At 20 years old, Pierre Poilievre already had a roadmap for Canada.

Canada's Conservative Party leader - now 45 - laid out a low-tax, small government vision for the country in an essay contest on what he would do as prime minister.

"A dollar left in the hands of consumers and investors is more productive than a dollar spent by a politician," he stated.

Poilievre is one step closer to making his vision a reality, and even gave a nod to the essay in a recent interview with conservative psychologist and commentator Jordan Peterson.

For months, Poilievre's Conservatives have enjoyed a large lead over the struggling Liberals in national surveys, suggesting they would win a majority government if an election were held today.

Now Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has announced he's standing down, and with an election likely to be called soon, Poilievre is promising a return to "common sense politics".

For Canadians frustrated with a sluggish economy and a housing and affordability crisis, he is offering an alternative to what he has labelled as Trudeau's "authoritarian socialism".

A win would make him part of a wave of populist leaders on the right who have toppled incumbent governments in the west.

While it has invited comparisons to Donald Trump - and he has fans like Elon Musk and others in the US president-elect's orbit - Poilievre story is very much a Canadian one.

A Calgarian with his eyes set on Ottawa

Poilievre was born in Canada's western province of Alberta to a 16-year-old mother who put him up for adoption. He was taken in by two school teachers, who raised him in suburban Calgary.

"I have always believed that it is voluntary generosity among family and community that are the greatest social safety net that we can ever have," he told Maclean's Magazine in 2022, reflecting on his early life.

"That's kind of my starting point."

As a teenager, Poilievre showed an early interest in politics, and canvassed for local conservatives.

Poilievre was studying international relations at the University of Calgary when he met Stockwell Day, who served as a cabinet minister under former Conservative Prime Minister Stephen Harper.

At the time, Day was seeking the leadership of the Canadian Alliance - a right-wing party with Alberta roots that became part of the modern-day Conservatives in a 2003 merger - and he tapped Poilievre to help with campus outreach.

"He impressed me from the start," Day told the BBC in an interview. "He seemed to be a level-headed guy, but full of energy and able to catch people's attention."

Day's leadership bid was successful, and he set out for Ottawa with Poilievre as his assistant. Some time after, Poilievre walked into his office on a cold winter night to ask his opinion about potentially running for office.

Poilievre went on to win a seat in Ottawa in 2004 at the age of 25, making him one of the youngest elected Conservatives at the time. He has held that seat since.

From "Skippy" to party leader

In Ottawa, Poilievre was given the nickname Skippy by peers and foes alike due to to his youthful enthusiasm and sharp tongue.

He built a reputation for being "highly combative and partisan", said Randy Besco, an assistant professor of political science at the University of Toronto.

Behind the closed doors of Conservative caucus meetings, Poilievre showed his diplomatic side, Day said.

"Pierre was always good at saying, 'Okay, you know what? I hadn't thought of that,' or he would listen and say: 'Have you thought of this?'" said Day.

Still, confrontational politics became a cornerstone of Poilievre's public persona. After becoming Conservative leader in 2022, he would target Trudeau with biting remarks as a way to connect with disaffected voters.

It has landed him in trouble at times. In April, he was expelled from the House of Commons for calling the prime minister a "wacko".

Poilievre told the Montreal Gazette in June that he is a fan of "straight talk".

"I think when politesse is in conflict with the truth, I choose the truth," he said. "I think we've been too polite for too long with our political class."

His combative style has also been divisive, and he has been criticised for oversimplifying complex issues for political gain.

While Canadians have been open to the opposition leader's message as a change from Trudeau's brand of progressive politics, just over half of them hold an unfavourable opinion of him, according to the latest polls.

Poilievre has also had to shift his sights since Trudeau's resignation announcement, to get ahead of the inevitable match-up between him and the next Liberal leader.

Poilievre on populism, immigration and Trump

The Conservative leader has been described as a "soft" populist for his direct appeals to everyday Canadians and criticism of establishment elites, including corporate Canada.

He came out in support of those who protested vaccine mandates during the 2021 "Freedom Convoy" demonstrations that gridlocked Ottawa for weeks.

He has pledged to deliver "the biggest crackdown on crime in Canadian history", promising to keep repeat offenders behind bars.

On social matters, Poilievre has rarely weighed in - something Prof Besco said is typical of senior Conservatives, who see these topics as "a losing issue".

While Poilievre voted against legalising gay marriage in the early 2000s, he recently said it will remain legal "full stop" if he is elected.

The Conservatives also do not support legislation to regulate abortion, though they allow MPs to vote freely on the issue.

"I would lead a small government that minds its own business," Poilievre said in June.

Amid a public debate in Canada in recent months on immigration, the party has said it would tie levels of newcomers to the number of new homes built, and focus on bringing in skilled workers.

Poilievre's wife, Anaida, arrived in Canada as a child refugee from Caracas, Venezuela.

The Conservative leader has pushed for the integration of newcomers, saying Canada does not need to be a "hyphenated society".

One of his major promises - to cut Trudeau's national carbon pricing programme, arguing it is a financial burden for families - has raised questions over how his government would tackle pressing issues like climate change.

Canada also faces the threat of steep tariffs when Trump takes office later this month, with the US-Canada relationship expected to be a major challenge.

Poilievre has pushed back at Trump's comments suggesting Canada become a 51st US state, vowing to "put Canada first".

He has not stepped much into foreign policy otherwise, with his messaging focused instead on restoring "the Canadian dream".

Above all, Poilievre says he wants to do away with "grandiosity" and "utopian wokesim" that he believes has defined the Trudeau era, in favour of the "the things that are grand and great about the common people".

"I've been saying precisely the same thing this entire time," he told Mr Peterson.

Inflation, interest rates and tariffs mean 2025 is shaping up to be an intriguing year for the global economy. One in which growth is expected to remain at a "stable yet underwhelming" 3.2%, according to the International Monetary Fund. So what might that mean for all of us?

Exactly a week before Christmas there was a welcome gift for millions of American borrowers - a third interest rate cut in a row.

However, stock markets fell sharply because the world's most powerful central banker, US Federal Reserve chair Jerome Powell, made clear they shouldn't expect as many further cuts in 2025 as they might have hoped for, as the battle against inflation continues.

"From here, it's a new phase, and we're going to be cautious about further cuts," he said.

In recent years, the Covid pandemic and the war in Ukraine have led to sharp price rises around the world, and although prices are still increasing the pace has slowed markedly.

Despite that, November saw inflation push up in the US, eurozone and UK to to 2.7%, 2.2% and 2.6% respectively. It highlights the difficulties many central banks face in the so-called "last mile" of their battle against inflation. Their target is 2%, and it might be easier to achieve if economies are growing.

However, the biggest difficulty for global growth "is uncertainty, and the uncertainty is coming from what may come out of the US under Trump 2.0", says Luis Oganes, who is head of global macro research at investment bank JP Morgan.

Since Donald Trump won November's election he's continued to threaten new tariffs against key US trading partners, China, Canada and Mexico.

"The US is going into a more isolationist policy stance, raising tariffs, trying to provide more effective protection to US manufacturing," says Mr Oganes.

"And even though that is going to support US growth, at least in the short term, certainly it's going to hurt many countries that rely on trade with the US."

New tariffs "could be particularly devastating" for Mexico and Canada, but also be "harmful" to the US, according to Maurice Obstfeld, a former chief economist at the International Monetary Fund, and a previous economic advisor to President Obama.

He cites car manufacturing as an example of an industry that "depends on a supply chain that is spread across the three countries. If you disrupt that supply chain, you have massive disruptions in the auto market".

That has the potential to push up prices, reduce demand for products, and hurt company profits, which could in turn drag down investment levels, he explains.

Mr Obstfeld, who is now with the Peterson Institute for International Economics, adds: "Introducing these types of tariffs into a world that is heavily dependent on trade could be harmful to growth, could throw the world into recession."

The tariffs threats have also played a role in forcing the resignation of Canada's Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

Even though the majority of what the US and China sell each other is already subject to tariffs from Donald Trump's first term in office, the threat of new tariffs is a key challenge for the world's second-biggest economy in the year ahead.

In his new year address President Xi Jinping acknowledged the "challenges of uncertainties in the external environment", but said the economy was on "an upward trajectory".

Exports of cheap goods from its factories are crucial to China's economy. A drop off in demand because tariffs push prices up would compound the many domestic challenges, including weak consumer spending and business investment, that the government is trying to tackle.

Those efforts are helping, according to the World Bank, which at the end of December increased its forecast for China's growth from 4.1% to 4.5% in 2025.

Beijing has yet to set a growth target for 2025, but thinks it's on course for 5% last year.

"Addressing challenges in the property sector, strengthening social safety nets, and improving local government finances will be essential to unlocking a sustained recovery," according to the World Bank's country director for China, Mara Warwick.

Those domestic struggles mean the Chinese government is "more welcoming" of foreign investment, according to Michael Hart, who is president of the American Chamber of Commerce in China.

Tensions between the US and China, and tariffs have grown under the Biden presidency, meaning some companies have looked to move production elsewhere.

However, Mr Hart points out that "it took 30 to 40 years for China to emerge as such a strong supplier manufacturer", and whilst "companies have tried to mitigate some of those risks... no one's prepared now to completely replace China."

One industry that is likely to continue to be at the heart of global trade battles is electric vehicles. More than 10 million were made in China last year, and that dominance led the US, Canada and European Union (EU) to impose tariffs on them.

Beijing says they're unfair, and is challenging them at the World Trade Organization.

However, it's the prospect of Donald Trump imposing tariffs that is concerning the EU.

"Restrictions on trade, protectionist measures, are not conducive to growth, and ultimately have an impact on inflation that is largely uncertain," the president of the European Central Bank, Christine Lagarde, said last month. "[But] in the short term, it's probably net inflationary."

Germany and France are the traditional engines of Europe's economic growth. But their poor performance amid political instability over the past year means that, despite a recent uptick in growth, the eurozone risks losing momentum in the year ahead.

That is, unless consumers spend more and businesses increase their investments.

In the UK higher prices could also come as a result of tax and wage increases, according to one survey.

One barrier to cutting eurozone interest rates is that inflation remains at 4.2%. That's more than double the target of 2%, and strong wage pressure has been a barrier getting it down further.

It's been similar in the US according to Sander van 't Noordende, the chief executive of Randstad, the world's biggest recruitment firm.

"In the US, for instance, [wage inflation] is still going to be around 4% in 2024. In some Western European countries, it's even higher than that.

"I think there's two factors there. There's the talent scarcity, but there's also, of course, the inflation and people demanding to get more for the work they do."

Mr van 't Noordende adds that many companies are passing those extra costs on to their customers, which is adding upward pressure to general inflation.

A slowdown in the global jobs market reflects a lack of "dynamism" from companies and economic growth is key to reversing that, he says.

"If the economy is doing well, businesses are growing, they start hiring. People see interesting opportunities, and you just start seeing people moving around".

One person starting a new role in 2025 is Donald Trump, and a raft of economic plans including tax cuts and deregulation could help the US economy to continue to thrive.

Whilst much won't be revealed before he's back in the White House on 20 January, "everything points to continued US exceptionalism at the expense of the rest of the world," says JP Morgan's Mr Oganes.

He's hopeful that inflation and interest rates can continue to come down around the world, but warns that "a lot of it will depend on what are the policies that get deployed, particularly from the US."

"They have already tortured me and repressed me, but they will not silence me. My voice is the only thing I have left."

This is how Juan, a young man aged around 20, begins his story. He alleges he was physically and psychologically tortured by Venezuelan security forces after being detained in connection with the presidential elections on 28 July.

He was one of many hundreds of people arrested during protests after the electoral authorities - which are dominated by government loyalists - announced that the incumbent, Nicolás Maduro, had won.

The National Electoral Council (CNE) did not make the voting tallies public and the Venezuelan opposition has described the official result as fraudulent, pointing out that the voting tallies it got hold of with the help of election observers suggest an overwhelming victory for its candidate, Edmundo González.

Juan was released from prison in mid-November, days after Maduro called on judicial authorities to "rectify" any injustices in the arrests.

The BBC spoke to him via video call. For his own safety, we have decided to withhold some of the details of his case and have changed his name.

The young man alleges that many of the detainees are mistreated, given "rotten food" and that the most rebellious are locked up in "torture chambers".

He showed the BBC documents and evidence that corroborate his story, which coincides with other testimony and with the complaints of non-governmental organisations.

Juan, an anti-government political activist, says the election campaign and the days leading up to the election were "marked by hope" and many people were keen to vote for change.

But the announcement of Maduro's victory shortly after midnight that Sunday turned what for many was a celebratory mood into confusion and anger.

Thousands of Venezuelans took to the streets to protest against a result they decried as fraudulent.

The opposition and international organisations say what followed was police repression which caused the deaths of more than 20 protesters.

Maduro and some of his officials in turn have blamed the opposition, the "extreme right" and "terrorist" groups for the deaths.

Gonzalo Himiob of Venezuelan non-governmental organisation Foro Penal says people were arrested for as little as "celebrating the opposition's declaration of Edmundo González as the winner, or for posting something on social media".

"We also have cases of people who were not even protesting, but for some reason they were near a protest and they were arrested," he added.

Juan says that is what happened to him.

'It felt like a concentration camp'

The young political activist says he had been running an errand when a group of hooded men intercepted him, covered his face and beat him, accusing him of being a terrorist.

"They planted Molotov cocktails and petrol on me, and then took me to a detention centre," he continued.

He was held in a prison in the interior of Venezuela for several weeks until he was transferred to Tocorón, a notorious high-security prison about 140km south-west of the capital, Caracas.

There he would go through what he describes as the worst experience of his life.

"When we arrived at Tocorón, they stripped us, beat us, and insulted us. We were forbidden to raise our heads and look at the guards; we had to lower our heads to the floor," Juan recounts.

Juan was assigned a small cell measuring three metres by three metres, which he had to share with five other people.

There were six beds arranged in three bunk beds, and in one corner there was a septic tank and "a pipe that served as a shower". That was the bathroom.

"In Tocorón I felt more like I was in a concentration camp than in a prison," says the young man. He describes the beds as "concrete tombs" with a very thin mattress.

"They tortured us physically and psychologically. They wouldn't let us sleep, they were always coming to ask us to get up and line up," he explains.

"They would wake us up around 05:00 to line up behind the cell. The guards would ask us to show our passes and numbers."

He adds that at around 06:00 they would turn on the water for six minutes so they could bathe.

"Six minutes for six people and just one shower, with very cold water. If you were the last one there and you didn't have time to take off the soap, you were left covered in soap for the rest of the day," he says.

Then, he adds, they waited for breakfast, which sometimes arrived at 06:00 and other times at 12:00.

Dinner was sometimes at 21:00, and sometimes at 02:00.

"Apart from waiting for meals, there was nothing else to do. We could only walk around inside the small cell and tell stories. We also talked about politics, but in low voices, because if the guards heard us, they would punish us."

'I thought I was going to die'

Juan says that many of his fellow inmates were depressed and acted like zombies.

"They gave us rotten food – meat scraps like you would give to chickens or dogs or sardines that had already expired."

Some detainees were routinely beaten or made to "walk like frogs" with their hands on their ankles, he says.

He describes "punishment cells" where those considered the most rebellious would be sent, or those who dared to talk about politics or ask to make a phone call to relatives.

Juan says that he had been in one of the punishment cells in Tocorón, and that he had only received one meal every two days.

"It's a very dark cell, one metre by one metre. I was very hungry. What kept me going was thinking about all the injustices that were happening and that one day I would get out of there," he says.

Another torture cell is known as "Adolfo's bed", Juan says, named after the first person who died there.

"It's a dark, oxygen-deprived room the size of a vault. They put you in there for a few minutes until you can't breathe and you faint or start banging on the door in desperation. They put me in there and I lasted just over five minutes. I thought I was going to die," he recalls.

Reports of crimes against humanity

The young man says that in this prison, inmates have 10 minutes to exercise outside three times a week, but many just stay in their cells.

Foro Penal's Gonzalo Himiob describes the conditions in Tocorón as "deplorable" and says that detainees' fundamental rights, such as having access to a lawyer of the detainee's choosing, are being violated.

"They all have public defenders - the government knows that if it allows access to a private attorney who is not a public official, he or she can document all the due process violations that are occurring."

In October, United Nations (UN) experts reported serious human rights violations committed in the run-up to the presidential election and during the protests that followed, including political persecution, excessive use of force, enforced disappearances and extrajudicial executions by state security forces and related civilian groups.

The International Criminal Court (ICC) is currently investigating the Venezuelan government for possible crimes against humanity.

The Venezuelan government denies the accusations and says this investigation "responds to the intention of instrumentalising the mechanisms of international criminal justice for political purposes".

The BBC requested an interview with the Public Prosecutor's Office about the allegations of mistreatment and torture of detainees, but had not received a response by the time of publication.

'I'm no longer afraid of the government'

Juan was released in November, but according to Foro Penal's figures, there were still 1,794 political prisoners in Venezuela as of 30 December.

According to Juan, many of those detained in Tocorón have pinned their hopes on one date: that of the presidential inauguration on 10 January 2025.

It is the day that opposition candidate Edmundo González, who has been living in exile in Spain, has said that he will return to Venezuela and take up office as president.

He bases his claim to the presidency on official voting tallies the opposition managed to gather with help of election observers.

These tallies, which amount to 85% of the total, have been uploaded to a website and reviewed by independent observers who say that they suggest an overwhelming victory for González.

On Tuesday, US President Joe Biden met González and called him the "true winner" of the Venezuelan election.

However, it is not clear how González, for whom the authorities have issued an arrest warrant, plans to enter Venezuela or who would swear him in given that the National Assembly is dominated by Maduro loyalists.

Nevertheless, Juan says that the prisoners held in Tocorón are hoping against hope that Friday will see a change of government and their release from jail.

Meanwhile, the Maduro government has labelled any talk of a political transition as "a conspiracy" and has threatened that anyone who backs a change of leader "will pay for it".

Juan admits feeling a certain sense of guilt for being free when hundreds of his "comrades are still suffering" in prison.

But he says he is determined to return to the streets to show his support for Edmundo González on 10 January.

"I no longer fear the Venezuelan government," he explains.

"They already accused me of the worst crimes, such as terrorism, even though I'm just a young man who has done nothing more than love his country and help those around him."

"I'm not afraid," Juan repeats, before admitting that he has left some written testimony in a safe place "in case something happens to me".

Illustrations by Daniel Arce-Lopez.

The government of Chad has insisted the situation in capitol N'Djamena is stable after gunshots were heard near the presidential palace.

Foreign Minister Abderaman Koulamallah said in a video apparently recorded within the palace complex that there had been a "little incident" but that "everything is calm".

Sources close to the African state's government said clashes had occurred between security forces and "terrorist elements".

The French news agency AFP quoted Koulamallah as saying that 18 attackers and a member of the security forces had been killed.

Following the incident, tanks were seen in the area and all roads leading to the palace were closed, the agency said

In the video, posted to Facebook, Koulamallah is seen surrounded by members of the government forces.

"Nothing serious has happened," he says.

"We are here and we will defend our country at the price of our blood. Be calm.

"This whole attempt at destabilisation has been thwarted."

He is then seen taking photos with, and raising his fist with, the soldiers.

Koulamallah was quoted by AFP as saying the assault had been launched by a 24-man commando unit, adding that six of the attackers had suffered injuries.

A further three members of the government forces also suffered injuries, he added.

The incident came just hours after a visit to the former French territory by China's Foreign Minister, Wang Yi, who met President Mahamat Déby and other senior officials.

It had all the hallmarks of a cold-blooded, professional assassination.

Next to a well-known temple in Bangkok's historic royal quarter a man is seen on a security camera video parking his motorbike, removing his helmet, so that his face was clearly visible, and walking calmly across the road.

A few minutes later shots are heard. Another man falls to the ground.

The assassin walks quickly back to his motorbike, appearing to throw something away as he does, and drives off.

The victim was Lim Kimya, a 73-year-old former parliamentarian from the main Cambodian opposition party, the CNRP, which was banned in 2017. He had been hit in the chest by two bullets, according to the Thai police. He had just arrived in Bangkok with his wife on a bus from Cambodia.

A police officer attempted to resuscitate him, but he was pronounced dead at the scene.

"He was courageous, with an independent mind," Monovithya Kem, daughter of the CNRP leader Kem Sokha, told the BBC.

"No-one but the Cambodian state would have wanted to kill him."

Lim Kimya had dual Cambodian and French nationality, but chose to stay in Cambodia even after his party was outlawed. The CNRP – Cambodia National Rescue Party – was an amalgamation of two earlier opposition parties, and in 2013 came close to defeating the party of Hun Sen, the self-styled "strongman" who ruled Cambodia for nearly 40 years before handing over to his son Hun Manet in 2023.

After his close call in the 2013 election Hun Sen accused the CNRP of treason, shutting it down and subjecting its members to legal and other forms of harassment. In 2023 Kem Sokha, who had already spent six years under house arrest, was sentenced to 27 years in prison.

High-level political assassinations, though not unknown, are relatively rare in Cambodia; in 2016 a popular critic of Hun Sen, Kem Ley, was gunned down in Phnom Penh and in 2012 environmental activist Chut Wutty was also murdered.

From the security camera video the Thai police have already identified Lim Kimya's killer as an ex-Thai navy officer, now working as a motorbike taxi driver. Finding him should not be difficult.

Whether the killing is fully investigated, though, is another matter.

In recent years dozens of activists fleeing repression in Cambodia, Vietnam, Laos and Thailand have been sent back after seeking sanctuary, or in some cases have been killed or disappeared. Human rights groups believe there is an unwritten agreement between the four neighbouring countries to allow each other's security forces to pursue dissidents over the border.

Last November Thailand sent six Cambodian dissidents, together with a young child, back to Cambodia, where they were immediately jailed. All were recognised by the United Nations as refugees. Earlier in the year Thailand also sent a Vietnamese Montagnard activist back to Vietnam.

In the past Thai anti-monarchy activists have been abducted and disappeared in Laos, it is widely presumed by Thai security forces operating outside their own borders. In 2020 a young Thai activist who had fled to Cambodia, Wanchalerm Satsaksit, was abducted and disappeared, again it is assumed by Thai operatives.

The Cambodian authorities did little to investigate, and announced last year that they had closed the case. It is possible the same will now happen in the case of Lim Kimya.

"Thailand has presided over a de facto 'swap arrangement'," says Phil Robertson, director of the Asia Human Rights and Labour Advocates in Thailand.

"Dissidents and refugees are traded for political and economic favours with its neighbouring countries. The growing practice of transnational repression in the Mekong sub-region needs to be stopped in its tracks."

When the US and UK-educated Hun Manet succeeded his father as Cambodia's prime minister there was some speculation over whether he might rule with a lighter hand. But opposition figures are still being prosecuted and jailed, and what little space was left for political dissent has been almost completely closed.

From his semi-retirement the figure of Hun Sen still hovers over his son's administration; he is now calling for a new law to brand anyone trying to replace him as a terrorist.

Thailand, which lobbied hard for, and won, a seat on the UN Human Rights Council this year, will now be under pressure to show that it can bring those behind such a brazen assassination on the streets of its capital to justice.

For years, a controversial invader has been gradually taking over Australia's beloved beaches.

Swallowing up the sand, blocking ocean views and turning the shore into an irksome maze, is a sea of large beach tents, called cabanas in Australia.

"It's chockers [crowded]. They're all over the place," Sydneysider Claire, 30, told the BBC.

For her – and most Australians – cooling off on a sweltering day means a solid drive to the coast, plus an eternity trying to find a parking space. Now, the cabana craze means there's another battle waiting for them on the beach.

Polyester covers flap in the breeze as far as the eye can see. Some are empty, set up at the crack of dawn and then abandoned for hours on end, until the owners actually want to use them.

"The sheer amount of space that people are taking up… [when] you're just trying to find a free square inch of sand to lay your towel, it can just be a little bit frustrating," Claire says.

She's not alone in her irritation. Several summers of simmering tension has, in the first days of 2025, exploded into a full-on turf war, sparking debate about Australian culture and beach etiquette.

A row over the acceptable use of cabanas has dominated social media, spawned a wave of opinion pieces and television segments, and even dragged in the prime minister.

Self-described haters say entitled cabana crews are hogging public space and disrespecting other beachgoers.

"When you're… polluting the beach with your four cabanas next to each other, where is Guncle [Gay Uncle] Nic going to go," anti-cabana crusader and TikToker Nic Salerno said on TV talk show The Project.

"I just want my space on the beach, guys."

But the pro-cabana mob say seeking protection from Australia's vicious sun isn't a crime - and it's every man for himself.

Australia is the skin cancer capital of the world, and many supporters – including national charity, the Cancer Council – argue the new trend should actually be celebrated.

"My partner and I have a cool cabana because we both burn extremely easily and we don't want to die of skin cancer by 30, hope this helps," one person wrote, responding to a TikTok rant.

No one is discounting the importance of sun safety, the cabana critics counter, but they say that's just a convenient excuse for many of the people using the beach tents.

Half the time they're not even sitting under the shade covers, they claim, and there's no need for two people to whip out an entire tent for an hour or two, when sun cream and a hat will do just fine.

Other cabana devotees are more forward about their motivations. Breakfast television presenter Davina Smith admitted that for her, it is about nabbing "the prime piece of real estate" on busy beaches.

She is one of the people who pitch their cabana castles in the early morning to reserve territory for her family later that day.

"There's a lot of research that goes into this. You get up early, you've got to watch the tides. You can't just plonk it there and walk away… you invest in it," Smith argued on Nine's Today programme.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese was among the hordes irked by the trend: "That's not on," he told the same show.

"One of the great things about Australia, unlike some parts of the world, you go and you got to pay to go to the beach. Here, everyone owns the beach… And that's a breach of that principle, really."

Even lifeguards have opinions on the matter, with some telling local media the cabana camps can make it hard for them to do their jobs.

Why is this so divisive?

There are a number of cultural quirks which mean Cabanagate has Australians more worked up than a magpie in spring.

Firstly, the country loves to think of itself as an egalitarian society – the land of a "fair go" – and that extends to the use of one of its most precious national assets.

"Australian beaches, they always have been seen as shared spaces, democratic spaces where social hierarchies dissolve…. [they're] seen as a great equaliser," says Ece Kaya, a researcher at the University of Technology Sydney.

And Australians are "fiercely" protective of that ideal: "They see it as a birthright," says Chris Pepin-Neff, who studies Australian beach culture.

He points to the backlash in 1929 when beachgoers at Sydney's Coogee Beach were forced to pay for access to the only part of the water covered by shark nets. More recently, a bid to rent out part of Sydney's famous Bondi Beach to an exclusive beach club was met with a huge outcry.

And while the use of sprawling cabanas is a relatively new phenomenon, there's long been "enormous class tension" around the use of the country's coastline, Dr Pepin-Neff adds.

A lack of infrastructure, affordable housing and community attitudes tend to lock ordinary Australians out of waterfront areas, while those natural assets are often used by those lucky enough to live there.

"And there's a perception that it's encroaching even further, [so] that an average family can't even get a spot at the beach."

But he says there's no real data on who is using cabanas and why. He also argues there's many good reasons people might use them. Maybe they've travelled a long way so they plan to stay at the beach longer, or they may have a disability or young children they need to cater for, he says.

"There is a balance between a free and open beach that everybody can use, and making sure that you're respectful."

He offers no defence for the "land bankers" though: "As a Sydneysider, I think that is abusing the privilege… that is not a fair go."

As the debate intensifies though, there are some calls for a truce to restore the peace to Australian shores.

Beachkit Australia founder Rowan Clark, who sells equipment including cabanas, told the Sydney Morning Herald newspaper even he thinks cabana lovers should be more courteous.

"They should only allow set up at the rear of the beach in a line," he said. "Once this is exhausted, then no more of this style of shade should be allowed."

Others want authorities to rein it in, like some have in the United States. There are suggestions councils could limit how many cabanas can be set up on their beaches, and where.

But Sydney resident Claire, for all her wrath, worries that this could tip the scales in the other direction and exclude other people from using the beach.

"You don't want to get too precious about it, obviously… it's just the beach, first world problems right?

"I think in general, we should just try to be considerate of one another."

Out of the many mourning former President Jimmy Carter, not everyone can say he saved their life.

Rocky Sickmann was a 22-year-old US Marine stationed at the American embassy in Tehran, Iran, when he and 51 other Americans were taken hostage by Iranian revolutionaries on 4 November, 1979.

It defined his life - as well as much of Carter's presidency.

• Jimmy Carter, former US president, dies aged 100

"For the first 30 days I'm sitting in this room handcuffed and blindfolded, thinking the Vietnam war had just ended, and nobody cared about these thousands of veterans coming home," said the 67-year-old. "Who's going to care about the Iran hostages?"

He said that at the time, he wasn't even sure how much President Carter cared. It was a sentiment echoed by much of the American public. Many blamed Carter for his failure to bring the hostages home for over a year.

Political historians say part of the reason Carter lost to Ronald Reagan in a landslide - and served only one term as president - was because of his handling of the hostage crisis.

Minutes after Regan was sworn in, the hostages were released, although the deal had been in the works during Carter's presidency.

Mr Sickmann said that Carter deserves to be forever admired for his relentless attempt to bring them home.

"He was a good man who wanted diplomacy. I found out after how deeply involved he was. He knew my parents. He took care of them, he would meet them in DC."

When Mr Sickmann finally got to meet Carter himself, he wasn't exactly dressed for the occasion.

He laughs: "We met him in our pyjamas! How do you meet your commander-in-chief dressed like that!"

Rocky was flown out with the other hostages to Wiesbaden, Germany, a year after they had been taken hostage. The day after they got there, Carter greeted them personally.

"It was a very exciting day because he used to be in the Marines and he said to meet us was the happiest day of his life."

The meeting was captured in a photograph, which Carter would send to Sickmann 10 months after he had been voted out of the White House. It was signed: 'To my friend, Rocky Sickmann".

But it was not the last time that Mr Sickmann saw him. Just 10 years ago, he ran into Carter at a baseball game in Georgia. He had an usher pass the former president a note.

"He reads it - all of a sudden he gets up and he stands up and he turns around. I stand up and we waved at each other."

Like Carter, Mr Sickmann went on to focus on charitable work. He said he was inspired by the former president to set up Folds of Honor, which provides scholarships to families of Americaʼs fallen or disabled military and first responders.

"President Carter was a good Christian man, married to his wonderful wife, and continued his life of service. I don't know if I'll ever be as good as him but I hope to be able to do the same thing."

The charity was set up to honor the 8 US service men who were killed trying to rescue the hostages. In 1980, the mission, dubbed Eagle Claw, failed disastrously after three helicopters malfunctioned. It was the last straw for Carter politically - although he won the Democratic nomination, he was wiped out in the election by Ronald Reagan that year.

But while the Iran hostage crisis would be a dark mark on Carter's political legacy, Mr Sickmann said he owes his life to Jimmy Carter.

"Morning, noon, and night, for 444 days, I never prayed so hard in my life, hoping that God was on our side," he said.

"But also President Carter kept us alive. He kept us in front of the world, making sure that people were praying for us (too)."

US President Joe Biden has said he thinks he would have defeated Donald Trump and won re-election in November.

Speaking to USA Today in an exclusive interview, Biden did, however, add that he was unsure if he would have had the stamina for another four-year term.

"So far, so good," the 82-year-old said. "But who knows what I'm going to be when I'm 86 years old?"

In the wide-ranging interview with Susan Page, Biden also said he was still considering pre-emptive pardons for foes of Donald Trump, including former Republican congresswoman Liz Cheney and former senior health official Dr Anthony Fauci.

In the interview published on Wednesday, Biden said he had been "very straightforward with Trump" about the potential pardons during their Oval Office meeting shortly after the November election.

"I tried to make it clear that there was no need, and it was counterintuitive for his interest to go back and try to settle scores," Biden said, adding Trump did not push back, but "just basically listened".

Biden said his ultimate decision will depend on who Trump selects for his cabinet.

At that same meeting, Biden said Trump was "complimentary" about his economic record.

"He [Trump] thought I was leaving with a good record," the Democrat said.

The interview with USA Today is the only exit interview Biden has so far given to a print publication.

Media access to Biden has been strictly controlled by the White House - and the president has not held a news conference since he dropped out of the race on 21 July.

In the interview, the outgoing president also defended the full and unconditional pardon he issued to his son, Hunter Biden, who was facing sentencing for two criminal cases - tax evasion and illegally buying a gun - despite repeatedly insisting he would not do so.

Biden, who first came to Capitol Hill in 1972 as a US senator, drew criticism from his own party over his apparent reluctance to drop out of the presidential race amid concerns over his age and mental acuity.

Speaking to USA Today, Biden said "based on polling" he believed he would have won, but conceded his age may have affected him in office.

"When Trump was running again for re-election, I really thought I had the best chance of beating him. But I also wasn't looking to be president when I was 85 years old, 86 years old," Biden said. "But I don't know. Who the hell knows?"

Following Vice-President Kamala Harris' loss to Trump, high-ranking members of the Democratic party, such as former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, have said the Democrats might have fared better in the election had Biden exited the race sooner.

• Harris certifies Trump's US election win, four years after Capitol riot
• Judge blocks release of special counsel's report on Trump
• Who has joined Trump's top team?

A baby was born on a crowded migrant dinghy which travelled from Africa to the Canary Islands this week, Spanish coast guards say.

They have published a picture of the baby boy who was rescued on alongside his mother and scores of other migrants.

The crowded inflatable raft was first spotted on 6 January off the island of Lanzarote.

The rescuers believe they reached the vessel soon after the baby was born on the day Spain celebrated the Epiphany, a Christian holiday where children traditionally receive gifts.

The captain of the rescue boat said they knew there was a pregnant woman on board, but were surprised to find "a totally naked baby who was born 10,15 or 20 minutes earlier".

Domingo Trujillo said when they reached the vessel, the mother was lying on the floor of the packed raft while the baby was being held by another passenger.

Upon medical advice, the baby and its mother were taken via helicopter to hospital on Lanzarote. No other complications have been reported by authorities.

"It being Three Kings Day, this was the best gift we could have received," the commander of the helicopter, Álvaro Serrano Pérez, told Reuters news agency.

The ocean crossing from Africa to the Canary Islands is notoriously dangerous.

More than 46,800 undocumented migrants made the route last year to reach the islands, Spanish government data this month showed.

The Christian feast day of Epiphany, when observers celebrate the visit to Jesus by the Magi - commonly known as the Three Kings, or Wise Men - is widely celebrated in Spain.

Children polish their shoes on the eve of the event known as "El Dia de los Reyes" (the Day of the Kings) and leave them ready for the Three Kings - Melchior, Caspar and Balthazar - to put their presents in.

"Babaryko is alive!"

Those were the words of Viktor Babaryko's team after seeing the first images of the imprisoned Belarusian opposition politician in more than 630 days.

Arrested in 2020 as he tried to run for president against authoritarian leader Alexander Lukashenko, Babaryko was then held incommunicado behind bars as extra punishment.

His political team describe the time with no contact or information about him at all as "torturous".

In a short video just released, Babaryko is filmed sending greetings to his family. There are also three photographs, including one that shows him writing a letter, apparently also to relatives. It's not clear exactly when the pictures were taken.

Dressed in black prison overalls, the former banker has lost a considerable amount of weight since his detention.

Other high-profile political prisoners have also been held incommunicado in Belarus, including Maria Kolesnikova, who was part of Babaryko's 2020 presidential campaign team until his arrest.

She then became one of the leaders of the mass protests that erupted after the election, which the EU said had been falsified to keep Lukashenko in office.

Last November, similar images were suddenly released of Kolesnikova, taken in prison when her father was allowed his first visit in more than a year-and-a-half. There has been no news of her since.

In both cases, the photos and videos were published by Roman Protasevich, co-founder of the Telegram channel Nexta that was widely followed during the 2020 mass protests.

In 2021, he was arrested after his Ryanair flight was diverted mid-air to Belarus and forced to land following a fake bomb threat.

The former activist was later released from prison after making a public apology, and now co-operates with the authorities.

In a short video that he posted alongside the photographs of Viktor Babaryko, he said the prisoner had "looked well", claimed he was cheerful and that the two had chatted, joked and "even laughed" together. Babaryko doesn't get to comment for himself.

The pictures of the former presidential contender have emerged shortly before the next election in Belarus, on 26 January. This time, no genuine opposition candidates at all have been allowed to take part.

There have been reports that well-known political prisoners are under pressure to request an official pardon from Lukashenko ahead of the vote, so that he might release them and look merciful.

It's also possible the images of Viktor Babaryko in prison are meant to remind Belarusians of the immense risk of open opposition.

A few dozen less prominent figures have been released in recent months, but others have swiftly been arrested to replace them.

The human rights group Viasna currently calculates that there are 1,258 political prisoners in the country.

Among the high-profile names still not seen or heard of for many months are Sergei Tikhanovsky, the political activist arrested in 2020 whose wife Svetlana went on to run in the election in his place.

Now leader of the opposition, forced into exile, Svetlana Tikhanovskaya told the BBC this week that the upcoming presidential vote was a "sham" and a "performance" staged by Alexander Lukashenko in order to extend his grip on power.

US President-elect Donald Trump has repeated his intention to take control of Greenland, the Arctic territory controlled by Denmark.

Why is Trump talking about this - and why now?

Where is Greenland?

Greenland, the world's largest island, is located in the Arctic.

It is the world's most sparsely populated territory. About 56,000 people live there, mostly indigenous Inuit people.

About 80% of its territory is covered by ice, meaning most people live on the south-western coast around the capital, Nuuk.

An autonomous territory of Denmark, it is also home to Danish and US military bases.

The economy is mainly based on fishing. Large subsidies from the Danish government account for about a fifth of GDP.

In recent years, there has been increased interest in Greenland's natural resources, including mining for rare earth minerals, uranium and iron. These may become more accessible as global warming leads to some of the ice covering Greenland to melt.

What is Greenland's status?

Located geographically within North America, Greenland has been controlled by Denmark – nearly 3,000km (1,860 miles) away – for about 300 years.

The island was governed as a colony until the mid-20th Century. For much of this time, it remained isolated and poor.

In 1953, it was made part of the Kingdom of Denmark and Greenlanders became Danish citizens.

In 1979, a referendum on home rule gave Greenland control of most policies within the territory, with Denmark retaining control over foreign affairs and defence.

Why does Greenland matter to the US?

The US has long maintained a security interest in Greenland. After Nazi Germany occupied mainland Denmark during World War II, the US invaded Greenland, establishing military and radio stations across the territory.

After the war, US forces remained in Greenland. Pituffik Space Base, formerly known as Thule Air Base, has been operated by the US ever since.

In 1951, a defence agreement with Denmark granted the US a significant role in the defence of the territory, including the right to build and maintain military bases.

"If Russia were to send missiles towards the US, the shortest route for nuclear weapons would be via the North Pole and Greenland," said Marc Jacobsen, an associate professor at the Royal Danish Defence College.

"That's why the Pituffik Space Base is immensely important in defending the US."

Trump is also likely interested in the mining potential across Greenland's vast landmass, Mr Jacobsen added.

"Today, of special interest are the rare earth minerals, which have not yet been mined but are in the southern part of Greenland. These are immensely important in all kinds of technologies, from cell phones to wind turbines."

Does the US want full control of Greenland?

Trump has claimed that control of Greenland is essential to US national and economic security.

Though the president-elect's rhetoric may seen unusual, for over a century a succession of US presidents have tried to gain control of Greenland.

"The US has tried a few times to push the Danes out of Greenland and take it over as part of the US, or at least to have full security tutelage of Greenland," said Lukas Wahden, the author of 66° North, a newsletter on Arctic security.

In 1867, after buying Alaska from Russia, US Secretary of State William H Seward led negotiations to buy Greenland from Denmark, but failed to reach any agreement.

In 1946, the US offered to pay $100m (equivalent to $1.2bn; £970m today) for the territory, judging that it was vital for national security, but the Danish government refused.

Trump also tried to buy Greenland during his first term. Both Denmark and the Greenlandic government rejected the 2019 proposal, saying: "Greenland is not for sale."

What do the people of Greenland think?

Kuno Fencker, a member of the Inatsisartut, the Greenlandic parliament, said on Wednesday that he didn't see Trump's comments as a threat.

Fencker, who supports Greenlandic independence, told the BBC that a sovereign Greenland could choose to co-operate with the US on defence.

But when Trump first raised the idea of buying Greenland in 2019, many locals told the BBC they were opposed to the proposal.

"This is a very dangerous idea," said Dines Mikaelsen, a tour operator who was born and raised in Tasiilaq, east Greenland.

"He's treating us like a good he can purchase," said Aleqa Hammond, Greenland's first female prime minister.

"He's not even talking to Greenland - he's talking to Denmark about buying Greenland."

France has said the European Union will not allow other nations to attack its "sovereign borders", after US President-Elect Donald Trump refused to rule out using military force to seize Greenland.

On Tuesday, Trump reiterated his desire to acquire the autonomous Danish territory, saying it was "critical" for national and economic security.

French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot told French radio "there is obviously no question that the European Union would let other nations of the world attack its sovereign borders, whoever they are".

Barrot said he did not believe the US was going to invade the vast Arctic island, but he was clear the EU should not let itself be intimidated.

Denmark, a long-time US ally, has repeatedly made clear that Greenland is not for sale and that it belongs to its inhabitants.

Greenland's prime minister, Mute Egede, is pushing for independence and has also made clear the territory is not for sale. He was visiting Copenhagen on Wednesday.

Trump made the remarks at a free-wheeling news conference at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida, less than two weeks before he is sworn in for his second term as president.

Asked if he would rule out using military or economic force in order to take over Greenland or the Panama Canal, Trump said: "No, I can't assure you on either of those two.

"But I can say this, we need them for economic security."

• Panama Canal will stay in our hands, minister tells Trump

Greenland has been home to a US radar base since the Cold War and has long been strategically important for Washington.

Trump suggested the island was crucial to military efforts to track Chinese and Russian ships, which he said are "all over the place".

"I'm talking about protecting the free world," he told reporters.

Speaking to France Inter radio, Barrot said: "If you're asking me whether I think the United States will invade Greenland, my answer is no.

"Have we entered into an era that sees the return of the survival of the fittest? Then the answer is yes.

"So, should we allow ourselves to be intimidated and overcome with worry, clearly not. We must wake up, build up our strength."

Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen told Danish TV on Tuesday that "Greenland belongs to the Greenlanders" and that only the local population could determine its future.

However, she stressed Denmark needed close co-operation with the US, a Nato ally.

• Trump's eyeing Greenland - but other Arctic investment is frozen
• When does Donald Trump take office as US president?

Greenland, which is the largest island in the world but has a population of just 57,000, has wide-ranging autonomy, although its economy is largely dependent on subsidies from Copenhagen and it remains part of the kingdom of Denmark.

It also has some of the largest deposits of rare earth minerals, which are crucial in the manufacture of batteries and high-tech devices.

Danish Broadcasting Corporation senior international correspondent Steffen Kretz, who has been reporting in Greenland's capital, Nuuk, said most of the people he had spoken to were "shocked" by Trump's suggestion he could use military force to take control of the territory.

While a majority of people in Greenland hoped for independence in the future, he said there was widespread acknowledgment that it needed a partner who could provide public services, defence and an economic foundation, as Denmark did now.

"I have yet to meet a person in Greenland who is dreaming of the island becoming a colony for another outside power like the USA."

Kretz told the BBC that while the Danish government had sought to "downplay" any confrontation with Trump, "behind the scenes I sense the awareness that this conflict has the potential to be the biggest international crisis for Denmark in modern history".

The president-elect's son, Donald Trump Jr, paid a brief visit to Greenland on Tuesday, in what he described as a "personal day trip" to talk to people.

He then posted a photo with a group of Greenlanders in a bar wearing pro-Trump caps.

At least 13 people have been killed and another 18 injured in Russian shelling in Ukraine's southern city of Zaporizhzhia, local officials say.

"The Russians cynically attacked the city in the middle of the day," regional head Ivan Fedorov said, adding that two guided aerial bombs hit residential buildings.

Footage has emerged showing one high-rise building ablaze, and a number of vehicles on fire.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky called on allies to put pressure on Russia "for its terror". The Russian military has not commented. President Vladimir Putin launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

In a video message from outside the bombed site, Fedorov said the Russian shelling began at about 16:00 local time (14:00 GMT) on Wednesday.

He said that two guided bombs struck residential buildings. Earlier he had said "industrial infrastructure" had been targeted.

Graphic images posted online showed first responders treating casualties on the roadside, several vehicles on fire and a stationary tram with its windows shattered.

In one video, at least two minibuses are seen with their windows blown out and what appear to be casualties lying amid rubble and debris on the road.

Zaporizhzhia lies close to the front line.

In a statement later on Wednesday, President Zelensky said that "there is nothing more cruel than launching aerial bombs on a city, knowing that ordinary civilians will suffer".

And appealing to Ukraine's allies for more support, he said "that only through strength can such a war be ended with a lasting peace".

A day of mourning will be declared across the Zaporizhzhia region on Thursday.

The Israeli military says its troops have found the body of a Bedouin Arab hostage held by Hamas in Gaza, as well as evidence that suggests another may also be dead.

The body of Yousef Zyadna, 53, was recovered from an underground tunnel in the southern Rafah area on Tuesday.

The troops also made what the military described as "findings... which raise serious concerns" for the life of his son, Hamza, 22, who was also abducted by Hamas gunmen during the 7 October 2023 attack on southern Israel.

Two of Hamza's siblings, Aisha and Bilal, were seized alongside them near the Israel-Gaza perimeter fence that day. But they were among 105 hostages released during a week-long ceasefire that November.

The news about Yousef Zyadna came shortly before US Secretary of State Antony Blinken told reporters that US, Qatari and Egyptian mediators were "very close" to brokering a new ceasefire and hostage release deal between Israel and Hamas.

"I hope that we can get it over the line in the time that we have," he said, referring to the inauguration of President-elect Donald Trump on 20 January.

Israel launched a campaign to destroy Hamas in response to the 7 October 2023 attack, in which about 1,200 people were killed and 251 were taken hostage. Israel says 95 of the hostages remain in Gaza, of whom 34 are presumed dead.

More than 45,930 people have been killed in Gaza during the 15-month war, according to the territory's Hamas-run health ministry.

An Italian journalist detained in Iran last month has been freed and is on a flight back to Rome, the Italian government says.

Cecilia Sala, 29, was arrested on 19 December, three days after an Iranian engineer was detained by Italian authorities in Milan on suspicion of supplying drone technology that led to the deaths of US soldiers.

Reports said she had been held in solitary confinement in Tehran's notorious Evin prison.

It is unclear what led to Sala's release, however the news was broken by Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni's officials who cited "intense work through diplomatic and intelligence channels".

In the Italian statement, Meloni thanked "all those who contributed to to making Cecilia's return possible".

She had personally told Sala's parents of her release, it added. Sala's plane had already left Tehran and was due to arrive in Rome at 15:30 (14:30 GMT) on Wednesday, according to Ansa news agency.

Her partner, fellow journalist Daniele Raineri, told Ansa: "I spoke to her and she told me 'I'll see you soon', she was emotional and overjoyed."

Cecilia Sala's detention in prison in Tehran outraged Italians and has dominated headlines since her employer, podcast company Chora Media, broke the news of her arrest on 27 December.

Meloni is understood to have taken personal charge of her case and met US president-elect Donald Trump at the weekend, when the journalist's detention is thought to have been discussed.

Outgoing president Joe Biden is due to visit Rome later this week.

Iran said initially it had detained Sala for "violation of the Islamic Republic's laws", however US state department officials said it could be linked to the arrest of Iranian national Mohammad Abedini at Malpensa airport in Milan on 16 December.

He was arrested on a US warrant and one official told Italian media that Sala was being used as "political leverage".

Mohammad Abedini is due to go before a court in Milan on 15 January, and Tehran has in recent days played down any connection between the two cases.

The head of Italy's foreign intelligence service, Giovanni Caravelli, is said to have travelled to Tehran personally to bring Sala back to Italy.

Her father Renato Sala told Ansa news agency he was proud of her and praised the government for an "exceptional job".

He said he had had the impression that the situation had turned into a "game of chess, but with more than two players".

The US Treasury has imposed sanctions on Antal Rogan, one of the most powerful men in Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban's Fidesz government and the minister in charge of his cabinet office.

It is a rare move between Nato allies, and symbolic of the depth to which US-Hungarian relations have sunk since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine almost three years ago.

"Antal Rogan is a primary architect, implementer and beneficiary of this system of corruption," read the statement, made by outgoing US Ambassador David Pressman.

Pressman leaves Budapest next week, after two and a half years spent as an unusually active diplomat, travelling the country and frequently criticising the Orban government.

His departure comes days ahead of Donald Trump's return to the White House, and the president-elect has a far more positive view of Viktor Orban than the Biden administration, seeing him as a close political ally.

"While Minister Rogan's media megaphones will try to make this a story about partisan politics or an affront to sovereignty, today's decision is actually the reverse," Pressman told reporters in Budapest on Tuesday.

"It is not the United States that threatens Hungary's sovereignty, but rather the kleptocratic ecosystem Minister Rogan has helped to build and direct and that he has benefited from personally."

The ambassador's statement was immediately attacked by Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto.

"This is the personal revenge of the ambassador who was sent to Hungary by the failed US administration, but left without success and in disgrace," Szijjarto wrote on Facebook.

"How good it is that in a few days' time the United States will be led by people who see our country as a friend and not as an enemy."

A former US ambassador to Hungary, David Cornstein, also came to Rogan's defence: "The move by outgoing ambassador David Pressman is an example of the current US administration's hostile stance towards Hungary, right down to the last hour."

The question for the incoming Trump presidency, and its chosen ambassador to Budapest, Matt Whitaker, is whether they will immediately overturn the sanctions against Antal Rogan.

The answer is not as obvious as might appear.

Rogan also oversees the domestic secret services, and there have been indications from several Nato countries that Hungary is no longer trusted with sensitive information because of the Orban government's close relations with Russia's Vladimir Putin.

And for all the expressions of outrage at the decision to impose sanctions on Orban's head of cabinet, several senior figures in the Fidesz establishment have long been privately upset by the lifestyle of Rogan and others, by the power he wields, and the distance from the conservative and Christian values that the party proclaims so loudly.

High winds and lack of rain are the main factors driving the Southern California fires, but climate change is altering the background conditions, increasing the likelihood of these conflagrations, say experts.

Researchers have shown that a warming world increases the number of "fire weather" days, when conditions are more suited to outbreaks of fire.

California is particularly vulnerable right now because of a lack of rain in recent months, following a very warm summer.

The powerful Santa Ana winds that naturally occur at this time of year, combined with the dry conditions, can result in fast moving and dangerous fire outbreaks.

Reaching 60-70 mph, these strong, dry winds blow from the interior of Southern California towards the coast and this month has seen the worst high wind event in the area in over a decade.

The winds are drying out the lands, and researchers say that while the strongest winds will occur at the start of this outbreak, the driest vegetation will come at the end, meaning these fires could drag on for quite some time.

The high wind speeds are also altering the location of the fires. Many outbreaks occur high up on mountains, but these recent fires have rapidly moved down into the valleys and into areas where more people live.

"That's where there are more potential ignition sources," said climate researcher Daniel Swain from UCLA in a social media post.

"It's also where it's harder to turn off the power pre-emptively than it is in other locations where these public safety power shut offs are more common and are prepped for at a more regular basis. So there's going to be some potential challenges there."

The impact of a changing climate is evident in the bigger picture for the state.

California has experienced a decades-long drought that ended just two years ago. The resulting wet conditions since then have seen the rapid growth of shrubs and trees, the perfect fuel for fires.

However last summer was very hot and was followed by dry autumn and winter season - downtown Los Angeles has only received 0.16 inches of rain since October, more than 4 inches below average.

Researchers believe that a warming world is increasing the conditions that are conducive to wildland fire, including low relative humidity.

These "fire weather" days are increasing in many parts of the world, with climate change making these conditions more severe and the fire season lasting longer in many parts of the world, scientists have shown.

In California, the situation has been made worse by the topography with fires burning more intensely and moving more rapidly in steep terrain. This area of California is also dominated by naturally very fire-prone shrub vegetation.

"While fires are common and natural in this region, California has seen some of the most significant increases in the length and extremity of the fire weather season globally in recent decades, driven largely climate change," said Professor Stefan Doerr, Director of the Centre for Wildfire Research, at Swansea University.

"That said, it is too early to say to what degree climate change has made these specific fires more extreme. This will need to be evaluated in a more detailed attribution analysis."

US President-elect Donald Trump has repeated his intention to take control of Greenland, the Arctic territory controlled by Denmark.

Why is Trump talking about this - and why now?

Where is Greenland?

Greenland, the world's largest island, is located in the Arctic.

It is the world's most sparsely populated territory. About 56,000 people live there, mostly indigenous Inuit people.

About 80% of its territory is covered by ice, meaning most people live on the south-western coast around the capital, Nuuk.

An autonomous territory of Denmark, it is also home to Danish and US military bases.

The economy is mainly based on fishing. Large subsidies from the Danish government account for about a fifth of GDP.

In recent years, there has been increased interest in Greenland's natural resources, including mining for rare earth minerals, uranium and iron. These may become more accessible as global warming leads to some of the ice covering Greenland to melt.

What is Greenland's status?

Located geographically within North America, Greenland has been controlled by Denmark – nearly 3,000km (1,860 miles) away – for about 300 years.

The island was governed as a colony until the mid-20th Century. For much of this time, it remained isolated and poor.

In 1953, it was made part of the Kingdom of Denmark and Greenlanders became Danish citizens.

In 1979, a referendum on home rule gave Greenland control of most policies within the territory, with Denmark retaining control over foreign affairs and defence.

Why does Greenland matter to the US?

The US has long maintained a security interest in Greenland. After Nazi Germany occupied mainland Denmark during World War II, the US invaded Greenland, establishing military and radio stations across the territory.

After the war, US forces remained in Greenland. Pituffik Space Base, formerly known as Thule Air Base, has been operated by the US ever since.

In 1951, a defence agreement with Denmark granted the US a significant role in the defence of the territory, including the right to build and maintain military bases.

"If Russia were to send missiles towards the US, the shortest route for nuclear weapons would be via the North Pole and Greenland," said Marc Jacobsen, an associate professor at the Royal Danish Defence College.

"That's why the Pituffik Space Base is immensely important in defending the US."

Trump is also likely interested in the mining potential across Greenland's vast landmass, Mr Jacobsen added.

"Today, of special interest are the rare earth minerals, which have not yet been mined but are in the southern part of Greenland. These are immensely important in all kinds of technologies, from cell phones to wind turbines."

Does the US want full control of Greenland?

Trump has claimed that control of Greenland is essential to US national and economic security.

Though the president-elect's rhetoric may seen unusual, for over a century a succession of US presidents have tried to gain control of Greenland.

"The US has tried a few times to push the Danes out of Greenland and take it over as part of the US, or at least to have full security tutelage of Greenland," said Lukas Wahden, the author of 66° North, a newsletter on Arctic security.

In 1867, after buying Alaska from Russia, US Secretary of State William H Seward led negotiations to buy Greenland from Denmark, but failed to reach any agreement.

In 1946, the US offered to pay $100m (equivalent to $1.2bn; £970m today) for the territory, judging that it was vital for national security, but the Danish government refused.

Trump also tried to buy Greenland during his first term. Both Denmark and the Greenlandic government rejected the 2019 proposal, saying: "Greenland is not for sale."

What do the people of Greenland think?

Kuno Fencker, a member of the Inatsisartut, the Greenlandic parliament, said on Wednesday that he didn't see Trump's comments as a threat.

Fencker, who supports Greenlandic independence, told the BBC that a sovereign Greenland could choose to co-operate with the US on defence.

But when Trump first raised the idea of buying Greenland in 2019, many locals told the BBC they were opposed to the proposal.

"This is a very dangerous idea," said Dines Mikaelsen, a tour operator who was born and raised in Tasiilaq, east Greenland.

"He's treating us like a good he can purchase," said Aleqa Hammond, Greenland's first female prime minister.

"He's not even talking to Greenland - he's talking to Denmark about buying Greenland."

The affluent Los Angeles neighbourhood of Pacific Palisades typically has strangers walking around, trying to catch a glimpse of celebrities' houses.

Now, though, its streets are filled with firefighters battling a 3,000-acre wildfire that is ravaging the area.

Across the city, more than 30,000 have been forced to evacuate their homes as winds stoke three fires. A state of emergency has been declared, leaving roads gridlocked as people flee.

Among them, a number of famous faces have been forced to flee their usually idyllic California homes, including Star Wars' Mark Hamill and Schitt's Creek actor Eugene Levy.

James Woods, who has starred in films including Nixon and Casino, described evacuating his home on social media, and said he was not sure if it was still standing.

"It feels like losing a loved one," he wrote.

Pacific Palisades is known for being exclusive, with a house costing $4.5m (£3.6m) on average as of November 2024, according to Realtor.com.

The north LA neighbourhood is bordered on the south with a three-mile (4.8km) stretch of beaches on the Pacific Ocean, nestled between Malibu and Santa Monica.

It is a hub for trendy shops, cafes and a farmers' market.

But the Palisades fire - which grew from 10 acres to over 2,900 in a matter of hours - has shattered they area's idyllic nature.

Mark Hamill, of Star Wars fame, called the blaze the "most horrific fire since '93" - which burned 18,000 acres and destroyed 323 homes in nearby Malibu - in a post on Instagram.

He said he evacuated his home in Malibu "so last-minute there [were] small fires on both sides of the road".

Levy, who rose to fame for his role in film series American Pie, told local media he was forced to evacuate his home.

"The smoke looked pretty black and intense over Temescal Canyon. I couldn't see any flames but the smoke was very dark," he recounted to the Los Angeles Times.

Reality star's Spencer Pratt and Heidi Montag lost their family home in the fire, his sister wrote on Instagram.

"I am beyond heartbroken for my brother, Heidi and the kids," she said. "Even the fire station in the Palisades has burned down."

Miles Teller, best known for his role in Top Gun: Maverick, and his wife Keleigh, also live in the area.

Posting on Instagram, Mrs Teller shared a picture of the fires and a heart-break emoji. She urged people to leave bowls of water for animals as they evacuate their homes.

Meanwhile, Actor Steve Guttenberg, known for Police Academy, stayed to help firefighters by moving cars in order to make room for incoming fire trucks.

He urged residents to leave the keys to their abandoned cars so they could be moved out the way of firefighters.

"We really need people to move their cars," he told news outlet KTLA: "This is not a parking lot."

It is not just famous residents affected by the wildfire - notable buildings in the area are under threat as well.

The Palisades Charter High School - which has served as a set for movies and counts several notable people as former students - has been damaged by fire, local media reports.

The fire-stricken school has been used in films including 1976 horror classic Carrie and Project X, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

Former students include director JJ Abrams, musician Will.i.am, and actors Forest Whitaker and Katey Sagal.

The Getty Villa is an art museum in the Palisades that has a large collection of artworks and artefacts, including works by Vincent van Gogh and Claude Monet.

The museum confirmed on Tuesday that it had closed to the public and that some trees and vegetation on site had burned - but said that "no structures are on fire, and staff and the collection remain safe".

Star studded events due to take place in the area have also been cancelled.

Film premiers for Unstoppable, Better Man and Wolfman have been called off, as has the Screen Actors Guild Awards live nominations event.

The co-chair of the independent body that reviews Facebook and Instagram content has said she is "very concerned" about how parent company Meta's decision to ditch fact checkers will affect minority groups.

Helle Thorning-Schmidt, from Meta's oversight board, told the BBC she welcomed aspects of the shake-up, which will see users decide about the accuracy of posts via X-style "community notes".

However speaking on Today, on BBC Radio Four, she added there were "huge problems" with what had been announced, including the potential impact on LBTQ+ and trans people, as well as gender rights.

"We are seeing many instances where hate speech can lead to real-life harm, so we will be watching that space very carefully," she said.

In a video posted alongside a blog post by the company on Tuesday, Meta chief executive Mark Zuckerberg said the decision was motivated by "getting back to our roots around free expression".

He said third-party fact checkers currently used by the firm were "too politically biased", meaning too many users were being "censored."

The decision has prompted questions about the survival of the board - which Meta funds - and was created by then president of global affairs, Sir Nick Clegg, who announced he was leaving the company less than a week ago.

Ms Thorning-Schmidt - a former Prime Minister of Denmark - insisted the changes to fact checking meant it was needed more than ever.

"That's why it is good we have an oversight board that can discuss this in a transparent way with Meta", she said.

'Kiss up to Trump'

While Meta says the move is about free speech, others have suggested it is an attempt to get closer to the incoming Trump administration, and catch up with the access and influence enjoyed by another tech titan, Elon Musk.

The tech journalist and author Kara Swisher told the BBC it was "the most cynical move" she had seen Mr Zuckerberg make in the "many years" she had been reporting on him.

"Facebook does whatever is in its self-interest", she told Today.

"He wants to kiss up to Donald Trump, and catch up with Elon Musk in that act."

However while campaigners against hate speech online reacted with dismay to the change some advocates of free speech have welcomed the news.

The US free speech group Fire said: "Meta's announcement shows the marketplace of ideas in action. Its users want a social media platform that doesn't suppress political content or use top-down fact-checkers.

"These changes will hopefully result in less arbitrary moderation decisions and freer speech on Meta's platforms."

Speaking after the changes were announced, Trump told a news conference he was impressed by Mr Zuckerberg's decision and that Meta had "come a long way".

Asked whether Mr Zuckerberg was "directly responding" to threats Trump had made to him in the past, the incoming US president responded: "Probably".

Advertiser exodus

Mr Zuckerberg acknowledged on Tuesday there was some risk for the company in the change of strategy.

"It means we're going to catch less bad stuff, but we'll also reduce the number of innocent people's posts and accounts that we accidentally take down," he said in his video message.

X's move to a more hands-off approach to moderating content has contributed to a major fall-out with advertisers.

Jasmine Enberg, analyst at Insider Intelligence, said that was a risk for Meta too.

"Meta's massive size and powerhouse ad platform insulate it somewhat from an X-like user and advertiser exodus", she told the BBC.

"But brand safety remains a key factor in determining where advertisers spend their budgets - any major drop in engagement could hurt Meta's ad business, given the intense competition for users and ad dollars."

As firefighters in California battle three different blazes in and around Los Angeles, residents in the affluent suburb of Palisades have told the BBC how they fled the approaching flames.

Pacific Palisades resident David Latt said he and his wife had just 10 minutes to grab important documents and family photographs before being stuck in a traffic jam for two hours as they tried to escape.

Speaking to the Radio 4 Today programme Mr Latt said he had been unware of the fires until a neighbour warned him.

"I didn't know what he was even talking about until I went outside and I saw, about four blocks away up a hill, a very large plume of black smoke. And then I realised; 'oh, we need to get out of here!'"

Mr Latt said most people are aware of the need to pack a "grab-and-go bag" containing important documents like passports and other essential items. He wanted to make sure he had "all the receipts we needed to file our taxes… and we gathered more family photographs, albums, artwork, that we could get into our two cars".

After collecting their most important belongings, he took a moment to film the wildfires from his roof and check the direction of the wind. When he realised it was blowing in his direction, he knew it was time to move - just minutes after getting the warning.

With access to and from his area limited to just one road, Mr Latt said they were stuck in a traffic jam for two hours as they attempted to flee.

Bordering Malibu, Pacific Palisades is a haven of hillside streets and winding roads nestled against the Santa Monica Mountains and extending down to beaches along the Pacific Ocean.

Mr Latt is unsure of what has happened to his home, and does not believe they will know much more for at least a day; extremely high winds are forecast later on Wednesday night and into Thursday which could fan the flames to whip up more fires across Los Angeles.

"What we know from experience is that even though the firefighters are doing a remarkable job in putting out areas of fire, but some sparks remain... the wind picks it up, carries the embers which can go across the street or a mile away... That's what the concern is in LA tonight," Mr Latt said.

The speed of which he saw firefighting aircraft in the skies gave him some confidence in a "frightening situation", he added.

• Follow latest updates on the LA wildfires
• Watch: Smoke billows as thousands evacuate in LA
• 'Run for your lives!' residents abandon cars to flee fire on foot
• Timelapse shows rapid spread of Palisades wildfire
• Watch: Inside a neighbourhood totally lost in inferno
• Pacific Palisades: The celebrity LA area ravaged by wildfire

In Palisades, firefighters told people to get out of their cars as the blaze approached, fanned by gusts of winds sometimes topping 100mph (160km/h).

"The fire was right up against the cars," resident Marsha Horowitz told the BBC.

Celebrities were also among those fleeing.

Schitt's Creek actor Eugene Levy lives in the area and told local media he was forced to evacuate his home. "The smoke looked pretty black and intense over Temescal Canyon. I couldn't see any flames but the smoke was very dark," he told the Los Angeles Times.

Mr Latt and his wife made it to safety, but unease has gripped residents in the city as the three wildfires rage on its northern and western outskirts.

Whipped up by strong winds, the fires have destroyed homes, clogged roads and forced more than 30,000 people to flee.

With at least 50,000 homes without power, other people in affected neighbourhoods have been driving until they get a signal to try and make calls or connect to the internet, unsure what to do.

If they go to sleep, they worry they will not know when to evacuate. Many can see flames from their homes, but are unsure if they are close enough to leave.

Many people have have children and pets, and are unsure of where to go.

Journalist Amrita Khalid lives in coastal city of Santa Monica, which is also being evacuated.

She told the BBC World Service's Newsday radio programme that the day began like any other.

"I can't stress to you how normal this morning was in Santa Monica. It just seemed like another nice winter morning. But then, I was walking home from the gym and I just noticed big black billowing clouds of smoke."

She then decided to leave her home for a safer location and says a photo of her neighbourhood that was shared with her affirmed her decision to leave.

"It looks like Mars, it looks bright red," she said. "So I'm kind of glad I left. I think better be safe than sorry."

France has said the European Union will not allow other nations to attack its "sovereign borders", after US President-Elect Donald Trump refused to rule out using military force to seize Greenland.

On Tuesday, Trump reiterated his desire to acquire the autonomous Danish territory, saying it was "critical" for national and economic security.

French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot told French radio "there is obviously no question that the European Union would let other nations of the world attack its sovereign borders, whoever they are".

Barrot said he did not believe the US was going to invade the vast Arctic island, but he was clear the EU should not let itself be intimidated.

Denmark, a long-time US ally, has repeatedly made clear that Greenland is not for sale and that it belongs to its inhabitants.

Greenland's prime minister, Mute Egede, is pushing for independence and has also made clear the territory is not for sale. He was visiting Copenhagen on Wednesday.

Trump made the remarks at a free-wheeling news conference at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida, less than two weeks before he is sworn in for his second term as president.

Asked if he would rule out using military or economic force in order to take over Greenland or the Panama Canal, Trump said: "No, I can't assure you on either of those two.

"But I can say this, we need them for economic security."

• Panama Canal will stay in our hands, minister tells Trump

Greenland has been home to a US radar base since the Cold War and has long been strategically important for Washington.

Trump suggested the island was crucial to military efforts to track Chinese and Russian ships, which he said are "all over the place".

"I'm talking about protecting the free world," he told reporters.

Speaking to France Inter radio, Barrot said: "If you're asking me whether I think the United States will invade Greenland, my answer is no.

"Have we entered into an era that sees the return of the survival of the fittest? Then the answer is yes.

"So, should we allow ourselves to be intimidated and overcome with worry, clearly not. We must wake up, build up our strength."

Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen told Danish TV on Tuesday that "Greenland belongs to the Greenlanders" and that only the local population could determine its future.

However, she stressed Denmark needed close co-operation with the US, a Nato ally.

• Trump's eyeing Greenland - but other Arctic investment is frozen
• When does Donald Trump take office as US president?

Greenland, which is the largest island in the world but has a population of just 57,000, has wide-ranging autonomy, although its economy is largely dependent on subsidies from Copenhagen and it remains part of the kingdom of Denmark.

It also has some of the largest deposits of rare earth minerals, which are crucial in the manufacture of batteries and high-tech devices.

Danish Broadcasting Corporation senior international correspondent Steffen Kretz, who has been reporting in Greenland's capital, Nuuk, said most of the people he had spoken to were "shocked" by Trump's suggestion he could use military force to take control of the territory.

While a majority of people in Greenland hoped for independence in the future, he said there was widespread acknowledgment that it needed a partner who could provide public services, defence and an economic foundation, as Denmark did now.

"I have yet to meet a person in Greenland who is dreaming of the island becoming a colony for another outside power like the USA."

Kretz told the BBC that while the Danish government had sought to "downplay" any confrontation with Trump, "behind the scenes I sense the awareness that this conflict has the potential to be the biggest international crisis for Denmark in modern history".

The president-elect's son, Donald Trump Jr, paid a brief visit to Greenland on Tuesday, in what he described as a "personal day trip" to talk to people.

He then posted a photo with a group of Greenlanders in a bar wearing pro-Trump caps.

Panama has insisted that its sovereignty over the Panama Canal is "non-negotiable" after US President-elect Donald Trump refused to rule out military force to seize it.

Trump made the remark during a news conference on Tuesday at which he also falsely stated that the Panama Canal was being operated by Chinese soldiers.

Panama's Foreign Minister Javier Martínez-Acha responded by saying that "the only hands operating the Canal are Panamanian and that is how it is going to stay".

The Panama Canal was managed by the US for decades but under a treaty signed by the late US President Jimmy Carter in 1977, it was handed over to the Panamanians on 31 December 1999.

In his news conference at Mar-a-Lago on Tuesday, Trump described President Carter's decision to hand the Canal back as "a big mistake".

He also expressed renewed interest in buying the Arctic island of Greenland - which is a self-governing territory of Denmark - and the Panama Canal.

Pressed by journalists on whether he would rule out using military or economic force to acquire Greenland and the Panama Canal, he said: "No, I can't assure you on either of those two."

Panama's foreign minister denied his country had received any kind of offer from the president-elect.

"Mr Trump's opinions today, that he has talked about a certain amount of money, are not true. No kind of offer has been received, let it be clear," Martínez-Acha said.

He added that "our canal's sovereignty is not negotiable and is part of our history of struggle and an irreversible conquest".

Panama's president, José Raúl Mulino, has not yet reacted directly to Trump's latest remarks.

But at a colourful ceremony marking the 25th anniversary of the handover of the Canal to Panama held on 31 December, he told attendees to "rest assured, it will stay in our control forever".

President Mulino has in the past appeared exasperated by Trump's claims that the Canal is under some sort of Chinese influence, saying "there are no Chinese soldiers in the canal, for the love of God".

His government also stressed that "until 20 January, the US government is led by Joe Biden. From 20 January we will deal with Mr Trump and his government".

"Panama is keen to co-operate and maintain excellent relations with the different governments."

An Italian journalist detained in Iran last month has been freed and is on a flight back to Rome, the Italian government says.

Cecilia Sala, 29, was arrested on 19 December, three days after an Iranian engineer was detained by Italian authorities in Milan on suspicion of supplying drone technology that led to the deaths of US soldiers.

Reports said she had been held in solitary confinement in Tehran's notorious Evin prison.

It is unclear what led to Sala's release, however the news was broken by Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni's officials who cited "intense work through diplomatic and intelligence channels".

In the Italian statement, Meloni thanked "all those who contributed to to making Cecilia's return possible".

She had personally told Sala's parents of her release, it added. Sala's plane had already left Tehran and was due to arrive in Rome at 15:30 (14:30 GMT) on Wednesday, according to Ansa news agency.

Her partner, fellow journalist Daniele Raineri, told Ansa: "I spoke to her and she told me 'I'll see you soon', she was emotional and overjoyed."

Cecilia Sala's detention in prison in Tehran outraged Italians and has dominated headlines since her employer, podcast company Chora Media, broke the news of her arrest on 27 December.

Meloni is understood to have taken personal charge of her case and met US president-elect Donald Trump at the weekend, when the journalist's detention is thought to have been discussed.

Outgoing president Joe Biden is due to visit Rome later this week.

Iran said initially it had detained Sala for "violation of the Islamic Republic's laws", however US state department officials said it could be linked to the arrest of Iranian national Mohammad Abedini at Malpensa airport in Milan on 16 December.

He was arrested on a US warrant and one official told Italian media that Sala was being used as "political leverage".

Mohammad Abedini is due to go before a court in Milan on 15 January, and Tehran has in recent days played down any connection between the two cases.

The head of Italy's foreign intelligence service, Giovanni Caravelli, is said to have travelled to Tehran personally to bring Sala back to Italy.

Her father Renato Sala told Ansa news agency he was proud of her and praised the government for an "exceptional job".

He said he had had the impression that the situation had turned into a "game of chess, but with more than two players".

At least 19 Palestinians, including eight children, were killed in Israeli air strikes in southern Gaza overnight, local health officials say.

A mother and her four children were reportedly killed when a tent camp for displaced people in al-Mawasi was hit, while another a couple and their children died in the nearby city of Khan Younis.

The Israeli military said it conducted several strikes targeting Hamas fighters who took part in the 7 October 2023 attack on Israel, which triggered the war in Gaza.

Deadly strikes were also reported in central and northern Gaza, with the Hamas-run health ministry saying a total of 51 people had been killed across the territory in the past 24 hours.

In the north, the bodies of at least six people, including a baby, were recovered from two houses in Gaza City which were hit, according to the Hamas-run Civil Defence agency.

Meanwhile, three people were killed in a strike in the central town of Deir al-Balah, while another infant was killed in the nearby, urban Bureij refugee camp, medics said.

There was no immediate comment from the Israeli military on those strikes.

Gaza's health ministry also issued an urgent appeal for fuel to operate the generators of hospitals in the south. It warned that the generators would stop functioning within hours, putting the lives of hundreds of patients at risk.

It came as indirect talks on a ceasefire and hostage release deal continued in Qatar, where US President-elect Donald Trump's Middle East envoy said "a lot of progress" had been made.

Stephen Witkoff told a news conference in Floriday on Tuesday that he would soon travel to Doha to join the negotiations mediated by Qatar, Egyptian and US officials.

"I'm really hopeful that by the inaugural, we'll have some good things to announce on behalf of the president," he added.

Trump meanwhile repeated his threat that "all hell will break out in the Middle East" if Hamas does not release the 100 hostages it is still holding before he takes office on 20 January.

Hamas and Israel have accused each other of obstructing progress towards a deal.

Israel launched a campaign to destroy Hamas in response to the group's 7 October 2023 attack, in which about 1,200 people were killed and 251 others were taken hostage.

More than 45,930 people have been killed in Gaza since then, according to the territory's health ministry.

OpenAI chief executive Sam Altman's sister, Ann Altman, has filed a lawsuit alleging that he regularly sexually abused her between 1997 and 2006.

The lawsuit, which was filed on 6 January in a US District Court in the Eastern District of Missouri, alleges that the abuse started when she was three and Mr Altman was 12.

In a joint statement on X, with his mother and two brothers, Mr Altman denied the allegations, saying "all of these claims are utterly untrue."

"Caring for a family member who faces mental health challenges is incredibly difficult," the statement added.

"This situation causes immense pain to our entire family."

In the filing, which has been seen by the BBC, Ms Altman alleged that the abuse, which took place over many years, included rape.

The lawsuit added the last instance of the alleged abuse took place when Mr Altman was an adult but she was still a minor.

The lawsuit requested a jury trial and damages in excess of $75,000 ($60,100).

Ms Altman has previously made similar allegations against her brother on social media platforms such as X.

Mr Altman is one of the technology world's most high profile figures.

In late 2022, OpenAi launched the ChatGPT generative artificial intelligence (AI) chatbot.

Additional reporting by Lily Jamali

The US has accused the Sudanese paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) of committing genocide and imposed sanctions on its leader.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Tuesday said Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, also known as Hemedti, was being punished for his role in "systematic" atrocities against the Sudanese people during the 20-month conflict.

He said the RSF and allied militias were responsible for the murder of "men and boys - even infants", as well as brutal sexual violence against women on ethnic grounds.

The militias have also targeted fleeing civilians and murdered innocent people escaping the conflict, Blinken said.

"Based on this information, I have now concluded that members of the RSF and allied militias have committed genocide in Sudan," he said.

• BBC hears of horror and hunger in rare visit to Darfur massacre town

In response, the RSF has accused the US of double standards and for failing to effectively address the ongoing crisis.

"The decision… expresses the failure of the [US President Joe] Biden administration to deal with the Sudanese crisis and the double standards it followed [with regards to the crisis]," Hemedti's adviser, El-Basha Tbaeq, said in a post on his X account.

He added that this may complicate the Sudanese crisis and hinder negotiations to address the root causes of the conflict.

The RSF has been fighting the Sudanese military since April 2023, and there has been a growing outcry about its conduct during the war.

Both sides have been accused of atrocities, with the conflict leading to one of the world's worst humanitarian crises.

In May, US special envoy for Sudan Tom Perriello said that some estimates suggested up to 150,000 people had been killed in the conflict.

Famine has been declared in several parts of the country, with 24.6 million people - about half the population - in urgent need of food aid, according to experts.

Mr Blinken said neither the RSF nor Sudan's military were fit to govern Sudan.

"Both belligerents bear responsibility for the violence and suffering in Sudan and lack the legitimacy to govern a future peaceful Sudan," he said.

The sanctions bar Hemedti and his immediate family members from visiting the US, and any personal assets there are blocked.

Seven RSF-owned companies based in the United Arab Emirates and one other individual are also being sanctioned for helping the paramilitary group procure weapons.

Find out more about the Sudan conflict:

• Sudan slides deeper into famine, experts say
• 'Tears of joy' - Sudan capital gets first aid convoy since war began
• BBC reveals fighters accused of massacre in Sudan
• Sudan - where more children are fleeing war than anywhere else

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

The Duchess of Sussex has said she is "devastated" following the death of her dog, Guy.

In a post on Instagram, Meghan said had "cried too many tears to count" over the dog's passing and thanked him for "so many years of unconditional love".

The duchess said she had adopted the beagle from an animal rescue in Canada in 2015 and that he had been "with me for everything" ever since.

She did not say when the dog had died or its cause of death.

The post was accompanied by a montage of photos and video showing the duchess and her family playing with Guy.

In one, she is seen boiling fruit on a stove to make jam and telling the dog, "We're jamming, Guy". In another her husband, the Duke of Sussex, is seen running along a beach with him.

At the end, Meghan can be heard with one of the couple's children singing: "We love you Guy, yes we do".

The duchess said staff at the shelter from where she had adopted the dog "referred to him as 'the little guy' because he was so small and frail".

"So I named him 'Guy'. And he was the best guy any girl could have asked for," she said.

"He was with me at Suits, when I got engaged, (and then married), when I became a mom….

"He was with me for everything: the quiet, the chaos, the calm, the comfort."

The duchess added that Guy would feature in her upcoming Netflix series, titled With Love, Meghan.

"I hope you'll come to understand why I am so devastated by his loss. I think you may fall a little bit in love too," she said.

"I have cried too many tears to count - the type of tears that make you get in the shower with the absurd hope that the running water on your face will somehow make you not feel them, or pretend they're not there. But they are. And that's okay too.

"Thank you for so many years of unconditional love, my sweet Guy. You filled my life in ways you'll never know."

Although Babatunde Fashola, affectionately known as Baba, is 22 years old, he is less than 70cm (2ft 4in) tall.

He has cerebral palsy and requires lifelong care. He can neither speak nor walk and is fed via a tube attached to his stomach.

As a baby, he was abandoned by his parents but 10 years ago, he found a home at the Cerebral Palsy Centre in the Nigerian city of Lagos.

"Baba weighs about 12kg [26lb]. He is doing well," the facility's founder, Nonye Nweke, tells me when I visit.

Ms Nweke and her staff work around the clock to support him and other youngsters living with permanent brain damage.

Although there is a lack of official data, cerebral palsy is believed to be one of the most common neurological disorders in Nigeria. In 2017, a medical professor from the University of Lagos said 700,000 people had the condition.

For many of those living with cerebral palsy in the country, their condition was caused by a common phenomenon among newborns - neonatal jaundice.

This is caused by a build-up of bilirubin, a yellow substance, in the blood, meaning the babies' skins have a yellow tinge.

Professor Chinyere Ezeaka, a paediatrician at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital, tells the BBC that more than 60% of all babies suffer from jaundice.

Most babies recover within days. More severe cases need further medical intervention - and even then the condition is easily treatable.

Children are basically exposed to ultra-violet light to dissolve the excess bilirubin in their red blood cells. The treatment lasts a few days depending on the severity.

However, in Nigeria this treatment is often not immediately available, which is why the country is among the five with the most neurological disorders caused by untreated jaundice in the world, according to data from the World Health Organization (WHO).

Any treatment for neonatal jaundice "must occur within the first 10 days of life, else [the condition] could cause permanent brain damage and severe cerebral palsy", says Prof Ezeaka.

To make matters worse, the West African country lacks facilities to care for those with neurological disorders. There are just three cerebral palsy centres, all privately run, in Nigeria, which has a population of more than 200 million.

Ms Nweke - a single mother - set up the Cerebral Palsy Centre after struggling to find support for her own daughter, Zimuzo.

"When I took her to a day-care [centre], they asked me to take her back because other mothers would withdraw their children. As a mum, I must say it was quite devastating," Ms Nweke tells the BBC.

Zimuzo is now 17, and Ms Nweke's Cerebral Palsy Centre provides full-time support for others with similar experiences.

On the day I visit, colourful playtime mats and toys are neatly arranged on the floor. Mickey Mouse and his friends converse on a wide-screen television in the lounge.

Twelve youngsters, some as young as five, gaze at the TV, their bright environment ignored for a moment. They are all immobile and non-speaking.

At lunchtime, caregivers help the youngsters eat. Some take in liquified food through tubes attached to their stomachs.

Carefully and slowly, the carers support their heads with pillows and push the contents of their syringes into the tubes.

The youngsters are fed every two hours and require regular muscular massages to prevent stiffness.

But they are the lucky 12 receiving free care from the Cerebral Palsy Centre, which is funded exclusively by donors.

The facility has a long waiting list - Ms Nweke has received more than 100 applications.

But taking on more youngsters would require extra financial support. The cost of caring for someone at the centre is at least $1,000 (£790) a month - a huge amount in a country where the national minimum wage is about $540 a year.

"As a mum, I must say it's quite overwhelming. You have moments of depression, it gives you heartaches and it is quite expensive - in fact it's the most expensive congenital disorder to manage," Ms Nweke says.

"And then of course, it keeps you away from people because you don't discuss the same things. They are talking of their babies, walking, enjoying those baby moments. You are not doing that. You are sad," she adds.

Ms Nweke explains that she adopted Zimuzo from an orphanage.

A few months after taking her new daughter home, Ms Nweke realised Zimuzo was not developing in the same way as the children around her were. She was assessed at a hospital and diagnosed with cerebral palsy.

Ms Nweke was told she could take Zimuzo, who was then just a few months old, back to the orphanage and adopt another baby instead, but she refused.

"I decided to keep her and I began researching what the disorder was about, the treatment and type of care my child would need - she's my life.

"I was also told by the doctors she won't live beyond two years. Well here we are - 17 years later," says a smiling Ms Nweke.

A lack of awareness and adequate medical support hinders the diagnosis and treatment of neonatal jaundice in Nigeria.

Ms Nweke also says the common local belief that children with congenital disorders are spiritually damaged or bewitched leads to stigmatisation.

Some children with neurological disorders - mostly in Nigeria's rural areas - are labelled witches. In some cases, they are abandoned in prayer houses or cast out of their families.

Ms Nweke is not alone in her mission to dispel myths and improve care.

The Oscar Project - a charity aimed at improving the diagnosis and treatment of neonatal jaundice - recently began operating in Lagos.

The project is named after Vietnamese-born British disability advocate, Oscar Anderson, whose untreated jaundice caused his cerebral palsy.

"We're equipping health facilities at the primary, secondary and tertiary levels with the equipment to treat jaundice, primarily light boxes, but also detection and screening equipment," Toyin Saraki, who oversaw the launch, tells the BBC.

Project Oscar, backed by consumer health firm Reckitt, is training 300 health workers in Lagos. The hope over the first year is to reach 10,000 mothers, screen 9,000 children and introduce new protocols to try and prevent babies with jaundice from developing cerebral palsy.

In a country where the public health system is overstretched, the government has little to say about the disorder, although it lauded the Oscar project's goals.

Treatment for neonatal jaundice is significantly cheaper than the cost of lifelong care, doctors say.

First launched in Vietnam in 2019, Project Oscar has helped about 150,000 children in the Asian country.

Mr Anderson, 22, says he wants to prevent other children experiencing what he has been through.

"People with disabilities are not to be underestimated," he tells the BBC.

He is working to ensure screening for every newborn infant for neonatal jaundice, and, with the support and courage of mums, midwives and medical professionals, ensure there is better understanding and quicker treatment.

However, achieving this is a hugely ambitious goal in Africa's most-populous country, where thousands of babies are born each year with neonatal jaundice.

Regardless, Mr Anderson is determined to defy the odds.

"The work doesn't stop until every baby is protected against neonatal jaundice," he says.

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