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Israel PM orders strikes on Beirut suburbs as Hezbollah conflict escalates

Israel’s prime minister has ordered attacks on the southern suburbs of Lebanon’s capital, Beirut, as its conflict with the Iran-backed armed group Hezbollah escalates.

Benjamin Netanyahu said “terror targets” in the Hezbollah stronghold of Dahieh would be struck in response to its rocket and drone attacks on Israeli civilians and other violations of a ceasefire announced in April that has failed to end the fighting.

Soon afterwards, there were traffic jams on roads out of the suburbs as thousands tried to flee to safety.

The conflict also poses a major obstacle to US efforts to forge a deal to end its war with Iran, with Tehran insisting that any ceasefire must include Lebanon.

The US has tried to separate events in Lebanon from the negotiations, but a US official said on Sunday that Secretary of State Marco Rubio had proposed a plan for “gradual de-escalation” there to Netanyahu and Lebanese President Joseph Aoun.

A senior Lebanese government official said it was relying on US mediation efforts to pressure Israel to end its own violations and prevent further civilian casualties.

In a joint statement released on Monday morning, the Israeli prime minister and Defence Minister Israel Katz said they had ordered strikes on Dahieh “following the Hezbollah terrorist organisation’s repeated and ongoing violations of the ceasefire in Lebanon and its attacks against our civilians and cities”.

“The Dahieh in Beirut is no different from the communities in northern Israel – if there is no calm in the north, there will be no calm in Beirut,” Katz warned.

Later, the Israeli military ordered Dahieh residents to evacuate for their own safety, without giving further details.

Families, crammed into cars stuffed with suitcases, blankets and whatever belongings they could carry, streamed out of the suburbs in response to Netanyahu and Katz’s statement, joining thousands fleeing towards the mountains as fears of further violence mounted.

Two parents and their two children were squeezed on to a single scooter. Other vehicles carried several generations packed together, with babies sitting on their parents’ laps, clutching small toys as they crawled through the gridlock.

Few drivers wanted to stop and talk, anxious not to hold up the traffic and focused on reaching safety.

But almost everyone who slowed down enough to speak said they were prepared to stand by Hezbollah, while also doing whatever they could to protect their loved ones from the threat of further Israeli attacks.

The Israeli military has struck Beirut twice since the ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon came into force on 16 April, most recently on Thursday. (BBC)

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BTS win big as Black Eyed Peas reunite at American Music Awards

South Korean seven-piece BTS have won artist of the year at the American Music Awards (AMAs) for the second consecutive year, cementing their status as one of the world’s biggest bands.

The award, considered the ceremony’s grand prize, is just the latest crown jewel for the so-called kings of K-pop, who have been on a $1bn world tour since returning from a nearly four-year hiatus in March.

BTS also won song of the summer for their album’s lead single Swim and best male K-pop artist, while label partners Katseye were dubbed new artist of the year.

Golden, the viral single from the animated hit film K-Pop Demon Hunters, was named song of the year, while Sabrina Carpenter won album of the year for Man’s Best Friend.

Carpenter also won best female pop artist and best pop album, while Justin Bieber was named best male pop artist.

BTS beat artists including Taylor Swift, Bruno Mars, Bad Bunny and Lady Gaga in the artist category, as well as the likes of Harry Styles, Tame Impala and PinkPantheress in the song category.

Swift, who holds the record for the most AMA wins, went into this year’s awards with eight nominations but came home empty-handed.

But PinkPantheress didn’t miss out, picking up collaboration of the year for Stateside with Zara Larsson.

Larsson, who performed at Radio 1’s Big Weekend in Sunderland over the weekend, also won breakthrough album of the year for Midnight Sun.

Katseye also won two other prizes – best music video for Gnarly and breakthrough pop artist, while Huntrix also picked up best vocal performance, and best pop song.

EJAE added to that with a win for best soundtrack for KPop Demon Hunters. While she attended alongside Rei Ami, Audrey Nuna was unable to make it due to work commitments. (BBC)

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Premier League finale: West Ham relegated and Spurs stay up as Guardiola, Salah make emotional exits

West Ham was relegated and Tottenham survived on an emotional final day of the Premier League season when Pep Guardiola and Mohamed Salah made tearful exits after record-breaking spells in English soccer.

West Ham beat Leeds 3-0 but that wasn’t enough to climb out of the relegation zone because fourth-to-last Tottenham also won, 1-0 at home to Everton, to stay two points clear of its London rival.

That meant West Ham’s 14-year stay in the Premier League was over and Tottenham, which won three of its last five games under recently hired coach Roberto De Zerbi, will be in the top division for a 49th straight season.

“We shouldn’t be in the position we’re in but we’ve found ourselves in it and we’ve not done enough to stay up,” West Ham captain Jarrod Bowen said. “Hurt is the only thing.”

Guardiola’s decade-long tenure at Manchester City — which has included six Premier League titles among 17 major trophies — ended with a 2-1 loss to Aston Villa that featured a mid-match guard of honor for first Bernardo Silva and then John Stones, two of Guardiola’s stalwarts.

Guardiola wept on the sideline as Silva left the field and was given his own guard of honor by players and staff after the match.

“We lived an incredible period,” Guardiola said. “If I had energy, I would stay here (but) a new person has to do this job.”

Salah started and was given a standing ovation — before he kissed the Anfield turf — during his second-half substitution in his 442nd and last game for Liverpool, in which he grabbed an assist in a 1-1 draw with Brentford. The Egypt winger finished his nine years with the Reds with 257 goals and received his own post-match guard of honor, which he walked through in tears.

Arsenal had already clinched the title in midweek and closed its first championship-winning campaign since 2004 with a 2-1 win at Crystal Palace. The players finally got their hands on the trophy about an hour after fulltime at Palace’s Selhurst Park stadium, with coach Mikel Arteta and the team wearing jerseys with “Champions 2026” on the back for the occasion.

In the final shake-up for European qualification, Bournemouth and Sunderland finished sixth and seventh, respectively, to get into the Europa League and Brighton was eighth to reach the Conference League.

Brighton lost 3-0 at home to Manchester United, for whom Bruno Fernandes scored and got a record-setting 21st assist of the season.

Sunderland, which beat Chelsea 2-1, will be in Europe for the first time in 53 years — a remarkable achievement for a team in its first season back in the top division and which was in the third tier as recently as 2022. The team’s players huddled around a cell phone to see their Europa League qualification confirmed and broke away in delight.

Chelsea, on the contrary, missed out on European competition entirely after finishing in 10th place — 10 months after winning the Club World Cup.

Add 2026 to 2003 and 2011 as years when West Ham lost its Premier League status.

The big difference this season is that the team is now playing its home matches in the vast Olympic Stadium, so that 68,000-capacity arena will be staging games in the second-tier Championship against the likes of Wrexham and the two clubs that had already been relegated from the Premier League before Sunday — Wolverhampton and Burnley.

“This club deserves to be in the Premier League,” said Bowen, who scored and set up a goal against Leeds. “Our aim now is to get this club back into the Premier League.”

A top-flight ever present since 1978, Tottenham was heading out of the Premier League before the club hired De Zerbi in what has proved to be an inspired appointment.

Three wins and two draws later — along with two losses — and Spurs have managed to avoid dropping into the bottom three in what would have been the most unlikely relegation since the Premier League was founded in 1992.

Joao Palhinha scored Tottenham’s winner against Everton in the 43rd minute, forcing in a rebound after initially heading against the post, and Spurs defended stoutly to stop Everton scoring the two goals that would have kept West Ham up.

“After a bad season like this one, we showed up as a collective and had amazing support from the fans,” Palhinha said.

“The club will grow up with this season and we know what we have to do in the future.”

Tottenham, one of the biggest clubs in Europe and the Europa League champion last season, has now finished one place outside the relegation spots in successive seasons. (JapanToday)

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Sinner, Sabalenka power into French Open second round

Jannik Sinner powered into the second round of the French Open on Tuesday as his fellow world number one Aryna Sabalenka also made a winning start at Roland Garros.

Sinner needed just over two hours to beat French wildcard Clement Tabur 6-1, 6-3, 6-4 to extend his winning streak to 30 matches.

After taking all three clay-court Masters 1000 events in the run-up to Roland Garros, the 24-year-old Italian appears to have cracked the code to victory on the red dirt.

Without double-reigning champion and world number two Carlos Alcaraz in the draw, top seed Sinner is considered the runaway favorite to lift the Coupe des Mousquetaires for the first time come the men’s final on June 7 and complete his career Grand Slam.

“Pressure is always going to be there,” Sinner told reporters. “It’s normal. So I try to take it in a very natural way. I know what kind of player I am. Then, you know, if you don’t feel the pressure, it means you don’t care. I do care a lot about what I’m trying to achieve on a tennis court.”

He showed why he is the man to beat in the French capital with a punishing display against the world number 171, hititng 40 winners to just 21 unforced errors.

Sinner will meet Argentinian Juan Manuel Cerundolo in the second round.

Belarusian Sabalenka hurried through a 6-4, 6-2 win against Spanish world number 50 Jessica Bouzas Maneiro first on centre court as temperatures continued to soar through the first week of the tournament.

The only real blip for Sabalenka as she returned to winning ways on clay after a surprise early exit from the Italian Open was her failure to serve out the match on Court Philippe Chatrier.

But the four-time major winner broke in the next game to book her spot in the second round against France’s Elsa Jacquemot.

“I’d say that for me always not easy, the first rounds,” Sabalenka said. “And then, as I get further in the tournament, as I get more comfortable, my level becomes better.”

Following a wet and cold Italian Open earlier in May and similar conditions during the practice week at Roland Garros, the big-hitting 28-year-old said the scorching conditions played somewhat in her favor.

“I’d say that it was a bit warm,” she joked. “Especially compared to the first days when I first got here, it was like 14C, like, freezing.

“Now it’s boiling hot and balls are flying, everything is much faster. But physically I feel strong, so I feel like it can benefit me.”

Women’s defending champion Coco Gauff made short work of fellow American Taylor Townsend, kicking off her tournament with a clinical 6-4, 6-0 performance.

The fourth seed joked the heat was “nothing” as she grew up in Florida, but added: “Honestly I felt more bad for the fans. Dang you’re watching in the heat and I hoped no one passed out. So I’m glad I finished quickly.”

Felix Auger-Aliassime claimed a fifth-set tie-break to move into the round of 64 as the Canadian narrowly avoided coming undone against Germany’s Daniel Altmaier.

Russian sixth seed Daniil Medvedev was not so fortunate, however, going down in five sets to Australian wildcard Adam Walton.

It was the seventh time in 10 French Open appearances that the former world number one has fallen in the first round. “I know that I am in good shape and I can play well in Roland Garros. I can,” Medvedev said.

American fifth seed Jessica Pegula also departed as she went down 1-6, 6-3, 6-3 to Australia’s Kimberly Birrell.

Alexander Bublik completed the list of big-name exitees for the day as the ninth-seeded Kazakh succumbed in four sets to German Jan-Lennard Struff.

Japanese four-time former major winner Naomi Osaka got off to a winning start, beating Laura Siegemund of Germany 6-3, 7-6 (7/3).

Last year’s breakout star at Roland Garros, Lois Boisson, was unable to recreate her stunning run to the last four as she went down 6-2, 6-2 to 22nd-seeded Russian Anna Kalinskaya.

Rising U.S. star Iva Jovic, 18, further confirmed her potential as she strolled past Alexandra Eala 6-4, 6-2 to book a clash with compatriot and former world number eight Emma Navarro, who defeated Indonesian Janice Tjen in straight sets.

Canadian teen Victoria Mboko was also victorious, needing just over an hour to beat Czech Nikola Bartunkova for the loss of only three games.

French 17-year-old Moise Kouame won his first match at his home major; an impressive 7-6 (7/4), 6-2, 6-1 victory over 2014 U.S. Open winner Marin Cilic of Croatia. (JapanToday)

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Putin accuses Ukraine of deadly attack on student dorm, orders military to prepare options

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday ordered his military to prepare options to retaliate against Ukraine for what he described as a drone attack on a student dorm ‌that killed six people and wounded dozens, with 15 still unaccounted for.

Putin said the attack had struck the dorm in Starobilsk in Luhansk, a Russian-controlled region in eastern Ukraine. He said Kyiv’s military must have known what it was targeting.

Ukraine’s military denied the ‌Russian accusations and said it had struck an elite drone command unit in ⁠the area. It said that Kyiv complied with international humanitarian law.

Putin said in his own ⁠statement, which was carried ⁠by state TV, that there were no military targets near the dorm.

“There are no military facilities, intelligence ‌service facilities, or related services in the vicinity. Therefore, there is absolutely no basis for claiming that the munitions ⁠struck the building as a result of our air ⁠defence or electronic warfare systems. The strike was not accidental; it came in three waves, with 16 drones targeting the same location,” Putin told officials.

The Russian military had been ordered to draw up options for Moscow to retaliate, he added.

Reuters was not able to independently verify what happened. Both sides deny ⁠deliberately targeting civilians in the war. Ukraine wants to recapture Luhansk, one of four eastern regions that Moscow ⁠unilaterally claimed as its own in 2022 in ‌what Kyiv denounced as an illegal land grab.

Yana Lantratova, Russia’s human rights commissioner, said that 86 teenagers aged 14 to 18 had been asleep inside the hostel belonging to Luhansk Pedagogical University’s Starobilsk college when Ukrainian drones had attacked it during the night.

Leonid Pasechnik, the top Russian-installed official in Luhansk, said two people had been ‌pulled from the rubble. Maria Lvova-Belova, presidential commissioner for children’s rights, said up to 18 children could still be trapped.

Some children being treated in hospital were reported to be in a serious condition, Lvova-Belova said.

Lyubov Yakovlevna, a local resident, told Reuters she had heard loud explosions from the attack, which she said had been carried out first by rockets and had targeted what she described as a former base. She said she had then heard drones which had targeted the student dorm causing fires to break out and people to seek shelter in ​her apartment block.

“A shock wave went through our apartment. Nobody could sleep all night. We were watching the fires. I was afraid, I was shaking, it was really terrifying,” she said. Kremlin ‌spokesman Dmitry Peskov called for those responsible to be punished.

“This is a monstrous crime. An attack on an educational institution where children and young people are present,” he told reporters.

Moscow said the U.N. Security Council would hold an emergency session in New York later ‌on Friday to discuss the incident.

Russia’s Foreign Ministry said the Ukrainian strike had pulverised the top three ⁠of the hostel’s five floors.

“We call on ⁠international organisations, national governments and the global community to ​give an honest assessment … and to strongly condemn the bloody terrorist attack,” it said in a ⁠statement. (JapanToday)

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Guardiola to step down after glittering decade at Man City

Pep Guardiola announced on Friday that he will leave Manchester City at the end of the season after a trophy-laden decade that transformed English football.

Guardiola guided City to 20 trophies, including six Premier League titles and the club’s only Champions League, over the past 10 seasons.

Aston Villa’s visit to the Etihad on Sunday will be his final match in charge, although he is set to continue working for the City Football Group as a global ambassador.

“What a time we have had together!” Guardiola said in a club statement.

“Don’t ask me the reasons I’m leaving. There is no reason, but deep inside, I know it’s my time.

“Nothing is eternal, if it was, I would be here. Eternal will be the feeling, the people, the memories, the love I have for my Manchester City.”

News of the Catalan’s impending departure was first reported on Monday.

At that point, the former Barcelona and Bayern Munich boss was tight-lipped on his future as City missed out on the Premier League title to Arsenal 24 hours later.

Former Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca, who previously worked on Guardiola’s staff at City, has been widely reported as the man set to take over at the Etihad.

The 55-year-old’s trophy haul also included three FA Cups, five League Cups, the Club World Cup, the UEFA Super Cup and three Community Shields.

Guardiola arrived in England as already one of Europe’s most decorated coaches.

His four-year spell at boyhood club Barcelona between 2008 and 2012 captured admirers across the globe, winning two Champions Leagues and three La Liga titles.

He added three more league titles in three seasons at Bayern.

A similarly short spell was expected when City lured him to the Premier League.

But his influence has transformed the English game at all levels over the past 10 years.

Backed by the deep pockets of Abu Dhabi royalty, City have stepped out of the shadow of local rivals Manchester United to become the dominant force in the Premier League.

Guardiola’s brand of passing football has been copied from grassroots through to the elite level.

Even City’s competitors have turned to his disciples to catch up.

Arsenal’s 22-year wait to win the Premier League was ended by another of his former assistants Mikel Arteta.

Liverpool boss Arne Slot has said his coaching philosophy was shaped by watching the City boss’ Barcelona team, while new Chelsea manager Xabi Alonso moved to Bayern in the final years of his playing career to gain the experience of working under Guardiola.

The timing of Guardiola’s exit comes with the outcome of an investigation into more than 100 alleged breaches by City of financial regulations still to be released.

First charged by the Premier League in February 2023, an independent commission hearing concluded in December 2024 with the case hanging over City’s achievements on the pitch ever since. (JapanToday)

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Republican revolt over Trump ‘weaponization’ fund stalls ICE funding vote

U.S. Senate Republicans abandoned plans to vote on an ICE funding bill on Thursday in an act of revolt over one ‌of President Donald Trump’s priorities: a $1.8 billion fund for victims of government “weaponization,” including those convicted of crimes during the Capitol riot on January 6, 2021.

The Senate walked away from a planned vote on a $72 billion bill funding Trump’s massive migrant deportation program, delaying the ‌vote at least until June, when lawmakers return from a Memorial Day holiday ⁠recess.

From the beginning, Senate Majority Leader John Thune said the legislation should be narrowly ⁠targeted to secure the $72 ⁠billion. But at Trump’s behest, the $1.8 billion “weaponization” fund and another $1 billion for building a White House ballroom became ‌major sticking points.

“It was something that was supposed to be very narrow, targeted, focused, clean, straightforward, and it got ⁠a little bit more complicated this week,” Thune said, ⁠expressing his frustration. “It makes everything way harder than it should be.”

The battle over the partisan Immigration and Customs Enforcement funding bill came on the heels of Republican Senator Bill Cassidy of Louisiana losing his primary election to a Trump-backed challenger and the president endorsing the primary challenger to veteran Republican ⁠Senator John Cornyn of Texas.

Presidents usually back the incumbent lawmakers of their party in reelection bids.

Against that backdrop, ‌Acting U.S. Attorney General Todd Blanche was summoned to Capitol Hill to face questions from angry senators when he made his case for the $1.8 billion fund designed to compensate Trump allies and other victims of government “weaponization.”

During Blanche’s meeting, several senators insisted the money not be used to compensate people convicted of assaulting law enforcement during the ‌Capitol riot, the person said.

Trump had already pardoned many of those convicted for crimes they committed during that deadly assault.

“I think there are people who are concerned about public relations,” Senator Todd Young, an Indiana Republican, told reporters about the meeting.

Emotions were so raw that a planned White House meeting between Trump, Senate Republicans and House of Representatives Speaker Mike Johnson was canceled, according to a source familiar with the arrangement.

The resistance against Trump became evident late on Wednesday when Senate Republicans said “no” to $1 billion in new security ​funding for the 90,000-square-foot (8,360-square-meter) ballroom Trump wants to build on the site of the White House East Wing that he had razed last October.

For months, Trump has said no taxpayer dollars would be needed ‌for the project. Nonetheless, a $1 billion tab to be picked up by taxpayers stared senators in the face as an add-in to a $72 billion bill for Trump’s migrant deportation program.

Democrats hammered away about a “glitzy,” “gauzy” “vanity project,” a preview of their midterm election pitch addressing voters’ worries ‌about the high prices of food, housing, healthcare and particularly gasoline, which skyrocketed after the February 28 ⁠U.S. attack on Iran.

Thune, who started the ⁠week with a tense phone call with the president ​over his endorsement against Cornyn, told reporters after Thursday’s meeting that his party “will pick up where ⁠we left off” after the holiday recess.

Republican ‌Senator Thom Tillis of North Carolina, who is not running for reelection, did ​not hold back in criticizing Trump.

“I think it’s stupid on stilts,” Tillis said of the “weaponization” fund in an interview with Spectrum News. “The American people are going to reject this out of hand. (JapanToday)

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Investigation into King Charles’ brother Andrew will be lengthy, UK police say

The British police investigation into Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor will be long and complex, senior officers said on Friday, after his arrest earlier this year on suspicion of misconduct in public office, an offense ‌that can include sexual impropriety.

King Charles’ younger brother was interviewed under caution for hours by detectives after he was arrested at his home in Norfolk in February following the release of millions of documents by the U.S. Department of Justice relating to the late U.S. sex offender ‌Jeffrey Epstein.

The arrest of the senior royal, eighth in line to the throne, was unprecedented ⁠in modern times. A Reuters photo of the ashen-faced former prince leaving the police station ⁠made front pages around the ⁠world.

Mountbatten-Windsor, 66, the second son of the late Queen Elizabeth, has always denied any wrongdoing in relation to Epstein, ‌and said he regrets their friendship. He has made no public statement since his arrest.

“The investigation is by necessity ⁠hugely thorough and will take time,” Oliver Wright, Assistant Chief ⁠Constable of Thames Valley Police, who are carrying out the inquiry, told reporters. “It’s not going to be a quick investigation by any means.”

The focus of the inquiry is the former prince’s role as special representative for trade and investment between 2001 and 2011, with emails released by the DOJ suggesting he had shared sensitive information ⁠with Epstein.

However, misconduct in public office, which carries a maximum sentence of life imprisonment, can relate to any serious ⁠wrongdoing – from sharing confidential information to corruption and sexual ‌misconduct.

“There’s a number of aspects of alleged misconduct that the investigation is examining. So we’re speaking with a range of witnesses,” said Wright, who did not refer to Mountbatten-Windsor by name, as is customary in Britain before someone is charged.

Wright said police had received “a significant amount of information” from the public and other sources and that the investigation would be incredibly complex.

He said ‌the force was also assessing reports that a woman was taken to an address in Windsor in 2010 for sexual purposes after a lawyer for the alleged victim told the BBC she had been sent to Britain by Epstein for a sexual encounter with the former prince.

Detectives have spoken to the lawyer but the woman involved has not yet reported the offense. The British police said some victims might be put off because of the pressure of national and international attention.

“In terms of Epstein victims and survivors, we hope that anyone with relevant information will come forward and I really want to stress that ​our door is open whenever a victim survivor is ready to engage with us. We’re ready for you at whatever point that may be,” Wright said.

A specialist team of experienced officers is carrying out the investigation, which is ‌being treated as a major crime, on a par with a murder inquiry. They have also been liaising with the U.S. Department of Justice but as yet have not received any of the Epstein documents.

“That is ongoing, and it’s a fairly complex thing to do, but we’re working ‌very hard on that,” Wright said.

On Thursday, the British government released confidential documents relating to Mountbatten-Windsor’s appointment as trade ⁠envoy that showed the late queen had ⁠pressed for him to get the role.

However, King Charles, who ​stripped his sibling of his titles and honors last October, said he was deeply concerned about the news ⁠when Mountbatten-Windsor was arrested and that authorities ‌had the family’s “full and wholehearted support and cooperation”.

Thames Valley is not the only British ​police force looking into possible offences relating to information in the Epstein files.

On Tuesday, Surrey police said it was investigating two allegations of child sex abuse, one reported to have been committed in the 1980s and the other in the mid-1990s to 2000. It gave no further details about who was involved. (JapanToday)

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Ebola case confirmed in rebel-held Congo area far from outbreak’s epicenter

A case of Ebola has been confirmed in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo’s South Kivu province, hundreds of kilometers from the outbreak’s epicenter, the rebel alliance that controls the area said on Thursday.

The case, ‌in a rural area near the provincial capital Bukavu, signals the spread of an outbreak that experts believe circulated undetected for around two months in Ituri province, several hundred kilometers to the north, before being identified last week.

The outbreak has resulted in 160 suspected deaths out of 670 suspected cases, and 61 ‌of the cases have been confirmed, according to DRC health ministry data published on Thursday.

Two cases have ⁠also been confirmed in neighboring Uganda, which said on Thursday it would suspend flights to the DRC, ⁠effective within the next 48 ⁠hours, as a precautionary measure.

The WHO declared the outbreak of the virus’s Bundibugyo strain – for which there is no vaccine – a public ‌health emergency of international concern over the weekend.

The Alliance Fleuve Congo, which includes the Rwanda-backed M23 rebels who seized swathes of eastern DRC ⁠last year, said the 28-year-old patient in South Kivu had died ⁠and been buried safely.

It said the individual had travelled from the northern city of Kisangani, but gave no details of recent movements.

South Kivu health spokesperson Claude Bahizire told Reuters earlier on Thursday that two suspected cases had been detected in the province, including the fatal case. The other patient was in isolation awaiting test results, he said.

An Ebola case was also ⁠confirmed last week in Goma, capital of neighboring North Kivu province, which is under M23 control.

In the town ⁠of Rwampara, one of the outbreak’s hotspots in Ituri, ‌clashes broke out on Thursday after the family of a suspected Ebola victim disputed that the disease had killed him and demanded his body, Reuters witnesses said.

Protesters gathered outside the hospital and set fire to tents run by the medical charity ALIMA, prompting police to fire warning shots and tear gas, the witnesses said.

Hundreds of health centres were attacked by armed groups and angry civilians during the 2018-2020 Ebola ‌outbreak in eastern DRC, which was the second-deadliest on record with nearly 2,300 fatalities.

First responders expect widespread armed violence across eastern DRC, where dozens of militias operate, and for community mistrust of medical workers to complicate once again efforts to contain the outbreak.

Speaking to reporters in Geneva, Jane Halton, chair of the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI), said the confirmed cases announced to date likely represent only “the top of the iceberg”.

CEPI, which funds vaccine development, is assessing potential candidates for Ebola. Halton said it might be possible to meet CEPI’s target of having a safe, effective vaccine for major outbreaks within 100 days, though this would be “a big lift”.

In a sign of further restrictions aimed ​at preventing Ebola entering the U.S., the State Department said Americans who have been in Congo, Uganda, or South Sudan within the last three weeks must only return to the United States through Washington Dulles for enhanced screening.

Aid workers ‌responding to the outbreak have said they lack basic supplies which some have attributed to foreign aid cuts by major donors that have weakened local health services and disease surveillance.

Britain said on Thursday it was allocating up to 20 million pounds ($27 million) to the response. The United States, which gave around $600 million to the 2018-2020 ‌response, has so far committed $23 million and said on Tuesday it would help open up to 50 clinics in DRC and ⁠Uganda.

Uganda’s health ministry said late on Wednesday it ⁠had not been consulted by the U.S. on plans to establish ​clinics, and stressed there was no known local transmission.

Information Minister Chris Baryomunsi told Reuters the U.S. was “overreacting” this week by ⁠banning most travellers from Uganda, along with DRC and ‌South Sudan.

“We’ve handled cases of Ebola at other epidemics for a number of years,” he said. “There ​is capacity within the country to contain these epidemics.”

The African Union said the India-Africa Forum Summit scheduled to take place in New Delhi from May 28 to 31 would be rescheduled due to “the emerging public health situation on the continent”. (JapanToday)

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Stylish Aston Villa wins Europa League to end 30-year trophy drought

Aston Villa ended their 30-year trophy drought in style as spectacular goals from Youri Tielemans and Emiliano Buendia inspired a 3-0 win against Freiburg in the Europa League final on Wednesday.

Unai Emery’s side took the lead late in the first half in Istanbul through Tielemans’ thunderous volley.

Buendia increased Villa’s advantage with a sublime curler seconds before the interval.

Morgan Rodgers’ second-half goal finished off the outclassed Germans, sealing Villa’s first silverware since the 1996 League Cup and their first major European prize for 44 years.

That famous European Cup final upset of Bayern Munich in 1982, secured by Peter Withe’s goal in Rotterdam, has stood as the most iconic moment in Villa’s 152-year history.

But Villa’s current stars were determined to follow in the footsteps of the club’s golden generation.

Now Tielemans, Buendia, John McGinn and company can share the rarified air previously reserved for Withe, Tony Morley, Dennis Mortimer, Nigel Spink and the rest of the Class of ’82.

Fittingly, with Withe and Mortimer watching from the stands, Villa crushed Freiburg while wearing white shirts instead of their traditional claret and blue kit — just as they did against Bayern.

Villa’s long-awaited continental conquest was the latest Europa League masterclass for Emery, who has now won the tournament five times after victories with Sevilla in 2014, 2015 and 2016 and Villarreal in 2021.

Emery said this week that he didn’t feel like the “king” of the Europa League, but his team’s coronation got the royal seal of approval from Villa fan Prince William, who was celebrating along with around 20,000 ecstatic supporters in the Besiktas Stadium.

Hollywood actor Tom Hanks, another famous Villa fan, joined the party, sending a good luck message to the team before kick-off.

It has been a memorable finish to the campaign for Villa, who sealed qualification for next season’s Champions League with a win against Liverpool last week.

Villa’s success over the last six days would have been impossible to imagine when they started the season with a run of six matches without a win, scoring just twice in that dismal streak.

Their maiden win this season came in the Europa League against Bologna, the first of 13 victories in 15 games in the competition that culminated in their ruthless demolition of first-time European finalists Freiburg.

Despite losing in the UEFA Conference League semi-finals in 2024, and the Champions League quarter-finals and FA Cup semi-finals last year, Emery was convinced Villa would eventually cast off their ‘nearly men’ tag.

The 54-year-old Spaniard’s unshakable faith has been rewarded.

The Europa League triumph underlined Villa’s impressive renaissance since Emery took charge in October 2022 with the club languishing just three points above the relegation zone.

Relegated to the second tier in 1987 and 2016 and beaten in their previous four domestic finals prior to arriving in Istanbul, Villa have endured some torrid times since winning the European Cup.

Those miserable memories were banished forever on an unforgettable night on the banks of the Bosphorus.

Villa dominated from the start and should have been ahead in the opening moments when Noah Atubolu denied Rogers. (JapanToday)