Rescuers are racing to save 40 workers trapped inside a collapsed tunnel in the northern Indian state of Uttarakhand since Sunday morning.

The workers, who were building the tunnel, were trapped when part of it caved in due to a landslide.

Officials have been able to establish contact with the men and have been providing them with food, water and oxygen while they try to get them out.

They say they expect to rescue the workers by Tuesday night or Wednesday.

On Tuesday morning, the state government said rescue teams were “preparing to drill and insert a metal pipe of 900mm diameter in the part of the tunnel blocked by debris” to reach the workers.

Officials hope the men will be able to squeeze through the narrow pipe to safety.

The tunnel in Uttarkashi district is part of the federal government’s ambitious highway project to improve connectivity to famous pilgrimage sites in Uttarakhand.

The mountainous state, where several Himalayan peaks and glaciers are located, is home to some of the holiest sites for Hindus.

The accident occurred at 05:00 local time (23:30 GMT) on Sunday when a portion of the Silkyara tunnel, around 200m away from its opening, collapsed while the workers were inside, senior police official Arpan Yaduvanshi told BBC Hindi.

A landslide nearby caused heavy debris to fall on the tunnel, leading to its collapse. The mounds of debris cut off oxygen supply to the workers.

Authorities said they established contact with the trapped men on Sunday night using walkie-talkies.

A pipeline, which was laid for supplying water to the tunnel for construction work, is now being used to supply the trapped men with oxygen, food and water, they added.

Rescuers will have to dig through several metres of debris before they can start the evacuations. Excavators and other heavy machines are bring used to dig through the debris.

State Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami said national and state disaster relief teams were working together on rescue efforts.

“All the workers trapped inside the tunnel are safe and every effort is being made to get them out soon,” a statement from his office said.

James Cleverly, who had been foreign secretary in Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s government, has left Downing Street after being appointed the new home secretary.

Mr Cleverly left No 10 shortly after the ministerial reshuffle.

The permanent undersecretary at the foreign office was seen entering Downing Street on Monday.

Philip Barton walked inside No.10 shortly after Health Minister Neil O’Brien announced he was stepping down.

Mr O’Brien was tasked with overseeing tobacco and addiction matters in the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC).

He was due to play a key role in delivering Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s effective ban on smoking and vaping in the younger generation.

Tweeting a picture of a child’s arts-and-crafts-style sheep, the Harborough MP wrote, “It’s been a privilege to serve at DHSC. Great ministerial team, spads (special advisers) and some fab officials.

“But with so much going on locally, I want to focus 100 per cent on constituency work, so I have asked to go to the back benches. I am also keen to see more of our two small children (artwork attached).”

A Ugandan military court has found two officers guilty of cowardice as Islamist fighters stormed an African Union base in Somalia in May.

Colonel Deo Akiki and Major John Oluka ran away after they came under attack by al-Shabab in Bulo Marer, south of the capital Mogadishu.

At least 50 Ugandan soldiers were killed, officials say.Uganda is part of the African Union force helping Somalia’s government fight al-Shabab, an al-Qaeda affiliate.

The attack on Bulo Marer was one of the deadliest for the African Union force, Atmis, since it launched a new offensive against al-Shabab last year.Uganda’s president, Yoweri Museveni, criticised his military for its response.

The Ugandan military court sitting in Mogadishu heard that the officers had been given warning of an impending attack but failed to act to deter it.

As al-Shabab gunmen stormed the base, they failed to rally their troops and instead ran away to another base.

Both officers have been dismissed from the army.Four non-commissioned officers were also found guilty of failing to protect military equipment.

The 19,000-strong African Union force was sent to Somalia in 2007 and helped force al-Shabab out of many cities.

It is scheduled to transfer security responsibilities to Somalia’s government forces and leave the country next year.

However, the offensive against al-Shabab has stalled and the group still controls many rural parts of the country.

Nigerian wig artisan Helen Williams has etched her name into the prestigious Guinness Book of World Records by creating the longest handmade wig ever recorded, as announced on the GWR site.

The longest handmade wig is 351.28 m (1,152 ft 5 in) and was wigged in Agba Ebule, Nigeria, on July 7 at Lagos Abeokuta Expressway, Lagos, after getting approval from GWR.

The wigmaker announced on Instagram that she had been documented as making the longest handmade wig in the world.

After that, she posted a video on Friday receiving the award delivered to her.

From devouring Guinness World Record books as a kid to making headlines herself, Helen’s journey has come full circle. As a pro wigmaker, she set her sights on a record she knew she could nail, driven by a dream of one day making it into those pages she used to flip through.

As an entrepreneur, wigmaker, wig instructor, and the CEO of Hair Rita 9ja, Helen started her hair business in 2019.

Helen recounted on her Instagram page that it was not a walk in the park because, even when the coffers were running low, she “made it a point not to dip into her initial capital.”

Driven by the passion to make every woman feel beautiful without breaking the bank, Helen said, “No matter the budget, every woman deserves to look good.”

With this ethos in mind, she made thousands of wigs, contributing her creations to various e-commerce platforms in Nigeria.

An MP for the ruling Likud party, Danny Danon, also said the journalists would be added to a list of people marked for assassination because of their participation in the attacks.

Journalists are protected under international law which says they must be treated as civilians and protected as such during conflicts.

The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) says at least 39 journalists and media workers have been killed since the current war began, including 34 Palestinians, four Israelis and one Lebanese.

“Journalists in Gaza face particularly high risks as they try to cover the conflict in the face of an Israeli ground assault on Gaza City, devastating Israeli airstrikes, disrupted communications, and extensive power outages,” it said.

Microsoft customers across the UK and Europe have reported problems with accessing the firm’s software.

More than 1,500 people in the UK have issues with Teams, the workplace app, according to Downdetector, which tracks problems with online services.

A similar number have also reported problems accessing gaming platform Xbox Live.On X, formerly Twitter, Microsoft said it had “identified some anomalies within our network infrastructure”.

It said it was working to figure out the cause of the problem.

Microsoft previously said the problem was unique to customers in the UK and Germany, but on social media, people in Sweden and Poland have stated they are unable to access services.

There are reports from both of these countries on DownDetector, as well as other European countries including Finland and Switzerland.

Microsoft last faced outages in January when tens of thousands of customers reported problems.

The problem has emerged at a bad time for Microsoft, which today released the latest game in its Call of Duty series.

It means some people who paid £69.99 for a digital copy of Modern Warfare 3 are now struggling to sign in to download the game.

Microsoft paid $69bn (£56bn) in October to purchase Call of Duty maker-Activision Blizzard in the gaming industry’s biggest ever deal.

While some Xbox users are now saying their access has been restored, others state that it remains inaccessible.

Reports on DownDetector highlight issues with login details and server connections as potential problems affecting the platform.

“Can’t access any games. Being told ‘the person who bought this needs to sign in’ and nothing is working,” one UK user complained to Xbox’s support account on X, shortly before 10am on Friday.

Google Trends data indicated that other users had been receiving this message on their accounts.

Many users have specified they are having the issue with Vodafone’s broadband services, while others have reported the problem with other internet providers including Hyperoptic.

The exact details of the cause of the outage are unclear as yet, or how widespread it is.The BBC has approached Microsoft for comment.

The former head of the organisation behind the Grammy Awards on Wednesday was sued by a musician who accused him of drugging and raping her in 2018.

The New York Times, which first reported the story, says the state suit filed in Manhattan accuses Neil Portnow — who stepped down as head of the Recording Academy in 2019 over his disparaging comments toward women — of sexual battery. It also accuses the Academy of negligence.

In a statement to AFP, the Recording Academy vowed to “vigorously defend the Academy in this lawsuit.”

“We continue to believe the claims to be without merit,” it said.The suit does not name the woman to maintain her privacy.

A representative for Portnow did not immediately reply to AFP, but in the Times story, he flatly denied the allegations.

The suit revives criticism of both Portnow and the Academy that led to the powerful executive leaving in 2019 after 17 years, following his controversial comments that women should “step up” to gain more recognition for their work in an industry dominated by white men.

The new court documents, according to the Times, say the female artist met Portnow at a Grammy-related event in New York, which hosted the awards in 2018.

She alleges he invited her to his hotel room and offered her wine, which she drank before beginning “to feel woozy.” Portnow did not drink, the suit says.The woman said she wanted to leave but Portnow said there were no taxis.

She then lost consciousness shortly after the former executive told her: “I have been thinking about you for a very long time.”

According to the suit, the woman awoke throughout the night experiencing Portnow raping her, and was still woozy the next morning.

The paper says she was concerned over his power in the industry, but that months later, she gave her account to Academy officials and was ignored.

The suit also says the woman filed a police report against Portnow, but that law enforcement authorities at the time declined to prosecute.

The accusation was first described in 2020, when Portnow’s replacement as the head of the Recording Academy, Deborah Dugan, filed an explosive discrimination complaint against the institution.

Her 44-page filing claimed she was suspended after raising concerns of sexual harassment, voting irregularities and other misconduct within one of music’s most powerful organizations.

In her complaint, Dugan included the rape allegation, which Portnow also denied at the time.

Portnow’s 2018 comments that women should “step up” — delivered as the #MeToo movement was exploding — was the cherry on top of a mountain of criticism alleging the Academy overwhelmingly favored white male artists.

The US Congress has voted to censure its only Palestinian-American member over comments she made on the Israel-Gaza war.

Michigan Democrat Rahida Tlaib was rebuked for her defence of the chant “from the river to the sea, Palestine will be free”.

The resolution formally condemned her for “calling for the destruction of the state of Israel”.

The measure passed by 234 to 188 votes. Twenty-two Democrats voted to censure.

Ms Tlaib posted a video to Twitter on Friday that included a clip of protestors using the chant, which critics say calls for Palestinian control of all land between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea, including Israel.

The video also accused President Joe Biden of supporting genocide in Gaza and called for a ceasefire.

The Anti-Defamation League and Jewish groups say the slogan, used at protests around the world, is a call for the destruction of Israel.

Pro-Palestinian activists argue that most people using it are calling for an end to Israel’s occupation of the West Bank and blockade of Gaza, not the elimination of Israel itself.

Ms Tlaib later defended her use of the slogan, calling it “an aspirational call for freedom, human rights and peaceful coexistence, not death, destruction, or hate.

“The comment stirred up cross-party condemnation and criticism from allies in her own state, prompting two separate measures seeking to censure her.

Republican Representative Rich McCormick, who represents Georgia, introduced a resolution on Monday, accusing Ms Tlaib of “calling for the destruction of the state of Israel and dangerously promoting false narratives” about Hamas’s attack on Israel.

Twenty-two Democrats joined the vast majority of Republicans voting for Ms Tlaib’s censure.

After the vote, Ms Tlaib told the house that her comments were directed at the Israeli government.

“I can’t believe I have to say this, but Palestinian people are not disposable. We are human beings, just like anyone else,” she said.

More than 1,400 Israelis were killed in the 7 October attack by Hamas.

The Hamas-run health ministry says that more than 10,300 Palestinians have since been killed in Israeli attacks.

The Biden administration has dismissed calls for a ceasefire in favour of a humanitarian pause to allow aid, food and water into Gaza.

An Australian farmer says he is lucky to be alive after repelling a crocodile attack by biting back at the animal.

Cattle producer Colin Deveraux has spent a month in hospital after being bitten by the 3.2m (10ft) saltwater crocodile in the Northern Territory.

He told ABC News he bit the crocodile’s eyelid in his struggle to survive.

Mr Deveraux said his ordeal began after he stopped at a billabong (lake) while he was travelling to build fencing near the Finniss River last month.

He paused by the lake after noticing fish swimming in the middle of its retreating waters. After he stepped away again, the crocodile “latched” onto his right foot, shaking him like a “rag doll” and pulling him into the water.

Mr Deveraux told ABC he first tried kicking the crocodile in the ribs with his other foot – before biting the reptile back.

“I was in such an awkward position… but by accident my teeth caught his eyelid. It was pretty thick, like holding onto leather, but I jerked back on his eyelid and he let go.

“I leapt away and took off with great steps up to where my car was. He chased me for a bit, maybe four metres, but then stopped.

“Mr Deveraux said he used a towel and some rope to stop the bleeding in his leg, before his brother drove him 130km (80 miles) north to the Royal Darwin Hospital.

“If he [the crocodile] had bitten me somewhere else it would have been different,” he said.

“It means I’ve got to change what I do. I’ve been walking around that swamp country too long fixing fences and living life, but it’s opened my eyes.

“According to the local government, crocodiles are the basis for an important industry in the Northern Territory and are protected by law.

They are considered to be of huge scientific and human interest as well as a valuable tourist attraction.

The last fatal crocodile attack happened in April this year on the Kennedy River in Cape York Peninsula, Queensland.

A United States of America politician, Justin Hurst, is to face criminal charges for allegedly paying $10 to solicit votes from the electorate in Tuesday’s municipal election.

Mr Hurst, who is the Springfield mayoral candidate, was linked to a man in video footage – handling cash to people outside City Hall, last week Saturday.

Although the American politician was not captured handing out the money he was seen in the footage driving his personal car in a row of vehicles dropping off – then also picking up – voters who collected $10 bills minutes later.

Mr Hurst is a long-time city councillor and an attorney. City officials claimed in a sworn affidavit that the “distribution of the $10 bills” clearly visible in the building in the surveillance footage represented fraud.

The Republican independently reviewed the video footage obtained through a public records request. The high-definition video shows a man identified as Gilfrey T. Gregory, peeling off bills for voters outside City Hall.

The Republican also interviewed a man who confirmed that he was paid $10 to vote for Hurst.In a sworn statement, the officials noted that voters were required to present “I Voted Early” stickers to get the money.

The City solicitor, John Payne, has called for a criminal investigation into the alleged fraud case.

Mr Payne has asked the Hampden District Attorney’s office to launch the investigation. The solicitor said he was made aware of the weekend incident when an official from the city elections office was asked for payments by a series of previously unregistered voters.

“It is extremely troubling. This is a fraud upon the elections process,” Mr Payne, a retired District Court judge, said during an interview Tuesday.

“Before I became a judge, I was active in elections for 30 years, and I’ve never heard of anyone being paid for a vote. It is very serious.”Mr Hurst faces incumbent Mayor Domenic J. Sarno in an election on Tuesday.

He was the first runner-up in a five-way preliminary election in September. Election officials could not comment beyond their affidavit. Mr Hurst has flatly denied that anyone in his campaign paid for votes, accusing Mr Sarno’s administration of dirty politics in the waning days of the election season.

“Is this the best they got? Any accusations that my team paid residents in exchange for their votes are unequivocally false and nothing more than an attempt by Mayor Sarno to spread fake news to influence the election.

“Mayor Sarno is trying to steal the election and is using the same paper that endorsed his candidacy to do it,” Mr Hurst said.He, however, could not explain why cash was exchanged outside City Hall at the weekend.

“We don’t pay for votes. We don’t need to. Period. And any suggestion that we have is an insult to this campaign and an insult to the voters,” Mr Hurst added.

The Federal Government has inaugurated additional enhanced e-passport facilities at selected Nigerian embassies in Italy, Greece, Austria and Switzerland.

The Minister of Interior, Dr Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, inaugurated the facilities at the Nigerian embassy in Rome.

A statement by the service Public Relations Officer, Dr Adedotun Aridegbe, on Tuesday in Abuja, stated the new passport processing centres were part of efforts to streamline passport processing and acquisition for Nigerians residing in the diaspora.

Mr Tunji-Ojo emphasised the dedication of President Bola Tinubu’s government to citizens’ diplomacy and the enhancement of services to the diaspora community.

The interior minister, represented by the Acting Comptroller General of the Nigerian Immigration Service, Caroline Adepoju, announced the phased rollout of the enhanced e-passport in Europe.

According to him, the Federal Government is unveiling additional enhanced e-passport facilities at select Nigerian embassies in Europe.” Phase one, which includes Spain, Greece, Austria, Switzerland, and Italy is officially introduced in Rome while phase two is scheduled to be implemented by the end of the week, “he said.

Mr Tunji-Ojo said that the e-passport complied with the standards set by the International Civil Aviation Organisation.

This, he said, positioned Nigeria as the first country in Africa and the fifth worldwide to embrace the technological achievement.

“This accomplishment has garnered high regard from the international community,” he said.

Mr Tunji-Ojo highlighted that the enhanced e-passport would significantly reduce processing delays in Europe, provided applicants adhered strictly to application guidelines.

This, he said, includes utilising the online application and payment platform at passport.immigration.gov.ng and ensuring the synchronisation of their passport application data with their National Identification Number.

He added that the advanced travel document offers three categories; 32-page five-year validity category, 64-page five-year validity category and 64-page ten-year validity category (for adults only)The event witnessed the presence of senior officials of the High Commission, a diverse representation of Nigerians in Italy, and members of the diplomatic community.

Lawmaker representing Ethiope West/Ethiope East federal constituency of Delta State in the House of Representatives, Erhiatake Ibori-Suenu, has dedicated her victory at the Court of Appeal, in Lagos to the people in her constituency.

Ibori-Suenu, daughter of James Ibori, a former Delta State governor and chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party in the state, in a statement issued in Abuja on Tuesday, described the ruling as a victory to God and her constituents.

According to her, with the development, democracy has come to stay.

Ibori-Suenu won Mr Ben Rolands Igbakpa and Mr Halims Ahoda of the New Nigeria People’s Party and the All Progressives Congress respectively in the February 2023 general elections.

Justices Festus Ogbuinaya, Jumia Samchi and Waziri delivered the judgement on November 7 in Lagos.

The appellate court held that the appeal of the PDP candidate was meritorious and set aside the earlier ruling of the lower court which ruled against her.

She further urged her supporters to be law-abiding and be magnanimous in victory.

Portuguese Prime Minister António Costa abruptly resigned on Tuesday, hours after police raided his residence, government ministries, and other properties as part of a major corruption probe.

Mr Costa said in a brief televised address that he handed in his resignation to President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa.

The socialist politician said his conscience was clear, but the allegations were too serious for him to continue holding office.

The investigation revolves around suspicions of bribery and favouritism in the allocation of concessions for lithium mining in the Montalegre area and the production of green hydrogen near the southern town of Sines, the state news agency Lusa, the state broadcaster RTP, and other Portuguese media reported.

Five people were reportedly detained, including Mr Costa’s cabinet chief, Vítor Escaría.

Entrepreneur Diogo Lacerda and the mayor of Sines, Nuno Mascarenhas, as well as two other businessmen, were also taken into custody, RTP and Lusa said.It was not initially known what exactly each was accused of.

The prosecutor’s office confirmed that searches had been conducted at dozens of residences and offices, including the ministries of infrastructure and environment, as well as Mr Costa’s residence.

But neither the prosecutors nor the police have provided further details.

The shock of the resignation came after opposition parties demanded Mr Costa, 62, step down and new elections be held. He has been prime minister since 2015.

The region of Montalegre in the far north of Portugal is believed to have the largest lithium deposits in Europe, set to be mined despite strong opposition from residents.

The metal is crucial for battery production.A decommissioned coal-fired power facility in Sines, near the capital, Lisbon, ceased operations in 2021, but it is now positioned to produce green hydrogen by harnessing sustainable energy sources.

Both projects are seen as essential components of Portugal’s transition away from the use of fossil fuels.

Chef Hilda Baci has congratulated  Irish Chef, Alan Fisher, who emerged the lastest Guinness World Records holder for the longest cooking marathon by an individual.

The Guinness World Records on Tuesday disclosed that Fisher from Ireland cooked for 119 hours and 57 minutes at his restaurant in Japan.

Reacting to Fisher’s success,  Baci who is the former record holder, congratulated Alan on her X account on Tuesday.

She wrote, “Huge congratulations to Alan Fisher! 119hrs 57mins is a huge achievement, and I wish him all the best as the new world record holder!”