The US justice department has released an initial tranche of documents related to Jeffrey Epstein.

The documents, which include photos, videos and investigative documents, were highly anticipated after Congress passed a law mandating the files be released in their entirety by Friday. The Department of Justice (DOJ), however, acknowledged it would not be able to release all of the documents by the deadline.

A number of famous faces are included in the first batch of files - including former US President Bill Clinton, Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, and musicians Mick Jagger and Michael Jackson.

Being named or pictured in the files is not an indication of wrongdoing. Many of those identified in the files or in previous releases related to Epstein have denied any wrongdoing.

Several hundred thousand pages still have not been released

Among the documents released on Friday are many that are redacted, including police statements, investigative reports and photos.

More than 100 pages in one file related to a grand jury investigation are entirely blacked out.

Officials, as outlined in the law, were allowed to redact materials to protect the identity of victims, or anything related to an active criminal investigation, but they were required by law to explain such redactions, which has not yet been done.

The thousands of pages released on Friday are only a share of what is to come, according to the justice department.

Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche said the department was releasing "several hundred thousand pages" on Friday and that he expected "several hundred thousand more" to be released over the coming weeks.

He told Fox & Friends that the department was heavily vetting each page of material to ensure "every victim - their name, their identity, their story, to the extent that it needs to be protected - is completely protected". That is a process, he argued, that takes time.

The timing of when additional materials will be released is unclear, and lawmakers on both sides of the aisle have expressed frustration.

Democrats including Congressman Ro Khanna have threatened action against members of the justice department, including impeachment or possible prosecution over the delay.

Khanna led with Republican Congressman Thomas Massie to force a vote on the Epstein Files Transparency Act, defying US President Donald Trump who at first urged his party to vote against the measure.

"The DOJ's document dump of hundreds of thousands of pages failed to comply with the law," he said on social media, saying in a video that all options were on the table and being mulled over by him and Massie.

Bill Clinton pictured in pool and hot tub

Several of the images released include former US President Bill Clinton.

One picture shows him swimming in a pool, and another shows him lying on his back with his hands behind his head in what appears to be a hot tub.

Clinton was photographed with Epstein several times over the 1990s and early 2000s, before the disgraced financier was first arrested. He has never been accused of wrongdoing by survivors of Epstein's abuse, and has denied knowledge of his sex offending.

A spokesperson for Clinton commented on the new photos, saying they were decades old.

"They can release as many grainy 20-plus-year-old photos as they want, but this isn't about Bill Clinton. Never has, never will be," Angel Ureña wrote on social media.

"There are two types of people here. The first group knew nothing and cut Epstein off before his crimes came to light. The second group continued relationships with him after. We're in the first. No amount of stalling by people in the second group will change that," he continued.

"Everyone, especially MAGA, expects answers, not scapegoats."

Epstein allegedly introduced Trump to 14-year-old girl

In the tranche of files released by the justice department are court documents that mention the US president.

The court documents detail that Epstein allegedly introduced a 14-year-old girl to Trump at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida.

During the alleged encounter in the 1990s, Epstein elbowed Trump and "playfully asked him", in reference to the girl, "This is a good one, right?", the document says.

Trump smiled and nodded in agreement, according to the lawsuit filed against Epstein's estate and Ghislaine Maxwell in 2020.

The document says that "they both chuckled" and she felt uncomfortable, but "at the time, was too young to understand why".

The victim alleges she was groomed and abused by Epstein over many years.

In the court filing she makes no accusations against Trump, and Epstein's victims have not made any allegations against him.

The BBC has contacted the White House for comment.

The alleged episode is one of very few mentions of the president in the thousands of files released on Friday. He can be seen in several photos but his inclusion is minimal at best.

The Trump War Room, the official X account for the president's political operation, instead was posting photographs of Clinton. Trump's press secretary, too, re-posted images of Clinton, saying "Oh my!"

However, there are still pages to be released.

Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche has said that "several hundred thousand" pages of documents are still being reviewed and have yet to be made public.

The US president has previously said he was a friend of Epstein's for years, but said they fell out in about 2004, years before Epstein was first arrested. Trump has consistently denied any wrongdoing in relation to Epstein.

Photo appears to show Andrew laying across laps

A photo in the released files appears to show Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor laying across five people, whose faces are redacted. Epstein's convicted co-conspirator Ghislaine Maxwell is seen in the image standing behind them.

Andrew has faced years of scrutiny over his past friendship with Epstein, who does not appear in the photo.

He has repeatedly denied all wrongdoing in relation to Epstein, and said he did not "see, witness or suspect any behaviour of the sort that subsequently led to his arrest and conviction".

Michael Jackson, Diana Ross, Chris Tucker and Mick Jagger

The newly released documents include the widest assortment of celebrities we've seen in an Epstein file release so far.

The former financer was known for having connections across entertainment, politics and business. Some images released by the DOJ show him with stars that include Michael Jackson, Mick Jagger and Diana Ross.

It's unclear where or when any of the photos were taken or in what context. It's also unclear if Epstein was associated with all of these figures or whether he attended these events. Previously released photos from Epstein's estate have included photos that he did not take from events where he was not in attendence.

In one of the newly released photos, Epstein is photographed with Michael Jackson. The pop idol is wearing a suit and Epstein is seen in a zip-up hoodie.

Another image of Jackson shows him with former US President Bill Clinton and Diana Ross. They are posing together in a small area and multiple other faces are redacted from the image.

Another photo in the thousands of files shows Rolling Stones legend Jagger posing for a photo with Clinton and a woman whose face is redacted. They are all in cocktail attire.

Several photos include the actor Chris Tucker. One shows him posing and seated next to Clinton at a dining table. Another shows him on an airplane tarmac with Ghislaine Maxwell, the convicted associate of Epstein.

The BBC has contacted Jagger, Tucker and Ross for comment. Clinton has previously denied knowledge of Epstein's sex offending and a spokesperson on Friday said they were decades-old photos.

"This isn't about Bill Clinton. Never has, never will be," the spokesperson said.

Epstein threatened to burn down house, accuser says

One of the first people to report Epstein is included in the files. Maria Farmer, an artist who had been working for Epstein, told the FBI in a 1996 report that he had stolen personal photos she took of her 12-year-old and 16-year-old sisters.

She said in a complaint that she believed he sold the photos to potential buyers, and said he threatened to burn her house down if she told anyone about it. Her name is redacted in the files but Farmer confirmed the account was hers.

She notes in the report that Epstein had allegedly asked her to take pictures for him of young girls at swimming pools.

"Epstein is now threatening [redacted] that if she tells anyone about the photos he will burn her house down", the report states.

Farmer said she feels vindicated after nearly 30 years.

"I feel redeemed," she said.

Former Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan and his wife Bushra Bibi have been sentenced to further jail terms following a fraud case involving state gifts.

They were convicted of breaking Pakistan's rules on gifts after Bibi was given a luxury jewellery set by Saudi Arabia's Mohammed bin Salman during a 2021 state visit.

The pair are already serving time in prison for earlier convictions, and the new sentences - 10 years for criminal breach of trust and seven years for criminal misconduct, and a fine - will reportedly run concurrently to their earlier terms.

Khan has described the charges as politically motivated and his lawyer told BBC News his team plan to challenge the verdict.

Speaking to the BBC after the sentencing, the former prime minister's lawyer, Salman Safdar, said Khan and his wife had not been present for the hearing.

Mr Safdar said their legal team had only been informed about the sentencing late on Friday night, after normal court hours.

They planned to mount a challenge to the verdict in the high court, Mr Safdar said.

This case is the latest in a series of charges laid against the cricket star-turned-politician, who has been detained since August 2023. In January, he was sentenced to 14 years in prison over a separate corruption case.

He has faced charges in more than 100 cases, ranging from leaking state secrets to selling state gifts. The BBC has been unable to confirm the exact number brought against him.

The jewellery case, referred to as Toshakhana 2 in Pakistan, concerns a Bulgari jewellery set given to Bushra Bibi by Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman during a state visit in 2021, according to court documents.

Under Pakistan's rules on state gifts, these items go to Pakistan's Toshakana department (state treasury), but politicians are able to purchase the items back.

Khan is alleged to have asked a private firm to undervalue the jewellery set, before purchasing it back at a significantly reduced price.

In addition to their jail terms, the pair were handed a fine of over 16 million Pakistani rupees (£42,600).

Khan has previously been acquitted in a separate Toshakhana case.

The former leader still has other cases outstanding against him.

These include terrorism charges relating to violent protests that took place on 9 May 2023, when he was previously arrested.

Khan was Pakistan's prime minister until April 2022 when he was ousted in a vote of no confidence.

Although he has not been seen in public, his social media accounts have continued to operate with messages attributed to him on X often appearing after jail visits.

These have been highly critical of Pakistan's current government and its politically powerful army Chief Field Marshall Asim Munir, including posts calling him a tyrannical dictator.

In November, he was denied any visitors for nearly a month.

After campaigning by his family and party, his sister was allowed to visit in early December; a few hours after she saw him, his account posted a comment credited to Khan calling the Field Marshall Asim Munir a "mentally unstable person".

Khan has not been allowed any family visits since.

According to an official at the jail, Khan and his wife were present when the verdict was announced but no journalists were allowed to observe.

The judgement states the judge was lenient in sentencing because of Khan's "old age".

Additional reporting by Usman Zahid

The Australian state where the Bondi shooting occurred plans to ban the phrase "globalise the intifada" as part of a crackdown on "hateful" slogans.

New South Wales (NSW) premier Chris Minns has also called for a Royal Commission into the Bondi attack, marking the deadliest shooting in Australia in nearly 30 years.

Fifteen people were killed and dozens injured last Sunday when two gunmen, believed to have been motivated by "Islamic State ideology", opened fire on a Jewish festival at the country's most iconic beach.

Australia's state and federal governments have announced a raft of measures to counter extremism since the attack.

Minns plans to recall the state parliament next week to pass through stricter hate speech and gun restrictions. Earlier this week, he also suggested he would tighten protest laws to scale back mass demonstrations to encourage "a summer of calm".

The premier confirmed he would seek to classify the chant "globalise the intifada" as hate speech.

Two pro-Palestinian protesters were arrested on Wednesday for allegedly shouting slogans involving intifada at a demonstration in central London.

The term intifada came into popular use during the Palestinian uprising against Israeli occupation of the West Bank and Gaza Strip in 1987.

Some have described the term as a call for violence against Jewish people. Others have said it is a call for peaceful resistance to Israel's occupation of the West Bank and actions in Gaza.

Earlier this week, Minns, along with the NSW Opposition Leader Kellie Sloane, attended the funeral Matilda, 10, who was the youngest victim of the Bondi shooting. He read out a poem dedicated to the young girl at the event.

Prime minister Anthony Albanese has announced a new gun buyback scheme to purchase surplus, newly banned and illegal firearms. Hundreds of thousands of guns will be collected and destroyed, the government predicts.

Around 1,000 lifeguards staged a tribute on Saturday, lining up arm-to-arm facing the ocean, on the shorelines of Bondi beach. Surf lifesaving teams at other beaches around Australia were photographed performing a similar memorial.

Through the week, Bondi's surf volunteers have been commemorated as some of the heroes of the shooting. Lifeguard Jackson Doolan was photographed sprinting over from a neighbouring beach during the attack carrying a red medical supply bag.

Hundreds of swimmers and surfers paddled out at Bondi beach yesterday to create a giant circle to pay tribute to the victims of the attack.

On Sunday, Australia will hold a national day of reflection with the theme "light over darkness" marking precisely one week after the attack started with a minute's silence at 6:47 pm (0747 GMT).

Flags will fly at half-mast and Australians are being asked to light a candle in their windows to honour the victims.

"Sixty seconds carved out from the noise of daily life, dedicated to 15 Australians who should be with us today," prime minister Albanese told reporters Saturday.

"It will be a moment of pause to reflect and affirm that hatred and violence will never define us as Australians."

Bondi's attack was Australia's worst mass shooting since Port Arthur in 1996, where 35 people were killed and prompted then-prime minister John Howard to introduce strict gun control measures.

Reporters ask world leaders questions all the time.

No big deal. Right?

But what's it like putting a question to Vladimir Putin - the president who ordered the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the leader whose country was accused this week by the head of MI6 of "the export of chaos"?

And imagine asking that question live on TV while millions of Russians are watching.

It's a big responsibility. You don't want to mess up.

"My question is about Russia's future. What kind of future are you planning for your country and your people?" I ask President Putin.

"Will the future be like the present, with any public objection to the official line punishable by law? Will the hunt for enemies at home and abroad be accelerated? Will mobile internet outages become even more common? Will there be new 'special military operations'?"

While I'm speaking, Vladimir Putin is making notes. And then replies.

He defends Russia's repressive foreign agent law. Hundreds of Russians who are critical of the authorities have been designated "foreign agents".

"We didn't invent it," Putin tells me.

"This [foreign agent] law was adopted in a string of Western countries, including in America in the 1930s. And all these laws, including the US one, are much tougher…"

In reality, the Russian law is draconian. It excludes "foreign agents" from many aspects of public life, including teaching, the civil service, elections and public events. It imposes financial and property restrictions. Criminal prosecution can follow a single administrative fine.

However, I'm unable to point this out to President Putin. The microphone was taken away from me after I'd finished my question.

Suddenly the moderator intervenes to change the subject.

"There's another question here: 'What's going to happen to the BBC? It's facing a multi-billion lawsuit from the US president?'," says anchor Pavel Zarubin.

"I think President Trump is right," President Putin confirms.

The Kremlin and the White House seeing eye to eye… on the BBC.

Putin returns to my question.

"Will there be new special military operations? There won't be, if you treat us with respect, and respect our interests, just as we've always tried to do with you. Unless you cheat us, like you did with Nato's eastward expansion."

Visible for all to see is what is driving Vladimir Putin - a deep-seated resentment of the West.

He argues that, for years, Western leaders have disrespected, deceived and lied to Russia - and that they're lying still by claiming that Moscow intends to attack Europe. "What kind of rubbish is that?" declares the Kremlin leader.

But many European leaders simply don't trust Moscow.

In the run-up to the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine, Russian officials denied they had plans for a mass attack.

More recently Russia has been accused of violating European air space with fighter jets and drones, as well as of carrying out cyber-attacks and acts of sabotage.

But as he finished answering my question, was this an olive branch to Europe from Russia's president?

"We're ready to cease hostilities immediately provided that Russia's medium- and long-term security is ensured, and we are ready to co-operate with you."

However, if Moscow continues to connect its long-term security to its maximalist demands over Ukraine, European leaders will remain sceptical.

The US says its military has carried out a "massive strike" against the Islamic State group (IS) in Syria, in response to a deadly attack on American forces in the country.

Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth said Operation Hawkeye Strike was aimed at eliminating IS "fighters, infrastructure, and weapons sites".

Fighter jets, attack helicopters and artillery hit multiple targets in central Syria, US officials told CBS, the BBC's media partner in the US. Aircraft from Jordan were also involved.

President Donald Trump later said "we are striking very strongly" against IS strongholds, after the 13 December IS ambush in the city of Palmyra in which two US soldiers and a US civilian interpreter were killed.

In a post on X late on Friday, Hegseth wrote: "This is not the beginning of a war - it is a declaration of vengeance. The United States of America, under President Trump's leadership, will never hesitate and never relent to defend our people.

"If you target Americans - anywhere in the world - you will spend the rest of your brief, anxious life knowing the United States will hunt you, find you, and ruthlessly kill you.

"Today, we hunted and we killed our enemies. Lots of them. And we will continue," the US defence secretary added.

Meanwhile, the US Central Command (Centcom) said that "US forces have commenced a large-scale strike" against IS, adding that more information would be provided soon.

Posting on Truth Social later on, President Trump said the US "is inflicting very serious retaliation, just as I promised, on the murderous terrorists responsible".

He said the Syrian government was "fully in support".

Meanwhile, the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (OBHR) said IS positions near the cities of Raqqa and Deir ez Zor were targeted.

It said that a prominent IS leader and a number of fighters were killed.

IS has not publicly commented. The BBC was unable to verify the targets immediately.

Centcom, which directs American military operations in Europe, Africa and the Indo-Pacific, earlier said that the deadly attack in Palmyra was carried out by an IS gunman, who was "engaged and killed".

Another three US soldiers were injured in the ambush, with a Pentagon official saying that it happened "in an area where the Syrian president does not have control."

At the same time, the SOHR said the attacker was a member of the Syrian security forces.

No group has claimed responsibility for the attack, and the identity of the gunman has not been released.

In 2019, a US-backed alliance of Syrian fighters announced IS had lost the last pocket of territory in Syria it controlled, but since then the jihadist group has carried out some attacks.

The United Nations says the group still has between 5,000 and 7,000 fighters in Syria and Iraq.

US troops have maintained a presence in Syria since 2015 to help train other forces as part of a campaign against IS.

This article contains descriptions of sexual abuse and violence which some readers may find distressing.

Two Palestinian men have told the BBC they personally experienced the kind of beatings and sexual abuse highlighted in recent reports into the treatment of prisoners in Israeli detention.

The United Nations Committee against Torture said last month that it was deeply concerned about reports indicating "a de facto state policy of organised and widespread torture and ill treatment" of Palestinian detainees in Israeli jails. It said the allegations had "gravely intensified" after the Hamas-led attacks on Israel on 7 October 2023.

Other reports by Israeli and Palestinian rights groups have detailed what they say is "systematic" abuse.

Israel has denied all the allegations, but rights groups say the fury in the country over the 7 October attacks and the treatment of Israeli hostages in Gaza has created a culture of impunity within the prison services, especially towards detainees who have expressed support for Hamas and its attacks.

Last year, leaked CCTV footage from inside an Israeli military prison showed a Palestinian man from Gaza allegedly being sexually abused by prison guards. That led to a resignation and recriminations at the top of Israel's military and political establishment.

Sami al-Saei, 46, now works in a furniture shop, but he used to be a freelance journalist in the town of Tulkarm, in the north of the occupied West Bank.

He was arrested by Israeli soldiers in January 2024 after working with reporters to arrange interviews with members of Hamas and other armed groups.

He was detained without being charged for 16 months, under a controversial Israeli system known as administrative detention, before being released this summer.

While he was being held in Megiddo prison in northern Israel, he said, the guards partially stripped him and raped him with a baton on or around 13 March 2024.

He said he had decided to speak to the BBC about his allegations of sexual abuse, despite the risk of being ostracised in the often conservative Palestinian society in the West Bank.

"There were five or six of them," he said.

"They were laughing and enjoying it. The guard asked me: 'Are you enjoying this? We want to play with you, and bring your wife, your sister, your mother, and friends here too,'" Mr al-Saei continued.

"I was hoping to die and be done from that, as the pain was not only caused by the rape, but also from the severe and painful beating."

He said the assault lasted around 15 to 20 minutes, during which time the guards also squeezed his genitals, causing extreme pain.

He said the beatings happened on an almost daily basis, but he was only sexually abused once.

The BBC asked the Israel Prison Service (IPS) for a response to Mr al-Saei's allegations. It sent a statement, which said: "We operate in full accordance with the law, while ensuring the safety, welfare, and rights of all inmates under its custody.

"We are not aware of the claims described, and to the best of our knowledge, no such incidents have occurred under IPS responsibility."

We also asked the IPS whether an investigation had been launched into the alleged sexual assault and whether any medical records existed. It did not comment.

Allegations of abuse of Palestinians in Israeli prisons have been made for decades, but one recent case has shaken the country's establishment and deepened a growing divide in Israeli society over the treatment of prisoners and detainees accused of supporting Hamas.

In August 2024, leaked CCTV from inside Sde Teiman military prison in southern Israel showed a Palestinian detainee from Gaza allegedly being abused with a sharp object by soldiers, leaving the man with a pierced rectum. The assault allegedly happened in July 2024.

Five Israeli reservist soldiers were charged with aggravated abuse and causing serious bodily harm to the detainee.

Last month, they convened a press conference on Israeli television, four of them appearing in black balaclavas to hide their identities.

In an interview with Channel 14 News, a fifth soldier pulled off his mask to reveal his face, saying he had nothing to hide.

All five have denied the charges.

The reservists held the press conference after it emerged that the CCTV footage was leaked by the Israeli military's top lawyer, Military Advocate General Major General Yifat Tomer-Yerushalmi.

She resigned in October, saying that she took full responsibility for the leak. She explained that she had wanted to "counter false propaganda against the army's law enforcement authorities" – a reference to claims from some right-wing politicians that the allegations were fabricated.

Supporters of the far right have held protests in support of the five accused reservists outside Sde Teiman prison.

In July, before her resignation, at a fiery committee hearing at Israel's parliament, Hanoch Milwidsky, a politician from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's right-wing Likud party, was challenged over whether raping a detainee was acceptable.

"Shut up, shut up," he shouted. "Yes, everything is legitimate if they are Nukhba [elite Hamas fighters who took part in the 7 October attacks]. Everything."

A recent opinion poll by the widely respected Israel Democracy Institute indicated that the majority of the Israeli public oppose investigating soldiers when they are suspected of having abused Palestinians from Gaza.

Ahmed, not his real name, lives in the West Bank with his wife and 11 children.

He was arrested by soldiers in January 2024 and was found guilty of incitement to terrorism, after making social media posts praising the 7 October Hamas-led attacks, in which around 1,200 people, mostly Israelis, were killed and a further 251 were taken hostage.

He was sentenced to one year in prison and fined 3,000 shekels ($935, £700).

He alleges serious sexual abuse while in Israeli detention.

"The prison guards, three of them, took me into a bathroom and stripped me completely naked before forcing me to the ground," Ahmed said in an interview at his home.

"They put my head in the toilet bowl and a massive man, maybe 150kg (330lb), stood on my head, so I was bent over. Then, I heard the voice of someone talking to the prison dog. The dog was named Messi, like the footballer."

He then detailed how he said the dog was used to sexually humiliate him. He said his trousers and underwear were removed and the dog mounted his back.

"I could feel its breath... then it jumped on me... I started to scream. The more I screamed, the more they beat me until I almost lost consciousness."

During his time in detention, Ahmed also said the guards would beat him on a regular basis, including on his genitals.

He said he was released 12 days after the alleged sexual abuse, after serving his full sentence.

We asked Ahmed if there were any medical documents regarding his claims, but he said he did not have any.

We contacted the IPS to ask for a response to Ahmed's allegations, and if an investigation had been launched into his alleged abuse, but we did not receive a reply.

There are over 9,000 Palestinian security detainees held in Israeli jails, nearly double the number before the 7 October attacks. Many have never been charged.

The recent report by the UN Committee against Torture unequivocally condemned the 7 October attacks, and also expressed deep concern over Israel's response and the huge loss of human life in Gaza.

Some of the hostages abducted on 7 October and survivors of the attacks have also made allegations of sexual abuse, rape and torture by Hamas and its allies.

Hamas has also publicly executed Palestinians in Gaza accused of collaborating with Israel.

There are also claims of abuse within prisons run by the Palestinian Authority (PA), which is in charge in parts of the West Bank not under Israeli control and is a political and military rival of Hamas.

The BBC has spoken to a former detainee who said PA security officers beat him and used electric shocks on him.

The BBC has contacted the PA for comment but received no reply. It has previously denied allegations of systematic abuse.

In a report submitted in October to the UN Committee against Torture, five Israeli human rights groups said there had been "a dramatic escalation in torture and cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment across all detention facilities, carried out with near total impunity and implemented as state policy targeting Palestinians".

Adalah, the Public Committee Against Torture in Israel, Parents Against Child Detention, HaMoked, and Physicians for Human Rights–Israel presented evidence that they said showed Israel had "dismantled existing safeguards and now employs torture throughout the entire detention process - from arrest to imprisonment - targeting Palestinians under occupation and Palestinian citizens, with senior officials sanctioning these abuses while judicial and administrative mechanisms fail to intervene".

The report said such practices had resulted in a surge of Palestinian deaths in custody, with at least 94 deaths in Israeli custody documented between the start of the Gaza war and the end of August 2025.

Israel's ambassador to the UN in Geneva rejected the allegations made before the UN Committee against Torture as "disinformation".

Daniel Meron told the expert panel last month that Israel was "committed to upholding its obligations in line with our moral values and principles, even in the face of the challenges posed by a terrorist organisation".

He said the relevant Israeli agencies complied fully with the prohibition against torture and that Israel rejected allegations of systematic use of sexual and gender-based violence.

The ousted chair of Ben & Jerry's has accused the company which owns the brand of threatening to launch a public smear campaign against her.

Anuradha Mittal, who chaired Ben & Jerry's independent board for seven years, told the BBC that Magnum had threatened to publish "defamatory statements" about her if she did not step down from her role.

It relates to an increasingly bitter dispute between the Vermont-based activist ice cream maker and its owner over the independence of the board and its freedom to pursue its social missions.

Magnum said in its view Mittal "no longer met the criteria to serve" on the board, following an investigation it had commissioned by external advisors.

In a statement on Monday, Magnum outlined changes to the way the board operates including a nine-year limit for people serving on it.

As well as Mittal, who said she had received a letter telling her she had been removed from the board, two other board members will be required to leave as a result.

It also said that an audit of the Ben & Jerry's Foundation, a charitable organisation, had "identified a series of material deficiencies in financial controls, governance and other compliance policies, including conflicts of interest".

Speaking to the BBC's World Business Report, Mittal said there had been an escalation of the friction between Ben & Jerry's board and its owner, over the brand's independence, social mission and integrity.

"For several years now, we have been resisting their overreach, including their efforts to muzzle us from speaking out for human rights, for peace," she said.

The brand, which is also known for the playful puns in its flavour names, was owned by Unilever until earlier this month, when the household goods giant spun off its ice cream unit to create, Magnum Ice Cream Company.

Ben & Jerry's was sold to Unilever in 2000 in a deal which allowed it to retain an independent board and the right to make decisions about its social mission.

This was a frequent source of friction while owned by Unilever.

In 2021, Ben & Jerry's refused to sell its products in areas occupied by Israel, resulting in its Israeli operation being sold by Unilever to a local licensee, and in October, Ben Cohen said it was prevented from launching an ice cream which expressed "solidarity with Palestine".

This row has now been inherited by Magnum, culminating in this week's stand-off, and Mittal's removal.

"This October, Unilever-Magnum executives threatened me with defamatory statements in their forthcoming prospectus if I did not resign," Mittal said.

"At the same time, they offered me a prominent role in a multimillion dollar Unilever-funded non-profit if I gave in," she added.

She said she had turned down that "inappropriate" offer.

Magnum is now the world's largest ice cream maker, with its brands include Cornetto, Wall's and Carte D'Or.

Mittal, founder of the Oakland Institute, a human rights and development focused think tank in California, described Magnum's approach as a "public smear campaign" and said the allegations were unfounded.

One of the firm's original founders Jerry Greenfield left the firm in September saying he felt its social mission was being stifled. The other, Ben Cohen, has also hit out at Magnum saying it was "not fit" to own the firm.

In a statement a spokesperson for Magnum said the steps it had taken were aimed at strengthening corporate governance and to "reaffirm the responsibilities of the Board of Ben & Jerry's".

"These actions aim to preserve and enhance the brand's historical social mission and safeguard its essential integrity," a spokesperson said.

When Ben & Jerry's was created in 1978 it made its mark selling flavours such as Cherry Garcia named after the guitarist from rock band Grateful Dead, Bohemian Raspberry, a play on the Queen track, and the now discontinued Vermonty Python.

Magnum said in its statement: "We remain unequivocally committed to Ben & Jerry's three-part mission – product, economic and social – and its progressive, non-partisan values.

"Ben & Jerry's continues to advocate for a range of causes and be a bold voice for social justice, as a glance at its social media channels demonstrates."

The US justice department has launched a civil legal case against a man accused of being a Bosnian war criminal to revoke his citizenship.

Kemal Mrndzic did not disclose during his US immigration process that he served as a guard at Bosnia's notorious Celebici prison camp, where atrocities were committed, the department said.

A UN war crimes tribunal found that people held in the camp during the Bosnian war were killed, tortured, sexually assaulted, beaten and subjected to cruel and inhuman treatment.

US President Donald Trump's administration would not allow people who "persecute others" to "reap the benefits of refuge in the US", justice department official Brett Shumate said.

The assistant attorney general added that the legal case showed the value that the US government placed on "the integrity of its naturalisation process".

Mrndzic was found guilty by a jury in October 2024 on several counts of criminal fraud and misrepresentation in relation to his successful application for a US passport and naturalisation certificate.

He failed to disclose to immigration authorities the nature and timing of his military service, or that "he persecuted Bosnian-Serb inmates as a prison guard", the justice department said.

Mrndzic was sentenced in January 2025 to more than five years in prison.

The Bosnian war followed the break-up of Soviet Yugoslavia in the early 1990s and led to the Srebrenica massacre in July 1995.

Srebrenica, recognised by the UN as a genocide, became known as Europe's worst mass atrocity since World War Two, after Bosnian-Serb forces systematically murdered more than 8,000 Bosniak Muslim men and boys.

The Celebici prison camp was operated by Bosniak and Bosnian-Croat forces, who were also responsible for widespread killings in areas they controlled.

Serbian leader Slobodan Milosevic was tried for war crimes and genocide, and the massacre led to the US-brokered Dayton Peace Agreement on 14 December 1995.

Tourists in Italy's capital Rome will soon have to pay a €2 (£1.75; $2.34) entrance fee if they want to see its famed Trevi Fountain up close.

The new barrier for visitors to view the Baroque monument will come into force from 1 February 2026.

While the coins tossed into the fountain are donated to charity, the fees collected will go to the city authority to pay for upkeep and managing visitors. The city expects to raise €6.5m a year from the fountain alone.

Announcing the move on Friday, Rome's Mayor Roberto ‌Gualtieri was quote by news agency Reuters as saying that "two euros isn't very much ... and it will lead to less chaotic tourist flows".

The Trevi levy is part of a new tariff system for certain museums and monuments in the Italian capital.

Access to a number of sites that currently charge for entry will become free for Rome's residents, such as the Sacred Area of Largo Argentina.

At the same time, tourists and non-residents will have to pay to see the Trevi fountain and five other attractions including the Napoleonic Museum.

Children under the age of five, and those with disabilities and an accompanying person, will be exempt from the fees.

Tourists will still be able to view the Trevi Fountain - built by Italian architect Nicola Salvi in the 18th Century - for free from a distance.

The site currently sees an average of 30,000 visitors per day, according to the City of Rome.

Following restoration work which took place last year, Gualtieri introduced a queuing system to prevent large crowds massing around the landmark.

Access is capped at 400 people at the same time.

Russia's President Vladimir Putin has said there will be no more wars after Ukraine if Russia is treated with respect - and claims that Moscow is planning to attack European countries are "nonsense".

In a marathon televised event lasting almost four and a half hours, he was asked by the BBC's Steve Rosenberg whether there would be new "special military operations" - Putin's term for the full-scale war.

"There won't be any operations if you treat us with respect, if you respect our interests just as we've always tried to respect yours," he asserted.

His remarks were in line with a recent comment in which he said Russia was not planning to go to war, but was ready "right now" if Europe wanted to.

He also added the condition,"if you don't cheat us like you cheated us with Nato's eastward expansion".

He has long accused Nato of going back on an alleged 1990 Western promise before the fall of the Soviet Union. It was denied years afterwards by late Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev.

The "Direct Line" marathon combined questions from the public at large and journalists from across Russia in a Moscow hall, with Putin sitting beneath an enormous map of Russia that encompassed occupied areas of Ukraine, including Crimea.

Russian state TV claimed more than three million questions had been submitted.

Although it was largely choreographed, some critical comments from the public appeared on a big screen, including one that referred to the event as a "circus", another bemoaning internet outages and one that highlighted poor-quality tap water. Mobile internet outages have been blamed by authorities on Ukrainian drone attacks.

Putin also addressed Russia's faltering economy, with prices rising, growth on the slide and VAT going up from 20 to 22% on 1 January. One message to the president read: "Stop the crazy rise in prices on everything!"

The Kremlin regularly uses the end-of-year event to highlight the resilience of the economy and, as Putin spoke, Russia's central bank announced it was lowering interest rates to 16%.

Foreign policy issues were mixed with musings about the motherland, praise for local businesses, fish prices and the importance of looking after veterans.

But the issue of almost four years of full-scale war in Ukraine was never far away and it was often in the background of many of the questions.

Putin again claimed to be "ready and willing" to end the war in Ukraine "peacefully" but offered little sign of compromise.

He repeated his insistence on principles he had outlined in a June 2024 speech, when he demanded that Ukrainian forces leave four regions Russia partially occupies and that Kyiv gives up its efforts to join Nato.

Chief among Russia's demands is full control of Ukraine's eastern Donbas, including about 23% of Donetsk region which Russia has not been able to occupy.

Putin argued Russian forces were making advances across the front line in Ukraine and he ridiculed Volodymyr Zelensky's visit to the front line at Kupiansk last week, when the Ukrainian leader was able to refute Russia claims that it had captured the town.

Putin has also demanded new elections in Ukraine to be included in the peace proposals that US President Donald Trump has submitted as part of his efforts to bring the conflict to an end. At his news conference, Putin offered to stop bombing Ukraine when voting took place.

Ukraine's SBU security service said on Friday it had for the first time hit an oil tanker operating as part of Russia's "shadow fleet" in the Mediterranean. Putin said it would not lead to the result that Kyiv wanted and would not disrupt Russian exports.

Most of the questions from Russian media or from the public made little attempt to challenge Putin, but two were allowed from Western correspondents, Keir Simmons of US network NBC and the BBC's Steve Rosenberg.

When Simmons asked if Putin would feel responsible for the deaths of Ukrainians and Russians if he rejected the Trump peace plan, Putin praised the US president's "sincere" efforts to end the war, but said it was the West not Russia that was blocking a deal.

"The ball is in the hands of our Western opponents," he said, "primarily the leaders of the Kyiv regime, and in this case, first and foremost, their European sponsors."

Trump has said a peace deal is closer than ever and, despite Putin's apparent refusal to compromise, the US president has said he hopes "Ukraine moves quickly because Russia is there".

A Ukrainian delegation is holding talks in Miami on Friday with Trump envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner. German, French and British officials are also there, days after they met the US officials in Berlin.

Kremlin envoy Kirill Dmitriev is also expected in Miami over the weekend, according to reports.

Putin told the BBC's Russia Editor: "We are ready to work with you - with the UK and with Europe in general and with the United States, but as equals, with mutual respect to each other.

"We are ready to cease these hostilities immediately, provided that Russia's medium- and long-term security is ensured, and we are ready to cooperate with you."

He accused the West of creating an enemy out of Russia. Skating over his decision to mount a full-scale invasion in February 2022, he said: "You are waging a war against us with the hands of Ukrainian neo-Nazis," he added, repeating his regular diatribe against Ukraine's democratically elected leaders.

European intelligence agencies have warned that Russia is only a few years away from attacking Nato. The Western defensive alliance's chief Mark Rutte said this month that Russia was already escalating a covert campaign and the West had to be prepared for war.

While many of the questions were benign, including several from children, from a one reporter from Yakutia in north-eastern Siberia highlighted a tenfold increase in energy prices in the past four years. Putin told her that his team would look into alternative sources of energy and "keep Yakutia in mind".

Towards the end of the TV marathon, Putin was asked a series of quickfire questions, touching on his views on friendship, religion, the motherland and love at first sight. He said he believed in love at first sight - then added that he himself was in love, without divulging any more details.

At least three people have been killed and five others injured as a knife-wielding attacker ‍went ‍on a ​rampage in the Taiwanese capital Taipei.

The 27-year-old suspect set off smoke bombs at Taipei's main metro station on Friday, before running to another station in a busy shopping district, stabbing people along the way, Taiwanese Premier Cho Jung-tai said.

The suspect later died after falling from a building, Cho added. His motive remains unclear.

Attacks of this kind are rare in Taiwan, which has low rates of violent crime. The last time a similar incident struck Taipei was more than a decade ago in 2014.

Friday's attack took place during the city's evening rush hour. Videos shared on social media show people fleeing the scene in panic.

Cho said the suspect had detonated smoke bombs and Molotov cocktails at Taipei's Main Station, which is connected to a busy underground shopping street.

A man reportedly tried to stop the attacker but was struck with a blunt object and later died in hospital.

The suspect then went to another subway station about 800m away, where he set off more smoke bombs and stabbed more people.

Cho said he had ordered increased security at metro and railway stations, as well as airports, in response to the attack.

"We will ‌investigate [the suspect's] background and associated relationships to understand his motives and ‍determine ‌if there are other connected factors," Cho was quoted by news agency Reuters as saying.

Taiwan's President William Lai also promised a swift investigation.

The last major incident of this kind, in 2014, saw a man kill four people on an underground train in Taipei, shocking people in Taiwan. The perpetrator of that attack was executed two years later.

The widow of conservative activist Charlie Kirk has said the Turning Point USA organisation he founded will help elect JD Vance as president in 2028, despite the current US vice-president having yet to announce he is running.

Erika Kirk's endorsement on Thursday came on the opening day of Turning Point's annual America Fest conference, the organisation's largest gathering since her husband was shot dead in September.

"We are going to get my husband's friend, JD Vance, elected for 48 in the most resounding way possible," Kirk said, referring to the 48th president. Trump is the 47th.

Vance, meanwhile, is scheduled to speak at the event on Sunday.

Turning Point has been credited with helping Republican President Donald Trump expand his coalition of support, leading to his 2024 presidential election victory.

Her announcement ahead of Trump's one-year mark in office signals early jockeying to be his successor ahead of the 2028 election.

After Kirk gave her opening remarks, the stage at the Phoenix Convention Center in Arizona turned into a political mudslinging contest as tensions within the conservative movement were laid bare.

Podcaster Ben Shapiro lobbed attacks at media rivals Candace Owens, Tucker Carlson, Megyn Kelly and Steve Bannon, calling them "fraudsters and grifters".

"The people who refused to condemn Candace's truly vicious attacks - and some of them are speaking here tonight - are guilty of cowardice," Shapiro said.

Owens, a former Turning Point employee who hosts a popular podcast, has been a thorn in Republicans' side and pushed various conspiracy theories, including baseless suggestions about Charlie Kirk's murder.

It comes at a time when there has been growing speculation about Trump's hold on the Republican party and infighting among factions of the president's supporters about the future of the Maga movement.

Shapiro also criticised former Fox News host Carlson for interviewing Nick Fuentes, a far-right political commentator and Holocaust denier, on his podcast in late October, drawing widespread condemnation.

After Shapiro, Carlson took the stage and shot back at Shapiro.

"That guy is pompous," Carlson said. "Calls to deplatform at a Charlie Kirk event? That's hilarious."

Charlie Kirk's Turning Point events were known for addressing controversial and divisive topics. Supporters saw it as necessary for free speech. Critics saw it as hate-mongering.

Authorities said Charlie Kirk's alleged assassin - Tyler Robinson - told his romantic partner that he killed Kirk because he "had enough of his hatred".

Erika Kirk told the Turning Point conference: "You won't agree with everyone on this stage this weekend. And that's okay. Welcome to America."

Since the assassination, she said, "we've seen fractures, we've seen bridges being burned that shouldn't be burnt".

Trump has recently encountered a series of setbacks within his Republican party, including a public falling out with his former ally Marjorie Taylor Greene and the impending release of the Epstein files, which a majority of Republicans voted for despite Trump's initial discouragement.

The four-day America Fest conference was scheduled to continue through the weekend, with Vance and Donald Trump Jr scheduled as guest speakers on Sunday.

A Paris court has rejected an effort by the French government to suspend the website of fast-fashion giant Shein in response to it selling childlike sex dolls on its platform.

The court said the request for a three-month suspension was "disproportionate" - but did order age verification for the sale of adult products.

The action against Shein was taken after France's consumer watchdog last month reported it to authorities for selling "sex dolls with a childlike appearance" and weapons.

Shein said its priority remained protecting French consumers and ensuring compliance.

In its judgement, the court acknowledged the seriousness of selling the childlike sex dolls and weapons, but said these had been isolated incidents.

It noted that the Chinese company had taken action to remove the offending items once they were made aware of them, and that the issues related to a small number of the hundreds of thousands of products on sale on its site.

In response to the initial controversy, Shein announced it would be banning the sale of all sex dolls on its site internationally.

A request by the French government for Shein to be forced to suspend the sale of third-party items on its website - the source of the initial offending items - was also rejected.

In ordering age verification measures to be put in place for the sale of adult items, the court said the fine for each breach would be €10,000 (£8,700; $11,700).

The decision to suspend Shein's website in early November coincided with the company opening its first physical store in the French capital.

Its launch drew both shoppers and protesters, with opposition related to the sale of childlike sex dolls, and also its profile as a fast fashion retailer.

In a statement, Shein said: "We remain committed to continuously improving our control processes, in close collaboration with the French authorities, with the aim of establishing some of the most stringent standards in the industry.

"Our priority remains protecting French consumers and ensuring compliance with local laws and regulations."

A court in the German city of Aachen has sentenced a man to eight-and-a-half years in prison for repeatedly drugging and raping his wife, filming the acts and then posting them online.

The man, named only as Fernando P in line with German privacy laws, was found guilty of aggravated rape, grievous bodily harm and violation of personal privacy.

The court found the 61-year-old, who is originally from Spain, guilty of sedating and raping his wife at their home for a period of several years from 2018 to 2024.

A spokesperson for the court, Katharina Effert, said the man also filmed the abuse and shared it online.

"He uploaded videos of these acts to chat groups and internet platforms, making them available to other users," she said.

Much of the trial was held behind closed doors to protect the identity of his wife.

Her lawyer, Nicole Servaty, told journalists that she "really had a voice in this proceeding", adding: "She was able to testify, to express her feelings and everything that has burdened her."

She said the ruling could not make up for what happened. "But it might help a bit to cope with things and process them."

The verdict is still subject to appeal.

German media say the case bears similarities to the high-profile case in France last year concerning Dominique Pelicot.

He was found guilty of secretly drugging his wife, Gisèle, and inviting scores of men to rape her while she was unconscious for years.

Gisèle's decision to waive her anonymity and hold a public trial turned her into a feminist icon, celebrated for her powerful testimony and courage.

Germany's Federal Criminal Police Office, the BKA, says that the victims of sedation and subsequent sexual abuse are "almost exclusively women".

It says such crimes "usually take place by exploiting a relationship of trust" in marriage, partnerships, families or among close acquaintances.

Norway's Crown Princess Mette-Marit will likely need a lung transplant as her health has worsened in recent months, the country's royal household has said.

The princess, 52, was diagnosed with pulmonary fibrosis in 2018. The degenerative disease creates scar tissue that stiffens the lungs making it difficult to breathe and for oxygen to enter the bloodstream.

Tests in autumn showed "a clear worsening" of her health, the palace said on Friday. "We are reaching the point where a lung transplant will be necessary," Are Martin Holm, head of respiratory medicine at Oslo University Hospital, said.

Princess Mette-Marit told public broadcaster NRK that her illness had developed "faster than I'd hoped".

No decision has been taken yet on whether she will be placed on the transplant waiting list, Dr Holm said. The palace said her doctors had started the process towards an evaluation for lung transplant surgery.

In Norway, there are usually between 20 and 40 patients on the waiting list for a lung transplant and Princess Mette-Marit will not be given preferential treatment if she is placed on the list, local media reports.

Although she is not yet on a donor list, Dr Holm said her heathcare team was "undertaking the necessary preparations to ensure that [a transplant] will be possible when the time comes".

The palace said Princess Mette-Marit had "an increasing need" for rest and a targeted exercise regimen.

However, she had "expressed a strong interest in continuing to carry out her duties", it added in a statement on Friday. Her royal duties and engagements will adapted to her ongoing health issues.

Holm described pulmonary fibrosis to reporters as a "dangerous disease" that often could not be seen because it depended on how sick an individual was.

At rest, they might be able to breathe normally, Holm explained, but when they exert themselves - through exercise, for example - their lungs "can no longer keep up".

Princess Mette-Marit's husband, Prince Haakon, Norway's future king, sat beside her for an interview with NRK, in which he explained that she may appear "perfectly fine" when sitting still, but said he had noticed her struggling more with breathing.

He also said she had less energy and was getting ill more often.

Hiking or skiing together - activities the pair enjoy - were no longer possible, the crown prince added.

The thought of the transplant alone had been demanding, Mette-Marit said, as she knew it will involve risks.

A successful transplant hinges on several factors, including finding the right match and ensuring the body does not reject the new organ.

Transplant is seen as a last resort, Dr Holm explained, telling reporters that individuals must be significantly ill and have a limited life expectancy before a lung transplant can be deemed appropriate.

News of the princess' deteriorating health comes months after her eldest son was charged with 32 offences, including four counts of rape.

Marius Borg Høiby, 28, denies the most serious accusations against him, but plans to plead guilty to some lesser charges when the trial begins, his lawyer Petar Sekulic told news agency Reuters in August.

Mr Høiby is the stepson of the heir to the Norwegian throne, but does not have any royal title or official duties.

A Uganda prison officer has been sacked for criticising the government on TikTok, in a rare move authorities said amounted to "gross indiscipline".

Lawrence Ampe had been under investigation over social media posts accusing senior government officials of corruption, human rights abuses and mistreatment of lower-ranking prison officers.

"The standing orders don't allow a public officer to participate in politics, which he is doing even now," prisons spokesman Frank Baine told the BBC, saying Ampe was sacked for "politicking in the wrong forum".

The opposition has condemned the move, describing it as evidence of "systemic oppression" and double standards within the security sector.

The officer shared the dismissal letter on his TikTok account with the caption: "I'm finally out free to support truth."

In another video, Ampe urged Ugandans not to worry about how he would survive without a job, saying: "What we are doing is not all about money but about liberating our nation."

He said he was using his TikTok account, which has more than 100,000 followers, to expose senior government officials who are involved in corruption and misusing their power, and to tell Ugandans how to love their country.

The officer has also used his social media accounts to promote election campaign videos for opposition leader Bobi Wine, a pop star-turned-politician, whose real name is Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu.

Bobi Wine is seeking to unseat President Yoweri Museveni in the 15 January elections, as the long-serving leader aims to extend his nearly 40-year rule.

In a statement, the Prisons Council said it had "resolved to dismiss" Ampe last Tuesday and ordered him to hand over all state property in his possession.

Mr Baine said Uganda's laws did not allow public servants to participate in politics.

"We have put him in the right forum to do his politicking," the prisons spokesman told the BBC, adding that Ampe did not show remorse when he appeared before the Prisons Council.

The BBC has reached out to Ampe for comment.

Last month, the Uganda Prisons Service said it was investigating Ampe for his self-made TikTok videos on various subjects, cautioning officers against using social media to express political opinions.

It cited laws that prohibited public officers from communicating with the media on "issues related to work or official policy" without permission from authorising seniors.

‎Despite the warning, Ampe reportedly continued uploading political videos, leading to further disciplinary proceedings.

Bobi Wine defended Ampe, saying he was using social media to "expose corruption, abuse of power, oppression of lower ranking officers and other evils within the Uganda Prisons Service".

He said the officer's dismissal reflected double standards, noting that other security officials, particularly in the military, routinely appear in the media expressing partisan support for President Museveni's leadership without facing disciplinary action.

The government has previously been accused of restricting people's ability to criticise the actions of the state or its officials.

The US government in a 2023 report said Uganda had restricted internet freedom through the use of criminal punishments.

Rights groups also regularly denounce the Ugandan authorities over violations of human rights and the freedom of expression.

Last July, a 24-year-old man was sentenced to six years in prison for insulting the president and the first family on a TikTok video. He had pleaded guilty and asked for forgiveness.

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UN-backed food security experts have found improvements in nutrition and food supplies in Gaza since the ceasefire but say 100,000 people were still experiencing "catastrophic conditions" last month.

In August, the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) found that half a million people – about a quarter of Gaza's population – were living in areas suffering from famine.

Since a fragile ceasefire came into force in October, the UN and other humanitarian agencies have been able to increase food getting into Gaza.

Israel's foreign ministry said the report was "deliberately distorted" and "doesn't reflect the reality in the Gaza Strip".

The latest IPC analysis suggests that a month ago, half a million Gazans were still facing emergency conditions and more than 100,000 were still under the highest level of food insecurity - IPC Phase 5 - experiencing "catastrophic conditions".

It projects that number will continue to decrease but stressed the situation remains "highly fragile".

IPC Phase 5 signifies the most extreme level of food insecurity , labelled "Famine" for an area or "Catastrophe" when referring to households. The report said no areas in Gaza were now classified as "in Famine".

Israel rejected the original findings of famine by the IPC - which monitors and classifies global hunger crises - and has continued to criticise its methodology.

Cogat, the Israeli military body which controls Gaza's crossings, said the number of trucks with food aid entering each week went beyond what the UN had determined it needed.

"The report relies on severe gaps in data collection and on sources that do not reflect the full scope of humanitarian assistance," the body said in a statement.

The IPC said acute malnutrition was at critical levels in Gaza City and serious in Deir al-Balah and Khan Younis.

In the coming months the situation is expected to remain severe but the number of people facing the most severe conditions is predicted to fall to 1,900 by April, according to the report.

But it added that if there were renewed hostilities the entire Strip would be at risk of famine.

Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said earlier this month that the second phase of the US-brokered peace plan - which would see Israel withdraw troops further from Gaza and Hamas disarm - was close but key issues still needed to be resolved.

The IPC said key drivers of food insecurity included restricted humanitarian access, displacement of more than 730,000 people and the destruction of livelihoods - including more than 96% of crop land in Gaza being destroyed or inaccessible.

Israel imposed a total blockade on aid deliveries to Gaza at the start of March this year, which was eased in May, saying it wanted to put pressure on the armed group Hamas to release hostages remaining in Gaza at the time.

Ahead of this IPC report Cogat said the body had not engaged with the US or Israel and its methodology, "reinforcing a false narrative, driven in part by Hamas-sourced claims, while ignoring the actual humanitarian conditions on the ground".

It also denied Israel was preventing winter and medical supplies from entering the territory and that there was a shortage of drinking water.

Unwra, the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, said while the report stated Gaza was no longer in famine, the situation remained "critical".

"Overall living conditions in the Gaza Strip are still catastrophic, made worse by the winter weather," it said in a statement, adding there must be "sustained, expanded, and consistent humanitarian and commercial access".

Staff at two leading Bangladeshi newspapers say they were "gasping for air" as protesters, roused by the death of a prominent activist, set their offices alight on Thursday.

Sharif Osman Hadi, who had emerged as a key figure after last year's anti-government protests that ousted former prime minister Sheikh Hasina, was shot in Dhaka last week and died of his injuries on Thursday.

Hundreds of protesters stormed the offices of English newspaper The Daily Star and Bengali daily Prothom Alo on Thursday night and the demonstrations extended into the next day.

"It is one of the darkest days for independent journalism in Bangladesh," the English language Daily Star said in a statement.

For the first time in 35 years, The Daily Star could not publish its print edition on Friday and will be "inoperable for a while", consulting editor Kamal Ahmed told the BBC.

"Twenty-eight of our colleagues were trapped in the rooftop of the building for hours... They were gasping for fresh air," Ahmed said. "They were rescued only after additional military reinforcement came."

No one has been seriously injured, but large parts of the buildings were completely charred when BBC Bangla visited on Friday. Smoke was still seen coming out of Prothom Alo's building.

The interim government led by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus condemned the violence, vowing to hand perpetrators "full justice".

"Attacks on journalists are attacks on truth itself," it said in a statement on Friday.

The country is making a "historic democratic transition", it said, which must not be derailed by "those few who thrive on chaos and reject peace."

Bangladesh is scheduled to hold elections next February, the first since Hasina's ousting.

It is unclear why the hundreds of protesters targeted The Daily Star and Prothom Alo, which have long been regarded as secular and progressive. Because of that, they often came under fire during Hasina's administration.

However, since the July 2024 uprising, the two newspapers have maintained their critical stance on some of the interim government's policies, which may have angered supporters of Yunus' administration.

Other prominent buildings, including the home of the country's first president Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, who was Hasina's father, were also vandalised and set on fire on Thursday.

Hadi, 32, was a senior leader of the student protest group Inqilab Mancha, and part of the youth movement that topped Hasina.

He was also a vocal critic of neighbouring India, where Hasina remains in self-imposed exile.

Hadi made regular appearances on various media programmes after last year's protest and quickly attracted a wide following - as well as a steady pool of opponents.

Hadi had planned to contest in next February's election as an independent candidate, but was shot one day after authorities announced the date for the poll.

He was gunned down by masked attackers while leaving a mosque in Dhaka on 12 December. He succumbed to his injuries at a hospital in Singapore.

Yunus called Hadi's death "an irreparable loss for the nation" and called it a premeditated attack by those conspiring to "derail" the election.

"The country's march toward democracy cannot be halted through fear, terror, or bloodshed," he said in a televised speech on Thursday.

The interim government has declared a day of national mourning on Saturday.

Investigations are ongoing and several people have been detained over the shooting.

Hasina fled to India in August 2004, following weeks of student-led protests, bringing an end to 15 years of increasingly authoritarian rule.

In November, she was sentenced to death for crimes against humanity after being found guilty of allowing lethal force to be used against protesters, 1,400 of whom died during the unrest.

The South African government has dismissed accusations by the US that it harassed and intimidated American officials during a raid on a centre processing applications by white South Africans for refugee status in the US.

Tuesday's raid saw seven Kenyans expelled from South Africa for working in the country illegally.

The US accused South Africa of publishing the passport details of its officials, saying this was "unacceptable" and warning of "severe consequences".

But South Africa has denied this, saying it treats "matters of data security with the utmost seriousness".

The US is offering asylum status to members of South Africa's Afrikaner community as it says the community is facing persecution. South Africa's government has rejected the claims.

President Donald Trump's administration has reduced its yearly intake of refugees from around the world from 125,000 to 7,500, but says it will prioritise Afrikaners, who are mostly descendants of Dutch and French settlers.

Tensions between the two countries has risen since Trump took office.

After the raid on the processing centre, South Africa expressed concern that foreign officials appeared to have coordinated with undocumented workers and said it had reached out to the US and Kenya to resolve the matter.

In a statement issued on Thursday, the US State Department said it condemned "in the strongest terms the South African government's recent detention of US officials performing their duties to provide humanitarian support to Afrikaners".

It did not providence any evidence to back up its accusation that South Africa had released the passport information of its officials.

South Africa's home affairs department described these accusations as "unsubstantiated".

"South Africa treats all matters of data security with the utmost seriousness and operates under stringent legal and diplomatic protocols," it said in a statement.

It had previously said that no US officials were arrested and the operation was not at a diplomatic site.

It said the Kenyans had applied for work permits, which had been denied.

The US has not addressed this directly but said it had "worked to operate the refugee program within the confines of the law".

Trump has claimed that Afrikaners are being subjected to a "genocide" in South Africa, even though there is no evidence that white farmers are more likely to be killed than their black counterparts.

He offered Afrikaners refugee status earlier this year after South African President Cyril Ramaphosa signed a law allowing the government to seize land without compensation in rare instances.

A first group of about 50 people flew to the US on a chartered plane - it is not clear how many others have moved, or are in the process of applying.

Because of the legacy of the racist apartheid system, the majority of privately owned farmland in South Africa is owned by the white community and South Africa's government is under pressure to provide more land to black farmers. However, it stresses that no land has yet been seized under the new law.

South Africa has repeatedly tried to mend fences with the Trump administration, most famously when Ramaphosa led a high-level delegation to the White House earlier this year.

However, this backfired when Trump ambushed him with images, videos and news reports allegedly showing that the government was persecuting white people.

Last month, the US boycotted the G20 summit in South Africa and has said it would not invite South African officials to its meetings since it took over the leadership of the grouping of the world's biggest economies.

Additional reporting by Khanyisile Ngcobo in Johannesburg

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President Donald Trump has suspended the US green card lottery scheme in the wake of a mass shooting at Brown University last week in which two people were killed.

The suspect, a Portuguese man who was found dead on Thursday, entered the country through the diversity lottery immigrant visa programme (DV1) in 2017 and was granted a green card.

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said she has paused the visa scheme under Trump's direction to "ensure no more Americans are harmed by this disastrous programme".

US officials said they believe the suspect, 48-year-old Claudio Neves Valente, also killed Portuguese Massachusetts Institute of Technology professor Nuno Loureiro earlier this week.

The programme makes up to 50,000 visas available each year through a random selection process among entries from countries with low rates of immigration to the US.

Writing on social media, Noem said Trump had previously "fought to end" the scheme in 2017 after eight people were killed in a truck-ramming attack in New York City.

Uzbekistan national Sayfullo Saipov, an Islamic State supporter who is serving multiple life sentences for the attack, entered the US through the DV1 scheme, according to Noem.

Her comments come just hours after Neves Valente was found dead in a storage facility in Salem, New Hampshire, from what police believe is a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

Police said video evidence and tips from the public led investigators to a car rental location where they found the suspect's name and matched him to their person of interest, following a six-day multi-state manhunt.

He was found dead with a satchel and two firearms. Evidence in a car nearby matched to the scene of the shooting at Brown University in Providence, according to Rhode Island Attorney General Peter Neronha.

Brown University President Christina Paxson said Neves Valente was enrolled at the Ivy League school from the autumn of 2000 to the following spring, and was studying for a PhD in physics.

He had "no current active affiliation" to Brown, she said.

Officials said they believe Neves Valente shot and killed MIT professor Nuno F Gomes Loureiro, 47, on Monday at his home in Brookline, which is about 50 miles (80km) from Providence.

Both men had studied at the same university in Portugal in the late 1990s, police said.

Officials said the cases were linked when the suspect's vehicle was identified via CCTV footage and a witness at Brown University.

The same car was spotted near the scene of the professor's shooting, which happened just two days later.

Authorities have not provided any suspected motive for either of the attacks.

Two students were killed and nine others were injured as a gunman burst into Brown University's engineering building on 13 December and opened fire during final exams.

They have been identified as Ella Cook, 19, a second-year student from Alabama, and Mukhammad Aziz Umurzokov, 18, an Uzbek-American who had just started at the university.

Parents of children with thalassemia in India say they are devastated after life-saving blood transfusions left their children HIV-positive, confronting them with illness, social stigma, and uncertainty.

Thalassemia is a genetic blood disorder that requires regular transfusions to manage severe anaemia and sustain life.

On Wednesday, authorities in central state of Madhya Pradesh said five children with thalassemia, aged three to 15, have tested positive for HIV, prompting concerns over blood transfusion practices. A committee has been set up to investigate the cases.

The families are from Satna district. Although the infections were detected during routine screening between January and May 2025, they drew wider attention after local media reports earlier this week.

The cases follow a similar incident in the eastern state of Jharkhand weeks earlier, where five children with thalassemia, all under eight, were found to have contracted HIV after blood transfusions at a state-run hospital.

HIV, or human immunodeficiency virus, spreads through unprotected sex, unsafe medical practices, infected blood transfusions, or from mother to child during pregnancy, childbirth or breastfeeding.

While no longer a death sentence, it requires lifelong management. In India, more than 2.5 million people live with HIV, with about 66,400 new infections each year. Over 1.6 million are on lifelong treatment at antiretroviral therapy (ART) centres, government data shows.

Satna district collector Satish Kumar S said the five children had received blood transfusions at different locations, involving multiple donors.

Health officials said these included government hospitals and private clinics, and that all the children are now receiving treatment.

In one case, officials said both parents of a three-year-old were HIV positive. In the other cases, the parents tested negative, ruling out mother-to-child transmission.

Satna's chief medical and health officer Manoj Shukla said children with multiple transfusions are considered high-risk and are routinely screened for HIV.

"Once detected, treatment was started immediately and is continuing. At present, the children are stable," he said.

Every unit of blood issued by the district hospital's blood bank is tested according to government protocol and released only after a negative report, Dr Shukla says.

However, in rare cases, blood donors who are in the early stages of HIV infection may go undetected during initial screenings but test positive later, he adds.

Cases of thalassemia patients contracting HIV during treatment are not new in India.

In October, after similar incidents in Jharkhand, authorities suspended a lab assistant, the doctor in charge of the HIV unit and the chief surgeon of the state-run hospital involved.

Chief Minister Hemant Soren also announced an assistance of 200,000 rupees ($2,212; £1,655) for each affected family.

In 2011, authorities in Gujarat launched an investigation after 23 children with thalassemia tested positive for HIV following regular blood transfusions at a public hospital.

Last week, thalassemia patients urged India's parliament to pass the National Blood Transfusion Bill 2025, saying it would strengthen regulation of blood collection, testing and transfusion.

Campaigners, including patients who contracted HIV through unsafe transfusions, called the bill a long-awaited step towards safer, quality-assured blood for those reliant on frequent transfusions.

In India, where healthcare access can be limited, especially in rural areas and small towns, families of the HIV-infected children in Madhya Pradesh and Jharkhand are deeply concerned.

"My daughter was already suffering from thalassemia. Now she has got HIV, all thanks to the pathetic medical facilities of Madhya Pradesh," said one father, whose child is among those affected.

Another parent said their child was struggling with side-effects of HIV medication, including vomiting and constant fatigue.

In India, HIV still carries strong social stigma, often leading to discrimination. In Jharkhand, the family of a seven-year-old boy was forced to leave their rented home after the landlord learned of the child's HIV status, the father told the BBC.

"I tried to convince them a lot, but they remained adamant on getting the house vacated. So, I had to return to my village, about 27km [17 miles] away," said the father, who is a farmer.

"In the village, it is not only a challenge for my son to get better health facilities, but he is also deprived of a good education."

Additional reporting by Mohammad Sartaj Alam in Jharkhand

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TikTok's Chinese owner ByteDance has signed binding agreements with US and global investors to sell the majority of its business in America, TikTok's boss told employees on Thursday.

Half of the joint venture will be owned by a group of investors, including Oracle, Silver Lake and the Emirati investment firm MGX, according to a memo sent by chief executive Shou Zi Chew.

The deal, which is set to close on 22 January, would end years of efforts by Washington to force ByteDance to sell its US operations over national security concerns.

The deal is ​line with one unveiled in September, when US President Donald Trump delayed the enforcement of a law that would ban the app unless it was sold.

In the memo, TikTok said the deal will enable "over 170 million Americans to continue discovering a world of endless possibilities as part of a vital global community".

The White House referred the BBC to TikTok when contacted for comment.

European Union leaders have struck a deal to give Ukraine a €90bn (£79bn; $105bn) loan after failing to agree on using frozen Russian assets.

The agreement, which leaders said would meet Ukraine's military and economic needs for the next two years, came after more than a day of talks at a summit in Brussels.

"We committed, we delivered," EU chief Antonio Costa wrote on X as he announced the deal to provide a loan backed by the bloc's common budget.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky had urged leaders to use €200 billion of frozen Russian assets but Belgium, where the vast bulk of the cash is held, demanded guarantees on sharing liability that proved too much for other countries.

In another development, French President Emmanuel Macron said he believed it would be "useful" for Europe to re-engage with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

"I believe that it's in our interest as Europeans and Ukrainians to find the right framework to re-engage this discussion," he said, adding that Europeans should find the means to do so "in coming weeks".

EU ⁠leaders avoided "chaos ‍and ‍division" ​with ‌their decision to provide Ukraine with a loan through borrowing cash rather than ​use frozen Russian assets, Belgian Prime Minister Bart De ​Wever said early on Friday.

"We remained united," De ‌Wever added.

Ukraine is months from running out of cash and Zelensky said without an injection by spring Ukraine would "have to reduce production of drones".

The EU estimates Ukraine needs an extra €135 billion to stay afloat over the next two years, with the cash crunch set to start in April.

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, who had pushed for the asset plan, said the final decision on the loan "sends a clear signal" to Putin.

Russia had warned EU leaders not to use its money, but Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said they had to "rise to this occasion".

The agreement offers Kyiv a desperately needed lifeline amid a flurry of diplomacy as US President Donald Trump pushes for a quick deal to end Russia's war.

US and Russian officials are due to meet in Miami this weekend for further talks on a peace plan, a White House official has told AFP news agency. It is thought Kremlin envoy Kirill Dmitriev will talk to Trump envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner in Miami.

Meanwhile, Zelensky announced Ukrainian and US delegations would hold new talks on Friday and Saturday in the United States.

He said he wanted Washington to give more details on the guarantees it could offer to protect Ukraine from another invasion.

Police have issued an arrest warrant for the suspect in a mass shooting at Brown University that killed two people and injured nine others, sources close to the investigation told the BBC's US partner, CBS News.

Authorities are now searching for the person and a car the suspect is believed to have rented, according to CBS. They have not publicly identified the suspect.

They also are looking into a possible link between the shooting at Brown and the killing of a professor at Massachusetts Institute of Technology two days later.

The search is now in its sixth day, with investigators knocking on doors, asking for home-security videos, and appealing to the public for tips to find the gunman.

A news conference that police in Providence, Rhode Island, had planned for Thursday afternoon was abruptly cancelled, but they said they expected to give an update later in the day.

On Thursday, authorities told CBS sources that they are investigating possible connections between the shooting and the killing of an Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) nuclear science and engineering professor two days later.

Nuno F Gomes Loureiro, 47, from Portugal, was shot "multiple times" on Monday at his home in Brookline, Massachusetts, which is about 50 miles (80km) from Providence.

Police have obtained an arrest warrant for a suspect, sources told CBS. The sources said a rental car matching the same description was seen at both crime scenes.

Federal authorities had previously said there was no link between the two murders.

On Wednesday, authorities released a photo of an individual they believe was in close proximity to their primary person of interest.

Providence Police Chief Oscar Perez said they wanted to speak with the person, "who may have information relevant to the investigation".

The chief also said the killer "could be anywhere", adding that "we don't know where the person is or who he is".

A day earlier, police had shown footage of a person of interest where a man was seen walking around the university campus with a black mask over his mouth, possibly "casing" the area before the crime, Perez said.

Members of the public have expressed frustration that the mass shooting investigation has appeared to yield little progress so far.

In response, Rhode Island Attorney General Peter Neronha said he believed the killer would be caught "and it is just a matter of time before we catch him".

The FBI has offered a $50,000 (£37,350) reward for information leading to the identification, arrest and conviction of the person responsible for the attack.

The shooting occurred at Brown University's Barus & Holley engineering building during final exams.

Authorities identified the two students killed as Ella Cook, a sophomore from Alabama, and Mukhammad Aziz Umurzokov, an Uzbek-American freshman student.

TikTok's Chinese owner ByteDance has signed binding agreements with US and global investors to sell the majority of its business in America, TikTok's boss told employees on Thursday.

Half of the joint venture will be owned by a group of investors, including Oracle, Silver Lake and the Emirati investment firm MGX, according to a memo sent by chief executive Shou Zi Chew.

The deal, which is set to close on 22 January, would end years of efforts by Washington to force ByteDance to sell its US operations over national security concerns.

The deal is ​line with one unveiled in September, when US President Donald Trump delayed the enforcement of a law that would ban the app unless it was sold.

In the memo, TikTok said the deal will enable "over 170 million Americans to continue discovering a world of endless possibilities as part of a vital global community".

The White House referred the BBC to TikTok when contacted for comment.

A former Nascar driver is believed to be among seven people who have died in a plane crash at a regional airport in North Carolina, an official says.

The Cessna C550 aircraft is owned by a private company associated with Greg Biffle, a retired Nascar driver, CBS, the BBC's US partner, reported.

The small aircraft crashed while landing at Statesville Regional Airport around 10:20 local time (15:20GMT), aviation officials investigating the incident told reporters.

Congressman Rich Hudson of North Carolina appeared to confirm Biffle's death on X, writing that he was devastated by the loss of the racer, his wife Christina and their children.

"Greg was a great NASCAR champion who thrilled millions of fans. But he was an extraordinary person as well, and will be remembered for his service to others as much as for his fearlessness on the track," Hudson wrote, praising their aid work during hurricanes in North Carolina and Jamaica.

Professional baseball player Mitchell Garret wrote on Facebook that Biffle and his family were on their way to spend the afternoon with him.

"Unfortunately, I can confirm Greg Biffle, his wife Cristina, daughter Emma, and son Ryder were on that plane… because they were on their way to spend the afternoon with us," he wrote on Facebook. "We are devastated. I'm so sorry to share this."

Statesville Airport director John Ferguson described the aircraft as a corporate jet and said that it was already engulfed in flames when he arrived on the scene.

The business jet took off around 10:06 local time and was in the air briefly before the crash.

It crashed on the east end of the runway and authorities do not yet have information on the cause of the crash.

Statesville Airport will remain closed until further notice as crews clear debris off the runway, Mr Ferguson told reporters.

Officials did not provide any information about deaths or people aboard the aircraft during the media conference.

The National Transportation Safety Board, which is leading the investigation, said it was launching a go team to investigate the fatal crash. The team expects to arrive on scene on Thursday night.

The Statesville Regional Airport (KSVH) is owned by the City of Statesville, which is about 45 minutes north of Charlotte.

It also provides aviation facilities for Fortune 500 companies and several Nascar racing teams.

Biffle, whose racing career spanned two decades, was named one of Nascar's 75 Greatest Drivers in 2023. The 55-year-old won 19 Cup Series races in the Xfinity Series and Craftsman Truck Series.

Known as The Biff, the Vancouver, Washington, native received national notice in 1995 when during that year's Nascar Winter Heat Series., according to his Nascar profile.

He quickly made a name for himself in the Craftsman Truck Series, winning the 1998 Rookie of Year award and the 2000 series championship.

He went on to be named 2001 Rookie of the Year in the Xfinity Series and to win the 2002 championship, becoming the first driver with championships in both the Xfinity Series and the Truck Series.

He also co-founded the organisation's Sand Outlaws Series. Although he scaled back on racing after 2016, he seemingly came out of retirement in 2019 for a one-off race at Texas Motor Speedway, which he won.

"Racing is racing," he told Nascar.com in 2021. "It's that adrenaline, you want to be better than the competition, you want to build a better piece and have a faster car. I just enjoy the competition."

TikTok's Chinese owner ByteDance has signed binding agreements with US and global investors to sell the majority of its business in America, TikTok's boss told employees on Thursday.

Half of the joint venture will be owned by a group of investors, including Oracle, Silver Lake and the Emirati investment firm MGX, according to a memo sent by chief executive Shou Zi Chew.

The deal, which is set to close on 22 January, would end years of efforts by Washington to force ByteDance to sell its US operations over national security concerns.

The deal is ​line with one unveiled in September, when US President Donald Trump delayed the enforcement of a law that would ban the app unless it was sold.

In the memo, TikTok said the deal will enable "over 170 million Americans to continue discovering a world of endless possibilities as part of a vital global community".

The White House referred the BBC to TikTok when contacted for comment.

The Australian government has announced a gun buyback scheme in the wake of the Bondi Beach attack - its deadliest mass shooting in decades.

The scheme is the largest since the Port Arthur massacre in 1996, which left 35 people dead and prompted Australia to introduce world-leading gun control measures.

Fifteen people were killed and dozens injured on Sunday when two gunmen, believed to have been motivated by "Islamic State ideology", opened fire on a Jewish festival at the country's most iconic beach.

On Friday police said a group of men who were arrested in Sydney after travelling from the state of Victoria had "extremist Islamic ideology".

Police allege Sunday's attack, which they have declared a terrorist incident, was committed by a father-son duo. Naveed Akram, 24, has been charged with 59 offences, including 15 counts of murder and one of committing a terrorist act. His father Sajid was killed during the attack.

The day after the shooting, national cabinet - which includes representatives from the federal government and leaders from all states and territories - agreed to tighten gun controls.

Speaking to media on Friday, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said there are now more than 4 million firearms in Australia - more than at the time of the Port Arthur massacre.

"We know that one of these terrorists held a firearm licence and had six guns, in spite of living in the middle of Sydney's suburbs... There's no reason why someone in that situation needed that many guns.

"We need to get more guns off our streets."

Earlier on Friday, a senior New South Wales police officer told national broadcaster ABC seven men arrested by counter terrorism police in Sydney on Thursday evening may have been on their way to Bondi.

Tactical officers swarmed on the group, who had travelled from Victoria and were known to police there, in dramatic scenes in the suburb of Liverpool.

NSW Police Deputy Commissioner David Hudson said "some indication" that Bondi was one of the locations they were considering visiting, but "with no specific intent in mind or proven at this stage".

Rarely used national security powers were relied upon to swoop before their plans developed.

"We made the decision that we weren't going to … take any chances in relation to what they might be doing," he said.

Officers found a knife, but no guns or other weapons, Mr Hudson added.

Police have issued an arrest warrant for the suspect in a mass shooting at Brown University that killed two people and injured nine others, sources close to the investigation told the BBC's US partner, CBS News.

Authorities are now searching for the person and a car the suspect is believed to have rented, according to CBS. They have not publicly identified the suspect.

They also are looking into a possible link between the shooting at Brown and the killing of a professor at Massachusetts Institute of Technology two days later.

The search is now in its sixth day, with investigators knocking on doors, asking for home-security videos, and appealing to the public for tips to find the gunman.

A news conference that police in Providence, Rhode Island, had planned for Thursday afternoon was abruptly cancelled, but they said they expected to give an update later in the day.

On Thursday, authorities told CBS sources that they are investigating possible connections between the shooting and the killing of an Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) nuclear science and engineering professor two days later.

Nuno F Gomes Loureiro, 47, from Portugal, was shot "multiple times" on Monday at his home in Brookline, Massachusetts, which is about 50 miles (80km) from Providence.

Police have obtained an arrest warrant for a suspect, sources told CBS. The sources said a rental car matching the same description was seen at both crime scenes.

Federal authorities had previously said there was no link between the two murders.

On Wednesday, authorities released a photo of an individual they believe was in close proximity to their primary person of interest.

Providence Police Chief Oscar Perez said they wanted to speak with the person, "who may have information relevant to the investigation".

The chief also said the killer "could be anywhere", adding that "we don't know where the person is or who he is".

A day earlier, police had shown footage of a person of interest where a man was seen walking around the university campus with a black mask over his mouth, possibly "casing" the area before the crime, Perez said.

Members of the public have expressed frustration that the mass shooting investigation has appeared to yield little progress so far.

In response, Rhode Island Attorney General Peter Neronha said he believed the killer would be caught "and it is just a matter of time before we catch him".

The FBI has offered a $50,000 (£37,350) reward for information leading to the identification, arrest and conviction of the person responsible for the attack.

The shooting occurred at Brown University's Barus & Holley engineering building during final exams.

Authorities identified the two students killed as Ella Cook, a sophomore from Alabama, and Mukhammad Aziz Umurzokov, an Uzbek-American freshman student.