“Four young women have told the BBC they were sexually assaulted and harassed at an Army training college for teenagers – with one saying she was raped by several fellow junior soldiers in an attack that lasted hours. The women all attended the Army Foundation College (AFC) at Harrogate, North Yorkshire, over the past five years and say the incidents happened when they were aged 17. The college has a dangerous culture of misogyny and sexual violence, say the women, who are all speaking out for the first time. These reports are ‘extremely distressing and serious’, said an Army spokesperson in a statement. The BBC can also reveal that North Yorkshire Police received 16 reports of sexual offences linked to the college in the year to June, according to a Freedom of Information request.” (08/06/26)
“Sweden’s top court said on Thursday it has upheld a ruling that a cargo vessel seized in the Baltic Sea this year can be handed over to Ukraine, where it is suspected of illegally transporting grain from Russian-occupied territory. The supreme court dismissed an appeal from the owners of the Caffa vessel, which was seized in March off southern Sweden on suspicion of sailing under a false flag and of violating maritime and ship safety laws due to a lack of seaworthiness. Ukraine has sought the ship as part of a probe into suspected war crimes involving the appropriation and removal of property from Russian-occupied territory.” (08/06/26)
“Congolese health authorities monitored Thursday passengers traveling on a boat stationed near Kinshasa after a traveler died with symptoms matching the Ebola virus. Congo has been battling an Ebola outbreak since May, declared the fastest in history in terms of transmission, with confirmed cases reaching 4,000, including over 1,800 deaths, according to Dr. Jean Kaseya, Director-General of Africa CDC. The passenger had disembarked after getting sick in Pimu, in the province of Mongala, more than 1,000 kilometers (621 miles) from Kinshasa, Kaseya said Thursday, adding that the capital has no confirmed Ebola case. The boat had been traveling for nearly three weeks along the Congo River with nearly 200 passengers on board. They have been tested for Ebola and are in quarantine while awaiting their results. ‘We decided to do that even if some of them didn’t have symptoms because we want to make sure that we don’t miss anything,’ Kaseya added.” (08/06/26)
“President Donald Trump is seeking to stave off a court order that requires him to begin giving the BBC financial details on his business empire by Thursday in connection with a defamation lawsuit he is pressing against the network. Trump’s attorneys filed the emergency stay motion Wednesday with Miami-based U.S. Magistrate Judge Enjoliqué Lett, urging her to lift the order she issued last month that the British TV broadcaster is entitled to information on the financial performance of hundreds of Trump’s companies because he claimed his ‘brand, properties and businesses’ were damaged by a documentary the BBC aired in the U.K. in 2024. … The proposed new complaint ‘focuses on President Trump’s damages allegations on the reputational harm that he has suffered, which is at the core of this defamation action,’ Trump attorney Alejandro Brito wrote.” (08/05/26)
“With US beef prices soaring to record highs, you might think that South Dakota cattle rancher Eric Gropper would be celebrating. Yet while the cost of the meat in US supermarkets is now 12% higher than it was a year ago, a rise more than three times the rate of general inflation, Gropper says that he and all the other beef farmers aren’t making any more profit than usual. The BBC World Service’s Follow the Money series spent a week tracing the American beef supply chain to find out what has caused the price jump and discover where all the cash is going.” (08/06/26)
“Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said Wednesday he no longer has confidence in FIFA President Gianni Infantino, adding to growing pressure on the soccer leader after his abandoned plan to sell stakes in the World Cup sparked a global backlash. Carney said Infantino committed a ‘fatal’ governance failure by not consulting senior advisers, including FIFA’s chief operating officer and board members. … UEFA’s 55 member associations had agreed to boycott the World Cup and other FIFA competitions if the plan moved forward, while the Confederation of North, Central America and Caribbean Association Football and the Asian Football Confederation also opposed it.” (08/05/26)
“The administration of United States President Donald Trump has announced it will offer up to $102m in rewards for information leading to the arrest or conviction of leaders from the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG), a criminal organisation based in Mexico. … The largest reward in Wednesday’s announcement was offered for information leading to the capture of the CJNG’s new leader, Juan Carlos Gonzalez, also known as ‘Pelon’. Gonzalez, a dual Mexican and US citizen, is believed to have taken control of the cartel after the death of its former leader, Nemesio Ruben Oseguera Cervantes, also known as ‘El Mencho’. Gonzalez is his stepson.” (08/05/26)
“Cameroon President Paul Biya on Thursday reached two months since the last time he was inside the borders of his country, a prolonged absence that has raised concerns for his health and criticisms about a possible power vacuum in the Central African nation. The world’s oldest president, who has led Cameroon since 1982, began his eighth term in office in November after winning a widely disputed election in October. But the 93-year-old left the country on June 7 for what Biya’s office described as ‘a brief private stay in Europe’ that has become one of his longest trips overseas. His government later confirmed he was in Switzerland. The health of the president has long been a topic of speculation as he spends significant time in Europe, including France and Switzerland, where he often spends weeks while leaving governance to key party officials and family members.” (08/06/26)
“The U.S. Senate voted Wednesday to confirm Dr. Erica Schwartz as the leader of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, finally installing a new director for the agency after nearly a year. Schwartz was deputy surgeon general during President Donald Trump’s first term. She is a retired U.S. Coast Guard officer and Navy physician. The vote Wednesday was 51-44, mostly along party lines, NBC News reported. Sen.Tim Kaine, D-Va., voted with Republicans to approve Schwartz.” (08/05/26)
“Rescuers worked on Thursday to douse fires and clear debris in Ukraine’s eastern city of Balakliia after Russian strikes on homes killed three overnight, authorities said on the Telegram messaging app. Three people were also killed overnight and at least 19 wounded in Russian attacks on settlements in the northern region of Sumy. … Both Russia and Ukraine deny targeting civilians in the war triggered by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.” (08/06/26)
