The leader of Yemen’s presidential council announced a state of emergency on Tuesday after a Saudi Arabia-led strike on the southern port of Mukalla.

Saudi Arabia said the strike targeted an arms shpiment from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) meant to reach Yemeni separatists.

UAE forces asked to leave Yemen

The Saudi-backed presidential council issued a 72-hour ban on all border crossings in its territory except those allowed by patron Riyadh, while also calling for UAE forces to leave its territory in 24 hours.

The security pact between Yemen and Abu Dhabi has also been canceled by the council.

The Saudi military announced the strike in a statement published by the state-run Saudi Press Agency, saying it targeted a shipment that arrived to Yemen from the Fujairah, a city located on the UAE’s eastern coast.

According to the statement, the ships’ crew “had disabled tracking devices” on them and unloaded “large amount” of weapons and vehicles for the STC’s armed forces.

Why did Saudi Arabia strike Yemen?

The statement labeled the weapon shipment an “imminent threat and an escalation that threatens peace and stability,” also adding the military had carried out the attack during the night to reduce collateral damage.

The Saudi Foreign Ministry said its “sisterly state” UAE’s actions in Yemen were “extremely dangerous.”

It wasn’t immediately clear whether other armies took part in the attack other than the Saudi military.

Separatist group Southern Transitional Council (STC) are backed by the UAE, while Yemen’s presidential council are backed by Riyadh.

The attack signals the escalation of tensions between Saudi Arabia and the UAE, with the two countries backing competing sides in the war against the Iranian-backed Houthis.

The UAE has not officially responded to the attack.

Edited by: Farah Bahgat

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Countries like the US and UK slashing global aid is “painful” for Africa, the head of the continent’s leading health agency says – but it also offers an “opportunity” for governments to drive down corruption and raise taxes to fund their own health systems.

Speaking to The Independent, Jean Kaseya, director general of Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) which works across 55 countries, says the aid cuts are “not a blessing for us, but today it becomes an opportunity to see how to build a sovereign health system in Africa”.

Across this year, several countries have announced deep cuts to their overseas aid spending, often in a move to shift money to defence. While none has cut as deeply as the US, the UK government is near the top of the pack with planned cuts of 40 per cent over the next three years.

“It’s a painful experience to see that and it’s our choice to sit, to cry, or to wake up and to act, and I think now the action that African countries are taking is to wake up and to move on,” Dr Kaseya says of the sudden cuts, which have wrought serious damage.

The Africa CDC chief says there are untapped ways of African governments raising more money that don’t require overseas aid, for example tackling “corruption” in the way drugs and equipment are bought as well as the problem of “ghost workers”. This is a common payroll scam where salaries are paid out to workers who don’t exist, have died or are duplicates. The money generally ends up in the pockets of a smaller number of government workers.

“In some countries, it can be [up to] 40 per cent of civil servants being ghost workers,” Dr Kaseya says, which costs his home country the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) $800m a year.

The Africa CDC head recalls a conversation with one head of state who was in despair after cuts to the global vaccine alliance Gavi in his country. “His first reaction was, we’ll die here,” he says, but then Dr Kaseya asked him “how can we survive?” The country has since introduced a new system to collect taxes to fund the health sector.

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People living with HIV in Senegal have lost swathes of services after Trump’s aid cuts – and some have died (Vincent Becker/The Global Fund)

But Dr Kaseya concedes aid was still necessary in some areas. “The first source of health expenditure in Africa is out-of-pocket,” he said, in other words, “poor people paying”. Specific aid programmes for example for HIV, tuberculosis (TB), malaria or maternal and child health had relieved people of that burden, but where they have stopped, “someone must pay,” he says.

“The government is not increasing the budget. It means it’s these same people who must increase their out-of-pocket [spending] to cover the services,” he adds.

Looking back on the past year, Dr Kaseya says responses to dangerous disease outbreaks had been compromised by aid cuts, including to Mpox in the DRC. When donors which had pledged money for vaccines, testing and health workers did not fulfil their commitments, he says, “when they stopped, we saw in DRC the testing rate moving from 60 per cent to less than 32 per cent”.

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The Institut Pasteur in Dakar, Senegal, is working to make tests and vaccines which can be used locally and sold to neighbouring countries. (Vincent Becker/The Global Fund)

One route to help with this is building up the manufacturing of drugs and medical equipment on the continent, making African countries less reliant on donors.

There are already more than 500 medical manufacturers in Africa, including in South Africa, Egypt, Rwanda and Senegal, Dr Kaseya says, making him “mostly optimistic on the way things will move in Africa”. For example, the continent is moving towards becoming self-reliant when it comes to buying syringes, while in some countries 97 per cent of antibiotics are now bought locally.

“We need to see how to be more balanced and more positive and optimistic,” about the continent’s future, he adds – while focusing on raising domestic funding, building local manufacturing and being more proactive about pandemic preparedness.

“When we do that, we start a conversation with our brothers and sisters from around the world: ‘Do you still think that you have to dictate to us how we can sit and talk together?’

“This is the reform of the global health architecture we are talking about”.

This article has been produced as part of The Independent’s Rethinking Global Aid project

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NEED TO KNOW

• Jenelle Evans got a mommy makeover at the beginning of December
• The mom of three tells PEOPLE she knew the time was right because she’s decided she’s “completely” done having kids
• Nearly a month post-op, Evans says she’s finally starting to see the results she was looking for

Jenelle Evans is pulling back the curtain on her new look.

The reality TV star, who got her start on 16 and Pregnant at age 17, revealed on Instagram on Dec. 18 that she’d gotten a mommy makeover. Evans, now 34, shared a set of before photos, along with a set of glam shots that show the results of her surgery, which she got at the beginning of December.

Evans turned to Dr. Rachel Mason at La Femme Plastic Surgery in Las Vegas, writing in her Instagram caption that she’d replaced her breast implants and gotten a tummy tuck to address her diastasis recti (separated abs).

Jenelle Evans before her mommy makeover.

La Femme Plastic Surgery

Evans tells PEOPLE that she knew the timing was right because she’s “completely” done having kids — she’s mom to Jace, 16, Kaiser, 11, and Ensley, 8 — and wanted to focus on herself and feeling confident in how she looked.

It was also “the right time” for this procedure because she needed to replace her breast implants.

“I had to get my breast redone because they were saline, and saline is only good for 10 years,” she tells PEOPLE, adding that when she met with Dr. Mason, she asked if she was a candidate for fixing her abs as well, to which the doctor told her she would need to get a tummy tuck.

Evans was game for the whole mommy makeover.

Jenelle Evans after her mommy makeover.

Mikael Rich

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Evans tells PEOPLE that Dr. Mason put her at ease from the moment the two met. The reality star was excited to work with a female plastic surgeon — which she says can be sometimes difficult to find — and also Dr. Mason seemed to just “get” her.

“She was really understanding,” Evans says. “She understood all my ‘mom’ problems, I guess you can say, because she has kids herself.”

Evans’ surgery went all according to plan, she says, and her recovery has as well. Forcing herself to slow down and take it easy while her body heals has been the biggest challenge, she admits. As someone who is very active, she is finding it difficult to not lift things and not be on the go all the time.

She’s even needed help getting in and out of bed because of the trauma to her abs.

“You literally have to have help being pulled up out of bed,” she says. “They encourage walking every few hours, but other than that, you’re doing the hunchwalk and you’re going to be doing the hunchwalk for three to four weeks.”

It’s been hard on her back, Evans admits, but she jokes it’s “toning” those muscles and “burning fat” in the process.

Evans waited a few weeks before sharing her surgery with her millions of social media followers. As with anything related to plastic surgery, the comments have been mixed, but Evans says it was important to be transparent about everything, just like she always is.

“Since I started social media, I’ve just shown the real, raw, true self, true personality and everything into my life, all the organic content,” Evans says. “So I think it’s very important to keep up the organic content for my followers and be as loyal as possible, like I have been, and also show girls that you’re not alone. You’re not the only one dealing with this.”

For Evans, she felt discouraged by people telling her to simply “work out harder” when she was feeling troubled by her “mom pouch” on her lower belly. As she details it, no matter how hard she tried, it wouldn’t go away — because it was mostly skin from pregnancy.

“I just wanted everyone to know that I’m just as normal as you guys,” she says, adding that she just tries “not to look at the negative comments” people leave on her posts.

Jenelle Evans during plastic surgery.

La Femme Plastic Surgery

Now that she’s nearing a month post-surgery, Evans says she’s starting to feel like she can really see the results she was looking for — especially since she can walk upright more often than not now.

“I think today is the first day that I looked at myself and was like, ‘Wow, I can see more swelling has gone down and I can see definition in my body now,'” she says. “I can see my abs starting to come out and the definition of the curves in the sides of my hips. Everything is just… I feel like I’m transforming.”

The PEOPLE Puzzler crossword is here! How quickly can you solve it? Play now!

Jenelle Evans after her mommy makeover.

Jenelle Evans

Those closest to her have been supportive of her mommy makeover journey, Evans says, but she’s been careful about how she discusses it all with daughter Ensley. Evans says her 8-year-old quickly took notice of how much pain she was in post-surgery and told her she “never” wants to do such a thing herself.

Evans told her, “I said, ‘You don’t have to, don’t worry, this isn’t something you have to do when you’re older.'”

Find more on Evans’ plastic surgery journey on her YouTube channel, where she says she’s been documenting the whole process.

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Tiger Woods turns 50 with the golfing icon proving to be one of the most influential and successful sports people in history – with his story still far from being written

Tiger Woods changed the sport when he appeared on the scene(Image: Dave Cannon /Allsport)

Tiger Woods, the American superstar who changed golf by winning the 1997 Masters, celebrates his 50th birthday today.

But after 15 Majors, 82 PGA Tour titles and countless surgeries, the biggest name in golf has not yet finished making headlines on and off the golf course.

Woods, who made his PGA Tour debut as a 16-year-old amateur in 1992, was arguably the biggest name in world sport even before he completed the Tiger Slam of all four Majors in 2001. He was a revolutionary in the middle-aged, middle-class, white sport because he was young, athletic and black. And super cool. Popularity soared and prize money skyrocketed.

In 2000, Ernie Els said: “I think he’s a legend in the making. He’s 24. He’s probably going to be bigger than Elvis when he gets into his 40s.”

His fame and notoriety only increased with his 2009 sex scandal and his DUI arrest in 2017. His return to win his fifth Masters – and his first Major for 11 years – in 2019 was the ultimate redemption story after years of physical struggles. “If he never got injured, he’d have 25 majors and 125 wins,” claimed his friend Fred Couples .

READ MORE: Tiger Woods’ estimated golf comeback date, latest injury news and retirement fearsREAD MORE: Tiger Woods’ caddie reveals what the golf legend was really like as soon as he left the course

His playing days are now clearly numbered. The world No.2563 has undergone operations on his lower back and his ruptured Achilles tendon and had a lumbar disc replacement since last year’s Open at Royal Troon. He will get PGA Tour invites for life but he is now eligible for the Seniors Tour – where he could use a buggy during the 54-hole events – where he could renew old rivalries.

He is the only player to have won the US Junior Amateur, US Amateur and US Open while the 2026 US Senior Open in July is at Jack Nicklaus’ home course in Ohio in July. “I would love to see him come out and play and compete with us,” said Darren Clarke. “I think he’d have a great time.”

Tiger Woods ended an 11-year wait for a Major when he won the Masters in 2019(Image: Getty Images)

Woods reported earlier this month he has returned to chipping and putting and said: “Just let me get back to playing again, let me do that and then I’ll kind of figure out what the schedule is going to be.”

Off the course, Woods turned down a mega-offer to join LIV Golf and was appointed to the PGA Tour policy board in 2023. He now heads up the Future Competition Committee charged with producing a new streamlined tour for the 2027 season.

Woods is expected to finally captain the US Ryder Cup team at Adare Manor – owned by his friend JP McManus – in 2027. But speaking before his Hero World Challenge earlier this month, the American claimed: “No one’s asked me about it.”

It was the kind of short, evasive response he had often deployed during his career.

But in the final question of the same press conference, the sport’s ultimate lone wolf gave a surprising answer when he was asked why he was now filling his days with Zoom calls and strategy meetings to re-shape the game after his playing career. “Well, the PGA TOUR gave me an opportunity to chase after a childhood dream,” he replied. “I got a chance to hit my first ball in my first PGA TOUR event when I was 16 years old. I’ve been involved with the PGA TOUR ever since then.

“Now I am able to make an impact in a different way for other generations to come. Not just generations that I played against, but for future generations like a 16-year-old looking for a place to play and maybe in hopes of playing PGA TOUR.”

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Over the past year, Gaza’s infrastructure has been subjected to a devastating reality.

What once functioned under strain has been pushed beyond the point of collapse. Electricity networks, water systems, hospitals, roads and municipal services have been systematically destroyed or severely damaged, leaving daily life defined by survival.

It is not unusual for families to plan their days around the sound of generators, if fuel is available at all. Parents and children queue for hours for a few litres of unsafe water or a pack of bread.

Hospitals operate in near darkness, doctors performing life-saving procedures using mobile phones for light. Streets that once carried children to school are reduced to rubble.

Gaza’s reality is always harsh

Life in Gaza was never easy, even during the moments the outside world labelled as “normal”.

For most people, life was lived with constant uncertainty. You learned not to plan too far ahead, because calm was fragile, always temporary.

There were days with electricity, when the streets felt quieter, and families allowed themselves a small sense of relief, but everyone knew it could disappear at any time.

Gaza’s infrastructure mirrors that. It was fragile long before the latest devastation of Israel’s genocidal war.

Decades of illegal Israeli blockade, repeated military assaults and tight restrictions on construction materials meant systems were always patched up, always operating on borrowed time. Nothing truly recovered.

One of the most visible losses has been electricity. Across the Gaza Strip, darkness is not an exception. Our only power plant was severely damaged and shut down due to fuel shortages; close to 80 percent of power transmission has been destroyed.

For families, this loss is felt in small, relentless ways. A mother charges her phone whenever a neighbour’s generator briefly hums to life, knowing it may be her only chance to contact family.

Children do their homework by candlelight, if they do it at all. Refrigerators sit useless, food spoiling.

Access to water has also deteriorated sharply. Israel’s bombardment damaged wells, desalination plants and pumping stations. Without electricity or fuel, clean water cannot be extracted or distributed.

Over the course of our reporting on Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza, we documented families lining up with plastic containers, waiting for water trucks that may or may not arrive. When they do, the water often smells of salt or metal, its taste sharp and unfamiliar.

Many have no choice but to drink it anyway. Children fall sick with stomach infections. Skin rashes spread. Washing becomes a luxury.

The cumulative effect: Paralysis

Hospitals, once overstretched but functioning, now operate in crisis mode. Over the past month of fieldwork, I visited many medical facilities that have been damaged or forced out of service entirely.

Those still functioning face severe shortages of medicine, equipment, electricity and staff.

I remember the depressed feeling I had after visiting two intensive care units in Gaza City and the central area of the Strip.

Both were overcrowded, forced to put patients two to a bed.

The dialysis machines operated under constant threat of power loss, as did operating theatres that would often go dark mid-procedure.

Harshest of all, the medical teams are often forced to make impossible decisions about who receives care and who must wait.

Beyond health and utilities, the destruction of roads, public facilities and municipal infrastructure has fractured Gaza from within: rubble-filled streets, sewage-flooded roads, slow ambulances and aid delivery.

Rubbish collection has largely ceased, leading to the spread of disease. Telecommunications infrastructure has been repeatedly knocked out, isolating families and cutting people off from emergency services and the outside world.

There’s a cumulative effect of Israel’s intense bombing campaign – which is being carried out deliberately to paralyse daily life – because infrastructure systems depend on one another.

Without electricity, water cannot be pumped. Without fuel, hospitals cannot function. Without roads, aid cannot reach those in need.

Each collapse accelerates the next while creating new layers of difficult living conditions.

As the year 2025 approaches its end, Gaza’s entire infrastructure no longer supports normal life; it barely sustains survival.

Talking about rebuilding does not simply mean reconstructing buildings, but also the restoration of systems that allow people to live with dignity: safe water, reliable electricity, functioning hospitals, and basic public services.

Until then, Gaza’s civilians continue to endure the consequences of another year that has shaken the foundations of daily life.

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Octopus Energy has agreed to sell a stake in its Kraken software arm, in a move that would value the division at $8.65bn (£6.4bn) and could open the way for a stock market flotation.

The technology, which it already licenses to some rival suppliers, has been vital to the energy company’s success, making it easier to manage customer billing, smart meters, electric vehicle charging and home batteries to make using renewable power cheaper.

Octopus said new investors, including the asset manager Fidelity International and the Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan Board, had joined existing shareholders to acquire a $1bn stake in the business.

The stake sale, which leaves Octopus with a 13.7% stake in Kraken, comes after Octopus announced in September that it was planning to spin out the division as a stand-alone company.

The Octopus founder, Greg Jackson, said in a statement: “Kraken is in a class of its own, in terms of technology, capability, and scale. As an independent company with world-class backers and outstanding leadership, it will be free to grow even faster and is set to be a true UK-founded success story.”

Octopus is Britain’s largest household energy supplier, having taken the crown in January from British Gas, which held the position for nearly four decades after its privatisation under Margaret Thatcher.

Founded by Jackson in 2015, Octopus grew out of a government push to open the market beyond the big six energy companies. In January, it became Britain’s largest household energy supplier, having taken the crown in January from British Gas, thanks in part to Kraken, which has allowed it to offer tariffs that take advantage of real-time electricity price fluctuations to lower bills.

The company has licensed Kraken for use by other energy suppliers including E.ON, EDF and Good Energy in the UK. The software is also used in other countries by energy suppliers including Tokyo Gas in Japan and Origin Energy in Australia.

Jackson told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme that a stock market listing could be on the horizon, and that the London Stock Exchange was a top contender for the UK-headquartered businesses initial public offering.

“There’s every chance that the Kraken may, list at some point in the medium term. And, look, I think for large tech companies like Kraken, it’s going to be between London and the US. Personally, I really hope it’s London,” he said.

“The one thing about Kraken is we’ve got this global investor base. It’s a global business. And so really the stock exchanges have got to kind of show why they are the right one for a business like this.”

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Makuochi Okafor,BBC Africa, Lagosand

Ian Aikman

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The former heavyweight champion was a passenger in the crash, which killed Latif “Latz” Ayodele (left) and Sina Ghami (right)

British heavyweight boxer Anthony Joshua has been injured in a car crash in Nigeria, which killed two members of his team.

The former world champion was a passenger in a Lexus SUV that collided with a stationary truck on a major expressway in Ogun State, near Lagos.

The two men who died were Joshua’s close friends and team members Sina Ghami and Latif “Latz” Ayodele, the boxer’s promoter Matchroom Boxing said in a statement.

It added that Joshua was in a stable condition in hospital, where he was taken for “checks and treatment” and will remain for observation.

Police Commander Babatunde Akinbiyi of Nigeria’s Traffic Compliance and Enforcement Corps (TRACE) said early investigations showed the Lexus had been travelling along the highway from Lagos to Sagamu when it “experienced a tyre burst due to excessive speed” and then “lost control”.

Mr Akinbiyi said Joshua and the driver were rescued from the wreckage and taken to a hospital in Sagamu for medical treatment.

The two other passengers – Mr Ghami and Mr Ayodele – were pronounced dead at the scene, Mr Akinbiyi added.

In a statement Matchroom said: “Our deepest condolences and prayers are with the families and friends of all those affected – and we ask that their privacy is respected at this incredibly difficult time.”

The group’s chair, boxing promoter Eddie Hearn, paid tribute to the “two great men” who were killed in the crash. “Rest in eternal peace Sina and Latz. My thoughts and deepest prayers are with everyone,” he said.

Boxing expert Steve Bunce described Mr Ghami and Mr Ayodele as “two of Joshua’s closest friends” and as “massive parts of the Anthony Joshua machine”.

“They’ve been with him, if not from the start, at least very early on. Latz is AJ’s personal trainer and Sina is his strength and conditioning man. They are with him all the time,” Bunce told BBC Radio 5 Live.

Hours before the crash, Joshua posted a video to Instagram of himself and Mr Ayodele playing table tennis. Mr Ghami had recently posted on social media from Lagos.

A joint statement from the Ogun and Lagos state governments said Joshua was stable and conscious, and had been in contact with his family.

They said earlier that Joshua had “narrowly escaped death” in the crash, and there will be a “comprehensive investigation” into what happened.

Nigeria’s President Bola Ahmed Tinubu said he had spoken to the 36-year-old boxer personally to convey his condolences and wish him a “full and speedy recovery”.

“AJ assured me he is receiving the best possible care,” he said in a post on X.

Federal Road Safety Corps

Nigeria’s road safety authority shared this image of the crash site

The crash took place on the busy Lagos-Ibadan expressway at around 12:00 local time (11:00 GMT) on Monday.

Pictures shared by Nigeria’s Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) showed a wrecked car at the site of the crash, with a crowd of onlookers gathered around.

Local officials said Joshua and another man – the vehicle’s driver – were rescued by the boxer’s security team.

Video from the scene showed the boxer being helped out from the back seat of a wrecked SUV.

Ogun and Lagos state governments said Joshua and another passenger were “immediately evacuated to a specialised medical facility in Lagos”.

Adeniyi Orojo

An image taken by an eyewitness shows Joshua in the back of the crashed car

The Lagos-Ibadan expressway is known as one of Nigeria’s deadliest roads, with particularly heavy traffic at this time of year as many Nigerians living abroad visit for the festive period.

Joshua, who was born in Watford, has family roots in Sagamu – a town in Ogun State, south-west Nigeria, near the crash site.

He had been spending time in the country following his recent victory over American YouTuber-turned-boxer Jake Paul on 19 December.

Paul posted on X after the crash: “Life is much more important than boxing. I am praying for the lost lives, AJ and anyone impacted by today’s unfortunate accident.”

Video shows the moment Joshua was helped from the wreckage

A relative of Joshua’s in Nigeria, who asked not to be named, told the BBC that news of the crash came as a “shock” to the family.

They said they were hoping for his “speedy recovery” and offered prayers for those who died in the crash.

The family member confirmed that Joshua was travelling from Lagos to Ogun State when the accident happened. His family had been expecting him to join them in Sagamu for New Year celebrations.

The boxer’s family is well known in the town and traces its ancestry there across several generations.

There are plans to build a new indoor boxing venue named after Joshua in Ogun, where the boxer is a sports ambassador.

Instagram

Sina Ghami (left) and Latif Ayodele (right) are remembered as integral parts of Anthony Joshua’s “machine”.

Tributes have poured in for the two members of Joshua’s team who were killed in the crash.

Ghami had been Joshua’s full-time strength and conditioning coach for more than 10 years, helping him prepare for major clashes of his career including this month’s defeat of Jake Paul.

He also co-founded the London-based gym Evolve. The gym said it will close on 30 December “as we mourn the loss of our beloved owner”.

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China launched rockets and deployed warships, bombers and amphibious assault vessels around Taiwan on Tuesday in the second day of large-scale military drills aimed at rehearsing a blockade of the self-ruled island.

Taiwan’s Defense Ministry confirmed live-firing drills, adding that it detected more than 130 Chinese military aircraft and 22 navy and coast guard vessels around the island in the 24 hours until 6 a.m. local time (2200 GMT).

The exercises, named “Justice Mission 2025”, include live-fire drills in multiple zones surrounding Taiwan and simulate strikes on maritime and key ports, according to China’s Eastern Theater Command.

According to Chinese authorities, the war games are due to finish at 6 p.m. on Tuesday and will cover five large zones around Taiwan.

Why is China conducting drills around Taiwan?

Chinese military spokesperson Shi Yi called the drills “a stern warning against ‘Taiwan Independence’ separatist forces, and…a legitimate and necessary action to safeguard China’s sovereignty and national unity,” state broadcaster CCTV reported.

On Monday, China said the drills were aimed at “deterrence” of outside military intervention.

The exercices come less than two weeks after the US announced a record $11.1 billion (€9.43 billion) arms package to Taiwan, including missiles, drones, artillery systems and military software.

Tensions have also been high in the region after a statement from Japan that its military could get involved if China acted against Taiwan.

China’s top diplomat, Wang Yi, on Tuesday blasted “pro-independence forces in Taiwan” and Japan’s leaders.

“In response to the continuous provocations by pro-independence forces in Taiwan and the large-scale US arms sales to Taiwan, we must resolutely oppose and strongly counter them,” Wang said during an end-of-the-year diplomatic event in Beijing.

According to Chinese authorities the war games are due to finish at 6:00 pm (1000 GMT) on Tuesday and will cover five large zones around TaiwanImage: Maxim Shemetov/REUTERS

Meanwhile, Chinese state media on Tuesday published a poster showing the Taiwan’s President Lai being crushed by one hammer striking the island’s south while another hits its north.

Additionally, on Monday, the Chinese ​military released an AI-generated video depicting automated humanoid robots, microdrones and weaponized robotic dogs attacking Taiwan.

Taiwan is a self-governing island that Beijing claims as its territory.

What did Taiwan say about China’s drills?

Taiwan President Lai Ching-te condemned the drills as irresponsible but also said Taipei would not escalate tensions.

Taiwan’s Civil Aviation Authority said the drills have affected 11 of the island’s 14 flight routes, though disruption to international flights has been limited.

On the island, Taiwanese people struck a defiant tone.

“If you stand your ground, there’s nothing to be afraid of,” 80-year-old Tseng Chang-chih told AFP news agency. “War? Impossible. It’s just posturing. If they really attacked Taiwan, they would have to pay a price.”

China drills around Taiwan to ‘send deterring signal’

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Edited by: Farah Bahgat

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The two men accused of the Bondi beach terror attack earlier this month were not part of a “broader terrorist cell”, Australian Police said.

Fifteen people died and dozens more were injured when gunmen opened fire on a crowd of more than 1,000 celebrating the Jewish holiday Hanukkah in Bondi’s Archer Park on December 14.

Naveed Akram faces 59 charges, while his father, Sajid, was shot dead by police at the scene.

Australia Federal Police (AFP) commissioner Krissy Barrett stated an initial investigation into why the two men had spent most of November in the Philippines had found “no evidence to suggest they received training or underwent logistical preparation”.

She added that police in the Philippines found the pair had rarely left their hotel in Davao City.

“These individuals are alleged to have acted alone,” said the commissioner, who did got give details on a reason for the visit, but repeated her belief they were inspired by the so-called Islamic State group.

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Naveed Akram and Sajid Akram are not believed to be part of a ‘broader terrorist cell’ (NSW Courts and Tribunals)

“There is no evidence to suggest these alleged offenders were part of a broader terrorist cell, or were directed by others to carry out an attack. I want to be clear, I am not suggesting that they were there for tourism.”

New South Wales (NSW) Police said “all available resources” would be used on New Year’s Eve with more than 2,500 officers – many of them armed – on duty in Sydney.

State premier Chris Minns defended the move, saying “security needs to change” and called on people to attend the traditional fireworks at Sydney Harbour.

“It’s an opportunity to thumb our nose at the terrorists and their ideology that really would have us living in a ball and not celebrating this beautiful city,” he said.

“This is an opportunity to live your life and show defiance to that kind of ideology.”

Sydney’s Lord Mayor Clover Moore said the victims of the attack would be commemorated at 11pm on New Year’s Eve with a minute’s silence and images of a Jewish menorah projected onto the Sydney Harbour Bridge’s pylons.

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George Clooney has become a French citizen, despite him still being ‘bad’ at speaking the language after 400 days of courses. 

The longtime Democrat, 64, and his British-Lebanese wife, Amal, 47, join their eight-year-old twins, Alexander and Ella, in receiving French passports, according to an official decree published in Paris. 

In 2021, the couple, who wed in 2014, purchased a home in the South of France, before splashing out £6.7million ($9million) on an even bigger property near Cannes last year.

George, a leading financial donor to the Democrats, is largely credited with being the nail in the coffin for Joe Biden’s decision to drop his re-election bid. 

The Oscar-winner penned an op-ed in the New York Times last July calling on the party to find someone new to put on the presidential ticket. 

He and Amal have a long attachment to Europe, owning a manor in Berkshire, UK, as well as an estate on Lake Como, Italy.

George Clooney, 64, has become a French citizen, despite him still being ‘bad’ at speaking the language after 400 days of courses (pictured with wife Amal, 47)

The longtime Democrat and his British-Lebanese wife, Amal, join their eight-year-old twins Alexander and Ella in receiving French passports, official documents show

The birth of their children in June 2017 was announced by George on French TV, and he has frequently stated that he admires the country’s privacy laws. 

He told French radio in December: ‘I love the French culture, your language, even if I’m still bad at it after 400 days of courses. 

‘Here, they don’t take photos of kids. There aren’t any paparazzi hidden at the school gates. That’s number one for us.’ 

The couple downgraded their 25-bedroom Italian house with a tennis court on Lake Como to a ‘holiday home’ after purchasing the wine estate, Domaine du Canadel, near the village of Brignoles, in the South of France.

It comes with 425 acres, including an olive grove, vineyard, tennis court and boules pitch. And it seems the peace and privacy that comes with all that space has made it their favourite place in the world. 

George is friendly with the local mayor, Didier Bremond, and last year recorded a New Year message for the people of Brignoles which began: ‘Bonjour, Didier!’ 

It continued: ‘First of all, I would like to wish you all a very Happy New Year. I hope each of you had a wonderful holiday season. We want to thank all of you, because we love spending time in the Var and in Brignoles. And we are very grateful for your hospitality and for the friendship that Didier shows us.’

The couple’s vast property empire also includes homes in Kentucky and New York City. 

George looks set to be crowned the King of Endorsements, as The Mail on Sunday revealed he has signed yet another lucrative deal, this time with US–based food delivery service Grubhub.

The actor has been spotted filming an advert for the company in North Mymms Park, an Elizabethan mansion and estate near Hatfield, Hertfordshire, in recent weeks.

George has a Thameside home with his lawyer wife in Sonning, Berkshire.

Back in 2021, the couple, who wed in 2014, purchased a home in the South of France, before splashing out £6.7 million on an even bigger property near Cannes last year

The birth of his children in June 2017 was announced by George on French TV, and he has frequency stated that he admires the country’s privacy laws (Brignoles village pictured)  

He revealed his comedic gifts in the ads for Nespresso, part of Nestle Group, once dressing in full armour to be a medieval knight who somehow travels to New York in his quest for the perfect cup of coffee. 

He has also been an ambassador for luxury watchmaker Omega since 2007, reportedly ticking up £2.2million ($2.97million) for himself every year.

A 2010 campaign for Fiat cars has earned Clooney up to £1million ($1.35million) and he has worked with the Italian vermouth brand Martini & Rossi. 

Other work has been for DNB Bank, Omaze, Warburtons, Mercedes-Benz, and Toyota.

The Gravity and Ocean’s Eleven star, who has eight–year–old twins Ella and Alexander with Amal, is estimated to be worth £500million ($675million) after his TV roles and brand partnerships are combined.

But his wealth may yet pale in comparison to actor Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson, who boasts a whopping 14 endorsement deals.

In his July 2024 op-ed, George wrote: ‘I love Joe Biden. As a senator. As a vice president and as president. I consider him a friend, and I believe in him. Believe in his character. Believe in his morals. In the last four years, he’s won many of the battles he’s faced.

‘But the one battle he cannot win is the fight against time. None of us can. It’s devastating to say it, but the Joe Biden I was with three weeks ago at the fundraiser was not the Joe ‘big f***ng deal’ Biden of 2010. 

The actor added: ‘He wasn’t even the Joe Biden of 2020. He was the same man we all witnessed at the debate,’ in reference to the disastrous CNN event from the month before.

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Boxing Day will move in 2026, as will some other bank holidays

Kate Lally SEO writer and Sophie Buchan Money and Lifestyle Writer

06:16, 30 Dec 2025

Many people get the day off work on a bank holiday(Image: Thomas Faull via Getty Images)

We’ve just had the final bank holidays of 2025 (December 25 and 26), and with the New Year very nearly here, it won’t be long before we’re welcoming in more in 2026. There will be eight bank holidays for England and Wales next year, with many dates to change in the coming 12 months.

This year, Boxing Day falls on a Friday. However, next year, Boxing Day lands on a Saturday, which means the bank holiday will be ‘on the move’. Because of this, the substitute bank holiday is scheduled to take place on Monday, December 28.

It’s worth noting that it’s not just weekends that determine when bank holidays take place, as the constantly changing date of Easter also plays a part. As things stand, there are eight bank holidays planned across England and Wales in 2026, beginning with New Year’s Day on January 1.

Christmas is here(Image: Getty)

Good Friday will occur on for Friday, April 3, with Easter Monday following on April 6 – slightly earlier than the 2025 dates of Friday, April 18, and Monday, April 21. Due to calendar variations, May’s two bank holidays will each shift a day earlier, consistently guaranteeing a long weekend.

In 2026, the Early May bank holiday occurs on May 4, whilst the Spring bank holiday arrives on May 25. The summer bank holiday, typically signalling the close of the school summer holidays, is set for Monday, August 31, marginally later than this year’s date of August 25.

To conclude the year, the Christmas Day bank holiday remains unwavering, falling on Friday, 25 December. As mentioned earlier, Boxing Day this year falls on Saturday, 26 December, leading to a substitute bank holiday on Monday, 28 December.

Bank holidays for England and Wales in 2026 – full list

Dates may change due to upcoming bank holidays(Image: Pakin Songmor via Getty Images)

• Thursday, January 1 – New Year’s Day
• Friday, April 3 – Good Friday
• Monday, April 6 – Easter Monday
• Monday, May 4 – Early May bank holiday
• Monday, May 25 – Spring bank holiday
• Monday, August 31- Summer bank holiday
• Friday, December 25 – Christmas Day
• Monday, December 28 – Boxing Day (substitute day)

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Bangladesh’s first female prime minister Khaleda Zia has died following a prolonged illness, her political party has said.

Ms Zia led the country as head of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) from 1991 to 1996, and again from 2001 to 2006.

During her years in and out of power, the nation’s politics came to be defined by her bitter feud with rival Sheikh Hasina.

The two women alternated between government and opposition – and Ms Zia served time in prison over corruption charges, but was acquitted earlier this year.

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Pic: AP Photo/Saurabh Das 2008

The BNP announced her death in posts shared on social media on Tuesday.

She had been suffering from ill health in recent years, including advanced cirrhosis of the liver, arthritis, diabetes, and chest and heart problems, doctors said.

At the beginning of 2025 she travelled to London for medical treatment, staying for four months before returning home.

Before her career in politics, Ms Zia was a wife and mother devoted to raising ‍her two sons, until her husband, military leader and then president Ziaur Rahman, was assassinated in an attempted army coup in 1981.

She became head of the BNP, founded by her husband, three years later, and vowed to deliver on his aim of “liberating Bangladesh from poverty and economic backwardness”.

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Sheikh Hasina, pictured in 2019, followed Ms Zia as prime minister. File pic: AP

At the time, both she and Ms Hasina led a popular uprising for democracy that toppled military ruler Hussain Muhammad Ershad in 1990.

The following year, Bangladesh held what was hailed as the country’s first free election – with Ms Zia winning a surprise victory over Ms Hasina, becoming the country’s first female prime minister, and years of bitter rivalry beginning.

In 2018, when Ms Hasina was in power, Ms Zia and aides were convicted of stealing some $250,000 in foreign donations ​received by an orphanage trust set up during her second term as prime minister.

She was jailed but moved to house arrest on humanitarian grounds in March 2020, as her health deteriorated.

Read more from Sky News:
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Ms Hasina, who led the country from 1996 to 2001 and again from 2009 to 2024, was ousted in a mass uprising and fled the country in August 2024 – and Ms Zia was freed from house arrest.

Earlier this year, she was acquitted by Bangladesh’s Supreme Court.

Though Ms Zia had been out of power for almost 20 years, she and her party continued to command much support.

The BNP is ⁠seen as the frontrunner to win the next parliamentary election set to take place in February – and her eldest son and acting chairman of the party, Tarique Rahman, 60, is widely seen as a strong candidate to become ​prime minister.

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The Saudi-led coalition carried out a targeted strike at Yemen’s Mukalla port, accusing foreign-backed vessels of delivering weapons to southern separatists.

Published On 30 Dec 202530 Dec 2025

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The Saudi-led coalition in Yemen has carried out a “limited military operation” targeting what it described as foreign military support at Mukalla port, days after warning the separatist Southern Transitional Council (STC) group against taking military action in Hadramout province.

Coalition air forces carried out the military operation early on Tuesday, targeting unloaded weapons and vehicles, the official Saudi Press Agency (SPA) reported.

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Coalition spokesperson Turki al-Malki said two ships entered Mukalla port on Saturday and Sunday without coalition authorisation, disabled their tracking systems, and unloaded large quantities of weapons and combat vehicles “to support” the STC.

The ‍Saudi-backed head of Yemen’s presidential council, Rashad ⁠al Alimi, ​said on ‍Tuesday after the air strike that all forces of the United ‍Arab ⁠Emirates must leave Yemen within 24 hours.

People attend a rally organised by the Southern Transitional Council in Aden, Yemen [File: Fawaz Salman/Reuters]

“Given the danger and escalation posed by these weapons … the coalition air forces carried out a limited military operation this morning targeting weapons and combat vehicles that had been unloaded from the two ships at the port of al-Mukalla,” SPA reported.

Two sources told Reuters news agency that the strike specifically targeted the dock where the cargo had been unloaded. The coalition said there were no casualties or collateral damage and emphasised that the operation was conducted in accordance with international humanitarian law.

The strike comes amid heightened tensions following an offensive earlier this month by the STC against Yemeni government troops backed by the coalition.

Saudi Defence Minister Khalid bin Salman Al Saud posted on X that the STC troops should “peacefully hand over” two regional governorates to the government. Meanwhile, United States Secretary of State Marco Rubio called for “restraint and continued diplomacy, with a view to reaching a lasting solution”.

A divided Yemen

The STC was initially part of the Saudi-led coalition that intervened in Yemen in 2015 against the Houthis, but the group later pursued self-rule in southern Yemen. Since 2022, the STC, which has previously received assistance from the United Arab Emirates, has controlled southern territories outside Houthi areas under a Saudi-backed power-sharing arrangement.

In recent weeks, however, the STC has swept through swaths of the country, expelling other government forces and their allies.

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Saudi Arabia bombed Yemen’s port city of Mukalla on Tuesday over what it described as a shipment of weapons for a separatist force there that arrived from the United Arab Emirates.

The UAE did not immediately acknowledge the strike.

The attack signals a new escalation in tensions between the kingdom and the separatist forces of the Southern Transitional Council, which is backed by the Emirates. It also further strains ties between Riyadh and Abu Dhabi, which had been backing competing sides in Yemen’s decade-long war against the Iranian-backed Houthi rebels amid a moment of unease across the wider Red Sea region.

A military statement carried by the state-run Saudi Press Agency announced the strikes, which it said came after ships arrived there from Fujairah, a port city on the UAE’s eastern coast.

“The ships’ crew had the disabled tracking devices aboard the vessels, and unloaded a large amount of weapons and combat vehicles in support of the Southern Transitional Council’s forces,” it said.

“Considering that the aforementioned weapons constitute an imminent threat, and an escalation that threatens peace and stability, the Coalition Air Force has conducted this morning a limited airstrike that targeted weapons and military vehicles offloaded from the two vessels in Mukalla.”

It wasn’t immediately clear if there were any casualties from the strike or if any other military besides Saudi Arabia’s took part. The Saudi military said it conducted the attack overnight to make sure “no collateral damage occurred”.

The UAE did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The Council’s AIC satellite news channel acknowledged the strikes, without providing details.

The attack likely targeted a ship identified by analysts as the Greenland, a roll-on, roll-off vessel flagged out of St Kitts. Tracking data showed the vessel had been in Fujairah on 22 December and arrived in Mukalla on Sunday. The second vessel could not be immediately identified.

Mohammed al-Basha, a Yemen expert and the founder of the Basha Report, a risk advisory firm, cited social media videos that purported to show new armoured vehicles rolling through Mukalla after the ship’s arrival. The ship’s owners, based in Dubai, could not be immediately reached.

“I expect a calibrated escalation from both sides. The UAE-backed Southern Transitional Council is likely to respond by consolidating control,” al-Basha said. “At the same time, the flow of weapons from the UAE to the STC is set to be curtailed following the port attack, particularly as Saudi Arabia controls the airspace.”

Footage later aired by Saudi state television, which appeared to be filmed by a surveillance aircraft, purportedly showed the armoured vehicles moving through Mukalla to a staging area. The types of vehicles corresponded to the social media footage.

Mukalla is in Yemen’s Hadramout governorate, which the council had seized in recent days. The port city is 480km north-east of Aden, which has been the seat of power for anti-Houthi forces in Yemen after the rebels seized the capital, Sana’a, in 2014.

The strike in Mukalla comes after Saudi Arabia targeted the council in airstrikes on Friday that analysts described as a warning for the separatists to halt their advance and leave the governorates of Hadramout and Mahra.

The council had pushed out forces there affiliated with the Saudi-backed National Shield Forces, another group in the coalition fighting the Houthis.

Those aligned with the council have increasingly flown the flag of South Yemen, which was a separate country from 1967 to 1990. Demonstrators have been rallying for days to support political forces calling for South Yemen to secede again from Yemen.

The actions by the separatists have put pressure on the relationship between Saudi Arabia and the UAE, which maintain close relations and are members of the Opec oil cartel but also have competed for influence and international business in recent years.

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Khaleda Zia was the first female prime minister of Bangladesh, serving from 1991-1996 and 2001-2006

Khaleda Zia, who has died at the age of 80, was Bangladesh’s first female prime minister.

She was once described as a “shy housewife” to her husband Ziaur Rahman, a leading figure in the country’s struggle for independence who became the president in 1977.

But following her husband’s assassination in 1981, Zia rose to lead his Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and served two terms as prime minister – first in the 1990s and then in the early 2000s.

Her tumultuous public life did not end after her premiership – she was later accused of corruption aand spent years in prison – but the charges were dropped after a 2024 uprising that saw her long-time rival, Sheikh Hasina, swept from power.

Getty Images

President Ziaur Rahman of Bangladesh with British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher in 1980

Begum Khaleda Zia was born in West Bengal in 1945.

The daughter of a tea trader, she moved to what is now Bangladesh with her family after the partition of India.

At the age of 15, she married Ziaur Rahman, then a young army officer.

In 1971, he joined a mutiny against West Pakistani forces and declared independence for Bangladesh.

After the military ceased power in 1977, Rahman – who then became the army chief of staff – declared himself president. He reintroduced political parties and a free media, and was later endorsed by popular vote.

He faced as many as 20 further military coups, and dealt with them brutally. There were reports of mass executions of soldiers.

In 1981, he was assassinated by a group of army officers in Chittagong.

Getty Images

Khaleda Zia is arrested by police during anti-government protests in 1987

At the age of 36, Khaleda Zia became a widow.

Until then, she had kept a low profile and seemed to take little interest in public life.

But in 1982 she became a member of the BNP, the party founded by her husband, and later rose to become its vice chairman.

1982 was also the year Bangladesh began nine years of military dictatorship, after its army chief seized power in a coup.

During this period, Zia embarked on a fervent campaign against military rule, staging a boycott of the army’s heavily-managed elections.

Zia was put under house arrest multiple times for her activism, but gained a reputation among the people as an “uncompromising leader”.

Getty Images

Ms Zia is seen here campaigning in the Bangladeshi capital Dhaka in February 1991

After the fall of the military government in 1990, Khaleda Zia and the BNP became the largest party in post-military elections, and she was sworn in as prime minister in 1991.

Having absorbed most of the powers of the old presidency, she was now the first female leader of Bangladesh, and only the second elected woman to lead a Muslim country.

With her ascension to the premiership, Bangladesh’s government returned to a parliamentary system.

Among the most notable reforms she implemented during her first term was making primary school education free and mandatory for all.

But in 1996 she would lose her bid for re-election to Hasina’s Awami League.

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Khaled Zia during her first term as prime minister in 1995

In 2001, Zia had her revenge, having formed a alliance with a group of Islamist parties. Together, they won nearly two thirds of the seats in parliament, but the BNP’s closeness to the Islamist parties would draw criticism over the years.

In her second term, Zia championed women’s issues, such as introducing a quota for female MPs and providing education for young women – in a country where 70% of them were illiterate.

Soon after Zia ended her term in office in 2006, Bangladesh was gripped by riots in the political vacuum. Amid the unrest, the country’s interim government, backed by the military, banned most political activity and began a crackdown on high-level corruption, which cut across political lines.

Zia was arrested on charges of extortion and corruption. So was her great rival Hasina.

Both women, who had alternated from government to opposition for the best part of two decades, were suddenly mired in court cases.

Restrictions were lifted on Zia in the years after, and after losing a military-sponsored election in 2008 she became the opposition leader.

The BNP lost its representation in parliament after boycotting the 2014 election.

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Khaled Zia addresses her supporters in 2015

In 2018, Zia was convicted and jailed for five years after being found guilty of embezzling about $252,000 (£188,000) intended for an orphanage trust set up when she was prime minister.

She became the only prisoner locked up in Dhaka’s old – and now disused – central jail. The length of her sentence disqualified her from seeking public office.

She denied wrongdoing, and said the charges were politically motivated.

A year later, the then 73-year-old Zia was transferred to hospital for treatment for conditions including severe arthritis and uncontrolled diabetes.

She was eventually released from prison on health grounds and told to remain at home.

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Thousands of BNP supporters protested in Dhaka in 2018, demanding the immediate release of Ms Zia

Tides turned yet again in 2024, when Hasina’s government was swept from power on a wave of popular discontent.

Hasina fled to India, and the interim government that replaced her ordered Khaleda Zia’s release and the unfreezing of her bank accounts.

By this time, she was suffering from a series of life-threatening conditions including cirrhosis of the liver and kidney damage.

In January 2025, her travel restrictions were lifted and she was allowed to travel to London for treatment.

But in the early morning of 30 December, she died in Dhaka after suffering from months of poor health.

She is survived by her elder son Tarique Rahman, who returned to Bangladesh in late December after spending years in exile in London, and who is widely seen as the frontrunner to become Bangladesh’s next leader. “Koko”, her younger son, died in 2015.

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