The price of gold has hit a record high as demand for the precious metal remains strong amid global economic uncertainty.

The spot gold price hit $3,508.50 per ounce early on Tuesday, continuing its upwards trend which has seen it rise by nearly a third this year.

The precious metal is viewed as a safer asset for investors during times of economic uncertainty, and its price rose earlier this year after US President Donald Trump announced wide ranging tariffs which have upset global trade.

Analysts say the price has also been lifted by expectations that the US central bank will cut its key interest rate, making gold an even more attractive prospect for investors.

Adrian Ash, director of research at BullionVault, told the BBC's Today programme that the rise in gold prices over the past few months is really down to Trump and "what he's done to geopolitics [and] what he's done to global trade".

"It was really the US election last year that really put a fire under it," he said.

Analysts also cite worries over the independence of the US central bank, the Federal Reserve, as another factor driving the gold price.

Trump has launched repeated attacks on the Federal Reserve's chair, Jerome Powell, and recently attempted to fire one of its governors, Lisa Cook.

Derren Nathan from Hargreaves Lansdown said it was Trump's "attempts to undermine the independence of the Federal Reserve Bank" that was "driving renewed interest in safe haven assets including gold".

On Monday, the head of the European Central Bank Christine Lagarde warned that if Trump were to undermine the independence of the Fed, it would represent a "very serious danger" to the global economy.

She said if the Fed was forced to respond to Trump's politics, it would have a "very worrying" impact on economic stability in the US, and therefore in the rest of the world as well.

Mr Ash added that when the price of gold surges because of investor interest, it was usually tempered by a slowdown in buying from China and India - two of the biggest markets for gold jewellery.

But this time, he said gold was continuing to find demand in China and India as, rather than exiting the market during times of high prices, jewellery buyers turn towards buying investment gold products such as bars or coins.

Chinese President Xi Jinping and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin have kicked off bilateral talks in Beijing, on the eve of a massive military parade in the Chinese capital.

Putin hailed relations between both countries saying they were on an "unprecedented level", adding that their "close communication reflects the strategic nature of Russian-Chinese ties."

"Dear friend, both I and the entire Russian delegation are pleased to meet once again with our Chinese friends and colleagues," Putin told Xi, according to a video published on the Kremlin's official Telegram messaging app.

"Our close communication reflects the strategic nature of Russia-China relations, which are at an unprecedentedly high level."

"We were always together then, and we remain together now," Putin added.

Xi told Putin that "China-Russia relations have withstood the test of international changes" - adding that Beijing was willing to work with Moscow to "promote the construction of a more just and reasonable global governance system".

Xi is set to host China's largest-ever military parade on Wednesday, which will mark the 80th anniversary of the surrender of the Japanese in China at the end of World War Two.

It comes at a time when Xi seeks to project Beijing's power on the international stage - not just as the world's second-largest economy, but also as a diplomatic heavyweight.

He has emphasised China's role as a stable trading partner while US president Donald Trump's tariffs have upended economic relationships.

Xi is now hosting Putin in Beijing while a deal with the Russian leader to end the war in Ukraine continues to elude Trump.

Xi and Putin criticised Western governments during the summit on Monday, with Xi slamming "bullying behaviour" from certain countries - a veiled reference to the US - while Putin defended Russia's Ukraine offensive and blamed the West for triggering the conflict.

The two leaders met in the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on Tuesday, Chinese state broadcaster CCTV reported.

The stage is set in the heart of Beijing for a grand display of power and military might that has been choreographed by President Xi Jinping.

Eight huge Chinese flags flutter and flank the portrait of Mao Zedong, the founder of Communist China, which sits on top of the Gate of Heavenly Peace overlooking Tiananmen Square, one of the largest public squares in the world.

Below are rows of seats reserved for 26 foreign heads of state, including Russia's Vladimir Putin and North Korea's Kim Jong Un, whose attendance is a diplomatic win for Xi.

Across the road, near the Great Hall of the People, two huge floral arrangements commemorating the end of World War II rise up alongside seating for around 50,000 invitees.

On the last day of preparations - Monday - Chang'an Avenue, the multi-lane road that cuts through the square was once again open to the public. Drivers and cyclists held their phones aloft trying their best to capture the scene.

Ostensibly the parade marks 80 years of Japan's surrender in the war, and China's victory against an occupying force. But it's so much more than that for President Xi.

This is a big week for him, with quite a few firsts. He enticed Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to visit China over the weekend for the first time in seven years, rebooting a key economic and strategic relationship.

More than 20 world leaders attended the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit, which just concluded - its largest ever gathering.

And a North Korean leader will attend a Chinese military parade for the first time since 1959.

The Chinese leader is having his moment in the spotlight.

The SCO summit in Tianjin has allowed him to project power and offer a vision of a new world order which he hopes will challenge the United States. Now attention turns to the parade in Beijing, which will showcase his country's growing ability to rival the US in any conflict.

The leaders of Iran, Malaysia, Myanmar, Mongolia, Indonesia, Zimbabwe and central Asian countries will witness the precise troop formations and get a glimpse of what authorities say will be new hypersonic weapons and unmanned underwater drones. The only western leaders on the guest list are from Serbia and Slovakia.

Kim Jong Un is a surprise addition - his attendance was only announced at the end of last week - and his armoured train and usual motorcade flanked by bodyguards will add to the spectacle.

Xi is expected to have both Kim and Putin by his side which will inevitably lead to western headlines or analysts describing them as the "axis of upheaval".

While the parade is a show of China's strength and Xi's influence as a world leader, there is also a clear domestic message: pride and patriotism.

China describes World War II as the "people's war of resistance against Japanese aggression", although much of the resistance was not from the Communist Party, but from the nationalists who later lost the civil war to Mao and his forces, and have been largely scrubbed from national memory.

In the run-up to the anniversary, several films have been released depicting this struggle, some of which have been box office hits. State media has been publishing reports to "foster a right view of WWII history".

The campaign has caused some friction with Japan. Last week, Beijing lodged a protest with Tokyo over reports that Japan had asked European and Asian governments not to attend the parade.

All of this appears to be part of a rallying cry to the nation, as China struggles with a sluggish economy, youth unemployment and plummeting house prices. Demand is weak and the most recent data suggests Trump's tariffs are hitting factory output. And the "anti-corruption" drive continues, with reports of high-ranking officials being investigated.

There is discontent, even disillusionment, especially among young people and it has seeped through, even on the tightly-controlled Chinese internet.

The fear that this could spill into the real world is partly what has been driving the extra-cautious preparations, which have become a demonstration of the Party's control of a capital city home to more than 21 million people. The city has grown quieter as the parade draws closer.

Airport security scanners have been installed in some office entrances. All drones are banned and international journalists have been visited at home, some on multiple occasions, to ensure they get the message.

Guards have been stationed 24 hours a day at the entrances to overpasses and bridges to prevent any protests, some of them in army uniforms.

Three years ago, when the Party chose Xi as its leader for a historic third term, a protester unfurled a banner over a major highway bridge criticising Xi and calling for his ouster. He was taken away instantly and we still don't know what happened to him.

But that is a moment the Party does not want to relive.

Communist Party officials have spent months planning and preparing for their first military parade in six years. More than 200,000 flags have been put up across the capital.

More floral arrangements depicting China's fight against Japan sit proudly on prominent roadsides and roundabouts. There's even a new city "lightscape" to brighten buildings in the business district.

Officials from the Parade Command Office have said "the overarching principle... is to avoid disturbing the public as much as possible".

But for those living in Beijing, the parade has upturned life.

Tanks could be heard rolling down the streets during weekly overnight rehearsals and the sounds of marching echoed far beyond the parade route.

People living near Chang'an Avenue, which leads to Tiananmen square, were told to stay off their balconies to ensure the rehearsals could be held in secrecy.

Schools, businesses and hotels along the parade route will be closed for the next two days. There are multiple road diversions and subway line closures, which have effectively paralysed transport into and out of the city centre.

Even getting hold of a shared city bike, often the best way to get around Beijing, can now be troublesome. Usually there are hundreds of them lined up outside subway stations, and along pavements. But recently city workers have been scooping them up to move them further away from the parade route. Trying to hire the odd one left behind is not an option: the bike will not move.

There have been reports in the past that China has used its air force to ensure there are blue skies for the parade. The aircraft can manipulate weather to trigger rain through cloud-seeding one or two days in advance, to make sure it's clear afterwards.

It's hard to know if this tactic has been used this year, but forecasters are predicting clear skies. Officials in Beijing are taking no chances on President Xi's big day.

A landslide has killed at least 1,000 people in the remote Marra Mountains in western Sudan, according to the rebel group The Sudan Liberation Movement/Army.

Days of heavy rain triggered the landslide on Sunday, which left just one survivor and "levelled" much of the village of Tarasin, the group said in a statement.

The movement has appealed for humanitarian assistance from the United Nations and other regional and international organisations.

Many residents from North Darfur state had sought refuge in the Marra Mountains region, after war between the Sudanese army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) forced them from their homes.

Civil war that broke out in April 2023 between the Sudanese army and the RSF has plunged the country into famine and has led to accusations of genocide in the western Darfur region.

Estimates for death toll from the civil war vary significantly, but a US official last year estimated up to 150,000 people had been killed since hostilities began in 2023. About 12 million have fled their homes.

Factions of the Sudan Liberation Movement/Army, which controls the area where the landslide occurred, have pledged to fight alongside the Sudanese military against the RSF.

Many Darfuris believe the RSF and allied militias have waged a war aimed at transforming the ethnically mixed region into an Arab-ruled domain.

The stage is set in the heart of Beijing for a grand display of power and military might that has been choreographed by President Xi Jinping.

Eight huge Chinese flags flutter and flank the portrait of Mao Zedong, the founder of Communist China, which sits on top of the Gate of Heavenly Peace overlooking Tiananmen Square, one of the largest public squares in the world.

Below are rows of seats reserved for 26 foreign heads of state, including Russia's Vladimir Putin and North Korea's Kim Jong Un, whose attendance is a diplomatic win for Xi.

Across the road, near the Great Hall of the People, two huge floral arrangements commemorating the end of World War II rise up alongside seating for around 50,000 invitees.

On the last day of preparations - Monday - Chang'an Avenue, the multi-lane road that cuts through the square was once again open to the public. Drivers and cyclists held their phones aloft trying their best to capture the scene.

Ostensibly the parade marks 80 years of Japan's surrender in the war, and China's victory against an occupying force. But it's so much more than that for President Xi.

This is a big week for him, with quite a few firsts. He enticed Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to visit China over the weekend for the first time in seven years, rebooting a key economic and strategic relationship.

More than 20 world leaders attended the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit, which just concluded - its largest ever gathering.

And a North Korean leader will attend a Chinese military parade for the first time since 1959.

The Chinese leader is having his moment in the spotlight.

The SCO summit in Tianjin has allowed him to project power and offer a vision of a new world order which he hopes will challenge the United States. Now attention turns to the parade in Beijing, which will showcase his country's growing ability to rival the US in any conflict.

The leaders of Iran, Malaysia, Myanmar, Mongolia, Indonesia, Zimbabwe and central Asian countries will witness the precise troop formations and get a glimpse of what authorities say will be new hypersonic weapons and unmanned underwater drones. The only western leaders on the guest list are from Serbia and Slovakia.

Kim Jong Un is a surprise addition - his attendance was only announced at the end of last week - and his armoured train and usual motorcade flanked by bodyguards will add to the spectacle.

Xi is expected to have both Kim and Putin by his side which will inevitably lead to western headlines or analysts describing them as the "axis of upheaval".

While the parade is a show of China's strength and Xi's influence as a world leader, there is also a clear domestic message: pride and patriotism.

China describes World War II as the "people's war of resistance against Japanese aggression", although much of the resistance was not from the Communist Party, but from the nationalists who later lost the civil war to Mao and his forces, and have been largely scrubbed from national memory.

In the run-up to the anniversary, several films have been released depicting this struggle, some of which have been box office hits. State media has been publishing reports to "foster a right view of WWII history".

The campaign has caused some friction with Japan. Last week, Beijing lodged a protest with Tokyo over reports that Japan had asked European and Asian governments not to attend the parade.

All of this appears to be part of a rallying cry to the nation, as China struggles with a sluggish economy, youth unemployment and plummeting house prices. Demand is weak and the most recent data suggests Trump's tariffs are hitting factory output. And the "anti-corruption" drive continues, with reports of high-ranking officials being investigated.

There is discontent, even disillusionment, especially among young people and it has seeped through, even on the tightly-controlled Chinese internet.

The fear that this could spill into the real world is partly what has been driving the extra-cautious preparations, which have become a demonstration of the Party's control of a capital city home to more than 21 million people. The city has grown quieter as the parade draws closer.

Airport security scanners have been installed in some office entrances. All drones are banned and international journalists have been visited at home, some on multiple occasions, to ensure they get the message.

Guards have been stationed 24 hours a day at the entrances to overpasses and bridges to prevent any protests, some of them in army uniforms.

Three years ago, when the Party chose Xi as its leader for a historic third term, a protester unfurled a banner over a major highway bridge criticising Xi and calling for his ouster. He was taken away instantly and we still don't know what happened to him.

But that is a moment the Party does not want to relive.

Communist Party officials have spent months planning and preparing for their first military parade in six years. More than 200,000 flags have been put up across the capital.

More floral arrangements depicting China's fight against Japan sit proudly on prominent roadsides and roundabouts. There's even a new city "lightscape" to brighten buildings in the business district.

Officials from the Parade Command Office have said "the overarching principle... is to avoid disturbing the public as much as possible".

But for those living in Beijing, the parade has upturned life.

Tanks could be heard rolling down the streets during weekly overnight rehearsals and the sounds of marching echoed far beyond the parade route.

People living near Chang'an Avenue, which leads to Tiananmen square, were told to stay off their balconies to ensure the rehearsals could be held in secrecy.

Schools, businesses and hotels along the parade route will be closed for the next two days. There are multiple road diversions and subway line closures, which have effectively paralysed transport into and out of the city centre.

Even getting hold of a shared city bike, often the best way to get around Beijing, can now be troublesome. Usually there are hundreds of them lined up outside subway stations, and along pavements. But recently city workers have been scooping them up to move them further away from the parade route. Trying to hire the odd one left behind is not an option: the bike will not move.

There have been reports in the past that China has used its air force to ensure there are blue skies for the parade. The aircraft can manipulate weather to trigger rain through cloud-seeding one or two days in advance, to make sure it's clear afterwards.

It's hard to know if this tactic has been used this year, but forecasters are predicting clear skies. Officials in Beijing are taking no chances on President Xi's big day.

Rescuers on helicopters are searching the ruins of remote villages in eastern Afghanistan for survivors of a powerful earthquake that has killed 800 people and injured 1,800 others.

Many are feared trapped under the rubble of their homes after the magnitude 6.0 earthquake struck on Sunday near the country's border with Pakistan.

Authorities searched by air for the second day on Tuesday as roads blocked with debris and the mountainous terrain in the affected areas made land travel difficult.

The Taliban government has appealed for international help. The UN has released emergency funds, while the UK has pledged £1m ($1.3m) in aid.

Sunday's earthquake was one of the strongest to hit Afghanistan in recent years. The country is very prone to earthquakes because it is located on top of a number of fault lines where the Indian and Eurasian tectonic plates meet.

In 2023, more than 1,400 people died after a series of 6.3-magnitude earthquakes hit western Afghanistan, near the city of Herat.

Survivors of Sunday's earthquake were brought to a hospital in Jalalabad, which has been overwhelemed with hundreds of patients daily even before the disaster.

Mir Zaman told the BBC that he pulled his dead children out of the rubble by himself.

"It was dark. There was no light. Someone lent me a lamp, and then I used a shovel and pick axe to dig them out. There was no one to help because everyone was affected. So many people died in my village. Some are still buried. Whole families have died," he said.

Two-and-a-half-year-old Maiwand suffered head injuries and blood loss.

"You can see his situation. It's so tragic. The earthquake was deadly. I want the doctors to treat him, to cure him," said the child's uncle, Khawat Gul.

The most recent earthquake hit Afghanistan when it is reeling under severe drought and what the UN calls an unprecedented crisis of hunger.

The country has also experienced massive aid cuts especially from the US this year which is further reducing the aid that many of these people could have got. This disaster couldn't have come at a worse time.

Britain's Foreign Secretary David Lammy said aid from the UK will be "channelled through experienced partners", the UN Population Fund (UNFPA) and the International Red Cross.

India delivered 1,000 tents to Kabul, its foreign minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar wrote on X after speaking to his Taliban counterpart Amir Khan Muttaqi.

The Indian mission is also helping to move 15 tonnes of food from Kabul to Kunar province, which has been badly hit by the earthquake, he said, adding that India would send more relief items.

China and Switzerland have also pledged support.

Survivors will need housing, shelter and blankets, said Amy Martin, who leads the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) in Afghanistan.

Graham Greene, the Canadian First Nations actor who starred in films including Dances With Wolves, has died aged 73, his manager says.

"It is with deep sadness we announce the peaceful passing of award-winning legendary Canadian actor Graham Greene," Gerry Jordan said in a statement to CBC News. The outlet reported he died of natural causes.

Greene scored an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor for his role in Kevin Costner's 1990 epic western, where he played Kicking Bird.

He was a member of the Oneida Nation, part of the Six Nations Reserve in southern Ontario.

Greene worked as a draftsman, civil technologist, steelworker and rock-band crew member before starting his career in theatre in the UK in the 1970s.

In a 2012 interview with Canadian publication Playback, he credited theatre with giving him a grounding for acting.

"It helps you build a character. When you get into film you don't have that luxury. The discipline of theatre is what I recommend to all actors."

In the same interview, he said a key moment for him came when he married his wife Hilary Blackmore, which led to "the best time of my life".

His breakthrough came in 1990 when he played Kicking Bird, a Lakota medicine man, in Dances With Wolves. Greene won widespread acclaim for the role.

He also appeared in the 1992 western thriller Thunderheart, playing tribal officer Walter Crow Horse.

In the 1999 fantasy drama The Green Mile, Greene played Arlen Bitterbuck, a Native American man on death row in prison.

He also starred in Die Hard With A Vengeance (1995), Maverick (1994), The Twilight Saga: New Moon (2009) and Wind River (2017).

He picked up numerous awards through his storied career, including the Earle Grey Award for Lifetime Achievement by the Academy of Canadian Film and Television in 2004.

In 2016, he was inducted into the Order of Canada, the country's second highest civilian honour.

US President Donald Trump says India has offered to cut its tariffs "to nothing" even as he called the current trade stalemate with the country "a totally one sided disaster".

US tariffs of 50% on goods from India - which includes 25% penalty for Delhi's refusal to stop buying oil from Russia - took effect last week.

India has not responded to Trump's latest comment but such war of words over Russian oil has caused Delhi-Washington ties to hit an all-time low.

Trump's comment coincides with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi attending the Shanghai Co-operation Organisation (SCO) summit in Tianjin where he met Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Washington says Delhi has been indirectly funding Russia's war in Ukraine.

"India buys most of its oil and military products from Russia, very little from the US," Trump wrote, adding Delhi should have cut tariffs "years ago".

Delhi has previously said that oil supply from Russia was vital to meet the energy needs of its vast population.

It has also called the tariffs "unfair, unjustified and unreasonable".

Last week, the country's commerce minister, Piyush Goyal, said India "will neither bow down nor ever appear weak" in its economic relationships with other countries.

He also said the country was ready to a have a free-trade agreement with anyone who wanted it.

On Monday, Trump wrote: "What few people understand is that we do very little business with India, but they do a tremendous amount of business with us. In other words, they sell us massive amounts of goods, their biggest "client," but we sell them very little - Until now a totally one sided relationship, and it has been for many decades."

• Modi and Xi meet: Trump as the wildcard and other takeaways
• Reeling from Trump's tariffs, India and China seek a business reboot

The US was, until recently, India's largest trading partner and the tariffs have sparked fears that exports and growth in the world's fifth largest economy could suffer.

At the SCO summit, Modi was seen shaking hands with Putin ahead of a meeting hosted by Xi.

The SCO, whose members include China, India, Iran, Pakistan and Russia, is seen as a challenge to Trump and US dominance on a global level.

Putin and Modi later spent 45 minutes inside the Russian leader's car - after which Modi posted a picture of their journey alongside the compliment to Putin.

The Indian PM said he had an "insightful" exchange with Putin.

The coup trial of Brazil's right-wing former President Jair Bolsonaro will enter its final stage on Tuesday.

He is accused of masterminding an attempt to stay in power after losing his bid for re-election in 2022, which culminated in his supporters breaking into and vandalising government buildings in the capital, Brasília.

A panel of five Supreme Court judges is expected to reach a verdict by 12 September.

Bolsonaro has always denied any wrongdoing and said the charges were politically motivated.

His cause has been adopted by US President Donald Trump, who has called the trial a "witch-hunt", using it as justification for imposing 50% tariffs on some Brazilian goods and sanctioning the Supreme Court judge leading the proceedings.

If convicted, Bolsonaro could face more than 40 years in prison. It is expected he could be present in court for at least the first and last day of this final phase of the trial.

He and seven other defendants who worked closely with him in government face five counts, all related to attempting a coup.

Bolsonaro has been charged with leading an armed criminal organisation, attempting the violent abolition of the democratic state of law, an attempted coup, damage to federal property, and the deterioration of listed heritage. Each charge could lead to sentences of multiple years.

The allegations date back to before his supporters stormed government buildings on 8 January 2023.

Following an extensive investigation, police alleged that he and other officials had been planning acts to abolish the democratic rule of law and keep him in power as early as 2019.

Police say he had "full knowledge" of a plan to assassinate Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva - who at the time was the president-elect - along with Lula's running mate and Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes.

The investigators cited a dialogue captured between the alleged conspirators and meetings at the presidential residence that they say support the charges.

Jair Bolsonaro is also accused of calling a meeting with top commanders of the armed forces in December 2022, in which he allegedly presented them with a proposed coup plan and asked them to join.

The army and air force commanders refused, but Navy Commander Almir Garnier Santos – a co-defendant in the trial – expressed support, according to police. The commander has denied the allegations.

Bolsonaro and his allies, including his former defence minister Walter Braga Netto, are also accused of encouraging Bolsonaro's allies to attack the armed forces commanders on social media for not joining in the coup plan. Braga Netto has denied any wrongdoing.

Bolsonaro is already banned from running for re-election in Brazil's next elections in 2026 after using social media and state television to cast doubt on Brazil's electoral system and electronic voting machines without evidence.

After Bolsonaro very narrowly lost the 2022 election to Lula, his supporters staged protests and roadblocks across the country.

In the months before the election, he had sowed doubt without evidence on the electoral process, and after the results he did not concede defeat.

On January 8th 2023, a week after Lula's inauguration, crowds of his supporters wearing yellow Brazil football shirts marched through Brasília. They broke into and vandalised Congress, the Supreme Court and the Presidential Palace. It included vandalising statues, smashing glass and setting the chief justice's chair on fire. It led to clashes with police.

Bolsonaro distanced himself from the riots at the time and criticised the methods on social media, but continued to claim the election had been stolen.

He is currently under house arrest, banned from travelling and wears an ankle tag – after authorities expressed concern he may try to flee the country or seek political asylum in an embassy.

Justice Cristiano Zanin, a former lawyer for Lula who is now chairman of the Supreme Court panel tasked with the Bolsonaro trial, will open proceedings at 09:00 local time (12:00 GMT).

He will call on Justice Alexandre de Moraes – whom Mr Bolsonaro sees as his main opponent – to read out a report outlining the case.

The prosecutor general, Paulo Gonet, is expected to then read the charges against Bolsonaro and his co-defendants.

One of the eight men on trial, Bolsonaro's former aide Mauro Cid, has signed a plea deal in exchange for providing evidence and his lawyer will be the first to speak.

The remaining defendants' lawyers will then take their turns to speak on behalf of their respective clients, all of whom have denied the charges against them.

The justices will then cast their votes one by one. A majority of three out of the five votes is needed to find a defendant guilty.

Each judge can recommend a sentence for those found guilty.

Bolsonaro and his co-defendants can appeal to the full Supreme Court if found guilty.

Chinese President Xi Jinping and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin have kicked off bilateral talks in Beijing, on the eve of a massive military parade in the Chinese capital.

Putin hailed relations between both countries saying they were on an "unprecedented level", adding that their "close communication reflects the strategic nature of Russian-Chinese ties."

"Dear friend, both I and the entire Russian delegation are pleased to meet once again with our Chinese friends and colleagues," Putin told Xi, according to a video published on the Kremlin's official Telegram messaging app.

"Our close communication reflects the strategic nature of Russia-China relations, which are at an unprecedentedly high level."

"We were always together then, and we remain together now," Putin added.

Xi told Putin that "China-Russia relations have withstood the test of international changes" - adding that Beijing was willing to work with Moscow to "promote the construction of a more just and reasonable global governance system".

Xi is set to host China's largest-ever military parade on Wednesday, which will mark the 80th anniversary of the surrender of the Japanese in China at the end of World War Two.

It comes at a time when Xi seeks to project Beijing's power on the international stage - not just as the world's second-largest economy, but also as a diplomatic heavyweight.

He has emphasised China's role as a stable trading partner while US president Donald Trump's tariffs have upended economic relationships.

Xi is now hosting Putin in Beijing while a deal with the Russian leader to end the war in Ukraine continues to elude Trump.

Xi and Putin criticised Western governments during the summit on Monday, with Xi slamming "bullying behaviour" from certain countries - a veiled reference to the US - while Putin defended Russia's Ukraine offensive and blamed the West for triggering the conflict.

The two leaders met in the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on Tuesday, Chinese state broadcaster CCTV reported.

Warning: Contains images some may find upsetting

A computer scientist at a university in the north of England is studying an image of a corpse - attempting to solve a mystery that has gripped the Middle East for nearly 50 years.

"This is what he looks like now?" asks Bradford University's Prof Hassan Ugail doubtfully.

The digitised photo is of a decomposed face and it is about to be run through a special algorithm for our BBC investigation.

The original photo was taken by a journalist who saw the body in a secret mortuary in the Libyan capital in 2011. He was told then that it could be charismatic cleric Musa al-Sadr, who vanished in Libya in 1978.

Sadr's disappearance has spawned endless conspiracy theories. Some people believe he was killed, while others claim he is still alive and being held somewhere in Libya.

For his ardent followers, his disappearance holds the same level of intrigue as the 1963 killing of US President John F Kennedy. Such is the sensitivity of our long investigation that my BBC World Service team and I even found ourselves detained in Libya for several days.

Emotions run high because Sadr is so revered by his followers - both for his political reputation, having advocated on behalf of his native Lebanon's then-marginalised Shia Muslims, and as a wider religious leader.

His followers gave him the title of imam, an unusual honour for a living Shia cleric and one bestowed on him in recognition of his work on behalf of the Shia community.

His mysterious disappearance has added to his emotional power because it echoes the fate - according to the largest branch of Shia Islam, known as Twelvers - of the "hidden" 12th imam, who disappeared in the 9th Century. Twelver Muslims believe the 12th imam did not die and will return at the end of time to bring justice to Earth.

And Sadr's disappearance also arguably changed the fate of the world's most politically, religiously and ethnically volatile region - the Middle East. Some believe the Iranian-Lebanese cleric was on the verge of using his influence to take Iran - and, as a result, the region - in a more moderate direction when he disappeared on the eve of the Iranian revolution.

So there was a lot riding on Bradford University's identification efforts. The journalist who took the photo told us the body was unusually tall - and Sadr was said to be 1.98m (6ft 5in). But the face had barely any identifiable features.

Could we finally solve the mystery?

I am from the village of Yammouneh, high in the mountains of Lebanon, where stories have long been told of the terrible winter of 1968 when, after the community was devastated by an avalanche, Musa al-Sadr waded through deep snow to come to the village's aid.

The wonder with which the villagers share this story today reflects just how mythologised he has become. One told me, referring to his memories as a four-year-old: "It was like a dream… He walked across the snow, followed by all the villagers… I followed him just to touch the Imam's robe."

Back in 1968, Sadr wasn't well known in an isolated village like Yammouneh, but he was slowly garnering a national reputation. By the end of that decade he had become a major figure in Lebanon, known for advocating for interfaith dialogue and national unity.

His status was reflected in the honorary title "imam" bestowed on him by his followers. In 1974, Sadr launched the Movement of the Deprived, a social and political organisation which called for proportional representation for the Shia and social and economic emancipation for the poor, regardless of their religion. So determined was he to avoid sectarianism that he even gave sermons in Christian churches.

On 25 August 1978, Sadr flew to Libya, invited to meet the country's then leader Colonel Muammar Gaddafi.

Three years earlier, Lebanon had erupted into civil war. Palestinian fighters became involved in the sectarian conflict, with many based in Lebanon's south, where most of Sadr's followers lived. The Palestinians had begun exchanging fire with Israel across the border, and Sadr wanted Gaddafi, who supported the Palestinians, to intervene to keep Lebanon's civilians safe.

On 31 August, after six days spent waiting for a meeting with Gaddafi, Sadr was seen being driven away from a Tripoli hotel in a Libyan government car.

He was never seen again.

Gaddafi's security forces later claimed he had left for Rome, though this was proved false by the investigations that followed.

Independent journalism was impossible in Gaddafi's Libya. But in 2011, when Libyans rose against him during the Arab Spring, the door of probity opened a crack.

Kassem Hamadé, a Lebanese-Swedish reporter who covered the uprising, was told about a secret mortuary in Tripoli that, a source had said, might contain the remains of Sadr.

There were 17 bodies refrigerated in the room he was shown - one was of a child, the rest were all adult men. Kassem was told the bodies had been dead for about three decades - which would fit with Sadr's timeline. Only one corpse resembled Sadr.

Kassem told me: "This one drawer, [the mortuary staff member] opens it, he reveals the corpse, and two things struck me immediately."

Firstly, Kassem said, the look of the body's face, skin colour and hair still resembled Sadr's, despite the passage of time.

And secondly, he said, the person had been executed.

Or at least that was Kassem's assumption, based on the skull. It looked as if it had either suffered a heavy blow to the forehead or been pierced by a bullet above the left eye.

But how could we know for sure this was Sadr?

So we took the photo that Kassem had taken in the mortuary to a team at Bradford University which, for the past 20 years, has been developing a unique algorithm called Deep Face Recognition. It identifies complex similarities between photos, and has been shown to be extremely reliable in tests, even on imperfect images.

Prof Ugail, who leads the team, agreed to compare the image from the mortuary with four photos of Sadr at different stages of his life. The software would then give the mortuary image an overall score out of 100 - the higher the number, the more likely it was to be either the same person, or a family member.

If the image scored below 50, the person was probably unrelated to Sadr. Between 60 and 70 meant it was him or a close relative. Seventy or higher would be a direct match.

The photo scored in the 60s - a "high probability" it was Sadr, Prof Ugail told us.

To test this conclusion, the professor used his same algorithm to compare the photo with six members of Sadr's family, and then with 100 random images of Middle Eastern men who all resembled him in some way.

The family photos scored much better than the random faces. But the best result remained the comparison between the mortuary image and the images of Sadr alive.

It showed there was a strong probability that Kassem had seen Sadr's body. And the fact he found it with a damaged skull suggested that, in all probability, Sadr had been killed.

In March 2023, some four years after I first came across Kassem's photo, we were able to travel to Libya to talk to possible witnesses and to look for the body ourselves. We had always known the story was sensitive but even so, we were surprised by the Libyan reaction.

We were on the second day of our deployment in Tripoli, looking for the secret mortuary. Kassem, who was accompanying the BBC team, couldn't remember the name of the area he had visited in 2011, except that it had been near a hospital.

We were told there was a hospital within walking distance and headed off to find it.

Suddenly, Kassem said: "This is it. I'm sure of it. This is the building that contained the morgue."

The building's exterior was the last thing we were able to film. We sought permission to film inside, but our permits were cancelled. The next day, a group of unidentified men - who we would later learn were Libya intelligence service officers - seized us without explanation.

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We were taken to a prison run by Libyan intelligence, where we were held in solitary confinement, and accused of spying. We were blindfolded, repeatedly interrogated, and told that no-one could help us. Our captors said we would be there for decades.

We spent a traumatic six days in detention. Finally, after pressure from the BBC and the UK government, we were released and deported.

It was disturbing to feel we had become part of the story. Libya is still divided into two rival administrations with competing militia, and staff at the prison had indicated Libyan intelligence was being run by former Gaddafi loyalists who would not want the BBC investigating Sadr's disappearance.

Some people have long believed Sadr was murdered.

Dr Hussein Kenaan, formerly a Lebanese academic working in the US, says he visited the State Department in Washington the week Sadr disappeared in 1978 and was told it had received a report that he had been killed.

This account is backed up by the former Libyan Minister of Justice, Mustafa Abdel Jalil, who told Kassem in 2011: "The second or third day, they forged his papers, that he's going to Italy. And they killed him inside Libyan prisons."

He added: "Gaddafi has the first and the last word in all decisions."

So if Gaddafi did order Sadr's killing, then why?

One theory, says Iran expert Andrew Cooper, is that Gaddafi was influenced by Iranian hardliners, alarmed that Sadr was about to obstruct their objectives for the Iranian Revolution.

Sadr supported many Iranian revolutionaries who wanted an end to then-ruler Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi's regime. But his moderate vision of Iran strongly differed from the ideas of Islamic hardline revolutionaries and was disliked and even resented by them.

A week before his disappearance, according to Cooper, Sadr had written to the Shah offering assistance.

Cooper interviewed Parviz Sabeti, a former director of counter espionage for the Shah's secret police, as part of his research for a biography of the Shah. Sabeti told him that Sadr's letter offered to help defuse the power of Islamic hardliners by working towards introducing policy changes that would appeal to more moderate elements of the opposition.

A former Lebanese ambassador to Iran confirms the existence of Sadr's letter. Khalil al-Khalil told us he understands it requested a meeting with the Shah scheduled for 7 September 1978.

Cooper believes this information was leaked to Iranian hardline revolutionaries.

But the Iranians are not the only people who might have wanted Sadr dead.

Gaddafi had been militarily supporting Palestinian fighters attacking Israel from southern Lebanon - and Sadr is quoted in interviews from the time explaining his attempts to find a solution with the Palestine Liberation Organisation [PLO].

The PLO may have believed Sadr, fearing they were endangering the Lebanese population, might have convinced Gaddafi to rein them in.

While there are many who believe Sadr to be dead, others are adamant he is still alive.

These include the organisation Sadr founded in the 1970s, now a powerful political party of the Lebanese Shia called Amal.

The head of Amal - and parliamentary Speaker - Nabih Berri, maintains there is no proof Sadr, who would now be 97, has died. But there had been an opportunity to prove whether he had or not.

Back in 2011 when Kassem visited the secret mortuary, he had not only photographed the body.

He had also managed to pull out some hair follicles, with a view to them being used in a DNA test. He had given them to senior officials in Berri's office so they could have them analysed.

A match with a member of the Sadr family would prove beyond doubt whether the body was that of Musa sl-Sadr. However, Berri's office never got back to Kassem.

Judge Hassan al-Shami, one of the officials appointed by Lebanon's government to investigate Sadr's disappearance, says Amal told him the follicle sample had been lost because of a "technical error".

We presented our facial recognition results to Sadr's son Sayyed Sadreddine Sadr. He brought senior Amal official Hajj Samih Haidous and Judge al-Shami to our meeting.

They all said they did not believe our findings.

Sadreddine said it was "evident" from the look of the body in the photo that it was not his father. He added that it also "contradicts the information we have after this date [2011, the year the photo was taken]", that he is still alive, held in a Libyan jail.

The BBC has found no evidence to support this view.

But during our investigation it became clear to us that the belief Sadr is still alive holds great power as a unifying creed for many Lebanese Shia. Every 31 August, Amal marks the anniversary of his disappearance.

We repeatedly approached Berri's office for an interview, and asked for comment on our findings. It did not reply.

The BBC also asked the Libyan authorities to comment on our investigation and to explain why the BBC team was seized by the Libyan intelligence service. We received no response.

Protesters have been killed, buildings torched and politicians' houses looted as anti-government unrest spreads across Indonesia - and the authorities respond with force.

Mass demonstrations, fuelled by cost-of-living woes and public frustration with the political elite, first erupted in Jakarta on 25 August to condemn what many viewed as excessive pay and housing allowances for parliamentarians.

By the end of the week, things had boiled over into violence. On Thursday night, following escalating clashes between demonstrators and authorities, police in Jakarta ran over and killed 21-year-old motorcycle rideshare driver Affan Kurniawan.

President Prabowo Subianto and the chief of police apologised for his death - but it fuelled further discontent that has now spread to various corners of the archipelago, from West Java to the islands of Bali and Lombok.

At least seven people had died in the protests by Monday, according to Indonesia's co-ordinating minister for economic affairs.

The perks that sparked a protest

The primary trigger for the protests was the Indonesian government's decision to raise the allowance for national parliamentarians.

Local media last month reported that they were paid upwards of 100 million rupiah (£4,499; $6,150) a month - more than 30 times the average national income - including a substantial housing allowance.

Meanwhile, everyday Indonesians were struggling because of a cost-of-living crisis.

"As the government is undertaking austerity measures, and at a time when citizens are feeling economically insecure, the notion that Indonesia's already wealthy political class would see their incomes rise filled people with rage, and they spilled onto the streets to express that rage," Dr Eve Warburton, director of the Indonesia Institute at the Australian National University, told the BBC.

These protests spiralled after Affan's death, and have since grown to encompass issues of police brutality and accountability.

But there are other systemic issues driving the public anger: political corruption, social inequality and economic headwinds from which the rich and powerful seem unfairly insulated.

"Elites seem cloistered in a life of luxury – as seen in the exorbitant perks received by parliamentarians – grating people's sense of justice," Vedi Hadiz, professor of Asian Studies at the University of Melbourne's Asia Institute, explained.

In an attempt to quell the nationwide protests, President Prabowo announced on Sunday that several state-funded perks given to politicians would be reined in, including the size of some allowances.

While the move was welcomed by protesters, some suggest it doesn't go far enough.

Herianto, a former central co-ordinator for the All-Indonesian Students' Union, told the BBC that the announcement was "a step in the right direction, but it does not address the root causes of discontent".

"It is not only about one issue, but about long-standing concerns with inequality, governance and accountability," he explained. "Symbolic changes are important, but people expect deeper reforms, particularly in areas that affect ordinary citizens such as agricultural policy, education and fair economic opportunities.

"The ultimate goal is to push for a more accountable, transparent, and people-centred governance."

The crackdown

At the same time as winding back politicians' benefits, Prabowo also ordered the military and police to take stronger action against rioters, looters and arsonists after homes of political party members and state buildings were ransacked and set ablaze.

Protesters torched regional legislative council buildings across multiple Indonesian provinces.

In the city of Makassar, a local parliament building was set on fire, killing at least three people and injuring several others after people reportedly became trapped inside the burning building.

Meanwhile, in Jakarta, angry mobs raided and looted luxury items from the homes of several members of the regional legislative assembly, who previously made unsympathetic remarks about protesters who had criticised their high salaries.

The unrest prompted Prabowo to cancel a visit to China, promising to monitor the situation directly and find a solution.

TikTok has also suspended its live streaming feature in Indonesia "for the next few days", in a bid to limit potentially inflammatory content amid concerns about live mass mobilisation.

Herianto says that authorities' handling of the situation overall has been "mixed".

"On the one hand, there have been some attempts to maintain dialogue, but on the other hand, the use of excessive force has raised concerns," he said. "Authorities should protect the right to peaceful protest, not suppress it."

Prabowo's instruction to authorities to intensify crackdowns – including turning off lights in protest areas and using rubber bullets – has further stoked Herianto's concerns, raising fears of police brutality.

"History has shown us that when the state prioritises security measures over dialogue, the risk of excessive force and human rights violations increases," he says.

"We hope the authorities act with restraint and prioritise de-escalation rather than confrontation."

An opportunity for change

It is unclear where the protests will go from here – whether they will continue to spiral into further violence and repression or force the government to cede more ground.

But whatever the outcome, the situation represents Prabowo's most serious leadership challenge since becoming president in 2024.

"It's a major test," said Dr Warburton. "Can he placate the protesters and bring an end to rolling demonstrations, while not resorting to excessive state violence or repression? This is the question."

An ex-special forces commander accused of serious human rights violations, Prabowo reinvented himself through "cute" TikTok videos to win over younger voters.

But many Indonesians remember him as the son-in-law of the military dictator Suharto, who swiftly rose through the ranks of an authoritarian regime.

His victory in the election last year was greeted with some disquiet, and he faced the anger of student protesters over budget cuts to health and education in February this year.

Prabowo certainly knows the power of student protests - they were instrumental in bringing down Suharto's regime. So how he responds will be critical.

Monday saw a brief lull, as some Indonesian students and civil society groups cancelled protests in Jakarta, citing "impossible conditions" after the authorities escalated security measures in the capital.

Police had set up checkpoints across the city, while officers and the military conducted city-wide patrols and deployed snipers in key locations.

Some experts warn that recent escalations could be the tip of the iceberg, however, as many fundamental economic issues remain unresolved.

It is the depth and breadth of these issues that has given the current anti-government rallies such force, and set them apart from the many others that Indonesians have launched in recent years – making them, in Mr Hadiz's views, "among the most significant outbreak of protests since the advent of reformasi".

That's a reference to the reforms that followed Suharto's downfall in 1998, ushering in an era of democracy and stability.

Dr Warburton also agrees that the significance of these protests is "very different to what we've seen over the past two decades".

"There have been waves of popular protest in recent years, often led by progressive students and activists," she explained.

"The current demonstrations are different – the grievances run deeper and are likely more broadly felt. The protests reflect people's sense of economic insecurity and pent-up resentment toward the greed and excesses of their elected officials."

Even as Prabowo responds to the demands that spurred the demonstrations – winding back parliamentary benefits and launching an investigation into the incident that caused Affan's death – protest organisers are hoping to seize on the momentum for a broader systemic overhaul.

"This feels significant," says Herianto. "Social movements often emerge in response to accumulated grievances, and moments like this can become turning points.

"Whether it leads to meaningful change depends on the willingness of leaders to listen and act in the interest of the people, rather than merely defending political or elite interests."

Additional reporting by BBC Indonesia

A flotilla of boats headed for Gaza carrying 350 pro-Palestinian activists - including climate change campaigner Greta Thunberg - has departed from Barcelona.

Around 20 vessels displaying Palestinian flags left the Spanish port at 19:00 local time on Monday, stocked with medical and food supplies.

The flotilla first attempted to set sail on Sunday, but had to return to port due to stormy weather.

The aim of the mission is to "break Israel's illegal siege on Gaza", the organisers said - though a previous attempt to reach Gaza by sea was intercepted by Israeli forces.

The Global Sumud Flotilla Mission plans to launch in two waves - the first from Barcelona and the second from Tunis on 4 September.

Activists hope the boats will converge in the Mediterranean before sailing towards Gaza, a trip that is estimated to take seven or eight days.

"We are sailing again to break the siege and open up a humanitarian corridor," Thunberg said in a video message.

Punk singer Bob Vylan - who provoked controversy for leading a chant of "death to the IDF [Israel Defence Forces]" at Glastonbury - spoke at the flotilla's departure on Sunday.

He called the activists as "brave individuals" who were "attempting to do what should have been done by government intervention a long time ago".

Israeli authorities have characterised a previous attempt to sail aid to Gaza as a publicity stunt that offered no real humanitarian assistance.

In March, Israel introduced a nearly three-month total blockade on goods entering Gaza, before allowing a limited amount of goods back into the territory in late-May following international pressure. a UN-backed body has since declared there is a famine in parts of Gaza.

Israel has since tried to impose its own distribution system through the controversial Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, which has been criticised by aid agencies.

In June, a yacht carrying Thunberg and several other activists - and a symbolic amount of humanitarian aid - was intercepted by Israeli forces as it tried to reach Gaza.

Israeli authorities escorted the activists to the port of Ashdod before deporting them from the country.

In 2010, Israeli commandos killed 10 people when they boarded Turkish ship Mavi Marmara which was leading an aid flotilla towards Gaza.

More than 800 people have been killed - and nearly 3,000 injured - after a magnitude-six earthquake struck eastern Afghanistan just before midnight on Sunday, the United Nations' humanitarian agency has said.

Most of the deaths are in Kunar province, officials say, warning that the death toll may rise significantly as entire villages have been destroyed by the quake.

The epicentre is in a remote mountainous area, making it difficult for rescue operations to be carried out. "The scale of devastation is unimaginable," a Taliban official said.

The disaster comes as Afghanistan reels from a severe drought, aid cuts and what the World Food Programme describes as an unprecedented crisis of hunger.

The earthquake hit at 23:47 (19:47 GMT) on Sunday, some 27km (17 miles) east of Jalalabad - the country's fifth-largest city, in eastern Nangarhar province.

Faridullah Fazli was fast asleep at home in Asadabad, on the banks of the Kunar river, and the tremor jolted him awake.

"There was a very strong earthquake, accompanied by sounds that were very scary," he told the BBC.

"We didn't sleep until morning. After the earthquake, there were small tremors, and there are still."

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Fazli said he went to the clinic in town, helping transport the dead and wounded into ambulances to be taken to a hospital further south in Nangarhar province.

"It was a very scary situation, just an atmosphere of fear and terror," Fazli said.

A resident of Mazar Dara, in the Nurgal region, said 95% of the village had been destroyed - and there were five to 10 injured people in every household.

The worst damage was in Kunar - a rugged, mountainous region with limited farmland.

Roads in the area are often mud tracks winding around mountains - homes are made of clay, stones and mud.

The region has also seen massive flooding and landslides in the past few days blocking access to many areas.

With roads blocked, rescue operations can only be carried out by air, and teams were unable to reach the area until the morning as helicopters could not land in the mountains at night.

However, more than 100 flights have since been conducted in clear weather since.

"Entire villages are flattened, roads to deep mountainous areas are still closed. So now, for us, the priority is not finding dead under the rubble, but rather reaching out to those injured," a Taliban official in Kunar province said.

"Most of the dead are under rubble. We are doing everything, but it doesn't seem possible soon," he said.

There are cases of people trapped under the rubble for hours and reportedly dying as they awaited rescuers.

Syed Raheem - one of those taking part in the rescue - says even though many have been saved, there are fears for other still trapped.

"Some people sent us messages that there are houses that are destroyed, and some people are still under the rocks," he told the BBC.

Jalalabad's main hospital was already overwhelmed, being right at the centre of the crossing point for the tens of thousand Afghans being deported from bordering Pakistan.

On Monday, it was quite chaotic - with the injured, helpless relatives looking for their loved ones, volunteers and rescue teams still running around the place.

An inconsolable woman said she had lost family members in the quake, while an old man was dazed and lost - and unable to speak to anyone.

A doctor said around 460 victims had been brought in since the earthquake - 250 admitted, the others treated and discharged.

Internet connectivity in those areas is very limited, making communication and co-ordination difficult.

Since August 2021, Afghanistan has been under the control of the Taliban, whose government is only recognised by Russia.

Several aid agencies and non-governmental organisations suspended their work in Afghanistan with the arrival of the hardline Islamist group to power.

Most foreign donations to Afghanistan have been suspended and international sanctions, which date back to when the Taliban were first in power in the 1990s, are still in place - although exemptions have been made for humanitarian relief.

The Taliban government has launched an appeal.

Afghanistan is no stranger to earthquakes as it sits on a number of fault lines.

In 2023, a series of quakes in the Herat province killed more than 1,000 people, a year after a similar number were killed in Paktika province.

The latest earthquake was so deadly because it was so shallow - it struck at a depth of 8km (5 miles) - and was felt 140km away in the capital, Kabul, as well as in neighbouring Pakistan. To be classed as a shallow, an earthquake must happen at fewer than 70km below the surface.

Shallow earthquakes are common in Afghanistan, particularly in the foothills of the Himalayas where tectonic plates are sliding past each other.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has left Pyongyang for China, where he will be attending a military parade in the capital Beijing, media reports say.

The "Victory Day" parade, which takes place on Wednesday, will see Kim rub shoulders with China's President Xi Jinping, Russia's Vladimir Putin and other world leaders - making it his first multilateral international meeting.

Kim left the North Korean capital on Monday evening onboard his armoured train, which is said to include a restaurant car serving fine French wines and dishes like fresh lobster.

The train's heavy protection means it travels slowly, and Kim's journey is expected to take up to 24 hours, according to South Korea's Yonhap agency.

Kim's attendance marks the first time a North Korean leader has attended a Chinese military parade since 1959. He will be among 26 other heads of states - including leaders from Myanmar, Iran and Cuba - in attendance.

His attendance is an upgrade from China's last Victory Day parade in 2015, when Pyongyang sent one of its top officials, Choe Ryong-hae.

The reclusive leader rarely travels abroad, with his recent contact with world leaders limited to Putin, who he's met twice since Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

He last visited Beijing in 2019 for an event marking the 70th anniversary of diplomatic ties between the countries. That trip also saw him travel by train.

The tradition of travelling via train was started by Kim's grandfather Kim Il Sung - who took his own train trips to Vietnam and Eastern Europe.

Kim's father, Kim Jong Il, travelled by train as well as he was reportedly afraid of flying.

According to one South Korean news outlet, the armoured train has around 90 carriages, including conference rooms, audience chambers and bedrooms.

Tens of thousands of military personnel will march in formation through Beijing's historic Tiananmen Square on the day of the parade, which will mark the 80th anniversary of Japan's surrender in World War Two and the end of the conflict.

The 70-minute parade is likely to feature China's latest weaponry, including hundreds of aircraft, tanks and anti-drone systems - the first time its military's new force structure is being fully showcased in a parade.

Most Western leaders are not expected to attend the parade, due to their opposition to Russia's invasion of Ukraine, which has driven the sanctions against Putin's regime.

But it will see leaders from Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar and Vietnam in attendance - further proof of Beijing's concerted efforts to ramp up ties with neighbouring South East Asia.

Just one EU leader will be attending - Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico - while Bulgaria and Hungary will send representatives.

Former New York City mayor Rudy Giuliani will receive a Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest civilian honour, Donald Trump has announced on Truth Social.

Giuliani became known as "America's Mayor" after leading New York through 9/11. While he previously worked as Trump's personal lawyer, the pair have since parted ways.

The announcement comes two days after Giuliani sustained back injuries when a car he was a passenger in was struck from behind, police said.

Presidential Medals of Freedom are awarded to people who have made "exceptionally meritorious contributions to the nation's prosperity, values, or security, world peace, or other significant public or private endeavours".

In the Truth Social post where Trump announced Giuliani's nomination, the president called him "the greatest Mayor in the history of New York City, and an equally great American Patriot".

Past honourees include Muhammad Ali, Dr Jane Goodell, Anna Wintour and Michael J Fox, among many others.

In 2017, former President Barack Obama awarded then Vice-President Joe Biden with the Medal of Freedom.

Giuliani has not yet publicly commented on the announcement and it's unclear when he will formally receive the medal.

On Saturday evening, a car he was a passenger in was struck from behind in the US state of New Hampshire.

All involved in the crash suffered non-life threatening injuries and were taken to hospital, police said. His security guard said he suffered back injuries as well as lacerations and contusions. Giuliani has since left hospital, reports say.

Giuliani's response to the 11 September terror attack in New York drew widespread praise. Time magazine named him its Person of the Year for 2001, and Queen Elizabeth II presented him with an honorary knighthood.

In 2008, he made an unsuccessful run for US president, and later became one of Trump's advisers during the latter's 2016 campaign.

While Giuliani had a historic rise to fame, in recent years he has been troubled by personal and financial problems.

He joined Trump's legal team in 2018 and remained a part of it through to the 2020 election.

He was among several Trump allies who spread false claims of election fraud in an effort to overturn Trump's loss to former President Joe Biden in 2020.

Giuliani was sued for defamation and forced to pay two former Georgia election workers $148m (£120m).

That judgement also forced Giuliani to file for bankruptcy and led to him being stripped of his legal credentials.

In early 2021, Giuliani's legal work with Trump ended, although an adviser said they remained allies and friends.

Czech opposition leader and former prime minister Andrej Babis has been hit in the head with a metal crutch during an election rally.

He was taken to hospital for tests and discharged shortly afterwards. A woman was also treated in hospital over the same incident. Her identity has not been released.

The assailant was detained by police. His motive remains unknown.

The attack on Babis has been widely condemned, but his party blamed the government for a campaign of hatred "in billboards and social media".

The incident happened during a rally in Dobrá, some 376km (234 miles) east of the capital, Prague.

Fellow MP Aleš Juchelka, who was with Babis at the rally, said the ANO (Yes) party leader had been hit in the head several times.

He was taken to hospital in a car - where, after performing a CT scan, doctors discharged him.

In a short statement on X, Czech police said the suspect had been arrested by officers present at the rally "immediately after the attack". They said the matter was being investigated as "disorderly conduct", but could be widened if necessary.

Babis served as Czech prime minister between 2017 and 2021.

His deputy Alena Schillerová blamed the attack on the "hatred spread by the ruling parties".

"This is a direct consequence of their campaign based on fear and division," she said.

Prime Minister Petr Fiala wished Babis a speedy recovery and told an election rally for his party that "violence does not belong in politics".

Czechs are due to vote in general elections on 3 and 4 October.

Just before midnight on Sunday, Matiullah Shahab woke up to find his house in Afghanistan's remote Kunar province shaking.

An earthquake measuring 6.0 magnitude had struck eastern Afghanistan, leaving at least 800 people dead, according to the UN.

Even though the epicentre of the quake was 16km away, the whole of Shahab's village of Asadabad trembled. The 23 family members who live with him ran out of their bedrooms as they feared the walls would fall in on them, and stayed awake all night in their garden. "We were all afraid," he says.

The areas worst hit by the quake were Nangarhar and Kunar provinces, but it was felt as far away as Kabul and in neighbouring Pakistan's capital Islamabad.

When day broke, Matiullah - who is a freelance journalist and human rights activist - drove from his home to try to reach the remote mountainous area at the epicentre of the quake.

He says he had to get out of his car and walk for two hours before he arrived at the worst-hit villages as there were rocks on the road.

He arrived at the village of Andarlachak to find several young children being treated by medics in the street. A pair of toddlers lay together on a stretcher with bruises on their chests and faces.

Other children were wrapped in white sheets. Some 79 people died in that village alone.

"I saw many dead bodies," Matiullah tells the BBC. "I felt the aftershocks 17 times."

Matiullah helped the local people dig graves for the many people who had died.

"The villages I visited were destroyed," he says. One man told Shabab that his wife and four children had died. But most were too shocked to speak.

"Peoples' faces were covered in dust and there was a silence," he said. "They were like robots - no one could talk about it."

Due to the blocked roads, Taliban government rescue operations have relied on helicopters to reach the mountain villages. But the remote, mountainous terrain means some places remain inaccessible, while there are reports of people dying under the rubble while awaiting rescue.

Matiullah says volunteers were trying to rescue trapped people, and saw two women being pulled from a destroyed house.

"They got them out, injured, and they are now in the hospital," he says. He was not allowed to take photos of the rescue operation because the Taliban does not allow photos of women.

Many residents are now sleeping out in the open and need tents, Matiullah adds.

Another resident in Kunar's Sokai district, Ezzatullah Safi, says part of his house collapsed in the earthquake.

"I woke to the screams of children, women, and animals," he tells the BBC.

"The earthquake was intense, and the night felt like a small apocalypse. Strong winds followed the tremors, with light rain falling. My children clung to me, crying in fear. Dust filled the air.

"The mobile network went down immediately. We couldn't contact relatives. With the house damaged and no electricity, we relied on the light from our phones."

He says government helicopters arrived in the morning and airlifted the injured from the mountains down to the main Kunar highway, where they were transferred by vehicles to clinics.

"There's a heavy atmosphere of grief here," Ezzatullah notes.

"[The] electricity is out, markets remained closed all day. Some areas are still unreachable - remote villages five to six hours away in the mountains."

Additional reporting by Iftikhar Khan

The world's leading association of genocide scholars has declared that Israel is committing genocide in Gaza.

A resolution passed by the International Association of Genocide Scholars (IAGS) states that Israel's conduct meets the legal definition as laid out in the UN convention on genocide.

Across a three-page resolution, the IAGS presents a litany of actions undertaken by Israel throughout the 22-month-long war that it recognises as constituting genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity.

The IAGS is the world's largest professional association of genocide scholars and includes a number of Holocaust experts. Out of its 500 members, 28% took part in the vote and 86% of those who voted supported the resolution.

In a summary of Israeli policies and actions, the declaration notes the widespread attacks on both the personnel and facilities needed for survival, including in the healthcare, aid, and educational sectors.

Among many other elements, it notes the 50,000 children killed or injured by Israel, as highlighted by UN aid organisation Unicef, which impacts the ability of Palestinians in Gaza to survive as a group and regenerate.

The resolution also highlights the support among Israeli leaders for the forced expulsion of all Palestinians from Gaza, alongside Israel's near-total demolition of housing in the territory.

The IAGS notes the statements by Israeli leaders dehumanising Palestinians in Gaza, characterising them all as the enemy, alongside promises to "flatten Gaza" and turn it into "hell".

The Israeli Foreign Ministry said the report was based on "Hamas lies" and poor research, calling it an "embarrassment to the legal profession". A spokesperson added that it was Israel itself which is the victim of genocide.

Israel has regularly denied that its actions in Gaza amount to genocide and says they are justified as a means of self-defence.

The IAGS scholars state that while the 7 October 2023 Hamas attack - in which about 1,200 people were killed and 251 others taken hostage - was itself a crime, Israel's response has not only been directed against Hamas but has targeted Gaza's entire population.

The 1948 UN Genocide Convention, which was adopted following the mass murder of Jews by Nazi Germany, defines genocide as crimes committed "with intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnical, racial or religious group".

A number of leading rights organisations, including two Israeli organisations, have also declared they believe Israel is committing genocide.

The UN and a number of Western nations have said that they will only consider a ruling by a court that genocide is taking place as authoritative.

The UN's top court, the International Court of Justice, is currently considering a case brought by South Africa in 2023 that argues that Israel is committing genocide. The ICJ has not yet made a determination on the subject and has granted Israel an extension until January 2026 to present its defence.

Israel has accused the case of having antisemitic motivations, calling it a "blood libel", in reference to historic allegations that Jewish communities ritually murder Christian children.

The IAGS say their resolution has no bearing on any case put forward to an international court.

On Monday, the Hamas-run Ministry of Health said that 63,557 people had been killed and 160,660 injured during the war so far. The ministry's numbers are widely considered reliable yet they do not distinguish between civilians and fighters.

In August, the UN-backed food monitor, the IPC, confirmed that famine was taking place in parts of Gaza. Israel is accused of causing the famine through ongoing restrictions on food and medical aid entering Gaza.

Israel controls all border crossings into the Gaza Strip, and as the occupying power bears responsibility for protecting civilian life under international law, which includes the prevention of starvation.

Nestle has fired its chief executive after just one year in the job because he failed to disclose a "romantic relationship" with a "direct subordinate"

The Swiss food giant, which makes Kit Kat chocolate bars and Nespresso coffee capsules, said Laurent Freixe has been dimissed with "immediate effect" following an investigation led by Nestle's chair and lead independent director.

The BBC understands the inquiry was triggered by a report made through the company's whistleblowing channel.

Nestle chair Paul Bulcke, said: "This was a necessary decision. Nestlé's values and governance are strong foundations of our company. I thank Laurent for his years of service at Nestlé."

The relationship was with an employee who is not on the executive board and the investigation began because it represented a conflict of interest, the BBC has learned.

Mr Freixe had been with Nestle for nearly 40 years but stepped up to the global chief executive role last September.

Philipp Navratil has been appointed as Mr Freixe's successor.

India's Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, says he has had an "insightful" exchange with Russian President Vladimir Putin on the sidelines of a summit in China.

The two leaders spent 45 minutes inside the Russian leader's car - after which Modi posted a picture of their journey alongside the compliment to Putin.

"They were at home... They felt comfortable there, and that's why they continued the conversation," Putin's spokesman said.

The meeting came after scenes of hand-holding between the pair as they were hosted by China's Xi Xinping for the Shanghai Co-operation Organisation summit, which is being seen as a challenge to US President Donald Trump and US dominance on a global level.

Trump has imposed US tariffs of 50% on goods from India as a way of punishing Delhi for buying Russian oil and weapons.

The tariffs – among the highest in the world – include a 25% penalty for transactions with Russia, which are a key source of funds for its war in Ukraine.

India, a vital strategic US partner in the Indo-Pacific, has shown no signs of stopping its purchases, and the camaraderie with Putin in Tianjin is being seen in the context of the Trump threats.

The US was, until recently, India's largest trading partner.

• Trump's 50% tariff on India kicks in
• Putin says he reached 'understandings' with Trump over end of Ukraine war
• Modi and Xi meet: Trump as the wildcard and other takeaways

For his part, Putin was facing a Trump-issued deadline to agree to hold peace talks with Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky.

Russia has said there are no plans for any such meeting.

Speaking at the summit in Tianjin, Putin thanked the Chinese and Indian leaders for their support and their efforts to "facilitate the resolution of the Ukrainian crisis".

In his speech, Putin also said that the "understandings reached" at his meeting with Trump in Alaska last month were "I hope, moving in this direction, opening the way to peace in Ukraine".

Putin launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

On 22 August, Trump said he had given Putin "a couple of weeks" to give a response before the US took action.

It was the latest in a series of ultimatums and deadlines he has issued to the Russian leader, who has ignored them.

Trump had previously said he could solve the Ukraine war in one day.

US officials have further restricted visitor visas for Palestinians, by denying them to almost all applicants who use a Palestinian passport, media reports say.

The development comes days after 80 Palestinian officials were denied visas ahead of the United Nations General Assembly in New York.

Earlier in August, visitor visas were paused for people hoping to travel from the Palestinian territory of Gaza. This newly-reported decree would affect a wider group - including people living in the Israeli-occupied West Bank.

The Department of State did not explicitly confirm the move but said it was "taking concrete steps in compliance with US law and our national security".

The decision was issued in a diplomatic cable dated 18 August, the New York Times and CNN reported.

US consular officers were told to refuse non-immigrant visas to "all otherwise eligible Palestinian Authority passport holders", the communication was quoted as saying.

That would apply to Palestinians hoping to come to the US for a range of purposes, including for business, study or medical treatment.

The move meant that officials would be required to perform a further review of each applicant, which amounted to a blanket ban on issuing visas to Palestinians, the New York Times added in its report.

Palestinians who are able to make visa applications using other passports were said to be unaffected.

• US blocks Palestinian leader from attending UN meeting in New York
• What does recognising a Palestinian state mean?

It is not clear what prompted the reported move, though the Trump administration has been steadfast in its support for Israel's military campaign against Hamas in Gaza.

The news also follows last month's announcements by a number of other US allies - including the UK, Canada and France - that they would recognise a Palestinian state on certain conditions. US Vice-President JD Vance has said Washington has "no plans" to follow suit.

The Trump administration has also cracked down on pro-Palestinian protests on university campuses.

The move represents a further toughening of the president's stance on visas, following two earlier measures.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas was among a group of dozens of Palestinian officials who were recently blocked from attending the UN General Assembly session in New York later this month, after US officials revoked his visa and accused the Palestinian Authority and Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO), both of which Abbas leads, of undermining peace efforts.

And the Department of State said on 16 August it had paused approvals of visitor visas for Palestinians from Gaza specifically, so that a review could take place.

Hamas, which is designated as a terrorist group by the US, governed Gaza when hundreds of its armed fighters attacked Israel on 7 October 2023, killing about 1,200 people and taking 251 hostages. The attack triggered a massive and ongoing Israeli military offensive, in which at least 63,459 Palestinians have been killed, according to the Hamas-run health ministry.

The US visa policy has effectively been extended now to include people from the West Bank and wider Palestinian diaspora.

Asked about the latest move, a Department of State spokesperson's statement said: "The Trump administration is taking concrete steps in compliance with US law and our national security in regards to announced visa restrictions and revocations for PA (Palestinian Authority) passport holders. We refer you to those public announcements for more information on those restrictions and revocations.

"Every visa decision is a national security decision, and the State Department is vetting and adjudicating visa decisions for PA passport holders accordingly."

More than 800 people have been killed - and nearly 3,000 injured - after a magnitude-six earthquake struck eastern Afghanistan just before midnight on Sunday, the United Nations' humanitarian agency has said.

Most of the deaths are in Kunar province, officials say, warning that the death toll may rise significantly as entire villages have been destroyed by the quake.

The epicentre is in a remote mountainous area, making it difficult for rescue operations to be carried out. "The scale of devastation is unimaginable," a Taliban official said.

The disaster comes as Afghanistan reels from a severe drought, aid cuts and what the World Food Programme describes as an unprecedented crisis of hunger.

The earthquake hit at 23:47 (19:47 GMT) on Sunday, some 27km (17 miles) east of Jalalabad - the country's fifth-largest city, in eastern Nangarhar province.

Faridullah Fazli was fast asleep at home in Asadabad, on the banks of the Kunar river, and the tremor jolted him awake.

"There was a very strong earthquake, accompanied by sounds that were very scary," he told the BBC.

"We didn't sleep until morning. After the earthquake, there were small tremors, and there are still."

• LIVE: Follow latest updates

Fazli said he went to the clinic in town, helping transport the dead and wounded into ambulances to be taken to a hospital further south in Nangarhar province.

"It was a very scary situation, just an atmosphere of fear and terror," Fazli said.

A resident of Mazar Dara, in the Nurgal region, said 95% of the village had been destroyed - and there were five to 10 injured people in every household.

The worst damage was in Kunar - a rugged, mountainous region with limited farmland.

Roads in the area are often mud tracks winding around mountains - homes are made of clay, stones and mud.

The region has also seen massive flooding and landslides in the past few days blocking access to many areas.

With roads blocked, rescue operations can only be carried out by air, and teams were unable to reach the area until the morning as helicopters could not land in the mountains at night.

However, more than 100 flights have since been conducted in clear weather since.

"Entire villages are flattened, roads to deep mountainous areas are still closed. So now, for us, the priority is not finding dead under the rubble, but rather reaching out to those injured," a Taliban official in Kunar province said.

"Most of the dead are under rubble. We are doing everything, but it doesn't seem possible soon," he said.

There are cases of people trapped under the rubble for hours and reportedly dying as they awaited rescuers.

Syed Raheem - one of those taking part in the rescue - says even though many have been saved, there are fears for other still trapped.

"Some people sent us messages that there are houses that are destroyed, and some people are still under the rocks," he told the BBC.

Jalalabad's main hospital was already overwhelmed, being right at the centre of the crossing point for the tens of thousand Afghans being deported from bordering Pakistan.

On Monday, it was quite chaotic - with the injured, helpless relatives looking for their loved ones, volunteers and rescue teams still running around the place.

An inconsolable woman said she had lost family members in the quake, while an old man was dazed and lost - and unable to speak to anyone.

A doctor said around 460 victims had been brought in since the earthquake - 250 admitted, the others treated and discharged.

Internet connectivity in those areas is very limited, making communication and co-ordination difficult.

Since August 2021, Afghanistan has been under the control of the Taliban, whose government is only recognised by Russia.

Several aid agencies and non-governmental organisations suspended their work in Afghanistan with the arrival of the hardline Islamist group to power.

Most foreign donations to Afghanistan have been suspended and international sanctions, which date back to when the Taliban were first in power in the 1990s, are still in place - although exemptions have been made for humanitarian relief.

The Taliban government has launched an appeal.

Afghanistan is no stranger to earthquakes as it sits on a number of fault lines.

In 2023, a series of quakes in the Herat province killed more than 1,000 people, a year after a similar number were killed in Paktika province.

The latest earthquake was so deadly because it was so shallow - it struck at a depth of 8km (5 miles) - and was felt 140km away in the capital, Kabul, as well as in neighbouring Pakistan. To be classed as a shallow, an earthquake must happen at fewer than 70km below the surface.

Shallow earthquakes are common in Afghanistan, particularly in the foothills of the Himalayas where tectonic plates are sliding past each other.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has left Pyongyang for China, where he will be attending a military parade in the capital Beijing, media reports say.

The "Victory Day" parade, which takes place on Wednesday, will see Kim rub shoulders with China's President Xi Jinping, Russia's Vladimir Putin and other world leaders - making it his first multilateral international meeting.

Kim left the North Korean capital on Monday evening onboard his armoured train, which is said to include a restaurant car serving fine French wines and dishes like fresh lobster.

The train's heavy protection means it travels slowly, and Kim's journey is expected to take up to 24 hours, according to South Korea's Yonhap agency.

Kim's attendance marks the first time a North Korean leader has attended a Chinese military parade since 1959. He will be among 26 other heads of states - including leaders from Myanmar, Iran and Cuba - in attendance.

His attendance is an upgrade from China's last Victory Day parade in 2015, when Pyongyang sent one of its top officials, Choe Ryong-hae.

The reclusive leader rarely travels abroad, with his recent contact with world leaders limited to Putin, who he's met twice since Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

He last visited Beijing in 2019 for an event marking the 70th anniversary of diplomatic ties between the countries. That trip also saw him travel by train.

The tradition of travelling via train was started by Kim's grandfather Kim Il Sung - who took his own train trips to Vietnam and Eastern Europe.

Kim's father, Kim Jong Il, travelled by train as well as he was reportedly afraid of flying.

According to one South Korean news outlet, the armoured train has around 90 carriages, including conference rooms, audience chambers and bedrooms.

Tens of thousands of military personnel will march in formation through Beijing's historic Tiananmen Square on the day of the parade, which will mark the 80th anniversary of Japan's surrender in World War Two and the end of the conflict.

The 70-minute parade is likely to feature China's latest weaponry, including hundreds of aircraft, tanks and anti-drone systems - the first time its military's new force structure is being fully showcased in a parade.

Most Western leaders are not expected to attend the parade, due to their opposition to Russia's invasion of Ukraine, which has driven the sanctions against Putin's regime.

But it will see leaders from Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar and Vietnam in attendance - further proof of Beijing's concerted efforts to ramp up ties with neighbouring South East Asia.

Just one EU leader will be attending - Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico - while Bulgaria and Hungary will send representatives.

Security forces in Guyana say a boat carrying election officials and ballot boxes was shot at "from the Venezuelan shore" in the contested Essequibo region.

Police and the Guyana defence force said in a joint statement that the incident occurred on Sunday, ahead of the South American nation's general election on Monday.

The patrol that had been escorting the officials "immediately returned fire" and no one was injured, Guyana's security forces said.

Venezuela has not commented on the incident, which comes amid a territorial dispute between the two nations over the oil-rich Essequibo region.

The 159,500-sq-km (61,600-square-mile) area has been administered by Guyana, and British Guiana before it, for over a century.

But Venezuela lays claim to the area and, in December 2023, President Nicolás Maduro's government held a referendum in which more than 95% of Venezuelans who voted backed its claim.

Guyana has taken the matter to the International Court of Justice, but Venezuela has disputed the court's authority to rule on it.

The statement from the Guyanese security forces did not say who may have been behind the shooting, but they insisted the shots had been fired from Venezuelan territory.

It added that the ballot boxes onboard the boat had been delivered safely to the remote polling stations they were destined for.

Voters in Guyana are choosing a president for the next five years, as well as members of its parliament.

The incumbent, President Irfaan Ali of the People's Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C), is running for a second term and polls suggest he is the frontrunner.

He is being challenged for the top post by Aubrey Norton of the A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) coalition and by Azruddin Mohamed, a billionaire trying to disrupt Guyana's two-party system.

Polls conducted before the voting started had President Ali as the favourite, buoyed by the revenue from the economic boom Guyana is experiencing following the discovery of massive offshore oil deposits.

The country of 800,000 inhabitants saw its GDP almost quintuple in the five years since 2020, according to IMF figures.

President Ali used the revenue to improve Guyana's infrastructure, investing in road-building and education, including making attendance at state universities free of charge.

But his critics say oil revenues have been channelled disproportionally to benefit groups which traditionally support Ali's party, an accusation the president has denied.

Guyana's political landscape has for decades been largely split along ethnic lines, with members of the Indo-Guyanese community traditionally supporting the PPP/C and Afro-Guyanese voters mainly backing the People's National Congress, which forms part of the coalition led by Aubrey Norton.

The party or coalition which wins the most votes gets to put forward the president.

While President Ali said he was confident of re-election, his party had only a one-seat majority in the outgoing legislature.

Analysts have pointed out that the campaign by third-party candidate Azruddin Mohamed could break open established voting patterns and produce a surprise result.

Ballots close at 18:00 local time (22:00 GMT).

The man who was caught on camera snatching a hat off a young boy at the US Open has said he made a "huge mistake" after footage of the incident went viral.

Piotr Szczerek, a Polish chief executive of a paving firm, said he was "convinced" tennis star Kamil Majchrzak had been "passing his hat in my direction".

"I know I did something that seemed like consciously collecting a memento from a child," he wrote in a statement. "This wasn't my intention, but it doesn't change the fact that I hurt the boy and disappointed the fans."

The video, taken during Majchrzak's match on Thursday, showed the tennis player offering his cap to a child, before Mr Szczerek appears to take it.

Versions of the clip were shared widely on social media and prompted criticism of Mr Szczerek's actions.

The 50-year-old wrote on social media on Monday: "I would like to unequivocally apologise to the injured boy, his family, as well as all the fans and the player himself."

He added that he had given the hat back to the boy, and hoped that it had "at least partially repaired the damage that was done".

Majchrzak, 29, who had just won his match against Russian ninth seed Karen Khachanov when the incident unfolded, told the New York Post on Saturday that "obviously it was some kind of confusion".

"I was pointing, giving the hat, but I had a lot going on after my match, after being super tired and super excited for the win," he said.

"I just missed it. I had like a dead look, if you know what I mean. I'm sure the guy was also acting in the moment of heat, in the moment of emotions."

The tennis star reunited with the boy over the weekend, sharing clips of him giving the young fan a cap and other merchandise on Instagram.

"Today after warm up, I had a nice meeting," the tennis star wrote, adding: "Do you recognise [the cap]?"

Majchrzak, ranked 76th in the world in men's singles, came back from two sets down to beat Khachanov in a second-round match at Flushing Meadows, but was forced to retire injured during the first set of his third-round tie against Switzerland's Leandro Riedi on Saturday.

He later confirmed he had torn an intercostal muscle.

Mr Szczerek and his wife Anna founded his paving company Drogbruk in 1999, polish outlet Tenis Magazyn reported. The company sponsors sporting events and Polish athletes.

The couple and their two sons are amateur tennis players who compete in local leagues, and have hosted Polish tennis pro Urszula Radwańska on their home court, according to Tenis Magazyn.

The navigation system of a plane carrying Ursula von der Leyen was disrupted due to suspected Russian interference, the European Commission said.

A spokesperson said the "GPS jamming" happened while the Commission president was about to arrive in Bulgaria on Sunday, but she still landed safely.

They added: "We have received information from the Bulgarian authorities that they suspect that this was due to blatant interference by Russia."

The Financial Times, citing unnamed officials, reported that von der Leyen had to land at Plovdiv Airport using paper maps.

The Bulgarian government confirmed that during the flight, "the satellite signal transmitting information to the plane's GPS navigation system was neutralised".

The statement continued: "To ensure the flight's safety, air control services immediately offered an alternative landing method using terrestrial navigation tools."

Bulgaria's Air Traffic Services Authority told the paper that there had been a "notable increase" in navigation jamming since January 2022.

The Kremlin told the FT that its information was "incorrect".

A woman has been burnt to death by a mob in northern Nigeria's Niger state after she was accused of blaspheming against Prophet Muhammad, police have said.

Police condemned the killing of the woman - identified in local media as a food vendor named Amaye - as "jungle justice", saying that an investigation was under way to arrest and prosecute the perpetrators.

Local media quoted eyewitnesses as saying a man jokingly proposed marriage to the vendor, and her response was considered blasphemous by some people in the area.

"Unfortunately, it led to a mob attack, and [she] was set ablaze before a reinforcement of security teams could arrive at the scene," state police spokesman Wasiu Abiodun said.

He appealed to members of the public to remain calm and not to take the law into their own hands following the killing on Saturday in Kasuwan-Garba town.

Such killings are not uncommon in northern Nigeria, where blasphemy is regarded as a criminal offence under Islamic (Sharia) law, which operates alongside secular law in 12 mainly Muslim states.

At least two other people have been lynched over such accusations in the last three years, with critics pointing out that not enough is being done to prevent the killings that have targeted both Muslims and Christians.

In 2022, student Deborah Samuel was beaten and burned alive in Sokoto state after being accused of making blasphemous comments.

Last year, a butcher, Usman Buda, was stoned to death in the same state under similar circumstances.

Though Nigeria's constitution upholds freedom of speech, the country remains deeply divided on matters of faith and justice.

Nigeria's Supreme Court has in the past ruled that blasphemy allegations must be proven in a court of law.

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

UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres has called for the "immediate and unconditional release" of 11 UN staff arrested by Houthi authorities in Yemen.

The workers were detained by security forces in raids on the World Food Programme (WFP), children's charity Unicef and the World Health Organization (WHO), news agencies and the UN said.

Sunday's raids took place in the capital, Sanaa, and port city of Hudaydah, UN Special Envoy for Yemen Hans Grundberg said.

Grundberg said the Houthis had already been holding 23 other UN workers arrested since 2021.

Houthi authorities have not commented on Sunday's arrests.

In a statement on Sunday, Guterres said he "strongly condemn[s] the arbitrary detentions of at least 11 UN personnel" by the Houthis. He also condemned what he said was the forced entry into WFP and other UN premises, as well as the seizure of property.

It is not clear why the Houthis targeted UN workers. The organisation's staff and aid workers have provided a crucial lifeline for ordinary Yemenis whose country has for years been suffering one of the world's worst humanitarian crises.

One of those previously arrested died in detention earlier this year, Grundberg said.

The Houthis have also detained some 20 Yemeni employees of the US embassy for the past three years.

"Despite sustained engagement and assurances sought over the last year, the arbitrary detention of UN staff, NGO workers and civil society has continued," Grundberg said.

"These actions severely hinder broader efforts to deliver assistance and advance peace in Yemen."

Earlier this year, the UN suspended all movement in Houthi-held areas of Yemen after a number of its personnel were detained.

The latest arrests come amid heightened tension after an Israeli attack killed the Houthi prime minister and other high-ranking officials on Thursday.

The attack was the biggest blow to the Houthis by Israel since it started retaliating a year ago against missile attacks by Houthis. The movement has been firing at Israel since November 2023 in support of the Palestinians in Gaza, where Israel is fighting a war with Hamas.

The Iran-backed group has controlled the capital and the north-west of Yemen since ousting the internationally recognised government in 2015 during a civil war.

The fighting has reportedly left more than 150,000 people dead and triggered a humanitarian disaster. Some 4.8 million people have been displaced and 19.5 million - half of the population - are in need of some form of aid.