France's far-right National Rally party has accused authorities of a "new harassment campaign", after police raided its headquarters in an inquiry into its campaign finances.

Party president Jordan Bardella said the "spectacular and unprecedented operation" was a "serious attack on pluralism and democratic change".

Prosecutors said they were investigating potential acts of "fraud committed against a public figure" and alleged violations involving loans and donations during election campaigns in 2022 and 2024.

Wallerand de Saint-Just, the party's former treasurer, said National Rally (RN) had done nothing wrong.

"This process that looks completely unacceptable and outrageous. We're being persecuted on a daily basis," he told reporters outside the party's Paris headquarters.

"All our campaign accounts have been approved and reimbursed."

Despite a series of legal setbacks, RN are ahead in French opinion polls, and Bardella, its 29-year-old president, has topped one recent poll as the most popular political figure in the country.

Earlier this year, RN leader Marine Le Pen was convicted by a French court of helping to embezzle European Union funds. She was barred from running for office for five years, in a blow to her ambitions to run for the presidency for a fourth time.

She has appealed the conviction, which she has condemned as a "witch hunt", but last month accepted she may have to hand the baton to her young lieutenant ahead of the 2027 presidential vote.

Bardella was not present during the police raid as he was attending a European Parliament session in Strasbourg, but he said 20 finance brigade police had used the search as an excuse for seizing internal party documents and to raid his office.

There was no immediate comment from Le Pen.

Police also raided the head offices of several companies and their bosses.

The raids were linked by Paris prosecutors to an inquiry launched exactly a year ago into allegations of embezzlement, forgery and fraud centring on Le Pen's party.

Prosecutors said on Wednesday that the inquiry should establish whether the party's 2022 presidential and parliamentary election campaign and its 2024 European election campaign were funded by "illicit payments by individuals that benefited the National Rally party or candidates.

They said they would also investigate whether inflated or fictitious invoices had been submitted as campaign expenses to be paid back by the state.

RN said the allegations of illicit campaign financing are based on the fact that no French bank was prepared to help with funding. It previously secured loans from banks in Russia and Hungary.

In another setback for National Rally, the European Union public prosecutor's office formally launched an investigation this week into a former political grouping at the European Parliament that RN was part of.

Identity and Democracy was dissolved last year and is suspected of misusing Parliament funding. RN is now part of the Patriots for Europe group, which includes far-parties from Belgium, the Netherlands, Austria, Spain and Portugal.

Bardella said on Tuesday that the inquiry was a "new harassment operation by the European Parliament".

Thousands of victims of the infected blood scandal are being "harmed further" by long waits for compensation, the chair of the public inquiry into the disaster has said.

In a hard-hitting report, Sir Brian Langstaff said there were "obvious injustices" in the way the scheme had been devised.

It is thought 30,000 people were infected with HIV and hepatitis B or C in the 1970s and 80s after being given contaminated blood products on the NHS.

The government has set aside £11.8bn to pay compensation and has said it is cutting red tape to speed up payments to victims.

The inquiry's main report into the scandal, published last year, found that the disaster could largely have been avoided if different decisions had been taken by the health authorities at the time.

It said too little was done to stop the importing of contaminated blood products from abroad in the 1970s and 80s, and there was evidence that elements of the scandal had been covered up.

In May of this year, Sir Brian took the unusual step of ordering two days of extra hearings after he received "letter after letter, email after email" expressing concerns about the way the government's compensation scheme for victims had been managed.

His extra 200-page report, based on that evidence, found that victims had been "harmed further" by the way they had been treated over the last 12 months.

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A girl who suffered devastating injuries in the Southport attacks "fought like hell" to escape and save other children, her mother tearfully told a public inquiry.

The Southport Inquiry at Liverpool Town Hall heard statements from the families of four girls who survived despite being severely injured during the attacks on 29 July 2024.

One of those girls, referred to as C1 to protect her anonymity, was a seven-year-old described by her mother as "our little hippie" who had "loved adventure" before the events of last summer.

However she "does not live that way anymore" her mother said, as she describes how the courage her daughter had shown left "me crushed but in complete awe".

• Rudakubana's brother denied full inquiry access

C1 was stabbed 33 times by Axel Rudakubana at the dance workshop in Southport's Hart Street and was airlifted to Alder Hey Children's Hospital.

Her mother said she had become known as "the girl who was dragged back in", after CCTV footage shown in court captured the moment C1, already wounded, had tried to escape the dance studio building.

It showed Rudakubana grabbing her and pulling her backwards into the building to inflict more damage before she escaped, eventually collapsing on the street.

A hushed chamber in the town hall building heard that C1's injuries were "vast" and covered "so much of her body and organs".

Her mother said: "The damage was catastrophic. The hours and days that followed the attack were a living hell."

C1's mother said the "most painful of truths" about the attacks carried out by 17-year-old Axel Rudakubana was that there were no adults to help her.

The inquiry heard how her daughter had shielded other children as they were attacked and screamed at them to run.

She said that she did not doubt "for one moment" that the actions of the teachers in the class, Leanne Lucas and Heidi Liddle, helped saved lives when they encouraged children to flee.

However she added: "The uncomfortable and often unspoken truth of our own reality is that, when the adults left in those first moments, our daughter had to save herself.

"It is these untold stories of remarkable strength and bravery that are missing when we have heard other accounts of this day.

"I think it is vitally important that those girls are now heard, so that the inquiry can understand the complexities of this experience for everyone."

She added: "That reality is painful - our children fought alone, they shielded each other, comforted each other, and helped each other and that must be remembered."

The inquiry also heard from the father of C3, a nine-year-old girl who was also critically injured that day.

He told the inquiry his daughter was: "Stabbed three times in the back by a coward she didn't even see."

"She bears the scars, both physically and emotionally, of that terrible day," he said.

"We know that she is only a small way down the path that life will take her, and that obstacles will continue to present themselves along the way."

Another statement, read by Nicola Ryan-Donnelly, solicitor to the parents of surviving girls, said a "creative" and "full-of-life" seven-year-old remembers the attack "vividly" including how Rudakubana "tried to get her face".

"Where she was once an independent and joyful child she now needs constant support, reassurance and protection", her mother had written.

The inquiry has adjourned until 8 September and is expected to hear evidence about the circumstances of the attack and Rudakubana's contact with various agencies in the months and years before it.

The second phase, expected to start next year, will look at wider issues around how young people become drawn into "extreme violence".

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Sir Keir Starmer has refused to rule out extending the freeze on tax thresholds, which has seen millions of people dragged into paying higher rates.

The freeze on National Insurance (NI) and income tax thresholds, introduced under the Conservatives, is currently due to end in April 2028.

But asked during Prime Minister's Questions whether the government still planned to lift the freeze, Sir Keir only said he was committed to Labour's election manifesto.

This included a pledge not to increase National Insurance (NI), income tax or VAT - but no specific promise on thresholds.

U-turns on cutting disability benefits and winter fuel payments for pensioners have piled pressure on the government's spending plans, with economists saying tax rises are now likely in the autumn Budget.

Following major concessions on the government's flagship benefits plan, potential savings of around £5bn will now be delayed or lost entirely.

Tax thresholds - the income levels at which people start paying NI or income tax, or have to pay higher rates - typically increased every year in line with inflation.

However, income tax thresholds have been frozen since 2021/22.

This means people risk being dragged into a higher tax band, or paying tax on their income for the first time, if they get a pay rise.

Extending the freeze until 2029/30 could raise an estimated £7bn a year.

In her Budget speech last autumn, Chancellor Rachel Reeves said extending the freeze "would hurt working people" and pledged to lift thresholds in line with inflation again from 2028/29.

However, asked by Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch if this was still government policy, Sir Keir did not rule out continuing the freeze.

"No prime minister or chancellor is going to write a Budget in advance. We are absolutely fixed on our fiscal rules. We remain committed to them," he told the Commons.

"We remain committed to our Budget, to our manifesto commitments."

The PM's answer contrasted to his previous response to Badenoch, when asked if he stood by Labour's promise not to increase income tax, NI or VAT.

His reply to this was simply: "Yes."

The government's self-imposed fiscal rules include not borrowing to fund day-to-day spending and to get government debt falling as a share of national income by 2029/29.

The rules are designed to reassure financial markets but sticking to them limits the government's options and makes tax rises more likely.

Badenoch also accused Sir Keir of "flirting" with the idea of a wealth tax – something some Labour MPs on the left of the party have called for.

Supporters of the idea say a new 2% tax on assets worth more than £10m could raise £24bn per year.

However, critics argue such a move could see wealthy individuals leave the country.

Badenoch told the Commons: "Let's be honest about what that means, this is a tax on all of our constituents' savings, on their houses, on their pensions, it would be a tax on aspiration."

Asked if he would rule out a wealth tax, Sir Keir said Labour had stabilised the economy and "don't need lessons" from the Conservatives.

Pressed again on whether he would introduce a wealth tax by Green MP Adrian Ramsay, who suggested "those with the broadest shoulders should carry the largest burden", Sir Keir said: "We can't just tax our way to growth."

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Resident doctors in England have said they will strike for five days from 25 July after voting in favour of fresh action over pay.

Previously known as junior doctors, the medics will stage a walkout from 07:00 on 25 July until 07:00 on 30 July - giving ministers two weeks to agree to negotiate their pay instead.

The British Medical Association (BMA) said it had met with the health secretary to try and "avoid strike action" on Tuesday, but that the government had "stated that it will not negotiate on pay".

Health Secretary Wes Streeting called the move "unnecessary and unreasonable" and added: "The NHS is hanging by a thread - why on earth are they threatening to pull it?"

He said the strike was "without historic precedent" given the medics had received a 28.9% pay increase over the last three years, and were not in the interest of patients or staff.

"I met with them yesterday and offered to meet with their entire resident doctor committee this morning - that has not been taken up," he added, calling on the BMA to "get around the table and agree a way forward".

He had earlier told the Times newspaper the walkouts would be "a disaster for their members and a disaster for patients" - and the public would "not forgive" them.

Resident doctors have been awarded a 5.4% pay rise for this financial year - which will go into pay packets from August - following a 22% increase over the previous two years.

But the BMA says wages are still around 20% lower in real terms than in 2008.

Its resident doctors committee co-chairs, Dr Melissa Ryan and Dr Ross Nieuwoudt, said they had "made every attempt to avoid strike action by opening negotiations for pay restoration" in talks with the government on Tuesday.

But they said the government had wanted to "focus on non-pay elements without suggesting what these might be".

They said they had "no choice" but to strike without a "credible offer to keep us on the path to restore our pay".

"No doctor wants to strike, and these strikes don't have to go ahead.

"If Mr Streeting can seriously come to the table in the next two weeks we can ensure that no disruption is caused. The government knows what is needed to avert strikes. The choice is theirs."

The government said on Tuesday that it would not reopen pay negotiations and that it could not "be more generous than we already have".

A Downing Street spokesperson added that the medics had "received the highest pay award across the public sector for two years in a row".

Resident doctors' basic salaries in England range from £37,000 to £70,000 a year for a 40-hour week, depending on experience, with extra payments for working nightshifts and weekends.

That does not include the latest 5.4% average pay award for this year which will start to be paid into wage packets from August.

Resident doctors took part in 11 separate strikes during 2023 and 2024.

Publishing house Penguin has said it "undertook all the necessary due diligence" before releasing The Salt Path, after a series of claims about the book's veracity.

A recent Observer investigation claimed English author Raynor Winn fabricated or gave misleading information about some elements of her 2018 non-fiction best-seller.

Penguin Michael Joseph said it had not received any concerns about the book's content prior to the Observer's story, and that it had a contract with Winn regarding factual accuracy.

Winn has described the Observer's article as "highly misleading" and said the couple are taking legal advice, adding that the book was "the true story of our journey".

• The Salt Path author defends herself against claims she misled readers

The Salt Path, and its recent film adaptation, told the story of a couple who decide to walk the 630-mile South West Coast Path after their home is repossessed.

The Observer alleged Winn had misrepresented the events that led to the couple losing their home.

Rather than losing money in a bad business deal, as the book described, the newspaper said the couple had lost their home after Winn had defrauded her employer of £64,000.

According to the Observer, the couple borrowed £100,000 to pay back the money Winn had been accused of stealing, and it was when this loan was called in that their home was repossessed.

It also said it had spoken to medical experts who were sceptical about her husband Moth having corticobasal degeneration (CBD) as she described in the book, given his long survival after diagnosis, lack of acute symptoms and his apparent ability to reverse them.

In a statement issued to BBC News, the publisher said: "Penguin (Michael Joseph) published the Salt Path in 2018 and, like many readers, we were moved and inspired by Raynor's story and its message of hope.

"Penguin undertook all the necessary pre-publication due diligence, including a contract with an author warranty about factual accuracy, and a legal read, as is standard with most works of non-fiction."

A legal read means the book would have been looked over by a lawyer before its publication.

"Prior to the Observer enquiry, we had not received any concerns about the book's content," the publisher added.

In her statement released earlier this week, Winn said: "[Sunday's] Observer article is highly misleading.

"We are taking legal advice and won't be making any further comment at this time."

The statement continued: "The Salt Path lays bare the physical and spiritual journey Moth and I shared, an experience that transformed us completely and altered the course of our lives.

"This is the true story of our journey."

The Salt Path has sold more than two million copies since its publication in March 2018, and a film adaptation starring Gillian Anderson and Jason Isaacs was released earlier this year.

A spokeswoman for Number 9 Films and Shadowplay Features, who made the screen adaptation, said in a statement on Monday: "There were no known claims against the book at the time of optioning it or producing and distributing the film."

Their statement called the movie "a faithful adaptation of the book that we optioned", adding, "we undertook all necessary due diligence before acquiring the book".

"The allegations made in The Observer relate to the book and are a matter for the author Raynor Winn," it concluded. "We have passed any correspondence relating to the article to Raynor and her agent."

The film adaptation has taken around $16m (£11.7m) at the box office worldwide. The movie is yet to launch in Germany and France, while a deal is reportedly still pending in the US, according to Deadline.

After the Observer's article was published, the charity PSPA, which supports people with CBD and has worked with Raynor and Moth Winn, said "too many questions currently remain unanswered" and that it had "made the decision to terminate our relationship with the family".

Winn has also withdrawn from the forthcoming Saltlines tour, which would have seen her perform readings alongside folk music act Gigspanner Big Band during a string of UK dates.

A statement from Winn's legal team said the author was "deeply sorry to let down those who were planning to attend the Saltlines tour, but while this process is ongoing, she will be unable to take part".

President Volodymyr Zelensky says Ukraine has been hit by the biggest ever aerial attack from Russia - 728 drones and 13 cruise or ballistic missiles hit cities around the country in multiple waves.

Zelensky condemned the "telling attack", adding: "It comes precisely at a time when so many efforts have been made to achieve peace, to establish a ceasefire, and yet only Russia continues to rebuff them all."

The overnight strike came after President Donald Trump said the US would send more weapons to Kyiv - a reversal of last week's suspension which US media said Trump had not known about.

On Tuesday, the US leader expressed growing frustration at Russian President Vladimir Putin.

"We get a lot of bullshit thrown at us by Putin, if you want to know the truth," Trump told reporters. "He's very nice to us all the time, but it turns out to be meaningless."

"He's very nice to us all the time, but it turns out to be meaningless," Trump said.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Moscow was "pretty calm about this. Trump's way of talking is generally quite harsh, the phrases he uses."

The two leaders have been in regular contact but this has so far failed to translate into tangible steps towards a ceasefire in Ukraine - something Trump once said he would be able to achieve in a day.

Last week, following a phone call with the Russian president, Trump said he was "very unhappy".

"He wants to go all the way, just keep killing people, it's no good," Trump said of Putin.

The criticism came even as the Trump administration announced a suspension of military aid to Ukraine, reportedly authorised by US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth and Elbridge Colby, the under-secretary of defence for policy.

Asked by reporters on Tuesday who had taken the decision, Trump - sitting right next to Hegseth - replied: "I don't know. Why don't you tell me?"

The reversal of the decision may now mean that 10 Patriot missiles may be sent to Ukraine, according to US outlet Axios.

Kyiv relies on the interceptors to try to counter Russia's missile and drone attacks, which continue to grow in intensity and frequency.

Although the east of the country and Kyiv come under fire on a regular basis, no corner of Ukraine has been spared by Russian strikes.

The city of Lutsk - which lies 90km (56 miles) from the Polish border and is a transit hub for military and humanitarian aid - suffered the brunt of Tuesday's overnight attack.

Explosions were also reported in the western cities of Lviv and Rivne.

Two rounds of ceasefire talks between Russia and Ukraine took place earlier this year but no other meetings have so far been scheduled - and neither Moscow nor Kyiv appear optimistic that diplomacy will solve the conflict, which was sparked by Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

Meanwhile, Russia's summer offensive in eastern Ukraine grinds on.

"We are moving forward," said Peskov on Wednesday. "Each new day the Ukrainians have to accept the new realities."

Pret A Manger has launched a new range of "premium" salads costing up to £12.95, which the company says have been "priced competitively".

The four new "Super Plates" - including options like chipotle chicken and miso salmon - are said to be "nearly 60%" larger than the chain's existing salads and are filled with "premium ingredients" including "hand massaged" kale.

Defending the higher price point, a Pret spokesperson told the BBC the new range was launched to meet growing demand for "larger, nutrient-rich lunch options".

Pret's new offering comes after the chain faced backlash last year for making changes to its popular subscription model.

Like many companies that cater to office workers and commuters, Pret took a hit during the Covid pandemic when the majority of Britons were ordered to work from home if they could.

Many employees who have spent the last few years working from home are now being encouraged, or mandated by their employers, to return to the office - a move which has seen the lunchtime market become fiercely competitive again.

The most expensive of Pret's new range of salads is the miso salmon with a price tag of £12.95. The company said the range had been launched in order to "reflect a shift in customer habits".

The use of more premium ingredients "reflects the growing trend of workers treating themselves to a more filling lunch the days they are in the office", a spokesperson for Pret said.

Pret was criticised by customers last year when it changed its subscription offer of up to five coffees a day for a monthly fee of £30 to up to five half-price coffees a day for £5 a month.

It also ended its 20% discount on food, saying it had "never really got comfortable" with the dual pricing system across its food products as it announced it was scrapping the offer.

Among Pret's biggest competitors is the bakery chain Greggs. The bakery was ranked as the most popular dining brand in the UK in 2025 and the second strongest brand of 2024, according to data platform Statista.

Other competitors include the likes of Atis, Farmer J and Salad Project which already focus their menus on "premium" salads and lunches aimed at inner-city workers.

The new Pret salads are available in over 250 shops in large cities such as London, Birmingham, Edinburgh and Manchester.

President Volodymyr Zelensky says Ukraine has been hit by the biggest ever aerial attack from Russia - 728 drones and 13 cruise or ballistic missiles hit cities around the country in multiple waves.

Zelensky condemned the "telling attack", adding: "It comes precisely at a time when so many efforts have been made to achieve peace, to establish a ceasefire, and yet only Russia continues to rebuff them all."

The overnight strike came after President Donald Trump said the US would send more weapons to Kyiv - a reversal of last week's suspension which US media said Trump had not known about.

On Tuesday, the US leader expressed growing frustration at Russian President Vladimir Putin.

"We get a lot of bullshit thrown at us by Putin, if you want to know the truth," Trump told reporters. "He's very nice to us all the time, but it turns out to be meaningless."

"He's very nice to us all the time, but it turns out to be meaningless," Trump said.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Moscow was "pretty calm about this. Trump's way of talking is generally quite harsh, the phrases he uses."

The two leaders have been in regular contact but this has so far failed to translate into tangible steps towards a ceasefire in Ukraine - something Trump once said he would be able to achieve in a day.

Last week, following a phone call with the Russian president, Trump said he was "very unhappy".

"He wants to go all the way, just keep killing people, it's no good," Trump said of Putin.

The criticism came even as the Trump administration announced a suspension of military aid to Ukraine, reportedly authorised by US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth and Elbridge Colby, the under-secretary of defence for policy.

Asked by reporters on Tuesday who had taken the decision, Trump - sitting right next to Hegseth - replied: "I don't know. Why don't you tell me?"

The reversal of the decision may now mean that 10 Patriot missiles may be sent to Ukraine, according to US outlet Axios.

Kyiv relies on the interceptors to try to counter Russia's missile and drone attacks, which continue to grow in intensity and frequency.

Although the east of the country and Kyiv come under fire on a regular basis, no corner of Ukraine has been spared by Russian strikes.

The city of Lutsk - which lies 90km (56 miles) from the Polish border and is a transit hub for military and humanitarian aid - suffered the brunt of Tuesday's overnight attack.

Explosions were also reported in the western cities of Lviv and Rivne.

Two rounds of ceasefire talks between Russia and Ukraine took place earlier this year but no other meetings have so far been scheduled - and neither Moscow nor Kyiv appear optimistic that diplomacy will solve the conflict, which was sparked by Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

Meanwhile, Russia's summer offensive in eastern Ukraine grinds on.

"We are moving forward," said Peskov on Wednesday. "Each new day the Ukrainians have to accept the new realities."

Elon Musk's artificial intelligence start-up xAI says it is working to remove "inappropriate" posts on the multi-billionaire's social network X.

The announcement came after the platform's Grok AI chatbot shared multiple comments that were widely criticised by users.

"Since being made aware of the content, xAI has taken action to ban hate speech before Grok posts on X," the company said in a post.

According to media reports, Grok made multiple positive references to Hitler this week when queried about posts that appeared to celebrate the deaths of children in the recent Texas floods.

In response to a question asking "which 20th century historical figure" would be best suited to deal with such posts, Grok said: "To deal with such vile anti-white hate? Adolf Hitler, no question."

"If calling out radicals cheering dead kids makes me 'literally Hitler,' then pass the mustache," said another Grok response. "Truth hurts more than floods."

The incident came as xAI was due to launch its next-generation language model, Grok 4, on Wednesday.

On Friday, Musk posted on X that Grok had improved "significantly", but gave no details of what changes had been made.

"You should notice a difference when you ask Grok questions," he added.

The chatbot drew criticism earlier this year after it repeatedly referenced "white genocide" in South Africa in response to unrelated questions - an issue that the company said was caused by an "unauthorised modification".

X, which was formerly called Twitter, was merged with xAI earlier this year.

Chatbot developers have faced extensive scrutiny over concerns around political bias, hate speech and accuracy in recent years.

Musk has also previously been criticised over claims that he amplifies conspiracy theories and other controversial content on social media.

China has disputed Germany's claim that it targeted a military plane with a laser fired from a warship, as a diplomatic spat between the two countries deepens.

Germany accused China of attempting to disrupt one of its aircraft earlier this month as it was taking part in European Union-led operations aimed at protecting ships in the Red Sea from missiles launched by Yemen's Houthi rebel group.

The German foreign ministry has summoned the Chinese ambassador and described the incident as "entirely unacceptable". China's EU envoy has also been summoned by the bloc, Reuters reports.

Beijing has pushed back, saying Germany's account was "totally inconsistent with the facts known by the Chinese side".

On Tuesday, Germany said a reconnaissance plane was targeted as it flew over the Red Sea, where several European countries have been contributing to surveillance and defensive efforts since early 2024 to protect ships from regular attacks launched from Yemen.

The laser was fired from a Chinese warship, which had been spotted several times and had made no communication with the passing aircraft, Germany said.

The plane was forced to abandon its mission and return to a military base in the East African nation of Djibouti as a precaution, according to the foreign ministry.

Berlin has reacted furiously to the incident, accusing China of "endangering German personnel and disrupting the operation".

The Chinese government responded on Wednesday, with spokesperson Mao Ning telling a press conference that its navy had been carrying out "escort operations" in the Gulf of Aden and off the coast of Somalia.

She said Germany and China should "take a fact-based attitude and strengthen communication in a timely manner to avoid misunderstanding and misjudgement".

China has been accused of using lasers to target military aircraft before, primarily by the US. China has denied doing so.

Lasers can be used to blind pilots, and a new class of powerful lasers capable of disabling targets in the air are under development by militaries around the world.

China established a permanent military presence in the region in 2017 when it opened a base in Djibouti, which Beijing says is used for anti-piracy and freedom of maritime navigation operations.

Western governments have expressed concerns about China's ambitions in the region since opening the base in Djibouti, where the US, Japan, France and others also have military installations.

It is located at a strategically important pinch point leading on to the Red Sea and Suez Canal - one of the world's most important shipping routes.

The number of people killed in Monday's anti-government protests in Kenya has risen to 31, the country's human rights commission said, sparking public outage and calls for justice.

The state-run commission previously said that 11 people had died.

More than 100 people were injured and about 532 arrested in the protests which hit the capital Nairobi and other major cities, said the Kenya National Commission on Human Rights (KHRCR).

The UN said it was deeply troubled by the killings and criticised the Kenyan police for using "lethal ammunition" against protesters.

The Kenya police still says that 11 people died.

There has been rising tension in the country since the death of blogger Albert Ojwang in police custody last month brought people back onto the streets, a year after young protesters stormed parliament angered by a wave of tax rises.

• Kenya protests are 'coup attempt', says minister
• Are East African governments uniting to silence dissent?

Monday's protests were intended to commemorate Kenya's decades-long struggle for democracy but they quickly escalated into deadly clashes in 17 out of the country's 47 counties, local media reported.

Many of those demonstrating chanted "Ruto must go" and "wantam", meaning "one term", a popular rallying call demanding President William Ruto leave office.

In a statement issued on late Tuesday, the KHRCR said the sharp rise in the death toll was "deeply troubling".

"The KHRCR strongly condemns all human rights violations and urges accountability from all responsible parties, including police, civilians and all other stakeholders," it added.

The commission also documented widespread looting and destruction of both public and private property by unidentified individuals.

Among those killed was a 12-year-old pupil who was hit by a stray bullet while at home in Kiambu, in the outskirts of the capital, local media reported.

"It is very concerning that these latest incidents come barely two weeks after more than 15 protesters were reportedly killed and many more injured in Nairobi and other parts of Kenya on 25 June," said Ravina Shamdasani, spokesperson for the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights.

"Lethal ammunition, rubber bullets, tear gas, and water cannons were used," Shamdasani added.

At least two hospitals were damaged after unidentified attackers raided the facilities and stole medical equipment and harassed staff, Reuters news agency reported.

Religious and rights groups have demanded a prompt and independent investigation into the killings, destruction of property and arbitrary arrests.

However, Interior Minister Kipchumba Murkomen has praised police officers for containing the protests, which he said were infiltrated by criminals.

Opposition leaders on Tuesday accused the government of deploying unmarked police vehicles to transport armed gangs to perceived opposition strongholds during the protests.

They called for a national boycott of all businesses affiliated with President Ruto's administration, accusing his government of deploying state-sponsored violence and extrajudicial killings on Kenyans.

"This regime is hostile. It cannot be reasoned with. It must be resisted. We will not rest. We will not retreat. We will not surrender," the opposition said in a joint statement.

Kenya's Chief Justice Martha Koome has cautioned the country against the increasingly violent protests, saying they risked the nation's democratic fabric.

Monday's demonstrations were organised primarily by the so-called Gen-Z young people, demanding good governance, greater accountability, and justice for victims of police brutality, continuing the wave of anti-government protests since last year.

On 25 June, at least 19 people were killed and thousands of businesses looted and destroyed in a day of nationwide protests that were being held in honour of those killed in last year's anti-tax protests.

More than 140 people have been killed since 2023 in protests, according to a tally by The Star newspaper.

You may also be interested in:

• Why the death of a blogger has put Kenya's police on trial
• BBC identifies security forces who shot Kenya anti-tax protesters
• El Chapo & Deputy Jesus - why Kenya's president has so many nicknames
• New faces of protest - Kenya's Gen Z anti-tax revolutionaries

Go to BBCAfrica.com for more news from the African continent.

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