Under growing pressure from his own party, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has announced he will step down and end his nine-year stretch as leader.

Trudeau said he would stay on in office until his Liberal Party can choose a new leader, and that parliament would be prorogued - or suspended - until 24 March.

"This country deserves a real choice in the next election and it has become clear to me that if I'm having to fight internal battles, I cannot be the best option in that election," he said during a press conference Monday.

Trudeau's personal unpopularity with Canadians had become an increasing drag on his party's fortunes in advance of federal elections later this year.

"Last night, over dinner, I told my kids about the decision that I'm sharing with you today," he told the news conference in Ottawa.

"I intend to resign as party leader, as prime minister, after the party selects its next leader through a robust nationwide competitive process," he said.

The president of the Liberal Party, Sachit Mehra, said a meeting of the party's board of directors would be held this week to begin the process of selecting a new leader.

Who might replace Trudeau as Liberal Party leader?

Why the Trudeau era has come to an end now

What happens next for Canada?

In a statement, he added: "Liberals across the country are immensely grateful to Justin Trudeau for more than a decade of leadership to our Party and the country."

"As Prime Minister, his vision delivered transformational progress for Canadians," he said, citing programmes his government has implemented like the Canada Child Benefit and the establishment of dental care and pharmacare coverage for some medication.

Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre said "nothing has changed" following Trudeau's resignation.

"Every Liberal MP and Leadership contender supported EVERYTHING Trudeau did for 9 years, and now they want to trick voters by swapping in another Liberal face to keep ripping off Canadians for another 4 years, just like Justin," Poilievre wrote on X.

Trudeau, 53, had faced growing calls to quit from inside his Liberal Party, which ramped up in December when deputy prime minister and long-time ally Chrystia Freeland abruptly resigned.

In a public resignation letter, Freeland cited US President-elect Donald Trump's threats of tariffs on Canadian goods, and accused Trudeau of not doing enough to address the "grave challenge" posed by Trump's proposals.

Trump has promised to impose a tax of 25% on imported Canadian goods - which economists have warned would significantly hurt Canada's economy - unless the country takes steps to increase security on its shared border.

Trudeau said Monday that he had hoped Freeland would have continued as deputy prime minister, "but she chose otherwise".

Canada has since announced that it will implement sweeping new security measures along the country's US border in response to the threat.

In an online post, Trump claimed that pressure over tariffs led to Trudeau's resignation and repeated his jibe that Canada should become "the 51st State".

"If Canada merged with the U.S., there would be no Tariffs, taxes would go way down, and they would be TOTALLY SECURE from the threat of the Russian and Chinese Ships that are constantly surrounding them," he wrote.

Since 2019, the Liberal Party has governed as a minority party.

Following Freeland's resignation, Trudeau lost the backing of parties that had previously helped keep the Liberals in power - the left-leaning New Democrats, who had a support agreement with the Liberals, and the Quebec nationalist party, Bloc Quebecois.

The largest opposition party, the Conservatives, have maintained a significant two-digit lead over the Liberals in polls for months - suggesting that if a general election were held today, the Liberals could be in for a significant defeat.

Liberals will now choose a new leader to take the party into the next election, which must be held on or before 20 October.

A senior government official told the BBC that the race is an open contest, and that the Prime Minister's Office will fully stay out of the process, leaving it to Liberal Party members to decide their future.

Speaking to reporters, the Bloc Quebecois leader Yves-François Blanchet suggested that an early election be called once the Liberals choose their new leader.

End of the Trudeau era

Trudeau is the son of Canadian Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau, who dominated the country's politics in the 1970s and '80s.

The younger Trudeau became prime minister after the Liberal Party won a sweeping majority in 2015 amid a promise to usher in a new, progressive era of "Sunny Ways".

His record includes a commitment to gender equality in his cabinet, which continues to be 50% women; progress on reconciliation with Indigenous people in Canada; bringing in a national carbon tax; implementing a tax-free child benefit for families; and legalising recreational cannabis.

Assembly of First Nations National Chief Cindy Woodhouse Nepinak praised Trudeau's track record on indigenous issues following his resignation, saying in a statement that he "has taken meaningful steps to address issues that matter to First Nations".

"While much work remains, these actions have laid a foundation for future governments to build upon."

Clouds began to hang over Trudeau's government in recent years, which weathered a series of often self-inflicted scandals, including a controversy over a deal with a Canadian firm facing corruption charges and photos that emerged of the prime minister wearing brownface makeup.

Vaccine mandates and other restrictions were also met with fierce backlash by some Canadians, leading to the Freedom Convoy truck protests in early 2022. Trudeau eventually used unprecedented emergency powers to remove the protesters.

As Canada began to emerge from the pandemic, housing and food prices skyrocketed, and his government pulled back on ambitious immigration targets as public services began to show strain.

By late 2024, Trudeau's approval rating was at its lowest - just 22% of Canadians saying they thought he was doing a good job, according to one polling tracker.

In Ottawa, a small group of protestors danced outside Parliament Hill in celebration of his resignation.

One passer-by, however, said he thinks things were fine under Trudeau's watch.

"I'm a carpenter," Hames Gamarra, who is from British Columbia, told the BBC. "I mind my own business, I get my wages, I pay the bills. It's been OK."

Another Canadian, Marise Cassivi, said it feels like the end of an era. Asked if she feels any hints of sadness, she replied: "No."

"It's the right thing."

At least five people have died in a winter storm that has seized a swathe of the US in its icy grip, leading to mass school closures, travel chaos and power cuts.

Seven US states declared emergencies: Maryland, Virginia, West Virginia, Kansas, Missouri, Kentucky and Arkansas.

More than 2,000 flights have been cancelled, with about 6,500 delays also reported owing to the extreme weather caused by the polar vortex of icy cold air that usually circles the North Pole.

More than a quarter of a million people were without power on Monday afternoon, with snowfall forecast to continue into the night on the East Coast.

According to meteorologists, cold Arctic air is expected to keep conditions icy across a chunk of the country for several more weeks.

In Washington DC - where lawmakers met on Monday to certify Donald Trump's win in November's election - about 5-9in (13-23cm) of snow fell, with up to a foot recorded in parts of nearby Maryland and Virginia.

• Live Updates: Major winter storm brings heavy snow and travel disruption

In front of the Washington Monument, hundreds of local residents gathered at a local park for a snowball fight, a now 15-year-old tradition.

"Just having fun," one local man told the BBC. "Never done a snowball fight before."

Former US Olympic skier Clare Egan was found cross-country skiing on the National Mall, the central thoroughfare of the US capital city.

She told the Associated Press she had thought "my skiing days were maybe behind me".

Washington DC's weather emergency is declared until the early hours of Tuesday as a result of the system, which was named Winter Storm Blair by the Weather Channel.

Children who had been due to go back to classes on Monday after the Christmas and Hanukkah break were instead enjoying a snow day as school districts closed from Maryland to Kansas.

In other parts of the US, the winter storm brought with it dangerous road conditions.

In Missouri, the state's highway patrol said at least 365 people had crashed on Sunday, leaving dozens injured and at least one dead.

In nearby Kansas, one of the worst-hit states, local news reported that two people were killed in a car crash during the storm.

In Houston, Texas, a person was found dead from cold weather in front of a bus stop on Monday morning, authorities said.

In Virginia, where 300 car crashes were reported between midnight and Monday morning, authorities warned local residents to avoid driving in large parts of the state.

At least one motorist was killed, according to local media reports.

Matthew Cappucci, a senior meteorologist at the weather app MyRadar, told the BBC that Kansas City had seen the heaviest snow in 32 years.

Some areas near the Ohio River in Kansas and Missouri turned to "skating rinks" in the frigid temperatures, he added.

"The ploughs are getting stuck, the police are getting stuck, everybody's getting stuck - stay home," he said.

Data from Poweroutage.us, a tracking website, shows that over 260,000 people were without power on Monday afternoon, across the storm's path through Missouri, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Virginia and West Virginia.

A Scot has been killed while serving as a medic with the Ukrainian army, his family has said.

Jordan Maclachlan, 26, from Ardnamurchan, volunteered to help Ukraine after Russia's invasion in February 2022.

His family said he died on Friday while serving on the frontline.

In a statement, they said: "Jordan always believed that he was making a difference and we are all so proud of him helping others."

'Greatly missed'

Mr Maclachlan's family said he joined Ukraine's army soon after volunteering three years ago.

They said: "We are waiting for further information from the Foreign Office as information is very limited.

"Jordan was a fun-loving son, brother, grandson, nephew, cousin and a friend to many and will be greatly missed by all who knew him."

The family asked for privacy at a difficult time.

A Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office spokesperson said: "We are supporting the family of a British man who died in Ukraine and are in contact with the local authorities."

The FCDO advises against all travel to certain parts of Ukraine and all but essential travel to other areas of the country.

A number of Scots have made the perilous trip since the Russian invasion was launched on 24 February 2022.

Six months later a mechanic from Biggar, South Lanarkshire, who joined the fight against Russia, was hailed as a hero in his adopted country.

Adam Ennis, 35, left his garage business to join the international legion, with just basic training he gained from a cadet scheme at school.

But in December 2022 another volunteer, Jonathan Shenkin, from Glasgow, was killed in Ukraine.

A family tribute on social media said Mr Shenkin, 45, "died as a hero in an act of bravery as a paramedic".

Multi-billionaire Elon Musk has accused Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer of being "deeply complicit in the mass rapes in exchange for votes".

Mr Musk has published a series of posts on X suggesting Starmer failed to deal with the grooming gang scandal while head of the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) between 2008 and 2013.

In response, Starmer has accused critics of "spreading lies and misinformation" and claims he tackled prosecutions "head on".

What is the grooming gang scandal?

The row between Mr Musk and Starmer centres around a series of high-profile cases where groups of men - mainly of Pakistani descent - were convicted of sexually abusing and raping predominantly young white girls around the UK.

In 2012 The Times newspaper investigated Rotherham grooming gangs, which led to a major inquiry.

At least 1,400 children were subjected to appalling sexual exploitation in Rotherham between 1997 and 2013, according to a 2014 report written by Prof Alexis Jay.

The report made headlines in the UK and around the world and led to major debates in Parliament.

Similar scandals also occurred in other towns, including Oldham, Oxford, Rochdale and Telford, leading to a national inquiry into child sexual abuse, which was also by Prof Jay.

The cases sparked investigations into alleged failures to properly address the crimes and support victims.

Was the CPS or Starmer 'complicit'?

The CPS, an independent body, prosecutes criminal cases in England and Wales.

After the police investigate crimes and present their findings, the CPS decides whether to prosecute based on evidence and public interest.

Starmer was appointed head of the CPS in 2008 and held the role for five years. He became an MP in 2015.

The CPS was criticised for a decision not to proceed with a prosecution in Rochdale on the basis that it viewed the main victim as "unreliable" following an investigation between August 2008 and August 2009.

That decision was overturned later by Nazir Afzal in 2011 after being appointed by Starmer as the CPS chief prosecutor for north-west England.

Speaking to BBC Verify, Mr Afzal said that the view of prosecutors not to proceed to trial at the time was "if the police aren't happy that she will give credible evidence then we're not happy either".

He went on to say that he had reviewed and reversed the decision as "I believed what she [the victim] was saying".

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But this is not the only instance where the CPS has faced criticism.

Prof Jay's report into the Rotherham cases said the police would often cite the CPS as being unwilling to prosecute alleged perpetrators, but they said that it had been "much more helpful" later on.

A 2013 report from the Home Affairs Committee said that "unlike many other official agencies implicated in this issue", the CPS had "readily admitted that victims had been let down by them and have attempted both to discover the cause of this systematic failure and to improve the way things are done so as to avoid a repetition of such events".

It added: "Mr Starmer has striven to improve the treatment of victims of sexual assault within the criminal justice system throughout his term as Director of Public Prosecution."

Maggie Oliver, a former Manchester detective who now campaigns for victims of child sex abuse, told BBC Verify that the CPS "bear a great deal of responsibility for the failures around this issue", including bringing inadequate charges and blaming victims.

She added that while there was now much more awareness around the issue, "in my foundation we still see individual cases subjected to massive failures in the systems".

We have been unable to find any direct criticism of Starmer personally in any of the reports on the scandal, nor can we identify any suggestions that he himself made any decisions not to prosecute.

How has Starmer responded?

The prime minister has robustly defended his record as the former head of the CPS, telling journalists he:

• Changed the prosecution approach to "challenge myths and stereotypes" that had stopped victims from being heard
• Left office when the CPS had the highest number of child sex abuse prosecutions on record
• Reopened cases that had been closed
• Brought the first prosecution of an Asian grooming gang

It is correct that Starmer revised the guidance on child sexual exploitation in 2013 to make future prosecutions easier.

Previously, victims may not have been viewed as credible if they had not complained immediately, if they had used drugs or alcohol or if they had dressed or acted in particular ways.

On child sexual abuse prosecutions, we found CPS figures dating back to 2007 but the early years are now only on archived web pages - as they are no longer on the CPS website.

They show that the "number of prosecutions for child sexual abuse flagged cases" did rise from that year to reach 4,794 in April 2010 to March 2011 - a peak for Starmer's time in charge of the CPS.

That total was subsequently surpassed - there were nearly 7,200 prosecutions in 2016-2017.

BBC Verify has asked Downing Street for more detail on the data behind the prime minister's claim.

On reopening cases, Mr Afzal said that the creation of a national panel to revisit cases under Starmer had been a success.

"That panel also included - for the time ever - external representatives. It revisited dozens of cases that were then restarted," he said.

How many child grooming cases were prosecuted under Starmer?

In defending his record, Starmer referred only to the broad category of child sex abuse prosecution data.

When it comes to child grooming gangs, there is no single clear data set because no specific offence exists.

Instead, offenders can be prosecuted for causing or facilitating sexual exploitation, or for committing specific offences such as rape and indecent assault.

Information on child grooming-related prosecutions appear in Prof Jay's 2022 report into child sexual exploitation by organised networks - a government-commissioned report into institutional child abuse failings published in 2022.

The report mentions several "significant prosecutions" between 2010 and 2014, including 35 convictions which took place while Starmer was DPP:

• November 2010 - five men convicted in Rotherham
• November 2010 - 11 men convicted in Derbyshire
• 2008-2010 - three men convicted in Cornwall
• May 2012 - nine men from Rochdale and Oldham convicted
• June 2013 - seven men from Oxford convicted

A Times report from 2011 identified 17 grooming gang prosecutions since 1997.

It said 14 of them took place during the previous three years and involved the on-street grooming of girls aged 11 to 16 by groups of men across 13 towns and cities.

A report by the National Police Chiefs' Council last year concluded that 5% of child sexual abuse and exploitation crimes were group-based - but more specific figures weren't disclosed.

BBC Verify has sent a freedom of information request to the CPS asking for a yearly breakdown of prosecutions for child grooming related offences.

We have also contacted the Ministry of Justice and the Home Office.

Additional reporting by Lucy Gilder and Gerry Georgieva

What do you want BBC Verify to investigate?

For months now, Canada's Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has been asked variations of the same question: "Will you step down?"

But though he vowed to stay on as Liberal Party leader - despite deepening frustrations amongst voters and a political rival surging in the polls - even the self-described "fighter" could not withstand the growing chorus of members of his own party calling for him to resign.

"This country deserves a real choice in the next election, and it has become clear to me that if I'm having to fight internal battles, I cannot be the best option in that election," Trudeau conceded on Monday, announcing his resignation in front of Rideau Cottage, his official residence for most of the last decade.

He will stay on as prime minister until a new Liberal Party leader is chosen, at a date yet to be set by the party.

• Follow developments live
• Who might replace Trudeau as Liberal Party leader?

Trudeau swept to power nearly a decade ago, heralded as the fresh face of progressive politics.

In 2015, swayed by his youthful charisma and a hopeful political message, voters catapulted the Liberals from a third-place party to holding a majority of seats in parliament - unprecedented in Canadian political history.

Now, he remains the only leader left standing among peers when he came into office, from Barack Obama to Angela Merkel, Shinzo Abe and David Cameron, and is currently the longest-serving leader in the G7.

But in the years since his ascent to the global stage, and over two general elections, Trudeau and his brand have become a drag on the party's fortunes.

Paul Wells, a Canadian political journalist and the author of Justin Trudeau on the Ropes, recently told the BBC he believes Trudeau will be remembered "as a consequential" prime minister, notably for providing genuine leadership on issues like indigenous reconciliation and, to some extent, climate policy.

But he is also one "who felt increasingly out of touch with public opinion and was increasingly unable to adjust to changing times".

A series of ethics scandals began to take the sheen off the new government - he was found to have violated federal conflict of interest rules in the handling of a corruption inquiry – the SNC-Lavalin affair - and for luxury trips to the Bahamas.

In 2020, he faced scrutiny for picking a charity with ties to his family to manage a major government programme.

In a general election in 2019, his party was reduced to a minority status, meaning the Liberals had to rely on the support of other parties to stay in power.

A snap election in 2021 did not improve their fortunes.

More recently, Trudeau faced headwinds from cost of living increases and inflation that have contributed to election upsets around the world.

And after more than nine years in power, he is among Canada's longest serving prime ministers, and there is a general sense of fatigue and frustration with his government.

The writing was on the wall. Over the summer, voters rejected Liberal candidates in a handful of special elections in once-safe Liberal seats, leading to the beginning of internal party unrest.

Public opinion polls also reached new depths.

A survey conducted over the holidays by the Angus Reid Institute suggested the lowest level of support for the party in their tracking, dating back to 2014.

But the shock resignation of his key deputy, former Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland, in mid-December proved to be the final straw, as members of his own party made it clear they no longer supported his leadership.

Apple has said it will update, rather than pause, a new artificial intelligence (AI) feature that has generated inaccurate news alerts on its latest iPhones.

The company, in its first acknowledgement of the concerns, on Monday said it was working on a software change to "further clarify" when the notifications are summaries that have been generated by the Apple Intelligence system.

The tech giant is facing calls to pull the technology after its flawed performance.

The BBC complained last month after an AI-generated summary of its headline falsely told some readers that Luigi Mangione, the man accused of killing UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, had shot himself.

On Friday, Apple's AI inaccurately summarised BBC app notifications to claim that Luke Littler had won the PDC World Darts Championship hours before it began - and that the Spanish tennis star Rafael Nadal had come out as gay.

This marks the first time Apple has formally responded to the concerns voiced by the BBC about the errors, which appear as if they are coming from within the organisation's app.

"These summarisations by Apple are spreading misinformation which does not reflect – and in some cases completely contradicts – the original BBC content," the BBC said on Monday.

"They are harming trust not only in the BBC, but in news and information more widely. It is imperative that Apple addresses these issues urgently."

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Apple said its update would arrive "in the coming weeks".

It has previously said its notification summaries - which group together and rewrite previews of multiple recent app notifications into a single alert on user's lock screens - aim to allow users to "scan for key details".

"Apple Intelligence features are in beta and we are continuously making improvements with the help of user feedback," the company said in a statement on Monday, adding that receiving the summaries is optional.

"A software update in the coming weeks will further clarify when the text being displayed is summarization provided by Apple Intelligence. We encourage users to report a concern if they view an unexpected notification summary."

The feature, along with others released as part of its broader suite of AI tools was rolled out in the UK in December. It is only available on its iPhone 16 models, iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max handsets running iOS 18.1 and above, as well as on some iPads and Macs.

Several instances of the technology appearing to interpret messages in a highly blunt, literal way have gone viral on social media.

In November, a ProPublica journalist highlighted erroneous Apple AI summaries of alerts from the New York Times app suggesting it had reported that Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had been arrested.

The BBC has not been able to independently verify the screenshots, and the New York Times declined to comment.

Reporters Without Borders, an organisation representing the rights and interests of journalists, called on Apple to disable the feature in December.

It said the attribution of a false headline about Mr Mangione to the BBC showed "generative AI services are still too immature to produce reliable information for the public".

Apple is not alone in having rolled out generative AI tools that can create text, images and more content when prompted by users - but with varying results.

Google's AI overviews feature, which provides a written summary of information from results at the top of its search engine in response to user queries, faced criticism last year for producing some erratic responses.

At the time a Google spokesperson said that these were 'isolated examples' and that the feature was generally working well.

A rugby league player who was charged with rape, sexual assault and two counts of assault has fled to his home country of Papua New Guinea.

Keven Appo, 25, who played for Bradford Bulls, was given conditional bail at 16:00 GMT on 26 November, Bradford Magistrates' Court heard on Monday.

By 20:40 GMT that evening Mr Appo had boarded a flight to Dubai from Manchester Airport and subsequently arrived in Papua New Guinea via a connecting flight.

Prosecutor Fiona Newcombe told the court an extradition process was now underway to return Mr Appo to the United Kingdom to face the charges against him.

Mr Appo had been due to appear for a hearing at the court on Monday morning.

He had given his house and car keys to the manager of the rugby club, Ms Newcombe told the court.

She said authorities would now work with police in Papua New Guinea to extradite him.

Mr Appo, of Halifax, was sacked by Bradford Bulls after he was charged with the offences.

In a statement the club previously said they had "cancelled Keven Appo's playing contract".

Bradford Bulls signed Sheffield Eagles back-rower Bayley Liu to replace Mr Appo.

Listen to highlights from West Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North or tell us a story you think we should be covering here.

The Christmas Day episode of Gavin & Stacey has become one of the most watched scripted TV shows of the century.

According to official Barb ratings figures, after seven days of catch-up viewing the finale of the much loved comedy had been seen by 19.11 million people.

That beats the last Gavin & Stacey special in 2019 which at the same stage had an audience of 17.92m, rising to 18.49m after a month.

The 90 minute 2024 special resolved the cliff hanger from five years before, when Nessa (Ruth Jones) asked Smithy (James Corden) to marry her.

Also performing well was the new Wallace & Gromit adventure Vengeance Most Fowl. The return of villain Feathers McGraw was watched by 16.29m viewers after a week of catch-up.

The biggest TV audiences of recent years remain big news and sports events, including government lockdown announcements and European and World Cup football matches.

When the next set of Barb figures are issued in three weeks, reflecting 28 days of catch-up viewing, it's expected that Gavin & Stacey will have passed or be close to passing the 20 million viewer milestone.

No scripted show has achieved that figures for 28 days of catch-up were first issued in December 2014. Only figures for seven days of catch-up are available for shows before that date.

The 2001 Only Fools and Horses Christmas special is recorded as having more than 20 million viewers after seven days, but the way ratings were calculated by Barb before 2002 was different to the current system, which means direct comparisons will not be accurate.

After weeks of mounting pressure to step down, Justin Trudeau has announced he will resign as Canada's prime minister and as leader of the Liberal Party of Canada.

The resignation brings a long political chapter to an end. Trudeau has been in power since 2015, when he brought the Liberals back to power from the political wilderness.

Trudeau said he will remain at the helm until a new Liberal leader is selected.

But many questions remain for the Liberals, including who will take over and how they will manage a looming federal election. So what happens next?

Addressing Canadians on Monday, Trudeau said the country's governor general had accepted his request to prorogue Parliament - essentially a suspension that will stop all proceedings, including debates and votes, without dissolving parliament.

While a routine part of parliamentary procedure, it is sometimes used by governments to buy time during a political crisis.

This latest prorogation will freeze parliament until 24 March, just four days before a scheduled 28 March vote on supply to allow the federal government to operate.

It is likely the Liberal caucus will try to have their new leader in place by that date, though it is so far unclear how that leader will be chosen.

Typically, leaders of Canada's federal parties are chosen over a four or five month period, a process that includes a formal leadership convention.

On Monday, Trudeau said a new leader would be chosen through a "robust, nationwide, competitive process".

"I am excited to see the process unfold in the months ahead," he said.

There is no clear successor to Trudeau, but several prominent Liberals including former Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland, Transport Minister Anita Anand and formal central banker Mark Carney have been floated as possible leaders.

Polls indicate that if a Canadian election were to be held today, the official opposition Conservative Party would be handed a decisive victory.

Riding high in opinion polls with a double-digit lead, the Conservatives have tried for months to trigger an election - which must occur before October - by bringing a series of no-confidence votes in the House of Commons.

If a government loses a confidence motion or vote in the House, it is expected to resign or seek the dissolution of parliament, triggering a federal election.

The government needs the backing of a majority of the 338 members of parliament in a no-confidence vote. The Liberals are 17 seats shy of that, meaning they require support from members of Canada's other parties.

• Trudeau defiant in face of turmoil
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For months now, Canada's Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has been asked variations of the same question: "Will you step down?"

But though he vowed to stay on as Liberal Party leader - despite deepening frustrations amongst voters and a political rival surging in the polls - even the self-described "fighter" could not withstand the growing chorus of members of his own party calling for him to resign.

"This country deserves a real choice in the next election, and it has become clear to me that if I'm having to fight internal battles, I cannot be the best option in that election," Trudeau conceded on Monday, announcing his resignation in front of Rideau Cottage, his official residence for most of the last decade.

He will stay on as prime minister until a new Liberal Party leader is chosen, at a date yet to be set by the party.

• Follow developments live
• Who might replace Trudeau as Liberal Party leader?

Trudeau swept to power nearly a decade ago, heralded as the fresh face of progressive politics.

In 2015, swayed by his youthful charisma and a hopeful political message, voters catapulted the Liberals from a third-place party to holding a majority of seats in parliament - unprecedented in Canadian political history.

Now, he remains the only leader left standing among peers when he came into office, from Barack Obama to Angela Merkel, Shinzo Abe and David Cameron, and is currently the longest-serving leader in the G7.

But in the years since his ascent to the global stage, and over two general elections, Trudeau and his brand have become a drag on the party's fortunes.

Paul Wells, a Canadian political journalist and the author of Justin Trudeau on the Ropes, recently told the BBC he believes Trudeau will be remembered "as a consequential" prime minister, notably for providing genuine leadership on issues like indigenous reconciliation and, to some extent, climate policy.

But he is also one "who felt increasingly out of touch with public opinion and was increasingly unable to adjust to changing times".

A series of ethics scandals began to take the sheen off the new government - he was found to have violated federal conflict of interest rules in the handling of a corruption inquiry – the SNC-Lavalin affair - and for luxury trips to the Bahamas.

In 2020, he faced scrutiny for picking a charity with ties to his family to manage a major government programme.

In a general election in 2019, his party was reduced to a minority status, meaning the Liberals had to rely on the support of other parties to stay in power.

A snap election in 2021 did not improve their fortunes.

More recently, Trudeau faced headwinds from cost of living increases and inflation that have contributed to election upsets around the world.

And after more than nine years in power, he is among Canada's longest serving prime ministers, and there is a general sense of fatigue and frustration with his government.

The writing was on the wall. Over the summer, voters rejected Liberal candidates in a handful of special elections in once-safe Liberal seats, leading to the beginning of internal party unrest.

Public opinion polls also reached new depths.

A survey conducted over the holidays by the Angus Reid Institute suggested the lowest level of support for the party in their tracking, dating back to 2014.

But the shock resignation of his key deputy, former Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland, in mid-December proved to be the final straw, as members of his own party made it clear they no longer supported his leadership.

Flood warnings have been issued in parts of England, as wintry conditions continue to cause travel delays and school closures across the UK.

Major incidents have been declared in Lincolnshire and Leicester over flooding caused by heavy rains.

Yellow weather warnings for snow and ice have been issued in Northern Ireland, parts of Scotland and Wales and areas of northwest and southwest England until Tuesday morning.

Travel disruption caused by the cold and wet weather continued into Monday, with roads, railways and airports all affected.

A Met Office warning for snow and ice across large parts of Scotland came into force at 16:00 and will last until midday on Tuesday.

In Northern Ireland, a yellow alert for snow and ice warning will be in place until 11:00 on Tuesday.

A yellow alert for snow and ice across Wales and parts of northwest and southwest England took effect at 17:00 on Monday, lasting until 10:00 on Tuesday.

As of Monday afternoon, there were 176 flood warnings, meaning flooding is expected, and 311 flood alerts, meaning flooding is possible, in place across England.

In Wales, one flood warning and 13 flood alerts are in place.

A major incident has been declared in Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland due to severe flooding, with homes submerged and people left trapped in their vehicles by rising water.

Lincolnshire became the second county to declare a major incident over flooding.

Emma Hardy, the minister for water and flooding, told MPs that the country's flood defences were "in the worst condition on record". She blamed "years of under-investment" under the previous Conservative government.

"There are approximately 60,000 properties less well protected than if flood defences were at an optimal condition," she said, adding the government had pledged £2bn in the next two years to "build and maintain" flood defences.

Prime Minister Keir Starmer said his thoughts were with all those affected and thanked "responders working hard to keep communities safe".

The coldest temperature of the UK winter so far was recorded on Sunday night, when the mercury hit -13.3C (8F) in Loch Glascarnoch in Scotland.

On Monday morning, snowy conditions forced schools across north-east Scotland and northern England to close on the first day back after the Christmas holidays.

Power had to be restored to thousands of homes and businesses in the north-east of England following outages caused by the cold snap, according to network operator Northern Powergrid.

Roads across the UK were impacted by the weather. Extensive flooding in Gloucester forced the M5 to close on Monday morning. The M25 in Surrey also closed after a lorry toppled over and blocked the carriageway.

Railway lines across the UK were affected by flooding, while Manchester Airport was again forced to shut two runways after heavy snow.

Looking ahead

Tonight the weather will feel quieter, as the area of low pressure which brought snow and rain this morning has cleared eastwards but it leaves behind it some very cold air and some wintry showers.

There will be a widespread frost with temperatures dropping widely below freezing and the risk of ice almost everywhere.

There will be frost not just within the warning areas but also further east, where there has been snowmelt and the ground is still wet from recent rain.

Various warnings are in force for snow and ice issued by the Met Office.

There will be further wintry showers blowing in on a north-westerly wind through the evening and overnight period. These showers could be frequent and fall as sleet or snow especially over the high ground where there could be some accumulations.

In northern and western Scotland, wintry showers with accumulations of 5-10cm over 200m are expected.

There will be further sporadic wintry showers in the same sort of areas tomorrow but for many it will be dry with some sunshine but just very cold with temperatures no higher than mid-single figures.

There is a separate warning in place for possible snow across southern counties of England on Wednesday valid from 09:00 until midnight which could be disruptive and produce as much as 2-5cm of snow fairly widely.

However, the forecast for this remains uncertain.

How is the warming climate changing winters?

The world has warmed by more than 1C since the pre-industrial era. UK winters are changing as a result.

While the climate continues to warm overall we will still see short-term extremes of both hot and cold weather – but cold extremes are likely to become fewer and further between.

Climate change will bring us more rain. A warmer atmosphere is able to hold more moisture so more intense rainfall is expected to become an increasing feature of UK winters, along with a higher risk of flooding.

The government has unveiled a new pledge to cut the list of patients waiting more than 18 weeks for NHS treatment in England by nearly half a million over the next year.

The plan, to be announced on Monday, will expand access to Community Diagnostic Centres and surgical hubs, alongside reforms designed to enhance patient choice and tackle inefficiencies.

Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said it would create millions more appointments and "deliver on our promise to end the backlogs".

The British Medical Association (BMA) has welcomed the plan but was sceptical about whether it could be delivered.

The government has billed the plan as an important milestone in a broader effort to reduce the number of people enduring long waits for appointments, procedures and surgeries.

Sir Keir added: "Greater choice and convenience for patients. Staff once again able to give the standard of care they desperately want to."

A key Labour election pledge, now included in the government's six main priorities, is for 92% of patients to begin treatment or be given the all-clear within 18 weeks by the end of this Parliament.

This has been an official NHS target for some time, but has not been met since 2015. Currently, only 59% of patients meet the 18-week target, with three million people waiting longer.

The latest promise is to reach 65% by March 2026, which, according to the government, would reduce the backlog by more than 450,000.

A network of Community Diagnostic Centres, which provide appointments such as scans and endoscopies in local neighbourhoods, will extend their opening hours to 12 hours a day, seven days a week.

The aim is to get patients treated more quickly, closer to home and without relying on hospitals. Officials say these centres will provide up to half a million extra appointments each year.

GPs will also be able, where appropriate, to refer patients directly to these centres without requiring a prior consultation with a senior doctor.

More surgical hubs will be created to focus on common, less complex procedures, such as cataract surgeries and some orthopaedic work. These hubs are ring-fenced from other parts of the hospital to ensure operating theatre time is not lost if there are emergency cases.

The new plan says that one million unnecessary appointments per year will be freed up for patients who need them. This will be made possible by abolishing automatic review appointments after treatment and only offering them to patients who request them.

Officials say the extra appointments created will be in addition to what was promised by Labour before the election. That pledge was for 40,000 more appointments per week, or two million a year, to be created within the first year.

This compares with a normal annual total of more than 100 million appointments. Ministers have confirmed that work on this pledge began soon after the election.

Plans for patients to use the NHS App to monitor and book consultations and test results, with greater control over where they are treated, have already been announced. The goal is to make the system more efficient and reduce the number of missed appointments.

NHS England Chief Executive Amanda Pritchard said: "The radical reforms in this plan will not only allow us to deliver millions more tests, appointments, and operations, but do things differently too – boosting convenience and putting more power in the hands of patients, especially through the NHS app."

The overall waiting list for NHS appointments, procedures, and surgeries in England stands at just under 7.5 million.

No target level has been set in the plan, but ministers say that the waiting list will inevitably fall as measures to meet the 18-week benchmark take effect.

The funding for NHS England has been set for the upcoming year, but the additional money needed to support extra activity in hospitals will be outlined in the government's spending review later this year.

Professor Phil Banfield, chair of the BMA Council, expressed doubt over whether the plan could be delivered.

"Doctors have been just as frustrated as their patients by the lack of facilities to deliver care and want to bring waiting lists down," he said.

"But the reality is that without the workforce to meet constantly rising demand, we will not see the progress we all hope for."

Ed Argar, Shadow Health and Social Care Secretary, said it was the Conservatives who "revolutionised" the diagnostic process by rolling out 160 Community Diagnostic Centres.

He said the government's plan is "another announcement that makes clear after 14 years in opposition, the Labour Party have no new ideas of their own for the NHS – despite promising change".

"Patients cannot wait for more dither and delay from the government who promised so much, and so far have delivered so little," he said.

Liberal Democrat MP and health spokesperson Helen Morgan said the plan for waiting lists could risk "putting hip replacements over heart attacks", unless the "crises" in emergency and social care were addressed.

A former HMP Wandsworth prison officer who was filmed having sex with an inmate has been jailed for 15 months.

Linda De Sousa Abreu was identified by senior prison staff after the clip was shared online and quickly went viral.

Judge Martin Edmunds KC said Abreu compromised her role as a prison officer, undermined discipline in the prison and put officers at increased risk.

Abreu, who was arrested at Heathrow Airport before attempting to board a flight to Madrid with her father, previously pleaded guilty to misconduct in public office.

The court was also told that a further recording of her performing a sex act with the same inmate was found on her prison-issue body-worn camera - and Abreu had admitted to having sex with that prisoner on an additional occasion.

The judge said the video which went viral was therefore not isolated and was part of repeated behaviour.

Isleworth Crown Court heard a partial written statement from the governor of Wandsworth Prison, Andrew Davy, in which he said Abreu's actions had taken "less than a day" to undo the many years of work on behalf of female staff in all-male prisons.

He said many female staff at Wandsworth report an increase in being "hit-on" by prisoners and are now "considered fair game".

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A taxi driver whose social media posts were a "catalyst" for riots which broke out after three girls were stabbed at a dance class in Southport has been jailed seven and a half years.

Andrew McIntyre, 39, set up a Telegram channel called "Southport Wake Up" in the immediate aftermath of the knife attack in the Merseyside town on 29 July last year, Liverpool Crown Court heard.

Arthur Gibson, prosecuting, said the case involved a "sinister aspect" of violence which took place in parts of the UK last summer.

McIntyre, of Rufford, near Ormskirk, Lancashire, had admitted encouraging violent disorder and possession of a knife in an earlier hearing.

The Southport Wake Up channel was identified by the group Hope Not Hate as a "catalyst for and origin of a series of posts" concerning incidents of violence, Mr Gibson said.

The court heard McIntyre shared content from a site called Tommy Robinson/Britain First/For Britain about a protest in Southport on 30 July.

He also posted a map after adding: "Mosque at the top of Hart St."

In a later post he wrote: "Rise Up English Lads. 8pm tomorrow St Luke's Rd Southport."

Hours before violence broke out in Southport on 30 July he posted a "clear threat to police", writing: "Message to All...Stand in our way, even if you're just doing your job...prepare to fall."

The day after the disorder, McIntyre posted: "Well done last night lads, to all you heavy hitters.

"Are you ready for Round 2???... Liverpool Mosque, West Derby Road, Friday 8pm."

Mein Kampf

McIntyre was working as a taxi driver when he was intercepted and arrested by police in Liverpool on 8 August, Mr Gibson said.

A knife was found hidden in the boot of his car and when his home was searched officers found weapons and a copy of Hitler's Mein Kampf, the court heard.

The defendant followed proceedings on a videolink from HMP Liverpool, where he has been remanded in custody, while his parents looked on from the public gallery of the courtroom.

Julian Nutter, defending, said: "His parents are horrified that he is in this predicament.

"He is a man of previous good character and has never come to the attention of the police before."

Among character references were letters to Judge Neil Flewitt KC from McIntyre's parents and a family friend, the court heard.

Mr Nutter said: "Those who have spoken on his behalf describe somebody who is very different from what we have heard from the prosecution about him."

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Treasury Minister Tulip Siddiq has referred herself to the PM's standards adviser after controversy over her links to her aunt's political movement in Bangladesh.

It comes after the minister was named last month in an investigation into claims her family embezzled infrastructure funding in the country.

Siddiq had faced growing calls for an investigation after reports in recent days she had lived in London properties linked to allies of her aunt, Sheikh Hasina, who was ousted as Bangladeshi prime minister in August.

In her letter to Sir Laurie Magnus, who polices standards among government ministers, she said: "I am clear that I have done nothing wrong."

In the letter sent on Monday, she wrote: "In recent weeks I have been the subject of media reporting, much of it inaccurate, about my financial affairs and my family's links to the former government of Bangladesh."

She said she had done nothing wrong, adding: "However, for the avoidance of doubt, I would like you to independently establish the facts about these matters.

"I will obviously ensure you have all the information you need to do this."

Sir Laurie, appointed in 2022, is responsible for advising Sir Keir Starmer on whether ministers are complying with government conduct rules.

These include stipulations about registering and declaring their financial interests, as well as broader guidelines on how they should behave as holders of public office.

News of her request was revealed by Sir Keir during a press conference on healthcare reform earlier.

The prime minister told reporters he had confidence in his minister, who as Economic Secretary to the Treasury is responsible for tackling economic crime, money laundering and illicit finance.

He added she had "acted entirely properly" by referring herself for investigation.

It is understood Siddiq has cancelled plans to join a government delegation to China this week, with a Labour source adding she wanted to be in the UK so she is "available to assist" Sir Laurie.

Bangladesh probe

The decision to write to the standards adviser comes after reports she had lived in properties linked to political supporters of her aunt's government.

Last month Siddiq was named in an investigation into claims Sheikh Hasina and her family embezzled up to £3.9bn from infrastructure spending in Bangladesh.

The investigation is based on a series of allegations made by Bobby Hajjaj, a senior political opponent of Hasina.

Court documents seen by the BBC show Hajjaj has accused Siddiq of helping to broker a deal with Russia in 2013 that overinflated the price of a new nuclear power plant in Bangladesh.

It is claimed that the deal inflated the price of the plant by £1bn, according to the documents - 30% of which was allegedly distributed to Siddiq and other family members via a complex network of banks and overseas companies.

A source close to Siddiq has previously described the allegations as "trumped up" and designed to damage her aunt, while Downing Street has said Siddiq denies any involvement in the claims accusing her of involvement in embezzlement.

Siddiq was elected MP for Hampstead and Highgate in 2015, the north London constituency neighbouring Sir Keir's seat of Holborn and St Pancras.

Hasina, who was in charge of Bangladesh for more than 20 years, was seen as an autocrat whose government ruthlessly clamped down on dissent.

Since fleeing the country Hasina has been accused of multiple crimes by the new Bangladeshi government.

Conservative shadow minister Matt Vickers said there were "clear questions" for Ms Siddiq to answer about allegations made about her.

"She must be held to the same standards as other ministers in his government, indications so far show that that may not be the case," he added.

Exactly 10 years after the jihadist gun-attack that killed most of its editorial staff, France's Charlie Hebdo has put out a special issue to show its cause is still kicking.

Things changed for France on 7 January 2015, marking in bloodshed the end of all wilful naivety about the threat of militant Islamism.

Brothers Said and Cherif Kouachi burst into a meeting at the Paris office of the satirical weekly, murdering its star cartoonists Cabu, Wolinski, Charb and Tignous.

Overall, 12 people were killed by the brothers, including a Muslim policeman on duty outside. Two days later they were cornered and shot dead by police at a sign-making business near Charles-de-Gaulle airport.

That same day saw Amedy Coulibaly – a one-time prison associate of Cherif – kill four Jews in a synchronised hostage-taking at a supermarket in eastern Paris. Coulibaly – who was then shot dead by police – had killed a policewoman the day before.

A decade on, Charlie Hebdo continues to bring out a weekly edition and has a circulation (print and online combined) of around 50,000.

It does so from an office whose whereabouts are kept secret, and with staff who are protected by bodyguards.

But in an editorial in Tuesday's memorial edition, the paper's main shareholder said its spirit of ribald anti-religious irreverence was still very much alive.

"The desire to laugh will never disappear," said Laurent Saurisseau – also known as Riss – a cartoonist who survived the 7 January attack with a bullet in the shoulder.

"Satire has one virtue that has got us through these tragic years – optimism. If people want to laugh, it is because they want to live.

"Laughter, irony and caricature are all manifestations of optimism," he wrote.

• Charlie Hebdo attack: Three days of terror
• Charlie Hebdo and its place in French journalism
• French terror attacks: Victim obituaries
• Paris attacks: 'I am not Charlie'

Also in the 32-page special are the 40 winning entries in a cartoon competition on the theme of "Laughing at God".

One contains the image of a cartoonist asking himself: "Is it okay to draw a picture of a man drawing a picture of a man drawing a picture of Muhammed?"

The Charlie Hebdo and Hypercacher attacks appear now as the overture to a grim and deadly period in modern France, during which – for a time – fear of jihadist terrorism became part of daily life.

In November 2015, there followed gun attacks at the Bataclan theatre and nearby bars in Paris. In the following July, 86 people were killed on the promenade in Nice.

Some 300 French people have died in Islamist attacks in the last decade.

Today the frequency has fallen sharply, and the defeat of the Islamic State group means there is no longer a support base in the Middle East.

But the killer individual, self-radicalised over the Internet, remains a constant threat in France as elsewhere.

The original pretext for the Charlie Hebdo murders – caricatures of the Prophet Muhammad – are now strictly off-limits to publications everywhere.

In 2020, a French teacher Samuel Paty was beheaded outside his school by a jihadist after he showed one of the Charlie cartoons in a discussion over freedom of speech.

And this week the trial opens in Paris of a Pakistani man who – a short time before Paty's murder – seriously injured two people with a butcher's cleaver at the Paris offices he thought were still being used by Charlie-Hebdo (in fact they had long since moved).

So as with every anniversary since 2015, the question once again being asked in France is: what - if anything - has changed? And what - if anything - survives of the great outpouring of international support, whose clarion call in the days after the murders was Je suis Charlie?

That was when a march of two million people through the centre of Paris was joined by heads of state and government from countries all over the world at the invitation of then President François Hollande.

Today, pessimists say the battle is over and lost. The chances of a humorous newspaper ever taking up the cudgel against Islam – in the way that Charlie Hebdo used regularly and scabrously to do against Christianity and Judaism – are zero.

Worse, for these people, is that parts of the political left in France are also now clearly distancing themselves from Charlie Hebdo, accusing it of becoming overly anti-Islam and adopting positions from the far-right.

Jean-Luc Melenchon, who leads the France Unbowed party, has accused the weekly of being a "bag-carrier for (right-wing magazine) Valeurs Actuels", and the Greens' Sandrine Rousseau said Charlie Hebdo was "misogynistic and at times racist".

This has in turn led to accusations aimed at the far-left that it has betrayed the free-speech spirit of Je suis Charlie in order to curry electoral support among French Muslims.

But speaking in the run-up to the anniversary, Riss – who counted the dead among his greatest friends and says he does not go through a day without reliving the moment of the attack – refused to renounce hope.

"I think [the Charlie spirit] is anchored more deeply in society than one might think. When you talk to people, you can see it's very much alive. It's a mistake to think it's all disappeared.

"It is part of our collective memory."

The prime minister has attacked politicians and activists "spreading lies and misinformation" over grooming gangs.

It comes after multi-billionaire Elon Musk accused Sir Keir Starmer of being "complicit in the rape of Britain" during his tenure as director of public prosecutions (DPP) for failing to tackle grooming gangs.

Senior Conservatives and Reform UK MPs have also spent the week calling for a national inquiry into child sexual exploitation.

But Sir Keir said: "Those who are spreading lies and misinformation as far and as wide as possible are not interested in victims, they're interested in themselves."

He said the online debate had "crossed a line", resulting in threats against MPs, including Safeguarding Minister Jess Phillips.

Sir Keir went on to accuse the Tories of "jumping on a bandwagon" to gain attention.

Conservative MPs were "amplifying what the far-right is saying" on child sexual abuse after failing to act "for 14 long years", he added.

Describing child sexual exploitation as "utterly sickening", Sir Keir defended his record in office as DPP - saying he tackled the issue "head on".

Sir Keir did not name any of those he thought were spreading lies, but his comments followed a series of questions about Musk.

Over the past week, the tech-entrepreneur has attacked the Labour government over the issue, using his platform on his social media site X.

Musk accused Philips of being a "rape genocide apologist" and calling for her and Sir Keir be jailed.

On Monday, Musk started a poll asking X users to vote on whether "America should liberate the people of Britain from their tyrannical government".

A six-month-old baby has died following a crash in a multi-storey car park in Tenby, police said.

Sophia Kelemen, from Leigh, Greater Manchester, was taken to hospital following the collision in Pembrokeshire on Thursday, 2 January but died the following day.

A Dyfed-Powys Police spokesperson said: "Our thoughts remain with her family at this difficult time. They are being supported by specially trained officers."

Flaviu Naghi, 33, from Wigan, is due to appear at Swansea Crown Court on 7 February charged with causing death by dangerous driving and driving without a license and without insurance.

A police spokesperson said he was also arrested on suspicion of drink driving and drug driving.

The incident happened on the ground floor of a multi-storey car park in Tenby, Pembrokeshire, police said.

They urged people not to speculate on the circumstances due to the live investigation underway.

RuPaul has said his heart is "broken" after the death of James Lee Williams, better known as drag queen The Vivienne.

"I join the entire Drag Race universe in mourning the loss of The Vivienne, an incredibly talented queen and a lovely human being," he wrote on Instagram.

The Vivienne, who was 32 and won the first series of RuPaul's Drag Race UK in 2019, died over the weekend.

Tributes have been pouring in to the drag star on social media, with the show saying they were "deeply saddened" by the news.

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Tackling the NHS backlog is one of the government's key six missions - and now Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer says he has the plan to end it.

But what's remarkable from this new year waiting list announcement is just how few levers ministers seem to have to pull.

Much of this plan is about building on work that is already under way in England – and there are reasons why these policies have only had limited impact so far.

More surgical and diagnostic hubs are being promised in the community – this builds on a network that started being rolled out before the pandemic.

They allow more care to be provided outside of hospitals and the government wants to see not just more of them but longer opening hours too. But, of course, the key limiting factor is having the staff available to deliver the treatment – something the British Medical Association is pointing out.

Sir Keir also wants to make it easier for patients to exercise choice over where they go for treatment – the idea is that this allows them to shop around and go where waiting lists are shortest.

This policy dates back even further as it was introduced by the Blair government and subsequently championed by the Tories when they were in power. Despite that only around a quarter of patients report being offered a choice. And even if this was to change, questions remain about how many patients will be prepared to travel to get treatment elsewhere.

Another initiative, which has been pursued for more than two decades, is getting the independent sector to ease the burden on the NHS. The private sector says it has capacity to see 30% more NHS patients than it currently does.

But this policy comes with costs – the private sector tends to only take on the most straightforward procedures, which can deprive NHS hospitals of vital income as well as doctors and nurses of vital training opportunities.

Hitting 18-week target a key goal

This is not to say that the backlog will not be reduced. It would be a surprise if it did not start to fall in the coming months – most forecasts have pinpointed this spring as the potential turning point.

But the ultimate goal of getting the NHS back to hitting the 18-week target by the end of this parliament still remains a big ask.

That would mean 92% of patients being seen within 18 weeks – something that has not been achieved since 2015. Currently fewer than 60% are.

The Blair government made big strides in the early 2000s, but that was underpinned by significant increases in the NHS budget – between 6-7% a year on top of inflation.

Increases on that scale seem very unlikely given the state of public finances – although we will have to wait until the spring for the spending review to find out what budget will be set aside for the NHS in the coming years.

Another concern, being voiced by some, is that with so much emphasis placed on waiting lists there is a risk other areas may end up neglected as health chiefs focus so much of their attention on this.

"The 18-week target should not be taken as the sole measure of how the NHS is faring," says Sarah Woolnough, head of the King's Fund think tank. "Equally important to people are how long they are waiting for a GP appointment or an ambulance, for mental health care and other services."

In short, any progress that is made on the waiting list could easily get lost if the wheels come off elsewhere.

The prime minister has attacked politicians and activists "spreading lies and misinformation" over grooming gangs.

It comes after multi-billionaire Elon Musk accused Sir Keir Starmer of being "complicit in the rape of Britain" during his tenure as director of public prosecutions (DPP) for failing to tackle grooming gangs.

Senior Conservatives and Reform UK MPs have also spent the week calling for a national inquiry into child sexual exploitation.

But Sir Keir said: "Those who are spreading lies and misinformation as far and as wide as possible are not interested in victims, they're interested in themselves."

He said the online debate had "crossed a line", resulting in threats against MPs, including Safeguarding Minister Jess Phillips.

Sir Keir went on to accuse the Tories of "jumping on a bandwagon" to gain attention.

Conservative MPs were "amplifying what the far-right is saying" on child sexual abuse after failing to act "for 14 long years", he added.

Describing child sexual exploitation as "utterly sickening", Sir Keir defended his record in office as DPP - saying he tackled the issue "head on".

Sir Keir did not name any of those he thought were spreading lies, but his comments followed a series of questions about Musk.

Over the past week, the tech-entrepreneur has attacked the Labour government over the issue, using his platform on his social media site X.

Musk accused Philips of being a "rape genocide apologist" and calling for her and Sir Keir be jailed.

On Monday, Musk started a poll asking X users to vote on whether "America should liberate the people of Britain from their tyrannical government".

A six-month-old baby has died following a crash in a multi-storey car park in Tenby, police said.

Sophia Kelemen, from Leigh, Greater Manchester, was taken to hospital following the collision in Pembrokeshire on Thursday, 2 January but died the following day.

A Dyfed-Powys Police spokesperson said: "Our thoughts remain with her family at this difficult time. They are being supported by specially trained officers."

Flaviu Naghi, 33, from Wigan, is due to appear at Swansea Crown Court on 7 February charged with causing death by dangerous driving and driving without a license and without insurance.

A police spokesperson said he was also arrested on suspicion of drink driving and drug driving.

The incident happened on the ground floor of a multi-storey car park in Tenby, Pembrokeshire, police said.

They urged people not to speculate on the circumstances due to the live investigation underway.

The first patient in the UK with advanced bowel cancer to receive a liver transplant said she had been given "a second chance at life".

Bianca Perea, a 32-year-old trainee lawyer from Wigan in Greater Manchester, had the pioneering operation in the summer of 2024.

Her liver transplant was judged to be a huge success, meaning that following other treatments including targeted drug therapy, chemotherapy and surgery, Ms Perea no longer has any signs of cancer.

She said: "To go from being told I'd only have a short time to live to now being cancer-free is the greatest gift."

Ms Perea was 29 when she first visited her GP after feeling constipated and bloated.

After being referred to hospital for tests, she was given the devastating news in November 2021 that she had stage four bowel cancer, which had spread to all eight segments of her liver.

She said: "I actually didn't have really bad symptoms at all. I'd noticed a change in my bowel habits and also bloating and a little bit of pain in my stomach."

Ms Perea was referred to The Christie NHS Foundation Trust's local treatment centre in Wigan in early December 2021.

There, she had 37 rounds of a targeted drug called panitumumab as well as chemotherapy for two-and-a-half years.

She had an excellent response to the treatment, which meant she could have surgery in May 2023 to remove her bowel tumour.

However, scans showed she still had tumours in her liver, which could not be removed.

Nevertheless, because her response to chemotherapy had been so good, and her bowel cancer was seemingly gone, doctors began to consider a liver transplant.

'Positive outcome'

Ms Perea was added to the transplant list in February 2024.

A match was found and she received her new liver at Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust.

She said: "Within four weeks of going under the knife, I was able to drive and walk the family dogs, it was really quite incredible.

"I've been given a second chance at life and I'm going to grab it with both hands. I am so grateful to the family who agreed to donate their loved one's liver."

She added it was "a blessing" that her donor has not only helped her, but been a part of medical history.

She said she was looking forward to going on holiday this year and was working on improving her fitness.

"My liver is doing really well," she said.

"I get tests on that, and I've just had my second scan and that's all clear, so it's really good."

Dr Kalena Marti, who was Ms Perea's oncologist at The Christie, said: "To see that Bianca has had such a positive outcome is wonderful.

"When we looked at the tumour cells in her liver after it had been removed, they weren't active.

"This is excellent news, and we hope this means that the cancer won't come back."

She added that while liver transplants "won't be an option for everybody", the success of Ms Perea's treatment offered "more hope" to others.

Dr Marti added: "Advanced bowel cancer is complex and there are lots of different types of the disease, so what works for one person might not work for another.

"As a result, it's important we continue to develop new treatments."

Dr Ian Rowe, honorary consultant hepatologist at Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, said: "I'm delighted Bianca has responded so well to the treatment and that she is now cancer-free.

"We are, of course, indebted to the family of the organ donor – as is made clear with Bianca's case, organ donation saves lives."

He also sounded a cautionary note, however.

"I think hope is important but the reality is this will be a treatment for a small proportion of people.

"For those people it will be the right thing, and we think it will work well.

"The number of people who have been transplanted like this is still very small internationally so we are all still learning about what those rules should be.

"In time they will change and we will learn which patients will do better so we can pick those people better."

An NHS Blood and Transplant spokesman said: "The waiting list for an organ transplant is the highest it has been in a decade."

He said organ donation "saves lives" and described donors and their families as "truly inspirational".

He said he hoped "the story of the donation that changed Bianca's life will inspire people to confirm their decision to donate on the NHS Organ Donor Register - it means your family will be certain that you want to be an organ donor."

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The Golden Globes were a night to celebrate film, TV, and... love.

Last year, Timotheé Chalamet sent the internet into a frenzy as he piled on the PDA with his girlfriend Kylie Jenner at the ceremony, and this year it was date night again as the pair cosied up throughout the evening.

There was even more love in the air as A Different Man star Sebastian Stan is now officially officially dating Annabelle Wallis. He shouted out that he loved her during his acceptance speech for best actor in a musical or comedy film.

And if that isn't enough romance for you then Zendaya has stolen the show with rumours of a potential engagement. Here's more on that and eight other highlights from the awards ceremony that you may have missed.

1. Is Zendaya engaged?

Zendaya brought her usual effortlessly sleek style to the red carpet but the internet seemed less interested in her burnt orange gown and more about what was on her finger.

The Challengers star was sporting a large diamond ring on the fourth finger of her left hand and some thought it might be a sign that she's engaged.

The 28-year-old has been dating Spider-Man actor Tom Holland for the past four years.

Fans immediately started speculating about their possible engagement, but one pointed out on X: "They're very protective about their relationship, so would she actually wear the ring on the red carpet?"

2. Nikki Glaser is a one-woman fashion show

If you're hosting the Golden Globes, naturally you've got to look the part. For Nikki Glaser that meant a whopping a 10 dresses across the three hour ceremony.

The comedian started off the night wearing a strapless metallic dress on the red carpet before switching to a halter neck silver sequined gown to kick the ceremony off.

• Host Nikki Glaser's best jokes at the Golden Globes

The 40-year-old seemed to use every advert break across the show to switch into something different backstage and some of her other outfits included a sparkly purple dress, a high-slit red gown and a tight-fitting black plunge number.

Our personal favourite outfit? A Wicked-inspired bright pink sequined dress that she wore with a pope's hat as she sang "you're going to be pope-ular".

3. What's it like at The Beverly Hilton?

If you even go to the bathroom at The Beverly Hilton, you're likely to run into a celebrity.

Turn the corner, bam - Melissa McCarthy. Turn another - Jean Smart and the rest of the cast of Hacks.

The hotel in the heart of swanky Beverly Hills had a large security perimeter with barriers, armed guards and patrols, but once a person is inside - it's like a playground for Hollywood's A-list.

Some hunted for drinks, others were wrangled by publicists to interviews and photo shoots with eager journalists.

Roaming around the hotel, Selena Gomez, hot off her film Emilia Pérez winning four awards, was seen with her new fiancé Benny Blanco. He kissed her shoulder as he trailed behind her in an intimate moment.

4. A message to Japanese actors

Shōgun, a series set in 17th century Japan, was a big winner at the Globes, taking home four awards.

Star Hiroyuki Sanada won best male actor in a drama TV series and backstage told the BBC that he hopes the show and their wins could "could break the wall of language" and open "doors much wider" not only for Japanese actors and projects but those across the globe.

His co-star Tadanobu Asano won best male supporting actor in a TV series and clearly shocked, jumped out of his seat and, in Japanese custom, bowed repeatedly - first to those at his table then everyone in the audience and then to the cameras, which had panned to him.

"Wow!" he said when handed the award on stage. He acknowledged that he's a new talent in the US and started off by introducing himself to the crowd.

"Maybe you don't know me, so I'm an actor from Japan and my name is Tadanobu Asano," he said as the crowd laughed.

"I'm very happy!" he shouted through excited laughter, concluding his acceptance speech.

Backstage, he said his message to other Japanese actors: "If I can do this, anyone can."

5. Colin Farrell has fond memories of Andrew Scott

Irish actor Colin Farrell picked up his third Golden Globe, for playing the Batman villain in the HBO series Penguin.

Accepting his speech he mentioned some of the other nominees in his category including fellow Irishman Andrew Scott.

He recalled their first movie together, Drinking Crude, and said: "[Andrew] who I did my first film with 25, 30 years ago. You can't even find it on Betamax. It doesn't exist. But we go back that far."

He added to Scottish actor Richard Gadd, whose experience of stalking and sexual assault inspired the Netflix hit series Baby Reindeer, that "you broke my heart with your work this year".

In his speech, Farrell also spoke about the three hours it took to be fitted with prosthetics to make him the bloated villain in Penguin.

"In the morning, I drank black coffee, listened to 80s music, and I became a canvas for that team's brilliance."

Farrell also said: "Thank you for employing me. And yeah, I guess it's prosthetics from here on out."

Backstage, Mr Farrell acknowledged his lengthy Hollywood career and said despite his win, "I certainly don't consider myself at the top of any pile".

He said after his nearly 30 years acting, he doesn't feel a sense of pride, but rather, just feels "very grateful".

7. Wicked stars try to speak Gen Z

We've all been holding space for Wicked this year and Michelle Yeoh and Jeff Goldblum were providing us with our Wizard of Oz fix in classic boomer style.

"People have been calling me Zaddy but I don't know what that means," Goldblum said while Yeoh added that she was just as confused by people telling her that she's been "serving mother".

Despite being clueless to the meaning of the Gen Z language and looking even more baffled as Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande tried to explain the meaning behind these words, they both said they love it.

"Let's see who ate," Goldblum said as he introduced the nominees for a category.

Backstage the cast of Wicked spoke to the BBC about whether there was a future for the Land of Oz in a TV series.

The film's producer Marc Platt joked that the film "is already a show" - on Broadway. Beyond that, though, he said: "It's hard to predict."

Asked by the BBC about the film transcending into a culture phenomenon with countless memes and viral clips, Platt said it speaks to the "timeless" material the film is based on.

"When something becomes a cultural phenomenon, you can't really predict that. It's very exhilarating," he said.

8. Elton's eye sight 'not as bad as it seems'

Sir Elton John joked about his sight loss as he presented the award for best original film score with Brandi Carlile, who he sang the track Never Too Late with

The 77-year-old singer revealed in September that his vision has been affected in his right eye after contracting an infection in the summer.

In December he said he had been unable to watch his own musical, The Devil Wears Prada, due to the infection.

But, on stage he told the audience: "There has been a lot of stories going around about my regressive eyesight, and I just want to reassure everyone it is not as bad as it seems."

"I'm so pleased to be here with my co-host, Rihanna," he joked.

Sir Elton cheered as it was announced that US musician Trent Reznor and English composer Atticus Ross won the award for the musical score for erotic tennis film challengers.

9. 'Brazil is celebrating'

Fernanda Torres's surprise win for best drama actress in the Brazilian political thriller I'm Still Here even surprised her.

She called the win over Hollywood heavyweights - including Angelina Jolie, Nicole Kidman and Kate Winslet - both "strange" and "weird".

"I never thought I would win", she said, because there were "so many great performances in English, so this tells so much about the difference in cinema nowadays."

She was asked about the celebrations happening back in her home country of Brazil, with one reporter remarking that it was like she'd won the country the World Cup.

"It is something very patriotic that's happening in Brazil with this film," she said, noting the country was "very happy" thanks to the Golden Globes.

In her acceptance speech she noted that the only other Brazilian actor to be nominated at the Globes was her mother, Fernanda Montenegro.

10. 'Being in your 60s is a golden age'

Several winning actresses tackled the topic of age at the awards.

Demi Moore, 62, noted in her acceptance speech for best film actress in The Substance that she'd spent much of her career believing that while she was successful, she would never receive any major Hollywood accolades.

She said the award reflected the message of the film, a body horror about a woman who trades her body for a younger, more beautiful version of herself.

"I'll just leave you with one thing that I think this movie is imparting is in those moments when we don't think we're smart enough or pretty enough or skinny enough or successful enough, or basically just not enough," Moore said.

"I had a woman say to me, just know you will never be enough, but you can know the value of your worth if you just put down the measuring stick.

After winning her award, she told journalists backstage about how many women spend much of their lives as caretakers and don't get to spend their energy outward. And now, at 62, she is and "it feels really damn good".

Jodie Foster, who is the same age as Moore, won the award for best actress in a limited series and said the 60s are a "golden age" because there's like "a hormone that happens when suddenly you go, 'Oh, I don't really care about all the stupid things anymore".

She called this era the "most contented moment in my career."

A 25-year-old man has been charged with assisting Daniel Khalife after he escaped from Wandsworth Prison in September 2023.

The Metropolitan Police said Imran Chowdhury, from Chingford, east London, was arrested in January 2024, and charged in December.

Mr Chowdhury is due to appear at Westminster Magistrates' Court on Tuesday, the force added.

Khalife escaped by strapping himself to the underside of a food delivery van.

The former British army soldier was arrested in London following a four-day man-hunt.

In November 2024, Khalife was found guilty of his prison escape as well as for spying for Iran.

A month after Mr Chowdhury was arrested, a 25-year old woman was also arrested in east London in relation to assisting Khalife after his escape.

On Monday, the Met Police said no further action has been taken against her.

The government has unveiled a new pledge to cut the list of patients waiting more than 18 weeks for NHS treatment in England by nearly half a million over the next year.

The plan, to be announced on Monday, will expand access to Community Diagnostic Centres and surgical hubs, alongside reforms designed to enhance patient choice and tackle inefficiencies.

Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said it would create millions more appointments and "deliver on our promise to end the backlogs".

The British Medical Association (BMA) has welcomed the plan but was sceptical about whether it could be delivered.

The government has billed the plan as an important milestone in a broader effort to reduce the number of people enduring long waits for appointments, procedures and surgeries.

Sir Keir added: "Greater choice and convenience for patients. Staff once again able to give the standard of care they desperately want to."

A key Labour election pledge, now included in the government's six main priorities, is for 92% of patients to begin treatment or be given the all-clear within 18 weeks by the end of this Parliament.

This has been an official NHS target for some time, but has not been met since 2015. Currently, only 59% of patients meet the 18-week target, with three million people waiting longer.

The latest promise is to reach 65% by March 2026, which, according to the government, would reduce the backlog by more than 450,000.

A network of Community Diagnostic Centres, which provide appointments such as scans and endoscopies in local neighbourhoods, will extend their opening hours to 12 hours a day, seven days a week.

The aim is to get patients treated more quickly, closer to home and without relying on hospitals. Officials say these centres will provide up to half a million extra appointments each year.

GPs will also be able, where appropriate, to refer patients directly to these centres without requiring a prior consultation with a senior doctor.

More surgical hubs will be created to focus on common, less complex procedures, such as cataract surgeries and some orthopaedic work. These hubs are ring-fenced from other parts of the hospital to ensure operating theatre time is not lost if there are emergency cases.

The new plan says that one million unnecessary appointments per year will be freed up for patients who need them. This will be made possible by abolishing automatic review appointments after treatment and only offering them to patients who request them.

Officials say the extra appointments created will be in addition to what was promised by Labour before the election. That pledge was for 40,000 more appointments per week, or two million a year, to be created within the first year.

This compares with a normal annual total of more than 100 million appointments. Ministers have confirmed that work on this pledge began soon after the election.

Plans for patients to use the NHS App to monitor and book consultations and test results, with greater control over where they are treated, have already been announced. The goal is to make the system more efficient and reduce the number of missed appointments.

NHS England Chief Executive Amanda Pritchard said: "The radical reforms in this plan will not only allow us to deliver millions more tests, appointments, and operations, but do things differently too – boosting convenience and putting more power in the hands of patients, especially through the NHS app."

The overall waiting list for NHS appointments, procedures, and surgeries in England stands at just under 7.5 million.

No target level has been set in the plan, but ministers say that the waiting list will inevitably fall as measures to meet the 18-week benchmark take effect.

The funding for NHS England has been set for the upcoming year, but the additional money needed to support extra activity in hospitals will be outlined in the government's spending review later this year.

Professor Phil Banfield, chair of the BMA Council, expressed doubt over whether the plan could be delivered.

"Doctors have been just as frustrated as their patients by the lack of facilities to deliver care and want to bring waiting lists down," he said.

"But the reality is that without the workforce to meet constantly rising demand, we will not see the progress we all hope for."

Ed Argar, Shadow Health and Social Care Secretary, said it was the Conservatives who "revolutionised" the diagnostic process by rolling out 160 Community Diagnostic Centres.

He said the government's plan is "another announcement that makes clear after 14 years in opposition, the Labour Party have no new ideas of their own for the NHS – despite promising change".

"Patients cannot wait for more dither and delay from the government who promised so much, and so far have delivered so little," he said.

Liberal Democrat MP and health spokesperson Helen Morgan said the plan for waiting lists could risk "putting hip replacements over heart attacks", unless the "crises" in emergency and social care were addressed.

The Golden Globes were a night to celebrate film, TV, and... love.

Last year, Timotheé Chalamet sent the internet into a frenzy as he piled on the PDA with his girlfriend Kylie Jenner at the ceremony, and this year it was date night again as the pair cosied up throughout the evening.

There was even more love in the air as A Different Man star Sebastian Stan is now officially officially dating Annabelle Wallis. He shouted out that he loved her during his acceptance speech for best actor in a musical or comedy film.

And if that isn't enough romance for you then Zendaya has stolen the show with rumours of a potential engagement. Here's more on that and eight other highlights from the awards ceremony that you may have missed.

1. Is Zendaya engaged?

Zendaya brought her usual effortlessly sleek style to the red carpet but the internet seemed less interested in her burnt orange gown and more about what was on her finger.

The Challengers star was sporting a large diamond ring on the fourth finger of her left hand and some thought it might be a sign that she's engaged.

The 28-year-old has been dating Spider-Man actor Tom Holland for the past four years.

Fans immediately started speculating about their possible engagement, but one pointed out on X: "They're very protective about their relationship, so would she actually wear the ring on the red carpet?"

2. Nikki Glaser is a one-woman fashion show

If you're hosting the Golden Globes, naturally you've got to look the part. For Nikki Glaser that meant a whopping a 10 dresses across the three hour ceremony.

The comedian started off the night wearing a strapless metallic dress on the red carpet before switching to a halter neck silver sequined gown to kick the ceremony off.

• Host Nikki Glaser's best jokes at the Golden Globes

The 40-year-old seemed to use every advert break across the show to switch into something different backstage and some of her other outfits included a sparkly purple dress, a high-slit red gown and a tight-fitting black plunge number.

Our personal favourite outfit? A Wicked-inspired bright pink sequined dress that she wore with a pope's hat as she sang "you're going to be pope-ular".

3. What's it like at The Beverly Hilton?

If you even go to the bathroom at The Beverly Hilton, you're likely to run into a celebrity.

Turn the corner, bam - Melissa McCarthy. Turn another - Jean Smart and the rest of the cast of Hacks.

The hotel in the heart of swanky Beverly Hills had a large security perimeter with barriers, armed guards and patrols, but once a person is inside - it's like a playground for Hollywood's A-list.

Some hunted for drinks, others were wrangled by publicists to interviews and photo shoots with eager journalists.

Roaming around the hotel, Selena Gomez, hot off her film Emilia Pérez winning four awards, was seen with her new fiancé Benny Blanco. He kissed her shoulder as he trailed behind her in an intimate moment.

4. A message to Japanese actors

Shōgun, a series set in 17th century Japan, was a big winner at the Globes, taking home four awards.

Star Hiroyuki Sanada won best male actor in a drama TV series and backstage told the BBC that he hopes the show and their wins could "could break the wall of language" and open "doors much wider" not only for Japanese actors and projects but those across the globe.

His co-star Tadanobu Asano won best male supporting actor in a TV series and clearly shocked, jumped out of his seat and, in Japanese custom, bowed repeatedly - first to those at his table then everyone in the audience and then to the cameras, which had panned to him.

"Wow!" he said when handed the award on stage. He acknowledged that he's a new talent in the US and started off by introducing himself to the crowd.

"Maybe you don't know me, so I'm an actor from Japan and my name is Tadanobu Asano," he said as the crowd laughed.

"I'm very happy!" he shouted through excited laughter, concluding his acceptance speech.

Backstage, he said his message to other Japanese actors: "If I can do this, anyone can."

5. Colin Farrell has fond memories of Andrew Scott

Irish actor Colin Farrell picked up his third Golden Globe, for playing the Batman villain in the HBO series Penguin.

Accepting his speech he mentioned some of the other nominees in his category including fellow Irishman Andrew Scott.

He recalled their first movie together, Drinking Crude, and said: "[Andrew] who I did my first film with 25, 30 years ago. You can't even find it on Betamax. It doesn't exist. But we go back that far."

He added to Scottish actor Richard Gadd, whose experience of stalking and sexual assault inspired the Netflix hit series Baby Reindeer, that "you broke my heart with your work this year".

In his speech, Farrell also spoke about the three hours it took to be fitted with prosthetics to make him the bloated villain in Penguin.

"In the morning, I drank black coffee, listened to 80s music, and I became a canvas for that team's brilliance."

Farrell also said: "Thank you for employing me. And yeah, I guess it's prosthetics from here on out."

Backstage, Mr Farrell acknowledged his lengthy Hollywood career and said despite his win, "I certainly don't consider myself at the top of any pile".

He said after his nearly 30 years acting, he doesn't feel a sense of pride, but rather, just feels "very grateful".

7. Wicked stars try to speak Gen Z

We've all been holding space for Wicked this year and Michelle Yeoh and Jeff Goldblum were providing us with our Wizard of Oz fix in classic boomer style.

"People have been calling me Zaddy but I don't know what that means," Goldblum said while Yeoh added that she was just as confused by people telling her that she's been "serving mother".

Despite being clueless to the meaning of the Gen Z language and looking even more baffled as Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande tried to explain the meaning behind these words, they both said they love it.

"Let's see who ate," Goldblum said as he introduced the nominees for a category.

Backstage the cast of Wicked spoke to the BBC about whether there was a future for the Land of Oz in a TV series.

The film's producer Marc Platt joked that the film "is already a show" - on Broadway. Beyond that, though, he said: "It's hard to predict."

Asked by the BBC about the film transcending into a culture phenomenon with countless memes and viral clips, Platt said it speaks to the "timeless" material the film is based on.

"When something becomes a cultural phenomenon, you can't really predict that. It's very exhilarating," he said.

8. Elton's eye sight 'not as bad as it seems'

Sir Elton John joked about his sight loss as he presented the award for best original film score with Brandi Carlile, who he sang the track Never Too Late with

The 77-year-old singer revealed in September that his vision has been affected in his right eye after contracting an infection in the summer.

In December he said he had been unable to watch his own musical, The Devil Wears Prada, due to the infection.

But, on stage he told the audience: "There has been a lot of stories going around about my regressive eyesight, and I just want to reassure everyone it is not as bad as it seems."

"I'm so pleased to be here with my co-host, Rihanna," he joked.

Sir Elton cheered as it was announced that US musician Trent Reznor and English composer Atticus Ross won the award for the musical score for erotic tennis film challengers.

9. 'Brazil is celebrating'

Fernanda Torres's surprise win for best drama actress in the Brazilian political thriller I'm Still Here even surprised her.

She called the win over Hollywood heavyweights - including Angelina Jolie, Nicole Kidman and Kate Winslet - both "strange" and "weird".

"I never thought I would win", she said, because there were "so many great performances in English, so this tells so much about the difference in cinema nowadays."

She was asked about the celebrations happening back in her home country of Brazil, with one reporter remarking that it was like she'd won the country the World Cup.

"It is something very patriotic that's happening in Brazil with this film," she said, noting the country was "very happy" thanks to the Golden Globes.

In her acceptance speech she noted that the only other Brazilian actor to be nominated at the Globes was her mother, Fernanda Montenegro.

10. 'Being in your 60s is a golden age'

Several winning actresses tackled the topic of age at the awards.

Demi Moore, 62, noted in her acceptance speech for best film actress in The Substance that she'd spent much of her career believing that while she was successful, she would never receive any major Hollywood accolades.

She said the award reflected the message of the film, a body horror about a woman who trades her body for a younger, more beautiful version of herself.

"I'll just leave you with one thing that I think this movie is imparting is in those moments when we don't think we're smart enough or pretty enough or skinny enough or successful enough, or basically just not enough," Moore said.

"I had a woman say to me, just know you will never be enough, but you can know the value of your worth if you just put down the measuring stick.

After winning her award, she told journalists backstage about how many women spend much of their lives as caretakers and don't get to spend their energy outward. And now, at 62, she is and "it feels really damn good".

Jodie Foster, who is the same age as Moore, won the award for best actress in a limited series and said the 60s are a "golden age" because there's like "a hormone that happens when suddenly you go, 'Oh, I don't really care about all the stupid things anymore".

She called this era the "most contented moment in my career."

Known to the world as The Vivienne, James Lee Williams was one of the biggest breakout stars of British drag, and it all started with an impression of Donald Trump in 2019 on the first season of RuPaul's Drag Race UK.

Like many of the drag queens on the show, The Vivienne was unapologetically unique and hilariously straight-talking, but she also had something more: pizzazz.

Described by judge Michelle Visage as "the best Snatch Game character in the history of the show", it was The Vivienne's President Trump impression - complete with pouted lips, orange makeup and a floppy blonde wig - in the Snatch Game that won her the show.

That win consolidated The Vivienne's influence in the drag community and her career in the world of TV and musical theatre flourished.

• RuPaul's Drag Race UK star The Vivienne dies aged 32

Bold, glitzy and saucy looks

Giving one of the most memorable performances in the Snatch Game is no easy feat, but The Vivienne's highlights from the show go far beyond her Trump impression as she was responsible for some of the show's most iconic moments.

Having adopted the drag name The Vivienne because of a love for wearing Vivienne Westwood clothing, her weekly outfits on the catwalk were second to none.

On the show, she described her drag style as being "like a Scouse wife who has come into money, she moved to LA and blew it all and then she's had to move back to Liverpool".

Without a contour line out of place and a perfected walk in stilettos, she wooed the judges with her bold, glitzy and saucy looks.

Her 'Queen Elizabeth walking around Balmoral' outfit, which saw her wear a gold poncho and grey knitted skirt with fluffy ducks attached to it, was one of her most memorable.

Combine that with her doing the floss dance in the outfit and she had viewers, fellow contestants and even RuPaul crying with laughter.

In the final she was described by judge Graham Norton as having "it all". Fellow judge Alan Carr added that she had "trademark wit" and delivered a "comedy masterclass" with her impressions of Trump, Margret Thatcher and Kim Woodburn.

The Vivienne went on to be a contestant in the seventh season of RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars in 2022.

Skating to anthems by gay icons

In January 2023, The Vivienne became the first drag queen to appear on Dancing on Ice and was partnered with American skater Colin Grafton.

She finished in third place behind gymnast Nile Wilson and Joey Essex.

The pair skated to songs by gay icons such as Dolly Parton and Cher and particularly excelled in the movies and musical weeks, whether performing to Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious or Don't Cry for Me Argentina.

• The best Donald Trump impression you’ll probably ever see
• Man sentenced for homophobic attack on The Vivienne

Her jaw-dropping ability to skate perfectly from day one meant not only did she never appear in the bottom two, but she also never appeared lower than third on the leader board.

But it was the week five performance that struck a chord with many as James chose not to perform in drag for the first time, confessing that it made him emotional dancing to Beyonce's Halo "without my armour".

James was widely praised for their decision, with one person on X saying that "'The Vivienne skating as James and not in drag in itself is inspiring".

Channelling the Wicked Witch of the West

Williams starred in a number of theatre shows, most recently in a role that seemed to be the perfect fit - the misunderstood yet strong and compassionate Wicked Witch of the West in the revival of The Wizard of Oz musical.

Starring alongside Aston Merrygold in the UK and Ireland tour, the performer reprised the role in the West End at the Gillian Lynne Theatre last year.

"I don't have many words to say as this is one huge dream," they wrote on Instagram. "Dream big kids."

The Vivienne channelled her Wicked Witch of the West role off-stage in November when she sent heads spinning in her emerald green sequined gown at the European premiere of the Wicked film.

Most recently, she was performing as the Childcatcher on the tour of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang and performed just a week ago in Blackpool.

TV appearances

While The Wizard of Oz was The Vivienne's first theatre role, she was no stranger to TV and was able to successfully build a career in television after RuPaul's Drag Race, appearing in a range of programmes including Hunted, Emmerdale and the Great British Sowing Bee.

Over Christmas, The Vivienne appeared on a celebrity special of BBC's Blankety Blank.

In 2020, the Vivienne starred in a six-part series The Vivienne Takes on Hollywood on BBC Three.

The show saw the drag queen document her travels to Los Angeles in order to make a music video and was complete with her classic Northern humour and zingy one-liners.

Not all drag race contestants and winners have been able to build such a successful brand around themselves despite their humour and flawless looks, which is testament to how The Vivienne's personality shone through in all her work.