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France urges its citizens to evacuate Mali as armed group blockade escalates, warns of Al-Qaeda presence

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France urges its citizens to evacuate Mali as armed group blockade escalates, warns of Al-Qaeda presence

France has advised French nationals to temporarily leave Mali “as soon as possible” as an armed group blockade upends daily life in the capital Bamako and other regions of the West African country.

The al-Qaeda-linked Group for the Support of Islam and Muslims (JNIM) has since September been targeting fuel tankers, particularly those coming from Senegal and the Ivory Coast, through which the majority of Mali’s imported goods transit.

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Since back-to-back coups in 2020 and 2021 that led to the end of France’s military presence in the country, Mali has been ruled by a military government that is struggling to counter various armed groups, including the JNIM.

“For several weeks, the security situation has been deteriorating in Mali, including in Bamako,” the French Foreign Ministry said in a travel advisory released on Friday.

“French nationals are advised to plan a temporary departure from Mali as soon as possible on the commercial flights still available,” it said, adding that “travel by land remains inadvisable, as national roads are currently the target of attacks by terrorist groups”.

On Thursday, ministry spokesman Pascal Confavreux said that France was following the deteriorating security situation in Mali “with great attention and genuine concern”, but that France’s diplomatic presence “remains unchanged” with the embassy open.

Last week, the United States and Britain announced the evacuation of their “nonessential” personnel and their families because of the deteriorating situation.

France’s announcement came as the Geneva-based shipping group MSC said it was halting its operations in Mali, citing the fuel blockade and deteriorating security.

‘Admission of failure’

Fighters from JNIM have for weeks imposed the fuel blockade, which has paralysed the landlocked Sahelian country’s economy.

It has forced the government to close schools, prevented harvesting in several regions and limited access to electricity.

While JNIM has long laid siege to towns in other parts of the country, this is the first time it has used the tactic on the capital city.

Earlier this week, President Assimi Goita called on citizens to do their part, particularly by reducing unnecessary travel, while promising to “do everything possible to deliver fuel”.

For Alioune Tine, formerly the United Nations’ independent expert on the human rights situation in Mali, the leader’s statement was a “terrible admission of failure”.

The ruling military government had promised to stem the growing insecurity that has plagued the country for more than a decade.

While it broke ties with former Western military allies, including France, it has instead partnered with Russian paramilitaries to fight armed groups.

But “the Malian state no longer controls anything” within its territory, Bakary Sambe from the Dakar-based Timbuktu Institute think tank told the AFP news agency.

Instead, he said, it “is concentrating its forces around Bamako to secure the regime”.

And the population’s initial support for the military rulers “is beginning to erode in the face of the military regime’s inability to keep its security promise”, he added.

JNIM’s main objective is to capture and control territory and to expel Western influences in its region of control. Some experts suggest that JNIM may be seeking to control major capitals and, ultimately, to govern the country as a whole.

However, observers say Bamako falling seems unlikely at this stage, as JNIM lacks military and governance capacity.

“I do not believe JNIM possesses the capability or intent to take Bamako at this time, though the threat it now poses to the city is unprecedented”, Charlie Werb, an analyst with Aldebaran Threat Consultants, said.

JNIM is one of several armed groups operating in the Sahel, a vast strip of semi-arid desert stretching from North to West Africa, where fighting is spreading rapidly, with large-scale attacks.

The group has killed thousands of people since 2017. Human rights groups accuse it of attacking civilians, especially people perceived to be assisting government forces.

Gene Editing for Various Diseases Transformed by Bacterial Retrons

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Gene Editing for Various Diseases Transformed by Bacterial Retrons

Who are the real mutants, and what’s going to cure them?

Of course, we all are mutants – not just as the Homo sapiens sapiens limited-edition model from 4.5 billion years of mutation at Terrestrial Evolution, Inc. – but as individual collections of trillions of cells routinely undergoing mutation during mitosis and meiosis.

If cellular reproduction were house renovations, then a paint smudge here and a crooked curtain rod there wouldn’t matter much. But if the roof has holes, the windows don’t shut during winter, and the furnace is spewing carbon monoxide, you could die.

That’s why a gene-editing technique from the University of Texas at Austin – built upon research from Harvard University – offers so much hope. Using bacterial retrons, this method can “reno” multiple dangerous mutations simultaneously, far more efficiently than previous gene-editing methods that might succeed against a single mutation, but are powerless against additional mutations not identical to the first.

So, what are retrons? They’re bacterial immune systems that save the bacterial herd by culling individual bacteria infected by viruses. Retron therapy replaces lengthy sections of dangerous mutations with healthy sections of DNA.

In a paper that was recently published in the journal Nature Biotechnology, lead author Jesse D. Buffington, co-author Ilya Finkelstein and colleagues reveal their gene-editing breakthrough that offers hope to people suffering from numerous diseases involving multiple genetic mutations.

One such affliction is Tay-Sachs, a disease that disproportionately affects people of Ashkenazi descent and destroys brain and spinal nerve cells. The infantile form of Tay-Sachs manifests between three and six months of age, undermining gross motor control, worsening into seizures, deafness, and paralysis, and death by age five.

Another multi-mutation disease is cystic fibrosis. Afflicting approximately 162,000 people globally, CF will take the lives of about half of them before they reach 39.

As co-author Finkelstein said in a UTA press release, “We want to democratize gene therapy by creating off-the-shelf tools that can cure a large group of patients in one shot,” meaning lower development costs, and a streamlined route to the clinical use because “from a regulatory standpoint because, you only need one FDA approval.”

Gene editing is at the forefront of medical interventions already deployed across the US to treat various cancers, spinal muscular atrophy, rare vision loss, sickle cell disease, muscular dystrophy, hemophilia, Bullosa (which causes fragile, blistering skin), and beta thalassemia (requiring patients to receive frequent red blood transfusions) of red blood cells. Clinical trials of gene-editing are currently addressing health and blood vessel ailments and various infectious diseases.

The breakthrough retron therapy from Buffington, Finkelstein, and their colleagues will join the above efforts to reduce suffering, lower medical costs through curing instead of treating diseases, and increase the length and quality of life.

In the future, retrons and other gene-editing technology may do more than just reduce and eliminate suffering. They could actually “reno” our “house-bodies” from old and decaying – uh, that is, lived in and well-enjoyed – bungalows into shiny new mansions. Such was evidenced with experiments that WashU Medicine recently reported, which quickly built significant mouse muscle mass and “reduced the severity of osteoarthritis in the mice, even though they didn’t exercise more” while blocking obesity, “even when the mice ate an extremely high-fat diet.”

If that’s the future of gene-reno, sign me up yesterday.

Source: University of Texas at Austin

Guardant Health Files Form 144 for November 7

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Form 144 Guardant Health For: 7 November

Ugandans embrace ICC’s war crimes charges against LRA leader

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Ugandans embrace ICC’s war crimes charges against LRA leader

AFP via Getty Images Joseph Kony is seen in a camouflage uniform, and is wearing a cap in this archive photoAFP via Getty Images

Joseph Kony’s rebel group gained notoriety for hacking off the limbs of people

Survivors of the reign of terror inflicted by Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) rebels in Uganda have told the BBC they welcome the move by the International Criminal Court (ICC) to confirm charges against the group’s leader Joseph Kony.

An arrest warrant was issued for him in 2005, but he remains at large – believed to be hiding in the Central African Republic (CAR).

On Thursday, the ICC said he was being charged with 39 counts of war crimes and crimes against humanity, including murder, rape, using child soldiers, sexual slavery and forced pregnancy.

A woman abducted by the LRA as a child and forced to become one of Kony’s wives said she hoped the move would renew efforts to capture him.

“I cannot be happy like other women who went to school. I need justice for women who went through abduction like me,” Evelyn Amon, 42, told the BBC.

Evelyn Amon wearing glasses and a white shirt holds her hand up towards her mouth

Evelyn Amon says victims cannot get compensation until Kony is tried

She spent 11 years in the bush with the LRA after being abducted from her home at age 11 – and she said she even forgot her own name as the rebels called her Betty Achol.

Ms Amon said victims like her wanted him to be tried so they could get compensation from the court.

Kony’s ICC trial cannot begin unless he is arrested and present in court in The Hague.

The LRA was formed by Kony in the late 1980s in northern Uganda, where it said its goal was to install a government based on the biblical Ten Commandments.

The group, which was notorious for hacking off its victims’ limbs or parts of their faces and taking sex slaves, was eventually forced out of the country in 2005.

It moved to neighbouring Democratic Republic of Congo and was also active in South Sudan and the CAR, where remnants of the rebels are understood to have engaged in poaching and illegal mining.

Kony’s notoriety increased in 2012 because of a social media campaign to highlight the LRA’s alleged atrocities. The following year, the US offered a $5m (£3.8m) reward for information leading to his arrest.

Despite those efforts, and years of manhunts, he remains a fugitive – and the US and Ugandan armies officially ended their operations to track him down in 2017.

Twenty-eight-year-old Patrick Ochieng, who was born in LRA captivity after his mother was abducted and sexually assaulted, also hopes the confirmation of charges will lead to Kony’s capture.

“He should first be arrested. The victims who suffered can’t wait – some of these victims are already dying,” Mr Ochieng told the BBC.

“We grew up in the rebel barracks, deep in the forest,” he said.

He is among thousands of children who were forced to become child soldiers. His mother was killed by the rebels when he just five years old.

“She tried to escape with us – me and my twin sister – but the policy was clear: if you try to escape and you’re caught, they [must] finish you. They’ll kill you,” the visibly emotional young man said.

Over nearly two decades in northern Uganda during the LRA insurgency more than 100,000 people were killed, between 60,000 and 100,000 children were abducted and 2.5 million people fled their homes – many moving into camps for better protection.

Muhammad Olanya pointing at a memorial for those who died in the village of Lukodi

Muhammad Olanya was 17 when a camp in the village of Lukodi was attacked by LRA rebels in 2004 – 70 people were killed

But these also came under attack, like one in the village of Lukodi, just a few kilometres from the town of Gulu. More than 70 people, including women and children, were killed there in 2004.

Muhammad Olanya, who was 17 at the time, still remembers that night vividly.

“We heard strange sounds like drumbeats followed by whistles – those were bullets,” he told the BBC.

“I ran, but by the time I reached the market, I was exhausted. I sat down by the roadside.”

He was lucky not to be abducted as he was rescued by a Ugandan army officer.

But he says the conflict devastated his life – he lost relatives and got no formal education.

There were attempts by the Ugandan government to strike a peace deal with Kony, but talks fell apart in 2008 because the LRA leader wanted assurances that he and his allies would not be prosecuted.

The victims hope the ICC’s decision to press forward with the confirmation of charges without him present means the LRA leader will one day be held accountable.

More BBC stories on the LRA:

Getty Images/BBC A woman looking at her mobile phone and the graphic BBC News AfricaGetty Images/BBC

Consumer confidence drops by almost 30% in one year

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Consumer confidence drops by almost 30% in one year

Consumer sentiment dropped to a three-year low and close to the lowest point ever recorded by the University of Michigan one month into the government shutdown, with pessimism over personal finances and anticipated business conditions weighing on Americans.

The November survey showed the index of consumer sentiment at 50.4, down a startling 6.2% from last month and it plunged nearly 30% from a year ago.

Economists were caught off guard. Those polled had expected a slight month-to-month increase for a reading of 54.2.

“With the federal government shutdown dragging on for over a month, consumers are now expressing worries about potential negative consequences for the economy,” said Joanne Hsu, Surveys of Consumers Director at University of Michigan. “This month’s decline in sentiment was widespread throughout the population, seen across age, income, and political affiliation.”

The one exception, Hsu said, were those with large stock holdings. Big tech companies, particularly in artificial intelligence, have driven explosive returns for investors. The tech-heavy Nasdaq is up 17% this year.

“The top 20% of households by income drive 40% of consumer spending, and we think the wealth effect from the buoyant stock market has strengthened this year,” according to Michael Pearce, deputy chief U.S. economist at Oxford Economics.

The nation’s largest retail trade group on Thursday forecast a trillion-dollar Christmas, with sales during November and December seen growing up to 4.2%.

The UMich survey showed that year-ahead inflation expectations inched up to 4.7% in November from 4.6% last month, and long-run inflation expectations declined to 3.6% from 3.9% last month.

James Knightley, chief international economist at ING, said the report’s key takeaway is jobs.

“Seventy-one percent of households now expect unemployment to rise over the coming (12 months) while only 9% expect unemployment to fall. That gives a net reading of 62% predicting higher unemployment versus 52% last month,” Knightley said. “A huge increase which … has historically been the prelude to an ugly outcome for jobs.”

The first Friday of the month is typically when the government releases its key jobs report, but all data reports are on hold during the shutdown. Economists have turned to private sources which are showing that job seekers are taking longer to land a job in a ” low hires, low fires ” market.

At least one economist noted a change in methodology may have impacted the survey results.

“These numbers should be taken with a grain of salt, given the likely temporary drag on confidence from the ongoing government shutdown, plus the Michigan survey’s switch to online rather than phone-based sampling last year, which seems to have introduced a structural break that produces more downbeat results,” said Oliver Allen, senior U.S. economist for Pantheon Macroeconomics.

The UMich survey was conducted before Election Day on Tuesday.

Protest Causes Disruption at Israeli Philharmonic Orchestra Concert in Paris.

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Protest Causes Disruption at Israeli Philharmonic Orchestra Concert in Paris.

new video loaded: Protest Disrupts Israeli Philharmonic Orchestra Concert in Paris

Four people were arrested after a protest at an Israeli Philharmonic Orchestra Concert in Paris on Thursday. Audience members shouted and set off flares during the show, according to French officials.

By Bethlehem Feleke

November 7, 2025

Live Nation’s $8.5bn in Q3 overshadows Suno’s legal troubles: MBW’s weekly round-up

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Live Nation’s $8.5bn in Q3 overshadows Suno’s legal troubles: MBW’s weekly round-up

Welcome to Music Business Worldwide’s Weekly Round-up – where we make sure you caught the five biggest stories to hit our headlines over the past seven days. MBW’s Round-up is exclusively supported by BMI, a global leader in performing rights management, dedicated to supporting songwriters, composers and publishers and championing the value of music.

This week, Danish music rights organization Koda sued US-based AI music generator Suno, claiming the company trained its AI model on copyrighted music without permission.

Meanwhile, Live Nation reported another record third quarter, driven by surging global stadium activity and robust fan spending across all segments.

Elsewhere, Spotify saw its global Premium Subscriber base grow to 281 million paying users in Q3, and the company also achieved strong operating profitability in the three months to the end of September.

Also this week, Cinq Music‘s parent company, GoDigital, secured USD $230 million in a new capital raise.

Here are some of the biggest headlines from the past few days…

1. SUNO SUED AGAIN, AS DANISH CMO KODA ACCUSES COMPANY OF STEALING ITS MEMBERS’ MUSIC TO TRAIN AI MODEL

Danish music rights organization Koda is suing US-based AI music generator Suno, claiming the company trained its AI model on copyrighted music without permission or payment.

Koda, which has over 52,000 members, comprising composers, songwriters, and music publishers, is accusing Suno of what it calls “the biggest theft in music history”.

The “landmark” case, brought before Copenhagen City Court on Tuesday (November 4), marks the first time a Danish rights organization has sued an AI music service… (MBW)

2. LIVE NATION’S REVENUE JUMPS 11% TO RECORD $8.5BN IN Q3 ON STRONG STADIUM ACTIVITY, FAN SPENDING

Live Nation reported another record third quarter, driven by surging global stadium activity and robust fan spending across all segments.

The concert giant’s revenue climbed 11% YoY in Q3 2025 to $8.5 billion from $7.65 billion in Q3 2024, according to its latest quarterly report published on Tuesday (November 4).

Operating income jumped 24% YoY to $792.5 million, while adjusted operating income (AOI) rose 14% to $1.03 billion in the three months ended September 30.

Revenue growth was powered by an 11% YoY increase in the concerts segment to $7.28 billion from $6.58 billion, alongside a 15% YoY rise in ticketing revenue to $797.6 million… (MBW)

3. SPOTIFY SUBSCRIBER BASE GREW BY 5M TO 281M IN Q3; COMPANY POSTED $680M OPERATING PROFIT FOR THE QUARTER

Spotify saw its global Premium Subscriber base grow to 281 million paying users in Q3. The company also achieved strong operating profitability in the three months to end of September.

That’s according to the company’s latest financial results (for Q3 2025), filed on Tuesday (November 4).

Spotify’s Premium Subscriber base at the close of Q3 was up by +5 million net subs on the 276 million that the firm counted at the end of the prior quarter (Q2 2025)… (MBW)

4. CINQ MUSIC PARENT COMPANY REBRANDS, RAISES $230M IN FRESH FUNDING VIA NEW GODIGITAL MUSIC DIVISION

Cinq Music’s parent company, GoDigital, has secured USD $230 million in a new capital raise.

GoDigital has confirmed that the funding was led by Bank of America, with participation from Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group, East West Bank, First Horizon, Fifth Third, and Flag Star.

The company said on Monday (November 3) that the funding brings its total capital raised to date to over USD $1 billion. The funding news arrives alongside a revamp of the GoDigital brand… (MBW)

5. SM ENTERTAINMENT’S OPERATING PROFIT SOARS 261% AMID STREAK OF HIT K-POP ALBUMS, GROWTH AT FAN PLATFORM DEARU

South Korea’s SM Entertainment, known for K-pop acts such as NCT 127, EXO, Riize, and aespa, has reported a massive increase in revenue and profit, driven by a streak of hit albums, rising concert revenue and growth at fan platform DearU.

The company reported a 261.6% year-over-year increase in operating profit for the third quarter of 2025, to 48.2 billion won, or USD $34.8 million at the average exchange for the quarter.

Revenue came in at KRW 321.6 billion ($232 million), up 32.8% YoY. The higher revenue, combined with gains in non-operating income and lower corporate taxes, propelled the company to a 1,107.0% YoY increase in net income, to KRW 44.7 billion ($32.3 million)… (MBW)

Partner message: MBW’s Weekly Round-up is supported by BMI, the global leader in performing rights management, dedicated to supporting songwriters, composers and publishers and championing the value of music. Find out more about BMI here. Music Business Worldwide

The Documentary “Silenced: The War on Journalism”

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The Documentary “Silenced: The War on Journalism”

A gripping look at journalism’s ultimate sacrifice, told through stories of courage, loss and unwavering conviction.

In a world where truth-telling can often mean life or death, this documentary shines a light on journalists who paid the ultimate price for their work. From war zones to political cover-ups, their courageous reporting exposed critical truths, but also made them targets. Through intimate interviews with their families, friends, and colleagues, the film provides a heartfelt tribute to their legacies while uncovering the dangerous realities of journalism today.

Drawing on rare footage, personal accounts, and expert analysis, the film goes beyond the headlines to explore the human stories behind the statistics. These are not just tales of loss but of bravery, conviction, and an unwavering belief in the public’s right to know. The documentary also reflects on the emotional toll faced by those left behind, who grapple with grief, fear, and often unanswered questions about justice.

As attacks on journalists rise globally, the film exposes how press freedom is under siege in both autocratic regimes and democratic societies. It challenges viewers to consider the value of truth in an age of misinformation and growing, often orchestrated, hostility towards the media.

By exploring the stories of those who gave their lives in pursuit of the truth, this film offers a sobering reminder of the risks journalists take to inform the world. At its core, it is a call to defend press freedom and to remember the individuals who believed that the role of journalism is the protection of the ruled over the ruler.

This is not just a story about journalism, but a testament to human courage and the enduring power and importance of truth.

Credits:
Executive Producer: Farid Barsoum
Producer: Zainab Walji
Editor: Dima Gharbawi Shaibani
Gaza Team: MediaTown
Mexico producer: Ulises Escamilla Haro
Mexico DOP: Miguel Tovar
US DOPs: Jasper Rischen, Joshua Mayes

Published On 7 Nov 2025

It’s time to provide children with the necessary financial education.

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It’s time to provide children with the necessary financial education.

Unlock the Editor’s Digest for free

This article is the latest part of the FT’s Financial Literacy and Inclusion Campaign

“Why don’t they teach us about money in schools?” is the frequent refrain of adults who approach me for advice about their financial problems. The good news is that in future, all schools in England will have to, starting from the age of five.

Making financial education compulsory was the number one ask of both parents and children who contributed to a wide-ranging overhaul of the curriculum announced this week — a rare point of generational unity.

The ongoing cost of living crisis has increased the currency of skills like budgeting and avoiding problem debt. But as the financial world becomes more digital and frictionless, parents feel ill-equipped to protect young people from the potential dangers. Almost half of 8- to 17-year-olds say they have been scammed online. With finfluencers peddling crypto on social media and ChatGPT becoming a tool for financial advice, giving young adults the skills to navigate and interrogate this brave, new, unregulated world is urgently needed.

Financial literacy charity

Support the FT’s Financial Literacy and Inclusion Campaign (FT FLIC)

Building a strong foundation of financial knowledge in schools will also have significant benefits for the UK economy as more numerate and money-confident children grow up to become the consumers, workers and entrepreneurs of tomorrow.

Studies have shown that half of the UK’s working-age population has numeracy skills on a par with primary school children. Is it any wonder that more than half of small business owners say they struggle with cash flow management and nearly a quarter have been caught out by not setting aside enough money to pay tax bills?

For a chancellor who aspires to create a nation of investors, ensuring students grasp the basics of compound interest and inflation is a no-brainer.

But deciding that we must teach children about money is the easy part. The challenge will now be implementation. Personal finance has technically been part of the secondary curriculum in England since 2014, but provision remains patchy as its inclusion was not matched by significant extra funding or training resources. And teachers, like most UK adults, lack financial skills and confidence. If we believe financial literacy is worth investing in, we must start by investing in them.

Happily, the desire to provide financial education is not new. Many brilliant charities are already working in this area, some funded by UK banks. They are not only delivering direct tuition and workshops in schools but providing teacher training, and they have developed an impressive array of resources.

The FT’s own Financial Literacy and Inclusion Campaign has devised a personal finance curriculum, which is already being used in over 800 UK schools. Martin Lewis, the founder of MoneySavingExpert, has privately funded a free school text book.

“There is no need to reinvent a wheel that’s been well polished for a couple of decades,” says Sarah Porretta, chief executive of Young Enterprise, a charity working in schools to boost financial literacy. Its teacher training programmes are all currently oversubscribed.

Leon Ward, chief executive of the Money Ready charity, has seen great improvements in financial ability for children on its programmes, and increased confidence in maths lessons too.

The Department for Education should learn from these successes, scale them up and roll them out at greater speed.

Delivering workshops in secondary schools has shown me how even the most disengaged teenage students suddenly become interested when money lessons pertain to real-life experiences.

Becky Francis, who chaired the review, admits to being cynical about the benefits until she took part in a budgeting exercise with a class of 15-year-olds. Imagining they had Saturday jobs as baristas, the teens had to work out what their earnings and outgoings might be. She was struck by “how energised they were, and how useful they found it”.

Other teachers have used real-life examples they know will resonate with their students, including buying hair extensions on credit. Giving teachers the support and skills to get creative with money lessons is the magic ingredient needed to ensure quality financial education is delivered in every school, for every child.

As a nation, we also need to test ourselves. It is incongruous that the UK has shunned the OECD Pisa financial literacy scoring system, which measures the financial knowledge of 15-year-olds across the world. Now is the time to sign up and create a benchmark against which future progress can be measured.

The price of financial ignorance is great. Setting children up for financial success is an economic gift that will keep on giving.

Claer Barrett is the FT’s consumer editor and a trustee of the FT’s Financial Literacy and Inclusion Campaign; claer.barrett@ft.com; Instagram @ClaerB

54 individuals wounded in explosion at Jakarta mosque within high school

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54 individuals wounded in explosion at Jakarta mosque within high school

Dozens of people have been injured in an explosion during Friday prayers at a mosque inside a high school complex in Indonesia’s capital, Jakarta.

Fifty-four people were admitted to hospital, the city’s police chief Asep Edi Suheri told a news conference, with the injuries ranging from minor to serious and including burns.

The suspect is a 17-year-old student who is currently in surgery, officials told reporters.

The Jakarta Metropolitan Police continues to investigate the suspect’s background and the possible motive behind the incident, which occurred at around 12:15 local time (05:15 GMT) in Kelapa Gading, a district in North Jakarta.

A bomb disposal team has been deployed to the state-run high school complex to collect evidence and ensure there are no other explosive devices.

Authorities said three people had suffered serious injuries and 17 others came away with minor injuries. Others have been treated and discharged, local media reports.

A pupil at the school alleged to Indonesia’s government-owned news agency Antara that a homemade bomb had been brought in by a student who had often been bullied by other students.

Other pupils told Indonesian news outlets that the suspect was a “loner” who often made drawings depicting violence, and who had been found lying on the ground following the explosion.

A cook at the school described seeing white smoke coming from the mosque and broken windows after the “massive” blast.

“Our hearts were beating fast, we couldn’t breathe,” she told the Reuters news agency.

A high-ranking Jakarta Metropolitan Police officer confirmed the presence of two objects resembling firearms at the scene.

Images from Antara suggest one of the objects appeared to be a submachine gun and another looked like a pistol.

The submachine gun-type object appears to be inscribed on its barrel with: “14 words. For Agartha.”

On its body, it says: “Brenton Tarrant. Welcome to Hell.”

Brenton Tarrant is the perpetrator of a 2019 mass shooting at a mosque and Islamic centre in Christchurch, New Zealand, that killed 51 and injured dozens of others.

A minister who visited the scene later on Friday sought to dispel suggestions that weapons were present at the site, telling CNN Indonesia what had been pictured “turned out to be a toy gun, not a real gun”.

Lodewijk Freidrich Paulus also called on the public not to presume the explosion was a “terrorist act” as investigators were still combing over the scene.

Another object found at the site was a dark green belt for storing gun cartridges.

Indonesia has the world’s largest Muslim population.

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