People in Jamaica are bracing for the impact of Hurricane Melissa, which is forecast to unleash destructive winds and bring catastrophic flooding to the Caribbean nation in the coming hours.

Melissa was upgraded to a category five hurricane - the maximum strength - early on Monday, the US-based National Hurricane Center (NHC) said.

The authorities fear that Melissa, which has already been blamed for the deaths of four people on the island of Hispaniola, could become the strongest hurricane ever to hit Jamaica.

The Jamaican government has ordered evacuations for parts of the capital, Kingston, and the entire island has been classed as "threatened".

An update from the NHC at 09:00GMT said that Melissa was about 130 miles (209km) south-southwest of Kingston, Jamaica.

It has maximum sustained wind speeds of 160mph (260km/h) and could strengthen further in the next 12 to 24 hours, forecasters warned.

If it continues on the forecasted track, its core is expected "to move near or over Jamaica tonight and Tuesday, across south-eastern Cuba Tuesday night, and across the south-eastern Bahamas on Wednesday".

The storm is particularly slow moving, which makes it very dangerous in terms of expected rainfall amounts.

According to the NHC, 40 inches of rain (100cm) are possible in parts of Jamaica over the next four days.

Forecasters warn that destructive winds and life-threatening storm surges are expected to hit Jamaica overnight or early on Tuesday.

Jamaica's Prime Minister Andrew Holness has ordered the immediate evacuation of several vulnerable communities across the island.

Officials also urged residents in low-lying and flood-prone areas to seek shelter in safer areas.

Jamaica's Minister of Local Government, Desmond McKenzie, told local media that all of the island's 881 shelters were open.

At least three people are known to have died and hundreds of homes have been flooded in Haiti as Melissa brought torrential rainfall to the island of Hispaniola.

In the Dominican Republic, located on the eastern side of Hispaniola, one person also died.

Local media identified the victim as a 79-year-old man who had been swept away by floodwaters in the capital, Santo Domingo.

A 13-year-old has also been reported missing after being dragged away by strong currents as he was swimming in the sea.

Several people were rescued after being trapped in their cars by the rising floodwater.

The Israeli government says it has allowed a member of Hamas into territory in Gaza controlled by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) to help Red Cross and Egyptian personnel search for the bodies of 13 remaining dead hostages.

"The Red Cross, the Egyptian technical team, and a Hamas person have been permitted to enter beyond the IDF's Yellow Line position in Gaza under close IDF supervision," government spokeswoman Shosh Bedrosian told a briefing.

She also said the Egyptians would bring in more equipment, including "tractor-type vehicles".

Israel accuses Hamas of violating the two-week-old Gaza ceasefire deal because it has returned only 15 of the 28 hostages' bodies it was holding.

The Palestinian group says it is committed to the deal brokered by the US, Egypt, Qatar and Turkey, but that it needs help to find remains buried under the rubble left by two years of war.

All 20 living Israeli hostages were released soon after the ceasefire took effect on 10 October in exchange for 250 Palestinian prisoners and 1,718 detainees from Gaza.

Israel has also handed over the bodies of 195 Palestinians in exchange for the bodies of the 13 Israeli hostages returned by Hamas, along with those of two foreign hostages - one of them Thai and the other Nepalese.

Eleven of the 13 dead hostages still in Gaza are Israelis, one is Tanzanian, and one is Thai.

"Hamas knows where they are located and there is no other option but for them to be released back home," Ms Bedrosian said.

Earlier, the group representing the Israeli hostages' families demanded that immediate action be taken to ensure Hamas handed over all the bodies. This includes delaying the second phase of US President Donald Trump's Gaza peace plan.

"The families urge the government of Israel, the United States administration, and the mediators not to advance to the next phase of the agreement until Hamas fulfils all of its obligations," the Hostages and Missing Families Forum said.

It came after Israeli media cited an Israeli security official as saying that the Trump administration wanted to move to the second phase even if not all the hostages were found.

On Saturday, Hamas's chief negotiator Khalil al-Hayya said in a statement that the group was facing "challenges" because Israeli forces had "altered the terrain of Gaza".

"Moreover, some of those who buried the bodies have been martyred or no longer remember where they buried them," he added.

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 68,500 people have been killed, according to the territory's Hamas-run health ministry.

Los Angeles played host to a spectacle of style and storytelling as Vogue World: Hollywood unfolded — an immersive celebration of cinema, couture and celebrity.

Blending the grandeur of classic Hollywood with the innovation of contemporary fashion, the event transformed the city into a living film set, with designers, actors and artists sharing the spotlight.

From cinematic runway moments to bold red carpet statements, the night brought together some of the world's most recognisable names in a seamless blend of performance and pageantry.

Here are some of the standout images capturing the energy, creativity and spectacle.

Prince Andrew hosted Jeffrey Epstein, Ghislaine Maxwell and Harvey Weinstein at Royal Lodge, the publicly-owned home where he effectively lives rent-free.

The trio visited the Windsor mansion as part of his daughter Beatrice's masked ball 18th birthday celebrations in 2006, two months after a US arrest warrant had been issued for Epstein for the sexual assault of a minor.

It had previously been reported that Epstein, Maxwell and Weinstein visited Windsor Castle for the event, but not that they had been hosted at Andrew's private home.

Andrew, who is facing increased scrutiny over his living arrangements in light of his relationship with Epstein, has not responded to a request for comment.

It is understood that Epstein, Maxwell and Weinstein visited Royal Lodge ahead of the main party, which took place in the state rooms of Windsor Castle and involved a champagne reception and banquet.

The BBC has matched the trees and patio wall in a previously published image of the trio to other pictures of Royal Lodge.

Epstein was arrested by police in Florida eight days after the event.

Asked by BBC Newsnight in 2019 why he invited Epstein to his daughter's 18th birthday two months after the US arrest warrant was issued, Andrew said: "Certainly I wasn't aware when the invitation was issued what was going on in the United States and I wasn't aware until the media picked up on it because he never said anything about it."

Andrew relinquished his titles earlier this month amid renewed scrutiny of his links with Epstein following the posthumous publication of Virginia Giuffre's memoir.

In the memoir, Ms Giuffre said she had sex with the prince on three separate occasions, including once with Epstein and "eight other young girls".

Andrew, who reached a financial settlement with Ms Giuffre in 2022, has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing. In 2019, he told BBC Newsnight he did not remember meeting Ms Giuffre "at all" and that they "never had any sort of sexual contact".

Fresh questions have also been asked about how he is able to fund his lifestyle despite not being a working royal.

The revelation that he has only ever paid a token annual rent on his Windsor mansion, Royal Lodge, has intensified the questions over his living arrangements - even though he made large payments up front, including for renovations.

Buckingham Palace has not commented on whether Prince Andrew might move out of his home - or where he might go.

But BBC News understands that two other properties in the grounds of Windsor Castle, Adelaide Cottage and Frogmore Cottage, were options suggested to both Prince Andrew and his ex-wife Sarah Ferguson some months ago.

Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell seemed to be regular guests at royal residences in the late 1990s and early 2000s.

An image of the pair at Balmoral, the royals' private Highland estate, was released by prosecutors during Maxwell's sex trafficking trial.

It is thought to have been taken in 1999, when Andrew reportedly invited the couple to stay at the Scottish castle

In 2000, Epstein was a guest at Windsor Castle and the prince hosted a birthday event for Maxwell at Sandringham, the monarch's private country retreat in Norfolk.

He told BBC Newsnight the latter event was "a straightforward shooting weekend".

Epstein died by suicide in a New York jail cell in August 2019 while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges.

In 2008, he reached a plea deal with prosecutors after the parents of a 14-year-old girl told police in Florida that Epstein had molested their daughter at his Palm Beach home.

Maxwell is currently serving a 20-year prison sentence in the US for recruiting and trafficking four teenage girls for sexual abuse by Epstein, her then boyfriend.

Weinstein has been convicted of sexual assault by courts in New York and Los Angeles, but has secured a retrial on some of his convictions.

The government confronts a cluster of catastrophes on the very topic that is arguably the most visible state failure they are trying to deal with: small boat crossings.

The numbers of migrants arriving on small boats is big and the knock-on consequences of those arrivals are bigger: the costs, the hotels, the public anguish.

The accidental release of one of the most high profile prisoners jailed this year left jaws on the floor at Westminster just as it did around the country.

Hadush Kebatu was sentenced last month for sexually assaulting a 14 year old girl and a woman in July in Epping in Essex, where he had been living in an asylum hotel since arriving in the UK on a small boat.

His arrest led to a series of protests in the area, which spread to other hotels around the country housing asylum seekers.

In other words, he personified the scale of the issue and the depth and breadth of the anger provoked by it – and yet he was let out of prison by accident.

How on earth did that possibly happen? Have a listen to the conversation I had with His Majesty's Inspector of Prisons, Charlie Taylor, in which I asked him exactly this, on BBC Newscast.

And, on top of this, a report by MPs has concluded the Home Office has "squandered" billions of pounds of taxpayers' money on asylum accommodation.

There is a recurring theme here.

I have reported from Westminster for more than 20 years. Not long after I first arrived, the then Home Secretary, Labour's John Reid, repeated a line he had heard from one of his then department's senior officials – that parts of the Home Office were "not fit for purpose."

One of the solutions back then was to take some of the Home Office's responsibilities away and set up a new department – the Ministry of Justice.

The thing is, of the two issues we are talking about here, one lands at the Home Office's door (asylum accommodation arrangements) and the other is down to the Ministry of Justice (letting prisoners out by accident).

And the criticisms of the Home Office have continued.

A report compiled under the last government by a now serving Conservative MP, Nick Timothy, who used to work as a special adviser at the Home Office, paints a deeply unflattering picture.

To be fair, the nature and responsibilities of the Home Office and the Ministry of Justice are among the thorniest domestic policy issues.

But I am struck when I speak to political figures inside the Home Office that they privately acknowledge that not only was Timothy onto something, but many of his observations from a few years ago are still visible to them today.

They hope new leadership – a new Permanent Secretary, Dame Antonia Romeo and a new Home Secretary, Shabana Mahmood, can help change that.

But there have been plenty of new lead civil servants and new home secretaries in that department over the last two decades.

Why all this matters acutely right now is all this represents an overlap of failings on that most prominent of issues – small boats.

Little wonder we had the Health Secretary Wes Streeting over the weekend publicly fretting that there is a "deep disillusionment… and a growing sense of despair about whether anyone is capable of turning this country around".

And that is an analysis coming from one of those who is responsible for doing so.

People in Jamaica are bracing for the impact of Hurricane Melissa, which is forecast to unleash destructive winds and bring catastrophic flooding to the Caribbean nation in the coming hours.

Melissa was upgraded to a category five hurricane - the maximum strength - early on Monday, the US-based National Hurricane Center (NHC) said.

The authorities fear that Melissa, which has already been blamed for the deaths of four people on the island of Hispaniola, could become the strongest hurricane ever to hit Jamaica.

The Jamaican government has ordered evacuations for parts of the capital, Kingston, and the entire island has been classed as "threatened".

An update from the NHC at 09:00GMT said that Melissa was about 130 miles (209km) south-southwest of Kingston, Jamaica.

It has maximum sustained wind speeds of 160mph (260km/h) and could strengthen further in the next 12 to 24 hours, forecasters warned.

If it continues on the forecasted track, its core is expected "to move near or over Jamaica tonight and Tuesday, across south-eastern Cuba Tuesday night, and across the south-eastern Bahamas on Wednesday".

The storm is particularly slow moving, which makes it very dangerous in terms of expected rainfall amounts.

According to the NHC, 40 inches of rain (100cm) are possible in parts of Jamaica over the next four days.

Forecasters warn that destructive winds and life-threatening storm surges are expected to hit Jamaica overnight or early on Tuesday.

Jamaica's Prime Minister Andrew Holness has ordered the immediate evacuation of several vulnerable communities across the island.

Officials also urged residents in low-lying and flood-prone areas to seek shelter in safer areas.

Jamaica's Minister of Local Government, Desmond McKenzie, told local media that all of the island's 881 shelters were open.

At least three people are known to have died and hundreds of homes have been flooded in Haiti as Melissa brought torrential rainfall to the island of Hispaniola.

In the Dominican Republic, located on the eastern side of Hispaniola, one person also died.

Local media identified the victim as a 79-year-old man who had been swept away by floodwaters in the capital, Santo Domingo.

A 13-year-old has also been reported missing after being dragged away by strong currents as he was swimming in the sea.

Several people were rescued after being trapped in their cars by the rising floodwater.

One longer walk a day is better for your heart than lots of short strolls, especially if you don't exercise much, according to new research published in Annals of Internal Medicine.

Walking for at least 15 minutes without stopping is ideal, it says. That's about 1,500 steps in a row, which gives your heart a good workout.

Many people aim for 10,000 steps a day, but that number came from a Japanese pedometer advertisement - not science. Still, experts agree more steps are generally better for your health.

The study looked at 33,560 adults aged 40–79 in the UK who walked fewer than 8,000 steps a day.

They were grouped by how long their walks were (measured with a step-counter over a week):

• less than 5 minutes (43%)
• 5 to 10 minutes (33.5%)
• 10 to 15 minutes (15.5%)
• 15 minutes or more (8%)

The researchers, from the University of Sydney and the Universidad Europea in Spain, tracked their health over eight years.

People who walked in longer stretches had a lower risk of heart problems than those who walked in short bursts.

Even among the least active - those walking under 5,000 steps a day - longer walks made a big difference. Their risk of heart disease and death dropped significantly.

Whether that's because they were fitter to begin with isn't fully clear from the study, but the researchers did try to control for this by taking into account factors like whether the person smoked, was obese or had high cholesterol.

Focus on how you walk – not just how much

The researchers say how you walk matters - not just how much. Walking for longer at a time, even if you don't walk much overall, appears to help your heart.

Simple changes, like setting aside time for a longer walk, could make a big difference, they suggest.

Co-lead researcher Prof Emmanuel Stamatakis said: "We tend to place all the emphasis on the number of steps or the total amount of walking but neglect the crucial role of patterns, for example 'how' walking is done.

"This study shows that even people who are very physically inactive can maximise their heart health benefit by tweaking their walking patterns to walk for longer at a time, ideally for at least 10-15 minutes, when possible."

Prof Kevin McConway, emeritus professor of applied statistics at the Open University, said while the study shows a link between walking and better heart health, it doesn't prove that walking directly causes the improvement.

The NHS recommends 150 minutes of moderate activity a week, like brisk walking, ideally spread out evenly across the week.

Older adults over 65 should try to move every day, even if it's just light activity around the house, the advice says.

Emily McGrath, senior cardiac nurse at the British Heart Foundation, said: "Exercise helps everyone live a happier and healthier life. If you have heart and circulatory disease, it can help you manage your condition and make you feel better overall.

"You may find it hard to be more active at first, but as time goes on it'll get easier as your body gets used to the activity. You may only notice small improvements at first, but it all adds up and counts towards keeping your heart healthy."

How to stay safe while walking

If you are walking or cycling at night or in low light conditions, wear reflective clothing or use a flashlight or headlamp to increase your visibility to other road users.

Stay alert and be aware of your surroundings.

Use designated lanes or paths, if available. Always cross at designated crossing points where road traffic is more likely to see and expect you to be crossing the road.

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  18 June 2023

  

The man accused of killing right-wing activist Charlie Kirk will be allowed to wear civilian clothes during pre-trial hearings to avoid prejudicing potential jurors, a Utah judge has said.

Judge Tony Graf said Tyler Robinson will be required to wear restraints during hearings, but photo or video of him in restraints will be barred.

Robinson, 22, was arrested on aggravated murder charges on 12 September, more than a day after Kirk was fatally shot while speaking at Utah Valley University.

During a Monday court hearing, Judge Graf acknowledged massive interest in the case and urged that Robinson's "presumption of innocence remains".

"Balancing these factors, the court finds that Mr Robinson's right to the presumption of innocence outweighs the minimal inconvenience of permitting civilian attire," Judge Graf said, according to a local Fox News affiliate.

Judge Graf said that given the severity of the charges, Robinson will remain in restraints, but that it must be the "least restrictive" option.

He said although Robinson has no prior criminal history, the charges against him are extremely serious and present courtroom safety concerns.

"The safety of Mr Robinson, the attorneys, court staff, and the public must remain the court's highest priority," Judge Graf said.

"The emotional nature of these proceedings also raise the risk of disruption," he added. "Given these factors, the defendant's request to appear without restraints is denied."

Robinson was not physically present in court for the virtual hearing on Monday. His next in-person court appearance is scheduled for 16 January.

Robinson is accused of seven charges, including aggravated murder, obstruction of justice, and felony discharge of a firearm.

Utah County prosecutors have said they are seeking the death penalty in his case.

Los Angeles played host to a spectacle of style and storytelling as Vogue World: Hollywood unfolded — an immersive celebration of cinema, couture and celebrity.

Blending the grandeur of classic Hollywood with the innovation of contemporary fashion, the event transformed the city into a living film set, with designers, actors and artists sharing the spotlight.

From cinematic runway moments to bold red carpet statements, the night brought together some of the world's most recognisable names in a seamless blend of performance and pageantry.

Here are some of the standout images capturing the energy, creativity and spectacle.

The Israeli government says it has allowed a member of Hamas into territory in Gaza controlled by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) to help Red Cross and Egyptian personnel search for the bodies of 13 remaining dead hostages.

"The Red Cross, the Egyptian technical team, and a Hamas person have been permitted to enter beyond the IDF's Yellow Line position in Gaza under close IDF supervision," government spokeswoman Shosh Bedrosian told a briefing.

She also said the Egyptians would bring in more equipment, including "tractor-type vehicles".

Israel accuses Hamas of violating the two-week-old Gaza ceasefire deal because it has returned only 15 of the 28 hostages' bodies it was holding.

The Palestinian group says it is committed to the deal brokered by the US, Egypt, Qatar and Turkey, but that it needs help to find remains buried under the rubble left by two years of war.

All 20 living Israeli hostages were released soon after the ceasefire took effect on 10 October in exchange for 250 Palestinian prisoners and 1,718 detainees from Gaza.

Israel has also handed over the bodies of 195 Palestinians in exchange for the bodies of the 13 Israeli hostages returned by Hamas, along with those of two foreign hostages - one of them Thai and the other Nepalese.

Eleven of the 13 dead hostages still in Gaza are Israelis, one is Tanzanian, and one is Thai.

"Hamas knows where they are located and there is no other option but for them to be released back home," Ms Bedrosian said.

Earlier, the group representing the Israeli hostages' families demanded that immediate action be taken to ensure Hamas handed over all the bodies. This includes delaying the second phase of US President Donald Trump's Gaza peace plan.

"The families urge the government of Israel, the United States administration, and the mediators not to advance to the next phase of the agreement until Hamas fulfils all of its obligations," the Hostages and Missing Families Forum said.

It came after Israeli media cited an Israeli security official as saying that the Trump administration wanted to move to the second phase even if not all the hostages were found.

On Saturday, Hamas's chief negotiator Khalil al-Hayya said in a statement that the group was facing "challenges" because Israeli forces had "altered the terrain of Gaza".

"Moreover, some of those who buried the bodies have been martyred or no longer remember where they buried them," he added.

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 68,500 people have been killed, according to the territory's Hamas-run health ministry.

Ivory Coast's President Alassane Ouattara has secured a fourth term in an election which two of his biggest challengers were barred from, provisional results show.

Ouattara, 83, won 89.8% of the vote, the electoral commission said on Monday, and businessman Jeal-Louis Billon came a distant second with only 3.09%.

The landslide victory is not a huge surprise, as after being banned from the presidential race, former President Laurent Gbagbo and Credit Suisse ex-CEO Tidjane Thiam had urged their supporters to boycott the vote.

Voter turnout reached just 50.1%, according to the electoral commission.

Monday's results are provisional and the final outcome will be announced by the Constitutional Council after it rules on any election petitions.

On Sunday, the opposition group made up of Gbagbo and Thiam's parties denounced the election as a "civilian coup d'etat," saying they would not recognise Ouattara as a validly elected leader.

Ouattara first assumed the presidency in 2011, following Gbagbo's arrest after his refusal to accept defeat in the 2010 election.

Ouattara was originally restricted to serving two terms, but a 2016 constitutional overhaul allowed him to seek re-election in 2020, in a vote that was boycotted by the opposition.

You may also be interested in:

• Ivory Coast president, 83, says he will run for fourth term
• Is Ivory Coast's red card politics an own goal for democracy?
• 'I was born Ivorian' - bank boss barred from running for president tells BBC
• A love letter to attiéké, Ivory Coast's timeless culinary treasure

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