NEED TO KNOW

• Chevy Chase and his wife, Jayni, attended a rescheduled fan event on Monday, Dec. 29, at the Altria Theater in Richmond, Va.
• The 82-year-old comedian was previously supposed to appear for the National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation screening and subsequent discussion on Dec. 10, but he was diagnosed with pneumonia
• Jayni also shared her own health struggles, detailing her hand injury

Chevy Chase is on the mend after struggling with a case of pneumonia. 

The 82-year-old comedian attended a rescheduled screening of National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation in Richmond, Va., on Monday, Dec. 29, sharing with the audience at the Altria Theater that he had to postpone the event, which was originally slated for Dec. 10, due to being diagnosed with pneumonia. 

Joined on stage by his wife of 43 years, Jayni, Chase was seen pausing multiple times throughout his conversation with comedian Tony Deyo to heavily cough into a napkin. 

“You know we had to reschedule this because he had pneumonia,” Jayni told the audience. “He did, but he got over it pretty fast.”  

Chase assured the crowd he was no longer contagious. 

Chevy Chase and wife Jayni Chase at the Altria Theater in Richmond, Va., on Monday, Dec. 29.

Courtesy of Rachel McRady

The couple had fun with the Caddyshack star’s illness, with his wife jokingly looking over into his napkin after a coughing fit and saying, “Oh my God, is that still moving?”

Jayni was also struggling with health issues of her own as her right hand was seen heavily bandaged while on stage. 

“Boxer’s fracture,” she said, holding up the injured hand. “It isn’t from hitting him, but it should have been. I slammed it into a door frame going downstairs. It’s going to be fine. I just need to, tomorrow, find a splint. I couldn’t find a splint for it.” 

Chevy Chase and wife Jayni at the Altria Theater in Richmond, Va., on Monday, Dec. 29.

Courtesy of Rachel McRady

Chase then jokingly pretended to slam his wife’s injured hand into the chair. 

Throughout the nearly 90-minute discussion, Chase discussed his 1989 holiday classic, National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation, as well as several of his other famed projects including Saturday Night Live, Fletch and The Three Amigos. 

The couple also spoke about the upcoming CNN documentary, I’m Chevy Chase and You’re Not, which is set to premiere on New Year’s Day. 

Chevy Chase wave in New York City on Dec. 18.

BKNYC / BACKGRID

“I’ve seen it. It’s good,” Chase told the crowd. “You’ve gotta see it. It’s good. I’m starring in this one.”

Jayni added, “Parts of it are a little bit hard, but it’s real. It’s very honest.”

The couple’s three daughters, Cydney, 42, Caley, 40, and Emily, 37, all appear in the documentary.

I’m Chevy Chase and You’re Not, directed by Marina Zenovich, premieres Jan. 1 at 8 p.m. EST / 5 p.m. PST on CNN. 

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• Were YOU on the cable car? Email: Taryn.pedler@dailymail.co.uk 

By TARYN KAUR PEDLER, FOREIGN NEWS REPORTER

Published: 12:04 GMT, 30 December 2025 | Updated: 12:53 GMT, 30 December 2025

Six people, including a child, were left injured after a cable car slammed into a station barrier while approaching a mountain summit ‘too quickly’ in Italy.

Around one hundred people were also left stranded following the incident, which took place at the Macugnaga cable car, in the Verbano-Cusio-Ossola region of Piedmont.

Local media reports claim the cable car arrived at the station, over 9,000ft in the air, too quickly.

The surrounding ski slopes were closed, and the ski lift was halted following the incident. 

Firefighters are working on the scene to rescue those injured and stranded. 

The six injured were immediately treated by on-site medics, but are set to be transported to a local hospital via air ambulance.

Filippo Besozzi, the director of Macugnaga Trasporti e Servizi, told Ansa: ‘We had a technical problem. 

‘We’re evaluating it; initial reports suggest the train didn’t decelerate properly when entering the station and hit the station barrier’.

Around one hundred people were also left stranded following the incident, which took place at the Macugnaga cable car, in the Verbano-Cusio-Ossola region of Piedmont 

The Verbano-Cusio-Ossola region of Piedmont, Italy. (Stock image)

Besozzi reassured that none of the skiers were left with serious injuries, and that no one’s life is in danger due to the incident. 

‘We had a few people in the cabin; I can’t say exactly how many at this time, and the one with the most serious injuries is a 59-year-old man with a wound to his arm. Others suffered minor grazes,’ he said.

The ski lift, built in 1962, underwent a major overhaul in early 2023, including the replacement of motors, pulleys, and cabins. 

The work cost €2million, of which €1.8million was funded by the Piedmont Region and €200,000 by the Municipality of Macugnaga. 

This is a breaking news story. More to follow.

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Six injured and more than 100 stranded as cable car slams into mountain station barrier ‘after approaching 9,000ft summit too quickly’

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Channel Tunnel power failure causes chaos for Eurostar and Eurotunnel – The Mirror

Need to know

Passengers have been told not to travel by Eurostar today

Passengers have been told not to travel (Image: AFP via Getty Images)

Everything you need to know as Eurostar services and Eurotunnel Le Shuttle services hit with delays and cancellations

• Severe Travel Disruptions: Major power issues with the overhead supply in the Channel Tunnel have caused widespread travel chaos today. Both Eurostar and Le Shuttle services are experiencing significant delays and last-minute cancellations.
• “Do Not Travel” Advice: Eurostar and National Rail are strongly advising all passengers to postpone their journeys to a later date. They have warned travellers not to come to the stations unless absolutely necessary.
• Stranded Passengers: Some travellers have been trapped inside the tunnel for over four hours due to the power outage. Additionally, a Le Shuttle train reportedly failed inside the tunnel, further complicating the recovery efforts.
• Significant Delays at Terminals: Le Shuttle, which transports vehicles, is reporting delays of approximately three and a half hours at the Folkestone terminal. On the French side in Calais, wait times are currently estimated at around two hours.
• Widespread Cancellations: Multiple afternoon and evening services between London St Pancras and Paris Gare du Nord have already been officially cancelled. Officials warn that more cancellations are likely as the power issues persist.
• Ongoing Repairs: Engineers are currently working to resolve the overhead power supply fault, though no specific timeline for a full return to service has been provided. Passengers are encouraged to check live train status updates before attempting to travel.
• Compensation for Eurostar and Le Shutle passengers: For both Eurostar services and Le Shuttle passengers can claim compensation if they are delayed over one hour.
• Passengers delayed 60-119 minutes can claim 30% of their ticket price as a voucher or 25% as cash refund.
• Passengers delayed 120-179 minutes can claim 60% of ticket price as a voucher or 50% as cash refund.
• Passengers delayed over 180minutes can claim 75% of the ticket price as a voucher or 50% as a cash refund.
• Alternatively if the service is cancelled or delayed over an hour passengers can exchange their ticker for another date or request a refund with Eurostar.
• Eurotunnel Le Shuttle passengers maybe entitled to a voucher as compensation for delays over an hour and are urged to contact the customer service team.
• Follow our live blog for the latest updates: Eurostar delays LIVE: Passengers warned ‘do not travel’ as trains stuck in tunnel

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While the ceasefire has held since Saturday, Thailand says Cambodia violated the deal with drone flights over the border.

Thailand has said it is delaying the transfer of 18 captured Cambodian soldiers amid the Southeast Asian nations’ simmering border conflict due to alleged breaches of a renewed truce agreement, as the ceasefire passed the 72-hour mark that was supposed to trigger their release.

Thai Foreign Ministry spokesperson Nikorndej Balankura said on Tuesday that Bangkok had reconsidered the timing of the handover of the captured soldiers following the intrusion of Cambodian drones into Thai airspace on Sunday night.

“The consideration of date and time ‌of the release depends on the security side,” he said at a news conference, adding that the handover could “happen soon”.

Thailand’s military had previously accused Cambodia of violating the terms of the ceasefire over the drone issue, saying on Monday that more than 250 drones had entered its territory on Sunday night.

Asked about the delay in the soldiers’ ‌release, Cambodian government spokesperson Pen Bona said the situation was being monitored, and the government had no reaction yet, the Reuters news agency reported.

The handover of the troops, captured earlier in the latest outbreak of fighting between the two countries, was to have taken place if the ceasefire, which came into effect at noon (05:00 GMT) on Saturday, was observed for 72 hours.

The truce has held so far, halting ‍20 days of fighting that killed more than 100 people and displaced more than half a million on both sides, although the Thai Ministry of Foreign Affairs sent a formal protest to Cambodia ⁠after a Thai soldier lost a limb on Monday in a landmine blast at a border area.

Landmine incidents were among the triggers for the latest outbreak of the conflict, which roared back into life last month after five days of fighting in July that were halted by a truce brokered by the United States and Malaysia.

Thai Foreign Minister Sihasak Phuangketkeow said earlier on Tuesday that the ceasefire was fragile and needed both sides to avoid inflaming tensions.

“The ceasefire has only just been agreed, so there is fragility,” Sihasak told reporters. “We should avoid instigation or things that could diminish the ceasefire,” he said.

Many remain displaced despite ceasefire

Reporting from the Cambodian city of Poipet, near the border with Thailand, Al Jazeera’s Assed Baig said an uneasy calm had descended amid the ceasefire.

Hundreds of people had gathered in the heat, waiting for the distribution of essential aid amidst the truce.

While some Cambodians were returning to their homes, others said they were too scared or unable to.

“[Some] say they will stay put in the [internally displaced persons] camps because they’re still not certain that this ceasefire will hold,” he said.

“They’ve seen ceasefires before. They’ve seen them break down before.”

Others, he said, could not return home because Thai troops remained positioned in or near their villages, while for others, their homes had been destroyed in the fighting.

Under the terms of Saturday’s ceasefire agreement, the two sides agreed for their troops to remain in their current positions.

“Whilst there is calm … nobody here is calling this ceasefire stable or permanent yet,” said Baig.

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Russia shows no proof of alleged drone attack on Putin’s residence, Ukrainian foreign minister says

We are restarting our live coverage of Russia’s war in Ukraine and will bring you updates on the latest diplomatic efforts to bring the nearly four-year conflict to an end.

Kyiv has issued a fresh response to claims by Moscow that Ukrainian forces launched a drone attack on Vladimir Putin’s state residence in Russia’s northwestern Novgorod region.

In a post on X this morning, Ukraine’s foreign minister, Andrii Sybiha, said Russia “still hasn’t provided any plausible evidence” to back up its claim, which has been dismissed by Kyiv as a lie used to justify future Russian attacks and to derail peace talks.

Sybiha added that making “false claims” is a “signature tactic” deployed by Russia, which he says often accuses “others of what they themselves plan to do”.

Sybiha added:

We were disappointed and concerned to see the statements by Emirati, Indian, and Pakistani sides expressing their concerns regarding the attack that never happened.

It is even more surprising given that all three states failed to issue any official statements when a real Russian missile struck the real Ukrainian government building on September 7, 2025.

Sergei Lavrov said Ukraine launched an attack overnight using 91 long-range unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) on Putin’s state residence in the Novgorod region. Photograph: Mohamed Hossam/EPA

The claims of the alleged attack were first publicly aired by Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov, who said yesterday that Russian air defences had shot down 91 incoming drones overnight. “Such reckless actions will not go unanswered,” he added, condemning what he described as “state terrorism”.

Targets for retaliatory strikes against Ukraine had already been selected, he said. No damage or casualties were reported, nor were any pictures provided.

Lavrov’s claim came a day after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy met the US president, Donald Trump, for almost three hours in Florida to talk about a revised 20-point-plan to bring an end to the war.

Both leaders said progress had been made during the talks and stressed that the lengthy peace talks would continue. Trump, however, cautioned there were “one or two tough” outstanding issues, including over territory.

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Updated at 11.38 CET

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India’s prime minister, Narendra Modi, has said his country is “deeply concerned” after Moscow’s claim of a Ukrainian attack on an official home of Vladimir Putin.

He posted to X:

Deeply concerned by reports of the targeting of the residence of the President of the Russian Federation. Ongoing diplomatic efforts offer the most viable path toward ending hostilities and achieving peace.

We urge all concerned to remain focused on these efforts and to avoid any actions that could undermine them.

Kyiv dismissed the Russian report of a drone attack as baseless and said it is being used as a pretext to justify further attacks on Ukraine and to derail peace talks.

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Ukraine orders evacuation of northern border villages

Ukraine has ordered the evacuation of more than a dozen settlements in the northern Chernihiv region, which borders Belarus and has been the target of Russian shelling.

“At the defence council, a decision was made on mandatory evacuation from 14 border villages,” regional leader Viacheslav Chaus said, adding: “The border area is under daily shelling. Despite the real threat, 300 people still live there.”

Air defences in the region have less time to react to incoming attacks because it borders Russia to the north.

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Germany’s chancellor, Friedrich Merz, has echoed Donald Tusk’s optimistic tone regarding talks on ending the war in Ukraine.

He posted to X to confirm there had been “another round of consultations” with “European and Canadian partners”. It is not clear who was in the meeting.

“We are moving the peace process forward. Transparency and honesty are now required from everyone – including Russia,” Merz added in his post.

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Updated at 12.57 CET

Peace is on the horizon in Ukraine, Polish prime minister says

We have some comments from the Polish prime minister, Donald Tusk, who has been speaking to a government meeting. According to the Reuters news agency, he said:

Peace is on the horizon, there is no doubt that things have happened that give grounds for hope that this war can end, and quite quickly, but it is still a hope, far from 100% certain.

“When I say peace is on the horizon, I’m talking about the coming weeks, not the coming months or years. By January, we’ll all have to come together… to make decisions about the future of Ukraine, the future of this part of the world,” Tusk said, as he suggested that Kyiv would need to compromise on territorial issues.

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Updated at 13.33 CET

The future of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in Ukraine, which Russia took control of in March 2022, is one of the remaining sticking points in negotiations.

Almost all countries consider that it belongs to Ukraine but Russia says it is owned by Russia and a unit of Russia’s state-owned Rosatom nuclear corporation runs the plant.

Since Russia’s full-scale invasion was launched, there have been numerous safety concerns at the plant, including power outages and nearby shelling.

A monitoring mission from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has been stationed there for over three years, but Russian authorities have been accused of regularly restricting access to the plant, which is located in Enerhodar on the banks of the Dnipro river and the Kakhovka reservoir.

It is not currently producing electricity but relies on external power to keep the nuclear material cool and avoid a meltdown.

Both Russia and Ukraine regularly accuse one another of shelling the plant, risking a nuclear disaster.

Russian service member stands guard at a checkpoint near the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant in June 2023. Photograph: Alexander Ermochenko/ReutersShare

The Kremlin said on Monday that Ukraine should withdraw its troops from the part of Donbas that it still controls if it wanted peace and that if Kyiv did not reach a deal then it would lose more territory.

Moscow controls about 75% of the Donetsk region, and about 99% of the neighbouring Luhansk (known collectively as Donbas).

Zelenskyy said earlier this month that the US wanted Ukraine to withdraw its troops from the Donbas region, and Washington would then create a “free economic zone” in the parts Kyiv controls.

The Ukrainian leader said at the time that Ukraine did not believe the plan was fair without guarantees that Russian soldiers would not simply take over the zone after a Ukrainian withdrawal (you can read more on this here).

Service members of the Ukrainian armed forces take off a camouflage net from a BM-21 Grad multiple rocket launch system at their position in a frontline in the Donetsk region. Photograph: ReutersShare

Updated at 12.49 CET

The intensive diplomacy by European leaders can only achieve so much as the war is likely to continue until Kyiv and Moscow come to an agreement on territorial issues and the status of the Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant. More detail on both in later posts.

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Updated at 12.47 CET

According to reports, Polish prime minister Donald Tusk was due to kick off a meeting on Ukraine at 10:00 GMT with other European leaders. It is not clear who the attendees were but we will bring you the latest as soon as we have it.

In a social media post on Monday, Tusk, one of Ukraine’s staunchest allies, said that he had “nighttime talks” with other European leaders on the war.

He said seeing a “declaration” of US participation in security guarantees would be the marker of success in the negotiations to end the war. “But we are still far from the final talks,” the Polish leader added.

As a reminder, Donald Trump said after his Sunday meeting with Zelenskyy that Kyiv and Moscow are “closer than ever” to a peace deal and that 95% of the issues have been settled.

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Updated at 12.23 CET

Russia to harden its negotiating position after alleged drone attack, spokesperson says

Russia has so far stuck to its maximalist positions during the negotiations and has been accused of trying to prolong the war for its strategic advantage.

When asked about the alleged Ukrainian drone attack on one of Vladimir Putin’s presidential residence, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said earlier today that it was “aimed at collapsing the negotiation process”.

“The diplomatic consequence will be to toughen the negotiating position of the Russian Federation,” Peskov said.

“We see that Zelenskyy himself is trying to deny this, and many western media outlets, playing along with the Kyiv regime, are starting to spread the theme that this did not happen,” he added. “This is a completely insane assertion.”

When asked by journalists this morning, Peskov declined to say where Putin was at the time of the alleged attack, saying such details should not be made public.

When asked if Russia had physical evidence to back up its claims, he said air defences shot the drones down but that the question of wreckage was for the defence ministry.

Volodymyr Zelenskyy has dismissed the drone attack claim as “typical Russian lies”, concocted by Moscow as an excuse to continue attacks on Ukraine.

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Russia said yesterday it would review its position in peace negotiations after the alleged Ukrainian drone attack.

Earlier that day, Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that the US had offered Ukraine a 15-year security guarantee (even though he wanted guarantees for up to 50 years).

The White House did not immediately respond to these comments, which were made to reporters via WhatsApp as the Ukrainian leader returned to Europe from Florida.

But Trump sounded optimistic about getting closer to a peace agreement following his talks with Zelenskyy at Mar-a-Lago on Sunday.

Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Donald Trump during a press conference at the US president’s Mar-a-Lago club, in Palm Beach, Florida, on 28 December 2025. Photograph: Jonathan Ernst/Reuters

It is not clear what form the US security commitments would take, but Zelenskyy has been pushing for “article-5-like” security guarantees from Europe and the US, referring to Nato’s founding principle that an attack on one member should be seen as an attack on all.

Trump has ruled out deploying peacekeeping troops. Zelenskyy said the presence of international monitors in a postwar Ukraine was the best form of security and would provide reassurance to the country’s citizens.

European leaders said earlier this month that Europe is ready to lead a “multinational force” in Ukraine as part of a US proposal for a peace agreement.

The leaders of the UK, France, Germany and eight other European countries said troops from a “coalition of the willing” with US support could “assist in the regeneration of Ukraine’s forces, in securing Ukraine’s skies, and in supporting safer seas, including through operating inside Ukraine”.

In an interview with the Russian state news agency Tass published on Sunday, Russia’s foreign minister, Sergei Lavrov, said any European troop contingents sent to Ukraine would be considered by Russian forces as legitimate military targets.

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Updated at 12.09 CET

How did Trump react to the claims of the alleged drone attack on one of Putin’s residences?

My colleagues Luke Harding and Sammy Gecsoyler have reported on how Donald Trump, who has at times appeared favourable to the Russian side during negotiations, reacted to the claims of an alleged attack on one of Vladimir Putin’s residences. Here is an extract from their story:

The Kremlin’s latest bellicose threat appeared to be part of a KGB-style informational campaign directed at Russians and an impressionable White House. The Russian presidential adviser Yuri Ushakov claimed Putin briefed Trump about the alleged attack when they spoke on Monday.

Trump was “shocked” at the news, Ushakov claimed, with Russian officials alleging that Britain was also involved in what he described as “provocations”.

Ushakov’s characterisation of Trump rang true when, speaking at Mar-a-Lago on Monday afternoon, the US president told reporters the news made him “very angry”. “I don’t like it. It’s not good,” Trump said when asked if he was worried it could affect his efforts to broker peace.

“I learned about it from President Putin today,” he said, adding: “It’s a delicate period of time. This is not the right time. It’s one thing to be offensive, because they’re offensive. It’s another thing to attack his house. It’s not the right time to do any of that.”

When asked if there was any evidence of such an attack, Trump said: “We’ll find out. You’re saying maybe the attack didn’t take place? That’s possible, I guess, but President Putin told me this morning.”

Trump’s press secretary, Karoline Leavitt, described the conversation between him and Putin as “positive”. It followed a lengthy call between the two leaders on Saturday.

Donald Trump shakes hand with Vladimir Putin as they met in Anchorage, Alaska, in August 2025. Photograph: Kevin Lamarque/ReutersShare

Updated at 11.45 CET

Russia shows no proof of alleged drone attack on Putin’s residence, Ukrainian foreign minister says

We are restarting our live coverage of Russia’s war in Ukraine and will bring you updates on the latest diplomatic efforts to bring the nearly four-year conflict to an end.

Kyiv has issued a fresh response to claims by Moscow that Ukrainian forces launched a drone attack on Vladimir Putin’s state residence in Russia’s northwestern Novgorod region.

In a post on X this morning, Ukraine’s foreign minister, Andrii Sybiha, said Russia “still hasn’t provided any plausible evidence” to back up its claim, which has been dismissed by Kyiv as a lie used to justify future Russian attacks and to derail peace talks.

Sybiha added that making “false claims” is a “signature tactic” deployed by Russia, which he says often accuses “others of what they themselves plan to do”.

Sybiha added:

We were disappointed and concerned to see the statements by Emirati, Indian, and Pakistani sides expressing their concerns regarding the attack that never happened.

It is even more surprising given that all three states failed to issue any official statements when a real Russian missile struck the real Ukrainian government building on September 7, 2025.

Sergei Lavrov said Ukraine launched an attack overnight using 91 long-range unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) on Putin’s state residence in the Novgorod region. Photograph: Mohamed Hossam/EPA

The claims of the alleged attack were first publicly aired by Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov, who said yesterday that Russian air defences had shot down 91 incoming drones overnight. “Such reckless actions will not go unanswered,” he added, condemning what he described as “state terrorism”.

Targets for retaliatory strikes against Ukraine had already been selected, he said. No damage or casualties were reported, nor were any pictures provided.

Lavrov’s claim came a day after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy met the US president, Donald Trump, for almost three hours in Florida to talk about a revised 20-point-plan to bring an end to the war.

Both leaders said progress had been made during the talks and stressed that the lengthy peace talks would continue. Trump, however, cautioned there were “one or two tough” outstanding issues, including over territory.

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Updated at 11.38 CET

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Waves of jubilation crashed over the Mohammed V Stadium in Casablanca on Sunday, as Sudan’s male footballers celebrated their first victory in the Africa Cup of Nations for 13 years with their fans.

The African country secured a narrow 1-0 victory over Equatorial Guinea in their second group game of the 2025 tournament, which secured their passage to the last 16. They face Burkina Faso in their final group game on Wednesday.

As well as being their first AFCON win since 2012, this was only Sudan’s second win at the tournament since it won the trophy in 1970. Celebrations in fan zones at home were as heartfelt as those in Morocco. Fans waved national flags and honked their car horns. Hundreds chanted “Sudan! Sudan! Sudan!” and danced.

The Sudanese people are proud of their national team and proud of their homeland. “Playing and winning games makes our people at home happy. We try to put a little smile on their faces despite the difficulties they are going through,” explained midfielder Mohamed Abuaagla.

Joy in short supply in Sudan

Such scenes of joy have become increasingly rare in Sudan since April 2023, when a power struggle between the military and the powerful paramilitary Rapid Support Forces group escalated. Open fighting ensued, accompanied by widespread mass murder, rape and ethnically motivated violence.

The United Nations (UN) described the raging civil war as the worst humanitarian crisis in the world. “The war has destroyed many parts of the country and killed far too many innocent people,” said Abuaagla.

‘Do it for your country’

According to the UN, the conflict has claimed more than 40,000 lives so far, with aid organizations estimating the figure to be significantly higher. More than 14 million people have been displaced since the outbreak of war, while disease and famine continue to spread in parts of the country.

But the Sudanese national team has already defied the devastating situation just by qualifying for the tournament. “I keep telling the players: ‘Fight for your people back home. Make sure that the people in war-torn Sudan can feel at least a moment of joy,'” national team coach Kwesi Appiah explained. The 65-year-old said he couldn’t imagine a greater motivation.

Symbol of hope

For many Sudanese, Appiah’s team has become a symbol of hope and a rare source of joy, offering a momentary escape from the war.

“The team plays for all people in and outside Sudan,” Idris Ahmed told DW. Ahmed works at the Sudanese Embassy in Rabat and helps Sudanese people who have traveled to Morocco to find their way around the tournament.

Survivors of Sudan war recount harrowing scenes of terror

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He has high hopes that the performance of the ‘Falcons of Jediane,’ as the national team is also known, will have a positive impact on his troubled homeland.

“The players now face the challenge of putting a smile on the faces of the Sudanese people and helping them, if only for a moment, to forget the bitterness and pain of the ongoing war in Sudan,” Ahmed said.

Appiah targeting title

Ahmed also recalls the heyday of Sudanese footballers, who won the tournament in their homeland in 1970. Football has a great past to look back on, he explained. “There are exceptional circumstances at the moment but, God willing, Sudan will regain its former strength.”

Appiah is also trying to keep the focus on the sporting side of things after the victory over Equatorial Guinea. “Our goal is to win the title, not just to win a single match,” he stressed after the win in Casablanca.

The goals are ambitious. But even if they cannot be achieved, the players have already accomplished a great deal by participating in Morocco. “This team brings us joy, despite the pain we have suffered in Sudan over the last three years,” concluded Sudan fan Badr-Eddine Zambel.

This article was originally published in German.

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NEED TO KNOW

• Prince William became the Duke of Cornwall when King Charles ascended the throne in 2022
• His income for his second year was $30 million, according to a 2025 report from the Duchy of Cornwall
• The Duchy of Cornwall estate was established by King Edward III in 1337

Prince William’s role as Prince of Wales comes with significant financial resources.

A report from June 2025 revealed Prince William received a hefty $30 million for his second year’s income from the Duchy of Cornwall estate. The Duchy of Cornwall is a title and estate he inherited when his father, King Charles, ascended the throne in 2022.

The Duchy of Cornwall published its Integrated Annual Report for 2025 earlier this year, revealing a distributable surplus of £22.9 million ($30.9 million) for the 2024-2025 financial year, Prince William’s second year as the Duke of Cornwall. This sum covers the official, charitable and private expenses of Prince William, Kate Middleton and their three children.

As a working member of the royal family, the Prince of Wales doesn’t receive a traditional income. Instead, his annual expenses are largely covered by the Duchy of Cornwall, an estate established by King Edward III in 1337 to provide funds for the heir to the throne. This vast estate, worth over $1 billion, spans 130,000 acres across 23 counties in England and Wales and includes land, farms, houses and other assets to support the heir and their family.

Prince William visits the Duchy of Cornwall on May 10, 2024.

Ben Birchall-WPA Pool/Getty

When King Charles acceded to the throne in 2022, Prince William became the new Duke of Cornwall and head of the estate.

Prince William is understood to pay income tax on the entire income he receives from the Duchy of Cornwall, after subtracting household expenses, which have not been specified.

After Queen Elizabeth died, a royal source said that Prince William was “fully immersing himself” in his role as head of the Duchy of Cornwall. The Prince of Wales has made several stops in the estate since inheriting it, including an overnight trip in May 2024 when he visited the site of the Duchy of Cornwall’s innovative housing project aimed at addressing homelessness in Newquay.

Prince William visits the Duchy Of Cornwall on July 10, 2023.

Hugh Hastings – WPA Pool / Getty 

In 2024, the report from Prince William’s first full year in the role highlighted updates to his patronages, including a shift in his role at The Football Association. A dedicated football fan, he now serves as the patron of the FA, a position formerly held by his grandmother, Queen Elizabeth. William had been president of the FA since 2006, and the change reflects his senior role as Prince of Wales.

Additionally, Prince William assumed new patronages with the Welsh Guards Charity and the Royal Cornwall Agricultural Association, as well as becoming president of the Victoria Cross and George Cross Association. He also transitioned from president to patron of Fields in Trust.

Looking to the future, according to the 2025 Integrated Impact Report, the Duchy of Cornwall is still focused on “becoming a net zero estate by the end of 2032.”

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Victoria Beckham danced with her rarely-seen father Tony Adams during her family Christmas celebrations without her eldest son Brooklyn.

The former Spice Girl turned fashion designer, 51, shared pictures and videos from the festive day with her fans on social media.

In one heartwarming clip that has warmed fans’ hearts, Victoria can be seen dancing with her dad Tony at her Cotswolds home.

The duo enjoyed the sweet dance to the Bee Gees classic More Than A Woman as David twirling his daughter during the impromptu routine.

The rest of the clan could be seen watching on at the long table after they enjoyed their Christmas dinner.

Victoria had wowed in a grey satin dress for the big day, while Tony looked smart in a white suit shirt with black trousers.

Victoria Beckham danced with her rarely-seen father Tony Adams during her family Christmas celebrations without her eldest son Brooklyn

In one heartwarming clip that has warmed fans’ hearts, Victoria can be seen dancing with her dad Tony at her Cotswolds home

The duo enjoyed the sweet dance to the Bee Gees classic More Than A Woman as David twirling his daughter during the impromptu routine

Fans were left in awe of the sweet daughter and father moment, with one commenting: ‘Treasure this Victoria. I wish my dad was still here to dance with’;

‘Well, I can say her daddy sure knows how to dance. She’s so lucky to have a daddy’;

‘Awwwh, he’s trying to dance ballroom and she wants disco, but still absolutely gorgeous’;

‘What a darling man, so sweet. It’s clear Victoria and David are very close to their parents. Lovely’. 

During her Netflix documentary earlier this year, Victoria had praised Tony for her humble upbringing and work ethics. 

The star, who has a combined fortune of £500million with husband David, explained how her electric wholesaler dad ‘started with nothing’. 

‘He used to sit me and my brother and sister in a little production line, we would build things, plugs and electrical things,’ before the family piled in her dad’s van to ‘deliver what we had built… Dad worked so, so hard and he expected me to be the same.’ 

Meanwhile, the dancing continued over the festive period, with Victoria sharing a clip of husband David, 50, dancing with their daughter Harper, 14. 

During her Netflix documentary earlier this year, Victoria had praised Tony for her humble upbringing and work ethics (pictured in 2011)

Fans were left in awe of the sweet daughter and father moment

The dancing continued over the festive period, with Victoria sharing a clip of husband David, 50, dancing with their daughter Harper, 14

Victoria also posted a video of her and David dancing to Barbra Streisand and Barry Gibb’s song Guilty with the pointed lyrics: ‘We’ve got nothing to be sorry for’

Nicola Peltz had posted cosy Instagram photos of Brooklyn playing happy families with his in-laws, Nelson and Claudia Heffner Peltz, amid the ongoing feud with his parents

It saw them dance to the Kenny Rogers and Dolly Parton hit, Islands in the Stream, as the pair looked in great spirits as they smiled together.

Victoria also posted a video of her and David dancing to Barbra Streisand and Barry Gibb’s song Guilty with the pointed lyrics: ‘We’ve got nothing to be sorry for’.

She penned: ‘David and Victoria giving their very best Barry and Barbra on Christmas Day xxx kisses from us both xx @davidbeckham.’

Her message comes after estranged son Brooklyn, 26, blocked his mother and the rest of his family on social media amid their escalating family feud.

Brooklyn spent Christmas this year with wife Nicola Peltz’s billionaire parents in Miami, Florida.

She also appeared to make a pointed dig at the Beckhams as she shared cosy snaps of Brooklyn playing happy families with his in-laws, Nelson and Claudia Heffner Peltz.  

Posing in matching festive pyjamas with his wife, Brooklyn looked to be having the time of his life spending Christmas in the states.

‘We wish everyone a merry christmas and a happy new year filled with so much love, peace and happiness ❤️⭐️ ‘, Nicola captioned her post. 

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A feasibility study has concluded that a railway tunnel beneath the Strait of Gibraltar is technically viable, with Spain now commissioning blueprints for the ambitious project

Milo Boyd Deputy travel editor and Emily Wright

10:46, 30 Dec 2025

The tunnel would be bored beneath the nine-mile stretch of water separating southern Spain from Morocco(Image: Getty)

A colossal underwater tunnel linking Europe and Africa could finally be on the cards after the project received a major boost.

The ambitious project, which would see the tunnel burrow beneath the Strait of Gibraltar, has been reignited by Spain after being mooted by various governments for decades. Now scientists have declared that such an engineering feat is possible.

In October, a study commissioned by the Spanish Government and carried out by German tunnel experts Herrenknecht concluded that drilling a railway tunnel below the Strait would be technically achievable with current technology. Since then, Spanish consultancy firm Ineco has been tasked with drawing up a blueprint for the project by the end of next year, with hopes that Government approval could be granted as early as 2027.

The concept of creating a man-made link between Europe and Africa first surfaced in the 1970s, popping up intermittently in election campaigns and Government agendas since then, but no tangible steps have been taken until now. Previous proposals included the establishment of a joint Spain-Morocco committee in 1979 to assess the feasibility of the plan.

A tunnel between Europe and Africa under the Strait of Gibraltar is possible(Image: Getty)READ MORE: I stayed at UK’s worst hotel and used UV light in my windowless room – I wasn’t preparedREAD MORE: Wizz Air’s new £40 route to sun-drenched city that is ‘world’s best place to live’

The proposed tunnel, to be drilled beneath the nine-mile stretch of water separating southern Spain from Morocco, would take inspiration from the Eurotunnel, which opened in 1994 and links Britain to northern France under the English Channel.

The Herrenknecht report, formally commissioned by the Spanish Society for Studies on Fixed Communication across the Strait of Gibraltar (Secegsa), under the Ministry of Transport, has assessed the feasibility of constructing the railway tunnel in its most complex sections, especially under the Camarinal Threshold – an area with extremely difficult geological conditions.

The most recent cost estimate for the project is €8.5 billion (£7.4 billion), according to Voz Populi.

The project, featuring two separate railway tunnels each carrying trains in one direction, is set to connect Punta Paloma in Cadiz with Morocco’s Cape Malabata, near Tangier. The tunnel would span roughly 26 miles, with nearly 17 miles of the route submerged underwater, reports the Express.

It’s also projected to reach a depth of 1,540 feet – significantly deeper than the Channel Tunnel, which only dips to 246 feet below sea level. Upon completion, the journey is estimated to take about 30 minutes by train, with the capacity to carry both passengers on high-speed AVE trains and freight.

The project faces significant technical challenges, particularly due to its location at the boundary between the Eurasian and African tectonic plates along the Azores-Gibraltar fault line, Morocco World News reports.

If given the green light, fieldwork is anticipated to commence in 2030, with the main construction phase scheduled for between 2035 and 2040. However, these dates could be subject to change.

While initial plans aimed to complete the tunnel by 2030, coinciding with the FIFA World Cup co-hosted by Spain, Portugal, and Morocco, experts have since stated that this timeline is unrealistic, given the project’s complexity and its current preliminary stage of studies.

The current proposed route, from Punta Paloma to Cape Malabata, comes after decades of discarded proposals, including an early concept for a suspension bridge. This type of connection was eventually ruled out due to the Strait’s depth, seismic activity and extreme wind conditions.

The project is being jointly managed by SECEGSA and its Moroccan counterpart, SNED (National Society for Strait Studies). Both organizations are working to establish a reliable rail connection for passengers and freight between Europe and North Africa.

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The two men accused of committing the Bondi Beach antisemitic terror attack “acted alone”, Australian police have said.

A vehicle of one of the accused had been found with homemade Islamic State (IS) flags but authorities say the father and son were not part of a “broader terrorist cell”.

Fifteen people died and dozens more were injured when gunmen opened fire on more than 1,000 people celebrating the Jewish festival Hanukkah on 14 December.

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‘Everything in my body and brain asked me to go and defend innocent lives,’ said Ahmed al Ahmed.

The bystander hailed as a hero for intercepting and disarming one of the gunmen has told CBS News why he intervened and how he “couldn’t handle” hearing children, men and women screaming.

“Everything in my organs, in my body, in my brain asked me to go and to defend and to save innocent life,” said Ahmed al Ahmed.

“I risked my life for innocent humans”, he added, describing how he jumped on the back of a gunman, hit him and took the gun.

One of the alleged perpetrators, Naveed Akram, faces 59 charges – including 15 counts of murder – while his father, Sajid, was shot dead by police at the scene.

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

Ms Barrett repeated her belief that they were inspired by IS.

‘Opportunity to show defiance’

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

New South Wales Police said “all available resources” would be used for the event with more than 2,500 officers on duty in Sydney.

New South Wales premier Chris Minns called on people to attend the traditional fireworks at Sydney Harbour.

“What the terrorists hope is that people crawl up in a ball and don’t go about living their normal lives, but we need to show defiance in the face of this evil and the best way of doing that is to spend some time with your friends and your family on New Year’s Eve on Sydney Harbour,” he said.

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

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Israeli attacks, violating a ceasefire agreement, are reported across Gaza, as Palestinian misery compounded by rains.

Israeli forces have carried out strikes across the Gaza Strip as they continue with their near-daily violations of the ceasefire agreement, with Israel’s genocidal war on the besieged enclave continuing apace and displaced Palestinians enduring the destruction of their few remaining possessions in flooding brought about by heavy winter rains.

Israeli air strikes on Tuesday targeted locations north of Rafah and east of Khan Younis, the Maghazi camp in central Gaza and Beit Lahiya in the north of the Strip, Al Jazeera’s Hind Khoudary reported.

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Reporting from Gaza City, Khoudary said artillery shelling had been reported in the territory’s southern and central regions, while there had also been an attack in the Gaza City neighbourhood of Shujayea, striking close to the tent of a displaced family.

She said the latest attacks, in violation of the United States-brokered ceasefire that came into force in October, numbering nearly 1,000 now, were coming at a time of immense hardship for hundreds of thousands of displaced Palestinians, as heavy rains and strong winds had ravaged their makeshift camps, destroying the few possessions they had left.

Gaza’s Government Media Office said on Sunday that Israel had committed 969 ceasefire violations since it came into effect on October 10, resulting in the deaths of 418 civilians and injuries to more than 1,100.

“Palestinians are still very traumatised and anxious,” Khoudary said. “The situation on the ground continues to deteriorate as the rain continues.”

Displaced Palestinian children shelter inside a flooded tent in the Bureij refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip on December 29, 2025 [Eyad Baba/AFP]

Calls to allow supplies in

Aid groups have repeatedly called for Israeli authorities to lift restrictions to allow more supplies, including shelter equipment, into the territory, where displaced families have been trying to stay dry in flimsy, battered tents that offer scant protection from the elements after months of use.

“Families here are helpless while the Israeli authorities continue to restrict all kinds of shelter into the Gaza Strip,” Khoudary said.

Officials have warned that the severe conditions also bring new dangers, with the threat of disease and illness as overwhelmed and damaged sewage systems contaminate floodwaters, as well as the risk that buildings could collapse amid heavy rain and wind.

At least two people have been killed by damaged structures falling amid the severe weather in recent days.

‘We are still suffering’

In a displacement camp east of Deir el-Balah in central Gaza, heavy rain in recent days has left tents submerged in muddy water, destroying the few possessions that the families had taken with them from their homes.

Inside the tents, an Al Jazeera team found essential items like pillows, mattresses and bedcovers soaked in muddy water.

“The tent has been flooded,” said Mohammed al-Louh, a resident.

“I took my family out, but I couldn’t even get a blanket, a mattress or a bag of flour. I have no way to sleep with my children or keep them warm.”

Another man, Haitham Arafat, said he had lost his son and daughter as well as his home to Israel’s genocidal war, and was still suffering amid the severe conditions.

“I fled to this place. Does this mean the war is over?” he said.

“No, we are still suffering. We haven’t slept for two days because of the heavy rain.”

Reporting from the camp, Al Jazeera’s Ibrahim al-Khalili said the winter storms had brought a new “chapter of suffering” for Palestinians who had been plunged into a humanitarian crisis by Israel’s war.

“What was meant to be a temporary shelter for them has turned into a flooded trap,” he said.

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Unite’s general secretary, Sharon Graham, has told the government it must do more for workers in 2026 or risk sowing the seeds of its own destruction.

Graham accused Labour of being preoccupied with its “failing leadership” and described the debate about who might replace Keir Starmer as inevitable.

Writing in the Times, she said: “For too long it has been everyday people, workers and communities who have paid the price for crisis after crisis not of their making. In 2026 this must stop. The government needs to decide what it stands for and who it stands for. If we have to ask, it is not working.

“The party faithful can agonise about its failing leadership and a ‘night of the long knives’. But a new Labour leadership with the same policies simply won’t cut it. The doom loop cannot be broken with more austerity lite, no matter who is in Downing Street.

“Britain needs vision. We led the first Industrial Revolution and we are nowhere in the fourth. Rudderless.”

Graham said the next prime minister would face the same problems unless they undertook a shift in policy, and that replacing Starmer with the former deputy prime minister, Angela Rayner; the mayor of Greater Manchester, Andy Burnham; the health secretary, Wes Streeting, or the energy secretary, Ed Miliband, would not persuade workers to back Labour.

“It cannot just be a question of changing the leader or improving the sales pitch,” she said. “There is much agonising right now about whether, when and who should replace the prime minister. That is inevitable.”

Unite, Labour’s most powerful union backer, was the only union that did not endorse the party’s manifesto “as it did not back jobs”, Graham said.

“We fought back on the winter fuel allowance cut and the self-harm of net zero targets that came without the needed investment in new industries. Trade unions are there to fight for workers, not to side with politicians,” she said.

“In the recent budget, Labour opting for stealth taxes on workers instead of a wealth tax on the mega-rich was the wrong choice. Labour must stop being embarrassed to be the voice of workers.

“In the coming year, if this government does not depart from its current path, it will surely be sowing the seeds of its own destruction.”

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Kelly Ngand

Jake Kwon,Seoul correspondent

Watch: ‘Trusting time’ – NewJeans discusses court ruling in record label dispute

Chart-topping K-pop band NewJeans is losing one of its members in what is yet another twist in the group’s bitter year-long feud with its record label.

Ador announced on Monday that they had “terminated” their contract with 20-year-old Danielle Marsh and the return of Minji remains uncertain, leaving the band with three members.

On Tuesday, local media reported that Ador is suing Danielle, her family member, and ex-boss Min Hee-jin for $32m in damages. None of them have spoken publicly yet. The BBC has reached out to Hybe, Ador’s parent company, for comment.

Coming less than two months after reports that NewJeans would return to the label as a band of five, this news dashes fans’ hopes of a comeback.

Many took to social media with the slogan: “NewJeans is five or nothing, while others questioned why Danielle was singled out.

“Does this make any sense??? NewJeans without Danielle isn’t NewJeans. Do you think you can just erase a member this easily? Give us back Danielle,” one wrote in an X post.

“It’s not fair at all. Free NewJeans [all 5 members],” another wrote on Instagram. “All they wanted to do was to be [artists] and make their fans happy.”

NewJeans, which became the eighth biggest-selling act in the world a year after their debut in 2022, were seen as a game-changer by critics for their blend of 1990s R&B and sugar-coated pop melodies.

Then came a dramatic fallout with Ador in 2024, sparked by the controversial dismissal of the agency’s former CEO Min Hee-jin, whom NewJeans regarded as a mentor.

The move shook the K-pop world, setting off a battle between hugely successful and very young stars – they are between 17 and 21 years of age – and a South Korean entertainment giant, Hybe, which owns Ador.

NewJeans accused Ador of “mistreatment” and “deliberate miscommunications and manipulation”, then announced they would leave the agency. Ador in turn launched a lawsuit blocking their departure, which it won in October this year. A district court ruled that NewJeans must honour their contract with the label which runs until 2029.

A month later, local media reports indicated that all five members would return to the agency.

Getty Images

NewJeans have delivered remarkable success since they debuted in July 2022

Then in a surprising turn, Ador issued a statement on Monday, saying it would take legal action against a family member of Danielle’s and Min, who founded the label and created NewJeans before her dramatic departure.

Both of them, Ador claims, “bear significant responsibility” for the fallout between the agency and the K-pop group.

Monday’s statement did not mention a lawsuit against Danielle, saying only that Ador had decided it was difficult to continue working with her, and told her they would be ending the contract.

Ador also claimed that NewJeans’ members had been “exposed to persistently distorted and biased information” which led to “significant misunderstandings” about the label.

That statement named two other NewJeans members: Hanni, who it said decided to remain with the label after “extended conversations” which included her family, and Minji, who is still in “ongoing conversations” with the agency.

It’s been a whirlwind for fans, especially since Ador initially announced in November that only two members, Hyein and Haerin, would return to the agency, sparking fears the group would split up.

These fears were allayed when Hanni, Danielle and Minji said in a separate statement hours later that they too would return – but only for a short time, as it turns out.

Getty Images

Ador announced on Monday would terminate its contract with NewJeans member Danielle Marsh

“NewJeans is a very important group that changed the world of female K-pop acts. For the music listeners and fans, it has been the hope to see their return as a full five-member team. That’s no longer possible,” music critic Lim Hee-yun told the BBC, adding that this outcome would not “make anyone happy”.

Mr Lim believes Ador would be pressured to recruit new members into the group, especially if Minji also leaves the label.

It is hard for three-member groups to find success in the K-pop industry, where fans pay close attention to the relationships and chemistry between members.

Danielle’s future as a musician is also uncertain.

“Not only will there be a large part of the public that see her negatively [because of this controversy], but the record labels will too… She might need to pursue being a solo act as an actor, model, or an influencer,” Mr Lim said.

Additional reporting by Leehyun Choi and Hosu Lee in Seoul

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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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