The UK's ambassador to the US Peter Mandelson has said he feels "a tremendous sense of regret" over his friendship with convicted paedophile Jeffrey Epstein, and a "tremendous sense of sympathy" for his victims.

Speaking to the You Tube channel Harry Cole Saves the West, he likened his association with Epstein to "an albatross around my neck", adding that he felt "profoundly upset that I was taken in" by a "charismatic criminal liar".

On Tuesday, US lawmakers released a number of documents which included a letter from Lord Mandelson in which he called Epstein his "best pal".

The diplomat said it was "very embarrassing" to see the words published but added they were written "over 20 years ago".

He said he believed more "embarrassing" material including letters and emails would be released.

On Tuesday, a Downing Street spokesperson has said that the prime minister still has confidence in Lord Mandelson and said he has "played a key part" strengthening trade and investment with the US, which had secured jobs in the UK.

The birthday message from Mandelson was one of a number of documents in an alleged "birthday book" given to Epstein in 2023 to celebrate his 50th birthday.

The book contained messages, cards and photos sent by Epstein's friends, including a letter carrying a signature resembling US President Donald Trump. Trump has denied writing the note.

Epstein had been a well-connected financier who was convicted for soliciting prostitution from a person under the age of 18 in 2008. He died in 2019 while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges.

Asked why he continued his association with Epstein, Mandelson said he "fell for his lies".

"I accepted assurances he had given me about his original indictment, his original criminal case. Like very many people I took at face value what he said."

He said he never saw wrongdoing at any point while with Epstein and he "never sought, nor did [Epstein] offer introductions to women in the way that he did to others, perhaps it is because I am a gay man".

He said he couldn't "rewrite history" adding: "What I can do, what I can do is express my profound sympathy for those who were badly treated by him."

Former Premier League referee David Coote has been charged with making an indecent image of a child.

Mr Coote, 43, was charged after an investigation by Nottinghamshire Police.

The force said the charge related to a video file recovered by officers in February.

Mr Coote, from Collingham in Nottinghamshire, was charged on 12 August and is due to appear at Nottingham Magistrates' Court on Thursday.

He was sacked by referees' body the PGMOL in December 2024 following an investigation into a video allegedly showing him making derogatory comments about Liverpool and the club's former manager Jurgen Klopp.

The Football Association (FA) also imposed an eight-week suspension in August over the comments.

In addition, the ex-official is also banned by European football's governing body Uefa until June 30 2026 after photographs emerged of him snorting a white powder through a bank note while in Germany for Euro 2024.

Police said Mr Coote was currently on conditional bail.

The force added the charge of making an indecent photograph related to acts such as downloading, sharing and saving material.

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A mural by the street artist Banksy is being removed from the wall of a court building in London.

The mural appeared on an external wall of the Queen's Building, in the Royal Courts of Justice complex, on Monday.

The image depicted a protester lying on the ground holding a blood-spattered placard while a judge, in a wig and gown, looms over him, wielding a gavel.

The work has been covered up at various points since it was discovered and guarded by security staff, with the HM Courts & Tribunals Service confirming that it would be removed due to the building being listed and therefore legally protected.

Banksy confirmed he was responsible for the work with a post on Instagram, showing the graffiti before it was covered over.

It has been interpreted by some as a comment on the arrest of hundreds of people for supporting Palestine Action by holding up placards at protests.

Palestine Action was banned by the government as a terrorist group in July after activists damaged RAF planes.

The artwork comes weeks after the Lady Chief Justice, the most senior judge in England and Wales, repeated concerns for the safety of judges, who she said had been subjected to "increasing and increasingly unacceptable sensationalist and inaccurate abuse".

The mural was reported as criminal damage, with the Metropolitan Police stating that inquiries were ongoing.

The courts service confirmed that it is legally obliged to maintain the character of the building because of its listed status.

Banksy's stencilled graffiti is often critical of government policy, war and capitalism.

Last summer, the artist began an animal-themed campaign in the capital of nine works, which concluded with a gorilla appearing to lift up a shutter on the entrance to London Zoo.

Other notable works included piranhas swimming on a police sentry box in the City of London, and a howling wolf on a satellite dish, which was taken off the roof of a shop in Peckham, south London, less than an hour after it was unveiled.

• London Zoo removes Banksy work for 'safekeeping'

• Police investigate removal of street sign in Peckham as alleged theft

• Banksy piranhas to find new home in London Museum

Banksy has in the past also been known for his work in the West Bank.

In December 2019 he created a "modified Nativity" at a hotel in Bethlehem that showed Jesus' manger in front of Israel's separation barrier, which appeared to have been pierced by a blast, creating the shape of a star.

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France is seeing a day of protests led by a grassroots movement named Bloquons Tout ("Let's Block Everything") in a show of anger against the political class and proposed budget cuts.

The demonstrations are taking place on the same day new Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu was sworn in following the toppling of his predecessor, François Bayrou, in a no-confidence vote earlier this week.

Demonstrators blocked streets, set bins on fire, and disrupted access to infrastructure and schools across the country.

Around 250 people had been arrested by mid-morning, outgoing Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau said.

A bus was torched in Rennes and electric cables near Toulouse were sabotaged, he added.

Several thousand people gathered in Paris, Marseille, Bordeaux and Montpellier.

However, the disruption has remained fairly small-scale. Most of the arrests were made in or around Paris, where about 1,000 protesters - many masked or wearing balaclavas - clashed with police outside Gare du Nord train station.

Some tried to enter the station but were thwarted by agents who fired tear gas, French media report.

Many protesters chanted political slogans against President Emmanuel Macron and Lecornu. Several carried placards against the war in Gaza.

The nebulous movement Let's Block Everything appears to have been born on social media some months ago and gained momentum over the summer, when it encouraged people to protest against Bayrou's €44bn (£38bn) budget cuts.

The movement has a distinct left-wing character. Its demands include more investment in public services, taxation for high income brackets, rent freezes and Macron's resignation.

In the lead-up to Wednesday's protests, Let's Block Everything urged people to take part in acts of civil disobedience against "austerity, contempt and humiliation".

A group of young protesters outside Gare du Nord told the BBC they were taking to the streets in "solidarity" with people in precarious situations across France.

"We are here because we are very tired of how Macron has been handling the situation" of France's spiralling debt, said Alex, 25, adding he had no faith in the new prime minister not to "repeat the cycle".

Lecornu is a Macron loyalist and the country's fifth prime minister in under two years.

His appointment has already been criticised by both the far right and left-wing parties.

He will first need to come up with a budget palatable to a majority of MPs in France's hung parliament - the same challenging endeavour which brought down his two predecessors.

France's deficit reached 5.8% of GDP in 2024 but the three distinct ideological groups in the deeply divided Assembly disagree on how to tackle the crisis.

The radical-left France Unbowed party has already said it will table a no confidence motion in Lecornu as soon as possible.

However, that motion would need support by other parties to pass. As it stands, the largest parliamentary party - the far-right National Rally - said it would "listen to what Lecornu had to say" albeit "without many illusions".

In a brief speech following the handover of power at the prime minister's residence, Lecornu thanked Bayrou for his work and promised French people: "We'll get there."

"The instability and the political crisis we are going through demand sobriety and humility," Lecornu said.

"We will have to be more creative, more serious, in the way we work with the opposition," he added, before announcing he would start holding talks with political parties and trade unions immediately.

Weleda, the natural cosmetics company, has launched a study into its links to a Nazi concentration camp following claims an anti-freeze cream it produced was tested on prisoners.

A report by historian Anne Sudrow alleges that the Swiss company ordered raw materials from a garden in the Dachau camp. It also made a cream to protect against hypothermia which an SS doctor allegedly used in human experiments.

Weleda said a separate report in 2023 found no evidence Dr Sigmund Rascher tested the cream on prisoners kept in freezing conditions for hours.

The firm said it condemned the Nazi regime's "atrocities" and acknowledged the new findings "may not have been fully explored in previous research".

Dachau, near Munich, was the first concentration camp set up by the Nazis in 1933.

It is thought about 200,000 people have been imprisoned there and more than 40,000 died there before its liberation in 1945. Some of those deaths have been attributed to medical experiments.

In her book, commissioned by the Dachau Concentration Camp Memorial Site, Ms Sudrow outlines the relationship between Weleda and the SS - the Nazi Party's elite force founded by Adolf Hitler.

The claims include Weleda's cream was used on up to 300 concentration camp prisoners for experiments between August 1942 and May 1943, according to German magazine Der Spiegel.

It was intended to treat hypothermia in German soldiers and Dr Rascher wanted to know whether the product could delay the medical condition in freezing temperatures.

During his tests up to 90 prisoners had died when they were forced into pools of water and ice blocks.

The 104-year-old company, which is known for its Skin Food range of skincare products, said it was committed to" transparently researching our history".

It expects the results of its new investigation, conducted by German body Society for Corporate History (GuG), to be published in early 2027.

Donald Trump has called the Jeffrey Epstein story a "dead issue". But in a week of blockbuster new revelations, Epstein's criminality - and its consequences - continue to haunt many of his former associates.

The so-called birthday book of wishes given to Epstein in 2003, that was publicly released on Monday, has given new ammunition to Trump's critics, and it will also keep his base and the wider public clamouring for more details.

It may not be a proverbial smoking gun – an undeniable link to wrongdoing that destroys careers or supercharges criminal investigations. But it is concrete, troubling evidence of the close relationship the late financier and convicted sex offender had with the rich and powerful.

That alone makes it an explosive and compelling story – one that is capturing the public's attention in ways a typical political story does not.

Make no mistake, while there is no suggestion of criminal wrongdoing by Trump, the political consequences of the Epstein saga on the president are very real.

He is vulnerable on this issue. His attempts to deflect or dismiss it have failed.

And he has at times lashed out at his own base for their fixation on the story - an interest he encouraged as recently as last year.

How the birthday book changed the story

While the 2003 book, compiled by Epstein's then-girlfriend and co-conspirator Ghislaine Maxwell, is full of dozens of personal notes, it is the one purportedly from Trump that has turned this from a tragic story of sex trafficking and exploitation into one of national partisan intrigue.

The details of the note – an imagined dialogue between Trump and Epstein full of innuendo and double-entendres set within the sketched outline of a nude female torso - have been known to the public since the Wall Street Journal reported on them in July.

Trump had initially responded to that coverage with blanket denials, protestations of being the target of a "hoax" and a defamation lawsuit in which his lawyers doubted the note's existence.

As conservatives rallied to Trump's defence, the president seemed to have eased concerns among his political base which had been divided over the White House's handling of the Epstein files.

Political analysts began to wonder if this would be the latest in the long line of potential scandals and controversies that the president shrugs off.

Trump's strategy had one glaringly obvious risk, however – that the note would become public. An anodyne description of bawdy text and drawings in the pages of a financial newspaper is very different from seeing the actual item, with its depiction of small female breasts and a signature resembling Trump's that is positioned to suggest pubic hair.

The president's advisers and supporters continue to contest the authenticity of the note, but it is no longer possible to deny its existence.

"The president did not write this letter, he did not sign this letter, and that's why the president's external legal team is pursuing litigation against the Wall Street Journal," White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said on Tuesday.

But in a book filled with notes and messages to Epstein, Trump seemingly stands alone in denying the authenticity of his supposed contribution.

And Leavitt was very careful not to call the book itself a hoax.

Every repositioned defence, every recalibrated explanation risks undercutting Trump's reputation among his supporters as a man who doesn't get caught up in typical political games and evasions.

One fragment of a larger mosaic

A greater concern for the White House than the specific revelation of the note, however, is the way in which the birthday book will fuel wider interest in, and attention to, the Epstein case.

The note purportedly from Trump is just a fragment in a larger mosaic of Epstein's life – a picture of a man who had friends and associates in the highest of places, including some of whom found humour in his reputation for sexual exploits.

Less than a week after a group of Epstein victims and their families gathered on the steps of the Capitol to speak of the pain and emotional trauma they suffered, the birthday book provided vivid evidence of the seemingly callous indifference to Epstein's escapades by many in Epstein's circle.

One note, which appears to be from a Florida property investor, includes a photograph of Epstein holding a large novelty cheque seemingly from Trump. The accompanying text jokes that Epstein sold a "fully depreciated" woman to Trump for $22,500 – using a financial term for an item whose value has been reduced through use.

Other notes included lewd drawings, nude photographs and, in one instance, images of animals having sex.

There were messages from politicians, lawyers and business leaders. Former President Bill Clinton referenced Epstein's "childlike curiosity" and his desire to "make a difference".

Lord Peter Mandelson, the current UK ambassador to the US, included photographs of tropical locations and referred to Epstein as "my best pal".

Clinton's office has not responded to a BBC request for comment, though he has previously said he was unaware of Epstein's crimes.

An official spokesperson for Lord Mandelson told the BBC that he "has long been clear that he very much regrets ever having been introduced to Epstein".

Some Republicans have pointed to the way in which Democrats have focused almost exclusively on Trump as evidence that their claims of outrage are driven by a desire for political advantage.

That could be difficult for those on the left to deny.

Democrats on the House committee investigating the Epstein case, for example, were quick to release the Trump birthday page, which had been provided to them by the Epstein estate.

Expect any other details related to the president to receive a similarly speedy route into public view.

A story bigger than the president

The story has become bigger than the president, however, and the interest in Epstein's story – one of sex, crime and power - will drive attention regardless of the political motivations behind some who are advancing it.

If Trump's critics are sensing opportunity, not all of Trump's allies are helping.

Last week, Speaker of the House Mike Johnson suggested that Trump had cooperated with the original federal investigation into Epstein – a theory that Epstein himself floated during interviews with journalist Michael Wolff in 2016 and 2017.

Johnson, a Republican, later walked back his comments, but not before it prompted another round of questions around what Trump knew about Epstein's illegal behaviour and when he knew it.

There is still plenty that the public could learn with the release of more Epstein documents, including witness statements, financial records and evidence gathered in law enforcement searches of Epstein's properties.

Two congressmen, Republican Thomas Massie of Kentucky and Democrat Ro Khanna of California, are currently gathering signatures to force a vote in the House of Representatives to publicly release the remaining Epstein files - a move that the White House is vigorously opposing.

The Epstein saga, which seemed to be old news at the beginning of this year, is approaching a self-sustaining critical mass that will be difficult for anyone, no matter how well-connected or influential, to contain.

And while the president is not the central focus, and there is no evidence of any criminal conduct on his part, his longtime friendship with Epstein (which ended after a falling out in 2004), combined with his position at the pinnacle of American political power, will keep him a central player in this drama for as long as it continues to unfold.

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TV presenter Jay Blades has pleaded not guilty to two counts of rape.

The 55-year-old, from Claverley, Shropshire, who is best known for hosting BBC show The Repair Shop, denied the offences at Shrewsbury Crown Court on Wednesday.

Mr Blades, who appeared in court via a video link, was granted bail ahead of a trial in September 2027.

Judge Anthony Lowe told Mr Blades that he regretted the delays, but he could not move the case to an earlier date because of the backlog in criminal cases.

"It's not a proper justice system where people are having to wait that length of time for their trial," the judge added.

A case management hearing was also set for the same court on 15 May next year, which Mr Blades will not be required to attend in person.

The TV presenter, who appeared in court under his full name Jason Blades, was told not to contact the complainant.

Mr Blades, who was honoured with an MBE in 2021, stepped back from presenting The Repair Shop last year.

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Almost exactly a year ago I interviewed the Hamas leader and chief negotiator Khalil al-Hayya in Doha. I met him in a house not far from the building that Israel attacked on Tuesday afternoon.

From the beginning of the war in Gaza, al-Hayya had been the chief Hamas negotiator, sending and receiving messages to the Israelis and Americans via Qatari and Egyptian intermediaries.

At moments where ceasefires were thought likely, al-Hayya, along with the men who were also targeted this afternoon, were only a short distance from the Israeli and American delegations. When they were attacked, al-Hayya and the other top Hamas leaders were discussing the latest American diplomatic proposals to end the war in Gaza and free the remaining Israeli hostages.

Israel's swift declaration of what it had done immediately fuelled speculation on social media that the latest American proposals were simply a ruse to get the Hamas leadership in one place where they could be targeted.

• Follow live: Israel strikes Qatar's capital
• What do we know about Israel's attack in Doha?

On 3rd October last year, as Khalil al-Hayya walked into the venue for our meeting in a modest, low-rise villa, I was surprised that he had so little security. We had to give up our phones, and a couple of bodyguards came with him into the house.

Outside plain clothes Qatari police sat smoking in an SUV. That was it. A hundred bodyguards could not have stopped an air strike, but al-Hayya and his people were relaxed and confident.

The point was that Qatar was supposed to be safe, and they felt secure enough to move around relatively openly.

A few months earlier, on 31 July 2024, Israel had assassinated Ismail Haniyeh, the Hamas political leader in Tehran, where he was attending the inauguration of President Masoud Pezeshkian.

With the war in Gaza raging, I had wondered whether it might be dangerous to sit in the same room as Khalil al-Hayya. But like him, I thought Qatar was off limits.

In the last few decades Qatar has tried to carve itself a position as the Switzerland of the Middle East, a place where even enemies could make deals.

The Americans negotiated with the Afghan Taliban in Doha. And in the almost two years since the attacks on 7th October 2023, Qatar has been the centre of the diplomatic efforts to negotiate ceasefires and perhaps even an end to the war.

The peace efforts, driven by President Trump's envoy Steve Witkoff, were faltering badly. But now they are in ruins. In the words of one senior western diplomat "there is no diplomacy."

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has told Israelis that their enemies will never be able to sleep easy and are paying the price for ordering the 7th October attacks.

The Israeli offensive in Gaza is gathering pace. A few hours before the attack on Doha, the Israeli military, the IDF, told all Palestinians in Gaza City to leave and move south. It's thought something like one million civilians could be affected.

In his televised comments Netanyahu told Palestinians in Gaza "don't be derailed by these killers. Stand up for your rights and your future. Make peace with us. Accept President Trump's proposal. Don't worry, you can do it, and we can promise you a different future, but you've got to take these people out of the way. If you do, there is no limit to our common future."

If Palestinians in Gaza are able to hear his words, they will ring very hollow. Israel has destroyed the homes of hundreds of thousands of them, as well as hospitals, universities and schools.

With Gaza already gripped by starvation, famine in Gaza City itself and a humanitarian catastrophe across the territory the forced movement of many more people will only increase Israel's lethal pressure on civilians.

Israel has already killed more than 60,000 Palestinians in Gaza, the majority of whom were civilians. Netanyahu himself faces an arrest warrant from the International Criminal Court for war crimes, and Israel is being investigated by the International Court of Justice for genocide.

The attack in Doha is a sign that Netanyahu and his government will press forward as hard as they can all fronts, not just Gaza. They are confident that with American support, their military can enforce their will.

The Doha attack earned a rare rebuke from the White House. Qatar is a valuable ally, that hosts a huge US military base and is a major investor in the US.

But Netanyahu appears to be calculating that Donald Trump, the only leader he feels he must listen to, will content himself with the diplomatic equivalent of a rap over the knuckles.

Israel's offensive in Gaza continues. And as the planned recognition of Palestinian independence at the UN later this month by the UK, France, Canada, Australia and other western countries approaches, Netanyahu's ultra nationalist cabinet allies will redouble calls to respond with the annexation of occupied Palestinian territory in the West Bank.

The US has said Israel's strike on Hamas targets in Qatar "does not advance Israel or America's goals", adding that President Donald Trump "feels very badly" about the attack.

White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt read a statement from Trump at a briefing on Tuesday. It said the US was notified of Israel's attack on Hamas, with a strike "very unfortunately" taking place in the capital Doha.

It described Qatar as "a sovereign nation and close ally of the United States that is working very hard and bravely taking risks with us to broker peace".

Six people were killed in the strike, Hamas said, including one member of the Qatari security forces, but the group said its leadership team survived.

The Israeli military said it conducted a "precise strike" targeted at Hamas senior leaders using "precise munitions". Israeli media reported the operation involved 15 Israeli fighter jets, which fired 10 munitions against a single target.

Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he authorised the strike and there would be "no immunity" for Hamas leaders.

At the White House briefing on Tuesday, Leavitt said: "President Trump immediately directed Special Envoy [Steve] Witkoff to inform the Qataris of the impending attack, which he did. The president views Qatar as a strong ally and friend of the United States."

"The president also spoke to the emir and prime minister of Qatar and thanked them for their support and friendship to our country. He assured them that such a thing will not happen again on their soil," she added.

Leavitt said "eliminating Hamas, who have profited off the misery of those living in Gaza, is a worthy goal" and reiterated that Trump "wants all of the hostages in Gaza and the bodies of the dead released in this war to end now".

The attack took place on early Tuesday afternoon, with footage showing a badly damaged building in Doha.

Qatar's foreign ministry condemned the strike "in the strongest possible terms," and said the attack was a "blatant violation" of international law.

It later said that Qatari officials were not notified of the Israeli strike ahead of time, contradicting the US statement.

"The communication received from one of the US officials came during the sound of explosions," said Qatar's foreign ministry spokesperson Majed Al-Ansari in a post on X.

Leavitt did not specify when the US notified the Qataris of the attack.

Qatar has hosted Hamas's political bureau since 2012 and played a key role in facilitating indirect negotiations between the group and Israel since the 7 October attacks.

It has also been a close ally of the US. Around 10,000 American troops are stationed at a US airbase in al-Udeid, just outside Doha. In May, Trump announced a "historic" economic agreement signed between the two countries that he said is valued at least $1.2 trillion (£890bn).

Qatar has also recently gifted Trump a plane - valued at $400m - as an "unconditional gift" to be used as the new Air Force One, the official aircraft of the US president.

Hamas said their negotiating team in Doha survived Tuesday's attack, adding that the action "confirms beyond doubt that Netanyahu and his government do not want to reach any agreement" for peace.

It said it holds the US administration "jointly responsible" due to its ongoing support of Israel.

The office for Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu put out a statement shortly after the strike, which said the attack was "a wholly independent Israeli operation".

"Israel initiated it, Israel conducted it, and Israel takes full responsibility," the statement said.

A few days prior to the attack, Hamas said it welcomed "some ideas" from the US on how to reach a Gaza ceasefire, and that it was discussing how to turn them "into a comprehensive agreement".

In its statement, the White House said Trump believes the "unfortunate" attack "could serve as an opportunity for peace," and that Netanyahu had expressed to him after the attack that "he wants to make peace and quickly".

France is seeing a day of protests led by a grassroots movement named Bloquons Tout ("Let's Block Everything") in a show of anger against the political class and proposed budget cuts.

The demonstrations are taking place on the same day new Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu was sworn in following the toppling of his predecessor, François Bayrou, in a no-confidence vote earlier this week.

Demonstrators blocked streets, set bins on fire, and disrupted access to infrastructure and schools across the country.

Around 250 people had been arrested by mid-morning, outgoing Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau said.

A bus was torched in Rennes and electric cables near Toulouse were sabotaged, he added.

Several thousand people gathered in Paris, Marseille, Bordeaux and Montpellier.

However, the disruption has remained fairly small-scale. Most of the arrests were made in or around Paris, where about 1,000 protesters - many masked or wearing balaclavas - clashed with police outside Gare du Nord train station.

Some tried to enter the station but were thwarted by agents who fired tear gas, French media report.

Many protesters chanted political slogans against President Emmanuel Macron and Lecornu. Several carried placards against the war in Gaza.

The nebulous movement Let's Block Everything appears to have been born on social media some months ago and gained momentum over the summer, when it encouraged people to protest against Bayrou's €44bn (£38bn) budget cuts.

The movement has a distinct left-wing character. Its demands include more investment in public services, taxation for high income brackets, rent freezes and Macron's resignation.

In the lead-up to Wednesday's protests, Let's Block Everything urged people to take part in acts of civil disobedience against "austerity, contempt and humiliation".

A group of young protesters outside Gare du Nord told the BBC they were taking to the streets in "solidarity" with people in precarious situations across France.

"We are here because we are very tired of how Macron has been handling the situation" of France's spiralling debt, said Alex, 25, adding he had no faith in the new prime minister not to "repeat the cycle".

Lecornu is a Macron loyalist and the country's fifth prime minister in under two years.

His appointment has already been criticised by both the far right and left-wing parties.

He will first need to come up with a budget palatable to a majority of MPs in France's hung parliament - the same challenging endeavour which brought down his two predecessors.

France's deficit reached 5.8% of GDP in 2024 but the three distinct ideological groups in the deeply divided Assembly disagree on how to tackle the crisis.

The radical-left France Unbowed party has already said it will table a no confidence motion in Lecornu as soon as possible.

However, that motion would need support by other parties to pass. As it stands, the largest parliamentary party - the far-right National Rally - said it would "listen to what Lecornu had to say" albeit "without many illusions".

In a brief speech following the handover of power at the prime minister's residence, Lecornu thanked Bayrou for his work and promised French people: "We'll get there."

"The instability and the political crisis we are going through demand sobriety and humility," Lecornu said.

"We will have to be more creative, more serious, in the way we work with the opposition," he added, before announcing he would start holding talks with political parties and trade unions immediately.

Nearly 130 people have been "summarily executed" by Islamist insurgents in Niger in separate attacks since March, a report by Human Rights Watch (HRW) says.

The rights group says gunmen carried out a series of brutal attacks, including a mass murder at a mosque in the western Tillabéri region in June, where more than 70 worshippers were shot dead during prayers.

"There were bodies everywhere, one on top of the other," a local woman, who lost three of her sons in the attack was quoted by HRW as saying.

The spate of attacks is a major blow to the credibility of Niger's military junta, as it promised to cub the insurgency when it took power after deposing President Mohamed Bazoum in 2023.

About 1,600 civilians have been killed by Islamic State (IS) group fighters in Niger since the coup, HRW says, citing figures collected by the conflict monitoring group Acled.

• The region with more 'terror deaths' than rest of world combined
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The jihadist groups have also destroyed schools and religious sites, and have imposed severe restrictions on the freedoms of people based on their interpretation of Islam, HRW said.

"Islamist armed groups are targeting the civilian population in western Niger and committing horrific abuses," said Ilaria Allegrozzi, a senior researcher at HRW.

"Nigerien authorities need to do more to protect people living in the Tillabéri region," she added.

The army has not yet commented on the HRW report.

Five men and two boys were killed in May when fighters attacked Dani Fari area and burned at least a dozen homes, the report said.

"The bodies were scattered … riddled with bullets. There wasn't a single body out there that had fewer than three bullet holes. The bullets had hit people in the back, arms, head," a herder told HRW.

"We found the bodies of the two children lying on their backs," the herder added.

Witnesses said the army "did not adequately respond to warnings of attacks, ignoring villagers' requests for protection", HRW reported.

No group has claimed responsibility for the five attacks documented by the rights group, but eyewitnesses blamed IS fighters, who, HRW says, are identifiable by the red-banded turbans they wear.

The Tillabéri region borders Burkina Faso and Mali, and has been a focal point of the insurgency for the past decade.

Niger - along with its two neighbours, which are also ruled by the military - have formed an alliance to fight the jihadists and have scaled back ties with the West, turning to Russia and Turkey instead for their security needs.

But the violence has continued, putting them under pressure to come up with more effective strategies to tackle the violence.

You may also be interested in:

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

Follow us on Twitter @BBCAfrica, on Facebook at BBC Africa or on Instagram at bbcafrica

Tunisian authorities have denied claims that one of the Gaza-bound vessels carrying aid and pro-Palestinian activists including Greta Thunberg was attacked by a drone.

The organisers of the flotilla, Global Sumud Flotilla (GSF), said that the Portuguese-flagged vessel had been struck by a drone while anchored outside the port of Sidi Bou Said in Tunisia. All six passengers and crew were safe, they added.

A spokesperson for Tunisia's national guard told the Agence France-Presse news agency that "no drone" had been detected and the investigation was ongoing.

The humanitarian aid flotilla set sail from Barcelona last week, and arrived in Tunisia on Sunday.

The GSF said their "Family boat" was struck in Tunisian waters, and fire had damaged the main deck.

In a series of videos published to their Instagram, spokespeople for the GSF said an "incendiary device" caused a fire onboard the vessel, which the crew was able to extinguish.

Tunisia's National Guard spokesman told Mosaique FM radio that reports of a drone attack on the flotilla "have no basis in truth", Reuters reported.

He added that an initial inspection indicated the explosion originated inside the vessel.

UN Human Rights Council special rapporteur and Tunisian resident Francesca Albanese, who was also featured in videos shared by the GSF, said that if an attack could be verified it would be an "assault and aggression against Tunisia, and Tunisian sovereignty".

In a post to 'X', she said she was at Sidi Bou Said port and "trying to figure out the facts with local authorities".

Albanese has been a prominent critic of Israel's military offensive in Gaza, and has been subject to sanctions imposed by the US in July - a decision welcomed by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu who called them a "firm measure against the mendacious smear campaign" against Israel.

Flotilla organisers have said that the aim of their mission is to "break Israel's illegal siege on Gaza", but have faced several setbacks.

In June, Israeli forces boarded a boat carrying humanitarian aid to Gaza and detained the 12 activists onboard, including Swedish activist Thunberg.

Israeli authorities escorted the activists to the port of Ashdod before deporting them from the country.

Israeli authorities have characterised the attempts to sail aid to Gaza as publicity stunts that offered no real humanitarian assistance.

There have also been prior allegations of drone attacks on aid ships bound for Gaza; the Freedom Flotilla alleged that its ship The Conscience was struck by a drone in May off the coast of Malta.

The BBC was sent a recording of the distress call from the flotilla ship, recorded by a crew member on a nearby oil tanker. The captain of the flotilla ship can be heard reporting drone strikes and a fire onboard.

The Maltese government said everyone aboard the ship was "confirmed safe" and that a fire onboard the ship was "brought under control overnight".

Last month a UN-backed body confirmed that there was famine in Gaza and the UN's humanitarian chief said it was the direct result of Israel's "systematic obstruction" of aid entering Gaza.

The report was labelled an "outright lie" by Israel, which has denied there is starvation in the territory.

In March, it introduced a nearly three-month total blockade on supplies entering the Strip, claiming the aid was being taken by Hamas.

It started allowing a limited amount of aid back into the territory after increasing international pressure.

Israel has since tried to impose its own distribution system through the controversial Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, which has been criticised by aid agencies.

In 2010, Israeli commandos killed 10 people when they boarded Turkish ship Mavi Marmara which was leading an aid flotilla towards Gaza.

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

At least 64,522 people have been killed in Israeli attacks in Gaza since then, according to the territory's Hamas-run health ministry.

Nepal's Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli has resigned in the wake of public outrage over the killing of 21 people in police clashes with anti-corruption protesters.

His office said he had stepped down to pave the way for a constitutional solution to the massive youth-led protests over widespread allegations of corruption and sparked by a social media ban, which has since been withdrawn.

The protests turned violent as thousands – many identifying themselves as Gen Z on placards and banners – took to the streets of Kathmandu on Monday.

Almost 200 people are believed to have been injured in clashes with police, who used tear gas, water cannons and live bullets as protesters scaled the walls of the parliament and other official buildings.

The protests continued on Tuesday, with demonstrators setting fire to the headquarters of the Nepali Congress Party and the home of former prime minister Sher Bahadur Deuba. The homes of several other politicians have also been vandalised.

Here's what we know about the protests.

What was the social media ban?

Social media is a big part of Nepali life. Indeed, the country has one of South Asia's highest user rates per capita.

The demonstrations were triggered by the government's decision last week to ban 26 social media platforms, including WhatsApp, Instagram and Facebook, for failing to meet a deadline to register.

Critics accused the government of seeking to stifle an anti-corruption campaign with the ban, which was repealed on Monday night.

While the ban was a catalyst for the current unrest, protesters are also channelling a more deep-rooted dissatisfaction with the country's authorities.

What is happening across Nepal?

The ensuing demonstrations turned violent in Kathmandu and some other cities in Nepal.

On Monday, Nepal's Minister for Communication Prithvi Subba told the BBC police had had to use force - which included water cannons, batons and firing rubber bullets.

Some protesters managed to breach the perimeter of the parliament building in Kathmandu, prompting police to impose a curfew around key government buildings and tighten security.

On Tuesday, the BBC received reports of vandalism and arson against the homes of several high-ranking politicians.

Videos posted on social media showed damage to the home of Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli in Balakot, Bhaktapur, who resigned on Tuesday.

Protesters were also reported to have targeted the residences of the Nepali Congress president and former prime minister Sher Bahadur Deuba in Budhanilkantha.

At least two people were reported to have been killed on Tuesday, bringing the total to 21 since the unrest began.

Many of the injured have been taken to local hospitals where crowds have gathered. BBC Nepali spoke to doctors who said they had treated gunshot wounds and injuries from rubber bullets.

Police have said several officers were also wounded, with casualty figures expected to increase.

Who is protesting?

Roused on social media and led by the nation's young people, this protest is unlike any seen before in Nepal.

The demonstrators identify as Gen Z, and the term has become a rallying symbol throughout the movement.

Although there has been no central point of leadership, a number of youth collectives have emerged as a mobilising force, issuing calls to action and sharing updates online.

Students from colleges and universities across Nepal's major cities - Kathmandu, Pokhara and Itahari - have been invited to join in uniform, books in hand, while videos circulating on social media show even schoolchildren participating in the marches.

What are the protesters' demands?

In Kathmandu, the number of protesters has been growing. Many carry banners and chant slogans demanding change.

Their two main demands have been clear: the government lifting the ban on social media, which has now happened, and officials putting an end to what they call "corrupt practices".

Protesters, many of them college students, have linked the social media blockade with curtailing freedom of speech, and widespread allegations of corruption among politicians.

"We want to see an end to corruption in Nepal," Binu KC, a 19-year-old college student, told BBC Nepali. "Leaders promise one thing during elections but never deliver. They are the cause of so many problems." She added the social media ban had disrupted her education, limiting access to online classes and study resources.

Subhana Budhathoki, a content creator, echoed the frustration: "Gen Z will not stop now. This protest is about more than just social media - it's about silencing our voices, and we won't let that happen."

What is the 'NepoKids' trend and how is it related to these protests?

A defining feature of the protest has been the widespread use of two slogans -#Nepo Baby and #Nepo Kids.

These two terms have gained popularity on social media in the past few weeks after a number of videos showing the lavish lifestyles of politicians and their families went viral in Nepal.

Protesters argue these individuals enjoy success and luxury without merit, living off public money while ordinary Nepalis struggle.

Viral videos on TikTok and Instagram have contrasted the lavish lifestyles of political families — involving designer clothes, foreign travel and luxury cars — with the harsh realities faced by young people, including unemployment and forced migration.

The slogans have become symbolic of a deeper frustration with inequality, as protesters compare the lives of the elite with those of everyday citizens.

What could happen next?

The protesters are showing no sign of backing down, and have largely defied an indefinite curfew in Kathmandu and beyond.

On Tuesday, Prime Minister Oli resigned, after three other high-ranking politicians announced they were also stepping down.

Oli took over in July 2024, his fourth time in office, with the backing of the Nepali Congress Party.

Protesters are calling for accountability and reforms in governance. However, if the government fails to engage meaningfully, analysts warn the unrest could escalate further, especially as students and civil society groups join in.