TIM VILLAGE, Plateau (BN24) — Five people were killed and 10 thatched houses set on fire in a fresh attack by suspected herdsmen on Tim village in the Chakfem District of Mangu Local Government Area in Plateau State on Tuesday evening, Aug. 19, 2025.
Several others were injured in the attack, which left the village in shock and fear. Initial reports suggest the assault may have been a reprisal linked to allegations of cattle rustling in the area, according to security analyst Zagazola Makama.
The bodies of the victims have since been buried in accordance with local customs, while the injured are receiving treatment at nearby hospitals.
Residents of Tim village have criticized the delayed response of security forces, attributing it to the village’s difficult terrain, poor network coverage, and its remote location. Although calm has returned to the area, locals remain tense and fear further reprisal attacks if underlying grievances are not addressed.
The attack comes amid increasing violence between herders and farmers in Plateau State, with cattle rustling often cited as a major trigger for conflict.
KISII, Kenya (BN24) — Heart-wrenching images surfaced this week showing two young boys gazing at the body of their 3-year-old friend, Moses Mokua, who tragically passed away after a visit to a neighbor’s home in Kisii County.
Moses, described by family as healthy and playful, was in the care of a relative at his grandmother’s compound on August 6, 2025. He was invited by a neighbor to play with her child, but when Moses did not return home, a search ensued. The search ended in devastation as Moses was discovered in a water drum, a discovery that has left the community in shock.
The neighbor’s request for Moses to join her child for a playdate has since been marred by the tragedy. His family, overwhelmed with grief, confirmed that the boy was found unresponsive in the water drum. The loss has raised questions within the neighborhood, as no one could have predicted such an outcome from what seemed like an innocent visit.
Moses was laid to rest on August 19, 2025, in a ceremony that drew mourning friends and family. Among the most poignant moments were the images of Moses’s young friends standing by his coffin, their faces filled with confusion and sorrow. The photos have since sparked emotional reactions on social media, with many Kenyans expressing sympathy for the children, who appeared unable to understand why their friend wouldn’t wake up to join them in play. Some speculated that the young boys were trying to make sense of the situation, wondering what had happened to their friend, while others suggested that the sight of Moses lying motionless may have left them wondering why he could not get up.
The untimely death of Moses Mokua has left a profound impact on his family, friends, and the community at large. The event serves as a reminder of the fragile nature of life, especially among children, and the profound grief that comes with the loss of young innocence.
Moscow (BN24) – Russia declared Wednesday that any attempt to negotiate Ukraine’s future security without its involvement amounted to a “dead-end path,” issuing a sharp warning as Western leaders race to shape guarantees for Kyiv’s protection.
Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov
Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov condemned a recent White House meeting between President Donald Trump, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, and European leaders, saying that excluding Moscow from such talks was futile.
“We cannot agree with the idea that questions of collective security can be resolved without the Russian Federation. This will not work,” Lavrov said during a joint press conference with Jordan’s foreign minister.
U.S. and European military planners have been weighing post-war security guarantees for Ukraine, sources told Reuters, but Lavrov dismissed the discussions as unrealistic. “Seriously discussing security without Russia is a utopia. It’s a road to nowhere,” he said.
The warning came as NATO commanders held a video conference to review recent negotiations, emphasizing the need for a “just, credible and durable peace.” Meanwhile, a smaller group of military officials met in Washington to continue shaping proposals.
Tensions spiked further after Polish officials accused Russia of deliberately provoking NATO by sending a drone into eastern Poland, just as talks on peace efforts were gaining traction.
Lavrov also lashed out at European leaders, accusing them of staging “clumsy and unethical” attempts to pressure Trump into altering U.S. policy toward Ukraine. Trump reiterated that Washington would help guarantee Ukraine’s security but ruled out deploying U.S. troops, though he left the door open for air support in a future agreement.
Kyiv, for its part, confirmed that its military teams were actively drafting the defense framework of potential guarantees. Zelenskiy’s chief of staff, Andriy Yermak, said Ukraine was also preparing contingency plans with allies in case Russia “continues to prolong the war and disrupt agreements.”
Lavrov suggested Moscow favored “truly reliable” guarantees modeled on a draft accord discussed in Istanbul in 2022, which envisioned security commitments from major powers, including Russia. Kyiv rejected that proposal at the time, arguing it would have effectively granted Moscow veto power over military intervention.
San Francisco (BN24) – A federal appeals court has sided with President Donald Trump, granting his administration authority to move forward with ending temporary protections for tens of thousands of migrants from Central America and Nepal.
The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco issued its ruling on Wednesday, halting a lower court’s order that had kept in place Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for more than 60,000 migrants. The decision marks a major legal victory for Trump, whose administration has sought to dismantle programs that have shielded long-term immigrant communities from deportation.
The ruling immediately affects approximately 7,000 Nepalis, whose protections expired Aug. 5, as well as 51,000 Hondurans and 3,000 Nicaraguans whose legal status is set to expire Sept. 8. Once those deadlines pass, migrants under TPS would become eligible for removal, potentially disrupting families and communities where many have lived for decades.
The three-judge panel, which included appointees of both Republican and Democratic presidents, said the administration could proceed with its policy changes while litigation continues. “The district court’s order granting plaintiffs’ motion to postpone, entered July 31, 2025, is stayed pending further order of this court,” the panel wrote.
The decision came just one week after U.S. District Judge Trina L. Thompson had blocked the administration from moving forward, saying the policy shift lacked an “objective review” of conditions in Honduras, Nicaragua, and Nepal. Thompson pointed to continuing political violence in Honduras, recent hurricane devastation in Nicaragua, and ongoing instability in Nepal as reasons to maintain protections.
Created in 1990, Temporary Protected Status allows migrants to remain and work legally in the United States if their home countries are deemed too dangerous due to conflict, natural disasters, or other emergencies. Critics of the program, including Trump and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, argue that TPS was never intended to become a pathway to permanent residency but has been used that way by prior administrations.
“The Trump administration is systematically de-documenting immigrants who have lived lawfully in this country for decades, raising U.S.-citizen children, starting businesses, and contributing to their communities,” said Jessica Bansal, attorney with the National Day Laborer Organizing Network.
Administration officials countered that TPS was never meant to be “a de facto asylum system.” Tricia McLaughlin, assistant secretary at DHS, said the decision reflects a return to the program’s original intent.
Many of those affected have lived in the United States for decades. Honduran and Nicaraguan migrants were first granted TPS in 1998 after Hurricane Mitch devastated Central America. Nepalis gained protection in 2015 after a catastrophic earthquake. Advocates say removing protections now would rip apart communities where TPS holders have started businesses, bought homes, and raised American-born children.
The Trump administration has already ended TPS designations for other nationalities, including 350,000 Venezuelans, 500,000 Haitians, 160,000 Ukrainians, and thousands from Afghanistan and Cameroon. Lawsuits challenging those decisions remain pending.
Immigrant rights groups are vowing to continue their legal fight. The case is expected to move back to the lower courts for further hearings, with the next session scheduled for Nov. 18. Lawyers for the plaintiffs argue that the administration’s moves were politically motivated and rooted in racial animus, pointing to Trump’s campaign promises to restrict immigration.
Meanwhile, the U.S. Supreme Court has already allowed the administration to terminate TPS protections for Venezuelans in a separate case earlier this year, signaling that the justices may ultimately side with the government in the broader fight over migrant protections.
For now, the appeals court’s ruling clears the way for Trump to press forward with one of his most sweeping immigration rollbacks, even as tens of thousands of families brace for possible deportation.
NEW YORK (BN24) — A federal judge Wednesday rejected the Trump administration’s request to unseal grand jury transcripts from Jeffrey Epstein’s sex trafficking case, delivering a significant blow to government efforts to release records from investigations into the late financier’s sexual abuse of young women and girls.
Judge Richard Berman, who presided over Epstein’s 2019 case, issued his ruling one week after another Manhattan federal judge turned down the government’s request to release transcripts from the grand jury that indicted Epstein’s longtime associate Ghislaine Maxwell on related charges.
The decision appears to foreclose the possibility of federal courts releasing Epstein-related grand jury testimony, barring reversal on appeal. A federal judge in Florida previously declined to release grand jury documents from investigations conducted there in 2005 and 2007, though some material from a state case against Epstein was made public last year.
The rulings represent a resounding rejection of the Justice Department’s effort to unlock the sealed records, a move the Republican administration pursued amid intense criticism over its refusal to release a massive collection of documents in its possession related to the case.
Both Berman and Judge Paul A. Engelmayer, who handled Maxwell’s case, indicated in their rulings that the grand jury transcripts contain limited information unlikely to satisfy enormous public interest in the high-profile case. Berman characterized the government’s request as a “diversion” from more substantial records available.
President Donald Trump had called for the release of transcripts amid speculation and criticism about his past association with Epstein. During his presidential campaign, Trump promised to release files related to Epstein but faced criticism, including from supporters, when the Justice Department released only a small number of records lacking significant new revelations.
The Justice Department declined to comment on the ruling Wednesday.
Each judge who rejected the unsealing requests cited longstanding grand jury secrecy rules and concluded the government failed to meet extraordinary legal exceptions that could justify making the records public under federal law.
The judges also noted that the Justice Department possesses extensive records related to Epstein that fall outside grand jury secrecy protections. Berman wrote that information contained in approximately 70 pages of Epstein grand jury transcripts “pales in comparison to the Epstein investigative information and materials in the hands of the Department of Justice,” which he said totals around 100,000 pages.
“The Government is the logical party to make comprehensive disclosure to the public of the Epstein Files,” Berman wrote, appearing to reference the Justice Department’s refusal to release additional records. He said the request to release grand jury records “appears to be a ‘diversion’ from the breadth and scope of the Epstein files in the Government’s possession.”
Berman noted that the Justice Department informed him the only witness to testify before the Epstein grand jury in 2019 was an FBI agent who “had no direct knowledge of the facts of the case and whose testimony was mostly hearsay.” The remainder of the grand jury presentation consisted of a PowerPoint slideshow and a call log, according to court documents.
Last year, a Florida judge unsealed approximately 150 pages of transcripts from grand jury proceedings that led to Epstein’s indictment on state charges there in 2006, providing limited public insight into earlier investigations.
Maxwell, a British socialite and publishing heiress, is serving a 20-year prison sentence following her 2021 conviction on sex trafficking charges for helping Epstein sexually abuse underage girls. She was recently transferred from a Florida prison to a prison camp in Texas. Epstein died in jail in 2019 while awaiting trial on federal sex trafficking charges.
Public focus on Maxwell’s case has intensified since the Justice Department announced last month it would not release additional documents from the Epstein sex trafficking investigation. The decision angered online investigators, conspiracy theorists and elements of Trump’s political base who hoped to find evidence of a government cover-up.
Since then, officials in Trump’s Republican administration have attempted to position themselves as promoting transparency in the case, including through requests to unseal grand jury transcripts.
Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche recently interviewed Maxwell at a Florida courthouse. The House Oversight Committee has also expressed interest in questioning Maxwell, with her attorneys indicating openness to an interview contingent on immunity from prosecution.
In correspondence with Maxwell’s lawyers, Committee Chairman Rep. James Comer wrote that the panel was willing to delay any deposition until after resolution of Maxwell’s appeal to the Supreme Court, expected in late September. Comer stated that while Maxwell’s testimony was “vital” to the Republican-led investigation into Epstein, the committee would not provide immunity or advance questions for her testimony.
KABUL, Afghanistan (BN24) — The death toll from a fiery bus crash in western Afghanistan has climbed to 79 people, including 19 children, after two survivors succumbed to their injuries, an interim Taliban administration official announced Wednesday.
The deadly collision occurred late Tuesday in Herat province’s Guzara district when a passenger bus carrying Afghan deportees from Iran struck a motorcycle and then collided with a fuel truck, triggering a massive fire that engulfed the vehicles, according to Abdul Mateen Qani, spokesman for the interim Interior Ministry.
Mohammad Janan Moqadas, chief physician at the military hospital treating survivors, told reporters in Kabul that many victims were burned beyond recognition, complicating identification efforts. Only three people survived the inferno, witnesses said.
The bus was transporting Afghans recently expelled from Iran to the capital Kabul when the accident occurred, provincial spokesman Mohammad Yousuf Saeedi confirmed. The central government has ordered a full investigation into the incident.
Witness accounts described scenes of horror as the collision sparked an intense blaze that prevented rescue attempts. Akbar Tawakoli, 34, who observed the crash, said the fire was so severe that would-be rescuers could not approach within 50 meters of the burning vehicles.
“There was a lot of fire and a lot of screaming, but we couldn’t even get within 50 metres to rescue anyone,” Tawakoli said. “Only three people were saved from the bus. They were also on fire and their clothes were burned.”
Another witness, identified only as Abdullah, 25, expressed grief over the victims’ demographics, saying most passengers were women and children returning to Afghanistan after being deported from Iran.
Cleanup crews worked throughout Wednesday to remove the charred remains of the bus and twisted wreckage from the accident site, according to journalists at the scene.
The interim Taliban government issued a statement expressing condolences for what it called a tragic loss of Afghan lives. “It is with deep sorrow that we mourn the loss of numerous Afghan lives and the injuries sustained in a tragic bus collision and subsequent fire in Herat province last night,” the statement read.
The accident highlights the dangerous conditions faced by Afghan deportees traveling on the country’s poorly maintained road network. More than 1.5 million Afghans have returned from Iran and Pakistan this year alone, according to the United Nations migration agency, as both neighboring countries have intensified deportation efforts after decades of hosting Afghan refugees.
Many deportees arrive with limited resources and face dire conditions in a country struggling with widespread poverty and mass unemployment following the Taliban’s return to power in 2021.
The state-run Bakhtar News Agency characterized Tuesday’s crash as one of Afghanistan’s deadliest traffic accidents in recent years. The country has experienced several major transportation disasters involving fuel tankers and passenger vehicles.
In December 2023, two separate bus crashes involving fuel tankers killed 52 people across different provinces. Three months later, another collision in Helmand province claimed 20 lives. In late 2022, a tanker truck overturned in the treacherous Salang Pass north of Kabul, igniting a fire that killed 31 people.
Afghanistan’s road safety record remains poor due to inadequate infrastructure maintenance, limited traffic enforcement and the prevalence of aging vehicles on major transportation routes connecting the country’s provinces to the capital.
WASHINGTON (BN24) — The Trump administration on Tuesday revoked the security clearances of 37 current and former government officials, intensifying its campaign against intelligence community figures it has long viewed with suspicion.
Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard,
The decision, announced in a memo from Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, accused the targeted officials of “politicizing or weaponizing intelligence,” mishandling classified information, and failing to uphold professional standards. The memo offered no evidence to substantiate the allegations.
The move affects individuals who once held senior national security positions as well as lower-profile roles, including several who were involved in the intelligence community’s 2017 assessment that Russia interfered in the 2016 presidential election to benefit Donald Trump. Others had signed a 2019 letter critical of Trump, which resurfaced on social media last month.
Critics blasted the action as a dangerous escalation. National security lawyer Mark Zaid, whose clearance was also revoked, called it “unlawful and unconstitutional,” arguing that decades-old policies exist to prevent such politically motivated reprisals.
The sweeping measure reflects Trump’s distrust of career intelligence officials, a tension dating back to his earliest days in office. Stripping clearances has become a favored tactic of his administration, raising fears that dissenting voices could be silenced within an intelligence community traditionally valued for diverse viewpoints.
Gabbard defended the decision, writing on X that holding a clearance is “a privilege, not a right,” and that those who “betray their oath to the Constitution” cannot be trusted with access to sensitive information. She said the directive came directly from Trump.
The action also coincides with renewed efforts by Trump administration officials to revisit and discredit the 2017 intelligence findings on Russian election interference. Despite multiple investigations confirming Moscow’s involvement—including hacking Democratic emails and deploying an online disinformation campaign—Trump has consistently rejected the conclusion that Russian President Vladimir Putin sought to aid him.
The revocations add to a long list of clearance disputes under Trump. On his first day in office, he vowed to strip dozens of former officials who had signed a 2020 letter describing the Hunter Biden laptop saga as resembling a Russian information operation. Trump has also revoked the clearances of President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris and attempted to target attorneys at major law firms, though courts blocked the latter effort.
For current and former officials alike, the loss of clearance could have significant professional consequences, particularly for those employed in the private sector who require access to classified material. Several of the officials affected by the latest order only learned of the revocation through news reports and are now weighing legal options.
HOVE, England (BN24) — Six schoolgirls between the ages of 12 and 13 have been arrested after a 13-year-old girl was injured in a group assault described by police as “deeply troubling.”
The incident took place shortly before 6 p.m. on Friday, August 15, in Wish Park, according to Sussex Police. The victim was taken to hospital for treatment and later discharged.
Three girls — a 12-year-old and two 13-year-olds from Brighton — were initially detained on suspicion of assault. Police later confirmed that three more suspects, another 12-year-old and two 13-year-olds, had also been arrested in connection with the attack.
Chief Inspector Simon Marchant of the Brighton Neighbourhood Policing Team said the assault has raised significant concern within the community. “Our officers have now arrested all of the young people we wanted to speak with in connection with the report, and wider enquiries remain underway,” he said.
Authorities are also investigating reports of video footage of the incident circulating online. Marchant urged the public not to share the material or speculate about the case, warning that doing so could interfere with ongoing legal proceedings.
“This case is being fully and robustly investigated, and if you have information to report, we ask you to come forward and speak with police,” Marchant added.
MANCHESTER, England (BN24) — Mohamed Salah added another milestone to his glittering career on Tuesday night, claiming the PFA Player of the Year award for a record third time as Liverpool and Nottingham Forest stole the spotlight at the annual ceremony — leaving both Manchester United and Manchester City without representation.
The awards, staged at Manchester Opera House for the third consecutive year, delivered another painful reminder of the decline of United and City’s grip on English football. For the third straight year, no Manchester United player featured in the men’s Premier League Team of the Year. The last Red Devil to earn recognition was Cristiano Ronaldo in 2022, a stark symbol of United’s ongoing struggles at Old Trafford.
Manchester City, who have long dominated under Pep Guardiola, also saw none of their stars included, underscoring what was a comparatively disappointing season by their high standards. Despite losing to Arsenal on opening day, City may yet bounce back this campaign, but the awards made clear their absence from the elite last season.
Liverpool, however, celebrated a night of triumph. Salah, 33, was recognized after a prolific season in which he scored 29 league goals and provided a career-best 18 assists, leading the Reds to their second Premier League title and securing his fourth Golden Boot. He was joined in the PFA Team of the Year by captain Virgil van Dijk, Ryan Gravenberch, and Alexis Mac Allister, solidifying Liverpool’s dominance under new manager Arne Slot.
Nottingham Forest also enjoyed a breakthrough, with goalkeeper Matz Sels and striker Chris Wood making the Team of the Year — a remarkable achievement that highlighted their resurgence in the top flight. Arsenal, runners-up once again, saw William Saliba, Gabriel Magalhaes, and Declan Rice named to the XI, though none of their forwards were included. Newcastle United’s Alexander Isak also earned a place after a standout campaign.
Among the other honorees, Bournemouth’s Milos Kerkez, now at Liverpool, rounded out the Team of the Year. In the women’s category, Arsenal’s Mariona Caldentey was named overall PFA Women’s Player of the Year.
The night also celebrated rising stars and seasoned professionals across divisions. Aston Villa’s Morgan Rogers was named Young Player of the Year, while Burnley goalkeeper James Trafford, who recorded an astonishing 29 clean sheets in 45 games while conceding just 16 goals, won the Championship Player of the Year before his return to Manchester City.
Special merit awards went to England manager Gareth Southgate and departing Chelsea Women’s manager Emma Hayes, recognizing their outstanding contributions to the sport.
The PFA, under chief executive Maheta Molango, has revamped the awards format in recent years, replacing the former London-based dinner with a concise 90-minute theatre show. With voting now extended until June 8 to better reflect the full season, the ceremony continues to evolve while honoring the game’s brightest stars.
DENPASAR, Indonesia (BN24) — A Peruvian woman has been accused of trying to smuggle more than $70,000 worth of cocaine and ecstasy into Bali by hiding the drugs in her underwear and a sex toy, Indonesian authorities said.
The woman, identified only as N.S., 42, was stopped by customs officers at Bali’s Ngurah Rai International Airport on August 12 after officials noticed her acting suspiciously, police said.
Authorities discovered six packages of narcotics wrapped in black duct tape inside a green bra, three similar packages hidden in her underwear, and additional drugs concealed in a sex toy inserted into her body, according to Radiant, the head of Bali police’s narcotics unit.
In total, police said they recovered 1.4 kilograms (3.1 pounds) of cocaine and 43 ecstasy pills.
The woman told investigators she was recruited through a contact on the dark web in April and paid $19,000 to smuggle the drugs from Barcelona, Spain, to Bali, with a stopover in Doha. She was arrested shortly after customs officers alerted police.
She has been charged under Indonesia’s strict narcotics laws and faces the death penalty if convicted. While Indonesia has not carried out executions since 2017, it has previously sentenced foreigners to death for drug trafficking.
The case follows several recent high-profile arrests of foreigners attempting to smuggle drugs into Indonesia. Just last month, three British nationals were convicted of trying to bring in cocaine disguised as powdered dessert mix but avoided execution.
