The German coach will name his 26-man squad for the tournament in North America on Friday and began making calls to players the previous day.
Manchester United’s Maguire was part of the England squad in March, having received his first call-up under Tuchel, but the 66-cap defender has confirmed he will not be going to the World Cup.
The centre-back, 33, posted on social media: “I was confident I could (have) played a major part this summer for my country after the season I’ve had. I’ve been left shocked and gutted by the decision.
“I’ve loved nothing more than putting that shirt on and representing my country over the years.
“I wish the players, all the best this summer.”
Maguire has played a major role for United since Michael Carrick took charge at Old Trafford in January, helping the team finish third in the Premier League.
Al Nassr defeated Damac on the final matchday of the 2026 Saudi Pro League, with Cristiano Ronaldo scoring twice in a commanding 4-1 win to secure the league title. Check out the highlights and goals here.
Al Nassr claimed the 2025-2026 Saudi Pro League championship after a dominant 4-1 victory over Damac, sealing the title on an emotional night at Al‑Awwal Park. Cristiano Ronaldo delivered a decisive brace, including a stunning free‑kick, to lead his team to the trophy and cap off a historic campaign for the Portuguese star.
Al Nassr controlled the match from the opening minutes and finally broke through in the 34th minute when Sadio Mane headed home from a corner to give the hosts a 1-0 lead. Kingsley Coman doubled the advantage shortly after halftime, continuing the team’s strong attacking performance.
Damac briefly responded through a Morlaye Silla penalty in the 58th minute, but Cristiano Ronaldo quickly restored control of the match. The Portuguese star scored from a free kick in the 63rd minute before adding another goal in the 81st to reach 973 career goals and seal the victory in front of a packed Al-Awwal Park crowd.
The final whistle confirmed Al Nassr as Saudi Pro League champions, with Ronaldo achieving his season‑long objective and lifting yet another trophy in his legendary career. The title was sealed by a narrow two‑point margin, with Al Nassr finishing on 86 points, just ahead of Al Hilal’s 84.
Civil society coalition Okoa Uchumi has raised concerns over the Finance Bill 2026, terming it punitive.
The group is calling on Kenyans to reject the Bill, saying the proposed taxes, including an increase in excise duty on mobile phones, would worsen the burden on citizens.
Okoa Uchumi also opposed proposals to grant the Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) powers to access citizens’ personal data without consent.
“When will we cut our cloth according to our size? Why are we living beyond our means? Kenya’s total public debt has hit Ksh.12.84 trillion, with domestic debt at Ksh.7.07 trillion,” said The Institute for Social Accountability (TISA) Executive Director Diana Gichengo.
The group further opposed the proposal to raise excise duty on mobile phones from 10 per cent to 25 per cent, arguing that it would undermine digital access.
“An increase in excise duty on mobile phones will only make digital access more expensive for ordinary Kenyans and slow down financial and technological inclusion,” stated Kenya Human Rights Commission (KHRC) Deputy Executive Director Cornelius Oduor.
The coalition also faulted provisions allowing KRA access to citizens’ private data.
“The Draft Finance Bill contains dangerous amendments allowing KRA unchecked access to private data,” Okoa Uchumi CEO Sharon Sitati stated.
The lobby groups warned that they would pursue legal action and protests if Parliament fails to amend the proposals.
“We will go to court and return to the streets,” Gichengo noted.
The Federation of Kenya Employers (FKE) has also announced it will file its objections on Monday, saying workers are already overtaxed.
“Kenyans are already overtaxed,” FKE Executive Director Jacqueline Mugo said.
A plane from Paris to Detroit was forced to divert to Canada after a passenger from the Ebola-hit Democratic Republic of Congo boarded the plane “in error”, officials have said.
US entry restrictions aimed at limiting the spread of the deadly virus meant the passenger should not have boarded the Air France plane, the US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agency told the BBC.
Almost 140 people are believed to have died from Ebola in the outbreak in central Africa, with more than 600 suspected cases identified.
Officials did not specify if the passenger was showing symptoms of the virus or when the person was last in DR Congo.
Cabin crew put on masks after the captain announced the diversion, a passenger on the flight toldthe BBC’s US partner CBS News.
Deborah Mistor said passengers were informed of the change four hours before they were due to land: “I think enough people must have been questioning what was going on because 30 minutes later, [the captain] came back on and said that he wanted to confirm that there was nothing wrong with the plane, there were no technical difficulties, that it was strictly because of US authorities not allowing us to land in the US.”
She added that people were subsequently flown to Detroit on the same aircraft.
Air France confirmed to US media that “at the request of US authorities, [the flight] was diverted to Montreal Airport after a Congolese passenger on board was denied entry into the United States”.
The US border agency CBP said: “Air France boarded a passenger from the Democratic Republic of Congo in error on a flight to the United States.”
The agency said it took “decisive action” to stop the flight landing at Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport. It was diverted by about 500 miles (800km) to Montreal, Canada.
The US is restricting entry for people without US passports who were in DR Congo, South Sudan or Uganda in the last three weeks.
US passport holders and permanent residents who have been in those countries can only enter through Washington-Dulles International Airport in Virginia for enhanced screening.
The current Ebola outbreak has been declared a public health emergency of international concern by the World Health Organization.
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said the risk to the US was relatively low, but it would introduce measures to prevent the disease from entering the country.
One American has tested positive – a doctor who was working with a medical missionary group in DR Congo. He is being treated in a special isolation ward at a hospital in Germany.
The Bundibugyo species of the virus does not yet have a vaccine, and it could take up to nine months before a vaccine against it is ready, the World Health Organization said on Wednesday.
Nigeria’s anti-corruption agency says it has arrested former Power Minister Saleh Mamman a week after he was sentenced to 75 years in jail on corruption charges.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) said Mamman was arrested in the early hours of Tuesday in the northern Kaduna state after “weeks of surveillance and intelligence gathering”.
In a statement, the agency said the former minister had gone into hiding after being convicted by a court in the capital Abuja earlier this month.
Mamman was found guilty on 12 counts related to the diversion of funds meant for two hydroelectric power projects.
His arrest on Tuesday marks a rare follow-through in the fight against high-level corruption, with convictions of top officials uncommon in the West African nation.
EFCC chairman Ola Olukoyede said authorities were determined to ensure the former minister served his sentence.
“For us, getting the convict to serve his jail terms is extremely important in view of the seriousness with which we are tackling corrupt practices,” he said.
The judge who ruled on his case said during the trial that the EFCC had shown that Mamman and his associates diverted at least 22bn naira ($14m; £10m) intended for critical electricity projects.
The judge described the diversion of public funds as a gross abuse of public trust and said proxy companies and associates were used to siphon money from the projects.
The former minister was sentenced for multiple prison terms across the charges, which are to run consecutively, making it to a total of 75 years.
He also faces a separate corruption trial in Abuja over allegations of fraud involving 31bn naira. Earlier this month, another judge issued a warrant for his arrest after he failed to appear in court in that case.
Mamman served as Nigeria’s power minister between 2019 and 2021 under former President Muhammadu Buhari.
His conviction has sparked outrage over Nigeria’s lingering electricity problems, especially as he had promised to improve power supply while in office.
Despite being one of Africa’s biggest energy producers, Nigeria still faces frequent blackouts and power cuts which affect homes and businesses.
Many people rely on fuel generators for electricity, but rising fuel costs have made this increasingly difficult.
Videos filmed from passing vehicles and verified by the BBC show the charred remains of the vehicles on a road about 45km (28 miles) west of Bamako. There are no reports of casualties – those on board were said to have been asked to get out before the vehicles were burnt.
Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM), a jihadist group affiliated to al-Qaeda, imposed a fuel blockade on Bamako last year, which it tightened after attacking the city last month.
The BBC has contacted Mali’s government for comment.
Mali is a landlocked country and depends heavily on fuel transported from neighbouring coastal countries like Senegal and Ivory Coast.
The militants have kidnapped drivers and burnt more than 100 fuel trucks on major highways in the country since last year, but some have made it to Bamako under military escort.
The blockade is leading to shortages and sharp increases in the price of many goods ahead of the Islamic holiday of Eid al-Adha, which falls next week.
In the latest attack, BBC Verify authenticated the videos through matching two distinctive buildings on the side of the road to satellite imagery and checking for AI manipulation.
Nasa’s satellite-based platform Firms – which detects heat sources on Earth’s surface – also detected a heat signature at the same location on Tuesday.
The fuel blockade is intended to suffocate Mali’s economy and weaken the legitimacy of the military leaders in power, experts say.
Mali is currently led by Gen Assimi Goïta, who first seized power in a coup in 2020, promising to restore security and push back the armed groups. He has invited Russian paramilitary group Africa Corp, which evolved out of the Wagner Group, to help fight the Islamist insurgents.
In January, he appointed 47-year-old Brig Gen Famouké Camara to head a special operation to counter the fuel blockade, but attacks on fuel convoys have continued.
Before the latest attack, the fuel crisis resulting from the blockade had appeared to be easing.
The Africa Corp has been helping to get supplies into Bamako.
The BBC has verified footage of Russian attack helicopters escorting convoys, including fuel tanks and heavy goods trucks along roads to the capital.
The Africa Corps has posted daily videos on social media for the past few weeks showing troops on patrol. Analysts say the publicity blitz is to combat criticism of their failure to stop the rebel advance.
The Kremlin has pledged that Russian forces will remain in Mali to fight “extremism, terrorism, and other negative manifestations”.
The fuel blockade caused shortages in the capital last year
When the jihadists imposed a fuel blockade last year, it caused shortages and a sharp increase in prices in the capital.
Last month, they ordered a total blockade, leaving residents worried.
Eyewitnesses told the BBC at the time that at least three of the six main routes into the city would be closed for hours at a time, and while the fighters moved elsewhere, some vehicles would manage to slowly get through.
This partial blockade has led to high costs of basic commodities.
One man said that a kilogram of potatoes that used to be 350 CFA francs ($0.62; £0.46) now cost 500 francs ($0.90).
“Everything in the market has become expensive,” he said.
Ahead of Eid, large numbers of sheep can usually be seen for sale on the streets of the capital of the Muslim-majority country – but this is not the case this year.
Muslims are supposed to slaughter an animal to commemorate the willingness of Prophet Ibrahim to sacrifice his son Ishmael as an act of obedience to God’s command.
If they can afford it, every Muslim family in Mali tries to buy an animal to slaughter for Eid, but this year, the blockade means it has been difficult to transport animals to the city.
One sheep seller told BBC Afrique: “Lots of people are blocked on the road. People are afraid because they [Islamists] take the animals.”
As a result, prices have shot up. One man told the BBC he could not afford to buy a sheep this year. Instead, he and some friends are thinking of coming together to buy a bull to slaughter.
Some sheep are on sale in Bamako ahead of Eid but the prices have gone up
The blockade has also made it risky for people to travel to their home villages over the festive period, as they usually do.
“Travelling would put your life at risk, as well as that of your family,” said a resident, who identified himself as Moussa.
“I’ve decided to stay and celebrate in Bamako,” he added.
The junta had popular support when it seized power five years ago, promising to deal with the long-running security crisis, prompted by a separatist rebellion in the north, which was then hijacked by Islamist militants like JNIM.
The junta has however struggled to contain the deadly insurgency despite the support of Russian mercenaries, making much of the north and east of the country ungovernable.
Last month, ethnic Tuareg separatists and JNIM launched co-ordinated attacks on major towns and cities across the country, leading to the death of Defence Minister Sadio Camara after an apparent suicide truck bombing on residence near the capital.
The Democratic Republic of Congo has cancelled its pre-World Cup training camp in the capital, Kinshasa, because of an Ebola outbreak in the east of the country.
The virus is thought to have killed more than 130, including a person whose case was confirmed on Thursday in the South Kivu province, signalling the spread of the virus from the outbreak’s epicentre.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has called the outbreak a “public health emergency of international concern”, but said it was not at pandemic level.
A spokesperson for DR Congo’s football team told reporters that the training camp, part of the preparations for the team’s first World Cup since 1974, would now take place in Belgium.
Jerry Kalemo added that DR Congo’s pre-tournament games in Europe would go ahead as planned.
The Leopards are due to play friendly matches against Denmark, on 3 June in Belgium, and Chile, on 9 June in Spain, ahead of the World Cup finals.
They play their first match of the tournament in the US city of Houston on 17 June against Portugal.
“Originally scheduled to take place in the capital on May 26, the Leopards’ public training session will not be held after all. This decision follows reports of suspected Ebola cases in the provinces of North Kivu and Ituri,” a message posted by the team on social media said.
There is also uncertainty over whether the team’s French coach, Sébastien Desabre, will go ahead with a press conference scheduled to take place in the capital city, the statement added.
A spokesperson for the DR Congo team told the Reuters news agency that the training camp had been cancelled due to travel restrictions imposed by the US, who are hosting the World Cup this summer, along with Mexico and Canada.
The US’s public health agency has banned entry from non-Americans who have been in the DR Congo, Uganda or South Sudan in the previous 21 days, in response to the Ebola outbreak.
All DR Congo’s players are based outside the central African country and will therefore not be affected by the restrictions now the training camp has been cancelled.
Some team staff based in DR Congo left the country on Wednesday, Kalemo told the Associated Press, ahead of the 21-day deadline.
However, some fans and journalists, who applied for US visas via the Congolese ministry of sport, are concerned because the US embassy in DR Congo has paused its visa services in light of the Ebola outbreak.
A sports reporter from the national broadcaster questioned why they should be stopped from attending the World Cup when there have not yet been any reported Ebola cases where they are based, in Kinshasa.
Kinshasa is roughly 1,800km (1,120 miles) away from the eastern Ituri province, the epicentre of the outbreak.
“Why should the whole country be banned?” the journalist asked.
Michel Nkuka Mbolandinga, a supporter who has gained prominence for impersonating former Prime Minister Patrice Lumumba, told the BBC: “I am confident that I will be travelling, but I don’t know how far the ministry is with the applications.”
The training camp in Kinshasa was supposed to have been attended by fans, along with President Félix Tshisekedi, according to the Reuters news agency.
On Wednesday, the WHO said 139 people were thought to have died, out of 600 suspected cases. However, on the same day, Congolese Health Minister Samuel Roger Kamba told state broadcaster RTNC TV that authorities had registered 159 deaths.
On Thursday, the M23 – a rebel group that controls parts of eastern DR Congo – said it had confirmed the first case of Ebola in the South Kivu province, which is hundreds of kilometres away from Ituri.
The 28-year-old, who had travelled from Kisangani, died before the diagnosis was confirmed, according to a rebel statement.
Kisangani is a large city in north-central Tshopo province where no Ebola infections have currently been recorded.
There are growing concerns about access to areas under M23 control.
The group has never managed a crisis like Ebola but it has said it will work with international partners to contain the virus.
The outbreak has been caused by a rare species of Ebola known as Bundibugyo. There is currently no vaccine for this species and the WHO has said it could take up to nine months for a jab to be ready.
Co-operatives and MSMEs Development Cabinet Secretary Wycliffe Oparanya has raised alarm over inadequate funding in his ministry, expressing frustration that he’s being reduced to a “beggar” in President William Ruto’s administration.
CS Oparanya, alongside Principal Secretaries Susan Mang’eni (MSMEs) and Patrick Kilemi (Cooperatives), on Thursday appeared before the Departmental Committee on Trade, Industry and Cooperatives to discuss the annual estimates of revenue and expenditure for the Financial Year 2026/27.
During the session, an irate Oparanya did not hold back as he questioned why his office was sidelined on budgetary allocations, hence forcing him to plead for funds from Parliament.
He revealed that his ministry requires Ksh.200 million for operational expenses, adding that he has at times been forced to ask for money from officials in the ministry, including the two Principal Secretaries serving under him.
“I have to come here all the time to get money for my office’s operations. I don’t know if my office is recognised as one of the offices of CS in this government or not,” Oparanya stated.
“I will plead with you that at least I should get allocation appropriately pointed out by the PS Cooperatives, that at least I need Ksh.200 million to enable my office to operate.”
He added: “I have to depend on these PSs. When I go out, I’m stuck out there, there’s no fuel, and I have to call any of them because they’re accounting officers, they always sign for themselves. So I don’t want to continue being a beggar from my juniors… I hope you’ve heard that.”
On Cooperatives, CS Oparanya also highlighted the importance of the cooperative model in supporting small-scale farmers by linking them to stronger markets for their produce.
Oparanya, one of the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) members who joined President Ruto’s government under the broad-based arrangement, has in recent times been critical of the political direction ahead of the 2027 General Election.
The CS had recently expressed concerns that efforts to popularise President Ruto in the Western region would be a tall order due to the internal divisions in ODM.
“Wanafanya kazi yetu ya kutafutia Rais kuwa ngumu. Ukienda mahali unaulizwa mbona huyu anafukuzwa. Na hii ni kipindi cha lala salama. Tunataka sisi wote tuwe pamoja,” Oparanya stated during an engagement in Busia County on May 10, 2026.
Homa Bay Governor Gladys Wanga has written an emotional open letter to Siaya Governor James Orengo, saying remarks he recently made about her caused pain and humiliation while raising broader concerns about the treatment of women in leadership.
In the lengthy statement released on Thursday, Wanga said she was speaking in her personal capacity and not as Homa Bay Governor or chairperson of the Orange Democratic Movement.
The governor described Orengo as a respected senior leader whom many younger politicians have looked up to for guidance and inspiration over the years.
“I have always held you in immense respect. To many of us who entered public life after your generation, you have represented courage, conviction and the possibility of principled leadership,” Wanga wrote.
She said she initially chose silence because she believes not every disagreement requires a public confrontation, but noted that some moments demand reflection because of the message they send beyond politics.
According to Wanga, the remarks hurt her because they came from someone she regarded as an elder and father figure.
“You have been around for a long time, and I have personally regarded you with the esteem one reserves for an elder and, in many ways, with the affection and deference one would extend to a father figure,” she wrote.
The Homa Bay governor said the comments went beyond ordinary political criticism and reflected challenges many women continue to face in leadership spaces.
“When remarks directed at a woman carry undertones that diminish, ridicule or reduce her because of her gender, age or place in public life, they travel far beyond their immediate target,” she said.
“They become an echo familiar to millions of women and girls who have endured various forms of gender-based violence, exclusion, intimidation and dismissal in workplaces, homes and public spaces.”
Wanga argued that women leaders are often subjected to insults and attacks that men in similar positions rarely experience.
She said comments made by respected leaders have the power to shape attitudes in society and influence how women are perceived and treated in public life.
“Many women are told to speak more softly, lead smaller, occupy less space, or defer — not because they are wrong, but because they are women,” she said.
Wanga further stated that leadership should not come at the expense of another person’s dignity and humanity.
“I write in the hope that moments such as these can remind us all, especially those of us privileged to be in leadership, that strength and dignity are never diminished by kindness,” she said.
Despite expressing disappointment, Wanga maintained a conciliatory tone throughout the letter and avoided escalating the matter into a prolonged political confrontation.
She said she still respects Orengo as a senior leader whose contribution to Kenya’s public life deserves honour.
The governor added that she remained open to dialogue and collaboration on issues affecting the community and the country.
“More importantly, I choose to leave the door open for engagement, dialogue and collaboration on matters that uplift our people and propel our community forward,” she wrote.
President William Ruto has pledged to connect 15,000 households in Kwale County to electricity by the end of the year as the government scales up its rural electrification programme across the Coast region.
Speaking in Kinango Sub-County during the flagging-off of rural electrification materials, President Ruto said the government was intensifying efforts to expand electricity access in the county. He noted that more than 12,000 households in Kwale had already been connected to power over the last three years, adding that the new target demonstrates the administration’s commitment to accelerating development in underserved areas.
Acting REREC Chief Executive Officer Davies Cheruiyot said the materials flagged off on Thursday would facilitate the connection of 401 households under three key projects in the county.
The projects include the Bomani Township and Primary School Electrification Project, which is expected to benefit 145 households; the Gandini Village and Primary School Electrification Project targeting about 89 households; and the Mbuluni Township and Primary School Electrification Project, which will connect 167 households.
President Ruto, who is on a tour of the Coast region, is expected to flag off additional electrification materials in Hindi, Lamu County, on Friday as part of the ongoing rural connectivity drive.
The Head of State was accompanied by Deputy President Kithure Kindiki and several Coast region leaders led by Cabinet Secretary Ali Hassan Joho.
