More than 50 people are feared dead after gunmen opened fire on worshippers at a Catholic church in Nigeria.
The attackers targeted the St Francis Catholic Church in the town of Owo in the southwestern state of Ondo just as worshippers gathered on Pentecost Sunday, state politician Ogunmolasuyi Oluwole said.
Authorities did not immediately release an official death toll, but Mr Oluwole said many children were among the dead.
Adelegbe Timileyin, who represents the Owo area in Nigeria’s lower legislative chamber, said at least 50 people had been killed, though others put the figure higher.
Image:Pic: Rahaman A Yusuf/AP
Mr Timileyin added that the church's priest was also abducted.
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Videos appearing to be from the scene of the attack showed worshippers lying in pools of blood while people around them wailed.
It was not immediately clear who was behind the attack.
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'Our hearts are heavy'
The state's governor Rotimi Akeredolu said he was shocked by the attack, adding: "Our peace and tranquillity have been attacked by the enemies of the people".
In a statement, Nigeria's president Muhammadu Buhari said: "Only fiends from the nether region could have conceived and carried out such dastardly act."
The president was elected after vowing to end Nigeria's prolonged security crisis.
Pope Francis prays for victims
The Vatican said Pope Francis was "praying for the victims and the country painfully affected at a time of celebration".
Image:Pic: Rahaman A Yusuf/AP
While much of Nigeria has struggled with security issues, Ondo is widely known as one of Nigeria's most peaceful states.
The town of Owo is around 214 miles (345km) east of the country's capital, Lagos.
The Queen thrilled crowds gathered to watch the final day of festivities celebrating her Platinum Jubilee with a surprise appearance from the Buckingham Palace balcony.
It was a moment for the history books, filled with poignancy, as the frail one-of-a-kind monarch, resplendent in vivid green, stepped out to bid those gathered outside the gates farewell.
Her 70-year milestone is unlikely to ever be repeated and tens of thousands crammed into The Mall to take their chance to serenade their sovereign with the national anthem in unison.
Flanked by her three heirs – son, grandson and great-grandson – it offered a glimpse into the monarchy’s future.
She shared the stage with just seven of her family – the Prince of Wales, the Duke of Cambridge and Prince George, as well as two future Queens – the Duchess of Cornwall and the Duchess of Cambridge – and Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis.
Then with smiles and a few waves of her white-gloved hands, she turned and was gone, back through the doors, achieving her aim of being seen to be believed in less than three minutes.
From left, Camilla Duchess of Cornwall, Prince Charles, Queen Elizabeth II, Prince George, Prince William, Princess Charlotte, Prince Louis, and Kate Duchess of Cambridge (Picture: AP)
The Queen was on public view in person for just over 27 minutes throughout the weekend.
But her presence was felt large – and the pre-recorded comedy sketch with Paddington bear brought a fresh light on her humour and love of fun.
With the monarch confessing to not being able to move, observers will be questioning whether Elizabeth II will be asked take to the balcony again as she continues with her lifelong pledge to serve.
Queen 'humbled and deeply touched' by Jubilee celebrations
When it comes to how to mark seventy years as your Queen, there is no guidebook to follow. It really is a first.
But I have been humbled and deeply touched that so many people have taken to the streets to celebrate my Platinum Jubilee.
While I may not have attended every event in person, my heart has been with you all; and I remain committed to serving you to the best of my ability, supported by my family.
I have been inspired by the kindness, joy and kinship that has been so evident in recent days, and I hope this renewed sense of togetherness will be felt for many years to come.
I thank you most sincerely for your good wishes and for the part you have all played in these happy celebrations.
ELIZABETH R
‘Seeing the Queen has been the best bit of this week’
Paula and Patrick Queenan, from Radlett in Hertfordshire, said the Queen and the royal family coming out on to the balcony was the best part of the jubilee celebrations.
Mrs Queenan, 57, said: ‘Seeing the Queen come out on the balcony was amazing.
‘We didn’t know if she’d come or not. This was the first day that I’ve been here and this was the real highlight.’
Mr Queenan, 58, added: ‘I came for the fly past on Thursday and the atmosphere was fantastic.
‘Our daughter and her fiancé came down from Sheffield today. They’re both doctors and so they’re going to head back now and they’re on duty tonight.
‘We had a street party on Friday, the whole street came to ours and sang the National Anthem. Seeing the Queen has been the best bit of this week.’
The Queen’s appearance thrilled the crowd which gathered outside the Palace (Picture: AP)
An 82-year-old who witnessed the Queen’s coronation said it was ‘amazing’ to see the monarch again on her Platinum Jubilee.
Anne Newing, from Sevenoaks in Kent, said: ‘I came to the coronation when I was 11 and I’m now 82, it was just incredible, just lovely.’
The octogenarian was impressed with the carnival parade, especially seeing the ‘golden coach come down with her photo in the window’.
‘Such a lot of hard work has gone into the costumes and to bring it all together – fantastic,’ she said.
She was in London with her daughter, Susan Newing, 59, who said her mother took her to many royal events as a child.
Prince Charles during the Platinum Jubilee Pageant outside Buckingham Palace (Picture: AP)
Prince George and Prince William (Picture: Getty)
Ed Sheeran performs outside Buckingham Palace (Picture: AP)
Charles spoke about the camaraderie the Jubilee celebrations have fostered, telling revellers at The Big Lunch’s flagship event in London he hoped ‘bickering’ does not return after the feeling of ‘togetherness’ across the nation.
His sentiment was echoed by Pageant Master Adrian Evans, who has spent 18 months planning the £15 million event, featuring some 10,000 people including a cast of 6,000 performers.
Mr Evans told BBC News: ‘I hope at the end of the day people will feel a great sense of pride in what they’ve seen, enjoyment in what they’ve seen, humour and joy is an important part of what we’re doing today but also connected, that we are much more connected then we think we are.’
The Gold State Coach (Picture: WireImage)
A hologram of Queen Elizabeth II during her coronation is projected in the window (Picture: Getty)
The extravaganza closed the four-day celebration of the Queen’s reign (Picture: Reuters)
People perform during the Platinum Jubilee Pageant (Picture: Reuters)
A Batala band parades (Picture: EPA)
The Daleks from Doctor Who TV series participate in the Platinum Pageant (Picture: EPA)
The pageant was split into four acts: For Queen And Country with a military parade; The Time Of Our Lives progressing through seven decades of culture, music and fashion; Let’s Celebrate telling the story of the Queen’s life in 12 chapters with corgi puppets and carnival creations; and the Happy And Glorious musical spectacle.
Later, celebrities travelled on decorated open top double-decker buses for the decade-by-decade celebrations.
Close to 200 national treasures then took to the stage to serenade the Queen by singing the national anthem at the grand finale of the Platinum Jubilee festivities.
Kyiv was rocked by multiple explosions overnight after Russian warplanes fired missiles from the Caspian Sea, as Vladimir Putin issued a warning to the West over supplying long-range missiles to Ukraine.
The Russian President said Moscow would strike new targets if the United States started supplying Ukraine with longer-range missiles, the Russian TASS news agency reported.
At least one person was taken to hospital following the explosions but no deaths had been reported as of early Sunday, Vitali Klitschko said.
Ukrainian officials said Russia was targeting Kyiv's railway infrastructure, but Moscow has claimed it destroyed T-72 tanks supplied to Ukraine from eastern Europe.
In eastern Ukraine where the bulk of the fighting has been focused in recent weeks, Luhansk Governor Serhiy Haidai said Russian forces have been pushed back in Severodonetsk.
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Control of the contested factory city was now "more or less, divided in half", he said.
Meanwhile, Spain is preparing to send heavy weapons to Ukraine, including anti-aircraft missiles and Leopard battle tanks, El Pais reports.
Key developments:
Explosions heard in Kyiv
Dark smoke rose into the sky as the sun dawned on Kyiv on Sunday morning after the Darnytskyi and Dniprovskyi districts were hit by explosions, the city's mayor Vitaly Klitschko said.
"According to preliminary data, the (Russians) launched missiles from Tu-95 aircraft from the Caspian Sea", the Ukrainian air forces said in a statement.
The missiles were the first to hit the capital since late April when a Radio Liberty producer was killed when a Russian missile hit the building she lived in.
Posting on Telegram, Mr Klitschko said the blasts were heard in the districts of Darnytsky and Dniprovsky.
"There are currently no casualties from missile strikes on infrastructure," he wrote.
"One injured person was hospitalised. The services are still working in the affected areas."
Ukrainian presidential advisor Mykhailo Podolyak said the bombardment was Russia resorting to "new insidious attacks" and hit out at French President Emmanuel Macron's statement that Moscow should not be humiliated.
Image:Smoke rises after Russian missile strikes in Kyiv, Ukraine. Pic: AP
Moscow claims strike destroyed tanks provided by Ukraine's allies
The Russian Defense Ministry said high-precision, long-range air-launched missiles were used and the strikes destroyed T-72 tanks supplied by Eastern European countries located in buildings of a train car repair business.
The head of Ukraine's railway system rejected the claim that tanks were inside.
President Putin, in excerpts of an upcoming interview quoted by Russian news agencies, said that if the West supplies longer-range missiles to Ukraine "we will strike at those targets which we have not yet been hitting".
His threat of a military escalation did not specify what the new targets might be, but it comes days after the United States announced plans to deliver $700 million of security assistance for Ukraine.
Those weapons include four precision-guided, medium-range rocket systems, helicopters, Javelin anti-tank weapon systems, radars, tactical vehicles and more.
Image:A man looks at the smoke after explosions were heard in Kyiv
Fierce fighting continues in Donbas region
Meanwhile, fighting continues in the southeastern areas of Donetsk and Luhansk, the focus of the Russian army since it withdrew from Ukraine's capital Kyiv.
Ukrainian forces have counterattacked in the factory city of Severodonetsk and claim to have retaken territory from Russian troops.
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Ukrainian police shared a video showing the aftermath of Russian shelling in the city of Lysychansk in the Luhansk region.
Serhiy Haidai, Governor of Luhansk province, said on Sunday Ukrainian forces controlled about half the city after recapturing a large portion from Russian troops.
"It had been a difficult situation, the Russians controlled 70% of the city, but over the past two days they have been pushed back," he said on Ukrainian television.
UK MoD: Russia using proxy troops in Severodonetsk to limit military losses
Britain's Ministry of Defence (MoD) said Ukraine's counterattack was "likely blunting the operational momentum Russian forces previously gained through concentrating combat units and firepower".
They added that Kremlin forces in the area include "poorly equipped and trained" separatist troops lacking in heavy equipment, likely part of a desire to limit casualties suffered by the regular Russian military.
If Russia was to take Severodonetsk and Lysychansk, the province of Luhansk would be under Moscow's control, and the entire Donbas region - which includes Luhansk and Donetsk - would be within its grasp.
Ukraine's president Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Saturday night: "The situation remains very difficult in Severodonetsk, where street fighting is ongoing."
Image:Members of the foreign volunteers unit which fights in the Ukrainian in Severodonetsk, Luhansk region
'We must stop Russia'
Speaking at an international security forum last week, defence minister Oleksiy Reznikov said: "Russia continues to make efforts to occupy our entire state.
"It is currently impossible to predict when the war will end, but my optimistic predictions are that it will be possible to do it this year."
Mr Reznikov warned that, until the Russians are forced out of Ukraine, other countries are also at risk, saying: "Next will be Poland, the Baltic countries, Slovakia, and others.
"That is why we must stop Russia and restrain (them) in the future."
In an interview with a regional newspaper, Mr Macron said: "We must not humiliate Russia so that the day when the fighting stops we can build an exit ramp through diplomatic means."
In response, Ukraine's foreign minister Dmytro Kuleba tweeted: "Calls to avoid humiliation of Russia can only humiliate France and every other country that would call for it."
He added: "We all better focus on how to put Russia in its place."
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'Victory will be ours'
Elsewhere this weekend, Russian shelling killed at least three civilians in the Black Sea port city of Mykolaiv, mayor Oleksandr Senkevich said.
Russian shelling and a fire contributed to the destruction of a 16th century timber Orthodox Christian monastery in eastern Ukraine, killing two monks and a nun.
And the number of bodies of civilians that have been exhumed in the Kyiv region since Russia's military retreat now stands at more than 1,300, according to Ukraine's interior ministry.
At least 38 people have died and more than 100 are injured after a huge fire swept through a container depot in Bangladesh.
The blaze triggered multiple explosions when it broke out on Saturday night in the southeastern town of Sitakunda, ear country's main Chittagong Seaport.
Firefighters have been struggling to get the flames under control after blasts went off in a container full of chemicals.
The explosions shook the neighbourhood, shattering the windows of houses more than two miles away.
Image:An injured victim is brought to a hospital after the blast
At least five firefighters are among the dead, while another 15 were being treated for burns, the fire service said.
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The cause of the fire has not yet been determined and emergency services were still trying to put it out on Sunday morning.
By Sunday afternoon local time the death toll had risen to 38, according to Ekattor TV station, and the area's civil surgeon warned that the number could still rise.
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Mohammed Elias appealed to all local doctors to help tackle the situation, and has also called for emergency blood donations.
Image:The cause of the fire has not yet been determined. Pic: AP
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina expressed her shock at the accident and ordered adequate arrangements for the medical treatment of the injured.
Bangladesh has a history of industrial disasters, including factories catching fire with workers trapped inside. Monitoring groups have blamed corruption and lax enforcement.
In 2012, about 117 workers died when they were trapped behind locked exits in a garment factory in Dhaka.
The country's worst industrial disaster occurred the following year, when the Rana Plaza garment factory outside Dhaka collapsed, killing more than 1,100 people.
Image:Smoke rises from the spot after a massive fire broke out in an inland container depot at Sitakunda
In 2019, a blaze tore through a 400-year-old area cramped with apartments, shops and warehouses in the oldest part of Dhaka and killed at least 67 people. Another fire in Old Dhaka in a house illegally storing chemicals killed at least 123 people in 2010.
In 2021, a fire at a food and beverage factory outside Dhaka killed at least 52 people, many of whom were trapped inside by an illegally locked door.
Hungary’s blackshirt racists were banned from the Puskas Arena so instead, it was the schoolchildren invited along in their place who let themselves down against England. The high-pitched booing which greeted the England players taking the knee before kick-off in Budapest on Sunday represented the dispiriting sound of innocence lost.
Maybe they were just copying the example of their elders but it was a depressing repeat of the ignorance which landed Hungary the behind-closed-doors sanction in the first place. If this is what they are being taught is the correct response to a gesture aimed at promoting equality, it is a sad situation.
At least there was no abuse of England’s black players - or Hungary’s Loic Nego - at the Nations League game but that was a pretty low bar to clear. The Hungarian FA’s sleight of hand in exploiting a loophole in the UEFA regulations following the punishment imposed for racist behaviour to half-fill their national stadium with children was well-intended.
Never has a behind-closed-doors match been so well attended; never has one been so noisy as the 30,000 children inside the Puskas Arena let rip with their red, white and green vuvuzelas. But in one moment what should have been an occasion that pointed to a more wholesome future for Hungarian football was soiled.
Football never stands alone from the society it exists in. Earlier in the day, Budapest had seen a far-right march protesting against the Hungarian government’s support for Ukraine. Gareth Southgate had expressed his surprise at the numbers allowed in ahead of the game but UEFA themselves had no issue with how Hungary chose to interpret it.
“This rule was introduced back in 2019 and has been applied to other matches in the past with similar sanctions relating to matches played behind closed doors. There is no restriction regarding the number of children present in the stadium,” said a UEFA spokesman. The punishment on Hungary was the absence of any gate receipts from the game with the tickets being distributed to the children - and 3,000 adult supervisors - free. That and the shame of the sanction.
“Please remember that in football there is no place for racism,” the stadium announcer had earnestly reminded everyone ahead of kick-off - in English as well as Hungarian which seemed a little pointless with no away fans in the ground.
England have their own version of this embarrassment to come on Saturday when they are required to stage a behind-closed-doors game against Italy at Molineux, a punishment imposed after the chaos at the Euros final. The current plan is to have 3,000 children present.
There is one thing the English kids could take on board from their Hungarian counterparts next weekend - how to respond to the opposition anthem. God Save The Queen was respected as it was played and applauded at the end.
Commemorations in Hong Kong of the Tiananmen Square massacre have largely been snuffed out, as authorities seek to crush observance of the crackdown on student protesters in a city that has typically held the biggest annual vigil on Chinese soil.
The anniversary is one of the most sensitive events for Chinese authorities, with discussion of the demonstrations censored on the mainland and survivors or victims’ families routinely detained or interrogated.
Hong Kong hosted the world’s largest yearly commemoration every June 4 until it was banned in 2020, a year after pro-democracy protests engulfed the Chinese territory. Authorities subsequently suppressed opposition and Beijing extended its control of the quasi-autonomous city.
Officials said the ban two years ago was to control the coronavirus pandemic but critics accused the government of using the health crisis as a pretext for stifling dissent.
Leaders of the Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements of China, the group which traditionally organised the vigil, have been arrested and many are in jail. Chow Hang-tung, one of the jailed organisers, often uses her court appearances to evoke memories of the massacre.
Authorities have closed Victoria Park this year, where tens of thousands of residents typically light candles to commemorate the event, from Friday night until early Sunday morning.
Some residents found subtle ways to commemorate the massacre.
The Catholic church has marked the event in special masses for more than three decades but has been stung by the arrest of Cardinal Zen, its former top cleric, last month. He was accused of failing to register a fund set up to help pay the legal and medical fees of participants in the 2019 protests. Cardinal Zen has denied the charges.
At a morning mass in Kowloon on Saturday, about 30 people prayed for those “who died for justice” despite the Catholic diocese cancelling services to mark the massacre.
“Public memorials may be gone this year, but what I remember in my heart, you cannot make it disappear,” said one congregant.
A small number of individuals also tried to commemorate the massacre at the cordoned-off Victoria Park, despite the heavy police presence. Some held up electronic candles and mobile phone lights saying they wanted to “keep the memory alive”.
Hong Kong students have also been trying to commemorate the protests. Universities have been a focal point of Beijing’s attempts to destroy support for the 2019 pro-democracy protests and longstanding memorials to the Tiananmen Square massacre on campuses have been removed.
The “Pillar of Shame”, an eight-metre sculpture by Danish artist Jens Galschiøt that was on display at the University of Hong Kong since 1997, was dismantled last December.
The “Goddess of Democracy” statue at the Chinese University of Hong Kong, a replica of a monument erected by the student protesters in Tiananmen Square, was removed that month.
CUHK students this week created tiny replicas of the missing artwork and hid them around the campus for others to find before the event was ended due to “increasing risks”, the organisers said.
In Macau, one of the only other parts of China where memorial events were held until they were banned from 2020, no public commemorations will take place after authorities said last year’s events could constitute “subversion”.
Tiananmen Square vigils were planned overseas, including in London and Taiwan, this weekend.
Liverpool chief executive Billy Hogan has been at the forefront of the response to the treatment of “many thousands” of fans at the Stade de France in Paris.
In the aftermath of the horrific events in France on May 28, the club have made a staunch response.
Thousands of supporters of both Liverpool and Real Madrid were denied entry despite arriving hours prior to kickoff, with many tear-gassed, pepper-sprayed and attacked by locals before and after the game.
While those in charge in France have maintained their stance that up to 40,000 fake tickets were the cause, specifically blaming Liverpool fans, the truth has been laid clear by those who were in attendance.
The club have remained vocal in their support of those affected, and earlier this week asked those fans to contact them with feedback on their treatment as part of a formal investigation into the situation.
On Thursday, it was revealed that “many thousands” – more than 6,500 to be exact – had already submitted forms detailing their experience in Saint-Denis.
Read or watch the latest update from our CEO Billy Hogan on the club’s ongoing reaction to the events at the Champions League final and the support being offered to fans.
And in an interview with LFCTV, Hogan rejected claims from the French minister Gerald Darmanin and sports minister Amelie Oudea-Castera and asserted that fans of both clubs were impacted.
“Both accessing the stadium as well as leaving the stadium, it was an absolute disgrace,” he said.
“The pain, the grief, the harm, the hurt that they suffered on Saturday, and now to be told by a French minister that only Liverpool fans have been a problem, it’s just disgraceful.
“Real Madrid have made it clear their fans suffered as well.
“So all I can say is I have a tremendous amount of empathy for our fans, I don’t think it’s fair what’s being said and we’re just in disbelief.”
Along with their campaign for the independent investigation into the events at the Stade de France, Liverpool have offered mental health support to those affected.
“One of the most important things probably over the course of the last couple of days is just seeing, I think as we all have, the incredibly disturbing imagery in terms of the experience that fans had attending the match,” Hogan continued.
“I really think it’s important people keep talking to friends, family, loved ones on what you experienced.
“Our hearts are with you, everybody here at the club is with you.”
Liverpool have requested that further submissions be made before a deadline of Sunday, June 5, with the feedback form accessible here.
