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Police have banned Hungary's annual Budapest Pride march later this month, prompting a defiant response from liberal Mayor Gergely Karacsony.

"Budapest city hall will organise the Budapest Pride march as a local event on 28 June, Period," vowed the mayor.

It's the latest twist in a cat-and-mouse confrontation which pits nationalist Prime Minister Viktor Orban's Fidesz government, backed by the city police, against Hungary's LGBTQ community and its supporters, with some legal backing from the courts.

The annual Pride march has been in doubt since Orban announced in February that it would not take place this year, and a law was then passed restricting gatherings if they broke child protection laws on public promotion of homosexuality.

Karacsony said police had no right to ban a "Day of Freedom", organised by the city council as an umbrella event for Pride, as it does not come under the rules on freedom of assembly.

Tens of thousands of people from Hungary and abroad are expected to take part in the 28 June event.

"They might as well try to ban a procession of unicorns," the mayor wrote on Facebook.

Under the new law on gatherings, passed in March, all those identified by the police as participants using facial recognition software could be fined between £14 and £420.

"The protection of children trumps all other laws. And in that spirit we changed the laws, we make politics, and we will act in future," Fidesz communications chief Tamas Menczer told news portal 444.

"Pride has nothing to do with freedom of expression or freedom of assembly… Pride is a festival, the festival of a certain sexual community, which is not suitable to be seen by children."

Viktor Orban announced in his annual state of the nation speech last February that Pride organisers "need not bother this year". That was followed the next month by a law restricting the right to freedom of assembly, if it fell foul of the 2021 Child Protection Law.

To get around it the Rainbow Mission foundation, which organises Pride in Hungary, and other human rights groups, announced a series of events on 28 June in solidarity with Pride.

But they kept authorities guessing about which event would mark Pride itself. Police attempts to ban those events were thwarted by Hungary's Supreme Court, the Curia, in two rulings so far.

The Budapest mayor then appeared on 16 June with the spokesperson of Budapest Pride, Mate Hegedus, in a joint Facebook video, announcing their Day of Freedom, with events from early morning to late in the evening.

The central event was to be a procession through the city and the event "is not Pride", the mayor wrote to the police.

"There will be no trucks, no dancers, no sexuality in any form." The purpose, he maintained, was simply "to make the nation's capital free".

That is what the police are now trying to prevent, on the grounds that underage bystanders may witness the procession, no matter the age of those actually taking part, how they are dressed, or what banners they carry.

That would breach the child protection law, Budapest police chief Tamas Terdik argued, in a 16-page document issued by police, justifying the ban.

So what will actually happen on 28 June?

Human rights group the Hungarian Helsinki Committee (HHC),has advised anyone going on the day to refuse to payany on-the-spot fines.

They suggest anyone who does receive a notification by post to ask for an in-person right of appeal with the police, or in court if that fails.

The more people take part, the less likely the police will try to attempt this, the HHC argues, as it could create a massive backlog for both the police and the courts.

Southern Mexico began a major clean-up on Thursday in the aftermath of Hurricane Erick, which hit its Pacific coast as a powerful Category 3 storm.

The tourist town of Puerto Escondido in Oaxaca state was left without electricity and phone coverage, after the storm damaged infrastructure, including two hospitals, and flooded streets.

There have been no reports of deaths or injuries. The storm dropped to Category 1 soon after making landfall, although the US National Hurricane Center (NHC) said flooding and hurricane-force winds would persist as Erick headed north.

The NHC warned of a potential for "life-threatening" storm surge in the hurricane's wake and Mexico's environment ministry also warned of waves of up to 10m (33ft).

Hundreds of troops were called in to help with clean-up efforts in Puerto Escondido, where several buildings had suffered damage and roads were flooded near where the storm made landfall.

The water "had never hit with this magnitude", 44-year-old merchant Luis Alberto Gil, whose shop was among those flooded, told AFP.

State-owned utility CFE said that more than 120,000 users lost power in Oaxaca, with service restored to a quarter of those affected by late morning.

Gusts in the state reached 125mph (205km/h) an hour before falling to 85mph.

Around 250 miles (400km) north along the Pacific coast, the port and resort city of Acapulco was largely deserted as residents heeded calls to hunker down, with shops boarded up and tourist boats grounded.

Many had stocked up the day before on food, water and gasoline.

Alerts remained in place on Thursday for life-threatening flooding and mudslides in Oaxaca and neighbouring Guerrero, as well as the potential for a life-threatening storm surge on the coast.

However, the NHC said that Erick was to continue its "rapid weakening" and would probably dissipate in the later hours of Thursday.

President Claudia Sheinbaum had urged people to avoid going out and advised those living in low-lying areas or near rivers to move to shelters – some 2,000 of which had been set up in Chiapas, Guerrero and Oaxaca in anticipation.

Southern Mexico was severely battered by Hurricane Otis in 2023. At least50 people were killedwhen the Category 5 hurricane battered Acapulco.

Otis intensified rapidly, meaning many people were unprepared when the hurricane made landfall.

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A training camp for the Senegalese women's basketball team in the US has been scrapped, with the West African nation's prime minister saying he cancelled it because some of the squad were denied US visas.

Prime Minister Ousmane Sonko said the team would now train in Senegal's capital, Dakar, "in a sovereign and conducive setting".

It comes amidreports that the US plans to impose fresh travel restrictions on 25 more African countries, including Senegal.

Earlier this month the US announceda ban on citizens from 12 countries, including seven from Africa. There were also partial travel restrictions on nationals from a further seven countries, with three from Africa.

The Senegalese basketball team had planned to train in the US for 10 days to warm up for the 2025 Women's AfroBasket tournament in Ivory Coast next month.

But the visa applications for five players and seven officials were not approved, according to a statement from the federation.

This prompted an angry response from the prime minister.

"Informed of the refusal of issuing visas to several members of the Senegal women's national basketball team, I have instructed the Ministry of Sports to simply cancel the ten-day preparatory training initially planned in the United States of America," Sonko said on Thursday in a statement shared to social media.

It is not clear why the visas were denied.

A US State Department spokesperson told the BBC it could not comment on individual cases because visa records are confidential under American law.

Senegal has one of the best women's basketball teams in Africa – consistently reaching the final four in AfroBasket tournaments and boasting players from top leagues in the US, Europe and Egypt.

The visa refusals are raising eyebrows because, according to the recently leaked diplomatic cable containing details of the extended travel restrictions, targeted countries were given up to 60 days to address the concerns raised by the US.

These reportedly include people overstaying their visas, lack of co-operation with deportations, links to terror attacks in the US, antisemitism or what it termed "anti-American" activity.

Following the reported new travel restrictions, Senegal's foreign ministry urged nationals to comply with their permitted periods of stay in the US.

Although it did not directly comment on Senegal's possible inclusion in the latest list of restricted countries, the government statement underscored that diplomatic and consular services were working in close collaboration with the US administration.

Meanwhile, Nigeria's Foreign Minister Yussuf Tuggar said the expanded travel bans could impede possible energy and rare earth mineral deals which West African countries can offer the US.

The Trump administration insists national security concerns and the high rate of visa overstays from some countries must be addressed.

Go toBBCAfrica.comfor more news from the African continent.

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Filipino authorities are investigating a claim that dozens of cockfighter enthusiasts who disappeared three years ago were killed and dumped in a volcanic lake.

At least 34 men – who had been accused of fixing cockfighting matches – disappeared without a trace in the capital Manila and its surrounding provinces.

Six suspects were later charged for kidnapping and on Thursday, one of them claimed in a TV interview that the victims were strangled to death and dumped into Taal Lake, which surrounds an active volcano.

Cockfighting – where people bet on roosters battling to death using bladed spurs tied to their feet – is a multi-million dollar industry in the Philippines.

The men are accused of being involved in livestreamed cockfights, which were popularised during the Covid pandemic when in-person matches were forced to shut. But this made the industry even more lucrative, generating some 620 million pesos ($10.8m; £8m) a month in licence earnings for the government.

A 2022 Senate investigation also revealed that daily bets on online cockfights ran up to 3 billion pesos ($52.4m; £38.8m).

But after the disappearance of the men, the livestreamed fights – known locally as "e-sabong" – came under scrutiny and then president Rodrigo Duterte eventually banned them. Traditional cockfighting is still legal in the Philippines.

On Thursday, Justice Secretary Crispin Remulla told reporters that authorities would look into deploying divers to look for human remains under the lake.

"We can't just let it pass and just let it go. We have to be responsible enough to seek the truth especially in cases like this," he said.

Remulla also added that authorities would look into the new development, adding that they are looking into finding more witnesesses.

Gambling is legal in predominantly Catholic Philippines even though church leaders are against it in all its forms.

Some online gambling operations have also been linked to criminal operations.

Last year, Filipino authorities uncoveredmassive scam centres and human trafficking ringshiding behind online casinos that serve mainland Chinese clients.

This led President Ferdinand Marcos to outlaw the online casinos known as Pogos or Philippine Offshore Gaming Operations.

Niger's military junta says it will nationalise the majority French-owned local uranium company in the latest escalation in a row between the two countries.

Somaïr is operated by French nuclear fuels company Orano, which Niger accuses of several "irresponsible acts".

Since seizing power in 2023, Niger's military leaders have said they want to keep more local control of the country's mineral wealth, and have distanced themselves from France, the former colonial power, moving closer to Russia.

Niger is the world's seventh largest producer of uranium and has the highest-grade ores in Africa.

"This nationalisation will allow for healthier and more sustainable management of the company and, consequently, optimal enjoyment of the wealth from mining resources by Nigeriens," the junta said in a statement.

It also accused Orano, which is owned by the French state, of removing more than its fair share of uranium from the country.

An Orano spokesperson declined to comment when contacted by BBC Afrique.

The company, which has operated in Niger for decades, owns a 63% stake in Somaïr but last year the military authorities seized operational control of the firm.

Since then, Orano has launched several legal cases against Niger.

Niger achieved independence from France in 1960 and the former colonial power managed to secure exclusive access to Niger's uranium supply through various agreements.

Analysts say this was seen by many in Niger as a symbol of the country's continued domination by France.

However, they also note that any uncertainty over the mining sector's future could threaten hundreds of jobs, as well as export earnings.

Earlier this week, neighbouring Mali announced it was building agold refinery in partnership with a Russian conglomerate.

Like Niger, Mali is under military control and says it wants to assert more economic control of its mineral wealth, while cutting ties with France and the West.

Additional reporting by Isidore Kouwonou

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China's military has called a British warship's recent passage through the Taiwan Strait a disruptive act of "intentional provocation" that "undermines peace and stability".

The British Royal Navy says HMS Spey's patrol on Wednesday was part of a long-planned deployment and was in accordance with international law.

The patrol – the first by a British naval vessel in four years – comes as a UK carrier strike group arrives in the region for a deployment that will last several months.

China considers Taiwan its territory – a claim that self-ruled Taiwan rejects – and has not ruled out the use of force to "reunify" the island.

A spokesman from China's navy criticised the UK for "publicly hyping up" the journey of HMS Spey, and said the UK's claims were "a distortion of legal principles and an attempt to mislead the public".

"Such actions are intentional provocations that disrupt the situation and undermine peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait".

It added that it had monitored HMS Spey throughout its journey in the strait, and Chinese troops "will resolutely counter all threats and provocations".

Later, a Chinese foreign ministry spokesman said that while China respects other countries' rights to sail through the Taiwan Strait, it also "firmly opposes any country using the name of freedom of navigation to provoke and threaten China's sovereign security."

Taiwan's foreign ministry has meanwhile praised the patrol as an act that safeguarded the freedom of navigation in the Taiwan Strait.

While American warships regularly conduct freedom of navigation exercises in the strait, the last time such a journey was undertaken by a British naval vessel was in 2021 when the warship HMS Richmond was deployed to Vietnam.

That transit was similarly condemned by China, which had sent troops to monitor the ship.

HMS Spey is one of two British warships permanently on patrol in the Indo-Pacific.

Its passage through the Taiwan Strait comes as a UK carrier strike group, led by HMS Prince of Wales' aircraft carrier, arrives in the Indo-Pacific region for an eight-month stint.

British PM Keir Starmer has described it as one of the carrier's largest deployments this century that is aimed at "sending a clear message of strength to our adversaries, and a message of unity and purpose to our allies".

Around 4,000 UK military personnel are taking part in the deployment.

The group will be engaging with 30 countries through military operations and visits, and conduct exercises with the US, India, Singapore and Malaysia.

Cross-strait tensions between China and Taiwan have heightened over the past year since Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te, who champions a firm anti-Beijing stance, took office.

He has characterised Beijing as a "foreign hostile force" and introduced policies targeting Chinese influence operations in Taiwan.

Meanwhile, China continues to conduct frequent military exercises in the Taiwan Strait, including a live-fire exercise in April that it claimed simulated strikes on key ports and energy facilities.

China's latest criticism of HMS Spey's transit comes as two Chinese aircraft carriers conduct an unprecedented simultaneous military drill in the Pacific off the waters of Japan,which has alarmed Tokyo.

The BBC says it has decided not to broadcast a documentary about doctors working in Gaza, due to impartiality concerns it has surrounding the production.

Gaza: Doctors Under Attack was commissioned by the BBC but produced by an independent production company. It was originally scheduled for broadcast in February, but has not yet aired on any BBC outlet.

In a statement, the BBC said it was "determined to report all aspects of the conflict in the Middle East impartially and fairly".

Basement Films said it was "relieved that the BBC will finally allow this film to be released". The BBC confirmed it was "transferring ownership of the film material to Basement Films".

The production company's founder, Ben de Pear, said earlier this week the BBC had "utterly failed" and that journalists were "being stymied and silenced".

BBC News understands the decision to shelve the documentary was taken on Thursday, following public comments by De Pear at the Sheffield Documentary Festival, and another of the film's directors, journalist Ramita Navai, whoappeared on Radio 4's Todaydiscussing the war in Gaza.

Navai told the programme Israel had "become a rogue state that's committing war crimes and ethnic cleansing and mass murdering Palestinians". Israel has denied accusations of war crimes and genocide in Gaza.

A different documentary, Gaza: How to Survive a Warzone, waspulled from iPlayer earlier this yearafter it emerged its 13-year-old narrator was the son of a Hamas official.

Gaza: Doctors Under Attack – also known as Gaza: Medics Under Fire – is said to examine the experiences of Palestinian medics working during the war in Gaza.

The film is directed by Karim Shah, Navai and De Pear, a former editor of Channel 4 News.

In a statement on Friday, the BBC said it had commissioned the documentary over a year ago, but paused the film in April, "having made a decision that we could not broadcast the film while a review into a separate Gaza documentary was ongoing".

"With both films coming from independent production companies, and both about Gaza, it was right to wait for any relevant findings – and put them into action – before broadcasting the film.

"However, we wanted the doctors' voices to be heard. Our aim was to find a way to air some of the material in our news programmes, in line with our impartiality standards, before the review was published.

"For some weeks, the BBC has been working with Basement Films to find a way to tell the stories of these doctors on our platforms.

"Yesterday [Thursday], it became apparent that we have reached the end of the road with these discussions. We have come to the conclusion that broadcasting this material risked creating a perception of partiality that would not meet the high standards that the public rightly expect of the BBC."

The corporation added that, contrary to some reports, the documentary had "not undergone the BBC's final pre-broadcast sign-off processes", adding: "Any film broadcast will not be a BBC film."

It continued: "We want to thank the doctors and contributors and we are sorry we could not tell their stories. The BBC will continue to cover events in Gaza impartially."

In its own statement,Basement Films claimed it had been given "no less than six different release dates" and the film went through a "long and repeated compliance process as well as scrupulous fact checking".

It continued: "Our argument all along has been to tell the story of the doctors and medics as soon as possible, people whom we convinced to talk to us despite their own reservations that the BBC would ever tell their stories."

"Although the BBC are now taking their names off this film, it will remain theirs, and we hope it serves to open up the debate on how the nation's broadcaster covers what is happening in Gaza, and that people feel free to speak up and speak out, rather than stay silent or leave, and at some point get the journalistic leadership they deserve."

Speaking at the Sheffield Documentary Festival on Thursday, before the decision was announced, De Pear specifically blamed director general Tim Davie for refusing to air the film.

He added: "The BBC's primary purpose is TV news and current affairs, and if it's failing on that it doesn't matter what drama it makes or sports it covers," he said,as reported by Broadcast."It is failing as an institution. And if it's failing on that then it needs new management.

In relation to the war, De Pear claimed staff at the BBC "are being forced to use language they don't recognise, they are not describing something as it clearly is [for fear of impartiality] and it's tragic".

Responding to De Pear's comments, a BBC spokesperson said the BBC "totally reject[s] this characterisation of our coverage".

"The BBC has continually produced powerful journalism about this conflict. Alongside breaking news and ongoing analysis, we have produced original investigations such as those into allegations of abuse of Palestinian prisoners and Israel's use of bunker buster bombs and in-depth documentaries including the award-winning Life and Death in Gaza, and Gaza 101."

High-profile figures such as actress Susan Sarandon and presenter Gary Lineker havepreviously accused the corporationof censorship over the delay.

An open letter, which was also signed by cultural figures such as Dame Harriet Walter, Miriam Margolyes, Maxine Peake, Juliet Stevenson and Mike Leigh, said: "This is not editorial caution. It's political suppression."

"No news organisation should quietly decide behind closed doors whose stories are worth telling," it continued.

"This important film should be seen by the public, and its contributors' bravery honoured."

India's Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) is yet to decide whether flight data and cockpit voice recorders from the Air India flight that crashed last Thursday will be sent overseas for decoding and analysis.

At least 270 people, most of them passengers, were killed when the London-bound Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner crashed less than a minute after taking off from Ahmedabad airport in western India.

Some media outlets reported that the black boxes are being sent abroad, but the ministry of civil aviation clarified that no final decision has been made.

The ministrysaidthe AAIB will determine the location for analysis after a "due assessment of technical, safety, and security factors".

Investigators have recovered both sets of Enhanced Airborne Flight Recorders (EAFRs) – the "black boxes" – from the Boeing 787 crash site.

These combined units, which record flight data and cockpit audio, were found on 13 and 16 June. The aircraft model carries two such sets to aid in thorough analysis.

Data recorders track with high precision the position of gear and flap levers, thrust settings, engine performance, fuel flow and even fire handle activation.

The data in the plane's "black boxes" can be used to reconstruct the flight's final moments and determine the cause of the incident.

However, some media outlets reported that therecorders had been badly damaged in the firethat engulfed the plane after the crash, making it difficult to extract the data in India and that the government was planning to send the recorders to the US.

Captain Kishore Chinta, a former accident investigator with the AAIB, told the BBC one set of recorders could be also sent to the US "to compare the data downloaded in India with that provided to the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB)".

He said although the newAAIB labin Delhi was inaugurated in April, "it's unclear whether it is fully operational for EAFR data downloads".

Meanwhile, Air India's chairman has said that one of the engines of the Air India plane that crashed last week was new, while the other was not due for servicing until December.

In an interview with Times Now news channel, N Chandrasekaran said that both engines of the aircraft had "clean" histories.

Separately, the airline said that inspections have been completed on 26 of its 33 Boeing 787-8 and 787-9 aircraft, all of which have been "cleared for service".

India's aviation regulator had ordered additional safety checks on Air India's Boeing 787 fleet after the deadly crash as a "preventive measure".

On Thursday, the airline announced that its flights will be reduced on 16 international routes and suspended on three overseas destinations between 21 June and 15 July.

"The reductions arise from the decision to voluntarily undertake enhanced pre-flight safety checks, as well as accommodate additional flight durations arising from airspace closures in the Middle East," the airline said in a statement.

The announcement came a day after the carrier said it would temporarily reduce flights operated with wide-body planes by 15%.

A 12-year-old girl has died and seven other children have been taken to hospital in an outbreak of severe food poisoning centred around a northern French town.

Symptoms began to emerge on 12 June in and around Saint-Quentin, south of Lille, with the children rushed to hospital over the following days.

The cause of the outbreak that has affected children aged 1-12 is yet to be confirmed, but two local butchers have been closed as a precaution as several children are thought to have eaten meat from the shops.

The girl died on Monday from a rare condition called haemolytic uraemic syndrome (HUS) linked to acute kidney failure; the most common cause of that is E.coli bacteria.

The latest case was reported on Wednesday evening, the regional health authority in Hauts-de-France said.

All eight children were admitted to hospital with severe digestive symptoms, such as bloody diarrhoea, and five of them had developed HUS, the authority said.

"We have a total of 10 confirmed cases, including one child admitted to hospital in Reims. So, there's still concern," local mayor Frédérique Macarez told France Info radio.

Five children are believed to have eaten meat or meat-based products from one butcher in the town, and another child from the second butcher, several days before they came down with symptomsthe local prefecture said in a statementon Friday.

The mayor said that they did not have 100% certainty that the poisoning had come from the two butchers, but some of the families involved had occasionally bought meat there.

Samples from both shops have been sent for analysis over the weekend.

In a message posted on Facebook, one of the two butchers whose doors had been shut, La Direction, said the entire team expressed its condolences to the victim's family and relatives: "It's with deep sadness that we have learned of recent events at Saint-Quentin."

Parents have been told not to eat merguez or other sausages and lamb bought from the two shops in early June.

One town butcher said all his meat, marinades and spices had been taken away to be checked on Thursday.

Authorities had earlier ruled out any issues with local tap water, which "can be used for drinking and for all everyday purposes".

The infectious disease (HUS) is most often caused by E.coli food poisoning, authorities said.

They have also been warned to be vigilant and ensure strict hygiene at home, with authorities advising regular hand-washing, washing of fruit and vegetables, thoroughly cooking meat and separating raw and cooked food.

It's hot, dusty and feels like a desert at the Agarak border crossing between Armenia and Iran.

There are dry, rocky mountains surrounding the area – no trees, no shade. It's not the most welcoming terrain, especially for those who have travelled long hours to reach Armenia.

A woman with a fashionable haircut, with the lower half of her head shaven, is holding her baby, while her husband negotiates a price with taxi drivers. There's another family of three with a little boy travelling back to their country of residence, Austria.

Most of those crossing into Armenia appeared to have residency or citizenship in other countries. Many were leaving because of the conflict between Israel and Iran, now in its eighth day.

"Today I saw one site where the bombing happened," said a father standing with a small child near the minivan that they just hired. They had travelled from the north-western town of Tabriz.

"All the people are scared, every place is dangerous, it's not normal," he added.

The conflict began on 13 June, when Israel attacked nuclear and military sites as well as some populated areas.

The Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA) – a Washington-based human rights organisation that has long tracked Iran – says 657 people have so far been killed. Iran has retaliated with missile attacks on Israel, killing at least 24 people.

Israel says it has established air superiority over Tehran and has told people to leave some of its districts. In recent days, heavy traffic jams have formed on roads out of the city as some of its 10 million residents seek safety elsewhere.

Those who drove to Armenia from Tehran said the journey had taken at least 12 hours. Several told us that they did not see the Israeli strikes – but heard the sound of explosions they caused.

"It was troubling there. Every night, attacks from Israel. I just escaped from there by very hard way. There were no flights, not any other ways come from there," said a young Afghan man with a single suitcase, who did not want to be named.

He described the situation in Tehran as "very bad".

"People who have somewhere to go, they are leaving. Every night is like attacking, people cannot sleep, because of the sounds of explosions, the situation is not good at all," he said.

A young woman with white headscarf and thick fake lashes said she was heading back to her country of residence, Australia.

"I saw something that is very hard, I don't want to talk about it," she said as she boarded a car with several others for the onward journey to the Armenian capital Yerevan.

"Someone comes and attacks your country, would you feel normal?"

Some Israeli ministers have talked up the possibility that the conflict could lead to regime collapse in Iran.

But Javad – who had been visiting the north-eastern city of Sabzevar for the summer holidays and was heading back to Germany – said he thought this was unlikely.

"Israel has no chance. Israel is not a friend for us, it's an enemy," he said. "Israel cannot come to our home to help us. Israel needs to change something for itself not for us."

Some Iranians at the border however were crossing were travelling in the other direction. The previous evening, Ali Ansaye, who had been holidaying in Armenia with his family, was heading back to Tehran.

"I have no concerns, and I am not scared at all. If I am supposed to die, I will die in my country," he said.

He said Israel was "harassing the entire world – Gaza, Lebanon and other countries".

"How can such a small country have nuclear weapons?" he asked. "Based on which law can this country have a bomb, and Iran, which has only focused on peaceful nuclear energy and not a bomb, cannot?"

Israel is widely believed to have nuclear weapons, although it neither confirms nor denies this.