UYO, Nigeria (BN24)— The Akwa Ibom State Marine Police have arrested two men accused of illegal oil bunkering after intercepting a large wooden boat loaded with suspected stolen crude oil in Mbo Local Government Area of the riverine state in South Nigeria.
The arrests followed an August 2 operation on the Okposo waterway, launched after credible intelligence indicated petroleum was being moved toward the maritime border between Nigeria and Cameroon, police said Tuesday.
State police spokesperson DSP Timfon John reported that two gunboats were deployed to intercept the vessel, which was found carrying crude oil believed to have been siphoned from an oil pipeline’s weir head.
“The quick and effective response by the Marine Police led to the successful arrest of the two suspects and the recovery of the boat and its stolen contents,” John said, adding that investigations are underway to determine the source of the petroleum and the scale of the operation.
Authorities say the case underscores ongoing efforts by security agencies to combat oil theft and the environmental damage caused by unauthorized bunkering in Nigeria’s oil-producing regions.
London, August 11 (BN24)— Former England and Liverpool footballer John Barnes is facing a fresh bankruptcy threat after accumulating debts exceeding £1.5 million. The 61-year-old football legend, who enjoyed a successful career with Liverpool and the national team, is under pressure from HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC), which filed a petition for bankruptcy at the High Court following unpaid debts linked to his media company.
Barnes’s media firm, John Barnes Media Limited, was found to owe nearly £800,000 to HMRC, and investigations have uncovered a series of financial mismanagement issues. The company, which Barnes set up after retiring from professional football in 2012, reportedly failed to pay substantial tax obligations, leading to its cessation in January 2020.
As of now, Barnes’s media company owes HMRC a total of £776,878 in unpaid VAT, National Insurance, and PAYE, along with a further £461,849 owed to unsecured creditors. Additionally, the company has a £226,000 director’s loan and £56,535 in liquidator’s fees. According to reports, while there is a “small distribution” anticipated for HMRC, there will be “no funds” available for other creditors.
Mike Smith, the chief investigator at the Insolvency Service, emphasized the significance of unpaid taxes, stating, “Individuals and businesses not paying the tax they should deprives the Government of the funding it needs to provide vital public services and investment in areas such as schools, hospitals, and roads.” Smith continued, “John Barnes had a legal duty to ensure his company paid the correct amount of corporation tax and VAT. Instead, it paid no tax whatsoever between November 2018 and October 2020, despite receiving earnings of well over £400,000.”
Barnes’s financial troubles date back several years. The former winger, who earned 79 caps for England, was banned from serving as a company director for three and a half years in 2024, after the Insolvency Service found that his company had failed to pay £78,000 in corporation tax between August 2018 and January 2020. Further investigations revealed that Barnes’s company had also neglected to pay £115,272 in VAT between February 2019 and 2020.
The latest bankruptcy petition is part of a long history of financial struggles for Barnes. In 2023, he narrowly avoided bankruptcy after settling a personal tax bill of more than £200,000. That case, along with another bankruptcy petition filed later that year, was dismissed after the debts were repaid. However, with the latest debts mounting, Barnes’s financial situation remains precarious.
In a 2009 interview, Barnes candidly admitted his dislike for handling financial matters. “I don’t like dealing with taxes of course. I just hate not having enough money. Apart from that, I don’t like dealing with bills and never have done. I let my wife Andrea deal with them. I don’t even like opening them,” he confessed.
To date, Barnes has repaid £60,000 of the director’s loan and is paying the remainder in installments. Despite these efforts, the fresh bankruptcy petition represents another chapter in his ongoing financial difficulties.
PARIS (BN24) — French prosecutors have opened an investigation after an Israeli rabbi told President Emmanuel Macron to “prepare his coffin” in response to France’s recognition of a Palestinian state.
In a July 24 YouTube sermon, Rabbi Daniel David Cohen described Macron’s decision as not only an attack on the Jewish people but a “declaration of war on God,” asserting divine ownership over the land of Israel.
“This French president, we must let him know, he has every interest in preparing his coffin,” Cohen said, comparing Macron to Roman Emperor Titus, who according to rabbinic tradition died from divine retribution. He also predicted France would collapse like Iran and urged Jews to flee before its downfall.
French Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau said he referred Cohen’s comments to prosecutors and moved to block the video’s circulation. The Paris Prosecutor’s Office confirmed it has launched an inquiry.
Chief Rabbi of France Haim Korsia called the remarks “intolerable,” stressing that Cohen has never held a rabbinical role in France and was neither trained nor certified by its rabbinical school. Yonathan Arfi, president of the Representative Council of Jewish Institutions of France (CRIF), also condemned the threats as “hateful and unacceptable,” adding they had “no connection” to official Jewish institutions in the country.
Jewish educational platform Torah-Box, which had previously featured Cohen’s teachings, said it had never published the video in question and removed him from its list of contributors over the weekend.
According to a 2023 profile on Rav Dori Connection, Cohen was born in Algeria, moved to France after the end of French colonial rule in North Africa, and emigrated to Israel in 1976.
HARARE, Zimbabwe (BN24)— A 41-year-old man from Waterfalls has been arrested on suspicion of torturing and killing his teenage son after the boy failed to qualify for the Zimbabwe Republic Police.
Police identified the suspect as Gibson Munyoro, a security officer, who allegedly assaulted his 19-year-old son, Ngonidzashe Munyoro, on Aug. 11, 2025. According to authorities, the father had placed high hopes on his son’s recruitment into the police force.
Ngonidzashe attended interviews at Mkushi Academy, formerly Morris Depot, on July 29 but was dismissed on Aug. 2 after being deemed unfit for service. Witnesses told H-Metro that Gibson reacted violently, tying his son’s hands and legs, placing an iron bar between them, suspending him between two tables, and beating him with a baton stick. Neighbours said the father warned them not to interfere.
The victim’s mother, Ruvimbo Masunga, rushed to the scene after being alerted and, with help from neighbours, managed to pull her son away. However, Ngonidzashe died at home before medical help could arrive.
Harare provincial police spokesperson Inspector Luckmore Chakanza confirmed the arrest, saying the case is being treated as murder and remains under investigation.
LONDON(BN24) — A 63-year-old former NHS employee has avoided prison after stealing £80,000 from the health service and sending it to a man in Nigeria she claimed was her online boyfriend.
According to the Telegraph, the theft occurred between June 2021 and January 2023, when the woman, identified as Blair, withdrew the funds from the NHS trust’s accounts. Prosecutors said she sent the money to Michael Okafor, a man in Nigeria with whom she had developed an online relationship. Blair told the court she felt pressured to send the money and described herself as “helpless.”
At Reading Crown Court, Judge Lynn Tayton KC sentenced Blair to two years in prison, suspended for two years, after she admitted to fraud by abuse of position.
“The funds were intended for public services, and your theft caused distress among colleagues,” Tayton said. “Incidents like this undermine confidence in the council’s systems, and the consequences will be felt for a long time.”
Blair initially told probation officers she had “no idea” why she took the money but later said she believed she was in a relationship with Okafor, who demanded the funds. The judge found the dishonesty was sustained and not solely explained by pressure or mental health issues.
The court heard Blair suffers from depression, is unemployed, and currently receives universal credit. Tayton suspended the sentence due to Blair’s lack of previous convictions and positive character references.
Under the order, Blair must complete 250 hours of unpaid work, 15 days of rehabilitation activities, and six months of mental health treatment.
“You are fortunate,” Tayton warned. “Be very clear — if you come back before this court, you will go to prison.”
BANDA ACEH, Indonesia (BN24)— An Islamic court in Indonesia’s conservative Aceh province has sentenced two college students to 80 public lashes for engaging in same-sex acts, officials announced Monday.
Chief Judge Rokhmadi, center, reads his verdict during the sentencing hearing for two men accused of having gay sex, at the Sharia Court in Banda Aceh, Indonesia, Monday, Aug. 11, 2025. (AP Photo/Reza Saifullah)
The Banda Aceh Sharia Court found the men, aged 20 and 21, guilty of violating Islamic law after religious police detained them in April for kissing and hugging in a public park bathroom. The trial was held behind closed doors, with the verdict delivered publicly on Aug. 11.
Chief Judge Rokhmadi M. Hum said the defendants were “legally and convincingly” proven to have committed acts leading to homosexual relations. Their identities were not disclosed.
Prosecutors had sought 85 strokes, but the three-judge panel reduced the sentence, citing the men’s cooperation, good conduct during proceedings, lack of prior convictions, and status as “outstanding students.” Four lashes will be deducted from the total to account for four months they have spent in detention.
Chief Judge Rokhmadi, center, reads his verdict during the sentencing hearing for two men accused of having gay sex, at the Sharia Court in Banda Aceh, Indonesia, Monday, Aug. 11, 2025. (AP Photo/Reza Saifullah)
Aceh is the only province in Muslim-majority Indonesia permitted to enforce Sharia law under a 2006 peace agreement that ended a separatist insurgency. Its Islamic code allows up to 100 lashes for moral offenses such as same-sex relations, adultery, gambling, alcohol consumption, and certain dress code violations.
Human rights organizations have repeatedly criticized Aceh’s public caning punishments as violations of international human rights conventions ratified by Indonesia. The country’s national criminal code does not criminalize homosexuality.
Monday’s ruling marks the fifth public flogging for homosexuality in Aceh since the province’s Islamic law came into effect in 2015.
MOSCOW(BN24) — Russian President Vladimir Putin has signed a decree banning foreign-made military uniforms for the Russian Armed Forces beginning Jan. 1, 2026, and requiring all fabrics and materials to be produced domestically by 2027.
The order, dated Aug. 11, directs the government, the Ministry of Defense, and the Ministry of Industry and Trade to ensure that Russian companies within the country manufacture all military clothing and equipment. By the following year, the materials used in production must also come from Russian sources.
The decree leaves unanswered whether the ban will apply to close allies such as Belarus and Kazakhstan, which share membership in a free trade bloc with Russia. Moscow has not disclosed the countries currently supplying its military uniforms.
In 2022, Radio Free Asia reported that North Korea had produced uniforms for Russia using materials supplied by Moscow, with manufacturing in Pyongyang and delivery by rail. The two nations signed a mutual defense treaty in 2024, strengthening military and trade cooperation. Under the pact, Pyongyang has provided troops, weapons and ammunition for Russia’s war in Ukraine in exchange for resources and technology.
It is unclear if North Korea has continued uniform shipments since 2022 or whether the new regulations will disrupt the trade.
Leysdown-on-Sea, Isle of Sheppey, Kent (BN24) — Three teenagers have been arrested in connection with the death of a man who was reportedly beaten to death with rocks on a beach in Leysdown-on-Sea, a seaside resort on the Isle of Sheppey. The tragic incident took place on Sunday evening, and the victim, a man in his 40s, was pronounced dead at the scene despite the efforts of emergency responders.
Kent Police were alerted to the altercation around 7 p.m. on August 10, after reports of a disturbance involving a small group of individuals. When officers arrived at the scene, they discovered the victim suffering from severe injuries. Witnesses said that the man had been struck multiple times with stones and rocks. Paramedics were unable to revive him, and he was confirmed dead at the scene.
Shortly after the incident, police arrested a 16-year-old girl and two boys, aged 14 and 15, on suspicion of murder. The teenagers were taken into custody as investigations into the brutal attack continue.
Anthony West, the site manager at Jimmy G’s Amusements, which is located near the beach, recalled seeing the teenagers being detained by police. He described the chaotic scene, saying, “I was working in the ice cream shop across the road when I heard a commotion and came outside to see what was happening. There were four police cars parked out front, and one of the boys was in handcuffs inside a car.” West noted that police called for backup, and up to 15 patrol cars were seen at the scene as the situation unfolded.
Local convenience store manager Anton Jasnu also witnessed the aftermath. He initially thought someone had suffered a heart attack. “People were trying to give him CPR, and he had tissue on the back of his head, possibly to stop the bleeding,” Jasnu said, describing the desperate attempts to save the victim’s life.
The attack occurred in a popular area of the beach, where families and holidaymakers were enjoying the Sunday evening sun. Law enforcement quickly established a large police cordon behind the beach, near a caravan park, and specialists used sniffer dogs to comb the area for evidence. Police also restricted access to parts of the scrubland behind Warden Bay Beach.
The presence of multiple ambulances, police vehicles, and an air ambulance at the scene led some witnesses to believe that the helicopter was part of a routine coastguard operation. However, it quickly became clear that the incident was far more serious.
Authorities are continuing their investigation and have urged anyone with information or witnesses to come forward. All three suspects remain in police custody as the inquiry progresses.
Gaza (BN24) – A funeral was held Monday in Gaza for five Al Jazeera journalists killed in what the network has described as a targeted Israeli airstrike, an attack the United Nations has condemned as a “grave breach of international law.”
Correspondents Anas Al-Sharif and Mohammed Qreiqeh, camera operators Ibrahim Zaher and Moamen Aliwa, and their assistant Mohammed Noufal died when a strike hit a tent near Al Shifa Hospital on Sunday night. A sixth journalist, freelance reporter Mohammad al Khaldi, was also killed, according to medics at the hospital.
The Israeli military said Al-Sharif, one of Gaza’s most prominent correspondents, was a senior Hamas operative who posed as a journalist, alleging he was paid by both Hamas and Al Jazeera. The military said it had only released a small, declassified portion of its intelligence to support the claim — allegations strongly rejected by Al Jazeera, Al-Sharif himself before his death, and the Committee to Protect Journalists.
Al Jazeera called the deaths “a targeted assassination” and said the journalists were among the last voices documenting the devastation inside Gaza. In a statement, the network accused Israeli forces of a “blatant and premeditated attack on press freedom” and of trying to silence coverage of the ongoing military campaign.
The UN secretary-general condemned the killings and called for an independent and impartial investigation, warning they underscored the extreme dangers facing journalists covering the war. The UN’s human rights office also labelled the strike a serious violation of international humanitarian law.
According to the UN, at least 242 journalists have been killed in Gaza since the war began on Oct. 7, 2023, when Hamas-led militants attacked southern Israel, killing 1,200 people and taking 251 hostages, Israeli authorities say. Of the 50 hostages believed to still be in Gaza, 20 are thought to be alive.
Gaza health officials report that more than 61,000 Palestinians have been killed in Israel’s offensive. Calls for international media access to the territory have grown, with journalists and diplomats urging Israel to allow reporting from the ground. Palestinian envoy to the UN Riyad Mansour challenged Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to let Security Council members into Gaza “and take journalists with you so that you can verify exactly what is happening.”
PERTH, Australia (BN24) — A 25-year-old British backpacker faces up to 20 years in prison in Australia after pleading guilty to killing a father of two in a drunk e-scooter crash that has fueled public demands for stricter e-scooter laws.
Alicia Kemp, from Redditch in Worcestershire, admitted to dangerous driving causing death while under the influence of alcohol during a court appearance via video link at Perth Magistrates’ Court. Kemp struck 51-year-old Thanh Phan from behind while riding an e-scooter on a footpath in Perth in June. She had been drinking for six hours prior to the crash and was found to be more than three times over the legal alcohol limit.
Phan sustained fatal head injuries after the collision, which occurred as he stood at a pedestrian crossing. He died days later in hospital from a brain bleed. The crash, captured on CCTV, showed other pedestrians stepping aside to avoid Kemp, who was riding at speeds of up to 25 kilometers per hour.
Kemp had hired the scooter shortly before 8:30 p.m. after a day of drinking and was carrying a 26-year-old passenger, who also suffered serious injuries, including a fractured skull and broken nose. A charge related to the injuries of the passenger was dropped.
At the time, Kemp was visiting Australia on a four-month tourist visa and working at a local pub. Her bail application was refused over concerns she might flee the country before sentencing. Her lawyer described her as “nervous and worried,” saying she recognized the gravity of her actions but wanted to move on with her life.
Phan’s death has had broader consequences, prompting Perth and several local councils to permanently suspend rental e-scooter services amid mounting pressure for reform. Under Western Australian law, e-scooter riders must be over 16, wear helmets, ride sober, and not carry passengers.
The victim’s family, mourning the loss of a devoted husband and father, has joined growing calls for stronger enforcement and regulation surrounding e-scooter use in public areas.
Kemp is scheduled to be sentenced at Perth District Court on October 31.
