By Andrew Kariuki

A woman accused of opening fire at the Los Angeles home of global pop star Rihanna has been charged with attempted murder, prosecutors announced on Tuesday.

Authorities identified the suspect as Ivanna Lisette Ortiz, 35, who allegedly fired multiple rounds at the luxury property on Sunday. The estate is shared by Rihanna, rapper A$AP Rocky, and their three children.

According to prosecutors, Ortiz faces one count of attempted murder, 10 counts of assault with a semiautomatic firearm, two counts of shooting at an inhabited dwelling, and one count of shooting at an inhabited vehicle.

Aerial footage captured after the incident showed bullet holes in the gate of the property, indicating that several rounds were fired toward the residence. Police previously stated that the weapon used in the attack was an AR-15-style assault rifle.

The shooting reportedly occurred in broad daylight, while Rihanna was believed to be inside the home at the time. No injuries were reported.

Ortiz, who is originally from Florida, has previously been involuntarily committed and had lost custody of her then 10-year-old child, according to reports by entertainment news outlet TMZ.

Investigators also reviewed a Facebook page believed to belong to Ortiz, which contains several posts and videos referencing celebrities including Rihanna, Kim Kardashian and Cardi B. In one post, she reportedly tagged Rihanna and challenged the singer to speak to her directly, while in another video she claimed the star wanted to kill her.

Following her arrest, a court ordered that Ortiz be held on bail of $1.875 million and that she have no contact with Rihanna.

She is scheduled to appear in court again on March 25 as the case proceeds through the Los Angeles legal system.

By Andrew Kariuki

A container ship was damaged after being struck by a suspected projectile off the coast of the United Arab Emirates, according to a report by the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) as tensions escalate in the Gulf region.

In a statement issued on Wednesday, the UKMTO said the master of a container vessel reported that the ship had sustained damage from what appeared to be an unidentified projectile.

Authorities said the extent of the damage remained unclear, but confirmed that all crew members aboard the vessel were safe.

The incident occurred approximately 25 nautical miles northwest of Ras Al Khaimah, one of the emirates of the United Arab Emirates.

Maritime authorities have urged vessels operating in the region to exercise heightened caution while investigations into the incident continue.

The development comes amid growing tensions in the Gulf following Iran’s retaliatory actions in response to recent U.S. and Israeli strikes.

Iran’s elite Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) recently claimed it had “complete control” of the Strait of Hormuz, a strategic maritime chokepoint connecting the Persian Gulf to the open ocean.

The Strait of Hormuz, which is less than 30 miles (48 kilometres) wide at its narrowest point, is shared by Iran on one side and Oman on the other and serves as one of the world’s most critical routes for global energy shipments.

According to data compiled by the UK Maritime Trade Operations, the International Maritime Organization and Iranian authorities, at least ten oil tankers in or near the Strait of Hormuz were struck, targeted or reported attacks between March 1 and March 10.

Meanwhile, U.S. President Donald Trump warned Iran of “unprecedented military consequences” if Tehran proceeds with threats to mine the Strait of Hormuz after Iranian officials declared that no Gulf oil would be allowed to pass through the waterway.

The White House also clarified earlier Tuesday that the United States had not escorted any oil tanker through the Strait of Hormuz, after a social media post from the U.S. Energy Secretary briefly suggested otherwise before being deleted.

The latest maritime incident underscores growing security concerns in the Gulf, a region vital to global oil and trade flows.

Authorities continue to monitor the situation as investigations into the projectile strike are ongoing.

BBC -Much of the centre of the German city of Dresden will be evacuated on Wednesday, after the discovery of a large unexploded British World War Two flying bomb.

The 250kg (551lb) device was discovered near the former Carola Bridge, which collapsed in the Elbe River in 2024.

The fire brigade in Dresden says this is the city’s largest evacuation to date for such an incident, affecting around 18,000 residents, tourists and commuters.

Much of the old town will be cordoned off by 09:00 (08:00 GMT), including some of the city’s most famous buildings – the iconic Frauenkirche Lutheran church, the Residenzschloss Palace and the Semper Opera.

The police headquarters, Saxony’s state parliament, several ministries, retirement and nursing homes, daycare centres and other social institutions are also located in the evacuated area.

The authorities are providing emergency accommodation at the Dresden Exhibition Centre from 07:00 (06:00 GMT), while additional buses and trams will be running to this location.

It is not clear how long it will take to defuse the bomb.

Dresden was attacked by British aircraft on 13 February 1945. In the days that followed, the British and their US allies dropped nearly 4,000 tons of bombs in the assault on the city.

The ensuing firestorm killed 25,000 people and ravaged the city centre, once known as the Jewel Box because of its Baroque and Rococo architecture.

Four other bombs were found during demolition work on the Carola Bridge last year.

The attack on Dresden is one of the most controversial Allied acts of World War Two. Some say it was strategically justified. Others argue it was a war crime.

It took many years before the renowned Semper Opera and Frauenkirche were rebuilt.

A British tenor, Stephen Chaundy, who is currently working at the Semper Oper, told the media that rehearsals have been cancelled on Wednesday.

Reflecting on the British bombing of Dresden in World War Two, he said: “The past casts a long shadow.”

Sex toys, body lotion and massage cushions were not the kind of delivery Aleksandr Suranovas usually handled.

“What?” he messaged, when he was sent a photograph of the items he was being asked to post in four parcels from Lithuania to the UK and Poland.

“It’s what they need, and they’re offering regular work,” the response came over the messaging app Telegram. The pay was decent: €150 (£130/$173) for a couple of hours’ work, so Suranovas agreed. “If that’s what’s needed, fine by me,” he typed back.

But each parcel contained a sophisticated incendiary device. The tubes of cosmetics had been re-filled with a liquid high explosive called nitromethane and the ignition devices were so well hidden inside the cushions even an airport scanner didn’t detect them. Suranovas maintains he had no idea of this.

When he was handed the items in a Vilnius park in July 2024 the timers inside were already counting down. Over the next two days, three of the parcels would go up in flames, one just before it was loaded onto a cargo plane for London. Any later and the consequences could have been disastrous.

That August, Suranovas was arrested and charged with carrying out an act of terrorism on behalf of Russian military intelligence, the GRU. Twenty-two people are now in custody in Lithuania and Poland after an international investigation involving UK counter-terrorism officers. It concluded that the operation was run by Russia, an allegation consistently denied by Moscow. This is the first time anyone involved in the parcel plot has spoken publicly.

Last year, I wrote to several of the suspects in prison as part of my own ongoing investigation into a wave of sabotage attacks across Europe following Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, that has included arson and derailed trains as well as the parcel plot. Suranovas replied at length and, when he was released on remand recently, agreed to meet.

His account, together with the many case documents I have seen and other sources, give a unique insight into an extraordinary plot that targeted the UK and several other countries, in an apparent attempt to shatter support for Kyiv.They help expose how Russia is now actively recruiting individuals within Europe, accused of increasingly serious attacks.

“I wouldn’t call it a shadow war. I think this is active aggression against our nations,” Vilmantas Vitkauskas, head of Lithuania’s National Crisis Management Centre, warns. “It’s a clear message that those who support Ukraine will be hit by the Russians. I think it’s very dangerous and we are very close to… situations where a lot of people would be suffering.”

By Anthony Solly