Cuba tourism collapses as US pressure campaign bites

Getty Images An old car drives past debris from a demolished house occupying part of the seaside promenade in the Centro Habana neighbourhood in Havana on 9 June , 2026 Getty Images
Fuel shortages means even fewer cars are on the road in Havana then before sanctions were tightened

The number of foreign travellers visiting Cuba has plummeted since the beginning of the year amid tightened US sanctions, figures released by Cuba's national statistics agency suggest.

Fewer than 360,000 people visited the Communist-run island in the first five months of 2026, a decrease of 58.4% compared to the same period last year, according to Onei.

The Trump administration

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Russian artist and Putin critic shot dead in Poland

Facebook/Semyon Skrepetsky A man wearing an old-style Russian hat with a Soviet badge holds the top of a framed picture and wears a jacket crammed with medals Facebook/Semyon Skrepetsky
Semyon Skrepetsky was not immediately identified by police in eastern Poland

Police in Poland are investigating the execution-style murder of a Russian artist and vocal critic of President Vladimir Putin.

Polish prosecutors said Robert K, known as the artist Semyon Skrepetsky, was shot dead on Monday morning in the Polish city of Biała Podlaska, about 40km (25 miles) from the Belarusian border.

The 44-year-old was shot five times in the head, chest and back in a


Watch: California wildfires rage near passing vehicles

The fires in Riverside County cover over 2,000 acres, say authorities.

India temporarily bans Telegram over exam paper leak concerns

Getty Images AISA members and students protesting against the NEET-UG 2026 scam at Jantar mantar, on May 14, 2026 in New Delhi, India. Getty Images
Protests had erupted across India after the NEET 2026 exam was scrapped over allegations of a paper leak

India has temporarily blocked the Telegram app over concerns it may be used for cheating, days before a crucial medical entrance exam is set to be reheld.

The National Testing Agency (NTA), which conducts the exam, welcomed the move, saying that it was taken in response to the "organised use of the platform [Telegram] by cheating rackets to defraud candidates".

But internet users and rights


Nigerian army frees widow of ex-general who died in captivity

Nigeria Defence Headquarters Nigerian Military officers surround Mrs Rabe Abubakar who was rescued after weeks in captivity Nigeria Defence Headquarters
Amina Abubakar is now being treated in hospital after her rescue

Nigeria's military says it has rescued the widow of a retired general who himself had died at the weekend while being held by kidnappers.

Maj Gen Rabe Abubakar and his wife Amina were abducted in the north-western state of Katsina at the end of last month.

The military said the kidnappers shot Mrs Abubakar during the rescue operation before fleeing as troops advanced. She is now being treated in a military hospital, a statement added.

One of

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'Dancing girl's' bare torso restored in Indian textbook after backlash

NCERT The Dancing Girl is a bronze figurine discovered in Mohenjo-daro and dates back to 2600 BCE NCERT
The Dancing Girl is a bronze figurine discovered in Mohenjo-daro dating back to 2600 BCE

The "covered-up" image of a nude artefact has been withdrawn from an Indian school textbook after it sparked a massive backlash from historians and educationists.

The bronze sculpture - known as the Dancing girl from Mohenjo-daro - shows a girl standing with one hand on her hip and is one of the most recognisable artefacts from the Indus Valley civilisation .

But in a newly released grade nine textbook, the figurine

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Tunisia sack head coach just one game into World Cup

Tunisia sacked manager Henryk Kasperczak after a poor start during their 1998 World Cup campaign, when the side failed to win either of their first two matches.

Cha Bum-kun was dismissed by South Korea during the same tournament after defeats in their first two matches, while Julen Lopetegui was sacked by Spain two days before the start of the 2018 World Cup after agreeing to become Real Madrid manager.

But this is the first time a manager has lost his job after just one World Cup match and


Iranian-Americans protest against Iran team at World Cup

The BBC’s Shaimaa Khalil was outside the Iran v New Zealand opening round match as protesters called for an end to Tehran’s clerical regime.

Trust in news hits a new low, research suggests

Getty Images A woman watches a video of US President Donald Trump with China's President Xi Jinping on a mobile phone in Beijing, in May this year Getty Images

Trust in the news has fallen to an all-time low globally - the lowest since annual reports by the Reuters Institute began more than a decade ago (2015).

The research published on Tuesday suggests that public trust worldwide is at 37%, three points down on this time last year. In the UK, it has fallen by five points to 30% - 20 points lower than 10 years ago.

More than half of respondents said they now get their news from


Japan raises interest rate to highest since 1995

AFP via Getty Images A customer walking past a row of shelves filled to the brim with instant noodles at a supermarket in Japan. AFP via Getty Images

Japan's central bank has increased its main interest rate to a new 31-year high after a surge in global energy prices.

On Tuesday, the Bank of Japan (BOJ) raised its so-called policy rate to 1% from 0.75% - to a level not seen since 1995.

The decision comes as some other central banks have raised interest rates this year as the Iran war pushed up the cost of living.

Japan's interest rates were