At least six people have been taken to hospital after a shooting at Florida State University in Tallahassee.

One person was taken into custody after the shooting at the university's Student Union building on Thursday, according to CBS News, the BBC's US partner.

President Donald Trump said he had been briefed on the incident at the start of a meeting with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni at the White House, calling it "a shame, a horrible thing".

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis said: "Our prayers are with our FSU family and state law enforcement is actively responding."

One of the victims taken to hospital is in a critical condition, according to the Tallahassee Memorial Healthcare facility, with five others in a serious condition.

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On the morning of 8 December 2024, I waited anxiously at the Lebanese border, hoping to get into Syria as soon as the crossing opened, not knowing what to expect.

Bashar al-Assad, the president of 24 years, was gone. Opposition fighters had advanced towards Damascus, taking major cities including Aleppo. I couldn't believe what I was seeing: Syria was free.

Like many Syrians, I'd only ever known the country under the rule of Assad and his father Hafez, who had been in power from 1971 until 2000. Life under the Assads had meant more than 50 years of disappearances, incarceration - and the civil war that began in 2011 had claimed the lives of hundreds of thousands of Syrians.

I'd been detained at the start of the uprising that year, and several times afterwards; I witnessed men lined up to be beaten and heard screams of torture. Even after I left the country in 2013, I learnt that security forces had broken into my apartment in Damascus and vandalised it.

I assumed I'd lost my home country for good, then suddenly last year the dictatorship was toppled in just over a week. As I crossed the border into the country without fear of arrest, and watched rebel fighters shoot celebratory gunfire, while people rejoiced on the streets, I felt like laughing and crying at once.

For weeks, Damascus's main Umayyad Square became a hub of celebrations. Young and old talked freely about politics and everywhere Syria's future was debated openly; among street vendors and taxi drivers, boys cleaning shoes. All of this was unthinkable under Assad, as Syrians could never protest freely for fear of reprisals.

Only now, four months on, the situation is more complex. Though great strides have been made in gaining some social freedoms, there are growing concerns around what democracy will look like but also around the role of Islam in the new regime.

So, how long might these social freedoms remain – or could, as some fear, the newly won liberties be short-lived?

A return from exile for many

At Rawda Café in central Damascus, just across the road from Parliament, intellectuals gather around long tables to smoke shisha and discuss culture. Under Assad, political activists were picked up and arrested there. Rumour had it that some waiters were regime informants.

Today, it's a very different picture. The café hosts talks and music plays. Prominent figures who once fled the country have returned too – many are greeted by a band playing traditional songs with a giant drum.

Syrian journalist Mohammad Ghannam is one of them. He tells me that he spent months in prisons during Assad's regime and later moved to France; his euphoria at returning is palpable.

"I think everyone who can come back, should come back to rebuild the country," he declares. "There is a window to do whatever you want now compared with before 8 December 2024."

Reflecting on the past, he adds: "Even preachers in the mosques needed to get approval and know what they were going to preach. [Now] it's completely free. [At] Friday prayers the Imam was talking about how your personal freedom shouldn't step on other people's freedom."

Odai al-Zobi has also recently returned to Syria after 14 years – he left to study but says he was unable to come back before now because he was outspoken about the regime.

"My books were banned here," he tells me. "Now there is no censorship, you can read whatever you want. I was very surprised that a lot of people want to read and want to know more."

"This is a big change," agrees Ali al-Atassi, a Syrian documentary-maker and son of former Syrian President Noureddine al-Atassi. (His father was deposed in a coup by Hafez al-Assad.)

"It changed the rules of the game, and opened a lot of perspectives for the country."

Protecting the arts scene

Syria's vibrant arts and culture scene has long been a source of the country's pride: the Assads supported it, wanting to present a rich culture to the world yet some artists and writers were killed for their views on the regime.

Even carrying certain books was once cause for arrest. Today, however, all kinds of books are on display in shops around the capital - even political titles. Cinema clubs screen films that were previously banned too.

For weeks after Assad's fall, the caretaker government didn't appoint a Minister of Culture, but musicians and artists grouped together to protect the culture scene.

Now, however, there are fresh concerns: while Syria under Assad saw political debates repressed, some worry that repression by clerics could end up forbidding some forms of art seen as anti-religious.

There is no clear evidence of this. Dr Maher Al Sharaa, the brother of the interim president, has been seen at the city's Opera House with his family; Vivaldi was played by Syrian musicians. The family looked like any modern one who would go on a weekend for theatre.

And after the fall of Assad, a cultural event with talks about cinema, music, theatre and performances was held at Beit Farhi, a historic house in the heart of Damascus's Jewish quarter. An all-female orchestra played songs that praised revolutions and martyrs. Some in the audience were left in tears.

"It is great to have this opportunity to talk among us about how to protect and support the art scene in Syria," says Noura Murad, a choreographer.

Mr al-Atassi also chooses to be optimistic. "I believe the Syrians won't allow this regime to enter in their private lives, to create rules on how to behave in the public space."

A concentration of power

When Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa, who led the rebel offensive that overthrew Assad, was appointed by a military council on 29 January, he delivered a speech in which he stressed that the priority was to "fill the power vacuum in a legitimate and legal way".

But months on, there is concern among some around the likelihood of building a lasting democracy. And there is no system in place to hold officials, including the president, accountable until a permanent constitution is adopted and elections are held.

"The past few months, the regime has not been ready to share power and allow other political and social forces to find their place in society," argues Mr Al-Atassi. "Without opening up the political arena to other forces, I don't think Sharaa can bring Syria back to the international community."

In February, hundreds gathered at the People's Palace in Damascus for a two-day national dialogue about Syria's future. Some critics argued that the meeting was organised in haste and was too short to cover all the key topics.

According to Abdulhay Sayed, a Syrian legal expert and managing partner at Sayed and Sayed law firm, it was neither representative nor truly reflective of consensus.

"Large segments of Syrian society felt excluded or unrepresented," he argues. "[It] was conceived as a mechanism to simulate wider assent."

However, he concedes: "It does reflect a certain willingness on the part of the new authorities to expand the scope of consultation."

Sharaa, who was leader of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), the former al-Qaeda affiliate and Islamist group that dominated the rebel alliance, has clearly states his commitment to establishing a country with "free and impartial elections".

He has also appointed a committee to work on a constitutional declaration, which laid out Syria's future over a five-year transitional period. However, the subsequent declaration didn't enshrine the separation of powers.

"He needs to show that he's more serious about political participation from all groups," says Mr Al-Atassi.

There are some examples of this: a Christian female minister was appointed minister for social affairs, while head of the White Helmet civil defence group, became minister of emergencies and disasters. But some have raised concerns about the appointment of Sharaa's brother as head of presidential affairs.

"High-ranking former HTS members now occupy key sovereign positions," says Mr Sayed.

Mr Al-Atassi also claims that "highly qualified people in international law were not asked to participate in the Cabinet. They were overlooked."

The Minister of Justice holds a degree in Sharia law (Islam's legal system, derived from the Quran), and is not an expert on Syria's Civil Code, which draws heavily on French and Ottoman law. One question being asked is whether codes based on Sharia law could be applied rather than civil ones.

"The new authorities have so far made no attempt to replace the existing legal codes with Sharia-inspired legislation," says Mr Sayed. However, he adds, "this remains an area we continue to monitor closely.

"The most pressing concern is whether judicial independence will be restored and effectively safeguarded. This represents a major challenge.

"There is little indication that the new authorities are genuinely committed to re-establishing an independent judiciary."

Freedom of women and religion

Under Assad's regime, women had relatively equal rights and had been represented in parliament since the 1950s, as well as being present in society at all levels. There are no new written rules that might point to how that could change – but there are some worrying signs.

Only one woman was appointed in the interim government. According to research by University College London and McGill University, women's rights advocates have raised concerns over HTS enforcing an interpretation of Islamic law, which could for example severely restrict women's mobility, dress and public participation.

"One important area to watch is whether women judges – who make up approximately 35 to 40 per cent of the judiciary – will face marginalisation or dismissal," says Mr Sayed. "So far, we have seen no signs of such a trend, but continued vigilance is essential."

As for religious freedoms, there have been no new laws or rulings restricting on social life, but some Syrians report that they have seen what appear to be attempts to enforce Islamic rule.

The Ministry of Justice has begun separating entry for men and women, plus there have been reports of men distributing flyers on buses and in Umayyad Mosque in Damascus asking women to wear full-faced veils.

In Christian neighbourhoods in the capital, cars have been filmed driving through the streets with preachers advocating for Islam over loudspeakers. An order to shut down bars and restaurants in the old city's Christian quarter was only revoked after a public outcry.

Some observers of Islam tell me they are worried. Damascus is known for its tolerance but there are fears in some quarters that the new authorities have a Salafi background (a strict, orthodox Sunni Muslim sect).

"There is an increasing call for a return to religious values," says Mr Sayed. "This presents a profound challenge for those who still believe in democracy, the rule of law, and equal citizenship."

However Husam Jazmati, a Syrian academic who researches Islamic movements at the civil society research organisation Impact, claims that Sharaa "opposes both Islamist and non-Islamist political movements [and] neither wants to establish an Islamic state nor believes it's possible.

"They don't want to, and they can't".

Even if the government wanted to instil hardline practices, the question is whether they could? Alaa El Din Al Sayyek, an imam based in Damascus, thinks not. He argues that Syrians would reject any attempt to do so.

"It is impossible, our society will not accept it," he tells me. "We have lived in harmony with different sects for years even during difficult times. The Quran says it clearly: no compulsion in religion."

Competing visions for the future

Today there are growing tensions: violence in coastal cities has left more than 1,400 people dead, many of them Alawites (part of Assad's minority sect). They were said to be revenge for attacks on Syrian security forces.

Elsewhere, in the north east of the country, even though the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) declared victory over IS in 2019, camps still hold about 56,000 people, many of them the family members of Islamic State group (IS) suspects, more than five years after the jihadists' territorial defeat in Syria.

The main question now facing the country, however, is how Syrians see their future. There are some tensions around this, which have seeped into a push-pull between the leadership and HTS, according to Mr Jazmati.

He claims that while Sharaa's top circle wants to build "a conservative, economically liberal" state, "they can't stop many of their members – those they've appointed in various positions and rely on because they're trusted – from trying to Islamise public life in Syria."

The think tank International Crisis Group has similar concerns. It has said that it believes Syria is living "on borrowed time".

"The interim government is running out of funds, security forces are overstretched, poverty is deepening and insurgency is brewing at the periphery. Outsiders are meddling. Western sanctions deprive leaders of what they need to rebuild, while preventing fragmentation or a return to civil war."

For Mr Al-Atassi, the solution is straightforward: He believes Sharaa needs to open up the political arena. "There are no elections today in Syria, there are only nominations," he says. "This is very dangerous."

With a pause, he adds: "It could be that a new dictatorship is in the making - but I don't believe that the Syrian people are ready, after five decades, to accept a new dictatorship."

And as for the prospect of lasting democracy? "We need to wait to see," he says. "But I'm not at all optimistic."

However there is a wider issue too. That is, could there be a wider loss of faith in the very idea of democracy given the country's recent history?

Mr Sayed thinks so. "Though the Assad-era constitutions formally proclaimed political freedoms… our experience of political modernity came in the form of shells falling on our heads, while our bodies were laid bare in detention camps," he tells me.

"Large segments of the Syrian population have lost faith in the promises of political modernity."

Of the many challenges facing the new leadership, perhaps it is this that they would be wise to address first as they continue to carve out a new path for the future of Syria.

Top picture credit: Getty Images

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Half a million weapons obtained by the Taliban in Afghanistan have been lost, sold or smuggled to militant groups, sources have told the BBC - with the UN believing that some have fallen into the hands of al-Qaeda affiliates.

The Taliban took control of around one million weapons and pieces of military equipment - which had mostly been funded by the US - when it regained control of Afghanistan in 2021, according to a former Afghan official who spoke to the BBC anonymously.

As the Taliban advanced through Afghanistan in 2021, many Afghan soldiers surrendered or fled, abandoning their weapons and vehicles. Some equipment was simply left behind by US forces.

The cache included American-made firearms, such as M4 and M16 rifles, as well as other older weapons in Afghan possession that had been left behind from decades of conflict.

Sources have told the BBC that, at the closed-door UN Security Council's Sanctions Committee in Doha late last year, the Taliban admitted that at least half of this equipment is now "unaccounted" for.

A person from the committee said they had verified with other sources that the whereabouts of half a million items was unknown.

In a report in February, the UN stated that al-Qaeda affiliates, including Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan, the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan, the East Turkestan Islamic Movement, and Yemen's Ansarullah movement, were accessing Taliban-captured weapons or buying them on the black market.

The BBC put this to Hamdullah Fitrat, deputy spokesperson for the Taliban government, who told the BBC it took the protection and storage of weapons very seriously.

"All light and heavy weapons are securely stored. We strongly reject claims of smuggling or loss," he said.

A 2023 UN report said the Taliban allowed local commanders to retain 20% of seized US weapons, and that the black market was thriving as a result. These commanders are affiliated to the Taliban but often have a degree of autonomy in their regions.

The UN noted that the "gifting of weapons is widely practiced between local commanders and fighters to consolidate power. The black market remains a rich source of weaponry for the Taliban".

A former journalist in the city of Kandahar told the BBC that an open arms market existed there for a year after the Taliban takeover, but has since gone underground via the messaging service WhatsApp. On it, wealthy individuals and local commanders trade new and used US weapons and equipment - mostly the weapons left by US-backed forces.

The number of weapons recorded by the US body tasked with overseeing Afghan reconstruction projects, known as Sigar, is lower than those cited by our sources, but in a 2022 report it acknowledged it was unable to get accurate information.

The reason given for this was that equipment has been funded and supplied by various US departments and organisations over the years.

Sigar added that there had been "shortfalls and issues with DoD's [Department of Defense] processes for tracking equipment in Afghanistan" for more than a decade.

It also criticised the State Department, adding: "State provided us limited, inaccurate, and untimely information about the equipment and funds it left behind." The department denied this was the case.

This is very much a political issue, and US President Donald Trump has repeatedly said that he will reclaim weapons from Afghanistan. He said that $85bn (£66bn) of advanced weaponry was left there.

"Afghanistan is one of the biggest sellers of military equipment in the world, you know why? They're selling the equipment that we left," Trump said during his first cabinet meeting of the new administration.

"I want to look into this. If we need to pay them, that's fine, but we want our military equipment back."

The president's figure has been disputed, as money spent in Afghanistan also funded training and salaries. Also, Afghanistan did not feature in the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute's top 25 largest exporters of major arms last year.

In response to Trump's comments, Zabihullah Mujahid, the Taliban's chief spokesperson, told Afghan state TV: "We seized these weapons from the previous administration and will use them to defend the country and counter any threats."

The Taliban regularly parades US weapons, including at Bagram Airfield, which served as the main US-Nato base, and frame them as symbols of victory and legitimacy.

After withdrawing in 2021, the Pentagon claimed US equipment left in Afghanistan was disabled, but the Taliban have since built a capable military using US weapons and gained superiority over rival groups, such as the National Resistance Front and Islamic State Khorasan Province - the regional affiliate of the Islamic State group.

A source from the former Afghan government told the BBC that "hundreds" of unused Humvees, mine-resistant ambush protected vehicles (MRAPs), and Black Hawk helicopters remain in Kandahar warehouses.

The Taliban has showcased some of this captured equipment in propaganda videos, but their ability to operate and maintain advanced machinery, such as Black Hawk helicopters, is limited due to a lack of trained personnel and technical expertise. Much of this sophisticated equipment remains non-operational.

However, the Taliban have been able to utilise more straightforward equipment, like Humvees and small arms, in their operations.

While Donald Trump appears determined to reclaim US weapons from Afghanistan, the former head of Sigar, John Sopko, says such an attempt would be pointless.

At a recent event hosted by the Afghan Institute for Strategic Studies, he said that "the cost would exceed its actual value".

Whether Trump will take any action remains to be seen, but, in the meantime, concerns about the spread of weapons in the region and access by militant groups remain unresolved.

A strike among bin workers in Birmingham has left piles of waste around the city.

At the heart of the dispute is the removal of the role of Waste Recycling and Collection Officers (WRCO), who were paid more than some other bin workers.

How much do regular bin workers earn?

Bin workers can be paid differently, depending on their role in the process of bin collection.

The Office for National Statistics (ONS) publishes estimated earnings for the category "refuse and salvage occupations" whose role is to "supervise and undertake the collection and processing of refuse".

According to the ONS, these workers earned an average £26,543 in 2024, which equates to a little over £13 per hour. The minimum wage for workers over 21 in 2024 was £11.44 per hour.

The National Careers Service says that the pay range for a bin worker is on average between £24,000 and £30,000 per year, or equivalent to between £11.50 and £14.50 an hour.

Birmingham City Council told us that the pay band for loaders - the most junior people working on a bin lorry - in Birmingham was £24,027 to £25,992 - that's about £11.50 to £12.50 an hour.

Do any bin workers get paid more?

Drivers are counted in a different category - heavy and large goods vehicle drivers - whose average earnings were £38,337, according to the ONS.

In Birmingham, they are on a scale from £33,366 to £40,476.

The bin lorry drivers in Birmingham were accompanied by two loaders and a WRCO, but the council now wants to cut the crews to three by getting rid of the role of the WRCOs.

WRCOs are on a higher pay band than the loaders - £26,409 to £32,654. We asked Birmingham City Council for their full job description but were not given it.

Unite, the union representing the striking workers, says this back of the lorry role is "safety critical" but the council says that "none of the roles make any specific reference to there being a lead person responsible for health and safety", as this is something all members of staff have a duty to follow.

It also said keeping the higher-paid role could open up the council to more equal pay claims as refuse collection is a job overwhelmingly performed by men.

How much could Birmingham bin workers lose?

Unite claims that the scrapping of the WRCO role will leave some workers having to accept pay cuts of up to £8,000.

The council says that the figures are "incorrect" and "no-one will lose £8,000 per annum". Their estimate is that the maximum amount anyone could lose would be "just over £6,000".

The union has got to the £8,000 figure by considering somebody who decides to accept a position as a loader once their WRCO role is scrapped - and not take the council's alternative suggestions. They calculated the loss moving from the top of the pay scale for WRCOs - £32,654 - to the bottom of the pay scale for loaders - £24,027.

Where you are on the pay scale is known as your spinal point and is usually determined by the number of years you've been doing the job and some additional factors.

It's because of these spinal points that it's unlikely that somebody would move from the top of one pay scale to the bottom of a more junior one, especially when that junior role is in the same sector of services.

Max Winthrop, a member of the Law Society's Employment Law Committee, said: "I'd normally expect the spinal point on the higher grading to be maintained when a lower graded post was offered."

He does say, though, that it's "not impossible" for the opposite to happen if both sides agree to such a contract.

The council has reached its maximum pay cut figure by assuming that a WRCO, who decides to stay as a bin worker despite the lower pay scale for loaders, would preserve his spinal point. That is more realistic, but still a pay cut of at least 18%.

A consultation on plans for compulsory redundancies affecting up to 72 refuse staff began on 3 April.

What about agency workers?

In a response to a Freedom of Information request, the council said that, as of the end of 2024, it employed 736 workers directly in refuse collection and 493 agency workers.

It said that the average cost of employing agency workers was £18.44 an hour, although that may include loaders, WRCOs and drivers and is the amount being paid by the council, not the amount received by the workers.

That would work out at a cost to the council of about £38,000 a year if the worker was employed full time.

The FOI also asked the length of service of the longest serving agency worker employed by the council and was told that they had been doing the job for 13 years.

Additional reporting by David Verry

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A ground-breaking project to suck carbon out of the sea has started operating on England's south coast.

The small pilot scheme, known as SeaCURE, is funded by the UK government as part of its search for technologies that fight climate change.

There's broad consensus amongst climate scientists that the overwhelming priority is to cut greenhouse gas emissions, the chief cause of global warming.

But many scientists also believe that part of the solution will have to involve capturing some of the gases that have already been released.

These projects, known as carbon capture, usually focus either on capturing emissions at source or pulling them from the air.

What makes SeaCure interesting is that it is testing whether it might be more efficient to pull planet-warming carbon from the sea, since it's present in greater concentrations in water than in the air.

To reach the project's entrance you have to go round the back of the Weymouth Sealife Centre and walk past a sign that says "Caution: Moray Eels may Bite".

There's a reason this ground-breaking project has been placed here.

It's a pipe that snakes under the stony beach and out into the Atlantic, sucking up seawater and bringing it onshore.

The project is trying to find whether removing carbon from the water might be a cost effective way of reducing the amount of the climate warming gas CO2 in the atmosphere.

SeaCURE processes the seawater to remove the carbon before pumping it back out to sea where it absorbs more CO2.

We're the first broadcast journalists to visit and Professor Tom Bell from Plymouth Marine Laboratory is tasked with showing us around.

He explains that the process begins by treating some of the seawater to make it more acidic. This encourages the carbon that's dissolved in the seawater to turn into a gas and be released into the atmosphere as CO2.

"This is the seawater stripper" Prof Bell says with a smile as we turn a corner.

The "stripper" is a large stainless steel tank which maximises the amount of contact between the acidic seawater and the air.

"When you open a fizzy drink it froths, that's the CO2 coming out." Prof Bell says. "What we're doing by spreading the seawater on a large surface area. It's a bit like pouring a drink on the floor and allowing the CO2 to come out of the seawater really quickly."

The CO2 that emerges into the air is sucked away and then concentrated using charred coconut husks ready to be stored.

The low-carbon seawater then has alkali added to it – to neutralise the acid that was added – and is then pumped back out into a stream that flows into the sea.

Once back in the sea it immediately start to absorb more CO2 from the atmosphere contributing in a very small way to reducing greenhouse gases.

There are already much more developed carbon capture technologies which take carbon directly out of the air – but Dr Paul Halloran who leads the SeaCURE project tells me that using water instead has it's advantages.

"Seawater has got loads of carbon in it compared to the air, about 150 times more," says Dr Halloran.

"But it's got different challenges, the energy requirements to generate the products that we require to do this from seawater are huge."

At present the amount of CO2 this pilot project is removing is tiny – at most 100 metric tonnes per year – that's about the carbon footprint of about 100 transatlantic flights. But given the size the world's oceans those behind SeaCURE think it has potential.

In it's submission to the UK government SeaCURE said the technology had the potential to be massively scaled up to remove 14 bn tonnes of CO2 a year if 1% of the world's seawater on the ocean's surface was processed.

For that to be plausible the entire process for stripping the carbon – would have to be powered by renewable energy. Possibly by solar panels in a floating installation at sea.

"Carbon removal is necessary. If you want to reach net zero emissions and net zero emissions is needed to halt further warming," says Dr Oliver Geden who's part of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and an expert in carbon capture.

"Capturing directly from seawater is one of the options. Directly capturing it from the air is another one. There are basically 15 to 20 options, and in the end the question of what to use, of course, will depend on the cost."

The Seacure project has £3m of funding from the government and is one of 15 pilot projects being backed in the UK as part of efforts to develop technologies that capture and store greenhouse gases.

"Removing greenhouse gases from the atmosphere is essential in helping us achieve net zero," says energy minister Kerry McCarthy. "Innovative projects like SeaCURE at the University of Exeter play an important role in creating the green technologies needed to make this happen, while supporting skilled jobs and boosting growth."

'Some impact on environment'

There's also the question of what a large quantity of low-carbon water would do to the sea and the things that live in it. In Weymouth it dribbles out of a pipe in such small quantities its unlikely to have any impact.

Guy Hooper is a Phd student at Exeter University and is researching the possible impacts of the project. He's been exposing marine creatures to low-carbon water under laboratory conditions.

"Marine organisms rely on carbon to do certain things," he says. "So phytoplankton use carbon to photosynthesize while things like mussels also use carbon to build their shells."

Hooper says early indications are that massively increasing the amount of low-carbon water could have some impact on the environment.

"It might be damaging but there might be ways to mitigate that – for example through pre-diluting the low-carbon water. It's important this is included in the discussion early on."

Most fire services in England are facing a shortfall in funding after the government failed to give them the same level of compensation for tax increases as the police.

The government is giving police forces an extra £230m which it says will fully cover the cost of the rise in employers' National Insurance contributions (Nics) which came into force last week.

Fire services face a similar rise in their wages bill – but the 31 that are directly funded by the government will only get top-up funds that cover 50% of the increase on average, according to BBC research.

One fire service said the 50% shortfall was the same cost as "a fully-staffed fire engine".

A spokesperson for the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) declined to comment on the discrepancy but did thank firefighters for their "dedication".

The government faced a backlash from business and charities after Chancellor Rachel Reeves used her first Budget to increase Nics made by employers from 13.8% to 15%.

The Treasury says it will cover the extra costs faced by government departments and public sector employers.

In February, the then minister for policing, Dame Diana Johnson, told MPs the national insurance increases would be "fully funded" in the police settlement – the annual funding agreement for forces in England and Wales.

The government also provided £502m in top-up funds for fire authorities and councils in their annual settlement grant to cover Nics rises.

But the National Fire Chiefs Council says that even with the extra money fire services will be £20m short of the £40m needed to cover national insurance increases.

The BBC contacted all 43 fire authority in England and Wales to ask how much the NICs increase is set to cost and cross-referenced that with the size of the grant they are getting to compensate for it.

The data obtained shows the average shortfall to be 50%.

It covers three quarters of the fire services in England and Wales, because 10 fire authorities do not separate out grant money from the money given to the whole county council.

But the Home Office's own estimate is that the cost of the Nics rise to all fire authorities is £40m, which also lends weight to the fire chiefs' claims of a 50% shortfall.

NFCC chair Phil Garrigan said: "Bridging this gap in funding and making sure there is sustained investment in fire and rescue will be crucial for ensuring we can continue to keep communities safe.

"What we would have reasonably expected to see is fire treated in the same way as our colleagues in the police, with the whole shortfall covered."

Biggest shortfall

Fire Brigades Union general secretary Steve Wright said fire services had already had more than a decade of cuts and the Nics shortfall was coming on top of " yet another below inflation funding settlement".

"If national insurance contributions are not covered fully by central funds, this will further eat into fire service budgets," he said.

"When compared to the police, the cost of covering the rise in national insurance contributions for the fire service is very small, so we urge the government to do the right thing and to avoid another de-facto cut."

Funding for fire services is complex because there are several different types of fire authority split into two funding models - but nearly three-quarters of fire authorities have received direct grants from the government, worth £11.9m overall.

Those direct grants were provided to 31 fire authorities - five authorities run by metro mayors and 26 combined fire authorities (CFAs), five of which have Police, Fire and Crime Commissioners (PFCCs).

The biggest shortfall was 67% in West Yorkshire, followed by 60% in Humberside, and the smallest was 17% in Essex, followed by 32% in Cumbria.

There are 10 more fire authorities where a county council runs the fire service, and Nics grants for the fire service were mixed in with the Nics top-ups for council staff, making the total for just the fire service difficult to untangle.

London and Greater Manchester also have their own structures, where the mayor has overall responsibility for Fire and Rescue services, and funding is again not separated out from Nics grants for council staff.

Budget papers from Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Services confirmed estimates suggested they could see a 50% shortfall in funding, which "would equate to the cost of one fully-staffed fire engine".

A spokesman for Greater London Fire and Rescue Service said the mayor of London had provided an additional £2.5m top-up funding to cover the £4.4m (36%) shortfall left by the government grant.

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This week saw more talks to agree a ceasefire in the Ukraine war, Hollywood star Mickey Rourke kicked out of Celebrity Big Brother, and scientists find new evidence of possible life on another planet.

But how much attention did you pay to what else has been going on in the world over the past seven days?

Quiz compiled by Ben Fell.

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The best thing about Coachella is that it happens twice - so if you missed the first weekend, don't worry!

Lady Gaga, Travis Scott, Charli XCX and everyone else will return to the Colorado Desert on Friday for a second dose of musical mayhem, and punishing gusts of wind.

Better yet, the opening weekend let us know who was worth watching (Lady Gaga), who we can safely avoid (Travis Scott) and who might be this year's breakout star (Benson Boone).

With that in mind, here's a guide to this weekend's sets - and when you can watch them on Coachella's comprehensive YouTube livestream.

1) Lady Gaga confronts her inner demons

Lady Gaga's elaborate stage performances have been known to collapse under the weight of their own ambition. Not this time.

Her second visit to Coachella, after stepping in as a last-minute replacement for Beyoncé in 2017, was one of the greatest pop performances ever. Two hours full of energy and presence and pounding synth hooks.

Staged in a crumbling gothic opera house, the two-hour show depicted the star's inner angels and demons wrestling for her soul.

During Poker Face, the two sides faced off in a deadly game of chess; while Perfect Celebrity - a song about her tabloid commodification in the 2000s - saw her buried in a shallow grave, singing to a skeleton.

It was bold and audacious and over the top, in all the best ways, with celebratory, nine-minute performance of Bad Romance to cap it all off.

If you only watch one performance, make it this one.

Watch on the Coachella Stage at 11:10pm on Friday (local time), or 7:10am on Saturday (UK time).

2) Missy Elliot makes up for lost time

Despite a career that's lasted three decades, Missy Elliot only staged her first ever tour last year.

Luckily, tracks like Get Ur Freak On, Lose Control and Pass That Dutch still sound as fresh and futuristic now as they did first time around - and Missy's relative lack of stage experience was never apparent.

She arrived onstage inside a giant car exo-skeleton, like a hip-hop Transformer, and sped through her set with pin-sharp choreography and boundless good humour.

The only downside was that her set had to end after just 55 minutes.

Watch on the Coachella Stage at 9:00pm on Friday (local time), or 5:00am on Saturday (UK time).

3) Lola Young fights the flu

"I'm either going to faint or throw up," declared Lola Young near the start of her set last weekend. "One of the two is about to happen".

The British singer, whose song Messy has been embraced by fans worldwide, was battling sickness and heatstroke throughout her set. But she powered through, leading a mass singalong to Messy, and debuting a new single called Spiders.

With her health back on track, her second weekend performance should erase any bad memories from her debut.

Watch on the Mojave Stage at 4:50pm on Friday (local time), or 12:50am on Saturday (UK time).

4) Green Day are 'not part of the MAGA agenda'

Although Travis Scott closed the main stage on Saturday, Green Day were technically the headliners - and the California band delivered a thrilling, cathartic set worthy of their billing.

They plunged head-first into a furious rendition of American Idiot, keeping up their recent tradition of changing the lyrics, so that frontman Billie Joe Armstrong sang: "I'm not part of the MAGA agenda".

That aside, politics were kept to a minimum, as the group delivered a high-voltage blast of their greatest hits, from the bratty pop-punk of Basket Case to the more reflective Boulevard of Broken Dreams.

Watch on the Coachella Stage at 9:05pm on Saturday (local time), or 5:05am on Sunday (UK time).

5) Post Malone's good-time hoedown

"Post-ee, Post-ee, Post-ee."

It might have been the end of the weekend, but fans still had energy to spare for Post Malone's headline slot on Sunday night.

He rewarded them with a laid-back set, that repurposed some of his earlier pop/rap hits with the "yee-haw" twang of his recent album F-1 Trillion.

It all worked surprisingly well, although the eight-piece band occasionally overpowered his voice, and some fans were disappointed by the lack of hip-hop beats - saying the show would have been better suited to Coachella's sister festival Stagecoach (which is where Post launched his country phase last year).

Surprisingly, the set was devoid of special guests, leading to speculation that the 29-year-old was holding fire for weekend two.

As someone who's recently collaborated with Taylor Swift, Beyoncé and Dolly Parton, that could definitely be worth staying up for.

Watch on the Coachella Stage at 10:25pm on Sunday (local time), or 6:25am on Monday (UK time).

6) Back to Black(pink)

In 2019, Blackpink made history by becoming the first Korean group to headline Coachella. This year, two of its members - Lisa and Jennie - were back with dazzling solo sets, before the band reconvenes for a stadium tour in the summer.

Lisa was up first, on Friday night, with a slick, highly-choreographed set that combined hard-edged rap cuts like Money and Lifestyle, with the softer sounds of Moonlit Floor and Dream.

After her appearance in the third series of The White Lotus, she clarified that music is, in fact, her main job. Backstage, she held a post-mortem on the performance with her bandmate Rosé (Conclusion: The desert wind makes it hard to sing).

Jennie packed the Outdoor Theater on Sunday evening, for a set of clubby disco anthems that don't sound a million miles away from her friend and collaborator Dua Lipa.

Highlights included the bombastic Like Jennie - produced by Diplo, and boasting it's own viral dance break - and the swoonsome pop of Love Hangover, which showcased her vocal abilities.

The 29-year-old has never been the most precise performer, but it somehow works to her advantage - making her more "real" than the imperious perfection of her peers.

Watch Lisa on the Sahara Stage at 7:45pm on Friday (local time), or 3:45am on Saturday (UK time). Jennie plays the Outdoor Theatre at 7:45pm on Sunday (local time), or 3:45am on Monday (UK time).

7) Brat Summer 2: Electric Boogaloo

Charli XCX drew one of the weekend's biggest crowds, for a sleazy, hedonistic run-through of her sleazy, hedonistic breakout album, Brat.

Performing entirely on her own, the star was in constant motion - a mesmerising blur of hip-rolls, hair tosses, stomach crunches and knee-drops, as she turned Coachella's main stage into sweat-drenched, laser-lit club night.

Compared to the maximalism of other sets, it was a lesson in how one person can hold a stage on their own... Well, almost.

At several points, she brought out her collaborators from Brat's companion album - Troye Sivan, Billie Eilish and Lorde. It was, one excitable fan commented, "like The Avengers for gay people".

Whether the guest-list will be the same on Coachella's second weekend remains to be seen. But Charli is worth your time either way.

Watch on the Coachella Stage at 7:15pm on Saturday (local time), or 3:15am on Sunday (UK time).

8) Benson Boone vs d4vd

Anyone who's had the pleasure of watching Benson Boone over the last year will know he's fond of performing a front flip off his piano, the big show off.

He didn't let us down at Coachella - bouncing around the stage like a Duracell Bunny attached to a car battery. To cap it all off, he brought out Brian May for a surprisingly successful version of Bohemian Rhapsody.

Less fortunate, however, was Texan singer d4vd, whose attempt at a backflip went disastrously wrong.

Thankfully, he recovered in time to pull off an energetic set that highlighted the life-affirming vibes of his bedroom pop hits Feel It and What Are You Waiting For.

After the set, he swore to practice harder for this weekend's performance. "Imagine if I fall again," he cringed.

Watch Benson Boone on the Coachella Stage at 7:05pm on Friday (local time), or 3:45 am on Saturday (UK Time). D4vd plays the Gobi Stage at 5:55pm on Friday (local time), or 1:55am on Saturday (UK time).

9) Gustavo Dudamel's genre-defying live mixtape

Last Saturday, the entire LA Philharmonic Orchestra boarded a bus and set off for the desert to make their Coachella debut.

Under the baton of Venezuelan conductor Gustavo Dudamel, they performed what was billed as "Gustavo's mixtape" - moving seamlessly between classical standards like Wagner's Ride of the Valkyries and Beethoven's Fifth Symphony, and modern pop hits.

For the latter, they were joined on stage by a host of A-list stars, including indie titan Beck, Icelandic songstress Laufey, country singer Maren Morris and rap icon LL Cool J.

"I told to the orchestra, 'I'm so happy conducting, but I wish I could be in the middle of the crowd and enjoy the moment,'" Dudamel told Variety magazine ahead of the show.

Weekend two will feature an all-new array of guest stars, he promised, but details are being kept under wraps for now.

The LA Philharmonic plays the Outdoor Theatre at 6:25pm on Saturday (local time), or 2:25am on Sunday (UK time).

10) T-Pain is the ultimate party starter

"It took me 20 years to get on this stage," said T-Pain towards the end of his set on Saturday, and he certainly made the most of his hour-long set.

He covered Journey's Don't Stop Believin' and Chris Stapleton's country hit Tennessee Whiskey, while racing through early 2000s hits like Buy U A Drank and I'm In Luv, and revisiting his verses on Flo Rida's Low, and Kanye West's Good Life.

For that, he received a hero's welcome, with the crowd treating his set as an excuse for some turn of the millennium escapism.

By the time it ended, a campaign had started for T-Pain to play next year's Super Bowl half-time show.

Watch on the Coachella Stage at 5:25pm on Saturday (local time), or 1:25am on Sunday (UK time).

Other sets worth watching

Luckily, you're not forced to stay up all night to watch the stars strut their stuff in California.

Coachella's generous livestreams repeat throughout the day, and you can rewind several hours to find the performances you want.

Other highlights from the first weekend included Megan Thee Stallion, whose star-studded set included appearances from Queen Latifah, Victoria Monét, and Ciara; and Kraftwerk, reminding everyone that they essentially invented electronic music.

Belinda Carlisle reunited with her old band The Go-Gos for a dose of sun-kissed 1980s nostalgia, and the UK's Sam Fender tore through a blistering set that showcased the songwriting chops of his new album, People Watching.

Among the newcomers with main stage aspirations were South Africa's hip-swivelling R&B star Tyla, and New York dance act Fcukers, whose breakout hit Bon Bon was one of the weekend's most inescapable tracks.

You can see the full line-up for Coachella's second weekend on the festival's website.

At least six people have been taken to hospital after a shooting at Florida State University in Tallahassee.

One person was taken into custody after the shooting at the university's Student Union building on Thursday, according to CBS News, the BBC's US partner.

President Donald Trump said he had been briefed on the incident at the start of a meeting with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni at the White House, calling it "a shame, a horrible thing".

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis said: "Our prayers are with our FSU family and state law enforcement is actively responding."

One of the victims taken to hospital is in a critical condition, according to the Tallahassee Memorial Healthcare facility, with five others in a serious condition.

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

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The Prison Service will conduct a snap review into whether protective body armour should be made available to front-line staff, the justice secretary has said.

Shabana Mahmood's announcement comes after Manchester Arena bomber Hashem Abedi threw hot oil at prison officers and stabbed them with makeshift weapons at HMP Frankland on Saturday.

In a statement, Mahmood also said that alongside an independent Ministry of Justice review into the attack, she would now be auditing the implementation of previous review recommendations into extremism in UK prisons.

On Wednesday the Prison Officers' Association (POA) union called on Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer to strengthen security for its members.

The union's general secretary Steve Gillan said he was writing to the prime minister about the issue, which would include the supply of stab-proof vests for staff.

A prison officer at HMP Frankland, in County Durham, also called for stab vests to be made available, warning staff could die unless security measures are urgently changed across all UK prisons.

Speaking to the BBC on condition of anonymity, the prison officer said: "I think stab vests would help us feel safer and I don't get why they won't give us those.

"There needs to be an urgent change in security measures or someone is going to die."

It is thought that the Prison Service's snap review into protective body armour will present its findings in the next few months, and will consult unions.

Since the attack, all prisoners in the separation unit where Abedi was held at HMP Frankland have been moved. Abedi himself has been moved to London's high-security Belmarsh prison, while the other six prisoners have been moved to HMP Woodhill, a source told the BBC.

Access to kitchens in the UK's separation centres - used to house a small number of inmates deemed to be the most dangerous and extremist - was suspended by the government following the incident.

"But it is clear there are further questions to answer, and more that must be done," Mahmood said.

Mahmood said she knew "full well the dangers of the warped ideology of Islamist extremists" and added: "I will not tolerate it within our prisons."

She said she would also audit the carrying out of 230 recommendations from 19 reviews looking at extremism in prisons over the last nine years.

"Wherever I find there is opportunity to strengthen our defences and better protect our staff and the public, I will do so," Mahmood said.

Abedi planned and prepared the Manchester Arena attack in 2017 along with his brother, the suicide bomber Salman Abedi. He was jailed for life with a minimum 55 years in prison after being convicted of murdering 22 people.

He was moved to a separation centre in Frankland after carrying out an earlier attack on prison officers in Belmarsh prison in 2020, for which three years and 10 months were added to his sentence.

Four prison officers were injured during the incident on Saturday. One prison officer remains in hospital with serious injuries.

US President Donald Trump has suggested Buckingham Palace is "setting a date for September" for his second state visit to the UK.

The president told reporters in the White House on Thursday evening: "I was invited by the King and the country - great country."

It comes after Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer handed Trump an invitation letter from King Charles in February during his visit to Washington. Buckingham Palace is yet to confirm a date for the state visit.

Trump was hosted by the late Queen Elizabeth II during his previous three-day state visit in 2019, which took place during his first term in office.

Traditionally second-term US presidents are not offered a state visit and have instead been invited for tea or lunch with the monarch at Windsor Castle.

King Charles' letter proposed a meeting to discuss details of the state visit at either Dumfries House or Balmoral, both in Scotland, a country to which Trump has connections.

Trump's mother was born and brought up on the Hebridean island of Lewis. This year he is planning to open a new golf course in Aberdeenshire, to be named after his mother.

Speaking on Thursday, Trump said: "They're going to do a second, as you know, a second fest… that's what it is: a fest, and it's beautiful, and it's the first time its ever happened to one person.

"And the reason is we have two separate terms, and it's an honour… I'm a friend of Charles, I have great respect for King Charles and the family, William, we have really just a great respect for the family.

"And I think they're setting a date for September."

Starmer previously said the invite for the second visit was "truly historic" and "unprecedented".

Trump also showed cameras the contents of the King's letter.

It read: "Quite apart from this presenting an opportunity to discuss a wide range of issues of mutual interest, it would also offer a valuable chance to plan a historic second state visit to the United Kingdom.

"As you will know this is unprecedented by a US president. That is why I would find it helpful for us to be able to discuss, together, a range of options for location and programme content.

"In so doing, working together, I know we will further enhance the special relationship between our two countries of which we are both so proud."

Warning: This story contains spoilers about the Apprentice winner

Lord Sugar has hired his newest business partner in the final of the 19th series of The Apprentice.

He had a choice between Anisa Khan, who sells Indian food-flavoured pizzas, and Dean Franklin, who runs an air conditioning company, in a battle he billed as "chilli versus the chiller".

The final signalled the end of a bruising 12-week process that started with 18 budding entrepreneurs vying to become Lord Sugar's latest protégé.

In the end, Lord Sugar chose to give his £250,000 investment to Dean, from Essex, despite noting there had been "a few rocky moments" where he had only remained in the programme "by the skin of your teeth".

"I can't believe I've just won The Apprentice," Dean said. "This is going to mean the world to me and my family. My kids are going to be over the moon."

He made it through to the final despite having a difficult time in the penultimate episode, the interviews with Lord Sugar's famously tough advisers.

He froze and started laughing after one interviewer, Mike Soutar, challenged his nonsensical claims about climate change, including that there was "an increase in climate control" and "the climate zone is depleting".

He was also asked about his company's website, which says his engineers would "always treat your home as if it were their own". Soutar then produced a picture from Dean's social media showing a sex toy that he had stuck to a customer's air conditioning unit.

In the final, the show's previously fired contestants returned to help Dean and Anisa create advertising campaigns for their companies.

Dean tasked some of his team-mates with making a TV ad - which had to be hastily reshot because it showed someone being persuaded to buy air conditioning to heat up their house, not cool it down.

During the episode, Lord Sugar said air conditioning made Dean an "honest living" but he needed to show a "scalable proposition".

Ownership of Dean's company was previously split between his existing business partner and their two wives, with each having a 25% share.

Lord Sugar will now be given the wives' 50% in return for his investment.

He asked Dean: "They'll give it to me and they won't get the hump over that then, will they? They won't make you sleep in the spare bedroom?"

Dean assured him: "They know the plan. We're still married so what's mine is hers. So it makes no difference."

The amount Lord Sugar invests has remained the same since 2011, and previous winner Tom Pellereau - the first to receive that sum - said: "Fourteen years ago, £250,000 went quite a lot further than it does today.

"My controversial point is, I do think they should double the money.

"I think £500,000 or £1m would be an incredible prize," Pellereau told BBC Radio 5 Live.

The Apprentice final is available to watch on BBC iPlayer.

Donald Trump and Giorgia Meloni talked up the chances of a trade deal between the US and Europe, as the Italian prime minister visited Washington.

"There will be a trade deal, 100%," Trump said, "but it will be a fair deal", while Meloni said she was "sure" they could reach an agreement, later adding that her aim was to "make the West great again".

Meloni is the first European leader to visit Washington since Trump imposed, then paused, 20% tariffs on imports from the bloc.

The pair enjoy a good relationship and the Italian leader hopes to position herself as a bridge between the EU and the US amid fractured relations and mounting concerns about the global impact of Trump's tariffs.

At a press conference on Thursday following their conversation, the leaders said they had discussed defence spending, immigration and tariffs.

The atmosphere in the Oval Office appeared relaxed and good-natured - similar to the reception UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer received during his visit to the White House in February.

However Meloni's aides had described the visit as a "commercial peace mission" following Trump's decision to impose a 10% baseline tariff on almost all foreign imports to the US.

He has strongly criticised the European Union on trade, claiming it was "formed to screw the United States". A 20% "retaliatory" tariff on the EU has been temporarily suspended until July.

Meloni previously called the tariffs "absolutely wrong" and said they would end up damaging the EU "as much as the US".

While she didn't score any tangible wins on tariffs during the meeting, she did convince Trump to accept an invitation to visit Rome, which she said would be an occasion for him to meet other European leaders.

Given the fraught relations between the EU and the US, Meloni will likely chalk that up as a significant win, particularly if Trump agrees to meet the president of the European Commission, Ursula Von der Leyen, during the visit.

Meloni will return to Europe with stronger credentials as the so-called "Trump whisperer", something that will be reinforced when she meets US Vice President JD Vance in Rome tomorrow.

The Italian leader was careful to praise Trump and align herself with the US president's viewpoints.

In her statement following the meeting, she criticised "woke ideology" and championed the "war against illegal migration".

"The goal for me is to make the West great again, and I think we can do it together," she added.

She also seized the opportunity to tout the work of her own government. "I'm proud of sitting here as prime minister of an Italy that today has a very good situation - a stable country, a reliable country," Meloni said.

She noted that her government had brought inflation down and improved employment, before gesturing towards Trump and adding with a broad smile: "Forgive me if I promote my country, but you're a businessman and you understand me". Trump grinned back.

Meloni basked in the praise lavished on her by Trump - from compliments about her work as prime minister to gushing about her Italian sounding "beautiful".

The US president praised Meloni for taking a tough stance on immigration and said he wished more people were like her. Meloni said that change was happening, thanks to the example set by Italy, referring to yesterday's EU announcement on safe countries.

It was only occasionally that she showed a tinge of irritation when asked about Italy's low defence spending.

Meloni said that she expects Italy to announce at the next Nato meeting in June that her country would be able to meet the alliance's requirement that each member nation spends 2% of GDP on defence.

Defence spending has been a key sticking point for Trump, with the US leader repeatedly demanding that Nato allies increase spending.

Italy is one of eight countries that currently does not meet the 2% threshold, spending 1.49% on defence.

Italian opposition leader Carlo Calenda said there had been "two very positive outcomes" from the visit: that Meloni "stayed on track on Ukraine and managed to convince Trump to meet EU figures in Italy".

Calenda said Meloni had "gained credibility as a bridge between the US and the EU" but criticised her praise of "Trump's fight on woke culture".

Holidaymakers heading to Tenerife in the Canary Islands are warned to prepare for disruption as hotel workers take part in strikes at the start of the Easter bank holiday weekend.

Organisers say workers on the island are striking on Thursday and Friday in a row over pay and conditions.

The industrial action was due to be across the Canary Islands but an agreement was reached on Gran Canaria, Lanzarote and Fuerteventura.

Unions say around 80,000 hotel workers on Tenerife, La Palma, La Gomera and El Hierro will still take action.

The UK Foreign Office warned travellers to expect disruption over the Easter weekend and to check their tour operator's advice and follow the advice of authorities.

By law, strikers have to provide a "minimum service" but the Comisiones Obreras union, which called the strike, says hotel cleaning, food and entertainment do not fall into this category.

It says suggestions that minimum service should include things such as reception and concierge or cleaning, restaurants and cooking, infringe upon the workers' right to strike.

"The imposition of minimum services constitutes an illegitimate, disproportionate, and legally unsustainable restriction on the fundamental right to strike," the union said in a press release.

Fernando Cambon Solino is among those protesting.

He moved to Tenerife for work.

"Everybody knows the Canary Islands," he said. "You come here and you enjoy the sun, the beaches, the view. But it's not the same for the people who are working here."

Rodrigo Padilla is a journalist in Tenerife and was at a protest supporting his mother who works as a waitress.

He said the issue was with both pay and conditions.

"My mother leaves the house at 6am and it takes three or four hours to get to work and the same after her shift."

The industrial action comes after a series of protests last year in the Canary Islands and Spanish mainland over mass tourism.

Locals say tourism has pushed up housing costs beyond a sustainable level for people to live on the islands.

They stress they are not against the tourism industry, which makes up 35% of the Canaries' economy, but there was a need for a more sustainable model that factored in environmental impacts such as water shortages and which puts less pressure on costs and housing.

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky has accused US special envoy Steve Witkoff of "disseminating Russian narratives" after he appeared to suggest that a peace deal between Russia and Ukraine hinged on the status of five Ukrainian regions.

After holding a five-hour meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday, Witkoff told Fox News that a deal to end the war was "about these so-called five territories".

"I think that Mr Witkoff has taken the strategy of the Russian side," Zelensky told a Kyiv press conference on Thursday.

"I think it's really dangerous, because consciously or unconsciously he is disseminating Russian narratives".

Witkoff appeared to be referring to the Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson regions in eastern Ukraine, much of which are under Russian military occupation after Vladimir Putin launched a full-scale invasion in 2022 with the aim of taking control of the whole country.

The fifth region is believed to be Crimea, which Russia annexed in 2014 in a move not recognised internationally.

"The territories are ours, they belong to our people and not only us but the future Ukrainian people... So I don't understand what he's talking about," said Zelensky.

• Why did Putin's Russia invade Ukraine?
• How Russia is seizing homes in occupied Mariupol

In his interview with Fox News, Witkoff said: "This peace deal is about these so-called five territories. But there's so much more to it… I think we might be on the verge of something that would be very important for the world at large."

"On top of that, I believe there's a possibility to reshape the Russian-United States relationship through some very compelling commercial opportunities that I think give real stability to the region too," he added.

The US and Russia have been holding talks aimed at restoring diplomatic relations.

Zelensky's intervention is not the first time he has criticised Witkoff.

In March, he said: "He doesn't look like a military man. He doesn't look like a general, and he doesn't have such experience. As far as I know, he is very good at selling and buying real estate. And this is a little different."

The Ukrainian leader's comments came after top US, Ukrainian and European diplomats met in Paris to discuss the war - a group that included Witkoff and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio.

Meanwhile Donald Trump renewed his own criticisms of Zelensky on Thursday. He appeared to row back on earlier comments accusing the Ukrainian leader of starting the war but said he was "not a big fan".

"I don't hold Zelensky responsible but I'm not exactly thrilled with the fact that that war started," Trump said.

"I'm not blaming him, but what I am saying is that I wouldn't say he's done the greatest job, OK? I am not a big fan."

Zelensky also told journalists that he had "information" China was supplying weapons to Russia.

"We have finally received information that China is supplying weapons to the Russian Federation," he said.

"We believe that Chinese representatives are engaged in the production of some weapons on Russian territory," he added.

China has not yet responded but has previously portrayed itself as a neutral party in the war.

Beijing did respond to an assertion last week by Zelensky that Chinese nationals were fighting for Russia by advising "relevant parties to correctly and soberly understand China's role and not to make irresponsible remarks".

Four people have died after a mountain cable car cabin crashed to the ground near Naples in southern Italy, emergency services say.

Another person was "extremely seriously injured" in the crash at Monte Faito and was being airlifted to hospital, officials said.

Several Italian media outlets report one of the cables supporting the cabin had snapped while the cable car was traversing the valley.

The president of the region, Vincenzo De Luca, said the victims were tourists.

De Luca added that poor weather conditions including fog, wind and rain were making it very difficult for rescue workers to reach the area where the cabin had crashed, at an altitude of 1500m.

Italian outlets had earlier on Thursday reported that the cable car had come to a halt and several people had been rescued from another cabin which had stopped further down the valley.

The mayor of Castellammare di Stabia - where the cable car was located - said they believed a traction cable had snapped.

"The emergency brake downstream worked but clearly not the one on the cabin that was about to reach the the top of the hill," he told Italian media.

He added that safety checks are done on the cable car system regularly.

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Andrew 'Freddie' Flintoff has said he did not leave the house for six months after his Top Gear crash, which left him with both physical and mental scars.

The cricketer-turned-TV presenter sustained serious facial and rib injuries in a crash while filming the BBC motoring programme in 2022.

Speaking about the incident on ITV's The Jonathan Ross Show, Flintoff said he had struggled with "crippling anxiety" in the wake of the crash and has suffered from flashbacks and nightmares.

The interview, to be broadcast on Saturday, comes ahead of a Disney+ documentary which promises an "intimate and unprecedented look" at Flintoff's sporting career and his return to the public eye after the crash.

"Afterwards, obviously there's the physical scars that I've got. But then the mental side of it," he told Jonathan Ross.

"I didn't leave the house for probably six or eight months. The only times I was leaving the house was for medical appointments and surgeries," he said.

The former England all-rounder also revealed he had to have "about five or six goes at leaving the room" and "have a chat with myself in the mirror" to help overcome his anxiety before returning to the world of cricket as a coach.

"I'd not shown myself without a face mask to anyone. It was like starting again."

In a trailer released on Thursday for the 90-minute Disney+ documentary, Flintoff describes his "vivid" memories of the crash and says he can remember "everything about it".

A still image from shortly after the incident is shown, depicting staff and crew attending a crashed vehicle at Top Gear's test track at Dunsfold Park Aerodrome in Surrey.

Flintoff said filming the upcoming documentary was "quite strange" at first.

"Since the accident, had the flashbacks, the nightmares and things… you're talking about it, you're talking about it quite a lot," he said.

"I enjoy watching the cricket bits, wish there was more of them in it. The hardest part is seeing people talk about you."

He added: "I retired so long ago, it almost seems like a different life. Like watching from the outside."

Flintoff's family, Gavin & Stacey creator James Corden, and comedian Jack Whitehall also appear in the trailer for the documentary, which is streaming from 25 April.

One of England's most successful cricketers, Flintoff said he is "loving" his return to the sport coaching England Lions - the development squad underneath England Men's cricket team.

"I think, with everything that's happened over the past few years, that's the one place I feel most comfortable," he told Jonathan Ross.

"That time when I probably needed it most, cricket embraced me again," he said.

They 47-year-old returned to television last year with a second series of his BBC programme Freddie Flintoff's Field of Dreams, which saw him take a team of young cricketers from his hometown of Preston on a tour of India a year after the Top Gear crash.

The acclaimed series is up for a Bafta Television Award in the factual series category next month.

In 2023, the BBC "rested" Top Gear for the foreseeable future. A financial settlement was also reached with Flintoff.

The Jonathan Ross Show airs on Saturday at 22:20 BST on ITV1, ITVX, STV and STV Player.

At least 37 people have been killed in a series of Israeli strikes, most in areas where displaced civilians have set up tents, Gaza's Hamas-run civil defence agency says.

Witnesses in al-Mawasi told the BBC that tents were engulfed in flames following a "powerful" explosion, causing the deaths of dozens of Palestinians including children. One man said he woke to "screaming and panic" and watched as "the flames spread rapidly from one tent to another".

Israel has previously told Palestinians to evacuate from other parts of Gaza to al-Mawasi.

The Israeli military did not immediately comment but said that it was looking into reports of the strikes.

Civil defence spokesman Mahmoud Bassal said that two missiles had hit tents in the coastal al-Mawasi area near the southern city of Khan Younis, killing at least 16 people, "most of them women and children". Twenty-three others were wounded, he said.

Video verified by the BBC showed the charred remnants of the camp with belongings strewn across the ground and survivors surveying the damage.

Survivors described waking to the "sound of screaming and panic" after a "powerful" explosion hit the encampment.

"I rushed outside and saw the tent next to mine engulfed in flames," a man told the BBC's Gaza Lifeline programme.

"Women were running out, trying desperately to escape the fire," he continued.

"Many martyrs were lost in the fire and we were helpless to save them. It was heartbreaking to watch them die right in front of us, unable to do anything as the flames spread rapidly from one tent to another."

He said that a "large number" of children had died.

A displaced woman from Khan Yunis said that the strike had killed 10 members of one family while they were sleeping, with another five family members injured.

A man described rushing to the scene with others after hearing the explosion and attempting to extinguish the flames by throwing sand on the tents.

"But we failed," he said. "The fire was too intense, consuming the tents and the people inside. We were helpless, we couldn't do anything to save them."

Amande Bazerolle, an emergency coordinator for Medicines Sans Frontiers (MSF) in Gaza, said the strikes had occurred close to their office and MSF received some of the victims.

"Last night it was very close to our office in the south. When the tents were targeted and caught on fire we received the patients. Most of them are actually dead and arrive dead but we have some very critical patients," she told the BBC.

Gaza's civil defence agency said further air strikes killed seven people in the northern town of Beit Lahia, two near al-Mawasi and 10 people in Jabalia, including seven members of one family in one attack and three people at a school building being used as a shelter in another.

In a statement on Thursday, the Israeli military said that strikes over the past two days had "struck over 100 terror targets" including "terrorist cells, military structures and infrastructure sites".

The IDF said that earlier in the week strikes in the area of Khan Younis had killed Yahya Fathi Abd al-Qader Abu Shaar, the head of Hamas' weapons smuggling network. It said steps had been taken to mitigate the risk of harm to civilians.

Israel put Gaza under a complete blockade on 1 March and resumed the war on 18 March. Since then Israeli attacks have killed 1,691 people, the Hamas-run health ministry says. About half a million Palestinians have been displaced by renewed Israeli evacuation orders and Israel has incorporated 30% of Gaza into "security zones".

On Thursday the heads of 12 major aid organisations said the humanitarian aid system in Gaza was "facing total collapse".

"This is one of the worst humanitarian failures of our generation," the chief executives of 12 NGOs, including Oxfam and Save the Children, wrote in a statement.

Israel says it aims to pressure Hamas to release hostages and has vowed to maintain the blockade. It claims there is no shortage of aid because 25,000 lorry loads of supplies entered during the ceasefire.

Israel has reportedly put forward a proposal for a renewed ceasefire under which dozens of Israeli hostages would be released and Hamas would disarm.

Hamas has rejected disarming. On Thursday AFP news agency quoted Hamas officials as saying that the group was still deliberating over the Israeli proposal.

The war began on October 7, 2023 when Hamas carried out a cross-border attack on Israeli communities, killing around 1,200 people and seizing 251 hostages according to Israeli tallies.

Israel's military campaign against Hamas has killed at least 51,065 people, according to the territory's Hamas-run health ministry.

At least six people have been taken to hospital after a shooting at Florida State University in Tallahassee.

One person was taken into custody after the shooting at the university's Student Union building on Thursday, according to CBS News, the BBC's US partner.

President Donald Trump said he had been briefed on the incident at the start of a meeting with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni at the White House, calling it "a shame, a horrible thing".

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis said: "Our prayers are with our FSU family and state law enforcement is actively responding."

One of the victims taken to hospital is in a critical condition, according to the Tallahassee Memorial Healthcare facility, with five others in a serious condition.

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

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Toby Carvery's chief executive has apologised after the company felled an ancient oak tree and admitted "we need to tighten our protocols" in a letter seen by the BBC.

The pub chain's owner cut down the 500-year-old oak despite a March 2024 planning document that called it a "fine specimen", and the council stating it had centuries to live.

On Wednesday, Enfield Council's leader branded the felling "an outrage" and said all legal options were being considered.

Phil Urban, from Mitchells & Butlers (M&B), wrote: "Clearly the felling of a beautiful old tree is a very emotive subject and is not something any of us would undertake lightly. I can only apologise for all the upset that it has caused."

'Good faith'

The pedunculate oak, which was cut down on 3 April, was located on the edge of Enfield council-owned Whitewebbs Park in north London and overlooked a Toby Carvery.

Mr Urban wrote to residents explaining that the work had been fast-tracked due to expert advice "warn[ing] us of a direct risk to life or serious injury".

He said: "In this instance, one of our team acted in good faith in response to expert advice and authorised the work to be done.

"However, I would totally accept that this was an exceptional circumstance, and as part of our review, we have already concluded that we need to tighten our protocols to ensure that if something like this were to ever happen again, that we could still protect our guests, team members and/or general wider public from harm but have time for a fuller consultation."

Enfield Council said on Tuesday it had reported the felling as a case of criminal damage to the Met Police, which is understood to have closed its inquiry, deeming it a civil matter.

The chief executive added that he wanted "to assure you that we do try to be good neighbours".

He said: "On a personal level, I am very sorry for all the anger and upset that this incident has caused.

"I am not expecting my words to resolve the depth of feeling, but I do hope that you will accept that we do try to always be responsible operators, and that the people involved did act in good faith and with good intentions.

"We will complete a thorough review and ensure that in future, exceptional situations are treated differently from the more regular health and safety issues that arise on a day-to-day basis."

On Tuesday, an M&B source initially said that the company had approved the cutting down of the oak after being told the tree was dead.

In an official statement hours later, M&B stated it had received advice from contractors, who said: "The split and dead wood posed a serious health and safety risk."

M&B subsequently removed this statement in a further update but maintained it had taken "necessary measures to ensure any legal requirements were met".

The tree, with a girth of 6m (20ft), was a nationally significant pedunculate oak listed on the Woodland Trust's ancient tree inventory.

News of the destruction of the oak came just two days after a report from the charity Tree Council and the Forest Research organisation warned that trees were only indirectly protected, with some "significant legal gaps".

It recommended the development of a "robust and effective system" to ensure they were safeguarded.

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The president of the largest communal body of Jews in the UK has responded to an open letter signed by some of its representatives criticising Israel's offensive in Gaza.

Phil Rosenberg, president of The Board of Deputies of British Jews, said he disagreed with the letter, which he said "lays blame squarely on the Israeli Government".

He also criticised the letter, published in the Financial Times, for "barely" mentioning Hamas and the role he said it had played in the breakdown of hostage release negotiations.

On Tuesday, 36 members, or Deputies, signed the letter, saying it was their "duty, as Jews, to speak out".

It was the first show of opposition to the Gaza war by some of the Board's members - which is made up of more than 300 Deputies.

Writing in an opinion piece published in the Jewish News on Thursday, Mr Rosenberg said: "Whether intentionally or otherwise, the impression that has now been put forward by certain national and international news outlets is that yesterday's letter published in the Financial Times, signed by approximately ten percent of Deputies, is the position of the Board of Deputies as an organisation, and therefore the position of the UK Jewish community as a whole.

"This is emphatically not the case, and as president of the Board of Deputies of British Jews, I speak for the organisation as a whole."

He said the signatories "are now experiencing what I and other senior Board representatives know all too well; that it is remarkably easy to get the media to listen to you in this country if you highlight your Jewish identity while vocally criticising Israel or its government".

Mr Rosenberg criticised the letter for the lack of mention of Hamas, stating that it gives the group "absolutely no agency... regarding the failure of the implementation of the second stage of the hostage deal".

Israel resumed its offensive on Gaza last month after the first stage of a three-part ceasefire deal expired. It blamed Hamas for refusing to extend the first phase of the ceasefire, while Hamas accused Israel of reneging on its commitment to hold talks on the second stage.

The Board president accused Hamas of rejecting the latest ceasefire proposal, saying: "Given that Hamas just this week rejected yet another mediation put forward via Egypt, which would have required the terrorist group to disarm, I am simply unable to agree with the viewpoint aired in the FT letter which lays blame squarely on the Israeli Government.

"I am confident that the vast majority of Deputies and the Jewish community as a whole agree with me."

He added that he believed the signatories of the open letter "have a strong and completely genuine concern for the situation in Israel and Gaza".

Mr Rosenberg also visited Israel on Thursday, where he met Israel's Minister of Foreign Affairs Gideon Saar.

In a post on social media, featuring a picture of the two shaking hands, Mr Rosenberg wrote: "@BoardofDeputies is clear: Jewish leadership is standing up for peace & security in Israel & the Middle East:

"Getting hostages out, defeating Hamas, pursuing lasting peace & security.

"Unity is strength. Division serves only our enemies."

In Wednesday's open letter, signatories took aim at the Israeli government, warning "Israel's soul is being ripped out".

The letter accused Israel's government of choosing to "break the ceasefire and return to war in Gaza", rather than engage in diplomacy and agree the next phase of a ceasefire deal.

Israel blocked the entry of food, medicine and other supplies on 2 March, a day after the first phase of the ceasefire expired, saying it did so to pressure Hamas. It resumed the war two weeks later.

Israel launched its military campaign after Hamas carried out an unprecedented attack on 7 October 2023, in which about 1,200 people were killed and 251 others were taken hostage.

At least 51,065 people have been killed in Gaza since then, according to the territory's Hamas-run health ministry. Of that number, 1,691 have been killed since Israel restarted the war, it says.

US economic growth will be hit and prices will rise for consumers as a result of new tariffs on goods entering the country, the head of America's central bank has warned.

Jerome Powell, chair of the Federal Reserve, said the import taxes recently announced by President Donald Trump were larger than the bank had expected, going beyond the higher end of its estimates.

His comments followed a period of turmoil on global stock markets as investors reacted to trade tariffs coming into force and the escalating trade war between the US and China.

Powell said surveys of households and businesses reported a "sharp decline" in their sentiment over the economic outlook, largely due to tariff concerns.

Since returning to office, Trump has stoked a trade war by introducing a 10% tax on goods being imported to the US from the vast majority of countries.

He has escalated tariffs further with China by putting a 145% tax on Chinese goods, though there are some exemptions for smartphones. China has hit back with tariffs of 125% on US products. The White House said on Wednesday that when the new tariffs are added on to existing ones the levies on some Chinese goods could reach 245%.

"The level of the tariff increases announced so far is significantly larger than anticipated," Powell said in his starkest warning on the effects of the new tariffs regime.

"The same is likely to be true of the economic effects, which will include higher inflation and slower growth."

The US president has said tariffs will boost US manufacturing and jobs, but stock markets have been spooked.

Powell said on Wednesday that impact of the Trump administration's changes to trade as well as immigration, fiscal policy and regulation on the US economy remained "highly uncertain".

Perhaps more concerning to the Trump administration than stocks and shares plunging in value last week was the rise in the number of investors dumping US government debt.

The rise in the effective interest rate the US government had to pay on its bonds is reported to have contributed to the president's decision to pause some higher tariffs.

Governments sell bonds - essentially IOUs - to borrow money from financial markets and in return they pay interest.

The US does not normally see high interest rates on its debt, as its bonds are viewed as a safe investment, but on Wednesday rates spiked sharply again in a sign investors were continuing to lose confidence in the world's biggest economy.

Powell said on Wednesday that despite the uncertainty and ructions in the markets, the "US economy is still in a solid position".

For now, he said, the Fed could keep its benchmark interest rate steady "to wait for greater clarity before considering any adjustments".

The Fed's benchmark interest rate is currently set in a range between 4.25% and 4.5%, where it has been since December following a series of rate cuts late last year.

The central bank has been attacked by Trump for holding rates unchanged. The president's campaign promises included calls for lower interest rates in order to bring relief to borrowers.

If tariffs push up inflation, as many economists expect, the Fed could decide to hold or even raise rates. Traders on Wednesday kept their bets it will continue to cut rates this year.

But the Fed also has a mandate to maintain maximum employment as well as stable prices.

Should it be caught between rising inflation and a rising unemployment rate, Powell said "we would consider how far the economy is from each goal" and then look at "the potentially different time horizons" for getting prices under control and bringing the unemployment rate down.

"As that great Chicagoan Ferris Bueller once noted, "life moves pretty fast", he added.

A US federal judge has given President Donald Trump's officials a one-week deadline to comply with his court order or risk being found in contempt of court - potentially setting up a historic clash between two equally powerful branches of government.

Judge James Boasberg said the "most obvious way" for the officials to avoid contempt was to "assert custody" over a group of more than 200 people who they deported to El Salvador last month - after he told them not to do so.

But the Trump administration has shown no sign of a desire to adhere, criticising Wednesday's request and saying it would appeal.

The White House denies any wrongdoing, and has depicted the group as "terrorists and criminal illegal migrants" who threaten American society.

Experts have told the BBC that a showdown between the judicial and executive branch appears all but inevitable. So, what might happen if the government does not comply with Judge Boasberg's deadline of 23 April?

Tracing responsibility

The first step to hold any Trump officials in contempt of court would be to determine who was responsible for the non-compliance, an expert told the BBC.

At the moment, it remains unclear who took the specific actions against Judge's Boasberg's initial order to not deport people to El Salvador, said Robert Tsai, a Boston University constitutional law professor.

Lawyers would use a process called discovery to decide who was responsible, by seeking documents and questioning government officials under oath.

"You want to be able to nail someone down and pinpoint who it is that's basically saying, 'We're getting the planes up in the air, and just stonewall the judge,'" Prof Tsai said.

Government lawyers have said the planes were already en route by the time Judge Boasberg's written order was issued, and that his subsequent verbal order for the planes to return happened when they were no longer in US airspace.

If he felt government lawyers were not playing ball, Judge Boasberg could fine both the lawyers and other government officials until they complied, Prof Tsai said. The sanctions or penalties would apply until the government met the terms of the judge's order.

All of this falls under the umbrella of civil contempt.

Civil or criminal contempt?

There is also the possibility of Trump administration officials being found in criminal contempt - for which the punishment could include jail time.

"That's considered one of the most serious things, and usually the last resort," Prof Tsai said.

In the case of criminal contempt, Prof Tsai said the normal course of events would be to refer the issue for prosecution by the justice department, which is run by Attorney General Pam Bondi.

Judge Boasberg also has the power to appoint a special prosecutor to pursue criminal contempt charges and to sidestep Bondi, a Trump loyalist who was appointed by the president.

"With this administration, it is very possible that the justice department refuses to prosecute," George Mason University law professor Ilya Somin explained to the BBC.

Even if the justice department does take the case, Trump has the power to pardon a criminal offence. But the president does not have the power to issue pardons for civil liability (civil contempt).

Avoiding contempt proceedings

The ruling from US District Judge James E Boasberg on Wednesday said the government showed "wilful disregard" for his order when it sent planes carrying alleged criminals to El Salvador - after he had barred the government from using a wartime law for the deportations.

That law, the 1798 Alien Enemies Act, gave the Trump administration power to expedite its deportation of those it said were gang members without providing any evidence.

The US Supreme Court later ruled that Trump was able to use the wartime law, Judge Boasberg said on Wednesday that "does not excuse the government's violation" of his earlier request.

To avoid contempt proceedings, the judge gave the administration two options - to "purge" itself of contempt, or to remedy its noncompliance.

"The most obvious way", he said, was for the administration to "assert custody" of the hundreds deported to El Salvador's mega-prison, so they could "challenge their removability".

Judge Boasberg said the government would not need to release any of those deported - a number of whom have not been convicted of any crimes - nor fly them back to the US.

The judge said the administration could also "propose other methods of coming into compliance".

The high-stakes collision between a federal judge and the Trump administration comes under a president whose stated goal was to enact the "largest deportation programme" in US history.

If any officials are found in contempt, regardless of Trump's possible involvement, it is unlikely that the president himself would ever be criminally charged, Prof Tsai said, thanks to the Supreme Court's presidential immunity ruling last year.

"I think that the presidential immunity decision that was issued is going to be the thing that protects him from any kind of criminal prosecution," Prof Tsai explained.

"All these orders are sort of policy decisions. They might be illegal, they might be unconstitutional, who knows.

"But even if they are, they're done within the scope of his his core powers," he said.

The UK government has temporarily banned people from bringing cheese and some meats from the European Union (EU) into the country to stop the spread of foot and mouth disease.

But what does that actually mean in practice - and should you be concerned?

What has been banned?

Pork, beef, lamb, mutton, goat, venison and any other products made from these meats - such as sausages - from the EU have been banned. It also applies to pet food.

In addition, milk and dairy products - like butter, cheese and yoghurt - from the EU have also been prohibited.

It covers items such as sandwiches and cured meats as well as raw meats and milk "regardless of whether it is packed or packaged or whether it has been bought at duty free".

However, there are exceptions such as chicken, duck, goose and any other products made from these.

Who does the ban apply to?

The measure is only directed at people arriving in Great Britain - as in, England, Wales or Scotland - from the EU.

It does not apply to Northern Ireland, which has its own measures in place to contain foot and mouth disease.

The ban covers anyone travelling by any mode of transport - whether that's by plane, train, bus or by car.

But it will not be imposed on those arriving to Great Britain from Northern Ireland, Jersey, Guernsey, or the Isle of Man.

Are commercially imported cheeses and meats banned too?

The ban only applies to travellers bringing in items personally - not commercial importers such as farmers or shops.

The reason, according to the UK government, is that commercial meat and cheese imports face higher standards than individuals are subjected to.

They must go through heat treatment, which is meant to kill germs, and come with health certificates signed by vets.

How can animals get foot and mouth disease from meat and dairy products?

The disease typically spreads between animals through direct contact. But they can also catch it by eating contaminated meat or dairy products.

Any products of animal origin, like meat and dairy, could be contaminated with foot and mouth disease.

Even if they are for human consumption, if they are thrown away in a way that could come into contact with foraging wildlife or domestic livestock, that presents a risk.

Should I be worried?

Foot and mouth disease is harmless to humans and there are no cases in the UK - but it is highly contagious for animals.

It affects cattle, sheep, pigs and, according to the government, "other cloven-hoofed animals such as wild boar, deer, llamas and alpacas".

Animals that catch it typically come down with a high temperature before developing blisters, usually around the mouth or feet. It can make animals lame and, for the very young, result in fatalities.

How long will the ban last?

The Department for Environment, Food, and Rural Affairs introduced the measure on Saturday, 12 April and did not give an end date.

The BBC understands the ban will stay in place until the government believes there is no significant risk from travellers bringing banned meat and dairy into Great Britain.

Why didn't I know about this?

The government put out a release last Friday ahead of the ban coming into force on Saturday.

It told border control and airlines to make passengers aware of the rules and has rolled out a digital and social media campaign.

However, many people who have travelled from the EU to Great Britain since the weekend told the BBC they were unaware of the measure and were not told - with no signs in the airport and no checks carried out.

Anyone travelling should follow the rules.

The government says items could be seized and destroyed at the border and, in serious cases, offenders could be fined up to £5,000 in England.

A so-called "Romeo and Juliet" clause has been added to new plans for mandatory reporting of concerns around child sexual abuse.

The Crime and Policing Bill puts a new duty on teachers, GPs, and other professionals to report concerns or face criminal sanctions.

Mandatory reporting was one of the 20 recommendations of the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse (IICSA) following the grooming gangs scandal.

However, an exclusion has been added for consensual sexual relationships between older teenagers, as long as there are no concerns around harm.

Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet were fictional teenage lovers, whose forbidden romance ended in tragedy, but who have become synonymous with youthful love.

Labour's Safeguarding Minister Jess Phillips, who put forward the amendment during a committee hearing on the bill, said she wanted to provide "some discretion" in a limited number of situations " to avoid unintentional consequences".

Phillips said: "This avoids situations such as two kissing teenagers having to be reported to the authorities by a teacher who knows them both well...

"Nor do we want to discourage young people from accessing services that are designed to offer support in addressing their own harmful sexual behaviour."

The clause would not apply if either child was aged under 13 years old, if there was suspicion of coercion or abuse, or if there was a significant difference in age or maturity.

Responding in the debate, Conservative MP Harriet Cross backed the clause, which she said recognised that age differences were important in these relationships.

"For example, if a 14-year-old girl is sexually involved with a 17-year-old boy, even if she says she has consented, a teacher or adult might rightly feel uneasy about the power dynamic and the possible impact of grooming," she said. "The adult might decide that it is appropriate to report in that case.

"On the other hand, two 14-year-olds would likely fall under the exemption."

Cross said it would allow professionals to use their judgement - but stressed the bar for not reporting should be high.

"It recognises that not all sexual activity involving under-18s is a cause for alarm or state intervention," she said.

"Specifically, it lets professionals refrain from reporting consensual sexual activity between older teenagers when they believe there is no abuse or exploitation at play - it is basically a Romeo and Juliet exemption.

"...The exemption is not about condoning under-age sex, it is about proportionality."

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The UK's largest teaching union will "make Labour MPs pay a high political price" if the government does not offer teachers in England a fully funded, above-inflation pay rise, its general secretary has said.

Daniel Kebede said members of the National Education Union (NEU) "expect better from a Labour government" than the pay recommendation ministers have made.

He said NEU members would campaign in Labour constituencies if it did not change - and "stand ready to strike".

Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson has said "any move towards industrial action by teaching unions would be indefensible".

The government has recommended a 2.8% pay rise for teachers in England and expects most schools will need to make "efficiencies" to fund it.

The NEU agreed at its conference in Harrogate this week that it would hold a formal ballot on strike action if the offer remains "unacceptable", or if no extra funding is announced.

Phillipson has said: "With school staff, parents and young people working so hard to turn the tide on school attendance, any move towards industrial action by teaching unions would be indefensible.

"Following a 5.5% pay award in a hugely challenging fiscal context, I would urge NEU to put children first."

Responding to her comments, Mr Kebede told conference it was "indefensible for a Labour government – a Labour government – to cut school funding".

"After 14 years of Conservative austerity, we expect better from a Labour government," he said.

He said the final pay award must be above inflation and fully funded, representing a "correction" of teacher pay and helping to recruit and retain staff, otherwise "we stand ready to act industrially".

"We will make Labour MPs pay a high political price through our campaigning in their constituencies, with our parents, across this country," he said.

"No teacher wants to strike, but we stand ready."

Mr Kebede accused the government of a "betrayal" when it came to education funding.

Mr Kebede also commented on a row with Reform UK leader Nigel Farage on Tuesday after the NEU branded Reform UK a "racist and far-right" party.

During the clash, Mr Kebede called Farage a "right-wing populist" but did not describe him as racist, while Mr Farage vowed to "go to war" with the teaching unions if it won the next general election.

On Thursday, Mr Kebede told NEU members that Farage "knows nothing about education".

"And whilst this government might be rolling out the red carpet for Nigel Farage to walk into No 10, through their austerity agenda, we won't stand for it," he said.

After years of argument and dispute about the meaning of gender, the watchword of Wednesday's Supreme Court ruling has to be clarity.

Equality law has been made clear with the unambiguous statement that the term "woman" refers to a biological woman and does not include biological men who have transitioned to being female.

It is a "victory for common sense", according to the chairwoman of the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC).

Baroness Falkner added: "If a male is allowed to use a women-only service, it isn't any longer a single-sex space."

This is a world away from the carefully chosen language which has been used to navigate gender issues for much of the last decade.

The Equality Act, which protects people who have been through gender reassignment from harassment, discrimination and sex discrimination, is enforced by the EHRC.

It is now updating its statutory code of conduct to take account of the judgment, saying that, with this new framework, it should be in a better position to enforce the law where it finds breaches.

It was directly involved in the Supreme Court case because it said inconsistencies over whether the term sex included or excluded transgender people with gender recognition certificates (GRC) was making equality law unworkable.

The ruling removes any ambiguity. Now, a GRC will not change a person's legal sex for the purposes of the Equality Act.

What does the ruling mean in practice?

Public bodies - from the NHS and prisons to sports clubs and businesses - will already be reviewing their policies.

Women's toilets, changing rooms and other single sex spaces will be for biological women only.

In theory, that means a transgender man or woman should use facilities that correspond to their biological sex.

However, this is likely to present other difficulties as the person will be presenting as their gender identity to the outside world.

Baroness Falkner argues that transgender people should use "their power of advocacy" to persuade organisations to provide third spaces such as unisex toilets.

Cases such as that of the nurse, Sandie Peggie, who was suspended after refusing to share a changing room with a transgender doctor, are likely to be reviewed.

NHS Fife, the health board involved in the case, told the BBC that it noted the clarity provided by the ruling and would "carefully consider the judgment".

What it means for sport

Following the ruling, transwomen cannot compete in women's sport, the EHRC says.

Sport has been one of the most hotly contested areas in the debate about gender. In recent years, many sports have tightened rules around transgender athletics at elite levels.

Athletics, cycling and aquatics, for example, have banned transgender women from taking part in women's events.

Other sports have put eligibility criteria in place. Earlier this month, the English Football Association introduced stricter rules - but still allowed transgender women to continue to compete in the women's game on the condition that their testosterone was kept below a certain level.

However, it will take time to consider the implications on eligibility in elite sport, so there will not be any immediate change. Governing bodies are not compelled to amend or reconsider their rules - but if their rules now break equality law, they could face enforcement action.

For some there will be concerns about what the ruling means for transgender people.

The Supreme Court justices emphasised that transgender people already have protections against discrimination and harassment written into the Equality Act.

The EHRC will look to protect these rights, and Baroness Falkner said they "stand ready to support those people".

Trans rights campaigners have said they will be examining the judgment closely to decide their next steps - and it is possible they could attempt to put pressure on the government to change the Equality Act.

Campaigners have warned the UK Supreme Court's ruling on the definition of a woman could have "dire consequences" for the safety of trans people.

Scottish Greens MSP Maggie Chapman told BBC Scotland News the trans community is now worried that "people are coming after their right to exist" as a result of the ruling.

And Kerrie Meyer, who had gender reassignment at the age of 72, criticised the ruling and said it would set back progress for trans people.

Judges unanimously ruled on Wednesday that a woman is defined by biological sex under equalities law.

The Equality and Human Rights Commission said the decision would result in an updated code of conduct for services, including the NHS and prisons, potentially affecting spaces such as hospital wards, changing rooms and domestic refuges.

The Scottish government had argued that transgender people with a gender recognition certificate (GRC) are entitled to the same sex-based protections as biological women.

But judges sided with campaign group For Women Scotland, which brought a case against arguing that sex-based protections should only apply to those born female.

Kerrie Meyer, who lives in Shetland, argued that the ruling meant that: "At the stroke of pen, the security and well-being of all transgender people, whether now deemed as biological male and female, is in jeopardy.

"The Supreme Court's ruling has created severe implications for all trans people and has failed to take into account the dire consequences and untenable results that will occur."

Kerrie, who is now 77, moved to Shetland from Hastings in East Sussex in 2008 and was founder of the Shetland Islands Pride festival.

She said the rights of trans people had been advanced by the Gender Recognition Act 2004 and the Equality Act 2010, and that she believes the Supreme Court case was motivated by "reserving and maintaining" woman's spaces from trans women, regardless of whether they held a GRC

Kerrie told BBC Radio Scotland that it would be "totally and utterly ridiculous" for her to change her behaviour in public, adding: "I was born a man. Under the law I am a woman. I dress like a woman. I act like a woman. And I am a woman.

"If I go to the toilet and there is another woman in there, they don't know whether I have got a gender recognition certificate or not."

Kerrie also believes that recognition certificates should only be granted if someone has undergone gender reassignment surgery.

Under the new ruling, a person who was born male but identifies as a woman does not have a right to use a space or service designated as women only, even if they have legally changed their gender.

Baroness Kishwer Falkner, the chair of the EHRC, said trans people should use their "power of advocacy" to ask for facilities including a "third space" for toilets.

She told the BBC's Today programme: "Single-sex services like changing rooms must be based on biological sex. If a male person is allowed to use, it no longer is a single sex space."

She added the ruling was "a victory for common sense only if you recognise that trans people exist, they have rights and their rights must be respected".

Baroness Kishwer added public bodies like the NHS would be expected to update their advice, and that the EHRC would pursue any organisations which did not.

'Stoking the fires of culture war'

Scottish Greens MSP Maggie Chapman, a prominent supporter of trans rights, told the BBC's Good Morning Scotland programme the decision would "stoke the fires of the culture war" and trans people now feared they could lose access to facilities they've used, in some cases, for decades.

She said: "The response by For Women Scotland and other associated groups was very, very clear - they are taking this as a victory and that is potentially dangerous about where they go next.

"We've already heard people say they want to repeal the gender recognition act 2004, and trans people are worried that people are coming after their right to exist."

She added that trans people had been attacked in recent years "just for being who they are" and she was "concerned" about the impact of the Supreme Court decision.

However Rachel Hamilton, of the Scottish Conservatives, told Good Morning Scotland the court's decision was " basic common sense" and would being "clarity" to the trans debate.

She said: "The reason we ended up at the Supreme Court is because there was confusion in Scotland. Now we have a clear and unambiguous decision on what is a biological woman."

She said the Scottish government must set out a ministerial statement on how they would move forward with the Supreme Court ruling.

Ash Regan, the Alba party MSP who quit the SNP over the party's stance on gender, lodged a motion in the Scottish Parliament calling for "urgent action" to end self-identification in Scottish hospitals, public bodies, schools and prisons.

She claimed it was a "victory for women across the country" and that current gender self-identification laws jeopardised "the safety, privacy and dignity" of women and girls.

Regan told BBC Scotland News the verdict yesterday was a "humiliation" for the Scottish government.

She added: "The government has been making a mockery of Scotland by going to the Supreme Court to argue that men can be lesbians. They've got to take notice of this - this ideology has taken root across the public sector.

"The government could start [upholding women's rights] today by issuing very clear guidance for the whole of the public sector and they could send out a very strong signal by removing men from the women's prison estate."

An updated code of practice by the EHRC is expected to be laid before Parliament before the summer recess.

The code helps service providers, public bodies and associations to understand their duties under the Equality Act and put them into practice.

The Scottish government's finance minister Shona Robison previously told BBC News the administration would work with the EHRC and the UK government "at pace" on the guidance.

British Transport Police announced that while previously someone with a GRC could be searched by their acquired sex, officers have now been advised that same sex searches in custody would be undertaken by the person's biological birth sex.