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Minibus taxi fire on Zimbabwe highway kills about 18 people, police say    A minibus taxi fire in southwestern Zimbabwe has killed about 18 people, according to police, after the vehicle burst into flames on a highway near the country’s second-largest city, Bulawayo. Police spokesperson Paul Nyathi said authorities were still working to confirm the exact death toll but estimated that approximately 18 people died in the blaze. In a separate statement, police said the vehicle “exploded into fire” along the highway, though the cause of the incident has not yet been determined. Minibus taxis are a widely used form of public transportation in Zimbabwe and are often overcrowded beyond recommended capacity, which has raised ongoing safety concerns.

 Former Arsenal and Austria goalkeeper Alex Manninger dies in train collision in Salzburg  Former Arsenal and Austria goalkeeper Alex Manninger has died after his car was struck by a train at a level crossing in Salzburg on Thursday morning, according to reports and local authorities. He was 48. Police said a car was hit and dragged by a local train while crossing the tracks in Nußdorf am Haunsberg around 8:20 a.m. The driver, who was alone in the vehicle, was pulled from the wreckage by first responders and given emergency medical treatment at the scene. Despite CPR efforts and attempts to revive him using a defibrillator, he was pronounced dead. The train driver was not injured. Manninger played for several major European clubs during his career, including Arsenal, Juventus, and Red Bull Salzburg, and earned 33 caps for Austria. He is best known for being part of Arsenal’s 1997–98 Premier League and FA Cup double-winning squad, as well as winning Serie A with Juventus during...

 85-year-old French woman released from US immigration detention after 16-day hold, returns to France  An 85-year-old French woman who spent 16 days in U.S. immigration detention has returned to France, where she was reunited with her family at Paris-Charles de Gaulle Airport on Friday. French Foreign Affairs Minister Jean-Noël Barrot confirmed her return, telling reporters that the case involved “acts of violence” that raised concern for French authorities. He said officials were relieved she was back in France. She was greeted at the airport by her three adult children. According to family members, she appeared physically and emotionally exhausted after the ordeal and was still wearing clothing from detention when she arrived, including orange shoes, sweatpants, and a gray sweater. The woman, identified as Marie-Thérèse Ross-Mahé, is a French citizen who had moved to Alabama after marrying a former U.S. Army serviceman she had known decades earlier in France while they were ...

 Celine Dion returns with first new single since 2023, announces comeback amid health battle Celine Dion has released her first new single in years, marking a return to music with the debut of “Dansons,” which dropped Friday. The new track, whose title translates from French as “Let’s dance,” is Dion’s first release since 2023, when she contributed songs to the “Love Again” film soundtrack. Her last studio album was 2019’s “Courage,” her 27th overall. “Dansons” runs just over three minutes and is a soft ballad featuring reflective lyrics about movement, resilience, and a world in disarray, including lines that translate to imagery of dancing above abyssal depths and spinning because “the world no longer spins right.” The single arrives shortly after Dion announced plans for a 16-date comeback concert series in Paris scheduled for the fall. In a statement at the time, she described the upcoming shows as a deeply emotional return to the stage, expressing gratitude and excitement abou...

 France and UK back Strait of Hormuz reopening but push for permanent maritime security mission amid US-Iran tensions PARIS - France and the U.K. have welcomed reports that the Strait of Hormuz has reopened to commercial shipping following announcements by U.S. and Iranian officials, while stressing that freedom of navigation in the critical oil route must be made permanent. French President Emmanuel Macron and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said planning would continue for an international maritime security mission, with military planners set to meet in London next week. Starmer said the deployment would go ahead “as soon as conditions allow,” while Macron called for the “full, immediate and unconditional reopening” of the strait by all parties following a meeting of roughly 50 countries and international organizations. The developments came as oil prices fell sharply after Iranian and U.S. officials signaled that commercial transit through the Strait of Hormuz would resume u...

 Saraki, Abdulfatai Ahmed, others face culpable homicide trial on June 4 The Kwara State Government has filed a 20-count charge of culpable homicide, criminal conspiracy and other offences against former Senate President Dr. Bukola Saraki, former Governor Abdulfatai Ahmed, and two of Ahmed’s former aides. The defendants Saraki, Ahmed, Yusuf Abdulwahab (Chief of Staff to the then Governor), and Alabi Olalekan (a former aide) will be arraigned before Hon. Justice Haleemah Salman of the Kwara State High Court, Ilorin, on Wednesday, June 4, 2026.  The charge number is KWS/114C/26. The case stems from the bloody Offa armed robbery of April 2018, in which several people were killed.  The state government alleges that the accused armed and sponsored some of the convicted robbers. Key evidence cited by the prosecution includes: Confessions by Ayo Akinnibosun, one of the convicted robbers, who said he was a “hit man” for Saraki’s political structure. Akinnibosun claimed he receive...