US President Donald Trump announced a federal takeover of Washington, DC’s police and the deployment of 800 National Guard troops on Monday. He says it’s needed to “rescue” the capital from violence, but data shows crime levels have already been falling – and city leaders and residents are pushing back.
Tensions are high in Mali’s capital, Bamako, after the arrests of dozens of soldiers in recent days, including two high-ranking generals. Although shops and offices stayed open on Tuesday, residents, including one journalist, told Al Jazeera the atmosphere there is uneasy.
Mali’s military government has so far remained silent about the spate of arrests. However, unofficial reports said the soldiers are being detained for their alleged involvement in a coup plot that aimed to overthrow General Assimi Goita’s government.
The landlocked West African country, located in the semiarid Sahel region, is embroiled in a myriad of political and security crises. The recent arrests, analysts said, mark the first time the military is cracking down on soldiers within its ranks on suspicion of a coup.
Here’s what you need to know about the arrests:
Conflicting reports have emerged since the arrests over the weekend and on Monday.
Reports by the French news channel RFI put the number of arrested soldiers at at least 50 while the Reuters news agency reported 36 to 40 soldiers have been detained.
Two generals are reportedly among them.
Abass Dembele, a former military governor of the northern region of Mopti, was arrested on Sunday morning in his home in Kati, a garrison town just outside Bamako, according to RFI.
Dembele is popular among Malian soldiers and has a reputation as an officer who often leads from the front. He was active in the northern war of 2012, a civil war that broke out after Tuareg separatists parlayed with armed groups to seize more than 60 percent of the country. The failure of the Malian army to push the rebels back prompted France to deploy thousands of soldiers.
Air force General Nema Sagara is another top official believed to be detained. Sagara is one of the few high-ranking female military officials in Mali and throughout the region. She is also one of the few female Malian officers to have been drafted into battle when she fought in the civil war of 2013.
Al Jazeera, however, could not independently confirm the veracity of the reports.
Since 2012, Mali’s army has battled a swarm of armed groups in the north, including Jama’at Nasr al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM) and the ISIL (ISIS) affiliate in the greater Sahara (ISGS).
The fighting has resulted in thousands of deaths while up to 350,000 people are currently displaced, according to Human Rights Watch. Several northern towns in rebel-held territory are under siege by the armed groups, limiting food, fuel and medical supplies. The groups operate in the Mali-Burkina Faso-Niger border area.
Promising to end the violence, then-Colonel Goita, 41, took power in two successive coups in 2020 and 2021. He was sworn in as transitional president in June 2021. Under his control, the country severed ties with its former coloniser, France, and thousands of French soldiers involved in the fight against the armed groups exited the country.
The military rulers have since turned to Russian private mercenaries and military officials under the Wagner Group and Africa Corps. The army and the Russians have recorded wins but also heavy losses.
The military government has not put out an official statement stating the reasons for the arrests.
RFI quoted an unnamed Malian senior military officer close to the government as saying the soldiers were arrested because “they wanted to destabilise the transition,” referring to the military government, which calls itself a transitional government that is expected eventually to hand over power to a civilian administration.
Many of those arrested were confirmed by RFI to be members of the national guard. The special unit is headed by Defence Minister and General Sadio Camara. In elite military circles in Bamako, Camara is increasingly seen as a rival to Goita although they were both part of the team of coup leaders who seized power. The rifts inside the military come as some of Goita’s policies have begun to irk many, both in the military and among civilians.
This week’s arrests, some critics said, are the strongest sign yet that the military’s control is weakening from the inside. While Goita is the head of state, he appears not to have complete control over the armed forces, analysts said.
Due to the reported cracks, the military government will want to project a strong image, hence its silence, Beverly Ochieng, a Sahel analyst with the intelligence firm Control Risks, told Al Jazeera.
“[These arrests] indicate some pronounced divisions,” Ochieng said. “Quite a few red lines have been crossed in recent months, and people are bound to be tired. It is likely that the military leadership will maintain and project a united front to downplay vulnerabilities and internal rivalries.”
Critics said Goita’s recent policies appear to attack dissenters and aim to shrink the civic space in the troubled country.
Goita’s government, for example, approved a bill in July that would allow him to seek a five-year presidential mandate, renewable “as many times as necessary” and without requiring an election. Earlier, when it seized power, the military promised to hand over power to civilians in 2024.
In May, the military government dissolved political parties and organisations and banned political meetings, drawing condemnation from opposition politicians and rights groups.
In addition, the military government has targeted outspoken critics. This month, former Prime Minister Moussa Mara was arrested and charged with “undermining the credibility of the state” after he visited political prisoners and posted about seeking justice for them.
“As long as the night lasts, the sun will obviously appear!” Mara had written on July 4 in a social media post, adding: “We will fight by all means for this to happen as soon as possible!”
Choguel Maiga, who was the prime minister until his ouster in November, has also accused Goita’s government of targeting him. Although Maiga was once a champion of the government, he became critical of Goita this year. In July, the government accused him of fraud and embezzlement during his time in office and launched an investigation.
Alongside the political situation, a lack of security remains rife in the country, causing frustration among many Malians.
Several armed groups continue to operate in the north, including JNIM. Human Rights Watch (HRW) blames the military forces and their Russian counterparts for targeting civilians indiscriminately on the assumption that they work with armed groups. At least 12 men from the Fulani ethnic group appear to have been executed and 81 forcibly disappeared since January, HRW said in a report.
Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger, which are also military led, banded together to form the Alliance of Sahel States (AES) this year after they withdrew from the Economic Community of West African States.They also created a 5,000-strong force for joint military operations to try to drive out armed groups.
Separately, the Malian army is once again battling Tuareg separatists. Although there were peace agreements made after the 2012 war that allowed the northern region of Kidal to maintain a semiautonomous nature, the military government under Goita has torn up the peace deals and returned to fighting, forcing hundreds of people to flee across the border to Mauritania.
Alexander Isak is still determined to leave Newcastle United and join Liverpool this summer.
The Athletic reported on Tuesday the striker, 25, was “adamant he will never represent Newcastle again”.
BBC Sport has not been able to verify this, but it is understood it is still the Swede’s “determined” ambition to join the Premier League champions before the deadline closes on 1 September.
The Magpies rejected a £110m bid from Liverpool for Isak on 1 August, with the Reds subsequently claiming that they were prepared to walk away from a deal.
Liverpool have also stepped up their attempts to sign Crystal Palace and England centre-back Marc Guehi, 25.
Newcastle manager Eddie Howe said following a pre-season friendly defeat by Atletico Madrid that “everything is in play” when it comes to Isak’s future, but stressed it was “clear” he “cannot involve” the striker in his current plans.
As such, Isak is expected to miss Newcastle’s Premier League opener at Aston Villa on Saturday (12:30pm BST).
The former Dortmund forward missed Newcastle’s pre-season tour of the far-east with a “minor” thigh injury.
He then trained alone at former club Real Sociedad, before returning to the UK last week.
Newcastle have failed with several moves for strikers this summer, with Liam Delap opting to join Chelsea, Benjamin Sesko choosing Manchester United and Hugo Ekitike moving to Liverpool.
Interest remains in Brentford striker Yoane Wissa, who left the Bees’ pre-season camp in Portugal in July because of his desire to join Newcastle.
The 28-year-old returned to first-team training last week following constructive talks with head coach Keith Andrews.
But the DR Congo striker remains keen on moving to Newcastle should a fee be agreed.
Howe’s side are also closing in on the signing of AC Milan defender Malick Thiaw.
Zoe Ball has opened up about a “sad” shift in the bond with her daughter Nelly. The 54-year-old is mum to 24-year-old son Woody Cook, and Nelly, 14, with her former husband Norman Cook, who is better known as Fatboy Slim.
Speaking about sleeping arrangements on her latest Dig It podcast episode with Jo Whiley, Zoe expressed disappointment over her daughter’s reluctance to share overnight stays with her.
The BBC Radio 2 host revealed: “I love going to sleep in the same bed as Nel. When she’s here, I’m like, ‘Do you want to stay the night? It’s a girl’s night – wanna stay the night?’
“And it’s really sad when she just looks at me and is like, ‘No mother’ and shuts the door. Or looks at me and says, ‘No mother, go to bed now’.
“And my favourite thing [is], if you do get to share a bed with your kids, sometimes, I know it sounds creepy, but just looking at their faces as they sleep, it doesn’t matter how old they are, you look at them and I always have those moments of just remembering their faces when they were babies and it’s like, ‘Look at you, all grown up’.”
Zoe frequently offers followers glimpses into her home life through her Instagram account, which features snaps of her children, her well-known father Johnny Ball, and her late mum Julia.
However, one thing she prefers to keep private from fans is details about her love life.
In photographs shared by The Sun in June, the broadcaster was spotted clasping hands with an unknown gentleman at Glastonbury Festival.
A source revealed to the publication: “Zoe is down at Glastonbury as a punter and has brought her new boyfriend along for the ride.
“They seemed blissfully happy and were strolling along holding hands.
“She was really smiling at him as they walked along and he was very protective of Zoe and put his hand across her back.
“People were doing double takes at her bloke though because he looks a lot like Fatboy. It’s so great to see Zoe smiling again.”
Zoe was married to Fatboy Slim from 1999 to 2016, and according to her father Johnny, they’re now closer than ever before.
Chatting to Boom Radio, he revealed: “They’re very good friends today. They’re divorced, but they’re better… if you like, they’re closer today than they were when they were married. And that’s a lovely thing.”
After their divorce, Zoe began dating Billy Yates, who tragically took his own life at the age of 40 in 2017.
Iranian police arrested as many as 21,000 “suspects” during the country’s 12-day conflict with Israel and the United States in June, according to state media citing a law enforcement spokesperson.
Following massive Israeli air strikes that began on June 13, which killed top military officials and scientists as well as hundreds of civilians, Iranian security forces began a campaign of widespread arrests accompanied by an intensified street presence based around checkpoints and “public reports”. The US also carried out extensive strikes on Iranian nuclear sites during the conflict on Israel’s behalf.
Iranian citizens were called upon to report on any individuals they thought were acting suspiciously.
“There was a 41 percent increase in calls by the public, which led to the arrest of 21,000 suspects during the 12-day war,” police spokesperson Saeid Montazerolmahdi said.
He did not say what those arrested were suspected of, but Tehran has spoken before of people passing on information that may have helped direct the Israeli attacks.
Since the end of June, Iran has executed seven men convicted of spying for Israel.
The Israel-US-Iran conflict has also led to an accelerated rate of deportations for Afghan refugees and migrants believed to be illegally in Iran, with aid agencies reporting that local authorities have also accused some Afghan nationals of spying for Israel.
“Law enforcement rounded up 2,774 illegal migrants and discovered 30 special security cases by examining their phones. [A total] 261 suspects of espionage and 172 people accused of unauthorised filming were also arrested,” the spokesperson added.
Montazerolmahdi did not specify how many of those arrested had since been released.
Diogo Jota revealed the emotional meaning behind his last Liverpool goal in a touching interview before his death in a car crash.
Jota and his brother Andre Silva died when their Lamborghini went off the road in the accident in northern Spain on July 3.
The Portugal forward was on his way back to England to start pre-season training after helping Liverpool win the Premier League title last term.
Jota’s final goal for Liverpool was the vital winner in the Merseyside derby against Everton at Anfield in April.
Speaking in an interview just weeks before his death, Jota admitted he felt proud to be able to contribute to Arne Slot’s team by scoring in such an important game.
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“It was a very tough season for me but I was always there fighting and I could help the team that day and I’m proud of what I could still do,” he said in the documentary titled “Champions 24-25: The Inside Story”.
“It’s hard to describe. That’s the feeling I look for when I play football, that’s why you put all your life and all your efforts to moments like that, moments where you can decide an important game.”
Jota, 28, spent five years with Liverpool after joining from Wolves in 2020.
He won the Premier League, FA Cup and League Cup during his time at Anfield.
“It is something I could not even dream as a kid, I wanted to play in the Premier League but I could never imagine to win it,” Jota said in the documentary about his Liverpool success.
“Pictures that will be shown forever. It is a remarkable achievement for a small guy that came from Gondomar, where I had this dream.”
Liverpool have posthumously retired his number 20 shirt and the club have announced that Jota will be remembered with a permanent sculpture outside Anfield, while a mural of the star already adorns the wall of a building near the stadium.