One of the earlier personalities to break the norm over male surnames was Peter Kĩgia, a Kenyan musician who chose his mother's name as his stage name.

Kĩgia wa Esther (son of Esther), now in his 60s, is known for playing benga - fast, rhythmic guitar folk music with lyrics in Kikuyu.

"When you take your mother's name, it means you love and respect her," he told the BBC, saying he had even registered his record company

This kind of influencer content comes in the wake of wider discussions about declining birth rates.

Globally, birth rates have dropped from 4.9 babies per woman in 1950 to 2.2 in 2025, with 106 countries now below the replacement rate of 2.1 , according to the UN World Population Prospects in 2025.

The US Secretary for Health, Robert F Kennedy Jr, who has promoted some unproven health claims , recently spoke of a "fertility crisis"

Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk has announced the creation of a national memorial to the victims of a "genocide committed by Ukrainian nationalists" during World War Two.

Tusk was speaking on the anniversary of what Poland calls the "massacre" in Volhynia - a Polish territory in German-occupied Poland and now known as Volyn and part of Ukraine. Warsaw says some 100,000 ethnic Poles were killed by the Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UPA) in 1943-45.

Warsaw and Kyiv have

The war began with US and Israeli attacks on 28 February, prompting Iran to attack Israel and US targets and allies in the Gulf.

In June, the US and Iran signed a ceasefire agreement, aimed at facilitating talks to end it.

Earlier this week, three commercial tankers were attacked as they tried to cross a US-recommended route through Omani waters. Iran has repeatedly said the only "safe" route is separate route through its waters.

The incident prompted a series of US strikes in which 17 people

"Upon their arrival, the troops dispersed the Israeli civilians and allowed the vehicles to continue on their way," the IDF said.

Khanna was visiting the ruins of Khirbet Zanuta , on a fact-finding visit to look at the impact of Israeli occupation of the area.

The politician, a father-of-two, is mulling over a presidential run in 2028.

"We were at a village that Israeli settlers had destroyed, they had destroyed the school, they had destroyed that village, and

Several New York Times journalists were summoned to testify under oath after they reported alleged security concerns involving President Donald Trump's new Air Force One plane, the US newspaper said.

Federal agents delivered subpoenas to some reporters' homes demanding they appear before a federal grand jury investigating a potential crime, the Times said.

The paper had published stories alleging that the Qatari-gifted plane was not secure enough, and the Secret Service urged Trump to switch planes on his way home from a Nato summit in Turkey.

The Justice Department

Nigeria's military says it has freed all 44 pupils and teachers who were abducted two months ago from schools in the southern state of Oyo, and arrested some of their captors.

A local teachers' union has told the BBC of its "relief" - but families say the ordeal has been harrowing and they are still waiting to be reunited with their loved ones.

The military said that several soldiers died in the rescue mission.

The freed captives are currently receiving medical treatment at an undisclosed hospital and will return home

Hon May Rut Ngoai is located about 10km (six miles) south of Phu Quoc, Vietnam's largest island.

Nguyen Tien Hai, a senior Communist official in the area, said the authorities were still working to confirm the exact number of those who died as well as the survivors.

He is quoted by VnExpress as saying that the speedboat may have capsized due to heavy winds and high waves.

"The top priority is rescue, bringing all victims ashore and focusing all efforts on providing emergency care to those