Six In The Morning Thursday 23 October 2025

 

NBA stars and mafia among 31 arrested in illegal gambling crackdown, FBI says

Summary

• NBA stars Chauncy Billups, Terry Rozier and Damon Jones are among those arrested in separate, but related, illegal gambling cases, according to the FBI

• The first case alleges six defendants used insider information and in some cases players altered their performances to manipulate bets

• The second involves 31 defendants accused of participating in rigged illegal poker games

• The alleged perpetrators include members of organised crime families, officials say, with defendants accused of using special contact lenses and X-ray poker tables to read others' cards

What are player props?

Jonty Colman
BBC Sport Journalist

In relation to the basketball betting investigation, the main markets mentioned during that FBI briefing were to do with player props.

In sports betting, specifically basketball in this case, props are where, ahead of a game, a bookmaker will give predicted values for a player based how they are likely to perform.

Brazilian president will seek fourth term at age 80: ‘I’ve got as much energy as when I was 30’

Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, who first ran for elected office in 1982, announced he will run again in next year’s election

Tom Phillips in Rio de Janeiro

Thu 23 Oct 2025 16.24 BST

The Brazilian president, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, has announced he will seek a historic fourth term in next year’s presidential election, potentially extending one of the most remarkable and enduring political careers in modern Latin American history.

The former metalworker, who returned to the presidency in 2023 after beating the far-right incumbent, Jair Bolsonaro, confirmed his decision during a speech in Indonesia’s capital, Jakarta.

India's Modi to miss Trump at ASEAN as oil tensions persist

Wesley Rahn

The Indian prime minister said he would only attend the ASEAN summit in Malaysia virtually, taking face-to-face talks with Trump off the table and dimming hopes of a timely detente with Washington over Russian oil.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's absence at a summit in Malaysia where US President Donald Trump is due to be a high-profile guest has raised questions about the progress of tense US-India tariff negotiations over New Delhi's continued purchases of Russian oil.

Modi briefly mentioned his "virtual" appearance at the upcoming Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) summit in a post on X, which was focused on his "warm" ties with Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, and on building up the ASEAN-India Comprehensive Strategic Partnership.

France issues new arrest warrant against Syria's ex-leader Assad for chemical attacks

French authorities have issued a new arrest warrant for Syrian ex-president Bashar al- Assad over the suspected Syrian government chemical attacks on Adra and Douma outside Damascus and in Eastern Ghouta in August 2013. Nearly 1,500 people were killed or injured in the attacks, US intelligence sources say.

French magistrates this summer issued a new arrest warrant against ousted Syrian president Bashar al- Assad over deadly chemical attacks in 2013, a judicial source said on Thursday.

This means France has now put out three separate arrest warrants against the former dictator exiled in Russia, who ruled Syria from 2000 until he was toppled last year after more than 14 years of devastating civil war.

Why has Pakistan’s HPV vaccine campaign faced a backlash?

Pakistan rolled out the vaccine for the HPV virus last month. The virus causes cervical cancer.

By Sarah Shamim and Alia Chughtai

In September, Pakistan launched its first-ever national human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine campaign, aiming to immunise more than 13 million girls aged nine to 14 in its first phase.

HPV is the most common cause of cervical cancer, which kills eight Pakistani women every day, according to Dr Dapeng Luo, the head of the World Health Organization (WHO) in Pakistan. The United Nations health agency has set a goal of eradicating cervical cancer globally by 2030.

Cuban man deported from US to Eswatini goes on hunger strike in prison

Roberto Mosquera del Peral was sent to African country as part of Trump administration’s immigration crackdown

Reuters in Johannesburg

Wed 22 Oct 2025 12.46 BST

A Cuban man deported by the Trump administration to the southern African country of Eswatini has started a hunger strike against his detention there, his lawyer said on Wednesday.

Roberto Mosquera del Peral was among five third-country nationals deported from the US to Eswatini, formerly Swaziland, in July.

Six In The Morning Thursday 9 October 2025

 

Summary

• A ceasefire in Gaza will begin within 24 hours of Israeli cabinet approval, an Israeli government spokeswoman says

• Israel's cabinet and security cabinet are due to meet today, and are widely expected to sign-off on the plan

• Our correspondents Lyse Doucet, Rushdi Abualouf, and Sumi Somaskanda are answering your questions on the deal now - watch and follow live at the top of the page

• The first phase of a deal was signed by Israel and Hamas earlier today in Egypt

• As well as the ceasefire, it will also see Hamas release Israeli hostages; Israel release hundreds of Palestinian prisoners; Israeli troops beginning to withdraw from parts of Gaza; and hundreds of trucks of aid a day entering Gaza

• Israel says the hostage release will begin within 72 hours of the ceasefire starting

• This is a major moment - but it's a ceasefire, not a peace deal, writes Lyse Doucet. The toughest of issues are still on the table

‘The warplanes are still hovering’: Gazan mother on ceasefire deal

Fatima Hudoon
BBC News

Amal Albadla is a mother in Gaza whose youngest son was born on 7 October.

Earlier this morning, she shared her first reaction to the news of the deal.

Speaking to us from Mawasi Al Qarara in southern Gaza, she says: “I can’t believe I’m finally saying this, the war is finally over after two years of hunger, destruction and endless loss.”

Two years of displacement and destruction in Gaza – photo essay

Enas Tantesh’s photography captures not only the despair and insecurity but also moments of normality and human connection

By Julian Borger. Photographs by Enas Tantesh

Over the past two years in Gaza, the world has witnessed one of the worst onslaughts against a civilian population in recent history and has been unwilling or unable to stop it.

More than 66,200 people have been killed and nearly 169,000 injured, meaning that about one in 10 of Gaza’s Palestinian population have been casualties of Israel’s military campaign.

Hungary found to have sent agents to spy on EU — report

Dmytro Hubenko with AFP, Reuters

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban secretly sent agents to spy on European Union institutions in Brussels for years, according to a report published by a Belgian newspaper.

A report published in the Belgian newspaper De Tijd on Thursday revealed that the Hungarian intelligence service has for years been using a secret spy network in the European Union institutions in Brussels.

The report is the result of months of investigation by De Tijd, together with Direkt36, a nonprofit investigative journalism center in Hungary; Paper Trail Media, a German collective; Der Spiegel, a German news magazine; and Der Standard, an Austrian newspaper.

America's Stricken DemocracyTrump's Thought Police Hit Their Stride

The murder of Charlie Kirk has fanned the flames of the Trump administration's lust for thought control. The hunt for his enemies and dissenters, long since begun, has entered a new and dangerous phase.

By Jörg Schindler in Washington, D.C.

In April 2011, late-night comedian Seth Meyers dealt the ambitious businessman Donald Trump what was likely his most painful humiliation to that point. There is a video of the scene showing Meyers as a guest speaker at the annual White House Correspondents Association dinner in Washington, holding forth before a room full of distinguished guests. And all of them are laughing.

Japan Today Spotlight #36 | Drunk pilots at JAL: Scandals Japan can’t ignore

Japan Airlines reported record revenue this year, but a series of alcohol-related scandals involving its pilots has shaken confidence in the country’s flagship carrier. From canceled flights and failed breath tests to one captain caught tampering with his testing kit, the airline’s troubles have raised serious questions about safety and accountability in the cockpit.

World Cup 2026 qualifiers: Why FIFA won’t ban Israel despite Gaza genocide

Protection of political, economic and commercial interests has led to FIFA’s ‘double standards’ in countering anti-Israel protests and calls for sanctions, say experts.

By Hafsa Adil

Israel will resume its qualification campaign for the FIFA World Cup 2026 this coming weekend amid widespread public protests and growing demands for football’s governing body to sanction the country over its genocide in Gaza.

Despite the widespread opposition, Israel’s upcoming World Cup qualifiers – against Norway on Saturday and Italy on Tuesday – will go ahead as scheduled after FIFA sidestepped the issue by saying it cannot “solve geopolitical problems”.

Six In The Morning Tuesday 12 August 2025

 

EU leaders defend Ukraine’s freedom to decide future ahead of Trump-Putin summit

Statement on Ukrainian sovereignty signed by all EU leaders except for Viktor Orbán before call with Trump

Patrick Wintour Diplomatic editor and agencies

Tue 12 Aug 2025 12.35 BST

European Union leaders made a rallying call to defend Ukraine’s freedom to decide its own future in advance of their virtual summit with Donald Trump – convened to discuss US strategy before the president’s talks with Vladimir Putin on Friday.

With the exception of Hungary, all EU leaders signed a joint statement, with Kaja Kallas, the EU foreign policy chief, also calling for the Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, to attend the Trump-Putin summit in Alaska on Friday.

Nigeria debates air rage 'double standards'

A woman was taken into custody for allegedly assaulting airline staff, while a well-known musician who disrupted a flight remains free.

An incident aboard an Ibom Air flight has sparked debate in Nigeria over how authorities handle air rage cases.

A 26-year-old Nigerian woman was remanded Monday in Lagos' Kirikiri Maximum Security Prison after allegedly assaulting airline staff on an Ibom Air flight.

Iran says it arrested 21,000 'suspects' during 12-day war with Israel

By Reuters

August 12, 20255:16 AM PDT

Iranian police arrested as many as 21,000 "suspects" during the country's 12-day war with Israel in June, a law enforcement spokesperson said on Tuesday, according to state media.

Following Israeli air strikes that began on June 13, Iranian security forces began a campaign of widespread arrests accompanied by an intensified street presence based around checkpoints and "public reports" whereby citizens were called upon to report on any individuals they thought were acting suspiciously.

Anas Al-Sharif became the face of the war in Gaza for millions. Then Israel killed him

By

Mostafa Salem

As a ceasefire in Gaza took hold in January, Anas Al-Sharif began removing his protective gear live on television, piece by piece, while a jubilant crowd cheered, hoping the day marked the end of the suffering of 2 million Palestinians in the enclave.

Nearly seven months later, Israel killed the Al Jazeera journalist and four of his colleagues in a strike in Gaza City.

‘I’m on the right side of history’: The church minister risking prison time to support Palestine Action

More than 500 people were arrested at the biggest demonstration since the group was proscribed a terrorist organisation

Nicole Wootton-Cane

Tuesday 12 August 2025 15:17 BST

Dr Sally Mann is usually found at the east London church where her family have worshipped for five generations.

But on Saturday, striking images of the baptist minister emerged. Swarmed by police officers and standing alone, footage shared on social media shows the moment she was arrested at the pro-Palestine march held in Parliament Square.

Wearing a black shirt and white collar, she nods and silently accepts her arrest before she is escorted away, surrounded by a sea of police uniforms.

'We demand justice'

How a student's death in Mexico raises questions about police violence

Jesus Alain Vasquez Perez's final moments were captured by a grainy surveillance camera hoisted high above the Chicoasen highway.

The footage is only seconds long. Suddenly, three vehicles zoom into view: one pick-up truck pursued by two police cruisers, their sirens flashing red against the ink-black night.

One of the police vehicles overtakes the pick-up. It cuts in front, manoeuvring as if to slow the pick-up down. But in that moment, a figure falls from the bed of the truck.