A prominent Nigerian atheist, who has just been freed after serving more than four years in prison for blasphemy, is now living in a safe house as his legal team fear his life may be in danger.

Mubarak Bala, 40, was convicted in a court in the northern city of Kano after, in a surprise move, he pleaded guilty to 18 charges relating to a controversial Facebook post shared in 2020.

"The concern about my safety is always there," he told the BBC in an exclusive interview as he tucked into his first meal as a free man.

Nigeria is a deeply religious society and those who may be seen as having insulted a religion - whether Islam or Christianity – face being shunned and discriminated against.

Blasphemy is an offence under Islamic law – Sharia - which operates alongside secular law in 12 states in the north. It is also an offence under Nigeria's criminal law.

Bala, who renounced Islam in 2014, said there were times during his incarceration that he felt he "may not get out alive". He feared he could have been targeted by guards or fellow inmates in the first prison he was in, in Kano, which is a mainly Muslim city.

"Freedom is here, but also there is an underlying threat I now have to face," he said. "All those years, those threats, maybe they're out there."

• WATCH: The cost of being an atheist

He could have been inside for much longer if it was not for an appeals court judge who reduced the initial 24-year sentence last year, describing it as "excessive".

Walking out of the prison in the capital, Abuja, Bala looked tired, but cheerful dressed in a white T-shirt, khaki shorts and flip-flops. He emerged with his beaming lawyer by his side.

"Everything is new to me. Everything is new," he said as he took in his new-found liberty.

Bala, an outspoken religious critic, was arrested after a group of lawyers filed a complaint with the police about the social media post.

He then spent two years in prison awaiting trial before being convicted in 2022.

At the time Bala's guilty plea baffled many, even his legal team, but he stands by his decision, saying that it relieved the pressure on those who stood by him, including his lawyers, friends and family.

"I believe what I did saved not only my life, but people in Kano," he said.

"Especially those that were attached to my case, because they are also a target."

His conviction was widely condemned by international rights groups and sparked a debate about freedom of speech in Nigeria.

His detention also sent shockwaves across Nigeria's small atheist and humanist communities, and his release has come as a relief to many, but there are still concerns.

"It's thanks and no thanks," said Leo Igwe, the founder of the Humanist Association of Nigeria.

"Thanks, that he's out, thanks that he's a free man. But no thanks, because there is a dent on him as if he committed a crime. For us at the Humanist Association, he committed no crime."

As for Bala, he is keen to catch up on lost time – including getting to know his young son who was just six weeks old when he was imprisoned. But he said he had no regrets.

"My activism, my posting on social media, I always knew the worst would happen, When I made the decision to come out, I knew I could be killed. I knew the dangers, and I still decided to do it."

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Although Babatunde Fashola, affectionately known as Baba, is 22 years old, he is less than 70cm (2ft 4in) tall.

He has cerebral palsy and requires lifelong care. He can neither speak nor walk and is fed via a tube attached to his stomach.

As a baby, he was abandoned by his parents but 10 years ago, he found a home at the Cerebral Palsy Centre in the Nigerian city of Lagos.

"Baba weighs about 12kg [26lb]. He is doing well," the facility's founder, Nonye Nweke, tells me when I visit.

Ms Nweke and her staff work around the clock to support him and other youngsters living with permanent brain damage.

Although there is a lack of official data, cerebral palsy is believed to be one of the most common neurological disorders in Nigeria. In 2017, a medical professor from the University of Lagos said 700,000 people had the condition.

For many of those living with cerebral palsy in the country, their condition was caused by a common phenomenon among newborns - neonatal jaundice.

This is caused by a build-up of bilirubin, a yellow substance, in the blood, meaning the babies' skins have a yellow tinge.

Professor Chinyere Ezeaka, a paediatrician at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital, tells the BBC that more than 60% of all babies suffer from jaundice.

Most babies recover within days. More severe cases need further medical intervention - and even then the condition is easily treatable.

Children are basically exposed to ultra-violet light to dissolve the excess bilirubin in their red blood cells. The treatment lasts a few days depending on the severity.

However, in Nigeria this treatment is often not immediately available, which is why the country is among the five with the most neurological disorders caused by untreated jaundice in the world, according to data from the World Health Organization (WHO).

Any treatment for neonatal jaundice "must occur within the first 10 days of life, else [the condition] could cause permanent brain damage and severe cerebral palsy", says Prof Ezeaka.

To make matters worse, the West African country lacks facilities to care for those with neurological disorders. There are just three cerebral palsy centres, all privately run, in Nigeria, which has a population of more than 200 million.

Ms Nweke - a single mother - set up the Cerebral Palsy Centre after struggling to find support for her own daughter, Zimuzo.

"When I took her to a day-care [centre], they asked me to take her back because other mothers would withdraw their children. As a mum, I must say it was quite devastating," Ms Nweke tells the BBC.

Zimuzo is now 17, and Ms Nweke's Cerebral Palsy Centre provides full-time support for others with similar experiences.

On the day I visit, colourful playtime mats and toys are neatly arranged on the floor. Mickey Mouse and his friends converse on a wide-screen television in the lounge.

Twelve youngsters, some as young as five, gaze at the TV, their bright environment ignored for a moment. They are all immobile and non-speaking.

At lunchtime, caregivers help the youngsters eat. Some take in liquified food through tubes attached to their stomachs.

Carefully and slowly, the carers support their heads with pillows and push the contents of their syringes into the tubes.

The youngsters are fed every two hours and require regular muscular massages to prevent stiffness.

But they are the lucky 12 receiving free care from the Cerebral Palsy Centre, which is funded exclusively by donors.

The facility has a long waiting list - Ms Nweke has received more than 100 applications.

But taking on more youngsters would require extra financial support. The cost of caring for someone at the centre is at least $1,000 (£790) a month - a huge amount in a country where the national minimum wage is about $540 a year.

"As a mum, I must say it's quite overwhelming. You have moments of depression, it gives you heartaches and it is quite expensive - in fact it's the most expensive congenital disorder to manage," Ms Nweke says.

"And then of course, it keeps you away from people because you don't discuss the same things. They are talking of their babies, walking, enjoying those baby moments. You are not doing that. You are sad," she adds.

Ms Nweke explains that she adopted Zimuzo from an orphanage.

A few months after taking her new daughter home, Ms Nweke realised Zimuzo was not developing in the same way as the children around her were. She was assessed at a hospital and diagnosed with cerebral palsy.

Ms Nweke was told she could take Zimuzo, who was then just a few months old, back to the orphanage and adopt another baby instead, but she refused.

"I decided to keep her and I began researching what the disorder was about, the treatment and type of care my child would need - she's my life.

"I was also told by the doctors she won't live beyond two years. Well here we are - 17 years later," says a smiling Ms Nweke.

A lack of awareness and adequate medical support hinders the diagnosis and treatment of neonatal jaundice in Nigeria.

Ms Nweke also says the common local belief that children with congenital disorders are spiritually damaged or bewitched leads to stigmatisation.

Some children with neurological disorders - mostly in Nigeria's rural areas - are labelled witches. In some cases, they are abandoned in prayer houses or cast out of their families.

Ms Nweke is not alone in her mission to dispel myths and improve care.

The Oscar Project - a charity aimed at improving the diagnosis and treatment of neonatal jaundice - recently began operating in Lagos.

The project is named after Vietnamese-born British disability advocate, Oscar Anderson, whose untreated jaundice caused his cerebral palsy.

"We're equipping health facilities at the primary, secondary and tertiary levels with the equipment to treat jaundice, primarily light boxes, but also detection and screening equipment," Toyin Saraki, who oversaw the launch, tells the BBC.

Project Oscar, backed by consumer health firm Reckitt, is training 300 health workers in Lagos. The hope over the first year is to reach 10,000 mothers, screen 9,000 children and introduce new protocols to try and prevent babies with jaundice from developing cerebral palsy.

In a country where the public health system is overstretched, the government has little to say about the disorder, although it lauded the Oscar project's goals.

Treatment for neonatal jaundice is significantly cheaper than the cost of lifelong care, doctors say.

First launched in Vietnam in 2019, Project Oscar has helped about 150,000 children in the Asian country.

Mr Anderson, 22, says he wants to prevent other children experiencing what he has been through.

"People with disabilities are not to be underestimated," he tells the BBC.

He is working to ensure screening for every newborn infant for neonatal jaundice, and, with the support and courage of mums, midwives and medical professionals, ensure there is better understanding and quicker treatment.

However, achieving this is a hugely ambitious goal in Africa's most-populous country, where thousands of babies are born each year with neonatal jaundice.

Regardless, Mr Anderson is determined to defy the odds.

"The work doesn't stop until every baby is protected against neonatal jaundice," he says.

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At least 32 people have been confirmed dead after a major earthquake struck China's mountainous Tibet region on Tuesday morning, Chinese state media reported.

The earthquake that hit Tibet's holy Shigatse city around 09:00 local time (01:00 GMT) had a magnitude of 7.1 and a depth of 10 kilometres (six miles), according to data from the US Geological Survey, which also showed a series of aftershocks in the area.

Tremors were also felt in neighbouring Nepal and parts of India.

Earthquakes are common in the region, which lies on a major geological fault line.

Shigatse is considered one of the holiest cities of Tibet. It is the traditional seat of the Panchen Lama, a key figure of Tibetan Buddhism whose spiritual authority is second only to the Dalai Lama.

Chinese state media reported the earthquake as having a slightly lesser magnitude of 6.8, causing "obvious" tremors and leading to the collapse of many houses.

Social media posts show collapsing buildings and there have been several strong aftershocks.

"After a major earthquake, there is always a gradual attenuation process," Jiang Haikun, a researcher at the China Earthquake Networks Center, told CCTV.

While another earthquake of around magnitude 5 may still occur, Jiang said, "the likelihood of a larger earthquake is low".

The Chinese air force has launched rescue efforts and drones to the affected area, which sits at the foot of Mount Everest and where temperatures are well below freezing.

Both power and water in the region have been cut off.

While tremors were felt in Nepal, no damage or casualties were reported, a local official in Nepal's Namche region, near Everest, told AFP.

Tibet's earthquake bureau told the BBC on Tuesday that they were unable to provide estimates on casualties as they were still verifying the numbers.

The region, which lies on a major fault line where the Indian and Eurasian tectonic plates collided, is home to frequent seismic activity. In 2015, a 7.8 magnitude earthquake near Kathmandu, the capital of Nepal, killed nearly 9,000 people and injured over 20,000.

Immigration has long been a polarising issue in the West but Canada mostly avoided it - until now. With protests and campaign groups springing up in certain quarters, some argue that this - together with housing shortages and rising rents - contributed to Justin Trudeau's resignation. But could Donald Trump's arrival inflame it further?

At first glance, the single bedroom for rent in Brampton, Ontario looks like a bargain. True, there's barely any floor space, but the asking price is only C$550 (£300) a month in a Toronto suburb where the average monthly rent for a one-bedroom flat is C$2,261. Inspect it more closely, however, and this is actually a small bathroom converted into sleeping quarters. A mattress is jammed up next to the sink, the toilet is nearby.

The ad, originally posted on Facebook Marketplace, has generated hundreds of comments online. "Disgusting," wrote one Reddit user. "Hey 20-somethings, you're looking at your future," says another.

But there are other listings like it - one room for rent, also in Brampton, shows a bed squashed near a staircase in what appears to be a laundry area. Another rental in Scarborough, a district in Ontario, offers a double bed in the corner of a kitchen.

While Canada might have a lot of space, there aren't enough homes and in the past three years, rents across the country have increased by almost 20%, according to property consultancy Urbanation.

In all, some 2.4 million Canadian families are crammed into homes that are too small, in urgent need of major repairs or are seriously unaffordable, a government watchdog report released in December has suggested.

This accommodation shortage has come to a head at the same time that inflation is hitting Canadians hard - and these issues have, in turn, moved another issue high up the agenda in the country: immigration.

For the first time a majority of Canadians, who have long been welcoming to newcomers, are questioning how their cities can manage.

Politics in other Western countries has long been wrapped up in polarised debates surrounding immigration but until recently Canada had mostly avoided that issue, perhaps because of its geography. Now, however, there appears to be a profound shift in attitude.

In 2022, 27% of Canadians said there were too many immigrants coming into the country, according to a survey by data and research firm Environics. By 2024, that number had increased to 58%.

Campaign groups have sprung up too and there have been marches protesting against immigration in Ottawa, Vancouver and Calgary, and elsewhere around the country.

"I would say it was very much taboo, like no one would really talk about it," explains Peter Kratzar, a software engineer and the founder of Cost of Living Canada, a protest group that was formed in 2024. "[But] things have really unfrozen."

Stories like that of the bathroom for rent in Brampton have fuelled this, he suggests: "People might say, like, this is all anecdotal evidence. But the evidence keeps popping up. You see it over and over again."

"People became concerned about how the immigration system was being managed," adds Keith Neuman, executive director at Environics. "And we believe it's the first time the public really thought about the management of the system."

• Who might replace Trudeau as Liberal Party leader?
• Why the Trudeau era has come to an end now
• What happens next for Canada?

Once the golden boy of Canadian politics, prime minister Justin Trudeau, resigned on 6 January during a crucial election year, amid this widespread discontent over immigration levels.

His approval levels before his resignation were just 22% - a far cry from the first year of his premiership, when 65% of voters said they approved of him.

Though immigration is not the main reason for his low approval levels nor his resignation - he cited "having to fight internal battles" - he was accused of acting too late when dealing with rising anxiety over inflation and housing that many blamed, in part, on immigration.

"While immigration may not have been the immediate cause of the resignation, it may have been the icing on the cake," says Professor Jonathan Rose, head of the department of political studies at Queen's University in Kingston, Ontario.

Under Trudeau's administration, the Canadian government deliberately chose to radically boost the numbers of people coming to the country after the pandemic, believing that boosting quotas for foreign students and temporary workers, in addition to skilled immigrants, would jumpstart the economy.

The population, which was 35 million 10 years ago, now tops 40 million.

Immigration was responsible for the vast majority of that increase - figures from Canada's national statistics agency show that in 2024, more than 90% of population growth came from immigration.

As well as overall migration levels, the number of refugees has risen too. In 2013, there were 10,365 refugee applicants in Canada - by 2023, that number had increased to 143,770.

Voter dissatisfaction with immigration was "more a symptom than a cause" of Trudeau's downfall, argues Prof Rose. "It reflects his perceived inability to read the room in terms of public opinion."

It's unclear who might replace Trudeau from within his own Liberal Party but ahead of the forthcoming election, polls currently favour the Conservative Party, whose leader Pierre Poilievre advocates keeping the number of new arrivals below the number of new homes being built.

Since Donald Trump won the US presidential election in November, Poilievre "has been speaking much more about immigration", claims Prof Rose - "so much that it has become primed in the minds of voters".

Certainly Trump's arrival for a second term is set to pour oil on an already inflamed issue in Canada, regardless of who the new prime minister is.

He won the US election in part on a pledge to carry out mass deportations of undocumented migrants - and since his victory, he has said that he will enlist the military and declare a national emergency to follow through on his promise.

He also announced plans to employ 25% tariffs on Canadian goods unless border security is tightened.

Drones, cameras and policing the border

Canada and the US share the world's longest undefended border. Stretching almost 9,000km (5,592 miles), much of it crosses heavily forested wilderness and is demarcated by "The Slash," a six-metre wide land clearing.

Unlike America's southern border, there are no walls. This has long been a point of pride between Ottawa and Washington - a sign of their close ties.

After Trump first entered office in 2017, the number of asylum claims skyrocketed, with thousands walking across the border to Canada. The number of claims went from just under 24,000 in 2016 to 55,000 a year by 2018, according to the Canadian government. Almost all crossed from New York state into the Canadian province of Quebec.

In 2023, Canada and the US agreed to a tightened border deal that stopped most migrants from crossing the land border from one country to another. Under the agreement, migrants that come into contact with the authorities within 14 days of crossing any part of the border into either the US or Canada must return to whichever country they entered first — in order to declare asylum there.

The deal, reworked by Trudeau and Joe Biden, is based on the idea that both the US and Canada are safe countries for asylum seekers.

This time around, Canada's national police force – the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) – says it began preparing a contingency plan for increased migrant crossings at the border well ahead of Trump being sworn in.

This includes a raft of new technology, from drones and night vision goggles, to surveillance cameras hidden in the forest.

"Worst-case scenario would be people crossing in large numbers everywhere on the territory," RCMP spokesperson Charles Poirier warned in November. "Let's say we had 100 people per day entering across the border, then it's going to be hard because our officers will basically have to cover huge distances in order to arrest everyone."

Now, the national government has committed a further C$1.3bn (£555m) to its border security plan.

'We want our future back!'

Not everyone blames the housing crisis on the recent rise in immigration. It was "30 years in the making" because politicians have failed to build affordable units, argues Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow.

Certainly the country has a long history of welcoming newcomers. "Close to 50% of the population of Canada is first or second generation," explains Mr Neuman. "That means either they came from another country, or one or both of their parents came from another country. In Toronto, Vancouver, that's over 80%."

This makes Canada "a very different place than a place that has a homogeneous population," he argues.

He has been involved in a survey examining attitudes towards newcomers for 40 years. "If you ask Canadians: what's the most important or distinctive thing about Canada, or what makes the country unique? The number one response is 'multiculturalism' or 'diversity'," he says.

Nonetheless, he says the shift in public opinion - and the rise in concerns about immigration - has been "dramatic".

"Now there is not only broader public concern, but much more open discussion," he says. "There are more questions being asked about how is the system working? How come it isn't working?"

At one of the protests in Toronto, a crowd turned out with hand-painted signs, some proclaiming: "We want our future back!" and "End Mass Immigration".

"We do need to put a moratorium on immigration," argues Mr Kratzar, whose group has taken part in some of them. "We need to delay that so wages can catch up on the cost of rents."

Accusations against newcomers are spreading on social media too. Last summer, Natasha White, who describes herself as a resident of Wasaga Beach in Ontario, claimed on TikTok that some newcomers had been digging holes on the beach and defecating in them.

The post generated hundreds of thousands of views and a torrent of anti-foreigner hatred, with many arguing that newcomers should "go home".

Tent cities and full homeless shelters

People I interviewed who work closely with asylum seekers in Canada say that the heightened concerns around the need for more border security is making asylum seekers feel unsettled and afraid.

Abdulla Daoud, executive director at the Refugee Center in Montreal, believes that the vulnerable asylum seekers he works with feel singled out by the focus on migrant numbers since the US election. "They're definitely more anxious," he says. "I think they're coming in and they're feeling, 'Okay, am I going to be welcomed here? Am I in the right place or not?'"

Those hoping to stay in Canada as refugees can't access official immigration settlement services until it has been decided they truly need asylum. This process once took two weeks but it can now take as long as three years.

Tent cities to house newly-arrived refugees and food banks with empty shelves have sprung up in Toronto. The city's homeless shelters are often reported to be full. Last winter, two refugee applicants froze to death after sleeping on Toronto's streets.

Toronto mayor Olivia Chow, an immigrant herself having moved to Canada from Hong Kong at age 13, says: "People are seeing that, even with working two jobs or three jobs, they can't have enough money to pay the rent and feed the kids.

"I understand the hardship of having a life that is not affordable, and the fear of being evicted, absolutely, I get it. But to blame that on the immigration system is unfair."

Trudeau: 'We didn't get the balance quite right'

With frustrations growing, Trudeau announced a major change in October: a 20% reduction in immigration targets over three years. "As we emerged from the pandemic, between addressing labour needs and maintaining population growth, we didn't get the balance quite right," he conceded.

He added that he wanted to give all levels of government time to catch up – to accommodate more people. But, given that he has since resigned, is it enough? And does the Trump presidency and the increasing anti-immigrant sentiment on that side of the border risk spilling further into Canada?

Mr Daoud has his own view. "Unfortunately, I think the Trump presidency had its impact on Canadian politics," he says. "I think a lot of politicians are using this as a way to fear-monger."

Others are less convinced that it will have much of an impact. "Canadians are better than that," says Olivia Chow. "We remember that successive waves of refugees helped create Toronto and Canada."

Politicians wading into the debate around population growth ahead of the next election will be conscious of the fact that half of Canadians are first and second-generation immigrants themselves. "If the Conservatives win the next election, we can expect a reduction in immigration," says Prof Jonathan Rose. But he adds that Poilievre will have to walk "a bit of fine line".

Prof Rose says: "Since immigrant-heavy ridings [constituencies] in Toronto and Vancouver will be important to any electoral victory, he can't be seen as anti-immigration, merely recalibrating it to suit economic and housing policy."

And there are a large number of Canadians, including business leaders and academics, who believe that the country must continue to pursue an assertive growth policy to combat Canada's falling birth rate.

"I really have high hopes for Canadians," adds Lisa Lalande of the Century Initiative, which advocates for policies that would see Canada's population increase to 100 million by 2100. "I actually think we will rise above where we are now.

"I think we're just really concerned about affordability [and] cost of living - not about immigrants themselves. We recognise they're too important to our culture."

Top picture credit: Getty Images

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US President-elect Donald Trump has threatened "very-high" tariffs on Denmark if it resists his effort to take control of Greenland, an autonomous Danish territory.

Asked on Tuesday if he would rule out using military or economic force in order to take control of the strategically-important island, he said: "No, I can't assure you on either of those two."

"I can say this, we need them for economic security," he said.

Trump's remarks came as his son, Donald Trump Jr, visited Greenland on the same day.

Before arriving in the capital Nuuk, Trump Jr said he was going on a "personal day-trip" to talk to people, and had no meetings planned with government officials.

When asked about Trump Jr's visit to Greenland, Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen told Danish TV that "Greenland belongs to the Greenlanders" and that only the local population could determine their future.

She agreed that "Greenland is not for sale", but stressed Denmark needed very close co-operation with the US, a close Nato ally.

This is a developing story. More updates to follow.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has hit back at Donald Trump's threat to use "economic force" to absorb Canada into the US saying there isn't "a snowball's chance in hell" to join the two.

On Tuesday, President-elect Trump reiterated his threat to bring in a 25% tariff on Canadian goods unless the country took steps to increase security on the shared US border.

Trump has in recent weeks repeatedly needled Canada about it becoming the 51st US state.

"You get rid of that artificially drawn line, and you take a look at what that looks like, and it would also be much better for national security," Trump said.

"Canada and the United States, that would really be something," he said at a press conference at his Florida residence of Mar-a Lago.

The ongoing tariff threat comes at a politically challenging time for Canada.

On Monday, an embattled Trudeau announced he was resigning, though he will stay on as prime minister until the governing Liberals elect a new leader, expected sometime by late March.

Canada's parliament has been prorogued - or suspended - until 24 March to allow time for the leadership race.

Economists warn that if Trump follows through on imposing the tariffs after he is inaugurated on 20 January, it would significantly hurt Canada's economy.

Almost C$3.6bn ($2.5bn) worth of goods and services crossed the border daily in 2023, according to Canadian government figures.

The Trudeau government has said it is considering imposing counter-tariffs if Trump follows through on the threat.

The prime minister also said on X that: "Workers and communities in both our countries benefit from being each other's biggest trading and security partner."

On Tuesday, Trump reiterated his concerns he has expressed about drugs crossing the borders of Mexico and Canada into the US.

Like Canada, Mexico faces a 25% tariff threat.

The amount of fentanyl seized at the US-Canada border is significantly lower than at the southern border, according to US data.

Canada has promised to implement a set of sweeping new security measures along the border, including strengthened surveillance and adding a joint "strike force" to target transnational organised crime.

Trump said on Tuesday he was not considering using military force to make Canada part of the United States, but raised concerns about its neighbour's military spending.

"They have a very small military. They rely on our military. It's all fine, but, you know, they got to pay for that. It's very unfair," he said.

Canada has been under pressure to increase its military spending as it continues to fall short of the target set out for Nato members.

Its defence budget currently stands at C$27bn ($19.8bn, £15.5bn), though the Trudeau government has promised that it will boost spending to almost C$50bn by 2030.

On Monday, Doug Ford, the leader of Canada's most populous province Ontario, said Trudeau must spend his remaining weeks in office working with the provinces to address Trump's threat.

"The premiers are leading the country right now," he said.

• What happens next for Canada?
• When will Donald Trump take office as US president?

Ontario has a deep reliance on trade with the US. The province is at the heart of the highly integrated auto industry in Canada, and trade between Ontario and the US totalled more than C$493bn ($350bn) in 2023.

"My message is let's work together, let's build a stronger trade relationship - not weaken it," he said.

The premier warned "we will retaliate hard" if the Trump administration follows through, and highlighted the close economic ties between the two nations, including on energy.

The US relies "on Ontario for their electricity. We keep the lights on to a million and a half homes and businesses in the US", he said.

At a press conference early this week, Ford also pushed back on Trump's 51st state comments.

"I'll make him a counter-offer. How about if we buy Alaska and we throw in Minneapolis and Minnesota at the same time?" Ford said.

Few European leaders have felt the lash of Elon Musk's social media outbursts more than Germany's Chancellor Olaf Scholz.

The tech-billionaire owner of X has called him an "incompetent fool" and urged him to resign. On Thursday Musk will use his platform to host Alice Weidel, the head of Germany's far-right, anti-immigrant AfD for a lengthy chat.

For many German politicians it smacks of political interference, with the AfD running second in the polls ahead of federal elections on 23 February.

"You have to stay cool," says Scholz. "Don't feed the troll."

Although some of Europe's leaders, notably Italy's Giorgia Meloni, have found favour with Musk, others are finding it hard to ignore him, as he ventures into their domestic politics ahead of a new role an adviser to the incoming US President Donald Trump.

In the space of 24 hours, four European governments have objected to Musk's posts.

France's Emmanuel Macron was among the first to expressed incredulity on Monday.

"Ten years ago, who would have believed it, if we had been told that the owner of one of the biggest social networks in the world would support a new, international reactionary movement and intervene directly in elections, including in Germany?" he said.

Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store weighed in, too, saying he found it "worrying that a man with considerable access to social networks and significant economic resources is so directly involved in the internal affairs of other countries".

Spain's government spokeswoman, Pilar Alegría, said digital platforms such as X should act with "absolute neutrality and above all without any kind of interference".

Musk has highlighted crime statistics in Norway and Spain, and blamed a deadly Christmas market attack in Germany on "mass unchecked immigration".

In the past few days, Musk has written numerous posts attacking the UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer and his administration over grooming gangs and child sexual exploitation.

"Those who are spreading lies and misinformation as far and as wide as possible are not interested in victims, they're interested in themselves," said the UK prime minister, without mentioning Musk personally.

Two notable exceptions in Europe are Italy and Hungary.

Italy's Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has cultivated close ties with Elon Musk and calls him a "genius" and an "extraordinary innovator".

And Hungary's Viktor Orban, who met Musk while visiting Trump at Mar-a-Lago last month, shares Musk's dislike of Hungarian-born liberal philanthropist George Soros.

But it is the tech-billionaire's intervention in German politics that is most contentious, because of imminent elections.

He has spoken out several times in favour of the AfD in recent weeks, and wrote a highly controversial article for Welt am Sonntag in which he called the AfD the "last spark of hope" for Germany.

Musk justified his intervention at the time because of his company Tesla's financial investment in Germany. He said portraying the AfD as right-wing, extremist was "clearly false", because Alice Weidel had a same-sex partner from Sri Lanka.

German security services have labelled the AfD either as right-wing extremist or suspected extremist and the courts have ruled it pursues goals against democracy.

While Olaf Scholz has sought to stay calm, the Greens' candidate for chancellor, Robert Habeck, was more blunt: "Hands off our democracy, Mr Musk."

Liberal FDP leader Christian Lindner has suggested that Musk's aim might perhaps be to weaken Germany in the US interest, "by recommending voting for a party that would harm us economically and isolate us politically".

The former head of the European Commission's digital agenda, Thierry Breton, took to X last weekend to warn Alice Weidel, the AfD's candidate for chancellor, that Thursday's live chat with Musk would give her "a significant and valuable advantage over your competitors".

The European Commission has said there is nothing in the EU's Digital Services rules that bans a live stream, or anyone expressing personal views.

However, a spokesman warned that platform owners should not provide "preferential treatment". Musk's X is already under investigation and the EU says the live stream will come under that inquiry.

While Musk has been outspoken on German politics, he has also been extending his business interests in Italy.

Giorgia Meloni had just been on a whirlwind trip to have dinner with Donald Trump at Mar-a-Lago when reports emerged that Italy was in talks with Musk's SpaceX to sign a $1.6bn (£1.3bn) deal, under which Starlink satellites would provide encrypted internet and telecommunications services for the Italian government.

The deal does not yet appear to have been concluded and Rome has swiftly denied any contracts have been signed.

Musk said on Monday that he was "ready to provide Italy [with] the most secure and advanced connectivity" – without confirming a deal had been reached.

But the suggestion that Starlink could be entrusted with safeguarding the Italian government's communications was enough to cause alarm among some opposition politicians in Rome.

"Handing over such a delicate service to Musk while he is sponsoring the European far right, spreading fake news and meddling in the internal politics of European countries cannot be an option," said centrist leader Carlo Calenda.

US President-elect Donald Trump has threatened "very-high" tariffs on Denmark if it resists his effort to take control of Greenland, an autonomous Danish territory.

Asked on Tuesday if he would rule out using military or economic force in order to take control of the strategically-important island, he said: "No, I can't assure you on either of those two."

"I can say this, we need them for economic security," he said.

Trump's remarks came as his son, Donald Trump Jr, visited Greenland on the same day.

Before arriving in the capital Nuuk, Trump Jr said he was going on a "personal day-trip" to talk to people, and had no meetings planned with government officials.

When asked about Trump Jr's visit to Greenland, Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen told Danish TV that "Greenland belongs to the Greenlanders" and that only the local population could determine their future.

She agreed that "Greenland is not for sale", but stressed Denmark needed very close co-operation with the US, a close Nato ally.

This is a developing story. More updates to follow.

Port authorities in Ivory Coast have dismissed safety fears about a moored boat loaded with 20,000 tonnes of ammonium nitrate, which is the same compound that caused a catastrophic blast in Lebanon four years ago.

Ammonium nitrate is commonly used as an agricultural fertiliser, but is also potentially explosive.

Its presence in the waters off the busy city of Abidjan - home to more than six million people - has caused alarm among some residents.

Part of this same cargo, which began its journey in Russia, ended up being dumped off the coast of England last year after it became contaminated by fuel oil following a rough sea voyage.

A local MP in the county of Norfolk said that dump was "environmental terrorism".

The remaining ammonium nitrate was then transferred to another ship - called the Zimrida - which reached Ivory Coast eight days ago.

"Following allegations of damage to the cargo transported and as a precaution to protect the population and property," the vessel will remain in the outer harbour, say port authorities.

Ivorian officials insist that what is now left on board the Zimrida has been subject to the most stringent safety checks.

Wary locals still remember the impact of the unloading of toxic waste at the port of Abidjan nearly two decades ago.

Seeking to reassure the local population, officials invited the BBC and other journalists on board the Zimrida on Tuesday to see the cargo.

Once inside the vast vessel and with all five of its holds opened up, hundreds of round, white bags containing the chemical are visible.

The main indicator of its deadly potential is a fire truck parked outside on the quay.

But when asked by the BBC why the goods still had not been unloaded, despite passing checks, port spokesman Aboubakar Toto said they were simply following protocol and waiting for the order to proceed.

In a statement to the BBC, Paris-based environmental NGO Robin des Bois said it was dangerous for Abidjan port to be used as a "storage site" and that the goods should be sent onward to their buyer without delay.

Ivorian authorities meanwhile say that ammonium nitrate deliveries are commonplace and that more than 40,000 tonnes of the compound were unloaded at the same port in 2024 without incident.

Of the shipment waiting currently on the Zimrida, 7,600 tonnes of ammonium nitrate fertiliser is destined for use in Ivory Coast.

Once the Zimrida eventually leaves Ivory Coast, it will deliver the remainder of the cargo to Luanda in Angola and and Dar es Salaam in Tanzania.

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

US President-elect Donald Trump has threatened "very-high" tariffs on Denmark if it resists his effort to take control of Greenland, an autonomous Danish territory.

Asked on Tuesday if he would rule out using military or economic force in order to take control of the strategically-important island, he said: "No, I can't assure you on either of those two."

"I can say this, we need them for economic security," he said.

Trump's remarks came as his son, Donald Trump Jr, visited Greenland on the same day.

Before arriving in the capital Nuuk, Trump Jr said he was going on a "personal day-trip" to talk to people, and had no meetings planned with government officials.

When asked about Trump Jr's visit to Greenland, Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen told Danish TV that "Greenland belongs to the Greenlanders" and that only the local population could determine their future.

She agreed that "Greenland is not for sale", but stressed Denmark needed very close co-operation with the US, a close Nato ally.

This is a developing story. More updates to follow.

'He is 37 - you have to be reasonable'

'Chasing records is motivation enough'

Murray addition 'will create some inspiration'

Meta is abandoning the use of third party fact-checking on Facebook and Instagram in the US and will replace it with X-style "community notes", where commenting on the accuracy of posts is left to users.

In a video posted alongside a blog post by the company on Tuesday, chief executive Mark Zuckerberg said "it's time to get back to our roots around free expression".

Joel Kaplan, who is replacing Sir Nick Clegg as Meta's head of global affairs, wrote that the company's reliance on independent moderators was "well-intentioned" but had gone too far.

"Too much harmless content gets censored" he wrote, adding Meta was "too often getting in the way of the free expression we set out to enable."

The move to a community notes system will be phased in over the coming months in the US.

The system - which Meta says it has seen "work on X" - sees people of different viewpoints agree on notes which add context or clarifications to controversial posts.

The company's blog post said it would also "undo the mission creep" of rules and policies - highlighting removal of restrictions on subjects including "immigration, gender and gender identity" - saying these have stemmed political discussion and debate.

"We're getting rid of a number of restrictions on topics like immigration, gender identity and gender that are the subject of frequent political discourse and debate," it says.

"It's not right that things can be said on TV or the floor of Congress, but not on our platforms".

The changes come as technology firms and their executives prepare for President-elect Donald Trump's inauguration on 20 January.

Trump has previously been a vocal critic of Meta and its approach to content moderation.

He called Facebook "an enemy of the people" in March 2024.

But relations between the two men have since improved - Mr Zuckerberg dined at Trump's Florida estate in Mar-a-Lago in November.

"The recent elections also feel like a cultural tipping point towards, once again, prioritising free speech," said Mr Zuckerberg in Tuesday's video.

Mr Kaplan replacing Sir Nick Clegg - a former Liberal Democrat deputy prime minister - as the company's president of global affairs has also been interpreted by many analysts as a signal of the firm's shifting approach to moderation and its changing political priorities.

In a statement announcing he would step down on 2 January, Sir Nick said his successor was "quite clearly the right person for the right job at the right time".

At least 901 people were reportedly executed in Iran last year, including about 40 in a single week in December, according to the UN human rights chief.

"It is deeply disturbing that yet again we see an increase in the number of people subjected to the death penalty in Iran year-on-year," Volker Türk said. "It is high time Iran stemmed this ever-swelling tide of executions."

The total is the highest recorded in nine years and marks a 6% increase from 2023, when 853 people were executed.

Most of the executions were for drug-related offences, but dissidents and people connected to the 2022 protests were also executed, according to the UN. There was also a rise in the number of women executed.

Türk urged Iranian authorities to halt all further executions and to place a moratorium on the use of the death penalty with a view to ultimately abolishing it.

"The death penalty is incompatible with the fundamental right to life and raises the unacceptable risk of executing innocent people. And, to be clear, it can never be imposed for conduct that is protected under international human rights law," he warned.

A spokeswoman for the UN human rights office told reporters that its figures had come from several organisations which it considered reliable, including Iran's Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA), Iran Human Rights (IHR) and Hengaw.

On Monday, Norway-based IHR said in a report that in at least 31 women were executed during 2024 - the highest number since it began monitoring the death penalty 17 years ago.

Nineteen of them were sentenced to death after being convicted of murder, according to the report. They included, Leila Ghaemi, who IHR said had strangled her husband after she came home one day to find him and his friends raping her young daughter.

The other 12 women were convicted of drug-related offences. Among them was Parvin Mousavi, who IHR said had been her family's breadwinner and had been paid about €15 ($15.60) to transport what she was told was medicine, but turned out to be 5kg of morphine.

Activists say drugs offences do not meet the threshold of "most serious crimes" to which the death penalty must be restricted under international law,

A separate report from Hengaw, a Kurdish human rights group, said that more than half of those executed last year were from Iran's ethnic minorities, including 183 Kurds.

The UN's fact-finding mission on Iran said in August that ethnic and religious minorities had been disproportionately impacted by the government's crackdown on dissent since 2022, when the nationwide "Woman, Life, Freedom" protests erupted in response to the death in custody of a young Kurdish woman detained by morality police for not wearing a "proper" hijab.

HRANA, meanwhile, reported that it had documented the execution of five juvenile offenders. International law prohibits the use of capital punishment in all cases in which the accused was under 18 at the time of their alleged offence.

Iran accounted for 74% of all recorded executions worldwide in 2023, according to the human rights group Amnesty International.

Those figures excluded China, which Amnesty said was thought to execute thousands of people each year, but where data on the death penalty was classified.

At least 32 people have been confirmed dead after a major earthquake struck China's mountainous Tibet region on Tuesday morning, Chinese state media reported.

The earthquake that hit Tibet's holy Shigatse city around 09:00 local time (01:00 GMT) had a magnitude of 7.1 and a depth of 10 kilometres (six miles), according to data from the US Geological Survey, which also showed a series of aftershocks in the area.

Tremors were also felt in neighbouring Nepal and parts of India.

Earthquakes are common in the region, which lies on a major geological fault line.

Shigatse is considered one of the holiest cities of Tibet. It is the traditional seat of the Panchen Lama, a key figure of Tibetan Buddhism whose spiritual authority is second only to the Dalai Lama.

Chinese state media reported the earthquake as having a slightly lesser magnitude of 6.8, causing "obvious" tremors and leading to the collapse of many houses.

Social media posts show collapsing buildings and there have been several strong aftershocks.

"After a major earthquake, there is always a gradual attenuation process," Jiang Haikun, a researcher at the China Earthquake Networks Center, told CCTV.

While another earthquake of around magnitude 5 may still occur, Jiang said, "the likelihood of a larger earthquake is low".

The Chinese air force has launched rescue efforts and drones to the affected area, which sits at the foot of Mount Everest and where temperatures are well below freezing.

Both power and water in the region have been cut off.

While tremors were felt in Nepal, no damage or casualties were reported, a local official in Nepal's Namche region, near Everest, told AFP.

Tibet's earthquake bureau told the BBC on Tuesday that they were unable to provide estimates on casualties as they were still verifying the numbers.

The region, which lies on a major fault line where the Indian and Eurasian tectonic plates collided, is home to frequent seismic activity. In 2015, a 7.8 magnitude earthquake near Kathmandu, the capital of Nepal, killed nearly 9,000 people and injured over 20,000.

French far-right politician Jean-Marie Le Pen has died aged 96, according to a family statement shared with AFP.

Le Pen, who had been in a care facility for several weeks, died at midday on Tuesday "surrounded by his loved ones", the family said.

Le Pen - a Holocaust denier and an unrepentant extremist on race, gender and immigration - founded the French far-right National Front party in 1972.

He reached the presidential election-run off against Jacques Chirac in 2002.

Le Pen's daughter, Marine, took over as party chief in 2011. She has since rebranded the party as National Rally, turning it into one of France's main political forces.

Jordan Bardella, who succeeded Marine Le Pen as party chair in 2022, said Jean-Marie had "always served France" and "defended its identity and sovereignty".

This breaking news story is being updated and more details will be published shortly. Please refresh the page for the fullest version.

You can receive Breaking News on a smartphone or tablet via the BBC News App. You can also follow @BBCBreaking on X to get the latest alerts.

Meta is abandoning the use of third party fact-checking on Facebook and Instagram in the US and will replace it with X-style "community notes", where commenting on the accuracy of posts is left to users.

In a video posted alongside a blog post by the company on Tuesday, chief executive Mark Zuckerberg said "it's time to get back to our roots around free expression".

Joel Kaplan, who is replacing Sir Nick Clegg as Meta's head of global affairs, wrote that the company's reliance on independent moderators was "well-intentioned" but had gone too far.

"Too much harmless content gets censored" he wrote, adding Meta was "too often getting in the way of the free expression we set out to enable."

The move to a community notes system will be phased in over the coming months in the US.

The system - which Meta says it has seen "work on X" - sees people of different viewpoints agree on notes which add context or clarifications to controversial posts.

The company's blog post said it would also "undo the mission creep" of rules and policies - highlighting removal of restrictions on subjects including "immigration, gender and gender identity" - saying these have stemmed political discussion and debate.

"We're getting rid of a number of restrictions on topics like immigration, gender identity and gender that are the subject of frequent political discourse and debate," it says.

"It's not right that things can be said on TV or the floor of Congress, but not on our platforms".

The changes come as technology firms and their executives prepare for President-elect Donald Trump's inauguration on 20 January.

Trump has previously been a vocal critic of Meta and its approach to content moderation.

He called Facebook "an enemy of the people" in March 2024.

But relations between the two men have since improved - Mr Zuckerberg dined at Trump's Florida estate in Mar-a-Lago in November.

"The recent elections also feel like a cultural tipping point towards, once again, prioritising free speech," said Mr Zuckerberg in Tuesday's video.

Mr Kaplan replacing Sir Nick Clegg - a former Liberal Democrat deputy prime minister - as the company's president of global affairs has also been interpreted by many analysts as a signal of the firm's shifting approach to moderation and its changing political priorities.

In a statement announcing he would step down on 2 January, Sir Nick said his successor was "quite clearly the right person for the right job at the right time".

Donald Trump Jr is planning to visit Greenland, two weeks after his father repeated his desire for the US to take control of the island - an autonomous Danish territory.

The US president-elect's son plans to record video footage for a podcast during the one-day private visit, US media report.

Donald Trump reignited controversy in December when he said "ownership and control of Greenland is an absolute necessity" for US national security.

He had previously expressed an interest in buying the Arctic territory during his first term as president. Trump was rebuffed by Greenland's leaders on both occasions.

"We are not for sale and we will not be for sale," the island's Prime Minister, Mute Egede, said in December. "Greenland belongs to the people of Greenland."

Greenland lies on the shortest route from North America to Europe, making it strategically important for the US. It is also home to a large US space facility.

The president-elect's eldest son played a key role during the 2024 US election campaign, frequently appearing at rallies and in the media.

But he will not be travelling to Greenland on behalf of his father's incoming administration, according to the Danish foreign ministry.

"We have noted the planned visit of Donald Trump Jr to Greenland. As it is not an official American visit, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Denmark has no further comment to the visit," the ministry told BBC News.

• Greenland profile

Hours after President-elect Trump's latest intervention, the Danish government announced a huge boost in defence spending for Greenland. Danish Defence Minister Troels Lund Poulsen described the announcement's timing as an "irony of fate".

On Monday Denmark's King Frederik X changed the royal coat of arms to more prominently feature representations of Greenland and the Faroe Islands.

Some have seen this as a rebuke to Trump, but it could also prove controversial with Greenland's separatist movement.

King Frederik used his New Year's address to say the Kingdom of Denmark was united "all the way to Greenland", adding "we belong together".

But Greenland's prime minister used his own New Year's speech to push for independence from Denmark, saying the island must break free from "the shackles of colonialism".

Trump is not the first US president to suggest buying Greenland. The idea was first mooted by the country's 17th president, Andrew Johnson, during the 1860s.

Separately in recent weeks, Trump has threatened to reassert control over the Panama Canal, one of the world's most important waterways. He has accused Panama of charging excessive fees for access to it.

Panama's president responded by saying "every square metre" of the canal and surrounding area belonged to his country.

A small Italian village has banned its residents from becoming seriously ill.

People living in Belcastro "are ... ordered to avoid contracting any illness that may require emergency medical assistance," a decree from local Mayor Antonio Torchia states.

Belcastro sits in the southern region of Calabria - one of Italy's poorest.

Torchia said the move was "obviously a humorous provocation", but that it was having more of an effect than the urgent notices he had sent to regional authorities to highlight the shortcomings of the local healthcare system.

Around half of Belcastro's 1,200 residents are over the age of 65 and the nearest Accident & Emergency (A&E) department is over 45km (28 miles) away, the mayor said.

He added that the A&E was only reachable by a road with a 30kmh (18mph) speed limit.

The village's on-call doctor surgery is also only open sporadically and offers no cover during weekends, holidays or after hours.

Torchia told Italian TV that it was hard to "feel safe when you know that if you need assistance, your only hope is to make it to [A&E] on time" - and that the roads were almost "more of a risk than any illness".

As part of the decree, residents have also been ordered "not to engage in behaviours that may be harmful and to avoid domestic accidents", and "not to leave the house too often, travel or practise sports, and to [instead] rest for the majority of the time".

It is unclear how these new rules will be enforced, if at all.

The sparsely populated region of Calabria - the tip of Italy's boot - is one of the country's poorest.

Political mismanagement and mafia interference have decimated its healthcare system, which was put under special administration from the central government almost 15 years ago.

Rome-appointed commissioners have had difficulties tackling the vast levels of debt faced by hospitals, meaning Calabrians remain crippled by a serious lack of medical personnel and beds, as well as interminable waiting lists.

• Italy's Calabria has two pandemics: Covid and the mafia

Eighteen of the region's hospitals have closed since 2009.

As a result, almost half of Calabria's near two million residents seek medical assistance outside the region.

In 2022, it was announced that Cuba would send 497 doctors to the Italian region over three years to work in various medical facilities. Regional goveror Roberto Occhiuto said last year that these doctors had "saved" Calabria's hospitals.

Belcastro residents told local media that Mayor Torchia had "done the right thing in shining a light on the issue", and that the decision would "shake consciences".

"He has used a provocative decree to attract attention on a serious problem," one man said.

Jean-Marie Le Pen founded France's far right in the 1970s and mounted a strong challenge for the presidency. But it was only when he handed the reins on to his daughter that his rebranded party caught sight of power.

He has died aged 96, his family has said.

Le Pen's supporters saw him as a charismatic champion of the every man, unafraid to speak out on hard topics.

And for several decades he was seen as France's most controversial political figure.

His critics denounced him as a far-right bigot and the courts convicted him several times for his radical remarks.

A Holocaust denier and an unrepentant extremist on race, gender and immigration, he devoted his political career to pushing himself and his views into the French political mainstream.

The so-called Devil of the Republic came runner-up in the 2002 French presidential election, but he was resoundingly defeated. That devil had to be taken out of the National Front if it was going to progress further - a process that became known as "de-demonisation".

For his part, the five-time presidential candidate - who started his political life fighting Communists and conservatives alike - described himself as "ni droite, ni gauche, français" - not right, not left, but French.

And all the French had their opinions about Le Pen. In 2015, Marine Le Pen expelled her father from the National Front he had founded four decades previously.

"Maybe by getting rid of me she wanted to make some kind of gesture to the establishment," he would later tell the BBC's Hugh Schofield.

"But think how much better she would be doing if she had not excluded me from the party!"

Pupil of the Nation

Jean-Marie Le Pen was born in the small Breton village of La Trinité-sur-Mer on 20 June 1928.

He lost his father at 14 when his fishing boat hit a German mine. Le Pen became a Pupille de la Nation - the term French authorities use for those who had a parent wounded or killed in war - entitling him to state funding and support.

Two years later he tried to join the French Resistance, but was turned down. He wrote in an autobiography that his first "war decoration" was a "magisterial slap" from his mother, when he came home and told her what he had tried to do.

In 1954, Le Pen joined the French Foreign Legion. He was posted to Indochina - modern-day Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos, at that time controlled by France - then two years later to Egypt, when France, the UK and Israel invaded the country in a bid to take control of the Suez Canal. Both conflicts ended in French defeat.

But it was his time in Algeria that would define so much of his politics, and his career.

He was posted there as an intelligence officer, when Algerians were fighting a brutal but ultimately successful war of independence against Paris.

Le Pen saw the loss of Algeria as one of the great betrayals in French history, fuelling his loathing of World War Two hero and then-President Charles de Gaulle, who ended the war for the colony.

During that independence war, he allegedly took part in the torture of Algerian prisoners, something he always denied.

Decades later he would unsuccessfully sue two French newspapers, Le Canard enchaîné and Libération, for reporting the allegations.

Political rise

Le Pen was first elected to the French parliament in 1956 in a party led by militant right-wing shopkeepers' leader Pierre Poujade. But they fell out and Le Pen briefly returned to the army in Algeria. By 1962 he had lost his seat in the National Assembly and was to spend the next decade in the political wilderness.

During a spell in 1965 as campaign manager for far-right presidential candidate Jean-Louis Tixier-Vignancour, Le Pen defended the war-time government of Marshal Pétain, who supported the occupying Nazi German forces.

"Was General de Gaulle more brave than Marshal Pétain in the occupied zone? This isn't sure. It was much easier to resist in London than to resist in France," he said.

It was during that election campaign that he lost the sight in his left eye. For several years he wore an eye patch - giving rise to stories of a political punch-up. In reality, he had lost it while putting up a tent.

"While wielding the mallet... a shock in my eye, I have to be hospitalised. Retinal detachment," he would write in a memoir years later.

It was not until 1972 that Le Pen's political ascent truly began. That year he set up the Front National (FN), a far-right party created to unify the nationalist movement in France.

At first, the party had little support. Le Pen ran for the presidency in 1974 for the FN, but won less than 1% of the vote. In 1981 he failed to even get enough signatures on his nomination form to stand.

But the party gradually attracted voters with its increasingly strident anti-immigration policy.

The south of France in particular - where large numbers of North African immigrants had come to settle - began to swing behind the FN. In the 1984 European elections, it gained 10% of the vote.

Le Pen himself won a seat in the European Parliament, which he would hold for more than 30 years.

As an MEP he voiced his hatred of the European Union and what he saw as its interference in French affairs. He would later call the euro "the currency of occupation".

But his rising political fortunes did not stop him giving voice to shocking views.

In a notorious interview in 1987, he played down the Holocaust - Nazi Germany's murder of six million Jews. "I do not say that the gas chambers did not exist. I never personally saw them," he told an interviewer. "I have never particularly studied the issue, but I believe they are a point of detail in the history of World War Two."

His comments about le détail would dog the rest of his career.

Regardless of the controversy, his popularity grew. In the 1988 presidential election, he took 14% of the vote. That figure rose to 15% in 1995.

Then came 2002. With many mainstream candidates dividing opposition support, Jean-Marie Le Pen squeezed into the second and final round of the presidential election.

The result sent shockwaves through French society. More than a million protesters took to the streets to oppose Le Pen's ideas.

The far-right politician inspired such revulsion from the majority that parties across the political spectrum called on their supporters to back President Jacques Chirac for a second term. Chirac took 82% of the vote, the biggest victory in French political history.

Split with his daughter

Le Pen would run again for the presidency, in 2007, but by then his political star had waned. Le Pen, then the oldest candidate to ever contest the presidency, came fourth.

Within months of that vote, newly elected President Nicolas Sarkozy - who Le Pen had attacked as being "foreign", because of his Greek, Jewish and Hungarian ancestors - seized on the FN's main campaign themes of national security and immigration in legislative elections, and stated openly that he intended to go after FN votes.

It swept the rug out from under the FN. Le Pen's party failed to pick up a single seat in the National Assembly and, dogged by financial problems, he announced plans to sell his party headquarters outside Paris.

In 2011, he resigned as party leader and was replaced by his daughter, Marine.

Father and daughter fell out almost immediately. Marine le Pen consciously moved the party away from her father's more extreme policies, to make it more attractive to Eurosceptic mainstream voters.

Then the relationship shattered irreparably.

In 2015, Jean-Marie Le Pen repeated le détail, his Holocaust denial, in a radio interview. After months of bitter legal wrangling, FN party members eventually voted to expel their own founder.

Two years later, during her own presidential campaign, Marine changed the party name to Rassemblement National, or National Rally.

Her father condemned the move as suicidal.

But Jean-Marie Le Pen remained unrepentant.

"The détail was in 1987. Then it came back in 2015. That's not exactly every day!" he told the BBC in an interview in 2017.

He even proved sanguine about the rifts with his family - at least publicly.

"It is life! Life is not a smooth tranquil stream," he said.

"I am accustomed to adversity. For 60 years I have rowed against the current. Never once have we had the wind at our backs! No indeed, one thing we never got used to was the easy life!"

Donald Trump Jr is planning to visit Greenland, two weeks after his father repeated his desire for the US to take control of the island - an autonomous Danish territory.

The US president-elect's son plans to record video footage for a podcast during the one-day private visit, US media report.

Donald Trump reignited controversy in December when he said "ownership and control of Greenland is an absolute necessity" for US national security.

He had previously expressed an interest in buying the Arctic territory during his first term as president. Trump was rebuffed by Greenland's leaders on both occasions.

"We are not for sale and we will not be for sale," the island's Prime Minister, Mute Egede, said in December. "Greenland belongs to the people of Greenland."

Greenland lies on the shortest route from North America to Europe, making it strategically important for the US. It is also home to a large US space facility.

The president-elect's eldest son played a key role during the 2024 US election campaign, frequently appearing at rallies and in the media.

But he will not be travelling to Greenland on behalf of his father's incoming administration, according to the Danish foreign ministry.

"We have noted the planned visit of Donald Trump Jr to Greenland. As it is not an official American visit, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Denmark has no further comment to the visit," the ministry told BBC News.

• Greenland profile

Hours after President-elect Trump's latest intervention, the Danish government announced a huge boost in defence spending for Greenland. Danish Defence Minister Troels Lund Poulsen described the announcement's timing as an "irony of fate".

On Monday Denmark's King Frederik X changed the royal coat of arms to more prominently feature representations of Greenland and the Faroe Islands.

Some have seen this as a rebuke to Trump, but it could also prove controversial with Greenland's separatist movement.

King Frederik used his New Year's address to say the Kingdom of Denmark was united "all the way to Greenland", adding "we belong together".

But Greenland's prime minister used his own New Year's speech to push for independence from Denmark, saying the island must break free from "the shackles of colonialism".

Trump is not the first US president to suggest buying Greenland. The idea was first mooted by the country's 17th president, Andrew Johnson, during the 1860s.

Separately in recent weeks, Trump has threatened to reassert control over the Panama Canal, one of the world's most important waterways. He has accused Panama of charging excessive fees for access to it.

Panama's president responded by saying "every square metre" of the canal and surrounding area belonged to his country.

Senegal and Chad have reacted strongly to remarks by French President Emmanuel Macron about African countries being ungrateful over France's role in helping fight militant jihadist insurgencies.

On Monday, Macron said that Sahel states "forgot" to thank France for its role, amid the continuing withdrawal of French troops from West African countries.

He said no Sahelian nation would be a sovereign nation without France's intervention that prevented them from falling under the control of militants.

In response, Chad's Foreign Minister Abderaman Koulamallah said Macron comments had revealed his contempt for Africa.

"Chad expresses its deep concern following the remarks made recently by [the French president], which reflect a contemptuous attitude towards Africa and Africans," he said in a statement on national TV.

He said "French leaders must learn to respect the African people and recognise the value of their sacrifices".

• Is France to blame for instability in West Africa?

Senegal's Prime Minister Ousmane Sonko said France had in the past contributed to "destabilising certain African countries such as Libya" which had "disastrous consequences" for the region's security.

"France has neither the capacity nor the legitimacy to ensure Africa's security and sovereignty," he said in a statement.

Macron made his comments at an annual ambassadors' conference in Paris, saying France was reorganising its strategic interests in the region and rejected the idea that it had been forced to withdraw from Africa.

French troops were sent to Mali in 2013 in response to an Islamist insurgency. A year later the mission was extended to take in other countries in the region, including Niger and Burkina Faso.

"We were right [to deploy]. I think someone forgot to say thank you. It's ok it will come with time," Macron said on Monday.

"But I say this for all the African heads of state who have not had the courage in the face of public opinion to hold that view. None of them would be a sovereign country today if the French army hadn't deployed in the region."

Sonko said that in the case of Senegal's decision to ask French troops to leave, Macron's remarks were "totally wrong".

He said there had been no negotiation with France regarding the move to close its military bases in the country.

He said and the decision had stemmed from Senegal's "sole will as a free, independent and sovereign country".

Both Sonko and Koulamallah also cited the role of African soldiers towards the liberation of France in the world wars.

"Had African soldiers, sometimes forcibly mobilised, mistreated and ultimately betrayed, not been deployed during the Second World War to defend France, it would, perhaps still be German today," Sonko said.

Chad, Senegal and Ivory Coast have recently ended security agreements with France - while Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger told French troops to leave following coups.

France's influence in the region has been waning in recent years, amid accusations of neo-colonialism and exploitative relationships with their former colonies.

The junta-led governments in Niger, Mali and Burkina Faso have moved closer to Russia after the French withdrawal from their countries.

On Monday, Chad's foreign minister said France's contribution in the country was limited to "its own strategic interests" even as Chad had grappled with instability and other issues during their 60- year partnership.

Chad ended its defence agreement with France in November, saying it was "time for Chad to assert its full sovereignty and redefine its strategic partnerships according to national priorities".

You may also be interested in:

• The rise of military coups in Africa
• Why does France have military bases in Africa?
• Niger junta takes control of French uranium mine
• Ivory Coast says French troops to leave West African nation
• Chad cuts military agreement with France

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

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In recent weeks, scenes of hospitals in China overrun with masked people have made their rounds on social media, sparking worries of another pandemic.

Beijing has since acknowledged a surge in cases of the flu-like human metapneumovirus (HMPV), especially among children, and it attributed this to a seasonal spike.

But HMPV is not like Covid-19, public health experts have said, noting that the virus has been around for decades, with almost every child being infected by their fifth birthday.

However, in some very young children and people with weakened immune systems, it can cause more serious illness. Here is what you need to know.

What is HMPV and how does it spread?

HMPV is a virus that will lead to a mild upper respiratory tract infection - practically indistinguishable from flu - for most people.

First identified in the Netherlands in 2001, the virus spreads through direct contact between people or when someone touches surfaces contaminated with it.

Symptoms for most people include cough, fever and nasal congestion.

The very young, including children under two, are most vulnerable to the virus, along with those with weakened immune systems, including the elderly and those with advanced cancer, says Hsu Li Yang, an infectious diseases physician in Singapore.

If infected, a "small but significant proportion" among the immunocompromised will develop more severe disease where the lungs are affected, with wheezing, breathlessness and symptoms of croup.

"Many will require hospital care, with a smaller proportion at risk of dying from the infection," Dr Hsu said.

Why are cases rising in China?

Like many respiratory infections, HMPV is most active during late winter and spring - some experts say this is because the viruses survive better in the cold and they pass more easily from one person to another as people stay indoors more often.

In northern China, the current HMPV spike coincides with low temperatures that are expected to last until March.

In fact many countries in the northern hemisphere, including but not limited to China, are experiencing an increased prevalence of HMPV, said Jacqueline Stephens, an epidemiologist at Flinders University in Australia.

"While this is concerning, the increased prevalence is likely the normal seasonal increase seen in winter," she said.

Data from health authorities in the US and UK shows that these countries, too, have been experiencing a spike in HMPV cases since October last year.

Is HMPV like Covid-19? How worried should we be?

Fears of a Covid-19 style pandemic are overblown, the experts said, noting that pandemics are typically caused by novel pathogens, which is not the case for HMPV.

HMPV is globally present and has been around for decades. This means people across the world have "some degree of existing immunity due to previous exposure", Dr Hsu said.

"Almost every child will have at least one infection with HMPV by their fifth birthday and we can expect to go onto to have multiple reinfections throughout life," says Paul Hunter, a medical professor at University of East Anglia in England.

"So overall, I don't think there is currently any signs of a more serious global issue."

Still, Dr Hsu advises standard general precautions such as wearing a mask in crowded places, avoiding crowds where possible if one is at higher risk of more severe illness from respiratory virus infections, practising good hand hygiene, and getting the flu vaccine.

The former governor of the Bank of Canada and the Bank of England, Mark Carney, says he is "considering" entering the race to replace Justin Trudeau as the leader of Canada's Liberal Party.

Trudeau said on Monday he would step down after nine years as Canadian prime minister - following growing pressure from his own party and poor opinion polling.

Mr Carney, 59, is one of several names in the frame to replace Trudeau, along with his former deputy Chrystia Freeland and Transport Minister Anita Anand.

Trudeau says he will stay in office until a new leader is chosen. In the meantime, the Canadian parliament has been prorogued - or suspended - until 24 March.

It is likely the Liberals will try to have a new leader in place by the end of the prorogation period - though the timeline and procedure remain unclear. Trudeau has promised a "robust, nationwide, competitive process".

Mr Carney, who leads an asset management firm and has worked as a Trudeau adviser, told the UK's Financial Times newspaper: "I'll be considering this decision closely with my family over the coming days."

He has long been considered a contender for the top job, though he has never held public office despite his economic background.

During his career as a central banker - at the Bank of Canada from 2007-2013 and then at the Bank of England from 2013-2020 - Mr Carney was influential in the response of two major economies to the global financial crisis.

He also led efforts to support the UK economy through its exit from the European Union and the outbreak of Covid-19.

• Why Trudeau era has come to an end now
• What next for Canada?
• Other names in the frame to replace Trudeau

Whoever succeeds Trudeau in Canada could face an immediate test. The country must have its next federal election by October, but it is considered likely that a vote will be called before that. The opposition Conservative Party, led by Pierre Poilievre, currently enjoy a double-digit lead in the opinion polls.

Trudeau himself recently admitted that he had long been trying to recruit Mr Carney to his team, most recently as finance minister. "He would be an outstanding addition at a time when Canadians need good people to step up in politics," he said last year.

Mr Carney would also bring expertise on environmental matters through his role as the United Nations special envoy on climate action, recently calling the goal of net zero "the greatest commercial opportunity of our time".

He is a champion of some Liberal policies that have been unpopular within the country's conservative circles like the federal carbon tax policy, the party's signature climate policy that critics argue is a financial burden for Canadians.

He has also been critical Poilievre, saying the Conservative leader's vision for the future of the country is "without a plan" and "just slogans".

Other candidates believed to be credible replacements for Trudeau include his former deputy Chrystia Freeland, who resigned from the cabinet after a rift with the prime minister's office in December, and Transport Minister Anita Anand, a lawyer who was elected in 2019.

Lawyers for Donald Trump have asked the Department of Justice (DoJ) to not release a special counsel's report setting out its investigations into the US president-elect.

Jack Smith led two probes into Trump, one on alleged attempts to overturn his 2020 election defeat and another on his apparent mishandling of classified documents.

Both cases have been shelved, but Mr Smith's detailed report was due to be released in the coming days.

But in a letter to Attorney General Merrick Garland, Trump's lawyers have urged him to end the "weaponisation of the justice system" and hand the report to them.

The correspondence alleges Mr Smith did not have the legal authority to submit the report because he was unconstitutionally picked to do the job and was politically motivated. Mr Smith is yet to publicly respond.

Trump's legal team received a draft copy of the report at the weekend.

The two investigations led to criminal indictments against Trump but both have since been dismissed, partly due to a longstanding DoJ policy not to prosecute a sitting president.

The former president had pleaded not guilty and denied all wrongdoing.

Federal regulations decree that any special counsel probe must conclude with a report to the justice department and Garland has previously said he would release all such reports.

• What happens to all of Trump's legal cases now?
• Analysis: Triumph over legal cases seals Trump's comeback
• Trump still faces New York sentencing - after judge refuses to delay

During his time away from the White House, Trump faced an array of legal cases, which were successfully delayed and thwarted by his lawyers and allies.

The administration of the Democratic president, Joe Biden, faced accusations from Trump's opponents that they brought cases against the Republican too slowly, while Trump's supporters argued that the prosecutions were politically motivated.

One of Mr Smith's two cases concerned Trump's attempts to overturn the result of the 2020 election, which he lost to Biden.

Trump pleaded not guilty to the charges, and the case ended up in legal limbo after the Supreme Court ruled that Trump was partially immune from criminal prosecution over official acts committed while in office.

Mr Smith later refiled his case, but wound it down after Trump's 2024 election win.

He was also leading a case against Trump over his alleged mishandling of classified documents after he left the White House following his first presidency - charges that Trump also denied.

This case faced a roadblock of its own when the Trump-appointed judge dismissed the charges, arguing Mr Smith was improperly appointed to lead the case. Again, Mr Smith hit back - this time with an appeal - but later abandoned this, too.

DoJ guidance prevents the criminal prosecution of a sitting president. Mr Smith clarified that this legal protection also applied to the prosecution of a private citizen who was subsequently elected president.

The news was celebrated by the Trump campaign, which hailed it as a "major victory for the rule of law".

Mr Smith is also reportedly expected to leave his job before Trump returns to the White House on 20 January and carries out a threat of sacking him.

Despite his recent legal wins, Trump still faces sentencing on Friday after being found guilty in New York last year on 34 felony counts of falsifying business records to cover up payments made to a porn star.

With less than two weeks until Trump is re-inaugurated as US president, the judge has refused a request to delay, although he has previously made clear he will not consider giving Trump a custodial term.

At least 32 people have been confirmed dead after a major earthquake struck China's mountainous Tibet region on Tuesday morning, Chinese state media reported.

The earthquake that hit Tibet's holy Shigatse city around 09:00 local time (01:00 GMT) had a magnitude of 7.1 and a depth of 10 kilometres (six miles), according to data from the US Geological Survey, which also showed a series of aftershocks in the area.

Tremors were also felt in neighbouring Nepal and parts of India.

Earthquakes are common in the region, which lies on a major geological fault line.

Shigatse is considered one of the holiest cities of Tibet. It is the traditional seat of the Panchen Lama, a key figure of Tibetan Buddhism whose spiritual authority is second only to the Dalai Lama.

Chinese state media reported the earthquake as having a slightly lesser magnitude of 6.8, causing "obvious" tremors and leading to the collapse of many houses.

Social media posts show collapsing buildings and there have been several strong aftershocks.

"After a major earthquake, there is always a gradual attenuation process," Jiang Haikun, a researcher at the China Earthquake Networks Center, told CCTV.

While another earthquake of around magnitude 5 may still occur, Jiang said, "the likelihood of a larger earthquake is low".

The Chinese air force has launched rescue efforts and drones to the affected area, which sits at the foot of Mount Everest and where temperatures are well below freezing.

Both power and water in the region have been cut off.

While tremors were felt in Nepal, no damage or casualties were reported, a local official in Nepal's Namche region, near Everest, told AFP.

Tibet's earthquake bureau told the BBC on Tuesday that they were unable to provide estimates on casualties as they were still verifying the numbers.

The region, which lies on a major fault line where the Indian and Eurasian tectonic plates collided, is home to frequent seismic activity. In 2015, a 7.8 magnitude earthquake near Kathmandu, the capital of Nepal, killed nearly 9,000 people and injured over 20,000.

Rescuers in India are racing against time to bring out miners trapped inside a flooded coal mine in the north-eastern state of Assam.

Three of the nine men inside were feared dead, Reuters reported, after the state government said rescue teams had spotted some bodies they have been unable to reach.

The men were trapped on Monday morning after water flooded the rat-hole mine, which is a narrow hole dug manually to extract coal.

Despite a ban on such mining in India since 2014, small illegal mines continue to be operational in Assam and other north-eastern states.

Divers, helicopters and engineers have been deployed to help rescue the trapped men and the state and national disaster response forces are also aiding efforts.

On Monday evening, Assam Director General of Police GP Singh had said that authorities were ascertaining the exact number of people trapped.

Reports said more than a dozen miners had managed to escape and initial reports suggested that the "numbers would be in single digits".

The mine is located in the hilly area of Dima Hasao district.

Senior police official in the district, Mayank Kumar Jha, told Reuters that the area was very "remote" and "difficult to reach".

Mine-related disasters are not uncommon in India's northeast.

In December 2018, at least 15 men were trapped in an illegal mine in the neighbouring state of Meghalaya after water from a nearby river flooded it.

Five miners managed to escape but the rescue efforts for the others continued until the first week of March the following year. Only two bodies were recovered.

In January 2024, six workers were killed after a fire broke out in a rat-hole coal mine in Nagaland state.

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The US has added several Chinese technology companies, including gaming and social media giant Tencent and battery maker CATL, to a list of businesses it says work with China's military.

The list serves as a warning to American companies and organisations about the risks of doing business with Chinese entities.

While inclusion does not mean an immediate ban, it can add pressure on the US Treasury Department to sanction the firms.

Tencent and CATL have denied involvement with the Chinese military, while Beijing said the decision amounted to "unreasonable suppression of Chinese companies".

The Department of Defense's (DOD) list of Chinese military companies, which is formally known as the Section 1260H list, is updated annually and now includes 134 firms.

It is part of Washington's approach to counteracting what it sees as Beijing's efforts to increase its military power by using technology from Chinese firms, universities and research programmes.

In response to the latest announcement Tencent, which owns the messaging app WeChat, said its inclusion on the list was "clearly a mistake."

"We are not a military company or supplier. Unlike sanctions or export controls, this listing has no impact on our business," it said in a statement to Reuters news agency.

CATL also called the designation a mistake and said it "is not engaged in any military related activities."

"The US's practices violate the market competition principles and international economic and trade rules that it has always advocated, and undermine the confidence of foreign companies in investing and operating in the United States," said Liu Pengyu, a spokesperson for the Chinese embassy in Washington.

The Pentagon had come under pressure from US lawmakers to add some of the firms, including CATL, to the list.

This pressure came as US car making giant Ford said it would invest $2bn (£1.6bn) to build a battery plant in Michigan. It has said it plans to license technology from CATL.

Ford did not immediately respond to a BBC request for comment.

The announcement comes as relations between the world's two biggest economies remain strained.

Meanwhile, President-elect Donald Trump, who has previously taken a tough stance against Beijing, is due to return to the White House this month.

The Pentagon was sued last last year by drone maker DJI and Lidar-maker Hesai Technologies over their inclusion on the list. They both remain on the updated list.

Warning: This story contains distressing details.

Just before New Year, 21-year-old Shatha al-Sabbagh was out buying chocolate for her family's children from a shop in Jenin, in the occupied West Bank.

The "fearless" journalism student – who wanted to shed light on the suffering of the Palestinians – was with her mother, two young nephews and another relative.

"She was laughing and saying we'll be up all night tonight," her mother recalls.

Then she was shot in the head.

For Shatha's mother Umm al-Motassem, the pain is still raw. She stops to take a breath.

"Shatha's eyes were wide open. It looked like she was staring at me while lying on her back with blood gushing from her head.

"I started screaming, 'Stop shooting! My daughter is dead. My daughter is dead.'"

But the shooting lasted for around 10 minutes. Shatha died in a pool of her own blood.

Shatha's family holds the Palestinian Authority's (PA) security forces fully responsible for her killing, saying their area is controlled by the PA.

"It couldn't have been anyone other than PA... because they have such a heavy presence in our neighbourhood - no-one else could come or go," she told the BBC.

But the PA blames "outlaws" - the term they use for members of the Jenin Battalion, made up of fighters from armed groups including Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) and Hamas.

The PA exercises limited self-rule in the Israeli-occupied West Bank.

It launched a major security operation in the refugee camp in Jenin last month targeting the armed groups based there, which they see as a challenge to their authority. Nearly four weeks on, it continues.

The Jenin Battalion is accused of blowing up a car in the camp and carrying out other "illegal activities".

"We have confiscated large numbers of weapons and explosive materials," says the PA's Brig Gen Anwar Rajab.

"The aim is to clear the camp from the explosive devices that have been planted in different streets and alleyways... These outlaws have crossed all red lines and have spread chaos."

Gen Rajab also accuses Iran of backing and funding the armed groups in the camp.

The Jenin Battalion denies links to Iran. In a recent video posted on social media, spokesman Nour al-Bitar said the PA was trying to "demonise" them and "tarnish their image", adding that fighters would not give up their weapons.

"To the PA and President Mahmoud Abbas, why has it come to this?" he asked, holding shrapnel from what he claimed was a rocket-propelled grenade fired at the camp by security forces.

The PA, led by President Abbas, was already unpopular among Palestinians dissatisfied by its rejection of armed struggle and its security co-ordination with Israel.

This anger intensified with the PA's crackdown on the armed groups in the camp, which has been unprecedented in its ferocity and length.

Israel sees those groups as terrorists, but many Jenin locals consider them to be a form of resistance to the occupation.

"These 'outlaws' that the PA is referring to – these are the young men who stand up for us when the Israeli army raids our camp," says Umm al-Motassem.

At least 14 people have been killed in the crackdown, including a 14-year-old, according to the Palestinian health ministry.

Now many Jenin locals say they fear the PA as much as they fear Israel's military raids. Shatha al-Sabbagh's death has only renewed their contempt.

Before she was killed, Shatha shared several posts on social media showing the destruction from the PA operation in Jenin - as well as Israeli raids on the camp last year.

Other posts showed pictures of armed young men who were killed in the fighting, including her brother.

Her killing was condemned by Hamas, which identified her brother as a slain member of the group's armed wing, the Izzedine al-Qassam Brigades.

The group described her "murder... in cold blood" as part of an "oppressive policy targeting the Jenin camp, which has become a symbol of steadfastness and resistance".

Mustafa Barghouti, who leads the political party Palestinian National Initiative, sees the fighting in Jenin as a consequence of the divisions between the main Palestinian factions - Fatah, which makes up most of the PA, and Hamas, which has governed Gaza since 2007.

"The last thing Palestinians need is to see Palestinians shooting each other while Israel crushes everyone," he says.

Inside the camp, residents say daily life has ground to a halt.

Water and electricity supplies have been cut off and families suffer from a lack of food, bitterly cold weather and relentless gun battles.

Locals who spoke to us asked for their names to be changed, saying they feared reprisals by the PA.

"Things are dire here. We can't move freely in the camp," says Mohamed.

"All the bakeries, the restaurants and shops are closed. The restaurant I work in opens for a day and closes for 10. When it is open, no-one comes.

"We need milk for the children, we need bread. Some people can't open their doors because of the continuous shooting."

The UN humanitarian agency, the OCHA, has called for an investigation into what it describes as human rights violations by the PA forces.

Gen Rajab said some of the "outlaws" who had "hijacked" the Jenin camp had been arrested and that others with pending cases would be brought to justice.

But Mohamed describes the PA's operation - with innocent people caught in the crossfire - as "collective punishment".

"If they want to go after outlaws, that doesn't mean they should punish the whole camp. We want our lives back."

Even going out to get food or water is a risk, says 20-year-old Sadaf.

"When we go out, we say our final prayers. We prepare ourselves mentally that we may not come back.

"It's very cold. We've taken down the doors in our home to use as firewood just to keep warm."

The BBC has heard similar accounts from four residents in the camp.

My conversation with Sadaf is interrupted by the sound of gunfire. It is unclear where it is from or who is firing. It starts and stops several times.

"Warning shots maybe," she suggests, adding it happens sometimes when PA forces are changing shifts.

Sadaf continues describing the camp, with "rubbish filling the streets and almost going into homes". More gunfire can be heard.

Sadaf's mother joins the call. "Listen to this... Can anyone sleep with this sound in the background?

"We sleep in shifts now. We're so scared they might raid our homes. We're as scared of this operation as we are when the Israeli soldiers are here."

People say security forces have deliberately hit electricity grids and generators, leaving the camp in a blackout.

The PA again blames "outlaws" - and insists it has brought in workers to fix the grid.

The armed groups want to "use the people's suffering to pressure the PA to stop the operation", says Gen Rajab. He says the security operation will continue until its objectives are met.

Gen Rajab says the PA's goal is to establish control over the Jenin camp and ensure safety and stability.

He believes stripping the armed groups of control would take away Israel's excuse to attack the camp.

In late August, the Israeli army conducted a major nine-day "counter-terrorism" operation in Jenin city and the camp, which resulted in severe destruction.

At least 36 Palestinians were killed - 21 from Jenin governorate - according to the Palestinian health ministry.

Analysts say that the PA is trying to reassert its authority in the West Bank and show the US it is capable of taking a role in the future governance of Gaza.

"What would be the harm in that?" says Gen Rajab.

"Gaza is part of the Palestinian state. Gaza and the West Bank are not separate entities. There's no Palestinian state without Gaza. The president [Mahmoud Abbas] has said that and that is our strategy."

But Barghouti says this approach is an "illusion". "All you need is to listen to what [Benjamin] Netanyahu says," he adds.

Under the Israeli prime minister's vision for a post-war Gaza, Israel would control security indefinitely, and Palestinians with "no links to groups hostile to Israel" - so none of the existing major Palestinian political parties - would run the territory.

But the US, Israel's major ally, wants the PA to govern Gaza after the war. Netanyahu has previously ruled out a post-war role for the internationally backed PA.

For the residents of Jenin camp, there has been no let-up in the violence and loss.

"The PA say they're here for our safety. Where's the safety when my daughter was killed? Where's the safety with the non-stop shooting?" Umm al-Motassem cries.

"They can go after the 'outlaws' but why did my daughter have to die? Justice will be served when I know who killed my daughter," she says.

Rescuers in India are racing against time to bring out miners trapped inside a flooded coal mine in the north-eastern state of Assam.

Three of the nine men inside were feared dead, Reuters reported, after the state government said rescue teams had spotted some bodies they have been unable to reach.

The men were trapped on Monday morning after water flooded the rat-hole mine, which is a narrow hole dug manually to extract coal.

Despite a ban on such mining in India since 2014, small illegal mines continue to be operational in Assam and other north-eastern states.

Divers, helicopters and engineers have been deployed to help rescue the trapped men and the state and national disaster response forces are also aiding efforts.

On Monday evening, Assam Director General of Police GP Singh had said that authorities were ascertaining the exact number of people trapped.

Reports said more than a dozen miners had managed to escape and initial reports suggested that the "numbers would be in single digits".

The mine is located in the hilly area of Dima Hasao district.

Senior police official in the district, Mayank Kumar Jha, told Reuters that the area was very "remote" and "difficult to reach".

Mine-related disasters are not uncommon in India's northeast.

In December 2018, at least 15 men were trapped in an illegal mine in the neighbouring state of Meghalaya after water from a nearby river flooded it.

Five miners managed to escape but the rescue efforts for the others continued until the first week of March the following year. Only two bodies were recovered.

In January 2024, six workers were killed after a fire broke out in a rat-hole coal mine in Nagaland state.

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