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Today — 7 September 2025BBC | Top Stories

Baby among two killed in Russian drone attack on Kyiv, officials say

7 September 2025 at 12:10
Ukraine's emergency service DSNS A firefighter looks at a partially destroyed residential house in Kyiv, following a Russian drone attack. Photo: 7 September 2025Ukraine's emergency service DSNS
A firefighter looks at a partially destroyed residential house in Kyiv, following a Russian drone attack

At least two people have been killed and 11 injured in a new Russian overnight drone attack on Ukraine's capital Kyiv, local officials have said.

One of the victims was a one-year-old baby, whose body was pulled from the rubble, Kyiv's military administration head Tymur Tkachenko said Sunday. A young woman is also believed to have been killed.

Russian strikes were also targeted at Kryvyi Rih, President Volodymyr Zelensky's hometown in central Ukraine, where three infrastructure facilities were hit. Air raid warnings were activated overnight for all of the country's regions.

The fresh attack came as Russian President Vladimir Putin has been hardening his warning on the West not to aid Ukraine.

Overnight, several multi-storey residential buildings were partially destroyed and continued to be ablaze after direct hits.

"The Russians are deliberately hitting civilian facilities," Tkachenko said, urging Kyiv residents to remain in shelters.

City authorities said residential buildings were hit in the western Svyatoshynkyi and south-eastern Darnytskyi districts.

There were multiple explosions in Kyiv in the early morning, including at least one in the city centre, seen by the BBC. Several cruise missiles also targeted the capital.

Russia's military has not commented on the reported drone strikes.

Earlier this week, Putin rejected Western proposals for a "reassurance force" in Ukraine the day after any ceasefire comes into place, following a Paris summit aimed at finalising plans for security guarantees.

French President Emmanuel Macron said 26 of Ukraine's allies had formally committed to deploying troops "by land, sea or air" to help provide security the moment fighting was brought to a halt. He gave no further details.

Putin sought to quash the allies' initiative, warning that any troops deployed to Ukraine would be "legitimate targets".

Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, and Moscow currently controls about 20% of Ukrainian territory - including the southern Crimea peninsula illegally annexed in 2014.

One of the world's most sacred places is being turned into a luxury mega-resort

7 September 2025 at 07:59
Universal Images Group via Getty Images The St Catherine's Monastery as seen from the outside. It is a walled structure with several buildings inside, with the monastery's gardens attached to one side, which are green with some trees inside. The surrounding area is rocky with the ground sloping up behind the monastery at the foot of a mountain Universal Images Group via Getty Images
The 6th Century St Catherine's is the world's oldest continuously used Christian monastery

For years visitors would venture up Mount Sinai with a Bedouin guide to watch the sunrise over the pristine, rocky landscape or go on other Bedouin-led hikes.

Now one of Egypt's most sacred places - revered by Jews, Christians and Muslims - is at the heart of an unholy row over plans to turn it into a new tourism mega-project.

Known locally as Jabal Musa, Mount Sinai is where Moses is said to have been given the Ten Commandments. Many also believe that this is the place where, according to the Bible and the Quran, God spoke to the prophet from the burning bush.

The 6th century St Catherine's Monastery, run by the Greek Orthodox Church, is also there - and seemingly its monks will stay on now that Egyptian authorities, under Greek pressure, have denied wanting to close it

However, there is still deep concern about how the long-isolated, desert location - a Unesco World Heritage site comprising the monastery, town and mountain - is being transformed. Luxury hotels, villas and shopping bazaars are under construction there.

Ariel view of Mount Sinai pictured before transformation as a long-isolated desert location and pictured mid-transformation with hotels, villas etc under construction.
The long-isolated desert location is being transformed

It is also home to a traditional Bedouin community, the Jebeleya tribe. Already the tribe, known as the Guardians of St Catherine, have had their homes and tourist eco-camps demolished with little or no compensation. They have even been forced to take bodies out of their graves in the local cemetery to make way for a new car park.

The project may have been presented as desperately needed sustainable development which will boost tourism, but it has also been imposed on the Bedouin against their will, says Ben Hoffler, a British travel writer who has worked closely with Sinai tribes.

"This is not development as the Jebeleya see it or asked for it, but how it looks when imposed top-down to serve the interests of outsiders over those of the local community," he told the BBC.

"A new urban world is being built around a Bedouin tribe of nomadic heritage," he added. "It's a world they have always chosen to remain detached from, to whose construction they did not consent, and one that will change their place in their homeland forever."

Locals, who number about 4,000, are unwilling to speak directly about the changes.

Ben Hoffler A view of one of the developments, still under construction Plain of el-Raha. The sun is behind the surrounding mountains, while the development site is in the foreground, with roads connecting different buildings Ben Hoffler
Construction in the Plain of el-Raha in 2024

So far, Greece is the foreign power which has been most vocal about the Egyptian plans, because of its connection to the monastery.

Tensions between Athens and Cairo flared up after an Egyptian court ruled in May that St Catherine's - the world's oldest continuously used Christian monastery - lies on state land.

After a decades-long dispute, judges said that the monastery was only "entitled to use" the land it sits on and the archaeological religious sites which dot its surroundings.

Archbishop Ieronymos II of Athens, head of the Church of Greece, was quick to denounce the ruling.

"The monastery's property is being seized and expropriated. This spiritual beacon of Orthodoxy and Hellenism is now facing an existential threat," he said in a statement.

In a rare interview, St Catherine's longtime Archbishop Damianos told a Greek newspaper the decision was a "grave blow for us... and a disgrace". His handling of the affair led to bitter divisions between the monks and his recent decision to step down.

The Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Jerusalem pointed out that the holy site - over which it has ecclesiastical jurisdiction - had been granted a letter of protection by the Prophet Muhammad himself.

It said that the Byzantine monastery - which unusually also houses a small mosque built in the Fatimid era - was "an enshrinement of peace between Christians and Muslims and a refuge of hope for a world mired by conflict".

While the controversial court ruling remains in place, a flurry of diplomacy ultimately culminated in a joint declaration between Greece and Egypt ensuring the protection of St Catherine's Greek Orthodox identity and cultural heritage.

Ben Hoffler The peak of Mount Sinai at dusk in 2024. The light catches the top of the rocky mountain, which is standing higher than another mountain in the foregroundBen Hoffler
Mount Sinai, known locally as Jabal Musa, is where Moses is said to have been given the Ten Commandments

'Special gift' or insensitive interference?

Egypt began its state-sponsored Great Transfiguration Project for tourists in 2021. The plan includes opening hotels, eco-lodges and a large visitor centre, as well as expanding the small nearby airport and a cable car to Mount Moses.

The government is promoting the development as "Egypt's gift to the entire world and all religions".

"The project will provide all tourism and recreational services for visitors, promote the development of the town [of St Catherine] and its surrounding areas while preserving the environmental, visual, and heritage character of the pristine nature, and provide accommodation for those working on St Catherine's projects," Housing Minister Sherif el-Sherbiny said last year.

While work does appear to have stalled, at least temporarily, due to funding issues, the Plain of el-Raha - in view of St Catherine's Monastery - has already been transformed. Construction is continuing on new roads.

This is where the followers of Moses, the Israelites, are said to have waited for him during his time on Mount Sinai. And critics say the special natural characteristics of the area are being destroyed.

Detailing the outstanding universal value of the site, Unesco notes how "the rugged mountainous landscape around... forms a perfect backdrop for the Monastery".

It says: "Its siting demonstrates a deliberate attempt to establish an intimate bond between natural beauty and remoteness on the one hand and human spiritual commitment on the other."

Ben Hoffler The mountains at dusk, from Jebel el Ahmar in 2024. Light hits the top of a rocky mountain range, which stretches into the distance Ben Hoffler
The area is known for its natural beauty and rugged mountainous landscape

Back in 2023, Unesco highlighted its concerns and called on Egypt to stop developments, check their impact and produce a conservation plan.

This has not happened.

In July, World Heritage Watch sent an open letter calling on Unesco's World Heritage Committee to place the St Catherine's area on the List of World Heritage Sites in Danger.

Campaigners have also approached King Charles as patron of the St Catherine Foundation, which raises funds to help conserve and study the monastery's heritage with its collection of valuable ancient Christian manuscripts. The King has described the site as "a great spiritual treasure that should be maintained for future generations".

The mega-project is not the first in Egypt to draw criticism for a lack of sensitivity to the country's unique history.

But the government sees its series of grandiose schemes as key to reinvigorating the flagging economy.

Egypt's once-thriving tourism sector had begun to recover from the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic when it was hit by the brutal war in Gaza and a new wave of regional instability. The government has declared an aim of reaching 30 million visitors by 2028.

Under successive Egyptian governments, commercial development of the Sinai has been carried out without consulting the indigenous Bedouin communities.

The peninsula was captured by Israel during the 1967 Middle East War and only returned to Egypt after the two countries signed a peace treaty in 1979. The Bedouin have since complained of being treated like second-class citizens.

The construction of Egypt's popular Red Sea destinations, including Sharm el-Sheikh, began in South Sinai in the 1980s. Many see similarities with what is happening at St Catherine's now.

"The Bedouin were the people of the region, and they were the guides, the workers, the people to rent from," says Egyptian journalist Mohannad Sabry.

"Then industrial tourism came in and they were pushed out - not just pushed out of the business but physically pushed back from the sea into the background."

Ben Hoffler The hotel building still appears to be mostly a shell, and around four storeys high. Smaller buildings, also in the valley and still under construction, can be seen in the background, with the surrounding mountains in the background Ben Hoffler
A hotel under construction in the Plain of el-Raha in 2024

As with the Red Sea locations, it is expected that Egyptians from elsewhere in the country will be brought in to work at the new St Catherine's development. However, the government says it is also "upgrading" Bedouin residential areas.

St Catherine's Monastery has endured many upheavals through the past millennium and a half but, when the oldest of the monks at the site originally moved there, it was still a remote retreat.

That began to change as the expansion of the Red Sea resorts brought thousands of pilgrims on day trips at peak times.

In recent years, large crowds would often be seen filing past what is said to be the remnants of the burning bush or visiting a museum displaying pages from the Codex Sinaiticus - the world's oldest surviving, nearly complete, handwritten copy of the New Testament.

Now, even though the monastery and the deep religious significance of the site will remain, its surroundings and centuries-long ways of life look set to be irreversibly changed.

Market ructions and cabinet reshuffles will help shape Reeves' Budget

7 September 2025 at 08:12
WPA Pool/Getty Images Chancellor Rachel Reeves, wearing a powder blue suit, standing with her hand over some model houses which are just seen in front of herWPA Pool/Getty Images

It's been a bruising first week back for the government, full of resignations, reshuffles, and ructions in markets.

All of this will have an impact on what ends up in the chancellor's famous red box outside No 11 in 11 weeks' time.

The first thing to note is that it will be Rachel Reeves holding that briefcase for the second time on 26 November.

Whatever occurred with the deputy prime minister, the security of Reeves' position was apparent in her conversation with me in Birmingham to announce the date of the Budget.

In Downing Street, the message received from the market reaction to the chancellor's summer tears in the Commons was that the cost of borrowing went up when it was thought she was leaving office.

When I saw her, brandishing a hard hat and trowel at a housebuilding site, there seemed no question of her going anywhere.

"We need you to get qualified and get more flats and houses up," she told two bricklaying apprentices, while not entirely convincing with her own trowel technique.

She rather robustly dismissed speculation about Budget measures, large black hole forecasts, and had some sharpish words even for the Office for Budget Responsibility, which we will come back to.

The chancellor spent the summer travelling the country "listening to business" and taking some time off on the Cornish coast.

During that same period global bond markets have been looking fragile. Some economists have even floated the idea there is a £50bn black hole that could lead to the need for loans from the IMF.

As politicians returned to work this week, and US traders returned on Tuesday from a national holiday, the 30-year gilt rate - the effective interest rate facing the UK government for very long-term borrowing - was heading for highs not seen since the early days of Tony Blair and Gordon Brown.

There was some significance to the unwanted landmark: the gains from nearly three decades of relative macroeconomic stability since the Bank of England became independent were being unwound.

I put to the chancellor that fragile bond markets were a reflection of the government's, and her own, personal credibility issue. I have had similar interactions with previous chancellors, including Kwasi Kwarteng.

Reeves was adamant that this was not the case, that the move in bond markets since the beginning of the year had been in line with global trends. "Serious economists" were not talking about the IMF or a UK-specific challenge, she said.

By the end of the week, her bullishness was being proven accurate. The 30-year yield had fallen back, not just to where it was on Monday, but significantly lower, mainly off the back of weaker-than-expected US jobs data.

This was in common with many major economies. In other words, this week's bond markets rollercoaster was not a verdict on UK domestic, economic or political developments.

Leon Neal/Getty Images Chancellor Rachel Reeves, wearing a dark blue suit, holding the red Budget box, standing in front of the black railings on Downing Street, looking to the side and straight into the cameraLeon Neal/Getty Images
Despite a cabinet reshuffle around her, Rachel Reeves remains as chancellor and will deliver her second Budget this autumn

Indeed, by Wednesday the Bank of England governor Andrew Bailey was playing down the entire focus on this measure, saying, "It is quite a high number but it is not what is being used for funding at all at the moment actually."

He was referring to the fact that such long-term borrowing only makes up a small fraction of overall government debt.

And in terms of demand, there was no sign of a lack of appetite in actual sales of UK debt last week, with record demand on some measures.

The bigger picture though is that these forms of debt do not directly affect, for example, five-year fixed mortgage rates.

So the gilt markets are not fundamentally showing a mini-budget style UK-specific problem. At the same time, there is a clear warning signal here.

Fragile global bond markets do keep an eye on any unattractive economic or political factors. In this case the UK's high inflation, and any doubt after the summer U-turns about the government's control over events, could quickly turn problematic.

Indeed, expect the chancellor's team to use the bond market rollercoaster to make the case that the answer to the autumn's tricky Budget balancing act is not more debt through watering down her borrowing limits. Any gap, they will argue, will have to be filled by higher taxes or lower spending.

The amount of that adjustment depends on markets and the judgement of the OBR on the long-term performance of the economy. There was some substance to the chancellor's off-the-cuff comments to me suggesting the forecasters stick to their primary role rather than giving a "running commentary on policy".

The OBR judgement on UK productivity could be the single biggest determinant of how much of a gap there is, and therefore how much Budget pain the chancellor needs to administer.

Expect some haggling, with the Downing Street team of economists adamant that the OBR's forecast should reflect their reforms, especially on planning. The first take of that critical independent judgement is expected to be delivered to the chancellor in the final days of this month, around the time of her conference speech in Liverpool.

At that point the long list of potential Budget revenue raisers will start to populate the Treasury spreadsheet known as the "scorecard". Rumours will fly around. Indeed ministers are amazed at some of the speculation so far. For example, bank shares fell on suggestions the chancellor would enact a think tank report on windfall taxes, published when she was on holiday, that she has never even read.

Departmental budgets have already been set in the Spending Review, and there is no plan to reopen that process, which must mean that any restraint will have to come from the wider Welfare Bill.

The chancellor did not rule that out to me, but said there was "more to do" on reforms that helped people back into work. The new cabinet, without the former deputy PM, author of a leaked letter on wealth taxes, might be more amenable.

All in all this is the chancellor's chance to author some long-term, pro-growth reforms to the tax system. She still hopes to do that.

But OBR spreadsheets, market ructions, and backbench unhappiness on cuts will ultimately determine just how big the extra tax demand in the red box is on 26 November.

Much can change between now and then.

'When I left the military I felt quite alone': Female veterans call for more support

7 September 2025 at 08:09
Bex Bennett Two photos show Bex in combat fatigues (on the left) and as a civilian now (on the right)Bex Bennett
Dr Bex Bennett is the co-founder of Sisters in Service

A former soldier who came under mortar fire in Iraq says women who performed dangerous front-line roles need more recognition and support.

Dr Bex Bennett, from Derbyshire, co-founded community interest company Sisters in Service, which has recruited 160 members across the UK since it began in May last year.

The group helps female military veterans, who now work in healthcare, to support each other through meetings and activities.

Dr Bennett, now an NHS forensic psychiatrist in Nottinghamshire, says women face additional challenges because so few people understand their military experience.

Dr Bennett trained at Sandhurst with the Duke of Sussex and spent several years as a British Army officer with the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers.

A separate deployment in southern Afghanistan involved travelling to remote bases and interacting with local communities.

She believes many people still have a "very outdated idea" that only men deploy to the front line in modern conflicts.

"Often women go out alongside their male counterparts and do female searching and engage with female civilians," Dr Bennett says.

Supplied Queen Elizabeth II is inspecting troops in ceremonial uniformSupplied
Dr Bennett and her comrades were inspected by Queen Elizabeth II at her commissioning parade in April 2006

Dr Bennett jokes about close shaves when mortars landed within metres of where she was sleeping in Iraq.

"I managed to avoid anything particularly catastrophic... although my laundry did get blown up one time," she says.

"When anyone has served in Iraq and Afghanistan, it will always leave some scars, it can sometimes be really difficult to talk about.

"When I left the military, I did feel quite isolated, I felt quite alone. I don't think anyone really understood my journey."

Bex Bennett Bex is wearing combat gear and holding a rifle and helmetBex Bennett
Dr Bennett was deployed to southern Afghanistan in 2010

Dr Bennett believes female veterans often avoid traditional spaces, such as local Royal British Legion clubs, because of people's misconceptions about the military.

"Women can find it quite daunting," she says. "Sometimes people presume that they haven't served, or they are the wife of someone who has served, and that can be off-putting."

A spokesperson for the Royal British Legion says its clubs are open to everyone.

"As the country's largest military charity, we're proud to be at the heart of a national network that supports our whole Armed Forces community," they added.

Three members of Sisters in Service are chatting over drinks in a cafe
Gemma Saunders, Dr Bennett and Mel Dyke meeting for coffee and a chat

But Dr Bennett says Sisters in Service provides "cathartic" support and connection that women can struggle to find after leaving the Armed Forces.

"It's about meeting people that have done similar things, trodden similar paths, and being able to discuss that, and laugh and joke about things that have been happening," Dr Bennett says.

The women meet for meals or coffee, and dog walks in Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire.

They also run online meetings for Sisters in Service members who live further afield, and they are looking at organising fitness activities and residential retreats.

Mel is holding a large frame containing a display of her military cap badges and other items
Mrs Dyke shows a display of her cap badges and other Army memorabilia

Mel Dyke, who lives in Staffordshire, says the network is a "vital community" for women who leave the military.

"I found my transition quite difficult because I left when I had my eldest daughter," she says.

"One day I was in a supportive Army environment, then the next I was on maternity leave and became a civilian."

Mel Dyke Mel is in combat gear and posing with three comrades in front of a tank Mel Dyke
Mrs Dyke was an Army engineer on this training exercise in Canada in 2006

Mrs Dyke laughs as she describes her deployment to Iraq as a clerk with the Royal Engineers.

"You often hear the term 'pen-pusher' as clerks out there, but particularly in Iraq I was used for female searches so I would go out on search patrols," she says.

"Going out in a vehicle as 'top cover', so standing on a vehicle with my rifle, providing cover for the driver."

Mel Dyke Mel is wearing her wedding dress and holding hands with her husband, Chris, who is in full ceremonial military dress.Mel Dyke
Mrs Dyke married her husband Chris five years after they met on active service in 2006

Mrs Dyke says the most difficult time came after she transferred to the Queen Alexandra's Royal Army Nursing Corps, and treated battle casualties at the former national military rehabilitation centre Headley Court, in Surrey.

"I was having to look after friends as patients," she says. "It was really personal because my husband was still out on operations in Afghanistan, but members of his regiment were coming back to Headley Court."

One of those patients suffered a traumatic brain injury in an explosion that killed his comrade. They were both close friends of Mrs Dyke's husband, Chris.

"It was really difficult trying to live life as normal knowing what's going on in Afghanistan... it was emotionally draining, and I [was] also pregnant," Mrs Dyke adds.

Gemma is smiling and has spectacles resting on top of her head
Miss Saunders founded Sisters in Service with Dr Bennett in May 2024

Gemma Saunders, a psychotherapist who also worked at Headley Court, co-founded Sisters in Service with Dr Bennett.

Miss Saunders says women who leave the service may have "scars" that compound the challenges they face after moving into demanding healthcare roles.

"They are trained to not show any weakness," she says. "They have to be as good as the men, their counterparts, if not better.

"When they leave service, that doesn't leave them, so sometimes it's much harder for them to reach out and access support.

"Women will carry on and keep going, to carry that mental load more than men. They can come across as a hard shell to crack.

"It's trying to break those barriers that it is OK to ask for help."

Supplied Dr Bennett is wearing graduation robes and a mortar boardSupplied
Dr Bennett received an honorary degree for her work with female veterans

Dr Bennett was awarded an honorary master's degree by the University of Derby this summer, for supporting female veterans and for her mental health work.

She recently spent six months working with HMP Nottingham inmates, which included male veterans with mental health conditions.

But Dr Bennett says Sisters in Service needs to "spread the word" about women's front-line role in recent conflicts.

"You are seen, and your experiences matter. There is strength in community, and you are not alone," she adds.

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Reform UK's new faces seek to share spotlight with Farage

7 September 2025 at 08:15
BBC Laila Cunningham, a Reform UK councillor in WestminsterBBC
Laila Cunningham defected from the Conservatives to Reform earlier this year

For a party that makes a lot of noise in British politics, Reform UK has relatively few senior elected politicians.

And one man, its leader Nigel Farage, who's a true household name.

That was evident at this week's conference, where the party's four MPs had a busy schedule of prominent speaking slots, alongside lesser-known figures the party wants to promote.

The party is keen to get away from the idea that it is a one-man-band - or "the Nigel show", as long-time Farage ally Gawain Towler puts it.

That was fair criticism a year ago, says Towler, but not now as more of its new recruits are getting out into "Tellyland".

Reform wants to gain significantly more seats in councils and parliaments across the country in the coming years, and its lead in national opinion polls suggest that ambition is not unrealistic.

But to increase Reform UK's electoral footprint, the party will need a lot more candidates willing to join its ranks.

The party conference is good opportunity to thrust some of these hopefuls into the spotlight to see how they perform.

'The people's army'

Westminster councillor Laila Cunningham is one such hopeful. She seems to be everywhere you turn in Birmingham, popping up on three panels, including two appearances on the main stage.

A lawyer and former prosecutor, who defected from the Conservatives to Reform UK in June, she says she entered politics to improve outcomes for the victims of crime.

A Conservative supporter since a teenager, Cunningham says she was a "huge fan" of former Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher.

"But the Tory party changed," she says, accusing the Conservatives of failures over home ownership, taxation and crime over many years.

She has been tipped to be Reform's candidate for the London mayoral election in 2028, although she's coy about that prospect and stresses the party hasn't even started the selection process yet.

"I'll help the party in any way they need me," she says.

Stephen Atkinson is the Reform UK leader of Lancashire County Council - another name party bosses have high hopes for.

A self-taught engineer who set up a business that makes school furniture, Atkinson rose through the ranks of local politics with the Conservative Party in north-west England.

Then the Brexit years came, and like an increasing number of Reform UK's new joiners, Atkinson quit the Conservatives after becoming disillusioned with the party.

Since becoming council leader in Lancashire in May, Atkinson says he has focused on the "huge financial challenges" facing his Reform UK administration, alongside bread-and-butter issues such as fixing potholes.

In the future, he says, it would be a "great honour" to be a parliamentary candidate for the party where he lives in the Ribble Valley, if he was selected.

"But that's a decision for other people," he adds.

If Reform does manage to get into government, and four years out from a general election it is still a very big "if", some of the party's would-be MPs may find fewer opportunities to rise to the highest levels of politics.

Farage and Zia Yusuf, the party's new head of policy, have talked about appointing dozens of new peers to take up roles in a Reform UK cabinet.

Could former Conservative cabinet minister Nadine Dorries - unveiled this week to much fanfare as Reform UK's latest Tory defector - be drafted into the Lords?

Former Conservative Party chairman Jake Berry was also doing the media rounds in Birmingham, and was seen walking into Friday night's afterparty in the main hall, where US pop legends the Jacksons made a surprise appearance on stage.

Like one of the back-up singers, Berry may be one of those called upon to make up the numbers in one of the many elections Reform UK wants to win.

In his conference speech, Farage said the party was taking the London mayoral election "seriously", as well as polls in Wales and Scotland next year.

He said Reform needed 5,000 vetted candidates to fight those polls, which he called "an essential building block as we head towards a general election".

As he closed the Birmingham conference, he called for volunteers in the audience to get to their feet if they wanted to stand in next year's elections.

"This is the people's army in operation," Farage said.

In a symbolic gesture, some in the audience did stand, but the actual process for selection is designed to be far more rigorous.

Candidate selection has always been a thorny issue for Farage's various electoral vehicles, with election campaigns blown off course by scandals.

Party insiders like to describe Reform's rapid expansion - while ensuring candidates are properly vetted - as being like assembling a jumbo jet while flying it.

They insist they have improved their vetting system since last year's general election, after some candidates were ditched or suspended over offensive comments on social media ahead of the general election.

The party now has assessment centres, where candidates are put through their paces, and a centre for excellence, where activists are caught how to campaign effectively.

Stephen Atkinson, the Reform UK leader of Lancashire County Council
Council leader Stephen Atkinson says it would be an honour to be selected to fight a seat in a forthcoming general election

Thomas Kerr, the former group leader of the Scottish Conservatives, who defected to Reform in January, was also doing the rounds of the fringe panels in Birmingham, and says he hopes to stand in next year's Holyrood elections.

Asked if Reform UK is one-man band, Kerr says: "I don't think that if Farage was to fall under a bus that Reform wouldn't be polling where we are, because of the momentum behind the party."

Is the party getting more recognisable spokespeople though?

"I think they are slowly starting to do that," Kerr says.

"You see people like me and others appearing on panels at fringe events at conferences. You'll be seeing people speaking at conferences.

"We are four years from a general election, Nigel is the man we are hoping will be prime minister but there will be a team behind him."

And with that, Kerr is interrupted by a Tannoy announcement that "Nigel Farage will be on the main stage at 1pm", and a mad rush to the main stage ensues.

Minutes before, Farage told his team he had wanted to rip up the conference schedule and deliver his main speech early, to react to Angela Rayner resigning as deputy prime minister and other roles.

Reform UK's new faces do their best to put themselves in the frame.

But for now, this is a picture that's very much dominated by one big figure.

Carlo Acutis: From a baptism in London to the first millennial saint

7 September 2025 at 07:35
BBC A boy with dark curly hair in a red polo shit stands, smiling at the camera, with his hands on his hips, in front of a field and hillsBBC
Carlo Acutis will become the first millennial saint

A London-born boy is set to become the first millennial saint, in a ceremony steeped in an ancient ritual presided over by Pope Leo on Sunday.

In his short life, Carlo Acutis created websites documenting "miracles" as a means of spreading Catholic teaching, leading some to nickname him God's influencer.

His canonisation had been due in late April, but was postponed following the death of Pope Francis.

More than a million people are estimated to have made a pilgrimage to the Italian hilltop town of Assisi where Carlo's body lies, preserved in wax.

But there is another pilgrimage site associated with Carlo Acutis that has seen an increase in visitors since it was announced that he was to be made a saint - Our Lady of Dolours Church in London.

The font at the back of the Roman Catholic church in the Chelsea area was where Carlo was baptised as a baby in 1991.

To the side of the church an old confession booth has been converted into a shrine to him. In it, a relic holder contains a single strand of Carlo's hair.

"His family were in finance and they were working really temporarily in London," says Father Paul Addison, a friar at the church.

"Although they didn't use the church much, they decided to come and ask to have the child baptised. So Carlo was a flash, a very big flash, in the life of the parish community," he says.

A friar in a dark cloak stands next holding the lid of a font, between a framed picture of a boy in a red top and a framed baptism certificate
Father Paul Addison shows the font where Carlo was baptised in 1991

Carlo was not yet six months old when his parents moved back to their home country of Italy, and he spent the rest of his life in Milan.

There, he was known for a love of technology and is said to have enjoyed playing video games.

While some who knew Carlo Acutis say he did not appear to be especially devout, as a teenager he did create a website – pages of which are now framed at the church in Chelsea – in which miracles were documented.

A shot of a corridor with pillars and chairs lined up, with the focus of the camera on a series of printed and framed webpages
Pages of Carlo's website are now framed at Our Lady of Dolours Church in Chelsea

But he died of leukaemia aged just 15.

In the years after his death, Carlo's mother, Antonia Salzano, visited churches around the world to advocate for him to be a saint.

As part of the process, it had to be proved her son had performed "miracles".

"The first miracle, he did the day of the funeral," says Carlo's mother.

"A woman with breast cancer prayed (for) Carlo and she had to start chemotherapy and the cancer disappeared completely," she explains.

A woman in brown glasses, a brown coat and orange scarf looks to the side of the camera, stood in front of a hedge
Antonia Salzano has spent years advocating for her son to be made a saint

Pope Francis attributed two miracles to Carlo Acutis and so the test was passed and he was due to be made a saint on 27 April.

But Pope Francis died during the preceding week.

Some followers who had travelled to Rome for the canonisation instead found themselves among the tens of thousands of mourners at the late pontiff's funeral - Diego Sarkissian, a young Catholic from London, was one of them.

He says he feels a connection to Carlo Acutis and is excited by his canonisation.

"He used to play Super Mario video games on the old Nintendo consoles and I've always loved video games," Mr Sarkissian says.

"The fact that you can think of a saint doing the same things [as you], wearing jeans, it feels so much closer than what other saints have felt like in the past," he says.

Approval for someone to become a saint can take decades or even centuries, but there is a sense that the Vatican fast-tracked Carlo Acutis' canonisation as a means of energising and inspiring faith in young people.

The Catholic Church will be hoping Sunday's events do just that.

Charity visit on the cards as Harry returns to UK

7 September 2025 at 07:25
Getty Images Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, pictured in a dark suit against a black backdrop
Getty Images

The Duke of Sussex will announce a substantial donation to Children in Need on Tuesday when he attends a charity event in Nottingham.

The donation is intended to help support work tackling violence and its effect on young people.

It is one of several engagements for Prince Harry during a visit to the UK, which has also prompted speculation on whether he might meet his father, King Charles.

The duke, who lives in the US with his wife Meghan Markle, was last in the UK in April for a court hearing over the level of security protection he receives from the government while here.

Getty Images Meghan, Duchess of Sussex and Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex attend the 2022 Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights Ripple of Hope Gala at New York Hilton
Getty Images
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex moved to the US in 2020

Harry will arrive in London on Monday to attend an awards ceremony for WellChild, which supports seriously ill children and their families. The prince has been a patron for 17 years.

"I am always privileged to attend the WellChild Awards and meet the incredible children, families and professionals who inspire us all with their strength and spirit," he said announcing his return to the UK.

Tuesday's event in Nottingham will be held held at the Community Recording Studio (CRS) in Nottingham, a charity that teaches film and video skills as well as music.

Harry's visit to Nottingham is to build support and funding for community organisations.

He will hold a private briefing with Children in Need, the Police and Crime Commission, CRS and Epic Partners, and will have informal meetings with some of the young people he has met previously.

The duke will also watch live performances from artists, and make a short speech.

Buckingham Palace has not commented on the possibility of a meeting between the King and the duke during this trip. Nor has Harry and Meghan's team.

But recently, there have been signs that tensions between father and son are easing, and that a reconciliation could be within reach.

His father was in Italy on a state visit during the prince's April trip to London.

This time, the King will be in the UK. He has spent most of the summer in Scotland at his Balmoral Estate but is regularly travelling south for cancer treatment and some royal engagements. It leaves open the real possibility of father and son meeting in person.

Anna Wintour was Vogue. Now she's gone, can the magazine stay relevant?

7 September 2025 at 07:32
Ron Galella Collection via Getty Images Anna WintourRon Galella Collection via Getty Images

In May 1989, Dame Anna Wintour did something that would become a hallmark of her time as editor-in-chief of US Vogue: She put a pop star on the cover.

Just a year into her tenure as the top of the magazine's masthead, Dame Anna had already made a name for herself as an editor who instinctively understood the zeitgeist. She was the first to put a model in jeans on Vogue's front, and now, Madonna.

"If it was edgy to do jeans for November 1988, I think it was even edgier for her to do Madonna," says Amy Odell, author of Anna: The Biography.

For Marian Kwei, a stylist and Vogue contributor, this move speaks to Dame Anna's ability to make Vogue "relevant to our times, make it contemporary, make it accessible".

"Before, it was women who could buy couture who were interested in what Vogue had to say," she says. "But Dame Anna realised the need to reach out to the kids listening to Madonna."

Now almost 40 years later, Dame Anna is preparing to hang up her Manolo Blahnik's, sort of – while she will no longer be editor-in-chief, she will remain on as global editorial director. Down the hall will sit her heir, the 39-year-old Chloe Malle, who is stepping in as head of editorial content.

While some have attributed her continued presence as a sign of unwillingness to cede total control, one could also see it as a recognition of her unmatched place in the fashion industry, and the fear that should she go entirely, this print magazine – already a relic to some – will lose its remaining clout.

Mark Peterson/redux/eyevine Anna Wintour in her office at VogueMark Peterson/redux/eyevine
Anna Wintour in her office at Vogue

Once, fashion magazines like Vogue ruled the industry. They didn't have to fight for attention so much as just decree from on high what was and wasn't "chic".

Whether you still see – or ever saw – Vogue as an arbiter of good taste, or reflection of our times, depends on who you talk to.

"I think it's more relevant than people want to admit honestly," Odell says.

For Anja Aronowsky Cronberg, the founder and editor-in-chief of academic fashion publication Vestoj, less so. When she was a teenager growing up in Sweden, "Vogue represented the world out there, something glamorous and different and the wide horizons that I was striving for."

But she stopped reading it 25 years ago.

Today, print magazines are fighting for survival in an increasingly crowded, fast-paced landscape – a monthly publication loses a lot of relevance in a by-the-minute digital world.

"There's no one magazine that is relevant in the way Vogue might have been relevant in the 80s," says Cronberg.

"There are so many other vehicles for culture today," she adds, like TikTok and Instagram.

All this will be factoring into Malle's thinking as she takes on the job of head of editorial content. She reportedly plans to put out issues less frequently, centred around themes or cultural events rather than months. She says she wants to lean into the idea of Vogue in print as something to collect and cherish.

David Turnley/Corbis/VCG via Getty Images Woman Looking at Vogue Magazine   David Turnley/Corbis/VCG via Getty Images

One of the ways that Dame Anna has kept Vogue a part of the conversation is by expanding the people she invited onto the cover.

Since Maddona's debut, Dame Anna has placed royalty, politicians, pop stars, writers and gymnasts on the cover.

"She definitely bridged fashion and entertainment as editor-in-chief of Vogue," says Odell.

It wasn't always well received. When Dame Anna put Kanye West and Kim Kardashian on the cover in 2014, "it sparked so much debate", says Kwei.

"Nobody really wanted to dress [her] because she was a reality star."

Looking at the almost mythological position the Kardashians have gone on to occupy, the cover spoke to Dame Anna's uncanny ability to anticipate culture – as well, arguably, as drive it.

But whether Dame Anna remains the right person to be at the helm, and whether the magazine can withstand increasing financial pressures, remains to be seen.

Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images for adidas Kim Kardashian, Anna Wintour, and Kanye West pose backstage at the adidas Originals x Kanye West YEEZY SEASON 1 fashion show during New York Fashion Week Fall 2015 at Skylight Clarkson Sq on February 12, 2015 in New York City.  Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images for adidas

It is a far more corporate world than it once was.

Her decision to spotlight Lauren Sanchez, the now-wife of Jeff Bezos, also sparked accusations that the magazine was selling out. It was read by some as more about celebrating wealth and luxury than style. Interestingly, it was Malle who apparently organised the story on the power couple's wedding and was dispatched to write it.

Vanessa Friedman, chief fashion critic of The New York Times pointed out in a recent article that "while elite weddings are a hallmark of Vogue, they almost never made its cover, and Ms Sánchez Bezos seemingly had neither the celebrity nor modelling credentials that usually merited cover treatment." The couple's presence at Donald Trump's inauguration also drew criticism from some - and contributed to the cover's backlash, especially on social media.

Dame Anna, who has supported Democratic candidates in the past, has over the years featured Hillary Clinton, Michelle Obama, Jill Biden and, most recently, Kamala Harris. It feels pertinent that whether or not she will invite Melania Trump to be on the cover has been the subject of much discussion – and continues to be, even as Malle steps into the role.

But Vogue can arguably withstand more of this kind of criticism than most because of its fabled history. As Lauren Sherman, the fashion journalist who broke the news of Malle's appointment, tells the BBC: "The Vogue brand stands apart, and is one of the most important fashion brands in the world."

Eric Thayer/REUTERS Vogue editor Anna Wintour speaks on a cell phone before the J. Mendel Spring 2008 collection during New York Fashion Week September 7, 2007. Eric Thayer/REUTERS

A large part of Vogue's standing in the world is wrapped up in Dame Anna's own - the enigmatic editor-in-chief of fashion, with her instantly recognisable bob and her unknowability.

She has maintained a certain relevancy for the title almost by being the relevancy.

"Anna has been able to stay relevant despite all the various eras we've lived through simply by being as synonymous with culture, fashion and beauty as possible," says Kwei.

This, despite being criticised for being late to make Vogue more diverse compared to other sections of the industry.

"She's a mainstream celebrity figure," says Odell. "What other editor has had a book and an iconic movie made about them? You know, she's been played by Meryl Streep!"

For Cronberg, she is "a brand in and of herself at this point".

So what next?

"I think we're about to see how much of the relevance of Vogue comes from Dame Anna," says Odell.

While Malle may have inherited the magazine's prestige, "it'll be up to Chloe and her team to see if they can use it wisely to influence the way the culture moves," says Sherman.

Ellie Violet Bramley is a freelance writer and former Guardian fashion and lifestyle editor.

One of America's most wanted evaded the FBI for 21 years - only to be found in Wales

7 September 2025 at 05:00
FBI Two images of the same white man. On the left how he looked like when he was younger with brown hair, on the right wearing glasses and smiling at the camera.FBI
Daniel Andreas San Diego was arrested in November 2024, 21 years after the bombings in San Francisco

A suspected double bomber on the FBI's most wanted list who vanished for 21 years is due in court this week to decide if he will be sent back to the United States to face trial.

The FBI believe Daniel Andreas San Diego has links to animal rights extremist groups and is their prime suspect for a series of bombings in the San Francisco Bay Area in 2003.

Former FBI agents have said there were "missed opportunities" to arrest the 47-year-old before he vanished and claim they found a suspected "bomb-making factory" in his abandoned car after what detectives called a 65-mile (104km) rush-hour chase in California.

Mr San Diego was found 5,000 miles (8,000km) away in a cottage in north Wales last year.

Mr San Diego, who had a $250,000 (£199,000) bounty on his head, faces a five-day extradition hearing at Westminster Magistrates Court in London on Monday to find out if the UK will hand him over to the United States to answer a federal arrest warrant.

The former fugitive, the first born-and-raised American on the FBI's most wanted terrorist list, has been indicted by US prosecutors for maliciously damaging and destroying by means of an explosive after two separate attacks in 2003.

Getty Images A poster of the FBI's most wanted terrorists. It is a black poster and at the top it reads "Most wanted terrorists" and there are mug shots of all the most wanted terrorists according to the FBI. Their names are underneath their images in white script. Getty Images
Daniel Andreas San Diego (top right) was featured on the FBI's most wanted terrorists list, alongside the likes of Osama Bin Laden

Animal rights extremist group Revolutionary Cells - Animal Liberation Brigade claimed responsibility for the attacks on firms they believed had links with organisations that tested products on animals.

Former FBI Special Agent David Smith was part of a special operations group that had been watching Mr San Diego.

"He was remarkable by being unremarkable," Mr Smith, one of the bureau's top surveillance experts, told the BBC.

"He was relatively young and normal, there was nothing to suggest this guy was starting to look violent. We never got any indication he was aware of us."

Chrion Security A silhouette of a person in the dark is on CCTV walking in a dimly light area of the former Chiron Life Science Center in Emeryville, near Oakland, in California on 28 August 2003 Chrion Security
CCTV footage captures the silhouette of a man who the FBI believe is Daniel Andreas San Diego walking around the Chiron Life Science Center in Emeryville around the time of an explosion at the biotechnology firm

The FBI felt it had enough intelligence to suggest Mr San Diego was its prime suspect and thought it was him that planted the devices that detonated a month apart.

But supervisory special agent Andrew Black, part of the FBI's counter-terrorism media team, recalled: "The US Attorney's Office and case agents were making a decision whether to arrest him now or develop more information.

"The hope was he'd lead us to other members of this animal rights group that were using violence to promote their agenda."

Two bombs exploded at a biotechnology corporation in Emeryville, near Oakland, USA, on 28 August 2003, with investigators believing the second bomb was planted to target first responders.

Then a bomb strapped with nails exploded at a nutritional products company in Pleasanton, 30 miles (48km) east of the first blast, on 26 September 2003. No-one was injured in either bombing.

Getty Images Police vans and detectives patrol a street near to where two bombs went off in California. There are cones on the road, which is lined by trees  Getty Images
Police and FBI officers at the scene of two explosions at the old Chiron biotechnology research center in Emeryville in the San Francisco Bay Area in 2003

The FBI's former surveillance specialists were told Mr San Diego was developed as a firm suspect and were asked to watch him with an "arrest being imminent".

"We were looking at someone who we think has done multiple bombings and a domestic terrorist," recalled Mr Smith.

Mr Smith and his former colleague Clyde Foreman, a former supervisory special agent, recall urging their colleagues to make the arrest once he had been identified as the main suspect.

Mr Black, an agent of 27 years, added: "As good as you can be, the longer you maintain surveillance eventually they're going to notice something unusual and get spooked.

"There was frustration they weren't given the green light to arrest him as they said there is potential if he leaves, he's going to be able to detonate additional bombs."

Chrion Security CCTV footage from the inside of an office reception of an explosion with smoke and sparks flying.  Chrion Security
CCTV footage of the explosion from the inside of the Chiron Life Science Center in Emeryville, and the FBI believe Daniel Andreas San Diego is the prime suspect

The day before Mr San Diego went off the FBI's radar, Mr Smith was hiding in camouflage outside his home.

Hours after Mr Smith and the FBI's surveillance specialists went off shift, he said Mr San Diego made a run for it with detectives in pursuit.

"Almost from the time he came out of his house, he was acting frantically," recalled Mr Smith.

"His driving patterns changed. Where he was going, he was driving erratically which is typical of someone trying to evade surveillance."

Agents said he drove south from his home in Sebastopol, Sonoma County, weaved past commuters, through tunnels and over toll bridges in an hour-long motorway chase that ended in downtown San Francisco.

Getty Images Members of the FBI dressed in green all-in-one clothes and black FBI bullet proof vests move towards the buildng that was bombed in the Hacienda Business Park in the Pleasanton area of the San Francisco Bay Area in CaliforniaGetty Images
FBI agents at the site of the second device they suspect Daniel Andreas San Diego planted at the Shaklee Corporate Headquarters in Pleasanton in September 2003

Not even the FBI's spy planes could keep eyes on their target as San Francisco's infamous fog blocked their view as Mr San Diego slipped the net.

Mr San Diego left his car with the engine still running, at a busy city centre junction next to a subway station, and wasn't seen again.

"The team that followed him were thinking he parked the car and went a few blocks up the street to a location nearby, either known to the animal rights group or he had a connection with," recalled Mr Smith, an FBI agent of 33 years.

"I asked 'did anyone see him go in or is anyone watching that place right now?' They didn't.

"The car was parked in a bus zone next to the subway and we said 'we think he's gone'."

A graphic map of Daniel Andreas San Diego's key locations in California
A map of the key locations in the FBI's pursuit of Daniel Andreas San Diego in 2003

Mr Foreman felt the same.

"We knew he was in the wind and it'll be really difficult to find him," he recalled.

"The case squad was operating under the assumption that San Diego was using a residence for his bomb making.

"When he abandoned his car, we found out his bomb-making lab was in the trunk of his car."

Getty Images A man dressed in a suit stands at a lectern in a run with wooden paneling and low series and talks into a microphone at a press conference with two colleagues also dressed in suits behind him. There is a American flag between them and there's a frame paper board next to them with the latest additions to the FBI's most wanted terrorist list Getty Images
The FBI's assistant director of counter-terrorism Michael J. Heimbach tells a press conference why Daniel Andreas San Diego was being placed on the FBI's most wanted terrorist list

Mr Smith watched as the boot opened and admitted for a detective, it was "everything you ever wanted".

"Had we known that, he'd have certainly been arrested days prior," he added.

"It was validating to say there it was. We felt confident that this was the guy right away. We were very experienced agents and knew a suspect when we saw one.

"It was definitely a missed opportunity."

FBI FBI poster announcing that Daniel Andreas San Diego has been caught, featuring two pictures of him, one with glasses, one without, with the word "Captured" beneath each. At the top it says most wanted terrorist, with the logo of the FBI on the left. Underneath it says Daniel Andreas San Diego. And under that it says, in black script, Maliciously Damaging and Destroying, and Attempting to Destroy and Damage, by Means of Explosives, Buildings and Other Property; Possession of a Destructive Device During, in Relation to, and in Furtherance of a Crime of Violence.FBI
Mr San Diego was the first suspected domestic terrorist placed on the FBI's most wanted list

The double bombing came two years after the 9/11 attacks and the US was on high alert, so department chief Mr Foreman was of the view: "Once you have somebody identified, arrest him."

Mr San Diego was a computer network specialist born in Berkeley, California, and brought up in an upper middle-class area of the San Francisco Bay Area. His father was a city manager.

Former Scotland Yard undercover detective and Hunted TV show expert Peter Bleksley feels that fugitive Daniel Andreas San Diego must have had help to get to the UK

The FBI worked on tracking Mr San Diego for years after his disappearance, watching family and friends to see if they could lead agents to him. But the scent went cold. They believed he had probably fled to central or South America.

Mr San Diego was indicted in the US District Court in 2004 and the FBI considered him armed and dangerous.

Then, after 21 years of nothing and both Mr Smith and Mr Foreman retiring from the bureau, they heard one of their most notorious fugitives had been detained in the UK after being found in an isolated cottage on a north Wales hillside.

Aled Evans A white villa with a balcony offering striking views of rolling hills and a well-manicured gardenAled Evans
Daniel Andreas San Diego lived at Llidiart y Coed, a remote cottage near the village of Maenan in the Conwy valley, which is the only house up a narrow woodland trail

The UK's National Crime Agency (NCA) and counter-terror police swooped in November 2024, arresting Mr San Diego who had been using the alias Danny Webb in the Conwy valley, near the market town of Llanrwst.

"I believe he had some support - you're not chasing Jason Bourne," said Mr Foreman.

"He was not a skilled intelligence officer. He had to have support."

PA Media A sketch drawing of a man wearing a grey jumper, with grey hair, a beard and glasses.PA Media
Daniel Andreas San Diego was arrested in north Wales on 21 November 2024

The FBI said it would not comment about the possible missed opportunities to arrest Mr San Diego.

But at the time of his arrest, FBI Director Christopher Wray said: "Daniel San Diego's arrest after more than 20 years as a fugitive for two bombings in the San Francisco area shows that no matter how long it takes, the FBI will find you and hold you accountable."

Mr San Diego, who is being held at the high security Belmarsh Prison in London, has declined to comment.

Inflatable tanks and flat-pack guns - inside Ukraine's decoy war

7 September 2025 at 07:52
Na Chasi Decoys of an M777 Howitzer, a Himars missile launcher and a Humvee vehicle used by UkraineNa Chasi
From the air, these look just like an M777 Howitzer, a Himars missile launcher and a Humvee vehicle used by Ukraine

In June 2023, a video started spreading on pro-war Russian social media channels, apparently showing a drone destroying a Ukrainian tank in a massive explosion.

But not everything is what it seems in the Russia-Ukraine war.

That video was followed by Ukrainian footage showing a laughing soldier pointing at the burning wreckage and exclaiming: "They've hit my wooden tank!"

The tank in question appears to be a plywood decoy used by the Ukrainian forces to deceive the Russians.

It is one of many thousands of full-scale models of military equipment used by both Ukraine and Russia to trick the enemy into wasting valuable ammunition, time and effort.

Almost anything seen on the frontline - from small radars and grenade launchers to jeeps, trucks, tanks and actual soldiers - may be fake.

These imitations can come in flat-packs, be inflatable, 2D or create a radar illusion of a tank by reflecting radio waves in a special way.

In the case of some weapon types deployed in Ukraine, at least half of them are actually decoy imitations.

Flat-pack artillery

Among the most popular decoys used by the Ukrainian army are models of the British-made M777 howitzers. Western allies are understood to have supplied Kyiv with more than 150 of these highly manoeuvrable and accurate artillery pieces, nicknamed "Three Axes" by Ukrainian soldiers.

As with many other types of equipment used by the Ukrainian army, volunteers play an important role in supplying decoy mock-ups.

Ruslan Klimenko says his volunteer group Na Chasi alone has made and supplied to Ukrainian forces about 160 models of M777s. What makes them particularly popular is the fact that they take three minutes, two people and no tools to assemble on the front line, Mr Klimenko says. "No matter how many are delivered, all will be put to good use," he tells the BBC.

Pavlo Narozhny from another group of volunteers, called Reaktyvna Poshta, says that at any given time 10-15 M777 decoys are in production.

Reaktyvna Poshta's decoys are made of plywood, come in flat packs and cost about $500 - $600.

Apate Imitation M777 howitzersApate
Imitation M777 howitzers are particularly popular with Ukrainian troops

Russia often targets them with Lancet kamikaze drones costing about $35,000. "You do the math", Mr Narozhny says.

One of his M777 decoys, nicknamed Tolya, has spent more than a year on the frontline, surviving hits with at least 14 Lancets, he claims.

Troops "keep putting it back together with some sticky tape and screws, and back off to the frontline it goes", Mr Narozhny says.

Wheel ruts and toilets

Much depends on how decoys are deployed. To successfully draw enemy fire, it helps to faithfully recreate a real position complete with wheel ruts, ammunition crates and toilets. When properly done, this can deceive not just the enemy, but visiting officers too.

"We had an instance in one brigade where a visiting commander was fooled by a decoy: He asked: 'Who gave the order to deploy artillery? Where did the M777s come from?'" says an officer from Ukraine's 33rd Detached Mechanised Brigade, who uses the callsign Charisma.

According to him, another tactic is to quickly remove real cannons such as mortars after use and replace them with decoys.

"They're ideal for deceiving the enemy and making them waste expensive resources on nothing. They work, we need more of them," he says.

Back and Alive An inflatable Ukrainian imitation of the Acacia howitzerBack and Alive
Inflatable decoys - such as this Ukrainian imitation of the Acacia howitzer - are light, quick and simple to install, but can be easily destroyed

Russia's arsenal of decoys is also rich and varied.

About half of the drones involved in any of Russia's recent aerial attacks are actually cheap imitations, the Ukrainian military says.

"It's fifty-fifty these days. Fifty per cent are real Shahed drones, and fifty per cent are imitation drones. Their job is to overload our air defences and ideally get us to use a missile against a drone that costs peanuts," says Ukrainian air force spokesman Yuri Ihnat. "Sometimes it's a plywood thing that looks as though it was knocked together by some schoolchildren."

While up in the air, however, it looks the same as a lethal Shahed drone to Ukrainian radars, Col Ihnat says.

One Russian firm, Rusbal, produces imitations that include 2D decoys to mislead intelligence gathering from the air or space, decoys that mimic the heat given out by engines or radio traffic coming from soldiers' walkie-talkies, and reflectors that fool the enemy's radars.

Actual soldiers can be imitated too. Volunteers from the Kremlin-backed People's Front movement in Novosibirsk have made dummies wearing military uniforms. To imitate human heat and thus deceive Ukrainian thermal imaging cameras, their trunks are wrapped with heating wire underneath the jacket.

People's Front Novosibirsk This Russian-made dummy imitates heat given out by a human body People's Front Novosibirsk
This Russian-made dummy imitates heat given out by a human body

But of course, decoys are not a new idea in war.

In preparation for D-Day landings, an entirely fake army group was set up in the UK, equipped with dummy tanks and decoy aircraft.

It was all part of an elaborate trick to hide the reality on the ground and give the Allies the element of surprise they needed to launch their attack.

Military technology has hugely improved since World War Two. Drones and unmanned systems on the battlefield are a major innovation in this war, for instance.

But no matter what new weapons of destruction make it to the battlefield, it just goes to show that subterfuge and trickery – even with something as simple as a blow up doll - will always play a part in warfare.

One of the most sacred places in the world is being turned into a luxury mega-resort

7 September 2025 at 07:59
Universal Images Group via Getty Images The St Catherine's Monastery as seen from the outside. It is a walled structure with several buildings inside, with the monastery's gardens attached to one side, which are green with some trees inside. The surrounding area is rocky with the ground sloping up behind the monastery at the foot of a mountain Universal Images Group via Getty Images
The 6th Century St Catherine's is the world's oldest continuously used Christian monastery

For years visitors would venture up Mount Sinai with a Bedouin guide to watch the sunrise over the pristine, rocky landscape or go on other Bedouin-led hikes.

Now one of Egypt's most sacred places - revered by Jews, Christians and Muslims - is at the heart of an unholy row over plans to turn it into a new tourism mega-project.

Known locally as Jabal Musa, Mount Sinai is where Moses is said to have been given the Ten Commandments. Many also believe that this is the place where, according to the Bible and the Quran, God spoke to the prophet from the burning bush.

The 6th century St Catherine's Monastery, run by the Greek Orthodox Church, is also there - and seemingly its monks will stay on now that Egyptian authorities, under Greek pressure, have denied wanting to close it

However, there is still deep concern about how the long-isolated, desert location - a Unesco World Heritage site comprising the monastery, town and mountain - is being transformed. Luxury hotels, villas and shopping bazaars are under construction there.

Ariel view of Mount Sinai pictured before transformation as a long-isolated desert location and pictured mid-transformation with hotels, villas etc under construction.
The long-isolated desert location is being transformed

It is also home to a traditional Bedouin community, the Jebeleya tribe. Already the tribe, known as the Guardians of St Catherine, have had their homes and tourist eco-camps demolished with little or no compensation. They have even been forced to take bodies out of their graves in the local cemetery to make way for a new car park.

The project may have been presented as desperately needed sustainable development which will boost tourism, but it has also been imposed on the Bedouin against their will, says Ben Hoffler, a British travel writer who has worked closely with Sinai tribes.

"This is not development as the Jebeleya see it or asked for it, but how it looks when imposed top-down to serve the interests of outsiders over those of the local community," he told the BBC.

"A new urban world is being built around a Bedouin tribe of nomadic heritage," he added. "It's a world they have always chosen to remain detached from, to whose construction they did not consent, and one that will change their place in their homeland forever."

Locals, who number about 4,000, are unwilling to speak directly about the changes.

Ben Hoffler A view of one of the developments, still under construction Plain of el-Raha. The sun is behind the surrounding mountains, while the development site is in the foreground, with roads connecting different buildings Ben Hoffler
Construction in the Plain of el-Raha in 2024

So far, Greece is the foreign power which has been most vocal about the Egyptian plans, because of its connection to the monastery.

Tensions between Athens and Cairo flared up after an Egyptian court ruled in May that St Catherine's - the world's oldest continuously used Christian monastery - lies on state land.

After a decades-long dispute, judges said that the monastery was only "entitled to use" the land it sits on and the archaeological religious sites which dot its surroundings.

Archbishop Ieronymos II of Athens, head of the Church of Greece, was quick to denounce the ruling.

"The monastery's property is being seized and expropriated. This spiritual beacon of Orthodoxy and Hellenism is now facing an existential threat," he said in a statement.

In a rare interview, St Catherine's longtime Archbishop Damianos told a Greek newspaper the decision was a "grave blow for us... and a disgrace". His handling of the affair led to bitter divisions between the monks and his recent decision to step down.

The Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Jerusalem pointed out that the holy site - over which it has ecclesiastical jurisdiction - had been granted a letter of protection by the Prophet Muhammad himself.

It said that the Byzantine monastery - which unusually also houses a small mosque built in the Fatimid era - was "an enshrinement of peace between Christians and Muslims and a refuge of hope for a world mired by conflict".

While the controversial court ruling remains in place, a flurry of diplomacy ultimately culminated in a joint declaration between Greece and Egypt ensuring the protection of St Catherine's Greek Orthodox identity and cultural heritage.

Ben Hoffler The peak of Mount Sinai at dusk in 2024. The light catches the top of the rocky mountain, which is standing higher than another mountain in the foregroundBen Hoffler
Mount Sinai, known locally as Jabal Musa, is where Moses is said to have been given the Ten Commandments

'Special gift' or insensitive interference?

Egypt began its state-sponsored Great Transfiguration Project for tourists in 2021. The plan includes opening hotels, eco-lodges and a large visitor centre, as well as expanding the small nearby airport and a cable car to Mount Moses.

The government is promoting the development as "Egypt's gift to the entire world and all religions".

"The project will provide all tourism and recreational services for visitors, promote the development of the town [of St Catherine] and its surrounding areas while preserving the environmental, visual, and heritage character of the pristine nature, and provide accommodation for those working on St Catherine's projects," Housing Minister Sherif el-Sherbiny said last year.

While work does appear to have stalled, at least temporarily, due to funding issues, the Plain of el-Raha - in view of St Catherine's Monastery - has already been transformed. Construction is continuing on new roads.

This is where the followers of Moses, the Israelites, are said to have waited for him during his time on Mount Sinai. And critics say the special natural characteristics of the area are being destroyed.

Detailing the outstanding universal value of the site, Unesco notes how "the rugged mountainous landscape around... forms a perfect backdrop for the Monastery".

It says: "Its siting demonstrates a deliberate attempt to establish an intimate bond between natural beauty and remoteness on the one hand and human spiritual commitment on the other."

Ben Hoffler The mountains at dusk, from Jebel el Ahmar in 2024. Light hits the top of a rocky mountain range, which stretches into the distance Ben Hoffler
The area is known for its natural beauty and rugged mountainous landscape

Back in 2023, Unesco highlighted its concerns and called on Egypt to stop developments, check their impact and produce a conservation plan.

This has not happened.

In July, World Heritage Watch sent an open letter calling on Unesco's World Heritage Committee to place the St Catherine's area on the List of World Heritage Sites in Danger.

Campaigners have also approached King Charles as patron of the St Catherine Foundation, which raises funds to help conserve and study the monastery's heritage with its collection of valuable ancient Christian manuscripts. The King has described the site as "a great spiritual treasure that should be maintained for future generations".

The mega-project is not the first in Egypt to draw criticism for a lack of sensitivity to the country's unique history.

But the government sees its series of grandiose schemes as key to reinvigorating the flagging economy.

Egypt's once-thriving tourism sector had begun to recover from the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic when it was hit by the brutal war in Gaza and a new wave of regional instability. The government has declared an aim of reaching 30 million visitors by 2028.

Under successive Egyptian governments, commercial development of the Sinai has been carried out without consulting the indigenous Bedouin communities.

The peninsula was captured by Israel during the 1967 Middle East War and only returned to Egypt after the two countries signed a peace treaty in 1979. The Bedouin have since complained of being treated like second-class citizens.

The construction of Egypt's popular Red Sea destinations, including Sharm el-Sheikh, began in South Sinai in the 1980s. Many see similarities with what is happening at St Catherine's now.

"The Bedouin were the people of the region, and they were the guides, the workers, the people to rent from," says Egyptian journalist Mohannad Sabry.

"Then industrial tourism came in and they were pushed out - not just pushed out of the business but physically pushed back from the sea into the background."

Ben Hoffler The hotel building still appears to be mostly a shell, and around four storeys high. Smaller buildings, also in the valley and still under construction, can be seen in the background, with the surrounding mountains in the background Ben Hoffler
A hotel under construction in the Plain of el-Raha in 2024

As with the Red Sea locations, it is expected that Egyptians from elsewhere in the country will be brought in to work at the new St Catherine's development. However, the government says it is also "upgrading" Bedouin residential areas.

St Catherine's Monastery has endured many upheavals through the past millennium and a half but, when the oldest of the monks at the site originally moved there, it was still a remote retreat.

That began to change as the expansion of the Red Sea resorts brought thousands of pilgrims on day trips at peak times.

In recent years, large crowds would often be seen filing past what is said to be the remnants of the burning bush or visiting a museum displaying pages from the Codex Sinaiticus - the world's oldest surviving, nearly complete, handwritten copy of the New Testament.

Now, even though the monastery and the deep religious significance of the site will remain, its surroundings and centuries-long ways of life look set to be irreversibly changed.

Reform criticised over doctor's Covid jab claims at conference

7 September 2025 at 05:34
EPA Aseem Malholtra, in a white shirt and dark suit, stands behind a Reform UK podiumEPA

Reform UK has distanced itself from a conference speaker who suggested that Covid vaccines were linked to the King's and the Princess of Wales' cancers.

Aseem Malholtra, an adviser to US health secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr, said: "One of Britain's most eminent oncologists Professor Angus Dalgleish said to me to share with you today that he thinks it's highly likely that the Covid vaccines have been a significant factor in the cancers in the royal family."

Wes Streeting, the health secretary, said that it was "shockingly irresponsible" of Reform to allow Dr Malholtra at the conference.

The party said that it "does not endorse what he said but does believe in free speech".

In his speech in Birmingham, at an event titled "Make Britain Healthy Again", Dr Malholtra also claimed that studies show that mRNA vaccines could alter genes.

Dr Malhotra, a cardiologist, also said taking the Covid vaccine was more likely to cause harm than the virus itself.

"It is highly likely that not a single person should have been injected with this," he added, before going on to say that the World Health Organization had been "captured" by Microsoft founder Bill Gates and urged for it to be replaced.

He hit out at health minister Stephen Kinnock, who called Dr Malhotra an "anti-vax conspiracy theorist".

On the stage, he asked the audience: "Have you heard anything anti-vax or conspiracy theory so far here?"

Dr Malholtra's views have been discredited by many medical professionals and are not supported by scientific evidence, and the NHS says that Covid vaccines meet all strict safety standards.

The link between the Covid jab and cancer has previously been dismissed by academics and oncologists after claims it had led to "turbo cancers".

Professor Brian Ferguson, professor of viral immunology at the University of Cambridge, accused Dr Malholtra of repeating an "outlandish conspiracy theory only serves to undermine the credibility of those spreading it".

He continued: "There is no credible evidence that these vaccines disrupt tumour suppressors or drive any kind of process that results in cancer.

"It is particularly crass to try to link this pseudoscience to the unfortunate incidents of cancer in the royal family."

The King's cancer diagnosis was first announced in February 2024. The palace has said he is receiving treatment, but has not said what type of cancer he has.

Catherine announced her diagnosis in March 2024, and went into remission in January. She, too, did not specify the type of cancer she had.

Streeting warned that "we are seeing falling numbers of parents getting their children vaccinated, and a resurgence of disease we had previously eradicated".

"It is shockingly irresponsible for Nigel Farage to give a platform to these poisonous lies. Farage should apologise and sever all ties with this dangerous extremism."

A Reform UK spokesman told the BBC: "Dr Aseem Malhotra is a guest speaker with his own opinions who has an advisory role in the US government. Reform UK does not endorse what he said but does believe in free speech."

Rights reform to 'head off Farage' and 'EastEnders Jamie axed'

7 September 2025 at 07:03

The headline on the front page of the Observer reads: "Home truths".
The fallout from Angela Rayner's resignation and the resulting cabinet reshuffle leads several of Sunday's papers. The front page of the Observer features a series of articles analysing Rayner's impact on the Labour Party. "Who speaks for the left now?" asks Andrew Rawnsley, while Kimia Zabihyan writes: "Angela Rayner had pure class. Our class."
The headline on the front page of the Sunday Telegraph reads: "PM to move migrants to army barracks".
The new Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood will soon announce plans to move migrants in asylum-seeker hotels to former military bases, according to the Sunday Telegraph. The policy will be unveiled "within weeks", and comes as Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer instructed her to "get a grip" on the small boats crisis, according to the paper.
The headline on the front page of the Sunday Times reads: "Ministers target rights reform to head off Farage".
Labour's new cabinet is prepared to "overhaul" human rights laws to tackle immigration, the Sunday Times reports, in a bid to counter a surge in support for Reform UK. A party insider tells the paper that "nothing is off the table" for Shabana Mahmood, who is likely to want to reform the European Convention on Human Rights.
The headline on the front page of the Mail on Sunday reads: "Boris & Farage 'must unite to crush Labour'."
Former Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Reform UK leader Nigel Farage "must unite to crush Labour", according to Nadine Dorries, who defected to Reform UK from the Conservatives last week. If it could make people's lives better, Dorries says, "both men would find a way to accommodate each other's egos".
The headline on the front page of the Sunday Express reads: "HMRC hotline fails to answer 4 million calls".
HMRC officials failing to pick up the phone is leading to an annual loss of £46.8bn in tax revenue, according to the Sunday Express. Tax hikes by the chancellor would be unnecessary if the lost revenue was collected to "plug a black hole in public finances", the paper writes.
The headline on the front page of the Sun reads: "Enders axe TV Jamie".
Jamie Borthwick has been axed from EastEnders after nearly two decades playing Jay Brown in the soap, the Sun reports. Earlier this year, he was suspended after using a slur against people with disabilities on the set of Strictly Come Dancing.
The headline on the front page of the Sunday Mirror reads: "Enders Jamie Axed".
"Enders Jamie axed" is the headline for the Sunday Mirror, which also leads with BBC bosses telling the actor that his "time's up on Albert Square".
The headline on the front page of the Daily Star reads: "Anthem & flags in the classroom".
Children will sing God Save the King and wave Union Jack flags every morning under a Reform UK government, according to MP Lee Anderson. The Daily Star reports the MP for Ashfield believes youngsters "need to be taught what is means to be British".
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More than 425 arrested at rally against Palestine Action ban in London

7 September 2025 at 04:59
Reuters Several police officers carry a woman away by her limbsReuters

Police have started arresting protesters at a demonstration against the government's ban of the campaign group Palestine Action.

Hundreds of people have gathered in Parliament Square in central London, some waving Palestinian flags and chanting "free Palestine". Others held placards saying: "I oppose genocide, I support Palestine Action."

Officers have been seen carrying people out of the crowd, after some protesters said they planned to refuse bail and go "floppy" if they were arrested.

The Metropolitan Police had earlier warned that people showing support for the group, which has been proscribed under terrorism law, would face arrest.

The government proscribed Palestine Action under the Terrorism Act in July, making membership of or support of the group a criminal offence, punishable by up to 14 years in prison.

Saturday's protest follows a major demonstration last month which saw more than 500 people arrested for displaying placards in support of Palestine Action.

The average age of those arrested at the August rally was 54, and the most arrests - 147 of them - were of people aged between 60 and 69.

Cable snapped before Lisbon funicular crash, investigators say

7 September 2025 at 03:44
Reuters Wreckage of the funicular that crashed in Lisbon on WednesdayReuters
One of the two cabins hurtled down the steep road, derailed and crashed into a building

Portuguese officials investigating Wednesday's deadly funicular crash in Lisbon say a cable along the railway's route snapped, but the rest of the mechanism was functioning properly.

"After examining the wreckage at the site, it was immediately determined that the cable connecting the two carriages had given way," the preliminary report said.

The carriages of Lisbon's iconic, 140-year-old Glória funicular railway are designed to travel up and down steep slopes.

Sixteen people died and about 20 were injured when one of the carriages derailed on Wednesday evening.

Five of those killed were Portuguese along with three Britons, two South Koreans, two Canadians, an American, a Ukrainian, a Swiss and a French national, police said.

Portugal's prime minister, Luis Montenegro, described the incident as "one of the biggest tragedies of our recent past".

Jamie Borthwick axed from EastEnders after 19 years

7 September 2025 at 04:28
Getty Images Jamie Borthwick

Getty Images
cx2qxd1e1pyo has played Jay Brown on EastEnders since 2006

EastEnders star Jamie Borthwick has been axed from the soap after 19 years, the BBC has confirmed.

Borthwick, 31, portrayed the character of Jay Brown and was one of the show's longest-serving cast members, having arrived on Albert Square in 2006.

Earlier this year, he was suspended by the BBC after using a slur against people with disabilities on the set of Strictly Come Dancing.

A BBC Studios spokesperson said: "We can confirm that Jamie Borthwick will not be returning to EastEnders. We do not comment on individual matters."

BBC News has contacted Borthwick's representatives for a comment.

According to the Mirror, Borthwick had been due to return to set this month to restart filming after the suspension.

But he has now been dropped altogether.

In June, the BBC said his language on the set of Strictly was "entirely unacceptable and in no way reflects the values or standards we hold and expect".

At the time, Borthwick - who took part in Strictly's 20th anniversary series last year - apologised for "any offence and upset".

Disability charity Scope said Borthwick should reflect on what he said and educate himself.

"We hope he takes the opportunity to get to know the reality of disabled people's lives," said the organisation's media manager Warren Kirwan.

Borthwick rose to fame for his portrayal of Jay Brown (previously Mitchell) in BBC soap EastEnders.

He has starred in it since 2006, making him one of the longest-serving actors on the show.

Borthwick has won a British Soap Award for best dramatic performance from a young actor, and an Inside Soap Award for best actor.

The actor took part in the latest series of Strictly, where he was paired with professional dancer Michelle Tsiakkas.

It marked a return to the ballroom for him, after he won the 2023 Christmas special.

He made it through to Blackpool week - seen as a key milestone in the contest - but was voted off later in November, making him the ninth celebrity to leave the show.

Doctor claims Covid jab linked to royal cancers in Reform conference speech

7 September 2025 at 05:34
EPA Aseem Malholtra, in a white shirt and dark suit, stands behind a Reform UK podiumEPA

Reform UK has distanced itself from a conference speaker who suggested that Covid vaccines were linked to the King's and the Princess of Wales' cancers.

Aseem Malholtra, an adviser to US health secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr, said: "One of Britain's most eminent oncologists Professor Angus Dalgleish said to me to share with you today that he thinks it's highly likely that the Covid vaccines have been a significant factor in the cancers in the royal family."

Wes Streeting, the health secretary, said that it was "shockingly irresponsible" of Reform to allow Dr Malholtra at the conference.

The party said that it "does not endorse what he said but does believe in free speech".

In his speech in Birmingham, at an event titled "Make Britain Healthy Again", Dr Malholtra also claimed that studies show that mRNA vaccines could alter genes.

Dr Malhotra, a cardiologist, also said taking the Covid vaccine was more likely to cause harm than the virus itself.

"It is highly likely that not a single person should have been injected with this," he added, before going on to say that the World Health Organization had been "captured" by Microsoft founder Bill Gates and urged for it to be replaced.

He hit out at health minister Stephen Kinnock, who called Dr Malhotra an "anti-vax conspiracy theorist".

On the stage, he asked the audience: "Have you heard anything anti-vax or conspiracy theory so far here?"

Dr Malholtra's views have been discredited by many medical professionals and are not supported by scientific evidence, and the NHS says that Covid vaccines meet all strict safety standards.

The link between the Covid jab and cancer has previously been dismissed by academics and oncologists after claims it had led to "turbo cancers".

Professor Brian Ferguson, professor of viral immunology at the University of Cambridge, accused Dr Malholtra of repeating an "outlandish conspiracy theory only serves to undermine the credibility of those spreading it".

He continued: "There is no credible evidence that these vaccines disrupt tumour suppressors or drive any kind of process that results in cancer.

"It is particularly crass to try to link this pseudoscience to the unfortunate incidents of cancer in the royal family."

The King's cancer diagnosis was first announced in February 2024. The palace has said he is receiving treatment, but has not said what type of cancer he has.

Catherine announced her diagnosis in March 2024, and went into remission in January. She, too, did not specify the type of cancer she had.

Streeting warned that "we are seeing falling numbers of parents getting their children vaccinated, and a resurgence of disease we had previously eradicated".

"It is shockingly irresponsible for Nigel Farage to give a platform to these poisonous lies. Farage should apologise and sever all ties with this dangerous extremism."

A Reform UK spokesman told the BBC: "Dr Aseem Malhotra is a guest speaker with his own opinions who has an advisory role in the US government. Reform UK does not endorse what he said but does believe in free speech."

Israel destroys second high-rise as assault on Gaza City intensifies

7 September 2025 at 02:44
AFP via Getty Images People search for salvage at the mound of rubble at the site of the collapsed Sussi Tower, which was destroyed earlier by Israeli bombardment, in Gaza City on 6 September 2025.AFP via Getty Images
The Sussi Tower is the second Gaza City high-rise to be destroyed in as many days

The Israeli military has destroyed a high-rise block in Gaza City, the second major tower it has targeted in as many days.

Defence Minister Israel Katz posted video of the building collapsing on X, with the caption: "We're continuing".

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF), which has been expanding operations in Gaza, said the Sussi Tower was being used by Hamas - a claim denied by the militant group.

It was not immediately clear whether there were any casualties. Ahead of Saturday's strike, Israel dropped leaflets repeating calls for Palestinians to relocate to what it calls a humanitarian zone in the south.

In a social media post, IDF Arabic-language spokesman Avichay Adraee urged residents to "join the thousands of people who have already gone" to al-Mawasi - an area between Khan Younis and the coastline.

The IDF has repeatedly encouraged civilians to move there, saying medical care, water and food will be provided.

However, the UN has said the tent camps in al-Mawasi are overcrowded and unsafe, and that southern hospitals are overwhelmed.

On Tuesday, five children were killed while queuing for water in al-Mawasi. Witnesses said they were struck by an Israeli drone, an incident which the IDF said was "under review".

Anadolu via Getty Images Huge clouds of smoke erupt against the blue sky from Mushata Tower in the West of Gaza, following an Israeli airstrike. The building is beginning to collapse, and two people can be seen in the foreground. Anadolu via Getty Images
The Mushtaha Tower, located west of Gaza City, was destroyed on Friday

The Sussi Tower is the second high-rise to be destroyed in as many days. On Friday social-media footage showed the Mushtaha Tower, in the city's al-Rimal neighbourhood, collapsing after a massive explosion at its base.

The IDF said precautionary measures had been taken to mitigate harm to civilians, "including advance warnings to the population" and the use of "precise munitions".

But Palestinians said displaced families had been sheltering in the Mushtaha Tower, and Gaza civil defence agency spokesman Mahmud Bassal accused Israel of enacting "a policy of forced displacement".

Satellite imagery shows several neighbourhoods in parts of the city have been levelled by Israeli strikes and demolitions over the past month.

The residential and commercial tower blocks in Gaza City represented an important chapter in the city's history, tied to hopes of ending the Israeli occupation and building an independent Palestinian state.

The rise of multi-storey towers – more than five floors – began after the signing of the Oslo Accords in 1993, which allowed tens of thousands of Palestinians to return from exile to Gaza and parts of the West Bank.

Following the Israeli withdrawal from most of Gaza in 1994, vertical expansion became a necessity to accommodate the influx of returnees.

The Palestinian Authority encouraged large investments in the construction sector, with entire neighbourhoods named after the towers.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced Israel's intention to seize all of the Gaza Strip after indirect talks with Hamas on a ceasefire and hostage release deal broke down in July.

The UN estimates nearly one million people remain in Gaza City, where it declared a famine last month. It has warned of an imminent "disaster" if the assault proceeds.

The Israeli military launched a campaign in Gaza in response to the Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on 7 October 2023, in which about 1,200 people were killed and 251 others were taken hostage.

At least 63,746 people have been killed in Israeli attacks in Gaza since then, according to the territory's Hamas-run health ministry.

The ministry also says 367 people have so far died during the war as a result of malnutrition and starvation.

Additional reporting by Ruth Comerford

'Keep your cool' during emergency alert test, government says

7 September 2025 at 03:23
PA Media Image of a hand holding a phone. On the phone reads an emergency alert: "Severe alert. This is a test of Emergency Alerts, a new UK government service that will warn you if there's a life-threatening emergency nearby. In a real emergency, follow the instructions in the alert to keep yourself and others safe. Visit gov.uk/alerts for more information. This is a test. You do not need to take any action."PA Media
The previous nationwide test of the emergency alert messaging system took place in 2023

The government has urged people to "keep their cool" when the national system for sending emergency alerts to mobile phones in the UK is tested on Sunday.

At 15:00 BST, compatible phones will vibrate and make a siren sound for 10 seconds, even if set to silent. They will also display a message explaining that a test is taking place.

The alerts are intended for situations in which there is an imminent danger to life, such as extreme weather events or during a terror attack.

Pat McFadden, the new work and pensions secretary, said the test is "to make sure the system works well when we need it most".

It is just the second time the system has been tested nationwide, and comes more than two years after the first revealed a number of technical issues.

Many people reported the alert went off a minute earlier or later than planned. Some said they did not receive the alert at all.

McFadden, who until Friday's government re-shuffle served as a senior Cabinet Office minister, said: "I know Brits will keep their cool when phones across the UK make a siren-like noise... It's important to remember this is only a test, just like the fire drills we all do in our schools and workplaces."

He added: "We're carrying out the test to make sure the system works well when we need it most, and afterwards, we'll work with mobile network operators to assess performance.

"The test takes just 10 seconds, but it helps us keep the country safe 24 hours a day, 365 days a year," he said.

It will see compatible phones - the vast majority of those currently in use - vibrate and make a siren sound for 10 seconds, while displaying a message.

The text of the message will read: "This is a test of Emergency Alerts, a UK government service that will warn you if there's a life-threatening emergency nearby.

"You do not need to take any action. In a real emergency, follow the instructions in the alert to keep yourself and others safe."

Phones that are switched off or in airplane mode will not get the alert.

Watch UK alert go off from a government test in 2023

The system has been deployed regionally five times in the past few years.

Around 4.5 million phones in Scotland and Northern Ireland were sent an alert during Storm Eowyn in January. The previous month, around 3.5 million were sent alerts in England and Wales during Storm Darragh.

The system was used last February to aid the evacuation of more than 10,000 residents in Plymouth, after a 500kg unexploded World War Two bomb was discovered.

Messages have also been targeted to relatively small areas to pinpoint those at risk, including during flooding in Cumbria in May 2024, and for similar weather conditions in Leicestershire in January.

Domestic abuse charities previously warned the system could endanger victims by potentially alerting an abuser to a hidden phone. The National Centre for Domestic Violence advised people with concealed phones to turn them off for the duration of the test.

The government has stressed that emergency alerts should remain switched on, but has published a guide for domestic abuse victims on how to opt out.

Reform conference shows party's growing ambition like never before

7 September 2025 at 01:59
PA/Shutterstock Nigel Farage with his arms raised, acknowledges the crowd at the Reform conference. Beside him, two senior Reform figures applaud.PA/Shutterstock

This is the most fascinating party conference I have ever been to.

Yes, I am an insufferable nerd: I have been coming to things like this for 20 years.

I have been to Labour, Conservative, Liberal Democrat, Scottish National Party, UKIP and Green Party conferences.

Firstly, an admission. I arrived late here.

I'm blaming Angela Rayner and the government reshuffle that followed her resignation, which meant I had to be in London on Friday.

What is fascinating about this gathering is it illustrates the pace of growth of Reform UK.

It is a vastly bigger gathering than the party had last year.

It now feels like a big party conference - but retains the insurgency vibe that the party is seeking to channel.

That is the unique combination I have never seen before.

Scaling up while holding onto that newbie energy will be a challenge, they seem to be managing both for now.

UKIP in its pomp had an insurgency feel about it, but its focus was much narrower and it was never talked of as a potential government.

Its conferences, at Doncaster Racecourse, Exeter and Torquay among other places, were proudly rather homespun in feel.

This year, Reform has hired Birmingham's NEC.

It is huge and it would be easy to leave a sense of rattling around in a tin in here, but it is busy.

I recognise one of the big catering trucks in here from one of the other party's conferences.

The corporate lounge sponsored by Heathrow Airport is another staple of the big conferences.

So far, so conventional, if you like – for a big party.

But then I spot a queue of folk waiting for Nigel Farage to sign their light blue Reform UK football shirt, bought at the nearby merchandise shop.

The number 10 and Farage on the back of them all is not exactly subtle about this movement's ambitions.

Can you imagine Keir Starmer, Kemi Badenoch, Ed Davey or John Swinney pulling that off?

Not in a million years.

Reuters A woman hangs up pale blue football shirts, with Farage 10 on the back of them, at the Reform conferenceReuters
Football shirts with Farage 10 printed on the back proved popular with the Reform activists

In another corner of the main exhibition hall are 10 stands, each representing a region of England or a nation of the UK.

They are indicative of the growth and professionalising Reform is attempting at lightning speed – setting up the local branch network and army of volunteers a successful national political party requires.

It's the unglamorous side of politics, a long way from the whizzy pyrotechnics of Nigel Farage's conference speech, but arguably more important.

A couple from Suffolk stop for a chat.

They have never been to a party conference before and had never been in a political party until they joined Reform recently.

Another couple from Glasgow tell a similar story.

There are plenty of sharp-suited young men about too.

Two blokes having lunch together call me over. One recently worked for a Labour MP, the other had been a lifelong Conservative voter.

Those with a former political affiliation are disproportionately disgruntled Conservatives, but not exclusively.

All around us flutter the party's banner and the conference's slogan: "The Next Step."

And those three words get to the essence of this: the story of Reform's momentum has been the stand out political development of the last year.

But can they keep growing - and, ultimately, can they win the next general election?

"Can't stop, won't stop" is the mantra of the party's senior figures privately, as their membership numbers tick towards a quarter of a million.

And as an indicator of their seriousness of purpose, what did Nigel Farage plead for in his closing address from his activists?

Was he tub thumping and cracking gags?

Not a bit of it.

"Discipline" is what he wants.

Activists who disagree in private, not in public. Activists willing to stand as council candidates.

Nigel Farage has a focus and sense of purpose I haven't seen in the best part of two decades of reporting on him.

He sees an opportunity the like of which he has never seen before.

Patchy England beat Australia to set up Scotland quarter-final

7 September 2025 at 02:08

Patchy England beat Australia to set up Scotland quarter-final

Jess Breach and Sadia Kabeya celebrateImage source, Getty Images
Image caption,

Breach (R) marked her 50th cap with her 53rd England try

England (19) 47

Tries: Breach, Ward, Kabeya (2), Clifford (2), Bern Cons: Harrison (6)

Australia (7)

Tries: Talakai Con: Wood

England recovered from a shaky first-half showing to beat Australia and set up a Women's Rugby World Cup quarter-final against Scotland.

Flanker Sadia Kabeya and replacement prop Kelsey Clifford both scored two tries in a match that was watched by Catherine, Princess of Wales and England men's summer tour co-captain Jamie George, among 30,433 supporters in Brighton.

However, full-back Ellie Kildunne and hooker Hannah Botterman were forced off with injuries. Kildunne did not return to the fray after a head injury assessment, while Botterman limped off with a back spasm. Both are frontline members of the team.

England's winning streak now extends to 30 Tests and matches a record run that ended in their defeat in the 2022 World Cup final.

Yet this performance against a Wallaroos side ranked seventh in the world will offer hope to those hoping to upset the title favourites.

England will play Scotland in a quarter-final in Bristol on Sunday, September 14, with kick-off at 16:00 BST.

England have beaten their neighbours three times since the last World Cup, with those victories coming by an average of 50 points.

Misfiring England belatedly hit their straps

Ellie Kildunne Image source, Reuters
Image caption,

Kildunne returned to the pitch to thank England's fans after the final whistle

England coach John Mitchell had questioned before this game whether Australia, who would make the quarter-finals either by avoiding a thrashing or by picking up a bonus point, would attempt to kick and contain or run and attack.

In the opening 30 minutes, they did both. And outplayed the hosts in the process.

England flunked their first two set-pieces, with Rosie Galligan spilling a line-out and Botterman going to ground at the scrum to give away a penalty.

Meanwhile, Australia fly-half Faitala Moleka found turf between the hosts' back three with clever kicks and her forwards cantered into contact, refusing to be cowed by the Red Roses' record or reputation.

Wallaroos hooker Adiana Talakai burrowed over at the back of a sixth-minute driven lineout to ensure that early superiority showed on the scoreboard.

Wing Jess Breach, winning her 50th cap, scampered in shortly after from Zoe Harrison's over-the-top miss pass to cut Australia's lead to 7-5, but England's discipline and drills remained scrappy.

Abbie Ward was pinged for a needless offside and the line-out misfired, with three going astray in the first half. When England did safely gather, Australia were able to shove a spanner in the spokes of their usually powerful driving maul.

Amy Cokayne found herself at the back of one maul that did motor over the line, only to lose the ball as she attempted to ground.

Botterman, one of England's most impressive performers so far in the tournament, was forced off shortly after.

It couldn't get much worse for England.

And it didn't. After 32 minutes, Ward put England in front for the first time, finally overwhelming some gritty Australian goalline defence to make it 12-7.

Kabeya followed her over just before half-time as England went to the rolling maul once more and finally made one stick.

A 19-7 half-time lead was flattering, however. Australia had enjoyed 63% possession, and England had had to make 69 more tackles than their opponents.

The prospect of an upset from 80-1 outsiders Australia evaporated within five minutes of the restart as Natasha Hunt smartly kicked ahead a loose ball and popped the ball up for Kabeya to score her second try.

Kildunne departed soon after and, although she returned to watch the remainder of the match from the bench, she offered an uneasy smile when shown on the big screen.

Two short-range tries from Clifford, while Australia were reduced to 14 by Moleka's yellow card, moved England 40-7 clear and out of sight.

With Australia well inside the 75-point margin of defeat that would imperil their place in the last eight, the main point of interest in the final quarter was a rejigged England backline, with Holly Aitchison coming off the bench to replace Tatyana Heard and operate in tandem with Zoe Harrison.

That experiment was slightly spoiled by a yellow card for Sarah Bern, shortly after she put the seal on the try-scoring, that reduced England to 14 for the final 10 minutes.

However, Helena Rowland put in an excellent cameo in place of Kildunne, proving enterprising in attack and making an excellent tackle when up against the pace of wing Maya Stewart.

Australia will take on Canada, the side ranked second in the world, in the quarter-finals next Saturday in Bristol.

England: Kildunne; Dow, Jones, Heard, Breach; Harrison, Hunt; Botterman, Cokayne, Muir, Galligan, Ward, Talling, Kabeya, Matthews (c)

Replacements: Atkin-Davies, Clifford, Bern, Ives Campion, Feaunati, L Packer, Aitchison, Rowland

Australia: Halse; Stewart, Friedrichs, Pomare, Miller; Moleka, Wood; Kavoa, Talakai, Karpani, Leaney, Leonard, Duck, Marsters, Palu (c)

Replacements: Naden, Pohiva, O'Gorman, Chancellor, Tuinakauvadra, Hinds, Smith

Related topics

Home Office clearout as Starmer reshuffles top team

7 September 2025 at 00:59
PA Media Sir Keir Starmer, in a white shirt and black rimmed glasses, speaks to ship builders during his visit to BAE Scotstoun shipyard in GlasgowPA Media

Ministers Dame Angela Eagle and Dame Diana Johnson have followed Yvette Cooper out of the door at the Home Office as Sir Keir Starmer continues his reshuffle.

The prime minister shifted Cooper to the Foreign Office on Thursday in a major shake-up of his top team prompted by the resignation of deputy prime minister Angela Rayner.

Now he is reshuffling other key ministerial posts, as he seeks to regain the initiative after the most tumultuous week of his premiership.

Ministers of state and junior ministers are given specific areas of responsibility in government departments, while cabinet ministers are in charge of the department as a whole and take part in cabinet meetings for major decisions.

Dame Angela and Dame Diana have been moved to roles in other departments, with Sarah Jones and Alex Norris brought into the Home Office, to work with new Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood.

The moves reflects the importance the PM places on tackling illegal immigration and stopping small boat crossings.

Anna Turley has been promoted from the Whips Office to minister without portfolio in the Cabinet Office, and will attend cabinet. She will also become Labour Party chair, replacing Chancellor Rachel Reeves's sister Ellie.

Ellie Reeves becomes Solicitor General, replacing Lucy Rigby, who is moving to the Treasury to become economic secretary, effectively third in command to Rachel Reeves.

Sir Keir has sacked farming minister Daniel Zeichner, having also moved environment secretary Steve Reed to Rayner's old housing brief - perhaps a sign that he wants to reset the government's shattered relationship with the farming community.

Another appointment that stands out is Jason Stockwood, vice-chairman Grimsby Town football club.

Stockwood is a local boy done very well in business, that some in the party were keen to see run as a candidate in a parliamentary seat.

He was not interested, but has been lured into the Lords and becomes a business minister.

For a government frequently criticised for lacking voices with long-standing private sector experience, the soon-to-be Lord Stockwood could prove something of an asset.

Former investment minister Poppy Gustaffson and former local government minister Jim McMahon have also left government, Downing Street confirmed.

Here is a full list of the other appointments announced so far:

  • Dan Jarvis joins the Cabinet Office as a minister, while remaining security minister in the Home Office
  • Baroness Jacqui Smith has taken up the role of skills minister in the Department for Work and Pensions. She will stay as both the skills and women and equalities minister in the Department for Education
  • Lord Patrick Vallance becomes a minister in the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero. He will remain minister in the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology
  • Michael Shanks as a minister jointly in the Department for Business and Trade and Department for Energy Security and Net Zero
  • Alison McGovern has been appointed to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government
  • Sir Chris Bryant is stripped of his joint role with the science and culture departments, becoming a minister of state at the business department
  • Luke Pollard becomes minister of state at the Ministry of Defence
  • Georgia Gould is moved from a junior role at the Cabinet Office to the education department.

Families pay tribute to British couple killed in Lisbon funicular crash

6 September 2025 at 23:55
Reuters The wreckage of the Gloria funicular in LisbonReuters

Three British nationals were killed in the Lisbon funicular crash, Portuguese police have said.

The Glória funicular, a popular tourist attraction, derailed and crashed into a building on Wednesday, killing 16.

More than 20 people were also injured, with five in a critical condition.

Nationals of Portugal, South Korea, Switzerland, Canada, Ukraine, France, and the US are also among the dead, police said.

It is not known what caused the crash. The capital's public transport operator, Carris, said all funiculars would be inspected and that it had launched an independent investigation.

The 140-year-old carriage derailed at around 18:15 local time (17:15 GMT) near the city's Avenida da Liberdade boulevard.

More than 60 rescue personnel raced to the scene to pull people from the wreckage.

Videos and images of the site showed an overturned, crumpled yellow carriage lying on the cobblestone street.

Portugal's Prime Minister Luís Montenegro called the crash "one of the biggest human tragedies of our recent history" and a national day of mourning was declared.

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

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Seoul holds emergency meeting after citizens detained in US Hyundai raid

6 September 2025 at 23:29
Getty Images Vehicles at the Hyundai Metaplant electric vehicle manufacturing facility in Ellabell, GeorgiaGetty Images

South Korea is mounting an "all-out" response, as the country reels over the arrest of more than 300 of its citizens in an immigration raid at a Hyundai plant in the US.

Seoul has dispatched diplomats to the site in Georgia, while LG Energy Solution, which operates the plant with Hyundai, said it was suspending most business trips to the US.

US officials detained 475 people - mostly South Korean nationals - who they said were found to be illegally working at the battery facility, one of the largest foreign investment projects in the state.

The White House defended the operation, dismissing concerns that the raid could deter foreign investment.

"They were illegal aliens and ICE [Immigration and Customs Enforcement] was just doing its job," President Donald Trump said following the raids on Friday.

Video released by ICE officials showed Asian workers shackled in front of a building, with some wearing yellow vests with names such as "Hyundai" and "LG CNS."

"People on short-term or recreational visas are not authorized to work in the US," ICE said, adding that the raid was necessary to protect American jobs.

"This operation sends a clear message that those who exploit the system and undermine our workforce will be held accountable," Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Special Agent Steven Schrank said in a statement on Saturday.

South Korea, a close US ally, has pledged tens of billions of dollars in American manufacturing investment, partly to offset tariffs.

The timing of the raid, as the two governments engage in sensitive trade talks, has raised concern in Seoul.

Trump has actively encouraged major investments from other countries while also tightening visa allocations for foreign companies.

Many of the LG employees arrested were on business trips with various visas or under a visa waiver programme, officials say.

South Korea's Minister of Foreign Affairs Cho Hyun said he felt a "great sense of responsibility for the arrest of our citizens" as he presided over an emergency meeting about the issue on Saturday.

He said the government had set up a team to respond to the arrests and that he may travel to Washington if needed.

On Saturday, LG Energy Solution said it was sending its Chief Human Resources Officer Kim Ki-soo to the Georgia site on Sunday.

"We are making all-out efforts to secure the swift release of detained individuals from our company and partner firms," it said in a statement to the South Korean media.

"We are confirming regular medications for families through an emergency contact network for detainees and plan to request that necessary medications be delivered to those detained."

The company said it was suspending most business trips to the US and directing employees on assignment in the US to return home immediately.

South Korean media widely described the raid as a "shock," with the Dong-A Ilbo newspaper warning it could have "a chilling effect on the activities of our businesses in the United States".

The factory, which makes new electric vehicles, had been touted by Georgia's Republican governor as the biggest economic development project in the state's history, employing 1,200 people.

The arrested workers were being held at an ICE facility in Folkston, Georgia, until the agency decides where to move them next.

LG Energy Solution said 47 of its employees and about 250 workers for contractors at the joint venture factory were detained.

Trump says Venezuelan jets will be shot down if they endanger US ships

6 September 2025 at 18:12
Getty Images A close up of US President Donald Trump who is wearing a dark blue suit, white shirt and purple tie with blue dots. There is also an American pin on his right lapel. Getty Images

President Donald Trump has warned that, if Venezuelan jets fly over US naval ships and "put us in a dangerous position, they'll be shot down".

His warning comes after Venezuela flew military aircraft near a US vessel off South America for the second time in two days, US officials told the BBC's US partner CBS News.

The reports follow a US strike against what Trump officials said was a "drug-carrying vessel from Venezuela" operated by a gang, killing 11 people.

President Nicolás Maduro has said US allegations about Venezuela are not true and that differences between the countries do not justify a "military conflict".

"Venezuela has always been willing to talk, to engage in dialogue, but we demand respect," he added.

When asked by reporters in the Oval Office on Friday what would happen if Venezuelan jets flew over US vessels again, Trump said Venezuela would be in "trouble".

Trump told his general, standing beside him, that he could do anything he wanted if the situation escalated.

Since his return to office in January, Trump has steadily intensified his anti-drug-trafficking efforts in Latin America.

Maduro has accused the US of seeking "regime change through military threat".

When asked about the comments, Trump said "we're not talking about that", but mentioned what he called a "very strange election" in Venezuela. Maduro was sworn in for his third term in January after a contested election.

Trump went on to say that "drugs are pouring" into the US from Venezuela and that members of Tren de Aragua - a gang proscribed as a terrorist organisation in the US - were living in the US.

The US military has moved to bolster its forces in the southern Caribbean, including through the deployment of additional naval vessels and thousands of US Marines and sailors to stem the flow of drugs.

The White House said on Friday that the US is sending 10 F-35 fighter jets to Puerto Rico.

When asked about the build-up of military assets in the Caribbean, Trump said: "I think it's just strong. We're strong on drugs. We don't want drugs killing our people."

Trump is a long-time critic of Maduro. The US president doubled a reward for information leading to the arrest of the Venezuelan leader to $50m (£37.2m) in August, accusing him of being "one of the largest narco-traffickers in the world".

During Trump's first term, the US government charged Maduro and other high-ranking Venezuelan officials with a range of offences, including narco-terrorism, corruption and drug trafficking.

Maduro has previously rejected the US claims.

Yesterday — 6 September 2025BBC | Top Stories

Arrests made at rally against Palestine Action ban in London

6 September 2025 at 22:15
Reuters Several police officers carry a woman away by her limbsReuters

Police have started arresting protesters at a demonstration against the government's ban of the campaign group Palestine Action.

Hundreds of people have gathered in Parliament Square in central London, some waving Palestinian flags and chanting "free Palestine". Others held placards saying: "I oppose genocide, I support Palestine Action."

Officers have been seen carrying people out of the crowd, after some protesters said they planned to refuse bail and go "floppy" if they were arrested.

The Metropolitan Police had earlier warned that people showing support for the group, which has been proscribed under terrorism law, would face arrest.

The government proscribed Palestine Action under the Terrorism Act in July, making membership of or support of the group a criminal offence, punishable by up to 14 years in prison.

Saturday's protest follows a major demonstration last month which saw more than 500 people arrested for displaying placards in support of Palestine Action.

The average age of those arrested at the August rally was 54, and the most arrests - 147 of them - were of people aged between 60 and 69.

Royal Catholic funeral announced for Duchess of Kent

6 September 2025 at 22:19
Reuters Duchess of Kent in a photo from 1995Reuters
The Duchess of Kent was praised for her kindness and interest in music

The funeral of the Duchess of Kent will be held at Westminster Cathedral on 16 September, with the King and Queen among the senior royals who will be in attendance, Buckingham Palace has announced.

The duchess, Katharine, died on Thursday aged 92, prompting tributes for her kindness and support for tennis and music - including working as a primary school music teacher.

The duchess was a Catholic and there will be a Requiem Mass for her funeral, which will be the first royal Catholic funeral in the UK in modern history.

It will be a private family ceremony, after which the coffin will be taken to the royal burial ground in Frogmore in Windsor.

The duchess, who had been the oldest member of the Royal Family, died in Kensington Palace and her coffin will remain in the chapel there until the evening before the funeral, when she will brought to Westminster Cathedral.

In the Catholic tradition, there will be a service to mark the reception of the coffin into the cathedral, where it will remain in the Lady Chapel overnight, before the funeral the following day.

That will be attended by her close family, with the duchess being survived by her husband, the Duke of Kent, and their two sons and a daughter.

This first royal funeral at Westminster Cathedral, at 2pm on Tuesday 16 September, will be presided over by Cardinal Vincent Nichols, with the Anglican Dean of Windsor participating, before accompanying the coffin to Frogmore.

Family tree of King George V, showing his children and grandchildren. His children are Edward VIII, George VI (father of Elizabeth II and Princess Margaret), Princess Mary (mother of George and Gerald Lascelles), Henry, Duke of Gloucester (father of Prince William of Gloucester and Richard, Duke of Gloucester), George, Duke of Kent (father of Edward, Duke of Kent, Princess Alexandra of Kent and Prince Michael of Kent) and Prince John. Edward, Duke of Kent is shown married to Katharine, Duchess of Kent. The graphic includes small headshots of all the family members shown.

Prince Harry will be in the UK next week for charity events, but it is not known if he would stay for the funeral, which is expected to be attended by many senior royals.

The Prince and Princess of Wales said she would be a "much missed member of the family" who had "worked tirelessly to help others and supported many causes, including through her love of music".

Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said the Duchess of Kent brought "compassion, dignity and a human touch to everything she did".

The duchess supported music charities and taught music at a Hull primary school, where pupils knew nothing of the royal background of "Mrs Kent".

She will be remembered as a familiar figure at the Wimbledon tennis championships, where she handed over trophies - and consoled those who had lost, famously including a tearful Jana Novotna in 1993.

Tennis player Martina Navratilova posted a tribute with a picture of herself and the duchess at Wimbledon, saying it was "amazing how many millions of people around the globe she affected in a positive way".

The duchess, who stepped back from her royal life in her later years, had supported charities including Childline and the Passage, which supports homeless people, based in Westminster not far from where her funeral will be held later this month.

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When is the emergency alert test on mobile phones and can you opt out?

6 September 2025 at 21:36
Getty Images A woman with red hair looks at her turquoise mobile, which she holds in her hands. She wears a brightly patterned brown, yellow and orange shirt and has several rings on her fingers. Getty Images

The national system for sending emergency alerts to mobile phones will be tested for the second time this Sunday, 7 September.

The alerts are designed for situations where there is an imminent danger to life, such as during extreme weather events or a terror attack.

The previous test, in April 2023, revealed a number of technical issues including some users receiving multiple messages and others getting nothing at all.

What time will the emergency alert be sent and what will happen?

The alert will be sent to millions of devices around 15:00 BST on Sunday 7 September.

Compatible phones - the vast majority of those currently in use - will vibrate and make a siren sound for roughly 10 seconds.

The text of the message will read:

"This is a test of Emergency Alerts, a UK government service that will warn you if there's a life-threatening emergency nearby.

"You do not need to take any action. In a real emergency, follow the instructions in the alert to keep yourself and others safe.

"Find simple and effective advice on how to prepare for emergencies at gov.uk/prepare.

"Visit gov.uk/alerts for more information or to view this message in Welsh. Ewch i gov.uk/alerts am ragor o wybodaeth neu i weld y neges hon yn y Gymraeg."

Which devices will receive the alerts?

The alert will be sent to all smartphones on the UK's 4G and 5G networks, even if they are not connected to mobile data or wi-fi.

There are about 87 million mobile phones in the UK and the goverment says about 95% of the population has 4G or 5G access.

Older phones, and phones connected to 2G or 3G networks, will not receive the message.

Phones that are switched off or in airplane mode will also not get the alert.

Watch UK alert go off from a government test in 2023

Can users opt out of receiving emergency alerts?

The government strongly recommends that users enable devices to receive emergency alerts, but it is possible to opt out.

This can be done by searching in your phone's settings for "emergency alerts" and turning off "severe alerts" and "extreme alerts".

The government has published a guide on how to opt out of the test.

What is the advice for victims of domestic abuse?

Ahead of the 2023 test, domestic abuse charities warned that the alert system could potentially endanger victims by alerting an abuser to the existence of a secret phone.

The National Centre for Domestic Violence advised people with concealed devices to make sure they were turned off for the duration of the test.

What went wrong during the 2023 test?

During the first test some users got the alert ahead of the scheduled time while others got it later.

Many mobile phones on the Three network did not get anything at all, along with some users on other networks.

Others received multiple messages.

The government later confirmed that the test alert had not reached around 7% of compatible devices, and promised to fix the problems before any future tests.

The issues did not arise when the system was subsequently used to circulate real alerts.

What have emergency alerts been used for?

PA Media Police offers talk to residents in Plymouth in front of their police car and next to a blue sign which reads "Police. Road closed" on Friday 23 February, 2024. Residents were evacuated while a suspected World War Two bomb was removed from the garden where it was discovered and taken by military convoy to be disposed of at sea.PA Media
The alert system was used to tell local residents in Plymouth to evacuate after the discovery of a suspected WW2 bomb in a local garden

The government says the alert system plays "a critical role in making sure that we are ready for all kinds of future emergencies".

It uses mobile phone masts to send targeted information to users in a particular area.

Five real life alerts have seen sent to more than seven million mobile phone users since the system began.

It was used to contact around 4.5 million phones in Scotland and Northern Ireland during Storm Eowyn in January 2025, and around three million in England and Wales during Storm Darragh the previous month.

It was also used to help co-ordinate the evacuation of more than 10,000 residents in Plymouth as an unexploded 500kg World War Two bomb was carefully removed and taken out to sea to be detonated.

Starmer resets after Rayner row, but Labour turmoil is a gift for Reform

6 September 2025 at 19:59
BBC A treated montage image, showing Angela Rayner on the left and Keir Starmer on the right BBC

Welcome to the weird world of UK politics 2025.

The TV presenter Jeremy Kyle announces to a huge crowd of Nigel Farage supporters at Reform UK's party conference that David Lammy is the new number two in government and they boo, panto-style.

And there's a YouTube video of the (now former) deputy prime minister dancing in a tracksuit and chunky gold chain waving wads of cash that's been watched more than 1.5m times.

These might both sound like parodies, but only the video of Angela Rayner rapping "How Many Homes Can Rayner Buy" was a joke.

And what was planned as No 10's "get back in charge week" has been blown up by a row you couldn't make up – the housing secretary in trouble for not paying tens of thousands of pounds of tax on her expensive new house.

Her exit pushed the button on a chunky shakeup of Sir Keir Starmer's team.

The start of this political season has been wild.

Arron Chown/ PA Angela Rayner wearing sunglasses as she arrives in Downing Street, London, for a Cabinet meeting
Arron Chown/ PA
Both Rayner's team and No 10 felt she had to go

In the end, Rayner's decision to go was clear cut.

The official report into her behaviour said she'd tried to do the right thing, but not tried hard enough. So the rules had been broken.

Her camp reckoned she had no option. No 10 agreed.

There is frustration that the manner of her exit from government gave her critics what they wanted. But she knew she had no choice, and was devastated by her own mistake.

It's acutely and specifically painful for Labour because Rayner had personally styled herself as something of a sleaze-buster.

It was she who often led the charge against the succession of Conservatives who got into trouble over their own complicated financial arrangements, hurling accusations of arrogance and greed on a fairly regular basis.

She was the shoutier end of Starmer's so called "Mr Rules" approach, a serious belief that government had to be washed clean of its tawdry image after multiple scandals and Boris Johnson's, ahem, flexible attitude to the normal rules.

She portrayed herself as a loud and proud champion of ordinary people looking at the worst Westminster behaviour in disgust.

Jane Barlow/ PA Angela Rayner Jane Barlow/ PA
Rayner had styled herself as something of a sleaze-buster

For Labour in general, it undermines again, their claim to be different to those who went before, to return government to the "service of the people", as Sir Keir said so many times – to be competent, with clean heels.

For the government's number two to have messed up her tax affairs undermines faith in ministers' ability. As one MP put it, "it's not even a rookie error, it's 40,000 smackers of oversight".

And for such a prominent politician to lose their job over property dealings that many of the public couldn't imagine being able to afford gives the impression, again, that politicians live in a different world.

"There's just the smell test," a Labour insider said.

Chris Jackson / PA (left to right) Angela Rayner, Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and Chancellor of the Exchequer Rachel Reeves during the concert celebrating the 80th Anniversary of VE Day
Chris Jackson / PA
Angela Rayner, Sir Keir Starmer and Rachel Reeves all came under fire for accepting permitted freebies

This time last year, Rayner, the prime minister himself, and even the chancellor were all red faced for taking, albeit permitted freebies, of clothes, glasses, and gig tickets, struggling to explain why politicians are entitled to free stuff the rest of us are not.

Twelve months on, Rayner is the fifth minister who has quit after their actions caused embarrassment for the government. Those clean heels look a bit scruffy now.

Getty Images Reform UK Leader Nigel Farage, who has short grey hair and is wearing a blue suit with a blue tie with a staircase-like blue design, waves amid smoke and sparks on a stage at the Reform UK party conference Getty Images
Nigel Farage moved forward his conference speech after Rayner's resignation

The mess is, of course, a gift for Nigel Farage. At his party's conference in Birmingham on Friday Rayner's exit didn't just shove him on stage a few hours early for his speech to try to grab a space in the news cycle, it gave more ammunition to his fundamental argument.

Reform's pitch rests on a claim that the two big parties are as bad as each other, and preside over a system that is bust.

Does his vow he could stop the small boats in a fortnight stand up? We'll be talking to the Reform leader later, and our full interview will be on the show on Sunday.

Andy Rain/ EPA /Shutterstock David Lammy outside 10 Downing Street in LondonAndy Rain/ EPA /Shutterstock
David Lammy is the new deputy prime minister

The prime minister's answer to the drama of the last couple of days?

Making changes to his ministers.

The decisions were made finally because of Rayner's exit but the moves have been long in the making.

Downing Street's hope is to salvage opportunity out of what was fast morphing into a crisis. A No 10 source tells me: "None of us expected it to unfold as it did, but this gives real shape and substance to a refreshed No 10 team, marking a strong new phase of this premiership."

You and I might translate that as: "The saga over Angela's tax was a total pain in the neck, but it's given us the excuse to make some of the changes we fancied anyway."

One insider described it as moving those who were "a bit awkward, or a bit tired".

Aaron Chown/ PA Shabana MahmoodAaron Chown/ PA
Some hope Shabana Mahmood will take a more strident approach on small boats as the new home secretary

What those changes add up to depends on who you ask.

One ally of the PM tells me, the reshuffle "is all about immigration", believing "Shabana [Mahmood] is the one who can get a grip of this" to solve the small boats issue or "we're all done for".

Some of Starmer's allies have long admired Shabana Mahmood, and believe her elevation to home secretary will see bring a more forthright approach to cracking the problems of the immigration system.

As justice secretary she held out the possibility of castrating sex offenders. That is not exactly a proposal designed to warm the hearts of Labour Party branch meetings.

But in some government circles there's a hope she'll take a more strident approach to the small boats crisis than Yvette Cooper.

Andy Rain/ EPA /Shutterstock Yvette Cooper at 10 Downing Street 
Andy Rain/ EPA /Shutterstock
Yvette Cooper will have to contend with a visit from President Donald Trump within days of taking up the foreign brief

Cooper moves to a life where she'll spend a lot more time on a plane, as foreign secretary. But those close to her believe it's a tribute to her work doing deals with countries on migration in this last year that she has been given the arguably more prestigious job.

I wouldn't bet we'll see her meeting JD Vance in waders any time soon. But there is the small matter of a state visit from his boss, President Trump, in a matter of days.

Different sources point to other appointments as the ones that will make the difference. The government's often stated number one priority has been to get the economy growing. You don't need me to tell you they haven't been having a great time with that.

Sources suggest moving Pat McFadden, the wily political brain, into a new mega ministry to deal with welfare and skills is part of a souped-up attempt to get the country working, and moving Peter Kyle to business is a way to soothe fevered brows of industry.

He takes the seat of Jonathan Reynolds, who moves to the vital role of chief whip. Given how many ructions there were on the backbenches last term, despite the party's mega majority, Reynold's fortunes keeping the party on side, or not, will be critical.

Phil Noble / Reuters British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Angela Rayner when they attended the Labour Party's annual conference
Phil Noble / Reuters
Angela Rayner's exit from government has brought on a change in the prime minister's top team

But while the reshuffle was a major set of moves, will it dramatically change what you see from the government that runs the country? Don't expect big swerves.

This is not a reshuffle that has come about because of some massive ideological bust up. It seems more about the personalities of the ministers involved than any dramatic shifts in Starmer's ambition.

His allies say in the first year in office he was frustrated at how hard it was to get anything done. The hope is the new line up will work more quickly, and push harder on the government's most thorny problems. One minister said the "time for incremental change has passed – we don't have long", conscious all the time of Reform breathing down their neck.

House of Common / UK Parliament/ PA Screen grab of Angela Rayner and Rachel Reeves as they watch on as Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer speaks during Prime Minister's Questions in the House of Commons
House of Common / UK Parliament/ PA
The start of Sir Keir Starmer's phase two of government has not quite gone to plan

Will it work? That's what we'll witness as the months unfold. A senior Labour figure told me disappointedly: "I'm not sure moving personnel is the best thing – the biggest frustration is the lack of project – that's what makes it hard to make day to decisions."

This reshuffle doesn't answer the most frequent complaint made about Sir Keir by his own party, often publicly, that it's just not that clear exactly what he stands for.

"Phase 2" was meant to be "delivery, delivery, delivery". Another bout of political jargon that followed, "change", "renewal", "security", "fairness", "milestones", "first steps", you get the point.

Even some of the PM's allies would admit privately that none of his chosen pitches to the public have made people's hearts sing.

"You can see the problem from Mars," another party insider says, "there's not enough political direction of what he wants to do – so the policies don't lather up into anything". they reckon. That oft-cited problem is not going to be miraculously solved by a set of HR decisions after a huge embarrassment this week.

But Sir Keir's hope this weekend will be that a reboot at the cabinet table makes his government more effective - demonstrating government can work.

And convincing the public of that these days would be a significant achievement.

House of Common/ Reuters Keir Starmer speaks during the Prime Minister's Questions at the House of Commons in London
House of Common/ Reuters
Sir Keir will be hoping the reshuffle will be a reboot which makes his government more effective

Seven days ago there was an ambition that week one of "phase two" might be an orderly start to the term. The Rayner saga skewered that plan. Now with his new chosen team in place there is more opportunity to make things work perhaps, but fewer excuses if things go wrong.

A senior party source told me: "The test is how does the PM show how No 10's capacity for political strategy and policy making have materially changed?"

With a long list of problems and the party conference looming, we'll soon know if Downing Street can pass that test, to prove it can manage the many challenges of "phase two" any better than the agonies of year one.

Jaimi Joy/ Reuters Rachel ReevesJaimi Joy/ Reuters
Andy Rain / EPA / Shutterstock Angela Rayner addresses a reception in the garden at 10 Downing Street in LondonAndy Rain / EPA / Shutterstock
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