It is always perilous for a government when it clearly lacks grip on an issue voters would reasonably expect it to be in control of.

The stand out example of this in recent years has been the arrival of migrants on small boats.

From Rishi Sunak's promise to "stop the boats" to Sir Keir Starmer's promise to "smash the gangs" both have been found wanting and the problem remains huge.

Now the government confronts another example: a justice system that is palpably, transparently and repeatedly failing – and where measures designed to address the issue of letting prisoners out by accident aren't working.

According to government figures published in July, 262 prisoners were released in error in the year to March of this year - a 128% increase on 115 in the previous 12 months.

In other words, it has been a problem for some time, and it is getting worse.

And, context is everything in politics: this row now comes after the mistaken release of perhaps the most high-profile prisoner jailed this year.

Hadush Kebatu, who arrived in the UK on a small boat, was jailed after sexually assaulting a 14-year-old girl and a woman while living in an asylum hotel in Epping in Essex, only to be let out by accident. He has since been deported.

It gave the issue of accidental releases from prison a salience and prominence it hadn't had until then.

Once again, we are seeing ministers use the language we usually see from opposition politicians.

The Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood has described the number of people arriving on small boats as "shameful".

Now, the Deputy Prime Minister and Justice Secretary David Lammy is saying he is "absolutely outraged" over the mistaken release a week ago of Brahim Kaddour-Cherif, a 24-year-old Algerian sex offender.

Lammy added that his officials have been "working through the night to take him back to prison."

Which brings us to the messy genesis of this saga, at B-Team Prime Minister's Question Time on Wednesday lunchtime.

With the prime minister at the COP climate summit in Brazil, it was his deputy who was answering questions.

The Conservatives put up the shadow defence secretary James Cartlidge, who repeated a question, using a very particular form of words, over and over again.

He wanted to know if an "asylum-seeking offender had been accidentally released from prison".

It was obvious from the Press Gallery that Cartlidge was on to something – because of the apparent precision of his language and his constant repetition of the question.

But Lammy chose to repeatedly duck the question, despite, we later learnt, knowing about the case Cartlidge was referring to.

So why didn't he address it?

It turns out Cartlidge had got his facts wrong - Kaddour-Cherif isn't an asylum seeker. He arrived here legally but then stayed after his visa expired.

And, I understand, Lammy wasn't certain on entering the chamber whether he was an asylum seeker or not.

So setting out what he knew might also have exposed what he didn't.

His team insist "it is incredibly important to know the facts" and they argue it was for the police in the first instance to do that publicly.

Really? It seems reasonable to ask both whether Lammy could or should have known more when he arrived in the chamber and whether he could or should have disclosed more when he was there.

The Conservatives later called for him to return to the Commons to set out what he knew. The former Tory leader Sir Iain Duncan Smith suggested he may have misled the Commons. The Liberal Democrats and Reform have been very critical too.

Some also suggest Lammy's manner – shouting "get a grip, man!" at Cartlidge, among other things – was a mistake.

Could he instead have chosen to set out what he did and didn't know about the case at the beginning of the exchanges, before he took any questions?

But it is the bigger picture here that really matters: the justice system is currently repeatedly failing in that most basic of its tasks – who should be in prison and who shouldn't.

The reasons for that are complex – with difficult questions for the courts, individual prisons, the Prison Service, the Ministry of Justice and the Home Office.

It is not a new problem, but it is a growing one, and one the government doesn't have a grip on. And that, if you are the justice secretary, is a problem.

Specialist ADHD services for adults are stopping taking on new patients as they struggle to cope with demand, a BBC investigation has shown.

The BBC has identified 15 local areas that have closed waiting lists and another 31 that have introduced tighter criteria, making it more difficult to access support.

Reacting to our investigation, Prof Anita Thapar, chair of NHS England's ADHD taskforce, said the findings were "disturbing", adding there were "enormous risks" for patients.

It comes as she prepares to publish her report into the state of ADHD services on Thursday, which is expected to recommend an overhaul of the way people are supported.

ADHD - attention deficit hyperactivity disorder - affects the way the brain works and can cause people to act impulsively and become easily distracted.

It is thought to affect 5% of children and 3-4% of adults, although many remain undiagnosed.

Getting a diagnosis and treatment, which can include medication and psychological therapy, can be life-changing, experts say.

But NHS data already shows average waits of eight years once someone is on a waiting list.

And now a BBC investigation has found a significant number of areas are restricting access to those waiting lists.

The BBC received information from 59 services, which accounts for the majority of those providing support in England, after submitting freedom of information requests.

The responses showed:

• 15 trusts had halted all or part of their referrals - some cover large areas and have closed their waiting lists to just some places
• In Cheshire, the service for adults has been closed to new patients since 2019
• Of the remaining trusts, 31 were rationing care by bringing in exclusions, such as by age or severity
• One trust, Coventry and Warwickshire Partnership Trust, is being threatened with legal action for restricting adult assessments to people under 25 only

In some areas, people referred for support by GPs can use something called 'right to choose' to go onto another NHS list or ask for private support, which would provide an alternative option if their local NHS has stopped taking on new referrals.

The BBC investigation also found examples of areas that are innovating. One of those is Surrey where the local service, which has 11,000 adults on its waiting list, is piloting a scheme to train a group of private GPs to carry out assessments and treatment.

'I find daily life hard'

Louise Nichols, who suspects she has ADHD, is just one of many people affected by the rationing.

Even when she was at primary school she struggled. She was diagnosed with school phobia and ended up being home schooled for a while, and has since found it hard to stay in a job.

The mother-of-one says it is frustrating to see everyone else managing, while she finds daily life hard.

"I need a way of helping me function to the best of my abilities. Whether that's medication or whether that's support," she says.

"I'm hoping to get a part-time job. I want to be part of my community."

The 45-year-old lives in Derbyshire, but as this area does not have its own service, she was on the waiting list with the neighbouring Sheffield trust for two years.

But she was taken off that list in October last year because Sheffield stopped doing assessments for people who live outside their borders, as it's struggling to keep up with demand. There are more than 3,700 people in the county in the same position.

She said it was really disappointing. "I can't understand why a national health service isn't  across the whole nation. "

Patients at risk

Prof Thapar said the problems being encountered by people like Louise were unacceptable and showed the "historic neglect" of ADHD by the NHS.

She called the BBC's findings "disturbing", adding: "There's enormous risks. It's not a trivial condition."

With the right support, she said people with ADHD can thrive, but there were "high, high risks" that without that support, people's conditions can become much more complicated.

This, she said, can include mental health problems, substance misuse, unemployment and getting in trouble with the criminal justice system.

And Dr Jessica Eccles, of the Royal College of Psychiatrists, said services were having to make difficult decisions because "rising demand was outstripping capacity" in many parts of the country.

"There are unacceptably long waiting lists," she added.

'Diagnosis transformed my life'

Patients who have received support say it has transformed their lives.

Sam Stone is an example of that, but he had to battle to get help.

The 33-year-old, who lives near Gloucester, paid for a private diagnosis on his health insurance, but his GP wouldn't accept it and he had to go back on an NHS waiting list to get it confirmed.

He is angry at how complicated the system is. "I almost struggle to think about it as a system, to be honest, because it feels like there's such a cacophony of routes that it almost feels like you're constantly trying to hack the system."

Sam said the diagnosis has been life-changing. He had been on and off anti-depressants since the age of 16, but he is now on medication for his ADHD.

He said it was like having a cloud hanging over him removed.

"It's massive, it's huge," Sam says.

Additional reporting by Elena Bailey and data analysis by Rob England

See BBC Action Line for support and advice on issues around ADHD

Read ADHD advice from the NHS

Mexico President Claudia Sheinbaum has said she will press charges against a man who groped her during a public appearance.

Mobile phone footage of the incident on Tuesday shows Sheinbaum speaking to a group of supporters on a street near the National Palace in Mexico City.

In the video, a man approaches her from behind and attempts to kiss her on the neck and place his hands on her body.

Sheinbaum moved away quickly and a member of her team stepped in, but she was visibly shaken. The offender has been arrested.

"My view is, if I don't file a complaint, what will happen to other Mexican women? If they do this to the president, what will happen to all women in our country?" Sheinbaum said at a news conference on Wednesday.

"I decided to press charges because this is something that I experienced as a woman, but that we as women experience in our country," she said. "I have experienced it before, when I wasn't president, when I was a student."

She added that she had decided to press ahead with bringing charges against the suspect as he had allegedly harassed other women in the crowd.

"A line must be drawn," she said.

Women's rights groups and feminist commentators have said the incident shows the extent of ingrained machismo in Mexican society, where a man believes he has the right to accost even the president if she is a woman.

Femicide is also a huge problem in Mexico, with a staggering 98% of gender-based murders estimated to go unpunished.

Sheinbaum promised to tackle the issue as a candidate, but so far in her administration there has been no discernible improvement in that area of violent crime.

The incident also comes amid discussions about presidential security and the wider safety of politicians.

As president, Sheinbaum has broadly followed the approach of her predecessor, Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, in having close and regular contact with her supporters on the streets or in campaign events.

On occasion, that has presented security concerns for her team. However, she confirmed in her new conference she had no intention of changing her policy of interacting with her supporters.

The incident also happened just days after the murder of Carlos Manzo, the mayor of Uruapan, a municipality in the violent state of Michoacan, at the local Day of the Dead celebrations.

Manzo had called on Sheinbaum for greater federal support in Uruapan in the fight against drug cartels. Around 35 candidates were killed in the lead up to the general election last year in what was considered the bloodiest campaign in modern Mexico.

Since taking office, Sheinbaum has made in-roads in improving the country's dire security situation, particularly clamping down on fentanyl-trafficking – a key issue for her US counterpart, President Trump.

Policymakers at the Bank of England are widely expected to hold interest rates at 4% following their final meeting before the chancellor's Budget.

Some Bank watchers have suggested that the latest inflation data could strengthen the case for a cut, but most commentators think such a move is more likely in December.

In September, the Bank's governor Andrew Bailey said he still expected further rate cuts, but the pace would be "more uncertain".

The Bank's base rate has an impact on the cost of borrowing for individuals and businesses, and also on returns on savings.

Uncertainty over pace of cuts

The Bank's Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) will make its latest announcement at 12:00 GMT with most analysts predicting a hold.

The Bank of England has reduced its benchmark interest rate by 0.25 percentage points every three months since August last year. However, that cycle is widely expected to be broken this time.

Members of the MPC will be closely considering the latest economic data on rising prices, as well as jobs and wages as they cast their vote on interest rates.

The rate of inflation in September was 3.8%, well above the Bank's 2% target, but lower than expected. Within that data, food and drink prices rose at their slowest rate in more than a year.

That has eased some of the squeeze on family finances, and also led to some analysts, including at banking giants Barclays and Goldman Sachs, to predict a cut in interest rates this month to 3.75%.

They expect a split in the vote among the nine-member committee. For the first time, the views of each individual on the MPC will be published alongside the wider decision.

Danni Hewson, head of financial analysis at AJ Bell, said the market was giving a one in three chance of a rate cut to 3.75%.

"The odds are still firmly in favour of a hold," she said.

All eyes on Budget

Members of the MPC will be fully aware of the potential implications of the Budget which will be delivered by Chancellor Rachel Reeves on 26 November.

The case for a cut in interest rates in December could be boosted if the Budget includes substantial tax rises that do not add to inflation.

The chancellor, in a speech on Tuesday, said measures in the Budget "will be focused on getting inflation falling and creating the conditions for interest rate cuts".

However, detail remains thin until the Budget is delivered and more economic data will be published before the Bank's next meeting in December that could sway MPC members' thinking.

"It's possible Rachel Reeves' surprise press conference on Tuesday was partly a cry for help to the Bank of England," AJ Bell's Ms Hewson said.

"By promising to push down on inflation, she might have been signalling that the Bank didn't have to wait until after the Budget to cut rates. Whether they do or not is a finely balanced call."

The Bank's interest rates heavily influence borrowing costs for homeowners - either directly for those on tracker rates, or more indirectly for fixed rates.

In recent days and weeks, many lenders have been cutting the interest rates on their new, fixed deals as they compete for custom, and in anticipation of future central bank rate cuts.

Savers, however, would likely see a fall in the returns they receive if the Bank cuts the benchmark rate on Thursday or in December.

Rachel Springall, from financial information service Moneyfacts, said many savers were feeling "demoralised" as a result of falling returns and still relatively high inflation, which reduces the spending power of their savings.

Jensen Huang, the head of the world's most valuable company Nvidia, says King Charles III personally handed him a copy of a speech he delivered in 2023 that included a warning about the dangers of artificial intelligence.

"He said, there's something I want to talk to you about. And he handed me a letter," Huang told the BBC, speaking after receiving the 2025 Queen Elizabeth Prize for Engineering in a ceremony at St James's Palace.

The letter was a copy of the speech delivered by the King in 2023 at the world's first AI Summit, held at Bletchley Park.

In it the monarch said that the risks of AI needed to be tackled with "a sense of urgency, unity and collective strength".

"It was his speech on AI safety. He obviously cares very deeply about AI safety," Mr Huang said.

Mr Huang said the King wrote in his speech that he believed in the "incredible capability" of the technology to transform the UK and the world.

"But he also wants to remind us that the technology could be used for good and for evil, and so to make sure we do everything we can to advance AI safety."

In the King's address he describes the development of advanced AI as "no less important than the discovery of electricity".

On Wednesday, Jensen Huang received the the 2025 Queen Elizabeth Prize for Engineering alongside six other foundational figures in AI, including Professors Yoshua Bengio and Geoffrey Hinton, who have warned that the technology poses an existential threat to humanity.

But US president Donald Trump has urged the AI sector to make rapid rather than cautious advances in the technology, and the AI Safety Summit was rebranded the AI Action Summit earlier this year.

Senator Howard Lutnick has discouraged the use of the word safety on the grounds that, "It makes us sound like we're afraid".

Mr Huang's company, Nvidia, was valued at $5tn this week. It specialises in advanced computer chips including those which power AI.

Mr Huang added that in his view the UK is in a good position to take advantage of what he described as "an industrial revolution that's happening right now."

"It's your opportunity to grasp," he said.

Large US tech firms including Nvidia are investing billions of dollars in building AI infrastructure in the UK, in the form of enormous data centres, which Jensen Huang has called "AI factories".

Seven people were killed when a UPS cargo plane crashed while taking off from an airport in Louisville, Kentucky on Tuesday evening, the state's governor said.

At least 11 other people were injured when the freight plane exploded as it departed Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport at around 17:15 local time (22:15 GMT), sending thick plumes of black smoke into the sky.

Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear said the plane's three crew members were likely to be among the dead, adding that, "Anyone who has seen the images and the video knows how violent this crash is".

Officials warned that people suffered "very significant" injuries in the incident and the death toll could rise.

UPS flight 2976 bound for Honolulu, Hawaii was carrying 38,000 gallons (144,000 litres) of fuel when it skidded off the runway in Louisville and struck nearby buildings.

The explosion engulfed at least two nearby businesses, including a petroleum recycling company. A shelter-in-place order was initially issued for within five miles of the airport due to concerns of further explosions and air pollution, but was later reduced to just one mile.

All departing flights for Tuesday evening were cancelled, the airport said in a statement on X.

Louisville Fire Dept Chief Brian O'Neill said the fire has almost entirely been contained, with crews still deployed at the crash site.

"When you have such a large scale incident and fire that spread over such a massive area, we have to use hundreds of personnel to surround it, contain it, and then slowly bring it in," O'Neill said.

He added: "These are trained firefighters from all around the region that are handling this to search, grid by grid, very carefully to make sure if we can find any other victims."

At a press conference, Beshear warned people not to go to the crash site, saying that, "There are still dangerous things that are flammable, that are potentially explosive."

Beshear said he would not "speculate" as to what caused the incident, adding that the National Transportation Safety Bureau (NTSB) would be leading the investigation.

The NTSB's investigative team is scheduled to arrive in Kentucky on Wednesday.

Louisville Metro Police Dept Chief Paul Humphrey said that the crash site will be "an ongoing active scene for the next several days".

He added: "We don't know how long it's going to take to render that scene safe for the investigation to take place."

The aircraft was a MD-11F, a triple-engine jet that started service 34 years ago with Thai Airways as a passenger jet, but was transferred to UPS in 2006.

The MD-11F was originally manufactured by McDonnell Douglas, which merged with Boeing in 1997.

MD-11s are just over 61 metres long and have a wingspan of 52 metres, smaller than Boeing 747s , which are roughly 76 metres long and have a wingspan of 68 metres.

In 2023, FedEx and UPS both announced plans to begin retiring their fleets of MD-11s over the next decade as part of plans to modernise their fleets.

In a statement, Boeing said it is "ready to support our customer" and that "our concern is for the safety and well-being of all those affected."

It added that it will offer technical assistance to the NTSB.

Louisville is home to UPS Worldport, a global hub for the delivery firm's air cargo operations and its largest package handling facility in the world.

During the press conference, Louisville Metro Council member Betsy Ruhe said that the city is a "UPS town", and that every resident would know somebody who works for company.

"They're all texting their friends, their family, trying to make sure everyone is safe," she said.

In a statement, UPS said it was "terribly saddened" by the incident and would be halting package sorting operations at Worldport on Tuesday night.

It added: "UPS is committed to the safety of our employees, and customers and the communities we serve. This is particularly true in Louisville, home to our airline and thousands of UPSers."

State Senator Keturah Herron said, "Many of us watch our family members and loved ones pass through [Louisville airport] on a regular basis."

In a post on X, Louisville Mayor Craig Greenberg said that the plane crash is an "incredible tragedy that our community will never forget".

He added: "We are so thankful for our brave first responders who have flooded the scene to help try and control the fire and provide support for any victims on the ground."

Mexico President Claudia Sheinbaum has said she will press charges against a man who groped her during a public appearance.

Mobile phone footage of the incident on Tuesday shows Sheinbaum speaking to a group of supporters on a street near the National Palace in Mexico City.

In the video, a man approaches her from behind and attempts to kiss her on the neck and place his hands on her body.

Sheinbaum moved away quickly and a member of her team stepped in, but she was visibly shaken. The offender has been arrested.

"My view is, if I don't file a complaint, what will happen to other Mexican women? If they do this to the president, what will happen to all women in our country?" Sheinbaum said at a news conference on Wednesday.

"I decided to press charges because this is something that I experienced as a woman, but that we as women experience in our country," she said. "I have experienced it before, when I wasn't president, when I was a student."

She added that she had decided to press ahead with bringing charges against the suspect as he had allegedly harassed other women in the crowd.

"A line must be drawn," she said.

Women's rights groups and feminist commentators have said the incident shows the extent of ingrained machismo in Mexican society, where a man believes he has the right to accost even the president if she is a woman.

Femicide is also a huge problem in Mexico, with a staggering 98% of gender-based murders estimated to go unpunished.

Sheinbaum promised to tackle the issue as a candidate, but so far in her administration there has been no discernible improvement in that area of violent crime.

The incident also comes amid discussions about presidential security and the wider safety of politicians.

As president, Sheinbaum has broadly followed the approach of her predecessor, Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, in having close and regular contact with her supporters on the streets or in campaign events.

On occasion, that has presented security concerns for her team. However, she confirmed in her new conference she had no intention of changing her policy of interacting with her supporters.

The incident also happened just days after the murder of Carlos Manzo, the mayor of Uruapan, a municipality in the violent state of Michoacan, at the local Day of the Dead celebrations.

Manzo had called on Sheinbaum for greater federal support in Uruapan in the fight against drug cartels. Around 35 candidates were killed in the lead up to the general election last year in what was considered the bloodiest campaign in modern Mexico.

Since taking office, Sheinbaum has made in-roads in improving the country's dire security situation, particularly clamping down on fentanyl-trafficking – a key issue for her US counterpart, President Trump.

Italy says seven of its citizens are missing in Nepal after trying to climb a Himalayan peak in the north-east of the country.

Officials said the Italian team was at the base camp of Dolma Khang peak, which has an elevation of 6,332m (20,774ft), in Dolakha district.

Three other Italian climbers have been confirmed dead this week, including in an avalanche that struck close to Dolma Khang on Monday.

A senior Italian diplomat from neighbouring India has arrived in Kathmandu to coordinate with the Nepalese authorities and search teams.

Nepal has been hit by avalanches and ferocious storms in the past week, killing and injuring a number of climbers and their local guides.

"At this stage, the local authorities have confirmed the deaths of three Italian climbers," Rome's foreign ministry said in a statement on Wednesday.

"There remains no news of seven other Italian nationals, including Marco Di Marcello and Markus Kircheler."

The foreign ministry said both Mr Marcello and Mr Kircheler were in the Yalung Ri area, where Monday's avalanche struck. Italian Paolo Cocco was among seven climbers who were already confirmed to have died near the Yalung Ri base camp.

On Tuesday, Mr Marcello's family told Italy's Ansa news agency that his satellite radio signal was continuing to update and appeared to be moving.

A Nepali tourism official, Ram Krishna Lamichhane, told the BBC they had been in contact with rescue teams searching the base camp at Dolma Khang peak, which was hit by an avalanche.

"According to the information we have, five people, including three foreign climbers and two Nepali guides, are missing in the Dolma Khang base camp area," Mr Lamichhane said.

There have been conflicting reports about the number of dead and missing climbers in the area in recent days, as well as their nationalities.

Mr Lamichhane added that they were also coordinating with the trekking agency that had organised their expedition to Dolma Khang to find out more details on the missing.

As well as Paolo Cocco, the bodies of two other Italian climbers who went missing while attempting to scale the Panbari peak in western Nepal have also been recovered.

Stefano Farronato and Alessandro Caputo were part of a three-man group that became stranded along with three local guides last week.

The group had been granted permission to climb the 6,887m peak, but were reported missing when they lost contact with the base camp following heavy snowfall on 28 October.

The third member of the group, another Italian man, was rescued along with one sherpa.

Autumn is a popular season for trekkers and mountaineers in Nepal as weather conditions and visibility have tended to be better. However, the risk of severe weather and avalanches remains.

Last week, Cyclone Montha triggered heavy rain and snowfall across Nepal, stranding people in the Himalayas.

Several contestants have walked out of a Miss Universe event after an official from host nation Thailand publicly berated Miss Mexico in a tense confrontation.

At a pre-pageant ceremony, Miss Universe Thailand director Nawat Itsaragrisil told off Fatima Bosch in front of dozens of contestants for failing to post promotional content.

When she objected, Mr Itsaragrisil called security and threatened to disqualify those supporting her. Ms Bosch then left the room and others joined her in solidarity.

Video of the incident, which was live streamed, has been shared online. The Miss Universe Organisation (MUO) has condemned Mr Itsaragrisil's "malicious" behaviour, for which he has since apologised.

The Miss Universe contestants, who are the winners of national pageants in their home countries, attended Tuesday's event in their sashes and gowns.

Some can be heard shouting back at Mr Itsaragrisil in the video, after he raises his voice to reprimand Ms Bosch and repeatedly tells her to stop talking.

As many of them stand to show support, Mr Itsaragrisil says: "If anyone wants to continue the contest, sit down. If you step out, the rest of the girls continue."

Despite this, the majority of the women in the video appear standing, with several heading towards the door.

After leaving the event on Tuesday, Ms Bosch told the press the 60-year-old executive was "not respectful" and said he had called her "dumb".

Mr Itsaragrisil has disputed this, claiming his words had been misunderstood.

He is widely reported to have called the 25-year-old a "dumbhead". But at a press conference he later claimed he was saying she had caused "damage".

His conduct prompted a stern rebuke from the MUO, which has sent a delegation of international executives to take over running the competition.

In a video statement, MUO President Raul Rocha said Mr Itsaragrisil had "forgotten the true meaning of what it means to be a genuine host".

He said the Thai official had "humiliated, insulted and showed a lack of respect" to Ms Bosch, and committed the "serious abuse of having called security to intimidate a defenceless woman".

Mr Itsaragrisil's participation in the pageant would be limited "as much as possible" or eliminated entirely, he said, adding the MUO would be taking "legal actions" against him.

"I wish to reiterate that Miss Universe is an empowerment platform for women so that their voices can be heard in the world," Mr Rocha said.

Among those to walk out on Tuesday was reigning Miss Universe Victoria Kjaer Theilvig of Denmark.

"This is about women's rights," she said as she left the event. "This is not how things should be handled. To trash another girl is beyond disrespectful... That's why I'm taking my coat and I'm walking out."

Ms Bosch later said in an interview: "I just want to let my country know, I'm not afraid to make my voice heard. It's here stronger than ever. I have a purpose. I have things to say.

"We're in the 21st century. I'm not a doll to be made up, styled and have my clothes changed," she added.

"I came here to be a voice for all the women and all the girls who fight for causes and to tell my country that I'm completely committed to that."

Video of Mr Itsaragrisil has outraged fans of the pageant, with many heavily criticising his actions and praising Ms Bosch's response.

In a social media video statement, Mr Itsaragrisil said: "If anyone feels bad, uncomfortable, or affected, I apologise to everyone. I especially apologised to the girls who were present, around 75 of them."

The Miss Universe competition has pressed on despite this controversy, with contestants taking part in a welcome event in Bangkok on Wednesday.

The winner will be crowned the new Miss Universe on 21 November.

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."

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.

Mr Zada did not respond to the BBC's questions.

• Criminal network behind UK mini-marts enables migrants to work illegally - BBC investigation

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.

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.

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

An Algerian man has been mistakenly released from prison in London, police have said.

A Met Police spokesperson said officers were carrying out "urgent enquiries" to locate the 24-year-old man, who was released in error from HMP Wandsworth last Wednesday.

It comes after migrant sex offender Hadush Kebatu was also released from prison by mistake last month.

The Ethiopian national, who arrived in the UK on a small boat, was jailed for sexually assaulting a 14-year-old girl and a woman while living in an asylum hotel in Epping, Essex.

During Prime Minister's Questions Justice Secretary David Lammy, who was standing in for Sir Keir Starmer, was repeatedly asked whether any other asylum-seeking offender had been accidentally let out of prison since Kebatu was released but refused to answer.

Shortly after PMQs ended, the Met Police released a statement revealing another foreign prisoner had been released by mistake last Wednesday.

A Met Police spokesperson said: "Shortly after 13:00hrs on Tuesday 4 November, the Met was informed by the Prison Service that a prisoner had been released in error from HMP Wandsworth on Wednesday, 29 October.

"The prisoner is a 24-year-old Algerian man.

"Officers are carrying out urgent enquiries in an effort to locate him and return him to custody."

Reacting to the news, Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander told the BBC's Politics Live programme: "One release in error is one too many, and I understand why people will be concerned about this.

"I would expect the Metropolitan Police to be conducting a manhunt at the moment, frankly, to find this individual, because they shouldn't be at large."

She added: "I suspect that after Prime Minister's Questions, David Lammy will be going straight back to the Ministry of Justice, and asking some very tough questions indeed of his officials about what has happened."

A company linked to Baroness Michelle Mone and her husband Doug Barrowman owes £39m in tax on top of the £148m it was ordered to pay the government for breaching a contract to supply PPE.

Documents filed by PPE Medpro's administrator on Tuesday revealed the figure owed to His Majesty's Revenue and Customs (HMRC).

Last month a court ruled the company breached a contract to supply medical gowns during the Covid pandemic because they did not meet certification requirements for sterility.

HMRC and the administrators declined to comment.

PPE Medpro was put into administration last month, and Health Secretary Wes Streeting said the government would pursue the company "with everything we've got" to recover the cash.

PPE Medpro has £672,774 available to unsecured creditors, far less than the money owed to the DHSC, the administrators' filings show.

They also reveal that the debt to the government is even bigger than previously known.

During the outbreak of the Covid pandemic in 2020, the government scrambled to secure supplies of PPE as the country went into lockdown and hospitals across the country were reporting shortages of clothing and accessories to protect medics from the virus.

In May that year, PPE Medpro was set up by a consortium led by Baroness Mone's husband, Doug Barrowman, and won its first government contract to supply masks through a so-called VIP lane after being recommended by Baroness Mone.

The Department of Health and Social Care sued PPE Medpro and won damages over claims the company breached its contract to supply medical gowns.

Mr Barrowman told the BBC in an interview in 2023 that he was the ultimate beneficial owner of PPE Medpro. The shares are held in the name of an accountant, Arthur Lancaster, according to Companies House documents.

In that same interview he admitted receiving more than £60m in profits from PPE Medpro.

Baroness Mone, best known for founding the lingerie company Ultimo, admitted that millions of pounds from those profits were put into a trust from which she and her children stood to benefit.

An Isle of Man company linked to Mr Barrowman, Angelo (PTC), has a secured debt of £1m to the PPE Medpro, which means it is likely to rank ahead of government creditors when it comes to paying out whatever cash can be recovered from the company.

The administrators' report says it expects there will be enough money to repay this in full.

Filings in the Isle of Man show the beneficial owner of Angelo (PTC) is Knox House Trust, part of Barrowman's Knox group of companies.

Arthur Lancaster and a spokesperson for Doug Barrowman did not respond to requests for comment.

People around the world have been able to catch a glimpse of the Beaver supermoon as it rose on Wednesday.

The largest, brightest Moon of the year has been shining in all its glory in the areas lucky enough to have a clear sky.

Wednesday's supermoon is bigger and brighter than earlier supermoons this year due to the fact that it is the closest full Moon to Earth.

This happens because the Moon does not orbit the Earth in a perfect circle - its axis of orbit more closely resembles an oval.

The name Beaver Moon follows a longstanding tradition of nicknaming supermoons.

While there is some disagreement as to the origins of the name, some sources attribute it to First Nations tribes in North America historically setting beaver traps in November.

The last supermoon of the year will follow this month's Beaver Moon, taking place on 4 December.

Photographers across the globe have been sharing their photos while out and about capturing the supermoon.

Top image shows a man tending to his horse against the moonrise as the beaver supermoon appears in Sarikamis, Turkey

Manhunts are under way after two men were mistakenly released from Wandsworth prison in London in the past week.

The first, released last Wednesday, is Brahim Kaddour-Cherif, a 24-year-old Algerian man and a sex offender.

The second is William Smith, who had been jailed for fraud on Monday, the same day he was subsequently released in error.

It comes after the accidental release of Hadush Kebatu, a migrant sex offender, last month due to what was described as "human error" at HMP Chelmsford.

Here is what we know.

• Follow live: Wandsworth Prison admits mistakenly releasing two prisoners

What happened?

Brahim Kaddour-Cherif was "released in error" seven days ago on Wednesday 29 October, the Metropolitan Police says.

The force said it was not told about the mistake by HMP Wandsworth until Tuesday 4 November.

"Officers are carrying out urgent enquiries in an effort to locate him and return him to custody," a police spokesperson said.

On Monday, Surrey Police appealed for help to find 35-year-old William Smith, who was also mistakenly released from Wandsworth. He was released on the same day he had been sentenced to 45 months in prison for multiple fraud offences.

Who is Brahim Kaddour-Cherif?

Brahim Kaddour-Cherif is a 24-year-old Algerian man and is not an asylum seeker.

The Met confirmed he is a registered sex offender and was convicted of indecent exposure in November 2024, relating to an incident in March that year.

He was sentenced to an 18-month community order and placed on the sex offenders' register for five years.

He is believed to have links to Tower Hamlets and was also known to frequent the Westminster area, the police said.

Kaddour-Cherif is understood to have entered the UK legally on a visitor's visa but has now overstayed that and is in the initial stages of the deportation process.

Who is William Smith?

William Smith, who goes by Billy, was released on Monday, Surrey Police said.

He was sentenced to 45 months for multiple fraud offences at Croydon Crown Court on Monday. He appeared via a live video link from HMP Wandsworth.

Smith is described by police as white, bald, and clean shaven.

He was last seen wearing a navy long sleeve jumper with the Nike brand 'tick' across the front in white, navy blue tracksuit bottoms with a Nike 'tick' in white on the left pocket, and black trainers.

Smith has links to Woking but could be anywhere in Surrey, the force said.

How were they mistakenly released?

We know very little at this stage about why or how Kaddour-Cherif was mistakenly released.

We also do not know why the police were not told about the error in releasing him for almost a week.

Multiple prison sources say the process of release is complex and bureaucratic, and sometimes errors are made, including in calculations over time served.

As for Smith, the BBC understands he was released as a result of a clerical error at the court level.

He was given a custodial sentence but it was entered in the computer system as a suspended sentence.

This was spotted and corrected by the court but the correction was sent to the wrong person.

How did the news come out?

During Prime Minister's Questions (PMQs) Justice Secretary and Deputy Prime Minister David Lammy, who was standing in for Sir Keir Starmer, was repeatedly asked by shadow justice secretary James Cartlidge whether any further asylum-seeking offenders had accidentally released from prison since Epping sex offender Hadush Kebatu last month.

Lammy repeatedly refused to directly answer the question but towards the end of the session it emerged that a prisoner had been mistakenly released. This referred to Kaddour-Cherif.

BBC political editor Chris Mason said he was told Lammy was aware of the incident going into PMQs, but not whether the man was an asylum seeker.

What happened when?

29 October: Brahim Kaddour-Cherif is mistakenly released from HMP Wandsworth

3 November: William Smith is sentenced to 45 months in prison. Later the same day he is mistakenly released from HMP Wandsworth

13:00 on 4 November: Six days later, the Prison Service informs the Metropolitan Police that the prisoner had been released in error on 29 October

Overnight into 5 November: Justice Secretary David Lammy is informed about the accidental release

Around 11:45 on 5 November: The Conservatives reportedly find out that a wrongly released prisoner is at large

12:00 on 5 November: Lammy repeatedly refuses to answer when asked by shadow justice secretary James Cartlidge whether any more asylum seekers had been wrongly released since the high-profile case of an Epping sex offender last month

12:43 on 5 November: Cartlidge tells the House of Commons that a second imprisoned asylum seeker had been mistakenly freed - Lammy declined to respond

13:41 on 5 November: Lammy releases a statement saying he is "outraged and appalled by the foreign criminal wanted by the police" and promises that an "urgent manhunt" is under way

16:43 on 5 November: Metropolitan Police puts out an appeal for Kaddour-Cherif and says "urgent" inquiries are ongoing

What has been said about it?

While he did not comment directly on the case during PMQs afterwards Justice Secretary David Lammy said he was "absolutely outraged" and that his officials have been "working through the night to take [Kaddour-Cherif] back to prison".

Shadow home secretary Chris Philp said it was "shocking that once again the Labour government has mistakenly allowed a foreign criminal to be released from prison".

He added that Lammy's PMQs appearance was "nothing short of disgraceful" and accused him of being "dishonest" with the public and parliament.

Philp later made a point of order calling for Lammy to come back to answer questions on the matter.

Sir Keir Starmer's spokesman said the latest error was "unacceptable" and would be investigated.

The Liberal Democrats' justice spokesperson Jess Brown-Fuller is calling for Lammy to return to the House of Commons to explain "why he failed to answer" questions on whether another prisoner had been mistakenly released during PMQs.

Reform UK leader Nigel Farage has called the incident a "farce".

Rosena Allin-Khan, the Labour MP for Tooting - where the prison is located - said: "Local residents will quite rightly be deeply concerned. We urgently need answers from the government and Ministry of Justice as to how this was allowed to happen."

The MP for Woking has told BBC Radio Surrey it's "completely unacceptable" that another prisoner - with links to the area - has been accidentally released from HMP Wandsworth.

Lib Dem Will Forster, MP for Woking, said it was "completely unacceptable" that William Smith had been released accidentally.

"It's utterly unacceptable that my constituents in Woking are going to be worried about their safety due to the government wrongly releasing three prisoners in a matter of a week," he said.

What do we know about HMP Wandsworth?

Wandsworth Prison is a Victorian-era facility in south London.

Built in 1851, the complex was originally constructed to house fewer than 1,000 prisoners.

An August 2024 report by the prison's independent monitoring board found inmate numbers in the "cramped, squalid" prison, had grown to 1,513.

"Wings were chaotic and staff across most units were unable to confirm where all prisoners were during the working day," the report said.

The board added it was unable to conduct prisoner roll checks because staff could not provide accurate numbers and that a third of officers were not available for operational duty on any given day due to sickness, restricted duties or training.

In April, the HM Inspectorate of Prisons noted the population had been reduced by 150, and other "limited and fragile" improvements had been made.

In 2023 the prison was in the headlines after former British soldier Daniel Khalife escaped by clinging to the underside of a lorry.

Donald Trump's sweeping use of tariffs in the first nine months of his second term was sharply questioned during oral arguments before the Supreme Court on Wednesday.

Chief Justice John Roberts, and justices Amy Coney Barrett and Neil Gorsuch – three conservative jurists considered swing votes in this case - peppered US Solicitor General John Sauer, representing the president's administration, during his more than 45 minutes before the court.

They were joined by the court's three liberal justices, who also expressed scepticism about whether federal law – and the US Constitution – give the president authority to unilaterally set tariff levels on foreign imports.

"The justification is being used for power to impose tariffs on any product from any country in any amount, for any length of time," Roberts said.

If the court ruled for Trump in this case, Gorsuch wondered: "What would prohibit Congress from just abdicating all responsibility to regulate foreign commerce?"

He added that he was "struggling" to find a reason to buy Sauer's arguments.

The case centres around a 1977 law, the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA), that Trump's lawyers have said gives the president the power to impose tariffs. Although the Constitution specifically vests Congress with tariff authority, Trump has claimed that the legislature delegated "emergency" authority to him to bypass longer, established processes.

Sauer asserted that the nation faced unique crises – ones that were "country-killing and not sustainable" - that necessitated emergency action by the president. He warned that if Trump's tariff powers were ruled illegal, it would expose the US to "ruthless trade retaliation" and lead to "ruinous economic and national security consequences.

Trump first invoked IEEPA in February to tax goods from China, Mexico and Canada, saying drug trafficking from those countries constituted an emergency.

He deployed it again in April, ordering levies from 10% to 50% on goods from almost every country in the world. This time, he said the US trade deficit - where the US imports more than it exports - posed an "extraordinary and unusual threat".

• What happens if the Supreme Court rules Trump's 'reciprocal' tariffs illegal?
• India-US sign 10-year defence pact amid tariff turmoil
• Trump hails 'amazing' meeting with China's Xi but no formal trade deal agreed

Those tariffs took hold in fits and starts this summer while the US pushed countries to strike "deals".

Lawyers for the challenging states and private groups have contended that while the IEEPA gave the president power to regulate trade, it made no mention of the word "tariffs"

Neil Katyal, making the case for the private businesses, said it was "implausible" that Congress "handed the president the power to overhaul the entire tariff system and the American economy in the process, allowing him to set and reset tariffs on any and every product from any and every country, at any and all times."

He also challenged whether the issues cited by the White House, especially the trade deficit, represent the kind of emergencies the law envisioned.

Suppose America faced the threat of war from a "very powerful enemy", Samuel Alito - another conservative justice – asked. "Could a president under this provision impose a tariff to stave off war?"

Katyal said that a president could impose an embargo or a quota, but a revenue-raising tariff was a step too far.

For Sauer, this was a false choice. Presidents, he said, have broad powers over national security and foreign policy – powers that the challengers want to infringe on.

A key question could be whether the court determines whether Trump's tariffs are a tax.

Several justices pointed out that the power to tax – to raise revenue – is explicitly given to Congress in the Constitution.

Sauer's reply was that Trump's tariffs are a means of regulating trade and that any revenue generated is "only incidental".

Of course, Trump himself has boasted about the billions his tariffs have generated so far and how essential this new stream of funding is to the federal government.

Treasury secretary Scott Bessent, who attended the hearing, made no comment when asked by the BBC what he thought of the hearing. Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick, also in court, flashed a thumbs-up.

US Trade Envoy Jamieson Greer was in court, along with Minnesota Senator Amy Klobuchar, who said outside after arguments, that she was "hopeful" based on the questions asked that the court would overturn the tariffs.

"I thought they were very good questions," she said, describing tariffs as an "unconstitutional power grab" by the president.

If a majority of the Supreme Court rules in Trump's favour, it will overturn the findings of three lower courts that already ruled against the administration.

The decision, no matter how it works out, has implications for an estimated $90bn worth of import taxes already paid - roughly half the tariff revenue the US collected this year through September, according to Wells Fargo analysts.

Trump officials have warned that sum could swell to $1tn if the court takes until June to rule.

During oral arguments, Barrett grappled with the question of reimbursing such revenue, wondering if it would be a "complete mess".

Katyal responded by saying that small businesses might get refunds, but bigger companies would have to follow "administrative procedures". He admitted that it was a "very complicated thing".

In remarks on Wednesday, press secretary Karoline Leavett hinted that the administration already is looking at other ways to impose tariffs if the Supreme Court rules against them.

"The White House is always preparing for Plan B," she said. "It would be imprudent of the president's advisors not to prepare for such a situation."

From an embankment overlooking Gaza City, there's no hiding what this war has done.

The Gaza of maps and memories is gone, replaced by a monochrome landscape of rubble stretching flat and still for 180 degrees, from Beit Hanoun on one side to Gaza City on the other.

Beyond the distant shapes of buildings still standing inside Gaza City, there's almost nothing left to orient you here, or identify the neighbourhoods that once held tens of thousands of people.

This was one of the first areas Israeli ground troops entered in the early weeks of the war. Since then they have been back multiple times, as Hamas regrouped around its strongholds in the area.

Israel does not allow news organisations to report independently from Gaza. Today it took a group of journalists, including the BBC, into the area of the Strip occupied by Israeli forces.

The brief visit was highly controlled and offered no access to Palestinians, or other areas of Gaza.

Military censorship laws in Israel mean that military personnel were shown our material before publication. The BBC maintained editorial control of this report at all times.

Asked about the level of destruction in the area we visited, Israeli military spokesman Nadav Shoshani said it was "not a goal".

"The goal is to combat terrorists. Almost every house had a tunnel shaft or was booby-trapped or had an RPG [rocket-propelled grenade] or sniper station," he said.

"If you're driving fast, within a minute you can be inside of a living room of an Israeli grandmother or child. That's what happened on October 7."

More than 1,100 people were killed in the Hamas attacks on Israel on 7 October 2023, and 251 others taken hostage.

Since then, more than 68,000 Gazans have been killed, according to the Hamas-run Health Ministry there.

The bodies of several hostages had been found in this area, Lt Col Shoshani said, including that of Itay Chen, returned to Israel by Hamas this week. Searches are continuing for the missing bodies of another seven hostages.

The Israeli military base we travelled to is a few hundred metres from the yellow line – the temporary boundary set out in US President Donald Trump's peace plan, which divides the areas of Gaza still controlled by Israeli forces from the areas controlled by Hamas.

Israel's army has been gradually marking out the yellow line with blocks on the ground, as a warning to both Hamas fighters and civilians.

There are no demarcations along this part of the line yet - a soldier points it out to me, taking bearings from a small patch of sand between the grey crumbs of demolished buildings.

The ceasefire is almost a month old, but Israeli forces say they are still fighting Hamas gunmen along the yellow line "almost every day". The piles of bronze-coloured bullet casings mark the firing points on the embankments facing Gaza City.

Hamas has accused Israel of violating the ceasefire "hundreds of times", and Gaza's Hamas-run Health Ministry says more than 240 people have been killed as a result.

Col Shoshani said that Israeli forces were committed to the US-led peace plan, but that they would also make sure that Hamas no longer posed a threat to Israeli civilians, and would stay as long as necessary.

"It's very clear to everyone that Hamas is armed and trying to control Gaza," he said. "This is something that will be worked out, but we're far from that."

The next stage of the US-led plan requires Hamas to disarm and hand over power to a Palestinian committee overseen by international figures including President Trump.

But rather than give up its power and weapons, Col Shoshani said, Hamas was doing the opposite.

"Hamas is trying to arm itself, trying to assert dominance, assert control over Gaza," he told me. "It's killing people in broad daylight, to terrorise civilians and make sure they understand who is boss in Gaza. We hope this agreement is enough pressure to make sure Hamas disarms."

Israeli forces showed us a map of the tunnels they said that soldiers had found beneath the rubble we saw – "a vast network of tunnels, almost like spider's web" they said – some already destroyed, some still intact, and some they were still searching for.

What happens in the next stage of this peace deal is unclear.

The agreement has left Gaza in a tense limbo. Washington knows how fragile the situation is - the ceasefire has faltered twice already.

The US is pushing hard to move on from this volatile stand-off to a more durable peace. It has sent a draft resolution to UN Security Council members, seen by the BBC, which outlines a two-year mandate for an international stabilisation force to take over Gaza's security and disarm Hamas.

But details of this next stage of the deal are thin: it's not clear which countries would send troops to secure Gaza ahead of Hamas disarmament, when Israel's troops will withdraw, or how the members of Gaza's new technocratic administration will be appointed.

President Trump has outlined his vision of Gaza as a futuristic Middle Eastern hub, built with foreign investment. It's a far cry from where Gaza is today.

Largely destroyed by Israel, and seen as an investment by Trump, the question is not just who can stop the fighting, but how much say Gazans will have in the future of their communities and lands.