The prime suspect in the high-profile case of Madeleine McCann's disappearance has been released from prison in Germany, where he has been serving a sentence for an unrelated offence.

Christian Brückner was driven out of jail by his lawyer. He wasn't visible in the car but police confirmed he left Sehnde Prison.

He had been convicted of raping an elderly woman in Praia da Luz in Portugal in 2005 and will be fitted with an ankle tag after his release from Sehnde Prison near Hanover.

The German national, 48, has never been charged with any crime in relation to the McCann case. He denies any involvement.

Madeleine vanished in the Portuguese resort of Praia da Luz in 2007. She and her siblings had been left sleeping in a holiday apartment while her parents, Kate and Gerry, went to a nearby restaurant.

Madeleine's disappearance has become one of the highest-profile unsolved missing person cases in the world.

German prosecutors have pointed to evidence - including mobile phone data - indicating Brückner may have been in the area when she vanished, and have consistently insisted that they think he is responsible.

However, they have not found strong enough evidence to bring charges.

Brückner, who spent many years in the Algarve, was a drifter, a petty criminal and a convicted sex offender. He has several previous convictions, including for sexually abusing children in 1994 and 2016.

Portuguese and German police conducted a fresh search between where the McCanns had been staying and addresses linked to Brückner in June this year, but this yielded no breakthroughs.

In 2023, investigators carried out searches near the Barragem do Arade reservoir, about 30 miles from Praia da Luz.

Brückner spent time in the Praia da Luz area between 2000 and 2017 and had photographs and videos of himself near the reservoir.

In October last year, Brückner was cleared of unrelated sexual offences by a German court, alleged to have taken place in Portugal between 2000 and 2017.

Due to differences in legal systems, German authorities suspect Brückner of murder in relation to Madeleine McCann, while British police continue to treat her disappearance as a missing persons case.

The funding given to the Met's investigation, Operation Grange, has totalled more than £13.2m since 2011. A further £108,000 was secured from the government in April.

No migrant return flights will take place on Tuesday under the new pilot scheme agreed between the UK and France, the BBC has learned.

The first returns of migrants who reached the UK on small boats via the English Channel from France were expected to begin from as early as Tuesday.

Downing Street has insisted that the removals will begin "imminently" - although initial plans for a flight to Paris today were put back.

On Tuesday, a 25-year-old Eritrean man who arrived on a small boat in August launched a last-minute legal claim at the High Court to stop his removal on a 9am flight to France on Wednesday.

The 'one in, one out' scheme was set up as part of a deal announced by Prime Minister Keir Starmer and French President Emmanuel Macron in July this year. Dozens of migrants have been detained since.

On Tuesday, No 10 said the government was "confident in the legal basis for this pilot" and is "prepared to respond to any legal scrutiny that occurs".

Over the last fortnight, some migrants being held in immigration removal centres, having crossed the Channel in dinghies, were told they could be returned to France as early as Tuesday.

Some individuals received letters that said they would be put on a scheduled Air France flight departing from Heathrow Airport for Paris at 9am this morning.

However, a number of sources told the BBC that some of the potential passengers had been told their departure would be deferred as further representations about their cases were made.

It is not unusual for immigration removals to be delayed if officials are warned by lawyers that the individual has not had a full or fair opportunity to present their case.

On Tuesday, the first legal challenge against the 'one in one out' agreement was launched in the High Court in London, where lawyers argued against the removal of their unnamed Eritrean client.

Sonali Naik KC said a decision was pending under the national referral mechanism decision - which identifies and assesses victims of slavery and human trafficking.

Under the new treaty, France agreed to take back adults or accompanied children who make a journey to the UK by small boat, once any asylum claim is withdrawn or declared inadmissible.

For each person sent back to France, the UK will accept someone with a case for protection as a refugee, who has not tried to cross the English Channel and can pass security and eligibility criteria.

The BBC understands that migrants living in the Calais region who have applied to the scheme have been rejected - but asylum seekers in the Paris region have been accepted.

The government has not confirmed how many people a week will be returned or relocated under the scheme, but former home secretary Yvette Cooper stressed that it was operating on a trial basis.

Other factors that may have played a part in the delay include whether France is ready to receive returnees, and on the UK side, the state of security checks of any potential genuine refugees.

The Home Office began detaining some small boat migrants on 6 August on the basis that they were ineligible for asylum because they had spent time in a safe third country.

Under the scheme, officials in London refer each potential return case to French officials. The French authorities then have two weeks to respond - before beginning the process of proposing who should come to the UK in their place.

The scheme is one of a number of measures unveiled by the government which aim to tackle small boat crossings.

However, the Conservatives have argued it will not see enough migrants deported to act as a significant deterrent.

Ministers have not put a figure on how many people will be returned to France under the pilot.

More than 30,000 people have crossed the Channel in small boats so far this year.

It is the earliest point in a calendar year this figure has been passed since data on crossings was first reported in 2018.

Celebrated children's writer Robert Munsch has been approved for medically assisted dying in Canada.

Munsch, whose 85 published books include The Paper Bag Princess and Love You Forever, was diagnosed with dementia in 2021 and also has Parkinson's disease.

The author told the New York Times Magazine that he had not decided a date for his death, but said he would go "when I start having real trouble talking and communicating. Then I'll know."

Canada first legalised euthanasia in 2016 for people with terminal illnesses. In 2021, the law was changed to include those with serious and chronic physical conditions, even in non-life threatening circumstances.

Munsch has sold more than 80 million copies of his books in North America alone and they have been translated into at least 20 language - including Arabic, Spanish and Anishinaabemowin, an indigenous North American language.

In 1999, Munsch was made a member of the Order of Canada. A decade later, he received a star of Canada's Walk of Fame in Toronto.

In the interview with the New York Times Magazine, Munsch said his decision was influenced by watching his brother die from Lou Gehrig's disease, also known as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) - the most common form of motor neurone disease (MND).

Munsch said: "They kept him alive through all these interventions. I thought, let him die."

In Canada, people over 18 must meet several requirements to be eligible for assisted dying.

They include having a "serious and incurable illness", making a "voluntary request that is not the result of external pressure" and be in an "advanced state of irreversible decline in capability".

Two independent doctors or nurse practitioners must then assess the patient to confirm that all of the eligibility requirements are met.

Scholastic, Munsch's publisher, said in a statement on Instagram that his decision to speak publicly about medically assisted dying "reminds us, once again, why Robert's work continues to touch many generations".

Munsch's daugher, Julie, posted on Facebook that her father's decision to pursue medically assisted dying was made five years ago.

Julie called the New York Times Magazine interview "great", but added that "nowhere does it say my dad isn't doing well, nor that he's going to die anytime soon".

According to Canadian law, the person must be able to actively consent on the day of his death.

"I have to pick the moment when I can still ask for it," he said in the interview.

Medically assisted dying accounted for 4.7% of deaths in Canada in 2023 - the most recent official government statistics.

Some 96 per cent of the 15,300 people that underwent assisted dying in 2023 had a death deemed "reasonably forseeable", due to severe medical conditions like cancer.

The wheat fields outside Seqalbia, near the Syrian city of Hama, should be golden and heavy with grain.

Instead, Maher Haddad's 40 dunums (10 acres) are dry and empty, barely yielding a third of their usual harvest.

"This year was disastrous due to drought," said the 46-year-old farmer, reflecting on the land that cost him more to sow than it gave back.

His fields delivered only 190kg (418 lbs) of wheat per dunum - far below the 400-500kg he relies on in a normal year.

"We haven't recovered what we spent on agriculture; we've lost money. I can't finance next year and I can't cover the cost of food and drink," Mr Haddad told the BBC.

With two teenage daughters to feed, he is now borrowing money from relatives to survive.

Mr Haddad's struggle is echoed across Syria, where the worst drought in 36 years has slashed wheat harvests by 40% and is pushing a country - where nearly 90% of the population already lives in poverty - to the brink of a wider food crisis.

A report from the United Nations' Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) estimates Syria will face a wheat shortfall of 2.73m tonnes this year, the equivalent of annual dietary needs for 16.25 million people.

Without more food aid or the ability to import wheat, Syria's hunger crisis is set to worsen dramatically, warned Piro Tomaso Perri, FAO's senior programme officer for Syria.

"Food insecurity could reach unprecedented levels by late 2025 into mid-2026," he said, noting that more than 14 million Syrians - six in 10 people - are already struggling to eat enough. Of those, 9.1 million face acute hunger, including 1.3 million in severe conditions, while 5.5 million risk sliding into crisis without urgent intervention.

The same report showed rainfall has dropped by nearly 70%, crippling 75% of Syria's rain-fed farmland.

"This is the difference between families being able to stay in their communities or being forced to migrate," Mr Perri said. "For urban households, it means rising bread prices. For rural families, it means the collapse of their livelihoods."

Farming families are already selling livestock to supplement lost incomes from wheat, reducing their number of daily meals, and there has been a rise in malnutrition rates among children and pregnant women.

Yet, the implications of the drought stretch far beyond the thousands of kilometres of barren farmlands.

Wheat is a staple crop in Syria. It is the main ingredient for bread and pasta - two food staples that should be low cost foods to families. So with the lack of wheat supply, the cost goes up.

For 39-year-old widow Sanaa Mahamid, affording bread has become a massive struggle.

With six children between the ages of nine and 20, she relies on the wages of two sons, but their salaries are not enough to cover the family's basic expenses.

"Sometimes we borrow money just to buy bread," she said.

Last year, a bag of bread cost Sanna 500 Syrian pounds ($4.1; £3; €3.5), but now it is 4,500 Syrian pounds. To feed her family, Sanaa needs two bags a day - an expense of 9,000 pounds, before accounting for any other food.

"This is too much. This is just bread, and we still need other things," she said. "If the price of bread rises again, this will be a big problem. The most important thing is bread."

The crisis is a challenge for interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa, as his administration works to rebuild Syria in the aftermath of the 14-year conflict and the removal of former leader Bashar al-Assad in December 2024.

International agencies, like the UN World Food Programme (WFP), are rushing to step in alongside the government to provide bread subsidies for those at risk of facing severe food insecurity.

But aid officials warn that subsidies are only a temporary fix, and that the long-term stability of Syria depends on whether farmers can stay on their land and sustain production.

"We're trying to keep people in the farming game," Marianne Ward, the WFP's country director for Syria, said. She has worked to give $8m (£6m; €6.9m) in direct payments to small farmers - about 150,000 people - who lost all of their crops.

"If you're not going to make money, you're going to leave the land. And then you're not going to have people who are going to be working in the agriculture sector which is essential for the economy," she said

But after more than a decade of war, Syria's agricultural sector was already battered by economic collapse, destroyed irrigation systems, and mined fields.

Dr Ali Aloush, the agriculture director for the Deir al-Zour region, Syria's breadbasket, said wheat fields needed to be irrigated four to six times per season, but that due to lack of rain, most farmers could not keep up.

"The farmer's primary concern is first securing water and water requires fuel. The fuel price skyrocketed. It reached to 11,000 to 12,000 Syrian pounds per litre," Dr Aloush said.

The high price of fuel and power cuts meant water pumps were out of reach, and many growers were already burdened with debt.

Dr Aloush says a priority for his department and the transitional government in Damascus is putting money into irrigation projects - like solar powered drips - that will make water more accessible to farmers.

But projects like that take time and money - luxuries wheat farmers do not currently have.

So for millions of Syrians across the country, there is only one thing to do in the coming months: pray for rain.

Additional reporting by Lana Antaki in Damascus

The man accused of fatally shooting Charlie Kirk confessed to killing the right-wing activist in a message to his roommate, prosecutors have alleged, as they announced seven charges against him.

Tyler Robinson, 22, left a note under a keyboard for his roommate to discover, said Utah County Attorney Jeffrey Gray. He added that the roommate was Mr Robinson's romantic partner.

According to Mr Gray, the note said: "I had the opportunity to take out Charlie Kirk, and I'm going to take it."

The prosecutor also shared text messages between the roommates, including one in which the defendant allegedly said he shot Kirk because he had "had enough of his hatred".

The suspect is being held without bail in a special housing unit at the Utah County Jail. He made his first court appearance on Tuesday, appearing remotely as prosecutors read the seven charges against him.

The charges are aggravated murder, felony discharge of a firearm, two counts of obstruction of justice, two counts of witness tampering, and committing a violent crime when children are present.

They also said they would seek the death penalty over the shooting of Kirk, who was killed by a single gunshot fired from a rooftop as he was speaking at Utah Valley University on Wednesday.

Arrested last week after a 33-hour manhunt, Mr Robinson has not entered a plea or confessed to police. Mr Gray also stressed that the suspect is innocent until proven guilty and will face trial by jury.

He unveiled a trove of evidence at a news conference on Tuesday, including the defendant's alleged confession and DNA found on the trigger of the rifle suspected to have been used in the crime.

An alleged hidden confession

Describing the alleged hidden note at a news conference earlier on Tuesday, Mr Gray said Mr Robinson had sent a text message to his roommate reading: "Drop what you're doing, look under my keyboard."

After reading the apparent confession, the roommate, who has not been named and is co-operating with investigators, replied: "What?????????????? You're joking, right????"

• Read full message thread between suspect and roommate
• Who is Tyler Robinson?
• Kirk shooting suspect appeared to confess on Discord
• 'We knew the family': Utah town in disbelief

Mr Gray cited further lengthy text message exchanges between Mr Robinson and his roommate, whom he described as his romantic partner. Authorities have said the roommate is transgender and transitioning from male to female.

In one exchange, the roommate asked Mr Robinson why he had killed Kirk.

"'I had enough of his hatred,'" Mr Gray cited the messages as saying. "'Some hate can't be negotiated out.'"

Mr Robinson also allegedly wrote: "To be honest I had hoped to keep this secret till I died of old age. I am sorry to involve you."

The roommate replied: "you weren't the one who did it right????"

Mr Robinson replied: "I am, I'm sorry."

Suspect's parents confronted him

Mr Gray also gave more detail about how Mr Robinson's parents became suspicious that their son may have been involved in Charlie Kirk's killing.

He said Mr Robinson's mother had seen a video of the suspect released a day after the shooting and told her husband it looked like their son. She confronted Mr Robinson over the phone about the resemblance, Mr Gray said, but he told her he had been home sick on the day of the shooting.

The father later confronted Mr Robinson, who responded by implying he might take his own life, the prosecutor said.

Mr Robinson was eventually persuaded to come to his parents' house and while there, allegedly hinted he was the attacker. He then said he wanted to "end it" rather than go to jail, Mr Gray said.

With the help of a family friend, who is a retired deputy sheriff, his parents convinced him to surrender to police and he was arrested late on Thursday - 33 hours after the shooting.

The suspect also allegedly told his parents that "there is too much evil and the guy spreads too much hate", in a reference to Kirk, according to the indictment.

Mr Robinson's mother told investigators her son had become more political in recent years, Mr Gray said, becoming more supportive of gay and transgender rights and entering a relationship with a transgender person.

But the prosecutor declined to answer when asked if Kirk had been targeted for his transgender views. "That is for a jury to decide," he said.

Mr Gray said Kirk was answering a question about mass shootings carried out by transgender individuals when the gunshot rang out. The bullet struck Kirk in the neck and he immediately slumped to the ground.

The bullet passed closely by other people, including nearby children and the person who asked Kirk the question, he said.

DNA on the rifle trigger

Mr Gray said the suspect's DNA had been found on the trigger of the rifle used in the shooting.

He also said Mr Robinson's father had suspected the weapon matched a bolt-action rifle that had once belonged to the suspect's grandfather. He contacted Mr Robinson after the shooting and asked him to send a photo of the rifle but he did not reply, Mr Gray said.

The suspect also detailed his movements after the shooting in messages sent to his roommate.

"I had planned to grab my rifle from my drop point shortly after, but most of that side of town got locked down," he wrote, according to prosecutors.

"Going to attempt to retrieve it again, hopefully they have moved on. I haven't seen anything about them finding it," another message allegedly read.

"I can get close to it but there is a squad car parked right by it."

Mr Robinson is also charged with witness tampering, prosecutors said, because he directed his partner to delete their messages and stay silent if questioned.

Thousands of families are attempting to flee Gaza City as the Israeli military confirms it has begun ground operations that are part of its large-scale assault aimed at occupying the city.

Lina al-Maghrebi, 32, a mother of three from the city's Sheikh Radwan neighbourhood told the BBC she had resisted leaving her home - despite the danger - until she received a phone call from an Israeli officer ordering her to evacuate.

"I was forced to sell my jewellery to cover the cost of displacement and a tent," she said. "It took us ten hours to reach Khan Younis, and we paid 3,500 shekels (£735) for the ride. The line of cars and trucks seemed endless."

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said a "powerful operation" had been launched in Gaza City, which he described as Hamas's last major stronghold.

The Israeli military has designated al-Rashid coastal road as the only permitted route for civilians to use to evacuate. Many have described severe congestion, endless queues of cars and trucks, and long delays, with families stranded on the roadside while airstrikes continue overhead.

Nivin Imad al-Din, 38, a mother of five, said she fled south after Israeli warplanes dropped evacuation leaflets in her neighbourhood, though her husband refused to leave their home.

"I couldn't take my furniture with me because I couldn't afford the cost of a large truck," she explained. "Leaving everything behind was the hardest decision I've ever made."

The cost of displacement has surged far beyond the reach of most households. Residents said renting a small truck now costs around 3,000 shekels (£630), while a tent for five people sells for about 4,000 shekels (£840). With most families deprived of income since the war began, some are forced to walk for miles or remain in their homes despite the risks.

Overnight into Tuesday, Israeli warplanes carried out a wave of heavy airstrikes across Gaza City, with concentrated bombardment on the central al-Daraj neighbourhood, the Beach refugee camp in the west, and Sheikh Radwan in the north.

The attacks were accompanied by artillery fire, drone fire and helicopter gunship activity.

The Israel Defense Forces said it was "gradually" moving into Gaza City as part of the "next phase" of its offensive.

It said air and ground forces would be part of this next stage of the military's operation, with the number of troops increasing day-by-day.

Residents described the overnight strikes as "hell".

Ghazi al-Aloul, a displaced resident from northern Gaza, told the BBC he is now sleeping at the entrance of al-Quds Hospital in Tel al-Hawa, southwest Gaza.

"I did not choose this," he said. "I was forced after leaving the home where my family and I had been sheltering for nearly a month after fleeing the north".

"The bombardment has been insane for hours, and the army is threatening to demolish several residential buildings in the area."

Sami Abu Dalal, from al-Daraj in central Gaza, described the night as "extremely difficult".

"Whole residential blocks were levelled on top of their inhabitants, leaving many dead, missing, or injured," he said.

He said Israel was advancing on three fronts - and was accompanied by the use of booby-trapped vehicles, intense airstrikes, and heavy shelling. Meanwhile, Apache helicopters hovered over different parts of the city, firing continuously.

Israel's ramped up offensive comes as a United Nations commission of inquiry have released a report that says Israel is committing genocide against Palestinians in Gaza - Israel categorically rejected the report.

Romanian far-right former presidential candidate Calin Georgescu has been charged with attempting to stage a coup after the first round of the presidential election was annulled last December.

Horatiu Potra, a former French legionnaire and militia chief in the Democratic Republic of Congo, and 20 other people were also charged.

The case rests on a planned raid on the Romanian capital Bucharest on 8 December, which police foiled.

Romanian prosecutors describe a plot targeting Romania's constitutional order, involving Georgescu, Potra, their group, and alleged foreign intelligence links.

• How meddling blamed on Russia exploited real grievances in Romania

Potra and others have been charged with instigating the coup, while Georgescu is accused of conspiring with Potra.

Prosecutors say Georgescu met Potra and other members of his group at a horse farm in December, soon after Georgescu's victory was annulled.

Georgescu initially denied that the meeting took place, but later admitted it after photographs were published in Romanian media. However he denies discussing plans to stage an insurrection.

In late February police raided several locations in Romania, uncovering a cache of weapons, gold and cash, with which it is alleged Potra's group were planning to stage a violent power grab.

Prosecutors say Potra is currently not in the country and may seek asylum in Russia.

Georgescu, 63, came a surprise first in the first round of Romania's presidential election last November.

That result was annulled by the Constitutional Court just days before the second round was due to take place amid allegations of Russian interference.

Romanian intelligence services suggested his presence and popularity on social media had been boosted by a mass influence operation – conducted from abroad – to interfere with the result of the vote.

At a press conference, prosecutor general Florenta described the annulled 2024 election as "the result of a hybrid war orchestrated by Russia."

He alleged that cyberattacks on airports and public institutions coincided with an online disinformation campaign waged through troll farms, bots, and AI-generated content.

According to investigators, more than 2,000 Facebook pages were used to amplify pro-Georgescu messaging, while TikTok networks of over 20,000 automated accounts boosted his campaign in the days before the vote.

After Georgescu was barred from registering as a candidate his ally George Simion, the leader of the far-right AUR party, stood in his place in the May rerun.

Simion won a dramatic first-round victory but was eventually beaten into second place by Nicusor Dan, the liberal, pro-EU mayor of Bucharest, in the run-off.

Georgescu has not yet commented on the charges, although this month he accused the Romanian authorities of ruling through "deceit, intrigue and division".

President Dan said the report by prosecutors was "proof" that Russia had exercised "systematic disinformation" in Romania and had tried to influence the 2024 election.

A date for Georgescu's trial has not yet been given, but it could begin in early 2026.

Farmers in Zambia have filed an $80bn (£58.5bn) lawsuit against two Chinese-linked firms, blaming them for an "ecological catastrophe" caused by the collapse of a dam that stored waste from copper mining.

Million of litres of highly acidic material spilled into waterways in February, leading to "mass fatalities" among fish, making water undrinkable and destroying crops, the farmers said in court papers.

This is one of the biggest environmental lawsuits in Zambia's history, with the farmers saying the spillage affects about 300,000 households in the copper-mining region.

The US embassy issued a health alert in August, raising concerns of "widespread contamination of water and soil" in the area.

The lawsuit pits villagers, who are mostly subsistence farmers, against Sino Metals Leach Zambia and NFC Africa Mining, which are subsidiaries of Chinese state-owned firms.

A group of 176 of them have filed papers on behalf of their community in the High Court in Zambia's capital, Lusaka.

They alleged the collapse of the tailings dam - owned by Sino Metals Leach Zambia but located in the surface area of NFC Africa Mining - was caused by numerous factors, including engineering failures, construction flaws and operational mismanagement.

The firms have not yet commented on the lawsuit, but Sino Metals Leach Zambia has previously said there was a spillage of about 50,000 cubic metres.

"The tailings release and breach was promptly brought under control within hours of detection," the firm said in a statement on 3 September.

In the court papers the farmers said they had learned that the water was highly toxic only several days after the tailings dam had collapsed.

It had put the community's health at risk, with people reporting various symptoms of illnesses, including blood in urine and chest tightness, the papers said.

Most villages had dug wells, but even they were polluted and crops had to be burned because they were unsafe for consumption, the petitioners said.

They demanded that the two firms should put $80bn in a Zambian government-managed account as "security" for, among others, "environmental reparation" and "full compensation".

An emergency fund of $20m should also be set up to provide "immediate and urgent" help to people affected by the disaster, and to carry out thorough health and environmental assessments, the petitioners said.

Last month, the US embassy said it had ordered the immediate withdrawal of its personnel from Kitwe - the biggest city in the Copperbelt region - and nearby areas after expressing concern that beyond the "contaminated water and soil, contaminants from the spilled mine tailings may also become airborne, posing a health threat if inhaled".

In response, Zambian government spokesperson Cornelius Mweetwa had said there were no longer any serious implications for public health, and there was "no need to press the 'panic button' today to alarm the nation and the international community".

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

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Fears that South Sudan - the world's youngest nation - could plunge into a new civil war have intensified after the party of suspended Vice-President Riek Machar called for "regime change".

The call came after Machar - currently under house arrest - was charged with murder, treason and crimes against humanity.

His party, the Sudan People's Liberation Movement In Opposition (SPLM-IO), has denounced he charges as a "political witch-hunt" to "dismantle" a 2018 peace accord that ended a five-year civil war.

Meanwhile, extra troops from neighbouring Uganda have been deployed to South Sudan's capital, Juba, in a bid to strengthen the government's grip on power.

The latest crisis comes as a UN report has accused South Sudanese officials of stealing billions of dollars in oil revenues, and leaving millions of people without essential services.

What's the background?

South Sudan, one of the world's poorest countries, gained independence from Sudan in 2011 after decades of struggle led by the Sudan People's Liberation Movement (SPLM) under President Salva Kiir.

Just two years into independence, a civil war erupted when Kiir dismissed Machar as vice-president, accusing him of plotting a coup.

The ensuing conflict, largely fought along ethnic lines between supporters of the two leaders, resulted in an estimated 400,000 deaths and 2.5 million people being forced from their homes - more than a fifth of the population.

As part of the peace deal, Machar was reinstated as vice-president within a unity government that was meant to pave the way for elections.

Why is there tension now?

The current crisis was sparked at the beginning of March when the White Army militia, which was allied to Machar during the civil war, clashed with the army in Upper Nile state and overran a military base in Nasir.

Then on 7 March a UN helicopter attempting to evacuate troops came under fire, leaving several dead, including a high-ranking army general.

Nearly three weeks later, Machar and several of his associates were placed under house arrest. They were accused of trying to stir up a rebellion.

"The prospect for peace and stability in South Sudan has now been put into serious jeopardy," Oyet Nathaniel Pierino, deputy leader of SPLM-IO, said at the time.

Rather than defusing tensions, the government struck again, hitting Machar with a slew of charges - including treason, the ultimate crime against the state - in September.

Days later, his party ratcheted up the pressure, denouncing Kiir's government as a "dictatorship" and demanding "regime change".

In what appeared to be a call to arms, it urged its supporters to "report for national service" and to use "all means available to regain their country and sovereignty".

However, there are no reports to suggest that troop mobilisation is under way, offering a glimmer of hope that fresh fighting will not erupt.

• Helicopter pilot recounts flying under gunfire in daring rescue mission

What about the 2018 peace deal?

While Machar's inclusion in the unity government was a key part of the agreement, other parts of it have not been implemented.

The key issue for many South Sudanese is the security arrangement.

The deal outlined how former rebel forces and government soldiers would be brought together into a unified national army made up of 83,000 troops. The remainder were supposed to be disarmed and demobilised.

But this has not happened and there are still lots of militias aligned to different political groups.

The deal also outlined the establishment, with the help of the African Union, of a court meant to try the perpetrators of the violence. But this has not been created, in part because those holding some of the top positions in government are reluctant to set up something that could see them put on trial.

Elections that were supposed to happen in 2022 have still not taken place and neither has a new constitution been drawn up.

How has corruption affected the situation?

A report by the United Nations Commission on Human Rights in South Sudan has accused the country's political elite of siphoning off billions of dollars in oil revenue.

Published on Tuesday, the 101-page dossier - Plundering a Nation: How Rampant Corruption Unleashed a Human Rights Crisis in South Sudan - documented how the government had collected more than $25.2bn (£18.4bn) in oil revenues since independence in 2011, but most of this had been systematically misappropriated, depriving millions of South Sudanese of food, medicine, education and security.

One section highlighted how the government's controversial "Oil for Roads" programme funnelled an estimated $2.2bn into areas of political patronage rather than roadbuilding.

Yasmin Sooka, chair of the commission, said corruption had become the "engine of South Sudan's decline".

"Billions meant for healthcare and schools are disappearing through opaque deals and shell companies," she warned.

Justice Minister Joseph Geng Akech dismissed the findings and attributed South Sudan's economic problems to conflict, climate change and falling sales of crude oil.

What is the problem between Machar and Kiir?

While Kiir and Machar, both in their 70s, were part of the SPLM that fought for independence, long-standing tensions exist.

These have been fuelled by ethnic divisions - Kiir is Dinka, while Machar is Nuer - and competing political ambitions.

When Kiir sacked Machar in 2013, triggering the civil war, Machar denounced him as a "dictator".

Creating further problems between the two are the repeated postponements of elections.

Polls have been delayed four times, leaving Machar unable to fulfil his presidential ambitions while perceptions grow that Kiir intends to be president-for-life.

Who is Riek Machar?

Born in 1952, the 72-year-old was the 27th son of the chief of Ayod and Leer and was brought up in the Presbyterian Church.

As an undergraduate, he studied mechanical engineering at the University of Khartoum and in 1984 earned a PhD in philosophy and strategic planning at the UK's Bradford University.

He switched sides on several occasions during the battle to secede from Sudan, as he sought to strengthen his position and that of his Nuer ethnic group.

He became vice-president of South Sudan at independence in 2011. Machar was sacked in 2013 and then reinstated as part of a deal in 2016, but then fled as fighting resumed.

Who is Salva Kiir?

Born in 1951, the 74-year-old devout Roman Catholic was the son of a cattle herder and the eighth of nine children.

At 17, he joined the Anyanya, one of the rebel groups that was fighting for southern independence during the First Sudanese Civil War in 1967. Sixteen years later - in the Second Sudanese Civil War - he was one of the five founding members of the Sudan People's Liberation Army/Movement.

The former rebel commander, who specialised in military intelligence, was seen as a moderate within the SPLM and became its leader in 2005 after the death of John Garang in a helicopter crash

He became president of South Sudan on independence and has remained in that position for 14 years as no elections have taken place.

How bad could things get?

In March, Nicholas Haysom, head of the UN mission in South Sudan, warned the country was "teetering on the brink of a return to full-scale civil war", which would devastate the nation that is still dealing with the aftermath of the last conflict.

There are concerns that a return to fighting could lead to "proxy warfare in the region", according to Daniel Akech, an analyst at the Crisis Group think-tank.

"South Sudan is filled with so many armed groups, they're all seeming to be gearing up for military engagement."

The war in neighbouring Sudan adds another element of instability.

The leaders of the members of the regional grouping Igad - including Uganda - are supposed to be the guarantors of the 2018 deal.

Some Ugandan troops were deployed to the country in March as part of what South Sudan's government said was a long-standing agreement to support the army.

This week, a convoy carrying additional Ugandan troops were spotted entering Juba.

It included seven lorries full of heavily armed soldiers, three armoured vehicles and an ambulance - all without number plates.

This additional contingent of Ugandan soldiers appears to be an attempt to bolster Kirr's army, amid concerns that Machar's trial could trigger violence.

No date has been set for the trial, but over the weekend Machar met with his lawyers, signalling that he is preparing for battle in a courtroom.

More BBC stories on South Sudan:

• Pontiff urges people to reject 'venom of hatred'
• 'We walked for nine days to see the Pope'
• The basketball team forging a 'new story' for South Sudan

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

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

A deal has been made between the US and China to keep TikTok running in the US, according to the US President Donald Trump.

"We have a deal on TikTok, I've reached a deal with China, I'm going to speak to President Xi on Friday to confirm everything up," Trump told reporters as he left the White House for a state visit to the UK.

The social media platform, which is run by Chinese company ByteDance, was told it had to sell its US operations or risk being shut down.

However, Trump has repeatedly delayed the ban since it was first announced in January.

The US president said a buyer will be announced soon.

CNBC reported the deal would include a mix of current and new investors, and would be completed in the next 30 to 45 days.

It also said US tech company Oracle would keep its existing agreement to host TikTok serves inside the US.

That had been one of the main concerns of American lawmakers, who cited concerns over data being shared with China on national security grounds.

On Monday, a US trade delegation said it had reached a "framework" deal with China amid wider trade negotiations in Madrid.

China confirmed a framework agreement but said no deal would be made at the expense of their firms' interests.

After the talks, Wang Jingtao, deputy head of China's cyberspace administration, suggested in a press conference the agreement included "licensing the algorithm and other intellectual property rights".

He added: "The Chinese government will, according to law, examine and approve relevant matters involving TikTok, such as the export of technology as well as the license use of intellectual property."

After initially calling for TikTok to be banned during his first term, Trump has reversed his stance on the popular video-sharing platform.

In January, the US Supreme Court upheld a law, passed in April 2024, banning the app in the US unless its Chinese parent company ByteDance sold its US arm.

The US Justice Department has said that because of its access to data on American users, TikTok poses "a national-security threat of immense depth and scale".

However, ByteDance has resisted a sale, maintaining its US operations are completely separate, and says no information is shared with the Chinese state.

TikTok briefly went dark in January, but this lasted for less than a day before the initial ban was delayed.

The deadline for a sale has since been extended three times, and the latest delay to the ban is due to end on 17 September.

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Sabrina Carpenter, Justin Bieber and Karol G have been announced as the headliners of next year's Coachella festival.

It will be the first time any of the three artists have topped the bill at the event, which takes place in the Californian desert in front of about 250,000 fans.

Teddy Swims, Katseye, Central Cee and CMAT are also on the line-up.

The festival, held at the Empire Polo Club in Indio, has been running since 2002 and takes place over two weekends.

Sabrina will take to the stage first on the Friday with Bieber and Karol G set to headline the Saturday and Sunday respectively.

There's a number of UK artists also on the bill for next year with the likes of Disclosure, Wet Leg, Lambrini Girls, Little Simz and FKA Twigs.

Tickets are not on sale yet but fans can register for passes.

Coachella is one of the most high-profile music festivals in the world thanks to its line-up and its reputation for attracting a celebrity audience.

Last year actor Timothee Chalamet and partner Kylie Jenner were spotted in the crowd, along with Justin Bieber and his wife Hailey.

The star-studded line-up included Lady Gaga, Charli XCX, Travis Scott, Post Malone and Green Day.

There were also complaints about a new reservation system for anyone camping at the festival, which was blamed for causing 12-hour tailbacks outside the event.

Malawians are waiting to find out who their next president will be as polls have closed in most parts of the country and counting has started.

Thousands of people queued outside polling stations on Tuesday to vote for a president, MPs and local councillors, keenly hoping to effect change in a country swamped by economic troubles. Some are still voting in areas where polling started late.

In his campaign for a second term, current President Lazarus Chakwera pledged to fix Malawi's economy - as did his main rival, octogenarian former leader Peter Mutharika.

If no candidate wins more than half the votes, the top two contenders will head to a run-off.

"There is anger in us. I want to change this government. I want young people to be in good jobs," Ettah Nyasulu, a 28-year-old waitress told the AFP press agency before heading out to vote.

• What are the main issues for Malawi's voters?
• How Malawi's petrol queue might overshadow the queue to vote

Malawi has long been one of the poorest countries in the world, but recent times have been especially punishing.

Food costs have been rising at more than 30% in the last year and wages have not not kept pace.

The high inflation rate has partly been put down to a shortage of foreign currency - known as "forex" - in the banks.

"There is a lot happening, especially concerning about forex, unemployment," Rachel Chaguza, a 26-year-old university graduate who sells flowers, told AFP after voting.

"We must scrutinise what is going wrong and change things for the better."

The southern African country has also been crippled by nationwide power outages and fuel shortages. As people lined up to vote on Tuesday, frustrated motorists continued to form long, snaking queues for fuel outside petrol stations.

President Chakwera, who has promised to tackle this shortage, stood in line to vote with local residents at his home village, Malembo, which is about 56km (35 miles) north-east of capital city Lilongwe.

Several police officers and military guards watched over the 70-year-old and his wife, as voters huddled around, hoping to catch a peek of their president.

The election is effectively a two-horse race between Chakwera and the man he beat in 2020, 85-year-old Mutharika.

However, there are 15 other candidates, including another former president, and the country's only female head of state, Joyce Banda.

A couple of hours before the polls closed, Malawi Electoral Commission chairperson Annabel Mtalimanja said 3.7 million people - just half of those who had registered to vote - had cast their ballot.

For the most part, voting progressed smoothly the stations, which totalled more than 15,000.

However, news agency Reuters reported delays at some stations due to problems with biometric fingerprint readers.

The electoral commission acknowledged "queueing challenges" at "one or two centres", but said these issues were managed.

Provisions were made for voters that could not write - they marked their ballot paper with an inked fingerprint, while others used a pen to select their chosen candidate.

Prior to the polls opening, Ms Mtalimanja reminded social media influencers not to livestream or document of themselves voting, as Malawians are prohibited from taking pictures of their ballot papers.

The counting of votes began once the polls closed at 14:00 GMT.

The Malawi Electoral Commission has up until the end of 24 September to announce the presidential result in Tuesday's poll and the end of 30 September for the parliamentary election.

More BBC stories from Malawi:

• How brave judges rejected a 'second-rate election'
• 'Magnetic' Malawian vice-president dies in plane crash
• Banana wine brings sweet taste of success to Malawi farmers
• High hopes of Malawi cannabis farmers are dashed

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

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

'There's nothing anyone can do to stop her'

A judge in New York state has dismissed two terrorism charges against Luigi Mangione, the alleged killer of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson.

Judge Gregory Carro also ruled second-degree murder charges against Mangione could stand during a hearing on Tuesday morning.

He said prosecutors had failed to establish that there was enough evidence to justify terrorism-related murder charges that they sought against Mangione.

Mangione is accused of gunning down Thompson on a busy Manhattan street in December last year.

In addition to the New York state criminal proceedings, Mangione also faces federal murder charges, which could lead to the death penalty.

This breaking news story is being updated and more details will be published shortly. Please refresh the page for the fullest version.

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The United States has officially named Colombia as a country which has "demonstrably failed" to uphold its obligations to control drug trafficking.

Each year, the US government formally certifies whether several countries are fully co-operating with US-led counternarcotic efforts, and those which are found to be wanting risk having their US funding cut.

On Monday, the Trump administration said that cocaine production in Colombia had surged to all-time high records under its left-wing president, Gustavo Petro, which the Colombian leader denied.

However, the US said it would not cut off the flow of aid to the country, citing "US national interests" for its decision.

The other countries the US said had failed to meet their targets were Afghanistan, Bolivia, Myanmar and Venezuela.

Colombia was added to the list for the first time since 1997.

The move is likely to further sour relations between its left-wing government and the Trump administration.

President Petro took to social media to respond to the US allegation that during his time in office the area planted with coca bushes and the production of cocaine had reached record levels.

Coca leaves are the key ingredient in cocaine and Colombia has long been the top producer of the illegal drug.

A survey by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNDOC) found that coca bush cultivation had increased by 10% in 2023. The figures for 2024 are due to be released next month.

But Petro insisted that it had been during the government of Iván Duque, his predecessor in office who governed from 2018 to 2022, that the area planted with coca saw large increases.

According to figures released by the Colombian presidency, a record 1,764 tonnes of cocaine were seized by government security forces between August 2022, when Petro came into office, and November 2024. Drug seizures have continued at a high level in 2025, official tallies suggest.

Petro also said that in order for coca cultivation to decrease, what was needed was for demand for cocaine to go down in the US and in Europe.

The US on the other hand laid the blame firmly at Petro's door, saying that the president's peace talks with several armed groups - many of which finance themselves through drug trafficking - had hindered the fight against drugs.

"His failed attempts to seek accommodations with narco-terrorist groups only exacerbated the crisis," the presidential determination submitted to US Congress said.

The document goes on to praise the "skill and courage" of Colombia's security forces in confronting criminal groups.

It then concluded that "the failure of Colombia to meet its drug control obligations over the past year rests solely with its political leadership".

However, it does leave the door open to recertifying Colombia if its government "takes more aggressive action to eradicate coca and reduce cocaine production and trafficking".

And while the rhetoric coming out of Washington has clearly angered President Petro, his government will also be relieved that the decertification did not result in a cut of the US aid flow, BBC News Mundo's correspondent in Bogotá, José Carlos Cueto, says.

Colombia's decertification comes at a time when President Trump has made the fight against "narco-terrorists" a priority.

On Monday he announced the US military had destroyed an alleged Venezuelan drug vessel in international waters in the South Caribbean.

Three people were killed in the strike, Trump said.

He added the US had recorded proof that the boats belonged to narco-terrorist groups but has not yet made that evidence public.

With additional reporting by BBC Monitoring's Latin America specialist, Luis Fajardo

Police in Somalia have arrested four TikTokers for allegedly insulting President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud in a dance video.

In the post several young men are seen dancing to a remix of a campaign song originally used during the president's election bid in 2022, but with the lyrics altered to include derogatory language.

In a statement, the police said the suspects were in custody and would be formally charged. They have not commented since their arrest.

Several social media influencers have been arrested and jailed in the past for spreading clan-based insults, incitement or "immoral" content on platforms like TikTok - but this is the first case involving a top politician.

In August last year, seven TikTokers were sentenced to six months in prison by a court in the capital, Mogadishu, for provoking civil unrest and spreading immorality.

The authorities said the behaviour in the recent video - the original of which has been deleted but it still being widely shared on TikTok and other social media platforms - constituted a criminal offence under Somali law.

Police spokesman Gen Abdifatah Aden warned the public that anyone engaging in similar acts that disrespected national institutions or leaders would "face the full force of the law".

• 'Why I spent my university fees on Somali TikTok battles'
• Somalia TikTok ban plans leave creators anxious
• The TikTok fears and their impact on Africa

The arrests have reignited public debate over the role of social media in Somalia, particularly TikTok, which has been at the centre of controversy in the past.

Some have expressed their support for the young men while others have defended the arrests, saying freedom of expression should not extend to such levels - particularly in a country still grappling with fragile governance.

TikTok is a popular platform in Somalia and within the large diaspora - especially among the youth, who use it for political commentary and satire.

Many people also use it for business as well as a source of entertainment.

In 2023, the government considered banning the platform altogether, citing concerns over national security, the spread of misinformation and the erosion of social and moral values.

The ban was not implemented at the time because of strong public opposition, but officials warned that the platform was increasingly being used to spread harmful content including extremist propaganda and defamatory material.

More BBC stories from Somalia:

• Somalia's football pitch that doubles as an execution ground
• The women at the centre of Somalia's construction boom
• Somali piracy 2.0 - the BBC meets the new robbers of the high seas

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

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

Israel has heavily bombed Gaza City overnight with unconfirmed reports from the US news site Axios and the Jerusalem Post that the military has now launched its ground offensive to occupy the entire city.

Israeli strikes are also reported in central Gaza, in the direction in which thousands of people are fleeing. Palestinian officials say there are rising numbers of deaths and injuries.

The intensification came ahead of a long-threatened full-scale ground invasion of the city, which is home to hundreds of thousands of people.

It came hours after Secretary of State Marco Rubio assured Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of unwavering US support during a trip to Jerusalem on Monday.

Early on Tuesday morning, Israel's defence minister, Israel Katz, wrote on X, "Gaza is burning" and threatened that Israel, "will not relent and we will not go back - until the completion of the mission."

Local journalists in Gaza say there have been almost constant Israeli air strikes and artillery and gunfire in Gaza City. Homes are said to have been destroyed, with people trapped in the rubble. There has been no official confirmation of a new ground incursion from the Israeli military.

Israel has demanded that Gaza City's residents leave and head south to a central area of the strip. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) estimate about 250,000 Palestinians have fled, though hundreds of thousands are believed to remain in the area.

Some say they cannot afford to go south, while others say southern Gaza is not safe as Israel has carried out air strikes there too. Some have said they attempted to go south but were unable to pitch their tents, so returned to Gaza City.

Rubio meanwhile was heading to visit Qatar next, where Arab leaders on Monday condemned Israel's attack last week on the capital Doha targeting, but reportedly failing to kill, Hamas leaders.

Speaking from the tarmac at Ben Gurion airport, Rubio said Qatar was still the only country able to mediate on Gaza. Pressed by the BBC on the condemnation of Israel from Arab and Muslim countries in Doha on Monday, he said the US prefers that war ends in a negotiated settlement and hoped partners in the region "stay engaged".

Rubio also said that there was "a very short window" in which a deal on Gaza could be made, Reuters and AFP reported. He added that Hamas had to "cease to exist as an armed group".

In Israel, hostage families camped outside the Israeli prime minister's house overnight because they believe the current military strategy is putting their loved ones in danger. Some 48 hostages are believed to remain in Gaza with 20 believed to be alive.

The escalation in bombardment on Gaza also comes after Netanyahu refused to rule out further strikes on Hamas leaders abroad despite international criticism of the attack on Qatar.

Days earlier the White House said Trump had assured Qatar "that such a thing will not happen again on their soil" - an assertion that he repeated on Monday night.

Qatar hosts a major US airbase and has played a key role in brokering diplomatic efforts to end the war in Gaza, serving as a mediator of indirect negotiations between Hamas and Israel. It has hosted the Hamas political bureau since 2012.

As Rubio and Netanyahu met, leaders of Arab and Islamic countries were lining up in Qatar to denounce Israel over its mounting offensive in Gaza City and last week's strike in Doha.

Israel launched its war in Gaza in response to the Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on 7 October 2023, in which about 1,200 people were killed and 251 others were taken hostage.

More than 64,500 people have been killed by Israel during its campaign since then - almost half of them women and children, according to Gaza's Hamas-run Ministry of Health.

With famine having already been declared in the area by a UN-backed body, the UN has warmed an intensification of the offensive will push civilians into "even deeper catastrophe".

The alleged killer of right-wing activist Charlie Kirk appeared to take responsibility for the shooting on the messaging platform Discord, a company spokesperson has confirmed to CBS, the BBC's US partner.

According to the spokesperson, Tyler Robinson, 22, messaged friends in a chat on Discord hours before he was arrested last week in connection with Kirk's shooting at an event at Utah Valley University.

"It was me at UVU yesterday. im sorry for all of this," reads a message from an account that allegedly belongs to Mr Robinson, according to the spokesperson and a law enforcement source.

Mr Robinson, who has not yet been formally charged, is due to appear in court on Tuesday.

Arrested on suspicion of aggravated murder, felony discharge of a firearm and obstruction of justice, he could face the death penalty.

The Discord messages said to be from Mr Robinson, first reported by the Washington Post, are thought to have been written and posted towards the end of a manhunt for Kirk's killer that lasted more than a day.

Kirk, 31, who was a controversial figure in US politics and a trusted ally of President Donald Trump, was speaking at Utah Valley University on Wednesday at an open-air event held by Turning Point USA - the organisation he co-founded - when he was hit in the neck by a single bullet.

The killing of the popular social media personality sparked outrage, with Democrats and Republicans accusing each other of spreading hateful rhetoric, and a hunt for his killer. Utah's Governor Spencer Cox said Mr Robinson had been arrested after confessing about Kirk's killing to his father and being persuaded to hand himself in.

Law enforcement sources have told CBS News that Mr Robinson and his friends bantered about the shooting prior to his arrest in a group chat on Discord involving more than 20 people.

The spokesperson for the platform said that an internal investigation by the company had found "no evidence that the suspect planned this incident or promoted violence on Discord".

• Who is Tyler Robinson?
• Utah town in disbelief after local resident accused of killing Charlie Kirk
• Charlie Kirk: Conservative influencer who rallied a youth movement

Mr Robinson is said to have been questioned by friends in the group about whether he was the gunman, which he did not appear to reject, and there were also jokes from one member of the group about him needing to avoid McDonald's, which is where Luigi Mangione, the alleged killer of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, was arrested.

Messages from the account thought to belong to Mr Robinson also indicate that he was planning to hand himself in.

"im surrendering through a sheriff friend in a few moments, thanks for all the good times and laughs, you've all been so amazing, thank you all for everything," reads one.

Cox said on Monday that Mr Robinson was not co-operating with authorities but his roommate was among those who were.

FBI director Kash Patel, who has been criticised over his handling of the case, told Fox News in an interview on Monday that a text message exchange had been found on Mr Robinson's phone in which he "specifically stated that he had the opportunity to take out Charlie Kirk, and he was going to do that".

Investigators have been trying to establish a motive for the killing.

Cox has previously said that Mr Robinson, a Utah native, was "deeply indoctrinated with leftist ideology". Public records reviewed by the BBC suggest Mr Robinson had in the past registered as an unaffiliated, or nonpartisan, voter in Utah. His parents, meanwhile, are registered Republicans, according to state records.

However, according to Cox, a family member told investigators that Mr Robinson had become "more political" in recent years and had specifically mentioned Kirk's impending visit to Utah Valley University during a dinner.

One of Donald Trump's top officials, deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller, has alleged there was an organised campaign behind the assassination but no evidence has been presented so far that suggests Mr Robinson was working as part a group.

He was speaking on Kirk's podcast, the Charlie Kirk Show, which was guest-hosted by his friend, Vice President JD Vance, in an episode that aired on Monday.

Investigators are also looking at social media accounts used by Mr Robinson, according to CBS, and any signs that anyone may have known about or encouraged the shooting beforehand.

Kirk, a devout Christian, was a strong supporter of gun rights, vehemently opposed abortion, was critical of transgender and gay rights, and promoted false claims about Covid-19.

His supporters said he was relatable, understood their concerns and was able to hold respectful conversations with those he disagreed with.

But his views drew fierce liberal criticism, with his detractors calling his comments deeply offensive to some minority groups, including LGBT people and Muslims.

Turning Point USA, which Kirk co-founded, aimed to spread conservative ideals at liberal-leaning US colleges, and played a key role in getting people to vote for Trump and other Republican candidates in the election last year.

US acting legend Redford, known for roles in The Sting and Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, has died at the age of 89.

In a statement, his publicist Cindi Berger, said: "Robert Redford passed away on September 16 at his home at Sundance in the mountains of Utah - the place he loved, surrounded by those he loved. He will be missed greatly. The family requests privacy."

The Oscar-winning star of Out of Africa was also known for founding the Sundance Film Festival in Utah.

He won an Academy Award for best director in 1980 for Ordinary People. Redford announced he was retiring from acting in 2018, having said in 2016 that he was "tired of acting."

Redford's other roles included The Candidate, All the President's Men and Indecent Proposal.

It was Butch Cassidy that made Redford an overnight star but he was never comfortable with his tag as a good-looking charmer.

US President Donald Trump cannot oust Federal Reserve governor Lisa Cook from her role, a federal appeals court has ruled.

The 2-1 ruling on Monday is a blow to Trump as it means Cook can now stay in place for the Fed's policy meeting on Tuesday and Wednesday, where it is expected to cut US interest rates.

Trump announced in August that he was firing Cook on the grounds that she had committed mortgage fraud. Cook denied the allegations and said the president had no authority to sack her.

The case has ramifications for the Fed's ability to set interest rates without interference from politicians.

Cook is part of the board responsible for setting interest rates in the US.

In setting up the Fed in 1913, Congress included provisions that kept it independent from politics. No president has ever removed a Fed governor.

The laws under which Trump claimed he had the right to sack Cook have never been tested in court. The Trump administration is expected to take Monday's ruling to the Supreme Court.

Under the law that created the Fed, its governors may be removed by a president only "for cause", though the law does not define the term nor establish procedures for removal.

Cook, a Biden appointee and the first black woman to serve as a Fed governor, sued Trump in August, claiming she was being sacked for her monetary policy stance.

The Fed has not cut interest rates so far this year as it tries to keep inflation under control. with prices rising in part due to the as the impact of Trump's tariffs on goods being imported to the country.

Trump has repeatedly demanded aggressive rate cuts, berating the Fed's chair Jerome Powell over monetary policy.

A cut is expected this week, however, in order to stimulate a sluggish labour market in the US.

Trump on Monday reiterated his call for a major interest rate cut, writing on his Truth Social platform that Fed Chair Jerome Powell "must cut interest rates, now, and bigger than he had in mind".

Thousands of families are attempting to flee Gaza City as the Israeli military confirms it has begun ground operations that are part of its large-scale assault aimed at occupying the city.

Lina al-Maghrebi, 32, a mother of three from the city's Sheikh Radwan neighbourhood told the BBC she had resisted leaving her home - despite the danger - until she received a phone call from an Israeli officer ordering her to evacuate.

"I was forced to sell my jewellery to cover the cost of displacement and a tent," she said. "It took us ten hours to reach Khan Younis, and we paid 3,500 shekels (£735) for the ride. The line of cars and trucks seemed endless."

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said a "powerful operation" had been launched in Gaza City, which he described as Hamas's last major stronghold.

The Israeli military has designated al-Rashid coastal road as the only permitted route for civilians to use to evacuate. Many have described severe congestion, endless queues of cars and trucks, and long delays, with families stranded on the roadside while airstrikes continue overhead.

Nivin Imad al-Din, 38, a mother of five, said she fled south after Israeli warplanes dropped evacuation leaflets in her neighbourhood, though her husband refused to leave their home.

"I couldn't take my furniture with me because I couldn't afford the cost of a large truck," she explained. "Leaving everything behind was the hardest decision I've ever made."

The cost of displacement has surged far beyond the reach of most households. Residents said renting a small truck now costs around 3,000 shekels (£630), while a tent for five people sells for about 4,000 shekels (£840). With most families deprived of income since the war began, some are forced to walk for miles or remain in their homes despite the risks.

Overnight into Tuesday, Israeli warplanes carried out a wave of heavy airstrikes across Gaza City, with concentrated bombardment on the central al-Daraj neighbourhood, the Beach refugee camp in the west, and Sheikh Radwan in the north.

The attacks were accompanied by artillery fire, drone fire and helicopter gunship activity.

The Israel Defense Forces said it was "gradually" moving into Gaza City as part of the "next phase" of its offensive.

It said air and ground forces would be part of this next stage of the military's operation, with the number of troops increasing day-by-day.

Residents described the overnight strikes as "hell".

Ghazi al-Aloul, a displaced resident from northern Gaza, told the BBC he is now sleeping at the entrance of al-Quds Hospital in Tel al-Hawa, southwest Gaza.

"I did not choose this," he said. "I was forced after leaving the home where my family and I had been sheltering for nearly a month after fleeing the north".

"The bombardment has been insane for hours, and the army is threatening to demolish several residential buildings in the area."

Sami Abu Dalal, from al-Daraj in central Gaza, described the night as "extremely difficult".

"Whole residential blocks were levelled on top of their inhabitants, leaving many dead, missing, or injured," he said.

He said Israel was advancing on three fronts - and was accompanied by the use of booby-trapped vehicles, intense airstrikes, and heavy shelling. Meanwhile, Apache helicopters hovered over different parts of the city, firing continuously.

Israel's ramped up offensive comes as a United Nations commission of inquiry have released a report that says Israel is committing genocide against Palestinians in Gaza - Israel categorically rejected the report.

A Kenyan High Court has issued an arrest warrant for a British national suspected of murdering a 21-year-old woman more than a decade ago.

Agnes Wanjiru was killed in March 2012 and her body later found in a septic tank of a hotel in the central garrison town of Nanyuki nearly three months after she had allegedly spent an evening partying with British soldiers.

Justice Alexander Muteti said prosecutors had provided sufficient evidence to request that the suspect appear before a Kenyan court for trial.

The lawyer representing Ms Wanjiru's family told the BBC the ruling paved the way for proceedings to start for the suspect's extradition from the UK.

The judge further directed that the identities of the accused and witnesses not be published.

The UK's Ministry of Defence has previously said it is co-operating with a Kenyan investigation into the case, which has caused outrage in the East African nation.

The family of Ms Wanjiru, who left behind a young daughter, have long been fighting for justice.

They live in Nanyuki, which is close to the British Army Training Unit Kenya (Batuk) - some 200km (125 miles) north of the capital, Nairobi.

You may also be interested in:

• Agnes Wanjiru murder: Kenya family's anger over UK army 'cover-up'
• Kenyans sue the British army over fire at wildlife sanctuary

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

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

Greece has announced the recovery of artefacts from the wreck of HMHS Britannic, more than a century after the Titanic's sister ship was sunk in wartime in the Aegean Sea by a German mine.

The operation was carried out in May but only made public on Monday, when the culture ministry released details of the finds.

An 11-member team of professional deep-sea divers with closed-circuit equipment conducted the recovery, organised by British historian Simon Mills, founder of the Britannic Foundation.

Among items retrieved and lifted with air bags were the ship's lookout bell, a portside navigation lamp, binoculars, ceramic tiles from Turkish baths, and equipment from first- and second-class cabins.

The artefacts were secured in containers and immediately cleaned of marine organisms.

They were then transferred to the laboratories of the Ephorate of Underwater Antiquities in Athens, where conservation work will continue.

Some objects identified in the original plan could not be recovered because of their condition and location.

Artefacts will eventually go on display at the new National Museum of Underwater Antiquities in Piraeus, in a section dedicated to World War One.

The Britannic was the third of the White Star Line company's Olympic class of steamships, along with the RMS Titanic and RMS Olympic.

The vessel was requisitioned by the British Admiralty during the war to serve as a hospital ship.

On 16 November 1916, it struck a German mine off the island of Kea and sank in less than an hour.

Of the 1,065 people on board, 30 died when two lifeboats were pulled into the ship's propellers.

Sabrina Carpenter, Justin Bieber and Karol G have been announced as the headliners of next year's Coachella festival.

It will be the first time any of the three artists have topped the bill at the event, which takes place in the Californian desert in front of about 250,000 fans.

Teddy Swims, Katseye, Central Cee and CMAT are also on the line-up.

The festival, held at the Empire Polo Club in Indio, has been running since 2002 and takes place over two weekends.

Sabrina will take to the stage first on the Friday with Bieber and Karol G set to headline the Saturday and Sunday respectively.

There's a number of UK artists also on the bill for next year with the likes of Disclosure, Wet Leg, Lambrini Girls, Little Simz and FKA Twigs.

Tickets are not on sale yet but fans can register for passes.

Coachella is one of the most high-profile music festivals in the world thanks to its line-up and its reputation for attracting a celebrity audience.

Last year actor Timothee Chalamet and partner Kylie Jenner were spotted in the crowd, along with Justin Bieber and his wife Hailey.

The star-studded line-up included Lady Gaga, Charli XCX, Travis Scott, Post Malone and Green Day.

There were also complaints about a new reservation system for anyone camping at the festival, which was blamed for causing 12-hour tailbacks outside the event.

The report is intended to be detailed and damning, presenting evidence it says shows that Israel is committing genocide in Gaza. It says that Israel has breached the Genocide Convention that was passed in 1948 by the newly established United Nations. The word genocide, and the convention that defined it as a crime, were directly inspired by the genocide of six million Jews by Nazi Germany.

Israel denies all allegations that its conduct in Gaza has broken the treaties and conventions that make up the laws of war and international humanitarian law. It justifies its actions as self-defence, in protection of its citizens and to force the release of the hostages taken by Hamas and Islamic Jihad on 7 October 2023, around 20 of whom are believed still to be alive.

The Israelis and their American allies are certain to dismiss the report, which was compiled by a commission of inquiry set up by the UN Human Rights Council.

Israel's foreign ministry denounced it as "distorted and false", accusing the three experts on the commission of serving as "Hamas proxies" and relying "entirely on Hamas falsehoods, laundered and repeated by others" that had "already been thoroughly debunked". Israel and the US are boycotting the Council, which both countries say is biased against them.

But the findings of the report will feed into the growing international condemnation of Israel's conduct, which is also coming from Israel's traditional western allies as well as the Gulf Arab monarchies that normalised relations with Israel in the Abraham Accords.

Next week at the UN General Assembly in New York, the United Kingdom, France, Australia, Canada and others are due to join the majority of UN members by recognising the sovereignty of an independent Palestinian state.

The move will be more than symbolic. It will change the debate about the future of the conflict that began more than a century ago when Zionist Jews from Europe came to settle in Palestine. Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel's prime minister, has condemned recognition as antisemitic, and a reward for Hamas terrorism.

He says the Palestinians will never have independence in any part of the land between the river Jordan and the Mediterranean Sea, as a Palestinian state would put Israelis in danger. Israeli religious nationalists believe the land was granted to the Jewish people alone by God.

Genocide is defined in the 1948 convention, as the intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnical, racial or religious group – in this case, Palestinians in Gaza.

The report details actions against Palestinians inside Gaza and in jails inside Israel.

Among a long list of accusations is Israeli targeting of civilians that it has a legal obligation to protect, and the imposition of "inhumane conditions causing the death of Palestinians, including the deprivation of food, water and medicines". That is a reference to the blockade that has produced a famine as well as widespread starvation, according to the IPC, the international body that assesses food emergencies.

The new UN report also details forced displacement, currently happening in Gaza City after the Israeli military, the IDF, ordered all civilians there to move south. Around one million people are believed to be affected. Israel's offensive is gathering pace, with air strikes and the destruction of many buildings, including high rises that are symbols of Gaza City, which the IDF calls Hamas "terror towers".

The report also says that Israel has imposed "measures intended to prevent births". That refers to an attack on Gaza's largest fertility clinic that reportedly destroyed around 4000 embryos and 1000 sperm samples and unfertilised eggs.

As well as the results of military action, the UN report singles out three Israeli officials for inciting genocide.

They are Yoav Gallant, then the defence minister, who said on 9 October 2023 that Israel was fighting "human animals". Like Prime Minister Netanyahu, Gallant already faces an arrest warrant for war crimes from the International Criminal Court.

Netanyahu is also accused of incitement by comparing the Gaza war to the story of the Jewish fight against an enemy known as Amalek. In the bible God tells the Jewish people to eliminate all the Amalek men, women and children, as well as their possessions and their animals.

The third official singled out is President Isaac Herzog, who in the first week of the war condemned Gaza's Palestinians for not rising up against Hamas. He said on 13 October 2023 that "it's an entire nation out there that is responsible".

Legally, it is hard to prove the crime of genocide. The people who framed the Genocide Convention, and interpretations made by the ICJ in more recent cases deliberately set a high legal bar.

At the International Court of Justice in The Hague, South Africa has brought a case that Israel has committed genocide against the Palestinians. It will take several years for the case to be adjudicated.

But with the war in Gaza continuing and perhaps escalating further with the current Israeli offensive, the UN report is going to deepen international divisions about the war.

On one side are countries who demand an immediate end to the killing and destruction in Gaza, and condemn the famine caused by Israel's siege. They include the UK and France.

On the other are Israel, and the United States. The administration of President Donald Trump continues to provide vital military aid and diplomatic cover without which the Israelis would struggle to continue the war in Gaza and its bombing campaigns elsewhere in the Middle East.

India and the US are holding a day of trade talks, sparking hope that stalled negotiations on a bilateral agreement will soon resume.

A team led by US trade negotiator Brendan Lynch is in Delhi to meet officials from India's commerce ministry.

India said the meeting doesn't mark the start of the next round of negotiations, describing it as a "discussion" about "trying to see" how an agreement can be reached.

Negotiations on a trade deal had stalled after US President Donald Trump imposed a hefty 50% tariff on Indian goods, partly as a penalty for Delhi's purchase of Russian oil and weapons. India has defended its decision, citing domestic energy needs, and called the tariffs "unfair".

The hefty duties, along with strong criticism of India by Trump and his key officials, have led to a swift and surprising deterioration in ties between the allies.

India is a major exporter of goods, including garments, shrimp and gems and jewellery to the US, and the tariffs have already impacted production and livelihoods.

So Tuesday's meeting between Indian and US officials is being closely watched.

• Trump's 50% tariff on India kicks in as Modi urges self-reliance
• 'How will I pay workers?': Indian factories hit hard by Trump's 50% tariffs

"This is not an official round of negotiations but it will definitely be a discussion on the trade talks and on trying to see how we can reach an agreement between India and the US," Rajesh Agrawal, who is leading the discussions on India's behalf, told local media on Monday ahead of Mr Lynch's visit.

A round of negotiations set to happen last month were called off following Trump's tariff announcement and India's refusal to stop buying Russian oil.

But over the past few days, hopes have risen - Trump administration officials have sounded more conciliatory and India has confirmed that the discussions are still on.

On Monday, US trade adviser Peter Navarro told CNBC News: "India is coming to the table. We will see how this works."

Navarro has been one of the most vocal critics of India, calling Russia's ongoing war with Ukraine Indian Prime Minister Narendra "Modi's war".

In the CNBC interview, Mr Navarro also referenced last week's social media exchange between Trump and Modi.

Trump said that the US and India were "continuing negotiations to address the trade barriers" between the two countries. In response, Modi echoed the US president's optimism and said the two countries were "close friends and natural partners."

Sergio Gor, Trump's nominee to be the next US ambassador to India, also said that the trade deal "will get resolved in the next weeks".

"We are not that far apart right now on the deal. In fact, they're negotiating the nitty-gritty of the deal," he said during a confirmation hearing last week.

• Trump is sending a 'great friend' to India. Some see him as a 'slap in the face'
• Trump wants India to buy US corn - but here's why it probably won't

But it still remains to be seen how the countries solve key disagreements that had earlier prevented a trade deal from materialising.

Agriculture and dairy, in particular, are key sticking points.

For years, Washington has pushed for greater access to India's farm sector, seeing it as a major untapped market. But India has fiercely protected it, citing food security, livelihoods and the interests of millions of small farmers.

Last week, US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick repeated his earlier criticism of India's fierce safeguards, asking why a country of 1.4 billion people wouldn't "buy one bushel of US corn".

But Indian experts have argued that Delhi shouldn't give in to pressure to open up its agricultural market, keeping national sovereignty and food security in mind.

Follow BBC News India on Instagram, YouTube, Twitter and Facebook.

US President Donald Trump's state visit to the United Kingdom this week will be no stranger to controversy, just as his first was six years ago.

Back then, in June 2019, as well as taking tea with the late Queen, the US President called London Mayor Sadiq Khan "a stone-cold loser", backed Boris Johnson in a Tory leadership race and suggested the NHS should be part of US-UK trade talks.

All this was accompanied by a petition saying he should not receive a state visit in the UK, signed by more than one million people, as well as noisy protests involving thousands and a huge inflatable effigy that became known as the Trump Baby.

This week's second state visit – unprecedented for a non-royal - will prove the first was no exception.

There will again be protests and Lord Mandelson's sacking as UK ambassador to the US has already cast a diplomatic pall over proceedings.

Planning for the visit - over Wednesday and Thursday - has gone on for months, but for all the careful preparation, the possibility that things could go wrong is still very real.

And for many of those organising it, the Mandelson affair is only one of their worries.

How Windsor became 'Trumpton'

For those at the royal end of the show, the focus has been on logistics and security - and turning Windsor Castle into a ring of steel hard enough to satisfy even the most fastidious secret service agents.

Such has been the huge American presence some locals have renamed Windsor "Trumpton", after the eponymous town in the 1970s children's TV show.

For Palace officials, attention to detail is all.

One of the biggest problems has been finding a place to muster the Household Cavalry.

It needs to be far enough from the helicopter landing zones to ensure the horses are not spooked by the noise, close enough to form the escort quickly that will accompany the Trumps' carriage procession through the grounds of Windsor Castle.

There has also been much discussion between the Palace and Foreign Office over who sits where at the State Banquet in St George's Hall.

"The value of these things are not just the photo opportunities but also all the off-grid conversations," said one royal insider.

"A huge amount of attention goes into the seating plan for the banquet. So people with certain policy areas are sat next to one another."

Much thought, too, is devoted to the menu and the music which will involve "lots of nods to his Scottish heritage".

King Charles III's seven-minute speech at the banquet has gone through many drafts, ensuring he pushes the right buttons without crossing political lines.

Officials say they have been given no indication by their US counterparts of what Trump may say in his speech.

'Pressure to make this massive'

So far, so logistical – but the key challenge for royal organisers has been finding a way of ensuring Trump feels he has been given a full state visit with all the trimmings. That is no easy task.

The president is on the ground for less than 48 hours and will not visit Downing Street, address Parliament or even find time to play a round of golf.

"There has been a large amount of government pressure to make this massive and that's been the challenge," one courtier told me.

The scale of the ceremonial at Windsor has been stepped up, with 1,300 troops and 120 horses involved - far more than those used when President Macron of France visited earlier this year. (It's a point that will no doubt be emphasised to the Americans in private.)

For the ceremonial hoopla is the overwhelming focus of the White House in this visit; a chance for the President to be photographed with the King and Queen and the Prince and Princess of Wales, along with military parades and bands and the Red Arrows.

One Whitehall source said: "The focus is very much on the optics, the historic moment, the pomp. For Trump it's all about TV and this is great TV."

Another said: "It's theatre. It's all show. It's not like we are going to do deep substance. We are sucking up to the most powerful guy in the world for good reason."

The Trumps: Warm and solicitous guests

Lord McDonald, a former top civil servant in the Foreign Office, said the UK's strategic choice to afford the most powerful man in the world "the fullest honour British protocol allows" will be watched closely by the rest of the world.

"This state visit is not just a UK-US event," he said. "It will be one of the biggest stories around the world.

"The rest of the world will be looking at London and Windsor, burnishing the UK's wider international standing."

Many officials are confident the visit will go smoothly, simply because all sides want it to succeed.

They emphasise that Palace staff thought the Trumps were warm and solicitous guests in 2019, both keen not to put a foot wrong.

"Trump can be quite funny in private," said one diplomat. "He has got quite a neat turn of phrase that the King will appreciate."

For the UK government, the overwhelming aim is for Air Force One to take off on Thursday evening with Trump warmly disposed to Britain.

Serious business behind the pageantry

Beyond providing a day of royal pageantry, the government has business to conduct on Thursday when proceedings move to the prime minister's country residence at Chequers.

Ministers hope to complete a deal to exclude UK steel and aluminium from US tariffs. There will be some new civil nuclear cooperation.

The centrepiece is set to be the signing of a technology partnership, involving new investment in Britain and greater cooperation with Silicon Valley on artificial intelligence and quantum computing.

This was Lord Mandelson's priority, something he described in his outgoing letter to embassy staff last week as "my personal pride and joy", that he claimed would "help write the next chapter of the special relationship".

All these issues will be portrayed as big domestic "wins" to help promote the government's growth agenda.

The visit will also provide Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer with a significant opportunity to bend the ear of the president just a week before the United Nations general assembly in New York, especially on Ukraine.

Jeremy Hunt, who as Foreign Secretary was heavily involved in the last Trump state visit, said this was a key chance to shape the president's thinking.

"Trump appears to be on a journey away from Putin, towards recognising that he needs a way of standing with his European allies a bit better," Hunt said.

"What the government will really be wanting to do is continue that journey, looking for a deal to impose more sanctions on countries buying Russian oil."

Sophia Gaston, senior research fellow at King's College London, said the state visit was an important chance for the UK to influence US policy at a crucial stage of the Trump administration, a window of opportunity between its disruptive first six months and next year when its focus may shift to domestic elections and strategic competition with China.

"We are moving into a new phase," she said. "This state visit really does matter. It is about us securing a foothold as the primary symbolic and strategic ally of the United States."

The Mandelson question

For all these potential gains, the risks are huge and the most obvious involves, of course, Lord Mandelson.

The peer's dismissal as ambassador, after revelations of the scale of his friendship with Jeffrey Epstein following Epstein's conviction as a paedophile, means the press conference at Chequers on Thursday will not be dominated by questions about his future.

Instead, the prime minister will likely be asked why he appointed the peer in the first place and why he took so long to sack him; what did he know and when?

Some diplomats wonder if Trump may voice an opinion about who should replace Lord Mandelson, potentially putting No 10 in an invidious position.

But perhaps the most dangerous question for the Prime Minister may be why he thinks Lord Mandelson should be punished for his links to Epstein, but not the US President standing next to him.

According to Whitehall sources, this was a point Lord Mandelson deployed as he fought to save his job.

It was not an argument that found favour in No 10 and officials note Trump, unlike Lord Mandelson, cut ties with Epstein well before his conviction - but it is a question that will float above this week's royal and political ceremonial.

Diplomats I have spoken to insist that so far the White House has been sanguine - if not a little bemused - at Lord Mandelson's departure, saying it is the UK's business, and the president remains excited about the state visit.

But there is a fear among some that if Trump were dragged into the controversy and embarrassed at the press conference, then that could sour his mood – and the visit.

Profound differences in the UK and US

The Mandelson affair is not the only potential challenge. As one distinguished former British ambassador told me: "On values and policies, we have fundamental differences with the Trump administration – on Nato, Ukraine, Middle East and China.

"The differences are more profound than at any time since World War Two."

Perhaps the most acute difference that could overshadow the visit relates to the Middle East.

Next week the UK is expected to formally recognise Palestinian statehood in an attempt to keep alive the idea of a so-called "two state solution".

But the Americans are strongly opposed, as the Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, made clear on Friday, emphasising his commitment "to fight anti-Israel actions including unilateral recognition of a Palestinian state that rewards Hamas terrorism".

There are also political risks for the prime minister. Underlying this state visit is an unspoken transaction: that it is worth giving Trump all those trimmings in order to help British interests, namely to reduce tariffs and foster investment partnerships.

Yet Trump is unpopular in the UK. A YouGov poll in July found only 16% of Britons surveyed say they have a positive view of him.

The government will have to explain to voters why it believes this state visit is a price worth paying to try to grow the British economy.

The diplomatic game of cards

Amid these potential pitfalls lies a deeper, but less discussed risk from this state visit. That is: in its diplomatic game of cards, has the government played its King too explicitly for political purposes?

"The government have the convening power of the King and they have used it in a very transactional way, for example the brandishing of the King's letter in the Oval Office," said one royal source.

"They realise the Palace can draw people in, in a way that you can't in Whitehall.

"The problem in using the personality of the monarch and the institution of the monarchy is there is a risk that you cross a line and you ask someone who has to remain studiously non-political to transact a political act on behalf of the government."

Official state visits by US presidents are rare. There have only ever been three: President Bush in 2003; President Obama in 2011 and Trump in 2019. All other visits were official or informal. So this week's does matter.

But even if it passes off smoothly and gaffe-free questions may remain about its efficacy. "This is very early in Trump's presidency," one diplomat said.

"Have we played this card too soon? What do we do for an encore?"

Top picture credits: Win McNamee/Getty Images, Neil Hall /EPA/Shutterstock and Hollie Adams, WPA Pool/Getty Images, Yuri Gripas/Abaca/Bloomberg via Getty Images

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Women in India are more likely to get cancer. Men are more likely to die from it.

The paradox, revealed in a study of the country's latest cancer registry, tells a story at once simple and confounding.

Women account for just over half of all new cases, but men make up the majority of deaths.

India appears to be an outlier. In 2022, for every 100,000 people worldwide, on average about 197 were diagnosed with cancer that year. Men fared worse, at 212, compared to 186 for women, according to the World Cancer Research Fund.

Nearly 20 million cancer cases were diagnosed globally in 2022 - about 10.3 million in men and 9.7 million in women. In the US, the estimated lifetime risk of cancer is nearly equal for men and women, according to the American Cancer Society.

In India, the most common cancers among women are breast, cervical, and ovarian. Breast and cervical cancers make up 40% of female cases.

While cervical cancer is largely linked to infections such as human papillomavirus (HPV), breast and ovarian cancers are often influenced by hormonal factors. Rising cases of these hormone-related cancers are also associated with lifestyle shifts - including later pregnancies, reduced breastfeeding, obesity, and sedentary habits.

For men, oral, lung, and prostate cancers dominate. Tobacco drives 40% of preventable cancers, mainly oral and lung.

So what is going on in India? Is it an earlier diagnosis for women? Are men's cancers more aggressive, or is it that habits such as smoking and chewing tobacco drag down their outcomes? Or does the answer lie in differences in access, awareness and treatment between genders?

Awareness campaigns and improved facilities mean cancers common among women are often detected earlier.

With their long latency periods - time between exposure to a cancer-causing factor and the appearance of detectable cancer - treatment outcomes are relatively good.

Mortality rates among women are therefore lower.

Men fare worse. Their cancers are more often tied to lifestyle - tobacco and alcohol drive lung and oral cancers, both aggressive and less responsive to treatment.

Men are also less likely to go for preventive check-ups or seek medical help early. The result: higher mortality and poorer outcomes, even when incidence is lower than among women.

"Women's health has become a bigger focus in public health campaigns, and that's a double-edged sword. Greater awareness and screening mean more cancers are detected early. For men, the conversation rarely goes beyond tobacco and oral cancer," Ravi Mehrotra, a cancer specialist and head of the non-profit Centre for Health Innovation and Policy (CHIP) Foundation, told me.

"Women, through reproductive health checks, are more likely to see a doctor at some stage. Many men, by contrast, may go their whole lives without ever seeing one," Dr Mehrotra said.

But the real story emerges when the numbers are broken down: India's cancer burden is unevenly spread across regions, and across the types of cancer people face.

Data from 43 registries show that 11 out of every 100 people in India run the risk of developing cancer at some point during their life. An estimated 1.56 million cases and 874,000 deaths are projected for 2024.

The hilly and relatively remote northeast region remains India's cancer hotspot, with Mizoram's Aizawl district recording lifetime risks twice the national average.

Doctors say much of this is down to lifestyle.

"For most cancers in the north-eastern state, I'm convinced lifestyle is the key factor. Tobacco use is rampant here - much higher than elsewhere," R Ravi Kannan, head of Cachar Cancer Hospital and Research Centre in Assam, told me.

"In Barak Valley in Assam, it's mostly chewing tobacco; just 25km away in Mizoram, smoking dominates. Add to that alcohol, areca nuts, and even how meat is prepared. Food choices and preparation drive cancer risk. There's no special cancer-causing gene at play - hereditary cancers aren't more common here than in other parts of India," Dr Kannan said.

But the pattern isn't confined to the northeast. Srinagar in Indian-administered Kashmir tops the charts for lung cancer in men, while southern Hyderabad city leads in breast cancer. Men in the capital, Delhi, are being diagnosed with all cancers put together at a higher rate than men in other regions, even after correcting for age differences.

Oral cancer is also rising: 14 population registries report increases among men and four among women.

India's patchwork of risks is part of a larger truth: cancer is at once the most universal and the most uneven of diseases. The disparities seen across Indian states mirror a global divide shaped by geography, income, and access to care.

In wealthy nations, one in 12 women will be diagnosed with breast cancer during her lifetime, but only one in 71 will die from it, according to WHO.

In poorer countries, the picture is reversed: just one in 27 women will ever receive a diagnosis, yet as many as one in 48 will die of the disease.

"Women in lower Human Development Index (HDI) countries are 50% less likely to be diagnosed with breast cancer than women in high HDI countries, yet they are at a much higher risk of dying of the disease due to late diagnosis and inadequate access to quality treatment," says Isabelle Soerjomataram, Deputy Head of the Cancer Surveillance Branch at International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC).

Then there are other differences. In the US, for example, native Americans face the highest cancer mortality, with kidney, liver, stomach, and cervical cancer deaths two to three times higher than whites; black people also have double the mortality of whites for prostate, stomach, and uterine cancers, according to American Cancer Society.

In India, the cancer burden is not just growing - it is becoming more complex. Registry data reflect a society in transition, where longevity, lifestyle, and environment are reshaping health risks.

Yet amid this shifting landscape, many questions remain, underscoring the urgent need for targeted prevention, early detection, and lifestyle changes, including healthier diets and habits.

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A United Nations commission of inquiry says Israel has committed genocide against Palestinians in Gaza.

A new report says there are reasonable grounds to conclude that four of the five genocidal acts defined under international law have been carried out since the start of the war with Hamas in 2023: killing members of a group, causing them serious bodily and mental harm, deliberately inflicting conditions calculated to destroy the group, and preventing births.

It cites statements by Israeli leaders, and the pattern of conduct by Israeli forces, as evidence of genocidal intent.

Israel's foreign ministry said it categorically rejected the report, denouncing it as "distorted and false".

A spokesperson accused the three experts on the commission of serving as "Hamas proxies" and relying "entirely on Hamas falsehoods, laundered and repeated by others" that had "already been thoroughly debunked".

"In stark contrast to the lies in the report, Hamas is the party that attempted genocide in Israel - murdering 1,200 people, raping women, burning families alive, and openly declaring its goal of killing every Jew," the spokesperson added.

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

At least 64,905 people have been killed in Israeli attacks in Gaza since then, according to the territory's Hamas-run health ministry.

Most of the population has also been repeatedly displaced; more than 90% of homes are estimated to be damaged or destroyed; the healthcare, water, sanitation and hygiene systems have collapsed; and UN-backed food security experts have declared a famine in Gaza City.

The Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory was established by the UN Human Rights Council in 2021 to investigate all alleged violations of international humanitarian and human rights law.

The three-member expert panel is chaired by Navi Pillay, a South African former UN human rights chief who was president of the international tribunal on Rwanda's genocide.

The commission's latest report alleges that Israeli authorities and Israeli forces have committed four of the five acts of genocide defined under the 1948 Genocide Convention against a national, ethnic, racial or religious group - in this case, Palestinians in Gaza:

• Killing members of the group through attacks on protected objects; targeting civilians and other protected persons; and the deliberate infliction of conditions causing deaths
• Causing serious bodily or mental harm to members of the group through direct attacks on civilians and protected objects; severe mistreatment of detainees; forced displacement; and environmental destruction
• Deliberately inflicting conditions of life calculated to bring about the destruction of the group in whole or in part through destruction of structures and land essential to Palestinians; destruction and denial of access to medical services; forced displacement; blocking essential aid, water, electricity and fuel from reaching Palestinians; reproductive violence; and specific conditions impacting children
• Imposing measures intended to prevent births through the December 2023 attack on Gaza's largest fertility clinic, reportedly destroying around 4,000 embryos and 1,000 sperm samples and unfertilised eggs

To fulfil the legal definition of genocide under the Genocide Convention, it must also be established that the perpetrator committed any one of those acts with specific intent to destroy the group in whole or in part.

The commission says it analysed statements made by Israeli leaders and alleges that President Isaac Herzog, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defence Minister Yoav Gallant have "incited the commission of genocide".

It also states that "genocidal intent was the only reasonable inference" that could be concluded from the pattern of conduct of Israeli authorities and security forces in Gaza.

The commission says the pattern of conduct includes intentionally killing and seriously harming an unprecedented number of Palestinians using heavy munitions; systematic and widespread attacks on religious, cultural and education sites; and imposing a siege on Gaza and starving its population.

Israel's government insists that its efforts are directed solely at dismantling Hamas's capabilities and not at the people of Gaza. It says its forces operate in accordance with international law and take all feasible measures to mitigate harm to civilians.

"As early as 7 October 2023, Prime Minister Netanyahu vowed to inflict… 'mighty vengeance' on 'all of the places where Hamas is deployed, hiding and operating in, that wicked city, we will turn them into rubble'," Pillay said in an interview with the BBC.

"His use of the phrase 'wicked city' in the same statement implied that he saw the whole city of Gaza [Gaza City] as responsible and a target for vengeance. And he told Palestinians to 'leave now because we will operate forcefully everywhere'."

She added: "It took us two years to gather all the actions and make factual findings, verify whether that had happened… It's only the facts that will direct you. And you can only bring it under the Genocide Convention if those acts were done with this intention."

The commission says the acts of Israeli political and military leaders are "attributable to the State of Israel", and that the state therefore "bears responsibility for the failure to prevent genocide, the commission of genocide and the failure to punish genocide".

It also warns all other countries have an immediate obligation under the Genocide Convention to "prevent and punish the crime of genocide", employing all measures at their disposal. If they do not, it says, they could be complicit.

"We have not gone so far as to name parties as co-conspirators, or being complicit in genocide. But that is the… ongoing work of this commission. They will get there," Pillay said.

A number of international and Israeli human rights organisations, independent UN experts, and scholars have also accused Israel of genocide against Palestinians in Gaza.

The International Court of Justice (ICJ) is meanwhile hearing a case brought by South Africa that accuses Israeli forces of genocide. Israel has called the case "wholly unfounded" and based on "biased and false claims".