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Today — 1 September 2025BBC | Top Stories

New storm names chosen by the public - which ones are on the list?

1 September 2025 at 07:07

Met Office releases new storm names for 2025-26

Large waves crashing on Newhaven Breakwater Light at Newhaven Harbour, East SussexImage source, PA Media

The first of September marks the beginning of autumn in the meteorological world as well as the start of the annual 'storm season'.

It also heralds a new list of storm names as chosen by members of the public.

This year look out for Amy, Bram and Chandra which are due to be the first few named storms of the season.

They are named by the UK Met Office, Ireland's Met Éireann or the Netherlands' KNMI when they are forecast to cause "medium" or "high" impacts.

How are storm names chosen?

List of 2025/26 UK storm names: Amy, Bram, Chandra, Dave, Eddie, Fionnuala, Gerard, Hannah, Isla, Janna, Kasia, Lilith, Marty, Nico, Oscar, Patrick, Ruby, Stevie, Tadhg and Violet.

This year more than 50,000 suggestions for storm names were submitted to the Met Office from across the UK, Netherlands and Ireland.

The final selection includes some of the most popular choices as well as names which have a story behind them.

For example, named storm number four will be Dave, described by the nominator as named for "my beloved husband who can snore three times louder than any storm".

Stevie was inspired by a little girl named after the Stevie Nicks song, Dreams - which includes the line: "Thunder only happens when it's raining."

The names are selected to reflect the diversity of each region and assessed for pronunciation, differing meanings across countries, links to public figures, and potential controversy.

Why are storms named?

The Met Office started naming storms in 2015. In the UK, storms are named when they are likely to cause disruption or damage that could lead to an amber or red warning.

This decision is based on both the potential impact of the weather and how likely it is to happen.

Storms are typically named based on the impacts of strong winds. Although other weather-related effects are also taken into account, like heavy rainfall or snow which may lead to flooding or travel disruption.

As a result, storms can be named not only for wind impacts but also for significant effects from rain or snow.

Using one official system to name storms helps to share clear and consistent information about severe weather, making it easier for the public to stay safe.

Rebekah Hicks, chief meteorologist at the Met Office, believes that it is a system that works: "We know that for Storm Floris, just a few weeks ago, surveys found that 93% of people in the amber warning area were aware of the alerts, with 83% taking action to prepare."

Who decides what name a storm has?

In Europe, the UK, Ireland, and the Netherlands form the western storm-naming group.

Spain, Portugal, France, Belgium, and Luxembourg make up the south-western group, while Norway, Sweden, and Denmark comprise the northern group.

Map of Europe showing European storm naming groups split into Western (Met Office, Met Eireann, KNMI), South Western (Spain, Portugal, France, Belgium, Luxembourg) and Northern (Denmark, Sweden, Norway)
Image caption,

Map of Europe showing European storm naming groups

To avoid confusion, the remnants of a tropical storm or hurricane that crosses the Atlantic will keep its original name, for example ex-Hurricane Erin, which brought a large swell to South West England in August 2025.

If such a system goes on to meet the UK's criteria for storm naming, the name will remain the same but will be used in the form 'Storm Erin'.

To ensure consistency with the US National Hurricane Centre naming conventions, names that begin with the letters Q, U, X, Y and Z are not used.

How many named storms were there in the 2024/25 season?

In the UK there were six named storms. The most recent - Storm Floris - hit in early August, notable for its wind strength during the summer months.

Gusts of 82mph were recorded in northern Scotland.

Before that it was Storm Eowyn in January, the most powerful windstorm in the UK for over a decade with gusts of over 135mph.

It particularly affected Northern Ireland and Scotland's Central Belt.

Overall it was a much quieter season than the previous one (2023/24) when we saw 12 named storms - the most in a season since the naming of storms started in 2015.

What impact has climate change had on UK storms?

Detecting long-term trends is challenging, as windstorm activity naturally fluctuates from year-to-year and across decades.

Currently, there is no clear evidence of an increase or decrease in the number or intensity of windstorms.

Scientists are more confident that the coastal impacts of windstorms, from storm surges and high waves will worsen as sea-levels rise.

Climate change is making our weather more extreme and a warmer world means that when it does rain, those rains tend to be heavier with more flooding risks.

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Fugitive wanted over Australia police killings being helped, police say

1 September 2025 at 14:11
Nine/A Current Affair Dezi Freeman, who has short brown hair and is wearing a grey shirt, with a garden in the backgroundNine/A Current Affair
Dezi Freeman had a well-documented hatred of authority

A fugitive who allegedly murdered two officers in a small rural town in Australia's Victoria is being helped by some members of the community, police have said.

Dezi Freeman has been on the run since last Tuesday, when police arrived at his Porepunkah property to execute a search warrant, reportedly relating to a sex crimes investigation.

Mr Freeman, a known conspiracy theorist, escaped into thick bushland bordering the property, with a massive manhunt for him now in its seventh day.

His wife, Amalia Freeman, had earlier urged him to turn himself in and offered her condolences to the families of the officers he is alleged to have killed.

Victoria Police - which has previously appealed for Mr Freeman to surrender - say there had still been no sighting of the 56-year-old.

"People know the whereabouts of the person who has killed two cops," Superintendent Brett Kahan said in an update on Monday.

"You are committing an extremely serious crime by harbouring or assisting in the escape of Dezi Freeman."

He declined to specify how many people police suspected, or whether they were locals in the town of Porepunkah or nearby areas.

Police had arrested and promptly released Ms Freeman and a 15-year-old when raiding another Porepunkah property on Thursday night, but have not provided any additional information.

Ms Freeman said her and her children "respected the important work of Victoria Police and do not hold anti-authority views," in a statement released by her lawyers.

Heavily armed police, helicopters and armoured vehicles have now been searching the area where Mr Freeman disappeared for almost a week.

The killings have revived questions over how Australian authorities deal with the threat of conspiracy theorists - three years after a hauntingly similar ambush of police in Queensland.

Mr Freeman had long espoused "sovereign citizen" views and had a well-documented hatred of authority.

Victoria Police say a thorough risk assessment was conducted before 10 officers had travelled to his property, but specialist police support had not been requested.

How sheer luck made this tiny Caribbean island millions from its web address

1 September 2025 at 09:42
Getty Images A beach in AnguillaGetty Images
Anguilla is a British Overseas Territory renowned for its pristine beaches

Back in the 1980s when the internet was still in its infancy, countries were being handed their own unique website addresses to navigate this nascent new online world. Such as .us for the US or .uk for the UK.

Eventually, almost every country and territory had a domain based on either its English or own language name. This included the small Caribbean island of Anguilla, which landed the address .ai.

Unbeknownst to Anguilla at the time, this would become a future jackpot.

With the continuing boom in artificial intelligence (AI), more and more companies and individuals are paying Anguilla, a British Overseas Territory, to register new websites with the .ai tag.

Such as US tech boss Dharmesh Shah, who earlier this year spent a reported $700,000 (£519,000) on the address you.ai.

Speaking to the BBC, Mr Shah says he purchased it because he had "an idea for an AI product that would allow people to create digital versions of themselves that could do specific tasks on their behalf".

The number of .ai websites has increased more than 10-fold in the past five years, and has doubled in the past 12 months alone, according to a website that tracks domain name registrations.

The challenge for Anguilla, which has a population of just 16,000 people, is how to harness this lucrative bit of luck and turn it into a long-term and sustainable source of income.

Similar to other small Caribbean islands, Anguilla's economy is built on a bedrock of tourism. Recently, it's been attracting visitors in the luxury travel market, particularly from the US.

Anguilla's statistics department says there was a record number of visitors to the island last year, with 111,639 people entering its shores.

Yet Anguilla's tourism sector is vulnerable to damage from hurricanes every autumn. Situated in the northeast of the Caribbean island arc, Anguilla lies perfectly within the North Atlantic hurricane belt.

So gaining an increasing income from selling website addresses is playing an important role in diversifying the island's economy, and making it more resilient to the financial damage that storms may bring. This is something that the International Monetary Fund (IMF) noted in a recent report on Anguilla.

HubSpot A picture of Dharmesh Shah stood at a slight angle smiling at the camera. He's Indian, in his 50's and wearing a blue t-shirt with black hair and a grey beard.HubSpot
Dharmesh Shah is said to have spent $700,000 on the domain you.ai

In its draft 2025 budget document, the Anguillian government says that in 2024 it earned 105.5m East Caribbean dollars ($39m; £29m) from selling domain names. That was almost a quarter (23%) of its total revenues last year. Tourism accounts for some 37%, according to the IMF.

The Anguillian government expects its .ai revenues to increase further to 132m Eastern Caribbean dollars this year, and to 138m in 2026. It comes as more than 850,000 .ai domains are now in existence, up from fewer than 50,000 in 2020.

As a British Overseas Territory, Anguilla is under the sovereignty of the UK, but with a high level of internal self-governance.

The UK has significant influence on the island's defence and security, and has provided financial assistance during times of crisis. After Hurricane Irma severely damaged it in 2017, the US gave £60m to Anguilla over five years to help meet the repair bill.

The UK's Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office tells the BBC it welcomes Anguilla's efforts "to find innovative ways to deliver economic growth" as it helps "contribute to Anguilla's financial self-sufficiency".

A map showing Anguilla's location in the Caribbean

To manage its burgeoning domain name income, in October 2024 Anguilla signed a five-year deal with a US tech firm called Identity Digital, which specialises in internet domain name registries.

At the start of this year, Identity Digital announced that it had moved where all the .ai domains are hosted, from servers in Anguilla, to its own global server network. This is to prevent any disruption from future hurricanes, or any other risks to the island's infrastructure, such as power cuts.

The exact cost of .ai addresses isn't publicly disclosed, but registration prices are said to start from roughly $150 to $200. With renewal fees of around the same amount every two years.

At the same time, more in-demand domain names are auctioned off, with some fetching hundreds of thousands of US dollars. The owners of these then have to pay the same small renewal fees as everyone else.

In all cases, the government of Anguilla gets the sales revenue, with Identity Digital getting a cut said to be around 10%. However, they appear to be sensitive about the topic, as both declined to be interviewed for this article.

Currently the most expensive .ai domain name purchase is Mr Shah's you.ai.

A self-confessed AI-enthusiast, and co-founder of US software company Hubspot, Mr Shah has several other .ai domain addresses to his name, but the flagship you.ai is not yet operational as he's been busy with other projects.

Mr Shah says he buys domain names for himself, but will occasionally look to sell "if I don't have immediate plans for it, and there's another entrepreneur that wants to do something with the name".

Mr Shah believes that another person or company will soon set a new record for the highest price of an .ai domain purchase, such is the continuing excitement around AI.

But he adds: "Having said that, I still think over the long-term, .com domains will maintain their value better and for longer."

In recent weeks, .ai auctions have seen major six-figure sales. In July, cloud.ai sold for a reported $600,000 and law.ai sold for $350,000 earlier this month.

Getty Images A satellite image of three hurricanes hitting the Caribbean at the same time in September 2017. From left to right - Katia, Irma, and JoseGetty Images
The Caribbean was hit by three hurricanes at the same time in September 2017 - Katia, Irma and Jose

However, Anguilla's position is not without precedent. The similarly tiny Pacific island nation of Tuvalu signed an exclusive deal in 1998 to license its .tv domain name.

Reports say this granted exclusive rights to US domain name registry firm, VeriSign in exchange for $2m a year, which later rose to $5m.

A decade later and with the internet expanding exponentially, Tuvalu's finance minister, Lotoala Metia, said VeriSign, paid "peanuts" for the right to run the domain name. The country signed a new deal with a different domain provider, GoDaddy, in 2021.

Anguilla is operating in a different fashion, having handed over management of the domain name in a revenue-sharing model, not a fixed payment.

Cashing in on this new line of income sustainably has been a major goal for the island. It's hoped the increasing incomings will allow for a new airport to be built to facilitate tourism growth, as well as fund improvements to public infrastructure and access to health care.

As the number of registered .ai domains hurtles toward the million mark, Anguillians will hope this money is managed safely and invested in their future.

Gene tests begin in women's athletics - but how will it work?

1 September 2025 at 07:01

Gene tests begin in women's athletics - new rule explained

Image of anonymous runners competing in a 5,000m raceImage source, Getty Images
Image caption,

All athletes wishing to compete in the female category at the World Championships are required to take the test

  • Published

Rules requiring all athletes in the female category of world ranking events to take a one-time gene test come into force this week.

World Athletics says the sex screening - which detects the presence of a Y chromosome - is to protect the integrity of women's competition.

But how does the latest attempt to tackle one of sport's most contentious issues work? How did we get here, are there concerns, and what are the implications for the debate around gender eligibility? BBC Sport answers the key questions.

What is the test looking for?

The test detects the SRY gene - or 'sex-determining region Y gene' - which is part of the Y chromosome and causes male characteristics to develop.

If a human embryo has XY chromosomes the SRY gene leads to the formation of testes, which then produce hormones including testosterone that lead to male development - and can increase muscle mass and strength.

Research has shown athletes who were born male and passed through male puberty generally have physiological advantages over those born female (with XX chromosomes and no SRY gene).

The test is designed to determine biological sex in cases of athletes who are DSD - those born with 'differences in sex development'. This is a term for a group of rare conditions, whereby a person's hormones, genes and/or reproductive organs may be a mix of male and female characteristics. Some can be born with external female genitalia but functioning testes, and are often certified as female at birth and raised as such.

How will the SRY test be conducted?

It is a cheek swab or blood test, which is done once in an athlete's life by each national federation. If the test is negative for the Y chromosome - ie it is absent - the athlete is eligible to compete in the female category.

However, World Athletics says that a positive test may occur if the athlete has the DSD condition 46 XY, and that "such individuals with typically male chromosomes may have atypical development of reproductive or sexual anatomy due to variations in the SRY gene or other related genetic factors", with some assigned a female gender at birth.

In such cases, unless the athlete has complete androgen insensitivity syndrome (CAIS) - and has not gone through male puberty - they would be ineligible to compete in the female category.

World Athletics is also allowing "a very small number of known DSD athletes to compete under the current regulations", as long as they continue to comply.

How many tests have been done?

Close-up image of World Athletics president Lord CoeImage source, Getty Images
Image caption,

World Athletics president Lord Coe says athletes are "overwhelmingly supportive" about the gene test

World Athletics says more than 90% of the athletes due to take part in the World Championships later this month have been tested, with any outstanding cases to be conducted in Tokyo.

Its president Lord Coe has admitted the time frame has been "tight", and that there has been "added complexity" because genetic testing for non-medical reasons is outlawed in some countries, such as France and Norway, so some athletes have had to give samples overseas.

A group of Canadian athletes also had to be retested after a reported 'test-tube error' meant their cheek swabs failed to comply with requirements.

Why has World Athletics chosen to do this now?

Gender in sport has been a major issue since 2009, when South African Caster Semenya won the 800m final at the World Championships in Berlin - going on to dominate at the distance.

She was born with 46 XY 5-ARD (5-alpha-reductase deficiency). People with this particular DSD have male XY chromosomes, but some are recorded as female at birth.

Semenya was legally registered as female at birth and has said that although she was born without a uterus and with internal testicles, she has a vagina and is a woman.

At the 2016 Olympics in Rio, all three medallists in the women's 800m (including winner Semenya) were DSD athletes, intensifying calls for tighter rules. World Athletics then insisted that for track events from 400m up to the mile, DSD athletes must reduce their testosterone levels in order to be eligible.

Semenya refused, arguing it was an infringement of her human rights and discriminatory.

Amid a long legal battle, World Athletics' made its rules stricter in 2023. Transgender women who had gone through male puberty were banned from competing in women's events, while DSD athletes had to further reduce their testosterone levels and for longer, and in all track and field events.

Then, earlier this year, a World Athletics working group recommended going further still, claiming new research showed testosterone suppression could only partly mitigate the overall male advantage.

The governing body said the SRY gene is "a reliable proxy for determining biological sex" and that the majority of those it consulted supported a cheek swab test.

"It is really important in a sport that is permanently trying to attract more women that they enter a sport believing there is no biological glass ceiling," said Lord Coe at the time.

"At elite level, for you to compete in the female category you have to be biologically female."

Caster Semenyo with a stern expressionImage source, Getty Images
Image caption,

Gender in sport has been an issue since Semenya's 800m World Championship success in 2009

What about other sports?

World Boxing also introduced mandatory sex testing this year, with any fighters wanting to take part in the female competition at the World Championships in Liverpool this week having had to take a test.

"Athletes that are deemed to be male at birth, as evidenced by the presence of Y chromosome genetic material (the SRY gene) or with a difference of sexual development (DSD) where male androgenization occurs, will be eligible to compete in the male category," the governing body said in May.

This followed a major controversy in the women's boxing competition at the 2024 Paris Olympics, where Imane Khelif and Lin Yu-ting both won golds despite being disqualified from the previous year's World Championships for allegedly failing gender eligibility tests conducted by then governing body the IBA.

The IBA was then suspended and so the International Olympic Committee (IOC) ran the boxing competition in Paris and allowed the fighters to compete, insisting they met eligibility requirements. This sparked scrutiny over whether the body had put inclusion over fairness and safety, and the reliability of the IBA's original tests.

Khelif and Yu-ting were assigned female at birth and insist they are women. But the IBA's claim that Khelif has XY chromosomes led to speculation the fighter may have been born with a DSD. The BBC has not been able to confirm whether this is the case. It is also not known whether Khelif and Yu-ting have taken the SRY test, but neither is expected to compete at the World Championships.

Will the IOC adopt the tests?

The IOC has been wary of sex screening for fear of stigmatising or discriminating against athletes. In 2024, then president Thomas Bach also said: "It is not as easy as some may now want to portray it - that XX or XY is the clear distinction between men and women. This is scientifically not true any more."

However, after the Paris 2024 boxing controversy, the United Nations' special rapporteur on violence against women called for sex screening for female athletes, external to be reintroduced. A group of 32 academics agreed,, external claiming it was "overwhelmingly preferable to targeted testing based on allegations, suspicion and bias".

New IOC president Kirsty Coventry says protecting the female category is a priority, and seems open to applying such a test across all sports. Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump has said sex testing in some form will be applied for women's competition at the LA Olympics in 2028.

However, Andrew Parsons, the president of the International Paralympic Committee, says he is opposed to "blanket solutions" to gender eligibility, suggesting each federation should still be left to decide its own rules.

Has sex screening been used before?

The IOC used visual inspections in the 1960s, but there were concerns they were degrading and invasive, before mandatory chromosome-based cheek swab tests were introduced.

There were still issues, however. Spanish hurdler Maria Jose Martinez Patino was barred from competition in 1986 after failing the test, but later examinations showed that while she had XY chromosomes she also had CAIS - meaning her body never gained benefits from the increased testosterone created by her internal testes.

She was reinstated, but amid a number of 'false positives', and fears that female athletes were being punished for natural variations, gender verification tests were abolished in the 1990s.

World Athletics insists the new tests are now "extremely accurate and the risk of false negative or positive is extremely unlikely".

What has been the reaction?

Lord Coe says athletes have been "overwhelmingly supportive" of the new tests. Campaign group Sex Matters said the return of screening was "welcome and overdue", adding: "Every sport needs to follow the lead of World Athletics and World Boxing."

However, US runner Nikki Hiltz - who is transgender and non-binary - said the gene testing was "disappointing", adding: "I just don't like the precedent that it sets."

Hiltz - who has qualified for the World Championships and has taken a test - expressed concern, external it might mean more invasive techniques are used, and that the estimated $100 (£74) cost for each test would be better spent tackling doping or abusive coaches.

Nikki Hiltz holding up the American flag after a raceImage source, Getty Images
Image caption,

Hiltz was assigned female at birth and came out as transgender and non-binary in 2021

Within the scientific community there is also some opposition. Andrew Sinclair, a professor of translational genomics at the University of Melbourne - who discovered the SRY gene in 1990 - recently wrote that mandatory sex testing was "misguided"., external

He said that "using SRY to establish biological sex is wrong because all it tells you is whether or not the gene is present," and that "the science does not support this overly simplistic assertion". He also raised concerns about the risk of accidental contamination and a potential false positive.

And Madeleine Pape, a former Australian Olympian and a sociologist at the University of Lausanne, has also raised concerns about the test inadvertently 'outing' athletes - some of whom may never have known they had a DSD.

"It is far from being scientifically accurate as a performance indicator, while being very harmful to the athletes affected," she said.

World Athletics says any initial positive results will be followed up with further medical assessments, allowing for an accurate diagnosis before a decision over eligibility is made. It says a healthcare specialist will also discuss the results with an athlete, helping them understand any medical, psychological or social implications.

In terms of privacy, athletes have been told they will upload their test result on a secure, encrypted platform, and that they can request a retest and challenge results via the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).

Supporters also say this method is more humane than requiring DSD athletes to suppress their natural testosterone levels, and will avoid the intense media scrutiny that some athletes have been subjected to.

Could the new tests face legal challenges?

Some experts are predicting legal challenges, although Lord Coe says he's confident the policy will stand up to any - insisting international human rights standards are being respected.

Semenya has waged a long legal battle against the previous sex eligibility rules. In 2019 she unsuccessfully challenged them at CAS. However, in July the European Court of Human Rights found her right to a fair hearing was violated by the Swiss Federal Supreme Court when she lost a further appeal in 2020.

That partial victory may mean renewed scrutiny on regulations that some sports say are needed to protect fairness in the female category, but which critics argue are unethical and discriminatory.

Related topics

UK to tighten family member rules for asylum cases

1 September 2025 at 13:59
Getty Images Migrants sit on a dinghy as it prepares to sail into the English Channel on 10 July 2025 in Gravelines, France.Getty Images

Home Secretary Yvette Cooper is to announce details of a tightening of rules for migrants who have been granted asylum bringing their families to the UK.

As MPs return to Westminster, Cooper will also set out reforms to the asylum appeals system.

When a person is granted asylum in the UK, they can apply to bring their family too but Cooper believes changes to policies across Europe mean the UK is now out of kilter with its neighbours and restrictions are needed.

In the Commons this afternoon she is expected to set out the criteria that family members will need to meet - including tougher English language standards and access to sufficient funds.

Cooper will also say she intends to bring forward new legislation to reform the asylum appeals system.

In August 55 small boats crossed the Channel. It was the lowest figure for the month since 2019.

Yet the smuggling gangs seem to be putting more people on each boat - last month there was an average of 65 individuals per vessel.

The Conservatives say "Labour's claim to have smashed the gangs is completely discredited".

Reform UK say the "government's words aren't matching the reality".

Cooper will say the government's overhaul of a "broken" asylum system seeks to end the use of hotels for migrants arriving on small boats - an issue which has led to protests in recent months.

She will also highlight the National Crime Agency's efforts in tackling people smugglers, saying it led 347 disruptions of immigration crime networks in 2024-25 - the highest level on record and a 40% increase on the previous 12 months.

On Friday the Appeal Court overturned a temporary injunction which would have prevented the Home Office from housing asylum seekers at the Bell Hotel in Epping and it was seen as a possible precedent for legal challenges elsewhere.

Epping Forest District Council will meet later on Monday to decide its next course of action, including whether to take its attempt to prevent the hotel being used for asylum seekers to the Supreme Court.

In the Commons, the home secretary is expected to say the NCA efforts have led to "a significant and long term impact" on people smugglers.

The government's planned reforms to the asylum system announced in the last few weeks include a new independent body prioritising cases involving asylum accommodation and foreign national offenders within 24 weeks, and a new fast track appeals process.

Cooper will also give an update on the UK's returns deal with France, where some migrants arriving in the UK on small boats crossing the English Channel will be detained and returned under a pilot scheme lasting 11 months.

She is expected to announce that the first deportations to France are due to take place in the coming weeks.

"Our action to strengthen border security, increase returns and overhaul the broken asylum system are putting much stronger foundations in place so we can fix the chaos we inherited and end costly asylum hotels," she will tell the Commons.

Cooper will say the UK has a "proud record of giving sanctuary to those fleeing persecution" but the system "needs to be properly controlled and managed".

Shadow home secretary Chris Philp said the government had "lost control" and was "engulfed in a fully fledged borders crisis".

He said Cooper's statement was a "desperate distraction tactic", and pointed to the rise in asylum seekers being housed in hotels under the Labour government and the record number of arrivals in small boats so far this year.

A Reform UK spokesman said: "We have seen a record number of crossings since Labour came to power last year with no signs of it slowing."

Reform, they added, had a "detailed plan to deport over 600,000 illegal migrants" in its first term in office if elected. Labour sided "with foreign courts and outdated treaties" while Reform were "on the side of the British people".

AFP via Getty Images Protesters calling for the closure of the Bell Hotel gather outside the council offices in Epping on 8 August 2025.AFP via Getty Images
Parliament resumes on Monday against a backdrop of protests against hotels housing asylum seekers

A full High Court hearing to decide on a permanent injunction for The Bell Hotel is expected in mid-October.

The government says it plans to stop using hotels for asylum seekers by the end of this Parliament.

Ministers said the judgement on the legal challenge on the Bell Hotel, which was brought by lawyers for the Home Office and The Bell Hotel, would allow the government to do so "in a planned and orderly fashion".

But some councils say they are still pursuing legal action to stop asylum seekers from being housed in hotels in their areas.

Reform UK said all 12 councils it controlled should explore legal options to stop asylum seekers being housed in local hotels.

Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch urged Tory-run councils pursuing legal action to "keep going" and said advice would be issued to all Conservative councillors following the ruling.

The protests at the Bell Hotel began after an asylum seeker housed there was arrested and subsequently charged with several offences, including an alleged sexual assault on a 14-year-old girl.

Protests against the housing of asylum seekers at hotels - as well as counter-protests - continued to take place across England and Scotland at the weekend including in Epping, London, Gloucester, Portsmouth, Warrington, Norwich and Falkirk.

Jewellery boss in £170m scam told shop staff to pretend to be customers

1 September 2025 at 13:00
BBC A composite image with a portrait of Vashi Dominguez, a balding man with dark hair at the sides of his head, wearing a dark suit and a white shirt, smiling at the camera with his arms crossed over his body and gleaming rings on each of his fingers. The blue background of the image features sparkling diamonds overlaid on top of an image of the front of one of his Vashi retail stores.BBC
Vashi Dominguez fled the UK after his jewellery business collapsed

Staff at a luxury jewellery retailer were told to pose as customers to trick investors in the UK's biggest diamond scam, BBC Panorama can reveal.

The deception helped diamond dealer Vashi Dominguez get fresh cash from investors to prop up his business, which collapsed in 2023 with £170m of debts.

Those investors lost everything when the Vashi retail chain's promised £157m stock of diamonds was later only valued at about £100,000.

Vashi disappeared, but both the Metropolitan Police and the Serious Fraud Squad have decided not to investigate.

BBC Panorama has spoken to former shop staff, investors and the financial experts combing through the wreckage of the company to piece together how Vashi fooled so many people - and to ask why authorities are not looking for him.

"This is bigger than Hatton Garden, Brink's-Mat and the Great Train Robbery combined," says one of the investors, Michael Moszynski, an advertising executive.

'The Pied Piper of jewellery'

Vashi Dominguez made his name supplying diamonds to the rich. His reputation grew as his diamond deals grew bigger.

He appeared on ITV's This Morning, chatting with Holly Willoughby and Phillip Schofield, holding a crystal egg, which he claimed was worth £5m and he was selling for a billionaire in Canada.

"Vashi is very dynamic, he's a very charismatic character. He was almost like the Pied Piper of jewellery retail," says Will Hayward, a former Vashi store manager.

ITV/Shutterstock A still of Vashi Dominguez, again wearing a dark suit and white shirt, in an interview with ITV's This Morning, in front of a background with what appear to be illuminated crystals resembling diamondsITV/Shutterstock
Vashi appeared on TV, promoting his sale of a crystal egg he priced at £5m

By 2017, Vashi was no longer just a diamond dealer to the rich. He was a High Street brand, with Vashi stores in London, Birmingham and Manchester.

Vashi said he was offering a different kind of jewellery experience, where customers could work with designers and then watch their jewellery being made on site. They were promised high-end diamonds at a cheaper price.

"Vashi was quite a magnetic individual," says Mr Moszynski. "He had gravitas, he had intelligence, he spoke in a very informed way about every detail of his business."

Vashi backed up his ideas with detailed business plans and accounts. He tricked experienced investors like Clive Schlee, the former boss of the sandwich chain Pret a Manger, and John Caudwell, the mobile phone billionaire.

Mark Schneider, a media executive who co-founded GB News, decided to invest about £750,000. "It seemed good. Some smart guys from around here were in the deal, I just kind of went along with it on that basis," he says.

The business seemed to be booming. In 2021, Vashi opened a new flagship store on a prime site in Covent Garden, central London. It was fitted out extravagantly, with a large interactive screen and an £8,000 sofa, staff say.

Instagram The large Vashi store in Covent Garden, with the entrance in the middle of the picture and two large bay windows either side. Above the door, the Vashi logo in a minimalist san serif type face is brightly illuminated.Instagram
Vashi opened a lavishly appointed store in a prime site in Covent Garden

But on the shop floor, they suspected something was not right.

"After the shininess had worn off, we were getting, like, two, three, four people in it a day, and that was the reality in one of the busiest squares in London," says Charlotte Paul, a former data analyst for Vashi.

Vashi tried to bring in more money by tricking investors, telling staff to pretend to be customers so the store would look busy.

An email spelled out why: "This request is direct from Vashi, as he is in major investor conversations and expects surprise store visits."

Will Hayward, a man with black-framed glasses, a moustache and dark brown hair which is shaved close to the skin on his left side and swept over the other side. He wears a dark jacket and a white shirt open at the neck.
Former store manager Will Hayward says Vashi put on a "facade" for investors

Sales staff with no experience of making jewellery were also told to sit at work benches and pretend to be goldsmithing or diamond-setting.

"It was a whole elaborate show that Vashi would do with the clients, to show that they've got so many orders and this is how busy we are - this is why you should really be investing into Vashi," says Will Hayward.

"Total facade."

Customers were also being conned, staff say.

Diamonds for sale usually carry inscriptions that record their size and quality, called a GIA number.

Lezlie Bailey, who worked as a gemologist at Vashi, says the company was buying smaller or lower-quality diamonds than customers had paid for and scratching off the GIA numbers.

But the biggest trick Vashi used to cheat investors was in the accounts.

The figures sent to investors - and published at Companies House - showed sales of more than £100m in 2021.

But they were false. Internal documents show the real sales figures that year were only £5m - just 5% of the published figures.

"To completely misrepresent the accounts by this scale is just completely unacceptable," says Stuart McFadden from fraud investigation company Refundee, which represents some investors.

'Nothing to do with us'

Vashi's company was on its knees, but the man himself was still living the good life. The company paid for his fleet of luxury cars, including a Lamborghini, and the rent for several flats in prime central London neighbourhoods such as Mayfair.

It could not last - and in April 2023, the glitzy jewellery retail business went bust.

Investors were shocked but thought their money would be safe, because they had been sent valuations in February showing the company's huge stock of diamonds was worth £157m.

Promotional images for Vashi, with three panels featuring a close-up of a diamond necklace on a silver-toned chain on the left and three rings on the right, one with a large diamond and small melee stones around it, another pave diamond ring and a plain band - all in white gold or platinum. In the middle, a woman is seen opening a box with a ring inside on a marble table.
The company promised customers cheap, high-end diamonds and custom-made jewellery

But they learned this had been another trick. Diamond consultant Rob Wake-Walker, who was brought in to value the gems that April, says: "Our first question was actually to ask if there was any more."

The valuation of the diamonds and the dodgy accounts had been signed off by a real accountant: Rajnikant Patel, who works from a small office on a row of shops in Ilford, east London.

He did not answer our letters, so I went to see him and asked where the missing money had gone.

Mr Patel said he did not know where the money was and did not want to discuss what happened, in case it prejudiced any future court case against Vashi.

Asked about the investors who had lost money, Mr Patel said he did not think anyone based their decision to invest "purely on our accounts".

A still from footage of BBC Panorama's Richard Bilton speaking to Rajnikant Patel, a balding man with short grey hair at his temples and rimless glasses, at his office, with box files piled up on his desk and a printer behind him with a yellow sticky note on it.
The BBC challenged accountant Rajnikant Patel at his offices in Ilford, east London

"Obviously it's not good. The shareholders, the investors have lost their money. I certainly am very sorry that's happened, but nothing to do with us," he said.

Mr Patel said he did not know the figures in the accounts were wrong and would not have signed them off if he had known.

The liquidator, Benji Dymant, says creditors are owed £170m and that more than £100m of that is owed to investors. Mr Dymant would like to question Vashi, but he has vanished.

His disappearance also means the BBC was unable to put our allegations to him.

From bank statements, Mr Dymant says he knows Vashi flew to Dubai on the day the court ordered the company to be wound up.

"We have hired private investigators and there have been sightings of him, but we have not been given any hard evidence of a sort of residence or location in a certain place," the liquidator says.

Sparkle and glamour

Vashi has cheated investors, staff and the taxman, but the search party is surprisingly small.

There is no investigation by the police or the Serious Fraud Office (SFO).

Investors are stunned that nothing is being done. "I mean, what are you actually doing?" says Mark Schneider, who is American. "All these people in your country can be ripped off in such an obvious way and you don't bother trying to figure out how to get hold of the person or to deal with the fraud."

Investors say they were passed between the Metropolitan Police and the SFO, until the SFO eventually said it was not a complex-enough case for it to take on.

The SFO told us it only "takes on a small number of high-level economic crime cases" each year.

The Met Police told us it had "not received any referrals from the liquidator or the Insolvency Service" and would reassess if it did.

The liquidator says he is not allowed to tell us whether he referred the case to the police or the SFO.

Mark Schneider, pictured in close-up as he is being interviewed, with the background blurred. He has white hair, clipped short, and wears glasses with a  tortoiseshell-style frame, an orange shirt and a black jacket.
Investor Mark Schneider questioned why authorities are not trying to find Vashi

Investors think Vashi Dominguez committed the perfect crime and escaped with a fortune.

But the liquidator, who has gone through the books, says there is no evidence that he has taken a lot of the missing cash.

"What we haven't seen from the bank statements is significant bulk sums of money, or any obvious sums of the money, that have been put into an offshore account or anything like that," says Mr Dymant.

Like most investors, Mark Schneider has not got his money back. He still cannot work out whether Vashi was a scam from the beginning.

"I'm not sure whether the guy panicked because this thing just wasn't working like he planned or whether he planned it all along to be like this," he says.

What we know is Vashi Dominguez used sparkle and glamour to attract tens of millions of pounds from investors.

All the money has gone and so has he.

Liverpool agree British record £125m fee for Isak

1 September 2025 at 08:04

Liverpool agree British record £125m fee for Isak

Close up of Alexander IsakImage source, Getty Images
Image caption,

Alexander Isak is set to leave Newcastle United after three years at the club

  • Published

Liverpool have agreed a British transfer record fee of £125m to sign striker Alexander Isak from Newcastle United.

Sources close to the deal have told BBC Sport that an agreement for the Sweden international to move to Anfield is now in place.

Isak is expected to undergo a medical on Monday before signing a six-year contract.

Liverpool had an original £110m offer rejected in August but are now set to land their first-choice target of the summer.

The protracted saga involving the 25-year-old appears set to come to an end on the final day of the summer transfer window, and it follows Newcastle having signed striker Nick Woltemade from Stuttgart last week.

Earlier this summer, Isak was left out of the Newcastle squad for their pre-season tour of Asia with what the club described as a "minor thigh injury", while it was understood he wanted to explore a move away.

He then trained alone at his former club Real Sociedad before Liverpool's initial bid for him was knocked back by the Magpies.

Amid continued speculation about his future, Isak released a statement in which he said promises had been "broken" by Newcastle and that their "relationship can't continue".

BBC Sport understands that Isak believed he would be allowed to leave Newcastle if a big club came in for him and offered the right price.

Newcastle said that "no commitment has ever been made by a club official that Alex can leave Newcastle United this summer".

However, a move has now been agreed after Isak remained on the sidelines at Newcastle and missed their opening three Premier League games, which included a 3-2 defeat by Liverpool at St James' Park.

More to follow.

More on this story

Peak rail fares scrapped on ScotRail trains

1 September 2025 at 13:14
Getty Images A close up image of a train ticket from Edinburgh to Glasgow Central, held in someone's hand. The ticket is orange and white.Getty Images
From 1 September, there will be no more peak fares on ScotRail trains

Many ScotRail passengers will benefit from cheaper travel after the state-owned rail operator scrapped peak fares.

From 1 September, the higher fares for busy times will no longer be imposed, meaning significant savings for customers.

A rail ticket from Edinburgh to Glasgow will be almost 50% cheaper, with trips between Perth and Dundee a third less than previously.

The aim is to get more commuters out of cars and onto trains. Fares on routes that do not currently have peak time prices will be unchanged.

ScotRail ticketing will also be more straightforward and flexible under the new system.

A pilot scheme scrapping peak-time ScotRail fares, a policy championed by the Scottish Greens, was introduced in 2023 but ended in September 2024 after ministers said the costs of the subsidy could not be justified.

However, in his programme for government speech in May, First Minister John Swinney announced that peak fares would again be scrapped.

He told MSPs: "Last year, in the face of severe budget pressures, we took the difficult decision to end the peak fares pilot on our railways.

"But now, given the work we have done to get Scotland's finances in a stronger position, and hearing also the calls from commuters, from climate activists and from the business community, I can confirm that, from 1 September this year, peak rail fares in Scotland will be scrapped for good.

"A decision that will put more money in people's pockets and mean less CO2 is pumped into our skies."

Getty Images A ScotRail train arrives at Waverly station in Edinburgh in the sunshine, the castle in the background. People are making their way off the train and up the platform.Getty Images
ScotRail ticketing will be more simple and flexible under the new system

Joanne Maguire, managing director at ScotRail told BBC Scotland News: "We are really excited at the opportunity to get more customers out of their cars and onto the railway.

"If you are travelling from Edinburgh to Glasgow you will see a saving of about 50%.

"From Inverkeithing to Edinburgh, you will save 40% and between Inverness and Elgin it is 35% - so it's great news for our passengers."

Peak fares used to cover tickets bought before 09:15 on weekdays and certain services between 16:42 and 18:30.

The initial pilot scheme which scrapped them began in October 2023, but was ended in September 2024 following "limited success".

Passenger levels increased by a maximum of about 6.8% but the scheme required a 10% rise to be self-financing.

A digital billboard at Queen Street Station in Glasgow  says "Peak fares. Gone for good."
ScotRail has launched a marketing campaign to promote the cheaper fares

Ms Maguire said the trial period had seen an increase in passenger numbers and that ScotRail had enjoyed a successful summer of moving customers around to numerous big leisure events.

She added that the goal now was to grow the commuter passenger base.

Modi and Xi meet: Trump as the wildcard and other takeaways

1 September 2025 at 12:08
Reuters Narendra Modi and Xi Jinping smile for the cameras on stage against a shimmering blue and orange backdrop. Modi is wearing a blue vest over a white kurta with a golden pocket handkerchief, Xi is wearing a navy blue suit and a maroon tie.Reuters
Modi and Xi posed for pictures in Tianjin on Monday

The view from India

Just a few months ago, the armed forces of India and Pakistan were locked in a brief but deadly conflict.

The conflict indirectly involved a third nation – China. Pakistan's armed forces heavily used China-made equipment, including fighter jets and radar systems.

A senior army officer in Delhi said Beijing also provided "live inputs" to Pakistan on Indian positions.

India didn't take a public stand against China, but this left many asking if Delhi should continue on the path of normalising relations with Beijing.

Less than six months later, peace talks between the two Asian giants have been turbocharged by decisions taken thousands of miles away in Washington DC.

The Trump administration has imposed 50% tariffs on Indian imports, saying Delhi was being punished for its refusal to stop buying oil from Russia.

Delhi had two clear choices after this stunning onslaught from a trusted ally.

The first was to cave in and stop buying Russian oil. But it has refused to do so, largely because Russia is an "all-weather" ally and giving into pressure doesn't suit Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's strongman image.

The second was to stand firm and seek other opportunities and India appears to have to chosen this option for now.

It's also pragmatic to look no further when your neighbour is the world's second-largest economy and a global manufacturing powerhouse.

It was in this context, that Modi met Chinese President Xi Jinping in Tianjin over the weekend.

Statements from the two sides were not heavy on details, though they promised to work through their differences to benefit their collective population of 2.8 billion people.

The immediate takeaway from the meeting was the resumption of direct flights between the two countries and making the process of issuing visas simpler.

But beyond the promise of "the elephant and the dragon" coming together, the two countries still have major roadblocks to clear before they are able to engage meaningfully.

Their first challenge comes from their immediate history.

Modi has invested personally in the India-China relationship since coming to power in 2014, visiting the neighbouring country five times until 2018.

But the 2020 border clash put brakes on this momentum and it has taken seven long years for Modi to visit China again.

The key to making further progress will depend on how the two countries deal with their border issues.

Tens of thousands of troops from both countries are still deployed at their contested borders - though there are ongoing talks between their civilian and military leaders to ease the situation.

AFP via Getty Images A man wearing an orange turban and white top holds up two pictures of Donald Trump and shouts angrily at the camera. Behind him are a crowd of men holding up signs stating "roll back the tariffs imposed on India".AFP via Getty Images
The US-imposed 50% tariffs on India has caused some anger

Both Chinese and Indian readouts after the meeting this weekend talked about maintaining peace at the border and "not turning their differences into disputes".

For India, there is the issue of a burgeoning trade deficit with China, amounting to more than $99bn (£73bn).

Both countries still have high tariffs and duties against each other in many sectors.

Beijing would want India to open its market of 1.4 billion people to Chinese products, but Delhi would be wary of doing that without addressing the deficit.

The outreach to China, which started with Modi meeting Xi in Kazan last year, may have been supercharged by Trump tariffs, but ground realities for India remain unchanged.

The Modi-Xi meeting is being seen as part of India's policy of "strategic autonomy" but it will also cause more geopolitical challenges for Delhi.

India is due to host the Quad (which includes Japan, Australia and the US) summit later this year. The forum was largely seen as a challenge to China's dominance in the Indo-Pacific region.

It's not clear if Trump will attend, but if he does and says something against China, it will immediately test the renewed synergy between Delhi and Beijing.

Delhi is also part of several other multilateral forums that are perceived as anti-China and anti-Russia.

How Delhi plays its strategic autonomy in the next few months will very much influence the direction India-China ties take.

For now, it's clear that India-US ties are at an all-time low. A Trump aide recently called the Russia-Ukraine conflict "Modi's war".

Delhi has also consistently denied that Trump played any role in the ceasefire between India and Pakistan in May – this has become a constant irritant for the US president.

Despite this, India has refrained from imposing retaliatory tariffs against the US and has left the door ajar for further negotiations. After all, the US is India's biggest trading partner.

Will going closer to China help India's negotiations with the US or will it have the opposite impact?

This is the question that will likely dominate geopolitical discussions in Delhi and beyond in the coming months.

Hindustan Times via Getty Images File picture from 2020 showing men in New Delhi wearing white kurtas, jeans and shirts burning print-outs of Xi Jinping's portrait and the Chinese flagHindustan Times via Getty Images
Tensions ran high following the Galwan Valley incident in 2020 - but they have since cooled down somewhat

The view from China

When Xi Jinping met Narendra Modi he used what has become his favourite catchphrase for China-India relations: "The dragon and the elephant should come together".

During "this period of transformation," he added that it was vital for the world's most populous nations to be friends and good neighbours.

In a case of spectacular timing, Prime Minister Modi's visit has coincided with Donald Trump's tariffs of up to 50% on India exports to the US.

This represents quite a hit on the country's economy so New Delhi would be looking around for other business partners.

Look no further than right here, Xi may well say, as his administration attempts to rebuild from the wreckage of China-India relations following years of tension between the two.

And, if their official readouts are anything to go by, Modi's attendance at the Tianjin Summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation seems to have paid off.

His published comments to Xi were much more specific than the those coming the other way.

There is now a very good window for Beijing and New Delhi to repair their strained relationship.

China's leader knows that Donald Trump's tariff onslaught is pushing India away from the United States and that this great economic rival needs other partnerships.

Considerable obstacles remain.

They include China's backing of India's key rival Pakistan; interaction of all types has been in the doldrums; angry rhetoric from both governments (over many years) has created a climate of suspicion between the Asian heavyweights and their high-mountain border dispute has stirred nationalist sentiment on both sides of the frontier.

However, with the latter of these, this meeting would appear to confirm that pressure has already eased.

Last Thursday China's Defence Ministry spokesman was talking up the success of discussions between the representatives of China and India aimed at stopping the clashes along their disputed border.

He spoke of "win-win cooperation" and celebrating the 75th anniversary of ties between the two nations.

Xi also knows that the symbolism of having Modi in China right now is considerable, that images of them shaking hands and standing side-by-by side – as the Trump tariffs on India kick in – can be a powerful propaganda tool which is made even more significant by the fact that this is a multilateral gathering.

The two will not only be joined by Vladimir Putin but by the other SCO governments like Turkey (a member of Nato), Saudi Arabia (a key US ally), Iran (a key enemy of the US) as well as Qatar, Egypt and Pakistan.

And all of this in the days before Beijing holds a massive display of military might with a parade through the heart of the capital.

Trump has sent a 'great friend' to India. Some see him as a 'slap in the face'

1 September 2025 at 06:42
Getty Images Assistant to the President Sergio Gor (R), accompanied by Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) (L), waits before U.S. President Donald Trump arrives for an event at the Kennedy Center on August 13, 2025 in Washington, DC. Trump announced the first nominees of the annual Kennedy Center Honors since taking control of the center's board earlier this year. Getty Images
Sergio Gor shares a close relationship with US President Donald Trump and his family

He's published books authored by Donald Trump, raised millions for his 2024 campaign, and helped him staff Washington with loyalists during the US president's second term.

Now Sergio Gor is set to become Trump's man in India, while also overseeing US relations with other South and Central Asian countries.

Last week, Trump announced that he was promoting Gor, his personnel chief, to be the next US Ambassador to India. He called Gor a "great friend" and someone he could "fully trust" to deliver on the agenda.

The 38-year-old's appointment comes at a time when relations between the two countries have become strained due to Trump's punishing tariffs on India.

Gor's appointment has evoked mixed reactions in India, with some observers saying that having a close Trump aide in the post is a positive sign for India-US ties. But others have questioned Trump's decision to share his India envoy with South and Central Asian countries, which includes Pakistan, with whom India shares a tense relationship.

Getty Images WASHINGTON, DC - JANUARY 19: (L-R) Donald Trump Jr., Bettina Anderson, U.S. Vice President-elect JD Vance, and Sergio Gor dance on stage as The Village People perform YMCA during the Turning Point USA Inaugural-Eve Ball at the Salamander Hotel on January 19, 2025 in Washington, DC. Donald Trump will be sworn in as the 47th U.S. president on January 20. Getty Images
Left to right: Jared Kushner, JD Vance and Sergio Gor celebrate Trump's Presidential win

Experts say that Gor's broad regional mandate threatens to expose India to an overreach by Washington in its affairs with Pakistan, including on the Kashmir issue - a red line for India.

"The special envoy's additional designation will likely create some challenges, at least in India. India typically prefers not to be "hyphenated" with Pakistan," says Alyssa Ayres from the Council of Foreign Relations, an American think-tank focussed on US foreign policy.

Lawrence Haas, a former senior White House official and senior fellow at the American Foreign Policy Council, says that it could also be Trump's way of signalling to Delhi that he doesn't think the role of ambassador to India needs to be a full-time job.

"I imagine that India's leaders will feel slighted and insulted, which will further strain US-India relations," Mr Haas told the BBC.

India found itself in a similar situation in 2009, when the Obama administration reportedly considered appointing Richard Holbrooke as special envoy to Pakistan, Afghanistan and India.

Delhi reportedly lobbied against the move, leading to Holbrooke being appointed envoy to Pakistan and Afghanistan.

Trump, however, is no Obama.

Unlike his predecessor's caution, Trump openly claimed credit for brokering an end to a recent four-day conflict between India and Pakistan - a claim India flatly denied, insisting no outside power played a role in the ceasefire.

The Trump administration has also been bullish in its demands from India in a prospective trade deal, seeking greater access to dairy and farming, sectors India has been keen to protect.

It remains to be seen if Gor's presence in India will help smooth out such bumps and strengthen Washington-Delhi ties, or if he is here to crack the whip on Trump's biddings.

Bill Drexel, a fellow at the Center for Strategy and American Statecraft at the Hudson Institute, says that because decision-making is largely driven by Trump, having an India envoy who's close to him could be a major asset to India-US ties.

"But there may be a steep learning curve given his [Gor's] limited diplomatic and regional experience," Mr Drexel says.

Ms Ayres echoes a similar view. She says that Gor's closeness with the president could help "break through" potential policy logjams.

Mr Haas, however, says that Gor's lack of diplomatic experience could pose a problem in an already strained relationship and that the US should have picked an envoy who could help improve the situation.

"Instead, I suspect that Delhi will interpret this appointment as a slap in the face and further evidence that Trump doesn't care about the relationship," he says.

Getty Images US President Donald Trump speaks with the press as he meets with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, DC, on February 13, 2025. Getty Images
India-US ties have become strained due to Trump's steep tariffs

Gor is said to get along not just with Trump but the entire Trump clan, including Ivanka Trump, Jared Kushner and Donald Trump Jr.

Kushner has called Gor "easygoing" and "trusted". Former congressman Matt Gaetz recalled his fun-loving side, noting he once DJed at MAGA parties in Palm Beach during Trump's exile. Western media, however, largely cast him as one of Trump's most reliable foot soldiers - someone who gets the job done.

Gor is known for vetting presidential appointees for loyalty to Trump. In June, Elon Musk branded him a "snake" after The New York Post reported that Gor had not filed the paperwork for his own permanent security clearance. The White House insisted Gor held an active clearance and is "fully compliant" with requirements.

Gor's origins are both unclear and interesting. Though he has been known to describe himself as being Maltese, he was born in 1986 in Uzbekistan when it was still a part of the Soviet Union. He reportedly spent much of his childhood in Malta before moving to the US at 12.

Gor is reported to have been interested in Republican politics from his school and college days, when he went by the name Gorokhovsky, which he later shortened to Gor.

In 2008, he became a junior staffer at the Republican National Committee and one of his jobs included wearing a squirrel costume at events to highlight Barack Obama's ties to an organisation Republicans accused of indulging in voter fraud.

After two years at Fox News, Gor worked with several Republican politicians before joining Trump's fundraising team in 2020.

A year later, he co-founded Winning Team Publishing with Donald Trump Jr., which has since released multiple Trump books, including the photobook Save America. Since 2022, he has owned a house in Florida, a short drive from Mar-a-Lago, where he is a frequent visitor.

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British woman stabbed to death in Cambodia, police say

1 September 2025 at 08:49
Getty Images Vehicles drive past Royal Palace of Cambodia in Phnom Penh, Cambodia on 25 July 2025.Getty Images

A 34-year-old British woman has been stabbed to death in the Cambodian capital, Phnom Penh, local police say.

The victim was reportedly found with stab wounds in a garden in the Chamkar Mon district south of the city centre on Friday.

A woman, also a foreign national, has been arrested by the authorities in connection with the death.

The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office told BBC News: "We are supporting the family of a British woman who has died in Cambodia and are in contact with the local authorities."

Local media say police spent around 17 hours investigating before making the arrest.

The British woman was reportedly renting a house in the city.

Family reunion rules to be tightened in asylum cases

1 September 2025 at 09:23
Getty Images Migrants sit on a dinghy as it prepares to sail into the English Channel on 10 July 2025 in Gravelines, France.Getty Images

Home Secretary Yvette Cooper is to announce details of a tightening of rules for migrants who have been granted asylum bringing their families to the UK.

As MPs return to Westminster, Cooper will also set out reforms to the asylum appeals system.

When a person is granted asylum in the UK, they can apply to bring their family too but Cooper believes changes to policies across Europe mean the UK is now out of kilter with its neighbours and restrictions are needed.

In the Commons this afternoon she is expected to set out the criteria that family members will need to meet - including tougher English language standards and access to sufficient funds.

Cooper will also say she intends to bring forward new legislation to reform the asylum appeals system.

In August 55 small boats crossed the Channel. It was the lowest figure for the month since 2019.

Yet the smuggling gangs seem to be putting more people on each boat - last month there was an average of 65 individuals per vessel.

The Conservatives say "Labour's claim to have smashed the gangs is completely discredited".

Reform UK say the "government's words aren't matching the reality".

Cooper will say the government's overhaul of a "broken" asylum system seeks to end the use of hotels for migrants arriving on small boats - an issue which has led to protests in recent months.

She will also highlight the National Crime Agency's efforts in tackling people smugglers, saying it led 347 disruptions of immigration crime networks in 2024-25 - the highest level on record and a 40% increase on the previous 12 months.

On Friday the Appeal Court overturned a temporary injunction which would have prevented the Home Office from housing asylum seekers at the Bell Hotel in Epping and it was seen as a possible precedent for legal challenges elsewhere.

Epping Forest District Council will meet later on Monday to decide its next course of action, including whether to take its attempt to prevent the hotel being used for asylum seekers to the Supreme Court.

In the Commons, the home secretary is expected to say the NCA efforts have led to "a significant and long term impact" on people smugglers.

The government's planned reforms to the asylum system announced in the last few weeks include a new independent body prioritising cases involving asylum accommodation and foreign national offenders within 24 weeks, and a new fast track appeals process.

Cooper will also give an update on the UK's returns deal with France, where some migrants arriving in the UK on small boats crossing the English Channel will be detained and returned under a pilot scheme lasting 11 months.

She is expected to announce that the first deportations to France are due to take place in the coming weeks.

"Our action to strengthen border security, increase returns and overhaul the broken asylum system are putting much stronger foundations in place so we can fix the chaos we inherited and end costly asylum hotels," she will tell the Commons.

Cooper will say the UK has a "proud record of giving sanctuary to those fleeing persecution" but the system "needs to be properly controlled and managed".

Shadow home secretary Chris Philp said the government had "lost control" and was "engulfed in a fully fledged borders crisis".

He said Cooper's statement was a "desperate distraction tactic", and pointed to the rise in asylum seekers being housed in hotels under the Labour government and the record number of arrivals in small boats so far this year.

A Reform UK spokesman said: "We have seen a record number of crossings since Labour came to power last year with no signs of it slowing."

Reform, they added, had a "detailed plan to deport over 600,000 illegal migrants" in its first term in office if elected. Labour sided "with foreign courts and outdated treaties" while Reform were "on the side of the British people".

AFP via Getty Images Protesters calling for the closure of the Bell Hotel gather outside the council offices in Epping on 8 August 2025.AFP via Getty Images
Parliament resumes on Monday against a backdrop of protests against hotels housing asylum seekers

A full High Court hearing to decide on a permanent injunction for The Bell Hotel is expected in mid-October.

The government says it plans to stop using hotels for asylum seekers by the end of this Parliament.

Ministers said the judgement on the legal challenge on the Bell Hotel, which was brought by lawyers for the Home Office and The Bell Hotel, would allow the government to do so "in a planned and orderly fashion".

But some councils say they are still pursuing legal action to stop asylum seekers from being housed in hotels in their areas.

Reform UK said all 12 councils it controlled should explore legal options to stop asylum seekers being housed in local hotels.

Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch urged Tory-run councils pursuing legal action to "keep going" and said advice would be issued to all Conservative councillors following the ruling.

The protests at the Bell Hotel began after an asylum seeker housed there was arrested and subsequently charged with several offences, including an alleged sexual assault on a 14-year-old girl.

Protests against the housing of asylum seekers at hotels - as well as counter-protests - continued to take place across England and Scotland at the weekend including in Epping, London, Gloucester, Portsmouth, Warrington, Norwich and Falkirk.

British woman stabbed to death in Cambodia - police

1 September 2025 at 08:49
Getty Images Vehicles drive past Royal Palace of Cambodia in Phnom Penh, Cambodia on 25 July 2025.Getty Images

A 34-year-old British woman has been stabbed to death in the Cambodian capital, Phnom Penh, local police say.

The victim was reportedly found with stab wounds in a garden in the Chamkar Mon district south of the city centre on Friday.

A woman, also a foreign national, has been arrested by the authorities in connection with the death.

The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office told BBC News: "We are supporting the family of a British woman who has died in Cambodia and are in contact with the local authorities."

Local media say police spent around 17 hours investigating before making the arrest.

The British woman was reportedly renting a house in the city.

Camilla fought off attacker with shoe as teenager, book says

1 September 2025 at 10:17
PA Media Queen Camilla during day four of the Sky Bet Ebor Festival 2025 at York Racecourse on 23 August, 2025.PA Media
The Queen is said to have fought off her attacker with the heel of her shoe

Queen Camilla was the victim of an attempted indecent assault as a teenager, according to a new book about the Royal Family. The Queen is said to have fought off her attacker using the heel of her shoe.

The attempted assault is recounted in Power and the Palace by the former Royal editor of the Times newspaper, Valentine Low.

He says the Queen told Boris Johnson the story of her experience in 2008 when he was mayor of London.

It is reported that the Queen was 16 or 17 years old when the incident happened on a train to Paddington Station.

The man is said to have been touching the teenage Camilla Shand when she took off her shoe and hit him with it.

It was, she told Johnson, something her mother had told her to do if she ever found herself in that situation.

When she arrived in London, she reported the incident to station staff and the man was arrested.

Buckingham Palace has made no official statement on the story but is not disputing the details of the account.

Much of the Queen's public work in recent years has been supporting the victims of domestic violence, sexual assault and rape.

She is patron of the charity SafeLives and has visited women's refuges and rape crisis centres across the UK and globally.

In a number of powerful speeches, she has spoken of the courage of those who have experienced domestic violence and why they should not feel fear or stigma in coming forward.

In a speech in 2020 she said: "Through my work, I have talked to many women who have lived with coercive control and domestic violence and, thankfully, come out at the other end as the victors not the victims.

"They are some of the bravest people I have ever met. Their stories are harrowing and have reduced even the toughest of their listeners to tears. That is why it is so vital that these survivors should no longer feel any shame or any blame."

And at a reception at Clarence House in April for SafeLives, she spoke of domestic abuse.

"I would not be standing here if it was 10 years ago because we wouldn't have been talking about it - it was a taboo subject. Nobody actually wanted to talk about it.

"But now 10 years later we've got survivors telling their story who years ago would've been too ashamed to come forward to tell their stories, but now they'll get up and talk and inspire others to talk."

Sources close to the Queen say she has not gone public with the attempted attack before to avoid drawing attention to her experience rather than to the victims she now works with.

They also say this episode did not motivate the Queen to get involved in supporting domestic violence organisations as that work stemmed from hearing victims stories over the years.

Royal sources also say if discussion around the Queen's past experience helps destigmatise what far too many girls still suffer today, then that would be a positive from what was a negative episode.

Details of help and support with child sexual abuse and sexual abuse or violence are available in the UK at BBC Action Line.

Former NYC Mayor Rudy Giuliani injured in car accident

1 September 2025 at 05:54
Reuters Rudy Guiliani wears a blue suit and glassesReuters

Former New York City mayor Rudy Giuliani has been injured in a car accident in the US state of New Hampshire, his security guard has said.

Giuliani's car was struck from behind at high speed while travelling on a highway, according to a statement posted on social media.

"He was diagnosed with a fractured thoracic vertebrae, multiple lacerations and contusions, as well as injuries to his left arm and lower leg," the statement from security guard Michael Ragusa says.

Giuliani, 81, became known as "America's Mayor" after leading New York through 9/11. He later became an adviser and then personal lawyer to Donald Trump, though the two have since parted ways.

Giuliani was taken to a nearby hospital for treatment, Mr Ragusa said.

The incident happened shortly after Giuliani had helped an alleged victim of domestic violence who had flagged him down on a road, his statement added.

"Mayor Giuliani immediately rendered assistance and contacted 911."

The BBC has approached local police for comment.

The thoracic vertebrae form the middle section of the spine, while lascerations and contusions are deep cuts and bruises, respectively.

First elected New York City mayor in 1993, Giuliani was in charge at the time of the 11 September attack on the World Trade Center in 2001.

In 2008, he made an unsuccessful run for US president, and later became one of Trump's adviser during the latter's 2016 campaign. He joined Trump's personal legal team in 2018 and remained a part of it through to the 2020 election.

In the aftermath of Joe Biden's 2020 election victory over Trump, Giuliani spread baseless claims the election was stolen.

Earlier this year, he reached a tentative settlement with two former election workers who won $148m (£120m) in damages after they successfully sued him for defamation over false election fraud claims.

Arrest after fatal shooting of Ukrainian politician Andriy Parubiy

1 September 2025 at 06:55
Getty Images Andriy Parubiy pictured speaking in the Ukrainian parliament.Getty Images
Andriy Parubiy was shot dead in the street on Saturday, sparking a police manhunt

A suspect in the fatal shooting of prominent Ukrainian politician Andriy Parubiy has been apprehended, the country's President Volodymyr Zelensky has said.

The 54-year-old parliamentarian was killed by an assailant posing as a courier in the western city of Lviv on Saturday, sparking a manhunt.

Ukraine's interior minister Igor Klymenko said in a statement issued in the early hours of Monday morning that the suspect had been detained in the western Khmelnytskyi region.

Parubiy rose to prominence during Ukraine's Euromaidan mass protests, which advocated closer ties with the EU and brought down pro-Russian former President Viktor Yanukovych in 2014.

Klymenko said the preliminary investigation had found the killing had been "carefully prepared" with Parubiy's travel schedule and route mapped out, as well as an escape plan.

He added that Ukraine's national police force would provide further details later.

Unverified footage, purportedly of the shooting, appeared to show a gunman dressed as a courier approaching Parubiy on the street and holding up a weapon as he walked behind him.

At a news briefing on Saturday, Lviv police chief Oleksandr Shliakhovskyi said the gunman had "fired about eight shots from a firearm".

Sources inside Ukraine's law enforcement agencies told the BBC that the attacker had dressed to look like a courier for delivery company Glovo. The company said it was "deeply shocked" by the crime.

Parubiy, a member of the current Ukrainian parliament, had played a pivotal role in the Euromaidan movement, organising its "self-defence" teams who guarded the sprawling tent camp in the heart of the capital Kyiv during the protest.

China's huge navy is expanding at breakneck speed - will it rule the waves?

1 September 2025 at 06:09
BBC A young man is smiling at the camera as he fishes on the dock. He is weating a sun hat, spectacles and a white t-shirt over a full-sleeved shirt. He has a watch on his left hand, wihich is holding the black fishing rod. 

Behind him is a long blue ship, with the letters C. M L on it in white. There are large cranes hovering over the vessel.     BBC
Chinese shipyards, among the world's most productive, are giving the country a critcial edge in the oceans

"Socialism is good…" a pensioner warbles into a portable karaoke mic, slightly off-key and drowned out by her friends' chatter.

But they join her for the chorus: "The Communist Party guides China on the path to power and wealth!"

It is not the catchiest karaoke number. But it is an apt one to belt out as they look towards a horizon framed by cranes towering over ships of all sizes.

Suoyuwan park in Dalian, which juts out of north-eastern China into the Yellow Sea, has stunning views of one of China's largest shipyards, and is a place to gather and be merry.

But to White House analysts thousands of miles away in Washington, this cradle of Chinese shipbuilding is part of a growing threat.

In the last two decades, China has ramped up investment in shipbuilding. And that has paid off: more than 60% of the world's orders this year have gone to Chinese shipyards. Put simply, China is building more ships than any other country because it can do it faster than anyone else.

"The scale is extraordinary… in many ways eye-watering," says Nick Childs, a maritime expert with the London-based International Institute for Strategic Studies. "The Chinese shipbuilding capacity is something like 200 times overall that of the United States."

That commanding lead also applies to its navy. The Chinese Communist Party now has the world's largest, operating 234 warships compared to the US Navy's 219.

China's explosive rise has been fuelled by the sea. The world's second-largest economy is home to seven of the world's 10 busiest ports, which are critical to global supply routes. And its coastal cities are thriving because of trade.

As Beijing's ambitions have grown, so has its arsenal of ships - and its confidence to stake a louder claim in the South China Sea and beyond.

President Xi Jinping's China certainly wants to rule the waves. Whether it will is the question.

A man stands on a tiny vessel in the Dalian bay - in front of him is the shipyard with huge cranes and other equipment. A tall blue structure has the words Dalian Shipbuilding Industry Co. Ltd on it.
Built as a port by Russians in the late 19th Century, Dalian is now one of China's largest shipyards

A grand military parade in the coming days may reveal just how close it is to that goal. Xi will host Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korea's leader Kim Jong Un for the event in a defiant message to the Western nations that have shunned them.

The US and its allies will be closely watching the photo-op and the display of military might, which is expected to include anti-ship missiles, hypersonic weapons and underwater drones.

"The US Navy, while it still has significant advantages, is seeing the gap in its capabilities with China narrow and is struggling to find a way of answering that," Mr Childs says, "because its shipbuilding capacity has dwindled significantly over the past decades."

US President Donald Trump has said he wants to fix this, and has signed an executive order to revitalise US shipbuilding and retake America's maritime advantage.

That, Mr Childs adds, will be a "very tall order".

A navy to end the 'bitter memories'

Between 2019 and 2023, China's four largest shipyards - Dalian, Guangzhou, Jiangnan and Hudong-Zhonghua - produced 39 warships with a combined displacement of 550,000 tonnes, according to a study by the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS).

That is the volume of water they displace, which is the most common way of measuring the size of a vessel or fleet. In comparison, the UK's Royal Navy currently has an estimated total displacement of around 399,000 tonnes.

While China has the world's largest navy by number of vessels, the US fleet has a greater overall tonnage and is more powerful - with far more large aircraft carriers.

But Beijing is catching up.

"There's no sign that the Chinese are slowing down," says Alexander Palmer from the CSIS and author of the report, Unpacking China's Naval Buildup.

"Hull count [number of ships] is not the only measure of a navy's effectiveness of course, but the ability to produce and churn out warships has been extremely impressive and could make a strategic difference."

A graphic showing military shipbuilding at Dalian - it shows a zoomed-in image of four Type D2SL destroyers under construction simultaneously.

There are still limits on China's naval rise. Beijing may have more ships, but it only has two operational aircraft carriers, and its navy has far fewer submarines than the US.

Some analysts argue they are also not as sophisticated as the American ones, which have a technological head start going back to the the Cold War.

The Chinese subs are also largely built for the shallower South China Sea, where a game of cat-and-mouse with the US is already under way. For now, China's ability to travel far from its own coastline is limited.

But there are signs this is changing, and fast.

Satellite imagery obtained by BBC Verify from Hainan, a Chinese island province in the South China Sea, suggests Beijing is pouring significant funding into expanding its naval bases.

The base at Yulin has five new piers which appear to have been constructed in the last five years. It is thought China plans to base all of its largest submarines, the Jin-class (or Type 094), in this port. These new subs can carry 12 nuclear missiles each.

Photographs and footage of rehearsals, shared on Chinese social media, suggest that at least two new types of unmanned underwater drones, which look like large torpedoes, will be among the new systems on show at next week's parade.

These could allow China to carry out surveillance deep underwater and detect other submarines or even undersea cables without risking its own naval forces.

Much of the technology is still "unproven and the timeline of its capabilities is still unclear", cautions Matthew Funaiole from CSIS's China Power Project. "The big question is how long will it take for the technology to mature."

And that's why the US cannot overlook the threat China's shipbuilding represents, he adds.

The country's vast naval buildup is being propelled by a party that is still reeling from the pains of the past - and is more than willing to channel them to buttress its message of loyalty, power and patriotism.

Holding a massive military parade to commemorate the victory over Japan, and the end of its brutal occupation, is testament to that.

Getty Images Aircraft carrier Liaoning sets for sea trial at Dalian shipyard with the help of towboats after on February 29, 2024 in Dalian, Liaoning Province of China. Getty Images
China's aircraft carrier Liaoning set for sea trial at Dalian shipyard in February 2024

What the rest of the world sees as China's rise, Xi sees as its resurgence.

He has touted the value of a "strong navy to safeguard national security". He cites 470 invasions between 1840 and 1949 - as the once-powerful Qing empire cracked, China plunged into turmoil, revolution and civil war, bringing "untold suffering".

And he has vowed that his country will never again be "humiliated" or relive those "bitter memories of foreign assaults".

Where China has an undeniable edge is the dual use of shipyards. Many of those that support commercial production can also help produce warships for the navy.

Military and civilian shipyards work hand in hand in some places, which state media describes as "military-civilian fusion", a concept Xi has pushed hard.

Dalian, which Beijing calls a "flagship shipyard", plays a big part in this.

A young man is painting a view of the Dalian shipyard in watercolours. He is sitting across the harbour from it, in a white shirt and black shorts, with an easel in front of him.
The shipyard and the areas in Dalian with clear views of it are popular with locals

In full view of the picnicking pensioners waving karaoke mics are huge commercial ships, some as long as three football fields.

But just around the corner, berthed where no-one can take pictures, is a group of military vessels. There, a crane is lowering a helicopter onto the huge deck of a ship, as a marching band bellows in Suoyuwan park.

"This is a politically motivated agenda to merge both the commercial and military entities together," Mr Funaiole says. "There are efforts to bring the technology needed to build both into a centralised location – Dalian is one of them."

That is why even without powerful aircraft carriers or submarines, China's commercial fleet and its expertise in building ships quickly can be key during a crisis, he adds.

A helicopter is being lowered onto the deck of a military vessel by a crane, while the crew watch.
A helicopter is lowered onto a military vessel docked in Dalian

"In any protracted conflict, if you have shipyards that quickly produce new ships, this is a huge strategic advantage," Mr Funaiole says. "Commercial ships can transport food etc into any conflict zone. Without this, the US is in a position where it might not be able to sustain a prolonged war effort."

It boils down to a straight question, he says: "Who can put more assets into the water more quickly and readily?"

The answer, at the moment, is China.

'Hide your strength, bide your time'

But the world should not worry, says Prof Hu Bo, director of the Center for Maritime Strategy Studies at Peking University.

"We have no interest in interfering in the business of other countries, especially militarily," he adds. His message is that China is building big ships because it can, not because it wants to take over the world.

There is one island which China does not see as another country: Taiwan.

Beijing has long vowed to "reunify" with the democratic island and has not ruled out the use of force. In recent years, high-ranking US officials have declared that China will invade Taiwan by 2027, but Beijing denies there is a deadline.

"China already has the capacity to take Taiwan back," Prof Hu Bo says, "but China doesn't do that because we have patience. China has never given up on the prospect of peaceful unification. We can wait."

A map showing major bases for Chinese fleet.

The bigger concern is that any attack on Taiwan could trigger a wider war, and involve the US. Washington is bound by law to provide arms to help Taiwan defend itself - support which is unacceptable to Beijing for what is considers a breakaway province that will eventually be part of China.

Earlier this year US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth warned that China posed an "imminent" threat to Taiwan, and urged Asian countries to boost defence spending and work with the US to deter war.

So despite Prof Hu Bo's assurances, it is hard to ignore the fact that China's warships are beginning to sail further from the country's shores.

In February, they were seen circumnavigating Australia's coastline for more than three weeks where they staged unprecedented live-fire drills.

More recently Chinese aircraft carriers conducted naval drills near Japan, sparking concern - although it was in international waters, the move was unprecedented.

A dockyard in China is photographed in a hazy, yellow light.
China's shipbuilding expertise should not worry the world, Prof Hu Bo says

As Beijing grows bolder in its attempts to project power in the Pacific, China's neighbours, from Taiwan to Australia, are worried that its famous mantra is paying off: "hide your strength and bide your time".

But Prof Hu Bo believes that fears of a conflict between the US, whose allies in the region - Japan, South Korea and Australia - are often at odds with China, are overblown, because they all know it could be catastrophic.

"In the last three years, I think the signal is very clear that both sides don't want to fight," he says. "We are prepared for that, but we don't want to fight with each other."

'We defend our ocean dream'

Back in Dalian, around an hour's drive from the vibrant city, tourists are arriving by the coach load in the naval fortress town of Lushunkou, which also has a military theme park in the shape of an aircraft carrier.

Guides on loud microphones lead their groups into the park, pointing to the official notices warning visitors not to photograph the military vessels moored in the crescent-shaped harbour and to report any behaviour that might be construed as spying "to help defend the Motherland".

More military notices on bridges and walls declare, "united as one, we defend our ocean dream".

China has fostered pride in its shipbuilding prowess, especially here in Dalian.

A girl in demin shorts and a pink shirt stand behind the statue of an airman. which is kneeling on the ground and pointing an arm in one direction- she puts her face above the statue's shoulders and smiles at the camera.
The military theme park near Dalian is a huge tourist draw

At the theme park, which also overlooks the shipyard, a 50-year-old blogger dressed in the local fashion - a floral pattern shirt - is giving his followers their daily rundown of the latest ships being built in the port.

"I am very proud – really, look at what this city gives us," he announces to his followers. A mother and her seven-year-old daughter, on holiday from the neighbouring province, marvel at the ships. "I was amazed. It's huge. How does it sail, I wonder?"

The key question for the US and its allies is how far can China's war fleet sail, and how far from its shores is Beijing prepared to venture.

"At what point will they will break out and be able to really show influence further afield, for example, in the Indian Ocean and beyond, will be a key thing to look at," Nick Childs says.

"They still have a significant way to go, but they are that they are certainly pushing the boundaries."

More parents to get childcare funding as nurseries struggle with demand

1 September 2025 at 07:12
Vanessa Clarke/BBC Three young children play in a wooden sandbox. The one closest to the camera is facing away, pouring sand into a yellow bucket from outside the sandpit. The other two are sat in the sandbox, looking at the sand in their hands below them.Vanessa Clarke/BBC

The final phase of the largest-ever expansion of publicly funded childcare support has begun in England, as thousands of working parents receive more help with their nursery costs.

Those eligible are now able to access 30 hours of childcare per week during term-time, paid for by the government, for their children aged nine months to four years.

Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said it was a "landmark moment" for working families, and that the scheme would "put money back in working parents' pockets".

But parents say they are facing long waiting lists for places, with nurseries warning that staff shortages are limiting their availability.

Parents Josh Harper and Chloe Hart say their 18-month-old son Oakley's name was the first one on the waiting list at his new nursery in Altrincham.

The £240-a-month saving on fees, which are falling from £1,130 to £889 because of the scheme extending from 15 hours to 30 hours of funded care, "just releases that little bit of stress", mum Chloe says.

"It is a significant saving and one that does really help us," dad Josh adds.

Both teachers, the couple were keen to secure a place, aware that demand has been rising.

Chloe Hart A family selfie photo of Chloe, Josh and their son Oakley, which appears to have been taken by mum Chloe. They are all smiling at the camera. Chloe has sunglasses on her head, and palm trees and a bright blue sky can be seen in the reflection of the window behind them.Chloe Hart
Josh and Chloe put their son Oakley's name down on the waiting list for a new nursery before it opened

The government had estimated that about 70,000 extra places would be needed by this September to accommodate that increase in demand.

The number of spaces is rising but availability varies across the country – and nurseries and childminders say inquiries for places have "gone through the roof" from families eligible for the extra funding.

"A few years ago, the percentage of families getting the funding was probably 20%, now I'd say it's nearly 95% of families," George Apel says as he shows me around the newly opened Altrincham Day Nursery, the Apel family's seventh nursery.

"Parents are having to be a lot more flexible with their acceptance of what days are available. Before, parents could try to match their childcare to their job, now they're actually matching their job to their childcare availability."

For Rachael Darbyshire, who lives in Bolton, the search for a childcare place for her return to work next summer has proved challenging.

Although she started her search before six-week-old Gabriel was born, all of her local nurseries have waiting lists up until September 2026.

"It is a massive help and will bring our bill down from £1200 to around £800, but the biggest issue is that it is only great if you can actually get a childcare place," Rachael says.

"It's all well and good saying that there are these hours available, but if the childcare places are not there, then it's not really supporting women in returning to work."

Vanessa Clarke/BBC Mum Rachel smiles down at her baby son Gabriel, sat on her sofa at home. She has dark, shoulder-length hair and is wearing a black top.Vanessa Clarke/BBC
Rachael Darbyshire's local nurseries are all full until September 2026

Some parents are going to extra lengths to make themselves eligible for the funded hours as early as possible.

Rachel Williams, from Warwick, says she was thinking about the scheme before the birth of her twins in 2022, when doctors told her she would need a Caesarean four weeks early.

She opted to have the procedure at the end of that March, rather than the beginning of April, so she wouldn't miss the deadline for being eligible for funded hours at the start of the April term.

"My friends all laughed at me, but it was a really conscious decision and it's definitely saved us thousands and thousands of pounds," she says.

If the twins were born in April, they wouldn't have been eligible for funded hours until the September entry points.

"You shouldn't really have to be thinking about that," Rachel says.

Rachel Williams Rachel Williams and her family, including her partner and two young twins, smile into the camera.Rachel Williams
Rachel Williams selected her Caesarean date so that she would be eligible for the funded hours earlier

Research from the National Foundation for Educational Research (NFER) suggests that workforce issues could be a key barrier to delivering the promised offer to parents, with low pay and limited progression opportunities a constant challenge for staff.

It is estimated the sector needs 35,000 more staff to provide the funded hours expansion, and the NFER says even if that figure is reached, there are likely to be regional discrepancies.

The government says the number of staff delivering funded childcare in nurseries rose to 272,500 this year - up by 18,200 from 2024, which it said was the highest increase on record.

It has been offering a £1,000 incentive for new recruits, or for people rejoining the workforce in some areas.

But Mr Apel says "retention is arguably more important than recruitment".

The nursery has started its own recruitment company because of the struggle to bring in and keep early years workers.

The number of childminders has also been continuing its long-term decline, with Ofsted figures showing the numbers falling by 1,000 in the last year.

'Free' childcare

There has also been confusion around what is "free" as part of the scheme, and what has to be paid for.

The government-funded hours cover term-time only, and providers say the funding rates, particularly for children aged three and four, are lower than the costs.

It means many nurseries are putting up their prices. A University of Bath study tracking fees over the past 18 months found that they have risen fastest in areas with the lowest government funding, which it says could deepen regional inequalities.

"Parents are phoning up, they're looking for this thing that's been called 'free', and then they are met with additional charges, for meals or nappies," says Sarah Ronan, from the Early Education and Childcare Coalition, which represents childcare providers and charities.

"The sector has been tasked with rolling out the biggest expansion of childcare in history, and they're doing it in a really constrained financial environment."

She says without extra funding, providers may reduce the number of hours they can offer and pause their recruitment plans, further limiting the availability of places.

Joeli Brearley, founder of the Pregnant The Screwed campaign group and the parent support programme Growth Spurt, says there is "a tussle between parents and providers" who are both struggling.

"For parents, it's really complicated, it's not really working," Ms Brearley says.

"We are hearing from parents who are moving their C-section day in order to fit in with the funding criteria, we're hearing from women who say they've gone to their midwife for a sweep to try and bring labour on faster, and people that are asking for inductions earlier just so they can fit with the funding criteria - and that is madness."

A survey by Growth Spurt and Women in Data suggests that many parents are paying extra consumable fees of £15 a day.

The government has issued guidance saying any additional costs need to be laid out clearly and are optional, but nurseries say charging for extras is the only way to make up the shortfall.

Vanessa Clarke/BBC A nursery worker crouches down to the floor to play with a child at a kitchen play-set. The woman, who has her curly black hair tied up, is smiling at the child who is playing with a toy plate.Vanessa Clarke/BBC
The government estimates the sector needs 35,000 extra staff due to the funded hours expansion

There is also concern about those being left out.

Parents who are ineligible for the entitlements pay £205 per week more for a child under two, according to Coram Family and Childcare.

The charity says a child with working parents eligible for the entitlements will receive three times as much government-funded early education than a disadvantaged child by the time they start school.

Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson said the scheme was designed to give children "the best start in life", and provide a "huge boost" to the economy.

"And this is just the beginning," she added.

"My vision for early years goes beyond this milestone. I want access to high-quality early years for every single family that needs it, without strings and without unfair charges.

"Over the next few years, that is my commitment to parents."

The public have chosen the next storm names - get ready for Amy, Bram and Chandra

1 September 2025 at 07:07

Met Office releases new storm names for 2025-26

Large waves crashing on Newhaven Breakwater Light at Newhaven Harbour, East SussexImage source, PA Media

The first of September marks the beginning of autumn in the meteorological world as well as the start of the annual 'storm season'.

It also heralds a new list of storm names as chosen by members of the public.

This year look out for Amy, Bram and Chandra which are due to be the first few named storms of the season.

They are named by the UK Met Office, Ireland's Met Éireann or the Netherlands' KNMI when they are forecast to cause "medium" or "high" impacts.

How are storm names chosen?

List of 2025/26 UK storm names: Amy, Bram, Chandra, Dave, Eddie, Fionnuala, Gerard, Hannah, Isla, Janna, Kasia, Lilith, Marty, Nico, Oscar, Patrick, Ruby, Stevie, Tadhg and Violet.

This year more than 50,000 suggestions for storm names were submitted to the Met Office from across the UK, Netherlands and Ireland.

The final selection includes some of the most popular choices as well as names which have a story behind them.

For example, named storm number four will be Dave, described by the nominator as named for "my beloved husband who can snore three times louder than any storm".

Stevie was inspired by a little girl named after the Stevie Nicks song, Dreams - which includes the line: "Thunder only happens when it's raining."

The names are selected to reflect the diversity of each region and assessed for pronunciation, differing meanings across countries, links to public figures, and potential controversy.

Why are storms named?

The Met Office started naming storms in 2015. In the UK, storms are named when they are likely to cause disruption or damage that could lead to an amber or red warning.

This decision is based on both the potential impact of the weather and how likely it is to happen.

Storms are typically named based on the impacts of strong winds. Although other weather-related effects are also taken into account, like heavy rainfall or snow which may lead to flooding or travel disruption.

As a result, storms can be named not only for wind impacts but also for significant effects from rain or snow.

Using one official system to name storms helps to share clear and consistent information about severe weather, making it easier for the public to stay safe.

Rebekah Hicks, chief meteorologist at the Met Office, believes that it is a system that works: "We know that for Storm Floris, just a few weeks ago, surveys found that 93% of people in the amber warning area were aware of the alerts, with 83% taking action to prepare."

Who decides what name a storm has?

In Europe, the UK, Ireland, and the Netherlands form the western storm-naming group.

Spain, Portugal, France, Belgium, and Luxembourg make up the south-western group, while Norway, Sweden, and Denmark comprise the northern group.

Map of Europe showing European storm naming groups split into Western (Met Office, Met Eireann, KNMI), South Western (Spain, Portugal, France, Belgium, Luxembourg) and Northern (Denmark, Sweden, Norway)
Image caption,

Map of Europe showing European storm naming groups

To avoid confusion, the remnants of a tropical storm or hurricane that crosses the Atlantic will keep its original name, for example ex-Hurricane Erin, which brought a large swell to South West England in August 2025.

If such a system goes on to meet the UK's criteria for storm naming, the name will remain the same but will be used in the form 'Storm Erin'.

To ensure consistency with the US National Hurricane Centre naming conventions, names that begin with the letters Q, U, X, Y and Z are not used.

How many named storms were there in the 2024/25 season?

In the UK there were six named storms. The most recent - Storm Floris - hit in early August, notable for its wind strength during the summer months.

Gusts of 82mph were recorded in northern Scotland.

Before that it was Storm Eowyn in January, the most powerful windstorm in the UK for over a decade with gusts of over 135mph.

It particularly affected Northern Ireland and Scotland's Central Belt.

Overall it was a much quieter season than the previous one (2023/24) when we saw 12 named storms - the most in a season since the naming of storms started in 2015.

What impact has climate change had on UK storms?

Detecting long-term trends is challenging, as windstorm activity naturally fluctuates from year-to-year and across decades.

Currently, there is no clear evidence of an increase or decrease in the number or intensity of windstorms.

Scientists are more confident that the coastal impacts of windstorms, from storm surges and high waves will worsen as sea-levels rise.

Climate change is making our weather more extreme and a warmer world means that when it does rain, those rains tend to be heavier with more flooding risks.

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Click here to play 'Cooler than me?'

Judge blocks Trump administration move to deport Guatemalan children

1 September 2025 at 06:47
Getty Images A plan with US Air Force on the sideGetty Images
Officials undertaking deportation operations in Texas earlier this year

A US judge has temporarily blocked an attempt by the Trump administration to deport dozens of unaccompanied Guatemalan children back to their home country.

District Court Judge Sparkle Sooknanan's order on Sunday was in response to reports children had been put onto planes and were about to be sent to Guatemala, where lawyers argued they would be at risk of abuse and persecution.

The children arrived in the US alone and are in government custody while their immigration claims are assessed.

Lawyers for the US justice department said the children were not being deported, but rather repatriated so they could be reunited with family.

The legal proceedings were sparked early on Sunday when immigrant advocacy groups asked for an emergency injunction, claiming around 600 children could be put on planes in Texas and deported.

Judge Sooknanan then issued a temporary restraining order barring officials from sending a group of 10 migrant children between the ages of 10 and 17 to Guatemala.

At a hastily arranged hearing on Sunday afternoon, Judge Sooknanan, who was nominated by former President Joe Biden, expanded the order to cover all unaccompanied children said to be at risk of deportation. The order will be in place for 14 days.

At the hearing, Judge Sooknanan sought assurances from Trump administration lawyers that planes had not already departed with the children on board.

Deputy Assistant Attorney General Drew Ensign said all planes were "on the ground" in the US. He told the judge one plane may have taken off but had returned.

Ensign said the flights were not part of a deportation effort but for family reunifications with parents and other relatives in Guatemala.

He also said the Guatemalan government and the children's relatives had requested the reunifications. Advocacy groups said that was untrue in at least some cases.

In court filings, lawyers for the children argued the action was in violation of federal laws designed to protect children who arrive in the US alone. They said some of the children had pending cases before immigration judges and expressed credible fears about being returned.

"In the dead of night on a holiday weekend, the Trump administration ripped vulnerable, frightened children from their beds and attempted to return them to danger in Guatemala," Efrén C Olivares of the National Immigration Law Center, which filed the suit, said in a statement.

"We are heartened the court prevented this injustice from occurring before hundreds of children suffered irreparable harm."

White House immigration advisor Stephen Miller criticised the judge for blocking the flights.

"The minors have all self-reported that their parents are back home in Guatemala," he wrote on X. "But a Democrat judge is refusing to let them reunify with their parents."

Since the start of his second term, Trump has embarked on sweeping efforts to remove undocumented migrants - a key election promise that drew mass support during this campaign.

In June, the US Supreme Court cleared the way for Trump to resume deportations of migrants to countries other than their homeland without giving them the chance to raise the risks they might face.

Canada's first lunar rover looks to future space exploration

1 September 2025 at 07:35
Canadian Space Agency A computer generated image of the lunar vehicle on the surface of the MoonCanadian Space Agency
A computer generated image of what the lunar vehicle could look like on the Moon

In a shopping plaza an hour outside Toronto, flanked by a day spa and a shawarma joint, sits a two-storey building with blue tinted windows reflecting the summer sun.

It is the modest headquarters of Canadensys Aerospace, where Canada is charting its first trip to the Moon.

Canadensys is developing the first-ever Canadian-built rover for exploring the Earth's only natural satellite, in what will be the first Canadian-led planetary exploration endeavour.

Models, maps and posters of outer space line the office walls, while engineers wearing anti-static coats work on unfamiliar-looking machines.

Sending this rover to the Moon is part of the company's "broader strategy of really moving humanity off the Earth", Dr Christian Sallaberger, Canadensys' president and CEO, told the BBC.

Learning about the Moon - which is seen to have the potential to become a base for further space exploration - is the "logical first step", he said.

"People get all excited about science fiction films when they come out. You know, Star Wars or Star Trek. This is the real thing."

Two prototypes of the Moon rover, one white one in the foreground and the grey one on the table, with the Canadian flag in the background
Prototypes of the lunar rover, both designed and built by Canadensys

The Canadian vehicle is part of Nasa's Artemis programme, which aims to establish a sustainable human presence on the Moon.

As part of that overarching goal, this rover aims to find water and measure radiation levels on the lunar surface in preparation for future manned missions, and survive multiple lunar nights (equivalent to about 14 days on Earth).

The rover will also demonstrate Canadian technology, building on Canada's history in space.

Canada was the third country to launch a satellite, designed the Canadarm robotic arms for the Space Shuttle and the International Space Station, and is known for astronauts such as Chris Hadfield and Jeremy Hansen - the latter of whom will orbit the Moon on the Artemis II mission next year.

The 35kg rover is scheduled to be launched as part of a Nasa initiative in 2029 at the earliest. It will land on the Moon's south polar region - one of the most inhospitable places on the lunar surface.

The vehicle does not have a name yet. The Canadian Space Agency held an online competition to select one, and is expected to announce the winner in the future.

Canadensys President Christian Sallaberger standing in one of the company's labs, with a Canadian flag visible on the back wall
Canadensys President Christian Sallaberger said he is excited to be playing a role in humanity's quest to explore space

Canadensys is currently working on several prototypes of the rover. The final vehicle, Mr Sallaberger said, would be assembled shortly before launch.

Each component is tested to ensure it can survive the Moon's harsh conditions.

Temperature is one of the main obstacles. Lunar nights can plummet to -200C (-328F) and rise to a scorching daytime of 100C (212F).

"It's one of the biggest engineering challenges we have because it's not so much even surviving the cold temperature, but swinging between very cold and very hot," he said.

Designing the wheels is another challenge, as the Moon's surface is covered with a sticky layer of fragmented rock and dust called regolith.

"Earth dirt, if you look at it microscopically, has been weathered off. It's more or less in a round shape; but on the Moon the lunar dirt soil is all jagged," Mr Sallaberger said.

"It's like Velcro dirt," he said, noting it "just gums up mechanisms".

Engineers Misha Hartmann and Adam Abdulahad work on a prototype of the rover at the Canadensys headquarters. Both wear white lab coats and are working on the vehicle, which is siting on a table, and has metal wheels and visible wires.
Engineers Misha Hartmann (L) and Adam Abdulahad work on a prototype of the rover at the Canadensys headquarters

The search for water on the lunar surface is especially exciting, considering the Moon was generally thought to be bone dry following the Apollo missions in the 1960s and 70s, the US human spaceflight programme led by Nasa.

That perception changed in 2008, Dr Gordon Osinski, the mission's chief scientist, told the BBC, when researchers re-analysed some Apollo mission samples and found particles of water.

Around the same time, space crafts observing the Moon detected its presence from orbit.

It has yet to be verified on the ground and many questions remain, the professor at Western University in London, Ontario, said.

"Is it like a patch of ice the size of this table? The size of a hockey rink? Most people think, like in the Arctic, it's probably more like grains of ice mixed in with the soil," he said.

Water on the Moon could have huge implications for more sustainable exploration. He noted one of the heaviest things they need to transport is often water, so having a potential supply there would open doors.

Water molecules can also be broken down to obtain hydrogen, which is used in rocket fuel. Mr Osinski described a future where the Moon could become a sort of petrol station for spacecrafts.

"It gets more in the realms of sci- fi," he said.

Dr Gordon Osinski seated at a wooden desk in his office in Western University, wearing an Artemis programme t shirt with a rock from the Moon on the desk in front of him
Dr Osinski, an expert in lunar geology and has experience training astronauts in Canada's Arctic, showed off a lunar rock during the BBC interview

Canada has wanted to build a lunar surface vehicle for decades, with talk of a Canadian-made spacecraft even in the early 2000s - but it was not until 2019 that concrete plans were announced.

Canadensys was awarded the C$4.7m ($3.4m; £2.5m) contract three years later.

Founded in 2013, Canadensys has worked on a variety of aerospace projects for organisations like Nasa and the Canadian Space Agency, as well as commercial clients.

More than 20 instruments built by the company have been used in a host of missions on the Moon.

But there are challenges ahead - as even landing on the Moon is no easy feat.

In March, a spacecraft by commercial US firm Intuitive Machines toppled over onto its side during landing, ending the mission prematurely.

Three months later, Japanese company iSpace's Resilience lost touch with Earth during its landing, and eventually failed.

"That's the nature of the business we're in," Mr Sallaberger said. "Things do go wrong, and we try to do the best we can to mitigate that."

Intuitive Machines/The Planetary Society An instrument designed by Canadensys, on the Intuitive Machines' lander in space. Earth is seen below it against a black sky. Intuitive Machines/The Planetary Society
A picture of the Earth taken by a Canadensys-built camera was selected as the Best Space Exploration Image of 2024 by the Planetary Society

Space exploration has been a collaborative field over the years, with countries - even rivals, such as the United States and Russia - working together on the International Space Station.

But that might be changing, Mr Osinski said. As the prospect of a permanent presence on the Moon becomes more realistic, wider geopolitical questions have begun to swirl around the ownership of the satellite.

"There's more talk around who owns the Moon and space resources," Mr Osinski said.

In 2021, the US passed a law to protect the Apollo Moon landing site "because they had a concern that China could just go and grab the US flag, or take a piece of an Apollo lander", he said.

But he had some encouraging words about the Artemis missions, which are "even way more international than the space station".

The Artemis Accords, which is a set of ideals to promote sustainable and peaceful exploration of outer space, has been signed by more than 50 countries - including ones like Uruguay, Estonia and Rwanda, which are not traditionally seen as key space race nations.

Space is also becoming more accessible. Private companies like SpaceX and Blue Origin have taken an increasingly important role and are able to take anyone with the money and barely any training - like Amazon founder Jeff Bezos and pop star Katy Perry - into space for a few minutes.

But the Moon is the Holy Grail, as it opens up all sorts of possibilities.

Mr Sallaberger said that Canadensys is involved in longer-term projects, such as lunar greenhouses for food production.

Those still remain many years in the future, but the rover is a starting point.

"If you design something that can survive on the lunar surface long-term, you're pretty bulletproof anywhere else in the solar system."

The Papers: 'Camilla saw off attacker with shoe' and 'Farage scare tactics'

1 September 2025 at 07:01

The headline on the front page of the Daily Mail reads: "Labour 'civil war' fuelling Rayner sleaze crisis".
Revelations in a new book saying Queen Camilla was the victim of an attempted indecent assault as a teenager dominate Monday's papers. The Daily Mail leads with the detail that the future Queen fought off her attacker on a train by "hitting him with her shoe". Also splashed on the paper is Labour's "civil war", as it features shadow cabinet minister Alex Burghart saying senior figures in the party are more concerned with "jockeying" to take over from Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer than dealing with problems facing the country.
The headline on the front page of the Daily Telegraph reads: "Queen fought off sex attacker".
The Daily Telegraph headlines with "Queen fought off sex attacker". The paper says the incident, detailed in Power and the Palace by Valentine Low, occurred when the Queen was "16 or 17". The Telegraph adds that the episode was relayed by the Queen to former PM Boris Johnson in 2008.
The headline on the front page of the Sun reads: "Camilla whacked groper in goolies".
"Camilla whacked groper in goolies" is the Sun's take. The paper notes the Queen's campaign for victims and survivors of sexual and domestic abuse, and features a quote from the book of her saying she defended herself by doing "what my mother taught me to".
The headline on the front page of the Times reads: "Leaving ECHR 'not a threat to Ulster peace".
The Times leads with a report that says the UK withdrawing from the European Convention on Human Rights will not jeopardise peace in Northern Ireland. The paper says the study by the Policy Exchange think tank says the argument is "entirely groundless". Also front and centre is some "black magic" brought by actress Alicia Vikander, as she poses on the red carpet at the Venice Film Festival.
The headline on the front page of the Daily Mirror reads: "I'll defeat Farage scare tactics".
Sir Keir has vowed to tackle Reform UK leader Nigel Farage's "scare tactics", repots the Daily Mirror. The paper says the PM is ready with a range of policices that "offer genuine hope" and accuses Farage of "talking down" to the British people. Sharing the top spot is Liverpool's "stunner" of a win over Arsenal, after a "hotshot" made by Dominik Szoboszlai.
The headline on the front page of the Guardian reads: "Drug 'better than aspirin' at preventing heart attacks".
"The deadly war on journalism in Gaza" leads the Guardian, as the paper fills its front page with pictures of some of the reporters killed in the region during the3 conflict with Israel. A special report by the Guardian says at least 189 journalists have been killed in 22 months in Gaza. Alongside, the paper reports doctors have found a drug that is better than aspirin at preventing heart attacks and strokes. It says the "stunning" discovery could transform health guidelines worldwide.
The headline on the front page of the Financial Times reads: "Europe laying 'road map' for deploying troops in Ukraine, von der Leyen says".
EU chief Ursula von der Leyen says Europe is laying the "road map" for deploying troops in Ukraine, according to the Financial Times. In an interview with the paper, von der Leyen says European capitals are working on "pretty precise plans" for potential military deployments to support Kyiv as part of post-conflict security guarantees. Filling the top picture spot is the protests in Indonesia as people continue express their "rage at MPs" over politicians' salary perks.
The headline on the front page of the Metro reads: "Rail tickets revolution".
The Metro declares a "rail tickets revolution", as the trialling of a pay-as-you-go ticketing app for passengers starts on Monday in England. The paper says the system which allows people to check in and out of rail journeys using an app on their phone could make travel "simpler and cheaper". Elsewhere, the Metro teases a three-way "battle of the Bonds" between actors Aaron Taylor Johnson, Callum Turner and Jacob Elordi.
The headline on the front page of the Daily Express reads: "Police told: end shop theft sprees now!"
The Daily Express announces their new campaign to "halt the shoplifting crisis" costing stores "more than £2.2bn a year". The paper is demanding that police attend every reported theft as it says "opportunistic stealing sprees" have soared to record levels.
The headline on the front page of the Daily Star reads: "Look Nessie!"
Finally, the Daily Star announces "Nessi's back!" as it reports on what it says is a new sighting of the Loch Ness monster. The paper dubs the return of "Britain's fave monster" as the "best in 30 years".
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Sergio Gor: Trump's 'great friend' and the new India envoy

1 September 2025 at 06:42
Getty Images Assistant to the President Sergio Gor (R), accompanied by Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) (L), waits before U.S. President Donald Trump arrives for an event at the Kennedy Center on August 13, 2025 in Washington, DC. Trump announced the first nominees of the annual Kennedy Center Honors since taking control of the center's board earlier this year. Getty Images
Sergio Gor shares a close relationship with US President Donald Trump and his family

He's published books authored by Donald Trump, raised millions for his 2024 campaign, and helped him staff Washington with loyalists during the US president's second term.

Now Sergio Gor is set to become Trump's man in India, while also overseeing US relations with other South and Central Asian countries.

Last week, Trump announced that he was promoting Gor, his personnel chief, to be the next US Ambassador to India. He called Gor a "great friend" and someone he could "fully trust" to deliver on the agenda.

The 38-year-old's appointment comes at a time when relations between the two countries have become strained due to Trump's punishing tariffs on India.

Gor's appointment has evoked mixed reactions in India, with some observers saying that having a close Trump aide in the post is a positive sign for India-US ties. But others have questioned Trump's decision to share his India envoy with South and Central Asian countries, which includes Pakistan, with whom India shares a tense relationship.

Getty Images WASHINGTON, DC - JANUARY 19: (L-R) Donald Trump Jr., Bettina Anderson, U.S. Vice President-elect JD Vance, and Sergio Gor dance on stage as The Village People perform YMCA during the Turning Point USA Inaugural-Eve Ball at the Salamander Hotel on January 19, 2025 in Washington, DC. Donald Trump will be sworn in as the 47th U.S. president on January 20. Getty Images
Left to right: Jared Kushner, JD Vance and Sergio Gor celebrate Trump's Presidential win

Experts say that Gor's broad regional mandate threatens to expose India to an overreach by Washington in its affairs with Pakistan, including on the Kashmir issue - a red line for India.

"The special envoy's additional designation will likely create some challenges, at least in India. India typically prefers not to be "hyphenated" with Pakistan," says Alyssa Ayres from the Council of Foreign Relations, an American think-tank focussed on US foreign policy.

Lawrence Haas, a former senior White House official and senior fellow at the American Foreign Policy Council, says that it could also be Trump's way of signalling to Delhi that he doesn't think the role of ambassador to India needs to be a full-time job.

"I imagine that India's leaders will feel slighted and insulted, which will further strain US-India relations," Mr Haas told the BBC.

India found itself in a similar situation in 2009, when the Obama administration reportedly considered appointing Richard Holbrooke as special envoy to Pakistan, Afghanistan and India.

Delhi reportedly lobbied against the move, leading to Holbrooke being appointed envoy to Pakistan and Afghanistan.

Trump, however, is no Obama.

Unlike his predecessor's caution, Trump openly claimed credit for brokering an end to a recent four-day conflict between India and Pakistan - a claim India flatly denied, insisting no outside power played a role in the ceasefire.

The Trump administration has also been bullish in its demands from India in a prospective trade deal, seeking greater access to dairy and farming, sectors India has been keen to protect.

It remains to be seen if Gor's presence in India will help smooth out such bumps and strengthen Washington-Delhi ties, or if he is here to crack the whip on Trump's biddings.

Bill Drexel, a fellow at the Center for Strategy and American Statecraft at the Hudson Institute, says that because decision-making is largely driven by Trump, having an India envoy who's close to him could be a major asset to India-US ties.

"But there may be a steep learning curve given his [Gor's] limited diplomatic and regional experience," Mr Drexel says.

Ms Ayres echoes a similar view. She says that Gor's closeness with the president could help "break through" potential policy logjams.

Mr Haas, however, says that Gor's lack of diplomatic experience could pose a problem in an already strained relationship and that the US should have picked an envoy who could help improve the situation.

"Instead, I suspect that Delhi will interpret this appointment as a slap in the face and further evidence that Trump doesn't care about the relationship," he says.

Getty Images US President Donald Trump speaks with the press as he meets with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, DC, on February 13, 2025. Getty Images
India-US ties have become strained due to Trump's steep tariffs

Gor is said to get along not just with Trump but the entire Trump clan, including Ivanka Trump, Jared Kushner and Donald Trump Jr.

Kushner has called Gor "easygoing" and "trusted". Former congressman Matt Gaetz recalled his fun-loving side, noting he once DJed at MAGA parties in Palm Beach during Trump's exile. Western media, however, largely cast him as one of Trump's most reliable foot soldiers - someone who gets the job done.

Gor is known for vetting presidential appointees for loyalty to Trump. In June, Elon Musk branded him a "snake" after The New York Post reported that Gor had not filed the paperwork for his own permanent security clearance. The White House insisted Gor held an active clearance and is "fully compliant" with requirements.

Gor's origins are both unclear and interesting. Though he has been known to describe himself as being Maltese, he was born in 1986 in Uzbekistan when it was still a part of the Soviet Union. He reportedly spent much of his childhood in Malta before moving to the US at 12.

Gor is reported to have been interested in Republican politics from his school and college days, when he went by the name Gorokhovsky, which he later shortened to Gor.

In 2008, he became a junior staffer at the Republican National Committee and one of his jobs included wearing a squirrel costume at events to highlight Barack Obama's ties to an organisation Republicans accused of indulging in voter fraud.

After two years at Fox News, Gor worked with several Republican politicians before joining Trump's fundraising team in 2020.

A year later, he co-founded Winning Team Publishing with Donald Trump Jr., which has since released multiple Trump books, including the photobook Save America. Since 2022, he has owned a house in Florida, a short drive from Mar-a-Lago, where he is a frequent visitor.

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Suspect in shooting of Ukrainian politician Andriy Parubiy arrested

1 September 2025 at 06:01
Getty Images Andriy Parubiy pictured speaking in the Ukrainian parliament.Getty Images
Andriy Parubiy was shot dead in the street on Saturday, sparking a police manhunt

A suspect in the fatal shooting of prominent Ukrainian politician Andriy Parubiy has been apprehended, the country's President Volodymyr Zelensky has said.

The 54-year-old parliamentarian was killed by an assailant posing as a courier in the western city of Lviv on Saturday, sparking a manhunt.

Ukraine's interior minister Igor Klymenko said in a statement issued in the early hours of Monday morning that the suspect had been detained in the western Khmelnytskyi region.

Parubiy rose to prominence during Ukraine's Euromaidan mass protests, which advocated closer ties with the EU and brought down pro-Russian former President Viktor Yanukovych in 2014.

Klymenko said the preliminary investigation had found the killing had been "carefully prepared" with Parubiy's travel schedule and route mapped out, as well as an escape plan.

He added that Ukraine's national police force would provide further details later.

Unverified footage, purportedly of the shooting, appeared to show a gunman dressed as a courier approaching Parubiy on the street and holding up a weapon as he walked behind him.

At a news briefing on Saturday, Lviv police chief Oleksandr Shliakhovskyi said the gunman had "fired about eight shots from a firearm".

Sources inside Ukraine's law enforcement agencies told the BBC that the attacker had dressed to look like a courier for delivery company Glovo. The company said it was "deeply shocked" by the crime.

Parubiy, a member of the current Ukrainian parliament, had played a pivotal role in the Euromaidan movement, organising its "self-defence" teams who guarded the sprawling tent camp in the heart of the capital Kyiv during the protest.

Three arrests as Epping protesters clash with police

1 September 2025 at 05:18
Watch: Flares and 'Jerusalem' bellows out of speakers in Epping

At least two people have been arrested during a protest against the housing of asylum seekers at a hotel in Essex.

An organised march was held in Epping, where about 140 migrants are staying at The Bell Hotel.

Essex Police had a dispersal order in place and set restrictions on the protest, saying it must be finished by 20:00 and banners must not contain "offensive or inflammatory language".

Essex Police has yet to confirm the number of arrests or what the people were arrested on suspicion of.

Around 200 people gathered outside the Epping Forest District Council building where a woman climbed the steps and unfurled a Union flag before being detained by officers after refusing to leave.

Another person was detained in the crowd.

The Bell Hotel became the focal point of several demonstrations and counter-protests in recent weeks after an asylum seeker housed there was charged with sexually assaulting a teenage girl last month. He has denied the charges. The case is currently going through the courts.

PA A line of police officers on the right of the picture are faced with a group of protesters, several of who are carrying flags and signs. One man stands holding his phone towards the confrontation PA
Protesters were told they could not cover their face or carry offensive signs

On Friday, the Court of Appeal overturned a temporary injunction that would have blocked asylum seekers from being housed at the Bell Hotel.

Assistant chief constable Stuart Hooper said: "We've consistently said that we will always seek to facilitate lawful protest but that does not include a right to commit crime, and we'll take a firm approach to anyone intent on doing that.

"And to reiterate to the public, the strength of feeling in Epping is not lost on me – or anyone in Essex Police – and I would urge anyone who wants to make their voices heard to please do that peacefully and within the parameters outlined."

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Former NYC mayor Rudy Giuliani injured in car accident, security guard says

1 September 2025 at 05:54
Reuters Rudy Guiliani wears a blue suit and glassesReuters

Former New York City mayor Rudy Giuliani has been injured in a car accident in the US state of New Hampshire, his security guard has said.

Giuliani's car was struck from behind at high speed while travelling on a highway, according to a statement posted on social media.

"He was diagnosed with a fractured thoracic vertebrae, multiple lacerations and contusions, as well as injuries to his left arm and lower leg," the statement from security guard Michael Ragusa says.

Giuliani, 81, became known as "America's Mayor" after leading New York through 9/11. He later became an adviser and then personal lawyer to Donald Trump, though the two have since parted ways.

Giuliani was taken to a nearby hospital for treatment, Mr Ragusa said.

The incident happened shortly after Giuliani had helped an alleged victim of domestic violence who had flagged him down on a road, his statement added.

"Mayor Giuliani immediately rendered assistance and contacted 911."

The BBC has approached local police for comment.

The thoracic vertebrae form the middle section of the spine, while lascerations and contusions are deep cuts and bruises, respectively.

First elected New York City mayor in 1993, Giuliani was in charge at the time of the 11 September attack on the World Trade Center in 2001.

In 2008, he made an unsuccessful run for US president, and later became one of Trump's adviser during the latter's 2016 campaign. He joined Trump's personal legal team in 2018 and remained a part of it through to the 2020 election.

In the aftermath of Joe Biden's 2020 election victory over Trump, Giuliani spread baseless claims the election was stolen.

Earlier this year, he reached a tentative settlement with two former election workers who won $148m (£120m) in damages after they successfully sued him for defamation over false election fraud claims.

Two arrests as Epping protesters clash with police

1 September 2025 at 04:09
Watch: Flares and 'Jerusalem' bellows out of speakers in Epping

At least two people have been arrested during a protest against the housing of asylum seekers at a hotel in Essex.

An organised march was held in Epping, where about 140 migrants are staying at The Bell Hotel.

Essex Police had a dispersal order in place and set restrictions on the protest, saying it must be finished by 20:00 and banners must not contain "offensive or inflammatory language".

Essex Police has yet to confirm the number of arrests or what the people were arrested on suspicion of.

Around 200 people gathered outside the Epping Forest District Council building where a woman climbed the steps and unfurled a Union flag before being detained by officers after refusing to leave.

Another person was detained in the crowd.

The Bell Hotel became the focal point of several demonstrations and counter-protests in recent weeks after an asylum seeker housed there was charged with sexually assaulting a teenage girl last month. He has denied the charges. The case is currently going through the courts.

PA A line of police officers on the right of the picture are faced with a group of protesters, several of who are carrying flags and signs. One man stands holding his phone towards the confrontation PA
Protesters were told they could not cover their face or carry offensive signs

On Friday, the Court of Appeal overturned a temporary injunction that would have blocked asylum seekers from being housed at the Bell Hotel.

Assistant chief constable Stuart Hooper said: "We've consistently said that we will always seek to facilitate lawful protest but that does not include a right to commit crime, and we'll take a firm approach to anyone intent on doing that.

"And to reiterate to the public, the strength of feeling in Epping is not lost on me – or anyone in Essex Police – and I would urge anyone who wants to make their voices heard to please do that peacefully and within the parameters outlined."

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Four arrested at anti-asylum hotel protest

1 September 2025 at 00:52
EPA A group of police officers walking along a street, wearing hi-visEPA
Police on patrol near Canary Wharf on Sunday

A police officer was punched in the face and three people were arrested in Canary Wharf in east London during a protest against hotels being used to house asylum seekers.

The Metropolitan Police said the arrests during the protest on Sunday were for common assault, possession of drugs and assault on police and public order offences.

The force said they had been "facilitating a peaceful anti-asylum protest on the Isle of Dogs" but said some masked protesters went into the Canary Wharf Shopping Centre and "became aggressive towards police".

The officer who was punched did not suffer "significant injury", the Met said.

A force spokesperson added: "We have a Section 60 AA in place for the Isle of Dogs south of the A1261 to prevent people concealing their identity with masks - failure to comply may lead to arrest.

"A Section 35 dispersal order is also in place in the same area directing protesters to leave."

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Two arrested over 'racial assault' in park after video circulates online

1 September 2025 at 00:52
BBC A grand entrance to a park with a sign to the right that reads: Manor Heath Car Park. There are trees and stone buildings and a road leading between stone pillars.BBC
Police say they are investigating an alleged racist attack at Manor Heath Park in Halifax

A man and a woman have been arrested on suspicion of racially aggravated assault after a video of a confrontation in a Yorkshire park circulated online.

The video, seen by the BBC, shows a man and a woman making racial comments towards a woman and child as they walk through Manor Heath Park in Halifax on Thursday.

A man is seen throwing water at the woman and appears to ask her if she arrived in the UK by crossing the English Channel in a boat.

West Yorkshire Police said the suspects were arrested on Saturday and remain in custody as inquiries continue.

In the video, the woman told the man she is a health worker and has lived in the UK for 15 years.

West Yorkshire Police thanked the public for their help in finding the suspects.

Listen to highlights from West Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North.

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