The Prince and Princess of Wales have visited the Natural History Museum in their first official engagement since the summer.

Catherine, who is patron of the museum, and William were shown the gardens, which are used recreationally as well as for research and teaching, by the institution's director Doug Gurr.

The visit comes as the new school term starts for their three children, George, Charlotte and Louis.

The young family was last seen in public driving to church close to Balmoral Castle in Aberdeenshire, last month.

• 'A fresh start': William and Kate to move to new Windsor home
• Princess Kate helped me through mental health crisis, says brother

In August, the BBC was told that the family will be moving into the eight-bedroom Forest Lodge in Windsor Great Park.

They currently live in Adelaide Cottage in the castle grounds, where they have been since August 2022, but have decided to make a change after a challenging 18 months, during which the princess was dealing with a cancer diagnosis.

Thursday's visit saw the royal couple meet children participating in educational programmes in the museum gardens, designed to help them connect with nature and boost biodiversity.

The Natural History Museum's gardens opened in 2024, and features grassland, wetland and woodland habitats, and are described as a living laboratory where visitors and scientists can identify and monitor wildlife in an urban environment.

The princess has previously spoken about how important it is for children to spend time in nature. In 2019, she helped create the back to nature play garden that exhibited in the Chelsea Flower Show.

Earlier this year, she urged people to "reconnect to nature and celebrate a new dawn within our hearts" in Spring, her social media video series on seasons.

Catherine and William will also be shown how technology is being used to inform the Natural History Museum's research diversity projects and conservation.

The jobs of thousands of Lloyds Banking Group staff are at risk as part of a performance shake-up at the financial firm.

The banking group is set to tell those it deems are among the weakest performing 5% that they could be made redundant unless their work improves.

It marks the second time in less than two years that thousands of Lloyds' employees have faced job losses, after it cut 1,600 roles in January last year.

The BTU union warned of staff being "hounded out of the business", but Lloyds spokesperson said it was "striving to embed a high-performance culture in the organisation".

"To achieve this, and in line with wider industry practice, we continuously look for ways to help our colleagues perform at their best," the Lloyds spokesperson added.

"We know that change can be uncomfortable, but we are excited about the opportunities ahead as we propel forward to achieve our growth ambitions and delivering exceptional customer experiences."

About 3,000 people deemed by Lloyds to be underperforming will be told their jobs are risk, with roughly 1,500 expected to lose their jobs, according to the Financial Times, which first reported the story.

Bosses at the company will be reviewing data from a HR software programme to monitor progress, the newspaper said.

The firm is not understood to be looking to cut a specific number of jobs but to solve an issue with low numbers of people leaving the banking group over time.

The performance policy has echoes of so-called "rank and yank", which was popularised in the US by the former chief executive of General Motors Jack Welch.

He supported "ranking" employees by performance and then "yanking" the worst performing out of the company.

Accord Union, which claims it represents more than 22,000 staff, said it was "asking Lloyds Banking Group to reassure its staff that it will continue to uphold the integrity of the established performance management processes".

The BTU union, which claims to represent 17,000 Lloyds staff but is not recognised as an official union and so it not consulted by Lloyds Banking Group, said it did not support the company's actions.

"In Lloyds, it will simply become a numbers game and staff will be hounded out of the business. We've seen it before," it said.

A bus driver has been taken to hospital after a collision in central London in which several passengers and pedestrians are understood to have been injured.

The Met Police, the London Ambulance Service (LAS) and London's Air Ambulance were called to Victoria Street in Westminster at about 08:20 BST, the force said.

There are no reported fatalities, the Met added.

An LAS spokesperson said the incident was ongoing and it was working with emergency services partners.

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Is it possible to become immortal with the help of organ transplants? That was the unexpected topic of discussion this week between Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin when they met at a military parade in Beijing.

A translator, speaking in Mandarin on behalf of Putin, told Xi how human organs can be repeatedly transplanted "so that one can get younger and younger" in spite of age, and might even be able to stave off old age "indefinitely".

"It's predicted that in this century it might become possible to live to 150," he added.

Their smiles and laughter suggest it was a bit of banter, but might they be on to something?

Organ transplants certainly save lives - in the UK, over 100,000 people have been saved in the last 30 years, says NHS Blood and Transplant.

And continued advancements in medicine and technology mean transplanted organs are lasting far longer once in people.

Some patients have had a kidney transplant that has kept working for more than 50 years.

The lifespan of an organ depends on how healthy the donor and recipient is - plus how well they look after it.

For example, if you were to have a new kidney from a living donor, you might expect it to last 20 to 25 years.

If you get it from a deceased donor, that drops to 15 to 20 years.

The type of organ matters too.

A liver might last around 20 years, a heart 15 years and lungs nearly 10 years, according to research.

Ticket to eternal life?

Putin and Xi may be talking about having multiple organs transplanted and perhaps repeatedly.

Having surgery is a big undertaking, though, with significant risks. Each time you go under the knife you are rolling the dice.

Currently, people who get a new organ also have to take strong anti-rejection drugs called immunosuppressants for life. These can have side-effects, such as high blood pressure, and increase the risk of infections.

Rejection - when your immune system starts to attack the transplanted organ because it recognises it as coming from a different person - can sometimes still happen even if you are taking your medication.

Tailor-made organs

Scientists are working on making rejection-free organs, using genetically-altered pigs as the donors.

They use a gene editing tool know as crispr to remove some of the pig genes and add certain human genes to make the organ more compatible.

Breeding special pigs for this is ideal, say experts, since their organs are roughly the right size for people.

The science is still extremely experimental, but a heart and a kidney operation has gone ahead.

The two men who agreed to having the procedures were pioneers of this new field of transplantation medicine.

Both have since died but helped advance xenotransplantation - the transplanting of living cells, tissues or organs from one species to another.

Another avenue being explored is growing brand new organs using our own human cells.

Stem cells have the ability to grow into any type of cell or tissue found in the body.

No research group has yet been able to make fully functional, transplantable human organs, but scientists are getting closer.

In December 2020, UK researchers UCL and the Francis Crick Institute rebuilt a human thymus - an essential organ in the immune system - using human stem cells and a bioengineered scaffold.

When transplanted into mice as a test, it appeared to work.

And scientists at Great Ormond Street Hospital in London say they have grown human intestinal grafts using stem cells from patient tissue that could one day lead to personalised transplants for children with intestinal failure.

But these advances are for treating ill health, rather than keeping people alive to 150.

Tech entrepreneur Bryan Johnson, meanwhile, is spending millions a year trying to reduce his biological age.

He's not tried getting new organs yet - as far as we know - but has infused himself with his 17-year-old son's plasma.

He's since stopped that, after seeing no benefits and increased medical scrutiny from organisations such as the Food and Drug Administration.

Dr Julian Mutz from King's College London said beyond organ transplantation, approaches like plasma replacement are being explored, but these remain experimental.

"Whether such strategies will have a meaningful impact on lifespan, particularly maximum human lifespan, remains uncertain, though it is an area of considerable scientific interest."

Prof Neil Mabbott, an expert in immunopathology at the Roslin Institute, University of Edinburgh, speculates that living to 125 years old might be the upper limit.

"The verified oldest living person was a Frenchwoman, Jeanne Calment who lived for 122 years, between 1875 and1997, " he told BBC News.

And while damaged and diseased organs may be replaceable by transplants, as we age our bodies become much less resilient or able to cope with physical stressors.

"We begin to respond less effectively to infections, and our bodies become more frail, prone to injury and are less able to recover and repair.

"The stress, trauma and impact of transplant surgery, alongside the continued use of immunosuppressive drugs required to prevent rejection of the transplanted organs would be too severe in patients of such advanced age."

He says rather than focussing on extending life-span, we should instead strive for healthy years lived.

Prof Mabbott said: "Living a lot longer, but suffering from the multiple morbidities that can accompany aging, and in-and-out of hospital for another tissue transplant does not sound an attractive way to spend my retirement!"

A second man has been arrested over "disgusting" racist abuse sent on social media to England footballer Jess Carter.

Police began investigating after receiving reports the messages had been sent to the 27-year-old defender during the UEFA Women's Euros in July.

Officers from Derbyshire Constabulary have arrested a 30-year-old man from Ripley on suspicion of making malicious communications.

It follows the arrest of a 59-year-old man, from Great Harwood, Lancashire, on suspicion of the same offence last week.

Cheshire Police's Chief Constable Mark Roberts, the National Police Chief Council's lead for football policing, said: "Nobody should be subjected to such disgusting abuse, and we want to make it clear that racist abuse of this nature will not be tolerated."

Carter, from Warwick, previously said she was taking a step back from social media after she was targeted with online racism during the tournament.

Following the incident, the UK Football Policing Unit launched an investigation involving social media companies to track down those responsible for the messages.

"I would like to commend her for standing up to this abuse and assisting with our investigation," Mr Roberts added.

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An investigation has been launched after a grandfather mistakenly took home the wrong child from a daycare centre in Sydney, Australia.

The man arrived to collect his grandchild from First Steps Learning Academy in the southern suburb of Bangor, on Monday afternoon.

But he accidentally took home a different child, who was asleep in a dark room.

The mistake only became clear when the mother of the child arrived at the centre to find that her one-year-old was not there, the Sydney Morning Herald reported.

"I can't explain the feeling," she told the newspaper.

"They couldn't tell me his [the man's] name, they couldn't tell me who he was, they couldn't tell me who he was meant to pick up. They couldn't tell me what he looked like, apart from that he was wearing shorts and he was an older gentleman," the mother, who asked not to be named, explained.

As part of safety protocols, childcare centres do not allow children to be collected by anyone else except recognised parents, guardians or carers

But she also said the grandfather is not to blame.

"We are not angry with him. We are not upset at him – we blame the day care."

The grandfather's wife told the Sydney Morning Herald that her husband is "devastated" and has "owned the mistake".

"When he realised, he raced that child back so fast," she said.

First Steps told the BBC that the educator involved in the incident has been stood down.

"We sincerely apologise to the families directly involved in this deeply upsetting and isolated incident," nursery director Trisha Hastie said.

She added that has never happened before at any of First Steps' nurseries, and it has strengthened procedures to "ensure this never happens again".

An investigation is underway into the "deeply concerning and serious incident", the New South Wales Early Childhood Education and Care Regulatory Authority said.

The incident comes at a time of heightened awareness surrounding safety at Australia's childcare centres, and last month, new legislative changes were announced aimed at improving safety standards in the sector.

A man accused of "using his car as a weapon" by deliberately driving into crowds of Liverpool FC fans has pleaded not guilty to 31 charges.

More than 130 people, including eight children, were injured when a Ford Galaxy car struck pedestrians on Water Street in Liverpool City Centre, as fans celebrated the club's Premier League victory parade on 26 May.

Former Royal Marine Commando Paul Doyle, 53, faces charges including causing grievous bodily harm with intent and dangerous driving.

He appeared at Liverpool Crown Court via videolink from prison where he answered "not guilty" as each of the charges were put to him.

The charges against Mr Doyle, of Burghill Road in West Derby, Liverpool, include allegations relating to two babies.

The court heard his legal team had faced significant difficulties being allowed access to their client in prison, facing weeks-long waits to visit him in person or hold conferences over videolink.

Simon Csoka, KC, defending, said: "The system just isn't working."

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The world's biggest destination for illegal streams of live sports events has been shut down, according to a leading anti-piracy group.

The Alliance for Creativity and Entertainment (ACE) said on Wednesday it had teamed up with police in Egypt to close down Streameast, which had been visited more than 1.6 billion times in the past year.

It allowed millions to access pirated streams of sports such as Premier League football matches, Formula One races and Major League Baseball games.

ACE chairman Charles Rivkin said it was a "resounding victory in its fight to detect, deter, and dismantle criminal perpetrators of digital piracy".

"With this landmark action, we have put more points on the board for sports leagues, entertainment companies, and fans worldwide," he said.

The clamp down comes after a report earlier this year found illegal sports streaming was taking place at an "industrial scale".

Sports broadcasting is big business, with the total value of media rights across the world passing the $60bn (£44bn) mark last year.

With rising costs of rights deals being passed onto to fans at home - and compounded by the need for subscriptions to multiple platforms showing different matches - some have resorted to illegal streams.

According to ACE, traffic to Streameast's various domains had originated primarily from the UK, US, Canada, Philippines and Germany.

The Athletic reported two men had been arrested in El-Sheikh Zaid, near Egypt's capital Cairo, by police on suspicion of copyright infringement.

It said authorities had seized laptops and smartphones suspected of being used to operate the sites during a raid, as well as cash and credit cards.

Police also found links to a shell company in the UAE which had allegedly been used to launder £4.9m of advertising revenue since 2010, as well as £150,000 in cryptocurrency.

Ed McCarthy, chief operating officer of sports streaming platform DAZN Group, welcomed its take-down.

"This criminal operation was siphoning value from sports at every level and putting fans across the world at risk," he said.

It comes on the eve of the US National Football League (NFL) season's opening game.

People trying to access Streameast domains or sites will now be redirected to an ACE web page suggesting channels they can "watch legally", it said.

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The five-year, £80m restoration of the Big Ben tower in London has been nominated for the UK's leading architecture award, alongside a new fashion college campus, a science laboratory and an "inventive" home extension.

The refurbishment of Big Ben - officially known as the Elizabeth Tower - is among the six nominees for the Royal Institute of British Architects' Stirling Prize.

The list also includes the London College of Fashion campus on the former Olympic Park in east London and AstraZeneca's medical research centre in Cambridge.

They are joined by the "pioneering" Appleby Blue Almshouse retirement home and the Japanese-inspired Niwa House, both in south London, and an extension to an "eccentric" home in Hastings.

The Elizabeth line - London's east-west train line - won the prestigious award last year.

The prize is given to the building judged to be "the most significant of the year for the evolution of architecture and the built environment", and is judged on criteria including design vision, innovation and originality.

It is usually given to a brand new building, but can also go to major restorations and renovations.

Other previous winners of the prize - first presented in 1996 - include Liverpool's Everyman Theatre, Hastings Pier and the Scottish Parliament building in Edinburgh.

The 2025 nominees:

• Appleby Blue Almshouse by Witherford Watson Mann Architects
• Elizabeth Tower by Purcell
• Hastings House by Hugh Strange Architects
• London College of Fashion by Allies and Morrison
• Niwa House by Takero Shimazaki Architects
• The Discovery Centre by Herzog and de Meuron/BDP

Riba president Chris Williamson said the shortlsted projects all "demonstrate architecture's unique ability to address some of the most urgent challenges of our time, responding with creativity, adaptability and care".

Each offers "a blueprint for how architecture can enrich society", and they show a "hopeful vision for the future, one where architecture strengthens communities and helps shape a more sustainable and inclusive built environment", he added.

Appleby Blue Almshouse by Witherford Watson Mann Architects

This social housing development, with 57 flats for over-65s, in Southwark, south London, replaced an abandoned care home, and is billed as a modern version of the traditional almshouse.

The design is intended to "foster community and reduce isolation among residents", Riba said, with communal areas and shared facilities including a kitchen and double-height garden room. "The result is a new standard for inclusive social housing in later life."

Elizabeth Tower by Purcell

The Elizabeth Tower is one of London's best-known landmarks and is often known as Big Ben - although that's actually the name of the bell that produces the famous bongs.

The most extensive works to the tower in its 160-year history included repairs to the clock mechanism; changes to the colour scheme on the four clock faces to put back the Victorian blue and gold; and reinstating St George's Cross flag emblems. Accessibility improvements include a new lift.

The result is described as "a veritable masterclass in conservation and craftsmanship" by the judges - although it came at a cost, going way over its original budget, which was estimated at £29m to £45m.

Hastings House by Hugh Strange Architects

This late 19th Century detached hillside house in the East Sussex town has been extended with a series of timber-framed rooms and industrial exterior features including a concrete yard and galvanised steel staircase.

"The result goes beyond a house extension, transforming the entire home and producing a lesson in restrained, inventive reuse," the judges said.

London College of Fashion by Allies and Morrison

The college previously had six buildings but the 6,000 students and staff moved to the new 17-storey headquarters in the Queen Elizabeth Park in Stratford, east London, in 2023.

Judges approvingly noted features including its "dramatic staircases unfurling through a shared 'heart space' to encourage collaboration".

Niwa House by Takero Shimazaki Architects

This home, described as a "pavilion-like oasis", was built on a previously derelict plot behind a row of terraced houses in south London for a family with a love of Japanese design. It was also designed to be accessible for a wheelchair-using resident.

"The quality of light throughout the home is breathtaking," the judges said. "Large full-height sliding doors and full-height glazed walls seamlessly blend indoors and out – opening spaces to gardens, courtyards and balconies. It is difficult to see where the building ends and the gardens begin."

The Discovery Centre by Herzog and de Meuron/BDP

Medicine giant AstraZeneca's Discovery Centre "radically redefines the research facility", according to Riba, "blending cutting-edge laboratories with welcoming public spaces".

The striking building has a curved three-sided shape, with a high, jagged exterior glass front and roof. Inside, three glass-lined labs are linked by "clever interconnecting corridors that balance stringent security with transparency, putting science on display".

Father Ted co-creator Graham Linehan has gone on trial in London on charges of harassment and criminal damage against a transgender woman.

The Irish comedy writer, who also created The IT Crowd and Black Books, has pleaded not guilty to the two charges.

Before going into Westminster Magistrates' Court, the 57-year-old did not speak to the media but did pose with a supporter's sign saying "There's no such thing as a 'transgender child"' on one side and "Keep men out of women's sports" on the other.

This trial is not connected to the allegations that led to his much-publicised arrest at Heathrow Airport on Monday.

He said he was met by five armed officers over messages he had previously posted about trans people on X, sparking a backlash from some public figures and politicians, and inflaming a fierce debate about policing and free speech.

In that case, he was arrested on suspicion of inciting violence, and has been bailed "pending further investigation".

Meanwhile, the trial that opened on Thursday is hearing allegations that he harassed Sophia Brooks, 18, a transgender activist, on social media last October, and damaged her phone.

He is accused of posting abusive comments on social media, and of causing damage to a phone to the value of £369 during the Battle of Ideas conference in London.

He appeared in the dock and spoke to confirm his identity.

Julia Faure Walker, prosecuting, said: "The defendant, Graham Linehan, faces two charges, one harassment of Sophia Brooks between 11 October 2024 and 27 October 2024," PA Media reported.

"The second charge is criminal damage of Ms Brooks' mobile phone on 19 October 2024.

"There are some matters that are not in dispute. It's not in dispute that the defendant sent the relevant social media posts between 11 October and 27 October, and it's not in dispute that the defendant seized and threw the phone of the complainant.

"Ms Brooks is now 18 but at the time of these events she was 17."

Game of Thrones star Sophie Turner will play Lara Croft in the upcoming Prime Video TV series Tomb Raider, it was announced on Thursday.

The show has been created and written by fellow Brit, Fleabag creator and star Phoebe Waller-Bridge - marking the first major work to come out of her big Amazon deal announced back in 2019.

Tomb Raider is based on the computer game about the famous fictional adventurer and archaeologist Lara Croft, previously portayed on the big screen by Angelina Jolie and Alicia Vikander.

Turner said she was "thrilled beyond measure" to take on the role. "She's such an iconic character, who means so much to so many - and I am giving everything I've got."

The star, who shot to fame as Sansa Stark in the HBO epic fantasy series, added: "They're massive shoes to fill, following in the steps of Angelina and Alicia with their powerhouse performances, but with Phoebe at the helm, we (and Lara) are all in very safe hands.

"I can't wait for you all to see what we have cooking."

'Grew up loving'

Waller-Bridge previously adapted the first series of Killing Eve and was drafted on to the James Bond writing team, saying at the time she added "little spices", and "tweaks across a few of the characters".

She said six years ago she was "delighted" and "insanely excited" to be making Amazon her creative home.

Now she said she is excited to work with the "formidable" Turner on Tomb Raider and a "phenomenal creative team" which includes fellow co-showrunner Chad Hodge (Wayward Pines and Good Behavior) and director Jonathan Van Tulleken (Shōgun and The Changeling).

"It's not very often you get to make a show of this scale with a character you grew up loving," she added.

"Everyone on board is wildly passionate about Lara and are all as outrageous, brave, and hilarious as she is.

"Get your artifacts out... Croft is coming."

Vernon Sanders, head of global television for Prime Video and Amazon MGM Studios, described the character - created in 1996 by a team at British developer Core Design - as "one of the most recognisable and iconic video game characters of all time".

Amazon MGM Studios confirmed the production would start in January next year.

It was just after 18:00 on Wednesday when a carriage on Lisbon's famous Gloria funicular came around the bend of a steep cobblestoned street, crashed into a building, and crumpled, an eyewitness said.

"It hit a building with brutal force and collapsed like a cardboard box," Teresa d'Avó told Portuguese television channel SIC, adding it seemed like it "had no brakes".

Police are still investigating the cause of the crash, which killed at least 17 people and injured 20 more, some critically, near Lisbon's Avenida da Liberdade in the Portuguese capital.

Video verified by the BBC shows the crashed yellow-and-white train on the bend of a hill crumpled against the building, with another train stopped at the bottom. People are running up the incline towards the scene of the crash.

• What we know
• Follow live updates

Helen Chow, who is from Canada and was visiting Lisbon, was at the base of the Gloria Hill, from where the trams ascend to the Bairro Alto district, when she said she heard a loud screech.

One tram "made a hard stop, I saw black debris, heard the passengers on that tram screaming…the driver rushed to open the gates to the entrance of the tram," she told the BBC.

"People jumped out of the window of that tram... just as this happened, I saw the incident tram crash over into the building next to the Subway restaurant."

"It was awful… the sound was unlike anything I ever heard," she added. "I am shaken."

Ms d'Avó told Portuguese newspaper Observador the vehicle was "out of control, without brakes".

"We all started running away because we thought [the carriage] was going to hit the one below," she said. "But it fell around the bend and crashed into a building."

Eric Packer, from the US but visiting Lisbon on holiday, told the BBC he had discussed with his friends taking the cable car and took pictures at 18:00 and 18:01, but decided to walk back to their hotel instead.

They walked about 60 metres and heard a loud crash noise "like a rock falling, like a dump truck had dropped a load of rocks" at 18:02.

They turned around to see dust coming out of the alley about 45 metres (148ft) behind them and walked back to see what happened. At first, he thought it was the train at the bottom that fell, until he turned and saw the other train that was above it, and realised "the magnitude of what had taken place".

His photograph shows the yellow-and-white train, a tangle of metal, on the corner of the narrow alley under a Subway restaurant sign, with the other train at the bottom of the hill below it.

"People (were) walking up and running up to try and help," he said. "Horrible tragedy and our thoughts and prayers go out to the families and survivors."

Portugal is in mourning after at least 17 people died and some 20 more were injured when Lisbon's famous funicular cable railway derailed on Wednesday evening.

A transport worker was among those killed, while a three-year-old German boy was reported to have escaped with minor injuries.

Those hurt include four Portuguese, and 11 foreign nationals from Germany, Spain, France, Italy, Switzerland, Canada, South Korea, Morocco and Cape Verde, according to emergency services.

Police have not yet confirmed the identities of those who died, but here is what we do know about the victims.

Transport worker and German father among the dead

Among the dead are seven men and eight women, and foreigners, Margarida Castro Martins, head of Lisbon's Civil Protection Agency, said on Thursday.

Some foreign nationals were also killed, but where they were from remains unclear.

Portuguese transport union Sitra said André Jorge Gonçalves Marques, who worked as the brake guard on the funicular, was among the dead.

In a statement on Facebook, the union wrote: "We send our condolences to the families and friends of the victims of the accident and wish them a speedy recovery as well as the best recovery to the others injured in the accident."

Ms Martins said the injured include 12 women and seven men aged between 24 and 65, and a three-year-old child.

Local media reported that a German family-of-three were on board the funicular when it crashed.

The father died at the scene, Portuguese news outlet Observador reported, while the mother was said to be in a critical condition in hospital, and a three-year-old boy sustained minor injuries.

• Lisbon funicular crash - live updates
• What we know about deadly crash

What we still don't know

The Glória funicular can carry about 40 passengers and is extremely popular with tourists - but it is also crucial for the city's residents, to help them travel up and down Lisbon's hilly streets.

We don't know how many people were on board, or the identity of all those who died. The death toll and number of people injured could change in the coming hours.

We also don't know if any UK nationals are involved - the UK foreign office has said it is aware of the incident and is ready to provide consular assistance to any affected British nationals.

One of Lisbon's most iconic tourist attractions, the Gloria funicular, derailed and crashed on Wednesday evening.

At least 15 people have been killed and 18 more injured, some critically, local authorities have said.

It is not yet clear what caused the carriage to derail.

Here's everything we know so far:

What have authorities said?

The crash occurred at around 18:05 on Wednesday, near Lisbon's Avenida da Liberdade, according to local authorities.

More than 60 emergency service personnel and 22 vehicles were deployed to the scene.

Officials said it was too early to determine the cause of the incident. However, Portuguese newspaper Observador reported that a cable came loose along the railway's route, causing it to lose control and collide with a nearby building.

Images and footage from the scene the showed an overturned yellow carriage, which appeared almost entirely destroyed.

People could be seen fleeing the area on foot as smoke engulfed the cobbled street.

• At least 15 dead after Lisbon's historic funicular derails

What do we know about the casualties?

Portugal's emergency medical service authority said at least 15 people have been been killed and 18 others injured.

Five of those injured were in a serious condition, it said. The remaining thirteen, which included a child, sustained minor injuries.

Lisbon's mayor, Carlos Moedas, said the victims had been taken to hospital.

Some of those killed were foreign nationals, authorities said.

Several people trapped at the scene have since been freed, the medical authority said.

Who was onboard?

The Gloria funicular can carry up to 43 passengers and is extremely popular with tourists.

It is not known how many people were onboard at the time of the collision, however.

What is the Gloria funicular and how does it work?

A funicular is a type of railway system that allows travel up and down steep slopes.

In Lisbon, funiculars are among the most sought after tourist attractions. The bright yellow vehicles are a crucial means of navigating the city's steep, cobbled streets.

The Gloria funicular - the railway on which the collision took place - was opened in 1885 and electrified three decades later.

It travels some 275m (900ft) from Restauradores, a square in the centre of Lisbon, up to the picturesque streets of Bairro Alto. The journey takes just three minutes to complete.

Unlike traditional funiculars, the two cars on the Gloria funicular are powered by electric motors.

They are attached to opposite ends of a haulage cable meaning that as one travels downhill, its weight lifts the other, allowing them to ascend and descend simultaneously.

'Lisbon is in mourning'

Lisbon Mayor Carlos Moedas has declared three days of municipal mourning for the victims of the incident.

Posting on X, he said: "I extend my heartfelt condolences to all the families and friends of the victims. Lisbon is in mourning."

Spain's Prime Minster Pedro Sánchez said he was "appalled by the terrible accident".

"All our affection and solidarity with the families of the victims and with the Portuguese people in this difficult moment," he wrote in a statement on X.

Portuguese President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa said he "deeply regrets" the "fatalities and serious injuries" caused by the crash.

In a statement, he expressed his "condolences and solidarity with the families affected by this tragedy" and hoped for clarity around the incident from authorities soon.

Pedro Bogas from Carris, the Lisbon Tramways Company, told reporters it was a "very a sad day, not just for the victims but also for their families".

"We have strict protocols, excellent professionals for many years, and we need to get to the bottom of what happened," he added.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen wrote on X: "It is with sadness that I learned of the derailment of the famous Elevador da Glória. My condolences to the families of the victims."

'I've always known I'd be a figher'

The day they appeared he could hardly believe his eyes. Small boat after small boat bearing in from the Turkish side. "I have so many memories that are coming back to me now," says Paris Louamis, 50, a hotelier on the Greek island of Lesbos. "There were people from Syria, Afghanistan, many countries."

This was August 2015 and Europe was witnessing the greatest movement in population since the end of the Second World War. More than a million people would arrive in the EU over the next few months driven by violence in Syria, as well as Afghanistan and Iraq and elsewhere.

I witnessed the arrivals on Lesbos and met Paris Laoumis as he was busy helping exhausted asylum seekers near his hotel. "I am proud of what we did back then," he tells me. Along with international volunteers he provided food and clothing to those arriving.

Today the beach is quiet. There are no asylum seekers. But Paris is worried. He believes another crisis is possible. With the number of arrivals rising over the summer months, his country's migration minister has warned of the risk of an "invasion", with thousands arriving from countries such as Sudan, Egypt, Bangladesh and Yemen.

"Of course I worry. I can see the suffering of the people. They are not coming here but we see it on Crete (Greece's largest island) where people have come. So it is possible that with the wars more people will come here."

In 2015 I followed as the asylum seekers boarded ferries, trudged in the heat along railway lines, through cornfields, down country lanes and along highways, making their way up through the Balkans and onwards to Germany and Scandinavia.

The numbers entering Germany jumped from 76,000 in July to 170,000 the following month. On the last day of August the Chancellor Angela Merkel declared 'wir schaffen das' - we can do it - interpreted by many as extending open arms to the asylum seekers.

"Germany is a strong country," she said. "The motive with which we approach these things must be: we have achieved so much – we can do it! We can do it, and where something stands in our way, it has to be overcome, it has to be worked on."

But the high emotions of that summer, when crowds welcomed asylum seekers along the roads north, seem to belong to a very different time.

That optimistic proclamation soon became a political liability for Mrs Merkel. Political opponents and some European leaders felt the words acted as a magnet for asylum seekers to the EU. Within a fortnight the Chancellor was forced to impose controls on Germany's borders due to the influx of asylum seekers.

And a decade on, concerns over migration have become a major political issue in many European countries. The causes are complex and vary from country to country, but concerns around security, struggling economies and disillusionment with governing parties have all had a major role in shaping attitudes towards those who arrive who are fleeing war, hunger and economic desperation.

It has fuelled the rise of far right parties and seen centre and even left wing parties scramble to impose controls on migration, fearing electoral defeat by populist right-wingers. Data from the Atlas Institute of International Affairs shows how support for far right parties in Europe nearly doubled over the term of two electoral cycles to 27.6%.

Since 2015, when the UNHCR says over a million people entered Europe on asylum routes, there has been a dramatic drop in arrivals. But since 2016, the average number of people entering Europe has still been around 200,000 people a year. So far this year a total of 96,200 asylum seekers have been recorded arriving. So can tough new controls really further bring down the numbers trying to come to Europe? Or does global conflict and economic desperation make their continuing flow inevitable, with ebbs and flows in the numbers?

Hungary's tough stance

In Hungary, the far right government of Prime Minister Viktor Orban, has taken one of the toughest approaches to migration. Back in September 2015, I was present when Hungary's first fence was erected along the border with Serbia, and witnessed hundreds of people scrambling to cross into the EU before they could be shut out.

In Budapest, this week I met the country's minister for the EU, János Bóka, who said Hungary's approach has been vindicated by the restrictive measures now being put forward in the UK - where the government plan to make it harder for refugees to bring family members to the UK - as well as countries like Ireland, Denmark and Sweden.

"We feel vindicated not only because of what's going on in other countries in Europe. This is of course also a sign that we took the right path 10 years ago, that now we see most of the countries are doing what we have been doing for the past 10 years."

Hungary immediately returns people who arrive at the border without permission to enter. They can only apply for asylum in the Serbian capital Belgrade, or in Kyiv in war battered Ukraine.

Human rights lawyer Timea Kovács says this effectively makes it impossible to enter the EU via Hungary. "Basically there is no legal way to enter the Hungarian territory as a refugee," she asserts.

As a result Hungary is being fined one million Euros per day for breaching its responsibilities to asylum seekers under EU law. EU minister Bóka says the country is not about to change its policy. "If it is the price that we pay for the protection of our borders and maintaining peace and stability in Hungary, this is a price worth paying."

But even such restrictive measures haven't managed to entirely halt the entry of asylum seekers.

Austrian police told the BBC that there were between 20 to 50 people detected every day trying to enter their country illegally from Hungary. This is just the figure for those detected.

On a trip to the border with Serbia I heard the frustration of one group of Hungarian guards. We left the tar road and followed a patrol onto a dirt track into the forest. The trees closed over forming a natural tunnel. Bright sunlight gave way to shadows. The men in the vehicle ahead of us carried shotguns.

'Just one big circus'

Dressed in military camouflage Sándor Nagy and Eric Molner are citizen volunteers, paid by the state to patrol the Hungarian side of the border with Serbia.

"I feel sad and angry, and most of all, worried about what is coming," says Sandor. He believes Europe is failing to stop people from coming across its borders. "To be honest, what we experience here is basically just one big circus. What we see is that border defence here is mostly a show, a political performance."

We emerge into a clearing where a 12ft high border fence appears, topped with barbed wire, equipped with sensors and cameras to detect illegal crossings.

"They simply cut through it, and groups rush in at several points at once—this has been the same for years." The problem, he argues, is with organised crime, which is constantly one step ahead of the authorities. "This fence does not stop anyone in the long run … It delays the flow, but cannot stop it."

A deluge of abuses

With the growth of criminal trafficking has come a deluge of human rights abuses, according to the United Nations. People traffickers dump people in the Sahara desert; others crowd them onto unsafe boats. Some of those who get through find themselves being forced back into the desert by local security forces.

More than 32,000 people have died trying to reach Europe in the past 10 years - including 1,300 dead or missing this year.

According to the UN's International Organisation of Migration "much of this is happening in a situation of near complete impunity".

The summer of 2015 was not only a summer of welcome. It prompted immediate changes in the approaches of several European states. Not just with the erection of the fence in Hungary but, among several examples, the deployment of riot police in Croatia, and migrants being detained in Slovenia.

By March 2016 - six months after Mrs Merkel's statement - the EU had reached agreement with Turkey to keep migrants from crossing into Greece and Bulgaria.

Since then the EU has done deals with countries including Morocco, Tunisia, Libya and Egypt to prevent their countries being used as launch points to Europe.

Now, there are numerous well documented cases of asylum seekers being pushed back across EU borders by police and coast guards. Last January the European Court of Human Rights found Greece guilty of illegal and "systematic" pushbacks of asylum seekers to Turkey.

Gerasimos Tsourapa, a professor of international relations at the University of Birmingham, describes the policy of outsourcing the asylum issue as a dramatic change for Europe. "The idea that migration can be leveraged for money or aid or other concessions, which was fairly exceptional for Europe in 2016, has now become a pattern.

"Migration diplomacy is contagious. Once the deal is struck then the logic spreads."

There is also a paradox here, he says. "We are restricting asylum, we're keeping borders closed, but we also need to find labour migrants to fill shortages and help our national economy."

A changing Sweden

Persistent public concern has seen a rise in support for far right parties across the EU, even in places like Sweden, which historically prided itself as a welcoming nation for those fleeing persecution. The far right Sweden Democrats won 20.5 percent of the vote in the 2022 general election - making them the country's second largest party. In return for supporting a minority coalition government they have seen much of their anti-migration platform shape government policy.

Family re-unification for migrants has been made more difficult, as have conditions for permanent residency, and asylum quotas have been substantially reduced.

For the final leg of my journey I went to the western Swedish city of Karlstad, a picture postcard place on the banks of the River Klarälven, the longest waterway in Scandinavia.

Syrian refugee, Abdulmenem Alsatouf, 44, remembered the welcome he received here in 2015.

That has changed, he says. "At the beginning people treated us very well. But after a few years — and after the government changed — things shifted. They became more racist." He cites incidents of racist abuse, including one neighbour leaving a toy pig outside this devoutly Muslim family's home.

I first met Abdulmenem and his family ten years ago as they were trying to reach Europe from Turkey. I remember their hope for a new life. Now his wife Nour says she would prefer to be in Syria. "They look at us as if we only came here to take their money or live off their aid. But that's not true. When I first arrived, I studied Swedish for two years, I learned the language, I finished school. Then I went to work — cleaning, kitchens, childcare. I pay taxes here, just like anyone else. I'm part of this society."

Why has Swedish public opinion shifted to the right on migration? One of the more frequently cited reasons in local media and by politicians is crime, specifically the rise of organised crime, with young perpetrators used to commit extreme violence. Since 2013 the rate of gun crime in the country has more than doubled.

People born abroad, and their children born in Sweden, are over-represented in crime statistics. But Sweden's foreign ministry warns against a simplistic analysis of figures. It says low levels of education, unemployment, social segregation and refugee's war trauma are all causes - not the fact of being a migrant.

Outside the local cultural museum, where he and his apprentice were busy painting the walls, I met Daniel Hessarp, 46, who is among the 60% of Swedes that opinion polls record as being concerned about crime. "We see the statistics of the crimes, who does it and such. So, there you have the answer. We didn't have this before in Sweden.

The apprentice, Theo Bergsten, 20, said he wasn't opposed to immigration because "you learn from, they learn from you…so it's really nice also." But he said the growth in crime was a "sad part" of the story.

Maria Moberg, a sociology lecturer at the University of Karlstad, says social media has allowed the far right's message to thrive and find new support among those who feel excluded from society.

"Sweden Democrats are very open with [us] - they don't want any asylum seekers. They actually want people to leave Sweden. And the whole government is sort of setting the agenda for being a hostile country. It's more acceptable now to not be welcoming."

Graves marked 'Unknown'

Back on Lesbos, I went to visit a place I have come to know over many years of reporting migration issues there. About 30 minutes drive from the Mytilene airport, in the middle of some olive groves, are the graves of asylum seekers who have died trying to reach here, or in the refugee camps set up after 2015. Numerous graves are simply marked 'Unknown', the last resting place of those who believed Europe would offer them a better life.

When I visited there were three fresh graves, and a fourth open waiting for a burial to take place. It is a sobering reminder that desperate people will keep trying to reach Europe, despite the enormous risks.

So far this year the numbers of asylum seekers detected trying to reach Europe is down by 20 percent. The numbers may surge and fall, but the global crises that drive migration are not going to disappear. That is the fundamental challenge for politicians, whatever party is in power.

Top image credit: Beata Zawrzel/NurPhoto via Getty Images

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A mother who feared her two-year-old son's untreated constipation could have killed him is calling for access to children's continence services to be made a national priority.

Elissa Novak said Ivan was constantly vomiting, losing weight and in severe pain when it was at its worst, and a doctor said 2kg of his 10kg (22lb) body weight was estimated to be stool.

The number of children aged up to 16 admitted to English hospitals suffering with constipation, among other symptoms, is at a 10-year high, with more than 44,000 admissions in 2023-24, according to NHS figures.

Children are being failed by the absence of dedicated bladder and bowel services in some parts of the country, an expert said.

About 1.5 million children in the UK suffer with constipation, according to the charity Bladder and Bowel UK.

As many children returned to school this week, charities have told the BBC they are seeing a spike in calls to their helplines.

"It's a huge problem and many healthcare professionals don't consider it a serious issue in children," said Davina Richardson, a children's specialist nurse with the charity.

"Discussing wee and poo is very un-British. It's not something that we as a culture do."

Elissa said Ivan, who is now aged five, had been "completely robbed of his toddler years" due to health issues resulting from constipation.

He was admitted to hospital 25 times in one six-month period in 2022 for emergency treatment.

"It was horrific," Elissa said. "He was so frail he couldn't lift himself up or do anything.

"He was in pain all the time and either screaming or just lying there because he was too weak."

Elissa, 35, from Nuneaton, Warwickshire, said she had constantly gone to her GP to try to get help and answers.

At that time in Warwickshire, there was no bowel or bladder community service, which meant they were going to A&E up to four times a week.

It was only when things got to a crisis point that Elissa was told constipation was causing Ivan's pain.

She thinks he would have died had there been any further delay in treating it.

Elissa was told Ivan's entire colon was impacted, which had pushed up into his lung cavity and compromised his lungs.

'Signs missed'

"His stomach was squashed. All of his organs were being pushed out of the way," Elissa said.

"We were in A&E for up to 12 hours at a time... just waiting for an enema of all things.

"It was a very horrible time. It was so traumatic for everybody."

Ivan has two genetic syndromes which affect his cognitive functions.

Elissa thinks this played a part in the signs being missed and constipation not being diagnosed sooner.

"It was seen as 'that's just what disabled children are like'. We did actually have one consultant who said 'disabled children just scream'," Elissa said.

"It wasn't looked into properly, it wasn't taken seriously until he was really at crisis point. His signs of pain weren't recognised. It was just a perfect storm really."

Ivan now has a care package so his constipation can be managed at home with laxatives and daily bowel wash outs.

"It is a huge part of his life and a huge part of his day. He still suffers pain but it's so much better," his mother said.

Elissa is campaigning for better bladder and bowel care services across the country.

"People are falling through the cracks," she said.

Tips for parents and carers

Here are some of the ways to prevent a child from becoming constipated:

• Ensure your child's diet includes plenty of fruit and vegetables
• Make sure children are drinking enough water-based drinks daily - dehydration can make constipation more likely or worse
• A good toilet position is also helpful. Children need their bottom and the backs of their thighs well supported. Feet need to be flat on a firm surface with knees slightly higher than hips, as that helps relax the pelvic floor

Source: Bladder and Bowel UK

Brenda Cheer, a paediatric specialist continence nurse with children's bowel and bladder charity Eric, said children's constipation was on the rise for a number of reasons, including delayed potty training and today's generation of children spending more time in childcare.

She said children were being failed in areas where there was no dedicated children's continence service.

"There's huge disparity of those services," she said.

"Where is the parent supposed to go? How are they supposed to get the help they need? How is a family supposed to access support if there is no children's bladder and bowel nurse?"

Constipation can be treated in the community and should not require a hospital admission, but is not being recognised, Ms Cheer added.

Holly Brennan told the BBC her daughter Ayda had suffered with chronic constipation for three years and she had been in "turmoil" at the lack of help.

It started when Ayda got a virus when she was two years old and spiralled from there, Holly said.

The 31-year-old described going to her GP six times and being prescribed laxatives to treat it - but not being given any guidance on how to use them, and said she had been told her daughter would grow out of it.

When it was at its worst, Ayda, now five, would have up to 15 accidents a day.

Holly, from Clevedon, Bristol, said: "It was three years of hell. She very much didn't grow out of it.

"We didn't want to go out for day trips because you wouldn't know where the toilet would be and she was constantly having accidents.

"It was just complete stress and caused arguments between my husband and I [about] how to deal with it. It upset her [Ayda] and you try not to get cross with them but it's just frustration and it just affects everything."

Sometimes it would take Ayda a week to go to the toilet because she associated it with pain, her mum explained.

"It was a vicious circle. It was just complete turmoil... something that everyone just used to say she would grow out of or 'it's a phase' or 'she just needs to learn'," Holly added.

"Our life literally revolved around the toilet for three years."

Holly was not referred for further treatment for Ayda or told about children's continence services that could help.

She said it felt like "the blind leading the blind" with several doctors unable to advise her and she had reached a dead end.

It was only when she was told about the charity Eric that things started to get better.

"There was finally an answer on how to help her," Holly added. "It [the website] described my child."

Ayda is now off laxatives and able to control her bowels.

"I'm very proud of her and how she's coped. She's taken it all in her stride," Holly said.

A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said it is committed to ensuring children get the right care and support when they need it for conditions such as constipation.

In a statement, it said: "As part of our 10-year health plan, neighbourhood health services will bring together teams of professionals closer to people's home to provide comprehensive community care.

"We will also strengthen health visiting services so all families have access to high-quality, personalised support."

Jodie Gosling, MP for Nuneaton and who chairs the all-party parliamentary group for bladder and bowel continence care, said constipation had fallen low on the list of priorities facing local council and integrated care boards.

She said children's continence care "has been a silent casualty of chronic underfunding and reactive healthcare".

"This leads to a postcode lottery, where even high-need areas fail to address issues like constipation adequately."

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The TUC, the umbrella group for trade unions in the UK, is calling for Chancellor Rachel Reeves to consider a range of wealth taxes in November's Budget to help boost investment in public services.

Their top official, general secretary Paul Nowak, told the BBC that people needed to see evidence of change.

"We need a progressive tax system – a tax on online gaming companies and gambling companies, a tax on windfall profits which the banks and financial institutions have seen over the last couple of years."

The Treasury said the government's number one priority was to grow the economy.

In the interview, Mr Nowak called for Reeves "not to take anything off the table" and look at other options including equalising capital gains tax with income tax and, he said, "a wealth tax itself".

"It has been introduced in other countries including Spain, which has one of the fastest growing economies."

Individual unions are likely to make similar demands when the TUC's annual Congress gets under way this weekend.

Mr Nowak focused in particular on the case for levying more from financial institutions.

"Banks have record profits driven by a high-interest environment.

"We think we can still have a profitable bank sector and ask them to pay their fair share."

The prime minister reiterated this week that Labour's financial rules were non-negotiable.

So, to meet the chancellor's self-imposed constraints on debt and borrowing, tax rises appear to be inevitable in November.

The debate in the Labour movement – and elsewhere – is over who to tax and by how much.

Mr Nowak argued that "the big four high street banks made £46bn in profits in one year alone".

Charlie Nunn, the chief executive of Lloyds Bank, has previously spoken out against any potential tax rises for banks in the government's Budget announcement this autumn.

He said efforts to boost the UK economy and foster a strong financial services sector "wouldn't be consistent with tax rises".

And when the left-leaning think tank the IPPR suggested further taxing bank profits, share prices fell.

Asked if this approach could make the markets jittery and potentially drive investors away, Mr Nowak said: "Britain is an attractive place for international investors" and he suggested there hadn't been "an exodus of millionaires" after tax changes for non-doms and ending the VAT exemption for school fees.

He claimed that the TUC's own polling suggested that introducing wealth taxes to fund public services was most popular among voters who had gone from Labour to Reform UK.

Nigel Farage's party conference begins on Friday in Birmingham and Mr Nowak issued this warning to Keir Starmer: "Change still feels like a slogan not lived reality. There is a real danger if the government doesn't deliver the change people want, they will become disillusioned with mainstream politics, and some will look for divisive alternatives like Reform."

While the chancellor has been far from keen on a conventional wealth tax on assets, some in the wider Labour movement are pressing her to look at how those with "the broadest shoulders" pay more.

There is some hope that with a new economic adviser now ensconced in Downing Street and reporting to the prime minister, that the debate on tax is more open than before.

That adviser - Baroness Shafik - has called for taxation on wealth and land in the past.

"The public aren't daft – they know there are difficult choices," said Mr Nowak.

"We need a grown up conversation."

A Treasury spokesman told the BBC that the government's number one priority was to grow the economy and pointed to the chancellor's words last month.

Rachel Reeves said: "We introduced increased taxes on private jets, on second homes and increased capital gains tax.

"So I think we've got the balance right in terms of how we tax those with the broadest shoulders. But any further decisions will be ones that are made at a budget in the normal way."

'I've always known I'd be a figher'

One of Lisbon's most iconic tourist attractions, the Gloria funicular, derailed and crashed on Wednesday evening.

At least 15 people have been killed and 18 more injured, some critically, local authorities have said.

It is not yet clear what caused the carriage to derail.

Here's everything we know so far:

What have authorities said?

The crash occurred at around 18:05 on Wednesday, near Lisbon's Avenida da Liberdade, according to local authorities.

More than 60 emergency service personnel and 22 vehicles were deployed to the scene.

Officials said it was too early to determine the cause of the incident. However, Portuguese newspaper Observador reported that a cable came loose along the railway's route, causing it to lose control and collide with a nearby building.

Images and footage from the scene the showed an overturned yellow carriage, which appeared almost entirely destroyed.

People could be seen fleeing the area on foot as smoke engulfed the cobbled street.

• At least 15 dead after Lisbon's historic funicular derails

What do we know about the casualties?

Portugal's emergency medical service authority said at least 15 people have been been killed and 18 others injured.

Five of those injured were in a serious condition, it said. The remaining thirteen, which included a child, sustained minor injuries.

Lisbon's mayor, Carlos Moedas, said the victims had been taken to hospital.

Some of those killed were foreign nationals, authorities said.

Several people trapped at the scene have since been freed, the medical authority said.

Who was onboard?

The Gloria funicular can carry up to 43 passengers and is extremely popular with tourists.

It is not known how many people were onboard at the time of the collision, however.

What is the Gloria funicular and how does it work?

A funicular is a type of railway system that allows travel up and down steep slopes.

In Lisbon, funiculars are among the most sought after tourist attractions. The bright yellow vehicles are a crucial means of navigating the city's steep, cobbled streets.

The Gloria funicular - the railway on which the collision took place - was opened in 1885 and electrified three decades later.

It travels some 275m (900ft) from Restauradores, a square in the centre of Lisbon, up to the picturesque streets of Bairro Alto. The journey takes just three minutes to complete.

Unlike traditional funiculars, the two cars on the Gloria funicular are powered by electric motors.

They are attached to opposite ends of a haulage cable meaning that as one travels downhill, its weight lifts the other, allowing them to ascend and descend simultaneously.

'Lisbon is in mourning'

Lisbon Mayor Carlos Moedas has declared three days of municipal mourning for the victims of the incident.

Posting on X, he said: "I extend my heartfelt condolences to all the families and friends of the victims. Lisbon is in mourning."

Spain's Prime Minster Pedro Sánchez said he was "appalled by the terrible accident".

"All our affection and solidarity with the families of the victims and with the Portuguese people in this difficult moment," he wrote in a statement on X.

Portuguese President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa said he "deeply regrets" the "fatalities and serious injuries" caused by the crash.

In a statement, he expressed his "condolences and solidarity with the families affected by this tragedy" and hoped for clarity around the incident from authorities soon.

Pedro Bogas from Carris, the Lisbon Tramways Company, told reporters it was a "very a sad day, not just for the victims but also for their families".

"We have strict protocols, excellent professionals for many years, and we need to get to the bottom of what happened," he added.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen wrote on X: "It is with sadness that I learned of the derailment of the famous Elevador da Glória. My condolences to the families of the victims."

The military might of the People's Republic of China was on full display in a parade marking the 80th anniversary of the end of World War Two on Wednesday.

Thousands of miles away, at the White House in Washington DC, Donald Trump was paying attention.

"They were hoping I was watching, and I was watching," he said.

The American president didn't detail his thoughts about the massive celebration sprawled across Tiananmen Square, except that it was "very, very impressive". The message from China – to Trump and to the world - however, seems fairly clear.

There is a new and growing centre of power in the world and a new alternative to the American-backed order of the past century.

Trump's remarks during a meeting in the Oval Office with Polish President Karol Nawrocki, also on Wednesday, shed little light on the matter.

They were the culmination of a typically circuitous series of reflections by the American president on the happenings in China over the past several days. It was a mix of ambivalence, grievance and concern.

During a Tuesday podcast interview, Trump was nonchalant about the parade, saying he was "not concerned" about the Chinese show of force in front of Putin, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and more than two dozen other heads of state.

By Tuesday night, however, he was grousing on his Truth Social website that China wasn't giving credit to the US for its support in World War Two.

"Please give my warmest regards to Vladimir Putin and Kim Jong Un, as you conspire against the United States of America," he wrote.

Conspiracies aside, Trump has a soft spot for parades and demonstrations of military might. He welcomed Putin to Alaska last month with a stealth bomber flyover and a red carpet lined with US military jets. He has fond memories of attending France's Bastille Day celebrations during his first presidential term. And he hosted his own military parade to celebrate the US Army's 250th birthday in Washington two months ago.

Unlike Beijing's sleek display of high-tech armaments and precision marching masses, Trump's parade was a low-key homage to America's military history, as World War Two tanks and revolutionary-era soldiers walked casually down Constitution Avenue near the White House.

It was at its heart a nostalgic affair, befitting Trump's backwards-looking "Make America Great Again" slogan and his economic policy grounded in 19th century mercantilism – a time when, Trump has often insisted, America was at its greatest.

Of course, China's parade – while dripping with futuristic weaponry - offered some historical narrative, as well – an attempt by the communist government to lay claim to a larger role in defeating fascism and imperialism in World War Two. If that conflict launched the so-called "American century", Beijing may be hoping a newfound respect for its role could smooth the transition to a Chinese-crafted future.

"It's the first step in a concerted effort to rewrite the rules of the road," said Richard Wilkie, secretary of veteran's affairs during Trump's first presidential term. "And you do that first by rewriting history."

He added that Chinese nationalists and US forces had much more to do with Japan's Asian defeat than the communist army.

The parade wasn't the only image coming out of China this week that American policymakers intent on maintaining a US-led international order might find concerning, however.

• Parade shows Xi as global leader, with military to rival US
• BBC correspondents react to China's military parade
• What new weapons on show say about China's military strength
• North Korea's Kim arrives in Beijing with daughter
• Trump accuses Xi of conspiring against US with Putin and Kim

On Monday, Xi and Putin huddled with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi at an economic summit in Tianjin – an indication that frosty relations between China and India may be thawing in large part because of the heat generated by Trump's tariff policies, which have hit the two nations particularly hard.

Donald Trump's "America first" outlook on global trade has scrambled the world's economic and political alignments, and the apparent newfound rapport between the leaders of China, Russia and India provided a powerful illustration of how some of the biggest pieces in the geopolitical puzzle could be coming together in challenging, but not entirely unpredictable, ways.

Trump, of course, views tariffs as integral to his plan to protect American industry and generate new revenue for the federal government. If there is a diplomatic price, it appears to be one he is – for the moment – willing to pay.

"The Koreans, the Japanese, the Philippines, the Vietnamese know that the real threat is not any hiccups in a trade partnership with the United States," Wilkie, who is co-chair of American Security at the Trump-aligned America First Foreign Policy Institute, said. "The threat is growing Chinese military power."

Trump also has been ambivalent about conflicts and concerns far from US soil, instead focusing on a "sphere of influence" that includes a keen interest in America's immediate geographic neighbourhood – Greenland, Panama and Canada, among them.

The danger for Trump, however, is that his sweeping trade actions may end up being all risk and no reward. There are growing indications that the newly constructed America-centric trade regime could be dismantled in the days ahead by the US judiciary.

On Friday, an appellate court ruled that many of his tariffs were based on a faulty interpretation of federal law. Trump has promised he will turn to the US Supreme Court for a reversal, but while the conservative justices who dominate the chamber frequently rule in Trump's favour, they also have taken a dim view of presidents who enact grand new policies without the explicit permission of Congress. There's no guarantee that the court will back Trump's generous interpretation of presidential power.

When it comes to trade, Trump has marched to his own beat – taking America on a dramatic new course and creating new international bedfellows in a matter of months.

It's an ambitious strategy that Trump has promised will lead to a second American golden age. But the dangers, whether on the parade grounds of Tiananmen square or in US courtrooms, are very real.

Follow the twists and turns of Trump's second term with North America correspondent Anthony Zurcher's weekly US Politics Unspun newsletter. Readers in the UK can sign up here. Those outside the UK can sign up here.

Angela Rayner initially consulted three people about the purchase of her £800,000 flat in Hove, which she has admitted to underpaying stamp duty on, the BBC understands.

It is understood that the deputy prime minister consulted one individual experienced in conveyancing and two experts on the law around trusts before the purchase.

However, it is unclear if any of those people were experts in complex tax law and it is not known if they knew about the full details of the trust.

Rayner has denied she tried to dodge the full tax rate on the apartment and blamed the "mistake" on initial legal advice that failed to "properly take account" of the situation.

She has been under mounting pressure in recent weeks after reports emerged she had saved £40,000 in stamp duty on her East Sussex flat by not paying the higher rate reserved for additional home purchases.

She says she acted on the expert advice at the time, but has in recent days learned that arrangements involving her family home in Greater Manchester meant she should have paid a higher rate.

Technology Secretary Peter Kyle told the BBC Sir Keir Starmer continues to have full confidence in Rayner, but he said it will be up to the Independent Adviser on Ministers' Interests, Sir Laurie Magnus, to decide whether she took appropriate advice.

If precedent is a guide, the investigation by Sir Laurie that may decide Rayner's future could be done in a matter of days.

Speaking on the BBC's Newsnight programme, Kyle said he had "full confidence" that the investigation process "will get to the bottom of things" and reassure the public.

Kyle conceded that while mistakes were made, he believed the deputy prime minister acted in good faith by consulting legal advice.

"This is somebody who's striving to be upfront and do the right thing," he said.

He added the question would be whether Rayner took enough precautions when making the purchase.

"At the end of the day, people will be looking at Angela based on the outcome of this report and what they want to see is, did she strive to make the right decision?"

"Did she try and avoid scrutiny? No. Did she take legal advice and try and understand the intricacies of the complex family situations she was in and the purchase of a property? Yes," he said.

Former Tory chief whip Mark Harper told Newsnight he thought Rayner should resign and that "there were a lot of holes" in her story.

Harper said asking ministers to defend her publicly if she knew she might be liable for extra tax would be a breach of the ministerial code.

"Up until yesterday, ministers were going out saying it was all fine. The prime minister on Monday said it was all fine. She must have known at some point before then, because she sought this extra advice, that it wasn't all fine."

"So she's had people going out for her basically not being straight with people and that's not acceptable," he added.

Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch and Reform UK's Nigel Farage have also called for Rayner's resignation.

The deputy prime minister said she has contacted His Majesty's Revenue And Customs (HMRC) to work out the tax she needs to pay and referred herself for investigation by the prime minister's standards adviser.

The Conservatives have also written to HMRC calling for it to launch its own investigation on whether she tried to evade tax.

If the department decides her actions were careless, Rayner will have a £12,000 penalty to pay on top of the £40,000 tax shortfall.

If her actions are found to be deliberate, then the fine would be 100% of the tax underpaid.

Sean Randall, an independent stamp duty expert, said the key question will be whether Rayner had a reasonable excuse for making the error in the stamp duty.

"It's not enough just to say that she relied on advice. I think she also needs to explain what it is that she told her lawyer and what advice that she received from her lawyer," he added.

On Wednesday, Sir Keir stood by his deputy at Prime Minister's Questions, saying he was "very proud to sit alongside her".

In a statement, Rayner said she part-funded the purchase of the flat in May by selling her remaining stake in her family home in Ashton-under-Lyne, Greater Manchester, which she shares with her ex-husband and family.

Some of her interest in the home had already been sold following her divorce to a court-instructed trust previously set up to help fund the care for her son, who has lifelong disabilities, she said.

The arrangement had been designed to give him "security of knowing the home is his, allowing him to continue to live in the home he feels safe in," she added, and was "a standard practice in circumstances like ours".

But fresh legal advice revealed "complex deeming provisions" in the trust meant she should have paid the higher stamp duty rate on the purchase of the Hove flat, she said.

Rayner acknowledged her "reliance on advice on lawyers" did not take into account all the provisions of the situation.

"I deeply regret the error that has been made. I am committed to resolving this matter fully and providing the transparency that public service demands," she said.

Martha's rule, a way for families to seek an urgent second opinion if they are concerned about the care their loved ones receive, will be rolled out across all English hospitals delivering acute or short-term treatment.

The telephone helpline, the result of a campaign by the parents of 13-year-old Martha Mills who died after serious failings in her care, has been piloted in 143 hospital sites in England since April 2024.

Figures from NHS England show that since then there have been almost 5,000 calls, resulting in 241 potentially life-saving interventions.

Martha's mother, Merope Mills, welcomed the expansion on what would have been her daughter's 18th birthday but wants UK-wide access.

She told BBC Radio 4's Today programme the new figures proved the need for the rule and "a different, more equal kind of doctor-patient relationship".

Martha Mills, died at King's College Hospital in London after developing sepsis. Her family's concerns were not listened to.

In 2022 a coroner ruled Martha would probably have survived if she had been transferred earlier to intensive care and given appropriate treatment

The initiative encourages families, carers and patients to speak up if they notice changes in the patient's condition and to seek an urgent review from a critical care team if the patient is deteriorating and their concerns are not being listened to.

Under the scheme, clinicians also record daily insights about a patient's health directly from families.

Staff, including those in junior roles, can also ask for a review from a team independent of the one they work with.

Data from NHS England shows of 4,906 calls to Martha's Rule helplines, almost three quarters (71.9%) were from families seeking help:

• 720 led to changes in care, such as new antibiotics or drugs
• 794 helped address delays in investigations or treatments
• 1,030 helped resolve communication issues or problems with patients being discharged

Merope Mills said she was delighted more people were going to get access to the rule.

"I think the data proves there is an need for it and has reassured us and clinicians up and down the country that it is already saving lives.

"And more importantly it has highlighted the need for a different, more equal kind of doctor-patient relationship in the country."

She called for an expansion of the scheme to the rest of the UK, saying it was unfair patients did not have access to it everywhere. She also highlighted a need for it in maternity care.

Health Secretary Wes Streeting said he was grateful to NHS staff who have embraced the campaign and "most of all to Merope and Paul and the Mills family for their campaigning efforts".

He promised to share the latest results with colleagues in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

He said he had "seen and heard similar experiences where mothers were not listened to in maternity services".

"So I do think that there are common issues here for the NHS to learn from in terms of listening to patients, listening to women in particular, and making sure that we respond in the right way, in the right place, at the right time to avoid harm and in worst cases, fatalities."

On Radio 4, Ms Mills read out an email she had received from a Today programme listener who believed the life of a child in her family had been saved after calling the hotline.

She read: "I followed Martha's story on Radio 4, never thinking anyone I knew would need to use Martha's rule.

"Thank you from the bottom of my heart for everything you have done and are doing to raise awareness and to empower people in an environment where we all naturally feel intimidated."

Ms Mills said while she knows some people feel the word patient doesn't apply to them: "The reality is we are all, as I know, one disaster away from it being about us...

"It could be your mother, it could be your sibling, God forbid it could be your kid who one day needs this," she said.

An ongoing full evaluation of Martha's rule will help inform its possible future expansion into hospitals involved in longer term care, mental health trusts and community settings.

The Welsh Government is introducing a similar scheme, called Call4Concern, which is expected to be rolled out to all hospitals by the end of next year.

The Scottish Government is testing a number of Martha's rule pilots and considering developing a "more consistent, nationwide approach".

The department of health in Northern Ireland said it was "committed to improving patient safety" and whilst there were no immediate plans to introduce Martha's rule there, it would continue to monitor the roll-out and impact in England.

The day they appeared he could hardly believe his eyes. Small boat after small boat bearing in from the Turkish side. "I have so many memories that are coming back to me now," says Paris Louamis, 50, a hotelier on the Greek island of Lesbos. "There were people from Syria, Afghanistan, many countries."

This was August 2015 and Europe was witnessing the greatest movement in population since the end of the Second World War. More than a million people would arrive in the EU over the next few months driven by violence in Syria, as well as Afghanistan and Iraq and elsewhere.

I witnessed the arrivals on Lesbos and met Paris Laoumis as he was busy helping exhausted asylum seekers near his hotel. "I am proud of what we did back then," he tells me. Along with international volunteers he provided food and clothing to those arriving.

Today the beach is quiet. There are no asylum seekers. But Paris is worried. He believes another crisis is possible. With the number of arrivals rising over the summer months, his country's migration minister has warned of the risk of an "invasion", with thousands arriving from countries such as Sudan, Egypt, Bangladesh and Yemen.

"Of course I worry. I can see the suffering of the people. They are not coming here but we see it on Crete (Greece's largest island) where people have come. So it is possible that with the wars more people will come here."

In 2015 I followed as the asylum seekers boarded ferries, trudged in the heat along railway lines, through cornfields, down country lanes and along highways, making their way up through the Balkans and onwards to Germany and Scandinavia.

The numbers entering Germany jumped from 76,000 in July to 170,000 the following month. On the last day of August the Chancellor Angela Merkel declared 'wir schaffen das' - we can do it - interpreted by many as extending open arms to the asylum seekers.

"Germany is a strong country," she said. "The motive with which we approach these things must be: we have achieved so much – we can do it! We can do it, and where something stands in our way, it has to be overcome, it has to be worked on."

But the high emotions of that summer, when crowds welcomed asylum seekers along the roads north, seem to belong to a very different time.

That optimistic proclamation soon became a political liability for Mrs Merkel. Political opponents and some European leaders felt the words acted as a magnet for asylum seekers to the EU. Within a fortnight the Chancellor was forced to impose controls on Germany's borders due to the influx of asylum seekers.

And a decade on, concerns over migration have become a major political issue in many European countries. The causes are complex and vary from country to country, but concerns around security, struggling economies and disillusionment with governing parties have all had a major role in shaping attitudes towards those who arrive who are fleeing war, hunger and economic desperation.

It has fuelled the rise of far right parties and seen centre and even left wing parties scramble to impose controls on migration, fearing electoral defeat by populist right-wingers. Data from the Atlas Institute of International Affairs shows how support for far right parties in Europe nearly doubled over the term of two electoral cycles to 27.6%.

Since 2015, when the UNHCR says over a million people entered Europe on asylum routes, there has been a dramatic drop in arrivals. But since 2016, the average number of people entering Europe has still been around 200,000 people a year. So far this year a total of 96,200 asylum seekers have been recorded arriving. So can tough new controls really further bring down the numbers trying to come to Europe? Or does global conflict and economic desperation make their continuing flow inevitable, with ebbs and flows in the numbers?

Hungary's tough stance

In Hungary, the far right government of Prime Minister Viktor Orban, has taken one of the toughest approaches to migration. Back in September 2015, I was present when Hungary's first fence was erected along the border with Serbia, and witnessed hundreds of people scrambling to cross into the EU before they could be shut out.

In Budapest, this week I met the country's minister for the EU, János Bóka, who said Hungary's approach has been vindicated by the restrictive measures now being put forward in the UK - where the government plan to make it harder for refugees to bring family members to the UK - as well as countries like Ireland, Denmark and Sweden.

"We feel vindicated not only because of what's going on in other countries in Europe. This is of course also a sign that we took the right path 10 years ago, that now we see most of the countries are doing what we have been doing for the past 10 years."

Hungary immediately returns people who arrive at the border without permission to enter. They can only apply for asylum in the Serbian capital Belgrade, or in Kyiv in war battered Ukraine.

Human rights lawyer Timea Kovács says this effectively makes it impossible to enter the EU via Hungary. "Basically there is no legal way to enter the Hungarian territory as a refugee," she asserts.

As a result Hungary is being fined one million Euros per day for breaching its responsibilities to asylum seekers under EU law. EU minister Bóka says the country is not about to change its policy. "If it is the price that we pay for the protection of our borders and maintaining peace and stability in Hungary, this is a price worth paying."

But even such restrictive measures haven't managed to entirely halt the entry of asylum seekers.

Austrian police told the BBC that there were between 20 to 50 people detected every day trying to enter their country illegally from Hungary. This is just the figure for those detected.

On a trip to the border with Serbia I heard the frustration of one group of Hungarian guards. We left the tar road and followed a patrol onto a dirt track into the forest. The trees closed over forming a natural tunnel. Bright sunlight gave way to shadows. The men in the vehicle ahead of us carried shotguns.

'Just one big circus'

Dressed in military camouflage Sándor Nagy and Eric Molner are citizen volunteers, paid by the state to patrol the Hungarian side of the border with Serbia.

"I feel sad and angry, and most of all, worried about what is coming," says Sandor. He believes Europe is failing to stop people from coming across its borders. "To be honest, what we experience here is basically just one big circus. What we see is that border defence here is mostly a show, a political performance."

We emerge into a clearing where a 12ft high border fence appears, topped with barbed wire, equipped with sensors and cameras to detect illegal crossings.

"They simply cut through it, and groups rush in at several points at once—this has been the same for years." The problem, he argues, is with organised crime, which is constantly one step ahead of the authorities. "This fence does not stop anyone in the long run … It delays the flow, but cannot stop it."

A deluge of abuses

With the growth of criminal trafficking has come a deluge of human rights abuses, according to the United Nations. People traffickers dump people in the Sahara desert; others crowd them onto unsafe boats. Some of those who get through find themselves being forced back into the desert by local security forces.

More than 32,000 people have died trying to reach Europe in the past 10 years - including 1,300 dead or missing this year.

According to the UN's International Organisation of Migration "much of this is happening in a situation of near complete impunity".

The summer of 2015 was not only a summer of welcome. It prompted immediate changes in the approaches of several European states. Not just with the erection of the fence in Hungary but, among several examples, the deployment of riot police in Croatia, and migrants being detained in Slovenia.

By March 2016 - six months after Mrs Merkel's statement - the EU had reached agreement with Turkey to keep migrants from crossing into Greece and Bulgaria.

Since then the EU has done deals with countries including Morocco, Tunisia, Libya and Egypt to prevent their countries being used as launch points to Europe.

Now, there are numerous well documented cases of asylum seekers being pushed back across EU borders by police and coast guards. Last January the European Court of Human Rights found Greece guilty of illegal and "systematic" pushbacks of asylum seekers to Turkey.

Gerasimos Tsourapa, a professor of international relations at the University of Birmingham, describes the policy of outsourcing the asylum issue as a dramatic change for Europe. "The idea that migration can be leveraged for money or aid or other concessions, which was fairly exceptional for Europe in 2016, has now become a pattern.

"Migration diplomacy is contagious. Once the deal is struck then the logic spreads."

There is also a paradox here, he says. "We are restricting asylum, we're keeping borders closed, but we also need to find labour migrants to fill shortages and help our national economy."

A changing Sweden

Persistent public concern has seen a rise in support for far right parties across the EU, even in places like Sweden, which historically prided itself as a welcoming nation for those fleeing persecution. The far right Sweden Democrats won 20.5 percent of the vote in the 2022 general election - making them the country's second largest party. In return for supporting a minority coalition government they have seen much of their anti-migration platform shape government policy.

Family re-unification for migrants has been made more difficult, as have conditions for permanent residency, and asylum quotas have been substantially reduced.

For the final leg of my journey I went to the western Swedish city of Karlstad, a picture postcard place on the banks of the River Klarälven, the longest waterway in Scandinavia.

Syrian refugee, Abdulmenem Alsatouf, 44, remembered the welcome he received here in 2015.

That has changed, he says. "At the beginning people treated us very well. But after a few years — and after the government changed — things shifted. They became more racist." He cites incidents of racist abuse, including one neighbour leaving a toy pig outside this devoutly Muslim family's home.

I first met Abdulmenem and his family ten years ago as they were trying to reach Europe from Turkey. I remember their hope for a new life. Now his wife Nour says she would prefer to be in Syria. "They look at us as if we only came here to take their money or live off their aid. But that's not true. When I first arrived, I studied Swedish for two years, I learned the language, I finished school. Then I went to work — cleaning, kitchens, childcare. I pay taxes here, just like anyone else. I'm part of this society."

Why has Swedish public opinion shifted to the right on migration? One of the more frequently cited reasons in local media and by politicians is crime, specifically the rise of organised crime, with young perpetrators used to commit extreme violence. Since 2013 the rate of gun crime in the country has more than doubled.

People born abroad, and their children born in Sweden, are over-represented in crime statistics. But Sweden's foreign ministry warns against a simplistic analysis of figures. It says low levels of education, unemployment, social segregation and refugee's war trauma are all causes - not the fact of being a migrant.

Outside the local cultural museum, where he and his apprentice were busy painting the walls, I met Daniel Hessarp, 46, who is among the 60% of Swedes that opinion polls record as being concerned about crime. "We see the statistics of the crimes, who does it and such. So, there you have the answer. We didn't have this before in Sweden.

The apprentice, Theo Bergsten, 20, said he wasn't opposed to immigration because "you learn from, they learn from you…so it's really nice also." But he said the growth in crime was a "sad part" of the story.

Maria Moberg, a sociology lecturer at the University of Karlstad, says social media has allowed the far right's message to thrive and find new support among those who feel excluded from society.

"Sweden Democrats are very open with [us] - they don't want any asylum seekers. They actually want people to leave Sweden. And the whole government is sort of setting the agenda for being a hostile country. It's more acceptable now to not be welcoming."

Graves marked 'Unknown'

Back on Lesbos, I went to visit a place I have come to know over many years of reporting migration issues there. About 30 minutes drive from the Mytilene airport, in the middle of some olive groves, are the graves of asylum seekers who have died trying to reach here, or in the refugee camps set up after 2015. Numerous graves are simply marked 'Unknown', the last resting place of those who believed Europe would offer them a better life.

When I visited there were three fresh graves, and a fourth open waiting for a burial to take place. It is a sobering reminder that desperate people will keep trying to reach Europe, despite the enormous risks.

So far this year the numbers of asylum seekers detected trying to reach Europe is down by 20 percent. The numbers may surge and fall, but the global crises that drive migration are not going to disappear. That is the fundamental challenge for politicians, whatever party is in power.

Top image credit: Beata Zawrzel/NurPhoto via Getty Images

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A mother who feared her two-year-old son's untreated constipation could have killed him is calling for access to children's continence services to be made a national priority.

Elissa Novak said Ivan was constantly vomiting, losing weight and in severe pain when it was at its worst, and a doctor said 2kg of his 10kg (22lb) body weight was estimated to be stool.

The number of children aged up to 16 admitted to English hospitals suffering with constipation, among other symptoms, is at a 10-year high, with more than 44,000 admissions in 2023-24, according to NHS figures.

Children are being failed by the absence of dedicated bladder and bowel services in some parts of the country, an expert said.

About 1.5 million children in the UK suffer with constipation, according to the charity Bladder and Bowel UK.

As many children returned to school this week, charities have told the BBC they are seeing a spike in calls to their helplines.

"It's a huge problem and many healthcare professionals don't consider it a serious issue in children," said Davina Richardson, a children's specialist nurse with the charity.

"Discussing wee and poo is very un-British. It's not something that we as a culture do."

Elissa said Ivan, who is now aged five, had been "completely robbed of his toddler years" due to health issues resulting from constipation.

He was admitted to hospital 25 times in one six-month period in 2022 for emergency treatment.

"It was horrific," Elissa said. "He was so frail he couldn't lift himself up or do anything.

"He was in pain all the time and either screaming or just lying there because he was too weak."

Elissa, 35, from Nuneaton, Warwickshire, said she had constantly gone to her GP to try to get help and answers.

At that time in Warwickshire, there was no bowel or bladder community service, which meant they were going to A&E up to four times a week.

It was only when things got to a crisis point that Elissa was told constipation was causing Ivan's pain.

She thinks he would have died had there been any further delay in treating it.

Elissa was told Ivan's entire colon was impacted, which had pushed up into his lung cavity and compromised his lungs.

'Signs missed'

"His stomach was squashed. All of his organs were being pushed out of the way," Elissa said.

"We were in A&E for up to 12 hours at a time... just waiting for an enema of all things.

"It was a very horrible time. It was so traumatic for everybody."

Ivan has two genetic syndromes which affect his cognitive functions.

Elissa thinks this played a part in the signs being missed and constipation not being diagnosed sooner.

"It was seen as 'that's just what disabled children are like'. We did actually have one consultant who said 'disabled children just scream'," Elissa said.

"It wasn't looked into properly, it wasn't taken seriously until he was really at crisis point. His signs of pain weren't recognised. It was just a perfect storm really."

Ivan now has a care package so his constipation can be managed at home with laxatives and daily bowel wash outs.

"It is a huge part of his life and a huge part of his day. He still suffers pain but it's so much better," his mother said.

Elissa is campaigning for better bladder and bowel care services across the country.

"People are falling through the cracks," she said.

Tips for parents and carers

Here are some of the ways to prevent a child from becoming constipated:

• Ensure your child's diet includes plenty of fruit and vegetables
• Make sure children are drinking enough water-based drinks daily - dehydration can make constipation more likely or worse
• A good toilet position is also helpful. Children need their bottom and the backs of their thighs well supported. Feet need to be flat on a firm surface with knees slightly higher than hips, as that helps relax the pelvic floor

Source: Bladder and Bowel UK

Brenda Cheer, a paediatric specialist continence nurse with children's bowel and bladder charity Eric, said children's constipation was on the rise for a number of reasons, including delayed potty training and today's generation of children spending more time in childcare.

She said children were being failed in areas where there was no dedicated children's continence service.

"There's huge disparity of those services," she said.

"Where is the parent supposed to go? How are they supposed to get the help they need? How is a family supposed to access support if there is no children's bladder and bowel nurse?"

Constipation can be treated in the community and should not require a hospital admission, but is not being recognised, Ms Cheer added.

Holly Brennan told the BBC her daughter Ayda had suffered with chronic constipation for three years and she had been in "turmoil" at the lack of help.

It started when Ayda got a virus when she was two years old and spiralled from there, Holly said.

The 31-year-old described going to her GP six times and being prescribed laxatives to treat it - but not being given any guidance on how to use them, and said she had been told her daughter would grow out of it.

When it was at its worst, Ayda, now five, would have up to 15 accidents a day.

Holly, from Clevedon, Bristol, said: "It was three years of hell. She very much didn't grow out of it.

"We didn't want to go out for day trips because you wouldn't know where the toilet would be and she was constantly having accidents.

"It was just complete stress and caused arguments between my husband and I [about] how to deal with it. It upset her [Ayda] and you try not to get cross with them but it's just frustration and it just affects everything."

Sometimes it would take Ayda a week to go to the toilet because she associated it with pain, her mum explained.

"It was a vicious circle. It was just complete turmoil... something that everyone just used to say she would grow out of or 'it's a phase' or 'she just needs to learn'," Holly added.

"Our life literally revolved around the toilet for three years."

Holly was not referred for further treatment for Ayda or told about children's continence services that could help.

She said it felt like "the blind leading the blind" with several doctors unable to advise her and she had reached a dead end.

It was only when she was told about the charity Eric that things started to get better.

"There was finally an answer on how to help her," Holly added. "It [the website] described my child."

Ayda is now off laxatives and able to control her bowels.

"I'm very proud of her and how she's coped. She's taken it all in her stride," Holly said.

A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said it is committed to ensuring children get the right care and support when they need it for conditions such as constipation.

In a statement, it said: "As part of our 10-year health plan, neighbourhood health services will bring together teams of professionals closer to people's home to provide comprehensive community care.

"We will also strengthen health visiting services so all families have access to high-quality, personalised support."

Jodie Gosling, MP for Nuneaton and who chairs the all-party parliamentary group for bladder and bowel continence care, said constipation had fallen low on the list of priorities facing local council and integrated care boards.

She said children's continence care "has been a silent casualty of chronic underfunding and reactive healthcare".

"This leads to a postcode lottery, where even high-need areas fail to address issues like constipation adequately."

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More than 30,000 UK homes have had botched insulation fitted under government schemes putting them at risk of damp and mould, ministers have revealed.

It is the first time the government has documented the number of homes blighted by sub-standard work under ECO4 and the Great British Insulation Scheme since 2022.

Energy Consumer Minister Miatta Fahnbulleh told parliament it amounted to ''systemic failure". While some households have had remedial work done, anyone concerned should contact Ofgem, the government said.

Mohammed told the BBC he cannot sleep in his bedroom due to damp and mould and is battling to get it fixed: "I have been given nothing but broken promises and false hope."

Mohammed, who did not want to use his full name, applied to get external wall insulation fitted to his Luton home in 2023 under the government scheme ECO4.

He hoped it would make the house warmer and help his late father - who suffered from chronic asthma - to cope during the colder months.

But instead of providing relief, Mohammed said the botched insulation led to damp and mould which covered the walls of his father's bedroom and caused his condition to worsen.

''Day after day, he was forced to inhale this, further weakening his already fragile lungs. My father's health deteriorated until it was too late," he said.

For the last two years, Mohammed says he has had an '''awful battle'' to get the installer to take responsibility.

''The whole experience has taken such a toll on me mentally," he said.

Mohammed now can't sleep in his own bedroom due to black mould, damp and crumbling plaster.

After the BBC revealed last year that botched insulation was leading to damp and mould, the government ordered an audit be carried out of 60,000 properties insulated under the GBIS and ECO4 schemes.

The preliminary findings of the audit suggest that in more than 30,000 homes insulation was not fitted to the appropriate standard and this could lead to damp and mould growth, Fahnbulleh told parliament in a written statement in July.

The government said it is ''working at speed to ensure substandard installations are identified and remediated with no cost to the consumer'.'

Ministers are also promising to soon set out plans to overhaul the consumer protection system ''to restore trust and help more people cut their bills''.

The task ahead is daunting - tens of thousands of homes are likely to need repairs.

Mohammed said he is now in talks with his installer and Trustmark, the organisation responsible for monitoring the quality of insulation, to try to get his home fixed.

Until that happens, he is worried about his young family's health.

"We are inhaling poor quality air because of the damp, the mould and the dust,'' he said.

More than 260,000 properties have had solid or external wall insulation fitted under government programmes over the last 15 years.

Audits are currently only being carried out on homes insulated since 2022 because, ministers argue, ''current data suggests there is not a widespread issue'' in earlier schemes.

Yet the BBC reported in February that residents of Chilton, County Durham, whose homes were insulated in 2021 have also had damp and mould.

The government says concerned consumers should contact Ofgem for advice and support by email at: ECOhelp@ofgem.gov.uk(opens in a new tab) or Freephone 0808 169 444 Monday – Friday (excluding bank holidays) 09:30 to 16:30

A US federal court has overturned billions in funding cuts by President Donald Trump's administration to Harvard University.

Judge Allison Burroughs ruled the government violated the Ivy League college's free speech rights when it revoked around $2bn (£1.5bn) in research grants.

The ruling is a major legal victory for Harvard, but the White House has vowed to appeal. When it froze funding in April, the Trump administration accused the college of antisemitism, "radical left" ideologies and racial bias.

Three other Ivy League universities, Columbia, Penn and Brown, struck deals with Trump to preserve funding that was at risk due to similar claims by the administration, rather than go to court.

Boston-based Judge Burroughs wrote in Wednesday's ruling: "The Court vacates and sets aside the Freeze Orders and Termination Letters as violative of the First Amendment."

She blocked the administration from stopping any more federal funding to the Cambridge, Massachusetts-based college and barred the government from withholding payment on existing grants.

The White House said they would immediately challenge the "egregious decision" and called the judge an "activist" who was appointed by former President Barack Obama and was never going to rule in their favour.

"Harvard does not have a constitutional right to taxpayer dollars and remains ineligible for grants in the future," assistant press secretary Liz Huston said.

Alan Garber, president of the university, said in a statement on their website that "the ruling affirms Harvard's First Amendment and procedural rights".

"We will continue to assess the implications of the opinion, monitor further legal developments, and be mindful of the changing landscape in which we seek to fulfill our mission," he added.

Judge Burroughs wrote in her 84-page decision that Harvard should have done more to deal with antisemitism, which she said had "plagued" the institution in recent years.

"Harvard was wrong to tolerate hateful behavior for as long as it did," wrote the judge.

But she said that fighting antisemitism was not the Trump administration's "true aim" in penalising the nation's oldest and richest university.

She suggested the government had "used antisemitism as a smokescreen for a targeted, ideologically-motivated assault on this country's premier universities".

Judge Burroughs has previously blocked Trump's efforts to prevent Harvard from hosting international students.

The university sued the Trump administration over the funding freeze in April, while also pledging to fight antisemitism.

Harvard's president said no government "should dictate what private universities can teach, whom they can admit and hire, and which areas of study and inquiry they can pursue".

Trump has also threatened to revoke Harvard's tax-exempt status and take control of the university's patents stemming from federally funded research.

The government has been discussing with Harvard a potential deal to unfreeze federal funding. Trump has said he wants the university to pay no less than $500m.

A widening gap?

Money owed could be 'potentially contagious'

Loans and player power

Ticket prices

Many of Thursday's papers lead on Angela Rayner's stamp duty admission.

"If PM had backbone he would sack her" reads the Daily Express' headline.

The Daily Mail asks if Sir Keir Starmer is too "spineless" to fire her, reminding its readers that as well as being the deputy prime minister, Rayner is the housing secretary. It says she is "fighting to save her political career".

The Metro leads with the Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch's comments calling for her to be sacked.

"Three pads... zero excuses" reads the Sun's headline.

The Daily Telegraph says she has the public backing of Sir Keir, but quotes a No 10 insider who says "she's finished".

The Daily Mirror leads with another story: the family of Virginia Giuffre, who sued the Duke of York for sexual assault and later took her own life, warning that they will not be silenced.

Her brother has called for files relating to the late sex offender, Jeffrey Epstein - who was at one time friends with Prince Andrew - to be released. Ms Giuffre's claim against Prince Andrew was settled out of court. Prince Andrew has consistently denied all the allegations against him.

The Guardian highlights comments by the head of the Metropolitan Police, Sir Mark Rowley, who said forces shouldn't be "policing toxic culture war debates". His remarks follow the arrest of the comedy writer, Graham Linehan, on suspicion of inciting violence in social media posts about trans people.

Sir Mark said policing had been left "between a rock and a hard place", according to the paper.

The Times says underperforming universities could be stopped from charging full tuition fees, under plans being considered by the regulator. The paper interviewed the new chairman of the Office for Students, Prof Edward Peck, who told it that the ratings institutions get "will have consequences".

The Financial Times says scientists in London have used artificial intelligence to help teams of robots work together without colliding. It says the system, known as Robo Ballet and developed by researchers at University College London, aims to boost the efficiency of various production lines.

Some supermarket chains are introducing a new scanner, which will tell shoppers how long their avocados have before they go off, according to a report in the Daily Mail. It says the company behind the technology, One Third, wants to cut down on food waste.

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