Kenyan police say they have now recovered the bodies of 240 people who were members of a cult, in a remote forest. Survivors say pastor Paul Mackenzie Nthenge ordered his followers to starve themselves to death. Investigators are trying to establish if some of the bodies buried at the site came from elsewhere. 

Malindi

Kenya cult deaths investigation widened 

Survivors say children were starved first and some were suffocated or buried alive if they didn't die. Women and men were to follow to try to reach heaven before the end of the world. Evangelical pastor Paul McKenzie Nthenge and his followers moved here to the Shakahola Forest four years ago. We spoke to somebody who's worked at the exhumation site but is not authorised to talk. He told us about 70 or 80 bodies appeared to not be part of the cult. There's a place where we found many graves together, concealed under recently planted vegetables. Those many bodies were wrapped in a different way. The bodies of people from there were normally wrapped in just a bed sheet. These ones were wrapped tightly and some with straps around the necks, as if for carrying them. McKenzie used to preach at his church in the town of Malindi. He also had a TV station and a YouTube channel. He's now in custody awaiting charges. He's been arrested and released several times before, even after his followers started dying. Many people here say he was paying off the police in Malindi. The officers in charge have been transferred. Come, let's see if you are healing. Investigators say he had business dealings with this man, another preacher, called Ezekiel Adaro. Thousands of people come to his nearby church every week. Right, left ovary. In this video, a woman says her ovaries were removed for cancer treatment and then reappeared after she drank blessed water, which Ezekiel sells. His rapidly growing church appears to have made a large amount of money in a short time. Police records show that not everyone who comes here leaves alive. The church premises are vast. They include two banks. Here there's a shopping mall and a fuel station under construction. There's also a hotel that houses the sick. Police say they're investigating cases of people who've died in here, whose bodies they say may be among those buried in Shakahola Forest. Ezekiel was arrested last month but has since been released on bail. His bank accounts were briefly frozen. His lawyers deny all allegations and say he was not involved in the cult. Some people are calling for the growing number of churches in Kenya to be regulated. A committee of senators is gathering views on how that could be done. How do we protect our country from unnecessary suffering, which is brought by people who are misusing the freedom of worship that is guaranteed in the constitution? Constitutional rights present one challenge. Political power presents another. Some of the preachers have popularity that politicians long for, and they work together. Families of the hundreds of people still missing are waiting to see if all the questions about the bodies in Shakahola will be answered. It's not clear if the extent of Mackenzie's networks will ever be revealed, or if the most powerful people involved will ever be held to account. Malcolm Webb, Al Jazeera, Kilifi County, Kenya.

"That '70s Show" actor Danny Masterson was convicted on Wednesday of raping two women at his Hollywood Hills home. Three women, all former members of the Church of Scientology, accuse the actor of sexual assault at his Hollywood home. Allegations that came to light in 2017 during the height of the #MeToo movement.

Hollywood

That 70's Show actor convicted of assault

The first public meeting of a NASA panel studying what the government calls "unidentified aerial phenomena," commonly known as UFOs to discuss findings since its formation last year. They say they need better data and recording to determine the origin of the UAP's.

Washington

NASA's UFO panel speaks for the first time

The U.S House has passed a bill to extend the country's debt limit introduce and budget cuts sending it to the Senate for swift passage just days ahead of 5 June default deadline.

U.S House approves deal on debt limit

Sevilla beat Roma 4-1 on penalties to win the Europa League for the seventh time. Sevilla came back from 1-0 down to take the game to penalties.

Budapest

Sevilla beat Roma on penalties to win Europa League

A Federal Court judge has thrown out Ben Roberts-Smith's defamation claims against three newspapers and three journalists, in a devastating blow to the decorated war veteran. Dr Michael Douglas is an expert in defamation and media law at the University of Western Australia and he says this could re-shape the way people think about defamation in the future.

Council of the City of Sydney

Ben Roberts-Smith loses defamation case

The official relations between China and the US could be severely strained, but Beijing is welcoming top American business leaders with open arms. Meanwhile, Nvidia Corp. CEO Jensen Huang is heading to China to meet with tech executives, according to people familiar with the matter. 

Beijing

China woos US CEOs amid strains

Russo-German relations are at a new low after the German government announced on Wednesday that Russia will have to close four out of its five consultants across Germany.

Berlin

Russian Sanctions

Russia to close four consulates in Germany

Former Republican Vice President Mike Pence is set to launch a bid for the 2024 Republican Presidential nomination, according to sources. Pence, who incurred Donald Trump's wrath by refusing to support his effort to overturn the results of the 2020 election is set to be joined by former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, a former advisor turned critic of the previous President.

Pence, Christie plan 2024 campaign launches

A man remains under police guard in a Sydney hospital as homicide squad detectives investigate the stabbing death of a three year old boy. The man, who was also in the apartment with critical injuries is in a stable condition after surgery.

Riverwood

Man arrested after three-year-old stabbing death

A Malaysian climber narrowly survived after a Nepali sherpa guide hauled him down from below the summit of Mount Everest in a 'very rare' high altitude rescue, a government official says. The ‘death zone’ is a part of the mountain where temperatures can drop below minus 20 degrees Fahrenheit. Rescues are 'almost impossible' there, authorities say.


Kathmandu

Rare 'death zone' rescue on Everest

The founder of Theranos, Elizabeth Holmes has entered a Texas prison to begin her sentence for a notorious hoax that involved dangerously overselling the capabilities of her company's blood testing technology.

Austin

Elizabeth Holmes begins eleven year sentence

"Manhattanhenge brings not magic, but majesty" says astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson who coined the term "Manhattanhenge". It happens for a few days a year when the sun aligns with the grid-streets of New York.

Manhattan

Famous faces take in 'Manhattanhenge'

A ceasefire in Ukraine would lead to a 'frozen conflict,' says Ursula von der Leyen. The European Commission president suggested creating a group of "like-minded states" to provide security guarantees to Ukraine during a keynote speech.

Brussels

Ukraine Invasion

Ceasefire in Ukraine 'not enough'; says EU

The discovery of a rudimentary shelter, some half-eaten fruit and a fresh footprint led the Colombian military to announce Tuesday it was getting "very close" to the four Indigenous children roaming the Amazon since a plane they were on crashed a month ago.

Caqueta

Rescuers 'very close' to kids missing in Amazon

There are fears of renewed bloodshed in Sudan, after a diplomatic source claimed the army had suspended ceasefire negotiations with its paramilitary rival, the Rapid Support Forces.

Khartoum

Sudan Civil War

Sudan army suspends truce talks

Republican presidential candidate and Florida governor Ron DeSantis stepped up his attack on opponent Donald Trump, saying the former president has decided to "move left" on some issues.

Iowa

DeSantis steps up attack on opponent Trump

A North Korean satellite launch on Wednesday ended in failure, sending the booster and payload plunging into the sea, North Korean state media said, and the South's military said it had recovered parts of the launch vehicle.

Pyongyang

North Korean satellite launch failure

The man set to become Western Australia's next Premier will face one of his final hurdles on his way to the top job today. Deputy Premier Roger Cook has emerged as the lone candidate to replace Mark McGowan, who will retire at the end of the week.

Perth

Roger Cook to become WA Premier

Russian authorities are accusing Ukraine of launching drone strikes in Moscow that damaged some buildings and alarmed residents. Ukraine, which has endured a series of deadly airstrikes this month, denies any involvement.

Moscow

Moscow hit by drone swarm, blames Ukraine

More NATO troops are on their way to keep the peace in Kosovo as tensions between ethnic Serbs and Albanians heat up. Recent clashes have raised fears of a return to the violence of the late 1990s.

Belgrade

NATO deploys more troops to Kosovo amid violence

A key Republican hardliner on the powerful House Rules Committee said on Tuesday that he would support sending the bipartisan debt ceiling deal to the floor for a vote, a critical first step in advancing Speaker Kevin McCarthy's agreement with President Joe Biden and avoiding a catastrophic default.

'A bad deal': Debt limit faces Republican test

Tesla chief executive Elon Musk has arrived in China, as he makes his first trip to the world's second largest economy in over three years. The multi-billionaire met China's foreign minister Qin Gang within hours of arriving in the country. He arrived is also expected to visit Tesla's huge manufacturing plant in Shanghai.


Shanghai

Elon Musk in China for Tesla talks

The debt-limit agreement forged by President Joe Biden and House Speaker Kevin McCarthy heads into a crucial final stretch with less than a week to win congressional passage before a June 5 default deadline. Both Biden and McCarthy will be lobbying their party to pass the measure.

Will Congress pass the debt-Limit deal?

President Vladimir Putin says a series of drone strikes deep inside Russia are the work of 'Ukraine terrorists' designed to scare and provoke the country. Ukraine, however denies responsibility and some experts say it may be a 'false flag attack'. Putin meanwhile has vowed to strengthen air defences around the capital.

Large scale drone attack hits Moscow

The world-famous ruins of Pompeii still have many secrets for us to discover. Recent discoveries have been made thanks to The Great Pompeii Project, launched in 2012 to stop the deterioration of the archaeological site.

Pompei

More victims uncovered in Pompeii ruins

Sudan’s warring sides on Monday agreed to extend a shaky cease-fire in their battle for control of the country, after two key international mediators signalled impatience with persistent truce violations.

Sudan truce extended for five days

North Korea will launch its first military reconnaissance satellite in June for monitoring U.S. activities, state media KCNA reported on Tuesday, drawing criticism over its potential use of banned missile technology. 

N.Korea to launch first military spy satellite

Russia claimed that Ukraine launched its biggest ever drone attack on Moscow on Tuesday, but said air defenses destroyed all eight of the drones. It brings the 15-month war in Ukraine to the heart of Russia's capital. Meanwhile, Kyiv was also hit by air for the third time in 24 hours. 

Ukraine war comes to Moscow 

Ukrainian defense forces said they shot down more than 20 drones during a fresh wave of Russian air attacks on Kyiv early Tuesday (May 30) which killed at least one person and injured four others when their apartment building was hit and caught fire.

Kyiv

'Relentless': Kyiv endures more air attacks

Residents have been forced to drive through thick smoke and fire to escape a fast-moving blaze in the Halifax-area that has destroyed hundreds of homes. Thousands of locals were ordered to evacuate immediately as the fire closed in. It comes as as the Canadian Government called for international help, admitting it doesn't have enough fire crews to protect communities.