British Prime Minister Keir Starmer described the incident as “sickening” after video of the attack, which took place in north Belfast late on Monday evening, was shared widely on social media

International News via Reuters:

Police in Northern Ireland appealed for calm after arresting a Sudanese man on Tuesday over a knife attack that left one person in a serious condition and prompted calls online for protest.

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer described the incident as “sickening” after video of the attack, which took place in north Belfast late on Monday evening, was shared widely on social media.

The incident, which is currently not being treated as terrorism, comes at a time of heightened tensions in Britain following the murder of a student who was handcuffed by police as he lay dying from stab wounds after his killer, a Sikh man, falsely alleged a racist attack.

It also follows repeated protests about immigration, with populist parties saying Britain’s asylum policy had allowed dangerous men into the country. Northern Ireland saw anti-immigrant rioting last year amid anger over an alleged sexual assault.

SERIOUS INJURIES

“I understand that last night’s attempted murder will leave people feeling a range of emotions, from fear to anger,” Northern Ireland’s Assistant Chief Constable Ryan Henderson, who has declared it a “critical incident”, told a press conference.

“I appeal for calm and the safety of all of our communities in response to this.”

He said the victim, a man in his 40s, suffered significant injuries to his eyes and slash wounds to his face and back during the “brutal” attack, with a kitchen knife found at the scene. 

Footage showed a number of members of the public trying to fight off the attacker before police arrived, and they were credited by senior officers with saving the man’s life.

The suspect, a 30-year-old Sudanese national, has been detained on suspicion of attempted murder. 

Police said it was understood he lived locally, having been granted leave to remain in the UK in September 2023 after claiming asylum. He had travelled to Belfast in February that year by bus from Dublin, having flown there from Paris on an unknown date.

“There is no trace of this suspect on any of our national security databases, and he was not known to the Police Service of Northern Ireland,” Chief Constable Jon Boutcher said.

Northern Ireland’s main political party leaders jointly condemned the attack, calling it “horrific”, and also called for calm, saying disturbances would only damage their communities.

“Last night’s attack in North Belfast was horrific and shocking. Many people are feeling angry, and many people are feeling deeply distressed,” First Minister Michelle O’Neill told reporters.

A widely shared post on Facebook and WhatsApp has called for protests on Tuesday evening, and in response police have promised an increased presence across the region.

“Nobody, nobody in Northern Ireland wants to see a repeat of the disorder that we have seen in recent years,” Henderson said. 

Reporting by Amanda Ferguson in Belfast and Conor Humphries in Dublin; writing by Michael Holden and Sam Tabahriti; Editing by Kate Holton, Alex Richardson and Gareth Jones

In a first trip by a pope to the archipelago, beginning on Thursday, Leo will visit the port of Arguineguin on Gran Canaria, which in 2020 was criticised by a local mayor for its “subhuman conditions”

International News via Reuters:

Pope Leo’s visit to Spain’s Canary Islands, which have struggled to absorb a surge in irregular migration over the past decade, will focus attention on the treatment of migrants, local Catholic leaders said.

In a first trip by a pope to the archipelago, beginning on Thursday, Leo will visit the port of Arguineguin on Gran Canaria, which in 2020 was criticised by a local mayor for its “subhuman conditions”, when 1,000 migrants were stranded on the dockside and thousands were sleeping in the open.

On Friday, Leo will head to a centre for migrants on Tenerife and hold a meeting nearby with more than 1,000 migrants, some of whom survived the sometimes deadly journey from Africa on overcrowded boats and others who arrived from Latin America.

Jose Mazuelos, bishop of the Canary Islands, told Canarias7 newspaper that with the pope’s visit “the ‘port of shame’ can become the ‘port of hope'”.

“Let’s hope this visit helps to put an end to the Atlantic route, ensures a humane and comprehensive approach to migration, and that Europe takes a proactive role in addressing migration,” he said.

THOUSANDS DIE TRYING TO REACH ISLANDS

The pope said during his stop in Madrid on Monday a lack of help for the world’s migrants was challenging “the ethical foundation of the international order”.

The seven islands off the Atlantic coast of northwestern Africa, located more than 1,000 km from mainland Spain, received a record 46,843 irregular migrants in 2024, compared with fewer than 1,000 in 2015, according to official data. 

El Hierro, one of the smallest and most remote islands, received in 2024 an influx equivalent to roughly twice its population of about 11,000.

Arrivals fell by 60% in 2025 from a year earlier to 17,788 after Spain signed agreements to tighten migration controls with countries such as Mauritania, but boats are still departing from as far as The Gambia and Guinea-Bissau, adding more time at sea on the already perilous journey.

More than 3,000 people died in 2025 trying to reach the Canary Islands, according to the NGO ​Caminando Fronteras.

Lamine Endour, who reached the islands from El Aaiún in the disputed territory of Western Sahara in 2018, wanted to send a plea in the publicity surrounding Leo’s visit.

“I want to thank him for everything he does, but also to ask for more support for the Canary Islands, so they can continue helping migrants,” he said.

‘WE ARE ALL THE SAME’

Darwin Rivas, a priest on El Hierro who has joined emergency teams assisting migrants arriving on the island, said he believed the trip would shift the focus worldwide from border control to putting human dignity first.

“It is already moving hearts and I think it must serve to address the issue of immigration policies,” said Rivas, who moved to the Canaries from Venezuela and is scheduled to speak at one of the pope’s meetings.

In contrast to most of Europe, Spain has adopted a more open stance on migrants, introducing a programme to grant residency to more than half a million undocumented people. 

The initiative, however, has drawn criticism from far-right leaders in Spain and across the continent, and the country is struggling with the slow pace of granting legal status to thousands in limbo.

It often takes months, if not years, for migrants to be processed and transferred to the mainland due to their lack of documentation. Adults can gain legal permission to stay and work in Spain, while minors who migrate alone mainly remain in the Canary Islands where they receive education and refugee support until the age of 18.

Ruth Socorro, a 57-year-old Peruvian woman, migrated to Gran Canaria with her family and will attend a meeting with the pope. According to official figures, Latin American migrants account for nearly half of all foreigners living in Spain.

“He cares because we are human beings just like anyone else; it’s just that we come from other countries and have left so much behind, but in the end we are all the same,” she said.

Reporting by Corina Pons in Madrid and Borja Suarez in Gran Canaria; Editing by Charlie Devereux and Alison Williams

Four of the five candidates to succeed Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, who completes his second five-year term at the end of this year, laid out their visions for the role at a time when the U.N. faces a severe financial crisis triggered by cuts from major humanitarian donors

International News via Reuters:

Several candidates running to be the next head of the United Nations called for a strengthening of human rights and respect for international law and bolstering the organisation through reforms during a debate in Geneva on Tuesday.

Four of the five candidates to succeed Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, who completes his second five-year term at the end of this year, laid out their visions for the role at a time when the U.N. faces a severe financial crisis triggered by cuts from major humanitarian donors.

The organisation is also contending with $4 billion in unpaid U.S. arrears, multiplying conflicts, and widespread violations of international law.

Maria ‌Fernanda Espinosa, a ​former foreign affairs minister ​and defence minister in Ecuador, said the crisis required an energetic leader. 

“This moment calls for a renaissance Secretary-General, a Secretary-General capable of restoring the U.N.’s moral authority,” she said, proposing establishing an early action hub to address conflicts as they emerge.

ERODING TRUST IN INTERNATIONAL ORGANISATIONS 

Rebeca Grynspan, a former vice president of Costa Rica who described herself as a daughter of peace as her parents fled Europe as refugees during World War Two, called for the U.N. to work more closely with other regional institutions to bolster peace and security.   

“I am running because peace is in peril and trust in the U.N. and in international organizations is eroding,” Grynspan said.

Michelle Bachelet, the former Chilean president, placed human rights at the centre of her vision for the role. When asked by reporters after the debate if she risked being vetoed by the United States for supporting women’s sexual reproductive rights Bachelet said she would be honoured if it happened. 

“Human rights are essential including sexual reproductive rights… The Secretary General has to continue the agreements the U.N. has,” she said, citing the Beijing +20, a landmark global agreement on women’s rights. 

Macky Sall, former president of Senegal, told delegates via a pre-recorded video interview that he would address what he described as a fragmented international system by placing development at the centre of peace building.

“We must win the battle of development by promoting jobs for youth, women, investment, infrastructure, climate justice, and fair access to finance,” Sall said.

The fifth candidate, Rafael Grossi from Argentina, who is currently the director-general of the International Atomic Energy Agency, chose not to send a video message.​

Reporting by Olivia Le PoidevinEditing by Tomasz Janowski