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The man accused of fatally shooting Charlie Kirk confessed to killing the right-wing activist in a message to his roommate, prosecutors have alleged, as they announced seven charges against him.

Tyler Robinson, 22, left a note under a keyboard for his roommate to discover, said Utah County Attorney Jeffrey Gray. He added that the roommate was Mr Robinson's romantic partner.

According to Mr Gray, the note said: "I had the opportunity to take out Charlie Kirk, and I'm going to take it."

The prosecutor also shared text messages between the roommates, including one in which Mr Robinson allegedly said he shot Kirk because he had "had enough of his hatred".

Trump hails 'very good' relationship as he arrives in UK for state visit

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cz9jyzl4532o, today

President Donald Trump has arrived in the UK for his historic second state visit, which will see a crowded mix of royal pageantry, trade talks and international politics.

Before making the trip from the US on Air Force One, Trump sent positive signals, describing the visit as an honour and saying: "My relationship is very good with the UK."

"They want to see if they can refine the trade deal a little bit… I'm into helping them," said Trump, with a multi-billion US technology investment deal being announced as the president's visit got underway.

But Trump said the main purpose of the visit was to see "my friend" King Charles: "He represents the country so well, such an elegant gentleman."

Landing at Stansted airport, President Trump received an official welcome from a line-up on the runway including Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper.

The president is spending the night in the US ambassador's residence, Winfield House, before a day of royal ceremony and lavish spectacle in Windsor Castle on Wednesday - with the president describing Windsor as "the ultimate" in settings.

Hosting him will be King Charles and a full line-up of senior royals, currently including Queen Camilla, who had to miss the Duchess of Kent's funeral on Tuesday because she was suffering from acute sinusitis.

Prince William and Catherine will be part of a ceremonial welcome, there will be a gun salute, military inspection and President Trump and First Lady Melania Trump will have a carriage procession within the Windsor estate.

Such spectacles will be aimed at pleasing a president who on Tuesday evening at Winfield House once again revealed his enthusiasm for royalty, saying about the King: "He's been a friend of mine for a long time, and everybody respects him, and they love him."

On his feelings about the UK, President Trump said: "I have a lot of things here that warm my heart. I want to tell you. It's a very special place."

A key message from the UK government will be to encourage the United States to maintain its commitment to Nato and to support Ukraine and there will be a much bigger than usual military line-up for the state visit.

There will be 1,300 service men and women, from the Army, Royal Navy and RAF taking part in the welcome, creating the largest ever guard of honour for a state visit to the UK.

A joint US and UK flypast by F-35 jets and the Red Arrows will fly over Windsor, watched by Sir Keir Starmer alongside the president, in a display showing the closeness of the military relationship.

The centrepiece of the state visit will be the spectacular banquet in St George's Hall, where King Charles and President Trump will make speeches, with guests enjoying a menu that's likely to be a culinary representation of the special relationship, with UK and US food.

Along with the royal pageantry and photo-opportunities, there will be efforts to influence the US president over trade and international co-operation.

State visits are a form of soft power diplomacy, using the royal charm offensive to build relations with important international partners - with none more important than the US.

As the visit got underway, a major technology deal was announced with US tech firms investing £31bn in the UK, including £22bn from Microsoft.

This will see co-operation in artificial intelligence, quantum computing and nuclear power, in a tech deal which Sir Keir Starmer hopes will begin "creating highly skilled jobs, putting more money in people's pockets".

Ahead of the visit, the owner of Google, Alphabet, announced a £5bn ($6.8bn) investment in the UK's artificial intelligence research.

And an agreement is to be signed between the US and UK on accelerating the development of nuclear power.

But ambitions to remove the current 25% tariff on UK steel exports to the US seem to have been put on hold - although this remains lower than the 50% tariff facing many other countries.

Anti-Trump protestors have begun to gather in Windsor - and giant images of Donald Trump and sex offender Jeffrey Epstein have been projected on to the walls of Windsor Castle.

Thames Valley Police later said four people had been arrested following an "unauthorised projection at Windsor Castle", with a statement saying they "take any unauthorised activity around Windsor Castle extremely seriously".

A heavy security operation will be in place during the presidential visit, which ends on Thursday afternoon.

But unlike other recent state visits, there will not be any moments visible to the public, with all the events taking place behind the walls of the Windsor estate or at the PM's country estate, Chequers.

The high street in Windsor has US flags flying, but they won't be seen by the visiting president.

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US officers tied us up and pointed guns at us, South Korean engineers tell BBC

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c07v1j98ydvo, today

When Youngjin looked out of his office window and saw armoured trucks and immigration enforcement officers running around with guns, he was surprised, but not worried.

The young South Korean was certain it had nothing to do with him. He was in the US only for a few weeks on a short-term visa, he thought to himself.

Then the armed agents burst into his room and ordered him outside. They handcuffed him, before attaching chains to his waist and ankles, and loaded him onto a bus bound for a detention centre.

"I panicked and my mind went blank. I felt sick," he told the BBC, now back home in South Korea.

"I couldn't understand why I was being treated like this."

Youngjin is one of more than 300 Korean workers who were detained in the US state of Georgia earlier this month, in one of the largest immigration raids of Donald Trump's presidency to date. He and others interviewed for this article didn't want to reveal their real names in order to protect their identity.

'Helicopters and drones… people with guns'

US officials initially claimed the workers had been in the country illegally on incorrect visas, but eventually the two sides struck a deal allowing them to leave voluntarily without any penalties, so they could return to work there in the future.

Most of the workers were in the US temporarily, helping to build an electric car battery plant run by two South Korean companies, Hyundai and LG – part of a US push to get foreign companies to invest and manufacture more in the states.

LG said that many of its employees who were arrested had various types of visas or were under a visa waiver programme. And so they were especially shocked by the raid.

"We just came out for a brief break and I could see a lot of people, officials with guns. As Koreans, we just thought they were here to arrest criminals, but then, they suddenly started arresting us," said Chul-yong, who was also detained that day.

He said they tried to explain who they were, but they were terrified: "There were helicopters and drones, armoured vehicles… people with guns."

There were some officers pointing guns at workers, he claimed. "You know those red lasers that come out of those guns? It was so shocking that some people were shivering in fear."

Even those who managed to share their visa details said they were arrested. "I thought everything would be cleared up but instead, they suddenly shackled us," said Mr Kim, another worker detained, who only wanted to reveal his last name.

Chul-yong said there was a shackle around his ankles and another around his waist, connected to handcuffs. "It was so tight, I couldn't touch my face with my hands."

They all said they had no idea why this was happening, or where they were being taken. "I later learned that I was detained at the Folkston ICE Processing Center," added Chul-yong, a software engineer. He had been planning to stay for about a month but was arrested on his sixth day there.

'It was freezing... the water smelt like sewage'

Youngjin, an engineer and sub-contractor for LG, was scheduled to be there for five weeks to train staff to operate some of the specialist high-tech equipment.

The 30-year-old was shaking, still visibly upset, as he described to the BBC being taken to the detention centre and locked in a room with 60-70 other people.

"I had a panic attack. I just stood there trembling," he said. The room was freezing, and the new detainees were not given blankets for the first two days, he added.

"I was wearing short sleeves, so I put my arms inside my clothes and wrapped myself in a towel to try to stay warm at night," he said. "The worst part was the water. It smelt like sewage. We drank as little as possible."

The bunk beds were all taken, Chul-yong said, by the time he arrived, leaving him and others to find any empty spot to rest, even an empty desk where they could put their head down.

"We tried to sleep anywhere, really. It was really cold. There were people who found packaged bread, heated it up in the microwave, hugging it throughout the night."

For the first few days, Youngjin had no idea how long he would be held for. He feared it might be months. Only after some of the workers were able to meet lawyers and consular staff, did they realise their government was working with the US authorities to get them released.

"Even the US side feels it may have gone a bit too far," South Korea's chief trade negotiator told reporters after returning from the US. Seoul says it is now investigating potential human rights violations during the raid by US authorities.

Trump acknowledged the need to have specialists from overseas train up US workers, and according to South Korean officials, US Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau has expressed his "deep regrets" over the incident.

Still, it has shaken relations between the US and South Korea, usually close allies, especially since it came hard on the heels of a trade deal in which South Korean companies pledged to invest $350bn in the US.

Mr Kim believed his work was permitted by his B-1 visa - and argued it made no sense for the authorities to detain hundreds of people without clarifying their roles in the factory.

Younjin, who was in the US on a 90-day visa waiver programme, is adamant he did nothing illegal. "I only attended meetings and gave training presentations," he said, explaining this was within the scope of the waiver. "My trust in the US has been deeply shaken. I don't think it's a trustworthy partner for South Korea."

Although back with his family, the engineer is still struggling to process what happened to him. When he saw them at the airport after arriving home on Friday night, he said he smiled and hugged them, but felt nothing.

"It was like I was hollow inside. It wasn't until my mum cooked me dinner that night that it really hit me, and I cried for the first time."

And he only leaves the house for short outings. "When I'm outside, if I smell something similar to the prison, I start trembling and get short of breath, so I don't go outside for long now," he said.

Chul-yong says he, too, has been struggling with the experience. "We all came out of the arrival gate smiling, but now that I think of it, I was close to tears," he says, recalling his return home last week. "Saying this makes me tear up."

And seeing himself in news reports on TV has not been easy. "You couldn't see my face, but you could recognise my body. So my family and friends all knew that it was me."

He thinks most of the workers have "had enough" and may not return. But he says he has no choice.

"This is what I do. I've been doing this for 30 years. I've put my life into this work," he adds.

"If I can't do this, what can I do? How will my family live?"

Judge dismisses terrorism charges against Luigi Mangione

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cj4y2p8qq5qo, today

A judge in New York state has dismissed two terrorism charges against Luigi Mangione, the alleged killer of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson.

However, Judge Gregory Carro during a hearing on Tuesday morning ruled a charge of second-degree murder against Mangione could stand.

He said prosecutors had failed to establish that there was enough evidence to justify the terrorism-related murder charges that they sought against Mangione.

Mangione is accused of gunning down Thompson on a busy Manhattan street in December last year.

In a written ruling, Carro said that the allegations against Mangione did not meet the definition of terrorism under state law.

Although prosecutors argued that writings left by Mangione demonstrated a terrorism motive, the judge said they failed to show that the suspect intended to put political pressure on the government or terrorise the general population - key provisions of New York's terrorism law which was passed in the wake of the 11 September 2001 attacks.

"There was no evidence presented that the defendant made any demands of government or sought any particular governmental policy change, let alone that he did so by intimidation or coercion," Carro wrote in his ruling.

The first-degree murder charge that was dismissed would have carried a maximum sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole.

If convicted of the remaining second-degree murder charge, Mangione faces a minimum sentence of 15 to 25 years in prison. He has also been charged with weapons and forgery crimes.

And in addition to the New York state criminal proceedings, Mangione also faces federal murder charges, which could lead to the death penalty.

Carro rejected the defence team's request to delay the state trial until the conclusion of Mangione's federal trial.

During the hearing on Tuesday the judge ruled that trial hearings would begin on 1 December.

Mangione has pleaded not guilty to the charges against him.

Thompson, a father of two, was the chief executive of the insurance division of UnitedHealth Group - the largest health insurer in the US.

He was in New York City for a meeting when he was shot three times on a busy Manhattan street at around 6:45 a.m. on 4 December.

After a five-day manhunt, Mangione was arrested about 300 miles (480km) away, at a McDonald's restaurant in Altoona, Pennsylvania.

Police said he left a note criticising companies profiting from the US health care system, accusing them of "corruption and greed".

Outside the Manhattan Supreme Court on Tuesday a handful of Mangione's supporters gathered, some of them holding placards with slogans such as "Free Luigi" and "Innocent until proven guilty".

Coup plot charges for former Romanian presidential candidate

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c4g5ky0vex8o, today

Romanian far-right former presidential candidate Calin Georgescu has been charged with attempting to stage a coup after the first round of the presidential election was annulled last December.

Horatiu Potra, a former French legionnaire and militia chief in the Democratic Republic of Congo, and 20 other people were also charged.

The case rests on a planned raid on the Romanian capital Bucharest on 8 December, which police foiled.

Romanian prosecutors describe a plot targeting Romania's constitutional order, involving Georgescu, Potra, their group, and alleged foreign intelligence links.

Potra and others have been charged with instigating the coup, while Georgescu is accused of conspiring with Potra.

Prosecutors say Georgescu met Potra and other members of his group at a horse farm in December, soon after Georgescu's victory was annulled.

Georgescu initially denied that the meeting took place, but later admitted it after photographs were published in Romanian media. However he denies discussing plans to stage an insurrection.

In late February police raided several locations in Romania, uncovering a cache of weapons, gold and cash, with which it is alleged Potra's group were planning to stage a violent power grab.

Prosecutors say Potra is currently not in the country and may seek asylum in Russia.

Georgescu, 63, came a surprise first in the first round of Romania's presidential election last November.

That result was annulled by the Constitutional Court just days before the second round was due to take place amid allegations of Russian interference.

Romanian intelligence services suggested his presence and popularity on social media had been boosted by a mass influence operation – conducted from abroad – to interfere with the result of the vote.

At a press conference, prosecutor general Florenta described the annulled 2024 election as "the result of a hybrid war orchestrated by Russia."

He alleged that cyberattacks on airports and public institutions coincided with an online disinformation campaign waged through troll farms, bots, and AI-generated content.

According to investigators, more than 2,000 Facebook pages were used to amplify pro-Georgescu messaging, while TikTok networks of over 20,000 automated accounts boosted his campaign in the days before the vote.

After Georgescu was barred from registering as a candidate his ally George Simion, the leader of the far-right AUR party, stood in his place in the May rerun.

Simion won a dramatic first-round victory but was eventually beaten into second place by Nicusor Dan, the liberal, pro-EU mayor of Bucharest, in the run-off.

Georgescu has not yet commented on the charges, although this month he accused the Romanian authorities of ruling through "deceit, intrigue and division".

President Dan said the report by prosecutors was "proof" that Russia had exercised "systematic disinformation" in Romania and had tried to influence the 2024 election.

A date for Georgescu's trial has not yet been given, but it could begin in early 2026.

'The bombing has been insane': Gaza City Palestinians scramble to flee Israeli assault

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cly0qnnx5w5o, today

Thousands of families are attempting to flee Gaza City as the Israeli military confirms it has begun ground operations that are part of its large-scale assault aimed at occupying the city.

Lina al-Maghrebi, 32, a mother of three from the city's Sheikh Radwan neighbourhood told the BBC she had resisted leaving her home - despite the danger - until she received a phone call from an Israeli officer ordering her to evacuate.

"I was forced to sell my jewellery to cover the cost of displacement and a tent," she said. "It took us 10 hours to reach Khan Younis, and we paid 3,500 shekels (£735) for the ride. The line of cars and trucks seemed endless."

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said a "powerful operation" had been launched in Gaza City, which he described as Hamas's last major stronghold.

The Israeli military has designated al-Rashid coastal road as the only permitted route for civilians to use to evacuate. Many have described severe congestion, endless queues of cars and trucks, and long delays, with families stranded on the roadside while airstrikes continue overhead.

Nivin Imad al-Din, 38, a mother of five, said she fled south after Israeli warplanes dropped evacuation leaflets in her neighbourhood, though her husband refused to leave their home.

"I couldn't take my furniture with me because I couldn't afford the cost of a large truck," she explained. "Leaving everything behind was the hardest decision I've ever made."

The cost of displacement has surged far beyond the reach of most households. Residents said renting a small truck now costs around 3,000 shekels (£630), while a tent for five people sells for about 4,000 shekels (£840). With most families deprived of income since the war began, some are forced to walk for miles or remain in their homes despite the risks.

Overnight into Tuesday, Israeli warplanes carried out a wave of heavy airstrikes across Gaza City, with concentrated bombardment on the central al-Daraj neighbourhood, the Beach refugee camp in the west, and Sheikh Radwan in the north.

The attacks were accompanied by artillery fire, drone fire and helicopter gunship activity.

The Israel Defense Forces said it was "gradually" moving into Gaza City as part of the "next phase" of its offensive.

It said air and ground forces would be part of this next stage of the military's operation, with the number of troops increasing day-by-day.

Residents described the overnight strikes as "hell".

Ghazi al-Aloul, a displaced resident from northern Gaza, told the BBC he is now sleeping at the entrance of al-Quds Hospital in Tel al-Hawa, southwest Gaza.

"I did not choose this," he said. "I was forced after leaving the home where my family and I had been sheltering for nearly a month after fleeing the north".

"The bombardment has been insane for hours, and the army is threatening to demolish several residential buildings in the area."

Sami Abu Dalal, from al-Daraj in central Gaza, described the night as "extremely difficult".

"Whole residential blocks were levelled on top of their inhabitants, leaving many dead, missing, or injured," he said.

He said Israel was advancing on three fronts - and was accompanied by the use of booby-trapped vehicles, intense airstrikes, and heavy shelling. Meanwhile, Apache helicopters hovered over different parts of the city, firing continuously.

Israel's ramped up offensive comes as a United Nations commission of inquiry have released a report that says Israel is committing genocide against Palestinians in Gaza - Israel categorically rejected the report.

Robert Redford: The enthralling star whose 'aura' lit up Hollywood

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/ckke5522r23o, today

Charles Robert Redford Jr was born in Santa Monica, California, on 18 August 1936 - the son of a milkman who later became an accountant with Standard Oil.

At school, he became part of a street gang and was arrested for "borrowing an automobile that had stolen jewellery in its trunk".

He won a scholarship to the University of Colorado thanks to his prowess at baseball, but was thrown out after 18 months for drunkenness. At the same time, his mother died - aged just 40.

Stricken with grief, he drifted for a while, finding work in the Californian oilfields - before travelling to Paris and Florence, where he studied art.

His sojourn in Europe encouraged him to take a fresh approach to the United States: "I began to look at my country from another point of view," he later said.

Returning home, he enrolled at the American Academy of Dramatic Art with ambitions to become a theatrical designer - but quickly switched to acting.

Like many actors in late 1950s New York, he picked up a number of small roles on stage and television, including parts in popular series such as The Untouchables, Perry Mason and Dr Kildare.

His big-screen debut came in 1960 with a minor role in Tall Story, where he found himself working alongside Jane Fonda.

It was not an auspicious start to his film career. The film flopped - with Time magazine opining that "nothing can save this picture".

However, it did mark the beginning of a lifetime's friendship with Fonda, who later admitted to falling in love with him each time they worked together.

"There was always a mystery because he didn't reveal anything. He's got an aura about him," she said.

His first major stage success was as pompous lawyer Paul Bratter in Neil Simon's romantic comedy Barefoot in the Park. It was a role he would reprise in the 1967 film version, opposite Fonda.

In 1965, he picked up a Golden Globe award for most promising newcomer for his role in the film Inside Daisy Clover with Natalie Wood.

But he was turned down for the part of Benjamin Braddock in The Graduate because director Mike Nichols felt he was too good-looking - which made Redford wary of being stereotyped by his appearance.

Global fame came in 1969 with Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid.

The 33-year-old's portrayal of the laidback Kid, in contrast to Paul Newman's fast-talking Butch, proved to be one of Hollywood's great partnerships.

Ironically, Redford nearly missed out on the part after one studio executive said: "He's just another Hollywood blond. Throw a stick out of a window in Malibu, you'll hit six like him."

The studio did everything it could to avoid hiring Redford, until Newman - a huge established star - stepped in and insisted.

The two actors found they shared a love of theatre, and remained firm friends until Newman's death in 2008.

"We'd play tricks on each other," Redford said of his relationship with Newman. "The more sophisticated the joke the better."

In 1973, their natural on-screen chemistry saw them team up again in The Sting.

Redford was Oscar-nominated for his role as Johnny Hooker, a small-time grifter who joins forces with Newman's character to swindle a vicious crime boss.

The film, with its distinctive ragtime soundtrack, eventually won seven Academy Awards including best picture - although Redford was beaten to the best actor award by Jack Lemmon.

It was the only time Redford was ever nominated in the best actor category at the Oscars, although he would later win as a director - and received an honorary Oscar in 2002.

Redford's acting roles were prolific throughout the 70s, although there were mixed reviews for his turn as the enigmatic Gatsby in The Great Gatsby, and he was overshadowed by Barbra Streisand in The Way We Were.

But in 1974, Redford bought the film rights to All the President's Men, an account of the Watergate scandal by Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein - the two Washington Post reporters who uncovered it.

"The Washington Post were very nervous about us - that this was Hollywood and it could hurt them," he recalled.

Released in 1976, with Redford playing Woodward alongside Dustin Hoffman as Bernstein, the film was a critical success, winning four Oscars - including best adapted screenplay and best supporting actor for Jason Robards.

Four years on, and Redford made his directorial debut with 1980's Ordinary People, a study of the collapse of a middle-class family after the death of one of their sons. It won him his first and only Oscar.

With recognition came wealth.

Redford used much of his earnings to buy a ski resort in Utah, his wife Lola's home state, which he renamed Sundance after one of his most famous roles.

Around the same time, he founded the Sundance Institute to provide creative and financial support to independent film-makers. He went on to become chairman of the Utah/US Film Festival, later renamed the Sundance Film Festival.

Over time, the festival became a key event in the film calendar, showcasing the work of many directors who went on to become household names, including Quentin Tarantino and Steven Soderbergh.

In acting terms, there were hits and misses over the last two decades of the 20th Century. Prison drama Brubaker was a commercial and critical success, and there was a positive reception for popular dramas The Horse Whisperer and Indecent Proposal.

Out of Africa won a fistful of awards, but Havana was badly received and lost money at the box office.

Simultaneously, Redford continued to direct, including A River Runs Through It - which gave a career boost to a fledgling Brad Pitt - and The Legend of Bagger Vance, the last film to feature Jack Lemmon.

There was a muted reception for Lions for Lambs, which saw him reunited with Out of Africa's Meryl Streep. There was high praise, however, for his role in the groundbreaking All is Lost - about an elderly yachtsman alone on his damaged boat in the Indian Ocean.

"There's no dialogue, none at all. And I'm the only actor on screen in the whole movie," Redford said. Many critics described his performance as the best of his career.

He also starred as S.H.I.E.L.D agent Alexander Pierce in Captain America: The Winter Soldier, a film far removed from his usual fare.

"I like the idea of stepping into new territory," he told the LA Times, in 2013. "This is the kind of film I would love to have seen as a kid."

Away from the studio, Redford became a prominent advocate for the environment. "Ours is a sick planet because of our behaviour on it," he said in a 2014 interview.

Redford married Lola Van Wagenen in 1958, and the couple had four children.

Their youngest, Scott, died of sudden infant death syndrome aged two months.

In interviews, Redford said he believed that karma had punished him for possessing sexual magnetism and leading the hedonistic life of an actor.

"It felt like retribution," he says. "I always had this thing that death was on my shoulder, 24/7. My dogs, as a kid. My mum. My firstborn."

The couple divorced in 1985, and Redford had lengthy romances with Brazilian actress Sonia Braga and costume assistant Kathy O'Rear. He married Sibylle Szaggars - a German-born artist - in 2009.

In 2020, his son, David, died in his fifties from complications of bile duct cancer. He had been ill since birth and had had two liver transplants.

In 2019, Redford announced his retirement from acting soon after his cameo in Avengers: Endgame. But he found it hard to leave the limelight.

Approaching the age of 90, he reversed his decision a few years later - to appear in several episodes of Dark Winds, the story of two Navajo police officers who try to solve a double murder.

Redford often shunned the Hollywood limelight, preferring to plough his own furrow.

Despite never winning an acting Oscar, the Academy paid tribute to his body of work with a lifetime achievement award in 2002.

Ultimately, Redford preferred characters that were a little offbeat - in keeping with his passion for independent cinema.

But he always insisted that his good looks hindered, rather than helped, him as an actor.

"The notion that you're not so much of an actor, you're just somebody that looks well. That was always hard for me," he said.

"I always took pride in whatever role I was playing; I would be that character."

Man falsely claimed he shot Kirk to distract from real gunman, police say

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c20e1jx0p5jo, today

A 71-year-old man, who was arrested shortly after the assassination of Charlie Kirk and then released, tried to help the suspected gunman escape by faking a confession, authorities say.

Utah County Sheriff Michael Smith said George Zinn admitted to police that he had "yelled that he was the shooter to allow the actual suspect to flee".

The prime suspect in the killing is 22-year-old Tyler Robinson, who appeared to acknowledge Mr Zinn's initial arrest after the shooting, telling his roommate over text that the police "grabbed some crazy old dude".

Mr Zinn is being held on obstruction of justice charges. Separately, he has also been charged with possession of child sex abuse material.

George Zinn was one of two people that the police had detained for questioning after conservative commentator Charlie Kirk was fatally shot at Utah Valley University on 10 September.

Police later determined that the two suspects were not involved in the killing.

Mr Zinn "intentionally yelled he was the shooter and by doing so, obstructed Law Enforcement from focusing on the actual shooter", the sheriff said in a statement.

Court documents filed by campus police allege that Mr Zinn began shouting: "I shot him - now shoot me."

When asked by an officer where the weapon used in the shooting was located, he allegedly responded: "I am not going to tell you", according to the documents.

The sheriff said that there was currently no evidence Mr Zinn colluded with the gunman.

Sherriff Smith added that Mr Zinn is also being held for the sexual exploitation of a minor, and that agents found more than 20 images of children "in various stages of undress and sexual posing".

On Monday, a judge ordered that Mr Zinn be held without bail, calling him a "substantial danger" to the community.

It was not clear from court records if he had a lawyer.

Mr Zinn is well known among organisers of public events in Salt Lake City, the New York Times reported. "He showed up frequently to public forums with the intention to disrupt the event or question a high-profile speaker," it said.

He also has a long history of minor crimes, including an arrest in 2013 for sending a threatening email to the hosts of the Salt Lake City Marathon just days after the Boston Marathon bombing, the newspaper wrote.

Robinson, the prime suspect in the killing was charged on seven counts including aggravated murder, on Tuesday.

Charlie Kirk was one of the highest profile conservative activists and media personalities in the US.

Known for his outspoken views on gender, race, and gun rights, Kirk was a polarising figure and a close ally of President Donald Trump.

He was shot while hosting an event at Utah Valley University, in what authorities have described as a targeted attack. President Trump called Mr Kirk "a patriot" and said his killing marked a "dark moment for America".

Canada's Chrystia Freeland quits cabinet to become Ukraine envoy

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c5y8k4zz6n2o, today

Canadian minister and member of parliament Chrystia Freeland announced on Tuesday that she will step down from Prime Minister Mark Carney's cabinet and will not run for re-election.

Freeland will instead take on a new role as Canada's special envoy to Ukraine, Carney said.

She has been a fixture of Canadian politics since 2015, serving as former finance and foreign affairs minister, as well as deputy prime minister. Freeland is also credited with forcing former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's exit after abruptly resigning from his cabinet last year.

She announced her resignation in a post on X, writing that she made the decision "with tremendous gratitude and a little sadness".

Justin Bieber and Sabrina Carpenter to headline Coachella 2026

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cr5q8zg0zy9o, today

Sabrina Carpenter, Justin Bieber and Karol G have been announced as the headliners of next year's Coachella festival.

It will be the first time any of the three artists have topped the bill at the event, which takes place in the Californian desert in front of about 250,000 fans.

Teddy Swims, Katseye, Central Cee and CMAT are also on the line-up.

The festival, held at the Empire Polo Club in Indio, has been running since 2002 and takes place over two weekends.

Sabrina will take to the stage first on the Friday with Bieber and Karol G set to headline the Saturday and Sunday respectively.

There's a number of UK artists also on the bill for next year with the likes of Disclosure, Wet Leg, Lambrini Girls, Little Simz and FKA Twigs.

Tickets are not on sale yet but fans can register for passes.

Coachella is one of the most high-profile music festivals in the world thanks to its line-up and its reputation for attracting a celebrity audience.

Last year actor Timothee Chalamet and partner Kylie Jenner were spotted in the crowd, along with Justin Bieber and his wife Hailey.

The star-studded line-up included Lady Gaga, Charli XCX, Travis Scott, Post Malone and Green Day.

There were also complaints about a new reservation system for anyone camping at the festival, which was blamed for causing 12-hour tailbacks outside the event.

No migrant return flights to France on Tuesday

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c1dqe2443l1o, today

No migrant return flights will take place on Tuesday under the new pilot scheme agreed between the UK and France, the BBC has learned.

The first returns of migrants who reached the UK on small boats via the English Channel from France were expected to begin from as early as Tuesday.

Downing Street has insisted that the removals will begin "imminently" - although initial plans for a flight to Paris today were put back.

On Tuesday, a 25-year-old Eritrean man who arrived on a small boat in August launched a last-minute legal claim at the High Court to stop his removal on a 9am flight to France on Wednesday.

The 'one in, one out' scheme was set up as part of a deal announced by Prime Minister Keir Starmer and French President Emmanuel Macron in July this year. Dozens of migrants have been detained since.

On Tuesday, No 10 said the government was "confident in the legal basis for this pilot" and is "prepared to respond to any legal scrutiny that occurs".

Over the last fortnight, some migrants being held in immigration removal centres, having crossed the Channel in dinghies, were told they could be returned to France as early as Tuesday.

Some individuals received letters that said they would be put on a scheduled Air France flight departing from Heathrow Airport for Paris at 9am this morning.

However, a number of sources told the BBC that some of the potential passengers had been told their departure would be deferred as further representations about their cases were made.

It is not unusual for immigration removals to be delayed if officials are warned by lawyers that the individual has not had a full or fair opportunity to present their case.

On Tuesday, the first legal challenge against the 'one in one out' agreement was launched in the High Court in London, where lawyers argued against the removal of their unnamed Eritrean client.

Sonali Naik KC said a decision was pending under the national referral mechanism decision - which identifies and assesses victims of slavery and human trafficking.

Under the new treaty, France agreed to take back adults or accompanied children who make a journey to the UK by small boat, once any asylum claim is withdrawn or declared inadmissible.

For each person sent back to France, the UK will accept someone with a case for protection as a refugee, who has not tried to cross the English Channel and can pass security and eligibility criteria.

The BBC understands that migrants living in the Calais region who have applied to the scheme have been rejected - but asylum seekers in the Paris region have been accepted.

The government has not confirmed how many people a week will be returned or relocated under the scheme, but former home secretary Yvette Cooper stressed that it was operating on a trial basis.

Other factors that may have played a part in the delay include whether France is ready to receive returnees, and on the UK side, the state of security checks of any potential genuine refugees.

The Home Office began detaining some small boat migrants on 6 August on the basis that they were ineligible for asylum because they had spent time in a safe third country.

Under the scheme, officials in London refer each potential return case to French officials. The French authorities then have two weeks to respond - before beginning the process of proposing who should come to the UK in their place.

The scheme is one of a number of measures unveiled by the government which aim to tackle small boat crossings.

However, the Conservatives have argued it will not see enough migrants deported to act as a significant deterrent.

Ministers have not put a figure on how many people will be returned to France under the pilot.

More than 30,000 people have crossed the Channel in small boats so far this year.

It is the earliest point in a calendar year this figure has been passed since data on crossings was first reported in 2018.

Chinese-linked mining firms sued over 'ecological catastrophe' in Zambia

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cy7p51l60rro, today

Farmers in Zambia have filed an $80bn (£58.5bn) lawsuit against two Chinese-linked firms, blaming them for an "ecological catastrophe" caused by the collapse of a dam that stored waste from copper mining.

Million of litres of highly acidic material spilled into waterways in February, leading to "mass fatalities" among fish, making water undrinkable and destroying crops, the farmers said in court papers.

This is one of the biggest environmental lawsuits in Zambia's history, with the farmers saying the spillage affects about 300,000 households in the copper-mining region.

The US embassy issued a health alert in August, raising concerns of "widespread contamination of water and soil" in the area.

The lawsuit pits villagers, who are mostly subsistence farmers, against Sino Metals Leach Zambia and NFC Africa Mining, which are subsidiaries of Chinese state-owned firms.

A group of 176 of them have filed papers on behalf of their community in the High Court in Zambia's capital, Lusaka.

They alleged the collapse of the tailings dam - owned by Sino Metals Leach Zambia but located in the surface area of NFC Africa Mining - was caused by numerous factors, including engineering failures, construction flaws and operational mismanagement.

The firms have not yet commented on the lawsuit, but Sino Metals Leach Zambia has previously said there was a spillage of about 50,000 cubic metres.

"The tailings release and breach was promptly brought under control within hours of detection," the firm said in a statement on 3 September.

In the court papers the farmers said they had learned that the water was highly toxic only several days after the tailings dam had collapsed.

It had put the community's health at risk, with people reporting various symptoms of illnesses, including blood in urine and chest tightness, the papers said.

Most villages had dug wells, but even they were polluted and crops had to be burned because they were unsafe for consumption, the petitioners said.

They demanded that the two firms should put $80bn in a Zambian government-managed account as "security" for, among others, "environmental reparation" and "full compensation".

An emergency fund of $20m should also be set up to provide "immediate and urgent" help to people affected by the disaster, and to carry out thorough health and environmental assessments, the petitioners said.

Last month, the US embassy said it had ordered the immediate withdrawal of its personnel from Kitwe - the biggest city in the Copperbelt region - and nearby areas after expressing concern that beyond the "contaminated water and soil, contaminants from the spilled mine tailings may also become airborne, posing a health threat if inhaled".

In response, Zambian government spokesperson Cornelius Mweetwa had said there were no longer any serious implications for public health, and there was "no need to press the 'panic button' today to alarm the nation and the international community".

Go to BBCAfrica.com for more news from the African continent.

America's unofficial party house where presidents like Trump stay in London

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cn0x2vxl7gjo, today

In central London, on land the size of seven football pitches, sits a mansion called Winfield House - the official residence of the US ambassador to the UK.

It may be a stately home but through the years it's been known to throw one hell of a party, especially on 4 July, America's Independence Day. This year's celebration saw Nile Rodgers & Chic headline the building's lawn for thousands of people.

Fashion's elite, sports stars and wartime leaders have all been entertained here. Even in 1825 when the original site was built, according to Winfield's official website, its primary use was for entertainment.

President Donald Trump is spending the first night of his state visit at the 35-room mansion. The Trumps also stayed there in 2019, as did the Bidens and Obamas previously.

"It's not just the home of the ambassador, but it's also a centre of diplomatic hospitality," says Stephen Crisp, formerly the property's head gardener, who worked there for 37 years until his retirement last year.

One thing Winfield isn't, is a tourist attraction. Located inside Regent's Park, it's exclusive and takes planning to get inside. Friends of Regent's Park previously arranged tours of the grounds - but so far this year the ambassador has not granted permission.

From the road outside, the house cannot be seen. It's shrouded in woodland and is very private for central London.

"It's really, really difficult to get in there. I regard it as a feather in my cap that I actually managed to get in," says Viv Ward, Friends of Regent's Park's event manager. He calls the house "magnificent" and is audibly in awe of the grounds.

Tours of Winfield only allow you to see the ground floor, which is basically a "very posh" area for receptions, and the gardens. The first floor is home to the personal apartments of the ambassador.

As a home and the venue of most American receptions, schedules are tight. "It wasn't a case of we would like to come on this date and this time. It was just, you will be allowed to come here on this day," Mr Ward says.

The property boasts the second-largest private garden in central London, says Mr Crisp. It's home to a lawn, paved walkways, sculptures - and there's also space for helicopters to land.

Socialite and heir to the Woolworths fortune, Barbara Hutton, sold Winfield to the US government for a mere dollar in 1946 in an offer described by the then-president Harry S Truman as "most generous and patriotic".

Hutton had bought the house 10 years earlier after it was partly destroyed in a fire. The Crown Estate Commission gave her permission to tear it down and rebuild in the iconic red brick Georgian style that remains today.

She named it after her grandfather, Frank Winfield Woolworth, the founder of the Woolworth shopping chain.

With World War Two about to erupt and her second marriage not going particularly well, Hutton returned to America with her son in 1939. It would later be revealed this is when she met her next husband - actor Cary Grant - who is said to have stayed at the mansion with her.

During the war, Winfield was commandeered by the Royal Air Force balloon barrage unit with officers reportedly playing football in the gardens.

Hutton returned to London to see what was left of it at the end of the war - and after the Germans' bombs. She called her lawyer and requested it be handed over to the US government for repairs - and it's been used as the official residence of ambassadors ever since.

History is in the walls of Winfield. The original building was called St Dunstan's, and according to Friends of Regent's Park, was used for blind veterans of World War One. A charity of the same name still exists today.

Speaking about US presidents, Mr Crisp says: "At some point they all come, at least once." He explains he met Trump and his wife Melania during their previous state visit in 2019, which was "a little bit surreal". They dined at the property with Queen Camilla and King Charles III before he ascended to the throne.

An iconic image of Mikhail Gorbachev - the last Soviet leader - and US President George W Bush may be one of the most famous moments from the house. The pair held a joint news conference there at the G7 summit in 1991.

Politicians have long used it for key moments, including international summits, grand state dinners and bringing together wartime leaders.

Security detail for presidential visits is secure information - often never released. But Mr Ward shares a glimpse into the daily routine at the house.

"The security is unbelievable, I mean for example I used to have to send the embassy a list of attendees," he adds, saying photo ID had to be shown to the armed presence on the gates of Winfield.

And if you want to leave early? An armed officer has to escort you off the premises.

Winfield House has hosted many varied events, says Mr Crisp.

There have been performances by Take That, Duran Duran, the Foo Fighters, Ed Sheeran and Bastille, he says, sometimes in the garden and sometimes in the house.

It's also been home to sporting events with the Duke of Sussex attending an Invictus Games reception there. Michelle Obama got stuck in with a sports day event, even doing the tug of the war alongside some famous spectators.

Fashion royalty has also hit the corridors of Winfield. Former Vogue boss Alexandra Shulman co-hosted a London Fashion Week opening party with the ambassador at the time. A Spice Girl was spotted too.

Some of the events would involve "thousands" of guests, Mr Crisp says, with the 4 July parties typically gathering 3,000 or 4,000.

It's a bit of an escape.

"You would never know you're in the centre of the London," Mr Ward says.

But what's the most disappointing part of the house? (Disappointing feels like a stretch.) Mr Ward says its driveway is "rather modest" compared to the rest of Winfield.

"It's big enough for big limousines but you couldn't get a brigade of guards walking up and things. It's not like the Mall."

Additional reporting: Grace Dean

Jeremy Bowen: UN genocide report a blunt indictment of Israel's actions in Gaza

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c0m4rxjppl8o, today

The report is intended to be detailed and damning, presenting evidence it says shows that Israel is committing genocide in Gaza. It says that Israel has breached the Genocide Convention that was passed in 1948 by the newly established United Nations. The word genocide, and the convention that defined it as a crime, were directly inspired by the genocide of six million Jews by Nazi Germany.

Israel denies all allegations that its conduct in Gaza has broken the treaties and conventions that make up the laws of war and international humanitarian law. It justifies its actions as self-defence, in protection of its citizens and to force the release of the hostages taken by Hamas and Islamic Jihad on 7 October 2023, around 20 of whom are believed still to be alive.

The Israelis and their American allies are certain to dismiss the report, which was compiled by a commission of inquiry set up by the UN Human Rights Council.

Israel's foreign ministry denounced it as "distorted and false", accusing the three experts on the commission of serving as "Hamas proxies" and relying "entirely on Hamas falsehoods, laundered and repeated by others" that had "already been thoroughly debunked". Israel and the US are boycotting the Council, which both countries say is biased against them.

But the findings of the report will feed into the growing international condemnation of Israel's conduct, which is also coming from Israel's traditional western allies as well as the Gulf Arab monarchies that normalised relations with Israel in the Abraham Accords.

Next week at the UN General Assembly in New York, the United Kingdom, France, Australia, Canada and others are due to join the majority of UN members by recognising the sovereignty of an independent Palestinian state.

The move will be more than symbolic. It will change the debate about the future of the conflict that began more than a century ago when Zionist Jews from Europe came to settle in Palestine. Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel's prime minister, has condemned recognition as antisemitic, and a reward for Hamas terrorism.

He says the Palestinians will never have independence in any part of the land between the river Jordan and the Mediterranean Sea, as a Palestinian state would put Israelis in danger. Israeli religious nationalists believe the land was granted to the Jewish people alone by God.

Genocide is defined in the 1948 convention, as the intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnical, racial or religious group – in this case, Palestinians in Gaza.

The report details actions against Palestinians inside Gaza and in jails inside Israel.

Among a long list of accusations is Israeli targeting of civilians that it has a legal obligation to protect, and the imposition of "inhumane conditions causing the death of Palestinians, including the deprivation of food, water and medicines". That is a reference to the blockade that has produced a famine as well as widespread starvation, according to the IPC, the international body that assesses food emergencies.

The new UN report also details forced displacement, currently happening in Gaza City after the Israeli military, the IDF, ordered all civilians there to move south. Around one million people are believed to be affected. Israel's offensive is gathering pace, with air strikes and the destruction of many buildings, including high rises that are symbols of Gaza City, which the IDF calls Hamas "terror towers".

The report also says that Israel has imposed "measures intended to prevent births". That refers to an attack on Gaza's largest fertility clinic that reportedly destroyed around 4000 embryos and 1000 sperm samples and unfertilised eggs.

As well as the results of military action, the UN report singles out three Israeli officials for inciting genocide.

They are Yoav Gallant, then the defence minister, who said on 9 October 2023 that Israel was fighting "human animals". Like Prime Minister Netanyahu, Gallant already faces an arrest warrant for war crimes from the International Criminal Court.

Netanyahu is also accused of incitement by comparing the Gaza war to the story of the Jewish fight against an enemy known as Amalek. In the bible God tells the Jewish people to eliminate all the Amalek men, women and children, as well as their possessions and their animals.

The third official singled out is President Isaac Herzog, who in the first week of the war condemned Gaza's Palestinians for not rising up against Hamas. He said on 13 October 2023 that "it's an entire nation out there that is responsible".

Legally, it is hard to prove the crime of genocide. The people who framed the Genocide Convention, and interpretations made by the ICJ in more recent cases deliberately set a high legal bar.

At the International Court of Justice in The Hague, South Africa has brought a case that Israel has committed genocide against the Palestinians. It will take several years for the case to be adjudicated.

But with the war in Gaza continuing and perhaps escalating further with the current Israeli offensive, the UN report is going to deepen international divisions about the war.

On one side are countries who demand an immediate end to the killing and destruction in Gaza, and condemn the famine caused by Israel's siege. They include the UK and France.

On the other are Israel, and the United States. The administration of President Donald Trump continues to provide vital military aid and diplomatic cover without which the Israelis would struggle to continue the war in Gaza and its bombing campaigns elsewhere in the Middle East.

Poorer Americans hit hardest as tariffs fuel price rises

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cm2ze83x7j0o, today

There's a divide in the US economy between the haves and the have-nots. And accelerating inflation, driven in part by tariffs, could make it worse.

Government data points to the early stages of businesses passing on the costs of US President Donald Trump's sweeping import tariffs to consumers.

Still, inflation remains well below its peak, and a debate continues over the extent to which tariffs will lead to a sustained rise in the pace of price hikes.

But Americans like Yanique Clarke are feeling the pinch.

Yanique, a nursing student in Manhattan who identifies as lower-income, said while shopping for groceries at a Target store this week that "prices are really drastically high" for meat, vegetables and fruit.

"It's quite a while now, but it's getting higher," she said.

And it's not just groceries. When she was recently back-to-school shopping for her 13-year-old daughter, Yanique found those prices to be "very much higher compared to previous years".

What Yanique sees in the grocery and clothing aisles aligns with data from the Labor Department, released on Thursday. In August, prices for several tariff-exposed products ticked up: clothing prices, for instance, rose 0.5% from the previous month.

Grocery prices also increased 0.6% in the month to August, with particularly strong gains for coffee, a product that is sensitive to tariffs.

Economists noted that the growth in food prices, which tend to be volatile, might also be driven by the Trump administration's immigration policies, as mass deportations suppress the workforce in the food and agriculture sectors and boost labour costs.

But how Americans experience the rising prices for everyday goods is far from uniform.

"Lower-income households are almost tailor-made to be exposed to tariffs," said Ernie Tedeschi, director of economics at the Yale Budget Lab. Mr Tedeschi was previously an economist in the Biden administration.

Those with less disposable income tend to spend more of their budget on imports, Mr Tedeschi said. Moreover, the type of imports that have disproportionately borne the burden of tariffs so far this year, such as imports from China, tend to be lower-priced goods, he added.

A report from the Yale Budget Lab released earlier this month found that, as of June, core goods prices were 1.9% above pre-2025 trends, suggesting that tariffs are raising prices for window coverings, appliances and electronics, among other basic products.

Corporate executives are taking note of the consumer divide. McDonald's CEO Chris Kempczinski warned earlier this month that higher-income Americans are still able to spend freely while everyone else falters. It is part of why the chain is expanding its value menu, to entice price-conscious customers.

"Particularly, with middle and lower-income consumers, they're feeling under a lot of pressure right now," Mr Kempczinski said.

"It's really kind of a two-tier economy," he added.

Back at the Manhattan Target store, Nancy Garcia glanced at price tags in the clothing section.

"Now I'm doing more price comparison," she said. "I'm comparing, is this on sale at the supermarket?

"But even the supermarket has gotten really expensive."

Nancy, who works in the publishing and gifts industry, said she considers herself to be middle-income. Through her work, she has heard small retailers raise concerns about tariffs affecting their bottom line.

But she said it is unclear whether the supermarkets and chains where she tends to shop are raising prices because of tariffs, or if "people are taking advantage".

Sylvia Sealy, who lives in the New York City borough of Brooklyn, was looking at the clothing racks at a discount department store in Manhattan this week, lamenting what she viewed as skyrocketing prices for everything from groceries and clothes to building materials.

"Since tariffs started, I check around for prices," said Sylvia, a part-time nurse who also identified as middle-income.

"If there's something in this store for $15, you could get it somewhere probably for $12. So you shop in that way more now. Before, you just go and you buy."

Recent reports show emerging signs of strain on less affluent Americans.

Data from the Census Bureau showed inflation-adjusted household income rose last year only for the highest earning households. Those in the low and middle-income brackets, on the other hand, did not see statistically significant changes.

And a study from the Boston Federal Reserve last month found that low and middle-income consumers are facing higher levels of credit card debt than they did before the coronavirus pandemic. It is wealthier Americans who are increasingly propping up the consumer economy, the study showed.

Overall, the consumer is doing reasonably well, said Ryan Sweet, chief US economist at Oxford Economics. But those with less of a savings cushion are poised to be hit particularly hard by tariffs, he added.

"When you peel back the layers of the onion, it's clear that we have a very bifurcated consumer," he said.

Kash Patel's combative Senate hearing: key takeaways

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c9dxq8dn4xdo, today

FBI Director Kash Patel delivered defiant testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee on Tuesday, amid increasing scrutiny of his handling of the investigation into conservative youth leader Charlie Kirk's assassination in Utah.

Patel, sporting a red tie with the Liverpool FC logo, repeatedly clashed with Democrats for more than three hours, shrugging off their suggestions that he mishandled the case and has politicised the FBI.

He also revealed new details about the Kirk assassination, the FBI's handling of the Jeffrey Epstein case and the Trump administration's plans to clamp down on crime in US cities.

He will go before the House Judiciary Commitee on Wednesday.

Here's what we know.

A performance for an audience of one

Patel's appearance on Capitol Hill came as Democrats and other detractors have criticised the way he and the FBI have managed the probe into Kirk's killing - in particular an inaccurate social media post that a suspect had been apprehended. The FBI later said two people had been questioned and released.

According to several news outlets, that criticism has led to growing exasperation from within the Trump administration.

Ahead of the hearing, Patel took the unusual step of twice appearing on Fox News, defending his handling of the case and detailing "shocking" evidence that he says the FBI has uncovered as a result of its aggressive pursuit of the suspect.

He also defended his initial social media post, noting that he could have "worded it a little better in the heat of the moment".

"But do I regret putting it out? Absolutely not," he said.

In front of the committee, Patel argued the suspect in the Kirk assassination was taken into custody just hours after the FBI released new images and video.

"That is the FBI working with the public as a promise to being transparent and providing critical information," he said.

Trump has so far stood by Patel, telling reporters at the White House that he has "confidence in everyone in the administration".

Patel also sought tamp down on criticism of the administration's handling of the Epstein case, telling the committee the agency has "no credible information" that the late financier and convicted sex offender trafficked minors to others.

The investigation has long been plagued by theories that Epstein had a "client list" of high-profile figures who participated in his crimes.

Patel was later pressed for more answers on the case by California Democrat Adam Schiff, and seemed to contradict himself when he answered that he "never said Jeffrey Epstein didn't traffic anyone else".

A partisan shouting match

Democrats on the committee sought to paint a picture of chaos and incompetence at the FBI, pointing to the agency's handling of Kirk's assassination and former agents claiming they were fired for political reasons.

The committee's top Democrat, Dick Durbin of Illinois, described Patel as the "most partisan FBI director ever" and accused him of overseeing a "disasterous brain drain" since taking the office.

But Patel showed no signs of backing down, ending his opening remarks with the words "bring it on" and speaking over Democrats on the committee.

In one particularly fiery exchange, Patel called Schiff a "political buffoon" as the California Democrat questioned him about Jeffrey Epstein and the transfer of his associate Ghislaine Maxwell to a minimum-security prison in Texas.

"I'm not giving it to you," Patel says to Schiff, before accusing him of being a liar. "You are the biggest fraud to sit on the United States Senate."

The pair's acrimonious relationship dates back to when Schiff was a House member and chair of the House Intelligence Committee, overseeing the probe into Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election. Patel served as a House Intelligence staffer who sought to discredit the investigation.

In another clash, this time with New York Senator Corey Booker - who told the FBI director he was "failing as a leader" - Patel shot back: "I am not afraid of you!"

The spats partly overshadowed Patel's revelations about various investigations, which included a remark that "a lot more" than 20 people involved in a Discord chat with alleged Kirk assassin Tyler Robinson will be interrogated by the FBI.

Miami and St Louis next in crime crackdown

While he did not reveal specific operational plans, Patel hinted at the next US cities that could face a surge in federal resources or National Guard deployments to fight crime as part of the Trump administration's wider crackdown across the country.

National Guard troops and federal law enforcement agencies have already been deployed to Washington DC, and earlier this week Trump announced a similar deployment to Memphis, Tennessee.

In response to a question by Florida Republican Ashley Moody, Patel listed a number of American cities that might be next.

"We did it in DC. We're doing it in Memphis. We're going to Chicago, Miami, St Louis - so many other cities across the country," he said.

On Monday, Trump similarly said that he plans to "take care" of other cities the administration believes are crime-ridden "step by step", adding that he still has his sight set on Chicago and St Louis, Missouri.

The president has also previously mentioned New Orleans - where the idea was welcomed by Louisiana governor Jeff Landry - and Baltimore.

Legal experts have questioned the legality of using troops in US cities, and earlier in September a federal judge in California ruled that Trump's deployment of troops to quell unrest in Los Angeles this summer was illegal.

That ruling, however, does not apply to other cities.

Beaten and held in Russia for three years - but never charged with a crime

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cm28674vnp6o, today

Since his release from a Russian prison, Dmytro Khyliuk has barely been off the phone.

The Ukrainian journalist was detained by Russian forces in the first days of their full-scale invasion. Three and a half years later he's been released in a prisoner swap, one of eight civilians freed in a surprise move.

While Russia and Ukraine have swapped military prisoners of war before, it is very rare for Russia to release Ukrainian civilians.

Dmytro has been catching up frantically on all he's missed. But he's also phoning the families of every Ukrainian he met in captivity: he memorised all their names and each detail.

He knows that for some, his call may be the first confirmation that their relative is alive.

The welcome home

There were celebrations here last month when Dmytro was returned from Russia in a group of 146 Ukrainians.

A crowd came out waving blue and yellow national flags, cheering as the buses carrying the freed men passed hooting their horns.

Most on board were soldiers with sunken cheeks, emaciated after their years behind bars.

Officials won't say exactly how they got the eight Ukrainian civilians back in the same exchange, only that it involved sending back in return "people Russia was interested in".

One source said those included residents of the Kursk region in Russia, evacuated when Ukrainian forces launched their 2024 incursion. The group's exact status after that is unclear.

Stepping off the bus to a cheering crowd, Dmytro's first phone call was to tell his mother he was free. Both his parents are elderly and unwell and his greatest fear had been never seeing them again.

"The hardest was not knowing when you'll be allowed back. You could be freed the next day or stay prisoner for 10 years. Nobody knows how long it's for."

Constant cruelty

We met Dmytro shortly after his release as he recuperated at a Kyiv hospital.

The details he shared of his captivity are chilling.

"They grabbed us and literally dragged us to the prison and on the way they beat us with rubber batons shouting things like, 'How many people have you killed?'" he said, describing his transfer to Russia.

He was held in multiple facilities and his account chimes with many others we've heard over the years.

"Sometimes they'd let the guard dog off its leash so that it could bite us. The cruelty was really shocking and it was constant."

He tells me he was bitten and left bleeding. "I was so stressed I only felt the pain 20 minutes later."

The journalist was never charged with any crime.

Physically the first year was the hardest. "We were starving. We were given very little food for a long time," he remembers. He lost more than 20kg in the first few months, causing him dizzy spells. But the soldiers he was held with were treated far worse.

"They would call them for interrogation, and they were beaten and tortured with electric shock," Dmytro remembers.

He heard their pain and saw the bruises.

His parents' fear

The journalist's family home is a world away from all that, in the pretty village of Kozarovychi just outside Kyiv.

It feels peaceful, apart from the air raids, with gardens full of poultry, blackberry bushes and fruit trees.

But the back wall of Dmytro's house still has chunks torn out of it by shrapnel and the lawn was only just repaired where Russian troops had parked a tank.

In 2022, right at the start of their full-scale invasion when the Russians were advancing on Kyiv, they took over the village.

A few days later, as Dmytro and his father, Vasyl, tried to check the damage to their home, they were detained.

Russian troops forced both men to the ground, bound and blindfolded them, and marched them into captivity. The pair now know they were held in a basement beneath the local warehouses where the Russians had made their base.

The men were moved several times as the number of civilian detainees increased.

Vasyl was eventually set free but for many months he feared the worst for his son.

"I didn't know where he'd been taken and I was scared," the pensioner tells me. "There were gunshots at night. One man was taken outside, then a shot was fired. He didn't come back. I still don't know the fate of all the people who were there."

Then he and his wife got a tiny scrap of paper from a Russian prison.

"I'm alive, I'm well. Everything's ok," Dmytro wrote to them both, in Ukrainian. They would receive just one more note in his entire time in captivity.

Ukraine's missing

Other families have had no news at all.

Across Ukraine, officials say more than 16,000 civilians are currently missing. So far, they've only located a fraction of them in Russian prisons.

Moscow doesn't publish lists because detaining civilians with no cause is illegal. But that makes getting them back extremely complicated.

Forty-three men are still being held from the area around Dmytro's village alone.

They include Volodymyr Loburets, detained at the same time, held in the same basements and then moved to Russia. He now has a new grandson he's never met and a family who miss him badly.

"It's hard. It's really hard. We smile, yes, and thank goodness, I have a new grandson," Volodymyr's wife Vera says, as baby Yaroslav gurgles beside her on a play mat. "But I had a husband – and now I don't."

"The government says it won't swap our relatives for Russian soldiers, so we are left waiting for the fourth year running until there is some way to get them back."

Vera is deeply frustrated. But so is Ukraine's human rights ombudsman.

Dmytro Lubinets describes dealing with Russia as like playing chess: you stick to all the rules, only for your opponent to stand up, pull on boxing gloves and punch you.

The problem is, Ukraine can't hit back. It has no pool of Russian civilian prisoners because it's against the rules of war under the Geneva Convention. Sending Russian soldiers back in return for Ukrainian civilians would be a disaster.

"The very next day Russia would take thousands of civilians hostage in occupied areas, just to swap for its soldiers," the ombudsman points out. "So Russia is capturing our civilians and there is no legal mechanism to return them."

There has been one trade involving Ukrainian citizens detained and sentenced here for collaborating with the enemy: a group – said to be volunteers – was swapped for Ukrainian civilians held in Russia.

It's not clear whether that has been repeated.

Lasting damage

For Dmytro's family, the long and painful wait is almost over. He'll join them in the village as soon as the hospital declares him fit again.

His mother, Halyna, jokes that she has a long list of jobs for her only son - fixing all the damage done by the Russians.

In fact, she can barely mention his name without crying.

"I can't control my emotions," she tells me, in tears. "When Dima called, he told me to be calm. That he was back in Ukraine and I shouldn't cry anymore. But we haven't seen our son for three and a half years!"

Dmytro is taking it slowly though, because being back here requires some adjusting.

"I knew the war was still going on, but not that they were bombarding Kyiv with drones and that was unexpected and sad," he says. "So the trees are the same, the buildings are the same. But you understand this is a different country. You're in a different reality."

Additional reporting by Mariana Matveichuk and Kristina Volk

Japanese girl group release AI-assisted single after fan vote

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c1kwvlyrjyxo, today

One of Japan's biggest girl groups, AKB48, have released a single that was partially generated by artificial intelligence, after a televised songwriting contest.

The competition saw composer Yasushi Akimoto, whose songs have collectively sold more than 100 million copies, go head-to-head with an "AI Akimoto" trained on his writing style.

They each composed a new song for AKB48 as the group celebrated their 20th anniversary. Fans were presented with both tracks and asked to vote for their favourite.

The results were announced live on Japanese TV - with the AI song, Omoide Scroll, winning by more than 3,000 votes. "What? You're kidding me!" Akimoto responded as the scores were revealed.

The song has now been uploaded to streaming services as AKB48's 67th official single.

The real Akimoto's song, called Cécile, has been deleted from YouTube.

The Japanese music industry will be watching closely to see how fans react to Omoide Scroll, now they know it was machine-generated.

Japan's Oricon singles chart will provide the ultimate litmus test - as AKB48's last 53 songs have gone to number one.

If their new record breaks that streak, it may be regarded as a rejection of the technology.

* Cécile. Written by Akimoto, it is a Motown pastiche with a French twist. The lyrics describe a girl's obsession with her female best friend: "I copy the way you style your hair / Please don't notice my love for you." Akimoto chose AKB48's current band leader Kuranoo Narumi to sing the lead vocal.

* Omoide Scroll. Written by AI Akimoto, takes a more modern approach, with a lite-techno backing and a group chorus. The title means "memory scroll" and the lyrics depict heartbreak in the smartphone era: "I stop the scroll of memories / Like the battery light fading out." After analysing interviews with AKB48, the AI chose newcomer Ito Momoka to perform the song, highlighting her ability with emotional storytelling.

In the run-up to the contest, Akimoto was philosophical about the process.

"Everyone keeps asking me, 'What will you do if you lose?'," he said.

"It's fascinating to think that AI could create such a great song, and I'm looking forward to it.

"I'd like to hear [fans] say, 'I never thought of that!'"

When the votes were counted, the AI won by 14,225 votes to Akimoto's 10,535.

Speaking on live television, the musician admitted he was "disappointed" by the loss.

"That's a shame. I wrote it with all my might," he said.

The AI program was also asked for a response, and commented: "Maybe the real me was trying to show something new by losing this time."

"Shut up!" Akimoto retorted, prompting laughter in the studio.

The composer was comforted by Grammy-winning jazz musician Hiromi Uehara and former AKB48 singer Sashihara Rino, who encouraged a rematch.

Akimoto laughed off the suggestion, but expressed frustration about technology's ability to mine data and find the "maximum common denominator".

However, he conceded: "I think the AI song is a good song."

Artefacts recovered from Titanic's sunk sister ship

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cn4wq2we4jxo, today

Greece has announced the recovery of artefacts from the wreck of HMHS Britannic, more than a century after the Titanic's sister ship was sunk in wartime in the Aegean Sea by a German mine.

The operation was carried out in May but only made public on Monday, when the culture ministry released details of the finds.

An 11-member team of professional deep-sea divers with closed-circuit equipment conducted the recovery, organised by British historian Simon Mills, founder of the Britannic Foundation.

Among items retrieved and lifted with air bags were the ship's lookout bell, a portside navigation lamp, binoculars, ceramic tiles from Turkish baths, and equipment from first- and second-class cabins.

The artefacts were secured in containers and immediately cleaned of marine organisms.

They were then transferred to the laboratories of the Ephorate of Underwater Antiquities in Athens, where conservation work will continue.

Some objects identified in the original plan could not be recovered because of their condition and location.

Artefacts will eventually go on display at the new National Museum of Underwater Antiquities in Piraeus, in a section dedicated to World War One.

The Britannic was the third of the White Star Line company's Olympic class of steamships, along with the RMS Titanic and RMS Olympic.

The vessel was requisitioned by the British Admiralty during the war to serve as a hospital ship.

On 16 November 1916, it struck a German mine off the island of Kea and sank in less than an hour.

Of the 1,065 people on board, 30 died when two lifeboats were pulled into the ship's propellers.

Delhi's toxic air is turning iconic Red Fort black - study

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cx27j53m7r2o, today

Severe air pollution in Indian capital Delhi has led to the formation of "black crusts" on the walls of the Red Fort, one of the city's most iconic Mughal-era monuments, a study has found.

Researchers found that the crusts - deposits formed due to chemical interactions between pollutants and the walls of the red sandstone fort - were between 0.05mm and 0.5mm thick, and could damage its intricate carvings if no action was taken.

The study is the first of its kind to comprehensively examine the effects of air pollution on the 17th Century monument.

One of the world's most polluted cities, Delhi frequently makes headlines for its worsening air quality, especially during the winter months.

Conservationists have frequently warned about the detrimental impact of pollution on heritage structures in the capital and a few other states.

In 2018, the Supreme Court said that the Taj Mahal - the famous 17th Century mausoleum built from white marble - had turned yellow and greenish-brown due to air and water pollution and urged the Uttar Pradesh state government to take steps to conserve it.

The study on the Red Fort, published in the peer-reviewed open access scientific journal Heritage in June, was conducted between 2021 and 2023 by researchers in India and Italy.

The Red Fort, built by Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan, is one of Delhi's most iconic heritage monuments and a popular tourist attraction.

India's first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru hoisted the national flag from the fort on 16 August 1947, a day after independence from Britain was declared. Since then, prime ministers have been delivering speeches on Independence Day from the ramparts of the fort.

The researchers studied Delhi's air quality data between 2021 and 2023. Then they scraped off the black crust found on various walls of the fort and examined its composition.

They found that particulate matter and other pollutants in the air had caused the black sediment to form on the fort's walls and also damaged other architectural elements such as vaults, arches and delicate stone carvings.

The researchers also found evidence of blistering and flaking on the walls.

"PM2.5 and PM10 [types of particulate matter] are widely recognised as significant contributors to the soiling of surfaces exposed to ambient air. This phenomenon occurs when particulate matter settles and accumulates over time, leading to visible discolouration and blackening of these surfaces," the study notes.

The study recommends the timely implementation of conservation strategies to protect the fort.

"The formation of a black crust is a progressive phenomenon that usually begins with a thin black layer or deposit, which can be removed, at least in the early stages," the study notes.

It also says that stone protectives or sealants could be applied to highly-affected areas to slow down or prevent the formation of black crusts.

Deal is done to keep TikTok in the USA says Trump

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c7847q9xvwgo, today

A deal has been made between the US and China to keep TikTok running in the US, according to the US President Donald Trump.

"We have a deal on TikTok, I've reached a deal with China, I'm going to speak to President Xi on Friday to confirm everything up," Trump told reporters as he left the White House for a state visit to the UK.

The social media platform, which is run by Chinese company ByteDance, was told it had to sell its US operations or risk being shut down.

However, Trump has repeatedly delayed the ban since it was first announced in January.

The US president said a buyer will be announced soon.

CNBC reported the deal would include a mix of current and new investors, and would be completed in the next 30 to 45 days.

It also said US tech company Oracle would keep its existing agreement to host TikTok serves inside the US.

That had been one of the main concerns of American lawmakers, who cited concerns over data being shared with China on national security grounds.

On Monday, a US trade delegation said it had reached a "framework" deal with China amid wider trade negotiations in Madrid.

China confirmed a framework agreement but said no deal would be made at the expense of their firms' interests.

After the talks, Wang Jingtao, deputy head of China's cyberspace administration, suggested in a press conference the agreement included "licensing the algorithm and other intellectual property rights".

He added: "The Chinese government will, according to law, examine and approve relevant matters involving TikTok, such as the export of technology as well as the license use of intellectual property."

After initially calling for TikTok to be banned during his first term, Trump has reversed his stance on the popular video-sharing platform.

In January, the US Supreme Court upheld a law, passed in April 2024, banning the app in the US unless its Chinese parent company ByteDance sold its US arm.

The US Justice Department has said that because of its access to data on American users, TikTok poses "a national-security threat of immense depth and scale".

However, ByteDance has resisted a sale, maintaining its US operations are completely separate, and says no information is shared with the Chinese state.

TikTok briefly went dark in January, but this lasted for less than a day before the initial ban was delayed.

The deadline for a sale has since been extended three times, and the latest delay to the ban is due to end on 17 September.

TikTokers arrested for insulting Somalia's president in a dance video

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/crmek8wgjdgo, today

Police in Somalia have arrested four TikTokers for allegedly insulting President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud in a dance video.

In the post several young men are seen dancing to a remix of a campaign song originally used during the president's election bid in 2022, but with the lyrics altered to include derogatory language.

In a statement, the police said the suspects were in custody and would be formally charged. They have not commented since their arrest.

Several social media influencers have been arrested and jailed in the past for spreading clan-based insults, incitement or "immoral" content on platforms like TikTok - but this is the first case involving a top politician.

More BBC stories from Somalia:

Go to BBCAfrica.com for more news from the African continent.

Kenya issues arrest warrant for British national over young mother's murder

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cwywng4jp08o, today

A Kenyan High Court has issued an arrest warrant for a British national suspected of murdering a 21-year-old woman more than a decade ago.

Agnes Wanjiru was killed in March 2012 and her body later found in a septic tank of a hotel in the central garrison town of Nanyuki nearly three months after she had allegedly spent an evening partying with British soldiers.

Justice Alexander Muteti said prosecutors had provided sufficient evidence to request that the suspect appear before a Kenyan court for trial.

The lawyer representing Ms Wanjiru's family, Kamau Mbiu, told the BBC the ruling paved the way for proceedings to start for the suspect's extradition from the UK.

"We welcome it, but we urge greater transparency, as this remains a matter of public interest," Mr Mbiu said.

The judge directed that the identities of the accused and witnesses not be published, saying this was necessary in order to protect the integrity of the trial.

In a statement, a UK government spokesperson said: "Our thoughts remain with the family of Agnes Wanjiru and we remain absolutely committed to helping them secure justice."

The spokesperson said no further comment would be made at this stage because of the ongoing legal proceedings.

The UK's Ministry of Defence has previously said it is co-operating with the Kenyan investigation into the case, which has caused outrage in the East African nation.

The family of Ms Wanjiru, who left behind a young daughter, have long been fighting for justice.

They live in Nanyuki, which is close to the British Army Training Unit Kenya (Batuk) - some 200km (125 miles) north of the capital, Nairobi.

Ms Wanjiru's niece, Esther Njoki, told the BBC that the warrant was "a bitter-sweet moment", noting the extradition process could take time.

The prosecution told the court that witnesses currently based in the UK would be made available for the trial, ensuring that it could proceed.

The family's UK-based legal representative, Tessa Gregory, said it now called "upon the British Government to do everything in its power to ensure that the accused can be extradited and face trial in Kenya as soon as possible".

Go to BBCAfrica.com for more news from the African continent.

Nigerian chef breaks world record for largest jollof rice dish

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cz7r0rjzpqgo, today

Nigerian chef Hilda Baci has broken the world record for cooking the largest ever pot of jollof rice in Lagos last week.

Guinness World Records (GWR) confirmed the achievement on social media, saying Ms Baci's concoction of the popular West African dish weighed in at a staggering 8,780kg.

After nine hours of cooking, the effort was almost thrown into jeopardy after the giant pot used to make the dish broke as it was being hoisted onto a crane to be weighed - thankfully, none of the rice was spilled.

Ms Baci celebrated the triumph by thanking her team and supporters: "This moment isn't just mine... it belongs to all of us."

Despite the massive pot buckling twice during its weigh-in, a member of Baci's team told the BBC last week they were collecting evidence from different cameras to send to GWR so it could be officially recognised.

Baci paid tribute to the "tireless team" that made the achievement possible and shared a video of her reacting to the news on social media.

"This Guinness World Record was built on unity, love, and collective strength," she wrote.

"We made history together, for Nigeria, for Africa, and for everyone who believes in the power of food to bring us closer this win is yours too."

Baci's recipe for the crowning jollof dish included 4,000kg of rice, 500 cartons of tomato paste, 600kg of onions and 168kg of goat meat - all poured into a custom-made pot that can hold 23,000 litres.

Last week, thousands of people had gathered to watch Baci's latest world record bid - in 2023 she held the title for the longest cooking marathon at nearly four days.

Their support was well rewarded as the mammoth dish later divided into individual portions and distributed to the huge crowd and passersby.

The chef previously told BBC Pidgin that it took her a year to plan how she would tackle the mammoth challenge.

"We [Nigerians] are the giant of Africa, and jollof is a food that everybody knows Africans for," she said.

"It would make sense if we had the biggest pot of jollof rice, it would be nice for the country."

She was assisted by 10 other chefs in red uniforms wielding long wooden spoons to stir the food.

Manufacturing the giant steel vessel to hold her dish took a team of 300 people two months to make but one of its legs gave way at the crucial time.

Jollof rice is a staple in several West African countries, featuring rice simmered in a tomato sauce, often paired with meat or seafood.

Baci won a competition for her version of jollof rice in 2021, and then became a national sensation in 2023 when she claimed the world cooking marathon record - an exhausting 93 hours and 11 minutes.

However, she was later surpassed by Irish chef Alan Fisher. The current record-holder is Evette Quoibia from Australia, with 140 hours and 11 minutes, according to GWR.

US designates Colombia as country 'failing to cooperate in drug war'

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c78n0jmplmro, today

The United States has officially named Colombia as a country which has "demonstrably failed" to uphold its obligations to control drug trafficking, but stopped short of cutting off the flow of US aid to Colombia.

Each year, the US government formally certifies whether several countries are fully co-operating with US-led counternarcotic efforts, and those which are found to be wanting risk having their US funding cut.

On Monday, the Trump administration said that cocaine production in Colombia had surged to all-time high records under its left-wing president, Gustavo Petro, which the Colombian leader denied.

In response, the Colombian government said it would stop buying weapons from the US.

Interior Minister Armando Benedetti told local radio that his government would stop the purchase of US arms "from this moment on".

The other countries the US said had failed to meet their targets were Afghanistan, Bolivia, Myanmar and Venezuela.

Colombia was added to the list for the first time since 1997.

The move is likely to further sour relations between its left-wing government and the Trump administration.

President Petro took to social media to respond to the US allegation that during his time in office the area planted with coca bushes and the production of cocaine had reached record levels.

Coca leaves are the key ingredient in cocaine and Colombia has long been the top producer of the illegal drug.

A survey by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNDOC) found that coca bush cultivation had increased by 10% in 2023. The figures for 2024 are due to be released next month.

But Petro insisted that it had been during the government of Iván Duque, his predecessor in office who governed from 2018 to 2022, that the area planted with coca saw large increases.

According to figures released by the Colombian presidency, a record 1,764 tonnes of cocaine were seized by government security forces between August 2022, when Petro came into office, and November 2024. Drug seizures have continued at a high level in 2025, official tallies suggest.

Petro also said that in order for coca cultivation to decrease, what was needed was for demand for cocaine to go down in the US and in Europe.

The US on the other hand laid the blame firmly at Petro's door, saying that the president's peace talks with several armed groups - many of which finance themselves through drug trafficking - had hindered the fight against drugs.

"His failed attempts to seek accommodations with narco-terrorist groups only exacerbated the crisis," the presidential determination submitted to US Congress said.

The document goes on to praise the "skill and courage" of Colombia's security forces in confronting criminal groups.

It then concluded that "the failure of Colombia to meet its drug control obligations over the past year rests solely with its political leadership".

However, it does leave the door open to recertifying Colombia if its government "takes more aggressive action to eradicate coca and reduce cocaine production and trafficking".

And while the rhetoric coming out of Washington has clearly angered President Petro, his government will also be relieved that the decertification did not result in a cut of the US aid flow, BBC News Mundo's correspondent in Bogotá, José Carlos Cueto, says.

Colombia's decertification comes at a time when President Trump has made the fight against "narco-terrorists" a priority.

On Monday he announced the US military had destroyed an alleged Venezuelan drug vessel in international waters in the South Caribbean.

Three people were killed in the strike, Trump said.

He added the US had recorded proof that the boats belonged to narco-terrorist groups but has not yet made that evidence public.

With additional reporting by BBC Monitoring's Latin America specialist, Luis Fajardo

Trump vows tough action after beheading of Indian motel manager

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c99gpzg4ee7o, yesterday

US President Donald Trump has strongly condemned the beheading of an Indian-origin hotel manager allegedly by a Cuban illegal immigrant in Dallas last week.

"The time for being soft on these Illegal Immigrant Criminals is OVER under my watch," Trump said in a post on his Truth Social platform.

Chandra Mouli Nagamallaiah, 50, was attacked with a machete by his co-worker Yordanis Cobos-Martinez in front of his wife and child, following a heated argument over a broken washing machine. The accused, who is now in custody, has been charged with murder.

Trump has long vowed tougher enforcement against undocumented migrants, making it a central plank of his policy.

Trump said Mr Cobos-Martinez "will be prosecuted to the fullest extent" of the law and will be "charged with murder in the first degree".

He also criticised the Biden administration in his post saying Mr Cobos-Martinez was previously arrested for several crimes, including alleged child abuse, but was "released back into society because Cuba declined to accept his return".

According to the Department of Homeland Security, Mr Cobos-Martinez is an undocumented immigrant, with a final order of removal from the US.

The department claims he was in custody at a detention center in Dallas but was released on an order of supervision in January after Cuba "would not accept him because of his criminal history".

Nagamallaiah, who belonged to the southern Indian state of Karnataka, worked at the Downtown Suites Motel in Dallas.

He went to school and college in the southern Indian city of Bengaluru before moving to the US in 2018. His son graduated high school recently and is preparing to begin college, according to a news report on NDTV news channel.

The assault took place on 10 September. The police said they received a "stabbing" call and a preliminary investigation determined that Mr Cobos-Martinez had cut the victim with an edged weapon several times.

US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has lodged Mr Cobos-Martinez with the Dallas County Jail, where he is being held.

Nagamallaiah's funeral was held on 13 September in Flower Mound, Texas, and was attended by family and friends.

A fundraiser launched to support his family has raised more than $321,000 (£2,36,723), according to news agency PTI.

Follow BBC News India on Instagram, YouTube, Twitter and Facebook.

Read the full message thread between Charlie Kirk suspect and roommate

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c99g1e0z2ero, today

The man suspected of killing conservative commentator Charlie Kirk texted his roommate after the shooting to discuss a possible motive, according to court documents.

The unnamed roommate told investigators that Tyler Robinson had alerted him to a confession under his keyboard after last Wednesday's shooting at Utah Valley University campus in the city of Orem, said prosecutors.

Authorities have said the unnamed roommate was a transgender male transitioning to female and was in a romantic relationship with the defendant.

Here's the full record of a series of text messages exchanged with the alleged gunman on the day of the shooting, which the roommate provided to investigators.

Robinson: If I am able to grab my rifle unseen, I will have left no evidence. Going to attempt to retrieve it again, hopefully they have moved on. I haven't seen anything about them finding it.

Roommate: How long have you been planning this?

Robinson: a bit over a week I believe. I can get close to it but there is a squad car parked right by it. I think they already swept that spot, but I don't wanna chance it

Robinson: I'm wishing I had circled back and grabbed it as soon as I got to my vehicle.... I'm worried what my old man would do if I didn't bring back grandpas rifle ... idek if it had a serial number, but it wouldn't trace to me. I worry about prints I had to leave it in a bush where I changed outfits. didn't have the ability or time to bring it with.... I might have to abandon it and hope they don't find prints. how the [expletive] will I explain losing it to my old man....

only thing I left was the rifle wrapped in a towel....

remember how I was engraving bullets? The [expletive] messages are mostly a big meme, if I see "notices bulge uwu" on fox new I might have a stroke alright im gonna have to leave it, that really [expletive] sucks.... judging from today I'd say grandpas gun does just fine idk. I think that was a $2k scope;-;

Robinson: delete this exchange

Robinson: my dad wants photos of the rifle ... he says grandpa wants to know who has what, the feds released a photo of the rifle, and it is very unique. Hes calling me rn, not answering.

Robinson: since trump got into office [my dad] has been pretty diehard maga.

Robinson: Im gonna turn myself in willingly, one of my neighbors here is a deputy for the sheriff.

Robinson: you are all I worry about love

Roommate: I'm much more worried about you

Robinson: don't talk to the media please. don't take any interviews or make any comments. ... if any police ask you questions ask for a lawyer and stay silent

Chinese teens to pay $300,000 for urinating in soup

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cq8e57eexn2o, today

Two teenagers who peed into a pot of broth at a hotpot restaurant have been ordered to pay 2.2m yuan ($309,000; £227,000) to two catering companies in China.

The incident, which happened in February at a Shanghai branch of China's biggest hotpot chain Haidilao, sparked widespread criticism after the 17-year-olds posted a video of their drunken act online.

There is no suggestion that anyone consumed the contaminated broth but Haidilao had offered to pay thousands of diners who dined at the restaurant in the days following the incident.

In March, Haidilao sought more than 23m yuan in losses, saying this took into account the amount it compensated customers over the incident

Last Friday, a Shanghai court found that the teenagers had infringed upon the companies' property rights as well as reputation through "acts of insult", noting that their actions contaminated tableware and "caused strong discomfort among the public".

It also found that the teens' parents had "failed to fulfil their duty of guardianship" and ordered that they bear the compensation, state media reported.

This includes 2m yuan for operational and reputational damage, 130,000 yuan to one of the caterers for tableware losses and cleaning expenses, and 70,000 yuan in legal costs.

However the court ruled that any additional compensation Haidilao offered to its customers, beyond what they were billed, was a "voluntary business decision", and therefore should not be borned by the teenagers.

Haidilao had offered to compensate more than 4,000 diners who visited the branch between 24 February - the date of their visit - and 8 March, both with a full refund and a cash compensation that is 10 times the amount they were billed.

They also replaced all hotpot equipment and said they had conducted cleaning and disinfection works.

Haidilao has expanded quickly since it opened its first restaurant in Jianyang in Sichuan province. It now operates more than 1,000 restaurants across the world.

The company is known for its customer service and family-friendly atmosphere, where ladies can receive manicures and kids are treated to candy floss while waiting for a table.

Why the US is expected to cut interest rates

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c3e75y90pw0o, today

It's finally happening.

After months of economic debate and mounting attacks from US President Donald Trump, the US central bank is poised to cut interest rates on Wednesday.

The Federal Reserve is widely expected to announce it is lowering the target for its key lending rate by 0.25 percentage points. That will put it in a range of 4% to 4.25% - the lowest level since late 2022.

The move - the bank's first rate cut since last December - is expected to kick off a series of additional reductions in the months ahead, which should help bring down borrowing costs across the US.

But they carry a warning about the economy, reflecting increased consensus at the Fed that a stalling job market needs a boost in the form of lower interest rates.

Nor are they likely to satisfy the president, who has called for far deeper cuts.

In many ways, it is no surprise that the Fed, which sets interest rate policy independent of the White House, is cutting.

The inflation that ripped through the post-pandemic economy and prompted the bank to raise interest rates in 2022 has come down significantly.

In the UK, Europe, Canada and elsewhere, central banks have already responded with lower rates, while the Fed's own policymakers have said for months that they expected to lower borrowing costs by at least half a percentage point this year.

At the Fed's last meeting, two members of the board even backed a cut.

They were outvoted, as other members remained worried that Trump's economic policies, including tax cuts, tariffs and mass detentions of migrant workers, might cause inflation to flare back up again.

And it's true that the US in recent months has seen inflation tick higher. Prices rose 2.9% over the 12 months to August, the fastest pace since January, and still above the Fed's 2% target.

But in recent weeks, those concerns have been eclipsed by weakness in the labour market. The US reported meagre job gains in August and July and an outright loss in June - the first such decline since 2020.

"It really comes down to what we've seen in the jobs market - the deterioration that we've seen over the past few months," said Sarah House, senior economist at Wells Fargo, which is expecting rates to drop by 0.75 percentage points by the end of the year.

"The Fed knows that when the labour market turns, it turns very quickly, so they're wanting to make sure they're not stepping on the brakes of the economy at the same time the labour market has already slowed."

Though Trump has rejected concerns about economic weakness, the rate cut should not be unwelcome to him - he has spent months blasting the Fed's hesitance to cut rates, which he says should be as low as 1%.

On social media, he has called Federal Reserve chairman Jerome Powell "a real dummy", accusing him of holding back the economy by leaving interest rates too high for too long.

"Too Late" MUST CUT INTEREST RATES, NOW, AND BIGGER THAN HE HAD IN MIND. HOUSING WILL SOAR!!!" Trump wrote in a social media post this week, referring to Powell.

Trump's pressure is not just rhetorical. He moved quickly to install the chairman of his Council of Economic Advisers, Stephen Miran, on the Fed in time for this week's meeting after a short-term vacancy opened up last month.

His administration has also threatened Powell with firing and investigation and is locked in a legal battle over its effort to fire economist Lisa Cook, another member of the board.

To critics, Trump's moves amount to an assault on the Fed's independence that is unprecedented in recent history.

But whatever awkwardness in the air at this week's Fed meeting, analysts say they believe the Fed's decision to cut would have come regardless of his campaign.

"The president's policies are certainly causing the economic activity that is forcing the hand of the Fed," said Art Hogan, chief market strategist at B. Riley Wealth.

"The president's jawboning of the Fed to lower rates I think has had zero impact whatsoever."

AI could boost UK economy by 10% in five years, says Microsoft boss

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c7016ljre03o, today

Microsoft says its new $30bn (£22bn) investment in the UK's AI sector – its largest outside of the US - should significantly boost Britain's economy in the next few years.

Its package forms a major part of a $31billion agreement made between the UK government and various other US tech giants, including Nvidia and Google, to invest in British-based infrastructure to support AI technology, largely in the form of data centres.

Microsoft will also now be involved in the creation of a powerful new supercomputer in Loughton, Essex.

Speaking exclusively to the BBC Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella told the BBC of the tech's potential impact on economic growth."

"It may happen faster, so our hope is not ten years but maybe five".

"Whenever anyone gets excited about AI, I want to see it ultimately in the economic growth and the GDP growth."

Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said the US-UK deal marked "a generational step change in our relationship with the US".

He added that the agreement was "creating highly skilled jobs, putting more money in people's pockets and ensuring this partnership benefits every corner of the United Kingdom."

The UK economy has remained stubbornly sluggish in recent months.

Nadella compared the economic benefits of the meteoric rise of AI with the impact of the personal computer when it became common in the workplace, about ten years after it first started scaling in the 1990s.

But there are also growing mutterings that AI is a very lucrative bubble that is about to burst. Nadella conceded that "all tech things are about booms and busts and bubbles" and warned that AI should not be over-hyped or under-hyped but also said the newborn tech would still bring about new products, new systems and new infrastructure.

He acknowledged that its energy consumption remains "very high" but argued that its potential benefits, especially in the fields of healthcare, public services, and business productivity, were worthwhile. He added that investing in data centres was "effectively" also investing in modernising the power grid but did not say that money would be shared directly with the UK's power supplier, the National Grid.

The campaign group Foxglove has warned that the UK could end up "footing the bill for the colossal amounts of power the giants need".

The supercomputer, to be built in Loughton, Essex, was already announced by the government in January, but Microsoft has now come on board to the project.

Big tech comes to town

Mr Nadella, revealed the investment as Donald Trump has arrived in the UK on a three-day state visit

The UK and US have signed a "Tech Prosperity Deal" as part of the visit, with an aim of strengthening ties on AI, quantum computing and nuclear power.

Google has promised £5bn for AI research and infrastructure over the next two years.

UK Chancellor Rachel Reeves opened a £735m data centre as part of the investment on Tuesday in Hertfordshire.

There are some concerns that accepting so much money from US investors will mean the UK relies too much on foreign technology.

In July, Trump made clear his intentions were for the US to win global the AI race.

One of the ways it stated it would do this was to "export American AI to allies and partners."

The UK government has signed number of deals with US technology companies, including an agreement to use OpenAI services in the public sector and a £400m contract to use Google Cloud services in the Ministry of Defence.

Satya Nadella said he thought the agreement defined "the next phase of globalisation" and argued that having access to foreign tech services leveraged digital sovereignty rather than threatened it.

On the growing issue of AI taking over jobs, Nadella said Microsoft also had to "change with the changes in technology", having laid off thousands of staff this year despite record sales and profits. He described it as "the hard process of renewal".

AI growth zone in north-east England

The government also said there was "potential for more than 5,000 jobs and billions in private investment" in north-east England, which has been designated as a new "AI growth zone".

Last year, the government announced a £10bn investment into a data centre to be built near Blyth, Northumberland.

It has now announced another data centre project dubbed Stargate UK from OpenAI, chipmaker Nvidia, semiconductor company Arm and AI infrastructure firm Nscale.

That will be based at Cobalt Park in Northumberland.

OpenAI boss Sam Altman said Stargate UK would "help accelerate scientific breakthroughs, improve productivity, and drive economic growth."

However the UK version is a fraction of the firm's US-based Stargate project, which OpenAI launched in January with a commitment to invest $500 billion over the next four years building new AI infrastructure for itself.

So far, reaction to the agreement has been broadly positive, but its clear that there are many challenges ahead for the UK if it is to fulfil its intended potential.

The Tony Blair Institute described the news as a "breakthrough moment" but added that Britain had some work to do: "reforming planning rules, accelerating the delivery of clean energy projects, and building the necessary digital infrastructure for powering the country's tech-enabled growth agenda," said Dr Keegan McBride, the Tony Blair Institute for Global Change's emerging tech and geopolitics expert.

Matthew Sinclair, UK director of the Computer & Communications Industry Association, hailed the agreement as "a powerful demonstration of the scale of the AI opportunity for the UK economy."

But the Conservative Party highlighted that other big international companies such as the pharmaceutical giant Merck have recently cancelled or delayed their UK expansion plans.

Satya Nadella spoke to the BBC News in between board meetings, shortly before jumping on a flight to join Donald Trump as he arrives in the UK on a three-day state visit. Nadella will be among other tech leaders, including OpenAI's Sam Altman and Nvidia's Jensen Huang, attending the Royal state banquet on Wednesday.

He said he would use Microsoft's AI tool Copilot to help him decide what to wear.

"I was very surprised that there was a very different dress protocol, which I'm really not sure that I'm ready for," he said.

US regulators open Tesla probe after reports of children trapped in cars

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c203q2ywn88o, today

US safety regulators have opened a probe focused on Tesla's electric-powered door handles, responding to reports that they suddenly stopped working, leaving children trapped in the cars.

The US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said on Tuesday that it had received nine complaints about the handles in Tesla's 2021 Model Y cars, the company's flagship model.

In four of the cases, the car owners resorted to breaking the window to resolve the issue.

Tesla did not immediately comment on the investigation, which is the first step toward a potential recall.

NHTSA said its preliminary review found that the problem appeared to occur when the electric locks received insufficient voltage.

The owners who have reported the incidents - most of whom were parents trying to get their children out of the back seat after stepping out their car - said they had received no warning about battery problems prior to the incidents.

Though the doors can technically be opened from the inside, children may be unable to reach or access the manual handles, NHTSA said.

"In these instances, an occupant who remains inside a vehicle in this condition may be unable to be rapidly retrieved by persons outside of the vehicle," the safety regulator said in its initial review.

"Entrapment in a vehicle is particularly concerning in emergency situations, such as when children are entrapped in a hot vehicle," NHTSA added.

The investigation into the scope and severity of the issue will involve an examination of roughly 170,000 Model Y vehicles, the regulator said.

The latest investigation is not Tesla's first NHTSA probe. The regulator is also looking into complaints about its driver assistance systems.

Tesla is grappling with slumping EV sales. Deliveries of its cars are poised to fall for the second consecutive year. Elon Musk, its chief executive, has shifted the company's focus toward robotaxis and humanoid robots, but Tesla still relies heavily on its core car business.

Consumer backlash against Musk's ties to the Trump administration has dented sales in recent months. But the EV maker has also failed to entice consumers through new, more affordable vehicles, despite its release of a new Model Y version this year.

More competition has chipped away at Tesla's market share, contributing to its recent woes.

Its US market share fell to an almost eight-year low in August, Reuters reported, citing data from research firm Cox Automotive.

Trump says he will sue New York Times for $15bn

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cevz419pk8vo, today

US President Donald Trump has said he would sue the New York Times for $15bn (£11bn) over what the US president calls defamation and libel.

"The New York Times has been allowed to freely lie, smear, and defame me for far too long, and that stops, NOW!" Trump posted on his social media platform, Truth Social, on Monday.

He singled out the Times' endorsement of Kamala Harris in the last presidential election in 2024, saying it had become a "mouthpiece for the Radical Left Democrat Party".

Trump added that his lawsuit was being launched in Florida, a Republican stronghold. The BBC has reached out to the newspaper for a comment.

Trump has long expressed displeasure at what he bills left-leaning media outlets unfavourable to his presidency.

In a post late on Monday, Trump took issue at the Times' endorsement of his election rival, saying: "Their Endorsement of Kamala Harris was actually put dead center on the front page of The New York Times, something heretofore UNHEARD OF!"

In the post he also accused other media outlets or TV programmes of "smearing" him through "a highly sophisticated system of document and visual alteration".

It's not the first time the US president seeks to sue the New York Times.

In 2023, a judge has dismissed a lawsuit filed by Trump, then an ex-president, against the New York Times, saying the claims in the lawsuit "fail as a matter of constitutional law".

The $100m (£79m) lawsuit accused the newspaper and Trump's estranged niece, Mary Trump, of "an insidious plot" to obtain his tax records.

It was filed in 2021 and relates to a Pulitzer Prize-winning series on Trump's financial affairs.

Trump also lost another defamation bid in 2023, when he sought in vain to sue CNN for allegedly likening him to Adolf Hitler. A federal judge later threw out the $475m (£369m) lawsuit.

UK-US steel tariff agreement put on hold

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cj4y2gge7p1o, today

The BBC understands that a proposed deal to eliminate tariffs on UK steel exports to the US has been put on hold indefinitely.

Tariffs of 25% are currently applied to steel exports to the US, which make up 6% of all UK steel exports by volume and 9% by value.

A government spokesperson said: "We are still the only country to benefit from a 25% tariff on steel exports to the US, reinforcing our position as a trusted source of high-quality steel."

Other countries face tariffs of 50% and so senior government sources insist that the UK is in a competitive position relative to others, and added they believed there, although senior government sources insist there "remains a path to zero".

However, an agreement to reduce them to zero in short order was welcomed with some fanfare at the time by the government and the industry in July.

At the time the 25% tariff was first imposed, steel executives described the move as "devastating".

However, industry sources told the BBC today that while the news was disappointing, the UK still enjoyed a comparative advantage over other producers who face 50%.

One added that it at least gave the industry some certainty in a world where a surplus of cheap steel was causing many countries to erect trade barriers to protect their domestic industry. Gareth Stace from UK Steel said the UK should do the same.

"It is even more imperative now that the UK government beefs up its own trade defences to ensure UK steelmakers have a sustainable share of their own market. In these market conditions, the last country to protect their industry will be the first to lose it," he said.

A government spokesperson said: "We are continuing to work closely with the US to deliver certainty for UK industry, protect skilled jobs and support economic growth as part of our Plan for Change."

Hopes of a hasty deal to remove tariffs completely hit snags as US officials raised questions about the exports from the UKL's largest steel maker Tata, which has shut down its blast furnaces - meaning that steel is not made from scratch in the UK - pending the completion of new Electric Arc furnaces due to be completed in 2027.

The steel industry in the UK is in considerable financial distress, which has seen the government take over running Chinese-owned plants in Scunthorpe while Liberty Steel plants in Rotherham and Stocksbridge collapsed into government control last month.

Why hackers are targeting the world's shipping

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c36k01513l4o, 2 days ago

Lawyer Henry Clack sadly knows a lot about Nigerian criminal gangs.

Mr Clack, a solicitor at London-based commercial law firm HFW, has to deal with them when he is representing global shipping firms that have found themselves victims of cyber attacks.

"Of the cases which HFW have been involved in, the most common counterparties that we've encountered are Nigerian organised criminal organisations," he says.

"They have been responsible for perpetrating several high value 'man-in-the-middle' frauds in recent years."

This type of fraud involves a hacker being able to intercept the communication between two parties, such as emails. The criminal then impersonates both in order to try to steal sensitive information, such as log-in details or financial data, or even to take control of a company's computer system.

The cyber criminals then demand money to give back what they have stolen, or to give up their command of a firm's computers.

HFW's data shows that such hacking is a growing problem for the shipping sector, both attacks on ships and ports. It says that between 2022 and 2023 the cost of dealing with an attack doubled to an average of $550,000 (£410,000).

Meanwhile, in cases where cyber security experts cannot easily remove the hackers, HFW says the average cost of a ransom payment is now $3.2m.

Around 80% of world trade is carried by sea, and disruption can greatly increase shipping firms' costs, and leave them short of capacity.

This, says John Stawpert, manager for environment and trade in the marine department of the International Chamber of Shipping (ICS), makes the maritime industry a prime target for cyber attacks, from both criminal gangs and hostile countries.

"Cyber security is a major concern for the shipping industry, given how interconnected the world is. Shipping has been listed as one of the top 10 targets for cyber criminals globally," he says.

"The impact can be quite significant if cyber criminals manage to disrupt your operations or, for example, carry out a ransomware attack."

And the rate of attacks is rocketing. A research group at the Netherlands' NHL Stenden University of Applied Sciences compiled data on shipping cyber attacks over the last few years, and found that the number shot up from just 10 in 2021 to at least 64 last year.

Many incidents, says Jeroen Pijpker of the university's Maritime IT Security research group, are linked to the governments of four countries - Russia, China, North Korea and Iran.

"What we saw with one example was that equipment was being shipped to Ukraine, and then on a Telegram channel we see people giving information about what kind of targets to attack to get some kind of disruption in the logistical chain [of that delivery]."

Other attacks are purely for financial extortion, be it gangs from Nigeria or elsewhere.

One reason for the recent rapid rise in cyber attacks is that there are now simply more routes for hackers to use.

Over the last few years, the industry has become more digital, while new communication technologies, Elon Musk's Starlink satellite service, for example, have meant that ships have become more connected to the outside world. And therefore more hackable.

In one incident last year, a US Navy chief was relieved of her duties after she had installed an unauthorised satellite dish on her combat ship, so that she and other officers could access the internet.

Meanwhile, much of the official digitisation in the maritime industry has happened in a piecemeal way, and involves technology that can go rapidly out of date. The average cargo ship, says Pijpker, is around 22-years-old, and shipping companies can't afford to have them out of the water too often to update.

Digitisation has brought other risks, too, including GPS jamming and "spoofing".

"GPS spoofing means sending the navigation system a false location, and this means that the ship takes a completely different route - it can even be damaged physically if it gets into shallow waters," says Arik Diamant of security firm Claroty.

In May it was widely reported that a container ship called MSC Antonia had run aground in the Red Sea after a suspected GPS spoofing attack.

While no suspect was accused in the reporting, Yemen's Houthi rebels have physically attacked other cargo ships in the area. Other examples of GPS targeting in the Baltic Sea have been blamed on Russia.

Defending against GPS jamming and spoofing is difficult and expensive, but "anti-jam" technology is available.

Meanwhile, another weakness for cargo ships is the increased use of sensors to monitor their emissions. These often transmit the data, so offer hackers another possible line of entry and attack.

The good news is that the industry is working to tighten up security. In 2021, the International Maritime Organization (IMO) regulator added new cyber security provisions to its global safety management code for merchant shipping.

"These provisions brought into law more specific cyber risk management requirements to be incorporated into the ship safety management system, to address deliberate cyber-attacks, and to prescribe risk management practices into the operation of compliant merchant ships," explains Tom Walters, another shipping specialist at HFW.

Ship management systems are now required - rather than simply advised - to include increasingly stringent cyber security measures, ranging from basic security hygiene to more technical operational and IT measures.

"Personally, I think the industry is in a good place to deal with the threat - certainly compared with six or seven years ago," says Mr Stawpert.

"There's hugely increased awareness across the industry of cyber attacks and cyber crime, and that will increase over the coming years."

Back at law firm HFW, how exactly do they communicate with the criminal gangs? Henry Clack says it is via electronic text, and kept as brief as possible.

"When it does happen, it is more often than not in the context of ransomware ransom negotiations. Communication is via online messaging services, maybe one message, no more than a couple of sentences, each day."

'We are playing with fire': Fears persist over battery storage

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/czjvdpzw71po, 6 days ago

Robert Holden is worried about one of New York City's five boroughs going up in flames.

"It makes absolutely zero sense why, now, these facilities are being sited practically in people's backyards, and next to gas stations, all over Staten Island," says the city councillor.

"Simply put, it is not just a bad policy, but a dangerous one, and the city is literally playing with fire by allowing this to happen."

Holden is talking about proposals to build more battery energy storage system (Bess) centres - large-scale power storage sites based on the same lithium-ion batteries that are used in laptops and electric cars.

The batteries are stored, thousands together, in large metal boxes.

Such facilities are increasingly springing up all over the world, with 21.9 gigawatt-hours installed in Europe last year alone, according to industry group SolarPower Europe. That's enough to power some 16 million homes.

And there's a need for a great many more. Achieving net zero by 2050 - or getting anywhere near it - requires a massive shift to renewable power sources such as solar and wind.

And electricity produced by such renewables can go to waste unless it can be stored and then delivered at a time when it's needed, such as everyone turning on the lights in the evening. And that's where Bess come in.

"For the moment, in the European Union, what we are looking at is that we should increase battery deployments by a factor of 10," says Driese Acke, deputy chief executive of SolarPower Europe.

While there's currently around 75 gigawatt-hours of battery storage installed in the EU, he says that needs to rise to around 750 by 2030.

Robert Dryfe, professor of physical chemistry at the University of Manchester, says there are alternatives to battery storage.

These include cryogenic storage, where power from renewables is stored by chilling air into liquid form. When the liquid is then allowed to warm up it expands back into gas and can drive a turbine to make electricity.

Then there are long-established hydro power systems, whereby water is released from a higher reservoir to a lower one, also driving turbines.

Yet Prof Dryfe describes both cryogenic and hydro as "fairly niche devices". "So really to keep pace with the increasing deployment of renewables it's hard to see beyond electrochemical storage mechanisms," he adds.

However, Bess technology is far from perfect. The biggest issue - and the one concerning protesters the most - is the installations' potential vulnerability to fire.

In the UK, a fire at a Bess facility in Essex back in February took almost 24 hours to extinguish. A similar fire in Liverpool in 2020 took 59 hours to put out.

And in January of this year, a fire at one of the world's largest Bess plants in northern California led to the evacuation of around 1,500 people and the closure of a major highway.

The cause of such blazes is a process called thermal runway. This can be triggered by events from short-circuits to physical damage and manufacturing defects, and which allows heat-producing chemical reactions to start within the battery. This can lead to the release of flammable (and toxic) gases, which can then explode.

And Bess facilities contain millions of battery cells that, if not shielded or widely-enough separated, allow fires to spread fast.

Meanwhile, when fires do occur, contaminants can be released into the air and water - although a recent review of large-scale Bess fires in the US since 2012 found that emissions are largely confined to the immediate vicinity of the fire.

Back in the UK, locals are currently fighting a proposed Bess installation by Blackford Renewables at Rothienorman in Aberdeenshire.

"They don't have any consideration for the residents that live outside their red line around their property, they don't take the residents into consideration for flood risk or fire," says campaigner Marguerite Fleming.

A spokesperson for Blackford Renewables says the company is still working on the details of its proposals, and promises to engage with the community.

"We take local concerns about fire safety very seriously, and we are committed to maintaining the highest safety standards through the use of advanced technology, fire safety systems and close coordination with emergency services," he says.

Prof Dryfe says that fires are indeed a risk - not just at the Bess installations themselves, but also at the recycling plants that deal with the batteries at the end of their life.

"Recycling's obviously a good thing, but taking batteries apart isn't a risk-free process, and fires can start there," he says.

Other factors holding back wider Bess installation include humanitarian and environmental concerns about the mining of necessary materials such as cobalt, while in Germany there are fears that the national grid simply can't cope with the number of facilities springing up.

When it comes to safety, experts are calling for greater, and more unified, regulation.

"From our point of view, it's important to have it harmonised as far as possible, because certainly in the European Union there is no such thing as an EU-wide standard for the quality and maintenance of battery assets," says Mr Acke.

"It is all organised on a national level, which means that the EU is not actually a single market as it's meant to be for battery energy storage systems. And that's one of the reasons that big deployments are going a bit slower than they should be."

While there may not yet be any international standards on Bess facility safety, countries including China, the US, the UK and Australia are all working on technical guidelines.

Meanwhile, battery safety is improving all the time, with newer systems equipped with improved suppression systems and more fire-resistant battery chemistries.

Prof Dryfe says that the increasing reliance on renewables simply makes the building of reliable, large-scale power storage a necessity. "We are using more renewable energy, and that means more grid scale storage - and so basically I don't think we've got any choice."

AI challenges the dominance of Google search

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c1dx9qy1eeno, yesterday

Like most people, when Anja-Sara Lahady used to check or research anything online, she would always turn to Google.

But since the rise of AI, the lawyer and legal technology consultant says her preferences have changed - she now turns to large language models (LLMs) such as OpenAI's ChatGPT.

"For example, I'll ask it how I should decorate my room, or what outfit I should wear," says Ms Lahady, who lives in Montreal, Canada.

"Or, I have three things in the fridge, what should I make? I don't want to spend 30 minutes thinking about these admin tasks. These aren't my expertise; they make me more fatigued."

Ms Lahady says her usage of LLMs overtook Google Search in the past year when they became more powerful for what she needed.

"I've always been an early adopter… and in the past year have started using ChatGPT for just about everything. It's become a second assistant."

While she says she won't use LLMs for legal tasks - "anything that needs legal reasoning" - she uses it in a professional capacity for any work that she describes as "low risk", for example, drafting an email.

"I also use it to help write code or find the best accounting software for my business."

Ms Lahady is not alone. A growing number are heading straight for LLMs, such as ChatGPT, for recommendations and to answer everyday questions.

ChatGPT attracts more than 800 million weekly active users, up from 400 million in February 2025, according to Demandsage, a data and research firm.

Traditional search engines like Google and Microsoft's Bing still dominate the market for search. But LLMs are growing fast.

According to research firm Datos, in July 5.99% of search on desktop browsers went to LLMs, that's more than double the figure from a year earlier.

Professor Feng Li, associate dean for research and innovation at Bayes Business School in London, says people are using LLMs because they lower the "cognitive load" - the amount of mental effort required to process and act on information – compared to search.

"Instead of juggling 10 links with search, you get a brief synthesis that you can edit and iterate in plain English," he says. "LLMs are particularly useful for summarising long documents, first-pass drafting, coding snippets, and 'what-if' exploration."

However, he says outputs still require verification before use, as hallucinations and factual errors remain common.

While the use of AI might have exploded, Google denies that it is at the expense of its search engine.

It says overall queries and commercial queries continued to grow year-over-year and its new AI tools significantly contributed to this increase in usage.

Those new tools include AI Mode, which allows users to ask more conversational questions and receive more tailored responses in return.

That followed the rollout of AI Overviews, which produces summaries of queries at the top of the search page.

While Google plays down the impact of LLMs on its search business, an indication of the affect came in May during testimony in an antitrust trial bought by the US Department of Justice against Google.

A top Apple executive said that the number of Google searches on Apple devices, via its browser Safari, fell for the first time in more than 20 years.

Nevertheless, Prof Li doesn't believe there will be a replacement of search but a hybrid model will exist.

"LLM usage is growing, but so far it remains a minority behaviour compared with traditional search. It is likely to continue to grow but stabilise somewhere, when people primarily use LLMs for some tasks and search for others such as transactions like shopping and making bookings, and verification purposes."

As a result of the rise of LLMs, companies are having to change their marketing strategies.

They need to understand "which sources the model considers authoritative within their category," says Leila Seith Hassan, chief data officer at digital marketing agency Digitas UK.

"For example, in UK beauty we saw news outlets and review sites like Vogue and Sephora referenced heavily, whereas in the US there was more emphasis on content from brands' own websites."

She says that LLMs place more trust in official websites, press releases, established media, and recognised industry rankings than in social media posts.

And that could be important, as Ms Seith Hassan says there are signs that people who have used AI to search for a product, are more likely to buy.

"Referrals coming directly from LLMs often appear to be higher quality, with people are more likely to convert to sales."

There is plenty of anecdotal evidence that people are turning to LLMs when searching for products.

Hannah Cooke, head of client strategy at media and influencer agency Charlie Oscar, says she started using LLMs in a "more serious and strategic way" about 18 months ago.

She mainly uses ChatGPT but has experimented with Google Gemini to personally and professionally streamline her work and life.

Ms Cooke, who lives in London, says rather than turning to Google, she will ask ChatGPT for personalised skincare recommendations for her skin type. "There's fewer websites I need to go through," she says of the benefits.

And it's the same with travel planning.

"ChatGPT is much easier to find answers and recommendations," she says.

"For example, I used ChatGPT to research ahead of a recent visit to Japan. I asked it to plan two weeks travelling and find me restaurants with vegetarian dishes. It saved [me] hours of research."

Federal court blocks Trump from sacking Lisa Cook

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c0ezqr7l774o, today

US President Donald Trump cannot oust Federal Reserve governor Lisa Cook from her role, a federal appeals court has ruled.

The 2-1 ruling on Monday is a blow to Trump as it means Cook can now stay in place for the Fed's policy meeting on Tuesday and Wednesday, where it is expected to cut US interest rates.

Trump announced in August that he was firing Cook on the grounds that she had committed mortgage fraud. Cook denied the allegations and said the president had no authority to sack her.

The case has ramifications for the Fed's ability to set interest rates without interference from politicians.

Cook is part of the board responsible for setting interest rates in the US.

In setting up the Fed in 1913, Congress included provisions that kept it independent from politics. No president has ever removed a Fed governor.

The laws under which Trump claimed he had the right to sack Cook have never been tested in court. The Trump administration is expected to take Monday's ruling to the Supreme Court.

Under the law that created the Fed, its governors may be removed by a president only "for cause", though the law does not define the term nor establish procedures for removal.

Cook, a Biden appointee and the first black woman to serve as a Fed governor, sued Trump in August, claiming she was being sacked for her monetary policy stance.

The Fed has not cut interest rates so far this year as it tries to keep inflation under control. with prices rising in part due to the as the impact of Trump's tariffs on goods being imported to the country.

Trump has repeatedly demanded aggressive rate cuts, berating the Fed's chair Jerome Powell over monetary policy.

A cut is expected this week, however, in order to stimulate a sluggish labour market in the US.

Trump on Monday reiterated his call for a major interest rate cut, writing on his Truth Social platform that Fed Chair Jerome Powell "must cut interest rates, now, and bigger than he had in mind".

Google-owner reveals £5bn AI investment in UK ahead of Trump visit

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/crmek723dz9o, today

The world's fourth biggest company, Google-owner Alphabet, has announced a new £5bn ($6.8bn) investment in UK artificial intelligence (AI).

The money will be used for infrastructure and scientific research over the next two years - the first of several massive US investments being unveiled ahead of US President Donald Trump's state visit.

Google's President and Chief Investment Officer Ruth Porat told BBC News in an exclusive interview that there were "profound opportunities in the UK" for its "pioneering work in advanced science".

The company will officially open a vast $1bn (£735m) data centre in Waltham Cross, Hertfordshire, with Chancellor Rachel Reeves on Tuesday.

The investment will expand this site and also include funding for London-based DeepMind, run by British Nobel Prize winner Sir Demis Hassabis, which deploys AI to revolutionise advanced scientific research.

Ms Porat said there was "now a US-UK special technology relationship... there's downside risks that we need to work on together to mitigate, but there's also tremendous opportunity in economic growth, in social services, advancing science".

She pointed to the government's AI Opportunities Action Plan as helping the investment, but said "there's still work to be done to land that", and that capturing the upside of the AI boom "was not a foregone conclusion".

The US administration had pressed the UK to water down its Digital Services Tax on companies, including Google, in talks this year, but it is not expected to feature in this week's announcements.

Further multi-billion-dollar UK investments are expected from US giants over the next 24 hours.

The pound has strengthened, analysts say, partly on expectations of interest rate changes and a flow of US investment.

Yesterday, Google's owner Alphabet became the fourth company to be worth more than $3tn in terms of total stock market value, joining other technology giants Nvidia, Microsoft and Meta.

Google's share price has surged in the past month after US courts decided not to order the breakup of the company.

Google CEO Sundar Pichai had succeeded in making the company an "AI First" business, saying "it's that performance which has resulted in that metric", Ms Porat said.

Until this summer, Google had been seen to have lagged behind startups such as OpenAI, despite having pioneered much of the key research behind large language models.

Across the world, there has been some concern about the energy use and environmental impact of data centres.

Ms Porat said that the facility would be air-cooled rather than water-cooled and the heat "captured and redeployed to heat schools and homes".

Google signed a deal with Shell to supply "95% carbon-free energy" for its UK investments.

In the US, the Trump administration has suggested that the power needs of AI data centres require a return to the use of carbon-intensive energy sources.

Ms Porat said that Google remained committed to building our renewable energy, but "obviously wind doesn't blow and the sun doesn't shine every hour of the day".

Energy efficiency was being built into "all aspects of AI" microchips, models, and data centres, but it was important to "modernise the grid" to balance off periods of excess capacity, she said.

Asked about fears of an AI-induced graduate jobs crisis, Ms Porat also said that her company was "spending a lot of time" focused on the AI jobs challenge.

"It would be naive to assume that there isn't a downside... If companies just use AI to find efficiencies, we're not going to see the upside to the UK economy or any economy."

But, she said, entire new industries were being created, opening new doors, and in jobs such as nursing and radiology, adding: "AI is collaborating with people rather than replacing them."

"Each one of us needs to start using AI so you can understand how it can be an assistance to what you're doing, as opposed to actually fearing it and watching from the sidelines," she said.

JLR could face disruption until November after hack

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/czewlj57e24o, today

Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) has told suppliers that production at its factories will not resume until 24 September at the earliest following a serious cyber attack, but industry sources have warned disruption could last into November.

The hack, which occurred more than two weeks ago, forced JLR to shut down its IT networks and paralysed production. A criminal investigation is under way.

JLR has dismissed reports that the operational impact of the attack may continue for weeks or months as "speculation".

But concerns are growing about the impact of the stoppage on the carmaker's extensive supply chain, amid claims some companies could face bankruptcy without prompt financial support.

The shutdown is believed to be costing the company at least £50m a week in lost production. JLR would normally expect to build more than 1,000 cars a day.

The firm, which is owned by India's Tata Motors, has car plants in Solihull and Halewood, as well as an engine facility in Wolverhampton.

It also has large factories in Slovakia and China, as well as a smaller facility in India.

But all of the production lines have been at a standstill since 1 September when the hack first came to light.

Announcing the latest delay, JLR said: "We have taken this decision as our forensic investigation of the cyber incident continues and as we consider the different stages of the controlled restart of our global operations, which will take time.

"We are very sorry for the continued disruption this incident is causing and we will continue to update as the investigation progresses."

JLR initially appeared confident that the situation would be resolved quickly. However, it has since become clear that restarting production is not a simple process.

The company has admitted some data may have been viewed or stolen by third parties as a result of the cyber attack.

By 24 September, three and a half weeks of output will have been lost. Industry insiders say that even once the production lines have restarted, getting back to normal output is likely to take several weeks.

Among suppliers, many of whom are small and medium sized businesses, there is growing concern.

Several have told the BBC they simply do not have the financial resources to cope with an extended shutdown and industry experts have said bankruptcies are likely, unless some kind of support is provided.

Jason Richards, West Midlands regional officer at Unite the union, told the BBC: "We're already seeing employers having discussions on potential redundancies. People have to pay rent, they have to pay mortgages and if they're not getting any pay, what are they supposed to do?

"We need to have a supply chain into Jaguar Land Rover. I can't emphasise it enough [because] if they turn the tap on and they're expecting the supply chain to be waiting on the subs bench, they won't be there," he added.

'Lasting damage'

With hundreds of thousands of people working in the sector, analysts say there is a risk of lasting damage to the country's engineering base.

Unite has called for a furlough scheme to be set up, which would use government money to help pay the salaries of people in the sector who are unable to work due to the stoppage.

The Commons Business and Trade Committee has also asked the chancellor what plans she has to support vulnerable businesses in the supply chain.

JLR itself is understood to have been holding talks with some suppliers about potential support.

While a number of suppliers have expressed concern about a lack of information provided to them by JLR, one leading contractor has defended the company.

"We should not forget who is to blame here," said David Roberts, chair of Evtec Group.

"All of this is the fault of criminals. JLR is the victim here. We should remember who started this - and it wasn't JLR."

A group calling itself Scattered Lapsus$ Hunters has claimed responsibility for the hack. It was also behind a number of high-profile attacks on retailers earlier this year, among them Marks & Spencer and Co-op.

India and US seek breakthrough in day-long trade talks

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c99g13xezdvo, today

India and the US are holding a day of trade talks, sparking hope that stalled negotiations on a bilateral agreement will soon resume.

A team led by US trade negotiator Brendan Lynch is in Delhi to meet officials from India's commerce ministry.

India said the meeting doesn't mark the start of the next round of negotiations, describing it as a "discussion" about "trying to see" how an agreement can be reached.

Negotiations on a trade deal had stalled after US President Donald Trump imposed a hefty 50% tariff on Indian goods, partly as a penalty for Delhi's purchase of Russian oil and weapons. India has defended its decision, citing domestic energy needs, and called the tariffs "unfair".

Senate clears Trump pick Miran to Fed board ahead of key interest rate vote

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cgrq5x97qlqo, today

The US Senate has cleared President Donald Trump's pick Stephen Miran to join the Federal Reserve's board of governors - part of a panel responsible for setting the country's interest rates.

Mr Miran, who is the chair of the Council of Economic Advisers, will be the first sitting White House official to join the Fed's board since its creation in its current form in the 1930s.

He was narrowly confirmed on Monday with a vote of 48-47.

The economist's entry has raised concerns over the central bank's longstanding independence and follows Trump's bid to reshape the Federal Reserve.

Mr Miran is expected to vote at a key Fed policy meeting this week as one of 12 voting members, playing a central role in Trump's bid for a large interest rate cut.

Miran's fast-tracked confirmation vote comes as Trump is also attempting to fire Fed Governor Lisa Cook from the central bank, citing allegations of mortgage fraud.

Ms Cook, the first Black woman to serve as a Fed governor, has denied the allegations and sued to block her removal.

On Monday, a US appeals court denied the Justice Department's request to lift an earlier ruling to temporarily block Trump from removing Ms Cook.

Report those who celebrate Charlie Kirk death to employers, Vance says

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cn0r5y33pj5o, today

People who celebrate the killing of conservative influencer Charlie Kirk should be held accountable, US Vice-President JD Vance has said.

"Call them out, and hell, call their employer," Vance said as he guest-hosted an episode of the Charlie Kirk Show. "We don't believe in political violence, but we do believe in civility."

Pilots, medical professionals, teachers and one Secret Service employee are among those who have been suspended or sacked for social media posts that were deemed inappropriate about Kirk's death.

Critics have argued the firings threaten free speech and employee protections, although US companies have wide latitude to terminate employees.

Professors and journalists, too, are facing punishment for their comments, provoking a debate over so-called cancel culture.

Karen Attiah, a long-time columnist for the Washington Post, wrote in a Substack post that the newspaper had fired her after a series of posts she made on social media platform Bluesky following Kirk's death.

In South Carolina, Clemson University said in a statement on Monday that it had fired one employee and placed two professors on leave for what it called "inappropriate" social media posts related to Kirk's killing.

The repercussions have reached beyond the US.

In Canada, University of Toronto professor Ruth Marshall was placed on leave after appearing to write in a social media post that "shooting is honestly too good for so many of you fascists".

US employers generally have broad discretion to fire workers for any reason, as most staff are hired under "at-will" contracts.

Steven Collis, a law professor at the University of Texas Austin, said the right to free speech under the US Constitution does not cover private employers.

Rather, it applies to government actions restricting citizens' free speech, he said.

But Risa Lieberwitz, head of the Worker Institute at Cornell University, said public figures could be infringing on free speech rights if they call for accountability over posts about Kirk.

She said the spate of firings was not surprising, given the current heated political rhetoric in the US.

"I think it reflects the kind of fear that exists now in the United States from retaliation by the Trump administration for not adhering to their political agenda," she said.

Some have criticised the firings, like the American Association of University Professors, who said in a statement on Monday that academic freedom should be protected and "not curtailed under political pressure".

US says 'framework' for TikTok ownership deal agreed with China

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c5yj5xj78p5o, today

Washington has reached a "framework" deal with China on TikTok's US operations, paving the way for American ownership, as the world's two biggest economies negotiate a trade deal.

The framework was set in talks in Madrid, US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said on Monday, adding that President Donald Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping would "complete" the deal on Friday.

Trump said on Truth Social that the talks had "gone very well". China confirmed a framework agreement but said no deal would be made at the expense of their firms' interests.

A Wednesday deadline looms for TikTok's Chinese owner to find a buyer for US operations or face a ban in the country over national security concerns.

The deadline for a sale has since been extended three times already and the latest delay is due to end on 17 September.

The BBC's US partner CBS reported late on Monday that Oracle was among a group of firms that would enable TikTok operations to continue in the US if a deal between Washington and Beijing is finalised.

The BBC has contacted Oracle, TikTok, the White House and the Chinese embassy in Washington DC for comment.

The ownership of TikTok has been a major sticking point in US-China trade talks. It was seen by observers as key to Beijing's efforts to negotiate lower tariffs and fewer trade barriers with the US, one of China's biggest markets.

Bessent announced the "framework" deal after the second day of negotiations to end a trade war which, at its peak, saw tariffs on some goods hit145%.

The agreed upon commercial terms would protect US national security interests, he added.

US trade representative Jamieson Greer, part of the delegation in Madrid, said the deal struck was "subject to the leaders' approval", but added his team was "not... in the business of having repetitive [ban] extensions".

China's top trade negotiator, Li Chenggang, said his country would not reach a deal with the US at the expense of its own principles and its leadership would review any deal before it was agreed.

In January, the US Supreme Court upheld a law passed in April 2024, banning TikTok unless its parent company ByteDance sold its US division.

TikTok went dark for a day that month after the law came into effect, before Trump intervened and issued a 75-day postponement.

The US Justice Department has said TikTok's access to data on American users poses "a national-security threat of immense depth and scale".

But ByteDance has repeatedly insisted that its US operations are fully independent and no data has been shared with the Chinese government. The company also argued that the ban would violate free speech protections for its 170 million US users.

Various figures have previously been touted as potential buyers of the platform, including Oracle co-founder Larry Ellison, YouTube creator MrBeast and billionaire investor Frank McCourt.

'Backdoor' for Beijing?

Details of the deal remain sparse and some experts are sceptical over issues including who will control TikTok's powerful recommendation algorithm.

It is also unclear if the data of TikTok's American users would be fully stored and encrypted domestically, and whether there would be independent audits to detect backdoor access by Beijing, said Sarah Kreps, director of the Tech Policy Institute at Cornell University.

"Until these details are clarified, the risk is that the deal resolves ownership on paper but leaves core vulnerabilities untouched," she added.

Jim Secreto, a former national security official in the Biden administration, said Beijing has control over whether the algorithm will be transferred to a new owner, which is probably why the TikTok deal was folded into broader trade and tariff negotiations.

If national security concerns were addressed, the deal "would be a major breakthrough," he said.

He added that the stakes were high as ByteDance was now one of the largest AI firms in China - but is still operating as it did when Congress decided action was necessary.

"The data TikTok collects from Americans today could help train the models that power China's military and intelligence capabilities tomorrow," Mr Secreto said.

Musk buys $1bn worth of Tesla shares

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cp982z3xrz7o, yesterday

Billionaire Elon Musk has scooped up roughly $1bn (£735m) worth of Tesla shares, in what is being seen as a vote of confidence in the electric car maker.

Shares in Tesla, which have struggled to advance this year, jumped more than 6% in early trading on Monday on the news.

Musk already held a roughly 13% stake in the company, but he has long sought more control of the firm, which he has been pushing to invest in robotaxis, automation and artificial intelligence (AI).

The company's board recently proposed a compensation plan valued at roughly $1 trillion, which would grant Musk up to 12% of the firm's shares if the company reaches certain targets.

The board also said it would grant him $29bn worth of shares last month as a separate "interim" award, after a larger pay package agreed in 2018 was struck down in a court battle.

The proposals followed discussions with Musk, in which he demanded a 25% stake in the firm, at times threatening to quit Tesla entirely over the issue.

Danni Hewson, head of financial analysis at AJ Bell, said Musk was likely looking to build back his stake in Tesla, noting that "markets like it" when company leaders buy into their own companies because it suggests they feel positive about the firm's future performance.

But she noted that there could also be other motivations at play.

"An inventive and ungenerous interpretation of Musk's actions is he saw the news about Larry Ellison becoming the world's richest man and decided to juice Tesla stock a bit to regain the title," she said. "Stranger things have happened."

Musk's purchases of roughly 2.5 million shares were completed on Friday and disclosed in a filing with regulators on Monday.

They mark his first open market stock purchases since 2020 and are a sign of his investment in the firm, which has been on the defensive this year.

Musk has tried to focus investors on the promise of robotaxis and automation.

But the company is grappling with falling sales, as competition heats up and the US ends tax breaks for electric car purchases.

The firm's brand also took a hit as Musk has deepened his political involvement.

He was a key supporter of US President Donald Trump in the 2024 election, before a dramatic falling out earlier this year.

He has also rallied on behalf of far-right causes in the UK and Germany.

On Monday, the British government accused Musk of using "dangerous and inflammatory language" when he appeared by video link at a rally organised by far-right activist Tommy Robinson in London on Saturday.

Musk had told the crowds that violence was coming and they had to fight back or die.

Tesla's board has said its compensation plans for Musk are intended in part to secure assurances that his "involvement with the political sphere would wind down in a timely manner".

Asked about those assurances in an interview with Bloomberg last week, board chair Robyn Denholm said "what [Musk] does from a personal perspective in terms of his political motivations, et cetera, is up to him", while maintaining that he was "back, front and centre" at Tesla.

She said Musk was "the right CEO for Tesla over this transformative period of time".

Trump renews push to end companies' quarterly reports

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cm2zye8745do, yesterday

US President Donald Trump is pushing regulators to loosen reporting requirements for public companies, echoing his efforts to end quarterly earnings reports during his first term in the White House.

In a Truth Social post, Trump urged the Securities and Exchange Commission to shift away from requiring firms to report on a quarterly basis and instead adopt a semi-annual schedule.

Less frequent reporting, Trump argued, would "save money, and allow managers to focus on properly running their companies".

Proponents of the shift say it could boost the number of publicly traded companies in the US, reversing a downward trend in recent years. But investors rely on regular reports for transparency.

The US has required public companies to report earnings every three months since 1970. Any effort to scale back the frequency of those reports is likely to face opposition from shareholders and other critics, who argue that the shift could threaten transparency and risk market volatility.

Trump had also called on the SEC to adopt semi-annual reporting during his first term, though his proposal failed to materialise. The regulator's current leadership, including chair Paul Atkins, has been critical of disclosures that companies consider to be a burden.

The SEC did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

In a sign of growing momentum behind Trump's proposal, the Long-Term Stock Exchange, a stock trading venue, said last week that it intended to ask the SEC to allow companies to report results twice a year instead of quarterly, the Wall Street Journal reported.

Veteran investor Warren Buffett and JPMorgan Chase chief executive Jamie Dimon have questioned the benefits of quarterly financial guidance, specifically, warning that a focus on short-term profits comes at the expense of long-term strategy.

In his post on Monday, Trump suggested that China's reporting requirements for public companies were business-friendly, compared to those in the US.

"Did you ever hear the statement that, 'China has a 50 to 100 year view on management of a company, whereas we run our companies on a quarterly basis???' Not good!!!", Trump wrote.

Allowing companies to report every six months would put the US more closely in line with practices in the UK and several countries in the European Union.

Gucci, Balenciaga and Alexander McQueen private data ransomed by hackers

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/crl5j8ld615o, yesterday

Cyber criminals have stolen the private details of potentially millions of Balenciaga, Gucci and Alexander McQueen customers in an attack.

The stolen data includes names, email addresses, phone numbers, addresses and the total amount spent in the luxury stores around the world.

Kering, the parent company of the luxury brands, has confirmed the breach and says it disclosed the incident to the relevant data protection authorities.

It said no financial information, such as card details, were stolen.

The firm also says it has emailed customers affected but has not said how many, or made any public statements about the hack.

Legally, the company is not obligated to make any public statements about the breach as long as it has notified all individuals affected through other means.

The cyber criminal behind the attack calls themselves Shiny Hunters.

They claim to have data linked to 7.4m unique email addresses which suggests the total number of individual victims could be similar.

A small sample shared with the BBC as proof contained thousands of customer details which appear to be genuine. Once analysed the files were deleted.

One of the details in the stolen data is "Total Sales" which shows how much money a person has spent with each brand.

Some customers are shown to have spent more than $10,000 with a handful spending $30,000-$86,000 in stores in the small sample analysed by the BBC.

This information is particularly concerning for victims as it could lead to high spenders being targeted by secondary hacks and scams if the hacker decides to leak the information to other criminals.

Shiny Hunters appears to be acting alone and told the BBC over Telegram chat that they breached the luxury brands in April through Kering.

The hacker contacted the French company in early June and claims to have been in on-off negotiations with them over a ransom to be paid in Bitcoin. This is denied by the company which says it has not engaged in any conversations with the criminal.

The company says it has refused to pay the hacker in accordance with long-standing law enforcement advice.

"In June, we identified that an unauthorized third party gained temporary access to our systems and accessed limited customer data from some of our Houses. No financial information - such as bank account numbers, credit card information, or government-issued identification numbers - was involved in the incident," a Kering spokesperson said adding it has since secured its IT systems.

The data breach which happened in April came at the time of a wave of attacks on luxury brands including Cartier and Louis Vuitton also disclosed breaches to customers and the public.

It's not known if those attacks are linked to Shiny Hunters.

In June, cyber security experts at Google issued a warning about a trend of attacks linked to Shiny Hunters that the tech giant also subsequently fell victim to.

The hacker or hackers are known by Google as UNC6040 which have been stealing data through tricking employees into handing over their log in details for internal company Salesforce software.

What to do you if your information has been stolen

Stolen information in cyber-attacks may include your name, address, date of birth and online order history.

Scammers may use these to try and look genuine and contact you pretending to be another organisation, including a bank or government.

So it's important to stay vigilant if you receive suspicious emails, messages or phone calls.

Be aware that scammers often try and press you to do something urgently.

If you do get a call from your bank and are unsure if it's genuine, hang up and call the number on your card or the bank's website.

The National Cyber Security Centre says you should change your password, and use two-factor authentication if possible.

Passwords made up of three random words are harder to crack, and do not reuse password across multiple accounts.

China accuses Nvidia of violating anti-monopoly laws

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cj9zedgkm21o, yesterday

China's market regulator has said US computer chipmaker Nvidia has violated Chinese anti-monopoly laws.

The country's market watchdog did not give details of how Nvidia had breached the rules, but said it would continue to investigate the matter.

Nvidia said it complied with the law "in all respects" and will continue to cooperate with "all relevant government agencies".

The news came as US and Chinese officials held a second day of trade talks in Spain on Monday in the latest attempt to end a trade war between the world's two biggest economies.

Following the talks, US President Donald Trump hinted that a deal had been reached with China to avert a US ban on TikTok.

The social media app was facing a ban in America unless it found a US buyer.

The US-China trade talks in Spain were led by US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng.

Following the talks, Mr Bessent said: "We had very good discussions. We preferred to keep the discussions on TikTok, we will be holding trade negotiations in about a month again at a different location."

Top level trade delegations from Beijing and Washington last met in July, when they struck a deal to extend their tariffs truce by another 90 days until 10 November.

The tariffs truce between China and the US cut import taxes that had reached more than 100% on each other's goods.

China launched an investigation into Nvidia in December last year which was seen as the latest retaliation in a battle between the US and China over the semiconductor chip market.

The US had been tightening restrictions on sales of certain exports to Chinese companies, including high-end semiconductors.

The talks in Madrid were expected to address the issue of what chips, including those made by Nvidia, would be allowed to enter China.

Nvidia said in a statement: "We will continue to cooperate with all relevant government agencies as they evaluate the impact of export controls on competition in the commercial markets."

After initially calling for TikTok to be banned during his first term, Trump has reversed his stance on the popular video-sharing app and delayed the ban three times so far.

Posting on his social media platform Truth Social, Trump said a deal was "reached on a 'certain' company that young people in our country very much wanted to save. They will be very happy! I will be speaking to President Xi on Friday. The relationship remains a very strong one!!!"

There had been expectations that the deadline, which was due to expire on Wednesday, might be extended for a fourth time.

Although Trump was highly critical of TikTok during his first term in the White House, he softened his position after he gained popularity on the app during the 2024 presidential election.

In August, The White House launched its official TikTok account.

The app is one of the world's most widely-used social media platforms, with around 170 million users in the US.

South Korea to probe potential human rights abuses in US raid

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cz9j585g23go, yesterday

The South Korean government says it is investigating potential human rights violations during the raid and detention of Korean workers by US authorities.

South Korea has expressed "strong regret" to the US and has officially asked that its citizens' rights and interests are not infringed during law enforcement proceedings, said a presidential spokesperson on Monday.

More than 300 South Korean workers returned home on Friday after being held for a week following a raid at an electric vehicle battery plant in the US state of Georgia.

The incident has tested ties between the countries, even as South Korean firms are set to invest billions in America under a trade deal to avoid steep US tariffs.

South Korean authorities will work with the relevant companies to "thoroughly investigate any potential human rights violations or other issues", said the presidential spokesperson during a press briefing.

The BBC has contacted the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) for comment.

The raid has raised tensions between the US and South Korea, where many of those detained were from, with President Lee Jae-myung warning that it will discourage foreign investment into the US.

He called the situation "bewildering", adding that it is a common practice for Korean companies to send workers to help set up overseas factories.

Last week, Hyundai said the plant's opening will be delayed by at least two months.

South Korea's trade unions have called on Trump to issue an official apology.

On 4 September, around 475 people - mostly South Korean nationals - were arrested at a Hyundai-operated plant, in what marked the largest single-location immigration raid since US President Donald Trump launched a crackdown on illegal migrants earlier this year.

ICE officials said the South Koreans had overstayed their visas or were not permitted to work in the US.

A South Korean worker who witnessed the raid told the BBC of panic and confusion as federal agents descended on the site, with some people being led away in chains.

Trump has said foreign workers sent to the country are "welcome" and he doesn't want to "frighten off" investors.

The US needs to learn from foreign experts of fields like shipbuilding, chipmaking and computing, Trump said on his Truth Social platform on Sunday.

"We welcome them, we welcome their employees, and we are willing to proudly say we will learn from them, and do even better than them at their own 'game,' sometime in the not too distant future," he said.

UK and US unveil nuclear energy deal ahead of Trump visit

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/ckgzevzwxwro, yesterday

The UK and US are set to sign an agreement focused on accelerating the development of nuclear power.

The agreement aims to generate thousands of jobs and strengthen Britain's energy security.

It is expected to be signed off during US President Donald Trump's state visit this week, with both sides hoping it will unlock billions in private investment.

However, the designs behind some of the deals are relatively new and it could take many years before the nuclear projects generate energy for homes and businesses.

The key focus of the so-called Atlantic Partnership for Advanced Nuclear Energy is to make it quicker for companies to build new nuclear power stations in both the UK and the US.

The hope is to halve the time it takes to gain regulatory approval for nuclear projects from up to four years to two.

In practice, it means that if a reactor has already passed safety checks in one country, that work can be used to support the work of the other.

The UK's nuclear programme already includes plans for small modular reactors (SMRs), which are a scaled-down version of larger plants. Britain's engineering firm Rolls Royce has been selected to design and build the first in the country.

One of the commercial deals set to be signed this week is with US nuclear group X-Energy and the UK's Centrica, which owns British Gas, to build up to 12 advanced modular reactors (AMRs) in Hartlepool.

Unlike SMRs, which are water-cooled nuclear reactors, advanced modular reactors use gases such as helium as a coolant.

There are very few AMRs in the world operating on a commercial basis such as China's HTR-PM reactor.

X-Energy wants to build one in the US but, after announcing a partnership with US chemicals and plastics giant Dow in 2021, it has taken until March this year to submit a construction permit application to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission for the project in Texas.

X-Energy has said it hopes the reactor at a Dow site could be a blueprint for others and "manufacturers worldwide could replicate this model".

The government said the Hartlepool deal has the potential to power 1.5 million homes and create up to 2,500 jobs.

Energy Secretary Ed Miliband said: "Nuclear will power our homes with clean, homegrown energy and the private sector is building it in Britain, delivering growth and well-paid, skilled jobs for working people."

But Greenpeace questioned the UK's focus on nuclear power.

"If these proposals for new reactors scattered around Britain really materialise, the net effect will be higher bills from nuclear's relentlessly spiralling costs, and more CO2 as we wait for the builders to overcome their inevitable construction delays," said Dr Douglas Parr, chief scientist for Greenpeace UK.

The cost of building large nuclear plants in the UK, such as Sizewell C in Suffolk, has jumped to £38bn from a previous estimate of £20bn. Centrica is one of the key investors in Sizewell C.

SMRs work on the same principle as large reactors, using a nuclear reaction to generate heat that produces electricity, but have around a third of the generating output.

The modular element means they could be built to order in factories - as a kit of parts - then transported and fitted together, like a flat-packed power station.

However, the SMR industry is still young, and many different designs are being investigated.

Centrica's chief executive Chris O'Shea told the BBC's Today programme that increased costs and delays "can happen in all large projects".

But he said: "What you need to do is you need to do more than just one every 20 years in order to get better. So, the more you practice, the better you get which is why small and advanced modular reactors are particularly interesting because they'll be repetitive so you'll produce the same thing over and over again.

"That should bring improvements both in terms of cost and schedule and reliability and cost as well."

Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has previously said he wants the UK to return to being "one of the world leaders on nuclear".

In the 1990s, nuclear power generated about 25% of the UK's electricity but that figure has fallen to around 15%, with no new power stations built since then and many of the country's ageing reactors due to be decommissioned over the next decade.

In November 2024, the UK and 30 other countries signed a global pledge to triple their nuclear capacity by 2050.

US farmers are being squeezed - and it's testing their deep loyalty to Trump

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cjedvwed1xgo, 2 days ago

On a scorchingly hot day in the American Midwest, Tim Maxwell is voicing his fears about the future of farming.

The 65-year-old has worked the fields since he was a teenager. He now owns a grain and hog farm near Moscow, Iowa - but he's unsure about its prospects.

"I'm in a little bit of a worried place," says Mr Maxwell, who wears a baseball cap bearing the logo of a corn company.

He is concerned that American farmers aren't able to sell their crops to international markets in the way they could in previous years, in part because of the fallout from President Trump's tariffs.

"Our yields, crops and weather are pretty good - but our [interest from] markets right now is on a low," he says. "It's going to put stress on some farmers."

His fears are not unique. US agricultural groups warn that American farmers are facing widespread difficulty this year, mostly due to economic tensions with China. Since April, the two countries have been locked in a trade war, causing a sharp fall in the number of Chinese orders for American crops.

American farmers are wounded as a result, economists say. The number of small business bankruptcies filed by farmers has reached a five-year high, according to data compiled by Bloomberg in July.

With all this economic pain, rural areas could well have turned against Trump. But that doesn't seem to be happening.

Rural Americans were one of the president's most loyal voting blocs in last year's election, when he won the group by 40 percentage points over Kamala Harris, beating his own margins in 2020 and 2016, according to Pew Research analysis.

Polling experts say that in the countryside, he is still broadly popular.

Mr Maxwell says he is sticking with Trump, despite his own financial worries. "Our president told us it was going to take time to get all these tariffs in place," he says.

"I am going to be patient. I believe in our president."

So why do so many farmers and other rural Americans broadly continue to back Trump even while feeling an economic squeeze that is driven in part by tariffs - the president's signature policy?

Farmers on a 'trade and financial precipice'

If you want a window into rural America, the Iowa State Fair is a good start. The agricultural show attracts more than one million visitors over 10 days.

There is candy floss; deep-fried hot dogs on a stick for $7 (£5) - known as "corn dogs"; an antique tractor show; a competition for the biggest boar.

But when the BBC visited last month, there was another topic of conversation: tariffs.

"A lot of people say he's just using tariffs as a bargaining chip, as a bluff," says Gil Gullickson, who owns a farm in South Dakota and edits an agriculture magazine.

"But I can say: history proves that tariffs don't end well."

In April, what he termed "liberation day", Trump imposed sweeping tariffs on most of the world, including a 145% tariff on China.

In response, China put a retaliatory 125% tariff on American goods - a blow to farmers in the American Midwest, sometimes known as the "corn belt", many of whom sell crops to China.

Last year Chinese companies bought $12.7bn (£9.4bn) worth of soybeans from America, mostly to feed their livestock.

September is harvest season, and the American Soybean Association (ASA) has warned that soybean orders from China are way below where they should be at this point in the year.

Tariffs have fluctuated dramatically since they were introduced - and the uncertainty is proving tough for farmers, says Christopher Wolf, a professor of agricultural economics at Cornell University.

"China is just so big that when they buy things, it matters - and when they don't, it matters."

The cost of fertiliser has rocketed, too - partly because of trade disputes with Canada, which has raised the cost of potash, a salt imported from Canada by American farmers and used in fertiliser.

Jon Tester, a former Democrat Senator of Montana, who is a third-generation farmer, told a US news station earlier this month: "With all these tariffs the president's put on, it's interrupted our supply chain… it's increased the cost of new equipment… and because of the trade and tariffs, a lot of customers have said to heck with the United States…

"The people who are new to agriculture, those young farmers who haven't saved money for times like this, they're going to be in trouble and a lot of those folks are going to go broke.

"And if this continues, a lot of folks like me are going to go broke too."

American farmers already suffer from high levels of stress. They are more than three times more likely than average to die by suicide, according to a paper by a charity, the National Rural Health Association, which analysed a period before Trump's presidency.

In a letter to the White House, Caleb Ragland, president of the ASA, warned of a tipping point: "US soybean farmers are standing at a trade and financial precipice."

Trump: 'Our farmers are going to have a field day'

Supporters of President Trump say that his tariffs will help American farmers in the long run, by forcing countries like China to come to the negotiating table and agree new deals with the US over agriculture.

And they point to other ways this White House has helped farmers. Over the summer, as part of Trump's tax and spend bill, his administration expanded federal subsidies for farmers by $60bn (£44bn), and boosted funding for federal crop insurance.

In his annual speech to Congress in March, Trump warned farmers of a "little bit of an adjustment period" following the tariffs, adding: "Our farmers are going to have a field day… to our farmers, have a lot of fun, I love you."

Sid Miller, commissioner of the Texas Department of Agriculture, is among those who have praised Trump for his "vital support".

"We finally have an administration that is prioritising farmers and ranchers," he wrote in a statement earlier this year. "They advocate for farmers, challenge China ... and ensure America's producers are receiving fair treatment."

And it is possible the president's tariff strategy could eventually work, according to Michael Langemeier, a professor of agricultural economics at Purdue University.

But he also worries that uncertainty is inflicting long-term damage. "Your trading partner doesn't know exactly what your position's going to be next year, because it seems like we're changing the goalposts.

"That is a problem."

Tariffs will make us great again

There's an old adage in American politics that says people "vote with their pocketbooks" - and turn against politicians if they appear to harm their finances.

Yet despite financial pressures, the rural Americans we spoke to are firmly sticking with Trump.

Experts say they haven't seen any evidence of meaningful change in support among rural voters since last year. A survey by Pew last month found that 53% of rural Americans approve of the job Trump is doing, far higher than the 38% figure for the country as a whole.

Though a survey by ActiVote earlier this month did find a small decline in Trump's approval among rural voters from 59% in August to 54% in September. Analysts warn not to pay too much attention to those shifts, however, because the number of rural voters included in those polls is so small.

"The data I've seen suggests Trump is still heavily supported in rural communities," says Michael Shepherd, a political science professor at the University of Michigan who focuses on rural politics.

For some farmers at the state fair, the explanation is simple: they believe the US president when he tells them that tariffs will help them in the long run.

"We think the tariffs eventually will make us great again," says John Maxwell, a dairy farmer and cheese producer from Iowa.

"We were giving China a lot, and [previously] we paid tariffs when we sold to them. Let's make it fair. What's good for the goose is good for the other goose."

Some may also hold onto hope that the president will bail farmers out. During Trump's first term he gave farmers a $28bn (£20.7bn) grant amid a tariff dispute with China.

A case of selective blame attribution?

For Nicholas Jacobs, a politics professor at Colby College and author of The Rural Voter, there's a deeper reason at play.

"It's easy for an outsider to ask, 'Why the hell are you still with this guy?'" he says. "But you have to understand that across rural America, the move towards Republicans long predates Donald Trump."

Starting in the 1980s, he says, rural Americans started to feel alienated and left behind while cities benefited from globalisation and technological change.

What he calls a "rural identity" formed, based on a shared grievance and an opposition to urban liberals. The Republicans seemed like their natural champion, while he says the Democrats became "the party of the elite, technocrats, the well-educated, the urbane".

Some repeat that sentiment at the state fair. Joan Maxwell, a dairy farmer from Davenport in Iowa, says that her area is too often viewed as "flyover country".

"We are not looked at very positively for the most part from the media," she says. "We've been called deplorables, uneducated," - a reference to Hillary Clinton's description of half of Trump's supporters as a "basket of deplorables".

Ms Maxwell added: "A lot of times they ignore us or make fun of us."

Prof Shepherd, of the University of Michigan, believes there's another factor: in his view, America has become so polarised - with voters from both sides entrenched in their camps - that many are willing to forgive much more than they would previously, as long as it's a policy implemented by their own side.

He calls this "selective blame attribution… they might be really angry about some things that are happening, but they're reticent to blame Trump for them."

'We're giving him a chance - there'd better be results'

Mr Wolf has his own view on the "best case scenario" from here. "What I hope happens is that he [Trump] just declares victory and leaves it [tariffs] alone."

But he warns that even if the policy is dropped, the damage to American farmers could be long-term due to the shake-up to supply chains. Some Chinese firms are now buying their soybeans from Brazil rather than America, he says; they may not quickly return.

Many of the analysts we spoke to believe that rural America's support for Trump is not a blank cheque, despite their current support.

Mr Shepherd points to the Great Depression and rural "Dustbowl" of the 1930s, which forced millions of farmers to migrate to American cities, causing a long-term realignment in politics - though nobody expects it to get anywhere near that bad this time. The farm crisis of the 1980s also saw thousands of farms go under.

Back at the state fair, Ms Maxwell, the Iowan dairy farmer, makes this point clear.

"We're giving him the chance to follow through with the tariffs, but there had better be results. I think we need to be seeing something in 18 months or less.

"We understand risk - and it had better pay off."

Listen to Corn Belt People on BBC Radio 4 at 4pm bst on Monday 15 September

Additional reporting: Florence Freeman

New wave of US investment to create up to 1,000 jobs

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cr4qnx0ey5ko, 3 days ago

Belfast, along with London, Edinburgh and Manchester, is set to benefit from a wave of new US investment into the financial services sector.

Bank of America intends to create up to 1,000 new jobs in the city, marking its first operation in Northern Ireland.

Citigroup has also pledged investment across its UK sites, including a further commitment to growing its presence in Northern Ireland.

The US firms, which also include PayPal and S&P Global, have announced the investments, worth more than £1.25 billion, ahead of President Donald Trump's state visit to the UK next week.

Belfast 'centre of excellence'

The opening of the new Bank Of America facility is set to establish Belfast as "a key hub", reinforcing the city's position as a "centre of excellence for financial technology and security operations", the UK's Department for Business and Trade (DBT) said.

The department added the investment is a "major milestone that underscores the region's growing role in global financial services".

In 2023, the bank announced it would fund a three-year digital skills and employability programme, delivered by Belfast Met, for 600 people from socially and economically disadvantaged backgrounds.

On Saturday, a Bank of America spokesperson told BBC News NI there will be a "gradual build up" of its new Belfast operation.

Recruitment for the first roles "will start soon" and the bank "will also shortly conclude on location", he added.

Chief Executive Brian Moynihan said Bank of America was "pleased" to extend its investment in the UK "with the creation of a new Belfast operations facility to support our global business".

"The early US-UK trade agreement that the president and the prime minister began discussing in February has provided the business community with the certainty and framework it needs to strengthen transatlantic commerce," he added in a statement.

'International confidence'

Deputy First Minister Emma Little-Pengelly said the Bank of America investment "is a hugely significant sign of confidence in Northern Ireland, building on a "growing, global reputation for highly skilled and professional services for big international companies".

"Highly skilled jobs and a real show of faith and confidence in our economy," she wrote on social media.

"The bank has referenced the new UK-USA trading agreements and arrangements as a facilitator for this investment. It is hugely welcome that Northern Ireland will get a significant benefit from this UK-wide investment. Exciting times ahead."

In a statement, Chancellor Rachel Reeves said the commitment from "America's leading financial institutions" demonstrates "the immense potential of the UK economy, our strong relationship with the US and the confidence global investors have in our plan for change".

The investments "will create thousands of high-skilled jobs from Belfast to Edinburgh, kickstarting the growth that is essential to putting money in working people's pockets across every part of the United Kingdom", Reeves added.

Business and Trade Secretary Peter Kyle said the announcements "reinforce the UK's position as the world's leading investment destination".

"Our financial services sector is at the heart of a modern, dynamic industrial strategy.

"Strengthening ties with the US boosts our economy, creates jobs, and secures our role in global finance... These investments reflect the strength of our enduring 'golden corridor' with one of our closest trading partners."

Citigroup also investing in NI

US banking giant Citigroup has also confirmed it is investing an additional £1.1bn across its UK operations, alongside "a further commitment to growing its presence in Northern Ireland", the DBT added.

"The bank is already one of the top employers in Belfast now employing over 4,000 people - firmly establishing Belfast as a major technology powerhouse."

Citigroup Chief Executive Jane Fraser added: "Citi's commitment to the UK runs deep. This is home to many of our most senior leaders and nearly 14,000 colleagues across London, Belfast, Edinburgh and Jersey.

"We're proud to be serving 85% of the FTSE 100 and to have stood beside UK companies through every market cycle, raising capital, financing growth and helping them compete on the world stage.

"The UK isn't simply one of our largest markets; it is core to Citi's foundation as a truly global bank."

How a WhatsApp chat brought down a multi-million pound drugs empire

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/ckg4ej4l225o, 3 days ago

To the outside world he looked like a hard-working father who lived in a modest, end-of-terrace house.

"There was nothing flash about him at all, nothing screamed this person is a drug dealer," said the covert officer who led the surveillance of Robert Andrews Jr.

The 34-year-old wasn't even on the radar of police until officers found messages from him on the phone of another gang leader, in which they joked they would either end up "millionaires" or "sharing a cell" as they regularly sorted six-figure drug deals.

Detectives quickly realised that behind the everyman image, Andrews Jr was the mastermind of a multi-million pound drug empire selling cocaine and heroin on an industrial scale.

Secret police filming soon caught Andrews Jr doing brazen Class A drug deals in broad daylight and handing over more than £100,000 at a time in supermarket carrier bags.

"He seemed like an average guy, always wore his work clothes, lived in a regular house, with his partner and children," a covert officer told the BBC's Catching a Crime Boss.

"There was no high value vehicle, no designer clothing."

Organised crime detectives were alerted to Andrews Jr when officers found some revealing WhatsApp messages on the phone of another drugs kingpin called Kerry Evans.

Evans lived 30 miles (48km) away in Merthyr Tydfil and after arresting him, investigators found Evans had regularly messaged one number in particular to organise drug deals and payments.

That number belonged to a Robert Andrews Jr from Newport.

Evans was sentenced to 14 years and five months in jail last year and Andrews Jr was soon to follow.

"It doesn't require a mass of information, sometimes it's just a little nugget that can start the job off," admitted Gwent Police's Det Insp Ian Bartholomew.

The WhatsApp exchanges suggested to police that Andrews Jr was a "high level" dealer and detectives were warned that "advanced tactics" would be needed because he might be "difficult to catch".

Surveillance of Andrews Jr quickly revealed his underground world.

Clandestine officers - under operation name Mayland - followed him to regular liaisons at a secluded woodland patch of land near the busy M4 motorway where several drugs exchanges were caught on camera.

"This was a particular area of interest during the investigation," the covert officer recalled.

"We noticed a lot of criminality was taking place in this cleared area."

This location became known simply as "the clearing".

"It was a very dense area," she added.

"You'd only go there if you knew it or had specific directions so I think it was a real safe place where the organised crime group can conduct their criminality and feel like they weren't in the public eye."

One exchange resulted in the arrest of taxi driver Mohammed Yamin, whose cab was intercepted by police after he drove from "the clearing" where he had collected 2kg (4.4lb) of high purity cocaine from Andrews Jr.

It had a street value of around £200,000 and resulted in Yamin getting a six-and-a-half year prison sentence for possession with intent to supply.

Surveillance showed how Andrews Jr used "tokens" to make sure his money got to his supplier.

In one exchange, he was seen taking a £5 bank note from a man who got into his car, and then checking it.

He did not know the man, but knew there was a cash runner arriving from London to collect the money he owed his supplier.

The unique serial number on the bank note was the authentication he needed to ensure he was handing the cash over to the right person.

The cash runner's bag was later seized and found to contain £109,000.

The investigation found evidence on Andrews Jr's phone that he had made regular payments of similar amounts to his supplier.

Illustrating the scale of his operation, in two weeks alone he had made six payments to his suppliers, totalling £650,000.

Covert officers were confident they were watching an organised crime group in action and raided Andrews Jr's house in the early hours of the morning just before Christmas in 2023.

In a final attempt to cover his tracks, Andrews Jr threw his mobile phone on top of a bedroom wardrobe just before police burst into the room to arrest him.

As he was being handcuffed and the covert officer set out the reasons for his arrest, he laughed and "seemed quite unfazed", the officer said.

His mobile phone was recovered and proved crucial to the investigation as it contained detailed logs of who had ordered what, how much was owed to him and the amount he owed his suppliers.

"Robert Andrews wasn't somebody who was dealing on a street corner or to his friends," said Det Ch Supt Andrew Tuck.

"He was dealing in large quantities, kilo amounts of controlled drugs, which would equate to cocaine the size of a bag of sugar at a time."

Police considered Andrews Jr the principal member of an organised crime group supplying cocaine and heroin across south Wales.

"When you look at the quantities of cash involved, we're talking tens if not hundreds of thousands of pounds per exchange for up to four or five kilos of cocaine at a time," added Det Ch Supt Tuck.

While Andrews Jr did not show signs of his illicit wealth through "flash cars or expensive designer clothes", police thought he was funnelling his drug cash into building a new home on secluded land.

When officers raided the unfinished property, they found a £60,000 kitchen and lavish furnishings which suggested a level of wealth that the covert officer who arrested him said an "average working person wouldn't have been able to afford".

Andrews Jr admitted to two charges - one of conspiracy to supply cocaine and heroin and the second to actually supplying those drugs - at the start of 2024.

But due to a number of linked cases, it took almost two years for him to be sentenced.

Earlier this month, Andrews Jr was sentenced to 14 years and eight months by a judge at Newport Crown Court - half of which will be served in prison and the other half on licence.

Samuel Takahashi, described by police as a "significant member" of Andrews Jr's organised crime group, was sentenced to eight years.

The 34-year-old from Newport had also had been caught on police cameras during the nine months of surveillance exchanging drugs with Andrews Jr, sometimes at "the clearing".

Judge Carl Harrison told Andrews Jr at his sentencing that dealing drugs "fuels misery" and that he should be "ashamed" of involving his own mother in his "criminal enterprise". At a trial earlier this year, she had been given a suspended sentence for paying one of her son's couriers.

After tracking Andrews Jr, police identified one of his suppliers from the north-west of England.

Nathan Jones from Bolton, in Greater Manchester, was given an 18 year sentence after the 32-year-old was found selling more than £1m worth of cocaine to Andrews Jr's gang.

Jones had paid Rahail Mehrban, who is also from Bolton, £2,000 to courier half-a-million pounds worth of cocaine from Manchester to Newport. The 32-year-old was sentenced to 10 years and nine months.

"I hope this sends a strong message to anybody that drug crime has no place in our communities and there will be consequences," added Det Ch Supt Tuck.

Video games are taking longer to make, but why?

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cq8eyzde513o, 4 days ago

"It's been 84 years..." or so says the meme.

For video game fans, it can certainly feel like it, as the gap between big releases gets longer.

Earlier this month Silksong, the highly anticipated sequel to 2017's Hollow Knight, was finally released.

And don't get us started on Grand Theft Auto 6.

But the wait for one big title, Borderlands 4, is finally over, six years after its predecessor came out.

"I'm freaking out. It's wild," Randy Pitchford, head of developer Gearbox, tells BBC Newsbeat.

Borderlands is, quietly, one of the most successful game series launched in the past 20 years.

A mixture of first-person shooter and role-playing game, part one stood out in 2009 thanks to its cartoonish art style, edgy humour and co-operative multiplayer modes.

Players take on the role of vault hunters, tasked with gathering loot on an alien world where they meet a cast of wacky characters and over-the-top enemies.

The series has never swept an awards ceremony, but it's debatable whether it ever tried to.

Journalist Ash Parrish, of tech website The Verge, tells Newsbeat the game "turns off your brain and turns on the fun".

"The core ethos in Borderlands is that there's going to be a lot of shooting and a lot of dumb humour," she says.

"That's sometimes all you want out of a video game."

It's been a winning formula for the series, which has sold 94 million copies since the first game, putting it in a similar league to titles such as Tomb Raider and games based on the Harry Potter films.

"It shouldn't be as successful as it is," says studio boss Randy.

"It should be a super, super-niche thing.

"We have somehow reached people, which is awesome."

Success can be a blessing and a curse in video games. Critical acclaim can mean big sales, which help to fund your next work.

But praise also brings pressure to improve on what came before, and those expecrations only grow as the gap between releases widens.

Game development is notoriously complex, but Randy says it pays to take time to get things right, repaying the "trust and confidence" gained from previous games.

But he acknowledges a desire to "exceed expectations" with each new release.

"It's pretty hard and it takes time. It's not something we can rush."

If the game doesn't live up to expectations, he says, there's a risk fans will turn away from the series.

But there are other forces at work.

Ash says advances in technology have made development times longer.

The recent state of the games industry, "with lots of firings, studios closing down and games getting cancelled," is another big factor, she says.

She points out that Gearbox itself had a turbulent time, going independent before being acquired and sold off again to GTA publisher 2K.

"That leads to a lot of churn in terms of your employees," says Ash.

"A lot of the knowledge is stored up in the minds of developers.

"When you lose employees you lose a lot of wisdom, and any game getting made is like a miracle."

In some cases, this can effectively mean "starting over" as new staff get up to speed, she says.

Developers also face pressure from investors who buy shares in companies, says Ash, whose expectations can also be sky-high.

"Everything that comes out has to be bigger, better and has to take advantage of all these technologies," she says.

"And that takes a lot of time."

The longer something takes, the more it costs to make, which can affect the amounts investors receive.

"If that line is not going up as fast as they want it to… then you're done," says Ash. "That's it."

Randy, perhaps unsurprisingly, puts a more positive spin on the situation.

He says new technologies have allowed Borderlands to "live up to the ambition we've always had", and says number four "is by far the biggest thing we've ever done".

The latest instalment allows players to roam an open world environment with larger areas, in contrast to the smaller levels in previous games.

"If you look at the moon in the sky - you can get there, seamlessly.

"Which is kind of astonishing from a technology point of view," he says.

Randy also insists that he concerns himself more with actually making games than with sales figures or what investors say.

"When the games sell, we get to make more," he says.

"If the suits are happy with the commercial results then we get more fuel to go deeper down this crazy rabbit hole that we're in, which is freaking awesome."

So far, the waiting seems to have paid off for Borderlands 4.

The game has received positive reviews from critics, and was one of the most-played games on PC platform Steam 24 hours after its launch, although some players encountered bugs and crashes.

Ash, whose review praised the game for leaving the tried-and-tested formula alone, wasn't especially wowed by the new open world, but found a lot to enjoy

And in a world where 10-year waits for sequels are not unheard of, six for Borderlands 4 doesn't seem like such a bad deal.

"It's a long time… but not as long as it could be," she says.

Listen to Newsbeat live at 12:45 and 17:45 weekdays - or listen back here.

These teens turned their rooms into tech-free zones. This was the result

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c1lelqg0jy3o, today

A group of teenagers from Bradford agreed to take all technology out of their bedrooms for five days to see how they would cope.

We followed two of them, Elizabeth and Henry, to capture the highs and lows - and to see how long they lasted before giving in to temptation.

Thirteen-year-old Elizabeth says she rarely spends time with her parents after school.

The self-confessed Sabrina Carpenter fan normally heads straight to her bedroom for "three or four hours" to watch YouTube videos of her pop idol and chat to her friends.

"My bedroom is basically my peace place," she says.

But she is one of four teenagers at her secondary school to sign up to a tech-free bedroom challenge.

It's all part of this year's Teen Summit, a project from Radio 5 Live and BBC Bitesize Study Support.

The annual event explores issues affecting teenagers, from smartphones to social media and knife crime to misinformation.

The teenagers will still be able to use their tech, including phones, tablets and laptops - but only in the communal areas of the house.

"It's going to be hard," says Elizabeth. "I'm someone who likes to be in my room."

Elizabeth's dad, Robin, thinks she will "crack before the end of the week" and take her phone into her bedroom.

"That's going to be a challenge for her," he says as Elizabeth starts to laugh.

He's so confident, in fact, that he's made a bet with his daughter.

"If she cracks, Dad gets a big bag of wine gums."

Other students at Elizabeth's West Yorkshire school are also taking part in the project, including 15-year-old Eliza, who says the lack of private space to talk to friends is on her mind.

"I plan on making it as inconvenient as possible for [my family]," she says, describing her plan to spend time in shared family spaces, such as "on the stairs" and "on the sofa, but where they want to sit".

Michelle, 15, plans to "read a book to fall asleep", instead of staying up on her phone and laptop.

She says usually a normal night's sleep can be as little as "five hours, max".

Henry, 13, spends most of his time at home gaming with his friends online until nine or 10 at night.

However "the latest I've stayed up is probably about 2am," he says sheepishly.

"There's sometimes where I'll be gaming that I forget to even drink water."

In July, new rules come into force as part of the Online Safety Act to try and make the internet safer for young people.

Children's commissioner Dame Rachel de Souza says while these changes are "welcome and long overdue", parents should set boundaries for their children by "introducing phone-free time or unplugging before bed to promote better rest and wellbeing".

An online survey of two thousand 13- to 18-year-olds, conducted for BBC Radio 5 Live and BBC Bitesize by Survation, suggests 38% of the teens who identify as gamers spend seven or more hours per week gaming in their bedroom.

One in 10 boys spend more than 20 hours a week in their room away from their family.

Henry stored his PlayStation in a cupboard at the start of the week to try and avoid temptation, but it only stayed there for "about two hours" before being put into the living room.

It's a space where his mum, Alyson, often spends her evenings too, with Henry having to remind his friends to not swear when they're speaking on their headsets.

Although he says it means he can't "speak as freely" with his friends, Alyson says it has helped to "open up the conversation" between the pair.

It has also made her realise how much of Henry's friendships are built around online gaming.

"That's the biggest part. It's not really about playing the games, it's the social aspect."

He says another bonus of leaving his tech outside his bedroom at night has meant he hasn't got caught up watching "billions of videos" on TikTok just before he goes to sleep.

Henry says he is already sleeping much better, which in turn has "helped in school… in all subjects and all aspects".

'Teens still need lots of sleep'

Improved sleep quality is something Dr Kaitlyn Regehr, associate prof in digital humanities at University College London, says she would expect the teens to experience after removing digital devices from their rooms.

"There are increasing reports of teens feeling tired during the school day because of their smartphone usage," she says.

She adds that teens "still need lots of sleep", which can be disrupted by overnight notifications or late-night exposure to blue light through smartphone screens.

Reflecting on Henry and Elizabeth's gaming, Dr Regehr says basic safety checks parents can do include checking if a teen knows exactly who it is they are gaming with, not having geo-locators turned on, and making sure the themes within the game are age-appropriate.

By Wednesday, Elizabeth says she has found other unexpected benefits and has spent her evenings researching ballet lessons and baking chocolate chip bread "out of boredom".

"If I still had my tech, I would have procrastinated baking [until] next week," she says.

Her parents, Robin and Grace, say they've also noticed a change, with Elizabeth choosing to watch documentaries on the family TV rather than online videos in her room.

"[The project has] given her an idea that there's other things to do besides going on your mobile phone and your computer," says Robin.

'A lot better than sitting at home'

As the project comes to an end, the four teenagers swap stories of their tech-free week.

Michelle says she almost gave up on the challenge multiple times as she would like "some peace and quiet", while Eliza says being in a "really bad mood" with her family meant she went to the cinema with her friends.

"It was really fun actually… a lot better than sitting at home," she says.

"I wouldn't normally do that stuff, mainly opting to stay on my phone after school."

But what about the book Michelle planned to read through the week?

"I think I read one chapter, that's it," she says, adding "the reality is it's not going to happen".

Screen time isn't monitored by a quarter of parents

* More than a third (38%) of teenagers said they spent five or more hours on their phones on an average day.

* 39% would consider taking tech and screens out of their bedrooms to reduce time spent on their devices

* Other ways to minimise time on their devices include using in-built settings such as screen time caps (59%) or scheduling regular screen time breaks (66%)

* 25% say their parents set clear limits on how much time they spend on tech, gaming or social media, while 47% say their parents sometimes set limits

* However, more than a quarter (27%) say their parents don't set any limits

Back at home, Henry gleefully rips the 'tech free zone' sign off his bedroom door and instantly moves his PlayStation back onto his desk, but he says he will continue with some new habits he has picked up throughout the week.

"I'll keep my phone outside my bedroom at night because that has helped so much with my sleep."

"I'm really proud," says his mum, Alyson. "He's done really well."

Elizabeth's dad Robin is similarly impressed with his daughter's resilience - but it does mean he lost his bet.

"A deal's a deal," he says as he hands over two packets of sweets. "Well done."

* TikTok says that parents can set screen time limits and block their children using the app at certain times using their 'Family Pairing tool'. Also if a user aged under 16 is using TikTok after 10pm it prompts a 'wind down' feature with a full-screen reminder.

* Snapchat pointed us to their UK parent guide in which it suggests that parents set screen time guidelines with their children.

* Instagram parent company Meta says that they have introduced 'Instagram Teen Accounts' which switch to sleep mode after 10pm and remind users to leave the app after 60 minutes. There are also parental supervision tools on Instagram, Facebook and Messenger.

* YouTube says it has "robust" parental controls and has recently made its Take a Break and Bedtime reminders more prominent.

Minister accused of using AI to write speech labels it a 'cheap shot'

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c8641y4v5dno, today

Education Minister Paul Givan has clashed with opposition at the Northern Ireland Assembly over claims artificial intelligence (AI) was used to write an assembly speech.

He described it as a "cheap shot" after Matthew O'Toole asked him to confirm whether a "large proportion" of the minister's speech "was written by AI".

The minister, who was delivering a statement on special educational needs (SEN) provision, said it was an "utterly shameful" contribution by the opposition.

A Department of Education spokeswoman said Givan's speech "wasn't written by AI".

The pair clashed in the assembly as the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) minister was speaking about his call for £1.7bn of ring-fenced SEN capital funding.

Givan told assembly members (MLAs) that he has written to colleagues in Northern Ireland's four-party devolved government seeking support for the plan.

AI claim 'utterly shameful'

O'Toole, an assembly member for the Social Democratic and Labour Party (SDLP) and leader of the opposition, said Givan was "outsourcing responsibility for the budget to other parties".

He added that "on the subject of outsourcing", parents and pupils were "grappling with the use of AI".

"I think it's fairly clear, and we've checked an online tool, that a large proportion of this speech was written by AI. Can you confirm that's the case?"

Givan, in response, said the question was "an example of a useless opposition".

He said he had come to the assembly chamber "to speak on behalf of the most vulnerable in our society" and their need for support.

"And the leader of the opposition, the alternative to this executive, fires a cheap shot around the use of artificial intelligence," he added.

The minister said it was an "utterly shameful" contribution and he was "not going to allow the member to detract from children with special educational needs".

The SDLP has been approached for comment.

SEN provision 'one of the most pressing challenges'

Earlier, Givan said the "urgent requirement" for SEN provision was "one of the most pressing challenges facing our education system".

Last month, it was revealed that six SEN children in Northern Ireland had been left with no school place for September.

Givan said SEN capital projects needed "dedicated, earmarked funding" and warned that, otherwise, "educational inequality will deepen".

"Last week I wrote to ministerial colleagues to ask them to support detailed proposals for ring-fenced special educational needs capital funding of around £1.7bn, separate from the main education capital budget," he said.

"Today I appeal to members of this assembly to back me in this call."

Earlier this month, the Education Authority (EA) said work on SEN provision for 2026-27 was well under way.

"Ongoing engagement with schools in areas of highest need for SEN provision is a priority for the EA every year," it said.

"We know at first hand the consequences of severe budgetary constraints on education – we see them every day."

The builder who photographed distant galaxies

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/crkj08kmd67o, 3 days ago

A successful builder by day and traversing the sky by night, Isaac Roberts took the first clear photograph of Andromeda, the closest galaxy to our Milky Way.

Mr Roberts, born in 1829 and the son of a farmer at Groes-bach Farm near Denbigh, took the photograph in 1888, revealing its distinctive spiral structure and mysterious dark lines to a doubting world.

He worked as a builder in Liverpool, having moved there aged seven, then spent the latter part of his life as a neighbour of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle at Crowborough in Sussex.

But his telescope revealed far more mysteries than Sherlock Holmes could ever have dreamt.

According to W.A. Evans, writing in a 1969 edition of the Denbighshire Historical Society Transactions, Mr Roberts became a Sunday School teacher and "made strenuous efforts to make up for his early lack of education by attending the Liverpool Mechanics Institute classes in geology, chemistry, electricity and astronomy".

His early scientific interests were closely related to his profession in the construction industry, presenting geological papers on the drainage of water through sandstone and the difficulties of building on these surfaces.

However, as he established himself as a master builder, he gradually found himself with more time to pursue his loftier ambitions.

His Rock Ferry observatory near Birkenhead was equipped with a telescope containing a 20" reflecting mirror made from glass-coated silver, mounted with a 7" refractor as a tracking scope, attached to a camera which produced images on glass plates.

While these components were bought in from other manufacturers, it was a device purely of his own invention which made his photos of the night sky stand out from those which had gone before.

Evans wrote: "The important innovation was a clockwork mechanism which could keep the telescope sighted at the same point in the night sky for 105 minutes.

"This was a most intricate mechanism and resulted in far more accurate observations. The photographs obtained by this method of sighting showed 1,270 stars in the North Pole cluster, compared to the 38 in previous photographs."

The 105 minutes was the key figure, as this was the amount of time it took for photographic images to be exposed onto the glass panels available to Mr Roberts at the time.

Stephen Eales, professor of astronomy at Cardiff University, said this contraption was the first to solve a problem which scientists still wrestle with to this day.

"The advantage of photography over the naked eye is that light can accumulate on film over time, allowing objects to be seen in far more detail than in just one snapshot.

"However the down side is that the Earth is rotating so quickly that in a matter of seconds you will have lost your focus on the target.

"Nowadays telescopes are programmed by computer to counteract the Earth's rotation, but to have come up with a mechanical solution to this problem so early was revolutionary."

Prof Eales first became interested in Mr Roberts when writing his own book The Ghost in The Telescope, on how his team had observed the same Andromeda Galaxy through the William Herschel Space Observatory in 2010.

"We were investigating Andromeda in the submillimetre waveband, between infrared and radio waves - that allowed us to see what causes the dark lines visible in Roberts' photos, which many had written off as imperfections in his exposure.

"In the visible wavelengths you can only see a 'stellar bulge' of old stars, but the newly-born stars are masked by interstellar dust."

Prof Eales likened it to looking at a bonfire through its smoke.

"The new stars are there, glowing blue as opposed to the older stars' red, but Isaac couldn't picture them because they were masked by the 'smoke' of their creation. We were able to prove their existence by measuring the tiny difference in radiation between the dark lines Isaac photographed and the space around them."

Prof Eales believes it was the collision of photography and astronomy during the late 19th Century which made this all possible.

"People had been staring into space for centuries, but without a means of recording what they'd seen, it was impossible to cross-check their findings.

"Isaac, along with Edward Emerson Barnard in America, were amongst the first to put the disciplines together.

"Barnard was a brilliant self-taught photographer who'd been forced into work at the age of six through poverty, and Isaac had mastery of the skies. It was by people like this coming together and sharing their knowhow that we have the foundations upon which research like ours with the William Herschel Space Observatory were built."

Shortly after his groundbreaking 1888 photograph Roberts relocated to Sussex to escape Liverpool's pollution; partly owing to his chronic bronchitis, and partly in search of clearer skies.

In the village of Crowborough he would almost certainly have rubbed shoulders with neighbour Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, though no documentary evidence has been found that the two were familiar.

In 1896 he was a member of the party who went to Vadso in Norway to observe the total eclipse of the sun, where he met his future second wife Dr Dorothea Klumpke of the Paris Observatory.

In his remaining years the pair set about fulfilling astronomy pioneer William Herschel's "bucket list", photographing the constellations which Herschel knew of before his death, but had not been able to capture for himself on film.

In 1929, some 25 years after Roberts' death, his widow published their joint findings in "Isaac Roberts' Atlas of 52 Regions, a Guide to William Herschel's Fields of Nebulosity".

In the last years of his life he was awarded a D.Sc by Trinity College Dublin, and given a gold medal as a fellow of the Royal Astronomical Society.

He left a scholarship of £40,000 to the universities of Wales and Liverpool.

His old Liverpool friend Eleazar Roberts wrote that he often quoted the Welsh hymn: "Mae'n llond y nefoedd, llond y byd," or as it translates into English: "It's full of heaven, full of the world."

Rare photos show 'deeply personal' moments in space

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cqlzy6r5yzro, 4 days ago

A "deeply personal" set of images filmed by NASA astronauts which includes the first ever selfie taken in space has been restored after years lying locked in a vault in Houston.

They capture moments from the early years of space travel, including Ed White on the first US space walk and Buzz Aldrin taking the first selfie in space.

Scans taken from footage of the Gemini and Mercury space missions have been restored and made public for the first time in an exhibition at Jodrell Bank Observatory in Cheshire.

Andy Saunders, who spent thousands of hours painstakingly restoring the images, said he hoped they would "shine a light on this incredible era in history".

Mr Saunders said the image of Ed White, who was the first American to walk in space, was recovered from "really underexposed film" which had been locked away in NASA's space centre for decades.

He said: "In fact, there's two photos here digitally stitched together.

"This is a deeply personal image, it's like we're in the spacecraft with him."

Mr Saunders, an author, digitally restored the images taken from film of the two missions that had been stored in NASA archives for a new book.

Project Mercury, conducted from 1958 to 1963, was the US's first human spaceflight programme, while Project Gemini, which ran from 1964 to 1966, aimed to test and perfect techniques for the Apollo lunar missions.

He said: "Gemini was an incredibly important programme.

"It was tasked with demonstrating if it's even possible to make a journey to the moon...I think people will be surprised at the level of risk that was taken.

"Neil Armstrong almost died on his Gemini 8 mission."

Jodrell Bank's Education Officer Lexie Southern said the observatory, and particularly the Lovell Telescope, played a vital role in the space race.

She said the radio telescope, which is the largest in the UK, tracked the rocket that launched Sputnik 1 in 1957.

"The probe could be tracked by the rocket itself couldn't [but] we were the only place in the world that could," she said.

Jodrell Bank also received and printed out the first pictures taken of the surface of the moon in 1966, and acted as the UK's early warning system of potential attacks during the Cold War in the early 1960s.

Ms Southern said: "I think Jodrell Bank provides, not just an exhibition space, but a unique authenticity as a place to have the exhibition."

The exhibition runs until January 2026.

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Kashmir's young are preserving history - one post at a time

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/crr2vq1r7w4o, 4 days ago

On a quiet summer afternoon in 2020, a calendar at a mosque in Indian-administered Kashmir caught Muneer Ahmad Dar's attention. It featured a poem written in Kashmiri, the language spoken in the region.

To his surprise, he struggled to read it.

It made him wonder how his generation had slowly drifted away from their mother tongue, as other languages like English, Urdu and Hindi became more widespread.

With that realisation, he launched a social media page - called Muneer Speaks - to preserve and promote Kashmiri culture.

Five years on, his profile has garnered over 500 million impressions across Facebook, Instagram and YouTube.

"I want to tell stories about our places and histories, our proverbs, folklore and poetry," he says. "It's about capturing the way we have lived, laughed, cooked and remembered."

Mr Dar is among an emerging group of young content creators using digital platforms to preserve fragments of Kashmir's heritage.

The region, divided between India and Pakistan and claimed by both, has been scarred by decades of conflict, and has lost thousands of lives to insurgency.

In recent years, many young people have left Kashmir - some to escape violence, others in search of better opportunities.

But now, a new generation is changing the narrative - highlighting art, tradition, and daily life, beyond the unrest and violence.

When Mr Dar started his social media page, the focus was on Kashmiri language. But over the past five years, his work has expanded into a mix of content, featuring photographs of old architecture, cultural lore and stories behind local delicacies.

In one of his popular videos, Mr Dar shares surprising facts about the area's architecture - like how people once used eggs to help hold buildings together.

Meanwhile, the Instagram page, Museum of Kashmir, is taking a broader approach to archiving.

The page is run by 33-year-old journalist Muhammad Faysal, who, with a team of curators and oral historians, documents Kashmir's overlooked artefacts and traditions.

Videos of vibrant mosque ceilings and poetry recitals feature alongside captions that offer quick, insightful context.

Followers say the page helps them see Kashmir's history in a new light.

"Heritage isn't just about grand monuments", one follower commented, "but about the things people carried when they left their homes, books, shawls and family recipes".

Experts say content creators must stay accurate, especially with oral histories that can lose detail over time.

The rise in Kashmiri storytelling offers a "vital counter-narrative", but rushed documentation can blur nuances, according to author and researcher Khalid Bashir Ahmad.

To ensure authenticity, creators say they rely on researchers who cross-check their content with published sources, while preserving the original context.

On Instagram, 31-year-old filmmaker Sheikh Adnan runs 'Shawlwala', a page dedicated to Kashmir's iconic Pashmina scarves (called shawls) - handwoven from the fine wool of Himalayan goats and celebrated as both heritage and luxury.

"Our shawls are not just fabric," he says, emphasising that most of his subjects are elderly artisans who spin, dye and weave each thread.

His goal is to shift the narrative by "taking the scarves beyond fashion and tourism" and presenting them as "examples of Kashmir's history and resilience".

"They are maps of touch, skill and generations. Every thread carries a story."

One widely shared video shows a woman spinning yarn on a traditional hand spindle as a Kashmiri folk song plays in the background. "I want people to see the story of an unsung Kashmiri woman spinning thread with love," Mr Adnan says.

Not all preservation work is serious. Some young artists are creating content with a dash of sarcasm.

For 22-year-old Seerat Hafiz, known online as Yikvot or Nun Chai with Jiya, satire and humour are her tools of choice. Her videos are a mix of wordplay and cultural commentary and cover a range of topics from local literature to Kashmiri translations of English classics.

In one post, she uses viral memes to show "why reading native literature helps save the language". In another, an illustration of a man and woman appears with a Kashmiri translation of Emily Bronte's Wuthering Heights playing in the background.

"In a way, I'm documenting the thoughts and emotions of young Kashmiris," Ms Hafiz says.

"We are constantly switching languages, identities, platforms but we still carry the grief of our history, even in our humour."

But preserving a language online is only part of the battle - Mr Dar says platforms still don't recognise Kashmiri as a regional language, affecting visibility and reach.

"I'm forced to choose the 'other language' option because Kashmiri isn't listed on Meta platforms like Facebook and Instagram," Mr Dar says. " It treats it like a language that's been forgotten." The BBC has reached out to Meta for comment.

Since 2023, literary group Adbi Markaz Kamraz has been campaigning to add Kashmiri to Google Translate.

They've sent formal requests and thousands of emails, says its president Mohammed Amin Bhat, who remains hopeful.

The BBC has contacted Google for comment and will update the story when they respond.

Despite the challenges, this young group is determined to keep up their work.

From Mr Dar to Ms Hafiz, they insist their work proves that Kashmiri culture is not fading but fighting to be remembered on its own terms.

"Maybe one day people will forget my name", says Mr Dar, "but if they remember a single Kashmiri story, I helped keep alive, then my work will have meaning".

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World's first AI minister will eliminate corruption, says Albania's PM

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cm2znzgwj3xo, 4 days ago

For government officials, being called "heartless" is an occupational hazard. But Albania has chosen to turn that insult into a positive quality, by appointing an AI minister.

Not a minister for artificial intelligence. Rather, a cabinet member who is, literally, the work of AI.

The new addition is, like a pop star, known simply by the single name: Diella.

Prime Minister Edi Rama introduced her as a member of his new cabinet on Thursday, four months after securing his fourth term in office in May elections.

However, the move was symbolic rather than official, as Albania's constitution insists that government ministers must be mentally competent citizens aged at least 18.

Still, the advantages of appointing a bot over a human are obvious.

Diella, whose name means sun in Albanian, is unlikely to be the source of any unflattering leaks about the government. She will only be power-hungry in the sense of the electricity she consumes. And a damaging expenses scandal would appear to be out of the question.

In fact, corruption was uppermost in Rama's mind when he made Diella part of his team as minister for public procurement.

Her role will be to ensure that Albania will become "a country where public tenders are 100% free of corruption".

"We're working with a brilliant team, which is not only Albanian but also international, to come out with the first full AI model in public procurement," the prime minister told the BBC.

"Not only will we wipe out every potential influence on public biddings – we will also make the process much faster, much more efficient and totally accountable."

Diella had already been working in Albania even before the government "appointment". Her first incarnation was as an AI-powered virtual assistant, guiding applicants through the process to obtain official documents.

Rama boasts that Diella has "helped more than a million applications" on the e-Albania platform. But his vision for AI's government role is a lot grander than a mere chatbot.

He talks of "leapfrogging" bigger, more advanced countries, which are still locked into "traditional ways of working".

Reactions to Diella's new role are, understandably, mixed. The opposition Democratic Party has labelled the initiative "ridiculous" and "unconstitutional".

But others are cautiously optimistic.

The founder of financial services company Balkans Capital, Aneida Bajraktari Bicja, notes that Edi Rama "often mixes reform with theatrics, so it's natural people wonder if this is symbolism". But she says the "'AI minister' could be constructive if it develops into real systems that improve transparency and trust in public procurement".

Anti-corruption experts have also noted the potential for AI to be deployed to minimise graft.

"AI is still a new tool – but if it is programmed correctly, when you put a bid in online, you can see clearly and more closely if a company meets the conditions and the criteria," says Dr Andi Hoxhaj of King's College London, a specialist in the Western Balkans, corruption and the rule of law.

He believes Albania's rapid progress in EU accession talks and encouragement from Brussels to complete the negotiations by 2027 mean that the country has a powerful incentive to tackle graft.

"There's a lot at stake," he says. "The main precondition from the EU has been to address corruption. If [Diella] is a vehicle or mechanism that could be used towards that goal, it's worth exploring."

Edi Rama does not deny that there is an element of a publicity stunt to his latest wheeze. But he insists that there is serious intent behind the playful presentation.

"It puts pressure on other members of the cabinet and national agencies to run and think differently. This is the biggest advantage I'm expecting from this minister," he says.

In other words, ministers beware: AI could be coming for their jobs as well.

Banksy work stolen from gallery 'in 36 seconds'

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cwyl7kvk0dqo, today

A £270,000 Banksy print was stolen from a central London gallery in just over 30 seconds, a court has heard.

Larry Fraser, 48, has pleaded guilty to burglary, jurors at Kingston Crown Court have heard, but 54-year-old James Love faces trial over the theft.

Fraser smashed the glass front door of the Grove Gallery in Fitzrovia at around 23:00 BST on 8 September 2024, stepped inside and stole a limited edition print belonging to the street artist's Girl with Balloon series.

A statement from James Ryan, the owner of the gallery, said CCTV footage recorded that 36 seconds passed between a masked man starting to break in and leaving with the print.

Prosecutors allege Mr Love, said to own a large number of love-heart based pictures, drove to the gallery on the morning of the burglary and helped store the print after it was stolen.

The prosecution also alleges Mr Love was in regular contact with Fraser the day of the theft.

Thirteen original Banksy artworks, some of which were signed, were selected to be put on display at the Grove Gallery, the court heard.

Mr Ryan said the artwork was first printed in 2004 and is a limited edition of 150.

This was number 72.

He said: "It was owned by a private collector and is valued at £270,000."

After leaving the gallery, Fraser took the Banksy into a nearby property where he left the artwork, jurors heard.

Sukhvinder Singh, a night watchman at the property, described his shock at being pushed aside by two men who entered the building late on 8 September.

Assisted by a Punjabi interpreter, Mr Singh told the court that he noticed a painting in a toilet which had not been there earlier that evening, describing it as depicting a "doll" who was "flying something like a kite".

He said: "After that when I saw the painting there I heard some noise on the other side of the (front) door.

"Somebody was trying to insert a white plastic bit into the door and trying to open the door."

Mr Singh told jurors he opened the door to find a white man and a black man.

"I was very shocked," he continued. "They pushed me out of the way and went inside. I tried to ask them in Punjabi, 'who are you?'"

He said they went "straight" to the bathroom, picked up the painting and left.

"The white male was just saying: 'Sorry sorry, brother, sorry sorry' in English," Mr Singh went on.

"I said 'why did you come inside, how did you come inside?'

"They came in a rush, they just came in a great hurry, they were there barely for two to three minutes, they picked it up and left.

"The only thing that was said was 'sorry'."

Love, of North Stifford, Grays, Essex, denies burglary and the trial continues.

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Acting legend Robert Redford dies aged 89

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c1dqe9ey0kgo, today

US acting legend Redford, known for roles in Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid and The Sting, has died at the age of 89.

In a statement, his publicist Cindi Berger, said: "Robert Redford passed away on September 16 at his home at Sundance in the mountains of Utah - the place he loved, surrounded by those he loved. He will be missed greatly. The family requests privacy."

The Oscar-winning star of Out of Africa was also known for founding the Sundance Film Festival in Utah.

He won an Academy Award for best director in 1980 for Ordinary People. Redford announced he was retiring from acting in 2018, having said in 2016 that he was "tired of acting."

Redford's other roles included The Candidate, All the President's Men and Indecent Proposal.

It was Butch Cassidy, a Western film about two risk-taking bank robbers, that made Redford an overnight star, but he was never comfortable with his tag as a good-looking heartthrob.

"People have been so busy relating to how I look, it's a miracle I didn't become a self-conscious blob of protoplasm. It's not easy being Robert Redford," he once told New York magazine.

Part of the New Hollywood film movement of the late 1960s, he teamed up again with fellow star Paul Newman - who he appeared alongside in Butch Cassidy - for crime caper The Sting in 1973, also considered a classic.

Despite their long-running friendship and on-screen chemistry, the pair never appeared on screen together again.

Redford's biggest contribution to film was arguably Sundance Film Festival, which helped boost independent film-making in the late 80s and early 90s, to rival the period which launched his career.

Redford leaves behind his wife Sibylle Szaggars who he married in 2009, according to CBS News.

He had previously been married to Lola Van Wagenen - the couple had four children before divorcing in 1995.

One of their children, Scott, died at the age of two months from sudden infant death syndrome, CBS reports, and James, died of cancer in 2020.

He is survived by two daughters - Shauna, an artist, and Amy, a director.

Mark Ronson on being a night person - and Lady Gaga trashing his car

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c8xrge1prpyo, today

Mark Ronson is in trouble.

It's summer 1998, and he's hunched over the turntables at New York's venerable VIP bar, Spy.

Ronson is there to DJ for Prince, the Purple pipsqueak of funk. It's going well, until he pulls Michael Jackson's Off The Wall from its sleeve, ready to drop the 1979 disco classic Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough.

Suddenly, someone's tugging at his arm. It's the rapper Q-Tip, and there's an uncommon urgency to his voice as he shouts: "No! You can't play that. Not in front of Prince!"

Remembering the star's rivalry with Jackson in the 1980s, Ronson whips the record off the decks. But that leaves him with a problem.

"At this point there's only 20 seconds left [of the previous song]. I pull another record out, but the tempos don't match and I flub the mix."

Ronson glances over to the VIP area, where Prince is holding court in a plush throne.

"And he's glaring down at me like, 'What is this train wreck?'

"It was slightly humiliating."

Luckily, train wrecks were a rarity.

Long before he was an Oscar-winning hitmaker for Lady Gaga and Amy Winehouse, Ronson was one of New York's most in-demand DJs.

A nocturnal animal, he'd bait his prey with crates of vinyl, swooping in for the kill with a perfectly-timed drop of AC/DC's Back In Black or Busta Rhymes' Put Your Hands Where My Eyes Could See.

"I could walk into any room and, almost like the Terminator, scan the crowd and be like, 'I know what the first three records are'," he says.

That's as close to boastfulness as Ronson gets. He's so laid-back it's almost comical, speaking in a perpetually sleepy drawl, like the Big Lebowski of music.

We meet in Notting Hill's Music and Video Exchange – the shop that kick-started his record collection – and it's only when he starts rifling through the racks that the 50-year-old comes to life.

"This one changed my life," he says, pulling out a dog-eared copy of Pete Rock's They Reminisce Over You.

"Oh, and here's Salt-N-Pepa's Shoop… Now, that's my song!"

A similar enthusiasm permeates Ronson's new memoir, Night People, which concentrates on the 1990s DJ career that saw him playing for everyone from Jay-Z to Mariah Carey.

"She had very specific songs she wanted to hear," he recalls. "There was a great R&B record called Say I'm Your Number One, by Princess, that she'd always request.

"Eventually, I just knew to play it as soon as I saw her, to save her a trip to the booth."

When he pitched the book, which ends long before his successes with Winehouse on Back To Black and Bruno Mars on Uptown Funk, "people were scratching their heads", Ronson admits.

"They were like, 'Oh right, so you want to write about the time before the thing we know you for?'"

But he stuck to his guns. The memoir is a heartfelt love letter to a bygone era, inspired by the death of his close friend and contemporary DJ Blu Jemz in 2018.

"I was just staring at all the records [we used to play] on my shelf, thinking about how each one was so evocative of a memory and a moment in time.

"It's arguably the last time New York was the apex of hip-hop both creatively and commercially - A Tribe Called Quest, Wu-Tang, Biggie Smalls, Lil' Kim, Busta Rhymes... all of it. And they were out in the clubs every night."

Another figure who loomed over the scene was P Diddy, aka Sean Combs, who's currently awaiting sentencing in New York after being found guilty on two counts of transportation for the purposes of prostitution.

Diddy gave Ronson one of his big breaks, hiring him to play at A-list events, including his 29th birthday party, after tipping the DJ with a $100 bill containing his phone number.

"It's undeniable that the way he picked me for certain gigs elevated my star," says Ronson, calling the accusations against Diddy "horrific".

"I had no idea of anything like that going on," he says, acknowledging the musician "wielded a tremendous amount of power and cachet" in New York.

"But in the five years I DJ'd for him, I doubt he spoke more than five sentences to me.

"He was mostly out there dancing and I knew if he was dancing, no-one was gonna yell at me."

At the outset, Ronson wanted his book to capture the seediness of 90s club culture, where he'd play "night in, night out for $100" while "cokehead club owners shouted at me for not playing enough Madonna".

As he wrote, another story also emerged.

Ronson was born in London to jewellery designer Ann Dexter-Jones and music publisher Laurence Ronson. Their house in St John's Wood was a frequent haunt for actors and musicians, including Keith Moon and Robin Williams.

"My parents had crazy parties all the time," he recalls. "Fifty or 60 slightly cracked people, smoking, drinking, having a great time."

The aftermath was drastically different. In the book, he writes of "angry crescendos and heavy silences" from his parents' bedroom, which instilled a "constant watchfulness that became instinct before I understood why".

Later in life, DJing fulfilled a "need for control" that stemmed from that early instability.

"It wasn't always the greatest way to grow up for a kid, and there was something about the DJ booth that was incredibly comforting.

"It's like I'm an army of one. I make all the rules. It's a refuge, in a way."

Learning to navigate delicate situations also helped Ronson's career as a producer.

There's an almost too-perfect example in Lady Gaga's documentary Five Foot Two where, arriving for a recording session, the star crashes into Ronson's car.

Mortified, she enters the studio in a garbled flurry of apologies. Ronson simply stretches out his arms for a conciliatory hug.

"If you have a problem, I wish you'd just say it to my face instead of my bumper," he deadpans.

The situation is immediately defused.

Reminded of the scene, he says: "I remember working on that record [2016's Joanne] pretty well, and Lady Gaga is probably one of the most chased, hounded, paparazzi-ed people you could imagine.

"Sometimes we'd slam the door and there'd be 20 people on the other side taking pictures. So my role is just to shut out the outside world [and] make the artist feel relaxed and comfortable at all times.

"Even when they've trashed your car."

His unflappability also helped along Winehouse's Back To Black, bringing focus to a feverish creative streak.

"I remember some of my friends saying, 'Oh, you're working with Amy? Good luck. She's been working on this album for three years'," he recalls.

"But when we got in the studio, she was such a fireball of inspiration. We demoed three or four songs, we wrote Back to Black, she wrote Rehab... All these things in five days. It's a lot of incredible memories."

Other songs took longer. Uptown Funk needed seven months. Dua Lipa's Barbie anthem Dance The Night was rewritten "five or six times with different hooks".

But those are stories for another time... and "maybe" a second volume of Ronson's memoir.

Right now, though, I've lost him to the record store's vinyl bins, picking out old favourites by the Stone Roses, Brand New Heavies and Cypress Hill - and prompting a moment of introspection.

"There are people who enjoy a night out and then there are night people," he decides.

"I was definitely the latter... but I had no idea where it would take me."

Shameless star to play King Lear in Manchester theatre return

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cn834l295d9o, yesterday

Actor David Threlfall, best known for playing the feckless Frank Gallagher in Channel 4's Shameless, is to tackle one of Shakespeare's greatest roles, King Lear, when he returns to the stage in his home city of Manchester next year.

Threlfall, 71, will take on the Bard's troubled monarch for the 50th anniversary of the Royal Exchange theatre in 2026.

He was a regular at the venue in the 1980s and 90s, playing roles including Macbeth, but reportedly fell out with an artistic director over plans to appear in Uncle Vanya for its 25th anniversary.

The Royal Exchange's 50th anniversary season will open with Johnny Vegas, Lucy Beaumont and Shobna Gulati starring in Jim Cartwright's 1986 play Road.

That show will see another former Royal Exchange regular, Sir Tom Courtenay, 88, also return for his 17th role - albeit in a pre-recorded segment on screen.

Threlfall was once one of the venue's leading men and its associate artistic director, but hasn't performed there since 1999.

He went on to star in Shameless from 2004 to 2013 as well as TV's What Remains, Code of a Killer and Nightsleeper.

On stage, he won an Olivier Award in the West End in 1980 and has two Tony nominations on Broadway. He has appeared in King Lear before, as Edgar opposite Sir Laurence Olivier in a TV version in 1983 - filmed in Granada TV's Manchester studio.

His return to the city in the title role will be seen in September and October 2026.

Troubled few years

The Royal Exchange's anniversary season will also include the premiere of Even These Things by Rory Mullarkey, set during three periods in Manchester's history, including one of the most dramatic days in the city's and the theatre's history, when it was damaged by an IRA bomb in 1996.

There will also be a premiere for the winner of this year's Bruntwood Prize for Playwriting, Shooters by Tolu Okanlawon, about real-life African-American photojournalist Gordon Parks; plus a production of Tony-winning musical Fun Home; and revivals of Noel Coward's Private Lives and Stephen Sondheim's A Little Night Music.

Artistic director Selina Cartmell said the season would "renew our commitment to being a world-class theatre here in the heart of Manchester and an artistic engine-room for talent development in the North".

The Royal Exchange receives the highest Arts Council England funding of any theatre after the National Theatre and the Royal Shakespeare Company, and is hoping to recapture former glories after a troubled few years.

It was hit hard by the pandemic and was at the centre of a censorship row last year when a production of Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream was cancelled, leading to the resignation of the theatre's chief executive.

Prince Harry says his 'conscience is clear' over Royal revelations

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cg7d27l929mo, yesterday

The Duke of Sussex has said his "conscience is clear" following his revealing memoir Spare, and that he did not air his "dirty linen in public."

Prince Harry and his wife, the Duchess of Sussex, stepped back from official royal duties in 2020, and also spoke publicly about difficulties with family relationships to US talk show host Oprah Winfrey the following year.

Speaking to the Guardian while on a trip to Kyiv, Ukraine, he said: "I don't believe that I aired my dirty laundry in public. It was a difficult message, but I did it in the best way possible. My conscience is clear."

His comments came just days after a short meeting with his father, King Charles, their first meeting in over a year.

It was the first time the pair had met since February 2024.

The prince, who also appeared with his wife in the 2022 Netflix series Harry and Meghan, also spoke about his upcoming legal case against the Daily Mail's publisher, Associated Newspapers, at the High Court in London.

He is suing them over allegations of phone-hacking and other unlawful information gathering along with Sir Elton John, Baroness Lawrence and other public figures.

Associated Newspapers has denied claims that it hacked phones, calling them "preposterous smears".

"It is not about revenge, it is about accountability," said the Prince, who now lives in the US but returned to the UK last week to attend a series of events related to causes he supports.

Underlining his "love" for the UK, he suggested he would like to return home to see his family more often.

He added that for the coming year, "the focus really has to be on my dad."

The aim of Prince Harry's visit to the Ukrainian capital was to promote the work of his Invictus Games Foundation and to celebrate the recovery and rehabilitation of thousands of veterans who have suffered life-changing injuries since the war with Russia began three years ago.

"Nobody should feel embarrassed or ashamed about their disabilities," he said. "It's about flipping from sympathy to admiration and respect."

After having laid a wreath in memory of the dead, he described the conflict as "all so unnecessary."

His work for Invictus, he said, had helped to give him a renewed "purpose" after his military career ended, adding that it "saved me".

He spoke to the British newspaper about the cost of war and how he boxes to relieve stress - punching a punch bag - as well as his portrayal in the media.

He stressed that while he felt he had been "destroyed by certain members of the British press", he also still felt a lot of love from the British public.

In January, the publisher of the Sun newspaper agreed to pay "substantial damages" and apologised to him settle a long-running legal battle over claims of unlawful intrusion into his life.

He told The Guardian some events of the last four years have been "very stressful" and he had been "finding out certain things that have really, really hurt."

'I want a bit of The Slosh put into one of my Strictly dances'

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c5yegr4771ko, today

Ross King is used to interviewing Hollywood stars from his LA base but he will soon be the one in the showbiz spotlight as he takes to the Strictly dancefloor.

The Scottish entertainment reporter, regularly seen popping up on ITV's Lorraine and Good Morning Britain, will be donning sparkly outfits to represent his beloved Scotland in the 23rd series of the BBC One Show.

He still considers Glasgow as "home" and hopes to be able to incorporate Scottish dances including The Slosh and the Gay Gordons into some of his routines.

"I genuinely want a bit of The Slosh put in for Scotland," he tells BBC Scotland News. "And some form of a ceilidh which apparently they've never done.

"I've always been very patriotic and I love Scotland. To represent my country is just a thrilling thing."

He has also suggested Scottish artists including The Proclaimers, Lewis Capaldi, Paulo Nutini, Wet Wet Wet and Simple Minds as some of his song options.

"I'm under no illusions," he says. "I'll do the whole thing with the biggest smile on my face and even if the lovely Craig rips me apart, which I'm sure he will do, I'll just take it on the chin and smile."

So far, Ross has found the Strictly experience "wonderful".

"I'm loving it," he says. "It's just the silliest, most wonderful thing that I could ever get involved in."

But he admits he was shocked to discover how big the show is in the UK.

"I had no idea until I flew in from LA just what a juggernaut of a show it is. It's massive and you just don't realise it until you become part of it."

Ross admits to feeling a bit daunted by the experience but says he was delighted to have been asked to take part.

"I was incredibly excited but incredibly terrified," he says.

"I've never done a reality show but I've always said that if I did one this would be the one I'd want to do - because I'm getting older, the chance to learn a new skill and to learn with the best.

"On day one you get to dance with all the pros and not only are they brilliant dancers but they're brilliant teachers.

"It's been one of the most fun experiences I've had so far. I know its going to be really hard. I know I'm never going to win but if I could be the most improved.

"My dear old mum always used to say 'you'll never know until you give it a go' and she always said 'son do your best, it's all you can do'. It was great advice."

Ross has also turned to some of his showbiz pals for advice including fellow Scottish presenter Lorraine Kelly and former Strictly contestants Joe McFadden and Ranvir Singh.

"The main advice from people is just enjoy yourself because it really is a huge experience," he says.

"I've done musicals and pantos but I've always been the one in the middle with people dancing around me making me look good.

"I really do feel like I'm representing Scotland so I don't want to let anyone down."

Ross says coming home to Glasgow is "special".

"This is always home," he says. "The banter is the big thing that I miss. When I arrived, one guy said 'hey, you look just like Ross King off the TV - no offence'. I miss the banter."

More used to clean living in LA, while back in Scotland Ross has taken the opportunity to indulge in some of his favourite food including a "roll and slice", describing it as "the breakfast of champions".

"Sliced sausage, mashed potatoes and beans is my favourite and I really love haggis," he adds.

However, he is hoping that all the dancing will make him a lot fitter.

"I do wish my dear old mum and dad were alive because they would be going 'well done son, your posture's a lot better' - they would be proud of that.

"I want to take away the experience of being taught by the best in the profession - world champions. At my point in life and in my career to be given a chance like this is just unbelievable.

"Hopefully I won't let anyone down. What I can say is that I will do my best because as mum always said, that's all you can do."

The new series of Strictly Come Dancing will return to BBC One and BBC iPlayer on Saturday.

Sky to cut 600 jobs in streaming move plans

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cpd945gv7z1o, today

Sky is planning to cut 600 UK jobs as it looks to focus on its streaming services.

The media organisation has launched a consultation on proposed changes, which affect 900 roles. However, it expects 600 positions will be axed.

About two-thirds of jobs to go are understood to be at sites in Leeds, London and Livingston, West Lothian.

Since 2023, Sky has cut almost 3,000 roles including engineers installing satellite dishes and earlier this year it announced the closure of three call centres, slashing 2,000 jobs.

Sky, which employs more than 20,000 people in the UK, is understood to be wanting to refocus efforts on improving its digital and TV services, rather than creating new platforms.

According to the broadcaster, the cuts are not part of a cost-cutting exercise nor are they based on individual performance.

Those affected by the cuts could be redeployed to other roles within the business.

A spokesperson for the broadcaster said in recent years it had launched a set of products including Sky Glass, Sky Stream and a full fibre broadband service.

"As we look ahead, we are shifting our approach to bring customers the next generation of experience by investing in digital-first service, unbeatable content, and even better performance from our products, powered by the best of global innovation," they said.

Eden Project architect Sir Nicholas Grimshaw dies

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cj079z4lgn4o, today

Sir Nicholas Grimshaw, the architect of the Eden Project in Cornwall, has died at the age of 85.

Sir Nicholas also designed the landmark Ship building in Plymouth and the glass-and-steel International Terminal at Waterloo in London which won The Royal Institute of British Architects Building of the Year Award in 1994.

The news was announced on Monday afternoon by the architecture firm Grimshaw, which he founded in 1980.

In a statement, it said he had been "a man of invention and ideas" who would be remembered for "his endless curiosity about how things are made".

"With this pragmatic creativity, Nick had an extraordinary ability to convince others that daring ideas were possible," the firm added.

Sir Nicholas was knighted in 2002 for services to architecture.

He served as president of the Royal Academy from 2004 to 2011.

In 2022, he established the Grimshaw Foundation, which aims to promote innovative design, creativity and sustainability among young people.

In Cornwall, his design of the Eden Project was constructed in a former clay pit near St Austell and opened in 2001.

The visitor attraction and environmental charity's huge domes, called biomes, were built to recreate some of Earth's different climates, as well house thousands of different plant species.

The Eden Project team said they "mourn Sir Nicholas' passing and celebrate his genius".

They said: "He understood the power to empower people to embrace ideas gifted to us by nature.

"His creative vision for Eden was inspired by a handful of soap bubbles as biomes, to inspire the team to create the most elegant solution to address design challenges.

"They fit so well in the landscape that it is sometimes hard to know where landscape stops and buildings start."

"Without him there would be no Eden Project biomes," they added.

The architect also designed the glass and steel Ship building at Derriford, Plymouth, which was the former offices of The Herald and Western Morning News.

The building was recommended for listing at Grade II* by Historic England in April 2015.

It is now used for offices and an activity centre.

Chairman at Grimshaw Andrew Whalley said: "From the very first day I arrived at the practice in 1986, I felt the warmth and generosity of Nick's leadership.

"The lack of hierarchy in the studio, shaped by his amiable and open personality, was its true strength.

"His architecture was never about surface or fashion, but always about structure, craft, and purpose – about creating buildings that endure because they are both useful and uplifting and, in Nick's words 'bring some kind of joy'."

The firm gave its condolences to Sir Nicholas' family, his wife Lady Lavinia and their children Chloe and Isabel.

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Unseen footage brings Dartington's story to life

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/ckgzx1d08nlo, today

The story of the wealthy philanthropists who bought a neglected estate in 1925 has been brought to life in a film.

Dartington Hall Trust is celebrating its centenary year with the release of "All Things To All People", a film featuring unseen restored footage from the 1930s and 1940s.

It shows the Elmhirsts' mission to create a centre for education, agriculture and the arts.

The Elmhirst family home has been also opened to the public for the first time and Peter Nicholson, the Trust's arts curator, said: "The treasures that emerged were incredible."

The Trust hopes to highlight the project's role in influencing social and cultural change throughout the 20th Century.

Mr Nicholson used old films from the archive to create the film, and said: "It was pot luck.

"It was a bunch of rusty old film cans - you don't know what you are going to get.

"The labels had all deteriorated. It really was heart in mouth and hope. About 90 percent were OK."

The Trust's Film Unit had documented life on the estate in the 1930s, later filming heritage rural crafts like clog making and weaving, but during the war it made public information films.

Mr Nicholson said: "The treasures that emerged were incredible.

"Dancing by the Jooss Ballet in the 30's on the lawn here on the estate and the restoration of the roof on the Great Hall are all captured on film."

In 1933, Kurt Jooss fled Germany when the Nazis asked him to dismiss any Jewish staff from his company but he refused.

Finding refuge at Dartington Hall, he opened a dance school.

Mr Nicholson added: "They'd just got out of Essen with the Gestapo on their heels...

"Dorothy (Elmhirst) financed them to get them here and it's so joyous...

"The sense of freedom and joy at getting away from Nazism. You can see it in their faces on the film."

The films were originally silent but audio tapes were found from 1960s of Leonard Elmhirst describing what was on them.

The centenary film edited the two together enabling the public to hear about the Dartington project from one of it's creators.

It was Dorothy Elmhirst's vast American inheritance which paid for the purchase of Dartington Hall and its restoration in 1925.

The family lived in the house with their children adjoining the Great Hall until the late 1960s but it had not been open to the public.

Using photographs from the end of their time living there, the team found and restored the original furniture.

The ground floor rooms including the Morning Room and Leonard's study have been reconstructed and the public can see them on guided tours.

Upstairs is a gallery which includes 800 art works and 300 ceramics, to be shown in rotation.

Mr Nicholson said: 'We've done this with a very small team on a very small budget...

"In the past the ideas needed big budgets and Dartington didn't have the money to realise it.

"Two years ago Dartington was in a difficult fiscal position but even at that point... I knew we could do this... With just a small team and we did it for a fraction of the cost."

Bodmin museum director urging MoD to do repairs

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cgmz18yzl18o, today

A group of 80 veterans have raised money for Cornwall's army museum at Bodmin Keep with a 30-mile walk along the Cornish coastline.

The three-day hike from Tintagel to Bodmin helps veterans manage PTSD, by working on a shared goal, coupled with "the magic of exercise and that feel good factor you get from that", the museum's director, Helen Bishop-Stephens, said.

The veterans were collecting money along the route for the museum, which is housed in the 165-year-old keep, forced to close last year for structural repairs.

Ms Bishop-Stephens urged people to write to their MP and tell the Ministry of Defence (MOD) the wait to get the repairs done "just isn't good enough".

'Every Cornish family'

She said: "Someone from every Cornish family will have walked through those gates in the past 160 years. It was the place where people came for conscription to the First and Second World Wars and to sign up for the regular army."

"The keep and the museum are about the regimental spirit of Cornwall."

The museum holds the collection of the Light Infantry, which existed between 1968 and 2007, and has items from Iraq, Afghanistan and Northern Ireland in its collection.

Veterans from the Light Infantry Divisions and the Royal Green Jackets take on a challenge walk every other year and raise money for different charities.

'Worthy of Cornwall'

Ms Bishop-Stephens said many of the walkers will have served in the campaigns at the tail end of the last century.

The museum hopes to raise more money once the urgent repairs are completed by the MOD.

"Our plan is to take ownership of the museum and raise funds for the modernisation, and have a really good army museum worthy of its name and worthy of Cornwall."

The MOD said: "[The] Army is currently awaiting the results of intrusive structural investigations at Bodmin Keep Museum to establish the full cost of remediation of the structural issues."

A spokesperson added: "The museum is supported by the Army until 2030 and a number of long-term options are being explored through regular discussions with the museum."

They said military museums make a "significant contribution" and the decision to close the museum was not made lightly. The safety of the public and museum staff is paramount.

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Bafta Cymru honour for Doctor Who showrunner

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c62qv03v3pqo, today

Doctor Who boss Russell T Davies is set to be honoured at the 2025 Bafta Cymru Awards.

He will receive the Outstanding Contribution to Television at the event in Newport on 5 October.

Davies is regarded as a trailblazer within LGBTQIA+ drama and is also the showrunner at long-running BBC sci-fi show Doctor Who.

Journalist and Newyddion co-anchor Bethan Rhys Roberts has also been honoured and will receive the Siân Phillips Award.

Russell began his career 40 years ago as a graphic artist for BBC Children's programme Why Don't You.

He then helped bring Doctor Who back to TV screens in 2005 and the writer has been at the heart of the drama which has span over 25 years.

He created the acclaimed TV drama Queer as Folk which premiered in 1999 ahead of Cucumber which was noted for its inclusive portrayal of the queer community.

In 2021 his hit TV drama It's A Sin led to a record-breaking month for Channel 4, gaining 6.5 million views across its five episode in less than two weeks.

He received an OBE for services to drama in 2018, and was elected as a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature in 2022.

Commenting on the award Davies said it was an "enormous compliment" to be honoured by Bafta Cymru.

"Receiving this Outstanding Contribution Award is an honour. It means people have watched something and remembered something that you've done."

Bethan Rhys Roberts is to be honoured with the Siân Phillips Award, which is presented to a Welsh individual who has made significant contributions to film and television.

Her varied work has taken her across the world, from harrowing war zones in Bosnia and Turkey to refugee camps in Sudan.

Roberts currently co-anchors Newyddion S4C and is also nominated in this year's Bafta Cymru presenter category, for her work on Etholiad 2024 which was Newyddion S4C's coverage of the 2024 general election.

Previous Siân Phillips Award recipients include actress Rakie Ayola, actor Michael Sheen and Russell T Davies.

Roberts said it was an "absolute honour" to be given the prestigious award.

"It is truly humbling and is recognition of the excellence of amazing colleagues and teams I have been privileged to work with, to tell people's stories in Wales and beyond.

"I hope receiving this will inspire young journalists - especially women - to challenge and to keep searching for the truth."

First image of Michael Sheen as Owain Glyndŵr

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cyv6mqnpy4lo, today

The first image of Michael Sheen as Owain Glyndŵr has been released to mark the annual day honouring the last Welsh-born Prince of Wales.

It comes two months before Owain & Henry, a new play exploring Glyndŵr's 15th Century rebellion against English rule, in one of the first productions announced by Welsh National Theatre, Sheen's own company.

Glyndŵr, a symbol of Welsh nationalism, is remembered in statues, monuments and place names across Wales.

Sheen, who has previously said the Royal Family should give up the Prince of Wales title, said he would portray Glyndŵr as "the iconic Welsh prince".

Sheen, who as an actor is best known for transforming into characters including Prince Andrew, David Frost and Tony Blair, previously said he was "incredibly excited".

"It's the play that tells the exact story that I want this national theatre company to be able to tell, on the second biggest stage in Europe," he added.

Born in Port Talbot, Sheen explained how Owain & Henry was "one of the origin stories of our nation, as relevant in today's complex world as it was when Glyndŵr declared Wales an independent nation 600 years ago".

An audio release was also posted on social media which shows Sheen speaking as Glyndŵr for the first time.

The play by Welsh playwright Gary Owen is believed to be the first time the story of Glyndŵr has been tackled by a dramatist for a large-scale production, with the prince as the main character.

It will be performed at Wales Millennium Centre in Cardiff in November 2026.

Ballet stars inspire dance students at gala

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cp982rk9ex8o, today

Children from dance schools in Dorset said they were inspired after meeting the biggest names in British ballet and taking part in a masterclass.

Principal dancers from the Royal Ballet, English National Ballet and Birmingham Royal Ballet were performing in two fundraising galas at Minterne House.

Ahead of one performance, Royal Ballet teacher Ricardo Cervera invited youngsters on stage for a special class to help improve their technique.

The children also got free tickets to see their ballet idols performing extracts from Swan Lake, Cinderella, Carousel and other shows.

"It's a great experience to be given the opportunity to be on this stage with people who have that skill and talent," said Bethany from Quay Theatre Arts in Weymouth.

"I'm definitely going to take all the feedback we've been given back to the dance studio and make sure I pay attention to every little move!"

Her fellow student Reuben said he had learnt a lot. "Ballet is normally perceived as all technique but when you actually dance it, it's lyrical and fun."

The Ballet at Minterne event was produced by Meaghan Grace Hinkis, a First Soloist with the Royal Ballet, who is passionate about inspiring the next generation of dancers.

"I wanted to get us out of Central London and bring the arts into the beautiful Dorset countryside," she said.

"I can remember meeting my ballet idols as a child and saying to my mum, "I want to be them!'"

"I hope today will light something inside these children and plant a seed for the future. If just one or two feel like they'd love to do ballet one day, we've done our job."

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Famous faces among 100 people on mural

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cvg9n3m9ydpo, today

A mural featuring 100 famous people and community champions from Stoke-on-Trent has been unveiled as part of the city's centenary celebrations.

The 100 Years 100 Faces artwork has been painted on the side of a building on Marsh Street, Hanley.

Among the famous faces on the mural are singer Robbie Williams, Bet365-founder Denise Coates, Guns 'n' Roses guitarist Slash, strongman Eddie Hall and darts player Phil Taylor.

Boxer Nathan Heaney, who also features on the artwork, told BBC Radio Stoke it was "very surreal" to be included.

"It's amazing obviously to celebrate 100 years and 100 people - and I'm on [the mural]. It's brilliant," he added.

Dawnie Reynolds, founder of Hanley-based young people's charity Ruff and Ruby, said she felt tearful during Saturday's official unveiling, having been told she was included in the artwork.

"It was so humbling to be recognised," she added.

"I felt like I was there representing every young person we have ever helped."

The mural, created by artists Rob Fenton and Alastair Barnet, was commissioned and funded by Stoke-on-Trent Business Improvement District (BID).

Mr Fenton said the project showed the "interconnectivity" of people in the city and described it as "incredibly rewarding".

The artists spent up to two and a half hours on each portrait and used virtual reality headsets to create the stencils used for the project.

A spokesperson for Stoke-on-Trent BID said the mural reflected the past, present and future of the city by featuring portraits that honour people who have shaped its cultural identity.

The city's former lord mayor, councillor Lyn Sharpe, who was also included on the mural, said the area was "really buzzing" during the event.

"It was just spectacular, it was like a Hollywood Oscar event," she added.

Sharpe also highlighted the importance of the city's young people, praising charities like Ruff and Ruby.

"The kids are our future. You don't have to leave Stoke-on-Trent to contribute. We want to keep our talent within our city," she said.

The mural was commissioned as part of Stoke-on-Trent's centenary celebrations, marking 100 years since it was granted city status by King George V in 1925.

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Man 'stole Banksy for collection of love hearts'

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cvgn75xjrrgo, yesterday

A builder accused of stealing a Banksy print wanted to add it to his existing collection of artwork featuring love hearts, a court has heard.

Girl with Balloon, valued at £270,000, was taken from the Grove Gallery in central London in September last year.

James Love, 54, who hid the work after another man had smashed through the door of the gallery, wanted the Banksy "on his walls", jurors were told.

The limited edition print was recovered by the Met Police when Mr Love told them where to find it.

Kingston Crown Court heard the other man, 48-year-old Larry Fraser, had already pleaded guilty to burglary.

Prosecution barrister Philip Stott said Mr Love was a "relatively successful builder" whereas Fraser was "impoverished" and only had £1.75 in his bank account the day before the theft.

Mr Love had transferred £200 to Fraser on the day of the offence, Mr Stott said.

On the evening the Banksy was taken, the mobile phones of both men were being used in the vicinity of the gallery, the jury was told, and Fraser is said to have called Mr Love minutes after smashing the gallery doors and taking the painting.

After leaving the gallery, Fraser took the print into a nearby property where he left the artwork and changed his top, the trial heard.

Soon after, the night watchman at the building was "startled" to find a "large painting" by an interior doorway and had "no idea how it had got there because it hadn't been there when he walked past the same spot earlier that evening", Mr Stott said.

He claimed the duo pushed past the night watchman, collected the artwork and drove to a block of flats in the Isle of Dogs where Mr Love unloaded the Banksy.

Love heart collection

Mr Stott said there was a "relatively large number of pictures, about four, featuring love hearts" on the walls of Mr Love's home and that the stolen work was "consistent with those others".

"Given that it was Mr Love who had multiple pieces of art based on love hearts already on his walls, it was likely stolen with a view to it eventually, when the heat had died down, ending up in the same place."

Mr Love, of North Stifford, Grays, Essex denies burglary, and the trial continues.

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Storm-felled tree made into pouncing fox sculpture

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cr70871jergo, yesterday

A tree that was blown down during a winter storm has been turned into a 6m (19.7ft) sculpture of a pouncing fox at a Cornish gardens.

The Lost Gardens of Heligan unveiled Lowarnes - Cornish for vixen - which was made from the wood of a 150-year-old Cornish Red rhododendron.

Staff from Heligan helped hand-split 600 pieces of wood for the pouncing fox's fur, under the direction of Cornish brother and sister artists Sue and Pete Hill and Hal Silvester.

Laura Smit-Chesterfield, director of visitor experience at the gardens, said the sculpture was "a glorious celebration of Heligan's wildlife".

The tree predated World War One, a spokesperson said.

"As the sculpture ages, the wood will fade to a lighter, more silvery tone which reflects what happens to vixens' fur after they have become mothers," they said.

The sculpture is accompanied by a collection of Heligan-inspired poetry from poet laureate Simon Armitage, with both works "highlighting and celebrating the wildlife who make Heligan their home", Heligan said.

Ms Hill said Armitage's poem, Den, "speaks so powerfully of the wild, feral nature of foxes".

She said a photograph of a pouncing fox taken on the Heligan estate by Andy Wilson was the artists' "core inspiration".

"Lowarnes has her gaze set on you as her prey," she added.

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Bubble sculpture brings in 42,000 visitors

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cp3q13g633no, yesterday

A giant public art installation has concluded its run, with organisers reporting it attracted more than 42,000 visitors over two and a half weeks.

The project saw large, iridescent spheres that change colour with the light being placed in St Helier, with a number of cultural events happening alongside.

Organisers said its popularity was a "true testament to the power of bringing art out of the gallery".

The artwork, called Bubbletecture, was a production by ArtHouse Jersey Australian art studio Atelier Sisu.

'Extraordinary'

Reflecting on the end of the project, ArtHouse Jersey said it had demonstrated the "powerful effect that accessible public art can have on Jersey".

It said organisers were "delighted" by the public response, citing the "immense footfall" and positive feedback.

Alongside the sculpture there were dance performances, yoga sessions, arts and crafts workshops and play activities.

Wet and windy weather meant the bubbles were temporarily deflated, but organisers said overall the project had been "extraordinary".

The exhibition was part of the Butterfield Public Art Series, delivered in partnership with the Jersey Development Company.

The JDC's chief executive, Steve Marie, said projects like this were important to ensure St Helier "develops not only as a centre of business but also as a vibrant cultural hub".

Fears tourism levy would make region too expensive

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c36k53dk7j2o, today

A director of one of southern Scotland's best-known hotels has said proposals to introduce a visitor levy would make visiting Dumfries and Galloway "needlessly more expensive".

The local authority is currently exploring the possibility of following other parts of the country and bringing in the so-called tourist tax which would then be invested in improving the area as a destination.

Matthew Wallace Jr - director of the Cairndale Hotel and Spa in Dumfries - said he was "strongly against" any such move.

A council statement said it would take on board any feedback received and no decision would be made until a full report was brought back next year.

Earlier this year, councillors in Edinburgh and Glasgow approved a 5% charge on overnight stays in hotels, hostels, guest houses, B&Bs and self-catering accommodation.

In August, councillors backed the introduction of a 7% visitor levy for Aberdeen.

Councillors in the Shetland Islands recently decided against the move but Dumfries and Galloway Council (DGC) is one of a number of authorities still weighing up the option.

It agreed earlier this month to take steps to explore the potential of the levy and promised widespread consultation.

Mr Wallace - whose business employs about 120 staff - said the charge was not suitable for the south-west of Scotland.

"There is no over-tourism problem in Dumfries and Galloway," he said.

He said supporters often cited cities like Barcelona and Venice and suggested that a "nominal fee" did not put people off.

However, he said they benefitted from lower rates of VAT than the UK which made the levy "more palatable".

"This levy is just a further increase in taxation and makes our region needlessly more expensive," he said.

"Once a tourism levy is in place, one thing is certain. It will be here to stay and the rate or percentage will only ever increase.

"Business rates and VAT - paid by guests and business - should be ample funding for local government without hammering struggling businesses in the region with an additional tax."

He said he believed it would not be a popular move.

"The effect will be quite simple," he said.

"The cost of accommodation across the board will increase and Dumfries and Galloway becomes a more expensive destination to visit.

"DGC should be directing efforts to encourage growth in tourism not introduce a tax that, from recent social media posts, nobody would seem to support."

He urged the local authority to "fully engage" with the sector.

"We are already doing all that we can to attract business to our region," he said, adding that the council should look at other avenues for revenue generation.

"The levy is not welcome in Dumfries and Galloway and by refusing to implement a levy, DGC has an opportunity to show the rest of Scotland, and further afield, that south west Scotland is open for business and welcomes tourism."

A statement from the council said a meeting on 2 September had agreed to begin an "early engagement exercise" on a potential visitor levy.

It said this aligned with best practice set out in Scottish government guidance.

"We recognise that this is a topic of interest to many, and the early engagement process is intended to ensure a broad range of local voices are heard," it added.

"This feedback will help inform the process and support elected members in considering any future steps.

"A further report will be brought to members in spring 2026, detailing the feedback received and outlining potential next steps.

"No decisions will be taken until that point."

Major Belfast City Airport plan includes proposal for island's first air-rail link

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c784732yy5yo, today

The island of Ireland's first airport rail connection and proposals that could create thousands of jobs are part of a new master plan for Belfast City Airport.

The draft, which was unveiled on Tuesday, is part of the 2040 Master Plan and includes a proposal to install a train stop at the airport.

Airport bosses said that by 2040 the plan could generate £1.7bn for Northern Ireland.

The draft plan is open for public consultation until 11 November.

First Minister Michelle O'Neill said the plan shows "great ambition" and that she was looking forward to see how "this next chapter unfolds", while Deputy First Minister Emma Little-Pengelly said it "has the potential to deliver huge benefits for Northern Ireland".

Matthew Hall, chief executive of Belfast City Airport, said the economic benefits of the plan are significant.

"We want more passengers to arrive by public transport and leave their cars at home," he said.

"Delivery of our master plan is a once-in-a-generation opportunity that will benefit passengers and businesses across the region, whilst delivering key elements of the Northern Ireland Executive's programme for government."

Claire Guinness, chief executive of Belfast Chamber, said connectivity is critical to Belfast's economic success.

"The airport is a strategic economic asset that our members and wider society rely on as a lifeline for commerce and business," she said.

"Belfast is a city on the rise and that requires the City Airport to be ready to help us unlock our future potential in the next decade and beyond."

Passenger numbers surge at Guernsey Harbour

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/crrj71r1dpxo, today

Guernsey Harbour recorded its busiest summer in recent years, with thousands more passengers passing through compared to 2024, bosses say.

Acting Harbour Master James Way said the increase was driven by new services from France by Brittany Ferries, new daily inter-island sailings by Islands Unlimited, and continuing French crossings by Manche Iles Express.

Figures showed 10,600 people travelled through Guernsey Harbours during the August bank holiday weekend in 2025, up from 6,700 in 2024.

Mr Way said: "The new services have led to an unprecedented number of passengers this summer."

Longer wait times

However, the increase in numbers has led to delays for passengers at times.

Mr Way said higher footfall meant longer queues at Passport Control in both the foot passenger terminal and for those travelling with vehicles.

Guernsey Ports has introduced measures to ease congestion, including additional staff during peak periods and earlier check-in for vehicles when demand was high.

Despite the challenges, Guernsey Ports said it welcomed the growth in ferry travel, calling it a boost for connectivity and the local economy.

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Airport staff announce four days of strikes

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cjd1zjmr4m7o, today

Airport workers are set to strike on four days in a dispute over pay.

The action at Bournemouth Airport by members of the Unite union, was originally expected to take place in September but it was called off after an improved pay offer was put forward.

Unite said the current situation faced by about 80 members is "unacceptable" and the decision to reject the new pay offer and take industrial action has the "full backing of the union".

The strikes, involving workers in baggage handling, check-in, flight dispatching and plane fuelling, are set to take place on 30 September, 1 October and then on 16 and 17 October.

The union said workers at the airport were struggling with the cost-of-living crisis following years of low pay and, given increased costs of essentials such as utility bills and groceries, the pay offers equated to a real-terms pay cut.

An offer of a 5% rise for the lowest paid and 4.5% for higher paid members was previously rejected.

Those working in the fire service at the airport, who are part of a different union bargaining agreement, have accepted a new pay deal and will not be involved in the strike action.

Bournemouth Airport has been contacted for comment.

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'Why not...?' tourist slogan suggested for city

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cq8eqwyggnko, today

"Peterborough: While you're here, why not...?" That is the slogan the city's civic society has suggested to attract visitors and signpost them towards its top attractions.

Vice-chair Toby Wood said signage could greet people at the city's railway station and include tip-offs to visit the Norman cathedral, Art Deco lido and Bronze Age site Flag Fen.

It comes after the county's mayor said the area would benefit from joining VisitEngland's local visitor economy partnership and bid for government money.

Mr Wood said it was "extremely disappointed" the council had not "taken the lead" to promote the city. The authority said a new tourism website was identified as a priority at a recent meeting.

Mr Wood said the council's visitor strategy, approved last year, had proved ineffective at making the city a tourist destination.

He said the creation of a walking map of the city and a recent visit from the Hereward Community Rail Partnership, aimed at finding ways to promote Peterborough, had both been organised by Fenland District Council.

"We as a civic society are extremely disappointed that Peterborough City Council hasn't taken the lead in promoting its own city," said Mr Wood.

"Would it really take much to do some basic promotion of Peterborough?

"If I was a visitor to Peterborough, I'd stand in the middle of Cathedral Square, look around, and say 'Now what?'

"That's what Peterborough itself needs to do - provide that, 'Now what?'"

Peterborough City Council leader councillor Shabina Qayyum, said she agreed the council is "not quite there" with he strategy plans, adding that working collaborately with the mayor is the "way forward".

"It is work in progress", the Labour councillor said.

"I know mayor and my priorities align very much in being passionate about Peterborough. It is time that we work together and boost our aspects.

"I am looking forward to an overview by the mayor to see how much cash can be injected to help us with that. We can't do it alone.

Paul Bristow, the region's Conservative mayor, said he had met VisitEngland to discuss setting up a partnership to "promote tourism and offer business support".

The partnership offers members "expert advice, specialist toolkits and training programmes" to help local areas market themselves and highlight funding they could benefit from.

The city council said Peterborough Tourism Collective, made up of representatives from the leisure and hospitality sectors, recently held a "productive meeting" to agree next steps for "strengthening the city's visitor economy".

The group identified priorities to take forward, which included creating "a new dedicated tourism website - to serve as a central hub for promoting Peterborough's attractions, events and visitor experiences".

"Alongside this the city council has been working with the Combined Authority on a regionwide approach to growing the visitor economy," it added.

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Port's 'green' terminal aims to create 12,000 jobs

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c8ex6kgj340o, today

A plan to build a new port terminal focused on the green energy sector could create up to 12,000 jobs, it has been claimed.

The Port of Tyne plans to spend £150m turning a 230-acre (93ha) site in North and South Shields into the Tyne Clean Energy Park.

It has been designed as a hub for offshore renewables, clean energy and advanced manufacturing. CEO Matt Beeton said bolstering the three sectors was a "national priority" and required "decisive action".

The project would see the north and south banks of the port redeveloped along with the addition of a 400m (1,312ft) deep-water quayside.

The park's size and location near North Sea wind arrays meant it would enable the creation of "world-class infrastructure to support a growing supply chain", Mr Beeton said.

Tyne Clean Energy Park will sit within an Industrial Strategy Zone, which provides similar benefits to freeports.

These include reliefs for business rates and stamp duty land tax, as well as enhanced capital allowances.

The port has already invested £6m in the first phase of its redevelopment, which saw a dedicated berth and a 23,000sq ft (2,137sq m) warehouse built at Howdon Quay.

North East Mayor Kim McGuinness said the port's expansion would help make north-east England "the home of the green energy revolution".

"The potential for the site is huge," she said.

"It could generate thousands of clean energy jobs which will benefit the region in the long-term and further establish a real hub for renewables and offshore sectors on the bank of the Tyne."

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New survey gives hope for heathland habitat

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cy8rn9zrg8ko, today

A new study of recently restored heathland has found species are returning faster than expected.

The specialist habitat will take decades to fully establish but the project has identified more than 70 different species already thriving.

Forestry England has restored 170 hectares of heathland in the New Forest since 2019 with a further 190 hectares planned over the next 5 years.

The work follows a devastating year of heath fires across the South which has seen hundreds of hectares lost.

The survey examined three separate restoration sites in the New Forest over a two year period.

Amongst the wildlife recorded were 22 nationally uncommon or threatened species of birds, reptiles, bats, insects and fungi.

Tiny Nail Fungus, poronia punctata, that only grows on the dung of ponies that have lived on a high fibre low nutrition diet was among the species found.

The New Forest is one of the few places in Great Britain where it grows and lowland heath is the perfect habitat.

"We've probably got the most lowland heathland across all of Europe in the New Forest" says Leanne Sargeant, a senior ecologist with Forestry England.

"So it's really important that we protect it and we restore as much area as we can."

"Conifer supports some species but they're very few. But the lowland heathlands supports a vast array of species."

The importance of these areas of biodiversity is one of the key reasons for the New Forest's designation as a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI).

In 1905 less than 5 percent of the UK's land area was covered by woodland.

The Forestry Commission was established in 1919 to create a strategic timber reserve following the First World War after supplies ran short.

It led to vast swathes of conifer plantations being established, including in the New Forest.

Although timber production was boosted the single species sites saw a fall in biodiversity something the restoration programme hopes to address.

Today it is estimated woodland covers 13 percent of the UK's total land area (3.24 million hectares)

The independent survey of the recently restored heathland has been carried out by Wild New Forest and the New Forest Biodiversity Forum.

Director of Wild New Forest, Professor Russell Wynn said: "Within 1 to 2 years we've got an assemblage here now that is pretty characteristic of lowland heathland."

"It's going to take years for it to really restore back to absolutely top quality heathland but it's on it's ways and it's going really quick" says Prof Wynn.

"And that was a real pleasant surprise just how fast it's starting to recover."

The restoration work by Forestry England has also seen artificial drains filled in and former plantations opened up for grazing by ponies and cattle.

Remaining enclosures are being thinned and native trees planted to boost biodiversity.

"Restoring heathland takes many years so it is incredibly encouraging to see over 70 different species already returning" said Ms Sargeant.

"It just shows how nature can thrive again given a little bit of help."

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Tenbury 'at risk' over floods insurance snub

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c75q3nrppvno, today

Flooding insurance for buildings across the town of Tenbury Wells has been refused, a council said.

The town council said Zurich Municipal Insurance had refused to renew their policy for heritage assets like The Regal, The Pump Rooms and Tenbury Pavilion.

From October 1, there will be no flood insurance in place for all council buildings. Last year, a wall in the Worcestershire town collapsed from the force of floodwater from Kyre Brook during Storm Burt, affecting homes and businesses.

The council is now pressing the government to try and intervene and offer a solution in time for the winter. Zurich said it continued to work with the council to find a solution.

The council said the company cited the volume of historic claims, and the likelihood of future flooding events, in refusing to renew the policy.

Robert Perrin, mayor of Tenbury, said: "Flooding is one of the greatest risks facing Tenbury - this leaves important council assets exposed."

In recent months they have tried to get a deal with other insurers, but only managed to secure one quote for an "unaffordable" £170,000 per year.

"Basically, in blunt terms Zurich has walked away from us," Perrin said.

"I'm extremely concerned because this is a lovely town, everyone here works hard.

"We've got a major problem on our hands - some of these buildings are historic, listed buildings that cost a lot of money anyway.

"We did not anticipate this, it came as a real surprise - it may well be that (going forward), we have all these buildings that are not insured against flood damage.

"It leaves us feeling vulnerable and at risk."

Work to improve flooding resilience in the town is ongoing - including the installation of "flood resistant doors or door barriers" to some properties, the Environment Agency said.

A spokesperson for Zurich said: "We're aware of the devastating impact flooding has had in Tenbury in recent years, and how necessary robust flood defences are to reduce the frequency and severity of these incidents.

"We continue to work with the council to find a solution for flood cover, offering guidance on the preventative measures needed in order to protect the town from almost certain flooding."

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Private zoo run by billionaire Ambani family cleared of 'foul play'

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c147kzpy113o, yesterday

A special investigation team appointed by India's top court has said the acquisition of animals at Vantara - a private zoo owned by the son of Asia's richest man Mukesh Ambani - was compliant with all laws.

The team of retired judges was set up last month to look into allegations that animals at Vantara were acquired unlawfully and mistreated. On Monday, it said it had found "no foul play" in the zoo's management.

The Supreme Court had previously also said the allegations appeared unsupported, but ordered an inquiry after allegations the authorities failed to investigate the zoo properly.

Vantara said the investigation had made clear "the doubts and allegations... were without any basis".

Vantara is home to 2,000 species, including elephants, tigers and other animals.

Spread over 3,500 acres, it is located in Jamnagar in the western state of Gujarat, not far from Mukesh Ambani's oil refinery - which is the largest in the world.

It was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in March this year and was one of the venues for its owner Anant Ambani's lavish pre-wedding events that made global headlines last year.

Closed to the public, Vantara has drawn criticism from wildlife activists and conservationists for numerous reasons including the unsuitability of the region's hot and dry climate for some of the animals.

The shelter was also at the centre of angry protests in the state of Maharashtra recently, after an ailing elephant from a temple in Kolhapur town was relocated to Vantara in July, after a high court order.

On Tuesday, the court rejected the application against the transfer of the ailing elephant, saying an independent inquiry had already cleared authorities of the charges.

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US energy chief tells BBC nuclear fusion will soon power the world

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cqlz5p314z0o, 5 days ago

Don't worry too much about planet-warming emissions, the US Energy Secretary has told the BBC, because within five years AI will have enabled the harnessing of nuclear fusion – the energy that powers the sun and stars.

Chris Wright told me in an interview that he expected the technology to deliver power to electricity grids around the world within eight to 15 years and that it would rapidly become a big driver of greenhouse gas reductions.

His claims will likely surprise even enthusiasts for the technology.

Harnessing the energy released when atoms fuse together could produce vast amounts of low carbon energy but most scientists believe commercial fusion power plants are still a long way off.

"With artificial intelligence and what's going on at the national labs and private companies in the United States, we will have that approach about how to harness fusion energy multiple ways within the next five years," said Mr Wright.

"The technology, it'll be on the electric grid, you know, in eight to 15 years."

Scientists believe nuclear fusion, which Mr Wright studied at university, could one day produce vast amounts of energy without heating up our atmosphere.

But it's a very complex process. Replicating it on Earth involves heating atoms to temperatures many times hotter than the sun.

President Donald Trump's controversial energy chief also urged the UK government to lift the de facto ban on fracking and issue new oil and gas licenses in the North Sea.

The US Energy Secretary warned the Trump Administration had "serious concerns" about Europe's reliance on Chinese renewable technologies.

"It looks like the Chinese could control what's going on with your energy system," he said.

He repeated the claims made by Donald Trump that the UK and Europe's effort to transition away from fossil fuels to low carbon energy is driving deindustrialisation and impoverishing their citizens.

Mr Wright is in Brussels ahead of Donald Trump's second state visit to the UK next week. The US President will meet Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and will attend a banquet hosted by King Charles at Windsor Castle.

During the BBC interview the US Energy Secretary said fracking – releasing oil and gas trapped rock formations underground - could have a "tremendous" impact on the UK economy.

Mr Wright, who has founded and run fracking companies in the US, suggested the oil and gas the process would produce could "bring back manufacturing and blue-collar jobs and drive down not just electricity prices, but home-heating prices and industrial energy prices".

Reform UK recently said it would encourage fracking in the UK if it were to win the next election, but the British Geological Survey has warned the potential for the technology to produce large amounts of oil and gas in the UK is likely to be limited.

Mr Wright defended the billions of dollars of cuts the Trump Administration has made to renewable energy subsidies. He said wind power has been subsidised for 33 years and solar for 25 years.

"Isn't that enough?" the Energy Secretary asked: "You've got to be able to walk on your own after 25 to 30 years of subsidies."

The Energy Secretary also stood by the report issued by the Department of Energy in July which said the threat of climate change has been exaggerated.

Among a series of controversial claims, the report said sea level rise is not accelerating, that computer models of the climate exaggerate future temperature rises and that climate scientists overlook beneficial aspects of climate change like the fact that high densities of carbon dioxide promote plant growth.

Earlier this month more than 85 international scientists claimed it was riddled with errors and misrepresentations and that data had been "cherry-picked" - selectively chosen. The scientists also called into question the academic standards of the five authors of the paper.

Mr Wright told the BBC he believes it is climate scientists who use data selectively. "Cherry-picking data in climate science, in the media, by activists and by politicians is the norm," he said.

He acknowledged that climate change is a "very real, physical phenomenon" and said that he believes the world will decarbonise: "It's just generations from now, not two or three decades from now."

He said he was delighted his report had prompted such vigorous debate: "We've got a dialogue back and forth about climate change in a public forum. I've wanted that for 20 years."

He denied that the cuts the Trump Administration is making to climate science, including a proposal to slash the funding for the US's National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), would damage US research into weather and climate.

There has been speculation that the cuts could block the development of the next generation of weather satellites and could even lead to the closure of the Mauna Loa Observatory in Hawaii, which is responsible for the longest record of direct measurements of CO2 concentrations in the atmosphere.

"There are a lot of rumours about all sorts of terrible things happening," said Mr Wright, who claimed the US government is trying to restore "real science".

He claimed: "One of the problems of science is it's become so politicised in the climate world, if you deviate from the church, your funding gets cut off."

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Protect Arctic from 'dangerous' climate engineering, scientists warn

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c5yqw996q1ko, 7 days ago

Plans to fight climate change by manipulating the Arctic and Antarctic environment are dangerous, unlikely to work and could distract from the need to ditch fossil fuels, dozens of polar scientists have warned.

These polar "geoengineering" techniques aim to cool the planet in unconventional ways, such as artificially thickening sea-ice or releasing tiny, reflective particles into the atmosphere.

They have gained attention as potential future tools to combat global warming, alongside cutting carbon emissions.

But more than 40 researchers say they could bring "severe environmental damage" and urged countries to simply focus on reaching net zero, the only established way to limit global warming.

Geoengineering - deliberately intervening in the Earth's climate system to counter the impacts of global warming - is one of the most controversial areas of climate research.

Some types are widely accepted - removing planet-warming carbon dioxide from the atmosphere via planting trees or using machines, for example, are recognised parts of net zero efforts.

Net zero means balancing the amount of planet-warming "greenhouse" gases produced by human activities with the amount being actively removed from the atmosphere.

But some more radical geoengineering ideas, like reflecting sunlight "are dealing with the symptoms of climate change rather than the causes," said lead author Martin Siegert, professor of geosciences at the University of Exeter.

For supporters, it is worth exploring techniques which could help rein in rapidly rising temperatures, which are already bringing severe impacts for people and ecosystems around the world.

But for opponents, the risks are simply too great – particularly for the fragile polar regions, about which much remains unknown.

The scientists behind the new assessment, published in the journal Frontiers in Science, reviewed the evidence for five of the most widely discussed polar geoengineering ideas.

All fail to meet basic criteria for their feasibility and potential environmental risks, they say.

One such suggestion is releasing tiny, reflective particles called aerosols high into the atmosphere to cool the planet.

This often attracts attention among online conspiracy theorists, who falsely claim that condensation trails in the sky – water vapour created from aircraft jet engines – is evidence of sinister large-scale geoengineering today.

But many scientists have more legitimate concerns, including disruption to weather patterns around the world.

With those potential knock-on effects, that also raises the question of who decides to use it – especially in the Arctic and Antarctic, where governance is not straightforward.

If a country were to deploy geoengineering against the wishes of others, it could "increase geopolitical tensions in polar regions", according to Dr Valerie Masson-Delmotte, senior scientist at the Université Paris Saclay in France.

Another fear is that while some of the ideas may be theoretically possible, the enormous costs and time to scale-up mean they are extremely unlikely to make a difference, according to the review.

One idea BBC News recently looked at was a plan to pump seawater over the surface of Arctic sea-ice in winter to thicken it, giving the ice a better chance to survive the summer.

But to cover 10% of the Arctic could require about 10 million seawater pumps, one estimate suggests.

A more fundamental concern is that these types of projects could create the illusion of an alternative to cutting humanity's emissions of planet-warming gases.

"If they are promoted… then they are a distraction because to some people they will be a solution to the climate crisis that doesn't require decarbonising," said Prof Siegert.

"Of course that would not be true and that's why we think they can be potentially damaging."

Even supporters of geoengineering research agree that it is, at best, a supplement to net zero, not a substitution.

"The need for emissions reductions comes first… almost anything we do is futile without it," according to Dr Shaun Fitzgerald, director of the University of Cambridge's Centre for Climate Repair, which has been involved in some of the projects highlighted.

The assessment raises "very valid concerns" about some of the ideas, but they need to be balanced against the risks from "the perilous state of the climate," he argued.

Like many other supporters of geoengineering research, Dr Fitzgerald does not support deploying it on a large scale yet, and acknowledged that further investigation might indeed find that the ideas are "bonkers".

But he argued that more research would allow society to make "more informed decisions" about whether they could help or hinder in the fight against climate change.

A UK government-backed agency recently announced nearly £60m of funding for such research, though the government says it has no plans to deploy them.

But the authors of the new assessment view these projects as so unrealistic that efforts would be better directed towards decarbonisation and polar research.

"There are some basic home truths that don't need an awful lot of research to come to a conclusion that they're not really viable," argued Prof Siegert.

A UK government spokesperson said: "Our priority is to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from human activities and to adapt to the unavoidable impacts of climate change."

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Israel escalates bombardment as defence minister says 'Gaza is burning'

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c749q1245pwo, today

Israel has heavily bombed Gaza City overnight with unconfirmed reports from the US news site Axios and the Jerusalem Post that the military has now launched its ground offensive to occupy the entire city.

Israeli strikes are also reported in central Gaza, in the direction in which thousands of people are fleeing. Palestinian officials say there are rising numbers of deaths and injuries.

The intensification came ahead of a long-threatened full-scale ground invasion of the city, which is home to hundreds of thousands of people.

It came hours after Secretary of State Marco Rubio assured Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of unwavering US support during a trip to Jerusalem on Monday.

Early on Tuesday morning, Israel's defence minister, Israel Katz, wrote on X, "Gaza is burning" and threatened that Israel, "will not relent and we will not go back - until the completion of the mission."

Local journalists in Gaza say there have been almost constant Israeli air strikes and artillery and gunfire in Gaza City. Homes are said to have been destroyed, with people trapped in the rubble. There has been no official confirmation of a new ground incursion from the Israeli military.

Israel has demanded that Gaza City's residents leave and head south to a central area of the strip. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) estimate about 250,000 Palestinians have fled, though hundreds of thousands are believed to remain in the area.

Some say they cannot afford to go south, while others say southern Gaza is not safe as Israel has carried out air strikes there too. Some have said they attempted to go south but were unable to pitch their tents, so returned to Gaza City.

Rubio meanwhile was heading to visit Qatar next, where Arab leaders on Monday condemned Israel's attack last week on the capital Doha targeting, but reportedly failing to kill, Hamas leaders.

Speaking from the tarmac at Ben Gurion airport, Rubio said Qatar was still the only country able to mediate on Gaza. Pressed by the BBC on the condemnation of Israel from Arab and Muslim countries in Doha on Monday, he said the US prefers that war ends in a negotiated settlement and hoped partners in the region "stay engaged".

Rubio also said that there was "a very short window" in which a deal on Gaza could be made, Reuters and AFP reported. He added that Hamas had to "cease to exist as an armed group".

In Israel, hostage families camped outside the Israeli prime minister's house overnight because they believe the current military strategy is putting their loved ones in danger. Some 48 hostages are believed to remain in Gaza with 20 believed to be alive.

The escalation in bombardment on Gaza also comes after Netanyahu refused to rule out further strikes on Hamas leaders abroad despite international criticism of the attack on Qatar.

Days earlier the White House said Trump had assured Qatar "that such a thing will not happen again on their soil" - an assertion that he repeated on Monday night.

Qatar hosts a major US airbase and has played a key role in brokering diplomatic efforts to end the war in Gaza, serving as a mediator of indirect negotiations between Hamas and Israel. It has hosted the Hamas political bureau since 2012.

As Rubio and Netanyahu met, leaders of Arab and Islamic countries were lining up in Qatar to denounce Israel over its mounting offensive in Gaza City and last week's strike in Doha.

Israel launched its war in Gaza in response to the Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on 7 October 2023, in which about 1,200 people were killed and 251 others were taken hostage.

More than 64,500 people have been killed by Israel during its campaign since then - almost half of them women and children, according to Gaza's Hamas-run Ministry of Health.

With famine having already been declared in the area by a UN-backed body, the UN has warmed an intensification of the offensive will push civilians into "even deeper catastrophe".

Netanyahu does not rule out further strikes on Hamas leaders abroad

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/czxw4xkxg51o, yesterday

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has not ruled out further strikes on Hamas leaders following last week's attack in Qatar, saying they would not have immunity "wherever they are".

Speaking at a press conference in Jerusalem with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Netanyahu said every country had the right "to defend itself beyond its borders".

Israel's decision to target Hamas leaders in Qatar - a close US ally - drew international outrage and criticism from US President Donald Trump. Hamas said six people were killed but that its leaders survived.

Netanyahu's comments come days after the White House said Trump had assured Qatar "that such a thing will not happen again on their soil".

When pressed on whether the US had any involvement in the strike, Netanyahu told journalists: "We did it on our own. Period."

In response to a BBC question about whether the strike had damaged US relations in the region, Rubio said Washington maintained "strong relationships with our Gulf allies".

The pair presented a broadly united front, even amid the apparent tensions, with Rubio praising the two countries' technological and cultural ties - and Netanyahu saying Israel had "no better ally".

Their meeting comes as Arab leaders hold a summit in a show of support for Qatar. The Qatari prime minister urged the international community to stop applying "double standards" and to punish Israel.

Asked later whether there were any guarantees Israel would not strike the country again, Trump said twice that Netanyahu "won't be hitting Qatar".

According to a State Department official, Rubio will travel on to Qatar following his Israel trip.

On Sunday, Netanyahu told reporters that the US-Israel relationship was as "durable as the stones in the Western Wall" while he and Rubio made a short visit to the holy site in Jerusalem's Old City.

During the trip - on which they were accompanied by US ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee - Rubio wrote a note and placed it into the wall, a traditional ritual performed by visitors. The men ignored reporters' questions focusing on Israel's strikes in Qatar.

Also thought to have been discussed by Netanyahu and Rubio are Israeli military plans to seize Gaza City and Israel's continued expansion of settlements in the occupied West Bank.

Over the weekend, the Israeli military pressed ahead with the demolition of residential buildings in Gaza City, and - according to local media - is now poised to begin ground operations in the Western neighbourhoods of the city.

It has demanded that Gaza City's residents leave and head south to a central area of the strip. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) estimate about 250,000 Palestinians have fled, though hundreds of thousands are believed to remain in the area.

"They are asking us to leave our homes, as if they're asking us to go on a trip," said Gaza City resident Hafez Habous.

"Here in Gaza we will die for one reason: we simply have no money. We have no tents, no makeshift shelters, and transport is unavailable."

"If you speak to a driver to go south he asks for 300 shekels," he said - the equivalent of about $90 or £65.

"How come? I don't even have 100. I don't even have money for tomorrow's food. So how can we move south?"

The UN has warned an intensification of the offensive on an area where a famine has already been declared will push civilians into an "even deeper catastrophe".

Netanyahu and Rubio's meeting comes ahead of a UN General Assembly session next week, at which some leading US allies - including the UK, France, Canada, Australia and Belgium - are expected to recognise the State of Palestine.

This expected recognition has intensified debate within Israel around the future of the West Bank, with more hardline elements of the government insisting annexation is the only way to prevent a Palestinian state.

In late August, the Israeli government gave final approval for the E1 settlement project east of Jerusalem, which would, in effect, split the West Bank in two - dividing the Palestinian populations in the north and south.

Signing an agreement for the project last Thursday, Netanyahu said: "We are going to fulfil our promise that there will be no Palestinian state. This place belongs to us."

Earlier this month, Israel's far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich unveiled his proposal for the annexation of approximately four-fifths of the West Bank.

Israel has built about 160 settlements housing 700,000 Jews since it occupied the West Bank and East Jerusalem - land Palestinians want, along with Gaza, for a hoped-for future state - during the 1967 Middle East war. An estimated 3.3 million Palestinians live alongside them.

The settlements are illegal under international law.

On Monday evening, Rubio is set to visit the City of David archaeological park, which was established by a settler organisation in the Palestinian neighbourhood of Silwan, in occupied East Jerusalem.

He will attend the inauguration of the "Pilgrimage Road", a tunnel excavated underneath Palestinian homes that is said to mark the route of a Roman-era street taken by pilgrims to the Biblical temple that once stood on the site known to Jews as the Temple Mount and to Muslims as al-Haram al-Sharif (Noble Sanctuary).

Critics say the City of David park is an attempt to politicise archaeology, at the expense of Palestinian residents.

Qatar hosts Arab-Islamic emergency summit over Israeli strike on Doha

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c4gk8nx5nw3o, yesterday

An emergency meeting of Arab and Islamic states is taking place in Qatar in response to Israel's air strike on Hamas leaders in Doha last week.

A draft resolution seen by the Reuters news agency condemns what it calls Israel's "hostile acts including genocide, ethnic cleansing, [and] starvation", which it says threatens "prospects of peace and coexistence". Israel has strongly denied such allegations.

It is not clear what practical decisions could be taken, as analysts say any kind of military response is out of the question.

Earlier, Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim al-Thani urged the international community to stop applying "double standards" and to punish Israel.

On Sunday, US President Donald Trump said that "Qatar has been a very great ally. Israel and everybody else, we have to be careful. When we attack people we have to be careful."

Departing for Israel on Saturday, the US Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, said Trump "didn't like the way [the Qatar attack] went down".

After holding talks with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Jerusalem the next day, Rubio said Hamas "needs to cease to exist as an armed element that can threaten the peace and security" in the Middle East.

The Israeli strike on Qatar's capital was last week condemned by the UN Security Council.

"Council members underscored the importance of de-escalation and expressed their solidarity with Qatar," the 15-member council said in a statement.

Israel defended its action, with President Isaac Herzog saying that the strike was necessary to "remove some of the people if they are not willing to get a deal" to end the war.

Hamas said its negotiating team survived the Israeli strike on 9 September - but five of its members were killed, including the son of the group's chief negotiator Khalil al-Hayya. A Qatari security officer was also killed.

Qatar has played a key role in brokering diplomatic efforts to end the war, serving as a mediator of indirect negotiations between Hamas and Israel.

It has hosted the Hamas political bureau since 2012 and is a close US ally, hosting a large American airbase in the desert near Doha.

Israel has committed genocide in Gaza, UN commission of inquiry says

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c8641wv0n4go, today

A United Nations commission of inquiry says Israel has committed genocide against Palestinians in Gaza.

A new report says there are reasonable grounds to conclude that four of the five genocidal acts defined under international law have been carried out since the start of the war with Hamas in 2023: killing members of a group, causing them serious bodily and mental harm, deliberately inflicting conditions calculated to destroy the group, and preventing births.

It cites statements by Israeli leaders, and the pattern of conduct by Israeli forces, as evidence of genocidal intent.

Israel's foreign ministry said it categorically rejected the report, denouncing it as "distorted and false".

A spokesperson accused the three experts on the commission of serving as "Hamas proxies" and relying "entirely on Hamas falsehoods, laundered and repeated by others" that had "already been thoroughly debunked".

"In stark contrast to the lies in the report, Hamas is the party that attempted genocide in Israel - murdering 1,200 people, raping women, burning families alive, and openly declaring its goal of killing every Jew," the spokesperson added.

The Israeli military launched a campaign in Gaza in response to the unprecedented Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on 7 October 2023, in which about 1,200 people were killed and 251 were taken hostage.

At least 64,905 people have been killed in Israeli attacks in Gaza since then, according to the territory's Hamas-run health ministry.

Most of the population has also been repeatedly displaced; more than 90% of homes are estimated to be damaged or destroyed; the healthcare, water, sanitation and hygiene systems have collapsed; and UN-backed food security experts have declared a famine in Gaza City.

* Killing members of the group through attacks on protected objects; targeting civilians and other protected persons; and the deliberate infliction of conditions causing deaths

* Causing serious bodily or mental harm to members of the group through direct attacks on civilians and protected objects; severe mistreatment of detainees; forced displacement; and environmental destruction

* Deliberately inflicting conditions of life calculated to bring about the destruction of the group in whole or in part through destruction of structures and land essential to Palestinians; destruction and denial of access to medical services; forced displacement; blocking essential aid, water, electricity and fuel from reaching Palestinians; reproductive violence; and specific conditions impacting children

* Imposing measures intended to prevent births through the December 2023 attack on Gaza's largest fertility clinic, reportedly destroying around 4,000 embryos and 1,000 sperm samples and unfertilised eggs

To fulfil the legal definition of genocide under the Genocide Convention, it must also be established that the perpetrator committed any one of those acts with specific intent to destroy the group in whole or in part.

The commission says it analysed statements made by Israeli leaders and alleges that President Isaac Herzog, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defence Minister Yoav Gallant have "incited the commission of genocide".

It also states that "genocidal intent was the only reasonable inference" that could be concluded from the pattern of conduct of Israeli authorities and security forces in Gaza.

The commission says the pattern of conduct includes intentionally killing and seriously harming an unprecedented number of Palestinians using heavy munitions; systematic and widespread attacks on religious, cultural and education sites; and imposing a siege on Gaza and starving its population.

Israel's government insists that its efforts are directed solely at dismantling Hamas's capabilities and not at the people of Gaza. It says its forces operate in accordance with international law and take all feasible measures to mitigate harm to civilians.

"As early as 7 October 2023, Prime Minister Netanyahu vowed to inflict… 'mighty vengeance' on 'all of the places where Hamas is deployed, hiding and operating in, that wicked city, we will turn them into rubble'," Pillay said in an interview with the BBC.

"His use of the phrase 'wicked city' in the same statement implied that he saw the whole city of Gaza [Gaza City] as responsible and a target for vengeance. And he told Palestinians to 'leave now because we will operate forcefully everywhere'."

She added: "It took us two years to gather all the actions and make factual findings, verify whether that had happened… It's only the facts that will direct you. And you can only bring it under the Genocide Convention if those acts were done with this intention."

The commission says the acts of Israeli political and military leaders are "attributable to the State of Israel", and that the state therefore "bears responsibility for the failure to prevent genocide, the commission of genocide and the failure to punish genocide".

It also warns all other countries have an immediate obligation under the Genocide Convention to "prevent and punish the crime of genocide", employing all measures at their disposal. If they do not, it says, they could be complicit.

"We have not gone so far as to name parties as co-conspirators, or being complicit in genocide. But that is the… ongoing work of this commission. They will get there," Pillay said.

A number of international and Israeli human rights organisations, independent UN experts, and scholars have also accused Israel of genocide against Palestinians in Gaza.

The International Court of Justice (ICJ) is meanwhile hearing a case brought by South Africa that accuses Israeli forces of genocide. Israel has called the case "wholly unfounded" and based on "biased and false claims".

Bowen: Diplomacy in ruins after Israel strikes Hamas leaders in Qatar

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cm2zepgp5neo, 7 days ago

Almost exactly a year ago I interviewed the Hamas leader and chief negotiator Khalil al-Hayya in Doha. I met him in a house not far from the building that Israel attacked on Tuesday afternoon.

From the beginning of the war in Gaza, al-Hayya had been the chief Hamas negotiator, sending and receiving messages to the Israelis and Americans via Qatari and Egyptian intermediaries.

At moments where ceasefires were thought likely, al-Hayya, along with the men who were also targeted this afternoon, were only a short distance from the Israeli and American delegations. When they were attacked, al-Hayya and the other top Hamas leaders were discussing the latest American diplomatic proposals to end the war in Gaza and free the remaining Israeli hostages.

Israel's swift declaration of what it had done immediately fuelled speculation on social media that the latest American proposals were simply a ruse to get the Hamas leadership in one place where they could be targeted.

On 3rd October last year, as Khalil al-Hayya walked into the venue for our meeting in a modest, low-rise villa, I was surprised that he had so little security. We had to give up our phones, and a couple of bodyguards came with him into the house.

Outside plain clothes Qatari police sat smoking in an SUV. That was it. A hundred bodyguards could not have stopped an air strike, but al-Hayya and his people were relaxed and confident.

The point was that Qatar was supposed to be safe, and they felt secure enough to move around relatively openly.

A few months earlier, on 31 July 2024, Israel had assassinated Ismail Haniyeh, the Hamas political leader in Tehran, where he was attending the inauguration of President Masoud Pezeshkian.

With the war in Gaza raging, I had wondered whether it might be dangerous to sit in the same room as Khalil al-Hayya. But like him, I thought Qatar was off limits.

In the last few decades Qatar has tried to carve itself a position as the Switzerland of the Middle East, a place where even enemies could make deals.

The Americans negotiated with the Afghan Taliban in Doha. And in the almost two years since the attacks on 7th October 2023, Qatar has been the centre of the diplomatic efforts to negotiate ceasefires and perhaps even an end to the war.

The peace efforts, driven by President Trump's envoy Steve Witkoff, were faltering badly. But now they are in ruins. In the words of one senior western diplomat "there is no diplomacy."

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has told Israelis that their enemies will never be able to sleep easy and are paying the price for ordering the 7th October attacks.

The Israeli offensive in Gaza is gathering pace. A few hours before the attack on Doha, the Israeli military, the IDF, told all Palestinians in Gaza City to leave and move south. It's thought something like one million civilians could be affected.

In his televised comments Netanyahu told Palestinians in Gaza "don't be derailed by these killers. Stand up for your rights and your future. Make peace with us. Accept President Trump's proposal. Don't worry, you can do it, and we can promise you a different future, but you've got to take these people out of the way. If you do, there is no limit to our common future."

If Palestinians in Gaza are able to hear his words, they will ring very hollow. Israel has destroyed the homes of hundreds of thousands of them, as well as hospitals, universities and schools.

With Gaza already gripped by starvation, famine in Gaza City itself and a humanitarian catastrophe across the territory the forced movement of many more people will only increase Israel's lethal pressure on civilians.

Israel has already killed more than 60,000 Palestinians in Gaza, the majority of whom were civilians. Netanyahu himself faces an arrest warrant from the International Criminal Court for war crimes, and Israel is being investigated by the International Court of Justice for genocide.

The attack in Doha is a sign that Netanyahu and his government will press forward as hard as they can on all fronts, not just Gaza. They are confident that with American support, their military can enforce their will.

The Doha attack earned a rare rebuke from the White House. Qatar is a valuable ally, that hosts a huge US military base and is a major investor in the US.

But Netanyahu appears to be calculating that Donald Trump, the only leader he feels he must listen to, will content himself with the diplomatic equivalent of a rap over the knuckles.

Israel's offensive in Gaza continues. And as the planned recognition of Palestinian independence at the UN later this month by the UK, France, Canada, Australia and other western countries approaches, Netanyahu's ultra nationalist cabinet allies will redouble calls to respond with the annexation of occupied Palestinian territory in the West Bank.

What do we know about Israeli strike on Hamas in Qatar?

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cq5jl77ygv4o, 7 days ago

Israel carried out a strike on senior Hamas leaders in Qatar's capital, Doha, on Tuesday afternoon.

Qatar quickly accused Israel of "reckless" behaviour and breaking international law after the attack on a residential premises in the city.

The Israel Defense Forces claimed to have targeted those "directly responsible for the brutal October 7 massacre".

Here is what we know so far.

How and where was attack carried out?

Explosions were heard and smoke was seen rising above the Qatari capital Doha early on Tuesday afternoon.

Verified footage showed smoke rising from a heavily-damaged section of a complex next to Woqod petrol station on Wadi Rawdan Street, close to the West Bay Lagoon district north of central Doha.

According to the Israeli military, it conducted a "precise strike" targeted at Hamas senior leaders in Qatar using "precise munitions".

Israeli media says the operation involved 15 Israeli fighter jets, firing 10 munitions against a single target.

Qatar has hosted Hamas's political bureau since 2012 and has played a key role in facilitating indirect negotiations between the group and Israel since the 7 October attacks.

Who was hit in the attack?

* Humam Al-Hayya (Abu Yahya) - son of chief negotiator al-Hayya

* Jihad Labad (Abu Bilal) - director of al-Hayya's office

* Abdullah Abdul Wahid (Abu Khalil)

* Moamen Hassouna (Abu Omar)

* Ahmed Al-Mamluk (Abu Malik)

* Corporal Badr Saad Mohammed Al-Humaidi - Qatari internal security forces

What did the US know and did Trump give a 'green light'?

The office for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu put out a statement shortly after the strike, claiming the attack was "a wholly independent Israeli operation".

"Israel initiated it, Israel conducted it, and Israel takes full responsibility," the statement said.

The White House also quickly confirmed it was informed of the operation, almost certainly because of the proximity of the huge US airbase at al-Udeid, just outside Doha.

In a post on Truth Social some hours after the attack, Donald Trump said the strike was "a decision made by Prime Minister Netanyahu, it was not a decision made by me".

The president said as soon as he was notified of the attack, he "immediately directed" US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff to inform Qatar, but said the notification was made "too late" to stop it.

"I view Qatar as a strong Ally and friend of the U.S., and feel very badly about the location of the attack," he said in the post, adding that he had assured its leaders that "such a thing will not happen again on their soil".

He added: "Unilaterally bombing inside Qatar, a Sovereign Nation and close Ally of the United States, that is working very hard and bravely taking risks with us to broker Peace, does not advance Israel or America's goals. However, eliminating Hamas, who have profited off the misery of those living in Gaza, is a worthy goal."

Questions remain over how the attack on sovereign Qatari soil will affect the al-Udeid US airbase and US relations with all its Gulf Arab allies.

What were Hamas leaders doing in Qatar?

Qatar has acted as a mediator between Israel and Hamas and has hosted negotiations between them since October 2023.

A couple of days ago, Hamas said it welcomed "some ideas" from the US about how to reach a Gaza ceasefire agreement that it received through mediators. It said it was in discussion about how to turn them "into a comprehensive agreement that meets the needs of our people".

It's thought likely the targeted Hamas leaders were in the middle of discussing their formal response to the US ideas.

A Palestinian official earlier told the BBC the US plan would see the 48 remaining hostages in Gaza freed in the first 48 hours of a 60-day truce in exchange for Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails and good-faith negotiations on a permanent ceasefire.

How has Qatar reacted?

In Doha, the Qatari government reacted with fury, calling the attack reckless and cowardly, and a blatant violation of all international laws and norms.

"While the State of Qatar strongly condemns this assault, it confirms that it will not tolerate this reckless Israeli behaviour and the ongoing disruption of regional security, nor any act that targets its security and sovereignty," a statement from its foreign ministry said.

Similar statements of outrage came from across the Arab world.

UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres also condemned "this flagrant violation of the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Qatar".

Ros Atkins on... Israel's war in Gaza and proportionality

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cr5r76e127do, 5 days ago

Israel's military operation in Gaza has killed tens of thousands of people, destroyed thousands of buildings, and severely restricted the supply of food.

The operation was launched after Hamas rampaged through villages, military posts and a music festival in Israel on 7 October 2023, killing about 1,200 people and taking 251 others hostage. The United Nations' (UN) human rights body would later conclude that Hamas had committed war crimes and crimes against humanity.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said at the time that "like every country, Israel has an inherent right to defend itself". He argues his country's military operation in Gaza is a "just war" with the goals of destroying Hamas and bringing home all the hostages.

In January 2024, he said that "Israel's commitment to international law is unwavering". That commitment is coming under ever-increasing scrutiny.

Leading human rights organisations and some countries accuse Israel of ethnic cleansing and acts of genocide. Netanyahu denies this and has strongly criticised such allegations.

An important aspect of how international law applies to wars is the principle of proportionality.

In the words of the International Committee of the Red Cross, it means that "the effects of the means and methods of warfare used must not be disproportionate to the military advantage sought".

BBC Verify has spoken to a range of international law experts to ask whether they consider Israel's actions to have been proportionate.

The vast majority of them, with different degrees of certainty, told us that Israel's actions are not proportionate. In drawing that conclusion, some reference Israel's conduct of the whole war, some focus on events in recent months.

"I would struggle to see how Israel's military conduct in Gaza could potentially be characterised as proportionate," says Prof Janina Dill from the Blavatnik School of Government, University of Oxford.

Dr Maria Varaki, from Kings College London, told us that "it is undisputable, non-disputable, actually, that the use of force in Gaza has been disproportionate".

Prof Yuval Shany, at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, states: "The military campaign can no longer be seen as proportionate."

And Prof Asa Kasher of Tel Aviv University, who was the lead author of the IDF's first code of ethics, told us the number of non-combatants killed "seems too high to be taken to result from reasonable proportionality considerations".

How is proportionality assessed?

International law is made up of a series of agreements that most countries in the world have signed. The agreements detail what states can and can't do. They include the UN Charter and the Geneva Conventions, both of which Israel is party to and both of which are relevant to proportionality.

International law is not set out in one place, nor is it governed by a central authority. As we will see, its meaning and application are open to considerable debate.

Regarding proportionality, international law addresses this in two distinct ways.

Firstly, when a state has the right to self-defence, the overall military response must be proportionate to the threat being responded to.

In addition, if at any point during the military operation, it ceases to be necessary and proportionate, the right to self-defence no longer applies.

For example, some argue, such has been Israel's success in weakening Hamas, the military operation is no longer proportionate to the threat that Hamas currently poses. This, I should emphasise, is contested.

The second way international law addresses proportionality concerns each individual military action within a conflict, such as an air strike.

The expected harm to civilians or civilian buildings must be proportionate to the expected military advantage gained from that particular action.

Intent is a vital consideration here. What civilian harm is anticipated? And is the expected military advantage proportionate to this?

It is important to emphasise that intentionally harming civilians is always a breach of international law. Proportionality is not a consideration if this is done.

Also, while international law does allow for circumstances in which civilians are killed during the course of a military action, there is always an obligation to minimise civilian harm wherever possible.

Both areas of law are clear: whatever the provocation or the threat, there are rules and limits on what can be done - in the overall response and individual actions. They must be proportionate.

Let's begin with the impact of Israel's overall operation.

Civilian casualties

More than 64,500 people have been killed by Israel during its campaign - almost half of them women and children, according to Gaza's Hamas-run Ministry of Health. The ministry's figures do not distinguish between combatants and civilians.

Israel has challenged the accuracy of the ministry's figures, both the overall number and the demographic breakdown, but they are quoted by the UN and others as the most reliable source of statistics on casualties available.

UN Secretary General António Guterres recently declared "the levels of death and destruction in Gaza are without parallel in recent times".

At the start of the year, the Israeli military said it had killed about 20,000 Hamas operatives, although it has not provided evidence, and does not allow foreign media, including BBC News, free access to Gaza. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) has not provided any figures for civilian casualties.

The IDF told us that it is "committed to mitigating civilian harm during operational activity" and that it "makes great efforts to estimate and consider potential civilian collateral damage in its strikes".

Israel also accuses Hamas - which is proscribed as a terrorist organisation by the UK, Israel and others - of causing casualties by operating within civilian areas.

It has released numerous videos of what it says are Hamas tunnels running under civilian buildings, including hospitals. Israel says Hamas uses these underground networks to plan and organise attacks. Some of the freed hostages have also described being held in tunnels.

Prof Nicholas Rostow, former legal adviser to the US National Security Council under President Ronald Reagan and a distinguished research fellow of the National Defense University, argues that "Hamas used hospitals, schools... as a base of military operations, putting civilians at risk. That was their intention".

Because of this, Prof Rostow says he is "not prepared to say that Israel has acted disproportionately". He says he knows how the IDF operates and that it "bend[s] over backwards to respect the laws of war".

But even if that is the case, Israel has still killed tens of thousands of people.

Dr Nimer Sultany, editor-in-chief of The Palestine Yearbook of International Law and chair of the Centre for Palestine Studies at SOAS University of London, is categorical. "Israel's campaign has been disproportionate since October 2023, because of the unprecedented civilian harm it caused in Gaza," he told us.

Gerry Simpson, professor of public international law at the London School of Economics (LSE), told us, referencing the number of people killed and other consequences for Gaza, that: "It is hard to seriously argue that the campaign has been conducted with due regard to the general principles of proportionality and distinction at the heart of the laws of war."

Access to food

The impact on a population's living conditions is another factor in assessing the proportionality of Israel's overall response.

Israel's restricting of goods into Gaza is not new. This was happening before 7 October and increased after the attack.

Then, in early March this year, Israel began a total blockade of aid into Gaza. It said it was doing so to stop Hamas stealing supplies and using them "to finance its terror machine". Hamas denies doing this.

The blockade was condemned by the UN and many countries.

Senior UN officials accused Israel of using food as a "weapon of war", which is a crime under international law. Such actions cannot be proportionate.

"You can never use starvation of either enemy fighters or the civilian population," says Prof Mary Ellen O'Connell, of the University of Notre Dame in Indiana. "You must permit the entry of humanitarian assistance to the civilian population. That is a principle of customary international law. You cannot use starvation. There are certain weapons you can never use."

Benjamin Netanyahu denies this is a weapon that Israel is using.

The UN also accused Israel of "deliberately and unashamedly imposing inhumane conditions on civilians". Israel denies doing this too.

In May, Israel partially eased the aid blockade and introduced a new system of food distribution operated by a US and Israel-backed group called the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF).

More than 200 charities and other NGOs have called for the GHF to be shut down, claiming Israeli forces and armed groups "routinely" open fire on those seeking aid.

The United Nations says more than 2,000 people have been killed around aid sites and convoys in recent months. In August, it said most of the killings were by the Israeli military. Israel denies this.

Israel says the GHF's system provides direct assistance to people who need it, bypassing Hamas interference.

But many people who need assistance are not receiving it.

The latest assessment from the UN-backed global hunger monitor (IPC) is that a quarter of Palestinians in Gaza are suffering from famine.

Israel's Ministry of Foreign Affairs called this assessment a "tailor-made fabricated report to fit Hamas's fake campaign". The IPC has issued a response defending its methodology.

Aid agencies, senior UN officials, the UK government and others all say the famine and starvation in Gaza are a result of Israel's actions.

Israel justifies the change of aid system as a necessary part of its effort to defeat Hamas. But even if it is - and that is strongly contested - as the current occupying power, Israel has obligations under international law to civilians in Gaza, including providing adequate access to food.

Netanyahu says that any food shortages are the fault of aid agencies and Hamas. Also, despite the mounting evidence, he has repeatedly denied that starvation is taking place.

Destruction of buildings

Civilian harm caused by the overall operation also includes the damage or destruction of buildings.

In May, Israel's far-right finance minister, Bezalel Smotrich, declared that "Gaza will be entirely destroyed". That is getting closer.

The latest UN estimate is that up to 42% of buildings in the Gaza Strip have been destroyed and 37% damaged.

Prof Emily Crawford, who teaches international humanitarian law at the University of Sydney Law School, told us the "complete destruction of infrastructure necessary for the survival of the civilian population... is clearly disproportionate".

Destruction is what is being threatened. In August, Israel's Defence Minister Israel Katz looked ahead to an assault on Gaza City. Posting on social media he demanded that Hamas frees the hostages and disarm: "If they do not agree, Gaza, the capital of Hamas, will become Rafah and Beit Hanoun."

These are both cities that Israel has reduced to ruins.

As well as destroying and damaging buildings during its offensives, BBC Verify analysis suggests Israel has also systematically destroyed buildings in areas it controls.

The IDF said the "destruction of property is only performed when an imperative military necessity is demanded".

To Israel the overall "military necessity" of its operation is not just the severe weakening of Hamas, but its complete defeat.

Former UK Supreme Court Justice Lord Sumption wrote in a recent article: "The destruction of Hamas is probably unachievable by any amount of violence, but it is certainly unachievable without a grossly disproportionate effect on human life."

Lord Sumption told us that Israel has concluded there is "no limit to the destruction and casualties that they can inflict, provided that it is necessary to defeat Hamas". He says: "This is plainly incorrect."

Other experts also suggest Israel's own legal assessments have given the government huge leeway in how it can act.

Dr Nimer Sultany believes Israel has "repeatedly invoked wild and highly permissive interpretations of the laws of armed conflict, including the question of proportionality, that defy both common sense and authoritative understandings of international law".

Israel insists it adheres to international law and applies it correctly.

BBC Verify asked Israel's government for the legal advice, or a summary of it, that supports its view that its overall military response to 7 October has been proportionate.

We did not receive a reply.

Assessing individual attacks

As mentioned earlier, the second way international law addresses proportionality concerns individual actions within a conflict.

Is the expected harm to civilians and civilian buildings from a particular action proportionate to the expected military gain that is sought?

In the case of this conflict, Israel's targeting of Hamas members - and the resulting civilian casualties - has been a particular focus.

For instance, on 27 June this year there was a strike near the Palestine Stadium in Gaza City, aimed at what Israel called "a suspicious individual who posed a threat to IDF troops operating in the northern Gaza Strip".

The IDF told BBC Verify: "The IDF struck a Hamas terrorist. Prior to the strike, steps were taken to mitigate the risk of harming civilians as much as possible."

According to medics and witnesses, at least 11 people, including children, were killed by the strike.

The IDF told the BBC it has comprehensive processes to "ensure implementation with the Law of Armed Conflict". It says senior military commanders are given "target cards" which "facilitate an analysis that is conducted on a strike-by-strike basis, and takes into account the expected military advantage and the likely collateral civilian harm".

Sir Geoffrey Nice KC is a barrister and former prosecutor for the UN. On Israel's calculations around the proportionality of its targeted strikes, he says: "The number of innocent Palestinians killed would seem very hard to justify by the search for an individual Hamas person, however senior that person might be."

The organisation UK Lawyers for Israel has published a "Q&A on International Law of Armed Conflict and Gaza". On the issue of proportionality and individual military strikes, it says "it is impossible to assess this without having the information known to the IDF commanders at the time".

Israel doesn't provide details of its decisions on individual strikes, so this assessment is difficult. However, patterns of individual strikes can inform our understanding of Israel's calculations.

"The burden is now on [Israel] to prove that they were proportionate," argues Sir Geoffrey.

The right to self-defence

Underpinning Israel's campaign is its assertion of the right to self-defence. This is laid out in Article 51 of the UN Charter - the "inherent right of individual or collective self-defence if an armed attack occurs".

As we said earlier, the right to self-defence connects to the first way that international law addresses proportionality.

The question being: when the right of self-defence applies, is the overall military response proportionate to the threat being responded to?

Immediately after 7 October, many countries, including the US and the UK, made clear that Israel had the right to defend itself.

In its "Briefing Note on Proportionality in Warfare", UK Lawyers for Israel argues that "Israel is entitled, in self-defence, to enter that territory [Gaza] to dismantle that organisation [Hamas] to prevent it from ever repeating its murderous aim".

Prof Neve Gordon of Queen Mary University, London, is the author of "Israel's Occupation". Recently, he took part in a two-day event which described itself as an inquiry into the UK's role in Israeli war crimes in Gaza.

On the right to self-defence, he says: "I think it is obvious again to anyone with eyes in their head that Hamas carried out a violent attack on 7 October, massacred hundreds of civilians, and I think most states would respond to such an attack."

But he adds that legally this remains complicated.

In fact, several of the experts we spoke to emphasised that, in this instance, Israel's right to self-defence, as detailed in the UN Charter, is contested.

Francesca Albanese is the UN's special rapporteur on human rights in the occupied Palestinian territories (Gaza and the West Bank). She is a fierce critic of Israel's actions and is banned from Israel because of comments about "Israeli oppression" made after 7 October.

Albanese told us that Israel "has completely capsized the current use of principles of distinction, principle of military necessity, precautions, and proportionality in international law".

On self-defence, she points towards the International Court of Justice's (ICJ) advisory opinion in 2004, that Israel could not invoke self-defence against a population it maintains under occupation.

Israel rejects this argument. It claims it was not occupying Gaza before 7 October because it withdrew its troops and settlers in 2005.

However, the UN still regards Gaza as occupied territory because Israel retained control of Gaza's airspace, shoreline and most of its land border. An ICJ advisory opinion last year found that Israel's occupation of Gaza did not end in 2005, and that Israel's occupation of Palestinian territory is unlawful.

Gaza's status before 7 October is relevant to whether the right to self-defence applies, according to Prof Ralph Wilde of University College London. Last year, he represented the states of the Arab League at the International Court of Justice in proceedings relating to Israel and Palestinian territories.

Prof Wilde told us: "Israel's use of force after 7 October was not a new use of force. It was a continuation of that pre-existing use of force, amplifying it to an extreme level. It was, therefore, a continuation of an illegal use of force."

Israel rejects such an argument.

There is a second reason why some believe the right to self-defence doesn't apply to 7 October. Francesca Albanese argues that this right only applies if an attack comes from another state.

Some of the international law experts we spoke to disagree.

Lord Sumption told us such a position is "barely arguable".

Prof Crawford, at the University of Sydney Law School, told us that "since the 9/11 attacks, many states have been prepared to accept that the right to self-defence under international law extends to uses of force against the state by non-state actors". In other words, it does apply to Hamas and 7 October.

This debate is relevant to whether Israel's overall response can be considered a proportionate act of self-defence.

Though Gerry Simpson, Professor of Public International Law at the London School of Economics (LSE), adds: "Even if Israel has a right to self-defence, the exercise of it has been disproportionate."

Prof Kasher, of Tel Aviv University, argues the right to self-defence continues to apply so long as Hamas poses a threat to Israel and its population. "Self-defence is well justified as long as the goal is defence," he says.

Whether it is the goal, though, is contested.

Israel's goals

Israel's Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said in May that his country's goal was "destroying everything that's left of the Gaza Strip". He also talked of "conquering, cleansing and remaining in Gaza until Hamas is destroyed".

In July, the Israeli defence minister proposed re-settling the entire Palestinian population of Gaza at a camp in the south of the territory, according to Israeli media. The UN had previously warned that the forcible transfer of an occupied territory's civilian population is "tantamount to ethnic cleansing".

The proposed "humanitarian city" was discussed by the Israeli cabinet, but no plans to move forward have been made public.

Israeli statements, proposals and actions are causing some to question whether its goals and its actions go beyond self-defence.

"This is not a war where the goal is defeat," claims Prof Neve Gordon of Queen Mary University. "It is a war where the goal is destruction."

Prof Gerry Simpson from the LSE told us that "the Israeli response looks more like revenge, or the continuation of a long-running erasure of Palestinian identity, than anything one could call 'legitimate self-defence'".

And Prof Janina Dill told us: "If we listen to Israeli security forces and Israeli decision-makers, we must understand that [incapacitating Hamas] is not anymore, or predominantly, the aim Israel is pursuing in Gaza."

Israel rejects any such suggestions.

The IDF told BBC Verify: "The terrorist organisations in the Gaza Strip systematically violate international law and deliberately carry out military operations from within the civilian population. The IDF will continue to operate against the terrorist organisations in the Gaza Strip whenever and wherever necessary."

A case to answer?

In late 2024, judges at the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued an arrest warrant for Netanyahu, saying there were reasonable grounds to believe he bore "criminal responsibility" for alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity in the Gaza war.

It also issued arrest warrants for former Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant and Hamas's then-military chief Mohammed Deif, who Israel says it has now killed.

Netanyahu called the decision antisemitic, and the US later imposed sanctions on four ICC judges, claiming the court was politicised. Further ICC officials and the UN's Francesca Albanese have also now been sanctioned.

A case was also brought to the ICJ by South Africa in 2023, arguing Israel was committing genocide. Israel has dismissed the allegation as baseless. The case is ongoing.

International justice often deals in years and decades, not weeks and months. There are limitations on what it can do during or after a conflict. And the US hostility to Netanyahu's arrest warrant shows Israel has significant support from the world's superpower.

However, in time, the institutions that apply international law can and do draw definitive conclusions. These rulings matter - as do the laws themselves. However imperfect, they are the rules that most countries have agreed should define what they can and can't do. As such, they still count for a lot.

The vast majority of the experts we spoke to believe that all or some aspect of Israel's actions have not been proportionate, in particular with regards to its overall operation. They reach that conclusion for different reasons and with differing degrees of certainty.

Prof O'Connell, of Notre Dame University, told us: "There are rules, and they're not being complied with."

Prof Yuval Shany, from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, says there is an argument that Israel's actions were initially proportionate but "there seems to have been, however, a point crossed at which Hamas has been weakened to such a degree that the continuation of the military campaign can no longer be seen as proportionate in nature, given its extensive scope, scale and consequences".

And Prof Hovell of LSE told the BBC: "Proportionality in international law is a pretty blunt tool. In many modern conflicts, applying that standard can be difficult. But in Gaza, the case is, sadly, strikingly clear. Israel's campaign has been grossly disproportionate."

Meanwhile, the conflict continues. A much-diminished Hamas is still fighting, still holding hostages and still denying Israel's right to exist.

Israel insists it followed international law throughout this conflict - and that its actions are proportionate. But nearly all of the experts we spoke to aren't convinced.

Additional reporting by Jemimah Herd

Netanyahu is only obstacle to bringing hostages home, families say

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c1dqrg32zd9o, 3 days ago

Families of Israeli hostages still being held by Hamas have said Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is the "one obstacle" preventing their return and reaching a peace deal.

The Hostages and Missing Families Forum wrote on social media that Israel's strike on Qatar last week shows "every time a deal approaches, Netanyahu sabotages it".

On Tuesday Israel attacked senior Hamas leaders meeting in a house in the Qatari capital Doha. The Palestinian armed group said five of its members and a Qatari security official were killed.

On Sunday US Secretary of State Marco Rubio arrived in Israel for a visit during which he is due to meet Netanyahu as Israel faces international condemnation for the attack.

Netanyahu said on Saturday that eliminating Hamas leaders in Qatar "would rid the main obstacle" to releasing the hostages and ending the war.

He also accused Hamas of blocking all ceasefire attempts in order to drag out the war in Gaza. Hamas members had been in Doha to discuss the latest US proposal for a ceasefire in Gaza.

However, families of the hostages described the Israeli PM's response as "the latest excuse for failing to bring home" their loved ones.

"The targeted operation in Qatar proved beyond any doubt that there is one obstacle to returning the 48 hostages and ending the war: Prime Minister Netanyahu," they said.

"The time has come to end the excuses designed to buy time so he can cling to power."

The group added that Netanyahu's "stalling" had cost "the lives of 42 hostages and threatens the lives of additional hostages who are barely surviving".

Before his departure, Rubio said US President Donald Trump was not happy with the strike on Qatar, but stressed that the US-Israeli relationship was "very strong".

"Obviously we're not happy about it, the president was not happy about it. Now we need to move forward and figure out what comes next," Rubio said.

He added that Trump's priority remains the return of all hostages and an end to the the war in Gaza.

When asked whether the strike on Doha complicates Qatar's willingness to work with the US, Rubio said "they've been good partners on a number of fronts".

Qatar is a key US ally in the region and the location of a major American air base.

In the wake of the strike, Qatar condemned Israel's attack as "cowardly" and a "flagrant violation of international law".

Netanyahu said the move was "fully justified" because it targeted senior Hamas leaders who organised the 7 October 2023 attacks.

Meanwhile, Israeli forces have stepped up their assault on Gaza City with a wave of heavy air strikes, reducing entire apartment blocks and large concrete structures to rubble.

Israel has also warned all residents in the region to leave immediately in anticipation of a huge ground offensive.

Residents said the Israeli military has been targeting schools and makeshift shelters, often issuing warnings only moments before bombardments.

On Saturday, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said about 250,000 people had left the city and moved south.

Netanyahu's plan to occupy Gaza City has drawn international criticism, with the UN warning a military escalation in an area where famine has been declared will push civilians into an "even deeper catastrophe".

On Sunday, the Hamas-run health ministry in Gaza said the bodies of 68 people killed by the Israeli military had arrived at its hospitals over the previous day.

Since UN-backed global food security experts confirmed a famine in Gaza City on 22 August, the ministry has reported that at least 144 people have died from starvation and malnutrition across the territory. Israel has said it is expanding its efforts to facilitate aid deliveries and has disputed the health ministry's figures on malnutrition-related deaths.

The Israeli military launched a campaign in Gaza in response to the Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on 7 October, in which about 1,200 people were killed and 251 others were taken hostage.

At least 64,871 people have been killed in Israeli attacks in Gaza since then, according to the territory's Hamas-run health ministry.

'We escaped certain death': Israel intensifies Gaza City bombardment, forcing families to flee

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c20v15j9l3wo, 3 days ago

Israeli forces have stepped up their assault on Gaza City with a wave of heavy air strikes, marking a sharp escalation from previous military operations.

Unlike earlier phases of the war, the current offensive has relied heavily on aerial bombardments, with entire apartment blocks and large concrete structures reduced to rubble.

The intensification of strikes in recent days has triggered a surge in civilian displacement.

Israel has warned all residents of Gaza City to leave immediately in anticipation of a huge ground offensive.

On Saturday, the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) said about 250,000 people had left the city and moved south. It also said it had destroyed a high-rise building that it said had been used "to advance and execute terrorist attacks" against its troops.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says the city is Hamas's last major stronghold. But the plan to occupy Gaza City has brought international criticism.

The UN has warned an intensification of the offensive on an area where a famine has already been declared will push civilians into an "even deeper catastrophe". Gaza City is the largest urban centre in the territory and a historic heart of Palestinian political and social life.

Residents say the Israeli military has been targeting schools and makeshift shelters, often issuing warnings only moments before bombardments.

Many families have been forced to flee in darkness toward western Gaza.

"We escaped certain death, my husband, our three children and I," said Saly Tafeesh, a mother sheltering in the city. "My brother died in my arms after being shot by a quadcopter drone. We ran in the dark to the west of Gaza."

The Israeli military has told residents to evacuate to the south of the territory - but many families say they cannot afford the journey, which costs up to $1,100 (£800). Hamas, meanwhile, has intensified its calls for residents to stay put and resist leaving the city.

Rubein Khaled, a father-of-nine preparing to move south, expressed frustration.

"The Hamas preacher at Friday prayers accused anyone leaving Gaza City of being a coward running from the battlefield," he said.

"But why doesn't he tell Hamas leaders to surrender and release the Israeli hostages so this war can stop? We don't want to leave either, but we have no choice."

Israeli forces have not yet reached some eastern neighbourhoods that have remained largely intact since earlier raids in January, but the current campaign suggests they may now be seeking to dismantle entire districts.

Meanwhile, a Qatari foreign ministry spokesman strongly criticised Israel's prime minister in an interview with the BBC following this week's Israeli strike on Hamas officials in the Qatari capital Doha.

Foreign Ministry spokesman Majed Al-Ansari told the BBC that the international community had "to deal with a Netanyahu problem".

"He is not somebody who is listening to anybody right now, who is listening to any reason, and we have to collectively stop him in his tracks," the official said.

He argued the strike in Doha showed the Israeli leader "never intended to sign any peace deal" to end the war in Gaza and instead "believes he can re-shape the Middle East in his own image".

Five of the group's members and a Qatari security officer were killed in Tuesday's strike - though the Palestinian armed group claimed no senior leaders had been killed. Hamas members had been in Doha to discuss the latest US proposal for a ceasefire in Gaza.

Israel has faced widespread condemnation, including at the UN Security Council. Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel targeted the "terrorist masterminds" behind the 7 October 2023 Hamas attack on Israel.

Qatar's Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani earlier said that Qatar did not get advance warning of the strike, only receiving a call from a US official 10 minutes after the attack had started.

On Friday, al-Thani had dinner with US President Donald Trump and his envoy Steve Witkoff in New York, having earlier met Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio at the White House.

Rubio is travelling to Israel this weekend in a show of solidarity with Israel ahead of a UN meeting later this month at which France and the UK are expected to formally recognise a Palestinian state.

On Saturday, the Hamas-run health ministry in Gaza said the bodies of 47 people killed by the Israeli military had arrived at its hospitals over the previous day.

Since UN-backed global food security experts confirmed a famine in Gaza City on 22 August, the ministry has reported that at least 142 people have died from starvation and malnutrition across the territory. Israel has said it is expanding its efforts to facilitate aid deliveries and has disputed the health ministry's figures on malnutrition-related deaths.

The Israeli military launched its campaign in Gaza in response to the Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on 7 October 2023, in which about 1,200 people were killed and 251 others were taken hostage.

At least 64,803 people have been killed in Israeli attacks in Gaza since then, according to the territory's health ministry.

'Netanyahu, we're not leaving': Defiance in Gaza City as Israel shows aid sites planned for evacuees

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c0lkz0l4x51o, 6 days ago

Israel has ordered the entire population of Gaza City to leave, as its forces prepare to capture the north of the Gaza Strip.

Israeli airstrikes have continued to destroy tower blocks, and the army says it now has operational control of 40% of the city, as ground forces prepare to fight what prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu has called the "last important stronghold" of Hamas.

Netanyahu this week said 100,000 people had left the city, but up to a million people are still living there – many in tents or shelters. Many of them say they will not – or cannot – leave.

After a strike hit a tower block near his home today, Ammar Sukkar called on Hamas negotiators to come and negotiate from a tent, not from air-conditioned rooms in Qatar – and insisted he would stay in the city.

"Whether you like it or not, Netanyahu, we're not leaving," he told a trusted freelancer working for the BBC. "Go and deal with Hamas, go and kill them. We're not to blame. And even if we're buried here, we're not leaving. This is my land."

Wael Shaban, also living near the tower that was targeted today, said they had been given 15 minutes to flee before the strike.

"When we came back, the tents, the flour, everything has gone. Nothing is left. It's all to pressure us to go south, but we don't have the money to go. We can't even afford flour to eat. Transport to the south costs 1,500 shekels."

Israel's army is telling Gaza City residents that there is plenty of shelter, food and water in so-called humanitarian zones further south.

But aid organisations say the areas they are being sent to are already vastly overcrowded, and lack food and medical resources. The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has said nowhere in Gaza can currently absorb such a large movement of people, describing the mass evacuation plan as "unfeasible" and "incomprehensible".

Israel's army is currently building a new aid distribution site near Rafah, 30km (18 miles) to the south. It says it's also providing thousands of extra tents, and laying a new water pipeline from Egypt.

The BBC travelled to the area, as part of a military embed, to see the new site. It's the first time the BBC has been allowed to enter Gaza at all since December 2023.

Military embeds are offered at Israel's discretion, are highly controlled and offer no access to Palestinians or areas not under Israeli military control – but they are currently the only way for BBC journalists to enter Gaza at all.

Israel does not allow news organisations, including the BBC, into Gaza to report independently.

Rafah is a reminder of what happened the last time Israel's prime minister sent his forces into a city to crush "the last stronghold" of Hamas.

Driving down the newly paved military road along Gaza's border with Egypt, we pass the shattered remains of the old Rafah border crossing, the roof of one building cracked and pancaked on the ground.

Further along the road, known as the Philadelphi Corridor, discrete piles of masonry and splintered metal mapped where each house or farm building once stood.

The city of Rafah itself, close to the new aid site, has been all but flattened into the desert. Still and silent, its life erased; only a few pock-marked structures stick up from the sea of rubble strewn for kilometres across the sand.

It was easy to spot the new earth mounds and concrete blast blocks rising out of the rubble-filled landscape beyond it, near Tel el-Sultan.

A short drive from the main Kerem Shalom crossing point, the corner of the al-Mawasi humanitarian zone, where many displaced people are sheltering, is just visible up the coast.

"The whole idea is a safe, quick route," said Israeli military spokesman, Lt Col Nadav Shoshani. "As short a distance as possible for the trucks and for the people coming in. We can guarantee 0% looting."

We were shown two separate areas, each around 100m (328ft) wide, where Israeli forces said unloading and distribution could be carried out in a continuous loop.

Inside one perimeter wall, two US trucks were already parked on the sand.

Israel says the new aid distribution sites will be handed over to the Israeli-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) in the coming days, and security here - as at other GHF sites – will be provided by private US security forces, with Israeli troops securing the area around.

But the UN says more than 1,100 people have been killed trying to access aid from GHF sites since they began operating in May.

Lt Col Shoshani said many lessons had been learned in how the sites were set up.

"You can see the sandbars, concrete walls, making it very clear where you're supposed to go, and making sure people don't approach troops and engage in a dangerous situation," he said. "What's [also] important is how close they are - just a very short walking distance to where the people are. That makes it easier, but also more safe."

But some of those now being told to leave Gaza City say it won't be any safer elsewhere, after repeated Israeli strikes on targets in shelters, tents and designated humanitarian zones.

"This is Hamas's MO (Mode of Operation)," said Lt Col Shoshani. "It's saying: no, don't go, you're our shields! Don't move south!"

"A year ago, we carried out a similar operation [in Rafah] that was successful," he said. "Civilians were able to get out of the line of fire, maximum Hamas terrorists dead, that is what we want to achieve in Gaza City."

Rafah's residents were evacuated before the ground operation there in May 2024 – "temporarily" the army said – to displacement zones set up along the coast. The area they left behind is still under full military control.

But evacuating Gaza City – and fighting Hamas in its tunnels and streets – will be a more difficult, and more dangerous, task.

Hamas fighters are increasingly turning to insurgency tactics and guerrilla attacks. Earlier this week, four Israeli soldiers were killed in an attack on the outskirts of Gaza City.

Israel's leaders, meanwhile, are under intense pressure at home from hostage families, who say plans to take the city are a death sentence for living relatives being held there.

Benjamin Netanyahu – unmoved by the criticism at home – has previously boasted of his determination in staring down international opposition, and pressing ahead with his offensive in Rafah.

Now, with prospects of a ceasefire deal dead, and up to a million exhausted Gazans in the line of fire, he's telling his critics that one more offensive stands between him and victory over Hamas.

Additional reporting by Morgan Gisholt Minard and Dave Bull

Two Labour MPs denied entry to Israel

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cge2gweqzjno, today

Two Labour MPs who were travelling to the occupied West Bank say they have been denied entry into Israel.

Simon Opher and Peter Prinsley were travelling in a parliamentary delegation to see medical and humanitarian work being carried out by organisations including Medical Aid for Palestinians.

In a joint statement the two MPs said it was "deeply regrettable" that Israeli authorities had "prevented them from seeing first-hand the grave challenges facing medical facilities in the region".

The Foreign Office and the Israeli Embassy in London have been approached for comment.

The two MPs were crossing into Israel from Jordan on Monday on a three-day visit organised by the Council for Arab-British Understanding (CAABU) when they were stopped by Israeli authorities.

Opher told the BBC they were held in a passport office before being handed a "legal form insisting that we leave the country" and then "escorted to a bus" back to Jordan.

The Stroud MP said he was told they were not being admitted on "public order" grounds and that representations from the Foreign Office to Israeli authorities had been rejected.

He said: "It's very disappointing. We are both doctors and we were really just going to look at healthcare facilities in the West Bank to see if there was anything we could do to support them."

"We weren't in any way trying to undermine the Israelis, just trying to see what we could do in the West Bank" where, he said, they had been told healthcare was getting increasingly difficult.

They had also been due to meet the British Consul General in Jerusalem as part of the visit, as well as meeting Palestinian and Israeli human rights organisations.

Both Prinsley, who represents Bury St Edmunds and Stowmarket, and Opher were first elected to Parliament in 2024.

Chris Doyle, the Director of CAABU, told the BBC that it had been organising trips for parliamentarians for many years and that recent denials of entry were "regrettable".

He said it was "important that British politicians get to see the situation on the ground at a very serious time to determine what's going on. It allows them to assess that situation and British policy towards it".

Earlier this year, two other Labour MPs, Abtisam Mohamed and Yuan Yang, were denied entry to Israel in April on another visit organised by the same organisation.

At the time Israeli authorities said the two MPs had "accused Israel of false claims" and were "actively involved in promoting sanctions against Israeli ministers".

Mohamed and Yang said: "Parliamentarians should feel free to speak truthful in the House of Commons, without fear of being targeted."

The then-Foreign Secretary David Lammy described the move by Israel as "unacceptable, counterproductive and deeply concerning".

In April, Liberal Democrat MP Wera Hobhouse was barred from entering Hong Kong to visit her newborn grandson.

Israel and the Palestinians: History of the conflict explained

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/ckgr71z0jp4o, today

The conflict between Israel and the Palestinian people is one of the longest-running and most violent disputes in the world. Its origins go back more than a century.

There have been a series of wars between Israel and Arab nations. Uprisings - called intifadas - against Israeli occupation, and reprisals and crackdowns by Israel have also taken place.

The consequences of the historic dispute over issues including land, borders and rights are still being felt, and include the latest war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza.

What was Israel before 1948 and how was it created?

Britain took control of the area known as Palestine in World War One, following the defeat of the Ottoman Empire, which had ruled that part of the Middle East.

An Arab majority and a Jewish minority lived there, as well as other ethnic groups.

Tensions between the Jewish and Arab populations deepened when the UK agreed in principle to the establishment of a "national home" in Palestine for Jewish people - a pledge known as the Balfour Declaration.

Jews had historical links to the land, but Palestinian Arabs also had a claim dating back centuries and opposed the move. The British said the rights of Palestinian Arabs already living there had to be protected.

Between the 1920s and 1940s the number of Jews arriving grew, with many fleeing persecution in Europe. The murder of six million Jews during the Holocaust gave added urgency to demands for a safe haven.

The Jewish population reached 630,000, just over 30% of the population, by 1947.

In 1947, against a backdrop of growing violence between Jews and Arabs - and against British rule - the United Nations (UN) voted for Palestine to be split into separate Jewish and Arab states. Jerusalem would become an international city.

No Arab nations supported this. They argued the plan gave the Jews more of the land, even though their population was smaller.

Britain abstained. It decided to withdraw and to hand the problem to the UN at the end of 14 May 1948.

Jewish leaders in Palestine declared an independent state known as Israel hours before British rule ended. Israel was recognised by the UN the following year.

What was the 1948 Arab-Israeli war?

The day after Israel declared independence, it was attacked and surrounded by the armies of five Arab nations.

The conflict came to be known in Israel as its war of independence.

By the time the fighting ended with an armistice in 1949, Israel controlled most of the territory.

Agreements left Egypt occupying the Gaza Strip, Jordan occupying the West Bank and East Jerusalem, and Israel occupying West Jerusalem.

About 750,000 Palestinians fled, or were forced from, their homes on land which became Israel and ended up as refugees.

The event is known in Arabic as the Nakba (Catastrophe).

In the years that followed, hundreds of thousands of Jews left, or were expelled from, Muslim majority countries across the Middle East and North Africa, with many going to Israel.

What was the 1967 Middle East war?

What is known as the Six-Day War changed boundaries in the Middle East and had major consequences for Palestinians.

The war saw Israel fight Egypt, Syria and Jordan.

It started when Israel, fearing an attack by Egypt and Syria, launched a strike on Egypt's air force.

By the time the fighting ended, Israel had captured the Sinai Peninsula and Gaza from Egypt, most of the Golan Heights from Syria, and East Jerusalem and the West Bank from Jordan.

About a million Palestinians in the West Bank, Gaza and East Jerusalem came under Israel's control.

Israel's occupation of these areas has lasted until this day.

Israel signed a peace treaty with Egypt in 1979 and returned the Sinai.

It annexed East Jerusalem and the Golan Heights, making them part of Israel, although this has not been recognised by most of the international community.

What is the status of the West Bank now?

The West Bank - land between Israel and the River Jordan - is home to an estimated three million Palestinians.

Along with East Jerusalem and Gaza, it is part of what are widely known as the Occupied Palestinian Territories.

The Palestinians have always opposed Israel's presence in these areas and want them to be part of a future independent state, something backed by the vast majority of the international community.

Israel still has overall control of the West Bank, but since the 1990s, a Palestinian government - known as the Palestinian Authority - has run most of its towns and cities.

What is the dispute over Jerusalem?

Israel and the Palestinians both claim Jerusalem as their capital.

Israel, which already controlled West Jerusalem, occupied East Jerusalem in the 1967 war and later declared the entire city its permanent capital. It says Jerusalem cannot be divided.

The Palestinians claim East Jerusalem as the capital of a future Palestinian state.

Most of the population of East Jerusalem is Palestinian, only a small minority of whom have chosen to become Israeli citizens.

Holy sites in Jerusalem are at the centre of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. The most sacred site - known to Muslims as Al Aqsa Mosque compound, or Haram al-Sharif (Noble Sanctuary), and to Jews as Temple Mount - lies in East Jerusalem.

The UN considers East Jerusalem to be Palestinian land occupied by Israel.

What has happened in the Gaza Strip?

The Gaza Strip is a stretch of land surrounded by Israel, Egypt and the Mediterranean Sea. It is 41km (25 miles) long and 10km wide.

Home to about 2.1 million people, it is one of the most densely populated places on Earth.

Even before the latest war between Israel and Hamas, Gaza had one of the highest unemployment rates in the world. Many people were living below the poverty line and depending on food aid to survive.

Gaza's boundaries were drawn up as a result of the 1948 Middle East war, when it was occupied by Egypt.

Egypt was driven out of Gaza in the 1967 war and the Strip was occupied by Israel, which built settlements and placed Gaza's Palestinian population under military rule.

In 2005, Israel unilaterally withdrew its troops and settlers from Gaza, though it retained control of its shared border, airspace and shoreline, giving it effective control of the movement of people and goods.

The UN still regards Gaza as Israeli-occupied territory because of the level of control Israel has.

Hamas won Palestinian elections in 2006, and ejected its rivals from the territory after intense fighting the following year.

Israel and Egypt imposed a blockade in response, with Israel controlling most of what was allowed into the territory.

In the years that followed, Hamas and Israel fought several major conflicts - including those in 2008-09, 2012 and 2014. A major conflict between the two sides in May 2021 ended in a ceasefire after 11 days.

Every round of fighting has seen people killed on both sides, the vast majority of them Palestinians in Gaza.

Which countries recognise a Palestinian state?

What about Palestinian refugees?

What is the two-state solution?

The "two-state solution" is an internationally backed formula for peace between Israel and the Palestinians.

It proposes an independent Palestinian state in the West Bank and Gaza, with East Jerusalem as its capital. It would exist alongside Israel.

Israel rejects a two-state solution. It says any final settlement must be the result of negotiations with the Palestinians, and statehood should not be a precondition.

The Palestinian Authority backs a two-state solution but Hamas does not because it is opposed to the existence of Israel.

Hamas says that it could accept an interim Palestinian state based on 1967 de facto borders, without officially recognising Israel, if refugees were given the right to return.

Earlier efforts to settle the conflict saw Israel and Palestinian leaders sign a deal called the Oslo Peace Accords, in 1993. This was intended to provide a framework for peace talks. However, talks eventually collapsed with each side blaming the other.

US Secretary of State inaugurates Israeli settler-led archaeological site in Jerusalem

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cg42v2r10kyo, today

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has inaugurated a contentious archaeological tourism site led by an Israeli settler group in occupied East Jerusalem.

America's top diplomat was a guest of honour at the opening of the so-called "Pilgrimage Road", a tunnel excavated under Palestinian homes next to Jerusalem's Old City.

The opening ceremony took place at the City of David, a biblical tourism site operated by the Elad settler organisation in the Palestinian neighbourhood of Silwan.

Mr Rubio's presence was condemned by Palestinian rights groups as giving US backing to Israel's "grip of settlement" close to Jerusalem's most sensitive holy sites.

Residents of Silwan have for years faced eviction orders and home demolitions to make way for Jewish settlements and the expansion of the archaeological park, according to rights groups. Settlements are illegal under international law.

Mr Rubio described the excavation as "perhaps one of the most important archaeological sites on the planet", saying it had deep meaning to people in the United States. He earlier said he understood "people want to involve politics in it… But at the end of the day, it's an extraordinary archaeological site."

Silwan resident Fakhri Abu Diab, 63, said Mr Rubio was choosing to back extremists in the Israeli government instead of being on the side of international law.

"He is ignoring our [Palestinian] history. He isn't visiting when they are demolishing our homes, ethnic cleansing and kicking us out of here," he said.

Mr Abu Diab spoke to the BBC next to the mangled wreckage of his home, which was demolished last year at the order of Israeli authorities. Israel says such homes are built without permits, but these are almost impossible for Palestinians to obtain.

The City of David has been operated since the early 2000s by Elad, a settler group that has appropriated land, acquired Palestinian homes and pushed for the eviction of Palestinian families in Silwan, according to a July report by the UN's Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory.

Ze'ev Orenstein, director of international affairs at the City of David, told Reuters: "All the archaeological excavations are carried out by the Israel Antiquities Authority according to the highest standards." He declined to answer further questions.

The excavation is said to mark the route of a Roman-era street taken by pilgrims to the site revered by Jews as the location of two Biblical temples. According to Peace Now, an Israeli campaign group that supports Palestinian rights, the tunnel stretches 600 metres from Silwan, running beneath Palestinian homes and the Old City walls, ending close to the foundations of the Western Wall, part of the retaining structure of the compound which hosts al-Aqsa mosque. The site is known to Muslims as Haram al-Sharif and to Jews as the Temple Mount.

Peace Now called Rubio's visit "nothing less than American recognition of Israeli sovereignty over the most sensitive part of Jerusalem's Holy Basin". The group added: "[W]hat stands behind its opening is a trampling of Jerusalem as a city sacred to all faiths and belonging to all its residents."

Does Israel face a 'South Africa moment' over Gaza?

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cx2xe5v70evo, yesterday

As the war in Gaza grinds on, Israel's international isolation appears to be deepening.

Is it approaching a "South Africa moment", when a combination of political pressure, economic, sporting and cultural boycotts helped to force Pretoria to abandon apartheid?

Or can the right-wing government of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu weather the diplomatic storm, leaving Israel free to pursue its goals in Gaza and the occupied West Bank without causing permanent damage to its international standing?

Two former prime ministers, Ehud Barak and Ehud Olmert, have already accused Netanyahu of turning Israel into an international pariah.

Thanks to a warrant issued by the International Criminal Court, the number of countries Netanyahu can travel to without the risk of being arrested has shrunk dramatically.

At the UN, several countries, including Britain, France, Australia, Belgium and Canada, have said they are planning to recognise Palestine as a state next week.

And Gulf countries, reacting with fury to last Tuesday's Israeli attack on Hamas leaders in Qatar, have been meeting in Doha to discuss a unified response, with some calling on countries which enjoy relations with Israel to think again.

But with images of starvation emerging from Gaza over the summer and the Israeli army poised to invade - and quite possibly destroy - Gaza City, more and more European governments are showing their displeasure in ways that go beyond mere statements.

Even Netanyahu admitted on Monday that Israel is facing "a kind of" economic isolation on the world stage.

Speaking at a finance ministry conference in Jerusalem, he blamed the isolation on negative publicity abroad, and said Israel needed to invest in "influence operations" in traditional and social media to counteract it.

At the start of the month, Belgium announced a series of sanctions, including a ban on imports from illegal Jewish settlements in the West Bank, a review of procurement policies with Israeli companies and restrictions on consular assistance to Belgians living in settlements.

It also declared two hardline Israeli government ministers, Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich, persona non grata, along with Jewish settlers accused of violence against Palestinians in the West Bank.

Other countries, including Britain and France, had already taken similar steps. But sanctions on violent settlers imposed by the Biden administration last year were scrapped on Donald Trump's first day back in the White House.

A week after Belgium's move, Spain announced its own measures, turning an existing de facto arms embargo into law, announcing a partial import ban, barring entry to Spanish territory for anyone involved in genocide or war crimes in Gaza, and prohibiting Israel-bound ships and aircraft carrying weapons from docking at Spanish ports or entering its airspace.

Israel's combative foreign minister, Gideon Saar, accused Spain of advancing antisemitic policies and suggested that Spain would suffer more than Israel from the arms trade ban.

But there are other alarming signs for Israel.

In August, Norway's vast $2tn (1.7tn euros; £1.6tn) sovereign wealth fund announced it would start divesting from companies listed in Israel. By the middle of the month, 23 companies had been removed and finance minister Jens Stoltenberg said more could follow.

Meanwhile, the EU, Israel's largest trading partner, plans to sanction far-right ministers and partly suspend trade elements of its association agreement with Israel.

In her 10 September State of the Union speech, EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said events in Gaza had "shaken the conscience of the world".

A day later, 314 former European diplomats and officials wrote to von der Leyen and EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas calling for tougher measures, including a full suspension of the association agreement.

One feature of the sanctions levelled at South Africa between the 1960s and the end of apartheid - a policy of racial segregation and discrimination that was enforced by the white minority government in South Africa against the country's black majority - in the 1990s was a series of cultural and sporting boycotts.

Again, there are signs of this starting to happen with Israel.

The Eurovision Song Contest might not sound like a significant event in this context, but Israel has a long and illustrious history with the competition, winning it four times since 1973.

For Israel, participation is symbolic of the Jewish state's acceptance among the family of nations.

But Ireland, Spain, the Netherlands and Slovenia have all said, or hinted, that they will withdraw in 2026 if Israel is allowed to compete, with a decision expected in December.

In Hollywood, a letter calling for a boycott of Israeli production companies, festivals and broadcasters "that are implicated in genocide and apartheid against the Palestinian people" has attracted more than 4,000 signatures in a week, including household names like Emma Stone and Javier Bardem.

Tzvika Gottlieb, CEO of the Israeli Film and TV Producers Association, called the petition "profoundly misguided".

"By targeting us – the creators who give voice to diverse narratives and foster dialogue – these signatories are undermining their own cause and attempting to silence us," he said.

Then there is sport. The Vuelta de Espana cycling race was repeatedly disrupted by groups protesting the presence of the Israel-Premier Tech team, forcing a messy, premature end on Saturday and the cancellation of the podium ceremony.

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez called the protests a source of "pride", but opposition politicians said government actions had caused international embarrassment.

Also in Spain, seven Israeli chess players withdrew from a tournament after being told they would not be able to compete under their flag.

The Israeli government's response to what the media have already dubbed a "diplomatic tsunami" has generally been defiant.

Netanyahu accused Spain of a "blatant genocidal threat" after its prime minister said his country, lacking nuclear bombs, aircraft carriers or large oil reserves, was not able to stop Israel's offensive in Gaza by itself.

After Belgium announced its sanctions, Gideon Saar wrote on X that it was "regrettable that even when Israel is fighting an existential threat, which is in Europe's vital interest, there are those who can't resist their anti-Israeli obsession".

On Monday, Netanuahu said that Israel should reduce the dependence of its industries on trade with other countries, including arms and other defence products.

"We might find ourselves blocked not only in R&D but also in actual industrial production," he said. "We must start developing our capabilities to rely more on ourselves."

But among those who have represented Israel abroad, there is deep anxiety.

Jeremy Issacharoff, Israel's ambassador to Germany from 2017 to 2021, told me he could not recall a time when Israel's international standing was so "impaired", but said some measures were "highly objectionable" because they target all Israelis.

"Instead of singling out the policies of the government, this is alienating a lot of moderate Israelis in the middle ground," he said.

He said some steps, like recognising the state of Palestine, were likely to prove counterproductive, as it "gives ammunition to people like Smotrich and Ben Gvir and even enhances their argument to annex [the West Bank]".

Despite his fears, the former ambassador does not believe Israel's diplomatic isolation is irreversible.

"We're not in a South African moment, but we're in a possible preamble to a South African moment," he said.

Others believe more profound change is needed to halt Israel's slide towards pariah status.

"We have to regain our place in the family of nations," another former diplomat, Ilan Baruch, told me.

"We need to get back to our senses."

Baruch, who was ambassador in South Africa a decade after the end of apartheid, resigned from the diplomatic service in 2011, saying he was no longer able to defend Israel's occupation. Since retiring, he's been a vocal critic of the government and supporter of a two-state solution.

He believes recent sanctions are necessary, saying: "That's how South Africa was pushed to its knees."

Baruch continued: "I would say that assertive pressure on Israel in any way the Europeans believe is at their disposal should be welcome."

If necessary, he said, this should include changes to visa regimes and cultural boycotts, adding: "I'm prepared for the pain."

But for all the expressions of outrage and talk of pressure, some veteran observers doubt Israel is on the edge of a diplomatic precipice.

"Those who are willing to go down the Spanish route are still outliers," Daniel Levy, a former Israeli peace negotiator, told me.

He said efforts to take collective action within the EU – scrapping elements of the association agreement or even, as some have suggested, freezing Israel out of the EU's Horizon research and innovation programme – are unlikely to garner sufficient support, with Germany, Italy and Hungary among members resisting such moves.

Israel also still has the staunch backing of the US, with Secretary of State Marco Rubio saying Washington's "relationship with Israel is going to remain strong" as he departed for an official visit.

Levy still believes Israel's international isolation is "irreversible" but says the Trump administration's continued support means it has not yet reached the point where it can change the course of events in Gaza.

"Netanyahu is running out of road," Levy said. "But we haven't hit the end of the road yet."

Belarus and Russia's show of firepower appears to be a message to Europe

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cn95jxvn04eo, yesterday

In a large field 45 miles (72km) from Belarus' capital Minsk, a battle is raging.

There are giant explosions as Sukhoi-34 bombers drop guided bombs. Huge plumes of smoke darken the sky.

The whole area echoes to the sound of exploding mortar and artillery shells. Helicopter gunships join the attack, while surveillance drones sweep overhead to view the damage.

It's only an exercise, though.

Together with other international media we've been brought to the Borisovsky training ground where Belarusian and Russian forces are taking part in joint manoeuvres.

It's part of the Zapad-2025 ("West 2025") military drills. Military attachés, too, from a variety of embassies are observing the drill from a viewing platform.

These are planned exercises - "West 2025" takes place every four years.

In 2022 200,000 troops took part, while this year's exercises involved fewer soldiers.

Moscow and Minsk maintain that the drills are of a purely defensive nature, that they're designed to strengthen the security of Russia and Belarus and to counter any potential external threat.

I remember hearing similar claims three and a half years ago.

In February 2022 I visited Belarus to report on the Belarusian-Russian military exercise "Union Resolve". When the exercise was over, instead of returning home Russian troops invaded neighbouring Ukraine from the territory of Belarus.

This time Belarus insists it has nothing to hide.

Representatives of 23 states, including the US, Turkey and Hungary, watched the military exercise.

"We consider that the exercise is unprecedented in its transparency," Major General Valery Revenko, assistant to the Belarusian defence minister, told journalists at the training ground.

"We are not threatening anyone. We are for constructive and pragmatic dialogue."

Clearly Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk isn't convinced. He had dubbed the "West 2025" drills "very aggressive". Poland shut its border with Belarus ahead of the exercises, prompting an angry response from Minsk.

"West 2025" coincides with a period of heightened tension in the eastern European region. To the south, Russia shows no sign of ending its war on Ukraine.

Last week Poland accused Russia of intentionally violating its air space with a Russian drone incursion. Nato scrambled fighter jets to shoot down some of the drones.

Moscow responded by claiming that it "hadn't planned to engage targets on Polish territory."

Yesterday Romania revealed that a Russian drone had breached its airspace, too. In Europe there is widespread concern that such drone incursions are no accident, but a Russian strategy to test the unity and resolve of European leaders and of the Nato alliance.

Both Russia and Belarus have made efforts recently to improve ties with Washington and to construct a relationship with the Trump administration. But in the case of both Moscow and Minsk relations with Europe remain strained.

The decision by the Belarusian authorities to invite international media to the "West 2025" exercise can be seen two ways.

First, as an attempt at transparency - that's certainly how Minsk is portraying it.

But in the explosions and the gunfire on the Borisovsky training ground there is, perhaps too, a message for the West. And first and foremost, for Europe.

That message may read something like this: "See and consider the firepower on your doorstep; confrontation with Moscow is not in your best interest."

Trump 'ready' to sanction Russia if Nato nations stop buying its oil

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c62zxp1y5lwo, 3 days ago

US President Donald Trump has said he is ready to impose tougher sanctions on Russia, but only if Nato countries meet certain conditions which include stopping buying Russian oil.

In a post on his Truth Social platform, he said he was "ready to do major sanctions on Russia" once Nato nations had "agreed, and started, to do the same thing".

Trump has repeatedly threatened tougher measures against Moscow, but has so far failed to take any action when the Kremlin ignored his deadlines and threats of sanctions.

He described the purchases of Russian oil as "shocking" and also suggested that Nato place 50 to 100% tariffs on China, claiming it would weaken its "strong control" over Russia.

In what he called a letter to Nato nations, Trump said: "I am ready to 'go' when you are. Just say when?"

He added "the purchase of Russian oil, by some, has been shocking! It greatly weakens your negotiating position, and bargaining power, over Russia".

Trump also claimed the halt on Russian energy purchases, combined with heavy tariffs on China "to be fully withdrawn" after the war, would be of "great help" in ending the conflict.

Europe's reliance on Russian energy has fallen dramatically since the start of Moscow's full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

In 2022, the EU got about 45% of its gas from Russia. That is expected to fall to about 13% this year, though Trump's words suggest he feels that figure is not enough.

The US president's message came during heightened tensions between Nato allies and Russia after more than a dozen Russian drones entered Polish airspace on Wednesday.

Warsaw said the incursion was deliberate, but Moscow downplayed the incident and said it had "no plans to target" facilities in Poland.

Denmark, France and Germany have joined a new Nato mission to bolster the alliance's eastern flank, and will move military assets eastwards.

Last week, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky also made a demand to European nations over the purchase of Russian oil and gas.

In an interview with ABC News, he said: "We have to stop [buying] any kind of energy from Russia, and by the way, anything, any deals with Russia. We can't have any deals if we want to stop them."

Since 2022, European nations have spent around €210bn (£182bn) on Russian oil and gas, according to the think tank the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air, much of which will have funded the invasion of Ukraine.

The EU has previously committed to phasing out the purchases by 2028. The US want that to happen faster - partly by buying supplies from them instead.

Trump's message was to Nato, not the EU, therefore including nations such as Turkey, a major buyer of Russian oil and a country that has maintained closer relations with Moscow that any other member of the alliance.

Persuading Ankara to cut off Russian supplies may be a far harder task.

Trump's most recent threat of tougher sanctions on Russia came earlier in September after the Kremlin's heaviest bombardment on Ukraine since the war began.

Asked by reporters if he was prepared to move to the "second phase" of punishing Moscow, Trump replied: "Yeah, I am," though gave no details.

The US previously placed tariffs of 50% on goods from India - which included a 25% penalty for transactions with Russia that are a key source of funds for the war in Ukraine.

Ukraine strikes key Russian oil terminal in massive drone attack

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cderllgw84ro, 4 days ago

Ukraine has struck Russia's largest oil terminal on the Baltic Sea during one of its biggest overnight drone attacks in months.

The aerial assault targeted the Primorsk oil port in the Leningrad region, the final station of the Baltic Pipeline System and a crucial hub for Russia's maritime exports, Ukraine's security services told multiple outlets.

More than half of the 221 drones sent to Russian territory were intercepted over the Bryansk and Smolensk regions, where Lukoil facilities were also reportedly targeted, the Russian defence ministry said.

Meanwhile, officials said two civilians were killed in Ukraine's Sumy region when a Russian glide bomb struck a village near the border.

Authorities in the Leningrad region said 28 drones were brought down and that a fire had broken out at a vessel and a pumping station in Primorsk. They added that the blaze was extinguished without casualties or leaks.

The port is also central to Russia's so-called "shadow fleet" of ageing tankers used to skirt international sanctions.

The Ukrainian security services said drone strikes also hit several pumping stations feeding the Ust-Luga terminal, near the border with Estonia.

Russian state energy firm Rosatom reported a drone attack on a power unit at its Smolensk Nuclear Power Plant, near the Belarussian border.

Russian officials said drones were intercepted across at least nine other regions, including Kaluga, Novgorod and the Moscow area, where nine drones were said to have been destroyed. Debris was recorded across several areas, though authorities insisted there had been no casualties.

In Bryansk, southwest of the capital, a drone hit a bus, injuring seven people, including five civilians and two military personnel, the region's Governor Alexander Bogomaz said. Operations at St Petersburg's Pulkovo airport were briefly suspended.

Moscow's figures, which the BBC has been unable to independently verify, suggest Thursday night's attack constituted one of the largest Ukrainian aerial bombardments in over four months.

Russia said it destroyed a record 524 drones on 7 May. By comparison, Ukrainian officials said Russia had deployed 818 drones against their territory in recent weeks.

The aerial assault is being described as one of the most significant for the Leningrad region since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine three-and-a-half years ago. The attack saw operations at St Petersburg's Pulkovo airport temporarily suspended.

Cross-border drone raids have become an increasingly prominent feature of the war. In July, a sustained Ukrainian drone attack forced the temporary closure of all of Moscow's airports.

In recent months, Ukrainian strikes have reached deeper into Russian territory, hitting refineries, fuel depots and logistics hubs hundreds of miles from the frontlines in a bid to limit fuel supplies and drive up costs.

While these strikes have been ongoing for more than a year, they escalated sharply in August, with more than a dozen refineries hit. The damage, coupled with Western sanctions, is proving increasingly difficult to repair.

During those attacks, Ukraine disabled 20% of Russia's oil refining capacity during August, the White House said last month - though Russian media has downplayed the cause of the damage, citing "unscheduled repairs".

But Russian newspaper Moskovskij Komsomolets warned this week that petrol supplies were "near critical", with drivers in far eastern Russia reporting kilometre-long queues, rationing and soaring prices.

Strikes have also hit the Druzhba pipeline, disrupting exports to Hungary and Slovakia - potentially cutting off a key source of foreign currency for Russia.

Moscow has intensified its missile and drone attacks on Ukrainian cities and energy facilities over the summer as US-led efforts to reach a peace agreement faltered.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters on Friday that there had been a "pause" in peace negotiations, blaming Ukraine's European allies for "hindering" the process.

Thursday night's attacks came ahead of the start of a major joint military exercise between Russia and ally Belarus on Friday, which is staged every four years.

But this time it is taking place just days after a number of Russian drones were shot down or fell on Poland, in what Warsaw called an unprecedented incursion into its airspace.

As Russian army inches closer, Ukrainians must decide to stay or go

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cy50kk14y00o, 4 days ago

The white armoured police van speeds into the eastern Ukrainian town of Bilozerske, a steel cage mounted across its body to protect it from Russian drones.

They'd already lost one van, a direct hit from a drone to the front of the vehicle; the cage, and powerful rooftop drone jamming equipment, offer extra protection. But still, it's dangerous being here: the police, known as the White Angels, want to spend as little time in Bilozerske as possible.

The small, pretty mining town, just nine miles (14km) from the front line, is slowly being destroyed by Russia's summer offensive. The local hospital and banks have long since closed. The stucco buildings in the town square are shattered from drone attacks, the trees along its avenues are broken and splintered. Neat rows of cottages with corrugated roofs and well-tended gardens stream past the car windows. Some are untouched, others burned-out shells.

A rough estimate is that 700 inhabitants remain in Bilozerske from a pre-war population of 16,000. But there is little evidence of them - the town already looks abandoned.

An estimated 218,000 people need evacuation from the Donetsk region, in eastern Ukraine, including 16,500 children. The area, which is crucial to the country's defence, is bearing the brunt of Russia's invasion, including daily attacks from drones and missiles. Some are unable to leave, others unwilling. Authorities will help evacuate those in front-line areas, but they can't rehouse them once they're out of danger. And despite the growing threat from Russian drones there are those who would rather take their chances than leave their homes.

The police are looking for the house of one woman who does want to leave. Their van can't make it down one of the roads. So, on foot, a policeman goes searching, the hum of the drone jammer and its invisible protection receding as he heads down a lane.

Eventually he finds the woman under the eaves of her cottage, a sign on her door reading "People Live Here". She has dozens of bags and two dogs. It's too much for the police to carry: they already have evacuees and their belongings crammed inside the white van.

The woman faces a choice - leave behind her belongings, or stay. She decides to wait. There will be another evacuation team here soon and they will take her belongings too.

To stay or go is a life-or-death calculation. Civilian casualties in Ukraine reached a three-year high in July of this year, according to the latest available figures from the United Nations, with 1,674 people killed or injured. Most occur in front-line towns. The same month saw the highest number killed and injured by short-range drones since the start of the full-scale invasion, the UN said.

The nature of the threat to civilians in war has changed. Where once artillery and rocket strikes were the main threat, now they face being chased down by Russian first person view (FPV) drones, that follow and then strike.

As the police leave town, an old man pushing a bicycle appears. He's the only soul I see on the streets that day.

Most of those remaining in front-line towns are older people, who make up a disproportionate number of civilian casualties, according to the UN.

He tells me to move to the side of the road, out of the way of non-existent traffic. Volodymyr Romaniuk is 73 years old and is risking his life for the two cooking pots he's collected on the back of his bike. His sister-in-law's house was destroyed in a Russian attack, so he came today to salvage the pots.

Isn't he afraid of the drones, I ask. "What will be, will be. You know, at 73 years old, I'm not afraid anymore. I've already lived my life," he says.

He's in no rush to get off the streets. A former football referee, he slowly removes a folded card from his jacket pocket and shows me his official Collegium of Football Referees card. It's dated April 1986 – the month of the Chernobyl nuclear disaster.

He's from the west of Ukraine and could return there out of harm's way. "I stayed here for my wife," he tells me. She's had multiple surgeries and wouldn't be able to make the journey. And with that, he leaves, and heads home to care for his wife, the two metal pots on the back of his bike rattling as he moves along the empty street.

Slovyansk is further back from the front, 25km away, and faces a different drone threat. Shahed drones have been dubbed "flying mopeds" by Ukrainians because of their puttering engines. Swarms of them attack Slovyansk often. There is a change in the drone's hum before it dives and then explodes.

At night, Nadiia and Oleh Moroz hear them but still they won't leave Slovyansk. They have poured blood and sweat into this land - and at their son's graveside, tears too.

Serhii was 29, a lieutenant in the army killed by a cluster bomb near Svatove in November 2022. He and his father, Oleh, first fought together in 2015 against the Russians in Donbas. They worked side by side, as sappers.

Serhii's trident-shaped grave sits on a hillside overlooking Slovyansk, his portrait and a map of Ukraine on the polished black stone.

Nadiia, 53, visits often. On the afternoon I meet her, Russian artillery is landing on a nearby hillside. But she pays little attention as she fusses around the grave and whispers sweet nothings to her dead son.

"How can you lose the place where you were born, where you grew up, where your child grew up, where he found his final rest?" she tells me through tears. "And then to live your whole life with the feeling that you will never again visit this place - I cannot even imagine that right now."

But her husband Oleh, 55, admits they will have to leave when the fighting comes closer. "I won't stay here, the Russians would put a target on me straight away," he says. Until then they will stay under the nightly terror of drones so that they can remain close to their son's final resting place.

Life's challenges don't stop when war arrives. All Olha Zaiets wants is time to recover from her cancer surgery. Instead, the 53-year-old and her husband Oleksander Ponomarenko, 59, had to flee their home in Oleksandrivka. The Russians were only 7.5km away and the shelling became intense. Their postwoman was killed in a Russian bombardment, and the school principal too.

"There was a strike - a missile hit the neighbouring house. And the blast wave smashed our roof tiles, blew out the doors, the windows, the gates, the fence. We had just left, and two days later it hit. If we had been there, we would have died," she explains.

Now they are living, temporarily, in a borrowed house in Sviatohirsk. It isn't much better. We can hear shelling outside, the front line edges closer every day. But it will have to do. They have nowhere else to go.

"Yes, we will have to move farther away somewhere, but we don't know how or where," she says in a room crowded with their belongings, still waiting to be unpacked. Their life savings have gone on her hospital bills and now they are out of options.

On Tuesday they left the town to collect Olha's test results. The news was good and she won't have to undergo chemotherapy. "We were happy, we felt like we were flying on wings," she said.

But while they were gone, Russia bombed the nearby town of Yarova, 4km away. It was just before 11am and older people had left their homes and gathered to collect their pensions. Some 24 were killed and 19 wounded in one of the deadliest strikes on civilians in the war so far.

On Telegram, the head of the Donetsk administration, Vadym Filashkin, decried the attack. "This is not warfare – this is pure terrorism."

"I urge everyone," he said, "take care of yourselves. Evacuate to safer regions of Ukraine!"

Additional reporting by Liubov Sholudko

Romania becomes second Nato country to report Russian drone in its airspace

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c80g7g5rmlno, 2 days ago

Romania says a Russian drone has breached its airspace - the second Nato country to report such an incursion.

Romanian fighter jets were in the air monitoring a Russian attack in Ukraine on Saturday and were able to track the drone near Ukraine's southern border, the defence ministry said in a statement.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said the incursion could not be a mistake - it was "an obvious expansion of the war by Russia". Moscow has not commented on the Romanian claims.

On Wednesday, Poland said it had shot down at least three Russian drones which had entered its airspace.

In its statement, Romania's defence ministry said it detected the Russian drone when two F-16 jets were monitoring the country's border with Ukraine, after "Russian air attacks on Ukrainian infrastructure on the Danube".

Romania has also summoned the Russian ambassador to Bucharest's foreign ministry.

The drone was identified as a Geran, the Russian name for an Iranian-designed Shahed 136, which is used by Russia both for attacks on Ukraine and surveillance. It was detected 20km (12.4 miles) south-west of the village of Chilia Veche, before disappearing from the radar.

But it did not fly over populated areas or pose imminent danger, the ministry said.

The EU's foreign policy chief, Kaja Kallas, called the incident "yet another unacceptable breach of an EU member state's sovereignty".

Under a new Romanian law passed this summer, the pilots were authorised to shoot the Russian drone down, but decided not to.

The defence ministry said it "assessed the collateral risks and decided not to open fire". The statement came after the air force was criticised in Romanian media for not shooting the drone down.

Separately over the weekend, Russia's railway network was damaged in attacks on two western regions that left at least three people dead. According to AFP, a source in Ukraine's military intelligence claimed responsibility.

Ukraine's military said it had carried out a drone strike on one of Russia's largest oil refineries, located south east of St Petersburg and 800km (497 miles) from the Ukrainian border, causing a large fire.

The Russian governor of the region said air defences had destroyed three Ukrainian drones and the fire was caused by falling debris.

Poland also responded to concerns over Russian drones on Saturday.

"Preventative operations of aviation - Polish and allied - have begun in our airspace," Prime Minister Donald Tusk said in a post on X.

"Ground-based air defence systems have reached the highest state of readiness."

Earlier this week Russia's defence ministry said there had been "no plans" to target facilities on Polish soil.

Belarus, a close Russian ally, said the drones which entered Polish airspace on Wednesday were an accident, after their navigation systems were jammed.

On Sunday, the Czech Republic announced it had sent a special operations helicopter unit to Poland.

The unit consists of three Mi-171S helicopters, each one capable of transporting up to 24 personnel and featuring full combat equipment.

The move is in response to Russian's incursion into Nato's eastern flank, the Czech Defence Minister Jana Cernochova said.

In response to the latest drone incursion, President Zelensky said the Russian military "knows exactly where their drones are headed and how long they can operate in the air".

He has consistently asked Western countries to tighten sanctions on Moscow.

US President Donald Trump also weighed in on airspace breach earlier this week, saying he was "ready" to impose tougher sanctions on Russia, but only if Nato countries met certain conditions, such as stopping buying Russian oil.

Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 and has been making slow progress in the battlefield.

Trump has been leading efforts to end the war, but Russia has intensified attacks on Ukraine since President Vladimir Putin returned from a summit with Trump in Alaska last month.

Accidental or deliberate? Russia's drone incursion into Poland is a test for Nato

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/clydk8821nro, 6 days ago

Wednesday morning's incursion of Russian drones into Polish airspace led to jets being scrambled, an emergency government meeting being called - and concerns that Europe and Nato's resolve against Moscow may not be up to the test.

Poland's Prime Minister Donald Tusk said Polish airspace was violated 19 times and at least three drones were shot down by Warsaw's jets, aided by Dutch F-35s and an Italian early warning aircraft.

Russia has pushed back against accusations that the incursion was deliberate – though it also stopped short of denying its drones had trespassed sovereign Polish airspace.

"No objects on Polish territory were planned to be targeted," Moscow said.

But European officials have forcefully batted off suggestions the act may have been unintentional.

"There is no evidence whatsoever that this amount of drones flew over this route over... Polish territory by accident," Germany's Defence Minister Boris Pistorius said, while his Italian counterpart Guido Crosetto called the overnight events in Poland a "deliberate attack" with the double aim of "provoking and testing".

Although Poland has experienced several violations of its airspace since neighbouring Ukraine was attacked by Russia in February 2022, this latest incursion - sizeable, and deep into Polish territory - sparked real nervousness in Warsaw.

Tusk warned that Poland was at its closest to open conflict since World War Two. He also requested invoking Article 4 of the Nato treaty, which allows member countries to start a discussion with allies about threats to their security.

Some experts and analysts are divided over Russia's motivations.

To some, the drones – some of which flew in the direction of Rzeszow airport, a major logistical hub for defence supplies and humanitarian aid bound for Ukraine – may have had reconnaissance purposes, with poor guidance leading to accidental airspace trespass.

"There is an issue with proving intention," said Dr Marina Miron, a defence researcher at Kings College London.

She believes GPS spoofing may have been responsible for the drones crossing into Polish airspace and cautioned against drawing conclusions based on snippets of information. "It can lead [the incident] to appear as something it is not," Dr Miron added.

Many others believe, however, the relatively high number of drones flown into Polish airspace clearly demonstrates that the attack was deliberate.

"Previous incursions were single or very small numbers that were more easily explained by guidance system malfunctions," Justin Bronk of the defence think tank Rusi told the BBC.

Justin Crump, CEO of the risk and intelligence company Sibylline, agreed. He said the drones in question appear to be Russian-made cheap, long-range drone Gerberas which can be used as decoys to distract defences as part of Russia's increasing "grey zone actions against Nato".

The lack of warheads on the Gerberas drones employed on Wednesday make them appear less threatening and allow Russia to play down the action, Mr Crump added.

Poland will now need to review the incident and share the findings with its allies.

Whether deliberate or not, the unprecedented incident will provide valuable information to Moscow on the type of response it can expect from the West should it ever decide to launch an attack on Nato countries, as many European leaders have said they expect it to do in the near future.

"It is a test for Europe and for Nato regardless of Russia's intent", said Keir Giles, a senior fellow in the Russia and Eurasia program at Chatham House.

"Russia will learn from European resolve and specifically Poland's capacity to withstand attacks of this kind."

Expressions of condemnation rather than a robust response will be just as encouraging to Russia if it was an accident as if it were a deliberate provocation, Mr Giles added.

He said a sky shield to protect airspace over Ukraine would prove to Russia the West is serious about ensuring air threats are intercepted.

But such a plan - which would involve European countries deploying fighter jets and pilots - has led to fears of accidental confrontation with the Russians and has not come to pass despite first being floated since 2023.

The US's reaction to the incident in Poland will also be awaited – and closely followed.

Some US lawmakers in both the Democrat and Republican camps condemned the attack soon after it occurred.

However, as of Wednesday evening US President Donald Trump had only acknowledged the events in Poland through a post on social media. "What's with Russia violating Poland's airspace with drones? Here we go!", he wrote without elaborating further.

The cryptic post was in line with his ambiguous relationship with Russia and its President Vladimir Putin.

Over the course of the last month Trump both rolled out the red carpet for the Russian president and threatened sanctions against Moscow if it failed to reach peace with Kyiv.

These threats have not yet materialised, and even warnings of unspecified "consequences" for Russia's aggression in Ukraine appear to have fallen by the wayside.

As its leaders scramble to put together a show of unity and strength, Europe – which has been concerned about the American commitment to the security of the continent since the start of Trump's second term – will be watching the US's next move just as closely as Russia.

"A sign of weakness and failure to impose costs and consequences will confirm for Moscow that they can continue to escalate without fear of the outcome," Mr Giles said.

Additional reporting by Matt Murphy and Paul Brown

A new law lets some Ukrainian men leave the country. But will it hurt the war effort?

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/czx05gp51qlo, 7 days ago

Swimming coach Roman Melnik can't get out of Kyiv quick enough.

The 22-year-old is packing his bags and heading to the Czech Republic to begin a new life. There, the physical education graduate hopes to pick up swimming classes to pay his way. Only once he's got some savings together will he then work on his long-held dream of making his way across the Atlantic to Florida or Texas.

"All my family knows how much I always wanted to move to Europe and to the United States," he says, in his nearly bare flat in Ukraine's capital. Most of his belongings are in the suitcase already. There are just a few empty cups lying around – remnants of his farewell party at the weekend. "They're happy of course … [but] when I visited my parents there was a lot of crying."

Until late August, Roman wasn't allowed to leave Ukraine at all. When Russia's full-scale invasion began in February 2022, martial law dictated that men between 18 and 60 – even those not eligible for conscription, which is currently in place for those aged between 25 and 60 – were not permitted to leave the country.

President Volodymyr Zelensky has now announced that young men between the ages of 18 and 22 will no longer be barred from leaving. And those who want to return can do so freely, without the risk of being held at the border.

"If we want to keep boys in Ukraine, we really need them to finish school here first and for their parents not to take them away," President Zelensky explained shortly after the announcement. "It is at this age, in their senior years, that they lose their connection with Ukraine."

Nowhere is that loss of connection clearer than in Ukraine's colleges and universities. The buzz of the school corridor is far quieter now, with classroom sizes dwindling, especially in the final year – often families pull boys out of 12th grade and send them abroad just before they turn 18, meaning they miss high school graduation.

There are fewer students enrolling at university too. The Kyiv School of Economics even has a "Come Back Home" initiative offering a grant that covers tuition fees and some living costs for those who left and now want to return.

But Roman doesn't want to stay. And he doesn't have much time to waste before leaving either. He's turning 23 at the beginning of December. After that, the travel ban will apply.

"I was feeling a bit trapped," he says. "I was ready to move that day [of the announcement], but mum convinced me to stay for a bit, so I could say goodbye to my grandparents, to my older sister, to all my friends again."

When the full-scale invasion happened, Roman says Ukrainians rushed to defend their country against Russia. But now, more than three years on, with the war showing no signs of stopping and with people he knows who have died on the front line, that feeling of patriotism among his friends is waning.

"I wouldn't choose to fight," he tells me. "I know that Russia attacked my country and I would kill for my country but only [if the army] takes you and says 'You're in the army."

The UN estimates that as of February 2025, the war has created 6.7 million refugees. Another 3.7 million have been internally displaced. In all, Ukraine's population has dropped by 10 million people.

Families fearing for their lives fled the country. While some have ventured back, especially to cities like Kyiv where Russian forces were driven out shortly after the fighting began, there's been a huge exodus.

Not only that, but according to data from the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, the number of Ukrainians who wanted to return home fell to 65% in 2024, down from 77% a year earlier. And the number of those who said they definitely wouldn't return rose from 5% to 11%.

There's constant chatter of a manpower problem in Ukraine's military – how long will the war go on for, and will there be enough soldiers to defend the country? In April last year, Ukraine lowered the conscription age from 27 to 25. But still, it's not enough.

Ukraine is under pressure, with the US reportedly urging President Zelensky to lower the conscription age to 18. In that now infamous meeting with Zelensky at the Oval Office last February, President Donald Trump accused Ukraine of "running low on soldiers".

In a rare update last December, President Zelensky admitted that 43,000 soldiers had died since February 2022 – that number has obviously risen since. He said 370,000 soldiers had also been wounded.

The manpower problem has been made worse by a low birthrate that began in the 1990s, following the collapse of the Soviet Union, and now exacerbated by the war. Ukraine's birth rate is the lowest in Europe.

Earlier this year, the government offered a one-year contract for volunteers between the ages of 18-24 – before conscription age – complete with an attractive salary and other perks. But this decision to scrap the ban on 18-22-year-olds from travelling would appear to be encouraging people to leave.

"Few expected that a large-scale invasion would last so long," says political analyst Yevhen Mahda, director of the Institute of World Policy in Kyiv.

Still, he's not convinced by the new rules.

"There is little logic and a lot of politics here," he says. Mr Mahda points to recent protests against the government dubbed the "cardboard revolution", so-called because of the cardboard signs carried by protesters angry about a government U-turn on an anti-corruption bill.

"I would say that this is an attempt to give young people a valve to let off steam - so that they can at least have the illusion of a quick trip abroad," he says.

The Ukrainian State Border Guard service said recently that 13,000 people had tried to flee the country illegally since the beginning of the year – some of them repeatedly. There are even men who pay smugglers to get them over the border.

Denys Vetushko, a 24-year-old from Cherkasy in central Ukraine, feels very differently.

"I am not going to hide from anyone," Denys says. "When the full-scale war began, I didn't have any thoughts that I needed to leave Ukraine."

His family are Ukrainian Cossacks – a group renowned as warriors and pioneers of independence in Ukraine. That, he says, has helped define him.

Denys returned to his hometown after February 2022 to start patrolling the streets and manning checkpoints. Now he works as a volunteer for Bon Ukraine, which donates military equipment for brigades on the front line.

Of those who now want to leave, he's understanding.

"I am not going to condemn anyone," says Denys. "People choose safety, they choose comfort."

At the Shehyni border crossing in western Ukraine, young men are crossing into Poland, taking advantage of the new rules.

"I visited all I could in Ukraine," says 22-year-old Mykhailo, who's in the queue. He was grateful that the government changed its position on letting young men leave.

"When you are locked in, people will be even more scared to come back. If everything is open, people will come back."

"I can see only advantages with this law," agrees 20-year-old fellow traveller Volodymyr. "My brother is in America, he misses us a lot. He wants to come back."

Additional reporting by Anastasiia Levchenko, Volodymyr Lozhko and Alba Morgade

Russian air strikes get deadlier and bigger, hitting Ukraine's very heart

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cgrqwpee05ro, 7 days ago

Ukraine has shown reporters fragments of the missile it says hit a key government building in Kyiv this weekend, identifying it as a Russian Iskander cruise missile.

Officials here now believe the building was struck deliberately in the early hours of Sunday morning.

Vladimir Putin's response to Donald Trump's peace efforts has been a clear escalation in Russian attacks.

But they don't only target the Ukrainian capital.

In the eastern Donbas region, more than 20 civilians were killed by a Russian glide bomb on Tuesday as they queued to collect their pensions.

Volodymyr Zelensky condemned the strike on the village of Yarova as "savage" and called once again on Ukraine's allies to increase the pressure on Moscow through sanctions.

His office said some US and European weapons components are still reaching Russia, including for the Iskander missile. Moscow has already substituted the rest with its own production.

"Strong actions are needed to make Russia stop bringing death," Ukraine's president wrote.

Our team was filming on Sunday morning during the air raid on central Kyiv and captured the moment the cabinet of ministers was hit. The images appear to show a direct strike: a missile suddenly arcs downwards, right before the explosion.

There is no indication of it being intercepted by air defences.

When we were allowed into the vast, Soviet-era building to see the damage, the smell of burning intensified as we climbed towards the top floor.

The roof and part of the walls in the damaged area have been blown apart and there's a gaping hole in the floor.

All around, severed cables dangle from what remains of any ceiling.

The missile - packed with more than 100kg (220lb) of explosives - did not detonate, so the damage is limited to three floors. But it's still significant.

We saw fragments of that missile, now being collected as evidence: mangled metal pieces, some with Cyrillic lettering on them, gathered in a heap.

Weapons experts we've consulted agree that it looks like a Russian cruise missile and say the damage is consistent with an Iskander striking but not exploding.

"Sometimes fuses do not work and missiles just don't detonate. [It] can happen with a lot of different systems," Fabian Hinz, a missile and drone expert at the International Institute for Strategic Studies in Berlin, told me.

"I think it hit the building," military analyst Oleksandr Musiienko confirmed here in Kyiv.

"This missile has a high speed and low altitude. It's really hard to see on the radar. And of course, we do not have still enough air defence systems like the [American] Patriots, for example, which we can use to shoot them down."

In Kyiv, the increase in early morning attacks is obvious: they've grown more frequent - but most importantly they're bigger in scale. Russia now launches hundreds of drones at a time, deliberately draining Ukraine's resources.

That's why Zelensky is constantly calling for more missiles: to someone far from Kyiv it might sound like he's stuck on repeat. But for people here it might be the difference between life and death.

Russia's strikes are not only symbolic, on empty government buildings. They regularly hit people's homes, too, as we saw again this week.

"Sometimes a lot of these drones are decoys - without explosives - just to weaken our air defence systems," Mr Musiienko explained.

"We have never seen such attacks ever in our history. Of course, it's a threat."

Closer to the front line, the tactics are different: deadly glide bombs arrive almost without warning.

In Yarova, those killed this time were elderly. They're the people who are most reluctant or least able to leave their homes, even as the fighting moves close again. The village was occupied by the Russians at the start of the full-scale invasion in 2022, then liberated later by Ukrainian troops.

At least 24 people who survived all that are now dead.

Images from the scene show their bodies sprawled on the ground and a smashed-up post office van that had been delivering the pensions. It parked under a tree for cover, hoping not to be seen - but the bomb hit anyway.

Ukraine's Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha called it a "barbaric" strike by Russia and a "heinous crime" against the very people and region Putin claimed needed saving when he ordered the invasion.

"We urge the world to speak out and act immediately," Sybiha said.

But Ukraine wants more than condemnation. It's still calling for action against the Russian economy and the defence sector there.

An adviser to President Zelensky, Vladyslav Vlasiuk, told me the sanctions imposed so far were making a difference.

Ukrainian teams have been examining the remains of the missiles and drones launched by Russia since 2022, he said, and the percentage of Western-made components has shrunk.

But it still hasn't been eliminated.

"There are less Western parts, that is good," Mr Vlasiuk explained. "But the bad thing is that the number of Russian parts has increased which means Russia is producing things they couldn't do before, including microchips."

Increased co-operation with China in producing the drones was also making them far harder to jam, he said.

That may be what enabled Russia to hit the main government building in Kyiv for the first time - in the most tightly-guarded quarter of this city.

"It's scary that they're hitting the centre," Alyona said on Tuesday, pushing her baby in a pram not far from the cabinet of ministers.

"There have always been drones here," her husband added. "It's just they used to fly overhead, and now they can hit."

Prince Harry makes surprise Ukraine visit to support war wounded

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c3dr859vxxjo, 4 days ago

Prince Harry made a surprise visit to Kyiv on Friday, after an invitation by an organisation that supports Ukrainians with life-changing injuries caused by the war.

The Duke of Sussex arrived by train and said he wanted to do "everything possible" to help the recovery of injured military personnel.

Superhumans, which helps provide those injured with prosthetic limbs and rehabilitation, told the BBC that it invited Prince Harry to Ukraine.

Founder Olha Rudnieva greeted the prince off the train with a hug, a video released by Ukrainian Railways showed.

She handed him a podstakannik – a silver holder for a glass used to drink tea, traditionally provided on night trains across Ukraine.

Harry visited a centre run by the organisation in Lviv in April, but this was his first visit to the capital.

There are tens of thousands of soldiers and civilians with amputations as a result of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine – numbers vary, as Ukraine doesn't give precise statistics on military casualties.

The prince took part in a panel discussion at Kyiv's National Museum of the History of Ukraine in the Second World War - where he advised those leaving military service that there is "light at the end of the tunnel".

"You will feel lost at times, like you lack purpose," said Harry, who spent 10 years in the British army.

"Don't stay silent. Silence will hold you in the dark.

"Open up to your friends and family, because in doing so you give them permission to do the same."

Among the people Harry met during the trip was war veteran Vasyl Tamulis, who told the Reuters news agency: "My main goal was to get a photograph with him because not many people have a photograph with [a] prince."

"Being selected for Invictus Games unites people and motivates because it is a very difficult selection process," he added, referring to the international multi-sport competition Harry set up for injured and sick military service personnel - both serving and veterans.

The duke also met privately with Ukraine's Minister for Veteran Affairs Natalia Kalmykova and attended a fundraising lunch in support of the Superhumans Centre in Lviv.

Ahead of the trip, Prince Harry told the Guardian: "We cannot stop the war but what we can do is do everything we can to help the recovery process."

"We can continue to humanise the people involved in this war and what they are going through."

The paper reported that Harry was joined by a team from his Invictus Games Foundation, which he launched in 2014.

Ukraine was given special permission to compete in the games by President Zelensky in 2022, just months after the war began.

During the opening ceremony, the prince said the world was "united" with the country.

His visit to Kyiv came after the Sussex's charitable foundation Archewell said on Wednesday that it had donated $500,000 (£369,000) to projects supporting injured children from Ukraine and Gaza.

It said the grants would be used to help the World Health Organization with medical evacuations, and to fund work developing prosthetics for young people.

Other members of the Royal Family have expressed support for Ukraine since the start of the war more than three years ago.

The King welcomed Zelensky to his Sandringham estate in Norfolk in March, having previously said the country had faced "indescribable aggression" from Russia.

The Prince of Wales, Harry's brother, met Ukrainian refugees during a two-day visit to Estonia in March - where he said their resilience was "amazing".

His trip to Ukraine came after he met his father King Charles in London on Wednesday, their first face-to-face meeting since February 2024.

UK Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper was also in Kyiv on Friday, where she announced a further £142 million in UK aid to support Ukraine's energy infrastructure and vulnerable communities, while 100 new sanctions will aim to further hit Russia's economy and military supplies.

During the visit, Cooper met Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko and foreign minister Andrii Sybiha.

The UK foreign office said that the visit reaffirms the UK's support for Ukraine.

Inflatable tanks and flat-pack guns - inside Ukraine's decoy war

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cr4e435x4kqo, 10 days ago

In June 2023, a video started spreading on pro-war Russian social media channels, apparently showing a drone destroying a Ukrainian tank in a massive explosion.

But not everything is what it seems in the Russia-Ukraine war.

That video was followed by Ukrainian footage showing a laughing soldier pointing at the burning wreckage and exclaiming: "They've hit my wooden tank!"

The tank in question appears to be a plywood decoy used by the Ukrainian forces to deceive the Russians.

It is one of many thousands of full-scale models of military equipment used by both Ukraine and Russia to trick the enemy into wasting valuable ammunition, time and effort.

Almost anything seen on the frontline - from small radars and grenade launchers to jeeps, trucks, tanks and actual soldiers - may be fake.

These imitations can come in flat-packs, be inflatable, 2D or create a radar illusion of a tank by reflecting radio waves in a special way.

In the case of some weapon types deployed in Ukraine, at least half of them are actually decoy imitations.

Flat-pack artillery

Among the most popular decoys used by the Ukrainian army are models of the British-made M777 howitzers. Western allies are understood to have supplied Kyiv with more than 150 of these highly manoeuvrable and accurate artillery pieces, nicknamed "Three Axes" by Ukrainian soldiers.

As with many other types of equipment used by the Ukrainian army, volunteers play an important role in supplying decoy mock-ups.

Ruslan Klimenko says his volunteer group Na Chasi alone has made and supplied to Ukrainian forces about 160 models of M777s. What makes them particularly popular is the fact that they take three minutes, two people and no tools to assemble on the front line, Mr Klimenko says. "No matter how many are delivered, all will be put to good use," he tells the BBC.

Pavlo Narozhny from another group of volunteers, called Reaktyvna Poshta, says that at any given time 10-15 M777 decoys are in production.

Reaktyvna Poshta's decoys are made of plywood, come in flat packs and cost about $500 - $600.

Russia often targets them with Lancet kamikaze drones costing about $35,000. "You do the math", Mr Narozhny says.

One of his M777 decoys, nicknamed Tolya, has spent more than a year on the frontline, surviving hits with at least 14 Lancets, he claims.

Troops "keep putting it back together with some sticky tape and screws, and back off to the frontline it goes", Mr Narozhny says.

Wheel ruts and toilets

Russia's arsenal of decoys is also rich and varied.

About half of the drones involved in any of Russia's recent aerial attacks are actually cheap imitations, the Ukrainian military says.

"It's fifty-fifty these days. Fifty per cent are real Shahed drones, and fifty per cent are imitation drones. Their job is to overload our air defences and ideally get us to use a missile against a drone that costs peanuts," says Ukrainian air force spokesman Yuri Ihnat. "Sometimes it's a plywood thing that looks as though it was knocked together by some schoolchildren."

While up in the air, however, it looks the same as a lethal Shahed drone to Ukrainian radars, Col Ihnat says.

One Russian firm, Rusbal, produces imitations that include 2D decoys to mislead intelligence gathering from the air or space, decoys that mimic the heat given out by engines or radio traffic coming from soldiers' walkie-talkies, and reflectors that fool the enemy's radars.

Actual soldiers can be imitated too. Volunteers from the Kremlin-backed People's Front movement in Novosibirsk have made dummies wearing military uniforms. To imitate human heat and thus deceive Ukrainian thermal imaging cameras, their trunks are wrapped with heating wire underneath the jacket.

But of course, decoys are not a new idea in war.

In preparation for D-Day landings, an entirely fake army group was set up in the UK, equipped with dummy tanks and decoy aircraft.

It was all part of an elaborate trick to hide the reality on the ground and give the Allies the element of surprise they needed to launch their attack.

Military technology has hugely improved since World War Two. Drones and unmanned systems on the battlefield are a major innovation in this war, for instance.

But no matter what new weapons of destruction make it to the battlefield, it just goes to show that subterfuge and trickery – even with something as simple as a blow up doll - will always play a part in warfare.

It's 4,000 miles from Ukraine - but even this Asian city is part of Russia's war

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cvg0e54z7x8o, 13 days ago

At an ice rink in Vladivostok in Russia's far east, 30-year-old Dmitry Afanasyev is in training with teammates from Soyuz, the local Para ice hockey team.

The players have removed their prosthetic legs and are sitting in specially designed sleds. They're using their hockey sticks to propel themselves around the rink.

Dmitry hopes that one day he'll be a Paralympic ice hockey champion.

Making that happen won't be easy. Russian teams were banned from the last Paralympic Games over the war in Ukraine.

And like all his teammates, Dmitry was on the front line.

"A mine came flying towards me," recalls Dmitry, who was mobilised to fight in Ukraine. "I fell to the ground and could feel my leg burning. I looked down and everything was torn apart. I put on a tourniquet myself and told the guys to drag me out of there.

"My wife's a surgeon. So, I sent her a picture of my leg and she replied: 'They'll probably saw it off.' 'OK,' I said. Whether I have one leg, or two legs. Whatever."

The port city of Vladivostok is more than 4,000 miles from Ukraine and from Russia's capital. This is Asia. The border with North Korea is 80 miles from Vladivostok. China is just 35 miles away.

Yet the consequences of a distant war in Europe are more than visible.

At a cemetery on a hill overlooking Vladivostok there are lines of fresh graves: Russian soldiers killed in Ukraine. In addition to Orthodox Christian crosses, military banners and Russian tricolours mark each plot.

In another section of the cemetery stands a memorial "to the heroes of the Special Military Operation", the official label the Kremlin continues to employ for Russia's war on Ukraine. Here there are more graves of Russian servicemen and the statue of an armed Russian soldier.

"Soldiers live forever," reads the inscription.

On the orders of President Putin, Russian troops poured across the border with Ukraine in February 2022. The full-scale invasion of Russia's neighbour was widely seen as the Kremlin's attempt to force Ukraine back into Moscow's orbit.

More than three and a half years later the war rages on.

On air I'm often asked: what do the Russian people think about the war in Ukraine, about confrontation with the West, and about President Putin?

"What do Russians think?" is a difficult question to answer.

After all, Russia is so big and varied. The largest country in the world spans two continents and 11 time zones. Some parts of Russia, such as Kursk and Belgorod, border Ukraine.

Other Russian regions, like Primorsky Krai where I am now are a long way from the fighting. Vladivostok is its administrative centre.

This is the furthest I've travelled inside Russia since the start of the war. It's a chance to gauge the mood in a very different part of the country.

"Of course we're worried," Svetlana tells me in a Vladivostok park when I ask her about Ukraine. "This has been going on for years now and we want it to end as soon as possible. We had hoped the Alaska summit [of Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin] would change something. It hasn't.

"People are people. No matter whether they're British or American, Japanese or Ukrainian. I don't know where all the hatred comes from."

I get chatting to Ilya, who claims that war in Ukraine hasn't fundamentally changed his life in Russia.

"You can still earn a living and get by here," Ilya says.

"The standard of living isn't rising, but it's not falling, either. Still, we hope that relations with other countries will improve and that we'll be re-integrated into the global space."

In the centre of Vladivostok I stop to listen to a band busking on a pedestrian street. I'm not alone. A large crowd has gathered to enjoy the improvised rock concert.

Between songs I talk to the lead singer, a young local musician who calls himself Johnny London.

"Do people talk much about what's happening in Ukraine?" I enquire.

"People of my age, we don't usually discuss that stuff. Not very often. I would go as far as to say we never talk about that."

"Why?" I ask.

"We can do nothing about that. It's out of our hands, out of our reach. Hopefully in a couple of years it will get back to normal."

"And what is normal?"

"No war, I guess. That would be nice."

When I finish talking to Johnny London, a pensioner called Viktor walks up. He's recognised me. He saw me on TV last year at a press conference with Vladimir Putin.

"You asked Putin a question, didn't you?" Viktor says. "You're with the BBC."

Viktor's a big fan. Not of the BBC, but of President Putin. He criticises my "provocative question" to the Kremlin leader on the war in Ukraine, he defends Russia's political system and takes aim at the Biden administration over the 2016 US presidential election.

"With the help of mail-in ballots Biden practically stole the election from Trump," Viktor says.

"That's what Trump says," I point out.

"Not only. Putin says it too," retorts Viktor.

"Putin saying it doesn't make it fact," I suggest.

"True," concedes Viktor. "But that's what our people think."

Viktor also thinks that the West is losing power and influence.

"Look what's happening," says Viktor. "This week in China the leaders of India, China and Russia got together, and with many other countries too. But there was no Trump, no Britain, no Germany, no France. India and China alone are three billion people."

On his way back from China Vladimir Putin is stopping off in Vladivostok. Should I get the opportunity to ask the president another question, Viktor suggests it should be about the "new world order".

The city has been preparing for the Kremlin leader's visit and participation in the Eastern Economic Forum. By the side of the road that leads to the venue, street artist Filipp Dulmachenko has used 1,800 cans of aerosol paint to create a most unusual image.

The gigantic mural depicts Vladimir Putin in military fatigues hugging a Siberian tiger.

"The Amur tiger has always been a symbol of wildlife," Filipp says. "And Vladimir Putin is a symbol of Russia."

Filipp tells me that when he was a teenager he had run-ins with the police over his street art. But the Putin mural has been officially approved by the regional authorities.

And to accompany the picture the artist has spray-painted a short sentence: a phrase Filipp says is simply about sunrise in the Russian Far East.

Combined, though, with the images of a tiger and of a president who believes he's restoring Russian power, the words seem to take on deeper meaning:

"The dawn starts here."

New Nato mission to bolster eastern flank after Russia drone incursion

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c0q719qg1wko, 4 days ago

More Nato countries will move troops and fighter jets eastwards after more than a dozen drones entered Polish airspace on Wednesday.

Denmark, France and Germany have joined a new mission to bolster the military alliance's eastern flank. Other Nato allies are expected to take part later.

Tensions have been high across Europe since Poland accused Russia of an unprecedented incursion. Some of the 19 drones that entered Polish territory were shot down, while others crashed into fields and even a house in eastern Poland.

Warsaw said the incursion was deliberate, but Moscow downplayed the incident, saying it had "no plans to target" facilities in Poland.

Drones and missiles have occasionally veered into countries bordering Ukraine, including Poland, during Russia's full-scale invasion - but this was the most serious incident of its kind since the war began in February 2022.

Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said it was "the closest we have been to open conflict since World War Two".

Denmark will contribute two F-16 fighter jets to support Poland's air defence, as well as a warship, its defence ministry said.

Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said: "We must not be naive. Putin will stop at nothing, and he is testing us. Therefore, it is crucial... Denmark is contributing to this."

France has already said it will contribute three Rafale fighter jets, and Germany has pledged four Eurofighters.

The UK is "fully committed" to help strengthen the Eastern Sentry operation, the Ministry of Defence said in a statement, adding that it will provide more details soon.

On Friday, European countries and the US backed Poland during an urgent UN Security Council session in New York discussing the incursion.

"The United States stands by our Nato allies in the face of these alarming airspace violations," acting US Ambassador to the UN Dorothy Shea said. "And rest assured, we will defend every inch of Nato territory."

She noted that since US President Donald Trump and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin had held their peace summit in Alaska nearly a month ago, Moscow had intensified its bombing of Ukrainian cities and infrastructure.

European allies have said these large-scale aerial assaults indicated Putin had no interest in bringing the war in Ukraine to a close. Kyiv has itself probed deeper into Russian territory, hitting refineries, fuel depots and logistics hubs.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters on Friday that there had been a "pause" in peace negotiations, blaming Ukraine's European allies for "hindering" the process.

Trump - who has so far resisted calls for greater sanctions on Russia while pursuing a peace deal - also warned that his patience was "running out fast".

He told Fox News: "It's amazing. When Putin wants to do it, [Ukrainian President Volodymyr] Zelensky didn't. When Zelensky wanted to do it, Putin didn't.

"Now Zelensky wants to and Putin is a question mark. We're going to have to come down very, very strong."

While addressing the UN on Friday, Poland's Secretary of State Marcin Bosacki held up photos of one of the downed drones and a house one had damaged.

"We know - and I repeat - we know that it was not a mistake," he said.

But Russia continued to insist it had not targeted Poland, with ambassador to the UN Vasilly Nebenzia saying: "The maximum range of the drones used in this strike did not exceed 700 kilometers, which makes it physically impossible for them to have reached Polish territory."

He said Moscow was willing to discuss the matter with Poland "if the Polish side indeed is interested in reducing tensions rather than fomenting tensions".

Belarus - which sits between Poland, Russia and Ukraine, and is allied to Moscow - has previously said the drones had veered off course after their navigation systems were jammed.

The Netherlands and Czech Republic have already said they would send defences to Poland, while Lithuania will receive a German brigade and greater warning of Russian attacks on Ukraine that could cross into its airspace.

Meanwhile, Russia and Belarus began joint military drills on Friday, which they stage every four years.

They again rejected accusations that these posed a danger to neighbouring countries. The drills include exercises close to the border with Poland and Lithuania and in the Baltic and Barents seas.

Five challenges facing Canada's Mark Carney

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/ckg2700vzrko, yesterday

A trade war with its largest economic partner, a faltering economy - and a lot of promises to deliver on.

These are only some of the high-stake tests facing Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney as parliament returns for the autumn sitting on Monday.

Here is a look at some of the political pressures on his Liberal government's horizon.

Voters want action on lofty pledges

Carney's Liberals made a series of lofty promises during the recent election campaign, from making Canada's economy the strongest in the G7 to "turbo-charging" major infrastructure projects and massively ramping up housing development.

Now, voters are ready to see progress.

Canadians "will be looking for clear actions that make a difference, and that's where the rubber will really hit the road for Mark Carney", said Sébastien Dallaire, an executive vice-president with polling firm Leger.

There has been some movement on big issues. Last week, the prime minister unveiled the first series of "nation-building" projects that Ottawa will review for fast-track approvals - a key part of his wider economic agenda.

They include a plan to double production of liquefied natural gas (LNG) at a British Columbia plant, the expansion of part of Montreal's port, and building a small modular nuclear reactor in Ontario.

Carney has also announced $13bn (£6.9bn, $9.4bn) for a new federal housing agency to help build new homes, and vowed to diversify trade away from the US.

In politics it's usually prudent to under-promise and over-deliver, said Marci Surkes, chief strategy officer at public affairs firm Compass Rose and a former policy director to Carney's predecessor, Justin Trudeau.

"Mr Carney has taken quite a different tack, where he has really set the bar very high in terms of expectations," she said.

She added: "There's already impatience from those who are waiting to see results."

Economic woes surpass Trump fears

Anxiety around an unpredictable US president helped propel Carney to power last April.

Donald Trump has since imposed punishing tariffs on some sectors of the economy, like steel and autos, but has granted a majority of Canadian goods a broad tariff exemption under the current US-Mexico-Canada free trade deal.

Mr Dallaire said Canadians know it won't be "an easy ride" for the next few years.

"The question has turned to: 'OK, what now?'"

Recent opinion polling suggests that voters are feeling less panicked by Trump but increasingly worried about the economy.

Canada's unemployment rate rose to 7.1% last month, a level not seen since 2016, excluding the pandemic, and economic growth slowed sharply over the summer, contracting by 1.6%.

A poll released by Abacus Data this month indicates that six in 10 respondents felt the Ottawa government was too focused on the US president at the expense of pressing concerns like housing, healthcare, and affordability.

Still, for Carney, there's some silver lining. Many don't blame him directly for the economic shocks of Trump's policies - but they will be watching how the prime minister navigates what he has called a "rupture" in the global economy.

"A souring economy will become a drag on the popularity of the government, but it really depends to what extent it happens and to what extent Canadians see visible changes," said Mr Dallaire.

An opposition leader back in the saddle

Pierre Poilievre is making his return to the House of Commons.

The Conservative leader lost his long-held seat in the April election to a Liberal challenger and was forced to spend his summer seeking a path back to parliament.

In August, he won a by-election in Alberta, securing a new seat and a chance to be a foil for Carney in the House.

"The real fighting match is about to begin, and Mr Carney is going to have to swat away or figure out how to handle the punches that will be coming at him," said Ms Surkes.

In an open letter to Carney last week, Poilievre set the stage, saying: "So far, you have been judged only by the lofty things you have promised to do one day, not by what you have done."

Poilievre has sharply focused his message on cost-of-living and crime issues and he plans to target the Liberals - who have been in power since 2015 - on their record, as well as on immigration.

That includes pushing them on the number of temporary foreign workers allowed into the country, a programme that has seen a significant expansion in recent years.

An 'austerity' warning

An "austerity and investment" federal budget is expected later this autumn - a financial balancing act Carney has said is possible with "discipline".

The prime minister has criticised government spending under Trudeau as "unsustainable" and has asked his finance minister to find programme spending cuts across departments that would increase to 15% reductions over the next three years.

"We need to rein in spending. We need to find efficiencies," Carney has said.

But the prime minister will also have to find a way to deliver on major commitments, including a multi-billion dollar increase in defence spending promised to Nato partners, notably the US.

It comes amid lower revenues from tariffs and other financial challenges, likely leaving officials "shaking every couch cushion loose for change", said Ms Surkes.

"Here we have a circumstance where the government is trying to walk and chew gum at the same time, if you will - where it is both trying to identify cuts and restraint, but also has committed publicly to some very significant investments," she said.

Pushback on the horizon

Canadians largely rallied behind the government in the face of Trump's tariffs - but there are clouds of discontent on the horizon.

The bill that paved the way for Ottawa to streamline approvals processes for major projects sparked anger among indigenous leaders concerned it would bypass proper consultation with their communities.

Environmental groups also raised concerns that the law provide shortcuts to get through existing environmental processes.

Most of first projects Ottawa said it wants to get off the ground quickly were already at some stage of development. More controversial plans like pipelines did not make the initial list. But there was still early pushback from climate campaigners.

"Nation building should secure Canada's future, not tie us to the polluting past," said Aly Hyder Ali, oil and gas programme manager at Environmental Defence, in reaction to expansion plans for the BC LNG plant.

"There's a lot of support for trying to encourage the oil and gas industry at this moment, but it's not it's likely not going to stay the same way for a very long time," said Mr Dallaire.

There is also the chance the public sector could balk at cuts that come with Carney's austerity measures.

"I'm not yet sure this government has fully appreciated how complicated and complex the public service can be when they choose to be," said Ms Surkes.

'It's just scary': In Florida, parents ponder future with fewer vaccines

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cd07jn0m2y5o, 2 days ago

Cammi Norwood's son Mason was "jumping with joy" at the thought of starting public school next year in Palmetto, Florida.

The four-year-old, who was diagnosed with Stage 4 kidney disease at birth, has spent two healthy years without any hospital visits, and is eager to be in class with friends, Ms Norwood said.

But the 32-year-old mother is beginning to reconsider sending her immunocompromised son to school, after Florida's surgeon general last week announced he would try to end vaccine mandates in the state, including those for school children.

"It's just scary," Ms Norwood said. "If these kids aren't vaccinated … he can get very, very sick if someone were to come in with the measles."

Medical experts and some parents worry the surgeon general's move will threaten the health of vulnerable children like Mason, setting the stage for a new era of infectious disease, driven by lower vaccine rates.

"We'll end up having pockets of outbreaks of different types of infectious diseases," Florida's former surgeon general, Scott Rivkees, told the BBC. "Individuals who are older, immunocompromised adults and children who may have cancer, for example, are going to be afraid to go out into public."

If Florida goes ahead, it would be one of the first states to officially do away with childhood vaccination mandates, which have long been a fixture in parents' back-to-school plans. In April, Idaho's governor signed a law loosening vaccine requirements.

These moves come as Health Secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr, a vaccine sceptic, undertakes remaking US vaccine policy, and the nation's public health agency, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), is in turmoil.

A 'petri dish' of infections

When Florida Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo announced the effort earlier this month, he likened existing mandates to "slavery", saying that parents should ultimately have a choice.

His efforts are backed by Republican Governor Ron DeSantis, while leading medical organisations, including the American Academy of Pediatrics, oppose the plan.

Ladapo did not offer specifics, and his office did not respond to a request for comment from the BBC. But Florida's health department told the Associated Press that in 90 days, it would lift school mandates on vaccines for hepatitis B, chickenpox, Hib influenza and pneumococcal diseases.

Lifting the mandates on other vaccines would require a change to the Florida Administrative Code, which would have to go through the state legislature, medical experts told the BBC.

The announcement worried Meghan Bichard, a mother of two in Lake County, Florida. The 39-year-old's two children, ages eight and three, are already vaccinated but she knows several parents in her town whose children are not.

"To hear that there's going to be the potential of some of these very preventable diseases becoming a petri dish here in our location is troublesome," she said. "Why wouldn't we want to protect ourselves, and why wouldn't we want to protect our neighbours?"

But Dana Fernandez, of Longwood, Florida, was "delighted" by Ladapo's policy.

She moved with her family from New York - which does not allow religious exemptions for vaccines - to Florida, so her six-year-old unvaccinated triplets could attend public school with the waiver.

"I support a parent's right to decide for themselves what they feel is right for their child," she said. "But I don't support you mandating what I should do."

A recent survey from health nonprofit KFF suggests that the vast majority - about 80% - of parents in Florida and across the US want vaccine requirements for public schools.

Florida has a relatively high vaccination rate, though the number of religious exemptions for shots has grown in recent years, said Dr Rivkees, a University School of Public Health professor.

As exemptions have grown, Meghan Martin, a paediatric emergency medicine doctor at Johns Hopkins All Children's Hospital in Florida, said she has seen more outbreaks of vaccine-preventable illnesses in recent years.

Cases of whooping cough, or pertussis, for instance, used to be rare, but are now a monthly occurrence, she said. In 2024, pertussis sickened over 700 Floridians, up from just 85 cases in 2023. The state has also seen several measles cases over the past year, as the US battled its worst outbreak of the infection in decades, leading to three deaths, including two children in Texas.

Dr Martin said the policy could further lower vaccination rates in the state, leading to more severe illness and potentially overcrowding hospitals.

In an interview with CNN, Ladapo said on Sunday that his department had not analysed data about how the policy change could affect outbreaks of vaccine-preventable illnesses.

"Do I need to analyze whether it's appropriate for parents to be able to decide what goes into their children's bodies? I don't need to do an analysis on that," he said.

Florida's MAHA influence

Florida's new policy push on vaccines follows Kennedy's continuing efforts to change US regulations and recommendations. As the unofficial leader of the so-called "Make America Healthy Again" movement, or MAHA for short, the health secretary has been open about his unfounded concerns regarding a link between vaccines and autism.

Since taking the helm at the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Kennedy has fired hundreds of health officials in an effort to root out what he views as "corruption". He ousted all members of an independent vaccine advisory committee before replacing them with several vaccine sceptics, and has narrowed recommendations for Covid-19 booster shots.

Last week, he sparked a backlash when he fired the head of the CDC, Susan Monarez, who said the reason was her refusal to rubber stamp recommendations from his new vaccine panel.

The changes are confusing for parents, patients and doctors trying to follow vaccine guidelines, said Demetre Daskalakis, former director of the CDC's National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases.

Dr Daskalakis, who resigned in protest over Dr Monarez's ouster, said that when patients are confused, their general reaction is "to do nothing" - or refrain from getting vaccines.

"That's going to mean more infections, more hospitalizations, more disability and more death," he said.

Dr Rivkees, Florida's former surgeon general, said Kennedy's anti-vaccine rhetoric has opened a door for Ladapo.

"When you have somebody in Washington, somebody who's responsible for the health of the entire country, doing things to undermine vaccination at many different levels, this certainly will hit a resonant chord for individuals who are like minded," he said.

Kennedy's views have resonated with Ms Fernandez and others in her community who share several of his "Make America Healthy Again" goals, she said. "I'm thrilled with their stance," she said of Ladapo and Kennedy.

Dr Rana Alissa, the president of the Florida chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics, said that if the health secretary were supportive of scientists and experts, Florida would not be trying to change its vaccine laws.

"The world is watching," she said. "It's dangerous … It's going to cost lives."

Emmy Awards 2025: The winners and nominations in full

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/clyxn4wqkq0o, yesterday

* Andor (Disney+)

* The Diplomat (Netflix)

* The Last of Us (HBO Max)

* Paradise (Hulu)

* WINNER: The Pitt (HBO Max)

* Severance (Apple TV+)

* Slow Horses (Apple TV+)

* The White Lotus (HBO Max)

* Abbott Elementary (ABC)

* The Bear (Hulu)

* Hacks (HBO Max)

* Nobody Wants This (Netflix)

* Only Murders in the Building (Hulu)

* Shrinking (Apple TV+)

* WINNER: The Studio (Apple TV+)

* What We Do in the Shadows (Hulu)

* WINNER: Adolescence (Netflix)

* Black Mirror (Netflix)

* Dying for Sex (Hulu)

* Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story (Netflix)

* The Penguin (HBO Max)

* Sterling K Brown - Paradise (Hulu)

* Gary Oldman - Slow Horses (Apple TV+)

* Pedro Pascal - The Last of Us (HBO Max)

* Adam Scott - Severance (Apple TV+)

* WINNER: Noah Wyle - The Pitt (HBO Max)

* Kathy Bates - Matlock (CBS)

* Sharon Horgan - Bad Sisters (Apple TV+)

* WINNER: Britt Lower - Severance (Apple TV+)

* Bella Ramsey - The Last of Us (HBO Max)

* Keri Russell - The Diplomat (Netflix)

* Adam Brody - Nobody Wants This (Netflix)

* WINNER: Seth Rogen - The Studio (Apple TV+)

* Jason Segel - Shrinking (Apple TV+)

* Martin Short - Only Murders in the Building (Hulu)

* Jeremy Allen White - The Bear (Hulu)

* Uzo Aduba - The Residence (Netflix)

* Kristen Bell - Nobody Wants This (Netflix)

* Quinta Brunson - Abbott Elementary (ABC)

* Ayo Edebiri - The Bear (Hulu)

* WINNER: Jean Smart - Hacks (HBO Max)

* Colin Farrell - The Penguin (HBO Max)

* WINNER: Stephen Graham - Adolescence (Netflix)

* Jake Gyllenhaal - Presumed Innocent (Apple TV+)

* Bryan Tyree Henry - Dope Thief (Apple TV+)

* Cooper Koch - Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story (Netflix)

* Cate Blanchett - Disclaimer (Apple TV+)

* Meghan Fehy - Sirens (Netflix)

* Rashida Jones - Black Mirror (Netflix)

* WINNER: Cristin Milioti - The Penguin (HBO Max)

* Michelle Williams - Dying for Sex (Hulu)

* Zach Cherry - Severance (Apple TV+)

* Walton Goggins - The White Lotus (HBO Max)

* Jason Isaacs - The White Lotus (HBO Max)

* James Marsden - Paradise (Hulu)

* Sam Rockwell -The White Lotus (HBO Max)

* WINNER: Tramell Tillman - Severance (Apple TV+)

* John Turturro - Severance (Apple TV+)

* Patricia Arquette - Severance (Apple TV+)

* Carrie Coon - The White Lotus (HBO Max)

* WINNER: Katherine LaNasa - The Pitt (HBO Max)

* Julianne Nicholson - Paradise (Hulu)

* Parker Posey - The White Lotus (HBO Max)

* Natasha Rothwell - The White Lotus (HBO Max)

* Aimee Lou Wood - The White Lotus (HBO Max)

* Ike Barinholtz - The Studio (Apple TV+)

* Colman Domingo - The Four Seasons (Netflix)

* Harrison Ford - Shrinking (Apple TV+)

* WINNER: Jeff Hiller - Somebody Somewhere (HBO Max)

* Ebon Moss-Bachrach - The Bear (Hulu)

* Michael Urie - Shrinking (Apple TV+)

* Bowen Yang - Saturday Night Live (NBC)

* Liza Colón-Zayas - The Bear (Hulu)

* WINNER: Hannah Einbinder - Hacks (HBO Max)

* Kathryn Hahn - The Studio (Apple TV+)

* Janelle James - Abbott Elementary (ABC)

* Catherine O'Hara - The Studio (Apple TV+)

* Sheryl Lee Ralph - Abbott Elementary (ABC)

* Jessica Williams - Shrinking (Apple TV+)

* Javier Bardem - Monsters: The Lyle And Erik Menendez Story (Netflix)

* Bill Camp - Presumed Innocent (Apple TV+)

* WINNER: Owen Cooper - Adolescence (Netflix)

* Rob Delaney - Dying For Sex (Hulu)

* Peter Sarsgaard - Presumed Innocent (Apple TV+)

* Ashley Walters - Adolescence (Netflix)

* WINNER: Erin Doherty - Adolescence (Netflix)

* Ruth Negga - Presumed Innocent (Apple TV+)

* Deirdre O'Connell - The Penguin (HBO Max)

* Chloë Sevigny - Monsters: The Lyle And Erik Menendez Story (Netflix)

* Jenny Slate - Dying For Sex (Hulu)

* Christine Tremarco - Adolescence (Netflix)

* The Amazing Race (CBS)

* RuPaul's Drag Race (MTV)

* Survivor (CBS)

* Top Chef (Bravo)

* WINNER: The Traitors (NBC)

* WINNER: Last Week Tonight with John Oliver (HBO Max)

* Saturday Night Live (NBC)

* The Daily Show (Comedy Central)

* Jimmy Kimmel Live! (ABC)

* WINNER: The Late Show with Stephen Colbert (CBS)

* WINNER: Dan Gilroy - Andor

* Joe Sachs - The Pitt

* R. Scott Gemmill - The Pitt

* Dan Erickson - Severance

* Will Smith - Slow Horses

* Mike White - The White Lotus

* Quinta Brunson - Abbott Elementary

* Lucia Aniello, Paul W. Downs and Jen Statsky - Hacks

* Nathan Fielder, Carrie Kemper, Adam Locke-Norton, Eric Notarnicola - The Rehearsal

* Hannah Bos, Paul Thureen, Bridget Everett - Somebody Somewhere

* Seth Rogen, Evan Goldberg, Peter Huyck, Alex Gregory, Frida Perez - The Studio

* Sam Johnson, Sarah Naftalis, Paul Simms - What We Do in the Shadows

* WINNER: Jack Thorne, Stephen Graham - Adolescence

* Charlie Brooker, Bisha K. Ali - Black Mirror

* Kim Rosenstock, Elizabeth Meriwether - Dying for Sex

* Lauren LeFranc - The Penguin

* Joshua Zetumer - Say Nothing

* Janus Metz, Andor

* Amanda Marsalis, The Pitt

* John Wells, The Pitt

* Jessica Lee Gagné, Severance

* Ben Stiller, Severance

* WINNER: Adam Randall, Slow Horses

* Mike White, The White Lotus

* Ayo Edebiri, The Bear

* Lucia Aniello, Hacks

* James Burrows, Mid-Century Modern

* Nathan Fielder, The Rehearsal

* WINNER: Seth Rogen, The Studio

* WINNER: Philip Barantini, Adolescence

* Shannon Murphy, Dying for Sex

* Helen Shaver, The Penguin

* Jennifer Getzinger, The Penguin

* Nicole Kassell, Sirens

* Lesli Linka Glatter, Zero Day

* WINNER: Last Week Tonight with John Oliver

* The Daily Show

* Saturday Night Live

* WINNER: SNL50: The Anniversary Special (NBC)

* The Apple Music Super Bowl LIX Halftime Show Starring Kendrick Lamar (Fox)

* Beyoncé Bowl (Netflix)

* The Oscars (ABC)

* SNL50: The Homecoming Concert (Peacock)

The winners of more categories were announced over two nights last weekend at the Creative Arts Emmys. Find out who won here and here.

Donald Trump's UK state visit is this week - here's what we know

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c8rynvlm6zjo, today

On Tuesday, US President Donald Trump will arrive in the UK for an unprecedented second state visit to the UK.

Trump, who will be accompanied by his wife Melania, was hosted by the late Queen Elizabeth II in June 2019.

What is a state visit?

When is Donald Trump's state visit to the UK?

What will Trump do during the state visit?

Tuesday

On arrival to the UK, the Trumps will be met by the US Ambassador Warren Stephens.

The Viscount Hood, Lord-in-Waiting, will welcome them on behalf of the King.

Wednesday

The Trumps will travel to Windsor Castle where they will be greeted by the Prince and Princess of Wales, before being formally welcomed by the King and Queen.

A royal salute will be fired in Windsor and at the Tower of London.

Following lunch with members of the Royal Family, the president will visit St George's Chapel in Windsor to lay a wreath on the tomb of Queen Elizabeth II.

Later, there will be a flypast by UK and US F-35 military jets and the Red Arrows.

On Wednesday evening, a traditional state banquet will be held at the castle, during which both the King and president will deliver speeches.

Thursday

The president will travel to the prime minister's country house Chequers, in Buckinghamshire, for a meeting with Sir Keir.

What vehicles and personnel will President Trump bring to the UK?

Are protests expected during Trump's state visit?

The Stop Trump coalition is planning a "Trump Not Welcome" demonstration in London on Wednesday 17 September.

It had called on the government to cancel the visit, accusing the US President of "denying climate science" and "siding with war criminals - in Israel, Russia and beyond".

The group organised protests in Aberdeen and Edinburgh during Trump's recent visit. Hundreds of demonstrators gathered in the two cities.

Trump was also booed by protesters who gathered along the perimeter of his Turnberry golf course in South Ayrshire, and a paraglider flew over the resort hotel with a banner criticising his presidency.

Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey said he would boycott the ceremonial banquet for Trump to "send a message" over the humanitarian crisis in Gaza.

Which other state visits has King Charles hosted?

* July 2025: French President Emmanuel Macron and his wife Brigitte

* December 2024: Emir of Qatar Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani and his wife Sheikha Jawaher bint Hamad bin Suhaim Al Thani

* June 2024: Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako of Japan

* November 2023: Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol and his wife Kim Keon Hee

Who is Tyler Robinson, the suspect in custody for shooting Charlie Kirk?

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cp8wl2y66p9o, today

The man suspected of fatally shooting right-wing activist Charlie Kirk is set to appear in court on Tuesday to face formal charges over the killing.

Tyler Robinson, 22, was taken into custody on 12 September in his native Utah following a 33-hour manhunt involving local law enforcement and the FBI.

Robinson is being held without bail in a special housing unit at the Utah County Jail on suspicion of aggravated murder, obstruction of justice and discharge of a weapon causing serious bodily harm. He could face the death penalty or life in prison if convicted.

Kirk, 31, died of a single gunshot wound while speaking at Utah Valley University in Orem on 10 September. CCTV video showed the suspect fleeing from a rooftop after the shot was fired before escaping into a nearby wooded area.

In the hours that followed, police released several images of the suspect and offered a $100,000 reward for information leading to their arrest. Robinson's father later recognised him from the images, investigators said, and eventually persuaded him to surrender.

A motive for the killing is yet to be revealed by officials. At a press briefing on Friday, the FBI refused to discuss Robinson's background, political leanings or a possible motive, saying the investigation was ongoing.

"We are confident we have the right individual in custody," an FBI spokesperson said, "but we are still working to establish the full picture of who he is and why he acted".

Investigators also are looking at social media accounts used by Robinson, and any signs that anyone may have known about or encouraged the shooting beforehand.

Authorities said Robinson appeared to have been active on Discord, the social media platform primarily used by gamers, but now also popular in other communities.

According to an affidavit, a roommate of Robinson's showed investigators messages on Discord from a contact named "Tyler" referencing a rifle "drop point" and instructions about retrieving and hiding the weapon.

The suspect also appears to have confessed to friends on Discord shortly before turning himself in to law enforcement, according to US media reports on Monday.

"Hey guys, I have bad news for you all," said a message from an account belonging to Robinson, according to the Washington Post. "It was me at UVU yesterday. im (sic) sorry for all of this."

But officials said he is "not co-operating" with authorities and has not confessed to carrying out the shooting.

The reported message on Discord was sent on Thursday night, about two hours before officials said Robinson was taken into custody.

Discord later issued a statement saying his account had been suspended. "We have removed the suspect's account for violating our off-platform behavior policy," it said.

Authorities have also pointed to inscriptions on shell casings linked to the case.

Two casings displayed apparent references to online trolling humour. The inscription "notices bulges OwO what's this?" on a fired shell casing may refer to a "copypasta" - a piece of text that is repeated over and over again, often to troll people online. Another casing, that was unfired, was inscribed with the words "If you read this, you are gay lmao" - again an apparent reference to a trolling joke.

Meanwhile, other casings could be interpreted as sympathetic to Antifa, or the anti-fascist movement, a loose collection of far-left activists who have been active in the US over the last decade and often demonstrate against Trump policies and far-right groups.

One unfired casing had the words "Hey fascist! Catch!" and an up, right and three down arrows.

The three down arrows alone could be a common symbol used for anti-fascism. But as a whole, the arrows could reference a sequence of control inputs used in a popular video game - although this remains unclear, and authorities have not yet released images of the casings.

A second casing was inscribed with lyrics to the song "Bella Ciao" that honours World War Two-era partisans of the Italian resistance who fought Nazi Germany.

The investigation into his background and motives continues in what officials are calling one of the most significant political killings in recent US history.

Kirk shooting suspect appeared to confess on Discord

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cm2zkxy2xmno, today

The alleged killer of right-wing activist Charlie Kirk appeared to take responsibility for the shooting on the messaging platform Discord, a company spokesperson has confirmed to CBS, the BBC's US partner.

According to the spokesperson, Tyler Robinson, 22, messaged friends in a chat on Discord hours before he was arrested last week in connection with Kirk's shooting at an event at Utah Valley University.

"It was me at UVU yesterday. im sorry for all of this," reads a message from an account that allegedly belongs to Mr Robinson, according to the spokesperson and a law enforcement source.

Mr Robinson, who has not yet been formally charged, is due to appear in court on Tuesday.

Arrested on suspicion of aggravated murder, felony discharge of a firearm and obstruction of justice, he could face the death penalty.

The Discord messages said to be from Mr Robinson, first reported by the Washington Post, are thought to have been written and posted towards the end of a manhunt for Kirk's killer that lasted more than a day.

Kirk, 31, who was a controversial figure in US politics and a trusted ally of President Donald Trump, was speaking at Utah Valley University on Wednesday at an open-air event held by Turning Point USA - the organisation he co-founded - when he was hit in the neck by a single bullet.

The killing of the popular social media personality sparked outrage, with Democrats and Republicans accusing each other of spreading hateful rhetoric, and a hunt for his killer. Utah's Governor Spencer Cox said Mr Robinson had been arrested after confessing about Kirk's killing to his father and being persuaded to hand himself in.

Law enforcement sources have told CBS News that Mr Robinson and his friends bantered about the shooting prior to his arrest in a group chat on Discord involving more than 20 people.

The spokesperson for the platform said that an internal investigation by the company had found "no evidence that the suspect planned this incident or promoted violence on Discord".

Mr Robinson is said to have been questioned by friends in the group about whether he was the gunman, which he did not appear to reject, and there were also jokes from one member of the group about him needing to avoid McDonald's, which is where Luigi Mangione, the alleged killer of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, was arrested.

Messages from the account thought to belong to Mr Robinson also indicate that he was planning to hand himself in.

"im surrendering through a sheriff friend in a few moments, thanks for all the good times and laughs, you've all been so amazing, thank you all for everything," reads one.

Cox said on Monday that Mr Robinson was not co-operating with authorities but his roommate was among those who were.

FBI director Kash Patel, who has been criticised over his handling of the case, told Fox News in an interview on Monday that a text message exchange had been found on Mr Robinson's phone in which he "specifically stated that he had the opportunity to take out Charlie Kirk, and he was going to do that".

Investigators have been trying to establish a motive for the killing.

Cox has previously said that Mr Robinson, a Utah native, was "deeply indoctrinated with leftist ideology". Public records reviewed by the BBC suggest Mr Robinson had in the past registered as an unaffiliated, or nonpartisan, voter in Utah. His parents, meanwhile, are registered Republicans, according to state records.

However, according to Cox, a family member told investigators that Mr Robinson had become "more political" in recent years and had specifically mentioned Kirk's impending visit to Utah Valley University during a dinner.

One of Donald Trump's top officials, deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller, has alleged there was an organised campaign behind the assassination but no evidence has been presented so far that suggests Mr Robinson was working as part a group.

He was speaking on Kirk's podcast, the Charlie Kirk Show, which was guest-hosted by his friend, Vice President JD Vance, in an episode that aired on Monday.

Investigators are also looking at social media accounts used by Mr Robinson, according to CBS, and any signs that anyone may have known about or encouraged the shooting beforehand.

Kirk, a devout Christian, was a strong supporter of gun rights, vehemently opposed abortion, was critical of transgender and gay rights, and promoted false claims about Covid-19.

His supporters said he was relatable, understood their concerns and was able to hold respectful conversations with those he disagreed with.

But his views drew fierce liberal criticism, with his detractors calling his comments deeply offensive to some minority groups, including LGBT people and Muslims.

Turning Point USA, which Kirk co-founded, aimed to spread conservative ideals at liberal-leaning US colleges, and played a key role in getting people to vote for Trump and other Republican candidates in the election last year.

Malawians await presidential poll result in vote dominated by economic woes

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c5y56req0g1o, today

Malawians are waiting to find out who their next president will be as polls have closed in most parts of the country and counting has started.

Thousands of people queued outside polling stations on Tuesday to vote for a president, MPs and local councillors, keenly hoping to effect change in a country swamped by economic troubles. Some are still voting in areas where polling started late.

In his campaign for a second term, current President Lazarus Chakwera pledged to fix Malawi's economy - as did his main rival, octogenarian former leader Peter Mutharika.

If no candidate wins more than half the votes, the top two contenders will head to a run-off.

More BBC stories from Malawi:

Go to BBCAfrica.com for more news from the African continent.

Fears balloon of a return to civil war in South Sudan over treason trial

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c7933p4xe7po, today

Fears that South Sudan - the world's youngest nation - could plunge into a new civil war have intensified after the party of suspended Vice-President Riek Machar called for "regime change".

The call came after Machar - currently under house arrest - was charged with murder, treason and crimes against humanity.

His party, the Sudan People's Liberation Movement In Opposition (SPLM-IO), has denounced he charges as a "political witch-hunt" to "dismantle" a 2018 peace accord that ended a five-year civil war.

Meanwhile, extra troops from neighbouring Ugandan have been deployed to South Sudan's capital, Juba, as tensions escalate.

The latest crisis comes as a UN report has accused South Sudanese officials of stealing billions of dollars in oil revenues, leaving millions of people without essential services and fuelling the deadly conflict.

What's the background?

South Sudan, one of the world's poorest countries, gained independence from Sudan in 2011 after decades of struggle led by the Sudan People's Liberation Movement (SPLM) under President Salva Kiir.

Just two years into independence, a civil war erupted when Kiir dismissed Machar as vice-president, accusing him of plotting a coup.

The ensuing conflict, largely fought along ethnic lines between supporters of the two leaders, resulted in an estimated 400,000 deaths and 2.5 million people being forced from their homes - more than a fifth of the population.

As part of the peace deal, Machar was reinstated as vice-president within a unity government that was meant to pave the way for elections.

Why is there tension now?

What about the 2018 peace deal?

While Machar's inclusion in the unity government was a key part of the agreement, other parts of it have not been implemented.

The key issue for many South Sudanese is the security arrangement.

The deal outlined how former rebel forces and government soldiers would be brought together into a unified national army made up of 83,000 troops. The remainder were supposed to be disarmed and demobilised.

But this has not happened and there are still lots of militias aligned to different political groups.

The deal also outlined the establishment, with the help of the African Union, of a court meant to try the perpetrators of the violence. But this has not been created, in part because those holding some of the top positions in government are reluctant to set up something that could see them put on trial.

Elections that were supposed to happen in 2022 have still not taken place and neither has a new constitution been drawn up.

How has corruption affected the situation?

A report by the United Nations Commission on Human Rights in South Sudan has accused the country's political elite of siphoning off billions of dollars in oil revenue.

Published on Tuesday, the 101-page dossier - Plundering a Nation: How Rampant Corruption Unleashed a Human Rights Crisis in South Sudan - documented how the government had collected more than $25.2bn (£18.4bn) in oil revenues since independence in 2011, but most of this had been systematically misappropriated, depriving millions of South Sudanese of food, medicine, education and security.

One section highlighted how the government's controversial "Oil for Roads" programme, funnelled an estimated $2.2bn into areas of political patronage rather than roadbuilding.

Yasmin Sooka, chair of the commission, said corruption had become the "engine of South Sudan's decline".

"Billions meant for healthcare and schools are disappearing through opaque deals and shell companies," she warned.

Justice Minister Joseph Geng Akech dismissed the findings and attributed South Sudan's economic problems to conflict, climate change and falling sales of crude oil.

What is the problem between Machar and Kiir?

While Kiir and Machar, both in their 70s, were part of the SPLM that fought for independence, long-standing tensions exist.

These have been fuelled by ethnic divisions - Kiir is Dinka, while Machar is Nuer - and competing political ambitions.

When Kiir sacked Machar in 2013, triggering the civil war, Machar denounced him as a "dictator".

Creating further problems between the two are the repeated postponements of elections.

Polls have been delayed four times, leaving Machar unable to fulfil his presidential ambitions while perceptions grow that Kiir intends to be president-for-life.

Who is Riek Machar?

Born in 1952, the 72-year-old was the 27th son of the chief of Ayod and Leer and was brought up in the Presbyterian Church.

As an undergraduate, he studied mechanical engineering at the University of Khartoum and in 1984 earned a PhD in philosophy and strategic planning at the UK's Bradford University.

He switched sides on several occasions during the battle to secede from Sudan, as he sought to strengthen his position and that of his Nuer ethnic group.

He became vice-president of South Sudan at independence in 2011. Machar was sacked in 2013 and then reinstated as part of a deal in 2016, but then fled as fighting resumed.

Who is Salva Kiir?

Born in 1951, the 74-year-old devout Roman Catholic was the son of a cattle herder and the eighth of nine children.

At 17, he joined the Anyanya, one of the rebel groups that was fighting for southern independence during the First Sudanese Civil War in 1967. Sixteen years later - in the Second Sudanese Civil War - he was one of the five founding members of the Sudan People's Liberation Army/Movement.

The former rebel commander, who specialised in military intelligence, was seen as a moderate within the SPLM and became its leader in 2005 after the death of John Garang in a helicopter crash

He became president of South Sudan on independence and has remained in that position for 14 years as no elections have taken place.

How bad could things get?

In March, Nicholas Haysom, head of the UN mission in South Sudan, warned the country was "teetering on the brink of a return to full-scale civil war", which would devastate the nation that is still dealing with the aftermath of the last conflict.

There are concerns that a return to fighting could lead to "proxy warfare in the region", according to Daniel Akech, an analyst at the Crisis Group think-tank.

"South Sudan is filled with so many armed groups, they're all seeming to be gearing up for military engagement."

The war in neighbouring Sudan adds another element of instability.

The leaders of the members of the regional grouping Igad - including Uganda - are supposed to be the guarantors of the 2018 deal.

Some Ugandan troops were deployed to the country in March as part of what South Sudan's government said was a long-standing agreement to support the army.

This week, a convoy carrying additional Ugandan troops were spotted entering Juba on Monday afternoon.

It included seven lorries full of heavily armed soldiers, three armoured vehicles and an ambulance - all without number plates.

This additional contingent of Ugandan soldiers has raised concerns that Machar's trial might turn violent.

Over the weekend Machar met with his defence team ahead of his trial which is due to start soon - though no date has been confirmed.

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Boss of degrading sex-trade ring in Dubai's glamour districts unmasked by BBC

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cx2r9y3kxy9o, 2 days ago

Warning: Contains disturbing content and graphic descriptions of sexual acts

A man running a sex ring operating out of Dubai's most glamorous neighbourhoods, and exploiting vulnerable women, has been identified by a BBC investigation.

Charles Mwesigwa, who says he is a former London bus driver, told our undercover reporter he could provide women for a sex party at a starting price of $1,000 (£740), adding that many can do "pretty much everything" clients want them to.

Rumours of wild sex parties in the UAE emirate have circulated for years. The hashtag #Dubaiportapotty, which has been viewed more than 450 million times on TikTok, links to parodies and speculative exposés of women accused of being money-hungry influencers secretly funding their lifestyles by fulfilling the most excessive of sexual requests.

Our BBC World Service investigation was told the reality is even darker.

Young Ugandan women told us they had not expected to have to undertake sex work for Mr Mwesigwa. In some cases, they believed they were travelling to the UAE to work in places like supermarkets or hotels.

At least one of Mr Mwesigwa's clients regularly asks to defecate on the women, according to "Mia", whose name we have changed to protect her identity, and who says she was trapped by Mr Mwesigwa's network.

Mr Mwesigwa denies the allegations. He says he helps women find accommodation through landlords, and that women follow him to parties because of his wealthy Dubai contacts.

We have also discovered that two women linked to Mr Mwesigwa have died, having fallen from high-rise apartments. Although their deaths were ruled as suicides, their friends and family feel the police should have investigated further.

Mr Mwesigwa said the incidents were investigated by the Dubai police and asked us to contact them for information. They did not reply to our request.

One of the women who lost her life, Monic Karungi, arrived in Dubai from western Uganda.

She found herself sharing a flat with dozens of other women working for Mr Mwesigwa, according to one of the women, who we are calling Keira, who says she lived with Monic there in 2022.

"[His] place was like a market… There were like 50 girls. She was not happy because what she expected is not what she got," Keira told us.

Monic thought the job in Dubai was going to be in a supermarket, according to her sister Rita.

"He [Mr Mwesigwa] was violent when I told him I wanted to go back home," says Mia, who also knew Monic in Dubai. She says that, when she first arrived, he told her she already owed him £2,000 ($2,711) and that within two weeks that debt had doubled.

"Money for air tickets, for your visa, for where you're sleeping, food," says Mia.

"That means you have to work hard, hard, hard, pleading for men to come and sleep [with] you."

Monic owed Mr Mwesigwa more than $27,000 (£19,918) after several weeks, according to what a relative of hers we are calling Michael says she told him. He adds that he received tearful voice notes from her.

Mia told us that clients were mostly white Europeans, and included men with extreme fetishes.

"There's this one client, he poops on girls. He poops and he tells them to eat the shit," she explained quietly.

Another woman we are calling Lexi, who says she was tricked by a different network, echoed Mia's story, saying "porta potty" requests were frequent.

"There was a client who said: 'We pay you 15,000 Arab Emirates Dirham ($4,084, £3,013) to gang-rape you, pee in your face, beat you, and add in 5,000 ($1,361, £1,004)'" for being recorded eating faeces.

Her experiences have led her to believe there is a racial element to this extreme fetish.

"Every time I said that I wouldn't want to do that, it seemed to get them more interested. They want somebody who is going to cry and scream and run. And that somebody [in their eyes] should be a black person."

Lexi says she tried to get help from the only people she thought could intervene - the police. But she says they told her: "You Africans cause problems for each other. We don't want to get involved. And they would hang up."

We put this allegation to the Dubai police and they did not reply.

Lexi eventually escaped back to Uganda and now helps to rescue and support women in similar situations.

Finding Charles Mwesigwa wasn't easy. We could only find one picture of him online - and it was taken from behind. He also uses multiple names across social media.

But through a combination of open-source intelligence, undercover research, and information from a former member of his network, we traced him to a middle class neighbourhood in Dubai - Jumeirah Village Circle.

To corroborate what sources had told us about his business - supplying women for degrading sex acts - we sent in an undercover reporter posing as an event organiser sourcing women for high-end parties.

Mr Mwesigwa appeared calm and confident when speaking about his business.

"We've got like 25 girls," he said. "Many are open-minded… they can do pretty much everything."

He explained the cost - from $1,000 (£738) per girl per night, but more for "crazy stuff". He invited our reporter for a "sample night".

When asked about "Dubai porta potty" he replied: "I've told you, they are open-minded. When I say open-minded… I will send you the craziest I have."

In the course of the conversation, Mr Mwesigwa said he used to be a London bus driver. We have seen evidence he put that occupation down on an official document in east London in 2006.

He went on to tell our reporter that he loved this business.

"I could win the lottery, a million pounds, but I would still do it… it's become part of me."

Troy, a man who says he used to act as operations manager for Mr Mwesigwa's network, gave us more information about how he says it is run.

He says Mr Mwesigwa pays off security at various nightclubs so they will let his women in to find clients.

"I've heard about types of sex that I've never seen in my life. It doesn't matter what you go through as long as his rich men are happy… [the women] have no escape route…They see musicians, they see footballers, they see presidents."

Mr Mwesigwa has been able to get away with running this operation, Troy claims, because Troy and others are not just used as drivers. He says their names are also used by Mr Mwesigwa to hire cars and apartments, so that his own name never appears on the paperwork.

On 27 April 2022, Monic posted a selfie from Al Barsha - a residential neighbourhood popular with expats in Dubai. Four days later, she was dead. She had been in the emirate for just four months.

According to Mia, Monic and Mr Mwesigwa had been regularly arguing in the period before she left. Mia says Monic had been refusing to comply with Mr Mwesigwa's demands and had found a way out of his network.

"She had got some kind of job. She was very excited. She thought she was gonna get free, she was going to get her life back because now that was a real job, no sleeping with men," Mia says.

Monic moved out to a different apartment about 10 minutes' walk away. It was from this apartment's balcony that she fell on 1 May 2022.

Monic's relative Michael, who was in the UAE at the time she died, says he tried to get answers.

Police told him they stopped their investigation, having found drugs and alcohol in the apartment Monic had fallen from, and only her fingerprints on the balcony, he says.

He obtained a death certificate for Monic from a hospital, but it did not say how she had died. And her family were unable to obtain a toxicology report for her.

But a Ghanaian man living in the apartment building was more helpful, he says, taking him to another block to meet the man he said was Monic's boss.

Michael describes the scene when he got there and saw where the women were housed.

He says through the cloud of shisha smoke in the living room, he made out what looked like cocaine on the table and women having sex on chairs with clients.

He claims he found the man we had previously identified as Charles Mwesigwa in bed with two women, and that when he tried to drag him to the police Mr Mwesigwa replied: "I have spent 25 years in Dubai. Dubai is mine… There is no way you are going to report me… Embassy is me, I'm the embassy.

"[Monic's] not the first to die. And she won't be the last," he added, according to Michael.

Mia and Keira both independently say they witnessed this conversation and both confirm its wording. When we asked Mr Mwesigwa what he meant by this, he denied having said it.

Monic's death shares haunting similarities with that of Kayla Birungi, another Ugandan woman who lived in the same neighbourhood as her, and died in 2021 after falling from a Dubai high-rise apartment which we have evidence to suggest was managed by Charles Mwesigwa.

The phone number for her landlord, shared with us by Kayla's family, turned out to be one of Mr Mwesigwa's numbers. Troy also confirms that Mr Mwesigwa managed the apartment, as do four other women we spoke to for this investigation.

Kayla's relatives say that they - like Monic's family - heard Kayla's death had been linked to alcohol and drugs. But a toxicology report seen by the BBC shows none were present in her system at the time of her death.

While Kayla's family was able to repatriate her body and hold a burial, Monic's remains were never returned.

Our investigation found she was likely buried in a section of Dubai's Al Qusais Cemetery known as "The Unknown". It features rows and rows of unmarked graves, typically thought to belong to migrants whose family couldn't repatriate their bodies.

Monic and Kayla were part of a wider, unofficial pipeline connecting Uganda to the Gulf.

As Uganda wrestles with rising youth unemployment, moving to work abroad - mainly in the Gulf states - has become a huge industry that contributes $1.2bn (£885m) of tax revenue to the country each year.

But these opportunities can carry a risk.

Mariam Mwiza, a Ugandan activist against exploitation, says she has helped rescue more than 700 people from around the Gulf.

"We get cases of people who have been promised to work, let's say, in a supermarket. Then [that person] ends up sold as a prostitute," she told us.

* If you have any information to add to this investigation please contact runako@bbc.co.uk

* Details of organisations offering information about or support after sexual abuse or with feelings of despair are available at bbc.co.uk/actionline.

Malawi - where the petrol queue might overshadow the queue to vote

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cvgve3xnj02o, 3 days ago

The queue to get fuel rather than the queue to vote is what is on the mind of many Malawians as Tuesday's general election approaches.

Prolonged petrol shortages, along with regular power cuts, the rising cost of living, hunger, poverty, inequality and youth unemployment, add to the tangible frustration here.

The presidential, parliamentary and local council candidates are competing for votes against a background of cynicism about what might actually change.

In a sign that money is tight, electioneering has been somewhat muted compared to the past. This is despite the presidential race being seen as a rematch between the incumbent, Lazarus Chakwera, and the man he beat in 2020, then-President Peter Mutharika.

There are 15 other candidates.

But the usual colourful campaign carnival is missing. The free T-shirts usually doled out with abandon to whip up enthusiasm are more limited.

There are fewer giant election billboards on the nation's main roads.

Back in the snaking petrol lines, patience runs thin, which has at times led to fist fights.

Sensing the fuel shortage was becoming an election issue, Chakwera has tried to tackle it head on.

In a televised address, eight days before polls open, he acknowledged the frustration and apologised. The president then turned his fire on allegedly corrupt officials who he accused of deliberately sabotaging the oil market.

Like fuel, new job opportunities are also hard to come by.

To put food on the table, young men have been selling petrol and diesel using small plastic containers at five times the official price.

In the southern town of Mangochi, they refused to be interviewed except to say, as they walked away, that preying on desperate motorists was the only way to survive.

With food costs rising at more than 30% in the past year, and wages not keeping pace, things are becoming harder to afford.

The high inflation rate has been partly put down to a shortage of foreign currency, which has forced some importers to buy US dollars on the more expensive black market. The costs have then been passed on to the consumer.

The effect of the economic troubles on young people could be particularly significant in this election – as around half of registered voters are under the age of 35.

And yet the two leading presidential candidates are considerably older. Chakwera is 70 and Mutharika is 85.

"When young people cast their ballots next week, they should think about the poverty crisis. The coming president should fix the employment rate because many of the young people are unemployed," said 33-year-old Monica Chinoko, who works in the capital, Lilongwe.

Many younger voters have told the BBC that these continuous problems have dampened enthusiasm for the elections.

"Looking at the candidates - it's really a tough choice to make because hope has been lost. We've been voting and voting but things haven't gotten better," said Ashley Phiri, 35. "But I'm hoping that this time around, the next leader will radically transform Malawi."

Chakwera has had a tough five years at the helm but remains optimistic.

He says he is investing in the future of the country and as a headline policy he has pledged that the state will deposit 500,000 Malawi kwacha ($290; £210) in individual accounts for every child born after the general election. They will be able to access it once they reach 18.

Another former president, Joyce Banda – the country's only female head of state – is also running again. She has pledged to fight corruption, transform the economy and improve rural infrastructure.

The other presidential candidates, including Atupele Muluzi, Dalitso Kabambe and current Vice-President Michael Usi, have all promised radical change in one of the world's poorest countries.

There is no shortage of choice on the ballot paper, but Malawians will be hoping that whoever emerges as the winner – after Tuesday's vote or a possible second round – will be able to put more food on the table and more fuel in the tank.

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Ivory Coast's 'iron lady' - from hiding in a bunker to presidential hopeful

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c62n6k6v7yxo, 4 days ago

Former Ivory Coast First Lady Simone Gbagbo has gone from hiding in a bunker in an attempt to avoid arrest to defiantly announcing she will run for president.

In an extraordinary comeback, the controversial 76-year-old was this week surprisingly allowed to contest October's elections, calling on supporters to help "build a new nation".

For years, Gbagbo worked side-by-side with her ex-husband Laurent, and was considered to be the power behind his throne.

Now, with a criminal conviction and a divorce behind her, she takes centre stage as a presidential candidate in her own right.

Gbagbo was Ivory Coast's first lady from 2000 to 2011 and was dubbed "the iron lady" due to her reputation for toughness.

While her supporters fondly called her "maman" (French for "mum"), Gbagbo was feared within the party she set up with her husband, the Ivorian Popular Front (FPI).

"All the ministers respect me. And they often consider me above them," she told French magazine L'Express during her husband's presidency.

At rallies, Gbagbo often invoked her evangelist Christian faith, firing off spirited, eloquent speeches in support of her husband.

Gbagbo met Laurent in 1973, at a time when both were powerful figures in Ivory Coast's trade union movement.

Gbagbo had degrees in history and linguistics, and as a teacher, was a key member of various educators' unions.

The couple's relationship was also built on the struggle against then-president Félix Houphouët-Boigny.

The Gbagbos protested against Houphouët-Boigny's autocracy, which lasted for 33 years, calling for multi-party democracy.

As a result of their activism, the pair were jailed several times.

"I engaged in political struggle against the former regime alongside men," Gbagbo recalled In her l'Express interview.

"I spent six months in prison, I was beaten, molested, left for dead. After all those trials, it's logical that people don't mess with me."

In 1982 the pair co-founded the FPI. That same year, Laurent fled to France following harassment from Houphouët-Boigny's security forces and Gbagbo was left to raise the couple's twin daughters alone.

After six years apart, Laurent returned and the pair married in an intimate ceremony, with less than 10 guests present.

The Gbagbos soon had further cause for celebration. In 1990 Houphouët-Boigny finally caved in, allowing the first national elections in Ivory Coast since independence three decades earlier.

Laurent decided to run for president, his wife a key figure in his campaign.

"Laurent had the good-natured gab, Simone the uncompromising discourse," French newspaper Le Monde said of the Gbagbos' political partnership.

In less flattering terms, Ivorian opposition newspaper Le Patriote wrote: "Laurent Gbagbo - expansive, warm, and devious... his wife, Simone Ehivet-Gbagbo - enigmatic, cold, and secretive."

In an election marred by allegations of widespread rigging, Laurent lost the presidential race to Houphouët-Boigny by a landslide.

He did, however, win a seat in the National Assembly and five years later, his wife gained one too.

Gbagbo campaigned for her husband once again when he ran for president in 2000. This time, he won, after all other opposition candidates had been excluded by the military leaders who had seized power.

But, once a champion of democracy, the new president began adopting draconian measures to stifle political dissent. His backing of the concept of Ivoirité, or Ivorieness, pushed soldiers in the north to take up arms and the country was divided in two.

It is thought his wife had huge influence over the security forces, who were used by the administration to silence opposition voices.

Furthermore, presidential elections slated for 2005 were postponed six times, with Laurent saying he needed to establish control of the whole country before he could hold elections, although he eventually agreed to them in 2010.

In a surprise result, he lost to Alassane Ouattara - Ivory Coast's current president - but refused to accept the result. This attempt to stay put sparked another devasting civil war in which more than 3,000 people died.

After the vote, Gbagbo fiercely defended her husband's decision to stay on, dubbing Ouattara a "bandit leader".

"The time for debates about the elections between Gbagbo and the 'bandit leader' is over," she said in an address to supporters.

"Our president is firmly established in power and he is working."

Eventually, as pro-Ouattara forces backed by French troops advanced on the presidential residence, the couple took refuge in a bunker. They were arrested there, and hauled off to a hotel in Abidjan, Ivory Coast's main city, effectively ending the five-month conflict.

At her trial five years later, Gbagbo described her detention at the hotel.

"I myself arrived with my buttocks exposed, my nudity exposed. I was subjected to several attempted rapes in broad daylight, all in the presence of French soldiers who were filming," she told the court.

Gbagbo was sentenced to 20 years for "attempting to undermine the security of the state", disturbing public order and organising armed gangs during the civil war.

However, just three years later, President Ouattara granted Gbagbo an amnesty in what he said was a move to foster reconciliation. This is why she was allowed to stand in next month's election, despite her conviction.

The International Criminal Court (ICC) pursued separate charges against Gbagbo in 2012, also relating to the civil war, but they were later dropped.

The ICC went after Laurent too - they charged him with crimes against humanity and he spent seven years in custody at The Hague.

The couple have long maintained their innocence, rejecting all charges against them as politically motivated.

Laurent was eventually acquitted by the ICC and returned home to Ivory Coast in 2021.

But there would be no tear-jerking reunion with his wife - days after landing on Ivorian soil, the former president filed for divorce, having fostered a relationship with journalist Nady Bamba.

Gbagbo hit back at her husband - through her lawyer, she accused Laurent of "blatant and well-known adultery" and "abandonment of the marital home".

The former first lady has since been quietly and methodically rebuilding her political base, following her break from the FPI.

She founded a new party, the leftist Movement of Capable Generations (MGC) and in her campaign for next month's election pledges a "modernised" and "prosperous" Ivory Coast.

Gbagbo's candidacy is not only politically significant but symbolically powerful in a country where women remain largely underrepresented in national leadership.

Only 30% of Ivorian parliamentarians are women, and few have held senior roles in government.

Gbagbo's reputation for activism and democracy has been tainted, but she is still seen as one of the strongest challengers to Ouattara in next month's poll.

A political veteran with powerful rhetoric, she looks set to gain the backing of her husband's supporters, after he was barred from running himself.

But in this election, the spotlight will be firmly on Simone Gbagbo. And should she win the presidency, the "iron lady" would make history as Ivory Coast's first female president - yet another milestone in a turbulent, four-decade long political career.

Additional reporting by Nicolas Negoce in Abidjan

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Party like it's 2018 - Ethiopians celebrate their new year

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c4g2z8nv344o, 5 days ago

Ethiopia is celebrating the start of its new year - 2018. The country has its own unique calendar, meaning it is seven years behind the Western calendar.

These yellow "adey ababa" blooms are associated with the celebration. They grow wild around the capital, Addis Ababa, at this time of year. Small bunches have been selling for around 50 Ethiopian birr ($0.35; £0.25).

The seven-year gap comes down to the fact that the birth year of Jesus Christ is calculated differently in Ethiopia. When the Catholic Church amended its calculation in 500 AD, the Ethiopian Orthodox Church did not.

But the celebrations - known as Enkutatash - are not tied to the church, and for everyone in the country it is a time to celebrate. Here vendors in Addis Ababa come in from the countryside to sell adey ababa and also freshly cut grass - both of which are used during traditional coffee ceremonies.

The birthplace of coffee is widely considered to have been in the highlands of Ethiopia. The grass and flowers are used as decoration for the ceremonies during which the beans are roasted over an open fire, ground and then brewed in a clay pot.

Shopping areas, including the market of Addisu Gebeya, were heaving in Addis Ababa on New Year's Eve, despite the rain - as people rushed to prepare for the celebrations.

This is 19-year-old Tamirat Dejene, who came to Addis Ababa from the small town of Chancho, about 40km (25 miles) north of the city, to sell his chickens.

He told the BBC he was doing a roaring trade - with hens selling for between 2,000 birr ($14; £10) and 3,000 birr.

Chickens are preferred for those cooking up a New Year's feast on a budget. They make a spicy stew called "doro wat", which is served with injera - a traditional fermented pancake-like flatbread.

For those with more money, mutton is on the menu - usually roasted.

These sheep, decorated in celebratory ribbons by their owner, were selling for between 15,000 birr ($105; £77) and 22,000 birr.

Families tend to gather and invite friends to join them for a Enkutatash meal either at lunch or in the evening - or both.

Some even slaughter an ox, which can cost up to 300,000 birr ($2,000; £1,550).

On New Year's Eve everyone rushes to finish their shopping and then in the evening they head off to see concerts and live bands. Here some of the bigger venue concerts are advertised.

I ended up at a hotel lounge in Addis Ababa, where a live band welcomed in 2018 with music and sparklers at midnight.

On New Year's Day morning a traditional song known as "Abebayehosh" is heard around the city - usually performed by young girls for passers-by. In some neighbourhoods they go door-to-door.

The song is deeply rooted in Ethiopian culture and captures the spirit of the new year.

Orthodox Christians continue in that spirit later in the day with church services. Here vendors have set up a stall to sell ceremonial umbrellas near a church in the city.

A priest joins the congregation at Addis Ababa's Entoto St Raguel Church on Thursday morning to offer up prayers for the year ahead.

People in Ethiopia have no difficulty switching between the two calendars - when they talk in local languages the year is 2018, but in English they automatically jump forward to 2025.

Another unusual aspect of the Ethiopian calendar is that it has 13 months. The first 12 have 30 days and this year the 13th month had just five days (on a leap year it is six).

The time of year also marks an end to the rainy season, the start of spring and festivities marking a season of renewal and optimism.

This year there has been a greater sense of unity and pride as the week began with the formal launch of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (Gerd), which has been built on a tributary of the River Nile.

Go to BBCAfrica.com for more news from the African continent.

Fatal dam collapse: 'How do you restart from nothing?'

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c1kwepevkzxo, 6 days ago

The threat of flooding once again looms over the city of Maiduguri, in north-eastern Nigeria, a year after torrential rains and the collapse of a dam left entire neighbourhoods submerged in water.

For many residents who are still bearing the scars of last year's floods, the possibility of a repeat has created huge unease.

At least 37 people died in the floods and two million had to abandon their houses after the widespread destruction of homes, farms and businesses.

Forty-two-year-old Sa'adatu Dahiru lost her two-year-old son.

"He died as a result of hunger and fever during the flood. We had no proper food, no medicine, and no safe place to stay."

She told the BBC how her children cried and they had to rush out in the middle of the night carrying "only a few clothes", leaving everything else behind.

She says she did receive some state support of 10,000 naira ($7; £5) when the flood happened.

However the mother of six says government assistance has since halted: "Since then, none of the other promises from the government have reached us. We are still waiting, still suffering."

The Borno state government says it has supported local communities impacted by the disaster.

It cites the establishment of relief camps and food aid as well as cash handouts.

More significantly, the government has begun reconstructing the dam and dyke system at Alau - on the outskirts of Maiduguri - which caused the flooding.

Construction of the dam started in 1986 and it is maintained by the Chad Basin Development Authority (CBDA), an agency of the Nigerian government.

However, more than a decade and a half of the insurgency by the Boko Haram Islamist group in the area has made it difficult to maintain the dam, Mohammed Shettima, head of the agency's engineering department, told the BBC.

"The dam is located on the fringes of the Sambisa forest – about 4km [2.5 miles] from the base of the jihadist groups," he explained.

"The dykes were worn and because they were not maintained, when the heavy rains came last year, the dykes gave way, releasing [the] huge volume of water that flooded the city."

In August two soldiers were killed near the dam and four security agents were killed at the hands of people suspected to be Islamist fighters.

Borno Governor Babagana Umara Zulum described the flood response as a daunting task, especially considering the state's 16-year struggle with violent extremism.

"We set up a committee with specific terms of reference," he said, adding that the members worked tirelessly to ensure affected families received adequate support, including shelter and food.

Finding shelter for two million people in Maiduguri, a city already hosting over a million people who had fled Islamist attacks, was a significant challenge.

"The government's priority was to stop water overflow, which helped prevent the city from completely submerging. This was achieved through desilting rivers and constructing new [drainage]," he said.

According to the committee's report, a total of 28.2bn naira ($18m; £13m) was raised through a combination of national and state governments, along with aid agencies such as the UN refugee agency and the World Food Programme.

A significant amount of the money was reportedly distributed to more than 100,000 households, alongside food and non-food items.

Additional support included financial assistance to more than 7,000 traders in affected markets, as well as to places of worship and private schools.

As part of the reconstruction and recovery activities, Borno has requested an additional 61bn naira to rebuild damaged infrastructure, including bridges, road networks and hospitals.

However, there is a danger that such a large sum of money won't be approved unless there is another disaster.

Some funds have also been approved for the rehabilitation and upgrade of boreholes across Maiduguri and surrounding communities to address water scarcity caused by the flood.

As the rainy season heads towards its climax this September, for people like Ms Dahiru, the question is simple: "How do I start again when I have nothing?"

While Ms Jidda is still grieving. She had 10 children. Only three survived.

"There's nothing left but memories and pain."

Additional reporting by Chigozie Ohaka and Gift Ufuoma

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Childhood obesity: The South African campaigners fighting for healthy food

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/ce84n6zpxx9o, 7 days ago

It's lunchtime in the leafy grounds of the Kairos School of Inquiry in Randburg, South Africa.

Dozens of children line up excitedly in front of a table laden with large pots of fresh, hot food.

"Today on the menu we have kitchari - a mix of daal and rice, with tomato chutney, halloumi and salad," the school cook says, as she serves the students.

The school decided to introduce a mainly vegetarian food policy as part of an effort to buck a worrying global trend: for the first time, the number of overweight children has overtaken the number of underweight ones.

The UN says the number of overweight and obese teenagers around the world has nearly tripled in the last two decades.

And the number of overweight children aged five to nine years old has increased from 69 million to 147 million.

And South Africa is one of the worst affected countries, . In South Africa, the challenge of unhealthy diets starts early. Research shows that nearly 80% of baby foods on the market are high in sugar, and children are further exposed through aggressive marketing of unhealthy products.

Parents at Kairos have been asked to pack only whole foods in their children's lunchboxes.

Headteacher Marc Loon believes the policy has provided an opportunity to teach students about the importance of healthy eating.

"If all schools were to emulate our intention of being thoughtful and conscious of what children are putting into their bodies... the health of the children would be served," he said.

The growing popularity of convenience food in the developing world is partly responsible for the growth in obesity rates amongst children, according to Unicef.

Trainee lawyer Mamkhabela Mthembu, 23, told the BBC that when she was younger, fast food was a treat.

"I grew up with my grandmother and not in the best circumstances," she says. "Junk food was something that we looked up to because my granny didn't always have money, so it was a token of celebration."

Because of this, she says she never thought of junk food as unhealthy. Instead, it became aspirational.

But that changed when she moved to Pretoria aged 19 for university, where her student residence was on top of a fast food restaurant.

With a busy schedule, she says she found herself choosing convenience food over cooking - and it's had a lasting impact on her health.

"Now I am overweight, it's something that I'm not proud of," she says. "I had bleeding gums as a child from eating too many sweets which I still have today. I'm starting to have breathing problems."

Her struggles led her to become an advocate for Unicef in her spare time. She wants more students to be aware of the damage fast food can have on their health.

Poor and middle-income countries have seen the greatest surge in overweight and obese children.

But whereas in poorer countries overweight children tend to be from wealthier families who can pay for high-calorie foods, in middle-income economies like South Africa more people can afford to go to fast food restaurants.

It has led to an explosion in the number of chains across the country. The South African fast food market was valued at $2.7bn (£2bn) in 2018 and is expected to reach $4.9bn by 2026.

Unicef says more needs to be done to stop these companies from marketing to children and young people.

"Previously, we would always blame an individual for not exercising enough, or not eating healthily," says Gilbert Tshitaudzi, Unicef South Africa's nutrition manager.

"But we know now that that is not really the case. How do you expect an individual to live a healthier lifestyle if their environment does not enable them to do that?"

He says Unicef has advised the South African government to restrict the marketing of unhealthy food to children.

The constant presence of convenience food is an additional challenge for parents who wish to keep their children healthy.

Memory Padi's eight-year-old daughter, Sophia, was diagnosed with rare autoimmune disease ADEM (Acute Disseminated Encephalomyelitis) when she was 18 months old.

Sophia was given steroid shots to help with her symptoms but her mum believes they led her weight to balloon. She now weighs 107kg (236 lbs).

"Her dietitians can see that this is not about food. They say she eats normally," she says.

Ms Padi has put her daughter on a low carb diet, but still struggles to maintain her weight.

Supporters have set up social media pages to raise money for Sophia. Although Ms Padi says she can't afford fast food, well-wishers will sometimes buy it for her daughter as a treat.

"We rarely go out, but when we do, she sometimes asks for fast food. She's a child, so she wants these things."

Ms Padi is currently unemployed and struggles to provide her daughter with the support she needs, including swimming lessons.

She sometimes takes Sophia for walks around their neighbourhood in Alexandra, a township near Johannesburg's northern suburbs, but the traffic and people staring make her uncomfortable.

The South African government introduced higher taxes on sugary drinks in 2018.

But it hasn't stopped the growing obesity rate in children - 22% of children under five are overweight or obese in South Africa, up from 13% in 2016.

Unicef says countries need to improve access to local, nutritious food for children and teenagers.

"South Africa is known to be food-secure," says Mr Tshitaudzi. "But many households don't have money to access healthier options because of our high unemployment rate."

In a statement to the BBC, South Africa's health ministry says that it is trying to encourage parents to give children healthy foods from infancy.

"Research shows that nearly 80% of baby foods on the market are high in sugar, and children are further exposed through aggressive marketing of unhealthy products," it notes.

The ministry says it plans to introduce a new policy, requiring front-of-pack nutrition labelling, or FOPL, on products in order to tackle the problem of excessive amounts of sugar, fat and salt.

"Marketing of all products carrying FOPL to children will be restricted and they will also not be allowed to make health claims," it adds.

Back at the Kairos School, it's break time. Children eat from lunchboxes filled with fruit, vegetables and sandwiches made from wholewheat bread.

Until governments are able to implement policies that can reverse the surge in childhood obesity, it's left to institutions and individuals to safeguard the health of future generations.

The pride of Ethiopia - What it took to build Africa's largest hydro-electric dam

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cr4qx6377qgo, 7 days ago

The vastness of the building site was at first overwhelming for the young Ethiopian mechanical engineer.

Hundreds were already digging the foundations in tough conditions for what is now Africa's largest hydro-electric dam, straddling the Blue Nile. The dam will help electrify the country as well as provide power to the region.

Moges Yeshiwas was 27 when he arrived in that remote corner of western Ethiopia in 2012, eager to gain valuable experience in his profession. The completion of the project is set to change his nation, but it also changed his life.

On Tuesday, Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed formally launched the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (Gerd), hailing it as "the greatest achievement in the history of the Black race".

Abiy, alongside Kenya's President William Ruto and Djibouti's Ismail Guelleh, unveiled a plaque before powering up the turbines.

Its wall stretches 1.78km (1.1 miles) across a valley and stands 145m (475 feet) high – it is constructed with 11 million cubic metres of concrete. It has created a huge reservoir, called Lake Nigat, which means dawn in the Amharic language.

The dam's construction on a Nile tributary, which provides most of that great river's water, was controversial with downstream countries. Diplomatic tension with Egypt cranked up and there was even talk of conflict.

But for Ethiopia the Gerd has become a symbol of national pride and, in Abiy's view, it has placed his country firmly on the world stage.

On a personal level, Mr Moges, now 40, was also "very proud to be part of it".

"Watching the dam's progress day by day was deeply satisfying. I came seeking employment, but somewhere along the way, it stopped feeling like just a job. I grew attached to the project, worrying about its future as if it were my own."

There were challenges.

"Lengthy separation from family was difficult," he told the BBC. Mr Moges could only go home – a 400km-drive away in Bahir Dar – twice a year.

The dam site's remoteness and the at times extreme heat – with temperatures sometimes hitting 45C - also presented issues. Plus, the working hours were long.

"Our shifts ran from 7am to 7pm, with only an hour's break for lunch. Then we handed over to the night crew, because the work had to continue around the clock," Mr Moges said.

His job was to make sure the building work was structurally sound and construction standards were maintained.

The Gerd project was a rare unifying force as the Horn of Africa country has been rocked by political violence and ethnic strife in the past decade.

While some, like the engineer, worked directly on the dam, millions of other Ethiopians were, literally, invested in it.

People from all walks of life contributed to building the dam through donations and the purchase of government-issued bonds.

Despite claims by US President Donald Trump that Washington financially supported the dam's construction, Addis Ababa maintains it was fully funded domestically.

Thirty-five-year-old Getenesh Gabiso, who lives in Alamura, a farming village just outside Hawassa, a major city in southern Ethiopia, is one of those who is imagining the difference it could make.

Her life mirrors that of millions of others in rural Ethiopia.

Despite her small, mud-walled thatched hut being just 10km from Hawassa, Ms Getenesh, her husband and her three children do not have access to electricity.

For cooking she collects firewood around their farm nearby.

And for light they use kerosene-powered lamps. Her husband, Germesa Galcha is concerned for the health of his family.

"[Getenesh] used to have big and beautiful eyes. But all these years of smoke is damaging them. They have become watery," he said.

"I worry what I would do if the fumes suffocate my children."

For Ms Getenesh, who, when it is dark, sometimes relies on the weak light from her husband's mobile phone, just being able to see at night is what she dreams of.

"I want to see light in my house. All the other electric goods don't matter now. Just light in the evening is all I want," she tells the BBC.

They are looking forward to the difference that the power from Gerd could make. But the government minister, Habtamu, admits that much more needs to be done to expand the infrastructure of the national power grid.

Tens of thousands of kilometres of cable still need to be laid to ensure that small towns and remote villages can be connected.

But for the engineer, Mr Moges, the power generated on the Blue Nile will eventually make a difference.

He has a son who was born while he was working on the dam.

"I hate the fact that I couldn't be there for him as much as I needed to," he says. "But I know his future is going to be bright because of something I have contributed, and I am so proud to tell him that when he grows up."

Additional reporting by Hanna Temuari

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What is at stake in Malawi's elections as cost-of-living bites?

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/ckgy3g7zpl3o, today

Malawians have voted in presidential and parliamentary elections, following a turbulent five years that has seen the economic crisis worsening in the southern African nation.

President Lazarus Chakwera is vying for a second term, his main rival being Peter Mutharika, an octogenarian who has previously been in office.

In the cities, campaigning has been overshadowed by fuel shortages, which have led to long, frustrating queues at petrol stations. The rising cost of living has also been a major concern of voters.

Vote counting has begun and a presidential run-off will be held if no candidate gets more than 50% of the votes cast in Tuesday's election.

When will we know the result?

The electoral commission has up until the end of 24 September to announce the presidential result in Tuesday's poll and the end of 30 September for the parliamentary election.

But the results could be announced before those dates.

What have Malawians been voting for?

* Presidential - there are 17 candidates to choose from

* Parliamentary - 229 constituency MPs will be elected

* Local - 509 councillor positions are up for grabs.

Who could be the next president?

Among the 17 hopefuls there are two clear front-runners.

Chakwera and Mutharika have squared off against each other at the polls for the fourth time - though the third time ended up not counting.

Mutharika first defeated Chakwera in 2014, but when he was declared winner over Chakwera in the next election in 2019 the result was annulled. Chakwera won the re-run the following year.

Lazarus Chakwera - Malawi Congress Party (MCP)

Chakwera, a former theology lecturer and preacher, had no political experience when he emerged as leader of the MCP in 2013.

When he ran for president in 2014 he was unsuccessful, but in 2020 he triumphed, beating the incumbent, Mutharika, in that unprecedented re-run.

Chakwera's time in office has been marred by economic turmoil and allegations of corruption. The 70-year-old did, however, reintroduce train services in Malawi for the first time in over three decades. He has also overseen major road construction across the country.

Peter Mutharika - Democratic Progressive Party (DPP)

Mutharika, an 85-year-old former lawyer and law lecturer, led Malawi from 2014 to 2020.

He is the brother of the late President Bingu wa Mutharika, who died in office in 2012.

Like Chakwera, Mutharika is also burdened by corruption allegations and links to economic crises. However, his supporters would argue that the current high inflation rate (around 27%) is proof that Mutharika managed the economy better than his successor.

Mutharika's age may count against him this election - speculation about his health is rife, especially as he has rarely been seen out in public during the campaign period.

Other contenders garnering attention are former president Joyce Banda (People's Party), current Vice-President Michael Usi (Odya Zake Alibe Mlandu) and former reserve bank governor Dalitso Kabambe (UTM).

What are the key issues for voters?

What has happened in previous elections?

Malawi was governed by the MCP from its independence in 1964 until the country's first multi-party poll in 1994.

Since the shift from a one-party state, the United Democratic Front, the DPP, the People's Party and the MCP have all enjoyed stints in power.

Chakwera's victory with the MCP in 2020 was one of the most significant moments in the country's political history.

A general election had taken place the year before and Mutharika was declared the winner.

However, the Constitutional Court annulled the election, saying there had been widespread tampering, including the use of Tipp-Ex correction fluid on results sheets.

Judges ordered a re-run for 2020, and Chakwera won with 59% of the vote after having teamed up with Chilima.

Although Mutharika branded the re-run "unacceptable", the Constitutional Court gained international acclaim for safeguarding democracy and refusing to be influenced by presidential power.

How does the presidential vote work?

Following the controversy of the 2019 election, Malawi implemented a new system, where a candidate must gain more than 50% of the total votes to win the presidency in the first round.

There is a strong possibility that this year's candidates will not reach the threshold, meaning a run-off election will have to be held.

The MCP and DPP will likely try to bring smaller parties on board in order to secure a majority in the second round.

Will the elections be free and fair?

The court's actions following the 2019 vote have given some Malawians faith in the electoral process.

However, over the past months, a number or civil society organisations and opposition parties have accused the electoral commission of favouring the MCP, alleging that its top management has links to the governing party. The commission has firmly denied being biased.

A protest in June calling for the resignation of the commission's top officials was attacked by masked, machete-wielding men, leading to concerns about freedom of expression in the run-up to the election.

The assault was not an isolated incident - there have been numerous reports of politically motivated violence ahead of the general election.

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Police forcibly remove Gambian auditor general in reshuffle row

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c89dplq0gy0o, yesterday

Police have physically removed The Gambia's auditor general, Momodou Ceesay, from his office after he refused to give up the post, in a government reshuffle carried out by President Adama Barrow.

Ceesay, who has spent almost three years as auditor general in the West African state, says he had turned down Barrow's recent offer to become trade minister.

Yet the president insists that Ceesay originally agreed, but later changed his mind.

The row has angered many Gambians, with some accusing the president of trying to replace Ceesay with someone who will shield him from corruption allegations.

The president has promoted the Director of Internal Audit, Cherno Amadou Sowe, to the post of auditor general, but he has not reported to work following the public backlash.

On Monday, plain-clothes police were sent to the auditor general's office to arrest Ceesay and install his successor.

But Ceesay's staff confronted the officers and stalled them, in scenes that were broadcast live on the social media accounts of local news outlets.

It was not until back-up forces arrived that the auditor general was finally ejected from a press conference he was giving and escorted out of the complex to his lawyer's office.

This action triggered a swift response from young people, who called on the president to reinstate Ceesay, and threatened to take to the streets in the outskirts of the capital, Banjul, until their demands were met.

"He refused your appointment. Now you forcibly remove him out of the office? Are the Gambian people not watching?" asked Gambian activist Kemo Fatty, expressing his fury in a clip which is circulating online.

"If the auditor general does not return to office today, President Barrow will leave the State House today," he threatened.

Fatty and another anti-corruption activist, Alieu Bah, were later arrested by police, as they gathered at the national audit office and prepared for a press conference.

In recent months, Barrow's government has been rocked by numerous protests following an investigation by a local newspaper, The Republic, alleging that assets belonging to the disgraced former President Yahya Jammeh had been distributed among close aides of Barrow. He has denied any wrongdoing.

In a statement, Barrow's office said the government remained "firmly committed to the rule of law, transparency, accountability, and the responsible management of public finances".

Ceesay's appointment as trade minister was "based solely on his qualifications and experience", and was not intended "to interfere with the operations of the National Audit Office".

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Men jailed for witchcraft murder plot against Zambia's president

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cjr57rr9598o, yesterday

A court in Zambia has sentenced two men to two years in prison for attempting to use witchcraft to kill President Hakainde Hichilema.

Zambian Leonard Phiri and Mozambican Jasten Mabulesse Candunde were convicted under the Witchcraft Act after being arrested in December with charms in their possession, including a live chameleon.

"It is my considered view that the convicts were not only the enemy of the head of state but were also enemies of all Zambians," magistrate Fine Mayambu said in his ruling.

The case has been closely followed in Zambia, as this was the first time anyone was put on trial for attempting to use witchcraft against a president.

The prosecution alleged that Phiri and Candunde were hired by a fugitive former MP to bewitch Hichilema.

Despite their insistence that they were bona fide traditional healers, the court found them guilty on two counts under the Witchcraft Act.

"The two accepted ownership of the charms. Phiri further demonstrated that the chameleon's tail, once pricked and used in the ritual, would cause death to occur within five days," Magistrate Mayambu said.

The lawyer for the two men, Agrippa Malando, said his clients pleaded for leniency as they were first-time offenders.

He urged the court to fine them, but the request was rejected.

Magistrate Mayambu noted that many people in Zambia, like in other African countries, believed in witchcraft, even though it was not scientifically proven.

The law was designed to protect society from fear and harm caused by those claiming to have the power to carry out acts of witchcraft, he said.

"The question is not whether the accused are wizards or actually possess supernatural powers. It is whether they represented themselves as such, and the evidence clearly shows they did," Magistrate Mayambu said.

In addition to the two-year sentence they were given for "professing" witchcraft, the men were sentenced to six months in prison for possessing charms.

As the sentences will run concurrently, they will serve only two years in prison, effective from the date of their arrest in December 2024.

Hichilema has previously said he does not believe in witchcraft. He has not commented on the case.

Lawyer Dickson Jere told the BBC that the Witchcraft Act was passed during colonial rule in 1914.

He said people were "very rarely" prosecuted for practising witchcraft, but it helped protect elderly women who faced mob justice in villages after being accused of bewitching someone and causing their death.

Witchcraft has also featured prominently in conversations over the protracted dispute between the government and the family of the late President Edgar Lungu over his funeral.

Some people believe that the government's insistence that he should be buried in Zambia, contrary to his family's wishes, may be for "occult reasons".

The government has denied the accusation.

Lungu died in South Africa in June, and his body is still in a morgue there because of the failure to reach agreement over his burial.

Go to BBCAfrica.com for more news from the African continent.

Politicians get rich while we suffer - so I helped bring down our government in 48 hours

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cvg9n760gddo, today

Nepal's Gen Z protesters brought down a government in under 48 hours – but the victory has come at a heavy price.

"We are proud, but there is also a mixed baggage of trauma, regret and anger," says Tanuja Pandey, one of the protest organisers.

With 72 people killed, last week's protests were the deadliest unrest in the Himalayan country in decades. Official buildings, residences of political leaders and luxury hotels such as the Hilton, which opened in July 2024, were torched, vandalised and looted. The wife of a former prime minister is fighting for her life after their home was set ablaze.

The protests represented "a wholesale rejection of Nepal's current political class for decades of poor governance and exploitation of state resources", said Ashish Pradhan, a senior adviser at the International Crisis Group. But the damage to government services, he added, could "parallel the toll of the 2015 earthquake which took almost 9,000 lives".

The destruction is not only confined to the capital Kathmandu - at least 300 local government offices across the nation have been damaged.

The financial losses could amount to 3 trillion Nepalese rupees ($21.3bn; £15.6bn), nearly half of the country's GDP, according to the Kathmandu Post. Its offices were also attacked by crowds and set on fire.

'Nepo babies'

Two days before the deadly demonstration on 8 September, Ms Pandey, a 24-year-old environmental campaigner, uploaded a video showing a mining site in Chure, one of the most fragile mountain ranges in the region. Nepal's resources should belong to the people, not to "politicians' private limited companies", she wrote, calling on her peers to "march against corruption and the misuse of our nation's wealth".

Like many youth movements in Asia, Nepal's Gen Z protests were leaderless. Others had made similar pleas to Ms Pandey's after the Nepali government decided to ban 26 social media platforms, citing their failure to register locally.

For months, fury had been brewing against "nepo babies", the children of powerful politicians of all stripes, who were accused of flaunting their unexplained wealth on social media.

One of the most viral photos showed Saugat Thapa, the son of a provincial minister, standing next to a Christmas tree made of boxes of luxury brands including Louis Vuitton, Gucci and Cartier. In response, he said it was "an unfair misinterpretation" and his father "returned every rupee earned from public service to the community".

Ms Pandey had watched almost all "nepo babies" content, but one video juxtaposing the luxurious life of a political family and an ordinary young Nepali who had to find work in a Gulf country struck her.

"It is painful to watch, especially knowing that even educated youth are forced to leave the country because wages here are far below what one needs to live with dignity," she said.

Nepal is a young democracy. It became a republic in 2008, after a decade-long, Maoist-led civil war that killed more than 17,000 people.

But the promised stability and prosperity have not materialised. In 17 years, Nepal has had 14 governments, and no leader has completed a full five-year term. The country's politics resemble a game of musical chairs, with communist parties and the centrist Nepali Congress taking turns to rule. Three leaders, including KP Sharma Oli who resigned over the Gen Z protests, returned to power multiple times.

Nepal's GDP per capita remained under $1,500, making it the second-poorest country in South Asia, behind only Afghanistan. An estimated 14% of the population work overseas, and one in three households receives remittances.

Ms Pandey comes from a middle-class family in eastern Nepal and her father is a retired government teacher. Three years ago, she was diagnosed with a brain tumour, for which she is still receiving treatment. The medical bills nearly bankrupted her family, so her older sister moved to Australia to support them.

Before the protests, Ms Pandey worked with others to create guidelines stressing non-violence and respect and reminding participants to stay vigilant against "hijackers".

On the morning of 8 September, she arrived at Maitighar Mandala, a huge traffic island in central Kathmandu with several of her friends. She was expecting thousands would turn up at most – but the crowds kept swelling.

Aakriti Ghimire, a 26-year-old protester, said things were initially peaceful and communal. "We were all seated, we were singing old Nepali songs," she said. "The slogans and everything were so funny, we were enjoying it. And after that, we started to march… the police were there to ensure that there were no vehicles disturbing us."

Both Ms Pandey and Ms Ghimire started to sense danger at around midday, when crowds began moving to New Baneshwor, the neighbourhood housing parliament. Both saw people arriving on motorbikes, and Ms Pandey said these people appeared older than average Gen Z protesters.

Ms Ghimire believes they were infiltrators. "It became very tricky for us to distinguish the peaceful protesters – some people who genuinely came for something – versus those who came in with the intention of being violent."

When some protesters tried to breach the security around parliament, police fired tear gas, water cannon and shots in return. There is evidence live rounds were used and they are accused of shooting at schoolchildren as well. An investigation into what happened is under way.

Chaos and violence reigned the next day. Demonstrators retaliated by setting parliament, the prime minister's office and other government buildings ablaze. Both Ms Pandey and Ms Ghimire stayed indoors and watched the developments online.

"A lot of people did share that it felt so good to finally see politicians face the consequences of everything they've done," Ms Ghimire said, referring to the destruction of the leaders' homes. But the mood soon darkened.

"I saw people with bottles filled with petroleum. They got it from the motorbikes. They started attacking the parliament," said Ms Pandey.

The law graduate cried after seeing the Supreme Court on fire, saying that it was like "a temple" for her. Her friends at the scene were pouring water on the flames to try to put them out. They all knew the effort would be futile – they did it only to console themselves.

"People say the arsonists intended to come and burn these things… Who are these people?" asked Ms Ghimire. "The videos show these people are all masked."

Some calm was restored when the army was deployed to take control of the situation - a curfew was in place for days. Later in the week former Supreme Court Chief Justice Sushila Karki was appointed interim prime minister. She had been backed by protesters for the post.

Ms Pandey hopes she "can lead the country efficiently, do the election in stipulated time and hand the power to the people".

But the anxiety about Nepal's political future persists.

Rumela Sen, a South Asia expert at Columbia University, said it was "worrying" to see "an unprecedented glorification of the army as a voice of sanity and stability".

Many are also uncomfortable with the involvement of Durga Prasai in the initial negotiation at the invitation of the military. Mr Prasai was arrested for his role in violent pro-monarchy protests in March. He fled to India but was returned to Nepal. The Gen Z protesters walked out.

Meanwhile, families of protesters who were killed are reckoning with their deaths.

"We are deeply shocked because we have lost our beloved son," said Yubaraj Neupane, whose 23-year-old son Yogendra died in the protests. "I am yet to find out how he died."

Yogendra was shot in the back of the head near the parliament building, according to the post mortem report.

From south-eastern Nepal, the family's eldest son had pursued his studies in Kathmandu and aspired to be a civil servant. He was always studying, friends and relatives said.

But on 8 September, he joined the protests with his friends, dreaming of bringing change to the country. His family didn't know he was at the scene until he called them after the situation started heating up.

"Our beloved has lost his life calling for change," his great-uncle Saubhagya said. "His blood and sacrifice should be recognised so that other young people won't have to hit the streets again in the future."

Ms Pandey said she was cautiously optimistic about her country's future, but the trauma of the past week would stay with her for the rest of her life.

This is a political awakening for her generation.

"We are no longer willing to stay silent or accept injustice," she says. "This is not just a gentle nudge; it's a bold challenge to a system that has hoarded power for decades."

Additional reporting by Grace Tsoi

They were shot dead for protesting against corruption in Nepal

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cm2zkmxlkm9o, yesterday

"Everyone said rubber bullet, rubber bullet. It was not a rubber bullet. If you see my son, his head was broken, a hole is there."

Narendra Shrestha wants to know who will take responsibility for the death of his son Sulov, who was among scores killed in violent unrest that rocked Nepal last week.

Mr Shrestha, 45, is perched outside the gates of Tribhuvan University Teaching Hospital's mortuary in the capital. He's already been inside and identified 21-year-old Sulov's body.

"I want to ask this country," he says, choking back tears, "if they can fire, they can shoot my son, then I and his mother, will also stand. Who will we live for now? We also want to die."

A female family member sits beside him, holding his hand, while a man protects him from the beating sun with an umbrella.

Other families were also waiting to identify their young loved ones whose lives were cut short: one had dreamed of being a judge, another was a student working in a Kathmandu hotel, a third was learning French.

They are among more than 70 people who died in anti-corruption protests at the start of last week, which toppled the government of the Himalayan nation. More than 1,000 were injured in the two days of unrest.

A ban on social media was the impetus for the protests, but anger against government corruption had been building in recent weeks. By the time the ban was reversed late on Monday, 8 September, the protests had swelled into a wider movement.

Crowds torched politicians' homes and official buildings as an outpouring of anger at the ruling class boiled over.

Many of those killed were shot - police are accused of opening fire on the crowds. But others were burned in fires or died in confrontations with police. Casualty figures have been going up as authorities clean up the debris.

In response to the allegations, Nepal's police have said they will investigate what happened during those two days of violent protests. It's still unclear who gave the orders for security forces to open fire.

There are several families like Mr Shrestha's waiting outside the mortuary for their names to be called so they can identify the bodies.

One man, Rasik KC, is waiting for the body of his 22-year-old nephew, Rashik Khatiwada.

Rashik was shot twice in the chest, Mr KC says. He found out about the death after seeing clips on social media.

His anguish has now turned to anger, demanding some kind of accountability from the government.

"We want justice," he says.

The BBC spoke with more than a dozen people who lost family members in the protests.

The relatives of Subash Bohora, 21, said there was a time in his life when he wanted to be a judge. He died outside Nepal's parliament building after a bullet pierced his neck.

Ayush Thapa, 19, was a French language student who was interested in the British Army and hated Nepali politicians, his family says. He was shot in the chest.

Abishek Chaulagain, 22, was a student working in one of the capital's hotels when he was shot in the forehead.

"We had never come across a disaster like this," says Ranjana Nepal, an information officer at the Civil Service Hospital in Kathmandu. She says they treated more than 450 patients in their emergency room during the protests. Six people died.

"Our hospital [has been] in operation for 17 years. We were able to manage patients during the earthquake. [This] situation was worse."

On the first night of protests, Dr Santosh Paudel was working at Bir Hospital, not far from the parliament building. Of the 173 patients his team treated in the hospital's emergency ward, five died and four are still in critical condition.

Dr Paudel says he was surprised to see patients with "sharp rifle injuries" in addition to rubber bullets.

"We saw [two types of bullets] clearly, the long one, which is fired by shotguns, and the small ones with the sharp edge that is fired from rifles," said Dr Paudel. He said many of the patients that came later in the day had multiple bullet injuries.

Protests began last Monday when thousands heeded a call by demonstrators describing themselves as Generation Z to gather near parliament in Kathmandu over the decision to ban platforms including Facebook, X and YouTube, as well as over wider dissatisfaction with the government.

Ministers said police had to use force, which included water cannons, batons and firing rubber bullets.

Saying they'd failed to register locally, the government announced social media platforms needed to be regulated to tackle fake news, hate speech and online fraud.

But popular platforms such as Instagram have millions of users in Nepal, who rely on them for entertainment, news and business – and protesters accused the government of trying to silence them.

By Tuesday, violent crowds were setting fire to government buildings in the capital Kathmandu.

Parliament was torched even though Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli had already resigned.

Nepal's new interim Prime Minister, Sushila Karki has a tough road ahead. Not only does the 73-year-old former chief justice need to appoint a new cabinet, she must rebuild confidence in the country's leadership.

She has agreed to fresh elections on 5 March 2026, but the first real test of her new government will be her investigation into the protests and if she can bring the perpetrators of the deadly violence – including those who shot protesters, as well as those behind the widespread vandalism – to justice.

"International law says they are not allowed to shoot," says Abishek Shrestha, 22, from his hospital bed, his home for the next month. Metal rods protrude from the white and pink gauze wrapped around his right leg, where he was shot.

"I'm Nepali and they are not allowed to shoot me, but they shot me. It's all because of the government, police, rules and regulation. We have to change this."

An investigation is little comfort to Mr Shrestha as he mourns Sulov.

"Politicians, they will say sorry. Sorry doesn't make a dead son come alive again."

Additional reporting by Charlotte Scarr

Why more women get cancer in India - but more men die

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c04q9v49ndgo, today

Women in India are more likely to get cancer. Men are more likely to die from it.

The paradox, revealed in a study of the country's latest cancer registry, tells a story at once simple and confounding.

Women account for just over half of all new cases, but men make up the majority of deaths.

India appears to be an outlier. In 2022, for every 100,000 people worldwide, on average about 197 were diagnosed with cancer that year. Men fared worse, at 212, compared to 186 for women, according to the World Cancer Research Fund.

Nearly 20 million cancer cases were diagnosed globally in 2022 - about 10.3 million in men and 9.7 million in women. In the US, the estimated lifetime risk of cancer is nearly equal for men and women, according to the American Cancer Society.

In India, the most common cancers among women are breast, cervical, and ovarian. Breast and cervical cancers make up 40% of female cases.

While cervical cancer is largely linked to infections such as human papillomavirus (HPV), breast and ovarian cancers are often influenced by hormonal factors. Rising cases of these hormone-related cancers are also associated with lifestyle shifts - including later pregnancies, reduced breastfeeding, obesity, and sedentary habits.

For men, oral, lung, and prostate cancers dominate. Tobacco drives 40% of preventable cancers, mainly oral and lung.

So what is going on in India? Is it an earlier diagnosis for women? Are men's cancers more aggressive, or is it that habits such as smoking and chewing tobacco drag down their outcomes? Or does the answer lie in differences in access, awareness and treatment between genders?

Awareness campaigns and improved facilities mean cancers common among women are often detected earlier.

With their long latency periods - time between exposure to a cancer-causing factor and the appearance of detectable cancer - treatment outcomes are relatively good.

Mortality rates among women are therefore lower.

Men fare worse. Their cancers are more often tied to lifestyle - tobacco and alcohol drive lung and oral cancers, both aggressive and less responsive to treatment.

Men are also less likely to go for preventive check-ups or seek medical help early. The result: higher mortality and poorer outcomes, even when incidence is lower than among women.

"Women's health has become a bigger focus in public health campaigns, and that's a double-edged sword. Greater awareness and screening mean more cancers are detected early. For men, the conversation rarely goes beyond tobacco and oral cancer," Ravi Mehrotra, a cancer specialist and head of the non-profit Centre for Health Innovation and Policy (CHIP) Foundation, told me.

"Women, through reproductive health checks, are more likely to see a doctor at some stage. Many men, by contrast, may go their whole lives without ever seeing one," Dr Mehrotra said.

But the real story emerges when the numbers are broken down: India's cancer burden is unevenly spread across regions, and across the types of cancer people face.

Data from 43 registries show that 11 out of every 100 people in India run the risk of developing cancer at some point during their life. An estimated 1.56 million cases and 874,000 deaths are projected for 2024.

The hilly and relatively remote northeast region remains India's cancer hotspot, with Mizoram's Aizawl district recording lifetime risks twice the national average.

Doctors say much of this is down to lifestyle.

"For most cancers in the north-eastern state, I'm convinced lifestyle is the key factor. Tobacco use is rampant here - much higher than elsewhere," R Ravi Kannan, head of Cachar Cancer Hospital and Research Centre in Assam, told me.

"In Barak Valley in Assam, it's mostly chewing tobacco; just 25km away in Mizoram, smoking dominates. Add to that alcohol, areca nuts, and even how meat is prepared. Food choices and preparation drive cancer risk. There's no special cancer-causing gene at play - hereditary cancers aren't more common here than in other parts of India," Dr Kannan said.

But the pattern isn't confined to the northeast. Srinagar in Indian-administered Kashmir tops the charts for lung cancer in men, while southern Hyderabad city leads in breast cancer. Men in the capital, Delhi, are being diagnosed with all cancers put together at a higher rate than men in other regions, even after correcting for age differences.

Oral cancer is also rising: 14 population registries report increases among men and four among women.

India's patchwork of risks is part of a larger truth: cancer is at once the most universal and the most uneven of diseases. The disparities seen across Indian states mirror a global divide shaped by geography, income, and access to care.

In wealthy nations, one in 12 women will be diagnosed with breast cancer during her lifetime, but only one in 71 will die from it, according to WHO.

In poorer countries, the picture is reversed: just one in 27 women will ever receive a diagnosis, yet as many as one in 48 will die of the disease.

"Women in lower Human Development Index (HDI) countries are 50% less likely to be diagnosed with breast cancer than women in high HDI countries, yet they are at a much higher risk of dying of the disease due to late diagnosis and inadequate access to quality treatment," says Isabelle Soerjomataram, Deputy Head of the Cancer Surveillance Branch at International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC).

Then there are other differences. In the US, for example, native Americans face the highest cancer mortality, with kidney, liver, stomach, and cervical cancer deaths two to three times higher than whites; black people also have double the mortality of whites for prostate, stomach, and uterine cancers, according to American Cancer Society.

In India, the cancer burden is not just growing - it is becoming more complex. Registry data reflect a society in transition, where longevity, lifestyle, and environment are reshaping health risks.

Yet amid this shifting landscape, many questions remain, underscoring the urgent need for targeted prevention, early detection, and lifestyle changes, including healthier diets and habits.

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Rising seas will threaten 1.5 million Australians by 2050 - report

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c930454e77xo, yesterday

One and a half million Australians living in coastal areas are at risk from rising sea levels by 2050, a landmark climate report has warned.

Australia's first National Climate Risk Assessment predicted more frequent and severe climate hazards like floods, cyclones, heatwaves, droughts and bushfires.

"Australians are already living with the consequences of climate change today," Climate Change Minister Chris Bowen said, "but it's clear every degree of warming we prevent now will help future generations avoid the worst impacts in years to come."

The report looked at three global warming scenarios - above 1.5C, above 2C and above 3C.

Australia - one of the world's biggest polluters per capita - has already reached warming of above 1.5C, the report said, noting that at 3C, heat-related deaths in Sydney may rise by more than 400% and almost triple in Melbourne.

The 72-page report - released days before the government announces its emissions reduction targets for 2035 - found that no Australian community will be immune from climate risks that will be "cascading, compounding and concurrent".

It warned of more heatwave-related deaths, poorer water quality due to severe flooding and bushfires, and a A$611bn ($406bn; £300bn) drop in property values.

By 2050, the report found the number of coastal communities located in "high and very high risk areas" in Australia will increase and if populations levels remain stable, this will mean more than 1.5 million people will be at risk.

Areas in northern Australia, along with remote communities and outer suburbs of major cities, were particularly at risk, the report said.

"This will put pressure on health, critical infrastructure, natural species and ecosystems, and primary industries," the report warned, as well as posing extra challenges for emergency responders.

The report also found that coral reefs such as the Great Barrier Reef in Queensland and Ningaloo Reef in Western Australia - both already hit by record bleaching events - will face higher risks of "bleaching and biodiversity loss" due to warmer oceans.

"One thing that is very clear from this climate assessment is that our whole country has a lot at stake," Bowen said. "The cost of inaction will always outweigh the cost of action."

In response to the report, the government released a national adaptation plan which detailed how federal, state and local governments can work together to tackle climate issues, according to Bowen.

"We will also set an ambitious and achievable 2035 target, informed by advice from the independent Climate Change Authority," he said, referring to the body that provides advice on climate policy.

Australia has pledged to reduce emissions by 43% by 2030, but is criticised for its continued heavy reliance on fossil fuels.

Climate Council chief executive Amanda McKenzie said the report's findings were terrifying and called on the government to commit to higher emissions cuts.

"Australia cannot afford a timid 2035 target when our own government data shows the catastrophic costs of inaction," the head of the the non-profit said.

"The longer we delay the deep and sustained cuts to climate pollution we need, the harder it becomes to protect communities from escalating heatwaves, floods and bushfire weather."

Nepal's interim PM to hand over power within six months

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cp8wjz90z4no, 3 days ago

Nepal's newly-appointed interim prime minister says she will be in the post for no longer than six months.

"I did not wish for this job. It was after voices from the streets that I was compelled to accept," Sushila Karki said, speaking for the first time since being sworn into office on Friday. She said she would hand over to the new government which will emerge after elections on 5 March next year.

Her appointment comes after more than 70 people were killed during anti-corruption protests which ousted the Nepal's government.

Karki took the oath of office after an agreement with protest leaders from the so-called "Gen Z" movement.

"We have to work according to the thinking of the Gen Z generation," she said.

"What this group is demanding is the end of corruption, good governance and economic equality."

The mass protests, sparked by a ban on social media platforms, started on 8 September and over the course of two days descended into chaos and violence during which politicians' homes were vandalised and parliament was set on fire.

The death toll from the unrest has now reached 72, including three police personnel, officials say.

"I feel ashamed. If they were Nepalis who destroyed these essential structures, how can they be called Nepalis," the interim prime minister said on Sunday.

Karki, a former Supreme Court chief justice, is widely regarded as having a clean image.

But she has not been free from controversy, having faced an impeachment incident during her nearly 11-month tenure as chief justice.

Now Karki and her cabinet will face multiple challenges, including restoring law and order, rebuilding parliament and the other key buildings that were attacked, in addition to reassuring the Gen Z protesters who want change - and others in Nepal who are fearful its young democracy and constitutional order may be derailed.

'My wife died giving birth after Trump cut funding to our clinic'

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/ckgqdneev1no, 2 days ago

When Shahnaz went into labour, her husband Abdul called a taxi to take them to the only medical facility accessible to them.

"She was in a lot pain," he says.

A 20-minute drive away, the clinic was in Shesh Pol village in Afghanistan's north-eastern Badakhshan province. It was where their two older children were born.

Abdul sat next to Shahnaz comforting her as they drove over gravel tracks to reach help.

"But when we reached the clinic, we saw that it was closed. I didn't know it had shut down," he said, his face crumpling with agony.

Warning: Readers may find some details in this article distressing.

The clinic in Shesh Pol is one of more than 400 medical facilities that closed down in Afghanistan, one of the world's poorest countries, after the Trump administration cut nearly all US aid to the country earlier this year, in a drastic and abrupt move following the dismantling of the US Agency for International Development (USAID).

A single-storey structure with four small rooms, white paint peeling off its walls, the Shesh Pol clinic has USAID posters tacked up everywhere with information and guidance for pregnant women and new mothers.

It doesn't look like much but in Badakhshan's mountainous, unforgiving terrain, where a lack of access has been a major reason for historically high maternal mortality rates, the clinic was a critical lifeline, part of a wider programme implemented during the tenure of the US-backed government in the country, to reduce maternal and newborn deaths.

It had a trained midwife who assisted around 25-30 deliveries every month. It had a stock of medicines and injections, and it also provided basic healthcare services.

Other medical facilities are simply too far from Abdul's village, and it was not without risk for Shahnaz to travel on bumpy roads. Abdul also didn't have money to pay for a longer journey - renting the taxi cost 1,000 Afghani ($14.65; £12.70), roughly a quarter of his monthly income as a labourer. So they decided to return home.

"But the baby was coming and we had to stop by the side of the road," Abdul said.

Shahnaz delivered their baby girl in the car. Shortly after, she died, bleeding profusely. A few hours later, before she could be named, their baby also died.

"I wept and screamed. My wife and child could've been saved if the clinic was open," said Abdul. "We had a hard life, but we were living it together. I was always happy when I was with her."

He doesn't even have a photo of Shahnaz to hold on to.

There's no certainty the mother and baby would've survived if they'd been treated at the clinic, but without it, they didn't stand a chance, underlining the undeniable impact of US aid cuts in Afghanistan.

For decades, America has been the largest donor to Afghanistan, and in 2024, US funds made up a staggering 43% of all aid coming into the country.

The Trump administration has justified withdrawing it, saying there were "credible and longstanding concerns that funding was benefiting terrorist groups, including... the Taliban", who govern the country. The US government further added that they had reports stating that at least $11m were "being siphoned or enriching the Taliban".

The report that the US State Department referenced was made by the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR). It said that $10.9m of US taxpayer money had been paid to the Taliban-controlled government by partners of USAID in "taxes, fees, duties, or utilities".

The Taliban government denies that aid money was going into their hands.

"This allegation is not true. The aid is given to the UN, and through them to NGOs in provinces. They identify who needs the aid, and they distribute it themselves. The government is not involved," said Suhail Shaheen, the head of the Taliban's political office in Doha.

The Taliban government's policies, especially its restrictions on women, the harshest in the world, have meant that after four years in power, it is still not recognised by most of the world. It's also a key reason donors have been increasingly walking away from the country.

The US insists no one has died because of aid cuts. Shahnaz and her baby's deaths are not recorded anywhere. Neither are countless others.

The BBC has documented at least half a dozen first-hand, devastating accounts in areas where USAID-supported clinics have shut down.

Right next to Shahnaz's grave, villagers who had gathered around us pointed to two other graves. They told us both were of women who died in childbirth in the past four months – Daulat Begi and Javhar. Their babies survived.

Not far from the graveyard, we met Khan Mohammad whose wife, 36-year-old Gul Jan, died in childbirth five months ago. Their baby boy Safiullah died three days later.

"When she became pregnant, she would go to the clinic for check-ups. But midway through her pregnancy it shut down. During the delivery she had a lot of pain and blood loss," Khan Mohammad said. "My children are sad all the time. No one can give them the love of a mother. I miss her every day. We had a sweet and loving life together."

A roughly five-hour drive from Shesh Pol, in Cawgani, another village where a USAID-backed clinic closed down, Ahmad Khan, the grief-stricken father of Maidamo showed us the room in their mud and clay home where she died giving birth to baby Karima.

"If the clinic had been open, she might have survived. And even if she had died, we would not have had regrets knowing the medics tried their best. Now we're left with regret and pain. America did this to us," he said, tears rolling down his face.

In another home a few lanes away, Bahisa tells us how terrifying it was to give birth at home. Her three other children were born in the Cawgani clinic.

"I was so scared. In the clinic, we had a midwife, medicines and injections. At home I had nothing, no painkillers. It was unbearable pain. I felt like life was leaving my body. I became numb," she said.

Her baby girl, named Fakiha, died three days after she was born.

The closure of clinics in villages has resulted in a surge of patients at the maternity ward of the main regional hospital in the provincial capital Faizabad.

Getting to it, through Badakhshan's treacherous landscape is risky. We were shown a horrifying photo of a newborn baby, who was delivered on the way to Faizabad, and whose neck snapped before he got to the hospital.

We had visited the hospital back in 2022, and while it was stretched then, the scenes we saw this time were unprecedented.

In each bed, there were three women. Imagine having gone into labour, or just having gone through a miscarriage, and not even having a bed to yourself to lie in.

It's what Zuhra Shewan, who suffered a miscarriage, had to endure.

"I was bleeding severely and didn't even have a place to sit. It was really hard. By the time a bed is free, a woman could die bleeding," she said.

Dr Shafiq Hamdard, the director of the hospital, said: "We have 120 beds in the hospital. Now we've admitted 300 to 305."

While the patient load is swelling, the hospital, too, has faced sharp cuts in its funding.

"Three years ago our annual budget was $80,000. Now we have $25,000," Dr Hamdard said.

By August this year, there had been as many maternal deaths recorded as there were for the whole of last year. Which means that at this rate, maternal mortality could increase by as much as 50% over last year.

Newborn deaths have already increased by roughly a third in the past four months, compared with the start of the year.

Razia Hanifi, the hospital's head midwife, says she's exhausted. "I have been working for the past 20 years. This year is the toughest, because of the overcrowding, the shortage of resources and the shortage of trained staff," she said.

But no reinforcements are coming because of the Taliban government's restrictions on women. Three years ago, all higher education, including medical education was banned for women. Less than a year ago, in December 2024, training for midwives and female nurses was also banned.

At a discreet location, we met two female students who were midway through the training when it was closed. They didn't want to be identified for fear of reprisal.

Anya (name changed) said they both were in graduate courses at university when the Taliban took over. When those were closed in December 2022, they began midwife and nursing training, as it was the only path left to getting an education and a job.

"When that was also banned, I became depressed. I was crying day and night, and I wasn't able to eat. It's a painful situation," she said.

Karishma (named changed) said: "There is already a shortage of midwives and nurses in Afghanistan. Without more being trained, women will be forced to give birth at home which will put them at risk."

We asked the Taliban government's Suhail Shaheen how they can justify bans which effectively curb access to health for half the population.

"It is our internal issue. These are our issues, how to handle them, how to consider them, how to take decisions, this is something internal. That is up to the leadership. Based on the needs of the society, they will take a decision," he said.

With their access to medical services severely restricted, by wave after wave of crushing blows, for Afghanistan's women, their right to health, and life itself, is at grave risk.

Additional reporting, photography and video: Aakriti Thapar, Mahfouz Zubaide, Sanjay Ganguly

Top image shows Abdul with his daughter and son in Shesh Pol.

The Indian city that sparkles like Paris at night

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c14704vj4r2o, 3 days ago

As the air-conditioned bus weaves through the bustling traffic of the eastern Indian city of Kolkata, tour leader Sujoy Sen lists the many sights on the itinerary.

It sounds like a snapshot of the city's cosmopolitan history - colonial buildings like the General Post Office and the former British viceroy's mansion, Hindu and Jain temples, Greek Orthodox and Portuguese churches, an Anglican cathedral, the homes of freedom fighters who fought the British Raj and Indian merchants who prospered under it.

But unlike most heritage tours, this one happens after sundown. And its main focus is not just the history or architecture but the lights illuminating the buildings.

Kolkata Illumination Project is the latest addition to the city's many heritage tours and walks. Mr Sen, who runs a tour company, chanced upon a newspaper article about city enthusiasts lighting up some of the city's grand but often neglected heritage buildings. He obtained a list of buildings and went to check them out.

"I was stunned," he says. "I have seen Paris by night. I didn't realise Kolkata could be like that also. I wanted other people to see it as well."

Himanjali Sankar, born and raised in Kolkata, now living in Delhi, joined the tour. She says the buildings themselves are familiar to her but the illumination changes them. "It is like they are coming alive, reclaiming their grandeur."

The project is the brainchild of a citizens' group called Kolkata Restorers.

"But it's not a real organisation. There is no committee, no president. It's just a label. A WhatsApp group," says Mudar Patherya, the force behind the endeavour.

He says he didn't start out with plans to light up the city. He came upon an old market crowned with a grand dome and a broken clock that had numerals in Bengali, the language most commonly spoken in the city. An avowed Kolkata evangelist, he wanted to paint the dome and raised the money for it from friends and associates.

"But then I realised while it looked good during the day, in the evening it could not be seen at all," he says. "So I again passed the hat around and raised money to illuminate it."

He ended up with some funds left over. So he also lit up a temple tucked away in a storied north Kolkata neighbourhood. The temple's intricately carved stone facade came alive in the soft yellow glow of the LED lights in a way it could not in harsh sunlight.

Mr Patherya was hooked. Within weeks he had lined up the imposing British neoclassical colonial building housing the Geological Survey of India. Soon he got permission to light up one of the city's most famous addresses - Raj Bhavan, the governor's mansion, once the residence of the British viceroy.

"In about 21 months we are at about 92 buildings," he says. "The model is simple. It's your property, my lights. You only pay for the electricity and I work out that cost in advance."

Getting the light intensity right required trial and error, says lighting designer Suyash Narsaria.

"We reduced the wattage to make it more efficient, changed the positions, put lighting in layers to highlight columns, railings and murals."

But as the project expanded, Mr Patherya realised there was one problem he had not foreseen, beyond squirrels chewing through the wires. The buildings were often in a state of disrepair and the illumination highlighted that. Before they could illuminate, they needed to be repaired and restored.

For example, the 150-year-old Hogg Market, a huge Gothic market where one can find everything from parrots to hyperlocal Bandel cheese and Christmas cakes from a Jewish bakery.

But the clock on its clock tower had stopped working. They found the roof had worn away and the floorboards had rotted in the rains. The tower had to be repaired first. But it's not easy to fix clocks that are over a century old.

Luckily, Mr Patherya found the man who could help him.

Swapan Dutta, a fourth-generation clock repairer, traces his lineage back to a great-grandfather who worked as a clock technician for the British-era firm Cooke and Kelvey.

Mr Dutta, nicknamed 'Ghari-babu' or Clock-man, is excited to work on the Hogg Market clock, which he calls the star of Kolkata's tower clocks. It's a clock that chimes every fifteen minutes, a different tune for every quarter hour, a sound the city has not heard in years.

"These clocks had stopped working for years...We have to examine them, make calculations and reconstruct all the missing parts," says Mr Dutta sitting in his tiny workshop. But he is confident Kolkata's tower clocks will chime again. Mr Dutta has already repaired over half a dozen clocks for Mr Patherya, in churches, a synagogue and old markets.

What Kolkata Restorers are really trying to restore are not buildings but a sense of pride in the city.

Once the capital of British India, the city's fortunes have waned since independence. Its eclectic mix of neoclassical, Gothic and Art Deco architecture is fast disappearing, as old houses give way to apartments and malls - the land valued more than the heritage, with owners unable to maintain what remains.

"Mostly we talk about how Kolkata is not keeping up with the times," says Himanjali Sankar. "It is wonderful to see people who are excited and passionate about the city and its buildings."

But in a city anxious to woo business, heritage is often dismissed as an expensive luxury and a low priority.

Mr Patherya wants to show that heritage restoration can be citizen-led and crowdsourced.

"An apartment in one of the city's poshest complexes can cost about 150 million rupees (around $1.7m)," he says. "With just 22 million rupees, we've restored 92 buildings, eight or nine clocks, and some 1,300 tombstone plaques."

Mr Patherya is not done.

On the Kolkata by night tour, he gestures towards almost an entire block lit up by Kolkata Restorers: all imposing red-brick neoclassical buildings closed on a Sunday evening but glowing warmly yellow.

"I want to get to 200 buildings," he says. "Then it would be one of the most wondrous cities at night in the country. Because the architecture is already there."

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Nepal turmoil adds to India's woes in South Asia

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c8xrqld50dko, 6 days ago

Nepal has become the third country in India's immediate neighbourhood to see a violent uprising topple its government in recent years.

Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli resigned after more than 20 people died in clashes with police during anti-government demonstrations triggered by a social media ban.

A nationwide curfew is in place and the army is attempting to bring the situation under control after protesters stormed parliament and set fire to the homes of several politicians.

For many, the scenes in Kathmandu were reminiscent of the turmoil that gripped Bangladesh last year, and Sri Lanka in 2022.

Though Bangladesh and Sri Lanka are also India's close neighbours in South Asia, Delhi's relationship with Kathmandu is special because of historic people-to-people, economic and strategic ties.

Nepal shares a largely open border of more than 1,750km (1,080 miles) with five Indian states; Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Sikkim, Bihar and West Bengal.

Delhi is keenly watching developments across the border, with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi swiftly reacting to the unfolding events.

"The violence in Nepal is heart-rending. I am anguished that many young people have lost their lives," Modi wrote in a post on X on Tuesday.

Stressing that "stability, peace and prosperity of Nepal are of utmost importance", he appealed to "all my brothers and sisters in Nepal to support peace".

Modi also chaired an emergency security meeting with his cabinet colleagues on Tuesday to discuss the situation.

Much like it was caught off-guard by the uprising in Sri Lanka in 2022 that forced the then president Gotabaya Rajapaksa to flee the country, analysts say India was taken by surprise by the developments in Nepal, with Oli resigning just a week ahead of a planned visit to Delhi.

Any instability in the country is a cause of concern for India because of Nepal's strategic location.

"The Western Theatre Command of China sits right across Nepal. The route to the Indo-Gangetic plains comes straight through Nepal," Maj Gen (Retd) Ashok Mehta, an expert on Nepal, told the BBC.

The unrest also has implications for the large Nepalese diaspora in India. An estimated 3.5 million Nepalis work or live in India, but experts say the actual number could be much higher.

Nepal is predominantly a Hindu-majority country and communities across the border have close family ties.

People travel between the two countries without a visa or passport. Nepalis can also work in India without restriction under a 1950 treaty - the only country along with Bhutan in the region to have this arrangement.

In addition to this, 32,000 famed Gurkha soldiers of Nepal serve in the Indian army under a decades-old special agreement.

"Since the border is open, the communities enjoy a lived experience. Families on both sides interact with each other on a daily basis," says Professor Sangeeta Thapliyal of Delhi's Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU).

Nepal is also home to several important Hindu holy sites, including the Muktinath temple in the trans-Himalayan mountains. Thousands of Hindu pilgrims from India visit the temple every year.

Meanwhile, Kathmandu depends heavily on Indian exports, especially oil and food, with India-Nepal annual bilateral trade estimated at $8.5bn (£6.28bn).

While a fragile sense of calm returned to Kathmandu on Wednesday, experts say India will have to walk a diplomatic tightrope, as there's widespread anger among Nepalese protesters at all three major political parties that have ruled the country.

And India has maintained close contacts with all of them - the Communist Party of Nepal (CPN – UML) headed by Oli, the Nepali Congress of Sher Bahadur Deuba, and the Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist Centre) led by Pushpa Kamal Dahal, who is known as Prachanda.

Given the Himalayan nation's strategic location, both India and China are vying for influence in the country, leading to accusations the two Asian giants are meddling in the internal affairs of Nepal.

It's not clear what kind of administration will replace Oli, one that is also acceptable to the protesters.

Since the shape of the new government or leadership is uncertain, "India will be cautious", Prof Thapliyal says. "They don't want another Bangladesh type of situation in Nepal."

Delhi had cordial relations with ousted Bangladeshi prime minister Sheikh Hasina, but ties with the current interim administration are strained over India's decision to give Hasina shelter in the country.

Nepal and India, too, have had their differences - and those will now have to be managed with extra care.

In 2019, Nepal was furious after India published a map that included areas claimed by Kathmandu, in a western region close to the border with China, as part of its territory.

The diplomatic wrangle escalated after Nepal published its own map which included those disputed areas.

Recently, India and China have agreed to resume trade at one of the border areas claimed by Nepal. During his visit to China last month, Oli raised the issue with the Chinese leadership, objecting to the Lipulekh Pass being used as a trade route.

Experts say India will have to reach out to the new administration to iron out any differences, and also engage with young Nepalis who are angry with their political establishment.

"There are fewer opportunities within Nepal for the youth. India should actively consider increasing fellowships for Nepalese students and provide more job opportunities," says Prof Thapliyal.

With the South Asian Association for Regional Co-operation (SAARC), a regional grouping, remaining dormant, it's going to be a challenge for India to deal with the political changes and instability in its neighbourhood.

The crisis in Nepal has blown up as relations with Pakistan are at a low point, ties with Bangladesh remain strained and Myanmar is engulfed in civil war.

"India has taken its eyes off the neighbourhood due to its great power ambitions. But to achieve that, you need to have a secure and stable neighbourhood," Mr Mehta argues.

Follow BBC News India on Instagram, YouTube, Twitter and Facebook.

Vaccine to curb chlamydia epidemic devastating koalas approved

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cwylp71vnjgo, 7 days ago

A vaccine which could save Australia's endangered koala population from a rampant chlamydia epidemic has been approved for rollout for the first time.

University of the Sunshine Coast (UniSC) scientists have spent more than a decade developing a jab to curb the spread of the disease, which has devastated wild koala populations across most of eastern Australia.

"Some individual wild colonies, where infection rate can be as high as 70%, are edging closer to extinction every day," Peter Timms said.

With approval from regulators now secured, he said the team hoped for major funding to distribute the vaccine to wildlife hospitals, vet clinics and koalas in the wild.

"It has been a long road... There's been points along the pathway I think we nearly gave up," Dr Timms, a microbiologist, said.

"Today's a very exciting day."

Chlamydia - which is transmitted by close contact or mating - can cause painful urinary tract infections, conjunctivitis, blindness and infertility in koalas, and is often fatal.

Both male and female koalas can contract the disease, which is a different strain to the one found in humans, while joeys can catch it through feeding in their mother's pouch.

But treatment can be deadly too. Koalas infected with chlamydia are usually given antibiotics, but this destroys the gut bacteria which allow them to digest eucalyptus leaves - their primary food source - and can lead to starvation.

The much-loved national icon has faced increasing threats to its wild populations across much of eastern Australia in recent decades, from factors including land clearing, natural disasters, feral pests and urbanisation.

Chlamydia, however, has been the biggest killer - accounting for as much as 50% of deaths and claiming thousands of koalas. Some estimate only 50,000 of the animals remain in the wild, and there are fears they will be extinct in some states within a generation.

UniSC's single-dose chlamydia vaccine has been tested on hundreds of wild koalas, and its approval by federal regulators was based on analysis of a decade's worth of those trials - a study the university described as the largest and longest ever conducted on wild koalas.

"This study found [the vaccine] reduced the likelihood of koalas developing symptoms of chlamydia during breeding age and decreased mortality from the disease in wild populations by at least 65%," said UniSC's Sam Phillips.

The research team hopes to provide the vaccine for free, and that roll-out can begin as early as January next year, starting with wildlife hospitals and the most at-risk populations.

But treating chlamydia is extremely expensive, and locating, catching, and inoculating wild koalas even more costly, so the team doesn't yet have the money to realise those dreams.

"To get funding now, so that we can do this next phrase where the vaccine actually becomes a reality... not just a trial, would be a pretty amazing thing," Dr Timms said.

Though excited, he also stressed that the vaccine alone is not enough to save the species. The other factors driving koalas towards extinction must also be addressed, he said.

"Habitat loss is the most important thing - if you haven't got a tree nothing much else matters."

In a statement, the Environment Minister Murray Watt said the vaccine would help ensure that generations to come will still be able to see koalas in the wild, but that the government was also focused on species monitoring and habitat restoration.

Earlier this week, the New South Wales government announced that another 176,000 hectares - an area about the size of Greater London - would be added to existing nature reserves to create the Great Koala National Park, which it promised at an election two years ago.

It is estimated the new park will protect more than 12,000 koalas, and also provide a habitat for more than 100 other threatened species.

India's top court suspends parts of contentious Muslim property law

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cgq4vx2l45no, yesterday

India's Supreme Court has suspended key provisions of a controversial new law that changes how properties donated by Muslims are owned and managed in the country.

The court was hearing pleas by Muslim groups and opposition parties who argue the Waqf (Amendment) Act 2025 infringes on the rights of Muslims. The government says it will make managing the properties more transparent.

In Islamic tradition, a waqf is a charitable or religious donation made by Muslims for the benefit of the community.

Such properties - worth billions of dollars - are important to India's 200 million Muslims as they are used for mosques, madrassas, graveyards and orphanages - and cannot be sold for any other purpose.

Major Australian gas project extended until 2070

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cpw1d2wdj84o, 5 days ago

The lifetime of one of Australia's largest fossil fuel projects has officially been extended by four decades to 2070.

The extension for the North West Shelf comes days before the federal government is expected to announce its emissions reduction targets for 2035.

One of the world's biggest polluters per capita, Australia has pledged to reduce emissions by 43% by 2030, but is criticised for continuing to heavily rely on fossil fuels.

Critics say the extension hurts global climate goals, but Environment Minister Murray Watt said it includes dozens of new "strict conditions" - oil and gas giant Woodside Energy must reduce certain gas emissions from the project by 2030 and reach net zero by 2050.

He added that there were also new safeguards in place to to protect ancient Indigenous rock art in Western Australia's Pilbara region.

Woodside Energy chief operation officer Liz Westcott welcomed the extension, saying the company can continue providing "reliable energy as it has for more than 40 years".

Woodside's licence for the North West Shelf was due to expire in 2030, but the extension received preliminary approval in May. The project covers a processing and export plant at Karratha, which is close to the 60,000-year-old World Heritage-listed Murujuga rock art.

"In making this decision, I have imposed 48 strict conditions that will avoid and mitigate significant impacts to the Murujuga rock art," Watt said on Friday.

The conditions will ensure the project will "not cause unacceptable impacts" to the heritage site "including restricting air emissions which otherwise could have accelerated damage".

It also includes a legal requirement for the industry to consult with Indigenous communities on how to protect the area and a "robust" monitoring system to show the company is complying with the emissions limits.

Watt also announced further protections for the heritage site, with extra legal protections under a so-called "partial declaration".

Peter Hicks, chair of the Murujuga Aboriginal Corporation, welcomed the extra protections for an area of "great significance" to Indigenous people.

"This extraordinary landscape has been managed and cared for by our ancestors for more than 50,000 years and is a sacred, spiritual and deeply storied place," he said.

Climate groups that opposed the extension, including the Australian Conservation Foundation, say the project is a "carbon bomb" that will hinder global efforts to reduce rising temperatures.

The leader of the Australian Greens Larissa Waters said it was a "betrayal and disastrous decision for the future of the planet".

In recent years, Australia has grappled with successive natural disasters, and climate experts warn that the country - along with the rest of the globe - faces a future full of similar crises unless dramatic cuts to emissions are achieved.

Australia's Prime Minister Anthony Albanese came to power in 2022, promising to take greater action, but his Labor government has been criticised for its continued support of coal and gas projects.

Lone survivor of mushroom murders pleads to grieve in private as killer jailed for life

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cly1v06xz7qo, 9 days ago

At 10:18 on Monday, Erin Patterson was led from courtroom four inside Melbourne's Supreme Court building to begin a life sentence in prison.

Her slow shuffle took her directly past two rows of wooden benches squeezed full of journalists, each scrutinising Patterson's exit for any final detail.

Upstairs in the public gallery, observers craned their necks to get a last glimpse – possibly for decades, perhaps ever – of the seemingly ordinary woman who is one of Australia's most extraordinary killers.

Also watching her was Ian Wilkinson, the only survivor of Patterson's famous mushroom meal in 2023, a cruel murder plot the judge decried as an "enormous betrayal".

Mr Wilkinson had for months walked in and out of court without uttering a public word. He always wore a black sleeveless jacket to keep warm in the winter chill, having never fully recovered from the death cap mushrooms that took his wife and two best friends.

But on Monday he paused on the courthouse steps to speak to media for the first time. He calmly thanked police who "brought to light the truth of what happened to three good people" and the lawyers who tried the case for their "hard work and perseverance".

There was praise too for the medics who saved his life and tried desperately to halt the other lunch guests' brutal decline.

For the 71-year-old, it is now back to the house he had shared with Heather, his wife of 44 years, who raised their four children before becoming a teacher and mentor.

"The silence in our home is a daily reminder," he told the court a fortnight ago, as he gave an emotional victim impact statement.

"[There's] nobody to share in life's daily tasks, which has taken much of the joy out of pottering around the house and the garden. Nobody to debrief with at the end of the day."

"I only feel half alive without her," he added.

To most, Heather Wilkinson will be remembered as one of Patterson's victims - an unfortunate lunch guest in a murder with no clear motive.

But to her husband, the pastor at a Baptist church, Mrs Wilkinson was his "beautiful wife" - not perfect, he said, but full of "love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, gentleness, faithfulness and self-control" and also "sage advice".

"It's one of the distressing shortcomings of our society that so much attention is showered on those who do evil, and so little on those who do good," he said in his victim impact statement - a barely hidden flash of frustration at how much focus had been on his wife's killer.

Grief compounded by mammoth interest

Never in recent memory has an Australian criminal case been so high-profile: a small-town murder mystery with a weapon so outlandish it wouldn't seem out of place in an Agatha Christie novel - not so much a whodunnit as a whydunnit.

Spectators queued daily to nab a spot in the courtroom, thousands of people picked apart details of the case online, and journalists descended from around the world to cover the lengthy trial.

At least five podcasts followed the minutiae of the case in the regional Victorian town of Morwell. A documentary crew from a streaming service followed every step.

An Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) drama series is in works. And there will be several books too, one of them co-authored by Helen Garner, a doyenne of modern Australian literature.

Many were in court earlier this month as, one after the other, a series of victim impact statements laid bare the effects of the horrendous crime and the unprecedented attention it attracted.

Simon Patterson – the killer's estranged husband – wrote of his inability to articulate how much he missed his mum and dad.

Ruth Dubois – the daughter of Ian and Heather Wilkinson – told the court Patterson had used her parents' natural kindness against them.

Don Patterson's 100-year-old mother shared her grief at having outlived him.

A common thread throughout, though, was how the media and the public had only compounded their grief and distress.

"The intense media coverage has left me second-guessing every word I say, worried about who I can trust with my thoughts and feelings," Ms Dubois told the court. "It has changed the way I interact with people."

"It is particularly revolting to experience our family's tragedy being turned into entertainment for the masses and to know that people are using our family's trauma for their own personal gain."

Mr Patterson lost his parents Don and Gail because of the meal cooked by his wife, a lunch that he too would have eaten, had he not declined the invitation at the last minute.

It was ultimately left out of the trial, but he believes Erin Patterson had been trying to kill him with tainted food for years, and had almost succeeded on several occasions.

He was about as entwined in the case as it could get. But through the legal process he spent as little time at court as possible, ensconced instead in the safety and privacy of his home.

He wasn't there for the unanimous guilty verdict, nor Monday's sentencing. And his victim impact statement a fortnight ago - all 1,034 words of it - was read by a relative.

The statement had clues as to why. He described the strain of being on constant alert for people showing "a threatening interest" in his family.

"My kids and I have suffered many days filled with strangers menacing our home… We have faced people waiting in ambush at our front door, inches away with TV camera and microphone at the ready after ringing our doorbell.

"Strangers holding notebooks have banged aggressively on our windows in the early morning trying to peek into my children's bedrooms, always skulking away before the police arrive.

"When we are at a cafe, if I suddenly say it's time to go now, the kids know we immediately leave quietly, because I've spotted someone serendipitously recording us."

It's hard enough for them to deal with the "grim reality" that they live in "an irreparably broken home... when almost everyone else knows their mother murdered their grandparents", he said.

In the small town of Korumburra though, where the Wilkinson and Patterson families are firmly rooted, the community has closed ranks around them, and remained tight-lipped during the media onslaught.

This "ongoing love" gives Mr Patterson hope that his children will thrive - "especially if the wider public persists in letting them be".

'Devastating betrayal of trust'

Justice Christopher Beale on Monday said Patterson had traumatised four generations of the Patterson and Wilkinson families and wrought indescribable sorrow on the communities that clearly adored them.

"Erin was embraced as part of the Patterson family. She was welcome and treated with genuine love and respect in a way she did not appear to experience from her own family," Beale said, reading a tranche of a statement tendered to the court.

"Her actions represent a profound and devastating betrayal of the trust and love extended to her."

Addressing the 50-year-old himself, Justice Beale said: "Not only did you cut short three lives and cause lasting damage to Ian Wilkinson's health… you inflicted untold suffering on your own children, whom you robbed of their beloved grandparents."

It would be impossible to shield them from "incessant discussion of the case in the media, online, in public spaces - even in the schoolyard", he added.

Aggravating her offending even further was the fact her crimes were extensively planned – and she was so committed to their execution that, even as authorities grilled her for information that could help save the lunch guests' lives, she refused to help them.

"You showed no pity for your victims… [and] you engaged in an elaborate cover up of your guilt."

Her continued insistence of her innocence is a further affront.

"Your failure to exhibit any remorse pours salt into all the victims' wounds," he said.

Justice Beale said he had no hesitation in categorising Patterson's actions as the worst kind of offending, but stopped just shy of imposing the harshest possible sentence, owing to the extreme isolation she faces as such a notorious prisoner.

For three counts of murder and one of attempted murder, she was given a life sentence, but will be eligible for release in 2056, when she is 82 years old.

But while Justice Beale was eviscerating of Patterson on Monday, Mr Wilkinson was his characteristically gracious self.

Outside court, he didn't spare a single word for his wife's killer.

Instead, his final words to the public were a call to action.

"Our lives and the life of our community depends on the kindness of others," he said.

"I would like to encourage everybody to be kind to each other."

He ended with another appeal for people to respect his family's privacy as they "continue to grieve and heal", and with some perhaps undeserved well wishes for the assembled media pack. "Thank you for listening. I hope you all have a great day."

It was a typically dignified, quiet exit at what the family hopes will be the end of confronting criminal proceedings – and an opportunity for some peace.

Erin Patterson now has until midnight on 6 October to appeal against her conviction or sentence.

Australian triple murderer jailed for life over toxic mushroom lunch

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c1jzr1d5xk9o, 9 days ago

An Australian woman has been jailed for life, with no chance of release for at least 33 years, for murdering three relatives and trying to kill another with a toxic mushroom meal.

The jail term, one of the longest ever handed to a female offender in Australia, means Erin Patterson, 50, will be in her 80s before she can apply for parole.

A Supreme Court judge said Patterson's crimes were the "worst category" for offending and involved an "elaborate cover-up".

Patterson killed her in-laws Don and Gail Patterson, both 70, and Gail's sister Heather Wilkinson, 66, after serving them a toxic beef Wellington at her home in Victoria in 2023.

Heather's husband Ian Wilkinson, a local pastor, survived the lunch after recovering from a coma and has ongoing health issues related to the poisoning.

Patterson's estranged husband Simon Patterson was meant to attend the lunch too but cancelled at the last minute, in part due to his belief that his wife had been trying to poison him for years.

Patterson has long maintained her innocence, saying the toxic death cap mushrooms in the dish she prepared were accidentally added and that she never intended to harm her relatives.

She will serve three consecutive life sentences for the three murders and 25 years for the attempted murder of Mr Wilkinson.

During his sentencing remarks, Justice Christopher Beale said the gravity of Patterson's crimes meant he must impose the "maximum penalty".

Prosecutors had argued that the mother-of-two should be sentenced to life in jail with no prospect of release - the harshest punishment available in Australia.

Justice Beale agreed the crimes were the worst of their kind, but said his decision to allow parole was influenced by the "harsh prison conditions" Patterson faces in jail - including 15 months spent in solitary confinement so far, and the "substantial chance" that she could face more for her safety.

The judge noted that Patterson's reputation and the high-level of media and public interest in her case meant she would likely "remain a notorious prisoner for many years to come, and, as such, remain at significant risk from other prisoners".

He further described Patterson's current jail conditions in a female maximum security prison, where she spends 22 hours a day in her cell with no contact with other inmates due to her "major offender status".

Justice Beale pointed out that the prosecution had not alleged a motive for Patterson's crimes during the nine-week murder trial, which wrapped up two months ago, and that he would not either.

"Only you know why you committed them," he said, in reference to the three murders and the attempted murder. "I will not be speculating about that matter."

The judge said Patterson "showed no pity" for her victims in the days after the lunch, as those who had eaten her toxic meal fought for their lives in hospital.

"Your failure to exhibit any remorse poured salt in all the victims' wounds," he told the court.

Outside the court, Ian Wilkinson, the sole survivor of the fatal lunch, spoke publicly for the first time about the ordeal that tore his family apart.

He thanked the police and prosecutors who worked on the case as well as the countless medical staff who treated the victims and himself in the days after the lunch.

"I would like to encourage everybody to be kind to each other," Mr Wilkinson said.

At a pre-sentence hearing a fortnight ago, Wilkinson described feeling "half-alive" after the death of his "beautiful wife" and losing his two best friends.

The high-level of scrutiny and interest in Patterson's case culminated at Monday's sentencing, with the court deciding for the first time in its history to allow a TV camera into the courtroom so that the proceedings could be broadcast live.

Previously, only in-house cameras have livestreamed sentencings.

Patterson has 28 days to lodge an appeal against her sentence, as well as the guilty verdicts for triple murder and one of attempted murder.

Mystery of dancing spiders' DNA could explain how they develop into new species

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c4gzl2zj72jo, 6 days ago

It's not just the dazzling colours and slick moves of Australia's dancing spiders that make them special.

There are more than 100 different species of the peacock spider, whereas most animals have only five or ten.

Researchers believe that's partly down to the spider's 'dark DNA' - a mysterious part of the animal's genetic code, and they are studying it to find out more.

They think that this dark DNA might enable it to adapt rapidly to changing environmental circumstances by developing into new species.

What the scientists find out, they say, might help to explain why there is so much variation in the natural world.

"We are interested in how the spiders evolve to become that diverse," Jonah Walker, of the Sanger Institute told BBC News.

"When you go outside you see so much variation in species of plants and animals," he said.

"Peacock spiders are at the extreme end of that. And so, by studying them, we can use that extreme case to try to understand what processes produce variation in general."

Peacock spiders are found across Australia and each one is the size of a pin head. It is so-named because of the brilliant colours males have on their abdomen, which they show off in a beguiling mating ritual.

They create a drumming sound with their feet, a spider song of sorts, and move rhythmically while displaying their dazzlingly patterned features. What is remarkable about these creatures is how varied they are in their appearance, songs and dance moves.

Mr Walker used to be scared of spiders, but he overcame his phobia because he was so drawn to the science behind the spiders and took the project on as part of his PhD research.

"When I told friends and family that I was going to study spiders in Australia I got some worried looks and I was obviously apprehensive myself. But just a few seconds of watching them dance was enough for any fears to be washed away."

Mr Walker worked with his group leader, Dr Joana Meier and an international team to collect each and every one of the species discovered so far.

They then painstakingly categorised precise details about each one's behaviour, movement and songs. The final piece of the jigsaw was to cross-reference all this information with the DNA of each species.

By comparing the results of each species, they hope to find out which genes are responsible for each trait and ultimately why there are so many different types of peacock spider.

The research is a work in progress but the team already has a strong scientific lead to investigate further.

"It is early days, but one of the tantalising things we have discovered is that it may not only be the genes that are responsible for the diversity, but the bits in between, the so-called 'dark DNA', that may influence how spiders evolve," says Mr Walker.

DNA consists of a long string of molecules. Some parts of them are involved in deciding specific traits. In the case of humans they can decide height or eye colour. These sections are called genes.

But the bulk of the sections of DNA are not genes, and no one really knows what they do. The Sanger researchers think that this so-called dark DNA may be responsible for peacock spiders' diversity.

They have three times more dark DNA than humans.

Some butterflies and moths also have an exceptionally large number of species. Dr Meier has already decoded the DNA of a thousand species of butterflies and moths.

But spiders, butterflies and moths are just the start of one of the most ambitious genetic projects ever undertaken. The plan is to decipher the genetic code of every single plant, animal and fungus on the planet in the next 10 years.

"Just like all plants, animals and fungus we have very similar DNA," Dr Meier told BBC News.

"By understanding the DNA of all the different organisms, we learn about the general principles of how genes work and what the function of dark DNA is, and so it also helps us find out a lot about ourselves"

Researchers have decoded the DNA of 3,000 different species so far as part of the Earth BioGenome Project.

The aim is to decode 10,000 next year and complete all 1.8 million living species in the next decade. The knowledge gained, scientists hope, will enable them to gain an unprecedented insight into how all living things evolved and the intricate interrelationships between them.

US influencer investigated over wild croc wrestling videos

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cn953l9e3gjo, 7 days ago

Australian authorities are investigating a US influencer who has sparked controversy by filming himself trapping wild crocodiles in Queensland.

Mike Holston is under fire for two videos posted for his millions of followers online - one showing him wrestling a freshwater crocodile, and another showing him manhandling a saltwater crocodile, one of the planet's deadliest creatures.

Mr Holston says he made the videos for "educational purposes", but wildlife experts say his behaviour is cruel and he's been labelled a "goose" by the state's leader.

Queensland officials say the influencer's actions, which can attract fines of up to A$37,500 (£18,300, $24,776), are "extremely dangerous and illegal".

In a video posted last week to his Instagram, Mr Holston - who goes by "The Real Tarzann" on social media - can be seen jumping into shallow water to chase a freshwater crocodile.

The animal draws blood before Mr Holston secures it, and can be heard calling out in the video.

"This is what dreams are made of," the influencer says in the footage, adding that he had wanted to come to Australia since he was a child.

A second video shows Mr Holston heading into marshland to capture a juvenile saltwater crocodile. Usually one of the world's most aggressive reptiles, the animal is largely limp as he holds it by the neck and lifts it for the camera.

In both videos, he can be seen releasing the animals back to the wild.

A spokesperson for Queensland's environment department confirmed officials were investigating the incidents, which appear to have been filmed on the Lockhart River in Cape York.

"Let us be clear: people should not attempt to capture freshwater or saltwater crocodiles in Queensland, unless they are trained and licensed to do so," the statement said.

On-the-spot fines of A$8,345 apply for anyone found to be interfering with a saltwater crocodile in Queensland, but penalties can climb to more than four times that in some cases.

The state government also introduced new legislation last year aimed at cracking down on dangerous crocodile interactions, which included making it an offence to unintentionally feed a crocodile by dumping food that attracts the reptiles to a public space.

While Mr Holston's videos have been viewed - and liked - by masses of people online, there has also been growing condemnation of his actions.

Crocodile experts have expressed concern about the saltwater crocodile pictured in particular, saying it is unusual that it wasn't thrashing about, trying to escape.

The father of the late Australian naturalist Steve Irwin has also weighed in, suggesting people like Mr Holston should be "booted out the door" if they don't respect Australia's wildlife.

Mr Irwin stressed the behaviour was far removed from the activities of his own son - who died in 2006 - aged 44.

"This isn't a Steve Irwin issue. This is about an individual illegally interfering with protected fauna," Mr Irwin said in a statement.

"Anyone who actually knows how to handle crocodiles knows they don't respond well to capture. It's a specialised skill to do it without causing dangerous stress and lactic acid build-up - and this bloke clearly had no clue."

He said social media is playing a huge role in "glorifying" harmful wildlife interactions, and called for greater penalties for such behaviour - adding the current ones are "laughable" compared to the money that can be made off it online.

"These posts can have disastrous consequences for both people and wildlife."

Mr Holston, though, has defended his actions. In a comment on the video of him handling the saltwater crocodile, he said the animal had been released "after a few up-close looks and photos".

He said he did not "encourage anyone to try to recreate" the videos.

The outrage over Mr Holston's videos comes just a few months after another US influencer was widely condemned for posting a video of her taking a baby wombat from the side of a road. She appeared to be laughing and running away from the distraught mother wombat.

Even Prime Minister Anthony Albanese waded into the discussion back in March, suggesting the woman, Sam Jones, do the same with animals that "can actually fight back".

"Take a baby crocodile from its mother and see how you go there," he said to her.

She left the country soon after anger erupted.

The sunscreen scandal shocking Australia - the world's skin cancer hotspot

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c4gzl41rpdqo, 11 days ago

Like many Australians, Rach grew up "terrified of the sun" in the country with the highest rates of skin cancer in the world.

Her childhood was characterised by the infamous "no hat, no play" rule that is commonplace in Australian schools, 90s advertisements that warned the sun would give you cancer, and sunscreen tubes that stood guard at every door in her home.

It made the now 34-year-old the kind of person who religiously applies sunscreen multiple times a day and rarely leaves the house without a hat.

So she was shocked when doctors found a skin cancer on her nose during a check last November, something they said was abnormal given her age and ray-dodging regime.

Though technically classified as a "low grade" skin cancer – a basal cell carcinoma – it had to be surgically removed, leaving the Newcastle mum with a scar just below her eye.

"I was just confused, and I was a little bit angry because I was like, 'Are you kidding me?'" Rach – who asked that her surname not be used – told the BBC. "I thought I'd done all the right stuff and it still happened to me."

That rage grew when she learned the sunscreen she had been using for years was unreliable and, according to some tests, offered next to no sun protection at all.

Independent analysis by a trusted consumer advocacy group has found that several of Australia's most popular, and expensive, sunscreens are not providing the protection they claim to, kicking off a national scandal.

There has been a massive backlash from customers, a probe launched by the country's medical watchdog, multiple products pulled from shelves, and questions raised about the regulation of sunscreen around the globe.

"It's definitely not an issue isolated to Australia," cosmetic chemist Michelle Wong told the BBC.

The reckoning

Australians have a complicated relationship with the sun: they love it, but they also fear it.

Effective public health messaging – which has drilled "Slip, Slop, Slap" into their heads – competes with a beauty culture which often idolises bronzed skin.

The country has the highest incidence of skin cancers in the world and it is estimated that two out of three Australians will have at least one cut out in their lifetime.

So when Choice Australia released its damning report in June, it immediately made waves. The group had tested 20 sunscreens in an independent accredited Australian lab, finding 16 did not meet the SPF, or skin protection factor, rating listed on the packet.

Ultra Violette's Lean Screen SPF 50+ Mattifying Zinc Skinscreen, a facial product that Rach says she used exclusively, was the "most significant failure" identified. It returned a result of SPF 4, something that shocked Choice so much it commissioned a second test that produced a similar reading.

Other products that did not meet their SPF claims included those from Neutrogena, Banana Boat, Bondi Sands and the Cancer Council - but they all rejected Choice's findings and said their own independent testing showed their sunscreens worked as advertised.

The uproar was immediate for the brands named in the report, and also prompted a swift response from the Therapeutic Goods Association (TGA), which said it would investigate the findings and "take regulatory action as required".

Ultra Violette bit back, saying they were "confident that Lean Screen is safe and effective" and detailing extensive testing of the product - which has been sold in almost 30 countries, including the UK, and retails for upwards of A$50 (£24, $33).

But less than two months later, it announced that Lean Screen would be recalled after it returned inconsistent results across eight different sets of lab testing.

"We are deeply sorry that one of our products has fallen short of the standards we pride ourselves on and that you have come to expect of us," read a statement published to the brand's Instagram account.

It added that it has "since ended the relationship with the initial testing lab".

In the past fortnight, other brands have "paused" the sale of at least four more products, none of which were included in the Choice report.

Rach knows there is no way to prove that there is a link between her diagnosis and the brand of sunscreen she relied on. She says she is not alleging there is such a connection.

But she said Ultra Violette's response to the scandal was like "a kick in the guts".

She felt that they took no real accountability for the pitfalls of their product, and was let down by their decision to continue selling it for two months despite doubts over its efficacy.

"I just had like the five stages of grief, you know?" she said. "I was angry, I was upset, I was almost in denial."

Like Rach, a horde of annoyed customers say the saga has shaken their faith in the industry.

"A refund isn't really going to reverse years of sun damage, is it?" one wrote in response to Ultra Violette's recall statement.

A spokesperson told the BBC Ultra Violette had retested all its other products and confirmed their SPF ratings.

"We were the first, and currently the only of the 16 products that failed Choice's test to not just pause sales but withdraw the product all together, prioritising safety, and giving customers access to refunds and a product voucher," they said in a statement.

The Ultra Violette spokesperson added that the brand was working with the TGA and others to make sure this moment of reckoning isn't wasted.

"We are committed to doing our part in driving this category forward."

Choice has urged the TGA to conduct further investigations into the sunscreen market, and also urged any brands who had reason to question the SPF protection listed on their products to remove them from sale immediately.

"It is clear there is a serious issue in the Australian sunscreen industry that urgently needs to be addressed," said Rosie Thomas, the director of campaigns, in a statement to the BBC.

How did this happen?

While in Europe sunscreen is classed as a cosmetic, Australia regulates it as a therapeutic good – essentially a medicine – which means it is subject to some of the most robust sunscreen regulations in the world.

And that's something many of the brands caught up in this saga trade on. So, how did this happen?

An investigation by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation found that a single US-based laboratory had certified at least half of the products that had failed Choice's testing, and that this facility routinely recorded high test results.

It also found that several of the sunscreens pulled from shelves shared a similar base formula and linked them to a manufacturer in Western Australia.

The TGA says it does not usually speak about ongoing investigations because it does not want to compromise them, but that it is also looking into "reviewing existing SPF testing requirements" which can be "highly subjective".

"The TGA is also aware that it is common practice for different sunscreen products to share the same or similar base formulations," a spokesperson said in a statement to the BBC.

"Ultimately it is the sponsor's [seller's] responsibility to ensure that their medicine remains compliant with all applicable legislative requirements."

Consistent and comfortable sunscreens which offer high protection are very technical and difficult to make, says Dr Wong, founder of Lab Muffin Beauty Science.

Everyone's skin responds differently to the product, she adds, and it's one that is almost always being stress-tested - by sweat, water, or makeup.

It is very difficult to rate effectively for the same reasons. Historically, it has been done by spreading the sunscreen on 10 people at the same thickness, then timing how long it takes for their skin to start burning both with and without the product applied.

While there are clear guidelines as to what you are looking for, Dr Wong says there is still a lot of variability. That is down to skin texture or tone, or even the colour of the walls, and "different labs get different results".

But she says results are also quite easy to fake, pointing to a 2019 probe by US authorities into a sunscreen testing laboratory which resulted in the owner being jailed for fraud.

Many sunscreen brands from all over the world use the same manufacturers and testing labs - and so this issue is unlikely to be isolated to Australia, she adds.

"Until someone goes out and tests a whole bunch of sunscreens in other countries, we just don't know the extent of it."

She says the scandal is a reminder that regulations are only as good as they are enforced.

But while it has touched a nerve for many people who are at high risk for skin cancer simply by virtue of being Australian, Dr Wong said she felt the panic triggered by the investigation was blown out of proportion.

She points to the world's largest clinical trial of sunscreen, done in the 90s, which found that the daily use of an SPF 16 sunscreen dramatically dropped skin cancer rates.

"95% of the sunscreens tested [by Choice] have high enough SPF to more than halve the incidence of skin cancer," Dr Wong said.

"Some of the SPF testing, I feel, has become a bit more of a marketing exercise than a real reflection of efficacy."

The most important thing you can do when choosing a sunscreen, she says, is actually wear enough of it – a full teaspoon at least for each part of your body, face included.

And ideally you should apply it about every two hours, especially if you have been sweating a lot or swimming.

Experts also advise that you combine the sunscreen with other safety methods, such as wearing protective clothing and seeking out shade.

Man dies after suspected shark attack in Sydney

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cy8r9p28yp7o, 11 days ago

A man has died on a Sydney beach after being bitten by a suspected "large shark", Australia's New South Wales police have said.

In a statement, the police said the man had been pulled out of the morning surf onto the shore at Long Reef Beach - but he "died at the scene".

"Two sections of a surfboard have been recovered and taken for expert examination," the statement read.

Saturday's incident has resulted in a string of closures in the popular area known as the Northern Beaches.

The state police said the emergency services received reports shortly after 10:00 local time on Saturday (00:00 GMT) that "a man had suffered critical injuries".

At a news briefing later on Saturday, the police described the victim as an experienced surfer who had been in the water with his friends.

They said he had been surfing for only about 30 minutes when he was attacked some 100m (328ft) off the shore, losing "a number of limbs".

Rod McGibbon, a duty officer from Surf Life Saving, said the victim had been brought to the beach by other surfers.

He said he expected the beaches to remain closed for between 24 and 72 hours.

The victim's name has not been publicly released.

Local police officers and experts were working together to "determine the species of shark involved", the police added.

The last deadly shark attack in the Sydney area was in 2022, when Simon Nellist - a British diving instructor - was mauled by a great white shark.

Prior to that, there had not been a fatal attack since 1963.

Australia typically records about 20 shark attacks each year, with most in New South Wales and Western Australia.

Historically, dying from a shark bite is uncommon. In over a century of records, Australia's shark attack mortality rate is 0.9 - less than one person per year.

Spanish PM calls for Israel to be barred from international sport

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c20e1m7vd2no, yesterday

Spain's Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez has called for Israel to be excluded from international sports competitions over its actions in Gaza.

"Israel cannot continue to use any international platform to whitewash its image," he told elected representatives of his Socialist Workers' Party.

He said Israel should be treated in the same way as Russia over its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

On Sunday, Israel's Foreign Minister Gideon Saar called the Spanish prime minister "a disgrace" and accused him of inciting pro-Palestinian protests in Madrid, which caused the cancellation of the final stage of the Vuelta a España cycling race, in which an Israeli team was competing.

Earlier in the day, Sánchez had said that previous protests during the three-week race had shown that Spain "shines as an example, with pride" on the Gaza issue.

Several Spanish government ministers also praised the final stage protest, which involved about 100,000 people, according to official figures.

"It's a relief to me that thousands and thousands of people mobilise against that genocide, because it is genocide and it has no other name," said Óscar López, the minister of digital transformation.

Israel has regularly denied that its actions in Gaza amount to genocide and says they are justified as a means of self-defence.

Culture Minister Ernest Urtasun also said Israel should not take part in the next Eurovision Song Contest, repeating calls made by Sánchez earlier this year.

"We have to make sure that Israel does not take part in the next Eurovision," Urtasun said.

The public broadcasters of Ireland and the Netherlands have already said they will not participate if Israel is included in the contest, because of the "appalling" and "severe" loss of lives and human suffering in Gaza.

The relationship between Israel and Spain has been fragile since late 2023, when Sánchez expressed concerns about civilian deaths in Gaza and some members of his government at the time called for diplomatic relations to be severed.

In 2024, Spain joined Norway and Ireland in acknowledging a Palestinian state and last week, Sánchez accused Israel of genocide and announced a series of measures against it, including an arms embargo.

Israel's Saar responded by accusing Sanchez's administration of being antisemitic and of using "wild and hateful rhetoric".

A recent poll by the Elcano Royal Institute think tank indicated at least 82% of Spaniards believe genocide is being committed in Gaza.

Two days after Sánchez's announcement, the European Commission President, Ursula von der Leyen, called for a suspension of free trade and bilateral support with Israel, as she spoke of the "man-made famine" in Gaza.

Von der Leyen also lamented what she called Europe's "painful" inability to find an adequate response to Israel's actions.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has repeatedly denied starvation is taking place in Gaza and has said that where there is hunger, it is the fault of aid agencies and Hamas.

Israel has accused international aid agencies like the UN of not picking up aid waiting at Gaza's border, pointing to the hundreds of trucks sitting idle.

In August, the UN-backed food monitor, the IPC, confirmed that famine was taking place in parts of Gaza. Israel is accused of causing the famine through ongoing restrictions on food and medical aid entering the territory.

Israel controls all border crossings into the Gaza Strip, and as the occupying power bears responsibility for protecting civilian life under international law, which includes the prevention of starvation.

Israel launched its war in Gaza in response to the Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on 7 October 2023, in which about 1,200 people were killed and 251 others were taken hostage.

At least 64,871 people have been killed in Israeli attacks in Gaza since then, according to the territory's Hamas-run health ministry.

Conor McGregor ends bid to be Irish president

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cly9rnv54jno, yesterday

Mixed martial arts fighter Conor McGregor has said he is no longer seeking to run in next month's Irish presidential election.

His announcement on Monday came hours before he was due to address meetings of Dublin City Council and Kildare County Council, where he was seeking to secure the nominations needed for his name to be on the ballot.

In a post on social media, McGregor said the decision to withdraw his name had come "following careful reflection, and after consulting with my family".

Ireland will head to the polls on 24 October, with three candidates so far having secured the backing needed from Irish lawmakers or local authorities to stand in the race.

Neo-Nazi Golden Dawn leader released from prison early

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c80gy4k9r10o, 4 days ago

Nikos Michaloliakos, the leader of the Greek neo-Nazi party Golden Dawn, has been released from prison less than halfway into his sentence.

The far-right politician and Holocaust denier was allowed by a judicial council to serve the remainder of his 13-year sentence in the confines of his home on health grounds on Friday, state media reports.

The 67-year-old's conditional release after five years in prison has angered left-wing parties, which argued the judiciary should not have shown clemency.

It is the second time Michaloliakos has been allowed out following his 2020 conviction over a litany of violent attacks on immigrants and political opponents perpetrated by Golden Dawn supporters.

He was briefly released in May 2024, news agency AFP reports, before judicial officials found he had not shown adequately good behaviour and forced him to return to prison.

Michaloliakos founded and presided over a party which was found to be a criminal organisation tied to the murder of an anti-fascist musician, as well as the attempted murder of Egyptian fishermen and communist activists.

It came third in Greece's 2012 elections on an anti-immigrant, nationalist vote fuelled by economic hardship due to the country's financial crisis.

Michaloliakos himself has been an admirer of Nazism and gave the Hitler salute at party rallies. While Golden Dawn officially denied being a neo-Nazi movement, it adopted Nazi-influenced iconography.

He and its former MPs were found guilty of running or belonging to the criminal group.

Greece's New Left party said in a statement to state media that Michaloliakos's release was "a serious blow to the collective memory and the struggle for democracy and justice", adding that the justice system "cannot send a message of impunity to those who embodied hatred and fascism".

The nation's communist party KKE said the decision should be overturned, adding Golden Dawn's "crimes are not time-limited in the consciousness of the people and the youth".

Madeleine McCann suspect refuses Met Police interview

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cr5qd18y8j5o, 2 days ago

The prime suspect in the high-profile case of Madeleine McCann's disappearance has declined to be interviewed by the Metropolitan Police, the force has said.

The Met said an international letter of request was sent to Christian Brückner, ahead of his imminent release for a separate offence, which he later rejected.

German national Brückner, 48, has never been charged with any crime in relation to the McCann case and denies any involvement.

Madeleine vanished in the Portuguese resort of Praia da Luz in 2007. She and her siblings had been left sleeping in a holiday apartment while her parents, Kate and Gerry, went for dinner at a nearby restaurant.

They had checked in on the children periodically until Kate discovered Madeleine was missing at around 22:00.

Brückner is currently serving a seven-year prison sentence in Germany for the rape of a 72-year-old woman at her home in Praia da Luz in 2005.

German authorities have said he will be released by Wednesday.

Det Ch Insp Mark Cranwell said Brückner remains a suspect in the Met Police's own investigation into Madeleine's disappearance. He has been the prime suspect in the German and Portuguese investigations since 2020 and 2022, respectively.

"We have requested an interview with this German suspect but, for legal reasons, this can only be done via an International Letter of Request which has been submitted," Det Ch Insp Cranwell said.

"It was subsequently refused by the suspect. In the absence of an interview, we will nevertheless continue to pursue any viable lines of inquiry.

"We can provide no further information while the investigation is ongoing."

Madeleine's disappearance has become one of the highest-profile unsolved missing person cases in the world.

German prosecutors have pointed to evidence - including mobile phone data - indicating Brückner may have been in the area when she vanished, and have consistently insisted that they think he is responsible.

However, they have not found strong enough evidence to bring charges.

Brückner, who spent many years in the Algarve, was a drifter, a petty criminal and a convicted sex offender. He has several previous convictions, including for sexually abusing children in 1994 and 2016.

Portuguese and German police conducted a fresh search between where the McCanns had been staying and addresses linked to Brückner in June this year, but this yielded no breakthroughs.

In 2023, investigators carried out searches near the Barragem do Arade reservoir, about 30 miles from Praia da Luz.

Brückner spent time in the Praia da Luz area between 2000 and 2017 and had photographs and videos of himself near the reservoir.

In October last year, Brückner was cleared of unrelated sexual offences by a German court, alleged to have taken place in Portugal between 2000 and 2017.

Due to differences in legal systems, German authorities suspect Brückner of murder in relation to Madeleine McCann, while British police continue to treat her disappearance as a missing persons case.

The funding given to the Met's investigation, Operation Grange, has totalled more than £13.2m since 2011. A further £108,000 was secured from the government in April.

Defiant nuns flee care home for their abandoned convent in the Alps

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c5y8r2gk0vyo, 4 days ago

Three Austrian nuns in their 80s have run away from the retirement home where they were placed and gone back to their former convent.

Sister Bernadette, 88, Sister Regina, 86, and Sister Rita, 82, are the last three nuns at the Kloster Goldenstein convent in Elsbethen, just outside Salzburg.

They regained access with the help of former students and a locksmith.

Church authorities are not happy - but the nuns are.

"I am so pleased to be home," Sister Rita said. "I was always homesick at the care home. I am so happy and thankful to be back."

The trio say they were taken out of the convent against their will in December 2023.

"We weren't asked," Sister Bernadette said. "We had the right to stay here until the end of our lives and that was broken."

The three nuns have spent much of their lives at Schloss Goldenstein, a castle which has been a convent and a private girls' school since 1877. The school, which started accepting boys in 2017, is still functioning.

Sister Bernadette attended the school herself, arriving as a teenager in 1948. One of her fellow students was the Austrian film actress Romy Schneider.

Sister Regina arrived at the convent in 1958, and Sister Rita four years later.

All three went on to work at the school as teachers for many years. Sister Regina was headmistress.

But the numbers of nuns dwindled.

In 2022, the building was taken over by the Archdiocese of Salzburg and the Reichersberg Abbey, an Augustinian monastery. Provost Markus Grasl from the abbey became the nuns' superior.

The community was officially dissolved at the beginning of 2024, and the remaining nuns were granted lifelong right of residence, as long as their health and mental capacity allowed.

In December 2023, the decision was made to transfer them to a Catholic care home, where they were unhappy.

At the beginning of September, Sister Bernadette, Sister Rita and Sister Regina moved back, helped by a group of former students.

"I have been obedient all my life, but it was too much," Sister Bernadette said.

They packed up a few belongings and came back to the convent. The locks to their former apartments had been changed so a locksmith was called.

When they first arrived, there was no electricity or water.

In a statement, Provost Grasl said the nuns' decision to return to the convent was "completely incomprehensible" and "an escalation".

"The rooms in the convent are no longer usable and in no way meet the requirements for proper care," he said.

He said the nuns' "precarious health conditions" meant "that independent living at Goldenstein Convent was no longer possible".

Grasl said the old people's home had provided them with "absolutely essential, professional, and good medical care".

Many of the nuns' wishes about the future of the convent had been taken into account, he added, including the continuation of the school.

The three nuns are settling back in to their former home.

Electricity and water connections have now been partially restored, supporters are bringing food and groceries, and they have been seen by doctors.

There is a steady stream of visitors, many of whom are their former students.

One of them, Sophie Tauscher, said the nuns belong at the convent. "Goldenstein without the nuns is just not possible."

"When they need us, they just have to call us and we will be there, for sure. The nuns here changed so many lives in such a good way."

Alisha, another student said the nuns always recognised old pupils.

Videos of the nuns have been posted on Instagram, at prayer, at Mass, at lunch and climbing down the steep staircase.

They say their old stairlift was ripped out after they were taken away.

The nuns say they are determined to stay.

"Before I die in that old people's home, I would rather go to a meadow and enter eternity that way," said Sister Bernadette.

What the NHS can learn from the European country that helped more people survive cancer

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c701kw519lpo, 5 days ago

"It was really bad – we had patients dying on the waiting lists – politicians were getting desperate."

Jesper Fisker, chief executive of the Danish Cancer Society, is looking back 25 years - to the moment Denmark decided to transform its approach to treating cancer.

At that point, he says, the country did not have a strong record.

"It was a disaster. We saw Danish patients out of their own pocket paying for tickets to China to get all sorts of treatments – endangering their health."

Some went to private hospitals in Germany that offered new treatments unavailable in Denmark.

Back then, Denmark's record on cancer was low compared to other rich countries. But so was the UK's.

From 1995 to 1999, Denmark's five-year survival rate for rectal cancer was essentially tied with the UK's, on around 48%, according to the International Cancer Benchmarking Partnership, a research body. It put both nations well below countries like Australia, which had a 59% rate.

Now, thanks to a bold plan, Denmark's performance on cancer has jumped ahead.

By 2014, its five-year survival rate for rectal cancer had risen to 69%, close to Australia's. (The UK's rose too, but only to 62%.)

Analysts think the trend has probably continued (though these are the most up-to-date figures available). And it's a similar story for other cancers, including colon, stomach, and lung.

This success story has caught the attention of UK policymakers. Health Secretary Wes Streeting says that aspects of the Danish model are feeding into government plans.

Some could well be included in a new long-term cancer plan for England, due to be published in the autumn.

So, what's their secret, and what can the NHS learn from Denmark?

Big investments and thoughtful touches

Walking today into Herlev Hospital on the outskirts of Copenhagen makes for a different experience to arriving at an average NHS hospital.

The foyer is hung with bright, vivid paintings by the Danish artist Poul Gernes. There are 65 in all.

The philosophy is that endless white walls can unnerve patients, while colour can be a pleasant distraction from their problems.

It is a sign of the attention Denmark has paid to even the atmosphere of hospitals - small, thoughtful touches, alongside investment in more traditional equipment.

Dr Michael Andersen, a consultant radiologist and associate professor at the hospital, shows off a high-tech scanner, only the fourth of its kind used by any hospital around the world.

Buying hospital equipment like this - particularly scanners - has also been central to Denmark's cancer strategy.

"In 2008 the government made the decision to make a heavy investment into scanner systems," Dr Andersen explains. "They purchased between 30 and 60 - they're an integral part of the way we work."

Particularly important for cancer are CT scanners, which look deep inside a person's body. Denmark now has about 30 of them per million people - the average of other rich countries stands at 25.9.

The UK, meanwhile, lags way behind with just 8.8 scanners per million people, according to the 2021 figures.

The investment in cancer equipment, according to experts, led to a huge expansion in diagnostic capacity in Denmark. Unless funding to meet increasing patient demand is made, they argue, England could continue to lag behind on the quality of care.

This all comes despite the fact that Denmark's health spending hasn't seen a huge boost.

Calculated by spending per head of the population, Denmark is ahead; but as a share of national income, its health spending is similar to, and in fact slightly below that of the UK's.

Denmark's bold plan

This is just one part of a bold plan drawn up by Danish health leaders.

Along with introducing new equipment, and rethinking the atmosphere of hospitals, they made it possible for patients to be treated with chemotherapy at home. New national standards also govern how quickly Danes must be treated.

Following a referral, a cancer diagnosis has to be given within two weeks. Then, if treatment is required, it has to start within the two weeks of diagnosis.

If these targets are not met patients have the right to transfer to another hospital - or, failing that, another country - whilst still being funded by the Danish health system.

This is a contrast to the UK nations, where the target is for patients to start treatment within around nine weeks (officially, 62 days) of an urgent cancer referral.

Michelle Mitchell, chief executive of Cancer Research UK, believes that there is a lack of accountability in the English health system specifically, with too many NHS organisations. Addressing this, she says, should improve the quality of cancer care.

"That means clarity over who in the government and NHS is responsible for delivering each part of the plan.

"Ultimately, responsibility for the success or failure of the plan should rest with the health and social care secretary."

She points out that there are similarities between England and Denmark's state-run health systems - for example, the roughly similar amount they spend on health as a share of national income, meaning Denmark's example could be followed in England.

But this would require a long-term plan, political leadership, higher investment, more cancer screening, and stronger targets. Which is no easy feat.

Going beyond just 'treating' cancer

Elisabeth Ketelsen, who is 82, is an active person, still swimming in international events - she has broken world records for her age group. But in 2022, she discovered a lump in her breast.

"I saw the doctor on Monday – on the following Thursday I had mammography and a biopsy and from then on it went so quickly my head was spinning, almost."

Just three weeks after the diagnosis Elisabeth, who is from Denmark, had surgery. Radiotherapy started two weeks later.

Last year, the cancer reappeared in her spine and she was immediately prescribed chemotherapy pills and hormone treatment. The cancer stabilised and she has come off chemotherapy.

She has since returned to the swimming pool, competing at an event in Singapore.

"The system works," she tells me.

Not all Danish patients are as complimentary, of course, but Danish health officials say their targets for rapid cancer diagnosis are being met for about 80% of their patients.

This all comes down to the idea that Danish authorities are not just trying to treat cancer; they're also keen to improve the experience of patients.

Counselling houses, where therapy and companionship are offered to patients, have opened up across the country. These are funded largely by the voluntary sector with a small amount of state funding. (These follow a similar model as the Maggie's cancer support charity in the UK.)

Mette Engel, who runs a counselling centre in Copenhagen, tells me mental health is very important in Denmark's cancer plan.

"We see ourselves as a national part of this support system."

Benefits of chemotherapy at home

Denmark's move to start treating more cancer patients away from hospitals is also part of this wider shift of Danish healthcare from hospitals into communities.

Michael Ziegler, mayor of Høje-Taastrup Municipality near Copenhagen, was diagnosed with leukaemia in 2022. After a stem cell transplant, he was back at work within seven months.

Ziegler had chemotherapy in his own home, using what's known as a chemo pump.

"I could have some quality of life, being able to do things at home I wanted to do instead of being stuck in a hospital room," he says.

"I also think at hospitals there is always at risk of getting infections. The chemo has the effect of reducing my immune system to a very low level so I am vulnerable to infections."

There haven't yet been any major studies and so hard data is limited, but it's thought by some that at-home chemo could potentially boost survival chances by lowering the risk of a patient catching an infection while in hospital.

His cancer has since returned and he will be restarting treatment, including more chemotherapy and a new stem cell transplant.

He says he is "feeling optimistic".

A blueprint for the NHS?

The Danish health system has certain parallels with the NHS - not least as both are mainly funded by taxpayers.

The two nations also face similar challenges when considering the overall health of the population. Alcohol consumption is similar in both nations, though obesity levels in Denmark are lower and smoking rates are higher. (One Danish health leader told me that they were envious of UK initiatives on smoking, with the minimum age for tobacco sales rising each year.)

However, there are certain challenges specific to the UK: the population of England, for example, is nearly 10 times larger than Denmark's population. And the NHS is a complex organisation.

Still, ministers have made no secret of their interest in the Danish system, with an official visit earlier this year.

Wes Streeting, the UK Health Secretary, says: "Denmark's healthcare system is known the world over for its excellence, having transformed outcomes through its cancer plans, and Health Minister Karin Smyth's trip to the country earlier this year offered us vital insights up close."

Mr Streeting says these insights have "fed into" government health plans to "speed up cancer diagnoses and deliver cutting edge treatments to the NHS front line quicker".

Michelle Mitchell of Cancer Research UK agrees that Denmark offers a useful template. "They are diagnosing cancer earlier, people are surviving longer, more people are taking up screening – all of those factors as well as investment in workforce and kit are critical components of a cancer plan."

She argues that British health ministers could move towards Danish-style national waiting time targets rather than the UK's current system of "benchmarks", which are weaker and haven't been met since 2015.

'This is unfinished business'

The greater challenge for the NHS though, is that there are so many other problems - crowded A&E departments, overstretched staff and, as one analyst put it, "multiple fires burning" - meaning that it can be difficult to persuade health leaders to focus on cancer survival.

Ruth Thorlby, assistant director of policy at The Health Foundation think tank, says that policymakers in London and Copenhagen both realised at the same time, in the 1990s, that cancer needed urgent attention and urgent plans were drawn up.

But whilst Danish policymakers saw policies through, she argues that in the UK the momentum "dissipated", as other priorities and short-term problems emerged.

"This is unfinished business - over the last decade there has been a move away from cancer plans," she says.

At the heart of Denmark's success was a sense of political consensus. From the 1990s onwards, figures from all major parties agreed that cancer should be a priority. This is a level of agreement the UK has not managed to reach, she says.

Mr Fisker of the Danish Cancer Society argues that the usual cut-and-thrust of party politics needs to be set aside. "Politicians must promise each other there is going to be a long, lasting partnership. And health leaders need to operate on a 10-, 15-, 20-year basis," he says - longer than the life of any one government or party.

But does he think that's possible in the UK? After all, Westminster is not known for much long-term, cross-party thinking.

"If you are really decisive, if you really want to do this and are committed to it over a period of time, and you are also ready to invest then I think it can be done," he says.

With a pause, he adds: "Nothing comes without investment."

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This 'tough guy' president says he's tackling corruption. Rivals say he's silencing opposition

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/ckgqzk31qyzo, 7 days ago

For 13 terrifying seconds on 23 April this year, Turkey's largest city was shaken by a 6.2 magnitude earthquake. It was so strong that 151 people leapt from buildings in Istanbul in panic causing injuries, but no deaths.

But the Mayor, Ekrem Imamoglu, could not lift a finger to help the city he was first elected to run in 2019.

He was behind bars in a high-security prison complex in the district of Silivri, on the western edge of the city – ironically close to the epicentre.

Imamoglu is accused of a raft of corruption charges, which he strongly denies – "Kafkaesque charges" in his words.

Supporters say his only crime is being the greatest threat to Turkey's leader Recep Tayyip Erdogan, in presidential elections due by 2028.

Many of his fellow prisoners in Marmara jail - on the day of the earthquake - had also fallen foul of President Erdogan during his 22 years in power, some of them as peaceful protesters.

The jail is still widely known by its former name of Silivri. It is widely understood here that those who oppose him can wind up languishing in Silivri jail. Hence the household phrase: 'Silivri is cold now."

Critics say that after Erdogan's early years as a Western-facing reformer, he has become a latter-day Sultan, dismantling human rights, cracking down on dissent and weaponising the courts.

The jailed mayor, leaders of his Republican People's Party (CHP), veteran lawyers, and student protesters are all appearing in the dock this month in separate cases.

"Erdogan has taken a huge step towards turning Turkey into a Russia-style autocracy," argues Gonul Tol, a senior fellow at the Middle East Institute (MEI) in Washington, who is from Turkey and now lives in the US.

"What he has in mind is a Turkey where the ballot box has no meaning… where he hand-picks his opponents."

In all, more than 500 people linked to the CHP have been arrested since last October.

Prosecutors accuse the mayor and his associates of taking bribes, rigging tenders, extortion, and having links to terrorism.

But the CHP - which is centrist and secular - argues that the detentions are politically motivated and aimed at silencing the opposition. The party denies the charges.

Some are asking why, as Turkish democracy comes under fire in full view, has the international community said little and done even less? Could it be that Erdogan has fingers in too many pies - including Russia, Ukraine, Syria, and Nato - for European leaders to want to pick a fight?

And is US President Donald Trump's willingness to look the other way on human rights giving Erdogan a freer hand?

'Overstepping the boundaries of justice'

Moments before his arrest in March, with hundreds of police on his doorstep, Mayor Imamoglu calmly carried on knotting his tie, while making a social media video for his supporters.

"We are facing great tyranny," he said, "but… I will not be discouraged."

He was composed and defiant - and "a mortal threat to Erdogan", according to Soner Cagaptay, director of the Turkish research programme at the Washington Institute in the US.

"He's charismatic, he's relatable, he's conservative like Erdogan, but also secular. He ticks so many boxes."

But he can tick far fewer in jail.

His arrest came just as the CHP – Turkey's largest opposition party - was poised to nominate him as their candidate for the presidency. (They did it anyway, after he was detained.)

Locking up Imamoglu sparked the biggest anti-government protests in more than a decade. It was mostly the young who surged onto the streets, members of Generation Erdogan who have known no other leader.

"It has reached the breaking point for most people," said one 21-year-old in Istanbul. "They have overstepped the boundaries of justice."

Another said this was "a direct attack on our democracy".

The government banned the demonstrations – which were largely peaceful - but could not stop them.

The turmoil in Istanbul played out in the shadow of a Roman aqueduct. Erdogan's legions of riot police took up positions under the arches, armed with batons, tear gas and rubber bullets.

One photo made front pages around the world: a lone protester dressed as a whirling dervish - in traditional costume plus gas mask – being pepper-sprayed by the police.

Hours after it was taken, the photographer, Yasin Akgul of the AFP news agency, was detained at home, his hands still stinging from tear gas. Several other leading photojournalists were also arrested.

Some 2,000 people were rounded up after the protests – many in pre-dawn raids. More than 800 of them were charged with taking part in "unauthorised demonstrations".

These days, getting arrested is "the easiest thing", according to Gonul Tol. "You just have to like a tweet or a Facebook post criticising Erdogan."

Student protester Esila Ayia, 22, was detained after holding up a poster calling the Turkish leader a dictator. (Insulting the president is a crime in Turkey.) If convicted, she could get four years in jail.

The arrests keep coming

Many Turks are feeling the chill, according to Berk Esen, associate professor of political science at Istanbul's Sabanci University, which has a liberal reputation. He claims there is "rampant pressure and oppression" of opposition figures in politics, civil society, academia and the media.

But he adds that Turkey is "not yet a fully fledged authoritarian regime… there is still some room for dissent".

Yet the arrests keep coming. More than 100 CHP members remain behind bars.

The president claims the CHP is "mired in corruption" with a network like "an octopus whose arms stretch to other parts of Turkey and abroad".

But Emma Sinclair-Webb of the campaign group Human Rights Watch sees a different octopus - the government itself.

It has "many, many, many, tentacles that go everywhere", she says. "There is a clear-sighted attempt by the government to go after critics and to go after the opposition.

"There is a complete loss of trust in the justice system. It's perceived more and more as highly politicised, and detention is being used to muzzle critics."

Members of the judiciary, prosecutors and judges themselves are "all the time looking up for instructions from above", she says.

The government says the judiciary is independent and impartial.

'He's a tough guy - very smart'

As Istanbul's mayor remains behind bars in Silivri, the international community remains focused elsewhere - chiefly on Israel's war in Gaza, and Russia's war in Ukraine.

The latter gives President Erdogan an edge, according to analysts.

He enjoys relatively good relations with Vladimir Putin, and Volodymyr Zelensky as well as Trump.

"I can't think of many other leaders who are in this position," says Berk Esen of Sabanci University. "I think in the international arena he likes to present himself as a dealmaker, in the room, shaking hands."

President Erdogan has had some success – for instance, helping to broker an agreement for Ukraine to resume grain exports through the Black Sea in July 2022, after they were halted by Russia's invasion five months earlier. And this year he hosted negotiators from Kyiv and Moscow for their first face-to-face talks since 2022.

"Everyone is praising his role in Russia and Ukraine," says Dr Tol. "Western leaders are looking to him to build European defence. And Trump doesn't care [what Erdogan does domestically], so he understands he can get away with it. "

She says Trump's return to the White House "has created an international context where regional autocrats feel empowered".

Dr Cagaptay, of the Washington Institute, says Erdogan has a freer hand because Trump has turned inwards, and the two leaders have "a special chemistry, going back to Trump's first term in office".

"I happen to like him, and he likes me," Trump has said of Erdogan. "He's a tough guy and he's very smart."

Erdogan is also well-placed geopolitically. Turkey's land mass lies partly in Asia, and partly in Europe, a bridge between two continents.

He holds plenty of other cards too - not least his leverage in neighbouring Syria. He backed the winning side there, supporting the Islamist rebels who overthrew President Bashar al-Assad in December.

He also leads the only Muslim nation in Nato, with the second largest army in the alliance, and a population of 85.6 million people. What happens here matters, for East and West.

"What Turkey is doing under Erdogan is leveraging its multiple identities very successfully," says Dr Cagaptay. "With the EU, I think Turkey is playing a middle power game very well…. whether it's about stabilising Syria or stabilising Ukraine after a ceasefire."

The sanctity of the ballot

Erdogan may be empowered - and enabled - but there is a limit, according to some analysts.

What he won't do is cancel the next presidential elections, according to Onur Isci, professor of history and international affairs at Kadir Has University in Istanbul.

"Historically the Turkish people have been acutely sensitive about the sanctity of the ballot and attempts to curtail it would provoke serious consequences," he says.

Turkish elections are generally free on the day, though far from fair beforehand.

The playing field is not level. Most mainstream media outlets are pro-government. Those that are not, come under strong pressure from the authorities.

During the last election in 2023, Erdogan hung on to power narrowly, winning 52.18% of the vote against the opposition candidate, Kemal Kilicdaroglu.

Recent polls have suggested he could be beaten next time by Imamoglu. But the mayor remains behind bars, facing several different trials, and the opposition will probably be forced to choose a different candidate.

As a two-term president, Erdogan, 71, is barred from running again, but he can solve that problem by calling early elections or bringing in a new constitution.

"I have no interest in being re-elected or running for office again," he said in May.

Mr Esen thinks otherwise. "He will run for the presidency as long as he is alive."

As the longest-serving leader in modern Turkey, he has a loyal base who want him to. Many conservative voters are grateful for the development brought by his Justice and Development Party (AKP) and for his promotion of Islam, in this secular republic.

Plenty of devotion was visible at a rally of the president's supporters before the last election.

One supporter, Ayse Ozdogan, had gone there early to hear her leader's every word, a crutch by her side.

"Erdoğan is everything to me," she said, with a broad smile. "We couldn't get to hospitals before, now we have transportation. He has improved roads. He has built mosques."

But what of his impact on Turkish democracy?

"It's hugely eroded but not dead," according to Ms Sinclair-Webb. "There is a very vibrant democracy, wedded to democratic principles and to elections."

The opposition too is very robust, she says.

Soner Cagaptay cites the example of a doner kebab seller, slicing meat on a spit.

"To me, that's like Turkish democracy under Erdogan. He's taken really thin slices over the past 20 years, and there's very little meat left."

But he says there is a lesson to take from the Erdogan era: "It takes a long time to kill a democracy."

We contacted the president's communication office for an official response but did not receive one.

In a report to the United Nations Human Rights Council, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs here said that Turkey has "stood firm to protect and promote human rights... and has continued its efforts at further compliance with international standards in law."

The report adds that they country "spares no effort to create favourable conditions for civil society, including human rights defenders".

That may ring hollow in the cells in Silivri.

Irish TD to remain party member after Obama 'blackface' apology

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cjw7qy8544jo, today

An under-fire member of the Irish parliament who has apologised for being pictured in blackface when dressed up as US President Barack Obama will remain a Social Democrats member, the party's leader has said.

Eoin Hayes said he was "profoundly sorry" for the "completely inappropriate" costume, which he wore while president of University College Cork's Students' Union 16 years ago.

The Dublin Bay South member issued the statement on Monday, after being told pictures would be published in the media.

Social Democrats leader Holly Cairns said if the incident happened "last week or even last year, he would no longer be a Social Democrats TD (Irish parliamentary member)".

It's the second time Hayes has been involved in scandal since his election last November.

He was suspended by the party for almost eight months after giving incorrect information to the media about the sale of shares in his former employer Palantir Technologies, which has ties to both the US military and Israel.

He sat as an independent until he was readmitted in July.

Barack Obama costume 'a huge mistake'

The latest controversy comes as the Irish Daily Mail published photographs of Hayes in blackface - a practice which is often considered highly offensive and racist - at an event in 2009.

Hayes said he wore brown make-up on his face and hands while dressing up as someone he "greatly admired". He also said he later worked on Obama's re-election campaign in 2012.

"While I didn't have an understanding of how hurtful it was at the time, I came to recognise that in the intervening years and I am so profoundly sorry," he added.

"What I did was completely inappropriate and a huge mistake."

Hayes said he condemns racism in "all its forms" and takes full responsibility for his actions.

Speaking on Tuesday, Cairns said there was "no way to sugarcoat" what happened.

"I'm hugely disappointed and annoyed about this situation on my first day back," she told RTÉ's Morning Ireland radio programme, referring to her recent return from maternity leave.

"There are so many issues that me and the party would prefer to be focusing on, instead, we're talking about this."

Cairns said that blackface is a form of racism, "and in the Social Democrats, we abhor all kinds of racism".

She added that she found out about the incident from the media and not from Hayes.

The party leader said she was glad he has now taken full responsibility.

"He said that he didn't understand how objectionable and hurtful it was at the time but that he should have known better and he's issued an unreserved apology to that effect," she added.

Cairns said that if the incident happened more recently, Hayes would not be a party TD.

"The fact that this happened 16 years ago is a very different situation," she said.

"And like Eoin said himself, it is indefensible, it is wrong.

"He didn't understand how wrong it was at the time, and he knows that he should have known better and has issued that unreserved apology."

The priority for her party, Cairns added, is to make sure everyone feels welcome.

'Tinder Swindler' con artist arrested in Georgia

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cn95jjn1q40o, today

A convicted con artist who was the subject of a popular 2022 Netflix documentary, The Tinder Swindler, has been arrested in Georgia, local officials said.

Israeli Simon Leviev was taken into custody at Interpol's request after arriving at Batumi airport in the country's south-west, Georgia's interior ministry said on Monday.

Leviev, 34, gained notoriety after an investigative documentary uncovered a string of romance fraud and financial crimes, involving an estimated $10m (£7.4m).

He allegedly posed as the wealthy heir of a diamond mogul on dating app Tinder and swindled women into lending him large sums of money, which he never repaid. Leviev previously denied the allegations.

Authorities did not immediately provide details of the reason for the arrest of Leviev, whose real name is Shimon Yehuda Hayut.

In 2019, Leviev was convicted of four charges of fraud in a separate case and sentenced to 15 months in prison, but he was released after serving only five months.

According to Israel's Ynet website, his lawyer told reporters Leviev had been "traveling freely around the world".

"I spoke with him this morning after he was detained, but we don't yet understand the reason," they said after his arrest in Georgia.

Between 2017 and 2019, Leviev's catfishing scheme - creating a false online persona - involved luring women into romantic relationships with an extravagant lifestyle of private jets and luxury holidays.

His victims shared their stories in the documentary series, saying they were courted by Leviev with glamorous gifts and getaways to gain their trust.

They said Leviev would later pretend he was being pursued by his "enemies" and ask them to transfer him significant sums of money, before breaking off all contact.

Cecilie Fjellhøy, one of the women featured in the Netflix series, said she gave Leviev more than $270,000 over the course of their relationship.

Last year, another woman Iren Tranov, filed a lawsuit against Leviev in Israel for 414,000 shekels (£91,000), saying she lent him more than 144,000 shekels (£31,000) which he never repaid.

Leviev previously told BBC Newsbeat he strongly denied the accusations made against him in the documentary.

Speaking to the BBC in 2023, Kate Konlin, a former girlfriend of Leviev's, also accused him of emotional and physical abuse while they were together.

During an argument, Ms Konlin said he pushed her and she cut her foot on a step with a rough edge.

"I was bleeding. I felt dead. I wanted to kill myself," she said.

After going to hospital, she filed a complaint against Leviev with the police.

Leviev later rejected the accusations and said he had never physically harmed any woman.

The Tinder Swindler became Netflix's most-watched documentary in 90 countries when it was released in February 2022.

UK jets to defend Polish skies after Russian drone incursion

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c80gk57x9rpo, yesterday

Fighter jets from the UK will join Nato allies in defending Polish airspace after last week's incursion of Russian drones, the defence secretary has confirmed.

RAF Typhoon jets will fly air defence missions over Poland as part of the military alliance's mission to bolster the eastern flank.

Other allies including Denmark, Germany and France are already taking part - a jet from the latter was scrambled earlier on Monday in response to another potential incursion by Russian drones. Nato said that alert was quickly over.

Tensions have risen across Europe since Poland accused Russia of the incident, which saw 19 drones enter its territory. Moscow has insisted the incident was not deliberate.

The Typhoons will still operate out of RAF Coningsby in Lincolnshire and are expected to start flying missions in the coming days, supported by RAF Voyager air-to-air refuelling aircraft. They will join Danish F-16s, French Rafales and German Eurofighters.

Defence Secretary John Healey said: "The message to Moscow is clear. Putin tested Nato, Nato responded with unity, and the UK will play our full part. When we are threatened, we respond together."

He also described Russia's actions as "reckless, dangerous, and unprecedented".

Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said Typhoons joining the mission - named Eastern Sentry - was "vital in deterring aggression, securing NATO airspace, and protecting our national security and that of our allies".

Healey said Russia was testing Nato's air defences, while Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said it was "the closest we have been to open conflict since World War Two".

In a separate incident on Sunday, Romania - also a Nato member - said a Russian drone had breached its airspace.

Romanian fighter jets were in the air monitoring a Russian attack in Ukraine on Saturday and were able to track the drone near Ukraine's southern border, the defence ministry said.

The drone later disappeared from the radar and did not pose imminent danger, the ministry added.

Initial indications suggest the drones fired into Polish airspace last week were Gerbera 'decoy' drones rather than armed ones. There were no casualties.

The incident led Poland to invoke Nato's Article 4, which allows member countries to bring any issues of concern - especially related to security - to the North Atlantic Council, the alliance's main political decision-making body.

Soon after those talks on 10 September, Nato confirmed it would boost defences on its eastern flank.

On other occasions over the past 18 months, the RAF has deployed Typhoons to both Poland and Romania to protect Nato airspace, according to the Ministry of Defence.

Eurovision has never been about politics, says BBC boss Tim Davie

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cp8jd108e3qo, yesterday

BBC director general Tim Davie has said the corporation is "aware of the concerns" around Israel taking part in next year's Eurovision, adding that the song contest has "never been about politics".

Speaking on Monday in front of parliament's public accounts committee, Davie said the BBC would "work with" Eurovision organisers, the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), on the issue.

"Eurovision has never been about politics, it should be a celebration of music and culture that brings people together," he added. "We need to see what the broadcast union decides."

Fellow broadcasters from Ireland, the Netherlands, Slovenia, Iceland and now Spain have all threatened to boycott the event if Israel is allowed to take part over the country's actions in Gaza.

"We're very aware of the concerns," the BBC boss, who is also on the executive board of the EBU, told the committee. "It's obviously a well-debated topic and difficult.

"At this stage we are supportive of the European Broadcast Union's work. They are going around discussing with members, working through all the processes by which they would be satisfied to make a decision one way or the other."

He added that it was "really important that we try to preserve" the celebratory element of the contest.

"But at this stage, I'm supporting the European Broadcasting Union's work, and they need to get on with it."

The EBU will make a final decision at a meeting in December.

On Friday, leaders of the Green parties of England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland urged a potential UK boycott in a joint letter to Davie.

Earlier this year, more than 70 former Eurovision contestants signed a letter calling on the organisers to ban Israel from the 2025 competition in Basel, which Austrian singer JJ won after a nail-biting finish that saw him topple Israel from pole position at the very last minute.

As a result, next summer's event will be held in the Austrian capital of Vienna.

Spain's culture minister Ernest Urtasun has now said Israel should not take part, repeating calls made by the country's prime minister, Pedro Sánchez, earlier this year.

Israel's foreign minister Gideon Saar responded by accusing Sanchez's administration of being antisemitic and of using "wild and hateful rhetoric".

There have been reports that Germany and Italy have concerns if Israel is expelled without clear legal grounds, and that Germany has publicly supported Israeli broadcaster Kan's membership of the EBU.

When Russia was expelled from the song contest back in 2022 following its invasion of Ukraine, it was because it was felt Russian broadcasters were no longer independent from the Russian government.

Many within Eurovision don't think this applies to Israel's public broadcaster.

Before making this decision, the EBU said it had taken time to consult widely among its membership.

Ukraine went on to win the contest.

Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu has repeatedly denied starvation is taking place in Gaza and has said that where there is hunger, it is the fault of aid agencies and Hamas.

Israel has regularly denied that its actions in Gaza amount to genocide and says they are justified as a means of self-defence.

Israel launched its war in Gaza in response to the Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on 7 October 2023, in which about 1,200 people were killed and 251 others were taken hostage.

At least 64,871 people have been killed in Israeli attacks in Gaza since then, according to the territory's Hamas-run health ministry.

Political messages

Eurovision is loved for its camp pop hits, soaring ballads and everything inbetween.

But over the years, artists have used their platform to send subtle - and not so subtle - political messages.

In 2023, Switzerland sent an anti-war song, Watergun, while Iceland were fined €5,000 (£4,325) back in 2019 for flying a Palestinian flag during the competition in Tel Aviv.

Dancers for Madonna displayed flags of both Israel and Palestine on their backs, in an apparent display of peace, during the star's guest performance the same year.

In 2016, Ukraine also won the event with a song called 1944 about the ethnic cleansing of Crimean Tatars in that year by Soviet forces.

US destroys alleged Venezuelan drug boat, killing three

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cx2jel4gyezo, yesterday

President Donald Trump says the US military has destroyed an alleged Venezuelan drug vessel travelling in international waters on the way to the US.

Trump said on Monday that three men were killed in the attack on "violent drug trafficking cartels". He provided no evidence that the boat was carrying drugs.

Shortly before, his Venezuelan counterpart Nicolás Maduro said Caracas would defend itself against US "aggression", calling America's top diplomat Marco Rubio the "lord of death and war".

Tensions between the two countries escalated after the US deployed warships to the southern Caribbean on what officials said were counter-narcotics operations, carrying out a strike which killed 11 people.

"This morning, on my orders, US military forces conducted a second kinetic strike against positively identified, extraordinarily violent drug trafficking cartels and narcoterrorists," Trump said on Truth Social.

"These extremely violent drug trafficking cartels pose a threat to US national security."

The post also included a nearly 30 second video, which appeared to show a vessel in a body of water exploding and then bursting into flames.

Speaking later from the Oval Office, Trump said that the US had recorded proof and evidence that the boats belonged to narco-terrorist groups.

"All you have to do is look at the cargo - it was spattered all over the ocean - big bags of cocaine and fentanyl all over the place," he said. "We recorded them. It was very careful, because we know you people would be after us. We're very careful."

Trump went on to assert that drug trafficking to the US by sea had decreased under recent efforts, but acknowledged that narcotics were still entering the country by land.

"We're telling the cartels right now, we're going to be stopping them too," he said.

Rubio had earlier on Monday defended the first attack on a boat said to be carrying drugs from Venezuela, which killed all 11 people on board, saying Washington had "100% fidelity and certainty" that the vessel was involved in trafficking to the US.

"What needs to start happening is some of these boats need to get blown up," he said during an interview on Fox News. He added that Maduro represented "a direct threat to the national security" of the US due to his alleged involvement in drug trafficking.

Later on Monday, Maduro said that relations with the US had "been destroyed by their bomb threats".

"We have moved from a period of battered relations to a completely broken one".

The Venezuelan president said the government would "fully" exercise its "legitimate right to defend itself".

Legal experts previously told the BBC that the fatal strike on the first vessel in international waters may have violated international human rights and maritime law.

Asked by a journalist on Sunday whether the US would now "start doing strikes on mainland Venezuela", Trump answered: "We'll see what happens."

Speaking to reporters in New Jersey, the president said Venezuela was "sending us their gang members, their drug dealers and drugs".

He said that maritime traffic in the southern Caribbean had reduced significantly "since the first strike".

Experts raised questions about the legality of the 2 September attack on the alleged drug boat, saying that it may have violated international law.

Venezuela responded by flying two F-16 fighter jets over a US Navy destroyer two days later.

That led Trump to warn that any Venezuelan jets putting "us in a dangerous situation" would be shot down.

After a brief lull, tensions rose again on Saturday when Venezuelan Foreign Minister Yván Gil accused US forces of boarding a Venezuelan vessel.

Gil said the vessel, which he described as a "small, harmless" fishing boat, was seized "illegally and hostilely" for eight hours.

In a statement, the Venezuelan foreign ministry alleged that those who ordered the seizure were "looking for an incident to justify escalating war in the Caribbean, with the aim of regime change" in Caracas.

The US, and many other nations including the UK, have not recognised the re-election of Maduro in July 2024, pointing to evidence gathered by the opposition with the help of independent observers showing that his rival, Edmundo González, had won the election by a landslide.

US officials have also accused Maduro of leading a drug cartel called the Cartel of the Suns and are offering a reward of $50m (£37m) for information leading to his capture.

Maduro has denied the allegations and has accused the US of an "imperialist move" to depose him.

He has called on Venezuelans to enlist in the militia, a force made up of civilians which in the past has been used mainly to boost numbers at political rallies and parades.

Public sector workers have reported being pressured into joining the militia.

Hermeto Pascoal, 'the wizard' of Brazilian music, dies at 89

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c98dgd2n5y2o, 2 days ago

Hermeto Pascoal, the innovative Brazilian composer famed for his blend of jazz and traditional music, has died at the age of 89.

The self taught multi-instrumentalist rose from child poverty to international fame - with Miles Davis calling him the most "important musician on the planet".

He was "surrounded by family and fellow musicians," a statement announcing his death says. It did not give details.

Pascoal wrote more than 2,000 instrumental pieces and continued to arrange music and record artists well into his 80s.

The artist was primarily a pianist and flutist, but also played saxophone, guitars, drums, and accordions - and frequently incorporated household objects into his work.

While recording his debut album Slaves Mass for Warner Brothers in 1976, he brought a pair of live pigs into the studio.

Born on 22 June 1936 in a rural settlement north-east of Alagoas, he was unable to work outside with his family because of his albinism, and taught himself music while spending his days indoors.

Aged 10, he began playing at dances and weddings, before going on to play forró and other traditional Brazilian music across the region.

In the late 1950s, he moved to Rio de Janeiro and discovered the city's jazz scene, performing in nightclubs and joining a radio orchestra.

His blend of jazz and traditional folk styles sparked the attention of Brazil's biggest stars in the genre.

The singer Elis Regina performed with Pascoal, as did and percussionist Airto Moreira.

The latter accompanied him on a tour to the US, where he was introduced to Miles Davis.

But despite earning the respect of luminaries in the jazz world, Pascoal rejected the label as a jazz musician, and said he owed as much to Brazilian music like chorinho and samba.

"When they think I am doing one thing I am already doing something else... It's very liquid," he told Jazz World in 2022.

Pascoal's family announced his death on his Instagram page on Saturday.

It urged people "to let a single note ring - from an instrument, your voice, or a kettle - and offer it to the universe" if they wanted to honour him.

Colombian court rules Meta was wrong to bar porn star's Instagram account

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cp8wlxwy1exo, 4 days ago

Colombia's highest court has ruled that Meta violated a porn star's right to freedom of expression when it deleted her Instagram account.

The South American nation's Constitutional Court said on Friday that the tech firm had removed Esperanza Gómez's account "without a clear and transparent justification" and without offering similar treatment to other, similar accounts.

The 45-year-old, whose account had more than five million followers, is one of Colombia's best known adult content actresses.

Meta argued in the case that she had violated its rules on nudity. The company, which also owns Facebook and WhatsApp, did not immediately react to the ruling.

Ms Gómez had alleged that the decision to close her account had affected her ability to work and had been influenced by her pornographic work beyond the platform. She also claimed Meta had not followed due process.

In its ruling, the court said that, while it recognised the social media platform's need to moderate content, this did not justify closing a porn star's account "without a clear and transparent justification".

It also found Meta "applied its policies on nudity and sexual services inconsistently", with other accounts with similar content remaining active.

The court said social media posts were protected under Colombia's constitution and should only be limited in a proportionate way where necessary.

It ordered Meta to "review and adjust Instagram's terms of use and privacy policy so that users are clearly aware of the mechanisms for challenging moderation decisions" and "more precisely define" its rules on implicit sexual content.

If social media platforms use offline activities as a criterion for content moderation, they must clearly state these, the court said.

The court did not specify sanctions for non-compliance, nor whether Ms Gómez would receive any redress.

The BBC has contacted Meta for comment.

It is not the first time that a South American court has required a social network to change its policies.

Brazil's Supreme Court recent ruled that social media were directly liable for illegal content, including hate speech, and must immediately act to remove it and accounts proliferating it.

That ruling followed a judge ordering the suspension of dozens of X accounts for allegedly spreading disinformation.

It led to the social media platform briefly being banned in Brazil, before it began complying with the ruling and paid a $5.1 (£3.8m) fine.

Brazil's Lula hits back at Trump over Bolsonaro trial and tariffs

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cj3yxkkdlkvo, yesterday

Brazil's president, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, has defended the trial which saw his predecessor in office, Jair Bolsonaro, sentenced to more than 27 years in prison for plotting a coup.

In an opinion piece published in the New York Times, Lula dismissed the description by US President Donald Trump of the trial as a "witch hunt", saying that it was a "historic decision which safeguard's our institutions and the democratic rule of law".

The Brazilian leader said he had written the essay to establish an open and frank dialogue with US President Donald Trump, who has imposed 50% tariffs on Brazilian imports.

Lula called the tariff hike "not only misguided but illogical".

Relations have been tense between the US and Brazil in recent months, in stark contrast to the times when Trump's counterpart in Brazil was Jair Bolsonaro.

Bolsonaro often expressed his admiration for Trump, who hosted him at his Mar-a Lago resort in 2020.

Lula, a left-wing leader, who is known for his direct tone, did not mince his words in his New York Times editorial.

He said that over the past 15 years the US had "accumulated a surplus of $410bn (£302bn) in bilateral trade in goods and services", adding the decision to impose the tariffs could only be political.

"The US government is using tariffs and the Magnitsky Act to seek impunity for former President Jair Bolsonaro," Lula wrote, referring to the sanctions which the US has imposed on the Supreme Court justice who led the trial against Bolsonaro.

The trial concluded on Thursday when four out of the five Supreme Court justices on the panel tasked with judging Bolsonaro found him guilty of all five charges he was facing. A simple majority was needed to convict him.

Bolsonaro has been sentenced to 27 years and 3 months in prison - a sentence which his lawyers say they will appeal against.

Trump said he found the verdict "very surprising" and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced that the US would "respond accordingly to this witch hunt".

In his New York Times article, Lula insisted the trial was "not a 'witch hunt'".

"The judgement was the result of proceedings carried out in accordance with Brazil's 1988 Constitution, enacted after two decades of struggle against a military dictatorship," he wrote, reminding readers that Brazil's democracy was restored in 1985 after 20 years of military rule.

Lula also dismissed the Trump administration's accusations that Brazil's justice system had targeted and censored US tech firms.

The Brazilian president said that his country's courts were right to regulate the internet and that US firms were not being treated unfairly.

He concluded his essay by addressing President Trump directly, telling his US counterpart that Brazil remains open to negotiating "anything that can bring mutual benefits", but warned Trump that "Brazil's democracy and sovereignty are not on the table".

Bolsonaro sentenced to 27 years in prison for plotting Brazil coup

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c8xrqxk9p4xo, 5 days ago

The former president of Brazil, Jair Bolsonaro, has been sentenced to 27 years and three months in prison after being found guilty of plotting a military coup.

A panel of five Supreme Court justices handed down the sentence just hours after they had convicted the former leader.

They ruled he was guilty of leading a conspiracy aimed at keeping him in power after he lost the 2022 election to his left-wing rival, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.

Four of the justices found him guilty while one voted to acquit him. Bolsonaro's lawyers have called the sentence "absurdly excessive" and said that they would file "the appropriate appeals".

The Supreme Court panel also barred him from running for public office until 2060 - eight years after the end of his sentence.

Bolsonaro, who was put under house arrest after being deemed a flight risk, did not attend this final phase of the trial in person.

But he has in the past said it was designed to prevent him from running in the 2026 presidential election - even though he had already been barred from public office on separate charges. He has also called it a "witch hunt".

His words have previously been echoed by US President Donald Trump, who imposed 50% tariffs on Brazilian goods, framing them as retaliation for Bolsonaro's prosecution.

Reacting to the guilty verdict, Trump said he found it "very surprising" and compared it to his own experience: "That's very much like they tried to do with me. But they didn't get away with it at all."

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said that Brazil's Supreme Court had "unjustly ruled to imprison former President Jair Bolsonaro" and threatened to "respond accordingly to this witch hunt".

Brazil's foreign ministry reacted swiftly, posting on X that "threats like the one made today by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, in a statement that attacks a Brazilian authority and ignores the facts and the compelling evidence on record, will not intimidate our democracy".

Bolsonaro, who is 70, now faces the prospect of spending the rest of his life in prison.

His lawyers are expected to argue that he should be kept under house arrest instead of being sent to jail - as well as plead for a lower sentence.

They have also said that they will appeal against his conviction but legal experts have said this may prove difficult, as this is normally only possible if two out of the five justices have voted to acquit.

Bolsonaro was found guilty of five charges, all relating to his attempt to cling to power after he was beaten in the 2022 election.

But prosecutors said he had started to plot to stay in power long before, proposing a coup to military commanders and sowing unfounded doubts about the electoral system.

They also said that Bolsonaro knew of a plan to assassinate Lula and his vice-presidential running mate, as well as a Supreme Court Justice.

The justices found he had led a conspiracy and also convicted seven of his co-conspirators, including senior military officers. Among them are two former defence ministers, a former spy chief and former security minster.

While the plot failed to enlist enough support from the military to go ahead, it did culminate in the storming of government buildings by Bolsonaro's supporters on 8 January 2023, the justices found.

Order was quickly restored and more than 1,500 people were arrested.

But, according to Alexandre de Moraes - the justice who oversaw the trial - Brazil had come close to descending into authoritarianism.

"We are slowly forgetting that Brazil almost returned to its 20-year dictatorship because a criminal organisation, comprised of a political group, doesn't know how to lose elections," he said before casting his guilty vote.

Brazil's recent history and the decades it spent under military rule were also invoked by Justice Cármen Lúcia, who cast the decisive third "guilty" vote on Thursday.

She compared the attempted coup to a "virus", which, if left to fester, can kill the society in which it has taken hold in.

The sole dissenting voice on the five-member panel was Luiz Fux, who argued in an 11-hour speech on Wednesday that the accusations against Jair Bolsonaro were unfounded and voted for him to be acquitted.

But on Thursday, Cármen Lúcia, the only woman on the panel, insisted that Brazil's democratic order had been at risk and warned that "there was no immunity to authoritarianism".

Correction 12/9/2025: This article has been amended to clarify that Bolsonaro is barred from public office until 2060 - not 2033 as previously reported.

Mystery of British woman who disappeared from a luxury Caribbean yacht

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c4g2zv1px7jo, 4 days ago

The couple, holding hands, walk down a wooden dock by the water's edge, after spending an evening in a bar on the island of St John in the US Virgin Islands.

They are seen boarding a dinghy and motoring away into the darkness of the Caribbean Sea, headed for their luxury yacht, anchored in the next bay.

This CCTV footage - never made public before and released exclusively now to the BBC - contains the last-recorded sighting of British woman Sarm Heslop in 2021.

Some six hours later, she would be reported missing, feared lost at sea.

Ryan Bane, her boyfriend at the time, maintains she most likely fell overboard, or drowned while swimming, while he was sleeping. He has never been formally questioned by the police.

Despite a massive search operation, Sarm's body has never been found and her disappearance remains a mystery.

To try to establish the truth, I spent a month in the US Virgin Islands investigating the case for a BBC Three documentary - speaking to the police who led the investigation, the coastguard and possible witnesses.

Described by her friends as a "free spirit", former flight attendant Sarm, originally from Southampton, left the UK in 2019 to sail across the Atlantic with friends on a small boat.

"She was always up for a new challenge. Totally run-of-the-mill for Sarm to just be doing something bonkers," one of her friends Zan tells me.

Accompanied by friend Kate and Kate's boyfriend, Sarm headed for the Caribbean - visiting St Lucia, Guadeloupe, Dominica and Martinique.

Seven months into the trip, Sarm met Ryan Bane, 49, an American boat captain who chartered his £500,000 catamaran - Siren Song - to wealthy tourists.

They dated, Sarm stayed on Mr Bane's yacht, and - after three months - the relationship turned serious. Sarm then decided to work as a chef on the yacht and, on 7 March, 2021, completed her first charter.

That night, she disappeared, leaving behind her passport, phone and money. She was 41.

While Sarm's friends and family have tried to keep her story in the media spotlight, and enlisted an investigator to help, her mum Brenda says she accepts her daughter is dead.

But the hope they will establish what happened, she says, is what keeps them going.

"We still haven't been able to grieve properly. We all deserve to know what happened to her and to bring her home. It's just so, so unfair," says Brenda.

One key piece of evidence I wanted to see was CCTV showing the last recorded sighting of Sarm, which had never been made public by police.

So, when the islands' chief of police, Steven Phillip, handed it to me, I was surprised.

"We're at a dead end," he admitted. "If anybody could look at this video and see something and say something it can help. That's why now."

Sarm's mum had previously watched a small section of the footage, but Sarm's friends had not seen any of it. They hoped they might spot something in the way the couple interacted with each other that night, which would provide answers.

But when I showed the footage to them - crowded round a kitchen table - they admitted that beyond confirming that she did get on board the dinghy, the CCTV didn't tell them much - and it could be interpreted in a variety of ways.

* Missing in Paradise: Searching for Sarm will be on iPlayer from 0600 on Wednesday 17 September, and on BBC Two that evening at 22:00

But I did notice an inconsistency with the timestamp on the CCTV.

In reports released by the US Coast Guard, Mr Bane stated the couple had returned to the yacht at 22:00 local time.

But the timestamp - which police say they have confirmed is correct - shows them motoring away from the Cruz Bay dinghy dock at 20:45 local time.

Having also travelled this route, I know it should take five to 10 minutes in a dinghy to get to the next bay, so they would have got back by 21:00.

This means there is a missing hour that Mr Bane has never accounted for.

"The timeline is suspicious, and that's one of the reasons why we need to talk to Ryan," says US Virgin Islands' police commissioner, Mario Brooks.

But Mr Bane's lawyer, David Cattie, told us this characterisation of the timeline was "irresponsible".

Commissioner Brooks told us Mr Bane remained the only person of interest in the case.

"There was… nothing of evidentiary value that points to Sarm having contact with anyone that night, outside of Ryan," he said.

While Mr Bane has never spoken publicly about the case, his lawyer agreed to be interviewed on his client's behalf, for the first time.

Asked what happened when Sarm disappeared, David Cattie said Mr Bane believed Sarm perhaps hit her head and fell overboard, or had become disorientated while swimming, lost her way and drowned.

The timeline inconsistency that evening reflected nothing other than a possible error in estimating the time while under the stress of trying to locate Mr Bane's missing girlfriend, he added.

Mr Bane said he discovered Sarm was missing at 02:00 local time. His subsequent actions have been questioned by all the boat captains and experts I have spoken to.

There were two other boats anchored in Frank's Bay at the time. I contacted the captains from both, who confirmed Mr Bane did not alert them to a problem either that night, or the following morning.

They also told me that captains are trained to shout a missing person's name, call a mayday, immediately call the coastguard and alert neighbouring boats.

Mr Cattie acknowledges Mr Bane didn't do everything "you would say a boat captain is absolutely supposed to do".

"But we're not here because you're saying, 'well, Ryan didn't follow all the boat protocol'. You're here because people are suggesting he had a hand in her disappearance. There's no evidence of that, at all."

'Minutes count'

I obtained a police timeline and US Coast Guard reports that cover the hours after Sarm was reported missing.

Mr Bane said he had woken up when he heard the anchor alarm - which rings if the boat is straying from its mooring - and realised that Sarm was no longer on the yacht.

At 02:44 local time - having called them 10 minutes before - Mr Bane gave a brief statement to police when he arrived ashore on his dinghy.

From this point onwards though, Mr Bane's account differs from that of the police.

His lawyer tells me police had left Mr Bane with the impression that they would contact the coastguard. However, police statements describe how officers had, instead, told Mr Bane to call the coastguard.

It was nine hours after having initially reported Sarm missing to police when Mr Bane did eventually call the coastguard - at 11:46 local time.

"Ultimately it's always the captain's responsibility [when a person is missing]," says Cdr Jan League from the US Coast Guard. "Minutes count at that point. So waiting nine hours is decreasing the possibility of finding a person in the water."

The US Coast Guard search began 11 hours after Sarm was reported missing to police. Boats and a helicopter combed the water and coastline around where Siren Song was anchored.

It is very rare for somebody to fall overboard and for their body to never be found, Cdr League tells me.

"In the three years I have been here, we've had people go overboard, but we've never had the body go missing," he says.

Mr Bane has used his rights under the Fourth Amendment of the US Constitution - which prohibits unreasonable government searches and seizures - to block a forensics team from searching his yacht.

The only search that did take place was an initial safety sweep by the coastguard.

Mr Bane has also used the Fifth Amendment - the right to not give evidence that may self-incriminate - to decline questioning by police.

Mr Cattie said he had advised Mr Bane to invoke his rights.

"One thing you learn with being a lawyer is that there are tonnes of people who had nothing to hide, who had done nothing wrong," he said. "That… just want to do all this cooperation, that wind up in jail for something they didn't do."

Five weeks later after reporting Sarm missing, Mr Bane left the US Virgin Islands. He has never returned. He later tried to sell the yacht.

'Scariest thing'

To find out more about what Ryan Bane was like, I tracked down his ex-wife, Cori Stevenson.

They married in 2008, then in 2011 he attacked her after they attended a wedding. He knocked her to the ground, she says, "grabbed my hair and he smashed it [my head] in the floor", breaking her front teeth. "He choked me and I passed out," she adds.

"When he was in that weird rage… his eyes would go completely black," she says. "That was probably the scariest thing. So I was like, 'I'm going to die today'."

Ryan Bane was given a 60-day sentence for domestic violence simple assault. The couple divorced in 2014.

Mr Cattie acknowledges Mr Bane was convicted in that single case - but he adds: "There's absolutely no indication that he ever had a violent altercation with Sarm."

Sarm's case is still classified as a missing person, but her friends and family want it reclassified as a no-body murder investigation. They tell me this would mean the police could go further with the investigation.

The former Metropolitan Police officer the family enlisted to help, David Johnston, says if Sarm had gone missing in the UK, the case would have been treated at the outset as "likely to be a missing person where there is crime involved".

Elements of the evidence, he says, "would have been sufficient to move this to a position where Mr Bane would have been arrested very quickly" so he could be questioned.

The US Virgin Islands Police told us it remained committed to bringing closure to the case and would pursue all leads.

Meanwhile, Mr Bane's lawyer said his client had never been charged with any crime, and no court has issued a warrant for him. Mr Cattie said he had advised the police and the US Office of the Attorney General that if Mr Bane was required in the US Virgin Islands, he would return voluntarily.

But despite police saying the case is at a dead end, Sarm's friends and family say they will keep trying to find out what happened.

"She was the love of my life, my baby girl. I think knowing that I'm never going to see her again - I'm really heartbroken," her mum, Brenda, tells me.

"But I am stronger now and I'm going to do everything I can and I'll never give up."

From political outsider to a president like no other: Bolsonaro's rise and fall

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c5yqendv7k5o, 4 days ago

In September 2018, as Jair Bolsonaro campaigned in the south-eastern city of Juiz de Fora, a 40-year-old man pushed through the crowd and stabbed the presidential candidate in the stomach.

Images of Bolsonaro doubled over in pain, wearing a T-shirt in Brazil's football colours, were shared millions of times and broadcast endlessly on television.

The former army captain survived, and the shock and commotion caused by the attack boosted his outsider image and helped carry him to victory weeks later.

Seven years on, Brazil's Supreme Court has found him guilty of plotting a coup and sentenced him to more than 27 years in prison. On the face of it, Bolsonaro's career is over.

However, he remains one of the most consequential politicians of recent decades, and with allies already pushing for amnesty, his influence and even the prospect of a comeback still hangs over Brazil's future.

The long road to power

An outsider who changed everything

Bolsonaro managed to turn the Brazilian right into a mass movement for the first time in history. Yet translating that into a government was another story.

He assembled a cabinet with little experience in federal administration and leaned heavily on military officers to fill key posts.

His administration was pro-business, and aligned itself diplomatically with Donald Trump's United States - who Bolsonaro hailed as an inspiration - and with other conservative governments in Hungary and Israel.

He weakened oversight and relaxed protections on the environment that favoured agribusiness. The result was a surge in deforestation in the Amazon and other areas - sparking international anger.

But the real challenges came with the pandemic in 2020. From the beginning, Bolsonaro opposed social distancing, arguing it would damage the economy.

On several occasions, he joined mass demonstrations where advice to wear masks and distance was openly defied. In March 2020, he compared Covid-19 to a "little flu". And in the following month, when asked about the mounting death toll, he replied simply: "I'm not a gravedigger" - a remark he later admitted regretting.

Bolsonaro was also a vaccine sceptic, resisting offers to buy jabs for his population and refusing to get one himself. In defiance of his own health officials, he promoted unproven treatments such as hydroxychloroquine.

Eventually, vaccines became available. But many specialists believe that thousands of lives could have been saved if the government had adopted social distancing measures and immunised earlier. In total, more than 700,000 Brazilians died of Covid-19 between 2020 and March 2023.

The president's nemesis

More than any opposition party, Bolsonaro's most formidable foe during his presidency was the Supreme Court, which struck down his attempts to block social distancing and mask use during the pandemic, and also rejected policies that would have made it easier for Brazilians to acquire firearms.

One judge became his nemesis: Alexandre de Moraes. A career public prosecutor and law professor, he had served in conservative administrations in São Paulo before being appointed to the court by centre-right President Michel Temer, who succeeded Rousseff.

In 2020, Moraes was appointed to lead an inquiry into the spread of disinformation on social media that targeted his court. That later branched into other cases, including one focused on threats against democracy by Bolsonaro supporters.

All were kept under Moraes's supervision.

Such a concentration of power became a point of criticism, not only from Bolsonaro loyalists but also from some lawyers and centrist politicians.

Moraes's role, however, was grounded in law and most of his decisions were later upheld by the rest of the Supreme Court. For some analysts and commentators, entrusting him with this task was seen as the only way to safeguard Brazil's democracy.

However, Bolsonaro's dissatisfaction only grew, and on many occasions he declared that he would not comply with the court's rulings.

At mass demonstrations in Brasília and São Paulo in September 2021, he escalated his attacks, calling Moraes a canalha (scoundrel) and declaring that he would only leave the presidency "arrested, dead, or victorious", adding that he "wanted to tell the traitors that I will never be arrested".

The speech was widely seen as a direct threat to Brazil's democratic institutions.

Conspiracy and election controversy

In 2021, Lula - who had left jail in November 2019 and had all charges against him annulled by the Supreme Court - was cleared to run in the October 2022 election, setting up a head-to-head with the incumbent.

Bolsonaro and his allies began an intense campaign alleging - without evidence - that the country's electronic voting machines could be hacked. Bolsonaro claimed that Lula could only win against him through fraud.

The campaign was widely seen as an effort to lay the groundwork to contest any result that went against him.

Bolsonaro insisted on paper ballots only for the election, and suggested he would reject any result without them. Electoral authorities rejected the proposal.

There were further controversies during voting. On the day of the run-off between Bolsonaro and Lula, the federal road police - under Bolsonaro's government - set up roadblocks in areas where Lula had strong support.

The government claimed it was to prevent fraud, but it was widely seen as an attempt to stop Lula's supporters from reaching the polls.

It was Moraes, the Supreme Court justice, who ordered the roadblocks lifted and threatened to jail the police chief if they continued.

In the end, as most polls had predicted, Lula won - but by a very slight margin of less than two percentage points.

Obstinance turns to violence

In the aftermath of the election, Bolsonaro remained silent and out of public view. When he finally spoke, it was only briefly. He did not acknowledge defeat - something that he would never do - but authorised the start of the transition.

At the same time, instigated by the president, his supporters were using lorries to block roads across Brazil, while hundreds of Bolsonaro loyalists camped outside army barracks demanding that the election be annulled and the armed forces intervene to prevent Lula's inauguration.

Later investigations showed that, during this period, Bolsonaro met military leaders to discuss imposing a state of emergency to overturn the election.

The plan did not proceed because two of the three military chiefs refused to take part, according to statements they gave under oath. Police later discovered that a plan to assassinate Lula and Moraes had been printed by one of the president's aides inside the presidential palace.

Bolsonaro denies any knowledge about the plans and argues that he only discussed Constitutional measures with military chiefs – although Brazilian law does not allow for a state of emergency to be declared in order to annul an election.

In the final days of 2022, while still president, Bolsonaro flew to Florida and did not return to attend Lula's inauguration on 1 January, 2023 - breaking a tradition in which the outgoing president hands the presidential sash to his successor.

On 8 January, Brazil witnessed something unprecedented: thousands of Bolsonaro supporters stormed Congress, the Supreme Court and the presidential palace in Brasília, in what looked like a tropical version of the US Capitol attack.

Lula was not at the palace, and security forces brought the riot under control by the end of the day. Bolsonaro, still in the US, denied involvement - although a majority of Supreme Court justices later saw the assault as part of a broader plan to remove Lula.

The end of the line... for now

Bolsonaro eventually returned to Brazil and set about regrouping his allies, aiming not only at the 2026 presidential race but also at other spheres of power. In the 2024 local elections, his party won more than 500 mayoralties across Brazil.

At the same time, investigations against him led by the federal police under the scrutiny of Moraes were gathering pace and, in April of 2025, the Supreme Court scheduled his trial.

Denouncing the lawsuit as political persecution, one of Bolsonaro's sons, Congressman Eduardo Bolsonaro, moved to the US to lobby the new Trump administration and his Make America Great Again movement for measures against Brazil.

In July, Trump imposed 50% tariffs on Brazilian goods, and claimed Bolsonaro was the victim of a witch hunt.

Soon after, an investigation was launched in Brazil into Eduardo and Jair Bolsonaro for interference into the judicial process due to their approach to the US government. In August, Bolsonaro was placed under house arrest.

The former president was eventually convicted by the Supreme Court on all five charges of which he had been accused, including plotting a coup and leading an armed conspiracy. He is now barred from running for any public office until 2060.

The verdict, though, might not be a dead end for Bolsonaro.

Even before the trial ended, his allies in Congress began negotiating a proposal of amnesty for his crimes that could be voted in the next few weeks. At the same time, politicians who seek his endorsement for their presidential bids are already promising to pardon Bolsonaro if they win.

A secretary in the Lula administration, who spoke on condition of anonymity, warned that any amnesty approved by Congress would be declared unconstitutional by the Supreme Court - a scenario that could trigger a crisis if Bolsonaro's allies manage to elect a large number of senators and deputies who could even attempt to remove Supreme Court justices.

As one lawyer said during this month's trial, "everybody knows that any decision will be revisited. Nothing will be permanent."

The statement sounds like an omen and a definition of Brazil's recent history.

Bolsonaro sentenced to 27 years in jail - what you need to know

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cy4d409v2neo, 5 days ago

Jair Bolsonaro, who governed Brazil from January 2019 to December 2022, has received a 27-year jail sentence after being found guilty of plotting a coup.

Four out of five Supreme Court justices tasked with trying the former president concluded he led a conspiracy to overturn his 2022 election loss to left-wing rival Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. One justice acquitted him.

Here, we recap some of the basics you need to know about the trial.

What has Bolsonaro been found guilty of?

* Armed criminal conspiracy

* Attempted abolition of the democratic rule of law

* Attempted coup d'état

* Violent destruction of public property

* Damage to protected national heritage sites

What was Bolsonaro's defence?

Bolsonaro vehemently denied all the allegations.

He pointed out that he was in the US on 8 January 2023 and said that he was the victim of a "witch hunt".

He maintained that the charges were politically motivated and designed to prevent him from running again in the 2026 presidential election.

While Bolsonaro is already barred from running for public office until 2030 for falsely claiming that Brazil's voting system was vulnerable to fraud, he had declared his intention to fight that ban so he could stand for a second term in 2026.

He and his lawyers also questioned the impartiality of the Supreme Court panel tasked with judging him and his co-defendants.

Bolsonaro has long viewed Alexandre de Moraes as his nemesis, calling the judge a "dictator" and accusing him of abusing his power.

He also pointed out that two of the other justices on the panel had close links to Lula.

One of those justices, Cristiano Zanin, was Lula's defence lawyer between 2013 and 2023 and in that role helped quash his corruption conviction.

Another, Flávio Dino, served as Lula's justice minister from 2023 to 2024.

What happens next?

The Supreme Court sentenced Bolsonaro to 27 years and three months in prison shortly after convicting him of plotting the coup.

But he will not be transferred to a prison until his lawyers have exhausted all legal recourses.

His lawyers are expected to raise questions about the length of the sentence and argue for leniency or plead for Bolsonaro to be kept under house arrest rather than be sent to prison.

However, an appeal against the verdict itself would only have been possible if two out of the five justices had voted to acquit.

Where is Bolsonaro now?

Bolsonaro has been following the trial from his home in Brasília.

He was placed under house arrest at the beginning of August after a police report alleged that he and his son, Eduardo, had tried to interfere in the trial.

Police said they had found a document on Jair's mobile phone - dating back to February 2024 - which suggested he had planned to evade criminal proceedings by seeking asylum in Argentina.

They also accused Eduardo of lobbying the Trump administration on behalf of his father and banned father and son from communicating with each other.

What are the links between Bolsonaro and Trump?

The US president had drawn parallels between what is happening to Bolsonaro and his own legal battles in the past following his refusal to accept defeat in the 2020 US election.

Asked about Bolsonaro's conviction on Thursday, he said: "It's very much what they tried to do with me, but they didn't get away with it at all."

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio slammed the ruling, saying Washington "will respond accordingly to this witch hunt".

The two men also have family ties, as their sons are friends.

Eduardo Bolsonaro has been lobbying the Trump administration to pressure the Brazilian government to stop the trial.

Back in July, Trump raised tariffs on Brazilian imports to 50%, citing the country's treatment of Bolsonaro as a trigger for the hike.

Following his father's conviction, Eduardo Bolsonaro said he expected additional US sanctions to be slapped on Brazilian officials.

Who were Bolsonaro's co-defendants?

* Alexandre Ramagem, former spy chief

* Adm Almir Garnier Santos, former navy commander

* Anderson Torres, former security minister

* Gen Augusto Heleno, former minister for institutional security

* Mauro Cid, Bolsonaro's former assistant

* Gen Walter Braga Netto, former defence minister

* Gen Paulo Sérgio Nogueira de Oliveira, former defence minister.

What is Bolsonaro known for?

His presidency was characterised by his confrontational style, which his supporters praised as "unfiltered" and "genuine" but which his critics derided as "foul-mouthed".

When Brazil became one of the countries hardest hit by the Covid outbreak, Bolsonaro's handling of the response to the pandemic came under the spotlight. His dismissal of Covid as "a little flu" caused outrage among those who had lost family members to the virus.

Internationally, he came under criticism for cutting the budget of agencies tasked with protecting indigenous peoples and the environment, prompting some to label him as "a danger to the Amazon".

But his conservative stance also inspired fierce loyalty among his supporters, many of whom have continued to back him throughout his legal battles, holding prayer meetings and mass demonstrations to show their continued support for him and demand he be acquitted.

When was Bolsonaro elected?

Bolsonaro comfortably beat the candidate of the left-wing Workers' Party, Fernando Haddad, in the 2018 presidential election.

The Workers' Party had been rocked by corruption scandals and many Brazilians said they were ready for a change after what had been four rocky years in Brazilian politics.

The previous elected president, Dilma Rousseff of the Workers' Party, had been impeached in 2016 for manipulating the budget.

Her vice-president, Michel Temer, served out the remainder of her term but was deeply unpopular.

The best-known politician in the Workers' Party, Lula, was barred from running for office at the time because he had been convicted of corruption.

The Workers' Party was left in disarray by the barring of its top candidate and ended up fielding the little-known Haddad at the last moment, who went on to lose the election to Bolsonaro.

Lula's corruption convictions were quashed years later, and he went on to beat Bolsonaro in the 2022 election.

What did he do before becoming president?

Before he entered politics, Bolsonaro was paratrooper, and in his first years as a congressman, he fiercely defended the interests of the armed forces.

He served seven terms in Congress - from 1991 to 2018 - but did not become well known beyond the confines of his home state of Rio de Janeiro until he ran for the presidency in 2018.

Many Brazilians angered by rising crime levels approved of his hard-line approach to law and order.

But what really catapulted him into public consciousness was the attack he suffered at a campaign rally just a month before the first round of the 2018 election.

A man who was later ruled mentally ill stabbed Bolsonaro in the stomach as the presidential candidate was being carried aloft by his supporters.

Bolsonaro lost 40% of his blood, and ever since, he has suffered from recurrent problems stemming from the intestinal wounds he sustained.

Brazil's former President Bolsonaro found guilty of plotting coup

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c147n38k800o, 5 days ago

The former president of Brazil, Jair Bolsonaro, has been found guilty of plotting a military coup.

Four out of the five Supreme Court justices tasked with judging the former leader found him guilty. One judge voted to acquit him.

The 70-year-old has been convicted of leading a conspiracy aimed at keeping him in power after he lost the 2022 election to his left-wing rival, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.

While the plot failed to enlist enough support from the military to go ahead, it did culminate in the storming of government buildings by Bolsonaro's supporters on 8 January 2023, the justices found.

The charges carry heavy sentences and could add up to a prison term of more than 40 years. The justices have begun with the sentencing.

Casting the decisive vote, Justice Cármen Lúcia said on Thursday that Bolsonaro had triggered the "insurgency" of 8 January 2023, when thousands of his supporters vandalised the Supreme Court, the presidential palace, and Congress.

She found him guilty on all the five charges: attempting to stage a coup, leading an armed criminal organisation, attempted violent abolition of the democratic rule of law, and two more charges related to the damage of property during the storming of buildings in Brasília on 8 January 2023.

Bolsonaro has always maintained his innocence and has called the trial a "witch hunt", arguing it was politically motivated.

His lawyers are expected to lodge appeals.

Bolsonaro has not been in court for any of the sessions of the final phase of the trial.

His lawyers cited health reasons for his decision to follow proceedings from his home in Brasília. He was stabbed in the stomach on the campaign trail in 2018 and has been having recurrent health problems since.

He has been under house arrest since the beginning of August after a police report alleged that he and his son, Eduardo, had tried to interfere in the trial.

His lawyer was present in court but left after Justice Lúcia had declared his client guilty of the attempted coup and armed criminal conspiracy, even before she had finished speaking.

The charges against Bolsonaro did not just relate to events of 8 January 2023.

Prosecutors said he had started to plot to stay in power long before, proposing launching a coup to military commanders and sowing unfounded doubts about the electoral system.

They also said that he knew of a plan to assassinate Lula, his vice-presidential running mate, and a Supreme Court Justice.

Justice Lúcia compared the attempted coup to a "virus", which, if left to fester, can kill the society in which it has taken hold in.

She added: "I hope that this trial will prove a cure so that it doesn't come back. Relapses aren't good."

Supporters of Bolsonaro have been scathing in their criticism of the proceedings, arguing that they are designed to prevent him from running for the presidency in the 2026 election.

One of his vocal supporters has been US President Donald Trump, who imposed 50% tariffs on Brazilian imports citing the court's treatment of Bolsonaro as a trigger for the hike.

He also sanctioned Alexandre de Moraes, the Supreme Court justice overseeing the Bolsonaro trial.

Reacting to Bolsonaro's conviction, Trump said he found it "very surprising".

"It's very much what they tried to do with me, but they didn't get away with it at all. He was a good man, I don't see that happening," Trump told reporters, drawing parallels between Bolsonaro and himself.

Jair Bolsonaro's son Eduardo, who lobbied for the imposition of sanctions on Brazilian imports, told Reuters news agency that he expected the US would take further measures in the wake of the verdict.

"We are going to have a firm response with actions from the US government against this dictatorship that is being installed in Brazil," he said.

Rubio in Israel as IDF destroys more Gaza City buildings

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c1795pv8g7eo, 2 days ago

Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said US-Israeli relations have "never been stronger", as US Secretary of State Marco Rubio visits to discuss the war in Gaza following Israel's attack on Hamas members in Qatar.

He told reporters the relationship was as strong and "durable as the stones in the Western Wall", while at the holy site in Jerusalem on Sunday.

Earlier, Rubio said US President Donald Trump was unhappy with the Israeli strike on the key US ally, but stressed that the US-Israeli relationship was "very strong".

His visit comes as Israeli forces continue to destroy residential buildings in Gaza City, forcing thousands to flee ahead of an expected ground offensive to seize the city.

"Obviously we're not happy about it, the president was not happy about it. Now we need to move forward and figure out what comes next," Rubio said of the attack in Qatar before he departed for Israel.

In his remarks at Joint Base Andrews, Rubio added that Trump's priority remained the return of all hostages and an end to the war. Hamas members had been in Doha to discuss the latest US proposal for a ceasefire in Gaza when Israel launched its strikes.

When asked whether the strike on Doha complicated Qatar's willingness to work with the US, Rubio said "they've been good partners on a number of fronts".

Qatar - a key US ally in the region and the location of a major American air base - will host an emergency Arab-Islamic summit on Monday to discuss next moves.

Doha has condemned Israel's attack as "cowardly" and a "flagrant violation of international law".

On Sunday, Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani urged the international community to "abandon double standards" and punish Israel for its "crimes".

Speaking at a preparatory meeting ahead of the summit, he added that Israel's practices would not stop Qatar's efforts to mediate an end to the war in Gaza.

Netanyahu has said the move in Qatar was "fully justified" because it targeted senior Hamas leaders who organised the 7 October 2023 attacks.

Some 48 Israeli hostages, of whom 20 are believed to remain alive, are being held by Hamas in Gaza. Their families have said Netanyahu is the "one obstacle" preventing their return and reaching a peace deal.

The Hostages and Missing Families Forum wrote on social media that Israel's strike on Qatar last week shows "every time a deal approaches, Netanyahu sabotages it".

Footage from Sunday verified by the BBC showed bombs hitting the al-Kawthar tower. Local officials told Reuters that at least 30 residential buildings had been destroyed. Israel said it had completed five waves of air strikes on the city over the past week, targeting more than 500 sites including what it said were Hamas reconnaissance and sniper sites, buildings containing tunnel openings and weapons depots.

Israel has demanded that Gaza City's residents leave the city and head south and on Saturday the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said it estimated about 250,000 Palestinians had fled, though hundreds of thousands are believed to remain in the area. Hamas has called on people not to leave.

Some say they cannot afford to go while others say southern Gaza is not safe either as Israel has carried out air strikes there too.

"The bombardment intensified everywhere and we took down the tents, more than 20 families, we do not know where to go," Musbah al-Kafarna, displaced in Gaza City, told Reuters.

On Sunday, the Hamas-run health ministry in Gaza said the bodies of 68 people killed by the Israeli military had arrived at its hospitals over the previous day.

The Israeli military launched a campaign in Gaza in response to the Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on 7 October, in which about 1,200 people were killed and 251 others were taken hostage.

At least 64,871 people have been killed in Israeli attacks in Gaza since then, according to the territory's Hamas-run health ministry.

How Syria's dictatorship used a global child welfare charity to 'disappear' children

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c4g53e4zdjpo, 6 days ago

Reem al-Kari and her cousin Lama are searching through dozens of photos of children spread out on a desk. Lama thinks she spots one with a likeness to Karim, Reem's missing son.

Karim was two-and-a-half when he and his father disappeared, in 2013 during Syria's civil war, as they ran an errand. He is one of more than 3,700 children still missing since the fall, 10 months ago, of the Assad dictatorship. He would now be 15.

"Are his eyes green?" asks the man behind the desk, the new manager of Lahan Al Hayat, a Syrian-run children's shelter which former first lady Asma al-Assad helped establish in 2013. He is looking at one of the photos the women have picked out, comparing it to a photo of Karim aged two.

"Yes," comes the reply.

"The hairline…" the man muses. "There is a similarity but…" His voice trails off. The task is enormous.

Lahan Al Hayat is one of several Syrian childcare facilities which were used to hold the children of detained parents during the 2011-2024 civil war. Instead of re-homing the children with their relatives, the youngsters were held in orphanages and used as political pawns. In some cases the children were falsely recorded as orphans, or their identities changed, making tracing them - then and now - all the more difficult.

When Assad's dictatorship suddenly collapsed in December, journalists, activists and families had access to sources, locations and documents previously unimaginable under his decades-long rule. The BBC World Service has worked with investigative media organisation Lighthouse Reports and five other outlets, to build a database of 323 children hidden by the Syrian regime from their relatives in a network of orphanages. We did this by reviewing and authenticating thousands of leaked and gathered documents.

Analysis of these records shows the organisation running orphanages which took more children than any other was an Austria-headquartered charity, SOS Children's Villages International. SOS operates in more than 130 countries and raises about €1.6bn ($1.9bn) a year, including from the UN, European governments and personal donations.

We spoke to more than 50 SOS whistleblowers. Several said most of the senior positions at SOS in Syria had been appointed directly by the Assad palace, and that Asma al-Assad - who, along with her husband Bashar, was sanctioned by the EU and the UK for human rights abuses - had an influential role in the organisation.

We were also told that the charity began "bringing in any child" regardless of their circumstances to obtain more funding.

SOS responded: "We do not offer financial rewards for increasing the number of orphans," and denied any formal link between the charity and the Assad family.

SOS has already admitted, following an internal review, that 140 children without proper documentation were taken in by SOS Syria between 2013 and 2018. It has said 104 of these were subsequently taken back by the Syrian intelligence services or the Social Affairs Ministry, and of whose whereabouts SOS now has no knowledge.

The charity has also said it had stopped receiving children of political detainees in 2018.

But we have seen paperwork indicating their transfer to SOS up until 2022.

We have also established SOS Syria:

* When requested by the Assad government or intelligence services to send children back to them, did not check who would be looking after them next

* Received children whose identities it knew had been changed and, in one case, itself gave a child in its care an official different name

* Complied with Syrian intelligence instructions that relatives should be refused permission to visit and should not be granted custody, or be given information about the children

* Forbade staff from showing the children photos of - or discussing - family

* Has been slow to, or has not, engaged with mothers seeking information since the regime fell which could help them find their children

SOS International told us: "We deeply regret that children were forcibly separated from their families and that families spent years without knowing where their children were. This should never have happened, and we are committed to learning from the independent investigations to ensure we do better in the future."

Its interim CEO, Benoît Piot, added in an interview with us that the charity had been following the orders of the Syrian government which he called "a terror system" under Assad.

SOS Children's Villages UK said in a statement on Thursday, following the publication of this investigation, that it was "horrified to learn about the scale of the allegations against SOS Children's Villages in Syria".

Outside of the UK, watch on YouTube

Many parents still have no idea what happened to their children. The quagmire of falsified and lost records for Syria's missing children means surviving mothers and fathers are left to hunt from one institution to the next for any information at all.

This includes Reem, looking for her son Karim.

It is impossible for her to know if he was taken in by SOS or any other institution in Syria that took in the children of detainees. But she thinks the fact her husband was wealthy - putting him at risk under the cash-poor Assad regime - and was spotted in prison in 2016, makes it likely he was arrested, and therefore her son sent to an orphanage.

Before she drew a blank at Lahan Al Hayat, she had visited Syria's Social Affairs Ministry.

There she was told the minister was abroad, the manager in charge of the missing persons file was on holiday, and then finally that work on missing children had been transferred to a security agency on the ministry's fifth floor. Reem went upstairs, accompanied by a BBC film crew. We were promptly told to stop filming despite having permission to do so, and the ministry refused to provide Reem with any further assistance.

A new investigation into the fate of the children under the previous regime was announced by the ministry in May. But it has limited staff and resources, with just a few volunteers tasked with reviewing thousands of documents, and has yet to release any findings.

Reem next visited another orphanage known for taking in boys of Karim's age. On her phone, she pulled up her son's photo and showed it to the institution's director. The woman responded with a silent shake of the head. Reem's eyes filled with tears - a rare break in her steely composure.

Finally, she visited SOS Syria, which was led until recently by Samar Daaboul, the daughter of a close Assad aide. Ms Daaboul has denied her family links have influenced her work.

Reem was asked for Karim's date of birth, but she pointed out to staff that this may not be of any use given records were often changed. Instead, she asked to see photos of the children SOS had taken in. It refused, citing the need to guard privacy.

A few weeks later, she received an email from SOS International to say the charity would respond to her within six months and recommending she also contact SOS Syria - the institution she had just visited - directly.

Other parents we have spoken to have told us they are still waiting for a response from SOS months after contacting it.

We asked Benoît Piot, the interim CEO of SOS Children's Villages International, why paperwork from the Ministry of Social Affairs indicates children were being transferred to SOS up until 2022.

The team in Vienna was "not aware" of this, he said, adding that the external investigation it has launched into the children "forcibly placed with [SOS]… can get to the truth" and that SOS would note this finding and look into it.

We pointed out that SOS still operates in other human-rights abusing countries. Mr Piot stressed that the advice SOS International gives to its members is: "Don't accept [children] if they have been separated for a bad reason.

"We are making sure that the admission of children in our programme is up to international standards," he added.

More than 50 former and current SOS employees - including four senior executives from SOS's Vienna headquarters - have spoken to the BBC and its investigation partners. They paint a picture of little or slow action by the charity in response to multiple alerts SOS received from whistleblowers about the charity's admission of detainees' children in Syria.

"When SOS Syria raised these issues with SOS HQ… senior executives didn't want to know the details and hid away from concrete action and responsibility," said a former senior SOS International manager, who, like others we spoke to, asked to remain anonymous.

Another senior staff member at SOS International said the pressure to deal with "safeguarding issues and confront failures" had to come from the "bottom up".

"There are loads of policies and procedures at SOS Children's Villages for safeguarding children, but not much resource at the international level for checking and enforcing compliance," they added.

And the former leader of one of the SOS Syria orphanages alleged the charity's decision on who to admit was influenced by funding targets.

"The safety team, intake and reunification team's standards were poor.

"SOS International had a total target they needed to reach for the donors. Early on, they didn't reach it, so they started bringing in any child to meet the numbers and keep the funding."

Unlike Reem, Omama Ghbeis has since been reunited with her children. But she says for the first two of the three years she was imprisoned as a result of her brother's humanitarian work, she had no idea where they were.

Her daughters Layla and Layan had been taken in, aged four and eight, by SOS Syria.

Omama says she cannot forgive the charity for her children's experiences, many of which have been echoed by other children's families we have spoken to regarding SOS.

She says relatives tried to get in touch with her daughters but were told this was "forbidden". The girls were not allowed to talk about, or see pictures of, their family, she adds. And Layla says that once, when she was missing her family a lot, an SOS staff member showed her photos on Facebook but that this was officially "forbidden".

Once the girls had been reunited with their mother, they told her that the charity had changed their names.

"Layla told me that if anyone asked, she was to say her name was Layla Mossab," Omama says.

She added that her other daughter was given a different first name too.

"And they used to call Layan: 'Layal'. Layal Mossab," says Omama.

"I don't believe that this was an innocent mistake."

The BBC and its partners in this investigation have confirmed that Layan was referred to as Layal Mossab in Syrian intelligence paperwork.

The girls were allowed to visit their mother in prison two years after she was first detained, in preparation for her release under a prisoner exchange that then fell through. By that point, Layan had forgotten her completely, Omama says, and recoiled when they met.

"Even the prison guards were in tears," Omama tells us.

When the family was finally reunited, three years after they were first broken up, their long separation had created a distance between them, she adds.

"Each one of us was coming from a different world."

Omama is angry at the role SOS Syria played in the three years she was away from the girls.

"I know that SOS is a humanitarian organisation, funded from abroad. So, it's powerful. It's not an organisation set up by the regime. Their complicity in the disappearing of children of detainees is... unforgivable," she said.

For Reem, the search for Karim continues. As does the frustration.

"It's been six months since the liberation and yet there's still no clear path for mothers looking for their children," she says.

SOS Children's Villages International says, despite most of its donors having already withdrawn funding for SOS Syria since the child detentions came to the public's attention, "we are aiming to keep SOS Syria running for many years to come, and working to ensure continuity of essential services for children currently in our care".

It added that it was investigating whether any informal link had existed between the charity and Asma al-Assad, but denied there had been a formal connection.

Former chairperson of the board of SOS Syria, Samar Daaboul, resigned in May 2025. She denies her family links to the regime had any influence on her work there and told us Asma al-Assad only visited SOS once.

She emphasises her work has "always been characterised by integrity and professionalism, serving the best interests of the child".

Syria's Social Affairs and Labour Ministry did not respond to our team's request for comment.

In May, it announced a new joint ministerial committee to investigate what happened to children under the Assads.

The Assad family, who fled to Russia after the fall of the regime, also did not respond to our request to comment.

Further reporting by Hajar Chaffag and Rosie Garthwaite

Syria's Stolen Children is part of a joint project with Lighthouse Reports, The Observer, Der Spiegel, SIRAJ, Trouw, and Women Who Won the War.

Update Thursday 11 September 2025 17:25 BST: This report now reflects an SOS Children's Villages UK statement issued following our initial publication.

Putin and Netanyahu present twin challenges to Trump's diplomacy

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cvg9pnpqm2jo, 6 days ago

Into the two big foreign policy arenas sucking up much of the Trump administration's time and effort come two major challenges in less than 24 hours.

Israel's air raid on the offices of Hamas in Doha and a Russian drone incursion deep into Polish airspace represent two massive headaches for the White House.

And, arguably, two major affronts to the president's authority.

After all, these are conflicts – Ukraine and Gaza - US President Donald Trump said he would deal with swiftly and decisively.

In each case, a leader he sees as a natural, if problematic ally – Russian President Vladimir Putin and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu – has thrown a massive spanner in the wheels of White House peace-making.

Consider the timing. The Doha raid came just two days after the Trump administration delivered its latest proposals to end the war in Gaza.

On social media, Trump told Hamas that this was a last chance.

"I have warned Hamas about the consequences of not accepting," he wrote on Truth Social on Sunday. "This is my last warning, there will not be another one!"

In Doha, Hamas' senior leadership gathered to consider their response, but Israel didn't wait to hear it. The attack didn't just blow up the latest US proposals, it may have wrecked the entire, delicate architecture of Gaza diplomacy, on which the Trump administration was relying heavily.

Debate swirls over how and when the US found out about the Israeli raid and whether it could have done more to stop it. The presence in Qatar of one of the most important US airbases in the world has led many to conclude that it's inconceivable that Washington didn't see the Israeli jets approaching.

But if there wasn't a green light from Washington – and many assume there was – what does this say about Mr Trump's ability to influence Benjamin Netanyahu's actions?

For the past two years, following the humiliation suffered at the hands of Hamas gunmen on 7 October 2023, Israel has been flexing its military muscles across the Middle East, mostly with the tacit or explicit approval of the United States.

Israel has established itself as the region's undisputed hegemon, able to attack at will countries as far flung as Yemen and Iran.

But in both those cases, the US was also involved and shared the objectives – halting Houthi attacks on Israel and shipping in the Red Sea and thwarting Iran's nuclear ambitions.

An attack on Qatar, a key US regional ally, is a whole other thing.

Donald Trump said he felt "very badly" about it. According to the White House account of events, news of the Israeli raid came too late to offer Qatar any meaningful warning.

"Unilaterally bombing inside Qatar, a sovereign nation and close ally of the United States that is working very hard and bravely taking risks with us to broker peace does not advance Israel or America's goals," the White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters.

It won't be enough to quell the suspicions of American complicity, but it sounded like real anger.

For his part, Mr Netanyahu was keen to emphasise that this was a "wholly independent" action.

In The Washington Post, David Ignatius wrote that what the Israelis have dubbed "Operation Summit of Fire" came despite US and Israeli assurances that Hamas leaders would not be targeted in Qatar.

For such assurances, if given, to have been so flagrantly cast aside will inevitably be seen in the Gulf as a sign of American weakness.

Then there's Poland.

Less than a month ago, Trump welcomed Putin to a summit in Alaska, rolling out the red carpet, warmly embracing the architect of the war in Ukraine and, in a hot mic moment days later, telling France's Emmanuel Macron that Putin "wants to make a deal for me….as crazy as it sounds."

But far from progress towards a deal, the weeks since have brought only escalation. More record-breaking Russian drone and missile attacks on Ukraine, and now, for the first time, a flagrant incursion into NATO airspace.

It's not the first time Russian projectiles have landed in Poland, but previous episodes were close to the border and seemingly accidental.

But the incursions early on Wednesday morning were anything but accidental. Polish officials reported 19 Russian drones, some flying deep into Poland.

The Prime Minister Donald Tusk told parliament this was "the closest we have been to open conflict since World War Two."

Despite Russian denials, there's a near universal consensus that this was a deliberate effort by Moscow to test Nato's resolve.

And since the United States remains the alliance's most powerful member, that means testing Donald Trump's resolve too.

The president's apparent reluctance to respond – in contrast to his comments on the Doha attack – did not go unnoticed.

"A stunning silence from the White House greeted news that a Nato ally for the first time engaged and shot down Russian military assets," the Kyiv Post newspaper wrote.

A post on Truth Social did eventually – and inevitably – come.

"What's with Russia violating Poland's airspace with drones?" the president wrote, adding, somewhat ambiguously, "Here we go!"

But his initial silence, coupled with his seeming unwillingness to follow through on his own threats to impose new sanctions on Russia, leave Ukraine's western allies where they have always been: wondering where Donald Trump's heart is.

This could be about to change, with European officials working with their American counterparts on a coordinated package of sanctions, the first since Trump returned to the White House.

But given the president's previous ambivalence about Nato, alliance members want reassurance that when the sovereignty of an ally is threatened, Washington can be relied on to respond.

A recent agreement to allow Nato members to purchase US military equipment for Ukraine, along with the commitment of members to spend more on their own defence, has done much to improve relations within the alliance, and Trump has abandoned the sort of hostile rhetoric towards Nato that characterised his first term in office.

For their part, Nato's European members have generally acknowledged that they must do more to look after their own security. Policing Poland's airspace is a good example.

But American might, military and political, is still the bedrock on which the alliance is built, and questions linger about this president's willingness to wield it.

Two days, two conflicts and two conundrums. For Trump, a leader who does not like, or expect, to be challenged, this has been testing experience. Everyone is waiting to see if he rises to the occasion.

Anti-Islamic US biker gang members run security at deadly Gaza aid sites

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cm2zy4l8jgeo, 7 days ago

The firm guarding sites where aid is distributed in Gaza has been using members of a US biker gang with a history of hostility to Islam to run its armed security, a BBC investigation has found.

BBC News has confirmed the identities of 10 members of the Infidels Motorcycle Club working in Gaza for UG Solutions - a private contractor providing security at Gaza Humanitarian Foundation sites, where hundreds of civilians seeking food have been killed in scenes of chaos and gunfire.

We can reveal that seven members of the gang are in senior positions overseeing sites at the controversial aid operation backed by Israel and US President Donald Trump.

UG Solutions (UGS) defended its employees' qualifications for the job, saying it does not screen people out for "personal hobbies or affiliations unrelated to job performance".

The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) said it has "a zero-tolerance policy for any hateful, discriminatory biases or conduct".

Infidels MC was set up by US military veterans of the Iraq war in 2006 and members see themselves as modern Crusaders, using the Crusader cross as their symbol - a reference to the medieval Christians who fought Muslims for control of Jerusalem.

The gang is currently hosting anti-Muslim hate speech on its Facebook page and has previously held a pig roast "in defiance of" the Islamic holy month of Ramadan.

"Putting the Infidels biker club in charge of delivering humanitarian aid in Gaza is like putting the KKK in charge of delivering humanitarian aid in Sudan. It makes no sense whatsoever," said Edward Ahmed Mitchell, deputy director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), a leading Muslim civil rights organisation in the US.

"It's bound to lead to violence, and that's exactly what we've seen happen in Gaza."

The gang's leader, Johnny "Taz" Mulford, is a former sergeant in the US Army who was punished for conspiracy to commit bribery, theft and making false statements to military authorities. From May to August, he was "country team leader" running UG Solutions' contract in Gaza.

We emailed Infidels MC for comment. In response, Mr Mulford instructed fellow leaders of the biker gang not to reply but included the BBC when he clicked "reply all" - inadvertently disclosing email addresses and names of fellow Infidels MC members, some of whom were working in Gaza.

By matching up names with public information about Infidels MC's leadership, and evidence from UG Solutions insiders who worked with them, we have identified 10 members of Infidels MC who Mr Mulford recruited to work with him in Gaza.

In addition to Mr Mulford, we have identified three leading members of Infidels MC who also have senior roles at UGS's Gaza operation:

* Larry "J-Rod" Jarrett, who has been publicly named as the Infidels MC vice-president, and is in charge of logistics

* The gang's national treasurer, Bill "Saint" Siebe, who leads the security team for one of GHF's four "safe distribution sites"

* One of the gang's founding members, Richard "A-Tracker" Lofton, a team leader at another distribution site

Confidential documents, open-source information and former UGS contractors have enabled us to confirm the identities of a further six Infidels bikers hired to work in Gaza. Three of them are leaders or deputy leaders of the firm's armed security teams.

Mr Jarrett, Mr Siebe and Mr Lofton did not respond to requests for comment.

UGS told the BBC it conducts comprehensive background checks and only deploys vetted individuals. However, news reports indicate Mr Jarrett was arrested two years ago in the US for drunk driving and has a previous charge of driving under the influence from about a decade earlier. It is not known whether either case resulted in a conviction.

The founder and chief executive of UG Solutions, Jameson Govoni, was arrested earlier this year in North Carolina for his alleged involvement in a hit-and-run incident and for fleeing from police to evade arrest, according to court documents. Mr Govoni, who is based in the US and is not a member of Infidels MC, declined to comment.

Until now Mr Mulford was the only UG Solutions contractor to have been identified as a member of the Infidels. The BBC's investigation reveals how widespread his hiring of members of the biker gang has been, notably to better-paid jobs leading the UGS armed security teams.

Social media posts show that in May, just two weeks before travelling to Gaza, Mr Mulford sought to recruit US military veterans who follow him on Facebook, inviting anyone who "can still shoot, move and communicate" to apply.

In total, at least 40 of about 320 people hired to work for UG Solutions in Gaza were recruited from Infidels MC, according to an estimate by a former contractor.

UG Solutions is paying each contractor $980 (£720) per day including expenses, rising to $1,580 (£1,160) per day for team leaders at GHF's "safe distribution sites", documents seen by the BBC show.

One leader of a team in Gaza overseeing site security, Josh Miller, posted a photo of a group of contractors in Gaza with a banner reading "Make Gaza Great Again".

The banner advertises the logo of a company he owns which sells T-shirts and other clothing, including one which has the slogan "embrace violence" and another which says: "Surf all day, rockets all night. Gaza summer 25."

His company also posted a video online showing scenes of gun violence and advocating the shooting of criminals, with the caption: "Remember, always shoot until they're no longer a threat!"

Mr Miller has the word "Crusader" tattooed across his fingers and "1095" on his thumbs. This is the year when the leader of the Catholic church, Pope Urban II, launched the first crusade, attacking Muslims as a "vile race". Mr Miller did not respond to requests for comment.

A post on the Infidels MC Facebook page selling "1095" hats says it signifies the start of the Crusades, "a military campaign by western European forces to recapture Jerusalem and the Holy Land from Muslim control". The "Holy Land" refers to the area mostly covered by modern-day Israel and the Palestinian territories.

Johnny Mulford, who in addition to leading the gang is listed as the registered agent of a Florida company called Infidels MC, has the date 1095 tattooed across his chest. He has a Crusader cross tattooed on his right forearm and another on his left upper arm along with the word "Infidels".

"When you see anti-Muslim bigots today celebrating 1095, celebrating the Crusades, they are celebrating the wholesale massacre of Muslims - the erasure of Muslims and Jews from the holy city of Jerusalem," said Mr Mitchell from the US Muslim civil rights organisation CAIR.

He said the gang had the hallmarks of anti-Muslim hate groups which for decades have used the name "Infidels".

Anti-Islamic views expressed by the gang include a flyer for the pig roast during Ramadan, which the BBC found on an archived web page. It says: "In defiance of the Islamic holiday of Ramadan… we invite you to attend the Infidels MC Colorado Springs Chapter open bike party & pig roast."

The flyer also shows a woman wearing a burka that has been torn off from the neck down, exposing her chest.

The Infidels MC Facebook page has hosted clearly Islamophobic discussions. In 2020 the club shared a link to a false, satirical article claiming four US Democratic politicians, two of them Muslim, wanted the Bible to be deemed hate speech.

Comments from members of the Facebook group included: "Filling my magazine to the max. Would not be the first time we were at odds with muslims"; "Deport these pathetic skanks to a pathetic third world crap hole where they won't be offended by the Holy Bible"; and a comment dismissing "them and their Mohammad" with an expletive.

As of Wednesday, the comments remain on the Infidels MC Facebook page.

The Infidels MC website also used to show the skull logo of the violent Marvel comic book character Punisher, a symbol appropriated by white supremacist groups, inscribed with "kafir" in Arabic script - which translates as "unbeliever" (or "infidel").

Scenes of chaos and danger have been common at the aid distribution sites in Gaza since they opened at the end of May. Up to 2 September, 1,135 children, women and men were killed near GHF sites while seeking food, according to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.

The UN has said most of the killings appear to have been carried out by Israeli security forces. Incidents where civilians were harmed while seeking aid are "under review by the competent authorities in the IDF", the Israeli military said.

UGS has denied allegations that its security contractors also fired on civilians and that it put people seeking food in danger due to incompetent leadership. However, the company has admitted that warning shots have been used to disperse crowds.

In a statement, UG Solutions, based in North Carolina, said Johnny Mulford is a "trusted and respected figure" with more than 30 years' experience supporting the US and its allies globally. "We stand by his reputation, record, and his contributions to the success of complex missions," the company said.

"We do not screen for personal hobbies or affiliations unrelated to job performance or security standards. Every team member undergoes comprehensive background checks, and only qualified, vetted individuals are deployed on UG Solutions operations," UGS said.

The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation said it relies on "people from all backgrounds" to provide aid in Gaza and to build trust with Gazans.

"The team providing aid at the Foundation's sites is diverse - and it is successful for that reason," the GHF said.

Update 12 September: GHF contacted the BBC after publication of this article to inform us Johnny "Taz" Mulford has not been involved with the organisation since August. UGS says that Mr Mulford is still with it but has left Gaza.

One of the world's most sacred places is being turned into a luxury mega-resort

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c707kx2nk7go, 10 days ago

For years, visitors would venture up Mount Sinai with a Bedouin guide to watch the sunrise over the pristine, rocky landscape or go on other Bedouin-led hikes.

Now one of Egypt's most sacred places - revered by Jews, Christians and Muslims - is at the heart of an unholy row over plans to turn it into a new tourism mega-project.

Known locally as Jabal Musa, Mount Sinai is where Moses is said to have been given the Ten Commandments. Many also believe that this is the place where, according to the Bible and the Quran, God spoke to the prophet from the burning bush.

The 6th century St Catherine's Monastery, run by the Greek Orthodox Church, is also there - and seemingly its monks will stay on now that Egyptian authorities, under Greek pressure, have denied wanting to close it.

However, there is still deep concern about how the long-isolated, desert location - a Unesco World Heritage site comprising the monastery, town and mountain - is being transformed. Luxury hotels, villas and shopping bazaars are under construction there.

It is also home to a traditional Bedouin community, the Jebeleya tribe. Already the tribe, known as the Guardians of St Catherine, have had their homes and tourist eco-camps demolished with little or no compensation. They have even been forced to take bodies out of their graves in the local cemetery to make way for a new car park.

The project may have been presented as desperately needed sustainable development which will boost tourism, but it has also been imposed on the Bedouin against their will, says Ben Hoffler, a British travel writer who has worked closely with Sinai tribes.

"This is not development as the Jebeleya see it or asked for it, but how it looks when imposed top-down to serve the interests of outsiders over those of the local community," he told the BBC.

"A new urban world is being built around a Bedouin tribe of nomadic heritage," he added. "It's a world they have always chosen to remain detached from, to whose construction they did not consent, and one that will change their place in their homeland forever."

Locals, who number about 4,000, are unwilling to speak directly about the changes.

So far, Greece is the foreign power which has been most vocal about the Egyptian plans, because of its connection to the monastery.

Tensions between Athens and Cairo flared up after an Egyptian court ruled in May that St Catherine's - the world's oldest continuously used Christian monastery - lies on state land.

After a decades-long dispute, judges said that the monastery was only "entitled to use" the land it sits on and the archaeological religious sites which dot its surroundings.

Archbishop Ieronymos II of Athens, head of the Church of Greece, was quick to denounce the ruling.

"The monastery's property is being seized and expropriated. This spiritual beacon of Orthodoxy and Hellenism is now facing an existential threat," he said in a statement.

In a rare interview, St Catherine's longtime Archbishop Damianos told a Greek newspaper the decision was a "grave blow for us... and a disgrace". His handling of the affair led to bitter divisions between the monks and his recent decision to step down.

The Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Jerusalem pointed out that the holy site - over which it has ecclesiastical jurisdiction - had been granted a letter of protection by the Prophet Muhammad himself.

It said that the Byzantine monastery - which unusually also houses a small mosque built in the Fatimid era - was "an enshrinement of peace between Christians and Muslims and a refuge of hope for a world mired by conflict".

While the controversial court ruling remains in place, a flurry of diplomacy ultimately culminated in a joint declaration between Greece and Egypt ensuring the protection of St Catherine's Greek Orthodox identity and cultural heritage.

'Special gift' or insensitive interference?

Egypt began its state-sponsored Great Transfiguration Project for tourists in 2021. The plan includes opening hotels, eco-lodges and a large visitor centre, as well as expanding the small nearby airport and a cable car to Mount Moses.

The government is promoting the development as "Egypt's gift to the entire world and all religions".

"The project will provide all tourism and recreational services for visitors, promote the development of the town [of St Catherine] and its surrounding areas while preserving the environmental, visual, and heritage character of the pristine nature, and provide accommodation for those working on St Catherine's projects," Housing Minister Sherif el-Sherbiny said last year.

While work does appear to have stalled, at least temporarily, due to funding issues, the Plain of el-Raha - in view of St Catherine's Monastery - has already been transformed. Construction is continuing on new roads.

This is where the followers of Moses, the Israelites, are said to have waited for him during his time on Mount Sinai. And critics say the special natural characteristics of the area are being destroyed.

Detailing the outstanding universal value of the site, Unesco notes how "the rugged mountainous landscape around... forms a perfect backdrop for the Monastery".

It says: "Its siting demonstrates a deliberate attempt to establish an intimate bond between natural beauty and remoteness on the one hand and human spiritual commitment on the other."

Back in 2023, Unesco highlighted its concerns and called on Egypt to stop developments, check their impact and produce a conservation plan.

This has not happened.

In July, World Heritage Watch sent an open letter calling on Unesco's World Heritage Committee to place the St Catherine's area on the List of World Heritage Sites in Danger.

Campaigners have also approached King Charles as patron of the St Catherine Foundation, which raises funds to help conserve and study the monastery's heritage with its collection of valuable ancient Christian manuscripts. The King has described the site as "a great spiritual treasure that should be maintained for future generations".

The mega-project is not the first in Egypt to draw criticism for a lack of sensitivity to the country's unique history.

But the government sees its series of grandiose schemes as key to reinvigorating the flagging economy.

Egypt's once-thriving tourism sector had begun to recover from the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic when it was hit by the brutal war in Gaza and a new wave of regional instability. The government has declared an aim of reaching 30 million visitors by 2028.

Under successive Egyptian governments, commercial development of the Sinai has been carried out without consulting the indigenous Bedouin communities.

The peninsula was captured by Israel during the 1967 Middle East War and only returned to Egypt after the two countries signed a peace treaty in 1979. The Bedouin have since complained of being treated like second-class citizens.

The construction of Egypt's popular Red Sea destinations, including Sharm el-Sheikh, began in South Sinai in the 1980s. Many see similarities with what is happening at St Catherine's now.

"The Bedouin were the people of the region, and they were the guides, the workers, the people to rent from," says Egyptian journalist Mohannad Sabry.

"Then industrial tourism came in and they were pushed out - not just pushed out of the business but physically pushed back from the sea into the background."

As with the Red Sea locations, it is expected that Egyptians from elsewhere in the country will be brought in to work at the new St Catherine's development. However, the government says it is also "upgrading" Bedouin residential areas.

St Catherine's Monastery has endured many upheavals through the past millennium and a half but, when the oldest of the monks at the site originally moved there, it was still a remote retreat.

That began to change as the expansion of the Red Sea resorts brought thousands of pilgrims on day trips at peak times.

In recent years, large crowds would often be seen filing past what is said to be the remnants of the burning bush or visiting a museum displaying pages from the Codex Sinaiticus - the world's oldest surviving, nearly complete, handwritten copy of the New Testament.

Now, even though the monastery and the deep religious significance of the site will remain, its surroundings and centuries-long ways of life look set to be irreversibly changed.

Trump's state visit is mired with potential pitfalls despite careful planning

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c4gw25w9841o, yesterday

Listen to James read this article

US President Donald Trump's state visit to the United Kingdom this week will be no stranger to controversy, just as his first was six years ago.

Back then, in June 2019, as well as taking tea with the late Queen, the US President called London Mayor Sadiq Khan "a stone-cold loser", backed Boris Johnson in a Tory leadership race and suggested the NHS should be part of US-UK trade talks.

All this was accompanied by a petition saying he should not receive a state visit in the UK, signed by more than one million people, as well as noisy protests involving thousands and a huge inflatable effigy that became known as the Trump Baby.

This week's second state visit – unprecedented for a non-royal - will prove the first was no exception.

There will again be protests and Lord Mandelson's sacking as UK ambassador to the US has already cast a diplomatic pall over proceedings.

Planning for the visit - over Wednesday and Thursday - has gone on for months, but for all the careful preparation, the possibility that things could go wrong is still very real.

And for many of those organising it, the Mandelson affair is only one of their worries.

How Windsor became 'Trumpton'

For those at the royal end of the show, the focus has been on logistics and security - and turning Windsor Castle into a ring of steel hard enough to satisfy even the most fastidious secret service agents.

Such has been the huge American presence some locals have renamed Windsor "Trumpton", after the eponymous town in the 1970s children's TV show.

For Palace officials, attention to detail is all.

One of the biggest problems has been finding a place to muster the Household Cavalry.

It needs to be far enough from the helicopter landing zones to ensure the horses are not spooked by the noise, close enough to form the escort quickly that will accompany the Trumps' carriage procession through the grounds of Windsor Castle.

There has also been much discussion between the Palace and Foreign Office over who sits where at the State Banquet in St George's Hall.

"The value of these things are not just the photo opportunities but also all the off-grid conversations," said one royal insider.

"A huge amount of attention goes into the seating plan for the banquet. So people with certain policy areas are sat next to one another."

Much thought, too, is devoted to the menu and the music which will involve "lots of nods to his Scottish heritage".

King Charles III's seven-minute speech at the banquet has gone through many drafts, ensuring he pushes the right buttons without crossing political lines.

Officials say they have been given no indication by their US counterparts of what Trump may say in his speech.

'Pressure to make this massive'

So far, so logistical – but the key challenge for royal organisers has been finding a way of ensuring Trump feels he has been given a full state visit with all the trimmings. That is no easy task.

The president is on the ground for less than 48 hours and will not visit Downing Street, address Parliament or even find time to play a round of golf.

"There has been a large amount of government pressure to make this massive and that's been the challenge," one courtier told me.

The scale of the ceremonial at Windsor has been stepped up, with 1,300 troops and 120 horses involved - far more than those used when President Macron of France visited earlier this year. (It's a point that will no doubt be emphasised to the Americans in private.)

For the ceremonial hoopla is the overwhelming focus of the White House in this visit; a chance for the President to be photographed with the King and Queen and the Prince and Princess of Wales, along with military parades and bands and the Red Arrows.

One Whitehall source said: "The focus is very much on the optics, the historic moment, the pomp. For Trump it's all about TV and this is great TV."

Another said: "It's theatre. It's all show. It's not like we are going to do deep substance. We are sucking up to the most powerful guy in the world for good reason."

The Trumps: Warm and solicitous guests

Lord McDonald, a former top civil servant in the Foreign Office, said the UK's strategic choice to afford the most powerful man in the world "the fullest honour British protocol allows" will be watched closely by the rest of the world.

"This state visit is not just a UK-US event," he said. "It will be one of the biggest stories around the world.

"The rest of the world will be looking at London and Windsor, burnishing the UK's wider international standing."

Many officials are confident the visit will go smoothly, simply because all sides want it to succeed.

They emphasise that Palace staff thought the Trumps were warm and solicitous guests in 2019, both keen not to put a foot wrong.

"Trump can be quite funny in private," said one diplomat. "He has got quite a neat turn of phrase that the King will appreciate."

For the UK government, the overwhelming aim is for Air Force One to take off on Thursday evening with Trump warmly disposed to Britain.

Serious business behind the pageantry

Beyond providing a day of royal pageantry, the government has business to conduct on Thursday when proceedings move to the prime minister's country residence at Chequers.

Ministers hope to complete a deal to exclude UK steel and aluminium from US tariffs. There will be some new civil nuclear cooperation.

The centrepiece is set to be the signing of a technology partnership, involving new investment in Britain and greater cooperation with Silicon Valley on artificial intelligence and quantum computing.

This was Lord Mandelson's priority, something he described in his outgoing letter to embassy staff last week as "my personal pride and joy", that he claimed would "help write the next chapter of the special relationship".

All these issues will be portrayed as big domestic "wins" to help promote the government's growth agenda.

The visit will also provide Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer with a significant opportunity to bend the ear of the president just a week before the United Nations general assembly in New York, especially on Ukraine.

Jeremy Hunt, who as Foreign Secretary was heavily involved in the last Trump state visit, said this was a key chance to shape the president's thinking.

"Trump appears to be on a journey away from Putin, towards recognising that he needs a way of standing with his European allies a bit better," Hunt said.

"What the government will really be wanting to do is continue that journey, looking for a deal to impose more sanctions on countries buying Russian oil."

Sophia Gaston, senior research fellow at King's College London, said the state visit was an important chance for the UK to influence US policy at a crucial stage of the Trump administration, a window of opportunity between its disruptive first six months and next year when its focus may shift to domestic elections and strategic competition with China.

"We are moving into a new phase," she said. "This state visit really does matter. It is about us securing a foothold as the primary symbolic and strategic ally of the United States."

The Mandelson question

For all these potential gains, the risks are huge and the most obvious involves, of course, Lord Mandelson.

The peer's dismissal as ambassador, after revelations of the scale of his friendship with Jeffrey Epstein following Epstein's conviction as a paedophile, means the press conference at Chequers on Thursday will not be dominated by questions about his future.

Instead, the prime minister will likely be asked why he appointed the peer in the first place and why he took so long to sack him; what did he know and when?

Some diplomats wonder if Trump may voice an opinion about who should replace Lord Mandelson, potentially putting No 10 in an invidious position.

But perhaps the most dangerous question for the Prime Minister may be why he thinks Lord Mandelson should be punished for his links to Epstein, but not the US President standing next to him.

According to Whitehall sources, this was a point Lord Mandelson deployed as he fought to save his job.

It was not an argument that found favour in No 10 and officials note Trump, unlike Lord Mandelson, cut ties with Epstein well before his conviction - but it is a question that will float above this week's royal and political ceremonial.

Diplomats I have spoken to insist that so far the White House has been sanguine - if not a little bemused - at Lord Mandelson's departure, saying it is the UK's business, and the president remains excited about the state visit.

But there is a fear among some that if Trump were dragged into the controversy and embarrassed at the press conference, then that could sour his mood – and the visit.

Profound differences in the UK and US

The Mandelson affair is not the only potential challenge. As one distinguished former British ambassador told me: "On values and policies, we have fundamental differences with the Trump administration – on Nato, Ukraine, Middle East and China.

"The differences are more profound than at any time since World War Two."

Perhaps the most acute difference that could overshadow the visit relates to the Middle East.

Next week the UK is expected to formally recognise Palestinian statehood in an attempt to keep alive the idea of a so-called "two state solution".

But the Americans are strongly opposed, as the Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, made clear on Friday, emphasising his commitment "to fight anti-Israel actions including unilateral recognition of a Palestinian state that rewards Hamas terrorism".

There are also political risks for the prime minister. Underlying this state visit is an unspoken transaction: that it is worth giving Trump all those trimmings in order to help British interests, namely to reduce tariffs and foster investment partnerships.

Yet Trump is unpopular in the UK. A YouGov poll in July found only 16% of Britons surveyed say they have a positive view of him.

The government will have to explain to voters why it believes this state visit is a price worth paying to try to grow the British economy.

The diplomatic game of cards

Amid these potential pitfalls lies a deeper, but less discussed risk from this state visit. That is: in its diplomatic game of cards, has the government played its King too explicitly for political purposes?

"The government have the convening power of the King and they have used it in a very transactional way, for example the brandishing of the King's letter in the Oval Office," said one royal source.

"They realise the Palace can draw people in, in a way that you can't in Whitehall.

"The problem in using the personality of the monarch and the institution of the monarchy is there is a risk that you cross a line and you ask someone who has to remain studiously non-political to transact a political act on behalf of the government."

Official state visits by US presidents are rare. There have only ever been three: President Bush in 2003; President Obama in 2011 and Trump in 2019. All other visits were official or informal. So this week's does matter.

But even if it passes off smoothly and gaffe-free questions may remain about its efficacy. "This is very early in Trump's presidency," one diplomat said.

"Have we played this card too soon? What do we do for an encore?"

Top picture credits: Win McNamee/Getty Images, Neil Hall /EPA/Shutterstock and Hollie Adams, WPA Pool/Getty Images, Yuri Gripas/Abaca/Bloomberg via Getty Images

With Trump's state visit days away, blame game begins over Mandelson scandal

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cp8j2d5xm78o, 3 days ago

"What a week. What a mess." A senior Labour MP is not the only one in disbelief at the latest - you couldn't make it up - mishap for this government.

How Downing Street handled revelations about Lord Mandelson's friendship with the wealthy paedophile Jeffrey Epstein was the first test of the new senior team in No 10.

The uncharitable view is they flunked it by not acting quickly enough – putting the prime minister's face on the calamity by sending him into the bearpit of Prime Minister's Questions (PMQs) with a staunch defence of his man in Washington.

They knew there were new allegations about his relationship with Epstein. The direction of travel seemed set - and Mandelson would likely have to go.

The even more uncomfortable factor is that last week the prime minister defended another colleague, Angela Rayner, when - you guessed it - the direction of travel in Westminster seemed set, and she would likely have to go.

It's undermined the prime minister's own authority and blown the chance of a quick autumn reset for Labour, when the party was desperately trying to turn the page.

The more generous argument made by Sir Keir's allies - he's been let down by two different people in two different ways, and has had to front up to clean up their different messes.

"Keir is frustrated and a bit angry because he is having to deal with the conduct of others, rather than show what he is trying to do," one source says.

Another says: "He hired someone who didn't tell him the full truth."

No 10 doesn't imagine that the damage of the last fortnight of farce is limited to those who have departed government.

And as they absorb the scale of the embarrassment over Mandelson's friendship with Epstein, new details over who knew what - and when - are emerging all the time.

Westminster sources have suggested the prime minister himself had raised questions about Mandelson's links with Epstein during an initial vetting process carried out by the Cabinet Office before he was given the job.

But then he was checked out again by the Foreign Office once he'd been appointed.

So where did it all begin?

Even before Labour won the election in 2024 there had been a desire in Sir Keir's circle to look beyond the traditional diplomatic appointment for their ambassador to the White House, one of the government's plum jobs.

They had noted how the former Australian Prime Minister, Kevin Rudd, was sent to DC and determined that a politician could be the right choice.

With his experience as a trade commissioner, an impressive spider's web of contacts, and respected political nous, Mandelson was soon determined to be an excellent potential fit.

Sir Keir's powerful chief of staff, Morgan McSweeney, believed there were only two qualified candidates for the role, and was enthusiastic about Mandelson.

Before the final decision was made last autumn, the Cabinet Office was asked, as it would be for any such candidate, to consider whether he was fit to be offered the job.

Already at that stage it was no secret Mandelson had been friends with Epstein, so it was obvious those links would need to be considered.

I'm told a file on Mandelson from the Cabinet Office's Propriety and Ethics Team (PET), whose job it is to know where the bodies are buried in Whitehall, was presented to the prime minister that included information about his relationship with the disgraced millionaire.

On reading this file, Sir Keir had three questions he wanted to clarify with the peer, a No 10 source tells me: Why had he continued his friendship with Epstein after he was first convicted and not broken contact with him?

Why had he stayed at one of Epstein's houses when the financier was in jail?

And was he a "founding citizen" of an ocean conservation charity that Epstein had backed?

The upshot? Even though there were two different processes checking out Mandelson's background, which publicly was known to include dealings with a notorious wealthy sex offender, neither appear to have turned up anything major - nor the now notorious emails which investigative reporters were able to locate recently.

One Whitehall insider told me it was "staggering - either they skipped the process of any basic due diligence, or they did that process and missed the obvious questions".

"No one involved in making the appointment cared enough to check whether all the risk had been identified in appointing a man who had twice previously had to resign over his judgement. Careless doesn't cover it."

The government has repeatedly said this week that part of the problem was the messages between Mandelson and Epstein were from a defunct email address.

Yet a senior Whitehall figure tells me it would have been possible to locate those messages had more questions been asked, and forensic background digging been done.

Neither Downing Street nor the Cabinet Office wanted to comment.

Until this week, it seemed No 10's calculated risk of appointing Mandelson was paying off.

Not just because US President Donald Trump appeared to enjoy his company, praising his "beautiful accent" on camera recently in the Oval Office, but also because the UK had got its trade deal.

The state visit was all about to unfold in its pomp and glory. Sir Keir appeared, unlike many other global leaders, to have managed to build a warm and functional relationship with the most powerful man in the western world.

All of that, at least partly down to the smooth talking and politicking of the ambassador.

What he and No 10 were enjoying as a successful tenure was to be suddenly disrupted when the peer featured in what's known as the Epstein "birthday book". It features a cosy message - Mandelson branding Epstein his "best pal", and a photograph of the two in which Mandelson is wearing a bathrobe.

And what was to prove more serious, reporters at the news agency Bloomberg managed to get hold of a cache of Epstein's emails, which included his communications with Mandelson over months and years.

In an attempt to get ahead of the story, Mandelson predicted that a whole slew of contact between the two was about to emerge into public view - and he described the revelations to The Sun as "very embarrassing". This sent alarm bells clanging back in Whitehall.

He hadn't shared the contents of the emails with Downing Street and had been "dismissive, claiming there was nothing new" in the stories emerging about his friendship with Epstein earlier in the week, sources suggest.

But, by late on Tuesday, the government was aware that more damaging allegations were coming, and contacted the peer to ask what was going on.

On Wednesday morning, Mandelson's prediction of there being more to come was first reported, just as, in the normal routine, No 10 was planning the day and preparing the prime minister for his weekly PMQs bout in the Commons.

At noon, before government had heard back from Lord Mandelson, the prime minister gave a staunch public defence of him in a move that now looks foolhardy.

But when Mandelson did reply after PMQ's, the government didn't think his answers were good enough.

The prime minister's chief of staff McSweeney was called out of a meeting in a secure room in Whitehall where mobile communications are forbidden.

Sources suggest the decision was made soon after to ask Mandelson to resign.

He refused, trying to "brazen it out" - sources suggest he kept "telling everyone it would be fine".

On Wednesday No 10 was also trying to weigh up the impact of losing the ambassador on the crucial state visit of the US president, just days away, and also what the legal ramifications would be of forcing Mandelson out.

But later on Wednesday night, the full extent of those emails were published by Bloomberg, and the prime minister read the exchanges in all their gory glory.

"Keir was furious," I'm told, and on Thursday morning, he made the formal decision with the foreign secretary that if Labour's veteran fixer wouldn't go on his own accord, he'd be sacked.

So what happens now?

On Friday the prime minister was working at his country retreat, Chequers, mulling over his conference speech for which Sir Keir has "picked up the pen", in a more proactive way than in times gone by, aware this is a moment when the pressure to lift the mood and show his worth is intense.

After a first year in office that disappointed many in the Labour Party, and left them in the polling doldrums, his big moment on the podium at conference was already set to be a high-wire act.

After this chaotic fortnight, it's "fortuitous we are heading to conference and we can grab the mic," one insider said.

Another senior figure told me: "I don't see problems that aren't fixable."

But when it comes to Lord Mandelson, the clamour may take some time to fade. "This isn't over – No 10 is in total denial," a party insider said.

A different prominent source told me the Mandelson mess "is just another big misstep".

Alongside Sir Keir, there is also growing disquiet about the prime minister's chief of staff McSweeney.

It's no secret he was keen to appoint Mandelson, even though he and the prime minister did have questions about his relationship with Epstein.

But sources dispute he was trying save the US ambassador from his fate this week.

It's said he agreed on Wednesday lunchtime Mandelson had to go, before travelling to Brussels for meetings, leaving him out of the country when the final call to sack him was made.

When politicians are down, powerful staffers often become a target.

Opposition politicians and critics on the inside can even appear to enjoy the hunt for someone to blame.

However, McSweeney is central to Sir Keir's leadership.

"If there's no Morgan, there's no Starmer," one senior Labour figure said, warning MPs warming up to point the finger to be careful about where it all might lead.

After a dreadful start of what should have been a shiny new political season, one cabinet minister says in sorrow: "We have made the right big strategic calls, but there is just no way that we should be in this position after a year."

But others believe all is not lost. Just as Labour slumped in popularity at breakneck speed after winning the election, senior figures suggest their fortunes could improve dramatically quickly too.

Volatility in politics can be governments' enemy, but also potentially be their friend.

Yet right now, it's hard to see where Labour can find much comfort.

There is little option but to keep going, to focus on what insiders characterise as "good announcements" coming in the next few weeks, presenting a huge opportunity for the prime minister to shift the dial and boost the party's confidence.

But one minister joked after a shocking fortnight for the government: "I keep thinking maybe it's all a very detailed dream and I'll wake up."

"But then no, this is reality, and we just have to get on with it." They certainly do.

Lead photo image: Alberto Pezzali/Pool via REUTERS, Ben Pruchnie/Getty Images

Trump is used to shaking off criticism - but the Epstein story is different

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cp8j3e5g74no, 7 days ago

Listen to Anthony read this article

Donald Trump has called the Jeffrey Epstein story a "dead issue". But in a week of blockbuster new revelations, Epstein's criminality - and its consequences - continue to haunt many of his former associates.

The so-called birthday book of wishes given to Epstein in 2003, that was publicly released on Monday, has given new ammunition to Trump's critics, and it will also keep his base and the wider public clamouring for more details.

It may not be a proverbial smoking gun – an undeniable link to wrongdoing that destroys careers or supercharges criminal investigations. But it is concrete, troubling evidence of the close relationship the late financier and convicted sex offender had with the rich and powerful.

That alone makes it an explosive and compelling story – one that is capturing the public's attention in ways a typical political story does not.

Make no mistake, while there is no suggestion of criminal wrongdoing by Trump, the political consequences of the Epstein saga on the president are very real.

He is vulnerable on this issue. His attempts to deflect or dismiss it have failed.

And he has at times lashed out at his own base for their fixation on the story - an interest he encouraged as recently as last year.

How the birthday book changed the story

While the 2003 book, compiled by Epstein's then-girlfriend and co-conspirator Ghislaine Maxwell, is full of dozens of personal notes, it is the one purportedly from Trump that has turned this from a tragic story of sex trafficking and exploitation into one of national partisan intrigue.

The details of the note – an imagined dialogue between Trump and Epstein full of innuendo and double-entendres set within the sketched outline of a nude female torso - have been known to the public since the Wall Street Journal reported on them in July.

Trump had initially responded to that coverage with blanket denials, protestations of being the target of a "hoax" and a defamation lawsuit in which his lawyers doubted the note's existence.

As conservatives rallied to Trump's defence, the president seemed to have eased concerns among his political base which had been divided over the White House's handling of the Epstein files.

Political analysts began to wonder if this would be the latest in the long line of potential scandals and controversies that the president shrugs off.

Trump's strategy had one glaringly obvious risk, however – that the note would become public. An anodyne description of bawdy text and drawings in the pages of a financial newspaper is very different from seeing the actual item, with its depiction of small female breasts and a signature resembling Trump's that is positioned to suggest pubic hair.

The president's advisers and supporters continue to contest the authenticity of the note, but it is no longer possible to deny its existence.

"The president did not write this letter, he did not sign this letter, and that's why the president's external legal team is pursuing litigation against the Wall Street Journal," White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said on Tuesday.

But in a book filled with notes and messages to Epstein, Trump seemingly stands alone in denying the authenticity of his supposed contribution.

And Leavitt was very careful not to call the book itself a hoax.

Every repositioned defence, every recalibrated explanation risks undercutting Trump's reputation among his supporters as a man who doesn't get caught up in typical political games and evasions.

One fragment of a larger mosaic

A greater concern for the White House than the specific revelation of the note, however, is the way in which the birthday book will fuel wider interest in, and attention to, the Epstein case.

The note purportedly from Trump is just a fragment in a larger mosaic of Epstein's life – a picture of a man who had friends and associates in the highest of places, including some of whom found humour in his reputation for sexual exploits.

Less than a week after a group of Epstein victims and their families gathered on the steps of the Capitol to speak of the pain and emotional trauma they suffered, the birthday book provided vivid evidence of the seemingly callous indifference to Epstein's escapades by many in Epstein's circle.

One note, which appears to be from a Florida property investor, includes a photograph of Epstein holding a large novelty cheque seemingly from Trump. The accompanying text jokes that Epstein sold a "fully depreciated" woman to Trump for $22,500 – using a financial term for an item whose value has been reduced through use.

Other notes included lewd drawings, nude photographs and, in one instance, images of animals having sex.

There were messages from politicians, lawyers and business leaders. Former President Bill Clinton referenced Epstein's "childlike curiosity" and his desire to "make a difference".

Lord Peter Mandelson, the current UK ambassador to the US, included photographs of tropical locations and referred to Epstein as "my best pal".

Clinton's office has not responded to a BBC request for comment, though he has previously said he was unaware of Epstein's crimes.

An official spokesperson for Lord Mandelson told the BBC that he "has long been clear that he very much regrets ever having been introduced to Epstein".

Some Republicans have pointed to the way in which Democrats have focused almost exclusively on Trump as evidence that their claims of outrage are driven by a desire for political advantage.

That could be difficult for those on the left to deny.

Democrats on the House committee investigating the Epstein case, for example, were quick to release the Trump birthday page, which had been provided to them by the Epstein estate.

Expect any other details related to the president to receive a similarly speedy route into public view.

A story bigger than the president

The story has become bigger than the president, however, and the interest in Epstein's story – one of sex, crime and power - will drive attention regardless of the political motivations behind some who are advancing it.

If Trump's critics are sensing opportunity, not all of Trump's allies are helping.

Last week, Speaker of the House Mike Johnson suggested that Trump had cooperated with the original federal investigation into Epstein – a theory that Epstein himself floated during interviews with journalist Michael Wolff in 2016 and 2017.

Johnson, a Republican, later walked back his comments, but not before it prompted another round of questions around what Trump knew about Epstein's illegal behaviour and when he knew it.

There is still plenty that the public could learn with the release of more Epstein documents, including witness statements, financial records and evidence gathered in law enforcement searches of Epstein's properties.

Two congressmen, Republican Thomas Massie of Kentucky and Democrat Ro Khanna of California, are currently gathering signatures to force a vote in the House of Representatives to publicly release the remaining Epstein files - a move that the White House is vigorously opposing.

The Epstein saga, which seemed to be old news at the beginning of this year, is approaching a self-sustaining critical mass that will be difficult for anyone, no matter how well-connected or influential, to contain.

And while the president is not the central focus, and there is no evidence of any criminal conduct on his part, his longtime friendship with Epstein (which ended after a falling out in 2004), combined with his position at the pinnacle of American political power, will keep him a central player in this drama for as long as it continues to unfold.

Starmer resets after Rayner row, but Labour turmoil is a gift for Reform

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c39rk4jlpw7o, 11 days ago

Welcome to the weird world of UK politics 2025.

The TV presenter Jeremy Kyle announces to a huge crowd of Nigel Farage supporters at Reform UK's party conference that David Lammy is the new number two in government and they boo, panto-style.

And there's a YouTube video of the (now former) deputy prime minister dancing in a tracksuit and chunky gold chain waving wads of cash that's been watched more than 1.5m times.

These might both sound like parodies, but only the video of Angela Rayner rapping "How Many Homes Can Rayner Buy" was a joke.

And what was planned as No 10's "get back in charge week" has been blown up by a row you couldn't make up – the housing secretary in trouble for not paying tens of thousands of pounds of tax on her expensive new house.

Her exit pushed the button on a chunky shakeup of Sir Keir Starmer's team.

The start of this political season has been wild.

In the end, Rayner's decision to go was clear cut.

The official report into her behaviour said she'd tried to do the right thing, but not tried hard enough. So the rules had been broken.

Her camp reckoned she had no option. No 10 agreed.

There is frustration that the manner of her exit from government gave her critics what they wanted. But she knew she had no choice, and was devastated by her own mistake.

It's acutely and specifically painful for Labour because Rayner had personally styled herself as something of a sleaze-buster.

It was she who often led the charge against the succession of Conservatives who got into trouble over their own complicated financial arrangements, hurling accusations of arrogance and greed on a fairly regular basis.

She was the shoutier end of Starmer's so called "Mr Rules" approach, a serious belief that government had to be washed clean of its tawdry image after multiple scandals and Boris Johnson's, ahem, flexible attitude to the normal rules.

She portrayed herself as a loud and proud champion of ordinary people looking at the worst Westminster behaviour in disgust.

For Labour in general, it undermines again, their claim to be different to those who went before, to return government to the "service of the people", as Sir Keir said so many times – to be competent, with clean heels.

For the government's number two to have messed up her tax affairs undermines faith in ministers' ability. As one MP put it, "it's not even a rookie error, it's 40,000 smackers of oversight".

And for such a prominent politician to lose their job over property dealings that many of the public couldn't imagine being able to afford gives the impression, again, that politicians live in a different world.

"There's just the smell test," a Labour insider said.

This time last year, Rayner, the prime minister himself, and even the chancellor were all red faced for taking, albeit permitted freebies, of clothes, glasses, and gig tickets, struggling to explain why politicians are entitled to free stuff the rest of us are not.

Twelve months on, Rayner is the fifth minister who has quit after their actions caused embarrassment for the government. Those clean heels look a bit scruffy now.

The mess is, of course, a gift for Nigel Farage. At his party's conference in Birmingham on Friday Rayner's exit didn't just shove him on stage a few hours early for his speech to try to grab a space in the news cycle, it gave more ammunition to his fundamental argument.

Reform's pitch rests on a claim that the two big parties are as bad as each other, and preside over a system that is bust.

Does his vow he could stop the small boats in a fortnight stand up? We've been speaking to the Reform leader, and our full interview will be on the show on Sunday.

The prime minister's answer to the drama of the last couple of days?

Making changes to his ministers.

The decisions were made finally because of Rayner's exit but the moves have been long in the making.

Downing Street's hope is to salvage opportunity out of what was fast morphing into a crisis. A No 10 source tells me: "None of us expected it to unfold as it did, but this gives real shape and substance to a refreshed No 10 team, marking a strong new phase of this premiership."

You and I might translate that as: "The saga over Angela's tax was a total pain in the neck, but it's given us the excuse to make some of the changes we fancied anyway."

One insider described it as moving those who were "a bit awkward, or a bit tired".

What those changes add up to depends on who you ask.

One ally of the PM tells me, the reshuffle "is all about immigration", believing "Shabana [Mahmood] is the one who can get a grip of this" to solve the small boats issue or "we're all done for".

Some of Starmer's allies have long admired Shabana Mahmood, and believe her elevation to home secretary will bring a more forthright approach to cracking the problems of the immigration system.

As justice secretary she held out the possibility of castrating sex offenders. That is not exactly a proposal designed to warm the hearts of Labour Party branch meetings.

But in some government circles there's a hope she'll take a more strident approach to the small boats crisis than Yvette Cooper.

Cooper moves to a life where she'll spend a lot more time on a plane, as foreign secretary. But those close to her believe it's a tribute to her work doing deals with countries on migration in this last year that she has been given the arguably more prestigious job.

I wouldn't bet we'll see her meeting JD Vance in waders any time soon. But there is the small matter of a state visit from his boss, President Trump, in a matter of days.

Different sources point to other appointments as the ones that will make the difference. The government's often stated number one priority has been to get the economy growing. You don't need me to tell you they haven't been having a great time with that.

Sources suggest moving Pat McFadden, the wily political brain, into a new mega ministry to deal with welfare and skills is part of a souped-up attempt to get the country working, and moving Peter Kyle to business is a way to soothe fevered brows of industry.

He takes the seat of Jonathan Reynolds, who moves to the vital role of chief whip. Given how many ructions there were on the backbenches last term, despite the party's mega majority, Reynold's fortunes keeping the party on side, or not, will be critical.

But while the reshuffle was a major set of moves, will it dramatically change what you see from the government that runs the country? Don't expect big swerves.

This is not a reshuffle that has come about because of some massive ideological bust up. It seems more about the personalities of the ministers involved than any dramatic shifts in Starmer's ambition.

His allies say in the first year in office he was frustrated at how hard it was to get anything done. The hope is the new line up will work more quickly, and push harder on the government's most thorny problems. One minister said the "time for incremental change has passed – we don't have long", conscious all the time of Reform breathing down their neck.

Will it work? That's what we'll witness as the months unfold. A senior Labour figure told me disappointedly: "I'm not sure moving personnel is the best thing – the biggest frustration is the lack of project – that's what makes it hard to make day to decisions."

This reshuffle doesn't answer the most frequent complaint made about Sir Keir by his own party, often publicly, that it's just not that clear exactly what he stands for.

"Phase 2" was meant to be "delivery, delivery, delivery". Another bout of political jargon that followed, "change", "renewal", "security", "fairness", "milestones", "first steps", you get the point.

Even some of the PM's allies would admit privately that none of his chosen pitches to the public have made people's hearts sing.

"You can see the problem from Mars," another party insider says, "there's not enough political direction of what he wants to do – so the policies don't lather up into anything", they reckon. That oft-cited problem is not going to be miraculously solved by a set of HR decisions after a huge embarrassment this week.

But Sir Keir's hope this weekend will be that a reboot at the cabinet table makes his government more effective - demonstrating government can work.

And convincing the public of that these days would be a significant achievement.

Seven days ago there was an ambition that week one of "phase two" might be an orderly start to the term. The Rayner saga skewered that plan. Now with his new chosen team in place there is more opportunity to make things work perhaps, but fewer excuses if things go wrong.

A senior party source told me: "The test is how does the PM show how No 10's capacity for political strategy and policy making have materially changed?"

With a long list of problems and the party conference looming, we'll soon know if Downing Street can pass that test, to prove it can manage the many challenges of "phase two" any better than the agonies of year one.

Sign up for the Off Air with Laura K newsletter to get Laura Kuenssberg's expert insight and insider stories every week, emailed directly to you.

Top image credit: Leon Neal/ Reuters

TV cooking shows are dying out - this cronut* holds the secret to why (*croissant-donut)

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c0jq1d63l7lo, 6 days ago

Listen to David read this article

Some 30 years ago I found myself working with David Pritchard, a director who turned the late Keith Floyd into a TV star.

He had first encountered Floyd, glass in hand, chaotically running a Bristol restaurant and coaxed him into cooking on television, often, it appeared, semi-sloshed, on a trawler or a gale swept hillside or, memorably, in a field of ostriches.

Audiences loved it. More than 20 television series ran with Floyd at the helm, and one of the attractions was the obvious tension between him and his director.

It was never going to end well.

One day, while we were editing a programme, David walked in fresh from filming with Floyd. He looked pained. "We flew back on separate planes," he said.

Then he leant closer and told me he didn't have to worry: "Rick will save me."

Rick Stein had appeared on Floyd on Fish. He was given his own cooking show and went on to host dozens more, including 40 episodes of Rick Stein's Cornwall.

Meanwhile, the light sprinkling of food shows of the early 90s went on to become a daily staple of TV schedules throughout the 2000s and 2010s.

In 2014, there was a complaint that the BBC had, in one week, broadcast 21 hours of cooking shows.

Then, seemingly just as abruptly as it all began - it was all over.

Shows known in the industry as "stand and stir" fell off a cliff this year. The number of new, half-hour shows from the BBC so far this year: zero.

Commissions for all forms of food programmes across British TV have dropped 44% in a year, according to Ampere Analysis.

Elsewhere, however, food videos are booming - only they're not made by traditional production companies. Instead, they are on YouTube, Instagram and TikTok.

Even some of the most popular TV cooks, like Nigella Lawson and Nadiya Hussain, are off the TV menu in the UK for now. The question is, why?

What is it that has made us fall out of love so spectacularly - and so suddenly - with what was once one of our favourite genres, and what is it about food influencers in particular that have eclipsed the popularity of the once-beloved "chop and chat" stalwarts?

Millions of views vs 'proper' TV

Natalia Rudin used to be a private chef but a video she shared on Instagram in January 2023 of an "antipasti-style bean dish" with olives, artichokes, sun-dried tomatoes and "a sort of white wine sauce" changed everything.

"I posted it and didn't really look at my phone and then… the next day, it had over a million views," she recalls.

"It was wild," she says. She admits she hadn't even been very happy with the video: "I was a bit hungover from New Year."

Today she has 1.5 million followers as Natsnourishments and is known as "the bean queen".

When sales of tins and bottles of beans rose 122% in Waitrose in a year, they put it down to foodie influencers, like Natalia. She no longer only posts on Instagram but on YouTube too. Some of her Instagram videos have surpassed 20 million views.

Now she's thinking about where to go next.

"I wouldn't say no to TV but… YouTube's where it's at," she says. "I like it because I have a little bit more control over it and I can decide what goes out."

Other food influencers tell a similar story.

When Ben Ebbrell was training as a chef, his school friends would text him, asking how to cook basic dishes. Now, his channel, Sorted Food, has 2.89 million subscribers and earlier this year he attended a reception at 10 Downing Street for leading YouTube creators.

"It was," he says, "a bit of a pinch-me moment."

The figures are impressive, with 1.3 billion views - but surely, I ask, he'd prefer to make a "proper" TV programme?

He pauses. This question has clearly come up before.

"[In the past] it was very much if you want to come and play in our TV world you have to play by our rules, whereas now TV is kind of coming to the content creators and saying: 'We'd quite like your audience to come use our platform, too.'"

The legend of the cronut

The reason for all of this seems straightforward enough. For Ben Ebbrell, it comes down to the cronut.

A few years ago, he says, his channel was "inundated" with comments from people in New York about this new craze - a cross between a croissant and a donut.

So, he recalls, they found some cronut photos online, came up with a recipe, made a video and published it.

"Every newspaper was writing about it and there was only one video on YouTube of how to make it and that was ours, and we were able to be nimble only because our community steers our content."

This is not how TV programmes are made. It's a world of pitches, focus groups and meetings - the online video world has almost none of that.

According to Ed Sayer - a veteran producer and commissioner who writes as The TV Whisperer - food is a perfect example of TV's problem.

"Television is heavily regulated, so you have lots of compliance," he says. There will be a team checking recipes haven't been copied from a recipe book, for instance.

By contrast, he says, the "abundance" of creators on YouTube and TikTok "don't have those same compliance issues".

Lower costs, greater freedom and an explosion of creative ideas have also helped change the game. We may think of YouTube as a "creative community" - it's not. Today there are 115 million channels on it - that makes it a "creative nation".

But dig deeper and this is about far more than regulation and red tape, or even the speed to react to trends - the real challenge is cultural.

Like the arrival of rock and roll

As far back as 2008, the then-chairman of ITV, Michael Grade called services such as YouTube "parasites" who did not create TV, just lived off it. It's true, they were not making TV - they were making something revolutionary.

Videos of make-up tutorials, pranks, unboxing products - and lots of cooking. None of this was seen as competition for "professionally made" programming.

And so for years many continued to underestimate it.

In August 2013, Kevin Spacey gave a speech at the Edinburgh TV Festival. Netflix, at the time, had around 1.5 million subscribers in the UK. He was the star of House of Cards and his message was simple. TV had won.

But my other memory from that year's festival was a session led by YouTube. Fellow media journalists and I were sceptical - surely YouTube wasn't television, but a place for low-quality home videos?

In 2014, The Times wrote that industry analysts were sceptical that "low-budget, short-form videos" would ever seriously challenge television's dominance.

Even now, there's a degree of disbelief in some quarters. In a recent conversation on LinkedIn by some TV professionals, one poured scorn on young people on TikTok and YouTube for "not knowing" how to use clip-on mics.

But it's not that they don't know how to; they just don't want to.

It's a little signal to the rest of the online world that this isn't the fake world of television, this is raw and real.

Ed Sayer says younger people like this "rough and readiness" - and when they watch television, their reaction is typically: "It's so false and fake."

Why Bake Off broke the mould

Some in TV have long understood the importance of authenticity.

Take the one type of food programme that is still a prime-time attraction - the cooking competition, like Masterchef or the Great British Menu.

Masterchef remains a part of prime time, despite its well-publicised troubles leading to the departure of hosts Gregg Wallace and John Torode.

And then there's the ratings show-stopper of food TV, The Great British Bake Off.

Richard McKerrow, the co-creator of Bake Off, always believed authenticity was the key ingredient, but says it was a struggle for others to see this too.

"I pitched Bake Off for five years and they told me it'd be like watching paint dry," he says. "No one wanted it."

Only when filming began did the magic reveal itself, he says. "I was going, 'Oh my God, these bakers aren't paying any attention to the camera because what they care about is what Paul [Hollywood] and Mary [Berry] think of their cake.'"

It tells you something that Bake Off was seen as a huge risk before it first broadcast in 2010, at a time when TV had rather more spending power - and the last 15 years has seen no successful rival take off. People are going elsewhere with their ideas.

Much of what's left of food TV is now funded by brands and outside agencies. On ITV, Tom Kerridge Cooks is sponsored by Marks and Spencer and features "producers who supply M&S" - so too does Cooking With the Stars.

Judi Love's food show is backed by Emerald Cruises, Dermot O'Leary's is part-funded by Tourism Ireland; Gary Barlow's latest is backed by Tourism Australia and Hays Travel. Anna Haugh's Big Irish Food Tour is financially supported by Tourism Ireland.

But overall, the conveyor belt that brought us Fanny Craddock, Delia Smith and Keith Floyd has stopped.

The question is, does it matter if more disappear?

Did food shows change the way Britain eats?

Some argue food shows helped change the way Britain eats - they have also taken us into homes and kitchens around the world.

Ken Hom and Ching He Huang's travel and cooking series in 2012 was a fascinating snapshot of life in China through the lens of food.

But 13 years on, the money for such programming just isn't there.

Of course, YouTube has a wealth of travel and observational content. But there are 69,000 YouTube channels with more than a million subscribers; money and attention are spread thin.

Jonathan Glazier, a TV executive and writer who has worked on dozens of shows including the Generation Game and Gladiators, expresses his sadness at the slow disappearance of TV's shared moments. Especially, he adds, the programmes that capture real people as they puzzle, struggle and laugh their way though life.

"That's what television is," he argues, "it's about the characters that populate this country.

"The more we lose this type of storytelling, the more we become strangers to ourselves."

However, while TV may be facing a tough challenge, our appetite for video is not dying.

Ed Sayer, for one, is hopeful. "Audiences don't care about platforms - they care about stories, authenticity, and relevance," he says. Success will come down to who understands the new landscape best.

"Ultimately," he says, "YouTube isn't winning and TV isn't winning. The audience is."

Sir John Curtice: How Reform's capture of the Brexit vote could be enough to win an election

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cwy853rj2kzo, 12 days ago

On 3 October 2021, Reform UK held its first conference - a modest one-day get-together in Manchester - only a short distance from the much larger Conservative Party gathering, taking place nearby at the city's Convention Complex at the same time.

At the Reform event, only a few hundred activists were present in the function room - and Nigel Farage, not yet party leader, was reportedly not among them. Reform was polling around 3% and had won just two councillors in that May's local elections.

What a difference four years makes.

Reform's annual conference takes place this weekend in Birmingham, with 5,500 tickets reportedly already sold. It is thought that one in five of the nation's lobbyists will be there too. The party has now been ahead in the polls for five months.

Never before has a party other than Conservative or Labour been ahead in the polls for so long. Indeed, since the party's success in English local elections in May, it has consistently been averaging 30% to 31%, enough to put it well ahead of all its rivals.

Recent attempts by YouGov and More in Common to estimate what the party's support might mean in terms of MPs suggest that if an election were held now, Reform would be the largest party by far, albeit probably short of an overall majority. At the moment, Nigel Farage - now firmly in place as Reform's leader - appears potentially on course to become the UK's next prime minister.

The question hanging over the party is - can they sustain this?

The next general election could be almost four years away. Much could happen between now and then. A year into the last parliament the Conservatives were narrowly ahead in the polls – only to crash to a heavy defeat in last summer's election.

But what could make a difference – one way or the other – to Reform's prospects? Analysis of who is - and who is not - backing the party, and why, provides us with vital clues.

So too does an understanding of the broader UK political landscape, one in which a fragmentation of the vote away from the main parties is offering Reform an unprecedented opportunity.

A plague on both their houses?

Support for Reform might be thought to be simply a protest vote by an electorate fed up with slow growth, an ailing health service, and high levels of immigration. If so, the party's popularity would seem likely to wane should the country's prospects look brighter in four years.

Dissatisfaction with the state of the country certainly underpins support for Reform. For example, according to Ipsos, 68% of voters feel that the economy will get worse over the next year, up from 43% at the time of last year's election and as high as it has ever been a year into a new Parliament. Among those whose current party preference is Reform, a remarkable 89% are pessimistic about the prospects for the economy.

Meanwhile the most recent British Social Attitudes survey, conducted last autumn, showed that a record 59% are dissatisfied with the NHS. Among those who voted Reform last year, the figure is even higher – 69%.

Most voters think that immigration is too high. An Opinium poll in August found that 71% feel that way. But nearly everyone who is now backing Reform (97%) expresses that view.

Reform supporters have little confidence in the ability of either Labour's leader, Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, or the Conservative leader, Kemi Badenoch, to address these issues. Most lack confidence in Sir Keir's ability to handle the economy, the NHS, and immigration. However, at the same time, on balance their judgement of Badenoch's abilities is a negative one too.

Indeed, Reform supporters have even less confidence than Conservative supporters in Sir Keir's abilities. At the same time, Reform supporters have less confidence than Labour supporters in Badenoch's capabilities.

For example, 58% of Conservatives lack confidence in Sir Keir's ability to turn the economy around – well short of the 76% of Reform supporters who express that view. Meanwhile, 40% of Labour supporters doubt that Badenoch can tackle the economy, less than the 47% figure among Reform supporters.

A powerful magnet

Reform supporters seem to have lost faith in the ability of either of Britain's two traditional governing parties to address the country's most pressing problems.

In contrast, they do have confidence in Farage. This is especially so for immigration, but he also scores well on the economy and the NHS.

Among those currently backing Reform, 84% approve of the job Farage is doing – far higher than the equivalent figure for Sir Keir among Labour supporters (62%) or Badenoch (46%) among Conservatives.

While Farage is not so widely admired in the wider population, his ratings among voters in general still compare favourably with those of his rivals.

In Opinium's most recent poll, for example, rather more say they disapprove (40%) than approve (30%) of how Farage is handling his job as Reform leader. But that still means that more approve of the job he is doing than approve of Sir Keir (21%) or Badenoch (16%).

The Reform leader is proving a powerful magnet that is attracting discontented voters into his party's camp.

The party's future prospects seemingly rest heavily on Farage remaining its leader. The party might struggle to keep its support if Farage departed the political scene. At the same time, voters might drift away if the country's prospects improve under Labour or if Badenoch can persuade them that she and her party have better solutions than Farage.

The Brexit factor

Politicians do not talk much about Brexit these days. Yet, Brexit is a major fault line that sharply distinguishes those who do and do not support Reform. The party's support stands at no less than 53% among those who voted Leave in 2016. In contrast, just 11% of those who backed Remain are to be found in the ranks of current Reform supporters.

But to misquote a former prime minister, Brexit means more than Brexit. Those who voted Leave in 2016 have distinctive views on a range of so-called cultural issues.

They are especially concerned about immigration, they are doubtful about many equalities policies, and they are more inclined to be sceptical about climate change.

These views are widely prevalent among those currently inclined to vote for Reform but are often out of kilter with the population as a whole.

According to the latest British Social Attitudes survey, 81% of those who voted Reform last year believe that migrants have undermined rather than enriched the country's culture. Equally 73% feel that migrants have been bad for the country's economy. These figures are very different from those among voters in general, just 31% of whom believe that migration has undermined Britain's culture, and only 32% feel it has been bad for the economy.

Meanwhile, 53% of Reform voters believe that attempts to give equal opportunities for lesbians, gay men and bisexuals have "gone too far". Some 49% say the same of equal opportunities for black and Asian people, while 71% express that view in the case of transgender people. The equivalent figures among the general public are 33%, 18% and 50% respectively.

Only 33% of Reform voters believe that climate change is being caused mainly by human activity, far fewer than the 54% figure among the public in general. As many as 25% state that the climate is largely changing as a result of natural processes, a view shared by just 8% of all voters. Reform voters are less supportive than other voters of virtually any measure designed to address climate change.

Opposition to immigration, equal opportunities policies, and climate change measures feature prominently in Reform's campaigning – which often cites spending on these issues as alleged examples of government waste. Indeed, Reform voters are noticeably less keen on government spending too. Only one in four (25%) believe taxes should be increased in order to spend more on "health, education and social benefits", much lower than the 46% of all voters who take that view.

The party is singing a tune that is widely popular among the many Brexiteers who have been recruited into the ranks of its supporters.

Doing so has enabled the party to capture much of the coalition of Leave voters that gave Boris Johnson his mandate in 2019 to deliver Brexit. The Conservatives lost one in four of their 2019 supporters to Reform at the last election - and now, on top of that, Badenoch's party has lost another three in 10 of those who were still loyal to the Conservatives last year. In total, that means half of those who voted for Johnson in 2019 are now backing Farage.

Consequently, support for the Conservatives among 2016 Leave voters (23%) is only a little higher now than among Remain supporters (14%). In 2019, 75% of Leave voters (and just 20% of Remainers) backed Johnson.

At the heart of Reform's success is a fundamental realignment of the party preference of Brexit supporters.

This suggests that, even if Labour is able to address the country's policy challenges successfully between now and the next election, support for Reform will not simply disappear. After all, in contrast to the Conservatives, Labour have lost only one in eight of its 2024 voters to Reform.

Rather, what will be key to Reform's fortunes and specifically its vote share will be the outcome of a battle with the Conservatives for the support of pro-Brexit, socially-conservative and climate-sceptic Britain. Such voters are far from representative of the country. However, they are providing Farage with a niche market of support that, presently at least, is enabling him to make much of the political weather.

A fragmented landscape

There is one other potential obstacle facing Reform. The party is currently benefiting from a fragmentation of support among its rivals.

We have heard lots about Labour and the Conservatives both losing votes to Reform. But on the socially-liberal side of politics, too, support has been seeping away from the historically mainstream parties.

The most recent polls suggest 9% of Labour's 2024 vote has gone to the Liberal Democrats and 6% to the Greens.

Reform's current tally of 31% has never been sufficient to win an election. But in today's fragmented political landscape in which the combined poll ratings for Conservative and Labour are at an historic low, it could be.

Should Labour or the Conservatives recover, however, the picture would be very different.

For instance, if Labour could match Reform on, say, 30%, perhaps by squeezing the Liberal Democrats, the Greens and the nationalist parties, they would probably win many more seats than Reform. Labour's vote is more geographically concentrated which means it is better able than Reform to turn votes into constituency seats.

Whether those with little appetite for Farage remain fragmented in their loyalties or become consolidated behind one party could therefore be crucial in determining Reform's chances of power.

Meanwhile, given how much of Reform's support comes from former Conservative voters, any recovery by the Tories would be an even bigger problem for Farage because it would most likely involve them taking votes directly from his party.

If the political scene does become less fragmented, Reform would need to think about broadening its appeal beyond its core issues of immigration, equalities and climate change. Despite widespread pessimism about the country's financial health, at the moment voters beyond the ranks of the party's existing supporters are less willing to trust the party on economy than they are on immigration.

Whether Farage can reach out beyond the ranks of socially-conservative Britain could yet be crucial if the party is eventually to succeed in its bid for power.

John Curtice is Professor of Politics, Strathclyde University, and Senior Fellow, National Centre for Social Research and The UK in a Changing Europe.

Migrant crisis: How Europe went from Merkel's 'We can do it' to pulling up the drawbridge

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cn5e5q7w41eo, 13 days ago

The day they appeared he could hardly believe his eyes. Small boat after small boat bearing in from the Turkish side. "I have so many memories that are coming back to me now," says Paris Laoumis, 50, a hotelier on the Greek island of Lesbos. "There were people from Syria, Afghanistan, many countries."

This was August 2015 and Europe was witnessing the greatest movement in population since the end of the Second World War. More than a million people would arrive in the EU over the next few months driven by violence in Syria, as well as Afghanistan and Iraq and elsewhere.

I witnessed the arrivals on Lesbos and met Paris Laoumis as he was busy helping exhausted asylum seekers near his hotel. "I am proud of what we did back then," he tells me. Along with international volunteers he provided food and clothing to those arriving.

Today the beach is quiet. There are no asylum seekers. But Paris is worried. He believes another crisis is possible. With the number of arrivals rising over the summer months, his country's migration minister has warned of the risk of an "invasion", with thousands arriving from countries such as Sudan, Egypt, Bangladesh and Yemen.

"Of course I worry. I can see the suffering of the people. They are not coming here but we see it on Crete (Greece's largest island) where people have come. So it is possible that with the wars more people will come here."

In 2015 I followed as the asylum seekers boarded ferries, trudged in the heat along railway lines, through cornfields, down country lanes and along highways, making their way up through the Balkans and onwards to Germany and Scandinavia.

The numbers entering Germany jumped from 76,000 in July to 170,000 the following month. On the last day of August the Chancellor Angela Merkel declared 'wir schaffen das' - we can do it - interpreted by many as extending open arms to the asylum seekers.

"Germany is a strong country," she said. "The motive with which we approach these things must be: we have achieved so much – we can do it! We can do it, and where something stands in our way, it has to be overcome, it has to be worked on."

But the high emotions of that summer, when crowds welcomed asylum seekers along the roads north, seem to belong to a very different time.

That optimistic proclamation soon became a political liability for Mrs Merkel. Political opponents and some European leaders felt the words acted as a magnet for asylum seekers to the EU. Within a fortnight the Chancellor was forced to impose controls on Germany's borders due to the influx of asylum seekers.

And a decade on, concerns over migration have become a major political issue in many European countries. The causes are complex and vary from country to country, but concerns around security, struggling economies and disillusionment with governing parties have all had a major role in shaping attitudes towards those who arrive who are fleeing war, hunger and economic desperation.

It has fuelled the rise of far right parties and seen centre and even left wing parties scramble to impose controls on migration, fearing electoral defeat by populist right-wingers. Data from the Atlas Institute of International Affairs shows how support for far right parties in Europe nearly doubled over the term of two electoral cycles to 27.6%.

Since 2015, when the UNHCR says over a million people entered Europe on asylum routes, there has been a dramatic drop in arrivals. But since 2016, the average number of people entering Europe has still been around 200,000 people a year. So far this year a total of 96,200 asylum seekers have been recorded arriving. So can tough new controls really further bring down the numbers trying to come to Europe? Or does global conflict and economic desperation make their continuing flow inevitable, with ebbs and flows in the numbers?

Hungary's tough stance

In Hungary, the far right government of Prime Minister Viktor Orban, has taken one of the toughest approaches to migration. Back in September 2015, I was present when Hungary's first fence was erected along the border with Serbia, and witnessed hundreds of people scrambling to cross into the EU before they could be shut out.

In Budapest, this week I met the country's minister for the EU, János Bóka, who said Hungary's approach has been vindicated by the restrictive measures now being put forward in the UK - where the government plan to make it harder for refugees to bring family members to the UK - as well as countries like Ireland, Denmark and Sweden.

"We feel vindicated not only because of what's going on in other countries in Europe. This is of course also a sign that we took the right path 10 years ago, that now we see most of the countries are doing what we have been doing for the past 10 years."

Hungary immediately returns people who arrive at the border without permission to enter. They can only apply for asylum in the Serbian capital Belgrade, or in Kyiv in war battered Ukraine.

Human rights lawyer Timea Kovács says this effectively makes it impossible to enter the EU via Hungary. "Basically there is no legal way to enter the Hungarian territory as a refugee," she asserts.

As a result Hungary is being fined one million Euros per day for breaching its responsibilities to asylum seekers under EU law. EU minister Bóka says the country is not about to change its policy. "If it is the price that we pay for the protection of our borders and maintaining peace and stability in Hungary, this is a price worth paying."

But even such restrictive measures haven't managed to entirely halt the entry of asylum seekers.

Austrian police told the BBC that there were between 20 to 50 people detected every day trying to enter their country illegally from Hungary. This is just the figure for those detected.

On a trip to the border with Serbia I heard the frustration of one group of Hungarian guards. We left the tar road and followed a patrol onto a dirt track into the forest. The trees closed over forming a natural tunnel. Bright sunlight gave way to shadows. The men in the vehicle ahead of us carried shotguns.

'Just one big circus'

Dressed in military camouflage Sándor Nagy and Eric Molner are citizen volunteers, paid by the state to patrol the Hungarian side of the border with Serbia.

"I feel sad and angry, and most of all, worried about what is coming," says Sandor. He believes Europe is failing to stop people from coming across its borders. "To be honest, what we experience here is basically just one big circus. What we see is that border defence here is mostly a show, a political performance."

We emerge into a clearing where a 12ft high border fence appears, topped with barbed wire, equipped with sensors and cameras to detect illegal crossings.

"They simply cut through it, and groups rush in at several points at once—this has been the same for years." The problem, he argues, is with organised crime, which is constantly one step ahead of the authorities. "This fence does not stop anyone in the long run … It delays the flow, but cannot stop it."

A deluge of abuses

With the growth of criminal trafficking has come a deluge of human rights abuses, according to the United Nations. People traffickers dump people in the Sahara desert; others crowd them onto unsafe boats. Some of those who get through find themselves being forced back into the desert by local security forces.

More than 32,000 people have died trying to reach Europe in the past 10 years - including 1,300 dead or missing this year.

According to the UN's International Organisation of Migration "much of this is happening in a situation of near complete impunity".

The summer of 2015 was not only a summer of welcome. It prompted immediate changes in the approaches of several European states. Not just with the erection of the fence in Hungary but, among several examples, the deployment of riot police in Croatia, and migrants being detained in Slovenia.

By March 2016 - six months after Mrs Merkel's statement - the EU had reached agreement with Turkey to keep migrants from crossing into Greece and Bulgaria.

Since then the EU has done deals with countries including Morocco, Tunisia, Libya and Egypt to prevent their countries being used as launch points to Europe.

Now, there are numerous well documented cases of asylum seekers being pushed back across EU borders by police and coast guards. Last January the European Court of Human Rights found Greece guilty of illegal and "systematic" pushbacks of asylum seekers to Turkey.

Gerasimos Tsourapas, a professor of international relations at the University of Birmingham, describes the policy of outsourcing the asylum issue as a dramatic change for Europe. "The idea that migration can be leveraged for money or aid or other concessions, which was fairly exceptional for Europe in 2016, has now become a pattern.

"Migration diplomacy is contagious. Once the deal is struck then the logic spreads."

There is also a paradox here, he says. "We are restricting asylum, we're keeping borders closed, but we also need to find labour migrants to fill shortages and help our national economy."

A changing Sweden

Persistent public concern has seen a rise in support for far right parties across the EU, even in places like Sweden, which historically prided itself as a welcoming nation for those fleeing persecution. The far right Sweden Democrats won 20.5 percent of the vote in the 2022 general election - making them the country's second largest party. In return for supporting a minority coalition government they have seen much of their anti-migration platform shape government policy.

Family re-unification for migrants has been made more difficult, as have conditions for permanent residency, and asylum quotas have been substantially reduced.

For the final leg of my journey I went to the western Swedish city of Karlstad, a picture postcard place on the banks of the River Klarälven, the longest waterway in Scandinavia.

Syrian refugee, Abdulmenem Alsatouf, 44, remembered the welcome he received here in 2015.

That has changed, he says. "At the beginning people treated us very well. But after a few years — and after the government changed — things shifted. They became more racist." He cites incidents of racist abuse, including one neighbour leaving a toy pig outside this devoutly Muslim family's home.

I first met Abdulmenem and his family ten years ago as they were trying to reach Europe from Turkey. I remember their hope for a new life. Now his wife Nour says she would prefer to be in Syria. "They look at us as if we only came here to take their money or live off their aid. But that's not true. When I first arrived, I studied Swedish for two years, I learned the language, I finished school. Then I went to work — cleaning, kitchens, childcare. I pay taxes here, just like anyone else. I'm part of this society."

Why has Swedish public opinion shifted to the right on migration? One of the more frequently cited reasons in local media and by politicians is crime, specifically the rise of organised crime, with young perpetrators used to commit extreme violence. Since 2013 the rate of gun crime in the country has more than doubled.

People born abroad, and their children born in Sweden, are over-represented in crime statistics. But Sweden's foreign ministry warns against a simplistic analysis of figures. It says low levels of education, unemployment, social segregation and refugee's war trauma are all causes - not the fact of being a migrant.

Outside the local cultural museum, where he and his apprentice were busy painting the walls, I met Daniel Hessarp, 46, who is among the 60% of Swedes that opinion polls record as being concerned about crime. "We see the statistics of the crimes, who does it and such. So, there you have the answer. We didn't have this before in Sweden.

The apprentice, Theo Bergsten, 20, said he wasn't opposed to immigration because "you learn from, they learn from you…so it's really nice also." But he said the growth in crime was a "sad part" of the story.

Maria Moberg Stephenson, Senior Lecturer in Social Work, Karlstad University, says social media has allowed the far right's message to thrive and find new support among those who feel excluded from society.

"Sweden Democrats are very open with [us] - they don't want any asylum seekers. They actually want people to leave Sweden. And the whole government is sort of setting the agenda for being a hostile country. It's more acceptable now to not be welcoming."

Graves marked 'Unknown'

Back on Lesbos, I went to visit a place I have come to know over many years of reporting migration issues there. About 30 minutes drive from the Mytilene airport, in the middle of some olive groves, are the graves of asylum seekers who have died trying to reach here, or in the refugee camps set up after 2015. Numerous graves are simply marked 'Unknown', the last resting place of those who believed Europe would offer them a better life.

When I visited there were three fresh graves, and a fourth open waiting for a burial to take place. It is a sobering reminder that desperate people will keep trying to reach Europe, despite the enormous risks.

So far this year the numbers of asylum seekers detected trying to reach Europe is down by 20 percent. The numbers may surge and fall, but the global crises that drive migration are not going to disappear. That is the fundamental challenge for politicians, whatever party is in power.

Additional reporting by Bruno Boelpaep, Nick Thorpe, Daphne Tolis and David McIlveen

Top image credit: Beata Zawrzel/NurPhoto via Getty Images

Israel destroys dozens of buildings in Gaza City as new offensive intensifies

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/czx0d71gryzo, 11 days ago

Israeli strikes and demolitions have destroyed dozens of buildings in areas of Gaza City, satellite images show, as the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said its offensive has established control over 40% of the city.

The new images reviewed by BBC Verify show that intensive bombardments and controlled explosions have levelled several neighbourhoods over the past four weeks.

Rows of tents - which have sprung up over the city to shelter Palestinians displaced by the Israeli military campaign - have also disappeared over the past month, the images show.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced Israel's intention to seize all of the strip and launch an incursion into Gaza City after indirect talks with Hamas on a ceasefire and hostage release deal broke down in July.

UN humanitarian officials have warned that the impact of a full-blown offensive would be "beyond catastrophic". Strikes have intensified in areas of Gaza City in recent weeks and dozens of Palestinians have been killed in attacks this week alone according to the Hamas-run health ministry and civil defence agency.

Satellite images show that significant damage has already occurred in Gaza City's Sheikh Radwan, Zeitoun and Tuffah neighbourhoods in recent weeks. The photos show that dozens of buildings in the city were levelled between August and September.

In a statement to BBC Verify, the IDF said it was "locating and destroying terror infrastructures embedded, among other things, inside buildings".

In Sheikh Radwan - a neighbourhood located about three kilometres from Gaza City centre - a number of buildings have been wiped away. BBC Verify previously geolocated footage of strikes carried out by the IDF to the area on 29 August.

The images clearly show track marks left by Israeli armoured vehicles, many of which pass through sections of the neighbourhood where buildings and trees once stood.

BBC Verify also geolocated footage of an explosion which levelled dozens of high-rise buildings as part of a demolition in the adjacent Jabalia area.

The footage, which first appeared online on 31 August, mirrors similar demolitions carried out by Israeli forces in southern Gaza. Thousands of buildings in areas including Rafah and Khan Younis have been demolished by controlled explosions and demolition contractors in the area, a BBC Verify investigation revealed last month.

In Gaza City's Zeitoun neighbourhood images show what appear to be four clusters of IDF armoured vehicles. In a 24-hour period between 1 and 2 September, dozens of buildings which had stood in an area between the vehicles have been demolished.

By 4 September the armoured vehicles had moved on, images reviewed by BBC Verify showed, with further damage inflicted on buildings in the area.

Elsewhere in Zeitoun, rows of tents set up by displaced Palestinians have disappeared in little over a month. According to the UN, more than 1.9 million Gazans - about 90% of the population - have been displaced by the Israeli military campaign.

According to the UN, hundreds of thousands of people displaced by fighting had returned to northern Gaza earlier this year after the Israeli military opened a corridor from the south of the strip during the short-lived ceasefire agreement.

High-rise buildings which had surrounded the tents have also been destroyed, while signs of activity on the streets have also disappeared. Fresh track marks left by IDF vehicles passing through areas where buildings once stood are also visible.

Similarly, in the Tuffah neighbourhood - where Israeli strikes killed at least eight people on Thursday, according to the Hamas-run Civil Defence agency - more buildings have been levelled.

On 1 August IDF armoured vehicles were visible in the area. By 1 September buildings near where the vehicles were active had been destroyed, including a school.

The images also appear to show fresh tracks left by armoured vehicles crossing through a cemetery, where over 3,000 troops killed fighting for the British Empire in World War 1 are buried. The cemetery has already been heavily damaged by bombardments earlier in the conflict, with a crater left by a previous strike also visible.

An IDF spokesperson told BBC Verify, without providing evidence, that: "In certain cases, entire neighbourhoods in the Gaza Strip are converted into combat complexes which are utilized for ambushes, housing command and control centres and weapon warehouses, combat tunnels, observation posts, firing positions, booby-trapped houses, and for setting explosives in the streets."

Last month, Hamas said it had accepted a plan from regional mediators Qatar and Egypt that would see 10 living hostages and the bodies of 18 dead hostages released during a 60-day truce in exchange for hundreds of Palestinian prisoners and detainees in Israeli jails.

Israel has not responded to the plan but insists all the hostages must be released in one go.

Israel launched a military campaign in Gaza in response to the Hamas-led 7 October attack, in which 1,200 people were killed and 251 more were taken hostage.

At least 64,231 people have been killed in Israeli attacks in Gaza since then, according to the territory's Hamas-run health ministry.

Additional reporting by Paul Brown and Merlyn Thomas.

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South Korean worker tells BBC of panic during US immigration raid at Hyundai plant

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c5yqg0rln74o, 9 days ago

A South Korean worker who witnessed a massive immigration operation at a car factory in Georgia has told the BBC of panic and confusion as federal agents descended on the site and arrested hundreds.

The man, who asked to remain anonymous, was at the factory which is jointly owned by Hyundai and LG Energy Solution when agents from Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) arrested 475 people, including 300 South Korean nationals, with some being led away in chains.

He said he first became aware of the Thursday morning raid when he and his colleagues received a deluge of phone calls from company bosses. "Multiple phone lines were ringing and the message was to shut down operations," he said.

As news spread of the raid, the largest of its kind since President Donald Trump returned to the White House, the man said panicked family members tried to contact the workers.

"They were detained and they left all their cell phones in the office. They were getting calls, but we couldn't answer because [the office] was locked," he said.

According to US officials, some workers tried to flee including several who jumped into a nearby sewage pond. They were separated into groups based on nationality and visa status, before being processed and loaded onto multiple coaches.

Some 400 state and federal agents had gathered outside the sprawling $7.6bn factory complex, which is about half an hour from the city of Savannah, before entering the site at around 10:30 on Thursday.

The 3,000-acre complex opened last year and workers there assemble electric vehicles. Immigration officials had been investigating alleged illegal employment practices at an electric vehicle battery plant that is being built in the compound.

The operation ultimately became the largest single-site immigration enforcement operation in the history of Homeland Security investigations, officials said, adding that hundreds of people who were not legally allowed to work in the US were detained.

BBC Verify has been reviewing footage posted on social media and apparently filmed inside the battery plant.

One video shows men lined up in a room as a masked man, wearing a vest with the initials HSI - Homeland Security Investigations - and holding a walkie-talkie, tells them: "We're Homeland Security, we have a search warrant for the whole site. We need construction to cease immediately, we need all work to end on the site right now."

BBC Verify met the worker, who is legally entitled to work in the United States, in Savannah, the nearest city to the massive car factory.

The man said he was "shocked but not surprised" by the immigration operation. He said the vast majority of the workers detained were mechanics installing production lines at the site, and were employed by a contractor.

He also said a minority of those arrested had been sent from head office in Seoul and had been carrying out training, which the BBC has not been able to confirm.

The man said he believed nearly all the workers had some legal right to be in the US, but were on the wrong type of visas or their right to work had expired.

The BBC has contacted both Hyundai and LG Energy Solution for comment.

In a joint statement released after the raid, Hyundai and LG Energy Solution said they were "co-operating fully with the appropriate authorities regarding activity at our construction site. To assist their work, we have paused construction."

Hyundai also said that "based on our current understanding, none of those detained is directly employed by Hyundai Motor Company".

It added it "is committed to full compliance with all laws and regulations in every market where we operate".

BBC Verify has also contacted the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) for comment and for more details about exactly why the workers were detained and what they were doing at the plant.

On Friday, the day after the raid, the ICE agent in charge of the operation, Steven Schrank said all 475 detainees were "illegally present in the United States".

He said they were workers "who have entered through a variety of different means into the United States, some illegally crossed the border, some that came in through visa waiver and were prohibited from working, some that had visas and overstayed their visas".

The raid, dubbed by officials "Operation Low Voltage", targeted an electric battery plant which was being built on the same site as an existing Hyundai car factory.

ICE has released footage of the raid showing federal agents arriving in armoured vehicles and lining up workers outside the factory, with some shown chained together before being loaded onto coaches.

Other images show two men in a river apparently trying to escape, and another man being hauled out of the water by agents who are speaking to him in Spanish.

The worker we spoke to said he had sympathy for those who had been detained, but he said a crackdown was not a surprise under the Trump administration. "Their slogan is America first, and if you work in America legally, you won't have an issue," he said.

The man said the time and administrative hurdles involved in obtaining US visas had encouraged foreign companies to cut corners in order to finish projects on time, but they might now need to reassess.

"I mean, after this happened, many companies will think again about investing in the United States because setting up a new project might take so much longer than before," he said, adding that many of those who were detained were specialists and finding local workers to replace them would not be easy.

When the BBC visited the site over the weekend there were few visible signs of Thursday's raid, although two security teams asked us to move on as we filmed from the side of the road.

The electric car factory in Ellabell, Georgia is a huge complex that dominates the landscape and has been a major source of employment since the project was announced in 2022.

Georgia's Republican Governor Brian Kemp has hailed the $7.6bn complex, describing it as the largest economic development project in the state's history.

The impact of the venture has been reflected in the resurgence of the Korean American Association of Greater Savannah. "It's a growing community," said Cho Dahye, the association's president.

Ms Dahye, who became a US citizen in the 1980s and is also known by her American name Ruby Gould, said the ICE arrests had left people shocked.

She hopes the raid on her doorstep would not have a wider impact on US-South Korean relations. "It's very shocking to me and the image of a global, well-known company," she said.

Additional reporting by Aisha Sembhi and Woongbee Lee

Is Trump right about Chicago's crime levels?

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cp8jl969pg7o, 11 days ago

US President Donald Trump has called Chicago a "killing field", a "hell hole" and "the murder capital of the world" - and has said he will send in National Guard troops to "solve the crime problem fast".

This comes almost a month after he did the same in Washington DC, where he claimed crime was out of control, despite official figures showing it falling.

Democratic Governor of Illinois JB Pritzker has said Chicago does not need an intervention from the president.

"We have our job, which is to fight violent crime on the streets of our city, and by the way, we're succeeding," Pritzker said.

BBC Verify has looked into what the figures show about crime in Chicago and how it compares to other US cities.

Violent crime has been falling

There were about 540 violent crimes recorded per 100,000 people in Chicago in 2024, according to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).

About 2.7 million people live in the city - making it the third largest in the US - and almost 10 million live in the wider metropolitan area.

Homicide, rape, robbery, and aggravated assault are included in the FBI measure of violent crime.

Last year, Chicago's violent crime rate was down 11% on 2023 levels and roughly half what it was in the years leading up to the Covid-19 pandemic.

On this measure, the city ranked near the bottom of US cities with populations larger than 500,000 (29th out of 37), according to BBC Verify analysis of FBI data.

New York, Los Angeles and Washington DC had higher violent crime rates last year.

Memphis, Detroit and Baltimore had the highest rates - with more than 1,500 violent crimes per 100,000 people.

Chicago's Police Department (CPD) publishes separate crime figures.

It also recorded a drop in violent crime, announcing in August that offences had fallen by more than a fifth on the same period last year.

What about murders in Chicago?

Shortly after the US Labor Day holiday on 1 September, President Trump said on his Truth Social platform that "at least 54 people were shot in Chicago over the weekend, 8 people were killed".

These numbers were widely reported by multiple news outlets, including the BBC's partner CBS.

As of the end of August, preliminary data from the CPD shows 278 homicides so far this year, down by a nearly a third on the same period last year.

In 2024, the CPD recorded 591 homicides, a term which includes both murder and manslaughter.

The FBI has a lower number for last year of 461, which crime analyst Jeff Asher says is because the CPD has under-reported the number of homicides to the agency in recent years.

It was the highest number of homicides of any US city last year, recorded by the FBI.

Homicides in Chicago have fallen significantly since the 1990s, when more than 900 were reported in some years.

The homicide rate has been falling in recent years, according to FBI data.

Last year, there were about 17 homicides per 100,000 people, down from about 19 in 2023 and 23 the year before that.

How does the homicide rate compare to other US cities?

In terms of the homicide rate per 100,000 people, Chicago did not top the list last year.

BBC Verify analysis of FBI figures shows that Chicago ranked tenth out 37 US cities with a population of more than 500,000 people.

It would be seventh if the CPD's higher homicide figure was used.

In 2024, the city which came top of this ranking was Memphis (41 homicides per 100,000 people) followed by Baltimore (35 homicides per 100,000 people).

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt has said: "Chicago has had the highest murder rate among US cities."

A White House press release stated that the city had the highest murder rate for seven consecutive years and linked to a study by the Rochester Institute of Technology research group.

The study does make this finding but its conclusion is based on a sample of just four US cities with populations larger than one million.

And, according to the same study, Chicago ranked 8th out of a bigger sample of 24 cities in terms of the homicide rate in both 2023 and 2024.

"There are different measures and analysts often focus on per capita rates as it's the most representative, but people's perceptions are informed by lots of other factors," says Adam Gelb from the Council on Criminal Justice, a legal think tank.

"This includes spikes and surges in crime, as when a number of incidents happen in a condensed period of time it matters to people's perceptions of the problem, in the same way a plane crash makes an impression compared with a series of car accidents."

The FBI cautions against using its crime statistics to create rankings.

The two crime analysts BBC Verify spoke to also warned against ranking cities.

"The best way to rank is to not do it because the way different city borders are drawn can make it very challenging to compare and not every agency reports crime data the same way each year," says Jeff Asher, the co-founder of a US-based data analytics firm.

"The White House has been comparing rates to other international cities with 30 million people - but when you compare to cities of that size crime doesn't scale up as it's often concentrated in certain areas - and internationally data is also collected very differently," he adds.

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US strike on 'Venezuela drug boat': What do we know, and was it legal?

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cdjzw3gplv7o, 13 days ago

A strike carried out by US forces on a boat in the Caribbean Sea - which the White House says killed 11 drug traffickers - may have violated international human rights and maritime law, legal experts have told BBC Verify.

President Donald Trump announced on Tuesday that US forces destroyed a vessel which he said had departed from Venezuela. He said the boat was operated by the Tren de Aragua cartel and was carrying drugs bound for the US.

US defence officials have so far declined to offer details on the strike, footage of which Trump shared on Truth Social, including what legal authority they relied upon to justify it.

BBC Verify reached out to a range of experts in international and maritime law, with several saying that US may have acted illegally in attacking the vessel.

The US is not a signatory to United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, but the US military's legal advisors have previously said that the US should "act in a manner consistent with its provisions".

Under the convention, countries agree not to interfere with vessels operating in international waters. There are limited exceptions to this which allow a state to seize a ship, such as a "hot pursuit" where a vessel is chased from a country's waters into the high seas.

"Force can be used to stop a boat but generally this should be non-lethal measures," Prof Luke Moffett of Queens University Belfast said.

But he added that the use of aggressive tactics must be "reasonable and necessary in self-defence where there is immediate threat of serious injury or loss of life to enforcement officials", noting that the US moves were likely "unlawful under the law of the sea".

Are US strikes on alleged cartel members legal?

Experts have also questioned whether the killing of the alleged members of the Tren de Aragua cartel could contravene international law on the use of force.

Under Article 2(4) of the UN charter, countries can resort to force when under attack and deploying their military in self-defence. Trump has previously accused the Tren de Aragua cartel of conducting irregular warfare against the US, and the state department has designated the group as a Foreign Terrorist Organisation.

But Prof Michael Becker of Trinity College Dublin told BBC Verify that the US actions "stretches the meaning of the term beyond its breaking point".

"The fact that US officials describe the individuals killed by the US strike as narco-terrorists does not transform them into lawful military targets," he said. "The US is not engaged in an armed conflict with Venezuela or the Tren de Aragua criminal organization."

"Not only does the strike appear to have violated the prohibition on the use of force, it also runs afoul of the right to life under international human rights law."

Prof Moffett said that the use of force in this case could amount to an "extrajudicial arbitrary killing" and "a fundamental violation of human rights".

"Labelling everyone a terrorist does not make them a lawful target and enables states to side-step international law," he said.

Notre Dame Law School Professor Mary Ellen O'Connell told BBC Verify that the strike "violated fundamental principles of international law", adding: "Intentional killing outside armed conflict hostilities is unlawful unless it is to save a life immediately."

"Sometimes armed groups waging war against governments deal in drugs to pay for their participation in conflict. There is no evidence the gang President Trump targeted is such a group."

But US officials have been quick to defend the strike. Republican Senator Lindsay Graham wrote on X that the strike was the "ultimate - and most welcome - sign that we have a new sheriff in town".

His fellow Republican senator, Bernie Moreno from Ohio, wrote: "Sinking this boat saved American lives. To the narco traffickers and the narco dictators, you'll eventually get the same treatment."

A White House official told BBC Verify that Trump had authorised the strike on the boat, which they said was crewed by Tren de Aragua members, after it left Venezuela. The official added that the president was committed to using all means to prevent drugs reaching the US.

The Pentagon has declined to share the legal advice it obtained before carrying out the strike.

US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth told Fox News: "we've got incredible assets and they are gathering in the region... those 11 drug traffickers are no longer with us, sending a very clear signal that this is an activity the United States is not going to tolerate in our hemisphere."

Can Trump launch attacks without Congressional approval?

How did the US conduct the strike?

It is unclear what method the US used to launch the attack. Trump did not offer details in his news conference in the Oval Office and the Department of Defense has failed to offer further information.

In Venezuela President Maduro has yet to respond to the US strikes, but his Communications Minister Freddy Ñáñez has suggested that the footage released by the White House may have been generated using AI. In a post to X, he suggested that water in the video "looks very stylized and unnatural".

BBC Verify has run the clip through SynthID - Google's AI detection software - and found no evidence that the footage is fake.

The strikes come amid reports that the US has deployed several naval warships to the region in support of anti-narcotics operations against Venezuela.

We've not been able to track all of these vessels. But using information from publicly-available onboard trackers, and videos on social media, we've potentially identified four of them in the region.

A ship identifying itself as the USS Lake Erie - a guided missile cruiser - last transmitted its location in the Caribbean Sea on 30 August, east of the Panama Canal on 30 August.

Two others identifying themselves as the USS Gravely and USS Jason Dunham last transmitted their locations in mid-August, at the American base in Guantanamo Bay. A fourth, the USS Fort Lauderdale, transmitted its location north of the Dominican Republic on 28 August.

Trump - who has long sought to oust Venezuela's President Nicolás Maduro - has authorised a US$50m reward for any information leading to his arrest. The Venezuelan leader claimed victory in last year's elections, widely viewed as rigged by international observers.

Additional reporting by Lucy Gilder.

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Do Reform's economic plans add up?

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/clyx4v44438o, 11 days ago

As conference season begins for the UK's political parties, Reform UK will be seeking to use its gathering in Birmingham to maintain the momentum it has gathered since the general election.

But with Nigel Farage claiming that he is ready to be the country's next prime minister, Reform's economic plans are coming under greater scrutiny.

BBC Verify has examined what we know - and don't know - about the party's aspirations when it comes to taxation, spending and borrowing.

Net zero

The party has long claimed it will be able to make considerable government savings from entirely scrapping attempts by the government to reach net zero carbon emissions by 2050.

The party's 2024 manifesto - which it called a "contract" - suggested it could save £30bn every year for the next 25 years by ending subsidies related to renewable power generation and emission reductions.

Richard Tice, the party's deputy leader, told the BBC on Friday that the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR), the Government's independent spending forecaster, now "agrees" with those figures.

In its most recent Fiscal Risks and Stability Report from July 2025 the OBR said the peak annual public sector investment cost of the Government's decarbonisation policy was £16.1bn in 2035, declining to £2.8bn in 2050.

It added that the average annual cost over the 25 years would be £9.9bn, or 0.3% per cent of GDP.

In that report, the OBR did put the overall "fiscal cost" of the net zero transition at an average of £30bn a year - though it attributed around two third of this figure to lost fuel duty receipts, as people choose to switch to electric vehicles, not additional public spending.

If people continued to switch to electric vehicles - and the government did not replace fuel duty with a new levy on road users - those fiscal costs would still face a future Reform government, even if they scrapped all net zero public investments.

It's also important to bear in mind that the OBR stresses the economic and fiscal costs to the UK from the UK and the world not reaching net zero.

Its latest report estimates the fiscal costs from climate-related damage - where global temperatures rise to just below 3°C above pre-industrial levels - could add 2% of GDP to UK primary borrowing (before interest costs] by the early 2070s.

Tax plans

Richard Tice told the BBC on Friday that: "The manifesto in July 2024 is not appropriate for a manifesto, or a contract, whenever the next general election is."

Nevertheless, that document is the most comprehensive and recent guide to the economic aspirations of the party - and the leadership have indicated that parts of it still stand.

The manifesto pledged considerable tax cuts to individuals and businesses.

The party said it would, among other things, lift the income tax starting threshold to £20,000 (from its current level of £12,570) and take 7 million people out of paying income tax.

It said its personal tax pledges would add up to an estimated cost of £70bn a year.

Reform also said it would abolish business rates, which are charged on most non-residential premises by councils.

It put an estimated cost of £18bn a year on its various proposed tax cuts on businesses.

That total £88bn a year of tax cuts would have been almost double the £45bn a year of tax cuts in Liz Truss's 2022 mini budget.

As well as cutting taxes, Reform's manifesto also said it would considerably increase spending, including on the NHS, defence, policing and prisons.

It said its health pledges would cost £17bn a year and its defence pledges £14bn a year and total spending pledges would add up to £53bn a year.

Since the election, Reform has pledged to deport some 600,000 unauthorised migrants over the next Parliament, which it has claimed would cost £10bn but save £17bn - so delivering a net saving of £7bn over the Parliament.

We don't have a detailed document from Reform, breaking down these costs and where these savings would be made, so it's not possible to verify this.

But these costings would, in any case, be subject to very high uncertainty. Any savings would depend on how much of a deterrent it would be in discouraging asylum seekers from coming to the UK.

In his conference speech on Friday, Nigel Farage also pledged to cut welfare spending, but did not lay out any specifics about which benefits would be targeted and by how much,

Also, in May 2025, he backed lifting the two-child benefit cap, which carries an estimated cost of £2.5bn a year.

Cutting waste

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