Category: Global

Right-wing youth activist and influencer Charlie Kirk, a major ally of President Donald Trump, was shot dead Wednesday in a “political assassination” that sparked fears of more political violence in an increasingly febrile United States.

Trump confirmed on social media that Kirk, 31, had died from his injuries.

“The Great, and even Legendary, Charlie Kirk, is dead,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.

Kirk was hit while speaking at an event at Utah Valley University.

Video from the scene showed him addressing a large crowd when the sound of a single shot rang out. Kirk appeared to collapse in his chair before the camera swiftly moved and sounds of panic erupted in the audience.

Investigators said they believed the single bullet had come from a campus rooftop, fired by someone dressed in black, in what appeared to be a targeted killing.

FBI Director Kash Patel said one person was being held.

“The subject for the horrific shooting today that took the life of Charlie Kirk is now in custody,” Patel said on X.

Illustrating the huge importance of Kirk in Trump’s orbit, the 79-year-old Republican ordered flags on government buildings to be lowered to half-staff until Sunday. American flags at the White House were lowered shortly after the president’s order.

“No one understood or had the Heart of the Youth in the United States of America better than Charlie. He was loved and admired by ALL, especially me, and now, he is no longer with us,” Trump wrote.

Utah Governor Spencer Cox told reporters Kirk’s killing was “a tragic day for our nation.”

“I want to be clear that this is a political assassination,” he said.

Cox, a Republican, appealed for Americans to take a step back from such violence as the nation readies to mark a milestone anniversary of its 1776 founding.

“We just need every single person in this country to think about where we are and where we want to be, to ask ourselves: Is this what 250 years has wrought on us?”

– ‘He fell back’ –

Former Utah congressman Jason Chaffetz, who was at the rally, told Fox News the shooting had happened while Kirk was doing a question-and-answer session with the crowd.

“First question was about religion. He went on for about 15-20, minutes. Second question, interestingly, was about transgender shooters, mass shooters, and in the midst of that, the shot rang out,” a visibly shaken Chaffetz told the network.

“As soon as that shot went out, he fell back,” he said. “Everybody hit the deck… a lot of people started screaming, and then everybody started running.”

– Turning Point –

Kirk had an outsized influence in US politics, helping the rise of Trump’s support among younger voters — one of the key factors in the Republican’s return to power last year.

With natural showmanship skills, Kirk co-founded Turning Point USA in 2012 to drive conservative viewpoints among young people, turning him into the go-to spokesman on television networks and at conferences for the youthful hard-right.

He used his enormous audiences on Instagram and YouTube to build support for anti-immigration policies, outspoken Christianity and gun ownership, and to spread viral, carefully edited clips of his back-and-forths during debates at his many campus events.

His presence on campuses was seen on the right as a welcome contrast to widespread liberal viewpoints in higher education, but have sparked often fierce opposition.

News of the shooting provoked horror across the political spectrum.

“Dear God, protect Charlie in his darkest hour,” Vice President JD Vance posted on social media, alongside a picture of the two men and the president’s son, Donald Trump Jr.

Right wing media figure Tomi Lahren called Kirk “visionary.”

Figures on the left also condemned the attack and urged calm.

“There is no place in our country for this kind of violence. It must end now,” former president Joe Biden wrote on X.

California Governor Gavin Newsom — a frequent foil for right-wing figures like Kirk — called the attack “disgusting, vile, and reprehensible,” while Biden’s vice president Kamala Harris said “political violence has no place in America.”

Former congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords — a Democrat who survived an assassination attempt herself — said she was “horrified” by the attack.

“Democratic societies will always have political disagreements, but we must never allow America to become a country that confronts those disagreements with violence,” Giffords said.

At least nine pigs’ heads were found outside several mosques in the Paris region on Tuesday, the city’s police chief said — an incident that has sparked alarm over rising anti-Muslim hatred.

“Pigs’ heads have been left in front of certain mosques… Four in Paris and five in the inner suburbs,” Laurent Nunez told a press conference, adding that officers were not “ruling out the possibility of finding more”.

Police have opened a probe into incitement to hatred aggravated by racial or religious discrimination, Nunez said, calling the acts “despicable”.

The consumption of pork is considered haram — forbidden in Islam — as the meat is believed to be impure.

Several of the heads had the surname of President Emmanuel Macron scrawled on them in blue ink, the Paris prosecutor’s office told AFP.

Nunez said there could be parallels with past incidents linked to “foreign interference” but urged “extreme caution”.

In early June, three Serbs were charged over the vandalism of Jewish sites in a case investigators suspect was backed by Russia.

France is home to the largest Muslim community in the European Union, as well as the largest Jewish population outside Israel and the United States.

Several EU nations have reported a spike in “anti-Muslim hatred” and antisemitism since the Gaza war started in October 2023, according to the European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights.

Anti-Muslim incidents in France rose by 75 percent between January and May 2025 compared with a year earlier, with attacks on individuals tripling, the interior ministry said in July.

Fighters from Palestinian organisation Hamas launched an attack in Israel from Gaza on October 7, 2023. Israel has responded with a relentless assault on the Hamas-run Gaza Strip.

-‘Anti-Muslim hatred’-

The incidents around Paris drew swift condemnation from political and community leaders.

Macron met with representatives of the Muslim community in the capital following the incident to express his “support”, his office told AFP.

Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo said the city had taken legal action, denouncing the “racist acts”.

For his part, Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau called the deeds “outrageous” and “absolutely unacceptable”.

“I want our Muslim compatriots to be able to practise their faith in peace,” he said.

Chems-Eddine Hafiz, the rector of the Grand Mosque of Paris, denounced the “Islamophobic acts” as “a new and sad stage in the rise of anti-Muslim hatred”.

Bassirou Camara, head of anti-discrimination group Addam, told AFP he feared an escalation.

“We have been raising the alarm for months and we are not being heard,” Camara said.

“What will be the next step? Throwing pigs’ heads at worshippers or physically assaulting them?”

Outside one of the affected mosques, a 40-year-old former association director, who spoke on condition of anonymity, laid flowers to show “solidarity and support”.

“People shouldn’t have to hide their faith,” she said.

Similar incidents have targeted mosques and Muslim associations elsewhere in France in recent years, including a pig’s head left outside a Muslim association in the northern Pas-de-Calais region in 2024.

Nepal plunged into chaos on Tuesday as violent protests led by Gen Z forced Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli to resign and claimed the life of Rajyalaxmi Chitrakar, wife of former prime minister Jhalanath Khanal.

Protesters stormed the Dallu residence of Khanal, trapping Chitrakar inside before setting the house ablaze. Family members rushed her to Kirtipur Burn Hospital, but doctors could not save her.

The unrest escalated after Oli’s government banned social media platforms including Facebook, X and YouTube, claiming the companies refused to register and submit to government oversight. Police opened fire on demonstrators in Kathmandu on Monday, killing 19 people. Although the government lifted the ban later that night, the protests gained momentum and turned into a broader revolt against corruption and political privilege.

Angry crowds torched the parliament building and homes of top leaders, including Oli’s own residence. Video footage showed Finance Minister Bishnu Prasad Paudel, 65, being chased through the streets and brutally beaten. The airport in the capital shut down as army helicopters evacuated several ministers to safe locations.

Facing nationwide fury, Oli announced an immediate resignation on Tuesday.

Young protesters accuse Nepal’s political elite of corruption and point to the children of leaders, labeled “Nepo Kids,” who flaunt luxury lifestyles while most young people struggle for jobs.

The uprising, now known as the “protest of Gen Z,” has shaken the Himalayan nation.

Nepal Prime Minister (PM) KP Sharma Oli resigned on Tuesday, a day after one of the deadliest crackdowns on protesters in years, which left at least 19 dead.

“I have resigned from the post of prime minister with effect from today… in order to take further steps towards a political solution and resolution of the problems,” he wrote in his resignation letter to the president.

The protests began on Monday with young demonstrators demanding the government lifted its ban on social media platforms and take stronger action against corruption. Unrest continued despite authorities restoring access to apps, including Facebook, X and YouTube.

Amnesty International reported that live ammunition was used against the protesters during Monday’s clashes, which claimed at least 19 lives and injured more than 100 people.

Oli, 73, started his fourth term as the country’s premier last year after his Communist Party formed a coalition government with the centre-left Nepali Congress.

A boat carrying aid for besieged Palestinians in Gaza caught fire after a suspected drone attack near the North African coast. 

The Portuguese-flagged vessel was part of a flotilla sailing with more than 350 human rights activists and aid workers, including Swedish activist Greta Thunberg.

According to the reports, the attack targeted their main boat carrying steering committee members. The crew and all passengers remained safe. The group shared video footage showing the damage to the vessel.

Despite the attack, members of the flotilla vowed to continue their peaceful mission of delivering aid to Gaza. The coalition stressed that the effort will not stop.

The flotilla set sail from Barcelona on August 31. Organizers said it marked the largest and third attempt to deliver aid to Gaza by sea.

In July, Israeli forces intercepted and seized the aid boat Hanzala that departed from Italy when the ship was about 70 nautical miles from Gaza’s coast.

US President Donald Trump threatened Sunday to impose more sanctions on Russia, after the Kremlin unleashed its biggest-ever aerial barrage at Ukraine.

Russian missiles and drones rained down across Ukraine early Sunday, killing four people and setting government offices in the capital Kyiv ablaze.

Trump told reporters after the assault he was “not happy with the whole situation” and said he was prepared to move forward on new sanctions on Moscow.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said he was counting on a “strong” US response.

Russia has intensified its onslaught against Ukraine since a meeting between Trump and President Vladimir Putin on August 15 failed to make any breakthrough on a ceasefire.

After Sunday’s attack on Kyiv, flames could be seen rising from the roof of the sprawling government complex that houses Ukraine’s cabinet of ministers in the heart of the city — the first time it has been hit during the three-and-a-half-year conflict.

Drone strikes also damaged several high-rise buildings in the Ukrainian capital, according to emergency services.

Russia denies targeting civilians in Ukraine.

It said it struck a plant and a logistics hub in Kyiv, with the Russian defence ministry saying “no strikes were carried out on other targets within the boundaries of Kyiv”.

“It is important that there is a broad response from partners to this attack today,” said Zelensky in his evening address, adding that Putin was “testing the world”.

“We are counting on a strong response from America. That is what is needed.”

– ‘Deliberate crime’ –

Russia fired at least 810 drones and 13 missiles at Ukraine between late Saturday and early Sunday in a new record, according to the Ukrainian air force.

Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko posted a video showing a damaged floor in the government building.

“We will restore the buildings,” she said. “But we cannot bring back lost lives. The enemy terrorises and kills our people every day throughout the country.”

Zelensky discussed the attack in a call with French President Emmanuel Macron and said France would help Ukraine strengthen its defence.

Macron was among European leaders who condemned the attack, posting on X that Russia was “locking itself ever deeper into the logic of war and terror”.

UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer denounced the attacks as “cowardly” while EU chief Ursula von der Leyen accused the Kremlin of “mocking diplomacy”.

Earlier, US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said Washington might slap tariffs on countries that buy Russian oil.

“The Russian economy will be in full collapse. And that will bring President (Vladimir) Putin to the table,” Bessent told NBC television.

– European troop proposal –

At least two people were killed in a strike west of Kyiv, prosecutors said.

More than two dozen were wounded in Kyiv, according to the emergency services.

Among them was a 24-year-old pregnant woman who delivered a premature baby shortly after the attack, with doctors fighting to save her life and that of her baby, state TV Suspilne reported.

Two more died and dozens were wounded in overnight strikes across the east and southeast, authorities said.

Ukraine’s foreign ministry highlighted that seven horses had also been killed at an equestrian club.

“The world cannot stand aside while a terrorist state takes lives — human or animal — every single day,” it posted on X.

The barrage came after more than two dozen European countries pledged to oversee any agreement to end the war, some of which said they were willing to deploy troops on the ground.

Ukraine has insisted on Western-backed security guarantees to prevent future Russian attacks, but Putin has warned that any Western troops in Ukraine would be unacceptable and legitimate targets.

Trump has tried to find a way to end the war in recent weeks but has little to show for his efforts.

Russia has continued to claim territory in costly grinding battles and now occupies around 20 percent of Ukraine.

Tens of thousands have been killed and millions forced from their homes in Europe’s bloodiest conflict since World War II.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said Saturday New Delhi and Washington still shared “very positive” ties, after US President Donald Trump reaffirmed their personal friendship and downplayed his earlier remarks about “losing India” to China.

The exchange comes amid strains after Washington imposed tariffs of up to 50 percent on Indian imports, accusing New Dehli of fuelling Moscow’s deadly attacks on Ukraine by purchasing Russian oil.

But Trump and Modi, both right-wing populists, have shared a strong bond since the US president’s first term.

“Deeply appreciate and fully reciprocate President Trump’s sentiments and positive assessment of our ties,” Modi wrote on X, adding that India and the United States shared a “very positive and forward-looking comprehensive and global strategic partnership”.

Earlier, Trump told reporters that he “will always be friends with Modi”.

“India and the United States have a special relationship. There is nothing to worry about,” Trump said, downplaying his earlier remarks about “losing India” to China.

Last week, Modi visited China to attend a gathering of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, his first visit to the country in seven years signalling a thaw between the two Asian powers.

Trump has appeared irritated at New Delhi as he seeks credit for what he said was Nobel Prize-worthy diplomacy for brokering peace between Pakistan and India following the worst conflict in decades between the nuclear-armed neighbours in May.

India, which adamantly rejects any third-party mediation on Kashmir, has since given the cold shoulder to Trump.