An investigation into allegations that Sheffield Hallam University faced sustained pressure from China to shut down human rights research has been referred to counter-terrorism police.

The BBC and the Guardian newspaper has been reporting that documents show that China had waged a two-year campaign of intimidation and harassment, including demands the university stop sensitive research by one of its professors into claims of forced labour in the Xinjiang region of China.

A South Yorkshire Police spokesperson said the force has referred the investigation on because the "allegations fall under Section 3 of the National Security Act".

Section 3 of the act deals with "assisting a foreign intelligence service".

An offence is committed if someone behaves in a way that "intends that conduct to materially assist a foreign intelligence service in carrying out UK-related activities," or in conduct likely to assist that service.

Internal documents from Sheffield Hallam University were released under a Subject Access Request to Professor Laura Murphy, whose research is alleged to have been targeted.

They showed university staff in China had been threatened by individuals identified as being from China's National Security Service, who demanded the research by Prof Murphy taking place in Sheffield be shut down.

The documents went on to state that "a decision by the university not to publish a final phase of the research on forced labour in China was communicated to the National Security Service... Immediately relations improved and the threat to staff wellbeing appears to be removed".

China is not believed to have an organisation named National Security Service, so it is not clear who the individuals were.

The decision referred to in the documents is alleged to have led to Prof Murphy being told by the university that she could not continue her work on China at the start of this year - then reversing that position after she started legal action for infringement of her academic freedom.

In a statement issued earlier Sheffield Hallam University had apologised to Prof Murphy.

A spokesperson said: "The University's decision to not continue with Professor Laura Murphy's research was taken based on our understanding of a complex set of circumstances at the time, including being unable to secure the necessary professional indemnity insurance."

The insurance for social sciences staff had been suspended by the university's insurers as a Chinese firm had brought a defamation suit against Sheffield Hallam after it was named in a report she produced. That lawsuit is ongoing.

The university spokesperson added: "Following a review, we have since approved Professor Murphy's latest research and are committed to supporting her to undertake and disseminate this important work.

"For the avoidance of doubt, the decision was not based on commercial interests in China.

"Regardless, China is not a significant international student market for the University.

"We have apologised to Professor Murphy and wish to make clear our commitment to supporting her research and to securing and promoting freedom of speech and academic freedom within the law."

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Rare hyena behaviours have been caught on camera, including a mother-to-be trying to steal food from wild dogs and outsmarting rivals by hiding a stolen carcass underwater to mask its scent.

This is just some of the remarkable animal behaviour on display in the new BBC wildlife documentary series, Kingdom, which follows the lives of four rival carnivore families over five years.

​​The scenes include poignant moments as the animals face threats from snare trappings to brutal ambushes and violent territorial battles.

"We could never have written a script like this, only nature could write this script," said executive producer Mike Gunton.

​​Behind the scenes, the Zambia Carnivore Programme works to protect these animals.

​​The team followed four animal families - leopards, hyena, wild dogs and lions - in Zambia's Luangwa Valley, capturing rare moments and revealing the intricate dynamics of life in one of Africa's wildest regions.

Viewers will watch five-day-old lion cubs opening their eyes, alongside dramatic scenes shown in Kingdom for the first time, such as a pack of wild dogs rescuing one of their own from the jaws of a crocodile.

Other wild animals like elephants and baboons also feature in the new series, which is narrated by Sir David Attenborough.

​"Everything about these species has been shaped by millions of years of competition alongside each other," said series producer Felicity Lanchester. "Now…humans are changing that," she added.

Filmmakers and scientific researchers in the region have collaborated behind the scenes as the footage is a valuable source of data, informing conservation strategies.

​​"We got a lot of information that we wouldn't have been able to get otherwise... on topography, diet, movement, births, and deaths,” said Dr Matthew Becker, scientific consultant for the series and CEO of the Zambia Carnivore Programme.

The greatest threat these large carnivores face is habitat loss, while snaring and a declining prey base also play a role. Wire traps, or snares, are often set for antelope - both for food and illegal trade - but many large mammals become victims as by-catch.

These pressures are changing pack sizes, diets and survival strategies, according to Dr Becker. A single incident can have knock-on effects, impacting dozens or even hundreds of animals.

​​In one scene, a wild dog reappears after losing a leg in a snare trap. Despite his injury, his natal pack welcomes him back, ensuring he eats his share and keeps up on hunts.

​​For those not as fortunate, the Zambia Carnivore Programme exists to protect them. The organisation, along with other local groups, removes snares, safeguards dens and provides information for law enforcement on illegal trade in ivory and bushmeat.

Reflecting on the conservation focus of the series, Dr Becker said: "Ultimately, it's a message of optimism in the face of some very concerning trends."

​​Its incorporation in wildlife programmes is now an inevitability, according to the producers.

The external forces acting on these creatures are clear and series like Kingdom can shed light on the need to protect them.

Speaking about conservation, ​​series editor, Simon Blakeney, said: ​​"It’s a challenge, but it's not hopeless."

Kingdom begins on BBC One at 18:20 GMT on Sunday and will be available to watch on BBC iPlayer.

People turn to family and friends for money more often than Buy Now Pay Later loans, a new survey has suggested, and for most of them it was for less than £250.

The survey of more than 4,000 adults commissioned by non-profit Fair4All Finance, shared exclusively with the BBC, found that while 25% of respondents had taken out a Buy Now Pay Later loan, 26% had borrowed from family and 15% from friends this year.

Many relied on friends and relatives because they had been turned down by traditional services like banks - but some of those loans still come with interest.

For 42-year-old Carla McLoughlin, borrowing small sums from her mum is crucial.

The mother-of-three explains that the money is needed "just to tide us over for a week or two until we get paid".

But some people said borrowing from their nearest and dearest had affected those relationships.

Of those who borrowed from family, 9% said it weakened the relationship, and that figure rises to 17% when borrowing from friends, with different expectations of repayment souring relationships.

The dynamics get trickier for many with 16% of people who borrowed from friends and 8% of those that borrowed from family saying they were charged interest.

Val Lucus, Carla's 63-year-old mother, said she's lent to other family members who didn't pay her back.

"You're constantly chasing it up. That can be difficult," she said.

'We do it all the time'

Fair4All Finance was set up 2019 by the government, and campaigns to make financial products available to a wider group of people.

The research was carried out in collaboration with polling firm Ipsos, and included people from England, Scotland and Wales.

It found that younger adults, households with children, and people on zero-hours contracts or in lower-paid work are most likely to borrow from friends and family.

The research also showed that a quarter of all households would not be able to afford a £500 emergency bill without borrowing.

But the flow of cash is not all in one direction for Carla and her mum Val. They live close by in Merseyside, and regularly have to borrow from each other.

"We do it all the time. If I need £50 just to get a few bits to tide me over," Carla said.

"Two weeks later she'll be short so I give that back and if she needs a bit extra I give it to her."

Carla has been turned down for a loan in the past and struggled to get a phone contract, so Val has been happy to help.

Carla has also seen her mum pawn her grandmother's rings in the past.

"I was crying my eyes out, saying mum why didn't you ask me?" she said, adding that she wants to help her mum whenever she can, and has paid for her mum's gas and electricity bills in the past.

The pair said it has not impacted their relationship, and have never charged each other interest, but they have seen it go wrong for others.

"Some people say they'll pay you back but then they don't. Then they're messing it up for themselves," Carla added.

Nowhere else to turn

A lot of people turn to family and friends because they have been turned down by banks, credit cards or Buy Now Pay Later services.

For others it could be a cheaper option to avoid overdraft fees or high-interest short-term loans.

Kate Pender, the boss of Fair4All Finance, said it was important everyone has access to credit for the unexpected moments in life.

"No one should have to risk their closest relationships just to cover essential costs. We urgently need to expand access to safe, affordable credit so people aren't forced into difficult choices," she said.

Of those surveyed, 4% had turned to a loan shark, or unregistered lender within the last 12 months.

That figure could be even higher, as some of those who think they are borrowing from a "friend" may actually have borrowed from a loan shark - a person who is lending to multiple people, charging high interest, and often using intimidation to get repayment.

Dave Benbow head of the England Illegal Money Lending Team, known as Stop Loan Sharks, said about half of all people the organisation supports believed the loan shark was a friend at the time of borrowing.

"All too often we see situations where extra charges are suddenly added, the debt spirals, and borrowers find themselves trapped," he said.

Moneyhelper, an independent website backed by the government, says it's important to think carefully before borrowing from someone in your family or a friend. If you struggle to repay this could put pressure on you and your relationship.

They suggest good forward planning and a written agreement can help whether you're the one doing the borrowing or lending.

Can I lend money safely?

• Be completely honest with yourself about whether you can afford to lend the money if it was never paid back.

• If you feel pressured, or awkward, then say no. There are safe borrowing options, like Credit Unions you could direct a loved one to.

• Keep a written record - an email, text or Whatsapp could be enough - saying how much your lending and when you'd like to be repaid.

• Offer to help in another way - perhaps pay a bill directly for someone in need.

• Encourage the person asking to get help from a debt organisation. Help them get on top of their finances, don't just keep bailing people out.

Natalie Rowntree from North Yorkshire has recently started her IVF journey, and describes the process as "intense".

The 38-year-old has had seven IVF-related appointments in the space of eight weeks, including multiple blood tests, scans and X-rays, one of which left her in physical discomfort for "a good few days".

As is the nature of fertility treatment, all of these appointments have to be done at very specific times of the month - and fitting this around her job at a private opticians has proven difficult.

"I've just been using sick days and holidays to go through these appointments," she says.

Added to this is the emotional toll of having to manage the process, with no entitlement to time off.

Two years ago, Natalie had two miscarriages over a six month period and since then has not been able to conceive with her partner.

"The emotion side is quite difficult, and then trying to manage that around work...do I bite the bullet and explain what's happening? Or keep having sick days and holidays?" she says.

According to research from the social enterprise Fertility Matters at Work, Natalie is one of the around 63% of employees undergoing IVF who are taking sick leave to undergo treatment - with most citing they were doing so to hide their treatment from their employer.

Now there are calls for women undergoing fertility treatments to have the legal right to paid time off to attend their appointments.

Campaigners claim that while some employers offer fertility support, it is unequal and not guaranteed, and should be classed as a medical procedure.

Becoming pregnant through IVF enables the same maternity rights as non-IVF pregnancies, but currently in employment law there are no legal rights when it comes to fertility treatment.

According to new research by Fertility Matters at Work, that comes at a potential cost of millions to the economy and businesses in lost productivity.

Natalie says she has avoided bringing her treatment up with her managers because she is nervous about the reception she might get for taking time off work to go through the process.

"If I was to go to my managers and say I was pregnant, I wouldn't feel nervous at all about that...but with this, because you don't know how long it's going to go on for, you can't give work a timescale."

Employment guidance from the Equality and Human Rights Commission advises "good practice" to employers with workers seeking leave for IVF treatment, but it acknowledges that such requests are not covered by the protected characteristic of pregnancy and maternity in law.

However, refusing to grant someone leave for fertility treatment could count as sex discrimination in certain situations - but campaigners say this is hard to prove.

'Employers could benefit too'

Rebecca Kearns, from Fertility Matters at Work, co-founded the group with two other women after they all experienced their own difficulties undergoing IVF whilst trying to keep afloat in the workplace.

The 39-year-old says providing time off would be a potential benefit of employers, who could save the economy millions in lost productivity.

"What we're finding is, because there's 63% taking sick leave, that is having an impact on businesses, there's a cost for the disruption of this absence."

She also thinks employers need to be more aware of the toll IVF - which she considers a "significant life event" - can take on their employees.

"You often have a number of very short notice appointments you have to attend, it's very dependent on how your body is responding to medication.

"But we also know there's still a huge amount of stigma that surrounds IVF and infertility.

"We receive messages almost daily from people who are struggling with this experience...people taking sick leave to hide treatment, the fact that they're then triggered on absence procedures and potentially having their performance monitored.

"And it was all because they were going through fertility treatment and just felt unable to say that was what they were going through."

She says women have also told them they have left jobs and signed non-disclosure agreements as a result of going through IVF.

The government says that while no specific legal right to time off for IVF treatment exists, it expects employers to treat staff fairly and accommodate reasonable requests.

The government also says it is strengthening flexible working rules which will make it easier for employees to agree arrangements with their workplace for support.

But that isn't enough reassurance for the Labour MP Alice MacDonald, who will be introducing the issue in Parliament via a ten minute rule bill, which proposes to put into law the legal right to time off for fertility appointments.

Whilst it is unlikely the issue becomes law without official government backing, she is seeking to get it "firmly on the government's radar".

"Many people, especially women, are impacted by this when you're trying to have a baby and through no fault of your own, you need that extra medical support, you don't have a right to time off to go to those appointments," she says.

"At a time when you are hoping that it's going to work, hoping it's going to be successful, finally be pregnant and have the baby you've wanted you've got another additional barrier which is with your employer.

"There are many employers who are supportive but you have to hope you've got one that understands and who will give you the time off.

"If it was clearly in law what your rights are we think it opens up that conversation and employers would have to have a policy."

'Striking a balance'

Patrick Milnes from the British Chambers of Commerce says there is a concern amongst businesses about the potential for "over legislation" in anticipation of the Employment Rights Bill in particular, which will seek to ease rules on flexible working.

"Small and medium businesses in particular have been talking to us about how concerned they are about navigating different types of legislative leave," he says.

"Most employers that we speak to are doing this kind of thing anyway as a matter of good practice.

"If you legislate, those processes can become more complicated it can become more burdensome, and actually in many instances it's easier to do these things on a case by case, ad hoc basis.

"There's a middle ground between having nothing at all and having a full legislated process that might be overwhelming in some instances."

But Natalie says legal rights to time off would make a "huge" difference to her.

"If you didn't have to think about, 'what are work going to think about me being off again?' it would take a lot of the stress away.

"I'm at the beginning stages [of IVF] and I'm thinking about what it's going to look like work-wise going forward.

"I don't want this to be a thing forever, for other women that are also going to go through it. I think it's an important thing that needs to be fixed."

A couple who live minutes from Huntingdon Station have described how they sheltered train passengers running away from the knife attack.

One of the six people who knocked on Jan and Les Sears' door had blood on her clothes, while another "was so distraught".

The couple were unaware of the attack on the Doncaster to London King's Cross service on Saturday evening until they found a father and his two children, two friends and a young woman outside their front door.

Mrs Sears said: "We are just everyday people that would help anyone, you can't see someone suffering, someone being frightened, you just help them."

They provided a place of safety until the passengers' relatives arrived to collect them.

Following the attack, Anthony Williams, 32, was arrested and appeared at Peterborough Magistrates' Court charged with 11 counts of attempted murder.

He was also charged with possessing a bladed article and one count of actual bodily harm in connection to an alleged assault on a police officer in custody.

Passengers had been travelling to the capital when the attack happened shortly after the LNER train had passed Peterborough.

Police received the first calls from train passengers about the incident at 19:39 GMT and soon afterwards the train was diverted to Huntingdon, an unscheduled stop on the route.

Emergency services took 10 people to Addenbrooke's Hospital and one person later went to hospital for treatment.

On Saturday evening, the couple said they could hear the doorbell of their flat ringing and Mrs Sears urged her husband to see who was waiting outside.

She said: "Les opened the door and let them in.

"There was six people - a man and his two children and two young girls and a girl on her own - and they were told something had happened on a train and just to run as fast as they could and get as far away as they could."

The couple invited the passengers into their Huntingdon home and offered them something to eat and drink.

Mrs Sears said: "One of the girls had blood on her and she was a bit distressed.

"The dad was very anxious, obviously, he wanted to make sure his children were alright. All he wanted to do was give them a hug."

The couple, however, were unable to see who was outside in the dark and initially thought it might be a prank.

Once he opened the door, Mr Sears said one of the women was unaware she had blood on her clothes and he cleaned it off for her.

He said another of the women was "so distraught" and did not want to be left alone.

Mrs Sears said: "You just don't think, you do it without thinking.

"We were just there at the right time they came here and we had to help them... we didn't do nothing."

Follow Cambridgeshire news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.

A police force said it was reviewing whether three incidents involving a man carrying a knife were related to a stabbing attack on a train.

Passengers said a man brandishing a knife began stabbing people on the London-bound LNER train after it passed through Peterborough at about 19:30 GMT on Saturday.

Cambridgeshire Police said it was investigating whether there was a connection between the attack and three previous incidents in Peterborough between Friday evening and Saturday morning.

Anthony Williams, 32, of no fixed abode, has been remanded into custody, charged with 10 counts of attempted murder, after multiple people were injured in the incident on the train.

Mr Williams has also been charged with one count of attempted murder in connection with an attack in east London in the early hours of Saturday.

A man was left with facial injuries following the attack at about 00:45 at a station in Silvertown.

At about 19:10 on Friday, a 14-year-old was stabbed by a man with a knife in Peterborough city centre.

Police said the victim was treated at Peterborough City Hospital for minor injuries and later discharged.

Cambridgeshire Police said: "The offender had left the scene when the call was made and despite a search of the area by officers and a police dog, the offender was not identified."

Also on Friday evening, a man was seen with a knife at a barbers' shop in the Fletton area of Peterborough.

Police said the incident took place at 19:25, but was reported to officers two hours later at 21:10, by which time the man had left the shop.

Officers were not sent, the force added.

The same barbers' shop called the police at 09:25 on Saturday to report that a man carrying a knife was at the shop.

Officers arrived at the site within 18 minutes and searched the area, but were unable to locate or identify the man.

In all three cases, a "crime was raised" and investigations launched.

Cambridgeshire Police said: "We are currently reviewing all incidents in the timeframe to understand whether there were any further potential offences.

"British Transport Police retain primacy for the overall investigation, which will include these three incidents."

Cambridgeshire Police referred itself to the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC), as it typical in these cases.

The IOPC, however, said it would not be investigating the incident as "it did not meet the criteria for a valid referral".

Scunthorpe United footballer Jonathan Gjoshe, 22, and Nottingham Forest fan Stephen Crean were travelling on the LNER train from Doncaster to London King's Cross when they were injured during the attack at about 20:00 GMT.

Mr Gjoshe was slashed across the bicep and had been operated on, his club said.

Mr Crean has been hailed a hero after he confronted the train attacker, going face to face with him in the carriage.

He described how he "tussled" with the man, who was shouting at him as he slashed him on the head and hand.

He said he was determined to confront the attacker to give another passenger time to close the door of the buffet car, where other passengers had gathered.

In the House of Commons earlier, Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer praised police, first responders and the "heroic" actions of the driver and the members of staff aboard the train when the "vile and horrific attack" took place.

"There's no doubt that their collective action, their brave action, saved countless lives and I know the whole country is grateful for that," he said.

Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood also paid tribute to the "breathtaking bravery" and "heroic acts of the passengers and train crew who intercepted the attacker".

She told earlier that one member of the train crew "ran towards danger" and confronted the knife-wielding attacker.

His actions stopped the attacker from advancing through the train, she said.

MPs also praised the quick reaction of train driver Andrew Johnson, a former Royal Navy officer.

Mr Johnson contacted the control room to get the train diverted from the fast track to the slow track when the alarm was raised.

It meant it could stop in Huntingdon, which allowed emergency services to quickly access the scene.

Mr Johnson said: "As train drivers, we hold a lot of responsibility. We practise our emergency response and keep up to date with our knowledge of the route, so if needed, we know exactly where to stop and what to do.

"The action I took is the same as any other driver.

"I think my colleagues onboard were the real heroes and I'd like to pay tribute to their bravery."

Follow Cambridgeshire news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.

Kim Kardashian may be weeks away from finding out if she's passed her law exams, but she says practising divorce law is not in her future.

The 45-year-old, who plays divorce attorney Allura Grant in the Disney+ upcoming legal drama All's Fair, tells the BBC she's "more into criminal justice and reform work" and adds, "I don't think I can ever really do family law".

Kardashian has been studying to become a lawyer for the last six years, undertaking an apprenticeship that negates the need for a university degree.

"It was the wildest idea that I was going to law school - but to me it all makes sense and I hope that I'm forever curious and always want to try new things," she says.

Kardashian, who has four children with ex-husband Kanye West, also runs fashion and shapewear brand SKIMS and appears in the reality series The Kardashians with her family.

Her interest in criminal justice has been documented on her reality TV shows, where she has advocated for prison reform in the US and sentence reduction for first-time offenders.

Not content with her already packed-out schedule, her recent pivot to acting has raised eyebrows - but it hasn't dented Kardashian's ambition.

"I guess I just don't live in those expectation boxes," she says.

She says she "loves taking on constructive criticism" but doesn't understand why people think she "can't do something that you want to do or are curious or want to learn about".

Her first real introduction to acting was her 2023 casting in the 12th season of American Horror Story, in which she appeared as a publicist.

Kardashian received mostly positive critical reviews for her portrayal, which encouraged her to take on more acting roles.

All's Fair reunites the star with American Horror Story showrunner Ryan Murphy, who is also behind hit series such as Glee and Pose.

His latest project, All's Fair, is a legal drama set in the US, which sees Kardashian play a divorce lawyer alongside Sarah Paulson, Naomi Watts, Glenn Close, Niecy Nash and Teyana Taylor.

Kardashian says her priority was to "come in prepared" to set, adding she would spend every day "watching and learning from these women", who she called "the best acting coaches in the world".

She adds that there was a lot of pressure on her, because those behind the show were "taking a chance on working with me".

"The last thing I would want to do is be unprofessional, be late or not know my lines," she says.

'I've experienced it with my family'

All's Fair, which Disney+ says holds the records for their most-watched trailer of all time, is a spectacular dramatisation of the lives of lawyers tasked with navigating divorce for rich and famous female clients.

Kardashian says divorce is "such a relatable topic" after experiencing it "with my family and parents growing up".

Kardashian herself has been divorced three times - most recently to Kanye West in 2022 after eight years of marriage.

Whilst she says the stories of the women in the show "are not based on anything I've been through", she was "definitely inspired" by practising to be a lawyer.

Kardashian's co-star Watts also recognises that, whilst the show might be sensationalised, the story of "women who feel like they're finished, [their lives] are all over, broken and in pieces" at the end of a relationship is one that is familiar for many.

Nash, who stars as a legal investigator in the show, says that divorce is something many "have in common with other women and celebrities" and thinks the show is so appealing due to its relatability, even if it's more dramatic way than real life.

Paulson adds says that although the central theme of the show may be divorce, "conflict and resolution is a beautiful part of the show", which also "tackles big, important and emotional relationships".

'Ryan Murphy's magic'

Much of the talk around the show has been about the strength of the all-female cast, which is filled with some of Hollywood's biggest names.

The cast all echo that it was Ryan Murphy - who has won six Emmy awards, a Tony award and two Grammy awards in his 25-year career in television, film and theatre - that convinced them to sign up.

"He [Murphy] calls and I don't tend to say no to him," Paulson jokes.

Paulson is perhaps one of Murphy's greatest collaborators, having appeared in nine series of American Horror Story between 2011 and 2021.

Kardashian says the cast all went into the project "blindly" but it was great to see Murphy's "magic come to life".

"Ryan was really intentional in that way, he really loves to uplift women and make these female-led casts, which is super empowering. He wrote it that way, he saw it no other way," she adds.

Watts also agrees, noting that the writer and producer "manages to identify spaces that haven't necessarily been visited before".

"He's wonderful at creating stories for women of a certain age and for me that's where I am at in my life.

"These women all get to do these incredible things together - we're such a different group - different ages and everything and we're supporting each other through the story," Watts adds.

Murphy received a five-year developmental deal with Netflix in 2018, which was reportedly worth $300m (£228m).

During that time he made two true crime series for the streaming service - Dahmer- Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story and Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story, plus drama series The Politician.

Murphy now has a new deal with Disney+, which includes All's Fair.

He serves as executive producer on the show alongside Kardashian, Close, Paulson, Watts and Nash.

Kris Jenner, Kardashian's mother and manager, also receives a director credit.

Rare hyena behaviours have been caught on camera, including a mother-to-be trying to steal food from wild dogs and outsmarting rivals by hiding a stolen carcass underwater to mask its scent.

This is just some of the remarkable animal behaviour on display in the new BBC wildlife documentary series, Kingdom, which follows the lives of four rival carnivore families over five years.

​​The scenes include poignant moments as the animals face threats from snare trappings to brutal ambushes and violent territorial battles.

"We could never have written a script like this, only nature could write this script," said executive producer Mike Gunton.

​​Behind the scenes, the Zambia Carnivore Programme works to protect these animals.

​​The team followed four animal families - leopards, hyena, wild dogs and lions - in Zambia's Luangwa Valley, capturing rare moments and revealing the intricate dynamics of life in one of Africa's wildest regions.

Viewers will watch five-day-old lion cubs opening their eyes, alongside dramatic scenes shown in Kingdom for the first time, such as a pack of wild dogs rescuing one of their own from the jaws of a crocodile.

Other wild animals like elephants and baboons also feature in the new series, which is narrated by Sir David Attenborough.

​"Everything about these species has been shaped by millions of years of competition alongside each other," said series producer Felicity Lanchester. "Now…humans are changing that," she added.

Filmmakers and scientific researchers in the region have collaborated behind the scenes as the footage is a valuable source of data, informing conservation strategies.

​​"We got a lot of information that we wouldn't have been able to get otherwise... on topography, diet, movement, births, and deaths,” said Dr Matthew Becker, scientific consultant for the series and CEO of the Zambia Carnivore Programme.

The greatest threat these large carnivores face is habitat loss, while snaring and a declining prey base also play a role. Wire traps, or snares, are often set for antelope - both for food and illegal trade - but many large mammals become victims as by-catch.

These pressures are changing pack sizes, diets and survival strategies, according to Dr Becker. A single incident can have knock-on effects, impacting dozens or even hundreds of animals.

​​In one scene, a wild dog reappears after losing a leg in a snare trap. Despite his injury, his natal pack welcomes him back, ensuring he eats his share and keeps up on hunts.

​​For those not as fortunate, the Zambia Carnivore Programme exists to protect them. The organisation, along with other local groups, removes snares, safeguards dens and provides information for law enforcement on illegal trade in ivory and bushmeat.

Reflecting on the conservation focus of the series, Dr Becker said: "Ultimately, it's a message of optimism in the face of some very concerning trends."

​​Its incorporation in wildlife programmes is now an inevitability, according to the producers.

The external forces acting on these creatures are clear and series like Kingdom can shed light on the need to protect them.

Speaking about conservation, ​​series editor, Simon Blakeney, said: ​​"It’s a challenge, but it's not hopeless."

Kingdom begins on BBC One at 18:20 GMT on Sunday and will be available to watch on BBC iPlayer.

US President Donald Trump has said he would be reluctant to send federal funding to his hometown of New York City if left-wing front-runner Zohran Mamdani is elected mayor of America's biggest city this week.

"It's gonna be hard for me as the president to give a lot of money to New York, because if you have a Communist running New York, all you're doing is wasting the money you're sending there," Trump said in a television interview.

The Trump administration has repeatedly tried to cut federal grants and funding for projects primarily located in Democratic-run areas.

Opinion polls indicate Mamdani is ahead of his main rival, former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, on the eve of Tuesday's vote.

Trump did not elaborate on his remark about funding should Mamdani win. New York City received $7.4bn (£5.7bn) in federal funding this fiscal year.

• New Yorkers could pick a political newcomer to run their city - and take on Trump
• Who is Zohran Mamdani?

In a wide-ranging interview with CBS programme 60 Minutes on Sunday, Trump said that a Mayor Mamdani would make left-wing former New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio "look great".

"I got to see de Blasio, how bad a mayor he was, and this man will do a worse job than de Blasio by far," the president said of Mamdani.

Trump, who grew up in the New York borough of Queens, also effectively endorsed Cuomo, a Democrat, in the interview.

"I'm not a fan of Cuomo one way or the other, but if it's gonna be between a bad Democrat and a Communist, I'm gonna pick the bad Democrat all the time, to be honest with you," the Republican president said.

Mamdani, who would run a world financial hub, is a self-described democratic socialist, though he has rejected accusations he is a communist, joking in one television interview that he was "kind of like a Scandinavian politician", only browner.

Mamdani won the Democratic primary, while Cuomo came second. The 34-year-old state assemblyman has called the former New York governor a puppet and parrot of Trump.

"The answer to a Donald Trump presidency is not to create its mirror image here in City Hall," Mamdani said on Monday.

"It is to create an alternative that can speak to what New Yorkers are so desperate to see in their own city and what they find in themselves and their neighbours every day - a city that believes in the dignity of everyone who calls this place home."

Cuomo has sought to parry that line of attack by presenting himself as the only candidate experienced enough to deal with the Trump administration.

He was governor of New York during the Covid-19 pandemic when many states clashed with the Trump administration, though Cuomo himself came under scrutiny after state investigators found nursing home deaths were significantly understated during the outbreak.

"I fought Donald Trump," Cuomo said during a debate. "When I'm fighting for New York, I am not going to stop."

Trump has deployed National Guard troops to Democratic-led cities as part of a crime crackdown, while seeking to strip funding from jurisdictions that limit their co-operation with federal immigration authorities.

The political head of the body that oversees the European Convention on Human Rights has told the BBC that it is "absolutely ready" to discuss reforms amid pressure from the UK and other countries over migration.

Speaking exclusively to the BBC, Alain Berset, the secretary general of the Council of Europe, predicted that quitting international human rights law would leave the UK "isolated" on the world stage.

He acknowledged human rights laws may need to "change or adapt" and the institutions, whose creation was largely led by the British after World War Two, remained crucial to peace, security and justice.

Berset's words - ahead of the Convention's 75th anniversary - are the most public confirmation that the body could evolve amid mounting debate over its future across the continent. It is also public recognition that it has to talk to the UK about its future - and about potential change.

The council, which is unrelated to the European Union, is the international political body in Strasbourg that oversees and enforces the work of the European Court of Human Rights.

The court rules on how to interpret human rights law in its 46 member states. In the UK, the government and judges must take these rulings into account, but are not bound by judgments that do not closely relate to our circumstances.

Sir Keir Starmer's government has committed to changing how the government interprets the right to privacy and family life so that it can't be used by illegal immigrants to frustrate their removal from the country.

In a speech earlier this year in Strasbourg, Shabana Mahmood, then justice secretary and now home secretary, said the convention itself must evolve to maintain public confidence.

The Conservatives and Reform are calling for the UK to walk away from the treaty, claiming Strasbourg's human rights law is a block on managing borders.

Nine EU nations, led by Denmark and Italy, have also called for major changes - which would need the agreement of all member states.

In a rare interview about the EHRC's relationship with the UK at the council's headquarters in France, Berset told the BBC: "I am ready, absolutely ready, and really open to engage in all political discussions, to see what we need to discuss, maybe to change or to adapt.

"Let us engage on migration issues and to see what we need to address and maybe to change.

"The most important point is to be ready to speak on all issues without taboo... and to see then what could be the possible consensus between member states."

Critics of the ECHR say that the advantage of leaving for the UK would be to take back control over human rights law.

But Berset said: "The opposite is true. What I see is more the risk to be a bit isolated. It would mean to be not participating to all the discussion on migration, to take an influence."

While he said he would not comment on internal politics in the UK, Berset appealed for the debate over the ECHR had to return to "facts".

He denied that it was a friend of terrorists or illegal immigrants, following criticism that the court has increasingly prevented the deportation of illegal immigrants and migrants who commit criminal offences.

He said the UK also had to consider how leaving would effect Northern Ireland's power sharing agreement and the post-Brexit deal with the EU, both of which include a legal commitment to shared human rights principles.

Leaving, he argued, would send a "really negative signal" for Ukraine because of the Council of Europe's central role, supported by the UK, in preparations for tribunals in relation to war crimes.

"Churchill was the father of the Council of Europe, and the convention," said Berset.

"It will be quite difficult and really hard to see this [the UK quitting]. There is no alternative. We need to have some room, places, where we are in discussion together."

He added: "It will be an interesting test for all of us. Are we able to avoid the wars to make sure that in this phase of divergence that we are witnessing right now, are we strong enough to make sure again, that we have convergence, take control of what we want to have as a future collectively?"

Mohamed Hamdan Dagolo, known as "Hemedti", has emerged as a dominant figure on Sudan's political stage, with his paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) now controlling half of the country.

The RSF scored a notable victory recently when it overran the city of el-Fasher, the last garrison held by the Sudanese army and its local allies in the western region of Darfur.

Feared and loathed by his adversaries, Hemedti is admired by his followers for his tenacity, ruthlessness, and his promise to tear down a discredited state.

Hemedti has humble origins. His family is from the Mahariya section of the camel-herding, Arabic-speaking Rizeigat community that spans Chad and Darfur.

He was born in 1974 or 1975 - like many from a rural background, his date and place of birth were not registered.

Led by his uncle Juma Dagolo, his clan moved into Darfur in the 1970s and 80s, fleeing war and seeking greener pastures and were allowed to settle.

After dropping out of school in his early teens, Hemedti earned money trading camels across the desert to Libya and Egypt.

At the time, Darfur was Sudan's wild west - poor, lawless and neglected by the government of then-President Omar al-Bashir.

Arab militiamen known as the Janjaweed - including a force commanded by Juma Dagolo - were attacking the villages of the indigenous Fur ethnic group.

This cycle of violence led to a full-scale rebellion in 2003, in which Fur fighters were joined by Masalit, Zaghawa and other groups, saying they had been ignored by the country's Arab elite.

In response, Bashir massively expanded the Janjaweed to spearhead his counter-insurgency efforts. They quickly won notoriety for burning, looting, raping and killing.

Hemedti's unit was among them, with a report by African Union peacekeepers saying it attacked and destroyed the village of Adwa in November 2004, killing 126 people, including 36 children.

A US investigation determined that the Janjaweed were responsible for genocide.

The Darfur conflict was referred to the International Criminal Court (ICC), which brought charges against four men, including Bashir, who has denied carrying out genocide.

Hemedti was one of the many Janjaweed commanders deemed too junior to be in the prosecutor's sights at that time.

Just one, the Janjaweed "colonel of colonels", Ali Abdel Rahman Kushayb, was brought to court.

Last month he was found guilty on 27 counts of war crimes and crimes against humanity and he will be sentenced on 19 November.

In the years following the height of the violence in 2004, Hemedti played his cards skilfully, rising to become head of a powerful paramilitary force, a corporate empire, and a political machine.

It is a story of opportunism and entrepreneurship. He briefly mutinied, demanding back-pay for his soldiers, promotions and a political position for his brother. Bashir gave him most of what he wanted and Hemedti rejoined the fold.

Later, when other Janjaweed units mutinied, Hemedti led the government forces that defeated them, in the process taking control of Darfur's biggest artisanal gold mine at a place called Jebel Amir.

Rapidly, Hemedti's family company Al-Gunaid became Sudan's largest gold exporter.

In 2013, Hemedti asked - and got - formal status as head of a new paramilitary group, the RSF, reporting directly to Bashir.

The Janjaweed were folded into the RSF, getting new uniforms, vehicles and weapons - and also officers from the regular army who were brought in to help with the upgrade.

The RSF scored an important victory against the Darfur rebels, did less well in fighting an insurgency in the Nuba Mountains adjacent to South Sudan, and took a subcontract to police the border with Libya.

Ostensibly curbing illicit migration from Africa over the desert to the Mediterranean, Hemedti's commanders also excelled in extortion and, reportedly, people-trafficking.

In 2015, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) called on the Sudanese army to send troops to fight against the Houthis in Yemen.

The contingent was commanded by a general who had fought in Darfur, Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, now the head of the army at war with the RSF.

Hemedti saw a chance and negotiated a separate, private deal with both Saudi Arabia and the UAE to provide RSF mercenaries.

The Abu Dhabi connection proved most consequential. It was the beginning of a close relationship with the Emirati president, Mohamed bin Zayed

Young Sudanese men - and increasingly from neighbouring countries too - trekked to the RSF recruiting centres for cash payments of up to $6,000 (£4,500) on signing up.

Hemedti struck a partnership with Russia's Wagner Group, receiving training in return for commercial dealings, including in gold.

He visited Moscow to formalise the deal, and was there on the day that Russia invaded Ukraine. After the war in Sudan broke out, he denied the RSF was getting help from Wagner.

Although the RSF's main combat units were increasingly professionalised, it also encompassed a coalition of irregular old-style ethnic militia.

As the regime faced mounting popular protests, Bashir ordered Hemedti's units to the capital Khartoum.

Punning on his name, the president dubbed him himayti, "my protector", seeing the RSF as a counterweight to potential coup makers in the regular army and national security.

It was a miscalculation. In April 2019, a vibrant camp of civic protesters surrounded the military headquarters demanding democracy.

Bashir ordered the army to open fire on them. The top generals - Hemedti among them - met and decided to depose Bashir instead. The democracy movement celebrated.

For a time, Hemedti was lionised as the fresh face of Sudan's future. Youthful, personable, actively meeting diverse social groups, and positioning himself as the challenger to the country's historic establishment, he tried to change his political colours. That lasted just a few weeks.

As he and the joint head of the ruling military council, Burhan, stalled on handing power to civilians, the protesters stepped up their rallies, and Hemedti unleashed the RSF, which killed hundreds of people, raped women, and threw men into the River Nile with bricks tied to their ankles, according to a report by campaign group Human Rights Watch (HRW).

Hemedti has denied the RSF committed atrocities.

Pressed by the quartet of countries formed to promote peace and democracy in Sudan - the US, UK, Saudi Arabia and the UAE - the generals and the civilians agreed to a compromise drafted by African mediators.

For two years, there was an unstable coexistence of a military-dominated sovereign council and a civilian cabinet.

• A simple guide to the war in Sudan
• 'I was accused of spying and beaten' - a boy's escape from captured Sudan city
• New videos show executions after RSF militia takes key Sudan city

As a cabinet-appointed committee investigating the companies owned by the army, security and RSF closed in on its final report - which was set to expose how Hemedti was fast expanding his corporate empire - Burhan and Hemedti dismissed the civilians and took power.

But the coup-masters fell out. Burhan demanded that the RSF come under army command.

Hemedti resisted. Days before a deadline in April 2023 to resolve this issue, RSF units moved to surround the army headquarters and seize key bases and the national palace in the capital, Khartoum.

The putsch failed. Instead, Khartoum became a war zone as the rival forces fought street by street.

Violence exploded in Darfur, with RSF units mounting a vicious campaign against the Masalit people.

The UN estimates as many as 15,000 civilians died, and the US described it as genocide. The RSF denied the allegation.

RSF commanders circulated videos of their fighters torturing and killing, advertising the atrocities and their sense of impunity.

The RSF and its allied militia rampaged across Sudan, pillaging cities, markets, universities, and hospitals.

An avalanche of looted goods are for sale in what are popularly known as "Dagolo markets" reaching beyond Sudan into Chad and other neighbouring countries. The RSF has denied its fighters are involved in looting.

Trapped in the national palace under attack from artillery and airstrikes, Hemedti was badly injured in the early weeks of the conflict and disappeared from public view.

When he reappeared months later he showed no remorse for atrocities and was no less determined to win the war on the battlefield.

The RSF has acquired modern weapons including sophisticated drones, that it has used to strike Burhan's de facto capital, Port Sudan, and which played a crucial role in the assault on el-Fasher.

Investigative reporting by, among others, the New York Times, has documented that these are transported through an airstrip and supply base built by the UAE just inside Chad. The UAE denies that it is arming the RSF.

With this weaponry, the RSF is locked in a strategic stalemate with its former partner, the Sudanese army.

Hemedti is trying to build a political coalition, including some civilian groups and armed movements, most notably his former adversaries in the Nuba Mountains.

He has formed a parallel "Government of Peace and Unity", taking the chairmanship for himself.

With the capture of al-Fasher, the RSF now controls almost all the inhabited territory west of the Nile.

Following escalating reports of mass killings and widespread condemnation, Hemedti declared an investigation into what he called violations committed by his soldiers during the capture of el-Fasher.

Sudanese speculate that Hemedti sees himself either as president of a breakaway state, or still harbours ambitions to rule all of Sudan.

It's also possible that he sees a future as an all-powerful political puppet master, head of a conglomerate that controls businesses, a mercenary army and a political party. By these means, even if he isn't acceptable as Sudan's public face, he can still pull the strings.

And as Hemedti's troops massacre civilians in al-Fasher, he is confident that he enjoys impunity in a world that does not care much.

Alex de Waal is the executive director of the World Peace Foundation at the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University in the US.

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Part of a medieval tower in the heart of Rome's tourist district has collapsed, trapping one man and leaving another critically injured.

A section of the Torre dei Conti, on the edge of the famous Roman Forum and close to the Colosseum, gave way just after 11:30 local time (10:30 GMT).

"It's a very complex situation for the firefighters because there is a person trapped inside," Rome Prefect Lamberto Giannini said. The man is conscious and communicating with rescue workers.

The tower has been closed to the public for many years, and was undergoing conservation work when a section collapsed.

While rescue efforts were still under way, a second section of the 29m (90ft) high tower began crumbling again, with bricks raining down, creating a huge cloud of dust.

The firefighters were unharmed, pausing their rescue work for a time, but then continuing their search for the missing man.

After the initial collapse, firefighters "put up some protection" around the trapped man, so when the second collapse happened, "they obviously shielded him", Lamberto Giannini said.

"It will be a very long operation because we have to try to save the person, but we also have to try to mitigate... the enormous risks faced by the people trying to carry out the rescue," he added.

A police chief has said there is no imminent danger that the tower will disintegrate.

One worker was taken to hospital in a critical condition, local and foreign news agencies report.

Another worker, 67-year-old Ottaviano, who was inside at the time of the collapse but escaped from a balcony uninjured, told AFP news agency: "It was not safe. I just want to go home."

Rome's mayor and the country's culture minister have visited the scene. A crane and drone are also being used to assist with the rescue operation.

The 13th Century tower is part of the Roman Forum, a major tourist attraction right in the heart of the city, but it is separated from the main visitors' area by a road. The streets all around have been taped off by police as a precaution.

The medieval tower was built by Pope Innocent III as a residence for his brother.

Chancellor Rachel Reeves says she will take "fair choices" in the Budget as economists continue to predict tax rises to try to balance the books.

Reeves is expected to give a speech to Downing Street later ahead of the 26 November Budget. Labour explicitly ruled out a rise in VAT, National Insurance or income tax in its general election manifesto.

Shadow chancellor Sir Mel Stride said with an "emergency press conference" Reeves was "all but confirming what many feared - higher taxes are on the way". He called for the chancellor to be sacked if she "breaks her promises yet again".

Meanwhile influential think tank the Resolution Foundation has said tax rises are now "inevitable".

Avoiding cuts to VAT, NI or income tax "would do more harm than good", warned the foundation which has close links to Labour - Treasury Minister Torsten Bell was previously its chief executive.

Hiking income tax would be the "best option" for raising cash, it said, but suggested it should be offset by a 2p cut to employee national insurance, which would "raise £6 billion overall while protecting most workers from this tax rise".

Extending the freeze in personal tax thresholds for two more years beyond April 2028 would also raise £7.5 billion, its Autumn Budget 2025 preview suggested.

The chancellor is expected to say in a speech on Tuesday morning that the Budget will focus on "fairness and opportunity" to bring down NHS waiting lists, the national debt and the cost of living.

"You will all have heard a lot of speculation about the choices I will make," she is expected to say.

"I understand that - these are important choices that will shape our economy for years to come.

"But it is important that people understand the circumstances we are facing, the principles guiding my choices – and why I believe they will be the right choices for the country."

The message from Reeves is expected to echo comments made by Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer to a group of Labour MPs on Monday night.

He told those gathered that the Budget would be "a Labour Budget built on Labour values" and that the government would "make the tough but fair decisions to renew our country and build it for the long term".

The government's official forecaster, the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) is widely expected to downgrade its productivity forecasts for the UK at the end of the month. This could add as much as £20 billion to the Chancellor's costs if she is to meet her self-imposed "non-negotiable" rules for government finances.

The two main rules are:

• Not to borrow to fund day-to-day public spending by the end of this parliament

• To get government debt falling as a share of national income by the end of this parliament

The Treasury declined to comment on "speculation" ahead of the OBR's final forecast, which will be published on 26 November alongside the Budget.

However last week, the chancellor confirmed both tax rises and spending cuts are options as she aims to give herself "sufficient headroom" against future economic shocks.

The Resolution Foundation said changes in the economic outlook and policy U-turns are likely to reduce the current £9.9 billion of headroom against the chancellor's borrowing rule into a fiscal black hole of around £4 billion.

It urged Reeves to double the level of headroom she has against her fiscal rules to £20 billion. This would "send a clear message to markets that she is serious about fixing the public finances, which in turn should reduce medium-term borrowing costs and make future fiscal events less fraught," its Budget preview said.

It comes after the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) said last month there was a "strong case" to increase the headroom. It said the lack of a bigger buffer brought with it instability, and could leave the chancellor "limping from one forecast to the next".

Rare hyena behaviours have been caught on camera, including a mother-to-be trying to steal food from wild dogs and outsmarting rivals by hiding a stolen carcass underwater to mask its scent.

This is just some of the remarkable animal behaviour on display in the new BBC wildlife documentary series, Kingdom, which follows the lives of four rival carnivore families over five years.

​​The scenes include poignant moments as the animals face threats from snare trappings to brutal ambushes and violent territorial battles.

"We could never have written a script like this, only nature could write this script," said executive producer Mike Gunton.

​​Behind the scenes, the Zambia Carnivore Programme works to protect these animals.

​​The team followed four animal families - leopards, hyena, wild dogs and lions - in Zambia's Luangwa Valley, capturing rare moments and revealing the intricate dynamics of life in one of Africa's wildest regions.

Viewers will watch five-day-old lion cubs opening their eyes, alongside dramatic scenes shown in Kingdom for the first time, such as a pack of wild dogs rescuing one of their own from the jaws of a crocodile.

Other wild animals like elephants and baboons also feature in the new series, which is narrated by Sir David Attenborough.

​"Everything about these species has been shaped by millions of years of competition alongside each other," said series producer Felicity Lanchester. "Now…humans are changing that," she added.

Filmmakers and scientific researchers in the region have collaborated behind the scenes as the footage is a valuable source of data, informing conservation strategies.

​​"We got a lot of information that we wouldn't have been able to get otherwise... on topography, diet, movement, births, and deaths,” said Dr Matthew Becker, scientific consultant for the series and CEO of the Zambia Carnivore Programme.

The greatest threat these large carnivores face is habitat loss, while snaring and a declining prey base also play a role. Wire traps, or snares, are often set for antelope - both for food and illegal trade - but many large mammals become victims as by-catch.

These pressures are changing pack sizes, diets and survival strategies, according to Dr Becker. A single incident can have knock-on effects, impacting dozens or even hundreds of animals.

​​In one scene, a wild dog reappears after losing a leg in a snare trap. Despite his injury, his natal pack welcomes him back, ensuring he eats his share and keeps up on hunts.

​​For those not as fortunate, the Zambia Carnivore Programme exists to protect them. The organisation, along with other local groups, removes snares, safeguards dens and provides information for law enforcement on illegal trade in ivory and bushmeat.

Reflecting on the conservation focus of the series, Dr Becker said: "Ultimately, it's a message of optimism in the face of some very concerning trends."

​​Its incorporation in wildlife programmes is now an inevitability, according to the producers.

The external forces acting on these creatures are clear and series like Kingdom can shed light on the need to protect them.

Speaking about conservation, ​​series editor, Simon Blakeney, said: ​​"It’s a challenge, but it's not hopeless."

Kingdom begins on BBC One at 18:20 GMT on Sunday and will be available to watch on BBC iPlayer.

Natalie Rowntree from North Yorkshire has recently started her IVF journey, and describes the process as "intense".

The 38-year-old has had seven IVF-related appointments in the space of eight weeks, including multiple blood tests, scans and X-rays, one of which left her in physical discomfort for "a good few days".

As is the nature of fertility treatment, all of these appointments have to be done at very specific times of the month - and fitting this around her job at a private opticians has proven difficult.

"I've just been using sick days and holidays to go through these appointments," she says.

Added to this is the emotional toll of having to manage the process, with no entitlement to time off.

Two years ago, Natalie had two miscarriages over a six month period and since then has not been able to conceive with her partner.

"The emotion side is quite difficult, and then trying to manage that around work...do I bite the bullet and explain what's happening? Or keep having sick days and holidays?" she says.

According to research from the social enterprise Fertility Matters at Work, Natalie is one of the around 63% of employees undergoing IVF who are taking sick leave to undergo treatment - with most citing they were doing so to hide their treatment from their employer.

Now there are calls for women undergoing fertility treatments to have the legal right to paid time off to attend their appointments.

Campaigners claim that while some employers offer fertility support, it is unequal and not guaranteed, and should be classed as a medical procedure.

Becoming pregnant through IVF enables the same maternity rights as non-IVF pregnancies, but currently in employment law there are no legal rights when it comes to fertility treatment.

According to new research by Fertility Matters at Work, that comes at a potential cost of millions to the economy and businesses in lost productivity.

Natalie says she has avoided bringing her treatment up with her managers because she is nervous about the reception she might get for taking time off work to go through the process.

"If I was to go to my managers and say I was pregnant, I wouldn't feel nervous at all about that...but with this, because you don't know how long it's going to go on for, you can't give work a timescale."

Employment guidance from the Equality and Human Rights Commission advises "good practice" to employers with workers seeking leave for IVF treatment, but it acknowledges that such requests are not covered by the protected characteristic of pregnancy and maternity in law.

However, refusing to grant someone leave for fertility treatment could count as sex discrimination in certain situations - but campaigners say this is hard to prove.

'Employers could benefit too'

Rebecca Kearns, from Fertility Matters at Work, co-founded the group with two other women after they all experienced their own difficulties undergoing IVF whilst trying to keep afloat in the workplace.

The 39-year-old says providing time off would be a potential benefit of employers, who could save the economy millions in lost productivity.

"What we're finding is, because there's 63% taking sick leave, that is having an impact on businesses, there's a cost for the disruption of this absence."

She also thinks employers need to be more aware of the toll IVF - which she considers a "significant life event" - can take on their employees.

"You often have a number of very short notice appointments you have to attend, it's very dependent on how your body is responding to medication.

"But we also know there's still a huge amount of stigma that surrounds IVF and infertility.

"We receive messages almost daily from people who are struggling with this experience...people taking sick leave to hide treatment, the fact that they're then triggered on absence procedures and potentially having their performance monitored.

"And it was all because they were going through fertility treatment and just felt unable to say that was what they were going through."

She says women have also told them they have left jobs and signed non-disclosure agreements as a result of going through IVF.

The government says that while no specific legal right to time off for IVF treatment exists, it expects employers to treat staff fairly and accommodate reasonable requests.

The government also says it is strengthening flexible working rules which will make it easier for employees to agree arrangements with their workplace for support.

But that isn't enough reassurance for the Labour MP Alice MacDonald, who will be introducing the issue in Parliament via a ten minute rule bill, which proposes to put into law the legal right to time off for fertility appointments.

Whilst it is unlikely the issue becomes law without official government backing, she is seeking to get it "firmly on the government's radar".

"Many people, especially women, are impacted by this when you're trying to have a baby and through no fault of your own, you need that extra medical support, you don't have a right to time off to go to those appointments," she says.

"At a time when you are hoping that it's going to work, hoping it's going to be successful, finally be pregnant and have the baby you've wanted you've got another additional barrier which is with your employer.

"There are many employers who are supportive but you have to hope you've got one that understands and who will give you the time off.

"If it was clearly in law what your rights are we think it opens up that conversation and employers would have to have a policy."

'Striking a balance'

Patrick Milnes from the British Chambers of Commerce says there is a concern amongst businesses about the potential for "over legislation" in anticipation of the Employment Rights Bill in particular, which will seek to ease rules on flexible working.

"Small and medium businesses in particular have been talking to us about how concerned they are about navigating different types of legislative leave," he says.

"Most employers that we speak to are doing this kind of thing anyway as a matter of good practice.

"If you legislate, those processes can become more complicated it can become more burdensome, and actually in many instances it's easier to do these things on a case by case, ad hoc basis.

"There's a middle ground between having nothing at all and having a full legislated process that might be overwhelming in some instances."

But Natalie says legal rights to time off would make a "huge" difference to her.

"If you didn't have to think about, 'what are work going to think about me being off again?' it would take a lot of the stress away.

"I'm at the beginning stages [of IVF] and I'm thinking about what it's going to look like work-wise going forward.

"I don't want this to be a thing forever, for other women that are also going to go through it. I think it's an important thing that needs to be fixed."

People turn to family and friends for money more often than Buy Now Pay Later loans, a new survey has suggested, and for most of them it was for less than £250.

The survey of more than 4,000 adults commissioned by non-profit Fair4All Finance, shared exclusively with the BBC, found that while 25% of respondents had taken out a Buy Now Pay Later loan, 26% had borrowed from family and 15% from friends this year.

Many relied on friends and relatives because they had been turned down by traditional services like banks - but some of those loans still come with interest.

For 42-year-old Carla McLoughlin, borrowing small sums from her mum is crucial.

The mother-of-three explains that the money is needed "just to tide us over for a week or two until we get paid".

But some people said borrowing from their nearest and dearest had affected those relationships.

Of those who borrowed from family, 9% said it weakened the relationship, and that figure rises to 17% when borrowing from friends, with different expectations of repayment souring relationships.

The dynamics get trickier for many with 16% of people who borrowed from friends and 8% of those that borrowed from family saying they were charged interest.

Val Lucus, Carla's 63-year-old mother, said she's lent to other family members who didn't pay her back.

"You're constantly chasing it up. That can be difficult," she said.

'We do it all the time'

Fair4All Finance was set up 2019 by the government, and campaigns to make financial products available to a wider group of people.

The research was carried out in collaboration with polling firm Ipsos, and included people from England, Scotland and Wales.

It found that younger adults, households with children, and people on zero-hours contracts or in lower-paid work are most likely to borrow from friends and family.

The research also showed that a quarter of all households would not be able to afford a £500 emergency bill without borrowing.

But the flow of cash is not all in one direction for Carla and her mum Val. They live close by in Merseyside, and regularly have to borrow from each other.

"We do it all the time. If I need £50 just to get a few bits to tide me over," Carla said.

"Two weeks later she'll be short so I give that back and if she needs a bit extra I give it to her."

Carla has been turned down for a loan in the past and struggled to get a phone contract, so Val has been happy to help.

Carla has also seen her mum pawn her grandmother's rings in the past.

"I was crying my eyes out, saying mum why didn't you ask me?" she said, adding that she wants to help her mum whenever she can, and has paid for her mum's gas and electricity bills in the past.

The pair said it has not impacted their relationship, and have never charged each other interest, but they have seen it go wrong for others.

"Some people say they'll pay you back but then they don't. Then they're messing it up for themselves," Carla added.

Nowhere else to turn

A lot of people turn to family and friends because they have been turned down by banks, credit cards or Buy Now Pay Later services.

For others it could be a cheaper option to avoid overdraft fees or high-interest short-term loans.

Kate Pender, the boss of Fair4All Finance, said it was important everyone has access to credit for the unexpected moments in life.

"No one should have to risk their closest relationships just to cover essential costs. We urgently need to expand access to safe, affordable credit so people aren't forced into difficult choices," she said.

Of those surveyed, 4% had turned to a loan shark, or unregistered lender within the last 12 months.

That figure could be even higher, as some of those who think they are borrowing from a "friend" may actually have borrowed from a loan shark - a person who is lending to multiple people, charging high interest, and often using intimidation to get repayment.

Dave Benbow head of the England Illegal Money Lending Team, known as Stop Loan Sharks, said about half of all people the organisation supports believed the loan shark was a friend at the time of borrowing.

"All too often we see situations where extra charges are suddenly added, the debt spirals, and borrowers find themselves trapped," he said.

Moneyhelper, an independent website backed by the government, says it's important to think carefully before borrowing from someone in your family or a friend. If you struggle to repay this could put pressure on you and your relationship.

They suggest good forward planning and a written agreement can help whether you're the one doing the borrowing or lending.

Can I lend money safely?

• Be completely honest with yourself about whether you can afford to lend the money if it was never paid back.

• If you feel pressured, or awkward, then say no. There are safe borrowing options, like Credit Unions you could direct a loved one to.

• Keep a written record - an email, text or Whatsapp could be enough - saying how much your lending and when you'd like to be repaid.

• Offer to help in another way - perhaps pay a bill directly for someone in need.

• Encourage the person asking to get help from a debt organisation. Help them get on top of their finances, don't just keep bailing people out.

Part of a medieval tower in the heart of Rome's tourist district has collapsed, trapping one man and leaving another critically injured.

A section of the Torre dei Conti, on the edge of the famous Roman Forum and close to the Colosseum, gave way just after 11:30 local time (10:30 GMT).

"It's a very complex situation for the firefighters because there is a person trapped inside," Rome Prefect Lamberto Giannini said. The man is conscious and communicating with rescue workers.

The tower has been closed to the public for many years, and was undergoing conservation work when a section collapsed.

While rescue efforts were still under way, a second section of the 29m (90ft) high tower began crumbling again, with bricks raining down, creating a huge cloud of dust.

The firefighters were unharmed, pausing their rescue work for a time, but then continuing their search for the missing man.

After the initial collapse, firefighters "put up some protection" around the trapped man, so when the second collapse happened, "they obviously shielded him", Lamberto Giannini said.

"It will be a very long operation because we have to try to save the person, but we also have to try to mitigate... the enormous risks faced by the people trying to carry out the rescue," he added.

A police chief has said there is no imminent danger that the tower will disintegrate.

One worker was taken to hospital in a critical condition, local and foreign news agencies report.

Another worker, 67-year-old Ottaviano, who was inside at the time of the collapse but escaped from a balcony uninjured, told AFP news agency: "It was not safe. I just want to go home."

Rome's mayor and the country's culture minister have visited the scene. A crane and drone are also being used to assist with the rescue operation.

The 13th Century tower is part of the Roman Forum, a major tourist attraction right in the heart of the city, but it is separated from the main visitors' area by a road. The streets all around have been taped off by police as a precaution.

The medieval tower was built by Pope Innocent III as a residence for his brother.

Online pornography showing strangulation or suffocation is to be made illegal, as part of government plans to tackle violence against women and girls.

It follows a review which found depictions of choking were "rife" on mainstream porn sites and had helped normalise the act among young people.

Both the possession and publication of such material will be a criminal offence, under amendments to the Crime and Policing Bill currently going through Parliament.

Online platforms would also be required to proactively detect and remove such material or face enforcement action via media regulator Ofcom.

The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) said the change would make choking in pornography a "priority offence" under the Online Safety Act, putting it on the same level as child sexual abuse material and terrorism content.

Technology Secretary Liz Kendall said: "Viewing and sharing this kind of material online is not only deeply distressing, it is vile and dangerous. Those who post or promote such content are contributing to a culture of violence and abuse that has no place in our society.

"We're also holding tech companies to account and making sure they stop this content before it can spread," she added.

Conservative peer Baroness Bertin warned earlier this year that there has been a "total absence of government scrutiny" of the pornography industry.

Her independent review, published in February, cited an account of a 14-year-old boy asking a teacher how to choke girls during sex and warned that people imitating such behaviour "may face devastating consequences".

The government pledged in June to table amendments to the Bill which would outlaw showing choking in online pornography.

'Serious form of violence'

A BBC survey carried out in 2019 suggested 38% of women aged 18-39 had been choked during sex.

Bernie Ryan, chief executive of the Institute for Addressing Strangulation, welcomed the government's amendment, saying choking can send "confusing and harmful messages" to women about what to expect in intimate relationships.

"Strangulation is a serious form of violence, often used in domestic abuse to control, silence or terrify," she said.

Andrea Simon, director of the End Violence Against Women Coalition, described the amendments as "a vital step" towards tackling the normalisation of violence in online content.

"There is no such thing as safe strangulation; women cannot consent to the long-term harm it can cause, including impaired cognitive functioning and memory," she said.

"Its widespread portrayal in porn is fuelling dangerous behaviours, particularly among young people."

But campaigner Fiona Mackenzie, founder of the group We Can't Consent To This, was less optimistic of the proposed law's effectiveness.

She argued there were already existing laws against showing choking in pornography, but which were not enforced in practice.

This included the Criminal Justice and Immigration Act 2008, which criminalises the possession of extreme porn, including that showing life-threatening acts.

"More than five years ago, young women told us that social media sold strangulation of women as normal, as an expression of passion," she said.

"The porn sites make this normal for men - and none of those sites have ever felt the impact of the existing law.

"So a change in law or practice is needed. It's possible that this time the government might actually do something about this.

"However until we see otherwise, I don't believe that any new law will actually be enforced."

The government said in June, when the amendment was pledged, that it built on existing laws, including the Obscene Publications Act 1959 and the Criminal Justice and Immigration Act 2008.

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An investigation into allegations that Sheffield Hallam University faced sustained pressure from China to shut down human rights research has been referred to counter-terrorism police.

The BBC and the Guardian newspaper has been reporting that documents show that China had waged a two-year campaign of intimidation and harassment, including demands the university stop sensitive research by one of its professors into claims of forced labour in the Xinjiang region of China.

A South Yorkshire Police spokesperson said the force has referred the investigation on because the "allegations fall under Section 3 of the National Security Act".

Section 3 of the act deals with "assisting a foreign intelligence service".

An offence is committed if someone behaves in a way that "intends that conduct to materially assist a foreign intelligence service in carrying out UK-related activities," or in conduct likely to assist that service.

Internal documents from Sheffield Hallam University were released under a Subject Access Request to Professor Laura Murphy, whose research is alleged to have been targeted.

They showed university staff in China had been threatened by individuals identified as being from China's National Security Service, who demanded the research by Prof Murphy taking place in Sheffield be shut down.

The documents went on to state that "a decision by the university not to publish a final phase of the research on forced labour in China was communicated to the National Security Service... Immediately relations improved and the threat to staff wellbeing appears to be removed".

China is not believed to have an organisation named National Security Service, so it is not clear who the individuals were.

The decision referred to in the documents is alleged to have led to Prof Murphy being told by the university that she could not continue her work on China at the start of this year - then reversing that position after she started legal action for infringement of her academic freedom.

In a statement issued earlier Sheffield Hallam University had apologised to Prof Murphy.

A spokesperson said: "The University's decision to not continue with Professor Laura Murphy's research was taken based on our understanding of a complex set of circumstances at the time, including being unable to secure the necessary professional indemnity insurance."

The insurance for social sciences staff had been suspended by the university's insurers as a Chinese firm had brought a defamation suit against Sheffield Hallam after it was named in a report she produced. That lawsuit is ongoing.

The university spokesperson added: "Following a review, we have since approved Professor Murphy's latest research and are committed to supporting her to undertake and disseminate this important work.

"For the avoidance of doubt, the decision was not based on commercial interests in China.

"Regardless, China is not a significant international student market for the University.

"We have apologised to Professor Murphy and wish to make clear our commitment to supporting her research and to securing and promoting freedom of speech and academic freedom within the law."

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Diane Ladd, three-time Academy Award nominee and star of Wild at Heart, has died at 89.

Her daughter, actress Laura Dern, confirmed her death on Monday.

"My amazing hero and my profound gift of a mother, Diane Ladd, passed with me beside her this morning," Dern said in a statement, adding that her final moments were spent at home in California.

Dern, who starred with her mother in 1991's Rambling Rose, did not share Ladd's cause of death.

"She was the greatest daughter, mother, grandmother, actress, artist and empathetic spirit that only dreams could have seemingly created," Dern said. "We were blessed to have her."

Ladd's career on stage and screen spanned decades. Her big break in film came in a waitress role in Martin Scorsese's Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore in 1974, which earned her an Oscar nomination.

She went on to appear in dozens of films after that including as recently as 2022, when she played a grandmother in the coming-of-age film Gigi & Nate, and also acted frequently on television shows.

She was married to actor Bruce Dern from 1960 to 1969.

A police force said it was reviewing whether three incidents involving a man carrying a knife were related to a stabbing attack on a train.

Passengers said a man brandishing a knife began stabbing people on the London-bound LNER train after it passed through Peterborough at about 19:30 GMT on Saturday.

Cambridgeshire Police said it was investigating whether there was a connection between the attack and three previous incidents in Peterborough between Friday evening and Saturday morning.

Anthony Williams, 32, of no fixed abode, has been remanded into custody, charged with 10 counts of attempted murder, after multiple people were injured in the incident on the train.

Mr Williams has also been charged with one count of attempted murder in connection with an attack in east London in the early hours of Saturday.

A man was left with facial injuries following the attack at about 00:45 at a station in Silvertown.

At about 19:10 on Friday, a 14-year-old was stabbed by a man with a knife in Peterborough city centre.

Police said the victim was treated at Peterborough City Hospital for minor injuries and later discharged.

Cambridgeshire Police said: "The offender had left the scene when the call was made and despite a search of the area by officers and a police dog, the offender was not identified."

Also on Friday evening, a man was seen with a knife at a barbers' shop in the Fletton area of Peterborough.

Police said the incident took place at 19:25, but was reported to officers two hours later at 21:10, by which time the man had left the shop.

Officers were not sent, the force added.

The same barbers' shop called the police at 09:25 on Saturday to report that a man carrying a knife was at the shop.

Officers arrived at the site within 18 minutes and searched the area, but were unable to locate or identify the man.

In all three cases, a "crime was raised" and investigations launched.

Cambridgeshire Police said: "We are currently reviewing all incidents in the timeframe to understand whether there were any further potential offences.

"British Transport Police retain primacy for the overall investigation, which will include these three incidents."

Cambridgeshire Police referred itself to the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC), as it typical in these cases.

The IOPC, however, said it would not be investigating the incident as "it did not meet the criteria for a valid referral".

Scunthorpe United footballer Jonathan Gjoshe, 22, and Nottingham Forest fan Stephen Crean were travelling on the LNER train from Doncaster to London King's Cross when they were injured during the attack at about 20:00 GMT.

Mr Gjoshe was slashed across the bicep and had been operated on, his club said.

Mr Crean has been hailed a hero after he confronted the train attacker, going face to face with him in the carriage.

He described how he "tussled" with the man, who was shouting at him as he slashed him on the head and hand.

He said he was determined to confront the attacker to give another passenger time to close the door of the buffet car, where other passengers had gathered.

In the House of Commons earlier, Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer praised police, first responders and the "heroic" actions of the driver and the members of staff aboard the train when the "vile and horrific attack" took place.

"There's no doubt that their collective action, their brave action, saved countless lives and I know the whole country is grateful for that," he said.

Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood also paid tribute to the "breathtaking bravery" and "heroic acts of the passengers and train crew who intercepted the attacker".

She told earlier that one member of the train crew "ran towards danger" and confronted the knife-wielding attacker.

His actions stopped the attacker from advancing through the train, she said.

MPs also praised the quick reaction of train driver Andrew Johnson, a former Royal Navy officer.

Mr Johnson contacted the control room to get the train diverted from the fast track to the slow track when the alarm was raised.

It meant it could stop in Huntingdon, which allowed emergency services to quickly access the scene.

Mr Johnson said: "As train drivers, we hold a lot of responsibility. We practise our emergency response and keep up to date with our knowledge of the route, so if needed, we know exactly where to stop and what to do.

"The action I took is the same as any other driver.

"I think my colleagues onboard were the real heroes and I'd like to pay tribute to their bravery."

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The Prince of Wales was presented with the keys to Rio de Janeiro as he began a five-day visit to Brazil.

Prince William was on the city's Sugarloaf Mountain, with a bird's eye view of the iconic Christ the Redeemer statue, as he received the honour from the city's mayor, Eduardo Paes.

The prince had travelled to the top of the mountain by cable car, to the surprise of several groups of tourists queuing to travel up the mountain. As he came down again, he posed for selfies with several of the people who had waited to catch a glimpse of him.

He is visiting Brazil for the first time with two key environmental missions. On Wednesday he is presenting the Earthshot Prize, the annual award from the charity he set up himself.

The following day he will travel to Belem, in the Amazon rainforest, where he is scheduled to deliver a speech as part of COP30, the annual UN climate meeting where governments discuss how to limit and prepare for further climate change.

It is the first time that Prince William has travelled internationally for a COP summit, as his father, King Charles, has previously led the way for the royals, making several keynote speeches to world leaders over the years.

Prince William did attend, along with his father, when it was held in Glasgow 2021, two weeks after the first Earthshot Prize.

The prize annually awards a £1m grant in five different categories for projects that aim to repair the world's climate - and Prince William has committed himself to it for10 years, with Rio marking a halfway point for the venture.

This year's shortlist includes an upcycled skyscraper in Sydney, the entire island of Barbados and a Bristol based company that filters microplastics from washing machines.

When he announced the nominees, the prince spoke of the optimism and courage he was looking for.

"The people behind these projects are heroes of our time, so let us back them. Because, if we do, we can make the world cleaner, safer and full of opportunity - not only for future generations, but for the lives we want to lead now."

After the ceremony, Mayor Paes said Prince William has been "amazed with the beauty of the city" and he joked: "So he's got the keys, he can do whatever he wants in the next 72 hours. The city belongs to Prince William. I'm still the king, but it will belong to him!"

Prince William's visit to Rio de Janeiro is the most significant royal engagement he will make this year and also mark the first time he will be seen representing the Royal Family since the crisis surrounding his uncle Andrew.

There has been speculation that Prince William was heavily involved in the King's announcement last week to sanction Andrew by removing his remaining titles and asking him to leave his home in Windsor - but those close to the situation say that was not the case.

Although William would have had a powerful, influential voice as the future monarch, the decision was ultimately the King's working with his private team of advisers and in conjunction with the government.

The visit to Brazil will include the two key environment-based events but will also allow him to take in some of Rio's other famous sights.

As an avid football fan and chairman of the English Football Association, it was no surprise that a pilgrimage was arranged on his first day to the Maracana Stadium, the stage of some of the football-mad nation's most famous moments.

Once there, he was greeted by the player who wore the yellow and green kit more than any other, Brazil's most capped-star Cafu, who presented him with a signed number 2 Brazil shirt.

The legendary right back, who is the only player in history to appear in three World Cup finals, was scheduled to join the prince leading training drills involving local children.

Cafu has also agreed to be one of the star presenters of the Earthshot Prize, alongside former F1 driver Sebastian Vettel, Olympic gymnast Rebeca Andrade and Brazilian environmental activist Txai Suruí.

At least three climbers, including a French national and two Nepalese people, have died after being hit by an avalanche on a Himalayan peak in north-eastern Nepal, police say.

The incident happened at 09:00 local time (03:15 GMT) on Monday near the base camp of the Yalung Ri mountain in Dolakha district.

A further four climbers - two Italians, a German and a Canadian - are feared dead but a search for them is continuing. The killed and missing were part of a group of 12 trekkers and local guides that set out over an hour before the avalanche hit, the district police chief told the BBC.

Five Nepali guides who returned to the base camp were injured but not critically.

"Three bodies have been seen and rescue teams have to find four more," local deputy superintendent of Police Gyan Kumar Mahato told the BBC.

It is not clear if the other two confirmed dead, who are both Nepali, were working with the group or were climbers themselves.

Mr Mahato said a rescue helicopter had landed on Monday in the Na Gaun area of Dolakha - a five-hour walk from the Yelung Ri base camp.

Efforts to locate those still missing have been hampered by poor weather and logistical issues, according to local media reports.

Separately, attempts to rescue two Italian climbers who went missing while attempting to scale the Panbari mountain in western Nepal are continuing.

Stefano Farronato and Alessandro Caputo were part of a three-man group that became stranded along with three local guides last week. The third member of the group, named in media reports as Velter Perlino, 65, has since been rescued.

Autumn is a popular season for trekkers and mountaineers in Nepal as weather conditions and visibility have tended to be better. However, the risk of severe weather and avalanches remains.

Last week, Cyclone Montha triggered heavy rain and snowfall across Nepal, stranding people in the Himalayas.

Two British and one Irish woman were among a group that had to be rescued after being trapped for several days in the western Mustang region.

Severe weather also left hundreds of hikers stranded near Mount Everest in October.

Reform UK leader Nigel Farage has rowed back on his party's previous promise to deliver tax cuts worth £90bn a year.

Ahead of last year's general election, Reform's pledges included slashing corporation tax, cutting stamp duty on home purchases and lifting the threshold when people start paying income tax.

However, Farage said "substantial tax cuts" were not currently "realistic" because of the "dire state" of the public finances.

He added that if Reform wins the next election, it would still make some "relatively modest" changes, such as lifting income tax thresholds and immediately scrapping inheritance tax for family farms and family-run businesses.

In a wide-ranging speech setting out Reform UK's vision for the economy, Farage accused both Labour and the Conservatives of failing to cut public spending and allowing the national debt to increase "in the most extraordinary way".

"We want to cut taxes, of course we do," he said.

"But we understand substantial tax cuts, given the dire state of debt and our finances, are not realistic at this current moment in time."

He added that the state of the economy was now "far worse than it was in the run-up to the 2024 general election".

Challenged during a Q&A session after his speech over how the public could trust Reform if it reversed promises it had made before the last election, Farage said: "We are being mature, we are being sensible and we are not over-promising.

"But for us not to take account of the dire state of our public finances, that, I think, would be irresponsible."

He insisted it was still his party's "aspiration" to lift the threshold when people start paying income tax to £20,000, saying this was "vital" for incentivising people to work.

But he said the party had to be "realistic about the state of the economy", suggesting that by the time of the next general election it could be "in an even worse state than any of us in this room could even predict".

Labour minister Lisa Nandy said Reform's sums "just don't add up".

She added: "You just can't trust a word Reform say. Under any kind of pressure their whole programme is unravelling."

Conservative shadow chancellor Mel Stride said Farage's speech "has left the public with far more questions than answers".

"Farage did not set out which of the £140bn of commitments he made last year he still stands by, and which he has now dropped," he said.

"After this rambling, incoherent speech, it is clear Reform's economy policy is in chaos."

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On Saturday night a train from Doncaster bound for London was dramatically diverted after an alarm was raised on board. A man armed with a large knife, who is believed to have joined the train at Peterborough, carried out a vicious attack on multiple victims. Within 20 minutes a suspect had been arrested in Cambridgeshire, more than 70 miles from the train's intended destination of King's Cross in London.

Eleven people were treated in hospital, where one person remains in a stable but critical condition. The BBC has spoken to train passengers and stabbing victims alongside video and police statements to build a picture of how the attack and the emergency response unfolded.

'You need to run, you need to run'

The attack started just over an hour after the LNER train left Doncaster. At 19:29 it had pulled out of Peterborough station, where the suspect had apparently boarded. Just five minutes later the alarm was pulled near the middle of the train in coach J.

Amira Ostalski and a friend, both students at Nottingham University, had got on the train at the previous stop of Grantham and were travelling to London to "have some fun".

Amira was seated watching a film when she saw a man in a white shirt leap out of his seat about five rows in front of her followed by screams of "knife, knife". Amira then spotted a man holding a large kitchen knife and fled towards the rear of the train with her friend.

In the next carriage, coach H, YouTuber Olly Foster heard shouts of "run, run, there's a guy literally stabbing everyone", and initially thought it was a Halloween prank. But as passengers began pushing through the carriage Olly could see "blood all over the chair" he had leaned on, covering his hand in blood.

Olly then saw an older man, thought to be an LNER staff member, who "blocked" the attacker from stabbing a younger girl, leaving him with a gash on his head and neck.

Nottingham Forest fan Joe, 24, was not meant to be on the train. He had watched the team's football match against Manchester United earlier and missed a connecting train in Grantham.

Joe was texting his friends about his plans for the night when people came rushing through the carriage. "You need to run, you need to run," someone told Joe. He started running but when he turned to look behind him saw "a tall black male" holding "a bloodied knife".

Matt Kingston took his headphones out as he saw a group of people heading his way in coach H and also began running down the train. Another Nottingham Forest fan Alistair Day, 58, was next to the train's cafe bar in coach G, and saw people fleeing down the train with blood on their clothes.

Sheltering inside the cafe

The train's cafe bar transformed into an impromptu hiding space for those fleeing the attacker. Alistair said he saw around a dozen people inside this enclosed buffet counter in coach G and they were "trying to close up the shutters" to protect themselves from the assailant. Matt had managed to get inside the booth with the others.

Alistair saw the man near the door waving a knife and trying to open the shutters, which by then had been locked. A video he provided to the BBC from inside the cafe bar shows multiple passengers inside, with at least one on the phone to emergency services. Alistair and another witness, Tom McLaughlan, told the BBC they saw a Nottingham Forest fan move to confront the attacker. "He wasn't the biggest guy. We tried to stop him," Alistair said.

It appears they were referring to Stephen Crean who later told the BBC the man pulled out a large knife when he confronted him outside the cafe bar. "He's gone for me and there was a tussle in the arms and that's where my hand, the fingers are really bad, four cuts through them, sliced. And then he raised it and must have caught me when I was ducking and diving and caught me on the head."

Stephen said he had been trying to give another passenger time to close the door to the cafe bar. "That door still wasn't shut behind me, because I could still see him struggling to close it. So until I knew it was I wasn't moving away from it."

Matt said the attacker then walked past the locked door while waving the knife around. "He then returned back up the train and passed us again." At that point a young man told Matt he'd been stabbed in the chest "so I helped with putting pressure on the wound and helped hold him up".

Another victim of the train attack was Scunthorpe United footballer Jonathan Gjoshe, who was slashed across the bicep and later needed an operation.

Alarm raised and train diverted

As soon as the alarm was raised the train driver, Andrew Johnson, a Royal Navy veteran, sprang into action and contacted the control centre. The decision was made to divert the train, which was travelling at 125mph (201km/h), to a slow track, which allowed it stop at Huntingdon Station just minutes after the emergency services were first called.

The East of England Ambulance Service received the first emergency call at 19:38. A minute later, Cambridgeshire police received a report about multiple stabbings on a train. Together, they mobilised a response team outside Huntingdon Station, just under 300m away from the police force's headquarters. At 19:41 the train arrived at the station, a minute before British Transport Police were also called to the incident.

Escape at Huntingdon Station

CCTV footage captured by a business in its car park shows passengers running up platform two towards the main station building. A dramatic TikTok video, filmed from a bridge on Brampton Road overlooking the rail tracks and station, shows police officers running towards the train along the same platform.

Tom saw two men who appeared to have been stabbed "covered in blood" as he fled the train. Alistair said he saw a man who had been in the cafe bar with him being carried towards an ambulance by paramedics. "I just want to know he's okay," he said.

Emergency services took 10 people to hospital where a further victim was treated. Six patients have since been discharged.

The LNER staff member who remains in a critical but stable condition "undoubtedly saved people's lives" by trying to stop the attacker, British Transport Police said.

Forced to flee again

CCTV footage shows a man climbing a fence at the station at 19:43 to an adjacent car park while holding a knife.

Amira, who had been hiding at the back of coach G armed with a metal tray to fight off the attacker if necessary, had run to the car park with her friend for safety when they got off the train.

But they saw the man walk in their direction. Fearing for their lives, they hid in a taxi. An image captured by Amira's friend through its windscreen shows the man being detained by six police officers near several bins in the car park, around 50m (160ft) from the fence.

Video filmed from a separate taxi nearby shows the officers armed with guns, Tasers and accompanied by a dog detaining a man on the ground. Clicks from the Taser are audible in the footage.

By 19:50 police had two men in custody, 32-year-old Anthony Williams, and a 35-year-old man who was released a day later after police established he was not involved. On Monday morning Williams appeared in court charged with 10 counts of attempted murder over the train attack.

Additional reporting by Adam Durbin.

Part of a medieval tower in the heart of Rome's tourist district has collapsed, trapping one man and leaving another critically injured.

A section of the Torre dei Conti, on the edge of the famous Roman Forum and close to the Colosseum, gave way just after 11:30 local time (10:30 GMT).

"It's a very complex situation for the firefighters because there is a person trapped inside," Rome Prefect Lamberto Giannini said. The man is conscious and communicating with rescue workers.

The tower has been closed to the public for many years, and was undergoing conservation work when a section collapsed.

While rescue efforts were still under way, a second section of the 29m (90ft) high tower began crumbling again, with bricks raining down, creating a huge cloud of dust.

The firefighters were unharmed, pausing their rescue work for a time, but then continuing their search for the missing man.

After the initial collapse, firefighters "put up some protection" around the trapped man, so when the second collapse happened, "they obviously shielded him", Lamberto Giannini said.

"It will be a very long operation because we have to try to save the person, but we also have to try to mitigate... the enormous risks faced by the people trying to carry out the rescue," he added.

A police chief has said there is no imminent danger that the tower will disintegrate.

One worker was taken to hospital in a critical condition, local and foreign news agencies report.

Another worker, 67-year-old Ottaviano, who was inside at the time of the collapse but escaped from a balcony uninjured, told AFP news agency: "It was not safe. I just want to go home."

Rome's mayor and the country's culture minister have visited the scene. A crane and drone are also being used to assist with the rescue operation.

The 13th Century tower is part of the Roman Forum, a major tourist attraction right in the heart of the city, but it is separated from the main visitors' area by a road. The streets all around have been taped off by police as a precaution.

The medieval tower was built by Pope Innocent III as a residence for his brother.

At least three climbers, including a French national and two Nepalese people, have died after being hit by an avalanche on a Himalayan peak in north-eastern Nepal, police say.

The incident happened at 09:00 local time (03:15 GMT) on Monday near the base camp of the Yalung Ri mountain in Dolakha district.

A further four climbers - two Italians, a German and a Canadian - are feared dead but a search for them is continuing. The killed and missing were part of a group of 12 trekkers and local guides that set out over an hour before the avalanche hit, the district police chief told the BBC.

Five Nepali guides who returned to the base camp were injured but not critically.

"Three bodies have been seen and rescue teams have to find four more," local deputy superintendent of Police Gyan Kumar Mahato told the BBC.

It is not clear if the other two confirmed dead, who are both Nepali, were working with the group or were climbers themselves.

Mr Mahato said a rescue helicopter had landed on Monday in the Na Gaun area of Dolakha - a five-hour walk from the Yelung Ri base camp.

Efforts to locate those still missing have been hampered by poor weather and logistical issues, according to local media reports.

Separately, attempts to rescue two Italian climbers who went missing while attempting to scale the Panbari mountain in western Nepal are continuing.

Stefano Farronato and Alessandro Caputo were part of a three-man group that became stranded along with three local guides last week. The third member of the group, named in media reports as Velter Perlino, 65, has since been rescued.

Autumn is a popular season for trekkers and mountaineers in Nepal as weather conditions and visibility have tended to be better. However, the risk of severe weather and avalanches remains.

Last week, Cyclone Montha triggered heavy rain and snowfall across Nepal, stranding people in the Himalayas.

Two British and one Irish woman were among a group that had to be rescued after being trapped for several days in the western Mustang region.

Severe weather also left hundreds of hikers stranded near Mount Everest in October.

Civil service bosses have told MPs that Lord Mandelson, who was sacked as UK ambassador to the US due to close links with convicted paedophile Jeffrey Epstein, was never formally interviewed for the job.

The head of the civil service, Sir Chris Wormald, said there was no interview because Lord Mandelson was directly appointed to the role.

MPs heard that process meant Lord Mandelson was not directly asked about any conflict of interest with interviewers in person, but instead needed to fill in a form aimed more at potential financial conflicts.

Sir Chris said this process has been changed since Lord Mandelson's exit, to ensure a formal, minuted interview happens.

Lord Mandelson replaced career diplomat Dame Karen Pierce in Washington DC in December 2024, when Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer decided he was the best candidate to build links with the newly-elected Trump administration.

Concern around Lord Mandelson's friendship with Epstein were raised at the time, but his ability to deal with President Trump, as well as his ability as a networker and seasoned political operator, was seen as a valuable asset.

That changed when emails were published showing Lord Mandelson sent supportive messages to Epstein as he faced charges for sex offences in 2008, which the government insisted was new information about the "depth" of the pair's relationship.

Sir Keir fired him in September, a day after having told MPs the Labour peer retained his "full confidence" at PMQs.

Ambassadors are managed by the Foreign Office and the civil service, and bosses of both were answering questions from MPs on the Foreign Affairs Committee.

Foreign Office head, Sir Oliver Robbins, was asked whether Lord Mandelson went through the normal process for appointing an ambassador and told MPs: "No, it was different because this was not run as a standard civil service process."

Labour MP Fleur Anderson asked whether Lord Mandelson's interview specifically included the opportunity to share "anything that could bring the government into disrepute".

Sir Chris said: "There was no interview for Mr Mandelson, it was done as a direct appointment by ministers, as Sir Oliver has described, and therefore there was no panel interview.

"That was the normal practice for direct ministerial appointments."

Changes have been made since Lord Mandelson's sacking, Sir Chris added, "so that we effectively replicate what would normally happen in a panel interview... where there is a minuted conversation with the candidate".

Sir Oliver said Lord Mandelson did complete a conflict of interest form, but when pressed on whether that included "friendships", he said: "No, it's not a sort of reputational conflict that's being targeted by that form, it's about reality of perception of economic or financial conflicts."

The two were also questioned on why Sir Keir appeared not to have been fully briefed about the seriousness of the new information by civil servants before defending Lord Mandelson at Prime Minister's Questions (PMQs).

Conservative MP Sir John Whittingdale set out how emails were sent to the Foreign Office by journalists at Bloomberg on Tuesday evening.

He said: "It must have been apparent to you before the prime minister got up at 12 o'clock on Wednesday that this was pretty explosive and did somebody not say to Number 10 'hold on, just before you express your complete confidence in Lord Mandelson there's something here you might like to be aware of'."

Defending the material being treated "sensitively and as a management issue", Sir Oliver said he needed to treat Lord Mandelson "as an employee to whom I owed a duty of care".

Sir John responded: "So you're saying to protect Lord Mandelson you gave no indication to Number 10 before PMQs that you had come across information which might cause serious doubt as to the appropriateness of his position?"

Lord Mandelson had not had a chance to respond to the Foreign Office about the "veracity and risks" around the emails ahead of PMQs, Sir Oliver said, adding "I had not personally spoken to the prime minister, no."

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The government has asked the media regulator to revisit its rules on phone companies raising their prices in the middle of a contract, after O2 unexpectedly announced it was raising prices by £2.50 a month.

Technology Secretary Liz Kendall said O2's higher than expected price increase is "disappointing given the current pressures on consumers".

"I believe we need to go further, faster. I am keen that we look at in-contract price rises again," she wrote in a letter to the media regulator.

Ofcom said it shared the government's concern "customers who face price rises must be treated fairly by mobile providers".

O2 said in a statement: "We appreciate that price changes are never welcome, but we have been fully transparent with our customers about this change, writing directly to them and providing the right to exit without penalty if they wish."

Ofcom has been given until 7 November to respond to Ms Kendall's letter, and said it would respond to her specific questions shortly.

In January, new rules came in which cracked down on phone and broadband providers increasing prices in the middle of a contract without warning.

However, last week O2 announced it would be raising its monthly prices by more than originally promised.

It was able to do this because the increase was not linked to inflation, and it has given customers 30 days to leave without penalty - so long as they pay off the cost of their device in full.

The company said it has not gone against the regulation and Ofcom's rules do not stop providers from raising prices.

"A price increase equivalent to 8p per day is greatly outweighed by the £700m we invest each year into our mobile network, with UK consumers benefitting from an extremely competitive market and some of the lowest prices compared to international peers," it said.

Ms Kendall said O2 went "against the spirit" of the rules in her letter to Ofcom's chief executive Dame Melanie Dawes.

She has asked Ofcom to look into whether the 30-day switching period makes it easy enough for consumers to move to another provider.

"I would welcome your undertaking a rapid review on how easy it is for customers to switch providers," she said.

"If companies are determined to increase pricing, it is beholden on us to make sure that customers are able to go elsewhere as easily as possible."

She has also asked for an assessment into whether the January rules give consumers enough transparency into price rises during their contracts.

Ofcom's rules require companies to tell customers how much their bills will rise by in pounds and pence before their contract starts.

O2 initially said its monthly prices would increase by £1.80 a month in April 2026 for current customers.

But the firm now says they will go up by £2.50 instead.

Ms Kendall said she wants phone providers to inform all their customers - including those whose contracts started before the new rules - how much their monthly prices will go up by.

"We've always said fixed should mean fixed," said Tom MacInnes, director of policy at the Citizens Advice charity, and added the current rule "hasn't gone far enough to protect customers".

"If one company is able to get away with this, other providers could follow suit," he said.

"The time has come for the regulator to banish mid-contract price rises for good."

Meanwhile, telecoms analyst Paolo Pescatore of PP Foresight said UK network operators are "cash-strapped as margins are being squeezed".

He added: "Striking the right balance between raising much-needed funds and investing in next-generation networks is never easy."

But he said while other providers would have usually followed in announcing similar prices rises, "it seems highly unlikely that rivals will follow suit, given the consumer backlash and awareness generated thus far".

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