Extreme heat causes cows to produce less milk. This poses problems in cheese-obsessed Italy, especially as it tries to meet growing demand for favorites like burrata.
Young Spaniards are increasingly drawn to the dictator Francisco Franco. So the government is designing apps, games and T-shirts to promote democracy.
Francisco Franco’s grave outside Madrid still draws mourners, highlighting lingering disputes within Spanish society over the dictator’s legacy. José Luis Ortiz, a Franco supporter, tends to the tomb.
Rabih Alameddine’s “The True True Story of Raja the Gullible (and His Mother)” won in fiction, while Omar El Akkad’s reckoning with Gaza took the nonfiction prize.
The Kesslers at a news conference in 1997, presenting excerpts from a show based on their autobiography, “Eins Und Eins Ist Eins” (“One Plus One Is One”).
US President Donald Trump announced on Wednesday that he has signed a bill ordering the release of all files related to the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
The bill requires the justice department to release all the information from its Epstein investigation "in a searchable and downloadable format" within 30 days.
Trump previously opposed releasing the files, but he changed course last week after facing pushback from Epstein's victims and members of his own Republican party.
With his support, the legislation overwhelmingly cleared both chambers of Congress, the House of Representatives and Senate, on Tuesday.
In a post on Truth Social on Wednesday, the president accused Democrats of championing the issue to distract attention from the achievements of his administration.
"Perhaps the truth about these Democrats, and their associations with Jeffrey Epstein, will soon be revealed, because I HAVE JUST SIGNED THE BILL TO RELEASE THE EPSTEIN FILES!" he wrote.
Lawmakers in the House passed the legislation with a 427-1 vote. The Senate gave unanimous consent to pass it upon its arrival.
Some 20,000 pages of documents from Epstein's estate, including some that directly mention Trump, were released last week.
They include 2018 messages from Epstein in which he said of Trump: "I am the one able to take him down" and "I know how dirty donald is".
Trump was a friend of Epstein's for years, but the president has said they fell out in the early 2000s, two years before Epstein was first arrested. Trump has consistently denied any wrongdoing in relation to Epstein.
Speaking to reporters on Monday night, Trump said Republicans had "nothing to do with Epstein".
"It's really a Democrat problem," he said. "The Democrats were Epstein's friends, all of them."
Despite the president's signature, the release of the full Epstein files is not guaranteed. Based on the bill's text, portions could still be withheld if they are deemed to invade personal privacy or relate to an active investigation.
One of the bill's architects, Republican Congressman Thomas Massie, said he had concerns about some files being withheld.
"I'm concerned that [Trump is] opening a flurry of investigations, and I believe they may be trying to use those investigations as a predicate for not releasing the files. That's my concern," he said.
Ford UK's managing director Lisa Brankin told the BBC: "It's certainly not the right time to do it."
A Treasury spokesperson said: "Fuel duty covers petrol and diesel, but there's no equivalent for electric vehicles. We want a fairer system for all drivers."
The Chancellor has been reported to be considering a new pay-per-mile charge for electric vehicles from 2028.
Ms Brankin told the BBC's Big Boss Interview podcast: "That [policy], in the face of really fragile demand for electric vehicles, is just another brake."
The admin task of calculating their mileage would put potential EV owners off making the switch, she says.
"It's really easy to sell people things they want," she says. "It's hard to sell people things they don't want.
"Electric vehicles in some instances have gone from being a great thing to being something that we're trying to push people into."
Reuters
The chancellor has been reported to be considering a new pay-per-mile charge for electric vehicles
Ford sells the UK's most popular vehicle, the Ford Puma, while its commercial van the Transit holds the second-most-sold ranking.
For years its Focus model was the UK's most-popular, but the US company axed the hatchback and the last Ford Focus rolled off factory lines in Germany last week.
It employs around 6,000 people in the UK, with an engine plant in Dagenham and a transmission factory in Halewood. It hasn't manufactured a vehicle here since 2013.
Ford like other car makers is under pressure to meet the UK's net zero plan, 80% of new car sales must be EVs by 2030 or face fines.
The government has reinstated a grant worth up to £3,750 to encourage drivers to buy electric vehicles.
Ford would not be able to reach that 80% target without government help, such as the grant, Ms Brankin said.
Sales figures from car industry body, the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) show how far car makers have to go to reach the target.
Fully-electric vehicles made up around 22.4% of total new car sales, data for 2025 up to 31 October shows. This time last year it was 18.1%.
In September, the UK new car market experienced its best performance since 2020, driven by a surge in EV sales which hit a record high, according to SMMT figures.
However, Ms Brankin pointed to heavy discounting across car sales forecourts as well as a lower resale value in the second-hand EV market as indicators that the market was "distorted".
"When that [target] was set a number of years ago, the outlook for demand around electric vehicles was buoyant and there seemed to be momentum behind electric vehicles. What we're seeing now is that customer demand is not in line with that ambition," Ms Brankin said.
A large share of new EVs are sold to businesses for their employees and they benefit from lower rates of "company car tax" compared with diesel or petrol-fuelled options.
Ms Brankin has urged the Chancellor to retain this tax benefit of companies "greening" their vehicle fleets.
The shift to EVs could have consequences for the close-to 1,800 staff at the Ford diesel engine plant in Dagenham, which was the largest car factory in Europe when it was first built.
Ms Brankin said Ford was yet to make any decisions about the future of the plant, which will build diesel engines up until 2030.
"We're working really hard on and what the next life of Dagenham looks like, " she said but there was "nothing that we've settled on at the moment."
The activity of a Russian spy ship in the North Sea made several front pages on Thursday, with the Mirror quoting Defence Secretary John Healey in its headline. He told reporters that the Yantar "dangerously" directed lasers to disrupt RAF pilots tracking its activity near UK waters. "We see you, we know what you're doing," he warned Moscow.
The Independent also made a nod to Healey in their headline, characterising his quotes as a "stern threat to Putin". Russia's Embassy in London says it's not undermining UK security and it has condemned Healey's statement as provocative.
The Sun says the incident has caused tensions with Russia to escalate, amid "more damning revelations" about a British man facing a war crimes charge for spreading what the paper calls "sick Putin propaganda".
The i Paper reports that local authorities in London and the South East will be allowed to raise their council tax without a public vote. The paper says that the hikes are part of a "major funding overhaul to protect services", and suggests that Whitehall grants will be diverted to areas in the North and the Midlands with "greater needs".
Trans people could be banned from single-sex spaces based on how they look, according to an exclusive report from the Times. The paper says the guidance from the Equality and Human Rights Commission was handed to ministers three months ago, but is yet to be published.
"Starmer calls on Farage to address racism claims," says the Guardian, following on from its reporting on Wednesday which alleged that the Reform UK leader had made racist comments when he was in school. Farage has denied making any of the comments and actions attributed to him by former pupils at Dulwich College, in south London, in the 1970s.
Officials have spoken to the Daily Telegraph about a secret deal that has been "thrashed out" between the US and Russia in a recent "flurry" of talks. Sources familiar with the 28-point plan have told the paper that Ukraine could be forced to cede control of the eastern Donbas region to Russia but retain ownership. Moscow would pay the nation an undisclosed rental fee.
The Daily Mail says that public confidence in the economy under the Labour government is at "rock bottom", just one week out from the Budget. They lead with results from a YouGov poll, which found only 4% of those surveyed rated economic conditions as "fairly good".
Budget speculation has also made the front page of the Daily Express, which says new analysis has offered proof that the pension triple lock "must stay". The paper says that millions of people will suffer "pensioner poverty" if Chancellor Rachel Reeves "bows to pressure and allows pensioners' incomes to be whittled away".
"Home investors pull £26bn from top London stocks despite blistering rally," declares the Financial Times, warning that the Budget is fuelling nervousness in investors amid a "heightened sense of impending doom". However, the paper says that the FTSE 100 is on course for its best year since its rebound from the financial crisis in 2009.
The Metro alleges that a prestigious fertility clinic has been hacked by a group with links to Russian President Vladimir Putin. The paper says the ransomware gang, Qilin, is believed to have infiltrated the clinic's computer systems last month.
Adam Peaty and Holly Ramsey are pictured on the front page of the Daily Star, after the Olympian said his family were "encouraging false claims" ahead of the pair's upcoming nuptials.
The big questions now Scotland are going to the World Cup
Image source, Getty Images
Published
Still watching Kenny McLean's humdinger of a goal from the halfway line? Aye, same.
But have you watched it with Alasdair Lamont's radio commentary, accompanied by Celine Dion's Titanic? It's highly recommended.
Once you've finished replaying the highlights on loop, once the tear ducts have all dried up and once Alexa has frozen from the repeats of We Have A Dream, it's about time to think about what qualification means.
For younger fans, it's the ultimate unknown. Unchartered waters. Scotland’s men at the World Cup for the first time in our lifetimes.
We're being told to savour this moment. If Tuesday’s scenes are anything to go by, that won't be an issue.
But what are we actually suppose to be looking forward to?
BBC Sport Scotland asks the key questions as our attention fully turns to North America.
You thought last summer was the holiday of a lifetime? Strap yourselves in.
This isn't a wee jaunt to Germany. A flight which can take just a matter of hours. A country which can be driven to. An opening day venue which can be walked or cycled to.
Oh no. This is a trip.
Flocks of fans aren't rushing to travel agents in the same way they did two years ago, because that would just be bonkers. The group stages are split into three regions of west, central and east - you can read more on that - but we're talking about a vast continent.
More than 1,200 miles separate Los Angeles and Vancouver in the west, there are 1,700 miles between Kansas City and Mexico City in the central region, and 1,500 miles between Miami and Boston in the east.
We'll find out which region the games are in after the draw on 5 December.
One Scottish travel firm has already released a number of World Cup packages, ranging from three nights in New York for £2,659 per person to 11 nights in California for £3,999.
Flights are currently available from Edinburgh to Philadelphia the day before the tournament begins, coming back the day after the group games end, for just over £700.
Anyone about for a backie on their motorbike or willing to give a callycode?
What's the song?
Image source, Getty Images
Now we're getting to the serious stuff.
It's going to be one helluva journey, no matter the mode of transport, so we need something to tune into and something to be sick of hearing before we've even departed these shores.
In 1998, it was Del Amitri and their - unsuccessful - cry of Don't Come Home Too Soon.
The honour of releasing the song synonymous with a World Cup squad can be compared with performing a James Bond theme song. In fact, it's maybe a bigger honour than that. Diamonds are... what? Ally's Tartan Army all the way.
So, who should we call on to convey our hopes and dreams?
We're not short of options, with many a fine Scottish artist missing out on the chance over the years as glorious failure after glorious failure ensued.
Who wouldn't want to hear Paulo Nutini and Lewis Capaldi in harmony? Susan Boyle and Sharleen Spiteri are frantically refreshing their phones awaiting the call.
Belle and Sebastian, Biffy Clyro, Mogwai. Calvin Harris on the decks.
It's a pitch with all the pop stars and The Proclaimers are checking everyone's credentials.
What's the score with tickets?
OK, back to a slightly more serious question again. The highly sought-after tickets.
The bad news is prices are eye-watering and Fifa's early ticket draw has already been and gone. Opened and closed before Steve Clarke's side took to Turkey for their warm-weather training camp last week - which feels a lifetime ago.
There will be more tickets available to the public after the draw on 5 December and of course, thousands of tickets will be made available to each participating association. Those will be for Travel Club members, but, even if you are signed up already there are no guarantees...
What about visas/ESTAs?
Ach, who cares about the tickets at this stage, let's just get across the water, eh?
To do so, you will need an electronic system for travel authorisation (ESTA) to enter the USA. This can be done online,, external and it will be valid for 90 days of travel.
Handy, because you'll want to soak up the celebrations after Andy Robertson lifts the grand, gold gong aloft.
If you don't have the required UK passport, you might need to get a visa instead, which involves a wee journey down to the US Embassy in London.
There are no visa requirements for Mexico, while an eTA is needed if flying into Canada.
The dream/nightmare group?
Make your own mind up on this one.
The three host nations automatically enter pot one, and it goes without saying, they are the three weakest - given the other nine are the best in the business. We're due a kind draw too, surely?
So, naturally, Scotland would like to draw one of the USA, Canada and Mexico. Let's just hope it goes better than the last time we faced a host nation at a major tournament... Ah, Munich.
A wee look at pot two, though, and there are some decent outfits in there.
Scotland can only play one other European nation in the groups, so there is a fair chance Morocco, Colombia, Uruguay, Japan, Senegal, Iran, South Korea, Ecuador and Australia could lie in wait.
It might be best to swerve the European trio in that pot: Croatia, Switzerland and Austria.
A hefty portion of pot four is still TBC. Imagine having to go through the play-offs? Wouldn't be us...
What happens in March?
Those play-offs take place in March. Which reminds us, we can rub that off the calendar.
Not completely, though, because Clarke will still be calling together his band of merry men for a couple of friendlies.
Scotland's opponents are as yet unknown, but we can assume the boss and the Scottish FA will be keen for decent calibre to provide something of a test. Nations' availability comes into these complex conversations, too.
But what can be sure is the Tartan Army will be there to see their heroes in action before they're North America bound.
It'll be another opportunity to sport the new Scotland strip, too. Most did say upon it's release the other week it was worthy of a World Cup appearance.
The excitement come March will be through the roof. Truly within touching-distance territory.
Just wait until the sticker album is unveiled a few weeks later... No one is swapping their shiny Scott McTominay, eh?
US President Donald Trump announced on Wednesday that he has signed a bill ordering the release of all files related to the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
The bill requires the justice department to release all the information from its Epstein investigation "in a searchable and downloadable format" within 30 days.
Trump previously opposed releasing the files, but he changed course last week after facing pushback from Epstein's victims and members of his own Republican party.
With his support, the legislation overwhelmingly cleared both chambers of Congress, the House of Representatives and Senate, on Tuesday.
In a post on Truth Social on Wednesday, the president accused Democrats of championing the issue to distract attention from the achievements of his administration.
"Perhaps the truth about these Democrats, and their associations with Jeffrey Epstein, will soon be revealed, because I HAVE JUST SIGNED THE BILL TO RELEASE THE EPSTEIN FILES!" he wrote.
Lawmakers in the House passed the legislation with a 427-1 vote. The Senate gave unanimous consent to pass it upon its arrival.
Some 20,000 pages of documents from Epstein's estate, including some that directly mention Trump, were released last week.
They include 2018 messages from Epstein in which he said of Trump: "I am the one able to take him down" and "I know how dirty donald is".
Trump was a friend of Epstein's for years, but the president has said they fell out in the early 2000s, two years before Epstein was first arrested. Trump has consistently denied any wrongdoing in relation to Epstein.
Speaking to reporters on Monday night, Trump said Republicans had "nothing to do with Epstein".
"It's really a Democrat problem," he said. "The Democrats were Epstein's friends, all of them."
Despite the president's signature, the release of the full Epstein files is not guaranteed. Based on the bill's text, portions could still be withheld if they are deemed to invade personal privacy or relate to an active investigation.
One of the bill's architects, Republican Congressman Thomas Massie, said he had concerns about some files being withheld.
"I'm concerned that [Trump is] opening a flurry of investigations, and I believe they may be trying to use those investigations as a predicate for not releasing the files. That's my concern," he said.
Turkey has proposed holding the 2026 climate talks in Antalya
The COP31 climate meeting is now expected to be held inTurkey after Australia dropped its bid to host the annual event.
Under the UN rules, the right to host the COP in 2026 falls to a group of countries made up of Western Europe, Australia and others.
A consensus must be reached but neither country had been willing to concede. Australia has now agreed to support the Turkish bid in return for their minister chairing the talks following negotiations at COP30, currently being held in Brazil.
This unusual arrangement has taken observers by surprise. It is normal for a COP president to be from the host country and how this new partnership will work in practice remains to be seen.
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has called the compromise with Turkey an "outstanding result" in an interview with the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC), noting Pacific issues would be "front and centre".
He added that he had spoken to Papua New Guinea Prime Minister James Marape and Prime Minister Rabuka of Fiji.
However, Papua New Guinea's Foreign Minister Justin Tkatchenko told the AFP news agency "we are all not happy. And disappointed it's ended up like this".
Solomon Islands leader Jeremiah Manele earlier told the ABC he would be "disappointed" if Australia didn't secure the event.
Despite this, there will be relief among countries currently meeting at COP30 in the Brazilian city of Belém that a compromise has been reached as the lack of agreement on the venue was becoming an embarrassment for the UN.
Australia has pushed hard to have the climate summit in the city of Adelaide, arguing that they would co-host the meeting with Pacific island states who are seen as among the most vulnerable to climate change and rising sea levels.
Turkey, which has proposed hosting COP31 in the city of Antalya, felt that they had a good claim to be the host country as they had stood aside in 2021 and allowed the UK to hold the meeting in Glasgow.
If neither country was willing to compromise then the meeting would have been held in the German city of Bonn, the headquarters of the UN's climate body.
As a result of discussions at COP30, a compromise appears to have been reached.
This includes pre-COP meeting will be held on a Pacific island, while the main event is held in Turkey. Australia's climate minister Chris Bowen will be its president.
AFP via Getty Images
Australia's climate minister Chris Bowen will be the COP30 president
"Obviously, it would be great if Australia could have it all, but we can't have it all," Mr Bowen told reporters outside the Australian delegation offices here in Belém.
"This process works on consensus, and consensus means if someone objected to our bid, it would go to Bonn."
"That would mean 12 months with a lack of leadership, no COP president in place, no plan, that would be irresponsible for multilateralism in this challenging environment."
Mr Bowen believes having a COP president not from the host country will work and that he will have the considerable authority reserved for the president of these gatherings.
"As COP president of negotiations, I would have all the powers of the COP presidency to manage, to handle the negotiations, to appoint co-facilitators, to prepare draft text, to issue the cover decision," he said.
He also confirmed to the BBC that Turkey will also appoint a president who will run the venue, organise the meetings and schedules.
Australia's climbdown will be embarrassing for the government of Mr Albanese, after lobbying long and hard to win support among the other nations in the Western Europe group.
The compromise will have to be ratified by more than 190 countries gathered here for COP30.
Given the difficulties in getting to this compromise, there are unlikely to be any objections.
One of the world's first calculating machines will not go to auction as scheduled, France, after a Paris court provisionally blocked the historic item from being export.
Auction house Christie's has confirmed it will not proceed with a bid for the machine La Pascaline, developed by the French mathematician Blaise Pascal in 1642.
Valuations suggested the machine could fetch €2 to 3m (£1.77m to £2.65m). Christie's called it the "most important scientific instrument ever offered at auction".
Scientists and researchers made a legal appeal to grant heritage protections to the historic instrument, arguing it should be classified as a "national treasure".
Pascal was just 19 years old when he developed the earliest version of a calculator, Christie's said. There are only nine of these machines still in existence.
"It is the first attempt in history to substitute the human mind with a machine," the official collection description reads.
"Its invention marks a breakthrough, a 'quantum leap' whose importance and significance take on a very special meaning today".
La Pascaline was exhibited at Christie's venues in New York and Hong Kong throughout the year.
The machine was included in Christie's auction of the library of the late Catalonia collector Léon Parcé, which also featured Pascal's philosophical piece Pensées and the first printed version of "Pascal's wager".
On Wednesday, a Paris administrative court temporarily blocked an earlier export authorisation provided by France's culture minister in May. Two experts had signed off on the minister's certificate, including one from the Louvre Museum.
The judge concluded there were "serious doubts" over the legality of the certificate, a statement from the Paris court said, adding the decision was provisional until a final judgment is delivered.
In a statement to the AFP news agency, a Christie's spokesperson said: "Given the provisional nature of this decision and in accordance with the instructions of its client, Christie's is suspending the sale of La Pascaline".
The court noted La Pascaline's historic and scientific value could qualify as a "national treasure" guaranteeing protections under the France's heritage code.
French heritage group, Association Sites & Monuments, which was listed as an applicant, welcomed the decision.
with additional reporting by Sebastian Usher, Global Affairs reporter
The president sought to take credit for the legislation, despite months of pressure to kill it. The bill has significant exceptions that could mean many documents would stay confidential.
The meeting between Zohran Mamdani, the mayor-elect of New York City, and President Trump will come after the two men have fiercely attacked one another.
A trader on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange on Wednesday. In the United States, Nvidia shares climbed more than 5 percent in after-hours trading.
Representative Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick misused $5 million in Covid-related funds during the pandemic in part to finance her campaign, according to the Justice Department.
It was the most momentous event in UK history since World War Two. As a new virus took hold, millions of us were told to stay at home and billions of pounds were spent propping up the country's economy.
The Covid inquiry will publish its second set of findings later today, looking in detail at the huge political choices made at the time - including how lockdowns were introduced, the closure of businesses and schools, and bringing in previously unthinkable social restrictions.
"Did the government serve the people well, or did it fail them?" asked the lead counsel at the start of this part of the inquiry in 2023. Since then more than 7,000 documents have been made public from the time, including WhatsApp chats and emails, private diaries and confidential files.
Here, BBC News has picked out some of the urgent messages and scribbled notes that shine a light on how critical decisions were taken in 2020.
On 2 January 2020 an update appears on ProMed, a service used by health workers to warn of emerging diseases.
"World Health Organization in touch with Beijing after mystery viral pneumonia outbreak," it says.
"Twenty-seven people - most of them stallholders at the Huanan Seafood Wholesale Market - treated in hospital."
The next day England's deputy chief medical officer, Jonathan Van Tam, sends the bulletin on to Peter Horby, a professor at Oxford University and chair of Nervtag, a group that advises the government on new viral threats.
By the end of January, it's clear the health authorities in Wuhan have a major problem on their hands.
"Hubei province on lockdown; multiple cities have transport restrictions. Memory of SARS cover-up ensures residual distrust of government response," it says.
"They will do everything they can to quickly control this outbreak. But the challenge of doing so is substantial."
The virus spreads to Hong Kong and South Korea and then to Iran and northern Italy.
Days later, the Cheltenham horse racing festival goes ahead and Atletico Madrid fans are allowed to fly from Spain to Liverpool to watch their team play in the Champions League.
The government's strategy, backed by its scientific advisers, is to try to contain early outbreaks by isolating those with the virus and tracing any contacts.
The plan is then to move to a "delay phase" as full community transmission is established – using policies like home isolation advice for those with symptoms to "flatten the curve" of the pandemic so that hospitals do not become overwhelmed.
Getty Images
Boris Johnson shook hands with England captain Owen Farrell at the rugby match at Twickenham on 7 March
But the virus is spreading much faster than expected and it‘s quickly becoming clear to many scientists that far stronger action will be needed.
On Friday 13 March, two senior No 10 officials are sitting in a key meeting of scientific advisers in Whitehall.
That weekend, the prime minister's chief adviser, Dominic Cummings, is locked in a series of meetings with the PM and a handful of select staff as a new strategy takes shape.
Covid Inquiry
Dominic Cummings in the prime minister's office - he said others in the room included Boris Johnson, special adviser Chloe Watson, and director of communications Lee Cain
One graph suggests that, if the virus was allowed to run its course without any restrictions in place, then more than 100,000 people would die "in [hospital] corridors" in the coming wave.
"FYI – [Patrick] Vallance [the chief scientific adviser] is on board with what will NEVER be discussed as Plan B."
"[In a] nutshell: we move through the gears to [do] whatever we need to stop NHS collapse and buy time to increase capacity."
Over the following week, Covid rules across the UK are tightened.
People are advised, but not legally required, to avoid all non-essential contact and work from home where possible. Then schools are closed, followed by pubs, restaurants, gyms and cinemas.
But still there are concerns that even those measures are not strong enough. On Sunday 22 March, London's mayor, Sadiq Khan, writes a private letter to Johnson.
The next evening, in a televised address watched by 27 million people, the prime minister tells the public they must stay at home as he announces the first national lockdown.
It will now be up to the inquiry to decide if making that call earlier could have saved lives and ultimately reduced the total time that people had to stay locked indoors.
Controlling Covid and protecting the economy
Over the next month some hospitals do come under severe pressure with intensive care units spilling into corridors and side rooms. Pre-planned or elective care is put on hold but at no point does the NHS have to turn away emergency patients.
Covid infections, hospitalisations and deaths start to fall.
But the cost of lockdown restrictions is huge: education is disrupted, loneliness and mental health problems get worse, and jobs and businesses are impacted.
That month some restrictions begin to be lifted – soon groups of six are able to meet outdoors and schools start a phased re-opening.
In the summer, then-chancellor Rishi Sunak tries to boost the economy with his Eat Out to Help Out scheme - 50% off food and drinks for three days a week in August.
The idea is well received by the hospitality industry but there are concerns about the health impact.
On WhatsApp (with spelling mistakes), Hancock warns Simon Case, then the most senior civil servant in Downing Street, that it's causing problems in intervention areas - that’s those local authorities with the highest infection rates.
But that tension – between controlling Covid and protecting the economy – becomes even more intense through the autumn.
Many scientists advising the government want to see tighter rules. They campaign for a short "circuit breaker" lockdown to try to drive down infections.
At times the documents suggest the prime minister supports tougher restrictions, at others he appears determined to avoid another strict national lockdown at all costs.
PA Media
Rishi Sunak, wearing a mask in the summer of 2020, was a key proponent of the Eat Out to Help Out scheme
"This government doesn't have the credibility needed to be imposing stuff within only days of deciding not to," writes Case, who is now the new cabinet secretary, to Cummings and Lee Cain, No 10 director of communications, on 14 October.
"We look like a terrible, tragic joke. If we were going hard, that decision was needed weeks ago. I cannot cope with this."
In his testimony to the inquiry, Case later says he regrets expressing his "at-the-moment frustrations" with Johnson, whom he "barely knew" at the time.
In his evidence, Johnson defends his own leadership style, saying his views changed with the scientific evidence, and he often adopted certain positions because he wanted to hear the counter arguments.
Second national lockdown
As the nights draw in that autumn, it becomes clear that existing restrictions in England - including a 10pm curfew and the so-called tiered system of local controls - are not going to be enough to control the virus.
In tightly-spaced handwriting, Johnson pens 22 detailed points over two A4 pages of the document.
He approves of strengthening some local restrictions but bemoans the "terrible cost" and wonders "for HOW LONG?"
"Is NHS T&T [test and trace] actually achieving ANYTHING?" he asks at one point.
A week later, on 5 November 2020, England does enter its second national lockdown, this time lasting four weeks, although most schools remain open.
By this point many decisions are being taken independently by the four nations of the UK. Both Wales and Northern Ireland put in place versions of a circuit breaker lockdown, while in Scotland stricter rules are imposed in the central belt.
The plan is still to allow families and friends to meet up at Christmas.
But by mid-December a new, more infectious variant of the virus is spreading and millions living in the south-east of England are told at short notice that Christmas mixing will be cancelled.
In January 2021, a third and final full national lockdown follows across the UK, as the winter wave peaks and the NHS starts rolling out millions of doses of the first Covid vaccines.
Lessons learnt
Five years on from those dramatic 12 months, the inquiry's findings are long-awaited, particularly by the 235,000 families who lost loved ones in the pandemic.
The messages and documents highlighted here are just a snapshot - the report due later will run to around 800 pages.
It will examine some of the key questions in much more detail: the timing of lockdowns, the impact of restrictions on the most vulnerable, and public confidence in the rules amid reports of partying in Downing Street and other alleged rule breaches.
Groups representing thousands of bereaved families want individuals working in government at the time to be held to account for any pandemic failings.
But - above all - they want the state to learn lessons from any mistakes and be better prepared if and when the next unknown virus arrives on our shores.
Some documents in this article have been recreated. All contain the original texts including spelling mistakes and typographical errors.
Additional reporting: Pilar Tomas and Ely Justiniani, BBC Visual Journalism Unit.
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