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More than a quarter of patients on antidepressants in England - about two million people - have been taking them for five years, the BBC has found. This is despite there being limited evidence of the benefits of taking the drugs for that length of time. A doctor who runs an NHS clinic helping people off the pills says withdrawal symptoms can make it hard for some to stop taking their medication. Withdrawal guidance was updated in 2019, but he says little has changed. More than eight million people in England are on antidepressants - which are prescribed for depression, anxiety and obsessive compulsive disorder and other conditions. That's one million more people than five years previously, NHS prescribing figures show. The new figures on long-term use - for the period 2018-2022 - were provided to BBC Panorama by the NHS, following a Freedom of Information request. The data gives an overall picture but does not reflect the circumstances of individual patients, some of whom could be on antidepressants long-term for good reason. The investigation also uncovered evidence that a leading drug company attempted 27 years ago to conceal possible withdrawal effects that one drug could cause. Modern antidepressants - called SSRIs (Selective Serotonin Re-Uptake Inhibitors) - arrived from the late 1980s, including Prozac. They were quickly heralded as wonder drugs compared with earlier medications, some of which had serious side effects. They were thought to treat depression by fixing an imbalance of the mood-regulating chemical serotonin in the brain. Researchers are now not clear how they work. One theory is that they simply change how you think or feel, rather than rectifying an underlying problem. The NHS recommends antidepressants as a treatment for more severe depression. Talking therapy as well as exercise and lifestyle changes might be recommended instead of, or in combination with, the medication. "Throughout my long and extensive career, I have seen people benefit from antidepressants," said Prof Wendy Burn, former president of the Royal College of Psychiatrists. "I see them working in my clinical practice, I see lives being changed by them." But she added: "People are staying on antidepressants longer, and we don't really have long-term studies that support that." There has long been a debate about how effective antidepressants are. The most comprehensive research, from the University of Oxford, suggests antidepressants do help some people, at least in the short-term. But on average, their benefits are relatively modest, and the way people respond varies, with some not responding at all, according to the researcher who led the study. And there is some evidence to suggest that long-term antidepressant use may be linked to some health risks, such as heart problems and diabetes. It is also thought that long-term use may lead to a higher risk of withdrawal symptoms in some people. Withdrawal can happen when you stop a drug that your body has become used to. Taking that drug away too quickly, before the brain has had time to adjust, can lead to symptoms - including low mood and feelings of anxiety. Some symptoms overlap with the original condition the drug was prescribed for, which means the withdrawal can sometimes be confused with relapse. The symptoms depend on the individual, which drug they were taking, and for how long. Many patients can stop taking antidepressants without experiencing any problems. If you are affected by any of the issues in this article you can find details of organisations that can help via the BBC Action Line Panorama has uncovered evidence to suggest that one major drug company which manufactured SSRI antidepressants had become increasingly aware of a whole range of withdrawal symptoms from the mid-1990s, but was reluctant to share this information with the public and medicines regulators. A copy of a confidential 1996 memo from firm Pfizer - which originally sold sertraline, now the UK's most common antidepressant - shows employees discussing what the drug company would tell regulators in Norway. "We should not volunteer to describe the withdrawal symptoms, but have an agreed list prepared in case they insist," the memo says. Some of the withdrawal reactions the memo refers to include sensory disturbances, sweating, nausea, insomnia, tremors, agitation and anxiety. Pfizer no longer produces sertraline. Responding to Panorama's findings, a spokesperson said the company "monitored and reported all adverse event data" to licensing authorities, "in line with its legal and regulatory obligations and updated sertraline labelling as required." It added: "Public health organisations and professional medical bodies throughout the world have recognised sertraline and other SSRIs as the treatment of choice for adult depression." The company said the drug's label warned about withdrawal and had been updated "as required". The Royal College of Psychiatrists published updated information on withdrawal in 2019 - overseen by Prof Burn, who was its president at the time. It came after she heard testimony from patients who had experienced severe withdrawal effects. Until then, guidance used by the NHS and the college maintained withdrawal was mostly mild and short-lived - lasting no more than about a week. Now NHS guidance reflects that it can be severe and longer-lasting for some, and withdrawal can last many months. A Royal College of Psychiatrists spokesperson told the BBC: "Medicine continuously evolves, as does our knowledge of treating mental illness. As a result, the college updates its guidance when new evidence comes to light." A lack of awareness about withdrawal difficulties has meant that even medical professionals who prescribe the drugs have struggled to stop taking antidepressants themselves. Dr Mark Horowitz, who tried to stop the antidepressants he had taken for 15 years in 2015, said: "It led to complete havoc in my life," he says. "I would wake up in the morning in full panic, like I was being chased by an animal." The panic he felt would last until late into the evenings and he took up running as a distraction. "I ran until my feet bled, because it gave me a slight reprieve from that panic sensation." He said it was worse than the symptoms that led him to take antidepressants in the first place. Panorama examines whether the current generation of antidepressant drugs have lived up to their promises, following patients who have suffered serious side effects. Watch The Antidepressant Story on BBC One at 20:00 on Monday 19 June (20:30 in Wales and Northern Ireland) and on BBC iPlayer afterwards (UK only) He is concerned that far more work has been done on how to start patients on antidepressants - and much less on stopping. "To me, it's the same as allowing cars to be sold without brakes," he said. "We should know how to start the car and how to stop it." Now Dr Horowitz runs England's only NHS antidepressant deprescribing clinic - a pilot scheme set up in London in 2021 to help people struggling to stop taking their medication. At the moment he is seeing about 25 patients. Despite withdrawal guidance having been updated, Dr Horowitz thinks patients are still struggling to get tailored advice. Guidance for doctors now recommends that people reduce the dose of their medication in stages, but it does not specify how long it should take. It's different for everyone. Dr Horowitz is still trying to reduce his antidepressant dose - and hopes to stop altogether this year The Royal College of GPs told Panorama that family doctors were "highly-trained to have frank and sensitive conversations" with patients about the risks and benefits of antidepressants. "Amid intense workload and workforce pressures," it said it was, "increasingly difficult to offer patients the time they need within the constraints of a standard 10-minute consultation." The companies behind the most widely used antidepressants told Panorama that many clinical trials and studies, including ones conducted by independent researchers, had shown their drugs to be effective. They said the drugs had been taken by many millions worldwide for potentially devastating and sometimes life-threatening conditions. As with all medicines, they said, antidepressants have potential side effects which are clearly stated in the prescribing information. They added that their drugs are considered to be safe, with a positive benefit-risk ratio by doctors, patients and regulators around the world. • None Antidepressants exit must be slow - says watchdog

The Irish delegation raised concerns at a meeting of the British Irish Intergovernmental Conference The British and Irish governments have clashed over the UK's controversial bill dealing with the legacy of the Troubles in Northern Ireland. It happened during a meeting of the British Irish Intergovernmental Conference in London (BIIGC) on Monday. It is understood Irish delegation raised concerns over the impact on investigations into loyalists attacks in the Republic of Ireland. The BIIGC was set up by the Good Friday Agreement and meets twice a year. The UK government's legislation on dealing with the legacy of the Troubles in Northern Ireland offers a conditional amnesty to those accused of killings and other Troubles-related crimes. It has been criticised by victims' groups, the Irish government and political parties at Stormont. Micheál Martin said both governments need to work together on the issue of legacy On Monday, it is understood the UK government was challenged on how its plan to end all police investigations as part of its legacy bill will affect ongoing Garda (Irish police) investigations into loyalist attacks. Irish government representatives highlighted both the Dublin and Monaghan bombings in 1974 when 33 people were killed and also the loyalist bomb attacks in Belturbet, County Cavan, in 1972 when two teenagers were fatally injured. Last year Gardaí released two photofit images of a suspect in the Belturbet attacks as part of its cross-border investigation. Speaking at a press conference, Tánaiste (Irish deputy prime minister) Micheál Martin said both governments needed to work together on the issue of legacy. He said he had an issue with people being granted immunity. "We have fundamental concerns about the legislation currently before parliament," Mr Martin told the BIIGC press conference. "We don't believe it is compliant with the European Convention on Human Rights," he added. Chris Heaton-Harris said there was a "complete agreement" on the need for a restored executive Meanwhile, the Stormont stalemate was top of the agenda at the meeting for Northern Ireland secretary Chris Heaton-Harris. He said both governments were in "complete agreement" on the need for the restoration of the Northern Ireland executive. Mr Heaton-Harris said the local election results highlighted that the people of Northern Ireland wanted restoration as well. Sinn Féin emerged as the biggest party in both local government and the Stormont assembly following recent elections. Last week, DUP leader Jeffrey Donaldson said the UK government was well aware of his party's concerns on the protocol which needed to be addressed before a return to Stormont. Sinn Féin vice-president Michelle O'Neill called on the DUP to clarify what it has asked the government for in relation to the working of the NI Protocol. Ms O'Neill said it was "unacceptable" that the DUP seemed to be holding private discussions with the government. Asked about Monday night's Commons debate on the privileges committee report that found former PM Boris Johnson misled parliament, Ms O'Neill said she would not comment on how MPs should vote but said "Boris Johnson has been a disaster from start to finish". MPs later voted by a margin of 354 to seven to approve the report. The BIIGC is one of the few such bodies unaffected by the Democratic Unionist Party's (DUP) boycott of Stormont. Mr Heaton-Harris's number two, Steve Baker, and Irish Justice Minister Helen McEntee were also at the meeting. The meeting was held as talks continued between the UK government and the DUP. It is understood the party is looking for changes to the legislation governing the Northern Ireland Protocol as well as further constitutional guarantees. Last week Mr Heaton-Harris caused raised eyebrows when he said he did not know what the DUP was asking for - a view contradicted by the party leader Sir Jeffrey Donaldson. On Friday, at a meeting of the British Irish Council in Jersey, Levelling Up Secretary Michael Gove said he was sure Mr Heaton-Harris would "listen respectfully" to the DUP's position. Taoiseach (Irish Prime Minister) Leo Varadkar said his government could only play a supporting role.

Ed Sheeran had his account hacked and music sold online by Adrian Kwiatkowski A hacker who stole two unreleased songs from Ed Sheeran and sold them on the dark web has to pay more than £100,000. Adrian Kwiatkowski, 23, from Ipswich, traded the music by Sheeran and 12 songs by rapper Lil Uzi Vert in exchange for cryptocurrency. Last year, he admitted 19 charges, including copyright infringement and possessing criminal property, and was jailed for 18 months. About half of the money he has to pay is currently held in Bitcoin. Kwiatkowski managed to get hold of them after hacking the performers' digital accounts, the Crown Prosecution Service said. He had made £131,000 from the music, City of London Police said. In his police interview, Kwiatkowski admitted he had hacked the musicians' cloud-based accounts and sold the songs online. Adrian Kwiatkowski was jailed for 18 months last year for hacking the musicians' accounts During his trial, Ipswich Crown Court heard that when the defendant's Apple Mac laptop was searched, 565 audio files, including the songs by Sheeran and Vert, were uncovered. The same court has now granted a confiscation order against the hacker, giving him three months to pay £101,053, after proceedings brought by the Police Intellectual Crime Unit (PIPCU) at City of London Police. The amount is made up of £51,975 held in a bank account owned by Kwiatkowski and 2.64 BTC (Bitcoin), worth £49,528, which makes it the first confiscation order of cryptocurrency secured by PIPCU. If the payment is failed to be made within three months, he will face a further 18 months imprisonment. Det Con Daryl Fryatt from PIPCU said: "Kwiatkowski executed a complex scheme to sell creative content that he did not own. "Our work doesn't just stop at conviction, and this result means that Kwiatkowski will not be able to benefit any further from the money he earned through criminal activity." Find BBC News: East of England on Facebook and Instagram. If you have a story suggestion email [email protected] or get in touch via WhatsApp on 0800 169 1830 The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.

"Sadly, unlicensed breeders often prioritise profit over animal welfare," said Caerphilly councillor Philippa Leonard Illegal breeders have been convicted of keeping dozens of dogs in "appalling" conditions in a family home. Julie Pearce, 57, and her daughters Rosalie Pearce, 33, and Kaylie Adams, 24, received suspended sentences after admitting unlicensed dog breeding. The two daughters were also sentenced for failing to protect 54 dogs from pain, suffering, injury and disease. The women, of Glyn Terrace, Bargoed, Caerphilly county, are now disqualified from owning animals for 10 years. Cardiff Crown Court heard the women had been breeding and selling puppies from their home since 2019. Caerphilly council and RSPCA inspectors found the animals were kept in a "filthy environment", contaminated with faeces and urine, at the family's home. Most dogs had to be shaved as their coats were so matted with faeces and urine Evidence showed between March 2020 and March 2022 a total of 27 litters of puppies were born and up to 28 breeding bitches were kept on the premises. The council said a conservative estimate for the profit made from selling the dogs was calculated to be in excess of £150,000 Dozens of dogs were found in "appalling" conditions surrounded by faeces and urine Sara Rosser of dog charity Hope Rescue, which took the dogs in after the council's investigation, said it was "shocking to see so many dogs living in such awful conditions". "The majority needed to be completely clipped off by our staff at the centre because their coats were so matted in faeces and urine and many were covered in fleas," she said. Bunny, pictured with Hope Rescue's Sara Rosser, was one of the dogs rescued "We are pleased to say that all of the dogs have now gone on to find wonderful homes where they have become much loved family members and able to live the lives they deserve," added Ms Rosser. Caerphilly councillor Philippa Leonard said: "Sadly, unlicensed breeders often prioritise profit over animal welfare. "Unlicensed dog breeding is a serious matter and it is hoped that the outcome of this case will serve as a strong deterrent to those who operate in this manner." The three women have been banned from owning, keeping or transporting all animals for 10 years Julie Pearce received a year's suspended sentence and was ordered to complete 8 days of rehabilitation activity. Kaylie Adams and Rosalie Pearce both received a 66-week suspended sentences and were ordered to complete 100 hours each of unpaid work. Kaylie Adams was also ordered to complete eight days of rehabilitation activity.

The policy is aimed at cutting the number of flats in the city that are used as short-term holiday lets A plan to regulate Airbnb-style lets in Edinburgh has been ruled unlawful by a judge less than four months before it was due to come into force. Operators and landlords opposed to the scheme took the city council to court last month. After a two-day hearing at the Court of Session, Lord Braid agreed that part of the proposal was unlawful. The decision was hailed as a "victory for law and common sense" by the group that brought the case. The council wants to introduce the licensing scheme in response to concerns about the high number of short-term lets in the capital - particularly in the city centre. It argues that the lettings have exacerbated housing shortages and fuelled anti-social behaviour. Hosts have until 1 October to apply for a licence, with people who list whole properties on sites such as Airbnb also needing to apply for planning permission. Renting out a room in your own home, or letting your home while on holiday, would still be allowed. Opponents of the scheme raised £300,000 through crowdfunding for a judicial review at the Court of Session, which was said to be largest amount raised for a case in the UK. The case centred on a presumption against allowing entire flats within tenement blocks to be used as holiday lets unless their owners could demonstrate why they should be exempt. Lord Braid ruled that the presumption was unlawful and that the lack of provision for temporary licences and requirement for some hosts to supply floor coverings went beyond the council's powers. He said the policy was unlawful because it breached existing laws on what licensing authorities could do under the law. The judge wrote: "It is not the function of the respondent's licensing authority to decide that a licence should not be granted because a property is of a particular type or is in a particular area. "For the respondent to adopt a normal practice of not granting an short term licence for premises in a tenement, even where planning permission had been granted, is irrational and contrary to the purposes of the overall statutory scheme. "It would be perverse and oppressive for the respondent, upon receipt of a licensing application, to require an applicant to obtain planning permission for a tenement property; and thereafter, planning permission having been obtained, to refuse the licence for no other reason than that the property was in a tenement." The Scottish government says that in certain areas - particularly tourist hot spots - high numbers of lets can cause problems for neighbours and make it harder for people to find homes to live in. Supporters of the licensing scheme say short-term lets are causing a housing shortage and increasing anti-social behaviour in the capital Council leader Cammy Day said he made "absolutely no apology for seeking to protect our residents" despite the ruling. He added: "It is no secret that we face unique housing pressures here in Edinburgh, with a small but densely populated city centre and fast growing population, and it's crucial for us to strike the right balance between promoting our visitor economy while looking after the people that live here all year round. "Our residents have told us that, in many cases, short-term lets are hollowing out their communities, reducing housing supply and increasing housing costs. "We can't forget that many have endured years of disturbance and anti-social behaviour and we will continue to work hard to get this right." Mr Day said the court had "acknowledged our intention to find a solution to this and agreed that it was legitimate to use both planning and licensing policy", with the council now considering its next steps. A statement issued by the petitioners in response to the judgement said they hoped it would lead the council and government to "seek a fresh approach that aims to collaborate and work with local operators of self-catering accommodation, recognising the many good things it brings to the economy and people of Scotland". It added: "As the largest crowdfunded case in the history of the UK, the petitioner team are deeply grateful to the many small, local businesses that supported the campaign financially in such uncertain times. "That grass roots support made it possible for us to take this action, challenging both licensing and planning surrounding short-term lets in Edinburgh and the potential wider impact across urban and rural Scotland." Fiona Campbell, chief executive of the Association of Scotland's Self-Caterers, welcomed the ruling, which she said would also have ramifications for other licensing schemes across Scotland. She said: "The Scottish government need to go back to the drawing board on short-term let regulation and engage constructively with industry to provide a regulatory framework that works for all stakeholders." The proposals were approved by the council's planning committee last year after 88% of the 5,600 people who responded to a consultation on the proposals supported the introduction of the licensing scheme. Eilidh Keay from tenants' union Living Rent Edinburgh said the decision "demonstrates how a small group of people can use their money and power to weaponise the legal system to their advantage". She said: "This flies completely in the face of democracy and the will of the people. "Edinburgh needs homes, not holiday lets. In coming down in support of short-term let operators, this decision seems to have forgotten that Edinburgh is in the midst of a housing crisis. "It is disgusting that the profit of short-term let operators should be put before the needs of tenants, residents and communities for homes."

The UK is sending 14 Challenger 2 tanks to Kyiv to aid Ukrainians in the fight against Russia President Vladimir Putin has said Russia would be "forced to react" if the UK sent shells made with depleted uranium to Ukraine. He accused the West of deploying weapons with a "nuclear component". The UK Ministry of Defence confirmed it would provide Kyiv the armour-piercing rounds alongside Challenger 2 tanks but insisted they had a low radiation risk. Depleted uranium "is a standard component and has nothing to do with nuclear weapons", the MoD said. "The British Army has used depleted uranium in its armour piercing shells for decades," the statement added. "Russia knows this, but is deliberately trying to disinform. Independent research by scientists from groups such as the Royal Society has assessed that any impact to personal health and the environment from the use of depleted uranium munitions is likely to be low." Former British Army tank commander - and chemical weapons expert - Col Hamish de Breton-Gordon, said Mr Putin's comments were "classic disinformation". He said depleted uranium rounds used by Challenger 2 tanks contained only trace elements of depleted uranium. He added it was "laughable" to suggest depleted uranium rounds were in any way linked to nuclear weapons, which uses enriched uranium. Depleted uranium is what is left over after natural uranium has been enriched, either for weapons-making or for reactor fuel. It is mildly radioactive in its solid form. But it is a very heavy substance, 1.7 times denser than lead, and it is used to harden rounds so that they can penetrate armour and steel. When a weapon made with a depleted uranium tip or core strikes a solid object, like the side of a tank, it goes straight through it and then erupts in a burning cloud of vapour. The vapour settles as dust, which is poisonous and also weakly radioactive. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said sending depleted uranium ammunition to Ukraine would mean the UK was "ready to violate international humanitarian law as in 1999 in Yugoslavia". "There is no doubt this will end badly for London," Mr Lavrov added. On Tuesday evening, a spokesman for the Pentagon said the US would not be sending any munitions with depleted uranium to Ukraine. Shells with depleted uranium were used in Iraq and the Balkans, where some claim it was linked to birth defects. A 2022 UN Environment Programme (UNEP) report said depleted uranium was an environmental concern in Ukraine. "Depleted uranium and toxic substances in common explosives can cause skin irritation, kidney failure and increase the risks of cancer," it said. "The chemical toxicity of depleted uranium is considered a more significant issue than the possible impacts of its radioactivity," it added.

A scene from "Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey" A new Winnie the Pooh horror movie will not be released in Hong Kong and Macau, its distributor has said. VII Pillars Entertainment apologised for the "disappointment and inconvenience" to viewers in the Chinese special administrative regions. The film was released in the US in February and across the UK in March. References to the original, family-friendly version of Winnie the Pooh have been used to protest against President Xi Jinping in recent years. The meme began after an image showing China's President Xi Jinping and former US President Barack Obama began circulating in 2013. Censors in China have since clamped down on references to AA Milne's character, and the 2018 Christopher Robin film was banned in the country. This meme showing Xi Jinping and former US President Barack Obama began circulating in 2013 Hong Kong's Office for Film, Newspaper and Article Administration denied the film had been censored, saying it had issued a certificate of approval for the horror movie. The office told Reuters it would not comment on commercial decisions made about the movie. The film's director Rhys Frake-Waterfield told Reuters: "The cinemas agreed to show it, then all independently come to the same decision overnight. It won't be a coincidence. "They claim technical reasons but there is no technical reason. The film has showed in over 4,000 cinema screens worldwide. These 30-plus screens in Hong Kong are the only ones with such issues." The horror movie has received a score of just 4% on film rating site Rotten Tomatoes. It depicts the bear, known for being kind and honest, as a vengeful axe wielding half-man, half-bear. It went viral online when the trailer was released. Frake-Waterfield was able to make the film when the 95-year copyright on Milne's first Winnie the Pooh story elapsed in the US in January last year. But Disney - which bought some licences in the 1960s - still owns certain rights. Trademark laws mean the bear cannot wear a red T-shirt in the horror film, for example. "We weren't allowed to have him say things like 'oh bother' either," Frake-Waterfield told BBC Culture last month. "There are these elements where we need to be careful not to encroach on their brand and their territory because that's not the intention. "The intention isn't just to steal their copyright and use it for our own purposes. It's to go from something which is possible to use because it's now publicly available, and just go off on an extreme tangent from that point and make this horrific alternative version to him."

Labour has ruled out introducing a self-ID system to allow people to change their legal sex without a medical diagnosis. Leader Sir Keir Starmer has previously said his party would introduce such a system if it wins power. But shadow women and equalities secretary Anneliese Dodds has now said medical diagnosis upholds "confidence in the system". She added that the requirement also helps people access NHS support. In a article for the Guardian, she wrote that Labour would streamline the current medical diagnosis rules, calling them "demeaning". The new Labour position appears to be a compromise that has emerged from a party event in Nottingham over the weekend to discuss policy. It opens up a split with Scottish Labour, which has previously voted to remove the medical diagnosis requirement and has since confirmed it "continues to support the de-medicalisation of the process in Scotland". Under current rules, people who want to change legal sex need to provide a medical report showing a diagnosis of gender dysphoria. This is defined by the NHS as a "sense of unease that a person may have because of a mismatch between their biological sex and their gender identity". Applicants also have to provide evidence of living full time in their acquired gender for at least two years. Some campaigners say the the requirement is excessively bureaucratic and invasive, and have long argued for a non-medical process - known as self-identification - instead. The government ruled out adopting this approach in 2020 after a consultation, but has reduced the fees and moved the process online. Labour pledged to introduce a self-identification system under previous leader Jeremy Corbyn and the policy was in the party's 2019 general election manifesto. Sir Keir reaffirmed the 2019 manifesto commitment to "introduce self-declaration" in a June 2021 video for LGBT website Pink News. However, Ms Dodds has now confirmed that the party would keep the need for a gender dysphoria diagnosis, calling it an "important part" of the process for obtaining a gender recognition certificate. "Requiring a diagnosis upholds legitimacy of applications and confidence in the system," she wrote. She said that it also helped refer trans people into the NHS for support services, citing low levels of awareness about how to access them. She added that Labour wanted to avoid the "mistakes" made by the Scottish government, whose new law to ditch medical reports is subject to an ongoing legal wrangle with the UK government. Scottish ministers' legislation - endorsed by Scottish Labour in the Scottish Parliament - showed a "cavalier approach", she added. However, she added the current requirement to apply to an "anonymous" panel to obtain a certificate should be replaced, calling it "demeaning for trans people and meaningless in practice". Instead, she said it "should be enough" for registrars to sign off the application, based on diagnosis from one doctor. The LGBT+ Labour group said the party's new position would be a "huge step forward" for trans people over the current government stance. But it added the party was "signalling a retreat on their policy of de-medicalised self-ID for the trans community at the next general election". Labour MP Lloyd Russell-Moyle, a patron of the group, told the BBC it would push for further changes, including giving non-medical professionals such as social workers the power to "externally verify" someone's acquired gender. Rosie Duffield, who had threatened to quit as a Labour MP over the party's previous stance, said she welcomed the retention of medical reports, calling it the "core thing" demanded by women's groups. Ms Duffield, the MP for Canterbury, has opposed self-ID as a way for trans people to gain access to single sex spaces such as domestic violence refuges and prisons. Speaking to BBC Radio 4's Today programme, she called for more clarity on the party's position ahead of the general election, expected next year, adding it still included a "bit of confusion and a bit of fence-sitting". Women and Equalities Minister Kemi Badenoch said Labour's new position is a "copy and paste" of the government's position. Adding that some Labour MPs had previously attacked the Conservative position as prejudiced, she accused the party of "bare-faced hypocrisy".

Heathrow Airport has said that some passengers may face security delays over the Easter holidays due to strike action over pay. Hundreds of security officers in the Unite union, who work for Heathrow Airport, have begun 10 days of industrial action. It threatens disruption at the UK's largest airport at the start of the Easter school holidays. However, Heathrow said the airport was operating "as normal" on Friday. The strike involves security guards at Terminal 5, which is only used by British Airways, and those who check cargo. Unite has accused the airport of a real-terms wage cut. Heathrow said it had offered a 10% pay increase back-dated to 1 January, plus a lump sum payment of more than £1,000. The airport said contingency plans were keeping the airport operating as usual. However, British Airways cancelled about 70 flights on Friday. This included flights already removed from the schedule due to the strikes, and cancellations for other reasons, such as bad weather and an air traffic control strike in France. Picket lines were mounted outside the airport and Unite said the strike was being "well supported". Heathrow chief executive John Holland-Kaye told the BBC "many" security staff had chosen to work on Friday, but "a lot" of agency security staff had been brought in, alongside "hundreds" of managers who were "here to help". "The airport is operating as normal," he said. Are you a security officer striking at Heathrow, or a passenger concerned about your travel plans being disrupted? Share your experiences. The next few days are expected to be busy as people get away on Easter holidays. Ahead of the strike, Heathrow asked airlines to stop selling tickets and allow customers to change travel dates. British Airways pre-emptively cancelled 300 flights and Virgin Atlantic confirmed it had limited new ticket sales and introduced a flexible policy. The strike reduces the number of security staff available to the airport on what is normally a very busy weekend. Heathrow said it was deploying 1,000 extra colleagues and its management team to assist passengers. Travellers should check their flight before travelling to the airport, arriving at Heathrow no earlier than two hours before short-haul flights and three hours before long-haul flights, and be ready for security, the airport said. Passengers will only be permitted to go through security with two items of hand luggage to help the flow. The aviation industry more broadly is under pressure from the government and the industry regulator to avoid a repeat of last year's Easter's queues, delays and cancellations, which were largely caused by staff shortages. A leaked letter to businesses from the Civil Aviation Authority and the Department for Transport, seen by the BBC, says it would be unacceptable for consumers to face the same level of disruption this year. Airlines and airports have told the BBC they are confident of having enough staff in place this time round, although external factors such as strikes in France affecting air traffic control could cause issues.

The Empire Pool and trolley buses - two sights no longer seen in Cardiff Some of the last traces of arguably the biggest event ever to be hosted in Wales are set to disappear. With 1,130 athletes from 35 countries descending on Cardiff, experts believe the country may never see the like of the 1958 British Empire and Commonwealth Games again. Little remains of the venues used, with the Sophia Gardens Pavilion demolished in 1982 and the Empire Pool in 1998. The velodrome at Maindy could soon be bulldozed too under plans. It is the last remnant of an event sports author Huw Richards believes trumps the 1999 Rugby World Cup as the biggest hosted here. "As soon as you set foot in the Arms Park, and saw the gathering of elite athletes from all over the globe, you could feel a sense that Wales had become a grown-up member of the world community," is how cultural historian Prof Peter Stead described the games. For younger generations, Maindy Velodrome is best known for nurturing some of Wales' greatest cycling talents, including 2018 Tour de France winner Geraint Thomas. But it is also where riders battled it out for gold in 1958. Under proposals, an expansion of Cathays High School would see the velodrome lost, and a new track built at Cardiff Bay. British cyclist Ray Booty waves as he gets the chequered flag to win the 120 miles road race - which started and finished in St Brides Major, Vale of Glamorgan The club that uses it, Maindy Flyers, said the prospect of "being left with nothing for future generations of cyclists" was "unacceptable". Cardiff council replied by saying it fully understands the site's "historic nature", but the new velodrome had the support of the national governing body for cycling. Cardiff Central station remains - but the frontage looked a bit different in 1958 Similar pain was felt by the swimming community when another of the venues from 1958 disappeared. The Empire Pool had 1,722 seats, diving boards and the country's only 50m pool - but was flattened as the Millennium Stadium rose up to dominate the city centre in the late '90s. "The Empire Pool was an iconic facility in the heart of the capital that not only opened its doors to the world at the 1958 Empire Games, but also served to develop some of our nation's finest athletes," said Swim Wales' head of aquatics and inclusion Sioned Williams. "To lose this piece of history was a big blow to the Welsh aquatics community." However, she said its replacement, the Wales National Pool in Swansea has become a "thriving hub" for its elite programme and events, while there is also now an Olympic-sized pool in Cardiff Bay. Opening ceremony for the 1958 British Empire and Commonwealth Games at Cardiff Arms Park Coming three years after Cardiff was confirmed as capital, the 1958 games were "a significant moment" for the nation, according to sports historian Huw Richards. But he added: "It has to be remembered that they were rather smaller than they have since become - with just over 1,100 athletes in 94 events, compared to 5,000 competing in 280 at the most recent games in Birmingham." Cardiff Arms Park was where the drama on the track unfolded - but it looked very different then, a 60,000-capacity stadium where Cardiff RFC and the national rugby side played. A series of redesigns means it now holds 12,500, with the only remaining parts the Gwyn Nicholls Memorial Gates - erected in 1949 to commemorate one of Wales' greatest rugby players. The Empire Pool and other buildings were demolished as the new Millennium Stadium - now the Principality Stadium - rose up on the banks of the River Taff in the mid '90s It stands in the shadow of the Principality Stadium next door, the site of which has also undergone massive transformation since 1958. Work on a new National Stadium began in 1969, with it not officially opened until 1984. But just 11 years later, it was decided to demolish it for a super-stadium to host the 1999 Rugby World Cup. This tournament is the main rival to the 1958 games as Wales' biggest ever event - but comparisons do not stand up to scrutiny, according to Mr Richards. "In 1999, Wales was the host of record, staging the opening game and the final, but the event was spread evenly across all of what were then the five nations," he added. "Wales had only nine games out of 41. The other four nations got eight each and the most memorable of them, the two semi-finals, were both at Twickenham." He said this makes it "all the odder" Wales is the only nation to build a new stadium for a Rugby World Cup. A recent poll on European membership is something most people are familiar with - votes from another were counted at the Sophia Gardens Pavilion in 1975 Sophia Gardens Pavilion, which hosted boxing and wrestling in 1958, was also a concert venue, with Pink Floyd and Jimi Hendrix among those appearing. However, its end came in 1982 after its roof collapsed under heavy snow. Shirley Bassey returned home to perform at the Sophia Gardens Pavilion in November 1961 There is one location used for the 1958 Cardiff-hosted event that remains untouched - and it is 170 miles (274 km) away. Rowing took place on Llyn Padarn in Eryri, also known as Snowdonia. Llyn Padarn in Eryri: One location for the 1958 games is in no danger of falling victim to redevelopments in Cardiff Other big events to come to Wales include golf's Ryder Cup, a Champions League final and an Ashes test - but they were far shorter. Tourism consultant Prof Terry Stevens believes if Wales was to host the Commonwealth Games again, it would probably be in collaboration with other nations. "What used to be fairly straightforward, a cycle, is far more complicated now," he said. "It's not just money, there are lots of other objectives of the organisers, plus TV deals. It used to be done on a 'your turn next' basis. Now it's much more nuanced, sophisticated. "If you go back 15 years, relatively few venues could hold these big events. Now, every city has at least one decent venue - it's incredibly competitive." Mr Stevens said sporting bodies increasingly wanted events hosted by multiple countries, such as the next World Cup in the USA, Canada and Mexico. This puts the bid of the UK nations and Ireland for Euro 2028 in a strong position, he believes, especially considering its rival Turkey is going solo. "It doesn't prevent Wales going alone for one-off games like the Champions League or a golf competition with one course," he added. "The trend is Wales would have to collaborate to host the Commonwealth Games. It doesn't deny us, it's just a different model."

Last updated on .From the section European Football Manchester City's long quest to win the Champions League finally ended in triumph against Inter Milan in Istanbul as Pep Guardiola's side completed the Treble. After winning the Premier League and FA Cup, City emulated Manchester United's triple trophy haul in 1999 as they became only the second English club to achieve the feat after Rodri's crisp 68th-minute strike settled an attritional final. Guardiola's all-conquering side were never at their best against a brilliantly organised Inter and had to cope with the loss of Kevin de Bruyne to injury in the first half. But the massed ranks of City fans inside Ataturk Stadium did not care about that as they joyously celebrated the greatest night - and season - in the club's history. And for Guardiola, it seals his status as one of the managerial greats as he added a third Champions League to the two he won at Barcelona, the last coming in 2011. This was never the walkover many predicted and City had to survive a few scares when Federico Dimarco's header bounced off the bar and Ederson made a stunning late save to deny Romelu Lukaku but ultimately this was all about the victory. Now Guardiola and his players can take their place in history. • None Have your say on Man City's performance here The Champions League has brought suffering to City and Guardiola - especially when they lost to Premier League rivals Chelsea in the 2021 final - but all the pain disappeared just before midnight on a sultry night in Istanbul. City survived late anxiety, especially when Inter substitute Lukaku headed straight at Ederson with the goal at his mercy, but there was an explosion of joy on the pitch and in the stands at Ataturk Stadium as they finally secured the giant trophy that has remained so elusively beyond their grasp for so long. Guardiola said, whether it was fair or not, that his time at Manchester City would be judged on whether he was able to bring the Champions League to the club. Now that judgement can be made. The Catalan, who won the Champions League with Barcelona in 2009 and 2011, will now be an iconic figure at City as well as Barcelona. • None 'Hysterical and hated at times' - but Guardiola is the greatest It is a simple fact that many outside the Abu Dhabi-owned club will always view their triumph through the prism of the charges of 115 financial breaches brought against them by the Premier League, charges they fiercely deny. For City's owners, with Sheikh Mansour attending only his second game since taking control in 2008, this was the night they have planned for and the one when they finally claimed that holy grail. This was an evening when only the result mattered to City, not the manner in which their greatest victory was achieved. This was not a win secured with the dazzling style and creation that is usually their hallmark. In fact for long periods it was a scrappy, sloppy performance in the face of a well-drilled Inter side who were right in this Champions League Final until the whistle went. None of that will matter now. All that will be recalled forever about this game by City's fans was the moment when Rodri arrived on the end of build-up play from Manuel Akanji and Bernardo Silva to send that precise right-foot finish away from the reach of Inter's outstanding keeper Andre Onana. And of course the triumphant Champions League trophy lift. City lived dangerously in the closing minutes and, when it was all over, Guardiola, so agitated in his technical area, was relatively calm as he sought out opposite number Simone Inzaghi for consoling words. John Stones was once again outstanding for City while keeper Ederson made key contributions when required. The celebrations at the final whistle reflected a magnificent season as City finally got their hands on the Champions League trophy and prepared to parade it around the streets of Manchester along with the Premier League and FA Cup on Monday. • None Attempt saved. Robin Gosens (Inter Milan) header from a difficult angle on the right is saved in the top left corner. Assisted by Federico Dimarco with a cross. • None Attempt missed. Nicolò Barella (Inter Milan) right footed shot from outside the box is close, but misses the top right corner following a set piece situation. • None Marcelo Brozovic (Inter Milan) wins a free kick on the right wing. • None Erling Haaland (Manchester City) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul. • None Attempt missed. Romelu Lukaku (Inter Milan) left footed shot from the left side of the box misses to the right. Assisted by Lautaro Martínez with a headed pass. • None Attempt saved. Romelu Lukaku (Inter Milan) header from very close range is saved in the centre of the goal. Assisted by Robin Gosens with a headed pass. Navigate to the next page Navigate to the last page • None Our coverage of Manchester City is bigger and better than ever before - here's everything you need to know to make sure you never miss a moment • None Everything City - go straight to all the best content

More than half of low income households in the UK are in the dark about bargain broadband deals, according to a new report by communications regulator Ofcom. It is concerned people are not getting the right advice when it comes to switching to a social tariff. Social tariffs are low-cost broadband deals offered to customers on benefits and cost between £10 and £20 a month. Ofcom says millions of families could save around £200 a year by switching. Although take up of these deals has quadrupled since January last year, the majority of people are still missing out on the savings it says. One of the main reasons, according to the the regulator, is that families do not know about the deals. Reduced social tariffs allow UK households receiving government benefits such as Universal Credit, Pension Credit, Jobseeker's Allowance and Income Support to pay less for internet and telecoms access. Ofcom says it is also urging TalkTalk and O2 to introduce social tariffs in the broadband and mobile markets respectively. Around 4.3 million UK households could be getting cheaper broadband, but only around 220,000 people - or 5% of households - are currently signed up to the offer, according to Ofcom. Consumer groups are urging customers to act now and look at the packages available - especially given the cost of living crisis. As well as being much more affordable, social tariffs are usually on shorter-term contracts. Plus there are no early exit fees - so people are not tied to the contract if their circumstances change, and you can leave without paying a penalty. According to Ofcom's affordability tracker one in three UK households had an issue affording their communication services, reflecting the ongoing pressures that people are facing. Ofcom says more than half of eligible households continue to be unaware of social tariffs and that more needs to be done to encourage people to get the support - a similar plea was made last year. The watchdog is concerned that broadband providers are still not being upfront with millions of customers about how to find and sign up to these packages. Of eligible customers that are aware of social tariffs, most had heard about them through social media and from television. But just 9% found out about social tariffs through their provider. Ofcom says that highlights how the industry needs to go further to promote their social tariffs effectively and make them easier to find. Lindsey Fussell, Ofcom's director of network and communication, said she believed broadband providers should go further, "at a time when these savings could make a massive difference". "We're urging anyone who thinks they could be eligible for a discount deal to contact their provider today and potentially save hundreds of pounds," she said.

Ever since this row kicked off, I've wondered whether the prime minister had heard about Baroness Hallett's reputation. If there were a national prize for Least Likely To Be A Pushover, this tough no-nonsense former Court of Appeal judge would probably win it. Here's why. Thirteen years ago, Lady Justice Hallett, as she then was, oversaw the heart-breaking inquests into the 2005 suicide attacks in London, in which 52 people were killed by four bombers. MI5 and the Home Office tried to convince her to keep secret what spooks had known about the ringleader of the attacks. I oversimplify, but after some legal trench warfare, Hallett ruled that the bereaved families must know the facts. MI5's attempt to overturn that decision in the High Court, with the help of the then Home Secretary Theresa May, was so thin that a judge declared part of their argument to be "hopeless" . Lady Justice Hallett had called the law right: there is inevitably a place for confidentiality or secrecy when it comes to sensitive national secrets. But there must also be transparency for the victims of an appalling tragedy. And in the aftermath, ministers found themselves accused of a spectacularly clumsy attempt to cover up the truth. I'll leave you to decide whether that sounds familiar...

A multi-million pound fraudster has pleaded guilty to a sophisticated banking scam called iSpoof which stole £100m from victims worldwide. Last year the Metropolitan Police texted 70,000 people to warn them their details had been compromised and they had likely been defrauded. The fraudsters called people at random, pretending to be a bank warning of suspicious activity on their accounts. They would pose as employees of banks including Barclays, Santander, HSBC, Lloyds, Halifax, First Direct, NatWest, Nationwide and TSB. The fraudsters would encourage people to disclose security information and, through technology, may have accessed features such as one-time passcodes to clear accounts of funds. This is the largest fraud investigation the Metropolitan Police have ever carried out. In the UK alone £43m was lost. One victim lost £3m. Fletcher, 35, of Western Gateway in east London, pleaded guilty to running the iSpoof website which allowed criminals and fraudsters to pretend to be banks and tax offices. He admitted charges of making or supplying articles for use in fraud, encouraging or assisting the commission of an offence, possessing criminal property and transferring criminal property. "He was the ringleader of a slick fraud website which enabled criminals to defraud innocent people of millions of pounds," said Det Supt Helen Rance, who led the investigation. "We are doing more than ever before to protect Londoners from spoofing and cyber fraud and devised a bespoke plan to reach out to victims who were targeted via iSpoof." Last year, when the fraud emerged, Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley said the Met was contacting mobile numbers connected to the fraudsters for longer than a minute, suggesting a fraud or attempted fraud had taken place. Criminals paid Fletcher for access to his iSpoof website, transferring up to £5,000 a month in Bitcoin. The Federal Bureau of Investigation in the US took the site down last year. Fletcher will be sentenced on 18 May at Southwark Crown Court.

This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. We've got to double down and stick to our plan - Sunak This set of by-elections amounts to a single question: just how badly did the Conservatives do? But not as badly as they had feared. The prospect of a crushing three-nil defeat - beaten everywhere - was averted. Labour managed to win - and win really big - in rural North Yorkshire; the kind of spot some distance from usually fertile political territory for them. And yet they lost in north west London, where they had expected to win. But, but, but: the Tory obliteration in Somerset will sow panic among many Conservatives in the south west of England. So let's unpick where this leaves us, because on the face of it is a rather messy picture. To what extent were these contests atypical, by-election quirks rather than true indicators of the national mood? Firstly, Labour's victory in Selby and Ainsty is off the scale big. This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Sir Keir Starmer on by-election win: Starmer: "First time I have been able to say: Well done Keir" Another Keir joins the ranks of Labour MPs, Keir Mather. It's a name rich in Labour history: Keir Hardie was the party's first leader. If Labour won on this scale nationally, they would be in government with a colossal majority. The party that has campaigned so fruitfully for so long on the perceived failings of Boris Johnson has failed to take Uxbridge and South Ruislip, the very seat he used to represent. Just days ago, the Conservatives were ready to blame what they described privately as "Long Boris" to explain away their losses. In other words, don't blame us, blame the prime minister before last. But now they have won where he was the MP, and lost in two places where he wasn't. Downing Street had not anticipated a photo opportunity where smiles would feature today. But before some of us had reached for the breakfast cereal Rishi Sunak was beaming in Uxbridge. And his message is one we will keep hearing, I suspect: the general election is not a done deal, and where voters see what he will claim is the "reality of Labour" they vote Conservative. To hear Conservatives this morning talking about Uxbridge was to hear those swimming through the roughest of rough political seas, and then seeing an unlikely raft upon which to climb, and breathe a brief sigh of relief. Labour are disappointed to lose in Uxbridge. Publicly, and more candidly in private, they blame the expansion of London's Ultra Low Emissions Zone (Ulez), a policy idea blamed by many voters on the Labour mayor of London, Sadiq Khan. "If you run on a ticket about the cost of living but you are blamed for adding 90 quid a week to the cost of living for some, it's going to be difficult," acknowledged one party figure. The Ulez daily charge is £12.50 a day. If a driver fails to pay the charge, or broke the penalty charge rules, the bill could be higher. Labour's failure to take Uxbridge presents three niggles for the party, as they look to the general election: Equally, if you are one of the innumerable Labour figures desperate to not sound complacent, losing in Uxbridge rather helps. And what about the Liberal Democrats? Their win in Somerton and Frome was huge. This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. The Lib Dem leader stages a cannon stunt to celebrate his party winning the Somerton and Frome by-election They hope it is proof of a revival in the West Country, a former heartland for the party before the near oblivion that followed their years in coalition at Westminster. And there is plenty of evidence of that revival: last year's by-election win in nearby Tiverton and Honiton and their control of Somerset Council for starters. But: they are a small party with limited resources. They threw everything at Somerton and Frome, managing to knock on 15,000 doors on polling day alone. That kind of operation is much harder to do at a general election - when they are likely to be trying to throw everything at around 30 seats, not just one. Privately, party figures acknowledge that this by-election campaign was helped hugely by former Conservative cabinet minister Nadine Dorries having not yet resigned her seat in Mid Bedfordshire, another Lib Dem target. Had that contest happened on Thursday too, it would have split their resources in half. At a general election, the demands on staffing would be even more brutal. But the party does now have ample evidence that they have overcome the paralysing hangover of the coalition years, and are competitive again - and dangerous, particularly to the Tories. Overall, the scope for Conservative comfort anywhere after these results is very slender. But not as slender as it might have been.

John Allan is stepping down as chairman of Tesco following allegations over his conduct. Mr Allan, who is also a former president of the CBI business lobby group, has strongly denied three of four claims made against him. However, board member Byron Grote, who will temporarily replace Mr Allan as chairman, said: "These allegations risk becoming a distraction to Tesco." Tesco said it had made "no findings of wrongdoing". Mr Allan will leave Tesco in June after eight years in the role. He said: "It is with regret that I am having to prematurely stand down from my position as chair of Tesco following the anonymous and unsubstantiated allegations made against me, as reported by the Guardian." A report in the Guardian had claimed that Mr Allan had touched a Tesco employee at the supermarket giant's annual shareholder meeting last year. It also alleged that Mr Allan "grabbed" an employee at a CBI event in 2019. He has previously said these claims were "simply untrue". It is also claimed that he made a comment about a CBI staff member's dress and bottom in 2021. Mr Allan said he does not recall this incident. He has, however, admitted to making a comment to a female CBI worker in late 2019 about a dress suiting her figure. Mr Allan said he was "mortified after making the comment" and immediately apologised. He was president of the CBI between 2018 and 2020 and spent an additional year as vice president. Following claims he inappropriately touched a Tesco staff member, the supermarket group said it began an "extensive review of the allegation". The retailer said it had asked colleagues "to come forward if they had concerns regarding any conduct issues and specifically at the Tesco 2022 annual general meeting (AGM)". It also reviewed video of the event as well as its internal complaints records. Mr Grote said: "While we have received no complaints about John's conduct and made no findings of wrongdoing, these allegations risk becoming a distraction to Tesco. "On behalf of the board, I thank him for his substantial contribution to the business," he added. Mr Allan said: "These allegations are utterly baseless, as the internal procedures undertaken by Tesco prove. "There is no evidence of any wrongdoing at that time or at any stage of my chairmanship at Tesco and I remain determined to prove my innocence." Meanwhile, the CBI, which is Britain's biggest lobby group, is facing separate allegations of sexual misconduct. These include two allegations of rape that are being investigated by the City of London Police. Following an external investigation by law firm Fox Williams, the CBI admitted that it hired "culturally toxic" staff and failed to fire people who sexually harassed female colleagues. It has since dismissed some staff members. It has also appointed its former chief economist Rain Newton-Smith as director general. She has replaced Tony Danker who was fired in April following separate complaints of workplace misconduct. Mr Danker has acknowledged he had made some staff feel "very uncomfortable". He said: "I apologise for that." But he said his name had been wrongly associated with separate claims, including rape, that allegedly occurred at the CBI before he joined. If you have been affected by any of the issues raised in this story, get in touch by emailing [email protected]. Please include a contact number if you are willing to speak to a BBC journalist. You can also get in touch in the following ways: If you are reading this page and can't see the form you will need to visit the mobile version of the BBC website to submit your question or comment or you can email us at [email protected]. Please include your name, age and location with any submission.

A 27-year-old man has been sentenced to 17 months in prison for ramming a police car he was being pursued by, after failing to stop in North Yorkshire. He then led a second police vehicle on a high-speed chase before crashing into a field. Mikey Lee Neesham pleaded guilty to dangerous driving and to causing criminal damage to a police car. When arrested, officers found he had no insurance and that his provisional licence had expired.

Iraqi authorities have vowed to try to repatriate all stolen artefacts A 2,800-year-old stone tablet has gone on display in Iraq after being returned by Italy following nearly four decades. The artefact is inscribed with complete cuneiform text - a system of writing on clay in an ancient Babylonian alphabet. Italian authorities handed it over to Iraq's President Abdul Latif Rashid in the city of Bologna last week. It is not clear how the tablet was found - or how it made its way to Italy where it was seized by police in the 1980s. Iraqi Culture Minister Ahmed Badrani said that it might have been found during archaeological excavations of the Mosul Dam, which was built around that time. Iraq, often described as the "cradle of civilisation", is known, among others, for the world's first writing. In the late 8th Century, the country's Bayt al-Hikmah (House of Wisdom) was home to the largest library of books on science, art, maths, medicine and philosophy. Looting of the country's antiquities intensified following the US-led invasion 20 years ago. Iraq's president praised the co-operation shown by Italy and said he would work to recover all the archaeological pieces of Iraqi history from abroad.

Greek authorities closed the Acropolis during the hottest part of the day Much of southern Europe is baking in extreme heat, with Greece seeing temperatures of 40C (104F) or more. The Acropolis, the country's most popular tourist attraction, was closed during the hottest hours of the day to protect visitors. Potentially record temperatures are expected next week as another heatwave approaches. The European Space Agency (ESA) says Italy, Spain, France, Germany and Poland may see extreme conditions. The ESA monitors land and sea temperatures via its satellites. The hottest temperature ever recorded in Europe was 48.8C in Sicily in August 2021. There are also fears in Greece of a greater risk of wildfires, especially in areas with high winds. It suffered major wildfires in 2021 in another exceptional heatwave. In Croatia, fires broke out on Thursday, burning houses and cars in at least one village, Grebastica, on the Dalmatian coast. Officials told Croatian TV on Friday morning that the fire had been brought under control. High temperatures have also been reaching into central parts of Europe, with Germany and Poland among countries affected. Czechia's meteorological office issued a warning that temperatures at the weekend could go above 38C, which is exceptionally high for the country. Meanwhile in the UK, heavy showers and gusty winds are expected in parts of England on Saturday. Meteorologists quoted by PA suggested this was because the southern shift of the jet stream which was fuelling the hot weather in Europe, was also drawing low-pressure systems into the UK, bringing unsettled and cooler weather. Volunteers from the Hellenic Red Cross hand out water bottles Earlier this week, a man in his forties died from the heat after collapsing in northern Italy - while several visitors to the country have collapsed from heatstroke, including a British man outside the Colosseum in Rome. The cause is the Cerberus heatwave - named by the Italian Meteorological Society after the three-headed monster that features in Dante's Inferno. Italian weather forecasters are warning that the next heatwave - dubbed Charon after the ferryman who delivered souls into the underworld in Greek mythology - will push temperatures back up above 40C next week. Heatwaves are also being seen in parts of the US, China, North Africa and Japan. Italy is one of the countries experiencing soaring temperatures Greece's Culture Ministry announced the closure of the Acropolis on Friday from 12:00 to 17:00 (9:00-14:00 GMT), saying similar measures were likely to follow on Saturday. Temperatures were expected to peak at 41C in central Athens on Friday, but the Acropolis sits on a rocky hilltop and is usually hotter. There is little shade on the hill for respite. Earlier on Friday at least one tourist was stretchered out of the site after falling ill due to the heat, local police said. Several other tourist sites around the Sacred Rock where the Acropolis stands remained open throughout the day. In recent days the Greek Red Cross has been deployed to provide water bottles and help people feeling nauseous and dizzy in the heat. People have been advised to drink at least two litres of water a day and to avoid coffee and alcohol, which are dehydrating. Last month was the hottest June on record, according to the EU's climate monitoring service Copernicus. Extreme weather resulting from warming climate is "unfortunately becoming the new normal", the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) has warned. Periods of intense heat occur within natural weather patterns, but globally they are becoming more frequent, more intense and are lasting longer due to global warming. How have you been affected by the extreme heat? You can share your experiences by emailing [email protected]. Please include a contact number if you are willing to speak to a BBC journalist. You can also get in touch in the following ways: If you are reading this page and can't see the form you will need to visit the mobile version of the BBC website to submit your question or comment or you can email us at [email protected]. Please include your name, age and location with any submission.

Germany took its three remaining nuclear power plants off the grid on Saturday On one side of Berlin's Brandenburg Gate on Saturday, there was partying: anti-atomic activists celebrated victory in a battle that had lasted 60 years. On the other side of the Gate, there were protests, as demonstrators marched against the closure of Germany's three remaining nuclear power stations. By midnight on Saturday, Isar 2, Emsland and Neckarwestheim 2 had all gone offline. At the Brandenburg Gate, where the Wall once divided Cold War Berlin, nuclear energy is an ideological fault-line that splits the country. It is an issue that is emotionally charged like few others. And particularly now as war in Europe again looms large. Both sides accuse each other of irrational ideology. Conservative commentators and politicians say the country is in thrall to Green Party dogma, that scraps domestic nuclear power at a time when cutting Russian energy means rising prices. They accuse the government of increasing reliance on fossil fuels instead of using nuclear, which has lower emissions. "It's a black day for climate protection in Germany," said Jens Spahn, conservative CDU MP, on RTL television earlier this week. There have been attempts to rid Germany of nuclear power for decades Greens and left-wingers argue that it is illogical to cling to nuclear power, which is more expensive than wind or solar. The government argues that keeping the three ageing atomic power stations online would need huge investment — funds that should go into renewable energy sources. It is odd for the CDU to suddenly champion climate protection, say Green Party MPs, given that the conservatives regularly block measures to expand renewable energy infrastructure. Ironically, given the CDU's current fight for nuclear, it was a conservative-led government under Angela Merkel that decided to phase out atomic power after the 2011 Fukushima nuclear disaster. Her decision was popular with voters, coming on the back of widespread anti-nuclear sentiment sparked by the catastrophe. Cynics suggest that upcoming key regional elections may have influenced her decision. Today, Germany gets almost half of its electricity from renewables - 44% in 2022, according to the Federal Statistical Office - and just 6% from atomic power. Green economy minister Robert Habeck predicts that 80% of Germany's electricity will be renewable by 2030 and has pushed through laws to make it quicker and easier to build solar and wind farms. But over the last year, the proportion of renewables has stagnated while CO2 emissions have increased, as Germany has been forced to import liquefied natural gas (LNG) and use more coal instead of Russian gas. This has sparked even some Green voters and anti-nuclear activists to support temporarily extending the lifespan of the last three nuclear power stations. In an article published in Friday's edition of the newspaper Der Tagesspiegel, Green Party environment minister Steffi Lemke wrote that Germany was shutting down nuclear because catastrophic accidents can never be ruled out, "whether it be through human error like Chernobyl, natural disasters like Fukushima… or attacks, as Ukraine is suffering because of Russia's war". Germany does not need nuclear, she argues, because renewables are safer, more sustainable, better for the climate and make more economic sense. Despite predictions of shortages and blackouts, Germany produces more energy than it needs, exporting energy to France over the summer, note Green Party leaders pointedly, where nuclear power stations could not operate because of extreme weather. Voters are divided. According to this week's ARD-DeutschlandTrend poll, 59% of Germans are against shutting down atomic energy, with only 34% in favour. Support for nuclear is strongest amongst older and conservative voters. But more detailed questioning reveals a nuanced picture. In a YouGov poll from earlier this week, 65% supported keeping the three remaining nuclear power stations running for now. But only 33% wanted Germany to keep nuclear power indefinitely. In other words, pull the plug - but just not quite yet. Many supporters of nuclear power argue it is a cleaner fuel than some other options On Thursday, the conservative leader of Bavaria Markus Söder visited Isar 2, and called for Germany to not only keep the last three reactors online, but also to reactivate old power stations - including one shut down in Bavaria by him. Meanwhile Christian Lindner, finance minister and head of the liberal FDP party - which is in Olaf Scholz' three-way governing coalition - this week again rebelled against the government's official line and called for the three power stations to stay active in reserve. Both leaders know that at this stage such ideas are technologically, legally and financially implausible. But looking at the polls they see political capital in the issue, whether the reactors are actually there or not. The Green Party, which has its roots in the anti-nuclear movement of the 1970s, will be celebrating this weekend. But the party realises that their political opponents are ready to blame them for any future energy shortfalls, price hikes or missed CO2 targets. German atomic power will be gone. But politically, nuclear remains explosive.

More than a quarter of patients on antidepressants in England - about two million people - have been taking them for five years, the BBC has found. This is despite there being limited evidence of the benefits of taking the drugs for that length of time. A doctor who runs an NHS clinic helping people off the pills says withdrawal symptoms can make it hard for some to stop taking their medication. Withdrawal guidance was updated in 2019, but he says little has changed. More than eight million people in England are on antidepressants - which are prescribed for depression, anxiety and obsessive compulsive disorder and other conditions. That's one million more people than five years previously, NHS prescribing figures show. The new figures on long-term use - for the period 2018-2022 - were provided to BBC Panorama by the NHS, following a Freedom of Information request. The data gives an overall picture but does not reflect the circumstances of individual patients, some of whom could be on antidepressants long-term for good reason. The investigation also uncovered evidence that a leading drug company attempted 27 years ago to conceal possible withdrawal effects that one drug could cause. Modern antidepressants - called SSRIs (Selective Serotonin Re-Uptake Inhibitors) - arrived from the late 1980s, including Prozac. They were quickly heralded as wonder drugs compared with earlier medications, some of which had serious side effects. They were thought to treat depression by fixing an imbalance of the mood-regulating chemical serotonin in the brain. Researchers are now not clear how they work. One theory is that they simply change how you think or feel, rather than rectifying an underlying problem. The NHS recommends antidepressants as a treatment for more severe depression. Talking therapy as well as exercise and lifestyle changes might be recommended instead of, or in combination with, the medication. "Throughout my long and extensive career, I have seen people benefit from antidepressants," said Prof Wendy Burn, former president of the Royal College of Psychiatrists. "I see them working in my clinical practice, I see lives being changed by them." But she added: "People are staying on antidepressants longer, and we don't really have long-term studies that support that." There has long been a debate about how effective antidepressants are. The most comprehensive research, from the University of Oxford, suggests antidepressants do help some people, at least in the short-term. But on average, their benefits are relatively modest, and the way people respond varies, with some not responding at all, according to the researcher who led the study. And there is some evidence to suggest that long-term antidepressant use may be linked to some health risks, such as heart problems and diabetes. It is also thought that long-term use may lead to a higher risk of withdrawal symptoms in some people. Withdrawal can happen when you stop a drug that your body has become used to. Taking that drug away too quickly, before the brain has had time to adjust, can lead to symptoms - including low mood and feelings of anxiety. Some symptoms overlap with the original condition the drug was prescribed for, which means the withdrawal can sometimes be confused with relapse. The symptoms depend on the individual, which drug they were taking, and for how long. Many patients can stop taking antidepressants without experiencing any problems. If you are affected by any of the issues in this article you can find details of organisations that can help via the BBC Action Line Panorama has uncovered evidence to suggest that one major drug company which manufactured SSRI antidepressants had become increasingly aware of a whole range of withdrawal symptoms from the mid-1990s, but was reluctant to share this information with the public and medicines regulators. A copy of a confidential 1996 memo from firm Pfizer - which originally sold sertraline, now the UK's most common antidepressant - shows employees discussing what the drug company would tell regulators in Norway. "We should not volunteer to describe the withdrawal symptoms, but have an agreed list prepared in case they insist," the memo says. Some of the withdrawal reactions the memo refers to include sensory disturbances, sweating, nausea, insomnia, tremors, agitation and anxiety. Pfizer no longer produces sertraline. Responding to Panorama's findings, a spokesperson said the company "monitored and reported all adverse event data" to licensing authorities, "in line with its legal and regulatory obligations and updated sertraline labelling as required." It added: "Public health organisations and professional medical bodies throughout the world have recognised sertraline and other SSRIs as the treatment of choice for adult depression." The company said the drug's label warned about withdrawal and had been updated "as required". The Royal College of Psychiatrists published updated information on withdrawal in 2019 - overseen by Prof Burn, who was its president at the time. It came after she heard testimony from patients who had experienced severe withdrawal effects. Until then, guidance used by the NHS and the college maintained withdrawal was mostly mild and short-lived - lasting no more than about a week. Now NHS guidance reflects that it can be severe and longer-lasting for some, and withdrawal can last many months. A Royal College of Psychiatrists spokesperson told the BBC: "Medicine continuously evolves, as does our knowledge of treating mental illness. As a result, the college updates its guidance when new evidence comes to light." A lack of awareness about withdrawal difficulties has meant that even medical professionals who prescribe the drugs have struggled to stop taking antidepressants themselves. Dr Mark Horowitz, who tried to stop the antidepressants he had taken for 15 years in 2015, said: "It led to complete havoc in my life," he says. "I would wake up in the morning in full panic, like I was being chased by an animal." The panic he felt would last until late into the evenings and he took up running as a distraction. "I ran until my feet bled, because it gave me a slight reprieve from that panic sensation." He said it was worse than the symptoms that led him to take antidepressants in the first place. Panorama examines whether the current generation of antidepressant drugs have lived up to their promises, following patients who have suffered serious side effects. Watch The Antidepressant Story on BBC One at 20:00 on Monday 19 June (20:30 in Wales and Northern Ireland) and on BBC iPlayer afterwards (UK only) He is concerned that far more work has been done on how to start patients on antidepressants - and much less on stopping. "To me, it's the same as allowing cars to be sold without brakes," he said. "We should know how to start the car and how to stop it." Now Dr Horowitz runs England's only NHS antidepressant deprescribing clinic - a pilot scheme set up in London in 2021 to help people struggling to stop taking their medication. At the moment he is seeing about 25 patients. Despite withdrawal guidance having been updated, Dr Horowitz thinks patients are still struggling to get tailored advice. Guidance for doctors now recommends that people reduce the dose of their medication in stages, but it does not specify how long it should take. It's different for everyone. Dr Horowitz is still trying to reduce his antidepressant dose - and hopes to stop altogether this year The Royal College of GPs told Panorama that family doctors were "highly-trained to have frank and sensitive conversations" with patients about the risks and benefits of antidepressants. "Amid intense workload and workforce pressures," it said it was, "increasingly difficult to offer patients the time they need within the constraints of a standard 10-minute consultation." The companies behind the most widely used antidepressants told Panorama that many clinical trials and studies, including ones conducted by independent researchers, had shown their drugs to be effective. They said the drugs had been taken by many millions worldwide for potentially devastating and sometimes life-threatening conditions. As with all medicines, they said, antidepressants have potential side effects which are clearly stated in the prescribing information. They added that their drugs are considered to be safe, with a positive benefit-risk ratio by doctors, patients and regulators around the world. • None Antidepressants exit must be slow - says watchdog

The stepfather of a five-year-old girl has pleaded guilty to her murder. Nadia Zofia Kalinowska died after being found injured at her family home at Fernagh Drive in Newtownabbey in December 2019. Her mother, 28 year-old Aleksandra Wahab, and the child's stepfather, 34-year-old Abdul Wahab, went on trial on Wednesday at Belfast Crown Court, accused of murder. When the case resumed on Thursday, Abdul Wahab pleaded guilty to murder. The Pakistani national also pleaded guilty to two charges of grievous bodily harm with intent 24 hours before the child's death and on other occasions between July and December that year. A minimum period, before he can be released, will be set at a future date. The trial had been told the schoolgirl was tortured and killed in her home - a place where she should have felt safe. During the opening, Crown barrister Liam McCollum detailed the injuries inflicted on Nadia. As well as suffering a skull fracture and lacerated liver which caused her death, Nadia had sustained fractures and re-fractures to her ribs, a fractured collarbone, a fractured pelvis and an injury to her bowel. Also present at Nadia's time of death were 70 surface injuries including bruising and abrasions. Nadia was rushed to hospital from her home in Newtownabbey This led the Crown to conclude that Nadia had been subjected to a campaign of physical abuse in the family home which culminated in her death. As the hearing was due to resume on Thursday, barristers for both Mr and Mrs Wahab asked that their clients be re-arraigned. At this point Abdul Wahab bowed his head and tearfully pleaded guilty to the murder. Aleksandra Wahab pleaded guilty to allowing the death of a child and allowing a child to suffer serious physical harm. These pleas were accepted by the court and the jury was discharged. She was remanded back into custody. Addressing the jury of seven men and five woman, the judge said that as both defendants had now pleaded guilty to three charges each, he directed them to return not guilty verdicts on all the remaining counts. A spokesperson for the school said: "Our school community is still in shock at this terrible tragedy. We have lost Nadia who was a much loved pupil. "Our thoughts and prayers are with those impacted at this time."

Nohema Graber, 66, was prominent in the Spanish-speaking community A teenager in the US state of Iowa who beat his teacher to death with a baseball bat over a bad grade has been sentenced to life in prison. Willard Miller, 17, pleaded guilty to first-degree murder in April for his role in the 2 November 2021 killing of Nohema Graber, a Spanish teacher. Miller and co-defendant Jeremy Goodale, now 18, attacked Ms Graber, 66, after she marked down Miller's work. Aged 16 at the time of the murder, both were charged as adults. On Thursday, Miller was sentenced to life in prison with the possibility of parole only after at least 35 years. He was also ordered to pay at least $150,000 (£117,000) in restitution to the victim's family. Before delivering his sentence, Judge Shawn Showers rejected defence arguments that Miller was too young at the time to understand the gravity of his actions. "Evil does not have a birthday," he said. Family members of Ms Graber told the court they did not believe Miller was remorseful. Several relatives mentioned that the murder led to the early death last month of Ms Graber's husband, Paul. He was buried a day before Thursday's sentencing. Miller apologised to the community and turned to address Ms Graber's relatives seated behind him. "I am sincerely sorry for the distress I have caused you and the devastation I have caused your family," he said. Pleading with the judge to forego the maximum sentence, Miller said: "I don't want to be institutionalised so long that I forget who I am and where I come from." Prosecutors said the evidence showed both Miller and Goodale had bludgeoned Ms Graber with a bat during the attack in Fairfield, a town of fewer than 10,000 people that lies 100 miles (160km) south-east of the state capitol, Des Moines. The day after the attack, police found the mother-of-three's body hidden under a tarpaulin, wheelbarrow and railway sleepers in a local park where she used to walk after school. In a police interview, Miller described frustrations with the way Ms Graber taught Spanish. He said his marks in her class were lowering his Grade Point Average, an important score during applications for US colleges and scholarships. Miller met Ms Graber at Fairfield High School on the day of the murder to discuss his poor grade in her class. Goodale was also a student there. Mexican-born Ms Graber had been employed at the school since 2012. She was part of the town's small but growing Latino community.

Yevgeny Prigozhin may have boasted he had the loyalty of all 25,000 members of his mercenary army, but it seems that may have shifted as quickly as the Wagner Group's rebellion petered out. In online messages analysed by BBC Verify, Wagner troops and their relatives raged against Prigozhin's decision to halt his dramatic march on Moscow and withdraw from the captured city of Rostov. "The bald waste of space destroyed Wagner PMC with his own hands. And screwed everyone he could," fumed one online poster claiming to be a Wagner fighter on a Telegram channel with 200,000 followers. "It's been another senseless revolt," they added. Telegram is the social media platform of choice for Wagner soldiers and pro-war circles in Russia, allowing often anonymous communication with thousands of followers at a time. It was where Prigozhin chose to announce his so-called "March of Justice" against the Russian regime, but it has now become the place where many have turned against him. Mark Krutov, a journalist with the RFE/RL outlet's Russian Service, has access to the Telegram group chats used by relatives of Wagner fighters. He shared some of their messages with the BBC. "They were simply betrayed," one woman wrote. "I trusted Prigozhin, but what he did is dishonourable." "He shouldn't have done this. This is pure betrayal," agreed another user. Prigozhin long enjoyed highly vocal support from a network of pro-Wagner influencers. For months, they have championed his actions and attacked his opponents in the Ministry of Defence - particularly his sworn enemy, Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu. But when the Wagner mutiny was developing, their reaction was surprisingly muted. Two of the largest groups, Grey Zone and Reverse Side of the Medal - with almost 900,000 followers between them - did not rush to endorse his actions, instead aiming for the reasonably neutral middle ground of blaming antagonism by Mr Shoigu and his loyalists for the bloodshed. Fighters of Wagner group stand guard outside the headquarters of the Southern Military District in the city of Rostov-on-Don, Russia Wagner PMC Briefs is a channel Prigozhin has confirmed as an official page of Wagner and is run by one of his troops. It noted - with eyebrows raised - that when Russian President Vladimir Putin denounced the mutiny, he didn't mention anyone by name. "[Putin] did not name "the mutineers and traitors," it said. "Perhaps it was to let Prigozhin restore justice and punish those guilty of real betrayal that resulted in the failure [of Russia's invasion of Ukraine]? The theory that Mr Putin and Prigozhin conspired to stage a coup attempt in order to "test the loyalty of the Russian elites" quickly gained traction on social media."Girls, I thought maybe it was all orchestrated to remove Shoigu, but through Prigozhin, so Putin wouldn't have to do it himself?" wrote a woman on the Wagner relatives' chat. Volodymyr Fesenko, head of the Penta Center for Applied Political Research in Kyiv, disagrees. "If it was staged, what for? So everyone could see how weak Putin is?" he said. "What happened was a public humiliation of Putin. And Prigozhin? He partially lost his reputation: He used to demonstrate power, and then he simply retreated." But Prigozhin's last public comment on the day of the mutiny, filmed after he agreed to stand down, continues to fuel speculation online. "We've had an OK result today," he said. "Cheered everybody up."

Kenneth Law has been charged in connection to two deaths in Canada, but police believe there may be more victims UK police are carrying out checks on addresses where a poisonous substance linked to suicides may have been sent. It follows the arrest of a Canadian man accused of "counselling and aiding suicide" by distributing the dangerous product worldwide. The National Crime Agency (NCA) is working with Canadian authorities to identify potential cases of vulnerable people buying the poison in Britain. The substance has been linked to deaths in Canada, the US and the UK. Kenneth Law, 57, was arrested in the Toronto area and is accused of sending 1,200 packages to more than 40 countries. It is not known if they all contained the toxic substance. Police in Canada say they began investigating the case more than a month ago following the sudden death of an adult in the Toronto area. During that investigation they became aware of a second local death allegedly linked to Mr Law, who is accused of operating several companies offering the substance for sale. Mr Law's arrest comes after a recent investigation by the Times alleged he had links to at least four deaths in the UK. The NCA has confirmed that it was contacted by the Canadian authorities via Interpol with details of people who may have used Mr Law's website. It has asked forces across the country to carry out welfare visits to addresses which may have received parcels, though it is not clear how many are involved. Deputy Chief Mark Andrews of Peel Police said his team are working with other forces internationally to see if more charges might be laid. "We believe there could be more victims", he said. Mr Law is due to appear in court on 9 May. Speaking to Canada's Globe and Mail newspaper last week, Mr Law defended his actions and said that he sold a legal product. "What the person does with it? I have no control," he told the newspaper. Under Canada's criminal code, counselling or aiding a person to die by suicide can result in a 14-year prison sentence. A recent study linked the poisonous substance to at least 20 deaths in the UK between January 2020 and February 2022. It is not known how they obtained the chemical.

An off-duty police officer who was shot multiple times in Omagh, County Tyrone, has suffered life-changing injuries, the chairman of Northern Ireland's Police Federation has said. Det Ch Insp John Caldwell was shot by two gunmen after coaching children at football on Wednesday. Police said he was with his son, putting balls in the boot of his car, when he was shot at about 20:00 GMT. He remains in a critical but stable condition in hospital. He had surgery on the night of the shooting and it is understood the 48-year-old underwent further surgery on Thursday. Three men - aged 38, 45, and 47 - were arrested in Omagh and Coalisland, also in County Tyrone. They remain in custody. A fourth man, aged 22, was arrested in the Coalisland area in the early hours of Friday morning, police later said. Liam Kelly, the head of the federation, said Det Ch Insp Caldwell always wants to give back to society. "He's been involved in coaching with children over a long period of time and this is how he's been rewarded by terrorists - it's an absolute disgrace," he added. PSNI Assistant Chief Constable Mark McEwan said the investigation was looking at links to violent dissident republicans, with a focus on the New IRA. But he said police were keeping an open mind and will continue to work against those with "callous disregard" for the community. This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. 'The one phone call you never want to get' - police chief Political leaders including Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, Northern Ireland Secretary Chris Heaton-Harris and Taoiseach (Irish Prime Minister) Leo Varadkar have condemned the shooting. In Northern Ireland, senior politicians Michelle O'Neill, Sir Jeffrey Donaldson, Naomi Long, Doug Beattie and Colum Eastwood issued a joint statement calling it a reprehensible attack by "the enemies of our peace". They are expected to meet the PSNI's Chief Constable Simon Byrne on Friday to discuss the current threat level, Sinn Féin deputy leader Ms O'Neill said. Children at the Killyclogher Road sports complex ran in "sheer terror" when the shots rang out, ACC McEwan told a press conference. "John was finishing up coaching an under-15 football team. He was accompanied by his young son," he said. "Two gunmen appeared, fired multiple shots and John ran a short distance and, as he fell to the ground, gunmen continued to fire shots at him." ACC McEwan paid tribute to a member of the public who administered first aid to the injured officer. "At this time there were many other children. Those children ran for cover in sheer terror." BBC News NI understands that Det Ch Insp John Caldwell got up after being shot multiple times and warned children away from the area. Chief Constable Simon Byrne said PSNI officers were shocked and angered by the brazen attack, and it had sent a "huge shockwave" across the organisation. "John knows that his colleagues will now be working tirelessly around the clock to support his recovery but also to bring the offenders who have tried to kill him to swift justice," the chief constable said. The term "dissident republicans" describes a range of individuals who do not accept the Good Friday Agreement - the 1998 peace deal which ended the worst of the Troubles in Northern Ireland. The Provisional IRA - the main armed republican paramilitary group for most of the Troubles - declared a ceasefire in the run up to the agreement and officially ended its violent campaign in 2005. Dissident republicanism is made up of various groups which broke away from the Provisional IRA in the 1980s, 1990s and 2000s, including the Continuity IRA and New IRA. The groups are much smaller than the Provisional IRA, although they have access to high-calibre weapons and have used improvised explosive devices and mortars in attacks and attempted attacks. They have continued to use violence to attempt to unite Northern Ireland with the Republic of Ireland in a single state but their activities have been sporadic and often undermined by the security services. The New IRA is thought to be the largest and the most active of the armed groups that oppose the peace process in Northern Ireland. Attacks, particularly attacks of this nature, are relatively rare. This car near a farmyard on the Racolpa Road outside Omagh is thought to have been used by the gunmen and was later burnt out Northern Ireland officers work against "a backdrop of substantial threat" and the PSNI would do everything to support them, ACC McEwan added. Police believe the gunmen made off in a small, dark car, which was found burnt out at Racolpa Road, outside Omagh. An Garda Síochána (Irish police) said it had intensified patrolling in border counties. The last gun attack on a PSNI officer was in January 2017. The PSNI officer was hit by automatic gunfire at a petrol station in north Belfast. Forensics officers examine Det Ch Insp Caldwell's car at the sports complex where he was shot Fifteen pupils from Omagh High School were at the sports complex at the time of the shooting, principal Christos Gaitatzis said. Mr Gaitatzis said two pupils were beside Det Ch Insp Caldwell when he was shot and he was "sickened to the stomach" by the attack. "Some pupils did not make it to school," he told the BBC's Talkback programme. "It is very difficult as some of the children were next to the son of John and were helping him to get sports equipment out of the car. They saw everything." The children had been left "numb" and it was very hard for them to comprehend what had happened, he added. Beragh Swifts FC was holding a training session at Youth Sport Omagh when the gun attack happened. Its chairman Ricky Lyons said that it was "hard to put into words" what the children had witnessed. He said the children were being offered support and the Irish Football Association (IFA) had been in touch to offer counselling. He said Det Ch Insp John Caldwell had been coaching at the centre for about 10 years. "He was taking a kids training session - it's hard to compute that someone would try to attempt to kill John at that moment," he told BBC Evening Extra. It is no surprise to learn the chief suspects in the attack are the New IRA. After years on the backfoot the organisation re-emerged with a bomb attack on a police patrol in Strabane last November. The attack on John Caldwell is the most serious incident involving the targeting of an officer for many years. You probably need to go back to 2011 and the murder of Ronan Kerr for anything comparable. Last night will be seen not only as an attack on a police officer but an officer who has been directly involved in investigating dissident republicans. About a year ago, on the advice of MI5, the security threat level was downgraded for the first time in over a decade. In that context, the shock being felt within the PSNI today will likely be magnified.

Melissa Joan Hart said this is the second time a mass shooting had occurred in her community US actress Melissa Joan Hart has said she helped children flee after the Nashville school shooting. In an emotional video on Instagram, Hart said her children go to school near The Covenant School, where an attacker opened fire on Monday. The Sabrina The Teenage Witch actress said she and her husband helped a class of kindergartners escape and reunite with their families. Three children and three adults were killed in the shooting. The children were nine-year-old pupils at the Christian private school. The adults were all staff members. Hart said that she and her husband were in the area on their way to attend conferences at their children's school when the shooting unfolded on Monday morning. They then assisted with family reunification efforts as pupils from The Covenant School began to flee. "We helped a class of kindergartners across a busy highway. They were climbing out of the woods. They were trying to escape the shooter situation at their school," Hart said, appearing visibly upset. "So we helped all these tiny little kids cross the road and get their teachers over there, and we helped a mom reunite with her children." This Instagram post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original post on Instagram The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Skip instagram post by melissajoanhart This article contains content provided by Instagram. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Meta’s Instagram cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Hart noted that this is the second time a mass shooting had occurred in her community. She previously lived in Connecticut and her children attended a school near Sandy Hook, where a gunman opened fire and killed 20 children in 2012. "This is our second experience with a school shooting with our kids being in close proximity," she said. "I just don't know what to say anymore," she added later in the video. "It is just, enough is enough. Just pray. Pray for the families." The Nashville shooter has been identified by police as 28-year-old Audrey Hale, a former student of the school. Officers said Hale was armed with at least two assault-style weapons and a handgun, all of which were purchased legally. The suspect was killed by police shortly after the shooting began. This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Watch: 'No parent should have to receive that call'

The boy was attacked near the school where he was a pupil There are renewed concerns over levels of violence in French schools after two young teenagers were the victims of attacks, one of them fatal. A 15-year-old boy named as Shamseddin died in hospital on Friday. The news came a day after he was beaten by a group of youths near his school in Viry-Chatillon, in the southern Paris suburbs. "This extreme violence is becoming commonplace," said the town mayor, Jean-Marie Vilain. Mr Vilain told French media the boy was walking home after a music class at about 16:30 local time on Thursday when he was set upon by a group of youths. According to witnesses, he was punched and kicked by the attackers, who were wearing balaclavas. He was taken to the Necker hospital, a top paediatric hospital in Paris, but doctors were unable to save his life. One 17-year-old teenager has been arrested by French police in the Viry-Chatillon murder case, the local prosecutor announced later. Police are still looking for other assailants. On Tuesday, in another incident in the southern city of Montpellier, a 14-year-old girl named as Samara was placed in an artificial coma after she was beaten by a group shortly after leaving school. Three adolescents - a girl and two boys of roughly the same age as Samara - have been arrested and admitted taking part in the attack, police said. Samara has since regained consciousness. The girl's mother told French media that Samara had been bullied by another girl at the school because she refused to follow Islamic dress codes. "Samara puts on a bit of make-up. And this other girl wears the headscarf. All the time, she kept calling her an unbeliever," she said on French television on Wednesday. "My daughter dresses like a European. Every day there were insults. It was physically and psychologically unbearable." However, the prosecutor's office in its initial report on the attack made no mention of a religious connection, saying the background was an argument over photographs shared on Snapchat. And speaking Thursday evening on another French television channel, Samara's mother read out a statement accusing the far-right of trying to use the attack to their own advantage. "My daughter is a practising pious Muslim. She fasts during Ramadan and prays five times a day. Please do not use us to sully the name of our religion," she said. The attacks have further heightened concerns about violence in schools, against a background of gangs, cyber-bullying and pressure to conform to Islamic rules. Last week, the headteacher of a school in Paris resigned saying he feared for his life after receiving death threats for telling a girl to remove her head covering in accordance with French law. In the same week, several schools had to shut because of hoax bomb threats made by people claiming to be Islamic radicals. In recent years, two teachers have been murdered by Islamist radicals. Samuel Paty was decapitated on the street in a Paris suburb in 2020, while Dominique Bernard was killed at his school in Arras in October last year. Earlier on Friday, French President Emmanuel Macron said schools needed to be "shielded" from "uninhibited violence among our teenagers and sometimes among increasingly younger ones". Reacting to the two attacks, Marine Le Pen of the hard-right National Rally said: "When will the government finally sit up and take the full measure of the savagery which is gnawing at our society?" Jean-Marie Vilain, the mayor of Viry-Chatillon, was in tears as he spoke to journalists of the death of Shamseddin, who - he said - left a mother and a younger sister with their lives in ruins. "We have to teach our children that there is good and there is bad. And when you do something bad, you get punished. And maybe we need to learn again how to punish," he said.

Alexander Malkevich (pictured) is a close associate of the head of the Wagner group, Yevgeny Prigozhin While Russia's notorious Wagner mercenaries have been at the forefront of fighting in Ukraine's ravaged eastern town of Bakhmut, a close associate of Wagner boss Yevgeny Prigozhin has been involved in another battle - for the hearts and minds of people in occupied areas behind the front lines. Alexander Malkevich has helped set up pro-Russian TV stations in key areas captured since the start of the full-scale invasion in February 2022. Through his links to Prigozhin the media boss has been involved in projects spreading Russian influence from Africa to the US and he is under Western sanctions for spreading disinformation. Formally, Malkevich's job is running state-funded TV in Prigozhin's home city, St Petersburg. But in the summer of 2022 he moved to then-occupied parts of Ukraine, making the southern city of Kherson his base. His main task was to set up pro-Russian television stations in regions captured since the start of the full-scale invasion. He has masterminded Tavria TV in Kherson, Za TV in Melitopol and Mariupol 24 in the eastern Donetsk region. Alexander Malkevich (right) has recruited underage reporters for his propaganda channels The channels' reporting strictly follows the Kremlin's propaganda narratives. For example, a recent programme aired by Tavria TV reminded its viewers of the reasons given by Moscow to justify its war against Ukraine. "Russian President Vladimir Putin says the special military operation was a forced step, because Moscow had been left with no other choice. Such security risks had been created for Russia that no other reaction was possible," it said. One major obstacle facing Malkevich was an acute shortage of people willing and able to work for his channels. To train staff, he opened a "media school" in Kherson, became head of the journalism department at the local university and authored a textbook for aspiring media workers in Russian-occupied parts of Ukraine, called "Real Russian journalism for new regions". Some of his students joined his TV stations before becoming legally adults. Two reporters who started working for Za TV and Tavria TV respectively were both employed at the age of just 16. The BBC has chosen not to identify the two girls because of their age. One of the teens is known as "Russia's youngest war reporter" and got an award from President Vladimir Putin But Malkevich's stint in Kherson was short-lived. Shortly before the city was retaken by Ukrainian forces in November, he fled along with some equipment and staff. While evacuating, they came under fire, and one staff member (a Russian journalist and former FSB operative) was killed. One of the teen reporters was wounded during the shelling, and was later presented with an Order of Bravery by President Putin at a ceremony in the Kremlin. Malkevich first rose to relative prominence in 2018, when he launched USA Really - a website set up in the US by RIA FAN, which, in turn, is the most prominent outlet in the stable of propaganda and disinformation media associated with Yevgeny Prigozhin, the Wagner head once dubbed "Putin's chef" because he supplied food to the Kremlin. PRIGOZHIN: From Putin's chef to head of Russia's private army RIA FAN grew out of Prigozhin's infamous "troll factory", which spread pro-Kremlin views across social media and the internet from offices in St Petersburg. But USA Really failed to take off, and Malkevich was briefly detained and questioned by the US authorities and later sanctioned for "facilitating Prigozhin's global influence operations". A year after launching USA Really, Malkevich was back in St Petersburg, where he set up another propaganda venture, a foundation, reportedly with a spin doctor linked to Yevgeny Prigozhin. Melkevich is a close associate of Yevgeny Prigozhin (left), the Wagner chief known as "Putin's chef" The Foundation for National Values Protection sent a man named Maxim Shugalei to Libya, ostensibly to research public opinion. The same man had been involved the previous year in Russian meddling in presidential elections in Madagascar, which saw one candidate offered a suitcase stuffed with cash, according to a BBC investigation. While in Libya, one of Shugalei's engagements included a meeting with Saif al-Islam Gaddafi, the son of the late deposed leader Col Muammar Gaddafi. Soon afterwards, in May 2019, he was arrested on suspicion of interfering in Libya's affairs on Prigozhin's behalf. One Libyan intelligence officer told the BBC: "If Russia had its way, we would have had Saif Gaddafi giving his victory speech in Tripoli's famous Martyrs' Square." Shugalei was freed in December 2020 and claimed in an interview that he had only been released because Prigozhin had sent "several thousand fighters" to Tripoli. While in charge of the propaganda foundation, Malkevich also campaigned for the release of Maria Butina, a Russian agent sentenced to 18 months in jail in the US for attempting to infiltrate American political groups. When she returned to Russia, Butina became an "expert" at the foundation, and when Shugalei came back from Libyan captivity, he replaced Malkevich as its head. But Malkevich's links to Prigozhin's organisations remained. For example, his video programme for RIA FAN, called "Just A Minute", continued at least until September 2022, and the latest of his numerous interviews with the outlet is dated February 2023. Malkevich's work in Ukraine did not go unnoticed by the Russian government. In January 2023, Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin rewarded him for "organising TV broadcasting in territories which are being liberated."

This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Israel has carried out air strikes on Gaza in response to rocket fire from Palestinian militants, as Israeli forces completed their withdrawal from Jenin in the occupied West Bank. It follows a major two-day operation inside the city's refugee camp which killed 12 Palestinians. An Israeli soldier was also killed on Tuesday night during the withdrawal, which triggered more gun battles. Early on Wednesday, the military said it intercepted five rockets from Gaza. Shrapnel from one of the interceptor missiles damaged a house in the southern Israeli town of Sderot. No militant group immediately claimed that it was behind the launches, but the Israeli military said fighter jets struck an underground weapons manufacturing facility used by Hamas, which governs Gaza, as well as a raw materials manufacturing facility for rockets. The military said it held "the Hamas terrorist organisation responsible for all terror activities emanating from the Gaza Strip and will face the consequences of security violations against Israel". On Tuesday afternoon, Hamas described a car-ramming and stabbing attack in the Israeli city of Tel Aviv as a "natural response" to the Jenin operation. Israeli authorities said seven people were injured on a busy shopping street and that the attacker was a Palestinian man from the West Bank. He was shot dead by a civilian. Israel's Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, said: "Whoever thinks that such an attack will deter us from continuing our fight against terrorism is mistaken." He also warned that the Jenin operation would not be a "one-time action". "We will continue as long as necessary to uproot terrorism. We will not allow Jenin to go back to being a city of refuge for terrorism," he added. Palestinian leaders accused Israel of mounting an "invasion" in Jenin. An Israeli military spokesman told the BBC on Wednesday morning that "the operation is officially over, and the soldiers have left the Jenin area". The military launched its operation in Jenin refugee camp early on Monday with a drone strike that it said targeted a joint command centre of the Jenin Brigades - a unit made up of different militant groups, including Hamas. Drones carried out further air strikes as hundreds of troops entered the camp and engaged in intense gun battles with armed Palestinians inside the camp. The military said the "counter-terrorism operation" was focused on seizing weapons and "breaking the safe haven mindset of the camp". Several thousand Palestinian families fled Jenin refugee camp during the operation At a news conference in Geneva on Tuesday, a spokeswoman for the UN's humanitarian office said it was "alarmed at the scale of air and ground operations that are taking place in Jenin and continuing today in the West Bank, and especially [the] air strikes hitting a densely populated refugee camp". She said the Palestinian health ministry had confirmed that three children - two 17-year-old boys and a 16-year-old boy - were among those killed, and warned that damage to infrastructure meant most of the camp now had no drinking water or electricity. The World Health Organization said Palestinian ambulance crews had been prevented from entering parts of the camp, including to reach people who were critically injured. The health ministry has said more than 140 Palestinians have been injured, 30 of them critically. A Palestinian Red Crescent official said about 3,000 Palestinians, including many sick and elderly, were allowed overnight to flee the drone strikes and gun battles between Israeli troops and armed Palestinians. A man in a wheelchair who was escorted out of the camp with his family in the morning told the BBC that they had been held in a room by Israeli troops. "We were encircled by a military barricade. Israeli soldiers came. Now we just went out. There were no people left in the camp. We were the only ones." He added: "It's been a very difficult situation. The drone was shooting at us. Now we've just left. And we're all tired. We've had no food... No drink." Outside a hospital in the nearby city centre, Palestinians protesters threw stones at an Israeli military vehicle, prompting it to fire tear gas in response. Medical charity Médecins Sans Frontières complained that paramedics had been forced to proceed on foot because Israeli military bulldozers had destroyed many roads, stripping them of tarmac. In an interview with CNN on Tuesday night, chief military spokesman Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari said that no non-combatants had been killed during the operation. He also said he had seen ambulances driving freely inside the camp during the day, adding: "We are assisting those ambulances to evacuate the wounded." The admiral said bulldozers had dug up about 2km (1.2 miles) of roads inside the camp along which militants had concealed explosive devices, putting civilians and troops at risk. The Israeli military says its bulldozers dug up streets to remove explosive devices planted by militants Jenin has become a stronghold of a new generation of Palestinian militants who have become deeply frustrated by the West Bank-based Palestinian Authority's aging leadership and the restrictions of the Israeli occupation. The city has seen repeated Israeli military raids in the past year as local Palestinians have carried out deadly attacks on Israelis. Other Palestinian attackers have hidden there. Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammed Shtayyeh rejected statements from foreign governments saying that Israel had the right to defend itself. "Israel is internationally recognised as the occupying power over our land and people," he tweeted. "[It] should be condemned for its use of force to destroy the camp's infrastructure, facilities, and homes, and to kill, arrest, and displace innocent people." "It is the Palestinian people that have the right to self-defence. There is no such right for an occupying power," he added.

The recent anonymous complaint to the council says the new door colour is still a shade of pink An Edinburgh woman who was ordered to repaint her pink door is facing a new council investigation over its latest colour. Miranda Dickson, 48, recently painted her door in the New Town "an off-white" after a previous green makeover was rejected by planners. But Edinburgh Council has now received a fresh complaint that the door is back to pink. Last year Ms Dickson faced a £20,000 fine if she did not change the colour. Ms Dickson told BBC Scotland she was stunned by the latest development. She said: "I am speechless that someone has complained about this colour as far as I was concerned this chapter in my life was closed. "I'm shocked and distraught about it. It is definitely not the same colour as it was originally painted - it's an off-white. "I feel bullied and that it has now become personal." Ms Dickson first received an enforcement notice last year which said her pink door did not meet the standards of a house in the World Heritage Site. It stated she must repaint it to its original colour of white or apply for planning permission. Miranda Dickson says her door is not "bright pink" as the complaint letter stated After an appeal failed she applied for planning permission to paint it green. In April, before she received the outcome of her application, she painted the door green because she was near the fine deadline if it remained pink. Last week planners rejected the green colour so she painted it an "off-white" and applied again for retrospective planning permission. But in a fresh twist the council said it had received a new complaint that the door was again pink. Ms Dickson has previously said she was confused why she was being issued an enforcement notice when there were many other brightly coloured doors in the area. But the council said it could only act where it had received a complaint. Ms Dickson says there are other brightly painted doors in her neighbourhood which is a conservation area - her door (before it was repainted) is bottom left Ms Dickson had spent 18 months renovating her childhood home in Drummond Place after her parents died. The mother-of-two, who is a brand director in the drinks industry, moved back to Edinburgh two years ago after working in the US for nine years. She had been told that she had until 7 January to change the colour of her front door after a complaint led to a council enforcement notice, which she appealed. Ms Dickson said she had looked up the council's guidelines online before she painted the door. She said that when she first received a warning letter from the council last year, she asked which colours would be allowed. Miranda Dickson next to the door when it was repainted green - which was also rejected by planners The chief planning officer wrote back telling her to "stick to traditional colours" like dark red, dark grey, sage green, dark blue or black. But then she received a council enforcement letter in October telling her to paint her door white. "It's not like my door is in a bad condition," she said. "It costs a lot of money to have the front door painted because they are very large. It's not a quick job. "The council needs to act with more clarity over paint colour." A City of Edinburgh Council spokeswoman said: "We have received a complaint alleging that the door has been repainted pink. We're currently looking into this and so can't say more at this time." Sign up for our morning newsletter and get BBC News in your inbox. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.

Thank you for following the latest in this developing story with us today. To recap, police announced this evening that officers had discovered a baby's remains in a wooded area this afternoon. The body was found close to where Constance Marten and Mark Gordon were arrested on Monday night - but police have not confirmed that the baby is theirs. The pair remain in custody after Sussex Police were granted a 36-hour extension to continue their questioning. Det Supt Lewis Bashford, one of the officers overseeing the case, said the outcome of the search was one police "had hoped would not happen". A post-mortem will also be conducted in due course. Police also extended their condolences to the baby's extended family, and thanked members of the public for their help throughout the search. The page was brought to you by Jasmine Andersson, Laura Gozzi, Gem O'Reilly, Lauren Turner and Nathan Williams.

Yevgeny Prigozhin has issued a series of angry statements at the Russian government in recent months Russia's Wagner Group boss says Moscow has agreed to his demands for more ammunition, days after he threatened to withdraw his men from Bakhmut. On Thursday, Yevgeny Prigozhin attacked his Russian partners in a gruesome, expletive-filled rant, filmed among dozens of Wagner troops' corpses. The next day he said Wagner fighters would leave Bakhmut by 10 May. But on Sunday Prigozhin said Moscow had agreed to provide the supplies "needed to continue fighting" in the city. Prigozhin's apparent U-turn is not a huge surprise. He is a publicity seeker who has not followed through on previous threats. Russian troops and fighters from Wagner, a private military company, have been trying to capture Bakhmut for months - despite its questionable strategic value. Western officials believe thousands of Russian and Wagner troops have been killed in the fighting, and the eastern Ukrainian city has become a symbolic prize. Yet - although Russian troops and Wagner fighters are on the same side - it is an uneasy alliance. Prigozhin has regularly criticised Russian officials for what he claims is a lack of front-line support. In his new statement, Prigozhin claimed that Gen Sergei Surovikin - who commanded Russia's forces in Ukraine between October and January - had been appointed to liaise between Russia's regular military and Wagner mercenaries. "This is the only man with the star of an army general who knows how to fight," Prigozhin said. "No other army general is reasonable." While Prigozhin didn't expressly reverse his pledge to withdraw troops from Bakhmut, he said his forces had been given permission to "act in Bakhmut as we see fit" - appearing to suggest they will remain. The Kremlin has not commented on Prigozhin's latest statement. Wagner has its own set of commanders, objectives and motivations, and Prigozhin is widely believed to hold his own domestic political ambitions. Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu and Chief of the General Staff Valery Gerasimov have often been the focus for his anger, amid reports of infighting among different power groups in Vladimir Putin's entourage. In his statement on Thursday, Prigozhin raged: "Shoigu! Gerasimov! Where is the... ammunition?... They came here as volunteers and die for you to fatten yourselves in your mahogany offices." And he said Wagner's casualties were "growing in geometrical progression every day" because of the lack of ammunition. At the time, Ukrainian officials expressed scepticism that Prigozhin truly intended to withdraw his forces from Bakhmut. Deputy Defence Minister Hanna Maliar said on Friday that Wagner was actually redeploying mercenaries towards Bakhmut in a bid to capture the city before Tuesday's Victory Day celebrations in Russia. In other developments in Ukraine and Russia:

These buildings in Bakhmut are amongst the thousands destroyed across Ukraine as a result of the war with Russia Ukraine's economy will need external help for many years to come, a senior World Bank official has told the BBC. The war-torn country "also has a lot of potential to turn a lot of its assets into economic opportunity and recovery", according to Anna Bjerde. The managing director for operations was talking before a major international conference in London on rebuilding Ukraine's economy. Last year the country's economy shrank 29% to just over $140bn (£109bn). The World Bank and other multilateral development bodies are playing a key role in the Ukraine Recovery Conference which is focusing on the role the private sector can play in rebuilding the country. The total reconstruction bill was estimated at $411bn in March but continued fighting with Russia means that will now be higher. The conference will start on Wednesday, hearing from the co-hosts, UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. Mr Sunak is set to announce $3bn in World Bank loan guarantees, and will tell the delegates: "As we've seen in Bakhmut and Mariupol, what Russia cannot take it will seek to destroy. They want to do the same to Ukraine's economy." "President Zelensky's government is determined to drive reforms to become more open, more transparent and ready for investment." When asked about the conference in a BBC interview, Mr Zelensky said: "On the larger scale we are speaking about the transformation of Ukraine. This is Ukraine not only with its energy and agriculture and industrial complexes, but with its reforms we can see. This is the digitalisation of our country." He also thanked the UK government and the people for their support of Ukraine since the start of a full-scale invasion by Russia in February 2022. Rishi Sunak and Volodymyr Zelensky, seen meeting at May's G7 summit in Japan, will both address the Ukraine Recovery Conference seeking help for the economy In the immediate term Ukraine needs $14bn from international donors to get through this year. Ms Bjerde says this will go towards "essential social expenditures" such as pension payments, healthcare and salaries for doctors and teachers. It will also help fund urgent repairs that are needed to infrastructure such as roads and the power system that are crucial for the battered economy to function. Despite the difficulties that many economies around the world are suffering as a result of the war in Ukraine Ms Bjerde is hopeful that the funding will be forthcoming. "I think there's been a huge level of commitment shown to Ukraine, and I think that will continue. Ukraine is just too important." The World Bank's Anna Bjerde says Ukraine will need economic support for many years to come The billions of dollars poured in so far have "helped arrest what otherwise would have been even more devastating humanitarian impacts on the country", she says, adding that Ukraine will also need to help itself. That may prove difficult given that agriculture is a crucial source of income for Ukraine. It is a major global source of crops including wheat, sunflower and corn. Despite a deal to facilitate some exports, which is set to expire next month, output is expected to fall to around 45 million tonnes from 53 million in 2022. Some of that is because damaged infrastructure makes it harder to get goods out of Ukraine. Ukraine's economy has been held back by Russian attacks on infrastructure such as these rail tracks in Kharkiv Those challenges have been highlighted in a survey from the American Chamber of Commerce in Ukraine (AmCham Ukraine). It shows that 49% of companies have suffered damage to their buildings. It also found that 32% of companies have had staff killed, and 27% staff had injured during 15 months of fighting. Nonetheless it also found 63% of companies intend to invest in new projects, plants or facilities and 74% want to create jobs for Ukrainians in existing projects. AmCham Ukraine's President Andy Hunder pointed to some of the issues that will be addressed at the conference in London. He told the BBC that "the majority of businesses in Ukraine don't plan to make claims for war damages until proper and clear compensation mechanisms are developed and eventually implemented". Coca-Cola's factory in Kyiv was damaged early in the war but has since been reopened The two-day meeting of business leaders and politicians will also look at if a war insurance scheme can be put into place to encourage some of the private sector investment that the World Bank says is vital to rebuilding the economy. In a separate survey it found firms have seen an average 53% drop in sales compared with pre-war 2021. It reported that larger companies have suffered more disruption that smaller firms. Whilst big companies including Coca-Cola, Mondelez and Unilever have seen their buildings damaged some have already started spending money on rebuilding in Ukraine. For that to continue Mr Hunder says "comprehensive war risk insurance for investors has a key role to play to secure investment in Ukraine's rebuilding and recovery". Major US financial firms Blackrock and JP Morgan are helping Ukraine's government secure private sector investment for rebuilding. That will be key to providing the jobs and innovation that will drive Ukraine's recovery according to the World Bank's Ms Bjerde. "Even if the war was to end today, there will be an adjustment period, the economy has changed a lot. Poverty in Ukraine has gone up, the dynamics and the demographics have changed. So there will need to be support for the time to come".

After losing in a very public way to one of the most famous women in the world, Terry Sanderson has lamented that this trial means he's "going to be on the internet forever". So who was he before he decided to take on Gwyneth Paltrow? The former US army captain and retired optometrist filed suit against Paltrow in 2019, three years after their skiing collision in Utah. Sanderson, 76, says he has never been injured in more than 30 years of skiing. In trial, a doctor testified that he led an active retirement. “Terry had been a high-functioning, active person,” neuroradiology specialist Dr Wendell Gibby told the court. “Every day he was doing lots of things. Meeting groups, wine tasting, skiing, volunteering." But after the accident, Sanderson said he was unable to enjoy life. On the stand, one of his adult daughters said her father has become "obsessed" with getting an apology from Paltrow, and that his mood changed after the accident. Another daughter said before the accident he was "outgoing" but is now "easily frustrated". Paltrow's team said in court that a third daughter, who gave a deposition, said she had not spoken to her father in years because he could be verbally abusive. Lawyer Steve Owens claimed she said he would be "dishonest for money and notoriety".

Last updated on .From the section Tennis Britain's Emma Raducanu overcame a disrupted build-up to earn a gutsy first-round win at Indian Wells, despite deciding only 20 minutes before the start to play. The 2021 US Open champion, ranked 77th, faces Poland's Magda Linette next at the prestigious tournament. "I didn't feel too good this morning," she told BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra. "I'm just so happy with the way I fought and dealt with the circumstances. "I just woke up feeling not great to be honest. I felt quite ill so I'm just happy to have played the match and then to win it despite how I felt today. "Today before the match, I did not warm up. Two minutes before I was called I was sleeping in the treatment room so I'm just proud to have got out there and then won." In the men's draw, Andy Murray defeated Tomas Etcheverry 6-7 (5-7) 6-1 6-4 to reach the second round while fellow Briton Jack Draper needed just 55 minutes to win his opener, beating Switzerland's Leandro Riedi 6-1 6-1 to set up a meeting with compatriot Dan Evans. Indian Wells is one of the biggest events outside of the four Grand Slam tournaments. Since sensationally winning the US Open as a virtually unknown teenage qualifier, Raducanu has been unable to build on that success as her progress continues to be stalled by fitness problems. Various injuries over the course of 2022 wrecked her chances of finding momentum in her first full year on the WTA Tour and the wrist problem that ended her season returned to threaten her participation in Indian Wells. With tonsillitis also forcing her out of a tournament in Austin last week, the British number one summed up her fortunes by telling BBC Sport: "When it rains, it pours." But an efficient victory over 62nd-ranked Kovinic - in Raducanu's first match since losing to Coco Gauff at the Australian Open - should help lift any lingering gloom. Raducanu trailed 2-0 in each of the two sets, but grew in confidence as 28-year-old Kovinic produced a stream of errors. Kovinic played some loose shots and struggled with her first-serve percentage in both sets, with Raducanu staying patient and playing smart to grind out a solid win. • None Listen to all-new versions of their biggest hits and a surprising cover • None Searching for new converts in Manchester: The Mormons Are Coming follows young missionaries during their make-or-break training

Security guards at Heathrow Airport's Terminal Five are to strike for 10 days from 31 March in a dispute over pay. The Unite union says more than 1,400 of its members employed by Heathrow will walk out in a period which covers the school Easter holidays. Workers at T5, used by British Airways and those who check cargo entering the airport, will take part in the action, ending on Easter Sunday. Heathrow says contingency plans will be put in place to keep the airport open. In a statement, Heathrow said passengers can be assured the airport will be "open and operational despite unnecessary threats of strike action by Unite". The company said it had proposed "an inflation-beating 10% increase in pay". But Unite says the offer does not make up for years of pay freezes and cuts. Unite union secretary general Sharon Graham says workers at Heathrow Airport are on "poverty wages" while "the chief executive and senior managers enjoy huge salaries". She said Unite members are "simply unable to make ends meet due to the low wages" and they are striking "due to need not greed". "It is the airport's workers who are fundamental to its success and they deserve a fair pay increase," the Unite boss said. It comes as more than 1,000 Passport Office workers announced they would go on strike for five weeks over a dispute about jobs, pay and conditions. Members of the Public and Commercial Services union working across England, Scotland and Wales will walk out from 3 April to 5 May. Meanwhile, those working in Belfast will strike from 7 April to 5 May. The union warned of delays to applications and the delivery of passports in the run-up to summer, adding that the strike action was being targeted to cause mass disruption. According to travel expert Simon Calder, at peak times - which includes April - the Passport Office can receive 250,000 applications per week. It means that more than one million applications could be sent during the strike period. News of the strike has given rise to fears passports will not be processed in time for some people's holidays this summer. The Home Office said it was disappointed with PCS's decision to walk out, adding that the strike does not affect its guidance which is still to allow up to 10 weeks to get a passport, with preparations under way to meet demand. When the strike takes place at Heathrow T5 from 31 March, the airport will likely need to move resources from other areas. The airport says the wage proposal on offer is fair, and "threatening to ruin people's hard-earned holidays with strike action will not improve the deal". It said staff at Heathrow are paid at least the London Living Wage, while the starting salary for a security officer would be £27,754, plus shift pay and allowances, if its 10% offer is accepted.

Mhairi Black is one of six SNP MPs to announce they will quit at the next election SNP MP Mhairi Black is stepping down at the next general election. Ms Black, the party's deputy leader at Westminster, became the parliament's youngest MP since 1832 when she was elected aged 20 in 2015. She is the sixth SNP MP to announce they will not contest the next election, which is expected to be held in 2024. In a statement Ms Black, 28, described Westminster as an "outdated, sexist and toxic" working environment. The Paisley and Renfrewshire South MP cited safety concerns, social media abuse and unsociable hours as she explained her decision. "I have also made clear that I have no desire to have a long career in elected politics, and as we approach the next general election, I will have been elected for almost a decade," Ms Black said. "I have dedicated a third of my life so far to Westminster - a truly unhealthy working environment." She said it was "beyond demoralising" to see constituents "harmed by a UK government they never voted for". The MP added: "Since 2015, the lives of my loved ones have been turned upside down and inside out. "Between media attention, social media abuse, threats, constant travel, and the murders of two MPs, my loved ones have been in a constant state of anxiety for my health and safety." Mhairi Black became the youngest MP in 300 years when she was elected in 2015 Ms Black, who married her partner Katie in June 2022, also said she wanted to spend more time with loved ones. She said: "I will of course continue to represent my constituency to the best of my abilities, and I look forward to continuing to campaign for an independent Scotland and for the SNP at the general election, but I will do so as a campaigner rather than a candidate." Humza Yousaf, the SNP leader and Scotland's first minister, described Ms Black as a "trailblazer" who was a "passionate supporter of independence, equality, social justice, and simply of trying to make life better for her constituents and the wider Scottish public". He added: "She has also served as a role model for young people, especially women, with an interest or a desire to get involved in politics." Mr Yousaf's predecessor, Nicola Sturgeon, said the announcement by the Paisley and Renfrewshire South MP was the "loss of a unique talent". She added on Twitter: "I only hope it's temporary. The world needs more Mhairi Blacks in politics, not fewer." This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. People in Mhairi Black's constituency share their reaction to news that she will step down as an MP SNP Westminster leader Stephen Flynn tweeted that Ms Black is "in a class of her own". Former SNP Westminster leader Ian Blackford has already announced he will be standing down at the next election. Party colleagues Peter Grant, Angela Crawley, Douglas Chapman and Stewart Hosie are also set to quit. This Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on Twitter The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Skip twitter post by Mhairi Black MP🏳️‍🌈 This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Ms Black defeated former Labour government minister Douglas Alexander as the SNP won a landslide north of the border in the 2015 election. She successfully defended her seat in the 2017 and 2019 general elections. The SNP MP's maiden speech – in which she paid tribute to her constituents and attacked benefit sanctions – was viewed online more than 10 million times within a week. And early in her parliamentary career, she hit out at Westminster's "silly traditions", describing it as outdated. This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. In 2018, she made headlines after detailing some of the abuse she received during a parliamentary debate on misogyny to mark International Women's Day. She listed graphic misogynistic insults she had been sent during her time as an MP. The next general election is due to be held by January 2025, with the autumn of next year seen as the most likely date. Mhairi Black was a symbol of the SNP's landslide in 2015, the 20-year-old who conjured up a massive swing to unseat a Labour heavyweight in Douglas Alexander. It wasn't just her youth. Her straight-talking style encompassed a lot of what the SNP wanted to be at Westminster - a renegade element in the Commons shaking things up and agitating for radical change. But now, she is the latest in what is becoming a string of SNP members to announce they will not stand in the next election. Is that too a symbol of something? Labour are gearing up for a big push to try to retake ground from the SNP - Mr Alexander is targeting a comeback of his own, albeit in a different seat. But Paisley and Renfrewshire South is fairly steady SNP territory these days, with Ms Black commanding a majority in excess of 10,000 votes in 2019 - or almost 25%. The salient point may be that no SNP MP really wants to be at Westminster, and the question of independence has for years now been caught in a log-jam. Perhaps what Ms Black fears isn't so much losing her seat - but the prospect of keeping it for the long term. Scottish Conservative Chairman Craig Hoy MSP described Ms Black's announcement as "yet another damning verdict from a senior SNP MP on the failing leadership of both Humza Yousaf and Stephen Flynn". He added: "It speaks volumes about how bitter those feuds have become that Mhairi Black has thrown in the towel, just a few months after agreeing to become deputy leader, and decided not to fight another election despite not yet turning 30." • None Stewart Hosie to stand down at next election

I've never said this won't be difficult - Sunak Laura tells the PM how the show’s production team is inundated with emails from viewers who say they can’t afford their rent and are struggling to pay the bills. For a fourth time, she asks if he’ll admit putting up interest rates will hurt people financially. He says he fully supports the Bank’s decisions to raise rates, and points out the UK is not alone in facing this challenge, with the US, Australia, Europe and elsewhere also pushing rates up. He says: "I’ve never said that this isn't going to be a difficult time to get through. “But what I want to give people the reassurance and confidence is, that we’ve got a plan, the plan will work and we will get through this.” Laura tells the PM he sounds like he’s reading a script - but he says that’s important context for people to understand why rates are going up.

Tears of relief as sisters reunite at Stansted Airport After days of dread, fear and desperation, British families are now on rescue flights out of Sudan, making the 3,000-mile journey to safety. At Stansted Airport, emotions ran high as relatives clutched flowers and waited to see whether their loved ones were on the next airport bus. One little boy called out "mum" when he saw his mother get off the bus. The arrivals, looking tired and relieved, were coming to the end of a very long and frightening journey. Many will have risked their lives to travel - without any assistance - across Sudan's capital, Khartoum, during a fragile ceasefire to reach an airfield. From there, they joined RAF planes taking them out of Sudan, away from the conflict and on to Cyprus. Then they were brought to the UK on a chartered flight and into the arms of waiting relatives. As of around 22:00 BST on Wednesday six flights had evacuated 536 British nationals from Sudan, the Foreign Office said. But there has been criticism of the slowness of the UK government's evacuations compared with other Western countries such as Germany, which completed its evacuations on Tuesday evening. Home Secretary Suella Braverman said the government would be supporting British nationals and their dependents, but added there were no plans to introduce a legal route for people fleeing Sudan to claim asylum in the UK. However, Alicia Kearns, chairwoman of the Commons foreign affairs select committee, said elderly people dependent on their British citizen children should be allowed on flights to the UK. "In the same way we treat children who are dependent on their parents, we should respect that some elderly people are dependent on their children," she said. Clashes between the Sudanese army and paramilitary group the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) began on 15 April. Hundreds of people have since died and thousands have been injured in the conflict. A ceasefire began in Sudan at midnight local time on Monday, but is due to expire at the start of Friday. Writing on Twitter, Foreign Secretary James Cleverly warned the UK could not guarantee how many further flights would depart once the ceasefire ends. Airlifting large numbers of people out of Sudan has been complicated by major airports becoming battlegrounds, and movement out of the capital has been perilous. This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Watch: 'They were slow but they saved us' One evacuee described seeing burnt houses and cars everywhere on her way to the airfield, just outside Khartoum. Others had seen dead bodies, she said. But now, back in the UK and little over an hour from her home in Acton, west London, Nemar told gathered reporters of her happiness and pride at making it home. "I am very happy to be here," she said. "The British government has been marvellous - I feel very proud that I have made it here," she added, before wrapping her arms around her sister in emotional scenes. There were more tears or relief and joy at the airport, with people saying they finally felt safe and protected. Tariq, who saw the building next to his shelled in Sudan, said: "We're very grateful to be alive." He thanked the British government but said they should be trying to save more people. "We don't know who's going to make it out. We are very lucky, but not everyone is as lucky as us," he added. Shama, one of the first off the airport bus, told reporters and her family: "We're safe. We're in no danger - I'm back and no longer scared." Asked about the speed of the British response to the violence in Sudan, she said: "It was slow but we're here." Earlier at Larnaca Airport, in Cyprus - where Britons boarded their second flight - Shereen Soliman spoke of her relief at escaping Sudan. "It was something else. I can't even describe," the mother and fashion designer told the BBC from the departure gates. "It was bad, it was very bad, I even don't want to remember it." This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Watch: Fleeing Sudan - first Britons to leave Cyprus for UK soil Shereen was on a three-week holiday with her son Karim, 10, and eight-year-old daughter Diyalam, who were excited to be visiting family in their homeland when the fighting broke out. "In two weeks they [her children] were asking me to go back to London." Karim said: "We heard lots of gunshots while we were in the house. We also heard explosions. I saw men with guns but they were friendly because they were on our team." But he said he was looking forward to being back in London because it was safe there. However that has not been an option for all of the family. Others did not have the right to go to the UK with her, Shereen said. "I had to leave my parents, my siblings, the whole family there. So I'm very worried about them. I really feel sorry for Sudan because it's my home, my country. I wanted my kids to feel safe there." Asked how she felt about the British authorities' handling of the situation compared with the French and the Germans, she said: "They were slower than the others, but still they saved us. "That's what matters, right?" Her feelings were shared by fellow British national, Yahya Yahya, who has been trying to flee Sudan with his family since the fighting started 11 days ago. He told the BBC it was "a very difficult time" and he was "thankful that we've finally made it to a safe place". "The first day that the war started [I tried to leave the country], because I wanted to try and get my kids to a safe place," he said. Asked about the delay in knowing that Britain would help evacuate its people, Yahya took a sharp intake of breath. "It was quite difficult, but it was ok," he said. Other stories have emerged of timely escapes. One British man whose sister managed to be evacuated overnight told the BBC she felt overwhelming relief to have escaped Khartoum, where food and water have become scarce because it is not safe for people to leave their homes. He said at one point she and 13 others had only four dates and one egg left to share between them. This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Watch: British nationals board UK military plane to be evacuated from Sudan Brigadier Dan Reeve, the most senior military official overseeing the evacuation, said there was capacity to evacuate about 500 people a day. He defended the decision not to escort people to the airport, even though some other countries have done this with their nationals. He told the BBC: "This is not a race to get it wrong. In my professional judgement it would not be safe to bring people together in one location in Khartoum and seek to extract them. "We've seen incidents of convoys being attacked." Around 120 British troops are supporting the evacuation at the Wadi Seidna airstrip. Downing Street said the British military would defend the airfield in Sudan but clarified efforts would be made to avoid "active engagement" with other forces. The government is also considering a seaborne evacuation from Port Sudan, some 500 miles from the capital. HMS Lancaster and RFA Cardigan Bay have been sent to the region. Additional reporting by Nick Beake, Europe correspondent, and Nick Garnett, in Cyprus

At last year's Platinum Jubilee there was no place for Prince Harry or Prince Andrew Even at this late stage there is no confirmation about which members of the Royal Family will be on the famous balcony of Buckingham Palace after the Coronation service. This will be one of the most iconic images of the day so nothing will be accidental about how it is staged. The lack of certainty about who will appear on this royal stage has been presented as keeping something back for the big day. Or perhaps it might be a bit of news management to avoid "Prince Harry banned from balcony" headlines? Or more dramatically could there be options being kept open for last-minute, surprise changes? The balcony has become a key moment for the Royal Family to send a message. On Saturday afternoon, after the procession gets back from Westminster Abbey, the curtains will be pulled back and a number of invited guests will step out on to the palace balcony, looking out over the gates and at the crowd below. There has been an expectation this will be used to highlight the core group of "working royals" - those family members who carry out official duties on behalf of the King. As well as the King and Queen Consort, that would include close family such as the Prince and Princess of Wales, the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh and Princess Royal, along with other working royals such as the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester and the Duke of Kent. That approach would make a distinction from "non-working royals" - specifically Prince Harry and Prince Andrew, who a year ago were banished from the most recent balcony moment, for the late Queen Elizabeth's Platinum Jubilee. The balcony line-up of the Royal Family in 2019 for Trooping the Colour No such announcement has been made for the Coronation, although it has been confirmed that neither Prince Harry nor Prince Andrew will have any formal role in the ceremony in the Abbey. For the Platinum Jubilee in 2022 there were 18 people on the balcony, including the late Queen, and her second appearance on the balcony in the closing moments of the weekend became one of the most poignant images. Numbers had been cut back even further for the Diamond Jubilee in 2012, when only six people were on the balcony, in a show of frugality at a time of economic austerity. Prince Harry will be attending the Coronation, and he's expected to make a quick turn-around before returning to the US, but there would be no bigger platform than the balcony for sending an image of a family reunited. The balcony, like a framed photo in the royal album, could also be a way of emphasising the line of succession, bringing together the King, Prince William and his son Prince George. Queen Elizabeth II made six balcony appearances after the coronation Another possibility might be several appearances with different line-ups, like the family group permutations of wedding photos. In 1953 for the late Queen Elizabeth's coronation there were six separate balcony appearances, with some of these including more than 30 family and friends. Such a crowd scene would be unlikely to be the message for a modern monarchy wanting to project a smaller, more cost-conscious image. Monarchs have been stepping out on to the palace balcony since Queen Victoria in 1851, using it as a showcase where royalty and the public can acknowledge each other. Winston Churchill was one of the few politicians to appear on the balcony, seen here in 1945 Read the latest from our royal correspondent Sean Coughlan - sign up here. Although it wasn't until the 1930s that the Royal Family began to wave back - and with a leap towards modernity, from the 1980s the balcony became the place where royal weddings were celebrated with a public kiss. And even though there are no fixed rules, the palace balcony has acquired its own rituals. The monarch is almost always at the centre, with others fanning out around them in a courtly pecking order. Traditionally it's only married partners of the Royal Family who appear, not current girlfriends or boyfriends, suggesting the sense of this being a permanent record. This is very much a royal moment, but there have been rare occasions when political figures have appeared. Wartime prime minister Winston Churchill was on the balcony to take the salute of the crowds when victory in Europe was declared in May 1945. In 1938 prime minister Neville Chamberlain went on to the balcony after the signing of the ill-fated Munich Agreement with Nazi Germany. On Saturday afternoon, we'll see who appears beside King Charles and Queen Camilla. What are your plans for the Coronation weekend? Are you volunteering as part of The Big Help Out on Bank Holiday Monday? Share your experiences by emailing [email protected]. Please include a contact number if you are willing to speak to a BBC journalist. You can also get in touch in the following ways: If you are reading this page and can't see the form you will need to visit the mobile version of the BBC website to submit your question or comment or you can email us at [email protected]. Please include your name, age and location with any submission.

A pro-democracy campaigner who fled Hong Kong has told the BBC his life has become more dangerous because of a bounty offered for his arrest. Nathan Law, who lives in the UK, is among eight exiled activists wanted by the territory's police. Authorities are offering rewards of HK$1 million (£100,581; $127,637) for information leading to their capture. Mr Law said he needed to be "more careful" about divulging his whereabouts as a result of the bounty. The eight activists targeted are accused of colluding with foreign forces - a crime that can carry a sentence of life in prison. The offence comes under Hong Kong's draconian security law, which was imposed three years ago after widespread pro-democracy protests took place in 2019. The UK's Foreign Secretary James Cleverly said the UK would "not tolerate any attempts by China to intimidate and silence individuals in the UK and overseas." "We call on Beijing to remove the National Security Law and for the Hong Kong authorities to end their targeting of those who stand up for freedom and democracy," he said in a statement. Under the national security law, hundreds of pro-democracy campaigners have been arrested and convicted in Hong Kong. Beijing has said the law is needed to bring stability to the city, but critics say it is designed to squash dissent. The eight named in this announcement are all based in the UK, the US and Australia - countries which do not have extradition treaties with China. "They have committed very serious offences that endanger national security," Steven Li, chief superintendent of the national security department, said. He added that while Hong Kong police could not arrest them while they remained abroad, they would not stop chasing them. Mr Law, one of the most prominent figures in the pro-democracy movement, said that while he felt his situation was "relatively safe" in the UK, he would have to be more vigilant as a result of the bounty's announcement. "There could possibly be someone in the UK - or anywhere else - to provide informations of me to (the Hong Kong authorities). For example, my whereabouts, where they could possibly extradite me when I'm transiting in certain countries," Mr Law said. "All these things may put my life in to dangerous situations if I'm not careful enough of who I meet or where I go. It makes me have to live in a more careful life." Writing on Twitter, Mr Law urged others not to cooperate with the authorities on the matter and said: "We should not limit ourselves, self-censor, be intimidated, or live in fear." This sentiment was echoed by one of the other exiled activists - Anna Kwok, executive director of the Hong Kong Democracy Council - who said the bounty was aimed at intimidating her and her fellow activists. "We are united in our fight for freedom and democracy in our home, Hong Kong," she said in a statement. Australia's Foreign Minister Penny Wong said her government was "deeply disappointed" by the announcement and said Australia "remains deeply concerned by the continuing erosion of Hong Kong's rights, freedoms and autonomy." The other six activists named in the announcement are Ted Hui, Dennis Kwok, Mung Siu-tat, Elmer Yuen, Finn Law and Kevin Yam. You may also be interested in: This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.

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This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. A man who hosted a family fleeing the war in Ukraine has driven a mother and her two daughters 2,500 miles back to their home country. Katya Voichenko has been living in the Moray town of Burghead since she arrived in Scotland nine months ago. But with her children feeling homesick, Katya wanted to rejoin her partner Dima and son Leo in Ukraine. So Danny Ralph and his friend Chris Harris decided the best thing to do was to take them home themselves. Katya Voichenko came to Scotland last year with her daughters Katya is from the city of Sumy, about 20 miles from the Russian border. She came to Scotland last year with her daughters Masha and Ksyusha, and has been living in Danny's house in Burghead. Katya said it had been a "difficult" decision to come to Scotland because of the uncertainty. "We didn't know what we would have here, how it would be. It was scary," she said. Katya said they ended up getting on very well with Danny and they enjoyed their time in Scotland. She was able to keep up her hobby of pottery in Danny's house, even passing on some of that knowledge to her daughters. But she acknowledged there were difficulties. She said: "It's very difficult for mothers who had a full family in Ukraine before the war, but now they're raising children without the father, who's stayed in Ukraine. "It's a really important reason why some people are going home." Katya's partner and son had to stay in Ukraine when the war broke out. Men aged 18 to 60 were not allowed to leave as they were to prepare for service in the armed forces. She said her own children were very homesick. "They want to study in Ukraine. They want to work in the future in Ukraine," Katya said. When Danny and Chris saw how Katya and her daughters were feeling, they decided to undertake a road trip. "You're thinking about your own kids, your own bairns," Danny said. "You do things for friends, and they're our friends." They bought a van for the journey, which they plan to donate to charity when they get back to Scotland. In addition to Katya and her daughters, they also used the van to carry children's clothes and medical supplies which they donated to a hospital in Kyiv. And on the return journey, they are taking a group of 10 refugees back to Scotland. The journey included a detour to Luxembourg so Katya could see her sister The five-day journey to Ukraine included a detour to Luxembourg so Katya could see her sister, Leanna. "The last time I saw my sister was in the beginning of the war," she said. "It was terrible. We spent a lot of time in shelters under the house waiting for bombs." There were tears at the emotional reunion - but they could not stop for long. The group then continued through Poland, stopping off in Poznan, before heading towards the border with Ukraine. Once they got through the busy vehicle checkpoint, they drove on towards Kyiv on roads that had been bombed and rebuilt. "It kind of goes bump bump bump... but they're putting it back together really quickly," said Danny. It was dark when the van arrived in Kyiv, but there was a welcome party waiting for their arrival. Katya's mother Nadia, partner Dima and son Leo now live in the city, and were there to greet them, clearly relieved to be reunited after nine months apart.

Mahek Bukhari (right) and her mother Ansreen are on trial with six others A social media influencer accused of murdering two men "told a pack of lies" to police over her involvement in the crash that killed them, a court heard. Mohammed Hashim Ijazuddin and Saqib Hussain, both 21, died on the A46 in Leicestershire in February 2022. Mahek Bukhari, 23, her mother Ansreen Bukhari, 46, and six others are charged with their murder. The prosecution said the group rammed the pair off the road to keep an affair between Ansreen and Mr Hussain secret. All eight defendants deny two counts of murder and an alternative charge of manslaughter. Prosecutor Collingwood Thompson KC told Leicester Crown Court Mahek Bukhari had been elusive when questioned about the fatal crash. "Far from telling the police the truth, she told a pack of lies," he said. "As a social media influencer, she no doubt hoped that her skills would enable her to sell a false story to the police." Mohammed Hashim Ijazuddin (left) and Saqib Hussain died at the scene At the opening of the retrial on Monday, the prosecution said Mr Hussain had been blackmailing his former lover with sexual videos and images from their affair. It is claimed the defendants enticed him and his friend Mr Ijazuddin to Leicester for a meeting before ramming their car off the road, causing both men's deaths. On Tuesday, the court heard after the crash at 01:35 GMT on 11 February, police worked with other forces to trace the Audi TT and Seat Leon the prosecution says were involved. The jury was shown bodycam footage of officers visiting the Bukharis at their home in George Eardley Close, Stoke-on-Trent, about eight hours after the crash, having traced the Audi TT. This came hours after co-defendant Natasha Akhtar, the owner of the Seat Leon, was arrested on her way back to her home in Birmingham. Mr Thompson KC said while her brother was being asked about the car, Mahek Bukhari had a 14-minute call with co-defendant Raees Jamal. Mahek Bukhari has denied two counts of murder "It's not difficult to infer that Mahek Bukhari picked up on the fact that Raees Jamal had been trying to call her and she must've been telling him the police were in the house," the barrister said. "He said Natasha Akhtar had been arrested and they were trying cobble some sort of story to deceive police." Once it was established the pair had been in the Audi TT, Ms Bukhari claimed to officers she and her mother had been to Nottingham, which Mr Thompson KC said "was a lie". The women were asked to hand over their phones and pin numbers. However, Mahek Bukhari gave a false pin number and when officers tried to unlock it, her phone had reverted back to its factory settings with the data cleared, the court was told. Detectives later retrieved messages and call logs from her phone after accessing her iCloud account, the court heard. Both were arrested and transferred to Leicester to be interviewed under caution. Collingwood Thompson KC said Mahek Bukhari told a number of lies to police in interview The barrister said Mahek told police the pair had been intending to travel to Nottingham but ended up in Leicester due to roadworks. When asked about Mr Hussain, the influencer claimed she had known him for three years and had his number as they had previously dated. She then claimed he had been harassing and bullying her through her social media channels and demanded money to stop, explaining this was why they came to meet him at a Tesco car park in Hamilton, Leicester. On the crash itself, she claimed the Skoda Fabia Mr Hussain and Mr Ijazuddin were in was "harassing" the blue Seat Leon but she did not see the impact. She added she was "praying and hoping" the people inside the silver car were OK and "burst into tears". (From front left) Ansreen Bukhari, Mahek Bukari, Rekan Karwan, Raees Jamal with (from top left) Ameer Jamal, Sanaf Gulammustafa, Natasha Akhtar and Mohammed Patel Follow BBC East Midlands on Facebook, on Twitter, or on Instagram. Send your story ideas to [email protected]. • None TikToker and mum 'killed men in plot to hide affair' The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.

Peter Murrell said he was very proud of the part he played in securing the electoral success the party had achieved and praised his dedicated team The SNP chief executive Peter Murrell has resigned after taking responsibility for misleading the media about party membership numbers. Mr Murrell, who is married to outgoing party leader Nicola Sturgeon, said he had become a distraction to the leadership race. He had been set to face a vote of no confidence had he not stepped down, the BBC has been told. The party this week confirmed there had been a big drop in membership numbers. This contradicted an earlier denial that that was the case. Party president and former chief executive Michael Russell will take on Mr Murrell's role on a voluntary basis until a new party leader is in place and a permanent replacement is appointed. Mr Murrell, 58, has been a hugely influential figure in the party - where he has been chief executive since 1999 and is responsible for the day-to-day running of the SNP. Two leadership candidates, Kate Forbes and Ash Regan, have questioned the independence of the election process. And on Friday, the SNP's head of media at Holyrood, Murray Foote, resigned, saying there were "serious issues" with statements he had issued in "good faith" on behalf of party headquarters. A National Executive Committee source told the BBC Mr Foote had been "thrown under the bus" by Peter Murrell. Mr Murrell has been married to Ms Sturgeon since 2010. The SNP leader said her husband was right to resign. She told Sky News Mr Murrell had "obviously taken responsibility for the recent issue with membership". Ms Sturgeon added: "He had intended to step down when there was a new leader but I think he was right to make that announcement today [Saturday]. "Peter has been a key part of the electoral success we have achieved in recent years and I know there will be a recognition of that across the party." In his resignation statement Mr Murrell said: "Responsibility for the SNP's responses to media queries about our membership number lies with me as chief executive. "While there was no intent to mislead, I accept that this has been the outcome. "I have therefore decided to confirm my intention to step down as chief executive with immediate effect." He said he had not planned to step down until after the leadership contest but recognised that he had become "a distraction from the campaign". "I have concluded that I should stand down now, so the party can focus fully on issues about Scotland's future," he said. Mr Murrell has been married to Nicola Sturgeon since 2010 Mr Murrell added that he had no role in the running of the election contest. "I have worked for independence all my life and will continue to do so, albeit in a different capacity, until it is achieved - and I do firmly believe that independence is now closer than ever," he said. SNP leadership candidate Kate Forbes said: "I think that the party owes Peter Murrell a great debt of gratitude because he oversaw the party's expansion in membership and he's been the reason we won so many elections with his leadership at the top. "I've said repeatedly from the beginning of this contest that I think there's an appetite for fresh faces and that will hopefully pave the way for new people in headquarters to be able to run the SNP in a way that maintains the trust of SNP members and supports the SNP in government." Ms Forbes added that despite having called for an independent auditor to oversee the leadership vote, she had "no concerns" about Peter Murrell. This is a miserable end to Peter Murrell's long career in charge of SNP headquarters where he helped turn the party into a successful election-winning machine. He is taking responsibility for the party misleading the media about a big fall in the SNP's membership but concerns about his stewardship go wider than that. Two leadership candidates called for an independent auditor to be appointed to oversee the election although Mr Murrell insists he had "no role in it at any point". There is an ongoing police investigation into how £600,000 raised by the party for independence campaigning has been spent - with the SNP denying any wrongdoing. Some members of the party's ruling body were threatening a vote of no confidence in the chief executive, with one telling the BBC he had become a "hindrance". Others in the SNP have long questioned the wisdom of the party being run by Nicola Sturgeon's husband - arguing that too much power has been concentrated in one household. Humza Yousaf, another SNP leadership hopeful said: "Peter Murrell has been an outstanding servant of the independence movement and the SNP. "As I have said repeatedly throughout this campaign, he is the most electorally successful chief executive of any party in the UK and the SNP has been lucky to have him. Our election wins from 2007 to 2021 owe much to his political abilities. Mr Yousaf added that he agreed it was time for Mr Murrell to stand down. "With less than 10 days to go in this leadership contest, it is vital we all focus on the policies and vision we have for the party, movement and country," he said. Party leadership candidate Ash Regan posted on Twitter: "Eight years ago was the point where it was unacceptable to have the husband of the party leader as the CEO. "I am encouraged to see the democratic foundations of the party now asserting their rightful function." She added that the SNP's foundations were based on accountability, transparency, modernity and accessibility. SNP business convener Kirsten Oswald said she had called an National Executive Committee meeting on Saturday which had reaffirmed the body's faith in the leadership election process. Questions have mounted over a loan of more than £100,000 that Mr Murrell gave to the party in June 2021 to help it out with a "cash flow" issue after the last election. Scottish Conservative chairman Craig Hoy MSP said: "A fish rots from the head down - and the same applies to the SNP. "Peter Murrell's resignation is long overdue - but there remain serious questions for him to answer, not least over the 'missing' £600,000 from party accounts." He added: "The brutal, shambolic SNP leadership election appears to have been the tipping point that's forced the first minister's husband to quit before he was pushed." Mr Hoy said Mr Murrell must fully co-operate with any probes into the way the leadership election had been run and the police inquiry into the SNP's finances. In recent months, Ms Sturgeon was repeatedly asked about the origin of finances used by her husband but said the funds were entirely his own and she could not recall when she first learned of it. The SNP has also been under investigation over the past 18 months after questions were raised about the fate of £600,000 that was raised from supporters in 2017 for the purposes of a future referendum campaign. An SNP spokesman said the loan was a "personal contribution made by the chief executive to assist with cash flow after the Holyrood election". Scottish Labour deputy leader Jackie Baillie said: "This latest resignation of a top SNP figure goes to show that the wheels have fallen off the SNP wagon. When Scotland most needs responsible governance, the SNP has turned inward and begun to tear itself apart. "If this is what is happening in the party, just imagine the chaos in government." The ballot to find a replacement for Ms Sturgeon, which uses the single transferable vote system, opened on Monday with the winner to be announced on 27 March.

The boss of one of the UK's largest business groups has been fired over complaints about his behaviour at work. Tony Danker, who will leave the Confederation of British Industry (CBI) following an investigation over his conduct towards several employees, said he was "shocked" by the sacking. Three other CBI employees have also been suspended pending a probe into other allegations, the group said. It is also liaising with the police who are looking into the claims. Detective Chief Superintendent Richard Waight of the City of London Police said: "We approached the CBI following media reports and our investigations are at a very early stage. It would not be appropriate to comment any further at this time." Mr Danker stepped aside in March after the CBI hired law firm Fox Williams to investigate several complaints about him. These included a complaint from a female employee in January and complaints from other members of staff which surfaced in March. The 51-year-old, who was paid £376,000 by the CBI in 2021, has now been dismissed with immediate effect with no severance pay. He is being replaced by Rain Newton-Smith, the CBI's former chief economist. Mr Danker tweeted on Tuesday: "I recognise the intense publicity the CBI has suffered following the revelations of awful events that occurred before my time in office. I was appalled to learn about them for the first time last week. "I was nevertheless shocked to learn this morning that I had been dismissed from the CBI, instead of being invited to put my position forward as was originally confirmed. Many of the allegations against me have been distorted, but I recognise that I unintentionally made a number of colleagues feel uncomfortable and I am truly sorry about that. I want to wish my former CBI colleagues every success." The findings of the investigation into him for now remain unpublished. Last week, the Guardian newspaper reported sexual misconduct claims against CBI employees, including an allegation of rape at a summer boat party in 2019. Many of the most serious allegations predate Mr Danker's time as director-general. Belfast-born Mr Danker took over as head of the CBI in November 2020. He had previously spent 10 years as a consultant with McKinsey, and worked as a special adviser to the Treasury under Gordon Brown's government. He has also been international director then chief strategy officer at Guardian News and Media. In its statement on Tuesday, the CBI said: "Tony Danker is dismissed with immediate effect following the independent investigation into specific complaints of workplace misconduct against him. "The board wishes to make clear he is not the subject of any of the more recent allegations in The Guardian but has determined that his own conduct fell short of that expected of the director-general." The scandals have left the CBI facing its biggest crisis since it was founded in 1965. Some company executives who are members of the group have described it as an existential crisis for an organisation that represents the interests of some 190,000 businesses across the UK. The lobby group has already postponed its public events and asked Fox Williams to conduct a separate investigation to the one into Mr Danker. A Downing Street spokesman said the government would keep its engagement with the CBI on hold while the group continued its investigation, adding: "We continue to expect any allegations to be taken seriously and for appropriate action to be taken in response." Labour's shadow chancellor Rachel Reeves said Labour had also cut ties with the CBI for now, calling the allegations "incredibly concerning". In its statement, the lobby group said the allegations made in recent weeks had been "devastating" and that there had been "serious failings" in how it had handled sexual misconduct complaints. It said it would now begin a "root-and-branch review" of its culture and governance. This will look at issues such as how employees raise concerns and processes for escalating complaints. "It is already clear to all of us that there have been serious failings in how we have acted as an organisation. We must do better, and we must be better," it said. Mr Danker's replacement, Rain Newton-Smith, becomes the second woman to lead the group in its history. Ms Newton-Smith, who spent her early career as an economist at the Bank of England, left the CBI in March to join Barclays bank as managing director for strategy and policy, sustainability and ESG (environmental, social and governance). She is well known to CBI staff and members but will face a tough job in reassuring members that the lobby group can effectively represent their interests. Jürgen Maier, the former UK boss of engineering giant Siemens, said Mr Danker's sacking should be a "wake up moment" for all business leaders. Mr Maier, who served on the CBI's president's committee until 2019, told Radio 4's World at One programme: "For any leader this is a wake up moment to make sure that we do root and branch reviews of our organisation and make sure that we've got the cultures in place that don't allow these sorts of behaviours to happen." Last week the boss of brewing company Adnams said his firm had considered leaving the CBI following the scandals. On Tuesday, chief executive Andy Wood said a decision would not be made until the full investigation was complete, but added he was encouraged by the action taken. "The allegations were very serious and there's clearly no room for that type of behaviour in any workplace," he told the BBC. "So it was right that we reviewed [our membership], but it's also right we give the organisation a chance to put its house back in order." The CBI lobbies politicians on firms' behalf to make policies that benefit UK businesses. It also hosts regular networking events for business leaders, with the UK chancellor typically giving the keynote speech at its annual dinner. According its most recently published accounts, £22m of its £25m income in 2021 came from membership fees.

Meta has launched its much-teased rival to Twitter, Threads, in the UK and US. The BBC's technology editor Zoe Kleinman and North America technology correspondent James Clayton have both tried out the app. Here are their first impressions. It was the middle of the night in the UK when my phone buzzed to let me know that Meta Threads, the new social network app I'd pre-ordered on the App Store, had been installed. Given the timing, I wasn't expecting much to be going on from a UK location. I already have an Instagram account so within three clicks I had a profile, and I selected to follow everybody I already follow on the photo-sharing app. Suddenly it was like I'd walked through the door to a great big house party. Loads of people were signing up, writing their first posts, responding to others and commenting on the new surroundings. I had dozens of followers in the first five minutes, and nearly 500 as I write this. (I've still got fewer than 300 on another Twitter alternative, the Jack Dorsey-founded text-based network, BlueSky, which I've been on for weeks.) If you're familiar with Twitter, you'll recognise the design of Threads instantly. Everything from the heart-shaped symbol to "like" a post, to the circle of arrows denoting the feature to repost, is the same. Some early complaints include the lack of a private messaging feature, no hashtags or trends to help navigate popular content, and no timeline curation options other than the ability to mute accounts or words, and block others. But I feel we should add the word "yet" - Threads is officially only a few hours old (although it is its second outing following an earlier version in 2019 that was discontinued. Perhaps the world wasn't yet ready, or sufficiently annoyed with the goings on at Twitter). What stands it apart from other Twitter rivals is the instant integration of this vast, ready-made Instagram community. Two billion people use the photo-sharing app and this offers an easy way for them all to land on another platform. This makes it instantly engaging, which will appeal hugely to advertisers, who I imagine will eventually fund it, although there will apparently be no ads for the first year. First impressions of Threads: can Meta do this? Is this not somehow plagiarism? The app looks almost identical to Twitter. The news feed, the reposting. It's all incredibly familiar. Mark Zuckerberg claims millions of people have signed up in the first few hours. You should always be sceptical when a tech boss says how many users have signed up to a platform. But it does feel like a lot of people are already on it. That's partly because it's connected to Instagram. Meta isn't creating an app from scratch. It's benefiting from its two billion Instagram followers that are giving it a massive shot in the arm. Platforms like Bluesky and Mastodon did not have this luxury. They started with zero users. But whether this is "fair" or not, Mr Zuckerberg doesn't care. He's copied other apps before to great success (Reels is a clone of TikTok) and he's happy to do so again. Knowing the power of celebrity, Mr Zuckerberg has also utilised famous names on Instagram and managed to get some of them on Threads, like Shakira and Gordon Ramsay. Mr Zuckerberg will be thrilled with the buzz around the app. When it comes to social media, it's all about the network effect. The more people use the app, the better the app is. When it comes to social media, the network effect can create a sort of tipping point. When so many of your friends or people you want to hear from are on a platform, you kind of feel you have to join. It's very, very hard to create a network effect on a social media platform. But when it works, it really works. The reverse is also true. When communities leave a social media platform, they can do so quickly - and it can be devastating. Think Myspace or Bebo. Let's go to some of the problems with Threads, though. Unlike Twitter, which has two feeds - a recommendations feed and an option just to see tweets from those you follow - Threads has just one feed that blends your followers and content it thinks you will want. That could get annoying. It doesn't seem to have desktop functionality yet - it doesn't work well on your computer. That's a shame. There doesn't seem to be any trending information, so it's hard to see what's going viral. And when it comes to verification, users can still buy their blue ticks for a monthly fee, just as you can with Twitter. Mark Zuckerberg described the app as an "initial version" - and that's what it feels like. It does the basics well. But this is a no-thrills app right now. That said, Meta's boss will be over the moon with how this has gone so far. Considering the bad press he's got over the years, he is reinventing himself as the adult in the room - the sensible tech billionaire who wants a friendly social media platform. You can tell this has riled Elon Musk. "Thank goodness they're so sanely run," he tweeted sarcastically on Monday. But if Mr Zuckerberg was nervous that disaffected Twitter uses would spurn Meta's offer, so far, it looks like those fears were unfounded. And if that is the case, with an app that works perfectly well, if not spectacularly, that could be a real problem for Mr Musk.

Wild Youth have previously toured with Niall Horan and Lewis Capaldi and were chosen to represent Ireland in February Ireland's Eurovision act Wild Youth have cut ties with their creative director over comments made on social media relating to transgender people. Screen grabs circulated on Twitter of Ian Banham's account referring to transgender women as men in posts. The Irish band say they stand for "unity and kindness" and will no longer let Mr Banham "near our team". Mr Banham's representatives have been contacted by the BBC, but they had no comment to make. With just two weeks until this year's song contest begins, it is quite late for any artist to change their creative team as rehearsals begin in Liverpool next week. Wild Youth frontman Conor O'Donohoe said he "felt sick" reading the tweets and apologised to those hurt by those remarks. This Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on Twitter The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Skip twitter post by Conor O Donohoe This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. According to his website, Mr Banham has worked in the past with stars including Kylie Minogue, Cheryl and Lily Allen. He was also the choreographer for the most recent series of Ireland's version of Strictly - Dancing With The Stars Ireland. The Irish broadcaster RTÉ told BBC News: "Ian Banham is no longer a member of Ireland's Eurovision 2023 team. RTÉ won't be making any further comment". Wild Youth will compete in the first semi-final of next month's competition, which will take place on Tuesday 9 May, with their song We Are One. The King and Queen Consort will unveil this year's Eurovision stage during their visit to Liverpool on Wednesday. The acts from the 37 countries taking part in next month's song contest will begin rehearsals next week, in preparation for the 160 million who'll watch at home. While the competition is about the song, and the live vocals, the creative direction of the performance on stage can influence both the voting public and the juries which is made up of music experts. All the build-up, insights and analysis is explored each week on a BBC podcast called Eurovisioncast. Eurovisioncast is available on BBC Sounds, or search wherever you get your podcasts from.

Senior SNP figure Mike Russell has admitted the party is facing a crisis The president of the SNP has said he does not think independence can be achieved "right now" as police continue investigating the party's finances. The former minister also admitted his party is facing its biggest crisis in 50 years. His comments follow the arrest of former chief executive Peter Murrell by police on Wednesday and the search of his home. Mr Murrell, who is Nicola Sturgeon's husband, was released without charge. The SNP's headquarters in Edinburgh were also searched and on Friday it emerged the party's accountants had resigned after a decade of working with the party. Speaking to The Herald newspaper, Mr Russell said recent weeks had been "wearing" for the SNP, which recently selected Humza Yousaf to succeed Ms Sturgeon as party leader. He said: "In my 50-year association with the party this is the biggest and most challenging crisis we've ever faced, certainly while we've been in government. "But I have an obligation to this party and the movement for Scottish independence that's been such a massive part of my life for so long." He added: "I don't think independence can be secured right now; we need to work towards some coordinated campaigning. "But I think this is achievable. My main focus is how we can create a new Yes movement that allows for different visions but conducted in an atmosphere of mutual trust." Police officers carried boxes out of SNP headquarters following the search Mr Russell said there would be a wide-ranging review of the SNP's governance and transparency. This was promised by Mr Yousaf, who was sworn in as first minister last week. Mr Russell said he would support Mr Yousaf, who positioned himself as the "continuity candidate" in the leadership race. He said: "I'll do as much as I can, but it's true that the last few weeks have been pretty wearing. All I can do is put my trust in working with others to get it right. "Like it or not, the party has chosen Humza to do this and I want to help him in that as much as I can. "Parties and institutions are fallible. In a sense though, it's a case of 'The King is Dead, Long Live the King'. That's the way it's got to be." Police Scotland launched a formal investigation into the SNP's finances in July 2021 after receiving complaints about how donations were used. Questions had been raised about the use of over £600,000 fundraised by the party for a fresh independence referendum campaign. Mr Russell said he would help new party leader Humza Yousaf as much as he could Last year it emerged that Mr Murrell gave a loan of more than £100,000 to the SNP to help it out with a "cash flow" issue after the last election. The party had repaid about half of the money by October of that year. At the time an SNP spokesman said the loan was a "personal contribution made by the chief executive to assist with cash flow after the Holyrood election". He said it had been reported in the party's 2021 accounts, which were published by the Electoral Commission in August last year. Mr Murrell resigned as the party's chief executive last month after taking responsibility for misleading statements about a fall in party membership. He had held the post since 1999. On Friday, it emerged that the accountancy firm which audits the SNP's finances had resigned after working with the party for a decade. Accountants Johnston Carmichael informed the party of the decision before Mr Murrell's arrest. The party's treasurer is now seeking another auditor in order to comply with Electoral Commission rules. The SNP is required to prepare financial statements to comply with the Political Parties, Elections and Referendum Act 2000. It has until 7 July to present their accounts to the Electoral Commission. If there is no report and no reasonable excuse, the commission has the power to appoint its own firm of auditors. It was with huge understatement that Humza Yousaf accepted the SNP was having a "difficult day" on Wednesday as police searched the party's headquarters and arrested its former chief executive. Mike Russell offers a reality check in describing the situation as a "crisis" bigger and more challenging than any he has seen the SNP face in 50 years. Mr Russell is not just any party member. He is one of the architects of the modern SNP. A former chief executive. The man brought in to provide stability when his successor in that role - Peter Murrell - resigned during the leadership contest. Perhaps the least surprising comment he makes is that he does not think independence can be secured right now. That is fairly obvious, not least because there is no agreed route to doing so. That is before you consider the potential negative impact the turmoil in his party could have on its standing with Scottish voters - with recent polls suggesting the SNP's popularity had already begun to dip.

Mr Webber's parents spoke at a vigil held at his home cricket club in Somerset The parents of student Barnaby Webber who was stabbed to death in Nottingham on Tuesday have described him as "a lovely soul" during a vigil near his Somerset home. Mr Webber, 19, died in attacks in which fellow student Grace O'Malley-Kumar, also 19, and school caretaker Ian Coates, 65, were killed. Support from "his tribe" there was a source of strength, his parents said. "It's overwhelming the outpouring of love and support," Mr Webber's mother Emma Webber explained. "This is his true home, his people. "Today we wanted to come and see what this wonderful club has done for him. It's been healing." The teenager, from Taunton - a first-year history student at University of Nottingham - was a keen cricketer. The vigil was held as prayers were said at faith services across Nottingham for the victims. On Friday, the England and Australia men's cricket team paid tribute to the victims ahead of the first Ashes test. Mrs Webber said she had been overwhelmed by the "outpouring of support" Describing last week's tributes in the city where her son died as "wonderful", Mrs Webber said on Sunday it was "hugely important" to remember all three of the victims. "We are in touch with Grace's family a lot and I hope we'll be able to with Ian's family as well because we are intrinsically linked now," she explained. Mr Webber (left) said: "We always knew he was special" Mrs Webber's husband David Webber said everything that everyone had been doing to show support across the UK had been "amazing". "It gives us strength and I'm sure it gives Grace and Ian's family strength," he said. "We always knew [Barnaby] was special, we always knew he was a beautiful human being and a lovely soul. "People were coming up to me and saying 'I don't know you Mr Webber, but your son was lovely, so much fun, he really helped me'. "I found he was like a glue to all these different groups of friends," he added. The family said the Somerset vigil was a "reflection and celebration of a wonderful young man so cruelly taken away at the very prime of his life". Family and friends visited the vigil in Somerset Mrs Webber said her son's body was "coming home" on Monday. "That will be the next really big step for us, to know he's here," she said. "We're still a family of four, it's just that one of us is not here right now." David Webber said his son was like "a glue" for lots of different friendship groups Valdo Calocane, 31, of no fixed address, has been charged with three counts of murder over the killings. He appeared at Nottingham Magistrates' Court on Saturday and spoke only to confirm his name, giving an alias of Adam Mendes. He was remanded in custody and is due to face a hearing at Nottingham Crown Court on 20 June. Follow BBC West on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Send your story ideas to: [email protected] The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.

This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Watch: President Zelensky shared a video of the dam on Telegram Thousands of people are being evacuated downstream of a major dam which has collapsed in Russian-held Ukraine. President Volodymyr Zelensky said 80 towns and villages may be flooded after the destruction of the dam at Nova Kakhovka, which he blamed on Russia. Water is surging down the Dnipro river, and is said to pose a catastrophic flooding risk to the city of Kherson. Russia has denied destroying the dam - which it controls - instead blaming Ukrainian shelling. Neither Ukraine nor Russia's claim has been verified by the BBC. The Kakhovka dam, downstream from the huge Kakhovka reservoir, is crucial to the region. It provides water to farmers and residents, as well as to the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant. It is also a vital channel carrying water south to Russian-occupied Crimea. Ukraine's state-owned hydropower plants administrator Ukrhydroenergo warned that the peak of a water spill downstream from the emptying reservoir was expected on Wednesday morning. It said this would be followed by a period of "stabilisation", with the water expected to rapidly recede in four to five days. There are concerns about the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant - Europe's largest - which uses reservoir water for cooling. The situation there is said to be under control and there is "no immediate nuclear safety risk" for the plant, according to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). Video footage shows a torrent of floodwater gushing through a breach in the dam. Several towns are already flooded, while people in areas further downstream have been forced to flee by bus and train. Abound 40,000 people need to be evacuated, Deputy Prosecutor-General Viktoriya Lytvynova said on Ukrainian television - 17,000 people in Ukraine-controlled territory west of the Dnipro River and 25,000 on the Russian-controlled east. Also speaking on Ukrainian television, Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko said about 1,000 people had been evacuated so far and 24 settlements had been flooded. He accused Russia of shelling the southern region of Kherson, from where people were being evacuated, and issued a warning about the dangers posed by mines being exposed by the rising water levels. This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. A building is seen floating along the Dnipro river in the Kherson region One local resident Andriy, who lives close to the dam - which was seized by Russian forces shortly after Moscow launched its full-scale invasion in February 2022 - said he believed Russia wanted to "drown" his city. In the Ukraine-controlled city of Kherson, a woman called Lyudmyla - who was loading her belongings including a washing machine onto a trailer that was attached to an old car - said: "We're afraid of flooding. We're taking our things a little higher up." She called for Russian forces to be "kicked out of here... they're shooting at us. They're flooding us or doing something else". Another resident of the city, Serhiy, said he feared "everything is going to die here". "All the living creatures, and people will be flooded out," he said, gesturing at nearby houses and gardens. The city of Kherson is 50 miles downstream of the dam On the Russian-seized riverbank of Nova Kakhovka, the Moscow-installed mayor Vladimir Leontyev said the city was underwater and 900 people had been evacuated. He said 53 evacuation buses were being sent by the authorities to take people from the city and two other settlements nearby to safety. Water levels had risen to over 11m (36ft) and some residents had been taken to hospital, he added. The small town of Oleshky was also heavily flooded, Kremlin-appointed officials said. The Kazkova Dibrova zoo on the Russian-held riverbank had been completely flooded and all 300 animals were dead, it said in a post on its Facebook page. This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. It is not yet clear what caused the breach in the dam in the early hours of Tuesday, but Ukraine's military intelligence has accused Russia of deliberately blowing it up. This seems plausible, as Moscow may have feared that Ukrainian forces would use the road over the dam to advance into Russian-held territory, as part of their counter-offensive. For Russia, anxious to defend conquered territory in southern Ukraine, the dam represented an obvious problem. Just as Ukrainian forces attacked road and rail bridges further downstream last autumn in a successful effort to isolate Russian forces in and around Kherson, Russia may have decided to destroy the dam to hold up Ukraine's counter-offensive, which it fears could come from multiple directions. However, a Russian official claims Ukraine carried out the attack on the dam to detract from what they said were the failures of its counter-offensive and to deprive Crimea - Ukraine's southern peninsula illegally annexed by Russian in 2014 - of fresh water. A major Ukrainian push has long been expected. Kyiv has said it would not give advance warning of its start but a recent increase in military activity is being seen as a fresh sign that the counter-offensive may have begun. On Tuesday evening, President Zelensky said the dam destruction would not stop Ukraine. "We will still liberate all our land," he said in a video address. Earlier in the day, Mr Zelensky held an urgent meeting of the country's security and defence council to discuss the issue. An aerial image shows water pouring through what appears to be a breach in the dam On Monday, Ukraine's deputy defence minister Hanna Maliar said Ukrainian forces had advanced around the "epicentre of hostilities" in Bakhmut, but did not say whether the counter-offensive had begun. Bakhmut has for months been at the heart of fierce fighting. It has little strategic value - but is important symbolically both for Kyiv and Moscow. Yuri Sak, an adviser to Ukraine's ministry of defence, told the BBC Radio 4's Today programme that phone intercepts suggest Russia wants to target more dams. "They're actually calling to blow up more dams on the Dnipro river," he said. Ukraine has branded the attack on the dam "ecocide" and said that 150 tonnes of engine oil has spilled into the Dnipro river. Ukrhydroenergo said a power station linked to the dam had been "completely destroyed... the hydraulic structure is being washed away". World leaders have laid the blame for the blast at Russia's door, with some calling it a war crime. UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said that if Russia was found to be responsible for the collapse of the dam it would "demonstrate the new lows that we will have seen from Russian aggression". The head of Nato, Jens Stoltenberg, said the destruction of the dam demonstrated once again the brutality of Russia's war in Ukraine, while Charles Michel, the president of the European Council, said he was "shocked by the unprecedented attack". The Geneva Conventions explicitly ban targeting dams in war due to the danger it poses to civilians.

Fourth LV= Insurance Ashes Test, Emirates Old Trafford (day two of five): Zak Crawley's astonishing 189 stunned Australia and kept England on course for an Ashes comeback on an exhilarating second day of the fourth Test at Old Trafford. Crawley cracked the highest score by an England batter in a home Ashes Test for 26 years to give the hosts the perfect chance of levelling the series at 2-2. In a 182-ball stay, he crunched 21 fours and three sixes to help England to 384-4, a lead of 67. Crawley shared a stand of 121 with Moeen Ali, who was superb in making 54 at number three, then a riotous double-century partnership with Joe Root, the former captain unlucky to fall for 84. Though Crawley and Root were both bowled by deliveries that kept low, Harry Brook and Ben Stokes laid a platform to attack on Friday morning with an unbroken stand of 33. On a perfect day for the home side, James Anderson removed Pat Cummins with the first ball of the morning and Chris Woakes completed his maiden five-wicket haul in an Ashes Test to dismiss Australia for 317. With the series on the line and bad weather closing in at the weekend, England not only wanted to build a lead, but do so swiftly enough to leave time to force a result. They did so in a fashion that was barely believable and now have a golden opportunity to level the series at 2-2 and set up a delicious Ashes decider at The Oval. • None England aiming to bat once in fourth Test - Crawley • None How a staggering day two at Old Trafford unfolded • None Quiz: Name players to have 3,000 runs and 200 wickets in Tests Even the most optimistic England fan could not have predicted this. Their day-one performance with the ball, reducing Australia to 299-8, created the prospect of one good batting innings levelling the series. There was also the danger of one collapse surrendering any chance of lifting the urn. What transpired was England's best day of the summer - a celebration of everything good about the cricket they have played under Stokes and Brendon McCullum, lapped up by the Old Trafford Party Stand. If Australia were yet to be fully Bazballed, they have now, steamrollered by Crawley and co in a trail of destruction that scattered fielders, frazzled minds and did horrific damage to bowling figures. Off-spinner Todd Murphy, the notable absentee from the Australia XI, would have been relieved to be running drinks rather than bowling. To compound an awful day for the tourists, fast bowler Mitchell Starc struggled with a hamstring injury then hurt his left shoulder diving in the field. Anderson had Cummins caught at cover while Woakes needed two goes at having number 11 Josh Hazlewood caught in the slips - the first was a no-ball. It proved to be the only blight on England's day. With heavy rain forecast for Saturday and Sunday, England knew they had to score quickly. They did so with controlled aggression, glorious strokeplay and urgent running. The hosts could feel in a position to have Australia batting again before lunch on Friday. Any tilt at victory will have to come with the weather looming and on a pitch starting to show some signs of sharp variable bounce. But England have engineered a huge opening. They have never returned from 2-0 down to win an Ashes series. The comeback is on. Despite his modest record, England have always believed Kent's Crawley is a match-winner. This innings, an Ashes knock for the ages, was spectacular vindication. England were nervy in the spell to lunch. Ben Duckett edged Starc behind for one and Crawley had to overturn being given out lbw to Cameron Green on 20. But Crawley and makeshift number three Moeen intelligently built their century partnership and Crawley exploded into life after the break. With flamboyant whips, handsome drives and some mighty slog sweeps, Crawley eviscerated the Australian bowling. He moved from 50 to 100 in 26 balls, a 93-ball ton England's fourth-fastest in Ashes cricket. Crawley crashed 106 runs from 82 balls in the session between lunch and tea. A stand of 206 with Root was racked up in only 186 deliveries. The Australians rifled through plan and after plan, their fielding became ragged and bowlers weary. Just as Crawley looked primed for a double ton, Green got one to keep low and he played on, leaving to rapturous applause from a crowd who had witnessed one of the all-time great hundreds. This was a superb effort from Moeen, who came out of retirement for this series and finds himself as the only frontline spinner in the match and filling an important gap in the England order. He batted with composure and displayed the odd touch of style. The standing ovation for reaching his first Test half-century in four years recognised Moeen's selfless service this summer. He was unlucky that a full-blooded pull off Starc was sharply taken by Usman Khawaja. Root arrived with the score at 130-2 and the game in the balance, but was instantly at his impish, imperious best. He dealt with Australia's short-ball plan by expertly executing hooks and pulls. His intent to score brought 40 off his first 30 balls - Root's fastest-ever start to a Test innings. He played his trademark reverse-scoops off Mitchell Marsh and Cummins. Root deserved a century of his own, only to be bowled by a scuttler from Hazlewood - keeping even lower than the one that got Crawley. The way in which Brook and Stokes calmly played for the morning is ominous for the Australians. The sight of 'nighthawk' Stuart Broad padded up late in the day was a sign of England's intent. England opener Zak Crawley, speaking to Test Match Special: "I rode my luck at times and played some really good parts in the innings and there were other parts where I was really streaky but I'm happy with how I have played. It was a special day. "I just keep backing my game and I've done that well this series where I just keep trying to play the way I play. That's the only way that is going to work for me." Australia assistant coach Daniel Vettori: "It was obviously a taxing session because Crawley was so dominant and played so well from the onset. We had some clear plans but he was too good." Former England captain Michael Vaughan: "England play a certain brand that completely suits Crawley. That innings has put England on the front foot and this moment will be spoken about for a long period of time, particularly if England go on to win the Ashes."

Wallace will be forgiven for his frankness UK Defence Secretary Ben Wallace’s remarks about Ukraine needing to be more grateful should be seen in context. He was not voicing frustration or anger. He was instead suggesting Kyiv needed to be more politically savvy. He was saying Ukrainian officials should understand more about the internal politics of their allies, particularly the United States. They should not be surprised, he suggested, there were a few “grumbles” on Capitol Hill if they turned up in Washington with a shopping list of weapons, as if the US government were like a branch of Amazon. They should understand, Wallace said, they were asking some countries to give up the bulk of their ammunition stocks. So Wallace’s remarks were like a parent telling a child to remember to write a thank-you letter to a relative so they get a present next year too. It might not have been very diplomatic for him to say this in the middle of a summit designed to emphasise Nato unity. But Wallace is known for his outspoken support for Ukraine and his efforts to send Western military arms and ammunition to the country - so he will probably be forgiven for his frankness, which will come as no surprise to Britain’s allies.

Sir Richard Branson's Virgin Galactic rocket plane is back in action after a gap of almost two years. The Unity vehicle, with two pilots and four passengers aboard, climbed high over the New Mexico desert to the edge of space - before gliding back down. It was billed as the plane's final test outing before entering commercial service in June.

This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. The shooter who killed six people at a school in Nashville, Tennessee, on Monday bought seven guns legally and hid them at home, police say. Investigators say the suspect's parents felt the 28-year-old should not own weapons, and did not realise the guns had been concealed in their house. Six people, including three children age nine, were killed in the attack at the Covenant School. The suspect was under "doctor's care for an emotional disorder", police say. They believe it was the school that was targeted rather than any particular individual but have not indicated any motive. Tennessee has no laws that allow police to seize guns from violent suspects. Despite the absence of such so-called red-flag laws, police said they would still have sought to have the weapons confiscated if authorities had had any warning that the suspect could have posed a threat. The pupils killed in the attack were Evelyn Dieckhaus, Hallie Scruggs and William Kinney. Three adult employees at the privately run Christian school also died: Cynthia Peak, 61, Katherine Koonce, 60, and Mike Hill, 61. Ms Koonce, the head of the school, and Ms Peak, a substitute teacher, were both close friends with the Tennessee governor's wife. Governor Bill Lee said his wife, Maria, had planned to meet Ms Peak the night after she was killed. Police have spoken to the parents of the suspect, Audrey Hale, who was killed by police less than 15 minutes after the attack began. Hale, who identified as transgender and was a former student at the school, was armed with three guns, including a semi-automatic rifle. The attack took place after the killer conducted surveillance of the premises, drew maps and wrote what police described as a "manifesto". A police spokesman said the attacker did not target any person in particular, but did target "this school, this church building". Hale's parents thought the suspect had owned only one gun, but that it had been sold. They believed the suspect "should not own weapons", and were unaware the suspect "had been hiding several weapons within the house", said Nashville Police Chief John Drake on Tuesday. The weapons were legally purchased from five shops around the city. The killer "was under care - doctor's care - for an emotional disorder", Chief Drake said, without providing further details. If there had been reports of suicidal or violent tendencies, he added, police would have sought to confiscate the guns. "But as it stands, we had absolutely no idea who this person was or if [the suspect] even existed," he said. This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Police received the first call about the incident at 10:13 local time (15:13 GMT) on Monday. The suspect drove to the school in a Honda Fit and got into the building by firing through one of the doors, which were all locked. Video later released by Nashville police shows the shooter opening fire to shatter glass panes on the front doors, then wandering the school's deserted corridors - at one point walking past a room labelled "Children's Ministry". In the CCTV footage, the suspect is wearing what appears to be a protective vest and carrying an assault-style rifle in one hand, with a second weapon visible hanging from the left hip. Police Chief John Drake said the suspect may have had firearms training The suspect fired shots on the ground floor before moving to the building's second floor. As police cars arrived, the shooter fired on them from the second floor, striking one vehicle in the windscreen. "We believe there has been some training to have been able to shoot from a higher level," Chief Drake said. He said the suspect had stood away from the glass to avoid being an easy target for police. One officer was injured by broken glass. Police rushed inside and shot the suspect dead at 10:24, said Chief Drake. President Joe Biden on Tuesday called for Congress to pass new gun control legislation. "As a nation, we owe these families more than our prayers," he said. "We owe them action." US Attorney General Merrick Garland was asked during a Senate hearing in Washington DC whether the attack will be investigated as a hate crime targeting Christians. He said it was too early to say and that agents were still working to identify a motive. The attack was America's 131st mass shooting so far this year, according to Gun Violence Archive, a non-profit that tracks gun violence data. There have been 15 mass shootings at schools or universities in the US since the Columbine High School massacre in 1999, according to a database maintained by the Associated Press.

We're wrapping up our live page shortly. Here's what you need to know about the day's events. More than a million public sector workers - including teachers, doctors and police - have been offered pay rises of between 5% and 7% after the government accepted the recommendations of the eight independent pay review bodies. Police and prison officers in England and Wales would get a 7% rise under the proposals, with teachers and junior doctors in England getting 6.5% and 6% respectively. PM Rishi Sunak said it would be funded by government departments finding savings and increasing visa changes and the NHS surcharge for migrants. But ministers said no frontline services at schools will be cut to fund it. How have the unions reacted? Four education unions say the deal is enough for them to end their dispute and they're going to advise members to accept. But the junior doctors union, the BMA, says the 6% offered is a real-terms pay cut and strikes will continue. The pay offer comes as junior doctors begin a five-day walkout today. The Unite union described it as a "rob Peter to pay Paul" situation and predicted service cuts and a new wave of industrial action. What have politicians said? Prime Minister Rishi Sunak says this is a final offer and would "mean choices" - but is "not about cuts". Health Secretary Steve Barclay says it's a fair offer and a chance "for the NHS to move forward". Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey accused the PM of "taking a wrecking ball to our public services" and said it would have a "devastating impact" on hospitals and schools across the country. Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer said the pay offers were "subject to negotiation" and he wouldn't "wade into that" but "if Labour cannot break the suffocating hold of low wages we will have failed".

The Met Office has issued a yellow weather warning for wind Dozens of flights have been cancelled as Storm Kathleen brings strong winds and the warmest day of the year so far to the UK. About 140 flights departing and arriving at UK airports were cancelled after the Met Office issued a yellow weather warning for wind. Rail and ferry services have also been affected in Scotland. Wind gusts of over 70mph (112km/h) swept many parts and temperatures hit 21.4C (70.5F) in eastern England. The strongest gusts of 101mph were recorded at the summit of Cairngorm, a mountain in the Scottish Highlands. The year's warmest temperature was recorded in Lakenheath, Suffolk, on Saturday, BBC Weather said. This beat the previous high of 19.9C in north-west Scotland in January. The most significant impacts of the storm have been felt in the north-west and south-west of England and parts of Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales. Thousands of passengers experienced delays when flights were cancelled at airports including Heathrow, Manchester, Birmingham, Edinburgh and Belfast City. The vast majority of flights affected were those travelling within the UK and to and from the island of Ireland. EasyJet flights to and from the Isle of Man were also halted. This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. The 11th named storm in eight months, Storm Kathleen was named by the Irish met service, Met Éireann, because the Republic of Ireland was expected to feel its effects most acutely. Around 12,000 customers have been left without electricity as the storm moves across the island of Ireland, where trees have fallen in the strong winds. In Northern Ireland, Met Office yellow wind warning for counties Antrim, Armagh, Down, Fermanagh, Tyrone and Londonderry is set to lift at 22:00 BST on Saturday. Earlier in the day, part of the roof of the Titanic Belfast museum was damaged by the storm. Some Irish Sea coastal regions have seen gusts of 69mph and large waves. Coastal areas in Ireland have been hit by high winds P&O Ferries cancelled ferry services travelling between Larne in Northern Ireland and Cairnryan in Scotland, with ferry services to and from the Isle of Man also disrupted. The strong winds have also seen sports matches rearranged, with Saturday evening's EPCR Challenge Cup rugby match between Edinburgh and Bayonne moved from the Hive Stadium to Murrayfield. Storm Kathleen is expected to ease by Sunday evening. The Met Office has warned of "large waves and beach material being thrown onto sea fronts" BBC weather forecaster George Goodfellow said the storm had brought warm air from north-west Africa over the North Atlantic. He said: "It's still sat out there to the west of the UK - it's fairly slow-moving, as much as we've had strong winds. We're expecting further strong winds tomorrow as well." While eastern parts of the country have been "a bit on the windy side in places, the main thing is how warm it's been," the forecaster added. "It's not unusual to get such warm temperatures in April, but looking at the temperatures we've had recently, [Saturday is] quite a lot warmer than it has been. To suddenly break through the 20 degree barrier is quite impressive," he said. The highest recorded temperature for April was 29.4C, recorded in Camden Square in London in 1949, Mr Goodfellow said. While the storm is not unusual in terms of its intensity, he said the fact Storm Kathleen will last until Sunday means "it's a fairly long-lived thing." More than 110 flood alerts are in place across England. The Environment Agency has issued 15 flood warnings where flooding is expected. RAC Breakdown spokesman Rod Dennis said: "This intense period of stormy weather is going to prove extremely challenging for anyone driving on the western side of the UK. "We strongly urge drivers to avoid exposed coasts and higher routes where the impact of the very strong winds is most likely to be felt." Find out the weather forecast for your area, with an hourly breakdown and a 14-day lookahead, by downloading the BBC Weather app: Apple - Android - Amazon The BBC Weather app is only available to download in the UK. Are you affected by the issues raised in this story? Share your experiences by emailing [email protected]. Please include a contact number if you are willing to speak to a BBC journalist. You can also get in touch in the following ways: If you are reading this page and can't see the form you will need to visit the mobile version of the BBC website to submit your question or comment or you can email us at [email protected]. Please include your name, age and location with any submission.

Prince Harry and Meghan at an awards gala in New York City last December The Duchess of Sussex has won her bid to throw out a US defamation case brought by her half-sister. Samantha Markle was suing Meghan for alleged defamation and "injurious falsehood" - including Meghan saying she was an "only child" in her interview with Oprah Winfrey. She was seeking $75,000 (£62,000) in damages. But a Florida judge dismissed the case, saying Meghan was expressing an opinion - and opinions cannot be proved false. In court papers, US District Judge Charlene Edwards Honeywell wrote: "As a reasonable listener would understand it, defendant merely expresses an opinion about her childhood and her relationship with her half-siblings. "Thus, the court finds that defendant's statement is not objectively verifiable or subject to empirical proof.... plaintiff cannot plausibly disprove defendant's opinion of her own childhood." Samantha Markle - who is Meghan's half-sister from father Thomas Markle's first marriage - brought the civil case in March last year. In it, she alleged Meghan: In the Oprah interview - which was watched by more than 50 million people worldwide - Meghan said she did not really know Samantha, adding: "I grew up as an only child, which everyone who grew up around me knows, and I wished I had siblings." As well as the Oprah TV interview, Samantha Markle - who lives in Florida - alleged the duchess had defamed her by giving information to a 2020 unauthorised biography called Finding Freedom. But Judge Honeywell also found the duchess could not be liable for the contents of the book because she did not publish it. • None Harry and Meghan could be questioned in civil claim

Last updated on .From the section Premier League Antony scored one and assisted another as Manchester United moved up to third in the Premier League table with a clinical win over Nottingham Forest who missed out on a chance to move out of the relegation zone. The visitors deservedly went in front in the 32nd minute as Antony stabbed home after Forest keeper Keylor Navas had kept out Anthony Martial. And Antony played through Diogo Dalot who slotted in United's second with 14 minutes remaining. The win puts United three points clear of fourth-placed Newcastle United and six points ahead of Tottenham Hotspur in fifth, who have played a game more than the Red Devils. Forest, who could have gone three points clear of the drop with a win, stay 17th, inside the bottom three on goal difference. • None Is Antony starting to live up to £81m price tag? • None Go straight to our best Nottingham Forest content Antony starred, but it was Christian Eriksen who was the true lynchpin for United. The Denmark midfielder started his first match since picking up an ankle injury in January, replacing Marcel Sabitzer who sustained a groin injury in the warm-up. "Sabitzer felt something, we decided not to take the risk and we will find out tomorrow what it is," Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag told BBC Match of the Day. "But when you have Eriksen on the bench, it is definitely not a disadvantage." Alongside Bruno Fernandes, Eriksen helped United dominate the first half with Jadon Sancho and Fernandes having early chances. After Antony's opener only an inspired performance from Navas and some wasteful finishing kept Forest in the fixture. Fernandes saw his free header sail just wide on the strike of half-time and the Portuguese midfielder had a curling effort tipped on to the post by Navas after the restart. United's victory, settled by Dalot's first Premier League goal, was the perfect response to their disappointing 2-2 draw at home to Sevilla last time out. "[It was a] solid win, really focused and concentrated from start to finish," added Ten Hag. They face Sevilla in the second leg of that Europa League quarter-final on Thursday before taking on Brighton in the semi-finals of the FA Cup on Sunday. Forest boss Steve Cooper stressed his side need to quickly turn results around, with the East Midlands outfit now winless across their past 10 Premier League matches. They were 13th after their last victory when they beat Leeds United 1-0 on 5 February. "We know that we have to turn the performances into results," Cooper told BBC Match of the Day. "There is a lot of scrutiny on us due to our league position and the time of the season that it is, but the situation is the situation." They had chances in the first half with Taiwo Awoniyi seeing one effort blocked by Aaron Wan-Bissaka and another fly off target from a strong position. Forest also had a penalty shout in the 19th minute when an in-swinging corner struck the arm of United defender Harry Maguire, but the video assistant referee chose not to overturn referee Simon Hooper's non-penalty decision. "I definitely think it was a penalty, and then a second yellow," added Cooper. "I do not know how VAR did not spot it, at this level they should be doing better." With United 1-0 in front, Felipe headed over from a corner in the 73rd minute, but in truth Forest always looked second best in front of their home supporters. They face Liverpool in their next match on Saturday where they will be desperately hoping to end their winless run. • None Wout Weghorst (Manchester United) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul. • None Attempt blocked. Antony (Manchester United) left footed shot from the right side of the box is blocked. Assisted by Diogo Dalot. • None Attempt missed. Jadon Sancho (Manchester United) right footed shot from the centre of the box is high and wide to the right. Assisted by Bruno Fernandes. • None Attempt missed. Bruno Fernandes (Manchester United) right footed shot from outside the box is close, but misses to the right from a direct free kick. • None Orel Mangala (Nottingham Forest) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul. Navigate to the next page Navigate to the last page • None Our coverage of your Premier League club is bigger and better than ever before - here's everything you need to know to make sure you never miss a moment

A member of the archaeology team examines skeletal remains discovered during preparatory works for a new hotel in central Dublin About 100 skeletal remains from the Middle Ages have been unearthed during excavations for a Northern Ireland firm's new hotel in Dublin. Burial sites dating back more than 1,000 years were found at Capel Street where an abbey, St Mary's, once stood. At least two of the remains are believed to date back to the early 11th Century. The excavations have been commissioned by Beannchor, which is building its new Bullitt Dublin hotel on the site. The abbey used by the Savigniac and Cistercian orders opened in the 12th Century. Carbon dating of one of the discovered graves predates that by 100 years, indicating the presence of a Christian settlement on the site prior to St Mary's being built. The archaeological investigations at the site, which formerly housed Boland's Bakery, also unearthed the foundations of buildings dating back to the 1600s. Edmond O'Donovan, director of excavations for Courtney Deery Heritage Consultancy (CDHC), at the Capel Street site The finds were discovered close to a former Presbyterian meeting house dating from 1667. Parts of a domestic house known as the 'Dutch Billies' have also been found. It was constructed in about 1700 by settlers who came to Dublin after William of Orange ascended to the thrones of England, Scotland and Ireland in 1689. While the skeletal remains will be painstakingly excavated, cleaned and sent for further analysis, before ultimately being given to the National Monuments Services, the other structures found during the examination of the site are set to be incorporated into the design of the new hotel complex. Beannchor Group, which runs high-profile hotels and bars in Northern Ireland, has undertaken similar restoration of historic buildings in the past, including Belfast's Merchant Hotel, which was a former bank. It said the Dublin project is by far its biggest and most complex project to date. The 17th Century Presbyterian meeting house will be central to the development of a new bar and restaurant concept. The 'Dutch Billies' house will also be preserved while a building with surviving ovens from the Boland's Bakery dating from 1890 will be renovated and repurposed. Edmond O'Donovan, director of excavations for Courtney Deery Heritage Consultancy (CDHC, said St Mary's Abbey was Ireland's largest and most wealthy medieval abbey in its day. Archaeologists examine remains at the site of the medieval St Mary's Abbey "It was demolished after 1540 when the monastery was disbanded by Henry VIII and was later the site of a 17th Century Presbyterian meeting house. "One of the things that was intriguing and exciting about the excavation is that we found an early burial or at least a number of burials that we suspect to be quite early. "We have one that's carbon dated to the 11th Century and we have a second burial that was found with a diagnostic stick pin from the 11th Century. "And that suggests that there was an earlier Christian and potentially monastic foundation here which predates the Savigniac and Cistercian Abbey." Bill Wolsey, managing director of Beannchor, said it was impossible to have foreseen what the project would entail at its outset in 2017. "As time went on, we began to understand just how complex this project may be," he said. Skeletal remains unearthed at the site of a new hotel being developed by Belfast-based Beannchor Group in Dublin "Great care has been taken to preserve and incorporate elements of these early surviving buildings into the new development, on what we now know is one of the most significant heritage sites in the city." The new Bullitt Dublin hotel is expected to open in 2025.

Presidents Xi Jinping and Joe Biden smiled for the cameras at the G20 summit in November US Secretary of State Antony Blinken's first visit to China comes nearly five months after a major rupture in relations over a Chinese spy balloon. His original trip was abruptly cancelled because the balloon, which China says was monitoring weather, drifted across the continental US before being destroyed by American military aircraft. Mr Blinken's visit includes meetings with China's top foreign policy officials but there is no word yet on whether he will also meet Chinese President Xi Jinping, who appeared with Microsoft founder Bill Gates in Beijing on Friday. The two global superpowers have a long list of issues that concern them, including high-profile disagreements as well as potential areas of co-operation. Here are three key areas that could be at the top of the agenda. First and foremost, Mr Blinken's visit is about re-establishing diplomatic interactions of any kind. Last month there was an initial breaking of the ice when senior US officials met in Vienna, Austria. But Mr Blinken is the most senior Biden administration official to travel to China, and it marks the first visit by a US secretary of state to Beijing since October 2018. Now is a good time to be talking again because that in itself reduces the risk of conflict, said Deputy Assistant to the President and Coordinator for Indo-Pacific Affairs Kurt Campbell, in a pre-trip briefing. "We can't let the disagreements that might divide us stand in the way of moving forward on the global priorities that require us all to work together." The Chinese response to the Blinken visit has been somewhat frosty, however. In the official Chinese account of a call with Mr Blinken on Wednesday night, Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang is reported to have told him that "it is very clear who is to blame" for the recent deterioration in relations. "The United States should respect China's concerns, stop interfering in China's internal affairs, and stop undermining China's sovereignty, security and development interests in the name of competition," Mr Qin reportedly said. The US has downplayed any significant announcements coming out of this visit. It seems the only "deliverable" from the meetings, in diplomatic parlance, will be that the meetings have happened at all. Don't expect some sort of breakthrough or transformation in the way that the two deal with one another, said Daniel J Kritenbrink, the State Department's senior East Asia diplomat. If the meeting leads to further interaction between US and Chinese officials, that would be something both sides could build on. President Biden's relations with China started off on a rocky note, in part because he has been unwilling to cancel trade measures enacted by his predecessor, Donald Trump. That includes billions of dollars in import tariffs on Chinese-made products. In some areas, Mr Biden has squeezed even harder, with restrictions on US computer-chip exports to China in an effort to maintain US superiority in the most advanced electronics technologies. China responded by enacting its own ban on computer memory chips sold by Micron, the largest US manufacturer. Mr Campbell acknowledged China's concerns but said the US would defend and explain what it's done so far and what could lie ahead. If computer technology is an area destined for fierce competition between the two superpowers, the illicit drug trade may provide more room for co-operation. The US wants to limit the export of Chinese-produced chemical components used to make fentanyl, a synthetic opioid many times more powerful than heroin. The rate of US drug overdose deaths involving fentanyl has more than tripled in the last seven years. "This is an absolutely critical and urgent issue for the United States," said Mr Kritenbrink - but it is one that presents its own challenges. After the balloon incident, there were reports that China was considering sending weapons to Russia, where they would be immediately used in the war against Ukraine. US government officials have backed away from those accusations of late, removing what could have been a particularly contentious issue for the two nations that risked turning the Ukraine-Russia conflict into a proxy war between the US and China. Remote Philippine islands are on the frontlines of US-China tensions But expect Mr Blinken to echo warnings given to the Chinese in Vienna that there would be serious consequences if China gives military and financial assistance to Russia. US and Chinese warships have been facing off in a high-stakes game of chicken over the Taiwan Strait and the South China Sea. China claims the area as their own, while the US insists they are international waters. Mr Blinken and his diplomatic team have said that his goal in this trip is to "de-risk" the tensions, and renewed communication is the place to start. Achieving more may be a tall task for now - and more extensive co-operation could become more difficult for Mr Biden as anti-China rhetoric in Washington is sure to heat up when the 2024 presidential elections approach. A satisfactory outcome from this trip for both sides might be simply the opening of communication channels that prevent an incident leading to military conflict.

Poppy Devey Waterhouse and Ellie Gould were murdered by their ex-boyfriends A barrister who led a review into how domestic killers are sentenced said she is "disappointed" her report has not been adopted in full. Clare Wade recommended 17 reforms she said were needed to ensure justice for victims of abuse in serious cases. The government is proceeding with some of them initially, including longer sentences for killers with a history of coercive control or extreme violence. Justice Secretary Dominic Raab said other proposals are being considered. Ms Wade's report - published on Friday - recognised that the majority of people killed in domestic cases where there is a background of abuse are women attacked by men. It was commissioned following the deaths of Ellie Gould 17, and Poppy Devey Waterhouse, 24, who were both stabbed to death in their homes by male partners. Under the government's plans, judges will be required by law to consider a history of coercive or controlling behaviour as an aggravating factor when deciding on a jail term, meaning those offenders will serve longer behind bars. Changes will also ensure judges hand down longer sentences where "overkill" - or excessive violence - has been used. Mr Raab told the BBC he is committed to cracking down on violence against women - but the head of the review warned the proposals "won't achieve the justice they are intended to achieve if they are all only implemented in part". Ms Wade was asked by the government in September 2021 to review sentencing guidelines after ministers were warned about "systemic misogyny within the criminal justice system" by the victims' commissioner and domestic abuse commissioner. She said she was concerned the government is pressing ahead with making a history of controlling or coercive behaviour an aggravating factor - but without enshrining it in law as a mitigating factor for when victims who kill their abusers. Ms Wade, who was the defence barrister for Sally Challen when she became the first woman to have her murder conviction quashed under coercive control laws, told BBC Radio 4's Today programme that the government's approach "will make matters much worse for women who kill their abusive partners". Mr Raab told the BBC he was "very sympathetic" to the mitigation argument but insisted he would take time between now and the summer to look at the remaining measures "carefully and not in a knee-jerk way". Ms Wade found that under the current rules women who kill a dangerous and abusive partner with a weapon can be jailed for longer than men who use their physical strength to murder. That is because of guidelines mandating a higher starting sentence for crimes where a weapon is used - a rule which was introduced to tackle street knife violence - which Ms Wade wants to be discounted in domestic cases. Campaigners have previously said that the law inadvertently leads to higher sentences for women who use a weapon to defend themselves from a violent partner or ex, but the government has not adopted this recommendation. The barrister said "two or three" of her recommendations had been adopted - but she had been told by the government that today's announcement is "interim". Mr Raab told BBC Breakfast he was "looking at the wider recommendations" and had announced measures that can be introduced swiftly. Other recommendations in the report which have not yet been adopted include: Mr Raab said he wasn't able to provide a timetable for when the changes would be implemented. The government is expected to set out a full response to the review in the summer and legislation "will be introduced as soon as Parliamentary time allows", a Ministry of Justice spokesperson said. Justice Secretary Dominic Raab said he was committed to making sentences tougher for domestic killers As well as ensuring that judges take coercive control and extreme violence into account, the government will also: Carole Gould and Julie Devey, whose daughters' murders by ex-partners led to the review, welcomed the changes but told the BBC they would wait to see what weight the aggravating factors were actually given in court. Ms Gould told the BBC she would like to see a 25-year starting point for jail sentences where extreme violence was a factor, which she said would have doubled her daughter's killer's sentence. Ellie Gould, from Wiltshire, was stabbed to death by Thomas Griffiths, then 17, in 2019. He was jailed for 12-and-a-half years, with his age a factor in his sentence. "In Ellie's case she was strangled and then she was stabbed 13 times. So these murders are particularly violent and brutal and I think we need to push to make sure that's recognised in the sentencing," she said. Ms Devey, whose daughter Poppy Devey Waterhouse was stabbed 49 times in 2018, said the problem would be how much extra time was added on for the new aggravating factors. Ms Wade said she did not advocate introducing a 25-year starting point, adding the "system is not designed to be applied mechanistically", and called for emphasis to be put on the history of abuse rather than relying on an automatic sentence requirement.

Samantha Lee denied breaching Met Police standards in her investigation of Wayne Couzens A former Met Police officer who carried out a "lamentably poor" investigation into Wayne Couzens has been found guilty of gross misconduct. Samantha Lee failed to make "the correct investigative inquiries" into two flashing incidents, a panel heard. Couzens killed Sarah Everard in south-west London soon after exposing himself to staff at a branch of McDonald's. During the hearing Ms Lee admitted she made some errors in the investigation, but denied gross misconduct. She is no longer a police officer having left last year, but was a PC at the time. Wayne Couzens was already serving life for murdering Sarah Everard when he was sentenced for indecent exposure earlier this year The police disciplinary panel heard Ms Lee carried out a "lamentably poor and rushed investigation" into the two incidents when Couzens exposed himself to female members of staff at the fast food restaurant in Swanley, Kent, on 14 and 27 February 2021. The former PC went to the restaurant as part of her investigation on 3 March, just hours before Couzens kidnapped Ms Everard in Clapham. The McDonald's manager told the hearing he had shown her CCTV of Couzens where his number plate was clearly visible, and showed her receipts which recorded the last four digits of Couzens' card. She said he had told her the footage had already been deleted, a claim the hearing was told was a lie to cover up her failure. Panel chairman Darren Snow found this dishonesty amounted to gross misconduct, and that had Ms Lee still been a serving officer, she would have been dismissed from the force. He added she will be barred from serving in the police again. Reading the panel's findings, Mr Snow found that Sam Taylor, the McDonald's manager, was a "credible" witness and it was "inconceivable that he would not have shown her the CCTV evidence". He added that the panel believed Ms Lee had been driven to dishonesty by the "pressure" of the investigation. Sarah Everard was murdered by Couzens soon after the indecent exposure incidents In her evidence, Ms Lee admitted she had made errors, but said nothing she could have done "would have changed the tragic outcome" of what happened to Sarah Everard. "As much as I have thought it over and over, I don't believe that anything I could have done would have changed the tragic outcome of what happened later that day," she said. Speaking outside the court, she claimed she has been made a "scapegoat" by the Met and said: "I have never lied". In March this year, Couzens was sentenced to 19 months in prison after admitting three counts of indecent exposure. He was already serving life behind bars for the kidnap, rape and murder of Ms Everard. The third indecent exposure incident related to when Couzens exposed himself to a female cyclist on a Kent country lane in November 2020. Evidence heard by the panel has highlighted questions around the wider police response. The 999 call, made by the McDonald's manager on 28 February, prompted the operator to run the registration details of the black Seat Exeo through the police national computer which confirmed it was registered to Wayne Couzens and gave his home address, but didn't show he was a serving police officer. Paul Ozin KC, representing the Met, told the hearing there was "no standard check that takes place to see whether a suspect in criminal police cases are police officers". This is an issue that's been previously highlighted by the chief constable of British Transport Police, Lucy D'Orsi, who wrote on a policing blog in January it was in her view "a priority issue for our attention". The case will also raise questions once again over how police respond to indecent exposure offences, which campaigners believe need to be taken far more seriously. The panel heard that the 999 call was initially treated as "comparatively low urgency". Former PC Lee was not assigned to attend the scene until three days later. Just a few hours after she did, Couzens kidnapped Sarah Everard. During the hearing Ms Lee accepted she "could have done more around CCTV and evidence gathering", but added she did not "believe that anything I could have done would have changed the tragic outcome of what happened later that day". Now, the police watchdog, the the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) is calling for the introduction of a national system to ensure criminal allegations that are made against serving officers notify relevant police forces. In a statement, the IOPC added it had already recommended the Met "consider developing a system automatically flagging when an officer is under criminal investigation". The IOPC's director of operations Amanda Rowe said: "It may not have prevented Couzens from committing his crimes, but if it is combined with the change in culture that policing recognises is necessary, it could help prevent it from happening again in the future. That's why we'll be exploring this possibility of this with the NPCC later this week. "We have also been working closely with the Angiolini Inquiry, sharing evidence to inform its work looking at cultural issues within policing and addressing the broader concerns around women's safety in public highlighted by Sarah Everard's death." The Met's deputy assistant commissioner Stuart Cundy said: "As the panel has made clear, honesty and integrity are fundamental to policing and our relationship with the public. "The wider circumstances leading to Sarah Everard's terrible murder will be considered by the Angiolini Inquiry and any subsequent inquest, and we are fully assisting them with their vital work. "Fundamentally, I am sorry that Couzens was not arrested before he went on to murder Sarah Everard and we continue to think of her loved ones." The force added it has been "taking steps to improve" the way it deals with allegations of indecent exposure - including ensuring investigations are led by specially trained officers, increasing capacity in intelligence teams to identify perpetrators and linked offences, and using a wide range of methods to identify sexual predatory behaviour and deter offenders. Follow BBC London on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Send your story ideas to [email protected] The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.

Fans from across the globe were treated to a Eurovision Song Contest feast in Liverpool. The winners of the 2022 Eurovision Song Contest, Kalush Orchestra performed on stage at the start of the final. UK entry Mae Muller took part in the flag parade as the proceedings began, and Marco Mengoni carried the Pride flag as well as the Italian one. Alesha Dixon, Julia Sanina, Hannah Waddingham and Graham Norton were all on stage for the start. Mimicat representing Portugal, Teya and Salena for Austria, Loreen from Sweden and Andrew Lambrou for Cyprus were among the first performers. Czechia entrant Vesna's braids drew attention, as did the performance of Finland's Kaarija. Ukraine, last years winners, were represented by TVORCHI. Let 3 from Croatia had a controversial performance. The UK's Mae Muller was the final act. Duncan Laurence and other past Eurovision acts joined the presenters on stage after the performances. Loreen hears that she has won after a tense voting count. In the Eurovision Village, crowds sang their hearts out as they watched all the musical drama on a big screen. HMS Mersey was illuminated in the colours of Ukraine. Irish duo Jedward were among the acts who entertained fans in the Village zone earlier in the day.

Huanchun Cao and his wife face a dilemma confronting so many of China's elderly - who will look after them? Ask 72-year-old farmer Huanchun Cao about his pension and he reacts with a throaty cackle. He sucks on his home-rolled cigarette, narrows his brow and tilts his head - as if the very question is absurd. "No, no, we don't have a pension," he says looking at his wife of more than 45 years. Mr Cao belongs to a generation that witnessed the birth of Communist China. Like his country, he has become old before he has become rich. Like many rural and migrant workers, he has no choice but to keep working and to keep earning, as he's fallen through a weak social safety net. A slowing economy, shrinking government benefits and a decades-long one-child policy have created a creeping demographic crisis in in Xi Jinping's China. The pension pot is running dry and the country is running out of time to build enough of a fund to care for the growing number of elderly. Over the next decade, about 300 million people, who are currently aged 50 to 60, are set to leave the Chinese workforce. This is the country's largest age group, nearly equivalent to the size of the US population. Who will look after them? The answer depends on where you go and who you ask. Mr Cao and his wife live in the north-eastern province of Liaoning, China's former industrial heartland. Vast swathes of farmland and mined hills surround the main city of Shenyang. Plumes of smoke from smelting factories fill the skyline, alongside some of the country's best-preserved world heritage sites from the Qing dynasty. Nearly a quarter of the population here is 65 or older. An increasing number of working-age adults are leaving the heavy industries hub in search of better jobs in bigger cities. Mr Cao's children have moved away too but they are still close enough to visit often. "I think I can only keep doing this for another four or five years," Mr Cao says, after he and his wife return from collecting wood. Inside their home, flames crackle beneath a heated platform - called a "kang" - which is their main source of warmth. Mr Cao lives in what used to be China's industrial heartland The couple make around 20,000 yuan (£2,200; $2,700) a year. But the price for the corn they grow is going down and they cannot afford to get sick. "In five years, if I'm still physically strong, maybe I can walk by myself. But if I'm feeble and weak, then I might be confined to bed. That's it. Over. I suppose I will become a burden for my children. They will need to look after me." That is not the future 55-year-old Guohui Tang wants. Her husband had an accident at a construction site and their daughter's university education drained her savings. So the former digger operator saw an opportunity in elderly care to fund her own old age. She opened a small care home about an hour from Shenyang. The care home Ms Tang runs is her retirement plan The pigs and geese both honk a welcome at the back of the single-storey house surrounded by farmland. Ms Tang grows crops to feed her six residents. The animals are not pets - they are also dinner. Ms Tang points to a group of four playing cards as the sun shines through the small conservatory. "See that 85-year-old man - he doesn't have a pension, he's relying entirely on his son and daughter. His son pays one month, his daughter pays the next month, but they need to live too." She is worried that she too will have to depend on her only daughter: "Now I will pay my pension every month, even if it means I cannot afford to eat or drink." For generations, China has relied on filial piety to fill the gaps in elderly care. It was a son or daughter's duty to look after ageing parents. But there are fewer sons and daughters for ageing parents to rely on - one reason is the "one-child" diktat which prevented couples from having two or more children between 1980 to 2015. With rapid economic growth, young people have also moved away from their parents, leaving a rising number of seniors to look after themselves or rely on government payments. But the pension fund could run out of money by 2035, according to the state-run Chinese Academy of Sciences. That was a 2019 estimate, before the pandemic shutdowns, which hit China's economy hard. China may also be forced to raise the age of retirement, which has been on the cards for years. It has one of the lowest retirement ages in the world - 60 for men, 55 for white-collar women and 50 for working-class women. But economists say this is just tinkering around the edges if China is to avoid what some fear could become a humanitarian crisis in 25 years. Meanwhile, more and more elderly have been dipping into their pensions. The Fengs in their room at the Sunshine Care Home "Welcome to my home," beckons 78-year-old Grandma Feng, who only wanted to use her last name. It's hard to keep up with her as she races along the corridor to warn her husband that guests are on the way to their room at the Sunshine Care Home. The morning exercise class, where she had been giggling and gossiping at the back with her friends, just ended. The home was built to house more than 1,300 residents. Around 20 young people volunteer to live here for free in return for helping to look after some of the elderly. Private companies partly fund the home, taking the pressure off the local government. This is an experiment as leaders hunt for solutions for an ageing China. Here in Hangzhou, in southern China, they can afford such experiments. This is a different world from Liaoning - the shiny new buildings that are rising up host tech companies such as Alibaba and Ant, a magnet for ambitious, young entrepreneurs. The Fengs have been here for eight years. The nursing home seems friendly and there is plenty to do - from gym and table tennis to singing and drama. There are plenty of activities to occupy the residents at Sunshine Care Home "It is very important to be able to finish the last part of life at a good place," Grandma Feng says. She and her husband have been married for more than 50 years. It was love at first sight, they say. When their grandson graduated from junior high school, they decided their task was complete. "There are few people of the same age who think like us," Grandma Feng says. "It seems we care more about enjoying life. Those who don't agree think it's unnecessary to pay a lot of money to live here while they have their own house." But she says she is more "open-minded": "I thought it through. I just gave my house to my son. All we need now is our pension cards." The couple's room at the care home costs around 2,000 yuan a month. As former employees of state-owned companies, they both have enough of a pension to cover the cost. Their pension is far higher than the average in China, around 170 yuan a month in 2020, according to the UN's International Labour Organization. Ms Tang's clients - poor and often pension-less - are a stark contrast to those in the Sunshine Care Home But even with clients with decent pensions, the Sunshine Care Home is running at a loss. The director says care homes are costly to start and take time to turn a profit. Beijing has been pressuring private firms to build daycare centres, wards and other age-care infrastructure to shore up gaps left by indebted local governments. But will they continue to invest if profits are far off? Other East Asian countries such as Japan are also searching for funds to care for large numbers of elderly. But Japan was already wealthy by the time it had one of the world's largest ageing populations. China, however, is ageing fast without that cushion. So, many older people are forced to make their own way - at an age when they should be planning their retirement. Fifty-five-year-old Shuishui found a new career in what is being called "the silver-haired economy" - an attempt to harness the buying power of middle-class seniors. "I think what we can do is try to influence the people around us to be more positive, and to keep on learning. Everybody might have different levels of household income, but whatever circumstances you are in, it's best to try to be positive." Shuishui knows she is part of a privileged lot in China. But she is determined to hope for the best. The former businesswoman is now a newly-trained model. On the sunny banks of the Grand Canal in Hangzhou, she and three other women, all over 55, are touching up their make-up and hair. Shuishui (first from left) models with her friends Each has chosen their own traditional Chinese outfit in red or gold - floor-length silk pattern skirts and short jackets lined with fur to keep out the spring chill. These glamorous grannies are modelling for social media. They teeter precariously in high heels over the cobbled historic Gongchen bridge while trying to smile and laugh for the camera as a team of social media specialists shout instructions. This is an image of greying gracefully that Shuishui is keen for the world to see, and she feels she is doing what she can to lift an ailing economy. But this image belies the reality for millions of elderly in China. Back in Liaoning, the wood smoke rises from chimneys, signalling lunchtime. Mr Cao is stoking the fire in his kitchen to heat water to cook rice. Mr Cao and his wife say they don't want to leave their village to live in the city "When I reach 80, I hope my children will come back to live with me," he says as he finds a saucepan. "I'm not joining them in the cities. Their place has no lift and you need to walk up five floors. That's harder than climbing a hill." For Mr Cao this is simply the way of things. He has to keep working until he cannot. "Ordinary people like us live like this," he says, pointing to the fields outside which are still covered in frost. Spring will bring back the planting season - and more work for him and his wife. "If you compare it with life in the city, of course, farmers have a tougher life. How can you make a living if you can't bear the toughness?"

A huge wave of infections hit countries around the world in 2020 The World Health Organization (WHO) has declared that Covid-19 no longer represents a "global health emergency". The statement represents a major step towards ending the pandemic and comes three years after it first declared its highest level of alert over the virus. Officials said the virus' death rate had dropped from a peak of more than 100,000 people per week in January 2021 to just over 3,500 on 24 April. The head of the WHO said at least seven million people died in the pandemic. But Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said that the true figure was "likely" closer to 20 million deaths - nearly three times the official estimate - and he warned that the virus remained a significant threat. "Yesterday, the Emergency Committee met for the 15th time and recommended to me that I declare an end to the public health emergency of international concern. I've accepted that advice. It is therefore with great hope that I declare Covid-19 over as a global health emergency," Dr Tedros said. He added that the decision had been considered carefully for some time and made on the basis of careful analysis of data. But he warned the removal of the highest level of alert did not mean the danger was over and said the emergency status could be reinstated if the situation changed. "The worst thing any country can do now is to use this news as a reason to let down its guard, to dismantle the systems it has built, or to send the message to its people that Covid-19 is nothing to worry about," he said. The World Health Organization first declared Covid-19 to be a public health emergency of international concern (PHEIC) in January 2020. This signalled the need for coordinated global action to protect people from the new virus. It will now be up to individual countries to continue to manage Covid in the way they think best. Vaccines were one of the major turning points in the pandemic. According to the WHO, 13 billion doses have been given, allowing many people to be protected from serious illness and death. But in many countries vaccines have not reached most of those in need. More than 765 million confirmed Covid infections have been recorded worldwide. The US and UK, like many other countries, have already talked about "living with the virus" and wound down many of the tests and social mixing rules. Dr Mike Ryan, from the WHO's health emergencies programme, said the emergency may have ended, but the threat is still there. "We fully expect that this virus will continue to transmit and this is the history of pandemics," he said. "It took decades for the final throes of the pandemic virus of 1918 to disappear. "In most cases, pandemics truly end when the next pandemic begins."

Last week I asked a senior White House official how they planned to address the issue of Biden's age - which polls suggest is a problem with even Democratic voters. The official didn't deny there was an issue but said they are working on a couple of strategies to mitigate the problem. One is to place Biden in situations where he seems vibrant - so expect fewer speeches behind podiums and more gatherings with small crowds where he's surrounded by people. The second, and potentially more complex strategy, is to boost the Vice-President's approval ratings so she can be more widely used during the campaign. The official suggested that this a currently a priority in the West Wing. Kamala Harris has been hiring new staff with input from the White House as part of that effort. The thinking is that if her popularity numbers rise, she can do more of the travel that is such a gruelling part of any presidential campaign. But if she's unpopular, there's not much point sending her on repeated campaign trips to swing states. The White House feels cautiously optimistic that Harris has had a better month, with a successful trip to Africa and a consoling visit to Nashville after the school shooting. The White House is fully aware of the president's age issue and knows well how strenuous US election campaigns are. Remember, Barack Obama was 30 years younger than Joe Biden is today, when he ran for his second term in office.

SAS troops conducted night raids in Afghanistan, aiming to kill or capture Taliban targets SAS operatives in Afghanistan repeatedly killed detainees and unarmed men in suspicious circumstances, according to a BBC investigation. Newly obtained military reports suggest that one unit may have unlawfully killed 54 people in one six-month tour. The BBC found evidence suggesting the former head of special forces failed to pass on evidence to a murder inquiry. The Ministry of Defence said British troops "served with courage and professionalism in Afghanistan". The BBC understands that General Sir Mark Carleton-Smith, the former head of UK Special Forces, was briefed about the alleged unlawful killings but did not pass on the evidence to the Royal Military Police, even after the RMP began a murder investigation into the SAS squadron. General Carleton-Smith, who went on to become head of the Army before stepping down last month, declined to comment for this story. BBC Panorama analysed hundreds of pages of SAS operational accounts, including reports covering more than a dozen "kill or capture" raids carried out by one SAS squadron in Helmand in 2010/11. Individuals who served with the SAS squadron on that deployment told the BBC they witnessed the SAS operatives kill unarmed people during night raids. They also said they saw the operatives using so-called "drop weapons" - AK-47s planted at a scene to justify the killing of an unarmed person. British special forces killed hundreds of people on night raids in Afghanistan, but were some of the shootings executions? BBC Panorama's Richard Bilton uncovers new evidence and tracks down eyewitnesses. Several people who served with special forces said that SAS squadrons were competing with each other to get the most kills, and that the squadron scrutinised by the BBC was trying to achieve a higher body count than the one it had replaced. Internal emails show that officers at the highest levels of special forces were aware there was concern over possible unlawful killings, but failed to report the suspicions to military police despite a legal obligation to do so. The Ministry of Defence said it could not comment on specific allegations, but that declining to comment should not be taken as acceptance of the allegations' factual accuracy. An MOD spokesperson said that British forces "served with courage and professionalism" in Afghanistan and were held to the "highest standards". This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. SAS killings in Afghanistan: The story of one suspicious death In 2019, the BBC and the Sunday Times investigated one SAS raid which led to a UK court case and an order to the UK defence minister to disclose documents outlining the government's handling of the case. For this latest investigation, the BBC analysed newly obtained operational reports detailing the SAS's accounts of night raids. We found a pattern of strikingly similar reports of Afghan men being shot dead because they pulled AK-47 rifles or hand grenades from behind curtains or other furniture after having been detained. The total death toll during the squadron's six-month tour was in the triple figures. No injuries to SAS operatives were reported across all the raids scrutinised by the BBC. A senior officer who worked at UK Special Forces headquarters told the BBC there was "real concern" over the squadron's reports. "Too many people were being killed on night raids and the explanations didn't make sense," he said. "Once somebody is detained, they shouldn't end up dead. For it to happen over and over again was causing alarm at HQ. It was clear at the time that something was wrong." Internal emails from the time show that officers reacted with disbelief to the reports, describing them as "quite incredible" and referring to the squadron's "latest massacre". An operations officer emailed a colleague to say that "for what must be the 10th time in the last two weeks" the squadron had sent a detainee back into a building "and he reappeared with an AK". "Then when they walked back in to a different A [building] with another B [fighting-age male] to open the curtains he grabbed a grenade from behind a curtain and threw it at the c/s [SAS assault team]. Fortunately, it didn't go off…. this is the 8th time this has happened... You couldn't MAKE IT UP!" As the concerns grew, one of the highest-ranking special forces officers in the country warned in a secret memo that there could be a "deliberate policy" of unlawful killing in operation. Senior leadership became so concerned that a rare formal review was commissioned of the squadron's tactics. But when a special forces officer was deployed to Afghanistan to interview personnel from the squadron, he appeared to take the SAS version of events at face value. The BBC understands that the officer did not visit any of the scenes of the raids or interview any witnesses outside the military. Court documents show that the final report was signed off by the commanding officer of the SAS unit responsible for the suspicious killings. None of the evidence was passed on to military police. The BBC discovered that statements containing the concerns were instead put into a restricted-access classified file for "Anecdotal information about extrajudicial killings", accessible only to a handful of senior special forces officers. In 2012, General Carleton-Smith was appointed head of UK special forces. The BBC understands that he was briefed about the suspicious killings, but he allowed the squadron to return to Afghanistan for another six-month tour. When the Royal Military Police launched a murder investigation in 2013 into one of the raids conducted on that tour, General Carleton-Smith did not disclose to the RMP any of the earlier concerns over unlawful killings, or the existence of the tactical review. Colonel Oliver Lee, who was commander of the Royal Marines in Afghanistan in 2011, told the BBC that the allegations of misconduct raised by our investigation were "incredibly shocking" and merited a public inquiry. The apparent failure by special forces leadership to disclose evidence was "completely unacceptable", he said. General Sir Mark Carleton-Smith was head of UK Special Forces when military police investigated the SAS in 2013 The BBC's investigation focused primarily on one six-month deployment by one SAS squadron that arrived in Afghanistan in November 2010. The squadron was operating largely in Helmand province, one of the most dangerous places in Afghanistan, where Taliban ambushes and roadside bombs were common and Army losses were high. The squadron's primary role was carrying out deliberate detention operations (DDOs) - also known as "kill or capture" raids - designed to detain Taliban commanders and disrupt bomb-making networks. Several sources who were involved in selecting targets for special forces operations told the BBC that there were grave problems with the intelligence behind the selection process, meaning civilians could easily end up on a target list. According to a British representative who was present during target selection in Helmand in 2011, "Intelligence guys were coming up with lists of people that they figured were Taliban. It would be put through a short process of discussion. That was then passed onto special forces who would be given a kill or capture order." According to the source, the targeting was pressured and rushed. "It didn't necessarily translate into let's kill them all, but certainly there was a pressure to up the game, which basically meant passing out judgements on these people quickly," he said. Sources told the BBC that the targeting process for night raids was often rushed and could mislabel innocent civilians During the raids, the SAS squadron used a recognised tactic in which they called everyone from inside a building out, searched and restrained them with cable-tie handcuffs, then took one male back inside to assist special forces operatives with a search. But senior officers became concerned by the frequency with which the squadron's own accounts described detainees being taken back inside buildings and then grabbing for hidden weapons - an enemy tactic not reported by other British military forces operating in Afghanistan. There were also concerns among officers that on a significant number of raids, there were more people killed than weapons reportedly recovered from the scene - suggesting the SAS was shooting unarmed people - and that SAS operatives might be falsifying evidence by dropping weapons at scenes after killing people. After similar concerns were raised in Australia, a judge-led inquiry was commissioned and found "credible evidence" members of Australian Special Forces were responsible for the unlawful killing 39 people, and used 'drop weapons' in an attempt to justify shootings. By April 2011, the concerns were so great in the UK that a senior special forces officer wrote to the director of special forces warning that there was evidence of "deliberate killing of individuals after they have been restrained" and "fabrication of evidence to suggest a lawful killing in self-defence". Two days later, the UK Special Forces assistant chief of staff warned the director that the SAS could be operating a policy to "kill fighting-aged males on target even when they did not pose a threat." If the suspicions were true, he wrote, the SAS squadron had "strayed into indefensible ethical and legal behaviour". The SAS squadron operated in some of the most dangerous areas in southern Afghanistan, often raiding residential compounds in villages The BBC visited several of the homes raided by the SAS squadron in 2010/11. At one, in a small village in Nad Ali in Helmand, there was a bricked up guesthouse where nine Afghan men including a teenager were killed in the early hours of 7 February 2011. The SAS operatives arrived in helicopters under the cover of darkness and approached the house from a nearby field. According to their account, insurgents opened fire at them, prompting them to shoot back and kill everyone in the guesthouse. Only three AK-47s were recovered, according to the SAS account - one of at least six raids by the squadron on which the reported number of enemy weapons was fewer than the number of people killed. Inside the guesthouse, what appeared to be bullet holes from the raid were clustered together on the walls low to the ground. The BBC showed photographs from the scene to ballistics experts, who said that the clusters suggested multiple rounds had been fired downward from above, and did not appear indicative of a firefight. Leigh Neville, an expert on weapons used by UK Special Forces, said the bullet patterns suggested that "targets were low to the ground, either prone or in a sitting or crouching position close to the wall - an unusual position if they were actively involved in a firefight". The same pattern was visible at two other locations examined by the BBC. Ballistics experts who reviewed images said the bullet holes were suggestive of execution-style killings rather than firefights. Speaking on condition of anonymity, an RMP investigator confirmed to the BBC that they had seen photographs from the scenes and that the bullet mark patterns had raised alarm. "You can see why we were concerned," the investigator said. "Bullet marks on the walls so low to the ground appeared to undermine the special forces' version of events." In 2014, the RMP launched Operation Northmoor, a wide-ranging investigation into more than 600 alleged offences by British forces in Afghanistan, including a number of killings by the SAS squadron. But RMP investigators told the BBC that they were obstructed by British military in their efforts to gather evidence. Operation Northmoor was wound down in 2017 and eventually closed in 2019. The Ministry of Defence has said that no evidence of criminality was found. Members of the investigations team told the BBC they dispute that conclusion. The Ministry of Defence said British troops were held to the highest standards. "No new evidence has been presented, but the Service Police will consider any allegations should new evidence come to light," a spokesperson said. In a further statement, the MoD said it believed Panorama had jumped to "unjustified conclusions from allegations that have already been fully investigated". It said: "We have provided a detailed and comprehensive statement to Panorama, highlighting unequivocally how two Service Police operations carried out extensive and independent investigation into allegations about the conduct of UK forces in Afghanistan. "Neither investigation found sufficient evidence to prosecute. Insinuating otherwise is irresponsible, incorrect and puts our brave Armed Forces personnel at risk both in the field and reputationally. "The Ministry of Defence of course stands open to considering any new evidence, there would be no obstruction. But in the absence of this, we strongly object to this subjective reporting."

Shareholders in Credit Suisse have told the firm they feel "failed" and "cheated" after the collapsed bank was rescued by its long-time rival UBS. On Tuesday, the 167-year old Swiss bank faced investors for the first time since the deal was struck and for the last time as an independent firm. Credit Suisse chairman Axel Lehmann said he was "truly sorry". But one investor told the bank that shareholders had "everything stolen from them". Credit Suisse was rescued by UBS last month in a deal brokered by authorities after turmoil in the US banking sector sent the Swiss lender's shares tumbling. The loss-making bank had already been struggling for a number of years after a series of scandals, compliance problems and bad financial bets. Mr Lehmann told investors at the Annual General Meeting that management had a plan to turn things around but had been "thwarted" by fears prompted by the collapse of Silicon Valley Bank in the US. But one shareholder suggested the board would have been crucified in medieval times. Another held up a sack of empty walnut shells, saying they cost the same as a single Credit Suisse share. Credit Suisse's chief executive Ulrich Korner said: "I understand that you feel disappointed, shocked, or angry. "I share the disappointment of you, our shareholders, but I also share the disappointment of all of our employees, our clients and, ultimately, the general public." Shareholders in both Credit Suisse and UBS - which will hold an investor meeting on Wednesday - have been denied a vote on the takeover because of the emergency measures taken by the Swiss government to rush the deal through. Mr Lehmann said the only other option would have been bankruptcy. "This would have led to the worst scenario, namely a total loss for shareholders, unpredictable risks for clients, severe consequences for the economy and the global financial markets," he said. "It was our duty to protect the interests of our shareholders as best we could to provide security to our clients. We did everything we could within what was possible." Credit Suisse bosses knew they would have to eat humble pie at this meeting, but despite numerous apologies the shareholders remain angry. It's common for middle-class Swiss people, especially the elderly, to invest money in a few shares as a back-up to their pensions. What have they traditionally considered safe? Switzerland's two biggest banks. But now Credit Suisse shares are worth less than 10% of what they were two years ago. One man representing a group of shareholders accused Credit Suisse management of "greed and incompetence", another pointed to his red tie, saying he was wearing it to represent the "red card" Credit Suisse deserved. Others turned their anger on the Swiss government, which forced through the takeover by UBS over just one weekend while the markets were closed. Some of us, said one shareholder, spend more time choosing our smartphones. Venting their anger is just about the only action the shareholders can take; the deal with UBS is done. Apologising again, CEO Ulrich Korner said there had been little choice, it was either take the deal with UBS or bankruptcy, which he said would have been catastrophic not just for Switzerland, but for the entire global economy.

This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Watch: Girl survives being shot three times in Alabama A father has told the BBC he is "absolutely crushed" by the death of his 19-year-old son at a 16th birthday party in Alabama on Saturday night. Marsiah Collins, two other teenagers and a 23-year-old were killed during the shooting in Dadeville. His father, Martin Collins, said: "I don't know how to feel, except for any other way but heartbroken. My son was my heart and my life. And he was stolen from me. His life was stolen from him and he was stolen from us." Thirty-two others were injured, authorities said, some critically. Police have not disclosed any details about suspects or a possible motive. Here is what we know about the victims: The oldest of three siblings, Philstavious Dowdell was killed while trying to save his sister Alexis when a gunman opened fire at her 16th birthday, his family said. The 18-year-old pushed his sister to the ground as gunfire erupted during the celebration at a dance studio. "The last thing I told him was to stay strong," Alexis told the BBC. The family said they still don't know who opened fire. Kenan Cooper, the DJ at the party, described Phil Dowdell as "kind of like the hometown hero" in the close-knit town of roughly 3,000. He was a star athlete on his high school's American football team and had been due to graduate to go to Jacksonville State University on a sports scholarship. One of his friends who played with him on the school football team told the BBC: "Phil to me was an amazing friend. God's got an angel." Jacksonville's head coach, Rich Rodriguez, said in a statement on Sunday that Mr Dowdell was "a great young man with a bright future". Phil Dowdell's grandmother, Annette Allen, told the Montgomery Advertiser local newspaper: "He was a very, very humble child. Never messed with anybody. Always had a smile on his face." His sports coach at the local high school, Roger McDonald, described him as an outstanding young man. "Everybody loved Phil. He always had a smile on his face. He always spoke to everyone. He was the ideal kid that you want to coach. He wasn't just a great athlete. He was a great kid," he told the paper. Marsiah Collins was a varsity football player and a track star who had hopes of one day joining his father, Martin, in their shared dream of becoming lawyers. In an interview with the BBC, his father Martin Collins said he is studying law at Louisiana State University and his son had been excited to join him as an undergraduate at the same campus this autumn. The two had been arranging living together for the forthcoming school year, he said. But Marsiah's life was cut tragically short on Saturday. "My son was my heart and my life. And he was stolen from me," his father said. "He was the light of every room he walked into." The father described Marsiah as a "shy" teen who had possessed inner "strength and toughness". "He would make you laugh like nobody's business, he would make you laugh uncontrollably sometimes, with his goofiness," he said. Mr Collins said he and his family are still learning details about the shooting, but answers will not assuage their grief. "I just want the world to know that none of those children deserve to die. My son definitely didn't. And he was just the perfect little baby." Shaunkivia Smith, 17, was a manager on Dadeville High School's basketball and track and field teams Shaunkivia Smith also had a background in athletics and was reported by local media to have played volleyball and softball. However, a knee injury during her junior year cut her participation short. She served as a manager of the basketball and track and field teams during her final year at high school. She had planned on attending the University of Alabama, her cousin told CNN. "She was full of love," Michael Taylor, the school's coach, told local news. "Just like Phil, she was very, very humble and she had this huge smile like Phil had. She would joke around all the time, and she got on to all of us - even me. She was just full of life." Corbin Holston, had gone to the party to check in on a family member Corbin Holston graduated from Dadeville High School in 2018, according to social media posts. His mother, Janett Heard, told local news Mr Holston did not attend the party but went there to check on a family member who feared trouble was brewing. "Out of concern for other family members, Corbin responded to the party to ensure their safety but unfortunately encountered the suspects,'' Ms Heard said. "Corbin was selfless when it came to his family and friends and always tried to be a protector. That's just the type of person he was."

Craig and Charlie Reid's hit was removed from the UK government's coronation playlist The Proclaimers have been removed from an official King's coronation playlist after they were criticised for their anti-royal views. Craig and Charlie Reid's hit I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles) was featured alongside prominent UK artists. Last year they agreed with a republican demonstrator who shouted during the proclamation of King Charles. The BBC understands the song was removed by the UK government following complaints. The Proclaimers' management have been approached for comment. A Department for Culture, Media and Sport spokesperson said: "The playlist has been created to celebrate British and Commonwealth artists ahead of the upcoming coronation." The Proclaimers originally featured on the Spotify playlist alongside Queen, The Beatles, Tom Jones, David Bowie, Kate Bush, Emeli Sande and some other top UK artists. The tracks were picked by the DCMS as a suggested street party soundtrack. The playlist is included on a website which provides information and ideas for marking the Coronation, including recipes and children's activities. Charlie Reid expressed republican views in an interview with the National after a man in Oxford was arrested for shouting "who elected him?" during a proclamation event for King Charles last September. The Proclaimer singer said: "I thought that guy spoke for me, and he speaks for loads of other people. Not just in Scotland, but right around the UK." Symon Hill, who works for the pacifist Peace Pledge Union, was initially charged under the Public Order Act but his case was later dropped by the Crown Prosecution Service. The Proclaimers have described their song In Recognition, from the 2007 album Life With You, as a representation of "our overwhelming contempt for people on the left in this country who snipe against the royal family and then end up taking honours". The King's coronation will take place on 6 May at Westminster Abbey in London.

Watch as Adam Peaty seals his Paris Olympics spot by winning the 100m breaststroke at the Aquatics GB Swimming Championships with a world-leading time of 57.94. READ MORE: Peaty qualifies for Paris with statement title Watch the Aquatics GB Swimming Championships on BBC iPlayer and the BBC Sport website from 2-7 April. Available to UK users only.

The former prime minister has not handed over any messages from before April 2021 - more than a year into the pandemic Boris Johnson has said he is giving unredacted WhatsApp messages dating back to May 2021 directly to the Covid inquiry, bypassing the government which has refused to hand them over. The Cabinet Office has launched a legal challenge to the inquiry's demand for texts from the former PM and officials. It argues that many of the messages are irrelevant to the investigation. However, the head of the inquiry, Baroness Hallett, has said it's her job to decide what is and is not relevant. In a letter to Baroness Hallett, Mr Johnson said that he understood why the government was taking legal action, but that he was "perfectly content" to release messages he had already sent to the Cabinet Office. Mr Johnson added he would like to send messages pre-dating April 2021, but that he had been told he could no longer access his phone from that period "safely". Security concerns were raised over the phone, after it emerged the number had been freely available on the internet for 15 years. The messages received before this date would be likely to cover discussions about the coronavirus lockdowns implemented in 2020. Mr Johnson said he wanted to "test" the advice received from the security services and had asked the Cabinet Office for assistance in turning his old phone on securely. He added he no longer had access to his contemporaneous notebooks as he had handed these to the Cabinet Office. "I have asked that the Cabinet Office pass these to you. If the government chooses not to do so, I will ask for these to be returned to my office so that I can provide them to you directly." Speaking to BBC Radio 4's World At One programme, cyber-security expert Prof Alan Woodward said the risk of turning on Mr Johnson's old phone was "minimal", adding: "It is perfectly possible to do that without exposing it to the potential threat." Earlier this week, the inquiry told the government to submit messages sent between Mr Johnson and 40 other ministers and officials during the pandemic by 16:00 BST on Thursday. Mr Johnson said he was "more than happy" to give the unredacted material to the inquiry. The Cabinet Office - which supports the prime minister in running the government - also holds communications between ministers and civil servants which do not involve Mr Johnson. On Thursday, it missed the deadline and said it would "with regret" be launching a judicial review of the demand, but promised to "continue to co-operate fully with the inquiry". Defending its decision not to hand over certain messages, the Cabinet Office argued that many of the communications were "unambiguously irrelevant", and that to submit them to the inquiry would compromise ministers' privacy and hamper future decision-making. "It represents an unwarranted intrusion into other aspects of the work of government. It also represents an intrusion into their legitimate expectations of privacy and protection of their personal information," the Cabinet Office said, in a letter to the inquiry. Speaking to the BBC One's Question Time on Thursday, science minister George Freeman said he thought the "courts will probably take the view" that Baroness Hallett was entitled to decide "what evidence she deems relevant". But he added "people's privacy is really important" and that the question of how private correspondence should be handled was a "point worth testing". "I would like to see a situation where the inquiry says: 'Listen, we will wholly respect the privacy of anything that's not related to Covid. We will redact it'," he said. Labour's deputy leader, Angela Rayner, described the government's legal action as a "desperate attempt to withhold evidence". The Liberal Democrats called it a "kick in the teeth for bereaved families". Lord Barwell, who worked as chief of staff to former Prime Minister Theresa May, told the BBC Radio 4's Today programme he thought the government was making a "bad mistake". He added: "We're having the inquiry to give people confidence we're getting to the truth. And if the government is controlling what the inquiry can and can't see, then people are not going to get confidence in the outcome."

David Lawson says the results were the worst he has seen Vapes confiscated from school pupils contain high levels of lead, nickel and chromium, BBC News has found. Used vapes gathered at Baxter College in Kidderminster were tested in a laboratory. The results showed children using them could be inhaling more than twice the daily safe amount of lead, and nine times the safe amount of nickel. Some vapes also contained harmful chemicals like those in cigarette smoke. High levels of lead exposure in children can affect the central nervous system and brain development, according to the World Health Organization. It is thought vapes are being used widely by secondary school children and Baxter College is not alone in trying to stop them vaping during school hours. The Inter Scientific laboratory, in Liverpool, which works with vape manufacturers to ensure regulatory standards are met, analysed 18 vapes. Most were illegal and had not gone through any kind of testing before being sold in the UK. Lab co-founder David Lawson said: "In 15 years of testing, I have never seen lead in a device. "None of these should be on the market - they break all the rules on permitted levels of metal. "They are the worst set of results I've ever seen." In "highlighter vapes" - designed with bright colours to look like highlighter pens - the amounts of the metals found were: The metals were thought to come from the heating element - but the tests showed they were in the e-liquid itself. The lab tests also found compounds called carbonyls - which break down, when the e-liquid heats up, into chemicals such as formaldehyde and acetaldehyde, also found in cigarette smoke - at 10 times the level in legal vapes. Some even had more than cigarettes. Manufacturers have to follow regulations on ingredients, packaging and marketing - and all e-cigarettes and e-liquids must be registered with the Medicine and Health Care Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA). But the agency is not required to check the claims made in paperwork and has no power to investigate unregistered products. MHRA head of e-cigarettes Craig Copland said the results would be reviewed to assess whether the vapes posed a health risk. BBC News showed the findings to Baxter College pupils Leon and Oscar, whose vapes had been confiscated. They admitted in a previous interview they were hooked on nicotine and struggled to give up vaping. Baxter College pupils Leon and Oscar learning about their confiscated vapes The boys say it is easy to ignore the risks. "You won't really care, if you're addicted to it - you'll just forget about it," Oscar said. Leon said regulation and policing should be doing more to tackle the problem. "They're not really as bothered as they should be," he said. Head teacher Mat Carpenter was horrified by the findings. He has installed sensors in the school toilets to try to reduce opportunities to vape. "It's been part of youth culture for a long time and we are a long way behind the curve in influencing children's behaviour around this, which is why we need such a strong message," Mr Carpenter said. "As a society we are capable of holding two messages, one that if you smoke already vaping can have a positive effect on your health, but children should not be vaping." University of Nottingham epidemiology professor John Britton, who sits on the Royal College of Physicians Tobacco Group, said inhaling metals could be dangerous. "Lead is a neurotoxin and impairs brain development, chrome and nickel are allergens and metal particles in general in the bloodstream can trigger blood clotting and can exacerbate cardiovascular disease," he said. "The carbonyls are mildly carcinogenic and so with sustained use will increase the risk of cancer - but in legal products, the levels of all of these things is extremely low so the lifetime risk to the individual is extremely small." But Mr Lawson said there had been a much greater rise in illegal products recently and "some of these are hard to distinguish between the ones which are potentially legal". Prof Dame Helen Stokes-Lampard, who is Chair of the Academy of Medical Royal Colleges, said she was "genuinely shocked" by the findings. "Unregulated products need to be taken off our streets, out of our shops, and our young people need to be protected. "Vaping is something we should be avoiding if we can, albeit better than smoking. If you have any suspicion that your child is using an illicit vape, this is dangerous for their health. Please intervene," she advised parents and carers. The government has allocated £3m to tackle the sale of illegal vapes in England. It wants to fund more test purchases and have the products removed from shops and is calling for evidence to help cut the number of children accessing vapes. It is illegal to sell vapes to under-18s. But a YouGov survey in March and April for Action on Smoking and Health suggests a rise in experimental vaping among 11- to 17-year-olds, from 7.7%, last year, to 11.6%.

Thieves stole tens of millions of dollars from a Los Angeles cash storage facility on Easter Sunday, with their crime only discovered the next day. The theft of at least $30m (£24m) is one of the biggest cash heists in LA history, local media reported. There are few clues as to who carried out the crime - which was been described as "elaborate" - or exactly how. The Los Angeles Police Department and FBI are jointly investigating the case. No alarms were tripped and no one knew thieves had entered the facility, located in the San Fernando Valley, where cash from local businesses is processed and stored in a vault. A crew of sophisticated burglars is believed to have come in through the roof, according to local media. Only a small group of people were aware so much cash was held in the building. It took until Monday, when facility employees opened the vault, to realise that the massive sum was missing. The safe did not show any outward sign of break-in. According to US media, the theft happened at a GardaWorld facility in the suburban neighbourhood of Sylmar. A news helicopter over the scene captured an apparent hole in the side of the building with debris nearby, however, it is unclear if it is related to the burglary. The total surpasses any that has been taken in armoured vehicle robberies in the area, according to the Los Angeles Times. The largest cash heist in LA's history was in September 1997 when $18.9m was stolen from Dunbar Armored Inc, according to the newspaper. Six men, including a former employee, were eventually arrested. In 2022, an armoured truck was robbed around 55 miles (90km) north of where Sunday's heist occurred. The thieves grabbed dozens of bags containing vintage jewellery and gems while the guards were distracted. The stolen items have been valued at over $100m. No arrests have been made. Last year, thieves at the Toronto airport stole more than $15m in gold and cash. An aircraft container carrying the goods arrived at the airport and was transported to a cargo holding facility, where police believe the heist took place. It is one of the largest heists in Canada's history. This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Watch: Is this largest US jewellery heist in US history? • None Is this largest jewellery heist in US history? Video, 00:01:23Is this largest jewellery heist in US history?

Prosecutors in Serbia have stated that the suspect in the school shooting in Belgrade may not face criminal charges, due to his age. The age of criminal responsibility in Serbia is set at 14 years old. But the suspect is still two months shy of his 14th birthday. Police will continue to investigate his involvement in the deaths of his classmates and a school security guard. But, as things stand, prosecutors will not be able to bring criminal charges. It may be possible to hold the boy’s parents responsible. Both of them have already been taken into custody. Police say that the father held permits for the two pistols which were found in the suspect’s possession at the time of his arrest. They are holding him on suspicion of committing serious offences against general security. Serbia’s president, Aleksandar Vučić, says the suspect will be transferred to a psychiatric facility. The boy is being assessed by social workers, who will check whether he was under the influence of drugs or alcohol at the time of the attack. A prosecutor has told Serbian media that actions after that will be carried out by the social work service. Vučić also insists that it is “impossible for no one to be held accountable” for the shooting. He suggests lowering the age of criminal responsibility to 12 years old – as well as a range of restrictions on gun ownership and use.

This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. The family of Halyna Hutchins, the Rust cinematographer who died on set, say they will sue Alec Baldwin despite his criminal charges being dropped. Manslaughter charges against Mr Baldwin, who was holding the prop gun that fired the fatal bullet, were withdrawn in New Mexico on Thursday. A lawyer for Ms Hutchins' parents and sister said that the actor "cannot escape responsibility" for her death. Mr Baldwin had already reached a deal with her widower and 10-year-old son. In October 2021, Mr Baldwin had been practising firing the gun on set at a ranch near Santa Fe when it went off, fatally striking 42-year-old Ukrainian-born Hutchins and wounding director Joel Souza. The actor denied pulling the trigger, although an FBI report later concluded that the gun could not have been fired without the trigger being pulled. He had been due in court for a preliminary hearing on 3 May. But on Thursday, prosecutors said they would withdraw charges against the Emmy-award winner after new facts were revealed that required further investigation. The film's armourer, Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, continues to face two counts of involuntary manslaughter. Halyna Hutchins (right) died on the set of Rust in New Mexico after Mr Baldwin allegedly fired a prop gun Gloria Allred, a lawyer representing Hutchins' mother Olga Solovey, her father Anatolii Androsovych, and sister Svetlana Zemko, said on Friday her clients "remain hopeful" despite the prosecutor's decision to drop criminal charges. "Mr Baldwin may pretend that he is not responsible for pulling the trigger and ejecting a live bullet which ended Halyna's life," the family lawyer said in a statement. "He can run to Montana and pretend that he is just an actor in a wild west movie but, in real life, he cannot escape from the fact that he had a major role in a tragedy which had real life consequences." Mrs Allred is also representing a script supervisor who experienced the shooting. The civil lawsuit against Mr Baldwin also seeks to punish Ms Gutierrez-Reed and various other Rust producers. Filming for Rust resumed this week in Montana, nearly 18 months after the shooting. In a statement, director Joel Souza called the resumption "bittersweet" and vowed to finish the film "on Halyna's behalf". A lawyer for the film said that principal photography is expected to wrap up by May and that no "working firearms" or ammunition are allowed on set. Last October, Mr Baldwin and Ms Hutchins' widower, Matthew, reached a preliminary deal that made him an executive producer for the film. In a New Mexico court on Monday, a judge agreed to keep the terms of that deal sealed in order to protect the privacy of Hutchins' young son. In seeking to dismiss the lawsuit brought by Hutchin's Ukraine-based family, lawyers for Mr Baldwin called their action "misguided" and unlikely to survive legal scrutiny.

Twitter is considering legal action against Meta over its fast-growing rival app Threads. Threads, which was launched to millions on Wednesday, is similar to Twitter and has been pitched by Meta bosses as a "friendly" alternative. Twitter's Elon Musk said "competition is fine, cheating is not" - but Meta denied claims in a legal letter that ex-Twitter staff helped create Threads. More than 70 million people have signed up for the new app, according to Meta. Twitter has an estimated 350 million users, according to Statista. According to an SEC filing from 2013, it took Twitter four years to build the same number of users that Threads gained in a day - though Twitter grew its userbase from scratch, while Threads was able to tap into the pre-existing two billion monthly users Meta says Instagram has. This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. The look and feel of Threads are similar to those of Twitter, BBC News technology reporter James Clayton noted. He said the news feed and the reposting were "incredibly familiar". But US copyright law does not protect ideas, so for Twitter to be successful in court it would have to prove that its own intellectual property, such as programming code, was taken. And in 2012 Meta was granted a patent for "communicating a newsfeed" - the system that displays all the latest posts when you use Facebook. In a move first reported by news outlet Semafor, Twitter attorney Alex Spiro sent a letter to Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg on Wednesday accusing Meta of "systematic, wilful, and unlawful misappropriation of Twitter's trade secrets and other intellectual property" to create Threads. Specifically, Mr Spiro alleged that Meta had hired dozens of former Twitter employees who "had and continue to have access to Twitter's trade secrets and other highly confidential information" that ultimately helped Meta develop what he termed the "copycat" Threads app. "Twitter intends to strictly enforce its intellectual property rights, and demands that Meta take immediate steps to stop using any Twitter trade secrets or other highly confidential information," the letter says. "Twitter reserves all rights, including, but not limited to, the right to seek both civil remedies and injunctive relief without further notice." BBC News, which has seen a copy of the letter, has contacted both Meta and Twitter for comment. Mr Musk said that "competition is fine, cheating is not" in response to a post on Twitter that referred to the legal letter. On Threads, Meta spokesperson Andy Stone posted that "no one on the Threads engineering team is a former Twitter employee - that's just not a thing". Sarah Kunst, managing director at venture capital firm Cleo Capital, told the BBC's Today programme Threads could offer a "brand-safe environment" for existing Instagram advertisers who "feel they can allocate some budget and see what happens". She added that while the app reaching 30 million users could be the result of an initial rush, it will likely see a steady increase in users. "They've made it very easy to cross-post to other platforms like Instagram, so I think that we'll continue to see growth," she said. Both Mr Musk and Mr Zuckerberg have acknowledged the rivalry over Threads, which is linked to Instagram but works as a standalone app. As it launched in 100 countries, Mr Zuckerberg broke more than 11 years of silence on Twitter to post a highly popular meme of two nearly identical Spider-Man figures pointing at each other, indicating a stand-off. Shortly after, and as the word "Threads" trended globally on his platform, Mr Musk said: "It is infinitely preferable to be attacked by strangers on Twitter, than indulge in the false happiness of hide-the-pain Instagram." Twitter CEO Linda Yaccarino said in a tweet on Thursday that while the platform, is "often imitated" it "can never be duplicated". Both Meta and Twitter have undertaken significant layoffs this year, with Meta announcing in April that it would cut staff levels by approximately 10,000. Twitter lost a large proportion of its 7,500 employees, as high as 80%, in waves of redundancies following Mr Musk's takeover last October.

Meta, the parent firm of Facebook and Instagram, is working on a standalone, text-based social network app. It could rival both Twitter and its decentralised competitor, Mastodon. A spokesperson told the BBC: "We're exploring a standalone decentralized social network for sharing text updates. "We believe there's an opportunity for a separate space where creators and public figures can share timely updates about their interests." A Twitter-like app would allow Meta to take advantage of the current chaos at the Elon Musk-led company, where cost-cutting has been rampant. Twitter has been struggling to hold on to its advertising base since Mr Musk's takeover of the platform late last year. Companies have pulled back spending following Twitter's move to restore suspended accounts and release a paid account verification which resulted in scammers impersonating firms. According to MoneyControl, the new app is codenamed P92, and will allow users to log in through their existing Instagram credentials. Meta's app will be based on a similar framework to the one that powers Mastodon, a Twitter-like service which was launched in 2016. The new app would be decentralised - it cannot be run at the whim of a single entity, bought or sold. Meta's plans come at a time when its biggest platform, Facebook, is struggling to attract the attention of a younger audience. It has also heavily invested in the metaverse, a virtual world where users interact and work - which has yet to come to fruition. Its video-sharing app, Instagram, is also facing stiff competition as content makers or hit influencers abandon the platform for TikTok. It was not immediately clear when Meta would roll out the new app.

Police initially detained Ralph Yarl's shooter for questioning but let them go, without releasing their identity. That changed on Monday afternoon, though, when the suspect's name was revealed as Andrew Lester. At the same time, Clay County prosecutor Zachary Thompson announced that Lester had been charged with two crimes: assault in the first degree and armed criminal action. A prosecutor said there was a "racial component" to the shooting but Lester has not been charged with a hate crime, and charging documents do not describe the alleged racial bias. Lester, 84, claims he thought someone was trying to break into his home Image caption: Lester, 84, claims he thought someone was trying to break into his home Lester, 84, lives at an address on 115th Street in Kansas City, Missouri, which is where Ralph mistakenly went last Thursday night to pick up his siblings - who were in fact at an address on nearby 115th Terrace. Yarl's family and legal team claim the boy rang Lester's doorbell twice before the homeowner opened fire with a .32 revolver. Lee Merritt, one of the family's attorneys, told NBC News that the 16-year-old "was confronted by a man who told him, 'Don't come back around here,' and then he immediately fired his weapon". According to local reports, Lester told police that he believed someone was breaking into his home and fired two shots through his door. A witness also told a local news station that he heard Yarl "screaming that he had been shot".

Crowds belted out tracks as Sam Fender headlined the main stage on Saturday The second night of Scotland's biggest festival closed on a high despite heavy rain and the threat of thunderstorms. Acts including Brooke Combe and Maisie Peters kicked off Saturday's line-up before Kasabian and Sam Fender took to the main stage. Up to 50,000 people are expected at Glasgow Green for each day of TRNSMT. Pulp closed the show on Friday - their first performance in Scotland for over 10 years. Royal Blood and Becky Hill will headline on Sunday, with The 1975 scheduled to close the festival. ScotRail has put on extra train services to cope with demand, including more late-night trains running to Inverclyde, Ayr, Edinburgh, and East Kilbride. Thousands headed to the main stage on Saturday for Mimi Webb Newcastle rocker Sam Fender closed the festival's second night with pyrotechnics, fireworks and confetti as he remarked on the journey he had taken from the festival's beginning. He said: "We've played every stage in this festival, from a little stage over there to the main stage. "It's just really surreal." Sam Fender closed the second night of the festival Festival organisers had urged fans to "prepare for all weather" on Saturday with the majority of Scotland covered by a yellow Met Office alert for thunderstorms. Glasgow Green turned to mud following heavy showers, though it did little to dampen spirits. Conditions are expected to improve on Sunday but more rain has been forecast. It came after Tiree Music Festival was cancelled on Thursday, just a day before it was due to begin, because of gale force winds. Fans arrived at Glasgow Green in high spirits on Saturday Brooke Combe from Midlothian gave it her all as the first act on the main stage Maisie Peters also performed on the main stage a few weeks after the release of her new album The Good Witch Elijah Hewson from Irish rockers Inhaler had crowds singing along Kasabian frontman took to the stage on Saturday Britpop legends Pulp brought the first night of the festival to a colourful close on Friday, following acts including George Ezra, Niall Horan, the Beautiful South's Paul Heaton and The View. The band, fronted by Jarvis Cocker, surprised fans at the end of 2022 by announcing a run of shows this summer at festivals and outdoor gigs across the UK. Cocker told crowds: "We are Pulp, you are Glasgow. We are going to spend some time together this evening. "This is the furthest north we've ever been." Pulp, fronted by Jarvis Cocker, were the headline act on Friday Former One Direction singer Niall Horan entertained the crowd on Friday Festival-goers enjoyed The View perform on the main stage You can watch coverage of TRNSMT festival on BBC iplayer.

Boxes of nitrous dioxide canisters near the site of the rave A man in his 30s has been arrested following two illegal raves over the weekend. Avon and Somerset Police confirmed the man, from Wiltshire, was arrested on suspicion of possessing a class A drug and assaulting an emergency worker on Sunday. Officers were called to the raves, which hundreds of people attended, at 5:20 GMT on Exmoor on Sunday. The force added that the man has since been released on bail. The unlicensed music events took place a short distance from each other, near Luxborough, at Dunkery Beacon and Kennisham Wood. Pictures sent to the BBC show cars parked on both sides of the B3224, and boxes of nitrous oxide canisters and rubbish scattered across the verges. Cars are parked on both sides of the B3224 Sam, who is a farmer in the Luxborough area, said people were "defecating" on his fields and outside his house. Officers seized sound equipment from the Dunkery Beacon event and inquiries are ongoing into potential public nuisance offences. Those that stayed at Kennisham Wood were clearing up the site on 1 April, a police spokesperson said. Sam told BBC Radio Somerset the fields where revellers "defecated" are for young livestock to graze. "The issue was the amount of people and the lack of respect and care," he said. "The aftermath this morning is unbelievable. The road's verges are all cut up, there are drugs, bottles, boxes and rubbish everywhere. Chucked on the roads and our fields. "We could not do anything about it." A farmer says the aftermath is "unbelievable" A spokesperson for Avon and Somerset Police said: "Our priority has been to preserve public safety and minimise disruption to other members of the public and as such our officers sought to engage with individuals attending the events and provide community reassurance. "Road closures were also put in place." The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.

This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Watch: Baroness Casey: "It's time for the organisation (Met Police) not to be in denial" Women and children have been failed by the Metropolitan Police, with racism, misogyny, and homophobia at the heart of the force, a blistering review says. Baroness Casey says a "boys' club" culture is rife and the force could be dismantled if it does not improve. Her year-long review condemns systemic failures, painting a picture of a force where rape cases were dropped because a freezer containing key evidence broke. The Met's Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley admitted "we have let Londoners down". The report has prompted a strong reaction, with the mother of murdered black teenager Stephen Lawrence saying the force was "rotten to the core". Home Secretary Suella Braverman warned it could take years to address some challenges, but was confident Sir Mark and his team would deliver the change the public expects. Baroness Casey was appointed to review the force's culture and standards after the abduction, rape and murder of Sarah Everard by serving police officer Wayne Couzens, in 2021. During the course of her review, another Met officer, David Carrick, was convicted of a series of rapes, sexual offences and torture of women. The 363-page report condemns the force as institutionally racist, misogynist and homophobic, referencing racist officers and staff, routine sexism, and "deep-seated" homophobia. But Sir Mark told Radio 4's Today programme that while he accepted the "diagnosis" of the report he would not use the expression "institutional racism", describing it as ambiguous and politicised. He said "hundreds" of "problematic" officers have been identified since he took over the force, and said the report has to be "a new beginning". Baroness Casey said the capital "no longer has a functioning neighbourhood policing service" and policing by consent was broken, especially for "communities of colour", who are "over-policed and under-protected". The report says leadership teams at the top of the Met have been in denial for decades, and there has been a systemic failure to root out discriminatory and bullying behaviour. It says the force, the biggest in the UK, has failed to protect the public from officers who abuse women and Baroness Casey said she could not rule out more officers like Couzens and Carrick being in the Met. Teams tasked with tackling domestic abuse are understaffed, overworked and inexperienced, despite cases doubling in 10 years, it said. The Met has not made its publicly-stated policy to crack down on abusers an "operational reality", the report found. Baroness Casey told the BBC that rape detectives are working with insufficient resources while "the guys that hold the firearms get any toy they want". One officer told the review the Met's rape detection rates were now so low "you may as well say it is legal in London". Floral tributes and messages were left at a memorial site at Clapham Common Bandstand, following the murder of Sarah Everard, in 2021 The report says that discrimination "is often ignored" and complaints "are likely to be turned against" ethnic minority officers, to the point where black officers are 81% more likely to be in the misconduct system than white colleagues. It concludes: "Deep in its culture it is uncomfortable talking about racism, misogyny, homophobia and other forms of discrimination." Baroness Casey said austerity had "disfigured" the Met, and pressures like court backlogs and London's expanding population have put the force under further strain. But she says not enough had changed since the 1999 Macpherson report, published after Stephen Lawrence's murder, which labelled the Met "institutionally racist". Baroness Doreen Lawrence said the force has had almost 30 years since her son's death and the recognition of institutional racism by Sir William Macpherson to put its house in order. "It has not done so, either because it does not want to or it does not know how to," she added. This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Met Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley: "We have let Londoners down... the findings are brutal" In a Commons statement, Ms Braverman said there have been "serious failures of culture, leadership and standards". She said it is vital that the law-abiding public "do not face a threat from the police themselves", and that officers not fit to wear a uniform are "driven out". Shadow home secretary Yvette Cooper said she was concerned her counterpart had delivered a "dangerously complacent" statement by "astonishingly" setting out no action. She called a lack of mandatory requirements for vetting and training underpinned by law a "disgrace", and urged Ms Braverman to ensure any officer under investigation for domestic abuse or sexual assault is automatically suspended. If sufficient progress is not made, dividing the Met into national, specialist and London responsibilities should be considered, Baroness Casey concluded. Asked if he would tell his daughters they could trust the police, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak told BBC Breakfast: "I need the answer to that question to be 'yes' and at the moment trust in the police has been hugely damaged." Responding to the report, Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer said Sir Mark should "go further and faster" to uncover the Met's systemic problems. He said: "The biggest danger today is that this just becomes another report." London Mayor Sadiq Khan said today was "one of the darkest days in the 200-year history" of the Met, but he was not surprised as it chimed with his own personal and professional experiences. He insisted the force did not need to be broken up, but said systemic issues needed addressing. Four groups - the Runnymede Trust, Inquest, Liberty and Stonewall - said they "stand united in our call for the roll back of the policing powers" of the Met, and it was increasingly clear communities "do not consent to the violent, predatory and discriminatory policing that we are currently offered". Have you been affected by the issues in this story? Share your experiences by emailing [email protected]. Please include a contact number if you are willing to speak to a BBC journalist. You can also get in touch in the following ways: If you are reading this page and can't see the form you will need to visit the mobile version of the BBC website to submit your question or comment or you can email us at [email protected]. Please include your name, age and location with any submission.

Travellers flying into England from mainland China will no longer have to provide proof of a negative pre-departure test from next month. The change will come into effect on 5 April - exactly three months after the measures started. Ministers brought in controls after a spike in cases following Beijing's relaxation of its zero-Covid policy. Their removal comes after greater transparency from China, the government said. In a statement, the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) said that there has been increased information on "testing, vaccination and genomic sequencing results" on China's domestic disease levels. The data indicates that Covid variants seen in China "continue to be the same as those already circulating in the UK", it added. The Chinese Centre for Disease Control and Prevention also reported that all regions had passed their infection peak, the statement reported. The DHSC also announced that the UK Health Security Agency's (UKHSA) voluntary on-arrival testing programme of travellers from China to Heathrow airport has come to an end. The temporary testing programme was implemented in January. The government said its aim was to improve Covid surveillance of travellers arriving at London's main airport from China by helping to detect potential new variants. The government said an average of 99 people per flight had been tested, totalling 3,374 passengers. During that period, 14 positive cases were identified, but none was deemed to be a variant of concern. The DHSC said from Friday, 17 March "passengers aged 18 or over travelling from mainland China and arriving at Heathrow Airport will no longer be invited to take a voluntary test on arrival". "The ending of this enhanced surveillance is in line with international partners such as the EU who are reducing border measures to monitor new variants from China" . Officials said the government would maintain a range of contingency measures to "enable detection, and swift and proportionate action, for potential new harmful variants" should the need arise. Last December, ministers confirmed that passengers arriving to England from China would have to provide a negative Covid test before they boarded their flights. The Chinese government was reporting about 5,000 cases a day at the time, but analysts said the numbers were vastly undercounted - and that the daily caseload could have been closer to one million. Other countries around the world such as the US, France India also implemented testing. While the decision only affected English airports, the government said that despite their being no direct flights from China to Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland, that it was working with the devolved administrations to ensure the policy was applied UK-wide. In January, China reopened its borders to international visitors for the first time since it imposed travel restrictions in March 2020 while officials declared later that month that the country's current wave of Covid-19 infections was "coming to an end". China's National Health Commission stopped publishing data on Covid cases and deaths on 25 December after the relaxation of its zero-Covid policy and in February declared a "decisive victory" over the pandemic.

When this cow ran onto an interstate, police in Michigan relied on a cowboy to lasso the suspect bovine. The animal is safe and has not been charged with a crime.

Visitors have been affected by the heat at the Acropolis in Greece, which sits on a rocky hilltop and offers little shade Red alerts have been issued for 16 cities across Italy as extreme heat continues to affect southern Europe. The alerts, which indicate risks even for healthy people, apply to tourist hotspots including Rome, Florence, and Bologna for the coming days. The heatwave has already lasted longer than usual and night-time temperatures have remained high. More high temperatures are expected in Europe next week as another heatwave approaches. Periods of intense heat occur within natural weather patterns, but globally they are becoming more frequent, more intense and are lasting longer due to global warming. The Italian government has advised anyone in the areas covered by Saturday's red alerts to avoid direct sunlight between 11:00 and 18:00, and to take particular care of the elderly or vulnerable. In Rome, tour guide Felicity Hinton, 59, told the BBC the soaring temperatures combined with overcrowding has made it "nightmarish" to navigate the city. "It's always hot in Rome but this has just been consistently hot for a lot longer than normal," she said. A gondolier in Venice told the BBC it was so hot, the city's iconic gondolas are unbearable. "The heat... goes up your legs, goes up your feet, it really burns... sometimes the tourists jump in pain when they lean against it". Meanwhile, Greece has hit temperatures of 40C (104F) or more in recent days. The Acropolis in Athens - the country's most popular tourist attraction - was closed during the hottest hours of Friday and Saturday to protect visitors. Matt Finden, 51, from Vancouver, Canada, and his family were among the last tourists to visit The Acropolis before it closed. "It was incredible up there. But along the way we saw people passed out getting medical attention, sitting on the backs of ambulances and even vomiting from heatstroke," he told the BBC. The Red Cross has been offering water and first aid at the site, which sits on a rocky hilltop and offers little shade to visitors. There are also fears of a greater risk of wildfires, especially in areas with high winds. Greece suffered major wildfires in 2021 in another exceptional heatwave. Elsewhere, a forest fire on the Spanish island of La Palma forced the evacuation of at least 500 people, Reuters news agency reported. The fire broke out in the early hours of Saturday morning in El Pinar de Puntagorda, destroying at least 11 houses, Fernando Clavijo, president of the Canary Islands, said. Volunteers from the Hellenic Red Cross handing out water bottles in Athens on Friday High temperatures have also been reaching into central parts of Europe, with Germany and Poland among countries affected. Czech Republic's meteorological office issued a warning that temperatures over the weekend could go above 38C, which is exceptionally high for the country. Highs of up to 47C are expected across some parts of southern Spain, south-eastern Italy and possibly Greece later in the week. It is likely that some city records will be broken. In the UK, however, heavy showers and gusty winds are expected in parts of England on Saturday. Meteorologists said this was because the southern shift of the jet stream, which was fuelling the hot weather in Europe, was also drawing low-pressure systems into the UK - bringing unsettled and cooler weather. The current heatwave in Europe has been named Cerberus by the Italian Meteorological Society, after the three-headed monster that features in Dante's Inferno. Italian weather forecasters are warning that the next heatwave - dubbed Charon after the ferryman who delivered souls into the underworld in Greek mythology - could push temperatures back up above 40C next week. Heatwaves are also being seen in parts of the US, China, North Africa and Japan. Italy is one of the countries experiencing soaring temperatures Last month was the hottest June on record, according to the EU's climate monitoring service Copernicus. The hottest temperature ever recorded in Europe was 48.8C in Sicily in August 2021. Extreme weather resulting from warming climate is "unfortunately becoming the new normal", the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) has warned. How have you been affected by the extreme heat? You can share your experiences by emailing [email protected]. Please include a contact number if you are willing to speak to a BBC journalist. You can also get in touch in the following ways: If you are reading this page and can't see the form you will need to visit the mobile version of the BBC website to submit your question or comment or you can email us at [email protected]. Please include your name, age and location with any submission.

This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. BBC Wales environment correspondent Steffan Messenger explains why Ffos-y-Fran is closing and what happens next The UK's last opencast coalmine has closed as fears mount over whether the massive site will be restored. Documents seen by BBC News show concerns at the Welsh government and UK Coal Authority that Merthyr Tydfil's Ffos-y-Fran mine may be abandoned. Estimated clean-up costs for the site - the size of 400 football pitches - have grown to between £120m and £175m. Site operator Merthyr (South Wales) Ltd said it was in "constructive dialogue" with Merthyr Tydfil council. Union Unite, which represents 115 workers being made redundant as coal mining stops, said it understood the company was "committed" to restoring the site in future and would not walk away. Welsh mountain pony breeder Roy Thomas, 80, who lives metres from the mine's boundary, called it "a total blight" on his life for the past 16 years and described the mine as a "neighbour from hell". The Welsh government allowed the controversial project to happen close to homes and businesses because it is a "land reclamation scheme" that requires the operator to return it to green hillside, with most of that work due to happen after mining had stopped. Today a giant pit - which is about 656ft (200m) deep - remains. A large black hole remains at Ffos-y-Fran, visible from parts of Merthyr Tydfil and the A465 Heads of the Valley road Mr Thomas described the scene as "absolutely disgusting", adding that the mounds of spoil material should go back in the hole as there is "millions of tonnes of material in there". Ffos-y-Fran has produced nearly 11.25m tonnes of coal since opening in 2008, and is responsible for 86% of the UK's total coal output. Since September 2022, its owners have been digging without planning permission - an application for more time was refused and the firm appealed an enforcement notice before announcing a closure date of 30 November. Negotiations between the firm and the council continue over what happens next. The company has admitted "insufficient funds" had been set aside to carry out the agreed restoration work. In a letter released under the Freedom of Information Act to campaign group Coal Action Network and shared with BBC News, the UK Coal Authority's chief executive criticised the council's approach. Writing to the Welsh government on 20 October, Lisa Pinney said there had been "very little visible progress" in preparing for the mine's closure and "no agreed revised restoration plan or emergency response plan in place if the site should be abandoned". How to manage rising water levels is one issue yet to be resolved, with Ms Pinney writing that, without a clear plan, "there is a clear risk to public safety and to the environment". Another document released to the campaigners reveals advice for climate change minister Julie James. The heavily redacted document, also sent to First Minister Mark Drakeford, said "officials consider the company is likely to seek administration" after coal mining stops. Alternatively "they may seek to continue to restore the site", as long as they can draw down money from a £15m bank account held by the council, the document adds. This escrow account was set up as a fall-back fund should the company go bust - the restoration itself is meant to be paid for out of the company's own finances. Latest publicly available accounts for the firm's parent company suggest £71.4m was budgeted for in December 2021 as restoration provision. Ffos-y-Fran as it looked at the start of mining in 2008 Daniel Therkelsen of Coal Action Network said settling for a far cheaper restoration would be a "betrayal to the 140,000 people in Merthyr Tydfil". He said they had already "paid the price for the restoration promised to them with over 16 years of coal dust and noise pollution," and called for a public inquiry into the authorities' handling of the site. Since it started, the scheme has paid £1 for every tonne of coal produced into a community fund, managed by the council, which offers grants to projects in the area. Merthyr (South Wales) Ltd said it continued to hold "constructive dialogue with [Merthyr Tydfil council] and other relevant stakeholders on the revised restoration plan". "There will be no further comment until the plan is finalised and approved by the relevant parties," it added. It is understood a small team of staff is to be retained on site for "care and maintenance" but Unite's Jason Bartlett said the closure was "heart-breaking" for the workers involved. A number of jobs could come back once the restoration plan had been negotiated, he said - but how many would "depend on what the plan looks like". The Coal Authority said managing the mine's restoration and associated public safety was a matter for the landowner and local authority but it would provide advice as needed. The council disputed criticism from the Coal Authority, saying negotiations to reach a "revised restoration plan" had been ongoing for more than year. The Welsh government said: "Welsh Ministers cannot comment on individual cases as the Welsh government has a formal role in determining planning enforcement appeals."

Come on Barbie, let's get charty: Even Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling can't resist a sing-along to the soundtrack Barbie's already taken over the box office and now the film's soundtrack has conquered the UK music charts too. Tracks by Billie Eilish, Dua Lipa and Nicki Minaj have stormed straight into the top five since the pink-tinged blockbuster's release one week ago. And they weren't the only songs from the star-studded album to hit the chart. Anywhere else he'd be a top 10, but Ryan Gosling brought some Kenergy at number 25 with his ballad I'm Just Ken. Bosses of the Official Singles Chart say it's the first time three tracks from a soundtrack have reached the top five at the same time. And they say it made history with a total of six tracks in the top 40: Some of pop's biggest names were behind the soundtrack's pink, sparkly hits, and you might think that recruiting such a glitzy line-up would be hard work. But the film's music supervisor George Drakoulias tells BBC Newsbeat you'd be wrong. "Nobody said no," he says. "Everybody was really excited." That included two stars at the top of George's wish list, Nicki Minaj and Lizzo, along with superstar writer and producer Mark Ronson. George says he enticed Mark on to the project with a simple text message: "Hey Barbie?" "He called me right back and we sent him a script," says George. "That started the ball rolling." Mark ended up curating the soundtrack, writing the score and penning the film's closing song, Dance the Night Away, with Dua Lipa. Dolly Chartin': Dua Lipa's song Dance the Night Away was the first song from the soundtrack to be released The soundtrack's also played a big part in Barbie's massive marketing campaign. Songs from the 17-track album have been steadily released in the run-up to the film's release, which George says has "helped fuel excitement for the movie". "It was a perfect symbiotic relationship of the music driving the movie and the movie driving the music," he says. "Once you saw the movie and how well the music works, as soon as they left the theatre people went out and got the album." And, this being Barbie, physical copies of the soundtrack are available in "cotton candy" vinyl and on transparent pink cassette tapes. Nicki Minaj collaborated with Ice Spice to release Barbie World, which has been streamed more than 42m times on YouTube George refuses to reveal his favourite track but says he was "blown away" by Billie Eilish's What Was I Made For. He says the singer was shown just 25 minutes of the film and managed to "take what she'd seen and encapsulate it into this heartbreaking song of being a woman". George says he's very proud of the album and its success in the charts is "the icing on the cake". "It's Barbie's world, we just live in it," he says. Aqua's Barbie Girl, sampled in Nicki Minaj and Ice Spice's movie song, also returned to the chart for the first time since its original release in 1997. And while plastic sure is fantastic, Dave and Central Cee kept the top spot, with Sprinter entering its eighth week at number one. Olivia Rodrigo also sunk her teeth deeper into the number two slot, holding firm with Vampire. As recently as 2018, The Greatest Showman soundtrack sold 2.1m copies in the UK, outpacing new releases by Drake and Ariana Grande. But the idea of chart-topping artists working together on a blockbuster movie had largely fallen out of favour in the era of superhero franchises and cinematic universes. Even before that, young adult movies like Twilight and Hunger Games were aligning themselves with credible alternative artists like Paramore, Iron & Wine and The National. Lorde even curated the (superb) music for Hunger Games: Mockingjay, Pt 1. Over the last few years, there have been flickers of the traditional soundtrack album returning. OneRepublic's I Ain't Worried was a breakout hit from last year's Top Gun Maverick; and Post Malone & Swae Lee's Sunflower (from Spider-Man: Into The Spiderverse) was a top three single in 2018. But, just like the movie, the Barbie soundtrack is confounding expectations. The tracklist is like a who's who of modern pop - Lizzo, Ice Spice, PinkPantheress, Dua Lipa. Is this the beginning of a new era? Listen to Newsbeat live at 12:45 and 17:45 weekdays - or listen back here. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.

The Nepalese men guarded the UK embassy in Kabul A group of Nepalese security guards who were rescued from the fall of Kabul in 2021 are facing removal from the UK, 19 months later. The 13 Nepalese military veterans - known as Gurkhas - were employed guarding the UK embassy in Kabul. Their lawyers say their legal right to remain in the UK since their rescue has been "voided" by the Home Office. A Home Office spokesman denied anyone with a permanent right to live in the UK had had it removed. The men, who are Nepalese and Indian nationals aged between 37 and 60, were working for a private security firm that guarded the compound housing the UK and Canadian embassies in Kabul. The Afghan capital fell to the Taliban in August 2021, as the government of President Ashraf Ghani collapsed and he fled the country. Thousands of Afghans who had served alongside British military and government personnel were evacuated from Kabul amid chaotic scenes. A lawyer for some of the security guards said 10 of them were detained in handcuffs in an early morning raid on their west London hotel last week. They had been living in the hotel and working in its kitchen, serving food to other Afghan evacuees. They've since been held in immigration removal centres close to Gatwick and Heathrow airports. Removal directions for the group are scheduled to begin on Thursday 6 April. Bam Gurung, 37, who worked for 10 years as an embassy security guard, told the BBC he had hoped to start a new life in the UK and serve in the Army. He said: "We are very, very saddened. [For] two days I have cried with my friend, I cry with my mum. "I would have made good life in the UK and I would have contributed to the UK government." The BBC has been shown biometric residence permits for two of the men stating that they have indefinite leave to remain in the UK. This immigration status allows holders a life-long right to live, work and claim benefits. Jamie Bell, of Duncan Lewis Solicitors, said: "All were evacuated on the same flight and all of their claims were processed together. It is entirely unclear as to why there has been a difference in treatment between them. "We have received no clarity from the Home Office as to why having evacuated these brave men, they are now being treated in an inhumane and cruel way." Mr Bell said the immigration status of five of the men appeared to have been settled until the surprise raid. Eight others had been told they were ineligible for Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR) status after the Home Office applied on their behalf following the Kabul rescue. A spokesman for the Home Office said: "We remain committed to providing protection for vulnerable and at-risk people fleeing Afghanistan and so far have brought around 24,500 people impacted by the situation back to the UK. "In this instance, there has been no change to the immigration status of individuals who have been granted Indefinite Leave to Remain and it would be incorrect to suggest this has been removed."

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky says an alleged Russian agent involved in the deadly attack in Kramatorsk will be charged with treason. Those helping Russia destroy lives deserve the "maximum penalty", he said. Twelve people, including three teenagers, were killed in Tuesday's missile strike on a popular restaurant. Ukraine said the man, a resident of Kramatorsk, sent video footage of the restaurant to the Russian military hours before it was destroyed. Fourteen-year-old twin sisters Yuliya and Anna Aksenchenko and a 17-year-old girl were among those killed. "Russian missiles stopped the beating of the hearts of two angels," Kramatorsk city council's education department said in a statement. At least 60 others were injured, including Colombian nationals and a leading Ukrainian writer. On Wednesday, Ukrainian security services released a photo of a local man that they arrested, describing him as a Russian agent. Speaking in his nightly address, Mr Zelensky explained that the country's security services had worked alongside police special forces to detain the suspect - who may face life imprisonment. Emergency services said on Wednesday that search and rescue efforts were still ongoing. Kramatorsk, an eastern city in the Donetsk region, is under Ukrainian control but it is close to Russian-occupied parts of the country. In April last year, more than 50 people were killed and many more were wounded in a missile strike on a train station in the city. The Ria lounge, which was targeted this time, was a popular venue regularly hosting international journalists, volunteers and Ukrainian soldiers taking a break from the nearby front lines. Authorities in Kramatorsk named two of the victims of last night's attack as 14-year-old twins Yuliya and Anna Aksenchenko. Sergio Jaramillo Caro, a former Colombia peace negotiator, told the BBC he was sitting in the restaurant when it came under attack on Tuesday night, but he only suffered minor injuries. Mr Jaramillo Caro described the moments that followed the explosion, saying that he saw "particles moving in slow motion" as he tried to understand what was going on. A leading Ukrainian writer sitting with them - whose identity is not being disclosed - is in a critical condition and "fighting for her life". "Please pray for her", Mr Jaramillo Caro said. Colombian President Gustavo Petro condemned Russia's attack on "defenceless" Colombians, saying it violated war protocols. Mr Petro went on to instruct his foreign ministry to deliver a diplomatic note of protest. Valentyna, a Kramatorsk resident who owns a cafe near the site spoke of the damage following the attack. "Everything has been blown out there," she told Reuters news agency, adding that "none of the glass, windows or doors are left". The Kremlin claimed again to only carry out strikes on military targets, and Russia's defence ministry claimed it had destroyed a "temporary deployment of [Ukrainian] commanders" in Kramatorsk, without elaborating further. An adviser to Ukraine's defence ministry, Yuri Sak, told the BBC that Ukraine's air defences were currently "insufficient to cover the full territory of Ukraine". Ukraine continues to ask its allies to provide them with modern fighter jets to help it defend itself from Russian strikes. Last month, the US said it would support the war-torn country by allowing Western allies to supply American-made F16s, and by training Ukrainian pilots to use the jets. This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. • None Eight killed in strike on centre of Ukrainian city

This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Thousands welcome summer solstice at Stonehenge in Wiltshire About 10,000 people have gathered to welcome the summer solstice at Stonehenge. Druids and pagans joined a colourful mix of visitors to mark the longest day of the year at the ancient site near Salisbury, Wiltshire. On the solstice, the sun rises behind the entrance to the stone circle, and rays of light are channelled into the centre of the monument. Many people travel from around the world to celebrate at the stones. Stonehenge's distinctive formation aligns to both the midsummer sunrise and the midwinter sunset. People capture the sunrise over the stones Rhode Island family Katelyn Sanders, Carolyn Pare and Vanessa had come for their first solstice BBC Radio Wiltshire's Karen Gardner was at Stonehenge as the morning broke. There will be 16 hours of daylight on Wednesday. Friends Janet Burns and Gill Richardson wore sunflowers to celebrate the solstice Janet Burns and Gill Richardson, from County Durham, joined the celebrations in Salisbury. "I wasn't sure what to expect but it exceeded my expectations," Ms Burns said. Ms Richardson added: "Amazing, absolutely amazing. Never experienced anything like it, it was just fantastic." People often touch or hug the stones as the sun rises Friends take a selfie as the sun rises about the stone circle at Stonehenge 21 June will be the longest day of 2023 "What a sunrise that we've experienced this morning," said Scott Ashman, head of Stonehenge for English Heritage. He said the sunrise "catches you off guard". "You walk around with your back towards the sun, then you hear the cheers then you turn around and it's there." Scott Ashman from English Heritage said it was a "perfect sunrise" Mr Ashman said he has to pinch himself sometimes, adding: "I really do look after one of the greatest wonders of the world." Kate, who lives in France, said she had not had the chance to visit Stonehenge since before the coronavirus pandemic. "It feels really wonderful to be back in the craziness of it all," she said. "I think it's a really lovely way for people to exist in a more gentle and more present way than we have the opportunity to do in our normal lives." Kate said solstice at Stonehenge was "a beautiful way to celebrate our more ancient traditions in the UK" Thousands waited to mark the longest day of the year Sarah (l) introduced her newborn Rudi to Stonehenge, along with friend Charlotte Sarah, from Bristol, said baby Rudi "slept the whole way through". "It's been a lot more noise than we thought there might be." She said that made it hard to "connect with nature", but added: "It's been an experience." Senior druid King Arthur Pendragon conducts a service at Stonehenge on every solstice It is believed solstices have been celebrated at Stonehenge for thousands of years. It is the second summer solstice event at the stones since the pandemic Follow BBC West on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Send your story ideas to: [email protected] The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.

Sales of smart speakers have "fallen off a cliff" as customers cut back and trade down on electrical items, the boss of Currys has said. Sales overall fell 7% in the year to 29 April as people bought cheaper goods due to the rising cost of living. Shoppers also bought more products on credit to spread their costs. "People aren't as interested in Amazon Alexa as they used to be," managing director Alex Baldock told the BBC's Today programme. This is surprising as many industry analysts have predicted a boom in smart speakers. However, the firm said that after a surge in sales during the first stages of the Covid pandemic, people were not upgrading. Mr Baldock said that shoppers were "being careful with their money". He said some shoppers were also trading down to buy lower value items. These included TVs and smaller kitchen appliances like kettles, where an entry level product "still boils water for you", the firm said. It said it was "wary of optimism about consumer spending power" in the coming year. Smart speakers were "selling like hot cakes" a few years ago, but now sales have come back down, according to Joseph Teasdale, head of tech at Enders Analysis. He said people do not tend to replace them once they have one, and "maybe you buy a second device for the kitchen, but not much more than that". But more importantly, "smart speakers just aren't that smart", Mr Teasdale added. "They're great if you want to set a timer, find out the weather forecast, or listen to the radio. But they're a long way from an all-purpose artificial intelligence assistant," he said. "If you don't word your request just right, they don't understand you, and half the time they can't do what you want them to anyway." He added that privacy concerns were part of why there had been a fall-off in smart speaker sales. "Some people will never want an always-on, internet connected microphone in their homes," he said. Amazon said that Currys was responsible for "a very small number of our High Street device sales". "More than eight million people in the UK use Alexa every day and the number of UK customers interacting with Alexa increased 15% last year," the retail giant added. Currys said more of its customers were using credit to buy more expensive products, particularly if they thought it could save them money in the long term. For example, energy-efficient washing machines, although more expensive upfront, would save money as bills soared. Nearly 18% of goods at the chain were bought this way in the year, compared with 13% previously. "Credit has never been more important for customers than during a cost of living crisis," the retailer said. Customers were choosing more energy-efficient products because they were aware this was better for the environment too, it added. Shares in the retailer dropped more than 7% after it said that it was wary about the prospects for consumer demand bouncing back. Struggling households have been hammered by rising prices over the past few years as food, energy and fuel costs have soared. To battle inflation, the Bank of England has been raising interest rates - but this has been putting more pressure on people with big loans, such as mortgages. However, the pace of general price rises has not eased as much as had been hoped, leading to predictions of more interest rate rises.

For the Welsh for "others safe", the message incorrectly read "eraill yn Vogel" A translation blunder that saw a Slovenian ski resort mentioned in the Welsh version of the emergency alert test has been blamed on autocorrect. For the Welsh for "others safe", the test message read "eraill yn Vogel" instead of "eraill yn ddiogel". Vogel has no meaning in Welsh, as there is no letter V in the alphabet. But it is a ski resort and German for bird. Deputy Prime Minister Oliver Dowden insisted the "essence of the message remained unchanged". The message appeared on the home screens of mobile phones and tablets at 15:00 BST, accompanied by a loud siren-like sound lasting about 10 seconds. He told MPs: "An online system made a small autocorrect, rendering one word in the Welsh test message incorrect." He also said anyone travelling between Wales and England on Sunday would have received two alerts. This, he added, would be addressed in a "lessons learned" exercise. Mr Dowden has said one in five compatible mobiles did not get the alert, with the Three network having a problem supporting multiple messages, which meant some people did not get it. Mr Dowden called the test successful, saying it was, "the largest simultaneous public message in UK history". He said there were "no security or public safety issues" and no events were disrupted. "The system is now fully operable," he said, adding that further tests were possible.

Colin Pitchfork was jailed for life for raping and strangling two 15-year-old girls, Lynda Mann and Dawn Ashworth The Lord Chancellor has asked the Parole Board to reconsider its decision to allow child killer Colin Pitchfork to be released from prison. Pitchfork was jailed for life for raping and strangling two teenage girls in Leicestershire in 1983 and 1986. Lord Chancellor and Justice Secretary Alex Chalk said it was "absolutely vital" dangerous offenders were kept behind bars. He said there was an arguable case the board's decision was irrational. Pitchfork became the first murderer to be convicted using DNA evidence. He was jailed for a minimum of 30 years in 1988 for the murder of Lynda Mann and Dawn Ashworth. This was later reduced to 28 years for good behaviour. Dawn Ashworth and Lynda Mann were raped and murdered by Pitchfork The 63-year-old was released from prison in 2021 but was arrested and sent back to prison two months later. He was granted parole in June following a hearing held in private in April. In a statement on Monday, Mr Chalk said: "My thoughts remain with the families of Lynda Mann and Dawn Ashworth, whose lives were changed forever by the heinous crimes of Colin Pitchfork. "My number one priority is public protection and after careful assessment I have asked the Parole Board to reconsider their decision to release him. "It is absolutely vital that every lawful step is taken to keep dangerous offenders behind bars." The Lord Chancellor is a senior member of the cabinet and heads the Ministry of Justice. His intervention comes after the Conservative MP for South Leicestershire Alberto Costa called for the parole decision to be challenged. Mr Costa said: "I am very grateful to the justice secretary for listening to me and my constituents by challenging the Parole Board's deeply disappointing decision. "Like many, I was aghast at the recent decision. "The Parole Board now has a further opportunity to get this decision right and to ensure that Colin Pitchfork stays in prison where he belongs". After the decision was made public last month, a Parole Board spokesperson said: "Parole reviews are undertaken thoroughly and with extreme care. Protecting the public is our number one priority, however our sole focus in law is risk, not punishment, and must be based on evidence. "This case is eligible for reconsideration if any party thinks the decision is irrational or unfair." Follow BBC East Midlands on Facebook, on Twitter, or on Instagram. Send your story ideas to [email protected].

Arman Soldin was killed in a rocket attack close to Bakhmut in May France has posthumously awarded its highest honour to an AFP video journalist killed in Ukraine. Arman Soldin, 32, who died in a rocket attack close to Bakhmut in May, was made a knight of the Legion of Honour. French President Emmanuel Macron hailed Soldin's "bravery" in a letter sent to the Agence France-Presse news agency. Soldin is one of at least 17 journalists killed in Ukraine since Russia's invasion, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists. He was given the honour by a presidential decree on Thursday - one of 358 citizens rewarded from across French society. Henri d'Anselme, dubbed the "backpack hero" for chasing off a knife attacker in a playground in the town of Annecy, was decorated along with two other men who intervened. In an earlier letter to Agence France Presse, President Macron praised its video journalist's "strength of character, his journey and his drive". "Arman Soldin embodied your editorial staff's passion - a passion to convey the truth, tell stories and gather testimonies. It was a passion for a cause: the duty to inform," he said. Soldin was killed after he was hit by rocket fire near Chasiv Yar, just west of Bakhmut, on 9 May, when a team of journalists came under attack while with a group of Ukrainian soldiers. The rest of the AFP team were unharmed. He died "with his camera in his hand", his colleague Emmanuel Peuchot said. At the time, Bakhmut had been the epicentre of fighting between Ukrainian and Russian forces for several months. France's anti-terrorism prosecutor's office has opened a war crimes investigation into his death. Soldin, born in Bosnia but a French national, was part of the first AFP team to go to Ukraine following Russia's invasion in February last year and had lived there since September. As an infant, he fled fighting in Bosnia with his family, taking a humanitarian flight to France in April 1992, according to AFP. The agency's Europe director, Christine Buhagiar, remembered Soldin as "enthusiastic, energetic and brave", and said he had been "totally devoted to his craft". The Legion of Honour is France's top accolade for an elite group of people who distinguish themselves through civilian or military valour. It was introduced by Napoleon Bonaparte, then first consul of the French Republic, in 1802. Sign up for our morning newsletter and get BBC News in your inbox.

Conservative MP Bob Stewart has been charged with racially abusing a man he allegedly told to "go back to Bahrain". The Beckenham MP faces two public order charges relating to an incident outside an event hosted by the Bahraini embassy. It occurred after a campaigner pressed him on his links to the country outside the event in December last year. Mr Stewart will appear at Westminster Magistrates' Court on 5 July. The Metropolitan Police said Mr Stewart faced one charge of using threatening or abusive words or behaviour, where the offence was racially aggravated. He also faces an alternative charge of threatening behaviour likely to cause harassment, alarm or distress, the force added. The force said the alternative charge related to the same incident, and would "allow the court discretion on the racial element". In the December incident, Mr Stewart was confronted by a human rights activist who says he is living in exile after being tortured in the Gulf state of Bahrain. After the activist pressed him on his links to the country, Mr Stewart is alleged to have said: "Get stuffed. Bahrain's a great place. End of." He is then accused of telling the man to: "Go back to Bahrain." The Metropolitan Police said it opened an investigation after receiving a complaint from a man alleging he had been verbally racially abused. It is understood Mr Stewart will continue to sit as a Conservative MP, with a source in the party's whips saying he would contest the charges. Mr Stewart, 73, is a former Army officer and has represented the south London constituency of Beckenham since 2010.

Poorer areas in Malawi's main city Blantyre have been hardest-hit by the storm The devastation caused by a tropical storm that ripped through Malawi, killing 225 people is a "national tragedy", the president has said. Lazarus Chakwera promised to intensify search and rescue operations, as he attended the funeral of some victims. Tropical Storm Freddy led to people being swept away by raging waters, or being buried under landslides. The government has set up 30 emergency camps for at least 20,000 people who have had to leave their homes. Blantyre, the hilly commercial capital of Malawi, has been worst-affected, with residents dying in landslides and homes crumbling into flood waters. "Even our health workers need help," Health Minister Khumbize Kandodo Chiponda told the BBC's Focus on Africa programme. Described the situation as "very fragile", she said that more than five million people had been affected by the storm. "We have a history of getting cyclones. Unfortunately for Freddy, it was totally different, totally unexpected," she said. "We are still recovering dead bodies. One child was recovered, fortunately still alive," Ms Chiponda added. The government's disaster management agency said that 41 people were still missing, and more than 700 had been injured as the storm tore through Blantyre, and other parts of southern Malawi. "My best friend, her brother, sister and mother went with the mudslide and their bodies have not been found. It's devastating. You can't even mourn," 19-year-old Blantyre resident Fadila Njolomole was quoted by AFP news agency as saying. President Chakwera, wearing rubber boots and a raincoat, attended the funeral service of 21 victims at a primary school in the city. "I appeal for more assistance from international partners and donors. This is a national tragedy that has affected every one of us," he said. President Chakwera has visited some of the victims of the storm in Blantyre The collapse of roads and bridges has hampered rescue operations, while helicopters have had difficulty flying because of the heavy rains and strong winds, although these have now eased. The defence minister earlier said that a military helicopter would be despatched to rescue two soldiers who spent Tuesday night on a tree-top to avoid being swept away by the powerful currents of a river below them. The soldiers were on a mission to rescue flood survivors when their boat capsized, forcing them to swim until they reached a tree. Two other soldiers and a civilian managed to swim to safety, but the other two were reported missing, raising fears that they had drowned. In another village in the Mulanje area, a man sent a WhatsApp message on Tuesday, saying heavy rains and winds were surging towards them from two mountainous areas. "We have no hope, nowhere to go," he said, adding that women, children and the elderly were among those who needed to be evacuated. It is unclear whether a rescue team has reached them. Freddy has dumped the equivalent of six months of rainfall in six days on Malawi and neighbouring Mozambique. About 20 deaths have been reported in Mozambique. UN official Myrta Kaulard said the devastation in Mozambique was not as bad as feared because its government had invested in flood defence measures after being hit by tropical storms for the past three years. "This is a huge demonstration of how much huge investments are required because of the intensity of climate change on a country like Mozambique," she told the BBC's Newsday programme. Freddy is one of only four storms in history to traverse the entire Indian Ocean from north-western Australia to mainland Africa. Freddy could also be the longest-lasting tropical cyclone on record, according to the World Meteorological Organization. On Sunday the storm struck Mozambique as a cyclone - for the second time in a less than a month - after battering the island nation of Madagascar in the Indian Ocean, causing severe destruction. Experts say climate change is making tropical storms around the world wetter, windier and more intense. The storm has also crippled power supplies in Malawi, with most parts of the country experiencing prolonged blackouts. The national electricity company said it was unable to get its hydro-power plant working as it had been filled with debris.

This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Watch: Gary Lineker struggled with his voice on Saturday's show Gary Lineker is not presenting FA Cup quarter-final coverage as planned on Sunday after losing his voice. He had returned to football shows on Saturday, having been taken off air earlier this month following an impartiality row with the BBC. But on Sunday he said he had been "silenced... literally, by a nasty cold" and "annoyingly" would not be in Brighton for the match. Lineker could be heard struggling with his voice on Saturday's live coverage of Manchester City v Burnley. In a tweet on Sunday morning, BBC Sport said the presenter's voice deteriorated overnight and therefore there would be "a line-up change" of its presenters on Sunday. The impartiality row followed a critical tweet Linker sent on the government's asylum policy, describing it as an "immeasurably cruel policy directed at the most vulnerable people in language that is not dissimilar to that used by Germany in the 30s". As a result, the BBC took him off air saying that he had broken social media guidelines. Last weekend's Match of the Day was then broadcast without presenters or commentary and was only 20 minutes long after many of Lineker's BBC Sport colleagues walked out in solidarity with him. On Monday the BBC said it would hold an independent review of its social media guidelines, particularly for freelancers like Lineker. But they said the 62-year-old could return in the meantime. When he returned to TV screens for Saturday's quarter-final, he said it was "great to be here". At the start of the programme, his BBC Sport colleague Alan Shearer acknowledged it had been a "difficult situation for everyone concerned" and it was "good to be talking about football again". Lineker stressed on Twitter that he was never going to present Match of the Day this weekend, with Mark Chapman taking on that role instead. Instead, he was focusing on the FA Cup games. BBC director general Tim Davie has said he is committed to looking at how the corporation's impartiality guidelines apply to freelance staff, accepting there are "grey areas".

A police officer has appeared in court charged with the rape of a woman while on duty. Sgt David Stansbury, 42, from Ilminster in Somerset, made a brief appearance at Bristol Magistrates' Court charged with three counts of raping a woman in Plymouth. The court heard the offences allegedly occurred between 23 October and 30 November 2009. Wearing a suit and tie, Sgt Stansbury stood to confirm his name and address. He was not asked to enter a plea to the three charges against him. The offences allegedly occurred between 23 October and 30 November 2009 He was granted unconditional bail and is due to appear at Bristol Crown Court on 10 May. Sgt Stansbury is a serving officer with Hertfordshire Police and has been suspended from duty. He served with Devon and Cornwall Police between 2009 and 2011. Follow BBC News South West on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. Send your story ideas to [email protected]. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.