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Billionaire Andrej Babis has been appointed as the Czech Republic's new prime minister, with his full cabinet expected to take office within days.

His appointment followed a key demand from President Petr Pavel - a public pledge by Babis to relinquish control over his vast food-processing, agriculture and chemicals conglomerate Agrofert.

"I promise to be a prime minister who defends the interests of all our citizens, at home and abroad," Babis said after the ceremony at Prague Castle.

"A prime minister who will work to make the Czech Republic the best place to live on the entire planet."

These are lofty ambitions, but Babis, 71, is used to thinking big.

Agrofert is so deeply embedded in the Czech commercial ecosystem that there is even an app to help shoppers avoid buying products made by the group's more than than 200 subsidiaries.

If a product - say Viennese-style sausages from Kostelecké uzeniny or sliced bread from Penam - belongs to an Agrofert company, a thumbs-down symbol appears. B

abis, who was prime minister for four years until 2021, has shifted to the right in recent years and his cabinet will include members of the far-right SPD and the Eurosceptic "Motorists for Themselves" party. I

f he honours his pledge to divest from the company he built from scratch, he will no longer benefit from the sale of any Agrofert product – from frankfurters to fertiliser. As

prime minister he will have no knowledge of the conglomerate's financial health, nor any ability to influence its fortunes, he says. Gov

US treasury accuses Colombian nationals and companies of aiding the RSF, which has committed horrific war crimes

The United States has sanctioned four people and four companies accused of enlisting Colombian mercenaries to fight for and train a Sudanese paramilitary group accused by Washington of committing genocide.

Announcing the sanctions on Tuesday, the US treasury said the network was largely composed of Colombian nationals and companies.

Hundreds of former Colombian military personnel have travelled to Sudan to fight alongside the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), which has committed horrific war crimes including ethnically targeted slaughter and large-scale abductions.

The Colombians’ involvement first emerged last year, when an investigation by the Bogotá-based outlet La Silla Vacía found that more than 300 former soldiers had been contracted to fight – prompting an unprecedented apology by Colombia’s foreign ministry. Colombia

n ex-soldiers have long been considered among the world’s most sought-after mercenaries due to their extensive battlefield experience gleaned from the country’s decades of civil war, knowledge of Nato equipment, and high-level combat training. In Sudan, th

e Colombians have reportedly trained child soldiers, taught fighters to pilot drones, and fought directly on the frontlines. One of the m

ercenaries told the Guardian and La Silla Vacía in October that he had trained children in Sudan and fought in the siege of the city of El Fasher. He said train

ing the children was “awful and crazy” but added that “unfortunately that’s how war is”. Among those targeted wa

s Álvaro Andrés Quijano Becerra, a dual Colombian-Italian national and retired Colombian military officer based in the United Arab Emirates. The treasury accused him

A fire at an office building in Jakarta has killed at least 22 people as authorities continue to search for casualties.

The blaze at the seven-storey site in the Indonesian capital started on Tuesday afternoon, according to city police chief Susatyo Purnomo Condro, who said some workers were having lunch at the time.

Police believe the fire began after a battery exploded on the first floor before the flames spread upwards.

A company which makes drones is based in the building.

Susatyo said most of the victims who perished were women, one of whom was pregnant, and it was likely that they had died of asphyxiation from smoke rather than burns.

Thick smoke poured from the upper floors as firefighters deployed 28 engines and about 100 personnel, with dramatic footage showing trapped employees being rescued by aerial ladders.

The fire has been extinguished and rescue teams are focusing on the upper levels of the building after conducting a sweep of the lower floors.

Susatyo said that access to the sixth floor was "particularly challenging, according to the firefighters on site", the Jakarta Globe newspaper reports.

"We are still collecting data," he told the Associated Press news agency.

"But for now, we are focusing on identifying the victims who have been found."

US President Donald Trump has criticised European leaders as "weak" and suggested the US could scale back support for Ukraine.

In a wide-ranging interview with Politico, he said "decaying" European countries had failed to control migration or take decisive action to end Ukraine's war with Russia, accusing them of letting Kyiv fight "until they drop".

He argued that Russia held the "upper hand" and urged Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to "play ball" by ceding territory to Moscow.

In the UK, Downing Street rejected Trump's claim that Europe had failed to act, citing the UK's leadership on sanctions and reiterating support for the US-led peace process.

Zelensky, writing on X later on Tuesday, said Ukraine and Europe were working actively on "all components of potential steps toward ending the war", that the Ukrainian and European elements of the plan were now more developed and that Kyiv was ready to present them to "our partners in the US".

In his interview, Trump claimed ideological divisions now threatened to fracture Washington's alliances.

Asked whether leaders he viewed as weak could still be allies, he replied: "It depends", adding: "I think they're weak, but I also think that they want to be so politically correct.

I think they don't know what to do."

His comments come a day after European leaders came together in London to discuss their continued joint efforts to reach a peace deal with Russia.

The talks were the latest attempt by Ukraine's European allies to carve out a role in the US-led efforts to end the war, which they fear will undercut the long-term interests of the continent in favour of a quick resolution.

The Lithuanian government has declared a "nationwide emergency situation" in response to a series of incursions from neighbouring Belarus by weather balloons carrying smuggled cigarettes.

Prime Minister Inga Ruginiene condemned the balloon incursions as a "hybrid attack" by Belarus that posed a real risk to national security and civil aviation.

This year alone, officials say about 600 balloons linked to smuggling and almost 200 drones have entered Lithuanian airspace, leading to the repeated closure of Vilnius airport.

Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko denies being behind the incursions, alleging the issue has been "politicised" by Lithuania, which is a member of both the EU and Nato.

Lithuania's decision to impose an "emergency situation" is a step below a state of emergency, which was last imposed in 2022 after Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

It grants the armed forces additional powers to respond faster and more effectively.

Belarus's long-time leader is a close ally of Russia's Vladimir Putin and Lithuania's President, Gitanas Nauseda, has said there is a lot of evidence that the balloon threat is a "deliberate action aimed at destabilising the situation in Lithuania".

A number of European countries have faced a range of threats from Russia, which the EU has condemned as a "hybrid campaign" that includes sabotage, disruption to critical infrastructure and most recently drone flights near sensitive sites.

Last month, the head of Nato's military committee, Adml Giuseppe Cavo Dragone, said the Western military alliance was considering a more "aggressive" or "pro-active" stance to Russia's hybrid warfare.

Lithuania has accused Belarus of this kind of provocation before.

Press conference was expected to have been Venezuelan opposition leader’s first public appearance in 11 months A

press conference in Oslo with the Nobel peace prize laureate María Corina Machado, the Venezuelan opposition leader in hiding, has been cancelled, the Norwegian Nobel Institute has said, adding that it was “in the dark” as to her whereabouts. Machado

last appeared in public on 9 January at a demonstration in Caracas protesting against the inauguration of Nicolás Maduro for his third term as president. The pres

s conference, traditionally held by the Nobel laureate on the eve of the award ceremony, had been expected to be the 58-year-old’s first public appearance in 11 months. It was pos

tponed hours before it was due to start, however, and a few hours later it was cancelled. A spokespe

rson for the Nobel institute said: “The press conference is cancelled for today and we have no further information about how and when she is coming.” Asked whether

it might be rescheduled for Wednesday, they said: “I don’t think so, you never know … We are also in the dark.” The institute said in

a statement: “María Corina Machado has herself stated in interviews how challenging the journey to Oslo, Norway will be. We therefore cannot at th

is point provide any further information about when and how she will arrive for the Nobel peace prize ceremony.” Machado’s team did not resp

ond to a request for comment. Machado’s family had arrived

French celebrities and feminists have voiced their outrage at first lady Brigitte Macron's language about activists who had protested at a comedian's show.

Activists wearing masks of Ary Abittan interrupted his stand-up show on Saturday shouting "Abittan rapist".

Abittan was accused of rape in 2021, but investigators later dropped the case, citing lack of evidence.

Mrs Macron met Abittan before his performance on Sunday.

In a video, he says he feels "scared", to which Mrs Macron responds "if there are any stupid bitches we'll kick them out", before smiling and laughing.

Mrs Macron's team told AFP news agency her words intended to "critique the radical method" of the protest.

"Brigitte Macron does not approve of this radical method," a member of her team added.

The words used by Macron, "sales connes" (which translates to "stupid bitches"), have since been adopted by celebrities and feminists online who denounced the first lady's actions and violence towards women.

The demonstration was organised by Nous Toutes, a French organisation that fights against violence towards women.

The majority of those using "#salesconnes" on social media are doing so to voice their support for the feminist group.

Twelve fired FBI agents are alleging that they were unlawfully sacked because they knelt during a racial justice protest in Washington DC five years ago.

In a recently filed lawsuit, the former agents argue that their decision to kneel - adopting a gesture used by demonstrators - helped to deescalate a tense protest situation in the wake of the police killing of George Floyd.

The agents believe they were fired on the orders of FBI boss Kash Patel, who is named as a defendant.

Their termination letters accused them of "a lack of impartiality" in their duties, they say.

The FBI has declined to comment on the case.

The dozen sacked agents - nine women and three men - say they had been "confronted by a mob" when deployed in the US capital city on 4 June 2020, and were responding to a "dangerous situation" for which they were ill-prepared.

The killing of Floyd, a black man, by a white police officer in Minneapolis had sparked protests across the US and in cities around the world just days earlier.

Amid a febrile atmosphere during the protest in the US capital city, the plaintiffs made what was a "considered tactical decision" to take a knee, the group said in their legal filing, which gave their account of events.

They said they "avoided triggering violence by assuming a kneeling posture" which had been used to lessen tensions "between law enforcement officers and their communities during this period of national unrest".

They say their actions were reviewed at the time by both the FBI and the Department of Justice, of which the FBI is a part.

The EU has opened an investigation into Google over its artificial intelligence (AI) summaries which appear above search results.

The European Commission said it would examine whether the firm used data from websites to provide this service - and if it failed to offer "appropriate compensation" to publishers.

It is also investigating how YouTube videos may have been used to improve its broader AI systems, and whether content creators were able to opt-out.

A Google spokesperson said the probe "risks stifling innovation in a market that is more competitive than ever".

"Europeans deserve to benefit from the latest technologies and we will continue to work closely with the news and creative industries as they transition to the AI era," they said.

The EU's investigation will also cover Google's AI Mode, which gives people an answer in a conversational style with some links to other pages.

It is in addition to the tech giant's existing search platform - providing an experience similar to its rivals such as ChatGPT.

Google's introduction of its AI Overview summaries was met with concerns it could result in fewer visitors to websites.

Without people clicking on web pages, sites generate less money from advertising.

The Daily Mail previously claimed the number of people who clicked its links from Google search results fell by around 50% since Google introduced its AI Overview feature.

US lawmakers are trying to pressure the Trump administration to release video of a controversial "double-tap" military strike by limiting Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth's travel budget.

The incident on 2 September, in which the US carried out a second deadly strike on a boat in the Caribbean, has raised fresh questions about the legality of Trump's campaign targeting alleged drug-carrying vessels.

A provision buried in a lengthy defence spending policy would restrict travel funds for Hegseth's office until the Pentagon hands over unedited footage.

The bill is expected to pass with support from both parties.

US President Donald Trump says release of the video is something for Hegseth to decide.

Trump denied that he had previously said he would have "no problem" with the footage being made public - despite that comment being made on camera as recently as Wednesday.

The threat from Congress to withhold money from Hegseth's travel budget has emerged amid a clamour for information from lawmakers on both sides of the political aisle.

It is buried within a 3,000-page draft bill that is focused on approving next year's defence spending.

The annual bill authorises nearly $901bn in funding (£687m). T

he bill's final wording, which was first reported by Politico, states that Hegseth's office may spend no more than three-quarters of the funds made available for travel for the year 2026 until it meets certain requirements. T

Unauthorised touchdown comes less than 24 hours after Nigerian forces intervened in attempted coup in Benin

Eleven Nigerian military personnel are being held in Burkina Faso after a Nigerian plane reportedly entered Burkinabé airspace without authorisation on Monday, the latest twist in a region enmeshed in multiple political and security crises. I

n a statement on Monday evening, the breakaway Alliance of Sahel States (AES), of which Burkina Faso is a member alongside Mali and Niger, said the C-130 transport aircraft had made an emergency landing in Bobo Dioulasso. I

n the statement, Assimi Goita, the Malian junta president and leader of the AES, called the landing an “unfriendly act carried out in defiance of international law”. He di

rected the authorities in the member countries to act “to neutralise any aircraft that would violate the confederal space” in future. On Monday

, Nigerian authorities said the aircraft had been en route to Portugal for a ferry mission before “a technical concern which necessitated a precautionary landing”. “[The] crew i

s safe and have received cordial treatment from the host authorities,” said Ehimen Ejodame, the Nigerian air force spokesperson who signed the statement. “Plans are ongoin

g to resume the mission as scheduled.” The incident unfolded

less than 24 hours after Nigeria took part in an intervention in Benin, Burkina Faso’s south-eastern neighbour, after a group of soldiers seized control of the national television station in Cotonou and announced the ousting of the president, Patrice Talon. Authorities in Benin la

ter said they had foiled the coup attempt and restored order, preventing what would have been the eighth successful coup in west Africa in five years. A statement from the Ni

Simmering tensions between Thailand and Cambodia have once again exploded along their shared border, derailing a fragile ceasefire backed by US President Donald Trump.

At least five Thai soldiers and seven Cambodian civilians have been killed since Monday, with the countries accusing one another of starting the violence.

The clashes, which have also seen Thailand launch airstrikes along the border, are the most serious since the ceasefire was agreed in July.

This is not a recent dispute.

The argument between Thailand and Cambodia dates back more than a century, when the borders of the two nations were drawn after the French occupation of Cambodia.

Hostilities escalated in 2008, when Cambodia tried to register an 11th Century temple located in the disputed area as a Unesco World Heritage Site.

The move was met with heated protest from Thailand.

Over the years there have been sporadic clashes, with soldiers and civilians killed on both sides.

The latest tensions ramped up in May, after a Cambodian soldier was killed in a clash.

This plunged relations between the countries to their lowest point in more than a decade.