to people with mental illnesses.

As first lady of Georgia she was a member of a governor’s commission to improve services for the mentally ill, and as US First Lady she became honorary chair of the President’s Commission on Mental Health, which was key to the passage of a 1980 act that helped fund local mental health centres.

After leaving Washington she and her husband founded the Carter Center in 1982, through which she continued her advocacy work for mental health, early childhood immunisation, and other humanitarian causes.

The couple were also key figures in the Habitat For Humanity charity, helping build homes for families in need.

They received recognition for their humanitarian work in 2002 when Mr Carter was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.

In a 2013 interview with US TV network C-SPAN, she said: “I hope our legacy continues, more than just as first lady, because the Carter Center has been an integral part of our lives.

“And our motto is waging peace, fighting disease and building hope. And I hope that I have contributed something to mental health issues and help improve a little bit the lives of people living with mental illnesses.”

US President Joe Biden paid tribute to Mrs Carter, saying she “walked her own path, inspiring a nation and the world along the way”.

“On behalf a grateful nation, we send our love to the entire Carter family and the countless people whose lives are better, fuller, and brighter because of Rosalynn Carter,” President Biden posted on X, formerly Twitter.

Former First Lady Michelle Obama said: “When our family was in the White House, every so often, Rosalynn would join me for lunch, offering a few words of advice and always – always – a helping hand.

“She reminded me to make the role of First Lady my own, just like she did. I’ll always remain grateful for her support and her generosity.

“Former President George W Bush and former First Lady Laura Bush said Mrs Carter was “a woman of dignity and strength”.

In a statement, they said: There was no greater advocate of President Carter, and their partnership set a wonderful example of loyalty and fidelity.

“She leaves behind an important legacy in her work to destigmatize mental health.”

A rare bottle of whisky has been sold for $2.7m (£2.1m) – breaking the record for the most expensive wine or spirit sold at auction.

The Macallan 1926 single malt is one of the world’s most sought-after bottles of Scotch whisky.

It was sold by Sotheby’s on Saturday, at more than double its estimated price.The auction house’s head of whisky said he had been allowed to taste “a tiny drop” of it beforehand.

“It’s very rich, it’s got a lot of dried fruit as you would expect, a lot of spice, a lot of wood,” Jonny Fowle told the AFP news agency.

The whisky spent 60 years maturing in dark oak sherry casks before becoming one of just 40 bottled in 1986.

The 40 bottles were reportedly not made available for purchase – instead, some were offered to The Macallan’s top clients.

And whenever any of the bottles have been auctioned over the years there have been extraordinary results – a similar bottle was sold in 2019 for £1.5m.

Speaking last month in the run-up to the auction, Mr Fowle said The Macallan 1926 “is the one whisky that every auctioneer wants to sell and every collector wants to own”.

Sotheby’s said the 40 bottles from the 1926 cask had been labelled in different ways.

Two bottles had no labels at all, a maximum of 14 were decorated with the iconic Fine and Rare labels and 12 were labelled by pop artist Sir Peter Blake.

A further 12 bottles – including the record-breaking one sold on Saturday – were designed by Italian painter Valerio Adami.

It is not known how many of the 12 bottles of The Macallan Adami 1926 still exist.

One is said to have been destroyed in an earthquake in Japan in 2011, and it is believed at least one other has been opened and consumed.

Personnel of the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS), Lagos Seaports and Marine Command, have foiled an attempt to smuggle seven Nigerian girls to Burkina Faso.

The comptroller of command, Mohammed Saddiq, disclosed this at a media conference in Lagos on Friday.

According to Mr Saddiq, the girls were intercepted on November 12 at about 7:00 p.m.

He said the prime suspect, Helen Dandam Nanbyen, 26, hails from Wadata village in Wase Local Government Area of Plateau.

“The suspects have been under the command’s radar for about two months following intelligence gathered by our operatives.

“That led to their arrest by the Badagry Marine Border Patrol Team along the Pashi waterway bordering Nigeria and Benin Republic.

“It was uncovered, during the course of the investigation, that the seven smuggled victims, whose ages range from 19 to 23, hail from Langtang North Local Government Area of Plateau.

“It is important to state that the girls willfully consented to the journey under false identities with intent to indulge in prostitution while in their country of destination,” he said.

The immigration boss noted that the suspects neither had any valid travel documents nor financial means to sustain themselves during the journey.

He pointed out that under interrogation, Ms Nanbyen narrated her role in the illicit business and admitted her involvement in prostitution.

“She also admitted to facilitating the transportation of potential sex workers into Burkina Faso.

“She said it was with the support of her madam, an indigene of Edo, who operates a beer-selling spot in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso’s capital.

“She also admitted working with one Miss Ella, who she claimed recruited four out of the girls but is currently at large,” the controller said.

He added that the arrest was a fallout of the command’s renewed commitment to the directive of the comptroller-general of the NIS, Caroline Wura-ola Adepoju, toward curbing migrant smuggling, human trafficking and all forms of crimes within the maritime space.

Mr Saddiq said the smuggled migrants would be reunited with their families through the Plateau government, while the suspect would remain in their custody for further investigation and prosecution.

Ms Nanbyen said she told the girls about job opportunities in Lagos because they were enticed by the way she was looking and the fact that she was coming from Burkina Faso.

A 19-year-old victim, name withheld, said she was told she had an offer of a job to serve drinks and food in a pub and was not aware that she was being taken to Burkina Faso.

Afemale hostage held by the Islamist terrorist organisation Hamas has given birth to a baby, according to Israeli reports.

Sara Netanyahu, the wife of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, disclosed this in a letter to the wife of the U.S. President, First Lady Jill Biden, on Wednesday.She noted in the letter that she was writing mother-to-another-mother.

Sara Netanyahu wrote in the letter that 32 children were among the hostages. One of them was 10 months old.

“One of the kidnapped women was pregnant,” she also wrote, adding: “She gave birth to her baby in Hamas captivity.

“You can only imagine, as I do, what must be going through that young mother’s mind as she is being held with her newborn by these murderers.”

Mrs Netanyahu appealed to Mrs Jill Biden to work with her on behalf of the abducted children.

“We must speak out on behalf of these children. We must call for the immediate release of them and all those being held,” she wrote.

She also said the Red Cross must be allowed to see the hostages.

“This nightmare that began over a month ago must end,” Mrs Netanyahu wrote.

“These children need our help,” she added.Islamist Hamas killed around 1,200 people in southern Israel on October 7.The terrorists also kidnapped some 240 people and took them to the Gaza Strip where they have since been held.

According to the Hamas-controlled Ministry of Health in Gaza, more than 11,500 people have been killed in Israeli counter-attacks.

Gay couples will be able to have special services of blessing in Church of England parishes for the first time.

The services, while not formal weddings, will be able to include the wearing of rings, prayers, confetti and a blessing from the priest.

The amendment to back the services on a trial basis passed the Church’s parliament by one vote.

The Church of England’s official teaching is that marriage is only between one man and one woman.

Earlier this year, bishops refused to back a change in teaching which would have allowed priests to marry same-sex couples, but said they would allow prayers of blessings for people in gay relationships as part of wider services.

It had been thought approval for standalone services might not come for well over a year from now.

But Wednesday’s vote, which passed narrowly in the General Synod, the Church’s legislative body, means distinct services of blessing could now be allowed, rather than simply prayers within a normal church service.

While there is no set timeframe for temporary trial services to begin, it is understood these could be authorised in the comings weeks with the first services in the new year.

The proposal for stand alone services on a trial basis came in an amendment to a motion. The full formal process of authorisation, which will take around two years, will take place while the trial is running.

The Bishop of Oxford, the Rt Rev Stephen Croft, who has campaigned for a change in the Church’s stance, said he was “delighted”.

Noting the services would not be official weddings, he added: “I hope there will be a similar joy and affirmation and those that come to receive these prayers will feel fully welcomed into the life of the church.

“The Church of England’s official position on marriage is at odds with its Anglican equivalent in Scotland – The Scottish Episcopal Church – and the Presbyterian Church of Scotland, which both allow same-sex weddings.

The Anglican Church in Wales has provided an authorised service of blessing for gay couples but does not allow same-sex weddings in church.

Jayne Ozanne, a prominent LGBT campaigner who sits on the Church of England’s General Synod, called for the Church to change its position to allow gay couples to marry.

“The Church of England remains deeply homophobic, whatever bishops and archbishops may say,” she said.

“I fear that much of the nation will judge the Church of England as being abusive, hypocritical and unloving – they are, sadly, correct.

“Meanwhile, conservative clergy described it as a “watershed” moment.Revd Canon John Dunnett, national director of the Church of England Evangelical Council, said he felt “grieved and saddened” by the decision.

“It will tear local parish congregations apart, damage the relationship between large numbers of clergy and their bishops and cause churches across the dioceses to feel as though their shepherds have abandoned them,” he said.

PepsiCo has been sued by New York state for plastic pollution along Buffalo River that is allegedly contaminating the water and harming wildlife.

According to the lawsuit, PepsiCo is the single largest identifiable contributor to the problem.

PepsiCo’s spokesperson has told the BBC that it has been “transparent in its journey to reduce use of plastic”.

Last week Coca-Cola, Danone and Nestle were accused of making misleading claims about their plastic bottles.

PepsiCo is the world’s second biggest food company and many other big corporations have been facing lawsuits by local authorities about their impact on the environment.

Companies are accused of greenwashing when they brand something as more eco-friendly, green or sustainable than it really is. It can mislead consumers who hope to help the planet by choosing those products.

“No company is too big to ensure that their products do not damage our environment and public health,” said Attorney General Letitia James.

When her office conducted a survey of all types of waste collected at 13 sites along the Buffalo River last year, it found that PepsiCo’s single-use plastic packaging was the most significant.

“Of the 1,916 pieces of plastic trash collected with an identifiable brand, over 17 percent were produced by PepsiCo,” it said.

Other identifiable brands include McDonald’s and candy maker Hershey’s.

According to New York state, PepsiCo manufactures, produces, and packages at least 85 different beverage brands and 25 snack food brands that predominantly come in single-use plastic containers.

Pepsi said in a statement that it was “serious about plastic reduction and effective recycling”.

It added that this was a “complex issue” which required involvement from “businesses, municipalities, waste-reduction providers, community leaders and consumers”.

The lawsuit alleged that microplastics have been detected in the city of Buffalo’s drinking water supply which “can cause a wide range of adverse health effects, from reproductive dysfunction to inflammation of the intestine and neurotoxic effects”.

A tanker has delivered fuel to Gaza for the first time since the war between Hamas and Israel began five weeks ago.

A senior UN official said it had received 23,000 litres (5,060 gallons) of fuel via Egypt’s Rafah crossing.

But he warned that Israeli authorities had restricted its use to transporting aid into Gaza, and that none could be used to power hospitals or water pumps.

Israel has been blocking all deliveries of fuel, saying it could be stolen by Hamas and used for military purposes.

An Israeli defence ministry body said it had agreed to allow UN aid lorries to be refuelled following a request from the US government.

The decision came hours after Israeli troops raided Gaza’s largest hospital, Al-Shifa, which has been the focus of days of fighting and seen nearby air strikes.

Israel launched a major military campaign to destroy Hamas – which it classes as a terrorist group – and began a siege of Gaza in retaliation for a cross-border attack by hundreds of gunmen on 7 October, in which at least 1,200 people were killed and about 240 taken hostage.

Gaza’s Hamas-run health ministry has said 11,000 people have been killed in the territory since then and the UN has warned of a “humanitarian disaster”.

The UN agency for Palestinian refugees, Unrwa – which runs the largest humanitarian operation in Gaza – said on Tuesday that the lack of fuel meant it could no longer unload or distribute aid from lorries that arrived at Rafah.

Although Wednesday’s delivery means the UN will now be able to fill up its vehicles, Israel has banned it from using any of the fuel to provide basic services to 1.5 million people who have fled their homes, more than half of which are sheltering in Unrwa facilities.

“Our entire operation is now on the verge of collapse,” Unrwa’s Commissioner General, Philippe Lazzarini, wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter.

“By the end of today, around 70% of the population in Gaza won’t have access to clean water,” he added.

“To have fuel for trucks only will not save lives anymore. Waiting longer will cost lives.

“The agency’s Gaza chief, Thomas White, said 23,000 litres represented only 9% of what it needed daily to sustain life-saving activities and demanded that aid “be delivered based upon need – not based upon conditions set by parties to a conflict”.

Earlier, Mr White said all three sewage pumps and 10 water pumps in the southern town of Rafah had stopped working because they had run out of fuel, as had the desalinisation plant in the nearby city of Khan Younis.

Al-Amal Hospital in Khan Younis has also been forced to halt all services except for emergencies and 24 ambulances have been taken out of service.

Many other health, water and sanitation facilities have already been forced to shut down across the Strip due to lack of fuel, damage, attacks and insecurity.

Palestinian telecommunications firms have also said that they expect to switch off phone and internet services on Thursday due to a lack of fuel for data centres and exchanges, according to the UN.

The Netblocks internet observatory said on Wednesday that metrics showed a new gradual decline in internet connectivity in Gaza and that residents’ ability to communicate was likely to be reduced.

On Tuesday, 91 lorries carrying food, medicines, health supplies, bottled water, blankets, tents and hygiene products entered Gaza from Egypt, the UN said, bringing the total since the Rafah crossing reopened on 21 October to 1,187.

The UN has described that as a “drop in the ocean”, noting that about 500 lorries would cross into Gaza each day on average before the war began.