Venezuela’s President Nicolas Maduro warned Wednesday that he will not hesitate to call on the population for a “new revolution” if forced by what he calls “North American imperialism and fascist criminals.”

Maduro’s comments come amid deadly protests across the country following its disputed presidential election victory, which the US and several other countries have refused to recognize.

“I would not like to go to other ways of making revolution, I say it solemnly from political power, we want to continue the path that [Hugo] Chavez outlined,” Maduro said in Caracas during a press conference with international media.

“But if North American imperialism and fascist criminals force us, my pulse will not tremble to call the people to a new revolution with other characteristics,” he added.

The president’s comments come just hours after US National Security spokesman John Kirby called on Maduro to “come clean” on Sunday’s election.

“Our patience, and that of the international community, is running out on waiting for the Venezuelan electoral authorities to come clean and release the full, detailed data on this election so everyone can see the results,” Kirby told reporters during Wednesday’s White House press briefing.

Kirby said the US and other nations share “serious concerns of the reports of casualties, violence and arrests, including the arrests warrants that Maduro and his representatives issued today (Wednesday) for opposition leaders.”

“Alongside the international community, we are watching, and we are going to respond accordingly,” Kirby said.

20 ‘credible reports’ of deaths

The Venezuelan leader’s comments came as Human Rights Watch (HRW) said it had received 20 “credible reports” of deaths connected to the nationwide protests over the election results.

“We are working to document and corroborate each case,” Juanita Goebertus, HRW Director for the Americas, wrote on X.

Foro Penal, a local NGO, reported on Tuesday that a total of 11 people have died during the protests.

Of those killed, five died in Caracas, two in Zulia and Yaracuy, and one in Aragua and Tachira, the head of Foro Penal, Alfredo Romero, told reporters on Tuesday.

So far, the Venezuelan government has not published any information regarding the death of civilians.

Two Al Jazeera correspondents were killed in a reported Israeli airstrike in Al-Shati refugee camp, northern Gaza, on Wednesday, according to the news network, sparking condemnation from advocacy groups and highlighting the dangers for local reporters covering the war.

Ismail Al-Ghoul and his cameraman, Rami Al-Rifi, who lived in the besieged enclave, were killed in an airstrike on their car in the al Shati refugee camp, according to the Qatar-based network. The journalists, both aged 27, were reporting live for much of the day from a location close to the family home of Hamas political chief Ismail Haniyeh, who was assassinated in the Iranian capital of Tehran on Tuesday.

Al-Ghoul was wearing a press flak vest when he was killed, according to his colleague. He had not seen his wife and two-year-old daughter Zeina, who were displaced in central Gaza, in 10 months. “These days are not like any other,” he said in a post on X in June. “Zeina began running, talking, asking questions… She was growing up without me seeing her.”

Al Jazeera condemned what it claimed was the “targeted assassination” of its journalists by Israeli forces, claiming the attack was “part of a systematic targeting campaign against the network’s journalists and their families since October 2023.”

The network’s managing editor, Mohamed Moawad, said in a post on X that Al-Ghoul was “renowned for his professionalism and dedication, bringing the world’s attention to the suffering and atrocities committed in Gaza… Without Ismail, the world would not have seen the devastating images of these massacres.”

More than nine months of Israel’s bombing campaign has shredded the besieged enclave, erased entire neighborhoods and deepened a humanitarian crisis. Palestinian reporters have become the eyes and ears of those suffering under the shadow of war. Both Israel and Egypt, which control Gaza’s borders, have so far refused to give international journalists unfettered access to the strip, saying that they cannot guarantee their safety.

It is the photos, footage and reporting from local reporters, often gathered at great personal risk, that have shown the world what is happening. The Israeli offensive in Gaza has marked the deadliest period for journalists since 1992. As of July 31, at least 111 journalists and media workers have been killed since October — 109 of whom were Palestinian — according to the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ).

“I was going home close to where we were filming when one, exactly one missile from a drone targeted Ismail and Rami,” said Ayman Abed, a resident of Al-Shati camp. “There was nothing unusual except the sound of drones in the sky humming. It was one strike on their car.”

Israel launched its military offensive after the Hamas-led October 7 attacks, in which 1,200 people were killed and more than 250 others abducted.

Israeli strikes in Gaza have since killed more than 39,000 Palestinians and injured another 90,000, according to the Ministry of Health there.

‘Israel must stop killing journalists’

Palestinian journalists and press freedom groups paid tribute to Al-Ghoul and Al-Rifi in the wake of the attack, demanding greater accountability for those responsible for attacks on reporters in Gaza.

The CPJ asked Israel to explain the killing of both Al Jazeera staffers, in what it said, “appears to be a direct strike.” Jodie Ginsberg, the CPJ chief, added: “Journalists are civilians and should never be targeted.”

The world’s largest union for journalists, the International Federation of Journalists, also criticized the strike, in a post on X: “We are running out of words to condemn this massacre. Israel must stop killing journalists.”

Khader Al-Za’anoun of Wafa, the official Palestinian news agency, recalled his friendship with the Al Jazeera journalist. “It’s a difficult and painful feeling to cover this horrific story; he’s my friend and colleague, and we’re together in the field most of the time during this war,” he said.

“Our colleague Ismail was wearing this blood-stained vest,” fellow Al Jazeera journalist Yousef Al Saudi said, as he removed the “PRESS” sign from the jacket. “The sign was covered by blood to silence the world and the images in Gaza. The pictures continue and the coverage continues, God willing.”

Choking back tears, Al Sharif said: “Dear Ismail, we will complete the mission after you.”

Another video shows journalist Wadi Shehandeh addressing a crowd, saying: “By targeting us as media professionals, they want this coverage to stop, and to silence us. But no, by God, if only one of the media professionals remained in northern Gaza, they will continue to share the images.”

He said journalists in Gaza would not cease their coverage, adding, “Ismail is not dead. Ismail lives in our hearts. His message will continue.”

Israel will not be invited to this year’s peace ceremony commemorating the 1945 atomic bombing of Nagasaki to promote a “peaceful and somber atmosphere” at the August 9 event, the city’s mayor told local media Wednesday.

Both cities had been under pressure from activists and bomb survivor groups to exclude Israel due to its actions in Gaza, where tens of thousands of Palestinians have been killed since Israeli began targeting militant group Hamas following the October 7 attack.

Nagasaki’s mayor Shiro Suzuki told reporters Wednesday that Israel’s exclusion was due to security concerns and was not a political decision.

“I would like to emphasize that this decision was not based on political considerations, but rather on our desire to hold the ceremony to commemorate the victims of the atomic bombings in a peaceful and solemn atmosphere, and to ensure that the ceremony goes smoothly,” he said, calling the decision “difficult.”

The arrangement differs with Hiroshima, the first city hit with an atomic bomb during the closing stages of World War II, that ultimately led to Japan’s unconditional surrender.

Every year diplomats are invited to peace ceremonies in both cities, held within days of each other, to reflect on the importance of peace and perils of deploying nuclear weapons.

Hiroshima’s annual peace ceremony is the larger of the two and representatives from 115 countries and the European Union are set to attend this year.

Tens of thousands of people were killed by the 1945 atomic bombs, both instantly and in the months and years to come due to radiation sickness.

In a post on X, Israel’s Ambassador to Japan, Gilad Cohen described Nagasaki’s decision as “regrettable,” adding it “sends a wrong message to the world.”

“Israel is exercising its full right and moral obligation to defend itself and its citizens and will continue to do so. There is no comparison between Israel, which is being brutally attacked by terrorist organizations and any other conflict, any attempt to present it otherwise distorts the reality,” he said.

Israel has repeatedly rejected accusations from critics including rights groups and experts that it has broken international humanitarian law with the breadth of its response to Hamas’ attacks. It argues its war is against Hamas, not Palestinians.

A controversial invitation

The ceremony in Nagasaki will take place at the city’s Peace Park on August 9, marking the day the US military dropped the second atomic bomb on Japan, three days after that of Hiroshima.

Nagasaki officials had previously indicated some reluctance to host Israel at the event.

In June, Suzuki sent a letter to Israel calling for a ceasefire in Gaza, leaving an invitation to the ceremony on hold due to a risk of “unexpected situations” such as protests, according to Kyodo News.

On Wednesday, Suzuki said he had not seen any changes in recent weeks that would lessen the risk of inviting Israel.

Hiroshima authorities don’t appear to have the same security concerns, despite having sidelined Russia and Belarus to order “to ensure the ceremony goes smoothly,” according to a spokesperson.

Both countries have been excluded from the event since 2022 when Moscow invaded Ukraine.

Russia used Belarus as one of the launch pads for its assault and later moved some of its tactical nuclear weapons there.

Some local activists and peace advocates accused Hiroshima authorities of double standards for excluding Russia and Belarus but allowing Israel to take part.

A teenage boy has been charged with murder after three young girls were killed in a stabbing attack at a dance class in northwest England on Monday, British police said.

Bebe King, 6, Elsie Dot Stancombe, 7, and 9-year-old Alice Dasilva Aguiar were stabbed to death while attending a Taylor Swift-themed class in the town of Southport, in one of the worst assaults against children in the country in decades.

Eight other children suffered stab wounds in the attack and five of them are in critical condition, police said. Two adults also remain in critical condition after being injured in the attack.

Merseyside Police said Wednesday that they charged a 17-year-old boy from the nearby village of Banks with three counts of murder and 10 counts of attempted murder, as well as possession of a “bladed article.”

Police have not named the suspect because he is a minor.

The suspect will appear at Liverpool Magistrates’ Court on Thursday.

“Whilst these charges are a significant milestone within this investigation, this remains very much a live investigation and we continue to work with our partners from Lancashire Police and Counter Terrorism Policing North West (CTPNW),” Merseyside Police Chief Constable Serena Kennedy said in a statement.

Chief Crown Prosecutor for CPS Mersey-Cheshire Sarah Hammond stressed that “criminal proceedings against the defendant are active and that he has the right to a fair trial.”

“It is extremely important that there should be no reporting, commentary, or sharing of information online which could in any way prejudice these proceedings,” Hammond added.

The charges came as grieving Southport residents cleaned up after far-right protesters crashed a vigil held on Tuesday for those killed in the attack, clashing with police, throwing bricks at a mosque and setting vehicles alight.

The violence followed a peaceful vigil in the seaside town attended by hundreds of mourners who laid wreaths, toys and candles in an emotional tribute to the three girls who were killed.

Police said five people have been arrested so far in connection with the violence in Southport, in which more than 50 police officers were injured.

“Our work to identify all those responsible for the despicable violence and aggression seen on the streets of Southport on Tuesday continues,” Assistant Chief Constable Alex Goss said in a statement.

“The individuals involved in the disorder had no regard for the families and friends of those who so tragically lost their lives, and a community in grief. It has been heartening today to see the reaction of the whole community, who have pulled together to clean the streets, rebuild walls and re-glaze broken windows.”

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer described the protests in Southport as “thuggery” and said those involved “will feel the full force of the law.”

Within 72 hours of the start of the Paris Olympics, star Chinese swimmer Zhang Yufei had already climbed the champions’ podium twice. The former gold medalist won two bronzes as China fights to best rivals like the United States and Australia.

But the wins for Zhang, dubbed China’s “butterfly stroke queen,” have come under scrutiny – both from her legions of fans and the wider sporting world.

The Chinese team is at the center of a controversy that’s roiled international sport following revelations that nearly half the group Beijing sent to the Tokyo Olympics in 2021, including Zhang, had months earlier tested positive for a banned performance enhancing substance.

The swimmers had been cleared by China’s Anti-Doping Agency (CHINADA) shortly before the Tokyo Games, after it ruled that the positive tests for banned heart drug trimetazidine – believed to aid endurance and recovery time – were the result of contamination, likely from a hotel restaurant. The global sports doping watchdog World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) accepted the assessment without an appeal.

But the situation, first reported by the New York Times and German public broadcaster ARD in April, has sparked backlash in the swimming world, where doping can result in years-long bans for athletes who violate the rules. The Times reported that Zhang was one of the swimmers who tested positive at the time.

Concern only deepened Tuesday, after WADA acknowledged a separate 2022 case in which two Chinese swimmers tested positive for “trace amounts of a prohibited substance metandienone,” a banned anabolic steroid. They were provisionally suspended but later cleared of a violation by CHINADA – again citing contamination linked to food, WADA said.

Since the 2021 case came to light, prominent athletes have voiced concerns about the anti-doping system. US Anti-Doping Agency chief Travis Tygart accused WADA of engaging in a cover-up and earlier this week said its failures had “overshadowed” the Olympics. The US government is separately pursuing a criminal investigation.

The furor has continued even after the release earlier this month of interim results from a probe into WADA’s handling of the 2021 case. The report, conducted by an independent investigator, backed the anti-doping body’s decision not to appeal the case. A separate audit by swimming governing body World Aquatics also said it found that body hadn’t mismanaged the case when it too decided not to appeal.

Deepening controversy

For China’s athletes, however, the pressure is apparent.

As races got underway this weekend, Zhang told reporters she was “deeply worried” that other athletes would view her through a “biased lens” and be reluctant to compete against her.

“I feel so wronged,” said Zhang, denying that Chinese swimmers engaged in doping.

And concerns about transparency within the anti-doping system continue to swirl, especially following the latest revelation.

The 2022 case, reported by the Times earlier this week, involves a swimmer on the Chinese roster in Paris, according to the paper.

WADA said in its statement that it had thoroughly reviewed that case, which it linked to two other positive tests from Chinese athletes in other sports earlier this year, and “concluded that there was no evidence” to challenge the Chinese finding that contaminated meat was the source of the positive tests. It noted that Chinese authorities had found the steroid in meat samples it tested.

The body also said it had been “unfairly caught in the middle of geopolitical tensions between superpowers” – in an apparent reference to the pushback it’s received from the US and its anti-doping agency.

In a statement CHINADA said the latest news report “distorted the fact(s) and quoted the relevant case out of context,” noting the “issue of meat contamination of prohibited substances is prevalent worldwide and similar cases have occurred in many countries and regions.”

Under pressure

In China, where the swim team has long been a source of Olympic glory, the situation has brought outrage and accusations of unfair treatment.

Chinese social media was flooded with an outpouring of support for Zhang over the weekend, as fans called for her not to be upset over a third-place finish Monday in the 100-meter butterfly. Zhang, who won silver in the event in Tokyo, was seen with tears in her eyes at the podium.

“Despite the immense pressure, the fact that you have won a medal is the best outcome,” wrote one social media user on the platform Weibo.

“It mirrors China’s continuous growth and revival, even as it faces encirclement and suppression from the West,” the post added, echoing a point made by many users who portrayed the latest controversy as orchestrated by the US.

“It’s high time to slam our fists on the table over the exclusive global drug system that the US has orchestrated,” said another.

At the heart of the outrage in China is the scrutiny the Chinese swim team has faced in Paris.

Earlier this month, global swimming body World Aquatics acknowledged the 2021 case had “weakened” community trust in its anti-doping system and pledged to test certain athletes “including Chinese athletes taking part in the Paris Olympic Games,” more frequently than others.

Last week, the body said Chinese swimmers have been tested more than those from all other countries, averaging 21 times per swimmer since the start of the year. That compares with an average of four times overs the same period for Australian swimmers and six times for Americans.

China’s Pan Zhanle, who took gold in the 100-meter men’s freestyle on Wednesday after smashing the world record, said he had been tested more than 20 times in the past few months. He said he didn’t feel “there was any difference or influence (on his performance),” since it was done according to the rules.

But some in China say the testing regime is hurting the team.

On Monday, retired two-time Olympic diving champion Gao Min pointed to Zhang’s bronze win and star swimmer Qin Haiyang’s seventh-place finish in the 100-meter men’s breaststroke.

“Something must have gone awry with the athletes’ pre-competition training. Personally, I believe that seven doping tests in one day might have disrupted our Chinese swimming team,” Gao wrote on Weibo.

A related hashtag received nearly 90 million views, with commentors claiming “unfair” treatment of China’s swimmers and even a conspiracy to disrupt the team’s medal tally by “affecting normal routine and training.”

“Why don’t you complain? Don’t athletes need a break?” said one comment with thousands of likes.

When questioned by a Chinese state media reporter about the testing regime at a briefing in Paris last week, a WADA official said the Chinese swimmers “should be happy that they can show that they’ve been tested so many times, therefore, hopefully the wrong allegations that are put against them can be disproven.”

The Israeli military said its fighter jets killed Hamas’ military chief in Gaza, Mohammed Deif, in a strike in Khan Younis last month, according to a statement released Thursday.

Israel’s claim that Deif was killed came nearly three weeks after it carried out the strike.

During that time, Israeli officials said they had indications their strike was successful but were not able to confirm that he was killed until now.

This is a developing story and will be updated.