Israel says it has launched a strike in Beirut, Lebanon, targeting a Hezbollah commander that it blamed for a deadly attack in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights.

At least one person was killed and several others injured in the strike, according to Lebanese state news agency NNA. The injured, including some with serious wounds, have been taken to nearby hospitals.

Israel’s Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said “Hezbollah crossed the red line” in a social media post minutes after the Israeli military claimed responsibility for the strike on Tuesday.

Israel’s national security minister Itamar Ben-Gvir said in a separate post on his official X account that “every dog shall have his day.”

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said it had “carried out a targeted strike in Beirut, on the commander responsible for the murder of the children in Majdal Shams and the killing of numerous additional Israeli civilians.”

It did not provide details about how the strike was carried out.

An Israeli official identified the target of the strike as Fu’ad Shukr, also known as al-Hajj Mohsin. Shukr is a senior adviser to Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah, according to the US government website. He serves in the highest military rank of the Iranian-backed militant group.

Israel wanted to send “a very strong message” with tonight’s strike, according to a senior Israeli official, but hopes to avoid further escalation.

The Iranian Embassy in Lebanon denounced the Israeli strike on Beirut, calling it “cowardly and sinful Israeli aggression” that “claimed the lives of a number of martyrs and wounded,” in a post on X.

NNA said the attack was conducted by a drone that fired three missiles.

According to Hezbollah-run Al Manar TV agency, the strike hit the southern suburbs of the Lebanese capital, a populous area that is a stronghold of the militant group.

Video from Reuters showed the aftermath of the strike in southern Beirut. Emergency responders and bystanders can be seen walking in streets covered in rubble, bricks and other debris. Multiple vehicles parked on one street appear to have been damaged by falling debris from surrounding buildings.

Israel vowed earlier this week that Hezbollah would “pay the price” for a rocket attack on a soccer field that killed 12 children and injured 44 people in the town of Majdal Shams near the Syrian and Lebanese borders.

Israel and the United States have said the rocket was fired by Hezbollah forces in Lebanon. Hezbollah denied responsibility for the strike but did say it had fired at Israeli military targets in the area.

A new close-up video emerged Tuesday showing the moment the football pitch was struck. It shows children playing in a small park next to the pitch as sirens start to blare. The youngsters appear anxious but do not initially seek shelter.

Then the sound of the incoming rocket can be heard, quickly becoming deafening, before it smashes into the ground just meters from the camera and appearing to knock the girl holding the phone to the ground. For a split second, the camera captures a huge fireball triggered by the blast.

Children are heard screaming before they run to shelter behind a wall, along with others. “Mom! Mom!” she screams as she runs to safety, as an alarm, perhaps set off by the blast, can be heard. The video ends about 30 seconds after the rocket struck.

Fears of all-out war

The attack Saturday sparked fears that an all-out war could envelop the region.

Israel informed the United States before carrying out the strike, according to a source familiar with the matter. The source said the heads up was conveyed through security channels, but did not say when it was given.

The last time Israel struck the Lebanese capital was in January, when it killed a senior figure from Hamas, the Palestinian militant group it has been warring with in Gaza since the October 7 attacks. It was a precise strike that took out an office in a building and caused little other damage.

Tuesday’s attack is of a different caliber, marking the largest Israeli escalation with the powerful Lebanese militant group since October 8.

Previously, months of tit-for-tat attacks between Israel and Hezbollah had largely been confined to areas near the border between Lebanon and Israel.

This is a developing story and will be updated.

Nollywood, Nigeria’s vibrant film industry, is setting its sights on achieving global recognition akin to the meteoric rise of Afrobeats.

As the third-largest film industry in the world by number of films produced annually, Nollywood has long been a significant cultural force within Africa.

The industry’s roots date back to the early 1990s, when enterprising filmmakers began producing low-budget, direct-to-video movies that resonated deeply with local audiences.

Over the years, Nollywood has evolved, embracing higher production values and more diverse narratives, capturing the attention of global audiences and streaming giants like Netflix and Amazon.

Global aspirations

Today, Nollywood is not just about entertainment; it’s about cultural representation and storytelling on a grand scale. “It’s time for the world to receive our stories and content,” says Toyosi Etim-Effiong, a key figure in the industry and founder of That Good Media talent management agency.

The global success of Afrobeats, with artists like Burna Boy, Wizkid and Davido achieving international acclaim, serves as both inspiration and a blueprint for Nollywood, says Ettim-Effiong, who has taken a delegation of Nollywood stars to the Essence Film Festival for the past three years.

Similarly, Nollywood aims to captivate global audiences, not just with entertainment but also by sharing African culture and stories on a larger scale, Etim-Effiong adds.

Nollywood at the Essence Film Festival

At the Essence Film Festival, a recent addition to the wider festival celebrating Black culture and achievements, Nollywood stars and stakeholders discussed their vision for international expansion.

The festival provided a prominent platform for Nollywood to showcase its potential and engage in meaningful dialogues about the industry’s future.

“It’s important to me that Nigerian and African stories are told in a way that is authentic to us,” Etim-Effiong says. “I facilitate opportunities like this where our stories, content, and key players can get a seat at the table … that way the rest of the world gets to know about us and we get to know how similar we are (to the rest of the world). Nollywood is open for partnerships.”

Veteran Nollywood stars like Omotola Jalade-Ekeinde and Uche Jombo, along with new talents like child star Simisola Gbadamosi and Nollywood heartthrob Eso Dike, took part in a panel on the importance of bridging cultures through storytelling.

Jalade-Ekeinde, a member of the Academy, the Oscars awards voting body, emphasized the importance of portraying African realities.

“We are telling our stories and defining how we want to be seen,” she said. “I’ve been advocating for our voices to be heard and respected. It’s time for change.”

Gbadamosi, 13, fresh from her role in Disney’s first African animation collaboration, “Iwaju,” echoed these sentiments, highlighting the industry’s role in providing authentic narratives, one that she hopes to contribute to as a writer one day.

Pushing the boundaries

The industry is not just about its stars; it’s also about the innovative directors and producers pushing the boundaries of what Nollywood can achieve. Editi Effiong is one such individual, whose revenge thriller “The Black Book” has set new benchmarks for the industry.

Produced on a modest budget of $1 million (a record at the time for Nollywood) the movie soared to No. 3 on Netflix’s global film charts in 2023, garnering over 20 million views worldwide.

“We spent time on the scripts, we spent about two years writing and preparing the script. Usually, Nollywood films are shot over two to three weeks. We shot this over four months,” he said.

Effiong attributes the film’s success to meticulous planning and a commitment to quality: “We did everything to the highest standards, from scriptwriting to filming,” he told The Hollywood Reporter.

Effiong’s success story exemplifies the new wave of Nollywood filmmakers who are not afraid to invest time and resources into creating high-quality productions that can compete on the global stage.

Film industry veteran Moses Babatope recently announced the launch of Nile Media Entertainment Group, a new production and distribution studio run by an all-star cast of female executives.

As Etim-Effiong of That Good Media puts it: “Nollywood has no shortage of talent and ambition and there’s so much development and investment going in right now. Our time has come.”

Palestinians who fled the southern Gazan city of Khan Younis just over a week ago started to return to their homes Tuesday to find extensive destruction, with many homes and multistory buildings reduced to ruins, after the Israeli military withdrew its forces.

“We heard that the Israelis had withdrawn, and we are walking to see what happened,” one resident, Najm Abu Assi, said.

The Israeli military withdrew from eastern Khan Younis more than a week after an incursion and heavy bombardment that killed dozens of Palestinians and forced thousands of others to flee.

Israeli forces had issued an evacuation order in parts of Khan Younis on July 22, saying it was “about to forcefully operate against the terrorist organizations” that it said were firing rockets from neighborhoods south of the city.

The directive resulted in what international aid groups said was a “mass displacement.” More than 150,000 people fled, according to United Nations estimates, many on foot or on donkey carts, leaving virtually all their possessions behind.

Ibrahim Muhammad Abu Adwan, 60, left Bani Suheila with his family in early July after they saw an Israeli tank near their house, and he received an evacuation order from the Israeli authorities on his cell phone.

“We did not get the chance to take our clothes or take anything. We went out with just ourselves and the clothes that were on us,” he said, gesturing to the shirt he was wearing.

Adwan returned to the neighborhood to find his home had been destroyed. He was told it had been hit last Wednesday.

“The destruction is massive,” he said. “Look at my neighbors. The… whole neighborhood is destroyed. They destroyed an entire neighborhood.”

Prior to Hamas’ October 7 attack on Israel, Khan Younis – Gaza’s second-largest city – had been home to more than 400,000 people, according to Gaza’s Ministry of Interior.

In the early days of the war, it became a haven for thousands of civilians who were fleeing Israeli military operations in the north of Gaza. But when Israeli forces began an assault on Khan Younis in early December, those living there were forced to seek refuge further south.

Another Bani Suheila resident, Um Yahya, said her family had returned to see if any of their belongings were left. “At first, our house was destroyed, and then even the tents were gone… We’re going to check our stuff to see if any of our stuff is left,” she said.

Some families were seen setting up tents amid the ruins, with dust filling the air. A group of men could be seen carrying a body bag.

Teams working for Gaza’s civil defense directorate recovered 42 bodies in the Bani Suheila area after the Israeli military withdrawal, the organization said on Tuesday.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) confirmed Monday that it had “completed their operational activity” in Khan Younis, saying troops had killed Hamas militants and destroyed tunnels and weapons sites in the area.

“Over the past week, the troops have eliminated over 150 terrorists, dismantled terror tunnels, weapons storage facilities, and terrorist infrastructure, and located weapons,” the IDF said in a statement, also noting that it had retrieved from Khan Younis the bodies of five hostages and brought them back to Israel.

On Monday, medical charity Médecins Sans Frontières called on “all warring parties” to ensure safe access to the Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis – the largest remaining medical facility in southern Gaza. The hospital was providing care for an estimated 550 patients, including newborns and pregnant women, it said.

Russian forces are inching toward the strategically important city of Pokrovsk in eastern Ukraine, threatening a vital Ukrainian supply line as Moscow continues its slow, grinding offensive.

Russia has been stretching Ukrainian defenses across the entire eastern front line for months, trying to capture as much territory as possible before new Ukrainian recruits and fresh batches of Western weapons start arriving on the battlefield.

The gains made by Russia have been largely incremental – the front line has barely moved in the past few months – but the recent advance toward Pokrovsk has Ukraine and its allies worried.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky acknowledged the difficult situation in his nightly address to the nation on Sunday, saying Ukrainian troops were facing “extremely challenging” realities in that area.

“It is in the Pokrovsk direction that there have been the biggest number of Russian assaults these weeks – the most intense enemy attacks are precisely there and everyone who stops these Russian strikes and destroys this Russian offensive potential is performing one of the most important missions in this war,” Zelensky said.

Analysts at the United States-based Institute for the Study of War (ISW) said Tuesday that Russian troops have recently made “significant tactical advances” in the area, which sits just northwest of Avdiivka, the previously fiercely contested town that Ukrainian troops withdrew from in February.

Russian forces were about 20 kilometers (12 miles) from Pokrovsk on Tuesday, according to the ISW, continuing what it called “intensive efforts to advance and conduct a limited tactical encirclement of Ukrainian forces in the Pokrovsk direction.”

Pokrovsk is not a major city – about 60,000 people lived there before the war and many have left since the start of the full-scale invasion. But it serves as a key hub for the Ukrainian military, thanks to its easy access to Kostiantynivka, another military center. The road connecting the two is used by the Ukrainians to resupply troops on the frontlines and evacuate casualties toward Dnipro.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has made it clear that his goal is to seize all of the eastern Ukrainian regions of Luhansk and Donetsk.

Kostiantynivka is the southernmost part of a belt of four Ukrainian cities – with Druzhkivka, Kramatorsk and Sloviansk – that form the backbone of Ukraine’s defenses of the region, which is why any progress of Russian troops toward Kostiantynivka is worrying.

The Russian Defense Ministry said its forces captured the Ukrainian villages of Lozuvatske over the weekend and Vovche on Monday. Both of them are about 15 kilometers (nine miles) from the road between Kostiantynivka and Pokrovsk.

Kyiv said its troops are fighting hard to push Russian troops back – adding Tuesday that the Ukrainian Armed Forces prevented 52 attacks in the direction of Pokrovsk in the past 24 hours.

It is unlikely the pressure will ease any time soon.

Ukraine finally started to receive new batches of US weapons in May, following months of delays, and it has recruited thousands of new soldiers that are currently in training and are expected to start arriving at the front lines in the fall.

The combination of the two should give Ukraine a much-needed boost and Russia’s strategy appears to be to slow this down as much as possible.

By pushing ahead and making these gradual, seemingly incremental advances along the more than 600-mile-long (1,000-kilometer) front line, Russia is forcing Ukraine to commit to defensive operations rather than gear up for a counteroffensive.

The United Kingdom was left shaken after three children were stabbed to death and eight others were injured in a knife attack in Southport, in one of the worst assaults against children in the country in decades.

The attack took place at a Taylor Swift themed event at a dance school in the seaside town in northwest England, sparking disbelief over why would anyone target children having fun during the summer holiday.

Prime Minister Keir Starmer said the “whole country” was deeply shocked by the “truly awful” attack, while King Charles III said he was “profoundly shocked” by the “utterly horrific incident.”

Here is what we know about the attack.

What happened?

The police said Monday that two girls, aged 6 and 7, were killed and six of the nine that were injured were in critical condition. A day later, the police said another child, a 9-year-old girl, died as a result of her injuries early Tuesday morning.

Two adults were also critically injured, police said, adding that they suffered their injures because they “were bravely trying to protect the children who were being attacked.”

Merseyside Police said the attack took place at a Taylor Swift event at a dance school in Southport on Monday morning, and the force said it received a call for help just before midday. Emergency services, including 13 ambulances and other specialized resources, were sent to the scene and a “major incident” was declared.

Suspect arrested – but no motive known yet

The police said a 17-year-old minor was arrested at the scene on “suspicion of murder and attempted murder.” He was taken to the police station and was being interviewed on Tuesday morning, the police said.

Merseyside Police’s Chief Constable Serena Kennedy said the suspect was from Banks in Lancashire and was originally from Cardiff in Wales.

She said the suspect was armed with a knife when he walked into the school in Southport, but give no other details on him or his apparent motive, other than saying the attack was not being treated as terror-related.

Worst mass stabbing attack against kids

The incident on Monday is the worst mass stabbing attack targeting children in the UK in decades – and possibly ever. While knife crime has risen across the country over the past decade – with a slight dip during the pandemic years – mass stabbing incidents are extremely rare.

The number of knife crimes in England rose to 48,341 in the year to April 2024, from 27,667 in the year to April 2014, according for the Office for National Statistics. More than a quarter of the incidents took place in London.

But children have been targeted in the UK in other types of attacks. Several children, including an 8-year old girl were killed in a terror attack at the concert of pop singer Ariana Grande in Manchester in May 2017.

And 16 children aged between 5 and 6 were murdered in a school shooting in the Scottish town of Dunblane in 1996. The massacre stunned the country and led to a ban on the private ownership of all handguns in mainland Britain.

What has been the reaction?

Many in the area and across the country were left in disbelief after learning about what happened. Southport is a small seaside resort and a popular summer destination for families.

Local business owner Colin Parry was one of the people who called the police, and said the incident in Southport was like a “scene in a horror movie,” according to PA Media.

“It’s like something from America, not like sunny Southport,” Parry said.

Taylor Swift, whose music was the theme of the dance class that was targeted by the attack, said Tuesday she was “completely in shock.”

“The horror of yesterday’s attack in Southport is washing over me continuously, and I’m just completely in shock. The loss of life and innocence, and the horrendous trauma inflicted on everyone who was there, the families, and first responders. These were just little kids at a dance class. I am at a complete loss for how to ever convey my sympathies to these families,” Swift wrote on Instagram on Tuesday.

Taylor Swift has said she is “completely in shock” after a stabbing attack at a dance class celebrating the US singer’s music in Southport, England left two children dead and others injured.

The singer wrote on Instagram that “the horror of yesterday’s attack in Southport is washing over me continuously, and I’m just completely in shock.”

“The loss of life and innocence, and the horrendous trauma inflicted on everyone
who was there, the families, and first responders,” she added. “These were just little kids at a dance class.”

The rampage has stunned Britain and left police rapidly attempting to establish why such an unusually devastating incident took place in the nation, where gun ownership is heavily restricted but knife crime has been described as a “national crisis.”

“I am at a complete loss for how to ever convey my sympathies to these families,” Swift wrote in her Instagram post.

Merseyside Police’s Chief Constable Serena Kennedy said six of the injured children are in critical condition and the attack also left two adults in critical condition.

Kennedy added that police understand the attacker walked into the premises armed with a knife and started to attack the children.

“We believe that the adults who were injured were bravely trying to protect the children who were being attacked,” she said at a news conference on Monday evening.

This is a developing story. It will be updated.

In some of Africa’s major cities, young people are experiencing a summer of discontent as anger and frustration erupt over corruption, the soaring cost of living, and widespread unemployment.

The protests began in Kenya last month, where young people – particularly Gen Z – engaged in six weeks of demonstrations over an unpopular bill that sought to raise taxes. At least 50 people died as a result.

President William Ruto retracted the bill and announced a shake-up of his cabinet following pressure from demonstrators who remained on the streets, saying they were unhappy about alleged corruption and police brutality in his government. There have been some calls for him to resign.

Kenya, East Africa’s dominant economy, has grappled with escalating living costs that have spiked food prices and other commodities, amid a rising unemployment rate among the country’s youth. The nation also owes billions of dollars in foreign and local debts, spending a sizeable chunk of its revenue repaying its creditors.

The unrest swiftly spread to neighboring Uganda, where citizens attempted to march to the parliament in the capital, Kampala, on July 23 and 25. Security forces responded with a heavy clampdown, detaining more than 100 people, according to police reports.

Those protesting are angry about widespread government corruption in the country, which loses an estimated Sh. 10 trillion ($2.7 billion) in public funding to graft annually, according to Ugandan anti-corruption body the Inspectorate of Government (IG).

Radio host Faiza Fabz, who joined the protests, said on social media that the demonstration was an “opportunity to change the course of our nation” and “force the leaders to finally listen to us and demands of the people.”

Some of those demands include “auditing the lifestyle” of MPs “and publicizing it,” and the resignation of lawmakers involved in corruption scandals, according to a newspaper front page she shared on social media platform X. Fabz was among the demonstrators detained by the Ugandan police.

Uganda has witnessed some stability in its economy following “an oil-related construction boom and robust growth of agriculture,” according to the World Bank.

But it has also grappled with endemic corruption, scoring 26 last year on Transparency International’s Corruption Perceptions Index, which ranks countries on a scale of zero to 100, with zero meaning “highly corrupt” and 100 signifying that a country is “very clean.”

Several high-profile Ugandan politicians were sanctioned by the United States and the United Kingdom for corruption earlier this year, including the speaker of the country’s parliament, Anita Annet Among, whom the protesters called on to resign.

President Yoweri Museveni, 79, who has ruled Uganda with an iron fist for nearly four decades, warned the protesters they were “playing with fire,” and later praised the security forces for “foiling” the protests, and claiming without evidence that they were orchestrated with “funding from foreign sources.”

‘Reality check for African leaders’

In Africa’s most populous country, Nigeria, young people are also planning an “end bad governance” march on August 1.

Young Nigerians calling for protests want a respite from the country’s economic woes as inflation skyrockets to more than 34%, its highest level in nearly 30 years, causing one of the nation’s worst ever cost-of-living crises. Unemployment in the West African nation has also been on the rise, its data office said in its most recent report, in February.

They also want the country’s security problems curbed amid a rise in kidnappings for ransom, among other demands, which include “reducing the cost of living, curbing insecurity, reducing the cost of governance, electoral reform, judicial reform, and constitutional reform,” according to a signed statement from a group of civil society organizations.

Human rights lawyer Inibehe Effiong said in an interview with Arise Television on Sunday: “People are tired, people are hungry…. Why does the president have to wait till the 1st of August? He can start this moment to effect the changes that people are asking for.”

The last time a major protest occurred in Nigeria, security forces opened fire on unarmed protesters who were peacefully demonstrating against alleged police brutality, resulting in deaths and injuries.

Fearful of a repeat of the 2020 #EndSARS protests, Nigerian President Bola Tinubu has called for calm and implored citizens not to take to the streets.

He warned that the planned protest “could degenerate into violence and set the country backwards,” alleging that the upcoming march was being instigated by citizens with dual nationality.

“The sponsors of protests do not love our country … They do not understand citizenship. They have alternative passports. They are in different parts of the world holding meetings virtually,” the president said.

A Nigerian defense spokesman said the planned protest could replicate deadly demonstrations in Kenya.

“The context of this planned protest is to shadow what is happening in Kenya … and … what is happening in Kenya … is violent … and remains unresolved,” spokesman Edward Buba said at a press conference, adding that “the military will not stand by and allow anarchy to befall our nation.”

For Gift Mugano, an adjunct professor of economics at South Africa’s Durban University of Technology, the youth uprisings are “a reality check for African leaders.”

He added that “as long as there are no economic opportunities, and governance and rule of law are not at their best, we will not have stability in the continent.”

Mugano advised African governments against cracking down on protesters, telling them to instead “attend to issues affecting the continent, create economic opportunities and improve governance.”

A ‘growing discontent’

“There is a growing discontent among young people (in Africa) and those who are in charge should pay attention to this movement,” Thior said.

He added that “young people are impatient, and they want things to change at a very rapid pace.”

According to Thior, who leads the Senegalese media ethics organization CORED, youth activists across the continent are connected through social media, “and that’s why what is happening in Kenya can affect people in Uganda and even here in West Africa.”

Youth-led uprisings against corruption and bad governance have also erupted in other parts of Africa, including Senegal and Ghana, in recent months.

Protests broke out in Senegal in February after its then-president Macky Sall announced a delay in the country’s scheduled elections. Following demonstrations that left at least three protesters dead, Sall backtracked on the delay after the Senegalese constitutional council ruled against his decision to postpone the vote.

The ruling coincided with the release of many political detainees, including current President Bassirou Diomaye Faye, who was released just a little over a week before the election.

In the preceding months, Ghana, Senegal’s fellow West African state, saw days of anti-government protests as demonstrators railed against economic hardships and unemployment.

Former Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo warned that the continent was on the edge of chaos.

“There’s virtually no exception (country) in Africa where the youth are not angry. They are unemployed… unempowered and they see nothing other than hopelessness,” he said.

Obasanjo warned that “if no adequate attention is paid to the needs of the youth in Africa … it will be very ugly for all of us.”

Venezuelans across the country took to the streets on Monday to protest a disputed election, clashing with police as uncertainty swirls around the results amid allegations of election fraud.

The election on Sunday was the most consequential one in years, with Venezuela’s future on the line.

Many young opposition supporters said they would leave the country if authoritarian leader Nicolás Maduro was re-elected, pointing to the devastating collapse of the country’s economy and violent repression under his rule. But the opposition was also energized, presenting the ruling establishment its toughest challenge in 25 years.

Though Maduro had promised fair and free elections, the process has been marred with allegations of foul play – with opposition figures arrested, the opposition’s key leader banned from running, media outlets blocked and overseas Venezuelans largely unable to vote.

That’s why, even though Maduro was formally named the winner by the country’s electoral body – which is stacked by the president’s allies – the opposition has rejected the results and other Latin American leaders have refused to recognize his win.

Here’s what you need to know.

Who’s running against who?

Maduro has been in power since the 2013 death of his predecessor Hugo Chávez. If he takes office again, it will be his third consecutive six-year term and the continuation of “Chavismo,” the left-wing populist ideology named after the former leader.

On the other side is a unified opposition movement that overcame their divisions to form a coalition. Its energized campaign stoked hope among a disillusioned populace that was desperate for change, in a country in such dire economic straits that some 8 million Venezuelans have fled overseas.

The opposition candidate, former diplomat Edmundo Gonzalez, stepped into the role after the highly popular leader Maria Corina Machado was barred from running, following allegations she didn’t include some food vouchers on her asset declaration.

But many still see her as a driving force behind the opposition, which had promised to restore Venezuela’s democracy and rebuild its once impressive economy if it won.

Who won?

The results are disputed. Officially, the National Electoral Council (CNE) declared Maduro the winner late Sunday, with 80% of the ballots counted. It said Maduro had won 51.2% of the votes, while Gonzalez received 44.2% of the votes.

The CNE has yet to issue final vote tallies.

But the opposition has rejected the results, claiming their own tallies showed Gonzalez had won. On Monday, they said they had obtained more than 73% of the tally sheets showing more than 6 million votes for Gonzalez and only 2.7 million for Maduro.

Speaking from the capital Caracas, Gonzalez and Machado said all their tallies had been verified and shared online for the public and global leaders to see – something world leaders and opposition figures have called on the CNE to do.

What are the allegations of foul play?

Opposition leaders decried alleged irregularities on Sunday as the votes were being processed and counted.

The opposition said its witnesses were denied access to the National Electoral Council (CNE) headquarters as votes were being counted; their presence was supposed to ensure transparency and fairness.

Only a very limited number of election observers were allowed to monitor the vote. These included The Carter Center, which called on the CNE to publish polling station-level results, saying that information was “critical to our assessment.”

The United Nations was also present, with a spokesperson saying afterward that UN Secretary-General António Guterres called for “complete transparency” and for the electoral body to “undertake their work independently and without interference to guarantee the free expression of the will of the electorate.”

The opposition also alleged that the CNE had halted data being sent from polling stations to the central body, thus preventing more votes from being processed.

The government has also been accused of rigging votes in the past, which it has denied. Maduro’s government controls almost all state institutions, including the CNE, which was accused in 2017 of manipulating turnout figures by a software company that provided the voting technology. The CNE previously denied the assertion.

How are Venezuelans reacting?

Though Maduro supporters celebrated his win in parts of Caracas, Monday was marked by wider protests by the opposition.

In Caracas, hundreds of people marched through the streets, waving Venezuelan flags and chanting, “Liberty!”

Videos from across the country, from Charallave to Caucagüita, show crowds banging their pots — a rattling cacophony so loud it can be heard from far away across an entire city. This Latin American practice is known as cacerolazo – a spontaneous, accessible form of protest also used in Chile and Spain.

“We want peace for Venezuela, for our family members,” a protester, who chose not to be identified, told reporting teams on the ground.

Gonzalez and Machado have called for protests to continue Tuesday.

Maduro decried the protests on Monday saying his government “knows how to confront this situation and defeat those who are violent.”

He also claimed, without providing evidence, that the majority of the protestors were hate-filled criminals and that their plan was hatched in the US.

For Venezuelans this is grimly familiar territory. Previous periods of opposition protests have resulted in harsh crackdowns from by the police and military, who have a long history of protecting the Chavismo system, including in 2017 and 2019.

What is the world saying?

Many regional and world leaders have cast doubt on the results, including the United States – though some of Venezuela’s partners have stood by Maduro.

“We have serious concerns that the result announced does not reflect the will or the votes of the Venezuelan people. It’s critical that every vote be counted fairly and transparently, that election officials immediately share information with the opposition and independent observers without delay,” US Secretary of State Antony Blinken told reporters on Monday.

The foreign ministers and offices of several European nations, including the United Kingdom and Spain, voiced similar concerns.

Other Latin American countries, including Argentina, Chile, Costa Rica, Peru, Panama, the Dominican Republic and Uruguay refused to recognize the results and had their diplomatic staff in country expelled Monday.

The Maduro government accused the nations of being a “group of right-wing Washington-subordinate governments, openly committed to the most sordid fascist ideological positions.”

Late Monday, Venezuela suspended commercial flights to and from Panama and the Dominican Republic, with the transport minister saying the suspension was because it “rejects the interventionist actions of right-wing governments.”

Some of Maduro’s close allies, like China, Cuba, Iran and Russia, were quick to congratulate Maduro.

How did Venezuela get here in the first place?

Once the fifth-largest economy in Latin America, Venezuela has experienced the worst economic collapse of a peacetime country in recent history.

The economic and political crisis brought about by a crash in the price of oil – a key export for Venezuela – combined with chronic corruption and mismanagement at the hands of government officials.

Venezuela is now suffering chronic shortages of vital goods and soaring inflation, while the goods available are too expensive for most people – pushing millions to flee, including thousands who have trekked up north to the US’ southern border.

The US and European Union have imposed punishing sanctions on Maduro’s regime for years, which he has blamed for the crisis, saying Venezuela was victim of an “economic war.”

Last year, Maduro had pledged to hold fair and free elections in exchange for sanctions relief, in US-brokered talks. But after Sunday’s elections, the accusations of fraud now cast doubt on whether Venezuela will be able to return to the international stage.

At least 43 people have died following major landslides in the southern Indian state of Kerala, officials said Tuesday.

“We don’t know if people have been washed away in the river but we are doing our best to rescue people. We are leaving no stone unturned,” Saseendran said.

“Trees and debris fallen on the road have made access difficult,” Kowsigan added.

Heavy rain has made conditions treacherous for rescuers as they try to determine the full scope of the disaster.

“Helicopters have also been brought there, but the weather is bad,” said George, the health minister. “There are many challenges there because there is no electricity.”

Heavy flooding and mudslides have killed hundreds, displaced millions and wrecked infrastructure across South Asia in recent months. While floods are common in the region during monsoon season, scientists say the climate crisis has exacerbated extreme weather events and made them more deadly.

China has also experienced weeks of damaging rain triggering floods and landslides.

In a post to X, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said he was “distressed by the landslides in parts of Wayanad. My thoughts are with all those who have lost their loved ones and prayers with those injured.”

His office announced “ex-gratia” compensation of INR 200,000 ($2,388) for the next of kin of those deceased and INR 50,000 ($597) for those injured.

According to a statement from the Haitian National Police and the Multinational Security Support (MSS), a Kenyan-led security force, those final shots were troops firing their weapons as the prime minister was leaving to “provide cover.”

Afterward, the national police and MSS Force “followed up where the shots had been fired from the neighborhood and pacified the area,” it said.

No one was injured and the prime minister was safely returned to his office.

Haiti is still roiling from deadly gang violence and political upheaval, which sharply escalated in February. The crisis saw critical infrastructure attacked by gangs and cease to function, including the capital’s international airport and seaport, breaking vital supply lines of food and aid.

The interview took place in the city’s ruined General Hospital, once a major public health institution.

It was reclaimed from gang control in early summer by Haitian National Police, and then again from resurgent gang members by the joint HNP/MSS forces. Though still devastated, the hospital is seen as an early symbol of the re-establishment of state control in a city where gangs control an estimated 80% of the land. The area surrounding the hospital remains a dangerous contested area and is largely abandoned.

Years of insecurity

Haiti’s crisis had forced former Prime Minister Ariel Henry to resign in March – pitching the country’s political establishment into weeks of negotiations as they sought to muster a transitional government.

In May, Conille was appointed prime minister during the government’s transition period, with the aim to eventually lead Haiti to new elections.

Conille had previously briefly served as prime minister from 2011 to 2012 during the presidency of Michel Martelly.

But as the government works to reconstruct itself, Port-au-Prince remains largely cut off from the outside world. Across the nation, nearly 5 million people in Haiti are suffering from acute food insecurity – defined as when a person’s inability to consume adequate food poses immediate danger to their life or livelihood.

In late June, members of the long-awaited MSS mission began arriving in Port-au-Prince after several delays. The Kenya-led mission aims to bolster local police in combatting the gangs overrunning the capital.

This is a developing story and will be updated.