A US congressional panel has released a redacted copy of an alleged "birthday book" given to Jeffrey Epstein in 2003 celebrating his fiftieth birthday.

The book was released with a trove of documents that include the late convicted paedophile financier's will and his personal address book - with contacts that include royalty, politicians across the globe, celebrities and models.

The 238-page book contains messages and photos sent by many of Epstein's friends, including a letter carrying a signature resembling US President Donald Trump's. Trump has denied ever writing the birthday note.

Epstein, a well-connected financier and convicted sex offender, was found dead by suicide in 2019 while awaiting a trial for sex trafficking.

What was released and why now?

The House Oversight Committee last month issued a legal summons for the executors of Epstein's estate to produce a number of documents, including a birthday book which contains the note purportedly from Trump.

Lawyers for the estate sent documents to the committee afterwards.

On Monday, the committee released the alleged birthday book as well as Epstein's will, entries from his contact books containing addresses from 1990 to 2019, and a non-prosecution agreement signed by him.

The release came with a note from the committee's chairman James Comer, which criticised Democratic members of the committee who earlier on Monday released pages of the book that purportedly contained Trump's signature. The White House denied Trump was involved with the note and said the signature on the note did not match that of the president.

Comer said the Democracts were "cherry-picking documents and politicizing information received from the Epstein Estate".

Who wrote in the alleged birthday book?

Entries from 40 people, divided into several categories such as "friends", "business", "science" and "Brooklyn", were published, though the names under "family" and "girl friends" were redacted.

These people are not accused of any legal wrongdoing in connection with Epstein's case.

The alleged Donald Trump entry which appears on page 165, contains a signed note, with the final line reading: "Happy Birthday - and may every day be another wonderful secret."

A woman's body was drawn around the text. This matches descriptions by the Wall Street Journal which first reported the letter in July.

The White House said the president "did not draw this picture, and he did not sign it."

The document also contained a message which appears to have been written by former US President Bill Clinton. The author wrote about Epstein's "childlike curiosity" and a "drive to make a difference".

Clinton's office has not responded to a BBC request for comment.

The entry by Lord Peter Mandelson, currently the UK ambassador to the US, calls Epstein "my best pal" and includes several photographs.

Alongside one picture of Lord Mandelson with two women, whose faces are obscured, he writes about meeting Epstein's interesting – in inverted commas – friends.

An official spokesperson for Lord Mandelson has told the BBC that he "has long been clear that he very much regrets ever having been introduced to Epstein," adding: "This connection has been a matter of public record for some time."

There isn't a letter from Prince Andrew. But an entry from an unidentified woman says that thanks to Epstein she had met the Prince, Bill Clinton and Trump. The woman goes on to say she has "seen the private quarters of Buckingham Palace" and "sat on the Queen of England's throne." Prince Andrew has previously denied any wrongdoing.

What are the other entries about?

There's a wide range of content from people from all walks of life - from occupants of the White House to women working as masseuses.

An unidentified woman recalled how she was a 22-year-old restaurant hostess until she met Epstein, after which she travelled the world and met many notable people including royals.

There were also photos of Epstein throughout the years - from his private jet to a random Asian medicine shop, and him embracing women whose faces were redacted.

Others sent him photos, some containing lewd scenes featuring wild animals from a safari including zebras and lions.

Police have released the first images of what they believe is one of many campsites where a New Zealand father on the run hid with his three children for years.

Two of Tom Phillips' children were found at the site in the Waikato region on Monday, hours after he was killed in a shootout with the police.

Police found them with the help of the third child, who was with Phillips when he died. They said the children are "doing well", but will take time to recover from the ordeal.

Shortly before Christmas in 2021, Phillips disappeared with his children – Jayda, Maverick, and Ember, then aged eight, seven and five respectively. Police believe he did so after losing legal custody of them.

Phillips had "no regard" for the children's safety and "quite literally put [them] in harm's way", Police Commissioner Richard Chambers told the media on Tuesday, adding that they are now in the care of authorities.

A stash of firearms and ammunition were also found at the campsite, which is surrounded by dense vegetation. Two quad bikes are pictured parked among trees.

By the time authorities arrived at the site, the search for the two children had been under way for nearly 12 hours.

In the early hours of Monday, police responded to a report of an attempted burglary at a rural farm supply shop in the small town of Piopio. And that is where they entered into a shootout with Mr Phillips. An officer was seriously injured after Phillips fired at him with a high-powered rifle. Mr Chambers said police have "absolutely no doubt" it was intended to kill the officer.

The injured officer has undergone a series of surgeries but still has a long road to recovery ahead of him, Mr Chambers said.

Phillips' case has gripped New Zealand since the day he became a fugitive nearly four years ago, and although Monday's events suggest the mystery has drawn to a close, police are still looking for answers.

They are trying to find out how Phillips, believed to be in his late 30s this year, evaded capture despite a nationwide search and multiple sightings - and, crucially, how he was able to access firearms.

Authorities did not address reporters' questions on Tuesday about whether the children's mother, known in news reports only as Cat, and members of Phillips' extended family are in touch with the children.

"Our priority is to make sure these children are looked after and that there is a careful plan, with everyone becoming involved at the right time," Police Minister Mark Mitchell said.

"They have seen and been exposed to things that children in our country should not be."

Warwick Morehu from New Zealand's Ministry for Children added, "These children will be provided with whatever help or assistance they need, for however long they may need it".

On Monday, the children's mother was quoted by local media outlet RNZ as saying she was "deeply relieved" that "this ordeal has come to an end" after missing her children dearly "every day for nearly four years".

But, she continued: "We are saddened by how events unfolded today."

Thailand's top court has ruled that former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra must serve one year in jail, in yet another blow to the influential political dynasty.

It ruled that he had unlawfully served part of a previous prison sentence in a hospital, and therefore must serve it in jail.

The high-profile case is linked to a previous corruption conviction.

Thaksin and his family have dominated Thai politics since he was first elected PM in 2001. His daughter Paetongtarn previously served as leader but was removed from office last month after the constitutional court ruled she had violated ethical standards, in a case linked to a leaked phone call with Cambodia's Hun Sen.

Paetongtarn, who accompanied her 76-year-old father to court on Tuesday, told reporters after the ruling that she was "worried" for her father but that he and their family were in "good spirits".

She also vowed to take the family's Pheu Thai party forward in their work as an opposition party.

Thaksin's latest case stems from an earlier conviction linked to his premiership.

The former PM was ousted in a military coup in 2006 and spent years living in self-imposed exile, mostly in Dubai.

When he returned to Thailand in 2023, he was promptly tried and found guilty of corruption and abuse of power during his time in office. He was sentenced to eight years in prison.

Following Thaksin's plea for a royal pardon, the Thai king commuted his sentence to one year.

But he ended up spending only less than a day in a jail cell as he was swiftly moved to a luxury wing of the Police General Hospital after complaining of heart problems.

He stayed there for six months, then received parole and moved to his home in Bangkok.

The latest case centred on whether Thaksin's transfer to hospital was lawful and whether he was genuinely ill.

The "14th floor case", as it is known in Thailand because of the hospital floor he stayed at, has gripped many Thais who were watching to see if the PM would end up serving time in prison.

Nepal has lifted a social media ban after it led to clashes between protesters and police that have left at least 19 people dead.

Thousands of young people had forced their way into the parliament building in the capital Kathmandu on Monday, asking the government to lift its ban on 26 social media platforms, including Facebook and YouTube, and also called on it to tackle corruption.

The decision to lift the ban was made after an emergency cabinet meeting late on Monday to "address the demands of Gen Z", Communications and Information Minister Prithvi Subba Gurung said, according to reports.

More than 100 people were injured in the protests, which also took place in towns outside the capital.

Social media platforms such as Instagram have millions of users in Nepal, who rely on them for entertainment, news and business.

But the government had justified its ban, implemented last week, in the name of tackling fake news, hate speech and online fraud.

Young people who took to the streets on Monday said they were also protesting against what they saw as the authoritarian attitude of the government. Many held placards with slogans including "enough is enough" and "end to corruption".

Some protesters also hurled stones at Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli's house in his hometown Damak.

One protester, Sabana Budathoki had earlier told the BBC that the social media ban was "just the reason" they gathered.

"Rather than [the] social media ban, I think everyone's focus is on corruption," she explained, adding: "We want our country back. We came to stop corruption."

A "nepo kid" campaign - spotlighting the lavish lifestyles of politicians' children and accusing them of being funded by corruption - has taken off on Nepali social media in recent weeks.

On Monday, police in Kathmandu had fired water cannons, batons and firing rubber bullets to disperse the protesters.

Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli said he was "deeply saddened" by the violence and casualty toll, blaming the day's events on "infiltration by various vested interest groups".

The government would set up a panel to investigate the protests, he said, adding that the government would offer financial "relief" to victims and provide free treatment to those injured.

Home Minister Ramesh Lekhak tendered his resignation in the evening following intense criticism over his administration's use of force during the protests.

Last week, authorities ordered the blocking of 26 social media platforms for not complying with a deadline to register with Nepal's ministry of communication and information technology.

Nepal's government has argued it is not banning social media but trying to bring them in line with Nepali law.

On 11 September 2021, Tom Phillips and his three children went missing for the first time.

His Toyota Hilux was found parked below a tide line at a beach near his parents' home in Marokopa on New Zealand's North Island. Police launched a massive search operation by land, sea and air.

Less than three weeks later, the family returned home, with the father claiming they had been on a camping trip.

Then, on 12 December that year, they vanished again. Aside from a few chance sightings and grainy frames of CCTV footage, the bushman and his three children had not been seen since.

That was, until the early hours of Monday morning, when police responding to a report of an attempted burglary entered into a shoot-out that resulted in Mr Phillips' death, ending a four-year manhunt.

Many questions about his disappearance remain, including why he took his children and disappeared into New Zealand's harsh wilderness, and whether he was able to evade capture for so long by having help.

When Mr Phillips returned home for the first time in 2021, he was charged with wasting police resources. The search effort over the harsh, unforgiving landscape of the western Waitomo region had cost New Zealand authorities hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Police did not launch a fresh search the second time he and his three children - Ember, Maverick, and Jayda, aged five, seven and eight, respectively, at the time - went missing.

When he failed to appear at a court appearance on 12 January 2022, police issued a warrant for his arrest.

Mr Phillips returned to his family home alone at night to collect supplies on 9 February that year.

He was then not seen for more than a year.

Police have said in the past they believed Mr Phillips took his children - now aged nine, 10 and 12 - over a custody dispute with their mother, though he never offered any explanation as to why he had done this.

Mr Phillips was known to be a bushman who had some survival training. Locals in Marokopa have said he was someone who wanted to be off the grid and had not been on any social media platforms.

Police believed he and his children had survived out in the dense wilderness surrounding Marokopa.

But it seems Mr Phillips and his children could not survive in the bush on their wits alone.

There was a string of sightings around Kawhia between August and November 2023, including multiple alleged robberies, as well as at a hardware store and on quad bikes.

CCTV footage captured around that time appeared to show Mr Phillips and one of his children - both wearing camouflage and masks over their faces - attempting to break into a store in Piopio, south-west of Marokopa, police said.

When Mr Phillips was shot on Monday, police said they found multiple firearms and other loot on his quad bike.

Police have previously said they believed Mr Phillips was being aided in his evasion by others.

When he was suspected of a bank robbery in Te Kuiti, a small town in the Waitomo region, police said there was an accomplice.

Fewer than 100 people live in the tight-knit community of Marokopa. While there was no suggestion that his family had assisted him, given the custody dispute, there have been questions about whether someone who knew him was helping him remain hidden or knew of his whereabouts.

In June 2024, police issued an NZ$80,000 (£37,200) reward for information that might lead to the location of Mr Phillips and his three children. The deadline expired without any breakthroughs.

They were next seen that October. A group of teenage pig hunters who had been trekking through the bush around Marokopa spotted them and filmed the brief encounter on their phones.

In the grainy footage, Mr Phillips could be seen leading his children through the rugged terrain, all wearing camouflaged clothing, raincoats and large backpacks.

New Zealand media reported that the teenagers had briefly spoken to one of their children to ask if anyone knew they were there. The child had replied "only you" and kept walking, the father of one of the teenagers told New Zealand's 1News.

The sighting prompted an unsuccessful three-day search involving police and army helicopters. Police said last month that they felt an aggressive search was the wrong approach, as they said Mr Phillips was armed and considered dangerous.

He was not seen again until late August this year, when he and one of his children were captured on CCTV allegedly breaking into a store in Piopio, making off with grocery items.

It was Piopio he returned to on Monday morning. It was at about 02:30 local time (14:30 GMT on Sunday) that police were called to a report of an attempted burglary at a rural farm supply shop there, which police believe Mr Phillips had unsuccessfully targeted before.

A quad bike carrying two people was seen heading towards Marokopa. Police laid spikes along the road and, when these stopped the quad bike, officers said they were met with gunfire.

Police said the first officer to reach the scene was shot in the head and he remains in a serious condition. A second officer returned fire and Mr Phillips died at the scene, police said.

The child who was with him was unharmed and provided police with information that led them to the other two children, who were at a remote campsite in the bush between Marokopa and Te Kuiti in near-freezing conditions, police said.

The children - whose wellbeing had been the top concern in New Zealand throughout their disappearance - are now being cared for by the authorities.

Democrats in Congress have released a note they say US President Donald Trump sent to Jeffrey Epstein for his 50th birthday.

Lawyers for Epstein's estate sent documents to the House Oversight Committee after they were subpoenaed last month.

Democratic members of the committee then posted the letter on X on Monday.

It comes after the Wall Street Journal published details of the note in July. Trump said it was "a fake thing" and denied writing it.

"These are not my words, not the way I talk. Also, I don't draw pictures," he said at the time.

The signed note says: "Happy Birthday - and may every day be another wonderful secret."

The committee last month issued a legal summons for the executors of Epstein's estate to produce a number of documents, including a birthday book which contains the note purportedly from Trump.

Trump filed a lawsuit against the Wall Street Journal's reporters, publisher and executives, including News Corp's owner Rupert Murdoch, after the newspaper published its story in the summer.

The newspaper's publisher Dow Jones said at the time it had "full confidence in the rigour and accuracy of our reporting".

The BBC has reached out to the White House for comment, as well as Trump's personal attorneys.

On X, White House deputy chief of staff Taylor Budowich posted several images of Trump's signature on Monday.

"Time for @newscorp to open that checkbook, it's not his signature. DEFAMATION!" Budowich wrote.

The Wall Street Journal reported in July that Epstein accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell created the birthday book for the financier in 2003.

It contained submissions from various Epstein acquaintances, including a note allegedly bearing the name of Trump, who was then his friend.

Trump and Epstein were friendly for years, but the president has said he fell out with him in the early 2000s after the financier poached employees from his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida.

Epstein was first criminally indicted in 2006 in Florida on a state felony charge of solicitation of prostitution.

Five people have been killed and seven seriously wounded in a shooting attack by Palestinian gunmen in Jerusalem, paramedics and police say.

Israel's Magen David Adom ambulance service identified the dead as three men in their 30s, one woman in her 50s, and one man in his 50s. Nine people with gunshot wounds were taken to local hospitals along with three others injured by broken glass.

Israeli police said two "terrorists" opened fire towards a bus stop at Ramot Junction, on the city's northern outskirts. A security officer and a civilian returned fire, and "neutralised" the attackers, it added.

There was no immediate claim from any armed groups, although Hamas praised the attack.

The police said a large number of officers were securing the area, and that bomb disposal units were ensuring that it was safe while forensic teams gathered evidence.

A years-long succession battle for control of Rupert Murdoch's conservative media empire has drawn to a close, with his son Lachlan set to control the news empire.

The deal, which the family announced on Monday, will ensure the ongoing conservative leaning of Fox News, The Wall Street Journal and The New York Post even after 94-year-old Rupert's death.

Under the agreement Lachlan will control a new trust while siblings Prue MacLeod, Elizabeth Murdoch and James Murdoch will cease being beneficiaries of any trust with shares in Fox or News Corp.

It follows years of tension between the media mogul and three of his children over the future of the family-owned newspapers and television networks.

The US Supreme Court has ruled sweeping immigration raids in Los Angeles can continue for now, lifting a federal judge's order that had barred agents from making stops without "reasonable suspicion".

The Monday ruling is a win for President Donald Trump, who has vowed to conduct record-level deportations of migrants in the country illegally.

The 6-3 decision of the conservative-majority court allows agents to stops suspects based solely on their race, language or job, while a legal challenge to the recent immigration sweeps in LA works its way through the courts.

The liberal justices dissented, saying the decision puts constitutional freedoms at risk.

Conservative Justice Brett Kavanaugh wrote in Monday's decision that the lower court's restraining order went too far in restricting how Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents could carry out stops or questioning of suspected unlawful migrants.

"To be clear, apparent ethnicity alone cannot furnish reasonable suspicion," he wrote. "However, it can be a 'relevant factor' when considered along with other salient factors."

• Trump's mass deportation drive collides with city of immigrants
• Farm workers fearing deportation stay in California's shadows

The Supreme Court's three liberal justices issued a strong dissent penned by Justice Sonia Sotomayor, who wrote that "countless people in the Los Angeles area have been grabbed, thrown to the ground, and handcuffed simply because of their looks, their accents, and the fact they make a living by doing manual labour."

"Today, the Court needlessly subjects countless more to these exact same indignities," she wrote.

The Supreme Court's decision has been criticised by Los Angeles mayor Karen Bass, a Democrat.

"Today's ruling is not only dangerous - it's un-American and threatens the fabric of personal freedom in the United States of America," she said in a statement.

The decision lifts an order by US District Judge Maame E Frimpong in Los Angeles, who had said that there is a "mountain of evidence" showing the raids were violating the US Constitution.

The order halted the raids, with Judge Frimpon saying the Trump administration cannot rely on factors like "apparent race or ethnicity" or "speaking Spanish" alone to stop or question individuals.

The judge also barred immigration enforcement agents from conducting stops based solely on someone's presence "at a particular location" like a bus stop, agricultural site or car wash, or based solely on the type of work an individual does.

The temporary restraining order was issued in a legal challenge by immigration advocacy groups, who argued that immigration officers in Los Angeles were conducting "roving patrols" indiscriminately, and were denying individuals access to lawyers.

Judge Frimpong said this may violate the Fourth Amendment of the Constitution, which prohibits unreasonable searches and seizures by the government.

The Supreme Court, however, said that the administration's actions have a good chance of ultimately being considered constitutional by the federal courts. While its decision only pertained to Judge Frimpong's temporary restraining order, the justices also showed how the court would approach the lawsuit should it have to consider an appeal down the road.

Lawyers for the Department of Homeland Security have argued that immigration officers are targeting people based on their legal status in the US, not skin colour, race or ethnicity.

They have also said that Judge Frimpong's order wrongly restricted ICE operations.

The Trump administration began sweeping immigration raids in Los Angeles in June, stopping and arresting people at Home Depot and other workplaces, and were met with immediate protests and civil unrest..

Trump then deployed nearly 2,000 National Guard troops and 700 Marines in response, without authorisation from the state of California.

A federal judge has since ruled that the National Guard deployment was illegal. The White House responded that "a rogue judge is trying to usurp" the president's authority "to protect American cities from violence and destruction."

The US Supreme Court's decision to let the raids continue comes as the Trump administration looks to ramp up law enforcement in other cities, including Washington DC.

In August, Trump ordered National Guard troops to the American capital to address what he says is high crime in the city, and is also using federal officers to bolster the district's law enforcement.

He is now signalling that this week he will decide if he will also send federal law enforcement and the National Guard to Chicago.

France has been plunged into a new political crisis with the defeat of Prime Minister François Bayrou at a confidence vote in the National Assembly.

The defeat – by 364 votes to 194 – means that Bayrou will on Tuesday present his government's resignation to President Emmanuel Macron, who must now decide how to replace him. Macron's office said this would happen "in the coming days".

The options include naming a new prime minister from the centre-right; pivoting to the left and finding a name compatible with the Socialist Party; and dissolving parliament so new elections are held.

Macron's bitter enemies in the far-left France Unbowed party are calling for him personally to resign, but few commentators think it likely.

France is thus on its way to getting a fifth prime minister in less than two years - a dismal record that underscores the drift and disenchantment that have marked the president's second term.

• What's behind France's political crisis and what could happen next?

Bayrou's fall came after he staked his government on an emergency confidence debate on the question of French debt.

He spent the summer warning of the "existential" threat to France if it did not start to tackle its €3.4 trillion (£2.9 trillion) liability.

In a budget for 2026 he proposed to scrap two national holidays and freeze welfare payments and pensions, with the aim of saving €44 billion.

But he was quickly disabused of any hope that his prophesies of financial doom would sway opponents.

Party after party made quite clear they saw Monday's vote as an opportunity to settle accounts with Bayrou - and through him Macron.

Lacking any majority in the National Assembly, Bayrou saw the left and hard-right uniting against him - and his fate was sealed.

Some commentators have described Bayrou's fall as an act of political suicide. There was no need for him to call the early confidence vote, and he could have spent the coming months trying to build support.

In his speech beforehand, Bayrou made clear that he had his eyes set more on history rather than politics, telling MPs that it was future generations who would suffer if France lost its financial independence.

"Submission to debt is the same as submission to arms," he said, warning that current debt levels meant "plunging young people into slavery".

"You may have the power to bring down the government. But you cannot efface reality," he said.

There was no sign that Bayrou's warnings have had any impact on parliament or on France as a whole. Deputies from the left and hard-right accused him of trying to mask his own and Macron's responsibility in bringing France to its current state.

In the country, there has also been little echo to Bayrou's analysis – with polls showing that few regard debt control as a national priority, as opposed to the cost of living, security and immigration.

A movement calling itself Bloquons Tout (Let's Block Everything ) has promised a wave of sit-ins, boycotts and protests against Macron's policies from this Wednesday. On 18 September several unions are also calling for demonstrations.

Most economic analysts agree that France faces a huge financial challenge in the years ahead, as the projected cost of servicing its debt rises from the €30bn spent in 2020 to more than €100bn in 2030.

The need for financial restraint comes as Macron promises extra funds for defence, and as opposition parties of left and hard-right demand the repeal of the latest pension reform that raised the retirement age to 64.

Bayrou took over from Michel Barnier last December after Barnier failed to get his budget through the Assembly.

Bayrou managed to pass a budget thanks to a non-aggression pact with the Socialists, but their relations plunged when a conference on the latest pension reform failed to take account of Socialist demands.

Some speculated that Macron would turn now to a left-wing prime minister, having failed with the conservative Barnier and the centrist Bayrou.

However the Socialist Party says it wants a total break from Macron's pro-business policies as well as a repeal of the pension reform - which would be tantamount to undoing the president's legacy.

It therefore seems likely Macron will look initially to another figure from within his own camp, with Defence Minister Sébastien Lecornu, Labour Minister Catherine Vautrin and Finance Minister Éric Lombard all said to be in the running.

Democrats in Congress have released a note they say US President Donald Trump sent to Jeffrey Epstein for his 50th birthday.

Lawyers for Epstein's estate sent documents to the House Oversight Committee after they were subpoenaed last month.

Democratic members of the committee then posted the letter on X on Monday.

It comes after the Wall Street Journal published details of the note in July. Trump said it was "a fake thing" and denied writing it.

"These are not my words, not the way I talk. Also, I don't draw pictures," he said at the time.

The signed note says: "Happy Birthday - and may every day be another wonderful secret."

The committee last month issued a legal summons for the executors of Epstein's estate to produce a number of documents, including a birthday book which contains the note purportedly from Trump.

Trump filed a lawsuit against the Wall Street Journal's reporters, publisher and executives, including News Corp's owner Rupert Murdoch, after the newspaper published its story in the summer.

The newspaper's publisher Dow Jones said at the time it had "full confidence in the rigour and accuracy of our reporting".

The BBC has reached out to the White House for comment, as well as Trump's personal attorneys.

On X, White House deputy chief of staff Taylor Budowich posted several images of Trump's signature on Monday.

"Time for @newscorp to open that checkbook, it's not his signature. DEFAMATION!" Budowich wrote.

The Wall Street Journal reported in July that Epstein accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell created the birthday book for the financier in 2003.

It contained submissions from various Epstein acquaintances, including a note allegedly bearing the name of Trump, who was then his friend.

Trump and Epstein were friendly for years, but the president has said he fell out with him in the early 2000s after the financier poached employees from his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida.

Epstein was first criminally indicted in 2006 in Florida on a state felony charge of solicitation of prostitution.

Hamas says it has received "some ideas" from the US through mediators on how to reach a Gaza ceasefire agreement.

The Palestinian armed group said it was discussing how to develop the ideas, noting that it was ready to release its 48 remaining hostages in Gaza in return for a "clear" declaration ending the war.

A Palestinian official told the BBC the US plan would see the hostages freed in the first 48 hours of a 60-day truce in exchange for Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails and good-faith negotiations on a permanent ceasefire.

It came after US President Donald Trump gave Hamas what he called a "last warning" to agree a deal. He said Israel had accepted his terms, without giving details.

Israel's Foreign Minister, Gideon Saar, said it was ready to agree a deal ending the war that would include the release of all the hostages - only 20 of whom are believed to be alive - and the disarmament of Hamas.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu meanwhile warned the approximately one million Palestinians living in famine-stricken Gaza City to evacuate immediately, as the Israeli military stepped up an offensive to conquer it.

"In the last two days we brought down 50 terrorist high-rises, and this is only the beginning of the ground operation in Gaza City," he said in a video. "I say to the residents of Gaza City: you have been warned, get out of there."

Hospitals said Israeli attacks killed at least 40 people across Gaza on Monday, including 25 in Gaza City and elsewhere in the north.

The Israeli military said four soldiers were killed in combat in northern Gaza.

On Sunday evening, Hamas put out a statement saying it had "received through the mediators some ideas from the American side aimed at reaching a ceasefire agreement" and that it welcomed the initiative.

"The movement is in constant contact with the intermediaries to develop these ideas into a comprehensive agreement that meets the needs of our people," it added.

Hamas said it was ready to immediately negotiate the release of all those who were taken hostage during the group's attack on Israel on 7 October 2023 in exchange for "a clear declaration to end the war, a full withdrawal from Gaza, and the formation of a committee of Palestinian independents to manage Gaza".

Earlier in the day, US President Donald Trump had written on Truth Social: "Everyone wants the Hostages HOME. Everyone wants this War to end! The Israelis have accepted my Terms. It is time for Hamas to accept as well."

"I have warned Hamas about the consequences of not accepting. This is my last warning, there will not be another one!"

A senior Palestinian official familiar with the ceasefire efforts told the BBC that under the US proposal, all of the hostages would be released within the first 48 hours of a 60-day truce in exchange for Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails, including those serving life sentences and other lengthy terms, and detainees from Gaza.

According to the official, the proposal also includes a personal guarantee from the US president that both sides would hold good-faith negotiations on an end to the war.

During the first two weeks of the truce, the negotiations would cover key issues, including Hamas's disarmament, the formation of an independent governing body or administrative committee in Gaza, and arrangements for Israeli troop withdrawals, the official said. Humanitarian aid would also flow openly into Gaza.

The framework appeared to be aimed at creating a pathway to a broader settlement while addressing immediate humanitarian and security concerns.

Israeli media quoted political sources as saying that Israel was "seriously considering" the US plan, but also that Hamas was likely to have difficulty accepting it.

On Monday, Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar told a news conference in Budapest: "President Trump said it clearly yesterday, Israel said yes to his proposal. We are ready to accept a full deal that would end the war based on the cabinet's decision.

"Two things must happen. One, the return of our hostages… [Two], Hamas must lay down its arms."

Defence Minister Israel Katz at the same time warned Hamas: "Release the hostages and put down your weapons - or Gaza will be destroyed and you will be annihilated."

The Israeli military has been intensifying its air and ground attacks on Gaza City, and on Monday a fourth high-rise building was destroyed in an air strike in as many days.

Video footage verified by the BBC showed the al-Roya 2 building collapsing after being hit by two projectiles.

Before the strike, the Israeli military ordered dozens of displaced families who had been sheltering inside the building to evacuate along those who had been living in tents pitched in the surrounding area.

The military said Hamas fighters responsible for installing "intelligence gathering means and explosive devices" had been operating near the building and "used it throughout the war to plan and advance terror attacks against [Israeli] forces".

"We don't know what to do and where to go. The bombing is insane," Janine Zoarob, a displaced woman who was living in one of the tents, told Reuters news agency. "I am afraid for my children, I am afraid for myself, and I am afraid for those around me."

On Saturday, Israel directed displaced people to head to a newly designated "humanitarian area" in southern Gaza for their "safety". The zone is less than 43 sq km (17 sq miles), which is equivalent to around 12% of the territory.

The military has said there is essential humanitarian infrastructure there. However, the UN has said the tent camps there are already overcrowded and unsafe, and that hospitals are operating several times above capacity.

UN humanitarian chief Tom Fletcher has also warned the window is closing fast to prevent the famine in Gaza City - which was confirmed last month by global food security experts - from spreading to the central city of Deir al-Balah and southern city of Khan Younis by the end of this month.

He called for humanitarian aid to be allowed in unimpeded and at scale, as well as the protection of civilians, a ceasefire and the release of the hostages.

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

At least 64,522 people have been killed in Israeli attacks in Gaza since then, according to the territory's Hamas-run health ministry.

The ministry also says 393 people, have so far died during the war as a result of malnutrition and starvation, including six over the past 24 hours.

The US Supreme Court has ruled sweeping immigration raids in Los Angeles can continue for now, lifting a federal judge's order that had barred agents from making stops without "reasonable suspicion".

The Monday ruling is a win for President Donald Trump, who has vowed to conduct record-level deportations of migrants in the country illegally.

The 6-3 decision of the conservative-majority court allows agents to stops suspects based solely on their race, language or job, while a legal challenge to the recent immigration sweeps in LA works its way through the courts.

The liberal justices dissented, saying the decision puts constitutional freedoms at risk.

Conservative Justice Brett Kavanaugh wrote in Monday's decision that the lower court's restraining order went too far in restricting how Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents could carry out stops or questioning of suspected unlawful migrants.

"To be clear, apparent ethnicity alone cannot furnish reasonable suspicion," he wrote. "However, it can be a 'relevant factor' when considered along with other salient factors."

• Trump's mass deportation drive collides with city of immigrants
• Farm workers fearing deportation stay in California's shadows

The Supreme Court's three liberal justices issued a strong dissent penned by Justice Sonia Sotomayor, who wrote that "countless people in the Los Angeles area have been grabbed, thrown to the ground, and handcuffed simply because of their looks, their accents, and the fact they make a living by doing manual labour."

"Today, the Court needlessly subjects countless more to these exact same indignities," she wrote.

The Supreme Court's decision has been criticised by Los Angeles mayor Karen Bass, a Democrat.

"Today's ruling is not only dangerous - it's un-American and threatens the fabric of personal freedom in the United States of America," she said in a statement.

The decision lifts an order by US District Judge Maame E Frimpong in Los Angeles, who had said that there is a "mountain of evidence" showing the raids were violating the US Constitution.

The order halted the raids, with Judge Frimpon saying the Trump administration cannot rely on factors like "apparent race or ethnicity" or "speaking Spanish" alone to stop or question individuals.

The judge also barred immigration enforcement agents from conducting stops based solely on someone's presence "at a particular location" like a bus stop, agricultural site or car wash, or based solely on the type of work an individual does.

The temporary restraining order was issued in a legal challenge by immigration advocacy groups, who argued that immigration officers in Los Angeles were conducting "roving patrols" indiscriminately, and were denying individuals access to lawyers.

Judge Frimpong said this may violate the Fourth Amendment of the Constitution, which prohibits unreasonable searches and seizures by the government.

The Supreme Court, however, said that the administration's actions have a good chance of ultimately being considered constitutional by the federal courts. While its decision only pertained to Judge Frimpong's temporary restraining order, the justices also showed how the court would approach the lawsuit should it have to consider an appeal down the road.

Lawyers for the Department of Homeland Security have argued that immigration officers are targeting people based on their legal status in the US, not skin colour, race or ethnicity.

They have also said that Judge Frimpong's order wrongly restricted ICE operations.

The Trump administration began sweeping immigration raids in Los Angeles in June, stopping and arresting people at Home Depot and other workplaces, and were met with immediate protests and civil unrest..

Trump then deployed nearly 2,000 National Guard troops and 700 Marines in response, without authorisation from the state of California.

A federal judge has since ruled that the National Guard deployment was illegal. The White House responded that "a rogue judge is trying to usurp" the president's authority "to protect American cities from violence and destruction."

The US Supreme Court's decision to let the raids continue comes as the Trump administration looks to ramp up law enforcement in other cities, including Washington DC.

In August, Trump ordered National Guard troops to the American capital to address what he says is high crime in the city, and is also using federal officers to bolster the district's law enforcement.

He is now signalling that this week he will decide if he will also send federal law enforcement and the National Guard to Chicago.

At least 13 people have been killed and dozens are injured in Nepal after demonstrations against a government social media ban led to clashes between protesters and security forces.

Thousands heeded a call by demonstrators describing themselves as Generation Z to gather near the parliament building in Kathmandu over the decision to ban platforms including Facebook, X and YouTube.

Nepal's Minister for Communication Prithvi Subba told the BBC police had had to use force - which included water cannons, batons and firing rubber bullets.

The government has said social media platforms need to be regulated to tackle fake news, hate speech and online fraud.

But popular platforms such as Instagram have millions of users in Nepal, who rely on them for entertainment, news and business.

Demonstrators carried placards with slogans including "enough is enough" and "end to corruption".

Some said they were protesting against what they called the authoritarian attitude of the government.

As the rally moved into a restricted area close to parliament, some protesters climbed over the wall.

"Tear gas and water cannons were used after the protesters breached into the restricted area," police spokesman Shekhar Khanal told the AFP news agency.

A Kathmandu district office spokesperson said a curfew was imposed around areas including the parliament building after protesters attempted to enter.

Last week authorities ordered the blocking of 26 social media platforms for not complying with a deadline to register with Nepal's ministry of communication and information technology.

Since Friday, users have experienced difficulty in accessing the platforms, though some are using VPNs to get around the ban. So far, two platforms have been reactivated after registering with the ministry following the ban.

Nepal's government has argued it is not banning social media but trying to bring them in line with Nepali law.

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

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US President Donald Trump's administration has asked the Supreme Court to let it withhold more than $4bn (£3bn) in foreign aid.

The administration is seeking an emergency order as it tries to claw back funds for foreign assistance programmes that have already been allocated by Congress.

A lower court last week said the Trump administration had a statutory obligation to spend the money, and an appeals court declined last Friday to freeze that ruling.

The president attempted to use a rarely used legislative tool to withdraw the funds. Since returning to the White House, Trump has cancelled billions of dollars in foreign aid that he says does not align with his objectives.

Solicitor General D John Sauer said in Monday's filing that the lower court's injunction "raises a grave and urgent threat to the separation of powers".

"The President can hardly speak with one voice in foreign affairs or in dealings with Congress when the district court is forcing the Executive Branch to advocate against its own objectives," Sauer wrote.

The Supreme Court could rule at any time.

Last week, Judge Amir Ali ruled the US government had to spend the allocated money unless Congress voted to approve the Trump administration's request.

On 28 August, Trump notified the House of Representatives that the administration would not spend billions in foreign aid allocated by Congress earlier this year.

Those funds include some $3bn for the US Agency for International Development (USAID), as well as money for the state department, international peacekeeping and for democracy-promotion in other countries.

Trump, a Republican, has largely dismantled USAID, the main foreign aid agency, because he said its spending was wasteful.

To revoke the foreign aid money, he said he was using a so-called pocket recission through the Impoundment Control Act, which gives a US president the power to request the cancellation of funds approved by Congress.

Such notice so late in the fiscal year means the money may go unspent because Congress does not have enough time to act on the request.

A group of nonprofits and businesses that receive money for foreign assistance projects filed a legal challenge to the move.

It is reported to be the first time in nearly half a century that the president has moved to unilaterally claw back funding in this way.

The Trump administration has already said it plans to spend another $6.5bn in funds appropriated for foreign aid, following lawsuits from aid groups.

This is not the first time the tussle over foreign aid funding has ended up at the Supreme Court.

In March, the justices rejected a bid from the president to keep $2bn in foreign aid frozen while the case moved forward. It was a 5-4 ruling.

The third British victim killed in the Lisbon funicular crash has been named by police.

David Young, 82, from Holyhead on Anglesey, was among 16 people who died last Wednesday when the Glória funicular derailed and crashed into a building in Portugal's capital.

His family described him as a "lifelong transport enthusiast", saying it was a comfort that "his final moments were in pursuit of the hobby which gave him so much happiness".

Over the weekend Cheshire Police confirmed the other British victims were Kayleigh Smith, 36, and her partner Will Nelson, 44.

Known to most as Dave, he was raised in Auchterarder, Perthshire, but moved to Holyhead in 1980 where he had a "long career as a customs officer".

"In retirement he enjoyed visiting heritage railways and tramways around the world," they said," his family said.

Llinos Medi, MP for Ynys Môn, sent her condolences to Mr Young's family and "to those who have been affected".

Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said he was "deeply saddened" by the incident.

"His thoughts are with their families and those affected by this terrible incident," a spokesperson said.

"We stand united with Portugal during this difficult time."

The city's funicular railways - Glória, Lavra, Bica and Graça - are a popular tourist attraction and known for their yellow tram-like vehicles.

Officials said a cable along the railway's route snapped, but the rest of the mechanism was functioning properly.

The brakeman tried to apply emergency brakes but failed to prevent the derailment,

The cause of the crash remains unknown.

Nationals of Portugal, South Korea, Switzerland, Canada, France, Britain, Ukraine and the US are among the dead, according to police.

François Bayrou, the French prime minister, is set to lose a confidence vote on his stewardship, in the latest twist in a period of chaos inside the National Assembly.

Bayrou, 74, is the fourth prime minister in two years under President Emmanuel Macron, whose second term is office has been overshadowed by political instability.

Bayrou's minority government called for €44bn (£38bn) of budget cuts to tackle France's mounting public debt and is now is heading for collapse.

The BBC looks at what led to this political crisis and what could happen next.

How did we get here?

French President Emmanuel Macron took a gamble in June 2024.

Faced with a bruising loss for his party in the European Parliament vote, he called a snap parliamentary election which he hoped would achieve "a clear majority in serenity and harmony".

Instead, it resulted in a hung, divided parliament that has made it difficult for any prime minister to garner the necessary support to pass bills and the yearly budget.

Macron appointed Michel Barnier last September but within three months the man who negotiated Brexit for the EU was out - the shortest period since France's post-war Fifth Republic began.

Bayrou is set to suffer the same fate, just under nine months since he came to office last December.

Meanwhile some parties – chiefly on the far right and the far left – continue to clamour for an early presidential election.

Macron has always said he will not stand down before his term ends in 2027.

Instead, he will likely have to choose between appointing a fifth prime minister in less than two years - who again risks working on borrowed time - or calling snap elections for parliament, which could result in an even more hostile National Assembly.

There are few good options for the president as the effects of his June 2024 gamble continue to reverberate.

Bayrou's key issue is France's debt crisis, and what he says is the need to slash government spending to head off a catastrophe for future generations.

Why is France in debt crisis?

Simply put, France's government has for decades spent more money than it has generated. As a result, it has to borrow to cover its budget.

The French government says, in early 2025, public debt stood at €3,345 billion, or 114% of GDP.

That is the third highest public debt in the eurozone after Greece and Italy, and equivalent to almost €50,000 per French citizen.

Last year's budget deficit was 5.8% of GDP and this year's is not expected to be 5.4%. So public debt will continue to grow as borrowing covers the shortfall.

France - like many developed nations - is facing the demographic headache of an ageing population - fewer workers being taxed and more people drawing the state pension.

Bayrou is among those French politicians who want to slash the deficit by redefining generous social programmes - such as state pensions.

In his speech to parliament on Monday, Bayrou spoke of a country on "life support" and addicted to spending.

Two years ago France raised the pension age from 62 to 64 for those born in 1968 or afterwards, and Bayrou has warned that the sense that French workers can stop working during their early 60s is now out of date.

However there is much opposition to further cuts. The government of Bayrou's predecessor collapsed in a confidence vote on the issue last December.

Politicians on the left have called for tax rises, rather than budget cuts.

Bayrou has said his piece - what happens next?

If as expected Bayrou loses the vote in the National Assembly early this evening, then France is probably heading for another period of doubt, drift and speculation.

It is possible President Emmanuel Macron will act quickly to appoint a new prime minister – it's certainly in the country's interest that he do so.

But practicalities – and precedent – both suggest this could turn out to be a drawn-out process.

Macron has to find a name sufficiently unobjectionable to at least some of the parliamentary opposition that they won't automatically bring him or her down.

The first two PMs in this benighted parliament – Barnier and Bayrou – took weeks to find. The third won't be any easier.

In the meantime Bayrou would presumably stay on as caretaker head of government.

There is pressure from some quarters – notably Marine Le Pen's National Rally – for a new dissolution of the Assembly and parliamentary elections. But there are also strong voices saying it would be a waste of time, because a new vote would be unlikely to change much.

Beyond that there are also voices – from the far left this time – calling for Macron's resignation as president. But don't watch this space. Knowing the character of the man, it is most unlikely to happen.

Who could replace Bayrou?

If Bayrou falls, pressure will be strong on Macron to name a successor from the left. The last two were from the right and centre, and a left alliance came out numerically top in the 2024 election.

Olivier Faure, the leader of the Socialist Party, would be one possibility. The 57-year-old has a group of 66 deputies in the National Assembly.

Two other possibilities from the left are former PM Bernard Cazeneuve, and the veteran ex-minister Pierre Moscovici, currently head of the Cour des Comptes, the official accounting office.

If Macron decides to stick with the centre and right, his first choice would probably be Sebastien Lecornu, 39, the current defence minister who is a member of Macron's Renaissance party and said to be close to the president.

Another conservative whose name has been mentioned is the current minister of labour and health, Catherine Vautrin.

Two other possibilities from inside government are Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau, who now leads the Republicans, and Justice Minister Gérald Darmanin.

But with all eyes on the 2027 presidential election, would these heavyweights want the electoral kiss-of-death which is to be Macron's next PM?

On 11 September 2021, Tom Phillips and his three children went missing for the first time.

His Toyota Hilux was found parked below a tide line at a beach near his parents' home in Marokopa on New Zealand's North Island. Police launched a massive search operation by land, sea and air.

Less than three weeks later, the family returned home, with the father claiming they had been on a camping trip.

Then, on 12 December that year, they vanished again. Aside from a few chance sightings and grainy frames of CCTV footage, the bushman and his three children had not been seen since.

That was, until the early hours of Monday morning, when police responding to a report of an attempted burglary entered into a shoot-out that resulted in Mr Phillips' death, ending a four-year manhunt.

Many questions about his disappearance remain, including why he took his children and disappeared into New Zealand's harsh wilderness, and whether he was able to evade capture for so long by having help.

When Mr Phillips returned home for the first time in 2021, he was charged with wasting police resources. The search effort over the harsh, unforgiving landscape of the western Waitomo region had cost New Zealand authorities hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Police did not launch a fresh search the second time he and his three children - Ember, Maverick, and Jayda, aged five, seven and eight, respectively, at the time - went missing.

When he failed to appear at a court appearance on 12 January 2022, police issued a warrant for his arrest.

Mr Phillips returned to his family home alone at night to collect supplies on 9 February that year.

He was then not seen for more than a year.

Police have said in the past they believed Mr Phillips took his children - now aged nine, 10 and 12 - over a custody dispute with their mother, though he never offered any explanation as to why he had done this.

Mr Phillips was known to be a bushman who had some survival training. Locals in Marokopa have said he was someone who wanted to be off the grid and had not been on any social media platforms.

Police believed he and his children had survived out in the dense wilderness surrounding Marokopa.

But it seems Mr Phillips and his children could not survive in the bush on their wits alone.

There was a string of sightings around Kawhia between August and November 2023, including multiple alleged robberies, as well as at a hardware store and on quad bikes.

CCTV footage captured around that time appeared to show Mr Phillips and one of his children - both wearing camouflage and masks over their faces - attempting to break into a store in Piopio, south-west of Marokopa, police said.

When Mr Phillips was shot on Monday, police said they found multiple firearms and other loot on his quad bike.

Police have previously said they believed Mr Phillips was being aided in his evasion by others.

When he was suspected of a bank robbery in Te Kuiti, a small town in the Waitomo region, police said there was an accomplice.

Fewer than 100 people live in the tight-knit community of Marokopa. While there was no suggestion that his family had assisted him, given the custody dispute, there have been questions about whether someone who knew him was helping him remain hidden or knew of his whereabouts.

In June 2024, police issued an NZ$80,000 (£37,200) reward for information that might lead to the location of Mr Phillips and his three children. The deadline expired without any breakthroughs.

They were next seen that October. A group of teenage pig hunters who had been trekking through the bush around Marokopa spotted them and filmed the brief encounter on their phones.

In the grainy footage, Mr Phillips could be seen leading his children through the rugged terrain, all wearing camouflaged clothing, raincoats and large backpacks.

New Zealand media reported that the teenagers had briefly spoken to one of their children to ask if anyone knew they were there. The child had replied "only you" and kept walking, the father of one of the teenagers told New Zealand's 1News.

The sighting prompted an unsuccessful three-day search involving police and army helicopters. Police said last month that they felt an aggressive search was the wrong approach, as they said Mr Phillips was armed and considered dangerous.

He was not seen again until late August this year, when he and one of his children were captured on CCTV allegedly breaking into a store in Piopio, making off with grocery items.

It was Piopio he returned to on Monday morning. It was at about 02:30 local time (14:30 GMT on Sunday) that police were called to a report of an attempted burglary at a rural farm supply shop there, which police believe Mr Phillips had unsuccessfully targeted before.

A quad bike carrying two people was seen heading towards Marokopa. Police laid spikes along the road and, when these stopped the quad bike, officers said they were met with gunfire.

Police said the first officer to reach the scene was shot in the head and he remains in a serious condition. A second officer returned fire and Mr Phillips died at the scene, police said.

The child who was with him was unharmed and provided police with information that led them to the other two children, who were at a remote campsite in the bush between Marokopa and Te Kuiti in near-freezing conditions, police said.

The children - whose wellbeing had been the top concern in New Zealand throughout their disappearance - are now being cared for by the authorities.

Five people have been killed and seven seriously wounded in a shooting attack by Palestinian gunmen in Jerusalem, paramedics and police say.

Israel's Magen David Adom ambulance service identified the dead as three men in their 30s, one woman in her 50s, and one man in his 50s. Nine people with gunshot wounds were taken to local hospitals along with three others injured by broken glass.

Israeli police said two "terrorists" opened fire towards a bus stop at Ramot Junction, on the city's northern outskirts. A security officer and a civilian returned fire, and "neutralised" the attackers, it added.

There was no immediate claim from any armed groups, although Hamas praised the attack.

The police said a large number of officers were securing the area, and that bomb disposal units were ensuring that it was safe while forensic teams gathered evidence.

At least 13 people have been killed and dozens are injured in Nepal after demonstrations against a government social media ban led to clashes between protesters and security forces.

Thousands heeded a call by demonstrators describing themselves as Generation Z to gather near the parliament building in Kathmandu over the decision to ban platforms including Facebook, X and YouTube.

Nepal's Minister for Communication Prithvi Subba told the BBC police had had to use force - which included water cannons, batons and firing rubber bullets.

The government has said social media platforms need to be regulated to tackle fake news, hate speech and online fraud.

But popular platforms such as Instagram have millions of users in Nepal, who rely on them for entertainment, news and business.

Demonstrators carried placards with slogans including "enough is enough" and "end to corruption".

Some said they were protesting against what they called the authoritarian attitude of the government.

As the rally moved into a restricted area close to parliament, some protesters climbed over the wall.

"Tear gas and water cannons were used after the protesters breached into the restricted area," police spokesman Shekhar Khanal told the AFP news agency.

A Kathmandu district office spokesperson said a curfew was imposed around areas including the parliament building after protesters attempted to enter.

Last week authorities ordered the blocking of 26 social media platforms for not complying with a deadline to register with Nepal's ministry of communication and information technology.

Since Friday, users have experienced difficulty in accessing the platforms, though some are using VPNs to get around the ban. So far, two platforms have been reactivated after registering with the ministry following the ban.

Nepal's government has argued it is not banning social media but trying to bring them in line with Nepali law.

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

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

At 10:18 on Monday, Erin Patterson was led from courtroom four inside Melbourne's Supreme Court building to begin a life sentence in prison.

Her slow shuffle took her directly past two rows of wooden benches squeezed full of journalists, each scrutinising Patterson's exit for any final detail.

Upstairs in the public gallery, observers craned their necks to get a last glimpse – possibly for decades, perhaps ever – of the seemingly ordinary woman who is one of Australia's most extraordinary killers.

Also watching her was Ian Wilkinson, the only survivor of Patterson's famous mushroom meal in 2023, a cruel murder plot the judge decried as an "enormous betrayal".

Mr Wilkinson had for months walked in and out of court without uttering a public word. He always wore a black sleeveless jacket to keep warm in the the winter chill, having never fully recovered from the death cap mushrooms that took his wife and two best friends.

But on Monday he paused on the courthouse steps to speak to media for the first time. He calmly thanked police who "brought to light the truth of what happened to three good people" and the lawyers who tried the case for their "hard work and perseverance".

There was praise too for the medics who saved his life and tried desperately to halt the other lunch guests' brutal decline.

For the 71-year-old, it is now back to the house he had shared with Heather, his wife of 44 years, who raised their four children before becoming a teacher and mentor.

"The silence in our home is a daily reminder," he told the court a fortnight ago, as he gave an emotional victim impact statement.

"[There's] nobody to share in life's daily tasks, which has taken much of the joy out of pottering around the house and the garden. Nobody to debrief with at the end of the day."

"I only feel half alive without her," he added.

To most, Heather Wilkinson will be remembered as one of Patterson's victims - an unfortunate lunch guest in a murder with no clear motive.

But to her husband, the pastor at a Baptist church, Mrs Wilkinson was his "beautiful wife" - not perfect, he said, but full of "love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, gentleness, faithfulness and self-control" and also "sage advice".

"It's one of the distressing shortcomings of our society that so much attention is showered on those who do evil, and so little on those who do good," he said in his victim impact statement - a barely hidden flash of frustration at how much focus had been on his wife's killer.

Grief compounded by mammoth interest

Never in recent memory has an Australian criminal case been so high-profile: a small-town murder mystery with a weapon so outlandish it wouldn't seem out of place in an Agatha Christie novel - not so much a whodunnit as a whydunnit.

Spectators queued daily to nab a spot in the courtroom, thousands of people picked apart details of the case online, and journalists descended from around the world to cover the lengthy trial.

At least five podcasts followed the minutiae of the case in the regional Victorian town of Morwell. A documentary crew from a streaming service followed every step.

An Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) drama series is in works. And there will be several books too, one of them co-authored by Helen Garner, a doyenne of modern Australian literature.

Many were in court earlier this month as, one after the other, a series of victim impact statements laid bare the effects of the horrendous crime and the unprecedented attention it attracted.

Simon Patterson – the killer's estranged husband – wrote of his inability to articulate how much he missed his mum and dad.

Ruth Dubois – the daughter of Ian and Heather Wilkinson – told the court Patterson had used her parents' natural kindness against them.

Don Patterson's 100-year-old mother shared her grief at having outlived him.

A common thread throughout, though, was how the media and the public had only compounded their grief and distress.

"The intense media coverage has left me second-guessing every word I say, worried about who I can trust with my thoughts and feelings," Ms Dubois told the court. "It has changed the way I interact with people."

"It is particularly revolting to experience our family's tragedy being turned into entertainment for the masses and to know that people are using our family's trauma for their own personal gain."

Mr Patterson lost his parents Don and Gail because of the meal cooked by his wife, a lunch that he too would have eaten, had he not declined the invitation at the last minute.

It was ultimately left out of the trial, but he believes Erin Patterson had been trying to kill him with tainted food for years, and had almost succeeded on several occasions.

He was about as entwined in the case as it could get. But through the legal process he spent as little time at court as possible, ensconced instead in the safety and privacy of his home.

He wasn't there for the unanimous guilty verdict, nor Monday's sentencing. And his victim impact statement a fortnight ago - all 1,034 words of it - was read by a relative.

The statement had clues as to why. He described the strain of being on constant alert for people showing "a threatening interest" in his family.

"My kids and I have suffered many days filled with strangers menacing our home… We have faced people waiting in ambush at our front door, inches away with TV camera and microphone at the ready after ringing our doorbell.

"Strangers holding notebooks have banged aggressively on our windows in the early morning trying to peek into my children's bedrooms, always skulking away before the police arrive.

"When we are at a cafe, if I suddenly say it's time to go now, the kids know we immediately leave quietly, because I've spotted someone serendipitously recording us."

It's hard enough for them to deal with the "grim reality" that they live in "an irreparably broken home... when almost everyone else knows their mother murdered their grandparents", he said.

In the small town of Korumburra though, where the Wilkinson and Patterson families are firmly rooted, the community has closed ranks around them, and remained tight-lipped during the media onslaught.

This "ongoing love" gives Mr Patterson hope that his children will thrive - "especially if the wider public persists in letting them be".

'Devastating betrayal of trust'

Justice Christopher Beale on Monday said Patterson had traumatised four generations of the Patterson and Wilkinson families and wrought indescribable sorrow on the communities that clearly adored them.

"Erin was embraced as part of the Patterson family. She was welcome and treated with genuine love and respect in a way she did not appear to experience from her own family," Beale said, reading a tranche of a statement tendered to the court.

"Her actions represent a profound and devastating betrayal of the trust and love extended to her."

Addressing the 50-year-old himself, Justice Beale said: "Not only did you cut short three lives and cause lasting damage to Ian Wilkinson's health… you inflicted untold suffering on your own children, whom you robbed of their beloved grandparents."

It would be impossible to shield them from "incessant discussion of the case in the media, online, in public spaces - even in the schoolyard", he added.

Aggravating her offending even further was the fact her crimes were extensively planned – and she was so committed to their execution that, even as authorities grilled her for information that could help save the lunch guests' lives, she refused to help them.

"You showed no pity for your victims… [and] you engaged in an elaborate cover up of your guilt."

Her continued insistence of her innocence is a further affront.

"Your failure to exhibit any remorse pours salt into all the victims' wounds," he said.

Justice Beale said he had no hesitation in categorising Patterson's actions as the worst kind of offending, but stopped just shy of imposing the harshest possible sentence, owing to the extreme isolation she faces as such a notorious prisoner.

For three counts of murder and one of attempted murder, she was given a life sentence, but will be eligible for release in 2056, when she is 82 years old.

But while Justice Beale was eviscerating of Patterson on Monday, Mr Wilkinson was his characteristically gracious self.

Outside court, he didn't spare a single word for his wife's killer.

Instead, his final words to the public were a call to action.

"Our lives and the life of our community depends on the kindness of others," he said.

"I would like to encourage everybody to be kind to each other."

He ended with another appeal for people to respect his family's privacy as they "continue to grieve and heal", and with some perhaps undeserved well wishes for the assembled media pack. "Thank you for listening. I hope you all have a great day."

It was a typically dignified, quiet exit at what the family hopes will be the end of confronting criminal proceedings – and an opportunity for some peace.

Erin Patterson now has until midnight on 6 October to appeal against her conviction or sentence.

A former anaesthetist has gone on trial in the city of Besançon, in eastern France, accused of intentionally poisoning 30 people, including 12 patients who died.

Frédéric Péchier, 53, considered by colleagues to be a highly-talented practitioner, was first placed under investigation eight years ago, when he was suspected of poisoning patients at two clinics in the city between 2008 and 2017.

Despite the serious charges against him, Mr Péchier has remained at liberty under judicial supervision and told French radio on Monday there was "no proof of any poisoning".

The trial is set to last more than three months and involves more than 150 civil parties representing the 30 alleged victims.

Allegations of poisoning emerged in January 2017, when a 36-year-old patient called Sandra Simard, who was otherwise healthy, had surgery on her spine and her heart stopped beating.

After an intensive care physician failed to revive her, Frédéric Péchier gave her an injection and the patient went into a coma and survived. Intravenous drugs used to treat her then showed concentrations of potassium 100 times the expected dose and the alarm was sounded with local prosecutors.

Another "serious adverse event", involving a 70-year-old man, happened within days, when Mr Péchier claimed to have found three bags of paracetamol that had been tampered with after he had given a general anaesthetic.

Mr Péchier said at the time he was being framed but a few weeks later he was placed under formal investigation.

One of Mr Péchier's lawyers said he had been waiting eight years to finally prove his innocence, and the former anaesthetist told RTL radio on Monday that it was a chance to lay out "all the cards on the table".

"After I left, they still had [serious adverse events] and cardiac arrests. When I left in March 2017 they had another nine others declared afterwards," he told RTL radio.

Investigators then looked at other serious adverse events dating back to 2008, involving patients aged four to 89, at the two big healthcare centres he had worked at in Besançon - the Franche-Comté Polyclinic and the Saint-Vincent Clinic.

In 2009, three patients with no history of heart disease had to be resuscitated at the Franche-Comté Polyclinic during minor operations.

Twelve suspicious cases were found involving patients who could not be resuscitated, including several that could not be explained.

Damien Iehlen was the first fatality, in October 2008. Aged 53 he went into the Saint-Vincent Clinic for a routine kidney operation and died after a cardiac arrest. Tests later revealed he had been given a potentially-lethal dose of the drug lidocaine.

"It's appalling. You cannot imagine the effect it's had on my family," his daughter Amandine told French media. "It's unthinkable this could happen and that so many people were affected for so many years, from 2008 to 2017."

Frédéric Péchier comes from a family of health professionals; his father was also an anaesthetist.

Prosecutors argue that he tampered with intravenous medicines to induce cardiac arrests, as a means of getting revenge against colleagues. They say he was the "common denominator" in all the poisoning cases.

The trial is set to continue until December and the defendant will remain at liberty, under judicial supervision. If found guilty he would face life imprisonment.

Investigation into French doctor for allegedly poisoning patients

On 11 September 2021, Tom Phillips and his three children went missing for the first time.

His Toyota Hilux was found parked below a tide line at a beach near his parents' home in Marokopa on New Zealand's North Island. Police launched a massive search operation by land, sea and air.

Less than three weeks later, the family returned home, with the father claiming they had been on a camping trip.

Then, on 12 December that year, they vanished again. Aside from a few chance sightings and grainy frames of CCTV footage, the bushman and his three children had not been seen since.

That was, until the early hours of Monday morning, when police responding to a report of an attempted burglary entered into a shoot-out that resulted in Mr Phillips' death, ending a four-year manhunt.

Many questions about his disappearance remain, including why he took his children and disappeared into New Zealand's harsh wilderness, and whether he was able to evade capture for so long by having help.

When Mr Phillips returned home for the first time in 2021, he was charged with wasting police resources. The search effort over the harsh, unforgiving landscape of the western Waitomo region had cost New Zealand authorities hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Police did not launch a fresh search the second time he and his three children - Ember, Maverick, and Jayda, aged five, seven and eight, respectively, at the time - went missing.

When he failed to appear at a court appearance on 12 January 2022, police issued a warrant for his arrest.

Mr Phillips returned to his family home alone at night to collect supplies on 9 February that year.

He was then not seen for more than a year.

Police have said in the past they believed Mr Phillips took his children - now aged nine, 10 and 12 - over a custody dispute with their mother, though he never offered any explanation as to why he had done this.

Mr Phillips was known to be a bushman who had some survival training. Locals in Marokopa have said he was someone who wanted to be off the grid and had not been on any social media platforms.

Police believed he and his children had survived out in the dense wilderness surrounding Marokopa.

But it seems Mr Phillips and his children could not survive in the bush on their wits alone.

There was a string of sightings around Kawhia between August and November 2023, including multiple alleged robberies, as well as at a hardware store and on quad bikes.

CCTV footage captured around that time appeared to show Mr Phillips and one of his children - both wearing camouflage and masks over their faces - attempting to break into a store in Piopio, south-west of Marokopa, police said.

When Mr Phillips was shot on Monday, police said they found multiple firearms and other loot on his quad bike.

Police have previously said they believed Mr Phillips was being aided in his evasion by others.

When he was suspected of a bank robbery in Te Kuiti, a small town in the Waitomo region, police said there was an accomplice.

Fewer than 100 people live in the tight-knit community of Marokopa. While there was no suggestion that his family had assisted him, given the custody dispute, there have been questions about whether someone who knew him was helping him remain hidden or knew of his whereabouts.

In June 2024, police issued an NZ$80,000 (£37,200) reward for information that might lead to the location of Mr Phillips and his three children. The deadline expired without any breakthroughs.

They were next seen that October. A group of teenage pig hunters who had been trekking through the bush around Marokopa spotted them and filmed the brief encounter on their phones.

In the grainy footage, Mr Phillips could be seen leading his children through the rugged terrain, all wearing camouflaged clothing, raincoats and large backpacks.

New Zealand media reported that the teenagers had briefly spoken to one of their children to ask if anyone knew they were there. The child had replied "only you" and kept walking, the father of one of the teenagers told New Zealand's 1News.

The sighting prompted an unsuccessful three-day search involving police and army helicopters. Police said last month that they felt an aggressive search was the wrong approach, as they said Mr Phillips was armed and considered dangerous.

He was not seen again until late August this year, when he and one of his children were captured on CCTV allegedly breaking into a store in Piopio, making off with grocery items.

It was Piopio he returned to on Monday morning. It was at about 02:30 local time (14:30 GMT on Sunday) that police were called to a report of an attempted burglary at a rural farm supply shop there, which police believe Mr Phillips had unsuccessfully targeted before.

A quad bike carrying two people was seen heading towards Marokopa. Police laid spikes along the road and, when these stopped the quad bike, officers said they were met with gunfire.

Police said the first officer to reach the scene was shot in the head and he remains in a serious condition. A second officer returned fire and Mr Phillips died at the scene, police said.

The child who was with him was unharmed and provided police with information that led them to the other two children, who were at a remote campsite in the bush between Marokopa and Te Kuiti in near-freezing conditions, police said.

The children - whose wellbeing had been the top concern in New Zealand throughout their disappearance - are now being cared for by the authorities.

Five people have been killed and seven seriously wounded in a shooting attack by Palestinian gunmen in Jerusalem, paramedics and police say.

Israel's Magen David Adom ambulance service identified the dead as three men in their 30s, one woman in her 50s, and one man in his 50s. Nine people with gunshot wounds were taken to local hospitals along with three others injured by broken glass.

Israeli police said two "terrorists" opened fire towards a bus stop at Ramot Junction, on the city's northern outskirts. A security officer and a civilian returned fire, and "neutralised" the attackers, it added.

There was no immediate claim from any armed groups, although Hamas praised the attack.

The police said a large number of officers were securing the area, and that bomb disposal units were ensuring that it was safe while forensic teams gathered evidence.

A father who had been on the run with his three children in New Zealand's wilderness for nearly four years has been shot dead by police.

Tom Phillips, who disappeared with his children in late 2021, had evaded capture despite a nationwide search and multiple sightings over the years.

The case had gripped the country and remains one of New Zealand's most enduring mysteries.

Phillips was killed in a shootout around 02:30 on Monday (14:30 GMT Sunday) in Piopio, a small town in northern New Zealand, police said.

Officers were responding to a reported robbery at a commercial property when Phillips and one of his children were spotted riding a quad bike.

Police officers then gave chase before laying road spikes to stop them. The bike hit the spikes and went off road.

When police reached the vehicle they were met with gunfire, Deputy Police Commissioner Jill Rogers told reporters.

The first attending officer at the scene was shot in the head, and remains in a serious condition, police said.

A second patrol unit then engaged Phillips, who was shot and died at the scene. While the body had not been formally identified at the time of the announcement, police were confident it was Phillips.

The other two children were found later in the day at a remote campsite in dense bush. All three children are unharmed, Rogers said.

The child he was with, who has not been identified, had provided "crucial" information that helped them locate Phillips' two other children later in the day.

It was unclear whether the children had been informed of their father's death.

Police have notified their mother and Phillips' parents that the children are safe, though they declined to comment on who will provide ongoing care.

The children's mother, known only as Cat, told local media outlet RNZ she was "deeply relieved" that "this ordeal has come to an end" after missing her children dearly "every day for nearly four years." But, she continued: "We are saddened by how events unfolded today."

Authorities said Phillips had been evading capture since failing to appear in court in 2022.

Before they disappeared, Phillips and his children were living in Marokopa, a small rural town in the region of Waikato. Phillips, believed to be in his late-30s this year, had been described as an experienced hunter and bushman.

Police believe he took his children after losing legal custody of them.

Marokopa is an area surrounded by a very harsh landscape, a sweeping and rough coastline, dense bush and forested terrain with a network of caves spaning many kilometres.

Locals know Phillips as a bushman with survival skills that would have set him up for building shelters and foraging for food in the wilderness.

Still, there were signs that he got desperate for resources. Since 2023, there have been sightings of Phillips and his children at numerous break-ins at hardware and grocery stores.

Last October, a group of teenagers spotted them trekking through the bush and filmed the encounter. In the video, Phillips and the children were wearing camouflaged clothing and each was carrying their own packs.

The teenagers had briefly spoken to one of the children, asking if anyone knew they were there. The child had replied "only you" and kept walking, New Zealand's 1News reported.

Last year, a warrant was issued for the arrest of Phillips over his suspected involvement in a bank robbery in Te Kuiti, a small town on the North Island.

Police said he had had an accomplice during the alleged incident.

In fact, over the years, many have wondered if Phillips got any help from the tight-knit community in Marokopa, a town where fewer than 100 people lived, and the question remains unanswered.

Phillips's death comes less than a month after his family directly appealed to him to come home.

In an interview with local news website Stuff, his sister Rozzi said the family had been "ready to help [Phillips] walk through what you need to walk through".

"I really want to see you and the kids and be part of your lives again," she said then.

New Zealand's Prime Minister Chris Luxon has described the turn of events as "sad and absolutely tragic".

"This is not what anybody wanted to happen today. I think that is a consistent feeling from everybody across New Zealand," he said in a weekly briefing on Monday.

Other New Zealanders are also concerned about how Phillips's death would affect his children's wellbeing.

Marlene McIsaac, a resident in the Waitomo district, says she wished there had been "a happier ending". "For the kids, you know? The kids will be devastated," she told 1News.

At least 13 people have been killed and dozens are injured in Nepal after demonstrations against a government social media ban led to clashes between protesters and security forces.

Thousands heeded a call by demonstrators describing themselves as Generation Z to gather near the parliament building in Kathmandu over the decision to ban platforms including Facebook, X and YouTube.

Nepal's Minister for Communication Prithvi Subba told the BBC police had had to use force - which included water cannons, batons and firing rubber bullets.

The government has said social media platforms need to be regulated to tackle fake news, hate speech and online fraud.

But popular platforms such as Instagram have millions of users in Nepal, who rely on them for entertainment, news and business.

Demonstrators carried placards with slogans including "enough is enough" and "end to corruption".

Some said they were protesting against what they called the authoritarian attitude of the government.

As the rally moved into a restricted area close to parliament, some protesters climbed over the wall.

"Tear gas and water cannons were used after the protesters breached into the restricted area," police spokesman Shekhar Khanal told the AFP news agency.

A Kathmandu district office spokesperson said a curfew was imposed around areas including the parliament building after protesters attempted to enter.

Last week authorities ordered the blocking of 26 social media platforms for not complying with a deadline to register with Nepal's ministry of communication and information technology.

Since Friday, users have experienced difficulty in accessing the platforms, though some are using VPNs to get around the ban. So far, two platforms have been reactivated after registering with the ministry following the ban.

Nepal's government has argued it is not banning social media but trying to bring them in line with Nepali law.

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

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European leaders will visit the United States on Monday or Tuesday to discuss ways to end the war in Ukraine, Donald Trump has said.

The US president added that he would also speak to Russian President Vladimir Putin "soon", as well as signalling that his administration was ready to move to a second phase of sanctions on Moscow.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said the sanctions were the "right idea", and urged European nations to stop buying Russian energy.

It comes as Russia launched its largest aerial bombardment on Ukraine of the war so far, killing four and hitting Ukraine's main government building in Kyiv for the first time.

After the attack, during which Russia fired at least 810 drones and 13 missiles at Ukraine, Trump said he was "not happy with the whole situation".

"Certain European leaders are coming over to our country on Monday or Tuesday individually," Trump said. It was not clear to whom Trump was referring.

Russia has intensified attacks on Ukraine since Trump and Putin held a summit in Alaska last month.

Speaking to ABC News, Zelensky said that European partners continuing to buy Russian oil and gas was "not fair".

He added: "We have to stop [buying] any kind of energy from Russia, and by the way, anything, any deals with Russia. We can't have any deals if we want to stop them."

Zelensky also welcomed Trump's plans to impose secondary tariffs on countries that trade with Russia - aimed at frustrating Moscow's ability to fund the war.

"I think the idea to put tariffs on the countries who continue to make deals with Russia, I think this is the right idea," he said.

Russia has sold around $985bn (£729bn) of oil and gas since its full-scale invasion of Ukraine began in March 2022, according to the think tank the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air.

The biggest purchasers have been China and India. The EU has dramatically reduced - but not completely stopped - purchases of Russian energy. In June, Brussels laid out plans to end all purchases by 2027.

Last month, the US imposed tariffs of 50% on goods from India as punishment for continuing to buy Russian oil. The Indian government has said it will continue to pursue the "best deal" on buying oil for the economic interests of its population.

And at a meeting in Beijing last week, Russia said it would increase supplies of gas to China.

Zelensky's intervention comes as the OPEC+ group of oil producing nations, which includes Russia, has again agreed to increase production, a move which will put downward pressure on oil prices.

US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent told NBC's Meet the Press that the US was looking for more support from the EU to impose secondary tariffs on countries that buy Russian oil.

Bessent said that if EU nations increased sanctions and secondary tariffs on countries that buy Russian oil, "the Russian economy will be in total collapse, and that will bring President Putin to the table".

He added: "We are in a race now between how long can the Ukrainian military hold up, versus how long can the Russian economy hold up."

A South Korean worker who witnessed a massive immigration operation at a car factory in Georgia has told the BBC of panic and confusion as federal agents descended on the site and arrested hundreds.

The man, who asked to remain anonymous, was at the factory which is jointly owned by Hyundai and LG Energy when agents from Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) arrested 475 people, including 300 South Korean nationals, with some being led away in chains.

He said he first became aware of the Thursday morning raid when he and his colleagues received a deluge of phone calls from company bosses. "Multiple phone lines were ringing and the message was to shut down operations," he said.

As news spread of the raid, the largest of its kind since President Donald Trump returned to the White House, the man said panicked family members tried to contact the workers.

"They were detained and they left all their cell phones in the office. They were getting calls, but we couldn't answer because [the office] was locked," he said.

According to US officials, some workers tried to flee including several who jumped into a nearby sewage pond. They were separated into groups based on nationality and visa status, before being processed and loaded onto multiple coaches.

Some 400 state and federal agents had gathered outside the sprawling $7.6bn factory complex, which is about half an hour from the city of Savannah, before entering the site at around 10:30 on Thursday.

The 3,000-acre complex opened last year and workers there assemble electric vehicles. Immigration officials had been investigating alleged illegal employment practices at an electric vehicle battery plant that is being built in the compound.

The operation ultimately become the largest single-site immigration enforcement operation in the history of Homeland Security investigations, officials said, adding that hundreds of people who were not legally allowed to work in the US were detained.

BBC Verify has been reviewing footage posted on social media and apparently filmed inside the battery plant.

One video shows men lined up in a room as a masked man, wearing a vest with the initials HSI - Homeland Security Investigations - and holding a walkie-talkie, tells them: "We're Homeland Security, we have a search warrant for the whole site. We need construction to cease immediately, we need all work to end on the site right now."

BBC Verify met the worker, who is legally entitled to work in the United States, in Savannah, the nearest city to the massive car factory.

The man said he was "shocked but not surprised" by the immigration operation. He said the vast majority of the workers detained were mechanics installing production lines at the site, and were employed by a contractor.

He also said a minority of those arrested had been sent from head office in Seoul and had been carrying out training, which the BBC has not been able to confirm.

The man said he believed nearly all the workers had some legal right to be in the US, but were on the wrong type of visas or their right to work had expired.

The BBC has contacted both Hyundai and LG Energy for comment.

In a joint statement released after the raid, Hyundai and LG energy said they were "co-operating fully with the appropriate authorities regarding activity at our construction site. To assist their work, we have paused construction."

Hyundai also said that "based on our current understanding, none of those detained is directly employed by Hyundai Motor Company".

It added it "is committed to full compliance with all laws and regulations in every market where we operate".

BBC Verify has also contacted the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) for comment and for more details about exactly why the workers were detained and what they were doing at the plant.

On Friday, the day after the raid, the ICE agent in charge of the operation, Steven Schrank said all 475 detainees were "illegally present in the United States".

He said they were workers "who have entered through a variety of different means into the United States, some illegally crossed the border, some that came in through visa waiver and were prohibited from working, some that had visas and overstayed their visas".

The raid, dubbed by officials "Operation Low Voltage", targeted an electric battery plant which was being built on the same site as an existing Hyundai car factory.

ICE has released footage of the raid showing federal agents arriving in armoured vehicles and lining up workers outside the factory, with some shown chained together before being loaded onto coaches.

Other images show two men in a river apparently trying to escape, and another man being hauled out of the water by agents who are speaking to him in Spanish.

The worker we spoke to said he had sympathy for those who had been detained, but he said a crackdown was not a surprise under the Trump administration. "Their slogan is America first, and if you work in America legally, you won't have an issue," he said.

The man said the time and administrative hurdles involved in obtaining US visas had encouraged foreign companies to cut corners in order to finish projects on time, but they might now need to reassess.

"I mean, after this happened, many companies will think again about investing in the United States because setting up a new project might take so much longer than before," he said, adding that many of those who were detained were specialists and finding local workers to replace them would not be easy.

When the BBC visited the site over the weekend there were few visible signs of Thursday's raid, although two security teams asked us to move on as we filmed from the side of the road.

The electric car factory in Ellabell, Georgia is a huge complex that dominates the landscape and has been a major source of employment since the project was announced in 2022.

Georgia's Republican Governor Brian Kemp has hailed the $7.6bn complex, describing it as the largest economic development project in the state's history.

The impact of the venture has been reflected in the resurgence of the Korean American Association of Greater Savannah. "It's a growing community," said Cho Dahye, the association's president.

Ms Dahye, who became a US citizen in the 1980s and is also known by her American name Ruby Gould, said the ICE arrests had left people shocked.

She hopes the raid on her doorstep would not have a wider impact on US-South Korean relations. "It's very shocking to me and the image of a global, well-known company," she said.

Additional reporting by Aisha Sembhi

A former anaesthetist has gone on trial in the city of Besançon, in eastern France, accused of intentionally poisoning 30 people, including 12 patients who died.

Frédéric Péchier, 53, considered by colleagues to be a highly-talented practitioner, was first placed under investigation eight years ago, when he was suspected of poisoning patients at two clinics in the city between 2008 and 2017.

Despite the serious charges against him, Mr Péchier has remained at liberty under judicial supervision and told French radio on Monday there was "no proof of any poisoning".

The trial is set to last more than three months and involves more than 150 civil parties representing the 30 alleged victims.

Allegations of poisoning emerged in January 2017, when a 36-year-old patient called Sandra Simard, who was otherwise healthy, had surgery on her spine and her heart stopped beating.

After an intensive care physician failed to revive her, Frédéric Péchier gave her an injection and the patient went into a coma and survived. Intravenous drugs used to treat her then showed concentrations of potassium 100 times the expected dose and the alarm was sounded with local prosecutors.

Another "serious adverse event", involving a 70-year-old man, happened within days, when Mr Péchier claimed to have found three bags of paracetamol that had been tampered with after he had given a general anaesthetic.

Mr Péchier said at the time he was being framed but a few weeks later he was placed under formal investigation.

One of Mr Péchier's lawyers said he had been waiting eight years to finally prove his innocence, and the former anaesthetist told RTL radio on Monday that it was a chance to lay out "all the cards on the table".

"After I left, they still had [serious adverse events] and cardiac arrests. When I left in March 2017 they had another nine others declared afterwards," he told RTL radio.

Investigators then looked at other serious adverse events dating back to 2008, involving patients aged four to 89, at the two big healthcare centres he had worked at in Besançon - the Franche-Comté Polyclinic and the Saint-Vincent Clinic.

In 2009, three patients with no history of heart disease had to be resuscitated at the Franche-Comté Polyclinic during minor operations.

Twelve suspicious cases were found involving patients who could not be resuscitated, including several that could not be explained.

Damien Iehlen was the first fatality, in October 2008. Aged 53 he went into the Saint-Vincent Clinic for a routine kidney operation and died after a cardiac arrest. Tests later revealed he had been given a potentially-lethal dose of the drug lidocaine.

"It's appalling. You cannot imagine the effect it's had on my family," his daughter Amandine told French media. "It's unthinkable this could happen and that so many people were affected for so many years, from 2008 to 2017."

Frédéric Péchier comes from a family of health professionals; his father was also an anaesthetist.

Prosecutors argue that he tampered with intravenous medicines to induce cardiac arrests, as a means of getting revenge against colleagues. They say he was the "common denominator" in all the poisoning cases.

The trial is set to continue until December and the defendant will remain at liberty, under judicial supervision. If found guilty he would face life imprisonment.

Investigation into French doctor for allegedly poisoning patients