Online retail giant Shein says it has banned the sale of all sex dolls on its platform around the world, after being accused of displaying products with "a childlike appearance" on its website.

The French consumer watchdog first raised concerns at the weekend over the description and categorisation of the dolls, saying it left "little doubt as to the child pornography nature of the content."

The company said on Monday that it has permanently banned "all seller accounts linked to illegal or non-compliant sex-doll products" and will tighten controls across its global platform.

Shein also says it has temporarily removed its adult products category as a precaution.

Every listing and image related to the sex dolls has been removed from Shein's platform, the firm said.

The retailer added that it will conduct a thorough review, with plans to set stricter controls on sellers.

"The company has also strengthened its keyword blacklist to further prevent attempted circumvention of product listing restrictions by sellers," said Shein.

The firm's executive chairman Donald Tang said: "The fight against child exploitation is non-negotiable for Shein. These were marketplace listings from third-party sellers - but I take this personally."

"We are tracing the source and will take swift, decisive action against those responsible."

France's Directorate General for Competition, Consumer Affairs and Fraud Control initially raised concerns about the listings on Saturday.

In response, Shein said it had removed the listings for childlike sex dolls as soon as it became aware of the issue and began an investigation over how the products were able to be offered for sales on its platform.

France's finance minister threatened to ban the Singapore-based retailer from the country if it continued to sell the "child-like" dolls - days before the company was due to open its first permanent outlet in Paris.

People were seen protesting outside the BHV department store opposite Paris's city hall, where the Shein outlet is set to open this week.

The brand has previously come under scrutiny over the environmental impact of fast-fashion and the working conditions of the people who make the products sold on the platform.

Peru has announced it is breaking off diplomatic relations with Mexico after its government granted asylum to a former Peruvian prime minister facing charges for a 2022 coup attempt.

Peruvian Foreign Minister Hugo de Zela expressed his "surprise and deep regret" after learning Betssy Chávez was being given refuge at the Mexican embassy in Peru.

"Given this unfriendly act... the Peruvian government has decided to sever diplomatic relations with Mexico today," Zela said.

In response, Mexico's foreign affairs ministry "rejected Peru's unilateral decision as excessive and disproportionate".

Chávez had been imprisoned in June 2023 over her alleged role in ousted Peruvian president Pedro Castillos's plan to dissolve congress. She was released by a judge on bail in September and had denied the charges against her.

Peru also accused Mexico of "repeated instances in which the current and former presidents of that country have interfered in Peru's internal affairs".

"The truth is, they have tried to portray the authors of the coup attempt as victims, when in reality, Peruvians live and want to continue living in democracy, as recognised by all countries in the world, with the sole and lonely exception of Mexico," Zela added.

Prosecutors are seeking a 25-year sentence for Chávez's alleged role in Castillo's plan to dissolve congress.

Castillo was arrested in December 2022 on charges of rebellion, after he attempted to dissolve congress and install an emergency government.

Hours after the attempt, Castillo was impeached. He has been in preventative custody ever since.

Prosecutors are seeking a 34-year jail term for Castillo, who previously said he never took up arms against the state because the military refused his orders.

Peru's decision to sever diplomatic ties with Mexico adds to ongoing tensions between the two governments since Castillo's ousting.

In 2022, Lima expelled Mexico's ambassador following its decision to grant asylum to Castillo's wife and children following his arrest.

A year later, Peru also recalled its ambassador to Mexico after then-president Andrés Manuel López Obrador expressed his support for Castillo, saying he had been "illegally ousted".

A former primary school teacher, farmer and union activist, Castillo was dubbed Peru's "first poor president".

With no previous political experience, he took office as a government outsider, vowing to transform Peru's deteriorating economy and support the poor.

But Castillo's presidency came to an infamous end after his attempt to seize power was declared unconstitutional, with government officials and the country's armed forces refusing to support him.

Casillo's successor, former president Dina Boluarte, was removed from office last month by an overwhelming majority in Peru's congress, after mass protests against political scandals and soaring crime.

Congress leader José Jeri was then sworn in as interim president.

An investigation into allegations that Sheffield Hallam University faced sustained pressure from China to shut down human rights research has been referred to counter-terrorism police.

The BBC and the Guardian newspaper has been reporting that documents show that China had waged a two-year campaign of intimidation and harassment, including demands the university stop sensitive research by one of its professors into claims of forced labour in the Xinjiang region of China.

A South Yorkshire Police spokesperson said the force has referred the investigation on because the "allegations fall under Section 3 of the National Security Act".

Section 3 of the act deals with "assisting a foreign intelligence service".

An offence is committed if someone behaves in a way that "intends that conduct to materially assist a foreign intelligence service in carrying out UK-related activities," or in conduct likely to assist that service.

Internal documents from Sheffield Hallam University were released under a Subject Access Request to Professor Laura Murphy, whose research is alleged to have been targeted.

They showed university staff in China had been threatened by individuals identified as being from China's National Security Service, who demanded the research by Prof Murphy taking place in Sheffield be shut down.

The documents went on to state that "a decision by the university not to publish a final phase of the research on forced labour in China was communicated to the National Security Service... Immediately relations improved and the threat to staff wellbeing appears to be removed".

China is not believed to have an organisation named National Security Service, so it is not clear who the individuals were.

The decision referred to in the documents is alleged to have led to Prof Murphy being told by the university that she could not continue her work on China at the start of this year - then reversing that position after she started legal action for infringement of her academic freedom.

In a statement issued earlier Sheffield Hallam University had apologised to Prof Murphy.

A spokesperson said: "The University's decision to not continue with Professor Laura Murphy's research was taken based on our understanding of a complex set of circumstances at the time, including being unable to secure the necessary professional indemnity insurance."

The insurance for social sciences staff had been suspended by the university's insurers as a Chinese firm had brought a defamation suit against Sheffield Hallam after it was named in a report she produced. That lawsuit is ongoing.

The university spokesperson added: "Following a review, we have since approved Professor Murphy's latest research and are committed to supporting her to undertake and disseminate this important work.

"For the avoidance of doubt, the decision was not based on commercial interests in China.

"Regardless, China is not a significant international student market for the University.

"We have apologised to Professor Murphy and wish to make clear our commitment to supporting her research and to securing and promoting freedom of speech and academic freedom within the law."

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Rare hyena behaviours have been caught on camera, including a mother-to-be trying to steal food from wild dogs and outsmarting rivals by hiding a stolen carcass underwater to mask its scent.

This is just some of the remarkable animal behaviour on display in the new BBC wildlife documentary series, Kingdom, which follows the lives of four rival carnivore families over five years.

​​The scenes include poignant moments as the animals face threats from snare trappings to brutal ambushes and violent territorial battles.

"We could never have written a script like this, only nature could write this script," said executive producer Mike Gunton.

​​Behind the scenes, the Zambia Carnivore Programme works to protect these animals.

​​The team followed four animal families - leopards, hyena, wild dogs and lions - in Zambia's Luangwa Valley, capturing rare moments and revealing the intricate dynamics of life in one of Africa's wildest regions.

Viewers will watch five-day-old lion cubs opening their eyes, alongside dramatic scenes shown in Kingdom for the first time, such as a pack of wild dogs rescuing one of their own from the jaws of a crocodile.

Other wild animals like elephants and baboons also feature in the new series, which is narrated by Sir David Attenborough.

​"Everything about these species has been shaped by millions of years of competition alongside each other," said series producer Felicity Lanchester. "Now…humans are changing that," she added.

Filmmakers and scientific researchers in the region have collaborated behind the scenes as the footage is a valuable source of data, informing conservation strategies.

​​"We got a lot of information that we wouldn't have been able to get otherwise... on topography, diet, movement, births, and deaths,” said Dr Matthew Becker, scientific consultant for the series and CEO of the Zambia Carnivore Programme.

The greatest threat these large carnivores face is habitat loss, while snaring and a declining prey base also play a role. Wire traps, or snares, are often set for antelope - both for food and illegal trade - but many large mammals become victims as by-catch.

These pressures are changing pack sizes, diets and survival strategies, according to Dr Becker. A single incident can have knock-on effects, impacting dozens or even hundreds of animals.

​​In one scene, a wild dog reappears after losing a leg in a snare trap. Despite his injury, his natal pack welcomes him back, ensuring he eats his share and keeps up on hunts.

​​For those not as fortunate, the Zambia Carnivore Programme exists to protect them. The organisation, along with other local groups, removes snares, safeguards dens and provides information for law enforcement on illegal trade in ivory and bushmeat.

Reflecting on the conservation focus of the series, Dr Becker said: "Ultimately, it's a message of optimism in the face of some very concerning trends."

​​Its incorporation in wildlife programmes is now an inevitability, according to the producers.

The external forces acting on these creatures are clear and series like Kingdom can shed light on the need to protect them.

Speaking about conservation, ​​series editor, Simon Blakeney, said: ​​"It’s a challenge, but it's not hopeless."

Kingdom begins on BBC One at 18:20 GMT on Sunday and will be available to watch on BBC iPlayer.

People turn to family and friends for money more often than Buy Now Pay Later loans, a new survey has suggested, and for most of them it was for less than £250.

The survey of more than 4,000 adults commissioned by non-profit Fair4All Finance, shared exclusively with the BBC, found that while 25% of respondents had taken out a Buy Now Pay Later loan, 26% had borrowed from family and 15% from friends this year.

Many relied on friends and relatives because they had been turned down by traditional services like banks - but some of those loans still come with interest.

For 42-year-old Carla McLoughlin, borrowing small sums from her mum is crucial.

The mother-of-three explains that the money is needed "just to tide us over for a week or two until we get paid".

But some people said borrowing from their nearest and dearest had affected those relationships.

Of those who borrowed from family, 9% said it weakened the relationship, and that figure rises to 17% when borrowing from friends, with different expectations of repayment souring relationships.

The dynamics get trickier for many with 16% of people who borrowed from friends and 8% of those that borrowed from family saying they were charged interest.

Val Lucus, Carla's 63-year-old mother, said she's lent to other family members who didn't pay her back.

"You're constantly chasing it up. That can be difficult," she said.

'We do it all the time'

Fair4All Finance was set up 2019 by the government, and campaigns to make financial products available to a wider group of people.

The research was carried out in collaboration with polling firm Ipsos, and included people from England, Scotland and Wales.

It found that younger adults, households with children, and people on zero-hours contracts or in lower-paid work are most likely to borrow from friends and family.

The research also showed that a quarter of all households would not be able to afford a £500 emergency bill without borrowing.

But the flow of cash is not all in one direction for Carla and her mum Val. They live close by in Merseyside, and regularly have to borrow from each other.

"We do it all the time. If I need £50 just to get a few bits to tide me over," Carla said.

"Two weeks later she'll be short so I give that back and if she needs a bit extra I give it to her."

Carla has been turned down for a loan in the past and struggled to get a phone contract, so Val has been happy to help.

Carla has also seen her mum pawn her grandmother's rings in the past.

"I was crying my eyes out, saying mum why didn't you ask me?" she said, adding that she wants to help her mum whenever she can, and has paid for her mum's gas and electricity bills in the past.

The pair said it has not impacted their relationship, and have never charged each other interest, but they have seen it go wrong for others.

"Some people say they'll pay you back but then they don't. Then they're messing it up for themselves," Carla added.

Nowhere else to turn

A lot of people turn to family and friends because they have been turned down by banks, credit cards or Buy Now Pay Later services.

For others it could be a cheaper option to avoid overdraft fees or high-interest short-term loans.

Kate Pender, the boss of Fair4All Finance, said it was important everyone has access to credit for the unexpected moments in life.

"No one should have to risk their closest relationships just to cover essential costs. We urgently need to expand access to safe, affordable credit so people aren't forced into difficult choices," she said.

Of those surveyed, 4% had turned to a loan shark, or unregistered lender within the last 12 months.

That figure could be even higher, as some of those who think they are borrowing from a "friend" may actually have borrowed from a loan shark - a person who is lending to multiple people, charging high interest, and often using intimidation to get repayment.

Dave Benbow head of the England Illegal Money Lending Team, known as Stop Loan Sharks, said about half of all people the organisation supports believed the loan shark was a friend at the time of borrowing.

"All too often we see situations where extra charges are suddenly added, the debt spirals, and borrowers find themselves trapped," he said.

Moneyhelper, an independent website backed by the government, says it's important to think carefully before borrowing from someone in your family or a friend. If you struggle to repay this could put pressure on you and your relationship.

They suggest good forward planning and a written agreement can help whether you're the one doing the borrowing or lending.

Can I lend money safely?

• Be completely honest with yourself about whether you can afford to lend the money if it was never paid back.

• If you feel pressured, or awkward, then say no. There are safe borrowing options, like Credit Unions you could direct a loved one to.

• Keep a written record - an email, text or Whatsapp could be enough - saying how much your lending and when you'd like to be repaid.

• Offer to help in another way - perhaps pay a bill directly for someone in need.

• Encourage the person asking to get help from a debt organisation. Help them get on top of their finances, don't just keep bailing people out.

Natalie Rowntree from North Yorkshire has recently started her IVF journey, and describes the process as "intense".

The 38-year-old has had seven IVF-related appointments in the space of eight weeks, including multiple blood tests, scans and X-rays, one of which left her in physical discomfort for "a good few days".

As is the nature of fertility treatment, all of these appointments have to be done at very specific times of the month - and fitting this around her job at a private opticians has proven difficult.

"I've just been using sick days and holidays to go through these appointments," she says.

Added to this is the emotional toll of having to manage the process, with no entitlement to time off.

Two years ago, Natalie had two miscarriages over a six month period and since then has not been able to conceive with her partner.

"The emotion side is quite difficult, and then trying to manage that around work...do I bite the bullet and explain what's happening? Or keep having sick days and holidays?" she says.

According to research from the social enterprise Fertility Matters at Work, Natalie is one of the around 63% of employees undergoing IVF who are taking sick leave to undergo treatment - with most citing they were doing so to hide their treatment from their employer.

Now there are calls for women undergoing fertility treatments to have the legal right to paid time off to attend their appointments.

Campaigners claim that while some employers offer fertility support, it is unequal and not guaranteed, and should be classed as a medical procedure.

Becoming pregnant through IVF enables the same maternity rights as non-IVF pregnancies, but currently in employment law there are no legal rights when it comes to fertility treatment.

According to new research by Fertility Matters at Work, that comes at a potential cost of millions to the economy and businesses in lost productivity.

Natalie says she has avoided bringing her treatment up with her managers because she is nervous about the reception she might get for taking time off work to go through the process.

"If I was to go to my managers and say I was pregnant, I wouldn't feel nervous at all about that...but with this, because you don't know how long it's going to go on for, you can't give work a timescale."

Employment guidance from the Equality and Human Rights Commission advises "good practice" to employers with workers seeking leave for IVF treatment, but it acknowledges that such requests are not covered by the protected characteristic of pregnancy and maternity in law.

However, refusing to grant someone leave for fertility treatment could count as sex discrimination in certain situations - but campaigners say this is hard to prove.

'Employers could benefit too'

Rebecca Kearns, from Fertility Matters at Work, co-founded the group with two other women after they all experienced their own difficulties undergoing IVF whilst trying to keep afloat in the workplace.

The 39-year-old says providing time off would be a potential benefit of employers, who could save the economy millions in lost productivity.

"What we're finding is, because there's 63% taking sick leave, that is having an impact on businesses, there's a cost for the disruption of this absence."

She also thinks employers need to be more aware of the toll IVF - which she considers a "significant life event" - can take on their employees.

"You often have a number of very short notice appointments you have to attend, it's very dependent on how your body is responding to medication.

"But we also know there's still a huge amount of stigma that surrounds IVF and infertility.

"We receive messages almost daily from people who are struggling with this experience...people taking sick leave to hide treatment, the fact that they're then triggered on absence procedures and potentially having their performance monitored.

"And it was all because they were going through fertility treatment and just felt unable to say that was what they were going through."

She says women have also told them they have left jobs and signed non-disclosure agreements as a result of going through IVF.

The government says that while no specific legal right to time off for IVF treatment exists, it expects employers to treat staff fairly and accommodate reasonable requests.

The government also says it is strengthening flexible working rules which will make it easier for employees to agree arrangements with their workplace for support.

But that isn't enough reassurance for the Labour MP Alice MacDonald, who will be introducing the issue in Parliament via a ten minute rule bill, which proposes to put into law the legal right to time off for fertility appointments.

Whilst it is unlikely the issue becomes law without official government backing, she is seeking to get it "firmly on the government's radar".

"Many people, especially women, are impacted by this when you're trying to have a baby and through no fault of your own, you need that extra medical support, you don't have a right to time off to go to those appointments," she says.

"At a time when you are hoping that it's going to work, hoping it's going to be successful, finally be pregnant and have the baby you've wanted you've got another additional barrier which is with your employer.

"There are many employers who are supportive but you have to hope you've got one that understands and who will give you the time off.

"If it was clearly in law what your rights are we think it opens up that conversation and employers would have to have a policy."

'Striking a balance'

Patrick Milnes from the British Chambers of Commerce says there is a concern amongst businesses about the potential for "over legislation" in anticipation of the Employment Rights Bill in particular, which will seek to ease rules on flexible working.

"Small and medium businesses in particular have been talking to us about how concerned they are about navigating different types of legislative leave," he says.

"Most employers that we speak to are doing this kind of thing anyway as a matter of good practice.

"If you legislate, those processes can become more complicated it can become more burdensome, and actually in many instances it's easier to do these things on a case by case, ad hoc basis.

"There's a middle ground between having nothing at all and having a full legislated process that might be overwhelming in some instances."

But Natalie says legal rights to time off would make a "huge" difference to her.

"If you didn't have to think about, 'what are work going to think about me being off again?' it would take a lot of the stress away.

"I'm at the beginning stages [of IVF] and I'm thinking about what it's going to look like work-wise going forward.

"I don't want this to be a thing forever, for other women that are also going to go through it. I think it's an important thing that needs to be fixed."

A couple who live minutes from Huntingdon Station have described how they sheltered train passengers running away from the knife attack.

One of the six people who knocked on Jan and Les Sears' door had blood on her clothes, while another "was so distraught".

The couple were unaware of the attack on the Doncaster to London King's Cross service on Saturday evening until they found a father and his two children, two friends and a young woman outside their front door.

Mrs Sears said: "We are just everyday people that would help anyone, you can't see someone suffering, someone being frightened, you just help them."

They provided a place of safety until the passengers' relatives arrived to collect them.

Following the attack, Anthony Williams, 32, was arrested and appeared at Peterborough Magistrates' Court charged with 11 counts of attempted murder.

He was also charged with possessing a bladed article and one count of actual bodily harm in connection to an alleged assault on a police officer in custody.

Passengers had been travelling to the capital when the attack happened shortly after the LNER train had passed Peterborough.

Police received the first calls from train passengers about the incident at 19:39 GMT and soon afterwards the train was diverted to Huntingdon, an unscheduled stop on the route.

Emergency services took 10 people to Addenbrooke's Hospital and one person later went to hospital for treatment.

On Saturday evening, the couple said they could hear the doorbell of their flat ringing and Mrs Sears urged her husband to see who was waiting outside.

She said: "Les opened the door and let them in.

"There was six people - a man and his two children and two young girls and a girl on her own - and they were told something had happened on a train and just to run as fast as they could and get as far away as they could."

The couple invited the passengers into their Huntingdon home and offered them something to eat and drink.

Mrs Sears said: "One of the girls had blood on her and she was a bit distressed.

"The dad was very anxious, obviously, he wanted to make sure his children were alright. All he wanted to do was give them a hug."

The couple, however, were unable to see who was outside in the dark and initially thought it might be a prank.

Once he opened the door, Mr Sears said one of the women was unaware she had blood on her clothes and he cleaned it off for her.

He said another of the women was "so distraught" and did not want to be left alone.

Mrs Sears said: "You just don't think, you do it without thinking.

"We were just there at the right time they came here and we had to help them... we didn't do nothing."

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A police force said it was reviewing whether three incidents involving a man carrying a knife were related to a stabbing attack on a train.

Passengers said a man brandishing a knife began stabbing people on the London-bound LNER train after it passed through Peterborough at about 19:30 GMT on Saturday.

Cambridgeshire Police said it was investigating whether there was a connection between the attack and three previous incidents in Peterborough between Friday evening and Saturday morning.

Anthony Williams, 32, of no fixed abode, has been remanded into custody, charged with 10 counts of attempted murder, after multiple people were injured in the incident on the train.

Mr Williams has also been charged with one count of attempted murder in connection with an attack in east London in the early hours of Saturday.

A man was left with facial injuries following the attack at about 00:45 at a station in Silvertown.

At about 19:10 on Friday, a 14-year-old was stabbed by a man with a knife in Peterborough city centre.

Police said the victim was treated at Peterborough City Hospital for minor injuries and later discharged.

Cambridgeshire Police said: "The offender had left the scene when the call was made and despite a search of the area by officers and a police dog, the offender was not identified."

Also on Friday evening, a man was seen with a knife at a barbers' shop in the Fletton area of Peterborough.

Police said the incident took place at 19:25, but was reported to officers two hours later at 21:10, by which time the man had left the shop.

Officers were not sent, the force added.

The same barbers' shop called the police at 09:25 on Saturday to report that a man carrying a knife was at the shop.

Officers arrived at the site within 18 minutes and searched the area, but were unable to locate or identify the man.

In all three cases, a "crime was raised" and investigations launched.

Cambridgeshire Police said: "We are currently reviewing all incidents in the timeframe to understand whether there were any further potential offences.

"British Transport Police retain primacy for the overall investigation, which will include these three incidents."

Cambridgeshire Police referred itself to the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC), as it typical in these cases.

The IOPC, however, said it would not be investigating the incident as "it did not meet the criteria for a valid referral".

Scunthorpe United footballer Jonathan Gjoshe, 22, and Nottingham Forest fan Stephen Crean were travelling on the LNER train from Doncaster to London King's Cross when they were injured during the attack at about 20:00 GMT.

Mr Gjoshe was slashed across the bicep and had been operated on, his club said.

Mr Crean has been hailed a hero after he confronted the train attacker, going face to face with him in the carriage.

He described how he "tussled" with the man, who was shouting at him as he slashed him on the head and hand.

He said he was determined to confront the attacker to give another passenger time to close the door of the buffet car, where other passengers had gathered.

In the House of Commons earlier, Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer praised police, first responders and the "heroic" actions of the driver and the members of staff aboard the train when the "vile and horrific attack" took place.

"There's no doubt that their collective action, their brave action, saved countless lives and I know the whole country is grateful for that," he said.

Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood also paid tribute to the "breathtaking bravery" and "heroic acts of the passengers and train crew who intercepted the attacker".

She told earlier that one member of the train crew "ran towards danger" and confronted the knife-wielding attacker.

His actions stopped the attacker from advancing through the train, she said.

MPs also praised the quick reaction of train driver Andrew Johnson, a former Royal Navy officer.

Mr Johnson contacted the control room to get the train diverted from the fast track to the slow track when the alarm was raised.

It meant it could stop in Huntingdon, which allowed emergency services to quickly access the scene.

Mr Johnson said: "As train drivers, we hold a lot of responsibility. We practise our emergency response and keep up to date with our knowledge of the route, so if needed, we know exactly where to stop and what to do.

"The action I took is the same as any other driver.

"I think my colleagues onboard were the real heroes and I'd like to pay tribute to their bravery."

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Kim Kardashian may be weeks away from finding out if she's passed her law exams, but she says practising divorce law is not in her future.

The 45-year-old, who plays divorce attorney Allura Grant in the Disney+ upcoming legal drama All's Fair, tells the BBC she's "more into criminal justice and reform work" and adds, "I don't think I can ever really do family law".

Kardashian has been studying to become a lawyer for the last six years, undertaking an apprenticeship that negates the need for a university degree.

"It was the wildest idea that I was going to law school - but to me it all makes sense and I hope that I'm forever curious and always want to try new things," she says.

Kardashian, who has four children with ex-husband Kanye West, also runs fashion and shapewear brand SKIMS and appears in the reality series The Kardashians with her family.

Her interest in criminal justice has been documented on her reality TV shows, where she has advocated for prison reform in the US and sentence reduction for first-time offenders.

Not content with her already packed-out schedule, her recent pivot to acting has raised eyebrows - but it hasn't dented Kardashian's ambition.

"I guess I just don't live in those expectation boxes," she says.

She says she "loves taking on constructive criticism" but doesn't understand why people think she "can't do something that you want to do or are curious or want to learn about".

Her first real introduction to acting was her 2023 casting in the 12th season of American Horror Story, in which she appeared as a publicist.

Kardashian received mostly positive critical reviews for her portrayal, which encouraged her to take on more acting roles.

All's Fair reunites the star with American Horror Story showrunner Ryan Murphy, who is also behind hit series such as Glee and Pose.

His latest project, All's Fair, is a legal drama set in the US, which sees Kardashian play a divorce lawyer alongside Sarah Paulson, Naomi Watts, Glenn Close, Niecy Nash and Teyana Taylor.

Kardashian says her priority was to "come in prepared" to set, adding she would spend every day "watching and learning from these women", who she called "the best acting coaches in the world".

She adds that there was a lot of pressure on her, because those behind the show were "taking a chance on working with me".

"The last thing I would want to do is be unprofessional, be late or not know my lines," she says.

'I've experienced it with my family'

All's Fair, which Disney+ says holds the records for their most-watched trailer of all time, is a spectacular dramatisation of the lives of lawyers tasked with navigating divorce for rich and famous female clients.

Kardashian says divorce is "such a relatable topic" after experiencing it "with my family and parents growing up".

Kardashian herself has been divorced three times - most recently to Kanye West in 2022 after eight years of marriage.

Whilst she says the stories of the women in the show "are not based on anything I've been through", she was "definitely inspired" by practising to be a lawyer.

Kardashian's co-star Watts also recognises that, whilst the show might be sensationalised, the story of "women who feel like they're finished, [their lives] are all over, broken and in pieces" at the end of a relationship is one that is familiar for many.

Nash, who stars as a legal investigator in the show, says that divorce is something many "have in common with other women and celebrities" and thinks the show is so appealing due to its relatability, even if it's more dramatic way than real life.

Paulson adds says that although the central theme of the show may be divorce, "conflict and resolution is a beautiful part of the show", which also "tackles big, important and emotional relationships".

'Ryan Murphy's magic'

Much of the talk around the show has been about the strength of the all-female cast, which is filled with some of Hollywood's biggest names.

The cast all echo that it was Ryan Murphy - who has won six Emmy awards, a Tony award and two Grammy awards in his 25-year career in television, film and theatre - that convinced them to sign up.

"He [Murphy] calls and I don't tend to say no to him," Paulson jokes.

Paulson is perhaps one of Murphy's greatest collaborators, having appeared in nine series of American Horror Story between 2011 and 2021.

Kardashian says the cast all went into the project "blindly" but it was great to see Murphy's "magic come to life".

"Ryan was really intentional in that way, he really loves to uplift women and make these female-led casts, which is super empowering. He wrote it that way, he saw it no other way," she adds.

Watts also agrees, noting that the writer and producer "manages to identify spaces that haven't necessarily been visited before".

"He's wonderful at creating stories for women of a certain age and for me that's where I am at in my life.

"These women all get to do these incredible things together - we're such a different group - different ages and everything and we're supporting each other through the story," Watts adds.

Murphy received a five-year developmental deal with Netflix in 2018, which was reportedly worth $300m (£228m).

During that time he made two true crime series for the streaming service - Dahmer- Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story and Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story, plus drama series The Politician.

Murphy now has a new deal with Disney+, which includes All's Fair.

He serves as executive producer on the show alongside Kardashian, Close, Paulson, Watts and Nash.

Kris Jenner, Kardashian's mother and manager, also receives a director credit.

Rare hyena behaviours have been caught on camera, including a mother-to-be trying to steal food from wild dogs and outsmarting rivals by hiding a stolen carcass underwater to mask its scent.

This is just some of the remarkable animal behaviour on display in the new BBC wildlife documentary series, Kingdom, which follows the lives of four rival carnivore families over five years.

​​The scenes include poignant moments as the animals face threats from snare trappings to brutal ambushes and violent territorial battles.

"We could never have written a script like this, only nature could write this script," said executive producer Mike Gunton.

​​Behind the scenes, the Zambia Carnivore Programme works to protect these animals.

​​The team followed four animal families - leopards, hyena, wild dogs and lions - in Zambia's Luangwa Valley, capturing rare moments and revealing the intricate dynamics of life in one of Africa's wildest regions.

Viewers will watch five-day-old lion cubs opening their eyes, alongside dramatic scenes shown in Kingdom for the first time, such as a pack of wild dogs rescuing one of their own from the jaws of a crocodile.

Other wild animals like elephants and baboons also feature in the new series, which is narrated by Sir David Attenborough.

​"Everything about these species has been shaped by millions of years of competition alongside each other," said series producer Felicity Lanchester. "Now…humans are changing that," she added.

Filmmakers and scientific researchers in the region have collaborated behind the scenes as the footage is a valuable source of data, informing conservation strategies.

​​"We got a lot of information that we wouldn't have been able to get otherwise... on topography, diet, movement, births, and deaths,” said Dr Matthew Becker, scientific consultant for the series and CEO of the Zambia Carnivore Programme.

The greatest threat these large carnivores face is habitat loss, while snaring and a declining prey base also play a role. Wire traps, or snares, are often set for antelope - both for food and illegal trade - but many large mammals become victims as by-catch.

These pressures are changing pack sizes, diets and survival strategies, according to Dr Becker. A single incident can have knock-on effects, impacting dozens or even hundreds of animals.

​​In one scene, a wild dog reappears after losing a leg in a snare trap. Despite his injury, his natal pack welcomes him back, ensuring he eats his share and keeps up on hunts.

​​For those not as fortunate, the Zambia Carnivore Programme exists to protect them. The organisation, along with other local groups, removes snares, safeguards dens and provides information for law enforcement on illegal trade in ivory and bushmeat.

Reflecting on the conservation focus of the series, Dr Becker said: "Ultimately, it's a message of optimism in the face of some very concerning trends."

​​Its incorporation in wildlife programmes is now an inevitability, according to the producers.

The external forces acting on these creatures are clear and series like Kingdom can shed light on the need to protect them.

Speaking about conservation, ​​series editor, Simon Blakeney, said: ​​"It’s a challenge, but it's not hopeless."

Kingdom begins on BBC One at 18:20 GMT on Sunday and will be available to watch on BBC iPlayer.

US President Donald Trump has said he would be reluctant to send federal funding to his hometown of New York City if left-wing front-runner Zohran Mamdani is elected mayor of America's biggest city this week.

"It's gonna be hard for me as the president to give a lot of money to New York, because if you have a Communist running New York, all you're doing is wasting the money you're sending there," Trump said in a television interview.

The Trump administration has repeatedly tried to cut federal grants and funding for projects primarily located in Democratic-run areas.

Opinion polls indicate Mamdani is ahead of his main rival, former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, on the eve of Tuesday's vote.

Trump did not elaborate on his remark about funding should Mamdani win. New York City received $7.4bn (£5.7bn) in federal funding this fiscal year.

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In a wide-ranging interview with CBS programme 60 Minutes on Sunday, Trump said that a Mayor Mamdani would make left-wing former New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio "look great".

"I got to see de Blasio, how bad a mayor he was, and this man will do a worse job than de Blasio by far," the president said of Mamdani.

Trump, who grew up in the New York borough of Queens, also effectively endorsed Cuomo, a Democrat, in the interview.

"I'm not a fan of Cuomo one way or the other, but if it's gonna be between a bad Democrat and a Communist, I'm gonna pick the bad Democrat all the time, to be honest with you," the Republican president said.

Mamdani, who would run a world financial hub, is a self-described democratic socialist, though he has rejected accusations he is a communist, joking in one television interview that he was "kind of like a Scandinavian politician", only browner.

Mamdani won the Democratic primary, while Cuomo came second. The 34-year-old state assemblyman has called the former New York governor a puppet and parrot of Trump.

"The answer to a Donald Trump presidency is not to create its mirror image here in City Hall," Mamdani said on Monday.

"It is to create an alternative that can speak to what New Yorkers are so desperate to see in their own city and what they find in themselves and their neighbours every day - a city that believes in the dignity of everyone who calls this place home."

Cuomo has sought to parry that line of attack by presenting himself as the only candidate experienced enough to deal with the Trump administration.

He was governor of New York during the Covid-19 pandemic when many states clashed with the Trump administration, though Cuomo himself came under scrutiny after state investigators found nursing home deaths were significantly understated during the outbreak.

"I fought Donald Trump," Cuomo said during a debate. "When I'm fighting for New York, I am not going to stop."

Trump has deployed National Guard troops to Democratic-led cities as part of a crime crackdown, while seeking to strip funding from jurisdictions that limit their co-operation with federal immigration authorities.

The political head of the body that oversees the European Convention on Human Rights has told the BBC that it is "absolutely ready" to discuss reforms amid pressure from the UK and other countries over migration.

Speaking exclusively to the BBC, Alain Berset, the secretary general of the Council of Europe, predicted that quitting international human rights law would leave the UK "isolated" on the world stage.

He acknowledged human rights laws may need to "change or adapt" and the institutions, whose creation was largely led by the British after World War Two, remained crucial to peace, security and justice.

Berset's words - ahead of the Convention's 75th anniversary - are the most public confirmation that the body could evolve amid mounting debate over its future across the continent. It is also public recognition that it has to talk to the UK about its future - and about potential change.

The council, which is unrelated to the European Union, is the international political body in Strasbourg that oversees and enforces the work of the European Court of Human Rights.

The court rules on how to interpret human rights law in its 46 member states. In the UK, the government and judges must take these rulings into account, but are not bound by judgments that do not closely relate to our circumstances.

Sir Keir Starmer's government has committed to changing how the government interprets the right to privacy and family life so that it can't be used by illegal immigrants to frustrate their removal from the country.

In a speech earlier this year in Strasbourg, Shabana Mahmood, then justice secretary and now home secretary, said the convention itself must evolve to maintain public confidence.

The Conservatives and Reform are calling for the UK to walk away from the treaty, claiming Strasbourg's human rights law is a block on managing borders.

Nine EU nations, led by Denmark and Italy, have also called for major changes - which would need the agreement of all member states.

In a rare interview about the EHRC's relationship with the UK at the council's headquarters in France, Berset told the BBC: "I am ready, absolutely ready, and really open to engage in all political discussions, to see what we need to discuss, maybe to change or to adapt.

"Let us engage on migration issues and to see what we need to address and maybe to change.

"The most important point is to be ready to speak on all issues without taboo... and to see then what could be the possible consensus between member states."

Critics of the ECHR say that the advantage of leaving for the UK would be to take back control over human rights law.

But Berset said: "The opposite is true. What I see is more the risk to be a bit isolated. It would mean to be not participating to all the discussion on migration, to take an influence."

While he said he would not comment on internal politics in the UK, Berset appealed for the debate over the ECHR had to return to "facts".

He denied that it was a friend of terrorists or illegal immigrants, following criticism that the court has increasingly prevented the deportation of illegal immigrants and migrants who commit criminal offences.

He said the UK also had to consider how leaving would effect Northern Ireland's power sharing agreement and the post-Brexit deal with the EU, both of which include a legal commitment to shared human rights principles.

Leaving, he argued, would send a "really negative signal" for Ukraine because of the Council of Europe's central role, supported by the UK, in preparations for tribunals in relation to war crimes.

"Churchill was the father of the Council of Europe, and the convention," said Berset.

"It will be quite difficult and really hard to see this [the UK quitting]. There is no alternative. We need to have some room, places, where we are in discussion together."

He added: "It will be an interesting test for all of us. Are we able to avoid the wars to make sure that in this phase of divergence that we are witnessing right now, are we strong enough to make sure again, that we have convergence, take control of what we want to have as a future collectively?"

Mohamed Hamdan Dagolo, known as "Hemedti", has emerged as a dominant figure on Sudan's political stage, with his paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) now controlling half of the country.

The RSF scored a notable victory recently when it overran the city of el-Fasher, the last garrison held by the Sudanese army and its local allies in the western region of Darfur.

Feared and loathed by his adversaries, Hemedti is admired by his followers for his tenacity, ruthlessness, and his promise to tear down a discredited state.

Hemedti has humble origins. His family is from the Mahariya section of the camel-herding, Arabic-speaking Rizeigat community that spans Chad and Darfur.

He was born in 1974 or 1975 - like many from a rural background, his date and place of birth were not registered.

Led by his uncle Juma Dagolo, his clan moved into Darfur in the 1970s and 80s, fleeing war and seeking greener pastures and were allowed to settle.

After dropping out of school in his early teens, Hemedti earned money trading camels across the desert to Libya and Egypt.

At the time, Darfur was Sudan's wild west - poor, lawless and neglected by the government of then-President Omar al-Bashir.

Arab militiamen known as the Janjaweed - including a force commanded by Juma Dagolo - were attacking the villages of the indigenous Fur ethnic group.

This cycle of violence led to a full-scale rebellion in 2003, in which Fur fighters were joined by Masalit, Zaghawa and other groups, saying they had been ignored by the country's Arab elite.

In response, Bashir massively expanded the Janjaweed to spearhead his counter-insurgency efforts. They quickly won notoriety for burning, looting, raping and killing.

Hemedti's unit was among them, with a report by African Union peacekeepers saying it attacked and destroyed the village of Adwa in November 2004, killing 126 people, including 36 children.

A US investigation determined that the Janjaweed were responsible for genocide.

The Darfur conflict was referred to the International Criminal Court (ICC), which brought charges against four men, including Bashir, who has denied carrying out genocide.

Hemedti was one of the many Janjaweed commanders deemed too junior to be in the prosecutor's sights at that time.

Just one, the Janjaweed "colonel of colonels", Ali Abdel Rahman Kushayb, was brought to court.

Last month he was found guilty on 27 counts of war crimes and crimes against humanity and he will be sentenced on 19 November.

In the years following the height of the violence in 2004, Hemedti played his cards skilfully, rising to become head of a powerful paramilitary force, a corporate empire, and a political machine.

It is a story of opportunism and entrepreneurship. He briefly mutinied, demanding back-pay for his soldiers, promotions and a political position for his brother. Bashir gave him most of what he wanted and Hemedti rejoined the fold.

Later, when other Janjaweed units mutinied, Hemedti led the government forces that defeated them, in the process taking control of Darfur's biggest artisanal gold mine at a place called Jebel Amir.

Rapidly, Hemedti's family company Al-Gunaid became Sudan's largest gold exporter.

In 2013, Hemedti asked - and got - formal status as head of a new paramilitary group, the RSF, reporting directly to Bashir.

The Janjaweed were folded into the RSF, getting new uniforms, vehicles and weapons - and also officers from the regular army who were brought in to help with the upgrade.

The RSF scored an important victory against the Darfur rebels, did less well in fighting an insurgency in the Nuba Mountains adjacent to South Sudan, and took a subcontract to police the border with Libya.

Ostensibly curbing illicit migration from Africa over the desert to the Mediterranean, Hemedti's commanders also excelled in extortion and, reportedly, people-trafficking.

In 2015, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) called on the Sudanese army to send troops to fight against the Houthis in Yemen.

The contingent was commanded by a general who had fought in Darfur, Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, now the head of the army at war with the RSF.

Hemedti saw a chance and negotiated a separate, private deal with both Saudi Arabia and the UAE to provide RSF mercenaries.

The Abu Dhabi connection proved most consequential. It was the beginning of a close relationship with the Emirati president, Mohamed bin Zayed

Young Sudanese men - and increasingly from neighbouring countries too - trekked to the RSF recruiting centres for cash payments of up to $6,000 (£4,500) on signing up.

Hemedti struck a partnership with Russia's Wagner Group, receiving training in return for commercial dealings, including in gold.

He visited Moscow to formalise the deal, and was there on the day that Russia invaded Ukraine. After the war in Sudan broke out, he denied the RSF was getting help from Wagner.

Although the RSF's main combat units were increasingly professionalised, it also encompassed a coalition of irregular old-style ethnic militia.

As the regime faced mounting popular protests, Bashir ordered Hemedti's units to the capital Khartoum.

Punning on his name, the president dubbed him himayti, "my protector", seeing the RSF as a counterweight to potential coup makers in the regular army and national security.

It was a miscalculation. In April 2019, a vibrant camp of civic protesters surrounded the military headquarters demanding democracy.

Bashir ordered the army to open fire on them. The top generals - Hemedti among them - met and decided to depose Bashir instead. The democracy movement celebrated.

For a time, Hemedti was lionised as the fresh face of Sudan's future. Youthful, personable, actively meeting diverse social groups, and positioning himself as the challenger to the country's historic establishment, he tried to change his political colours. That lasted just a few weeks.

As he and the joint head of the ruling military council, Burhan, stalled on handing power to civilians, the protesters stepped up their rallies, and Hemedti unleashed the RSF, which killed hundreds of people, raped women, and threw men into the River Nile with bricks tied to their ankles, according to a report by campaign group Human Rights Watch (HRW).

Hemedti has denied the RSF committed atrocities.

Pressed by the quartet of countries formed to promote peace and democracy in Sudan - the US, UK, Saudi Arabia and the UAE - the generals and the civilians agreed to a compromise drafted by African mediators.

For two years, there was an unstable coexistence of a military-dominated sovereign council and a civilian cabinet.

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As a cabinet-appointed committee investigating the companies owned by the army, security and RSF closed in on its final report - which was set to expose how Hemedti was fast expanding his corporate empire - Burhan and Hemedti dismissed the civilians and took power.

But the coup-masters fell out. Burhan demanded that the RSF come under army command.

Hemedti resisted. Days before a deadline in April 2023 to resolve this issue, RSF units moved to surround the army headquarters and seize key bases and the national palace in the capital, Khartoum.

The putsch failed. Instead, Khartoum became a war zone as the rival forces fought street by street.

Violence exploded in Darfur, with RSF units mounting a vicious campaign against the Masalit people.

The UN estimates as many as 15,000 civilians died, and the US described it as genocide. The RSF denied the allegation.

RSF commanders circulated videos of their fighters torturing and killing, advertising the atrocities and their sense of impunity.

The RSF and its allied militia rampaged across Sudan, pillaging cities, markets, universities, and hospitals.

An avalanche of looted goods are for sale in what are popularly known as "Dagolo markets" reaching beyond Sudan into Chad and other neighbouring countries. The RSF has denied its fighters are involved in looting.

Trapped in the national palace under attack from artillery and airstrikes, Hemedti was badly injured in the early weeks of the conflict and disappeared from public view.

When he reappeared months later he showed no remorse for atrocities and was no less determined to win the war on the battlefield.

The RSF has acquired modern weapons including sophisticated drones, that it has used to strike Burhan's de facto capital, Port Sudan, and which played a crucial role in the assault on el-Fasher.

Investigative reporting by, among others, the New York Times, has documented that these are transported through an airstrip and supply base built by the UAE just inside Chad. The UAE denies that it is arming the RSF.

With this weaponry, the RSF is locked in a strategic stalemate with its former partner, the Sudanese army.

Hemedti is trying to build a political coalition, including some civilian groups and armed movements, most notably his former adversaries in the Nuba Mountains.

He has formed a parallel "Government of Peace and Unity", taking the chairmanship for himself.

With the capture of al-Fasher, the RSF now controls almost all the inhabited territory west of the Nile.

Following escalating reports of mass killings and widespread condemnation, Hemedti declared an investigation into what he called violations committed by his soldiers during the capture of el-Fasher.

Sudanese speculate that Hemedti sees himself either as president of a breakaway state, or still harbours ambitions to rule all of Sudan.

It's also possible that he sees a future as an all-powerful political puppet master, head of a conglomerate that controls businesses, a mercenary army and a political party. By these means, even if he isn't acceptable as Sudan's public face, he can still pull the strings.

And as Hemedti's troops massacre civilians in al-Fasher, he is confident that he enjoys impunity in a world that does not care much.

Alex de Waal is the executive director of the World Peace Foundation at the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University in the US.

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