Ministers are facing calls to not cut education plans for children and young people with special needs and disabilities (Send).

Campaigners say education, health and care plans (EHCPs) are "precious legal protections", warning that thousands of children could lose access to education if the plans are abolished.

The government has said it inherited the current system "left on its knees". Speaking on the BBC's Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg programme, Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson described it as a "complex and sensitive area" when asked if she could rule out scrapping EHCPs.

But Neil O'Brien, the shadow education minister, has criticised the government for "broken promises and U-turns".

An EHCP is a legally binding document which ensures a child or young person with special or educational needs gets the right support from a local authority.

Full details of the proposed changes are due in October, but ministers have not ruled out scrapping the education plans, insisting no decisions have been taken.

In a letter to the Guardian newspaper, campaigners have said that without the documents in mainstream schools, "many thousands of children risk being denied vital provision, or losing access to education altogether".

"Whatever the Send system's problems, the answer is not to remove the rights of children and young people. Families cannot afford to lose these precious legal protections," they added.

Signatories to the letter include the heads of charities, professors, Send parents including actor Sally Phillips, and campaigners including broadcaster Chris Packham.

Speaking to the BBC's Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg programme, Ms Phillipson saidL

"What I can say very clearly is that we will strengthen and put in place better support for children.

"I've been spending a lot of time listening to parents, to disability rights groups, to campaigners and to others and to colleagues across Parliament as well, because it's important to get this right," she added, but said it is "tough".

Mr O'Brien, the shadow minister, said the government had "no credibility left".

"This is a government defined by broken promises and u-turns. They said they would employ more teachers and they have fewer. They said they would not raise tax on working people but did," Mr O'Brien said.

Data from the Department for Education released in June showed that the number of EHCPs has increased.

In total, there were 638,745 EHCPs in place in January 2025, up 10.8% on the same point last year.

The number of new plans which started during 2024 also grew by 15.8% on the previous year, to 97,747.

Requests for children to be assessed for EHCPs rose by 11.8% to 154,489 in 2023.

A Department for Education spokesperson said: "We have been clear that there are no plans to abolish Send tribunals, or to remove funding or support from children, families and schools."

The spokesperson added that it would be "totally inaccurate to suggest that children, families and schools might experience any loss of funding or support".

Nearly 80 people have been killed after devastating flash floods swept through parts of central Texas. Rescue efforts are ongoing and the total number of casualties remains unconfirmed, though officials warn the death toll will rise.

Questions have been raised about whether adequate flood warnings were provided and why people weren't evacuated ahead of the deluge.

Most of the fatalities, including 28 children, were in Kerr County, where a girls' camp was inundated.

Judge Rob Kelly, the top elected official in Kerr County, told CBS the severity of the flooding had been unexpected.

"We had no reason to believe that this was gonna be any, anything like what's happened here. None whatsoever," Kelly said.

What flood warnings were issued and when?

The flash floods began on Thursday night and continued into Friday morning, with meteorologists saying several months' worth of rain fell in just a few hours.

Within the space of 45 minutes, the Guadalupe River rose by 26ft (8m), causing it to burst its banks.

• On Wednesday, the Texas Division of Emergency Management (TDEM) activated state emergency response resources because of "increased threats of flooding in parts of West and Central Texas"
• On Thursday afternoon, the National Weather Service (NWS) issued a flood watch that highlighted Kerr County, central Texas, as a place at high risk of flash flooding overnight
• At 01:14 local time (06:14 GMT) on Friday a flash flood warning was issued for Kerr Country
• At 04:03 local time (09:30 GMT) an emergency flash flood warning was issued for Kerr County, followed by another for the Guadalupe River at 05:34

Was there a failure to warn people?

At a news conference on Sunday, Governor Greg Abbott said people in Texas are used to flash flood warnings.

"But there's no expectation of a water wall of almost 30ft high," he added.

Nim Kidd, chief of the Texas Division of Emergency Management, told reporters: "You have areas where there is no cell phone coverage, plus some coverage.

"It doesn't matter how many alert systems you sign up for, you're not going to get that."

The public can get desensitised to too many weather warnings, said Kerrville City Manager Dalton Rice, according to the Associated Press.

• A girls' summer camp cut tragically short by a 'horrific' deluge
• Dozens missing in Texas floods as more rain looms

He said he didn't notice any problems and that it was only raining lightly at 03:30 Friday when he went jogging along the Guadalupe River trail.

But by 05:20, the water had risen so fast "we almost weren't able to get out of the park," he said.

Judge Kelly said there is no county-administered warning system in the area because such systems are expensive.

He said that about six years ago, before he took office, the county had looked into a flood warning system along the river, similar to a tornado warning siren. Because of the cost, however, it was never implemented.

The NWS said it was "heartbroken by the tragic loss of life in Kerr County" and defended itself.

"On July 3, the NWS office in Austin/San Antonio, TX conducted forecast briefings for emergency management in the morning and issued a Flood Watch in the early afternoon.

Flash Flood Warnings were issued on the night of July 3 and in the early morning of July 4, giving preliminary lead times of more than three hours before warning criteria were met."

After some officials in Texas appeared to blame the NWS for underestimating the rainfall, former Weather Service officials told the New York Times newspaper that the forecasts were as good as they could have been given the huge amounts of rainfall and storm's abrupt escalation.

Did staff shortages at the National Weather Service affect flood warnings?

Before the tragedy, there had been concerns over the Trump administration's budget cuts to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) - the government agency that operates the National Weather Service.

The Fiscal Year 2026 budget includes cuts and closures of some weather research laboratories, while the Department of Government Efficiency (Doge) has slashed hundreds of employees at NOAA and the NWS.

Meteorologists in the US and elsewhere have expressed concerns over "reduced number of weather balloons" that observe wind, relative humidity and pressure above the ground.

They claim that budget cuts have resulted in 20% fewer weather balloons being released for such observations, impacting the accuracy of weather forecasting.

The New York Times reported that critical positions of the NWS were vacant on Friday morning, with some experts questioning whether staffing shortages had impeded the agency's efforts to coordinate with local emergency managers.

However, Tom Fahy, legislative director of the NWS Employees Organization, told NBC News: "The WFOs [weather forecasting offices] had adequate staffing and resources as they issued timely forecasts and warnings leading up to the storm".

And the Associated Press quoted Jason Runyen, a meteorologist in the National Weather Service office, as saying their office that delivers forecasts for that part of central Texas had extra staff on duty at the time of the storms - five, instead of the usual two.

How has the US government responded to questions about flood preparedness?

Asked whether the tragedy was due to "fundamental failure" by the government to provide early warnings, US Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said the "weather is difficult to predict", but that President Donald Trump was seeking to modernise the current system.

In response to questions during a Sunday press conference about the impact of cuts to the NWS, she said that she would "carry your concerns back to the federal government".

Over the years the NWS had done well, Noem said, but "we know that everybody wants more warning time, and that's why we're working to upgrade the technologies that have been neglected for far too long".

Noem said that it was difficult for forecasters to predict how much rain would fall but that the Trump administration would make it a priority to upgrade the technology used to deliver warnings.

She added that when Trump took office he "wanted to fix and is currently upgrading the technology" and that "reforms are ongoing".

Trump is planning a possible visit to the area on Friday.

Al-Qaeda affiliate Jama'at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM) is the main group behind a surge in militant jihadist attacks sweeping across several West African nations, especially Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger.

On 1 July, the group said it had carried out a major coordinated attack on seven military locations in western Mali, including near the borders with Senegal and Mauritania.

There is growing concern about the impact JNIM could have on the stability of the region.

Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger have struggled to contain the violence – and this is one of the factors that contributed to several military coups in the three Sahel countries over the last five years.

But like the civilian governments they replaced, the juntas are seemingly unable to stem the growing jihadist threat, especially from JNIM.

What is JNIM?

JNIM has become one of Africa's deadliest jihadist groups within the space of just a few years.

It was formed in Mali in 2017, as a coalition of five jihadist militant groups:

• Ansar Dine
• Katibat Macina
• Al-Mourabitoun
• Ansar al-Islam
• The Sahara branch of al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb

These groups started collaborating after the French military pushed back several jihadist and separatist organisations that were operating in northern Mali in 2012. Eventually, the leaders of the groups came together to create JNIM.

In recent years, they have expanded geographically, establishing new areas of operation.

JNIM is led by Iyad Ag Ghali, a former Malian diplomat who belongs to the Tuareg ethnic group. He was at the helm of the Tuareg uprising against the Malian government in 2012 which sought to establish an independent state for the Tuareg people called Azawad. Deputy leader Amadou Koufa is from the Fulani community.

Analysts believe the central leadership helps guide local branches which operate across the Sahel region of West Africa.

While it is difficult to know exactly how many fighters there are in JNIM's ranks, or how many have recently been recruited, experts suggest it could be several thousand - mostly young men and boys who lack other economic opportunities in one of the poorest regions in the world.

What does JNIM want?

The group rejects the authority of the Sahel governments, seeking to impose its strict interpretation of Islam and Sharia in the areas where it operates.

Analysts say that in some areas, JNIM has been known to impose strict dress codes, implement bans against music and smoking, order men to grow beards and prevent women from being in public spaces alone.

This version of Islam can be at odds with the religion as practised by local communities, says Yvan Guichaoua, a senior researcher at the Bonn International Centre for Conflict Studies.

"These practices are clearly breaking from established practices and certainly not very popular," he says.

"But whether it's attractive or not, also depends on what the state is able to deliver, and there has been a lot of disappointment in what the state has been doing for the past years."

Disillusionment with the secular justice system can make the introduction of Sharia courts appealing to some.

Where does JNIM operate?

After its beginnings in central and northern Mali, JNIM rapidly expanded its reach. While its strongholds are in Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger, JNIM has also carried out attacks in Benin, Togo and at one point Ivory Coast.

It is now operational throughout Mali and 11 of Burkina Faso's 13 regions, according to the Global Initiative against Transnational Organised Crime (Gi-Toc), a civil society organisation.

In the last year, Burkina Faso has become the epicentre of the group's activities – predominately the northern and eastern border regions. This is, in part, because of divisions and defections in the country's military as well as how deeply embedded the militants are in the local communities, according to Beverly Ochieng, a senior analyst for security consultancy firm Control Risk.

"JNIM have an ability to embed in local communities or to be able to use local grievances as a means of recruiting or winning sympathy towards their cause," she told the BBC.

Are JNIM attacks increasing in scale?

In recent months violent incidents have spiked in Burkina Faso to previously unseen levels, according to analysis from BBC Monitoring's jihadist media team. Major attacks have also recently been carried out in Mali, Niger and Benin.

In the first half of 2025, JNIM said it carried out over 280 attacks in Burkina Faso – double the number for the same period in 2024, according to data verified by the BBC.

The group has claimed to have killed almost 1,000 people across the Sahel since April, most of them members of the security force or militias fighting alongside government forces, according to BBC Monitoring data.

Almost 800 of these have been in Burkina Faso alone. Casualties in Mali were the next highest (117) and Benin (74).

"The frequency of attacks in June is just unheard of so far," says Mr Guichaoua. "They have really stepped up their activities in the past weeks."

The militants use a variety of tactics designed to cause maximum disruption, Ms Ochieng explains.

"They plant IEDs [improvised explosive devices] on key roads, and have long-range capabilities.

"They [also] target security forces in military bases, so a lot of their weapons come from that. They have also attacked civilians - in instances where communities are perceived to be cooperating with the government."

Starlink - a company owned by Elon Musk which provides internet via satellites - has also been exploited by groups like JNIM to enhance their capabilities, according to a recent report by Gi-Toc.

The company provides high-speed internet where regular mobile networks are unavailable or unreliable.

Militant groups smuggle Starlink devices into the country along well-established contraband routes, G-toch says.

"Starlink has made it much easier for [militant groups] to plan and execute attacks, share intelligence, recruit members, carry out financial transactions and maintain contacts with their commanders even during active conflict," an analyst from Gi-Toc told the BBC's Focus on Africa podcast.

The BBC has contacted Starlink for comment.

How is JNIM funded?

The group has multiple sources of income.

At one time in Mali, funds were raised through kidnapping foreigners for ransom but few remain in the country because of the deteriorating security situation.

Cattle-rustling has now become a major source of income, according to an analyst from Gi-Toc. They did not want to be named as it could risk their safety in Mali.

"Mali is a big exporter of cattle so it's easy for them to steal animals and sell them," the analyst said.

Research by Gi-Toc shows that in one year in just one district of Mali, JNIM made $770,000 (£570,000) from livestock. Based on this figure, JNIM could be earning millions of dollars from cattle theft.

JNIM also imposes various taxes, according to experts.

"They tax the gold, but basically tax anything that goes through their territory, whether that's listed goods or illicit goods," Gi-Toc says.

"There can be an extortion type of tax, where JNIM tell citizens they need to pay in return for protection."

The militants have also been known to set up blockades, at which people must pay to leave and enter the area, according to Ms Ochieng.

What about efforts to fight them?

France's armed forces were on the ground supporting the government in Mali for almost a decade - with over 4,000 troops stationed across the Sahel region fighting groups that went on to form JNIM, as well as Islamic State in the Greater Sahara.

While they had some initial success in 2013 and 2014, reclaiming territory from the militants and killing several senior commanders, this did not stop JNIM's growth after it was formed.

"Counterinsurgency efforts have failed so far because of this idea that JNIM can be beaten militarily, but it is only through negotiation that the group will end," Gi-Toc's analyst suggested.

In 2014, Sahelian countries banded together to form the G5 Sahel Task Force, a 5,000-strong group of international troops. However, over the past couple of years, Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger have withdrawn, undermining the task force's ability to tackle the insurgency.

Minusma, the UN peacekeeping force – while not a counter-insurgency effort – was also in Mali for a decade to support efforts, however it left the country at the end of 2024.

What impact have military coups had on JNIM?

Military coups took place in Mali in 2020 and 2021, Burkina Faso in 2022 and Niger in 2023.

Poor governance under the military juntas in Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger subsequently has allowed militant groups like JNIM to flourish, according to analysts.

These juntas were swift to tell French troops to leave, replacing them with Russian support and a joint force formed by the three Sahelian countries.

Though Russian paramilitary group Wagner has withdrawn its troops from Mali entirely, Africa Corps, a Kremlin-controlled paramilitary group, will remain in place.

In Burkina Faso, a so-called "volunteer" army, launched in 2020 before the military takeover, is one strategy being used to fight militants. Junta leader Ibrahim Traoré has said he wants to recruit 50,000 fighters.

But experts say many of these volunteers are conscripted by force. Inadequate training means they often suffer heavy casualties. They are also often a target for JNIM attacks.

The military juntas in Burkina Faso and Mali have also been accused by human rights organisations of committing atrocities against civilians, particularly ethnic Fulanis. Human rights group say the government often conflates the Fulani community with Islamist armed groups, which has furthered hampered peace efforts.

Between January 2024 and March 2025, the military government and their Russian allies were responsible for 1,486 civilian casualties in Mali, according to Gi-Toc.

This extreme violence against civilians has generated anger towards the government, fuelling further recruitment for JNIM.

You may also be interested in:

• How 'blood gold' is fuelling conflict in West Africa
• 'I thought I would die' - freed captive tells BBC of life in jihadist base
• Why Burkina Faso's junta leader has captured hearts and minds
• The region with more 'terror deaths' than rest of world combined

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

Follow us on Twitter @BBCAfrica, on Facebook at BBC Africa or on Instagram at bbcafrica

At least 78 people have been confirmed dead in central Texas and another 41 are missing following flash floods on Friday.

Sixty-eight of the fatalities, including 28 children, occurred in Kerr County, where a riverside Christian girls' camp was deluged. Ten girls and a counsellor from Camp Mystic are still missing.

Officials say the death toll is certain to rise. More storms are expected in the next 24-48 hours in the region, which could hamper rescue teams who are already facing venomous snakes as they sift through mud and debris.

Three days after the inundation, one of the largest search-and-rescue efforts in recent Texas history was shifting towards a recovery operation.

Of those recovered in Kerr County, 18 adults and 10 children have yet to be formally identified.

Texas Governor Greg Abbott said on Sunday that authorities would "stop at nothing" to ensure every missing person is found.

"It was nothing short of horrific to see what those young children went through," said Abbott, a day after he toured the area.

A major focus of the search has been Camp Mystic, a popular summer camp for girls perched on the banks of the Guadalupe River, which suffered significant damage.

The catastrophe unfolded before daybreak on Friday as the river rose 26ft (8m) in the span of just 45 minutes while most campers were asleep.

Several young campers and the camp's longtime director, Richard "Dick" Eastland, are among the dead.

Greg Froelick, a former Navy Seal and volunteer with the rescue group 300 Justice, is helping the effort to find survivors.

Speaking to the BBC, he said he had heard of victims being found up to eight miles downriver from where Camp Mystic once stood.

He said he has seen "clothing and items from the camp dressers scattered everywhere, up and down the river".

There is also uncertainty about how many other people were camping in the area for the Fourth of July weekend - and how many may have been swept away in the floods.

A two-lane highway that skirts the Guadalupe River and connects the city of Kerrville to Camp Mystic is a scene of devastation.

Ravaged homes are surrounded by fallen trees and furniture on lawns. Fences are toppled and utility lines down in some areas.

President Donald Trump signed a major disaster declaration on Sunday for Kerr County, activating the Federal Emergency Management Agency to Texas. He also said he would probably visit the state on Friday.

"We're working very closely with representatives from Texas, and it's a horrible thing that took place, absolutely horrible," Trump said on Sunday in New Jersey.

On the ground, local residents are stepping up to support relief efforts - collecting supplies, offering shelter, and doing what they can to help neighbours displaced by the storm.

Alma Garcia drove in from the city of San Antonio to deliver home-cooked meals to residents and volunteers helping with the clean-up effort.

The BBC saw her pull over on the side of the road and take off a top layer T-shirt to give to a resident.

"She was all wet, I told her she's going to need it," Ms Garcia told the BBC.

Local resident Perla started collecting clothes and shoes on Friday after she finished her shift at Walmart. She dropped them off at a shelter the next morning.

"I've never seen something like this before," she told the BBC.

Meanwhile, well wishes poured in from around the world.

In Rome, Pope Leo XIV offered special prayers on Sunday for the bereaved in Texas.

"I would like to express sincere condolences to all the families who have lost loved ones, in particular their daughters who were in summer camp, in the disaster caused by the flooding of the Guadalupe River in Texas in the United States," the pontiff said.

"We pray for them."

Angélica Casas and Alex Lederman contributed to this report

Camp Mystic, a Christian girls' camp perched on the banks of the Guadalupe River in Texas, was a place of laughter, prayer, and adventure just days ago.

Among the girls at the camp was eight-year-old Renee Smajstrla, smiling ear-to-ear in a picture taken on one of those days - "having the time of her life" with her friends.

But the next day, the camp she, and so many other young girls loved, turned into the site of one of the deadliest flood disasters in recent Texas history.

Smajstrla was among those killed.

"She will forever be living her best life at Camp Mystic," her uncle Shawn Salta wrote on Facebook.

Photos show the eerie aftermath: the bunk beds are still there - mud-caked and toppled over, the detritus of a summer camp cut tragically short.

Destroyed personal belongings are scattered across soaked interiors where children once gathered for Bible study and campfire songs.

At least 59 people - among them camp's longtime director, Richard "Dick" Eastland, and several young campers - have been confirmed dead.

Eleven of its campers and one camp counsellor remain missing. Many of the girls who remain missing were sleeping in low-lying cabins less than 500ft (150m) from the riverbank, US media report.

Camp Mystic has been operated by the same family for generations, offering girls a chance to grow "spiritually" in a "wholesome" Christian atmosphere, according to its website.

Families from all across Texas and the US send their daughters each summer to swim, canoe, ride horses, and form lifelong friendships.

But the beauty of the Guadalupe River, which draws so many to the area, also proved deadly.

The floodwaters arrived with little warning, ripping through the picturesque riverfront area that is home to nearly 20 youth camps.

Though Camp Mystic suffered the greatest losses, officials say the scale of the disaster is far-reaching.

Nearby, the all-girls camp Heart O' the Hills also faced flooding.

Its co-owner and director, Jane Ragsdale, was among the dead. Fortunately, the camp was out of session at the time.

A statement from the camp said, "Most of those who were on camp at the time have been accounted for and are on high ground… We are mourning the loss of a woman who influenced countless lives and was the definition of strong and powerful."

Questions are now mounting over why so many camps were situated so close to the river, and why more was not done to evacuate the children in time.

Congressman Chip Roy, who represents the area, acknowledged the devastation while urging caution against premature blame.

"The response is going to be, 'We've gotta move all these camps - why would you have camps down here by the water?'" Roy said.

"Well, you have camps by the water because it's by the water. You have camps near the river because it's a beautiful and wonderful place to be."

As recovery efforts continue, families wait anxiously for news of the missing. Search and rescue teams - some navigating by boat, others combing through debris - are working around the clock.

Kerr County Sheriff Larry Leitha said on Sunday the search for survivors continued.

"Until we can get them reunited families, we are not going to stop," City Manager Dalton Rice said.

Governor Greg Abbott has declared a state of emergency, and officials warn the final toll may rise in the days to come.

Delegations from Israel and Hamas have begun an indirect round of ceasefire talks in Qatar, as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu heads to Washington to meet Donald Trump.

Netanyahu said he thinks his meeting with the US president on Monday should help progress efforts to reach a deal for the release of more hostages and a ceasefire in Gaza.

He said he had given his negotiators clear instructions to achieve a ceasefire agreement under conditions Israel has accepted.

Hamas has said it has responded to the latest ceasefire proposal in a positive spirit, but it seems clear there are still gaps between the two sides that need to be bridged if any deal is to be agreed.

• Israel sends negotiators to Gaza talks despite 'unacceptable' Hamas demands, PM says

For now, Hamas still seems to be holding out for essentially the same conditions it has previously insisted on - including a guarantee of an end to all hostilities at the end of any truce and the withdrawal of Israeli troops.

Netanyahu's government has rejected this before.

The Israeli position may also not have shifted to any major degree. As he was leaving Israel for the US, Netanyahu said he was still committed to what he described as three missions: "The release and return of all the hostages, the living and the fallen; the destruction of Hamas's capabilities - to kick it out of there, and to ensure that Gaza will no longer constitute a threat to Israel."

Qatari and Egyptian mediators will have their work cut out during the indirect talks between Israel and Hamas in trying to overcome these sticking points, which have have derailed other initiatives since the previous ceasefire ended in March.

Israel has since resumed its offensive against Hamas with great intensity, as well as imposing an eleven-week blockade on aid entering Gaza, which was partially lifted several weeks ago.

The Israeli government says these measures have been aimed at further weakening Hamas and forcing it to negotiate and free the hostages.

Just in the past 24 hours, the Israeli military says it struck 130 Hamas targets and killed a number of militants.

But the cost in civilian lives in Gaza continues to grow as well. Hospital officials in Gaza said more than 30 people were killed on Sunday.

The question now is not only whether the talks in Qatar can achieve a compromise acceptable to both sides - but also whether Trump can persuade Netanyahu that the war must come to an end at their meeting on Monday.

Many in Israel already believe that is a price worth paying to save the remaining hostages.

Once again, they came out on to the streets on Saturday evening, calling on Netanyahu to reach a deal so the hostages can finally be freed.

But there are hardline voices in Netanyahu's cabinet, including the national security minister Itamar Ben Gvir and the finance minister Bezalel Smotrich, who have once again expressed their fierce opposition to ending the war in Gaza before Hamas has been completely eliminated.

Once again, there is the appearance of real momentum towards a ceasefire deal, but uncertainty over whether either the Israeli government or Hamas is ready to reach an agreement that might fall short of the key conditions they have so far set.

And once again, Palestinians in Gaza and the families of Israeli hostages still held there are fervently hoping this will not be another false dawn.

The Israeli military launched a campaign in Gaza in response to Hamas's 7 October 2023 attacks, in which about 1,200 people were killed and 251 others were taken hostage.

At least 57,338 people have been killed in Gaza since then, according to the territory's Hamas-run health ministry.

A senior officer in Hamas's security forces has told the BBC the Palestinian armed group has lost about 80% of its control over the Gaza Strip and that armed clans are filling the void.

The lieutenant colonel said Hamas's command and control system had collapsed due to months of Israeli strikes that have devastated the group's political, military and security leadership.

The officer was wounded in the first week of the war, which began after the Hamas-led attack on Israel on 7 October 2023, and has since stepped away from his duties for health reasons.

He shared several voice messages with the BBC on condition of anonymity.

In the messages, the officer painted a picture of Hamas's internal disintegration and the near-total collapse of security across Gaza, which the group governed before the conflict.

"Let's be realistic here - there's barely anything left of the security structure. Most of the leadership, about 95%, are now dead... The active figures have all been killed," he said. "So really, what's stopping Israel from continuing this war?"

"Logically, it has to continue until the end. All the conditions are aligned: Israel has the upper hand, the world is silent, the Arab regimes are silent, criminal gangs are everywhere, society is collapsing."

Last September, Israel's then-defence minister declared that "Hamas as a military formation no longer exists" and that it was engaged in guerrilla warfare.

According to the officer, Hamas attempted to regroup during the 57-day ceasefire with Israel earlier this year, reorganizing its political, military, and security councils.

But since Israel ended the truce in March, it has targeted Hamas's remaining command structures, leaving the group in disarray.

"About the security situation, let me be clear: it has completely collapsed. Totally gone. There's no control anywhere," he said.

"People looted the most powerful Hamas security apparatus (Ansar), the complex which Hamas used to rule Gaza.

"They looted everything, the offices - mattresses, even zinc panels - and no-one intervened. No police, no security."

The officer said a consequence of the security vacuum was gangs or armed clans were "everywhere".

"They could stop you, kill you. No one would intervene. Anyone who tried to act on their own, like organising resistance against thieves, was bombed by Israel within half an hour.

"So, the security situation is zero. Hamas's control is zero. There's no leadership, no command, no communication. Salaries are delayed, and when they do arrive, they're barely usable. Some die just trying to collect them. It's total collapse."

On 26 June, at least 18 people were killed when an Israeli drone strike targeted a plainclothes Hamas police unit attempting to assert control over a market in Deir al-Balah, accusing vendors of price gouging and selling looted aid, witnesses and medics said.

The Israeli military said it struck "several armed terrorists" belonging to Hamas's Internal Security Forces.

In this vacuum, six armed groups affiliated with powerful local clans have emerged as serious contenders to fill the void, according to the officer.

These groups have access to money, weapons and men, and are active across all of Gaza, but mostly in the south.

One of them is led by Yasser Abu Shabab, a figure who has attracted attention from the Palestinian Authority, which is based in the occupied West Bank and is a rival to Hamas, as well as regional players - particularly after Israel confirmed last month that it was supplying him with weapons.

The officer confirmed that Hamas had placed a large bounty on Abu Shabab's head, fearing he could become a unifying figure for its many enemies.

"Hamas would ignore ordinary thieves. People are hungry and [the fighters] don't want to provoke more chaos. But this guy? If the Hamas fighters find him, they might go after him instead of Israeli tanks."

Sources in Gaza told the BBC that Abu Shabab was working to co-ordinate with other armed groups to form a joint council aimed at toppling Hamas.

A retired Palestinian security official, who was part of the force that cracked down on Hamas's military wing in 1996 following a wave of bombings in Israel, said Abu Shabab's network was gaining traction.

"Abu Shabab's group is like an orphaned child who everyone will want to adopt if he succeeds in undermining Hamas rule," said the official, who now lives in Cairo.

"Publicly, all sides deny links to the armed groups in Gaza. But Abu Shabab has met a senior Palestinian intelligence officer three times and sent messages of assurance to the Egyptians through relatives in Sinai," he claimed.

He also said Abu Shabab "maintains good ties with Mohammad Dahlan's camp". Dahlan is a former Gaza security chief who has lived in exile since he fell out with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas 15 years ago.

The Hamas security officer warned the group was "willing to do anything" to eliminate Abu Shabab not because of his current military strength, but out of fear he could become a symbol around which all of Hamas's adversaries rally.

"For 17 years, Hamas made enemies everywhere. If someone like Abu Shabab can rally those forces, that could be the beginning of the end for us."

As Gaza is plunged further into lawlessness, with entire neighbourhoods descending into gang rule, Hamas finds itself not just under Israeli fire but increasingly surrounded by rivals from within.

US President Donald Trump has hit out at former close ally Elon Musk over the multi-billionaire's plan to launch a new political party.

"I am saddened to watch Elon Musk go completely 'off the rails,' essentially becoming a train wreck over the past five weeks," Trump posted on his Truth Social platform on Sunday.

After teasing the idea for weeks, Musk posted on X over the weekend that he had set up the America Party to compete against the Republican and Democratic parties.

The Tesla boss's announcement comes weeks after a dramatic falling out with Trump, who appointed Musk to lead the Department of Government Efficiency (Doge), which is tasked with identifying areas to cut federal spending.

Trump said third political parties "have never succeeded in the United States" as the system was "seems not designed for them".

"The one thing Third Parties are good for is the creation of complete and total disruption and chaos."

Trump also took aim at Musk's push for an "Electric Vehicle (EV) Mandate", saying it would have "forced everyone to buy an electric car in a short period of time."

The president's tax and spending plan, which he signed into law on 4 July, ended tax breaks for electric vehicles.

He added that he had opposed Musk's proposal for an EV mandate from the beginning, explaining the reasons for omitting such vehicles in the legislation.

"People are now allowed to buy whatever they want - Gasoline Powered, Hybrids (which are doing very well), or New Technologies as they come about - No more EV Mandate."

The legislation includes increased spending for border security, defence and energy production, offset by controversial cuts to healthcare and food-support programmes.

Musk floated the idea of a new political party online during his public spat with Trump as he repeatedly criticised his spending plans.

Israel says it has launched strikes on Houthi targets in three Yemeni ports, including the western port of Hodeidah, Ras Isa and Saif.

The attacks come shortly after the Israeli military issued evacuation orders for civilians in the areas, warning of imminent air strikes.

Israeli defence minister Israel Katz confirmed on social media the strikes on the Houthi-controlled sites including a power station and ship that was hijacked by the group two years ago.

Houthi-run media in Yemen said the strikes hit the port of Hodeidah, but no further details were provided on damage or casualties.

Katz said the strikes were part of "Operation Black Flag" and warned that the Houthis "will continue to pay a heavy price for their actions".

"The fate of Yemen is the same as the fate of Tehran. Anyone who tries to harm Israel will be harmed, and anyone who raises a hand against Israel will have their hand cut off," he said in a post on X.

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Archaeologists have announced the discovery of an ancient city in Peru's northern Barranca province.

The 3,500-year-old city, named Peñico, is believed to have served as a key trading hub connecting early Pacific coast communities with those living in the Andes mountains and Amazon basin.

Located some 200km north of Lima, the site lies about 600 metres (1,970 feet) above sea level and is thought to have been founded between 1,800 and 1,500 BC - around the same time that early civilisations were flourishing in the Middle East and Asia.

Researchers say the discovery sheds light on what became of the Americas' oldest civilisation, the Caral.

Drone footage released by researchers shows a circular structure on a hillside terrace at the city's centre, surrounded by the remains of stone and mud buildings.

Eight years of research at the site unearthed 18 structures, including ceremonial temples and residential complexes.

In buildings at the site, researchers discovered ceremonial objects, clay sculptures of human and animal figures and necklaces made from beads and seashells.

Peñico is situated close to where Caral, recognised as the oldest known civilisation in the Americas, was established 5,000 years ago at around 3,000 BC in the Supe valley of Peru.

Caral features 32 monuments, including large pyramid structures, sophisticated irrigation agriculture and urban settlements. It is believed to have developed in isolation to other comparative early civilisations in India, Egypt, Sumeria and China.

Dr Ruth Shady, the archaeologist who led the recent research into Peñico and the excavation of Caral in the 1990s, said that the discovery was important for understanding what became of the Caral civilisation after it was decimated by climate change.

The Peñico community was "situated in a strategic location for trade, for exchange with societies from the coast, the highlands and the jungle", Dr Shady told the Reuters news agency.

At a news conference unveiling the findings on Thursday, archaeologist Marco Machacuay, a researcher with the Ministry of Culture, said that Peñico's significance lies in it being a continuation of the Caral society.

Peru is home to many of the Americas' most significant archaeological discoveries, including the Inca citadel of Machu Picchu in the Andes and the mysterious Nazca Lines etched into the desert along the central coast.

A 90-day pause on Donald Trump's sweeping tariffs plan is about to expire on Wednesday, which could upend US trading relationships with the rest of the world. But the uncertainty of the last few months has already forced several companies to rethink their supply lines in radical ways.

When an Illinois toymaker heard that Trump was introducing tariffs on Chinese imports, he was so incensed that he decided to sue the US government.

"I'm inclined to stand up when my company is in genuine peril," says Rick Woldenberg, who is the CEO of educational toy firm Learning Resources.

The majority of his company's products are made in China, so the tariffs, which US importers have to pay, not Chinese exporters, are now costing him a fortune.

He says his import taxes bill leapt from around $2.5m (£1.5m) a year to more than $100m in April when Trump temporarily increased tariffs on Chinese imports to 145%. That would have "devastated" the company, he says.

"This kind of impact on my business is just a little bit hard to wrap my mind around," he says.

With US tariffs on Chinese imports now at 30%, that's still unaffordable for many American companies such as Learning Resources.

So in addition to its continuing legal fight, it is changing its global supply chain, moving production from China to Vietnam and India.

These two countries, like most others around the world, have seen the US hit them with general 10% tariffs, two-thirds lower than those on China. Although these 10% tariffs are due to run out on Wednesday, 9 July, uncertainly remains over what they may be replaced by.

Meanwhile, many Canadian companies, who often trade in both their home country and in the US, are now facing a double hit to their supply chains.

These hits are the 25% tariffs put in place by Trump on many Canadian imports, and the reciprocal ones of the same level that Canada has placed on a host of American exports.

And other businesses around the world are looking at exporting less to the US, because their American import partners are having to put up prices to cover the tariffs they now have to pay, which makes their products more expensive on US shelves.

At Learning Resources, Mr Woldenberg has now moved about 16% of manufacturing to Vietnam and India. "We have gone through the process of vetting the new factories, training them on what we needed, making sure that things could flow easily, and developing relationships."

Yet he admits that there are uncertainties: "We don't know if they can handle the capacity of our business. Much less the whole world moving in there at the same time."

He also points out that switching production to another country is expensive to organise.

In the meantime, his legal case against the US tariffs, called "Learning Resources et al v Donald Trump et al" is continuing its way through the US court system.

In May a judge at the US District Court in Washington DC ruled that the tariffs against it were unlawful. But the US government immediately appealed, and Learning Resources still has to pay the tariffs for the time being.

So the firm is continuing to move production away from China.

Global supply chain expert Les Brand says that it is both expensive and difficult for companies to switch manufacturing to different countries.

"Trying to find new sources for critical components of whatever you are doing - that's a lot of research," says Mr Brand, who is CEO of advisory firm Supply Chain Logistics.

"There's a lot of quality testing to do it right. You have to spend the time, and that really takes away from the business focus."

He adds: "The knowledge transfer to train a whole new bunch of people on how to make your product takes a lot of time and money. And that effects already razor-thin margins businesses have right now."

For Canadian fried chicken chain Cluck Clucks, its supply chain has been significantly impacted by Canada's revenge tariffs on US imports. This is because while its chicken is Canadian, it imports both specialist catering fridges and pressure fryers from the US.

While it can't live without the fridges, it has decided to stop buying any more of the fryers. Yet with no Canadian company making alternative ones, it is having to limit its menus at its new stores.

This is because it needs these pressure fryers to cook its bone-in chicken pieces. The new stores will instead only be able to sell boneless chicken, as that is cooked differently.

"This was a substantial decision for us, but we believe it's the right strategic move," says Raza Hashim, Cluck Clucks CEO.

"It's important to note that we do plan to retain the necessary kitchen space in new locations to reintroduce these fryers should the tariff uncertainty be completely resolved in the future."

He also warns that with the US fridges now more expensive for the company to buy, the price it charges for its food will likely have to go up. "There is a certain amount of costs we cannot absorb as brands, and we may have to pass those on to consumers. And that is not something we want to do."

Mr Hashim adds that the business is continuing with its US expansion plans, and it has set up local supply chains to source American chicken. It currently has one US outlet, in Houston, Texas.

In Spain, olive oil producer Oro del Desierto currently exports 8% of its production to the US. It says that the US tariffs on European imports, presently 10%, are having to be passed on to American shoppers. "These tariffs will directly impact the end consumer [in the US]," says Rafael Alonso Barrau, the firm's export manager.

The company also says it is looking at potentially reducing the volume it sends to the US, if the tariffs make trading there less profitable, and exporting more to other countries instead.

"We do have other markets where we can sell the product," says Mr Barrau. "We sell in another 33 markets, and with all of them, and our local market, we could cushion US losses."

Mr Brand says that firms around the world would have been less impacted if Trump had moved more slowly with his tariffs. "The speed and velocity of these decisions are really making everything worse. President Trump should have gone slower and been more meaningful about these tariffs."

Back in Illinois, Mr Woldenberg is also concerned about where Trump will go next in his trade battles.

"We just have to make the best decision we can, based on the information we have, and then see what happens," he says.

"I don't want to say 'hope for the best', because I don't believe that hope is a strategy."

Israeli forces say they killed the commander of Hamas's naval force in northern Gaza in a strike on a seaside cafe in which dozens of civilians were killed.

After the attack on the popular al-Baqa cafe in Gaza City on Monday, family members in Gaza and abroad told the BBC of their shock at the scale of civilian casualties.

In a statement on Sunday, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said the strike killed Ramzi Ramadan Abd Ali Saleh, along with Hisham Ayman Atiya Mansour, deputy head of Hamas's mortar unit, and Nissim Muhammad Suleiman Abu Sabha.

Saleh was a "significant source of knowledge" within Hamas and had been involved in planning and advancing "maritime terrorist attacks", the IDF said.

• Israel's strike on bustling Gaza cafe killed a Hamas operative - but dozens more people were killed

Sources in Gaza had previously told the BBC a senior Hamas commander was rumoured to have been at the cafe at the time of the strike.

The IDF also said it had taken steps "to mitigate the risk of harming civilians" but did not provide any further details as to why so many people were killed in the incident.

The BBC has reviewed 29 names of people reported killed in the strike on the cafe, at least nine of whom were women, while several were children and teenagers.

Those killed included artists, students, social activists, a female boxer, a footballer and cafe staff.

Staff at Shifa Hospital, which received bodies from the attack, said its toll as of Thursday had reached 40 dead, including people who had succumbed to their injuries, and unidentified bodies.

An official at the hospital said some of the bodies had been "blown to pieces", and that 72 injured patients were brought there - many having sustained severe burns and significant injuries that required surgery.

The al-Baqa Cafeteria was well-known across the Gaza Strip, and considered by many to be among the territory's most scenic and vibrant meeting spots.

It had remained popular even during the war, especially due to its unusually stable internet connection.

The IDF did not directly respond to multiple BBC questions about whether it considered the number of civilian casualties to be proportionate.

In its statement on Sunday it said it would "continue to operate against the Hamas terrorist organization in order to remove any threat posed to Israeli civilians", before saying the "incident" was "under review".

Meanwhile, indirect talks between Israel and Hamas began in Qatar on Sunday to discuss the latest proposal for a Gaza ceasefire and hostage release deal.

The Israeli military launched a campaign in Gaza in response to the 7 October 2023 attack, in which about 1,200 people were killed and 251 others were taken hostage.

At least 57,338 people have been killed in Gaza since then, according to the territory's Hamas-run health ministry.

There are extraordinary secret surveillance images - now largely forgotten - that in their own grainy and mysterious way, tell the story of missed opportunities that maybe, just maybe, could have stopped the horrific suicide attacks that took place in London 20 years ago.

They are images of the ringleader of the 7/7 bombings - first caught on camera at an al-Qaeda-associated training camp in the Lake District in 2001.

Two more images from 2004 show him - name and intentions then unknown - meeting a different cell of bomb plotters outside London and being followed by an MI5 team as he made his way back to Leeds.

Nobody joined all these dots, and worked out the man was Mohammad Sidique Khan until he and the three other members of his gang had killed 52 people with their four homemade bombs.

Despite being seen meeting other men of real concern, he was never made a priority for investigation.

• Listen to the series State of Terror on BBC Radio 4 from later today

For months I have been asking many of the top people - from prime ministers through to former extremists - to reflect on what they have learned over the 20 years since 7/7. Sir Tony Blair was prime minister on 7/7. Hindsight, he told me, was a wonderful thing.

I've found that the British state has, arguably, the most evolved and sophisticated suite of powers and tools possible to identify, disrupt, prosecute, ban and jail people for terrorism offences.

But at the same time the threats that those powers are being used to counter today are so much more complex than they were in 2005. And so, 20 years since 7/7, are we any safer now than we were then?

'Of course it was a failure'

The 7/7 attacks were the worst wake-up call imaginable for the UK's then outdated counter-terrorism operations.

Until that day in 2005, the UK's response to terrorism groups was heavily influenced by the experience of combating the IRA, which organised itself along military lines.

Al-Qaeda (AQ) was also broadly organised in a military way - directing its adherents, including the 7/7 bombers. But the key lesson from 7/7 was that this analogy only went so far.

MI5 and the police realised they had to work closer together to penetrate AQ's cells.

MI5 teams were the experts in secretly gathering intelligence. They could bug, burgle and listen to "subjects of interest", to use the jargon. But in the run-up to 7/7, the agency often fell short of sharing that information widely and quickly enough.

Peter Clarke was the Metropolitan Police officer in charge of counter-terrorism policing at the time of 7/7.

"I haven't spoken to anybody who was involved in either counter-terrorism or in the intelligence agencies, who don't regard it as a failure," he told me. "Of course it was."

The failure was complex. Lord Jonathan Evans, the former head of MI5 - and at the time of 7/7, the deputy head - highlights the pressure intelligence teams were under.

"You have to make choices in counter-terrorism investigations. You can't investigate everything, so the question is are you investigating the most immediately threatening intelligence and making the right priority calls?"

The reason why the future 7/7 ringleader was put to one side in 2004 was that there was no substantial intelligence that he was actually planning an attack.

The agencies were focusing on a huge bomb plot they knew about - Operation Crevice. It was run by the men Khan was seen meeting. But the brutal fact was that they had no idea that Khan could be a serious threat because he had been discounted as a priority for further investigation.

How MI5 foiled the liquid bomb plot

The 2005 attacks forced the agency and police to think deeply about how they could end a doom loop of not investigating someone because they had decided they didn't know enough to think they were worth investigating.

Some of that was about funding - and there was a huge injection into counter-terrorism in the years that followed.

But more importantly MI5, alongside their partners in the police, began to develop a better "triage" system to work out which of the thousands of potential plotters they had titbits of intelligence about needed to be prioritised.

That helped get the police closer, more quickly, to the point where they could seize evidence to land someone in jail.

Nowhere was this more successful than in Operation Overt, which came a year after 7/7. The Overt plotters had an al-Qaeda recipe for a liquid bomb disguised as a soft drink - and they planned to blow up transatlantic planes.

MI5 captured in extraordinary detail the gang's preparations. They saw the men working with tools to make strange-looking devices from household items including drink bottles and camera flash circuits.

Nobody was sure what they were up to - until the surveillance revealed the men recording "martyrdom" videos envisaging their own deaths mid-air.

This time, the intelligence was being shared in almost real-time - and the police and prosecutors dived in and arrested and charged the gang before the devices were finally ready. The success of Operation Overt shows that plots could be disrupted early.

Lord Evans points to another critical shift in thinking. "We had always been predominantly, not exclusively, a London-based organisation," he says. "But when you recognise that the 7/7 bombers came down from Yorkshire, the threat was national.

"We needed to have an effective regional network working very closely with the police in the major cities and that was accelerated and was a very successful way of ensuring that we were able to find out what was happening in Manchester or Birmingham or wherever as effectively as we had traditionally done in London."

Then, in 2006, Parliament created a new offence of preparing for acts of terrorism.

This meant the police could swoop in even earlier than in the case of Operation Overt - even before an attacker's plan was settled. All they needed now was to show a court that an individual had a terrorism mindset and was taking steps towards an outrage - such as researching targets, even if their plan was not finalised.

Max Hill KC led some of the UK's most complex terrorism trials - and went on to be the Director of Public Prosecutions between 2018 and 2023. He always wanted the strongest case to put to a jury and judge - in order to get the longest possible sentence to protect the public. But in the case of a bomb-maker, that presented a dilemma for the police and MI5.

"How long to let a person run towards their ultimate aim of deploying devices?" he says. "The longer you leave it, the more serious the jail sentence. But the longer you wait, the greater the risk that there will be damage or harm."

Success after success followed - and cells of plotters were also increasingly infiltrated by spooks finding secret ways to capture chats about plans. Until, that is, the rise of the self-styled Islamic State, which changed all of that once again.

DIY attacks across Europe

By 2014, thousands of young radicalised men and women had flocked to the territory the group had seized in Syria and Iraq, convinced that the ultra-violent movement was building a utopian state.

Its ideologues told some followers, who could not travel, to plan their own attacks at home and without any direction from commanders.

This was a new and terrifying prospect - and led to a wave of DIY attacks across Europe, including in the UK. So the government turned to other tools to "disrupt" extremists coming home from abroad, by cancelling their passports or stripping citizenship.

The first of a number of attacks in 2017 was committed by a killer who drove into pedestrians on Westminster Bridge before stabbing to death a police officer at the gates of Parliament. He acted without warning and seemingly alone, rapidly self-radicalising - moving from thought to violence before his intentions became clear to anyone else.

The rapidity of these attacks - and the regularity of them, disrupted or acted out, had an extraordinary consequence that further complicated the picture. Far-right extremists watched and learned and, seeking a form of "revenge", became determined to respond in kind.

In 2015, a 25-year-old member of National Action, a now banned extreme right-wing group, carried out a racist attack on a Sikh-heritage dentist in a supermarket. The attacker acted alone. The man who murdered Jo Cox MP a year later, during the Brexit referendum, planned and acted in a similar manner.

This DIY rapid violence did not rely on personal connections to puppet-masters. It was increasingly linked to how extremists found and absorbed extremist material all over the internet.

But that also presented an opportunity. The security service and partners - including the FBI - created teams of "online role-players". They would pose as extremist recruiters in vile chat groups to identify would-be attackers and befriend them. It began to work.

One early success in 2017 saw a young man, angry at the death of his uncle who had been fighting in Syria, ask these spies for a bomb to attack Downing Street. It was a crazy and unrealisable plan. But he genuinely wanted to do it.

The Prevent system - which was set up to identify potential extremists and to stop them supporting terrorism - struggled to win public support amid fears that it was a network to spy on people.

But today it is a vital tool in the state's armoury - with figures showing that since 2015, some 5,000 young people have been identified as being at risk of extremism and given support, typically through counselling and mentoring, to reject it.

Why MI5 failed to stop the Manchester bombing

The Manchester Arena terror attack of 2017 - in which 22 people were killed - revealed that MI5 missed a significant chance to focus on the would-be suicide bomber and stop him - but it also revealed how lax security at public gatherings could be exploited.

Figen Murray's son Martyn Hett was one of the 22 killed.

"You don't ever come to terms with it," she tells me. "It's the brutality, the randomness. These people who commit terrorist attacks do not care who they kill. They don't select people in most cases.

"Our loved ones are pawns in a big game, because terrorists really want to make a statement against the state."

Her grief spurred her on to come up with one of the biggest legal changes of the last 20 years - a practical measure to protect people if the security services fail to spot an incoming threat.

Along with Nick Aldworth, a former senior police officer, they lobbied government to create "Martyn's Law".

The legislation - which is coming into force over two years - requires venues to have a security plan to help stop acts of terrorism on their premises.

In time, sites with more than 800 people will need extra measures such as CCTV or security staff and all venues that can hold more than 200 people will have to devise some kind of plan to protect the public and make sure their staff know how to act on it in an emergency.

At the O2 Arena in London, for example, staff process arriving guests a bit like they are going through an airport. There are machines available to scan for weapons too.

Violence without an ideology

Deputy Assistant Commissioner Vicky Evans, the current head of counter-terrorism policing, says her officers are seeing suspects getting younger, with violent material on the internet playing a role in that.

In some cases officers are trying to work out what to do about people bent on extreme violence, inspired by acts of terrorism, but who have no clear-cut ideology.

Many of these complex cases are referred by the police to the Prevent counter-radicalisation programme to see if specialist mentors can help.

The case of the Southport murderer Alex Rudakubana - who had been repeatedly flagged to Prevent - is at the heart of a debate about internet-fuelled violence. The forthcoming public inquiry will look for answers, and may even mean we have to rethink what we mean by the word "terrorism".

The Home Secretary Yvette Cooper's recent decision to ban Palestine Action under terrorism laws - for causing massive criminal damage - is further adding to a national debate about what threats the counter-terrorism network should confront.

Today, many many more powers are in place - and the UK's counter-terrorism network, which has a dedicated secret headquarters in London, is a well-oiled machine. But the threat is more diverse than ever.

Since 2017, the police say there have been 15 domestic terrorism incidents and they have disrupted 43 "late-stage" plots.

In the wake of the 2005 attacks, Sir Tony Blair was accused of trampling over civil liberties in the search for the right set of powers he thought the security services needed.

I asked whether he had got the balance right - and the posed back at me will be in the mind of every one of his successors.

"The most fundamental basic liberty is to be protected from violence - and particularly random terrorist violence," he said.

"You've got to ask yourself, are the policy tools we have in our toolbox adequate to deal with the threat?"

Additional Reporting: Jonathan Brunert

Top image credits: AFP via Getty and Justin Talli

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King Charles has called on people to stand united "against those who would seek to divide us", in a message marking the 20th anniversary of the 7/7 attacks in London.

He condemned the "senseless acts of evil" that saw bombs detonated on the capital's public transport system, killing 52 people and injuring more than 700.

The King called for a "spirit of unity" and said the attacks had shown the importance of "building a society where people of all faiths and backgrounds can live together with mutual respect and understanding".

Commemorative events will be held in the capital on Monday, remembering the victims of the 7 July 2005 bombings, carried out by Islamist extremists.

That will include a National Service of Commemoration at St Paul's Cathedral, where the King will be represented by the Duke of Edinburgh.

The suicide attacks in central London had seen bombs detonated on three underground trains and a double-decker bus, causing terrible casualties in the capital's rush hour.

The King's message said his "special prayers remain with all those whose lives were forever changed on that terrible summer's day", including those who carried the "physical and psychological scars".

He praised those who helped with the rescue and the "extraordinary courage and compassion that emerged from the darkness of that day".

King Charles has been a dedicated supporter of building bridges between different faiths and encouraging tolerance and respect between religions.

"While the horrors will never be forgotten, we may take comfort from the way such events rally communities together in solidarity, solace and determination.

"It is this spirit of unity that has helped London, and our nation, to heal," he said.

Sign up here to get the latest royal stories and analysis every week with our Royal Watch newsletter. Those outside the UK can sign up here.

At least 78 people have been confirmed dead in central Texas and another 41 are missing following flash floods on Friday.

Sixty-eight of the fatalities, including 28 children, occurred in Kerr County, where a riverside Christian girls' camp was deluged. Ten girls and a counsellor from Camp Mystic are still missing.

Officials say the death toll is certain to rise. More storms are expected in the next 24-48 hours in the region, which could hamper rescue teams who are already facing venomous snakes as they sift through mud and debris.

Three days after the inundation, one of the largest search-and-rescue efforts in recent Texas history was shifting towards a recovery operation.

Of those recovered in Kerr County, 18 adults and 10 children have yet to be formally identified.

Texas Governor Greg Abbott said on Sunday that authorities would "stop at nothing" to ensure every missing person is found.

"It was nothing short of horrific to see what those young children went through," said Abbott, a day after he toured the area.

A major focus of the search has been Camp Mystic, a popular summer camp for girls perched on the banks of the Guadalupe River, which suffered significant damage.

The catastrophe unfolded before daybreak on Friday as the river rose 26ft (8m) in the span of just 45 minutes while most campers were asleep.

Several young campers and the camp's longtime director, Richard "Dick" Eastland, are among the dead.

Greg Froelick, a former Navy Seal and volunteer with the rescue group 300 Justice, is helping the effort to find survivors.

Speaking to the BBC, he said he had heard of victims being found up to eight miles downriver from where Camp Mystic once stood.

He said he has seen "clothing and items from the camp dressers scattered everywhere, up and down the river".

There is also uncertainty about how many other people were camping in the area for the Fourth of July weekend - and how many may have been swept away in the floods.

A two-lane highway that skirts the Guadalupe River and connects the city of Kerrville to Camp Mystic is a scene of devastation.

Ravaged homes are surrounded by fallen trees and furniture on lawns. Fences are toppled and utility lines down in some areas.

President Donald Trump signed a major disaster declaration on Sunday for Kerr County, activating the Federal Emergency Management Agency to Texas. He also said he would probably visit the state on Friday.

"We're working very closely with representatives from Texas, and it's a horrible thing that took place, absolutely horrible," Trump said on Sunday in New Jersey.

On the ground, local residents are stepping up to support relief efforts - collecting supplies, offering shelter, and doing what they can to help neighbours displaced by the storm.

Alma Garcia drove in from the city of San Antonio to deliver home-cooked meals to residents and volunteers helping with the clean-up effort.

The BBC saw her pull over on the side of the road and take off a top layer T-shirt to give to a resident.

"She was all wet, I told her she's going to need it," Ms Garcia told the BBC.

Local resident Perla started collecting clothes and shoes on Friday after she finished her shift at Walmart. She dropped them off at a shelter the next morning.

"I've never seen something like this before," she told the BBC.

Meanwhile, well wishes poured in from around the world.

In Rome, Pope Leo XIV offered special prayers on Sunday for the bereaved in Texas.

"I would like to express sincere condolences to all the families who have lost loved ones, in particular their daughters who were in summer camp, in the disaster caused by the flooding of the Guadalupe River in Texas in the United States," the pontiff said.

"We pray for them."

Angélica Casas and Alex Lederman contributed to this report

Delegations from Israel and Hamas have begun an indirect round of ceasefire talks in Qatar, as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu heads to Washington to meet Donald Trump.

Netanyahu said he thinks his meeting with the US president on Monday should help progress efforts to reach a deal for the release of more hostages and a ceasefire in Gaza.

He said he had given his negotiators clear instructions to achieve a ceasefire agreement under conditions Israel has accepted.

Hamas has said it has responded to the latest ceasefire proposal in a positive spirit, but it seems clear there are still gaps between the two sides that need to be bridged if any deal is to be agreed.

• Israel sends negotiators to Gaza talks despite 'unacceptable' Hamas demands, PM says

For now, Hamas still seems to be holding out for essentially the same conditions it has previously insisted on - including a guarantee of an end to all hostilities at the end of any truce and the withdrawal of Israeli troops.

Netanyahu's government has rejected this before.

The Israeli position may also not have shifted to any major degree. As he was leaving Israel for the US, Netanyahu said he was still committed to what he described as three missions: "The release and return of all the hostages, the living and the fallen; the destruction of Hamas's capabilities - to kick it out of there, and to ensure that Gaza will no longer constitute a threat to Israel."

Qatari and Egyptian mediators will have their work cut out during the indirect talks between Israel and Hamas in trying to overcome these sticking points, which have have derailed other initiatives since the previous ceasefire ended in March.

Israel has since resumed its offensive against Hamas with great intensity, as well as imposing an eleven-week blockade on aid entering Gaza, which was partially lifted several weeks ago.

The Israeli government says these measures have been aimed at further weakening Hamas and forcing it to negotiate and free the hostages.

Just in the past 24 hours, the Israeli military says it struck 130 Hamas targets and killed a number of militants.

But the cost in civilian lives in Gaza continues to grow as well. Hospital officials in Gaza said more than 30 people were killed on Sunday.

The question now is not only whether the talks in Qatar can achieve a compromise acceptable to both sides - but also whether Trump can persuade Netanyahu that the war must come to an end at their meeting on Monday.

Many in Israel already believe that is a price worth paying to save the remaining hostages.

Once again, they came out on to the streets on Saturday evening, calling on Netanyahu to reach a deal so the hostages can finally be freed.

But there are hardline voices in Netanyahu's cabinet, including the national security minister Itamar Ben Gvir and the finance minister Bezalel Smotrich, who have once again expressed their fierce opposition to ending the war in Gaza before Hamas has been completely eliminated.

Once again, there is the appearance of real momentum towards a ceasefire deal, but uncertainty over whether either the Israeli government or Hamas is ready to reach an agreement that might fall short of the key conditions they have so far set.

And once again, Palestinians in Gaza and the families of Israeli hostages still held there are fervently hoping this will not be another false dawn.

The Israeli military launched a campaign in Gaza in response to Hamas's 7 October 2023 attacks, in which about 1,200 people were killed and 251 others were taken hostage.

At least 57,338 people have been killed in Gaza since then, according to the territory's Hamas-run health ministry.

Former sub-postmaster Harjinder Butoy spent more time in prison than any other victim of the Post Office Horizon IT scandal.

After 18 months in jail, it then took another 15 years to clear his name. He is one of dozens of sub-postmasters who gave evidence to the official inquiry into what happened.

The inquiry chair, Sir Wyn Williams, will deliver the first part of his final report on Tuesday, which will focus on the human impact of the scandal and will also look at compensation.

But Mr Butoy is not sure he will be able to watch. "It's going to bring back too many bad memories for me," he told the BBC, adding he needs "someone to be punished".

The Post Office scandal is believed to be one of the biggest miscarriages of justices in UK history.

Thousands of victims were wrongly blamed for financial losses from the faulty Horizon computer system which was rolled out across the Post Office branch network from 1999.

More than 900 people were prosecuted and 236 were sent to prison.

Mr Butoy was one of them, convicted of stealing more than £200,000 from his branch in Nottinghamshire in 2007.

"We lost everything from the day I got sentenced. We lost our business. I had to declare bankruptcy. My wife and three kids had to move back in with my parents, " he says.

After he was released from prison his conviction meant he struggled to find work and his health also suffered.

"I just want everyone to know the impact, what's happened to us all. But I also need someone to be punished and let them go to prison and feel like what we've been through," he says.

His conviction was overturned in 2021. Parliament later passed a law exonerating all those who had been convicted.

'Huge day'

The inquiry heard from 189 people who gave evidence on how the scandal had turned their lives upside down.

Many lost their businesses, some lost their homes, and most lost their reputations and financial security.

The second part of the inquiry's report – on how the scandal happened and why – may not be published until 2026.

Although Harjinder Butoy may not be watching, Wendy Buffrey and Nichola Arch will be among dozens of victims and their families travelling to hear Sir Wyn speak as he presents Volume 1 of his report. Many more will be watching the proceedings livestreamed over the internet.

Mrs Buffrey, who had a Post Office in Cheltenham, was suspended after an audit in December 2008 and prosecuted. She had to sell her house and business to pay off the alleged shortfall in her accounts, and has suffered with her mental health.

She says the publication of the report is going to be "a huge day".

"To actually have the establishment recognise what they've put us through is huge," she said. "The apologies we've had from the Post Office have been so mealy-mouthed, not thought through, and really not sincere."

Mrs Arch, who managed the Chalford Hill branch near Stroud, says: "You would hope the government would acknowledge every detail of that report."

She was accused of stealing from pensioners, shunned by her local community, and spat on outside a local supermarket.

After two years she was found not guilty, "but the damage had been done by then".

The impact on her family was "like a tsunami", she says. "It's like a cobweb. It just affects every single friend, family, child, you know, connected to you."

'Painful' compensation issue

For many victims of the scandal, the most pressing issue is financial redress.

That's the main reason why Sir Wyn has split his report into two, to publish his findings on the progress of compensation as soon as possible.

He has taken a keen interest on how redress is being delivered, holding several hearings on the issue and delivering an interim report in 2023 where he likened the various schemes to a "patchwork quilt with some holes in it".

"Compensation has been a painful issue," says solicitor David Enright, from Howe & Co, which represents hundreds of wronged sub-postmasters.

"However, we are also hoping [the report] will remind people of what the real harm has been, and that is the shattering of families across the country. "

According to the latest figures from the government, more than £1bn has been paid out in compensation to over 7,300 sub-postmasters.

However, hundreds are still waiting for their final payments and many are locked in disputes over the amount they have been offered.

Mr Butoy has only just submitted his claim for compensation. It has taken three years to gather all the necessary reports and paperwork.

"Clearing our name was so good. But compensation is very hard. It's like they don't believe us, don't trust us."

His solicitor, Neil Hudgell, whose firm also represents hundreds of other former sub-postmasters, told the BBC that if the situation doesn't improve, full and fair redress for all victims could take another two to three years.

Hudgell Solicitors says it has helped more than 300 people agree damages totalling more than £170m. However, Mr Hudgell says his firm still has more than 700 cases waiting to be resolved through the various compensation schemes.

Meanwhile, the police officer leading the investigation into the scandal has admitted criminal trials may not start until 2028.

For Mr Butoy, and others who want to see those responsible held to account, the wait continues.

Early years teachers in England will be offered tax-free payments of £4,500 to work in nurseries in disadvantaged areas as part of government efforts to boost standards.

The incentives are designed to attract and retain fully qualified staff in 20 areas, the education department said on Monday without confirming exactly which places would benefit.

The scheme is part of a wider strategy designed to narrow the attainment gap among pre-school children due to be unveiled on Monday.

Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson said the plans would "help give our youngest children the very best start in life" - but the Conservatives said Labour's tax changes had hit nurseries hard.

The government said it would spend £1.5 billion on its so-called Best Start in Life strategy, which builds on Labour's campaign pledge to reform services for the youngest children in order to drive up education and health standards.

The education department said only one in 10 nurseries currently have a specialist early years teacher.

The direct payments to trained teachers are intended to incentivise staff to work in areas with the most acute needs.

Payments will begin next year, though no details about the eligibility criteria have been published.

Also included in the package of reforms is a proposal to increase the number of Ofsted inspection nurseries undergo, including ensuring all new providers are assessed within 18 months.

Announcing the plans, Phillipson said "the best way of reducing inequalities is by tackling them early".

On Sunday, the government also said it would fund new local hubs to offer youth services and support for parents, which are modelled on the Sure Start centres set up under the New Labour government and largely closed after 2010.

Neil Leith of the Early Years Alliance said the early years announcement was a "positive development" but warned the strategy would only work "if it is backed up with the tangible support - financial or otherwise".

Shadow education minister Neil O'Brien said that an increase in employers' National Insurance contributions had left nurseries across the country "on the brink".

Some have had to "hike fees or shut their doors", he said, adding: "Families are being left to face higher childcare costs and fewer places."

Israel says it has launched strikes on Houthi targets in three Yemeni ports, including the western port of Hodeidah, Ras Isa and Saif.

The attacks come shortly after the Israeli military issued evacuation orders for civilians in the areas, warning of imminent air strikes.

Israeli defence minister Israel Katz confirmed on social media the strikes on the Houthi-controlled sites including a power station and ship that was hijacked by the group two years ago.

Houthi-run media in Yemen said the strikes hit the port of Hodeidah, but no further details were provided on damage or casualties.

Katz said the strikes were part of "Operation Black Flag" and warned that the Houthis "will continue to pay a heavy price for their actions".

"The fate of Yemen is the same as the fate of Tehran. Anyone who tries to harm Israel will be harmed, and anyone who raises a hand against Israel will have their hand cut off," he said in a post on X.

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Parents who experience a miscarriage before 24 weeks of pregnancy will be entitled to bereavement leave under a planned law change.

The government is set to amend the Employment Rights Bill to give parents the legal right to take time off work to grieve if they experience pregnancy loss at any stage.

As it stands, bereavement leave is only available to parents who lose an unborn child after 24 weeks of pregnancy.

Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner said the change will give "people time away from work to grieve".

"No one who is going through the heartbreak of pregnancy loss should have to go back to work before they are ready," Rayner said.

Parents are currently entitled to a fortnight's leave if they suffer pregnancy loss after 24 weeks, or if a child younger than 18 dies.

The extended right to leave will be for "at least" one week, though the exact length is still being consulted on.

The Employment Rights Bill, which includes further measures to protect in law the right of employees to have time off to grieve the loss of a loved one, is already making its way through Parliament.

Labour MP Sarah Owen, who chairs the Women and Equalities Committee, has previously campaigned for the change.

In 2021, she told MPs that after her own miscarriage she felt physically better in a few days but had "all the classic signs" of grieving.

"I could not eat, I could not sleep. I really did not hold much hope that life would ever get brighter," she said.

In March, business minister Justin Madders told MPs he accepted the principle of bereavement leave for pregnancy loss and promised to look at adding the right to the Employment Rights Bill.

Vicki Robinson, chief executive of the Miscarriage Association, welcomed the announcement.

She said it was "a hugely important step that acknowledges the often very significant impact of pre-24-week loss, not only for those experiencing the physical loss, but for their partners too".

Lena Dunham is almost synonymous with New York City. The US actress, writer and director rose to fame with her award-winning semi-autobiographical series Girls, which followed four 20-something women as they navigated love, life and friendship in the Big Apple.

But her latest project - a Netflix rom-com loosely based on her life over the last few years - is set on the other side of the Atlantic.

Too Much follows Jessica (Megan Stalter), who moves from New York to London after breaking up with her boyfriend, and falls in love with punk musician Felix (Will Sharpe).

Just as Dunham did when she moved to London in 2021, Jessica quickly learns the important things about the UK: everybody loves Paddington, the Jaffa Cake debate is highly contentious (it's definitely a biscuit) and a "housing estate" isn't the sprawling gardens of a lavish manor house.

Dunham tells the BBC that while Too Much has "superficial similarities" to her life and is "about 5% autobiographical", she didn't see herself ever playing the show's protagonist in the way she did in Girls.

"I didn't consider Jessica to be me - she's inspired by my life but is her own character and was written with Megan in mind," she says.

Megan Stalter says Girls "was all about sex and Too Much is about falling in love", which is a similar to how Dunham sees the show.

There was also another reason she chose to step away from the spotlight. While filming Girls, in her 20s, Dunham's body was heavily scrutinised and last year, she told the New Yorker she "was not up for having my body dissected again".

She explains that body shaming was part of the reason she stepped further behind the camera. "Just being perceived was overwhelming," she says.

Dunham has spent the past few years focusing on writing projects that don't centre her as an actor.

She believes society has made some strides towards being more body positive, but says the culture we live in is still "so deeply fatphobic, misogynistic, racist and ageist and that informs our dynamic with our body".

The 39-year-old has been vocal about challenges she's faced with her health, particularly her endometriosis, which led her to have a hysterectomy aged 31.

Asked how her relationship with her body has changed since then, she says she's developed a new love for how she looks.

"I've been able to have a relationship with my body that exists outside of the cultural pressures and I feel lucky for that."

As well as reflecting on how her self image has changed, Dunham also says she's learned a lot since her 20s.

Having been in the spotlight for more than decade, the actress has had her fair share of controversies.

In 2017, she defended Girls writer Murray Miller when he was accused of sexual assault. Dunham later apologised, saying it was "absolutely the wrong time" to share her perspective. Miller vehemently denied the claims and was not charged.

She also apologised for a "distasteful joke" she had made on a podcast saying she wished she'd experienced a termination when discussing the US abortion.

"I thought, back then, it was important to just keep going and be tough no matter what happened," she reflects.

"I was so focused on work and not letting any of the noise in but I wish I had allowed myself to take more time and space. We all have to acknowledge our own complexities and sensitivities but it's hard to wrap your head around that when you're in your 20s."

'I've felt like I'm too much'

Dunham's new 10-episode series stars Hacks actor Megan Stalter and Will Sharpe, best known for playing Ethan Spiller in The White Lotus and films such as A Real Pain.

Sharpe, 38, says he relates to the challenges his character faces, as "everyone carries baggage from their previous relationship" and feels vulnerable when they enter a new one.

Stalter relates to her character too. The 34-year-old says she often "felt like she was too much" in her 20s but with time, has come to be proud of her who she is.

Written with Dunham's husband, musician Luis Felber, Too Much focuses on the evolution of one romantic relationship.

It's refreshing in its realness - from serious conversations between Jessica and Felix to the fact Jessica's media salary stretches to a housing estate in east London rather than a Bridget Jones-esque flat in Borough Market.

I ask Dunham if she has any dating tips for women in their 20s, given she's been through the rollercoaster of trying to find a life partner.

She says the concept of dating has changed over the years, and back in the late noughties, it was "considered a last resort or a strange thing to meet someone online".

Looking back, Dunham wishes she would have allowed herself to understand what she really wanted rather than just seeing the cultural expectations that were placed on her.

"If I was letting myself understand my own desire, my 20s would have looked really different romantically."

Too Much is released on Netflix on 10 July.

Camp Mystic, a Christian girls' camp perched on the banks of the Guadalupe River in Texas, was a place of laughter, prayer, and adventure just days ago.

Among the girls at the camp was eight-year-old Renee Smajstrla, smiling ear-to-ear in a picture taken on one of those days - "having the time of her life" with her friends.

But the next day, the camp she, and so many other young girls loved, turned into the site of one of the deadliest flood disasters in recent Texas history.

Smajstrla was among those killed.

"She will forever be living her best life at Camp Mystic," her uncle Shawn Salta wrote on Facebook.

Photos show the eerie aftermath: the bunk beds are still there - mud-caked and toppled over, the detritus of a summer camp cut tragically short.

Destroyed personal belongings are scattered across soaked interiors where children once gathered for Bible study and campfire songs.

At least 59 people - among them camp's longtime director, Richard "Dick" Eastland, and several young campers - have been confirmed dead.

Eleven of its campers and one camp counsellor remain missing. Many of the girls who remain missing were sleeping in low-lying cabins less than 500ft (150m) from the riverbank, US media report.

Camp Mystic has been operated by the same family for generations, offering girls a chance to grow "spiritually" in a "wholesome" Christian atmosphere, according to its website.

Families from all across Texas and the US send their daughters each summer to swim, canoe, ride horses, and form lifelong friendships.

But the beauty of the Guadalupe River, which draws so many to the area, also proved deadly.

The floodwaters arrived with little warning, ripping through the picturesque riverfront area that is home to nearly 20 youth camps.

Though Camp Mystic suffered the greatest losses, officials say the scale of the disaster is far-reaching.

Nearby, the all-girls camp Heart O' the Hills also faced flooding.

Its co-owner and director, Jane Ragsdale, was among the dead. Fortunately, the camp was out of session at the time.

A statement from the camp said, "Most of those who were on camp at the time have been accounted for and are on high ground… We are mourning the loss of a woman who influenced countless lives and was the definition of strong and powerful."

Questions are now mounting over why so many camps were situated so close to the river, and why more was not done to evacuate the children in time.

Congressman Chip Roy, who represents the area, acknowledged the devastation while urging caution against premature blame.

"The response is going to be, 'We've gotta move all these camps - why would you have camps down here by the water?'" Roy said.

"Well, you have camps by the water because it's by the water. You have camps near the river because it's a beautiful and wonderful place to be."

As recovery efforts continue, families wait anxiously for news of the missing. Search and rescue teams - some navigating by boat, others combing through debris - are working around the clock.

Kerr County Sheriff Larry Leitha said on Sunday the search for survivors continued.

"Until we can get them reunited families, we are not going to stop," City Manager Dalton Rice said.

Governor Greg Abbott has declared a state of emergency, and officials warn the final toll may rise in the days to come.