The Trump administration this week escalated its efforts against renewable energy when it announced the cancellation of $7.56 billion in funding for projects in 16 states, including California.
The U.S. Department of Energy said the 223 canceled projects — all of which are in states that favored Kamala Harris in the 2024 presidential election — were terminated because they “did not adequately advance the nation’s energy needs, were not economically viable, and would not provide a positive return on investment of taxpayer dollars.”
But while the cuts took aim at blue states, they will affect Trump’s base as well: The terminated projects span districts represented by 108 Democratic members of Congress and 28 Republicans. In California, that includes large swaths of the Central Valley and Inland Empire, which largely leaned toward Trump in 2024.
Russell Vought, director of the White House’s Office of Management and Budget and a top Trump administration official, said in a post on X that the canceled projects were using “Green New Scam funding to fuel the Left’s climate agenda.”
The biggest cut was $1.2 billion for California’s ambitious project to develop clean hydrogen known as the Alliance for Renewable Clean Hydrogen Energy Systems, or ARCHES. It was awarded by the Biden administration as part of a competitive nationwide effort to develop hydrogen projects. The idea is that the hydrogen, which burns at a very high temperature, will be able to replace planet-warming fossil fuels in some industry and transportation uses.
The ARCHES project is a public-private partnership that would create at least 10 hydrogen production sites around the state, primarily in the Central Valley. It would also help transition two large gas-fired power plants — Scattergood in Los Angeles and the Lodi Energy Center in San Joaquin County — to 100% renewable hydrogen, and develop more than 60 hydrogen fueling stations in areas including Fresno, Riverside, Orange and San Joaquin counties.
In all, it would deliver an estimated 220,000 jobs, including 130,000 construction jobs and 90,000 permanent jobs, according to the state. California is pursuing hydrogen in addition to renewables such as offshore wind, solar power and geothermal energy to help diversify its supply, meet growing demand driven by artificial intelligence data centers, and reach its target of 100% carbon neutrality by 2045.
The Trump administration said terminating the clean energy projects will save taxpayers money.
One district with a project that’s been cut is the northern San Joaquin Valley, represented by Tom McClintock (R-Elk Grove). McClintock said he strongly supports the Energy Department’s decision.
“$7.5 billion comes out to about $60 taken from the average earnings of every family in America,” McClintock said. “Call me old fashioned, but I think that companies should make their money by pleasing their customers and not by using government to take money that families have earned.”
The Times also reached out to Reps. Vince Fong (R-Bakersfield), Doug LaMalfa (R-Richvale), Keven Kiley (R-Rocklin), Ken Calvert (R-Corona), Young Kim (R-Anaheim Hills) and Jay Obernolte (R-Big Bear Lake), whose districts are touched by the ARCHES hub and other terminated projects.
A representative for Fong said his office was dealing with issues related to the U.S. government shutdown and so was unable to comment. None of the others responded.
Jesse Lee, senior advisor with the nonprofit group Climate Power, said the cancellations may not save taxpayers money, but cost them. The administration this year has canceled a $7 billion program to help low-income households install solar panels on their homes and halted the development of off-shore wind projects, among other efforts.
“Having these projects come to fruition is really the only chance we have at insulating people from skyrocketing utility bills year after year,” Lee said — particularly in the face of energy-thirsty AI. “The only way to have a prayer of meeting that demand is through these kinds of clean energy projects.”
Lee believes the actions could come back to haunt the party in the midterm elections. Since Trump took office in January, at least 142 clean energy projects have been canceled affecting what his group estimates is at least 80,500 jobs — not including the latest round of cuts announced this week. About 47% of those jobs were in congressional districts represented by Republicans, according to Clean Power’s energy project tracker.
Democratic officials in California said the Energy Department’s latest cuts amount to political retaliation. They were announced on the first day of the shutdown, which the administration blames on Democrats.
“The cancellation of ARCHES is vindictive, shortsighted, and proof that this Administration is not serious about American energy dominance,” California Sens. Adam Schiff and Alex Padilla wrote in a joint letter to Energy Secretary Chris Wright dated Thursday, in which they urged him to restore its funding.
“The cancellation of this award threatens the future promise of hydrogen energy, leaving us behind the rest of the world,” the senators said. “The ARCHES hub is a key strategic investment into American energy dominance, energy technology prominence, manufacturing job growth, and lowering energy costs for American families.”
The cuts come as the Trump administrations eases the path for production of fossil fuels such as oil, gas and coal, including this week’s announcement that it will open 13 million acres of federal lands for coal mining and provide $625 million to recommission or modernize coal-fired power plants. Coal has become increasingly uncompetitive with either natural gas or solar power.
Large-scale renewable energy and carbon capture projects in red states such as Wyoming, Ohio, Texas, Louisiana and North Dakota that received funding from the Energy Department were not subject to the cuts.
Other canceled awards in California include $630 million to the California Energy Commission for grid resilience upgrades; $500 million to the National Cement Company of California for a carbon-neutral cement production facility; $87 million to Redwood Coast Energy Authority for grid updates benefiting tribal communities; $50 million to Southern California Edison for a battery energy storage project; and $18 million to the Imperial Irrigation District to modernize its electrical grid, bolster resiliency against power outages and catalyze renewable energy usage.
“We are disappointed as we did a great deal of work to win the $18.3 million matching grant from the DOE to help modernize our electrical grid and enhance reliability for our customers,” said Robert Schettler, a spokesman for the Imperial Irrigation District located in southeastern California. “Despite this setback, we will reevaluate the scope as the project is a necessity.”
Officials with ARCHES called the administration’s decision a “short-sighted move that abandons America’s opportunity to lead the global clean energy transition.” They said they hope to keep the project moving forward even without the federal grant; ARCHES has also secured more than $10 billion in private funding agreements.
“Despite the loss of federal funding, we will press forward with our state, private, and international partners to build the infrastructure, train the workforce, and establish the supply chains that will power a modern, resilient energy economy,” ARCHES board chair Theresa Maldonado said in a statement.
At least 91 Palestinian people were killed on Saturday in relentless Israeli attacks throughout the Gaza Strip, including at least 45 in Gaza City, as the military intensified its widely criticised ground invasion.
Gaza’s Government Media Office slammed Israel for misleading the Palestinian people with threats to evacuate to the central and southern governorates by portraying them as “safe humanitarian zones”, while continuing to strike those same areas.
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According to a statement issued on Saturday, 1,903 people have been killed in 133 attacks on central and southern Gaza since the forced displacement from Gaza City began on August 11, some 46 percent of all reported deaths across the enclave during that period.
The office said that this shows civilians are being directly targeted, despite being told to move south, and called on the international community to intervene, warning that continued global inaction amounts to a “green light” for further massacres.
Reporting from central Gaza, Al Jazeera’s Hani Mahmoud said that since the early hours of Saturday, Israeli attacks have increased in Gaza City and more casualties have been arriving at al-Shifa Hospital.
“Just in the past few minutes, we had confirmation of a family evacuating on a road inside a vehicle when it was struck by a drone missile. Four people were reported killed on the spot,” he said.
“Hundreds of others have been on the move as Israeli drones and fighter jets chase them from one place to another,” he added.
Hospitals attacked
Some hospitals in Gaza City have shut down as Israeli attacks escalate, with plans to seize the city and displace more people each day.
Earlier on Saturday, people in one of the city’s main hospitals, the Jordan Field Hospital, were forced to evacuate all 107 patients and their entire staff after facing heavy bombardment.
Hospitals in Gaza have long been on the brink of collapse amid relentless Israeli strikes. Most are operating in horrific conditions, unable to provide even basic medical supplies, such as anaesthesia and antibiotics, while the doctors, who are going hungry themselves, struggle to treat starving patients.
The few hospitals still partially functioning in central Gaza have become overwhelmed with wounded and sick people fleeing bombardment in the north. Many arrive in need of urgent medical care that cannot be provided.
“Displacement has worsened the situation inside hospitals in the south,” a displaced Palestinian told Al Jazeera. “Now you can see that instead of one patient in one bed, medical staff tried to fit two patients in one bed.”
Dr Khalil Digran, who works at Al-Aqsa Hospital, said that Israeli forces deliberately attacked al-Rantisi Paediatric Hospital in Gaza City, the Strip’s only specialised medical facility for children.
“Gaza City and the north are left with just two health facilities that are barely functioning: al-Shifa and al-Ahli Hospital,” Digran told Al Jazeera.
“As for the remaining health facilities in central and southern Gaza, Israeli actions are already adding more pressure on these facilities and threatening to bring their service to a total halt.”
Mohammad Khoudary, a displaced Palestinian, told Al Jazeera: “Ever since we became displaced, my father has been impacted and has become very sad.
“This has affected his health; he has become dehydrated. I am hoping they will be able to transfer him to Al-Aqsa Hospital.”
Hamas says has not seen ceasefire plan
Meanwhile, on the global stage, protests calling for a ceasefire took place Saturday in Berlin, Germany, Liverpool in the United Kingdom, and elsewhere.
Hamas has said that it has not received United States President Donald Trump’s Gaza ceasefire plan, even as Trump this week repeatedly expressed optimism that a deal is close.
In comments to reporters on Friday, Trump said, “It’s looking like we have a deal on Gaza.” He offered no details and gave no timetable. Israel has not yet made any public response to Trump’s comments.
A Hamas official who spoke to Al Jazeera on condition of anonymity said the Palestinian group “has not been presented with any plan”.
Trump is due to meet Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday, whose hard-right governing coalition is opposed to ending the Gaza war until Hamas is destroyed.
Cruise passengers have been warned to check certain items in their cabins before they start settling into their holiday – and it will only take a few minutes
(Image: Getty Images)
When you board a cruise, it’s natural to want to ditch your bags and head straight to the pool or buffet, and get the holiday started as soon as possible.
However, insiders have suggested that before you head out, you should get settled in your cabin properly. That includes doing a quick sweep of the “high traffic areas” which previous passengers may have been touching, which may not fall into the crew’s list of deep cleaning priorities.
Unpacking your bags, getting your bearings and joining the safety drills before the ship sails are all on most people’s radars already, but according to industry experts, there are approximately seven items that you may want to sanitise before you can truly settle in.
When sharing their advice on the first things to do when you board a cruise, the team at Cruise Critic explained: “We’re not suggesting that your cabin steward isn’t doing a proper job at cleaning your room. But a little extra precaution never hurt anyone, and it will just take a few minutes to sanitise (or re-sanitise) certain areas of your cabin.”
There are a few checks to make before you can settle into your cabin (Image: Getty Images/iStockphoto)
The seven “high-traffic areas” in your cabin which you may want to check are the “doorknob, deadbolt, TV remote, light switches, bathroom faucets, thermostat, safe keypad”, as well as other items you think might have been picked up a lot by previous passengers. (We know, it’s not nice to think someone else has been in the room before you but of course that’s the reality!). The experts added: “If you want to go the extra mile, rewash the bar glasses if your cabin has them.”
Before the ship sails off, you may also want to check your phone, or you may end up facing some hefty bills when you get home. In fact, there’s a costly mistake which quite a lot of passengers make with their phones onboard the ship.
You may not be getting any signal at sea, but that doesn’t mean that data roaming charges won’t apply. Most people assume that because they are unable to connect to the internet unless they opt for a cruise line’s Wi-Fi package, then their phone won’t be incurring data charges. However, even at sea your phone may intermittently connect to maritime networks and satellites – and you’ll be hit with the fees that come alongside this.
Opting for a Wi-Fi package can be an easy way to avoid these types of costs, but of course these can be quite expensive. If you’re sticking to a budget or you’re quite happy to ditch your social media feeds and emails for a few days, then one of the easiest ways to avoid the potentially high costs is to switch off data roaming, or at least put your phone on airplane mode.
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Satellite images show how Israel is obliterating large areas of Gaza City as its offensive intensifies, forcibly displacing one million Palestinians in its campaign of destruction.
“This is one of the most remote and also one of the most poor parts of Afghanistan.”
Thamindri de Silva, the National Director for World Vision Afghanistan, explains why it’s difficult for response teams to reach the area affected by the earthquake in Afghanistan.
Heather Colley and her two children moved four times over five years as they fled high rents in eastern Tennessee, which, like much of rural America, hasn’t been spared from soaring housing costs.
A family gift in 2021 of a small plot of land offered a shot at homeownership, but building a house was beyond reach for the 45-year-old single mother and manicurist making $18.50 an hour.
That changed when she qualified for a $272,000 grant from a nonprofit to build a three-bedroom home because of a program that has helped make affordable housing possible in rural areas for decades. She and her family moved in in June.
“Every time I pull into my garage, I pinch myself,” Colley said.
Now, President Trump wants to eliminate that grant, the HOME Investment Partnerships Program, and House Republicans overseeing federal budget negotiations did not include funding for it in their budget proposal. Experts and state housing agencies say that would set back tens of thousands of future affordable housing developments nationwide, particularly hurting Appalachian towns and rural counties where government aid is sparse and investors are few.
The program has helped build or repair more than 1.3 million affordable homes in the last three decades, of which at least 540,000 were in congressional districts that are rural or significantly rural, according to an Associated Press analysis of federal data.
“Maybe they don’t realize how far-reaching these programs are,” said Colley, who voted for Trump in 2024. Among those half a million homes that HOME helped build, 84% were in districts that voted for him last year, the AP analysis found.
“I understand we don’t want excessive spending and wasting taxpayer dollars,” Colley said, “but these proposed budget cuts across the board make me rethink the next time I go to the polls.”
The HOME program, started under President George H.W. Bush in the 1990s, survived years of budget battles but has been stretched thin by years of rising construction costs and stagnant funding. That’s meant fewer units, including in some rural areas where home prices have grown faster than in cities.
The program has spent more than $38 billion nationwide since it began filling in funding gaps and attracting more investment to acquire, build and repair affordable homes, federal Department of Housing and Urban Development data show. Additional funding has gone toward rental assistance and projects that have yet to be finished.
Political limbo
To account for the gap left by the proposed cuts, House Republicans want to draw on nearly $5 billion from a related pandemic-era fund that gave states until 2030 to spend on projects supporting people who are unhoused or facing homelessness.
That $5 billion, however, may be far less, since many projects haven’t yet been logged into HUD’s tracking system, according to state housing agencies and associations representing them.
A spokesperson for HUD, which administers the program, said HOME isn’t as effective as other programs where the money would be better spent.
In opposition to Trump, Senate Republicans have still included funding for HOME in their draft budget. In the coming negotiations, both chambers may compromise and reduce but not terminate HOME’s funding, or extend last year’s overall budget.
White House spokesperson Davis Ingle didn’t respond to specific questions from the AP. Instead, Ingle said that Trump’s commitment to cutting red tape is making housing more affordable.
A bipartisan group of House lawmakers is working to reduce HOME’s notorious red tape that even proponents say slows construction.
Some rural areas more dependent on HOME
In Owsley County — one of the nation’s poorest, in the rural Kentucky hills — residents struggle in an economy blighted by coal mine closures and declining tobacco crop revenues.
Affordable homes are needed there, but tough to build in a region that doesn’t attract larger-scale rental developments that federal dollars typically go toward.
That’s where HOME comes in, said Cassie Hudson, who runs Partnership Housing in Owsley, which has relied on the program to build the majority of its affordable homes for at least a dozen years.
A lack of additional funding for HOME has already made it hard to keep up with construction costs, Hudson said, and the organization builds a quarter of the single-family homes it used to.
“Particularly for deeply rural places and persistent poverty counties, local housing developers are the only way homes and new rental housing gets built,” said Joshua Stewart of Fahe, a coalition of Appalachian nonprofits.
That’s in part because investment is scant and HOME steps in when construction costs exceed what a home can be sold for — a common barrier in poor areas of Appalachia. Some developers use the profits to build more affordable units. Its loss would erode those nonprofits’ ability to build affordable homes in years to come, Stewart said.
One of those nonprofits, Housing Development Alliance, helped Tiffany Mullins in Hazard, Ky., which was ravaged by floods. Mullins, a single mother of four who makes $14.30 an hour at Walmart, bought a house there thanks to HOME funding and moved in in August.
Mullins sees the program as preserving a rural way of life, recalling when folks owned homes and land with gardens — “we had chickens, cows. Now you don’t see much of that.”
A long-term effect
In congressional budget negotiations, HOME is an easier target than programs such as vouchers because most people would not immediately lose their housing, said Tess Hembree, executive director of the Council of State Community Development Agencies.
The effect of any reduction would instead be felt in a fizzling of new affordable housing supply. When HOME funding was temporarily reduced to $900 million in 2015, “10 to 15 years later, we’re seeing the ramifications,” Hembree said.
That includes affordable units built in cities. The biggest program that funds affordable rental housing nationwide, the Low Income Housing Tax Credit, uses HOME grants for 12% of units, totaling 324,000 current individual units, according to soon-to-be-published Urban Institute research.
Trump’s spending bill that Republicans passed this summer increased that program, but experts say further reducing or cutting HOME would make those credits less usable.
“It’s LIHTC plus HOME, usually,” said Tim Thrasher, chief executive of Community Action Partnership of North Alabama, which builds affordable apartments for some of the nation’s poorest.
In the lush mountains of eastern West Virginia, Woodlands Development Group relies on HOME for its smaller rural projects. Because it helps people with a wider range of incomes, HOME is “one of the only programs available to us that allows us to develop true workforce housing,” said Executive Director Dave Clark.
It’s those workers — nurses, first responders, teachers — that nonprofits like east Tennessee’s Creative Compassion use HOME to build for. With the program in jeopardy, grant administrator Sarah Halcott said she fears for her clients battling rising housing costs.
“This is just another nail in the coffin for rural areas,” Halcott said.
Kramon, Bedayn, Herbst and Kessler write for the Associated Press. Kramon reported from Atlanta, Bedayn from Denver, Herbst from New York City and Kessler from Washington.
SACRAMENTO — Legislation to eliminate student smoking areas on public high school campuses gained final legislative passage Wednesday night and was sent to Gov. George Deukmejian.
The Assembly voted 51 to 22 for the bill, providing 10 more votes than the simple majority required. A spokesman for Deukmejian said that the governor had not yet taken a position on the measure, which passed the Senate on Aug. 14.
Under the bill–which reverses an 8-year-old state policy that seeks to accommodate and control student smokers–pupils found to be possessing tobacco products at school would be subject to suspension or expulsion. Tobacco also would be prohibited at school-sponsored events.
Proponents of the measure said that providing smoking areas on campus makes a mockery of an existing state law making it illegal to sell or give tobacco products to minors.
“It’s sheer, utter hypocrisy that this bill is trying to correct,” the bill’s author, Assemblyman William J. Filante (R-Greenbrae), said during the floor debate.
Assembly Republican leader Pat Nolan of Glendale said, “We’ve outlawed minors (from) smoking and all this is saying is that (law) will be enforced in public buildings called schools.”
The 1978 law that allows school districts to set up campus smoking areas was adopted mainly to move student smokers from the lavatories and into areas separate from other students.
Filante said when the law was adopted eight years ago, health risks associated with the use of tobacco products, such as cigarettes, were not proven.
“We didn’t know what we know today. We didn’t know how much tobacco is involved with disease,” he said.
Opponents argued that the decision to offer smoking areas should be left to local school districts.
“It’s taking away one of the few local controls a school board has and leaving them defenseless. This is a bad idea,” Thomas M. Hannigan (D-Fairfield) said.
Hannigan contended that students who smoke simply will move back into the lavatories and “to the back of school buses.”
“It’s going to shift the problem to some other area of the school grounds,” he said.
About half of California’s 1,096 school districts allow smoking on campus. None of the 49 high schools in the Los Angeles Unified School District permit smoking on campus.
The bill was backed by the attorney general’s office, the California State School Board, and more than 30 health and education organizations.
WASHINGTON — The main drag in Washington’s Columbia Heights neighborhood is typically crammed with people peddling pupusas, fresh fruit, souvenirs and clothing. On Tuesday, though, things felt different: The white tents that bulge with food and merchandise were scarcer than usual.
“Everything has stopped over the last week,” said Yassin Yahyaoui, who sells jewelry and glass figurines. Most of his customers and fellow vendors, he said, have “just disappeared” — particularly if they speak Spanish.
The abnormally quiet street was further proof of how President Trump’s decision to flood the nation’s capital with federal law enforcement and immigration agents has rippled through the city. Although troop deployments and foot patrols in downtown areas and around the National Mall have garnered the most attention, life in historically diverse neighborhoods such as Columbia Heights is being reshaped as well.
The White House has credited Trump’s crackdown with hundreds of arrests, while local officials have criticized the aggressive intervention in the city’s affairs.
The confrontation escalated Tuesday as the top federal prosecutor in the District of Columbia opened an investigation into whether police officials have falsified crime data, according to a person familiar with the situation who wasn’t authorized to comment publicly. The inquiry could be used to bolster Trump’s claims that the city is suffering from a “crime emergency” despite statistics showing improvements. The mayor’s office and the Police Department declined to comment.
Stops are visible across the city
Blocks away from where Yahyaoui had set up shop, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and local police stopped a moped driver delivering pizza. The agents drove unmarked cars and wore tactical vests; one covered his face with a green balaclava. They questioned the driver and required him to present documentation relating to his employment and legal residency status. No arrest was made.
The White House said there have been 465 arrests since Aug. 7, when the federal operation began, including 206 people who were in the country illegally. The Trump administration has ramped up immigration enforcement and the president signed an executive order on Aug. 11 to put the Police Department under federal control for 30 days; extending that would require congressional approval.
Karoline Leavitt, the White House press secretary, said Trump was “unapologetically standing up for the safety of law-abiding American citizens.”
Glorida Gomez, who has been working a fruit stand in Columbia Heights for more than a decade, said business is worse now than during the COVID-19 pandemic. She said many vendors stopped coming because they were afraid of encountering federal agents.
Customers seem less willing to spend money too. Reina Sosa, another vendor, said that “they’re saving it in case something happens,” like getting detained by immigration enforcement.
Ana Lemus, who also sells fruit, said that “we need more humanity on that part of the government.”
“Remember that these are people being affected,” she said. “The government is supposed to protect members of the community, not attack or discriminate against them.”
Bystanders have recorded some arrests on video. On Saturday morning, Christian Enrique Carias Torres was detained in another part of the city during a scuffle with ICE agents, and the video ricocheted around social media. An FBI agent’s affidavit said Carias Torres kicked one of the agents in the leg and another was injured when he fell during the struggle and struck his head on the pavement. A stun gun was used to subdue Carias Torres, who was charged Tuesday with resisting arrest.
An alphabet soup of federal agencies have been circulating in the city. In the Petworth neighborhood, roughly 20 officers from the FBI, Homeland Security, Park Police and U.S. Marshals descended on an apartment building on Tuesday morning. A man extended his hands out a window while officers cuffed him. Yanna Stelle, 19, who witnessed the incident, said she heard the chatter from walkie-talkies as officers moved through the hallways.
“That was too many police first thing in the morning — especially for them to just be doing a warrant,” she said.
More National Guard troops from other states are slated to arrive
From his actions and remarks, Trump seems interested in ratcheting up the pressure. His administration has asked Republican-led states to send more National Guard troops. Mississippi, Tennessee, Louisiana, West Virginia, South Carolina and Ohio have agreed to deploy a total of 1,100 troops to the city, on top of the 800 from the D.C.-based National Guard.
Resistance to that notion is starting to surface, both on the streets and in Congress. On Tuesday, Democratic Rep. Sam Liccardo (D-San José) introduced a bill that would require a report outlining the cost of any National Guard deployment unrelated to a natural disaster, as well as its legal basis. It would also require reporting on any Guard interactions with civilians and other aspects of the operation.
Forty-four Democrats have signed on in support, including Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton, Washington’s nonvoting delegate in the House of Representatives. Although the measure stands little chance of passing while Republicans control the chamber, it’s a sign of a wider Democratic response to Trump’s unprecedented moves in Washington.
“Are L.A. and D.C. a test run for a broader authoritarian takeover of local communities?” Liccardo asked. He added that the country’s founders were suspicious of “executive control of standing armies.”
Abigail Jackson, a White House spokeswoman, said that “Democrats continue to side with criminals over law-abiding Americans.”
What kind of assistance will be offered?
It’s unclear what kind of help the National Guard will be able to provide when it comes to crime.
“The fact of the matter is that the National Guard are not law-enforcement trained, and they’re not going into places where they would be engaged in law enforcement activity,” said Jeff Asher, a crime analyst and consultant at AH Datalytics. “So I don’t know that it’s fair to expect much of it.”
Trump declared in a social media post that his initiative has transformed Washington from “the most unsafe ‘city’ in the United States” to “perhaps the safest, and getting better every single hour!”
The number of crimes reported in D.C. did drop by about 8% this week as compared with the week before, according to Metropolitan Police data. There was some variation within that data, with crimes such as robberies and car thefts declining while burglaries increased a bit and homicides remained steady.
Still, a week is a small sample size — far from enough time for data to show meaningful shifts, Asher said. Referring to the monthlong period that D.C.’s home rule law allows the president to exert control over the Police Department, he said: “I think 30 days is too short of a period to really say anything.”
Brown, Whitehurst and Megerian write for the Associated Press. AP writers Michael Kunzelman, Alanna Durkin Richer, Jacquelyn Martin and Ashraf Khalil contributed to this report.
Gov. Gavin Newsom plans to issue an executive order Wednesday allowing Los Angeles-area governments to limit development in wildfire-affected neighborhoods by exempting them from provisions of a landmark housing law, a spokesperson for his office said.
The proposed order would let the city and county of Los Angeles and Malibu restrict construction that was allowed under Senate Bill 9, a 2021 law that allows property owners build as many as four units on land previously reserved for single-family homes.
The order would apply to Pacific Palisades and parts of Malibu and Altadena — areas that burned in January’s Palisades and Eaton fires that are designated as “very high fire hazard severity zones” by the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, Newsom spokesperson Tara Gallegos said.
The decision came after concerns about the potential of a significant population increase if there were widespread use of SB 9 developments in rebuilding areas, making future fire evacuations even more difficult, Gallegos said.
The governor’s plan follows pressure this week from elected officials in Los Angeles. On Monday, City Councilmember Traci Park, who represents Pacific Palisades, sent a letter to Newsom requesting that he suspend SB 9, warning that otherwise there could be “an unforeseen explosion of density” in a risky area.
“When SB 9 was adopted into state law, it was never intended to capitalize on a horrific disaster,” Park wrote.
On Tuesday, L.A. Mayor Karen Bass released a statement supporting Park’s request, citing similar concerns about SB 9 straining evacuation routes and local infrastructure in the Palisades.
“It could fundamentally alter the safety of the area,” Bass said.
FREEVIEW viewers in more than 160 areas across the UK are being warned that “pixelation or flickering” could affect TV sets this week.
The digital television platform will be carrying out planned engineering works over the next few days, to ensure the service continues to run smoothly for its millions of UK customers.
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Freeview is carrying out planned engineering works this weekCredit: Wikipedia
“Sometimes engineering work is required on transmitters so that they can keep reliably broadcasting your favourite free-to-air programmes”, Freeview bosses said.
Customers affected by the engineering works have been urged not to try and retune their televisions.
“Reception will be restored as soon as the engineering work is completed”, Freeview said.
160 Areas To Be Affected
A total of 160 areas will be affected by the engineering works, which will be carried out on the areas’ transmitters.
To check what transmitter you are predicted to get your signal from, you can put your postcode into Freeview’s Detailed Transmitter Information tool to check.
Freeview has warned that areas affected by the engineering works may possible see “pixelation or flickering on some or all channels”.
The following transmitters will be affected by the engineering works:
How To Watch Freeview Online
If you don’t want to miss out on your favourite TV shows, whilst the engineering works are taking place, you can also watch Freeview on a connected TV via Freeview Play, on mobile phones and tablets through the mobile app and on the Freeview website.
The easiest way to way to access on-demand players such as BBC iPlayer and ITVX on your Freeview Play TV is simply to push Channel 100.
You can download the Freeview app on the App Store or Google Play Store.
This will give you access on your phone or tablet to an abundance of channels, such as BBC One and Channel 4.
Freeview offers an impressive 60,000+ hours of TV and over 1,500 boxsets
To watch TV via the website, simply head to the TV Guide and click on a channel.
Recent Freeview Updates
This comes after Freeview viewers were urged to re-scan their TV boxes, following a huge channel change.
Channel 4 has boosted Freeview coverage for one of its channels in June, meaning if you haven’t already, you’ll need to retune to continue watching.
As part of Freeview’s monthly channel update, 4seven transitioned to a new frequency as of Wednesday 18 June, 2025.
This is because of an important technical change to the way the Channel 4 offshoot channel is broadcast on Freeview.
It will give more Freeview users access to the channel at a time when 4seven is increasingly used as an overspill for live events.
A popular Freeview box also received a key upgrade last month which fixed a bug affecting a slew of features.
Manhattan released the software update for its T4-R and T4 Freeview boxes.
The latest version – 2.06 – will finally fix a long-standing standby mode issue that has affected a number of users.
Izmir’s airport suspends flights, and authorities evacuate residents as strong winds fan blaze in the western province.
Turkiye has evacuated four villages and two neighbourhoods in its western province of Izmir as firefighters battle wildfires for the second day, according to local authorities.
Forestry Minister Ibrahim Yumakli said on Monday that the blaze was fanned overnight by winds reaching 40-50kmph (25-30mph) in Kuyucak and Doganbey areas of Izmir.
Helicopters, fire-extinguishing aircraft and other vehicles, and more than 1,000 people were trying to extinguish the fires, Yumakli told reporters in Izmir.
Operations at Izmir Adnan Menderes airport were suspended due to the fire, Turkish media reported.
Media footage showed teams using tractors with water trailers and helicopters carrying water, as smoke billowed over hills marked with charred trees.
An aerial view of the damaged houses and burned forest area after the fire broke out in Seferihisar district of Izmir, Turkiye on June 30, 2025 [Mahmut Serdar Alakus/Anadolu]
Earlier, strong winds grounded the helicopters, leaving two water-bombing aircraft and a large ground crew struggling to battle the flames.
The first fire broke out on Sunday between the districts of Seferihisar and Menderes in Izmir, spreading swiftly due to winds of up to 117kmph (75mph), according to Governor Suleyman Elban.
Five neighbourhoods in Seferihisar have been evacuated as the fire approaches residential areas, the governor added.
Residents in the village of Urkmez were forced to cut trees to create firebreaks and protect their homes, a witness told the AFP news agency over the phone.
A separate blaze ignited at a landfill in Gaziemir, 13km (8 miles) from central Izmir, spreading to nearby woodland and threatening the Otokent industrial zone, home to several car dealerships.
One dealership was seen ablaze in footage broadcast by Turkish channel NTV.
Turkiye’s coastal regions have in recent years been ravaged by wildfires, as summers have become hotter and drier, which scientists relate to climate change. Last year, the same area in Izmir was also hit by a massive wildfire.
Elsewhere
Across Southern Europe, firefighters were also mobilised as people sought shelter from the punishing temperatures of a heatwave that is set to intensify in the coming days.
In France, wildfires broke out in the Corbieres area of Aude in the southwest, where temperatures topped 40C (104F), forcing the evacuation of a campsite and abbey as a precaution.
Last week, Greek firefighters had to battle a forest blaze on the coast south of Athens that forced some evacuations.
Several areas in the southern half of Portugal, including Lisbon, were also under a red warning until Monday night, said the Portuguese Institute for Sea and Atmosphere.
Houses were damaged after a wildfire broke out in the Doganbey area of Seferihisar district in Izmir, Turkiye, on June 29, 2025 [Mahmut Serdar Alakus/Anadolu]
The spate of insecurity in Nigeria is turning many local communities into ungovernable spaces. As the secular government withdraws from these communities, terrorist groups expand their influence, consolidate authority, and accumulate illicit wealth. Traditional leaders—once the primary link between the people and governance—now operate under the coercive control of armed factions, which have established parallel administrations and seized the reins of the local economy.
North East
The government’s absence is nearly absolute in northeastern Nigeria, around the Lake Chad basin. Here, the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) and remnants of Boko Haram terrorists operate not as fugitives but as rulers. Their authority is layered, structured, and chillingly effective.
ISWAP has organised its territory into mantikas (localities), which are regional districts aligned with Nigeria’s federal structure. These mantikas oversee taxation, zakat (alms-giving), farm levies, education (Qur’anic schools and ideological reprogramming), security, courts, and patrols.
Several communities in Abadam, Guzamala, Kukawa, Marte, and Mobbar no longer wait for state forces; they negotiate directly with insurgent-appointed administrators. The group’s brutality is, for many, accompanied by a disturbing sense of order within a context devoid of hope.
North West
While ISWAP’s rule is ideological, in North West Nigeria, it encompasses a chaotic mix of economic, ethnic, and religious factors. In Zamfara, armed groups now operate like proto-states. The forests of Maru, Bakura, and Anka are home to well-defended camps with command hierarchies, blood-draining tax systems, and armouries supplied via Sahelian trafficking routes and after raids on military positions.
HumAngle investigations found that communities like Tungar Doruwa, Maitoshshi, Chabi, and Kwankelai—once protected under the Dankurmi Police Outpost—are now under the firm control of Kachalla Black and Kachalla Gemu. Further south, Kungurmi, Galeji, and Yarwutsiya are governed by Kachalla Soja and Kachalla Madagwal. Up north, Kango Village and Madafa Mountain serve as fortresses for terrorists like Wudille and Ado Aleru, who command loyalty through a combination of fear and patronage.
Here, terrorism is no longer sporadic. It is systemic. It is territorial governance without borders, aided by the region’s gold trade, deep forests, and a broken justice system. Entire LGAs now function as autonomous war zones where Nigerian laws hold no sway.
The little-known Lakurawa terror network is enforcing a form of stealth insurgency in the areas of Isa, Sabon Birni, and Rabah in Sokoto State. Schools are shuttered, roads are mined, and civilians pay levies for survival. The group’s cross-border tactics, using the Niger Republic as a tactical fallback, make them elusive and resilient.
Many villages with large populations, like Galadima, Kamarawa, and Dankari in Sokoto, now survive on whispered warnings and ritual bribes. Lakurawa’s governance is less visible but equally firm, with taxation, curfews, and brutal retribution. Residents say sporadic military raids offer little relief; the terrorists return hours later, more vengeful than before.
The fractures in Kaduna State mirror the broader problems in Nigeria. In Chikun, Giwa, and Birnin Gwari, attacks by Ansaru factions and criminal warbands have pushed out state institutions. Southern Kaduna adds another layer, with ethnic violence fused with terror raids, leaving villages like Jika da Kolo and Tudun Biri in ruins.
Katari, once a symbol of Kaduna’s transport link to Abuja, is now a ghost zone, haunted by the memory of the 2022 train attack. Trains now pass, but the residents remain missing, displaced or dead.
North Central
In Niger State, rural districts like Shiroro, Mashegu, and Borgu are steadily slipping from state and federal control. After attacks such as the 2021 Mazakuka mosque massacre, entire villages fled, leaving behind ghost towns. ISWAP and affiliated terror cells have since moved in, using dense forests to launch ambushes and collect tribute.
In Rafi, Allawa, Bassa, and Zazzaga, residents speak of “government by gun”, which is enforced through nighttime raids and extortion rackets. What began as raids has metastasised into permanent displacement. Farming has ceased. Children grow up never having seen a police officer.
Niger State is next to Abuja, Nigeria’s federal capital territory.
South East
The secessionist group known as the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) has transformed parts of Imo and Anambra States into shadow states. What began as ideological agitation has evolved into fragmented shadow governance, particularly in Orsu, Oguta, and Nnewi South, where IPOB’s Eastern Security Network (ESN) now operates checkpoints, enforces lockdowns, and levies informal taxes. Police presence is almost nonexistent; courts are shuttered; schools function sporadically.
This pattern is not isolated. As Mgbeodinma Nwankwo reports for HumAngle in Onitsha, “Southeast Nigeria has greatly changed from a region with historical landmarks and trade centres to areas of gunfire that make life deadly for civilians and law enforcement officers.” States like Anambra, Imo, Abia, and Ebonyi have become centres for violence. Non-state armed groups routinely block roads and attack police stations. Businesses close early, travel routes are avoided, and fear governs daily life.
IPOB’s camps, hidden in forest belts, serve as training grounds and operational bases – funded by diaspora networks and sustained by black-market arms. The state’s coercive apparatus has collapsed in these ungoverned interiors, like Ihiala and stretches of rural Imo. Local vigilante outfits like Ebube Agu and Operation Udo Ga Chi strive to maintain a fragile order, often overwhelmed by better-armed non-state actors.
As Nwankwo describes, uniforms have become “magnets for attacks.” Police and military personnel are hunted, ambushed, kidnapped, or executed. One soldier, attending a party in Imo while off duty, was identified and found dead the next morning.
“Wearing a uniform here is like painting a target on your back,” said a police officer in Imo, speaking anonymously. “We go to work in mufti and only change when necessary. Even then, we operate in groups, as solo patrols pose a significant risk.”
The psychological toll is immense. Morale among security forces is at an all-time low. Many seek transfers, and while some still consider the southeastern region postings financially rewarding, the life-threatening risks overshadow any incentives.
The violence is driven by a volatile mix: separatist agitation, criminal opportunism, and state withdrawal. IPOB and ESN are often suspected to be responsible for many of the terror attacks, though they frequently deny involvement. Criminal gangs, exploiting the chaos, further destabilise the region.
State response has focused on increasing highway checkpoints, leaving interior communities exposed. Critics argue this reactive approach exacerbates tensions. “Deploying more soldiers is not enough,” warns Dr Chioma Emenike, a conflict resolution expert based in the southeast. “There must be dialogue, economic empowerment, and trust-building between security agencies and local communities.”
Ultimately, the region faces a dual crisis of security and legitimacy. As uniforms vanish from the rural southeast, so does any semblance of state authority. What remains is a precarious state of fear and survival—residents trapped between hostile non-state actors and a disengaged state, teetering on the edge of anarchy.
South East Nigeria is home to ungoverned spaces. Map illustration by Mansir Muhammad/HumAngle.
Nigeria’s unseen frontlines
Nigeria’s forests have become its most telling metaphor. Once tourist destinations and biodiversity treasures, they are now frontlines of insurgency. No-go zones include Kamuku, Kainji, Falgore, and Sambisa. Dumburum and Kagara are insurgent capitals.
Even southern states are not spared. In Ondo, Edo, and Lagos, the forests harbour kidnappers and traffickers. In the Niger Delta, mangroves shelter oil theft rings bleeding billions from the national treasury.
These green belts mark the outer limit of Nigeria’s practical sovereignty. Beyond them lies another Nigeria: unrecognised, ungoverned, and rapidly growing.
Kabir Adamu, a seasoned security analyst and the CEO of Beacon Security and Intelligence Limited–a security risk management and consulting firm– expressed concerns over the scarce presence of governance and secular leadership in territories overrun by terrorists.
“Where they exist, they typically include poorly staffed and under-resourced police posts, non-functional or abandoned local government offices, dilapidated schools, and health and medical centres with little to no medical personnel or supplies,” he told HumAngle, noting that, in some locations, especially in northern Borno and remote areas of Zamfara and Katsina, such structures have been destroyed or taken over by terrorists, further eroding state presence.
Adamu added that, as the state recedes, communities have been forced to adapt in ways that challenge conventional notions of governance. He said many communities have resorted to local self-help mechanisms, including forming or reviving armed vigilante groups, with support from traditional rulers or local elites in some cases.
“These groups often serve as the first and only line of defence against armed groups, conducting patrols, manning checkpoints, and gathering intelligence. Unfortunately, the formation of the vigilantes continues not to reflect the communities’ diverse residents,” the security analyst noted.
Forest guard corps
The federal government’s response to these problems offers a glimmer of optimism, as it established the new Forest Guard Corps to reclaim these wild spaces. Trained in guerrilla warfare and intelligence, these units, drawn from local populations, are tasked with intercepting armed groups and restoring order.
However, without systemic reforms such as real policing, honest governance, and economic renewal, the corps risks becoming merely a temporary solution to a persistent problem. These affected communities nationwide need more than just soldiers; they need schools, courts, trust, and opportunities.
Although Adamu admitted that the Nigerian government has taken various actions in and around ungoverned spaces to reduce the influence of armed groups, he insisted that these approaches remain fragmented and often lack the institutional follow-through needed to fill the broader governance vacuum.
“There are clear signs that the ungoverned spaces in Nigeria are expanding, consolidating, and in some cases, connecting across local government and state boundaries in mostly the northern regions but also affecting some of the southern areas,” he said, adding that although military operations have resulted in the arrest or killing of militants, and recovery of weapons, the gains are often temporary in the absence of sustained civilian governance.
The rise of an economy of fear
As formal taxation collapses, ransoms rise in northwestern Nigeria. In Dansadau, HumAngle found that farmers trade goats and sorghum to retrieve kidnapped relatives. In Zugu and Gaude, families pay monthly levies to criminals to avoid attacks. Pay tribute is the only way to ensure public safety in some places.
This economy of fear has reshaped entire communities. Young men, disillusioned and broke, join gangs and terrorist groups as an alternative to starvation. Each payment made strengthens the enemy and weakens the state.
In many rural communities, ransoms are paid in cash, livestock, or entire harvests. Local leaders admit to pooling security levies from residents to meet ransom demands — institutionalising these payments and strengthening the criminals’ hold.
“Displacement remains a widespread coping strategy; fearing violence or oppressive demands from armed actors, entire villages have fled to IDP camps or relocated to safer towns and cities, leaving behind homes and livelihoods,” Adamu stressed, confirming the overwhelming fear consuming locals in these communities.
“Others, unable or unwilling to flee, have turned to informal negotiations with insurgents or bandits — offering payments in cash, crops, or livestock in exchange for relative peace. In some areas, communities have adapted to insurgent-imposed governance systems, accepting taxation or dispute resolution by armed non-state actors to maintain a semblance of normal life,” he added.
This cycle of violence is self-sustaining. As armed groups become richer and better armed, their reach extends deeper into communities. Interviews by HumAngle revealed that young men claimed that they saw joining kidnapping gangs in the forests as their sole means of escaping the oppressive poverty they faced.
Every community across the country visited or examined by HumAngle reveals the same grim logic: when the state withdraws, someone else steps in. Whether they come in the name of religion, gold, or secession, these armed groups usurping Nigeria’s justice system are redrawing the country’s map from the grassroots up.
That was the prevailing feeling among the Rams this week as they ended their off season with a “Mauicamp,” a low-key event heavy on bonding and light on drills for a team expected to contend for a championship.
Star quarterback Matthew Stafford is under contract for another potential Super Bowl run.
The Rams also added star receiver Davante Adams, drafted tight end Terrance Ferguson and bolstered depth to an ascending defensive front.
The Rams, however, have areas of concern as they head into a break before reporting to training camp at Loyola Marymount in July.
Offensive tackle and cornerback could be vulnerabilities for a team aiming to improve upon last season’s 10-7 record and an NFC divisional round loss to the eventual Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles.
Here’s how confident the Rams were in those positions going into free agency and the draft: They did not sign or select a player at either spot.
Whether that was wise is another matter.
Stafford, 37, remains the Rams’ most important player and — other than coach Sean McVay — their most valuable asset. So the tackles must foil edge rushers hellbent on hitting the quarterback while playing perhaps the most pressure-packed position other than Stafford’s.
With his play last season, Alaric Jackson convinced the Rams he was their longtime solution at left tackle. They awarded him a three-year contract that included $35 million in guarantees.
But uncertainty now reigns. Jackson sat out the final week of offseason workouts because he is dealing with blood-clot issues for the second time in his career. If, or when, he will be able to practice and play is unknown.
Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford passes during organized team activities on June 3.
(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
The Rams hurriedly signed D.J. Humphries, but the veteran is of late something of an unknown quantity. He played only two games last season for the Kansas City Chiefs after returning from major 2023 knee surgery and then suffering a hamstring injury.
Right tackle Rob Havenstein, 33, is entering his 11th season and the final year of his contract. He is coming off two shoulder surgeries.
Swing tackle Warren McClendon Jr. started five games last season, but he has not established himself as a frontline player. The Rams also recently signed eight-year pro David Quessenberry, who made 17 of his career 30 starts in 2021.
The Rams are confident in the secondary — in large part because of the defensive front.
A rush led by rookies Jared Verse and Braden Fiske helped the Rams rank 20th among 32 teams in pass defense last season. That rush is expected to improve with the addition of tackle Poona Ford and rookie edge rusher Josaiah Stewart.
So the Rams stood pat with the same defensive backs from last season.
Cornerback Darious Williams, 32, does not have salary guarantees beyond this season, according to Overthecap.com. Ahkello Witherspoon, 30, is playing on a one-year deal for the third consecutive season but was signed early enough this time to participate in offseason workouts.
Cobie Durant is in the final year of his rookie contract, and Emmanuel Forbes Jr. is trying to prove that the Washington Commanders erred by releasing the 2023 first-round pick last season.
Derion Kendrick, coming off a knee injury that forced him to sit out the 2024 season, was waived last week in a cost-cutting move and then re-signed with the Rams for a veteran-minimum contract. Josh Wallace and Charles Woods, undrafted free agents in 2024, also are on the roster.
Two-time Pro Bowl cornerback Jaire Alexander was recently released by the Green Bay Packers, but McVay said last week that was “not a direction” the Rams would go. Alexander signed with the Baltimore Ravens, the Rams’ Week 6 opponent.
While the NFL largely shuts down until the start of training camp, general manager Les Snead in the past has added players before it opens and after it begins.
But for now, with their Hawaiian excursion behind them, the Rams appear ready to go with what they’ve got.
Severe levels of ‘hunger, destitution and desperation’ found in the town of Jabal Awliya, south of Khartoum.
The risk of famine in Sudan has extended close to the capital Khartoum, the UN’s World Food Programme (WFP) has warned as the country’s brutal civil war grinds on into its third year.
The agency has discovered “severe” levels of hunger in the town of Jabal Awliya, some 40km (25 miles) south of Khartoum, the WFP’s Sudan representative Laurent Bukera said on Tuesday.
Speaking upon his return from a visit to Khartoum state, Bukera described “widespread destruction” in the town and other areas around Khartoum, and called for urgent international action to prevent famine.
“The needs are immense,” Bukera said from Port Sudan, describing “limited access to water, healthcare and electricity”, as well as a cholera outbreak.
“Several areas in the south of the city are at high risk of famine,” he added. “The international community must act now – by stepping up funding to stop famine in the hardest-hit areas and to invest in Sudan’s recovery.”
The WFP, which says it is assisting four million people across the country, has had to reduce food rations in areas at risk of famine to 70 percent due to a major funding shortfall.
‘Meeting basic needs critical’
The government-aligned Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) have been locked in a battle for power since April 2023. The army took control of Khartoum in March and declared the city “completely free of rebels” in late May.
Now that WFP has access to the area and is able to make regular aid deliveries, the agency said it was doing everything it could to bring the local population back from the brink of famine.
Bukera said “the level of hunger, destitution and desperation” found in Jabal Awliya was “severe, and basically confirmed the risk of famine”.
The war has killed tens of thousands of people and created the world’s largest hunger and displacement crises. Over four million have fled the country and some 10.5 million are internally displaced, according to United Nations estimates.
Bukera said that with people expected to return to heavily damaged areas like Khartoum, the pressure on already overstretched resources would intensify.
“WFP is deeply concerned, and meeting basic needs – especially food – is critical and urgent,” he said.
Famine has already been declared in five areas across Sudan, including three displacement camps near el-Fasher in the southwest.
It has been all but confirmed in el-Fasher itself, where aid agencies say a lack of access to data has prevented an official famine declaration.
Across the country, nearly 25 million people are suffering dire food insecurity.
The government of the Democratic Republic of Congo has denied responsibility for the closure of banks and financial institutions in areas controlled by M23 rebels, citing security concerns for individuals with savings accounts in those areas.
Before the Rwanda-backed rebels took control of Goma in North Kivu and Bukavu in South Kivu, banks and other financial institutions in those regions had ceased operations.
The rebels’ reopening of the Caisse Generale d’Epagne du Congo (CADECO) has not produced the expected results but aggravated the situation, especially as CADECO branches only pay taxes to the rebel authorities.
There have been ongoing calls for the authorities in the DR Congo to reopen banks to alleviate the financial hardships faced by the population. In response, government spokesperson Patrick Muyaya explained that the banks are not closed due to the government’s decision but rather due to security concerns affecting individuals with savings accounts.
Muyaya expressed concerns during a press briefing, stating that ongoing tensions in Kivu have led to punitive measures against its populations due to the banking sector’s dysfunction. “Let them not lie to you. These people do not have the right to utilise the American dollar in any way,” he said, emphasising the legal ramifications of engaging with movements under U.S. sanctions.
He clarified the situation by explaining that “the banks are not closed because the government wants it, but because of how the system functions and the security conditions,” indicating that the closures are a complex issue tied to broader systemic and security problems. The government’s spokesperson says he hopes for expeditious peace initiatives to alleviate the suffering endured by the Congolese communities affected by rebel control, which he attributed to support from Rwanda.
“The President of the Republic and all of us in government are working to push all the processes going on, and this situation, the butchers in Goma, must quickly stop. I recall the necessity for all of us always to express the sentiment of support and solidarity to affected populations,” he added.
However, Joseph Kabila, a former president of the DR Congo, criticised the government for neglecting the people, particularly by disconnecting local financial institutions from the national banking network, and restricting the movement of people and goods.
Calling for the humanisation of the living conditions in this part of the country, the former president exhorted the authorities to protect the population and insisted that “the army, justice and other structures in charge of security and order must in reality be in the service of the population and respond to their aspirations”.
The Bishops of the National Episcopal Conference of Congo also expressed their disquiet at the persistence of the multifaceted crisis affecting the DR Congo. In a statement made public on Friday, May 16, the religious leaders deplored the degradation of the political climate and the deterioration of the socio-economic situation, especially in the zones under the control of the M23/AFC rebels supported by Rwanda.
For bishops, the closure of banks and airports in the territories under the control of the M23/AFC rebels imposes precarious and challenging living conditions on several families.
The government of the Democratic Republic of Congo has disclaimed responsibility for the closures of banks in regions controlled by M23 rebels, attributing them to security concerns.
Prior to the rebels’ takeover, financial institutions in Goma and Bukavu had already halted operations. The rebels reopened CADECO, worsening the situation as taxes are only paid to the rebel authorities. Government spokesperson Patrick Muyaya emphasized that banks closed due to security conditions, not government directives, and stressed the legal issues with using currency under U.S. sanctions.
Former President Joseph Kabila criticized the government for neglecting the people by severing local financial institutions from the national network. He urged the protection of affected populations, calling on security forces to prioritize public welfare. The National Episcopal Conference of Congo’s Bishops expressed concern about the ongoing crisis, highlighting the deteriorated socio-economic conditions in areas under rebel control, worsened by bank and airport closures, impacting residents’ living conditions.
The government aims for swift peace initiatives to mitigate these hardships.
A British man living in Benidorm has shared a viral TikTok video, explaining the three areas of the Spanish resort that tourists should avoid at all costs this summer
A British expat living in Benidorm has issued a warning to holidaymakers, urging them to steer clear of three specific areas when visiting the sun-soaked Spanish resort this summer.
Harry Poulton, who regularly offers travel advice and insights about the popular destination to his 40,000 TikTok followers, recently shared a video that has racked up 29,000 views and hundreds of likes. In it, he reveals the top three most perilous spots in the party city, cautioning tourists to give them a wide berth.
The 24-year-old begins by warning against what he calls the ‘Yellow Brick Road’ – a little public pathway that leads all the way up to the Rio Park.
“Now, it has been known for a few things, mainly small thefts like pickpocketing,” Harry warns. While he assures viewers that it’s generally safe during daylight hours, he advises against traversing it after dark.
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Harry has warned tourists of visiting certain places(Image: Jam Press/@harrytokky)
He listed his top three dangerous parts of the resort city(Image: Jam Press/@harrytokky)
“I have stayed at the Rio Park several times in the past. I would NOT recommend walking up the Yellow Brick Road late at night. Get a taxi. It’s not that expensive. Better to be safe than sorry,” a visitor to the area wrote on Tripadvisor.
Next on his list is Pueblo Alley, located behind the Hotel Pueblo. The Brighton-born content creator strongly advises against venturing into this area, especially late at night, due to the presence of pickpockets and occasional sex workers. He suggests finding alternative routes instead.
Topping Harry’s list of places to avoid is the infamously named Mugger’s Alley. He warns: “It is the most notorious – it’s the one we all know. It’s crazy. Save yourself the hassle and cross the road.”
Known for its high incidence of pickpocketing and sex work, Harry strongly advises visitors to avoid this area altogether. The alley is located at the start of the strip opposite the Hotel Flash and runs behind the white ‘SATE’ building, near Morgan Tavern.
“It’s safe enough in the day but late at night you’ll likely get approached by ‘hugger muggers’ (individuals who’ll invade your space pretending to know you whilst swiping your valuables), prostitutes and robbers,” writes Michelle Baker, who runs the Benidorm Forever Facebook page.
“Men on their own are the main target so stay together and walk in FRONT of the SATE building, not behind it. Remember, MOST crimes in Benidorm are non-violent, it’s your phone and cash they’re after, so keep both out of sight and if you do get robbed, you need to visit the SATE office (opposite the hotel Flash) in office hours to make a police report.”
Often groups of women will approach men walking by themselves before attempting to give them a hug.
A Brit who has lived in Benidorm for decades told The Spanish Eye: “This has been going on for a long time, it’s outside the Magic Villa de Benidorm and right next to the local tourist police station, which is closed in the evening.”
Demonstrators are getting ready to flock to the streets en masse, calling for huge reform to the Canary Island’s tourism model. Here’s exactly where the protestors will occur
Protestors vow to not ‘stop’ until their demands have been met(Image: AFP via Getty Images)
Thousands of fed-up locals across the Canary Islands will take to the streets this weekend – demanding drastic change to the ‘unsustainable’ tourism model. It follows the record-breaking number of visitors that flocked to the archipelago last year, and the subsequent string of demonstrations.
After blaming holidaymakers for worsening Spain’s housing crisis, activists, and members of the Canarian diaspora abroad will gather en masse on Sunday, May 18 to call for new legislation that puts an end to ‘exploitative economic models’ on the island. This includes putting a halt to ‘destructive’ projects such as high-profile hotels, and freezing new tourist developments.
Protestors also want a green energy transition, and an eco-tax for tourists. The latter has already been mulled over in hotspots such as Tenerife’s Teide National Park – which is slated to implement an entrance fee in 2026.
Locals have been urging Brits to ‘go home’ for over a year now(Image: Europa Press via Getty Images)
Other demands include ‘cultural and social heritage protection’, clamping down on marine pollution, and rejecting macro-infrastructure projects. “If they don’t listen in the streets, they’ll hear us in everyday life,” one protest organiser told local news.
According to Canarian Weekly, protests will take place in 15 areas across the Canary Islands, and demonstrators have vowed they ‘won’t stop’ until they’veachieved the change of model the Canary Islands urgently need’. If you’re heading over to the hotspot this week, you may want to avoid the following areas.
More protests are slated to hit the Canary Islands this month(Image: AFP via Getty Images)
Canary Island’s anti-tourist protests – where to avoid
Tenerife – Plaza Weyler, Santa Cruz, 11:00am
Gran Canaria – Auditorio Alfredo Kraus, Las Palmas, 11:00 am
Lanzarote – Quiosco de la Música, Arrecife, 11:00am
Fuerteventura – Plaza de la Iglesia, Puerto del Rosario, 11:00am
El Hierro – Consejería de Turismo, Valverde, 11:00am
La Palma – Plaza de La Alameda, Santa Cruz de La Palma, 11:00am
La Gomera – Plaza de Las Américas, San Sebastián, 11:00am
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The upcoming protests are hardly a surprise, as anti-tourist sentiment has been escalating across Spain for some time – and has even taken a violent turn. Back in March, a shocking sign threatening to ‘Kill A Tourist’ was spotted in Tenerife, while reports also emerged that anonymous activists had torched rental cars on the island to send a clear message to holidaymakers.
Anti-tourist sentiment on the islands have taken a violent turn in recent months(Image: Anadolu via Getty Images)
Last month, Spain passed a law in a desperate attempt to appease frustrated residents. Following an update to the Horizontal Property Act, those wanting to cash in on the influx of Brits by renting out their house to holidaymakers will now need to gain a 60 per cent majority vote from neighbouring property owners.
The brutal new rule means homeowners putting their apartments on sites like Airbnb or Booking.com without the ‘necessary support’ will be asked to cease operations. They may be threatened with legal action if they ignore the warning.
Has the rise in anti-tourist protests put you off from travelling to the Canary Islands? Email [email protected] for a chance to be featured
