Afghanistan used to produce more than 80% of the world's opium until the Taliban imposed a ban in 2022
Opium farming in Afghanistan has dropped significantly following a ban imposed by the Taliban government in 2022, the United Nations said.
The total area of land for growing opium poppy shrank 20% since last year, while the amount of opium has fallen by 32% over the same period, the UN's Office on Drugs and Crime said in a survey.
Afghanistan used to produce more than 80% of the world's opium, with heroin made from Afghan opium making up 95% of the market in Europe.
But after retaking power the Taliban banned the practice in April 2022, saying opium was harmful and went against their religious beliefs. The UN said most farmers continued to observe the ban despite "severe economic challenges".
Many Afghan farmers are harvesting cereals, but poppy - from which opium, the key ingredient for the drug heroin can be extracted - continues to be "far more profitable" than legitimate crops, the UNODC noted.
Over 40% of available farmland has remained fallow because of the lack of profitable alternatives, limited agricultural outputs and, adverse climate conditions it added.
The total area under opium poppy cultivation this year was estimated at 10,200 hectares, mostly in the north-east of the country, with Badakhshan province accounting for the largest share. Before the 2022 ban, more than 200,000 hectares were under poppy cultivation in Afghanistan.
Four provinces with opium poppy cultivation in 2024 (Balkh, Farah, Laghman, Uruzgan) were declared opium poppy-free in 2025.
"The near elimination of cultivation from traditional strongholds illustrates the scale and durability of the ban on opium poppy cultivation," the survey said.
The Taliban's efforts to destroy opium fields occasionally sparked violent resistance from the farmers, particularly in the north-east, the UNODC said, noting that casualties were reported during clashes in several districts of Badakhshan.
But the vast majority of Afghan farmers adhere to the ban issued by the Taliban's supreme leader.
However, farmers say they lack support to grow alternative crops - as a result, they have to choose between poverty or punishment.
"If we violate the ban, we face prison. If we comply, we face destitution," one unnamed farmer in Helmand province told BBC Pashto this summer.
"If there's no money, then I'll grow poppies again."
Poppy fields are no longer openly visible in Helmand, but they do still exist.
Another farmer showed BBC Pashto around his small walled-off poppy field in front of his house in a remote village. He's risking jail, but he said he had no option.
"What should I do? I'm forced to do this - I have nothing else. I can't even provide food for my family."
While opium is in decline, trafficking in synthetic drugs such as methamphetamine have risen since the ban, the UNODC said.
Seizures of such drugs in and around Afghanistan was 50% higher in late 2024 compared with the previous year.
Organised crime groups favour synthetic drugs which are easier to produce and less vulnerable to climate shocks, the UNODC said.
Cameroon's 92-year-old leader Paul Biya has been sworn in for another seven years as president in a ceremony at the country's parliament in Yaoundé.
Biya won a controversial eighth term in a fiercely disputed election last month.
He has been in power for 43 years, and addressed only one campaign rally before the election.
The nonagenarian, the world's oldest head of state, won 54% of the vote, compared to the 35% of Issa Tchiroma Bakary, according to the official results. Tchiroma Bakary maintains he was the rightful winner of the poll and has accused the authorities of fraud, which they have denied.
The announcement of the result led to major protests across the country.
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy warned there will be a 10% reduction in air travel capacity at 40 major airports in the US starting Friday morning, if the government shutdown continues.
The decision was made because air traffic controllers have been reporting issues with fatigue, the head of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said at a briefing with Duffy on Wednesday.
"It is unusual, just as the shutdown is unusual, just as the fact that our controllers haven't been paid for a month is unusual," said FAA chief Bryan Bedford
During the shutdown, now the longest in US history, controllers have had to keep working without pay, prompting some to call out sick or take side jobs.
Watch: "There will be frustration" - Transport secretary outlines reduction in air traffic
The flight reductions will be gradual, starting at 4% of domestic flights on Friday, then rising to 5% on Saturday and 6% on Sunday, before hitting the full 10% next week, Reuters reported after the announcement, citing four unnamed sources.
The names of the affected airports - all high-traffic locations - will be released on Thursday, the officials said.
The cancellations could affect between 3,500 and 4,000 flights per day.
"We are seeing pressures build in a way that we don't feel - if we allow it to go unchecked - will allow us to continue to tell the public that we operate the safest airline system in the world," Bedford said.
Duffy said air travel is still safe, and the decision to cancel the flights was being made to maintain safety and efficiency.
If the shutdown continues and adds more pressure to the system, additional restrictive measures may be required, Bedford said.
A spokesperson for Southwest Airlines, the fourth-largest carrier in North America, said in a statement that the company is still evaluating how the flight restrictions will affect its services, and will let customers know as soon as possible.
"We continue to urge Congress to immediately resolve its impasse and restore the National Airspace System to its full capacity," the spokesperson added.
Delta Airlines declined to comment. The BBC has also reached out to other major US airlines.
Once government funds ran out on 1 October, most federal workers were sent home and told they would be paid once the government reopened. Those deemed essential, like controllers, though, had to keep doing their jobs without pay.
Almost immediately after the shutdown started, airports began feeling the effects. Some had to ground flights for hours after air traffic controllers called out sick, while others relied on controllers from other airports.
Nick Daniels, the president of the labor union representing more than 20,000 aviation workers, put the situation into stark terms on Wednesday.
"Air traffic controllers are texting 'I don't even have enough money to put gas in my car to come to work,'" he told CNN.
"We base what we do day in and day out on predictability," he said. "Right now there is no predictability."
Duffy warned earlier this week that the flight cancellations may be coming, as half of the country's 30 major airports experience staff shortages.
He previously said there's a risk that comes with air traffic controllers taking on additional jobs during the shutdown, and had threatened to fire controllers who do not come to work.
"They have to make a decision, do I go to work and not get a paycheque and not put food on the table? Or do I drive for Uber or DoorDash or wait tables?" Duffy said on ABC on Sunday.
Representative Nancy Pelosi, the only female House speaker, said she will not run for re-election. She wielded immense power and became a Democratic icon, while she was demonized by conservatives.
A man at the centre of an organised crime network has been secretly filmed telling BBC undercover reporters how he can help to erase fines of up to £60,000 for employing illegal workers.
The self-described "accountant" is among a group of Kurdish men, first exposed in a BBC investigation on Tuesday, who enable migrants to work illegally in mini-marts, by registering the businesses in their own name.
The man, who goes by the name of Shaxawan, told the two journalists that he and his associates could help migrants - including asylum seekers - to set up businesses illegally and "confuse" immigration enforcement.
Operating from a solicitor's office in Huddersfield, he said he had "customers in every city".
In Companies House listings, Shaxawan is named as Kardos Mateen, a British resident in his 30s, and has been the director of 18 businesses across the north of England.
When later confronted by us, with details of his claims, he denied any wrongdoing.
Trading Standards confirmed it has found illegal cigarettes being sold in many businesses registered under the name Kardos Mateen, and the BBC was sold counterfeit tobacco in four mini-marts where he was listed as the director.
The BBC News two-part investigation has revealed the sophistication and scale of criminal networks profiting from undocumented working on UK High Streets. Loose regulation of Britian's labour market is acting as a pull factor for those entering the UK illegally, the government has acknowledged.
Shaxawan made several claims to our reporters:
He could set up a company and provide bank cards and a card machine to accept payments from customers for one of our undercover reporters, believing him to be an asylum seeker
His network could "confuse" Immigration Enforcement teams which "won't have the time" to check details
Fake directors would be paid to register mini-marts in their own names, while illegal workers, including asylum seekers, would actually run the businesses
In separate deals, other people referred to as "ghost names" would be paid to put their names to large fines for illegal working
An "English woman" in the network would help reduce hefty fines to "zero" and deal with other issues like electricity, gas and bailiffs
Our reporters also spoke to a paralegal, with Shaxawan present, who offered to "make documents", including "business agreements", to avoid fines.
'I'll make sure you have no issues'
It took months to set up the first meeting with Shaxawan.
He pulled up at a busy Manchester retail park in a white 4x4 BMW, in the belief he was meeting an asylum seeker who was looking to run a mini-mart and sell illegal cigarettes.
In fact, he was meeting Saman (not his real name), a Kurdish journalist working undercover for the BBC.
In a cafe, Shaxawan freely shared details of what he and his associates were able to offer: "We are a group. Each of us provides a service and works together," he said.
He explained how he worked with an "English woman who dealt with electricity, gas and bailiffs". And when Immigration Enforcement issues a fine, he added, "she makes it zero".
"I will… set up your company, provide the [card] machine, get you electricity, speak to your landlord," Shaxawan assured him. "I'll make sure you have no issues."
Shaxawan told our reporter he could help him set-up a mini-mart illegally
He told Saman that he should register a mini-mart business in the name of someone else - what is sometimes known as a "ghost director". This would cost £400 per month, and getting access to a business bank card would require a one-off payment of £140, he said.
The ghost director would be the one to "take the risk" if the shop was raided by law enforcement and fines issued, he explained.
"That's why you're paying," he said.
To show he was genuine and to provide reassurance, Shaxawan called someone he said could act as ghost director.
Saman explained to the man on the phone that he did not have asylum status.
"Don't worry" came the reply. "As Mr Shaxawan says, send the money at the end of the month."
ID documents sent to Saman by phone swiftly after his meeting with Shaxawan, revealed that the potential ghost director was a 28-year-old from Iran called Bryar Mohammed Zada.
Mr Zada has racked up company directorships for 20 car washes and mini-marts from Newcastle upon Tyne to Essex in the past 12 months, according to Companies House records.
Undercover journalists found illegal cigarettes being sold at four of Mr Zada's businesses.
Saman later called Shaxawan asking for a second meeting, and Shaxawan suggested they meet at RKS Solicitors in Huddersfield.
The firm is registered with the Law Society and has branches in Dewsbury and Sheffield.
The meeting was arranged on the premise Saman needed help to deal with an illegal working fine which had been given to a family member.
There is no mention of the names "Shaxawan" or "Mateen" on the firm's website.
But Saman had called Shaxawan when he was outside the solicitors, and Shaxawan opened the front door, and welcomed him in.
He led our reporter upstairs to an office, where he outlined how Saman's family member could avoid the fine, transferring company details to someone else for a fee.
RKS Solicitors told the BBC it had no connection to any alleged immigration or fine-related misconduct.
Fines turned to 'zero'
We later got our second undercover reporter, "Ali", who is also Kurdish, to investigate further by calling the same RKS Solicitors branch - but without mentioning Shaxawan.
Posing as a Kurdish mini-mart owner, he told the woman who answered the phone that he had received a £60,000 fine from Immigration Enforcement for employing two people without the right to work.
He was given an appointment with Zohaib Hussain, who is listed on RKS's website as a paralegal - someone who can advise on legal matters but is not a qualified solicitor and works under supervision.
As Ali was arriving for his appointment with Mr Hussain at the RKS offices, he came across Shaxawan outside. On the street, Shaxawan repeated the claim he had made to Saman - that he could make fines go to "zero" with no comeback from authorities.
Shaxawan again referred to the "English woman" he mentioned in the earlier meeting, and said she could make sure that fines for illegal working were reassigned to other people, as if they were the culpable business owner.
Shaxawan said these would be Hungarians who "live nearby". They would be paid between £2,000-£3,000 and their names would be used to assume liability for the fines.
He did not give any more details, but an immigration lawyer we spoke to suggested this could work much like receiving a speeding fine, and giving the name of someone else on the paperwork as the person who was driving - and therefore liable to pay the penalty.
Shaxawan said the overall cost to Ali would be about £4,600 per illegal worker. He said he had done this successfully in "Manchester, Birmingham, Blackpool and Leeds", with the process usually taking about four weeks.
He added Ali's company would then need to be closed, reopened and re-registered under a new name.
Ali was then let into the RKS branch, and Shaxawan came inside too. Inside an office, Shaxawan showed him documents on his phone detailing the people he claimed to have helped before.
Shaxawan claimed the scam would confuse Immigration Enforcement officers who would not have time to check the details.
Ali was then introduced to the paralegal, Zohaib Hussain. Shaxawan stayed in the room throughout the meeting.
Watch: Undercover filming of alleged negotiation to fix a fine
Speaking quickly and in a hushed tone, Mr Hussain fired questions at our reporter about his cover story - the mini-mart and the immigration fine.
"How many illegal workers? So how much is the fine? How many times did they catch you?"
Then, with a chuckle, he asked what was sold in the mini-mart: "Do you sell vapes? Legal or illegal? Bit of both as well?"
When Ali said his mini-mart was registered under someone else's name, Mr Hussain said: "Very clever then, already very clever."
The first step, Mr Hussain said, would be to deal with the fine.
If Ali was not let off the fine, he continued, "we will look at certain other things that we have to do as precautions".
"Sometimes we might have to make documents," said Mr Hussain, such as "business agreements".
Ali then asked if the fine would be transferred to someone else's name. Mr Hussain said that would be "the last resort."
Before the meeting ended, Mr Hussain warned that the immigration authorities would want to jump on the fine straight away - making a cutting-motion across his throat.
He said his charges would be £3,500 and he "would look after us". He then asked Ali to share any future Immigration Enforcement letters with Shaxawan.
Immigration lawyer Bryony Rest says it was likely "fraud and immigration offences" were taking place
We showed our undercover filming and translations to senior immigration lawyer Bryony Rest, who told us Hussain was "clearly offering to falsify documents".
There were "likely fraud and immigration offences" taking place, she said, and she would expect law enforcement to investigate.
When we later contacted Mr Hussain for comment he replied by email saying he denied "all allegations, insinuations, and claims" we had put to him.
"For clarity, the individual named in your correspondence, Mr Shaxawan Jawad, is not associated with me in any capacity; professional, personal, or otherwise."
In a statement to the BBC, RKS Solicitors said the company was carrying out an internal review and "the individual concerned" had been suspended pending further investigation.
"We are already informing" the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA), it added.
"Mr Hussain is employed as a paralegal under strict supervision… The individual is not authorised or instructed to provide immigration and tax advice."
The firm did not comment on Shaxawan Jawad. It said it did not condone unlawful conduct and was committed to the "highest standards of professionalism, integrity, and public service".
Shaxawan, otherwise known as Kardos Mateen, told us by email that he categorically denied "every allegation, insinuation and claim made" in our reporting, and said that he was "not employed by, associated with, or acting on behalf of RKS Solicitors in any capacity".
Home secretary Shabana Mahmood, said the Home Office would investigate the BBC's findings.
"Illegal working and linked organised criminality creates an incentive for people to come here illegally. We will not stand for it," she said.
Additional reporting Phill Edwards and Kirstie Brewer
The final of the show is being broadcast on Thursday evening in the UK
Note: This article does not contain spoilers related to the final episode
The final of BBC One's The Celebrity Traitors was uploaded in error by overseas broadcasters before it was due to be shown in the UK on Thursday, the BBC has confirmed.
It is understood the final was seen by a few hundred people who subscribe to streaming service Crave in Canada; they were able to watch it for a couple of hours before it was removed.
The episode being uploaded was not a BBC mistake, and a spokesperson for the corporation urged those who believe they know the outcome of the show to "avoid sharing potential spoilers".
''We kindly ask anyone who thinks they know the outcome of The Celebrity Traitors to keep whatever they believe they know to themselves," the statement said.
"Please avoid sharing potential spoilers so that the millions of fans who have been faithfully following every twist and turn of the series can enjoy the final this evening.''
The Celebrity Traitors is currently the most-watched TV show of the year, with an average of 12.6m people across the first four episodes.
Fans of the show have been waiting to see whether traitors Cat Burns and Alan Carr will win the £100,000 prize for charity or whether faithfuls Joe Marler, Nick Mohammed and David Olosuga will be triumphant.
Thursday evening's final episode is extended to 70 minutes on BBC One, with an extended edition of The Celebrity Traitors: Uncloaked set to air on BBC Two after the final.
Host Ed Gamble will be joined by the cast and Claudia Winkleman as they react to the show's outcome.
US President Donald Trump has issued a fresh threat to target Nigeria if the government "continues to allow the killing of Christians".
In a video released on Truth Social he pledged to "do things to Nigeria that Nigeria is not going to be happy about" and "go into that now-disgraced country guns-a-blazing". But the White House's interest in this subject did not come out of the blue.
For months, campaigners and politicians in Washington have been alleging that Islamist militants were systematically targeting Christians in Nigeria.
But the BBC has found that some of the data being relied on to come to this conclusion are difficult to verify.
Referring to the Boko Haram group, he said "they have killed over 100,000 since 2009, they've burned 18,000 churches".
Similar figures have also been gaining traction on social media.
The government in Abuja has pushed back on these claims describing them as "a gross misrepresentation of reality".
It did not deny that there was deadly violence in the country. But officials said that "terrorists attack all who reject their murderous ideology - Muslims, Christians and those of no faith alike".
Other groups monitoring political violence in Nigeria say the number of Christians who have been killed is far lower, and say most victims of the jihadist groups are Muslims.
Nigerian security analyst Christian Ani said that while Christians had been attacked as part of a broader strategy of creating terror, it was not possible to justify claims that Christians were deliberately being targeted.
And Nigeria is facing various security crises across the country, not just violence by jihadist groups, and these have different causes so should not be confused.
The country's 220 million people are roughly evenly split between followers of the two religions, with Muslims in the majority in the north, where most attacks take place.
What are US politicians saying?
Prominent Texas Senator Ted Cruz has been campaigning on the issue for some time and, highlighting similar figures to Maher on 7 October, he wrote on X that "since 2009, over 50,000 Christians in Nigeria have been massacred, and over 18,000 churches and 2,000 Christian schools have been destroyed".
In an email to the BBC, his office made clear that, unlike Maher, the senator was not calling this a "genocide" but describing "persecution".
But Cruz accused Nigerian officials of "ignoring and even facilitating the mass murder of Christians by Islamist jihadists". Trump, echoing these words, has described Nigeria as a "disgraced country", saying the government "continues to allow the killing of Christians".
The Nigerian government has denied this, saying it is doing its best to tackle the jihadists. Some officials have also welcomed the prospect of the US helping fight the insurgents, as long as it is not done unilaterally.
The authorities have certainly struggled to contain the violent jihadist groups and criminal networks – most weeks seem to come with stories of fresh attacks or abductions.
Boko Haram – infamous for kidnapping the Chibok girls just over a decade ago - has been active since 2009, but its activities have been concentrated in the north-east, which has a majority Muslim population. Other jihadist groups have also emerged, including the Islamic State West Africa Province but they also operate in the north-east.
The figures for Christian deaths cited by some in the US are alarming, but assessing their accuracy is hard.
Where do their numbers come from?
When it comes to the source of the data, on a podcast in September, Cruz directly referred to a 2023 report by the International Society for Civil Liberties and Rule of Law (InterSociety) - a non-governmental organisation that monitors and tracks human rights abuses across Nigeria. His office also sent the BBC a number of links to online articles on the issue – most of which pointed back to InterSociety.
Maher did not respond to a BBC request for the source of his figures, but given certain similarities to those used by Cruz, it seems likely that he was drawing on InterSociety's work.
For data that could be shaping US policy towards Nigeria, InterSociety's work is opaque.
In its report published in August, which was an amalgamation of previous research and updated numbers for 2025, it said jihadist groups in Nigeria had killed over 100,000 Christians in the 16 years since 2009.
It also notes that 60,000 "moderate Muslims" also died during this period.
InterSociety did not share an itemised list of sources, making it hard to verify the total number of deaths it reports.
In response to this criticism, the organisation has said that "it is almost impossible to reproduce all our reports and their references dating back to 2010. Our easy method is to pick their summary statistics and add them to our fresh discoveries or findings to make up our new reports." But the data sources quoted by InterSociety in its reports do not reflect the figures published.
AFP via Getty Images
Many of those killed and abducted by Boko Haram are Muslims
What about those killed in 2025?
Looking at deaths this year alone, InterSociety concluded that between January and August just over 7,000 Christians were killed. This is another figure that has been widely shared on social media, including by Republican Congressman Riley M Moore, who has been a leading voice on this issue in the House of Representatives.
InterSociety includes a list of 70 media reports as some of the sources to its findings on the attacks against Christians in 2025. But in about half of these cases, the original news stories did not mention the religious identity of the victims.
For example, InterSociety quoted an Al Jazeera report of an attack in north-eastern Nigeria, saying that according to the news organisation "not less than 40 farmers mainly Christians were abducted by Boko Haram in Damboa part of Borno State".
But Al Jazeera's report didn't mention that the victims were "mainly Christians", as quoted by InterSociety.
InterSociety told the BBC that it does further analysis to identify their background, without explaining how exactly in this case, but did mention their knowledge of local populations and use of "Christian media reports".
Adding the number of death referenced in these reports cited by InterSociety does not result in the stated total of 7,000.
The BBC added up the number of deaths from the 70 reports and found that the total was around 3,000 deaths. Some of the attacks also appear to be reported more than once.
To explain the shortfall, InterSociety says it also estimates the number of people it believes have died in captivity and includes eyewitness testimonies it cannot make public.
Who is behind the killings?
Included in its list of perpetrators are Islamist militant groups like Boko Haram but also Fulani herders. The Fulanis are a mainly Muslim ethnic group who live across West Africa and have traditionally earned their living by raising cattle and sheep.
The inclusion of the Fulani herders, who InterSociety describes as "jihadists" in all its reports, however, is the source of some controversy in Nigeria over how these killings should be categorised.
While the herders tend to be Muslim, many researchers in this field reject the description of this as a religious conflict, saying it is often about access to land and water.
Fulani herders have come into conflict with both Muslim and Christian communities across Nigeria.
Security analyst Mr Ani argues that "to say that they are jihadists - it's a far stretch. It has nothing to do with that. It has a lot more to do with rogue and criminal elements."
Confidence McHarry, a senior security analyst at Africa-focussed consultancy SBM Intelligence, says the clashes are often due to ethnic tensions and competition over resources.
"It might be ethnic in nature - they're seeking to grab lands, they're seeking to expand territory, but the more they displace communities and the more they attack worship centres, the more these things tend to get looked at in that light."
InterSociety also mention what are known in Nigeria as bandits, saying they are mostly ethnic Fulanis in the north-west of the country, who are involved in kidnapping and have a track record of killing both Christians and Muslims.
Reuters
Nigeria's media has been full of Trump's threats
Who has been campaigning on this?
Concerns about threats facing Nigerian Christians has been discussed by politicians in the United States and by international Christian groups for a long time.
In previous years, it has been raised in the US by the Indigenous People of Biafra (Ipob) – a group proscribed in Nigeria which is fighting for a breakaway state in the mainly Christian south-east.
Intersociety has been accused by the Nigerian military of being linked to Ipob but the NGO has denied any connection.
Another Biafran separatist group has also claimed to have played a key role in promoting the "Christian genocide" narrative in the US Congress.
The Biafra Republic Government in Exile, BRGIE, described it as a "highly orchestrated effort", saying it had hired lobbying firms and met US officials, including Cruz.
InterSociety's figures are far higher than other sources of data on the number of Christians killed in Nigeria.
Acled, which closely monitors violence in West Africa, has produced very different numbers. The sources for its published findings can be easily traced and checked.
Its senior analyst, Ladd Serwat, did not directly address the InterSociety reports but told the BBC that the figure of 100,000 deaths, touted on social media, would include all acts of political violence in Nigeria, and so it would not be true to say this is the number of Christians who have been killed since 2009.
Acled has found that just under 53,000 civilians - Muslims and Christians - have been reported killed in targeted political violence since 2009.
Looking at just the period from 2020 to September 2025, Acled says that about 21,000 civilians were killed in abductions, attacks, sexual violence and the use of explosives.
It identified 384 incidents where Christians were specifically targeted from 2020 to September 2025, in which 317 people died, meaning they account for just a small proportion of those killed.
For its sources, Acled relies on traditional media, social media where the reports can be verified, rights groups as well as local partners.
What about Trump's figures?
In a Truth Social post last Friday, Trump cited a figure of 3,100 Christians killed. He was referring to a report by Open Doors for deaths for the 12 months from October 2023, a White House official said.
Open Doors is a charity which researches the persecution of Christians worldwide.
In its reporting it says that while 3,100 Christians died, 2,320 Muslims were also killed in that 12-month period.
Open Doors also includes what it calls "Fulani Terror Groups" in its list of perpetrators and says they were responsible for almost a third of Christians killed during those 12 months.
Frans Veerman, senior research fellow at Open Doors, said "what we see now is that Christians are still targeted, but increasingly some Muslims are targeted by Fulani militants".
Analysts say there are many violent attacks on mosques and Muslim communities in the north-west of the country.
"One could say that this is part of the broader insecurity," said Mr McHarry. "The reason why it is not assumed to have a religious dimension is down to the fact that the identities of the people who are carrying out these attacks against Muslims are themselves Muslims."
The UK is facing a long, drawn-out flu season, the boss of the NHS in England is warning.
Sir Jim Mackey said there is "no doubt" this winter will be one of the toughest the health service has faced.
It comes as flu rates have started climbing early this year, which is causing concern because the winter vaccination campaign has only just got under way and there are lots of vulnerable people yet to get protected.
NHS England is issuing a "flu jab SOS", urging those eligible for the free vaccine to come forward quickly for it.
More than 13 million people have been vaccinated so far this year, but that is still more than 5 million below the number who were jabbed last winter.
Sir Jim said: "There's no doubt this winter will be one of the toughest our staff have ever faced.
"Since stepping into this role, the thought of a long, drawn-out flu season has kept me awake at night. And, unfortunately, it looks like that fear is becoming reality.
"Australia has just endured its worst flu season on record — over 410,000 cases — and all the signs suggest the NHS will face similar challenges in the months ahead. From December through to March, our hospitals will be at capacity."
How to get a flu shot
People aged 65 and over, pregnant women and those with certain long-term health conditions can get a free flu jab on the NHS. Appointments can be booked online, by phoning 119 or at local pharmacies and GPs.
Children aged two to 16 can also get vaccinated with a nasal spray. That's mainly to help stop flu spreading.
Other people can buy a flu vaccine from high street chemist shops and some supermarket pharmacies.
Bad winter predicted
Two of the worst winter flu seasons of the past decade have been seen in the last three years, something partly attributed to the bounce-back of the virus after Covid restrictions were lifted combined with immunity being low.
Last year, nearly 8,000 people died from flu, and in the 2022-23 flu season there were nearly 16,000 deaths.
Flu rates are currently three times higher than normal for this time of year, with the highest rates seen in children and young people. But health officials have warned the virus will start spreading to older groups in the coming weeks.
Duncan Burton, chief nursing officer for England, said: "With just weeks left to ensure best protection against the worst of the flu season, we are issuing an urgent SOS to the eligible people who have yet to get jabbed this year.
"It is vital that the public use the available appointments we have running next week to stamp out this early wave of flu cases and help shield themselves ahead of winter.
"The vaccine is proven to be safe and help prevent those at risk from getting seriously ill and even hospitalised from flu."
Businesses and investors are bracing for uncertainty after Supreme Court justices questioned the legality of a core part of the president’s trade policy.
The US is ending temporary deportation protections for South Sudanese nationals, which for more than a decade allowed people from the east African country to stay in the US after escaping conflict.
In a notice published on Wednesday, the US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) said conditions in South Sudan no longer met the statutory requirements for temporary protected status. The agency also said that South Sudanese nationals with status through the programme have 60 days to leave the US before facing deportation from January.
“Based on the department’s review, the secretary has determined the situation in South Sudan no longer meets the criteria for an ongoing armed conflict that poses a serious threat to the personal safety of returning South Sudanese nationals,” the notice says.
In a statement, USCIS said South Sudanese nationals who use the Customs and Border Protection mobile app to report their departure could receive “a complimentary plane ticket, a $1,000 exit bonus, and potential future opportunities for legal immigration”.
Temporary protected status gives foreign nationals access to work permits and allows them to temporarily live and work legally in the US when their home countries are unsafe to return to.
South Sudan’s designation, which was first authorised in the Barack Obama administration in 2011 due to armed conflict, expired on Monday after many extensions.
The designation had so far been approved for about 232 people from the country.
The termination is the latest effort by the Trump administration to remove the legal status of hundreds of thousands of migrants living in the US. The government has also ended protections for countries including Cameroon, Haiti and Nepal.
The revocations have raised fears for the safety of the immigrants, with critics saying they may return to dangerous conditions.
South Sudan has faced on-and-off conflict since its independence, that has led to huge numbers of killings and mass displacement.
In 2013, the country descended into a civil war that killed more than 400,000 people and displaced nearly half the country’s population. A peace agreement in 2018 ended the fighting but observers say recent developments, including the arrest and prosecution of vice-president Riek Machar, risk plunging the country into conflict again.
Last week, the UN’s Commission on Human Rights in South Sudan warned that a mix of political power struggles, ethnic tensions and local grievances threatened a renewed slide into full-scale fighting.
Pulling out of the Paris climate agreement was not enough, an ex-aide to the U.S. president says on the eve of a summit in Brazil: "You have to potentially destroy it."
Watch: Filipino families assess damage after Typhoon Kalmaegi
The death toll from flooding caused by one of the strongest typhoons this year in the central Philippines has risen to at least 114, authorities said on Thursday.
Typhoon Kalmaegi has flooded entire towns on Cebu, the region's most populous island, where 71 deaths were reported. Another 127 are missing and 82 injured, officials said.
Cebu provincial authorities reported an additional 28 deaths, which were not included in the tally released by the national civil defence office, according to AFP news agency.
Kalmaegi left the Philippines on Thursday morning and is currently moving toward central Vietnam, where residents are still reeling from floods that have already killed dozens of people.
Most of the deaths were due to drowning, reports said. The storm sent torrents of muddy water down hillsides and into towns and cities.
Damage to Cebu's residential areas was extensive, with many small buildings swept away and a thick carpet of mud left by the retreating floodwaters.
Local officials described the havoc wrought by the storm as "unprecedented".
Residents returning to their destroyed homes are reeling from the deadly floods earlier this week.
Jel-an Moira Servas, a business owner who lives in Mandaue city, told the BBC that she found herself waist-deep in water within minutes when her house became flooded. She quickly evacuated with her family, bringing only light items like food and electronics.
"Right now, the rain has completely stopped and the sun is out, but our houses are still filled with mud, and everything inside is in shambles," she said. "We don't even know where to start cleaning. I can't even look at it without crying."
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The national disaster agency said more than 400,000 people had been displaced by the disaster in Cebu, home to 2.5 million people.
The official death toll also includes six crew members of a military helicopter that crashed on Mindanao island, south of Cebu, after it was deployed to assist in relief efforts on Tuesday.
Carlos Jose Lañas, a volunteer rescuer, told the BBC that despite preparing for the worst case, they were caught off-guard by the extent of the flooding.
"This is the worst flood I've ever experienced," the 19-year-old said. "Almost all the rivers here in Cebu overflowed. Even emergency responders did not expect this kind of scenario."
"The rescue operation was too overwhelming for the emergency responders around Cebu, because there were a lot of people asking for help."
Typhoon Kalmaegi, locally called Tino, is the 20th tropical cyclone this year to hit the Philippines, a country prone to powerful storms.
It comes barely a month after back-to-back typhoons killed over a dozen people and wrought damage to infrastructure and crops.
Super Typhoon Ragasa, known locally as Nando, struck in late September, followed swiftly by Typhoon Bualoi, known locally as Opong.
In the months before, an extraordinarily wet monsoon season caused widespread flooding, sparking anger and protests over unfinished and sub-standard flood control systems that have been blamed on corruption.
Typhoon Kalmaegi left the Philippines at 00:30 local time (16:30pm GMT) on Thursday morning.
It has since strengthened, with maximum sustained winds increasing from 150 km/h to 155 km/h.
It is expected to make landfall in central Vietnam on Friday morning, according to forecasts. More than 50 flights there have been cancelled or rescheduled.
Vietnam has already been battling with a week of flooding and record rains that burst riverbanks and flooded some of the country's most popular tourist spots.
Thailand is also bracing for the storm's impact, with local officials warning of possible flash floods, landslides and river overflows caused by Kalmaegi.
Hamas agreed to return all hostages it was holding in Gaza, living and dead, as part of the US-brokered ceasefire deal with Israel
Hamas has handed over to the Red Cross a coffin containing what it says is the body of another deceased hostage, the Israeli military has said.
The remains have been transferred to Israeli forces, who will take them to the National Centre of Foreign Medicine in Tel Aviv for identification.
Under the first phase of the US-brokered ceasefire deal with Israel, which started nearly a month ago, Hamas agreed to return all 20 living and 28 dead Israeli and foreign hostages it was holding within 72 hours.
Israel has accused Hamas of deliberately delaying the recovery of the dead hostages' bodies, while Hamas has insisted it is struggling to find them under rubble.
If the latest remains are confirmed as those of a dead hostage, it will mean six others are still in Gaza – including Israelis and foreign nationals.
All the remaining living Israeli hostages were released on 13 October in exchange for 250 Palestinian prisoners and 1,718 detainees from Gaza.
Israel has also handed over the bodies of 300 Palestinians in exchange for the bodies of the Israeli hostages and those of two foreign hostages - one of them Thai and the other Nepalese.
Staff Sgt Chen was serving as a soldier in the IDF's 7th Brigade when Hamas-led gunmen attacked southern Israel on 7 October 2023.
The IDF said he was killed inside a tank during a battle in Kibbutz Nir Oz and that his body was taken to Gaza as a hostage by Hamas.
The slow progress over the return of the hostages has meant there has been no advance on the second phase of President Trump's Gaza peace plan. This includes plans for the governance of Gaza, the withdrawal of Israeli troops, the disarmament of Hamas, and reconstruction.
Israel has allowed members of the Palestinian armed group and Red Cross staff to search for remains in areas still controlled by Israeli forces.
All but one of the dead hostages still in Gaza were among the 251 people abducted during the Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on 7 October 2023, during which about 1,200 other people were killed.
Israel responded by launching a military campaign in Gaza, during which more than 68,800 people have been killed, according to the territory's Hamas-run health ministry.
South Africa's President Cyril Ramaphosa is investigating the incident
South Africa's government says it has received distress calls from 17 citizens who have joined mercenary forces in the Russia-Ukraine conflict.
The men are between the ages of 20 and 39 years and are trapped in Ukraine's war-torn Donbas region.
President Cyril Ramaphosa has "ordered an investigation into the circumstances that led to the recruitment of these young men into these seemingly mercenary activities," a government spokesman said. The statement did not say which side of the conflict the South Africans were fighting for.
Working as a mercenary or fighting on behalf of another government is illegal in South Africa, unless the government authorises it.
The men were lured to join the mercenary forces under the pretext of lucrative contracts, the government said.
Spokesman Vincent Magwenya added the South African government is working through "diplomatic channels" to secure their return.
Magwenya said 16 of the men were from KwaZulu-Natal and one from the Eastern Cape.
"President Ramaphosa and the South African government strongly condemn the exploitation of young vulnerable people by individuals working with foreign military entities," he added.
Africa Corps, a Russian mercenary group controlled by the Russian Ministry of Defence, has effectively replaced the rival military group Wagner in West Africa, after its leader Yevgeny Prigozhin was killed in a plane crash.
In August, the South African government issued a warning to young women not to fall for social media recruitment opportunities promoting jobs abroad, particularly in Russia.
A BBC investigation found young women had been taken to the Alabuga Special Economic Zone in the Republic of Tatarstan in Russia to work in a drones factory.
It is estimated more than 1,000 women have been recruited from across Africa and South Asia to work in Alabuga's weapons factories.
In September, Kenyan police said they had rescued more than 20 people from a suspected trafficking ring that had lured them with job offers in Russia but intended to send them to fight in Ukraine.
Ukraine has previously said that it was holding citizens of various countries - Somalia, Sierra Leone, Togo, Cuba and Sri Lanka - at prisoner-of-war camps.
The Great Barrier Reef has suffered mass bleaching events in recent years
The Great Barrier Reef is headed for a "grim future" and will suffer a "rapid coral decline" by 2050 but parts may recover if global warming is kept below 2C, a new study has found.
Researchers at the University of Queensland (UQ) used modelling to simulate the lifecycles of certain coral species and found that some were better at adapting to warmer oceans and could help new coral grow.
Reefs near cooler-water currents were also more resilient, giving a "glimmer of hope" to the natural wonder, which has suffered severe climate-induced heat stress in recent years.
The study warned that curbing carbon emissions was crucial to allow coral to recover and avoid a "near collapse" of the reef.
Dr Yves-Marie Bozec, who led the research, said the modelling of more than 3,800 individual reefs that make up the Great Barrier Reef looked at their "eco-evolutionary dynamics". This included how corals interact with each other, how they deal with warmer water and corals in naturally cooler areas.
"We ran all of those factors with the most up-to-date climate projections - and the news was not good," he said.
"We forecast a rapid coral decline before the middle of this century regardless of the emissions scenario."
The Great Barrier Reef is one of the world's most biodiverse ecosystems, stretching more than 2,300km (1,400 miles) off Australia's north-east coast.
It has suffered four significant marine heatwaves between 2016 and 2022, causing much of its coral to expel the algae which gives them life and colour - a process called bleaching, which is often fatal.
A recent report found that parts of the Great Barrier Reef had suffered the largest annual decline in coral cover since records began nearly 40 years ago.
Dr Bozec said some parts of the reef "may partially recover after 2050, but only if ocean warming is sufficiently slow to allow natural adaptation to keep pace with temperature changes".
"Adaptation may keep pace if global warming does not exceed two degrees by 2100. For that to happen, more action is needed globally to reduce carbon emissions which are driving climate change."
Dr Bozec said: "The window for meaningful action is closing rapidly but it hasn't shut".
Under the Paris agreement, almost 200 nations have pledged to limit global temperature rises to 1.5C and to keep them "well below" 2C above those recorded in pre-industrial times, generally considered to mean the late 19th Century.
Prof Peter Mumby, who also worked on the study, said they found "many reefs could persist under the Paris agreement target of two degrees of warming".
"However, higher emissions leading to faster temperature rises would drive most reefs to a near collapse," he said.
Prof Murphy said reefs in areas "where the water doesn't heat up so dramatically because it is well mixed, fared better than others" and reefs close to populations of corals that can regenerate were also healthier.
Identifying areas of the reef network that are more resilient will mean efforts to protect the reef can focus on "strategic parts" of the ecosystem, he added.
Watch: Can you un-bleach coral? BBC visits remote Australian reef to find out
The attack off the Somali coast comes amid a resurgence of piracy in the region
Attackers have boarded a ship off the coast of Somalia after firing machine guns and rocket-propelled grenades at the vessel, according to a UK maritime agency.
The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) has issued an alert about the raid, which it said happened about 560 nautical miles south-east of the Somali town of Eyl.
Private security firm Ambrey said the attackers were probably Somali pirates, who have been active in the region in recent days.
Greek shipping company Latsco Marine Management also confirmed the attack, saying all the ship's 24 crew were "safe and accounted for" and "we remain in close contact with them".
"The Master of a vessel has reported being approached by one small craft on its stern. The small craft fired small arms and RPGs towards the vessel," UKMTO said in a statement.
According to Latsco, the attack on the Malta-registered vessel occurred at around 11:48 local time (08:48GMT). It said the vessel was a tanker carrying gasoline.
"[Latsco] has activated its emergency response team and is coordinating with the relevant authorities to ensure the continued safety and welfare of the crew," it said.
The vessel, named Hellas Aphrodite, was built in 2016, and was en route from Sikka, India, to Durban, South Africa, it said
The attack comes amid a resurgence of piracy in the region, which had declined after peaking more than a decade ago.
There were at least seven reported incidents last year, and several fishing vessels have already been seized by pirates this year, according to the International Maritime Bureau.
Police said they were alerted by a man who found a car in Hanau smeared with reddish liquid
About 50 vehicles have been smeared with what appears to be human blood in the German city of Hanau near Frankfurt, police say.
Cars, walls and postboxes were defaced, sometimes with swastikas, they said in a statement.
Police say they were alerted late on Wednesday night when a man noticed that a car in the Lamboy district of Hanau had been smeared with a reddish liquid.
The liquid had been applied in the shape of a swastika, they added.
Officers then found many other smeared cars and house walls in the surrounding area.
Swastikas are banned in Germany under laws banning the public display of Nazi symbols.
Police say preliminary tests show the liquid was probably human blood.
"There is still no clue as to where it came from; officials are not yet aware of any injuries in connection with the incident," they added.
Local authorities said they were trying "to solve the mystery" and have appealed to the public for information.
Bundestag Vice President Omid Nouripour said the attack left him speechless and needed to be solved quickly.
"This act strikes at the very heart of Hanau and reopens the wounds of the far-right terrorist attack five years ago," he wrote on X, referring to the killing of nine people by a gunman targeting people of immigrant origin in February 2020.
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy warned there will be a 10% reduction in air travel capacity at 40 major airports in the US starting Friday morning, if the government shutdown continues.
The decision was made because air traffic controllers have been reporting issues with fatigue, the head of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said at a briefing with Duffy on Wednesday.
"It is unusual, just as the shutdown is unusual, just as the fact that our controllers haven't been paid for a month is unusual," said FAA chief Bryan Bedford
During the shutdown, now the longest in US history, controllers have had to keep working without pay, prompting some to call out sick or take side jobs.
Watch: "There will be frustration" - Transport secretary outlines reduction in air traffic
The flight reductions will be gradual, starting at 4% of domestic flights on Friday, then rising to 5% on Saturday and 6% on Sunday, before hitting the full 10% next week, Reuters reported after the announcement, citing four unnamed sources.
The names of the affected airports - all high-traffic locations - will be released on Thursday, the officials said.
The cancellations could affect between 3,500 and 4,000 flights per day.
"We are seeing pressures build in a way that we don't feel - if we allow it to go unchecked - will allow us to continue to tell the public that we operate the safest airline system in the world," Bedford said.
Duffy said air travel is still safe, and the decision to cancel the flights was being made to maintain safety and efficiency.
If the shutdown continues and adds more pressure to the system, additional restrictive measures may be required, Bedford said.
A spokesperson for Southwest Airlines, the fourth-largest carrier in North America, said in a statement that the company is still evaluating how the flight restrictions will affect its services, and will let customers know as soon as possible.
"We continue to urge Congress to immediately resolve its impasse and restore the National Airspace System to its full capacity," the spokesperson added.
Delta Airlines declined to comment. The BBC has also reached out to other major US airlines.
Once government funds ran out on 1 October, most federal workers were sent home and told they would be paid once the government reopened. Those deemed essential, like controllers, though, had to keep doing their jobs without pay.
Almost immediately after the shutdown started, airports began feeling the effects. Some had to ground flights for hours after air traffic controllers called out sick, while others relied on controllers from other airports.
Nick Daniels, the president of the labor union representing more than 20,000 aviation workers, put the situation into stark terms on Wednesday.
"Air traffic controllers are texting 'I don't even have enough money to put gas in my car to come to work,'" he told CNN.
"We base what we do day in and day out on predictability," he said. "Right now there is no predictability."
Duffy warned earlier this week that the flight cancellations may be coming, as half of the country's 30 major airports experience staff shortages.
He previously said there's a risk that comes with air traffic controllers taking on additional jobs during the shutdown, and had threatened to fire controllers who do not come to work.
"They have to make a decision, do I go to work and not get a paycheque and not put food on the table? Or do I drive for Uber or DoorDash or wait tables?" Duffy said on ABC on Sunday.
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