Exactly two months after her election loss to Donald Trump, Vice-President Kamala Harris will preside over the certification of her own defeat.

As president of the Senate, on Monday she will stand at the House Speaker's rostrum to lead the counting of Electoral College votes, officially cementing her rival's triumph two weeks before he returns to the White House.

The circumstances are painful and awkward for a candidate who decried her opponent as an urgent threat to American democracy, but Harris aides insist she will conduct her constitutional and legal duty with seriousness and grace.

It is not the first time a losing candidate will lead the joint session of Congress to count their opponent's presidential electors - Al Gore endured the indignity in 2001 and Richard Nixon in 1961.

But it's a fitting coda to an improbable election that saw Harris elevated from a back-up to the nation's oldest president to the Democratic standard bearer - whose fleeting campaign provided a jolt of hope to her party before a crushing loss exposed deep internal faultlines.

Harris and her team are now deliberating her second act, and weighing whether it includes another run for the White House in 2028 or pursuing a bid for the governor's mansion in her home state of California.

While recent Democratic candidates who lost elections - Al Gore, John Kerry, Hillary Clinton - have decided against seeking the presidency again, aides, allies and donors argue that the groundswell of support Harris captured in her unsuccessful bid and the unusual circumstances of her condensed campaign proves there's still scope for her to seek the Oval Office.

They even point to Donald Trump's own circuitous political path - the former and future president's bookend wins in 2016 and 2024, despite losing as the incumbent in 2020.

But while many Democrats do not blame Harris for Trump's win, some - stung by a bruising loss that has called the party's strategy into question - are deeply sceptical of giving her another shot at the White House. A host of Democratic governors who coalesced behind the vice-president in 2024 but have ambitions of their own are seen by some strategists as fresher candidates with a much better chance of winning.

Harris herself is said to be in no rush to make any decisions, telling advisers and supporters she is open to all the possibilities that await her after Inauguration Day on 20 January.

She is assessing the last few months, which saw her launch an entirely new White House campaign, vet a running-mate, lead a party convention and barnstorm the country in just 107 days. And aides point out that she remains the US vice-president, at least for another two weeks.

"She has a decision to make and you can't make it when you're still on the treadmill. It may have slowed down – but she's on the treadmill until 20 January," said Donna Brazile, a close Harris ally who advised the campaign.

"You can't put anyone in a box. We didn't put Al Gore in a box and it was obvious the country was very divided after the 2000 election," said Brazile, who ran Gore's campaign against George W Bush and pointed to his second life as an environmental activist. "All options are on the table because there's an appetite for change and I do believe that she can represent that change in the future."

But the nagging question that shadows any potential 2028 run is whether the 60-year-old can separate herself from Joe Biden - something she failed to do in the election campaign.

Her allies in the party say that Biden's choice to seek re-election despite worries about his age, only then to ultimately drop out of the race with months to go, doomed her candidacy.

Though Trump swept all seven battleground states and is the first Republican in 20 years to win the popular vote, his margin of victory was relatively narrow while Harris still won 75 million votes, an outcome her supporters argue can't be ignored as a currently faceless Democratic party rebuilds over the next four years.

On the other side, those close to Biden remain convinced he could have defeated Trump again, despite surveys showing he had been bleeding support from key Democratic voting blocs.

They point out that Harris fell short where the president didn't in 2020, underperforming with core Democratic groups like black and Latino voters. Critics continue to bring up her 2019 campaign to become the Democratic presidential nominee, which sputtered out in less than a year.

"People forget that had there been a real primary [in 2024], she never would have been the nominee. Everyone knows that," said one former Biden adviser.

The adviser, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss a sensitive matter, applauded Harris for reviving the Democratic base and helping key congressional races, but said Trump's campaign successfully undercut her on critical campaign issues including the economy and the border.

Members of Trump's team, however, including his chief pollster, have acknowledged that Harris performed stronger as a candidate than Biden on certain issues like the economy among voters.

Yet there's no escaping that any Democratic primary contest for 2028 would be a tough fight, with rising stars like Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer, Illinois Governor JB Pritzker and California Governor Gavin Newsom already weighing presidential runs.

Some Democrats say that Harris would nonetheless start ahead of the pack, with national name recognition, a much-coveted mailing list and a deep bench of volunteers.

"What state party would not want her to come help them set the table for the 2026 midterm elections?" Brazile said. "She's going to have plenty opportunities not only to rebuild, but to strengthen the coalition that came together to support her in 2024."

Others have suggested she could step out of the political arena entirely, running a foundation or establishing an institute of politics at her alma mater, Howard University, the Washington-based historically black college where she held her election night party.

The former top state prosecutor could also be a contender for secretary of state or attorney general in a future Democratic administration. And she'll need to decide if she wants to write another book.

For all of her options, Harris has told aides, she wants to remain visible and be seen as a leader in the party. One adviser suggested that she could exist outside the domestic political fray, taking on a more global role on an issue that matters to her, but that's a difficult perch without a platform as large as the vice-presidency.

In the waning days of the Biden-Harris administration, she plans to embark on an international trip to multiple regions, according to a source familiar with the plans, signalling her desire to maintain a role on the world stage and build a legacy beyond being Biden's number two.

For Harris and her team, the weeks since the election have been humbling, a mix of grief and resolve. Several aides described the three-month sprint that began when Biden dropped out as having begun with the campaign "digging out of a hole" and ending with their candidate more popular than when she began, even if she didn't win.

"There's a sense of peace knowing that given the hand we were dealt, we ran through the tape," said one senior aide.

Following the election, Harris and her husband, Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff, spent a week in Hawaii with a small group of aides to relax and discuss her future.

During a staff holiday party at her official residence before Christmas, Harris recounted election night and how she delivered a pep talk to her family as the results became clear.

"We are not having a pity party!" she told the crowd of her reaction that night.

Advisers and allies say she is still processing what happened, and wants to wait and see how the new administration unfolds in January before staking out any position, let alone seeking to become the face of any so-called Trump "resistance".

Democrats have found the resistance movement that took off among liberals in the wake of his 2016 win no longer resonates in today's political climate, where the Republican has proven that his message and style appeals to a huge cross-section of Americans.

They have adopted a more conciliatory approach in confronting the incoming president's agenda. As several Democrats put it: "What resistance?"

Though she's kept a relatively low profile since her loss, Harris provided a glimpse of her mindset at an event for students at Prince George's Community College in Maryland in December.

"The movements for civil rights, women's rights, workers' rights, the United States of America itself, would never have come to be if people had given up their cause after a court case, or a battle, or an election did not go their way," she said.

"We must stay in the fight," she added, a refrain she has repeated since her 2016 Senate win. "Everyone of us."

What that means is less clear. For some donors and supporters, staying "in the fight" could translate to a run for California governor in 2026, when a term-limited Gavin Newsom will step down and potentially pursue his own White House ambitions. The job, leading the world's fifth-largest economy, would also put Harris in direct conflict with Trump, who has regularly assailed the state for its left-leaning policies.

But governing a major state is no small feat, and would derail any presidential run, as she would be sworn into office about the same time she would need to launch a national campaign.

Those who have spoken to Harris said she remains undecided about the governor's race, which some allies have described as a potential "capstone" to her career.

She has won statewide office three times as California's attorney general and later as a US senator. But a gubernatorial win would give her another historic honour - becoming the nation's first black female governor.

Still, some allies acknowledge it would be difficult to transition from being inside a 20-car motorcade and having a seat across the table from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to the governor's mansion.

The private sector is another option.

"For women at other levels of office, when they lose an election, sometimes options are not as available to them compared to men, who get a soft landing at a law firm or insurance business, and it gives them a place to take a beat, make some money and then make decisions about what's next," said Debbie Walsh, director for the Center for American Women and Politics at Rutgers University.

"I don't think that's going to be a problem for Kamala Harris. I think doors will open for her if she wants to open them."

But for Harris, who has been in elected office for two decades, and worked as a public prosecutor before that, an afterlife as governor may be the most fitting option.

"When you've had one client – the people – for the entirety of your career," said one former adviser, "where do you go from here?"

Heavy snow and freezing rain are set to bring considerable disruption across the UK, with an amber weather warning now in force.

Parts of northern England, the Midlands and Wales are forecast to be among the worst hit as adverse weather pushes northwards throughout the night, possibly bringing 20-40cm (7.8-15.7in) of snow in some places.

The Met Office has warned of hazardous travel conditions and told motorists it is "safer not to drive". Power cuts are possible and some rural communities could get cut off.

Less severe yellow weather warnings are also in force covering other areas, including Scotland, Northern Ireland and southern parts of England.

The amber weather warnings in place are:

• A warning for snow and freezing rain covering most of Wales and central England, including the Midlands and the north-west cities of Liverpool and Manchester, until noon on Sunday
• A separate warning for snow covering most of northern England including Leeds, Sheffield and the Lake District from 21:00 GMT on Saturday to midnight on Sunday.

• Your striking pictures of snow and frost across UK

Amber warnings are more serious than yellow warnings and indicate a possible risk to life due to severe weather, as well as more significant travel disruption.

Much of England and Wales is covered by a separate yellow warning for snow and freezing rain into Sunday, though there is uncertainty over how disruptive the adverse weather could be, with milder temperatures forecast.

Most of Northern Ireland, as well as an swathe of northern Scotland, are also covered by yellow warnings for snow and ice.

Prof Liz Bentley, chief executive of the Royal Meteorological Society, told BBC Radio 4's Today programme that freezing rain occurs when droplets fall onto surfaces at temperatures below zero degrees and instantly freeze, causing a "glazed ice" on the ground.

• Why does Britain face flight chaos during bad weather?
• What are cold weather payments and who can get them?
• How to keep babies warm during cold weather and other winter tips
• How to drive in snow and icy weather
• How do cold weather health alerts work?
• Does the UK get less snow than it used to?

Snowfall began in western parts of England on Saturday evening, and a zone of wet weather will continue to move northwards across England and Wales overnight, turning readily to snow as it interacts with the cold air that is sitting across the UK.

The heaviest snow is expected in higher parts of Wales, the Midlands and northern England with up to 30-40cm possible over the mountains of north Wales, the Peak District and the Pennines.

At lower levels some disruptive snow is likely but in places this will mix with rain - falling on cold surfaces, leading to the threat of ice.

Cumbria Police said on Saturday afternoon that it had received numerous calls about a multiple-vehicle collision on Wrynose Pass in the Lake District.

Road users in England's north have been warned up to 25cm of snow could hit parts of the network including the A66 Old Spittal, A628 Woodhead Pass and M62 at Windy Hill.

Eastern parts of Northern Ireland could also see a little snow overnight with up to 10cm possible over the hills.

Snow and ice will also affect parts of southern and eastern Scotland through the early hours, with wintry showers in northern Scotland also giving the chance of slippery conditions.

Across southern counties of England and southern Wales any snow is likely to turn back to rain as milder air pushes in - temperatures in parts of south west England could be as high as 12C by the end of the night.

On Sunday further snow is expected to accumulate across parts of northern England, Northern Ireland and Scotland, where it will remain cold.

Heavy rain will be more of an issue across Wales, central and southern England where milder conditions will develop.

Fresh yellow weather warnings will also come into force in some areas on Sunday.

Heavy rain and thawing snow could lead to flooding in some parts of north-west England and Wales, while localised snow and ice warnings cover parts of Scotland where it will remain cold.

Temperatures are forecast to dip again from Monday, and UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) amber cold weather health alerts for all of England remain in place.

You can keep up to date with BBC Weather forecasts online and on the app.

Join the BBC Weather Watchers community here.

Nigel Farage has defended Elon Musk after the billionaire attacked the UK government's response to grooming gangs on X, the social media platform he owns.

In a series of posts over several days, Musk suggested Sir Keir Starmer failed to prosecute gangs and said Home Office minister Jess Phillips "deserves to be in prison".

It came as the Home Office defended its decision to reject a request for it to lead a public inquiry into child sexual exploitation in Oldham. The Conservatives and Reform UK have called for a wider national inquiry.

Asked about Musk's comments on Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg, Farage said he had used "very tough terms" but that "free speech was back" on X under his ownership.

Farage was also pressed on his wider relationship with Musk, who is said to be considering donating money to his Reform party.

Musk's latest intervention on UK politics came after Phillips, a safeguarding minister within the Home Office, instructed Oldham Council to launch its own local inquiry into historic child sexual abuse in the town, similar to inquiries set up in Rochdale and Telford. The local authority had called for a government-led inquiry.

The tech tycoon seized on the decision, which was taken in October, and began heavily criticising the British government online.

He suggested Sir Keir had failed to properly prosecute rape gangs while director of public prosecutions (DPP), and has repeatedly shared posts from Reform and Conservative MPs calling for a national inquiry.

Musk, who is a key advisor to incoming US President Donald Trump, called the prime minister "two-tier Keir" and accused Phillips of being a "rape genocide apologist".

Asked about the comments, Farage said "tough things get said... by both sides of the debate".

He continued: "This man happens to be the richest man in the world, but equally, the fact that he's bought Twitter now actually gives us a place where we can have a proper open debate about many things... We may find it offensive, but it's a good thing, not a bad thing."

Earlier this week, Farage distanced himself from Musk's support for Tommy Robinson - a far-right activist who is serving a jail term for committing contempt of court.

In an interview to be broadcast on BBC One on Sunday morning, Farage said the public is "absolutely right to be" angry about grooming gangs.

He went on: "I just think people ask themselves, what has happened to our country? How could this possibly have happened? Why did everybody want to cover it up? Why has there been no full public inquiry?"

On Saturday, Home Secretary Yvette Cooper defended Phillips as "fearless and formidable" and someone who has campaigned "tirelessly for justice for those badly let down by endemic institutional failure" for many years.

In a separate letter seen by the BBC, Phillips and Cooper wrote to the Conservatives setting out why they had asked Oldham Council to set up its own inquiry, rather than grant its request for a government-led one. The previous Conservative government turned down a similar request in 2022.

The letter pointed out the local authority had already started setting up its own inquiry, and added that victims have said "loud and clear" they want action.

"In Oldham the crimes committed by grooming gangs were horrific," they wrote.

• Kuenssberg: Farage claims Reform can win power - but how realistic is that?

"Young girls were abused in the most cruel and sadistic way. Victims and the community need to know that all steps are taken to deliver justice and protect children properly in the future."

They said they supported an independent review commissioned by Mayor Andy Burnham, which covered historic abuse in Oldham and led to a new police investigation, as well as other child protection work across Greater Manchester.

The letter highlighted the work of the Child Sexual Abuse Inquiry, which published its final findings in 2022. It made clear that "abuse must be pursued and challenged everywhere with no fear or favour" - whether in care homes, churches, homes or by grooming gangs.

Professor Alexis Jay, who led that inquiry, said in November she felt "frustrated" that none of its 20 recommendations to tackle abuse had been implemented more than two years later.

On Friday, Health Secretary West Streeting said the government was getting "on with the job" of implementing the recommendations "in full" since taking office in July.

There have been several investigations into grooming gangs in various parts of England, including Rotherham, Bristol, Cornwall and Derbyshire.

An inquiry into abuse in Rotherham found 1,400 children had been sexually abused over a 16-year period, predominantly by British Pakistani men.

An investigation in Telford found that up to 1,000 girls had been abused over 40 years - and that some cases had not been investigated because of "nervousness about race".

Police figures from 2023 reveal that group-based child sexual abuse accounted for 3.7% of all sexual offences against children reported to police.

According to the data, 26% of group-based child sexual abuse happened within families, compared with 17% involving groups including grooming gangs.

• Watch Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg on BBC One at 9am

Tens of millions of Americans are bracing for a huge winter storm that could bring the heaviest snowfall and coldest temperatures in over a decade.

The storm, which started in the middle of the US, will move east in the next couple of days, the National Weather Service (NWS) said.

Parts of the US not accustomed to severe cold, including Mississippi and Florida, have been warned to expect treacherous conditions.

Forecasters say the extreme weather is being caused by the polar vortex, an area of cold air that circulates around the Arctic.

"For some, this could be the heaviest snowfall in over a decade," the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said.

AccuWeather forecaster Dan DePodwin said: "This could lead to the coldest January for the US since 2011."

He added that "temperatures that are well below historical average" could linger for a week.

Those low temperatures will be on the east coast as well, where the storm is expected to reach by Sunday evening.

In the central US, there will be "considerable disruptions to daily life" and "dangerous or impossible driving conditions and widespread closures" into Sunday, according to the NWS.

Some areas of Kansas and Indiana could see at least 8in (20.3cm) of snow.

In parts of the Midwest, blizzards are possible.

"Whiteout conditions will make travel extremely hazardous, with impassable roads and a high risk of motorists becoming stranded," the NWS warned.

Sleet and freezing rain is forecast for Missouri, Illinois, and swathes of Kentucky and West Virginia.

As the storm moves east, millions more Americans will see record low temperatures, forecasters said.

Cities including Washington DC, Baltimore and Philadelphia are preparing for snowy and icy conditions from Sunday into Monday. Snowfall of between 5-12in could be recorded in parts of Virginia.

Also on Sunday, portions of the southern US including Arkansas, Louisiana and Mississippi may see severe thunderstorms.

Private meteorologist Ryan Maue said: "It's going to be a mess, a potential disaster. This is something we haven't seen in quite a while."

American, Delta, Southwest and United airlines are waiving change fees for passengers because of the potential flight disruptions.

Austria's Chancellor Karl Nehammer says he will resign in the coming days, both as chancellor and party leader, after talks about forming a coalition government collapsed.

The chancellor said his party - the conservative People's Party (ÖVP) - and the Social Democrats had failed to agree on key issues.

The liberal Neos, another party involved in the talks, also pulled out on Friday.

In September the far-right Freedom Party (FPÖ) won an unprecedented victory in Austria's general election, but the other parties ruled out forming a coalition with the FPÖ's leader Herbert Kickl.

The collapse of the talks could lead to the conservatives negotiating with the far-right, or to a new election taking place, analysts have said.

The Russia-friendly FPÖ has been in a ruling coalition before. It would likely welcome a new election as opinion polls suggest its popularity has grown further since September.

The FPÖ has said in a statement on X that three months have been lost by the coalition talks and adds that "instead of stability, we have chaos".

The party has called for Social Democrat leader Andreas Babler to also resign and said President Alexander Van der Bellen bears "a significant share of responsibility for the chaos that has arisen and the lost time".

The FPÖ won almost 29% of the vote in September's election, the People's Party came second with 26.3% and the Social Democrats third, with 21%.

There was a high turnout of 77.3% as Austrian voters took part in an election dominated by the twin issues of migration and asylum, as well as a flagging economy and the war in Ukraine.

The FPÖ's Kickl promised to build "Fortress Austria", to restore Austrians' security and prosperity.

The party wants firm rules on legal immigration and it has promoted the idea of remigration, which involves sending asylum seekers to their original countries.

The FPÖ was founded by former Nazis in the 1950s.

Two days before last year's general election vote some of its candidates were caught on video at a funeral where an SS song was sung.

The party later denied the song, dating back to 1814, had any link to "National Socialist sentiments".

Plans for an upgraded NHS App to allow more patients in England to book treatments and appointments will be part of a package of measures unveiled by the government on Monday.

The changes will allow patients who need non-emergency elective treatment to choose from a range of providers, including those in the private sector.

Ministers and NHS leaders will publish this week what is described as an elective reform plan designed to speed up planned treatment.

But the British Medical Association (BMA) said there was a risk the policy would "discriminate or alienate" patients who did not have access to digital technology.

The plan will set out how the government intends to meet one of its key election pledges – for more than nine in 10 patients to have their treatment or be signed off within 18 weeks of a referral by the end of this parliament.

Currently fewer than six in 10 are dealt with in that time. The aim will be to reduce significantly the overall waiting list which stands at just under 7.5 million.

Health Secretary Wes Streeting said the move will shift the NHS "into the digital age" and help cut waiting times "from 18 months to 18 weeks".

The plans would "put patients in the driving seat and treat them on time", and they would be "put in control of their own healthcare", Mr Streeting said.

Action will also be taken to tackle missed appointments, which can be costly for the health service, including an artificial intelligence pilot to help pinpoint patients that may need extra help to attend.

The Department of Health said the NHS app would allow more patients needing non-urgent treatment to view and manage appointments.

The first step of the plan will come into force in March, when patients at more than 85% of acute trusts will be able to view their appointments on the NHS app.

Reminders would be sent out by hospitals to reduce the number of appointments missed. Diagnostic tests could be booked at specialist centres with the results coming through more quickly.

They will also be able to contact their healthcare provider and receive regular updates, including how long they are likely to wait.

Patients already have the right to choose where they would like their treatment, including in the private sector, but are not always told that. Details of NHS and independent providers will be made clearer through the app.

Some of these features are already available on the NHS app and a website Manage Your Referral. But officials say just 8% of bookings are made through these platforms.

Other plans include expanding a scheme for GPs to discuss some cases with  hospital specialists before making referrals to ensure patients are treated in the right setting.

The current Advice and Guidance Scheme has resulted in 50% of cases being directed to more appropriate care rather than being put on long waiting lists and so reducing pressure on hospitals. These include some ear, nose and throat conditions.

GPs will also be able to refer patients with certain conditions directly for tests or scans without the need to see a consultant first.  The aim is to reduce waiting times and remove those who are given the all clear from waiting lists.

Amanda Pritchard, chief executive of NHS England, said using technology would revolutionise access to healthcare and put "patients in the driving seat of elective care".

But the chair of the BMA council, Professor Phil Banfield, said the focus should be on patients most in need rather than a "wasteful obsession" with artificial targets.

He said there was a danger patients without access to tablets and smartphones would be alienated.

"We already have a two-tier health system – those who can and cannot pay to access care," he said. "We must guard against creating a third tier of the disenfranchised vulnerable".

Tim Mitchell, President of the Royal College of Surgeons of England, said a new plan for reducing waiting times would be very welcome. But he added the government would fall short of its target without further reform and investment "including upgrading IT and crumbling NHS facilities".

It's the picture of domestic bliss.

The Duchess of Sussex, picking flowers, slicing veggies and decorating cakes in a trailer for her new Netflix show.

There's also a scene where she harvests honey, and hugs her husband, Prince Harry.

Meghan, it appears, has rebranded herself. Her new look is described by public relations expert Chloe Franses as similar to the "trad wife" social media trend, inspired by 1950s housewives.

In that sense, it is a departure for Meghan, who has been known as a feminist and a Hollywood actress.

But Frances says it's actually a return to Meghan's roots, as the duchess used to be a lifestyle blogger before she married Harry.

And as ever with Meghan, it's proving divisive. Franses praises it as "authentic," while Alex Silver, a media relations expert, calls it "tone deaf".

So what's the reason for her new TV show, With Love, and will it work?

'Harry and Meghan are separating their brands'

One of the most striking things about the trailer is that it's Meghan on her own, rather than with Harry.

Since stepping down as senior royals in 2020 and moving to California, the pair have pursued various ventures together, including starting a production company and charitable foundation.

• Where do Harry and Meghan get their money?

But with this new show, it looks like the couple increasingly want to do their own thing professionally - and to create two separate income streams.

"They seem to have separated their brands," says Pauline Maclaran, professor of marketing and consumer research at Royal Holloway.

"I think it's likely to be much more successful, because I think the two of them together weren't really getting any strong recognition."

Moving away from royal connections

The relaunch also signifies a move away from royal life.

Since stepping back as senior royals, Harry and Meghan have continued to talk about the monarchy - including in their 2021 Oprah Winfrey interview and Harry's book Spare.

But in this new TV show, Meghan "isn't drawing on her royal connections" anymore, says Maclaren.

Instead, it focuses on lifestyle and wellness - areas she already explored before she met Harry through her lifestyle blog The Tig.

On The Tig, Meghan shared beauty, diet and fashion tips, recipes, travel advice, and words of wisdom about love and life.

• Meghan Markle: The wellness guru she could have been

The Tig was closed in 2017, but PR experts have said that returning to lifestyle could be a smart move.

"This is a well-trodden path for a woman in the public eye who has a lifestyle that straddles aspirational as well as challenging," Frances says.

Others are more sceptical.

"There are more interesting and significant world events that are happening, which she could be talking about," Silver says. "She could've been raising awareness for charitable work or something.

"I think she is all about herself. As a publicist, I can't understand how she can't read a room."

Experimenting in the world of lifestyle has also backfired for some others in the public eye.

Brooklyn Beckham's debut photography book was roundly mocked on social media, for instance - with one picture of an elephant receiving particular ire.

'It's about her own commercial interests'

This is not Meghan's first foray into the business world - an industry fraught with risk and reward.

The couple's previous business initiatives include a multi-million pound deal with Netflix.

They appeared in another Netflix show, called Harry & Meghan, about their relationship. Both were also named as executive producers for the recent Polo documentary, but it drew low ratings from critics including in The Guardian and The Telegraph.

Spotify's big bet on Meghan also fell flat.

In July 2023, the streaming giant and the Sussexes's Archewell Audio announced they were parting ways in a mutual decision.

At the time, experts suggested there hadn't been a big enough audience for Megan's Archetypes podcast to justify keeping it going.

Last March, she launched a different lifestyle brand called American Riviera Orchard. It currently has more than 600,000 followers on Instagram, and features nine posts from when it launched - but there have been no posts since then.

With this new venture, some have speculated that Meghan is hoping to open up further business opportunities for herself, such as partnerships with major supermarkets and brands.

If so, she would be following in the path of others such as Hollywood A-lister Gwyneth Paltrow, with her hugely successful lifestyle platform Goop.

"This is clearly all about her own commercial interests," says Silver.

"They're aware their income is going to dry up at some stage. Their lifestyles are quite lavish, they're mixing in upmarket circles and they don't want to be the poor relation."

Will it change the public's view of her?

When it comes to the new TV show, royal expert Victoria Murphy says she "[doesn't] think there's any doubt that people will watch it initially and it will do well".

But she says the real test is whether it engages a consistently large following and really builds a strong global brand for her outside the monarchy.

McLaren agrees, saying she thinks the show will chime with certain groups of people, particularly in the US.

"A lot of the public won't be interested in this but I don't think that's her aim - I think she'll be trying to get other mothers like herself really."

Silver, for her part, argues that Meghan may be hoping to "detoxify" her brand with the new show.

But she doesn't think the show will resonate with the public.

"I can't imagine this is going to be a well viewed thing," Silver says.

• I want to stop hate towards Meghan, Harry tells court

Perhaps the reaction to the trailer tells us everything we need to know about how this latest venture is likely to go down.

After it dropped on Thursday, thousands of column inches were dedicated to it.

The Daily Mail, for example, picked apart every single detail of every frame in the trailer, most of it unsympathetic.

The duchess, it seems, is of never ending interest - especially for the British tabloids. But she also has a core fan base on social media.

For her detractors, they will say this is glossy and superficial, Hollywood at its worst.

But for her fans, they will say it's great to see her back, and that this shows exactly what the Royal Family are missing.

In other words, this is likely to reinforce whatever people think about Meghan on either side.

Additional reporting by Guy Lambert and Nadine Yousif.

A Pulitzer Prize-winning cartoonist has resigned from the Washington Post after the newspaper refused to publish a cartoon satirical of the paper's billionaire owner Jeff Bezos.

Ann Telnaes, a long-time Washington Post cartoonist, created a cartoon of Mr Bezos and other tycoons kneeling before a statue of President-elect Donald Trump.

Ms Telnaes announced her resignation in a Substack post Friday: "In all that time I've never had a cartoon killed because of who or what I chose to aim my pen at. Until now."

David Shipley, the editorial page editor at the paper, said he decided not to run the cartoon in order to avoid repetition, not because it mocked the paper's owner.

In the cartoon, Mr Bezos, Meta founder Mark Zuckerberg and OpenAI's Sam Altman are depicted on their knees giving bags of cash to a statue of Trump.

Mickey Mouse is also depicted prostrate in the cartoon. ABC News – which is owned by Disney – last month agreed to pay $15m to settle a defamation lawsuit filed by Trump.

"The cartoon that was killed criticizes the billionaire tech and media chief executives who have been doing their best to curry favor with incoming President-elect Trump," Ms Telnaes wrote in her resignation announcement.

She said the cartoon was satirising "these men with lucrative government contracts and an interest in eliminating regulations".

Ms Telnaes said the Washington Post's refusal to run the cartoon was a "game changer" and described it as "dangerous for a free press".

But Mr Shipley told the BBC his decision not to publish the cartoon was because of repetition of another piece set to publish.

"I respect Ann Telnaes and all she has given to The Post. But I must disagree with her interpretation of events," he said in a statement. "Not every editorial judgment is a reflection of a malign force."

He added: "My decision was guided by the fact that we had just published a column on the same topic as the cartoon and had already scheduled another column – this one a satire – for publication."

Last month, Mr Bezos announced Amazon would donate $1m to Trump's inauguration fund and make a $1m in-kind contribution.

Mr Bezos also described Trump's re-election victory as "an extraordinary political comeback" and dined with him at the president-elect's Mar-a-Lago residence in Florida.

The newspaper faced a liberal backlash weeks before the November presidential election after Mr Bezos interceded to prevent the editorial board endorsing Vice-President Kamala Harris.

Mr Bezos defended the move, but the newspaper reported it lost more than 250,000 subscribers following the decision.

The Los Angeles Times, whose owner Patrick Soon-Shiong is also depicted in the now-killed cartoon, made a similar move and said the newspaper would not publish its endorsement of Harris in October.

The Golden Globe Awards take place later, with Emilia Pérez, Conclave, Anora and The Brutalist in the running for the top prizes.

Film acting nominees include Zendaya, for tennis drama Challengers, and Timothée Chalamet for his starring role in Bob Dylan biopic A Complete Unknown.

Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande are both up for their roles as sorcery students in Wicked, the musical adaptation of the hit stage show, while Daniel Craig is nominated for 1950s romance Queer, Demi Moore is up for body horror The Substance, and Nicole Kidman for erotic drama Babygirl.

Kate Winslet has two nominations - for Lee, a film about war photojournalist Lee Miller, and for her leading TV role in political satire The Regime. Selena Gomez is also up for two - for the film Emilia Pérez, about a Mexican drug lord who changes gender, and TV mystery comedy Only Murders in the Building.

The event marks the first major ceremony of the film awards season, which culminates with the Oscars on 2 March.

The Globes will be held at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Los Angeles on Sunday evening, beginning at 01:00 GMT on Monday for UK audiences.

A win at the Globes can help boost a film's profile at a crucial time, when Bafta and Oscar voters are preparing to fill in their nomination ballots.

But the Globes is a much less formal event than the Academy Awards, with celebrities generally in a good mood after the Christmas break, ready to mingle over a few drinks and have fun with their acceptance speeches.

The main film contenders:

• 10 nominations - Emilia Pérez
• 7 - The Brutalist
• 6 - Conclave
• 5 - Anora, The Substance
• 4 - Challengers, A Real Pain, Wicked, The Wild Robot
• The Golden Globe nominees in full

Baby Reindeer, Shogun and The Bear are among the shows competing in the TV categories.

In recent years, the voting body behind the Globes has expanded and diversified its membership and brought in a new code of conduct.

The changes follow a scathing investigation by the LA Times in 2021 which exposed various ethical lapses, such as voters accepting "freebies" from studios and PR agencies lobbying for nominations.

Which films are nominated at the Globes?

The Golden Globes split their film categories by drama and comedy/musical, which allows them to nominate more movies and hand out more prizes than other ceremonies.

The film with the most nominations is Emilia Pérez, a largely Spanish-language musical about a dangerous cartel leader who wants to quit the world of crime and live a new life as a woman.

However, several of its 10 nominations are in the same categories - with two nods in best original song and two in best supporting actress.

Other contenders in the musical/comedy category include Anora, the story of a New York stripper who falls for the son of a wealthy Russian oligarch.

The Substance, which sees a woman trade her body for a younger, more beautiful version of herself is also nominated, along with A Real Pain, about two cousins travelling across Poland after the death of their grandmother.

In the drama category, acclaimed historical epic The Brutalist follows a Hungarian architect who tries to build a new life for himself in America following World War Two.

It's up against Conclave, based on the 2016 novel by Robert Harris, which depicts a group of gossipy and scheming cardinals who gather in Rome to select the new Pope.

Nickel Boys, about two young men forced to attend a reform school in 1960s Florida, and September 5, which dramatises the terror attack on the 1972 Munich Olympics from the perspective of the sports journalists who covered it, are also in the running.

The other drama contenders include the sandy sci-fi sequel Dune: Part Two and A Complete Unknown, about Bob Dylan’s rise to fame in the 1960s.

Blockbusters including Deadpool & Wolverine, Twisters, Inside Out 2, Gladiator II and The Wild Robot will compete for the cinematic and box office achievement award, which was introduced last year to recognise more mainstream films.

Dune: Part Two was not submitted in that category despite its huge financial success, reportedly because the film's producers wanted Globe voters to focus on its artistic merits.

That means if members want to vote for the film, they will have to do so in the main categories.

Which actors are in the running?

There's a much higher chance of an actor being nominated at the Globes, where there are 36 slots available, than at the Oscars, which have 20.

As a result, the Globes are able to lean in to big celebrity names, ensuring their ceremony is well attended by A-listers, not all of whom will necessarily go on to score an Oscar nomination.

British acting nominees this year include Daniel Craig (Queer) Kate Winslet (Lee), Ralph Fiennes (Conclave), Cynthia Erivo (Wicked) Hugh Grant (Heretic), Tilda Swinton (The Room Next Door) and Felicity Jones (The Brutalist).

They are joined by stars including Angelina Jolie (Maria), Nicole Kidman (Babygirl), Demi Moore (The Substance), Glen Powell (Hit Man), Timothée Chalamet (A Complete Unknown) and Zendaya (Challengers).

There are two pop stars in the race - with Ariana Grande (Wicked) and Selena Gomez (Emilia Pérez) both in the running for best supporting actress.

Other well-known nominees include Amy Adams (Nightbitch), Pamela Anderson (The Last Showgirl), Colman Domingo (Sing Sing) and Denzel Washington (Gladiator II).

The supporting actor category will see two former Succession stars go head to head - Kieran Culkin (A Real Pain) and Jeremy Strong (The Apprentice).

Strong's co-star Sebastian Stan has two nominations - one for playing Donald Trump in The Apprentice and one for A Different Man.

But some of the strongest contenders this awards season aren't necessarily Hollywood A-listers, such as relative newcomer Mikey Madison (Anora), Spanish actress Karla Sofía Gascón (Emilia Pérez), Brazil's Fernanda Torres (I'm Still Here) and Russian actor Yura Borisov (Anora).

Away from the top categories, other notable nominees include singer Robbie Williams in the best original song category, for Forbidden Road, from his biopic Better Man.

Two of this year's winners have already been announced: Viola Davis will take home the Cecil B DeMille Award, for outstanding contribution to film, while Ted Danson will be honoured with the Carol Burnett Award, for excellence in television.

Who is hosting the Golden Globes?

The Globes have traditionally had excellent taste in hosts, regularly enlisting an acerbic personality to make cutting jokes about the A-list guests.

They are continuing that model this year with US comic Nikki Glaser, who gave a barnstorming performance at The Roast of Tom Brady last summer.

Glaser said she was "absolutely thrilled" to be hosting the Globes, adding she was looking forward to getting a "front row seat" at "one of my favourite nights in television".

"It's one of the few times that show business not only allows, but encourages itself to be lovingly mocked (at least I hope so). (God I hope so)," she said in a statement.

"Some of my favourite jokes of all time have come from past Golden Globes opening monologues when Tina [Fey], Amy [Poehler] or Ricky [Gervais] have said exactly what we all didn't know we desperately needed to hear.

"I just hope to continue in that time-honoured tradition (that might also get me cancelled). This is truly a dream job."

How to watch the Golden Globes

US viewers can watch the show live on the CBS network, which is airing the Globes as part of a five-year deal.

It will also stream on Paramount+ with Showtime. The ceremony starts at 01:00 GMT and usually lasts between three and four hours.

UK viewers without a VPN can expect to see highlights on social media, YouTube and news bulletins on Monday morning.

Heavy snow and freezing rain are set to bring considerable disruption across the UK, with an amber weather warning now in force.

Parts of northern England, the Midlands and Wales are forecast to be among the worst hit as adverse weather pushes northwards throughout the night, possibly bringing 20-40cm (7.8-15.7in) of snow in some places.

The Met Office has warned of hazardous travel conditions and told motorists it is "safer not to drive". Power cuts are possible and some rural communities could get cut off.

Less severe yellow weather warnings are also in force covering other areas, including Scotland, Northern Ireland and southern parts of England.

The amber weather warnings in place are:

• A warning for snow and freezing rain covering most of Wales and central England, including the Midlands and the north-west cities of Liverpool and Manchester, until noon on Sunday
• A separate warning for snow covering most of northern England including Leeds, Sheffield and the Lake District from 21:00 GMT on Saturday to midnight on Sunday.

• Your striking pictures of snow and frost across UK

Amber warnings are more serious than yellow warnings and indicate a possible risk to life due to severe weather, as well as more significant travel disruption.

Much of England and Wales is covered by a separate yellow warning for snow and freezing rain into Sunday, though there is uncertainty over how disruptive the adverse weather could be, with milder temperatures forecast.

Most of Northern Ireland, as well as an swathe of northern Scotland, are also covered by yellow warnings for snow and ice.

Prof Liz Bentley, chief executive of the Royal Meteorological Society, told BBC Radio 4's Today programme that freezing rain occurs when droplets fall onto surfaces at temperatures below zero degrees and instantly freeze, causing a "glazed ice" on the ground.

• Why does Britain face flight chaos during bad weather?
• What are cold weather payments and who can get them?
• How to keep babies warm during cold weather and other winter tips
• How to drive in snow and icy weather
• How do cold weather health alerts work?
• Does the UK get less snow than it used to?

Snowfall began in western parts of England on Saturday evening, and a zone of wet weather will continue to move northwards across England and Wales overnight, turning readily to snow as it interacts with the cold air that is sitting across the UK.

The heaviest snow is expected in higher parts of Wales, the Midlands and northern England with up to 30-40cm possible over the mountains of north Wales, the Peak District and the Pennines.

At lower levels some disruptive snow is likely but in places this will mix with rain - falling on cold surfaces, leading to the threat of ice.

Cumbria Police said on Saturday afternoon that it had received numerous calls about a multiple-vehicle collision on Wrynose Pass in the Lake District.

Road users in England's north have been warned up to 25cm of snow could hit parts of the network including the A66 Old Spittal, A628 Woodhead Pass and M62 at Windy Hill.

Eastern parts of Northern Ireland could also see a little snow overnight with up to 10cm possible over the hills.

Snow and ice will also affect parts of southern and eastern Scotland through the early hours, with wintry showers in northern Scotland also giving the chance of slippery conditions.

Across southern counties of England and southern Wales any snow is likely to turn back to rain as milder air pushes in - temperatures in parts of south west England could be as high as 12C by the end of the night.

On Sunday further snow is expected to accumulate across parts of northern England, Northern Ireland and Scotland, where it will remain cold.

Heavy rain will be more of an issue across Wales, central and southern England where milder conditions will develop.

Fresh yellow weather warnings will also come into force in some areas on Sunday.

Heavy rain and thawing snow could lead to flooding in some parts of north-west England and Wales, while localised snow and ice warnings cover parts of Scotland where it will remain cold.

Temperatures are forecast to dip again from Monday, and UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) amber cold weather health alerts for all of England remain in place.

You can keep up to date with BBC Weather forecasts online and on the app.

Join the BBC Weather Watchers community here.

Parts of the UK have been met with wintry scenes heading into the weekend, as frosty weather and snow make an appearance early in the new year.

Bitter conditions are expected to continue into next week thanks to an Arctic wind.

Several weather warnings are in place for parts of England and Wales as heavy snow and freezing rain are expected.

• Follow our weather updates

Sixty-year-old Chinese grandmother Su Min had no intention of becoming a feminist icon.

She was only trying to escape her abusive husband when she hit the road in 2020 in her white Volkswagen hatchback with a rooftop tent and her pension.

"I felt like I could finally catch my breath," she says, recalling the moment she drove away from her old life. "I felt like I could survive and find a way of life that I wanted."

Over the next four years and 180,000 miles, the video diaries she shared of her adventures, while detailing decades of pain, earned her millions of cheerleaders online. They called her the "road-tripping auntie" as she inadvertently turned into a hero for women who felt trapped in their own lives.

Her story is now a hit film that was released in September - Like a Rolling Stone – and she made it to the BBC's list of 100 inspiring and influential women of 2024.

It was a year of big moments, but if she had to describe what 2024 meant to her in a single word, she says that word would be "freedom".

As soon as Su Min started driving, she felt freer, she told the BBC over the phone from Shenyang – just before she headed south for winter in her new SUV with a caravan.

But it wasn't until 2024, when she finally filed for divorce, that she experienced "another kind of freedom".

It took a while to get there: it's a complicated process in China and her husband refused to divorce her until she agreed to pay him. They settled on 160,000 yuan ($21,900; £17,400) but she is still waiting for the divorce certificate to come through.

But she is resolute that she doesn't want to look back: "I'm saying goodbye to him."

The road to freedom

In her new life on the road, Su Min's duty is to herself.

Her videos mostly feature only her. Although she drives alone, she never seems lonely. She chats with her followers as she films her journey, sharing what she has been cooking, how she spent the previous day and where she's going next.

Her audience travels with her to places they never knew they would long for – Xinjiang's snow-capped mountains, Yunnan's ancient river towns, sparkling blue lakes, vast grasslands, endless deserts.

They applaud her bravery and envy the freedom she has embraced. They had rarely heard such a raw first-hand account about the reality of life as a "Chinese auntie".

"You're so brave! You chose to break free," wrote one follower, while another urged her to "live the rest of your life well for yourself!". One woman sought advice because she too "dreams of driving alone" and an awe-struck follower said: "Mom, look at her! When I get older, I'll live a colourful life like hers if I don't get married!"

For some, the takeaways are more pragmatic yet inspiring: "After watching your videos, I've learned this: as women, we must own our own home, cultivate friendships far and wide, work hard to be financially independent, and invest in unemployment insurance!"

Through it all, Su Min processes her own past. A stray cat she encounters on the road reminds her of herself, both of them having "weathered the wind and rain for years but still managing to love this world that dusts our faces". A visit to the market, where she smells chili peppers, evokes "the smell of freedom" because throughout her marriage spicy food was forbidden by her husband who didn't like it.

For years Su Min had been the dutiful daughter, wife and mother – even as her husband repeatedly struck her.

"I was a traditional woman and I wanted to stay in my marriage for life," she says. "But eventually I saw that I got nothing in return for all my energy and effort – only beatings, violence, emotional abuse and gaslighting."

Her husband, Du Zhoucheng, has admitted to hitting her. "It's my mistake that I beat you," he said in a video she recently shared on Douyin, TikTok's China platform.

A high school graduate, he had a government job in the water resources ministry for 40 years before retiring, according to local media reports. He told an outlet in 2022 that he beat his wife because she "talked back" and that it was "an ordinary thing": "In a family, how can there not be some bangs and crashes?"

When duty called

Su Min married Du Zhoucheng "really to avoid my father's control, and to avoid the whole family".

She was born and raised in Tibet until 1982, when her family moved to Henan, a bustling province in the valley along the Yellow River. She had just finished high school and found work in a fertiliser factory, where most of her female colleagues, including those younger than 20, already had husbands.

Her marriage was arranged by a matchmaker, which was common at the time. She had spent much of her life cooking for and looking after her father and three younger brothers. "I wanted to change my life," she says.

The couple met only twice before the wedding. She wasn't looking for love, but she hoped that love would grow once they married.

Su Min did not find love. But she did have a daughter, and that is one reason she convinced herself she needed to endure the abuse.

"We are always so afraid of being ridiculed and blamed if we divorce, so we all choose to endure, but in fact, this kind of patience is not right," she says. "I later learned that, in fact, it can have a considerable impact on children. The child really doesn't want you to endure, they want you to stand up bravely and give them a harmonious home."

She thought of leaving her husband after her daughter got married, but soon she became a grandmother. Her daughter had twins – and once again duty called. She felt she needed to help care for them, although by now she had been diagnosed with depression.

"I felt that if I didn't leave, I would get sicker," she says. She promised her daughter she would care for the two boys until they went to kindergarten, and then she would leave.

The spark of inspiration for her escape came in 2019 while flicking through social media. She found a video about someone travelling while living in their van. This was it, she thought to herself. This was her way out.

Even the pandemic did not stop her. In September 2020, she drove away from her marital home in Zhengzhou and she barely looked back as she made her way through 20 Chinese provinces and more than 400 cities.

It's a decision that has certainly resonated with women in China. To her millions of followers, Su Min offers comfort and hope. "We women are not just someone's wife or mother… Let's live for ourselves!" wrote one follower.

Many of them are mothers who share their own struggles. They tell her that they too feel trapped in suffocating marriages – some say her stories have inspired them to walk out of abusive relationships.

"You are a hero to thousands of women and many now see the possibility of a better life because of you," reads one of the top comments on one of her most-watched videos.

"When I turn 60, I hope I can be as free as you," another comment says.

A third woman asks: "Auntie Su, can I travel with you? I'll cover all the expenses. I just want to take a trip with you. I feel so trapped and depressed in my current life."

'Love yourself'

"Can you have the life of your dreams?" Su Min pondered over the call. "I want to tell you that no matter how old you are, as long as you work hard, you will definitely find your answer. Just like me, even though I'm 60 now, I found what I was looking for."

She admits it wasn't easy and she had to live frugally on her pension. She thought the video blogs might help raise some money – she had no idea they would go viral.

She talks about what she's learned over the years and her latest challenge – finalising the divorce.

"I haven't got my divorce certificate yet, because the law has a cooling-off period and we are now in that period."

One of her followers wrote that the money she paid her husband was "worth every penny", adding: "Now it's your turn to see the world and live a vibrant, unrestrained life. Congratulations, Auntie - here's to a colourful and fulfilling future!"

She says it's hard to get a divorce because "many of our laws in China are to protect the family. Women often dare not divorce because of family disharmony".

At first, she thought that Du Zhoucheng's behaviour might improve with time and distance, but she said he still threw "pots and pans" at her on her return.

He has only called her twice in the last few years – once because her highway access card was tied to his credit card and he wanted her to return 81 yuan (£0.90). She says she hasn't used that card since then.

Undeterred by the delay in securing a divorce, Su Min keeps planning more trips and hopes to one day travel abroad.

She's worried about overcoming language barriers, but is confident her story will resonate around the world - as it has in China.

"Although women in every country are different, I would like to say that no matter what environment you are in, you must be good to yourself. Learn to love yourself, because only when you love yourself can the world be full of sunshine."

Additional reporting by Fan Wang in Singapore

Vogue editor Dame Anna Wintour, U2 frontman Bono and billionaire George Soros are among those who will receive America's highest civilian honour from outgoing President Joe Biden.

The Presidential Medal of Freedom will be awarded to 19 people this year, spanning cultural icons, politicians and campaigners.

The have been chosen because are they are "good people who have made extraordinary contributions to their country and the world", the White House said.

Biden will present the medals at the White House in a ceremony on Saturday.

• Vietnam pilot who disregarded direct order gets Medal of Honor

Bono, who's real name is Paul David Hewson, has already been awarded the highest cultural honour of France and received an honorary knighthood.

He is known for campaigning against poverty and supporting those with HIV/Aids.

Wintour, one of the most significant players in fashion, has been serving as editor-in-chief of Vogue since 1988 and among other charities helped raised more than $20m for Aids research.

She also raised money for UK arts organisations following funding cuts in 2022.

Billionaire philanthropist and major Democrat donor George Soros and US politician Hillary Clinton are also among recipients.

In 2018, Soros, a Hungarian-born financier, was one of the high-profile critics of Donald Trump to be targeted by a mail bomber.

Clinton, the former US secretary of state, will receive the award just weeks before her former political rival is sworn in as president. She lost to Trump in the 2016 election.

Cultural luminaries - including actors Denzel Washington and Michael J Fox - will receive the medal alongside football star Lionel Messi, retired Los Angeles Lakers basketball player Earvin "Magic" Johnson and fashion designer Ralph Lauren.

American Film Institute founder George Stevens Jr and former Kennedy Center chair David Rubinstein are among the cohort receiving medals.

Other recipients include humanitarian and chef José Andrés, whose World Central Kitchen has helped provide food for civilians in war zones and areas hit by natural disasters; acclaimed British conservationist Jane Goodall and science educator Bill Nye.

Former US Attorney General Robert F Kennedy, former Defense Secretary Ash Carter, civil rights leader Fannie Lou Hamer and former Governor of Michigan George W Romney will receive the award posthumously.

Established under former president John F Kennedy, the medal is awarded at the discretion of the president on the advice of an external advisory panel.

Previous recipients of the award include the most decorated gymnast of all time Simone Biles, Oscar-winning actress Michelle Yeoh and Apple founder Steve Jobs.

King Charles is deeply saddened by the death of a British man who was killed in the vehicle attack in New Orleans on New Year's Day, Buckingham Palace sources say.

Edward Pettifer, 31 - who was named by the Metropolitan Police on Saturday morning - is believed to be the stepson of Alexandra Pettifer, known as Tiggy, who looked after Prince William and Prince Harry when they were children.

Palaces sources have told the BBC the King has been in touch with Mr Pettifer's family to share his personal condolences.

In a tribute, Mr Pettifer's family described him as a "wonderful son, brother, grandson, nephew and friend to so many".

'Beckham messaged me'

'I know what I have done for the sport'

The US Department of State has notified Congress of a planned $8bn (£6.4bn) arms sale to Israel, an American official has confirmed to the BBC.

The weapons consignment, which needs approval from House and Senate committees, includes air-to-air missiles to be used against airborne threats, including drones, the official said.

The move comes just over a fortnight before President Joe Biden leaves office. A source familiar with the sale told the BBC: "The President has made clear Israel has a right to defend its citizens, consistent with international law and international humanitarian law."

In August, the US approved the sale of $20bn in fighter jets and other military equipment to Israel.

Filmmaker Jeff Baena, the husband of actress Aubrey Plaza, has died aged 47, according to US media reports.

His body was discovered by an assistant at his Los Angeles home on Friday morning, where he was later pronounced dead, the reports say.

The American director, best known for films The Little Hours, Life After Beth and Joshy, married Ms Plaza in 2021.

The family told Deadline they were "devastated" and asked for privacy at this difficult time.

Ms Plaza, 40, star of TV series The White Lotus and Parks and Recreation, has not yet commented publicly on the death of her husband.

The circumstances of his death remain unclear.

Mr Baena graduated from New York University with a degree in film before moving to LA to pursue directing.

He worked in production under filmmakers Robert Zemeckis and David O'Russell, before breaking away to make his own films.

He made his directorial debut in 2014 with the release of the zombie comedy film Life After Beth, which featured Plaza.

The pair would go on to collaborate on several projects.

'Beckham messaged me'

'I know what I have done for the sport'

Supporters of an 18-year-old Briton jailed for having sex with a 17-year-old British girl in Dubai have staged a protest in central London.

Marcus Fakana from Tottenham is serving a one-year prison sentence after being convicted of having sex with the girl, who has now turned 18, when they were both on holiday.

The girl's mother reported him to the Dubai authorities after seeing messages between the two when she had returned to the UK.

The age of consent in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) is 18.

'Unfathomable sentence'

Fakana's friends and family gathered in Westminster to demand the release of the teenager.

The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office said it was supporting a British man in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

Fakana had been on bail since his arrest in September, staying in temporary accommodation in Dubai.

His parents returned to London to resume their jobs, in a warehouse and as a cleaner, to help pay for their son's accommodation.

According to the UK-based campaign group and charity Detained in Dubai - which helps foreigners abroad and is an international authority on UAE law - Fakana is in Al Awir prison, a jail for adult men on the eastern outskirts of Dubai.

Radha Stirling from the charity previously told the BBC Fakana's sentence was "unfathomable".

She said: "It does not warrant a year in jail, doesn't warrant tearing this family apart and ruining this young 18-year-old's life.

"I'm confident that, on appeal, the custodial sentence will be overturned and he will be allowed to return home.

"The question is how long is that going to take and how much effort is that going to take, whether that's British intervention or the public support in telling Dubai this is unacceptable?"

Listen to the best of BBC Radio London on Sounds and follow BBC London on Facebook, X and Instagram. Send your story ideas to hello.bbclondon@bbc.co.uk

King Charles is deeply saddened by the death of a British man who was killed in the vehicle attack in New Orleans on New Year's Day, Buckingham Palace sources say.

Edward Pettifer, 31 - who was named by the Metropolitan Police on Saturday morning - is believed to be the stepson of Alexandra Pettifer, known as Tiggy, who looked after Prince William and Prince Harry when they were children.

Palaces sources have told the BBC the King has been in touch with Mr Pettifer's family to share his personal condolences.

In a tribute, Mr Pettifer's family described him as a "wonderful son, brother, grandson, nephew and friend to so many".

Parts of the UK have been met with wintry scenes heading into the weekend, as frosty weather and snow make an appearance early in the new year.

Bitter conditions are expected to continue into next week thanks to an Arctic wind.

Several weather warnings are in place for parts of England and Wales as heavy snow and freezing rain are expected.

• Follow our weather updates

Tributes have been paid to a 13-year-old boy who died after a quad bike crash near Newry.

Tiarnán Trainor was injured in the incident on Low Road just outside Killeavy on Thursday.

He was taken to the Royal Victoria Hospital in Belfast but later died from his injuries.

St Paul's High School in Bessbrook described Tiarnán as a "much loved and popular year 10 pupil" who had recently been elected to serve on its student council.

In a statement, the school said Tiarnán had "an infectious personality" and was well known throughout the school as a "lorry fanatic".

It announced that the school oratory would be open on Saturday and Sunday for pupils and their families to come together to remember Tiarnán.

"Following the return of pupils to school next week, the Education Authority's Critical Incident Team, as well as school staff, will be available to help and support pupils at this very sad time," the school added.

Jonesborough Primary School, which Tiarnán previously attended, said: "As a community we stand in compassion with Tiarnán's family, understanding that words cannot soothe the heartbreak of loss nor grief, especially when a life ends so prematurely.

"Tiarnán was a lively and spirited boy, who will be fondly remembered by all."

Killeavy GAA club said it was "heartbroken" by the death of Tiarnán, who had been a player for its under-14 boys team.

The 12th Armagh Slieve Gullion Scouts said its leaders and members "are deeply saddened" to learn of the death.

"We have many fond memories of him in Cubs" the group added.

Armagh Summer School, where Tiarnan regularly attended its Gaelic Games camps, described the news as "heartbreaking".

"Our thoughts and prayers go to his family and friends, may he rest in peace".

Social Democratic and Labour Party (SDLP) MLA Justin McNulty described the incident as "horrendous".

"We are all just shocked by this horrible news, especially at this time of year," he said.

"We are just so devastated for the young boy's mother and father."

A man has died in a 300ft (70m) fall from a mountain ridge.

The alarm was raised following the fall from Sharp Edge on Blencathra, in the Lake District, on Thursday afternoon.

Keswick Mountain Rescue Team volunteers recovered the man's body, which was transported to the air ambulance and flown to the team's base.

The team has thanked other fell walkers who went to help, and has offered condolences to the man's family.

Follow BBC Cumbria on X, Facebook, Nextdoor and Instagram. Send your story ideas to northeastandcumbria@bbc.co.uk.

King Charles is deeply saddened by the death of a British man who was killed in the vehicle attack in New Orleans on New Year's Day, Buckingham Palace sources say.

Edward Pettifer, 31 - who was named by the Metropolitan Police on Saturday morning - is believed to be the stepson of Alexandra Pettifer, known as Tiggy, who looked after Prince William and Prince Harry when they were children.

Palaces sources have told the BBC the King has been in touch with Mr Pettifer's family to share his personal condolences.

In a tribute, Mr Pettifer's family described him as a "wonderful son, brother, grandson, nephew and friend to so many".

This article includes some discussion of the first episode of The Traitors, but does not contain major spoilers such as who the new traitors are or who gets murdered or banished.

Plot twists are happening already in Traitors season three, as one contestant from London lifted the lid on her charming - but false - Welsh accent.

Charlotte, 33, has lived in London her whole life but has decided to pretend she is from Abergavenny, in Monmouthshire, to maximise her chances of survival.

"I've been putting on a Welsh accent because my mum's from Wales, it's one of the most trustworthy accents," she told the camera on New Year's Day.

But is a Welsh lilt really the key to gaining people's trust as a faithful in the show?

The reality show centres around "traitors" selected by host Claudia Winkleman, who must deceive and gain the trust of other contestants, who are "faithfuls".

Sociolinguistics professor at Cardiff University, Dr Mercedes Durham led research into the likeability of the Welsh accent and found people associate the accent with being friendly - but not necessarily clever.

"They genuinely appreciated it, they find it funny, attractive and friendly, but they didn't take it seriously or associate it with intelligence," said Dr Durham.

But friendliness and trustworthiness are linked, says Dr Durham, so there could be a method behind the mask.

Inspiration may have come from previous Welsh contestants Andrew Jenkins from Talbot Green, Rhondda Cynon Taf, and Amanda Lovett, from Swansea, who both eliminated faithfuls and narrowly missed out on the Traitor trophy in series one and two.

Amanda sailed through the very first series of Traitors in 2023, with her opponents swearing hand on heart that the humble character could never be a traitor.

"I think the Welsh accent is very relaxing, it definitely played a role in people trusting me in being a motherly figure," said Amanda.

"Maybe they didn't think I would be sharp enough, or the type capable of murdering, that I was too naive maybe," she added.

"But I don't know if I agree with pinching our Welsh accent," Amanda laughed, "we are very proud of our Welsh heritage".

Amanda said Traitors fans may even be wary of Welsh contestants this time, as both her and Andrew took their charming accents to the very end.

Andrew agreed the Welsh accent is trustworthy, but said he would have spotted Charlotte's duff Welsh accent from a mile off.

"Oh I think it's terrible, she keeps dipping in and out of her London accent," he said.

"I just think the Welsh are lovely, friendly, trusting people, I went in and was authentic.

"I tried to make as many friends as I could and be myself to be honest, I think that helped."

Charlotte is not the only Welsh person in the game this year, as Cardiff-based Elen is from north Wales and Leanne, is from Holywell in Flintshire.

There is a lot of variation in Welsh accents, and people tend to relate more to certain regions, according to Dr Durham.

"The main association of people outside of Wales is the south Wales valleys and Barry Island in the Vale of Glamorgan, thanks to Gavin and Stacey," she said.

"Possibly more than the other two contestants, it's an accent outsiders will associate the most with Wales."

The Welsh accent has enticed new contact centres to set up or expand in Wales in recent years, including Starling Bank, Capital on Tap, Veezu and TCH Group.

One firm even chose Newport, over Teeside, Middlesborough, to open its funeral planning business, because of the "consoling" and "empathetic" Welsh accent.

Sandra Busby, chief executive of Cnect Wales, which supports contact centres, said Wales has always been an attractive location for many reasons with accents "playing their part".

"Over the years the Welsh accent always comes in the top three regional accent surveys for friendliness and for being trustworthy," she added.

What accents rival the Welsh accent?

The Welsh accent took top spot for the most relaxing accent across the UK in 2024, in a study by the University of Sheffield and Spa Seekers.

The public have a soft spot for all Celtic accents, Irish and Scottish included, thanks to their friendly connotations, said Dr Durham.

Received pronunciation, also known as "Queen's English" does well to gain people's trust, but mainly because of its social prestige.

But Birmingham, Liverpudlian and Cockney accents often aren't favoured and can be found in the lower half of popularity polls.

Trust in accents can change over time depending on our social circles and daily relationships, according to a study by Ilaria Torre from Plymouth University.

Participants heard either a standard southern English accent or a "lesser trusted" Liverpudlian accent, and attitudes changed depending on first impressions and judgements.

If a person who spoke in a "trusted" accent went on to behave fairly, then this first impression of trustworthiness increased.

Yet if they went on to behave unfairly, they were seen as less trustworthy than those who had both a lesser trusted accent and behaviour.

Participants "were punishing them, so to speak, for not living up to the participants' expectations", said Ms Torre.

On the opposite side, those who were seen as sounding "untrustworthy" with a Liverpudlian accent but acted nicely were able to reverse negative preconceptions.

So, while a Welsh lilt might start you off in good stead as a trusted contestant, the odds are still all to play for.

With a mixture of different accents from across the UK, how will the Welsh ones do?

You can find out - the first three episodes of The Traitors are now on BBC iPlayer.

The series airs on BBC One at 21:00 GMT on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday nights.

A Japanese woman, recognised as the world's oldest person by Guinness World Records, has died aged 116.

Tomiko Itooka died in a nursing home in the city of Ashiya, Hyogo Prefecture, according to officials.

She became the oldest person in the world after Spain's Maria Branyas Morera passed away in August 2024 at age 117.

"Ms Itooka gave us courage and hope through her long life," Ashiya's 27-year-old mayor Ryosuke Takashima said in a statement.

• World's oldest man: 'No special secret to long life'

"We thank her for it."

Ms Itooka was born in May 1908 – six years before the World War One and the same year that the Ford Model T car was launched in the US.

She was verified as the world's oldest person in September 2024 and was presented with the official GWR certificate on the Respect for the Aged Day, which is a Japanese public holiday celebrated annually to honour the country's elderly citizens.

Ms Itooka, who was one of three siblings, lived through world wars and pandemics as well as technological breakthroughs.

As a student, she played volleyball and climbed the 3,067-metre (10,062-foot) Mount Ontake twice.

In her older age, she enjoyed bananas and Calpis, a milky soft drink popular in Japan, according to the mayor's statement.

She married at 20, and had two daughters and two sons, according to Guinness.

During World War Two she managed the office of her husband's textile factory. She lived alone in Nara after her husband died in 1979.

She is survived by one son and one daughter, and five grandchildren. A funeral service was held with family and friends, according to officials.

As of September, Japan counted more than 95,000 people who were 100 or older - 88% of whom were women.

Of the country's 124 million people, nearly a third are 65 or older.

Brazilian nun Inah Canabarro Lucas, who was born 16 days after Itooka and is 116, is now believed to be the world's oldest person.

Shortly after Mike Johnson appeared to come up two votes shy of retaining the speakership of the House of Representatives on Friday, Marjorie Taylor Greene – the loyal Trump ally and firebrand Republican congresswoman from Georgia – stood in the middle of the House chamber, intently speaking on her mobile phone.

Although she covered the device with her hand, a sharp photographer for Reuters news agency, Evelyn Hockstein, captured the name of the person on the other end of the conversation – incoming White House chief of staff Susie Wiles.

It was a tangible sign of the enormous interest President-elect Donald Trump was taking in this vote. Trump had enthusiastically endorsed Johnson to be speaker for the incoming session of Congress earlier this week, and defeat in the first round of balloting would have been an embarrassment.

Behind the scenes, however, wheels were furiously turning – setting up a chaotic interlude in the House after Johnson had initially appeared headed to at least a temporary defeat.

At one point, Johnson walked out of the chamber, followed by two of the men who had opposed him, Ralph Norman of North Carolina and Keith Self of Texas. Meanwhile, other members of the House and their families milled about and chatted, waiting to see what happened next.

When Johnson ultimately returned, he was all smiles.

Trump himself had made a direct appeal to Norman and Self to back Johnson via speakerphone conversation, Republican sources told news outlets including Politico.

Because the vote had not been officially declared to be closed, Norman and Self were able to switch their votes to the Louisianian, putting him at just the 218 mark necessary to retain the speaker's gavel. Kentucky Congressman Thomas Massie was the lone Republican holdout.

Both Norman and Self told reporters after the vote that they had spoken to Trump during the course of the day.

Norman said he conversed with Trump twice on Friday. The first during a several-minute phone call when fellow Republican Nancy Mace handed him her phone and the president-elect was on the other line.

The second time was a longer, 15-minute call that included Norman, Johnson and Self, he said, without confirming the exact timing.

"Trump was exactly right when he told me Mike is the only one who has the likeability factor," Norman said.

He went on to describe Trump as "enthusiastic" about the Republican trifecta in Washington - control of the House, Senate and presidency.

"I said, 'Mr President I agree with you, I'm just hoping Mike has got the oomph to pull this off,'" Norman said.

Self also said he spoke with Trump several times on Friday.

"We had a discussion about the entire process," he said of his conversation with the president-elect.

Ultimately, embarrassment was avoided – even if Trump publicly appeared to be more focused on other things.

In the midst of the voting, as the names of House members were called in alphabetical order, the president-elect was complaining on social media about the possibility that US flags would be at half-staff during his 20 January inauguration – part of the traditional mourning process following the death of former president Jimmy Carter.

Friday afternoon's proceedings underscored just how tenuous the Republican majority in the House of Representatives will be over the course of the coming months.

Besides the three initial Republican votes against Johnson, another five hard-line conservatives – who have objected to the compromises Johnson has made with Democrats in the past - delayed casting their ballots during the initial roll call. While they ultimately relented, it was a very obvious shot across the speaker's bow.

After the final vote, the House Freedom Caucus – some of whom were among the temporary holdouts – released a statement explaining that they ultimately backed Johnson because of their support for Trump.

"We did this despite our sincere reservations regarding the speaker's track record over the past 15 months," they wrote.

For now, the party holds a 219 to 215 edge over Democrats - but that could shrink by two if Congresswoman Elise Stefanik of New York and Michael Waltz of Florida fill administration jobs Trump has offered them. It will be months until special elections determine their replacements.

That means Trump will have to hold his entire House Republican membership together if he wants to pass key pieces of his legislative agenda early in his presidency, including hardline immigration reforms, new tariffs, and tax and spending cuts.

As Friday demonstrated, this could be a tall task.

Additional reporting from Rachel Looker

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