Vets could be made to publish price lists and reveal if they are part of a larger vet group, following an investigation by the UK's competition watchdog into the £6.3bn veterniary sector.

The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) found that pet owners pay 16.6% more on average at practices owned by large vet groups than at independent vets.

The regulator has been investigating whether a lack of competition in the sector has contributed to soaring prices.

Wednesday's findings from the CMA are provisional, with interested parties now having until next month to make submissions before a final decision is published next year.

An earlier version of the report, published before the summer, found prices for treatments grew by 60% between 2015 and 2023, compared with inflation of 35% for other general services, according to CMA research.

Other proposed fixes for the sector include price caps on medicines, prescriptions and other services like cremations, as well as a ban on bonuses linked to offering specific treatments.

The UK should be prepared to cope with weather extremes as a result of at least 2C of global warming by 2050, independent climate advisers have said.

The country was "not yet adapted" to worsening weather extremes already occurring at current levels of warming, "let alone" what was expected to come, the Climate Change Committee (CCC) wrote in a letter addressed to the government.

The committee said they would advise that the UK prepare for climate change beyond the long-term temperature goal set out in the Paris Agreement.

The CCC said they had been asked to provide advice on a timeframe for setting adaption scenarios, based on "minimum climate scenarios".

They urged the government to set out a framework of "clear long-term objectives" to prevent further temperature rise, with new targets every five years and departments "clearly accountable" for delivering those goals.

The CCC said they would be able to provide further details on potential "trade offs" in May 2026, when they will release a a major report outlining how the UK can adapt to climate change.

The committee released their last report in April this year, which said preparations in the UK for rising temperatures were "either too slow, has stalled, or is heading in the wrong direction".

• A simple guide to climate change
• What does net zero mean?
• How extreme weather is linked to climate change

Achieving "net zero" is the world's key target for fighting climate change, which climate scientists have agreed is already making a serious impact around the globe.

The Paris Agreement was signed in 2015, and saw almost 200 countries pledge to try and prevent global temperatures from rising more than 1.5C above pre-industrial levels.

As the CCC outlined in their letter, a global warming level of 2C would have significant impact on the UK's weather, with extreme events becoming more frequent and widespread.

They said the UK could expect increased heatwaves, drought and flooding, and wildfire season would likely extend into autumn.

Baroness Brown, chairwoman of the adaptation committee for the CCC, said: "People in the UK are already experiencing the impacts of a changing climate, and we owe it to them to prepare, and also to help them prepare.

"Adaptation in the UK is not keeping up with the increase in climate risk. The impacts on the UK are getting worse and (the government) needs more ambition," she told the BBC's Today programme.

The chairwoman also levelled criticism at Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch, who pledged to scrap the UK's landmark climate change legislation and replace it with a strategy for "cheap and reliable" energy.

Baroness Brown dubbed the promise "disappointing", and said she hoped that the conservative leader would "reflect on the fact that the act covers both adaption and mitigation".

The UK is already experiencing shifting weather patterns due to climate change, with four official heatwaves confirmed in 2025 across what the Met Office have said was the hottest summer on record.

Met Office climate scientists have found that a summer as hot or hotter than 2025 is now 70 times more likely than it would have been in a "natural" climate, with no human-induced greenhouse gas emissions.

Reports of sexual assaults and harassment on trains have risen by more than a third over the past 10 years, according to data requested by a BBC investigation.

There were 2,661 incidents reported across England, Scotland and Wales last year, where one in 10 were children - with some younger than 13.

Rhiannon Williams said she was sexually harassed on a train earlier this year and recalled: "You can't go anywhere, you can't escape. I had to sit there and put up with it."

British Transport Police has said the rise is a "concern" and will take every allegation "seriously" while the group that represents train companies added operators have a "zero tolerance to sexual harassment".

Data gathered by the BBC via a Freedom of Information request to the British Transport Police found a 37% increase in reports of sexual offences across England, Scotland and Wales since 2015.

Warning: This story contains details some may find distressing.

Rhiannon said she was sexually harassed on a train this summer by a group of drunken men while going home in west Wales after a day out with friends at the seaside resort of Tenby in Pembrokeshire.

"It was uncomfortable and scary," the 18-year-old told the BBC.

"It's a situation of feeling quite cornered. You're on a train, you can't go anywhere, you can't escape. It definitely made me feel trapped."

A witness reported the harassment to the British Transport Police and officers are still investigating the incident, which happened in August.

"It's due to the normalisation of these situations, the attitude that boys will be boys and it's something women should put up with," added Rhiannon, who is from Llanelli.

"It shouldn't be like that, these situations make women feel extremely intimidated and uncomfortable."

Sexual offences can include rape, sexual assault or sexual harassment. Police say harassment is anything that makes you feel uncomfortable or is inappropriate, such as staring, constant questioning or catcalling.

Despite the rise, officers fear sexual assault and sexual harassment on trains and in stations is still underreported - and worry some do not report it to police at all.

Like Maddie Waktare, who said she was sexually assaulted by a man sitting next to her while travelling on a train from London Waterloo.

"It was a busy train, but he was taking up more space than he needed to," said the 30-year-old.

"His body was encroaching onto me which made me feel uncomfortable. It was summer and I was wearing a dress and he ran his hand up the side of my thigh."

Maddie said she froze. "He kept doing it," she added.

"I stood up forcefully and glared at him. I was in shock and disbelief. I couldn't believe this had happened to me."

Now Maddie is angry for not reacting.

"I never thought I would be someone who would freeze," she said.

"It made me realise how normalised it is in society. The problem is you don't know what these people are capable of, it starts with something like this and then their crimes can get worse. I should have reported it."

Of those 22,100 reports of sexual offences on trains in the past 10 years, detectives could not identify a suspect in half of the cases.

The UK government has said they have pledged £17m to improve British Transport Police's access to station CCTV to help "ensure offenders are identified and brought to justice more quickly".

Footage of a train conductor being arrested on a station platform after sexually assaulting an 18-year-old female passenger has been released by the British Transport Police as part of the BBC investigation.

Nicholas McMurray was jailed for seven years after being convicted for sexually assaulting a woman who cannot be named for legal reasons, on a mainline train between London Paddington and Swansea.

She had been talking on her phone on a journey from Cardiff when Great Western Railway (GWR) train manager McMurray asked to check her train ticket, before adjusting her dress, and sexually assaulting her.

The passenger reported the incident to British Transport Police when she arrived at Swansea Station and McMurray was arrested on the platform.

Officers placed clear bags over his hands to preserve evidence before he was taken to the police station.

The 38-year-old from Swansea was found guilty of sexual assault and assault by penetration at Swansea Crown Court earlier this year and put on the sex offenders register for life.

GWR said McMurray was immediately removed from duty.

"He resigned with immediate effect during the disciplinary process, where the likely outcome was immediate dismissal," a spokesperson said.

British Transport Police said McMurray had "completely abused his position and took advantage of this young woman".

Sexual offences involving children under 18 have trebled on the trains in the past decade from 146 reports in 2015 to 443 in 2025. In total more than 2,900 reports were made over the past 10 years involving children.

"While any rise in crime figures is a concern, it's important to contextualise that this is down in part to an increase in intelligence-led operations involving plain clothes officers who are specially trained to identify offenders," said Det Ch Insp Nia Mellor of British Transport Police.

Those undercover officers patrol stations looking for "people hanging about not catching trains".

"It's people moving up and down platforms trying to position themselves closer to lone females, or females that may be a bit more vulnerable because of intoxication," said Sgt Morgan Andrews.

Officers also feel men should be more aware of how women may feel about being approached.

It happened to Julia who was on a train with a friend from Bedford to London when she received unwanted attention from a group of men.

"They kept staring and speaking in a different language and it felt like they were planning something," said the 22-year old actress, originally from Switzerland but now living in London.

She said at the end of the train journey the men started to follow them.

"We ran so they couldn't follow us to the tube or follow us home, you don't know what their intentions are," she said.

"I was really anxious. I was scared, I was scared for my friend."

Anyone that experiences or witnesses sexual assault or harassment on the rail network is advised to text the British Transport Police on 61016 with details of the incident, location and time.

"No woman or girl should be made to feel uncomfortable during their rail journey," said Det Ch Insp Mellor.

"Unacceptable behaviour on the network has serious consequences and will not be tolerated.

"We are relentless in our pursuit to hold these offenders to account and ensure the railway network is a safe place to be for everyone."

The Rail Delivery Group, which represents the UK's train operators, said every allegation will be "taken seriously".

"There's zero tolerance in terms of sexual harassment on our network," said their chief executive Jacqueline Starr.

The UK government has said people should be able to use the rail network "without fearing for their safety".

"A rise in reports does not necessarily mean more incidents are occurring," added a government spokesperson.

"It may reflect that more victims now feel able to come forward because of increased awareness and messaging across the network."

If you have been affected by the issues raised in this story you can visit BBC Action Line.

Additional reporting by Lucy Dady and Tom Curd

"Big John" Fisher, a British social media star known for his viral fast food reviews, has been detained in Australia over a visa issue.

Famous for his love of Chinese takeaway and signature catchphrase "bosh", Fisher arrived in Western Australia on Tuesday ahead of a tour of the country.

However, in social media posts, he said he would have to cancel his scheduled appearances in Perth and Sydney as he would be deported to London.

Fisher said he was questioned by border officials for four hours, and though his visa was "legit", Australian authorities "weren't happy" that he was going to be working during his visit. It is understood that Fisher entered Australia on an incorrect visa.

A spokesperson for the Australian Border Force said it could not comment on individual cases, due to privacy issues.

"Will explain more when I get home but absolutely gutted," he said. "Sorry, Perth, sorry, Sydney."

In a post on Wednesday morning local time, Fisher complained about his treatment by authorities and said he was spending his 52nd birthday in a detention hotel waiting to be deported.

"I'm still smiling and I still love Australia," he wrote before signing off with his famed slogan "bosh" - a British slang word often used as an enthusiastic exclamation.

In another Instagram story, Fisher wrote that many people had offered to drop food off for him at the hotel, but he was not allowed to receive it.

"Thank you for the gesture but if you have got me food please take to a food bank -Bosh," he wrote.

Fisher's son - British heavyweight boxer Johnny Fisher - confirmed on Instagram that his father would be flown home.

"Rumour has it they are frightened of his express pace bowling ahead of the Ashes," he said.

Fisher, who has previously visited Australia to meet fans, was due to appear at four events in the country this week. His schedule included hosting a "Bucking Bull" challenge at a greyhound race in Sydney and doing a DJ set at a horse racing meet in Perth.

With almost 700,000 followers on Instagram and another half a million on TikTok, Fisher often films himself eating meals and gives a short review that almost always finish with him saying "bosh".

He was recently interviewed on BBC's Newsnight programme about a Chinese takeaway in York which was vandalised. He later visited the takeaway to show his support and posted a review of its food.

Specially designed singing classes are clinically effective at treating mums with postnatal depression, a major three-year study has found. The authors say they could also be cost effective for the NHS at a time when mental health services are under pressure.

At a children's centre in a housing estate in south London a group of 12 young mums sit in a circle on the floor as their babies cry, crawl and sleep on mats in front of them.

But at this music class there are no bells or tambourines and no Wheels on the Bus or Baby Shark.

Instead, the group work through a mix of lullabies, folk and gospel, switching from Spanish to Congolese to Swahili in rounds of four-part harmonies.

The whole session, from the music selection, to the size of the group, to the set up of the room itself, has been carefully designed to treat the symptoms of postnatal depression.

"I can't stress enough how much this was a game changer for me," says Holly, 30, who started the course earlier this year after it was recommended by her care coordinator.

She says she started feeling unwell in her pregnancy after "my hormones, or something, went a bit wrong".

While those symptoms did start to improve after giving birth to her daughter Ettie, she still felt "vulnerable and very anxious".

"Being a new mum is one of the loneliest times, because you're sort of in this insular bubble," she says.

"And at the very first session here, I walked in and I was like, 'oh, this is my safe place'. Like, I'm safe here."

Postnatal depression is a common problem, affecting more than one in 10 women within a year of giving birth, according to the NHS.

Symptoms are wide-ranging but can include persistent sadness or low mood, problems looking after yourself, insomnia and withdrawing from other people.

Melodies for Mums started in 2017 as a free weekly class in Southwark, south London, based on earlier research which suggested group singing could reduce stress and anxiety.

It's expanded quickly and now runs face-to-face sessions for 400 women a year in five London boroughs and online classes across the UK.

"We know that women experiencing symptoms of postnatal depression can struggle to connect with their peers," says Yvonne Farquharson, the founder of Breathe Arts Health Research, the non-profit organisation behind the idea.

"So through singing, we're getting them to really look at each other and make that kind of bond and social connection."

New mums often join the programme after it's suggested by their midwife, GP or local authority or find it through social media or word-of-mouth.

There is a screening process to check they will benefit before starting the 10-week course.

A 'long-lasting' impact

In 2019 the sessions became part of a study funded by a £2.6m grant from the Wellcome Trust to research how local arts projects might improve physical and mental health at a larger scale.

The results, published this week in the British Journal of Psychiatry, looked at almost 200 mums with postnatal depression over eight months.

The women were split into two groups with one group assigned the singing course and the other offered more typical support like community play classes.

All the mothers reported a reduction in their symptoms by week 10 but that improvement continued in the singing group for another six months beyond the end of the sessions.

"That's really important because it shows that the singing intervention is not only effective in the immediacy for depression, but it has a long-lasting impact," says Dr Rebecca Bind, a research associate at Kings College London and one of the study's lead authors.

Women in the singing group also had a much lower dropout rate and were more likely to say they found it a good match for their needs and easy to use.

The published paper didn't look specifically at why singing itself seemed to have a beneficial effect. But the researchers have their theories.

"I think part of it was women were in the presence of other mothers who were going through the same kind of experiences, even if they were not necessarily having to talk about it," says Dr Bind.

"And on top of that, the act of singing itself can have a very relaxing effect."

A second stage of the analysis has already taken saliva swabs from women to measure levels of the stress hormone cortisol.

Early results suggest that mothers in the singing group saw a "nice steady decline in those levels throughout the intervention period," according to Carmine Pariante, professor of biological psychiatry at Kings College London.

The music classes also helped mums form a bond with their babies which continued after the end of the course as the songs and music were used at home.

At the children's centre Jay, holding her young son Ezra, describes postnatal depression as "feeling low when I know I should have been at the happiest point of my life".

"Just being able to be with people who are also struggling, even though that's not the focus of the session [is important]," she says.

"You're there, you're having a great time and singing, but you know that these people are also experiencing what you're experiencing."

Long NHS waiting lists

The organisers stress the singing classes don't have to replace talking therapies or medication.

But they could be either complimentary or a quicker, easier-to-access alternative for some women, at a time when there can be long waits for NHS mental health services.

Some mothers can wait up to six months for assessment and up to a year for one-to-one treatment, according to a 2024 report by the Maternal Mental Health Alliance.

The Kings College London study found the cost of the music course, at between £126 and £539 per mother and baby depending on how it's measured, was comparable to alternatives such as educational programmes and considerably lower than the cost of group therapy or home visits.

Yvonne Farquharson at Breathe says the arts organisation has now piloted its first singing sessions aimed at young dads.

And it has also been commissioned by the World Health Organization to train teams to roll out the classes in Denmark, Italy, Romania and other countries.

At the children's centre in south London the group talk not only about the friendships they have made, but also about the skills they've picked up over the 10 weeks.

"I have two very small children so things can get very stressful at home," says Stella while holding on tight to a wriggling baby Evie.

"I bring the singing back home with me so now I start humming when things get stressful, and I don't even think about it, it just happens and I can cope."

Melodies for Mums sample tracks:

• Arrorró mi niño - Spanish lullaby
• Simama Kaa - Swahili folk song
• Bele Mama - Cameroonian folk song
• Yani Yoni Ya Hu Wey Hey - Native American birthing song

• A list of organisations in the UK offering support and information with some of the issues in this story is available at BBC Action Line

Royal Mail has been fined £21m after almost a quarter of first-class post arrived late, Ofcom has announced.

It is the third-largest fine the communications watchdog has ever issued and follows its investigation after Royal Mail missed its targets for both first and second-class post in 2024/25.

Ian Strawhorne, director of enforcement at Ofcom, said: "Millions of important letters are arriving late, and people aren't getting what they pay for when they buy a stamp."

Royal Mail said it will "continue to work hard to deliver further sustained improvements to our quality of service".

Royal Mail delivered 77% of First Class mail and 92.5% of Second Class mail on time in the 2024/25 financial year, which was short of its 93% and 98.5% targets.

This is the third time it has been fined over delivery delays in recent years, after Ofcom fined it £5.6m in November 2023 and £10.5m in December 2024.

Ofcom warned fines were "likely to continue" unless it urgently delivers "a credible improvement plan".

Mr Strawhorne said: "Royal Mail must rebuild consumers' confidence as a matter of urgency. And that means making actual significant improvements, not more empty promises."

Ofcom's investigation found the company "breached its obligations by failing to provide an acceptable level of service without justification".

It said the actions taken by Royal Mail to try and reach its targets were "insufficient and ineffective".

The fine, Ofcom said, reflected the "harm suffered by customers" as a result of Royal Mail's poor service.

Under the universal service obligation (USO), Royal Mail is required by law to deliver letters six days a week and parcels five days a week to every address in the UK.

Since July, some areas only receive second-class letters every other weekday and not on Saturday, a change proposed by Ofcom earlier this year.

Responding to Ofcom, a Royal Mail spokesperson said: "We acknowledge the decision made by Ofcom today and we will continue to work hard to deliver further sustained improvements to our quality of service.

The spokesperson said that the reduction of second-class deliveries in some areas enabled the company to "drive a step change in quality of service".

Royal Mail has also made changes in recruitment and training and has provided more support in delivery offices, the spokesperson added.

Vets could be made to publish price lists and reveal if they are part of a larger vet group, following an investigation by the UK's competition watchdog into the £6.3bn veterniary sector.

The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) found that pet owners pay 16.6% more on average at practices owned by large vet groups than at independent vets.

The regulator has been investigating whether a lack of competition in the sector has contributed to soaring prices.

Wednesday's findings from the CMA are provisional, with interested parties now having until next month to make submissions before a final decision is published next year.

An earlier version of the report, published before the summer, found prices for treatments grew by 60% between 2015 and 2023, compared with inflation of 35% for other general services, according to CMA research.

Other proposed fixes for the sector include price caps on medicines, prescriptions and other services like cremations, as well as a ban on bonuses linked to offering specific treatments.

OpenAI plans to allow a wider range of content, including erotica, on its popular chatbot ChatGPT as part of its push to "treat adult users like adults", says its boss Sam Altman.

In a post on X on Tuesday, Mr Altman said upcoming versions of the popular chatbot would enable it to behave in a more human-like way - "but only if you want it, not because we are usage maxxing".

The move, reminiscent of Elon Musk's xAI recent introduction of two sexually explicit chatbots to Grok, could help OpenAI attract more paying subscribers.

It is also likely to intensify pressure on lawmakers to introduce tighter restrictions on chatbot companions.

OpenAI did not respond to the BBC's requests for comment following Mr Altman's post.

Changes announced by the company come after it was sued earlier this year by parents of a US teen who took his own life.

The lawsuit filed by Matt and Maria Raine, who are the parents of 16-year-old Adam Raine, was the first legal action accusing OpenAI of wrongful death.

The Californian couple criticised the company's parental controls - which it said were designed to promote healthier use of its chatbot - saying they did not go far enough.

The family included chat logs between Adam, who died in April, and ChatGPT that show him explaining he has suicidal thoughts.

Altman said that OpenAI previously made ChatGPT "pretty restrictive to make sure we were being careful with mental health issues".

"We realise this made it less useful/enjoyable to many users who had no mental health problems, but given the seriousness of the issue we wanted to get this right," Mr Altman said.

He said the company has now been able to mitigate the serious mental health risks and have new tools allowing it to "safely relax the restrictions in most cases".

"In December, as we roll out age-gating more fully and as part of our 'treat adult users like adults' principle, we will allow even more, like erotica for verified adults," he said.

Critics say OpenAI's decision to allow erotica on the platform shows the need for more regulation at the federal and state levels.

"How are they going to make sure that children are not able to access the portions of ChatGPT that are adult-only and provide erotica?" said Jenny Kim, a partner at the law firm Boies Schiller Flexner. "Open AI, like most of big tech in this space, is just using people like guinea pigs."

Ms Kim is involved in a lawsuit against Meta that claims the company's Instagram's algorithm harms the mental health of teen users.

"We don't even know if their age gating is going to work," she said.

In April, TechCrunch reported that OpenAI was allowing accounts in which a user had registered as a minor to generate graphic erotica.

OpenAI said at the time that the company was rolling out a fix to limit such content.

A survey published this month by the nonprofit Centre for Democracy and Technology (CDT) found that one in five students report that they or someone they know has had a romantic relationship with AI.

On Monday, California Governor Gavin Newsom vetoed a bill passed by the state legislature that would have blocked developers from offering AI chatbots companions to children unless the companies could guarantee the software wouldn't breed harmful behaviour.

Mr Newsom said it was "imperative that adolescents learn how to safely interact with AI systems" in a message that accompanied his veto.

At the federal level, the US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has launched an inquiry into how AI chatbots interact with children.

In the US Senate last month, bipartisan legislation was introduced that would classify AI chatbots as products. The law would allow users to file liability claims against chatbot developers.

Mr Altman's announcement on Tuesday comes as sceptics have been questioning the rapid rise in the value of AI tech companies.

OpenAI's revenue is growing but it has never been profitable.

Sign up for our Tech Decoded newsletter to follow the world's top tech stories and trends. Outside the UK? Sign up here.

The first series of The Celebrity Traitors is in full swing.

The Traitors have begun their murder spree, as the faithfuls endeavour to uncover them.

Many of us like to think we could handle the pressure of being a Traitor, but which celebrity Traitor are you?

Spoiler alert: the quiz will reveal who the celebrity traitors are.

Enjoyed this quiz? Try testing your memory with our latest weekly quiz, or have a go at something from the archives.

Reports of sexual assaults and harassment on trains have risen by more than a third over the past 10 years, according to data requested by a BBC investigation.

There were 2,661 incidents reported across England, Scotland and Wales last year, where one in 10 were children - with some younger than 13.

Rhiannon Williams said she was sexually harassed on a train earlier this year and recalled: "You can't go anywhere, you can't escape. I had to sit there and put up with it."

British Transport Police has said the rise is a "concern" and will take every allegation "seriously" while the group that represents train companies added operators have a "zero tolerance to sexual harassment".

Data gathered by the BBC via a Freedom of Information request to the British Transport Police found a 37% increase in reports of sexual offences across England, Scotland and Wales since 2015.

Warning: This story contains details some may find distressing.

Rhiannon said she was sexually harassed on a train this summer by a group of drunken men while going home in west Wales after a day out with friends at the seaside resort of Tenby in Pembrokeshire.

"It was uncomfortable and scary," the 18-year-old told the BBC.

"It's a situation of feeling quite cornered. You're on a train, you can't go anywhere, you can't escape. It definitely made me feel trapped."

A witness reported the harassment to the British Transport Police and officers are still investigating the incident, which happened in August.

"It's due to the normalisation of these situations, the attitude that boys will be boys and it's something women should put up with," added Rhiannon, who is from Llanelli.

"It shouldn't be like that, these situations make women feel extremely intimidated and uncomfortable."

Sexual offences can include rape, sexual assault or sexual harassment. Police say harassment is anything that makes you feel uncomfortable or is inappropriate, such as staring, constant questioning or catcalling.

Despite the rise, officers fear sexual assault and sexual harassment on trains and in stations is still underreported - and worry some do not report it to police at all.

Like Maddie Waktare, who said she was sexually assaulted by a man sitting next to her while travelling on a train from London Waterloo.

"It was a busy train, but he was taking up more space than he needed to," said the 30-year-old.

"His body was encroaching onto me which made me feel uncomfortable. It was summer and I was wearing a dress and he ran his hand up the side of my thigh."

Maddie said she froze. "He kept doing it," she added.

"I stood up forcefully and glared at him. I was in shock and disbelief. I couldn't believe this had happened to me."

Now Maddie is angry for not reacting.

"I never thought I would be someone who would freeze," she said.

"It made me realise how normalised it is in society. The problem is you don't know what these people are capable of, it starts with something like this and then their crimes can get worse. I should have reported it."

Of those 22,100 reports of sexual offences on trains in the past 10 years, detectives could not identify a suspect in half of the cases.

The UK government has said they have pledged £17m to improve British Transport Police's access to station CCTV to help "ensure offenders are identified and brought to justice more quickly".

Footage of a train conductor being arrested on a station platform after sexually assaulting an 18-year-old female passenger has been released by the British Transport Police as part of the BBC investigation.

Nicholas McMurray was jailed for seven years after being convicted for sexually assaulting a woman who cannot be named for legal reasons, on a mainline train between London Paddington and Swansea.

She had been talking on her phone on a journey from Cardiff when Great Western Railway (GWR) train manager McMurray asked to check her train ticket, before adjusting her dress, and sexually assaulting her.

The passenger reported the incident to British Transport Police when she arrived at Swansea Station and McMurray was arrested on the platform.

Officers placed clear bags over his hands to preserve evidence before he was taken to the police station.

The 38-year-old from Swansea was found guilty of sexual assault and assault by penetration at Swansea Crown Court earlier this year and put on the sex offenders register for life.

GWR said McMurray was immediately removed from duty.

"He resigned with immediate effect during the disciplinary process, where the likely outcome was immediate dismissal," a spokesperson said.

British Transport Police said McMurray had "completely abused his position and took advantage of this young woman".

Sexual offences involving children under 18 have trebled on the trains in the past decade from 146 reports in 2015 to 443 in 2025. In total more than 2,900 reports were made over the past 10 years involving children.

"While any rise in crime figures is a concern, it's important to contextualise that this is down in part to an increase in intelligence-led operations involving plain clothes officers who are specially trained to identify offenders," said Det Ch Insp Nia Mellor of British Transport Police.

Those undercover officers patrol stations looking for "people hanging about not catching trains".

"It's people moving up and down platforms trying to position themselves closer to lone females, or females that may be a bit more vulnerable because of intoxication," said Sgt Morgan Andrews.

Officers also feel men should be more aware of how women may feel about being approached.

It happened to Julia who was on a train with a friend from Bedford to London when she received unwanted attention from a group of men.

"They kept staring and speaking in a different language and it felt like they were planning something," said the 22-year old actress, originally from Switzerland but now living in London.

She said at the end of the train journey the men started to follow them.

"We ran so they couldn't follow us to the tube or follow us home, you don't know what their intentions are," she said.

"I was really anxious. I was scared, I was scared for my friend."

Anyone that experiences or witnesses sexual assault or harassment on the rail network is advised to text the British Transport Police on 61016 with details of the incident, location and time.

"No woman or girl should be made to feel uncomfortable during their rail journey," said Det Ch Insp Mellor.

"Unacceptable behaviour on the network has serious consequences and will not be tolerated.

"We are relentless in our pursuit to hold these offenders to account and ensure the railway network is a safe place to be for everyone."

The Rail Delivery Group, which represents the UK's train operators, said every allegation will be "taken seriously".

"There's zero tolerance in terms of sexual harassment on our network," said their chief executive Jacqueline Starr.

The UK government has said people should be able to use the rail network "without fearing for their safety".

"A rise in reports does not necessarily mean more incidents are occurring," added a government spokesperson.

"It may reflect that more victims now feel able to come forward because of increased awareness and messaging across the network."

If you have been affected by the issues raised in this story you can visit BBC Action Line.

Additional reporting by Lucy Dady and Tom Curd

A TV advert by Red Tractor, the UK's biggest certifier of farm products on supermarket shelves, has been banned for exaggerating the scheme's environmental benefits and misleading the public.

The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) ruled the organisation had provided "insufficient evidence" that its farms complied with basic environmental laws to substantiate the claims in its ad.

Environmental group River Action, which brought the complaint in 2023, said the ruling showed the scheme was "greenwashing" and urged supermarkets to stop using it.

But Red Tractor called the watchdog's decision "fundamentally flawed" and argued that the scheme's focus was animal welfare not environmental standards.

In 2021, Red Tractor aired an advert in which it said: "From field to store all our standards are met. When the Red Tractor's there, your food's farmed with care."

You can watch it below.

The environmental charity River Action took issue with the ad, which ran for a further two years, and complained to the watchdog that it suggested to consumers that Red Tractor farms will "ensure a high degree of environmental protection".

The charity pointed to a report by the Environment Agency, released in 2020, which looked at how many breaches of environmental law there were on Red Tractor farms in the previous five years. The report concluded that these farms were "not currently an indicator of good environmental performance".

After more than two years of investigation - one of the longest running - the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) upheld the complaint.

It said that Red Tractor had failed to provide "sufficient evidence" that its farms met "basic" environmental laws and had a good environmental outcome to substantiate the claims in the ad.

It also ruled that as a result the advert was "misleading" and "exaggerated" the benefits of the scheme.

River Action welcomed the decision by the ASA and called on supermarkets to act.

"What this shows is that for their environmental credentials Red Tractor has been misleading the public and their supplies," said Amy Fairman, head of campaigns at River Action. "So, we're looking for suppliers like supermarkets to really examine and take stock of what is on their shelves."

She added that challenging such adverts was important because of the pollution risk to the environment from agricultural pollution.

In 2022, the Environment Audit Committee concluded that agriculture was one of the most common factors preventing rivers from being in good health - affecting 40% of them. The risks to the environment include from slurry and pesticide runoff.

But Red Tractor, which assures 45,000 farms in the UK, have pushed back strongly, calling the finding by the ASA "fundamentally flawed".

Jim Mosley, CEO of Red Tractor, told the BBC: "They believe that we have implied an environmental claim. Nowhere in the voiceover or the imagery is any environmental claim actually made."

He argued that the ASA only found a minority of people would think the advert meant Red Tractor farms had good environmental standards, and in fact the scheme is focused on other issues.

"Red Tractor's core purpose is food safety, animal welfare, and traceability. Whilst we have some environmental standards, they are a small part. And as a consequence, we leave that entirely to the Environment Agency to enforce environmental legislation," said Mr Moseley.

When asked if that meant Red Tractor does not know if its farms are complying with environmental law, he said: "Correct".

But many supermarkets do refer to the environmental benefits of Red Tractor farms.

Natalie Smith, Tesco's head of agriculture said last month, on the 25-year anniversary of Red Tractor: "Certification schemes play a key role in providing reassurance for customers, and over the past 25 years, Red Tractor has established itself as a mark of quality, standing for… environmental protection."

On Morrisons' website it states: "100% of the fresh pork, beef, lamb, poultry, milk and cheddar cheese we sell in our stores comes from farms certified by Red Tractor, or an approved equivalent scheme, giving customers assurance… environmental protection."

Both supermarkets were asked if they stood by the Red Tractor logo.

Morrisons did not respond to comment and Tesco referred the BBC to their industry body the British Retail Consortium.

The consortium said that "retailers remain committed to working with Red Tractor", but that the organisation themselves are owners of the scheme.

The Conservatives and the Liberal Democrats are demanding the Labour government publish the evidence it submitted in the now-collapsed case against two people accused of spying for China.

It follows another public intervention from the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), which has made clear it would not stand in the way if ministers chose to put their evidence in the public domain.

On Tuesday, senior government figures had suggested that the CPS had told them to do so would be "inappropriate".

Prosecutors unexpectedly dropped the case against Christopher Cash and Christopher Berry last month, prompting criticism from ministers and MPs. Both men deny the allegations.

The director of public prosecutions said the case collapsed because evidence could not obtained from the government referring to China as a national security threat.

This row within a row relates to the three witness statements submitted by Deputy National Security Adviser Matthew Collins, on whether China had been regarded as a threat at the time of the alleged offences under the previous Conservative government.

The CPS has now said: "The statements were provided to us for the purpose of criminal proceedings which are now over.

"The material contained in them is not ours, and it is a matter for the government, independently of the CPS, to consider whether or not to make that material public."

Mr Cash, a former parliamentary researcher, and Mr Berry were charged under the Official Secrets Act in April 2024, when the Conservatives were in power.

They were accused of gathering and providing information prejudicial to the safety and interests of the state between December 2021 and February 2023.

Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp told the BBC: "The government should now urgently release Matt Collins's witnesses statements and the correspondence around them in the interests of full transparency.

"Since this evidence would have been cross-examined in court, it cannot be secret.

"Otherwise, there will be legitimate questions about what exactly the government is hiding."

Liberal Democrat Foreign Affairs Spokesperson Calum Miller also called on Labour to release the full witness statements.

"If ministers have nothing to hide they have nothing to fear," Miller said. "Failure to come clean will just confirm people's suspicions of a cover-up and that ministers are more worried about cosying up to China than protecting our national security."

• The controversy over the collapsed China spy case explained
• BBC In-Depth: Why Labour is strengthening ties with China

On Sunday, Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch wrote to the prime minister asking him to address "unanswered" questions about the collapsed case.

In her letter, Badenoch accused Sir Keir Starmer, or his ministers, of being "too weak to stand up to Beijing on a crucial matter of national security", claiming the government had sought to "appease China".

There is every possibility Sir Keir will for the first time face sustained public scrutiny on the case on Wednesday, when he appears at the first Prime Minister's Question time for several weeks, after the parliamentary recess for party conferences.

The Labour leader previously said ministers could only draw on the last government's assessment of China, in which the country was called an "epoch-defining challenge", and his government has maintained it is "frustrated" the trial collapsed.

The Tories have asked the CPS if it would be able to restart prosecutions against the two men, if new evidence is brought forward by the government declaring China a threat to national security.

But there is an exceptionally high bar to prosecuting someone for a second time after an acquittal in court - and it is not possible to do so for people charged under the Official Secrets Act.

That protection against what is known as "double jeopardy" is a basic legal principle that has existed for 800 years.

Sign up for our Politics Essential newsletter to keep up with the inner workings of Westminster and beyond.

Hamas has returned the bodies of four more deceased hostages, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) has said.

The Red Cross retrieved the remains in coffins and handed them over to the Israeli military late on Tuesday night.

The transfer came after Israel warned it would restrict aid into Gaza until Hamas returned the bodies of all 28 deceased hostages. The Palestinian armed group handed back 20 living and four deceased hostages on Monday.

The remains of 45 deceased Palestinians who had been held in Israel were returned to Gaza on Tuesday, the Red Cross said in a statement.

• 'You're my life, my hero': Hostages reunite with families after two years

• Palestinians celebrate return of detainees freed by Israel

US President Donald Trump's ceasefire plan, which both Israel and Hamas accepted, envisaged the handover of all 48 hostages would be completed by noon on Monday.

While all living hostages were returned, pressure is growing on Hamas and the Israeli government over the remains of 20 hostages which Hamas has not yet repatriated.

In a statement on Tuesday, the IDF said: "Hamas is required to fulfil its part of the agreement and make the necessary efforts to return all the hostages to their families and to proper burial."

Israel's defence minister has warned the Palestinian armed group that "any delay or deliberate avoidance will be considered a gross violation of the agreement and will be responded to accordingly".

Israeli officials said they had decided to restrict aid and delay plans to open the Rafah border crossing with Egypt because Hamas had violated the ceasefire deal by failing to turn over bodies of hostages.

Hamas says it has had difficulty locating the dead hostages' remains.

A copy of the ceasefire agreement, published by Israeli media last week, appeared to acknowledge that Hamas and other Palestinian factions might not be able to locate all of the bodies within the original timeframe.

An Israeli official has suggested that an international task force will start work to locate the remains of anyone who was not returned.

"A big burden has been lifted, but the job is NOT DONE. THE DEAD HAVE NOT BEEN RETURNED, AS PROMISED! Phase two begins right NOW!!!" Trump said on X.

Almost 2,000 Palestinian prisoners and detainees were released as part of the 20-point peace plan, touted by the US president as the end of the two-year war.

The first phase of Trump's plan saw the ceasefire come into effect at 12:00 (09:00 GMT) on 10 October.

Trump signed the declaration on Monday, alongside the leaders of Egypt and Qatar - the main mediators - and Turkey, which played a significant role in the latter stages of indirect negotiations between Israel and Hamas.

UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and French President Emmanuel Macron were among more than 20 world leaders attending - including many from Muslim and Arab countries. Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Hamas did not take part.

The plan would see Gaza initially governed by a transitional committee of Palestinian technocrats overseen by the "Board of Peace", before power is eventually transferred to the Palestinian Authority (PA) once it has undergone reforms.

But difficult negotiations will be needed in order to move forward with the latter phases of the plan.

Among the points of contention are the extent and timeline of Israeli troop withdrawal, the disarmament of Hamas, and the future governance of the Gaza Strip.

Hamas has previously said it will not disarm unless a Palestinian state was established - and has rejected the idea of foreign governance in Gaza.

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

At least 67,869 people have been killed by Israeli military operations in Gaza since then, according to the territory's Hamas-run health ministry.

A brown hyena standing beside the ruins of an abandoned diamond mining settlement has earned wildlife photographer Wim van den Heever the title of Wildlife Photographer of the Year.

He set up his camera trap after spotting fresh hyena tracks in the ghost town of Kolmanskop, Namibia. It took him ten years to get the shot, he said.

The brown hyena, the rarest of all hyena species, is primarily nocturnal and tends to live a solitary life. For years, Mr. van den Heever searched the deserted town, finding only traces of the elusive animal.

"I knew they were there, but actually photographing one was just never going to happen," he says he thought.

He was awarded the prize at London's Natural History Museum.

The annual exhibition dedicated to the competition opens at the Natural History Museum on 17 October.

Keep scrolling to explore the full collection of award-winning images.

Category: Junior Grand Prize and 15- to 17-year-old winner

Title: After the Destruction

Photographer: Andrea Dominizi, Italy

Location: Lepini Mountains, Lazio, Italy

While exploring the Lepini Mountains in central Italy, an area once logged for its old-growth beech trees, Andrea spotted a beetle resting on a cut log beside abandoned machinery.

"This photo shows the story and challenge faced by many animal species: habitat loss," he says. "In this case, it's a beetle that loses the tree and the wood it needs to lay its eggs."

Category winners

Category: Animals in their Environment

Title: Like an Eel out of Water

Photographer: Shane Gross, Canada

Location: D'Arros Island, Amirante, Seychelles

After weeks of patience, last year's winner, Shane Gross, captured peppered moray eels scavenging for carrion at low tide.

He spent hours enduring the sun, heat, and flies, waiting where dead fish had washed up. Eventually, three eels appeared.

Category: 10 Years and Under category

Title: The Weaver's Lair

Photographer: Jamie Smart, UK

Location: Mid-Wales, UK

On a cold September morning, Jamie Smart discovered an orb-weaver spider curled up inside its silken hideaway.

"It's also quite special for me because I get to show something that people are usually afraid of," she says.

Category: Wetlands: The Bigger Picture

Title: Vanishing Pond

Photographer: Sebastian Frölich, Germany

Location: Platzertal, Tyrol, Austria

Sebastian Frölich visited Austria's Platzertal moorlands, a fragile wetland, to highlight its vital role as a carbon sink and a habitat for diverse wildlife, at a time when Austria has lost 90 per cent of its peat bogs.

Category: 11–14 Years

Title: Alpine Dawn

Photographer: Lubin Godin, France

Location: Col de la Colombière, Haute-Savoie, France

During an early ascent, Lubin Godin found an Alpine ibex resting above a sea of clouds. He retraced his steps as the sun broke through and captured the scene before the mist returned.

Category: Underwater

Title: Survival Purse

Photographer: Ralph Pace, USA

Location: Monterey Bay, California, USA

Battling strong currents, Ralph Pace captured this image of a swell shark egg case, revealing a glowing embryo, complete with gill slits and a yolk sac.

Swell sharks depend on kelp to lay their leathery eggs, making them vulnerable to kelp forest loss. Researchers believe Monterey Bay's kelp has declined by more than 95 per cent in the past 34 years.

Category: Animal Portraits

Title: Shadow Hunter

Photographer: Philipp Egger, Italy

Location: Naturns, South Tyrol, Italy

Philipp Egger observed this eagle owl's nest from afar for more than four years.

Among the world's largest owls, eagle owls are about twice the weight of buzzards. These nocturnal hunters nest on cliffs or in crevices and often return to the same site for many years.

Category: Behaviour: Birds

Title: Synchronised Fishing

Photographer: Qingrong Yang, China

Location: Yundang Lake, Fujian Province, China

Qingrong Yang captured a ladyfish snatching prey just beneath a little egret's beak.

He often visits the lake to document these frenzied feeding moments.

Category: Behaviour: Mammals

Title: Cat Amongst the Flamingos

Photographer: Dennis Stogsdill, USA

Location: Ndutu Lake, Serengeti National Park, Tanzania

Caracals are known for their acrobatic leaps to catch birds, but sightings of them hunting flamingos are rare.

Category: Photojournalism

Title: How to Save a Species

Photographer: Jon A Juárez, Spain

Location: Ol Pejeta, Nanyuki, Laikipia County, Kenya

After years following the BioRescue Project, Jon A. Juárez witnessed a breakthrough in rhino conservation, the first successful transfer of a rhino embryo to a surrogate mother.

Though the foetus of the southern white rhino, pictured here, did not survive due to infection, the milestone proved that IVF could work for rhinos, bringing scientists closer to saving the critically endangered northern white rhino.

The BBC covered this incredible story and you can read about it here.

Category: Behaviour: Amphibians and Reptiles

Title: Frolicking Frogs

Photographer: Quentin Martinez, French Guiana

Location: Kaw Mountain, French Guiana

In heavy rain, Quentin Martinez followed a flooded path to a pool in a forest clearing and captured the metallic sheen of lesser tree frogs gathering to breed.

Category: Photojournalist Story

Title: End of the Round-up

Photographer: Javier Aznar González de Rueda, Spain

Location: USA

Across the US, Javier Aznar González de Rueda explored society's conflicted views of rattlesnakes from deep respect to fear and persecution.

See the other images in his winning portfolio here.

Category: Behaviour: Invertebrates

Title: Mad Hatterpillar

Photographer: Georgina Steytler, Australia

Location: Torndirrup National Park, Western Australia

Georgina Steytler showcased the gum-leaf skeletoniser caterpillar's strange tower of discarded head capsules. Each moult leaves a capsule behind, forming a stack thought to confuse predators.

Category: Oceans: The Bigger Picture

Title: The Feast

Photographer: Audun Rikardsen, Norway

Location: Kvænangen Fjord, Skjervøy, Norway

During a polar night in Norway, Audun Rikardsen photographed gulls swarming around a fishing vessel, trying to catch fish trapped in nets.

He aims to highlight the conflict between seabirds and the fishing industry. Many birds drown in purse seine nets each year.

Category: Plants and Fungi

Title: Deadly Allure

Photographer: Chien Lee, Malaysia

Location: Kuching, Sarawak, Borneo, Malaysia

Some carnivorous pitcher plants reflect UV light as part of their display, using colour, scent and nectar to lure prey. To illustrate this, Chien Lee used a long exposure and UV torch.

Category: Rising Star

Title: Watchful Moments

Photographer: Luca Lorenz, Germany

Location: Germany

While Luca Lorenz was photographing mute swans on an urban lake, a coypu photobombed his frame.

See his other portfolio images here

Category: Natural Artistry

Title: Caught in the Headlights

Photographer: Simone Baumeister, Germany

Location: Ibbenbüren, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany

On a city bridge, Simone Baumeister photographed an orb-weaver spider silhouetted against traffic lights. By reversing one of the six glass elements in her lens, she created the kaleidoscopic effect, framing the spider.

Category: Impact Award Winner 2025 & Highly Commended, Photojournalism

Title: Orphan of the Road

Photographer: Fernando Faciole, Brazil

Location: CETAS (Centro de Triagem de Animais Silvestres), Belo Horizonte, Brazil

At a rehabilitation centre in Brazil, Fernando Faciole photographed an orphaned giant anteater pup trailing its caregiver.

His aim is to show the consequences of road collisions, a major threat to these animals.

Category: Portfolio Award

Title: Visions of the North

Photographer: Alexey Kharitonov, Israel/Russia

Location: Russia

A recently frozen lake in Svetlyachkovskoye Swamp reveals snow-dusted dark circles etched with crack-like veins.

Using a drone, Alexey Kharitonov captures the rapid transition from summer to winter across taiga forests and Arctic tundra.

See his other portfolio images here.

When Jess Smith uploaded a photo of herself into an AI image generator this summer, she wasn't expecting a social experiment.

The former Australian Paralympic swimmer wanted to vamp up her headshot and uploaded a full-length photo of her and prompted it really specifically that she was missing her left arm from below the elbow.

But ChatGPT couldn't create the image she was asking for and despite various prompts, the results were largely the same - a woman with two arms or one with a metal device to represent a prosthetic.

She asked the AI why it was so hard to create the image and it said it was because it didn't have enough data to work with.

"That was an important realisation for me that of course AI is a reflection of the world we live in today and the level of inequality and discrimination that exists," she says.

Smith recently tried to generate the image again on ChatGPT and was amazed to find it could now produce an accurate picture of a woman with one arm, just like her.

"Oh my goodness, it worked, it's amazing it's finally been updated," she tells the BBC. "This is a great step forward."

It might not sound like a big deal, but for millions of people with disabilities, this shift matters.

"Representation in technology means being seen not as an afterthought, but as part of the world that's being built," Jess says.

"AI is evolving, and when it evolves with inclusion at its core, we all benefit. This is more than progress in tech it's progress in humanity."

A spokesperson for OpenAI, the company behind ChatGPT, said it had recently "made meaningful improvements" to its image generation model.

They added: "We know challenges remain, particularly around fair representation, and we're actively working to improve this - including refining our post-training methods and adding more diverse examples to help reduce bias over time."

While Smith’s disability is now reflected with AI, Naomi Bowman, who only has sight in one eye, is still experiencing a similar problem.

She asked ChatGPT to blur the background of a picture but instead it "changed my face completely and evened out my eyes".

"Even when I specifically explained that I had an eye condition and to leave my face alone; it couldn't compute," she says.

Naomi initially found it funny but says "it now makes me sad as it shows the inherent bias within AI".

She is calling for AI models to be "trained and tested in rigorous ways to reduce AI bias and to ensure the data sets are broad enough so that everyone is represented and treated fairly".

Some concerned about AI‘s environmental impact have criticised the creation of images on ChatGPT.

Professor Gina Neff of Queen Mary University London told the BBC that ChatGPT is "burning through energy", and the data centres used to power it consume more electricity in a year than 117 countries.

Awkward conversations

Experts say bias in artificial intelligence often reflects the same blind spots that exist in wider society and it's not just disabilities that are unrepresented.

Abran Maldonado, chief execuive of Create Labs, a US-based company that builds culturally aware AI system, says diversity in AI starts with who's involved in training and labelling the data.

"It's about who's in the room when the data is being built," he explains. "You need cultural representation at the creation stage."

Not everything is represented on the internet correctly and Maldonado adds that if you don't consult the people with lived experiences then AI will miss them.

One well known example was a 2019 US government study which found that facial recognition algorithms were far less accurate at identifying African-American and Asian faces compared to Caucasian faces.

Despite living with one arm, Jess doesn't see herself as disabled, saying the barriers she faces are societal.

"If I use a public toilet and the tap has to be held down, that impacts my ability, not because I can't do it, but because the designer hasn't thought about me."

She believes there is a risk of the same oversight happening in the world of AI, systems and spaces built without considering everyone.

When Jess shared her original experience on LinkedIn, someone messaged her to say his AI app would create an image of a woman with one arm.

"I tried to create it and the same thing happened, I couldn't generate the image," she says.

She told the person, but they never replied to her and she says that's typical of conversations around disability.

"The conversation is too awkward and uncomfortable so people back away."

Specially designed singing classes are clinically effective at treating mums with postnatal depression, a major three-year study has found. The authors say they could also be cost effective for the NHS at a time when mental health services are under pressure.

At a children's centre in a housing estate in south London a group of 12 young mums sit in a circle on the floor as their babies cry, crawl and sleep on mats in front of them.

But at this music class there are no bells or tambourines and no Wheels on the Bus or Baby Shark.

Instead, the group work through a mix of lullabies, folk and gospel, switching from Spanish to Congolese to Swahili in rounds of four-part harmonies.

The whole session, from the music selection, to the size of the group, to the set up of the room itself, has been carefully designed to treat the symptoms of postnatal depression.

"I can't stress enough how much this was a game changer for me," says Holly, 30, who started the course earlier this year after it was recommended by her care coordinator.

She says she started feeling unwell in her pregnancy after "my hormones, or something, went a bit wrong".

While those symptoms did start to improve after giving birth to her daughter Ettie, she still felt "vulnerable and very anxious".

"Being a new mum is one of the loneliest times, because you're sort of in this insular bubble," she says.

"And at the very first session here, I walked in and I was like, 'oh, this is my safe place'. Like, I'm safe here."

Postnatal depression is a common problem, affecting more than one in 10 women within a year of giving birth, according to the NHS.

Symptoms are wide-ranging but can include persistent sadness or low mood, problems looking after yourself, insomnia and withdrawing from other people.

Melodies for Mums started in 2017 as a free weekly class in Southwark, south London, based on earlier research which suggested group singing could reduce stress and anxiety.

It's expanded quickly and now runs face-to-face sessions for 400 women a year in five London boroughs and online classes across the UK.

"We know that women experiencing symptoms of postnatal depression can struggle to connect with their peers," says Yvonne Farquharson, the founder of Breathe Arts Health Research, the non-profit organisation behind the idea.

"So through singing, we're getting them to really look at each other and make that kind of bond and social connection."

New mums often join the programme after it's suggested by their midwife, GP or local authority or find it through social media or word-of-mouth.

There is a screening process to check they will benefit before starting the 10-week course.

A 'long-lasting' impact

In 2019 the sessions became part of a study funded by a £2.6m grant from the Wellcome Trust to research how local arts projects might improve physical and mental health at a larger scale.

The results, published this week in the British Journal of Psychiatry, looked at almost 200 mums with postnatal depression over eight months.

The women were split into two groups with one group assigned the singing course and the other offered more typical support like community play classes.

All the mothers reported a reduction in their symptoms by week 10 but that improvement continued in the singing group for another six months beyond the end of the sessions.

"That's really important because it shows that the singing intervention is not only effective in the immediacy for depression, but it has a long-lasting impact," says Dr Rebecca Bind, a research associate at Kings College London and one of the study's lead authors.

Women in the singing group also had a much lower dropout rate and were more likely to say they found it a good match for their needs and easy to use.

The published paper didn't look specifically at why singing itself seemed to have a beneficial effect. But the researchers have their theories.

"I think part of it was women were in the presence of other mothers who were going through the same kind of experiences, even if they were not necessarily having to talk about it," says Dr Bind.

"And on top of that, the act of singing itself can have a very relaxing effect."

A second stage of the analysis has already taken saliva swabs from women to measure levels of the stress hormone cortisol.

Early results suggest that mothers in the singing group saw a "nice steady decline in those levels throughout the intervention period," according to Carmine Pariante, professor of biological psychiatry at Kings College London.

The music classes also helped mums form a bond with their babies which continued after the end of the course as the songs and music were used at home.

At the children's centre Jay, holding her young son Ezra, describes postnatal depression as "feeling low when I know I should have been at the happiest point of my life".

"Just being able to be with people who are also struggling, even though that's not the focus of the session [is important]," she says.

"You're there, you're having a great time and singing, but you know that these people are also experiencing what you're experiencing."

Long NHS waiting lists

The organisers stress the singing classes don't have to replace talking therapies or medication.

But they could be either complimentary or a quicker, easier-to-access alternative for some women, at a time when there can be long waits for NHS mental health services.

Some mothers can wait up to six months for assessment and up to a year for one-to-one treatment, according to a 2024 report by the Maternal Mental Health Alliance.

The Kings College London study found the cost of the music course, at between £126 and £539 per mother and baby depending on how it's measured, was comparable to alternatives such as educational programmes and considerably lower than the cost of group therapy or home visits.

Yvonne Farquharson at Breathe says the arts organisation has now piloted its first singing sessions aimed at young dads.

And it has also been commissioned by the World Health Organization to train teams to roll out the classes in Denmark, Italy, Romania and other countries.

At the children's centre in south London the group talk not only about the friendships they have made, but also about the skills they've picked up over the 10 weeks.

"I have two very small children so things can get very stressful at home," says Stella while holding on tight to a wriggling baby Evie.

"I bring the singing back home with me so now I start humming when things get stressful, and I don't even think about it, it just happens and I can cope."

Melodies for Mums sample tracks:

• Arrorró mi niño - Spanish lullaby
• Simama Kaa - Swahili folk song
• Bele Mama - Cameroonian folk song
• Yani Yoni Ya Hu Wey Hey - Native American birthing song

• A list of organisations in the UK offering support and information with some of the issues in this story is available at BBC Action Line

The US has struck another vessel off the coast of Venezuela, killing six people, President Donald Trump has said.

In a post on Truth Social, Trump said the vessel belonged to "narcoterrorists" and that it was "trafficking narcotics."

This is the fifth strike of its kind by the Trump administration on a boat accused of trafficking drugs on international waters since September. In total, 27 people have been reported killed, but the US has not provided evidence or details about identities of the vessels or those on board them.

Some lawyers have accused the US of breaching international law, and neighbouring nations like Colombia and Venezuela have condemned the strikes.

In his Truth Social post, Trump said "intelligence confirmed the vessel was trafficking narcotics, was associated with illicit narcoterrorist networks, and was transiting along a known" route for smuggling.

He also posted an aerial surveillance video showing a small boat on water that is struck by a missile and explodes.

Trump did not specify the nationality of those on board, or what drug smuggling organisation they are suspected of belonging to. He added that no US military personnel were injured.

The strike comes after a recent leaked memo sent to Congress, and reported on by US media, that said the administration determined the US was in a "non-international armed conflict" with drug cartels.

The US has positioned its strikes on alleged drug-trafficking vessels as self-defence, despite many lawyers questioning their legality.

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

You can receive Breaking News on a smartphone or tablet via the BBC News App. You can also follow @BBCBreaking on X to get the latest alerts.

Donald Trump's quick trip to Israel and Egypt was the victory lap he wanted.

Anyone watching the speeches he made in Jerusalem and Sharm el-Sheikh, could see a man luxuriating in his power - enjoying the applause in Israel's parliament, and in Egypt, basking in the fact that so many heads of state and government had flown in.

One veteran diplomat in the room said it looked as if Trump saw the role of the world leaders there as extras on his film set.

Trump's message assembled at Sharm was, in effect, that he had created a historical turning point.

"All I've done all my life is deals. The greatest deals just sort of happen… That's what happened right here. And maybe this is going to be the greatest deal of them all," he said.

Observers might also have had the impression from the speeches that the job is done. It is not.

Without question, Trump can claim credit for the ceasefire and hostage exchange deal. Qatar, Turkey and Egypt used their leverage with Hamas to force it to accept.

That made it a joint effort, but Trump's role was decisive.

Without his push to demand Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's agreement to terms that he had previously rejected, the deal would not have been signed.

It helps to recognise what the deal is – and what it isn't.

The agreement was for a ceasefire and an exchange of hostages for prisoners. It is not a peace agreement, or even the start of a peace process.

The next phase of the Trump 20-point plan requires an agreement filling in the gaps of the framework which declares that the Gaza Strip will be demilitarised, secured and governed by a committee including Palestinians.

It will report to a Board of Peace chaired by President Trump. Significant work needs to be done on the detail needed to make that happen.

The Gaza agreement is not a route map to peace in the Middle East, the ultimate and so far, unreachable destination.

Just as seriously, there is no evidence of the political will necessary to make a real peace deal. Most wars end with exhausted belligerents making some kind of agreement. The war in Gaza has become one of those, if as Trump has declared, it really is over.

The other way to end a war is with a total victory that lets the winners dictate the way ahead. The best example is the unconditional surrender of Nazi Germany in 1945.

Before 9 September, when Netanyahu ordered a missile strike on Qatar he seemed to still be intent on crushing Israel's enemy so comprehensively, that Israel would be able to dictate the future of Gaza.

The strike infuriated Trump.

Qatar is one of America's key allies in the region, and the site of the biggest US military base in the Middle East. It is also a place where his sons have been doing lucrative business. Trump dismissed Netanyahu's justification that the target, which was missed, was the Hamas leadership, not Qatar.

For Trump, America's interests come before Israel's. He is not like Joe Biden, who was prepared to accept harm to America's position in the region as the necessary price for supporting Israel.

Trump is back in Washington DC. Diplomats say the Americans realise that getting the detail sorted out is vital and will not happen quickly. The problem is that they might not have enough time.

Ceasefires always get violated in their early stages. The ones that survive tend to be based on a tight agreements, made by warring parties who have decided that their best option is to make them work.

The danger is that the Gaza ceasefire lacks those underpinnings. Only 24 hours after Israelis and Palestinians, for very different reasons, shared joy and relief that hostages, prisoners and detainees were home, cracks are appearing in the ceasefire.

Hamas has, so far, returned only four of the bodies of the 28 hostages who were killed during their incarceration. Its explanation is that it is very hard to find their graves in the sea of rubble that Israel has created in Gaza.

Israel's patience is thin.

The fate of the bodies of the hostages will become a bigger and bigger issue in Israel if their remains are not repatriated.

On Tuesday evening, it was reported that Israel will not reopen the Rafah border crossing between Gaza and Egypt on Wednesday and will reduce the flow of aid into the territory until Hamas finds the bodies and sends them home.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) still occupies 55% of the Gaza Strip. This morning its soldiers killed Palestinians who they said were approaching their forces. Palestinian Civil Defence in Gaza told the BBC that seven people were killed in two incidents.

It could be that the IDF is still observing the rules of engagement that it was using before the ceasefire. They order troops to watch two imaginary lines around their positions. If one is crossed, they fire warning shots. If Palestinians continue to approach their positions and cross a second imaginary line, IDF troops can shoot to kill.

A big problem with the system is that Palestinians do not know where the lines are. It is crowd control with live fire.

As for Hamas, it is reasserting its power.

Its men, armed and masked are back on the streets. It has attacked rival armed clans, some of which have been protected by the IDF. Videos have circulated of Hamas killing blindfolded and kneeling men who they have accused of collaborating with the Israelis.

The grisly videos of extra-judicial executions in the street send a message to any Palestinians who want to defy them that they should not dare - and to the outside world that Hamas has survived Israel's onslaught.

Point 15 of the Trump plan for Gaza says the US "will work with Arab and international partners to develop a temporary International Stabilisation Force (ISF) to immediately deploy in Gaza". Raising and deploying that force will be impossible if the ceasefire is not solid. Potential contributors will not send in their troops to use force to disarm Hamas.

Hamas has hinted it might give up some heavy weapons but will not be disarmed. It has an ideology of Islamic resistance to Israel, and knows that without weapons its Palestinian enemies will come for revenge. Netanyahu has threatened that if no-one else will do it, Israel will finish the job. Hamas's weapons have to go, he has said, the "easy way or the hard way".

Trump has proclaimed that his Gaza deal, as it stands, will end generations of conflict between Arabs and Jews over the land between the river Jordan and the Mediterranean Sea. He insists too that it will lead to a broader peace across the Middle East.

If he really believes that the job of making peace is done, then he is deluding himself. Just trying needs sustained focus, hard diplomatic work and a decision by the two sides in the fight that the time has come to make painful sacrifices and compromises. To make peace, other dreams have to be jettisoned.

Past American presidents have also believed that they can make peace in the Middle East. Trump will discover that peace is not made just because a president, however powerful, decides that it is going to happen.

Some migrants coming to the UK will need to speak English to an A-level standard under tougher new rules set to be introduced by the government.

Applicants will be tested in person on their speaking, listening, reading and writing at Home Office-approved providers, with their results checked as part of the visa process.

The changes, which come into force from 8 January 2026, form part of wider plans to cut levels of immigration to the UK outlined in a white paper in May.

Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood said: "If you come to this country, you must learn our language and play your part."

Those applying for skilled worker, scale-up and high potential individual (HPI) visas will be required to reach B2 level - a step up from the current B1 standard which is equivalent to GCSE.

"This country has always welcomed those who come to this country and contribute," Mahmood said.

"But it is unacceptable for migrants to come here without learning our language, unable to contribute to our national life."

To come to the UK on the skilled worker visa, migrants have to work for a government-approved employer and earn at least £41,700 a year, or the "going rate" for their type of work, whichever is highest.

The scale-up visa is open to migrants coming to work for a fast-growing UK business. Migrants can apply for a high potential individual visa if they have been awarded a qualification from a top global university within the last five years.

According to the British Council, which offers English language courses, learners who achieve B2 level can "understand the main ideas of complex texts on concrete or abstract topics."

They can express themselves "fluently and spontaneously" and communicate comfortably with other English speakers. They can also produce "clear, detailed text on many subjects and explain a complex viewpoint".

Further English language requirements for other visa routes and family dependants are expected to be introduced in due course, Home Office Minister Mike Tapp told Parliament on Tuesday.

The prime minister previously said the changes outlined in the white paper would make the UK's immigration system "controlled, selective and fair".

• Refugees to face longer route to UK settlement rights
• Mahmood demands migrants earn right to settlement in UK
• Keir Starmer calls Reform migrant policy 'racist' and 'immoral'

Home Office estimates suggest the measures could reduce the number of people coming to the UK by up to 100,000 per year.

Net migration to the UK - total permanent arrivals minus total permanent departures - fell to 431,000 in 2024, down almost 50% on the total in 2023, when it reached a record high of 906,000.

Other measures in the white paper include cutting the time period international students can stay in the UK to find a graduate job after their course ends from two years to 18 months, which will take effect from January 2027.

Students will also have to meet higher financial requirements, raised to £1,171 per month outside London (from £1,136) for up to nine months.

Further plans in the White Paper include, the immigration skills charge for UK employers to pay when sponsoring foreign workers on specific visas has also been increased to £480 per person per year for small organisations or charities, and to £1,320 for medium and large organisations.

This is raised from £364 and £1,000 respectively.

As part of the government's efforts to attract highly skilled people to the country, the HPI route will be expanded. The number of migrants on the visa is expected to double from 2,000 to 4,000, but there will be a cap of 8,000 applications each year.

The Global Talent visa, for high achievers in technology, arts and academia fields has also been expanded to include winners of more prestigious prizes.

Dr Madeleine Sumption, director of the Migration Observatory at the University of Oxford, said the government faced a "trade-off" between "ensuring migrants speak good English and enabling employers to recruit workers who are expected to bring economic benefits."

Many graduate jobs already require language skills above A-level standard, she said.

The new language requirements will have "more impact in middle-skilled jobs involving technical and manual skills, where employers sometimes do not require high language proficiency".

R&B award-winning singer Michael Eugene Archer, known to his fans as D’Angelo, died aged 51 after a battle with cancer, his family said in a statement.

His family said the singer was leaving behind a "legacy of extraordinarily moving music" and asked fans to celebrate “the gift of song that he has left for the world”.

The influential singer was known for pioneering the genre of neo-soul, which blends R&B music with other genres including hip-hop and jazz.

His three albums won him four Grammy awards. The music video for his hit song, Untitled (How Does it Feel), gained mainstream attention after he performed in the one-shot video, naked, belting the song.

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The UK is forecast to be the second-fastest growing of the world's most advanced economies this year and next, according to new projections from the International Monetary Fund (IMF).

The rates of growth remain modest at 1.3% for both years, but that outperforms the other G7 economies apart from the US, in a torrid year of trade and geopolitical tensions.

However, UK inflation is set to rise to the highest in the G7 in 2025 and 2026, the IMF predicts, driven by larger energy and utility bills.

UK inflation is forecast to average 3.4% this year and 2.5% in 2026 but the IMF says this will be "temporary", and fall to 2% by the end of next year.

The G7 are seven advanced economies - the US, UK, France, Germany, Italy, Canada and Japan - but the group doesn't include fast-growing economies such as China and India.

The IMF is an international organisation with 190 member countries. They work together to try to stabilise the global economy.

In the IMF's forecast for economic growth, the UK overtook Canada, after its trade-war-affected economy was hit by the biggest downgrades for 2025 and 2026. Germany, France and Italy are all forecast to grow far more slowly at rates of between 0.2 and 0.9% in 2025 and 2026.

Chancellor Rachel Reeves welcomed the fresh upgrade to the IMF's outlook for the UK's economy.

"But know this is just the start. For too many people, our economy feels stuck," she said.

"Working people feel it every day, experts talk about it, and I am going to deal with it."

But highlighting the inflation forecasts, shadow chancellor Sir Mel Stride said the IMF assessment on made for "grim reading".

He said that UK households "were being squeezed from all sides", adding: "Since taking office, Labour have allowed the cost of living to rise, debt to balloon and business confidence to collapse to record lows."

The IMF said a slight overall upgrade for the UK in its World Economic Outlook, from its previous outlook in April, was due to "strong activity in the first half of 2025" and an improved trade outlook, partly thanks to the recently announced US-UK trade deal.

Trump tariffs loom large

The global outlook is dominated by the so far "muted response" of the world economy to the imposition of hefty tariffs on almost all imports into the US, a weakened dollar, questions about the independence of the US Federal Reserve and sky high valuations of US tech companies.

The IMF expect some of this to unwind soon, saying "resilience is giving way to warning signs". In the US tariff costs which had been absorbed by exporters and retailers, are now feeding into higher goods prices.

So far tariffs have been reflected in higher prices for American shoppers of household appliances, but not for food and clothing.

The IMF cited Brexit as an example of how uncertainty around major changes in trading arrangements can, after a delay, lead to steady falls in investment.

AI warning

The Fund also pointed to a possible bursting of the US AI tech boom.

"Excessively optimistic growth expectations about AI could be revised in light of incoming data from early adopters and could trigger a market correction," the IMF said.

Disappointing profit numbers could lead to a "reassessment of the sustainability of AI-driven valuations and a drop in tech stock prices, with systemic implications. A potential bust of the AI boom could rival the dot-com crash of 2000–01 in severity".

The concentration of the stock market surge on a tiny number of firms and massive funding from less regulated sources outside the banking sector, were particular risks.

Slow growth could hit household wealth, with a lesser ability of major economies to use government borrowing to support their economies, as occurred in recent crises.

Conversely, the IMF also said that "faster AI adoption" could help unleash significant gains in productivity, helping the global economy is handled appropriately.

Elsewhere, the IMF again pointed to the outperformance of the Spanish economy, the fastest-growing large western economy. But the war economy growth seen in Russia last year has now petered out.

There are also concerns about funding for the world's poorest countries now that aid budgets in many countries, such as the UK and US are being slashed in favour of increased defence spending.

The forecasts were released on the eve of the annual meetings of the IMF and World Bank attended by the world's finance ministers and central bankers in Washington DC, with considerable attention on a new US bailout for Argentina.

An elite military unit says it has seized power in Madagascar from President Andry Rajoelina following weeks of youth-led protests in the Indian Ocean island.

Standing outside the Presidential Palace, CAPSAT chief Col Michael Randrianirina said the military would form a government and hold elections within two years. He also suspended key democratic institutions, like the electoral commission.

Gen Z protestors will be part of the changes because "the movement was created in the streets so we have to respect their demands" he added.

Troops and protestors have been celebrating the apparent ousting of President Rajoelina, with thousands cheering and waving flags in the capital, Antananarivo.

Madagascar's constitutional court has named Col Randrianirina as the country's new leader, even though a statement from the president's office said he was still in charge and denounced what it described as an "attempted coup d'etat".

Rajoelina's whereabouts are unknown, but he has said he is sheltering in a "safe place" following an alleged attempt on his life by "military personnel and politicians", which CAPSAT has denied having any involvement in. There have been unconfirmed reports that the president was flown out of the country on a French military aircraft.

• My one-month-old grandson was killed by police tear gas during Madagascar protests

Col Randrianirina told the BBC that Madagascar was "a country where chaos reigns right now".

"Chaos because there's no president - he's gone abroad."

The unrest began just over two weeks ago, after a youth-led movement began protesting against chronic water and power cuts across the country.

The demonstrations soon escalated, to reflect wider dissatisfaction with Rajoelina's government over high unemployment, rampant corruption and the cost-of-living crisis.

Protestors clashed with security forces resulting in the death of at least 22 people and more than 100 others injured, according to the UN, although the Malagasy government has dismissed those figures and described them as based on "rumours and misinformation".

CAPSAT, which supported Rajoelina when he came into power in 2009, joined the protestors on Saturday.

President Rajoelina, an entrepreneur and former DF, was once seen as a fresh start for Madagascar.

The baby-faced leader became president at the age of just 24, earning the title of Africa's youngest leader, and going on to govern for four years, before returning to power after the 2018 election.

But he fell out of favour following allegations of cronyism and corruption, which he denied.

Despite the fact that power appears to have shifted away from him, he has continued to try to influence events.

Rajoelina attempted to dissolve the national assembly before the opposition could vote to strip him of his presidency for abandonment of post, but that didn't work.

Lawmakers voted to impeach Rajoelina by 130 votes to one blank ballot. Even members of Rajoelina's party, IRMAR, voted overwhelmingly to impeach him.

Rajoelina rejected the vote, calling it "null and void".

The African Union (AU) has warned against soldiers "meddling" in Madagascar's political affairs and rejected "any attempt at unconstitutional changes of government".

French President Emmanuel Macron called the situation "greatly worrying".

The island has gone through a series of political upheavals in recent years.

Madagascar is one of the poorest countries in the world, with 75% of its 30 million people living below the poverty line, according to the World Bank.

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Former House of Lords Speaker Baroness D'Souza faces an eight-week suspension after complaining to the Metropolitan Police Commissioner about "unfair" speeding fines.

A Lords inquiry found the 81-year-old peer broke rules on "personal honour" by writing to Sir Mark Rowley on Lords headed notepaper to query multiple breaches of the 20mph limit adding up to £400 in fines.

Baroness D'Souza said she only wanted to "open a conversation" on London speed limits, but later called the letter to Sir Mark "unwise" and said she regretted sending it.

The Lords Standards Commissioner ruled the letter was "an attempt to influence" the police investigation.

In his report, Commissioner for Standards Martin Jelley said Baroness D'Souza's actions "may harm the House by eroding public trust in parliamentarians and in institutions which exist to serve the public interest".

In the letter, Baroness D'Souza complained the offences would result in 12 points on her driving licence and losing her driving licence, which she said might mean she would have to "give up attending Parliament".

"I live deep in the countryside with no local bus services and unsuitable train schedules," she added.

The peer had asked Sir Mark if losing her licence was "a fair response for exceeding the speed limit while we are all still learning what a 20-mile speed actually feels like?"

"Who can say if my speedometer or your radar is entirely accurate in recording 21 miles instead of 20," she added in her letter, which was sent on House of Lords headed paper.

Baroness D'Souza, a crossbench peer who does not belong to a party, was eventually disqualified from driving temporarily on 16 July. She has only spoken in the House of Lords once since then and, voted twice.

In the letter, she acknowledged that Sir Mark, the UK's most senior police officer who also leads on Britain's counter-terrorism efforts, had "much other business to deal with".

"I apologise for bothering your office with such a trivial matter," she added.

The Met Police passed the letter to the House of Lords' commissioner for standards who recommended an eight-week suspension, citing the aggravating factor that the intervention was for personal benefit.

Baroness D'Souza, who was the Lords' speaker between 2011 and 2016, denied she had been attempting to influence the police investigation, but instead find "any mitigating factors" that might keep any driving ban to a minimum.

She told investigators she used Lords stationery because she had previously met Sir Mark "in the context" of her parliamentary role.

Baroness D'Souza accepted that her letter to the Met Police chief was "inappropriate" and said she "deeply regretted" the decision to send it.

She appealed against the proposed eight-week Lords ban, claiming it was "unduly severe" compared with shorter suspensions for bullying or misuse of facilities.

Her appeal rejected by the committee.

The report will now go before the House for approval. If agreed, the suspension will take effect immediately.

Baroness D'Souza was previously criticised for billing taxpayers thousands of pounds in expenses for chauffeur-driven cars.

This includes a keeping chauffeur-driven Mercedes waiting outside the Royal Opera House - just a mile from parliament - for four hours, before returning to the Lords at a cost of £230.40.

She also used a Mercedes to get from Westminster to Canterbury for the enthronement of Archbishop Justin Welby in March 2013 cost £627, freedom of information results found.

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The UK's decision to recognise Palestinian statehood helped to bring about the ceasefire deal in Gaza, Sir Keir Starmer has told MPs.

Speaking after a summit in Egypt, the PM stressed that the agreement signed there belonged to US President Donald Trump, telling MPs: "This is his deal."

But he said the UK had been in a position to work "behind the scenes" for a ceasefire "precisely because of the approach this government takes," including its recognition of a Palestinian state.

Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch said recognising Palestine without setting a condition for the release of hostages was "rewarding terrorism" and accused the PM of "diminishing" UK influence in the Middle East.

Sir Keir told MPs that Monday's deal provided "a moment of profound relief" as he paid tribute to both the hostages and the civilians killed in Gaza.

But he also stressed that "making that peace last will be no less difficult a task" and that implementing the peace plan "is no small challenge".

Negotiations will now follow on phase two of the deal, which involves Hamas laying down its weapons - a possibility the group is reported to have dismissed - and the rebuilding of Gaza under a "peace board" chaired by Trump and potentially including former prime minister Sir Tony Blair.

Sir Keir said the UK stood ready to deploy its diplomacy and expertise to support the reconstruction of Gaza - the devastation of which he says "defies description".

The UK will provide an additional £20m in humanitarian aid to provide "water, sanitation and hygiene products" to people in the territory, he added.

There are no plans to send British troops to be part of the multinational force that will monitor the truce, but the prime minister said the UK would help with the ceasefire monitoring process.

And he said the UK could draw on its experience in Northern Ireland to "play a full role" in the decommissioning of Hamas's weapons and capability.

The prime minster told MPs the deal represented the "first real chance we've had" of a two-state solution since the 1993 Oslo Accords, which were meant to provide interim self-government for Palestine as a stepping stone to an independent state.

"So we are fully committed to this [deal] because a safe and secure Israel, alongside a viable Palestinian state, is the only way to secure lasting peace for the Middle East," he told MPs.

The PM also claimed that the UK's decision to recognise Palestinian statehood had aided the cause of peace.

He told MPs: "This move, taken alongside our allies France, Canada, Australia and others, helped lead to the historic New York declaration, where for the first time the entire Arab League condemned the atrocities of October 7, urged Hamas to disarm and, crucially, demanded that they end their rule in Gaza."

Kemi Badenoch accused the prime minister of "taking the wrong decisions time and time again, diminishing our influence in" the Middle East.

"It's quite clear that UK relations with Israel have been strained by the actions of this government," she told MPs, to cries of "shame" from the Labour benches.

The Conservative leader added: "In a move praised by Hamas, Labour decided to recognise a state of Palestine with no condition to release the hostages still held in the tunnels of Gaza, rewarding terrorism."

At the time, the US voiced strong opposition to the UK and other countries recognising Palestinian statehood, with Secretary of State Marco Rubio saying Hamas would "feel more emboldened" by the move.

Under Trump's proposed 20-point peace plan, Gaza would initially be governed by a temporary transitional committee of Palestinian technocrats - supervised by a "Board of Peace".

Governance of the Strip would eventually be handed over to the Palestinian Authority - which administers the West Bank - once it has undergone reforms.

According to the plan, Hamas - which seized control of Gaza in 2007 by ousting its rivals, a year after winning legislative elections - would play no future role in its governance, directly or indirectly.

The ceasefire deal says Hamas should release all the 48 Israeli and foreign hostages still in Gaza after two years of war.

All but one were among the 251 people abducted during the Palestinian group's attack on southern Israel on 7 October 2023, during which about 1,200 other people were killed.

Israel responded by launching a military campaign in Gaza, during which more than 67,800 people have been killed, according to the territory's Hamas-run health ministry.

Bipin Joshi threw back a grenade from Hamas attackers before being taken hostage in the assault on Israel two years ago, says the fellow Nepalese student he saved.

"I may not have survived if both grenades had exploded. Bipin showed courage and threw the grenade out," Dhan Bahadur Chaudhary told BBC Nepali.

He was speaking after the Israeli military identified his friend's body as being among four dead hostages returned by Hamas under the Gaza ceasefire accord.

Bipin was 23 and working on a kibbutz when he was taken by Hamas into captivity along with 250 others on 7 October 2023. It's unclear how or when he died.

His family and friends hoped right up to the release deadline that he might be among living hostages returned on 13 October, but he wasn't, and a day later their worst fears were confirmed.

Bipin, Dhan Bahadur and 15 other Nepalese agriculture students had been in Israel for just over three weeks when Kibbutz Alumim was attacked.

"We knew that there may be a war in Israel. But we had no idea that there may be any ground attack of that magnitude," Dhan Bahadur said. "We thought that there could be missile attacks and we would be safe if we stay underground, in the bunkers."

For the students who'd been invited under the Israeli government's "Earn and Learn Programme" it was a great opportunity to make better lives for themselves and their families in Nepal.

Dhan Bahadur credits his survival to Bipin's courage.

"At the time of attack, two grenades were thrown near the bunkers. He [Bipin] picked up one and threw it outside; one exploded inside. Due to that explosion, I and four others were injured," he says.

"He was unharmed at that point. If both grenades had exploded, I would not have been speaking with you like this."

Ten of the Nepalese students were killed in the attack. Bipin was the only one captured.

"We met for the last time when he and others were being shifted to another bunker," Dhan Bahadur says. "Because, after the injury, I could not move and I stayed in the first bunker. I later came to know that there were two attacks in the bunker where he took shelter and he was held captive from there."

• Follow live coverage here
• Israeli hostages and Palestinian detainees freed as Trump hails 'historic dawn' in Middle East
• 'You're my life, my hero': Hostages reunite with families after two years
• Palestinians celebrate return of detainees freed by Israel

The 27-year-old says he feels deeply saddened after hearing about his colleague's death. He and Bipin studied together in Far Western University School of Agriculture in Tikapur, Nepal.

"We made all possible efforts from our sides to secure his release. We did everything. But yesterday, we had to face such shocking news. All of Nepal is in grief. I do not know what to say. I have no words to explain my sorrow."

Dhan Bahadur says Bipin and other colleagues had the same goal of making little savings and starting their own enterprise after returning from the exchange programme in Israel.

"He loved playing football and basketball. We would chat for hours about our goals and dreams. He wanted to get his body in good shape and to buy a new mobile phone. We even recorded a song about friendship with my phone. He also talked about showcasing himself in a music video."

On 14 October, the Israeli military said it believed Bipin Joshi was "murdered in captivity during the first months of the war". There's no way of independently confirming that.

But if it's the case, Dhan Bahadur said, the international community should ask Hamas about why it happened.

He said he had not received any support from Nepal's government following his injury but hoped the Israeli government would help Bipin's family.

Bipin's immediate family members have not released any statement so far.

Footage from 7 October showed him walking inside al-Shifa hospital in Gaza City. His family received no signs of life for a year, until the Israeli military shared a video of him in captivity around November 2023.

Relatives described the footage as "proof of life" just hours before the ceasefire deal was agreed, and were hoping for a miracle.

Now in his hometown of Bhimdutta municipality Bipin's family are grieving after hearing news of his death.

His mother and sister had gone to the United States to lobby for the release of hostages, Bipin's cousin Kishore Joshi told BBC Nepali.

He says the family has no words to describe the grief. "His mother and sister are returning from US on Thursday. The father is not in the condition to express the pain in words."

Meanwhile it's unclear when Bipin's body will be returned to his family.

Israel is making all necessary arrangements to repatriate his remains to Nepal, as it did for the other students who died, Nepal's ministry of foreign affairs said.

"We are all shocked by the news of Bipin Joshi's death. In this time of sorrow [we] extend our deep sympathy to the grieving family," it said in a statement of condolence.

"Even after Bipin Joshi's body is brought back to Nepal, we will continue appropriate efforts in co-ordination and co-operation with the concerned government authorities and stakeholders - to uncover the truth about the actual cause and circumstances of his death."

Dhan Bahadur says he and other colleagues who returned safely from Israel plan to visit Bipin's family in Kanchanpur district.

"We will keep his memories alive. We will provide our care, support and consolation to his family."

He still feels numb.

"I returned to Nepal and I am studying at the moment. But Bipin's dreams remained unfulfilled."

The son of an Israeli hostage whose body remains in Gaza has told the BBC he is dealing with the realisation that "it's not over and it's going to be a longer battle".

Rotem Cooper, whose father Amiram is among 24 hostages whose bodies were not returned to Israel on Monday, said the families were trying "to find the strength somehow to pick ourselves up... and continue the fight".

He called on US President Donald Trump, Qatar, Egypt and other countries involved in peace deal negotiations "to show Hamas that this is not acceptable".

A ceasefire and hostage release agreement signed by Israel and Hamas stated that the remaining hostages in Gaza would be returned by noon on Monday, with nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners and detainees held by Israel released in exchange.

While the 20 hostages still alive were released, a copy of the agreement published by Israeli media appeared to acknowledge that Hamas and other Palestinian factions may not be able to locate all of the bodies of the deceased hostages by the deadline.

• Follow updates on this story

Their families had pinned their hopes on their loved one returning on Monday, after two years in captivity.

"We hoped and expected that maybe 15 to 20 out of the 28 deceased hostages would be released, but that didn't happen. Only four were announced," Mr Cooper said.

He described the news as a "very big disappointment" for the families.

"It's clear to us that they could have and should have released more and [that] they're playing games."

Mr Cooper's parents were both kidnapped in the 7 October 2023 Hamas-led attacks on Israel, from their home in Kibbutz Nir Oz. His mother was released later that month while his father was killed in captivity.

• Who are the released hostages?
• What happens next in Gaza ceasefire plan after hostage release?

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said it had been operating in the area at the time but did not confirm how he was killed, referring the BBC this week to a previous statement saying the circumstances were "under examination". Hamas has claimed he was killed by an Israeli military strike.

The Hostages and Missing Families Forum, which represents the relatives of many of the hostages, has called for "a very serious response" from the Israeli government and mediators, for what is described as Hamas's "violation of the agreement".

It said further stages of the peace plan should not progress until all the remaining bodies had been returned.

Mr Cooper headed to the Re'im military base in southern Israel on Monday to see the return of the 20 living hostages.

In voicenotes sent over the course of the day, he described feeling "tremendous anticipation" and a "big relief" as he saw them return. But he said the thought of the bodies coming back to Israel was "heartbreaking".

Speaking again the following day, after the news that the four bodies returned did not include Amiram's, he described the experience as a "big rollercoaster".

Mr Cooper said the return of his father's body would allow him to have "some closure" and to "sleep better at night".

"Everything has been on hold," he said.

Ruby Chen, whose son Itay's body remains in Gaza, said he had experienced a similar mix of emotions.

"We were overjoyed [on Monday] to see 20 hostages coming out and being reunited with their families, but we were very disappointed not to see more deceased hostages coming out," he said in a video message shared with the BBC by the Hostages and Missing Families Forum.

"We request the Israeli government, the US and the mediators to continue the fight and put pressure on Hamas to adhere [to] and follow the agreement that was signed and bring back all the remaining 24 hostages in captivity," Mr Chen added.

The Israeli military said on Tuesday that, following forensic tests, it had identified the four hostages whose bodies had been returned and had informed their families that their loved ones had been reburied.

It said they included Guy Iloz - who was shot at the Nova music festival and is believed to have died from the wounds - and Bipin Joshi, who it said was believed to have been "murdered in captivity during the first months of the war".

A DNA test taken from a woman who believes she is Madeleine McCann "conclusively proved" she was not the missing girl, a stalking trial has heard.

Julia Wandelt and Karen Spragg are on trial at Leicester Crown Court charged with stalking Madeleine's parents Kate and Gerry McCann.

On Tuesday, jurors heard DNA was taken from Ms Wandelt on her arrest in December 2024, and the result given to her in Peterborough Prison in April, which Ms Wandelt disputed when told.

Ms Wandelt, 24, of Jana Kochanowskiego in Lubin, Poland, and Mrs Spragg, 61, of Caerau Court Road, Cardiff, deny the charges.

Madeleine's disappearance is one of the most widely reported missing child cases and remains unsolved.

Ms Wandelt, who the court has heard since 2022 has claimed to be Madeleine, and her co-defendant Mrs Spragg deny stalking the McCanns, causing serious alarm and distress.

In December 2024, Det Ch Insp Mark Cramwell decided Operation Grange - the name of the force's investigation into Madeleine's disappearance - should attempt to get Ms Wandelt's DNA tested "in the hope she may stop her behaviour towards the McCann family".

He said: "It weighed heavy on my mind. The threshold remained the same, but it was outside the framework."

DNA samples were then taken on arrest, the court heard, and Det Ch Insp Cramwell said: "It conclusively proved that Julia Wandelt is not Madeleine McCann."

Ms Wandelt had been ruled out of the Operation Grange investigation after Ms Wandelt contacted them and Glenfield Hospital in Leicester, where Mr McCann works, in June 2022.

But after press coverage of Ms Wandelt's claim "gained traction" later that year, a photo of her was sent to the McCanns, with their family liaison officer Det Sgt Roger Bearn saying via statement they both replied they "were confident" it was not their daughter.

Details of the Met Police's discussions about Ms Wandelt were detailed to the court, from initial contact to the press coverage to Mrs McCann being "bombarded" with calls and texts.

In September 2024, Det Sgt Bearn asked the McCanns if they wanted to pursue "some sort of action" but advised "words of advice" would not be advisable, as Ms Wandelt had previously recorded a call with an Operation Grange officer and played it on a true crime podcast on YouTube.

No formal action was asked for at that time.

Ms Wandelt claimed to be Madeleine and pursued the McCann family with messages, calls, and visits, including turning up at their home and demanding a DNA test, the court has heard.

In October, Det Sgt Bearn's statement said that messages from Ms Wandelt had continued as well as two from a "Welsh-sounding woman".

Prosecutor Michael Duck KC said Mrs Spragg struck up a relationship with Ms Wandelt and supported her claims and conspiracy theories, and alongside the Polish national confronted the McCanns directly in December 2024.

The court heard Mrs Spragg struck up a relationship online with Ms Wandelt before joining her on a visi in December 2024.

Mrs Spragg recorded a message she left on Mrs McCann's phone in late 2024 - prior to their visit to the McCanns' home in Leicestershire - which was played at the trial on Tuesday.

She said that people believed there was a "cover up" and that the McCanns' names had been "blackened" and urged the couple to do a DNA test with Ms Wandelt.

In the recording Mrs Spragg can be heard saying: "I really, really want you to take her seriously if you really want to find your daughter.

"This could be a cover-up. Maybe Orange Grange [sic] is in on it."

A crime report was created by the Met Police after Ms Wandelt and an "older woman" turned up at the McCanns' home in December 2024.

Ms Wandelt was arrested in February 2025 after returning to the UK flying in to Bristol Airport, with Mrs Spragg detained in a nearby car park.

The trial continues.

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Far-right activist Tommy Robinson was unlawfully stopped driving a Bentley at the entrance to the Channel Tunnel, and counter terrorism officers made a disproportionate use of their powers, his lawyer has told a court.

The 42-year-old, who was charged under his real name Stephen Yaxley-Lennon is standing trial at Westminster Magistrates Court for refusing to give the Pin for his mobile phone to officers during the stop. He has pleaded not guilty.

Prosecutor Jo Morris said that while the stop may not have been "perfect", that does not mean it was unlawful.

Judgement in the trial has been delayed until 4 November following closing arguments.

If found guilty, Mr Lennon could be jailed for up to three months and/or receive a £2,500 fine.

He was stopped by police on 28 July, 2024, using their counter-terrorism powers as he prepared to enter the Channel Tunnel while driving a silver Bentley Bentaygo.

Officers from Kent Police said they did so partly because he was driving someone else's car and had not pre-booked his ticket.

They said they became more suspicious when Mr Lennon would not make eye contact with them and said he was driving all the way to Benidorm. When asked for the Pin to his phone he refused.

A person who is detained under Schedule 7 of the Terrorism Act is legally obliged to provide the password or Pin for electronic devices.

In his closing submissions to the judge on Tuesday, Mr Lennon's barrister, Alisdair Williamson KC, said: "The question for you. Is this a lawful stop? If it is not, you cannot convict Mr Lennon."

Mr Williamson described the power that police officers have at ports and airport as "extraordinary" and said there needed to be "assiduous oversight" of this power, which he described as the only one there was to "compel people under pain of criminal penalty to answer questions".

He described Mr Lennon as a "public figure" whose views are "well known" and asked what the justification was for the police's use of "coercive powers".

"What were they going to find out that wasn't in the public domain?" Mr Williamson asked.

He pointed out that the officers did not ask any further questions about the Bentley after Mr Lennon told them it belonged to "a mate" and said his client travelled to Benidorm regularly.

In her closing speech, prosecutor Jo Morris said "we accept that the stop may not have been a perfect one but that does not make it unlawful."

She said "there was no real dispute over the facts" and that Mr Lennon had been warned of the consequences and was offered legal advice but still refused to give officers his Pin.

Before the hearing began on Monday, Mr Lennon - the former leader of the English Defence League (EDL) - said on X that the social media platform's billionaire owner, Elon Musk - who has previously championed him - had "picked up the legal bill" for the case against him, which Mr Lennon described as "state persecution".

Mr Musk has not publicly confirmed this.

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  16 August