The US Secret Service has arrested a man near the White House after he allegedly told agents that voices in his head had instructed him to travel to Washington and kill President Donald Trump.

What happened

According to US officials, agents spotted the man behaving suspiciously in a car parked beside the White House on Thursday, 5 November 2026. During questioning, he allegedly said voices had directed him to come to the capital and assassinate the President. Agents found that the car had been reported stolen, and a search turned up a rifle, two handguns and dozens of rounds of ammunition.

The suspect

The Department of Homeland Security said the man is a Venezuelan national who entered the United States illegally in 2024. He has been charged with several firearms offences, as well as unauthorised use of a vehicle and receiving stolen property, and is being held by the US Marshals Service. He has not yet been tried.

Secret Service comments

Secret Service Director Sean Curran said the arrest showed the kind of security environment his agents deal with every day. Officials said the White House has seen a significant rise in incidents linked to mental health problems, as the presidency often becomes a focus for people experiencing such conditions.

Background

Trump survived two assassination attempts during the 2024 election campaign. The arrest came in the same week that the President's party suffered heavy losses in the midterm elections and he named Stephen Miller as his new chief of staff.

Kenyan preacher Paul Nthenge Mackenzie has reportedly been sentenced to 200 years in prison over the deaths of 191 members of his Good News International Church, including 190 children, in one of the most disturbing religious tragedies in Kenya's history.

The sentence

The Mombasa High Court handed down the sentence on Friday, 6 November 2026, following its ruling on 19 October in which Mackenzie and 28 other defendants were found guilty. The prosecution had earlier asked the court to impose the death penalty.

What happened in Shakahola

According to the prosecution, between 2021 and 2023 Mackenzie gathered his followers on a 325-hectare property in the Shakahola Forest, near the coastal town of Malindi in south-eastern Kenya.

There, he convinced them that starving themselves to death would allow them to meet Jesus.

Imagine the level of trust these families must have placed in their religious leader. Parents, children and entire households were drawn into a belief system that eventually turned deadly.

During the trial, the defence argued that the children had taken part in the fasting voluntarily. The judge rejected that argument.

How the tragedy came to light

The case first drew international attention in April 2023, when authorities discovered the first bodies buried in the forest.

What first looked like an isolated discovery soon turned into something far more horrifying. As investigators kept searching, more graves were uncovered. Eventually, more than 400 bodies were exhumed, revealing the enormous scale of the disaster.

More than 200 witnesses testified during the proceedings. Mackenzie had been in custody since 14 April 2023, when he surrendered to authorities after the first victims were found.

The children who died

Kenya, a country where religion plays an important part in everyday life, was deeply shaken by the discoveries.

For many, the most painful part of the story is the number of children who died. These were young lives that depended on adults for protection, yet they became victims of circumstances they could neither understand nor control.

A warning about blind obedience

The case is a troubling reminder of what can happen when people give up their ability to question religious authority, and it raises serious questions about religious manipulation and the protection of vulnerable people.

Faith is deeply personal, and millions find comfort, hope and direction in religion. But when a religious leader begins demanding actions that threaten human life, the consequences can be devastating.

Over to you

How could such a tragedy continue for so long before authorities uncovered what was happening in the forest? And how far should people go in obeying religious leaders when their teachings put lives in danger?

California Governor Gavin Newsom has commuted every death sentence in the state to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole.

What he announced

In an official letter on Thursday, 5 November 2026, Newsom said the decision affects 548 people on death row, one of the largest death row populations in the world. He said he was acting on a long-held belief that society is stronger when it rejects state-sanctioned killing. He acknowledged that many Californians believe people who commit brutal crimes deserve to die, but said he had concluded that the state cannot morally kill them.

Why all at once

Newsom said he chose a blanket commutation rather than reviewing cases one by one because trying to separate crimes and offenders would create two classes of murder victims. He said the offenders would now spend the rest of their lives in prison, and that he hoped the move would separate the memory of victims from the fate of those who harmed them.

Background

California has not carried out an execution in about two decades, although courts continued to hand down death sentences. In 2019, Newsom placed a moratorium on executions and closed the state's execution chamber. Newsom, a Democrat, is in the final months of his second term as governor and is widely seen as a possible future presidential candidate. The decision comes days after the Democrats' strong performance in the US midterm elections.

California voters rejected ballot measures to abolish the death penalty in 2012 and 2016, and Newsom's decision is likely to face criticism from supporters of capital punishment.

Nigeria's under-17 women's team, the Flamingos, will face Japan in the final of the FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup in Rabat, Morocco, on Saturday, 7 November 2026.

The match

The final is at the Mohammed VI Football Complex, with kick-off set for 7.30pm Nigerian time. It will be the first time the two countries have met at this tournament. Flamingos captain Harmony Chidi said the players are determined to bring Nigeria its first world title at this level and make the country proud.

Road to the final

The Flamingos became the first African team ever to reach the final of the competition after beating Brazil 3-1 in the semi-final on Wednesday. After a goalless first half, Queen Joseph opened the scoring in the 56th minute, and Awawu Bashiru scored twice, in the 71st and 80th minutes, before Brazil pulled one back late on. Nigeria's previous best was third place in 2022, when they beat Germany in the bronze medal match. Ghana also finished third in 2012.

Japan's record

Japan are one of the strongest teams in youth women's football. They won the tournament in 2014, beating Spain in the final, and were runners-up in 2010 and 2016. At under-20 level, Japan beat Nigeria 2-1 in the bronze medal match of the 2012 U-20 Women's World Cup and won 6-0 when the two met in the group stage in 2016.

Praise from CAF and FIFA

CAF president Patrice Motsepe congratulated the Flamingos, saying they had made Africa proud, and confirmed he would travel to Rabat to watch the final in person. FIFA also congratulated the team on the historic achievement.

What's at stake

Victory would give Nigeria its first FIFA world title in women's football at any level and make the Flamingos the first African side to win the competition.