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But these viral AI videos inspired by the instantly recognisable Lego aesthetic feature dying children, fighter jets and US President Donald Trump - and are in fact pro-Iran propaganda.

For our new BBC podcast, Top Comment, we spoke to a representative of Explosive Media, one of the key accounts generating these clips. He wanted us to refer to him as Mr Explosive.

He's a savvy social media operator who initially denies working for the Iranian government. In previous interviews the outlet has said it is "totally independent". But upon further questioning, Mr Explosive admits the regime is a "customer" - something he's never before confirmed publicly.

The overriding message of these videos is that Iran is resisting what it sees as an almighty global oppressor: the United States.

The clips are garish and not subtle at all - but that hasn't put a dent in how vigorously people are sharing and commenting on them.

In one of the videos, Donald Trump falls through a whirlwind of "Epstein file" documents as rap lyrics tell us "the secrets are leaking, the pressure is rising".

In another, George Floyd can be seen under a policeman's boot as we hear Iran is "standing here for everyone your system ever wronged".

"Slopaganda" - coined in an academic paper last year as a play on 'AI slop' - is too weak a term to capture how powerful this "highly sophisticated" content is, says leading propaganda expert Dr Emma Briant.

AI-generated propaganda clips are estimated to have been viewed hundreds of millions of times over the course of the war.

In our video call with Mr Explosive, he appears silhouetted and flanked by red and green light, the colours of the Iranian flag. On his desk there's a green-feathered helmet associated with the Shia warrior Husayn ibn Ali, who features in several of their videos.

He says his team at Explosive Media consists of fewer than ten people who use Lego-style graphics "because it is a world language". Iranian and Russian state media accounts on X regularly share them to millions of followers.

We ask Mr Explosive why the Epstein files feature so heavily in his videos.

He says it's to show the audience the "kind of confrontation they are witnessing" between Iran - which is "seeking truth and freedom" - against "those who associate themselves with cannibals".

This is a reference to the theory that the Epstein files link the Trump administration to cannibalism - a claim for which there is no credible evidence.

The videos are also littered with factual inaccuracies - so we ask Mr Explosive about them.

In one clip, the Iranian military is shown capturing a downed US fighter-jet pilot. US officials have confirmed the downed airman - who was stranded in a remote, mountainous region of Iran after his aircraft was shot down - was rescued by US special forces on 4 April.

Mr Explosive does not accept this, saying: "Possibly there was no lost pilot, there was no rescue operation. Their main goal was to steal uranium from Iran."

When we push back - citing US officials who say the airman is now receiving treatment in Kuwait - he claims: "Only 13% of what Mr Trump says is based on facts."

Explosive Media's airman video has successfully amplified this alternative narrative among English-speaking audiences.

One partisan US-based TikTok influencer - @newswithsteph - told her viewers the Lego videos had been "shockingly accurate so far; they broke the story about the recent US pilot mission that wasn't a rescue mission at all but a special ops mission for uranium".

AI has enabled Iran and others to communicate directly with Western audiences more effectively than ever before, Briant says. They are using tools largely trained on Western data, making them ideal for creating "culturally appropriate" content.

This is what "authoritarian countries wanting to target the West have lacked in the past".

Dr Tine Munk, a cyber warfare expert at Nottingham Trent University, characterises Iran's tactics as "defensive memetic warfare" which the creators see as necessary to combat US rhetoric.

Explosive Media videos first appeared in early 2025 - but their popularity has grown enormously in the wake of the US-Iran war.

The Lego-style clips are also becoming increasingly detailed, showing highly specific Gulf locations including power stations, airports and industrial sites being totally destroyed by Iranian missiles.

In reality, most have only sustained limited damage.

The videos are often produced in "real time" and appear quickly after major developments in the war. One video about the ceasefire agreement was published before any official announcements.

Thousands of people have been killed in Iran, Lebanon and other Middle Eastern countries, according to officials in these nations. The current conflict started in February after the US and Israel launched strikes on Iran.

After some back-and-forth in our conversation, Mr Explosive admits the Iranian government is indeed a "customer" of his company. In earlier Instagram messages, he'd told us his operation had been directly commissioned for multiple projects by Iranian officials.

Before the outbreak of the war this year, thousands of protesters were killed in a brutal crackdown by the regime. The US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency (Hrana) reports a death toll of at least 7,000 civilians.

But Mr Explosive defends his team's relationship with the government saying it was "honourable to work for the homeland". He dismisses the recent mass protests as a "coup" funded by President Trump.

Mr Explosive also rejects allegations we put to him his videos use antisemitic tropes. "Our videos are not antisemitic; our videos are anti-Zionist," he says. Defending the depiction of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu drinking blood, he says such imagery highlights the "atrocities committed by him".

Most Iranians are unable to use the internet due to a nationwide internet shutdown. Mr Explosive claims he could contact the BBC using "journalist internet" granted by the Iranian government. Iran is consistently ranked as one of the most repressive countries in the world for press freedom.

Social media platforms have been shutting down accounts with the Lego-style videos, but new ones seem to pop up just as quickly.

It's a form of agile, aggressive internet diplomacy that appears to be here to stay, according to Munk.

Crucially, she adds, it's "cutting out the middlemen, cutting out the press, the mass media, and constantly circulating memes.

"Traditional diplomacy doesn't exist here. And it blurs our understanding of what is happening. But it also increases the risk of misinterpretation and escalation.

"So we are in a kind of limbo."

'We need real peace': Easter truce fails to lift grim mood in war-torn Ukraine

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cj0vn30574no, today

An Orthodox Easter truce agreed by Russia and Ukraine came into force on Saturday afternoon but 38 minutes later we heard air raid sirens in Kharkiv region, northeastern Ukraine.

Since then, officials and military have recorded multiple ceasefire violations along the frontline, although no long-range missile or drone strikes.

The pause in fighting is supposed to last until Easter Monday to give people a much-needed rest, more than four years after Russia launched its full-scale invasion.

"Easter should be a time of safety, a time of peace," Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky wrote on X, warning that Ukrainian forces would respond "strictly in kind" to any actions by Moscow.

Expectations and trust are very low here.

Shortly before the 16:00 (14:00 BST) start time for the truce, families brought baskets full of iced Easter cakes, painted eggs and sausage to St John the Theologian Church for a blessing.

They formed a line around the building to be doused with holy water by the parish priest.

The service is traditionally held just before midnight, with a procession around the church, but it was mid-afternoon this year because of the curfew.

"Do you believe them?" Fr Viktor wanted to know, when I asked about the significance of a Russian ceasefire.

St John's church itself was damaged at the start of the full-scale war and its windows on one side are still boarded up.

"Maybe there will be a pause," one parishioner called Larisa suggested. "But then Russia will only launch even more intense attacks. We've seen that before."

At a military training ground about 12 miles from the Russian border, members of Yasni Ochi strike UAV unit, part of Khartia corps, are spending the weekend testing new kit for the frontline.

They load new kamikaze drones with explosive, then practise diving at targets.

Their commander, Heorhiy, has ordered his troops to sit tight during the 32-hour ceasefire unless they're attacked. But he is sure that will happen.

"Russia says one thing, then does the other. So you have to be ready."

In the meantime, those on rotation have been dropping Easter cake and alcohol-free wine to their friends at the front by drone.

The village the unit uses for training was occupied in 2022 by Russian forces, then retaken by Ukraine.

The houses all around have been left as rubble.

No-one talks seriously about returning swathes of territory anymore, like the Donbas region just south of here.

But Heorhiy thinks Ukraine can't afford to stop fighting until it can demand better conditions from its allies in negotiations with Russia.

"We need real peace talks," the commander says.

He has been buoyed up by the fact that war in the Middle East has seen countries turn to Ukraine for drone technology and expertise, both of which it can offer in abundance.

But the peace process, launched by the US, has since stalled, with President Donald Trump's envoys diverted to their own war with Iran.

Ukraine is still pushing for strong security guarantees, too, from its allies: specifically, what the US would do if Russia were to invade again in the future.

"It's not our choice. I don't like war, my guys don't like it. We used to have good civilian life," Heorhiy says - and I'm reminded that several of his unit were DJs before the war, part of an underground electronic music scene in Dnipro.

"Now we do what we need to do."

Heading back into Kharkiv, we take the ring road that's now being covered in netting. It's designed to trap and entangle Russian drones and stop them hitting the vehicles beneath.

But there's little to prevent missiles slamming into people's houses up here. Russia is so close, there is barely time for air defences to react.

In one Kharkiv suburb, several five-storey blocks of flats have been smashed to pieces. Others all around are boarded up and uninhabitable.

Last month, 11 people were killed when a missile hit in the early hours and wiped out an entire section of their building. Among the ruins, there's still one red rug pinned firmly to a living-room wall. On the ground nearby are photographs of two of the dead.

Their neighbour, Olha, describes how she sheltered in a corridor that night with her elderly mother.

She showed me video on her phone: the building opposite consumed by orange flames and her own flat in pieces.

No wonder Olha is desperate for any let-up in the fighting,

"This truce is only 1.5 days. But at least we can rest a bit, because here, you expect to die every second," she says. "We really want peace. Not for 1.5 days. For good."

In quiet, angry tears she tells me the last sliver of the Donetsk region still in Ukrainian hands is not worth the lives of so many people.

"There were children killed in that strike, wonderful people. Will it ever stop?" she wants to know.

Zelensky has offered to make this temporary truce, however flawed, into a lasting ceasefire, and then continue talks with Russia towards securing a proper peace.

But the Kremlin has already rejected that, saying its attacks will resume in full on Monday.

Hungarians decide whether to end 16 years of Orbán rule and elect rival

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cdxdepjrv95o, today

Hungarians go to the polls on Sunday in a vote that could bring down long-serving Prime Minister Viktor Orbán and have significant repercussions for the rest of Europe, the US and Russia.

Most polls favour Péter Magyar, who formed a grassroots party after splitting from the ruling Fidesz party, but the night before the vote Orbán was in defiant mood.

"We are going to achieve such a victory that will surprise everyone, perhaps even ourselves," he told several thousand supporters in a small square on Budapest's Castle Hill.

Voting takes place from 06:00-19:00 (04:00-17:00 GMT) and results will start to come through during the evening.

Orbán turned tensions up a notch ahead of the vote, claiming the opposition would "stop at nothing to seize power", and Magyar responded by appealing to voters not to give in to "Fidesz pressure and blackmail".

After 16 years of Orbán running Hungary with what the European Parliament termed a "hybrid regime of electoral autocracy", Magyar and his Tisza party are promising "a change of regime", a reset of relations with the European Union and an end to close relations with Russia.

He attracted far greater numbers to his final rally in the second city Debrecen than Orbán in Budapest.

But Orbán remains highly valued by US President Donald Trump, who has called on Hungarians to "get out and vote" for his "true friend, fighter, and WINNER".

Addressing supporters on Saturday night, the Fidesz leader kept to his main campaign themes of targeting Brussels and Ukraine. "We don't give our children, we don't give our weapons and we don't give our money," he said.

His message resonated with the crowd, who chanted "we won't let that happen". One supporter, Johanna, said she backed his policies on protecting the family and particularly on the war in Ukraine.

He has proved to be a winner four times in a row, but a fifth consecutive victory may be beyond his reach.

The economy is struggling, and he has been buffeted by a series of scandals, including revelations that Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó regularly spoke to his Russian counterpart before and after European Union summits, which he has admitted.

Hungary is not just in the EU, it is in Nato too, but Orbán has vetoed €90bn (£78bn) in aid to Ukraine, angering his European partners.

Hungary's three most reliable pollsters are all pointing to a "huge lead" for Magyar's Tisza party, says election specialist Róbert László at Budapest think tank Political Capital. Most analysts had assumed Fidesz would reduce that lead as the election drew closer, but he says that has not happened.

Magyar has told voters they need not just an absolute majority of 100 seats in the 199-seat parliament, but a two-thirds super-majority, to wind back many of the constitutional changes that Fidesz made to the independence of the judiciary, ownership of the media, and many other walks of life. Hungary is repeatedly at the bottom of Transparency International's Corruption Perceptions Index.

"The most likely scenario is that Tisza will have a comfortable, absolute majority, but not a two-thirds majority. But you can't exclude a two-thirds majority either," says László.

In recent days, there have been figures from the police, military and business who have all spoken out against Fidesz, and László believes this is a sign that the public mood has turned against Orbán.

Hungary has a complicated electoral system:

* Of the 199 seats available, 106 are directly elected in constituencies

* The other 93 go to party lists for which Hungarians abroad as well as at home are allowed to vote

* In the constituency races, losing parties have their votes transferred to the national list

* Winning parties have excess votes transferred too, and that has often benefited Fidesz

* Parties need 5% of the national vote to get into parliament

Viktor Orbán has admitted the electoral system has benefited his party.

One of the few pollsters that suggests he can still win is Nézőpont Institute, whose head Ágoston Mráz points to 22 so-called "battleground seats" out of the total 106 constituencies. If Fidesz were to win those seats, he foresees a potential victory. However, as 5% of the votes in those seats will not be counted immediately, it could take several days for the final result to become clear.

He also argues that Fidesz voters may not be as loud as their Tisza counterparts.

"Conservative voters are not normally as enthusiastic or their self-confidence is probably limited. They are more hidden voters, they are not ready to answer questions of pollsters, and among the Fidesz voters there are more, in percentage, blue-collar voters than in the Tisza party voter camp."

If Magyar is to win, Tisza will need to defeat Fidesz in some important towns and cities, not least Hungary's sixth-biggest city, Györ, close to the Slovak border in the north-west.

Orbán himself put Györ on the campaign map last month when he noticeably lost his cool towards booing protesters and accused them of "pushing Ukrainian interests".

Conversely, Magyar hosted a very large rally in a central square in Györ last Thursday.

Gergely Németh, a 20-year-old student who said he was going to the square with his mother, explained that as a family they had struggled financially because of government policy.

Although mothers with two or more children have increasingly become exempt from income tax under Orbán's pro-family policies, not everyone has benefited.

Like many first-time voters who talked to the BBC, Németh said his main priority was defeating Fidesz: "I think it's not the man, Péter Magyar, who's most important. More important is that someone changes these politicians in the parliament."

For the past two years Györ has had an independent mayor and deputy mayor, but Fidesz still has a majority on the local council.

"I know what Fidesz brings, I know what Fidesz does, I live in it," says Deputy Mayor Roland Kósa, who speaks of an arrogance towards power. "When we got elected, what we faced even before and after is that Fidesz basically looked through us and said and thought we do not exist - this is still their city, this is still their country."

Kósa believes that the right way to take on Fidesz has been by breaking out of party politics.

Although Magyar forged his political career as a centre-right conservative under Orbán, he dramatically turned on his party two years ago, and now attracts voters from across the political spectrum.

That has enabled voters who might not like him as a person to hold their noses in the knowledge that they are voting for a broad-based movement.

Magyar made a conscious decision not to ally with other parties, choosing to create his Tisza party from the ground up, by creating "Tisza-islands" - often small groups of activists in a sea of Fidesz strongholds. It was not especially original, as Orbán did something similar by forming "citizen circles" during his years of opposition many years before.

But those islands have formed the roots of a national movement and the backbone of his election campaign.

His candidates are not politicians either: they feature surgical specialists, teachers, and business figures who know about their local communities and the problems in Hungarian healthcare and education.

This is not a normal climax to a European election. The two leaders are not taking part in a televised election debate, instead it is being fought on social media and in town squares.

Outwardly Fidesz officials say they remain confident of victory, although political chief Balázs Orbán suggested that if that happens the opposition will not accept defeat.

Ágoston Mráz also voices concerns that Tisza voters will not accept an Orbán victory and will claim there has been election fraud: "I'm really afraid of getting violence on the streets because tension is in the air. I hope very much that every politician will be smart enough to help voters avoid violence on the street."

There was no sign of violence when at least 100,000 Hungarians attended an anti-Fidesz concert in Heroes' Square on Friday night, and Magyar warned people "not to fall for any kind of provocation".

From blast off to splashdown: My days following Nasa's historic mission to the Moon

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

For the last 10 days, four astronauts have been making history, travelling further into space than humans have been before as they voyaged to the Moon and back.

I've been following every moment of the Artemis II mission: from lift off, to their lunar close encounter and a nerve-shredding landing.

Before they blasted off into space, the crew told us that on launch day astronauts are the calmest people around.

Me - not so much.

The force of the blast passes right through you

My excitement was impossible to contain and as the rocket fired its huge boosters and engines and headed skywards, my reaction went viral.

Standing by the countdown clock at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, alongside my BBC News science team Alison Francis and Kevin Church, was a truly visceral experience.

The burning white brightness you just can't take your eyes off, the deafening roar that takes seconds to hit you, and the force of the blast that passes right through you.

Most of all though, I just couldn't quite grasp that there were four human beings strapped into their seats at the top of a 98m-tall rocket on their way to the Moon.

As Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch and Jeremy Hansen got their first look at home from far above, Glover told the world: "Planet Earth, you look beautiful."

Then with a burn of their spacecraft's main engine, they said goodbye and began their quarter of a million mile journey to the Moon.

With the crew getting used to microgravity, live video was streamed back to Earth from inside their capsule.

And it was immediately clear how crammed together they were. They were living, working, eating and sleeping in a space about the same size as a minibus.

There was no privacy from each other, or from the millions of people around the world following every twist and turn.

Particular attention was paid to their Universal Waste Management System, otherwise known as the loo.

Their troublesome toilet, which cost $23m to design, had problems with its plumbing.

And we got to find out, in intimate detail, about the impact this was having on the astronauts, when questions were asked at a media briefing about the status of their "number ones and number twos".

And if you want to know - and, confession, I really did - it was "go" for "number twos" but for "number ones" collapsible contingency urine devices were deployed. Basically bags with funnels.

Inside Nasa's Mission Control

At the Johnson Space Center in Houston, we got to spend time in mission control - the nerve centre of the entire operation.

The team there, staring intently at their screens as data poured in, were monitoring all of the spacecraft's systems, from navigation to life support.

And this was vital. It's important not to forget that this was a test flight - the first time any humans had flown on both the rocket and the spacecraft.

And a test flight comes with real risks.

Speaking to Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen for the 13 minutes presents: Artemis II podcast while he was in quarantine before the launch really brought this home.

He told me he'd spoken to his wife and three children about the possibility that he might not come back.

Reid Wiseman also said he'd had very honest conversations with his two daughters about the dangers involved with this endeavour. He'd brought them up as a single dad after his wife died six years ago.

That loss led to one of the most poignant moments of the mission.

Crater called Carroll

As the crew neared their destination, with the Moon growing ever larger in their spacecraft's window, new features became visible on the lunar surface.

They named a crater - a bright spot visible from Earth - after Reid's late wife Carroll.

The crew, all in tears, came together to hug their commander and friend. And back in Houston, there wasn't a dry eye at mission control - and that includes the BBC team.

Every single person we've spoken to at Nasa - from its head Jared Isaacman, to their fellow astronauts, and the scientists and engineers - cares deeply about this quartet, and have been rooting with every fibre of their body for them to succeed.

And succeed they have.

After breaking Apollo 13's record for the furthest distance ever travelled into space, the Artemis astronauts just kept on going.

Taking thousands of images and recording audio descriptions of bleak beauty of the lunar surface as it passed beneath them, the crew eventually voyaged 252,756 miles from Earth.

The legacy of Apollo runs deeply through the veins of this mission.

Messages from Apollo astronauts Charlie Duke and Jim Lovell - recorded before he died last year - were played to the astronauts during their flight.

But some have asked whether this was just a nostalgia trip. Why spend all this time, effort and money - an estimated $93bn - going back to the Moon when the US has been there already?

Nasa's administrator Isaacman told us he wants his space agency to build on Apollo, not just repeat it.

He has a raft of lunar exploration plans, from a landing planned for 2028 as well as a Moon base - and in the future he has his sights set on sending humans to Mars.

But there are also questions about whether astronauts really need to explore the Moon when orbiters, rovers and landers can do the job.

Isaac was adamant that humans must be in the mix, telling me that exploration was part of human DNA. But he also acknowledged that this came with risk.

And nowhere was this more apparent than the final challenge for the Artemis crew - their return to Earth.

Coming home

It was the final challenge of their mission, and the biggest one too.

Victor Glover said re-entry was like riding a fireball through the atmosphere. And as the capsule hurtled back to Earth, it experienced temperatures half as hot as the surface of the Sun.

Watching this white-knuckle ride from mission control was an anxiety inducing experience. Especially when the communications dropped out for six very long minutes as the capsule closed in on Earth.

The relief here was palpable when a small dot of bright white light was spotted high above the ocean, and Wiseman's voice rang out at mission control, "Houston, We have you loud and clear."

With the capsule descending beneath huge parachutes to gently splashdown in the Pacific Ocean, the astronauts were back on Earth.

The focused and calm atmosphere in mission control was no more as the room erupted with celebrations. The Houston team - as well as the thousands of people who'd worked on the project - had safely brought their friends home.

The Artemis astronauts have had an extraordinary experience, which they've already acknowledged will take a long time to fully absorb.

And of course, they have an extraordinary connection with each other too.

I had the chance to speak to the crew in space as their voyage was nearing its end. I asked them what they'd miss most. Without hesitation, Christina Koch said she'd miss the camaraderie, that the crew were now like family.

They went up to space relatively unknown - now Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch and Jeremy Hansen have returned household names.

It does feel like we have been in the front row as history is being made. Kevin, Ali and I have been taken aback by how much this mission has gripped so many people - as we've reported around the clock to keep up with everyone's insatiable appetite for the latest news from space.

For a few brief days, the astronauts have transported millions around the world away from planet Earth - and let us ride along with them.

And if Nasa achieves its ambitious exploration plans - and other countries follow too - we'll all be back for more.

Why this disillusioned Trump voter spends hours searching Epstein files

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cx237vmr2lyo, today

After Cayden McBride finishes class in Rome, Georgia, the 19-year-old goes home, opens his laptop, and starts searching. For the past few months, he has been spending hours at a time combing through the Jeffrey Epstein files on the US Department of Justice (DOJ) website, and following others online who are doing the same.

Flight logs. Transcripts. Images. Videos. The material released by the DOJ has given new insight into the crimes of Epstein, the late convicted sex offender, and into his high-profile connections.

McBride believes the Epstein files still matter, even if the headlines have moved on to the Iran war recently.

"As a Christian, I don't believe anybody should endure what these women have been through," he says. "There is so much bad stuff in these files."

McBride was a self-described "Trump guy" and "very anti-establishment". He said he would always defend the president in the belief that Trump's "Make America Great Again" (Maga) movement stood for exposing corruption. But the DOJ's delay in releasing all the files, and the perceived lack of accountability afterwards, has left him and many others disheartened with the movement, the president and especially with Pam Bondi, Trump's former attorney general.

Bondi was removed from her post just last week, to be replaced, in the interim, by her deputy Todd Blanche.

Trump has lauded Bondi for doing a "tremendous job", and Blanche denied reports that his predecessor's handling of the Epstein files had been a factor in her departure.

But McBride hailed the changing of the guard, expressing hope that there could now be renewed focus on the Epstein issue.

His wish was granted this week, from an unlikely quarter. The Epstein story came crashing back into the news when First Lady Melania Trump unexpectedly denied she had ever had a relationship with him and called for a congressional hearing for his victims.

It is unclear how much that will galvanise interest, but Bondi's removal has done little to quiet the discontent amongst Trump's supporters like McBride. He thinks she needed to go because she wasn't prosecuting "the people she needed to".

He thinks there might be some "high-status arrests", but after that then other things like Iran, ICE and the midterms will, in his words, sweep the Epstein story under the rug.

Maga fallout over Epstein

Many Epstein conspiracy theorists have long counted themselves amongst Trump's most ardent supporters. They believe that Epstein's death in prison was not a suicide, as the FBI has found. And for years they have insinuated that the government was involved with some sort of cover-up, protecting powerful people whom they believe participated in his crimes.

It's a belief that has been echoed by many of Trump's closest allies and former allies, such as Vice-President JD Vance, former Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene and Kash Patel, whom he tapped to lead the FBI.

As long ago as 2021, Vance tweeted: "What possible interest would the US government have in keeping Epstein's clients secret?"

During his 2024 campaign, President Trump himself told Fox News he would "go a long way" towards releasing the Epstein files.

But after returning to the White House, he changed his tone. That led to a very public fallout with Greene, who had been the representative in McBride's district, and some other members of the Republican Party.

Trump later dropped his opposition to releasing the files, after pushback from Epstein's victims and members of his own party, signing a law that compelled the DOJ to release thousands of files.

DOJ officials say they have now released all of their files other than certain items permitted to be exempt.

But many Epstein conspiracy theorists don't buy it.

In an interview with Vanity Fair last year - portions of which she later disputed - Chief of Staff Susie Wiles said that the Epstein files could cost the Republican Party some of its most important new voters, young men, who turned to President Trump in 2024. Particularly those drawn to promises of accountability and reform.

And while the vast majority of Republicans still back the president, there are signs that the Epstein fallout has chipped away at his diverse coalition of supporters, who range from middle-of-the road business owners who want to lower taxes to very online young men.

A poll conducted by the Economist/YouGov in February found that 16% of voters who backed Trump during the last election thought he was covering up Epstein's crimes. Of those that identify themselves as Maga, 11% thought the president was part of a cover-up.

Trump has consistently denied any wrongdoing in relation to Epstein, but his own history with the disgraced financier continues to make headlines. The president appears to have been friends with Epstein for a number of years before falling out - in the early 2000s, according to Trump, two years before Epstein was first arrested.

The US president is mentioned thousands of times in the files released by the DOJ, including in emails and correspondence sent by Jeffrey Epstein himself to others.

Mona Charen, a columnist and policy expert at The Bulwark, a publication supportive of conservative principles but critical of the Maga movement, agrees that conspiracy theories around Epstein have been especially hard for the president to shake off.

"I have been one of those people who has always been very sceptical when people would say, 'well, this will hurt Trump, that will hurt Trump', and I would always say, 'dream on'.

"He's quite untouchable, but on this one? The whole concept that Maga and Trumpism was going to be a breath of fresh air that was going to reveal things that had been hidden, is gone."

Bondi attracted particular criticism within the Maga movement for promising to release an alleged client list associated with Epstein, only for her department to later say that no such list existed.

Will voters move on?

Epstein campaigners across the political spectrum have voiced their hopes that the change at the top of the DOJ could be a turning point in the Trump administration's handling of the Epstein saga.

Speaking to BBC Newsnight last week, Democratic Congressman Ro Khanna, who co-authored the act that forced the DOJ files release, said Republicans should make clear to the new attorney general that there could be "no confirmation (of their position) unless you commit to the release of the rest of the Epstein files".

Among Bondi's defenders on the Epstein issue are Mike Cernovich, a right-wing commentator. Cernovich was one of many online influencers who took part in a photo op at the Oval Office in February 2025, walking away with a binder labelled "The Epstein Files: Phase One". The binder turned out to contain nothing new and he along with others involved in the stunt were accused of betraying the movement.

Reacting to Bondi's firing, Cernovich wrote in a post on X: "Bondi was trying to do something good but didn't know the back story. I blame those who claim 'there are no more Epstein files' after the binder incident. There were A LOT of them. And there's more unreleased."

If anywhere is a test for how critical this issue is for Trump, it is the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC), an annual political conference for right-leaning activists and politicians.

For many who attended CPAC last month in Dallas, Texas, the Epstein files still mattered.

Robert Agee said he felt let down by Trump: "When President Trump said, 'are we still talking about the Epstein files?', that was the moment Maga died. That was when Maga took off its hat. He betrayed us. He ran on that."

McBride agrees.

"I think people who still align with Maga are just sort of brainwashed at this point," McBride says. "There has to be a certain point when you realise this was not the man promised to us."

He says some of his friends now question whether they will vote again.

As for him, his decision is clear. "It won't stop me voting, but I am definitely not voting for anybody implicated by the Epstein files," he says. "Or anybody that is sponsored by President Trump."

More than 200 arrests at Palestine Action protest

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cp38z9lylddo, today

More than 200 people have been arrested so far during a demonstration against the ban on Palestine Action in central London, the Metropolitan Police have said.

The force said it had made the arrests when people showed support for a proscribed organisation.

Hundreds gathered in Trafalgar Square, with many carrying signs in support of the group reading "I oppose genocide. I support Palestine Action" which have been seen at previous protests organised by the group.

Saturday's protest, named Everyone Day, had been called by Defend our Juries, who said the event would demonstrate the "unwaning resistance to the ban on Palestine Action".

Placards with other slogans were also displayed, with some demonstrators declaring their support for defending the right to protest and displaying their opposition to the US and Israel.

Supporting Palestine Action became illegal in July 2025 after the government banned it under anti-terror legislation.

The ban was ruled unlawful in February, but remained in place pending an appeal.

Following the High Court judgement on the ban, the Met had indicated that its officers would be unlikely to make arrests. But in March, it said it would resume arresting protesters for supporting Palestine Action.

Ahead of Saturday's demonstration, the Met Police issued a statement warning of "criminal offences", and urging people to reflect on the "potential consequences" of attending.

"Those attending should be aware that showing support for a proscribed organisation is an offence under the Terrorism Act, and we will not hesitate to act where the law is broken," said commander Claire Smart, who is leading policing operations in London this weekend.

Some of those attending the demonstration told BBC News said they were willing to run the risk of arrest.

Among those who did end up arrested was Robert Del Naja, founding member of the band Massive Attack, who had earlier told PA News he wanted to attend the protest because he thought police "making that U-turn to arrest people again" was "ridiculous".

He said he felt confident that if arrested, he could stand up in court with the right guidance and say "this was an unlawful arrest and, therefore, I don't accept it".

Del Naja, whose Bristol-based trip hop collective is best known for the classic 1990s hit Unfinished Sympathy, added: "I think that the actions of Palestine Action were highly patriotic because they were pretty much protecting our country from getting involved in serious war crimes, and breaking international law. How much more patriotic can you be than that?"

A fellow demonstrator, Linda Walker, said she had decided to come down to the protest because "there's been a genocide going on for the last two-and-a-half years".

"The only people [the government] are willing to take action against are the people trying to stop it," she said.

Israel has regularly denied that its actions in Gaza amounted to genocide and said they were justified as a means of self-defence.

Another demonstrator told the BBC she had been arrested 10 times before and expected the same outcome.

At 16:50 BST, the Metropolitan Police said it made 212 arrests, and these were continuing "where people are showing support for a proscribed organisation."

More than 2,200 people have been arrested so far for allegedly expressing support for Palestine Action since it was banned under the Terrorism Act 2000 last summer by then-Home Secretary Yvette Cooper.

The trials of hundreds of people accused of holding up the placards have been put on hold while the legal battle over whether the group should have been banned continues.

Coachella kicks off with Sabrina Carpenter and surprise guests

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cpwjnvrpn8eo, today

The Coachella music festival has kicked off with surprise guest actor Susan Sarandon featuring in pop star Sabrina Carpenter's headlining performance on Friday.

The actor delivered a monologue as an older version of 26-year-old Carpenter in the middle of her set. Other stars who featured in the singer's classic Hollywood-themed gig were comedian Will Ferrell and actor Sam Elliott.

The massive festival in the California desert draws more than 100,000 people daily over two weekends, according to police from the city of Indio.

This year, weather agencies have warned of wind and dust in the area, with strong winds forcing the festival to cancel a set by DJ Anyma after Carpenter's performance.

"Due to strong wind conditions affecting Anyma's stage build, he is unable to perform tonight," the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival said in a statement on Instagram on Friday. "Coachella and Anyma have made this decision together with your safety as the priority."

The National Weather Service had said wind gusts were expected to reach around 25 miles per hour on Friday.

An air quality advisory is also in place in the Coachella Valley from Friday afternoon until Sunday morning because of windblown dust that could be unhealthy for sensitive groups.

"Particle pollution can get deep into the lungs and cause serious health problems such as asthma attacks, heart and lung disease symptoms, and increased risk of lung infections," the National Weather Service warned.

Indio is listed as one of the potentially impacted areas, although the local air quality management district said levels of polluting particles were measured as good to moderate since noon on Thursday.

To kick off the globally renowned festival, Carpenter - headlining for the first time - turned the stage into the Hollywood Hills, nicknaming it "Sabrinawood".

She began her set by appearing in a short film where she was pulled over while driving at night by the actor Elliott. He lets her go, and afterwards she emerges on stage. Comedian Ferrell appeared later on stage pretending to be an electrician.

Other performers on Friday included global girl group KATSEYE and British artist Disclosure.

On Saturday, Justin Bieber will headline the festival, followed by Karol G on Sunday.

A number of UK artists are also on the bill - including Wet Leg, Lambrini Girls, Little Simz and FKA Twigs. The line-ups will repeat next weekend.

The festival, held at the Empire Polo Club in Indio, has been running since 2002.

Germany's far-right AfD adopts 'radical' manifesto ahead of key polls

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cwy3wwgyd6do, today

The far-right Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) party is riding high in the opinion polls in the eastern German state of Saxony-Anhalt and could win an outright majority in regional elections there in September.

It would be the first time a far-right party has held power in a German state since the Second World War.

This weekend the AfD officially adopted what has been described as a "radical" and pro-ethnic German government programme for Saxony-Anhalt, at a party conference in Magdeburg.

The AfD's leading candidate in the state, Ulrich Siegmund, a TikTok star who was given a standing ovation by the delegates, said it was a historic moment, not just for Saxony-Anhalt.

"The whole of Germany is watching this historic election. Parts of Europe are watching this historic election. Parts of the world are watching this historic election, because from here, finally, the political turnaround can also happen here in Germany," he told the conference.

He said his party had the courage to speak out about what was going wrong in Germany, "that we don't feel safe anymore, that we scarcely feel at home anymore, that we don't recognise our homeland anymore."

"Let's take back our country," he said.

The programme, which is over 150 pages long, contains wide-ranging plans to overhaul Saxony-Anhalt, clamping down on immigrants and supporting large families of German origin. It also wants to improve relations with Russia, directly contradicting the policies of the federal coalition government, which is a key supporter of Ukraine.

"We say yes to consistent deportations, we say yes to free childcare facilities, we say yes to remigration," Ulrich Siegmund said.

Some of the proposals appear to be unworkable at a state level, requiring action by the federal government, but many others are feasible.

Eva von Angern, leader of the left-wing Linke Party parliamentary group in Saxony-Anhalt, earlier described the AfD's plans as a "nightmare scenario for Saxony-Anhalt and for our democracy". She said the AfD was promoting an authoritarian state that would severely curtail fundamental rights.

Accusing the party of harbouring "inhuman fantasies of omnipotence", she said the public must be made aware of the AfD's "ugly truths" and the "very negative consequences for them personally if the AfD were to govern in Saxony-Anhalt."

Saxony-Anhalt, like much of the former Communist East Germany, is an AFD stronghold, but the party is doing well all over the country.

It came second in federal elections in Germany last year, winning a record 152 seats in the 630-seat parliament with 20.8% of the vote.

In 2023, the Office for the Protection of the Constitution in Saxony-Anhalt classified the branch of the AfD in the state as a "far-right extremist organisation".

Observers say the government programme in Saxony-Anhalt is an indication of what the party intends to do if it gains more power across the country.

The draft manifesto, seen by the BBC, says "a complete U-turn" on migration policy is necessary. It calls for measures to put an end to what it calls "illegal, culturally alien and anti-native mass migration."

These include plans to deport refugees and asylum seekers or to house them in central accommodation.

The draft contains a number of references to the controversial term "remigration", the mass removal of people with "non-German" backgrounds from the country.

Two years ago, Germans were shocked by revelations that senior AfD figures attended a meeting in Potsdam where remigration or mass deportations were allegedly discussed. But now the term is a central theme of the government programme.

The manifesto specifically calls for the "remigration" or return of Ukrainians to their own country.

"Stop recognising Ukrainians as war refugees!" it says.

The manifesto comes across as distinctly pro-Russian.

"The current anti-Russian policies of the established parties… are not in Germany's interests," it says. It calls for energy sanctions on Russia to be lifted and for schools to teach more Russian.

Central to the AfD's plans are measures to support large families of people who are ethnically German.

Saxony-Anhalt has the oldest population in Germany, and the proportion of older people is increasing.

The AfD says it wants to fight against "the extinction of the German people" by giving tax breaks to large families and providing free childcare.

It espouses a very conservative view of the family, which it says should consist of "a father, a mother and as many children as possible."

The party blames the low birth rate in part on what it calls "sexual deviations and non-reproductive lifestyles." It plans to ban gay pride flags in schools.

The manifesto also says it plans to withdraw funding for public broadcasting in Saxony-Anhalt.

Several hundred people gathered to protest outside the party conference.

Last year the national party was also classified as "right-wing extremist" by the country's domestic intelligence service, a decision criticised by the White House. But the party challenged the move and a German court has now issued a temporary injunction stopping the use of the term until it has issued a ruling over it.

Back to Earth: What happens to the Artemis II astronauts now?

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cpwjvgv2d4no, yesterday

The Artemis II crew have safely returned home after re-entering Earth's atmosphere at 25,000mph (40,000km/h), splashing down off the coast of California.

They have travelled deeper into space than any humans before them - just over 4,000 miles more than the record of 248,655 set by Apollo 13 in 1970.

Astronauts are highly trained to cope with the physical and mental strain of space.

Although it might seem like it would be a difficult experience to endure, astronauts talk about being in space as the highlight of their lives and say they would return in an instant.

In a press conference before landing, Christina Koch said the inconveniences, such as freeze-dried food or a toilet without much privacy, were worth it.

Nasa does not release details about the crew members' health or private lives, but here's what's likely to happen to Reid Wiseman, Christina Koch, Victor Glover and Jeremy Hansen now they're back.

They'll immediately be seen by doctors

On arrival they will be immediately examined by doctors on the US warship sent to retrieve them. Then they will be flown ashore by helicopter before being taken by plane to Nasa's Johnson Space Center in Houston.

Spending time in space will have been physically gruelling for the Artemis II crew.

Without the tug of gravity, muscle and bone mass shrinks in space. The most affected muscles are those that help maintain posture in the back, neck and calves.

Speaking to BBC Newsnight ahead of the Artemis II splashdown in the Pacific, former UK astronaut Tim Peake said the gravity tug was "quite punishing".

"It will feel to begin with like a small push in your back but it will gradually build up," he said.

"Anybody who has been on a rollercoaster ride, you may have experienced 4G but probably for less than a second, so when you feel it for minutes at a time it's quite punishing."

Astronauts have strict exercise requirements but it can't stop all wastage.

After just two weeks, muscle mass can fall by as much as 20%.

But remember, around 700 people have been into space before, including low Earth orbit. The time the Artemis II crew have spent up there will be amongst the shortest.

During the space shuttle era in 1981 to 2011, astronauts spent two to three weeks in space. A typical stay on the International Space Station is now five to six months.

So the impacts on the Artemis II astronauts' health is likely to be minimal compared with their predecessors.

Don't expect 'space come-downs'

And what's it like to return to Earth after being in space?

Astronauts are level-headed by temperament and training, so don't expect revelations of any "space come-downs".

Koch has already said she will miss the "teamwork and camaraderie" and the "common sense of purpose on the mission".

Many astronauts talk about a profound appreciation of the uniqueness of Earth and that all humans share the planet together.

Seeing our planet surrounded by the blackness of space "truly emphasised how alike we are, how the same thing keeps every single person on planet Earth alive," Koch said from space.

Most astronauts, including the first British astronaut Helen Sharman, have described how they don't want to come home because the work in space is so exciting.

Reunited with their families

The Artemis crew will of course be excited to be reunited with their families.

Commander Reid Wiseman, who lost his wife to cancer in 2020 and has raised their two teenage daughters alone, talked to them before the mission about what would happen if he died and showed them where his will was kept.

Splashdown was a dangerous moment for the crew, so the families will be delighted to see them home safe.

Dr Catherine Hansen, who is married to astronaut Jeremy Hansen, told BBC World Service's Newsday programme that their two daughters and son were "so, so excited to see their dad living his dream".

"We certainly will have a celebration... When Jeremy is back safely, we will absolutely come together. First just the five of us in a quiet environment to hear some of those private stories, and then we will absolutely celebrate with the world," she said.

Though "being an ambassador for space" is part of the job of being an astronaut, Tim Peake told the BBC he didn't think the team would "quite appreciate just how many people have been captivated by this mission".

"There'll certainly be a period of adjustment," he said. "Yes they'll want to see their friends and family straight away but I tell you the scientific community will want them first."

"Their time will be split between work and a little bit of family time too."

A trip to the White House

Nasa won't release details about what the astronauts will be doing when they get back to Earth.

The three Nasa astronauts remain on the agency's books. There are more Artemis spaceflights to come: Artemis III is billed for 2027 and Artemis IV for 2028.

That will be the big one. It aims to land humans on the Moon again, although the date is likely to slip.

We don't yet know who will fly those missions. All members of Nasa's astronaut corps, including the four on Artemis II, are eligible.

But one big engagement is on the cards.

US President Donald Trump, who established the Artemis programme during his first presidency in 2017, called the crew while in space to invite them to the White House for an Oval Office reception.

"I'll ask for your autograph, because I don't really ask for autographs much, but you deserve that," he told them.

He promised to give them "a big salute on behalf of the American people and beyond that".

It is not clear if Hansen, who's Canadian, will join the trip.

Post-Moon, the biggest change these astronauts can probably expect is fame.

Compared to many recent astronauts, these four have captured the imagination of millions.

Round-the-clock news coverage and viral memes mean they are coming back to Earth significantly more famous than they were when they left. That will likely require some adjustment.

The prophet and the mysterious death of Charmain Speirs

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cevk1jrg4g8o, today

Charmain Speirs was 40 years old when she met prophet Eric Adusah.

For several years Charmain had been part of one of the fastest-growing Christian movements in the world, Pentecostalism.

Through her faith, she appeared to discover the happiness she'd been struggling to find but there was still something missing.

"She'd just had enough of normal men," her friend Anne-Marie says.

"She wanted that man of God. She wanted what was promised for her.

"Then she said: 'I've met someone, a famous preacher'."

Her new love interest was the head pastor of Global Light Revival Church.

Originally from Ghana, Adusah appeared regularly on Christian television channels.

He wasn't just a pastor. In his church he was called a prophet, and was believed to receive and share divine revelation directly from God.

Charmain met the prophet in spring 2014 and after a whirlwind romance they married in September that year.

Six months later Charmain was dead. Her body found in a bathtub in a hotel in Ghana.

Adusah was arrested on suspicion of murder but was later released due to lack of evidence.

He has denied any involvement in Charmain's death.

More than a decade on, a BBC Disclosure investigation has uncovered significant omissions from his account of what happened at the hotel where Charmain died.

The documentary series – Charmain and the Prophet – also hears from Adusah's former partners who claim he is a danger to women.

Charmain grew up in Arbroath, a small fishing town on Scotland's east coast, in the 1970s and 80s.

Her mum Linda was a cleaner and her dad Peter was a plumber.

Friends describe her as a "social butterfly" who people gravitated towards.

At 19 she moved to Glasgow where she had numerous jobs in shops, restaurants and bars.

Her friend Linsey tells the documentary that Charmain had several relationships, some volatile, and she briefly ended up in a women's refuge.

Back home, her family also faced tough times.

She lost one brother in a car crash, then her youngest brother became addicted to heroin.

About the age of 30, Charmain moved to Swansea to start a new life and to study photojournalism.

A few years later, in 2007, she had a baby boy who she named Isaac.

As a single mum, Charmain struggled with post-natal depression - that's when she found religion.

She joined the newly-established Liberty Church and became an enthusiastic member.

Adusah was mainly based in London, preaching as head pastor of another Pentecostal church.

They met through a Christian dating site and within weeks, an engagement was announced.

Charmain's mum Linda Speirs was stunned when her daughter contacted her to say she was getting married - because she hadn't even told her she had a boyfriend.

Friends told the BBC that, as the relationship progressed, they went from seeing her daily to barely at all.

About six months after first meeting, Charmain was married and had become the wife of a prophet, referred to as the first lady by members of the church.

Bridesmaid Mehrunissa Thomas says: "She had gone from just being a normal person and suddenly she was this celebrity."

Charmain appeared to embrace the role.

But her friend Anne-Marie says that when she visited, she got a different picture of Charmain's married life.

Anne-Marie told the programme: "She said basically: 'He doesn't show me any love. There's no love, there's no passion' was her words."

Charmain, now pregnant with Adusah's baby, travelled back to Arbroath to spend some time with her mum.

It was the first time Linda had seen her since the wedding.

She confided in her mother that their marriage was on the rocks and she was planning to move home.

But then she got on the bus to London before flying out to Ghana. Her mum would never see her again.

Visitors in the night

Police records state that Adusah was the last known person to see Charmain alive.

In police statements, seen by the BBC, he described going out for lunch with Charmain before visiting the pool with her.

He said they then returned to their hotel room for the evening and had "a nice time together".

Adusah said he left the hotel after midnight to travel to Accra for a 6am meeting before a scheduled flight back to the UK.

He claimed Charmain wanted to stay longer in Ghana.

A witness who was working at the hotel that night says the Prophet's account leaves out a crucial detail.

Edward - not his real name - says that late at night two tall men arrived with Adusah and went with him to room 112 where Charmain was staying.

He says he remembers one of the men was holding a briefcase.

Edward says he and his colleagues were suspicious about why the men were going to the room but he didn't dare question them.

According to Edward, the men stayed for up to an hour and afterwards they helped Adusah load bags into his car.

About 1am, Adusah left the hotel, telling staff not to disturb his wife.

Edward says the last time he saw Charmain alive was about five hours before Adusah and the men left.

Adusah never mentioned these visitors to Ghanaian detectives.

Police documents confirm witnesses reported the presence of three men.

Two men of these men were later traced and confirmed they were there that night and knew Adusah through his ministry.

They each claim to have been in the room praying.

One of these men said Charmain was "vibrant and all kicking, moving up and down" when they were in the room.

Another man only confirmed Charmain was present.

A third man seems to have never been tracked down and interviewed by investigators in Ghana.

BBC Disclosure asked retired Scottish Detective Superintendent Allan Jones to review the Ghanaian police files.

He describes Adusah's omission as highly suspicious.

"You have the hotel attendant [Edward] speaking at various times with various people going in and out," the detective says.

"And for him [Adusah] not to mention that once is very strange.

"If you've got that many people coming to that room potentially even as defence witnesses, you should be mentioning them."

Questionable alibi

Adusah told police he left his wife in the middle of the night to meet a reverend in Ghana's capital Accra at 6am.

The BBC tracked down this reverend. He did not corroborate Adusah's story.

There is no evidence the Ghanaian investigators ever tested Adusah's alibi - the whole reason for his middle-of-the night departure.

"In a modern police investigation in the UK, everybody that is mentioned through the course of a statement is traced," says former Dept Supt Jones.

"The person that he says he's going to meet at 6am is an important person to see, to verify whether or not this meeting is true.

"And if that's not happened, that's a poor reflection on the investigators of the time."

The BBC approached the Ghana Police Service for comment. They did not respond to our questions.

The heroin mystery

Shortly before the post-mortem examination of Charmain's body, Adusah told police that his wife was deeply troubled, suicidal and had a history of drug abuse.

This narrative would play a central role in Adusah's release.

Six days after her body was found, leading pathologist Dr Afua Abrahams conducted the post-mortem.

"There was no mark of violence or trauma on the body," she says.

"If there was a sign of struggle then it wasn't obvious."

Dr Abrahams says she was surprised to find that there was heroin - actually a metabolite of heroin - in her blood and in her liver samples.

Her probable cause of death was recorded as a heroin overdose.

Heroin is extremely rare in Ghana, especially in smaller cities like Koforidua, where Charmain was staying.

Dr Abrahams asked detectives how a tourist could obtain heroin.

She says they told her: "People who use drugs know where to find them."

Police found no drug paraphernalia, no traces of heroin in room 112, and nothing among Charmain's belongings.

As part of the decision to release Adusah, Ghana's attorney general's office referenced text messages indicating Charmain was suicidal.

Families and friends interviewed by the BBC deny that Charmain used drugs or was suicidal.

"She hated anybody on drugs," says Charmain's mum Linda.

"She just couldn't stand it. She says: 'why would anybody do that to their body?'."

More than 20 people close to Charmain gave similar accounts - she did not use drugs and was not suicidal.

"First of all, she hated drugs," says her bridesmaid Mehrunissa Thomas.

"Secondly, there is no way she would have any sort of drug in her system knowing she was pregnant.

"It is completely unlike her, totally out of character."

A second UK post-mortem examination later analysed Charmain's hair.

It was negative for opioids, confirming she was not a long‑term drug user.

Who is the Prophet?

During the BBC's investigation, it became clear that Eric Adusah has multiple identities.

In Ghana, locals know him as Eric Adu Brefo.

In Maryland, USA - where he now lives - he goes by Eric Isaiah Kusi Boateng.

Former partners say Adusah went by different names and ages.

Lynne, who had what she describes as an emotionally abusive relationship with him, knew him only as "Daniel" until another woman contacted her.

She didn't know he was a preacher.

The woman who contacted Lynne, and another former partner, told us they would later warn Charmain about Adusah too.

Another partner, Emily, not her real name, says Adusah controlled every aspect of her life.

"He gradually, very slowly, started to change," she says.

"My hair needed to be styled a certain way, I had to be dressed in a certain way, everything had to be strictly how he said it had to be.

"I had to stay home, I couldn't go out, he also took my phone away, because he didn't want me to call my family."

Emily says the real Eric was very different to the pious preacher he portrayed himself to be.

"In reality I was very vulnerable and I wasn't realising that months were going by and he had brainwashed me," she says.

"I was manipulated by the fact it was God's will. I was afraid of going against God's will."

She says Adusah used faith to manipulate and isolate her, describing his power as "mental, not physical".

However, Charmain's son, Isaac, said Adusah hit him and his mother.

"I could hear my mum screaming and crying," says Isaac, who is 19.

"And he came into my room trying to hit me.

"My mum stood between me and him and he ended up punching her in the face."

Isaac says: "He called himself a prophet. What prophet would hit their wife? What prophet would lay a finger on a child?

"I don't think any prophet would do something like that."

"The way he talked to my mum, the way he treated her, he wasn't a bloody prophet.

"He was an evil human being. He didn't deserve a fraction of the praise he got in that church."

According to Isaac, there was psychological abuse too.

"Every aspect of her life was controlled by him," Isaac says.

"He controlled her phone, her money, her clothes, her eating habits.

"Her happiness was controlled by him. It wasn't a relationship. It was just him dictating her life."

Charmain's mother also claims to have witnessed signs of domestic violence.

While cutting Charmain's hair, Linda says she discovered bald patches she says were inflicted by Adusah.

" I was brushing the back of her hair and when I lifted her hair up. There was all bald patches at the back. I say, 'why have you got bald patches in your hair Charmain and on your skull?'," Linda says.

At first her daughter was reluctant to say more, Linda says, before eventually claiming her husband pulled her hair.

"I said, 'why is he pulling your hair'? And of course, my voice was getting louder and I was getting angry," Linda says.

Multiple sources told the BBC they'd seen signs of a broader pattern of coercive control.

Charmain's final days

While she was in Ghana, Charmain's loved ones struggled to reach her.

One woman from Adusah's church - who later gave a statement to UK police - said Charmain had secretly obtained a second phone because Adusah had confiscated her main one.

Charmain told her she had discovered Adusah used another name, lied about his age, and had another wife in Ghana.

The witness said Charmain was considering divorce, and planned to confront her husband about "his conduct towards her".

The woman says she received a call from Charmain the night before she was last seen alive.

She told police she could hear the couple arguing. She said Adusah was shouting and Charmain was submissive.

"Each time Eric [Adusah] spoke I could hear the bang of a table as though he was hitting a table with his hand to emphasise what he was saying," the woman says.

This witness says, after 15 minutes, she heard "another bang and the call ended".

Ghanian police never saw this statement because UK police do not assist countries that have the death penalty.

The search for answers

The BBC documentary tracked Adusah down to Maryland in the USA where he lives with his wife and children and is still preaching with the Global Light Revival.

He told the BBC that the investigation and attempts to question him have caused him "severe emotional distress" and that he "endured profound personal trauma" after losing his wife and child.

He did not answer our questions about the treatment of his former partners.

The truth about what happened in room 112 may never be fully known.

Charmain's son Isaac is still searching for answers as he navigates life without his mother.

"I have to live the rest of my life knowing that my mum is never going to see what I do in my life. It really gets to me," he says.

The three-part BBC Disclosure documentary Charmain and the prophet will begin on BBC Two at 22:00 on Monday 13 April. It will also be on BBC One Scotland at 20:00 on Monday 13 April and on the Iplayer.

I've been a sex educator for six years. Why did I start doubting my contraception choices?

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cwyvw9pgjveo, today

As a sex educator, Milly Evans knows more about contraception than most.

But in the run-up to getting a hormonal coil (IUS), she was filled with unfamiliar doubts about whether it was right for her body.

Her social media feed was "flooded" with content discouraging her from getting hormonal contraception. She found herself asking: was the risk of a bad experience worth it?

For six months, 26-year-old Evans kept putting off booking her appointment.

"Some of the claims I saw were so compelling that they made me question what I already know to be true," she says.

This isn't an unusual story – if you're a chronically online woman in your 20s you'll have seen plenty of conversations about hormonal contraceptives like the pill, coil and implant.

The chatter usually fits into two categories - women sharing side effects they've personally experienced, and people purposefully sharing misinformation, often linking hormones to ideology.

It's the latter she's most worried about.

The content has a "right-wing, religious, largely American element", Evans, who has been accredited for six years, says, and is often framed in terms of "clean living" and "divine femininity".

Posts like this have also made their way onto Lauren Haslam's Instagram feed. The 25-year-old, who lives in Manchester, follows a lot of fitness and wellness influencers - and says she gets annoyed by content from some of them "demonising" hormonal contraception and calling it "unnatural".

Haslam, who's been taking the combined pill for four years, says it's helped alleviate her symptoms of premenstrual dysphoric disorder, a severe form of premenstrual syndrome, which she says caused intense cramps and erratic behaviour in the run-up to her period.

She says the pill has "honestly changed my life," but adds that the posts make her positive experience feel "invalidated" and have made her question whether she's making the right decision.

In recent years in the US, content vilifying hormonal contraception has spread rapidly on social media.

A quick search draws up a post of a new mum holding her unplanned baby, the 17-year-old is asking Instagram for contraception advice. A comment underneath, liked more than 800 times, reads: Birth control is "so bad for you".

Another said contraception "sucks" before a different user shared their hatred towards the pill, saying it made them depressed.

Even people who say they have medical qualifications are spreading misinformation online and in podcasts, according to psychosexual and relationship therapist Evie Plumb.

Medical director at women's health platform the Lowdown Dr Fran Yarlett says that while some of the claims are definitely wrong, others are based on small-scale studies with "dubious methodology" and take the information out of context - like the claim that the pill can "shrink your clitoris".

But this attitude shift isn't just happening online or in the US. Sexual health experts in the UK say these conversations are increasingly happening in real life at clinics every day.

London GP Jenny Dhingra says that she has seen more "aversion" among patients in the last couple of years, with some citing concerns around the side effects and saying they were "scared" after seeing social media content.

The NHS says commonly reported side effects of hormonal contraception include headaches, feeling sick, mood swings, weight gain, sore breasts and acne, but that side effects usually get better with time.

It also says that hormonal contraception can raise the risk of blood clots and breast cancer, but that the risk is "very low".

It's hard to accurately say how much these online conversations are truly affecting contraception usage in the UK. NHS data doesn't include people who get the pill from pharmacies, or acknowledge that some devices are now prescribed for longer without needing to be replaced, says Jenny Hall, professor of reproductive health at UCL.

She says that overall, however, data does seem to nod to people moving away from hormonal contraception.

This includes a study published last year suggesting that between 2018 and 2023, the proportion of women using hormonal contraception to prevent pregnancy fell, based on information from tens of thousands of women seeking abortions in England and Wales.

Additionally, a review of several studies last year found that negative side effects are discussed "much more frequently" on social media than benefits of contraception.

The reality is scary stories get attention and go viral, Evans says, whereas someone who loves the coil "with their whole heart" wouldn't get the views.

People are driven to "the really extreme negative ones… the ones that people say they had a traumatic experience, the ones where someone had a blood clot," she adds.

Sex educator Kerry Wolstenholme agrees it's those "horror stories" that she hears young people quote and decide contraception is "not for them".

So if people are turning away from hormonal contraception, what are they using instead? Sexual health professionals say fertility tracking apps are creeping in as unlike the pill, coil and implant, they can advertise on social media in the UK as they don't require a prescription.

Some women post promoting them as the "natural" option. Based on things like their last period and their temperature, the apps predict a likely fertile window when you should avoid sex or use protection.

But many of them are designed as period trackers or to help couples trying to conceive so shouldn't be relied upon to avoid pregnancy.

The experts are frank that side effects from hormonal contraception "can and will" be experienced by some - it's how medicine works. But they say people are not also hearing about the benefits.

Kayla Healey, head of contraception at MSI Reproductive Choices says hormonal contraceptives can help with heavy periods or alleviating the symptoms of PMS.

It's also common for hormonal options to be prescribed to help with the symptoms of conditions like adenomyosis and endometriosis that can cause painful periods.

Among the social media noise, sex educator Evans says there's also just "a lot of frustrated women" wanting to share their legitimate, negative experiences of hormonal contraception.

The problem is - experts say that even if these stories are valid, they are shared with no context about how likely these side effects are.

Some feel "fobbed off" that concerns over side effects are not taken seriously and are also fed up of bearing the "contraceptive burden", says Hall. Currently there are no hormonal contraceptives for men although some gels and pills are being tested.

And Evans worries "very real frustrations" are just feeding into narratives being spread online by anti-birth control campaigners, including some who see a woman's main role as to have as many children as possible.

In the end, Evans didn't let the content on social media sway her, and had a hormonal coil fitted earlier this week.

She says she felt "confident" in her choice after discussing it with the healthcare professional who fitted it.

After she posted about her experience on Instagram, she got messages from people who said they were relieved to see her post "because they had been put off" by other content.

India refuses to criminalise marital rape. This new series shines a light on it

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cgqkl2kqkxzo, today

A new web series that confronts marital rape in India has put the spotlight on the grim topic in a country that has stubbornly refused to criminalise it.

Chiraiya - the Hindi word for small birds - aired on JioHotstar in March. It has already drawn an audience of millions, making it one of the network's most popular Hindi shows in months.

Praised by media critics for confronting a subject that is largely seen as taboo, it has sparked conversations on social media about consent and misogyny. At the same time, some commentators have described it as "anti-men" and "an attempt to undermine the sanctity of marriage".

Divy Nidhi Sharma, the show's scriptwriter, says the series follows two women, Kamlesh and Pooja.

Kamlesh, played by Divya Dutta, is a middle-aged homemaker who firmly believes "women should be interested in cooking and housework". Pooja, played by Prasanna Bish, is educated, socially conscious and talks about gender equality and dignity.

Their worlds collide when Pooja marries Arun – Kamlesh's brother-in-law that she reared as her own son. He is seen as the perfect match for Pooja, but her dreams of a happily ever after are shattered when he rapes her on their wedding night.

When she confronts him, Arun tells her he has "just taken what's mine".

"Why do you keep repeating that I raped you?" he says, adding that marital rape is not a crime in India and there is no law to deal with it.

Dutta says the show is about consent, "specifically in a marriage, which is considered a very, very special bond".

"Marital rape is very difficult to talk about. Every woman who goes through it thinks it's just her story. She thinks if she speaks about it, there will be social stigma, the harmony of the house will be disrupted," she tells the BBC.

In the show, when a battered and bruised Pooja speaks up about how Arun is treating her, she is advised by everyone, including her mother, to adjust, as talking about it would only bring them shame.

Kamlesh starts off believing consent for sex is implicit in the marriage, Dutta says.

But as the series progresses, her thought process begins to change when she is forced to decide between her "comfort zone" or "to hold the hand of a woman she's not really fond of".

"She comes to choose the right path," Dutta says, becoming a dependable ally of Pooja.

According to Indian government data, 6.1% ever-married women have experienced sexual violence. But despite years of campaigning by activists, India remains among three dozen countries - along with Pakistan, Afghanistan and Saudi Arabia - where marital rape is not outlawed.

Activists have filed a number of petitions in recent years in the Supreme Court calling for marital rape to be criminalised. But the government, religious groups and men's rights activists oppose any plans to amend the Colonial-era law, which exempts a man for having forced sex with his wife if she is not a minor.

There was outrage last year when a man convicted of raping his wife, who died within hours of the alleged assault, was freed on appeal because, as the judge said, India did not recognise marital rape.

Sharma, Chiraiya's scriptwriter, tells the BBC: "This injustice is happening within our homes, in our neighbourhoods.

"What I find most troubling is that there's no legal or social recourse. So, as a writer I felt I should do my bit about it."

Adapted from a Bengali show called Sampoorna, Chiraiya has been reimagined for northern India, which is a much more patriarchal region.

"The protagonist of Sampoorna is a feminist," says Shamra. "Our protagonist Kamlesh is a woman who doesn't even know the spelling of misogyny, she's so steeped in patriarchal conditioning that her moral compass has gone haywire.

"But in the end, she rises to fight what's wrong."

Director Shashant Shah says with Kamlesh, "we wanted to present a woman that millions of women in India can relate to".

"She is a person who has faith in the family system. But slowly you see the transformation, as her world slowly crumbles, she realises it's all a façade, a farce where people are suffering within the family."

The intention behind making Chiraiya, he says, "was not to question the government or laws, we wanted to raise this question to the society - how do you look at it? We wanted to make people aware".

Pooja's story, he says, "is fictional, but it's the reality for millions of women" and with Kamlesh's character, "we wanted to tell a story of sisterhood".

Though the web series centres around women, Shah says they took care to ensure men in Chiraiya are not frothing-at-the-mouth villainous caricatures.

"They are not monsters - they are just regular people we encounter in our daily lives. Patriarchy is so deeply entrenched that most people are not even aware they are being misogynistic," he says.

The response to the show, Dutta says, has been "absolutely overwhelming".

"I've been getting midnight messages and calls and personal notes on Instagram and Twitter. Everyone's watching it. Veteran actors are calling me to say thank you for doing this. Someone sent me a sari with a heartfelt note, somebody's sent a poem they've written. I think it really stirred something within everyone."

There have also been some negative responses. Sharma says some people are "getting triggered" by it and there's been "a backlash from a section of men saying shows like these portray men in a bad light".

"But our aim was to just start a conversation. We are artists, we can't make laws, we can't curb crimes, we can't change society rapidly, but we can use art to make a taboo topic mainstream," he says.

Dutta says she is concentrating on the positives and ignoring the rest. "I would rather not read that 1% [negative feedback] and thrive on the 99% who are giving it their love, who are saying thank you. Let's concentrate on the thank yous."

Dutta says she believes that impactful stories like Chiraiya have the power to change the world.

"I think this will make a difference in more ways than one because it is telling us where we are going wrong. And rather than just putting the onus on the outside, for someone else to do something for us, this show just emphasises that let's start from home first.

"And that is a first step, but it is a very strong step."

Iran war lands 'triple blow' to flood-ravaged Sri Lankans

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c4gvkpj0024o, today

After floods devastated their village, Indrani Ravichandran and her family are back in their house, living in the only section that is still standing.

They are among the many victims of Cyclone Ditwah that ravaged the country last November.

The scale of the storm - and the destruction it wreaked - was unprecedented.

Over just three days, parts of Sri Lanka's central uplands saw up to 500mm of rain - roughly the average of two months - causing catastrophic floods and landslides that swept away homes, businesses and entire settlements.

The human cost was devastating – 643 people were killed and another 173 went missing.

Indrani describes how she and her family ran for their lives in the dark as raging flood waters swept away parts of her home in Kudugalhena village in Kandy district.

"The water level rose swiftly. We rushed out and hardly had any time to pick up anything from the house.

"It was pitch dark and the rain was lashing down, the slopes were slippery and we were also terrified of treading on any poisonous animals as we ran. But we were lucky to survive."

"It was the first time in 30 years we witnessed such ferocious floods," Indrani's husband Ravichandran added.

The floods are reported to have caused more destruction in Sri Lanka than the 2004 tsunami, one of the deadliest natural disasters in recorded history.

"Compared to the 2004 tsunami, the loss of human lives was not that much. But in terms of damage to infrastructure, Ditwah caused even more harm than the tsunami," Dr Ganeshan Wignaraja, a visiting senior fellow at ODI Global Institute in London, told the BBC.

'A triple shock'

The US and Israel's war against Iran - and its impact on the global economy - could not have come at a worse time for Sri Lanka, which is already reeling from these devastating floods and an unprecedented economic crisis from 2022.

This picturesque South Asian island, once celebrated for its economic development and high ratings on human development indices, has found itself in dire straits once again.

"It's a triple shock. First, the devastating floods late last year, now soaring fuel prices and then there's an impending drought in some areas," Wignaraja said.

In the last few weeks alone, the government has had to ration fuel and raise prices, introduce a four-day working week, increase electricity costs by up to 40% and impose water and power cuts to compensate for dwindling resources.

Fuel and cooking gas shortages have resulted in panic buying across the country, raising memories from 2022 when it ran out of foreign currency and defaulted on its foreign debt, leading to shortages of essential items like cooking gas, medicine and food items as well as crippling power cuts of up to 13 hours.

The resulting widespread protests led to then president Gotabaya Rajapaksa being ousted.

Now, concerns have grown that the country may not be able to stave off another economic crisis.

The cash-strapped Sri Lankan government had taken a number of measures to try to get the economy back on track, including removing subsidies on electricity and hiking income tax rates to as much as 36%.

Things seemed to be getting better - until Ditwah struck.

The World Bank said the cyclone, among the most intense and destructive in Sri Lanka's recent history, severely affected close to two million people and 500,000 families across all 25 districts, disrupting livelihoods, essential services and the broader economy.

The UN and other agencies estimate the total damage at around $4bn – equivalent to 4% of Sri Lanka's GDP.

President Anura Kumara Dissanayake called it the country's worst-ever economic disaster. Soon after the calamity, he announced wide-ranging financial help to those who had lost their loved ones, properties and businesses.

Indrani's family said they had received the government's promised 50,000 rupees ($325; £240) help to carry out repairs in a part of the house that's still standing. They were also given additional financial help for those with young children.

The government also promised to provide up to five million rupees for homes that were completely destroyed. It has also announced about a million rupees for the families of those killed.

However, months after the cyclone, more than 165,000 people still remain displaced, living with their relatives, host families or in temporary shelters waiting for the government to provide alternative housing and livelihoods.

And now the strain on the economy brought about by the Iran war has made their prospects even bleaker.

'Friend across the sea'

The government has altogether received barely a fifth of the funds it needs for reconstruction and rehabilitation – around $750m in total.

Although the cyclone's devastation surpassed the impact of the 2004 tsunami, international assistance was not immediately forthcoming. In 2004, horrified at the disaster, donors pledged billions of dollars of aid. But this time the response was muted.

Sri Lanka's closest neighbour India was the only country that responded immediately. It launched a rapid humanitarian assistance and relief mission named Operation Sagar Bandhu, translating from Hindi as "friend across the sea".

It deployed two warships, including an aircraft carrier, for relief operations. Indian air force helicopters flew several sorties rescuing hundreds of people, including foreign nationals.

Indian rescue teams set up field hospitals, helped to restore essential infrastructure, and delivered more than 1,000 tonnes of critical supplies. It also provided $450m in grants and aid to Sri Lanka - making it by far the largest contributor.

In contrast China, one of Sri Lanka's major investors and a long-standing ally, offered only minimal support, providing less than $2m in aid and around 100 tonnes of supplies.

In January, the Sri Lankan government formally requested Beijing to help rebuild key infrastructure damaged by Cyclone Ditwah.

The Sri Lankan government says it has provided relief to most residents whose houses were partially damaged, enabling them to carry out repairs.

However, it acknowledges delays in compensating families who lost their entire homes or businesses in the cyclone.

"We are in the process of identifying suitable and safe land to build new houses. Once the areas are identified, the government will provide the aid," said KG Dharmathilake, a senior official in the disaster management division.

Officials argue that rather than rushing through relief efforts, the priority is to "build back better" so that new homes and businesses are resilient enough to withstand future disasters.

Responding to criticism over delays in providing financial assistance to those affected, Dharmathilake insisted that more than 80% of affected residents had already received financial help to repair damaged houses.

Sri Lanka's current foreign reserves stand at around $7bn. Economists like Wignaraja say the government should just about be able to tide over the flood crisis and the fuel price hike with effective fiscal management.

"But they will be in difficulty if the fallout of the Middle East crisis continues for a while," he says.

With the financial situation already strained, the government is also worried that they will lose foreign exchange inflows due to the Gulf war.

Sri Lanka last year received about $7bn in remittances from workers abroad – mainly from Gulf countries. Though there haven't been any massive layoffs in those countries yet, there are concerns over new employment opportunities for Sri Lankans.

How the government confronts the enormous reconstruction work and the economic challenges due to the Gulf war may ultimately become the defining test of President Dissanayake's leadership.

Additional reporting by Ranjan Arun Prasad, BBC Tamil Service in Kandy

Faisal Islam: Why the government is relaxed about Chinese car imports

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cnv82v3n6yqo, today

In a Somerset field, with a distant view on one side of Hinckley Point nuclear power station (under construction) and on the other side the windswept grassy folds of Glastonbury Tor, lies the future of the British car industry. It is possibly also the foundation of our future economic resilience, at what is a troubled moment in the global economy.

Right now the site is a lattice of hulking steel frames covering an area the size of 30 football pitches, interspersed with cranes, earth movers and drainage channels.

From next year, it will be the Agratas electric vehicles battery facility, the UK's largest gigafactory, manufacturing cells for electric vehicle batteries, that will go on to power Jaguar Land Rover's electric vehicle fleet.

For successive governments this investment from India's Tata Group has been a £5bn triumph of industrial policy, but it is also a minimum requirement to secure the future of British car manufacturing.

That's a sector that came in for a bit of a shock this week with the release of data that showed that a Chinese car - the Jaecoo 7 - was the number one car in the UK for the first time ever.

The Jaecoo 7 is a medium-sized petrol or hybrid SUV. But Chinese imports have more generally been of electric vehicles, and the numbers are as remarkable. Chinese-owned brands have made up one in seven new UK cars, about 15% so far in 2026. Five years ago this was 1.3%.

The news about the Jaecoo came in the same week Business Secretary Peter Kyle was visiting the Agratas site to confirm a £380m grant to the company.

I wanted to hear his thoughts on this wave of Chinese imports: was it good for consumers or bad? What about for governments? They are questions I've been grappling with for three years.

The government's message is that "Britain should not fear" the rise of Chinese imports.

"I don't want to prevent UK consumers having access to cars of their choice," Kyle told me.

He was watching out for any trade distortions, he said, but was also focusing on encouraging the "huge opportunites" for jobs and investment from Chinese car makers who have expressed interest in setting up factories in the UK.

"If the conditions are right, I would absolutely welcome [Chinese investment]" he told me. He compared it to Japan's car industry in the 1990s.

But the UK's car production has halved over the past decade. And there have been some concerns about whether domestic production can compete, as well as over possible data and national security implications.

Shadow business secretary, Andrew Griffith MP, blamed government regulation designed to shift consumers away from petrol and diesel for the sector's decline.

"British car makers have been undermined by a foolish ban on internal combustion engines, which has removed natural customer choice and sucked in imported EVs," he said.

Reform's Robert Jenrick said British car makers didn't stand a chance against "unfair Chinese competition".

"If Beijing continues to cheat, Reform UK will introduce tariffs and quotas to protect jobs across the country," he said.

The EU and the US have imposed tariffs on Chinese imports. The rapid rise in Chinese imports to the UK has been partly down to the UK's decision not to follow suit. In response, Chinese companies have invested in dealer networks and marketing across the UK, accelerating the rise in sales.

Other G7 allies such as Canada have done something similar. There, prime minister Mark Carney rowed back the extra tariff on some Chinese electric vehicles. Spain embraced Chinese leadership in EV manufacturing, and has attracted major factory investments.

"The British car market has always been very open," says Mike Hawes, boss of the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) and Chinese firms are moving quickly, he points out. But China's success is also because they are offering drivers something they want, he says.

"At the end of the day, the consumer is right. They are offering attractive products at very competitive prices, good tech and good build quality."

It is, says everybody, then up to the UK to compete. That is why the Agratas facility is so vital.

As Chinese companies gear up to show off their ability to charge a car in less time than it takes to fill a petrol tank, Agratas says its own cutting-edge UK-based research will mean it can also keep pace with the new frontiers of battery tech.

Another advantage it offers is that Jaguar Landrover will be able to keep exporting to the US, with a made-in-the-UK battery solution, at a time when China is selling very little there.

But economic resilience is as much about navigating a wildly changing geopolitical landscape as it is about keeping ahead on technology.

It is salutary to think that in 2020 Elon Musk was being shown around this very same Somerset site, pitched as a possible location for his European Tesla gigafactory, before he opted for Berlin, citing Brexit.

Instead the UK will have a significant new component in its own domestic supply chain. Yes, we will be dependent on foreign expertise and investment. But we will also be miles ahead of other G7 countries when it comes to being open to the extraordinary rise of the world's biggest car exporter, China. And that rise has only just begun.

Artemis II mission was a triumph. Now comes the hard part

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cj0v119zp19o, yesterday

Nasa's Artemis II mission has successfully sent four astronauts sweeping around the far side of the Moon and landed them safely back home.

The Orion spacecraft performed admirably and the images the astronauts captured have delighted a whole new generation about the possibilities of space travel.

But does this mean that the children enthralled by the mission will be able to live and work on the Moon in their lifetimes? Perhaps even go to Mars, as the Artemis programme promises?

It seems churlish to say, but looping the Moon was relatively easy. The really hard part lies ahead, so the answer is "maybe, maybe not".

When Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin became the first humans to land on the Moon in July 1969, many assumed it was only the beginning and that people would soon be living and working in space.

That didn't happen because the Apollo programme was born not from a love of exploration, but from the Cold War, to demonstrate US superiority over the Soviet Union. That feat was achieved by Armstrong's "one small step" off his lunar lander - job done.

Just a few years after he planted the American flag on the lunar surface, the TV audience figures for subsequent missions plummeted and future Apollo missions were scrapped.

This time, Nasa's stated ambition is different. Administrator Jared Isaacman has set out plans for one crewed lunar landing per year, beginning in 2028, with the fifth Artemis mission - planned for later that same year - marking the start of what the agency calls its Moon base.

It sounds like science fiction, but here are the words of a serious space player dealing in science fact: "The Moon economy will develop," Josef Aschbacher, Director General of the European Space Agency (ESA), tells me.

"It will take time to set up the various elements, but it will develop."

But as the commander of Apollo 13 famously said when his spacecraft malfunctioned on the way to the Moon: "Houston, we've had a problem..."

The lander problem

To get boots on the lunar surface, Nasa needs a lander. The US space agency has contracted two private companies to build them: Elon Musk's SpaceX, whose lunar version of its Starship rocket will stand 35 metres tall, and Jeff Bezos's Blue Origin, whose Blue Moon Mark 2 craft is more compact but just as ambitious.

Both are well behind schedule.

Nasa's own Office of Inspector General laid out the picture starkly in a report published on 10 March. SpaceX's lunar Starship is at least two years behind its original delivery date, with further delays expected. Blue Origin's Blue Moon is at least eight months late, with nearly half the issues flagged at a 2024 design review still unresolved more than a year later.

These landers are very different to the compact Eagle module that carried Armstrong and Aldrin to the surface in 1969 and which was just big enough to transport two men to collect some rocks and return.

The new landers must carry very significant amounts of infrastructure - equipment, pressurised rovers, the early components of a base. And carrying that amount of mass requires enormous amounts of propellant, far more than can be launched in a single rocket.

The Artemis programme intends to store all this propellant in a depot, which will orbit around the Earth and will be topped up by more than 10 separate tanker flights, all launched at regular intervals over months. The plan looks elegant but is fiendishly difficult.

Keeping super-cold liquid oxygen and methane stable in the vacuum of space, then transferring them between spacecraft, is one of the most demanding engineering challenges in the programme.

"From a physics point of view it makes sense," says Dr Simeon Barber, a space scientist from the Open University. But he points out that the launch of Artemis II was delayed twice this year, before it eventually took off because of fuelling issues.

"If it's difficult to do in the launch pad, it's going to be much more difficult to do in orbit," he says.

The next Artemis mission - Artemis III - is designed to test how the Orion crew capsule docks in Earth orbit with one or both landers. It is scheduled for mid-2027. Given that Starship has not yet completed a successful orbital flight and Blue Origin's New Glenn rocket has managed just two launches, this target looks, as Barber puts it, "a very steep ask".

The new space race

Nasa has kept its 2028 target for a first Artemis Moon landing in part for political reasons - it now aligns with President Trump's renewed space policy, which calls for Americans to be back on the lunar surface by 2028 – a deadline that falls within his current term of office, due to end that year.

Independent analysts don't believe the target is realistic. But Congress has backed the date with billions of dollars of taxpayers' money, partly because there is a new competitor on the horizon.

China's emergence this century as an economic and military superpower has also seen its space capabilities accelerate rapidly, and it now has a stated aim of landing an astronaut on the Moon by around 2030.

If the Artemis timetable slips, as many experts believe it will, China could get to the Moon first. Its approach is simpler. It uses two rockets, a separate crew module and lander, and avoids the in-orbit refuelling complexity of the American plan.

Mars - the distant dream

Beyond the Moon lies Mars.

Musk has spoken of getting humans to the Red Planet before the end of this decade.

Many experts believe it is far more likely to be the 2040s at the earliest. The journey alone - seven to nine months, through intense radiation, and with no possibility of rescue - presents challenges that dwarf anything involved in getting to the Moon.

Mars's thin atmosphere makes landing a full-sized, crewed spacecraft - and then launching it again - a problem of staggering complexity.

Artemis II has put human spaceflight back on the agenda. Private companies are building rockets and landers with genuine urgency. Europe is actively debating how deeply to engage.

As I drove around the Kennedy Space Centre after the launch of the Artemis mission, I was struck by the new buildings put up by Blue Origin and others in construction by SpaceX: private sector infrastructure nestling close to a government agency that once sent astronauts to the Moon.

Even if the timetables slip, this new partnership feels like something special is happening on the Florida coast - and Nasa has already got some of its old mojo back.

ESA astronaut Alexander Gerst once told Aschbacher, after returning from the International Space Station, that the view from space changes everything.

Gerst told the ESA boss that he wishes all eight billion people on Earth could go to space just once and see what he saw - a small, fragile, beautiful planet, cared for not nearly well enough by the species lucky enough to live on it.

"That," says Aschbacher, "would create a very different life on planet Earth."

Concerns after satellite provider restricts Iran images following US pressure

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c5y721yqe6ro, today

Humanitarian organisations and journalists have expressed concerns after a leading satellite imagery company told its users it was restricting access to images of Iran and large parts of the Middle East following a request from the US government.

California-based Planet Labs initially introduced a 14-day delay on providing new imagery from the region in March. It has since moved to an "indefinite" restriction.

The decision has limited how journalists, humanitarian groups and analysts can use satellite images to assess the impact of the US-Israel war with Iran, including damage to military targets and civilian infrastructure.

It is unclear what prompted the US to press Planet to suspend its coverage and the Department of Defense did not respond to a request for comment.

Planet initially said its original 14-day delay policy was "to ensure our imagery is not tactically leveraged by adversarial actors to target allied and Nato-partner personnel and civilians".

It said in a statement to BBC Verify that it was now switching to a system of "managed distribution" and would share selected images "on a one-off basis until the security risk has abated".

It declined to say how extensive the restrictions were. But based on BBC Verify's access to the portal it appears to extend across most of the Middle East, including Iraq, Lebanon, Israel and Gaza.

One satellite imaging expert told BBC Verify that companies like Planet that have military contracts can sometimes implement "voluntary compliance" requests that are actually "driven by commercial incentive structures".

BBC Verify has used Planet imagery across the Middle East in its reporting, including since the war in Iran began at the end of February - such as when a US strike on a school in the Iranian town of Minab.

The changes now mean that images taken after 9 March are no longer routinely available to the company's clients.

Satellite imagery has become a key tool for reporters, according to investigative journalist Benjamin Strick, who has worked for CNN, the Financial Times and the BBC.

This is especially true for "conflict zones, disasters and other restricted environments where reporters cannot safely access the scene or where information is tightly controlled", he said.

Planet's business model is similar to others in the industry. It has been expanding its work with the US defence sector, including the US National Geospatial Intelligence Agency and - through a subsidiary - the US Navy. It also works with the German and Swedish militaries.

Vantor, formerly known as Maxar, has contracts with the US Army and US Space Force and limits coverage of US military bases. However, it told Reuters earlier this week that it had not been asked by Pentagon officials to restrict its coverage of Iran.

Bill Greer, a geospatial analyst who previously worked at Maxar and co-founded the non-profit satellite service Common Space, noted that the number of defence contracts held by companies like Planet grants governments some degree of influence over them.

"What we're seeing now is voluntary compliance driven by commercial incentive structures, not legal mandates," he told BBC Verify.

"When your largest customer is also the government that regulates you, the line between voluntary and involuntary gets very thin."

Greer also observed that humanitarian groups were affected by restrictions on satellite images.

"When an entire region goes dark indefinitely, it directly affects [their] ability to plan evacuations, assess damage, document human rights abuses and co-ordinate aid delivery," he said.

The charity Oxfam told BBC Verify it used satellite imagery to plan some of its logistics during live conflicts and disasters.

The group's humanitarian lead, Magnus Corfixen, said that in Gaza - where Planet has also suspended coverage - satellite services helped it to run its water, sanitation and hygiene (Wash) programme.

"We couldn't access these water systems in person," he said. "So we tried to use satellite imagery to see whether or not they were still operational or if they had been destroyed."

He added that, based on reviews of the imagery, Oxfam then planned what equipment they needed to transport into the Strip.

BBC Verify has also relied on satellite imagery to report on changes and damage in Gaza, since Israel does not allow media to send journalists independently into the Strip. There have previously been delays on imagery from Gaza, but never to this extent.

Todd Harrison - a senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute and ex-US Air Force captain - told BBC Verify that the Iranian military had limited satellite surveillance capability of its own, making it heavily reliant on Russia, China and "whatever imagery they can acquire from commercial providers".

"US and European commercial firms have some of the best space surveillance capabilities in the world," he said.

"This data would be enormously valuable to Iran in its efforts to strike targets across the Middle East... and to assess the effectiveness of its strikes."

There have also been concerns that bad actors have also seized on the restrictions placed on Iranian imagery to proliferate fakes online.

Amir Farhand - founder of Soar.Atlas, an Australian mapping platform that uses satellite images - told BBC Verify that it had tracked "a massive spike in fake satellite imagery during this conflict", adding that the trend was "becoming a serious problem".

In the absence of Planet's services, its news clients - such as the BBC and the New York Times - have been turning to non-US based solutions.

But Christoph Koettl, a visual investigations journalist with the New York Times, said that the resolution offered by some of these services - like the European Space Agency - did not offer the same level of detail or widespread coverage.

"The imagery is blurrier. I cannot distinguish between cars, vehicles, things like that," he said. "With a provider like Planet Labs, the advantage is that they're imaging almost every place on Earth once a day."

Harrison said he expects restrictions like those requested of Planet to become more common, but increasingly more futile as the industry expands and new providers emerge across the globe.

"Because dual-use technology like this has become increasingly democratised, it is making the modern battlefield more transparent for both sides than ever before," he said.

"That is a fact of life the US and others will have to adapt to in how they plan and conduct military operations."

What claims do you want BBC Verify to investigate?

JD Vance takes on a perilous mission - could it backfire?

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c1d9z1q2997o, yesterday

In the middle of an Easter lunch at the White House, President Donald Trump went off script to address speculation about JD Vance's role in securing a deal to end the war in Iran.

"If it doesn't happen, I'm blaming JD Vance," Trump joked, drawing laughter at last week's East Room event attended by senior administration officials including the vice-president, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth. And "if it does happen," Trump added, "I'm taking full credit."

The remarks perfectly captured Vance's predicament as he leads a US delegation holding talks with Iran in Pakistan. It is the most challenging assignment of Vance's vice-presidency so far - one with a limited upside and plenty to lose if negotiations fail.

Vance's diplomatic mission to Islamabad is a political minefield. To make progress in reaching a permanent agreement to end the war, he will have to satisfy several stakeholders with competing interests, and who all distrust each other after a six-week military campaign that has engulfed the Middle East and roiled the global economy.

US allies are watching Vance closely to see how he'll perform, one European official said. Vance "needs to step into the room and deliver something," added the official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity. "Otherwise he will be diminished."

Any deal must win the support first and foremost of Trump, who has vacillated between calling for peace and threatening to destroy Iran's civilisation. It will also need the backing of a weakened but still-standing regime in Tehran that has tightened control over the Strait of Hormuz, and an ally in Israel that is wary of a region-wide ceasefire. US allies in Europe that oppose the war and have been reluctant to come to America's aid in reopening the strait will also have to be convinced.

As if that's not enough, Vance will also face pressure to somehow satisfy Trump's Make America Great Again (MAGA) base. Many are opposed to interventions abroad so will be watching his trip closely for clues about how he might handle foreign policy if he runs for president in 2028.

A former Marine who served in Iraq, Vance has been a vocal opponent of US entanglements in the past, and reportedly expressed deep scepticism about launching strikes on Iran in private meetings with Trump, according to a New York Times report.

"Vance has signalled a desire for restraint in American foreign policy. That's pretty hard to square with the American war against Iran," said Jeff Rathke, the president of the American-German Institute, a Washington-based think tank.

Satisfying a demanding boss

In Islamabad the question for Vance is: can he make everyone happy? And what does success in these negotiations look like - a fully-formed peace deal, or just productive initial talks that don't scuttle the temporary ceasefire?

A White House official told the BBC that Trump had tasked the vice-president to lead the negotiations. And spokeswoman Anna Kelly confirmed that Vance had already been collaborating with special envoy Steve Witkoff and the president's son-in-law Jared Kushner, both of whom will be with him in Pakistan.

Vance tamped down expectations before leaving Washington on Friday morning.

"If the Iranians are willing to negotiate in good faith, we are certainly willing to extend an open hand," Vance told reporters. He also warned Iran not to "play us," and said Trump gave the US negotiating team "some pretty clear guidelines".

But even if he laid out clear goalposts ahead of time, the president has a propensity to change his mind. In the talks with Iran, Vance and the rest of the US team will face the added challenge of representing a mercurial boss in Trump who has given a range of rationales for the war since launching the conflict in late February.

On Friday afternoon, when asked what he told Vance before he left for Islamabad, Trump told reporters: "I wish him luck. He's got a big thing." The president said he was sending a "good team" and "we'll see how it all turns out."

Trump's volatile negotiating style was on full display this week, in the whirlwind period leading up to the ceasefire deal reached on Tuesday. In a single 36-hour span, Trump gave Iran one day to strike a deal, warned in social media posts on Truth Social that "a whole civilisation will die" if Iran refused to cooperate, and then finally announced a ceasefire with less than two hours left before his deadline for escalating the war.

The tense hours on Tuesday were as nervewracking as any moments in Trump's second term, said a second senior European diplomat.

"I went home from work, put on the news, and started refreshing Truth Social," said the official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity. Serving as Trump's vice-president can't be easy under normal conditions, the diplomat added, but must be especially difficult for Vance right now given his misgivings about foreign wars.

"Vance has tried to distance himself from the Iran campaign," the source said. "This war is absolutely not in his playbook."

Ambassador for 'America First'

Representing Trump in high-stakes negotiations may be a challenge, but Vance has been working toward this moment since taking office. He has earned Trump's trust and been given a seat at the table in high-profile meetings and events with foreign policy leaders in the Oval Office and across Europe and Asia.

Vance made waves with a speech at the Munich Security Conference last year, where he issued a blistering critique of Europe's handling of immigration and free speech. Soon after, he accused Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky of not being grateful enough for US aid during an explosive Oval Office meeting that descended into a shouting match. Just this week, the vice-president travelled to Hungary to make an unprecedented re-election push for the current prime minister and close Trump ally Viktor Orbán.

At each step, Vance has positioned himself as a loyal lieutenant to Trump who's willing to crisscross the globe serving as a sharp-elbowed ambassador of "America First".

The vice-president is the "perfect surrogate" in these high-stakes negotiations because of "his firm understanding of President Trump's goals", said Mark Bednar, who worked on the Trump-Vance transition team. "To also have the trust of the president the way he does, that is a really great combination."

But Vance reportedly hasn't always agreed with the president. And Trump's own foreign policy has sometimes put Vance in the awkward position of publicly backing the type of interventions abroad that he has argued against in the past - Iran being the prime example.

As a US senator Vance published a Wall Street Journal op-ed in 2023 saying he backed Trump because he didn't start foreign wars. On the eve of the Iran war, Vance told the Washington Post that Trump wouldn't let the US get dragged into another so-called forever war in the Middle East.

During the current conflict, he has publicly echoed Trump's argument that war was needed to prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons. But Vance has not been as vocal in backing the war effort as other administration officials, in particular Defence Secretary Hegseth. Vance's rhetoric has also sometimes diverged from Trump's, as happened this week when Vance called the temporary ceasefire a "fragile truce".

Despite this, Trump tapped Vance to lead the US delegation to Islamabad. The choice raised questions of whether Trump purposely handed Vance a no-win assignment. The vice-president's office declined to comment for this story, but a US official who asked not to be named said Vance was chosen to send Iran a signal that the Trump administration was serious about reaching a deal.

No easy fix

US allies in the region welcomed Vance's inclusion on the team as a sign the administration wants a durable peace to end the war. "It shows that America is seriously coming to the table," said Assaf Orion, a retired Israeli brigadier general.

Vance will have to tune out the chatter back in Washington to deliver in negotiations with Iran.

The Oval Office confrontation with Zelensky and trips to Munich and Budapest all showcased Vance's ability to play the role of attack dog.

"If he feels the need to be argumentative, he's not going to shy away from that. If he feels that something is not going right for the United States, he will not shy away from that either," said Mark Bednar, the Republican strategist.

But in Pakistan he's playing a different diplomatic role, which will require navigating tense relations between adversaries in a volatile region. Vance and his team will also have to address a complex set of problems - including reopening the Strait of Hormuz and ending Iran's nuclear programme - that are highly technical and have no easy fix.

Vance was not involved at a detailed level in the indirect talks between the US and Iran before the ceasefire. Negotiations in recent weeks were led by Witkoff and Kushner, according to a US official. The pair also spearheaded other peace talks during Trump's second term. The success of the talks will rely in part on who handles technical aspects of Iran's nuclear programme, Orion said.

"Kushner and Witkoff did Ukraine, Iran and Gaza. I think it's very challenging to be a detailed expert in all three issues at the same time," Orion said. In Islamabad, "the question is who else, who is on the bench?"

Still Vance will command the most attention, regardless of whoever else is in the room.

The vice-president won't be able to rely on a deep well of personal relationships with foreign leaders built up over years. It can be easy to forget Vance is still just 41 years old, and only recently launched himself onto the national political stage when he ran for the US Senate. For all of his polish and shrewd instincts, he is still a relative newcomer to the world of international relations.

Nevertheless, Trump threw him into the deep end this week, and now Vance is under pressure to deliver a victory for the president while not damaging his own political future.

"He's not negotiating JD Vance's agreement with the Iranians. He's there in Islamabad to try to get the best deal the president can agree to," said Rathke. "But that has some risks for the vice-president, in case Trump agrees to something and then later loses his enthusiasm for it. Trump may try to blame the negotiator."

Additional reporting by Grace Eliza Goodwin

Top picture credits: Reuters and Getty Images

BBC InDepth is the home on the website and app for the best analysis, with fresh perspectives that challenge assumptions and deep reporting on the biggest issues of the day. Emma Barnett and John Simpson bring their pick of the most thought-provoking deep reads and analysis, every Saturday. Sign up for the newsletter here

Historic Vance-Ghalibaf talks must bridge deep distrust

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cn9qzl12537o, yesterday

If and when a photograph is taken of US Vice-President JD Vance standing next to Iran's Parliamentary Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf in Islamabad this weekend, it will make history.

That moment would mark the highest-level face-to-face talks between the Islamic Republic of Iran and the United States of America since the 1979 Islamic Revolution shattered their strong strategic bond and cast a long shadow which still darkens relations to this day.

The two men may not smile. They may not even shake hands.

It would not make this troubled relationship any more easy, any less hostile.

But it would send a signal that both sides want to try to end a war sending shocks worldwide, avoid an even riskier escalation, and turn to diplomacy to do a deal.

There's zero chance though of US President Donald Trump's optimistic prediction of a "peace deal" within this shaky two-week ceasefire - its terms were contested and broken since the moment it was announced earlier this week.

Even until the eleventh hour, Iranians kept everyone guessing over whether they would still show up while Israel was insisting there would be no ceasefire in Lebanon.

But if serious and sustained talks make a start, it would also mark the most significant push since Trump pulled out of the previous landmark nuclear deal in 2018, during his first term. He dismissed what was widely seen as the foreign policy highlight of the Obama administration as the "worst deal in history".

Those talks, in endless rounds stretching over nearly 18 months of breakthroughs and breakdowns, were the last high-level meetings between the then-US Secretary of State John Kerry and Iran's then-Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif.

Efforts since then, including during US President Joe Biden's term, made little headway.

"The dispatch of more senior officials and high stakes of failure for all sides could open possibilities that weren't there before," assesses Ali Vaez of the International Crisis Group, who has followed all the twists and turns over many years.

But, he cautions, this time is still "exponentially harder".

The gaps between the two sides remain very wide and the distrust runs very deep.

That well is especially vast for Tehran after their last two series of negotiations, in June 2025 and February this year, were suddenly whacked by the opening salvos of a US-Israeli war.

Contrasting styles

And, when they do talk, their negotiating styles are poles apart.

Trump boasts he has the best dealmakers in his special envoy Steve Witkoff, a former property developer, and his son-in-law Jared Kushner, his go-to person during his first term, when the Abraham Accords normalised relations between Israel and a few Arab states while sidelining the Palestinians.

But Iran, which now views these envoys as too close to Israel, insisted on raising the level of engagement, specifically to Vance. Not only does he hold a formal position within the US administration, rather than being a friend or family member, he is also seen as the strongest sceptic of this military campaign in Trump's team.

Iran's approach has also imposed limitations, especially in its insistence that the negotiations mainly be conducted indirectly, through Oman, their trusted mediator.

In Geneva in February, behind high walls and away from the world's cameras, some direct conversations did take place in the midst of the indirect exchanges. But Iranian hardliners, deeply distrustful of this track, were said to have tied the hands of negotiators who also wanted to avoid any risk of hostile or humiliating exchanges.

Witkoff's signature style had been to usually arrive on his own. Diplomatic sources involved in this process say he often didn't even take notes - which only heightened Iranian suspicion and meant the talks often went in circles. Then Kushner was added to his team.

The contrast with the negotiations a decade ago couldn't be starker – the US and Iranian delegations included strong contingents of experienced diplomats and leading physicists. They were also bolstered by senior European diplomats as well as foreign ministers from the other four permanent members of the UN Security Council - the UK, France, China and Russia.

In the last rounds in February this year, progress is said to have been made when the two delegations were assisted by the technical expertise of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) head Rafael Grossi and seasoned mediators from other countries. They were said to have narrowed some but not all of the gaps, at least on the nuclear file, where Iran offered new concessions including the dilution of its highly enriched uranium. Then war was unleashed again.

Now these hostilities have shifted the security calculus – for all sides. Even before this conflict, hardline voices within Iran's security establishment were arguing for the development of a nuclear bomb. Iran will now insist on keeping its arsenal of ballistic missiles for self-defence, and holding sway over the Strait of Hormuz. It gives Tehran major leverage and a desperately needed economic lifeline.

But most Gulf states, who had opposed the 2015 nuclear deal before later reaching a cautious rapprochement with their neighbour, are now demanding that the missiles which slammed into their countries need to be on the negotiating table.

Israel, and in particular its Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, is certain to be on the phone, or rushing to the White House, to ensure deep-seated worries about Iran's threats are addressed.

'Heroic flexibility'

There's an echo of another historic time.

Thirteen years ago, Iran's late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei made a reluctant decision to allow his negotiators to intensify nuclear talks with the US to try to reach a deal. It was called "heroic flexibility".

Tehran's top cleric didn't trust the country he scorned as "the Great Satan". But Iran's newly elected reformist president, Hassan Rouhani, convinced him that their dire economic straits gave them no other choice but to do everything they could to lift crippling international sanctions.

Now, his son Mojtaba Khamenei - who rose to power after his father's assassination in the early hours of this war - has given the go-ahead for his negotiators to meet US envoys in Islamabad.

But he was injured in that attack and the extent of his involvement, and authority, is far from clear. The hardliners, most of all the powerful Islamic Revolutionary Guards, are now calling the shots. Iran's economy is mired in a much deeper crisis. And it's facing more significant dissent at home after January's nation-wide protests were crushed with many thousands of casualties.

A nation shaken by this grievous war now struggles to hold onto hope for economic and social change, and for some, fundamental change.

Trump insists these six weeks of war achieved "regime change" and he describes Iran's new leaders as "less radical, much more reasonable".

The moment of truth could be approaching – for all sides. And there's another sobering thought.

Thirteen years ago, as talks got under way, their statements spoke of the two sides being "far apart".

Iran demanded that the US recognise its "right" to enrich uranium – which the US rejected, voicing its suspicion that the Islamic Republic was seeking a nuclear weapon.

For now, the US seems to be saying that right would be recognised - as long as there's no enrichment in Iran.

History may not repeat itself, but it does rhyme.

Golden eagles' return to English skies gets government backing

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cje4zlxqkqdo, today

Golden Eagles will once again be a permanent feature of English skies, as the government pledges £1m to back the reintroduction of the species as early as next year.

Britain's second largest bird of prey was wiped out in England during the 19th Century after a concerted campaign of hunting.

Forestry England will now launch a public consultation alongside the charity behind the successful return of the species to the Scottish border.

Restoring Upland Nature said they have seen widespread support for the return of the "impressive" species but farming communities have previously raised concerns about the threat this predator could pose to lambs.

They are one of the fastest animals on the planet, reaching speeds of up to 200mph as they dive, and have razor-sharp vision - able to spot a rabbit moving three miles away.

And yet, these apex predators were hunted to extinction in England and Wales because of their perceived threat to livestock and grouse.

After years of research by Forestry England into appropriate environments, and a successful re-enforcement of the species along the Scottish border, the government is now backing a parallel project in Northumberland.

"Aside from being Britain's second largest bird of prey with an impressive two-metre wingspan, the golden eagle is a keystone species that can play a vital role in nature recovery more widely," said Environment Secretary Emma Reynolds.

The UK is one of the most nature-depleted countries in the world, with research by NGOs and academics in 2023 revealing that one in six species are now at risk of extinction.

The government has backed a number of species reintroduction programmes over the years as part of efforts to reverse this trend including re-establishing pine martens, beavers and whitefaced darter dragonflies.

Ed Parr Ferris, species recovery manager at Forestry England, said bringing golden eagles back to the country's landscape can help to control mesopredators - ones that occupy the middle of the food web - like foxes and badgers.

"Golden eagles are impressive and beautiful birds, and one of our only remaining apex predators in Britain. Any predator applies a pressure on a system to balance all the different other animals that are living in that place ... allow[ing] space for rarer animals to survive and to thrive."

The study led by Forestry England looked at 28 possible locations for new populations, and of those, eight were identified as providing the right climate, landscape and minimal potential for disturbance - with Northumberland the favourite. Some of the others include:

* North Pennines

* The Lakes

* Yorkshire Dales

* Bowland

* South Pennines

* North York Moors

* South West

Over the last eight years 28 chicks from the Scottish Highlands and Orkney Isles have been brought down to the Scottish border and successfully established.

Some of these birds have been temporarily migrating into England, but the study estimated that without further support it would take 20 years for the birds to naturally expand and settle further south.

Restoring Upland Nature (RUN) - the charity behind the Scottish border re-establishment scheme - will lead the £1m programme in England over the next three years.

There will first be a period of public consultation with landowners and farmers, but chicks could be brought in as early as next summer explained Dr Cat Barlow, CEO of RUN.

She said this next step was not just important for the species but also to engage people more broadly on the issue of nature recovery.

"It is really difficult to get people excited about peat restoration. But something like a golden eagle can get new audiences excited, and get them aware of how the whole ecosystem can work together," Dr Barlow said.

But Prof Davy McCracken, professor of agriculture ecology at Scotland's Rural College said 18 months was unlikely to be long enough for a consultation.

"You've got to remember that land managers and farmers who may be most concerned about being impacted, have very intensive periods of seasonal activity - times when they can't necessarily engage effectively in any consultation."

National Farmers Union North Regional Board Chair and a farmer himself William Maughan said "thorough, meaningful and clear" engagement with farmers was crucial for the project's success.

"Farmers cannot be expected to carry the cost, risk, and responsibility of poorly implemented reintroduction projects," he said.

The return of eagles to UK skies has not always been met with positive responses.

Following the re-introduction of the sea eagle, the only other UK apex predator, Scottish farmers reported having to abandon their hill farms after the birds decimated their lamb populations. And the National Farming Union Cymru has previously raised similar concerns of the risks from golden eagles.

Ed Parr Ferris said that golden eagles are very different, with different behaviours.

"We do recognize they can take small lambs very occasionally as a part of their diet, but that's rare, and it's far more likely that they'll be taking carrion," he said.

The feasibility study said that current research estimates golden eagles would be responsible for between 0.15% and 3% of all lamb losses in their hunting range.

Dr Cat Barlow said that changing the perception of golden eagles can be difficult but the Scotland project showed it was possible.

"It started from quite a challenging start point. There has been a lack of trust between the shooting community, for example, and conservationists and raptor workers."

She said by hiring a retired gamekeeper they had managed to bring a lot of people onside and shooting estates are now helping to build artificial nests.

Prof McCracken said farmers could take some "comfort" from the success of the Scotland project but can understand their ongoing concerns because of discussions around reintroducing other carnivorous predators like lynx.

"We have a tendency to look at things in isolation," he said. "One species on its own might not have a major impact. It's just being aware there may be cumulative effects [...]having two or three additional species reintroduced."

The potential for conflict between animals and humans remains ever present. In February, one of the birds relocated to the Scottish Borders - Hamlet - was found with pellet wounds.

And the government has opted not to share the exact release location that is being considered in Northumberland for the safety of the birds.

Manhattan prosecutor investigates abuse claims against congressman Eric Swalwell

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c7vq0jnn0yro, today

The Manhattan District Attorney's Office says it has launched an investigation into sexual misconduct allegations against US congressman Eric Swalwell.

Four women have accused him of misconduct ranging from sexual harassment to rape, including an alleged incident in New York. Swalwell, a leading contender in California's governor race, denies the claims, vowing to defend himself with "facts".

"We urge survivors and anyone with knowledge of these allegations to contact our Special Victims Division," said the New York City prosecutor's office.

Representatives for Swalwell - who was elected in 2012 to a district near San Francisco - did not immediately respond to the BBC's request for comment.

In urging accusers to come forwards, the distict attorney's office said on Saturday: "Our specially trained prosecutors, investigators and counselors are well-equipped to help you in a trauma-informed, survivor-centered manner."

The investigation came a day after Swalwell said the allegations were "false".

"For nearly 20 years, I have served the public - as a prosecutor and a congressman and have always protected women," the married father-of-three added. "I will defend myself with the facts and where necessary bring legal action."

The first allegation against Swalwell emerged publicly on Friday in the San Francisco Chronicle.

A former staff member told the newspaper that shortly after being hired to work in his district office in Castro Valley, Swalwell began making inappropriate comments, including soliciting her for sex and sending her sexual messages.

The woman alleged to the Chronicle that she had been assaulted twice by Swalwell.

She told the newspaper the first alleged incident happened in September 2019 after they went out for drinks.

She said the second alleged assault was in 2024, when she said she met Swalwell after a charity gala in New York. On both occasions, she said she was too intoxicated to consent.

The BBC has not been able to independently verify her account or identity, but has contacted her attorney for comment.

CNN published accusations from four women who made accusations of sexual misconduct against Swalwell.

His legal team has sent cease-and-desist letters to two of the accusers, according to the broadcaster.

Swalwell said in a video message on Facebook that he wanted the public to hear directly from him and again denied the allegations.

"I do not suggest to you that I am perfect or a saint," he said. "I've certainly made mistakes in judgment in my past. But those mistakes are between me and my wife. And to her, I apologise deeply for putting her in this position."

Within hours of the accusations surfacing on Friday, Swalwell lost backing for the governor's race from prominent supporters, including Senator Adam Schiff and House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries.

The allegations have come at a key moment in the wide-open primary race to replace outgoing Governor Gavin Newsom and to lead the nation's most populous state, just weeks before voters receive mail ballots ahead of the 2 June election.

Among Democratic candidates, Swalwell was projected to be one of the top candidates in a crowded field, according to two opinion polls.

The parents using play to stop children getting 'trapped' by screens

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/clyjdzkmr72o, yesterday

Recently the UK government announced new guidance which states children under the age of five should be limited to one hour of screen time a day, while under-twos should not be watching screens alone.

The guidance suggests "screen swaps" - taking screens away to read stories together or playing games.

But is that easier said than done? Parents have told the BBC about how they try to prioritise meaningful ways to connect with their children, as busy schedules, rising living costs and the pull of technology continue to dominate family life.

For Errol Murray, founder of Leeds Dads, helping families reconnect has become a personal mission.

Every Saturday morning, he heads out with his 10-year-old son Isaac and a group of local fathers to try something new - from discovering insects at a nearby lake to attending soft play sessions that include a free breakfast.

It makes a nice change from being on screens, says Errol, describing the change in his son's behaviour: "When you give them a five or 10-minute warning to come off the screens, we find the response is still the same. They get angry, they get upset, they get agitated.

"You've got to find something that makes them turn away from phones, screens and tablets, because you get trapped there."

The father-son duo particularly enjoy group walks in the park, especially when Isaac can take his remote-control car along too.

"Doing something with your kids, instead of saying 'see you when you get back', means you're able to actively build a connection," he says.

As Errol's network of Leeds Dads continues to grow, many parents admit to grappling with how to limit technology and build a connection with their children.

New research from the National Literacy Trust has found a 25% drop in the number of parents who play with their children daily since 2019.

Experts say these interactions are vital, and not just emotionally, but biologically too.

Research led by Dr Samuel Forbes at Durham University and Prof John Spencer at the University of East Anglia recorded more than 6,000 hours of language exposure among 163 babies and toddlers over a seven-day period.

The study focused on the quality of language children were hearing, particularly in-person human interaction and conversation, rather than just watching or listening to speech on a screen.

The researchers used recording devices to monitor the interactions the children engaged in over the course of a week, and then, using MRI scans, examined their levels of myelin - a substance that helps signals travel efficiently between nerve cells.

They found that children exposed to better interactions and more engaging language had greater myelination, suggesting they could process language more quickly and effectively.

"The number of words a child hears at these early ages is literally shaping their brain," says Forbes.

"Every interaction is crucial. It's never too late to begin talking to your child, and it's never too late to interact in different ways. We can see what it's doing to the brain."

Kirsty MacDonald, head of early years at the National Literacy Trust, says many families, "particularly those experiencing poverty, can lack the support, information and resources needed to confidently nurture their child's language, communication and literacy development".

MacDonald says there are several key factors which hinder parents from restricting their children's screen time adequately, including limited time due to work commitments, as well as the cost and availability of local activities.

For some parents, screens can still play a role in bonding with their children.

Sam, another father in the Leeds Dads group, says his family does use screens at home, but with a creative twist.

In his spare time, he produces music using a digital synthesiser on his tablet, a hobby he now shares with his children, aged five and six.

"I've always really loved music," he says. "But when I became a dad, I struggled to find things I could do for myself.

"Now the kids are old enough to enjoy and appreciate it, it's become a really beautiful thing."

But introducing new activities to their routine isn't always easy, he admits, particularly when everyone is tired after work or school.

"You have to just seize your moments", he says.

"There are definitely times where you have to just go, 'Look, everybody is tired, everyone needs a rest, the best thing for us to do is just watch some TV together.'"

Despite these challenges, some communities are finding creative ways to help.

Local libraries are seeing a resurgence in popularity, helped by new spaces being adapted to encourage interactive learning.

At Irlam Library in Salford, the outdoor area now includes "story nooks" and immersive play-based reading activities.

Teacher Abigail has begun taking her two daughters, aged two and seven, to explore the space together.

Watching them both play, socialise and build their bond has been a particular highlight for Abigail.

"It's just about trying your best," she says.

Her eldest daughter Ava has her own tablet, but Abigail has tried to focus on discovering her interests away from tech instead - with painting, for example.

Listening to her children and following their ideas for activities has brought its own surprising list of experiences too.

"We had a picnic in our front garden, which was their idea," she says.

"You often don't even have to think of things to do if you ask them. It might be a little bit bizarre, but it takes the choice out of your hands."

Hundreds contact BBC about mystery skin condition 'hell' - but doctors can't agree it exists

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cly6xjpx6gjo, yesterday

Two weeks ago, I wrote a BBC News article about the impact of a severe and often misunderstood skin condition many people have been sharing on social media, called topical steroid withdrawal (TSW).

For some, it's a severe case of eczema. For others, it's a condition in its own right. The problem is doctors can't agree on what it is.

The article hit a nerve - millions of people read it and 240 got in touch.

So what's going on? I have now spoken to more patients and doctors about why this condition remains such an enigma.

In hospital, with her arms wrapped in bandages, Bethany Norman held onto her baby son. He had eczema but, against the advice of doctors, she was adamant he would not have steroid creams to treat it.

"Look at what this medication has done to me? Why would I put it on my own son?" she remembers screaming.

The 36-year-old believes the creams she was prescribed to manage her life-long struggles with eczema had left her battling with TSW.

At that point she had open wounds, a relentless bone-deep itch and her skin would not stop shedding. She says she felt like a prisoner in her own body.

There was no way, she says, she would risk her new baby ending up the same way.

"I've been told by countless medics that all I have is a severe flare up of eczema and steroid creams will sort it.

"They just made it worse."

Steroid creams have been used since the 1950s, and have helped millions manage their eczema and live a normal life. They range from mild over-the-counter hydrocortisone to more potent versions available only on prescription.

But there is now a group of patients who feel these widely used, safe and effective creams do not work for them.

And this is where it can become difficult for medics.

In 2021, TSW was recognised by the MHRA, the UK's medicine watchdog, as a reaction to the long-term use of steroid creams - but not as an official condition with a diagnosis and recognised set of symptoms.

With research and solutions lacking, there remains deep mistrust between doctors and patients over TSW.

"There can be a breakdown of communication," Dr Pippa Bowes, an urgent care doctor in Southampton with a special interest in acute dermatology, explains.

"Unfortunately there are cases where patients do not feel believed, and there are medical professionals who are struggling to understand what is going on."

Doctors in a dilemma

Like many doctors, Jenna Crosbie, a trainee GP in north Wales, would have been at a loss as to why a patient like Bethany Norman would refuse steroid creams.

Everything she had learned through her medical training had taught her these were one of the first line treatments for eczema. She had been using them to treat her own eczema flare ups for most of her life.

The 29-year-old remembers seeing a patient with TSW while working in A&E. "I remember thinking it looked like the most severe full-body eczema I'd ever seen, and I couldn't understand why the patient was refusing steroids," she says.

But then, Crosbie began to see her own skin condition change. She had been using more topical steroids to manage her skin flares while working night shifts - but the redness had spread.

After doing some more research and realising many of her symptoms were different to eczema, she decided to stop using the creams. Thankfully, she says, her GP was supportive. Jenna now understood what that A&E patient had been going through.

"I wouldn't wish it on my worst enemy," she says.

Could some doctors be prescribing treatment that in some cases helps fuel TSW? It's a question without a clear answer.

Dr Dean Eggit, a GP based in Doncaster, says while steroid creams are vital, they can be wrongly prescribed. GPs, he admits, can often see a red rash and prescribe a steroid cream rather than trying to get to the bottom of what could be causing it.

"Unfortunately the beginnings of TSW can look like the original eczema rash in the first place.

"So when it comes to treating those patients, there is a risk we keep prescribing them with the creams that might be causing the condition."

Guidelines from the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) recommend a step up and step down approach for eczema, introducing emollients first, then lower dose steroids, then increasing or decreasing the potency as needed.

But there are supposed to be checks. Dr Adrian Hayter, from the Royal College of GPs, explains: "If a patient is on a repeat prescription with steroid creams we need to have follow ups and make sure they are using them appropriately."

Bethany is among some patients who say they did not receive follow ups and were free to keep using steroid creams as their eczema worsened.

"I've seen 30 different doctors and not one believed me when I said the creams had stopped working," she says.

"I was being prescribed the strongest potency, I was rubbing it on the affected areas but within minutes the inflammation was back."

While there are no NICE guidelines on how to to treat TSW, Hayter says he and other GPs within the college acknowledge it does exist and requires specialist care.

Other doctors don't think TSW exists. One dermatologist was so incensed by my article he told me it had left him with a "feeling of absolute dread and trepidation" about how he was going to manage his Monday morning clinic.

While he empathised with any patients struggling with eczema, he worries patients are so "consumed" with the fear of TSW, in his view "largely driven by social media", that they are turning down treatments that would help them.

What can be done?

Campaigners would like TSW to be recognised by NICE as a condition in its own right, which would give doctors clarity on how to treat it and help settle the medical debate over its existence.

But more research is needed over the coming years.

Through her own PhD research at the University of Nottingham, funded by the National Eczema Society, Bowes is trying to get to the bottom of why TSW has become so difficult and divisive.

By collecting experiences from patients and doctors, she is hoping to create a consultation tool - with a potential set of symptoms and early warning signs - to help navigate this tricky condition.

"We do not have all the answers yet, we are only just beginning to understand some of the underlying causes of TSW," she says.

Crosbie, the trainee GP, has gained a valuable insight into the condition through her own experiences. Eventually, after 16 months, her skin improved and resolved without any medication, a pattern she says doctors would not normally expect to see if it was severe eczema.

All the medics I have spoken to do not wish for a return to the time before steroid creams, as they know they are a vital lifeline for the millions of people who use them without problems.

A range of options are emerging for treating eczema. Alongside steroids and emollients, there are immunosuppressants; newer drugs which modify the immune system; and phototherapy which uses UV light. All come with side effects, so doctors say it's important to discuss treatment plans carefully.

Albie is four years old now, and Bethany Norman has never applied steroid creams to his skin.

She says her son has small patches of eczema which have not spread and is a "happy, bouncy little boy".

She has been medication free for a year and says she still gets flare ups but that her condition is improving.

What could have helped her when she was in, as she puts it, "TSW hell"?

"Being believed," she says.

"Acknowledge our pain and try to understand it."

Additional reporting: Kris Bramwell & Andree Massiah

Baseball statue broken as it is unveiled in Seattle

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c0rx4v5q701o, today

Fans of former baseball star Ichiro Suzuki were thrown a curveball when a statue of him broke as it was being unveiled outside the home of the Seattle Mariners on Friday.

As a blue tarp was pulled off it, audience members could hear a snapping noise as the bronze figure it was shrouding suddenly appeared to drop in height. Suzuki, immortalised with a broken bat, was revealed.

Suzuki, 52, standing in front of his likeness outside T-Mobile Park, pointed incredulously at the bat before laughing.

The unveiling came a year after Suzuki was near-unanimously voted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame, having spent 18 years playing in Major League Baseball (MLB) in the US.

After moving to the US from Japan, he spent 12 years at the Mariners, before joining the New York Yankees and Miami Marlins. He would return to the Mariners for his final two seasons.

John Stanton, Mariners CEO, who helped give the bat-breaking tug, credited Suzuki's "meticulous in his preparation and play" and told the crowd that he was "certainly worthy of this everlasting recognition".

The statue depicts the right fielder making his signature pose wearing his 2001 uniform from his rookie season.

Suzuki told reporters that sculptor Lou Cella had invited him to wear the uniform for a photoshoot to help him create the statue, adding: "I was happy that I was still able to fit into that uniform."

The team was able to make light of the mishap. "Breaking: We've updated tonight's Ichiro Replica Statue giveaway," it posted on social media along with an image of a figurine with a broken bat.

The statue was fixed in time for the Mariners' match against the Houston Astros on Friday night.

Retiring in 2019, Suzuki broke several records during his 28-season career.

In 2004, Suzuki broke an 84-year-old record for hits in a single season, finishing with 262 - five more than baseball legend George Sisler produced in 1920.

Knifeman calling himself 'Lucifer' slashes three at NYC's Grand Central

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cz67yy0006jo, today

A machete-wielding suspect attacked three people at New York City's Grand Central station before he was fatally shot by police, in an attack that diverted trains at the nation's biggest rail hub.

The suspect slashed an 84-year-old man and a 65-year-old man about the head and face and left a 70-year-old woman with cuts to her shoulder in the subway platform rampage.

Police said the assailant, 44-year-old Anthony Griffin, ignored repeated demands to drop the weapon and called himself Lucifer.

New York Governor Kathy Hochul said "innocent people were attacked in a senseless act of violence".

"I'm grateful to our brave officers who acted quickly to stop the suspect," she added.

NYPD Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch told a news conference that the suspect had entered the subway system on Saturday morning at Vernon Blvd-Jackson Av in the borough of Queens.

He boarded the 7 train to Grand Central where he slashed one person on the platform. The assailant moved upstairs to another platform where he slashed two other people.

One was an 84-year-old man, who suffered significant lacerations to the head and face, and the other was a 65-year-old man, who sustained similar injuries, as well as an open skull fracture, said Commissioner Tisch.

Two transit officers in the vicinity were alerted at 09:40 EDT (13:40 GMT).

"The individual was armed with a large knife, described as a machete, and was behaving erratically, repeatedly stating that he was Lucifer," said Commissioner Tisch.

She said the assailant had ignored 20 demands to drop the weapon and "advanced towards the officers with the knife extended".

One officer discharged his weapon, shooting the suspect twice, before they attempted life-saving measures. But the suspect was pronounced dead at Bellevue Hospital.

All three victims were taken to hospital with injuries that were not believed to be life threatening. New York police urged residents to avoid the area due to the investigation.

The assailant had three prior arrests, but no Emotionally Disturbed Person (EDP) report history with NYPD, said Tisch.

Basil Fawlty returns to Torquay after 50 years

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c1eq4n4lnqqo, today

The iconic sitcom Fawlty Towers returns to its spiritual home next week as the play of the same name opens in Torquay.

The appearance at the Princess Theatre will be the first time the hilariously rude, impatient and dysfunctional lead character Basil Fawlty has been back to his roots in more than 50 years.

John Cleese, who played Basil Fawlty and who wrote the comedy with his then wife Connie Booth, will be in the audience on the opening night.

The much-loved show was inspired by Cleese's stay at a hotel in Torquay, a town he said he has a "great affection" for.

In 1971 Cleese was staying with the Monty Python team at The Gleneagles Hotel in Torquay, where he encountered its co-owner Donald Sinclair.

"He was sitting at a reception desk, and he saw me coming in, and registered [and shouted] 'guest' and turned his back and started working on something," Cleese told BBC Devon.

"So I wandered up and stood there for a very long time. He must have known I was there, so I cleared my throat and he turned around and said 'oh what?!'"

The other Pythons left to stay in another hotel, but Booth and Cleese stayed on, and he said "several things happened which were just very funny, and thank heavens we did as it provided a wealth of inspiration".

Cleese said his original connection with Torquay started in his schooldays when he and friend would visit the town.

"We used to go to Plainmoor and watch Torquay United and I once saw them beaten 7-0 by Birmingham in the FA Cup, so I have a great affection for the place.

He added: "It's nice being in England in a place with palm trees, it's very special."

Fawlty Towers has had a cultural impact on Torquay, and it is a connection many residents are proud of.

Alan Lark lives in a flat at the site of the former Gleneagles Hotel, and said the residents hold film nights to watch the episodes.

"Fawlty Towers has gone down in history as good television," he said.

"Even today you get a good laugh out of every episode."

Antony Neenen is a former Torquay bus driver and recalled passengers asking to be dropped off at the Fawlty Towers Hotel and how everyone would be in good humour as they arrived.

"So many people wanted to go down there and take pictures," he said.

Carolyn Custerson is CEO of the English Riviera BID company and said the show was "an integral part of our history... which attracts visitors from all around the world".

She said its Fawlty Towers guided walk is one of the moist popular in the town as "people love the humour and to fine out about is history".

"Everybody knows Torquay has come on a long way since then but it is a very important part of our history and we are very proud to be associated with it."

She said having the stage show visiting the town was an "amazing thing to happen".

Follow BBC Devon on X, Facebook and Instagram. Send your story ideas to spotlight@bbc.co.uk.

'You are my god', Japan's PM tells British rock band Deep Purple

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cre12n72nwno, today

The British rock band Deep Purple met a long-time super fan in Tokyo on Friday - who just happened to be the Japanese prime minister.

"You are my god," Sanae Takaichi, a hard rock enthusiast, told the band's drummer Ian Paice, beaming as she handed him a pair of signed Japanese-made drumsticks.

An avid drummer herself, Takaichi played in a Deep Purple tribute band as a girl after becoming a fan in primary school.

"These days, when I fight with my husband I drum to Burn and cast a curse on him," the 65-year-old conservative leader told the musicians at her office in the Japanese capital, Tokyo, on Friday.

The band met Japan's first female prime minister as they returned to tour across the country where they recorded the 1972 live album Made in Japan - considered to be one of the greatest rock albums ever recorded.

"I can't believe Deep Purple are here," Takaichi said, smiling as she greeted the musicians.

"I have the deepest respect for the way you continue to make rock history while embracing new challenges and creating captivating music to this day," she said through an interpreter.

The prime minister said she hoped the tour would "thrill and excite fans all over Japan" and promote cultural exchange between the UK and Japan.

Paice said it was always a pleasure to visit Japan, but called the meeting an "added bonus".

The band wrote in a post on Instagram: "A lifelong fan of hard rock and heavy metal, Takaichi has often named Deep Purple as one of her favourite bands.

"She even told the group she bought their Machine Head album back in grade school."

Formed in England in 1968, Deep Purple became known as one of the "unholy trinity" of British heavy metal bands, alongside Black Sabbath and Led Zeppelin.

Perhaps their most renowned hit - Smoke on the Water - came on their 1971 album Machine Head.

Takaichi played keyboard in a Deep Purple tribute band before picking up the drums while at university - after which she was known to carry several sets of drumsticks due to a tendency to break them during intense performances.

The visit will have been a welcome respite for the prime minister, who has faced increasingly strained diplomatic ties with China, rising prices and a sluggish economy since coming to office in October.

Hundreds of Irish petrol stations run out of fuel as protests continue

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c0e7rpjqw5po, today

Hundreds of petrol stations in the Republic of Ireland have run out of fuel as protests over high prices continue for a fifth day.

RTÉ said about 500 forecourts had run out of petrol and diesel due to the protests, involving slow-moving convoys made up of vehicles including tractors.

The protests have been organised over the issue of high fuel prices caused by the US-Israeli war with Iran.

The Irish government confirmed a fuel support package was being finalised after what it described as "constructive engagement" with representatives of the haulage and farming sectors.

The blockade of parts of Dublin city centre is continuing, with O'Connell Street and South Quay closed to traffic.

Other disruption includes:

* A blockade on the M50, with parts of the road closed

* The M7 at Portlaoise is blocked in both directions

* On the M8, at Cashel south, there is a blockage northbound

* Road blocks are reported in Monaghan town and on the N2 bypass, on the M18/N18 in County Clare, and the M20/N20, between Patrickswell and Raheen in County Limerick

Public transport has also been affected, with some services suspended and major disruption in Dublin.

Bus Éireann said it would try to serve Dublin Airport passengers where possible, while people travelling to Shannon and Dublin Airports are advised to allow extra time.

An Garda Síochána (Irish police service), has declared an "exceptional event" in response to the fuel protests, allowing it to double the number of officers available to work.

'Intensive engagement '

Meetings between Irish ministers and stakeholders are expected to continue over the weekend.

On Friday, Tánaiste (Irish Deputy Prime Minister) and Finance Minister Simon Harris said that there would be a "substantial and significant" package of support for "key sectors of the economy".

Harris said the talks were "going well", adding that further "intensive engagement" into the weekend was likely.

However, he added: "The blockade has to end."

Taoiseach (Irish Prime Minister) Micheál Martin said the blockades meant the country was "on the precipice of turning oil away from the country" during a global oil supply crisis.

On Friday, there were long queues on the M1, heading towards the border with Northern Ireland, due to protesters closing the motorway at Dundalk, with vehicles blocking both lanes at the Carlingford turnoff.

The National Emergency Coordination Group (NECG), which brings together government departments and state agencies to coordinate emergency response, said fuel supplies for emergency response vehicles, including the ambulance service and fire service, are under "increasing pressure".

Why are the protests taking place?

The conflict in the Middle East has caused rapid price rises for both petrol and diesel.

Some 20% of the world's oil trade, the raw ingredient for producing both petrol and diesel, has been halted by the closure of the Strait of Hormuz.

Diesel in the Republic of Ireland has risen from about €1.70 (£1.48) a litre to €2.17 (£1.89) on many forecourts in recent weeks and petrol is now up to 25 cents more per litre at many pumps.

The protests started on Tuesday morning.

Meta pulls Facebook ads recruiting for social media addiction lawsuits

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/czjw0zgz9zyo, yesterday

Meta says it has removed adverts by law firms on its social media platforms which seek clients for future lawsuits related to social media addiction.

The Facebook owner has recently lost two large-scale lawsuits, including a landmark trial in California in which a young woman successfully sued Meta and YouTube over her childhood addiction to social media.

In a statement, Meta said: "We will not allow trial lawyers to profit from our platforms while simultaneously claiming they are harmful."

Emily Jeffcott, an attorney for Morgan & Morgan, one of the firms which has placed such adverts, called the move "another example of Meta trying to control the narrative and avoid accountability".

"The resources Meta is devoting to blocking these ads would be better spent improving user safety through functional tools to reduce problematic use and to detect and remove users under age 13," she added.

"Blocking the ads doesn't make the harms go away. It just makes it harder on victims."

According to American news website Axios, companies such as Morgan & Morgan and Sokolove Law saw "dozens" of their adverts on social media addiction clients deactivated.

The ads ran on both Facebook and Instagram, with some also appearing on Threads and Meta's Audience Network - an extension of Meta's ad platform which allows advertisers to run campaigns across third-party platforms like mobile apps.

As of Friday, several adverts still appear to be active across the platforms on Meta's Ad Library.

For example, one from Morgan & Morgan lists potential negative effects of using social media and claims to be fighting on users' behalf.

Meta's advertising standards states it reserves the rights to remove ads which "negatively affect our relationship with our users or that promote content, services or activities contrary to our competitive position, interests or advertising philosophy".

The two recent cases in the US involving Meta have illustrated the potential for other similar lawsuits to now make their way through the US courts.

On March 2026, a court in New Mexico ordered Meta to pay $375m (£279m) for misleading users over the safety of its platforms for children.

A jury found Meta was liable for the way in which its platforms endangered children and exposed them to sexually explicit material and contact with sexual predators.

Meanwhile, in the California social media addiction case, a woman was awarded $6m (£4.5m) in damages over her childhood addiction to social media, with Meta expected to pay 70% and Google the remaining 30%.

Snap and TikTok were also initially defendants, but both companies reached undisclosed settlements prior to trial.

Meta has previously said it plans to appeal the verdicts of both cases, and it disagrees with both results.

Additional reporting by Osmond Chia

Tankers urged not to pay toll to Iran for use of strait

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c3dl0gdvvveo, yesterday

Tankers that want to pass through the Strait of Hormuz are being advised not to pay money to Iran to allow them through, after a ceasefire agreed on Tuesday failed to get traffic moving through the waterway again.

The agreement was supposed to include reopening the strait but Iran has suggested that ships must seek its permission or they may still be "targeted and destroyed" and has said it could levy a fee in return for safe passage.

"We do not believe the payment of tolls is the right way to go about this," said Phillip Belcher, from Intertanko, a group representing tanker firms.

"We are amazed that this appears to be one of the starting points of negotiations," he told the BBC.

US vice president JD Vance is meeting representatives of the Iranian government in Islamabad in Pakistan on Saturday to try to nail down details of a ceasefire deal that already appears to be in jeopardy after continued air strikes in Israel and Lebanon and a stalemate over the vital shipping lane.

Belcher said Intertanko, which represents 190 independent tanker operators and more than half of the world's oil tanker fleet, was still advising members not to use the strait as "an attack could take place at any time".

"We do not believe the Strait is safe until there is a lasting cessation of conflict, where all attacks against ships have halted and where there is some sort of coalition-of-the-willing oversight for ships to go through, where Iran does not have sovereignty of the strait," he said.

Charging a toll was "against the whole idea of international laws and free passage through international waterways", he said.

"At the moment the Strait of Hormuz is under the de facto rule of the Iranian military," Belcher said.

The Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) a branch of the Iranian military oversees much of Iran's economic activity, but has been listed as a terrorist organisation by the US and the EU.

"The IRGC is a designated terrorist organisation and so the payment of monies to a terrorist organisation should be avoided," said Belcher.

Since the current war started, Iran has indicated it wants to impose new rules for traffic moving through the pivotal waterway.

Some media reports have suggested that Tehran's plan includes the right to demand transit fees to the tune of $2m (£1.5m) per ship, with the proceeds shared between Iran and Oman - the two countries which border the strait.

Earlier this week President Trump suggested the US and Iran could levy fees as a "joint venture".

However he later appeared to backtrack, posting on social media: "There are reports that Iran is charging fees to tankers going through the Hormuz Strait. "They better not be and, if they are, they better stop now."

Arsenio Dominguez, secretary general of the International Maritime Organisation, the United Agency responsible for the safety and security of shipping, told the BBC that countries should respect the already established right to freedom of navigation.

"International straits in accordance [with] international law are actually for the use of everyone and that's why no toll restrictions should be imposed," he said.

The war has reduced the passage of tankers through the strait to a trickle. Only 15 vessels have made the trip since Tuesday, compared to an average of almost 140 each day prior to the outbreak of the conflict, carrying a fifth of the world's oil and gas supplies. Almost 800 ships have been left stranded in the Gulf, most of them loaded with cargo.

The longer the blockage lasts the greater the impact on global supplies of oil, gas and fertiliser, with a worldwide knock-on impact expected on the prices of fuel, electricity, food and medicines.

The chief executive of Swedish tanker firm Stena Bulk, Erik Hanell, said it was not yet clear when the disruption would end but that his firm would not make any moves to use the disputed Strait until they were 100% certain it was safe for the crews on board.

"We need safety guarantees," he said.

"I know there are discussions going on between the US and the different shipping communities, and maybe Iran as well, but at this stage we have limited information."

Stena did not have any direct contact with the Iranians, he said, and would not pay any tolls "as a standalone company" or while there was no information from official channels.

"Longer term, paying fees to travel through the Strait of Hormuz would be like paying fees to use the English Channel," he added.

"That's not a world we would like to continue with. It's definitely something we want to avoid in the long term."

Soaring pump prices drive US inflation to highest level in almost two years

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cde56g80xp5o, yesterday

Inflation in the US accelerated last month to its highest rate in nearly two years, as surging oil prices triggered by the US-Israel war in Iran started to spill over into the wider economy.

Consumer prices climbed 3.3% over the 12 months to March, picking up from 2.4% in February, the Labor Department said.

The jump, which was expected, marked the biggest monthly change since 2022, when the world was dealing with an energy shock brought on by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Last month's increase was driven by a spike in prices at the pump, as the war’s shutdown of the Strait of Hormuz sent oil prices soaring.

Annel Villegas, 23, said the cost was "terrible", using an expletive for emphasis.

"I drive a truck, so I fill it up every half tank, and now it's like, $70 (£52), $80," she said, adding that she had tried to limit her driving as much as possible due to the jump in gas prices.

Still, she said: "I have to do what I have to do to live .... I'm just dealing with whatever it brings to me – so, paying more."

Gas prices rose 21.2% from February to March - the biggest monthly increase since the government started tracking the figures in 1967. Prices for fuel oil jumped more than 30% in the biggest surge since February 2000.

'Paying more'

The impact has been particularly visible in states such as California, where gas prices were already higher than the rest of the US.

On Thursday, the average cost of a gallon of gas in California was $5.93, compared to the nationwide average of $4.16, according to the American Automobile Association.

Higher gas prices accounted for nearly three quarters of the rise in inflation from February to March.

Prices for airline tickets and clothing also increased over the month, reflecting a mix of higher energy prices and the lingering impact of tariffs, as firms continue to pass those costs onto customers.

Food prices were unchanged from February to March, but analysts said those may rise in the months ahead, as the impact of higher transportation and fertiliser costs starts to be felt.

"For now, this looks like an energy-led re-acceleration with contained spillovers, rather than a fully entrenched second-round inflation dynamic," said Arielle Ingrassia, associate director at UK wealth manager Evelyn Partners.

"However, if energy prices remain elevated, the risk is that these effects broaden over time through costs, pricing and ultimately inflation expectations."

The Strait of Hormuz is a critical passage for commodities such as natural gas, fertiliser, aluminium and helium, as well as oil.

While talks between the US and Iran have raised hopes that the waterway could re-open to ship traffic, analysts have warned that it may take time for energy supplies to normalise. Oil prices have retreated from their recent highs, but remain roughly 30% higher than before the conflict.

The situation helped drive the University of Michigan's monthly gauge of consumer sentiment to a record low this month. As campaigns for mid-term elections in November heat up, it has left Republicans on the defensive.

Rosa Cano, 37, estimated that the last time she filled up her Jeep, it cost her roughly $140, compared to the $80 she typically spent. She said she blamed the situation on the war.

"I'm wondering why we're in this war," said Cano, who drove over an hour in heavy traffic from the Inland Empire region into downtown Los Angeles to shop for her daughter's baptism. "It is unnecessary. As a country, we should make better decisions."

US President Donald Trump has maintained the jump in energy prices will be short-lived, dismissing concerns about risks to the wider economy.

In a statement on social media on Friday, White House spokesman Kush Desai spotlighted declines in prices for prescription drugs and staples such as eggs.

"The American economy remains on a solid trajectory thanks to the Administration's robust supply-side agenda of tax cuts, deregulation, and energy abundance," he wrote.

Some analysts said they took heart from the fact that so-called core inflation was slightly more muted than expected, rising 2.6%. Core inflation is considered a better measure of underlying trends because it does not include food and energy prices, which tend to fluctuate.

Categories that have seen prices fall over the past year include medicine and used cars and trucks.

"Headline inflation is being driven higher by a temporary energy shock, but underneath the surface, core inflation continues to move in the right direction," Adam Schickling, US economist at Vanguard, said.

Still, the situation has dashed the hopes of many on Wall Street that the US central bank might lower interest rates this year.

"Transitory is the hope, but Fed officials will think twice before telling the public they expect inflation to be transitory, after having misjudged post-pandemic inflation and mislabelled it as such," Atakan Bakiskan, US economist at Berenberg said.

Reporting contributing by Kayla Epstein

OpenAI boss Sam Altman's home targeted with Molotov cocktail

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/czx91rdxpyeo, yesterday

Police in San Francisco have arrested a 20-year-old man after a Molotov cocktail was thrown at the home of OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, setting a perimeter gate alight.

Officers responded to a call in the North Beach neighbourhood of the city in the early hours of Friday.

While SFPD did not identify the man or the house that was attacked, a spokeswoman for OpenAI, the major artificial intelligence (AI) company behind ChatGPT, confirmed on Friday that the incident had occurred at Altman's home.

A spokeswoman added that the same person had "also made threats at our San Francisco headquarters".

"Thankfully, no one was hurt," the spokeswoman said. "We deeply appreciate how quickly SFPD responded and the support from the city in helping keep our employees safe."

Although the man had fled the scene outside Altman's home by the time police arrived, about an hour later he showed up outside an OpenAI office and threatened to "burn down the building", police said. He was then arrested.

An officer for the SFPD declined to comment on whether the man was still under arrest as of Friday afternoon or if and when he would be charged with a crime, saying it was "an active and open investigation".

Altman is a billionaire and the owner of a number of properties, but his main residence is in San Francisco, where OpenAI was founded and operates.

A leading figure in the world of AI, Altman has become one of the most famous tech executives in the world.

His firm's release of the chatbot ChatGPT in late 2022 gave rise to the technology industry's current pursuit of advancements in and new tools driven by AI. It has driven hundreds of billions of dollars a year in financial investment.

While the broader impacts of AI are still unclear, OpenAI claims the technology will cause major social and economic upheaval, driven by significant displacement of workers as AI capabilities become more sophisticated and applicable to nearly all forms of work.

Earlier this week, the company put forward several ideas for government policies that could stem any ill-effects of AI and kept "people first", including job training, upskilling for AI tools and increased taxes on corporations.

'Every drop of water counts': Fear for the future of Argentina's glaciers

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cj947487wzyo, yesterday

"Without water, there would be no wine," Virginia de Valle says as she takes me around her family's 16-hectare (40-acre) vineyard in Mendoza, nestled below the peaks of the Andes mountain range.

Winemakers in Argentina's wine capital rely on fresh water from the Andes mountains to irrigate their crops. But after Argentine MPs this week passed government reforms to loosen the protection of glaciers, De Valle fears her vineyard's water supply is under threat.

"The Andes mountains, with their winter snow and glaciers, feed the rivers and streams that flow into the valley to irrigate our crops," she explains. "This is also the water we consume in our homes. That is why people say 'Mendoza is the daughter of water'."

While snow in the Andes mountains is the primary source of water for Mendocinos, in years with especially low rain and snowfall, water from melted glaciers (permanent bodies of dense ice) helps to minimise the impact of droughts - increasingly common in Mendoza - and keep vineyards like De Valle's fruitful.

"Every drop of water counts," she says.

It's not just the semi-arid province of Mendoza that relies on glaciers for water security. There are 16,968 glaciers in Argentina, providing water to 36 river basins across 12 provinces, home to seven million people.

How has the glacier law changed?

Argentina was the first country in the world to have a law that specifically protected its glaciers. Passed in 2010, the law deemed them to be vital water reserves, and so prohibited any damaging commercial activity.

It also protected what's known as the periglacial environment, which includes things like permafrost - water trapped in frozen soil. Glaciers are recorded on a national inventory by the Argentine Institute of Snow Research, Glaciology and Environmental Sciences (Ianigla).

It will now be the responsibility of the provincial governments to decide whether or not the glaciers in their region are of strategic importance - that is, whether they provide water for human consumption, agriculture, biodiversity, as a source of scientific information, or as a tourist attraction.

If provinces deem that they're not "strategic" water reserves, they can take them off Ianigla's national inventory, meaning they will no longer have those environmental protections.

Those in favour of the changes say the 2010 law acted as an unnecessary barrier to extraction projects, and that the development of copper and lithium projects will boost regional economies and the country's energy transition.

But those against say large-scale mining could alter the flow of rivers coming from the Andes mountains and threaten water security for millions.

'Hands off the glaciers'

From the vineyards of Mendoza, to the hiking town of El Chaltén in Patagonia, opposition to the modifications is clear, with the campaign slogan: "Los glaciares no se tocan" - hands off the glaciers - sprayed across the country's walls and pavements.

More than 100,000 people signed up to participate in a public hearing on the changes at Argentina's Chamber of Deputies in March, though only a fraction of that - less than 400 - were able to speak over the two-day hearing.

"It made clear that it's not just environmental organisations who were asking for this law not to be amended; it was the people, the public, who were asking for water to continue to be protected," says Agostina Rossi Serra, a biologist working with environmental group Greenpeace.

An economic opportunity?

President Javier Milei sees the Andes mountains as the key to unlock billions in investment from mining companies, and the governments of mineral-rich provinces say that the previous law stopped them "promoting a sustainable economic development".

"Argentina doesn't export even a single gram of copper, while Chile, which shares the same mountain range with us, exports $20bn [£15bn] a year," Milei - keen to take a metaphorical chainsaw to government regulation - told a business forum in November.

De Valle counters that "Milei doesn't care about natural resources or how it's going to end".

Bosses from mining firms Glencore, Lundin and BHP Group have all visited Milei in the last year and, along with others, are keen to invest around $40bn in Argentina's untapped copper industry, according to a Bloomberg report.

Some of the regional governments that were keen to see the law amended, including those of Mendoza and San Juan, are from arid and semi-arid areas where water is already a scarce resource, Serra says.

"They are provinces that believe mining development is far more important than ecosystems and the communities themselves," she tells the BBC.

'False arguments'

Milei's party, La Libertad Avanza, says the reform means only glaciers and periglacial environments proven to have a water-related significance will be protected, paving the way for development projects on the rest.

But glaciologist Lucas Ruiz says the amendment is based on "false arguments".

"The most false part of it all is the claim that there are glaciers that do not contribute to rivers. If it's a glacier, it has ice and contributes water. It's very basic," he says.

Ruiz says the reforms to the law are unclear, and so are the consequences.

"We are left not knowing what criteria will be used, not knowing which technical bodies will be involved, and clearly, any glacier and any periglacial environment could be at risk," he says.

'A stark paradox'

But Ruiz, who works as an independent researcher at Ianigla, says there's a "stark paradox" in the scientific community's response to the reforms.

"We know that at the rate at which glaciers are melting, it is highly likely that by the end of the century Europe will be almost entirely glacier-free, as will the tropical Andes in Peru and large areas of the Southern Andes," he explains.

"And the only way to prevent that is for us to reduce our carbon footprint. And if we do not make the energy transition, which cannot be achieved without more copper and lithium, it will not be possible.

"It is a stark paradox, hard to accept, but it is the reality. Because the message from science is that energy transition is necessary," Ruiz says.

Any mining must be responsible, he adds, where the impact on glaciers and the periglacial environment is thoroughly assessed.

'Race to deregulation'

But Greenpeace fears the lure of financial investment will incentivise provinces to be more lenient on which glaciers are protected.

"If I have an international company looking for a place to develop a project, I'll probably choose the province with the fewest environmental restrictions. That's the concern we're going to face," Serra says.

On the other side of the debate, Federico Palavecino, a lawyer in Buenos Aires who advises mining projects on the glacier law, says it's right that the provinces decide how to protect their own glaciers, as they'll be dealing with the consequences if things go wrong.

"Why should we tell them how to live?" he asks.

He argues that removing barriers to multi-million dollar projects could bring vital cash to the communities who need it.

Meanwhile in Mendoza, Virginia de Valle is making a point of talking to visitors to her family's vineyard about the changes to the law. "It will affect wineries, but first, it will affect life," she says.

The US refinery now processing Venezuelan oil

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cx24n8eqzgyo, 4 days ago

The Minerva Gloria is docked at a wharf in the Mississippi Sound, not far from the US's vast oil reserves in the Gulf of Mexico.

The ship, 820ft (250m) long, painted navy and burgundy, is carrying precious cargo from Venezuela that, just six months ago, would have been impossible to bring to the US - 400,000 barrels of crude oil.

Venezuela has the world's largest oil reserves. Under Venezuela's former president Nicholas Maduro oil exports had dropped significantly, due to a lack of investment. Then came US sanctions against any imports from the Latin American country.

But US President Donald Trump vowed to tap those reserves after the US military captured Maduro in a surprise, night-time raid in January.

Now the oil is flowing again in Venezuela. In March, the country's monthly crude exports surpassed one million barrels per day. The first time since September.

As the world reels from the impact on global energy prices caused by Iran blocking the Strait of Hormuz, big oil and gas companies like Chevron are now importing Venezuelan crude oil by the shipload.

"It's a big deal not only for Chevron but the entire Gulf region," says Tim Potter. He is the director for Chevron's oil refinery in Pascagoula, Mississippi, the company's largest operation in the US. It is also the only major US oil company currently operating in Venezuela.

Together this means that Chevron can extract its own Venezuelan oil, process it itself, and get it directly to the US consumer.

"It's a pretty big incentive for us to run it," Potter says. "The refinery was really designed, and we invested in the refinery, to run heavy oils like from Venezuela."

Venezuelan crude oil is relatively cheap to buy because it is much more difficult to process. It is very heavy, thick, dark and high in sulfur, often called a sour oil. It is used to make diesel, gasoline (petrol), jet fuel and other products.

Chevron now imports the equivalent of 250,000 barrels of Venezuelan crude oil per day, on average, says Andy Walz, president of downstream, midstream and chemicals at Chevron.

"We think we can take that up another 50% so call it somewhere around 350,000 to 400,000 barrels a day of just the Chevron share of our position in Venezuela."

What Walz means by the US's "position in Venezuela" is that while Chevron is the only US company that has extracting capabilities in the country, others are buying Venezuelan oil from domestic producers.

Chevron is also not the only player when it comes to oil refining in the US. There are 132 refineries in the US that run on a mix of crude oils. And nearly 70% of US refining capacity runs most efficiently with heavier crude.

The US imports very little oil from the Middle East, roughly 8% in 2025. The increase in imports from Venezuela means there is more oil available, which should translate to cheaper gasoline prices for US drivers.

"The United States imports almost no oil through the Hormuz Strait, and won't be taking any in the future, we don't need it," said US President Donald Trump in his primetime address last week.

But just a few miles from the Chevron refinery, at a Chevron fuel station, prices at the pumps continue to increase.

"I hate it," says David McQueen, retired Vietnam veteran who depends on social security for his livelihood. "The price has got to go down because I'm going down with it."

When asked why he still pays so much to fill up his car despite being surrounded by the US's vast oil reserves, McQueen believes the government is sitting on it "to keep the prices up." He adds: "We've got plenty of gas."

One pump over, Donna fills her tank with $30 (£23) worth of fuel. "I'm driving less and spending less on other things." Her grandchildren live a few hours away, but she doesn't see them as often because it has become too costly. "You gotta do what you gotta do."

The average price for a gallon of gasoline in this part of Mississippi is still cheaper than the national average, according to the American Automobile Association motoring organization. Before the war in Iran, gas was almost $1 cheaper.

In that same evening address, President Trump extolled the US's oil producing capabilities. "We are the number one producer of oil and gas on the planet, not to mention the millions of barrels we are getting from Venezuela."

But access to those vast oil reserves hasn't yet meant lower prices for Americans. That's because the US is just as susceptible to global oil market fluctuations as other countries.

"While we're able to still get crude available here to this refinery because of our relatively local supply, the overall pricing of that crude has gone up because it's based off of world markets," says Potter.

But Chevron believes its bet on Venezuelan crude will end up benefitting consumers. The Iran war is just currently masking the gains.

"When things do get back to normal, that additional supply out of Venezuela will actually translate to lower prices for Americans. So it will in the future, but it isn't having an impact now," says Walz.

The construction boss who built a new life after three years in prison

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/ckge155rz10o, 3 days ago

It is often said that the US is "the land of second chances". One Chicago-based woman has embraced hers, becoming the boss of a successful all-female construction company after three years in prison.

Traci Quinn, a mother and grandmother, spent two decades as a nurse.

It was while working in hospitals that she witnessed how cannabis helped some patients, such as those suffering from seizures. It inspired her to set up a company selling medical cannabis.

However, back in 2016 she was arrested after transporting 50lb (23kg) of the drug into Tennessee, which has some of the strictest cannabis laws in the US. Despite Traci having legally purchased the cannabis in California she was tried and convicted for trafficking.

She says the resulting prison sentence was traumatising. "I bawled, I cried, and asked God why. I'd taken care of people my whole life. God told me he didn't have me there as punishment, but on purpose."

It was while behind bars that Traci says she felt a calling to set up a construction company on her release. She wanted to specialise in redevelopment work in Chicago's poorest communities.

Her home city is one of the most racially and economically segregated in the US, with significant areas of poverty, particularly in its southern neighbourhoods.

Despite having no construction experience, Traci set up her business, Pink Hats, in 2020, at the height of the Covid pandemic, shortly after being freed.

Initially she used sub-contractors to undertake her projects, but she soon realised she was being taken advantage of.

"I relied on people who told me they could do the work; I learned the hard way that they couldn't," she says. "I had garages leaning to one side, everything looked torn up and ugly because I was using people with no experience."

She grimaces at the sexism she has faced in what is still very much a male-dominated industry.

The number of women in the US construction industry may be growing, but they still only make up around 11% of the sector's workforce, according to official figures. And the number of black women in the field is fewer still, at less than 7%.

"It's a male-dominated world and they don't always respect you," she sighs. The language from one particularly difficult sub-contractor when she was just starting out was "horrible", she recalls. "He would often tell me to shut up."

Traci says she has also faced racism. "You absolutely have to work harder as a black woman. There will always be people who think you're less qualified when you step in the room," she explains.

"I've dealt with that all my life; even in nursing people would assume I was a nursing assistant when I was the director of nursing."

Undeterred, Traci started taking construction classes, and joined mentorship programmes with established companies in the industry to gain valuable experience. "You really have to be bold as a woman working in construction," she says. "And you've really got to know your stuff."

Her lack of business skills was another obstacle she had to overcome.

"When I started applying for municipal contracts with the City of Chicago, they wanted me to pay for projects upfront and get reimbursed later. But I didn't have the capital," Traci explains.

So instead she applied for loans, but she was "too embarrassed" to say that she didn't understand the financial jargon. "Finally I broke down and said I needed help."

Traci was directed to various non-profit groups who assisted her with everything from organising her accounts to showing her how to bid for jobs. Pink Hats earned $125,000 (£95,000) in its first year, rising steadily to more than $1m in 2025.

Traci now employs all four of her daughters as her main team, aided by six part-time female staff. They specialise in transforming residential and commercial spaces with an emphasis on helping marginalised people.

Last year, Pink Hats renovated a 30-room home for women recovering from substance abuse in Chicago's Austin neighbourhood. And it won a Builder of the Year award from the Southland Development Authority, a non-profit business organisation designed to help grow the economies of Chicago's southern suburbs.

Pink Hats is currently starting its first new development, building 10 affordable, single-family homes for a Christian organisation in the west of the city.

The company also prides itself on using sustainable building materials, such as insulation made from hemp. "It's been pretty cool learning about hemp. I love using it because it's non-toxic, pest-resistant, fire-resistant and mould-resistant," Traci says.

The irony of incorporating the same plant that landed her in prison into her work is not lost on her, she notes wryly.

Traci has lofty plans for the road ahead. Last summer Pink Hats was among 14 small businesses to receive a city government grant. Traci is using the $250,000 to transform an office space into classrooms to teach trades ranging from painting to plumbing.

While the courses will be open to anyone interested, her passion is to work with ex-convicts, easing them back into society.

"My ultimate goal is to create transitional homes for women coming out of prison," Traci continues. "They would be able to stay in it for a year, get some work under their belt, learn about financial literacy, and then have the chance to purchase it."

Irma Holloway, head of the Chicago-based Black Contractors Owners & Executives organisation, of which Pink Hats is a member, says Traci and her team are helping reshape the construction field.

"Traci has carved out a distinctive niche by leading with professionalism, precision and purpose," says Holloway. "Her work proves that when women stay the course and remain committed to their craft, they not only reach the finish line - they redefine it for others."

Today, Traci is philosophical about her painful past.

"I used to be prideful and probably would've looked down on somebody coming out of prison," she admits. "I told my daughters things had to happen this way - for their growth and for mine. It's been an amazing journey."

TV for dogs booms but are they watching?

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cq59leg3gp5o, 2 days ago

Six years ago, when Luca Carano was living in Barcelona with his then-girlfriend, they decided to leave their dog Luna home alone as they went out for dinner.

They usually took the puppy with them, but on that night they left her at home.

"I was thinking right then, she's going to be bored and lonely, there should be something on YouTube for Luna," says Carano, a pilot who now lives in Bologna, Italy.

He decided to act on his idea. He created the YouTube channel Siesta Dog TV which features videos of dogs, for dogs, in colours they can see best.

Cartoons as long as 10 hours each feature illustrated dogs playing around in an animated New York City, or dogs watching duck ponds.

Calming classical-like or ambient music accompanies the images on the screen, all made to relax dogs.

One of Carano's videos attracted around 3.5 million views.

"I've seen how Luna enjoys these videos, and I get so many comments from people who say they feel great leaving their dog alone with my videos because it calms them," Carano adds.

Over the six years since Carano started out, TV for dogs has snowballed.

A host of channels cater for the increasing number of pet owners who worry about leaving their dogs at home.

"People are more closely attached to their dogs than ever before and they treat them like children and worry about leaving them alone," says Nicholas Dodman, the director of the Center for Canine Behaviour Studies in Connecticut.

"There's also more awareness these days about separation anxiety affecting dogs," he says.

That's creating demand for dog-friendly TV - other channels include Four Paws TV, Cartoon Dog Music, Puppy Dreamscape and Sleepy Cats.

Some videos show puppies frolicking or close-ups of squirrels, others stream loops of squishy toys enjoyed by other animals or humans.

Carano's videos, unlike other channels, mainly feature blue hues, which dogs can see much clearer than other colours.

Making such material has become easier thanks to AI.

"Some of our videos are AI, some are hand-drawn, and technology allows us to make the videos set wherever we want, like Hawaii," says Carano.

"And when it comes down to it, dogs don't care if what they are seeing is AI."

But do dogs actually watch TV and does it do them any good? The research is mixed.

A study from the Canine Behaviour Centre at Queen's University Belfast, published in 2023, looked at the reaction of 50 dogs in a rescue shelter to different screens.

It found that dogs spent only 10.8% of the total available viewing time looking directly at the television monitors.

"The dogs in this investigation directed relatively little attention towards the television monitors and habituated to their presence within a short period of time," the report said.

The authors stressed that traditional forms of dog entertainment were vital for wellbeing.

"The provision of social contacts, both with other dogs and with humans, is essential and should be considered the most important form of environmental enrichment for confined dogs."

The lack of attention to screens tallies with research done by Ilyena Hirskyj-Douglas, an assistant professor at the University of Glasgow's School of Computing.

She conducted two studies that found dogs typically can't watch videos for a long period of time. "I noticed short bursts of video consumption from dogs," she says.

However, the study only investigated the habits of two dogs.

Other research is more positive.

A study from Auburn University, published in July last year, looked at the viewing behaviours of 453 dogs through surveys completed by their owners.

The researchers only looked at the behaviour of dogs that, according to their owners, already watched TV.

The report said: "Dogs experience a meaningful, object-filled world when they view television."

"Engagement with television could provide dogs with an enriching, meaningful experience."

Beke Lubeach is certain that TV for dogs is helpful. She is the CEO of Arizona-based DogTV, which launched in the US in 2012.

"Our videos help lower stress in dogs," says Beke Lubeach.

She is referring to a Purdue University study that found that dogs in a kennel who watched videos spent significantly less time pacing and more time grooming and resting.

DogTV content features real dogs and uses AI in a limited way.

"Many copycat services are turning to AI to mass-produce content, but at DogTV, we don't believe shortcuts belong in pet wellness," says Lubeach.

"While we are actively testing AI and beginning to use it on a limited basis within select production elements, we are doing so thoughtfully and with strict oversight," she adds.

DogTV videos are edited in post-production to boost colours that appeal to dogs.

"What's interesting is when you enhance the reds, the greens, it gives the video more dimension so that it makes the colours pop out and helps dogs see them better."

DogTV runs several programs with content not unlike exposure therapy. Because so many dogs are afraid of fireworks or going on car rides, videos of those experiences could help nervous dogs to work through those fears, Lubeach says.

"The more dogs get to see it in a controlled environment, the less anxious they'll be when they go out and experience it," she says.

When it comes to TV, every dog and breed is different, Lubeach stresses.

Dogs resting by a field could be relaxing for one dog, she says, but another dog may prefer videos to be more stimulating, such as dogs chasing each other in a park.

And for dogs that aren't particularly active, TV can be useful she says.

"Video content is mental stimulation for senior dogs and for lazy dogs, because if they aren't being physical often they still need to exercise their mind," adds Lubeach.

EU airline industry warns of fuel shortages if Strait of Hormuz stays closed

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c3w37ggp011o, today

Europe could see jet fuel shortages if the Strait of Hormuz does not reopen in the next three weeks, the trade body for European airports has warned.

The Gulf is a major source of aviation fuel, accounting for about 50% of Europe's imports.

Airports Council International (ACI) Europe said its members had "increasing concerns" about the availability of jet fuel, particularly with the approach of the summer tourism season. It warned smaller airports are particularly vulnerable.

A government spokesperson said: "UK airlines have not reported any disruption to supplies and have confirmed that they continue to operate as normal."

ACI Europe's director-general Olivier Jankovec wrote in a letter to the European commissioners for energy and tourism about the concerns.

"A supply crunch would severely disrupt airport operations and air connectivity - with the risk of harsh economic impacts for the communities affected, and for Europe," Jankovec said.

"At this stage, we understand that if the passage through the Strait of Hormuz does not resume in any significant and stable way within the next three weeks, systemic jet fuel shortage is set to become a reality for the EU."

Several airlines worldwide have already cut flights and hiked passenger charges due to concerns about fuel shortages.

Last week, the benchmark European jet fuel price hit an all-time high of $1,838 (£1,387) per tonne, compared with $831 before the war began.

Jankovec urged the EU to intervene, writing that "relying on market forces and adaptation alone is not an option".

He criticised the lack of EU-wide assessment and monitoring of jet fuel production and availability.

ACI Europe wants the EU to engage in collective purchasing of jet fuel. The body has also called for restrictions and regulations on importing jet fuel to be temporarily lifted.

The letter, written on 9 April and first reported by the Financial Times, said: "This crisis should also be the opportunity to reinforce support for SAF [sustainable aviation fuel] production and affordability,

"The price of conventional jet fuel is likely to remain at higher levels in the medium to long-term."

Jankovec added airports with fewer than a million passengers per year were already struggling with viability "without even accounting for the impact of jet fuel shortages".

He warned the current crisis could make airports even more fragile and threaten local communities, potentially impacting European cohesion.

Air travel contributes €851bn (£741bn) to European economies' GDP every year and supports 14 million jobs.

A government spokesperson said they were working with British carriers to support their operations against the backdrop of the war in the Middle East, and to limit the impact on passengers.

EU fingerprint and photo travel rules come into force

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c39rkpe8mj2o, yesterday

The EU's new digital border system which requires fingerprints and photos alongside a passport scan is set to be fully operational from Friday.

This was the deadline for the Entry/Exit System or EES, to be active at every Schengen border crossing point in all 29 participating countries.

The system began being gradually introduced from October to strengthen security and ultimately make travel smoother, though due to some hiccups, not every point will be fully rolling it out.

There have been long queues at some European airports and warnings that delays could be worse during busy holiday periods.

What is EES and where is it being introduced?

EES is a digital system designed to keep track of when non-EU citizens - including those from the UK - enter and leave the Schengen Area.

This covers 29 European countries - mainly in the EU - which people can travel across without border controls.

It includes many popular destinations for UK travellers, such as France, Spain, Portugal, Italy and Greece.

Under the new system, fingerprints and a photo have to be registered.

EES will eventually replace the current system of passports being stamped by a border officer.

Will I need to use EES when I go on holiday?

When you first encounter EES will depend on where you're travelling to, and when. If you're flying, you will go through the process when you land at European airports.

The gradual introduction of EES began on 12 October, and the plan was to phase it in over six months.

There have already been hours-long queues at pinch points. Airports have warned things could get worse over upcoming holiday periods.

John and Phil, a married couple from Motherwell, queued for five hours after landing in Pisa Airport.

They arrived at 12:30pm local time (11:30am BST), having flown from Glasgow, and didn't get through until the evening.

John has an Irish passport and was in the queue for an hour, but his wife had to wait to queue with other British passport holders.

John told the BBC: "When I came through, all the planes which had arrived in the hours before had all their suitcases unloaded from the carousel, left stacked on the concourse floor.

"There were several elderly people in those queues and, as you can imagine at this time, lots of children.

"Our government must do something about this," he said.

Travellers arriving at popular ski destination Geneva experienced long delays due to the system earlier this year.

Travel experts have told the BBC that the system at some points has been blighted by IT issues, and long queues can form where travellers are unable to use the system with ease.

The European Commission has indicated that suspending EES checks to help ease queues will be allowed at busy times until September.

On Friday, not all airports in Europe will be switching the system on, including Milan and Lisbon.

What do passengers have to do to use EES?

The first time they use the new system, people from most non-EU countries will have to register biometric information while having their passport scanned.

Flight passengers will register at their destination airport.

But if you are crossing the English Channel by ferry from the port of Dover, taking the Eurotunnel shuttle to France, or getting the Eurostar train, it will be done as you leave the UK.

At these places, most passengers will have to follow the instructions at special kiosks.

The machines will scan each passport, then take fingerprints and a photo.

Children under 12 won't have to provide fingerprints. Staff should be on hand to help.

The screen will also present travellers with four questions about their trip, such as confirming where they will be staying and that they have enough money.

However, at Eurotunnel, those questions will be asked by border officers, on a discretionary basis.

The EES registration will be valid for three years, with the details verified on each trip during that period.

At Dover, ferry passengers in coaches started using the new system in October. Other tourist traffic was initially meant to follow on 1 November.

However, people in cars have still not begun using it, with no date yet confirmed.

Eurotunnel, which runs vehicle shuttles through the Channel Tunnel, is also introducing the EES in stages.

At the port of Dover and Eurostar's London St Pancras terminal, the questions will also not be presented on the machines during the introductory period. It will not be switching on on 10 April.

Big changes have had to be made at Dover. The port has reclaimed some land from the sea to create an additional processing area.

People will head to this new area, a mile from the ferry terminal, to do their EES checks.

Because the French border has in effect been moved to a coach processing building in this new area, coaches will be sealed after passengers have completed their checks. They will then drive over to catch their ferry.

The port's boss says groups of schoolchildren will be able to do some of their registration in advance, so they will only need to present their passports at the border.

Eurostar has installed 49 EES kiosks in three areas around its London St Pancras terminal. Passengers will use them before presenting their ticket at the departures area.

However, checks are currently being completed manually by border officers, not at the machines. Eurostar says it will bring in the kiosks "once the operational software and the activation timetable are confirmed and approved by the French Ministry of Interior".

Eurotunnel has installed more than a hundred kiosks at each side of the Channel.

Customers who are travelling in cars will be directed to drive up to a kiosk bearing their registration number, and provide their biometric information there. Coach passengers will go through the process with a border officer.

A mobile phone app has been developed to enable passengers to do part of the process before reaching the border. However, this isn't being widely used at the moment.

Concerns have repeatedly been raised that the extra couple of minutes it takes for each traveller to complete the registration process could lead to big queues, particularly at space-constrained Dover.

However, bosses at cross-Channel travel hubs hope that the decision to introduce EES gradually, instead of with a "big bang" start, will reduce the risk of disruption.

Eurotunnel chief executive Yann Leriche says there will be no "chaos" or queues at the Channel tunnel and that his company is fully prepared.

Similarly, Eurostar hopes its decision to limit EES initially to some business travellers before expanding its use will help prevent queues.

What is ETIAS and when is that coming?

The EU is also introducing a new visa waiver system linked to passports called the European Travel Information and Authorisation System (ETIAS), which will build on the EES.

Citizens of non-EU countries who don't need a visa to enter the EU - including people from the UK - will be able to apply online for authorisation before they travel.

ETIAS isn't due to start until the end of 2026, but the final date has not yet been confirmed.

It will cost €20 (£17.47) per application, and will be valid for three years.

People aged under 18 and over 70 will need to apply, but won't have to pay.

Additional reporting from Kris Bramwell.

Dolce & Gabbana co-founder steps down as chair

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c77m3p8182no, yesterday

The co-founder of Dolce & Gabbana, Stefano Gabbana, has stepped down as chair of the company he set up with Domenico Dolce in 1985.

The fashion house is grappling with a debt pile of around €450m (£391m/$528m) and a downturn in the luxury retail sector, with a slowdown in spending, particularly in China.

Gabbana will hold onto his creative role with the company, shaping collections alongside Dolce and continuing the decades-long partnership between the pair.

The 63-year-old was replaced by Domenico's brother and the firm's chief executive, Alfonso Dolce, on 1 January. Filings show Gabbana told the company of his decision in December.

Dolce & Gabbana has been targeting new markets including hospitality and furniture, where its latest collection offers items such as a leopard-print porcelain vase costing £1,084.

"It's no secret that the brand is in significant debt," fashion expert Priya Raj told the BBC.

"The brand is privately owned, and Stefano Gabbana owns a significant stake, 40%, as does Domenico Mario Assunto Dolce - we're not sure what will happen to that yet."

Reports in March suggested the company had appointed a financial adviser and entered talks with creditors over its debt.

"With regard to the debt position, the group has no statement to make at this time, as negotiations with the banks are still ongoing," the firm said in a statement on Friday.

Raj added that the firm has managed to "outlast cancel culture" after a series of controversies.

The firm's last big controversy was earlier this year at the fall/winter men's show during Milan Fashion Week, where it was criticised for a lack of ethnic diversity in its model casting. Celebrity Bella Hadid took to social media to condemn the brand.

But Raj said: "Even in a market obsessed with quiet luxury, their sexy Sicilian vibe has outlasted trends, and they've built a cult following for it."

Raj added: "So the problem isn't with the designs at all, rather in the financial running of the business. They clearly need some outside help."

She said a minority investor or strategic partnership "is likely" as the firm seeks to get things back under control.

Dolce & Gabbana was founded in Milan and became quickly known because of its popularity with major celebrities.

A key moment in its rise was Madonna's decision to wear Dolce & Gabbana during the 1990s, commissioning the brand to create costumes for her 1993 The Girlie Show tour, to support her "Erotica" album release.

The partnership anchored the fashion house's provocative and sensual image, though it also offered accessible items such as sunglasses and perfume for everyday shoppers.

The firm added in a statement that Gabbana's departure was "part of a natural evolution of its organisational structure and governance".

Will UK petrol and diesel prices start going down?

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c20zgjzz0e4o, yesterday

Motorists in the UK have faced higher fuel costs due to the US-Israel war with Iran.

Wholesale oil and gas prices surged when the conflict began on 28 February, with the production and transportation of energy across the Middle East slowing or stopping entirely due to missile strikes and drone attacks.

After US president Donald Trump announced a temporary ceasefire on 7 April, the wholesale price of oil and gas dropped back, but uncertainty in the following days led to further price increases.

According to RAC, prices increased for 40 days in a row up to 10 April, the longest run of consecutive rises on record – but they could start falling soon.

How do wholesale oil prices affect the cost of petrol and diesel at the pump?

Crude oil is a key ingredient in petrol and diesel, meaning higher wholesale costs make filling up a car more expensive.

Analysts say every $10 (£7.53) increase in the oil price pushes up pump prices by roughly 7p a litre.

Since the war began, the price of a barrel of Brent crude - the global benchmark for oil prices - has been very volatile, jumping from $73 (£55) to more than $110.

The cost of filling a typical family car with petrol has gone up by more than £14. A tank of diesel is around £27 more expensive.

The price of petrol and diesel has continued to climb following the announcement of a ceasefire.

On 10 April, the average petrol price was 158.16p a litre. Diesel was 191.31p.

But prices remain well below the levels reached in summer 2022 following Russia's invasion of Ukraine, when petrol reached 191.5p and diesel hit 199p a litre.

RAC head of policy Simon Williams said prices were expected to start falling soon.

"The rate of price increases has slowed due to oil falling back below $100 for the last two days. This has reduced wholesale costs which should, if sustained, lead to the price of petrol coming down," he said.

"So, as things stand, we really shouldn't see unleaded rise any further for the time being and the record diesel price of 199p now shouldn't be surpassed."

Oil prices quickly fell below $100 when the ceasefire was announced by Trump, but uncertainty over what Iran actually agreed to meant it began to rise again the next day.

Because transporting oil is a slow process, price movements in the wholesale markets take about a fortnight to show at the pump.

Fuel retailers have denied accusations of price gouging during the conflict. The official markets regulator is investigating the issue.

Will oil prices keep falling as the ceasefire takes effect?

For the wholesale markets, the most critical issue remains the status of the Strait of Hormuz.

About 20% of the world's oil and liquefied natural gas passes through the waterway, but it has been effectively closed since the war began.

Trump's demands for a two-week ceasefire hinged on Iran reopening the strait, which it agreed to do.

But Iran wants to control the strait permanently, and the US is strongly opposed to this.

BBC Verify analysis shows that as of 10:00 BST on 10 April, only 15 vessels had passed through the waterway following the ceasefire announcement – normally, 138 make the crossing every day.

The continued uncertainty means that oil prices are likely to remain above pre-war levels.

Additionally, oil and gas facilities have been damaged across the Gulf, badly disrupting refining capacity.

The RAC said motorists should not expect cheaper fuel in the short term, but it is hoped that prices will stop rising as fast as they have been.

A new government scheme lets drivers compare the cost of fuel offered by petrol stations across the UK.

As of 8 April, the cheapest petrol in the UK was in a Co-Op in Halesworth, at 149.9p per litre. The cheapest diesel was in Telscombe Service Station in Peacehaven, at 168.9p, according to RegIt.

The most expensive petrol in the UK is currently on sale in Thorn House Filling Station, Cumbria, for 199.9p. The priciest diesel is at RaceTrack Crowwood Gulf outside Glasgow, for 209.9p.

Where does the UK get its oil and gas?

The UK is heavily reliant on oil and gas imports, with the majority coming from the US and Norway.

The price of oil on the global market determines how much the UK pays for it.

Although the UK does get some oil from the North Sea, most of that is exported for refining elsewhere.

Could there be an oil shortage in the UK?

In March, the boss of oil giant Shell warned that there could be a fuel shortage in Europe within weeks because of the closure of the Strait of Hormuz.

His comments came after the International Energy Agency (IEA) suggested a number of measures to reduce energy and fuel use in response to the conflict, including working from home and carpooling.

Oil makes up 35% of the UK's total energy supply, according to the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero. As a member of the IEA, the UK must hold 90 days' worth of net oil imports, but currently has more than this.

The UK government said the country's fuel supplies were "resilient", and the Fuels Industry UK body said Britons should carry on as normal.

Some analysts said that restrictions on new drilling licences in the North Sea should be eased to limit price rises for households, but others argued this was unlikely to significantly reduce energy prices for the public.

Will my energy bills rise?

In the short term, millions of UK householders' domestic gas and electricity bills are shielded from any impact on wholesale costs paid by suppliers.

People whose energy bills are covered by the price cap saw their unit costs fall in April, and those will not change until the end of June.

However, depending on whether the ceasefire holds, bills could rise when the next price cap takes effect at the start of July.

Anyone who already has a fixed energy tariff won't see a price rise for the length of their contract. But some suppliers have been pulling cheaper fixed deals for new customers off the market.

Heating oil is used by many households in Northern Ireland, and in some rural areas. The cost of that fluctuates more directly in response to the oil price, so the latest global uncertainty has pushed up bills for those households refilling their tanks.

The government announced a £53m support package to help those affected.

Will this affect UK inflation and interest rates?

The Bank of England moves interest rates to try and keep inflation - the rate at which prices increase - close to its 2% target.

The main CPI rate of inflation was 3% in the year to February 2026, above the Bank's target but well below the 11.1% figure reached in October 2022 after Russia invaded Ukraine.

After a series of cuts, interest rates stand at 3.75%, the lowest level since February 2023.

Rates had been expected to fall further during 2026. But these predictions were scrapped when the Iran war broke out, with rate increases now thought more likely.

As a result mortgage lenders have increased their own lending rates. Anyone remortgaging or taking out their first mortgage is likely to face higher rates than they would have before the conflict began.

After the ceasefire was announced, analysts at Capital Economics said they thought that UK inflation would peak at 4.5%. The predicted interest rate increases may not materialise if a permanent peace deal is struck, they added.

Additional reporting by Emer Moreau, Kevin Peachey, and Dearbail Jordan

You can also send us your questions by following this link

This coat cost $248 in illegal tariffs. Will he ever get the money back?

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/ckgr67kgvdko, yesterday

Alex Grossomanides thought he had scored a deal last year on a down jacket from France - until he received a bill for more than $400 (£298) in tariffs and processing fees - nearly as much as the cost of the coat.

It was far higher than he had anticipated in part because the parka was, unbeknownst to him, made in Myanmar, then facing a tariff rate of 40%, which stuck him with $248.04 in charges.

The Supreme Court has since declared that duty, and dozens of others that US President Donald Trump unveiled last year, invalid, setting in motion a refund process that is poised to be the biggest repayment programme in US history.

But even before refunds have started, many of those hit with tariff costs, like Alex, are expecting to be left out.

That's because the ruling only applies to importers who paid the tariffs directly, raising questions about how to address the grievances of those who shouldered the duties in more roundabout ways, such as higher prices, fees and other charges.

Grossomanides, who paid the tariff via shipping firm DHL, says he would like to believe he will get his money back, but has not heard from the company and is not holding his breath.

"They should be refunding people," the 37-year-old personal trainer from Massachusetts says. "It's all my money and I took the hit for it, which I don't think is fair."

The US Court of International Trade in March ordered customs officials to refund the more than $160bn (£121bn) the government had collected, putting roughly 330,000 importers in a position to potentially win back some money.

Fears that the government would fight the decision have not materialised.

Customs officials working on the issue have said the refund system should be ready to launch this month. They are due to update the Court of International Trade on their progress on 14 April.

'I have no hope' of a refund

But fully turning the clock back will be well-nigh impossible. Economic studies suggest that importers have already passed on the majority of the tariff costs in the form of higher prices - an issue that is not tackled in the court rulings.

Lamp-maker Sue Johnson says her small California business has been hit hard by tariffs, which prompted her supplier to roughly double the price of mica, a material she uses in her Art Deco-inspired designs.

But she expects no relief from the Supreme Court decision.

"Maybe they'll get repaid, but I have no hope they're going to refund me," she says.

'Orchestrated theft'

Importers say the issue is complicated. Though many raised prices, they often did not increase them by enough to fully offset the tariff expense.

The tariffs also often triggered other kinds of costs, forcing businesses to take on debt to pay for the duties and leading to harder-to-quantify hits like lost sales.

"Even if we do get refunds, we are still not going to be made entirely whole," Kacie Wright of Houghton Horns, a small Texas-based business that imports musical instruments, said during a forum hosted by We Pay the Tariffs, a small business advocacy group.

She said just making sure her business was lined up to receive a refund has been costly, requiring more than six months of back-and-forth with customs officials to properly register in the agency's online system.

Customs has placed the burden on firms to assemble information to make claims, says lawyer Jared Slipman, chair of the tax department at Obermayer, which has been advising businesses on the process.

He says some businesses, especially smaller ones, may look at the requirements and decide that the potential "juice is not worth the squeeze". He expects others may eventually have to turn to litigation to fully recoup what they believe they are owed.

Consumers, he adds, "get the worst of it".

"It may very well be the case that this is an orchestrated theft from the American consumer... and that would be very unfortunate," Slipman says.

James Tak, who was hit with a $24 tariff charge from UPS last year after receiving a gift of video games from a friend in Japan, says he understands that managing refunds for the millions of people like him is likely to be messy.

He would still like his funds back.

"I just think it's money I shouldn't have to pay," says the 41-year-old, who lives in Washington.

Some shipping firms, such as FedEx, have said they intend to return whatever refund they receive to consumers and businesses.

But many importers have limited their promises, especially companies that passed on the tariff costs in less clear-cut ways.

The debate has sparked class-action lawsuits against several businesses, including retailer Costco, RayBans-maker EssilorLuxottica and Fabletics, the clothing brand founded by Kate Hudson, which at one point broke out tariff costs on its receipts.

Those suits accuse the firms of being poised to be in a position of "unjust enrichment", getting money back from the government even though they had already passed on the costs.

Government watchdogs like the Federal Trade Commission often pursue consumer issues. But in this scenario, in which government policies are implicated, private pressure is likely the only way to make firms respond, says Adrian Bacon, head of litigation at the Law Offices of Todd Friedman, which brought the case against Fabletics and is investigating other firms.

That has not stopped Trump officials from weighing in on the fight.

US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer last month urged companies that score a refund "windfall" to give it to workers in the form of bonuses. In February, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, suggested it was unlikely consumers would benefit.

"I got a feeling the American people won't see it," he said.

White House staff told not to place bets on prediction markets

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cgld65x396go, 2 days ago

White House staff were warned last month not to use insider information to place bets on predictions markets.

The email was sent to staff on 24 March, a day after US President Donald Trump announced a five-day pause on his threat to attack Iranian power plants and energy infrastructure.

It referred to press reports that raised concerns over government officials using non-public information to place bets on platforms like Kalshi or Polymarket.

White House spokesman Davis Ingle told the BBC that "any implication that Administration officials are engaged in such activity without evidence is baseless and irresponsible reporting."

The Wall Street Journal first reported the email on Thursday.

Ingle also said that all federal employees are subject to government ethics guidelines that prohibit the use of insider information for financial gain.

"The only special interest that will ever guide President Trump is the best interest of the American people," he added.

The BBC has contacted Kalshi and Polymarket for comment.

Polymarket came under scrutiny in January after a gambler made nearly half a million dollars on the capture of Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro just before it was officially announced.

It was unclear who placed the bet. The anonymous account had a blockchain identifier of letters and numbers.

The incident raised concerns about whether they had benefited from inside information of the US military operation.

Predictions markets, which host more than $44bn (£33bn) in trades, have become increasingly popular in the past year.

The predictions can be related to anything. They mostly involve sports but users can also place bets on whether, for instance, the US central bank will cut rates or the results of local elections.

Prediction market bets on conflicts have fuelled debate over how industry should be regulated.

This week, US Congressman Ritchie Torres, a Democrat who sits on the House Financial Services Committee, sent a letter to the Commodity Futures Trading Commission that called for an investigation into "suspicious" trades.

The commission regulates the derivatives trading, which includes prediction markets.

In March, Democrat leaders introduced legislation that would completely ban prediction market betting related to war or military action.

"Corruption and exploitation are thriving right now within the gaps and loopholes of prediction markets," said US Senator Andy Kim from New Jersey.

"This manipulation leaves the select few winning big, at the expense of working Americans," he said.

Petrol and diesel prices rise again as concerns grow over ceasefire

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cq6j0rnvlzeo, 2 days ago

The cost of petrol and diesel has continued to rise as motorists wait to see if the US-Iran ceasefire leads to cheaper prices at the pump.

Oil prices had plunged initially after an agreement to pause the conflict was announced, but rose on Thursday due to concerns over whether the ceasefire would hold.

The price of oil remains much higher than pre-war levels and drivers have been warned not to expect a significant drop in costs soon.

However, one motoring group has said fuel prices could start to fall over the next couple of weeks as long as the ceasefire is maintained.

Doubts over the durability of the US-Iran ceasefire emerged after after Israel launched a wave of strikes on Lebanon.

This led Tehran to warn of a "regret‑inducing response" if they continue, while US President Donald Trump has said the country's forces will remain in the region until Iran complies with the "real" ceasefire agreement.

One of the conditions of the ceasefire agreement was that ships would be able to safely use the Strait of Hormuz - a key shipping route for global oil and gas supplies.

But reports that Iran will keep the crucial shipping route closed because of the Israeli strikes has renewed fears of a lengthy disruption to energy supplies, which would keep fuel prices high.

The price of a barrel of Brent crude rose to $99 on Thursday, before dropping slightly after Israel and Lebanon announced they would enter direct talks.

Since the war began on 28 February, wholesale oil prices have jumped by 35%.

Crude oil is a key ingredient in petrol and diesel, so its price has a big influence on the cost of filling up a car.

According to data from UK motoring group the RAC, the average petrol price was 158.03p a litre on Thursday while diesel was 191.11p – both slightly higher than the previous day.

A tank of petrol is now £13.86 more expensive than it was at the beginning of the conflict at £86.92, the RAC said.

A full tank of diesel now costs £26.80 more at £105.11.

The RAC has said drivers should not expect a big fall in pump prices soon, although rival group the AA said wholesale fuel costs were now lower than they were at the start of the week.

"Based on the fuel industry's rule of thumb of a 10 to 14-day lag between wholesale cost movements and those at the pump, drivers should expect prices on forecourts to level by next weekend and then fall – providing the ceasefire holds," said Luke Bosdet, the AA's spokesman on pump prices.

Stock markets reversed some of the major gains they made on Wednesday but regained some ground by the end of the day.

Japan's Nikkei 225 index closed down 0.7%, while in Europe the UK's FTSE 100 was down 0.05% at close of trading.

Germany's Dax index closed 1.14% lower and France's Cac was down 0.22%.

In the US, all three major stock indexes closed higher, having rebounded from an earlier dip as Israel sought talks with Lebanon. The Dow Jones and S&P 500 rose 0.6%, and the Nasdaq ended 0.8% higher.

"I think there's a little bit of nervousness in global markets," said Victoria Scholar, head of investment at Interactive Investor.

"Markets are giving back some gains… and I think that reflects a lot of uncertainty over whether the Strait of Hormuz is actually open."

Ships in the Gulf have received a warning from Iran's navy that any vessels seeking to cross the strait without permission "will be targeted and destroyed", shipping brokerage firm SSY has confirmed to BBC Verify.

Iran's deputy foreign minister, Saeed Khatibzadeh, told the BBC that the country would "provide security for safe passage" through the Strait of Hormuz.

However, he said the reopening would only happen "after the United States actually withdraw this aggression", seemingly referring to Israel's attacks on Lebanon.

There is disagreement over whether Lebanon is included in the ceasefire.

Vance is due to take part in negotiations with Iran in Pakistan on Saturday.

Only a handful of ships have passed through the Strait of Hormuz since the deal was announced – well below the rate of some 130 vessels that transited daily before the war.

By 14:00 BST on 9 April only 11 ships had been tracked passing through the strait since the ceasefire, according to analysis by BBC Verify. It is possible other ships have made the journey without broadcasting their location.

It will take a minimum of 10 days to clear the existing backlog of vessels, even if the strait resumes its usual volume of shipping, according to maritime tracking firm Pole Star Global.

Shipping through the Strait of Hormuz has been "unchanged in risk profile and numbers transiting" since the announcement of the ceasefire, according to maritime intelligence firm Windward.

The company added that even under a best-case scenario, "weeks are required to move stranded gas and oil cargoes, and months for global trade to approach pre-crisis levels".

In recent weeks, some countries, including Malaysia, India and the Philippines - have negotiated safe passage for its ships.

Nils Haupt from container shipping firm Hapag-Lloyd, which still has six ships in the Persian Gulf, told the BBC's Today programme that it was "very difficult to plan because every day you get very different news".

Haupt said they were still waiting for official information on whether there will be fees to pass through the Strait of Hormuz, but warned that if there were it could have a major impact.

"If this means that for the coming years there will be a fee for the Strait of Hormuz of millions which is double, triple the price of crossing the Panama Canal or the Suez Canal it would be quite ridiculous for the entire industry."

Jo Malone hopes 'sense will prevail' in lawsuit over her name

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c7471n0lm2vo, 3 days ago

Jo Malone, the perfume designer, said she hopes "sense will prevail" in a case against her and retailer Zara by Estée Lauder, the beauty giant, over the use of her name.

Estée Lauder bought Malone's eponymous perfume brand, Jo Malone London, including the rights to her name, in 1999. Malone founded a new firm, Jo Loves, in 2011, which sells perfume, candles and toiletries.

Last month, Estée Lauder Companies launched High Court proceedings over a collaboration between Jo Loves and Zara, over the use of Malone's name on the packaging. It is seeking more than £200,000 in damages.

Speaking for the first time since the legal action emerged, Malone said she was "very surprised and very sad".

In a video on Instagram, Malone said Jo Loves and Zara went "above and beyond" to make it clear that the collaboration - which began seven years ago - was "nothing to do with Jo Malone London, the company".

"We've literally done as much as we possibly can," she said.

Although the Zara collaboration was with the brand Jo Loves, Estée Lauder took issue with the use of Malone's name on the packaging, which read: "A creation by Jo Malone CBE, founder of Jo Loves."

Estée Lauder is suing Malone herself, Jo Loves and Zara's UK arm for trademark infringement and breach of contract.

The BBC has approached Estée Lauder for a response. Zara declined to comment.

"I can't stop being a person," Malone said.

She said she wondered why Estée Lauder was suing her now, when the collaboration with Zara was first launched in 2019.

"If it was wrong now, it would have been wrong on day one, and nobody did anything about it," she said.

"I sold a company, I did not sell myself ... those collections were created by me, the person."

Under the terms of the 1999 deal, Malone had agreed not to use the "Jo Malone" name for commercial uses, including marketing fragrances.

Malone has previously said she regrets this.

She said in the Instagram video that she is willing to defend her position in court if necessary, but added: "I hope sense will prevail and we will find a new and different way to work in the same marketplace."

"My integrity means a lot to me."

Born on a council estate in south-east London, Malone founded her perfume company in the early 1990s. The brand became popular for its unique fragrances that took inspiration from British nature.

Malone sold the company to Estée Lauder for "undisclosed millions" but remained as creative director until 2006. Under a non-compete clause, she was prohibited from creating new fragrance or skincare lines until 2011.

Court documents show that lawyers for Estée Lauder said the "low-cost" Zara products created by Malone "undermine" the reputation of Jo Malone London for luxury and exclusivity".

"Such use allows the respective defendants to benefit from the fame and reputation of the Jo Malone trademarks without having contributed to the creation of that fame and reputation."

Estée Lauder previously said that when Malone sold the brand, "she agreed to clear contractual terms that included refraining from using the Jo Malone name in certain commercial contexts, including the marketing of fragrances.

"She was compensated as part of this agreement, and for many years, she abided by its terms.

"We respect Ms Malone's right to pursue new opportunities. But legally binding contractual obligations cannot be disregarded, and when those terms are breached, we will protect the brand that we have invested in and built over decades."

UK farmers warn Iran ceasefire too late to stop higher food costs

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c0q98w57k25o, 3 days ago

When fruit grower Ali Capper woke to news that war had broken out in Iran, she says she "felt quite sick" anticipating the repercussions for the UK farming industry.

Farmers and growers in peak planting season are grappling with spiralling costs as the conflict pushes up the price of fuel and fertiliser.

News of a two-week ceasefire aimed at resolving the conflict comes too late for this growing season, says Ali, who represents British apple and pear growers. "Sadly, even if it all ends tomorrow, the costs are baked in now."

New figures suggest inflation - the rate at which prices rise - for farm running costs is more than 7% higher this March, compared with last March.

The data from independent consultants the Andersons Centre is the first estimate of the overall impact on the agricultural sector since the conflict began.

The Andersons Centre, which provides analysis and research for organisations across the farming sector and has also done a study for the Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs, is warning of another "cost of farming squeeze".

Farmers have told the National Farmers Union they can't absorb the extra costs and food prices will likely have to rise as a result.

'Brutal'

On her farm in Suckley, Worcestershire, Ali says her fertiliser costs have gone up by 40%, red diesel she uses for her tractors has gone up 100% and transport costs are up by about 20%.

A third of the world's fertiliser usually passes through the Strait of Hormuz, which has been effectively blocked during the conflict and consequently prices have shot up in recent weeks.

Red diesel, a fuel used by farmers in off-road vehicles, machinery and heating has seen its price pushed up by the soaring cost of brent crude - the global benchmark for oil prices.

This all feeds into the cost of food production. Even if the conflict ends within the next two weeks, the Food and Drink Federation expects UK food inflation to reach at least 9% before the end of the year.

The perceived fragility of the ceasefire has led to global oil prices rising again on Thursday, after Wednesday's drop in price following the ceasefire agreement.

Ali is also anticipating rises in the cost of plant protection products and packaging.

"We will have to pass this on," she says, adding it was up to the supermarkets she sells to how much they put prices up to customers.

She says the apple and pear sector was already hit by a 30% increase in the cost of production across 2022 and 2023, after Russia's full scale invasion of Ukraine.

"It was really brutal and, I have to say, when I woke up to the news that it had started again, in Iran, I did feel quite sick," she says.

She recalls how many farmers went out of business, or became loss-making, during the Ukraine-Russia conflict.

"We can't go there again. There's no flex in the system."

She adds: "We can't afford to make a loss, we can't afford to lose our businesses so it's really important that the costs do go through supply chain.

"You have to be pretty resilient to be a grower, and it has got harder and harder."

'One thing after another'

Potato farmer Ben Savidge says if the price of red diesel stays high planting will cost around £5 more per tonne that before the Iran conflict.

"[Red diesel] was 65-70p a litre back in December," he says.

But his last two loads cost him between 96 and £1.05p a litre.

For now he's having to absorb the extra cost for planting his potatoes on his farm in Ross-on-Wye, Herefordshire, which will end up as chips, as he agreed a contract with his customers at the start of this year.

But he hopes that the good relationship he has with them will allow him to negotiate better prices as his margins have been so eroded.

"Last year we had an awfully dry summer which impacted yields drastically so now with our energy prices being hit like they have, it just feels like one thing after another."

He added that over the last few years, the costs just seem to be getting "larger and larger", with increasing financial strain - and the latest volatility in prices makes it hard to plan properly.

But he says he will continue to plant and "just hope that it falls our way at the end".

'Busy, difficult and testing'

Patrick Crehan buys fuel on behalf of a 3,500 member consortium, who are mainly agricultural farmers. Before the conflict, he was paying around 70p a litre. Just before the ceasefire, he was paying around 130p a litre, though that has fallen back a little since Wednesday.

He says he's heard from farmers who no longer think they'll make any money from their crop.

"We have had some examples where they would rather not plant the crop and save the money, because they know it's going to be so expensive to put the crop in and manage it over the course of this year," he says.

Patrick points out that though the majority of farmers are still planting their crops "thinking, well we're just going to have to suck it up as we always do", he forecasts that "it's highly unlikely they're going to see a return", as the cost of fertiliser, energy and fuel have seen such significant increases.

His firm, AF Group, buys around 120 million litres of fuel a year, from various fuel distributors dotted across the UK, in one of the biggest operations of its kind in the UK.

Though he says there is no shortage of available fuel, Patrick "has no happy words at the moment" to describe the current situation for the farming industry.

"I would describe it as busy, and difficult, and testing… the level of increases that we're witnessing, we just haven't seen them before," he told the BBC.

How the Iran war affects your money and bills

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c2e4ygndjpwo, 3 days ago

From petrol prices to mortgage rates, the US-Israel war with Iran has already had an impact on people's finances in the UK.

How deep and sustained that turns out to be depends on the success of the ceasefire and how quickly supply lines and economies can recover.

Here are some of the areas to watch out for.

Fuel prices for motorists

Drivers are likely to have already noticed that prices at the pump are on the rise.

Average petrol prices have hit 157.71p a litre, 25p higher than at the start of the conflict, according to the RAC motoring organisation.

Diesel has jumped to 190.62p a litre, up 48p since the beginning of March.

It means that the average cost filling a 55-litre family car with petrol has increased by £13 since the start of the Iran conflict, with diesel up by £26.

In early March, the increase in pump prices triggered a row between petrol retailers and the government. Retailers accused the government of using "inflammatory language" by suggesting firms were profiteering from the oil price surge.

According to analysts, every $10 increase in oil pushes up pump prices by roughly 7p a litre.

Crude prices have risen sharply since the start of the war, although they are volatile as they react to the status of the conflict and commentary from the White House.

Drivers have been told to expect a wait before any benefit is felt should oil shipments start to move freely through the Strait of Hormuz during a ceasefire.

While motoring organisations say that there are plenty of supplies, they are encouraging people to reduce non-essential journeys. They also suggest people amend their driving style, by not accelerating or braking too hard to conserve fuel.

Not everyone has a car or may not use one for a daily commute. However, when petrol rises, it can carry through to higher prices for goods and services.

For example, if transport costs for supermarkets increase that could then be reflected in the cost of food.

Cost and choice of mortgages

Before the war began, there had been a hope and expectation of a steady fall in the interest rates charged on new, fixed mortgages, as well as lower variable rates.

Now, the opposite is happening.

Lenders have raised rates quickly, due to their own funding costs rising and an expectation that the base borrowing rate will not fall as previously anticipated.

The average two-year fixed rate has jumped from 4.83% at the start of March to 5.90% now, its highest since July 2024, according to the financial information service Moneyfacts. The cheapest deals have risen the fastest.

For those looking for a five-year deal, the average rate has risen from 4.95% to 5.78% over the same period and is now at its highest level since November 2023.

At times of economic uncertainty, lenders pull mortgage products off the shelves, reducing choice.

There are now about 1,500 fewer residential mortgage products on the market, according to Moneyfacts, although that still leaves more than 6,000 deals to choose from.

Again, it could be a little while before mortgage rates start to fall, despite a positive response from the markets to the latest ceasefire announcement.

Energy bills and heating oil costs

There is some protection in place for household gas and electricity bills, thanks to the price cap in England, Wales and Scotland set by energy regulator Ofgem.

However, it is time limited and does not cover everyone.

The maximum price for each unit of energy, for those on variable deals governed by the cap, is set until July.

In fact, prices went down at the start of April.

However, what happens between now late May on the wholesale energy market will determine these household bills from the summer. The period of high wholesale costs is likely to mean a sharp increase in energy prices for millions of people, although a ceasefire - were it to hold - would lower the price peak.

Energy consultancy Cornwall Insight's latest forecast predicts that, under Ofgem's price cap for July to September, a dual-fuel household using a typical amount of gas and electricity would pay £1,871 a year, up from the current £1,641. However, this forecast is subject to change.

The last time there was a particular spike, following Covid and Russia's invasion of Ukraine, the government had to step in to help with the Energy Price Guarantee (EPG).

The chancellor has said there could be government support if needed for bills at the start of winter but, unlike the EPG, it would be targeted at those who need it most, rather than universal.

Those looking to fix their energy unit price instead are facing a similar situation as people searching for a mortgage.

Some energy tariff providers have pulled deals, or have now set them at a higher price. Geopolitical uncertainty also means there are likely to be fewer deals with a longer duration.

The most immediate impact of rising prices is felt by those who use heating oil, often stored in a tank outside their property. There is no cap that limits the cost.

Heating oil is used widely in rural areas and in Northern Ireland.

Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer announced support amounting to £53m for the most vulnerable users of heating oil. The money will be distributed via the devolved authorities. In England, councils will decide who qualifies and how they will receive the financial help.

Competition authorities are also checking whether customers are being treated fairly.

"Generally, we would expect that customers who have placed orders for heating oil should receive it at the agreed price. Suppliers should be clear what they are charging and terms must be fair," said Emma Cochrane, at the Competition and Markets Authority.

Higher cost of living but with limits

At the start of March, UK inflation - which charts the rising cost of living - was forecast to be at or around the Bank of England's target level of 2% over the next five years, according to the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR).

The government's official forecaster said the price of a typical basket of goods would be going up at a rate of 2.3% this year and then 2% a year from 2027. But, it did those sums before the airstrikes on Iran began.

Now, analysts believe the rate of inflation is unequivocally on the rise.

Making an inflation estimate becomes very difficult, given the volatile situation militarily and economically.

However, analysts do not think inflation will return to the peak of 11.1% seen in the UK in October 2022. That is because the war in Ukraine also caused spikes in the prices of basic foodstuffs, such as wheat and edible oil, owing to the role of Ukraine in producing those items. That is not the case now.

Interest rates could rise, not fall

The Bank of England is charged with getting inflation to as close as 2% as possible, and its primary tool to do so is interest rates.

After the rate-setting committee met in February, the Bank's governor Andrew Bailey said there was scope for further rate cuts this year.

A month on, the committee held the Bank rate at 3.75%, and adopted a wait and see approach. Many analysts believe the next move in interest rates is likely to be up, not down.

But while borrowing money could become more expensive than previously thought, savings could be slightly more lucrative.

In times of uncertainty, people have previously hoarded savings. The spending power of that money may reduce, if the cost of living rises, and it may hit general economic growth in the UK.

The price of fun

Wider implications for our finances are highly dependent on how the war - and its global impact - plays out.

But, the choice of holiday destinations in the spring and summer may be more limited. Flights could get more expensive.

Jet fuel has gone up sharply in price. Although airlines have buying strategies that limit some of this impact, the longer aviation fuel remains expensive the harder it is not to pass this on through higher fares, or reduced flights.

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Oil prices plunge and shares jump on US-Iran ceasefire plan

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c8r40y3rv75o, 3 days ago

Global oil prices have fallen sharply and stock markets jumped after the US and Iran agreed to a conditional two-week ceasefire deal that includes the reopening of the key Strait of Hormuz waterway.

The global benchmark oil price initially sank 15% to just under $92 (£67) before climbing back up slightly while US-traded oil dropped to about $96.

However, oil prices remain higher than before the conflict started on 28 February. At the time, it was trading at around $70 a barrel.

The cost of energy has jumped as oil and gas supplies from the Middle East have been severely disrupted after Iran threatened to attack ships trying to use the strait in retaliation to US and Israeli airstrikes.

Stock markets in the US surged higher despite ongoing questions about the strength of the ceasefire deal, following sharp rises in Europe and Asia.

The S&P 500 index of the largest firms listed in the US ended the day up 2.5%, while the Dow and Nasdaq closed 2.8% higher.

In London, the FTSE 100 share index closed up 2.5%. In France, the CAC 40 ended the day 4.5% higher while Germany's Dax had climbed 4.7%.

Japan's Nikkei 225 closed up nearly 5.4% while South Korea's Kospi jumped more than 6.8%. Hong Kong's Hang Seng ended 3% higher, while the ASX 200 in Australia gained 2.5%.

In a social media post on Tuesday evening, Trump said: "I agree to suspend the bombing and attack of Iran for a period of two weeks... subject to the Islamic Republic of Iran agreeing to the COMPLETE, IMMEDIATE, and SAFE OPENING of the Strait of Hormuz".

He had set a deadline for 20:00 EDT on Tuesday (00:00 GMT on Wednesday), threatening that "a whole civilisation will die tonight" if no deal was reached.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said on social media that Tehran will agree to a ceasefire "if attacks against Iran are halted", adding that safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz "will be possible".

Despite his threats, Trump was likely to be wary about letting energy prices "skyrocket" by escalating the conflict, said Xavier Smith from market research firm AlphaSense.

That could have led to a "self-inflicted economic wound" that few would risk, especially given the looming pressure of approval ratings on Trump's leadership, said Smith, a research director.

In recent days, some ships have passed through the Strait of Hormuz, although far fewer than usual.

If more oil tankers stranded near the strait pass through the waterway during the ceasefire it could provide some relief for markets in the coming weeks, said analyst Saul Kavonic from financial services firm MST Marquee.

But already on Wednesday there were reports that attacks in the region were continuing, which Pakistani prime minister Shehbaz Sharif said undermined "the spirit of peace process".

Kavonic said that while a ceasefire is in place, it is still unlikely that energy production in the Middle East will fully resume until there is confidence of a lasting peace deal.

It could also take months for production to restart due to damage done to energy infrastructure in the region, he said.

Iran has targeted energy and industrial infrastructure across the oil-rich region in retaliation for the US-Israeli strikes.

Exxon said on Wednesday that its oil production in the Middle East had dropped 6% in the first three months of the year, compared with 2025, as a result of the conflict.

In Qatar, owners of the Ras Laffan industrial hub, which produces about a fifth of the world's liquefied natural gas, have warned that attacks have reduced the country's export capacity by 17% and that it will take up to five years to repair the damage.

All told, it could take years to fix the damage and cost more than $25bn, according to research firm Rystad Energy.

Asia has been hit particularly hard by the economic fallout of the Iran war as many countries are heavily reliant on energy from the Gulf.

Governments and companies across the region have announced measures in recent weeks to deal with high energy prices and fuel shortages.

Many airlines in the region have raised fares and cut flights in response to surging jet fuel prices.

Developing countries in Asia have been especially affected by the conflict as many do not have their own refineries or sufficient oil reserves, said Ichiro Kutani from Japan's Institute of Energy Economics.

"The ceasefire is good news for Asian countries. If it holds, oil prices will return to normal states, though this will take time."

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Airlines cut flights and hike fares as fuel prices surge

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c87w4x0n3j0o, 4 days ago

Air India, Air New Zealand and Delta Airlines are the latest airlines to set out plans to cut flights and hike passenger charges as jet fuel prices surge due to the US-Israeli war with Iran.

Many airlines around the world have had to take emergency measures to counter the rising cost of fuel, which typically makes up 20-40% of their operating costs.

Last week, the benchmark European jet fuel price hit an all-time high of $1,838 (£1,387) per tonne, compared with $831 before the war began.

Analysts warned that travellers should expect further ticket price rises and more cancelled flights as the conflict continues.

The Gulf is a major source of aviation fuel, accounting for about 50% of Europe's imports. The bulk of it comes through the Strait of Hormuz, which Iran has effectively closed in response to US and Israeli attacks.

The increase in jet fuel prices reflects the role Middle Eastern refineries play in supplies. The Al-Zour refinery in Kuwait alone provides roughly 10% of Europe's jet fuel imports, according to Energy Intelligence.

Air New Zealand's cancellations are expected to hit routes in and out of Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch, with flights to smaller airports unchanged.

The airline, which had already cut some flights last month, said on Tuesday the "vast majority" of customers affected by the cancellations were being offered alternative flights on the same day.

"Like airlines globally, we're experiencing jet fuel prices that are more than double what they would usually be" a spokesperson said.

Meanwhile, Air India said it would change the fuel surcharge on its domestic flights from a flat fee to one based on the distance of the flight.

It also increased its surcharges for international flights due to what it said was "one of the most challenging fuel cost environments that airlines globally have faced in recent years".

Fuel costs in the January-March period jumped 14% compared with last year, hitting $2.7bn, Delta told investors on Wednesday, a day after joining other US airlines in raising checked bag fees.

With demand holding up and fuel prices still high, the airline is looking to increase airfares above already enacted price rises in the months ahead. It is also planning to cut around 3.5% of its passenger capacity, targeting red-eye and mid-week flights.

"There's a high sense of urgency to address higher fuel costs and reduce unprofitable flying," chief executive Ed Bastian said.

Many airlines in Asia have been trimming services and raising fares to cope with the situation. Major economies, including Japan and South Korea, have been particularly affected by the disruptions as they are heavily reliant on energy from the Middle East.

Last week, China Eastern Airlines said it was raising surcharges for domestic flights while Korean Air said it was moving into emergency management mode.

Airlines globally have also been taking action. United Airlines in the US and Scandinavia's SAS are among those to have cut flights and increased ticket prices.

Air France-KLM has said it will lift fares for long-haul journeys, while Cathay Pacific is raising its fuel surcharge.

British Airways owner IAG and EasyJet have been able to hold off on either measure so far as they are buying their fuel at a price fixed before the war began.

However, Ryanair Michael O'Leary told Sky News last week that jet fuel supplies could start to be disrupted in May if the conflict continued.

Analysts told the BBC that rising ticket fares and flight cancellations are likely to continue.

"Starting from an already tight market, the current lack of Middle East jet fuel exports is worsening the situation," said Mick Strautmann, an analyst at data firm Vortexa.

"Given global jet fuel exports are currently at their lowest point in four years, the same level of air travel demand will likely not be sustainable if disruptions persist, meaning airlines will likely have to increase prices further, and reduce the number of flights," he said.

He added that this will be "more and more likely" as peak summer travel season summer approaches for many parts of the world.

However, despite the tightness of supply, George Shaw, senior insight analyst at trade intellegnce firm Kpler said shortages were still a way off.

"Europe is not close to running out, as jet fuel is produced domestically and generally April should be manageable in terms of stocks," he said, but added that there may be "some localised issues" in May as the drop in imports is "more keenly felt".

Why fuel and food prices could still be affected for months

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c5ywpv1d4geo, 4 days ago

After news broke of a two-week ceasefire in Iran, stock markets across the globe rallied and the price of crude oil plunged.

But there is less optimism over how much this will feed through to people's finances, with fears long-lasting damage has already been set in motion.

The last month has seen ships carrying oil, liquid natural gas and fertiliser effectively blocked from passing through the Strait of Hormuz, while significant damage to facilities in the Gulf has halted production.

Even if the ceasefire holds and a peace deal is reached in time, analysts estimate it will take months to restart production and get supplies back to normal.

No immediate change to rising fuel prices

Despite today's plunging crude oil price, it remains higher than pre-war levels and drivers should not expect a significant drop in costs at the pump soon, says the RAC.

Its head of policy Simon Williams says there is still huge uncertainty for drivers, and their best hope is for pump prices to stop rising in the coming days.

But he says some smaller independent forecourts - which buy oil as it costs on the day rather than in advance at a set price - may be quicker to pass on reductions.

"Much will depend on the stability of the ceasefire, whether oil shipments can move freely through the Strait of Hormuz, and the longer‑term impact on oil production across the Gulf," he says.

He adds a sustained lower price - over several weeks - is needed to meaningfully lower wholesale fuel costs.

Rachel Winter, from the wealth management company Killik & Co, says it is difficult to predict how quickly costs at the pump might fall.

"I would expect it to take at least a few weeks, if not a few months," she told BBC Radio 4's Today Programme.

Meanwhile, jet fuel is roughly double its pre-war levels.

Willie Walsh, the boss of the International Air Transport Association (IATA), says even if traffic through the waterway resumes now, it will take months for supplies to reach the level they need to be at.

Passengers should expect higher ticket prices in the meantime, he says.

Some airlines have already hiked fares, while some have cut routes.

Even if jet fuel were able to flow through the strait, it still needs refining - and some facilities have been damaged, Winter adds.

Alan Gelder, senior vice-president of Refining, Chemicals and Oil Markets for energy analysts Wood Mackenzie, says the whole supply chain needs to return to normal, with ships getting to the right place and refineries resuming operation. That'll take "weeks, not days", he believes.

Food still expected to become more pricey

A third of the world's fertiliser usually passes through the Strait of Hormuz, and consequently prices have shot up in recent weeks.

It has already become more expensive to transport food across the UK, and for farmers to operate agricultural machinery powered by increasingly expensive diesel, while crop growers who use energy to warm their greenhouses will be facing hikes when the energy price cap resets in July.

The Food and Drink Federation, which represents thousands of UK manufacturers, says the ceasefire hasn't ended the "long‑term uncertainty".

Recovery to supply chains and energy infrastructure in the Gulf is expected to take between six months and a year, says Dr Liliana Danila, its chief economist.

"This means manufacturers will continue to feel the impact of supply chain disruptions for oil, gas, fertiliser, packaging materials and essential cleaning chemicals, keeping costs under strain for months to come."

Even if the conflict ends within the next two weeks, it expects UK food inflation to reach at least 9% before the end of the year.

Wholesale gas prices likely to stay high

So far, households under Ofgem's energy price cap have been shielded from the spike in wholesale energy prices.

The cap resets for three months in July, and we are more than halfway through the window the regulator uses to calculate the new price. Experts have been expecting a big jump at this point.

The government has promised support based on household income, but hinted this might not come until autumn.

Dr Craig Lowrey, principal consultant at Cornwall Insight, says a ceasefire eases some of the immediate pressure on gas markets but "does not wipe the slate clean".

If the strait opens and stays open this will ease prices and be reflected in the July price cap, he says, but adds: "Unless prices fall well below where they were before the conflict, the wholesale price rises seen through March and early April will still feed through to bills."

Lars Jensen from Vespucci Maritime says companies will want reassurances on how vessels can transit safely, and he doesn't believe the two-week pause will be enough to restore trust.

"We should see an increase in exiting vessels," he told Today.

"We will likely also begin to see a trickle of vessels going into the Gulf, but those two will not be of the same magnitude."

Aside from movement through the strait, Lowrey says damage to gas infrastructure in Qatar will take years to rebuild, meaning supply constraints will continue.

"As a result, even with a ceasefire, wholesale gas prices are likely to stay elevated for some time, limiting how far the July price cap can fall."

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Faisal Islam: Iran war pause is welcome but the economic scars will last

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c5yx4e9d8pdo, 4 days ago

For most of the past six weeks, we have brought you maps of a gummed-up Strait of Hormuz.

Approximately 800 ships are believed to have been stuck in the Gulf, many transporting oil and gas, and have been unable and unwilling to exit onto the open seas.

During that time, there has been a direct line from the world's biggest traffic jam to rising petrol and diesel prices, higher airfares and swelling mortgage rates around the globe.

Many countries are also dependent on these waters for significant supplies of other petrochemical products, made at the refineries in the region. These include jet fuel, diesel, fertiliser ingredients and industrial products such as helium, essential for microchip manufacture.

The good news is that the overnight ceasefire pauses any further escalation of the conflict, and provides a pathway for deescalation and peace.

This is why the markets have responded positively with 15% falls in the market price of oil and gas and a rally in stock markets.

However, there are many reasons for caution about the economic impact at this delicate moment.

There are different accounts about the basis for negotiations from Iran, the US, and Israel.

The test of this is whether face-to-face negotiations actually occur.

Then there is the physical situation in the Strait.

Will traffic flow freely as suggested by US President Donald Trump?

Or will it flow "via coordination with Iran's Armed Forces and with due considerations to technical limitations", as suggested by Iran's Foreign Minister?

This is vital, not just for oil and gas, but also jet fuel, sulphur, urea and diesel.

The longer the ceasefire, the more likely that any spike in inflation ebbs away in the coming months.

It also raises a fundamental question about any peace. Iran has now created a new reality in the Gulf.

It has established that it can control the key maritime chokepoint, even without a navy and an airforce. It had even begun to collect tolls.

Will this remain? Will the Gulf nations accept this?

The suggestion from Iran that it will now jointly coordinate control of the Strait with Oman is extraordinary.

Has the war turned the Strait of Hormuz into the world's most lucrative toll booth, with many ships paying million dollar transit fees?

Clearly none of this was on the cards before the war.

Global gas production will likely to be damaged for some years, following direct damage to infrastructure, mostly in Qatar.

It will take weeks to restart production and years for that production to be back to pre-war capacity.

There will need to be a sustained flow of liquified natural gas (LNG) tankers from the Gulf, from now until the summer to contain rises in bills, as Europe tries to refill its stocks of natural gas.

While a modest rise in UK domestic energy bills is almost certain in July, October's feared significant further rise could now be off.

If sustained, a lower spike in inflation would also help keep interest rates from rising.

The markets saw a significant decline in the effective interest rates paid by European governments, including in Britain.

The five-year gilt rate was down the equivalent of a quarter per cent rate cut.

This ceasefire will help pause the notable rise in fixed mortgage rates. If sustained, mortgage rates will start to come down again, here and around here world.

The economics of this war have always been a central factor, not a by-product.

The Iranians have established a form of global economic leverage in ths Strait, and demonstrated its use.

Much uncertainty remains about the underlying diplomacy. More remains about the impact on prices, interest rates and delicate growth.

Yesterday, events could have led to $200 a barrel for oil and all the other knock on effects as soon as this week. Now, it is possible to see a pathway back down to $60 to $70 a barrel, contained inflation, lower petrol prices and calmer interest rates.

So the absence of a further escalation is a definite relief for the global economy as finance ministers fly into Washington DC for key IMF meetings.

The depth of the scarring from this conflict, on gas supply, and on control of one of the world's key economic arteries, remains an open question.

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UK house prices fall as Iran war uncertainty dampens demand

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cj401ll8j5zo, 4 days ago

Average UK house prices fell by 0.5% in March, according to Halifax, as mortgage rates driven higher by the repercussions of the Iran war dampened demand.

The average property price is now £299,677 while annual growth has also slowed, the UK's biggest mortgage lender said.

The drop reverses a 0.3% rise in February before the beginning of the conflict which drove up energy costs, raising fears that inflation could climb and there would be no cuts to interest rates this year.

Mortgage rates have jumped and hundreds of the cheapest deals have disappeared over the last few weeks.

Last month saw the biggest daily withdrawal of deals since the disastrous mini-Budget in 2022 under the then Prime Minister Liz Truss.

But Halifax said the recent increase in mortgage rates had not been as sharp as four years ago.

Amanda Bryden, head of mortgages at Halifax, said: "The recent slowdown in the housing market reflects the wide uncertainty regarding the conflict in the Middle East.

"Concerns about higher energy prices have pushed up inflation expectations, which in turn led to a rise in mortgage rates, reducing confidence that interest rates will be cut this year and dampening the initial momentum in the market seen at the start of the year."

Oil prices have soared in the weeks since the US-Israel war with Iran began.

On Wednesday, Brent crude prices fell by 15% to $94 per barrel following plans for a conditional ceasefire between Washington and Tehran.

However, oil remains 30% more expensive than it was before the conflict began on 28 February, and there was no improvement in mortgage rates in the UK as a direct result of the ceasefire.

Interest rates on new, fixed-rate mortgages were expected to be heading down before the conflict began.

Instead, they have risen sharply. The average rate on a two-year deal was 4.83% at the start of March, but is now 5.90% - the highest since July 2024, according to the financial information service Moneyfacts.

Commenting on how long weaker demand might last, Bryden said it would "largely depend on how long‑lasting these pressures prove to be and the wider implications for the economy and unemployment".

Mortgage lenders are cautious, especially as the situation remains volatile.

"The longer the ceasefire holds and markets calm, the more the mortgage market will stabilise, and rates could even begin to edge lower," said Adam French, head of consumer finance at Moneyfacts.

"But for now, it's more likely to slow or pause increases rather than trigger any sharp falls."

Nicky Stevenson, managing director of Fine and Country estate agents, said that house prices were likely to be "choppy" from one month to the next, but "the bigger picture is still one of modest stability".

Inflation outlook

The UK inflation rate, which measures the pace of price rises, was 3% in the year to February as cheaper motor fuel offset the increased cost of clothing and footwear.

The Bank of England, which has a 2% inflation target, had hinted at cutting interest rates this year.

This would be good news for borrowers, as Bank of England rates influence the mortgage rates set by financial institutions.

However, since March, prices for petrol and diesel have jumped significantly to the highest since late 2022, according to the RAC motoring organisation.

When inflation is high, the Bank can raise interest rates to bring it down.

If borrowing is more expensive, people and businesses have less money to spend. People may also be encouraged to save more. In turn, this reduces demand for goods and slows price rises.

But it is a balancing act - increasing borrowing costs risks harming the economy.

Rachel Winter, a partner at wealth management company Killik & Co, told the BBC's Today programme the outlook for inflation was "possibly not as high" as it had been on Tuesday "because we now feel more optimistic about a deal".

But she said interest rates are unlikely to go down this year.

Music giant Universal gets $64bn takeover offer

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cz0ex432dmyo, 4 days ago

Universal Music Group, the entertainment giant behind acts such as Taylor Swift, Sabrina Carpenter and Kendrick Lamar, has received a takeover offer estimated to be worth $64.3bn (£48bn).

US investment company Pershing Square is offering to buy Universal in a merger that would see the new company listed in America, its billionaire chief executive Bill Ackman said.

As well as representing a huge list of artists, the world's largest music company also runs Abbey Road studios and owns labels such as EMI and Island Records.

Pershing Square, which already owns a stake in Universal, also has holdings in Google, Meta and Amazon, as well as Restaurant Brands International, which includes Burger King.

Universal said it had received Pershing's proposal and would assess its implications for shareholders, employees, artists, songwriters and other stakeholders.

The company's board also expressed full confidence in chief executive Sir Lucian Grainge, his management team and strategy.

Ackman said its management had "done an excellent job nurturing and continuing to build a world-class artist roster and generating strong business performance".

He said Universal had reshaped the industry to put artists at its centre, and had shown it could seize growth opportunities from artificial intelligence while protecting intellectual property.

But he said the company's stock price had "languished" due to issues unrelated to the performance of its music business, which could all be "addressed with this transaction".

Dan Coatsworth, head of markets at AJ Bell, said: "On paper, you might think is a money-making machine. In reality, it's not that simple."

Universal "is home to nine of the top 10 global recording artists of 2025", said Coatsworth but growth in the music streaming market had been slower than expected which matters "because Universal relies heavily on the likes of Spotify and Apple Music for royalty payments".

Global music revenues have been growing year-on-year as streaming subscriptions rescued the industry from a period of piracy and financial decline.

But a heated debate has been ongoing about how much these platforms pay out in royalties.

The industry is also battling a rise in deepfakes - songs by fraudsters impersonating its artists - which are created by AI and are flooding platforms.

In a letter to its board of directors on Tuesday, Ackman said Universal had "dramatically underperformed" compared with several key US and world stock indexes.

He blamed a variety of factors, including uncertainty around an 18% stake in Universal owned by Bolloré Group, the family conglomerate of billionaire Vincent Bolloré, as well as a recent decision to delay listing the company's shares on the New York Stock Exchange.

Universal is currently listed in Amsterdam but Ackman has long-campaigned for the company to float in the US.

Ackman became a high-profile supporter of Donald Trump in July 2024 during his bid for a second term in the Oval Office.

His intervention was seen as an important electoral endorsement of the now president from the business world.

Adrian Cheesley, a former senior vice president at Universal, said the company would be the only music major to be listed on the S&P 500 stock market index in the US if the move went ahead.

Commenting on Ackman's motives, Cheesley told BBC Radio 4's Today Programme he believed the billionaire investor was happy with the current management.

"I think this is about financial engineering, I don't think it's gonna affect the day-to-day running of the business," he said.

Universal's share price initially soared by nearly 30% after the offer emerged on Tuesday. By the afternoon, it was 10% ahead.

How music businesses earn revenue has changed as listeners switched to the likes of TikTok and Instagram.

In 2024 Universal threatened to pull its songs from TikTok, claiming the platform wasn't paying fair value for music, and it was also concerned about "protecting human artists from the harmful effects of AI, and online safety for TikTok's users".

Coatsworth said this dispute, while now settled, points to broader concerns around getting paid by social media networks.

Added to that, he said: "Cut-throat competition in the music business also doesn't help. Record labels must plough significant amounts into marketing to make their artists stand above the crowd, and that means Universal must constantly spend money to make money."

Music industry adviser Tony Rigg said a deal could be a "financial and strategic reset for Universal", but pointed out it was far from a failing business.

He said a "complex matrix" of factors could be behind the share price concerns, including the streaming industry, AI anxiety, royalties and the broader market conditions.

He continued: "These all affect market confidence, but I suspect a further issue is that the uncertainty is more external than internal: the market remains unsure how to value the future of the music industries and what the next phase of growth will look like."

Oil price fluctuates ahead of Trump's Iran deal deadline

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c20qv0w1j1do, 4 days ago

Global oil prices have fluctuated ahead of a deadline set by US President Donald Trump for Iran to open the key Strait of Hormuz shipping route.

The cost of benchmark Brent crude rose above $111 (£84) a barrel in early trade, bouncing around the $110-a-barrel-mark before settling at about $107.

On Monday, Trump threatened to take out Iran "in one night" if it failed to agree a deal with the US by 20:00 Washington DC time on Tuesday (00:00 GMT/01:00 BST Wednesday).

Oil and gas shipments from the Middle East have been severely disrupted as Tehran threatens to attack vessels trying to use the strait in retaliation for US and Israeli airstrikes since 28 February.

Speaking at the White House, Trump said that he believed "reasonable" leaders in Iran were negotiating in "good faith", but that the outcome was still uncertain.

Stock markets in the US opened lower and saw choppy trade, after he ramped up the threats on Tuesday morning.

"A whole civilization will die tonight, never to be brought back again. I don't want that to happen, but it probably will," he wrote on social media.

The Nasdaq closed about 0.1% higher, the S&P 500 ended the day flat and the Dow slipped about 0.2%.

Iran has so far rejected proposals for a temporary ceasefire, demanding a permanent end to the war and the lifting of sanctions against the country.

An initial rise in the price of oil on Tuesday suggests investors believe it may be harder than expected for the US to reach a deal due to Iran's hardline stance and that the war could be drawn out, said Ye Lin from research firm Rystad Energy.

Meanwhile, traders are also trying to work out whether Trump actually wants a deal or if he is "just putting up a smokescreen" while preparing for a larger attack, she said.

Tineke Frikkee, senior fund manager at W1M, said that even if there is an agreement to end the conflict soon it will take a while for any benefits to be felt economically.

"Oil flows could start coming through the Strait of Hormuz a bit quicker, but they will take some time to reach their destination," she told the BBC's Today programme.

"For other commodities, like liquid natural gas, for example, facilities have been turned off, so it will take three to four months to get them back online."

Ahead of Trump's deadline, some Asian countries have made deals with Iran to get their ships through the strait as their economies are heavily reliant on energy from the Gulf.

However, Frikkee said there are still many problems for oil supply because of the US-Israel war with Iran.

"The fact a ship can go through is great. But at what price? Insurance for a ship has gone up a lot, and lots of other countries are looking to have anything, so it kind of goes to the highest bidder," she said.

The ongoing issues from the conflict prompted Jamie Dimon, chief executive of US investment bank giant JPMorgan, to warn that global interest rates could rise as the conflict is set to push up inflation.

Ahead of Tuesday's deadline, the UK hosted a meeting of allied military planners and partners from more than 30 countries to discuss measures to secure the Strait of Hormuz once the conflict is over, with plans to host another.

Disruptions in the key shipping route has pushed up the price of energy around the world and raised concerns about higher inflation globally.

Around a fifth of the world's oil and gas shipments usually pass through the narrow waterway.

Major economies in Asia, including Japan and South Korea, have been particularly affected by the disruptions as they are heavily reliant on energy from the Middle East.

While some ships have used the strait in recent weeks it has been at a much lower volume than before the conflict.

Trump has also urged countries to send warships to the region to ensure more vessels can safely pass through the waterway.

Minimum wage: Who is getting a pay rise and how much is it?

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cy7e8mpdxpro, 5 days ago

The official minimum rates of pay rose for 2.7 million workers on 1 April.

The rate for workers aged 21 and over is called the National Living Wage, while those aged 18 to 20 are paid the National Minimum Wage.

The rates apply across the UK.

What is the National Living Wage, and how much is it worth?

From 1 April 2026, workers over 21 on the National Living Wage are paid £12.71 an hour, 50p more than in 2025.

For someone working full time (37.5 hours a week), that amounts to £24,784.50 a year - an increase of £900.

What is the National Minimum Wage and how much is it worth?

The rate for 18 to 20-year-olds has gone up to £10.85 an hour.

That's an increase of 85p per hour.

It amounts to an increase of £1,500 a year for a full-time worker.

The government said its goal is to eventually scrap this separate rate for 18 to 20-year-olds, and have one rate for all adults.

The minimum wage for 16 and 17-year-olds has also risen to £8 an hour.

What is the apprentice rate and how much is it worth?

There are different rates of pay for apprentices depending on their age and what stage of apprenticeship they are in.

Apprentices aged 16 to 18 are entitled to the National Minimum Wage rate for that age group which is currently £8.

Those aged 19, or in the first year of their apprenticeship, are paid the same amount.

But those over 19 - or who have already completed their first year - are entitled to the appropriate National Minimum Wage or National Living Wage rate for their age.

Who doesn't qualify for the National Minimum Wage and National Living Wage?

Some workers do not qualify for either the National Minimum Wage or the National Living Wage.

This includes the self-employed, company directors, volunteers, members of the armed forces and prisoners.

People with disabilities or in long-term unemployment who take part in government work programmes are paid fixed amounts at different stages of the scheme.

These are less than the equivalent National Minimum or Living rate.

Do employers have to pay the National Minimum Wage and National Living Wage?

Yes. It is a criminal offence for employers not to pay the correct National Minimum and Living Wages to eligible employees.

The rates apply even if workers are not paid by the hour.

If you think you are being paid the wrong amount, you can complain via the HMRC website.

You can also get advice from workplace experts Acas.

What happens if employers don't pay the right wage?

Any employer not paying the correct amount can be penalised by HMRC.

In March 2026, the government said that 389 employers had been fined around £12.6m for failing to pay staff properly.

They must also repay the missing £7.3m to the around 60,000 workers who were underpaid.

Firm named included the Nursery chain Busy Bees, Norwich City Football Club, Hays Travel and Costa Coffee.

What is the Real Living Wage and how much is it?

The Real Living Wage is an unofficial hourly rate of pay which is overseen by the Living Wage Foundation charity, who say it is set at a rate to meet the cost of living.

It increases every October.

Some firms choose to pay the Real Living Wage, but it is not mandatory.

According to the charity almost 500,000 employees working for more than 16,500 firms receive the voluntary rate of pay.

Since October 2025, workers in London on the Real Living Wage have earned at least £14.80 an hour - the London Living Wage.

In the rest of the UK, the rate is £13.45.

The Living Wage Foundation says the rate is worth £1,443 more per year than the legal minimum wage in the UK, and £4,076 more in London.

Price of first class stamp rises to £1.80

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c0mj4mkk94mo, 5 days ago

The price of stamps has risen again, as the postal service faces criticism for failing to hit delivery targets.

A first class stamp now costs £1.80 - an increase of 10p - while a second class letter has risen by 4p to 91p.

Royal Mail has said the increases are necessary because people are sending far fewer letters while the number of addresses continues to increase.

Many businesses and consumers are unhappy the price rise is going ahead despite the company's performance.

Just 77% of first class letters are being delivered within one working day against a target of 93%.

The latest rise is the eighth increase in five years, and comes at a time when Royal Mail is under growing pressure on several fronts.

In recent weeks, it has faced several complaints from MPs and the public about its letter service.

From next month business account holders also face some higher charges because the Iran war has increased the cost of energy.

It has increased its fuel surcharge by 5% for domestic services and 5.5% for international services from 3 May, saying the decision was not taken lightly.

A decade ago, a first class stamp cost 64p while a second class stamp was 55p. The latest price increase means a first class stamp is now almost three times more expensive than it was a decade ago.

Second class stamp prices are capped by industry regulator Ofcom, rising in line with inflation each year.

Announcing the latest rises last month, Royal Mail's managing director of letters, Richard Travers, said: "We always consider price changes very carefully, balancing affordability with the rising cost of delivering mail."

Dean Morris, who runs a greeting cards business, says delivery times have become slower and less consistent in the last few years.

The impact on his business has been more reputational than economic, he told BBC Breakfast, with customers chasing orders six to seven days after postage.

"Sometimes it feels that second class is literally the last thing that Royal Mail look at, in preference to parcels, but a lot of people use second class, a lot of online retailers use second class, because it is an affordable option for both us and the customer."

The jump in stamp prices over the past few years, together with Royal Mail's poor delivery performance, has angered many consumer groups.

The rise has been criticised by the charity Citizens Advice, which last month said price rises should be tied to performance.

In recent weeks, the Royal Mail has faced several complaints from MPs and the public about its letter service.

Last month, postal workers from across the UK told the BBC they were being asked to move or hide mail from senior bosses so it looked like delivery targets were being met.

The company said it took claims that posties were hiding letters "very seriously", adding 92% of letters were delivered on time.

March also saw Royal Mail bosses answer questions from MPs about the ongoing postal delays. Its owner, Daniel Křetínský, admitted the service was not perfect but said he had a plan to fix the situation.

That came after the chair of the Business and Trade Committee, Liam Byrne, said he was "very concerned" over reports of "significant failures" in Royal Mail's letter service.

In February, the committee wrote to Royal Mail asking for commitments to improve what it described as "chaos" in some postal areas since Christmas.

Trump's deadline looms but Asian nations already have deals with Iran

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c79jqx1xdy9o, 5 days ago

On Monday, US President Donald Trump threatened to take out Iran "in one night" if it failed to agree a deal by 20:00 Washington DC time on Tuesday (00:00GMT Wednesday) to reopen the Strait of Hormuz.

But even before his latest threat some countries had secured deals with Tehran for their vessels to use the key shipping route.

Asian nations - most recently the Philippines - have been particularly keen to reach agreements as their economies are heavily reliant on energy from the Gulf.

The critical route has become a global flashpoint after Tehran retaliated to US and Israeli airstrikes by threatening to attack ships in the strait.

Oil prices have surged since the disruption to shipping in the narrow waterway, through which a fifth of the world's energy shipments usually transits.

Last week, Trump said the US did not need the Gulf's oil. He has repeatedly urged countries reliant on the region's energy to send warships to the strait and to take the lead to ensure shipments can resume.

In recent weeks - several Asian countries including Pakistan, India and the Philippines - have made agreements with Tehran to let some ships pass through the strait safely. China has also acknowledged that their vessels have also used the channel.

Questions remain over the scope of these assurances and just how lasting these agreements with Iran will be.

We still don't know whether the guarantees apply only to some ships or all vessels flagged under a certain country, said Dimitris Maniatis from shipping consultancy Marisks.

Nevertheless, countries that need the Gulf's energy are now recognising that they must engage with Iran if they want to resume shipments, said Roc Shi from the University of Technology Sydney.

The fruits of diplomacy

The Philippines is the latest nation to strike a deal with Iran.

Iranian officials assured the "safe, unhindered and expeditious passage" for Philippines-flagged ships through the waterway, said Theresa Lazaro, the South East Asian country's foreign affairs secretary.

She said the agreement - reached after "a very productive phone conversation" with Tehran on Thursday - was "vital" in helping to ensure energy and fertiliser supplies.

The Philippines imports 98% of its oil from the Middle East and was the first country to declare a national energy emergency after petrol prices in the country more than doubled after the start of the Iran war.

There remains uncertainty over Tehran's claim that the strait is open to all countries except the US and its allies, said Roger Fouquet from the National University of Singapore's Energy Studies Institute.

The Philippines, often seen as a US ally, is an interesting case that could suggest that Iran is "willing to compartmentalise", he said.

"Iran appears to be distinguishing between a country's alliance and its active participation in the conflict."

Other countries have also held talks with Iran.

Pakistan announced on 28 March that Iran has agreed to let 20 of its ships pass through the Strait of Hormuz.

"This is a welcome and constructive gesture by Iran and deserves appreciation," said Pakistani Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar. "Dialogue, diplomacy and such confidence-building measures are the only way forward."

Iran has openly welcomed India-flagged ships crossing the strait.

"Our Indian friends are in safe hands, no worries," the Iranian Embassy in India posted on X last week.

The embassy was responding to another post by its offices in South Africa saying that "only Iran and Oman" will decide the future of the Strait of Hormuz.

India's foreign minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar told the Financial Times in March that the passage of its tankers was the result of diplomacy.

China, the biggest buyer of Iranian oil, also confirmed last week that some of its ships had crossed the strait, although it did not mention Iran or give more details on the vessels.

"Following coordination with relevant parties, three Chinese vessels recently transited the Strait of Hormuz. We express our gratitude to the relevant parties for the assistance provided," a foreign ministry spokeswoman told reporters.

Vessel-tracking data show that despite the war millions of barrels of US-sanctioned Iranian oil have been delivered to China in recent weeks.

Beijing holds friendly diplomatic ties with Tehran and has joined Pakistan in trying to broker a ceasefire between the US and Iran.

What we still don't know

It is uncertain under what conditions some ships have negotiated safe passage - and whether they paid to cross the strait.

Over the weekend, a Japanese vessel carrying liquefied natural gas passed through the Strait of Hormuz, shipping firm Mitsui OSK Lines told the BBC.

"The safety of the vessel and all crew members have been confirmed," said the company, without commenting on whether any tolls were paid and how the crew secured safe passage.

In March, Malaysia also said some of its tankers have been cleared by Tehran to pass through the strait, with Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim thanking Iran's president for facilitating the passage of its vessels.

Anthony Loke, Malaysia's transport minister, credited "good diplomatic relationship with the Iranian government", local media reported.

It is unclear if other Malaysian-flagged vessels will be granted the same assurances.

Roughly two-thirds of Malaysia's oil imports come from the Gulf.

The implications of these deals for other countries are still uncertain. For instance, whether other countries would switch their flags to those of countries being allowed to pass though.

Many tankers currently carry the flags of countries such as Panama and the Marshall Islands, which have not secured assurances of safe passage, Maniatis said.

Energy economist Shi noted, however, that while these agreements mark a "diplomatic breakthrough", it is not a resolution to the problem.

It is still unknown just how lasting these assurances will be and how military operations in the region will impact them, he said.

Oil prices choppy after expletive-laden Trump threat to Iran

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c8dl7g6e59eo, 5 days ago

Oil prices saw choppy trading on Monday after US President Donald Trump threatened to destroy critical infrastructure in Iran unless it allows ships to cross the Strait of Hormuz.

In remarks, Trump said the US would attack power plants and bridges unless the two sides reach a deal by late Tuesday US time, repeating a threat he made over the weekend on social media.

Brent crude rose above $110 (£83.38) a barrel after that post, then eased after a report of US-Iran talks over a potential ceasefire.

Oil and gas shipments from the Middle East have been severely disrupted as Tehran threatens to attack vessels that try to use the strait in retaliation for US and Israeli airstrikes since 28 February.

Iranian media have reported that leaders had so far rejected the terms of the ceasefire, pushing for a more lasting peace plan.

Trump on Monday said talks were making progress but Iran's counter-proposal was "not good enough".

"We have to have a deal that's acceptable to me and part of that deal is going to be, we want free traffic of oil," he said at a later press conference.

"They're negotiating, we think in good faith — we're going to find out," he added of the discussions.

Oil prices will remain volatile and swing with each headline of the war's escalation and easing, said Sushant Gupta from consultancy Wood Mackenzie.

The focus remains on whether energy shipments from the Gulf can resume to ease a supply shortage that has impacted countries around the world, he said.

Disruption to shipping in the Strait of Hormuz, through which a fifth of the world's energy shipments usually passes, has pushed up the price of energy around the world and raised concerns about higher inflation globally.

Oil prices rose above $100 a barrel last week after Trump intensified threats against Iran, warning that US airstrikes over the next few weeks would send the country "back to the Stone Ages".

Iranian attacks on oil facilities in the Gulf continued over the weekend.

Tehran claimed responsibility on Sunday for a wave of strikes on petrochemical plants in Kuwait, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates.

On Monday, the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) warned that its attacks against US economic interests would be intensified if civilian infrastructure in its country continues to be targeted.

On Sunday, Opec+ - which includes major oil‑producing members of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries like Saudi Arabia and Russia - agreed a small increase to crude output in May.

But the 206,000 barrels a day production hike will largely exist on paper only as several of the group's key members are unable to increase output due to the conflict.

Trump has postponed several deadlines for Iran to remove its threats against ships using the strait but repeated his demands in the strongly-worded Truth Social post.

The paragraph below contains very strong language.

Trump wrote on Sunday: "Tuesday will be Power Plant Day, and Bridge Day, all wrapped up in one, in Iran. There will be nothing like it!!! Open the Fuckin' Strait, you crazy bastards, or you'll be living in Hell - JUST WATCH! Praise be to Allah. President DONALD J. TRUMP".

A few hours later, in a post on the same platform he said: "Tuesday, 8:00 P.M. Eastern Time!"

Trump told Fox News there was a "good chance" an agreement would be reached on Monday, but said he was considering "blowing everything up and taking over the oil" if a deal was not reached soon.

Senior Iranian military officer Gen Ali Abdollahi Aliabadi dismissed an earlier Trump deadline, calling it "helpless, nervous, unbalanced and stupid", adding that "the gates of hell will open" for the US leader.

Great at gaming? US air traffic control wants you to apply

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/ce84rvx0e6do, yesterday

People adept at video games should consider taking jobs as air traffic controllers, the US government has said, as it tries to address a shortage of workers in the sector.

In a new ad campaign, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is explicitly calling for gamers to apply for jobs in air traffic control when its hiring window opens next week.

The Xbox one logo appears at the start of the video before dissolving into a montage that cuts between images of men playing various online computer games and people, including women, in air traffic control towers looking at their own computers.

"You've been training for this," the ad says.

The ad also highlights the salary on offer to controllers, saying it is $155,000 (£115,000) after three years of work.

US Transportation Secretary Sean P. Duffy said in a statement that the FAA had to adapt in order to reach the next generation of air traffic controllers.

The new strategy tapped into "a growing demographic of young adults who have many of the hard skills it takes to be a successful controller", he said.

The campaign echoes one launched in 2021 under the Biden administration, called "level up", a phrase used to describe making progress in electronic games.

The Biden-era push was also aimed at persuading gamers to fill vacant controller jobs.

Air traffic control is crucial to maintaining safety for aircraft going in and out of airports. Controllers monitor and direct aircraft to avoid collisions and other issues at, above and around airports. Guides to the profession suggest the job requires quick decision-making under pressure as well as technical expertise.

However vacancies for controllers have been a problem for years, with the shortfall projected to grow each year for the next several years, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

The FAA said last year that it would be considered fully staffed with 14,663 active controllers. It was at least 3,000 controllers short at the time and said twice that many controllers were expected to leave their roles by 2028.

Duffy said on Friday that staffing was currently at its highest level in six years, but did not provide specific numbers.

Nick Daniels, president of the National Air Traffic Controllers Association, a labour union that represents controllers, said unions supported the strategy of recruiting gamers to tackle the shortage.

"Our union welcomes innovative approaches to expanding the candidate pool, including outreach to individuals with high-level aptitude skills such as gamers, so long as all pathways maintain the rigorous standards required of this safety-critical profession," Daniels said.

The recruitment drive comes after several high-profile incidents involving aircraft and air traffic control.

In early 2025, an army helicopter ran into a passenger jet mid-air above Ronald Reagan Airport near Washington DC, killing 67 people. This year, an Air Canada flight crashed into an airport fire truck at La Guardia Airport in New York, killing two pilots.

Artemis crew home safely after completing historic mission to the Moon

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cr51z54d5rpo, today

The four astronauts who flew in Nasa's Artemis II mission around the Moon have splashed down safely in the Pacific Ocean after a flawless return.

The crew are now safely aboard a waiting ship and recovering from a nine-day voyage that took them further from Earth than any humans in history.

Their Orion spacecraft was travelling at more than 24,000mph (38,600km/h) when it hit the Earth's upper atmosphere and its heatshield was subjected to temperatures half as hot as found on the surface of the Sun.

Their safe return clears the way for the next stage of the Artemis programme, which aims to land humans on the lunar surface and eventually build a permanent base on the Moon.

The extreme heat meant the capsule, which the astronauts named Integrity, lost contact with mission control in Houston for six minutes during the descent.

There were cheers when Commander Reid Wiseman's voice was heard saying: "Houston, Integrity here. We hear you loud and clear."

The mission's moment of maximum jeopardy had passed, and soon the spacecraft's red-and-white parachutes opened and sent the capsule sailing majestically through the sky.

"Good main chutes!" the Nasa commentary enthused repeatedly, until the capsule hit the ocean for a perfect splashdown.

"A perfect bull's eye splashdown for Integrity and its four astronauts," Nasa commentator Rob Navias said moments after the landing.

The astronauts - Wiseman, pilot Victor Glover, mission specialist Christina Koch and Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen - were carefully extracted from the capsule and taken by helicopter to the USS John P Murtha, where they will undergo medical evaluations.

Nasa said they would be flown to Houston to be reunited with their families on Saturday.

As they waited on the ship's deck they could be seen smiling and chatting while posing for photos.

President Donald Trump welcomed them home and said the entire trip had been "spectacular", repeating an invitation for them to visit the White House.

Nasa has not yet confirmed when they will make their first public appearance.

At a press conference, Flight Director Rick Henfling said there had been a lot of anxiety but also a lot of confidence while bringing the Orion crew home.

"We all breathed a sigh of relief once the (capsule's) side hatch opened up," he said.

"The flight crew is happy and healthy and ready to come home to Houston."

Lori Glaze, acting associate administrator at Nasa, was full of praise for the astronauts.

She said the four were all individually impressive, but that she was proud of their "teamwork" and "camaraderie".

"I think they really brought an amazing sense of what we were trying to achieve," she added.

"It was a mission for all of humanity."

The Artemis II mission began its final descent at 19:33EDT (23:33GMT) when the European Space Agency-built service module - the cylinder of engines and solar panels that powered Orion throughout its lunar journey - detached.

Live pictures showed the capsule push gracefully away, homeward bound.

Next came the riskiest part, between re-entry into the Earth's atmosphere and splashdown.

The capsule's angle of approach had to be precise: too shallow and Orion might skip off the atmosphere like a stone off water; too steep and the heat would be damaging.

In the event, according to Nasa's TV coverage, the angle of attack was perfect and the capsule hit a narrow target of sky southeast of Hawaii as it headed for the Californian coast.

There had been concerns over the spacecraft's heatshield, which protects the capsule from the extreme heating as it slams into the thickest part of the atmosphere.

In the previous, uncrewed test flight of the Artemis system in 2022, the Orion capsule's shield suffered unexpected damage which raised questions about how hot the interior might get on a crewed mission, even though temperatures on Artemis I stayed within safe limits.

Engineers responded by changing the way the spacecraft re‑enters the atmosphere that simulations showed would reduce the thermal load on the shield. This mission was the first time that new return path has been tried in flight.

We'll have to wait for the full data to see how much the heating was reduced, but whatever the engineers decided clearly did its job of bringing the crew safely home.

Speaking at the press conference, Nasa associate administrator Anit Kshatriya contrasted the precision of that angle with the 250,000-mile journey to the Moon.

"The team hit it, that is not luck, it is 1,000 people doing their jobs," he said.

The Artemis programme aims to step up Moon exploration, land humans on the Moon for the first time since 1972, set up a permanent lunar base and aim for a crewed mission to Mars.

The next flight, Artemis III, has been redesigned under Nasa's new administrator Jared Isaacman to be an Earth-orbital mission to test rendezvous and docking with the SpaceX and Blue Origin lunar landers, and is pencilled in for mid-2027.

The first actual Moon landing - Artemis IV - is targeted for 2028, though there are doubts that target is achievable.

Today's homecoming does not put boots on the Moon. But it confirms the hardware works, the trajectory holds, and the people can take it.

The foundation has been laid. But the hardest part is yet to come.

OpenAI encourages firms to trial four-day weeks to adapt to AI era

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c8x71ejrp92o, 5 days ago

ChatGPT-maker OpenAI says employers should consider trialling a four-day work week as AI use and demand grows in the workplace.

Its "people-first" policy proposals set out a range of ideas to help society adjust to an AI era - something it says will bring benefits but also disruption to our lives and careers.

Among its suggestions were creating more work opportunities in people-facing sectors such as childcare, education and healthcare.

The company said its set of initial ideas - chiefly aimed at the US - aimed to prompt discussions about action needed as AI systems become more capable.

Rapid reductions in the time taken by AI tools to complete some tasks mean a transition to advanced AI is in sight, OpenAI said in its Industrial Policy for the Intelligence Age report.

"If progress continues, we can expect systems to be capable of carrying out projects that currently take people months," it added.

"This shift will reshape how organisations run, how knowledge is created, and how people find meaning and opportunity."

The company said to plan for this, firms should be incentivised to find "durable improvements in workers' benefits" - such as by piloting four-day work weeks with no loss in pay.

Businesses could also increase retirement contributions, cover more healthcare costs and subsidise childcare, OpenAI said.

According to Prof Gina Neff, of the University of Cambridge's Minderoo Centre for Technology and Democracy, the idea of paying workers for efficiency gains from revolutionary tech is not new.

But "the difference now is that OpenAI wants other companies to pay workers more while also paying them for subscriptions to their services," she told BBC News.

"The ideas in this policy report might work, but doing so will take a complete change in the political headwinds to shift the balance between labour and capital like OpenAI is asking for," Neff added.

It comes after warnings that the rise of increasingly capable AI tools could displace people from jobs.

Bank of England governor Andrew Bailey said in December such displacement could mirror that seen during the Industrial Revolution.

However, others have said the impact of AI may be felt much later than tech firms predict.

Public wealth fund

This is not the first time a large AI company has set out its vision for social or economic changes needed to manage increased use and demands of the tech.

Some of OpenAI's suggestions, such as creating a "public wealth fund" to give citizens a stake in AI-driven economic growth, mirror a set of policy ideas published by rival firm Anthropic in October.

This said workers and students should be equipped with skills needed for emerging jobs, and planning processes should be revised to allow for more energy and computing infrastructure.

More broadly, firms have ploughed ahead with AI development - including of "superintelligence" they believe could outsmart humans - while warning of its detrimental impact to some areas of society.

But some also believe the tech's impact has been overstated, saying it may be years before any transformational effect on jobs, productivity and the economy is seen.

Adam Slater, lead economist at Oxford Economics, wrote in a recent research note that many scenarios regarding AI's transformative growth "rely on optimistic modelling assumptions about micro-productivity gains and the pace of AI adoption, or on AI sharply raising the rate of generation of new ideas".

He added while past periods of technological change and advance showed potential for large productivity gains, these "can take decades to materialise and can also tail off surprisingly quickly".

I shed my dad bod - but a health company stole my photos to promote its business

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c705jy13yp9o, today

Bodybuilder Sion Monty was left shocked after a health company used his photos to promote its wellbeing programme.

After gaining five stone (31kg) following the birth of his son, he shed his "dad bod" and documented his journey online, gaining 240,000 followers on Instagram.

Sion, 38, challenged Longevity Wellness Clinic after it used his photos, and was left even more angry when it falsely claimed one of its trainers had worked with him.

After being contacted by the BBC, the company removed the images and apologised to Sion, adding that the trainer who supplied the images had lost their job.

"It was very frustrating to see because obviously I have my own journey and story all behind that transformation," Sion said.

"So obviously to see that this person had been using my photo to sell his well-being programmes, they kind of took away the credibility of my story."

Sion, 38, from Porthmadog, Gwynedd, began his fitness journey in 2013 after his first year at university in Liverpool.

Returning home, he was shocked when someone made a jibe about his weight.

This was the spur for him joining a gym, which became a life-changing moment.

"[I] actually fell in love with fitness and the gym," he added.

"I knew from that moment on, like that's what I wanted to do."

Sion went on to qualify as a nutritionist and then opened his own gym.

But while he was helping other people shed weight and get healthy, his own fitness got put on the backburner.

It was only after the birth of his son in 2018, and putting on five stone, he decided he had to take action again.

His family had a picture taken in a photo booth, and he said: "I couldn't believe it was me [in the image].

"I was a fitness coach, a gym owner and I was overweight and it did not make sense.

"I was putting weight on because I had been covering myself with like hoodies and everything.

"I didn't want my son to grow up and look back on photos and I'm there overweight and stuff, so I just made that decision to get myself in shape."

Determined to get rid of his "dad bod", Sion decided to transform his health, documenting his journey on YouTube and Instagram.

As he shed the weight, going from 98kg (15st 4lb) to 80kg (12st 6lb), he grew his following.

It was at this point he posted a before-and-after picture to his 240,000 followers on Instagram.

Sion was shocked when it soon appeared on the Longevity Wellness Clinic website.

"They sell wellbeing programmes for $35,000 (£26,000) and they are using my photos to sell these programmes, but I have never done anything with them before," Sion explained.

"I've never met him [the Longevity employee who used his photo], never used his services."

He said when he first contacted them, they claimed one of their trainers helped him.

"This is not the first time this has happened to me and I'm sure there are many people doing it to make money," added Sion.

"It's unfair to those who really do the work and try to help people."

After being contacted by the BBC, Longevity Wellness Clinic apologised for the fact the photo had been used in the first place, and also that there had been a delay in it being taken down from its website.

A spokesperson for the company said: "We requested the agency managing our website to remove the pictures, and they confirmed the deletion.

"Perhaps the propagation of the changes takes up to 24 hours and we did apologise regarding the mistake."

TikTok vicar sends out Bibles for free

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c8r40kng3gzo, today

A vicar has sent out more than 3,140 free Bibles on request after an impromptu offer he made on TikTok blew up his inbox.

In May last year, the Reverend David Sims from St Thomas Church in Aldridge, Walsall, put out "a ridiculous video" offering free Bibles to anyone who asked.

"I made up a little song which was, if you want a Bible, message me for a free one," he said.

He woke up the next morning to find himself inundated by requests. "I think I had about 500 messages overnight," he said. "It had tens of thousands of views. It just went on like that for a good few weeks."

Keen to not turn anyone away, his church sprang into action.

"We started doing a weekly Bible packing party every Monday morning," Sims said, adding the books are blessed as they are packed.

Volunteers dispatch them with a handwritten note and a booklet pointing recipients towards their closest Alpha or introduction to Christianity course.

While the church paid for some of the books, the volume of requests made it necessary to start a crowdfunding page, which has raised more than £10,500 in just under a year.

The vicar has had requests from as far afield as Africa and Asia, and although finances do not allow to him to respond to requests from abroad, he will try and link those users to local churches.

While each Bible costs around £3-£4 to source, it is important to him that they are of good quality.

"If this is the first Bible someone gets, we want them to feel valued and we want them to have a good gift from us," he said.

Sims receives scores of messages of thanks, with some particularly memorable.

"One I had was saying, 'my Bible arrived on the day of my mother's funeral and that means so much to me'. This person was really searching in the midst of grief."

He believes something is "stirring", and more people are becoming interested in faith and spirituality.

"I just think it's really exciting. I think the assumption is that the bible is outdated and Christianity is dusty and church is boring," he said.

"But that's just not what I'm seeing."

The vicar started using TikTok during lockdown and has since seen his account praised by MPs, but said he did not start with a clear strategy.

"I just did it because a friend of mine said you'll be good on TikTok as you're good at doing silly things," he said.

He now does a TikTok church each Sunday, "ask me anything" sessions, and enjoys clerical debates with other users.

"To begin with, I didn't really know what I was doing," he said. "I think now my aim on TikTok is just really to tell people about Jesus and if they end up at a church that's great.

"I'm not going on there to advertise St Thomas's church ministry. It's not about that.

"I go on there shamelessly to plug Jesus."

Follow BBC Birmingham on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.

Data centre pause 'reflects national challenges'

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cly9zyg29p3o, today

The pausing of a scheme to create a data centre aimed at boosting the country's AI infrastructure is "disappointing" but "reflects national challenges around energy pricing", local political chiefs say.

ChatGPT-maker OpenAI announced on Thursday it was halting its Stargate UK scheme, which would have included the data centre at Cobalt Park in North Tyneside among a wider £31bn technology agreement.

It cited concerns about high energy costs and regulation, saying it would only move forward when the "right conditions" could "enable long-term infrastructure investment".

The North East Combined Authority (Neca) said the region remained "open for business".

When the data centre project was announced last September, OpenAI said it would help strengthen the UK's "sovereign compute capabilities" and bolster its native AI development.

'Strong assets'

North East mayor Kim McGuinness, of Labour, was approached for comment but was unavailable.

Instead, a spokesperson for Neca told the BBC political leaders retained a focus on securing jobs and investment.

"It is disappointing news that this is on hold, but it reflects national challenges around energy pricing and regulatory certainty rather than the strength or ambition of our region.

"However, we will continue to work with government to explore ways to remove the barriers and ensure this can move forward.

"The North East remains one of the UK's designated AI Growth Zones, with strong assets in power, land, skills and applied innovation, and our direction has not changed."

US reliance 'too great'

MP Chi Onwurah, chair of the Science and Technology Committee, had earlier described the news as a "blow".

Speaking to BBC Radio 4's Today programme on Friday, Onwurah, who represents the Newcastle Central and West constituency within a few miles of the Cobalt Park site, said the plan had been "very long on ambition and short on detail" when it was announced in September to tie in with President Donald Trump's state visit.

She said while she backed the government's move to use AI and technology innovation as "key drivers of economic growth", she believed the country's dependency on US investment was "too great".

Onwurah said the Labour government had "already moved to reduce energy costs for energy-intensive industries such as AI" but more needed to be done.

However, she added "there are certainly some problems in the Open AI business model, and also the energy spike as a consequence of the Iran war is a global energy increase".

Following the announcement on Thursday, a government spokesperson said the UK's AI sector had attracted more than £100bn in private investment since Labour came into office, and this was delivering jobs and opportunities for workers.

Follow BBC North East on X, Facebook, Nextdoor and Instagram.

'We all deserve a voice in how AI is used'

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c1mk84legnno, yesterday

A grandmother-of-three who had never used artificial intelligence (AI) is now one of the champions behind a new awareness campaign.

Margaret Colling, from Morecambe in Lancashire, said joining a four-day a course about the technology was the start of her "amazing AI adventure".

The retired librarian said she learnt about AI being used to make decisions about people's benefits and healthcare, to scam emails and how her grandchildren used it for schoolwork through the Let's Talk AI campaign.

Project leader, Dr Susan Oman, said: "Concern is growing with AI, but so are people's hopes for how it will change our lives for the better."

'Losing our common sense'

Dr Oman, from the University of Sheffield, said fake news and videos "are getting harder to spot, so we're pushing for labels saying what's AI generated and what isn't".

"But crucially it's about getting people to stop and think 'does this really feel real?'.

"We're losing our common sense as we get caught up in this endless stream of content and Let's Talk AI is trying to raise our baseline awareness."

She said the campaign was "meant to raise people's awareness of both the pros of AI and the cons of AI and how to know when we're using it and when it's being used on us".

Her team spent six months "talking to people up and down the country finding out what they want to know about AI" which followed a year-long project speaking to thousands of people to try and understand "what their hopes and fears are".

Ms Colling said she came back from the course "and realised that everyone around me knew as little as I'd known before I went" about artificial intelligence.

"As a former librarian I've always believed information should be for everyone, and right now when it comes to AI, it isn't," she told BBC Radio Lancashire.

"What frustrates me most is that there is information out there, but it's all wrapped up in jargon.

"No one is explaining any of this to ordinary people.

"We're all affected by AI so we all deserve a voice in how it's used."

Listen to the best of BBC Radio Lancashire on Sounds and follow BBC Lancashire on Facebook, X and Instagram. You can also send story ideas via Whatsapp to 0808 100 2230.

Dancer with MND performs on stage again through digital avatar

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cgqkz5lzvnwo, yesterday

A ballerina with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) says she was able to dance again after her brainwaves were used to power an avatar live on-stage in Amsterdam.

Breanna Olson, a mother of three, found out two and a half years ago she had ALS, the most common form of motor neurone disease (MND) and which, with no known cure, weakens muscles and over time affects speech, swallowing and breathing.

However, using sensors to measure the electrical activity transmitted from her brain, her motor signals could be converted into an digital avatar.

In an interview with BBC News, Breanna said it was "exhilarating" and "magical" to see herself, in virtual form, take to the stage again.

Breanna lives in Tacoma, Washington state, in the US and has trained in ballet, contemporary, and jazz dance since childhood.

MND affects nerves in the brain and spinal cord, controlling muscle movement. As these weaken and stiffen over time it can affect walking, talking, eating and breathing.

"I never dreamed that I would be able to dance on stage again," she said.

"It was just a beautiful and memorable moment I will remember for the rest of my life."

The performance, held at the OBA Theatre in Amsterdam in December, was described at the time as the "first of its kind".

It saw Breanna use an electroencephalogram (or EEG) headset, developed by Japanese tech firm Dentsu Lab in collaboration with data company NTT, to capture her brain activity and specific motor signals associated with imagining certain dance movements.

A brainwave interface translating these signals into computer instructions then allowed her to convey which of these movements she wanted her mixed-reality avatar to dance in real-time.

It forms part of a wider landscape in which scientists are exploring technological solutions to help people with deterioration of physical or mental abilities enjoy their hobbies and participate in physical environments.

Noland Arbaugh, the first human to receive a brain chip implant by Elon Musk's Neuralink, previously told the BBC the device has allowed him to play games again.

Meanwhile 58-year-old Yvonne Johnson, who has MND, recently said AI voice tools had helped her to regain a part of her identity.

Breanna said after exploring solutions allowing her to determine the movements of a dancing avatar, she believes such technology "definitely has a place for those with disabilities".

'A new way of expression'

Breanna told the BBC she got to know the "unique" but "quite challenging" technology during the project.

"You have to isolate your muscles and the noise around you... and really focus inward," she said.

But despite its challenges, Breanna said the experience had helped re-establish a sense of expression and connection eroded by her condition.

"This is a new way of expression," she said. "To be able to move in a new way and a different way is just freeing."

The project, called Waves of Will, is part of a wider initiative which aims to explore how innovation and technology can help restore personal expression, identity and participation for those living with motor-degenerative diseases such as ALS.

"There are many brainwave technologies and research all over the world, but most of them are very expensive and not accessible to everyone," Dentsu Lab chief creative officer Naoki Tanaka told the BBC.

"This is exactly why we started Waves of Will - to make a new brainwave interface."

Mariko Nakamura of NTT said she believed the tech could be developed for other devices like wheelchairs or remote controls.

Breanna also wants to leave her mark on the world, telling the BBC she wants to be able to help others with ALS and give them "hope".

Her experience, she said, has shown her just how powerful the mind can be.

"We can do more than we think we can," she said.

India proposes new rules to regulate news and political posts on social media

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/ce9mx2j3xlxo, 2 days ago

The Indian government has proposed changes to extend its regulatory framework to a wider range of online news voices, including influencers and podcasters on platforms such as Facebook, YouTube and X.

Last week, the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) suggested amendments to India's IT rules - which govern digital media content - to include "users who are not publishers" who share content related to "news and current affairs" within a "code of ethics" it currently applies to registered news publishers.

Experts say this will potentially give the government more power over news-related posts shared by ordinary users, including independent journalists and podcasters.

The government has proposed requiring social media platforms to follow orders and guidelines if they want to keep "safe harbour" protection - legal immunity from liability for content posted by users.

The proposed amendments have alarmed digital rights activists and independent news creators, who say they could enforce near-total compliance with state-led censorship on social media platforms. They also warn the rules could be misused to target critics and clamp down on dissent.

The government says the amendments will strengthen existing IT rules and curb fake news, hate speech and deepfakes, and has invited public feedback by 14 April.

But critics remain sceptical of the government's stated intentions.

Akash Banerjee, who runs the YouTube channel The Deshbhakt with more than six million subscribers, says the rules could create a climate of fear, pushing many creators toward self-censorship.

"Interestingly, despite the many laws regulating online content, hate speech and fake news haven't reduced in the country. Meanwhile, posts that are critical of the government - even if they're satirical - are increasingly being blocked or removed," Banerjee says. The authorities reject the charge.

But last month, X blocked about a dozen accounts, many known for satirical posts about the government, acting on orders issued under Section 69A of India's IT Act.

Kumar Nayan, whose X account @Nehr_who? has about 242,000 followers, told the BBC he received neither prior notice nor an explanation for the block.

Nayan said his account was restored this week by a court order, but 10 posts remain blocked in India pending review by a government-appointed panel. The BBC has seen the posts, all of which either mock Prime Minister Narendra Modi or criticise his Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government.

"No reasonable person will say that these posts threaten the nation's security or disturb communal harmony. They are just funny posts, so why does the government want them taken down? Nayan asks.

He added that by challenging the order in court, his identity is now public, raising concerns about his safety.

"I have lost the anonymity offered by social media, which is a double-edged sword but also shields whistleblowers and critics from threats and harassment," he says.

Nayan has moved home since his identity became public.

The BBC has shared a list of questions with MeitY.

Meanwhile, a recent US government report noted that since 2021, US social media firms had been subjected to an "increasing number of takedown requests for content and user accounts related to issues that appear politically motivated".

Nikhil Pahwa, a digital rights activist, says the proposed amendments to the IT rules only strengthen the government's existing "infrastructure for mass censorship".

In an article co-authored with Apar Gupta, founder of the Internet Freedom Foundation, in the Times of India newspaper, Pahwa traces how successive amendments to the IT rules - introduced in 2021 - have expanded the government's control over online content and diminished users' rights.

A 2021 amendment brought digital news outlets under government oversight, while a 2025 change strengthened the federal home ministry's Sahyog portal - a centralised platform that allows a number of agencies to issue takedown notices to social media companies with limited transparency and fewer safeguards, say the authors.

This portal functions as a parallel mechanism for removing content, distinct from the blocking powers granted to the federal government under Section 69A of the IT Act.

The IT rules were amended yet again in early 2026, where the window for social media firms to comply with government blocking orders was reduced from 36 to three hours, severely reducing the scope for legal review.

"Keen to preserve market access in India, platforms comply. Citizens whose speech is restricted receive no notice, no hearings, no reasons, and neither government nor platforms can be held to account by a legal system being outpaced by regulatory agility," Pahwa writes.

MeitY Secretary S Krishnan has defended the IT rules and the recently proposed changes saying that guidelines issued by his ministry are in keeping with the law and the Constitution.

He told the BBC that there "needed to be a common policy or common framework" to govern news and current affairs' content as such content is no longer shared only by news publishers but also ordinary citizens.

Sandeep Singh, whose X account @ActivistSandeep (with 100,000+ followers) was among those blocked in March, says he began posting critical views after feeling mainstream media was "biased" in favour of the BJP.

Singh's X account remained blocked in India at the time of writing this article.

"I stand for the truth and blocking my accounts or posts will not stop me from continuing speaking truth to power," Singh told the BBC.

Nayan says that while he has the means to challenge the blocking orders in court, not every person will be willing to go to such lengths to have their content restored.

"In a democracy, people should have the liberty to post what they want, with certain limitations of course, without fear. India is a democracy, so why has it become so difficult to do so?" he says.

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

OpenAI pauses UK data centre deal over energy costs and regulation

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/clyd032ej70o, 2 days ago

ChatGPT-maker OpenAI is pausing a multi-billion pound UK data centre project aimed at boosting its AI infrastructure, citing concerns about high energy costs and regulation.

Its project, dubbed Stargate UK, included a large data centre in north-east England and making thousands of powerful chips for AI development available as part of a partnership with tech firms Nvidia and Nscale.

The agreement came alongside a wider £31bn package of UK tech investment, lauded as a sign of the country's potential to become an "AI superpower".

But an OpenAI spokesperson said on Thursday it would only move forward with Stargate UK when the "right conditions" could "enable long-term infrastructure investment".

"We see huge potential for the UK's AI future. London is home to our largest international research hub, and we support the government's ambition to be an AI leader," an OpenAI spokesperson said in a statement.

"AI compute is foundational to that goal - we continue to explore Stargate UK and will move forward when the right conditions such as regulation and the cost of energy enable long-term infrastructure investment," they added.

OpenAI said when announcing its UK data centre project in September it would help strengthen the UK's "sovereign compute capabilities" and bolster its native AI development.

"This will help power the UK's future economy, boost its global competitiveness and deliver on the country's national AI Opportunities Action Plan," the company wrote.

Stargate UK, based at Cobalt Park, North Tyneside, was much smaller than OpenAI's US-based Stargate project - which committed a $500bn investment over four years to build new AI infrastructure.

But its announcement on Thursday comes as a potential blow to the government, which has championed home-grown tech and AI development as a way to bolster economic growth.

Technology secretary Liz Kendall said in a speech in January that the UK's AI sector had grown 23 times faster than the economy as a whole.

A government spokesperson said the UK's AI sector had attracted more than £100bn in private investment since the government came into office, and this was delivering jobs and opportunities for workers.

"Our focus is on continuing to create the right conditions for investment in the UK's AI and data centre infrastructure.

"We are continuing to work with OpenAI and other leading AI companies to strengthen UK compute capacity."

OpenAI added in its statement it would continue to invest in talent and expanding its presence in the UK, alongside delivering on commitments set out with the government about deploying powerful AI systems in UK public services.

How big tech does business

The reasons given by the US tech giant are energy costs and regulation issues: but the reality is neither are particularly new.

Even before the Iran war sent costs soaring, Britain's energy prices had long been significantly higher than in the US.

And the UK's regulatory approach to AI has not changed much either.

However, OpenAI's move also reflects how big tech does big business.

Earlier this week, the company outlined a set of "initial" policy ideas which included incentivising workers in the era of more powerful, capable AI systems with a four-day week on full pay - something it described as an "efficiency dividend".

The BBC understands concerns about the UK's regulatory environment include uncertainty over whether it would change the law to allow AI firms to train their systems using copyrighted works.

It had previously been set to make this an "opt out" decision for creators - something that would have made it easier for AI firms to use copyrighted works to develop their systems.

But it angered artists, including some household names like Sir Elton John.

Correction: an earlier version of this article said the data centre was located in Northumberland. It has been updated as the data centre is in North Tyneside.

Amazon to end support for older Kindles, prompting user outcry

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c98k91yy4z4o, 3 days ago

Amazon has told owners it will soon stop supporting older Kindle models - a move which has left some users outraged.

In emails from the tech giant, affected users were thanked for being a "longtime Kindle customer" but told devices released during or before 2012 would no longer receive updates from 20 May.

The move will mean owners of older Kindles, including its earliest models such as the Kindle Touch and some Kindle Fire tablets, will be unable to download new e-books.

Amazon said it has supported affected models for years and their active users have been offered discounts to help "transition to newer devices", but some have criticised it for making up to two million devices "obsolete".

"I have a Kindle Touch that I've had since 2013, it works great, I bought a book on it a few months ago, and suddenly it's obsolete," one X user wrote in a post tagging Amazon.

Another frustrated user described the Kindle as "probably one of the most low-tech devices ever made" and queried why Amazon was discontinuing its support for it.

"A Kindle is a text device! There is no need for updates."

Devices affected

In a statement, an Amazon spokesperson said: "Starting May 20, 2026, customers using Kindle and Kindle Fire devices released in 2012 and earlier will no longer be able to purchase, borrow, or download new content via the Kindle Store.

"These models have been supported for at least 14 years—some as long as 18 years—but technology has come a long way in that time, and these devices will no longer be supported moving forward."

It says the affected Kindle models are:

* Kindle: Kindle 1st Generation (2007), Kindle DX and DX Graphite (2009 and 2010), Kindle Keyboard (2010), Kindle 4 (2011), Kindle Touch (2011), Kindle 5 (2012), and Kindle Paperwhite 1st Generation (2012)

* Kindle Fire Tablets: Kindle Fire 1st Gen (2011), Kindle Fire 2nd Gen (2012), Kindle Fire HD 7 (2012), Kindle Fire HD 8.9 (2012)

Users will still be able to read e-books they have already downloaded, and their accounts and their Kindle Library will remain accessible on its mobile and desktop app.

Amazon also warned performing a factory reset on affected Kindles will make them unusable.

Kay Aaronricks, 46, told the BBC she was surprised by Amazon's announcement - and by the sadness that came with the thought of potentially losing full use of her 14-year-old Kindle.

"It does show how much of a part that Kindle plays in my life," she said, adding it had allowed her to "take all of my books with me" when working and travelling.

"I love paper books like anyone does, but the Kindle is more practical," Kay added.

Kay said she was also concerned about the presence of adverts on some newer, discounted Kindle devices, and how these might alter the reading experience.

"It's about taking yourself away from reality and disconnecting from advertising, marketing, social media, all those other things that we're surrounded with in life," she said.

E-waste concerns

Tech industry analyst Paolo Pescatore said while Amazon's move may frustrate owners of models which still work, the decision was "understandable from a security and support perspective".

"The challenge is that these devices were built for a different era and are not equipped to run newer, more data-hungry services and features," he told the BBC, adding "ageing hardware" can also pose problems.

But Pescatore said older devices losing the ability to connect to newer products and services can also "turn a once seamless device into a far more limited offline tool".

Ugo Vallauri, co-director of the Restart Project, which encourages repair of electronics, said manufacturers' promises of newer devices offering better performance, when ceasing support for older products, has been seen before.

"However, that's hardly a good reason for soft-bricking millions of still functioning devices."

Vallauri added while the company has said the change would only affect 3% of current users, "this could amount to 2 million devices rendered obsolete according to some estimates, potentially generating over 624 tons of e-waste".

Additional reporting by James Kelly

Greece to ban social media for under-15s from next year

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/ckgx1x742x5o, 4 days ago

Greece has announced plans to ban access to social media for under-15s, becoming the latest European country to restrict children's exposure to online platforms.

Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said the move was aimed at tackling rising anxiety and sleep problems among young people, as well as what he described as the "addictive design" of social media.

The restriction will come into force from January of next year.

In December Australia became the first country in the world to require TikTok, YouTube, Snapchat and other top sites to remove accounts held by under-16s, or face heavy fines. France, Austria and Spain are among a growing number of nations pursuing similar curbs.

The UK government has launched a consultation on whether to implement a ban for under-16s, while Ireland and Denmark are considering similar measures.

Social media companies argue that blanket bans will be ineffective, difficult to enforce and could isolate vulnerable teenagers. Reddit is challenging Australia's law in court.

In a video message posted on TikTok on Wednesday, Mitsotakis said: "Many young people tell me they feel exhausted from comparisons, from comments, from the pressure to always be online."

He said he had spoken with parents who said their children do not sleep well, are anxious and are always on their phones.

Calling the planned restriction "difficult but necessary", he said the government's goal was not to distance young people from technology which "can be a source of inspiration, knowledge and creativity".

"But the addictive design of certain applications, and a business model based on capturing your attention - on how long you stay in front of a screen - takes away your innocence and your freedom. That has to stop somewhere."

Further details of the regulatory framework to enforce the ban will be outlined later on Wednesday.

Mitsotakis also said Greece would push for action at a European level. In a letter addressed to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, he called for a common EU framework to "complement and reinforce the necessary national initiatives for the protection of minors".

His proposals include mandatory age verification for under-15s across all platforms, a pan-European ban for that age group, and a requirement for platforms to re-check users' ages every six months.

The debate over children's use of social media has intensified in recent months, triggered by increasing evidence of the damaging effect it can have on mental health.

In March, Meta and YouTube were found liable in a landmark US trial over a woman's childhood addiction to social media.

Jurors concluded that Meta, which owns Instagram, Facebook and WhatsApp, and Google, the parent company of YouTube, had intentionally built addictive social media platforms that harmed her mental health.

Meta and Google said they disagreed with the verdict and intended to appeal.

Meta said: "Teen mental health is profoundly complex and cannot be linked to a single app."

Brit says he is not elusive Bitcoin creator named by New York Times

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cgrl4l1y9yxo, 4 days ago

A British Bitcoin entrepreneur has told the BBC he is not the digital currency's mysterious inventor after a New York Times article named him as its creator.

Adam Back, a prominent Bitcoin developer, said the high-profile investigation was a case of "confirmation bias" and that he is not the person known as Satoshi Nakamoto.

The true identity of Satoshi Nakamoto is one of the internet's most enduring mysteries and Back has been accused of being Satoshi many times before.

But Back told the BBC on X: "I'm not satoshi, but I was early in laser focus on the positive societal implications of cryptography, online privacy and electronic cash."

In John Carreyrou's lengthy New York Times article, Back's emails and online posts are compared to those of Satoshi with striking similarities.

An analysis of Back's online activity also matches up with that of Satoshi's disappearance shortly after Bitcoin's white paper - the manifesto outlining its philosophy - was published online.

On X, Back addressed the New York Times' assertion that he was absent on Bitcoin forums at the time when Satoshi was most active and then came back once Satoshi had vanished - saying he actually "did a lot of yakking" on the forums at the time.

He said the rest of the New York Times evidence is "a combination of coincidence and similar phrases from people with similar experience and interests".

The intrigue around Satoshi is not just due to the mystery of their identity, but because of the enormous wealth they have accumulated.

If they still have control of their Bitcoin wallet which mined the first ever Bitcoins, it would be worth around $70bn today - meaning Satoshi would be one of the richest people in the world.

Satoshi's stash of more than a million Bitcoins represents 5% of all the currency, as the inventor decided there would only ever be 21 million coins created.

On X, Back joked that, in fact, he didn't have enough Bitcoin.

"Kicking myself for not mining in anger in 2009," he posted.

This is not the first time someone has been "unveiled" as the inventor of Bitcoin.

In 2024, an HBO documentary named Canadian crypto expert Peter Todd as Satoshi.

Todd said it was "ludicrous" and has since supplied evidence that reduces the likelihood.

The same year, a press conference was held in London by British man Stephen Mollah where he claimed to be Satoshi, but his claim was largely ignored.

Other individuals from the computing and tech world have been previously tipped as the cryptocurrency's creator.

In 2014, a high-profile article in Newsweek identified Dorian Nakamoto, a Japanese-American man living in California as Satoshi.

But he denied it and the claim has largely been debunked.

In 2015, Wired and Gizmodo published an investigation that pointed to Australian computer scientist Craig Wright.

Soon after, Wright declared in interviews with outlets, including the BBC, that he was indeed Satoshi and showed apparent proof.

But his claims were disregarded by the community and after years of claiming to be the inventor, a UK High Court judge ruled he was not Satoshi.

Back was one of the witnesses in the hearings that gave evidence against Wright's claims.

For some of the most prominent voices in Bitcoin, keeping Satoshi's identity secret is a part of the appeal and power of the decentralised cryptocurrency.

Back posted on X that he didn't know who Satoshi is and "I think it is good for bitcoin."

How Irish engineers are cashing in on AI boom

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c80m37382e2o, 4 days ago

The owners of a Cookstown engineering firm are the latest Irish industrialists to cash in on the soaring demand for equipment vital to the artificial intelligence (AI) sector.

TES Group has been bought by Legrand, one of France's largest industrial businesses.

The terms of the deal have not been disclosed but the price is likely to have been more than £100m.

Foresight, a private equity firm which backed TES two years ago, said it had made a fourfold return on its initial investment.

The deal was driven by TES's expertise in designing and making power systems for data centres.

Data centres are effectively warehouses full of computer servers which are central to the operations of AI businesses.

These facilities require a massive, uninterrupted power supply, not only to run the servers, but to fuel the sophisticated systems that keep them cool.

Companies like Microsoft and Google have been investing billions of pounds in centres like these as they compete to create the fastest and most useful AI services.

In 2025 the investment bank Morgan Stanley estimated that as much as $3tn (£2.2tn) will be spent on data centres to support AI between 2025 and 2029.

This has fuelled growth for specialist firms like TES, which provides the critical power infrastructure required by data centre developers.

Brian Taylor, the company's chief executive, said that in the past few years they had "scaled our operations at an incredible pace".

That included opening a new manufacturing facility in Ballykelly.

The company will continue to operate from its two sites in Cookstown and Ballykelly after the deal with Legrand is completed.

Tens of millions of euros

Meanwhile on Monday a different French firm agreed a deal to buy a company in the Republic of Ireland which also has data centre expertise.

Bureau Veritas said it would pay €375m (£327m) for LotusWorks which is based in Sligo.

LotusWorks specialises in the final testing and optimising of data centres before they are switched on and then looks after their ongoing maintenance.

The deal will mean a significant payday for the management team which has controlled the business since 2018.

But these deals are not the biggest data centre fortunes which have been made in Ireland in recent years.

In 2025 Cork-based Dornan Group was sold to the US construction services firm Turner for a reported €400m (£349m).

In 2024 the global investment company Blackstone bought a majority stake in Dublin-based Winthorp Technologies.

Both deals were worth tens of millions of euros to the companies founders and senior managers.

However, the most lucrative deal of them all concerns Philip O'Doherty.

In 2021 he sold his Donegal-based firm E&I Engineering to the US company Vertiv Holdings.

The value of that deal was reported as being worth £1.45bn in cash and shares, with about 80% of that going to O'Doherty and the rest to smaller shareholders.

The most important aspect of that deal has turned out to be the Vertiv shares that O'Doherty received.

The deal was done before the AI boom had really begun so each Vertiv share was then worth around $25.

Today Vertiv's share price is around $250.

Since April 2024, O'Doherty has gradually been selling his Vertiv shares.

His most recent sale in March this year generated about £298m, bringing total proceeds from shares to about £950m.

He continues to hold Vertiv shares worth just under £1bn.

On top of that the cash portion of the deal was worth about£700m.

Altogether the total value of the deal has turned out at about £2.5bn making him the most successful Irish industrialist of his generation.

Could the death of these women's grandmother help us all to live longer?

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c5yde4v5x0do, 4 days ago

When her beloved grandmother died, it changed the course of Dr Carina Kern's life, sparking a deep desire to understand why ageing makes us more likely to become frail and die and, ultimately, to stop it.

Twenty-five years on, the Cambridge-based company she founded with her sister, ex-lawyer Serena Kern-Libera, believes it has made a breakthrough that could change outcomes for all of us.

Unlike some research teams working on the science of ageing, they are not working towards immortality, aiming instead to extend and improve quality of life.

Growing up in the mountains of southern India, the sisters saw their grandmother, Sydia Kern, every day.

"When I was four or five, I would try to avoid school as much as possible and I'd run to my grandmother's house," Kern, 31, recalls.

Kern-Libera, 37, adds: "She loved the outdoors and would always take us for walks. She was very active. It was a childhood full of joy."

But in 2001, everything changed. Sydia was hospitalised with a chest infection and never came home.

"Her health spiralled downwards, she was robbed of her dignity and within weeks, I lost her," says Kern.

"Doctors said it was a natural part of ageing, but I couldn't understand why. I was a real tomboy, always getting injured, and the hospital always fixed me, so why not her? It was a real killer for me.

"That was the start of my desire to try to fix this problem."

In the years since, Kern has focussed on finding the single factor that drives the biggest deterioration in our overall health.

Using AI, she identified necrosis – the unexpected death of our cells – and a potential drug to stop it.

The Health Innovation Network – established by the NHS to help fast-track the most promising research from the lab to patients – is now supporting the sisters' company LinkGevity to advance their drug, and "talking to Papworth and Addenbrooke's hospitals" about facilitating a trial.

Cells are the individual building blocks of living organisms and while some are naturally programmed to die, necrosis is not part of the biological plan.

It happens when cells are damaged through injury, lack of oxygen or blood. Calcium floods into the cell, causing it to explode. This, in turn, damages neighbouring cells and can start a cascade of inflammation throughout the body.

It is more likely as we get older and Kern says it plays a central role in major conditions including stroke, heart attack, kidney disease, Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, cardiovascular and liver diseases.

It also fuels several of the fastest spreading, most aggressive cancers.

"If you were to identify a means to block necrosis, it wouldn't just mean one drug for one disease: you would have a Swiss Army knife type of drug that is capable of protecting the system as a whole," she says.

And that is what LinkGevity, based at Babraham Research Campus, believes it has developed: a first-of-its-kind drug that can block the calcium overload through two specific channels and allow the cell to stabilise and begin to repair from the damage.

LinkGevity's data has been independently verified by medicine research specialists Domainex, which ran tests on human kidney cells at its lab in Pampisford, near Cambridge.

"We are truly independent when it comes to the science. We present the results, whether they are what you want to see or not," says group leader Dr Jesse Peterson.

He admits his team, like many who heard LinkGevity's claims, were sceptical at first.

"Typically with necrosis, we see cell death between 24 and 48 hours of exposure to harm and in this case, we saw it blocked up to 11 days, so this is really quite remarkable," he says.

The results have also attracted the attention and funding of renowned scientific organisations including Innovate UK, The Francis Crick Institute and NASA. In space, microgravity ages human tissue faster than on Earth, and so finding ways to prevent it is key to exploration, which the Artemis II voyage has rekindled with the first crewed Moon mission in 50 years.

But the next vital step is a human clinical trial.

While still preparing for regulatory approval, this will focus on preventing necrosis in the kidney – an organ highly susceptible to this type of cell death.

It is estimated that seven million people in the UK have kidney disease and currently, there is no cure. Kidney failure is fatal without dialysis – using machinery to filter the blood – or transplant.

Acute kidney injury (AKI) is also a common problem in heart surgery patients.

"Most heart surgery requires the patient to be put on a heart-lung bypass machine," explains Narain Moorjani, clinical lead for cardiac surgery at Royal Papworth Hospital.

"Unfortunately, the machine can have significant side effects on kidney function. That ultimately results in kidney cell death, which is associated with extended stays in intensive care and increased mortality.

"Although there have been many attempts to reduce the effects, they have had limited success."

Moorjani believes LinkGevity is the first to "attempt to specifically block the endpoint of necrosis, which is what makes the plans for this trial so exciting".

Phil Shelton, director of industry partnerships at Health Innovation East, says: "It costs a lot of money to run a trial so we're co-applying for grants with the company and bringing contacts together.

"Addressing AKI is a huge unmet need for us, so there's a lot of interest in this.

"If the bids are successful, we could potentially get things into a trial quite rapidly."

The sisters also believe their drug, LINK-001, will benefit medical research.

"It's difficult to grow complex human tissue in a lab," says Kern-Libera, who was so impressed by her sister's scientific achievements that she left a successful career as a lawyer to become LinkGevity's chief operating officer.

"Very quickly, the cells in the middle are starved of oxygen – because unlike in the body, they have no blood supply – and necrosis sets in, destroying the tissue from the centre out."

A drug that can prevent this could potentially pave the way for transplant organs to be grown in a lab, complex tissue to be frozen more successfully, and testing on animals to be reduced.

Blocking necrosis may not prevent us getting disease but it is likely to slow its progression.

"One of the biggest problems affecting our economy and society is that we have an ageing population which is decrepit," says Kern-Libera.

"Carina and I always say we're not afraid of death but that downward spiral in health that hangs over all of us and takes our dignity, like it did for our grandmother. I think she would be very proud of what Carina has done."

Kern adds: "No-one wants to have their mind robbed; their body falling to pieces.

"If you can intervene in that, I think it's one of the greatest goods you could do on this planet."

Follow Cambridgeshire news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.

Ex-Meta worker investigated for downloading 30,000 private Facebook photos

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cvg049xz1ygo, 5 days ago

A former Meta employee suspected of downloading around 30,000 private images of Facebook users is being investigated by the Metropolitan Police.

The engineer, who lives in London, is believed to have designed a program to be able to access personal pictures on the site while avoiding security checks.

A Meta spokesperson told the BBC the breach was discovered over a year ago, after which the firm said it immediately fired the suspected employee and "referred the matter to law enforcement".

A spokesperson for the Metropolitan Police said a man in his 30s was arrested in November 2025 on suspicion of unauthorised access to computer material.

He has since been released on bail, and must next report to police in May, according to the Press Association.

The incident is being investigated by officers from the Metropolitan Police's Cybercrime Unit, after the force received a referral from the Federal Bureau of Investigation in the US.

Meta added it had notified the Facebook users who had their images downloaded and had since upgraded its security systems.

The breach is the latest security issue to emerge from the Facebook parent company.

In November 2022 it was fined €265m (£228m) by the Irish Data Protection Commission (DPC) over a breach that saw the personal details of hundreds of millions of Facebook users published online.

Meanwhile in September 2024 the DPC found Meta to have inadvertently stored certain passwords of social media users on its internal systems without encryption, and fined it €91m (£75m).

The company, which also owns Instagram and WhatsApp, has also faced recent legal battles over the addictive design of its apps.

In March, jurors in California found both Meta, and the owner of YouTube Google had intentionally built addictive social media platforms that harmed the mental health of a young woman.

The woman, known as Kaley, was awarded $6m (£4.5m) in damages.

Meta and Google said they disagreed with the verdict and intended to appeal.

Ralph Fiennes reveals whether he would return to Harry Potter role

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c5yjqlg2ymqo, yesterday

Ralph Fiennes has said he would love to reprise his role as Harry Potter's arch enemy Voldemort but he feels the "ship has sailed".

The British actor played the villainous role in the original movie franchise from 2005 to 2011.

An HBO TV adaptation of the hit book series is currently in production, and while the majority of the new cast has been announced, the role of Voldemort has not yet been confirmed.

Appearing on BBC's The Claudia Winkleman Show, Fiennes said: "I remember being asked the question 'would I reprise the part?'

"This was some years ago. And I said: 'Yes, I'd love to.'"

However, he said "nothing's happened" since and thinks "that ship has sailed".

Last month, HBO boss Casey Bloys told US outlet Variety that they had not yet cast an actor for the role of Voldemort.

A number of actors have been speculated for the role, including Doctor Strange star Tilda Swinton and Peaky Blinders actor Cillian Murphy.

Asked whether Swinton could be cast, Bloys said people should not believe any rumours and claimed: "I don't even know who we're casting."

Cillian Murphy also shot down rumblings earlier this year when he was asked if he was swapping his flat cap for a wand.

"I'm categorically not. Can you make that the headline?," Murphy told The Times.

Discussing Swinton taking on the role, Fiennes told The Claudia Winkleman Show that he thinks she would be "fantastic".

The famous trio has been cast - with Scottish actor Dominic McLaughlin set to star as the titular wizard.

He will be alongside Alastair Stout as Ron Weasley and Arabella Stanton as Hermione Granger.

Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson and Rupert Grint previously portrayed the lead characters in the film franchise.

While the TV series is welcoming many new faces, it will see Warwick Davis reprise his role as Professor Filius Flitwick.

The first instalment will be called Harry Potter And The Philosopher's Stone, based off of JK Rowling's first book in the popular series.

Some cast members have spoken about facing criticism for taking part in the series from those who are opposed to Rowling's views on trans rights.

Paapa Essiedu also previously told the BBC he's received death threats from people who think a black actor shouldn't play Severus Snape.

"I'd be lying if I said I was a completely impenetrable robot," he said.

However, he added that since the trailer was released last month "there's been a flood of positivity" and "people are being incredibly supportive of the show and my involvement in it and that makes me excited for what is to come".

The first series is set to launch Christmas 2026 on HBO Max.

Listen to Newsbeat live at 12:45 and 17:45 weekdays - or listen back here.

An inappropriate joke nearly ended his career. Now he's back with more humour

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/czrekvml0p6o, yesterday

In an Indian city, an unassuming, slightly rumpled comedian walks into the spotlight for the first time in months.

Tousle-haired and clad in a checked shirt, Samay Raina half smiles on stage, as if a punchline is already poised at the edge of his lips. The audience laughs even before he begins speaking.

Until a year ago, Raina was at the top of India's burgeoning comedy scene, with millions of views online and sold-out shows across India and the world. His flagship YouTube show, India's Got Latent - a ragged, exuberant parody of talent competitions - had become an online phenomenon, blending absurd humour with sharp improvisation to capture the sensibilities of a generation raised on streaming culture.

Then, a joke uttered by someone else on the show brought everything crashing down.

Trouble began after one of the guests, podcaster Ranveer Allahbadia - who is better known as BeerBiceps to his millions of followers - asked a contestant an explicit and widely criticised question.

Police complaints were filed alleging obscenity and a case was registered against the participants, including Raina. The fallout escalated when Raina's editor was arrested, prompting him to take down the entire series.

The controversy nearly ended his career. For months, he largely stayed off camera, avoiding public life.

Now, the 29-year-old comic is back, using the very thing that derailed him - humour - as his way of reclaiming the spotlight.

Earlier this week, he released Still Alive - a YouTube stand‑up special that reviewers have described as his boldest and most personal work yet.

The set blends humour and reflection, addressing his professional hiatus and the volatility of online fame: what it means to build a public identity in today's internet culture; the particular hell of losing it all, and how vulnerable he felt through it.

Once brash and unapologetic, his humour now carries a quiet melancholy - yet it lands with the precise timing of someone who has learned what it takes to survive.

"I always knew there'd be an FIR [police complaint] against me one day," he jokes ruefully. "I just never thought it would be for saying nothing."

Raina's route into comedy didn't follow the usual script.

Unlike the stand-up comedians who came of age in the small clubs of cities like Mumbai and Bangalore, Raina was a child of the internet.

A competitive chess player, he began streaming games online during the pandemic.

What followed was unexpected. Streams that began as focused chess sessions gradually loosened into something more freewheeling, with Raina interspersing gameplay with jokes and self-deprecating commentary, often engaging directly with the live chat.

His jokes - switching easily between Hindi and English and brimming with sarcasm and rooted in everyday observation - helped him build a large online following within a short span of time.

India's Got Latent was Raina's next leap, a sort of anti–talent show that mocked its own premise. Contestants performed for laughs and judges roasted them without mercy. The production was scrappy. The comedy style - expletive laden, raw and unhinged - upset some but was loved by millions of his fans.

The guest list was as eclectic as the format: fellow stand-ups, YouTubers, chess players and assorted internet personalities, each drawn into Raina's loose, improvisational orbit. For audiences long used to polished TV comedy, the impact felt electric: humour that was not defined by censors but was messy, daring and alive in real time.

That was both its charm and, eventually, its undoing.

When the episode featuring Allahbadia triggered backlash, the reaction was swift. Raina's YouTube channel fell quiet. Collaborators distanced themselves and even some loyal fans expressed disappointment.

In the months that followed, he largely stayed out of public view. Friends and fans speculated about his absence and within India's comedy circles, his name became shorthand for the risks of online fame.

In Still Alive, Raina addresses the hiatus with a mix of self-deprecation and defiance.

He jokes about the defamation suit, about the friends who stopped calling and the peculiar loneliness of being cancelled in the age of social media, where your worth is measured in real-time metrics.

In one of the episode's more poignant moments, Raina spoke about battling anxiety before performances, admitting that the pressure of returning to the stage often left him physically shaken. Moving clips of him describing feeling "broken" and how he struggled to answer his mother's calls have since gone viral.

His experience mirrors a wider shift in Indian comedy. What was once a small, urban, English-speaking circuit has grown into a far bigger, more diverse scene, powered by YouTube and Instagram, where comics can reach millions directly. Live shows have surged too, drawing large audiences across cities and smaller towns alike, with regional-language comedy playing a big role in that expansion.

But with that expansion has come new pressures. Comics today operate with greater visibility and greater scrutiny. In recent years, several have faced police complaints, legal action and, in some cases, arrest over their material.

In Still Alive, Samay Raina gestures to that fragile balance: how jokes, once released into the online world, can travel far beyond their original context, taking on new meanings, and sometimes carry serious consequences.

At one point, he riffs on George  Orwell's famous line that "every joke is a tiny revolution". With his trademark mix of irony and resignation, he twists it to fit his own experience. "If Orwell had lived in India," Raina adds, pausing just long enough for effect, "he'd probably have said - every revolution is a tiny joke". The line drew one of the night's loudest laughs.

Rather than reinventing himself, Raina seems to be adjusting his approach - testing how far his loose, spontaneous style can go without breaking.

It is a tightrope walk many young Indian comedians face: of staying authentic in a medium that rewards spontaneity, while performing for an audience that is vast, diverse and quick to judge.

There is no neat conclusion to this moment in his career. The controversy has not entirely faded and the risks of doing boundary-defying comedy remain.

But if Still Alive is any indication, Raina is less interested in resolution than in continuation. For fans, the special is not an apology, it's a reassertion - of his voice and his refusal to be flattened.

"I'm still here," he says towards the end, with a shrug that lands somewhere between defiance and a punchline, "and I am going to do whatever I want".

Balamory is back - Miss Hoolie and PC Plum lift the lid on what to expect

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cjenek89l97o, today

"What's the story in Balamory?" Julie Wilson Nimmo, better known as Miss Hoolie, asks. "People have been saying that to me for 20-odd years, practically every day."

For millions, that familiar catchphrase instantly transports them back to Balamory, the beloved children's TV show in which residents solved everyday problems through friendship and fun in a brightly coloured fictional island community.

More than 20 years since it ended on CBeebies, the programme returns with a new series this month - and some of its original stars are back in their iconic roles.

It seems the magic of Balamory never really left them. Wilson Nimmo is especially excited that "there are new stories in Balamory".

Fellow cast member Andrew Agnew, best known as the well-meaning PC Plum, says "it's such an honour to be back doing something that we love so much".

Wilson Nimmo and Agnew are hoping the familiarity and warmth of the early 2000s hit will resonate with a new generation of viewers.

"It's come at the perfect time," Wilson Nimmo says. "Children are exposed to so much animation now, which is fantastic. But for children to turn the television on... for kids to sit and watch kids on the telly, not a lot of shows do that any more."

The revival of Balamory comes a month after a BBC report warned of a decline in UK-made children's content, with the sector under pressure and facing major challenges - including less investment by both public and commercial broadcasters.

At its peak, the show attracted two million viewers a week in the UK and was watched by millions more around the world.

Wilson Nimmo and Agnew are hoping some of those viewers will now watch the revival with their children.

'The nostalgia buzz was real'

"Hopefully they will want to put the kids in front of something that they loved so much," says Agnew.

Wilson Nimmo chimes in that the revival is like a "love letter to the original".

The pair tell me the international success of the show - which was broadcast in Europe, Australia, Hong Kong, Canada and South Africa - led to them being recognised all over the world.

Wilson Nimmo recalls becoming pals with children's music group The Wiggles while visiting Australia.

Agnew says his most memorable experience of being recognised came when he was "in my trunks in a swimming pool in Turkey and kids came up and said, 'You're PC Plum'."

The cast's reunion at the initial script read-through was an emotional moment.

"I was pretty emotional because we were seeing the scripts for the first time," says Wilson Nimmo. "They played some of the songs and the nostalgia buzz was real."

So what can viewers expect from the comeback?

The return of much of the original cast, for one, including Penny Pocket who runs the town's bustling shop and and Edie McCredie, Balamory's delivery driver.

Agnew is quick to confirm that PC Plum is still keeping the island safe in the new series.

"The island would not be the same without him. He's still bumbling, still a wee bit getting the wrong end of the stick quite a lot."

He also teases the introduction of new characters. "They are fantastic. That's been a really lovely new touch to the show," he says.

Joining the show are Dr Ollie (Carl Spencer), a vet who lives with his two children played by Carl Spencer and The Harbourmaster (William Andrews).

Actor and comedian Miles Jupp, who played inventor Archie in the original series, is not returning - but Balamory's latest resident inventor Ava Potts (Danielle Jam) is following in his footsteps.

'People come up and sing my song at me'

While Agnew and Wilson Nimmo do not give much away about the new series, they confirm there will be new songs.

"There's new songs as well and new takes on the songs because they've been revamped a wee bit to modernise them," says Agnew.

According to the pair, they didn't need refresher sessions to remember the lyrics of the older songs, which were a defining part of the original series.

Agnew jokes: "People come up to me and sing my song at me. That's lovely and I wouldn't change that for the world, but it doesn't go away."

The programme has been commissioned for two new series, produced by Lion Television Scotland, with 10 episodes in each.

So, there's plenty more to the story in Balamory.

Balamory is broadcast on CBeebies on Monday 20th April with all10 episodes available on BBC iPlayer the same day.

Eamonn Holmes recovering in hospital after stroke

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c8r4mvyrdl3o, today

Broadcaster Eamonn Holmes is in hospital and "responding well to treatment" following a stroke, GB News has said in a statement.

The channel said Holmes was "taken ill last week" and it was later confirmed he had suffered a stroke.

It added that Holmes' "colleagues and everyone at GB News wish him a speedy recovery".

Holmes, 66, joined the channel in 2022 to present its breakfast programme, which he co-hosts with Ellie Costello.

Fellow GB News presenter Alex Armstrong is due to stand in for Holmes in the coming week, the channel reports.

CEO Angelos Frangopoulos issued a brief statement, describing Holmes as a "loved member of the GB News family".

The former This Morning host has talked previously about various health issues including spinal surgery, a double hip replacement, and his struggles walking and using a mobility scooter.

A stroke occurs when blood stops flowing to part of the brain, according to NHS guidance.

Possible symptoms include face weakness, where one side of the face might droop, arm weakness and speech problems.

Urgent medical intervention is needed if a stroke is suspected.

Your guide to the UK's music festival season for summer 2026

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cn430vqwznyo, yesterday

After warm sunshine beamed down on large parts of the UK this week, it's easy to picture the summer festival season that awaits.

Glastonbury is a notable absence as the Somerset extravaganza has a fallow year, but festival fans shouldn't worry as there's plenty else on the calendar.

There are bumper line-ups for the likes of Reading and Leeds, Parklife and the Isle of Wight Festival to look forward to - and a chance for new festivals to flourish.

One big event returns this year after a seven-year hiatus, and you can probably find a match for whatever genre you like.

Multi-day festivals

First let's have a look at what's around this summer if you want to make a weekend of it; sleeping bag and tent at the ready.

Taking place between 27 and 30 August is Reading and Leeds Festival, which has a bumper six headliners who are all British and Irish.

Charli XCX, Chase & Status, Dave, Florence + The Machine, Fontaines D.C. and Raye all top the bill, while Leeds also gets a Thursday night exclusive in the form of Kasabian.

If you like the sound of sets from Lewis Capaldi, The Cure and Teddy Swims then the Isle of Wight Festival might be worth checking out between 18 and 21 June.

There will also be a performance from local indie rockers Wet Leg, which is sure to be a weekend highlight.

Keeping it coastal is Boardmasters, with the Cornwall festival playing host to Fatboy Slim, Lily Allen and The Kooks for 5-9 August.

If you want the full festival experience without the camping then this year's TRNSMT festival in Glasgow has an impressive three day line-up, including CMAT, Wolf Alice and Two Door Cinema Club, taking place between 19 and 21 June.

And BBC Radio 1 is taking Big Weekend to Sunderland this year - bringing Olivia Dean, Zara Larsson and Niall Horan to the north-east from 22-24 May.

Single-day festivals

We all have different priorities when it comes to how we want to enjoy a festival and if yours involve a shower and a proper bed at the end of the day then a single-day event might be right for you.

BST Hyde Park is staged on several dates in late June and early July in central London, with headliners including Maroon 5, Mumford & Sons and Garth Brooks.

All Points East also has some impressive names coming to London's Victoria Park in late August, including Jorja Smith, Lorde and Twenty One Pilots.

Meanwhile a new festival series is coming to Leeds this summer - Roundhay has announced its first shows for July with headline performances from Pitbull and Lewis Capaldi.

Alternative and dance festivals

There really is a festival for every musical taste - with Download Festival perhaps the most notable among fans of rock and alternative music.

This year's event in the East Midlands will be headlined by Limp Bizkit, Guns N' Roses and Linkin Park between 12 and 14 June.

And if you're looking for an Indie-laden weekend in the Lake District then Kendal Calling - with sets from Biffy Clyro, Wolf Alice and The Libertines - is offering exactly that between 30 July and 2 August.

Truck Festival has announced its headliners, which include The Maccabees, The Wombats and Kaiser Chiefs in Oxfordshire from 23 to 26 July.

Dance music events are a staple of the UK summer festival calendar - this year's Creamfields has an impressive set of names coming to Cheshire, including Swedish House Mafia, Martin Garrix and Armin van Buuren from 27 to 30 August.

Sticking in the north-west of England, there's an equally exciting line-up at Parklife, with Calvin Harris, Skepta and Sammy Virji headlining Manchester's Heaton Park on 20 and 21 June.

This year's Boomtown will host dance names including Skrillex, Four Tet and Faithless at its Hampshire site between 12 and 16 August.

Lovebox also makes its return after a seven-year hiatus - moving to a new location in Margate, Kent. Its dance-themed line-up includes Rudimental, Armand Van Helden and Groove Armada on 29 and 30 May.

Something new

New festivals are often intriguing to music fans, especially if they have an interesting location.

Silverworks Island in East London has quickly become a dance music fan favourite because of its picturesque location on the River Thames. This year, it hosts events headlined by Pendulum, Fisher and Tiesto in June and July.

Another event which debuted last year was Labyrinth on the Thames, which quickly went viral with its backdrop of the Old Royal Naval College in Greenwich.

This year it features headliners such as Dom Dolla, Peggy Gou and Michael Bibi on various dates in August.

Also new for 2026 is State Fayre, a festival for rock, country and folk fans taking place in Chelmsford, Essex between 26 and 28 June. Headliners include Kings of Leon, Alanis Morissette and The Lumineers.

Another new festival coming to Wales is Blackbird - a rock event at Cardiff Castle on 27 June, with acts including Skindred, Alter Bridge and Cardinal Black.

Something different

If you're not necessarily looking for music as the main part of your festival experience, there are several options to still give you the buzz of being in a field surrounded by thousands of people.

Latitude in Suffolk not only offers music, but also comedy performances from Jack Dee, Lenny Henry and Sara Pascoe and talks on science, literature and poetry between 23 and 26 July.

The UK's biggest literature festival, Hay Festival, returns to Powys in Wales this summer with headline speakers Emma Thompson, Malala Yousafzai and Gisèle Pelicot from 21 to 31 May.

If you're into podcasts there's also Crossed Wires, a Sheffield festival from 2 to 5 July hosting the likes of Alice Levine, Elizabeth Day and Greg James.

And if your festival experience wouldn't be complete without a yoga class or cold water swimming, The Big Retreat Festival, set in Pembrokeshire between 22 and 25 May, could be for you.

Bafta fell short in duty of care when racial slur was shouted, review finds

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cy017z179z9o, yesterday

Bafta fell short in its duty of care to guests, members and viewers when a racial slur was shouted at the film awards in February, but there was no malicious intent, an independent review has found.

Tourette's campaigner John Davidson involuntarily shouted the n-word while two black actors, Michael B Jordan and Delroy Lindo, were on stage at the ceremony.

In a statement responding to the report, Bafta said it did not "adequately anticipate or fully prepare for the impact of such an incident in a live event environment".

"As a result, our duty of care to everyone at the ceremony and watching at home fell short," it continued, adding that Bafta has written to those who were affected to apologise directly.

The publication of the report follows the outcome of the BBC's own investigation into what led to the slur being broadcast, which was published earlier this week.

The corporation's complaints unit ruled the broadcast breached the BBC's editorial standards and should not have made it to air, but said it was not intentional.

'Structural weaknesses'

On Friday, Bafta said it "apologised unreservedly" to the black community, the disabled community, and to all its members and guests at the ceremony and viewers watching at home.

"What was supposed to be a moment of celebration was diminished and overshadowed," the organisation said.

The independent review, carried out by Rise Associates, "identified a number of structural weaknesses in Bafta's planning, escalation procedures and crisis coordination arrangements," the organisation said.

"However, it did not find evidence of malicious intent on the part of those involved in delivering the event. We accept its conclusions in full."

In its statement summarising the findings, Bafta said its planning and processes had "not kept pace" with its diversity and inclusion goals.

It added work was under way to address specific areas of improvement recommended in the review to reduce the risk of a similar incident in future.

The organisation said it would:

* Improve its escalation processes and the "chain of information sharing" around awards ceremonies

* Strengthen how it plans access, inclusion and support at events so that the "needs and experiences of all are properly considered in advance"

* Address any internal cultural gaps or lack of knowledge that might prevent Bafta from meeting its diversity, equity and inclusion goals

The independent review said the circumstances of what happened had "involved a complex intersection of disability, live broadcast risk and the use of language with a profound and painful historical context".

The incident also highlighted a broader challenge, the review said - "the need to balance accessibility for participants with the safety and dignity of others in the room and watching at home".

However, the review said it would be "wrong to describe the event as evidence of institutional racism, as this misses an important point".

"Institutional racism means that racial bias is built into systems, policies, and culture. In such systems, discriminatory outcomes appear regardless of individual intent.

"The available evidence does not support that conclusion here. Instead, the evidence suggests something different. Bafta's planning and risk governance systems have not kept pace with its diversity goals."

Bafta ceremony host Alan Cumming previously apologised after the "trauma-triggering" show.

After the ceremony, Lindo told Vanity Fair that he and Jordan, who were handing out an award "did what we had to do" as they carried on presenting after the shout, but also said he wished "someone from Bafta spoke to us afterward".

In his own interview with Variety, Davidson said: "I want to be really clear that the intent behind them [the tics] is zero. What you're hearing is a symptom - not my character, not my thought, not my belief."

"Tourette's can feel spiteful and searches out the most upsetting tic for me personally and for those around me," he explained. "What you hear me shouting is literally the last thing in the world I believe; it is the opposite of what I believe.

"The most offensive word that I ticked at the ceremony, for example, is a word I would never use and would completely condemn if I did not have Tourette's."

Jools Holland praises musician for cancer campaign

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cn9q8j79873o, today

Jools Holland has praised a trumpet player for raising awareness of prostate cancer and encouraging men to get checked for the condition.

Dave Land, from Norfolk, who has been credited on more than 170 albums, was diagnosed with prostate cancer in 2021 after being urged by his friends to get a prostate specific antigen (PSA) blood test.

"The whole point about getting this message out is if you catch [prostate cancer] early the chances are you're going to be OK... it's really important," Land said.

In a message, Holland said: "I'd like to congratulate and support Dave in the excellent job he's doing to promote awareness of prostate cancer and to encourage men to get checked with a simple test."

The charity Prostate Cancer UK said the condition affected one in eight men.

Land said a number of his close friends received their own prostate cancer diagnosis "too late".

"It's a lot of scans, biopsys and that. It's slow moving so you live with [the condition]," he added.

Labour and luck

In March Land released an arrangement of O Magnum Mysterium by Morten Lauridsen at Norwich Cathedral, which was titled Nine Daves.

Typically composed for a choir, the arrangement featured Land playing all nine parts, when he described as a "labour of love".

"It was out of my comfort zone to do something like that. I normally do pop music... I set myself a challenge to do it," he said.

During his career, Land has been a part of the Band of HM Coldstream Guards, the BBC's Strictly Come Dancing orchestra and has worked around the world in US and the Caribbean.

In London, he spent a number of years working with Andrew Lloyd-Webber including on the musical Starlight Express, until it closed at the Apollo Victoria Theatre in 2002, and Cats.

Despite working with big names including Leo Sayer, Shirley Bassey and Katrina and the Waves, he described his career as "luck of the draw, if you're in the right place."

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Cathedral to exhibit 80m long knitted WW2 artwork

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cn4320w7vzjo, today

An 80m (262ft) knitted and crocheted scene depicting Britain in World War Two will be put on display at Lichfield Cathedral for a limited time.

The cathedral said it was "proud" to display the installation, known as The Longest Yarn 2: Britain at War, from 1 to 31 May.

Created by makers across the world, the hand‑crafted artwork explores life from 3 September 1939 to VE Day on 8 May 1945.

Philippa Hubbard, public programme co-ordinator at Lichfield Cathedral, said: "We are honoured to host The Longest Yarn 2: Britain at War and to welcome such a significant national artwork into our cathedral."

She added: "The exhibition brings history to life in a way that is both moving and accessible, demonstrating the power of creativity and community in telling shared stories."

The knitted artwork features scenes of rationing, evacuation, wartime headlines and the jubilation of peace

Entry to the exhibition is free but donations are welcome.

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The Box celebrates 'record-breaking' year

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cx2rpgv031wo, today

A Devon museum and art gallery is celebrating a record-breaking year, surpassing its annual visitor target by 18%, up 44% from the previous year, bosses say.

The Box, owned by Plymouth City Council, said it had 356,000 visits in the 2025/2026 season, which beat its annual target of 300,000, following its Beryl Cook: Pride and Joy and Journeys with Mai exhibitions.

It said 2025 was a "phenomenal year" and reached 1.1 million visitors, after it opened its doors in September 2020.

CEO Victoria Pomery OBE said the figures were "extraordinary" and facility was "incredibly proud" of what had been achieved.

The Box said the Beryl Cook exhibition had welcomed 52,000 visitors with nine weeks of its 18-week run remaining.

It said 45% of those travelled from across the country, which it said demonstrated its "remarkable reach and its impact on Plymouth's visitor economy".

Pomery said it was "wonderful" to see people "turning up in their thousands" to celebrate the Plymouth-associated artist.

"Many of them are visiting The Box for the very first time, and we hope this is the beginning of a long relationship," she added.

Amanda Lumley, CEO of Destination Plymouth, said the Cook exhibition had given "a real boost to the hospitality, retail, and tourism economy" and was "making Plymouth a place people want to visit and return to".

The free admission venue added that the Journeys with Mai exhibition, telling the story of Mai, the first Pacific islander to visit Britain, featured Plympton artist Sir Joshua Reynolds' portrait of Mai and had welcomed about 25,000 visitors.

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Iris Murdoch's lost poems to be read at festival

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cr51v8d7eepo, today

Recently unearthed writings from the novelist and former fellow of the University of Oxford Dame Iris Murdoch will be among the topics of an upcoming free humanities festival.

Dame Iris was also a philosopher, playwright and academic, whose books explored morality, love and human relationships.

Think Human festival committee member Gary Browning said the Iris Murdoch Society had recently found the previously unpublished poems in the attic of her house on 30 Charlbury Road.

Some of them will be read out at the Oxford Brookes University event, which aims to create connections between academics and the local community from 15-18 April.

Browning, an Emeritus Professor, will lead a discussion titled Oxford Quartet: Women Philosophers Against the Tide on 17 April.

It will centre on the life and works of Elizabeth Anscombe, Philippa Foot, Mary Midgley and Booker Prize winner Dame Iris, who all came to Oxford as undergraduates in the 1930s.

"These women were much more inclined to be more objective in ethics and thought that we needed a strong support for ethics in philosophy," Browning said.

"Anscombe, after the war, felt very strongly that Oxford University should not give an honorary degree to Harry Truman, who dropped atomic bombs on Japan, and she was virtually alone in opposing this action."

Browning said actress Annette Badland would read "a very moving" love poem about Anscombe by Dame Iris.

The author won widespread acclaim with novels such as Under The Net, The Black Prince and The Sea, the Sea, as well as philosophical essays exploring morality.

Browning said he had a "positive" response to the unearthed poems and that the one about love was "really quite powerful".

The poems have been published in a collection called Poems from an Attic, which also includes a poem about her husband, historian Michael Foot.

Browning will also talk about two novels, one of which, Jerusalem, may never be published after Dame Iris left a note on the manuscript stating "Not for Publication, Ever."

Events on motherhood, the legacy of new Labour and grassroots football are also part of the programme.

Event director Prof Katharine Craik said the festival was for everybody.

"For me and for many of my colleagues who are running events this year, being human is about openness and having an interest in other people's lives, other people's communities, other people's realities, and bringing people into conversations".

Craik said she was looking forward to the event commemorating local history dedicated to Harriet Jacobs, who she described as "one of the most remarkable African-American figures of the 19th Century".

Craik added there would also be a day event for schools on Friday "to enrich the kids' preparation for A-levels, but also to broaden their knowledge and understanding more generally of humanities subjects".

Browning called it an "absolutely fantastic occasion" where there "are always spirited conversations between the audience and people on the stage".

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Demolished landmark hotel sign turned into art

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c5ywdqe8z38o, today

A neon hotel sign, once "synonymous" with a town's skyline, has been turned into art.

The 1970s Swallow Hotel in Stockton was demolished in 2023 to make way for the town's Waterfront scheme, which is a multimillion-pound urban park project set to open this year.

Darlington-born artist Stuart Langley was commissioned by Preston Park Museum to reuse the material that made up its blue sign, which had been left shattered and unstable.

He said the original bird-shaped design was engrained in his memory, and he hoped the sculpture would affirm the idea that "often destruction allows for positive change".

Originally from Darlington and now living in Hartlepool, Langley said the hotel was a "feature of many trips to Stockton".

The 43-year-old said it was "engrained in my memory as a magical set of three birds flying high above Teesside".

He collaborated with DJ Camp, in Shildon, to create a remodelled aluminium structure, which was coated with powder and dressed with suspended colourful shards.

"To have had the opportunity to reimagine such an iconic piece of local heritage is a privilege," Langley said.

Stockton-on-Tees Borough Council said the sign had been salvaged following the hotel's demolition "but time and weather had left it shattered and unstable".

Cabinet member for environment, leisure and culture Nigel Cooke said: "For over 50 years, the neon swallow sign stood on the Swallow Hotel in Stockton and was synonymous with the town's skyline.

"We hope it brings back fond memories for visitors and also inspires them to look to the town's future."

The installation, which was funded by Arts Council England, will be on display at Preston Park Museum throughout 2026.

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Roman links to be 'reimagined' with museum grant

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/czx9pxw5wyjo, today

A Berkshire town's Roman heritage will be "reimagined" thanks to an £80,000 government grant.

Reading Museum said it plans to use the money to create a new interactive gallery, "based on decades of ground-breaking research by the University of Reading" and a Roman festival to celebrate its opening.

Its new Calleva Gallery will showcase local archaeological finds as part of its Roman Britain – Reimagined in Reading project.

The free entry museum is already home to several important historic artefacts, including a replica Bayeux Tapestry and items from a nearby Roman ruin in Silchester, Hampshire.

The Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) announced on Friday it would be awarding a total of £4m across 24 local museums to improve accessibility to arts and culture.

Alongside the DCMS/Wolfson Foundation grant, Reading Museum said it has also secured £714,785 from The National Lottery Heritage Fund, £236,808 in cash contributions and £28,000 in non-cash support, including volunteer time and in-kind expertise.

The Calleva Gallery will showcase the ruins and archaeological history of Silchester, one of the most significant Roman towns in Britain.

Designed to be immersive, it will feature tactile experiences and 3D objects to help visitors learn about Reading's Roman heritage.

Various artefacts including the Silchester Eagle, the Iron Age Silchester Horse and the Christian Caversham Font will be on display.

Donna Pentelow, culture lead at Reading Borough Council, said the grant would allow future generations to "reimagine one of the most remarkable periods of our past".

"The Roman Britain – Reimagined project will not only highlight the exceptional archaeological discoveries from Silchester but will also deliver an inclusive, hands-on experience that celebrates the diversity and energy of our community," she said.

Farewell to a 'real gem' of a museum after 45 years

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c937d7p0gzpo, yesterday

Anyone travelling across south-west Scotland between Gretna and Stranraer along the A75 will see its attractions flagged along the way.

For the best part of half a century, the Gem Rock Museum at Creetown has been part of that visitor landscape.

However, after attempts to find a buyer failed, its owners have decided to close its doors at the end of October.

"It's not an easy decision to make - but it's a relief as well," admitted Tim Stephenson, who has run the site since 1981.

Stephenson was teaching mechanical engineering at Kitson College in Leeds in 1980 when he was made redundant and needed a new opportunity.

A passion for geology, inherited from his father and shared on "pilgrimages" to the Scottish coastline, offered him a different career path.

The family had fallen in love with Galloway many years before and the dream of living there was fulfilled with the purchase of Creetown's old school.

"In 1981 we took on the building, brought our collection here and off we went and slowly we've developed the museum as a visitor attraction," he said.

"One of my dad's favourite sayings was that we're not in the geology business, we're in the entertainment business."

Creetown is also, Stephenson said, an interesting spot from a geological point of view.

"A massive event happened about 500 million years ago in that the two continents collided here on the Solway," he explained.

"The Solway estuary is a major fault line between the European continental plate and the North American continental plate, this is where they crashed into each other."

The area is famous for its granite which was used to build the docks in Liverpool and saw the local population boom to more than 3,000 during the 19th Century.

It was the dock board that built the school which would ultimately become the museum where Stephenson has worked for decades.

"I was 24 when I came here, I'm going to be 70 this year so that's been my working life, really," he said.

"We tried to sell the museum - we started marketing it about five years ago - there's been very, very little interest.

"I think that's a sign of the times - I think people are slightly concerned about setting themselves up in business."

So they decided they will close at the end of October and sell up.

"We will be missed, you know, we have become a bit of a Galloway institution - it's a must-see, must-do visitor attraction that we have that we've developed here," Stephenson said.

His wife, Carolyn, has been involved in all aspects of the business for the past 20 years and said the memories were great.

"We get to work in a wonderful environment that so many other people appreciate and come from all over the world to visit," she said.

"So that's with very mixed feelings that this is going to happen, but I suppose all good things come to an end.

"The rural economy has its challenges, but the Gem Rock has survived all the ups and downs that the economy throws at us."

They still have hopes that somebody might take over the museum with its staff of 12 but, if not, the collection will be auctioned off and the building sold.

The Nicoll-Johnston family - visiting from Dunkeld for the second time - said that would be a shame.

Dad Andy said: "It would be a tragedy for the area because, to use a pun, it's a real gem of a tourist attraction.

"If places like this get lost from an area, then what are you left with, you know?".

Five-year-old son Paddy echoed that view.

He said: "The whole thing is really cool because you're like walking through a tunnel and there's loads of gemstones on the walls and stuff.

"It's really cool."

Cafe bar part of £5m city's museum revamp

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c937v5g52peo, yesterday

A museum is set to open a fully-licensed cafe bar as part of its broader £5m refurbishment project.

The new facility will be located in the foyer area of the Potteries Museum & Art Gallery in Hanley, Stoke-on-Trent.

It will support events hosted at the venue, and will provide a more flexible space, with the ability to operate independently when the rest of the museum is closed.

Its position next to the museum's Forum Theatre will also mean it can function as a lobby bar during performances.

Museum bosses said they would use the new cafe Staffordshire produce – including local favourites such as lobby and oatcakes.

There will also be a selection of cakes made on site and sourced locally.

As part of the changes, the current cafe adjoining the museum's Spitfire Gallery, will be turned into a dedicated exhibition and events space.

Councillor Sarah Hill, cabinet member at Stoke-on-Trent City Council, said the cafe bar would strengthen the museum's role in the city centre, and increase footfall in the area.

"This is about making the museum a place people can visit at any time of day," she said.

"The new cafe bar creates a more welcoming entrance and gives us the flexibility to host events and stay open into the evening."

Further details on opening dates, exhibitions and events are yet to be revealed, as are details on the re-opening of the Stoke-on-Trent City Archives Reading Room on the ground floor of the museum.

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Popular Tanzanian musician Matonya charged with rape in Kenya

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cwydvrj4vgzo, yesterday

Tanzanian musician Sefu Shabani, popularly known as Matonya, has been arrested and charged with rape in Kenya.

The 43-year-old denied the charge when he appeared in court in the coastal city of Mombasa, Kenya's Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) has said in a statement posted on X.

According to the DPP, the court granted him bail - set at 500,000 Kenyan shillings ($3,900, £2,900) - and ordered him to surrender his Tanzanian passport.

The award-winning artist is beloved for his "bongo flava" hits. This is a style of music originating in Tanzania with lyrics in Swahili and romantic melodies accompanied by an urban beat - often influenced by traditional taarab music from the East African coast.

Matonya rose to prominence about 15 years ago and still performs across East Africa - especially his favourites such as Vaileti, Anita, Siamini, Taxi Bubu and Mapito.

During the court hearing on Thursday, prosecutors said the alleged sexual assault took place at an apartment in the beach resort of Nyali on Tuesday.

The DPP said it was anxious the musician remained in the court's jurisdiction and said the immigration authorities had been directed to place an alert at border points.

The authorities in Tanzania have not commented on the case.

But it has triggered debate on social media and within Tanzania's music industry - some calling for support for Matonya and urging due process, while others have stressed the seriousness of the allegations and the need for justice.

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

Katseye release first music video without Manon ahead of Coachella

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/ceqw1e7e7eqo, yesterday

Girl group Katseye have released their first music video without Manon, after she announced she was taking a break from the group.

The group, who formed in 2023 on the reality competition series Dream Academy, uploaded the video for Pinky Up, which features only the five current members.

The colourful music video for the techno-pop single comes as the group prepare to perform at the Coachella music festival in California this weekend.

Manon Bannerman announced she would step back from the group in February, telling fans she was "healthy" and "taking care of myself".

"Sometimes things unfold in ways we don't fully control, but I'm trusting the bigger picture," the 23-year-old Swiss-Ghanian singer said at the time.

The group said the decision had been made following "open and thoughtful conversations together".

Katseye confirmed they would continue scheduled performances during Bannerman's absence and "look forward to being together again when the time is right".

However, no timeline was given for her return, and her absence from the latest music video suggests she will not join the group at Coachella.

Record label HBYE confirmed to The Korea Herald earlier this week that Bannerman "remains on hiatus."⁠

Writing on the WeVerse fandom page earlier this week, Bannerman said: "Thank you so much for all the love and support you've been sending my way.

"I'm really grateful for the patience and kindness everyone has shown during this time. [The record label] and I are having positive conversations and I feel supported. I'm happy and I'm healthy. I'll share more soon. Thank you for always being there for me."

But fans have asked for more transparency after also spotting that Bannerman has removed all references to Katseye from her Instagram profile, leading some to speculate that she might have left the group permanently.

Some Katseye fans, known as Eyekons, have complained on YouTube and social media about her absence from the latest music video, with some commenting: "We want Manon."

Others said that they had not expected her hiatus to lead to her not being present for the group's new music and videos, and also criticised the lack of explanation or acknowledgement for her absence in the latest video.

The new music video for the high-energy Pinky Up, racked up more than six million views on YouTube less than 24 hours after being posted.

Katseye - which also includes Daniela Avanzini, Lara Raj, Megan Skiendiel, Sophia Laforteza and Yoonchae Jeung - launched their career in summer 2024 with the release of their single Debut, followed by their breakthrough hit Touch.

Since then, they have scored further chart hits such as Gabriela, Internet Girl and Gnarly, and released two EPs.

In a recent interview with Zane Lowe, the remaining members said: "Manon has been on hiatus, and we love her so much!

"We know she's doing well, and she got to talk to the fans about it. We're just really excited and rooting for all of us and each other.

"We've gotten through so much together... we all just want each other to win, be OK, and feel good. She's our sister forever, and we love her so much. We built this together, so we want to give her all the space, whatever she needs."

BBC News has asked representatives for Katseye, Bannerman and the Coachella music festival for further comment.

Labrinth not involved in Euphoria's third season

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cj94yxlnx09o, yesterday

The third season of TV drama Euphoria will not feature music by pop star Labrinth, HBO has confirmed, after he previously said he was "done" with the industry.

The London singer and producer wrote the dramatic, moody score and several songs for the first two series of the popular US teen drama.

Last year, HBO, which broadcasts Euphoria, announced that he would once again be part of the returning show, this time joined by fellow composer Hans Zimmer.

But in March, Labrinth distanced himself from the forthcoming chapter in a strongly worded Instagram post which criticised the network and record label Columbia, which releases the soundtrack.

Labrinth criticised the show in an expletive-heavy statement, which concluded: "I'm out. Thank you and good night."

It was not clear what had led to Labrinth's post, but US outlets Rolling Stone and Hollywood Reporter reported on Thursday that he will no longer be involved in the third season, which is released this weekend.

HBO confirmed this was the case on Friday but did not elaborate on the reasons why.

BBC News has also asked representatives for Labrinth for a comment, and approached Columbia for a response.

Labrinth - whose eclectic brand of cinematic-sounding pop music, blends R&B, electronic, hip-hop and soul - is currently still scheduled to perform at the Coachella music festival in California this weekend.

He wrote several songs for the first two seasons of Euphoria, including Formula, Still Don't Know My Name and the Grammy-nominated Never Felt So Alone, featuring Billie Eilish.

'The sound of Euphoria'

Asked to explain what had happened with Labrinth and the show, Euphoria creator and writer Sam Levinson told Rolling Stone: "I don't know."

He added: "He [Labrinth] is an incredible collaborator and someone who really built the foundation of the sound of Euphoria."

On adding Oscar-winner Zimmer into the mix, Levinson said: "On Euphoria, each character's storyline is like its own film in a way.

"In general, I was less interested in needle drops and more interested in something that guided us through this world.

"They're out of high school, so the pop roots of it have faded away. At the same time, because of how I imagined it visually, I wanted to lean into an old-fashioned Hollywood Western score."

Zimmer, who has has produced scores for movies including Dune, The Lion King, Interstellar and True Romance, previously stated that Labrinth had "shaped the show's identity", and that he was "looking forward to contributing to the ongoing story and helping shape this new season through music".

Euphoria has been the launchpad for the careers of some of Hollywood's hottest stars - Zendaya, Sydney Sweeney and Jacob Elordi.

And earlier this week they reunited on the red carpet for the Los Angeles premiere of the show's third and possibly final season.

The show will return to HBO on Sunday, four years after the last instalment, and finds its main characters having evolved from being troubled teens to equally troubled twenty-somethings.

Several critics have suggested that latest series fails to reach the dizzy heights of its glory years, though.

The Telegraph's Eleanor Halls awarded two stars, declaring: "Euphoria has descended into one man's creepy, sex-obsessed fantasy." In another two-star review, BBC Culture's Caryn James said: "The show has lost its zeitgeisty edge."

The third instalment, according to Variety's Alison Herman, "feels like entertaining but disjointed fan fiction". And the Hollywood Reporter's Daniel Fienberg noted how "Zendaya still dazzles", but asked "has Sam Levinson's HBO drama aged out of relevance?"

The Independent's reviewer Nick Hilton, however, gave the "generation-defining show" four stars, saying it "paints a clear-eyed, unflattering portrait of modern America".

How the moon and music have collided in space

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cj60nkwkx1go, yesterday

Techno at the gym, disco for the club, pop on the long drives - but what music is right for space?

You might not expect astronauts to be jamming out to tunes like Chappell Roan's Pink Pony Club or Tokyo Drifting by Glass Animals and Denzel Curry - but that's what the Artemis II crew have been waking up to on Nasa's most recent trip around the moon.

US rapper Curry tells BBC Newsbeat of his excitement and shock that his song reached new heights this week.

He says if he was to ever meet the astronauts he would want to "give all of them a hug for even thinking about me" for their space playlist.

Curry, who says he's always had an interest in space-related films, hopes the song gets a "second life now" and his next ambition is to be the first rapper to perform in space.

And there is more to the relationship between space and music than you might think.

While the final checks were being completed before now-retired British astronaut Tim Peake's trip to the International Space Station in 2015, he picked three songs.

His spirit-boosting playlist consisted of Queen's Don't Stop Me Now, U2's Beautiful Day and Coldplay's A Sky Full of Stars.

"I wanted to have a bit of fun before launch," he tells Newsbeat, adding that music is "really important" to have in space.

"I think it gives you a connection back to Earth," Peake says.

"It reminds you of times in your life when you've heard that music. Maybe it reminds you of friends and family."

The experience of hearing human music being played in space is "quite surreal", he says.

"You look back and you see the entire planet… and that's it. That's home," he adds.

"This lovely, beautiful, sort of blue, green, white marble in the blackness of space.

"So to actually have that music inside your capsule is really important to make that connection back to your loved ones."

That connection through a "familiar song" is key, according to Antonia Jaramillo, who works for Nasa.

"They are by themselves. They are going around the moon," Jaramillo tells Newsbeat from mission control in Houston.

"We all have our morning wake up routine.

"You have a soundtrack to get you in the zone. It's a very similar thing we're doing for our crew."

So just how does the music make its way to astronauts in space?

The process is fairly simple, she says.

"Those songs are downloaded and then with our team - the flight controllers at mission control - they are able to broadcast it to the crew.

"Just like how we do all the other communications with our crews in space."

Jaramillo says the specific playlist for the Artemis II mission was selected by the crew and their friends and family.

"It's a blend of some personal favourites, as well as some specific meaningful tracks for this mission.

"It's been a joy to listen to."

Dr Eleanor Armstrong, who researches space at the University of Leicester, tells Newsbeat that playing songs in the morning in space "dates way back to the Gemini era".

Gemini is the name of a space programme in the US that Nasa ran in the 1960s.

Armstrong explains that playing music draws on a long history of organisations, like the US Navy, using songs to start the day.

The nine-song playlist for Nasa's Artemis II has been made available on Spotify, and includes other artists such as John Legend, Queen and David Bowie.

Astronauts have also been known to do their own thing in the past.

On 16 December 1965, to celebrate the first successful space rendezvous, astronauts Thomas Stafford and Wally Schirra surprised mission control with a little festive spirit.

The pair smuggled a harmonica and a set of small bells during the Gemini 6A mission.

To the surprise of the team listening back at base, Stafford and Schirra performed Jingle Bells.

The first instruments to be played in space are on display at the National Air and Space Museum in Washington DC.

In more recent years, astronauts still use music to signify different moments in space.

Armstrong says "there's also a long history of using songs on uncrewed missions".

She tells Newsbeat the unmanned probe Voyager mission, which went out past the edge of the solar system into deep space in 1977, had a disc containing lots of songs and sounds "representing the diversity of human experience".

The 33-year-old adds that the Tesla Roadster put into space by SpaceX is programmed to play David Bowie's Space Oddity "on loop".

Armstrong says US astronaut Christina Koch, who is part of the Artemis II crew, is very interested in "music in space".

She says the 47-year-old "found the cassette tape that they played on the Apollo 11 mission".

Koch then played it during the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 landing when she was on the International Space Station (ISS).

During her time on the ISS in 2019 to 2020, "she learned to play a song for her husband on the keyboard for their wedding anniversary".

Koch has also been known to create playlists with her husband.

The idea is each playlist is the soundtrack to a section of her journey that they both listen to, so they can feel connected despite the distance.

Speaking to Canada's Prime Minister Mark Carney earlier this week, Koch described the wake-up songs as "absolute perfection", but she wasn't happy Pink Pony Club was cut off "before the chorus".

"I really was just singing it all day after that," she said.

Commander Reid Wiseman said Tokyo Drifting reminded him of his family.

"A song that my daughters and I listen to when we go on our annual vacation to Florida, so that meant the most to me," he added.

Under Pressure by Queen and David Bowie was suggested by Jeremy Hansen's family, though he said his "second favourite song" will come on landing day.

Victor Glover gave his wife a "shout out" for her choice, saying she had replaced one of his songs with Good Morning by Mandisa.

"It was actually really pleasant to wake up to," he admitted.

The full Artemis II wake-up playlist:

* Sleepyhead - Young & Sick

* Green Light - John Legend featuring André 3000

* In a Daydream - Freddy Jones Band

* Pink Pony Club - Chappell Roan

* Working Class Heroes - CeeLo Green

* Good Morning - Mandisa featuring TobyMac

* Tokyo Drifting - Glass Animals and Denzel Curry

* Under Pressure - Queen and David Bowie

* Lonesome Drifter - Charley Crockett

Listen to Newsbeat live at 12:45 and 17:45 weekdays - or listen back here.

'I was in a slump - now my art is in Billie Eilish's house'

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c93en41k6e1o, yesterday

Like many artists do at some point, Sylvie Baker was suffering from a slump, pondering whether she should keep pursuing her passion of painting.

So when someone in Los Angeles bought one of her vibrantly-hued pieces for £800, she said she was "really happy".

But things took an unexpected turn when she checked her Instagram messages and saw the buyer was none other than global pop star Billie Eilish.

"She did not have to let me know it was her, I would have been happy just selling the picture, but the fact that she reached out is really incredible," Baker said.

Baker said art was "mainly a hobby" for her, until she started taking it seriously last year.

She said her focus had previously been on realism, but it shifted about two years ago when she began experimenting with reds and blues.

On Instagram, Baker has racked up about 5,000 followers, but has experienced increased publicity and sales since Eilish, known for hits Bad Guy and Birds of a Feather, snapped up her Fire Horses piece.

She said she can now look for studio space after the US star's purchase gave her more exposure.

Baker, who is a fan of the Glastonbury 2022 headliner, had no idea Eilish had ordered the print as it was purchased under a different name.

She assumed her art "must have just come up on her feed or something".

"It is crazy... I was sat on the sofa with my partner and I was just like, 'is this, is that real?' I thought it was just like a scam or something."

While Baker said she "loved anyone" who liked her art enough to buy it, she added it had felt "really validating" for a star as big as Eilish to appreciate it.

In a message to Baker, the 24-year-old singer said: "Absolutely in love with your work. I just ordered your fire horses on canvas. So excited."

'Do what you love'

Baker, who mostly uses oil and acrylic paint, said the "crazy" situation had made her realise how powerful social media can be.

Referring to Eilish, Baker said she had "so much respect" for her and the "things she says and makes".

She added: "I was in a little bit of a slump, I wasn't really sure what to do with my career... but stuff like that just proves that you've got to keep going, do what you love, and it will pay off eventually.

"Something that I made in my kitchen over there is now in like one of the biggest pop stars houses, or wherever she put it."

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Repair Shop restores Britain's first black ballerina's shoes

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cp3lxp1ex61o, 4 days ago

A dancer who became Britain's first black professional ballerina has had her pointed shoes restored on the television programme, The Repair Shop.

Julie Felix, 67, became a star in the US after she said she was excluded from a ballet company in London in the 1970s because of racism.

The dancer then returned to the UK, teaching at the Birmingham Royal Ballet, and has now had her shoes repaired 40 years after her first professional solo performance.

"It took my breath away, because it was something that I really never expected to happen." Felix said when asked about the shoe restoration.

The dancer said it was her late mothers idea to have the shoes restored: "It just turned out that life is busy as we all know it, and I never got the opportunity to get them fixed."

Each episode, The Repair Shop features different people having personal loved pieces restored by expert craftspeople.

"My idea was to have them mounted somehow, just slightly salvaged in some way, but Dean exceeded my expectations," Felix added.

Felix worked as Head of Dance at St Martin's Girls School in Solihull until her retirement, and has since been awarded an MBE.

The Repair Shop airs on 8 April at 20:00 BST on BBC1.

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£50k heritage funding for performing arts project

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c04xg7xq7qxo, 4 days ago

A theatre in South Yorkshire has secured more than £50,000 in funding for a community-led project exploring its local performing arts history.

The Doncaster on Stage scheme at the city's Cast theatre will share stories from the early Theatre Royal, which opened in 1776, as well as the Grand Theatre, the Palace of Varieties and the New Mexborough Hippodrome.

As part of the project, Doncaster People's Theatre (DPT), a company based at Cast, will host workshops, carry out research and develop a new production called Waiting in the Wings.

Nicola Doyle, community engagement manager at Cast, said she was "incredibly grateful" for the £50,778 grant from the National Lottery Heritage Fund.

"This support allows us to bridge the gap between Doncaster's past and its future, celebrating the enduring role performance plays in fostering not just civic pride, but community spirit and interconnection," she said.

DPT has members between the ages of seven and 86, a wide range which Doyle said would help "uncover, relive and pass on this precious heritage".

"It lays the groundwork for what the future of theatre in Doncaster will be, which is incredibly exciting," she added.

Waiting in the Wings is expected to feature scenes inspired by real people and historic events.

The performance is due to take place on Cast's main stage on 5 September and will be accompanied by an exhibition showcasing the project's findings.

One DPT member said the project would bring visibility to local creativity, which they said had "often existed outside the mainstream".

"It preserves the memories of performers, volunteers, audiences and community groups whose contributions may otherwise fade with time," they said.

"Understanding this history also helps us recognise how the arts have supported Doncaster through periods of economic change, social transformation and regeneration - acting as a constant source of resilience and belonging."

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Youth culture and identity celebrated in exhibition

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cly923yzyqgo, 4 days ago

A new exhibition at a city gallery includes images depicting youth culture across the UK, capturing the "collapse of gender binaries".

The Saturday Town project, by photographer Casey Orr at the Herbert Art Gallery and Museum in Coventry, features 95 images collected over 13 years.

The project was important "as it gives a voice and visibility to young people and celebrates their creativity," said the photographer.

The show includes 35 new portraits of young people from the city who posed at pop-up shoots across the city.

The images were selected from more than 4,000 collected by the American-born photographer as she travelled to towns and cities across the country on Saturday afternoons.

This included two events at Coventry's Fargo Village followed by one at The Herbert earlier this year.

"People use fashion and style to explore their identities, find their tribes and state their values," said Orr.

"The biggest single change that is reflected in my exhibition is the collapse of gender binaries in 2016 – it was a revolution and was incredible to witness," she added.

Some she photographed were people using their chosen names for the first time, she said, "and I have photographed and been a part of trans and non-binary kids feeling seen and celebrated".

"Their trust in me just blows me away every time."

"One of the overriding messages emerging from this exhibition is that identity continues to be central to youth culture in 2026 – and more importantly, even during the troubled times that we are living in, there is hope for love and individuality," Orr added.

The exhibition runs until 4 May.

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Cost of living impacts 125-year-old theatre group

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cn08g1kke6no, 4 days ago

A 125‑year‑old amateur theatre group said rising living costs are hitting ticket sales and putting its future at risk.

Peterborough Operatic and Dramatic Society (PODS) is one of the longest-running amateur theatre societies in the UK and has about 100 members, ranging in age from 16 to 95.

The self-funded charity produces two shows annually, but has seen a decline in ticket sales.

Hannah Ogden, the group's fundraising manager, said: "We've just seen a drop this year in tickets, and we can only put that down to the cost of tickets and the cost of living, unfortunately."

She added: "We receive no government funding. We put on shows for the love of it. It's just a hobby for many of our people and our members.

"And, we just would like more community support and people to come watch us."

The theatre group is currently performing We Will Rock You at The Cresset Theatre, which cost about £84,000 to produce.

Members usually meet for rehearsals twice a week, and Ogden said they have people from all different backgrounds working on shows, including paramedics, teachers and nurses, with some of them having been involved for over 60 years.

"It keeps them going - it's such a key part of their life," she said.

"We have to support a local theatre. For so many of our members, it's an outlet.

"We've got people from all different walks of life, and we come together to create some magic on stage through the pure love of it."

'More expensive'

Ogden said the group is calling on the community to support their shows and help keep it going.

"So the challenge at the moment, with cost of living, it's becoming more expensive to put shows on - we have to hire the theatre, costumes, props.

"As a consequence of that, for us to be sustainable and continue putting on these productions, we have to up the cost of our theatre tickets.

"We won't be able to continue to put on the standard of productions that we do, making loss after loss, unfortunately. And we try our best to keep our ticket prices as low as possible to make it as accessible to people.

"When we put on a production, as a committee, we have to basically sell the theatre out, essentially to break even."

Ogden said members of the community can also support the group by volunteering during shows and rehearsals.

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Lost Joan Eardley painting found in charity shop sells for £29,500

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cr71mv1e770o, 5 days ago

A "long lost" painting by Joan Eardley - known for her depictions of Glasgow street children and an Aberdeenshire fishing village - has sold for £29,500 after being discovered in a charity shop.

Staff at the shop in the East Midlands were curious about the artwork when they found a faded label on the back which linked it to The Scottish Gallery in Edinburgh.

The gallery was able to confirm it as Summer Fields by Eardley, and it has now been sold it to a private collector of Scottish art.

The shop which found it wished to remain nameless, but gallery director Tommy Zyw said it was the largest single sale in the charity's history and would help it support medical research.

Eardley, who was born in England in 1921 and moved to Scotland as a teenager, is known for her depictions of Glasgow's street children and the coastal landscapes of Catterline, an Aberdeenshire fishing village.

She died at the age of 42 in 1963.

Zyw described Eardley as "a star who continues to rise as her audience grows and more and more people engage with her subject and her life and work".

Summer Fields was painted around 1961 and captures the "dying sunset spilling across the corner of a Catterline field".

Zyw told how the gallery is often contacted by owners of paintings to do valuations.

He said most of the time they turn out to be framed posters or works by "family members, but occasionally they get something "very, very special".

"This is just what happened with this remarkable painting which was sent to us from a charity shop in the East Midlands," he said.

He explained that the manager of the shop had been going through items from a house clearance when he spotted "a small dark oil painting".

He said on the reverse of it there was a fragment of a label, on which there were only a few legible words.

"One was 'summer ', one was 'Joan' and one was 'The Scottish Gallery' and as soon as we picked up the phone our interest was piqued - could this be a long lost Joan Eardley painting?"

Zyw said the painting was then kept at a shop worker's house until it could be collected and brought to the gallery by an art carrier.

"My pulse was quickening as I was unwrapping the bubble," he said.

"As soon as the bubble wrap was lifted from the painting's surface I knew exactly what it was - it just had to be a Joan Eardley painting."

"The same way you are familiar with your family members or best friend's handwriting - the handling of the paint, the way it was presented all spoke instantly of the great master Joan Eardley."

He said he was also able to use information on the label to confirm its provenance.

"I was able, given those small fragments of information, to look up its original sale in our historic daybooks and I could find that the sale written in scrolling script in these old ledgers was the sale of Summer Fields in May 1961.

"And so that was the final seal of approval to authenticate this painting and to start its journey back to public display."

The painting was then cleaned before being exhibited at the British Art Fair in London in September 2025 and then at The Scottish Gallery in Edinburgh's New Town in October.

Zyw said: "It was visited by many, many thousands of people - including the original manager of the charity shop who came and enjoyed seeing the painting in a completely different context from when it first arrived with him."

Zyw said Summer Fields then caught the eye of a collector and the charity was "over the moon" with the sale.

"It was something they were all extremely excited about, from the shop manager who first found it, to higher up in head office, they've all followed this journey with great excitement," he said.

"We are in touch with lots of art connoisseurs, art lovers and people looking for that one special painting to add to their art collection, and the painting is now with a great lover of Scottish art, particularly post-war art, and so it is now happily hanging in somebody else's home for the next chapter in this painting's story to unfold."

Welsh composer makes history as music tops worldwide chart

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/ce8jg9e0ye5o, 5 days ago

A piece of music by a Welsh composer highlighting the terror and tragedy of war has topped the world's largest annual classical music survey.

The Armed Man: A Mass for Peace, by Welsh composer Sir Karl Jenkins, was voted the most popular work in the Classic FM Hall of Fame 2026.

Nearly 90,000 public votes were cast in this year's chart, with the new number one revealed by presenter Dan Walker on Monday.

Sir Karl, who was born and raised in Penclawdd, Swansea, said it was "gratifying" to be the first living composer to take the top spot.

Speaking on BBC Radio Wales Breakfast, he said: "It feels good to be alive and get the prize, rather than to be dead and pick it up. It is strange that that is the case."

Dedicated to the victims of the Kosovo War, the 82-year-old's choral work from 2000 reflects on the devastation of conflict while expressing hope for peace.

"Against the backdrop of current world events, its message remains strikingly relevant, underscoring enduring themes of peace and hope for the future," said Classic FM.

It is also the first choral work to claim the top spot since the poll began in 1996.

The composer also had four other pieces in this year's chart - Adiemus (number 66), Palladio (82), Gloria (191) and Requiem (300).

The Armed Man was originally commissioned in 1998 by various bodies as a mass to mark the millennium, said Sir Karl, adding that it had been performed "globally" 4,000 times since 2000.

"It's a narrative of conflict and war," he said. "It begins with peace and preparation for war and for conflict, the reflection after this, then hoping for a better future.

"But that, of course, never happened. And here we are 25 years later in the midst of all this mess globally, so, that was one side.

"The other side is, I like to think there's some reason to it, that the music appeals and is memorable."

Over the years, Sir Karl said many people have told him how the piece has supported them through difficult times.

"It's still as relevant today, the message, as it was 25 years ago," he said. "It's moved a lot of people.

"I get a lot of messages from people who are ill and who are dying, people with some trauma in their life, who have told me about the support the music has given them."

This year's poll also highlighted the growing influence of film music, with a record 40 entries, said Classic FM.

Howard Shore's score for The Lord of the Rings sits at number eight, the highest ranking for a film soundtrack in the chart's history, while John Williams' music for Schindler's List appears at number 13.

The 2026 chart includes 65 entries by living composers, including Hans Zimmer, Rachel Portman and Ludovico Einaudi, reflecting the growing appeal of contemporary classical music.

Despite Jenkins' historic success, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart remains the most represented composer overall, with 12 works in the chart.

Sir Karl said he was mindful of the musical giants alongside him.

He said: "The poll is a popularity poll and I'm not even contemplating the fact that there are all these geniuses behind me in the list, from Mozart to Beethoven and John Williams even. In that sense, it is gratifying."

New display takes visitors 'down the rabbit hole'

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cvg0vwe4y77o, 5 days ago

A touring exhibition of artwork from the original editions of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland will be on display in local libraries until the end of the year.

The Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead said 24 illustrations by Sir John Tenniel for Lewis Carroll's stories have been reproduced for display and will be featured in a walk-through gallery at each library.

They are on display at Sunninghill library and will be moved every month until the last displays at Datchet and Eton Wick in December.

The council said the exhibition supports the National Year of Reading 2026.

The exhibition will be touring across all libraries on the following months:

* April – Sunninghill

* May – Maidenhead

* June – Cox Green

* July – Ascot Durning

* August – Windsor

* September – Cookham and Old Windsor

* October – Boyne Grove and Wraysbury Container Library

* November – Dedworth

* December – Datchet and Eton Wick

Theatre closure a 'catastrophic loss to actors'

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c2lwedyn4qdo, 5 days ago

The closure of a theatre in the heart of London's West End where generations of actors trained is a "catastrophic loss to the acting industry and the arts", campaigners say.

The Actors Centre moved to the Covent Garden site in 1994 following a fundraising effort by Sir Anthony Hopkins.

It was first given to the actors on a 999-year lease with a peppercorn rent, but in 2021 it became the Seven Dials Playhouse (SDP), pivoting away from a training house to become a receiving theatre and the group was forced to leave.

At its peak it hosted 1,700 workshops each year, supported by more than 5,000 members, including founding member Dame Sheila Hancock.

The theatre building was sold for £3.6m in September 2024 to "generate new revenue streams and build a sustainable future, following the collapse of the old membership and training model" but was liquidated within 18 months.

A statement said despite "extensive efforts to stabilise the organisation... it has become clear that Seven Dials Playhouse can no longer continue operating on a viable basis".

Thirteen members of staff, some part-time, will lose their jobs. SDP owes some contractors thousands of pounds.

Kate Maravan, director of The New Actors Centre, said its loss was "devastating because it was more than a building".

She said: "I feel anger at the loss of this massive asset that was built up for the charity over decades. I hope that the people who did this are held accountable."

"I do feel a deep sadness. I think, in a way, they drained it of its heart.

"So often we'd walk past it and it would just be empty: a building that had been filled with actors and creative artists across the profession, bustling, alive, a place to meet, a place to hang out, have a coffee, do a class, meet people, collaborate, just became this empty space.

"It feels like the heart's been taken out of it."

SDP chief executive Amanda Davey called the 31 March closure "an incredibly painful moment". It came months after the Charity Commission launched an investigation and appointed interim managers.

The commission said its inquiry "was carefully examining the charity's financial management and governance to understand the events and decisions that led to the charity's serious financial challenges".

Louise Bangay, who campaigned with Actor at the Centre to save the original Actors Centre, told BBC London she got her first job through the venue.

She said: "A lot of love and a lot of effort went into creating that for actors, by actors.

"It was very valuable in that actors could arrive, go through lines with people, do classes, have a cup of tea, find out what was going on and end up collaborating on work together."

Asked about the closure of the SDP, she added: "It's a feeling of despair that the Charities Commission... did not see from the outset that this business model was duff.

"It feels very tragic, unnecessary. I feel a sense of disappointment for people like Anthony Hopkins and Alan Bates, I feel a sense of fury about the people who have caused it and I feel like I wish I could have done more."

Ayvianna Snow is a director of the New Actors Centre and also chair of the Equity actors union's London north branch and is calling for a "proper inquiry into the financial mismanagement that has been taking place".

She said: "This is incredibly damaging. The Seven Dials Playhouse set itself up as being a home for young artists.

"They were supposedly ostensibly going to help young people get into this very precarious industry but all this week I have been receiving phone calls from my members who have been left out of pocket to the tune of thousands of pounds.

"The union is very, very, very angered by this mismanagement and the lies that have been told to these young people."

In January, Marylebone Theatre artistic director Alexander Gifford and Rudolf Steiner House cultural programme director Adrian Locher offered the displaced actors a fresh space and start.

Speaking at January's launch of The New Actors Centre at Marylebone Theatre, Dame Sheila, one of Britain's most respected actors, singers and writers, said there had been "a queue around the block" for workshops in 1978.

She said: "We did work really hard to get it off the ground. It was sometimes quite heartbreaking and difficult because we didn't have the communication that you've got nowadays but it was worth it.

"It's such a lonely business ours. When you're out of work, you just feel there's nobody out there but if you've got somewhere to come and have a coffee or talk about a bit of work or maybe do a dialogue or anything, it keeps you alive."

Harry Burton, one of the directors of The New Actors Centre, said the loss of the old centre was a "sorry saga" but said "there is now affordable, continuous training back on the map for the acting profession".

He said: "The people that we see every day and every night on television and in the cinemas, they are the cream of the cream and they are the lucky ones who get offered an awful lot of the work first.

"But there's a huge body of workers underneath that top layer who need to be supported, sustained, who need opportunities to create community, to be together, to make work, to try things out, to experiment, and to just hang out and have a cup of tea and have a chat and Marylebone Theatre has given us that opportunity, and we're very grateful for that."

In a statement, Amanda Davey, chief executive of SDP, said: "This is an incredibly painful moment for everyone who has cared for, worked in and built Seven Dials Playhouse.

"I am immensely proud of our staff team, who have shown extraordinary compassion, professionalism and resilience through an exceptionally difficult period.

"Seven Dials Playhouse has mattered deeply to so many creatives, independent companies and audiences, and I know this loss will be felt across our community and across the wider sector.

"While this is an immensely sad ending, I remain deeply proud of what this organisation has made possible, and honoured to have been a part of it."

In a joint statement, the board of trustees said: "The trustees want to thank the staff, artists, supporters, partners and communities who have shaped Seven Dials Playhouse, and acknowledge the important role it has played in supporting new voices in central London."

A Charity Commission spokesperson said: "We are aware that Seven Dials Playhouse closed last month and that many will be saddened by this outcome.

"As part of our ongoing statutory inquiry into the charity, we have been monitoring events closely, liaising with the interim manager appointed last October.

"It is important that we take our time to conduct a thorough investigation. We will publish a report once our inquiry has concluded, setting out our findings and conclusions, and making clear what regulatory action we have taken, and why".

Joseph Colley, partner at appointed liquidator Moore Kingston Smith & Partners said: "Sadly our findings made it clear that Seven Dials Playhouse continuing to operate wasn't an option, and the trustees made the difficult decision to close it.

"As usual, it's our duty to work closely and support the stakeholders in a smooth closure process that's handled with empathy for all the employees, artists and stakeholders affected."

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'Extraordinary discovery' made in old painting

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c78r0eml2yko, 6 days ago

New technology has helped experts make an "extraordinary discovery hidden beneath" an old painting.

Entitled "Stourhead in its Infancy", the 18th Century oil painting was "long believed to be the earliest view" of the Wiltshire estate, according to the National Trust.

Infrared images have now revealed "unexpected hidden elements", including a hidden horse-drawn carriage along with a lady in a bonnet, a gentleman and a "coach dog".

Claire Reed, a trust curator, said: "To find such an extraordinary discovery hidden beneath its surface is incredibly rare and incredibly exciting."

Reed said the discovery was made at the beginning of a year-long restoration project where infrared reflectography is being used to "peer through the layers of varnish, dirt, different paint layers, to have a look at the painting underneath".

"It was in that moment that we realised the painting as we see it today is not how it originally appeared," she said.

"In a corner of the painting a carriage, with occupants, horses and even a little dog, had been painted out.

"Even with the naked eye you can see the wheel of the carriage poking through the upper layers of paint, and almost encircling this figure that's been later painted on."

The painting depicts cattle, sheep and figures in the foreground with a white classical temple on the far shore and part of a bridge on the opposite bank.

But following the unearthing of the hidden carriage and figures, the trust said it has had to revise the painting's date.

"Costume evidence now suggests the painting dates from around 1785–1800, later than originally thought," a trust spokesman said.

It has also raised the question of whether the landscape, which was thought to show Stourhead in the early stages of its development, is of the property at all.

Reed said: "We've looked at the features in the painting and compared them to the landscape garden as we know it today and as we know it was and has been [and] it looks very different to this. So the jury is out."

"In a world of AI and fake images, it has made us question what we think we know about many of our paintings."

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Call to get more tourists to stay overnight

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cy01570reyno, today

Tourism bosses in County Durham have been urged to boost the number of people staying overnight.

A council debate on the region's tourism economy was told the latest data from 2024 recorded 19.93m day visitors but just 1.64m overnight stays in the same period.

Councillors told the meeting it was a "beautiful county" but more was needed to be done to promote it.

The region's tourism body, Visit County Durham, said its coast was one of the fastest-growing areas, but there was a problem with lack of accommodation.

The Local Democracy Reporting Service said Dr Kelly Smith, a co-opted member of the council's environment scrutiny committee, told the meeting: "Durham needs to be an overnight destination.

"People are staying in Newcastle and coming to Durham for a day trip and then going back at night because it's being presented as a night-time destination with theatres, restaurants, and nightlife.

Michelle Gorman, managing director at Visit County Durham, said: "We will always struggle compared to Newcastle – it's a big metropolitan city and Durham is a very small heritage city.

"The night-time economy is something we have always struggled with, not just in Durham City, but the rest of the county."

Councillor Kenny Hope, Reform member for Delves Lane, said: "County Durham is a beautiful county and we don't sell it enough and we don't sell it properly.

"It needs to be promoted better than it is.

"We need to look at investing in the outdoor economy, such as mountain biking, canoeing and kayaking.

"If we don't, we will just sit on our hands and nothing will happen."

Michelle Gorman, managing director at Visit Durham, said the lack of visitor accommodation in the area meant people were not staying longer.

She told the meeting: "We have a fabulous coastline and much has been done over the last 20 years to improve it.

"It is one of our fastest-growing areas, the challenge we have is the lack of visitor accommodation."

A 400m buffer zone is currently in place along the Durham Coast to protect wildlife and sea life and prevent developments.

"To get any visitor accommodation is really challenging," Ms Gorman added.

"We are trying to get more family-friendly accommodation because the coast gets really busy with day visitors."

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'I was shocked a trip-planning app did not exist'

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cvgld8v0krko, today

A man who created a public transport journey planning app for the Isle of Man has said he was "shocked" that it did not already exist after moving to the island.

Called Kivoon: Isle of Man Transit Companion App, the tool was launched this week by former developer Itamar Bareket, after moving to the island from Dubai two years ago.

It allows users to plan routes using live travel information for the island's buses, steam trains and electric trams.

He said: "The app was built mostly for my wife, because she hates driving, but I am happy to have come up with something that is as polished as it is, that my wife can use, but I can also share it with the rest of the island."

Using artificial intelligence to create the tool, Bareket spent time in the last four months following the buses to check the exact routes, as the timetables only had key stop information, and there were "some unknowns," he said.

"I moved to the island two years ago with my wife, and on our first night here we wanted to get our Maccies fix.

'Need is clear'

"We knew there was a bus close by, but when we looked on Google, it just said to walk 40 minutes and it did not show any bus options.

"We were quite shocked that we were in 2024 back then and there was no real bus information that was available on my phone.

"I'm used to opening Google maps and it tells me where to go," he continued.

Now a chief technical officer for a travel e-sim company, he said the project was a "side hustle."

The app, which amassed 1,000 downloads in 48 hours, has received "overwhelmingly positive" feedback, he said.

"I think that the need is clear, and people are using Google maps and the likes when they are off the island, so they know what they are missing, and I came with an app that mimics this experience," he continued.

Feedback included a message from a blind woman who told him that it was the first time she was able to read a bus timetable, as existing information was not accessible for screen-readers.

"It's really heartwarming that I could help more people access public transport," he said.

Although the government's Find my Bus app allows people to track the location of buses, Bareket's app enabled users to plan journeys that required public transport and included a live departure board.

Speaking of including the Isle of Man Steam Railway and Manx Electric Railway information, he said: "I think that if it's on the app, it will encourage people to use it more and enjoy it."

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Pilot praised after in-flight emergency

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/ckg0ze32zn5o, yesterday

A pilot has been praised for calmly responding to an in-flight emergency after a hinge became detached.

The 55-year-old took off in a light aircraft from Old Buckenham Airfield in Norfolk at 18:20 BST on 23 May 2025 but soon heard a "clunk" and felt a jolt at 400ft.

After carrying out checks, the pilot identified that the outer edge of the moving flap on the left wing had partially broken away and declared a "mayday". This could make the plane hard to turn or keep level.

An Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) report said: "The action taken by the pilot to calmly and methodically troubleshoot and identify the issue, before applying a threat-and-error-management strategy, is good practice when responding to in-flight emergencies."

An assessment of the Piper PA-22-108 aircraft found the left outboard aileron hinge clevis pin was missing, and the hinge bracket was worn.

On the right-hand side, the clevis pin was a "non-standard part" and had a larger diameter than the part specified by the aircraft manufacturer and also had a worn hinge bracket.

AAIB said the plane's maintenance history did not identify when the pin had been replaced, and it was considered to predate current ownership.

It said that replacement parts should be in accordance with the manufacturer's manuals and that, in this case, a workaround seemed to have been used, which led to a "premature component failure".

The AAIB said the pilot's actions lessened the possibility of the aileron detaching in flight.

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He lives on through his work - 16 incredible photos from late Planet Earth cameraman

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/crk17eg356eo, today

Wildlife cameraman Doug Allan was renowned for working in some of the coldest and most extreme environments in the world.

The Scottish photographer, a trained diver and marine biologist, captured spectacular views of the frozen world above and below the water.

He built his career alongside Sir David Attenborough on BBC programmes including The Blue Planet, Planet Earth and Frozen Planet.

Allan died earlier this week, at the age of 74, after falling ill during a mountain trek in Nepal.

With countless awards to his name, he leaves a legacy of photos and footage that will see him remembered as one of the pioneers of wildlife filmmaking.

Chimpanzees in Uganda locked in vicious 'civil war', say researchers

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cr71lkzv49po, yesterday

The world's largest known group of wild chimpanzees has split and been locked in a vicious "civil war" for the last eight years, according to researchers.

It is not clear exactly why the once close-knit community of Ngogo chimpanzees at Uganda's Kibale National Park are at loggerheads, but since 2018 the scientists have recorded 24 killings, including 17 infants.

"These were chimps that would hold hands," lead author Aaron Sandel said. "Now they're trying to kill each other."

The study, published in the journal Science, says the intensity and duration of the violence may inform how early human conflict developed.

Sandel, an anthropologist from the University of Texas in the US, and co-director of the Ngogo Chimpanzee Project, says chimpanzees are "very territorial", and have "hostile interactions with those from other groups".

"[It's] like a fear of strangers," he told the Science podcast.

But over several decades, Sandel said the nearly 200 Ngogo chimpanzees had lived in harmony.

There were divided into two sets - known to researchers as Western and Central - but they had existed overall as a cohesive group.

Sandel said he first noticed them polarising in June 2015, when the Western chimpanzees ran away and were chased by the Central group.

"Chimpanzees are sort of melodramatic," he said, explaining that following arguments there would ordinarily be "screaming and chasing" and then later, they would grooming and co-operating.

But following the 2015 dispute, the researchers saw that there was a six-week avoidance period between the two sets, with interactions becoming more infrequent.

When they did occur, Sandel said they were "a little more intense, a little more aggressive".

Following the emergence of the two distinct groups in 2018, members of the Western group started attacking the Central chimpanzees.

In 24 targeted attacks since the split, at least seven adult males and 17 infants from the Central chimps have been killed, the study found, although the researchers believe the actual number of deaths are higher.

The researchers believe many factors such as the group size and subsequent competition of resources, and "male-male competition" for reproducing may be to blame.

But they say there were three likely catalysts:

* The first, were the deaths of five adult males and one adult female - for reasons unknown - in 2014, which could have disrupted social networks and weakened social ties across the subgroups

* The following year, there was a change in the alpha male, which the study says coincided with the first period of separation between the Western and Central groups. "Changes in the dominance hierarchy can increase aggression and avoidance in chimpanzees," it explained

* The third factor was the deaths of 25 chimpanzees, including four adult males and 10 adult females, as a result of a respiratory epidemic, in 2017, a year before the final separation. One of the adult males who died was "among the last individuals to connect the groups", the research paper said.

Sandel and his colleagues said their findings encourage people to rethink what they know of human conflict and warfare.

"In the case of the Ngogo fission, individuals who lived, fed, groomed and patrolled together for years became targets of lethal attacks on the basis of their new group membership," they wrote in the paper.

If chimpanzees - one of the species closest to humans genetically - could do so without human constructs of religion, ethnicity and political beliefs, then "relational dynamics may play a larger causal role in human conflict than often assumed", they added.

James Brooks, a researcher at the German Primate Center in Germany, said it was a "reminder of the danger that group divisions can present to human societies".

Commenting on the study in Science, he wrote: "Humans must learn from studying the group-based behaviour of other species, both in war and at peace, while remembering that their evolutionary past does not determine their future."

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

The doomsday seed collectors fighting to save Wales' native species

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c2d1k0nrwe9o, today

Should the apocalypse arrive, Wales as we know it may depend on conservationists Ellyn Baker and Kevin McGinn and their cotton bags full of seeds.

The duo are in charge of carefully collecting and storing native wild seeds to create a living genetic library that could restore the country's ecosystem after a disaster.

Ellyn, 25, and Kevin, 38, meticulously plan their summer so they can be in the right place at the right time when plants release their seed - a window of just days in some cases - that, if missed, can take several years to happen again.

But these seeds are not just being saved for some global catastrophe - they have already been used to restore species that have been wiped out.

Inside a small lab tucked away in the National Botanical Gardens of Wales in Carmarthenshire, humming freezers full of labelled silver packets are the last line of defence to save wild species from extinction.

Wales has about 60 species of plant that are not found anywhere else and, if they are wiped out, then that species ceases to exist on the planet, said Kevin, the curator of the seed bank and herbarium.

One-sixth of all plants in Wales are threatened with extinction and if they are lost there would be far reaching consequences for humanity.

If a flood or a drought wiped out all of Wales' wild species of plants, it would be this seed bank that could restore the country and save the ecosystem, said Kevin.

"That would be the worst-case scenario," Ellyn added. "As long as the conditions after the apocalypse were still OK for the plants to grow, because obviously they would have been through a lot."

Kevin said it was much more likely for extinctions to happen in localised areas, something that has already happened.

Kevin said people often suffered from "plant blindness" where the benefits to the environment, and society itself, are overlooked.

"When plant species are lost, ecosystems become less resilient to pressures such as climate change, disease and extreme weather," he added.

"This can trigger knock-on effects, for example, insects that rely on specific plants may decline or disappear too.

"Changes like this can affect people. Floral diversity supports pollinators and fewer pollinators can reduce crop yields, impacting food production and local economies.

"Plant diversity also helps maintain soil health, which is vital for farmland, flood mitigation and communities."

With fewer plant populations, genetic diversity - the range of different genes within a species, some of which could help it adapt to new environments - are lost.

"Genetic diversity is a resource for us too as humans, especially the wild relatives of crops. We've got quite a few in Wales, like sea radish, sea carrot, sea cabbage," said Kevin.

These wild species often have useful genes that make them resistant to pests and pathogens that the agriculturally bred species have lost.

Shore Dock, one of the world's rarest dock species, went extinct from one of three locations it is found after a landslide in Southerndown, Vale of Glamorgan, said Ellyn.

Luckily, the duo had collected seeds from the population and could restore the species.

But, with weather events get more extreme with climate change, the environment is changing and time is running out.

With only 11% of Wales' 15,000 species banked, these two conservationists are racing to collect all of the country's species.

"The first challenge of the job is to find out actually where these rare plants grow, finding the kind of viable populations, because not all populations of the rare plants actually produce good seed or have got high enough numbers," said Kevin.

It can be very challenging to find the species at the right time, and without the help of passionate botanists across the country notifying them of rare species locations, their job would be even harder.

Of all the species they have tried to bank, Ellyn said Juniper had foiled them three years in a row.

Though they have found shrubs, only some are seed-producing females and these take three years to ripen.

"Obviously that varies by the individual. And for a seed collection, we want to make sure that we're getting lots of seeds. So the aim is about 10,000 seeds per collection."

If they miss the window, it is a long wait for that individual to fruit again.

"Even with the best planning in the world, you need to time the seed collections when things are naturally falling off the plant to make sure that the seeds are fully ripe, which obviously varies by species."

If a species is not ready, the pair return several weeks later, sometimes only to find all the seeds have dispersed already or been eaten.

It can be a bit frustrating, but "it's all part of it", Ellyn said.

The team's summers can be very busy, attempting to travel across the entire country at the correct times to gather enough healthy seeds.

While the pair both wanted to be conservationists as children, neither knew they would be on the frontline of Wales' insurance policy against plant extinction.

"It's fantastic to be able to come to work and feel like we're not only feeding our own personal passion around plants and then also feel like you're making a difference," said Kevin.

"There's still a whole range of Welsh plants that I've never got to see in the wild, but hopefully now over the next few years, I will be able to."

Wales' seed bank was created in 2018 after the world's largest, the Millennium Seed Bank, found that 75% of Welsh plants had not been banked, said Ellyn.

Since then, they have collected more than five million seeds.

Half of everything they collect is sent to the flood-proof, bomb-proof and radiation-proof sub-zero vault in the Millennium Seed Bank in Sussex, which contains more than two billion seeds from around the world, ready to restart ecosystems in every continent.

The other half is stored in the lab freezers at the National Botanic Gardens of Wales - a big step up from the typical household kitchen freezers they began with.

In 2024, the team collected priority crop wild relatives, said Dr Christopher Cockel, the UK conservation projects co-ordinator for the Millennium Seed Bank.

They banked almost 500,000 seeds from 19 species, including relatives of lettuce, parsnip, strawberry, radish, quinoa, blackberry, alfalfa and several species used as fodder crops for livestock.

One of the species related to quinoa may even provide cancer fighting compounds, he said, but added that more research was needed.

Kevin said their mission for the next two years was 100 collections from Wales' Sites of Special Scientific Interest.

"If we weren't doing the work that we're doing, then it's likely that plant populations that will disappear in the future won't have a back up seed collection."

Plants and seeds may not be the first thing to come to mind in the event of a natural disaster, but this pair's work and the 2.5 million seeds waiting in freezers in the Welsh countryside could be the only line of defence against total ecological collapse.

Acres of heathland affected by wildfire

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cly9egwzjz8o, today

A wildfire has affected more than seven acres (three hectares) of heathland in Surrey, according to firefighters.

Surrey Fire and Rescue Service warned members of the public to avoid Whitmoor Common, north of Guildford, "due to high winds and changing smoke conditions" after dispatching six appliances to the blaze.

It later said the wildfire was "under control" but urged nearby residents to keep doors and windows closed "while some smoke remains in the area".

Surrey Wildlife Trust, which manages conservation at Whitmoor Common, also asked people to support fire crews by avoiding the area.

"Surrey's heathlands are at particular risk of wildfire from late spring due to the nature of the habitat, particularly during prolonged dry periods," the wildlife trust said.

Follow BBC Surrey on Facebook, on X, and on Instagram. Send your story ideas to southeasttoday@bbc.co.uk or WhatsApp us on 08081 002250.

Rare plants survive storm 'devastation'

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cgldgp0e913o, today

Hundreds of plants that are part of a garden's historic collection escaped storm damage despite 150 trees being destroyed, National Trust bosses have said.

The trees came down at Trengwainton, near Penzance, Cornwall, during Storm Goretti in January, but the trust said after a careful assessment, about 90% of the internationally-important collection had survived.

Some parts of the garden remain closed because of fallen trees but most of the site has reopened.

One of the garden team said the damage after the storm was a "living nightmare", and they planned to plant tree species "more resilient to wet weather and high winds".

Matt Nixon, from Trengwainton's garden team, said: "When we first came in after Goretti it was a scene of utter devastation, there was a tangle of fallen trees and blocked paths, it was just a living nightmare

"We're going to take our time in choosing what to plant in place of the trees that blew down, we need to think about climate change and different species that can tolerate prolonged wet weather and droughts.

"Our famous collection of plants has remained relatively unscathed but some of them are underneath the bigger fallen trees so they'll need to be removed very carefully."

Trengwainton is famous for its mild, sheltered microclimate and its exceptional plant collection, which has been built over generations and includes species first introduced to Britain following plant-collecting expeditions in the early 20th century.

Plants including rare rhododendrons, camellias, magnolias and giant tree ferns survived the storm, bosses said.

Marina Rule, head of visitor experience at the gardens, said: "I've worked here for 20 odd years and when I see the damage I still get choked up, these trees are personal to me.

"The storm caused significant damage and the safety of our visitors and team has had to come first, but thanks to a huge collective effort we're now able to welcome people back to more of the garden."

Rule said Trengwainton was not alone and "so many people, businesses and communities across Cornwall were affected by Storm Goretti".

She said: "To see these paths reopening, especially the lower woodland walk that so many people love, feels really special.

"The fact that the vast majority of our plant collection has come through the storm is something we're incredibly grateful for.

Visitors can enjoy the Jubilee Garden, William Walk and the Lower Tree Fern Glade again now storm damage has been cleared, as well as those already reopened parts of the garden, including the walled gardens, Camellia Walk and orchard.

But work is ongoing so visitors may still notice some restricted areas and occasional closures during high winds, as safety remains a priority for the National Trust team.

Follow BBC Cornwall on X, Facebook and Instagram. Send your story ideas to spotlight@bbc.co.uk.

Earliest date for 25C temperature recorded in town

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cvglk7z1k71o, 3 days ago

University of Reading meteorologists said Wednesday was the earliest April date that temperatures hit 25C in the town on record.

Its Atmospheric Observatory said similar temperatures are not usually seen until the second half of May.

The earliest date the maximum temperature hit 25C was previously 16 April, which was recorded in 1943, 1945, 1949 and 2003.

The warm weather is not expected to last or return in the next few days, with temperatures at the weekend only set to reach 12C or 13C.

Dr Stephen Burt, from the university's meteorology department, said: "Our records began in 1908, and this is the earliest such date on which 25C has been attained, by more than a week."

On Wednesday, a high of 26.6C was recorded at Kew Gardens in London and exceeded the 24.8C recorded on Tuesday at Mona on Anglesey, which was briefly the warmest day of the year so far.

The highest temperature ever recorded in April in the UK was at Camden Square in London, when 29.4C was reached on 16 April 1949.

"Sadly temperatures are going to start falling away," the BBC's senior weather presenter Alexis Green said.

"We have got a cold front, a band of rain moving its way eastwards across the region, and once that moves through, temperatures will drop like a stone, perhaps to around 2C or 3C out in the countryside.

"It's a chilly start to the day [on Friday]. The air will not be as warm as recent days [and will be] 10C lower than what we had [on Wednesday] and up to around 12C and 13C."

What are El Niño and La Niña, and how do they change the weather?

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cj97npgk92po, 3 days ago

The latest phase of the natural La Niña weather pattern has come to an end, US science agency Noaa has announced.

The opposite El Niño phase is expected to develop later in 2026, with initial signs suggesting it could be a particularly strong event.

La Niña and El Niño are among the most important natural weather patterns on Earth, and can affect temperatures and rainfall around the world.

What are El Niño and La Niña?

El Niño and La Niña are the two opposite states of a natural climate phenomenon called the El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO).

El Niño and La Niña occur in the Pacific but can affect weather systems across the world.

The two states are often identified by sea surface temperatures in the tropical eastern and central Pacific Ocean. During El Niño, these waters are warmer; during La Niña, they are cooler.

The phases can also be distinguished by differences in atmospheric pressure. During El Niño, pressure is above normal at Darwin, Australia (western Pacific) and below normal at Tahiti, French Polynesia (central Pacific). For La Niña, the opposite is true.

In "neutral" conditions - neither El Niño nor La Niña - surface water in the Pacific Ocean is cooler in the east and warmer in the west.

Trade winds tend to blow east-to-west, and heat from the Sun progressively warms the waters as they move in this direction.

During El Niño, these winds weaken or reverse, sending warm surface waters eastwards instead.

In La Niña periods, the normal east-to-west winds become stronger, pushing warmer waters further west.

This causes cold water to rise up - or "upwell" - from the depths of the ocean, meaning sea surface temperatures are cooler than usual in the east Pacific.

The phenomenon was first observed by Peruvian fisherman in the 1600s, who noticed that warm waters seemed to peak near the Americas in December.

They nicknamed it "El Niño de Navidad" - Christ Child in Spanish.

How do El Niño and La Niña change the weather and environment?

Not every event is the same, and the consequences vary between regions and times of the year.

However, scientists have observed some common effects.

Temperatures

Global temperatures typically increase during El Niño, and fall during La Niña.

El Niño means warmer water spreads further, and stays closer to the surface. This releases more heat into the atmosphere, creating wetter and warmer air.

But the regional effects are complicated, and some places may be both warmer and cooler than expected at different points in the year.

The hottest year on record, 2024, was boosted by El Niño conditions, on top of long-term human-caused climate change.

The maps below show some typical effects, but they may only be true for parts of the year.

The way the two systems affect UK temperatures is complicated, and can vary.

But El Niño may increase the chance of a mild start and cold end to UK winter, according to the Met Office, whereas La Niña can make a colder start and mild end to UK winter more likely.

Changes to rainfall

During El Niño, the warmer water pushes the Pacific jet stream's strong air currents further to the south and the east.

This brings wetter weather to southern United States and the Gulf of Mexico.

Tropical regions like southeast Asia, Australia and central Africa typically experience drier conditions.

La Niña typically brings wetter conditions to parts of Australia, Indonesia and equatorial South America, and drier conditions to the southern United States.

Tropical storms

El Niño tends to bring more tropical storms in the tropical Pacific, but fewer in the tropical Atlantic, including the south-east US.

During La Niña, the reverse is typically true.

Carbon dioxide (CO2) levels

Scientists have also observed that CO2 levels in the atmosphere increase during El Niño events, possibly as a result of warmer and drier conditions in tropical regions.

If plants grow less quickly due to drought, they absorb less CO2, while more wildfires in places like South Asia mean more CO2 is released.

Why do the El Niño and La Niña climate patterns matter?

The extreme weather events worsened by El Niño and La Niña affect infrastructure, food and energy systems around the world.

For example, when less cold water comes to the surface off the west coast of South America during El Niño events, fewer nutrients rise from the bottom of the ocean.

That means there is less food available for marine species like squid and salmon, in turn reducing stocks for South American fishing communities.

The droughts and flooding caused by the extreme 2015-16 El Niño event affected the food security of more than 60 million people, according to the UN Food and Agricultural Organisation.

Scientists have also found that El Niño episodes can reduce global economic growth.

How often do El Niño and La Niña episodes happen?

El Niño and La Niña episodes typically occur every two to seven years.

They usually last for nine to 12 months, although they can persist for longer, and they don't necessarily alternate.

La Niña had been largely present since mid-2024 but has now come to an end.

It means conditions in the Pacific are now "neutral" – neither El Niño nor La Niña.

But El Niño is likely to begin between May and July and last at least until the end of 2026, Noaa says.

Some forecasts suggest it could be a particularly strong "super El Niño".

Is climate change affecting El Niño/La Niña?

In 2021, the UN's climate scientists, the IPCC, said the ENSO episodes that have occurred since 1950 are stronger than those observed between 1850 and 1950.

But it also said that tree rings and other historical evidence show there have been variations in the frequency and strength of these episodes since the 1400s.

The IPCC concluded there is no clear evidence that climate change has affected these events.

Some climate models suggest that El Niño episodes could become more frequent and more intense as a result of global warming, with greater swings between El Niño and La Niña.

But this is a complex and uncertain area of science and there is no clear consensus.

Additional reporting by the Visual Journalism team.

What are UV levels and how can you protect yourself?

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/ckmg1572e8ko, 5 days ago

Warm weather can often bring high levels of ultraviolet (UV) radiation.

UV radiation is emitted by the Sun and penetrates the Earth's atmosphere.

Some exposure is essential for our wellbeing, but too much can cause skin damage.

Is UV dangerous?

UV is beneficial because it enables our skin to produce essential vitamin D.

This is important for the function of bones, blood cells and our immune system.

But we need to be careful about how much time we spend in the sunshine, warns Prof Dorothy Bennett, from St George's, University of London.

"Every exposure to UV, especially every sunburn, increases our risk of skin cancer.

"Melanoma, the most dangerous skin cancer, is now the fifth commonest cancer in the UK, the ongoing rise being attributed to sunbathing."

UV radiation promotes skin cancer by damaging DNA in skin cells.

It also plays a substantial role in skin ageing, contributing to wrinkles and loosened folds.

UV exposure has also been linked to eye problems, including cataracts.

What is the UV index?

Levels of UV radiation vary throughout the day.

The highest readings occur in the four-hour period around "solar noon", when the sun is at its highest - usually from late morning to early afternoon.

The UV Index (or UVI) is a standard, international measure of ultraviolet radiation.

Values start at zero and can rise above 10.

The higher the number, the greater the potential for damage to the skin and eyes - and the less time it takes for harm to occur.

What are the different UV levels?

Countries close to the equator can experience very high UV levels in the middle of the day, throughout the year.

Nairobi in Kenya can have UV levels above 10 all year, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).

Majorca in Spain normally hits nine in June and July.

But the Falkland Islands in the South Atlantic never usually get above five, even in summer.

What do the different UV levels mean for people?

According to the WHO, no sun protection is required when levels are:

* 1-2 (low)

Some sun protection is required when levels are:

* 6-7 (high)

* 3-5 (medium)

Extra sun protection is required when UV levels are:

* 11+ (extremely high)

* 8-10 (very high)

Children are more sensitive to UV radiation than adults, and therefore require additional protection at lower levels.

How can you avoid UV damage?

The NHS advises:

* spending time in the shade when the sun is strongest - between 11:00 and 15:00 from March to October in the UK

* covering up with suitable clothing and wearing sunglasses

* using sunscreen which is factor 30 or above and offers at least 4-star UVA protection on your face, neck and other areas of exposed skin

* reapplying sunscreen regularly - check the instructions on the bottle

* making sure babies and children are protected

Global research shows people often miss parts of their bodies when putting on sunscreen, according to Dr Bav Shergill from the British Association of Dermatologists.

"People often forget the side of their nose - where I have seen a lot of skin cancer," he says.

Other areas which need to be covered include the temples and the upper chest.

As a guide, adults should aim to apply about six to eight teaspoons of sunscreen if covering the entire body.

Can you tan safely?

There is no safe or healthy way to get a tan, according to the NHS.

Dr Shergill recommends using self-tan products instead.

"When you tan, ultraviolet light stimulates your skin cells to produce pigment to try and protect the DNA of skin cells - but that protection is minimal - the equivalent of SP4.

"That is not much protection at all - so you can still burn very early," he warns.

Can you burn even when it is cloudy and windy?

The amount of UV reaching your skin is not driven by the daily temperature, says Dr Michaela Hegglin, from the University of Reading.

"UV levels on a bright and breezy late April day in the UK will be about the same as a warm sunny day in August."

"Your skin can burn just as quickly whether it's 30C or 20C," warns BBC Weather's BBC Weather's Helen Willetts.

"Don't be caught out on cloudy days. UV will still penetrate thin clouds - so even if you don't think it's that sunny, you can still burn."

I have brown skin. Do I need to worry?

Yes, according to Dr Shergill.

"The skin may look darker, but it doesn’t always behave that way from a protection point of view – because there are more genes at play than we think about," he says.

"I have, for example, seen South Asian people with skin cancer and I have seen people with dual-heritage get skin cancer."

The broader risks of eye damage and harmful effects on the immune system from too much UV radiation affect people of all skin colour.

Swinney softens stance on North Sea drilling as oil prices soar

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c937kqxyy5wo, 10 days ago

First Minister John Swinney has signalled a softening of his stance on new oil and gas drilling in the North Sea.

The SNP leader said that energy security should be considered in any new decisions on further exploration - which are made by the UK government - as oil prices soar due to the war in Iran.

The Scottish government set out a presumption against licensing new offshore fossil fuel developments in 2023, but Swinney repeatedly refused to confirm the SNP's commitment to that position.

The Scottish Greens said the SNP were no longer serious about tackling the climate crisis.

Oil prices spiked on Wednesday after US President Donald Trump said his military would hit Iran "extremely hard" in the ongoing conflict.

The US-Israeli war with Iran has led, in effect, to the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, a key shipping lane which a large proportion of the world's energy supply passes through.

The price of brent crude oil, the international benchmark, increased from about $70 in late February to well over $100 by late March - leading to a record rise in petrol and diesel prices.

Control of licensing for oil and gas exploration in the North Sea lies with the UK government, which under Labour has a policy of not permitting new developments.

However, that opposition has softened since the last general election, with permission for new drilling on or near existing fields, known as "tiebacks", being granted last year.

UK Energy Secretary Ed Miliband and the industry regulator, the North Sea Transition Authority, are currently considering whether to give final approval to two major oil and gas fields - Rosebank and Jackdaw.

Jackdaw, which is about 150 miles east of Aberdeen, is a gas field which could be connected to the UK network within months.

Rosebank, about 80 miles north-west of Shetland, is Britain's largest untapped oil field - which would also produce some gas - and would take longer to become operational.

Both sites have already been granted licences, though work to begin extracting oil and gas from them has been halted due to legal challenges from environmental groups.

Energy firms have been told they will not be able to begin production at Jackdaw or Rosebank until a fresh decision has been made by the UK government.

Swinney has consistently said new oil and gas projects would have to comply with climate compatibility tests.

But campaigning in Edinburgh ahead of next month's Holyrood election, the first minister said energy security had become a "more significant" issue when deciding whether to back new drilling in the North Sea due to the crisis in the Middle East.

He told BBC Scotland News that any proposed projects "must take into account the need for energy security for households and businesses in Scotland".

The first minister repeatedly refused to confirm if the SNP had dropped its presumption against new North Sea developments.

Speaking to the Holyrood Sources podcast on Wednesday, Swinney said the war in Iran and the consequential threat to the UK's energy supply had changed the "balance of arguments" about North Sea drilling.

'Drill baby drill'

In Edinburgh, Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Alex Cole-Hamilton said permission for Rosebank and Jackdaw should be seriously considered if it is found to be more environmentally sound than importing oil and gas from "potentially sketchy regimes".

Labour's Anas Sarwar, who has has backed drilling at Rosebank and Jackdaw, called for a "balanced approach" of using oil and gas, renewables and ending the Scottish government's effective ban on nuclear power.

Scottish Conservative leader Russell Findlay, in Midlothian, called for the UK to "drill baby drill".

While backing a long-term transition to renewables, he said oil and gas will also be needed for years to come and that uncertainty over the UK policy had cost jobs.

However, Scottish Green co-leader Ross Greer told BBC Scotland News that increasing dependence on oil and gas would weaken the country's energy security.

He added that the answer was to switch to "clean, green renewable electricity".

Reform UK, which did not hold a media event on Thursday, has committed in its Holyrood manifesto to North Sea oil and gas exploration and opposition to "all SNP net-zero related targets".

Although offshore drilling is controlled by Westminster, the Scottish government can make decisions on planning and onshore facilities which can affect offshore production.

Nicola Sturgeon's government called for the "fastest possible managed and just transition away from dependence on oil and gas".

Her successor as first minister, Humza Yousaf, said consent for the Rosebank oil field was the "wrong decision".

But Swinney's view was clouded by the fact his government did not publish an energy strategy before the Scottish Parliament broke up for next month's Holyrood election.

The last draft plan, published in 2023, included a "presumption against" new oil and gas developments.

In 2024, Swinney accused the former Conservative UK government of "climate denial of the first order" when it announced plans to open 100 new oil and gas fields without scrutiny.

Chancellor Rachel Reeves told the BBC this week she was "very happy" to support drilling at Jackdaw and Rosebank because of the positive impact on "jobs and tax revenue".

But Energy Secretary Ed Miliband recently told the BBC that the lesson from the current crisis was that the UK needed "home-grown, clean power that we control".

Would North Sea drilling improve energy security?

According to industry body Offshore Energies UK, oil and gas supplies about 75% of the UK's energy needs and will meet about a fifth of demand by 2050.

Prof Paul de Leeuw, director of the Energy Transition Institute at Robert Gordon University, said that while is was essential to make the world greener and cleaner, having the North Sea on its doorstep was helpful for the UK during an energy crisis.

"It is particularly helpful on gas, which can pump straight into the gas system here," he told BBC Scotland News.

"And it is helpful for oil resilience in the region, because, even if we might not be able to refine the crude oil ourselves, we get it back as refined products, and that, of course, is benefiting all the consumers here."

Prof de Leeuw said that Jackdaw could produce about 6% of the UK's gas demand.

He told BBC Scotland News that the UK gets about 85% of its gas from the North Sea - from both UK and Norwegian sites - with the rest predominantly made up of liquified natural gas shipped from the US.

Due to the crisis in the Middle East, demand and prices for the US gas supplies are increasing.

Prof de Leeuw said Rosebank would take longer to come "on stream".

Most of its oil - which is owned by multinational companies - would be sent to the Netherlands because the UK's remaining refineries are not set up to process the heavier type of crude oil extracted from the North Sea.

The refined products - such as diesel or jet fuel - would then have to be reimported to the UK.

Prof de Leeuw added that opening up Rosebank and Jackdaw would help increase energy security in Europe, which is heavily reliant on imports from elsewhere, as Sir Keir Starmer aims to forge closer economic ties with the EU.

How would Rosebank and Jackdaw affect climate emissions?

Shell estimates that gas from the Jackdaw field could produce 35.8m tonnes of carbon over its lifetime, the equivalent of 90% of Scotland's emissions for 2023.

However, the energy giant says the field would be more likely to produce about 23.6m tonnes - equivalent to 60% of the 2023 figure, and the figure is less than if gas has to be imported from abroad.

The downstream/end use emissions from Jackdaw are a fraction of those estimated for the Rosebank oil field, where the extracted oil is expected to produce almost 250m tonnes over its lifetime.

Paul Morozzo, senior climate campaigner for Greenpeace UK, said more North Sea drilling would not improve energy security "one jot".

"Any oil and gas belongs to the company that drills it and will be sold at global market prices to the highest bidder," he said.

"Homegrown renewables are already providing far more of our electricity than fossil fuels, and as the economy electrifies the role of oil and gas will continue to shrink."

Morozzo said more wind and solar power would reduce dependence on oil and gas and create more secure jobs.

He added: "They are also our best insurance policy against the fallout from wars and the impacts of climate change."

Would you like to be in the audience for BBC Scotland's leaders debate?

The special episode of Debate Night, hosted by Stephen Jardine, will take place between 19:00 and 20:30 on Sunday 12 April in Paisley Town Hall.

The leaders of the Scottish Conservatives, Scottish Greens, Scottish Labour, Scottish Liberal Democrats, Scottish National Party, and Reform UK have been invited to take part.

You can apply to be part of the audience at bbc.co.uk/debatenight or by clicking this link.

Fewer heat-related deaths in 2025 despite warmest summer

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cy91xqxn2jdo, 10 days ago

The number of heat-related deaths recorded during summer 2025 - the UK's warmest - was much lower than expected, officials have said.

Around 1,504 heat-associated deaths were reported in England, according to the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA), roughly half the 3,039 predicted.

The figures come despite last year being the warmest summer on record, with four heatwaves, a top temperature of nearly 36C and a mean temperature of 16.1C.

Heat health alerts, alongside action taken across the NHS and care system are likely to have reduced the impact, the UKHSA said.

How hot was 2025?

Summer 2025 saw four heatwaves, although they were relatively short and not record-breaking, the Met Office has said.

The highest temperature reached 35.8C in Faversham, Kent on 1 July, below both the 35.9C recorded in 1976 and the UK's all-time high of 40.3C in July 2022.

However, the season's average temperature of 16.1C made it the warmest summer on record, surpassing the previous high of 15.76C set in 2018.

The summer of 1976 remains "iconic", according to the Met Office, with 16 days exceeding 32C compared to nine days in 2025.

The persistent warmth was been driven by a combination of factors, including the domination of high-pressure systems, unusually warm seas around the UK and the dry spring soils, the forecaster said.

Why were deaths lower than expected?

The UKHSA says it is possible that warmer conditions in late spring 2025 may have encouraged people to adopt earlier "protective" behaviours ahead of the peak heat.

Dr Agostinho Sousa, head of extreme events and health protection at UKHSA, said the lower-than-expected deaths "suggests that the actions taken across the health and care system may be helping to reduce harm".

However, he warned that continued vigilance is needed "as periods of heat become more intense, longer and more frequent".

"Coordinated preparation and response remain essential to protect the most vulnerable in our society".

Who is most at risk?

Heat can affect anyone, but some vulnerable groups, like older people and babies, run a greater risk of serious harm.

As in previous years, the highest heat-associated mortality rates were seen in older age groups - the 75s and over.

Old age and some long-term conditions, such as heart disease, can leave people less able to cope with the strain heat puts on the body.

During hot weather, it can be easy to overheat, sometimes resulting in heat exhaustion or heatstroke.

What is the forecast for 2026?

The Met Office outlook suggests that global average temperatures in 2026 are likely to be around 1.46°C above pre‑industrial levels (1850–1900), which would place it among the four warmest years on record.

While there are no localised UK figures for the year ahead, the winter season has been relatively mild.

The Met Office has issued yellow warnings for wind for parts of the UK over the Easter Bank Holiday weekend.

An area of low pressure is expected to deliver gales and heavy rain to northern and western areas, with the risk of damage and travel disruption.

But it is set to be a very mixed bank holiday weekend.

There is a chance of snow in northern areas, while southern and eastern parts will see long spells of dry weather and warm sunshine at times.

'God squad' waives animal protections to expand oil drilling in Gulf of Mexico

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cre19zrg5dxo, 11 days ago

A US federal panel has voted to exempt oil and gas drilling in the Gulf of Mexico from a decades-old law to protect endangered species.

A vote by a committee known as the "God Squad" - because of its ability to influence the future of certain species - followed a request by Pete Hegseth, US secretary of defence.

Speaking on Tuesday, Hegseth said "recent hostile action" by the Iranian government illustrated why securing more domestic oil production was important for the country's national security.

Environmental groups tried to sue to stop the vote, claiming it could push some species like the Rice's Whale into extinction - only 51 remain in the wild.

The Endangered Species Act was passed in 1973 to protect the most at risk animals and plants in the US from the impacts of development. It includes measures such as banning activities in certain areas where species could be harmed or killed, like dam construction.

But the Endangered Species Committee has the power to bypass the law in the interest of national security or when there are no other alternatives to a project.

A few weeks ago, Hegseth wrote to the committee asking for an exemption for oil and gas drilling in the Gulf. He said although the request was made before the war with Iran started, it illustrated why securing national oil supplies was so important.

"The Strait of Hormuz is the world's busiest oil route and recent hostile action by the Iranian terror regime highlights yet again why robust domestic oil production is a national security imperative," he told the committee on Tuesday.

Iran effectively closed off the Strait, one of the world's busiest oil shipping channels, after the US and Israel attacked Iran on 28 February. The average price of gas at the pump has now topped $4 in the US for the first time in nearly four years.

On Tuesday, the 'God squad' voted unanimously to approve the exemption - only the third time in it's 53-year history.

The decision was met with strong condemnation from environmental groups who said it will likely drive the Rice's Whale to extinction. The whale is only known to live in the Gulf of Mexico, and its population dropped by more than 20% to only a few following the Deepwater Horizon spill, according to the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

"Americans overwhelmingly oppose sacrificing endangered whales and other marine life so the fossil fuel industry can get richer," said Brett Hartl, government affairs director at environmental charity Centre for Biological Diversity.

The Gulf of Mexico is home to at least 19 other threatened and endangered species including various types of turtles, the giant manta ray and mountainous star coral.

Speaking at the meeting Hegseth said that litigation by environmental groups had hampered oil and gas activity, and instead this exemption would allow the "integration of oil and gas production with responsible endangered species protection".

In 2025, the National Marine Fisheries Service concluded oil and gas activities in the Gulf of Mexico would lead to the Rice's whale's extinction and recommended precautionary measures such as reducing vessel speeds.

These measures will no longer apply.

Andrea Wood, spokesperson for the trade body American Petroleum Institute, said: "Our industry has a long track record of protecting wildlife while developing offshore energy responsibly."

She added that there needed to be balance between "science-based protections while meeting growing energy demand".

But environmental groups already said they will take further legal action to prevent the exemption going ahead.

Sign up for our Future Earth newsletter to get exclusive insight on the latest climate and environment news from the BBC's Climate Editor Justin Rowlatt, delivered to your inbox every week. Outside the UK? Sign up to our international newsletter here.

This idyllic US town was full of police families - and a serial killer in their midst

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cpwjkqq910go, yesterday

Massapequa, its residents proudly proclaim, is a "cop town".

Perched on Long Island's idyllic South Shore, it is just an hour's journey via train from Manhattan.

The community is home to New York Police Department (NYPD) detectives, multi-generational police families, officers from Nassau and Suffolk Counties, and members of myriad other law enforcement agencies.

And when body parts started to be discovered in 2010 on Gilgo Beach - not far from where local teens work as lifeguards and families gather in the summer - it became clear that a serial killer had been active on Long Island for years.

The rumour mill went into overdrive. Was he local? Was he still hunting? And was he, after operating for so long without getting caught, perhaps even wearing a badge?

The 2023 arrest of architect Rex Heuermann put to rest those theories - and his admission in court this week to the murders of eight women has brought even further "closure" to Long Island police, they said.

"It's a great relief," said Craig Garland, a retired NYPD detective, Massapequa resident and Little League baseball organiser. "There were people out there trying to pin this on a cop and... it brings great closure to the law enforcement community at large [that] this wasn't a cop that was a serial killer."

Heuermann, a 62-year-old married father-of-two, was arrested in July 2023 in Manhattan after authorities obtained his DNA from a discarded piece of pizza outside his mid-town office.

His daily commute from Massapequa Park to New York City took him right past the local police bar Johnny McGorey's, a popular pub directly next to a rail station where officers drank and discussed the hunt for the murderer as Heuermann made his way to and from his unkempt house just a few streets away.

When bodies started being discovered, members of the homicide unit "were our Friday night regular guys", said McGorey's owner Joanne Fountain, describing them as "shook" after the gruesome finds.

"They would come in, and we would be like, 'What the hell is going on down at the beach, at Ocean Parkway?'

"Then it was all day, every day, on the news."

As her regulars socialised and theorised, however, they had no idea just how close the killer was. Neither did the multi-generational police families, even as some officers began to question whether the killer was one of their own.

"He's covering his tracks so well and, you know, is there a possibility it could be a cop?" Garland recalled people would speculate. "Listen, there's always a possibility it could be anybody."

Scandal hits the police department

There are "probably more cops that live in [the] Massapequa, Massapequa Park area than any other part of Long Island", said Bob Livoti, president of the Association of Retired Police Officers. He called the area "the hub" of Long Island's already police-heavy population.

Fountain uses one of her own bar staff as an example of a familiar family pattern in Massapequa.

"His dad was a cop, his grandpa was a cop and he just got hired onto NYPD too," she said.

Massapequa police families "eat, sleep and breathe it", she added.

And that legacy extends across other first-responder jobs: Massapequa is home to many firefighters, medics and officers from other agencies. It was particularly hard-hit on 9/11, with the surrounding Nassau County losing around 350 people, including many first responders.

But the case of Gilgo Beach plagued law enforcement in more ways than one.

"As an administrator and someone who was a cop, it was very frustrating that it took so long to discover... [who's] responsible for these murders," said John Azzata, Nassau County's retired head of homicide.

The situation wasn't helped when Suffolk County Police Chief Jimmy Burke, then in charge of the Gilgo Beach investigation, was arrested in 2013 on sensational charges involving sex toys, pornography, coercion of witnesses and a cover-up.

Burke entered the home of Christopher Loeb, a man arrested for probation violations, to retrieve a bag of sex toys and pornography that Loeb had stolen from Burke's department-issued SUV, according to the US Attorney's Office. He then beat Loeb while in police custody and tried to get others to cover it up.

He pleaded guilty in 2016 to reduced charges and was sentenced to 46 months in prison.

The debacle also led to related charges and five-year prison sentences for former Suffolk County District Attorney Thomas J Spota and Christopher McPartland, the former chief of investigations for the District Attorney's Office and, ironically, chief of the government corruption bureau.

These allegations of corruption – amongst the same Suffolk officials tasked with investigating the murders of sex workers – only added fuel to the conspiracy theories around law enforcement connections to the serial killer. So did the fact that Burke had ended co-operation with the FBI into the investigation, much to the ire of many Long Island officers.

"There was a lot of disgust," said ARPO president Livoti. "When I was reading about it, I said: 'I can't believe the stuff that this guy got away with.' Unbelievable. There were so many red flags and nobody did anything."

But the scandal was perfect fodder for armchair sleuths and conspiracy theorists, and the Long Island serial killer mystery persisted until Heuermann's arrest on 13 July 2023.

As police breathed sighs of relief that he was an architect, those living in Massapequa were "astonished", Livoti said. "Whoever thought this guy was living next door to anyone?"

"I think everybody was in shock," said Garland, who realised Heuermann's child had participated in one of the Little League programmes he helped organise. "For anybody that came in contact with this individual, it was a shock."

'There's no closure for victims'

At Massapequa's St Rose of Lima Roman Catholic Church, which has a high percentage of police and first responder parishioners, Rev Gerard Gentleman noted how the community moved quickly from shock to generosity and empathy.

"People reached out, saying: 'What are we doing for [Heuermann's] family? Can we do anything?'" the pastor said. "And we did. We had some offerings to them and... one of our staff members did actually go and sit with his wife for a little while.

"Obviously, there was also concern: 'My goodness, this was happening right here in our town. He was among us,'" Gentleman said, adding that he believed there was "great relief that this is going to be in the past" as well as "deep sadness".

"People do look at Massapequa as a close-knit community, and this was very disruptive and shattering," he said.

The parish has repeatedly seen first-hand the outpouring of support from the law enforcement community.

For example, when Massapequa resident and NYPD detective Jonathan Diller was killed in the line of duty two years ago, thousands turned out for the funeral at St Rose of Lima and lined the streets.

"It's a community that responds to sadness, to tragedy, finds their strength in being with one another and that identity," he said. "It's a middle-class, working community – lots of cops and firemen – and that's the, I think, ethos of the community."

And that ethos will likely be relied upon heavily since Heuermann's guilty pleas.

"It brings great closure to everybody that this individual is behind bars," Garland said. "It's the right guy, and it's nothing that anybody has to be concerned with moving forward."

Azzata, for his part, feels "happy that this individual was arrested and hopefully will plead guilty and put this whole thing to rest".

While police may feel vindicated, however, and while Massapequa – and wider Long Island – might feel safer, Azzata pointed out that even a guilty plea will only do so much for the loved ones of the murdered women.

"People say they get closure - there's no closure," he said. "You may get justice, but victims' families never get closure."

What is Trump doing with the US Forest Service?

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c5ywdy4lvjxo, yesterday

The US government recently announced plans to relocate the headquarters for the national forest service from Washington DC to the state of Utah

This has stirred up worries that it intends to greatly shrink - or even shut down - the agency that manages the nation's forests, fights wildfires and conducts biological research.

The US Department of Agriculture (USDA), which oversees the service, has said the move is part of a sweeping restructuring that will make the agency more effective and tie it closer to the millions of acres it oversees. US President Donald Trump's administration also plans to shut down regional offices and move to a state-focused model.

But as the administration bills the move as a "common-sense approach", opponents have said it threatens to limit people's access to national forests and weaken protections for public lands, potentially opening them to private businesses and extractive industries.

Here's what we know about the impending changes to the US Forest Service (USFS).

What is the US Forest Service?

Established by President Theodore Roosevelt more than a century ago in 1905, the USFS manages 154 national forests and 20 national grasslands, which cover 193 million acres in 43 states, as well as the Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico.

Employees focus on sustainable management, conservation, and use and stewardship of natural and cultural resources.

The USFS also handles fire management and other safety initiatives. Famously, its wildfire-prevention programme is fronted by mascot Smokey the Bear.

No timeline for the move to Utah has been announced yet. The BBC has contacted the USDA.

Why is Trump moving the headquarters to Utah?

On 31 March, the Trump administration announced it would move the USFS headquarters away from the east coast to Salt Lake City, Utah, in part because public lands "are overwhelmingly concentrated in the west".

The USDA has said the move will save money and boost employee recruitment, pointing to Salt Lake City's lower cost of living, proximity to an international airport and "family-focused way of life".

"This is about building a Forest Service that is nimble, efficient, effective and closer to the forests and communities it serves," said Forest Service chief Tom Schultz.

"Effective stewardship and active management are achieved on the ground, where forests and communities are found - not just behind a desk in the capital."

The plans also include moving away from regional offices to a state-based model "to shift authority closer to the field", the USDA said.

Fifteen state directors will be distributed throughout the US to oversee operations within at least one state. Many functions of the regional offices will also move to a network of centres in New Mexico, Georgia, Colorado, Wisconsin, Montana and California - places that already have an existing USDA presence, the agency said.

Utah Governor Spencer Cox, a Republican, and Colorado Governor Jared Polis, a Democrat, both back the plan and its state-focused approach.

The Trump administration has already made steep cuts to staff at national parks and other places that have triggered a backlash, with critics saying they have limited access to public lands.

Why is there opposition?

The National Federation of Federal Employees (NFFE-IAM), the labour union that represents tens of thousands of USFS workers, has condemned the changes, calling them "a reckless disruption to the dedicated workforce that manages the nation's forests, fights wildfires and serves the public".

"Uprooting their careers and blowing up the structure they work within is not a reform. It is chaos, and the American public and our public lands will pay the price," said NFFE-IAM national president Randy Erwin.

The restructuring will reportedly shut down 57 of 77 research facilities and nine regional offices across 31 states, in addition to the headquarters move.

Many within and outside of the union have also expressed worries that the changes will take place during the country's wildfire season, which stretches from May through to November.

What broader impact could the move have?

While the Trump administration has said that frontline operations, including wildfire response, will continue uninterrupted, businesses and groups tied to the outdoors have expressed scepticism about the changes.

A coalition of 70 companies oppose Trump's plans, saying their business relies on well-managed, accessible public lands.

The companies - including REI Co-op, the North Face, Columbia Sportswear Company, Elkhorn Coffee Co, Flickr and others - have raised concerns about the agency's ability to properly manage the vast wildlands and continue its decades of research under the plan.

They estimate recreation on USFS land annually drives $23.3bn (£17.3bn) in economic output. Local communities, visitors, businesses and others stand to suffer if the agency does not receive the funding and resources it needs through the transition, they said.

In a separate statement, retailer Patagonia said: "By shutting down its research stations, culling its staff, and moving the headquarters to Salt Lake City, it will be surprising if USFS can effectively manage anything at all.

"The only beneficiaries of the move and other rollbacks to public land policy from this past year are billionaires and extractive industries."

Melania Trump's speech propels Epstein crisis back to forefront

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cwy3w9y8gyjo, yesterday

As Melania Trump walked up to the White House podium on Thursday, standing where US President Donald Trump had just over a week ago made his address to the nation on Iran, there was absolutely no indication that this would be a jaw-dropping appearance.

There was curiosity, yes, but no one guessed it would be must-see viewing. Not even those most plugged into the administration had any forewarning of the topic, according to officials.

Flanked by US flags, her first sentence jolted those listening. "The lies linking me with the disgraceful Jeffrey Epstein need to end today."

With those words, the Epstein crisis that had plagued the president was once again front and centre thanks to his wife.

Immediately, US cable channels broke away from their coverage on Iran, given the gravity of what was unfolding.

The first lady has always maintained a relatively low profile, strategically selecting her few public events. She hardly shares the same flair for the dramatic - or the desire to shock and awe the press - as her husband.

Reading from a prepared statement, she said she never had a relationship with Epstein or Maxwell, was not introduced to her husband by Epstein, and was unaware of Epstein's crimes. She ended by calling for public congressional hearings for Epstein survivors to testify to uncover the truth.

If she had stayed to answer any questions, surely the first one would have been: why did she feel the need now, seemingly out of the blue, to distance herself from the convicted sex offender and go on the record for the first time?

Rumours swirled that perhaps she was trying to get ahead of something new, given the general claims she referenced have circulated for years and she's usually relied on her lawyers to respond.

Investigative journalist Vicky Ward, who has reported on Epstein for decades, says the timing of the news conference is confusing.

"I think if Melania Trump had done this at the start of the Epstein crisis a year ago and called on Congress to put the victims on record and hear their stories, we'd feel quite different about it."

The context of her remarks also don't make sense, she adds. "There isn't really much of Melania Trump in the Epstein files besides that one email, friendly email to Ghislaine Maxwell. I'm baffled by it. I don't think anyone ever believed she was a victim."

Adding to the intrigue, President Trump said he didn't know that she was going to give that statement, even though a spokesperson for the first lady had initially said he did.

Reaction to Melania Trump's announcement came swiftly.

Several survivors reached out to each other, sharing their incredulity at what had just unfolded, and began co-ordinating how they would respond. Thirteen of them, along with the family of Virginia Roberts Giuffre, put out a statement saying that asking more of survivors was a deflection of responsibility, not justice.

"First Lady Melania Trump is now shifting the burden onto survivors under politicised conditions that protect those with power: the Department of Justice, law enforcement, prosecutors, and the Trump administration, which has still not fully complied with the Epstein Files Transparency Act."

Democrats continue to argue that the Department of Justice has withheld too many documents without proper justification. Out of six million documents, the Department of Justice released 3.5 million and said there are legal limits on releasing the rest.

Marina Lacerda, who was just 14 years old when she was abused by Epstein, as detailed in the 2019 federal indictment against the disgraced financier, was one of the survivors to sign that statement. But she went even further in a separate video shared on social media, slamming the first lady's suggestion.

"It sounds like you're just trying to shift attention from something to something else. So how does this benefit the Trump family, is my question," Lacerda said.

But survivor Lisa Phillips praised Melania Trump for countering the Department of Justice's narrative that they were closing the chapter on the Epstein files.

Phillips told BBC Radio 4's Today programme that her call to have survivors telling their stories was a "bold move". But she also challenged the first lady to follow her words with actions.

"What I would do is I would call her bluff and I would, you know, push her a little bit and say: 'okay, now that you've said that, what can you do? What can you do to help us? And what can you do to move us along?'"

The chairman of the House Oversight Committee, which is investigating the Epstein files, told Fox News on Friday that he always planned to hold hearings with survivors of Epstein's crimes once the committee finishes its investigation.

"I agree with the first lady and appreciate what she said," Republican James Comer said. "We will have hearings."

Barry Levine, author of The Spider: Inside the Tangled Web of Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell, says the fact that Melania Trump included and acknowledged the victims is very significant because she's chosen to go against her husband's stance.

He says President Trump has always turned a cold shoulder to the victims.

"He had been given many opportunities to say something supportive of the survivors in terms of getting accountability for them and he has continually said the files are nothing but a hoax."

His wife, says Levine, is very much her own person who speaks her own mind. "Even the president has previously acknowledged this."

Tammy Vigil, author of Melania and Michelle: First Ladies in a New Era, tells the BBC that the fact that her statement didn't include her husband shows a fissure in the White House between the president and first lady and the agendas they're forwarding.

"She's pushing an agenda that by all outward appearances he doesn't want to push. So she's helping her own agenda. It's a very independent statement and we've seen her do that a few times before."

Democrats, meanwhile, see this as a political gift.

Melania Trump has now placed herself squarely into the Epstein story and put herself at odds with the administration, which wants to end the investigation.

The highest-ranking Democrat on the House Oversight Committee, Robert Garcia, has said that he was stunned by the speech and the Trump administration must now follow the first lady's lead.

"If Melania Trump wants real justice, she should ask her husband to release the rest of the Epstein files and ensure that Pam Bondi testifies," he said.

President Trump, who socialised with Epstein in the 1990s and appears in the files many times but has denied any knowledge of his crimes, has called the Epstein files uproar a politically motivated hoax.

But this time he cannot accuse the person putting the story back into the headlines of having malicious intentions.

It is the enduring crisis that the administration cannot get past, and Melania Trump's announcement has just breathed fresh life into it.

The five big sticking points in US-Iran talks

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cx2wyn8wdz0o, yesterday

The venue is ready, the guards are in place and the kerb along the approach road has received a fresh coat of yellow and black paint.

Islamabad awaits.

As hosts of vital US-Iranian talks, the Pakistani government officials are making optimistic noises, emphasising that unlike many others, they enjoy the trust of both sides.

The man heading the US delegation, Vice-President JD Vance, is also sounding upbeat.

"If the Iranians are willing to negotiate in good faith," he said before leaving the US, "we're certainly willing to extend the open hand."

But there was a warning too.

"If they're going to try to play us, then they're going to find the negotiating team is not that receptive."

It's fair to say that a whole mountain of obstacles lies ahead.

Lebanon

Israel's ongoing campaign against Iran's Lebanese ally, armed group Hezbollah, threatens to derail the talks before they've even started.

"The continuation of these actions will render negotiations meaningless," Iran's President Masoud Pezeshkian posted on X.

"Our fingers remain on the trigger. Iran will never abandon its Lebanese sisters and brothers."

Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says there is "no ceasefire" when it comes to Hezbollah, but Israel's repeated warning to residents of Beirut's southern suburbs to evacuate has yet to result in any further action.

US President Donald Trump says Israel's action in Lebanon will now be "a little more low key", and the US State Department says direct talks between Israel and Lebanon will take place in Washington next week.

Whether it will be low key enough to satisfy Iran remains to be seen.

Strait of Hormuz

Another issue with the potential to stymie talks from the beginning is the crucial oil shipping passage the Strait of Hormuz.

Trump says Iran is "doing a very poor job" of allowing ships through the strait, despite initially saying it would.

"This is not the agreement we have!" he declared in a Truth Social post, accusing Iran of being "dishonourable".

Very few vessels are passing through, with hundreds of ships and an estimated 20,000 seafarers still trapped inside the Gulf.

Having achieved its chokehold on this vital waterway, Iran seems determined to formalise it, calling it sovereign Iranian water and talking about a new set of rules to govern what can and can't pass through.

On Thursday, it announced the creation of new transit routes, north of the two existing traffic separation channels. In a statement which played very consciously on existing fears among shipping companies, it said the new routes were necessary "to avoid the presence of various types of anti-ship mines in the main traffic zone".

Amid reports that some of the ships that have made it through in recent weeks have paid a $2m (£1.5m) toll, Trump has warned that Iran "better not be charging fees to tankers".

Nuclear

Arguably the biggest, and certainly the most long-standing, bone of contention is nuclear.

Trump said he was launching Operation Epic Fury, in part, to make sure Iran "can never have a nuclear weapon".

Iran says it has never sought to build a bomb - a claim most western governments view with enormous scepticism – but insists that as signatories to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, they have the right to enrich uranium for civilian purposes.

Iran's 10-point proposal, which Trump described as "a workable basis on which to negotiate" includes a demand for international recognition of its enrichment rights.

Trump's own 15-point plan reportedly demands that Iran "end all uranium enrichment on Iranian soil". But asked about this earlier this week, Secretary of Defence Pete Hegseth merely said Iran would "never had a nuclear weapon or the capability to get a path to one".

It took years for international negotiators to reach the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), which tackled this thorny issue in enormous detail.

Are the two sides ready to discuss a new deal?

Iran's Regional Allies

Iran's network of regional allies and proxies – Hezbollah in Lebanon, the Houthis in Yemen, Hamas in Gaza and an assortment of militias in Iraq – has given Tehran regional clout, allowing Iran to exercise what is often called "forward defence" in its long-running disputes with Israel and the United States.

Since the start of the Gaza war in October 2023, the network Iran calls the "Axis of Resistance" has been under constant attack. One part of it, the regime of the former Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad, no longer exists.

But Israel sees what it calls the "Axis of Evil" as representing an existential threat, which needs to be fully eradicated.

At a time when the Iranian economy is buckling, many Iranians would also like to see their government spending less on foreign adventurism and more on making their lives easier.

But there's little sign yet that Iran is ready to give up on its allies.

Sanctions Relief

The Islamic regime has suffered crippling international sanctions for decades. It's demanding the lifting of all US and international sanctions as part of any deal.

On Friday, the speaker of parliament, Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf, said an estimated $120bn (£89bn) of frozen Iranian assets must be released before negotiations begin.

This, he said, was one of two previously agreed measures (the other being a ceasefire in Lebanon).

But the 7 April statement from Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif announcing the two-week ceasefire said nothing about the release of frozen assets. It's not clear what agreement Qalibaf was referring to.

It seems highly unlikely that the Trump administration is willing to make such a substantial concession just to get the talks started.

Has US achieved its war objectives in Iran?

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c1krpjr91v2o, 3 days ago

In the weeks since the US and Israel launched strikes on Iran, the battle for the narrative over the war's progress has been taking place at the heart of American military power.

From week one, I've been inside the Pentagon press briefings given by US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth, the former Army National Guard Major and Fox News pundit.

From the first update to reporters, when he set out America's war aims, until the latest which followed the announcement of a two-week truce, the man running the world's most powerful military has brought his TV-style, on-screen monologue to the Pentagon podium.

The briefings have been chest-thumping affairs, revelling in portrayals of American military supremacy. Hegseth said on Wednesday the US had scored "a capital V military victory". At another briefing, he said the US had dealt "death and destruction from the sky all day long".

Getting to the truth of the war's progress and its toll on the US, however, has taken deeper interrogation. So with a tenuous ceasefire in place that is already being tested, what can we say the US has achieved? And at what cost has it come?

Little progress on nuclear issue

President Trump's core war goal was to deny Iran the ability to develop a nuclear weapon, something Iran has said it never planned to do.

This, however, had also been a years-long objective of US-led diplomacy. Ultimately, Trump believed the 2015 Obama-brokered global nuclear deal with Iran - the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) - was too weak.

In his first term Trump violated it, effectively pulling the US out by reapplying sanctions on Iran, which had been in compliance with the deal. This was ultimately a choice of force over diplomacy (he later killed the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps officer General Qasem Soleimani), setting a pattern with Tehran in which he has zigzagged between diplomatic outreach and military action. It is that pattern that culminated in the current war.

But as the tenuous ceasefire remains in place, there is little evidence of any significant result for Trump on the nuclear issue.

He said last June that Iran's nuclear capabilities were already "obliterated" by his bombing raids on nuclear sites at Isfahan, Fordow and Natantz. After a further five weeks of war, today Iran maintains its stockpile of near-weapons grade enriched uranium which is thought to be contained in gas cylinders under rubble.

In the third week of the war, Rafael Grossi, the head of the global nuclear watchdog the IAEA, told me there could ultimately be no military solution to Iran's nuclear ambitions.

Trump has said the US will now work "with Iran" to "dig up and remove all of the deeply buried… Nuclear Dust". But Tehran remains defiant on this issue and it will be a decisive one in the looming negotiations between the US and Iran in Islamabad.

Arguably Tehran could now - with an even more suspicious leadership in place - become more, not less, determined to seek a nuclear capability to deter another US attack.

Degrading Iran's arsenal

When Trump announced the war in a social media video from his Mar-a-Lago estate, his stated objectives included regime change - calling on Iranians to take over their government when the US-Israeli bombing stopped.

Within days he demanded the regime's "unconditional surrender", something that hasn't happened. Although Israel has killed senior figures including the Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, his son, Mojtaba, was named his successor.

Trump has said the new leadership is less "radicalised and far more intelligent" than its predecessors. He hoped to repeat the result of his attack on Venezuela, where his forces snatched President Nicholas Maduro and put him in a New York jail cell, leaving the remaining leadership in Caracas pliant to Washington's will. But there is so far no evidence of this happening in Tehran.

On Iran's arsenal, Trump's top officials say the US has destroyed its conventional capabilities ("obliterating" its missiles, launchers, drones, arm factories and navy). In the case of missile and drone stocks this claim has been disputed via leaked intelligence assessments suggesting Iran in fact maintains about half of its pre-war arsenal. The BBC has not been able to verify either claim.

Either way, the Trump administration's stated aims have shifted since the outset of this war, with the US-Israeli objective of regime change failing to materialise.

The cost of war

Thirteen US service members have been killed and hundreds more wounded. Munition supplies are said to have been expended at a rapid rate, including large numbers of tomahawk missiles, and an estimated price tag to the war of more than a billion dollars a day.

US officials, meanwhile, say unmatched military skill and technological prowess has completed an aerial campaign ahead of schedule that has forced a capitulation by Iran.

At home, meanwhile, there has been a political cost for Trump. Polling has consistently suggested a minority of Americans approve of the war. Trump's standing in Congress has largely been split along partisan lines with Republicans backing him. By early this week, however, some were openly opposing his social media threat to destroy a whole civilisation.

Throughout the war, influential figures in his MAGA movement, like the podcast host and journalist Tucker Carlson, sharply split with him.

On Sunday, as Trump escalated his threats to destroy Iranian infrastructure, Marjorie Taylor Greene, once one of his biggest cheerleaders who has since broken with him, said: "This is not making America great again, this is evil." These fractures show few signs of healing within Trump's movement.

Democrats, meanwhile, were equally outraged at Trump's increasingly wild threats as well as his insults to America's allies. They urged the administration to answer questions about whether a US missile was behind the strike on a school in the town of Minab on day one of the war, killing at least 168 people including 110 children.

If confirmed this would be one of the worst cases of civilian casualties from a US strike in the Middle East in a generation. I pressed both Hegseth and Secretary of State Marco Rubio about it. The Pentagon has said it is investigating but nearly six weeks later has released no findings.

This week, several lawmakers called for his cabinet to invoke the 25th Amendment to seize power from a sitting president. The administration argues Trump's threats forced Iran to back down, and his Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said: "Never underestimate President Trump's ability to successfully advance America's interests and broker peace".

A clearer verdict on that may come from Americans in November. The global economic fallout of the Strait of Hormuz closure has already sparked higher petrol and diesel prices for Americans. This is set to feed through to "sticker shock" at the grocery store, with anger at increasing costs already predicted to make this year's midterm elections uncomfortable for Trump's party.

This could become even worse due to the war, potentially costing the Republicans control of the House of Representatives and possibly the Senate. For the Republican Party, that would be a steep price to pay.

Trump had to respond to the looming economic crisis as Iran used the tactics of insurgency to respond to a conventional aerial war. His war aim became the need to reopen a strait that was open when he started the war.

Testing America's allies

As Iran took control of the Strait of Hormuz, Trump flip-flopped repeatedly on how to respond. He went from demanding allies help reopen the strait, to saying the US did not need their help, to calling for them to help, to calling longstanding allies "cowards" for not doing so.

Nato's already fraying cohesion, deepened by Trump's designs on Greenland, has been supercharged by the Iran war. Trump has renewed his attacks on the alliance which avoided formal involvement. After talks at the White House, Nato Secretary General Mark Rutte said the conversation was "very frank".

The president may believe that overwhelming American military superiority will safeguard America's role as a superpower in the long-term. But European nations are already looking at ways to "derisk" away from what they see as a now unpredictable, unreliable protector.

This is a potential economic and strategic gain for China, and one that has caused dismay among Trump's critics in Washington.

The true costs of this war are yet to be counted, and if this ceasefire or delicate negotiations fail they could become far steeper.

Artemis crew returning to Earth with 'all the good stuff' from Moon discoveries

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c70dr45dj1lo, 3 days ago

The Artemis II crew said they have "many more pictures" and "many more stories" to share with the world as they prepare to return to Earth.

The four astronauts on board the Orion spacecraft have completed their mission around the Moon and are expected to splash down off the coast of San Diego on around 20:00 Friday US EDT (01:00BST).

Speaking to media from space on their way home, the mission's pilot, Victor Glover, said the crew was eager to share what they had seen with the world.

When asked during Wednesday evening's conference, about re-entry to Earth, Glover said: "We have to get back. There's so much data that you've already seen, but all the good stuff is coming back with us."

"There's so many more pictures, so many more stories," he said.

Glover added that the crew still had "two more days" before they could begin to process what they'd been through.

"I'm going to be thinking about and talking about all of these things for the rest of my life," he said.

The Artemis II mission's spacecraft, Orion, broke the record for human travel at about 13:56 EDT (18:56 BST) on Monday, beating a record of 248,655 miles (400,000km) held since 1970 by the Apollo 13 mission.

The spacecraft was not planning to land on the Moon but fly around its far side, the side which is never visible from Earth. Satellites have photographed the far side before, but the astronauts were the first human eyes to see some parts of the far side's surface and its vast craters and lava plains.

Straight after the flyby, President Trump spoke with the Orion team and congratulated them: "Today, you've made history and made all America really proud, incredibly proud."

During the most recent virtual news conference, at Nasa's Johnson Space Center in Houston, the four astronauts once again beamed into a live stream as a microphone floated between them.

They each took turns answering questions from reporters with considerable delays.

The crew was asked by the Los Angeles Times about the 40 minutes of "profound solitude" when they lost contact with Earth.

Commander Reid Wiseman said the crew had a lot of scientific work to do and it was "probably the most critical lunar observations for our geology team".

"But the four of us took a moment, we shared maple cookies that Jeremy had brought, and we took about three or four minutes, just as a crew to really reflect on where we were," he said.

For Glover, the "greatest gift" of the mission was seeing the lunar eclipse from beyond the far side of the moon.

For Wiseman, the "pinnacle moment" was when his team named a lunar crater after Wiseman's late wife, Carroll, who died of cancer in 2020.

"I think when Jeremy spelled Carroll's name .... I think for me that is when I was overwhelmed with emotion and I looked over and Christina was crying," Reid said.

"Just for me personally, that was kind of the pinnacle moment of the mission for me," he continued.

The crew also said they were getting their source of news from planet Earth from their family members.

They have "been our source of how the mission is going from the public perspective," Wiseman said, before adding "obviously they're all biased".

When asked by BBC's News Science Editor Rebecca Morelle what the crew will miss most about being space, Christina Koch said she will miss the "camaraderie".

On what she won't miss, Koch said there wasn't anything.

"We can't explore deeper unless we are doing a few things that are inconvenient, unless we're making a few sacrifices, unless we're taking a few risks. And those things are all worth it," she said.

The crew now face several quieter days of checks and experiments before a final ordeal: a fiery plunge through the atmosphere at nearly 25,000mph and a parachute splashdown into the Pacific that will test the capsule's heatshield and recovery systems.

'Cold as ice': Serial killer admits to eight murders in case that haunted Long Island for years

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/crl12xl2p4lo, 3 days ago

A decades-long saga came to an end in a Suffolk County courtroom on Wednesday, as a six-foot-four man dressed in a black suit and blue tie stood across from a judge and confessed to the gruesome details of murdering eight women.

Rex Heuermann appeared expressionless as he confirmed to Judge Timothy Mazzei that he had strangled and bound them each in the same manner before dropping their remains along Long Island's remote beaches.

He answered mostly "Yes" to each of the judge's questions about his crimes, not looking back at the courtroom packed with victims' family members, some of whom stifled cries.

The families of the women had waited for over a decade, as it took years for investigators to solve the murders that had haunted many Long Islanders.

"A lot of people would talk about it - it was not taboo," Sandra Symon, a high school classmate of Heuermann told the BBC. "Everybody had a theory."

Those theories ended in 2023, when police arrested Heuermann, a married father-of-two living in Massapequa Park, a quiet Long Island suburb, in a run-down house where he spent his childhood.

The 62-year-old architect was arrested by Suffolk County police who swarmed his Midtown Manhattan office after tying him to the murders with DNA from a pizza box.

Heuermann was first charged in the murders of seven women, but on Wednesday he pleaded guilty to an additional killing in 1996. Though many of his victims were missing for years, the case came to light in 2010 when investigators found four sets of remains within a quarter mile of each other on Gilgo Beach.

After initially pleading not-guilty, Heuermann ultimately admitted to the murders of: Melissa Barthelemy, 24, Megan Waterman, 22, and Amber Costello, 27, Maureen Brainard-Barnes, 25, Jessica Taylor, 20, Valerie Mack, 24, Sandra Costilla, 28 and Karen Vergata, 34.

Heuermann's victims are all believed to be sex workers at the time of their death, some of them contacted by him through their advertisements on Craigslist.

In court on Wednesday, Heuermann provided few new details about the killings, simply confirming to the judge that he lured them with the promise of money, then murdered and dismembered them before leaving their remains on the beach. He spoke few other words besides "strangulation" when asked how he killed them, and "guilty" when asked to enter his new pleas.

"There wasn't a jot of remorse in that man's face," John Ray, an attorney for the victims' families said after the hearing. "He was as cold as ice."

He received several life sentences, which will be formally handed down on 17 June.

During the brief hearing, his ex-wife, Asa Ellerup, watched from the back of the room expressionless and dressed in black, alongside her and Heuermann's daughter who held tissues in her hand.

Outside court, Ellerup said her thoughts were with the victims' families, calling their loss "immeasurable".

'You don't know anyone': a neighbourhood reckons with a murderer

In the small Long Island village of Massapequa Park, home to 18,000, American flags line streets bordering dozens of well-maintained residences, some with boats sitting in the driveway.

But to many in the neighbourhood, one house always stood out: The dilapidated red-shuttered house with green-lined windows is just a block away from Joe, who moved into the neighbourhood with his then-wife in 1995.

"It doesn't fit in the neighbourhood, but what are you going to do?" said Joe, who declined to share his last name for privacy reasons. "You don't think anything of it."

Once a neighbourhood eyesore, Heuermann's childhood home now draws the media and true crime obsessives. It was swarmed once again by reporters the evening before Heuermann's scheduled plea hearing, as his ex-wife Ellerup and their children spoke to reporters alongside their attorney, responding to a wrongful death lawsuit a victim's relative filed against them.

After Heuermann was jailed, his wife and two children stayed in the house, even grilling on the front porch despite gawkers on the front lawn.

But with Heuermann's plea hearing approaching, the rest of the town was eager to move on. Residents told the BBC that aside from the occasional newsline, they no longer think about the serial killer who once lived amongst them.

"It's not headlines anymore," Joe said. "American society has a short memory for things."

"I know who my neighbours are here, but you don't know anyone, to be honest with you."

A plea after years of silence

Though Heuermann's guilty plea on Wednesday brought some measure of relief to the women's family and friends, many say it should have come years ago.

Police investigated the deaths for over a decade, and had been sitting on a tip that - once acted upon - led to the killer within weeks.

Family members of the victims have alleged police did not put in effort because the women who were murdered were sex workers, citing officers' frequent emphasis that the women were "prostitutes". Some Long Island residents agreed, saying they were horrified by how long it took to get justice.

"They're not less than because they did what they had to do," said Ellen Munoz, a resident of a neighbouring town who attended Heuermann's hearing.

The Suffolk County Police Department did not involve federal investigators in the probe at first, and leaders of the investigation faced separate scandals. Former Police Chief James Burke, who oversaw the case, was arrested in 2015 and later convicted on charges including obstruction of justice. That case also brought down Thomas Spota, Suffolk district attorney from 2002 to 2017, who also led the Gilgo Beach investigation.

In 2022, with new leadership, Suffolk County Police created a task force to investigate the murders - bringing in federal and local law enforcement - which led them to Heuermann in six weeks.

The police acted on a suspect description given to police in 2010 by the roommate of one victim, Amber Costello, after she had a run-in with a client. The roommate, Dave Schaller described the client - a large man who he said looked like "an ogre" and drove a first-generation Chevrolet Avalanche, a unique vehicle.

That tip later helped investigators track down Heuermann. From there, they looked at burner phones used to contact victims; cell phone tower data; and hair found on victims' bodies matched to the leftover pizza he discarded. In his basement, police say they found more evidence, including guides he wrote on how to carry out the killings on his computer.

Long Island mysteries linger

Despite Heuermann's admission of the homicides, many questions remain for the families of the victims and the public.

The four women's bodies were found as authorities searched for the remains of another woman - Shannan Gilbert - who called police late one night in May 2010 screaming that "they" were trying to kill her.

Eileen Coletti Edwards was at court on Wednesday on behalf of her father, who let Gilbert into his Oak Beach home after she knocked on his door on the night she disappeared. He tried to call police but Gilbert ran.

"He was holding out hope that she had escaped and was hiding," said Coletti Edwards, whose father died before Heuermann's arrest.

Police have said they do not believe Heuermann killed Gilbert and that her death was likely an accident from drowning or other dangerous conditions in the marsh where she was found.

Benjamin Torres, son of Valerie Mack, has filed a wrongful death suit against Heuermann and his family, hoping to collect the funds the family is making from the documentary they're involved with.

Ray, Torres's lawyer, noted that Ellerup called her husband her "hero", after he was arrested, even as they divorced. Police maintained that they do not believe his family was involved.

On Tuesday, outside their Massapequa Park house, Ellerup's attorney reiterated that they had no involvement.

Some residents wonder if Long Island's land holds still more secrets.

In the summer, Symon is among the boaters who head out every Sunday to Hemlock Cove, a popular anchor spot near where Heuermann discarded the remains of his victims.

Sometimes people joke about pulling out binoculars to see if more bodies are lurking in the nearby marsh. Symon thinks all the time about the women they found there.

"How could you not think of them?" she said. "What a terrible, scary thing that happened."

Iran ceasefire deal gives Trump a way out of war - but at a high cost

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cwyvp55xrlro, 4 days ago

In the end, cooler heads prevailed – at least for now.

At 18:32 Washington time, President Donald Trump posted on his social media website that the US and Iran were "very far along" with a "definitive" peace agreement and that he had agreed to a two-week ceasefire to allow negotiations to proceed.

It wasn't exactly the last minute, but with Trump's looming 20:00 EDT (01:00 BST on Wednesday) deadline to reach a deal or the US would launch massive strikes against Iranian energy and transportation infrastructure, it came pretty close.

All of this is contingent on Iran also suspending hostilities and fully opening the Strait of Hormuz to commercial shipping traffic, which the regime says it will do, while insisting it still exerts "dominion" over the waterway.

The deal allowed Trump to extricate himself from what was shaping up to be a treacherous choice – either escalating with his promise that a "whole civilisation will die tonight" or backing down and undermining his credibility. The US president may have only bought himself a temporary reprieve, however.

The US and Iranians now will engage in negotiations over the next two weeks, buying some time to try to reach a permanent settlement. It is likely to be a bumpy ride, but in after-hours trading, the price of a barrel of oil dropped below the $100 mark for the first time in days and US stock futures soared. There appears to be a sense of optimism that the worst is over.

Even this kind of progress was far from certain as recently as Tuesday morning, when Trump threatened the death of Iranian civilisation, "never to be brought back again".

Whether such a jaw-dropping threat from an American president pressured Iran to agree to the kind of ceasefire they had previously rejected is uncertain. What is clear is that Trump's astounding, inflammatory declaration – just two days after a similar obscenity-laced Truth Social demand – is unlike anything a modern US president has ever levelled or hinted at.

And even if the two-week ceasefire does result in a permanent peace, the Iran war – and Trump's recent words – may have fundamentally altered the way the rest of the world views the US.

A nation that once styled itself as a force for stability around the globe is now shaking the foundations of the international order. A president who has seemingly relished shattering norms and traditions in domestic politics is now doing the same on the world stage.

Democrats were quick to condemn Trump's words on Tuesday, with some going so far as to call for his removal.

"It is clear that the president has continued to decline and is not fit to lead," wrote Congressman Joaquin Castro on X.

Chuck Schumer, the top Democrat in the US Senate, said any Republican who did not join in voting to end the Iran war "owns every consequence of whatever the hell this is".

While many in Trump's own party stood by their president, it was far from the near-universal support he often enjoys.

Austin Scott, Republican congressman from Georgia and senior member of the House Armed Services Committee, strongly criticised Trump's threats about a civilisation dying.

"The president's comments are counter-productive," he told the BBC, "and I do not agree with them."

Wisconsin Senator Ron Johnson, usually a Trump loyalist, said it would be a "huge mistake" if Trump followed through with his bombing campaign. Congressman Nathaniel Moran of Texas wrote on social media that he did not support "the destruction of a 'whole civilisation'".

"This is not who we are," he wrote, "and it is not consistent with the principles that have long guided America."

Senator Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, who has frequently broken with the president, was equally direct, writing that the president's threat "cannot be excused away as an attempt to gain leverage in negotiations with Iran".

The White House is likely to counter that the leverage worked, however. And for a president who has faced declining poll numbers, a growing number of critics within his own party and an economy that is struggling over higher energy prices, any off-ramp in the conflict is likely to come as a relief.

In his Truth Social post announcing the ceasefire, Trump said that the US had "met and exceeded" all its military objectives.

Iran's military has been significantly degraded. Although its Islamic fundamentalist regime is still in power, many of its top leaders have been killed in bombing strikes.

At the moment, however, many of the stated American objectives are still in doubt. The disposition of Iran's enriched uranium – the foundation of its nuclear weapons programme – is unknown. The nation still has influence over regional proxies, such as the Houthi rebels in Yemen.

And even if Iran does fully open Hormuz – without conditioning passage on tolls or other payments – its ability to control the key geopolitical chokepoint is more clear now than ever.

In a statement after Trump's ceasefire message, Iranian foreign minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi said that Iran would halt its "defensive operations" and allow safe passage through the Hormuz "via coordination with Iran's armed forces". He added that the US had accepted the "general framework" of the Iranian 10-point plan.

That plan includes the US withdrawing its military forces from the region, lifting economic sanctions on Iran, paying compensation for war damages and allowing Iran to maintain control over Hormuz. It is hard to imagine Trump actually agreeing to any of those conditions – a sign that the next two weeks of negotiations could be treacherous.

For the moment, however, this is a partial political victory for Trump. He made a dramatic threat and achieved the desired result. But the ceasefire is a reprieve, not a permanent settlement.

The long-term cost of the president's words and actions, and of the war overall, has yet to be fully assessed.

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Colorado lightning victim identified and remains in critical condition

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cz90vpvlvq3o, today

A woman who was struck by lightning on Thursday evening in the US state of Colorado has now been identified, authorities said.

The Boulder County sheriff's office said she remained in critical condition, with her family at her side.

Bystanders found the woman, believed to be between 20 and 30 years old, unresponsive and carried out CPR until emergency workers arrived. Her phone was severely damaged in the strike in Superior, about 20 miles (32km) north-west of Denver, prompting authorities to seek public help in identifying her.

"We appreciate the community's assistance and support during this incident," the sheriff's office said in Saturday's announcement.

The woman had no detectable pulse and was not breathing when first responders arrived. After continued resuscitation efforts, she regained a faint pulse and began breathing on her own but remained unconscious.

She has since been airlifted to a hospital in Denver.

About 40 million lightning strikes hit the ground in the US each year, but the chance of being struck is less than one in a million, according to the Centers for Disease Control.

Colorado sees an estimated 500,000 lightning strikes to ground per year, the National Weather Service says.

Citing the Lightning Safety Council, it also says Colorado ranks third in the US in lightning fatalities – with Florida and Texas respectively taking the top two spots – based on data collected between 2006 and 2024.

Trump unveils giant gold-accented victory arch design for US capital

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cwywre1e3kvo, today

The White House has unveiled plans for a gold-accented giant victory arch dubbed the "Arc de Trump", that Donald Trump wants built in the nation's capital.

The 250ft (76m) monument, if approved, would be taller than the US Capitol building and the Lincoln Memorial, and feature a golden Lady Liberty-like torch and crown.

It will be "the GREATEST and MOST BEAUTIFUL Triumphal Arch, anywhere in the World" Trump wrote on social media. "This will be a wonderful addition to the Washington DC area for all Americans to enjoy for many decades to come!"

The arch is just one of Trump's controversial efforts to reshape Washington's landscape and faces legal hurdles similar to his new ballroom project.

The administration said it has officially filed the plans with the Commission of Fine Arts, a panel made up of Trump allies, which will review the proposal next week.

American taxpayers will help fund the project, according to a publicly available spending plan for the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) released by the White House.

As per the spending plan, the NEH will dedicate $2m (£1.5m) in special funds and $13m in matching funds to the project.

Trump has previously said that since his ballroom project was "fully financed", some of the leftover money would be used to fund the arch.

The renderings of the arch depict gold inscription that say "One Nation Under God", topped with two gold eagles, and guarded by statues of four gold lions.

The arch will serve "as a visual reminder of the noble sacrifices borne by so many American heroes throughout our 250-year history so we can enjoy our freedoms today", White House spokesman Davis Ingle said in a statement.

When the president announced the project last year, he said he wanted the arch to be based on the Arc de Triomphe in France, and for it to welcome people into the nation's capital from Arlington National Cemetery as they cross the Memorial Bridge into the city.

"Every time somebody rides over that beautiful bridge to the Lincoln Memorial, they literally say something is supposed be here," Trump said last year when he first announced his plans for the arch.

The arch is another example of the president's makeover efforts in the US capital.

Besides the ballroom project and extensive interior design changes at the White House, the administration also plans to close the Kennedy Center for large scale renovations.

The performing arts venue, which has been rechristened to include Trump's name, will close for two years in July.

Historic preservation groups have filed a lawsuit seeking to stop the changes.

Plans are also afoot for the construction of a new monument called the National Garden of American Heroes.

A location in the Washington DC is being considered as the site for the monument, the Washington Post reported earlier this year.

Video by Meiying Wu

Calls grow for Swalwell to quit California governor race after sexual assault allegations

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c20qg3g9554o, today

Democratic Congressman Eric Swalwell has strongly denied allegations of sexual misconduct from former staff, as top allies intensify pressure on him to exit the California governor's race.

"These allegations are false and come on the eve of an election against the frontrunner for governor," he said in a statement after multiple women made allegations ranging from sexual harassment to rape.

Within hours of the accusations surfacing on Friday, Swalwell - one of the leading candidates to replace outgoing governor Gavin Newsom - lost backing from prominent supporters, including Senator Adam Schiff and House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries.

Swalwell has vowed to defend himself with "facts".

The first allegation against Swalwell emerged publicly on Friday in the San Francisco Chronicle.

A former staff member told the newspaper that, shortly after being hired to work in his district office in Castro Valley, Swalwell began making inappropriate comments, including soliciting her for sex and sending her sexual messages.

The woman, who has not been named, also said that in September 2019 she woke up naked in the congressman's hotel room with little recollection of what had happened the night before.

Five years later, when she was no longer on his staff, she met him for drinks at a gala. She said she had trouble remembering details of the night, but recalled pushing him away from her and telling him "no".

She added that she woke up with signs of sexual trauma on her body.

The woman's story was reportedly corroborated by text messages she sent friends at the time and by her former boyfriend, who told the newspaper that he encouraged her to report the incident to the police.

Later on Friday, CNN published accusations from four women who worked for him, who had also made claims of sexual misconduct.

Swalwell's legal team had sent cease-and-desist letters to two of the accusers the day prior, according to the broadcaster.

Swalwell vehemently denied the allegations in his statement on Friday.

"For nearly 20 years, I have served the public - as a prosecutor and a congressman and have always protected women. I will defend myself with the facts and where necessary bring legal action," he said.

"My focus in the coming days is to be with my wife and children and defend our decades of service against these lies."

He added in a video message on Facebook that he wanted the public to hear directly from him and again denied the allegations.

"I do not suggest to you that I am perfect or a saint. I've certainly made mistakes in judgment in my past. But those mistakes are between me and my wife. And to her, I apologise deeply for putting her in this position."

The calls for Swalwell to exit the race came swiftly on Friday.

A number of prominent California Democrats urged him to drop out, including Senator Adam Schiff and former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who said in a statement that "this extremely sensitive matter must be appropriately investigated with full transparency and accountability.

"As I discussed with Congressman Swalwell, it is clear that is best done outside of a gubernatorial campaign."

Swalwell also lost support from prominent labour unions including the California Teachers Association who pulled their endorsement.

Outgoing Governor Gavin Newsom said: "As we continue to learn more, these allegations from multiple sources are deeply troubling and must be taken seriously."

The allegations have emerged at a pivotal moment in the wide-open primary race to lead the nation's most populous state, just weeks before voters receive mail ballots ahead of the 2 June election.

Among Democratic candidates, Swalwell was projected to be among the leading candidates in a crowded field, according to two polls.

At least 10 candidates are expected to be on the ballot in the non-partisan primary.

Republicans typically struggle to win statewide races in in the heavily Democratic state, but a large group of Democrats have split the state's liberal voters, leaving two Republicans near the top of early primary polls.

The top two vote-getters in the primary move on to the 3 November general election regardless of party preference or whether one candidate receives a majority of all votes cast in the primary election.

Djibouti's president wins unprecedented sixth term with 97.8% of vote

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cgj0wg423n6o, today

Djibouti's President Ismail Omar Guelleh has won an election with 97.8% of the vote, keeping him at the helm of the strategically-placed Horn of Africa nation for a sixth term, preliminary official results show.

The 78-year-old's sole challenger Mohamed Farah Samatar got 2.19% of the vote, in a poll boycotted by most of the opposition.

In power for 27 years, Guelleh had promised to step down, but ran for re-election after the constitution was amended in November to remove the upper age limit of 75 for presidential candidates.

Guelleh's campaign focused on the fact that he had maintained stability in Djibouti at a time when other regional states, and the Middle East, had been hit by conflict.

Lying on the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, Djibouti serves as a gateway to the Suez Canal, one of the world's busiest shipping routes.

The US, China, France, Italy and Japan have military bases in the country.

Guelleh is only Djibouti's second president since it gained its independence from France in 1977.

The leaders of the main opposition parties - including Dahir Ahmed Farah - have boycotted elections since 2016, saying there was no free political activity.

Guelleh celebrated his victory at his home, saying it was a victory for the entire nation.

Officials said that more than 80% of registered voters cast their ballots in Friday's election.

Samatar, who was the flag-bearer of a small party with no parliamentary seats, has not yet commented.

The results were released by the interior ministry but still need to be validated by judges on the constitutional council before Guelleh can be sworn in for another five-year term.

He won the 2021 election by a similar margin.

In 2010, Djibouti's parliament scrapped term limits, and shortened presidential mandates from six to five years.

It also set 75 as the age limit for candidates, before changing the constitution in November so that Guelleh could run for office again.

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

Nearly 400 sentenced in Nigeria for links to militant Islamists

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cvge1kdmpzwo, today

Nearly 400 people have been sentenced in Nigeria for links with militant Islamic groups following mass trials.

The convicts were given sentences ranging from five years to life imprisonment after linked to Boko Haram or a rival splinter group, the Islamic State West Africa Province (Iswap).

The trials came at a time when the government is under intense pressure to curb rising insecurity in Africa's most-populous state. Security forces are battling multiple armed groups, from militant Islamists to separatists, and kidnapping-for-ransom gangs.

Boko Haram launched an insurgency in the north-east in 2009, killing tens of thousands of people and displacing more than two million, aid groups say.

On Wednesday, the US urged its citizens to reconsider travelling to the country because of the deteriorating security situation.

More than 500 suspects were put on trial in the federal high court in the capital, Abuja, on charges of either taking part in attacks or supporting the militants through funding, supplying arms, or giving logistical support.

On Friday, judges convicted 386 of them, while two were acquitted, eight were discharged, and the cases of 112 suspects were adjourned, officials said.

Five of the accused had pleaded guilty at the start of the trials to charges that included selling livestock, supplying food and information to the militant groups.

The US carried out airstrikes in northern Sokoto state on Christmas Day to target a militant Islamist group known as Lakurawa after President Donald Trump alleged that Christians were being persecuted in Nigeria.

The government denied Trump's claim, saying that people of all faiths and no faith were victims of violence.

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

Fears over West Africa's Islamist insurgency dominate Benin's election campaign

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c75k1631e75o, 2 days ago

With growing fears that the militant Islamist insurgency that has engulfed large parts of West Africa is spreading, security has been dominating the campaign trail in Benin - a once-largely peaceful nation.

Sunday's presidential election comes about four months after outgoing President Patrice Talon survived a coup attempt, when Nigeria - the regional superpower - sent warplanes to bombard mutinous soldiers who had attempted to overthrow him.

Nigeria's intervention prevented Benin from going down the path of several other regional states - including Niger, Burkina Faso and Mali - where the military seized power in recent years as disillusionment grew over the failure of civilian governments to beat back the militants allied with al-Qaeda or the Islamic State (IS) group.

The threat posed to Benin by the insurgents was highlighted by the fact that an al-Qaeda affiliate, known by the initials JNIM, killed 15 soldiers last month in an attack on a military base in Kofouno, near the border with Niger.

It signalled the continuation of a trend witnessed last year, when 28 of Benin's soldiers were killed in January in an attack in the W National Park, which stretches into Niger and Burkina Faso, and another 54 three months later in the same park - making it the highest death toll suffered by the military at the hands of the insurgents.

W National Park and two adjacent ones, Pendjari and Arly, are the largest protected wilderness areas in West Africa, covering 1.7 million hectares.

The forests are dense and the region's porous borders make it easy for the militants to set up bases and to move across countries without being detected by the security forces.

Violence monitoring group Acled says a sharp increase in attacks on the borderlands between Niger, Benin and Nigeria has also been recorded, turning remote transit corridors into active conflict zones.

As attacks intensified, at least 1,000 people were killed in these border areas in 2025, more than double the number from 2024, according to Acled.

The attacks have alarmed locals, with a school teacher telling the BBC: "We only want to work, to educate the youth, but it's becoming so difficult.

"We can't imagine our country becoming like Nigeria with Boko Haram's threats, which has killed so many people."

Expressing her fears, a mother-of-one said: "We are afraid to go to the fields.

"I don't know what to do, where to go. Anytime, those guys could come here and rape us, steal our stuff or kill us. It's not easy.

"Benin doesn't deserve this. The youth don't deserve this."

In an attempt to allay the fears of voters, the candidate of the ruling coalition, Finance Minister Romuald Wadagni, 49, launched his campaign in March in Kandi, a strategic trading hub near the border with Niger and Nigeria, and then travelled to other parts of the north, including Banikoara and Ségbana, two localities deeply affected by attacks.

In front of thousands of supporters, he pledged that the safety of every resident will be a "daily priority" if he takes office.

"We will not let any dark forces to come and take our lands or threaten citizens. We will make sure our whole country is under protection," he said.

While launching his campaign in the economic capital, Cotonou, his sole rival, Paul Hounkpè, 56, adopted a similar position, saying: "We must join forces with our neighbours without losing our dignity.

"Benin cannot act alone, close cooperation with Niger and Burkina Faso is essential."

Hounkpè's view is significant, as Benin's relationship with the two states plummeted following the coups there.

The West African regional bloc Ecowas - to which Benin belongs - suspended the membership of Niger, Burkina Faso and Mali, and - in the case of Niger - threatened military intervention to reinstall the civilian president.

The three states retaliated by forming their own group and have pivoted towards Russia, accusing Ecowas of being proxies of Western powers - a charge it denies.

Wadagni has also expressed support for improving relations with the military-ruled states, though he is seen to be closer to Western powers than Hounkpè, who worked as the culture minister in the government of Talon's predecessor, Boni Yayi.

Led by Gen Abdourahmane Tiani, Niger's relationship with Benin is particularly strained.

Niger has kept the border between the two nations shut since Gen Tiani took power in 2023, denouncing what it describes as "hostile manoeuvres" from Benin's territory - a charge Talon's government denies.

Talon is stepping down at the end of his two terms, with his supporters saying that he has kept Benin's reputation as a democracy intact - vital at a time when military rulers like Burkina Faso's Capt Ibrahim Traoré, have been pushing the view that democracy "kills" and people must "forget" it.

But Talon's critics say democracy has suffered setbacks under his presidency, with changes to electoral laws and party registration rules significantly reducing opposition participation.

The new requirements led to the main opposition party, the Democrats, failing to win a single seat in January's parliamentary elections.

Its candidate has also been disqualified from the presidential race on the grounds that he did not have enough sponsors to back his candidacy.

In contrast, Hounkpè's candidacy - the South Africa-based Institute of Security Studies think-tank noted in a recent report - was made possible "only through a political deal with the ruling coalition, which gave him the sponsorships needed to meet the legal requirements for the race".

With the Democrats out of the race, many of its high-profile members have backed Wadagni possibly because they see him as the winning horse who could offer them posts in his government.

However, Hounkpè remains confident of victory, believing he represents change.

Regardless of who wins, most people in Benin expect a smooth transfer of power, and hope that the next leader will have greater success in improving relations with neighbouring states and containing the insurgency that has caused havoc in the region.

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

UK shelves Chagos deal after Trump opposition

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c04x1lg1lygo, today

Sir Keir Starmer has shelved his Chagos Islands deal amid worsening relations with Donald Trump after the US failed to formally confirm its approval.

Trump had urged Starmer to scrap the deal despite earlier expressing support for the treaty. In January the president called the plan an "act of total weakness".

UK government officials have said they are not entirely abandoning the agreement - which would hand sovereignty of the British territory to Mauritius - but have run out of time to pass legislation before Parliament is prorogued in the coming weeks.

However, a new Chagos bill is not expected to feature in the King's Speech in mid-May.

It is understood the UK has still not received a formal exchange of letters from the US - a legal necessity required for the treaty to be enacted.

The Chagos Islands - officially known as the British Indian Ocean Territory - are located in the Indian Ocean and Britain has controlled them since the early 19th Century.

The deal would see the UK cede sovereignty of the territory to Mauritius, and pay an average cost of £101m ($136m) a year to lease back a joint UK-US military base on the largest island, Diego Garcia.

A government spokesperson said: "Diego Garcia is a key strategic military asset for both the UK and the US.

"Ensuring its long-term operational security is and will continue to be our priority - it is the entire reason for the deal.

"We continue to believe the agreement is the best way to protect the long-term future of the base, but we have always said we would only proceed with the deal if it has US support. We are continuing to engage with the US and Mauritius."

The UK had been in the process of passing legislation to enshrine the Chagos deal into law. The bill was in the final stages of its passage, but officials say time has now run out.

Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch said on Saturday her party was "really pleased" the deal had been shelved.

"That deal should never have been on the table," she told reporters in London. "Paying £35bn to give away territory we already own, at a time when so many people in this country are dealing with the cost of living, shows [the government] were not in any way thinking clearly."

Asked if she thought the US President would think more favourably of Starmer as a result, Badenoch responded: "It's not really about what Donald Trump thinks, it's about what is right for the British national interest. Giving away the Chagos Islands was wrong for the British national interest."

Meanwhile, former Foreign Office permanent secretary Lord Simon McDonald told the BBC's Radio 4 Today programme that the government had "no other choice" than to shelve the deal.

"The UK had two objectives, one was to comply with international law, the second was to reinforce the relationship with the United States," he said.

"When the president of the United States is openly hostile, the government has to rethink, so this agreement, this treaty will go into the deep freeze for the time being."

In February, the government denied the deal had been paused, just hours after a minister told MPs in Parliament that the UK was "pausing" the process of passing the bill.

The deal was signed in May 2025 and welcomed by the US, but in early 2026 Trump went on to criticise it and call it an "act of total weakness".

The deal was further thrown into doubt in February when Trump posted on his Truth Social platform urging Sir Keir to not "give away Diego Garcia" and called the deal "a blight on our great ally".

The comments came despite the US Department of State giving its official backing to the UK government's plan a day earlier.

Many Chagossians see the deal as a betrayal and want to see the UK retain sovereignty over the islands so they can one day return to their homeland.

The attorney general of Mauritius, Gavin Glover, said the UK announcement "doesn't surprise us", adding the "deteriorating relationship" between Sir Keir and Trump "lies at the heart of the problem".

He said the decision "doesn't mean that the bill cannot be brought back to Parliament", adding the US and UK will need to reach an agreement and Mauritius hopes to have "greater clarity in the coming months".

Reform UK - who had previously heavily criticised the deal - welcomed the deal being shelved.

Reform UK leader Nigel Farage said: "This is great news and long overdue. Now the government must right a terrible wrong and help the Chagossians to fully resettle their home."

And Liberal Democrat foreign affairs spokesman Calum Miller said: "The handling of the Chagos deal has been totally shambolic - from its start under the Tories to this point under Labour.

"But Trump's fickle approach shows just how unreliable he is.

"We had a strong, stable and effective military partnership with the US. Trump has gravely endangered that.

"Any deal must provide clarity on the future military partnership with the US and address Chagossian rights and Parliamentary scrutiny of the sums involved."

Prince Harry sued for defamation by charity Sentebale he co-founded

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cr517n2v7myo, yesterday

A charity co-founded by the Duke of Sussex is suing him for defamation.

A spokesman for Sentebale, which supports young people in southern Africa, says the court action is because of an alleged "adverse media campaign" which they claim has caused disruption and "reputational harm" to the charity and its leadership.

A spokesman for Prince Harry and another former trustee of the charity, Mark Dyer, who is also being sued, said: "They categorically reject these offensive and damaging claims."

In an acrimonious dispute over how the charity was being managed, Prince Harry left Sentebale last year.

The court filing shows Prince Harry as a defendant alongside another former trustee, Mark Dyer, in a claim listed on 24 March as "defamation - libel and slander".

A statement on behalf of the charity's trustees and executive director said the court case seeks the court's "intervention, protection, and restitution" against what it claims are co-ordinated media attacks, which it says undermine the charity and its efforts to help young people.

Legal costs for the case are being met "entirely by external funding and no charitable funds have been used", say the charity's current trustees.

A spokesperson for Prince Harry and Mark Dyer said the charity should be focusing its efforts on the communities supported by Sentebale, rather than pursuing legal actions.

Prince Harry and his fellow founder Prince Seeiso left the charity in March 2025 along with a group of trustees, in a bitter boardroom dispute with the charity's chair, Sophie Chandauka.

There were reports that arguments over financial problems and disagreements about fundraising had inflamed the divisions within the charity.

Both sides had traded accusations about poor behaviour and there was an investigation by the Charity Commission.

The watchdog concluded in August 2025 that there was blame on all sides and criticised the way the dispute had played out so publicly, in a way that harmed the charity.

"Sentebale's problems played out in the public eye, enabling a damaging dispute to harm the charity's reputation, risk overshadowing its many achievements, and jeopardising the charity's ability to deliver for the very beneficiaries it was created to serve," said Charity Commission chief executive David Holdsworth.

Prince Harry co-founded Sentebale in 2006 in honour of his mother, Diana, Princess of Wales, to help young people in Botswana and Lesotho, particularly those living with HIV and Aids.

Prince Harry had given Sentebale an extra donation of £1.2m from the profits from his memoir Spare and he described leaving the charity as "devastating".

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Plan to scrap presidential elections puts Zimbabweans at loggerheads

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cg54zy5dq1yo, 4 days ago

Fears are growing in opposition circles in Zimbabwe that the ruling Zanu-PF party is making a new grab for power as it presses ahead with constitutional amendments aimed at giving parliament - rather than voters - the right to elect the president and to extend his term from five to seven years.

"This is a coup, a slow coup that is unfolding in Zimbabwe," veteran opposition politician and former finance minister Tendai Biti told the BBC.

But Zanu-PF - in power since independence in 1980 - has vehemently defended the proposed changes.

"There's nothing that stops us to change, to go to another system that's less costly, less controversial," party official Patrick Chinamasa said.

The conflicting views highlight the deep polarisation that draft legislation - aimed at changing the constitution - has caused, pitting Zanu-PF and opposition supporters against each other.

This became clear during public hearings that parliament held recently to give people a chance to express their views on the proposed shake-up that will lead to:

* Presidential elections - held since 1990 - being scrapped

* Parliamentary and presidential terms being extended from five to seven years

* Parliamentary elections scheduled for 2028 being delayed to 2030

* President Emmerson Mnangagwa, whose second and final term is due to end in 2028, remaining in office until 2030

* The new parliament electing the next president.

"I support the bill in its entirety," a woman said, at a public hearing in a sports arena in the capital, Harare, last week.

Thousands filled the venue, with speaker after speaker taking the microphone to echo calls for Mnangagwa to remain in office beyond 2028.

Mnangagwa took power in 2017 after ousting long-time ruler Robert Mugabe with the backing of the military - and went on to win disputed elections in 2018 and 2023.

"Term limits must be extended from five to seven years and the MPs that we vote in, must be allowed to elect the president," a man said at the public hearing.

When the microphone was moved to the area where leading critics of the bill were sitting, there were scenes reminiscent of the violence and intimidation that has often marred Zimbabwean politics, with pushing, shoving and fighting - along with the snatching of mobile phones and journalists being ordered to delete videos of the chaos.

Leading opposition member and lawyer Fadzayi Mahere told the BBC that Zanu-PF supporters had caused the "commotion" in order to prevent critics from registering their disagreement with the bill.

Chinamasa denied that the ruling party backers were behind the chaos.

"What reason what do we have as Zanu-PF to be violent when the masses are behind us? The opposition does not accept that their view is failing to prevail," he told the BBC.

But the opposition says Zimbabwe is seeing a new wave of repression. In the run up to the hearings, the opposition groups say, the police banned more than a dozen of their meetings.

National Constitutional Assembly leader Lovemore Madhuku said he was beaten by masked assailants last month as the police watched.

Biti, who leads the Constitution Defenders Forum, is out on bail after being accused of holding a public meeting without official permission.

"We have a history of repression [in Zimbabwe]," he told the BBC.

Parliament is expected to pass the bill in the coming weeks, in what will be the culmination of a campaign that started in 2024, with the chanting of the slogan "2030 - he (Mnangagwa) will still be the leader".

The campaign faced some fierce detractors within Zanu-PF, but its main critic - Blessed Geza, also known as "Bombshell" - died earlier this year.

For supporters of the 83-year-old president, the political overhaul will entrench democracy, ending what they regard as toxic presidential election campaigns that often trigger violence, and lead to results being disputed.

"As you know, any election of the president - and it's not just Zimbabwe alone - . violence is associated with a popular vote," Chinamasa told the BBC, as he defended the proposed changes.

But for critics the bill is a step towards recreating the "imperial presidency" they fought to end during Mugabe's 37-year rule.

A new constitution adopted in 2013 restricted a president to serving a maximum of two terms, further stating that any move to extend term limits would need to be endorsed by voters in a referendum - and, crucially, that a sitting president cannot benefit from any extension unless voters give their approval in a second referendum.

For the likes of Biti, the bill reverses these hard-fought gains, and could be challenged in the courts as, they argue, it violates the constitutional requirement that a referendum be held before the president's term is extended.

But Zanu-PF is confident that it is acting constitutionally, saying there is no need for a referendum as, in its view, the two-term limit remains - all that is happening is that a term will now be seven, rather than, five years.

But critics fear that Zanu-PF - led by Mnangagwa - could be moving stealthily to scrap term-limits.

"If they can get away with two years what stops them from getting away with 20 years?" Biti said.

Chinamasa dismissed suggestions that the bill signals a "dramatic shift" in how Zanu-PF will govern Zimbabwe.

"It's just that for this moment we would want to continue the political stability. We want to continue the economic development that is taking place since his excellency took over in 2018," Chinamasa said.

"When his time is up we will choose other leaders."

For the opposition, Zimbabwe is returning to its dark past.

"They are making the mistake that Mugabe made. That of closing [the democratic] space absolutely," Biti said.

More BBC stories on Zimbabwe:

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

Carnival fever hits Lagos as locals celebrate Afro-Brazilian heritage

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cp84ye86ly3o, 5 days ago

Elaborate costumes, blaring music and vibrant processions took over Nigeria's Lagos Island on Monday as the annual Fanti Carnival hit the streets.

The festivities have lit up Lagos' financial hub for more than two centuries, celebrating the legacy of the Afro-Brazilian returnees who once settled in the city.

This year's carnival featured musical performances, bedazzled horses, huge dragons and dancing stilt walkers.

In the 1800s, some formerly enslaved Africans and their descendants migrated back to the continent from countries like Brazil and Cuba.

Many Afro-Brazilians settled in Lagos Island, bringing new customs with them.

These customs fused with those of Nigeria's Yoruba people, leading to creations like the Fanti Carnival.

On Monday, carnival attendee Glamour Sandra told the AP news agency that she loved "the energy, the artistic splendour, the creativity" of the event.

"It is important that we preserve this, so that... generation after generation everybody will get to understand the importance of this and how Brazilians and Lagos came to be," carnival-goer Ademola Oduyebo told AP.

Youngsters appear to be heeding this message - several children and teenagers participated in the Monday's parades, decked out in creative costumes.

The celebration is sustained by seven historic associations, which are rooted in different areas of Lagos Island. One carnival-goer wore an eye-catching outfit, bearing each of the associations' names.

Each community can be distinguished by its signature colours - members of the Lafiaji association always wear red and white.

The carnival's organisers are immensly proud of the event, which will return again next April.

They describe it as "neither wholly Brazilian nor wholly Yoruba, but entirely its own".

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

'I adore her now': Mother learns to live with child's autism in a country with little help

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cj608n98z1jo, 6 days ago

Martha Ongwane looks adoringly at her bouncy, giggling four-year-old, unable to believe that just two years ago she had wanted to kill her.

Non-verbal, biting and unable to sit still, her daughter Rachael, who had been diagnosed with autism, had slowly overwhelmed Martha leaving her desperate and depressed.

She was shunned by her neighbours in the southern African country of Malawi, who blamed her for what Rachael was doing. Martha was told to lock her little girl inside.

There was no sympathy, and little understanding of autism and how it should be treated.

Martha describes how she had poured poison into a cup, intending Rachael to drink it.

"I told myself it would be better if she died because that would mean she would rest and that would be the end of our problems.

"[But] my heart didn't let me. I changed my mind and cried so much," she says softly, looking down at her hands.

Two years on, it is hard to imagine that scene as mother and daughter share a loving domestic moment.

Rachael clambers onto her mother's lap as they sit on the floor of their home in Mzuzu, northern Malawi.

The girl laughs, hugging Martha's face, as the 33-year-old cuts vegetables to serve with nsima, a thick porridge made from maize, for lunch.

The transformation has been incredible and is largely down to the family getting access to expert care.

On one of their many visits to Mzuzu Central Hospital, Rachael was referred to Saint John of God, an organisation that helps disabled children.

Funded mainly by the Catholic Church, it not only provides community-based mental health services, but it has a school for children with special educational needs. It became a lifeline for the family.

Martha and her husband also received counselling.

Once isolated and stigmatised, the couple found a support network and educators who were able to deal with Rachael's issues.

But most here are not so lucky.

According to statistics from the World Health Organization, Rachael is one of more than 60 million people worldwide who are on the autistic spectrum.

Autism, or autism spectrum disorder, is a neurodevelopmental disability - meaning it affects how the brain develops - and it influences how people communicate, relate to others and process the world around them.

It exists on a spectrum, affecting individuals in different ways and to varying degrees.

Many autistic people can show certain characteristics, including intense focus, strong memory and innovative thinking.

But in countries where spending on mental health and behavioural disorders is not a priority, often only those with extreme behavioural differences or challenges are noticed, and with that comes stigma and discrimination.

In Malawi, for example, there are just two developmental paediatricians for the population of over 22 million people, and three consultant psychiatrists.

The word autism does not exist in the country's most commonly spoken language, Chichewa. It is often translated as "ozelezeka" meaning someone who is mentally challenged, or "ofuntha" meaning someone who is troublesome.

There are also a whole host of misunderstandings of autism.

Saint John of God is trying to change perceptions.

In a community centre not far from Martha's home, religious elders, both Christian and Muslim, gather together on green plastic chairs. They are here for an autism awareness session run by the organisation.

Many here believe witchcraft is a root cause of autism and the discussion begins with the participants laying out what they think.

A vicar, with a large gold cross around his neck, says everyone knows that people can bewitch each other. Another man stands up claiming magic can be used against pregnant women and that is why children have autism.

Christopher Mhone from Saint John of God acknowledges there is little understanding of autism but uses these sessions to nudge the participants into a different way of viewing autism, showing that practical interventions can help deal with the symptoms.

Reflecting on Martha and Rachael's case he says that "for a woman to come to a point where she feels like she should kill her child - as a nation we have failed her. Her burden has become so impossible to bear that she does not have the emotional and psychological capacity to cope."

Mhone says most autism support is provided by the non-governmental or charity sector.

While basic mental health services such as assessment and referral are accessible at district and primary care levels, there is only one government-run psychiatric referral facility in the whole country - Zomba Central Hospital.

"Autism is not even mentioned in the Disability Act. For me, that tells you about the issue of visibility of the problem. If you don't know you have this problem, there's no way you can begin to sort it out," Mhone says.

The BBC contacted Health Minister Madalitso Baloyi to request an interview about national provision for children with autism but did not receive a response.

Access to quality healthcare is limited in Malawi, and many turn to traditional healers and witch doctors as the first port of call for any medical or mental health problem.

This was the route that Natasha Lusinje took for her five-year-old son, Shalom.

Three-hundred kilometres (186 miles) south of Mzuzu, in a barren compound outside the capital, Lilongwe, the young boy, who is non-verbal and cannot feed himself, sits playing alone.

Natasha is alert, anxious.

"There are so many people who have told me this child was bewitched. People magically tied his tongue so he could not speak," she says.

Nearly three-quarters of people in Malawi believe in witchcraft and Natasha is one of them.

For her, it offers both a reason for her son's behaviour and a solution.

She has decided to take Shalom to a traditional healer in search of a cure. BBC Africa Eye is given rare access to their experience.

They travel by bus to the healer's home on the outskirts of the capital.

Wearing a long white dress, the healer, Maness Sanjelekani, faces the wall and begins chanting: "We give praise to you God this evening, as you have sent your lamb seeking for healing here. Because he doesn't have a soul, because evil people from the dark did this to him."

She has no medical qualifications but the healer says in her view there are two types of autism - the one from God, which she cannot change, and the one from Satan which she can heal.

She says Shalom has the latter.

This is completely unfounded both medically and scientifically.

Natasha handed over 26,500 kwacha ($15; £11.50) and over the course of three weeks, Shalom is bathed with herbs and forced to drink herbal remedies daily, but he remains non-verbal. Natasha is also instructed to use a "treatment" that involves putting small cuts on Shalom's skin.

When confronted about this, Sanjelekani denied any form of child abuse.

"I can only say I am trying to save his life. I am trying my best to save him," she says.

When questioned about claims of two types of autism, accused of running a scam, and asked to admit she is lying, she says: "Let me just accept I have failed this child."

Natasha eventually took Shalom home but still clings to her faith that God will help her find a cure. For her, this is still the only hope.

Back in Mzuzu, Martha helps Rachael get dressed in her blue-and-white chequered school uniform. She has been going to a Saint John of God school for a year now.

In the Mzuzu facility, the organisation has the capacity to help more than 600 children a year.

Rachael is learning to speak and when her name is called in class, she jumps up, grabs her friend's hand and encourages her to stand and sing with her.

In the well-maintained gardens, young adults – some with Down's syndrome, others with cerebral palsy, and autism - carefully tend their crops.

"I want us to conceptualise disability in a positive way," says Mhone.

"Disability is ability, in a different way. And if society begins to understand that, then there will be less stigmatisation, and they will be looking at the positive things that can come out of those with disabilities."

Martha can hardly believe the change in her daughter and in their lives.

She has shared her story in the hope that it will help other mothers and wishes she had got help sooner.

"When I look at her, I feel so guilty. Every day I think about the fact that my daughter could have been dead.

"I adore her now."

Additional reporting by Tamasin Ford

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

'We want a voice in our land' - the people evicted to build Nigeria's capital

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/clyggr00x5vo, 8 days ago

Now in her 80s, Lami Ezekiel remembers construction crews arriving in her ancestral home in Maitama, as it was destroyed to build Nigeria's capital, Abuja.

"We just saw big trucks and construction vehicles destroying our farms," she recalls.

This was in the late 1980s. She, like others who lived on the land on which the city was built, say they are still waiting for the compensation they were promised at the time.

The planning for the new capital right in the centre of the country began a decade earlier.

On 4 February 1976, the military government led by Murtala Muhammed created an area called the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) - 7,315 sq km (2,824 sq miles) of land carved from Niger, Plateau and Kaduna states.

Born in 1982 in Kabusa, which lies within the FCT, Isaac David remembers a childhood of streams and farmland where families drank water from springs and cultivated land that had sustained them for generations.

Today, where streams once flowed, stands a luxury hotel - the Transcorp Hilton Abuja.

Land once planted with crops now holds buildings such as the United Nations headquarters and the embassy of the United States.

Nigeria's seat of power, the Aso Rock presidential villa, rests on what was once a community shrine.

"Those of us who want to farm now have to go and buy farmland on the outskirts of town," says David, who now owns farms in neighbouring Niger state.

Lagos, the former capital, was seen as vulnerable because of its coastal location and politically sensitive because it lay in the heart of Yoruba land in a country managing ethnic rivalries.

Abuja was presented as neutral territory - officially described as "no man's land".

But for at least 10 indigenous groups, including the Gbagyi, whose homes and farms were replaced by ministries and mansions, that description still stings.

Daniel Aliyu Kwali, president of the FCT Stakeholders' Assembly, noted that some anthropologists and historians say that communities have lived there for over 6,000 years.

"The FCT is just 50 years old; I am 70 years old. We are much older than the FCT."

The government initially planned to relocate the "few local inhabitants" outside the territory, but reversed the policy.

"Because of the high cost of resettlement, the government allowed those who wished to remain in the FCT to do so," said Nasiru Suleiman, director of resettlement and compensation at the Federal Capital Development Authority (FCDA).

This adjustment enabled some residents to stay, while those in central districts were relocated.

For many families, the process was traumatic and John Ngbako, then secretary of the community in Maitama, remembers his confusion.

He said he asked the authorities "what is wrong with us?" that they couldn't live with the newcomers.

Community leaders say they were promised farmland, housing, and access to electricity and water in Kubwa, the relocation site.

But before negotiations were complete, security forces arrived.

Families were loaded on to tipper trucks and driven about 30 minutes away to Kubwa, an area where residents say basic amenities were missing and tensions emerged with the original inhabitants.

Laraba Adamu, who was newly married at the time, remembers hostility at the river where she fetched water.

"People would see us coming and say: 'The government cows have arrived,'" she says.

Ezekiel, sitting outside her two-room house where she has to cook outside, says: "When we were moved, they promised us all the social amenities.

"None of them have been fulfilled. The water we drink, we buy. The electricity we use, we buy. And we have no farmland."

The community calls itself Maitama-Kubwa, preserving the name of the neighbourhood they were forced to leave behind.

Esu Bulus Yerima Pada, a descendant of a long line of traditional rulers who became chief of Maitama-Kubwa in 2001, says the government also promised documents confirming residents' legal ownership of their new land.

"Up to today, they have not done it," he says.

Community members sometimes take their children to Maitama, now one of Abuja's most expensive neighbourhoods, to show them where their forebears lived.

"Even the banana trees our forefathers planted are still there," Chief Pada said.

Tensions over land and demolition persist.

On 13 March 2025, bulldozers demolished homes in Gishiri, an indigenous community predating the FCT.

Thirty-two-year-old schoolteacher Princess Juliet Jombo says properties built by her late father, a traditional ruler, were reduced to rubble.

"Everything my father worked for in his life and left for us. Everything," she says.

Her one-bedroom flat was initially valued at 260,000 naira ($170; £135). This was later raised to about 520,000 naira after protests but she says this was insufficient to secure alternative housing.

The demolition also destroyed the community primary school, leaving nearly 500 pupils out of class for months.

Suleiman of the FCDA maintains that the resettlement process is consultative and that compensation is paid directly into recipients' accounts or houses are built in lieu of cash.

But activists argue that all this happens too late.

"By law, the government must first dialogue with the people who have a right to choose a place where they feel safe," David says.

"Then the government should build houses and relocate them to the new site."

David, whose activism has earned him the nickname "Commander", became politically active in the mid-2000s after learning about the FCT's unique constitutional status.

He and others say the issue is not just about land and compensation, but also political exclusion.

Unlike Nigeria's 36 states, the FCT has no elected governor. Instead, the president appoints a minister from anywhere in the country with powers similar to a state governor.

"As an indigene of Niger, I could contest elections as governor of Niger state," says Kwali.

"But now, I have no constitutional right to elect a governor, and I cannot run for the position myself. Other Nigerians can become governor, but I never can."

Also, anyone residing in Abuja can contest local offices regardless of origin, unlike in other parts of Nigeria where such positions are reserved for those with local family origins. Several elected representatives in the FCT have come from other parts of the country.

"But I cannot go to your own village and contest for office there and expect to win," said 32-year-old Methuselah Jeji.

A new father, he worries about ceilings his child will face.

"My child can never be governor. That is very sad - not because I am not able but because the FCT is where God has placed me."

David says the lack of indigenous representation helps explain why many communities around the FCT remain underdeveloped.

In central Abuja, wide boulevards, embassies and high-rise apartments signal heavy state investment.

But in many indigenous settlements on the outskirts, roads are potholed, classrooms overcrowded, clinics understaffed, electricity unreliable and residents lack secure land titles.

"When we had our person in the Senate, we saw the difference," David says, referring to Philip Aduda, the only FCT indigene elected to the Senate.

He lost the seat in 2023 to Ireti Kingibe, an Abuja resident originally from Kano.

Jeji's father, Danladi, fears the peaceful approach pursued by activists may not last forever.

Many of their court cases have lingered unresolved for years, reinforcing the sense their concerns are ignored.

He worries that a younger, more politically aware generation may be less patient and more willing to confront the state: "It's a bomb waiting to explode."

Despite the frustration, David still emphasises non-violence.

"We can demand for our rights," he says. "We want representation. We want to have a voice in our own land."

Ezekiel is still hoping that the government will fulfil its promises, and give her land.

"If I could be given land to farm today, land where I and my children can work, I would be truly grateful," she says. "I am still strong."

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

Seven Eritrean players fail to return home after international match

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c747037e2kgo, 5 days ago

Seven players from the Eritrean football squad that scored a historic victory in Eswatini last week have failed to return home, a source close to the team has told the BBC.

While some of their teammates flew back from Eswatini's neighbour, South Africa, the seven are said to have absconded.

There have been several cases when Eritreans competing in various sports have not gone home after international fixtures in recent years.

Rights groups have described the government in Asmara as highly repressive - a charge which the authorities reject. Despite its small population, hundreds of thousands of Eritreans have sought asylum abroad.

The news of the players absconding will come as a blow to the team, which, following its 2-1 win in Eswatini and 4-1 victory on aggregate, was celebrating a return to the qualifying group stages for the Africa Cup of Nations for the first time in 19 years.

Only 10 of the 24-man squad were based in Eritrea and just three of those players, including team captain Ablelom Teklezghi, have now returned, sources in Asmara told BBC Tigrinya.

While it is unclear where the missing players have gone, reports say some of them have been seen in South Africa.

Those who have absconded include goalkeeper Kubrom Solomon and veteran winger Medhanie Redie.

Eritrea's state-owned media outlets have been unusually quiet on the victorious team's return, which have in the past been accompanied by a big fanfare.

Sources say preparations were made for a similar reception but was cancelled following news of the disappearance of the players.

The spokesperson of Eritrea's Sport and Culture Commission, who has been providing updates on social media about the recent success of the team, posted pictures of some of the returning players and staff in Egypt, where the Eritrean embassy and community members organised a reception for them.

They stopped in Cairo on the way back to Eritrea.

But the only players seen in those pictures were the ones who then went on to fly to Asmara.

Many Eritrean fans had been hoping that the victory over Eswatini would lead to a renaissance of Eritrean football, but for many Eritreans the latest news has a familiar ring.

Over the last two decades, the national team at different levels has been scarred by a series of events in which players, and even almost entire squads, have disappeared either before or after games abroad.

In 2019, seven players from the Eritrean under-20 side went missing after playing in the East African regional championship in Uganda.

In 2015, 10 senior squad players refused to return home after playing a World Cup qualifying match in Botswana.

Two years earlier, 15 players and the team doctor were granted asylum in Uganda after they absconded.

And in 2009 the entire senior team, apart from the coach and an official, failed to return home from Kenya.

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

DR Congo declares national holiday after reaching World Cup for first time in 52 years

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cm296yv05eeo, 11 days ago

Authorities in the Democratic Republic Congo have declared Wednesday a public holiday after the national football team qualified for their first World Cup in 52 years.

The Leopards reached the finals on Tuesday when Axel Tuanzebe's extra-time goal gave them a 1-0 win over Jamaica in the play-off.

DR Congo's ministry of labour and employment said that as a result of the "historic" victory, the nation could have the day off work to "celebrate in unity, fervour and national pride".

The central African nation has only played in the World Cup once before - in 1974 when the country was named Zaire.

Numerous employers honoured the holiday on Wednesday, with many banks and shops shut throughout the day in the capital, Kinshasa.

However some employers proceeded with the work day as normal as the announcement - made at approximately 08:00 local time (07:00 GMT) - came at such short notice.

Tuesday's match was an intense affair, with former Manchester United player Tuanzebe only breaking the deadlock in the 100th minute.

Elated football fans celebrated in Kinshasa after the team's victory was confirmed just before 01:00 local time on Wednesday morning.

One supporter told the BBC: "Whatever we may be feeling at the moment, amidst pain and war and occupation, this victory makes us proud... I feel so emotional and happy."

DR Congo has been battered by decades of conflict. The fighting escalated early last year when the M23 rebel group captured swathes of territory in the country's east.

Although neighbouring Rwanda is widely believed to be supporting the M23 and the two countries' leaders have exchanged bitter insults in recent years, Rwanda's government has congratulated DR Congo on qualifying.

Deputy government spokesperson Jean Maurice Uwera said in a post on X: "Leopards stepping up for Africa! Congratulations DR Congo, go make the continent proud on the world stage."

In the Kinshasa neighbourhood of Kingabwa, some fans took to the streets chanting: "Christiano Ronaldo is next".

DR Congo's first match will be against Ronaldo's Portugal in the US city of Houston on 17 June.

They will also play Colombia and Uzbekistan in the group stages.

DR Congo are the 10th African nation to reach this year's expanded World Cup finals, jointly hosted by the US, Mexico and Canada.

Born in Bunia, a city hit by the ongoing conflict, Tuanzebe said Tuesday night's goal was "without a doubt the most important" of his career.

"I'm so grateful to have scored that goal for the team, for the nation. I realise the magnitude of what it represents and the joy it brings to people."

Additional reporting from Emery Makumeno in Kinshasa

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

Kenya disputes UN report on rape allegations against its Haiti personnel

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c1d9zrl2z03o, 3 days ago

Kenya has made a formal protest against a UN report which alleged that its personnel serving in a Security Council-authorised mission in Haiti had been involved in sexual abuse.

In a letter to the UN chief António Gutteres, Kenya's Foreign Minister Musalia Mudavadi expressed concern over the allegations that were first reported last August.

A report by the secretary general made public last week implicates officers under the Kenyan-led mission in four cases of rape and other forms of sexual violence. Three of the alleged victims are children - a 12-year-old and two aged 16.

Mudavadi said the claims were promptly investigated through an inquiry and found to be unsubstantiated.

"No formal complaints were filed with any authority, and findings were shared transparently with both Haitian and UN bodies," he said.

The minister said that the personnel in the Multinational Security Support Mission (MSS) strictly adhered to all rules and that no reports had identified any misconduct.

A table in the UN report listing the four allegations notes that each was communicated to the MSS force commander.

The report says the allegations were substantiated by investigations conducted by the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights.

According to the UN, the allegations are under review.

"Sexual exploitation and abuse represent a fundamental betrayal of the trust placed in the United Nations and its partners by the communities it serves," the report states.

The Kenya-led mission was deployed to Haiti in 2024 to help combat gang violence, following authorisation by the UN Security Council.

The force, which was meant to have up to 2,500 members, fell far short of that target and, beset by operational and funding challenges, it was unable to curb the violence.

Mudavadi said Kenya's deployment through the MSS showed the country's commitment, despite operational challenges and domestic opposition.

The MSS has since been replaced by a larger international force, the Gang Suppression Force, with the Kenya-led mission being phased out.

Additional reporting by Basillioh Rukanga in Nairobi

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

Gambia appoints British barrister to prosecute gruesome Jammeh-era crimes

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cjr90wyw09wo, 3 days ago

British barrister Martin Hackett has been appointed as The Gambia's first special prosecutor to try those responsible for human rights abuses carried out during the 22-year rule of ex-President Yahya Jammeh, which ended when he went into exile in 2017.

Hackett will head a newly created office charged with dealing with the cases from a period characterised by widespread repression, enforced disappearances and extrajudicial killings.

The Truth, Reconciliation and Reparations Commission (TRRC) was set up to document the extent of the alleged abuses.

In its final report, handed to current President Adama Barrow in 2021, it identified those most responsible and recommended their prosecution.

The TRRC, which heard harrowing testimony from victims, former security operatives and other witnesses, also called for reparations to be paid to the victims, warning that failure to act risked entrenching impunity.

The TRRC has started phased compensation payments, starting with victims of abuses committed shortly after the 1994 coup when Jammeh first came to power.

But for many survivors, financial compensation is secondary to accountability.

Among the most notorious cases highlighted by the TRRC were the 2004 killing of journalist Deyda Hydara and the murder of more than 50 mainly West African migrants, executed by security forces after being wrongly accused of plotting a coup.

A handful of perpetrators have already been convicted abroad under the principle of universal jurisdiction, including former members of the notorious paramilitary unit and death squad known as "the Junglers" - some of whom have been jailed in Germany and the US.

The appointment of Hackett, who has previously served at the UN-backed Special Tribunal for Lebanon and who investigated war crimes committed by senior military commanders during the Kosovo war, is seen as a decisive step towards domestic accountability.

Attorney General Dawda Jallow was quoted as saying that Hackett had a four-year mandate and was chosen from a wide selection of candidates.

Jammeh, who refused to co-operate with the TRRC, only left power at the insistence of regional leaders.

They sent in troops to The Gambia when he refused to step down after his shock election defeat in December 2016.

Now aged 60, Jammeh has previously denied wrongdoing and is believed to be living in exile in Equatorial Guinea.

More BBC stories on The Gambia:

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Nigeria begins mass trial of 500 terrorism suspects

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/ckg9y95kxyko, 4 days ago

Nigeria has begun the prosecution of more than 500 people accused of involvement in militant attacks in one of the country's largest ever terrorism trials.

The suspects face charges linked to aiding and abetting terrorism, particularly in the north-east where an insurgency by the Boko Haram Islamist group began 17 years ago.

Since then insecurity has spread to many other areas of the West African nation, leaving communities, often those in rural areas, at the mercy of mushrooming militant groups and gangs that kidnap for ransom.

The mass trial opened on Tuesday at a high court in the capital, Abuja, where 227 suspects were arraigned before 10 judges, according to the attorney general.

Hundreds of people have lost their lives in bombings and various attacks across Nigeria this year alone.

Very few people are ever prosecuted over terror attacks - and suspects are often detained and spend years in custody without facing trial.

According to the AFP news agency, gunmen killed at least 20 people on Wednesday in the western state of Niger. Residents say the attackers raided villages in Shiroro district, an area where kidnapping gangs and Islamist militants are known to operate.

Security was tight during the court session on Tuesday, with suspects transported in heavily guarded convoys under military, police and intelligence supervision.

International observers, including human rights groups and the Nigerian Bar Association, were also present in court.

The defendants are alleged to have taken part in attacks mainly in northern Nigeria, while others face charges of supporting militants through funding, supplying arms and logistics.

Five of the accused have already been given varying jail terms - from seven to 20 years - after pleading guilty to charges that included selling livestock, supplying food and information to militant groups.

Attorney General Lateef Fagbemi said the scale of the operation showed the government's resolve to deal with the matter.

"The federal government is committed to ensuring that due process is followed while bringing those involved in terrorism to justice," he said.

Security expert Bashir Galma, a retired army major, told the BBC that the trial, which is expected to continue in phases, was a "positive development" and a "significant milestone" in Nigeria's fight against terrorism.

"For years Nigerians have been complaining about why they keep these suspects [in custody] instead of making them face the law for what they are suspected of doing," he said.

"This will bring some level of peace for people whose loved ones were killed or injured."

The trial would also dispelled rumours that suspects were routinely released after arrest "so that they can go back to their terrorism business", the analyst added.

However, he predicted that some of the accused could be released soon, given that they were arrested many years ago - a factor he said the judges would likely take into consideration.

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

Dozens killed as Angola flood death toll rises

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c3v6nr3q2xwo, 4 days ago

Dozens of people have died from floods following heavy rains in recent days in the Angolan capital, Luanda, and other areas across the country.

Emergency services have reported about 39 deaths in Luanda and the central city of Benguela, with more than 51,000 people affected.

The flooding also damaged thousands of homes and public infrastructure, with damaged roads and bridges, fallen trees and electric poles. The collapse of a bridge pillar on Hâlo River disrupted traffic between Benguela and Huambo provinces.

President João Lourenço mourned the deaths, saying the country was in a "race against the clock" to find, rescue and offer medical care to those affected.

The civil protection authority said in its latest update that 26 people had died and four were missing in Benguela, while in Luanda province, where the capital is located, there had been 13 deaths and five people were missing.

Local media reported six more deaths in Cuanza-Sul and Malanje provinces.

Earlier on Sunday, the SCPB reported that 15 had died and said thousands had been forced to leave their homes.

In a statement from the presidency, Lourenço noted that numerous houses had flooded or collapsed, roads cut off and key utilities including water systems damaged.

He said the government would provide help to the victims through the different state agencies that have been mobilised to deal with the crisis.

Heavy rains are not unusual in southern Africa during the rainy season, and neighbouring Namibia and Zambia have suffered deadly floods in recent years.

In 2023, 30 people died and more than 116,000 people were affected across Angola following severe flooding that affected 15 out of 18 provinces.

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

South Korea deploys thermal imaging cameras in search for escaped zoo wolf

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cr41d4r5kdeo, yesterday

South Korean authorities have deployed heat-seeking cameras and drones in a widening search for a runaway wolf that has been on the loose for three days after escaping from a zoo.

The two-year-old male, named Neukgu, burrowed under a fence at Daejeon O-World zoo and theme park in the central city of Daejeon on Wednesday, officials said.

More than 300 personnel - including firefighters, police officers and military troops - have been mobilised in the hunt for the animal, Daejeon Fire Headquarters said.

Addressing the incident on Thursday, President Lee Jae Myung said in a post on X: "I hope no human casualties occur and I pray that Neukgu also returns home safely."

A nearby elementary school was closed as a precaution on Thursday after the wolf remained at large, and authorities have urged residents to take care and report any sightings.

Thermal imaging footage provided by Korea Wildlife Protection Association showed the wolf moving along a wooded hillside near the zoo on Wednesday, Reuters news agency reported.

Drone cameras were deployed early on Thursday morning but had to be withdrawn due to heavy rain, an official told AFP news agency.

Zoo officials said the wolf damaged the fence before escaping.

An official at Daejeon O-World told The Korea Times newspaper: "We conduct daily inspections of each enclosure before opening, and one wolf was missing. After checking CCTV, we confirmed it had dug through the soil at the bottom of the enclosure and escaped."

Born in 2024, Neukgu was part of a conservation programme aimed at restoring the Korean wolf, a species considered extinct in the wild, according to Reuters.

The runaway wolf has inspired a meme coin, named 'Neukgu', which appeared on decentralised cryptocurrency exchanges in the last 24 hours, media reported.

The incident has drawn comparisons with a 2023 escape of a zebra named Sero from a zoo in Seoul.

Gunmen kill at least 11 people at Afghanistan picnic spot

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cr51z5p17myo, today

At least 11 people are known to have died after gunmen targeted civilians at a picnic spot in western Afghanistan.

Provincial officials originally said four people had been killed in the attack in the Enjil district of Herat province on Friday, but later said that seven more people who were critically injured had also died.

No group has claimed responsibility so far.

"Unidentified armed men" riding motorcycles opened fire near the village of Deh Mehri, an interior ministry spokesperson said. The recreational area is usually crowded on Fridays.

A Herat doctor told the BBC that the victims - who were Shia Muslims - had gone to a local shrine for a picnic. Shia Muslims are a minority group in Afghanistan and have been targeted in the past.

Ahmadullah Muttaqi, the provincial head of information and culture for the Taliban government in Herat, said the incident happened at about 15:00 local time (11:30 BST).

"In a terrorist incident, armed men opened fire on residents who had gone to Deh Mehri village in Enjil district for recreation," he told the BBC.

Muttaqi said four bodies, as well as 15 wounded people - including two women - were taken to the Herat regional hospital.

A suspect had been arrested by security forces, he said.

The village where the attack took place in is a predominantly Shiite village and has a Shiite Muslim shrine that many people visit daily to visit and pray, interior ministry spokesman Abdul Mateen Qani said

Correction: An earlier version of this story said the victims were from the Hazara ethnic group, but this is now believed not to be the case.

Taiwan opposition leader meets Xi Jinping in Beijing

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cj94y87k2ljo, yesterday

China's President Xi Jinping received Taiwan's main opposition party leader on Friday, in a rare meeting which saw both sides stress a desire for cross-strait peace.

Cheng Li-wun is the Kuomintang's (KMT) first sitting leader to visit China in a decade.

In 2016, Beijing cut off high-level communications with Taiwan after the ruling Democratic Progressive Party's (DPP) Tsai Ing-wen became president, citing her refusal to endorse the concept of a single Chinese nation. The DPP is among those who have criticised Cheng's trip, accusing her of being "subservient" to Beijing.

Beijing claims Taiwan as part of its territory and has not ruled out taking the self-governed island by force.

"The leaders of our two parties are meeting today in order to safeguard the peace and stability of our shared homeland, to promote the peaceful development of cross-strait relations, and to allow future generations to share in a bright and beautiful future," said Xi in a meeting at China's Great Hall of the People on Friday.

He added that China was willing to strengthen exchange and dialogue together with various parties, including the KMT - though it would have to be on the condition of opposing Taiwan independence.

Xi also reiterated that those on both sides of the Taiwan Strait are Chinese, and that they all wanted peace.

In response, Cheng said the "rejuvenation of the Chinese people is a shared aspiration of the people on both sides of the Strait".

She added that it would be a "positive contribution to world peace and human progress".

In a press conference after her closed-door meeting with Xi, Cheng said young people of every generation had to understand that opposing Taiwan independence and maintaining the 1992 Consensus was a way to "avoid war, prevent tragedy, work together and create peace."

The 1992 Consensus is an understanding between the then-ruling KMT and the Chinese Communist Party about there being "one China", while leaving room for different interpretations of what that means. The DPP has consistently rejected the 1992 Consensus, arguing that it undermines Taiwan's sovereignty.

The KMT has traditionally maintained warm ties with China, though Cheng's eagerness to visit contrasts with her predecessors' more cautious approach towards cross-strait relations, some analysts say.

Beijing has refused to hold formal dialogue with Taiwanese president Lai Ching-te, whom they have labelled a "separatist".

Lai has repeatedly committed to maintaining the status quo in cross-strait relations. But Chinese authorities and state media have heaped bitter rhetoric against him, calling him a "troublemaker" and "warmonger".

Most people in Taiwan consider themselves a sovereign nation. But many also favour keeping the "status quo" in cross-strait relations, neither unifying with China nor formally declaring independence.

Hot in the city: Energy crisis tests Singapore's air-con addiction

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c80mxrdvkpjo, 2 days ago

Singapore - known for its widespread use of air-conditioning - has told government employees to bring up the temperature in offices to at least 25C (77F) as it grapples with rising energy prices caused by the Iran war.

The city-state's public offices will also install power-efficient technology like LED lights and smart sensors to help conserve energy.

Singapore joins other countries in South East Asia that have taken steps to save energy, like Thailand, which also asked people to keep air conditioners at 26-27C.

The region is heavily reliant on oil and gas shipments that pass through the Strait of Hormuz, which has been effectively shut since the war began.

In 1999, Lee Kuan Yew, widely seen as the founding father of modern Singapore, famously credited air-conditioning with having "changed the lives of people in tropical regions" by enabling work indoors despite the heat outside.

The former prime minister is quoted as saying: "The first thing I did upon becoming prime minister was to install air conditioners in buildings where the civil service worked. This was key to public efficiency."

Lee, who died in 2015, is often credited as being the mastermind of Singapore's post colonial transformation from a resource-scarce island to one of Asia's most advanced economies.

Today, there are very few offices in the country without air-conditioning - though some will argue that its use tends to be quite excessive.

It is not uncommon for employees to bring in cardigans or sweaters to wear in office hours because temperatures are maintained at such low levels.

And unlike many cities in South East Asia with open-air shopping streets, Singapore's malls are almost entirely air-conditioned.

In fact, pedestrians on Singapore's streets will often find themselves blasted with a shock of icy cold air as they walk past entrances to malls and department stores.

All the city's buses and trains are also air-conditioned.

Most homes are also fitted with air-conditioning units - often left on overnight.

Singapore's Ministry of Sustainability and the Environment said on 8 April that the government was "taking the lead" in its energy-saving effort as the Iran war has hit global fuel supply chains.

Government employees are being told to set the air-conditioning to 25C and closely manage how long they are in use.

"Each degree raised reduces energy needs by around 10%," the ministry said.

Workers are also being urged to switch to fans and to take public transportation to cut the use of fuel.

Businesses and members of the public have also been encouraged to do the same.

Fuel prices in Singapore have risen and the authorities have issued warnings to the public to be prepared for more economic disruptions caused by war in the Middle East.

The republic has yet to draw from its fuel reserves or introduce rationing measures since the war.

About two-thirds of Singapore's crude oil imports come from countries in the Middle East, according to the US Energy Information Administration.

Other Asian countries that are more reliant on the Gulf's oil have scrambled to find alternative suppliers and ways to curb the impact of rising fuel prices.

The Philippines, which imports 98% of its oil from the Middle East, shortened the work week for government offices to save power. Government agencies were also told to cut usage of electricity and fuel.

The country became the first nation to declare a national energy emergency in March after petrol prices more than doubled in recent weeks.

Thailand has also implemented urgent energy-saving measures including ordering public office employees to work from home.

People in Thailand have also been asked to keep air conditioning at 26-27C and to conserve fuel by carpooling or using public transport.

South Korea, which imports more than two-thirds of its energy from the Gulf, has launched an energy-saving campaign, encouraging people to take shorter showers and to use washing machines only on weekends.

The economic fallout of the Iran war can be described as the "Asian crisis", said Ichiro Kutani from Japan's Institute of Energy Economics.

Developing countries were being hit especially hard, due to the sheer number of petrol cars as well as households that rely on gas, he said.

In the long term, this was a tough lesson for Asia "to learn from this crisis and aim to use oil efficiently and diversify our sources of supply", said Kutani.

BTS battle torrential rain to kick off $1bn world tour

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cq59qzzg93jo, 3 days ago

BTS were battered by the elements as they kicked off their marathon world tour in Goyang Stadium, South Korea.

The band, and their fans, were drenched by heavy downpours throughout the open-air show.

"It's raining like crazy," said V, splashing through puddles on the giant, 360-degree stage. Suga likened the venue to "a water park", while Jimin said the conditions had left him "frustrated and stressed". "But that's not what's important," he told the audience. "What's important is that you're here with us."

The group gave it their all despite the weather, delivering a high-octane, pulse-quickening, complete with a 23-song setlist.

After a four-year hiatus, during which the band's members completed mandatory military service, BTS were fully re-energised and clearly happy to be back on stage.

V even made a feature of the persistent precipitation, lying down on the rain-soaked stage and pretending to do the breast stroke, while performing an impromptu version of the band's comeback single, Swim.

"Watch out!" said the band's leader RM, who recently sustained an ankle injury during rehearsals. "You might get hurt like me."

The 31-year-old, who performed from a stool during a promotional concert last month was back on his feet for the opening night of the world tour - which took place in his hometown.

However, he was carried around the stadium on a makeshift throne during a "meet the audience" segment, suggesting his torn ligament hasn't completely healed.

"It's been three weeks [since the injury] so the doctor said I can perform," he told fans from the stage.

"It's not that big of a deal. We just wanted to give it our all today."

The downpour didn't seem to dampen fans' spirits, either. Eager concert-goers arrived as early as 06:30 to reserve the best spots, taking selfies and sharing stories under a sea of umbrellas as queues snaked around the stadium.

Even after the show began, hundreds of ticketless fans braved the rain to listen to their idols outside the venue.

'Soaked to my underwear'

The concert leaned heavily on the band's new album Arirang, which folds the melody and mythology of Korea's folk music into the band's hyperactive, experimental pop sound.

All but one of the band's new songs featured in the setlist,

It opened with a lone hooded figure running onto the stage holding a red flare as fans chanted "BTS, BTS, BTS".

As scores of dancers poured into the stadium, the band strode confidently onto the stage before launching into Hooligan, an incendiary rap track full of chopped-up strings and clashing swords that - somewhat ironically - featured RM calling for "a bigger mop".

That set the tone for the night, which concentrated on the tougher side of the BTS sound, favouring tracks like Mic Drop, Run BTS and FYA over the more melodic pop numbers that brought them international fame.

It gave the show a propulsive energy, with the septet sprinting up and down the compass-point catwalks that extended from the stage, surrounded by pyrotechnics, walls of flame and thousands of LED lights.

BTS's comeback in numbers

After an opening salvo of rap-centric tracks, Swim was moody and sultry, with flowing choreography that underscored its message of persevering in choppy waters.

There was also an unexpected outing for Not Today, a song dedicated to "all the underdogs in the world".

As the band sang about fighting injustice and corruption, they were surrounded by dancers in hockey masks, holding aloft fluorescent lights. It felt urgent and powerful - a marked departure from the frictionless fun of their last world tour.

Another major difference was the relative lack of choreography - with BTS concentrating more on firing up the crowd than the tightly-controlled dance moves fans have come to expect.

That may have been a result of the weather, but it also gave the concert an immediacy that more painstakingly scripted shows lack.

Towards the end of the show, there was even a moment where V and Jimin broke into an impromptu version of the dance routine for I Need U, much to the surprise and delight of their bandmates.

It was a little moment of connection (and, let's be honest, goofing around) that showcased the band's continued chemistry and affection for one another, even after all these years.

The main set ended with an extended version of Idol, the lead single from 2018's Love Yourself: Answer, during which the band climbed down from the stage and walked around the edges of the stadium as fans chanted the chorus from the rafters.

The encore was pure joy, with the English-language bops Dynamite and Butter cosying up to the nostalgic pop of 2019's Mikrokosmos.

All seven members took a moment to reflect on the show, with Jin calling it an "unforgettable moment" and Jungkook remarking "I made a good memory today".

"I'm soaked down to my underwear," laughed Jimin, "but the most important thing was getting to see you all.

"For four years, I couldn't see you and it was tough, but it's an honour that I got to see you again."

"More than anything, having all seven of us together is what matters most," added RM.

They wrapped up with another new song, Into The Sun, whose lyrical mantra - "I'll follow you into the sun" - is dedicated to their loyal fans.

The love was mutual.

"Their voices are so strong now and they looked amazing, wet hair and all," said one fan who'd tuned in to a live stream of the concert.

Others joked that they "should have paid for all three days" of the stream.

"My wallet is crying," joked another.

BTS are scheduled to play another two nights in Goyang - with 40,000 attendees at each show.

All of the concerts will also be broadcast on WeVerse, a social media platform owned by their record label, Big Hit / Hybe.

According to on-screen statistics during Thursday's show, more than four million fans paid to watch live video from the opening night, which would translate to $168m (£125m) in sales.

Figures like that explain why the Arirang tour is predicted to be one of the most lucrative concerts of all time - with some experts suggesting it could surpass the $2bn haul of Taylor Swift's epic Eras tour.

Either way, it will go down in history as the biggest ever tour by a South Korean band, with 85 dates in 34 cities worldwide.

BTS hit London in July, for two nights at the Tottenham Hotspur stadium.

Those will be the band's first UK concerts since 2019 - when they became the first K-Pop act to headline Wembley Stadium.

BTS Setlist - Goyang Stadium, 9 April 2026

Main set

* Hooligan

* Aliens

* Run BTS

* They Don't Know 'Bout Us

* Like Animals

* Fake Love

* Swim

* Merry Go Round

* 2.0

* Normal

* Not Today

* MicDrop

* FYA

* Fire

* Body to Body

* Idol

Encore

* Come Over

* Butter

* Dynamite

* Mikrokosmos

* I Need U

* Please

* Into the Sun

Key Indian state polls begin in test for Modi's party

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c5yv8p4zvd0o, 3 days ago

Millions of Indians have begun voting in elections across two states and a federally-administered territory, in a set of contests seen as an early gauge of support for Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Polling is under way in Assam and Kerala states, and Puducherry. The electoral cycle will extend to West Bengal and Tamil Nadu later this month, with results from all five due on 4 May.

For Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), these elections are less about federal stability and more a test of its ability to make inroads in regions where it has historically struggled.

For opposition parties, the polls are a test of whether they can unite against BJP dominance.

According to India's Election Commission, the five regions have a combined 174 million voters - about 18% of the country's electorate.

A total of 296 seats are at stake in Thursday's polls: 126 in Assam, 140 in Kerala and 30 in Puducherry.

By 15:00 India time (09:30 GMT), Assam saw the highest voter turnout at 75.91%, according to data shared by the Election Commission of India. The turnout in Kerala was 62.71% and 72.40% in Puducherry.

The BJP governs Assam and is part of the ruling alliance in Puducherry, but has never formed a government in West Bengal, Kerala or Tamil Nadu, where it faces entrenched regional parties battling to retain or regain power.

"It's a big test for the BJP, which has spent years trying to expand in West Bengal and southern states like Kerala and Tamil Nadu," Rahul Verma, a political scientist at the Centre for Policy Research, told the BBC.

But, he said, the polls are an even bigger challenge for opposition parties, particularly the Congress, whose electoral strength has declined in recent years.

"The results will show whether they [Congress] can mount a serious challenge in Assam and build on recent local election gains in Kerala. The election will also give a glimpse into how the broader opposition alliance is managing internal tensions," he added.

The summer polls - covering 824 assembly seats across the five regions - come amid a major controversy over a revision of electoral rolls, known as Special Intensive Revision (SIR). The Election Commission says that the exercise is aimed at removing duplicate or outdated entries and adding legit ones.

But opposition parties allege it has been used to delete millions of voters, especially Muslims, to benefit the BJP. The BJP and the Election Commission have denied this.

Each region voting in April has its own political dynamics.

In Assam, politics has long been shaped by anxieties over migration, identity and citizenship, particularly along the Bangladesh border. The BJP has ruled the state for a decade, making this election a test of whether it can retain its dominance.

The campaign in Assam has been marked by sharp rhetoric from Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, who has focused on undocumented immigration and demographic change, including remarks about Bengali-speaking Muslims. The opposition, led by the Congress, is trying to rally support around governance, economic concerns and regional identity.

Kerala ranks among India's top performers on literacy, healthcare and life expectancy, and campaigns here centre on welfare and governance.

Power has traditionally alternated between alliances led by the Communist Party of India (Marxist) and the Congress. The Left alliance, in power for a decade, is seeking to overcome anti-incumbency.

West Bengal, the most populous of the five regions with over 70 million voters, has been ruled by Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee of the Trinamool Congress since 2011, with the BJP emerging as its main challenger. Voting will take place in two phases on 23 and 29 April.

Banerjee has cast the BJP as an outsider at odds with West Bengal's linguistic and cultural identity, a charge the BJP rejects as it campaigns on undocumented immigration and national security, sharpening an already polarised contest in the Bangladesh-bordering state.

The race has also been overshadowed by controversy over the SIR exercise, with a final list showing about nine million voters removed, many from the Muslim-majority district of Murshidabad.

Tamil Nadu has long been dominated by two regional parties - the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) and the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK), which is contesting the election in an alliance with the BJP.

This election - with voting scheduled on 23 April - has drawn extra attention with the emergence of a third political force led by superstar Vijay.

The BJP has struggled to gain a foothold in the state, where politics is shaped by regional parties rooted in social justice, state autonomy and a distinct linguistic identity. Even modest gains would mark a breakthrough, signalling its ability to expand in southern India.

Puducherry, a coastal enclave with a 30-member assembly, is governed by the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance, with campaigns focused on welfare, jobs, development and ties with the federal government.

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The high-stakes diplomacy that led to Pakistan hosting US-Iran peace talks

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c3dl0g4rgn5o, yesterday

As Pakistan celebrates its success in helping negotiate a two-week ceasefire between the US and Iran, its leaders are preparing to host the peace talks.

A two-day holiday was declared in the country's capital of Islamabad ahead of the talks, which are due to begin on Saturday.

Whether or not they will actually go ahead has yet to be confirmed, but the city has readied itself all the same. The streets have become quieter as about 10,000 police officers and security forces are deployed.

The stakes for the world are high – countries across the globe are keen to see an end to the fighting and the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, a vital artery where about 20% of the global oil supply flowed through before the war.

But they are also high for Pakistan in other ways.

The South Asian nation will face a potential "nightmare scenario" if negotiations collapse, and it gets dragged into fighting with its neighbour Iran, says Abdul Basit, a South Asia expert at Nanyang Technological University in Singapore. This could happen as Pakistan signed a mutual defence pact with Saudi Arabia last year - and Islamabad has since "made it clear that it will honour its commitment given to the Saudis", says Basit.

This could result in "three borders of Pakistan [becoming] hot", Basit explains, referring to Pakistan's existing tensions with its other neighbours Afghanistan and India. "And Pakistan is fighting two full-fledged insurgencies in two of the four provinces. Pakistan cannot afford that."

Yet pride and excitement is taking over Pakistani social media, with different memes going viral.

"It is a victory in the sense that no other country in the world was able to broker the ceasefire and we were on the verge of a possible catastrophe. Pakistan averted that," says Basit.

The success is very much needed for a country that has endured years of political unrest, a fragile economy on the brink of a debt default only two years ago, and intense rivalry with India.

So how did Pakistan pull off this feat?

Trump favourite

Pakistan is in a unique position as it is trusted by the US, Iran and the Gulf countries.

The reconciliation process is led by Pakistan's military chief Asim Munir, whom US President Donald Trump calls his "favourite field marshal", according to Mushahid Hussain Syed, a senator belonging to the ruling party Pakistan Muslim League.

Munir is arguably the most powerful man in Pakistan, a country where the army has long played a predominant role in politics.

Soon after the start of Trump's second term, Munir started building rapport with the US president and gave him "two early wins", says Maleeha Lodhi, a former Pakistan ambassador to the US and UN.

The field marshal, acting on CIA intelligence, handed over the alleged mastermind behind the 2021 Kabul airport bombing when Americans were evacuating from Afghanistan. The suicide attack killed at least 170 Afghans and 13 US service members.

"Trump was so grateful that he mentioned this in his first address to the Congress," Lodhi says.

The second win, Lodhi says, was "the way Pakistan conveyed to him that he had played a pivotal role in preventing a wider war with India". Pakistan is one of the few countries that have nominated Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize – which he has long coveted.

"Remember that Trump wasn't really getting much joy from the tariff war that he was imposing practically on every country in the world. So, he really needed what he got from Pakistan."

Pakistan has also promised access to its critical minerals, which the US sees as a national-security interest. In September 2025, Pakistan's Frontier Works Organisation – the country's major miner of critical minerals, which operates under the military – signed a $500m investment deal with a US company. The ceremony took place at the Prime Minister House, with Munir in attendance.

Then, in January, Pakistan signed an agreement with an affiliate of World Liberty Financials, the cryptocurrency venture co-founded by Trump and his family, which will potentially integrate its stablecoin into the country's digital-payment system. It has bolstered the country's ties with Trump's circle too.

'Principled stance'

However, these close ties did not stop Pakistan officially condemning the first US-Israeli attacks in Iran. But when Iran bombed the oil fields of Saudi Arabia, a military ally, Pakistan also issued a strongly worded statement against Iran.

On 7 April, Pakistan abstained from a UN Security Council resolution urging states to coordinate efforts to reopen the Strait of Hormuz. Syed calls it "one-sided" as the solution does not mention that the US and Israel attacked first.

This "principled stance" and "balanced approach" has helped to enhance the trust of Iran and other Gulf countries, says Syed.

It is with these countries that Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has played a crucial role in the negotiations, former Foreign Secretary of Pakistan Aizaz Chaudhry says.

Over the past five weeks, Sharif and his deputy, Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, spoke with more than a dozen world leaders and senior officials in Washington, Moscow, Beijing, key European capitals, Turkey, Egypt and GCC states such as Saudi Arabia and Qatar.

On the day when the ceasefire was announced, Sharif said he had a "warm and substantive conversation" with Iran's President Masoud Pezeshkian, who "reaffirmed Iran's participation in the upcoming negotiations and expressed appreciation for Pakistan's efforts".

It seems Sharif has been able to leverage Pakistan's long-standing relationship with Iran on this occasion. The two countries share a 920km border with Iran and have been cooperating for decades as a result, former Pakistan ambassador to Iran Asif Durrani says.

They also share other concerns: militants and the "unstable" Afghanistan.

"For the past five decades, we both have been facing instability in our countries in the form of refugees," Durrani says.

Also not to be underestimated is the role religion has played in fostering trust and connection. While Pakistan is a Sunni-majority country, it has one of the world's largest Shia populations. Every year, thousands of Pakistanis travel to Iran, the biggest Shia country, on pilgrimage.

But as Saturday ticks closer, it is unclear if Pakistan's efforts will result in the promised peace talks. The ceasefire is under growing strain, and whether the two sides will actually turn up is still in question.

"The next phase - reaching a comprehensive agreement - is difficult, and Pakistan should continue to facilitate the process," Chaudhry says.

Israel "is already trying to undermine the ceasefire by undertaking this fierce assault on Lebanon", Lodhi says. Israeli strikes on Wednesday killed more than 300 people in Lebanon, and Israel says the Iran ceasefire does not include Lebanon.

"There is this concern in Pakistan for sure amongst officials. And on that front, the responsibility and the onus rests on Trump to restrain Israel," she adds.

Pakistan has already "played its part" to foster peace, Durrani says. "As a broker, mediator or facilitator, your job is to take the horse to water. You can't make it drink. It is up to the parties to make use of that opportunity which is provided by Pakistan."

Additional reporting by Stephen Hawkes and Grace Tsoi

He's Australia's most decorated soldier. Now he's at the centre of a historic war crimes case

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/czjwp1vjn9lo, 3 days ago

One of the most significant moments in Australian military history unfolded without fanfare on a tarmac at Sydney airport, when Ben Roberts-Smith was calmly escorted off a plane and into a waiting police car.

The country's most-decorated living soldier and the most famous of his generation, Roberts-Smith was on Tuesday charged with five counts of the war crime of murder.

It follows a high-profile civil defamation case, which three years ago found that the former Special Air Service (SAS) corporal and Victoria Cross recipient had unlawfully killed several unarmed Afghan detainees.

Roberts-Smith, who left the Australian Defence Force (ADF) in 2013, denies all wrongdoing and says the allegations are "egregious" and driven by spiteful and jealous peers.

His case – now set to be tested to a higher, criminal standard – has become the face of Australia's reckoning over the country's alleged conduct in Afghanistan, which has cast a pall over its much-mythologised military legacy.

"For Roberts-Smith to now be charged with war crimes - and not just one, but multiple war crimes - is a very significant cultural and social moment for a country that, for much of its history… has placed a lot of store in the exploits and contributions of the members of its defence forces," Professor Donald Rothwell told the BBC.

But the prosecution of such a highly-decorated veteran is also an extraordinary moment for the globe.

"We've never seen this before," says Deane-Peter Baker, a special forces ethics scholar.

'Unprecedented' prosecution

When Roberts-Smith came home from Afghanistan in 2013, he was considered a national hero, having been awarded Australia's highest military honour for single-handedly overpowering Taliban fighters attacking his SAS platoon.

Plum speaking engagements and board gigs, magazine covers and massive portraits, accolades and awards – like Father of the Year – followed.

But in 2018, Nine newspapers began publishing a series of articles alleging misconduct during his time with the SAS – claims of unlawful beatings and killings of prisoners, bullying of colleagues, and domestic violence against a mistress.

He said it was all untrue, and in a bid to clear his name, launched a high-profile legal battle. It spanned seven years, cost millions of dollars and was dubbed by some as Australia's "trial of the century".

He lost. While the claims of domestic violence and some of the bullying allegations were dismissed, a Federal Court judge in 2023 ruled the reports he committed four murders were substantially true, a judgement that was upheld on appeal.

Roberts-Smith, 47, now faces even higher stakes if convicted of the five charges against him: life in prison, and an unwelcome place in history.

Victoria Cross recipients from other Commonwealth nations have faced criminal charges, but Roberts-Smith is believed to be the first charged with a war crime.

"If you expand the lens and consider recipients of equivalent awards in other countries, you would be very hard pressed to find one who has been charged with a war crime," says Baker, who reformed the ADF's ethics training after scrutiny over its record in Afghanistan.

Why did the investigation take so long?

Roberts-Smith's arrest was the culmination of a five-year investigation by a special watchdog set up after a landmark inquiry into allegations of Australian war crimes in Afghanistan.

The 2020 Brereton Report found "credible evidence" that elite soldiers unlawfully killed 39 people, recommending 19 current or former ADF members be investigated.

A specialist team, called the Office of the Special Investigator (OSI), was set up to do so – but progress has been slow.

The OSI has launched 53 investigations, 39 of which have been finalised. It has charged only one other person so far, former SAS soldier Oliver Schulz.

Ross Barnett, director of investigations at OSI, on Tuesday said they were confronting "challenging circumstances" – which include limited preserved physical evidence and no cross-border policing cooperation.

"The OSI has been tasked with investigating literally dozens of murders alleged to have been committed in the middle of a war zone in a country 9,000km from Australia," he said.

"We can't go to that country, we don't have access to the crime scenes... we don't have photographs, site plans, measurements, the recovery of projectiles, blood spatter analysis... we don't have access to the deceased. There's no post-mortem."

Adding another layer of complexity, is the onus that places on witness testimony from so-called "brothers in arms".

Though it was a handful of Roberts-Smith's peers who surfaced the allegations against him, getting members of the military to testify against each other goes against informal norms, Peter Stanley - former principal historian at the Australian War Memorial (AWM) - told the BBC.

"Military culture is a really important factor in this," he said.

"[But] potential witnesses who may otherwise have been silent have come around to the idea that their principal obligation is to the truth, and not to any friendships they may have."

It's unlikely to be a coincidence that the two cases which have progressed to court were both the subject of investigative reporting, he adds, which may have revealed leads for police and helped smooth the path to prosecution.

Barnett told reporters Roberts-Smith's arrest is a "significant step", but the OSI is committed to completing its remaining investigations "expeditiously".

The making of Australian legal history

But the formal judicial process is unlikely to be swift either.

"We have no contemporary experience of war crimes trials being conducted in Australia," says Rothwell, one of Australia's leading experts in international law.

"This is novel in terms of modern Australian legal history."

The nature of the alleged offences aside, Roberts-Smith's case poses an array of other challenges for the legal system.

There are five distinct charges, all of which relate to events some time ago – and with each one, comes a mountain of evidence.

Then there's the logistical difficulty of coordinating witnesses, some of whom may need their identities protected for safety or national security reasons, as well as some who are based in Afghanistan and with whom communication is near impossible under current conditions.

There is also the quandary of dealing with the troves of potentially prejudicial information already on the public record, which includes fair and accurate reporting of the 110 days of evidence presented in Roberts-Smith's civil defamation case.

In rare cases, a judge alone may preside over a trial in Australia, but if the case is heard before a jury, finding one oblivious to Roberts-Smith will be a challenge.

"Inevitably it will somewhat muddy the waters," Rothwell says.

All of that, factoring in general delays in Australia's legal system as well, means a trial is "most definitely" years away, Rothwell says.

Schulz, for example, was charged in March 2023 with a single count of murder, but will not face trial until next year.

Nation's military legacy under fire

Australia has long supposed that its troops are the kind you want to be fighting alongside, but also fighting against: effective, hardy, brave and loyal while being fair and ethical.

The values of the so-called Anzac spirit - famously traced to a doomed offensive carried out by Australian troops at Gallipoli, Turkey, in World War One - are embedded in Australia's sense of national identity.

But this drawn out saga is challenging the way the nation sees itself and its forces.

Surveys have indicated it is damaging to the general public's faith in the defence force, and that it is a source of distress for members of the ADF.

What adds to the anxiety is the pace of the investigations - organisations such as the Returned Services League say it has been unfair to all involved including the families of the alleged victims in Afghanistan.

"It must be galling for [those] who are facing these allegations, and indeed present members of the Defence Force who may feel that their service is being impugned," Stanley says.

But he argues it would be far more painful if investigators got this wrong, Stanley says.

"It would be tragic if they were to launch charges prematurely or to not make the clearest and most effective case."

Sections of Australia, though, question whether these inquiries and prosecutions are a worthwhile pursuit.

Among them are Australia's richest woman Gina Rinehart and former prime minister Tony Abbott, who said some special forces soldiers from the Afghanistan campaign have been "subjected to a form of persecution by the country they served".

Former Prime Minister John Howard also released a statement saying Roberts-Smith's arrest "will tug at the heartstrings of millions".

"This is a difficult issue for many, as it tests to the limits not only our respect for Australian values, but the deep and special reverence we have for those who put their lives on the line to keep us safe."

Soldier-turned-MP Andrew Hastie - who told the defamation trial there were "widespread rumours" about Roberts-Smith and he'd come to believe some were true - in a statement said his former SAS colleague is entitled to the presumption of innocence but "none of us are above the law".

"We all had a mission to serve our country, and 99% of us did our job with honour, and we did it in a war that was incredibly frustrating."

For some, the fact that Australia is showing leadership on these issues is a source of comfort. Other countries, like the UK, have announced their own Brereton-style inquiries into allegations of misconduct.

"In a weird way, this is a moment that Australians should be proud of," Baker says.

"For a nation to hold a member of their armed forces to account - someone who has been held up as one of our greatest living heroes – shows a commitment to ethics, decency and the rule of law that is unfortunately very rare among nations."

"That ought to be recognised and applauded, however embarrassing or sad this is for many people," Stanley adds.

Is BTS losing its K-pop identity as it aims for a bigger world stage?

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cg73dnz0l1xo, 3 days ago

"BTS 2.0 is just getting started!" J-Hope declared as he stood alongside the other six members of the world's biggest band.

It was 21 March and, after a long break, J-Hope, RM, Suga, Jin, Jimin, V and Jungkook had taken to the stage again - silhouettes against an arch of LED screens framing the historic gate to the royal palace in Seoul, as screaming crowds stretched for blocks.

Tens of thousands turned up to watch and more than 18 million people live-streamed the one-hour show - a slick teaser of the upcoming BTS world tour, with the group's easy camaraderie on display, almost as if they had not spent much of the last three years apart, doing mandatory military service and releasing solo albums.

And yet, in the days that followed, a more complicated story emerged, partly fuelled by a candid documentary about the making of the new album, showing members disagreeing with their powerful agency, Hybe, over the direction and identity of their music.

The group finds itself being pulled in so many directions: Between fandoms, old and new, Korean and global, between artistic identity and commercial expectations, between the creative instincts of its members and the broader strategy surrounding them. And then there is the small matter of being the face of South Korean soft power.

It boils down to a single, loaded question: is BTS straying too far from K-pop in trying to woo the world?

At home, some fans are debating how Korean the new album Arirang really is - despite being named after a beloved folk song, which is sampled in the hip-hop laden opener, Body to Body.

This heroing of rap is what those defending the album love - it reminds them of an older BTS - while others see the very Korean roots that so many argue are missing.

Still others question that very heavy use of English and the eclectic producer credits, from American DJ Diplo and Australian songwriter Kevin Parker to Spanish musician El Guincho. They blame Hybe and BTS for chasing a lucrative Western market at the expense of originality.

Abroad, however, fans seem less divided, while critics have largely welcomed what they see as an experimental turn. The BBC's review found the rap-heavy Hooligan audacious, the Jersey club-styled FYA "deliciously dark" and the album itself "a genuine return to form".

Arirang - and its lead single, Swim - climbed the charts swiftly, breaking streaming records and dominating Billboard. Hybe's PR game has been in overdrive, with BTS performing at the Guggenheim, cooking up a popular Korean noodle dish on GQ and appearing to rapturous applause on Jimmy Fallon's talk show - despite only RM speaking English comfortably, and the rest mainly sticking to Korean.

But language has never been a barrier for their global fandom. And they know it. "I am the only one who speaks English but that's how we kill," RM raps in the cheeky Aliens, switching between English and Korean.

That tension defines where BTS stands today, as they kick off the biggest world tour in K-pop history - 85 dates across five continents over the next 12 months.

What lies ahead is a high-stakes balancing act even for a band as polished as BTS, with more than 10 years experience of rarely putting a foot wrong.

Missing the Dark & Wild days

Starting on Thursday, the opening concerts in Goyang are estimated to draw more than 120,000 fans over three nights. They sold out almost instantly.

It's a staggering rise for BTS since 2013 when they began as seven very young men - three of them teens - assembled by a then relatively unknown company, far from the limelight of South Korea's top entertainment agencies.

Their early music, often represented by their first full album Dark & Wild in 2014, leaned heavily on hip-hop, set to the tune of intense beats. The punchy Korean lyrics that spoke to young people's frustrations, pressures and dreams resonated with fans trying to make it through highly competitive and exhausting lives.

The members have always said their music grew up with them - now, mostly in their 30s, they sing about the unflinching pressure of fame as weary adults in Normal: "Wish I had a minute just to turn me off".

"There wasn't any other [K-pop] group quite like BTS," says music critic Park Hee-ah. "No-one else leaned into authenticity in their music to that extent. They've consistently told their own story - writing and producing their music, and sharing the journey that brought them to where they are today."

When Dark & Wild was recorded in a makeshift studio in LA, BTS was an up-and-coming band, shooting a documentary about their life of hustle. Arirang, also recorded in LA, has drawn inevitable comparisons, because of its hip-hop-heavy style.

Some listeners find continuity in Arirang's polished and experimental sound co-created by American producers and engineers, but others say this album is too highly produced, missing the raw passion of Dark & Wild.

"Nothing about this comeback of theirs is bad necessarily, but it's getting pretty clear that they aren't really sure what BTS is any more, and they have no vision for what they want it to be," a user who claimed to be a long-time fan wrote on Reddit.

Hybe v BTS

Ironically, for some Koreans, the emphasis on Korean heritage has made it harder to connect to the album. Using Arirang as its central motif struck them as too deliberate.

That uncertainty is echoed in the documentary. "I don't know if this is right, to be honest," Jimin says at one point, after listening to an earlier version of the song, with a longer sample of Arirang. Suga says the agency wants Arirang "to be in your face", while RM says he has a "physical reaction" to linking the band to such a monumental song.

But the doubt and discomfort give way to arguments by Hybe chairman Bang Si-hyuk, the man who picked the seven of them to create BTS.

"It's impossible to deny that you're a once-in-a-generation kind of icon," he tells them. "And we can't deny that you are Koreans. So your target audience is now more and more a global one, no longer just Koreans, and that's also undeniable."

Hybe built BTS but then BTS single-handedly transformed Hybe into a powerhouse. South Korea has embraced their success as a form of diplomacy, with the group frequently positioned as national or even global ambassadors, from appearances at the White House and United Nations to high-profile state events.

BTS has generated billions in revenue, not just through music but through merchandising, endorsements, and relentless content, allowing Hybe to expand aggressively, and even go public.

In the world of K-pop where agencies are known to control stars, some see Hybe as the reason for the album's direction, with BTS giving in to their demands. But on the other side are those who see the album as evidence of the tricky negotiations the documentary captures.

"Personally, I didn't find the use of Arirang's traditional sound that weird," says one fan who is attending the Goyang concert. "And there are still a few songs on the album that I find interesting, including Body to Body."

A blogger who follows K-pop and pop culture writes: "While I respect the musical evolution of BTS as they constantly take on new challenges, it is also true that we miss their unique and sincere Korean lyrics that used to comfort our hearts."

The message for Army

For BTS, these questions of authenticity and messaging sit at the heart of what has kept their fanbase - or Army - fiercely loyal.

While the new album "is great in terms of sound quality… the overarching message, such as Love yourself, of [earlier albums] doesn't come through as clearly," says Park, the critic. "That may be why Korean listeners are finding it hard."

The Love Yourself albums, which centered on self-love, mental health and personal growth resonated across cultures. It was a message that BTS delivered at the UN during the pandemic, telling young people everywhere that they too had struggled to accept who they were. Ami Ostrovskaia, a Russian university student living in Seoul, says BTS songs "saved her" from a mental breakdown.

From the start of their career, the members frequently appeared in vlogs, sharing their thoughts and directly addressing fans. In 2015, they launched the popular series Run BTS in which they play games and spend time together.

Their relationships played out in full view, developing online as much as they did offline. Fans saw them less like distant pop stars, more like talented, awkward and goofy boys - and feel like they watched them grow up.

"I've been watching BTS's social media content since early 2010s, when their Twitter followers were less than 1,000," Park says. "They were the leading figure in the K-pop scene to make aggressive use of social content, perhaps as an alternative, as it was difficult for idols from smaller agencies to secure TV appearances."

As their fandom grew, BTS sold out venues everywhere, including Wembley, where they wept as tens of thousands of fans sang Young Forever in Korean: "Even if I fall, get hurt, and it aches, I keep running towards my dream."

By the time they released their fully English singles - the catchy, bubblegum-esque Dynamite and Butter - they were ready to bet on the bright, disco-inflected departure from their hip-hop roots. Those songs paved the way for Grammy performances and nominations, the first for a K-pop act, even though they did not win.

And now with Arirang, they appear to have taken yet another turn, but one with a far more obvious nod to their Korean roots. But the route here has involved individual detours during their hiatus.

RM and Suga, recognised for their songwriting and producing, leaned into experimental projects. Jungkook and J-Hope focused on performance-led pop, while Jimin, V and Jin highlighted their vocals, with more emotive work.

That the seven of them have stuck together after more than 10 years is startling to many.

"It's hard to pinpoint one thing," says Rob Schwartz, formerly at Billboard. "Talents, looks, promotion… I think it's all of the things together.

"But I think really what it is is that they created this big movement for themselves and they've gathered so many fans. These passionate fans are continuing to push forward the BTS legend and popularity."

Sometimes that image frays under the unforgiving glare of South Korean celebrity life, where there is rarely room for vulnerability.

Earlier this year, Jungkook, the youngest in the group, caused a stir with a frank, drunken livestream in which he swore. "I just want to live as I want," he said. When concerned fans urged him to end the stream, he responded: "Please don't tell me what to do."

A few months before, RM apologised profusely after his own honest livestream about the anxiety of reuniting and returning to the stage.

"I wouldn't say the BTS members lack freedom," Park says. "But as a group, they've become something like a national brand. That inevitably places them under enormous pressure - and it may be why some feel they've lost a sense of identity."

For loyal fans like Park Su-bin, the opportunity to watch them again is exciting enough. "Honestly, I wasn't that into the title song, Swim. It's good, but I was expecting stronger choreography and more Korean lyrics, something more like Idol,'" she says, referring to the high-energy hit from 2018 that blends South African rhythms with traditional Korean music.

"It's been a while since I watched BTS perform. I'm excited to be going to a BTS concert, but it still seems a bit surreal."

Another "light" fan says, "I don't have many thoughts about it. I'm just excited for the concert".

As BTS takes to the stage again, and returns to Weverse, their fandom and their powerhouse performances will determine the verdict on their comeback.

The one thing critics do agree on is that their legacy is assured. "I was covering K-pop before it was this gigantic world phenomenon," Schwartz says. "And you know, at that time it was a question mark. Will K-pop become like a gigantic world phenomenon? Now there's no question because of BTS."

Rather, the question is how much further can they go?

Fake Australian, Chinese and Brazilian police stations: BBC goes inside a seized scam compound

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cjenpy8gx71o, 5 days ago

Wandering down the unlit corridors of a six-storey building behind the Royal Hill casino, each door opens onto a different world.

In one there is a perfect replica of a Vietnamese bank. In another, you're in an Australian police station. A Chinese police officer's shirt hangs in one corner.

Motivational messages have been painted on the walls. "Money Coming From Everywhere", read the Chinese characters on one sign. Discarded fake hundred dollar bills are lying all over the floor.

This was a massive scam compound, just inside Cambodia in a border town called O Smach. Thousands of people from different countries worked here, under a harsh regime which strictly regimented their lives, defrauding thousands of others across the world of their savings.

In December Royal Hill was bombed by the Thai air force during the brief border war between the two countries – the Thais say Cambodian drones were being launched from the casino. The workers fled, leaving behind uneaten bowls of noodles, half-drunk cans of coke and a pungent smell.

Today, Royal Hill is empty, aside from the Thai soldiers occupying it. The windows have been shattered by the bombardment, and in places gaping holes have been blown through the walls and roof, coating everything with dust.

The Thai military brought us there because they said they wanted the world to see just how big the scam industry had become in Cambodia. We need international help in shutting this scourge down, they told us; but it also serves as a secondary justification for the Thai air attacks on Cambodian targets in December.

The Cambodian government has protested against the Thai occupation of its territory, but the Thais argue that under their ceasefire both sides have agreed to keep their forces where they were when the fighting stopped.

What is remarkable about Royal Hill is not just its size, but the fact that almost nothing was known about it until the Thais took control of it.

The O Smach Casino, a complex across the road, has featured in news reports about fleeing scam workers complaining of abuses.

Its owner, Ly Yong Phat, is one of Cambodia's most famous tycoons, known for his close relationship with the ruling Hun clan, headed by former prime minister Hun Sen. Ly Yong Phat has been sanctioned by the US and other countries for his alleged role in human trafficking and online fraud.

But Royal Hill's owner Lim Heng keeps a much lower profile. He has never featured on international sanctions lists, although like Ly Yong Phat he has also been awarded the prestigious title of Neak Oknha by Hun Sen - for which he would have been required to donate at least $500,000 (£300,000) - making him part of a Cambodian elite of just a few hundred.

The only somewhat unusual thing that is known about him is his habit of paying respect to the cremation site of the notorious Khmer Rouge leader Pol Pot, which lies close to another of his casinos on the northern border with Thailand.

Most of Cambodia's tycoons got rich by acquiring huge parcels of land in the years after the end of the Cambodian civil war in 1991 through their ties to the ruling family.

At first they made money from illegal logging and plantations, later benefitting from a speculative property boom in the cities fuelled by Chinese investors.

But in border regions like O Smach casinos were the most profitable business, taking advantage of gambling bans in neighbouring countries like Thailand and China. The Cambodian government has issued around 200 casino licences over the past three decades.

These attracted Chinese crime syndicates, who also ran lucrative online gambling businesses from the casinos. But in 2019, under pressure from China, Hun Sen banned online gambling. That was followed by the Covid pandemic, which stopped cross-border travel.

So, the syndicates switched to online fraud instead, luring young workers from around the world with attractive salary offers.

Some knew they would be carrying out scams. Others believed they would be doing clerical work or computer programming. Few realised until they got to the compounds how harsh the conditions would be.

At Royal Hill we saw documents in Chinese, recovered from the rubble, detailing the punishments for failing to meet targets. Failure to get a "lead" – to start building an online relationship with a victim – by the end of a day got five strokes of the cane.

A worker who failed to get any leads after three days received a minimum of 10 strokes. Casual conversation with colleagues, or a failure to share intimate personal items like photos to build trust with victims, resulted in similar punishment.

"Some people were electrocuted. Some were put into the black room. They have a room called The Black Room where terrible torture went on," said Wilson, a young Ugandan man who was recruited to work in Royal Hill in August.

He says he was told he would be doing a digital marketing job in Malaysia. We spoke to him from the Cambodian capital Phnom Penh, where he is now being sheltered by a charity and trying to find a way to get back to Uganda.

He described being forced to work 15 or 16 hours a day, following scripts laid out by their Chinese bosses, and using AI to transform their voices and appearance.

"You are supposed to portray the character of a woman, who is 37 years old, rich, and who wants a husband. You chat to these older Americans with the intention of making them think you have fallen in love with them. So, in the script, there's a point where you break them emotionally. You build trust, and then later on you can lure them into buying the products."

He says they were forced to keep working, even during the Thai bombardment. "Every time we would hear a bomb - the building would sometimes shake – we would run out. We were scared. But then we had to come back in and work again."

We saw documents outlining similar scam scenarios, in multiple languages, to build trust with the victims and reassure them about prospective "investments". There were also rules listed for all the employees. There was a range of fines for lateness.

Workers needed to ask permission to use the toilet, and we saw a sheet of paper titled "Employee Outing Registration Form", recording every toilet break taken by each worker on the days before the Thai attack, even recording how much time they took in the bathroom.

Then there were the scams themselves. Next to a replica Brazilian police station, rows of booths lined with sound-proof foam had been built. On the desks were hand-written notes in Portuguese, reminding the scammers of the tips they were to use to win over their targets.

There was a fake but convincing summons from the São Paulo police apparently charging one individual with money-laundering, typically used to scare victims into transferring funds or information about bank accounts.

For years the Cambodian government ignored the growing international concern over the scam industry and the crimes linked to it.

The 2025 US State Department Report on human trafficking accused the government of failing to make significant efforts to eliminate it, never arresting or prosecuting a suspected scam compound operator or owner.

When the US imposed sanctions on Ly Yong Phat in September 2024 over his links to scams and forced labour, the ruling Cambodian People's Party, in which the tycoon is a senior figure, demanded that they be withdrawn, accusing the US of violating Cambodian sovereignty.

But this year the government abruptly changed tack, after sustained pressure from the US, China and other countries to act against the scams.

Police teams have raided dozens of suspected scam compounds, and Prime Minister Hun Manet announced that the industry would be completely shut down by the end of April, saying it was destroying Cambodia's economy and reputation.

The most dramatic move was the arrest and extradition to China in January this year of Chen Zhi, a young Chinese entrepreneur whom the US and UK sanctioned last year, accusing him of running a huge network of companies funded by extensive fraud.

Chen Zhi had bought Cambodian citizenship and risen to become one of the most influential figures in the country, as a personal adviser to Hun Sen. His Prince Group owned a national bank, an airline and extensive property developments.

For years he had seemed untouchable. Yet following his arrest, video was published of him being dragged, hooded and handcuffed, off the plane that had whisked him away to China, where he now awaits trial on charges of operating a cross-border gambling and fraud syndicate.

His humiliating treatment sent a signal that high-profile figures in the scam industry might be sacrificed to save Cambodia's reputation.

The authorities followed that with the recent extradition of Li Xiong, chairman of Huione Pay, an online payment system accused of laundering the profits from scam compounds.

Many of the scam compounds now lie empty. The police say more than 10,000 foreign workers have been repatriated. Others, like Wilson, are still trying to find a way home. However, there are good reasons for scepticism over the government's claim that this marks the end of the scams in Cambodia.

Raiding scam compounds has been described as playing whack-a-mole. It is all too easy to move the workers to new, lower-profile compounds, and many thousands are believed to have chosen to stay in Cambodia.

And apart from Chen Zhi, none of the tycoons accused of hosting the compounds behind their casinos has yet been touched. Ly Yong Phat, Try Pheap and Kok An are all wealthy and powerful figures who have been sanctioned overseas, yet continue to live comfortably in Cambodia.

In a supreme irony, as senators Ly Young Phat and Kok An took part in voting for a new law, which the Cambodian government says will harshly punish those involved in scamming.

As for Lim Heng, the tycoon who built Royal Hill – until the Thai army moved over the border and captured his casino, his name had never figured anywhere in all the reporting and investigations of the scam business.

Alleged Bondi gunman loses court bid to suppress names of his family

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c4glrnv3qlvo, 10 days ago

The alleged Bondi gunman has lost his court bid to suppress the names and addresses of his mother, brother and sister due to fears over their safety.

Lawyers for Naveed Akram - who is facing 59 charges over December's attack on a Jewish festival on Bondi Beach that killed 15 people - argued that his family could be targeted by vigilantes and had already experienced abuse.

Last month, details of Akram's family were suppressed under an interim order but on Thursday, a Sydney court lifted it after several media outlets opposed the move.

The case had attracted "unprecedented" attention in Australia and globally, the judge ruled, and information about the family was already widely available online.

"This case has unprecedented public interest, outrage, anger and grief," Judge Hugh Donnelly told the court.

He said the request for a suppression order lasting 40 years did not meet the exceptional circumstances threshold and would have limited impact as it would only apply in Australia and not social media platforms or international media outlets.

The judge said the case was "exceptional by virtue of the sheer magnitude and intensity of the commentary" on overseas platforms, according to the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC).

Donnelly said it was "unfortunate" that Akram's driver's licence had already been posted online but that his lawyers had not properly explained how an order could be enforced.

He also said he was not critical of an interview that Akram's mother gave to a local outlet but that suppressing her identity would do little, the ABC reported.

On the names and workplaces of Akram's siblings, the court said they were unlikely to be part of any court proceedings as they had "little relevance to the case".

Akram, 24, appeared in court via video link from the high security prison where he is being held.

During a hearing last month, the court heard that people had driven past Akram's family home, shouting abuse and death threats.

Family members also reported receiving threatening texts and phone calls.

"We live in constant fear someone will harm us or set our house on fire. I fear for my life and the lives of my children," Akram's mother wrote in a statement.

Lawyers for the media organisations who opposed the suppression order argued that the details of his family were already widely known and there was no evidence of an imminent risk to them, according to the Guardian Australia.

Australia to crack down on gambling ads after years of criticism

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c62492e925lo, 10 days ago

The Australian government has announced long-awaited gambling advertising reforms, after years of public pressure.

The suite of measures will further limit when and where gambling ads can appear, as well as who can star in them - but it stops short of a full ban, which had cross-party support and the backing of a range of community groups.

Restrictions have been fiercely opposed by powerful gambling agencies, as well as media firms and sports organisations who feared a steep revenue hit.

Australians lose more money to gambling, per capita, than anywhere else in the world.

A number of countries - like Italy, Belgium and Spain - have introduced total or near-total bans on gambling advertising, and a parliamentary inquiry weighing up reform in Australia recommended similar more than 1000 days ago.

In a speech to the National Press Club on Thursday, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said his government was "getting the balance right" with this package.

"Letting adults have a punt if they want to, but making sure our children don't see betting ads everywhere they look."

Under the reforms, from January 1:

* TV ads from betting agencies will be capped at three per hour, between 6am and 8:30pm, and banned completely from any live sports broadcasts during those hours

* Gambling ads will be banned from radio during school pick-up and drop-off times

* Celebrities and sports players will not be permitted to appear in gambling advertising

* Gambling ads on online platforms will be banned, unless people have a logged in account, are over 18 and have the option to opt-out

* Gambling ads will be outlawed in sports venues and on players' and officials' uniforms

The government will also crack down on illegal, offshore gaming sites, and ban more types of online gambling - like Keno and apps and websites modelled on poker machines.

The measures have already prompted backlash from voices in the gambling industry.

In a statement, Responsible Wagering Australia - the peak body for betting agencies - said the new measures are "draconian" and set a "dangerous precedent".

"Today it's gambling advertising, tomorrow it's alcohol, then it's sugary drinks, fast food, critical minerals and who knows what else comes next," chief executive Kai Cantwell said.

He accused the government of blindsiding a sector that supports 30,000 jobs and "provides critical funding to sport, racing and broadcast industries".

A spokesperson from Sportsbet - one of Australia's biggest agencies - said they were concerned the "overly blunt" restrictions could have "unintended consequences", like driving more Australians towards illegal offshore betting which isn't limited by the same conditions.

"Sportsbet recognises changing community sentiment on gambling advertising and has already taken proactive steps."

Many of those advocating for change were also unhappy, believing the proposed changes don't go far enough.

"Imagine three cigarette ads per hour," Reverend Tim Costello said.

"Australian children deserve to grow up in a country that puts their wellbeing before corporate profits."

His Alliance for Gambling Reform were among groups calling for a full gambling advertising ban on the web and broadcast platforms, and the establishment of a national industry regulator.

Similarly, Australian Medical Association vice-president Julian Rait in a statement declared that "partial bans do not work".

"Anything less than a comprehensive ban will continue to expose Australians - especially children - to relentless gambling promotion," he said in a statement.

Top Australian soldier charged with war crimes to remain in jail on remand

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c1l9qemvgppo, 4 days ago

Ben Roberts-Smith - Australia's most-decorated living soldier - will remain behind bars after his lawyers did not seek bail over charges of alleged war crimes in Afghanistan.

Roberts-Smith, 47, was arrested at Sydney Airport on Tuesday and charged with five counts of the war crime of murder before being transferred to a police cell.

On Wednesday, lawyers for the Victoria Cross recipient did not immediately apply for bail. Roberts-Smith denies all wrongdoing, previously calling the claims "egregious".

The criminal case comes after a defamation judgement in 2023 found the former corporal in Australia's Special Air Service Regiment (SAS) killed several unarmed Afghans between 2009 and 2012.

The years-long defamation proceedings - initiated by Roberts-Smith - marked the first time in history that any court had examined claims of war crimes by Australian forces.

Roberts-Smith's lawyers argued that the alleged killings were either legal, as they took place during combat, or did not happen at all.

Defamation cases are typically dealt with in the civil court system which requires a lower burden of proof.

The judge in the defamation case found that, on the balance of probabilities, there was substantial truth to allegations of war crimes by Roberts-Smith, who received Australia's highest military honour for bravery in 2011.

In the criminal case, Roberts-Smith faces one charge of the war crime of murder, one of jointly commissioning a murder, and three of aiding, abetting, counselling or procuring a murder. The maximum penalty for the charges is life in prison.

Earlier, the Australian Federal Police (AFP) confirmed the case had involved a complex and thorough investigation.

"It will be alleged the victims were shot by the accused or shot by subordinate members of the ADF [Australian Defence Force] in the presence of, and acting on the orders of, the accused," AFP Commissioner Krissy Barrett said on Tuesday.

She added that the allegations of misconduct were confined to a "very small section" of the ADF and that the majority of the country's armed forces "do our country proud".

Roberts-Smith is due back in court on 17 April, and will appear via a video link.

Unanswered questions remain after Australia's most wanted fugitive killed in standoff

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cg7358zzz0no, 8 days ago

Just weeks ago, from the foothills of the mountains Dezi Freeman had disappeared into months before, police told the world they "strongly" believed Australia's most wanted man was dead.

The well-known conspiracy theorist and self-described "sovereign citizen" had escaped into dense bushland near the small Victorian town of Porepunkah in August, immediately after shooting and killing two police officers who had come to search his home in relation to historical child sex abuse offences.

But on Monday morning, Australia woke to the news that Freeman had been found alive after one of the largest manhunts in Australian history - only to have been killed in a standoff at a remote farm where he had set up camp.

His death has brought a semblance of closure to some of those affected, surfaced complicated feelings in others, and raised many questions.

Not least among them: where had Freeman spent the past seven months - and did he have help?

Pre-dawn raid shocks town

Police had spent at least 24 hours staking out the ramshackle campsite on a property in Thologolong, a town near the Victorian/New South Wales border, before calling on Freeman - real name Desmond Filby - to surrender.

"We gave him every opportunity to come out peacefully and safely. He didn't take that option," Victoria Chief Commissioner of Police Mike Bush said.

After three hours, Freeman came out of one of the three old shipping containers at the camp at around 8:30 local time (22:30 Sunday BST), bearing a gun stolen from the slain officers. He was shot by multiple police snipers simultaneously, local media have reported, citing police sources.

It was a shock for locals – including the elderly farmer who owns the land, according to his family.

Richard Sutherland has been in Tasmania for months, his brother and neighbour Neil Sutherland has said, and he certainly did not know Freeman or sympathise with his beliefs.

Appearing in Thologolong and its surrounds recently, however, were a handful of road signs graffitied with Freeman's name – something Janice Newnham told the BBC she'd thought was "somebody's April Fool's Day joke".

The local cattle farmer is still sceptical that locals in the town of 22 could have known where Freeman was hiding.

"The main form of social activity is going to the pub or going to the shop or going to the local football - everyone seems to know what everyone else is doing," she says.

How did police find Freeman?

When Freeman first vanished, there was huge focus on his skills as a bushman. Friends and locals said he knew the mountains like the back of his hand and was capable of surviving off grid.

This was one of the reasons police struggled to find him after the shooting, says Dr Vincent Hurley, a former police hostage negotiator who now lectures on policing at Macquarie University.

"If that crime was to occur in the city, he would leave his electronic footprint all over," Hurley explains, because mobile phones, car and bus journeys, and ATMs can all be easily tracked, including by using newer technologies such as facial recognition.

But "there was no easy way to actually try and track him down because they literally just had to go searching through the bush", says Hurley.

"And that's pretty, pretty rare."

The most recent similar case, he says, was Malcolm Naden, who was captured in New South Wales in 2012 after nearly seven years on the run.

But while Naden left in his wake a string of burgled properties and makeshift camps – including at a zoo – there was no trace of Freeman.

Police are convinced he had help staying off their radar.

"We're keen to learn who, if any - but we suspect some - assisted him in getting away from Porepunkah… if anyone was complicit, they will be held accountable," Bush told reporters.

While it is theoretically possible to walk the 150km (93 miles) from Porepunkah to Thologolong, police think it unlikely. The mountainous terrain is rugged and covered by thick bush. With temperatures ranging from below freezing in August to 40C in the summer months, it would also have been tough without shelter.

Police sources have told local media Freeman's arrival appears to have been recent.

Fierce bushfires swept through the area in January, coming within a kilometre of the property where Freeman was hiding.

The whole area had been evacuated and was swarming with emergency services while helicopters were flying overhead, Newnham says.

"They were 40 degree days in the bushfire as well," she adds, "so it would have been very hot inside the container."

And pictures from the camp, published by local media, held signs that he hadn't spent his time there alone.

According to the Sydney Morning Herald, which cited unidentified police sources in its reporting, there were spinning air ducts recently fitted to the shipping container, a job likely to require more than one person. There were also three camp chairs pictured beside an open box of beer.

Freeman's family have condemned his actions and have been closely watched by police during the manhunt; his wife was reportedly shocked by Monday's news, having thought he was already dead.

Hurley is convinced that whoever helped him shared his sovereign citizen beliefs, including that they are not subject to government authority.

"No reasonable person down there [in Porepunkah] would have supported him, only because of the horrendous nature of the crime. And... he's a bit of a loner. So it would have been someone who shared his sympathies."

He is also convinced that the tip-off which led police to the hideout would not have come from his peers in the sovereign citizen movement. "They hate the police and they're not going to assist them."

Ultimately, Hurley says he believe Freeman was never going to surrender: "Being captured alive, that would be the ultimate humiliation and betrayal to him as a person. For the duration of the time he was at large, he was symbolically giving the middle finger to the police all over Australia."

In an interview with Nova radio this week, Bush hinted some of these questions may long go unanswered.

It's still early days in terms of the investigation into who may have aided Freeman, he said.

He admitted police had "obtained information" about where Freeman was hiding, but emphasised that "we can't go into how".

No one had claimed the A$1m (£525,000; $709,000) reward for information about the fugitive, Bush said, before stressing that anything in relation to the money and how police had found Freeman was "absolutely confidential".

He added: "I'm quite sure we'll never be sharing those details."

Australians told to continue Easter travel plans despite fuel shortages

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c62l084kgk6o, 8 days ago

The Australian government has encouraged people to go ahead with their Easter travel plans, despite fuel shortages at hundreds of petrol stations across the country.

"Easter is a very special time of faith and family," energy minister Chris Bowen said on Saturday, adding: "Go take a break - but get no more fuel than you need".

Fuel prices in Australia have soared since the start of the US-Israel war with Iran and the effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz, a key route for global oil and gas shipments.

Bowen said 312 of Australia's roughly 8,000 service stations had run out of diesel, mostly in rural areas where it takes longer to replenish stocks.

In televised remarks, he said the nation had 39 days worth of petrol, 29 days worth of diesel and 30 days worth of jet fuel in reserve.

Australia imports about 90% of its fuel from the Middle East and has been particularly exposed to the disruption caused by the conflict and Tehran's blockade of the Strait of Hormuz.

The near-total suspension of international shipping in the vital waterway - through which around 20% of the world's oil and natural gas flows - has prompted governments around the world to implement measures to conserve fuel.

In a rare televised address to the nation on Wednesday, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese warned that the economic shock from the Middle East conflict would be felt for months.

"Australia is not an active participant in this war. But all Australians are paying higher prices because of it," he said.

He encouraged Australians to limit unnecessary fuel use and switch to public transport where possible.

A small number of vessels have passed through the Strait of Hormuz in recent days.

On Friday, a Malta-flagged container ship owned by French company CMA CGM traversed the waterway, according to French media reports.

It is unclear how the vessel secured safe passage and the ship's owners have not yet commented.

Shipping analysts said it was the first vessel owned by a major Western European firm to go through the strait since the conflict began on 28 February.

While Iran has said "non-hostile vessels" can use the waterway, the ongoing conflict - in which several ships have been attacked - has halted normal transport activity.

A Japanese vessel carrying natural gas also successfully crossed the waterway, its operator confirmed.

On Saturday, Turkey's transport minister said that a second Turkish-flagged vessel had crossed the strait - one of 15 that had been waiting to transit since hostilities erupted.

The first crossed, with Iranian permission, on 13 March.

"Two of these 15 made the crossing," Abdulkadir Uraloglu told CNN's Turk channel. "This is explained by our initiatives and also by the fact that they were using Iranian ports or carrying goods coming from or bound for Iran."

About a fifth of the world's oil and liquid natural gas is transported through the Strait of Hormuz from the Gulf countries.

While traffic is down about 95% compared to before the conflict, shipping through the narrow waterway has not stopped altogether.

About 100 vessels have been able to pass through the strait, according to data analysed by BBC Verify in late March.

Shock, sadness and relief in town at centre of Australia's seven-month police manhunt

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cq59wj31vl4o, 12 days ago

Seven months ago, few outside of the Australian state of Victoria had heard of the town of Porepunkah, with its population of just over 1,000 people.

But the fatal shooting of two police officers by local Dezi Freeman last August, and the manhunt that followed, thrust it into the headlines not just in Australia, but around the world.

That manhunt - one of the largest in Australian police history - ended on Monday, after officers shot Freeman dead following a three-hour stand-off at a property almost two hours' drive north of Porepunkah.

Back in the town where Freeman had lived with his family, few wanted to speak on the record.

Those who did speak to the BBC and other outlets expressed a range of emotions: relief bordering on happiness, hope the town might now start to recover, and anger at what it has gone through already. One resident told the BBC the town had been "ruined" by the media spotlight.

But the overwhelming feeling is sorrow, Marcus Warner said, a long-time search-and-rescue volunteer in the region and its chamber of commerce president.

Victoria's Alpine region is home to a very small, close-knit community, in which both the Freeman family and the slain officers Neal Thompson and Vadim de Waart were well-known.

"There was a degree of shock to hear that had happened and it didn't take very long then for a wave of sadness to fall," Warner said of Monday morning's stand-off, which came a month after police said they believed Freeman to be dead.

"To some degree it's a weight lifted off our shoulders. We feel we can breathe again. Obviously there's still a long healing process, emotionally, psychologically, economically - a lot of the financial losses will never be recovered."

In a social media post, Freeman's eldest son Koah said he was struggling to watch some people celebrate his dad's death while his family grieved.

"I am not here to defend my father's actions because I know what he did was wrong," he wrote in a local community noticeboard.

"Just bear in mind that to you [he] was a cop killer, but to me that's still my father who raised me."

"I hope you all realise that I am looking at everything you are saying, and that you all realise how this is making me feel."

Asking people to have some empathy for his family, he said he is now focused on helping them find peace.

The attention of the media, public scrutiny over reported pockets of conspiracy theorists in the town, and repeated police protestations that people in the region must be helping Freeman have created some angst in the community, Warner admits.

But he says they remain united.

"What you read online versus what I hear and see each day in our community are poles apart. There are some people with polarising views, but I would say you could count them on one hand. We're a population of several thousand up here."

He hopes the community's strong ties will help those affected - including Freeman's family - to recover.

"I think we might see people rebuilding their lives in different stages and at different speeds, but hopefully they've got the right help and they talk to each other," he said.

"As a community, I think we'll definitely be there for them."

Alpine Shire Mayor Sarah Nicholas had a similar message: reach out for support.

"Our community has been deeply affected by these recent events, which have had a significant impact on many individuals and families," she said in a statement.

"We will be doing everything we can to continue supporting our community through this difficult time."

Meanwhile, Freeman's former neighbours - named only as Richard and Bianca - told Channel Nine's A Current Affair programme that the 54-year-old's death would mean "less anxious nights" for them.

Even so, they would "have liked it to end a different way", Richard said.

"But he [Dezi] had to account for his actions. It means we can forget about it. It's not a happy story."

In the neighbouring town of Bright - just 6km (3.7 mi) away - business owner Balin Foley hoped the end of the manhunt might now allow the area to rebuild its tourism industry, which had been hit hard.

"That'll take a little bit of time because people are going to remember it for the next couple of years," Foley, 33, told the Herald Sun.

"It was a big event that happened, but I think there's enough good things that happen around the town that will overshadow it eventually."

Further away, friends of the dead officers were remembering the men they had lost - and speaking of their relief that Freeman had been found.

Peter D'Mello, a friend of De Waart, told The Age it was "bittersweet" that Freeman met the same fate as the two officers he killed in the line of duty.

John Bird, a friend of Thompson's, told ABC it brought a "finalisation" to the case.

"It doesn't bring Thommo back or anything like that, but now there's less talk about it," Bird said.

Iran war economic shocks will last 'months', says Australia's PM

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cvg4nre8nl9o, 11 days ago

Australia's Prime Minister has warned the economic shock from the war involving Iran will "be with us for months", as he delivered a rare televised address to the nation.

Speaking on Wednesday, Anthony Albanese said the conflict had driven the biggest spike in petrol and diesel prices in history, and households were already feeling the strain.

"Australia is not an active participant in this war. But all Australians are paying higher prices because of it," he added.

Addresses of this kind have been used at moments of international importance, last seen in the country during the Covid pandemic and before that the 2008 financial crisis.

Australia is among a host of nations that have seen fuel prices increase sharply since the start of the US-Israel war with Iran and the effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz.

The near-total blockade of international shipping in the vital waterway - through which around 20% of the world's oil and natural gas flows - has led governments around the world to begin implementing measures to conserve fuel.

Albanese has previously sought to reassure motorists following reports of panic-buying and petrol stations running dry.

During the address, he acknowledged that the "months ahead may not be easy", and said that no government could fully shield Australians from the global pressures.

The Australian government has announced a series of temporary measures aimed at easing immediate cost pressures, including halving fuel excise - a sales tax - and scrapping road user charges for heavy vehicles for three months.

Officials are also seeking to shore up domestic supply and increase fuel imports through regional partners as part of a newly agreed National Fuel Security Plan.

Alongside government action, Albanese urged Australians to limit unnecessary usage of fuel, including switching to public transport where possible to preserve supplies for essential industries.

"You should go about your business and your life, as normal", he said.

"Enjoy your Easter. If you're hitting the road, don't take more fuel than you need - just fill up like you normally would. Think of others in your community, in the bush and in critical industries.

"And over coming weeks, if you can switch to catching the train or bus or tram to work, do so".

The address ended on a note of unity and said the country will "deal with these global challenges, the Australian way".

"Working together - and looking after each other. As we always have".

'A succulent Chinese meal' - iconic Australian quote immortalised in national film archive

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c3exvk1207ko, 12 days ago

A famously theatrical monologue, given by a man as police arrested him at a Chinese restaurant in Australia, has officially been preserved by the country's National Film and Sound Archive.

The 1991 clip of Jack Karlson's arrest in Brisbane became an internet sensation when it was rediscovered in 2009.

"What is the charge? Eating a meal? A succulent Chinese meal" Karlson – born Cecil George Edwards – dramatically shouted, while resisting the officers.

"Gentlemen, this is democracy manifest" and "get your hand off my penis" were among his other, now immortalised, phrases that have been officially recognised by the National Film and Sound Archive of Australia (NFSA) for their cultural significance.

The moment, now known as Democracy Manifest, became one of the most viral videos in Australia's history, and inspired thousands of memes, musical remixes, merchandise and even an orchestral piece.

Describing his protest as "dramatic, indignant and unexpectedly articulate", NFSA said that "Karlson's words became shorthand for irreverent Australian humour".

"The recording demonstrates how voice and performance can transform an everyday news event into a lasting piece of cultural folklore," it wrote.

Jack Karlson died from prostate cancer in 2024, aged 82.

Months earlier, he had reunited with one of the policemen in the video, Stoll Watt, to announce an upcoming documentary into his obscure and eccentric life.

Although he was a convicted criminal and had reportedly broken out of jail three times, Karlson had always maintained that the 1991 incident was a case of mistaken identity.

There are two main schools of thought on this, the NFSA says - one that he had been confused for a Hungarian chess player known for dine-and-dash attempts in Australia at the time.

"They thought I was some international gangster," he said during one interview.

The other theory is that credit card company American Express had reported him to the police for using stolen credit cards, the national archive writes.

NFSA releases its Sounds of Australia "capsule" every year, to recognise recordings that have had lasting impacts and shaped cultural moments.

Its 2026 capsule also includes Missy Higgins' 2004 hit Scar, celebrated for a chorus that "defined a generation of Australian pop"; and the beeping of the country's pedestrian crossings, which had "reshaped how Australians move through cities and suburbs".

You can see the full list here.

Final push for votes as challenger to Hungary's Orbán senses victory

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c0q9527y41lo, yesterday

On the eve of Hungary's bitterly fought and highly significant election, the two main rivals are taking their campaigns to the wire, as Péter Magyar attempts to end 16 years of continuous rule by Viktor Orbán's party Fidesz.

"We're at the gates of a two-thirds majority victory," he told cheering supporters, before mingling for selfies. "Let's gear up and push for the last 100 metres!"

His final campaign stop will be in the second city, Debrecen, in the north-east, while Orbán, who trails in most of the polls, will address a rally in Budapest.

But perhaps the biggest rally of all came on Friday night, when tens of thousands of Hungarians crammed the capital's Heroes' Square and surrounding streets for an anti-Fidesz concert.

"I feel it in my bones something's going to change," said first-time voter Fanni, who came with her mother from a village two hours' drive away in the south. "I don't believe I'd vote for [Magyar] in an ideal situation, but this is our only chance."

Orbán's biggest threat is that he is facing a cross-section of public anger, and it has been largely channelled into one single opposition movement, led by a former Fidesz insider who rebelled.

The Fidesz leader has been buoyed, first by a two-day campaign visit from US Vice-President JD Vance, and then late on Friday by President Donald Trump's pledge to "use the full Economic Might of the United States to strengthen Hungary's Economy" if Orbán won the election.

There may only be 9.6 million people in this landlocked Central European nation, but Orbán has made himself a key player on the international stage.

He is a close partner of both Trump and Russia's Vladimir Putin, and has become a big thorn in the side of his European allies in the EU and his neighbour Ukraine.

Some pro-Fidesz pollsters do still give the veteran prime minister the edge and there are plenty of shy Fidesz voters who will support him, but his big message to voters has lacked the momentum and energy of his rival. "We could lose everything we have built," he warns his audience, and calls for national unity in a time of difficulty.

His attempt to identify the EU and Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelensky as Hungary's main threat has failed to dent his challenger's average 10-point lead in the opinion polls.

Most of the running in this election has come from Magyar, who now believes victory is in his sights, having criss-crossed the country in a gruelling schedule of up to seven campaign speeches a day, in villages, towns and cities.

It was time to rewrite history with "regime change", Magyar told the crowd in the small north-western town of Mosonmagyaróvár.

He is at heart a centre-right conservative, who held key roles for years in Fidesz before deciding to establish a grassroots movement called Tisza to drive them from power.

But Tisza has since attracted support from across the political spectrum, and particularly among young voters who sense change may be coming.

"Right now there's no future for the young in Hungary," said Laura, a first-time voter in the crowd with her friend Napsugár, neither of whom can remember any other government than Fidesz.

Political analyst Zsuzsanna Végh of the German Marshall Fund of the US says there has been a clear shift away from Orbán among younger voters aged 18-29, with opinion polls giving Fidesz less than 10% of the younger vote.

"There are overall shifts in terms of the smaller towns and to a lesser extent in the villages too towards the opposition which have been Fidesz strongholds," she says.

Rallies rarely point to election results, but Végh says the numbers that Magyar has been able to attract are unprecedented: "What I find very telling is the extent of engagement and mobilisation."

If he were to achieve a majority in parliament it would mean an end to Orbán rule and many of his policies, but without winning two-thirds of seats he will struggle to scrap much of the Fidesz-supporting infrastructure in the judiciary and elsewhere.

To do that he needs to overturn Fidesz's long-running control of a swathe of towns and cities, such as Székesfehérvár, Hungary's medieval "city of kings", an hour south of Budapest.

This was the scene of Orbán's last-but-one visit on Friday, which he told the crowd was traditionally a Fidesz seat. Losing here would be a humiliation.

At the covered market, one stallholder estimated 90% of the people here were Fidesz supporters.

One of them, a pensioner called Agota, complained about the opposition's intention to embrace the EU and Ukraine: "Their approach to Hungary is not what it should be. It's a realistic fear to be dragged into the war."

Anti-EU and anti-Ukraine rhetoric is a staple of the Orbán campaign, repeated on pro-Orbán TV and news sites, and portrayed by Fidesz posters of Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelensky alongside Magyar with the words "They are dangerous!" underneath.

One of Hungary's richest men, György Wáberer, has accused Fidesz of "fear-mongering" about the EU and Ukraine while cosying up to the Kremlin. "12 April is a fateful date: you will decide whether you want to belong to Europe or to the Russians!" he said, prompting an angry response from the state secretary in Orbán's office, who said he was betraying the party and selling out.

Péter Magyar has welcomed Russian "propaganda" TV crews to his rallies, telling them that they can look forward to real "regime change", and his supporters have chanted "Russians go home", a sign that many Hungarians have had enough.

The same chant was repeated at an Orbán rally too, where protesters disrupted the prime minister's speech.

Orbán's ties to Putin have meant cheap fuel supplies for Hungarians throughout Russia's full-scale war in Ukraine. But the words "Russians go home" resonate here, dating back to 1956 when Moscow sent in the tanks to crush Hungary's revolution against Soviet occupation.

At a florists' stall in Székesfehérvár, Eva, 73, believes it is time for a change, while her daughter-in-law Andrea sees Péter Magyar as arrogant and his supporters loud.

"Fidesz rule has to stop, they stole a lot and the country's dying," says Eva, who believes 90% of people in the market still back them. "Tisza supporters only see the bad things about Orbán," Andrea retorts. "If you look around in the city, they renovated six schools, and built new buildings in the hospital." That may be true, Eva argues, but she complains many of the public contracts in Hungary have been mired in corruption.

Corruption and cronyism have pushed many Orbán voters away from the governing party, both on a local and a national level. Big public contracts were handed to his inner circle and independent media companies were bought up by his allies.

After 16 years in charge, Fidesz may finally have run out of road.

Russia and Ukraine agree to Orthodox Easter truce

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cn0wkkwev2vo, yesterday

Russia and Ukraine have agreed to a truce for Orthodox Easter, with Vladimir Putin saying he's ordered troops to cease fire "in all directions" this weekend.

His declaration came after Volodymyr Zelensky issued repeated calls for a ceasefire, all ignored by the Kremlin.

Putin said the Russian truce would run from 16:00 local time (13:00 GMT) on Saturday, 11 April through Easter Sunday, adding that he expected Ukraine to "follow the example" of Russia. He ordered his forces to be ready to intercept "possible enemy provocations" and any "aggressive actions".

Russia's tone, and the attempt to steal the initiative, will make Ukrainians bristle.

But Zelensky soon posted on X that Ukraine was "ready for symmetrical steps".

"People need an Easter free from threats and real movement toward peace," he wrote. "Russia has a chance not to return to strikes after Easter as well."

But Putin's spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, has already ruled that out insisting the ceasefire was only temporary, and of an "exclusively humanitarian nature".

Earlier this week, Zelensky said he had asked the United States to pass on a proposal for a holiday weekend truce to Moscow, as a first step.

Any respite from the fighting would be welcome for the soldiers along the long front line in eastern Ukraine, where they're hounded relentlessly by attack drones.

It would also allow people to relax across the country, where air raid sirens are part of the everyday and Russian missiles and drones continue to kill and injure civilians.

Just recently, several people were killed when a drone targeted their bus in Nikopol in the south-east. In Zhytomyr, just west of Kyiv, a woman died when a missile landed next to her home in the middle of the morning.

The sirens went off again in Kyiv shortly after the weekend truce was announced, very late on Thursday night.

Overnight, two people were killed in the Dnipropetrovsk region, just east of Dnipro city and two others were killed in the Kharkiv region in the north. Civilians were injured in both Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions.

In the Odesa region in the south, the military governor reported drone attacks "almost the entire night" with damage to energy and port infrastructure.

Ukraine has also increased its drone attacks on Russia, targeting its energy exports in particular in a series of intense strikes. Russia says residential houses were also hit.

If this truce does come into effect on Saturday, Ukrainians will be sceptical that it can hold.

Earlier this year, Russia claimed it had called an "energy truce" – halting its devastating strikes on Ukraine's power plants in the depths of winter – but the pause lasted just long enough to prepare the missiles for the next major attack.

Last May, Russia declared a unilateral halt to the fighting to mark the 80th anniversary of the Soviet victory over Nazi Germany. That time, Ukraine recorded hundreds of ceasefire violations.

Soldiers who have spoken to the BBC from the front line have low expectations.

Ivan, who is currently recovering in hospital from an injury, said no agreement with Russia was "worth even the paper it was written on" and called the truce nonsense.

Another soldier thought the decision to agree to a ceasefire was "appropriate", but that it wouldn't be observed by the Russian side.

"They have repeatedly proven to us and to the whole world that they are not human," he wrote from a village formerly occupied by Russian forces.

What Kyiv really wants – and has proposed, repeatedly – is a full and stable ceasefire as a first step towards negotiating a lasting end to Russia's invasion.

But Moscow insists on agreeing the peace deal first, prompting accusations from Kyiv that Russia is not serious about ending the fighting.

There have been several rounds of talks, with the US acting as a mediator, but the process has been on hold since Donald Trump shifted his focus to the Middle East.

Russian envoy Kirill Dmitriev is currently in the US, but the Kremlin says he is there to talk about "economic issues", not about Ukraine.

The visit comes just before the US decides whether to continue a waiver of some sanctions on Russian oil which was implemented after the Iran war.

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Man accused of coercing wife into sex with 120 men goes on trial in Sweden

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cx24pdwx588o, yesterday

A 61-year-old Swedish man has gone on trial accused of coercing his wife into providing sexual services to more than 120 men.

The man is alleged to have used the remoteness of their farm near Kramfors in northern Sweden, as well as surveillance cameras and drugs, to force her to perform sexual acts with men he had found online.

He denies wrongdoing and alleges the encounters were consensual - all he had done was help organise them.

The trial has already drawn international attention and is being compared by some to that of Frenchman Dominique Pelicot, who was found to have drugged and let other men rape his then-wife Gisèle over a period of nine years.

The trial began in Härnösand, a small town on Sweden's eastern coast, on Friday, with the defendant reportedly remaining completely still as the charges against him were read out.

The court then moved into a closed session to protect the identity of the alleged victim, who has not been identified and has since divorced her husband.

The former husband has not been identified either, save for his age.

According to the charges, he started forcing his wife to have sexual relations with men who travelled to their home from across the country in exchange for payment in 2022 - and only ceased when she filed a police report in October 2025.

Earlier this year, he was charged with numerous crimes - including several counts of rape, attempted rape and assault.

Prosecutors will seek to show in court that he plied the woman with drugs to push her limits, and used their secluded home and her limited network of contacts to exert control over her.

Before the trial began, prosecutor Ida Annerstedt told Swedish daily Expressen that the now-former husband had "exploited her particularly vulnerable situation" and "fear of him" to normalise his coercive behaviour.

The man also stands accused of using surveillance cameras in their home to control her, which sometimes captured sexual encounters. The footage from these will be submitted as evidence in the trial.

He threatened to kill his wife, pour petrol on her, burn her and cut off her fingers, public broadcaster SVT reports, citing the indictment lodged by prosecutors.

Though 120 men have been identified by Swedish authorities, so far only 28 have been charged in relation to the case. Most are said to have denied the allegations against them, saying they either did not have sex with the woman or did not pay for it.

Online chats and payments, as well as calendar entries, are reportedly among pieces of evidence prosecutors intend to use.

Defence lawyer Martina Michaelsdotter Olsson told SVT as the trial began that her client did not recognise "the same picture as the one the prosecutor presents".

The trial is due to last 14 days.

French man charged with locking son in van for more than a year

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cew7jwwep7wo, yesterday

A man in eastern France has been charged with keeping his nine-year-old son locked in a van for more than a year.

The boy was found on Monday after neighbours in the town of Hagenbach, Alsace, heard "sounds of a child" coming from the van, which was parked in the common area of a block of flats.

He was lying naked under a blanket, on a pile of rubbish near human excrement, malnourished and unable to walk due to spending a long time in the same position, the state prosecutor said.

Under questioning, the 43-year-old father said he had kept the boy in the van since November 2024 to protect him from his 37-year-old partner who "wanted to put the child in psychiatric care," the prosecutor said.

The father has not been named. The couple lived in the block of flats with the boy's siblings - his 12-year-old sister and 10-year-old half-sister.

The boy told police that his father brought him food twice a day and left him bottles of water, according to Le Parisien newspaper.

He said he had to urinate in plastic bottles and defecate in bin bags, and that the last time he had a shower was at the end of 2024.

Neighbours told police that the boy seemed to have disappeared suddenly at the end of that year, but that they understood from the couple that he had been placed in care. Some said they heard noises from time to time in the van, but had been told it was a cat.

According to the father, his partner did not know the boy was in the van.

The man has been charged with the "sequestration and arbitrary detention of a minor" as well as depriving him of proper food and medical care. He has been remanded in custody.

His partner has been charged with "non-assistance to a minor in danger" and "non-denunciation of mistreatment of a minor." She has been granted conditional bail.

The three children have been placed in temporary care pending the decision of a children's court judge.

German transgender far-right extremist arrested in Czech Republic

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cn4vdnr8knjo, yesterday

A convicted German transgender right-wing extremist, who has been on the run for months, has been arrested in the Czech Republic.

Liebich was arrested on the basis of a European arrest warrant in Krásná in the east of the country, some 100km (62 miles) east of the capital, Prague.

In August 2025, Marla-Svenja Liebich, formerly known as Sven, failed to appear at the prison in the German town of Chemnitz, where she was to serve an 18-month jail term.

German media reports say Liebich used to be a member of a neo-Nazi group called Blood and Honour.

In July 2023, Liebich was sentenced by the Halle District Court in Saxon-Anhalt to a total of one year and six months in prison without parole for extreme right incitement to hatred, defamation, and insult.

Liebich appealed against the sentence and lost.

At the time she was known as Sven Liebich.

A spokesperson for the Halle public prosecutor's office told the BBC that Liebich was now in custody in the Czech Republic.

Liebich is expected to be extradited to Germany.

At the end of 2024, Liebich had her gender entry in official records changed from male to female. She also changed her first name.

The basis for this was Germany's Self-Determination Act, which had just come into force and strengthened the rights of transgender people. The Act allows people to change their gender marker and first name through a simple declaration at a registry office, instead of a judicial ruling.

German media have questioned whether Liebich's transition was serious.

Last year, the Federal Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt (CSU) accused Marla-Svenja Liebich of abusing the Self-Determination Act. "The gender change appears to be a clear case of abuse here," Dobrindt told ZDF TV.

According to reports in the "Mitteldeutsche Zeitung", Liebich was wearing men's clothing and had a shaved head, at the time of the arrest.

It is understood Liebich briefly tried to evade capture.

The spokesperson for the Halle public prosecutor's office has not commented on Liebich's appearance.

Who is Viktor Orbán, Hungarian PM fighting to stay in power after 16 years?

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cd6l3ywpwg2o, yesterday

No serving leader in the European Union has led their country for as long as Viktor Orbán. But after 16 years he faces his strongest challenge yet in 12 April elections, where most opinion polls suggest he is heading for defeat at the hands of former party insider, Péter Magyar.

Since 2010, Orbán has transformed Hungary into what the European Parliament has denounced as a "hybrid regime of electoral autocracy". He appears uncertain how to describe his own invention. He has tried both "illiberal democracy", and "Christian liberty". His allies in the US Maga movement call it "national conservatism".

Orbán has repeatedly clashed with European Union colleagues on the war in Ukraine, blocking vital funding for Kyiv, which he accuses of trying to force Hungary into war with Russia.

And yet he has powerful international allies.

He is considered Vladimir Putin's strongest partner in the EU, and he has been endorsed by US President Donald Trump in his bid for a fifth consecutive term in office. While Trump has promised to led US "economic might" to Hungary if he wins again, Vice-President JD Vance visited Budapest five days before the election, intervening in the campaign to appeal to voters to "stand with Viktor Orbán, because he stands for you".

Within the EU, the Fidesz leader's closest allies come from the radical and hard right.

His antagonism towards Brussels still pays off with many Hungarians, but Orbán has cut an increasingly lonely figure among EU leaders looking for European unity in response to the war in Ukraine.

His Foreign Minister, Péter Szijjártó, recently admitted personally sharing details of EU meetings with his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov, but called those conversations "everyday diplomacy".

"Orbán and his foreign minister left Europe long ago," Poland's Prime Minister Donald Tusk observed.

His personal charisma has been an unquestionable ingredient of his success, but polls suggest many of his supporters have tired of him and the corruption allegations that have swirled around his party.

Orbán appeared rattled when he was booed during a March campaign speech in the north-western town of Győr.

This was a very different Orbán from the man whose ex-football trainer once highlighted his ability to "think on the ball".

This was a leader who rolled up his sleeves and stacked sandbags alongside firemen and volunteers, when toxic red sludge from a bauxite mine engulfed a Hungarian valley and threatened the Danube shore in 2010.

Now 62, Orbán first made his mark while still a law student in Budapest in the late 1980s as the Soviet Union began to fall apart, setting up a political movement called Fidesz, or Alliance of Young Democrats.

"If we believe in our own power, we are able to finish the communist dictatorship," he told an estimated quarter of a million Hungarians during an audacious seven-minute speech. They were gathered in the city's Heroes' Square for the reburial of the man behind Hungary's failed uprising in 1956, Imre Nagy.

Reflecting on his words 10 years later, he said he had "exposed everyone's silent desire for free elections, and an independent and democratic Hungary".

The democracy that replaced authoritarian Soviet rule has changed dramatically under Orbán, who according to Hungarian-born journalist Paul Lendvai has moved "from one of the most promising defenders of Hungarian democracy into the chief author of its demise".

Prof Andras Bozoki, a former culture minister, describes Hungary since 2010 as being "the only one former consolidated liberal democracy in the EU that has reached the level of a non-democratic system as a hybrid regime".

Viktor Orbán was born in 1963 an hour to the west of Budapest, the eldest of three sons whose father was an agricultural engineer and Communist Party member and whose mother was a special needs teacher.

They had no running water at the family home in Felcsut, a village of about 2,000 people where he still owns a house.

In an 1989 interview, he recalled being beaten twice a year by his father, Gyozo, whom he described as a violent man: "When he beat me, he also shouted. I remember all this as a bad experience."

Nothing about his childhood suggested that he would go on to challenge the communist regime. He attended a grammar school and was involved in the Young Communist League.

His main interest was football, playing for his local club, FC Felcsut, and he remains highly enthusiastic about his childhood sport. In 2014 he inaugurated a controversial new stadium there called the Pancho Arena, where top-flight team Puskás Akadémia plays to small crowds.

In the months before he went to university, he carried out his military service, where he says he turned down an approach from the communist secret services to become an informer.

He was 23 when he married fellow student Anikó Lévai, whom he met at university. They have five children, four daughters and a son, Gáspár, who was trained by the British Army at Sandhurst and served as an officer in the Hungarian army in Chad.

After his 1989 speech to a large crowd in Heroes' Square, he went on to study liberal political philosophy briefly at Oxford. His scholarship was funded by Hungarian-born billionaire philanthropist George Soros, a benefactor he would turn against years later.

Within months he had abandoned his studies early to campaign in 1990 elections, when Fidesz won 22 seats, with Viktor Orbán top of the party list.

Friends from his student days became key members of Fidesz, and his college director Istvan Stumpf went on to take up the role of his chief of staff during the first Orban premiership from 1998-2002.

As a young MP, Viktor Orbán and his party joined the global Liberal International movement in 1992.

Political scientist Zoltan Lakner believes he shifted ideology during the second half of the 1990s. As Hungary was governed by a liberal-socialist coalition, he realised "to gain political success he had to turn his back on liberalism and transform his party into a nationalist, anti-liberal political force".

Perhaps the seeds of his reversal were already sown at Oxford. In his few months at Pembroke College, he befriended the conservative philosopher Roger Scruton.

Or perhaps it was more political opportunism.

Orbán became Fidesz leader in 1993, and was already pushing it to the centre right by the time the conservative MDF lost power in 1994. Fidesz filled the gap left by the weakened conservatives.

Peter Rona, an Oxford-based economist and former candidate for president of Hungary, describes a meeting in the early 1990s, at which Orbán said he wanted to create a "modern conservative party".

When Peter Rona warned him that earlier politicians who had attempted the same thing had quickly dropped the "modern" when circumstances demanded, Orbán replied: "Then so be it."

In 1998, Orbán led Fidesz to election victory, and at 35 became Europe's youngest prime minister, taking Hungary into Nato in 1999.

He then suffered two defeats at the ballot box, in 2002 and 2006, and on both occasions the Fidesz leader learned his lessons.

The defeat in 2002 changed him. "The nation cannot be defeated," he told his supporters, as he tried to digest what had just happened.

After 2002, Orbán befriended Árpád Habony, a martial arts instructor and businessman, as his personal guru. Habony became a trusted ally and component in the business empire that underpinned Fidesz.

Orbán was swept back into office in the turbulence of the global economic crisis in 2010 and has not lost since.

He has since transformed Hungary with a host of changes to its laws and constitution, winning four consecutive elections with four straight "super-majorities", controlling two-thirds of parliament.

In an attempt to secure his legacy, more than 40 "cardinal laws" were passed, reshaping state institutions, the economy, election laws and the media.

The economy was stabilised, public finances were secured and EU funds came in.

However, expensive state projects were placed in the hands of Orbán's inner circle, including a childhood friend and a son-in-law.

Fidesz and its supporters gradually took control of Hungary's media landscape, replacing foreign investors, says Hungarian media monitor Mertek.

In 2018, almost all "Orban-friendly media" transferred ownership rights to a foundation called Kesma, whose board was made up of Fidesz MPs and the head of a Fidesz-friendly think tank, according to Mertek.

For several years, Hungary has been labelled the EU's most corrupt country by Transparency International.

The European Parliament, both in 2018 and 2025, has warned of persistent threats to rule of law. Billions of euros in EU funds for Hungary has since been frozen.

The EU is one of several targets that Orbán has set his sights on in recent years.

His latest stand-off with EU leaders means €90bn in funds for Ukraine has been put on hold because of a Hungarian veto.

Sandor Csintalan, both a former ally and critic of Orbán, has spoken of "a constant need to radicalise himself", which places him apart from other European conservatives.

Ukraine has become another core issue for the long-time Hungarian leader, while for years he focused on George Soros and migrants.

In 2013 political consultants George Birnbaum and Arthur Finkelstein gave him the idea of creating Soros as an enemy.

"Soros was a good target," Birnbaum explained, "because enough people in Hungary didn't like the idea of this billionaire… like the Wizard of Oz, controlling politics and policy, from behind the curtain".

Orbán accused George Soros's civil society groups of "trying secretly and with foreign money to influence Hungarian politics". A poster-campaign condemned by critics as antisemitic targeted the philanthropist, although Orbán has been able to point to his support for Israel and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to reject the accusations.

The Soros-founded Central European University, set up in 1991 as Hungary embraced democracy, was forced to move most of its activity to Vienna in 2019.

In July 2015, as refugees and irregular migrants entered the EU over Hungary's borders in increasing numbers, Orbán drew a "clear link between illegal immigrants coming to Europe and the spread of terrorism".

The solution was clear, he said: "We would like to keep Europe for Europeans... also we want... to preserve Hungary for Hungarians."

A fence was built on the Serbian border and new laws were introduced criminalising migrants. A "Stop Soros" law in 2018 criminalised those who helped irregular migrants, and the EU's top court ruled that Budapest had failed to fulfil its obligations under EU law.

Going into the 12 April vote, Ukraine has become Orbán's main campaign focus, as he accuses Volodymyr Zelensky of blocking Hungary's oil supply and his opponents of wanting to hand Hungarian money to Kyiv.

Although he has been able to rely on Trump and Putin for political support, his claim to be protecting Hungary from leaders who wage war has become increasingly shaky.

He has not experienced electoral defeat since 2006. Despite the support of both Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump, he is now facing the biggest test of his political career.

After 16 years in power, could Viktor Orban finally be unseated?

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/czd7y1n3jyjo, 8 days ago

"All they stand for is anger, hatred, and destruction," roared a hoarse Viktor Orban. The Hungarian prime minister was speaking at a mass election rally in Györ in western Hungary on 27 March, referring to opposition protesters who chanted "Filthy Fidesz" during his speech. For just a moment, his carefully cultivated image as the voice of calm navigating his country through stormy seas was shattered. His bad-tempered outburst showed a different side of a man used to cracking jokes and charming even his critics.

Most opinion polls put the opposition Tisza party and its leader Peter Magyar far ahead of Orban's Fidesz - the latest by 58% to Orban's 35%. And he is doing everything he can to close the gap. After 16 years of virtually unchallenged rule, Orban has been forced to take to the road again. In the past three elections, he gave few rallies. Now Europe's longest-serving leader is trying to mobilise his supporters and reach the undecided. He has just a week left to rescue his government, and the international populist movement he embodies, from a crushing defeat.

In power since 2010, Orban has had the support of both US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin. He has long been a thorn in the side of the EU - and one of the few EU leaders not supportive on Ukraine. For Europe's growing band of nationalist parties, in power or on the brink of it, he is the model. The 12 April Hungarian parliamentary election is being watched closely all over the world.

"We can notice a big change in public perception," said Endre Hann of the Median agency, a public-opinion research firm. In January, 44% of those asked said they thought Fidesz would win, compared with 37% for Tisza. By March, 47% believed Tisza would win, while 35% believed Fidesz would. "This reflects a huge change of trust. People believe that it can be changed," he says.

An intriguing dynamic is playing out in this election - the same voter anger against those seen as "corrupt ruling elites" across Europe, is now working against him. In Hungary, it is now Orban and his Fidesz party who are seen by many, especially the young, as the "corrupt ruling elite".

The Orban government has been repeatedly accused of draining state coffers and giving state tenders for projects to companies owned by close associates. The government explains this concentration of wealth as an attempt to put wealth in national, instead of foreign hands.

The projects included bridges, football stadiums and motorways. His son-in-law, Istvan Tiborcz, owns a string of prominent hotels. His childhood friend Lörinc Meszaros, a former gas fitter, has become the wealthiest man in the country. Orban refuses to answer questions about the personal wealth of his friends and family. All deny wrongdoing.

Can Orban save himself by blaming Ukraine - and its EU backers - for his country's woes? And can the smooth-talking lawyer who hopes to unseat him convince Hungarians, particularly those in rural areas which make up the Fidesz heartlands, that he can deliver the "more humane, better functioning country" that he promises?

Under pressure

Each day brings a new indication that Orban is in trouble, from alleged voter-intimidation schemes to a dramatic Russian proposal to stage a fake assassination attempt on Orban.

But Fidesz claims the sense that it's in trouble has been cooked up by the opposition. "All these scandals are just the usual suspects trying to build a narrative," says Zoltan Kiszelly, a political analyst from the government think tank Szazadveg. "When the opposition lose the election, this gives them an excuse to allege 'fraud'."

Political analyst Gabor Török - one of the few analysts in this extremely polarised society respected by both sides - wrote recently on his blog: "This is not the 'calm strength' or the 'strategic calm,' image, nor the one carefully cultivated for years and displayed on 'Prime Minister of Hungary' posters.

"If the remaining two weeks unfold like this, it does not bode well for the government side."

Global referendum

The shockwaves of an Orban defeat would reverberate far beyond Hungary's borders.

"Budapest is the headquarters of illiberal democracy in the world," argues Michael Ignatieff, former rector of the Central European University, which was forced out of the Hungarian capital in 2019. "This is not just an election. This is a referendum on that whole model of authoritarian rule that Orban represents."

He's referring to the network of think tanks, fellowships, and gatherings of right-wing influencers who zig-zag across the Atlantic to support one another. On consecutive days last month, the American Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC), a platform for people across the political right to discuss ideas, and Patriots for Europe, the right-wing European Parliament group, held major events in Budapest.

The fact that no leading US politician attended the Hungarian CPAC event this year raised eyebrows within Fidesz, but the Republicans are not leaving Orban in the lurch. US secretary of state Marco Rubio was here in February, and vice president JD Vance is expected in Budapest a few days before the vote.

A victory for Fidesz in this election would add momentum to the chances of far-right parties in France, Germany, Poland, Spain and Portugal. Defeat for Fidesz would take some of the wind out of their sails. "While the rest of Europe is being sucked into the radical nationalist tunnel, we can show the way out," a senior Tisza official told me.

Getting the vote out

Despite a poor showing in the polls, Orban's allies deny that there is panic in the Fidesz camp.

According to Zoltan Kiszelly, the crucial factor will be whether Fidesz can persuade their supporters to get out on polling day.

"We are very optimistic. Nobody believes in the opinion polls, neither our own, nor the opposition ones," he says.

"The majority of the voters are for Fidesz. Of pensioners, of women, of the Gypsies [Roma], of the poor, of the blue collar workers, of the rural people. The question is, will they cast their vote?"

To make sure they do, Fidesz has worked hard to update its database of supporters. Around 4.5 million of the 8.2 million-strong Hungarian electorate live in small towns and villages - the Fidesz heartlands. Since 2002, Fidesz has built a strong system of local patronage in the villages - the mayor decides who receives work, and who gets firewood in winter.

According to an investigative documentary released last week, mayors have been told how many votes each village needs to produce for Fidesz. Those interviewed in the film claim the incentives include cash payments of €120 (£104) per vote, food coupons, prescription medicines and even illegal drugs in exchange for voting for Fidesz. Those who refuse say they are denied the chance to participate in public works schemes, often the only local work available.

Cars and minibuses are organised on election day. "Companions" stand by to accompany voters, who feign illiteracy or illness, into the voting booth, to make sure they vote for Fidesz and get their money, people interviewed in the film claim. There has been no official government reaction to these allegations. One minister told the BBC that any wrongdoing should be dealt with by the appropriate authorities.

Rival parties at previous elections offered potatoes and even small sums for votes, but nothing on the scale of this election, we were told by people who have been involved in elections over the decades.

"Everyone here votes Fidesz," said Nikki, 32, in Tiszabö, a village of 2,000 inhabitants, with a large Roma majority, in the northern Great Plain region of Hungary.

She praises the Fidesz mayor for rebuilding the roads, the kindergarten, and the sports centre. She claims votes won't need to be bought on 12 April, as Fidesz will win "because of the war".

The Russian connection

Orban has told voters that this election is a simple choice between peace and war.

According to Fidesz, only Orban can prevent the "warmongers" in Brussels from dragging the EU, and with it Hungary, into the war in Ukraine against Russia.

Peter Magyar, leader of the opposition Tisza party, is painted as a puppet of Brussels. The Fidesz message is that a vote for the opposition would mean that Hungary, as a Nato member, will be forced to send Hungarian troops either in a future Nato peacekeeping operation, or a full-scale war with Russia, and young Hungarian men will die again on the eastern front. That's a message designed to resonate deeply in a country on the losing side of both World Wars. Since 2022, Orban has argued that Russia cannot be defeated, and that instead of supporting Ukraine militarily and economically, the West should pressure Kyiv to seek peace with Moscow - on Russia's terms, if needed.

"The Fidesz anti-Ukraine, pro-Russian message is flagging," veteran pollster Endre Hann of the Median agency told me. His latest figures suggest a growing 52% of those asked agreed that "Russia committed a serious and unprovoked act of aggression against Ukraine" with its 2022 full-scale invasion. Just 33% agreed with the Fidesz narrative that "Russia acted legally, to defend its interests and security."

Orban is the most pro-Russian leader in the EU. His government has refused to follow German, Czech and Polish efforts to wean themselves off Russian oil. In this campaign, Fidesz has painted Ukraine and its leader, Volodymyr Zelensky, as the enemy. Giant billboards show a grinning Ukrainian president with the slogan: "Don't let Zelensky have the last laugh!"

Since 27 January, no crude oil from Russia has reached Hungary via Ukraine through the Druzhba pipeline, which translates as the "Friendship pipeline". A major hub and pumping station at Brody in western Ukraine was damaged that day in a Russian attack. Hungarian refineries depend on the pipeline, and Orban accuses Zelensky of deliberately failing to restore the flow of oil in order to harm his election chances.

The "peace or war" message, argues Zoltan Kiszelly, the Fidesz analyst, is more sophisticated than it sounds.

"The government aims to connect the current situation, the threat of no oil, with practical issues like the cap on utility bills," he explains. Since 2013, all household and electricity costs have been capped by the government, resulting in the lowest prices for consumers in the EU. That is only possible, the government argues, thanks to cheap oil and gas from Russia.

An unlikely challenger

Magyar, 45, is a former Fidesz insider who joined the party as an enthusiastic student, married the former Fidesz justice minister, and worked as a Hungarian diplomat in Brussels. In February 2024 he suddenly quit the party and all his posts in state companies, and gave an interview which garnered two million views within days, accusing the government of cowardice and corruption. He then founded the Tisza party, named after a tributary of the Danube.

A slight figure in neat shirts and jackets, Magyar seemed too slick and urbane to reach the hearts of the rural electorate, but has proven himself a strong challenger. Orban, 62, is a village boy who speaks village Hungarian, Magyar is a Budapest lawyer by training. Conscious that his status as a member of the metropolitan elite may make him less likely to appeal to rural voters, Magyar has toured the countryside indefatigably for the past two years, drawing large crowds. Unlike Orban, who waxes lyrical on global politics, Magyar focusses on domestic issues such as healthcare, education, transport and rural depopulation in his speeches.

His relationship with Russia is also different. He has pledged that if he wins, "we will study and where needed change the existing contracts with Russia, [and] diversify our energy resources in every possible way". He has also promised to "restore Hungary's seat at the EU and Nato tables."

Magyar says he learnt quickly on his six nationwide tours. He quickly abandoned his notes after being criticised for sounding stilted, and started speaking "from the heart", he told me in an interview earlier this year. "After the first days, I read the criticism and learnt… to go closer to the people, to let them ask questions and reply openly and honestly, which is rare in Hungarian politics."

He has gone from a rank outsider to the man who is widely expected to unseat Orban. While Orban usually visits one city a day on the campaign trail, Magyar visits from three to six, in an effort to reach all 106 individual constituencies by voting day.

He is no stranger to controversy himself. After becoming a politician, his ex-wife depicted him as an unstable figure, prone to bursts of anger and domestic violence. Anti-Tisza protesters once held banners featuring a shoe, which he allegedly once threw at her. More recent attempts by Fidesz to discredit him include convincing a former girlfriend to secretly tape his conversations, and taking him to a party where cocaine was being used. Magyar denies any domestic abuse, and speaks fondly of his ex-wife in public. He denies ever taking drugs, and last week published the negative results of a drug test. He challenges certain Fidesz politicians to do the same.

A poll published by the 21 Research Agency, a pro-democracy think tank, earlier this week showed the Tisza candidate pulling ahead in most of its 20 swing districts. Magyar has spoken of a "tipping point" in the countryside, and if this poll proves right, he has already reached it.

Orban and Fidesz have a media empire to amplify their message, but Magyar instead relies heavily on broadcasting each rally live on Facebook. While previous opposition leaders mustered crowds of a few dozen if they ventured out of Budapest, Magyar attracts hundreds in villages, and thousands or tens of thousands in provincial urban Fidesz strongholds.

A top Fidesz official grudgingly admitted that Magyar has "a brutal energy", which his own camp often lacks. Magyar's promise to build "a more humane, efficient country" resonates with all those fed up with the governing party, especially the young.

What would a Fidesz victory or defeat mean for Hungary? "What we have now is a state that has been fully captured by a single party," Andras Baka, former president of Hungary's supreme court, told me. If Fidesz wins "we have an ever more rigid autocracy."

If Tisza wins, there will be a big laundry list to tackle, including restoring the independence of the courts, the state prosecution service, the state audit office, the public media, and the intelligence services from the government of the day. Whether a Tisza government can do that, and how quickly, would depend on the margin of victory.

Top image credit: NurPhoto/AFP via Getty Images

Péter Magyar, the former Orban ally vying for power in Hungary

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c78l7vyylgqo, yesterday

"Now or never," Péter Magyar has been telling Hungarians, in a breathless campaign across the country in the run-up to 12 April elections that opinion polls suggest he can win.

This 45-year-old former Fidesz party insider represents the biggest threat to Viktor Orbán's rule in Hungary since he won the first of four consecutive victories in 2010.

Magyar's slogan dates back to a revolutionary poet's 19th Century rallying cry to rise up for the homeland.

And he has shortened that message to "Now", crossing out the words "or never", adding to the urgency.

Magyar has built a powerful support base in more than two years of touring the country, even in the small towns and villages were Fidesz traditionally dominates, and he has criss-crossed Hungary in a marathon election campaign of up to seven speeches a day,

Last year he walked 300km (185 miles) from Budapest to the Romanian border in a campaign to "reunite" the nation, in a bid to bring natural Fidesz voters to his side.

Magyar promises to tackle corruption, improve the economy and he has sought to woo Hungary's disadvantaged Roma community. He has also promised to unlock billions of euros in EU funds, frozen largely because of concerns over Hungary's rule of law.

But Orbán has depicted him as a "puppet" of the EU and Ukraine, and he has been wary of getting too close to Brussels and has promised voters "we are the real party of peace".

His self-confidence stems from a deep understanding of the rival he faces.

Until February 2024, Magyar was very much part of the Fidesz family.

He joined the party at university and married one of its rising stars in Judit Varga, with whom he had three children.

Then Magyar stunned Hungarians with a live appearance on a pro-opposition YouTube Channel called Partizán.

In a country of 9.6 million people, a million watched as a solemn Péter Magyar explained why he had had enough of his own party.

"Everyone warned me against it, friends, family people I know," he told presenter Márton Gulyás. "Obviously I've been in this system, in this circle, for a very long time."

Hungary was in the midst of a scandal in which President Katalin Novák had granted a pardon to a man who had helped cover up sexual abuse in a Hungarian state-run children's home.

She resigned, and so did Magyar's ex-wife. Varga had been justice minister and had co-signed the pardon. Two leading Fidesz women were left to carry the can. Varga had been destined for big things in Fidesz, having left her job as minister to spearhead Fidesz European election campaign. That career was over.

Now she was no longer part of the Fidesz machine, Péter Magyar sensed this was his moment.

"I do not want to be part of a system in which the real people in charge hide behind women's skirts," he wrote on Facebook.

Towards the end of his Partizán interview Magyar spoke of his hope for political change, while realising it would be very difficult while Orbán was still in power.

The current opposition was totally inept, he complained, so change would have to come from within. But one day there would be change and when it did happen it could be fast, he predicted.

His YouTube appearance went viral.

"It was not a planned move," he later told the BBC. "My mother called me not to go, but I did the opposite. Everybody knew the situation in Hungary - it's not very safe to go against this government."

Péter Magyar's high-profile party marriage had fallen apart in 2023 but he was still an important figure in Fidesz even if he was little known to the wider public.

He was a natural fit for Orbán's social conservatives.

The son of two lawyers - his mother was as senior judge - Péter Magyar also counts a former Hungarian president as his godfather, and he was very interested in politics from an early age.

Magyar went to an elite Catholic boys' high school near the centre of Budapest before studying law at a Catholic university in Budapest while Orbán was serving his first term as prime minister from 1998-2002.

Magyar joined the party after Orbán's election defeat, and the woman he married, Judit Varga, was destined for Fidesz success, becoming justice minister in 2019, nine years after Orbán's return to office.

Magyar himself became a diplomat at Hungary's permanent mission in Brussels, later running Orbán's team working with the European Parliament. He went on to serve on the boards of state-owned companies.

His disaffection with the party was gradual.

"After a while I became more and more critical, openly and just among friends. I can tell you that the Fidesz we see today is very very different from the one I joined in 2002."

"I was always told by the politicians it's necessary to keep power - I accepted it for a time. But of course the turning point was in 2024," he told the BBC's Budapest correspondent Nick Thorpe.

For a while, Magyar worried if he had made a mistake: "I have three kids, I love them very much and I was very much worried about their future as well."

If the YouTube interview was the turning point, the next big moment came on 15 March 2024, a national holiday marking the anniversary of Hungary's failed revolution in 1848.

While Orbán spoke from the steps of Budapest's National Museum, condemning the EU and calling for the "occupation of Brussels", Péter Magyar was addressing an estimated 10,000 people, alleging corruption and mishandling the economy at the top.

He announced he was forming a new party, with only weeks to go before Hungarians voted in European elections.

He doubled down on his accusations of corruption, releasing a secret recording made of a conversation with his ex-wife in 2023 in which she speaks about a high-profile trial.

Judit Varga said she was appalled by Magyar's actions, accusing him of abuse which he denied. He also fell out with a former friend, Orbán minister Gergely Gulyás - who said Magyar was "one who first betrays his family, then betrays his country as an agent of Brussels".

Asked what he thought of his challenger, Orbán told the BBC: "He left Fidesz, that's all."

By now Varga's ex-husband was making big strides politically and forming new friendships, among them popular actor Ervin Nagy.

Magyar took over a dormant party called Tisza, and won 29.6% of the vote and seven seats in the European Parliament. Tisza was well behind Orbán's ruling Fidesz on 44.8%, but Magyar had made a powerful statement.

By autumn 2024, Magyar's new party was ahead of Fidesz in the polls and he tore into Orbán's close ties with Russia as they led rival marches marking Hungary's 1956 uprising against the Soviet Union.

While Orbán labelled Tisza as "warmongers" indulging in a "Brussels war march", Magyar taunted the prime minster as the man who had in 1989 called for Russian troops to leave Hungary but now trampled on the legacy of 1956 and was "the most loyal ally of the Kremlin".

"Mr Prime Minister, why won't you say 'Russians go home' any more?" he asked.

Magyar is no liberal. He has openly derided the liberal opposition that tried to take Orbán on in the past, only to see the Fidesz leader storm to a two-thirds majority it needed to mould the constitution.

One key to his success has been his demolition of the fragmented, old opposition parties. He sees former Socialist leader Ferenc Gyurcsány as no better than Orbán.

And he has not been afraid to take on the pro-Orbán new outlets that dominate Hungary's media landscape.

Earlier this year he alleged he had been the target of an attempted "Russian-style" smear campaign involving a sex tape.

Journalists had been sent a black-and-white surveillance image apparently showing drugs on a table near a bed. The implication was that more footage was to come and Magyar moved to pre-empt it.

He admitted having consensual sex with an ex-girlfriend but was adamant he had not touched anything on the table and said he had been lured into a "honey-trap" set up by the secret services.

"My conscience is clear," he said, adding later that he had taken a drug test on 22 March to prove he had not consumed any drugs during the past months, and pointing out he had had similar negative tests in the past.

None of the accusations and barbs directed at Péter Magyar have so far stuck. As a former Fidesz adviser, he believes this gives him an advantage.

"I know them, I know their tricks. I know they're very much frightened," he said.

"This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, not for Péter Magyar but for the country."

Irish government finalising fuel package deal

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cy814wypp5go, yesterday

The Irish Government has confirmed that a fuel support package is being finalised after a day of what they described as "constructive engagement" with representatives of the haulage and farming sectors.

The move came as travel across parts of the Republic of Ireland was affected for the fourth day in a row as slow-moving convoys made up of vehicles, including tractors, blocked roads in protest against high fuel prices caused by the US-Israeli war against Iran.

Irish ministers had said earlier on Friday that no further package of support measures would be announced until fuel protesters ended their blockades around the country.

Meetings between Irish ministers and stakeholders are expected to continue over the weekend.

Tánaiste (Irish deputy prime minister) and Finance Minister Simon Harris said that there will be a "substantial and significant" package of support for "key sectors of the economy".

Speaking to Irish broastcaster RTÉ, Harris said the talks were "going well", adding that further "intensive engagement" into the weekend was likely.

However, he added: "The blockade has to end."

Earlier, Taoiseach (Irish prime minister) Micheál Martin said that the blockades mean the country is "on the precipice of turning oil away from the country" amidst a global oil supply crisis.

There were long queues on the M1, heading towards the border with Northern Ireland, due to protesters closing the motorway at Dundalk, on Friday, with vehicles blocking both lanes at the Carlingford turnoff, RTÉ reported.

In a statement, they said: "These vehicles rely on retail fuel forecourts for their fuel supply through the use of fuel cards."

Following a meeting on Friday, the Irish ministers for health issued a joint statement saying that "the serious risks to patient safety caused by the blockade of fuel supplies are completely unacceptable".

It went on to call on the protesters to "reflect on their actions and cease the restriction of access to critical fuel infrastructure immediately".

Kildare farmer John Dallon said the protests could continue for "maybe for another week, maybe two weeks. If it takes a month, we are prepared to sit here."

He said it had been his understanding that he had been invited to the meeting on Friday , but was refused entry.

He said he is hopeful that government proposals to deal with high fuel costs would resolve the crisis.

Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald said: "What on earth are Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael doing locking the protesters out of the talks."

In a post on social media, she said the two coalition parties are "making an absolute shambles of things," adding that they were "escalating" the crisis.

Mary Burke told the Evening Extra programme, that the service station she manages, received a supply of petrol and diesel on Thursday.

The supply, which she said would typically last the Raceside Service Station four to five working days, had ran out within seven hours.

A second supply was delivered to the County Tipperary station on Friday, but a €30 (£26) cap was implemented for customers.

Another supply is due to arrive on Monday, but Burke said there's no guarantee she will receive the delivery.

"I'm 100% going to run out of fuel before Monday."

Burke said she's making no money on the fuel and instead the business is just "providing a service".

"I'm dreading Saturday evening, Sunday morning when I'm going to run out of fuel," she said, adding that staff will be affected.

The Chief Executive of Home and Community Care Ireland said many of their staff who rely on cars to travel between home care appointments are struggling to access fuel supplies.

Joseph Musgrave said he is being "flooded" with reports from staff "particularly around the mid-west, but also up as far as Donegal, Cork, Kerry, Waterford, Tipperary".

"On any given day nationally, our carers will call around 15 to 25 ambulances because they've gone to attend their client and their client needs help.

"If they can't get to their client, then those ambulances can't be called. And we all know what that means."

The army was asked on Thursday to remove vehicles blocking roads, with the Irish police treating protests at fuel depots as "blockades".

Micheál Martin told RTÉ that the blockade "is damaging Ireland's economy and society", and that "self-appointed" groups do not have a right to "close down the country".

He added that the Irish army "is on standby" to make sure the "law is upheld".

As well as blocking roads, protesters are in place at fuel terminals in Foynes in County Limerick, as well as at Galway Port and a blockade continues at the Whitegate Oil Refinery in east Cork.

Gardaí (Irish police) said they secured access to the National Critical Infrastructure site at Whitegate, where there was no disorder.

On Friday afternoon, RTÉ reported that five fuel trucks passed through the blockade but said protesters have said no further tankers are permitted.

The Irish Minister for Justice, Jim O'Callaghan, said there would be "legal consequences" for some protests.

"It might not arise today or tomorrow but people have licences to drive vehicles, those licences will be affected."

The Irish Health Service Executive called for all approaches to medical facilities to be kept clear for people to access treatment and the President of the Irish Medical Organisation, the trade union body, Prof Matthew Sadlier said that potential missed appointments due to the blockades were having a "hugely detrimental" effect on patient welfare.

What have protesters said?

Katie Cooney travelled to the Dublin protests from County Cavan and said the price of diesel is "unreal" and if there are no farms there is "no future".

"Farms were impacted two weeks ago," she said. "It was €550, now it's up to €800 for fertiliser. Farms and contractors need support.

"I'm a student. My commute to college is going to cost 80-100 euro a week."

Mark Hegarty helped organise a large protest in Bridgend, County Donegal on Thursday evening, where he said "hundreds and hundreds of lorries, tractors, vans and cars" blocked the road.

Hegarty told BBC Radio Foyle's North West Today programme he felt compelled to take part in the demonstration after the government "threatened to bring the army in on" protesters in the Irish capital.

The slow-moving convoy was on the road for more than four hours, but Hegarty said that instead of holding the protest during rush hour, it started at 19:00 local time to minimise disruption.

Which roads and transport are affected?

Parts of the the M50 north and southbound are closed.

Transport Infrastructure Ireland has said road closures are "currently impacting Counties Clare, Limerick, Tipperary, Laois, Offaly, Kildare, Galway, Cork, and Dublin".

Details of all closed roads traffic disruption across Ireland can be found on the TII website.

Dublin Airport passengers are being advised to allow extra time for their journeys a day after people were seen walking with their luggage along a motorway.

Delivery service DPD Ireland said it will temporarily suspend services in the Republic of Ireland on Saturday.

Why are the protests taking place?

The conflict in the Middle East has caused rapid price rises for both petrol and diesel.

Some 20% of the world's oil trade, the raw ingredient for producing both petrol and diesel, has been halted by the closure of the Strait of Hormuz.

Diesel in the Republic of Ireland has risen from about €1.70 (£1.48) a litre to €2.17 (£1.89) on many forecourts in recent weeks and petrol is now up to 25 cents more per litre at many pumps.

The protests started on Tuesday morning.

Trapped miner rescued from flooded Mexican tunnel after 14 days

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cly9z8w4q55o, 3 days ago

Mexican army divers have rescued a miner from a flooded underground tunnel two weeks after he was first trapped.

Francisco Zapata Nájera, 42, was stuck 300m (985ft) below ground after an embankment collapsed at the gold mine in the northern Mexican state of Sinaloa.

Video of the rescue shows him standing in waist-deep water, telling his rescuers that he never lost faith during his ordeal.

The search continues for another miner who is still missing.

Twenty-five workers were inside the gold mine when the tailings dam - a structure which holds mining waste - burst on 25 March.

Twenty-one managed to get out, but four were trapped.

José Alejandro Cástulo was rescued after five days under ground, and another miner died, but it took rescuers a full 13 days to locate Francisco Zapata.

Following more than 300 hours of searching, divers finally spotted the blinking of the miner's torch light, which Zapata had turned on and off to alert them to his location.

"How are you, how are you?" rescuers asked as they reached him.

Once they had identified themselves as specialised military divers, they tell the miner that "your torchlight helped us a lot".

"It guided us," one of the divers added.

"I didn't lose faith, I didn't lose faith," Zapata told his rescuers.

While Zapata appears visibly relieved in the footage, his ordeal was not yet over.

Due to the flooding in the tunnel leading to his location, the divers could not immediately extract him.

Instead, they left him behind with water, cans of tuna and energy bars - and a promise to return soon.

After 20 more hours in which the rescue teams used pumps to lower the water level in the flooded tunnels, Zapata could finally be taken to the surface.

Wrapped in a thermal blanket and sitting on an electric cart he emerged from the mine on Wednesday and was taken by helicopter to hospital, where he was able to reunite with his family.

Doctors said he was frail but stable and would receive the necessary treatment.

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum praised the Mexican army and Zapata's faith and resilience, which she said had made the "astounding rescue" possible.

Husband arrested over disappearance of Michigan woman in Bahamas

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c7471lzklyko, 3 days ago

Authorities in the Bahamas have arrested a man in relation to the disappearance of Lynette Hooker, an American woman who vanished while out on a small boat, police in the island country said on Wednesday.

A 59-year-old from the US was arrested in Abaco and was being questioned, the Royal Bahamas Police Force said in a statement. It did not name the man.

US media, including the BBC's partner CBS News, reported that the man arrested was the woman's husband, Brian Hooker, who had been on the boat with her.

In a statement, Brian Hooker's lawyer said he "categorically and unequivocally denies any wrongdoing".

The lawyer added that her client "has been cooperating with the relevant authorities as part of an ongoing investigation", and would not comment further.

The Royal Bahamas Police did not immediately respond to the BBC's request for further details about the arrest. It earlier confirmed that it was investigating, and that multiple agencies were searching for the woman.

A US Coast Guard official confirmed to the BBC on Wednesday that a criminal investigation was opened into the woman's disappearance.

The Coast Guard was not able to comment on the specifics of the investigation, including potential suspects in the case.

Brian Hooker earlier said his wife went missing after falling out of an 8ft (2.4m) hard-bottom dinghy on Saturday, and being swept out to sea by strong currents.

In a statement on Wednesday, Brian Hooker thanked authorities and volunteers for the ongoing search.

"I am heartbroken over the recent boat accident in unpredictable seas and high winds that caused my beloved Lynette to fall from our small dinghy near Elbow Cay in the Bahamas," he said.

"Despite desperate attempts to reach her, the winds and currents drove us further apart. We continue to search for her and that is my sole focus."

Lynette Hooker's daughter, Karli Aylesworth, told CBS that her mother had been sailing for more than 10 years and was an experienced swimmer. She said she did not understand how her mother could have fallen overboard and disappeared, and asked that authorities thoroughly investigate the incident.

Brian Hooker is also said to have told police that he and his wife left Hope Town for Elbow Cay, in the Abaco Islands, on Saturday evening - and it was at that point that she fell overboard, taking the boat's keys with her.

He reportedly said he then paddled the vessel to shore, and made it to the Marsh Harbour Boat Yard at about 04:00 local time (09:00 BST) on Sunday. He then told a person that his wife was missing, and that person then informed authorities.

Chilean woman accused of Pinochet-era kidnaps loses extradition battle

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c8r40d4xdngo, 5 days ago

A 72-year-old Chilean woman suspected of having kidnapped and tortured dissidents during the military rule of Gen Augusto Pinochet has lost her lengthy legal battle against being extradited from Australia.

Adriana Rivas moved to Australia in 1978, where she worked as a nanny and a cleaner in Sydney's Bondi suburb.

Chile requested her extradition 12 years ago, alleging that before she emigrated to Australia she had been involved in the disappearance of seven people, which she denies.

More than 40,000 people were politically persecuted and some 3,000 were killed during the Pinochet era, which lasted from 1973 to 1990.

Rivas was first arrested during a visit to her home country in 2006 but returned to Australia while on bail.

Chile filed an extradition request in 2014 and, on Monday, a federal judge dismissed her lawyers' arguments that the request was legally flawed.

Rivas could try to appeal against the decision at the full federal court, Australian media reports, but it is unclear whether the grounds for such an appeal would be met.

A lawyer representing the relatives of the victims of the Pinochet regime said the families were "truly, truly delighted" by Monday's ruling.

Barring another appeal, Rivas will be sent back to her home country to stand trial on charges of aggravated kidnapping.

Rivas was the personal secretary for Chile's infamous secret police chief Manuel Contreras from 1973 to 1976. Rights activists have long alleged that she was personally involved in the kidnapping and torture of dissidents.

They say that she became an active agent for the National Intelligence Directorate (Dina), the secret police force founded by Pinochet to hunt down his political opponents after he seized power in a military coup in September 1973.

Dina agents abducted, tortured, killed and forcibly disappeared thousands of people before the agency was replaced by the equally brutal CNI, an army intelligence battalion.

Rivas described her years at the Dina as "the best of my life" in a 2013 interview with Australian broadcaster SBS, but denied any wrongdoing.

Asked about the torture carried out by Dina agents, she said that "they had to break the people – it has happened all over the world, not only in Chile".

Chilean prosecutors accuse Rivas of having participated in the 1976 forced disappearance of the secretary-general of Chile's Communist Party, Víctor Díaz, and six other Communist Party members.

The youngest of the seven was 29-year-old Reinalda del Carmen Pereira Plaza, who was pregnant at the time.

All seven Communist Party members are assumed to have been killed in detention.

Rivas "took part in the detention... of the victims while she served as guard and in other operative roles", according to documents supplied by Chile to request her extradition.

Witnesses alleged in interviews given to documentary filmmaker Lissette Orozco that she was one of Dina's "most brutal torturers" who played a key role in the elite Lautaro Brigade, which was tasked with killing the leadership of Chile's underground Communist Party. Rivas has denied taking part in any torture sessions.

Orozco, who is Rivas' niece, spent five years making a documentary about her aunt, which was screened at the 2017 Berlin Film Festival.

Argentina passes bill loosening protection of its glaciers

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c5y72e6x554o, 3 days ago

Argentina's Congress has passed a controversial amendment making it easier to mine in glacier regions, a move environmentalists say weakens protections for crucial water sources.

The pioneering Glacier Law, approved in 2010, prohibited all mining and exploration activities in glacier regions by protecting them as water reserves.

The reform shifts the responsibility of defining protected glacier areas from the Argentine Institute for Snow, Ice and Environmental Sciences (Ianigla) to the provincial governments.

President Javier Milei, who backed the reform, said the change "empower[s] the provinces to utilise their resources" and allows mining activities "where there was nothing to protect".

Argentina's Senate had already approved the bill in February 2026, so approval by the lower house was the last major hurdle left.

Opponents of the reform argued that it would put a fundamental resource - water - at risk. "Without water, we can't even think about a growth and development project," Congresswoman Natalia de la Sota said.

But a backer of the bill, Congresswoman Nancy Picón Martínez, said that the mining industry was being portrayed "as if it were a monster".

"This law protects glaciers, no matter how much some people want us to believe otherwise," she said.

Following the reform, glaciers and periglacial environments - which may not be covered by ice but are frozen at least part of the year- will be protected by the national Ianigla inventory until provincial leaders prove they do not serve as "strategic" water reserves.

There are 16, 968 glaciers in Argentina, providing water to 36 river basins across 12 provinces, home to seven million people.

Water from melted glaciers helps to reduce the impact of droughts - especially in semi-arid provinces like Mendoza - which are becoming more common due to climate change.

Governors from the mineral-rich provinces of Catamarca, Jujuy, Salta, Mendoza and San Juan had expressed their support for the bill, stating that the 2010 Glacier law hindered the goal of "promoting a sustainable economic development of the provinces and the Nation without compromising future generations".

But Greenpeace has criticised the bill for arguing that not all glaciers and periglacial environments act as strategic water reserves.

"The primary function of all glaciers and the entire periglacial environment is to act as a freshwater reservoir," Agostina Rossi Serra, a biologist working with Greenpeace said.

"The periglacial environment, apart from being water reserves because they consist of water inside, undergoes a gradual thaw that feeds the rivers and streams of our country," she explains.

"And a large part of our country, especially the regions that were keen to see this law amended, are arid and semi-arid areas, where water is a scarce resource," Rossi Serra added.

Co-founder of Jalisco New Generation drug cartel pleads guilty

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c8ejyjnk9pdo, 4 days ago

The co-founder of the Mexico-based Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG), Érick Valencia Salazar, has pleaded guilty to drug trafficking charges, the US Department of Justice (DOJ) has announced.

Valencia Salazar, known as "El 85", was captured by the Mexican army in 2022 in the state of Jalisco and was among a group of 29 alleged drug lords extradited to the United States in February 2025 to stand trial.

The Drug Enforcement Administration said Valencia Salazar "helped build CJNG into a ruthless organisation that uses violence as a business model - murdering for control in Mexico while flooding the United States with poison".

His sentencing is scheduled on 31 July.

In a statement, the DOJ said that Valencia Salazar had changed his earlier not guilty plea to plead guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute 5kg or more of cocaine to the United States.

The mandatory minimum sentence is 10 years in prison.

The Jalisco New Generation Cartel is one of the most powerful criminal organisations founded in Mexico.

In February, its members unleashed a wave of violence across 20 Mexican states after news spread that its leader, Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, better known as "El Mencho", had died as a result of injuries sustained during his capture by Mexican security forces.

Last year, the US President Donald Trump designated the CJNG as a Foreign Terrorist Organisation (FTO).

The Trump administration has stepped up its battle against the cartels, which it says threaten "the safety of the American people, the security of the United States, and the stability of the international order in the Western Hemisphere".

Trump has also pressured his Mexican counterpart, Claudia Sheinbaum, to do more to combat Mexico-based criminal groups such as the CJNG.

The capture and subsequent death of "El Mencho" was hailed by Sheinbaum as proof of the armed forces' commitment to track down Mexico's most notorious drug lords.

Football rally in Peru leaves one dead and dozens injured

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/ckgxyn3ljgjo, 8 days ago

An incident ahead of a local football derby in the Peruvian capital Lima has left one fan dead and dozens injured.

Officials are investigating the cause. Initial reports suggested parts of the stadium's wall and structure had collapsed, which has since been disputed.

Confirming the death, Peruvian Health Minister Juan Carlos Velasco Guerrero told media at a Lima hospital that 47 people were hurt - three of whom are in a critical condition.

Hundreds had gathered around Alejandro Villanueva Stadium wearing football shirts and waving flags of the home team, Alianza Lima, ahead of a match against local rivals Universitario de Deportes.

Fire Chief Marcos Pajuelo told reporters that the structure of the southern stands appeared to be in good condition.

"There are no collapsed walls or sections fallen into the pit," Pajuelo said.

Saturday night's match will still go ahead as planned, the football league said.

Earlier, the interior ministry published on X that 40 firefighters responded to an emergency at the stadium "involving people trapped in a structure".

However, Alianza Lima later published a statement, also on X, that said: "According to the preliminary information available, the incident is not related to the collapse of walls or structural facilities of the sports complex".

The Peruvian Professional Football League's said in a statement that authorities are investigating the circumstances of the rally and highlighted its "commitment to the safety and well-being of all attendees at sporting events."

New Brazil law allows separated couples joint custody over pets

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/ce8jzn180x2o, 10 days ago

Courts in Brazil will be able to determine shared custody arrangements for the pets of separating couples under new laws.

Lawmakers in the Brazilian Congress viewed the law change as a reflection of the importance people place on their pets.

The legislation means that, if a couple separates without reaching an agreement regarding their pet, "a judge will determine the shared custody arrangement and the equitable distribution of the animal's maintenance expenses between the parties".

Currently, the country of 213 million people has about 160 million pets, according to the Instituto Pet Brasil.

For the law to apply to separating couples, the animal must have spent the majority of its life with the pair.

Shared custody will not be granted in cases in which one of the parties has a prior criminal record, or a history or risk of domestic violence.

Members of Congress said there had been an increase in pet custody disputes in courts, while noting the law responds to "changes that have occurred in Brazilian society in recent decades", according to a statement accompanying the law.

The statement added that couples with fewer children tend to have closer relationships with their animals, "often considered true family members".

Currently in the UK, dogs are legally seen as inanimate objects akin to cars, houses or other personal items, meaning custody cases come down to determining who the sole owner is.

In 2014, France changed its law so pets were considered "living and feeling beings" rather than "moveable goods". That change meant couples would be able to fight for shared custody in divorce cases.

Australia currently has no legislation on how the courts should navigate living arrangements for pets after a break-up.

The most recent example of a pet being given joint custody was in Spain in 2021. A judge granted joint custody of a dog to a separated couple who went to court to determine who the pet should live with.

The Madrid court considered that both parties were "jointly responsible" and "co-caretakers" of Panda the dog.

Brazil judge blocks Sugarloaf Mountain zipline

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cx29e3wljj2o, 11 days ago

A judge in Brazil has blocked a project to build a zipline connecting the famous Sugarloaf Mountain in Rio de Janeiro to a nearby hill, Morro da Urca.

The attraction's developer said it would allow visitors to descend from Sugarloaf Mountain at speeds of almost 100km/h (62mph) via four ziplines covering a distance of 755m (0.47 miles).

The project - which started four years ago - had triggered protests from locals and environmentalists, who argued that the construction work was causing irreparable damage to the Unesco World Heritage Site.

The developer is expected to appeal against the decision.

Gricel Osorio Hor-Meyll, one of the activists who had led the campaign against the zipline told AFP news agency that the ruling was "a huge victory".

Those opposed to the attraction argued that in order to build the platforms needed to access the zipline, the rock on top of Sugarloaf Mountain would have to be excavated.

The company which manages the site said that excavation would be kept to a minimum by using areas with existing construction.

The project had the approval of both Rio City Council and the National Historical and Artistic Heritage Institute (IPHAN).

As part of Tuesday's ruling, the judge ordered that IPHAN and the project's developer pay 30m reals ($5.77m, £4.35m) in damages, stressing the "inestimable value of Sugarloaf Mountain, not only for Brazilians but for people worldwide".

The project has been at the centre of a legal battle for years and construction had been halted on a number of occasions as the company argued its case in court.

In January, construction work restarted after the high court had ruled that stopping would cause more damage than finishing the project at this late stage.

It added that the project was 95% completed.

That decision has now been overturned by Tuesday's ruling.

However, the legal saga is likely to continue with the company behind the project expected to lodge an appeal.

Russian oil tanker docks in Cuba ending near-total blockade

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/clyx1lrv0w5o, 12 days ago

A Russian-owned tanker carrying an estimated 730,000 barrels of crude oil has docked on the northern coast of Cuba, ending a near-total fuel blockade by the US on the communist-run island.

The tanker's arrival marks the first crude oil shipment to dock in one of Cuba's ports since early January.

It follows an apparent softening in Washington's oil blockade, after US President Donald Trump said last weekend that he had "no problem" with countries sending fuel to Cuba.

The country has been hit by a series of nationwide blackouts, and most hospitals have been unable to operate normally, with severe rationing in place.

The Anatoly Kolodkin oil tanker arrived in the port of Matanzas, east of Havana, on Tuesday.

Trump said on Sunday that he did not object to other nations sending oil to the island because Cubans "have to survive".

Cuba was cut off from oil supplies in January after US forces captured its main regional ally, Venezuela's socialist leader Nicolás Maduro - and Trump threatened to impose tariffs on countries that sent oil to the island.

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said on Monday: "We allowed this ship to reach Cuba in order to provide humanitarian needs to the Cuban people. These decisions are being made on a case-by-case basis."

However, Washington said there has been no change in policy and the oil blockade remains in place.

While the crude oil is now in Cuba, it still needs to be refined at an ageing refinery in Havana – a process which could take longer than a week.

The island has been feeling the effects of the blockade with most hospitals unable to function normally and schools and government offices being forced to close. Cuba's main economic motor of tourism has also been impacted.

Drivers have been limited to purchasing a maximum of 20 litres at petrol pumps, for which they must join a waiting list via a state-run app. Wait times can last several weeks, and the fuel must be paid for in US dollars.

Analysts have said the Russian oil would buy the Cuban economy only a few weeks. Jorge Piñón, an expert on Cuba's energy sector at the University of Texas at Austin, said the more urgent need is diesel, which could be used for backup power generators or for transportation systems.

At least 16 killed and thousands displaced by gang attack in rural Haiti

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cql76l4221qo, 12 days ago

Police are trying to reach a gang-controlled area in central Haiti where at least 16 people have been killed in a series of attacks over the weekend.

While so far only 16 fatalities have been confirmed by police, a local journalist spoke of "around 20 dead", while one human rights group warned that the number of fatalities could be as high as 70.

Local rights activists said the Gran Grif gang, one of Haiti's most feared criminal organisations, was behind the deadly attacks, which they said had caused 6,000 people to flee.

Gang violence has ravaged the Caribbean country for years and the multinational police force sent to contain it has struggled to enter areas where gangs hold sway.

Residents of the rural area of Jean-Denis, near the town of Petite-Rivière de l'Artibonite, said that a first attack took place in the early hours of Sunday.

They told Haitian news site Le Nouvelliste that gang members had "arrived from all directions", setting houses alight and shooting at those fleeing from the flames.

Survivors described finding bodies strewn on the road the next morning.

A second deadly attack reportedly occurred on Monday.

So far, 16 bodies have been taken to nearby morgues but with gang members still roaming the area, many locals are too afraid to collect the remains of those killed.

The ombudsman's office said at least another 19 people had sustained bullet wounds, adding that the continued presence of gang members was making it difficult to verify the number of victims.

Romain Le Cour Grandmaison, director of the Haiti Observatory at the non-governmental organisation Global Initiative, told the BBC the attack seemed to have been highly co-ordinated with roads reportedly blocked to prevent police from intervening.

As often in such large-scale attacks, it was preceded by warnings and criticism has been mounting over the authorities' failure to act on these advance signals, Le Cour Grandmaison says.

The attack is believed to have been led by a commander known as "Ti Kenken".

Formerly a leading figure in a vigilante group founded to protect locals from gangs, he switched sides and joined Gran Grif, the Haiti expert explains.

Le Cour Grandmaison warns that "Ti Kenken's" alleged role in the attack raises critical concerns.

"Vigilante brigades are often viewed as essential partners for holding territory and supporting the police - but what happens when allegiances shift?" he asks.

For Le Cour Grandmaison, there is not only a risk of escalating violence in which civilians are increasingly trapped or even targeted directly, but also a danger of further fragmentation where leaders like "Ti Kenken" move fluidly between roles such as vigilante, criminal and police ally.

This is not the first time residents of Artibonite - a mainly agricultural region - have been the targets of gang violence.

In October 2024, members of Gran Grif went on a deadly rampage in Pont-Sondé, accusing residents of the small town of siding with a rival gang.

The death toll in that attack rose to over 100 as more and more bodies were retrieved in its aftermath.

Gran Grif, the gang locals say was behind both the 2024 killings and this weekend's attacks in Petite-Rivière de l'Artibonite, was designated as a Foreign Terrorist Organization by the United States in May of last year.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said at the time that Gran Grif, along with the Viv Ansanm coalition of gangs, were "the primary source of instability and violence in Haiti".

Rubio added that Viv Ansanm and Gran Grif's ultimate goal was to create "a gang-controlled state where illicit trafficking and other criminal activities operate freely and terrorise Haitian citizens".

The multi-national police force (MSS) deployed in 2024 to help Haiti's security forces confront the criminal groups has often found itself outgunned and outmanned.

A new, larger UN-backed Gang Suppression Force (GSF) is due to replace the underfunded MSS with its first officers due to arrive in April.

Ceasefire or no ceasefire, the Middle East's reshuffling is not yet done

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cp3l4yk5rlgo, 2 days ago

The best hope for the ceasefire talks in Pakistan is that both the United States and Iran have strong reasons to call a halt to the war. The biggest obstacle to their success is a total absence of trust, no discernible common ground and the fact that Israel, America's full partner in the war, has hugely escalated its onslaught on Lebanon.

US President Donald Trump is already speaking about the war in the past tense. He has declared victory and needs an exit. Not only does he have a state visit from King Charles in the diary for later this month, followed by a summit with China's President Xi Jinping in May, there are midterm elections in November. With America's summer holiday season looming, Trump also needs petrol prices to fall back to where they were before he went to war. Royal visits, summits and elections do not mix well with wars.

Iran's regime has its own reasons to end the war. It is as defiant as ever, still able to launch missiles and drones, with its social media warriors pouring out AI videos lampooning Donald Trump. But Iran has suffered massive damage. Cities have come to an economic standstill and the regime needs time to regroup and will try to use the talks in Pakistan to strengthen its position.

The Pakistani intermediaries who will be shuttling between the two delegations have a tough job on their hands. The declared positions of the two sides are as far apart as it is possible to be.

Trump has a 15-point plan that has not been published but leaked versions make it sound more like a surrender document than a basis for negotiation. Iran's 10-point plan contains a list of demands that America has consistently rejected in the past.

Creating a more durable ceasefire will require some kind of agreement to at least keep talking about the two sides' contradictory lists of intractable issues.

It would be hard enough to work through them in peacetime.

In wartime, without any kind of mutual trust, even a form of words that keeps the ceasefire going irrespective of there being no agreement on wider issues will look positive. No agreement at all points towards the road back to war.

The newest, and most urgent problem they face concerns reopening the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow exit from the Gulf. Keeping it closed gives Iran a chokehold on the world economy.

Reopening the waterway that was used by hundreds of ships a day until the US and Israel attacked Iran has become the central issue in the negotiation. The millions of civilians in the Middle East who have been caught up in this conflict hope this negotiation will be the war's endgame.

No victory parade

The Americans did not expect to be spending early April sitting down to ceasefire talks when, alongside Israel on 28 February, they ignited the war with huge strikes that killed among many others Iran's supreme leader, his wife and other members of their family.

Trump was expecting a quick victory, an Iranian version of the US military's stunning kidnap of the Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro and his wife in January. Both are on trial in New York on narco-terrorism charges, and the US has installed his former deputy in the presidential palace.

Hopes – expectations – that killing Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamanei, in the war's first wave of airstrikes would lead to the collapse of the regime were wildly misplaced. His son Mojtaba has not been seen since he was appointed as his successor. There is speculation that he was badly hurt in the attack that killed his parents, as well as reportedly his sister, his wife and one of his sons. With or without the active participation of the new supreme leader, Iran's regime has demonstrated depths of resilience that took Trump by surprise.

Now Donald Trump's representatives, led by his Vice-President JD Vance, must negotiate with adversaries that they claim, incorrectly, to have defeated. "A capital V military victory", as US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth put it.

The Hormuz factor

The war that the US and Israel ignited is already reshuffling Middle Eastern geopolitics. As the longer-term consequences of the war reveal themselves, that process will deepen. The US and Israel have done immense damage to Iran's armed forces as well as its military and civilian infrastructure. However, while the Iranian regime may be battered, it's also intact. Regime change is not happening. Iran can still launch missiles and drones. That means that despite loud claims, the US and Israel have not translated tactical victories into strategic advances.

Iran, on the other hand, has shown that the closing of the Strait of Hormuz gives it a strategic edge that Donald Trump either dismissed or did not understand when he listened to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's arguments for going to war with Iran.

It should not have been a surprise that Iran blocked the Strait when it was attacked. Iran has threatened to do so in the past, and disrupted oil shipments there during the war with Iraq in the first years of the Islamic Republic in the 1980s.

For decades, wargaming the impact of a closure has been a standard part of planning in ministries of foreign affairs and defence in all the countries that depend on shipping routed through the Strait, including the US, but that did not stop Donald Trump's rush into an ill-advised war.

Until the US and Israel attacked Iran, ships carrying 20% of the world's oil and gas transited the Strait every day. They also carried other vital byproducts of petrochemical industries that go into agricultural fertiliser and high-tech products including semiconductors. In an integrated global economy, the impact of blocking the Strait is amplified, perhaps more than even Iran's leaders expected.

The ability to stop shipping using one of the world's most important trading arteries is a potent weapon that Iran wants to turn into a long-term strategic gain. Alongside demands for the closure of US bases in the region, for reparations for war damage, a return to the enrichment of uranium and the lifting of sanctions, Iran wants to institutionalise its control of the Strait.

Doing a deal on the Strait will be every bit as difficult as discussing Iran's nuclear capacities. Iran's nuclear programme was intended to produce more options to deter enemies, whether or not they took the step of turning enriched uranium into a bomb. It turns out that closing the Strait of Hormuz is way cheaper, potentially devastating to the economies of neighbours and enemies, and much easier to implement.

During the two-week ceasefire already agreed, Iran is insisting that any ship that wants to transit the Strait of Hormuz will need the permission of Iran's armed forces, or it will be attacked and destroyed.

It has charged some of the few vessels that have been allowed through millions of dollars in tolls. If that continues it would be able to raise billions, a prospect that horrifies Gulf Arab states.

To double the challenges for the world economy, the Houthis, Iran's ally in Yemen, showed during the Gaza war that they can use their firepower to block Bab al-Mandab, the narrow strait at the southern end of the Red Sea. The Saudis are pumping oil that would normally be exported through the Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz through a pipeline to their Red Sea ports, where it can be shipped to Asia. That would stop if the Houthis blocked the exit south through Bab al-Mandab.

Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the supreme leader killed by Israel at the start of the war, mixed hardline suspicion of America, Israel and the west with a reputation for caution. The younger men, mostly from the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps who are now in charge, share his views but not necessarily his instinct to wait and see.

Mere survival equals victory for them, which is a claim that the regime's mouthpieces have trumpeted loudly. Now, they might also have a chance to rebuild what they lost in the war.

Netanyahu's ambition

Israel's Benjamin Netanyahu also had a reputation for caution, despite years of aggressive rhetoric – until the Hamas attacks on 7 October 2023. Now he has embraced a doctrine of war. He has repeatedly promised Israelis he is using their undoubted power and ingenuity to reshape the Middle East in a way that will strengthen their country. Netanyahu's aggressive pursuit of his aims has turned Israel into the country that its neighbours see as the single most disruptive force in the region.

Destroying Iran's capacity to threaten Israel, directly or through allies and proxies, has been a major preoccupation for Netanyahu throughout his long political life.

His desire to continue attacking Iran's Lebanese ally Hezbollah could scupper the ceasefire talks in Pakistan, even if Trump demands a pause in bombing Iran.

During the first day of the ceasefire, Israel hit Lebanon with huge airstrikes that killed more than 300 people, according to the health ministry in Beirut.

After that, Iran told the Americans that they had a choice – ceasefire or a return to war. The Israeli press reported that Trump asked Netanyahu for restraint. He agreed to Lebanon's request for direct talks, while ordering more airstrikes.

Iran and Pakistan say the ceasefire applies to Lebanon. Israel and the US say it does not. The United Kingdom and other worried bystanders with few ways of influencing events, say it should. The confusion surrounding the terms of the talks in Pakistan mirror the confusion of Trump's war aims.

Israel says it is targeting Hezbollah. Increasing numbers of Lebanese believe that Israel is in reality targeting Lebanon, as it now occupies a broad band of territory in the south of the country. It has forced thousands of people from homes that in some cases it is destroying, just as it turned much of Gaza to rubble.

The long-term consequences of the war will reverberate across the Middle East and beyond. The wealthy Arab monarchies of the Gulf have spent years and billions on turning themselves into global hubs for business, tourism and air travel. A few weeks of Iranian attacks have done lasting damage to that strategy for modernisation and development. They are also reassessing their alliances with the US. They will not break with Washington – they need the Americans too much – but they are looking to diversify their future security. The old model of getting as close as possible to the US has not worked.

China is watching closely, so is Russia as Trump once again threatens Nato allies he claims were not there when America needed them.

China pushed the Iranians to agree to a ceasefire and is likely to keep pushing to keep them talking. It relies on Middle Eastern oil – Iran has let its own tankers heading to China through the Strait of Hormuz – but will also be ready to exploit any gaps left by Trump's haphazard foreign policy.

And what about the people of Iran? They are cut off behind an internet blackout, after weeks of airstrikes, death and fear, whatever their views of the regime. On 28 February, Trump and Netanyahu promised the regime's opponents a chance to take back their country. That has been forgotten.

Until just before the ceasefire, Trump had veered from promises of protection for the regime's opponents to bombing all Iranians back to the "Stone Age".

Now the only certainty they have about the future is that it will be hard, and that the regime that has controlled their lives for almost half a century is entrenched, angry and as determined as it has ever been to crush any challenge to its power and Iran's Islamic system.

Lebanon and Israel officials to meet in US on Tuesday

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c93en5q2zl3o, yesterday

Israel and Lebanon's ambassadors to the US have agreed in a first phone call to meet in Washington on Tuesday to seek an announcement on a ceasefire and a date to begin direct negotiations.

The Lebanese presidency made the announcement. Earlier, a senior presidency official told the BBC negotiations could only happen with a ceasefire in place.

Israel's ambassador to Washington later confirmed that "formal peace negotiations" would begin with Lebanon, but added that Israel refuses to discuss a ceasefire with Hezbollah. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had authorised direct talks following what he said were "repeated requests from the Lebanese government".

Israeli air strikes on Lebanon are continuing, as the Lebanese health ministry said the death toll from Wednesday's massive bombardment had risen to 357, with 1,223 people injured.

"The toll is still not final, due to the ongoing removal of rubble and the presence of a large amount of human remains" requiring DNA testing, the ministry said.

The Israeli military said the wave of attacks across the country had killed "at least 180 Hezbollah terrorists" from the Lebanese armed group.

On Friday at 21:00 Beirut time (19:00 BST), the Israeli and Lebanese ambassadors to Washington held a first call with the US ambassador to Beirut. During the call they agreed to the meeting at the US State Department, the Lebanese president's office said.

Delegations will meet on Tuesday to discuss ceasefire conditions. If they can agree on conditions for a ceasefire then negotiations will go ahead at a later date and time, a senior official from the president's office said.

Direct talks between Lebanon and Israel are highly unusual, with the two countries historically communicating through intermediaries. Efforts to establish negotiations have been ongoing since a ceasefire agreement in November 2024, with US envoys previously mediating indirect talks between the two sides.

There is fierce dispute over whether Lebanon was included in the US-Iran ceasefire declared by US President Donald Trump on Tuesday.

Pakistan, which mediated the truce, and Iran say it was, while the US and Israel say it was not. Iran's Deputy Foreign Minister Saeed Khatibzadeh told the BBC on Thursday that Israeli strikes on Lebanon constituted a "grave violation" of the ceasefire.

But speaking in Budapest on Wednesday, US Vice-President JD Vance said "I ⁠think the Iranians thought that the ceasefire included Lebanon, and it just didn't."

In a statement addressed to residents of northern Israel on Thursday night, Benjamin Netanyahu said there was "no ceasefire in Lebanon".

On Friday, Lebanon's President Joseph Aoun said 13 state security personnel had been killed by strikes on the southern city of Nabatieh and condemned the continued attacks.

Lebanese authorities said victims of the latest Israeli attacks also included seven members of the same family in the town of Abbassieh and 11 people in Zrarieh. A medical centre in Burj Qalaway was also hit, killing two people, while a drone strike targeted an ambulance in Toul, with no casualties reported.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said it struck about 10 rocket launchers on Thursday night which it said had fired on northern Israel. It said it was continuing to locate and destroy more.

Hezbollah has also fired more rockets at several places in Israel and also fired rockets overnight, triggering sirens across the country. One was fired at the southern coastal city of Ashdod - the furthest Hezbollah has targeted in the current fighting - but was intercepted, the IDF said.

The group said it fired rockets at Kiryat Shmona, near the Israel-Lebanon border, at 10:00 (06:00 BST) on Friday, and Misgav Am in the Upper Galilee region of northern Israel. There are no reports of casualties.

It said it was acting in response to what it described as Israel's "violation" of the US-Iran ceasefire agreement.

In Beirut, rescue teams are continuing to recover bodies after the heaviest Israeli air strikes since the start of the latest fighting.

Mohammad Hamoud's family owns a pharmacy in Ain el Mreisseh district of Beirut. He was at work in another part of town - also under Israeli bombardment - when he heard the pharmacy building had been hit.

"You cannot manage what happened, the number of bombs," Mohammad told the BBC. "In a very, very short period, complete damage everywhere. It was astonishing."

Meanwhile, UN aid agencies are warning of a growing humanitarian crisis in Lebanon, with more than a million people displaced, and rising food costs.

The World Food Programme (WFP) said that disrupted incomes and rising prices were causing a food security crisis.

WFP was supporting thousands of families before the latest conflict, and now wants to increase that support. But it says delivering supplies, particularly to southern Lebanon, is increasingly complex, with convoys taking 15 hours to go even short distances.

Palestinian shot dead during Israeli settler attack on occupied West Bank village

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/czrekrzzex1o, yesterday

A Palestinian man was shot dead by an Israeli during a settler attack on a village in the occupied West Bank on Wednesday evening.

A relative said Alaa Khalid Subeih, 28, was killed as he tried to defend a greenhouse from the settlers in Tayasir in the northern West Bank. A senior UN official also said he was killed by a settler.

The Israeli military said he was shot by an off-duty soldier and accused him of throwing stones.

Tayasir has been a focus of recent violence by settlers. Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank are illegal under international law.

The killing came as ex-security chiefs warned that "government sponsored Jewish terrorism" was running wild in the West Bank and the Israeli government reportedly approved dozens more settlements.

Tayasir is in an area of the West Bank that is supposed to be under the security control of the Palestinian Authority.

Last month, a CNN crew covering violence there was detained by Israeli soldiers. The military later said there was an incident with the CNN team which involved "actions and behaviour" incompatible with what is expected of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF).

Saeb Subeih said his cousin Alaa, a school janitor, was "one of the finest young men in the village, one of the most decent, one of the best - a calm, respectful person who had no problems with anyone".

He said settlers were in the area under "army protection".

On Wednesday, he said, a group of settlers "raided the village" and Alaa was "executed" after defending a plastic greenhouse that belonged to him.

Saeb Subeih said Alaa's body has still not been returned to his family by the IDF.

Returning it, he said, is the only thing that can ease the pain for "his mother, his father, and his family".

Ajith Sunghay, from the UN Human Rights Office in occupied Palestinian territory, told the BBC that his team had gathered accounts about what occurred. He said the killing followed a day of violence in which a Palestinian man had been injured and "stone throwing between Israeli settlers and Palestinians" had taken place.

Israel's government has "provided complete impunity for settlers to do whatever they want" and a "separation between settlers and state is becoming more and more difficult to draw", Sunghay said. He added that settlers were often also soldiers.

The UN has recorded an increase in settler violence against Palestinians and their property this year, with 148 incidents in January, 191 in February and 206 in March. He said the war in Iran meant settlers assess that "attention is focused elsewhere".

The BBC spoke to a member of a Palestinian Red Crescent ambulance crew which was dispatched to Tayasir on Wednesday night.

The crew member said they were denied access to the village by IDF soldiers, who claimed no-one was injured and confiscated their phones and ID cards for seven hours until the early hours of Thursday morning.

They were eventually told by a local Palestinian official that Subaih's body was being retained by the IDF, the crew member said.

The IDF did not answer questions from the BBC about this account, saying "the incident is under review".

In a statement issued in Hebrew after the incident in Tayasir, the IDF said the person shot dead – meaning Alaa Subaih – was a "terrorist". This language was repeated in some Israeli media coverage.

But the IDF's English language statement has said he was a "civilian". The IDF has not answered the BBC's questions about why it accused him of being a "terrorist".

In a statement issued to the BBC, the IDF said "soldiers were dispatched to the area of Tayasir, following a report of an incident between Palestinians and Israeli civilians, which included hurling rocks."

"As a result, an Israeli and a Palestinian civilian were injured and evacuated to a hospital to receive medical treatment. From initial inquiry, it emerged that an off-duty soldier fired toward a Palestinian after he threw stones at the Israeli civilians, injuring an Israeli civilian."

The killing comes at a time of stark criticism in Israel about the government's approach to West Bank settlers.

In a letter published in the Israeli media this week, former heads of the Shin Bet and Mossad security services, and former IDF chiefs of staff, told Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that "government-sponsored Jewish terrorism" was running wild in the West Bank, which they described as "not only a moral disgrace but a fatal strategic blow to Israel's national security in a time of war".

"We must not allow an extremist group backed by irresponsible ministers and a silent prime minister" to sacrifice Israel's security, they said.

The "ministers" was a reference to Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, far-right figures who were sanctioned last year by the UK and other countries for "repeated incitements of violence against Palestinian communities".

On Thursday, Smotrich spoke at the inauguration of a new illegal settlement in the West Bank, telling those present that establishing new settlements in the West Bank will "completely destroy the idea of a Palestinian state within our heartland".

He also said that Israel would continue to expand its borders in Gaza, Lebanon and Syria.

The Times of Israel has reported that the Israeli cabinet has quietly approved 34 new settlements in the West Bank, both new ones and retrospectively approving already existing illegal settlements. There has been no official confirmation of the news.

The anti-settlement organisation Peace Now said the 34 settlements would join 68 new settlements the current government has already decided upon.

They stated: "Until the establishment of this government there were 127 official settlements in the West Bank. Adding another 102 settlements is an increase of 80%".

Trump says Iran's handling of Strait of Hormuz is 'not the agreement we have'

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cge0xre3d27o, 2 days ago

US President Donald Trump has accused Iran of doing a "very poor job" in its handling of oil passing through the pivotal Strait of Hormuz, arguing it was "not the agreement we have".

The comments reflect the fragile nature of the ceasefire agreement, with reports showing conflicts on what was included in the accord.

It came as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said his government was to begin direct talks with Lebanon, focusing on the disarmament of Hezbollah, the Iran-backed militant group, and establishing peaceful relations.

A US State Department official confirmed it would host a meeting next week in Washington "to discuss ongoing ceasefire negotiations with Israel and Lebanon".

Lebanese officials had called for a ceasefire before the talks begin, but Netanyahu said in a subsequent address to residents of northern Israel: "There is no ceasefire in Lebanon."

After Israeli strikes continued in Lebanon throughout Thursday - targeting what it described as Hezbollah rocket launch sites in the south - attacks appeared to at least temporarily taper off overnight in the region.

Trump said in an interview that Israel would be "scaling back" its strikes in the country to support peace talks.

"I spoke with Bibi and he's going to low-key it. I just think we have to be sort of a little more low-key," Trump told NBC News after a phone call with Netanyahu.

The strikes on Thursday led to new evacuation warnings for residents in the southern suburbs of the capital, Beirut.

The head of the World Health Organization (WHO), Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, said on X that this included the Jnah area, which includes two major hospitals.

"At this time, no alternative medical facilities are available to receive approximately 450 patients from the two hospitals (including 40 patients in the ICU), rendering their evacuation operationally unfeasible," he said.

Among those being treated at the hospitals, Tedros added, were some of the 1,150 people that Lebanon's health ministry said were wounded in Wednesday's massive wave of Israeli strikes. At least 303 people were killed.

Tedros also said that the headquarters of the Ministry of Public Health, which "hosts five shelters accommodating more than 5,000 people", is in the evacuation area.

That ceasefire began with confusion over whether Lebanon, Israel's second front, was to be included. Iranian officials and mediators from Pakistan said it was, US and Israeli officials said clearly that it was not.

Amid the confusion, the wave of Israeli strikes on Lebanon – the heaviest since the conflict began six weeks ago – prompted Iran to declare that Israel was breaking the terms of the ceasefire, to once again halt passage of shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, and to threaten retaliatory strikes.

Trump posted to Truth Social over ship traffic through the pivotal waterway, which typically sees 20% of the world's oil and liquefied natural gas (LNG) passing through.

"There are reports that Iran is charging fees to tankers going through the Hormuz Strait," he wrote. "They better not be and, if they are, they better stop now."

Israel's military continues to occupy a large part of the south of Lebanon, where it has destroyed villages in recent days. Without a commitment to a temporary ceasefire at least, it is not clear how productive talks could proceed between the two sides.

It is also unclear how much sway the Lebanese government, with which the Israelis will be negotiating, will have over Hezbollah, which despite having representation in the Lebanese government is a separate entity backed by Iran.

The Lebanese government banned Hezbollah's military activities in early March, days after the start of war with Israel, but it has not stopped the group from carrying out military operations.

On Thursday, Lebanon's cabinet instructed government security forces to restrict weapons in Beirut exclusively to state institutions.

"The army and security forces are requested to immediately begin reinforcing the full imposition of state authority over Beirut Governorate," Prime Minister Nawaf Salam said at the end of a cabinet meeting.

Netanyahu's office said Israel "appreciates today's call by the Prime Minister of Lebanon to demilitarise Beirut".

It said negotiations between the two countries would focus on "disarming Hezbollah and establishing peace relations between Israel and Lebanon".

According to US outlet Axios, Netanyahu's statement came after he held calls with US President Donald Trump and White House envoy Steve Witkoff.

The publication quoted a senior Israeli official who said the direct negotiations will begin next week in Washington.

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun earlier said that a ceasefire was "the only solution" to the situation in Lebanon.

Aoun had called for direct negotiations with Israel a month ago as part of a proposal to end the escalating conflict with Hezbollah, while sharply criticising the Iran-backed group.

The latest escalation in the decades-long conflict between Hezbollah and Israel erupted when the group fired rockets into Israel in retaliation for the killing of Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in the opening stages of the war, and in response to the near-daily Israeli attacks on Lebanon that have continued despite a ceasefire agreed in November 2024.

More than 1,800 people have been killed, including at least 130 children, so far as a result of the war, the Lebanese health ministry says, without distinguishing combatants from civilians.

Israel says it has killed around 1,100 Hezbollah fighters.

More than 1.2 million people have been displaced, or one in five of the population, most of them from Shia Muslim communities.

'Endless fears': Even if fighting stops, the damage to Iran's children will endure

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/ce84ngmjz8zo, 3 days ago

The war is inside his head now. A slamming door or cutlery being dropped makes him jump. The ceasefire doesn't change that.

"Before the war, I had no stress at all," says Ali. "But now even the smallest sound causes my brain to react very badly."

Although he is only 15, Ali – not his real name – understands how fear created by the sounds of US and Israeli airstrikes on Iran settle into the mind and won't let go. It triggers an automatic "startle response" to any loud noise.

"The sound of explosions, the shock waves, and the sound of fighter jets flying over the city can have a very serious effect," he says.

More than 20% of Iran's population is under the age of 14 – approximately 20.4 million children. What Ali and many others are experiencing is what psychologists call "hyper arousal" and it can be an early warning of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

Ali watches his parents' reactions to what is happening. He looks for the familiar safety of home life but cannot find it. His father is out of work because of the war; his mother constantly apprehensive.

"My mother stays at home, and whenever fighter jets fly overhead, she becomes frightened and stressed and shows clear signs of anxiety and fear. As for myself, I am very afraid," he says.

"I have no contact with my friends… I should be able to study, to work and become an independent person in the future. [I should] not be constantly worrying about politics, living in stress, thinking about bombs falling…[with] endless fears."

The children's world has shrunk.

With schools closed, the constant threat of attack by US and Israeli aircraft - until the ceasefire - and the streets patrolled by the regime's militia, Iranian families are cooped up in their homes. There is nothing to do except wait and hope the ceasefire holds.

Across the region - from Iran to Israel, the Gulf and Lebanon - the war is bringing fear to the lives of the young.

With the help of trusted sources on the ground, the BBC has been able to obtain testimony from parents and those trying to help children deal with war trauma. Some names have been changed for their safety.

At a human rights centre in Tehran, Aysha - whose name has been changed - is counselling a distressed mother on the telephone.

"Try to do the things I mentioned to you to create a calmer environment for him," she says. "If possible, play with him and keep him engaged. And if even then things don't improve, bring him back to the centre."

Aysha says the centre is receiving numerous calls and in person visits from worried parents.

"We are seeing a lot of sleep disturbances, nightmares, reduced concentration, and even aggressive behaviour.

"When you struggle so much to raise a child, only for that child to be killed - whether in protests or in war like this - I believe no parent would be willing to bring a child into the world."

According to the US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA), which collates data from across Iran, 3,636 people have been killed in the war. Among them are at least 254 children. There have been tens of thousands of injuries.

There has also been a concerted drive by the Iranian regime to bring children into the firing line. The government has appealed to parents to allow their children join the Basij volunteer militia – a key arm of state enforcement – to help guard checkpoints.

In a televised address, one regime figure called on parents to "take your children by the hand and come out to the street".

He likened the war to a test of manhood for boys. "Do you want your son to become a man? Let him feel he's a hero in the battlefield, commanding the battle. Mothers, Fathers, send your children at night to the roadblocks. These children will turn into men."

For 11-year-old Alireza Jafari, the call to arms meant death. He was with his father on checkpoint duty in Tehran when he was killed by a drone strike on 29 March.

A local newspaper quoted his mother, Sadaf Monfared, as saying the boy told her he "would like to become a martyr".

Amnesty International accuses Iranian authorities of "trampling upon children's rights and committing a grave violation of international humanitarian law amounting to a war crime" by recruiting children for military service.

The recruitment of children under 15 is allowed under Iran's security legislation in direct violation of international law.

One Tehran resident, who we are calling Noor, has a son in his early teens. She vows to keep him away from the military.

"A 12-year-old child never can make proper decisions. They do not truly understand what is happening. For example, they may think it is some kind of game.

"When they are given weapons and told to go to war, they imagine they are playing a video game… When a child goes down that road there is no way back."

Noor took her son away from Tehran when the war began five weeks ago. He is her only child.

"I would never, ever allow my son to become involved in war. Why are children being exploited?

"When the fighting started about a month ago, the very first thing I did was leave the city, because I was stressed and worried that my son might go out into the streets and something might happen to him, let alone allowing him to go to war."

For now, the hope is that the talks in Pakistan between the United States and Iran will lead to a permanent ceasefire.

But even if they do, the damage inflicted on young minds and bodies by the violence of bombing, the militarisation of childhood, and the loss of safety will endure long into the future.

With additional reporting by Alice Doyard.

Lebanon thought there was a ceasefire - then Israel unleashed deadly blitz

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cgk0edynpmzo, 2 days ago

The guns were supposed to have fallen silent.

It was, after all, just hours after US President Donald Trump had announced that a two-week ceasefire had been agreed to halt the war in the Middle East.

But just as the region was breathing a sigh of relief, Israeli jets conducted a 10-minute blitz across Lebanon - a massive aerial attack that killed at least 303 people and wounded 1,150 others, according to Lebanon's health ministry.

Local and Western condemnation was swift and widespread, but no criticism came from the US against its ally in this war.

Iran said this was "a blatant violation" of the ceasefire deal and has asked the US to halt the Israeli "aggression".

Lebanese officials say more than 1,700 people have been killed since Israel launched its latest campaign in Lebanon last month. Israel has said its operations are aimed at weakening Hezbollah and achieving what it calls remaining military objectives.

The war began with US and Israeli strikes on Iran on 28 February - prompting retaliation from Tehran against US allies in the Gulf, and from Iran's proxies - Hezbollah in Lebanon and the Houthis in Yemen - against Israel.

In response, Israel began striking Hezbollah and even ordered its troops to occupy large parts of Lebanon.

The two-week pause in the fighting was announced by Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif - who has been serving as mediator between the warring parties. Sharif said the US and its allies "have agreed to an immediate ceasefire everywhere including Lebanon and elsewhere".

But the main adversaries of Iran do not appear to share this understanding. The government of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the ceasefire did not include Lebanon and Donald Trump signalled his agreement by stating the war in Lebanon was "a separate skirmish".

Wednesday, 8 April. It was around 14:00 in Beirut (11:00 GMT) when the skies over Lebanon darkened.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said that within 10 minutes it had "completed the largest co-ordinated strike across Lebanon since the start of Operation Roaring Lion" - the code name for the Israeli operation against Iran.

It said it had targeted "100+ Hezbollah headquarters, military arrays, & command-and-control centres in Beirut, Bekaa and southern Lebanon".

Densely populated parts of central Beirut were hit in strikes described by officials as among the heaviest since Hezbollah joined the conflict in early March.

And it was not just the traditional Hezbollah stronghold of Dahieh that was hit in the Lebanese capital - the city centre was also hit.

Safa Bleik, a registered nurse and coordinator for international medical charity Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), happened to be inside the Rafik Hariri Hospital in Beirut as the attacks unfolded.

"The first patients came in with severe head injuries, with fragments of glass, metal and debris lodged in their bodies. Many were unconscious. Some died shortly after arrival," she said.

"Soon, the emergency room filled with people searching," Bleik said. "I was trying to stop the bleeding of a man who had arrived with severe head trauma and shrapnel in his abdomen, when a young man came up to me holding a phone, showing me a photo of his brother. He was asking if I had seen him."

Casualties were reported in the Bekaa Valley, in the east, and in the southern Nabatieh, Sidon and Tyre regions.

Hezbollah may have been taken by surprise - their only response appeared to have been a few rockets fired towards Israel hours later.

On Thursday, Israel continued its attacks, saying it had killed "70+ terrorists". It denies targeting civilians. The IDF also said Hezbollah had fired some 30 rockets at northern Israel, with no reports of injuries or damage.

The IDF also said it had "ELIMINATED: Ali Yusuf Harshi, the personal secretary to Hezbollah Secretary-General Naim Qassem in Beirut".

There has been no confirmation. The BBC is unable to verify the claims.

On a crisp and sunny Thursday morning, there was a heaviness in the air in Beirut. Usually the streets are buzzing with traffic but the country has been observing a day of national mourning. President Joseph Aoun described it as a "massacre".

At some locations search and recovery operations have been continuing.

There is nothing left of the 10-storey residential building that was attacked in Tallet el Khayat, a well-to-do neighbourhood of western Beirut, one of the many locations hit. The air strike happened without warning and would have caught everyone by surprise, as this was not an area that had been targeted in the past.

Civil defence teams have been combing through buildings here and across the country, but there is little hope for people who still have loved ones missing.

Ziad Samir Itani, who was leading the civil defence team, said rescuers were exhausted after more than six weeks of constant attacks by Israel.

"I'm sad, like everybody," Itani said.

Benjamin Netanyahu said on Thursday Israel would continue to strike Hezbollah "wherever necessary, until we restore full security to the residents of the north".

It is difficult to see what the long-term Israeli strategy is. Even Israeli military officials acknowledge what has been known in Lebanon for a long time: that Hezbollah will not be disarmed by force. The attacks may give Israel some military gain, but this is likely to be limited.

In Lebanon, opponents and supporters of Hezbollah are coming together in anger, united in the view that what happened here was unacceptable and unjustifiable.

Iran's President Masoud Pezeshkian denounced the "blatant violations" by Israel, which, he added may render negotiations "meaningless".

At least 182 killed across Lebanon in large wave of Israeli strikes

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c0j6d538l6qo, 3 days ago

Israel carried out a large wave of air strikes across Lebanon on Wednesday, which killed and wounded hundreds of people, while officials said the war against the Lebanese armed group Hezbollah continued despite a ceasefire in Iran.

Israel described it as the largest wave of air strikes in this conflict, hitting more than 100 of what it called Hezbollah command centres and military sites in 10 minutes.

The southern suburbs of Beirut, southern Lebanon and the eastern Bekaa Valley were all targeted.

The Lebanese health ministry said at least 182 people had been killed, a number that is likely to rise, and 890 wounded.

At the site of the largest air strike on Beirut, hours later, emergency workers were still searching the damaged buildings. Found amid the rubble, glimpses of interrupted lives: pictures of smiling families, pieces of clothing, school homework that was left unfinished.

Abdelkader Mahfouz was visiting his brother who had been wounded.

"There was a lot of body parts here. Only people are getting harmed. What should the people do. We can't do anything," he told the BBC.

The attacks happened after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office denied the assertion by Pakistan, which had mediated the deal between the US and Iran, that the ceasefire covered the conflict in Lebanon.

In Washington, US President Donald Trump's press secretary Karoline Leavitt also said Lebanon was not part of the deal.

Hezbollah, which has not claimed any attack since the deal was announced, said the group had the right to respond and warned displaced families to wait for a formal ceasefire announcement before trying to return home.

The Lebanese presidency said it would continue "efforts to include Lebanon in regional peace".

More than 1,700 people have been killed, including at least 130 children, so far as a result of the war, the Lebanese health ministry says, without distinguishing combatants from civilians.

Israel says it has killed around 1,100 Hezbollah fighters.

Over 1.2 million people have been displaced, or one in five of the population, most of them from Shia Muslim communities.

Villages near the border have been destroyed, as invading Israeli troops aim to create what the Israeli authorities call a security buffer zone, to destroy Hezbollah's infrastructure and push its fighters away.

This has raised concerns that some areas may be occupied even after the end of the war, and that many residents may never be able to return.

Israeli officials had indicated their intention to continue with their campaign in Lebanon even if there was a deal with Iran. But in recent days, military sources quoted by Israeli media suggested the army had no intention to advance further in their invasion, and acknowledged that they would not be able to disarm Hezbollah by force.

Observers have expressed surprise with Hezbollah's military capabilities in this conflict, as it was widely believed the group had been severely weakened in their last war. The group has frequently launched rockets and drones into northern Israel but confronted Israeli troops on the ground in southern Lebanon.

In Lebanon, however, Hezbollah has faced strong criticism as many blame it for dragging the country into an unwanted war and of defending the interests of its Iranian patron. But the group still enjoys significant support among Lebanese Shia.

The displacement crisis triggered by the war has put further pressure on the crisis-hit country. Schools that have been turned into shelters are full, and many are sleeping in improvised tents in public spaces and even in cars. The arrival of families to other communities has led to a rise in sectarian tensions, with people fearing that they too could become the target of Israeli attacks.

After the ceasefire deal in 2024, the Lebanese government announced a plan to disarm Hezbollah, which was created in the 1980s in response to Israel's occupation of Lebanon during the 15-year Lebanese civil war. But, so far, the group has refused to discuss the future of its weapons.

President Joseph Aoun, a former army chief, had ruled out using force, warning that this could exacerbate divisions and lead to violence. Reacting to the latest escalation, his government made the historic announcement that it was open to negotiate directly with Israel – the countries do not have diplomatic relations. But, Israel, so far, has ignored the offer.

Israel backs US-Iran ceasefire but Netanyahu's war goals remain unfulfilled

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c79j7jnnpz1o, 3 days ago

When Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced the start of the Israeli-US military campaign against Iran at the end of February, he was bullish.

But the tone of the statement from his office acknowledging the ceasefire announced overnight was far more muted and made clear the decision was made by President Donald Trump.

There was also a marked contrast with the triumphal statements from the US and Iran, both of which claimed major victories after five weeks of war.

In remarks broadcast on Wednesday night, Netanyahu characterised the operation as a success, but said the ceasefire was not the end and that Israel had more goals to achieve, either by agreement or renewing the fighting.

Where does the war leave Israel and its prime minister?

At the start of the war, Netanyahu said the "goal of the operation is to put an end to the threat from the Ayatollah regime in Iran" and that "this operation will continue as long as necessary".

But these goals have not been achieved: Iran's armed forces have still been fighting and the governing clerical establishment remains in place, although Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and other senior figures have been killed in US-Israeli strikes.

The status of Iran's nuclear programme and stockpile of enriched uranium also remain unresolved. And while Iran's arsenal of ballistic missiles has been degraded, it has continued to launch barrages of them towards Israel throughout the war.

There were missile alerts and the sound of explosions here in Jerusalem overnight, even after Trump announced the deal, with the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) saying multiple missiles were fired from Iran.

Netanyahu appears to have overestimated the ability of Israel and the US to defeat Iran's forces and bring about a change of its ruling system.

Anshel Pfeffer, a veteran Israeli journalist and biographer of Netanyahu, said the prime minister had only referred to a "suspension" of hostilities, ahead of talks between the US and Iran, but that he had not publicly accepted the war was over.

He said Netanyahu's failure to achieve his stated objectives was "not good" for him, and that another issue could be "some kind of rift opening up with the Americans" if the ceasefire was being agreed without Israel having much of a say.

Until now, there were public displays of unity between Netanyahu and Trump, but their goals might not now fully align.

A full end to the war, if it is based on the "10-point proposal from Iran" that Trump has referenced, will be widely seen as a strategic success for Tehran, given that is constitutes a list of demands by its leadership.

Yair Lapid, leader of the opposition in Israel, said there had "never been such a political disaster in our entire history" and that "Israel was not even at the table when decisions were made concerning the core of our national security".

He added: "The army did everything they asked of it, the public displayed incredible resilience, but Netanyahu failed politically, failed strategically, and did not meet any of the goals he himself set."

It is an election year in Israel, meaning Netanyahu could potentially lose power within months.

Shira Efron, the Israel policy chair at the US-based RAND corporation, said that Netanyahu "promised Israelis that this campaign would lead to the end of the Islamic regime, that by cutting the head of the snake, this war would remove an existential threat from Israel."

"Yet, the snake turned into a hydra."

She said the war was a "hard" sell to the Israeli public because there had been no regime change in Iran, the Iranians still had enriched uranium, and the Iranian missile threat remained.

"The missile programme still exists and, for Israelis, whether 70 or 80 per cent of capabilities have been degraded, there hasn't been a discernible difference for those sheltering [from missiles] over the last five weeks."

But Yossi Kuperwasser, who worked in Israeli military intelligence and is now director of the Jerusalem Institute for Strategy and Security (JISS), said Israelis should differentiate between "practical achievable goals" and "all kinds of wishful goals that we all wanted to see happening, but we couldn't guarantee".

He said the "achievable goals were all completely achieved" because Iran's nuclear and ballistic missiles production facilities were hit, and its military capabilities and leadership were "decimated".

He said the "wishful goals", which had not occurred, were causing regime change by triggering a popular uprising, removing highly enriched uranium from Iran by military force, and putting an end to Iran's capacity to launch missiles.

It is possible that far-right members of Netanyahu's coalition government will reject any ceasefire agreement or an end to the war, creating a political challenge for him.

A stark conflict over whether the ceasefire deal covers Lebanon has also emerged, which is putting the entire ceasefire at risk.

Iran and Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, who helped negotiate the ceasefire, both said the deal covered Lebanon, where Israel has been fighting the Iranian-backed armed group Hezbollah.

But Netanyahu's office said the ceasefire "does not include Lebanon", and the IDF carried out on Wednesday what it called the "biggest strikes" in Lebanon since the recent conflict began in March.

Lebanon's government said the strikes have killed at least 182 people and wounded 890 others across the country, including in the capital Beirut.

Later, Trump also told a PBS journalist that Lebanon was not part of the ceasefire agreement "because of Hezbollah". When asked about the Israeli strikes, he replied: "It's part of the deal - everyone knows that. That's a separate skirmish."

In a press conference late on Wednesday afternoon, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Lebanon was not part of the ceasefire but the country would "continue to be discussed" by the US, Israel and all other parties.

Iran's Revolutionary Guards have issued a "stern warning" to the US and Israel, saying they would respond if Israel did not immediately end "aggressions against dear Lebanon".

In recent weeks, Israel has sent ground forces into southern Lebanon and has said it will keep control over the area south of the Litani river to create what it has called a "security buffer zone".

Israeli forces have been destroying homes and villages in the area, where it the IDF says Hezbollah fighters are active, and hundreds of thousands of people have been displaced. Israel has said they will not be allowed to return until Hezbollah has been removed.

Hezbollah fired rockets into Israel on the third day of the conflict in retaliation for the killing of Khamenei and has continued to do so over the past few weeks.

The Lebanese government, and countries including the UK, France, Italy, Germany, and Canada, have all called for the ceasefire to apply in Lebanon.

Lebanon's President, Joseph Aoun, said Israel had repeatedly demonstrated contempt for "all international laws and norms".

How Netanyahu responds, and whether Trump backs him, will be key to the fate of the ceasefire.

Why ceasefire deal with US has unsettled Iran's hardliners

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c5ywpe2yyg3o, 3 days ago

Only days ago, Islamic Republic hardliners running the city of Tehran put up a gigantic banner at one of the busiest intersections in the Iranian capital.

"The Strait of Hormuz will remain closed," it declared.

This was meant to signal an edict from Iran's new Supreme Leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, who has not been seen in public since being named leader last month.

But that banner may now have to be taken down after Iran agreed to a two-week ceasefire and the reopening of the Strait as requested by Pakistan, which has been mediating between the US and Iran.

That is despite Iran repeatedly saying it would not agree to a temporary ceasefire and that it wanted a permanent end to the US and Israeli war on Iran.

The hardliners are not happy. They have been emboldened by Iran's ability to close the Strait and cause havoc to countries in the Gulf with missiles and drones - maintaining that Iran should have continued the war as it had the upper hand against the US and Israel.

Reports from Tehran said they set fire to US and Israeli flags after the announcement of the ceasefire agreement on Tuesday.

A group of men from the Basij volunteer militia, which is controlled by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), marched to the foreign ministry in the middle of the night to oppose the decision.

A few hours later, the editor of the hardline newspaper Kayhan wrote that agreeing to the ceasefire was "a gift to the enemy", allowing it to restock and continue the war.

The decision to accept the request from Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and his army chief was made by the Supreme National Security Council (SNSC) - Iran's country's highest decision-making body under the supreme leader, which is headed by moderate President Masoud Pezeshkian.

The SNSC declared that safe passage would be possible through the Strait of Hormuz for a period of two weeks in return for a ceasefire from the US and Israel, while Washington and Tehran engaged in talks.

Reports say China played a significant role in convincing Iran, its close ally, to agree to Pakistan's request.

Temporary relief?

Iran has suffered a great deal of destruction in the 40-day war.

More than 3,000 people have been killed, human rights activists say, and US President Donald Trump had threatened further deaths and destruction on an even greater scale.

Even among the hardliners, it was becoming clear that a way out had to be found before Iran's critical infrastructure was further destroyed.

Only hours before the announcement of the ceasefire, the hardline Chief Justice, Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei, told Iranian state TV that Iran was seeking an end to the war while still maintaining an upper hand.

He was broadly repeating what the country's former foreign minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, a moderate, had written a few days earlier in an article in the US publication Foreign Affairs.

The SNSC has portrayed the ceasefire agreement as a victory for Iran, calling on regime supporters to remain united.

According to Iranian media, the Speaker of Parliament, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, is to lead the Iranian delegation in talks with the US in Islamabad, directly negotiating with US Vice President JD Vance.

This is another departure from the hardline script. Direct negotiations with the US had always been banned by the former Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was killed in an Israeli strike on his home at the outset of the war.

This direct contact appears to have been sanctioned by the new leader, who is his son.

Despite the ceasefire, Iran and the US remain far from a lasting peace.

The war could resume if the talks break down. That is a prospect some Iranians who supported the war, seeing it as a way to remove what they consider a vile regime, may be hoping for.

For many others, the ceasefire offers much needed relief from the death and destruction around them.

What we know about the two-week ceasefire between the US and Iran

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/ce84z6y3ke4o, 3 days ago

Iran and the US have agreed to a conditional two-week ceasefire, during which shipping traffic will be allowed through the Strait of Hormuz.

This comes more than a month after the US and Israel launched coordinated attacks on Iran, and hours after US President Donald Trump threatened "a whole civilisation will die tonight" if Iran did not reopen the Strait.

Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, who has been mediating negotiations, said early on Wednesday that the ceasefire was effective immediately.

Here's what we know so far about the deal.

What have the US and Iran said?

Trump said he had agreed to "suspend the bombing and attack of Iran for a period of two weeks" if Tehran agrees to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, a vital shipping route for oil and other exports from the Gulf.

In a post on Truth Social, Trump said he agreed to the provisional ceasefire because "we have already met and exceeded all military objectives".

This comes after he earlier warned the US could take Iran out "in one night" and that a "whole civilisation will die tonight, never to be brought back again" - threats that drew condemnation from UN Secretary General António Guterres and Pope Leo XIV.

Later on Wednesday, Trump said that the US will be working closely with Iran and "talking tariff and sanctions relief".

On his Truth Social platform he added in a separate post that "a country supplying military weapons to Iran will be immediately tariffed, on any and all goods sold to the United States of America, 50%, effective immediately. There will be no exclusions or exemptions."

US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth said the US military would be making sure Iran complies with the ceasefire and comes to the table for a deal.

Troops will "stay put, stay ready, stay vigilant" and be "ready to re-start at a moment's notice", he added.

Iran has agreed to allow vessels through the Hormuz Strait for two weeks, with their passage coordinated by the Iranian military.

The country has also issued a 10-point plan, which includes, among other things, the complete cessation of war in Iran, Iraq, Lebanon and Yemen; "full commitment" to lifting sanctions on Iran; the release of Iranian funds and frozen assets held by the US; and a "full payment of compensation for reconstruction costs" to Iran.

It also says, "Iran fully commits to not seeking possession of any nuclear weapons".

"Iran's victory in the field would also be consolidated in political negotiations," Tehran's Supreme National Security Council said in a statement.

According to Sharif, the ceasefire will also take effect in Lebanon, where Israel has been fighting the Iranian-backed armed group Hezbollah.

Israel has backed the deal but says it "does not include Lebanon", renewing strikes on Wednesday in the Tyre and Nabatieh areas in the south of the country. Trump's press secretary Karoline Leavitt later also said that Lebanon was not included in the deal.

The Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) promised a "regret-inducing response" if strikes on Lebanon continue.

What has Israel said?

Sirens sounded in Israel shortly after Trump's announcement, with the Israel Defense Forces saying they were intercepting missiles launched from Iran.

Several loud booms were heard in Jerusalem late on Tuesday night.

A few hours after the ceasefire was confirmed, Netanyahu said: "Israel supports President Trump's decision to suspend strikes against Iran for two weeks subject to Iran immediately opening the straits and stopping all attacks on the US, Israel and countries in the region."

The statement added that the "ceasefire does not include Lebanon", where Israel has ground troops.

It is unclear how involved Netanyahu was in Trump's decision-making but at a news conference later on Wednesday, the Israeli leader said the ceasefire came into effect "in full coordination with Israel".

He added: "We have more goals to complete - and we will achieve them either by an agreement or by renewing the fighting. We are prepared to return to fighting at any moment necessary. Our finger is on the trigger."

What is next?

Pakistan, which has been mediating the negotiations, has invited the delegations to meet in Islamabad on Friday "to further negotiate for a conclusive agreement to settle all disputes".

Leavitt acknowledged ongoing discussions about in-person talks, but said "nothing is final until announced by the President or the White House".

She later announced that the US Vice President JD Vance would attend the talks, along with the president's enovy Steve Witkoff and his son-in-law Jared Kushner.

Whatever form they take, negotiations are going to be very difficult.

Strikes appeared to be continuing after the ceasefire, as Kuwait on Wednesday morning reported Iranian attacks which damaged power and desalination plants as well as oil facilities.

"Kuwait air defences have been engaging an intense wave of hostile Iranian attacks, dealing with 28 drones targeting the State of Kuwait," the country's military said in a statement on X.

The US and Iran appear to have contradicting positions on what this ceasefire entails. And Iran and the US have held two rounds of talks in the past year. Both times saw military tensions escalate in the middle of negotiations.

The leaders of France, Italy, Germany, Britain, Canada, Denmark, the Netherlands, Spain and the EU welcomed the ceasefire and in a joint statement urged a "swift and lasting end" to the war.

"We call upon all sides to implement the ceasefire, including in Lebanon," they said.

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Israeli strikes in Lebanon 'grave violation' of ceasefire, Iran minister tells BBC

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cp849k4j0y1o, 2 days ago

An Iranian minister has told the BBC that Israeli strikes in Lebanon on Wednesday constituted a "grave violation" of the US-Iran ceasefire agreement.

Deputy Foreign Minister Saeed Khatibzadeh said Lebanon was covered by the two-week deal agreed on Tuesday - something the US and Israel dispute - and said the US must choose "between war and ceasefire".

At least 303 people were killed on Wednesday in air strikes on what Israel called Hezbollah command centres and military sites, the Lebanese health ministry said.

Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has since said he has instructed his cabinet to "open direct negotiations with Lebanon as soon as possible". Beirut has also said it is ready for talks.

"The only solution to the situation Lebanon is experiencing is to achieve a ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon, followed by direct negotiations between them," Lebanese President Joeseph Aoun said on X.

Netanyahu's office has said the negotiations with Lebanon "will focus on the disarmament of Hezbollah and the establishing of peaceful relations between Israel and Lebanon".

Khatibzadeh, pressed on BBC Radio 4's Today programme on whether Tehran would likewise ask its ally, Hezbollah, to stop firing rockets towards Israel, said the Iranian-backed militant group had "abided" by the ceasefire.

Hezbollah said on Thursday that it had fired at Israel overnight in response to what it called ceasefire violations. It has also threatened to keep up its attacks until "Israeli-American aggression" against Lebanon comes to an end.

The Israeli military, meanwhile, issued fresh evacuation orders for residents in southern Beirut.

Khatibzadeh said Tehran had sent a "crystal clear" message to the White House late on Wednesday which could be summarised as "you cannot have cake and eat it at the same time".

"You cannot ask for a ceasefire and then accept terms and conditions, accept all the areas that a ceasefire is applied to, and name Lebanon, exactly Lebanon in that, and then your ally just starts a massacre."

UN Secretary General António Guterres is among those who have said that the ongoing fighting in Lebanon could undermine talks between the US and Iran that are due to happen on Friday in Pakistan, which negotiated the ceasefire.

More than 1,700 people have been killed, including at least 130 children, so far as a result of the war, the Lebanese health ministry says, without distinguishing combatants from civilians.

Israel says it has killed around 1,100 Hezbollah fighters.

Over 1.2 million people have been displaced, or one in five of the population, most of them from Shia Muslim communities.

Khatibzadeh was also asked about Tehran's warning that ships passing through the Strait of Hormuz without its permission "would be targeted and destroyed" despite the ceasefire, during which ships are meant to be allowed through the vital waterway - and whether this could be considered an act of war.

He said Iran would abide by international law, while arguing that the international shipping channel comprised the territorial water of Oman and Iran, and that both countries had in the past allowed safe passage through it out of "goodwill".

He said that, if the US withdrew its "aggression", Iran would "provide security for safe passage".

Asked if this meant Iran would not be charging ships for passage or threatening them, the minister said Iran wanted the Strait to be "peaceful".

But he added that Iran would need to work with Oman and the international community on a protocol for safe passage to ensure it was not "misused by warships".

Since the war began on 28 February, Tehran has effectively blocked the shipping lane through which about a fifth of the world's oil and liquefied natural gas usually passes, causing disruption to the global economy.

Although the two-week ceasefire was agreed on the condition that the Strait reopen, Iranian state media reported it remained closed after continued Israeli attacks against Hezbollah.

White House spokesperson Karoline Leavitt, however, told reporters late on Wednesday that any reports suggesting the Strait was closed were false, and said there had been an "uptick" in ships passing through.

President Trump meanwhile warned overnight that US forces would remain in the region until the "real agreement" with Iran was adhered to, emphasising on Truth Social that the deal required the strait be "open and safe".

Khatibzadeh said he was "very doubtful" about reaching a permanent understanding with the US, accusing Washington of having used negotiation as a cover for military action.

Asked whether scheduled talks between the US and Iran in Pakistan would still go ahead, he said: "We are going to closely monitor what is happening from now on."

Khatibzadeh added: "But as a diplomat, I'm very much hopeful that finally we reach an understanding and settle this within our national interest and within the regional interest."

China is winning one AI race, the US another - but either might pull ahead

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c145enxln0go, 5 days ago

In the second half of the 20th Century, it was the race to develop nuclear arms that occupied some of the finest minds in the US and the Soviet Union.

Now the US finds itself in a different kind of race with a different adversary: China. The aim is to dominate technology; specifically Artificial Intelligence (AI).

It's a fight taking place in research labs, on university campuses, and in the offices of cutting-edge start-ups - watched over by leaders of some of the world's richest companies, and at the highest levels of government. It costs trillions of US dollars.

And each side has its strengths - something Nick Wright, who works on cognitive neuroscience at University College London (UCL), neatly sums up as the battle between "brains" and "bodies". The US has traditionally led on so-called AI brains: the world of chatbots, microchips, and large language models (LLMs). China has been superior on AI "bodies": robots (and in particular, "humanoid" robots that look eerily like people).

But now, with both sides anxious not to let their rival dominate, those advantages might not remain forever - and the race may yet be transformed further in the coming years.

The battle for LLM dominance

On 30 November 2022, the California-based tech firm, OpenAI, launched its new chatbot. In a six-sentence statement, the company announced they had trained a new model "which interacts in a conversational way".

It was called ChatGPT. Immediately, the tech world was dazzled.

"You could go on any sort of social network and there was just this flood of posts from people talking about all the different ways that they were using this new little text box that had appeared on the internet," says Bloomberg columnist Parmy Olson, author of Supremacy: AI, ChatGPT, and the race that will change the world.

It was the birth of the first mainstream large language model, or LLM. An LLM analyses vast quantities of text and data that already exists on the internet, and uses it to learn patterns in how ideas are expressed.

And now, experts broadly agree that when it comes to so-called AI "brains", the US has the upper hand.

OpenAI claims that more than 900 million people now use ChatGPT every week - almost one in eight people on the planet. Other American tech firms like Anthropic, Google, and Perplexity raced to keep up, spending billions of US dollars creating rival LLM systems.

Those AI companies know that if they get it right, LLMs can start to assume many of the functions in white-collar professions that humans do now - and that commercial victory translates into lots of easy cash.

How the Americans played their chips

But minds in Washington are focused on another question, too: how will all this affect the US's race with China for global primacy?

According to a senior US official who has spoken to the BBC, the key to America's strategic advantage lies less in the remarkable algorithmic coding, and more in the hardware driving the immense computing power: in particular, microchips.

Put simply, most of the world's high-end, powerful computer chips - the ones used by Silicon Valley firms to fuel the creation of LLMs - are controlled by America. In fact, most of them are designed by one California-based company: Nvidia. In October, Nvidia became the first company in the world to be valued at $5tn (£3.8tn). It may well be the most valuable company of all time, according to Stephen Witt, author of The Thinking Machine.

And Washington uses a strict network of export controls to prevent China from getting its hands on those powerful chips. The policy broadly dates to the 1950s, when the US blocked exports of advanced electronics to Soviet-allied countries. But it was sharply strengthened in 2022, by President Joe Biden, as the AI race heated up.

America can flex its muscles on export controls, even though most of those powerful chips aren't even manufactured in the US. In fact, a lot of them are made in Taiwan (a US ally), by the Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Corporation.

America ensures that very few of those Taiwanese-built high-end chips end up in China. It does that via its "foreign direct product rule", which forces foreign companies to align with US rules if the goods they are exporting contain US parts, or are derived from US technology.

The Taiwanese microchip factory is almost visible from mainland China. You can see why the island might be a tempting prize for Beijing.

So why don't Chinese factories just start making those powerful chips themselves? It's not so easy. To make the high-end chips, you need an ultraviolet printing machine. Only one company in the world makes those machines - ASML, based in a small town in the Netherlands. America uses the same tactic (its "foreign product direct rule") to block that Dutch company from sending those useful machines to China.

This protectionist policy looked to have been largely successful at helping the US retain its edge when it comes to AI "brains".

But now, China has fought back.

The DeepSeek counter-attack

In January 2025, in the same week Donald Trump was inaugurated for the second time, surrounded by billionaire tech bros, China launched its own AI-powered chatbot: DeepSeek.

For a user, it feels broadly similar to ChatGPT. It can answer questions, write code and it's free to use.

Crucially, DeepSeek is estimated to have cost a fraction of the amount it took to create American LLMs like ChatGPT and Claude.

It created shockwaves. On 27 January 2025, Nvidia suffered the largest single-day market value loss in US stock market history: around $600bn (£450bn).

"It was hugely discombobulating for Washington," says Karen Hao, an AI journalist. She thinks the US policy of export controls might have backfired: Chinese developers had to make do without the powerful chips, forcing them to be creative. "It ended up… accelerat[ing] China's self-reliance," she says.

"The defining feature of DeepSeek is that it had similar capabilities, at the time, to the American models like Open AI and Anthropic, but using a far smaller amount of computer chips for training that model."

In Beijing, meanwhile, there was a palpable optimism, says Selina Xu, a researcher who works on China AI policy in the office of former Google boss Eric Schmidt. "Everybody was trying to figure out, 'How did DeepSeek do it?'. And it's really… been a very positive catalyst for the Chinese AI ecosystem."

It's also highlighted a sharp difference in how the countries operate. In the US, AI firms fiercely guard their intellectual property, but in China, there's been a greater "open source" approach. In an effort to accelerate uptake and innovation, Chinese firms often publish their codes online, so developers from other companies can look at it.

"This means that tech companies in China, when they're building a new AI model, don't have to start from scratch," says Olson. "They can just take that model and build on top of it and make it better."

As a result, the race for AI "brains" is no longer so clear cut. America thought that LLMs were a powerful tool in its arsenal; now, China can make them too.

"The American closed-proprietary models are probably better, but maybe just not by that much," says Selina Xu. "The Chinese model, maybe it's only 90% as good, but it is 10% as expensive."

China's advantage in the robot wars

And when it comes to AI "bodies" - the world of drones and robotics - China has historically had the edge.

From the 2010s, the Chinese government sharply amped up its support for robot development. They funded research, and provided robot manufacturers with billions of US dollars worth of subsidies. It's now estimated there are about two million working robots in China - more than in the rest of the world combined.

Olson says much of this success comes from the fact that China is a manufacturing economy. "So you have all that expertise on building electronics and you capitalise on that and then you get incredible… robotics start-ups."

International visitors to Shenzhen or Shanghai are often surprised by the deep integration of robots into everyday life, says Xu; things like drone deliveries to order food.

China has particularly excelled in so-called "humanoid" robots: machines broadly designed to look and act like people.

The Center for Strategic and International Studies, a bipartisan US think tank, has reported on a "dark factory" in Chongqing, in the south of the country. The plant has 2,000 robots and autonomous vehicles that together, it's claimed, can deliver a new car every minute. It's called a dark factory because it's fully automated and can - theoretically - operate in the dark without any human presence.

Beijing is aware of the country's rapidly ageing population, Xu says. The government thinks humanoids can fill the gap left when human workers retire out of the workforce, particularly in care work. "By around 2035, the number of people [in China] aged 60 or above is expected to exceed the entire population of the US," she says.

Not only is China building robots to serve its own, huge population - it also now accounts for 90% of all humanoid robot exports.

The ghost in the machine

But there's a catch.

China leads the world on building robot bodies. But each of those bodies still needs a brain - an operating system, or software, that tells the various bits of metal what to do.

If the robot only needs to do a repetitive task - the kind it might do at that Chongqing car factory - it only needs a relatively simple robot brain. China can build that itself.

But for a robot to carry out lots of varied, complex tasks, it needs an intelligent brain powered by a different form of AI, called agentic AI. This is an AI programme that behaves more like an independent actor, working through assignments containing multiple steps.

So when it comes to those high-powered brains, America still has the edge.

"The United States is… definitely still in the lead when it comes to robot brains," says Wright, the UCL researcher. "That's the chips and the AI software that helps the robot do actual tasks. And what you do need to bear in mind is that about 80% of the value of a robot is in its brain."

Of robot dogs and drones

Both the US and China are now racing to combine robots with agentic AI - and a US firm has shown that its no longer only Chinese firms who can deliver successful robots. And it matters who wins: it's a technology that could prove exciting and terrifying.

Boston Dynamics, an engineering firm in the US, already uses it. Their dog-like robot, Spot, has become something of an online icon among tech aficionados, with millions of YouTube views. The robot dog has powerful "eyes" (a high-tech camera with thermal imaging) and "ears" (acoustic monitoring).

Spot can now carry out inspections around the company's warehouses, detecting things like equipment over-heating, gas leaks or spills, before feeding that information into the industrial AI software provider, IFS. AI then analyses the findings and makes decisions - possibly without any human input - to solve the problem.

On the scarier side, Wright says there's another place we can already see the combination of robotics and agentic AI: battlefield drones.

Last summer, Ukraine began deploying the Gogol-M - an aerial "mothership" drone capable of flying hundreds of kilometers into Russia before releasing two smaller attack drones. Without any human control, those drones then used their AI brains to scan the ground to determine targets, before flying towards them and detonating explosives.

Who will triumph?

It's hard to forecast who will win the race when we don't know where the finish line is, says Greg Slabaugh, professor of computer vision and AI at Queen Mary University of London.

"'Victory' is unlikely to be a singular moment, like landing on the Moon," he adds. "Instead, what matters is sustained advantage: who leads in capability, who embeds AI most effectively across their economy, and who sets global standards."

With technologies like electricity and computing, Prof Slabaugh says, it mattered less who built the systems first, and more who rolled them out most effectively across the economy: "The same may prove true for AI."

We don't know where AI is taking us. Big US tech firms want to rush into that unknown future without guardrails; the Communist Party of China wants the state to oversee that research.

One version promises a hyper version of consumer capitalism; the other, a world in which the state determines what you can or can't do with this technology.

"Each side is best placed to prevail in its own game," says Mari Sako of the University of Oxford's Said Business School. "When two players fight with different rules of the game, I suspect the player that courts the wider audience - users, adopters, etc - is likely to prevail."

And the stakes are high. It's still not clear whether the US or China will emerge more powerful from the 21st Century. The AI race could well be the clincher.

Additional reporting: Ben Carter

Where responsibility lies when social media inspired mountaineers get into trouble

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cz0e105yk23o, 10 days ago

Two walkers find themselves stranded on a remote hillside as night closes in, hundreds of miles from home, after being inspired out into the wilderness by a TikTok video. It might sound like an unusual emergency - but for Mike Park, CEO of Mountain Rescue England and Wales, it's become a familiar story.

"We had two people stuck on a hill at 8pm, no torches. One was in their early 20s and the other was late 30s. It was their first time on a hill. They'd travelled a long way because they'd seen a TikTok route. They set off on their walk at 2pm - too late - wearing shorts, T‑shirts and carrying only a picnic," he recalls.

"They got off‑route, found themselves in unfamiliar ground – but they did the right thing by calling for help."

Park says this recent rescue, just a few days ago in the Lake District, is typical of the kind of callouts many colleagues now see.

His rescue team were able to safely find the pair and walk them off the hill – but the incident perfectly captures some changing behaviours. Their situation was self-inflicted; they weren't prepared and got into trouble, extra layers and some good torches could have seen them rescue themselves - but they were also quick to call for help when they knew something was wrong - a decision Park says saved them from far more severe consequences.

"If we hadn't reached them, they'd have been stuck all night in the dark. By morning, I'm confident they'd be suffering hypothermia - possibly unable to walk."

Over the past few years, mountain rescue teams say there's been a stark rise in the number of people needing to be rescued.

This has ignited a delicate but important debate. Who is responsible for safety on our mountains? And, are increased warning signs and even barriers the answer to saving lives in our most dangerous landscapes, or is risk the price we pay for true adventure?

The rise in callouts

Mountain rescue callouts have been steadily rising for decades. Sport England figures suggest there's been a particular boom in recent years, with the number of us regularly climbing a hill or mountain rising from 2.8m people in 2018 to 3.6m in 2024.

Living an active lifestyle is something the public body estimates could be saving the NHS billions each year, by reducing the number of people developing chronic conditions.

However, it's also contributed to sharp rises in the number of rescues required by the volunteers who make up the UK's so-called "fourth emergency service".

In England and Wales, the number of callouts rescue teams attend has doubled in the past decade, reaching well over 3,000 a year by 2024, according to Mountain Rescue England and Wales.

So what's changed?

One of the key themes rescue teams pick up on is how incidents featuring younger adventurers, aged 18 to 24, have soared in recent years. Callouts for the age group almost doubled in England and Wales between 2019 and 2024, from 166 to 314.

It now makes them the most rescued age group, overtaking walkers in their 50s who had previously needed the most help.

Mike Park has spent the past 40 years on the hills of the Lake District, rescuing those in danger. He has observed a significant shift among younger people in embracing the outdoors - but says he believes better technology and wider social changes in the past few decades have also fed into the overall rise.

"It doesn't matter what age you are - society is more adventurous, more reliant on help, less outdoor‑aware, and less prepared," he says.

"When I first started our team did 10-15 callouts a year. We average around 100 now. The rise hasn't been steady - it's steepened sharply, especially in the last 10 years and after Covid-19."

Park believes part of what makes the mountains of the UK so attractive is that most can be easily accessed for a day-trip - at worst a short weekend break. They are on our doorstep, via the same motorways and service stations we might stop at on our way to a theme park or music gig.

This can breed a sense of overfamiliarity - with some misjudging just how alien and dangerous these environments can be, he suggests.

Park says decades ago, many people who went into the UK's mountains would have it as their sole major pastime, they were "hillwalkers or mountaineers, that was it". Now, outdoor adventures are easy to pick up alongside the many other work and leisure activities people juggle.

"There's so much to do now, we don't concentrate on any one thing. People might do the outdoor environment one week, swimming the next, holiday the week after," he says.

Rescuers say it should be seen as only good news that millions of people are now inspired each year to venture into the outdoors themselves, encouraged by stories of the physical and mental health benefits - and beautiful images spread across social media.

But the reality of having so many novices is also starting to take its toll on some of the UK's busiest rescue teams, who are increasingly grappling with exhaustion and stretched staffing.

It's important to note that no rescue team we spoke to begrudge doing these kinds of rescues - they are grateful they can help those who need it and avoid the situation getting any worse. It doesn't matter how you got there, just that they can help you get down safely.

But according to Park, the fact people are seemingly more willing to take risks in the first place - and then more willing to pick up the phone when things go wrong - has fundamentally changed what kind of rescues his teams do.

"Ten years ago, 70% of callouts were because someone physically couldn't get off a hill," he says.

"Now, most people haven't physically injured themselves - it's that they're mentally unable to get down, because they weren't prepared for the environment."

In other words, people's bodies are capable of getting them off the mountains, but they lack the experience, confidence or equipment to do it safely.

Online influencers

Many mountain rescuers believe the increase in online influencers is playing a role. There are pictures and videos across sites like TikTok and Instagram encouraging people to venture out to beautiful plateaus and waterfalls.

Seeing people influenced by social media "used to be rare, but now it's constant," explains Martin McMullan, from the Mourne Mountain Rescue Team in Northern Ireland.

"People search out iconic locations made popular by influencers. Some go just to experience it - others are trying to create their own content for their platforms."

In some rare cases, McMullan says influencers may even be attempting to get rescued - to create more interesting content for their channels. He became suspicious of one case a few years ago, when his team was called to Northern Ireland's highest peak in "very serious" sub-zero winter conditions.

At the summit McMullan says they found a group of young people who they escorted part of the way down, before calling in a helicopter to evacuate them to safety. It was only days later, when a friend alerted him to it, that McMullan realised the whole thing had been filmed by the group, clutching onto their phones as they were rescued.

"They'd been livestreaming parts of it - even when things became dangerous. We were oblivious to it at the time. They probably thought it made great social media content."

McMullen says although being far from the first time he'd had a rescue filmed by members of the public keen to capture the drama of the job, it was the first time his team suspected a group had gone out with the idea of getting rescued, something they denied.

Hotspots

The vast majority of mountain rescue teams, thankfully, rarely find themselves called out to a death. But the spread is far from even and there are certainly hotspots.

The rescue team covering Yr Wyddfa, Snowdon, is far and away the busiest in the UK. The team is often called to fatal incidents and has seen a rise in deaths. Across north Wales, there were 14 fatalities in the mountains back in 2015. Last year there were 23.

So-called body recovery callouts can have a significant impact on the rescuers, with a growing importance being placed on welfare checks and support for the teams who regularly battle the elements to retrieve bodies so they can be returned to their loved ones.

There have been suggestions that putting up physical warning signs, or even fencing, on some of the UK's most dangerous ridges and waterfalls could potentially save lives. The National Trust and conservation project, Fix the Fells, recently decided signs were needed to prevent accidents on England's highest mountain, Scafell Pike.

Over eight years, four people died and more than 40 were rescued from the treacherous ravine known as Piers Gill, before a sign and large rocks were placed on the nearby route to encourage people away from the area.

In mid-Wales, one assistant coroner has recommended multiple times that signs be put up around some of the region's impressive waterfalls. Five people have died at the beauty spots in the past few years, which has prompted the assistant coroner for south Wales central, Rachel Knight, to write three Prevention of Future Death Reports - recommending improvements.

In the most recent one, she argued clearer warning signs were needed for walkers who risked falling from the paths above the waterfalls – suggesting without them, many would fail to understand "the significant risks they face" in the area and more people were likely to die.

So could putting up signs work in other remote areas?

Andy Buchan is due to take over Mike Park's role at Mountain Rescue England and Wales in May.

In some of the most extreme areas, like Crib Goch, a notorious knife edge ridge in north Wales with annual fatalities, Buchan says some ideas should be considered.

"I won't call it signposting in terms of actually putting signs up on the mountain, but certainly signposting towards more information could really help."

Buchan suggests that in rescue hotspots such as Crib Goch, which does already have some warnings placed on the route, more could be done to help walkers access weather forecasts and safety information before they get to an area - potentially by placing additional signs or QR codes in car parks hikers are likely to use before heading out.

However, what Buchan and others I speak to really don't want to see - despite some potential benefits - is the same widespread canvassing of signs and fencing witnessed in other countries.

"There are other parts of the world that I've travelled, like the US, where you can get to remote places and then all of a sudden, when you want to go and have a look at the view over the cliff, there's a big metal barrier around and there's concrete being put in place and it kind of destroys the remoteness of the location that you're in," Buchan explains.

'The mountain isn't going anywhere'

In preparing for the role, Buchan has had plenty of time to think about the current challenges, but is overwhelmingly positive about seeing more people out on the hills.

"We encourage people to get outside for their physical and mental wellbeing," he says. "People recognise the countryside is a cost‑effective way to have great experiences. It's great - but it does come with risk."

The story of Jack Carne is testament to that. Jack and his two best friends had travelled a few hours from their hometown of Barnsley to reach the mountains of Eryri, also known as Snowdonia, in north Wales. Inspired, after the Covid-19 lockdowns, by the freedom the mountains offered them, the trio in their 20s had been out hiking at every possible opportunity. They were committed, fit and experienced - but on this occasion, just "10 metres from the top" of Glyder Fawr, a peak thousands of feet up, everything went wrong.

A rock Jack had grabbed hold of broke away in his hands. His friends could do nothing as they watched him fall. In just an instant he was gone - disappearing out of sight beneath them. Three friends went up the mountain that day. Only two came back.

It was the starkest reminder possible about the unpredictability and the dangers lurking just beneath the surface of the UK's most picturesque landscapes – even for those who come prepared.

At the inquest into Jack's death, the coroner remarked how the young men were all well-equipped and experienced enough for the route they'd chosen.

"It was a scramble - nothing harder than anything we'd done before," Matty Belcher, one of those three friends, told me. "In fact it was easier than a lot of stuff we'd done," added the 27-year-old.

"Mountain Rescue said the boulder that actually took Jack was a freak accident," adds Brandan Smith, 25, the group's third member.

"That rock could have gone in a week's time, a year's time."

One week after Jack's death, Brandan and Matty were back at the same peak - this time making it the additional 10m to the summit, where they had time to reflect alongside Jack's dad, who they'd brought with them.

"Jack's dad wanted to see it - put his mind at ease, instead of guessing what happened," explains Matty.

For Brandan and Matty, it was a key moment - that inspired them to keep adventuring and not give up on the beauty of our landscape, despite the risks.

"Jack was the one who absolutely loved it the most out of us," says Brandan. "He was probably the best of us at climbing - he was brilliant - he always pushed me, believed I could do it even when I didn't.

"If we'd stopped going out after he died, Jack would've kicked us for it."

The key thing, both men say, is for those looking to adventure, to always be aware of the risks.

"For us, if someone isn't feeling safe, we turn back. No question. There's always another day," says Brandan. "It's always going to be there - the mountain isn't going anywhere."

Top picture credit: Getty Images

Why the benefit used by more than 8 million people may not be fit for the future

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c3r3w0w1gepo, 12 days ago

Few revolutions have been seeded in Easterhouse in the east end of Glasgow. The area was, at one point, a case study in how not to build new housing developments. Erected as part of Glasgow's vast post‑war housing scheme, the area saw poor‑quality homes erected with few shops or transport links, and by the 1970s and 1980s it was weighed down by boredom, alcohol and hopelessness. Gang violence flourished.

But on a dreary February day in 2002, a visit to Easterhouse by the Conservative leader at the time, Iain Duncan Smith, was to ignite a generational overhaul of the welfare system that still resonates today.

The change that was set in motion during that visit would later become Universal Credit, a benefit that now supports more than eight million people. Duncan Smith's basic idea was to make work pay, to incentivise people into a job.

But as the rollout of the benefit finally nears completion over the next few weeks, albeit nine years behind schedule and hundreds of millions of pounds over budget, the questions the welfare system now struggles with are different.

For example, there are now 700,000 graduates unemployed and claiming benefits — an increase of more than 200,000 - or 46% - since 2019, according to the Centre for Social Justice (CSJ).

And most glaringly, while back in 2002 when Iain Duncan Smith visited Easterhouse, around a quarter of recipients of incapacity benefits were for mental or behavioural reasons; today, it's close to half.

Numbers and costs are set to rise rapidly, with spending on health and disability-related benefits forecast to increase from £65bn a year currently to £100bn by 2029.

The government describe the current arrangements as "a system which encourages sickness" and say their reforms will fix this. But can Universal Credit and the work and benefits system more generally reshape itself to meet this new reality?

'Making work pay'

Beyond the obvious, the dilapidated housing and the poverty, what struck Duncan Smith in Easterhouse was the hopelessness, the sense that being on benefits was a destination, not a bridge.

Over subsequent years, working mainly through the CSJ, the think tank he founded, Duncan Smith devised a system that he believed would not just simplify the benefits system but, crucially, make work pay.

Six benefits paid to people of working age would be rolled into one monthly payment.

The key to "making work pay" was to remove the disincentive in the existing welfare system to take a job. Universal Credit aimed to change that by allowing people to keep more of the money they earned.

"You needed a maths degree to work out whether you were better off moving into work under the old system," said Joe Shalam, director of policy at the CSJ and a former special adviser in the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) when the Tories were in power.

"I think a lot of people across Britain, and indeed internationally, look at the Universal Credit system as a hugely simplifying upgrade in the way the welfare system works, that has restored those incentives for hundreds of thousands of people [to get a job]."

In 2019, the then-government said that their welfare changes had cut the number of workless households by one million since 2010.

The basic rate

But Universal Credit doesn't exist in a bubble.

When the Tories won the 2015 election, they introduced a four-year freeze on working-age benefit levels, eroding the value of the payment. The difficulty that families have had in the past decade or so in making ends meet – evidenced most clearly by the huge rise in food bank usage – has long been blamed by anti-poverty campaigners on the value and design of Universal Credit.

In order to mimic work, particularly monthly salaried employment, new claimants have to wait five weeks for their first payment. But many low-income households don't have the savings to last that long and so have to borrow, incurring debt.

The DWP will pay an interest-free advance, equivalent to the first month's payment, but will then automatically recover the money from subsequent Universal Credit payments, for up to two years.

Citizens Advice say that in 2025 two-thirds of the people they helped in relation to repaying loans to the DWP also needed help accessing food banks.

The five-week wait needs "urgent attention", says David Mendes da Costa, principle policy manager at Citizens Advice charity.

"Universal Credit is meant to be a safety net, not to trap people in debt from day one, but that's exactly the situation our advisers see every single day."

Olivia Diss, who is unemployed, from Essex says the standard £317 a month under-25s allowance "gives some sort of income but it's not enough to live on." She's having to rely on her parents to help out, but bemoans the need for them to do so.

"It assumes," says Diss, "that parents will bridge the monetary gap. It fails to factor in an effective way of exiting unemployment and entering the world of work as a self-sufficient adult."

Increasing the basic allowance

Many Jobcentre Plus staff and welfare advisers privately believe that the basic, standard rate of Universal Credit is not enough to live on. And it is thought this may be contributing to more people claiming the health element of Universal Credit, something acknowledged in a paper published by the government last year.

It said the low level of the standard benefit "creates a logical – but perverse - incentive for people to claim the health element too".

And people on the health element of Universal Credit have not received the same support to get into work, with the effect, according to the paper of "trapping people out of the labour market many of whom want to work."

Someone over 25 on the basic allowance currently receives £400 a month but could add another £423 if they are assessed as being unable to work due to ill health.

Ministers are therefore going to increase the basic allowance by 6.2% in April - well above inflation – and have plans to do so for every year until 2029/30. At the same time, they are going to halve the value of the health top-up for most new claimants.

By the end of this Parliament, according to calculations by the Institute for Fiscal Studies think tank, the basic allowance will pay £427 (in today's prices) and £628 if they are in ill health (down from the current £823).

The government hopes that reducing the gap will mean fewer people will be incentivised to apply for health benefits, meaning more remain eligible for employment support and available for work.

The concern among some groups is that the lower amount will impoverish people who are ill and have little prospect of getting a job anytime soon.

This reduction "will potentially push more people with disabilities and health conditions into poverty, exacerbating their condition and pushing them further away from the labour market", said Debbie Abrahams, the Labour MP who chairs the Work and Pensions Select Committee.

Shadow Work and Pensions Secretary Helen Whately has criticised the fact that Labour's reforms were only focused on new claimants. "These permanent protections embed inequality, discourage work, and destroy the very savings Labour promised," she said.

'Best-kept secret'

The new reality of there being increasing numbers of disabled people in the workforce is well illustrated by the story of a government programme called Access to Work, which helps people with either physical or mental health conditions into jobs, by paying for support or adaptations they might need. It was little used for years – once dubbed the government's "best-kept secret" for employment support – but is now in high demand.

However, the scheme is currently dealing with large backlogs, with stories of people having to give up work due to problems accessing help. Ministers say they've recruited dozens of new case workers since the start of the year and were working to "streamline our processes". They also argue that employers should pay for many of the adaptations that are currently paid by taxpayers.

Supporters of the scheme point out, however, that small businesses may be less likely to employ a disabled person if they have to spend money upfront on special desks or chairs, for instance.

The future for young people

While Universal Credit is a digital service, enforcement of its obligations has long been delivered through Jobcentres, where work coaches are employed to help people find work.

But appointments are sometimes as short as 10 minutes and last year a committee of MPs wrote: "Jobcentres are not working. Rather than centres for jobs, they have become centres for monitoring compliance with benefit conditions."

Jobcentre users I've spoken to have painted a picture of them as frightening, punitive environments, where people are told what they must do, or face losing their benefits. And the very thing they're meant to do, provide job opportunities to claimants, isn't something they're widely able to do as many employers don't advertise with them, believing they won't get quality candidates.

Turning those perceptions around is going to be crucial to getting more people into work and potentially cutting the welfare bill.

Attempts at change

Following a pilot project in the Highlands, North and Mid Wales and Greater Manchester, the DWP is going to expand its "Jobcentre on Wheels" initiative. The scheme involves vans travelling to areas far from a jobcentre, trying to reach people where they are.

A government source says the initial pilot had shown that people who haven't traditionally engaged with employment support have been tempted by the vans, which are seen as more welcoming than the usual, green-fronted town centre locations, a visible example of a different approach.

The key, say ministers, is to turn jobcentres into employment support hubs. Several initiatives have been announced as part of a multi-billion-pound package, heavily focused on getting employment for young people.

Companies will be paid bonuses of £3,000 for recruiting a young person who's been out of work for six months with a further £2,000 available if a small or medium-sized business hires young apprentices.

"We want to give young people hope, to give them the chance to use their talent and energy to the full," said Pat McFadden, the work and pensions secretary in a recent speech.

Some benefit recipients will also get a "Right to Try," a work trial where disabled people and those with health conditions keep getting their benefits while working for a company – without earning a wage – to see if the job is suitable for them. The scheme is intended to overcome the fear that some jobseekers have that they'll have no money for weeks if they take a job that doesn't work out.

But the DWP's own advisers say ministers have not done enough to reassure claimants, including those described as having "fluctuating" conditions, that "undertaking work‑related activities might lead to reassessment", and hence lower benefit awards.

Or as one claimant told the BBC: "If you have a relapse after starting employment that took you off [health benefits] then you're going to be worse off. So why would you even bother?"

The experience of Olivia Diss from Essex highlights another challenge. She graduated with a master's degree in French and Spanish last year.

The latest data shows 700,000 graduates are unemployed and claiming benefits and Diss says her case suggests they require a different sort of help.

"While work coaches are well intentioned and help you as much as they can, they are often unequipped to advise postgraduate students like myself on specialised sectors that are suited to their degree.

"This leaves postgraduates in a professional no-man's land, where we are left to navigate a highly competitive job market alone while being pressured to follow a system that prioritises immediate placement over a sustainable career."

The future of Universal Credit

As the rollout nears completion, the government is currently holding a consultation on the future of Universal Credit, the first system-wide review since it was launched in 2013.

It focuses on three areas – tackling poverty, making work pay and maximising the benefit's potential.

Large numbers of people do struggle with many aspects of Universal Credit, from the self-employed to those needing childcare. Yet for many of its 8.3 million recipients, digitally savvy and good at budgeting, the system functions as intended.

However, with a million or so young people who are classed as Neets – not in education, employment or training – the future is stark.

According to the Keep Britain Working report, produced by Sir Charlie Mayfield last year, a young person in their 20s going on benefits could lose out on £1m of lifetime earnings – the same figure as the state would then spend supporting them.

Meanwhile, a poll published last month by the National Centre for Social Research showed that a near record high number of people, 42%, were opposed to the government spending more money on welfare.

And for the first time in a decade, a majority of British adults believed the generosity of the welfare system stopped people supporting themselves, despite academic studies showing that the UK has one of the least generous welfare systems among industrialised nations.

For the next few weeks, there will still be a small group of people who will claim Employment and Support Allowance and Housing Benefit, two of the benefits Universal Credit replaces. The DWP says they are the hardest claimants to move to the new system.

The end of the Universal Credit rollout marks an important milestone in the revolution that was seeded in the east end of Glasgow. But, much like Easterhouse itself, the welfare system faces new challenges to ensure it is fit for the next 25 years.

Top picture credit: PA / Getty Images

How many ships are crossing the Strait of Hormuz?

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c3w39lg84w2o, yesterday

The Strait of Hormuz has become a focal point of the US-Israel war with Iran after Tehran effectively choked off one of the world's most important shipping lanes.

A two-week US-Iran ceasefire agreed on Tuesday included a condition that "safe passage" through the narrow waterway would be guaranteed.

However, vessels in the area have received messages that they would be "targeted and destroyed" if they attempted to cross the strait without permission, and only a few ships have made the journey over the past three days.

By 17:00 BST on 10 April only 19 ships had been tracked passing through the strait since the ceasefire.

Of these, four were tankers carrying either oil, gas or chemicals. The rest are listed as bulk carriers or container ships of various types.

That's based on BBC Verify analysis of ship-tracking data from MarineTraffic. Other ships have made the journey without broadcasting their location.

That compares to an average of 138 ships passing through the strait each day before the conflict started on 28 February.

The disruption to shipping since the conflict began five weeks ago has sent shock waves across the global economy, destabilising energy prices and exposing just how reliant international supply chains are on the channel that connects the Gulf with the Indian Ocean.

Shipping analysts say vessel owners will remain cautious about crossing the strait until the situation becomes clearer.

"Most shipping lines would want to get details and reassurances on what it actually takes to transit and those details are not available," Lars Jensen from Vespucci Maritime told the BBC.

Richard Meade, editor-in-chief of Lloyd's List says it has been a "very dangerous" time for ship owners who still face a huge amount of uncertainty.

"We know Iran is essentially still in control of the strait, and the assumption is that ship owners will still need to seek permission from the IRGC [Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps]… and how that's going to work is still not clear."

BBC Verify's analysis of the paths taken by the ships shows them taking a northern route through the strait close to Iran's coastline, within its territorial waters.

Prior to the conflict, vessels usually took a more southerly route through the middle of the waterway.

'Nearly 800 ships stuck'

If crossings do resume at a greater pace, Meade expects stranded tankers that are fully loaded with cargo will be the priority.

"You've had nearly 800 ships stuck in there for several weeks. Most of them are now loaded with cargo so the priority is going to be to get them out."

The duration of the ceasefire - set to last two weeks - also brings uncertainty for ships, says Niels Rasmussen, a shipping analyst from BIMCO.

"I doubt there will be a large influx of ships into the Gulf… because they do not want to risk being trapped after the two-week window closes."

Another uncertainty is the possibility of sea mines, says Thomas Kazakos, secretary general of the International Chamber of Shipping.

"We need to make sure that we have clear confirmation that the safety of navigation for the ships and the seafarers are being agreed," he told BBC Verify.

Toll payments

On top of these concerns, ships face the uncertainty of possibly having to make payments to Iran in order to secure safe passage - following reports that tolls may be a part of the ceasefire deal.

"The Iranian negotiation position seems to be that you need to pay a toll to go through the strait and shipping lines will also be hesitant in going down the path of paying that toll," says Jensen.

Some countries - including India, Malaysia and the Philippines - have negotiated safe passage for their vessels in recent weeks.

But paying a toll could present an added complexity for other countries and shipping companies as payment "might actually be in violation of some of the US sanctions on Iran which would have other repercussions on shipping lines," adds Jensen.

Sanctions work by criminalising payments to individuals, companies and organisations, explains James Turner, a shipping lawyer from Quadrant Chambers.

He told BBC Verify that a sanction violation occurs when payment is made to anyone on the list, so paying a toll to them would be a violation unless the US makes an exception.

10 April: This piece is being updated to reflect the latest number of vessels crossing the strait since the ceasefire.

Additional reporting by Tamara Kovacevic

What claims do you want BBC Verify to investigate?

Photos show heavily damaged US radar jet at Saudi base

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cwyd07m7e1xo, 13 days ago

Verified pictures show a US command and control aircraft has been destroyed at an air base in Saudi Arabia.

The pictures appear to have been first shared by a Facebook page carrying US military news. They show the E-3 Sentry aircraft appears to have been split in two.

We've confirmed the photos were taken at the Prince Sultan air base about 100km (62 miles) south-east of the Saudi capital Riyadh. Features seen in the pictures, including pylons, storage units and markings on paved areas, matched with satellite imagery.

US Central Command has not yet publicly commented on the incident. The BBC has asked for comment.

On Friday a US official told Reuters that 12 US personnel had been wounded, two of them seriously, in an Iranian military attack on the air base. The Wall Street Journal newspaper reported that at least two US refuelling aircraft were also damaged.

On Sunday Iran's IRGC-linked Fars news agency said a Shahed drone had struck the E-3 aircraft.

BBC Verify has also seen an E-3 in this location in a satellite image captured on 11 March. We cannot say if they are the same aircraft.

In one of the verified pictures the aircraft's tail number is visible. Using this we checked flight-tracking site Flightradar24 which showed it was airborne near the base on 18 March.

A satellite image taken on Friday appears to show a fire on the air base apron, about 1,600m (5,200ft) east of the E-3. It is not clear whether this was part of the same attack in which the aircraft seen in these pictures was damaged.

The Boeing E-3 Awacs - the acronym stands for Airborne Warning and Control System - is based on a Boeing 707 airliner and has a distinctive rotating radar disc mounted on the rear of its fuselage.

This radar allows it to detect and track potential targets at long ranges to provide an early warning of possible threats during combat operations.

The aircraft gives "information for commanders of air operations to gain and maintain control of the air battle", according to the USAF website.

The first of the type entered service in 1977 and it has been reported that the E-3 is expected to remain operational with the USAF until 2035.

Tracking recent US-Israeli strikes on Iranian infrastructure

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cx2w0v19gw8o, 4 days ago

President Donald Trump has pledged to target infrastructure across Iran unless the country reaches an "acceptable" deal to end the war with the US and Israel by Tuesday night.

Promising to bomb the country "back to the Stone Ages", Trump said US forces would target bridges and power plants across Iran. He also posted to social media on Tuesday that a "whole civilization will die tonight" if an agreement is not struck.

There has been a spate of attacks on infrastructure critical to ordinary Iranians since the conflict began, with schools and hospitals damaged.

BBC Verify has confirmed that US and Israeli strikes have targeted at least two steel plants, three bridges and a pharmaceutical plant over the past two weeks.

Some senior Democrats in the US Congress and UN officials have warned that strikes like these could amount to war crimes. But in a news conference on Monday Trump dismissed those concerns.

What civilian infrastructure has been hit by strikes?

On Thursday, US aircraft attacked a bridge which had been under construction in the central city of Karaj. Local officials said the attack killed at least 13 people.

Footage confirmed by BBC Verify showed at least two strikes on the bridge. A large gap in the bridge can be seen in the aftermath of the attack, with construction cranes visible either side of it.

Trump later shared footage on the strike online, writing that the "biggest bridge in Iran comes tumbling down, never to be used again," adding: "Much more to follow."

A number of steel facilities have also been targeted. On 27 March, verified footage showed smoke billowing from the Isfahan Mobarakeh Steel company, forcing workers to suspend operations. The plant - which is Iran's largest steel manufacturer - exported around $860m (£649m) between March 2025 and January 2026, according to company linked-reporting.

Satellite images also showed damage at the Khuzestan Steel Company - the country's second largest manufacturer. Local officials said that it could take up to a year to repair the damage caused to the plant by the attacks.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has claimed that the strikes have disrupted up to 70% of Iran's steel manufacturing capability. Arman Mahmoudian, research fellow at the University of South Florida's Global and National Security Institute, said the damage could seriously impact the Iranian economy.

"Steel is a cornerstone of Iran's non-oil economic capacity," he said. "If Israeli strikes have indeed dismantled around 70% of Iran's steel production capacity, this would place nearly 20 million tons of output at risk, potentially affecting around 3–3.5% of Iran's GDP."

Mahmoudian also noted that attacks on Iran's pharmaceutical industry could pose major issues for the healthcare system. On 31 March, an Israel Defense Forces (IDF) spokesperson said it had carried out a strike on the Tofigh Daru Research & Engineering Company - one of Iran's largest pharmaceutical companies which produces anaesthetic and cancer drugs.

The IDF said in a statement that it had carried out the strike and alleged that the company had transferred "chemical substances, including fentanyl, that were used for research and development of chemical weapons". The BBC cannot independently verify that claim.

While pharmaceutical goods represent only a small part of Iran's economy, Mahmoudian noted that strikes against the sector could impact access to medicine at a time of need and undermine Tehran's "medical independence". Iranian media has previously claimed that over 90% of pharmaceuticals are produced domestically, but BBC Verify cannot confirm that.

Educational facilities have been heavily damaged in recent strikes, verified footage and photos suggest. On Saturday, images showed debris around the exterior of Shahid Beheshti University in Tehran and parts of the building were destroyed after a reported attack.

Images also showed damage at the Sharif University of Technology in Tehran on Monday after strikes on the capital.

Religious buildings have also been hit. In the central city of Zanjan an attack levelled parts of the Husseinya Mosque, photos showed. Local officials said two people were killed in the strike, which destroyed a clinic and a library within the complex.

The IDF also said on Tuesday that it had bombed 10 "key" parts of the Iranian railway. Verified footage from Aminabad village in central Iran showed a collapsed railway bridge said to be caused by the attacks.

Another video posted by the Iranian Red Crescent and which we verified showed paramedics carrying an injured man away from a railway line near Karaj. It's unclear what caused his injuries.

One railway worker in Tehran who spoke to the BBC expressed frustration at the attacks on the lines. "I'm really angry," the worker said. "Everything is falling apart."

The strikes came after IDF warned Iranians early on Tuesday against travelling. Writing in Farsi in a post to social media, it warned civilians that their "presence on trains and near railway lines endangers your life".

Could the US-Israeli strikes amount to war crimes?

The recent strikes are just the latest in a wave of attacks which have damaged civilian infrastructure.

Last month BBC Verify revealed that a UNESCO world heritage site, schools and a hospital were among the sites damaged in bombing runs.

Legal experts and some senior US and UN officials have questioned whether the US-Israel attacks could amount to war crimes.

Under international law, strikes on civilian sites are permitted in certain limited circumstances where they are being used for a definite military advantage, Professor Rachel VanLandingham, a former US military lawyer, told BBC Verify. But she emphasised that any actions taken cannot cause "excessive" harm to civilians.

Acled - an independent organisation which monitors the impact of conflicts - said on Thursday that data indicated that "civilian harm has largely remained clustered around US-Israeli strikes on military, security, and state-linked sites, rather than indiscriminate bombardment across urban neighbourhoods".

It said its analysis suggested that 40 dual use sites - facilities which produce both civilian and military products - have been hit since US-Israeli strikes began on 28 February.

But UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said on Monday attacks would be prohibited where they caused "excessive incidental civilian harm". The UN's human rights chief Volker Turk said on Tuesday that "deliberately attacking civilians and civilian infrastructure is a war crime" and that those responsible would be held responsible.

Sir Geoffrey Nice - a former prosecutor at the Hague - told the BBC's World at One programme that attacks on infrastructure like power plants and water facilities would likely be disproportionate under international law.

"The civilian population in any war is entitled to be properly protected and if you interfere with the basic means of life… you are at grave risk of causing completely disproportionate damage, ultimately including by starvation and disease," he said.

In a news conference on Monday, Trump dismissed concerns about the attacks, saying he was "not worried about it" when asked whether his threats to strike energy facilities could amount to war crimes.

"You know the war crime? The war crime is allowing Iran to have a nuclear weapon," he added.

Additional reporting Emma Pengelly, Peter Mwai, Luke Unger.

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Experts dispute US account of deadly Iran sports hall strike in Lamerd

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c4gx8e1x5j3o, 9 days ago

Multiple weapons experts have disputed a US claim that Iran may have been responsible for a deadly strike on the town of Lamerd on the first day of the war.

Six experts - who examined footage of the strike and all commented independently - contested the US suggestion that it was an Iranian missile, citing the missile's visual features, the way it exploded, its trajectory and the number of strikes in the area as the basis for their analysis.

Iranian officials have said 21 people, including four children, were killed.

BBC Verify originally reported on the strikes on 28 March, citing experts who said it was likely a US Precision Strike Missile (PrSM) was used. The US Central Command (Centcom) - which oversees US military operations in the Middle East - declined to comment for that report.

Centcom then released a statement on 31 March denying it was a US missile, instead saying that footage of the attack was consistent with an Iranian Hoveyzeh cruise missile.

"US forces do not target civilians, unlike the Iranian regime which has attacked civilian locations in neighboring countries more than 300 times," the statement added.

When BBC Verify went back to Centcom with the experts' analysis, it said it had "nothing to add" to its original statement.

Lamerd, a town in southern Iran, came under attack on 28 February. CCTV footage published by Iranian state media - which was authenticated and geolocated by BBC Verify - showed a munition moments before it exploded above a residential area. Experts identified it as likely being a US missile, based on its appearance, the size of the blast and the distance from potential US launch sites in the Middle East.

In BBC Verify's initial report, three analysts at the defence intelligence company Janes and an expert at McKenzie Intelligence all said the missile seen in the footage was likely a PrSM - a brand new missile manufactured by Lockheed Martin for the US military.

A New York Times report also found that a PrSM likely hit Lamerd.

On Tuesday US Navy Capt Tim Hawkins said in the statement: "After looking into the reports, U.S. Central Command has confirmed the accusations are false."

"U.S. forces did not launch any strikes at any time into the city of Lamerd or anywhere within 30 miles during the opening day of Operation Epic Fury," adding that it "does not show a Precision Strike Missile (PrSM)".

"The munition depicted in the video appears to be twice as long, consistent with the dimensions and silhouette of an Iranian Hoveyzeh cruise missile," Capt Hawkins said.

Multiple weapons experts have disputed Centcom's claims, noting the Hoveyzeh has a number of distinctive features which they say are not visible in the Lamerd strike footage.

On the same day nearly 400km east, strikes hit an Iranian school and a nearby military base in Minab, killing 168 people according to Iranian officials. Expert video analysis suggests a US Tomahawk missile struck the military compound.

US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth said the incident was under investigation, adding that US forces "never target civilian targets".

PrSM vs Hoveyzeh missile

Amael Kotlarski, a weapons analyst at Janes - a defence intelligence company - said that the Hoveyzeh missile has a belly-mounted turbojet and a pair of mid-body wings.

"Crucially, no matter the angle from which the missile is viewed from, the wings and the turbo jet would be visible. None of that is clearly distinguishable from the footage," he said.

Another munitions expert from McKenzie Intelligence also said the missile seen in the video had no wings or external engine. They said that distinctive "canard fins", consistent with a PrSM, are visible in the footage.

"I remain convinced that the weapon seen is a PrSM and not a Iranian Hoveyzeh Cruise Missile - the two are vastly different in appearance," they added.

Trevor Ball, a weapons expert with the investigative outlet Bellingcat said in a post on X that the length of the missile was "much more consistent with the PrSM" than a Hoveyzeh missile.

"The Hoveyzeh silhouette is also much different, with wings and a visible engine depending on angle," he added.

Airburst warhead

In the verified CCTV footage, the munition appears to explode mid-air above a Lamerd residential area. Experts say this is consistent with the airburst feature of a PrSM, where a weapon explodes above the ground to disperse fragments over a wider area, which is seen in some technologically advanced missiles.

Despite the footage being low resolution, a mid-air explosion is clearly visible. Experts say this is not a known capability of the Hoveyzeh missile.

The manufacturer, Lockheed Martin, describes the PrSM as an "optimized warhead" which contains pre-formed fragments that explode outwards. This, it says, "increases lethality" and "maximizes area effects".

Intelligence expert and ex-National Crime Agency (NCA) investigator Chris Proops said the mid-air explosion was more consistent with a PrSM than any Iranian cruise missile currently in service.

Images taken after the strike further support the assessment that an airburst munition was used. It shows the walls and ground covered by small tightly-packed impact marks which match the spread of fragments from an airburst warhead like a PrSM, according to expert analysis.

"Those pock marks are witness marks of a fragmentation munition," an analyst from McKenzie Intelligence said.

Kotlarski from Janes added: "To put it simply, the warhead behaviour and effect from the Lamerd strike displays a level of technical sophistication that we have not observed, so far, from any Iranian cruise or ballistic missile."

He said that while there is "little solid data" on the Hoveyzeh's warhead, it is thought to use a more "primitive" impact-fuzed high-explosive warhead, meaning it would detonate on or after hitting a target.

The three verified strikes

Since our initial investigation, BBC Verify has confirmed additional footage that shows there were three separate strikes on a sports hall, a residential area and near an educational centre in Lamerd that day.

"While it is feasible that an Iranian cruise missile could malfunction, it is a bit beyond credulity to have a number of them fail above the same location at the same time," said an analyst from McKenzie Intelligence.

Experts also say the munition in the verified CCTV footage does not appear to be damaged, malfunctioning or intercepted.

N R Jenzen Jones, director of Armament Research Services, said although it's difficult to positively identify the munition, "it appears to be correctly aligned for the terminal phase of its flight".

Newly published footage, shared by pro-government local media and confirmed by BBC Verify, shows that a small primary school which is located next to the sports hall was also damaged.

Debris and warped metal which may be munition fragments can also be seen on a street in the residential area. But multiple experts BBC Verify spoke to could not identify the fragments.

The intended target on the day may have been an Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) compound adjacent to the sports hall. BBC Verify has reviewed dozens of photos and videos of the aftermath of the strike and has not yet seen any on-the-ground footage of the IRGC base after the attack. The base also appeared to be undamaged in high-resolution satellite imagery on 9 March.

Centcom's statement says US forces did not launch any strikes at any time into the city of Lamerd or anywhere within 30 miles during the opening day of Operation Epic Fury.

But the US Department of Defense has previously posted an illustrative map captioned "First 100 hours" of the US-Israeli war with Iran, marking the locations of US-Israeli strikes and Iranian air defences along Iran's southern coast, including the area around Lamerd.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) also told BBC Verify that it was not aware of any Israeli strikes in that part of Lamerd on 28 February.

BBC Verify asked Centcom for further details about its assessment of what happened in Lamerd, but it did not provide any additional information.

Additional reporting by Peter Mwai and Matt Murphy.

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Track UK's latest migration numbers - including asylum, visas and small boats

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c70989jrdweo, 3 days ago

The number of people seeking asylum in the UK has fallen, according to February's official figures.

How does that sit alongside other key migration measures, including overall immigration, small boat arrivals and visas granted? Scroll down to find out more about the latest key figures, and get answers to key questions on a range of topics.

Produced by: Rob England, Libby Rogers, Jess Carr, John Walton, Becky Dale, Allison Shultes, Chris Kay, Steven Connor and Scott Jarvis.

Graphics by: Jez Frazer, Zoe Bartholomew and Joy Roxas

About the data

Figures from government and other official sources can be revised between publications. This page shows data as presented in the latest available release.

Immigration, emigration and net migration

*The net migration figure for the UK will not exactly equal immigration minus emigration because the Office for National Statistics (ONS) publishes it as a rounded number.

Immigration and emigration estimates from the ONS are updated twice a year.

Net migration figures use the internationally recognised definition of a long-term migrant: "A person who moves to a country other than that of their usual residence for at least a year."

Visas for legal migration

The total number of visa entries only includes visas that have been granted. It does not include visitor visas or transit visas, where the UK is not the final destination.

Visa figures record when permission was granted, not when or whether someone arrived in the UK.

If a person was granted more than one visa within the year shown, each visa is counted separately.

Work visas refer to new individuals granted permission, or extensions of existing permission. This includes categories such as seasonal work, health and care, domestic worker and youth mobility visas.

Study visas include all individuals sponsored by approved UK education providers, as well as those on short-term study visas.

Family visas allow someone to come to or remain in the UK to live with close family members already here. This includes joining a spouse, partner, child or parent, or coming to care for a relative.

The "Other" category includes visas outside work, study and family routes. This covers humanitarian schemes such as the Ukraine Sponsorship Scheme and the British National (Overseas) route. It also includes family permits for people from European Union or European Economic Area countries.

Asylum applications and accommodation

Home Office figures for asylum seekers in hotels are published under the category "contingency accommodation - hotel".

The number of people in all other forms of accommodation includes non-hotel contingency accommodation, as well as initial, dispersal and "other" accommodation.

To show how evenly accommodation is distributed, a scale compares each local authority's share of people in that type of accommodation with the UK-wide average for areas using the same accommodation type:

* Less than half – more than 50% below the average share

* Lower than – between 25% and 50% below the average share

* About the same as – within 25% of the average share

* Higher than – between 25% and 100% above the average share

* More than double – more than 100% above the average share

Backlog figures for people waiting for an initial asylum decision include both main applicants and dependants.

Open appeals against refused asylum applications refer to individuals. Figures on appeals are published every three months by the Ministry of Justice, at a different time from other government asylum statistics. It also includes a small number of appeals against revocation of protection.

Small boat crossings and other irregular arrivals

Small boat crossing figures and the average number of people per boat are taken from the Home Office daily data.

Entering the UK without permission is an offence under immigration law, but asylum seekers are generally not prosecuted if they claim asylum on arrival. In some cases, people have been prosecuted alongside other offences, such as people smuggling or re-entering after deportation.

The International Organization for Migration (IOM) collects figures on people who have died or gone missing while crossing from mainland Europe to the UK. These reports are based on information from French and UK officials (such as police or coastguard) and media sources. The IOM considers them an undercount because there are no official statistics.

The figures may include people who died in the Channel itself, as well as those who died while travelling to a crossing point.

Data on modern slavery includes final decisions only. Modern slavery covers human trafficking, slavery, servitude and forced labour.

Figures for other entries without permission combine all recorded irregular arrivals that were not by small boat. This includes inadequately documented air arrivals, recorded detections at UK ports, and other recorded detections within the UK.

Returns and deportations

People who are denied entry at the border and then leave the UK are not included in the returns figures on this page.

Returns involving the government are grouped into three categories. Enforced returns (which include deportations) are cases where the Home Office requires someone to leave and arranges their removal, usually because they have no legal right to remain or following a criminal conviction.

Assisted voluntary returns are when someone agrees to leave the UK and receives government support, such as help with travel documents, flights or reintegration assistance.

Controlled voluntary returns are when someone leaves the UK voluntarily without being forcibly removed, but their departure is formally recorded by the Home Office.

Independent returns are referred to by the government as "other verified returns," and refer to individuals who have left the UK without

People returned after a criminal conviction include non-British citizens convicted in the UK of any criminal offence, or convicted abroad of a serious criminal offence.

UK migration compared with other countries

Sea arrival figures are taken from the UNHCR European sea arrivals dashboard and combined with UK Home Office small boat data.

Asylum application, immigration and emigration figures for European countries are the latest available data from Eurostat for: Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Czechia, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Slovakia, Slovenia, Bulgaria, Romania, Norway, Switzerland and Croatia.

UK population figures are from ONS, National Records of Scotland and the Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency 2024 mid-year estimates. European population figures are from Eurostat as of 1 January 2024.

To ensure comparability with the UK, European countries with populations under one million are excluded from per-capita comparisons of net migration and asylum applications.

For net migration comparisons, only countries that include asylum seekers or refugees in their immigration figures are included.

These are: Austria, Belgium, Estonia, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Slovenia, Spain and Switzerland.

Portugal was also excluded as it did not have net migration data available for 2024, it will be re-included in future updates.

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