Sir Keir Starmer is facing pressure over US ambassador Lord Mandelson, after the emergence of fresh revelations about his links to the late convicted paedophile Jeffrey Epstein.

It comes after US lawmakers released a number of documents, which included a letter in which the Labour peer called Epstein his "best pal".

In an interview with Harry Cole Saves the West, Lord Mandelson suggested further "embarrassing" exchanges would emerge. The Sun newspaper has reported he allegedly sent supportive messages to Epstein while he was facing charges in 2008.

Lord Mandelson told the BBC: "I relied on assurances of his innocence that turned out later to be horrendously false."

He added in response to the Sun's report: "His lawyers claimed that it was a shake down of him, a criminal conspiracy. I foolishly relied on their word which I regret to this day."

The Conservatives and some Labour MPs have called for Lord Mandelson to be sacked but the prime minister has stood by the diplomat.

According to the Sun newspaper, Lord Mandelson allegedly told Epstein to "fight for early release" shortly before Epstein was sentenced to 18 months in prison for soliciting prostitution from a person under the age of 18.

Speaking to the Harry Cole earlier, Lord Mandelson admitted he had continued his association with Epstein for "far longer than I should have done".

At Prime Minister's Questions on Wednesday, Sir Keir said Lord Mandelson had "repeatedly expressed his deep regret" for his relationship with Epstein, who died in 2019 while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges.

A senior Trump administration official told the BBC the White House is continuing to work together with Lord Mandelson on a whole range of issues despite the furore surrounding his relationship with Epstein.

Lord Mandelson spent almost an hour with US President Donald Trump in the Oval Office on Tuesday.

Even though both men are under pressure over their previous friendships with Epstein neither of them mentioned it. The president did say that Lord Mandelson was "doing a fantastic job as ambassador".

But Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch said Lord Mandelson's position was "untenable".

In a post on X, Badenoch said Lord Mandelson "needs to be fired now" in response to the Sun's report about the diplomat's links to Epstein.

Speaking earlier at PMQs, Badenoch said Lord Mandelson was "mired in scandal", raising questions over Sir Keir's "bad judgement".

Badenoch called for documents relating to background checks on Lord Mandelson ahead of his appointment to be made public.

The Liberal Democrats have also called for an official investigation into the extent to which Lord Mandelson disclosed his previous contacts with Epstein before Sir Keir appointed him US ambassador in December last year.

The prime minister did not detail exactly what he knew about Lord Mandelson's links to Epstein prior to appointing him, but said he retained confidence in him and he was "playing an important role" in UK-US relations.

He added that a "full due process" was undertaken prior to Lord Mandelson's appointment.

Some Labour MPs are worried about the impact of the Mandelson row - just days after Angela Rayner was forced to resign as deputy prime minister.

Although the prime minister has backed Lord Mandelson, a number of Labour MPs broke ranks and went public with calls for the ambassador to resign on Wednesday night.

Among them was Richard Burgon, who said Lord Mandelson "should never have been appointed", and Nadia Whittome, who echoed that view and added it had "long been known that [Lord] Mandelson remained close to Epstein even after he was convicted of sex offences".

Bell Ribeiro-Addy became the first Labour MP to publicly call for the ambassador to resign on Wednesday, telling the i Paper the revelations were "going to disturb quite a few people".

The publication of a letter from Lord Mandelson to Epstein has thrown the spotlight on the pair's relationship.

Released by a committee of US lawmakers on Tuesday, the letter from Mandelson was one of a number of documents in an alleged "birthday book" given to Epstein in 2003 to celebrate his 50th birthday.

Speaking to Harry Cole, the diplomat said it was "very embarrassing" to see the words published but added they were written "over 20 years ago".

Lord Mandelson said he felt "a tremendous sense of regret" over his friendship with Epstein, and a "tremendous sense of sympathy" for his victims.

He said he never saw wrongdoing at any point while with Epstein.

Asked why he continued his friendship with Epstein, Lord Mandelson said he "fell for his lies".

"I accepted assurances he had given me about his original indictment, his original criminal case in Florida. Like very many people I took at face value what he said."

The controversy comes just days before President Trump is due to visit the UK for a state visit.

A senior Trump administration official declined to say whether the White House continued to have confidence in Lord Mandelson, but the official did tell the BBC they were working together on preparations for the state visit, which will celebrate the successes the UK and the US have shared since Trump returned to office.

Lord Mandelson is highly rated in Downing Street because of his ability to work with the Trump administration.

But his past relationship is awkward for the prime minister. A key question will be over Lord Mandelson's judgement – remaining friends with Epstein after it first emerged he had been investigated.

The difficult questions for the government are likely to continue if, as Lord Mandelson suggests, there are more details to come.

Mandelson's connection with Epstein had previously been made public. In 2019, an internal report by the bank JP Morgan said Epstein kept "a particularly close relationship with Prince Andrew, the Duke of York and Lord Peter Mandelson, a senior member of the British government".

Lord Mandelson has been in and out of British politics for four decades. He was instrumental in the New Labour project which saw Tony Blair win the 1997 election with a huge landslide.

He was a minister in different departments in the government until 2010, when Labour lost power and during that time earned a reputation for bouncing back after twice being forced to resign his ministerial positions.

Additional reporting by Sarah Smith, the BBC's North America editor.

Into the two big foreign policy arenas sucking up much of the Trump administration's time and effort come two major challenges in less than 24 hours.

Israel's air raid on the offices of Hamas in Doha and a Russian drone incursion deep into Polish airspace represent two massive headaches for the White House.

And, arguably, two major affronts to the president's authority.

After all, these are conflicts – Ukraine and Gaza - US President Donald Trump said he would deal with swiftly and decisively.

In each case, a leader he sees as a natural, if problematic ally – Russian President Vladimir Putin and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu – has thrown a massive spanner in the wheels of White House peace-making.

Consider the timing. The Doha raid came just two days after the Trump administration delivered its latest proposals to end the war in Gaza.

On social media, Trump told Hamas that this was a last chance.

"I have warned Hamas about the consequences of not accepting," he wrote on Truth Social on Sunday. "This is my last warning, there will not be another one!"

In Doha, Hamas' senior leadership gathered to consider their response, but Israel didn't wait to hear it. The attack didn't just blow up the latest US proposals, it may have wrecked the entire, delicate architecture of Gaza diplomacy, on which the Trump administration was relying heavily.

Debate swirls over how and when the US found out about the Israeli raid and whether it could have done more to stop it. The presence in Qatar of one of the most important US airbases in the world has led many to conclude that it's inconceivable that Washington didn't see the Israeli jets approaching.

But if there wasn't a green light from Washington – and many assume there was – what does this say about Mr Trump's ability to influence Benjamin Netanyahu's actions?

For the past two years, following the humiliation suffered at the hands of Hamas gunmen on 7 October 2023, Israel has been flexing its military muscles across the Middle East, mostly with the tacit or explicit approval of the United States.

Israel has established itself as the region's undisputed hegemon, able to attack at will countries as far flung as Yemen and Iran.

But in both those cases, the US was also involved and shared the objectives – halting Houthi attacks on Israel and shipping in the Red Sea and thwarting Iran's nuclear ambitions.

An attack on Qatar, a key US regional ally, is a whole other thing.

Donald Trump said he felt "very badly" about it. According to the White House account of events, news of the Israeli raid came too late to offer Qatar any meaningful warning.

"Unilaterally bombing inside Qatar, a sovereign nation and close ally of the United States that is working very hard and bravely taking risks with us to broker peace does not advance Israel or America's goals," the White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters.

It won't be enough to quell the suspicions of American complicity, but it sounded like real anger.

For his part, Mr Netanyahu was keen to emphasise that this was a "wholly independent" action.

In The Washington Post, David Ignatius wrote that what the Israelis have dubbed "Operation Summit of Fire" came despite US and Israeli assurances that Hamas leaders would not be targeted in Qatar.

For such assurances, if given, to have been so flagrantly cast aside will inevitably be seen in the Gulf as a sign of American weakness.

Then there's Poland.

Less than a month ago, Trump welcomed Putin to a summit in Alaska, rolling out the red carpet, warmly embracing the architect of the war in Ukraine and, in a hot mic moment days later, telling France's Emmanuel Macron that Putin "wants to make a deal for me….as crazy as it sounds."

But far from progress towards a deal, the weeks since have brought only escalation. More record-breaking Russian drone and missile attacks on Ukraine, and now, for the first time, a flagrant incursion into NATO airspace.

It's not the first time Russian projectiles have landed in Poland, but previous episodes were close to the border and seemingly accidental.

But the incursions early on Wednesday morning were anything but accidental. Polish officials reported 19 Russian drones, some flying deep into Poland.

The Prime Minister Donald Tusk told parliament this was "the closest we have been to open conflict since World War Two."

Despite Russian denials, there's a near universal consensus that this was a deliberate effort by Moscow to test Nato's resolve.

And since the United States remains the alliance's most powerful member, that means testing Donald Trump's resolve too.

The president's apparent reluctance to respond – in contrast to his comments on the Doha attack – did not go unnoticed.

"A stunning silence from the White House greeted news that a Nato ally for the first time engaged and shot down Russian military assets," the Kyiv Post newspaper wrote.

A post on Truth Social did eventually – and inevitably – come.

"What's with Russia violating Poland's airspace with drones?" the president wrote, adding, somewhat ambiguously, "Here we go!"

But his initial silence, coupled with his seeming unwillingness to follow through on his own threats to impose new sanctions on Russia, leave Ukraine's western allies where they have always been: wondering where Donald Trump's heart is.

This could be about to change, with European officials working with their American counterparts on a coordinated package of sanctions, the first since Trump returned to the White House.

But given the president's previous ambivalence about Nato, alliance members want reassurance that when the sovereignty of an ally is threatened, Washington can be relied on to respond.

A recent agreement to allow Nato members to purchase US military equipment for Ukraine, along with the commitment of members to spend more on their own defence, has done much to improve relations within the alliance, and Trump has abandoned the sort of hostile rhetoric towards Nato that characterised his first term in office.

For their part, Nato's European members have generally acknowledged that they must do more to look after their own security. Policing Poland's airspace is a good example.

But American might, military and political, is still the bedrock on which the alliance is built, and questions linger about this president's willingness to wield it.

Two days, two conflicts and two conundrums. For Trump, a leader who does not like, or expect, to be challenged, this has been testing experience. Everyone is waiting to see if he rises to the occasion.

Gary Lineker has pulled off a major upset by breaking Ant and Dec's 23-year winning streak at the National Television Awards.

The former Match of the Day presenter was named best TV presenter at the ceremony, where the winners are chosen by viewers, on Wednesday.

Lineker left the BBC football show after 26 years at the end of the Premier League season in May.

It was also his last appearance for the BBC after the latest in a string of controversies about his social media use led him to announce he would be leaving the corporation.

Accepting the award he thanked everyone he worked with and said the prize "demonstrates that it is OK to use your platform to speak up on behalf of those who have no voice".

Asked about whether he would work for the BBC again, the presenter said he was not sure and was "really looking forward to working with ITV".

The awards are unique in that all of the categories are voted for by members of the public.

One of the most watched reality TV shows of the year, The Traitors, went home empty-handed after being beaten by I'm a Celebrity in the reality competition category.

The National Television Award nominees in full:

Reality competition

• I'm A Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here!
• Love Island
• Race Across the World
• The Traitors

New drama

• Adolescence
• Code of Silence
• Ludwig
• MobLand
• Rivals

Quiz show

• Michael McIntyre's The Wheel
• Richard Osman's House of Games
• The 1% Club
• The Chase

Authored documentary

• Boyzone: No Matter What
• Flintoff
• Molly-Mae: Behind It All
• Strictly Amy: Cancer and Me
• There's Only One Rob Burrow

Returning drama

• Call the Midwife
• Gangs of London
• Heartstopper
• Slow Horses
• Vera

TV presenter

• Alison Hammond
• Ant & Dec
• Claudia Winkleman
• Gary Lineker
• Stacey Solomon

Factual entertainment

• Clarkson's Farm
• Gogglebox
• Sort Your Life Out
• Stacey & Joe
• The Martin Lewis Money Show Live

Drama performance

• Brenda Blethyn - DCI Vera Stanhope, Vera
• Owen Cooper - Jamie Miller, Adolescence
• Rose Ayling-Ellis - Alison Brooks, Code of Silence
• Stephen Graham - Eddie Miller, Adolescence
• Tom Hardy - Harry Da Souza, MobLand

The Bruce Forsyth Entertainment Award

• Michael McIntyre's Big Show
• The Graham Norton Show
• The Masked Singer
• Would I Lie to You?

Serial drama

• Casualty
• Coronation Street
• EastEnders
• Emmerdale
• Hollyoaks

Serial drama performance

• Eden Taylor-Draper - Belle Dingle, Emmerdale
• Jack P Shepherd - David Platt, Coronation Street
• Jacqueline Jossa - Lauren Branning, EastEnders
• Steve McFadden - Phil Mitchell, EastEnders
• Sue Devaney - Debbie Webster, Coronation Street

Comedy

• Brassic
• Gavin & Stacey
• Michael McIntyre's 25th Year Stand-Up Special
• Mrs Brown's Boys

Daytime

• James Martin's Saturday Morning
• Loose Women
• Scam Interceptors
• This Morning

Talent show

• Britain's Got Talent
• Strictly Come Dancing
• The Great British Bake Off
• The Great Pottery Throw Down
• The Voice UK

Charlie Kirk was one of the most high-profile conservative activists and media personalities in the US and a trusted ally of President Donald Trump.

Kirk, 31, who the president said died after a shooting at a Utah college on Wednesday, was known for holding open-air debates on campuses across the country.

In 2012, at the age of 18, he co-founded Turning Point USA (TPUSA), a student organisation that aims to spread conservative ideals at liberal-leaning US colleges.

His social media and eponymous daily podcast often shared clips of him debating with students about issues such as transgender identity, climate change, faith and family values.

The son of an architect who grew up in the well-to-do Chicago suburb of Prospect Heights, Kirk attended a community college near Chicago before dropping out to devote himself to political activism. He applied unsuccessfully for West Point, the elite US military academy.

Kirk often referred tongue-in-cheek to his lack of a college degree when engaging in debates with students and academics on esoteric topics such as post-modernism.

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His role in TPUSA took off after President Barack Obama was re-elected in 2012.

Kirk toured the country speaking at Republican events, many popular with members of the ultra-conservative Tea Party movement. TPUSA now has chapters in more than 850 colleges.

An avid public speaker, Kirk addressed the Oxford Union earlier this year, and wrote a 2020 best-seller The Maga Doctrine.

TPUSA played a key role in the get-out-the-vote effort for Trump and other Republican candidates in last year's election. The millennial was widely credited with helping to register tens of thousands of new voters and flipping Arizona for Trump.

Kirk attended Trump's inauguration in January in Washington DC, and has been a regular visitor at the White House during both Trump terms in office.

The president and his aides valued Kirk's political antenna for the grassroots of the Make America Great Again movement.

He's spoken at Republican conventions and last year Donald Trump repaid the favour by giving a big speech at a Turning Point conference in Arizona.

Earlier this year, he travelled with Trump's son, Donald Trump Jr, to Greenland, as the then-incoming president was arguing that the US should own the Arctic territory.

Kirk's evangelical Christian religion and family - he married a former Miss Arizona, with whom he had two children - were front and centre in his politics, and he was seen as both the future of conservative activism and a highly polarising figure.

Perhaps the biggest tribute to his contribution to Republican politics came from Trump himself in a clip played at the beginning of Kirk's podcast.

The president says: "I want to thank Charlie, he's an incredible guy, his spirit, his love of this country, he's done an amazing job building one of the most powerful youth organisations ever created."

Kirk discussed numerous political and social at his events and on his podcasts, gun control is one of them.

Israel has ordered the entire population of Gaza City to leave, as its forces prepare to capture the north of the Gaza Strip.

Israeli airstrikes have continued to destroy tower blocks, and the army says it now has operational control of 40% of the city, as ground forces prepare to fight what prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu has called the "last important stronghold" of Hamas.

Netanyahu this week said 100,000 people had left the city, but up to a million people are still living there – many in tents or shelters. Many of them say they will not – or cannot – leave.

After a strike hit a tower block near his home today, Ammar Sukkar called on Hamas negotiators to come and negotiate from a tent, not from air-conditioned rooms in Qatar – and insisted he would stay in the city.

"Whether you like it or not, Netanyahu, we're not leaving," he told a local freelancer working for the BBC. "Go and deal with Hamas, go and kill them. We're not to blame. And even if we're buried here, we're not leaving. This is my land."

Wael Shaban, also living near the tower that was targeted today, said they had been given 15 minutes to flee before the strike.

"When we came back, the tents, the flour, everything has gone. Nothing is left. It's all to pressure us to go south, but we don't have the money to go. We can't even afford flour to eat. Transport to the south costs 1,500 shekels."

Israel's army is telling Gaza City residents that there is plenty of shelter, food and water in so-called humanitarian zones further south.

But aid organisations say the areas they are being sent to are already vastly overcrowded, and lack food and medical resources. The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has said nowhere in Gaza can currently absorb such a large movement of people, describing the mass evacuation plan as "unfeasible" and "incomprehensible".

Israel's army is currently building a new aid distribution site near Rafah, 30km (18 miles) to the south. It says it's also providing thousands of extra tents, and laying a new water pipeline from Egypt.

The BBC travelled to the area, as part of a military embed, to see the new site. It's the first time the BBC has been allowed to enter Gaza at all since December 2023.

Military embeds are offered at Israel's discretion, are highly controlled and offer no access to Palestinians or areas not under Israeli military control – but they are currently the only way for BBC journalists to enter Gaza at all.

Israel does not allow news organisations, including the BBC, into Gaza to report independently.

Rafah is a reminder of what happened the last time Israel's prime minister sent his forces into a city to crush "the last stronghold" of Hamas.

Driving down the newly paved military road along Gaza's border with Egypt, we pass the shattered remains of the old Rafah border crossing, the roof of one building cracked and pancaked on the ground.

Further along the road, known as the Philadelphi Corridor, discrete piles of masonry and splintered metal mapped where each house or farm building once stood.

The city of Rafah itself, close to the new aid site, has been all but flattened into the desert. Still and silent, its life erased; only a few pock-marked structures stick up from the sea of rubble strewn for kilometres across the sand.

It was easy to spot the new earth mounds and concrete blast blocks rising out of the rubble-filled landscape beyond it, near Tel el-Sultan.

A short drive from the main Kerem Shalom crossing point, the corner of the al-Mawasi humanitarian zone, where many displaced people are sheltering, is just visible up the coast.

"The whole idea is a safe, quick route," said Israeli military spokesman, Lt Col Nadav Shoshani. "As short a distance as possible for the trucks and for the people coming in. We can guarantee 0% looting."

We were shown two separate areas, each around 100m (328ft) wide, where Israeli forces said unloading and distribution could be carried out in a continuous loop.

Inside one perimeter wall, two US trucks were already parked on the sand.

Israel says the new aid distribution sites will be handed over to the Israeli-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) in the coming days, and security here - as at other GHF sites – will be provided by private US security forces, with Israeli troops securing the area around.

But the UN says more than 1,100 people have been killed trying to access aid from GHF sites since they began operating in May.

Lt Col Shoshani said many lessons had been learned in how the sites were set up.

"You can see the sandbars, concrete walls, making it very clear where you're supposed to go, and making sure people don't approach troops and engage in a dangerous situation," he said. "What's [also] important is how close they are - just a very short walking distance to where the people are. That makes it easier, but also more safe."

But some of those now being told to leave Gaza City say it won't be any safer elsewhere, after repeated Israeli strikes on targets in shelters, tents and designated humanitarian zones.

"This is Hamas's MO (Mode of Operation)," said Lt Col Shoshani. "It's saying: no, don't go, you're our shields! Don't move south!"

"A year ago, we carried out a similar operation [in Rafah] that was successful," he said. "Civilians were able to get out of the line of fire, maximum Hamas terrorists dead, that is what we want to achieve in Gaza City."

Rafah's residents were evacuated before the ground operation there in May 2024 – "temporarily" the army said – to displacement zones set up along the coast. The area they left behind is still under full military control.

But evacuating Gaza City – and fighting Hamas in its tunnels and streets – will be a more difficult, and more dangerous, task.

Hamas fighters are increasingly turning to insurgency tactics and guerrilla attacks. Earlier this week, four Israeli soldiers were killed in an attack on the outskirts of Gaza City.

Israel's leaders, meanwhile, are under intense pressure at home from hostage families, who say plans to take the city are a death sentence for living relatives being held there.

Benjamin Netanyahu – unmoved by the criticism at home – has previously boasted of his determination in staring down international opposition, and pressing ahead with his offensive in Rafah.

Now, with prospects of a ceasefire deal dead, and up to a million exhausted Gazans in the line of fire, he's telling his critics that one more offensive stands between him and victory over Hamas.

Candidates vying to be Labour's next deputy leader are racing to get the support of their fellow MPs, as Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson emerges as a frontrunner.

To stay in the contest, they need to secure the backing of 80 MPs by 17:00 on Thursday.

Phillipson's team believe they will clear the threshold a day early, after gathering 44 nominations by the end of Tuesday.

Her closest rivals so far are former Commons leader Lucy Powell with 35 backers and Bell Ribeiro-Addy, who is on the left of the party, with eight.

They are followed by Foreign Affairs Committee chairwoman Dame Emily Thornberry with seven, Liverpool Wavertree MP Paula Barker with three and Housing Minister Alison McGovern with only two.

But with around 300 of the 399 Labour MPs yet to declare their favoured candidate, there is still time for other campaigns to gain momentum.

Sir Keir Starmer's cabinet - which includes 24 MPs - have been told not to nominate any candidate, though junior ministers are able to do so.

But some Labour figures wonder if as many as 80 more could choose not to officially back anyone, shrivelling the electorate.

It looks quite likely Phillipson will stack up a very big number of supporters, further squeezing the remaining votes to be fought over.

This leaves open the possibility that she is the only candidate to get enough MP backers.

Some rival camps think this is exactly the outcome Downing Street would favour, allowing the contest to be wrapped up quickly.

As the only member of the cabinet to announce her intention to stand, Phillipson is also expected to be more supportive of the government than the other candidates.

There is talk among Phillipson's rivals of the need for votes to consolidate around a viable rival, rather than splinter in five different directions.

Supporters of Powell, who was sacked from her cabinet role in the recent reshuffle, sound cautiously optimistic they can get to 80 nominations.

Meanwhile, other candidates are seeking to woo their fellow MPs, with a virtual hustings taking place at 20:00.

The six hopefuls will be at party headquarters in south London, with Labour MPs able to join remotely to ask questions.

If they secure enough support from their parliamentary colleagues, candidates will then need the backing of either 5% of local parties, or three Labour-affiliated groups, including two unions.

Those who clear the bar face a vote by party members, with the winner announced on 25 October.

Whoever wins the contest, David Lammy will remain as deputy prime minister - a role which is appointed by the prime minister, rather than decided by Labour Party members.

The contest was triggered when Angela Rayner resigned as deputy leader, deputy PM and housing secretary, after admitting she failed to pay enough tax when buying a £800,000 flat in Hove.

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Former US Vice-President Kamala Harris has delivered her sharpest criticism yet of her former boss, calling Joe Biden's decision to seek a second term "recklessness" in an excerpt from her forthcoming memoir.

"'It's Joe and Jill's decision.' We all said that, like a mantra, as if we'd all been hypnotized," Harris writes in her book. "Was it grace, or was it recklessness? In retrospect, I think it was recklessness."

In an extract for her book 107 Days, published by The Atlantic on Wednesday, Harris also describes moments where she felt sidelined or denied credit for her work by Biden's team.

The BBC has contacted Biden's office for comment.

Harris wrote that as vice-president she was in the "worst position" to tell Biden not to run for president again.

"I knew it would come off to him as incredibly self-serving if I advised him not to run," she wrote. "He would see it as naked ambition, perhaps as poisonous disloyalty, even if my only message was: Don't let the other guy win."

The Atlantic published a 3,000-word excerpt from Harris's book – the title is a reference to the length of her failed presidential campaign. The book will be published in full later this month.

Biden withdrew from the 2024 race following a dismal debate performance against then Republican candidate Donald Trump.

The debate performance fuelled questions about Biden's age and mental fitness to lead the country. Harris eventually lost the election to Trump.

Harris wrote that 81-year-old Biden's choice to run for re-election "should have been more than a personal decision".

"The stakes were simply too high. This wasn't a choice that should have been left to an individual's ego, an individual's ambition," she wrote.

She denied that there was a "big conspiracy" to hide Biden's frailty and described the former president as "a smart guy with long experience and deep conviction, able to discharge the duties of president".

"But at 81, Joe got tired. That's when his age showed in physical and verbal stumbles," she wrote.

Harris also alleges the White House failed to adequately respond to her critics.

The former vice-president recalled securing billions of dollars in investment commitments from private companies for Latin American countries to help tackle the root cause of migration.

Despite this, Harris wrote, Republicans "mischaracterized my role as 'border czar'" - a description that dogged her during her presidential campaign as the number of illegal border crossings spiked.

"No one in the White House [communications] team helped me to effectively push back and explain what I had really been tasked to do, nor to highlight any of the progress I had achieved," she wrote.

Harris also described a trip she made to Texas in July 2024, in the wake of a devastating hurricane, and listening to a televised address by Biden while in a hotel room in Houston.

"It was a good speech, drawing on the history of the presidency to locate his own place within it," she wrote. "But as my staff later pointed out, it was almost nine minutes into the 11-minute address before he mentioned me."

Biden and Harris both ran for the Democratic nomination in 2020, and Biden chose his former rival as his running mate. Their ticket defeated Donald Trump and Mike Pence in November of that year.

Despite suggestions from critics that he was too old to serve a second four-year term, Biden launched a re-election bid in 2023.

Harris plans to go on a book tour of 15 cities, including in the United Kingdom and Canada, for 107 Days. The book is expected to go on sale on 23 September.

Wednesday morning's incursion of Russian drones into Polish airspace led to jets being scrambled, an emergency government meeting being called - and concerns that Europe and Nato's resolve against Moscow may not be up to the test.

Poland's Prime Minister Donald Tusk said Polish airspace was violated 19 times and at least three drones were shot down by Warsaw's jets, aided by Dutch F-35s and an Italian early warning aircraft.

Russia has pushed back against accusations that the incursion was deliberate – though it also stopped short of denying its drones had trespassed sovereign Polish airspace.

"No objects on Polish territory were planned to be targeted," Moscow said.

But European officials have forcefully batted off suggestions the act may have been unintentional.

"There is no evidence whatsoever that this amount of drones flew over this route over... Polish territory by accident," Germany's Defence Minister Boris Pistorius said, while his Italian counterpart Guido Crosetto called the overnight events in Poland a "deliberate attack" with the double aim of "provoking and testing".

Although Poland has experienced several violations of its airspace since neighbouring Ukraine was attacked by Russia in February 2022, this latest incursion - sizeable, and deep into Polish territory - sparked real nervousness in Warsaw.

Tusk warned that Poland was at its closest to open conflict since World War Two. He also requested invoking Article 4 of the Nato treaty, which allows member countries to start a discussion with allies about threats to their security.

Some experts and analysts are divided over Russia's motivations.

To some, the drones – some of which flew in the direction of Rzeszow airport, a major logistical hub for defence supplies and humanitarian aid bound for Ukraine – may have had reconnaissance purposes, with poor guidance leading to accidental airspace trespass.

"There is an issue with proving intention," said Dr Marina Miron, a defence researcher at Kings College London.

She believes GPS spoofing may have been responsible for the drones crossing into Polish airspace and cautioned against drawing conclusions based on snippets of information. "It can lead [the incident] to appear as something it is not," Dr Miron added.

Many others believe, however, the relatively high number of drones flown into Polish airspace clearly demonstrates that the attack was deliberate.

"Previous incursions were single or very small numbers that were more easily explained by guidance system malfunctions," Justin Bronk of the defence think tank Rusi told the BBC.

Justin Crump, CEO of the risk and intelligence company Sibylline, agreed. He said the drones in question appear to be Russian-made cheap, long-range drone Gerberas which can be used as decoys to distract defences as part of Russia's increasing "grey zone actions against Nato".

The lack of warheads on the Gerberas drones employed on Wednesday make them appear less threatening and allow Russia to play down the action, Mr Crump added.

Poland will now need to review the incident and share the findings with its allies.

Whether deliberate or not, the unprecedented incident will provide valuable information to Moscow on the type of response it can expect from the West should it ever decide to launch an attack on Nato countries, as many European leaders have said they expect it to do in the near future.

"It is a test for Europe and for Nato regardless of Russia's intent", said Keir Giles, a senior fellow in the Russia and Eurasia program at Chatham House.

"Russia will learn from European resolve and specifically Poland's capacity to withstand attacks of this kind."

Expressions of condemnation rather than a robust response will be just as encouraging to Russia if it was an accident as if it were a deliberate provocation, Mr Giles added.

He said a sky shield to protect airspace over Ukraine would prove to Russia the West is serious about ensuring air threats are intercepted.

But such a plan - which would involve European countries deploying fighter jets and pilots - has led to fears of accidental confrontation with the Russians and has not come to pass despite first being floated since 2023.

The US's reaction to the incident in Poland will also be awaited – and closely followed.

Some US lawmakers in both the Democrat and Republican camps condemned the attack soon after it occurred.

However, as of Wednesday evening US President Donald Trump had only acknowledged the events in Poland through a post on social media. "What's with Russia violating Poland's airspace with drones? Here we go!", he wrote without elaborating further.

The cryptic post was in line with his ambiguous relationship with Russia and its President Vladimir Putin.

Over the course of the last month Trump both rolled out the red carpet for the Russian president and threatened sanctions against Moscow if it failed to reach peace with Kyiv.

These threats have not yet materialised, and even warnings of unspecified "consequences" for Russia's aggression in Ukraine appear to have fallen by the wayside.

As its leaders scramble to put together a show of unity and strength, Europe – which has been concerned about the American commitment to the security of the continent since the start of Trump's second term – will be watching the US's next move just as closely as Russia.

"A sign of weakness and failure to impose costs and consequences will confirm for Moscow that they can continue to escalate without fear of the outcome," Mr Giles said.

Additional reporting by Matt Murphy and Paul Brown

Prince Harry has been seen going into Clarence House, amid speculation about a meeting with his father King Charles.

There has not been any confirmation from Buckingham Palace or the Duke of Sussex's representatives, but the King has also been seen going into Clarence House.

It is believed that the King travelled down to London from Scotland on Wednesday - and Prince Harry has been in the UK this week for charity events.

There has been no face to face meeting between father and son since February 2024, with Prince Harry telling a BBC interview in May 2025: "I would love a reconciliation with my family."

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Unusual rocks discovered on Mars contain the most tantalising evidence yet of potential past life on the Red Planet.

The mudstones, found in a dusty riverbed by Nasa's Perseverance Rover, are dotted with intriguing markings nicknamed leopard spots and poppy seeds.

Scientists believe these features contain minerals produced by chemical reactions that could be associated with ancient Martian microbes.

It's possible the minerals were produced by natural geological processes, but the findings are significant enough to meet Nasa's criteria for what it calls "potential biosignatures".

This means that they warrant further investigation to determine whether they are biological in origin.

"We've not had something like this before, so I think that's the big deal," said Prof Sanjeev Gupta, a planetary scientist from Imperial College London and one of the authors of a study which has been published in the journal Nature.

"We have found features in the rocks that if you saw them on Earth could be explained by biology - by microbial process. So we're not saying that we found life, but we're saying that it really gives us something to chase."

The only way to fully confirm if the minerals were made by microbes would be to bring the rocks back to Earth for analysis .

A Mars sample return mission has been proposed by Nasa and Esa but its future looks highly uncertain. The US Space Agency's science budget is facing huge cuts that have been put forward in President Trump's 2026 budget and a sample return mission is one of those facing cancellation.

Today, Mars is a cold and arid desert. But billions of years ago there is evidence that it had a thick atmosphere and water, making it a promising place to look for past life.

The Perseverance Rover, which touched down on the Martian surface in 2021, was sent to search for signs of biology. It has spent the last four years exploring a region called the Jezero Crater, which was once an ancient lake with a river flowing into it.

The rover found the leopard print rocks last year at the bottom of a canyon carved out by the river in an area called the Bright Angel Formation. They are about 3.5bn years old and are a type of rock called mudstone, which is fine-grained rock formed from clays.

"We kind of immediately knew there was some interesting chemistry that had happened in these rocks so we were pretty excited right away," said Joel Hurowitz from Stony Brook University in New York, who is also a Perseverance mission scientist and lead author of the paper.

The rover used several instruments in its onboard lab to analyse the minerals in the rocks. This data was then beamed back to Earth for scientists to study.

"We think what we've found is evidence for a set of chemical reactions that took place in the mud that was deposited at the bottom of a lake - and those chemical reactions seem to have taken place between the mud itself and organic matter - and those two ingredients reacted to form new minerals," explained Dr Hurowitz.

In similar conditions on Earth, chemical reactions creating minerals are typically driven by microbes.

"That is one of the possible explanations for how these features came to be in these rocks," said Dr Hurowitz. "This feels like the most compelling potential biosignature detection that we've had to date."

The scientists have also examined how the minerals could have formed without microbes - and concluded that natural geological processes could also be behind the chemical reactions.

However they would require high temperatures, and the rocks don't look like they've been heated.

"We found some difficulties for the non-biological pathways - but we can't rule them out completely," Dr Hurowitz said.

Perseverance has been collecting samples while it's been exploring Mars - including the rocks found at the Bright Angel Formation. They have been stored in canisters, and will be deposited on the surface of Mars awaiting a mission that could return them.

Nasa's plans for such an endeavour hang in the balance because of the threatened budget cuts, but China is also pursuing a sample return mission that could launch in 2028.

While the decision is debated, scientists are desperate to get their gloved hands on the rocks.

"We need to see these samples back on Earth," said Prof Gupta.

"I think for true confidence, most scientists would want to see and examine these rocks on Earth - this is one of our high priority samples to return."

A foreign billionaire had a Downing Street meeting and phone calls with then-Prime Minister Boris Johnson and was described in an official log as a "donor", documents seen by BBC News reveal.

Syrian-born former arms deal fixer Wafic Said is not allowed to make political donations because he is not on the UK electoral roll but his wife, a British citizen who is resident, has declared £2.6m in donations to the Conservatives over the last 25 years.

The couple have always insisted that she is independently wealthy and has given her own money, rather than making a donation with her husband's funds or on his behalf - something which would not be permitted.

However, the Number 10 files seen by BBC News cast doubt on this explanation, raising questions about whether the Conservatives have illegally accepted millions in donations.

A Conservative Party spokesman said: "Proper due diligence was undertaken to ensure that these donations were permissible and accurately reported."

Johnson did not respond to a request for comment.

Mr Said, rather than his wife Rosemary, was described as the "donor" in official Downing Street logs when the pair attended a nearly 90-minute meeting with Johnson, his chief of staff and his political secretary at Number 10 in September 2019. The meeting took place less than two months after Johnson had been elected prime minister.

The businessman, who said his wife was the donor, also had two separate phone calls with then-Prime Minister Johnson in 2020 and 2021 without his wife taking part, according to the logs.

The man in charge of raising funds for the Conservatives, then-party chairman Sir Ben Elliot, joined the 2020 phone call even though it would have been illegal for Mr Said, who was listed in the logs as being from his philanthropic Said Foundation, to donate.

Johnson placed the second call during a journey back by train from Stoke-on-Trent to London. He made two political calls during the trip, the first to a donor and the second to Mr Said.

The logs, which are recorded by civil servants and give a minute-by-minute account of Johnson's days, covering almost all of his time in Downing Street, show no calls between Rosemary Said and the former PM.

The calls and the meeting were labelled as "political", meaning they related to Conservative party matters, rather than government business, and did not have to be disclosed in government transparency documents.

Other "political" meetings and phone calls recorded in the logs were between Johnson and Conservative party donors, ministers, staff or advisers.

Mr Said, who is 85, said he had known Johnson since "long before he became prime minister" and that due to his age he cannot recall the telephone conversations while he was in Downing Street.

He added that it was "entirely possible that he may have called to thank me for my contribution to Covid vaccine research".

The documents seen by the BBC were obtained by an American non-profit organisation called Distributed Denial of Secrets, which publishes and archives "leaked and hacked datasets". DDOS did not respond to a request for comment on how the files were obtained.

Mr Said appears to have been the couple's point of contact with the prime minister. After Johnson left office, it was Mr Said, not Mrs Said, who wrote to him to express his regret at his departure and to say he had "really enjoyed all the meetings we had, whether in-person or via Zoom".

Mrs Said was mentioned in passing as joining "me in sending you and all your family our warmest wishes and fond affection".

Johnson thanked him for his "ongoing support and friendship" and added: "Please send my best to Rosemary, and I look forward to seeing you soon."

Under electoral law, all donors must be registered on the UK electoral register or a UK-registered company carrying out business in this country. The rules are designed to prohibit the foreign funding of political parties.

Mrs Said has been a prolific donor to the Conservatives and has also made donations to individual MPs, including giving £10,000 to Johnson in 2019.

Her husband is a businessman and philanthropist who helped broker the controversial al-Yamamah arms deal in the 1980s.

Accusations of bribery led to an investigation by the Serious Fraud Office into the deal, which was closed by Tony Blair in 2006 on the grounds that it was contrary to the UK's national interest. There is no suggestion Mr Said was guilty of wrongdoing.

As a philanthropist, his Said Foundation has given millions to good causes. He contributed £20m to the cost of the Said Business School at the University of Oxford which is named after him.

Mr Said told BBC News that his wife was an "independently wealthy woman who has been a strong supporter of the Conservative Party her entire life". The businessman said he had not made donations to the Conservatives since the law changed in 2000 prohibiting him from doing so.

Political donations made by the Said family have previously come under scrutiny.

In 2009, the Electoral Commission opened what it called a "preliminary inquiry" after Mr Said's 19-year-old daughter Rasha, who was studying in the United States, was recorded as having given four donations to the Conservatives.

Mr Said said the donations had been incorrectly reported due to an administrative error and in fact came from his wife.

More recently, Mr Said's son Khaled, who is eligible to donate, has made a number of political donations.

Mr Said is a Canadian national and a resident of Monaco, although he has previously described himself as having strong ties to the UK.

In 2018 he told the High Court he considered London to be "an important personal, family and business hub" and said he spent three to four months of the year in the UK.

"I would say that my personal and business links to the UK are unquestionably stronger and more important than those I have in France, Monaco or Canada," he said in a witness statement.

Bob Posner, former chief executive of the Electoral Commission, said political parties were required to carry out checks that donations come from permitted sources.

"The law prohibits donations from foreign sources," he said. "Individuals and political parties must take all reasonable steps to establish who is the true donor and only accept that donation if certain that the true donor is legally permitted to make the donation."

The Conservatives said that Mrs Said had regularly attended party events.

A Conservative Party spokesman said: "We do not comment on purported leaked documents, which may have been obtained or manipulated by hostile state actors.

"The Conservative Party only accepts permissible donors as set out in law. Proper due diligence was undertaken to ensure that these donations were permissible and accurately reported. Other individuals can support a political party without being a donor."

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Elon Musk has lost his title as the world's richest person to Larry Ellison, the co-founder of Oracle and an ally of US President Donald Trump.

Ellison's wealth surged to $393bn (£290bn) on Wednesday morning, surpassing Musk's $385b (£284bn), according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index.

Shares in Oracle soared more than 40% after the database software company gave investors a surprisingly rosy outlook for its cloud infrastructure business and artificial intelligence deals.

Ellison, whose net worth is tied to the company, has steadily built his fortune over the past five decades. Oracle has recently been propelled by growing demand for data centre infrastructure.

The company projected as part of its quarterly earnings report on Tuesday that revenue from its cloud business will jump 77% this year, to $18bn, with further growth expected in the coming years.

Oracle also reported a surge in demand among AI companies for its data centres, which helped push its stock dramatically higher.

It signed four multibillion-dollar contracts with customers in the last quarter and anticipates several more deals in the months ahead, CEO Safra Catz said on Tuesday.

Oracle's surge comes as shares in Tesla, Musk's most valuable business, have fallen this year.

The electric vehicle maker has grappled with investor jitters over the Trump administration's rollback of electric vehicle initiatives, on top of consumer backlash to Musk's political involvement.

Musk had held the title of world's richest person for nearly one year.

A dance teacher who hid with a child in a toilet as the Southport knife killer banged on the door has told the inquiry into the murders how she felt "crushing" guilt.

Heidi Liddle sobbed as she gave evidence to the Liverpool Town Hall hearing earlier.

The mother-of-two said she had been returning to work from maternity leave when she was asked to be a guest teacher at the Taylor Swift-themed workshop in the Merseyside town where the attack unfolded last July.

Speaking publicly for the first time, she said: "I feel responsible. I tried so hard to usher as many children out as possible, to get them away from him."

Alice Aguiar, nine, Elsie Dot Stancombe, seven, and six-year-old Bebe King were killed in the attack while eight other children and two adults were seriously wounded.

• Read more from all of Wednesday's evidence at the inquiry

Ms Liddle said she was making bracelets with children in the room and was "filled with joy and happiness" when the attacker entered.

It then "all changed dramatically and devastatingly within seconds", she said.

She said she suddenly saw her friend and colleague, yoga teacher Leanne Lucas, who also gave evidence at the inquiry, being brutally attacked.

"There was no time to think but to just run and usher as many children away from danger as possible," Ms Liddle said.

"The children were running towards the stairwell, when I noticed one of the girls run in the opposite direction towards the toilet.

"I saw a flash of green and I pushed her inside and locked the door, reassuring her and telling her to be quiet.

"Whilst in the toilet, the perpetrator was banging and rattling the door, attempting to get in, only stopping when the police arrived.

"The girls' screaming and fearing for our lives haunts me to this day."

Ms Liddle said her "instinct" was to protect the girls, but continued: "A part of me always questions if we could have done anything differently in those moments of terror.

"Although people have told me this incident is not my fault, the guilt I bear is crushing.

"I constantly replay what happened over and over in my mind, what I was able to do, what else could I have done, the what ifs."

Ms Liddle told the inquiry she had daily flashbacks and struggled with ordinary tasks following the attack.

"I'm grieving for the girls and their families, the girls that were there that day, Leanne, police, responders, neighbours who opened their homes, the wider community but I'm also grieving for the old version of myself and my life," she said.

"I cannot remember myself or my life before this. All I can remember is this current version of things - constantly re-living the events of the day, dealing with the overwhelming emotions and fears connected."

She added: "My hope is that this inquiry will ensure that no one - neither adults or innocent children - ever have to go through the life-changing devastation that this evil individual was able to inflict on us that day."

Ms Lucas was also emotional as she gave her impact statement.

She said she called 999 amid the "bedlam" and "chaos" as she and Ms Liddle tried to push terrified children out of harm's way.

"Not knowing where each child was in those moments is a fear that will live with me forever," she said.

"My physical wounds have healed but the psychological scars remain raw.

"The online abuse has been relentless. Instead of being surrounded by the supportive community I expected, I have often felt exposed, criticised and unsafe, even in my own home.

"To some I am called a hero, to others a villain. The truth is, I am neither. I am just Leanne, the woman who did her best in an unthinkable situation.

"That day, faced with an impossible situation, survival instincts guided my split-second decisions.

"My parents wish for you to hear this: one person chose to do this, one person, and one person alone.

"I want the inquiry to understand that the harm didn't end when the attack ended.

"My hope is that no-one else will ever have to live with this kind of lasting impact."

The inquiry's first phase is examining the killer's history and his dealings with relevant agencies, along with any missed opportunities to prevent what happened.

The hearing was adjourned until Thursday.

Additional reporting by the Press Association

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Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) has admitted that some data may have been taken by hackers in a cyber-attack that has halted car production and forced the vehicle-maker to send workers home.

The company, owned by India's Tata Motors, initially said it did not believe any customer information had been stolen

Now, 11 days after the attack, it has conceded that some data has been impacted but declined to say exactly who the information pertained to, such as customers, suppliers or JLR itself.

The affected plants in the UK are not expected to restart until Thursday at the earliest and worldwide production of around 1,000 vehicles a day has been halted.

Production lines at JLR's factories in Solihull, Halewood and Wolverhampton have been at a standstill since the beginning of last week.

A group calling itself Scattered Lapsus$ Hunters, which was behind this year's cyber- attacks on UK retailers including M&S, has claimed responsibility for the JLR hack.

Last week, the Information Commissioners Office told the BBC that JLR had reported an incident to the UK's data watchdog.

In a new statement, JLR said on Wednesday: "As a result of our ongoing investigation, we now believe that some data has been affected and we are informing the relevant regulators.

"Our forensic investigation continues at pace and we will contact anyone as appropriate if we find that their data has been impacted."

However, Ciaran Martin, a professor at the University of Oxford and the former boss of the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC), said data isn't really the issue for a company like JLR - it is more important that the firm can keep operating and making cars.

He told the BBC Radio 4's Today programme: "There's a real difference between somebody breaking into your house when you're not there or when you're asleep and maybe photocopying your bank records and your medical records and using that to defraud you.

"There's a real difference between that and being punched in the face and having your legs broken."

Prof Martin said that "the law right now tells companies to protect customer data as your number one priority" but said that securing a firm's operation was just as important.

M&S's operation was impacted by a cyber-attack for a number of months this year, stopping customers from ordering online and costing the High Street retailer £300m.

JLR shut down its IT networks in response to the attack.

The company said it is "working around the clock", to restart its IT systems but doing so is understood to be a highly complex process.

The NCSC, which is part of GCHQ, is assisting JLR.

Chris Bryant, the newly-appointed business minister, told MPs on Tuesday that the government was "engaging with JLR on a daily basis to understand the challenges that the company and its suppliers are facing".

Local MPs have been invited to a half-hour question and answer session with the company on Friday.

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Both NHS and private fertility clinics must stop offering unproven treatments that don't help people have children, new official guidelines say.

The draft guidance advises against several popular fertility "add-ons", including so-called endometrial scratches.

These add-ons can "give false hope and put people through unnecessary procedures at an already difficult time", experts at the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) say.

They also recommend fertility preservation services such as egg freezing should be more widely available, including to women with severe, recurrent endometriosis.

The guideline committee considered a recent survey by the fertility regulator, the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA), which showed almost three-quarters of people who had had fertility treatment between September and October 2024 had said they were using additional tests or emerging technologies, despite most not being proven to work.

And only 37% of those questioned said the risks of any add-ons had been explained.

The updated draft guidance specifically advises against:

• intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) for men with healthy semen – where a sperm is directly injected into an egg in a laboratory

• endometrial scratch – where the lining of the womb is "scratched" with a small sterile plastic tube before IVF

• hysteroscopy - a fine telescope like instrument is used to visualise the womb, as a pre-treatment to improve IVF outcomes

• tests on the lining of the womb called endometrial receptivity testing, as a suggested add-on before embryo transfer

The guidance says patients must be given all the information necessary about treatments, including how likely they are to be successful and the risks and benefits involved.

Dr Fergus Macbeth, chair of NICE's fertility guideline committee, said clinics should focus on proven treatments rather than offering unproven add-ons that may do more harm than good.

"People going through fertility treatment are often willing to try anything that might help them conceive.

"This makes them vulnerable to being offered treatments that sound promising but haven't been properly tested. Our recommendations are designed to protect patients and ensure they only receive care that we know works," he added.

The guidance also looks at fertility preservation services (for example freezing eggs, embryos or sperm) which are currently mostly offered to people with cancer.

The updated draft suggests these treatments should also be offered people with medical conditions or undergoing treatment that can impair their fertility.

This includes women with severe recurrent endometriosis, people who have had surgery that can affect their reproductive organs and those with genetic or metabolic conditions that may affect their chances of having a baby.

People who feel they may benefit should have discuss the options available with healthcare professionals, NICE says.

The updated guidelines also consider who should be offered IVF.

NICE's committee found stronger evidence than has previously been available that three full cycles of IVF give couples a good chance of a baby, and that the treatment represents good value for the NHS.

NICE recommends:

• three full cycles of IVF for women under 40 if they have fertility problems and meet certain criteria
• one full cycle of IVF for women aged 40 and 41 if they have fertility problems and meet certain criteria

While NICE provides recommendations on this, funding decisions are taken locally by organisations called integrated care boards.

NICE's chief medical officer, Prof Jonathan Benger, said: "We recognise the NHS faces significant financial challenges and integrated care boards must weigh up local priorities when determining how many IVF cycles to fund."

The draft guidelines for England, Wales and Northern Ireland are open for public consultation until Tuesday 21 October and the final recommendations will be published in 2026.

The Qatari capital, Doha, is back to normal today, with traffic moving on the highways, and skyscrapers shimmering in the heat.

But there are new tensions across the Middle East, and a key question – what red lines now remain for Israel in its pursuit of Hamas, if any?

Targeting Hamas on the soil of Qatar was presumed to be a line Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu would not cross.

Yesterday, that assumption was blown to pieces, and with it, probably, any chance of a ceasefire deal in Gaza.

Hamas claims the attack missed its intended targets – including the exiled Gaza chief and top negotiator, Khalil al-Hayya. While we have no firm information about Hayya's condition, or his whereabouts, one Palestinian source outside Gaza claims he is critically injured in hospital and is not expected to survive. This is unconfirmed, and there is no word from Hamas in Gaza.

We do know that Hayya's son and the head of his office were killed, along with three bodyguards. Were the bodyguards close to Hayya when Israel struck? We don't know, but normally, they would have been expected to be nearby.

Hamas figures in Doha are uncontactable and their phones are switched off. Having felt safe to move around here in the past, they may now be making very different calculations. There is a sense that all bets are off.

• What do we know about Israeli strike on Hamas in Qatar?

In a neighbourhood close to the scene of the attack - where plush villas and foreign embassies sit behind high walls, topped with bougainvillea - the streets lay empty.

The Israeli strike punched a large hole into the belly of a building where the Hamas leadership had been meeting to consider a US peace proposal. We got a glimpse of the damage as we drove past, but a police presence meant we could not get too close. Media reports say Israeli officials codenamed the strike 'Judgement Day.'

At the local barbers we met a witness, 42, who did not want to be named. Fear flashed across his face as he relived the moment of the attack.

"The noise was so loud my heart was pumping," he told me. "I thought the world was going to end. I heard five rockets, and I ran away. Many people were running. Normally nothing happens here."

Given that Hamas has claimed its negotiating team survived the attack, I asked if he was afraid Israel would try again. "Very afraid," he said quietly.

Whether or not Israel managed to hit its targets here, it has managed to anger President Trump and enrage Qatar. The country is an important US ally, which has hosted the political leadership of Hamas since 2012, and also holds a large American base.

Qatar says Israel's attack was "state terrorism".

The Qatari Prime Minister, Mohammed Al Thani, has made it clear that there was no advance warning from the US. The first call from an American official came 10 minutes after the attack started, he said.

Popular online - but Paralympics still a dream

'Not where we want it to be, but there are boots on ground'

'It's just one of the sickest sports out there'

The latest batch of documents released by a US congressional committee from the estate of Jeffrey Epstein offer a glimpse of the late convicted sex offender's elite social circle.

They also confirm a Wall Street Journal report earlier this summer about a collection of messages, crude drawings and pictures which were given to Epstein for his 50th birthday in 2003 - three years before his crimes became publicly known - which included an alleged letter from the now-President Donald Trump.

Trump has said the letter is fake and a signature at the bottom is not his. He also sued the newspaper's reporters, publisher and executives, including News Corp's owner Rupert Murdoch, seeking $10bn (£7.4bn) in damages after the story was published.

But beyond the purported letter from Trump, the documents - which include Epstein's last will and testament, entries from his address book and his 2007 non-prosecution agreement with the US Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Florida - have raised more questions about the financier's influence and how widely known his behaviour was among his associates.

Here are six key takeaways.

1) Epstein's sex life is a running theme

The 238-page scrapbook of well wishes, crude messages and in some cases, sexually explicit photos paint a portrait of Epstein's highly sexualised life and lewd encounters with young women.

Submissions from some 50 friends and associates throughout the book feature nudity and multiple references to sexual encounters as well as female body parts.

On one page, a cartoon drawing appears to show Epstein giving balloons to young girls in 1983, juxtaposed with a drawing of three women in bathing suits giving him massages on a beach chair in 2003.

"What a great country!" a caption beneath the drawing reads.

One author wrote he "agonised long and hard about what to write" in a note that features images of lewd scenes involving lions and zebras. The images, the author wrote, "seemed more appropriate than anything I could put in words".

2) Trump is mentioned on a second page

Aside from the alleged birthday message bearing the president's purported signature, a second previously unknown page emerged showing Epstein and Joel Pashcow, a member of Trump's Mar-a-Lago club in Florida, holding an oversized cheque for $22,500.

The cheque is made to look like a payment from Trump to Epstein for a woman.

"Jeffrey showing early talents with money + women! Sells 'fully depreciated' [name redacted] to Donald Trump for $22,500," the caption reads.

It is unclear whether Trump knew about the photo or the note, but White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters on Tuesday it is "absolutely not" the president's signature on the cheque.

The White House has also denied Trump drew and signed the birthday letter, which is featured inside a drawing of what appears to be a female body.

3) They raise questions over Epstein and Maxwell's relationship

There have long been questions about when and how Ghislaine Maxwell and Jeffrey Epstein met. In fact, it was one of the first questions Todd Blanche, the Deputy US Attorney, asked Maxwell during her recent Department of Justice interview.

Maxwell, who was previously charged with perjury for lying to investigators and has been convicted of sex trafficking, told Blanche that she had met Epstein in 1991 and neither she nor her family had ever heard of him before that.

She said a girlfriend of hers said, "I've got a guy for you to meet" and that he was "looking for a wife". However, in the birthday book, it seems the two may have met earlier in life, when she was still a teenager.

In one letter, written by Elliot Wolk, he describes Epstein as a "star salesman" in 1970 when Wolk was running an account for Maxwell's father, Robert Maxwell.

He writes: "Was that when you first discovered the Maxwell teen-age daughter." Then, in another notable letter from Epstein's friend, Johnny Kafka, he mentions a post-college Europe trip that opened their eyes "to another world." He wrote that Epstein spent the next summer in London and came home with "a beautiful British babe," whose name is redacted, but could refer to Maxwell.

There remain questions about the timeline of Epstein and Maxwell's relationship, and the latest documents add another layer of doubt to Maxwell's story.

4) ... and how Epstein made his fortune

The "birthday book" is a useful guide to the who's who in Epstein's life. The beginning is dedicated to photos and notes from his family and friends in Brooklyn.

Scattered throughout the pages are evidence of his beginnings in Coney Island, where he seemed to excel in mathematics, the piano and the accordion.

But there is a gap in Epstein's story that is noticeable in this book as well. His growing wealth is referenced time and again, noting how he "collected houses" or how "it happened so quickly".

Two of his known financial clients, CEO of retailer The Limited, Les Wexner, and the former Apollo Global Management CEO, Leon Black wrote notes in the book.

Wexner doodled a woman's chest. He has previously denied knowledge of Epstein's crimes prior to the federal investigation into him.

He has said he cut ties with Epstein after he learned he had "misappropriated vast sums of money from him and his family".

Black, meanwhile, references Epstein's "schemes and plans, a unique tax strategy". He has admitted paying Epstein for advice on trust and estate planning and tax issues.

None of the letters shed light on the source of Epstein's wealth, however, or how he became so close to powerful figures and influential businessmen.

5) They shed light on Epstein's contact book

The book sheds light on the late paedophile financier's friendships with high-profile figures in the political and corporate worlds as well as the entertainment industry.

The various notes are divided into several categories including "friends", "business", "science" and Brooklyn. These people are not accused or suspected of any legal wrongdoing in connection with Epstein's case or of being knowledgeable of his crimes.

Former US President Bill Clinton, UK ambassador to the US Lord Mandelson, private equity billionaire Leon Black and former Trump and Epstein lawyer Alan Dershowitz are among those who appear to have penned a congratulatory note.

Clinton's office has not responded to a BBC request for comment, while an official spokesperson for Lord Mandelson told the BBC that he "has long been clear that he very much regrets ever having been introduced to Epstein".

Dershowitz has said that he did not remember writing the letter and at the time, did not have any knowledge of Epstein's crimes. He later went on to represent him in Florida - a case that led to federal prosecutors offering Epstein a then-secret non-prosecution agreement if he pled guilty to charges of soliciting prostitution.

Lawyers for Epstein's estate also handed over copies of his address book, which contained contact details from 1990 to 2019 for a host of celebrities, royals, fashion designers, business figures, socialites and politicians.

6) They highlight role of Epstein's assistants

Throughout Maxwell's trial, prosecutors argued Epstein's crimes would not have been possible without her help.

However, the birthday book offers a glimpse into how Epstein's girlfriends, assistants and other employees played a larger role in the sex-trafficking operation - and may have also been victims.

An unidentified woman wrote that "before Jeffrey" she was a 22-year-old divorced restaurant hostess but "after Jeffrey" she travelled the world, met celebrities including "Prince Andrew, President Clinton, Sultan of Brunei, Donald Trump", among others.

She also claimed to have seen the private quarters of Buckingham Palace and "sat on the Queen of England's throne". The note, which was typed and not handwritten, was filed under the category of "Assistants".

What fixtures have been rescheduled?

What will happen on Wednesday?

What are the government proposals?

How would tax rises hit horse racing?

What has the reaction been to the strike?

Will the strike action cost the sport?

Is this a one-off strike?

What is Ask Me Anything?

More questions answered...

The UK's ambassador to the US Peter Mandelson has said he feels "a tremendous sense of regret" over his friendship with convicted paedophile Jeffrey Epstein, and a "tremendous sense of sympathy" for his victims.

Speaking to the You Tube channel Harry Cole Saves the West, he likened his association with Epstein to "an albatross around my neck", adding that he felt "profoundly upset that I was taken in" by a "charismatic criminal liar".

On Tuesday, US lawmakers released a number of documents which included a letter from Lord Mandelson in which he called Epstein his "best pal".

The diplomat said it was "very embarrassing" to see the words published but added they were written "over 20 years ago".

He said he believed more "embarrassing" material including letters and emails would be released.

On Tuesday, a Downing Street spokesperson has said that the prime minister still has confidence in Lord Mandelson and said he has "played a key part" strengthening trade and investment with the US, which had secured jobs in the UK.

The birthday message from Mandelson was one of a number of documents in an alleged "birthday book" given to Epstein in 2023 to celebrate his 50th birthday.

The book contained messages, cards and photos sent by Epstein's friends, including a letter carrying a signature resembling US President Donald Trump. Trump has denied writing the note.

Epstein had been a well-connected financier who was convicted for soliciting prostitution from a person under the age of 18 in 2008. He died in 2019 while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges.

Asked why he continued his association with Epstein, Mandelson said he "fell for his lies".

"I accepted assurances he had given me about his original indictment, his original criminal case. Like very many people I took at face value what he said."

He said he never saw wrongdoing at any point while with Epstein and he "never sought, nor did [Epstein] offer introductions to women in the way that he did to others, perhaps it is because I am a gay man".

He said he couldn't "rewrite history" adding: "What I can do, what I can do is express my profound sympathy for those who were badly treated by him."

Former Premier League referee David Coote has been charged with making an indecent image of a child.

Mr Coote, 43, was charged after an investigation by Nottinghamshire Police.

The force said the charge related to a video file recovered by officers in February.

Mr Coote, from Collingham in Nottinghamshire, was charged on 12 August and is due to appear at Nottingham Magistrates' Court on Thursday.

He was sacked by referees' body the PGMOL in December 2024 following an investigation into a video allegedly showing him making derogatory comments about Liverpool and the club's former manager Jurgen Klopp.

The Football Association (FA) also imposed an eight-week suspension in August over the comments.

In addition, the ex-official is also banned by European football's governing body Uefa until June 30 2026 after photographs emerged of him snorting a white powder through a bank note while in Germany for Euro 2024.

Police said Mr Coote was currently on conditional bail.

The force added the charge of making an indecent photograph related to acts such as downloading, sharing and saving material.

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A mural by the street artist Banksy is being removed from the wall of a court building in London.

The mural appeared on an external wall of the Queen's Building, in the Royal Courts of Justice complex, on Monday.

The image depicted a protester lying on the ground holding a blood-spattered placard while a judge, in a wig and gown, looms over him, wielding a gavel.

The work has been covered up at various points since it was discovered and guarded by security staff, with the HM Courts & Tribunals Service confirming that it would be removed due to the building being listed and therefore legally protected.

Banksy confirmed he was responsible for the work with a post on Instagram, showing the graffiti before it was covered over.

It has been interpreted by some as a comment on the arrest of hundreds of people for supporting Palestine Action by holding up placards at protests.

Palestine Action was banned by the government as a terrorist group in July after activists damaged RAF planes.

The artwork comes weeks after the Lady Chief Justice, the most senior judge in England and Wales, repeated concerns for the safety of judges, who she said had been subjected to "increasing and increasingly unacceptable sensationalist and inaccurate abuse".

The mural was reported as criminal damage, with the Metropolitan Police stating that inquiries were ongoing.

The courts service confirmed that it is legally obliged to maintain the character of the building because of its listed status.

Banksy's stencilled graffiti is often critical of government policy, war and capitalism.

Last summer, the artist began an animal-themed campaign in the capital of nine works, which concluded with a gorilla appearing to lift up a shutter on the entrance to London Zoo.

Other notable works included piranhas swimming on a police sentry box in the City of London, and a howling wolf on a satellite dish, which was taken off the roof of a shop in Peckham, south London, less than an hour after it was unveiled.

• London Zoo removes Banksy work for 'safekeeping'

• Police investigate removal of street sign in Peckham as alleged theft

• Banksy piranhas to find new home in London Museum

Banksy has in the past also been known for his work in the West Bank.

In December 2019 he created a "modified Nativity" at a hotel in Bethlehem that showed Jesus' manger in front of Israel's separation barrier, which appeared to have been pierced by a blast, creating the shape of a star.

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France is seeing a day of protests led by a grassroots movement named Bloquons Tout ("Let's Block Everything") in a show of anger against the political class and proposed budget cuts.

The demonstrations are taking place on the same day new Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu was sworn in following the toppling of his predecessor, François Bayrou, in a no-confidence vote earlier this week.

Demonstrators blocked streets, set bins on fire, and disrupted access to infrastructure and schools across the country.

Around 250 people had been arrested by mid-morning, outgoing Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau said.

A bus was torched in Rennes and electric cables near Toulouse were sabotaged, he added.

Several thousand people gathered in Paris, Marseille, Bordeaux and Montpellier.

However, the disruption has remained fairly small-scale. Most of the arrests were made in or around Paris, where about 1,000 protesters - many masked or wearing balaclavas - clashed with police outside Gare du Nord train station.

Some tried to enter the station but were thwarted by agents who fired tear gas, French media report.

Many protesters chanted political slogans against President Emmanuel Macron and Lecornu. Several carried placards against the war in Gaza.

The nebulous movement Let's Block Everything appears to have been born on social media some months ago and gained momentum over the summer, when it encouraged people to protest against Bayrou's €44bn (£38bn) budget cuts.

The movement has a distinct left-wing character. Its demands include more investment in public services, taxation for high income brackets, rent freezes and Macron's resignation.

In the lead-up to Wednesday's protests, Let's Block Everything urged people to take part in acts of civil disobedience against "austerity, contempt and humiliation".

A group of young protesters outside Gare du Nord told the BBC they were taking to the streets in "solidarity" with people in precarious situations across France.

"We are here because we are very tired of how Macron has been handling the situation" of France's spiralling debt, said Alex, 25, adding he had no faith in the new prime minister not to "repeat the cycle".

Lecornu is a Macron loyalist and the country's fifth prime minister in under two years.

His appointment has already been criticised by both the far right and left-wing parties.

He will first need to come up with a budget palatable to a majority of MPs in France's hung parliament - the same challenging endeavour which brought down his two predecessors.

France's deficit reached 5.8% of GDP in 2024 but the three distinct ideological groups in the deeply divided Assembly disagree on how to tackle the crisis.

The radical-left France Unbowed party has already said it will table a no confidence motion in Lecornu as soon as possible.

However, that motion would need support by other parties to pass. As it stands, the largest parliamentary party - the far-right National Rally - said it would "listen to what Lecornu had to say" albeit "without many illusions".

In a brief speech following the handover of power at the prime minister's residence, Lecornu thanked Bayrou for his work and promised French people: "We'll get there."

"The instability and the political crisis we are going through demand sobriety and humility," Lecornu said.

"We will have to be more creative, more serious, in the way we work with the opposition," he added, before announcing he would start holding talks with political parties and trade unions immediately.

Weleda, the natural cosmetics company, has launched a study into its links to a Nazi concentration camp following claims an anti-freeze cream it produced was tested on prisoners.

A report by historian Anne Sudrow alleges that the Swiss company ordered raw materials from a garden in the Dachau camp. It also made a cream to protect against hypothermia which an SS doctor allegedly used in human experiments.

Weleda said a separate report in 2023 found no evidence Dr Sigmund Rascher tested the cream on prisoners kept in freezing conditions for hours.

The firm said it condemned the Nazi regime's "atrocities" and acknowledged the new findings "may not have been fully explored in previous research".

Dachau, near Munich, was the first concentration camp set up by the Nazis in 1933.

It is thought about 200,000 people have been imprisoned there and more than 40,000 died there before its liberation in 1945. Some of those deaths have been attributed to medical experiments.

In her book, commissioned by the Dachau Concentration Camp Memorial Site, Ms Sudrow outlines the relationship between Weleda and the SS - the Nazi Party's elite force founded by Adolf Hitler.

The claims include Weleda's cream was used on up to 300 concentration camp prisoners for experiments between August 1942 and May 1943, according to German magazine Der Spiegel.

It was intended to treat hypothermia in German soldiers and Dr Rascher wanted to know whether the product could delay the medical condition in freezing temperatures.

During his tests up to 90 prisoners had died when they were forced into pools of water and ice blocks.

The 104-year-old company, which is known for its Skin Food range of skincare products, said it was committed to" transparently researching our history".

It expects the results of its new investigation, conducted by German body Society for Corporate History (GuG), to be published in early 2027.

Donald Trump has called the Jeffrey Epstein story a "dead issue". But in a week of blockbuster new revelations, Epstein's criminality - and its consequences - continue to haunt many of his former associates.

The so-called birthday book of wishes given to Epstein in 2003, that was publicly released on Monday, has given new ammunition to Trump's critics, and it will also keep his base and the wider public clamouring for more details.

It may not be a proverbial smoking gun – an undeniable link to wrongdoing that destroys careers or supercharges criminal investigations. But it is concrete, troubling evidence of the close relationship the late financier and convicted sex offender had with the rich and powerful.

That alone makes it an explosive and compelling story – one that is capturing the public's attention in ways a typical political story does not.

Make no mistake, while there is no suggestion of criminal wrongdoing by Trump, the political consequences of the Epstein saga on the president are very real.

He is vulnerable on this issue. His attempts to deflect or dismiss it have failed.

And he has at times lashed out at his own base for their fixation on the story - an interest he encouraged as recently as last year.

How the birthday book changed the story

While the 2003 book, compiled by Epstein's then-girlfriend and co-conspirator Ghislaine Maxwell, is full of dozens of personal notes, it is the one purportedly from Trump that has turned this from a tragic story of sex trafficking and exploitation into one of national partisan intrigue.

The details of the note – an imagined dialogue between Trump and Epstein full of innuendo and double-entendres set within the sketched outline of a nude female torso - have been known to the public since the Wall Street Journal reported on them in July.

Trump had initially responded to that coverage with blanket denials, protestations of being the target of a "hoax" and a defamation lawsuit in which his lawyers doubted the note's existence.

As conservatives rallied to Trump's defence, the president seemed to have eased concerns among his political base which had been divided over the White House's handling of the Epstein files.

Political analysts began to wonder if this would be the latest in the long line of potential scandals and controversies that the president shrugs off.

Trump's strategy had one glaringly obvious risk, however – that the note would become public. An anodyne description of bawdy text and drawings in the pages of a financial newspaper is very different from seeing the actual item, with its depiction of small female breasts and a signature resembling Trump's that is positioned to suggest pubic hair.

The president's advisers and supporters continue to contest the authenticity of the note, but it is no longer possible to deny its existence.

"The president did not write this letter, he did not sign this letter, and that's why the president's external legal team is pursuing litigation against the Wall Street Journal," White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said on Tuesday.

But in a book filled with notes and messages to Epstein, Trump seemingly stands alone in denying the authenticity of his supposed contribution.

And Leavitt was very careful not to call the book itself a hoax.

Every repositioned defence, every recalibrated explanation risks undercutting Trump's reputation among his supporters as a man who doesn't get caught up in typical political games and evasions.

One fragment of a larger mosaic

A greater concern for the White House than the specific revelation of the note, however, is the way in which the birthday book will fuel wider interest in, and attention to, the Epstein case.

The note purportedly from Trump is just a fragment in a larger mosaic of Epstein's life – a picture of a man who had friends and associates in the highest of places, including some of whom found humour in his reputation for sexual exploits.

Less than a week after a group of Epstein victims and their families gathered on the steps of the Capitol to speak of the pain and emotional trauma they suffered, the birthday book provided vivid evidence of the seemingly callous indifference to Epstein's escapades by many in Epstein's circle.

One note, which appears to be from a Florida property investor, includes a photograph of Epstein holding a large novelty cheque seemingly from Trump. The accompanying text jokes that Epstein sold a "fully depreciated" woman to Trump for $22,500 – using a financial term for an item whose value has been reduced through use.

Other notes included lewd drawings, nude photographs and, in one instance, images of animals having sex.

There were messages from politicians, lawyers and business leaders. Former President Bill Clinton referenced Epstein's "childlike curiosity" and his desire to "make a difference".

Lord Peter Mandelson, the current UK ambassador to the US, included photographs of tropical locations and referred to Epstein as "my best pal".

Clinton's office has not responded to a BBC request for comment, though he has previously said he was unaware of Epstein's crimes.

An official spokesperson for Lord Mandelson told the BBC that he "has long been clear that he very much regrets ever having been introduced to Epstein".

Some Republicans have pointed to the way in which Democrats have focused almost exclusively on Trump as evidence that their claims of outrage are driven by a desire for political advantage.

That could be difficult for those on the left to deny.

Democrats on the House committee investigating the Epstein case, for example, were quick to release the Trump birthday page, which had been provided to them by the Epstein estate.

Expect any other details related to the president to receive a similarly speedy route into public view.

A story bigger than the president

The story has become bigger than the president, however, and the interest in Epstein's story – one of sex, crime and power - will drive attention regardless of the political motivations behind some who are advancing it.

If Trump's critics are sensing opportunity, not all of Trump's allies are helping.

Last week, Speaker of the House Mike Johnson suggested that Trump had cooperated with the original federal investigation into Epstein – a theory that Epstein himself floated during interviews with journalist Michael Wolff in 2016 and 2017.

Johnson, a Republican, later walked back his comments, but not before it prompted another round of questions around what Trump knew about Epstein's illegal behaviour and when he knew it.

There is still plenty that the public could learn with the release of more Epstein documents, including witness statements, financial records and evidence gathered in law enforcement searches of Epstein's properties.

Two congressmen, Republican Thomas Massie of Kentucky and Democrat Ro Khanna of California, are currently gathering signatures to force a vote in the House of Representatives to publicly release the remaining Epstein files - a move that the White House is vigorously opposing.

The Epstein saga, which seemed to be old news at the beginning of this year, is approaching a self-sustaining critical mass that will be difficult for anyone, no matter how well-connected or influential, to contain.

And while the president is not the central focus, and there is no evidence of any criminal conduct on his part, his longtime friendship with Epstein (which ended after a falling out in 2004), combined with his position at the pinnacle of American political power, will keep him a central player in this drama for as long as it continues to unfold.

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TV presenter Jay Blades has pleaded not guilty to two counts of rape.

The 55-year-old, from Claverley, Shropshire, who is best known for hosting BBC show The Repair Shop, denied the offences at Shrewsbury Crown Court on Wednesday.

Mr Blades, who appeared in court via a video link, was granted bail ahead of a trial in September 2027.

Judge Anthony Lowe told Mr Blades that he regretted the delays, but he could not move the case to an earlier date because of the backlog in criminal cases.

"It's not a proper justice system where people are having to wait that length of time for their trial," the judge added.

A case management hearing was also set for the same court on 15 May next year, which Mr Blades will not be required to attend in person.

The TV presenter, who appeared in court under his full name Jason Blades, was told not to contact the complainant.

Mr Blades, who was honoured with an MBE in 2021, stepped back from presenting The Repair Shop last year.

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Almost exactly a year ago I interviewed the Hamas leader and chief negotiator Khalil al-Hayya in Doha. I met him in a house not far from the building that Israel attacked on Tuesday afternoon.

From the beginning of the war in Gaza, al-Hayya had been the chief Hamas negotiator, sending and receiving messages to the Israelis and Americans via Qatari and Egyptian intermediaries.

At moments where ceasefires were thought likely, al-Hayya, along with the men who were also targeted this afternoon, were only a short distance from the Israeli and American delegations. When they were attacked, al-Hayya and the other top Hamas leaders were discussing the latest American diplomatic proposals to end the war in Gaza and free the remaining Israeli hostages.

Israel's swift declaration of what it had done immediately fuelled speculation on social media that the latest American proposals were simply a ruse to get the Hamas leadership in one place where they could be targeted.

• Follow live: Israel strikes Qatar's capital
• What do we know about Israel's attack in Doha?

On 3rd October last year, as Khalil al-Hayya walked into the venue for our meeting in a modest, low-rise villa, I was surprised that he had so little security. We had to give up our phones, and a couple of bodyguards came with him into the house.

Outside plain clothes Qatari police sat smoking in an SUV. That was it. A hundred bodyguards could not have stopped an air strike, but al-Hayya and his people were relaxed and confident.

The point was that Qatar was supposed to be safe, and they felt secure enough to move around relatively openly.

A few months earlier, on 31 July 2024, Israel had assassinated Ismail Haniyeh, the Hamas political leader in Tehran, where he was attending the inauguration of President Masoud Pezeshkian.

With the war in Gaza raging, I had wondered whether it might be dangerous to sit in the same room as Khalil al-Hayya. But like him, I thought Qatar was off limits.

In the last few decades Qatar has tried to carve itself a position as the Switzerland of the Middle East, a place where even enemies could make deals.

The Americans negotiated with the Afghan Taliban in Doha. And in the almost two years since the attacks on 7th October 2023, Qatar has been the centre of the diplomatic efforts to negotiate ceasefires and perhaps even an end to the war.

The peace efforts, driven by President Trump's envoy Steve Witkoff, were faltering badly. But now they are in ruins. In the words of one senior western diplomat "there is no diplomacy."

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has told Israelis that their enemies will never be able to sleep easy and are paying the price for ordering the 7th October attacks.

The Israeli offensive in Gaza is gathering pace. A few hours before the attack on Doha, the Israeli military, the IDF, told all Palestinians in Gaza City to leave and move south. It's thought something like one million civilians could be affected.

In his televised comments Netanyahu told Palestinians in Gaza "don't be derailed by these killers. Stand up for your rights and your future. Make peace with us. Accept President Trump's proposal. Don't worry, you can do it, and we can promise you a different future, but you've got to take these people out of the way. If you do, there is no limit to our common future."

If Palestinians in Gaza are able to hear his words, they will ring very hollow. Israel has destroyed the homes of hundreds of thousands of them, as well as hospitals, universities and schools.

With Gaza already gripped by starvation, famine in Gaza City itself and a humanitarian catastrophe across the territory the forced movement of many more people will only increase Israel's lethal pressure on civilians.

Israel has already killed more than 60,000 Palestinians in Gaza, the majority of whom were civilians. Netanyahu himself faces an arrest warrant from the International Criminal Court for war crimes, and Israel is being investigated by the International Court of Justice for genocide.

The attack in Doha is a sign that Netanyahu and his government will press forward as hard as they can all fronts, not just Gaza. They are confident that with American support, their military can enforce their will.

The Doha attack earned a rare rebuke from the White House. Qatar is a valuable ally, that hosts a huge US military base and is a major investor in the US.

But Netanyahu appears to be calculating that Donald Trump, the only leader he feels he must listen to, will content himself with the diplomatic equivalent of a rap over the knuckles.

Israel's offensive in Gaza continues. And as the planned recognition of Palestinian independence at the UN later this month by the UK, France, Canada, Australia and other western countries approaches, Netanyahu's ultra nationalist cabinet allies will redouble calls to respond with the annexation of occupied Palestinian territory in the West Bank.

The US has said Israel's strike on Hamas targets in Qatar "does not advance Israel or America's goals", adding that President Donald Trump "feels very badly" about the attack.

White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt read a statement from Trump at a briefing on Tuesday. It said the US was notified of Israel's attack on Hamas, with a strike "very unfortunately" taking place in the capital Doha.

It described Qatar as "a sovereign nation and close ally of the United States that is working very hard and bravely taking risks with us to broker peace".

Six people were killed in the strike, Hamas said, including one member of the Qatari security forces, but the group said its leadership team survived.

The Israeli military said it conducted a "precise strike" targeted at Hamas senior leaders using "precise munitions". Israeli media reported the operation involved 15 Israeli fighter jets, which fired 10 munitions against a single target.

Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he authorised the strike and there would be "no immunity" for Hamas leaders.

At the White House briefing on Tuesday, Leavitt said: "President Trump immediately directed Special Envoy [Steve] Witkoff to inform the Qataris of the impending attack, which he did. The president views Qatar as a strong ally and friend of the United States."

"The president also spoke to the emir and prime minister of Qatar and thanked them for their support and friendship to our country. He assured them that such a thing will not happen again on their soil," she added.

Leavitt said "eliminating Hamas, who have profited off the misery of those living in Gaza, is a worthy goal" and reiterated that Trump "wants all of the hostages in Gaza and the bodies of the dead released in this war to end now".

The attack took place on early Tuesday afternoon, with footage showing a badly damaged building in Doha.

Qatar's foreign ministry condemned the strike "in the strongest possible terms," and said the attack was a "blatant violation" of international law.

It later said that Qatari officials were not notified of the Israeli strike ahead of time, contradicting the US statement.

"The communication received from one of the US officials came during the sound of explosions," said Qatar's foreign ministry spokesperson Majed Al-Ansari in a post on X.

Leavitt did not specify when the US notified the Qataris of the attack.

Qatar has hosted Hamas's political bureau since 2012 and played a key role in facilitating indirect negotiations between the group and Israel since the 7 October attacks.

It has also been a close ally of the US. Around 10,000 American troops are stationed at a US airbase in al-Udeid, just outside Doha. In May, Trump announced a "historic" economic agreement signed between the two countries that he said is valued at least $1.2 trillion (£890bn).

Qatar has also recently gifted Trump a plane - valued at $400m - as an "unconditional gift" to be used as the new Air Force One, the official aircraft of the US president.

Hamas said their negotiating team in Doha survived Tuesday's attack, adding that the action "confirms beyond doubt that Netanyahu and his government do not want to reach any agreement" for peace.

It said it holds the US administration "jointly responsible" due to its ongoing support of Israel.

The office for Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu put out a statement shortly after the strike, which said the attack was "a wholly independent Israeli operation".

"Israel initiated it, Israel conducted it, and Israel takes full responsibility," the statement said.

A few days prior to the attack, Hamas said it welcomed "some ideas" from the US on how to reach a Gaza ceasefire, and that it was discussing how to turn them "into a comprehensive agreement".

In its statement, the White House said Trump believes the "unfortunate" attack "could serve as an opportunity for peace," and that Netanyahu had expressed to him after the attack that "he wants to make peace and quickly".

The UK's ambassador to the US Peter Mandelson has said he feels "a tremendous sense of regret" over his friendship with convicted paedophile Jeffrey Epstein, and a "tremendous sense of sympathy" for his victims.

Speaking to the You Tube channel Harry Cole Saves the West, he likened his association with Epstein to "an albatross around my neck", adding that he felt "profoundly upset that I was taken in" by a "charismatic criminal liar".

On Tuesday, US lawmakers released a number of documents which included a letter from Lord Mandelson in which he called Epstein his "best pal".

The diplomat said it was "very embarrassing" to see the words published but added they were written "over 20 years ago".

He said he believed more "embarrassing" material including letters and emails would be released.

On Tuesday, a Downing Street spokesperson has said that the prime minister still has confidence in Lord Mandelson and said he has "played a key part" strengthening trade and investment with the US, which had secured jobs in the UK.

The birthday message from Mandelson was one of a number of documents in an alleged "birthday book" given to Epstein in 2023 to celebrate his 50th birthday.

The book contained messages, cards and photos sent by Epstein's friends, including a letter carrying a signature resembling US President Donald Trump. Trump has denied writing the note.

Epstein had been a well-connected financier who was convicted for soliciting prostitution from a person under the age of 18 in 2008. He died in 2019 while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges.

Asked why he continued his association with Epstein, Mandelson said he "fell for his lies".

"I accepted assurances he had given me about his original indictment, his original criminal case. Like very many people I took at face value what he said."

He said he never saw wrongdoing at any point while with Epstein and he "never sought, nor did [Epstein] offer introductions to women in the way that he did to others, perhaps it is because I am a gay man".

He said he couldn't "rewrite history" adding: "What I can do, what I can do is express my profound sympathy for those who were badly treated by him."