Kolawole Omoboriowo, who has known the two-time world heavyweight champion for eight years, was the one to break the news to Anthony Joshua's family about the accident.

Joshua, the 36-year-old British-Nigerian boxer, was travelling in the back of a black SUV when it hit a stationary truck on major road near Lagos in Nigeria, killing two of his friends.

Mr Omoboriowo, who coordinates Joshua's logistics in Nigeria, said the boxer's family were "like my other family in the UK".

The time since has been a "crazy nightmare for everyone", he told Sky News on Wednesday.

When he got the news, Mr Omoboriowo instantly called Joshua's mother, who is "like a mum to me", he said.

But she did not pick up, so he then got through to a cousin, who herself called someone at the scene of the crash who confirmed what had happened.

"Everyone started panicking… and we started looking around, [wondering] 'Who can we call? How do we know where they are?'".

Friend was 'like a twin brother'

He said Latif Ayodele, one of the two people killed in the accident, was "more than a friend" to Joshua and more like a "twin brother".

"That is somebody you see him with every single time, that is his best friend, that is who he loves, he talks to, he takes advice from."

A second close friend, Sina Ghami, was also killed in the collision.

"What is actually in my head now is: 'How do we get AJ out of that traumatised situation?'. And that is just the only thing that everybody is worried about right now."

Joshua, who was born in Watford to Nigerian parents, was on holiday in Nigeria following his win over Jake Paul in Miami on December 19.

He survived with minor injuries, police have said, and is currently recovering in hospital.

Joshua is a 'wonderful person around everyone'

Speaking to Sky News, Mr Omoboriowo said: "Right now, everybody might think AJ is okay".

But, as the boxer has lost a close friend, "we don't know how he's gonna take it."

"But right now we just want everybody to actually like give him a moment to actually relax, rest, and we pick it up from there."

He added: "We just need to keep praying for AJ, for God to give him the strength to be able to carry on with these losses."

He described his friend Joshua as "a very wonderful person around everyone" who is "not that kind of person that really cares about the income, money or anything".

Another friend of Joshua's and his barber, Gbadia Figbeghawei, said he wished to God "don't let this be true" when he first heard the news.

The Met Office has issued a yellow weather warning for snow and ice across large parts of England and Wales between midnight and noon on January 2.

It could see some areas blanketed in snow up to 5cm deep, especially on higher ground in parts of North Wales and northwest England.

Separate yellow warnings are also in place for Northern Ireland between midnight and 10am on Friday, and in northern Scotland between 6am on New Year's Day and the end of Friday.

The Met Office said those north of the border could see 10cm-20cm of snowfall, with 30cm possible on the highest routes and hills.

Given the strength of the wind, some significant drifting of snow is said to be "likely" and lightning "may well be an additional hazard".

The cold snap is expected to have an impact on transport, with those heading out urged to prepare for longer journey times by road, bus and train.

The Met Office has additionally warned of injuries due to slips and falls on icy surfaces, which will develop quickly as sleet and snow clears.

The national meteorological service said: "If you need to make a journey on foot, try to use pavements along main roads which are likely to be less slippery.

"Similarly, if cycling, try and stick to main roads which are more likely to have been treated."

The new snow and ice warning is in place for a large part of England and Wales, including Chester and Greater Manchester down to London and Kent.

It affects the East Midlands, east of England, London and southeast England, northwest England, southwest England, Wales and the West Midlands.

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The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has also issued more severe warnings for the start of 2026.

It had previously issued amber cold health alerts in the northeast and northwest of England.

However, yellow alerts have been upgraded to amber across the East Midlands, West Midlands, southeast, southwest, east of England, Yorkshire and the Humber, and London.

These warnings will be in place from 8pm on 31 December until 10am on 6 January.

The UKHSA said it means the weather is "likely" to cause significant impacts across health and social care services, including a "rise in deaths" among those with health conditions or aged 65 or over.

Dr Paul Coleman, consultant in health protection at UKHSA, said the weather is forecast to be "very cold" over the coming few days.

He added: "Low temperatures like these can have serious impacts on the health of some people, particularly older people and those with serious health conditions.

"Exposure to cold can lead to increased risk of heart attacks, strokes and chest infections.

"It is therefore really important, as the colder weather sets in, to check in on friends, family and neighbours that are most vulnerable."

In an interview with BBC Radio 4's Today programme, she described how she "fought back" and that the experience had "lurked for many years".

She said: "Somebody I didn't know - I was reading my book and this boy, man, attacked me, and I did fight back.

"And I remember getting off the train and my mother looking at me and saying, 'why is your hair standing on end?' and 'why is a button missing from your coat?'

"But I remember anger, and I was so furious about it, and it's sort of lurked for many years.

"And I think, you know, when all the subject about domestic abuse came up, and suddenly you hear a story like John and Amy's, it's something that I feel very strongly about."

The Queen also used the interview to praise BBC racing commentator John Hunt and his daughter Amy, whose family were murdered at their home last year - and said they would be "so proud of you both".

Louise Hunt, 25, her sister Hannah, 28, and their mother Carol, 61, were killed by Louise's ex-partner Kyle Clifford, 27, in a quiet cul-de-sac in Bushey, Hertfordshire, on 9 July 2024.

Clifford, Louise's ex-partner, was handed three whole life orders earlier this year.

After hearing the Queen share her story, Amy said: "Thank you for sharing that story first, Your Majesty, because that takes a lot to share these things because every woman has a story."

A fundraising gala was held this month to launch The Hunt Family Fund.

Mr Hunt and Amy set it up in memory of their loved ones to raise money for charities and causes that help and inspire young women.

In the recording, the Queen said: "I'd just like to say, wherever your family is now, they'd be so proud of you both.

"And they must be from above smiling down on you and thinking, my goodness me, what a wonderful, wonderful father, husband, sister.

"They'd just be so proud of you both."

The discussion, which was recorded in the Garden Room at Clarence House last month, also included former prime minister Baroness Theresa May and was chaired by BBC broadcaster Emma Barnett.

Mr Hunt said a year on after his family was killed it "remains really difficult on a minute-by-minute basis", adding "but you have to try and find the strength in our position to arm yourself with as many tools as possible that are going to help you get through that next hour, get through that next day".

He added: "At the risk of embarrassing Amy, she's been my best counsel from the word go.

"We talk all the time. I used to say 'I couldn't do it without you', but now I say 'I can do it with you'."

Amy said: "I think there's a huge part of us that's still in disbelief, in shock. Perhaps we'll be in that state for the rest of our lives, given the magnitude of our loss.

"We miss them every single minute of the day."

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The Queen's incident was first recounted in the book Power And The Palace: The Inside Story Of The Monarchy And 10 Downing Street by Valentine Low, a former royal reporter for The Times newspaper.

In the book, the Queen was said to have told then mayor of London Boris Johnson in 2008 about the historical attack and reportedly stated: "I did what my mother taught me to. I took off my shoe and whacked him in the nuts with the heel."

The man was said to have been arrested after she sought help at Paddington station.

Queen 'wants to remove stigma and shame'

The conversation between the Queen and Mr Johnson was revealed to author Mr Low by the ex-mayor's former communications director, Guto Harri.

Speaking to Sky News on Wednesday, Mr Low said he believes the Queen is telling her story in a bid to "remove some of the stigma that might attach to people who have been the victims of similar assaults".

He said: "It means that they can tell their story, not publicly obviously in the way that the Queen has done, but to someone who might help, someone in authority."

Mr Low added: "I think she wants to remove the stigma and the shame, so that people can talk about it and people can do something about it."

The Queen has visited rape centres in the UK and abroad, hosted receptions for sexual assault and domestic abuse survivors, and has regularly spoken out on the issue.

Mr Low said the Queen has been campaigning "for at least a decade", but while her own experience has "informed her approach", it's instead the stories from other survivors that have "fuelled her anger".

The author agreed that the Queen's story "speaks to the modern monarchy" that we are now seeing played out.

He said: "Very much so. I mean, one can't imagine the late Queen, who broke all sorts of barriers herself, but she would never have spoken in these terms."

Mr Low said the modern monarchy is "much more personal", with the royals prepared to talk about what goes on in their own lives.

He added: "You just have to see the way the King was prepared to reveal the details of his cancer diagnosis and the fact that he's undergoing treatment and how he's felt about all that.

"That's really significant. His mother would never have done anything like that."

In an unusual response to unrest, the Iranian government on Tuesday offered to set up a dialogue with protest leaders.

The first major protests since before June - when US airstrikes prompted an outpouring of patriotism - began on Sunday.

Shopkeepers and traders in the capital, Tehran, angry about spiralling inflation and the Iranian currency plunging to a record low against the dollar, took to the streets on Sunday, and have since been joined by students.

On Wednesday they attempted to break in to the local governor's office in the southern Fars province, state media confirmed.

"A few hours ​ago an organised group tried to get into the governorate building in the city of Fasa, their attack failed with the intervention ‍of security forces," state media said.

"The leader of these rioters, a 28-year-old woman, was arrested".

Iran's Tasnim news agency cited a local official as saying four "attackers" had been detained and three members of the security forces ‌had been wounded during the clash.

The governor of Fasa told state media that "the protests were caused by inflation and economic conditions. Individuals
influenced by hostile channels and media participated in them... the situation is back to normal".

Whereas Iranian authorities have responded to previous protests with fierce security measures and arrests, in this instance it offered to set up a "dialogue mechanism" - though the details have not been confirmed.

Monday's protests were the biggest since 2022, which were prompted by the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Jina Amini in police custody.

She was arrested by the country's morality police for allegedly wearing her hijab improperly.

The recent protests come after the rial lost nearly half its value ‍against the dollar in 2025, with inflation reaching 42.5% in December.

On Monday, the governor of Iran's Central Bank, Mohammad Reza Farzin, resigned, replaced by former economics minister Abdolnasser Hemmati.

Iran's embattled economy has been navigating US sanctions since 2018, designed to deter its nuclear programme, which it says is peaceful.

These sanctions have hampered the economy and strained household budgets, the impact now exacerbated by the plummeting currency value and inflationary pressure which have pushed up the prices of food and other daily essentials.

The Fitburg had departed from Russia and was en route to Israel when Finnish authorities detained the ship.

It is suspected of causing damage to a telecoms cable running from Helsinki to Estonia's capital Tallinn belonging to Finnish telecoms group Elisa.

"Finnish authorities have taken control of the vessel as part of a joint operation," police said.

Fourteen crew members - said to be Russian, Georgian, Kazakh and Azerbaijani - are being held by authorities.

Eight NATO states border the Baltic Sea, which also borders Russia.

They have been on high alert after a spate of power cable outages, telecoms links and gas pipelines that run along the relatively shallow seabed since Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022.

NATO has boosted its presence in the Baltic with frigates, aircraft and naval drones in recent years.

A spokesperson for the military alliance declined to comment on Wednesday's incident.

The Fitburg sailed under the flag of St Vincent and the Grenadines, a police spokesperson said.

The vessel was dragging its anchor in the sea, and was directed to Finnish territorial waters, the police and Finland's Border Guard stated.

"At this stage, the police are investigating the incident as aggravated criminal damage, attempted aggravated criminal damage, and aggravated interference with telecommunications," the police said.

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Estonia's justice ministry said a second telecoms cable connecting the country to Finland had also suffered an outage on Wednesday.

It was not immediately clear if the cable, belonging to Sweden's Arelion, was running parallel to Elisa's.

Finland's President Alexander Stubb said the situation was being monitored.

Posting on X, he added: "Finland is prepared for various security challenges and responds to them in the manner the situation requires."

In December last year, Finland boarded the Russian-linked oil tanker Eagle S which investigators said had damaged a power cable and several telecoms links in the Baltic Sea by dragging its anchor.

A Finnish court in October dismissed a criminal case against the Eagle S captain and other crew members, ruling prosecutors failed to prove intent and that any alleged negligence must be pursued by the ship's flag state or the crew's home countries.