An eight-year-old girl and the director of an all-girls' summer camp are among the victims of flash floods in Texas that have claimed at least 43 lives, including 15 children.

Officials say most of the victims have been identified, though the identities of six adults and a child remain unknown. Authorities have not yet released any names publicly.

Here's what we know so far about the victims.

Renee Smajstrla

Eight-year-old Renee Smajstrla was at Camp Mystic when flooding swept through the summer camp for girls, her uncle said in a Facebook post.

"Renee has been found and while not the outcome we prayed for, the social media outreach likely assisted the first responders in helping to identify her so quickly," wrote Shawn Salta, of Maryland.

"We are thankful she was with her friends and having the time of her life, as evidenced by this picture from yesterday," he wrote. "She will forever be living her best life at Camp Mystic."

Camp Mystic, where 27 children are missing, is a nearly century-old Christian summer camp for girls on the banks of the Guadalupe River near Hunt, Texas.

Operated by generations of the same family since the 1930s, the camp's website bills itself as a place for girls to grow "spiritually" in a "wholesome" Christian atmosphere "to develop outstanding personal qualities and self-esteem".

Jane Ragsdale

Heart O' the Hills is another all-girls' camp that sits along the Guadalupe River, and it was right in the path of Friday's flood.

Jane Ragsdale, described as the "heart and soul" of Heart O'Hills, "did not make it", a post shared on the camp's official website said on Saturday.

Ragsdale, who started off as a camper then a counsellor, became the director and co-owner of the camp in 1976.

"We are mourning the loss of a woman who influenced countless lives and was the definition of strong and powerful," the camp website post said.

Heart O' the Hills wasn't in session and "most of those who were on camp at the time have been accounted for and are on high ground", the statement said.

"Access to the site is difficult, and authorities are primarily focused on locating the missing and preventing further loss of life and property".

Sarah Marsh

Sarah Marsh, a student at Cherokee Bend Elementary School in Texas, would have entered third grade in August.

She, too, was attending Camp Mystic when the floods struck, and reported as missing along with about two dozen other campers.

Her grandmother, Debbie Ford Marsh, took to Facebook on Friday asking for prayers. Just hours later she shared online that her granddaughter was among the girls killed.

"We will always feel blessed to have had this beautiful spunky ray of light in our lives. She will live on in our hearts forever!" Ms Ford Marsh wrote on Facebook.

In a post on Facebook, Alabama Senator Katie Britt said she's "heartbroken over the loss of Sarah Marsh, and we are keeping her family in our thoughts and prayers during this unimaginable time".

Lila Bonner

Nine-year-old Lila Bonner, a Dallas native was found dead after flooding near Camp Mystic, according to NBC News.

"In the midst of our unimaginable grief, we ask for privacy and are unable to confirm any details at this time," her family said in a statement to the news outlet.

"We ache with all who loved her and are praying endlessly."

Russia's Investigative Committee says former Russian transport minister Roman Starovoit has been found dead, apparently with a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

He was dismissed earlier on Monday by President Vladimir Putin.

No reason for Starovoit's dismissal was given and deputy transport minister Andrei Nikitin was announced as his replacement shortly after.

The Investigative Committee said it was working to establish the circumstances of the incident.

Starovoit was appointed minister of transport in May 2024.

Before becoming transport minister Starovoit had served as governor of the Kursk region for almost nine years, until May 2024.

The region was partly seized by Ukrainian troops in August 2024 in a surprise offensive. Moscow only managed to drive out the Ukrainian forces, although in late June Kyiv said it was still holding a small area of territory inside Russia.

Starovoit's successor, Aleksey Smirnov, was only in post for a short while. He was arrested in April and was later accused of embezzling funds that had been allocated for the building of fortifications on the border with Ukraine.

According to Russian outlet Kommersant, Starovoit was about to be brought in as a defendant in the same case.

It is unclear when, exactly, Starovoit died.

The head of the State Duma Defense Committee, Andrei Kartapolov, told Russian outlet RTVI that his death occurred "quite a while ago".

Earlier on Monday, before Starovoit's death was announced, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov was pressed by reporters on whether the dismissal meant Putin had lost trust in Starovoit over the events in Kursk.

"A loss of trust is mentioned if there is a loss of trust. Such wording was not used [in the Kremlin decree]," Peskov replied.

An Italian sniffer dog was killed after eating sausages filled with nails that were thrown into his kennel, his trainer has said.

Bruno, a seven-year-old bloodhound, had been hailed as a hero for finding nine missing people during his career, and was once honoured by Italy's prime minister.

Giorgia Meloni condemned the "vile, cowardly, unacceptable" killing in a post on X. "Thank you for all you have done, Bruno," she said.

The dog's trainer, Arcangelo Caressa, said he knew who was responsible and vowed to make them pay for their actions.

It has been suggested the killing was carried out as revenge for Bruno's role is dismantling dog fighting rings.

"Today I died with you," Mr Caressa said in a Facebook post announcing Bruno's death.

He said he found the dog - who, he says, he saw as a "brother" - on Friday morning in his kennel at the Endas search and rescue training centre in Taranto, Puglia.

"You fought your whole life to save humans and now it was a human who did this to you," he added. "You were, you are and you will continue to be my hero."

The trainer said Italy's police and prosecutor's office had launched a joint investigation into the killing.

Addressing the culprits, Mr Caressa said: "I know who you are, and you will pay for it."

He told local media had received death threats in the weeks leading up to Bruno's death.

"It wasn't a random gesture. They want me to step aside. But I will never give in. This is a vile attack, done for money and revenge," he told the Corriere della Sera newspaper.

Italian MP and animal rights activist Michela Vittoria Brambilla has urged the police to bring those responsible to justice.

She suggested Bruno had been targeted by criminals because of his role in seizing dogs used in fighting.

A newly strengthened law, spearheaded by Brambilla, can punish anyone who kills an animal using torture by up to four years in prison and a €60,000 (£51,000) fine.

Brambilla has called for this law to be applied due to Bruno's "long and painful death" from internal bleeding, brought on by the nail-filled sausages.

"We owe it to this noble animal," she said in a statement.

Kenya's security forces have blocked all major roads leading into central Nairobi, ahead of planned nationwide protests.

Much of the city centre is deserted, with businesses shut and a heavy security presence on the streets. Some schools have advised students to stay at home.

Hundreds of early-morning commuters and overnight travellers were stranded at checkpoints, some located more than 10km (six miles) from the city centre, with only a few vehicles allowed through.

Within the city, roads leading to key government sites - including the president's official residence, State House, and the Kenyan parliament - are barricaded with razor wire.

In a statement issued on Sunday evening, the police said it was their constitutional duty to protect lives and property while maintaining public order.

Monday's protests, dubbed Saba Saba (Swahili for 7 July), commemorate the 1990s struggle for multiparty democracy in Kenya.

These demonstrations have been organised primarily by young people, demanding good governance, greater accountability, and justice for victims of police brutality. They are the latest in a wave of anti-government protests that began last year.

On 25 June, at least 19 people were killed and thousands of businesses looted and destroyed in a day of nationwide protests that were being held in honour of those killed in last year's anti-tax protests.

Recent demonstrations have turned violent, with reports of infiltration by "goons", who are accused of looting and attacking protesters. Civil society groups allege collusion between these groups and the police - accusations the police have strongly denied.

On Sunday, an armed gang attacked the headquarters of a human rights NGO in Nairobi. The Kenya Human Rights Commission had been hosting a press conference organised by women calling for an end to state violence ahead of Monday's protests.

This year marks the 35th anniversary of the original Saba Saba protests - a key moment that helped usher in multiparty democracy in Kenya after years of one-party rule.

The response by the then government under President Daniel arap Moi was brutal. Many protesters - including veteran politician Raila Odinga, who is now working with the government, were arrested and tortured, while at least 20 people were reportedly killed.

Since then, Saba Saba has come to symbolise civic resistance and the fight for democratic freedom in Kenya.

You may also be interested in:

• Why the death of a blogger has put Kenya's police on trial
• Are East African governments uniting to silence dissent?
• Kenyan vendor shot by police during protests dies after life support switched off

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

Australian woman Erin Patterson has been found guilty by a jury of murdering three relatives with a beef Wellington meal that had toxic mushrooms in it.

The 50-year-old from the small Victorian town of Morwell has also been found guilty of the attempted murder of a fourth person - the sole survivor of that fatal meal on 29 July 2023.

The mushroom trial that gripped the country, and much of the world, heard evidence suggesting Patterson hunted down death cap mushrooms from nearby towns, before attempting to conceal her crimes by disposing of evidence and lying to authorities.

Three people died in hospital in the days after the meal: Patterson's former in-laws, Don Patterson, 70, and Gail Patterson, 70, as well as Gail's sister, Heather Wilkinson, 66.

Local pastor Ian Wilkinson – Heather's husband – recovered after weeks of treatment in hospital.

Her estranged husband Simon Patterson was also invited but cancelled the day before, saying he felt "uncomfortable" attending amid tension between the former couple.

Following the guilty verdict, the Supreme Court of Victoria has released some 100 images shown to the jury as evidence during the trial.

Beef Wellington

Some of the released photos are of the beef Wellington leftovers, which were collected from Patterson's home.

The leftovers were collected in specimen bags to prevent contamination, before being taken for examination.

The leftovers, which police found in her bin, were tested for traces of death cap mushrooms.

Death cap mushrooms

Death cap mushrooms are considered to perhaps be the deadliest of all mushrooms to humans, according to Britannica. The fungus is responsible for most cases of mushroom poisoning worldwide, of which some are fatal, the encyclopaedia has said.

The cap ranges in colour from greenish yellow to brown, tan, or rarely white, and measures about 4-16cm (about 1.5-6in) in diameter.

Patterson claimed she purchased some of the mushrooms dried from an Asian grocery in Melbourne, but couldn't remember which suburb. When she was questioned about the brand, and asked for transaction records, she said the mushrooms were in plain packaging and added that she must have paid in cash.

However, detectives had discovered death cap mushrooms had been seen in two towns close to Morwell, where Patterson lived, before the meal. Concerned locals had been posting images and locations of the mushrooms on the online plant database iNaturalist.

Erin Patterson's search history showed that she had used the iNaturalist website to view death cap mushroom sightings at least once before.

Her mobile phone location data appeared to show her travelling to both places and buying a food dehydrator on the way home.

Forensic experts were also able to recover images on her mobile showing what looked like death cap mushrooms on weighing scales.

Even a small piece of a death cap mushroom can be deadly and its toxins cannot be destroyed by cooking, freezing, or drying.

The dehydrator

Traces of poisonous mushrooms were found in a food dehydrator that Erin Patterson disposed of in a local dump the day after she was discharged from hospital.

Patterson told police she'd never owned such an appliance, despite an instruction manual being found in her kitchen drawer and posts in a true crime Facebook group where she boasted about using it.

Among the exhibits released by the judge, are stills of Patterson dumping a food dehydrator at her local tip days after the beef Wellington lunch.

As a reminder, she took herself to the hospital two days after the lunch, saying she felt ill. She initially refused pleas from staff for her and her children, who she claimed had eaten the leftovers, to be admitted for treatment. None of their tests showed traces of death cap mushroom poisoning.

Patterson took the dehydrator to an E-waste site.

The dehydrator was recovered by the police and forensic examination of the appliance found her fingertips and traces of the death cap mushrooms.

An American Israeli man who was held captive by Hamas has told the BBC that US President Donald Trump has the power to secure the release of the remaining hostages and end the war in Gaza.

Keith Siegel, 66, was kidnapped from Kibbutz Kfar Aza during the Hamas-led attacks on Israel on 7 October 2023. He was released this February after 484 days in captivity under a ceasefire deal that Trump helped broker just before he took office.

He was taken along with his wife, Aviva, who was held for 51 days before being freed during an earlier ceasefire.

Mr Siegel was speaking ahead of a meeting between Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and President Trump at the White House on Monday evening.

In an interview in Tel Aviv, he thanked Trump for securing his own release and said the president could now do the same for the remaining 50 hostages, up to 20 of whom are believed to still be alive.

"I believe he has a lot of strength, power and ability to put pressure on those that need to be pressured, on both sides in order to get the agreement, get the deal signed, and get all of hostages back and bring it into the war," he said.

Trump has said he hopes a new ceasefire and hostage release deal will be agreed this week, but it appears there are still significant gaps between Israel and Hamas.

The two sides resumed indirect talks in Qatar on Sunday evening but they ended after three hours without a breakthrough, according to a Palestinian official.

Before he flew to Washington DC, Netanyahu said he believed his meeting with Trump could "definitely help advance that result we are all hoping for".

It is believed the plan includes the staggered release of 10 living hostages and the bodies of 18 dead hostages in exchange for Palestinians held in Israeli jails.

Hamas said on Friday that it had delivered a "positive response". But a Palestinian official said it had requested several changes, including a US guarantee that hostilities would not resume if negotiations on an end to the war failed - an idea Netanyahu has previously rejected.

Mr Siegel described in vivid detail how Hamas members beat and taunted him, and said he was still haunted by the torture of a female captive he witnessed.

He said Hamas operatives had moved him through the streets of Gaza, sometimes in daylight, to 33 different locations during the course of his captivity.

When asked whether he would support a deal which released the hostages but saw Hamas remain in power in Gaza, he replied: "It's of the highest priority and urgency to get all of the 50 hostages back as soon as possible."

But he continued: "We cannot let Hamas continue to threaten people and to kill and murder people, and I think Hamas is responsible for death on both sides."

Gaza's Hamas-run health ministry says more than 57,000 people have been killed there since Israel launched military operations in response to the 7 October attacks, during which about 1,200 people were killed in Israel and 251 others taken hostage.

I asked Mr Siegel, as he continues to campaign for the release of the remaining hostages, whether his thoughts also focus on the suffering of the Gazan population.

"I believe that peace and security for all people and freedom... are basic human rights that every person deserves," he said.

"I think it's the responsibility of all leadership to ensure that that happens. Any innocent person that is hurt or killed or murdered is something that I hope or I dream will not happen."

Police Minister Senzo Mchunu has been accused of having ties to criminal gangs and of meddling in police investigations into politically motivated murders.

These explosive allegations were made by KwaZulu-Natal police boss Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi at a press briefing on Sunday.

He said Mr Mchunu was receiving financial support from an allegedly corrupt businessman to fund his "political endeavours".

Mr Mchunu has since denied what he says are "wild allegations" while President Cyril Ramaphosa said they were of "grave national security concern" and "receiving the highest priority attention".

Gen Mkhwanazi detailed a sequence of events he claims led to the "orchestrated" disbandment of a task force set up in 2018 to investigate the killing of politicians, mainly in KwaZulu-Natal.

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Gen Mkhwanazi said the team's investigations had uncovered links to high-profile individuals — including politicians, police officials, and businesspeople tied to a drug cartel syndicate - and this is why the team was disbanded.

When he dissolved the unit earlier this year, Mchunu said it was not adding value in the province, despite many cases remaining unsolved.

According to Gen Mkhwanazi, a total of 121 case files were allegedly removed from the unit on the minister's instruction and without the authorisation of his boss, the national police commissioner General Fannie Masemola.

"These case dockets have, since March, been sitting at the head office ever since without any investigation work done on them. Five of these dockets already had instructions to [effect] arrests."

The provincial police chief also alleged Mr Mchunu had ties to a controversial businessman who was "financially supporting" the minister's political career.

Vusimuzi Matlala had a lucrative contract with the police before it was abruptly cancelled when he was arrested for attempted murder in May. Gen Mkhwanazi shared copies of text messages and a payment allegedly made by Mr Matlala to prove this.

Gen Masemola, on his part, said he would address these allegations later in the week when he announces the appointment of the temporary crime intelligence boss.

Criminal intelligence chief Lt-Gen Dumisani Khumalo was arrested over fraud and corruption allegations last month.

Gen Khumalo and the other six had been linked to an ongoing investigation into alleged abuse of intelligence funds and potentially unlawful appointments within the South African Police Service (SAPS).

More BBC stories on South Africa:

• South Africa's political marriage of convenience avoids divorce - just
• On the hunt for the fugitive linked to illegal South African gold mine where 78 died
• How Ramaphosa might gain from US showdown

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 police officer who killed Indigenous teenager Kumanjayi Walker in 2019 was "racist" and had an "attraction" to adrenaline-style policing, a coroner's inquest has found.

Walker, 19, died shortly after he was shot three times at close range by Constable Zachary Rolfe during a home arrest in Yuendumu, a remote Indigenous community in the Northern Territory (NT).

Rolfe - no longer a policeman - was charged with Walker's murder and acquitted in 2022, sparking protests about Indigenous deaths in custody.

In delivering her findings, Judge Elisabeth Armitage said Walker's death was "avoidable" and there was "clear evidence of entrenched, systemic and structural racism" within NT's police force.

Judge Armitage handed down a summary of her findings - more than 600 pages - at an open-air presentation in Yuendumu, about 300km (190 miles) north-west of Alice Springs on Monday.

She found that "Rolfe was racist and that he worked in and was the beneficiary of an organisation with hallmarks of institutional racism".

Rolfe was "not a case of one bad apple", she said, finding that racist language and behaviour was "normalised within the Alice Springs police station".

While she could not "say with certainty that Mr Rolfe's racist attitudes" contributed to Walker's death, "I cannot exclude that possibility", she told those gathered at the presentation, which included members of Walker's family.

In addition, Rolfe's "derisive attitudes" toward female colleagues and some superiors, as well as his "contempt for bush cops", may have influenced his actions the day he shot Walker, Judge Armitage found.

On 9 November 2019, Rolfe and another officer arrived at Walker's home in Yuendumu to arrest him for breaching a court order.

Three days earlier, police had tried to arrest Walker and he had threatened them with an axe.

Walker was a "vulnerable teenager" who had a history of trauma and "poor impulse control", Judge Armitage found, noting that police should have been "on notice" to avoid another confrontation.

During Rolfe's Supreme Court trial in 2022, the court heard the officers became involved in a scuffle with Walker about one minute after arriving at his home.

Walker stabbed Rolfe's shoulder with a pair of scissors, prompting Rolfe to shoot him without warning - a move that Rolfe's lawyers said was in self-defence. Prosecutors agreed.

Seconds later, Rolfe fired two more shots at Walker. Prosecutors argued these were not necessary, while the defence said they were because Rolfe feared for his colleague's safety.

In her findings, Judge Armitage found that Rolfe made a "series of flawed decisions" that led to "officer-induced jeopardy" - a situation where police "needlessly put themselves in danger... creating a situation that justifies the use of deadly force".

She also said Rolfe - a former soldier - found combat situations "exhilarating" and had an "attraction to adrenalin policing". He had also ignored an arrest plan for Walker created by a female officer because he "thought he knew better", Judge Armitage said.

After Walker was shot, officers dragged him out of the house before taking him to the police station, where he was given first aid. He later died.

"Dragging is a disrespectful act and it should not have happened," Judge Armitage said.

She made 32 recommendations, including developing "mutual respect agreements" to limit when police carry guns in the Yuendumu community, and for police's anti-racism strategy to be strengthened, targeted and made public, and for compliance with its measures be publicly reported.

As she finished her one-hour speech, Judge Armitage thanked those who took part in the inquest and to Walker's family.

"I am sorry for your profound loss," she said.

Walker's cousin Samara Fernandez-Brown said the report was "overwhelming" and the family would assess the recommendations, according to the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.

In a statement, NT Police said the inquest had been a "long and painful journey for all involved".

"This has been a hard road, and we are determined to ensure that what has been learned is not lost," said acting commissioner Martin Dole.

A coroner's inquest into Walker's death was launched in 2022. Under NT law, all deaths in custody must be investigated. The findings are not legally binding.

Kenya's security forces have blocked all major roads leading into central Nairobi, ahead of planned nationwide protests.

Much of the city centre is deserted, with businesses shut and a heavy security presence on the streets. Some schools have advised students to stay at home.

Hundreds of early-morning commuters and overnight travellers were stranded at checkpoints, some located more than 10km (six miles) from the city centre, with only a few vehicles allowed through.

Within the city, roads leading to key government sites - including the president's official residence, State House, and the Kenyan parliament - are barricaded with razor wire.

In a statement issued on Sunday evening, the police said it was their constitutional duty to protect lives and property while maintaining public order.

Monday's protests, dubbed Saba Saba (Swahili for 7 July), commemorate the 1990s struggle for multiparty democracy in Kenya.

These demonstrations have been organised primarily by young people, demanding good governance, greater accountability, and justice for victims of police brutality. They are the latest in a wave of anti-government protests that began last year.

On 25 June, at least 19 people were killed and thousands of businesses looted and destroyed in a day of nationwide protests that were being held in honour of those killed in last year's anti-tax protests.

Recent demonstrations have turned violent, with reports of infiltration by "goons", who are accused of looting and attacking protesters. Civil society groups allege collusion between these groups and the police - accusations the police have strongly denied.

On Sunday, an armed gang attacked the headquarters of a human rights NGO in Nairobi. The Kenya Human Rights Commission had been hosting a press conference organised by women calling for an end to state violence ahead of Monday's protests.

This year marks the 35th anniversary of the original Saba Saba protests - a key moment that helped usher in multiparty democracy in Kenya after years of one-party rule.

The response by the then government under President Daniel arap Moi was brutal. Many protesters - including veteran politician Raila Odinga, who is now working with the government, were arrested and tortured, while at least 20 people were reportedly killed.

Since then, Saba Saba has come to symbolise civic resistance and the fight for democratic freedom in Kenya.

You may also be interested in:

• Why the death of a blogger has put Kenya's police on trial
• Are East African governments uniting to silence dissent?
• Kenyan vendor shot by police during protests dies after life support switched off

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 police officer who killed Indigenous teenager Kumanjayi Walker in 2019 was "racist" and had an "attraction" to adrenaline-style policing, a coroner's inquest has found.

Walker, 19, died shortly after he was shot three times at close range by Constable Zachary Rolfe during a home arrest in Yuendumu, a remote Indigenous community in the Northern Territory (NT).

Rolfe - no longer a policeman - was charged with Walker's murder and acquitted in 2022, sparking protests about Indigenous deaths in custody.

In delivering her findings, Judge Elisabeth Armitage said Walker's death was "avoidable" and there was "clear evidence of entrenched, systemic and structural racism" within NT's police force.

Judge Armitage handed down a summary of her findings - more than 600 pages - at an open-air presentation in Yuendumu, about 300km (190 miles) north-west of Alice Springs on Monday.

She found that "Rolfe was racist and that he worked in and was the beneficiary of an organisation with hallmarks of institutional racism".

Rolfe was "not a case of one bad apple", she said, finding that racist language and behaviour was "normalised within the Alice Springs police station".

While she could not "say with certainty that Mr Rolfe's racist attitudes" contributed to Walker's death, "I cannot exclude that possibility", she told those gathered at the presentation, which included members of Walker's family.

In addition, Rolfe's "derisive attitudes" toward female colleagues and some superiors, as well as his "contempt for bush cops", may have influenced his actions the day he shot Walker, Judge Armitage found.

On 9 November 2019, Rolfe and another officer arrived at Walker's home in Yuendumu to arrest him for breaching a court order.

Three days earlier, police had tried to arrest Walker and he had threatened them with an axe.

Walker was a "vulnerable teenager" who had a history of trauma and "poor impulse control", Judge Armitage found, noting that police should have been "on notice" to avoid another confrontation.

During Rolfe's Supreme Court trial in 2022, the court heard the officers became involved in a scuffle with Walker about one minute after arriving at his home.

Walker stabbed Rolfe's shoulder with a pair of scissors, prompting Rolfe to shoot him without warning - a move that Rolfe's lawyers said was in self-defence. Prosecutors agreed.

Seconds later, Rolfe fired two more shots at Walker. Prosecutors argued these were not necessary, while the defence said they were because Rolfe feared for his colleague's safety.

In her findings, Judge Armitage found that Rolfe made a "series of flawed decisions" that led to "officer-induced jeopardy" - a situation where police "needlessly put themselves in danger... creating a situation that justifies the use of deadly force".

She also said Rolfe - a former soldier - found combat situations "exhilarating" and had an "attraction to adrenalin policing". He had also ignored an arrest plan for Walker created by a female officer because he "thought he knew better", Judge Armitage said.

After Walker was shot, officers dragged him out of the house before taking him to the police station, where he was given first aid. He later died.

"Dragging is a disrespectful act and it should not have happened," Judge Armitage said.

She made 32 recommendations, including developing "mutual respect agreements" to limit when police carry guns in the Yuendumu community, and for police's anti-racism strategy to be strengthened, targeted and made public, and for compliance with its measures be publicly reported.

As she finished her one-hour speech, Judge Armitage thanked those who took part in the inquest and to Walker's family.

"I am sorry for your profound loss," she said.

Walker's cousin Samara Fernandez-Brown said the report was "overwhelming" and the family would assess the recommendations, according to the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.

In a statement, NT Police said the inquest had been a "long and painful journey for all involved".

"This has been a hard road, and we are determined to ensure that what has been learned is not lost," said acting commissioner Martin Dole.

A coroner's inquest into Walker's death was launched in 2022. Under NT law, all deaths in custody must be investigated. The findings are not legally binding.

Kenya's security forces have blocked all major roads leading into central Nairobi, ahead of planned nationwide protests.

Much of the city centre is deserted, with businesses shut and a heavy security presence on the streets. Some schools have advised students to stay at home.

Hundreds of early-morning commuters and overnight travellers were stranded at checkpoints, some located more than 10km (six miles) from the city centre, with only a few vehicles allowed through.

Within the city, roads leading to key government sites - including the president's official residence, State House, and the Kenyan parliament - are barricaded with razor wire.

In a statement issued on Sunday evening, the police said it was their constitutional duty to protect lives and property while maintaining public order.

Monday's protests, dubbed Saba Saba (Swahili for 7 July), commemorate the 1990s struggle for multiparty democracy in Kenya.

These demonstrations have been organised primarily by young people, demanding good governance, greater accountability, and justice for victims of police brutality. They are the latest in a wave of anti-government protests that began last year.

On 25 June, at least 19 people were killed and thousands of businesses looted and destroyed in a day of nationwide protests that were being held in honour of those killed in last year's anti-tax protests.

Recent demonstrations have turned violent, with reports of infiltration by "goons", who are accused of looting and attacking protesters. Civil society groups allege collusion between these groups and the police - accusations the police have strongly denied.

On Sunday, an armed gang attacked the headquarters of a human rights NGO in Nairobi. The Kenya Human Rights Commission had been hosting a press conference organised by women calling for an end to state violence ahead of Monday's protests.

This year marks the 35th anniversary of the original Saba Saba protests - a key moment that helped usher in multiparty democracy in Kenya after years of one-party rule.

The response by the then government under President Daniel arap Moi was brutal. Many protesters - including veteran politician Raila Odinga, who is now working with the government, were arrested and tortured, while at least 20 people were reportedly killed.

Since then, Saba Saba has come to symbolise civic resistance and the fight for democratic freedom in Kenya.

You may also be interested in:

• Why the death of a blogger has put Kenya's police on trial
• Are East African governments uniting to silence dissent?
• Kenyan vendor shot by police during protests dies after life support switched off

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

Lena Dunham is almost synonymous with New York City. The US actress, writer and director rose to fame with her award-winning semi-autobiographical series Girls, which followed four 20-something women as they navigated love, life and friendship in the Big Apple.

But her latest project - a Netflix rom-com loosely based on her life over the last few years - is set on the other side of the Atlantic.

Too Much follows Jessica (Megan Stalter), who moves from New York to London after breaking up with her boyfriend, and falls in love with punk musician Felix (Will Sharpe).

Just as Dunham did when she moved to London in 2021, Jessica quickly learns the important things about the UK: everybody loves Paddington, the Jaffa Cake debate is highly contentious (it's definitely a biscuit) and a "housing estate" isn't the sprawling gardens of a lavish manor house.

Dunham tells the BBC that while Too Much has "superficial similarities" to her life and is "about 5% autobiographical", she didn't see herself ever playing the show's protagonist in the way she did in Girls.

"I didn't consider Jessica to be me - she's inspired by my life but is her own character and was written with Megan in mind," she says.

Megan Stalter says Girls "was all about sex and Too Much is about falling in love", which is a similar to how Dunham sees the show.

There was also another reason she chose to step away from the spotlight. While filming Girls, in her 20s, Dunham's body was heavily scrutinised and last year, she told the New Yorker she "was not up for having my body dissected again".

She explains that body shaming was part of the reason she stepped further behind the camera. "Just being perceived was overwhelming," she says.

Dunham has spent the past few years focusing on writing projects that don't centre her as an actor.

She believes society has made some strides towards being more body positive, but says the culture we live in is still "so deeply fatphobic, misogynistic, racist and ageist and that informs our dynamic with our body".

The 39-year-old has been vocal about challenges she's faced with her health, particularly her endometriosis, which led her to have a hysterectomy aged 31.

Asked how her relationship with her body has changed since then, she says she's developed a new love for how she looks.

"I've been able to have a relationship with my body that exists outside of the cultural pressures and I feel lucky for that."

As well as reflecting on how her self image has changed, Dunham also says she's learned a lot since her 20s.

Having been in the spotlight for more than decade, the actress has had her fair share of controversies.

In 2017, she defended Girls writer Murray Miller when he was accused of sexual assault. Dunham later apologised, saying it was "absolutely the wrong time" to share her perspective. Miller vehemently denied the claims and was not charged.

She also apologised for a "distasteful joke" she had made on a podcast saying she wished she'd experienced a termination when discussing the US abortion.

"I thought, back then, it was important to just keep going and be tough no matter what happened," she reflects.

"I was so focused on work and not letting any of the noise in but I wish I had allowed myself to take more time and space. We all have to acknowledge our own complexities and sensitivities but it's hard to wrap your head around that when you're in your 20s."

'I've felt like I'm too much'

Dunham's new 10-episode series stars Hacks actor Megan Stalter and Will Sharpe, best known for playing Ethan Spiller in The White Lotus and films such as A Real Pain.

Sharpe, 38, says he relates to the challenges his character faces, as "everyone carries baggage from their previous relationship" and feels vulnerable when they enter a new one.

Stalter relates to her character too. The 34-year-old says she often "felt like she was too much" in her 20s but with time, has come to be proud of her who she is.

Written with Dunham's husband, musician Luis Felber, Too Much focuses on the evolution of one romantic relationship.

It's refreshing in its realness - from serious conversations between Jessica and Felix to the fact Jessica's media salary stretches to a housing estate in east London rather than a Bridget Jones-esque flat in Borough Market.

I ask Dunham if she has any dating tips for women in their 20s, given she's been through the rollercoaster of trying to find a life partner.

She says the concept of dating has changed over the years, and back in the late noughties, it was "considered a last resort or a strange thing to meet someone online".

Looking back, Dunham wishes she would have allowed herself to understand what she really wanted rather than just seeing the cultural expectations that were placed on her.

"If I was letting myself understand my own desire, my 20s would have looked really different romantically."

Too Much is released on Netflix on 10 July.

For two years, the mystery of exactly what happened at Erin Patterson's dining table has gripped the world.

Five people sat down to eat lunch at her home in rural Australia on 29 July 2023. Within a week, three would be dead, a fourth would be fighting for his life, and the fifth would be under investigation for intentionally poisoning her guests with wild mushrooms.

After a much-watched trial in the tiny town of Morwell, Erin has now been found guilty of murdering three relatives and attempting to kill another.

Her eyes on the jury throughout, she remained silent and composed as they delivered verdicts which could see her spend the rest of her life in prison.

The self-described mushroom lover and amateur forager had told the court it was all a tragic accident.

But over nine weeks, the jury heard evidence suggesting she had hunted down death cap mushrooms sighted in nearby towns and lured her victims to the fatal meal under the false pretence that she had cancer - before trying to conceal her crimes by lying to police and disposing of evidence.

The orange plate

Gail and Don Patterson had turned up on Erin's doorstep just after midday on that fateful Saturday, an orange cake in hand. With them were the Wilkinsons: Heather, Gail's sister, and her husband Ian, who weeks after the meal would emerge from a coma to find he was the only guest to have survived.

Noticeably absent was Erin's estranged husband Simon Patterson. He'd pulled out the day before, saying he felt "uncomfortable" attending amid tension between the former couple.

Erin had spent the morning slaving over a recipe from one of the nation's favourite cooks, tweaking it to make individual serves of beef Wellington: expensive cuts of steak slathered with a mushroom paste, then encased in pastry.

For the jury, Ian recounted watching the parcels go onto four grey plates – and an orange one for Erin – with mashed potatoes, green beans and gravy heaped on the side.

A sixth serve, allegedly prepared for Simon in case he changed his mind and came over, went into the fridge. Erin was originally accused of attempting to murder him too – on several occasions – but those charges were dropped on the eve of the trial and the allegations were not put to the jury.

The group said grace and then dug in, exchanging "banter" about how much they were eating.

"There was talk about husbands helping their wives out," Ian said.

Stuffed, they nibbled on dessert before Erin stunned her guests with a declaration that she had cancer, the trial heard.

Even the defence concedes that was not true. But on that day, the two elderly couples gave Erin advice on how to tell her kids, before ending the meal the way it had begun – with a prayer.

Ian told the court he didn't know the host well, but "things were friendly".

"She just seemed like a normal person to me," he said.

By that night, all of the guests were very ill, and the next day the four went to hospital with severe symptoms. Donald - who had eaten his portion of lunch and about half his wife's - told a doctor he had vomited 30 times in the space of a few hours.

Suspicion soon began to trickle in.

The trial heard several of those asked to the lunch had been surprised by the invitation. Simon said it was rare for his estranged wife to host such an event, and Ian said he and his late wife had never even been to Erin's house before.

In hindsight, one of the guests apparently wondered aloud why Erin had served herself on a different type of plate to the rest of the family.

"I've puzzled about it since lunch," Heather said, according to a witness. "Is Erin short of crockery?"

Later, at hospital in Leongatha, Erin's ailing guests asked if their host was sick too. They'd all eaten the same meal, hadn't they?

Detectives would pose similar questions days later, in a police station interview room with Erin.

"We're trying to understand what has made them so ill," the detectives were heard saying, in a tape played to the court. "Conversely, we're trying to understand why you're not that ill."

An orange cake

Detailing the lunch publicly for the first time, from the witness stand, Erin Patterson offered an explanation.

She told the court that after waving off her relatives she had cleaned up the kitchen, before rewarding herself with a slice of the orange cake Gail had brought.

"[I ate] another piece of cake, and then another piece," she said. Before she knew it, the rest of the cake was gone and she felt overfull.

"So I went to the toilet and brought it back up again," Erin told the trial. "After I'd done that, I felt better."

She outlined for the jury a secret struggle with bulimia, saying she had been regularly binge-eating and purging since her teens - something her defence team suggested accounted for her lack of symptoms.

Erin had taken herself to hospital two days after the lunch, reporting feeling ill. But she initially rebuffed the urgent pleas of staff who wanted her and her children – who she claimed had eaten leftovers – to be immediately admitted for treatment.

One "surprised" doctor, who had seen the other sick lunch guests, was so concerned for their welfare that he called police to ask for help.

But when medics finally got Erin in for checks, neither she nor her children demonstrated similar symptoms to the others who'd eaten at the house, and tests showed no traces of death cap mushroom poisoning.

After a precautionary 24 hours, Erin was sent on her way.

Red flags

Her victims, though, continued to suffer in hospital. And as their relentless diarrhoea and vomiting was escalating to organ failure, Erin was covering her tracks, prosecutors alleged.

The day after she was discharged from hospital, CCTV captured Erin travelling to a local dump and disposing of a food dehydrator later found to contain traces of poisonous mushrooms.

She was also using three phones around the time of the lunch, two of which disappeared shortly afterwards. The one she did hand over to police had been repeatedly wiped – including while detectives were searching her house.

For investigators, the red flags began mounting quickly.

Questions about the source of the mushrooms elicited odd answers. Patterson claimed some of them had been bought dried from an Asian grocery in Melbourne, but she couldn't remember which suburb. When asked about the brand, or for transaction records, she said they were in plain packaging and she must've paid cash.

Meanwhile detectives found out death cap mushrooms had been spotted in two nearby towns in the weeks before the meal, with concerned locals posting pictures and locations to online plant database iNaturalist. Erin's internet history showed she'd used the website to view death cap mushroom sightings at least once before. Her mobile phone location data appeared to show her travelling to both areas – and purchasing the infamous food dehydrator on her way home from one of those trips.

But Erin told police she'd never owned such an appliance, despite an instruction manual in her kitchen drawer and posts in a true crime Facebook group where she boasted about using it.

"I've been hiding powdered mushrooms in everything. Mixed into chocolate brownies yesterday, the kids had no idea," she wrote in one.

When digital forensics experts managed to recover some of the material on her devices, they found photos showing what looked like death cap mushrooms being weighed on a set of kitchen scales.

During the trial, Erin said she realised in the days after the lunch that the beef Wellington may have accidentally included dried mushrooms that she had foraged and mistakenly put in a container with store-bought ones. But she was too "scared" to tell a soul.

"It was this stupid knee-jerk reaction to dig deeper and keep lying," Erin told the court.

No clear motive

What baffled police, though, was the question of motive.

Simon told the trial he and Erin had initially remained chatty and amicable after their split in 2015. That changed in 2022, he said, when the couple started having disagreements over finances, child support, schools and properties.

He said there was no inkling of ill will towards his family, though.

"She especially got on with dad. They shared a love of knowledge and learning."

With his voice faltering, Simon added: "I think she loved his gentle nature."

But Erin herself told the court she was feeling increasingly isolated from the Patterson family – and there was evidence presented which indicated she had grown frustrated with them.

"You had two faces," the prosecutor Nanette Rogers said, after making Erin read aloud expletive-laden Facebook messages in which she had called Simon a "deadbeat" and his parents "a lost cause".

The prosecution opted not to present a specific motive, however, saying the jury may still be wondering what drove Erin to kill long after the trial wrapped.

The lack of a clear motive was key to Erin's defence: why would she want to kill her family, people she said she loved like her own parents?

"My parents are both gone. My grandparents are all gone. They're the only family that I've got… I love them a lot," she told police in her interrogation.

Everything else could be explained away, Erin's barrister argued.

The messages critical of her in-laws were just harmless venting, they said; the cancer claim a cover for weight-loss surgery she was planning to have but was too embarrassed to disclose.

Cell phone tracking data isn't very precise, so there's no real evidence she actually visited the towns where death cap mushrooms were sighted, they argued.

They also suggested that Erin was sick after the meal, just not as sick as the others because she'd thrown it all up. She strongly disliked hospitals, which was why she had discharged herself against medical advice.

And her lies and attempts to dispose of evidence were the actions of a woman worried she'd be blamed for the accidental deaths of her guests.

"She's not on trial for lying," Colin Mandy said. "This is not a court of moral judgment."

He accused the prosecution of trying to force a jigsaw puzzle of evidence together, "stretching interpretations, ignoring alternative explanations because they don't align perfectly with the narrative".

But the prosecution argued Erin had told so many lies it was hard to keep track of them.

"Perhaps the starkest," Dr Rogers said, were her attempts to explain the cancer fib. To prove that she actually had plans to undergo gastric-band surgery, Erin claimed to have booked an appointment at a Melbourne clinic – one that did not offer the treatment.

"She has told lies upon lies because she knew the truth would implicate her," Dr Rogers said. "When she knew her lies had been uncovered, she came up with a carefully constructed narrative to fit with the evidence – almost."

Dr Rogers said the jury should have "no difficulty" in rejecting the argument "this was all a horrible foraging accident".

Ultimately, after a week of deliberations, the jury did just that.

She will return to court for a sentencing hearing at a later date.

Twelve Turkish soldiers have died after being exposed to methane gas while searching a cave in Iraq, the Turkish Ministry of National Defence said.

At least 19 personnel were exposed to the gas during the search and clear operation on Sunday, and immediately taken to hospital.

By Monday 12 soldiers had died, the ministry said.

The troops were searching for the body of a soldier who was killed in gunfire in May 2022. The ministry said despite efforts the remains have still not been recovered.

Israel says it has launched strikes on Houthi targets in three Yemeni ports, including the western port of Hodeidah, Ras Isa and Saif.

The attacks come shortly after the Israeli military issued evacuation orders for civilians in the areas, warning of imminent air strikes.

Israeli defence minister Israel Katz confirmed on social media the strikes on the Houthi-controlled sites including a power station and ship that was hijacked by the group two years ago.

Houthi-run media in Yemen said the strikes hit the port of Hodeidah, but no further details were provided on damage or casualties.

Katz said the strikes were part of "Operation Black Flag" and warned that the Houthis "will continue to pay a heavy price for their actions".

"The fate of Yemen is the same as the fate of Tehran. Anyone who tries to harm Israel will be harmed, and anyone who raises a hand against Israel will have their hand cut off," he said in a post on X.

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

You can receive Breaking News on a smartphone or tablet via the BBC News App. You can also follow @BBCBreaking on X to get the latest alerts.

Love Island USA's Cierra Ortega has left the villa "for personal reasons" after old social media posts emerged online.

The 25-year-old content creator from LA was absent from season seven's latest episode after a 2015 video about Botox treatments resurfaced.

Fans shared and criticised the Instagram post, which contained a derogatory term for Chinese people.

In a statement Cierra's parents said she had been the target of a hate campaign and called for compassion.

Cierra's parents, who have been running her social media while she's been in the villa, said she and her relatives had received threats and "cruel messages".

Describing the fallout as "one of the most painful weeks of our lives," they said no-one deserved the hate Cierra had received.

"We're not here to justify or ignore what's surfaced," they wrote.

"We understand why people are upset and we know accountability matters. But what's happening online right now has gone far beyond that."

"No-one deserves that kind of hate, no matter what mistakes they've made."

Cierra's parents say that, while she's left the villa, she "still hasn't had the chance to process any of this or speak for herself".

"When she returns, we believe she'll face this with honesty, growth and grace.

"Until then, we're simply asking for compassion. For patience. For basic human decency."

BBC Newsbeat has contacted Peacock, the makers of Love Island USA, for comment.

'A warzone'

Cierra's departure follows that of fellow islander Yulissa Escobar, who left the show after videos of her using a racial slur on a podcast in 2021 re-emerged.

Yulissa later apologised, saying on Instagram she used the offensive term "ignorantly, not fully understanding the weight, history, or pain behind it".

She followed up her apology with a second post, saying she had received death threats and that she "came back to a warzone" after leaving the villa.

"I've taken the time to reflect, to learn, and to grow," she said.

"Growth means recognizing when you were wrong, even if it's uncomfortable, and choosing to move forward with humility and accountability."

Listen to Newsbeat live at 12:45 and 17:45 weekdays - or listen back here.

At least 78 people have been confirmed dead in central Texas and another 41 are missing following flash floods on Friday.

Sixty-eight of the fatalities, including 28 children, occurred in Kerr County, where a riverside Christian girls' camp was deluged. Ten girls and a counsellor from Camp Mystic are still missing.

Officials say the death toll is certain to rise. More storms are expected in the next 24-48 hours in the region, which could hamper rescue teams who are already facing venomous snakes as they sift through mud and debris.

Three days after the inundation, one of the largest search-and-rescue efforts in recent Texas history was shifting towards a recovery operation.

Of those recovered in Kerr County, 18 adults and 10 children have yet to be formally identified.

Texas Governor Greg Abbott said on Sunday that authorities would "stop at nothing" to ensure every missing person is found.

"It was nothing short of horrific to see what those young children went through," said Abbott, a day after he toured the area.

A major focus of the search has been Camp Mystic, a popular summer camp for girls perched on the banks of the Guadalupe River, which suffered significant damage.

The catastrophe unfolded before daybreak on Friday as the river rose 26ft (8m) in the span of just 45 minutes while most campers were asleep.

Several young campers and the camp's longtime director, Richard "Dick" Eastland, are among the dead.

Greg Froelick, a former Navy Seal and volunteer with the rescue group 300 Justice, is helping the effort to find survivors.

Speaking to the BBC, he said he had heard of victims being found up to eight miles downriver from where Camp Mystic once stood.

He said he has seen "clothing and items from the camp dressers scattered everywhere, up and down the river".

There is also uncertainty about how many other people were camping in the area for the Fourth of July weekend - and how many may have been swept away in the floods.

A two-lane highway that skirts the Guadalupe River and connects the city of Kerrville to Camp Mystic is a scene of devastation.

Ravaged homes are surrounded by fallen trees and furniture on lawns. Fences are toppled and utility lines down in some areas.

President Donald Trump signed a major disaster declaration on Sunday for Kerr County, activating the Federal Emergency Management Agency to Texas. He also said he would probably visit the state on Friday.

"We're working very closely with representatives from Texas, and it's a horrible thing that took place, absolutely horrible," Trump said on Sunday in New Jersey.

On the ground, local residents are stepping up to support relief efforts - collecting supplies, offering shelter, and doing what they can to help neighbours displaced by the storm.

Alma Garcia drove in from the city of San Antonio to deliver home-cooked meals to residents and volunteers helping with the clean-up effort.

The BBC saw her pull over on the side of the road and take off a top layer T-shirt to give to a resident.

"She was all wet, I told her she's going to need it," Ms Garcia told the BBC.

Local resident Perla started collecting clothes and shoes on Friday after she finished her shift at Walmart. She dropped them off at a shelter the next morning.

"I've never seen something like this before," she told the BBC.

Meanwhile, well wishes poured in from around the world.

In Rome, Pope Leo XIV offered special prayers on Sunday for the bereaved in Texas.

"I would like to express sincere condolences to all the families who have lost loved ones, in particular their daughters who were in summer camp, in the disaster caused by the flooding of the Guadalupe River in Texas in the United States," the pontiff said.

"We pray for them."

Angélica Casas and Alex Lederman contributed to this report

Kenya's security forces have blocked all major roads leading into central Nairobi, ahead of planned nationwide protests.

Much of the city centre is deserted, with businesses shut and a heavy security presence on the streets. Some schools have advised students to stay at home.

Hundreds of early-morning commuters and overnight travellers were stranded at checkpoints, some located more than 10km (six miles) from the city centre, with only a few vehicles allowed through.

Within the city, roads leading to key government sites - including the president's official residence, State House, and the Kenyan parliament - are barricaded with razor wire.

In a statement issued on Sunday evening, the police said it was their constitutional duty to protect lives and property while maintaining public order.

Monday's protests, dubbed Saba Saba (Swahili for 7 July), commemorate the 1990s struggle for multiparty democracy in Kenya.

These demonstrations have been organised primarily by young people, demanding good governance, greater accountability, and justice for victims of police brutality. They are the latest in a wave of anti-government protests that began last year.

On 25 June, at least 19 people were killed and thousands of businesses looted and destroyed in a day of nationwide protests that were being held in honour of those killed in last year's anti-tax protests.

Recent demonstrations have turned violent, with reports of infiltration by "goons", who are accused of looting and attacking protesters. Civil society groups allege collusion between these groups and the police - accusations the police have strongly denied.

On Sunday, an armed gang attacked the headquarters of a human rights NGO in Nairobi. The Kenya Human Rights Commission had been hosting a press conference organised by women calling for an end to state violence ahead of Monday's protests.

This year marks the 35th anniversary of the original Saba Saba protests - a key moment that helped usher in multiparty democracy in Kenya after years of one-party rule.

The response by the then government under President Daniel arap Moi was brutal. Many protesters - including veteran politician Raila Odinga, who is now working with the government, were arrested and tortured, while at least 20 people were reportedly killed.

Since then, Saba Saba has come to symbolise civic resistance and the fight for democratic freedom in Kenya.

You may also be interested in:

• Why the death of a blogger has put Kenya's police on trial
• Are East African governments uniting to silence dissent?
• Kenyan vendor shot by police during protests dies after life support switched off

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

Police in Pakistan have arrested the owners of a pet lion that attacked a woman and her three young children after it escaped.

Dramatic CCTV footage from the eastern city of Lahore showed how the big cat leapt over a concrete wall and chased the woman down as terrified onlookers ran for safety.

The woman and her children, aged five and seven, sustained injuries to their arms and faces but are now in stable condition, authorities said.

Police have accused the lion's owners of keeping a wild animal without a licence and negligence leading to its escape. The lion was captured and moved to a wildlife park.

Big cats as pets are a status symbol in Pakistan, where it is legal to keep lions, cheetahs, tigers, pumas and jaguars after registering them and paying a one-time fee of 50,000 rupees ($176; £129) per animal.

However, such cast must be housed outside city limits. Lahore, located in Punjab province, is Pakistan's second-largest city.

The children's father claimed that the lion's owners stood by and watched as their pet clawed at his family on Wednesday. He said they did not do anything to restrain it.

The video showed the woman picking herself up then running back to seek help from onlookers, some of whom were seen running in panic.

Days after the incident, authorities in Punjab launched a crackdown on illegal wildlife possession. They have arrested five people and recovered 13 lions since.

In January, a Pakistani YouTube star was ordered to create animal welfare videos as punishment for illegally owning a lion cub.

Rajab Butt, who has 5.6 million subscribers, was presented the cub as a wedding gift.

After 21 months of war, there are growing hopes of a new Gaza ceasefire announcement as Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu meets US President Donald Trump in Washington.

Trump previously told reporters he had been "very firm" with Netanyahu about ending the conflict and that he thought "we'll have a deal" this week.

"We are working to achieve the deal that has been discussed, under the conditions we have agreed," the veteran Israeli PM said before boarding his plane. "I believe that the conversation with President Trump can definitely help advance this outcome, which we all hope for."

Indirect talks between Israel and Hamas on a US-sponsored proposal for a 60-day ceasefire and hostage release deal resumed in Qatar on Sunday evening.

However, it is unclear whether key differences that have consistently held up an agreement can be overcome.

Only cautious optimism is being expressed by weary Palestinians living in dire conditions amid continuing daily Israeli bombardment, and the distressed families of Israeli hostages still held by Hamas.

"I don't wish for a truce but a complete stop to all war. Frankly, I'm afraid that after 60 days the war would restart again," says Nabil Abu Dayah, who fled from Beit Lahia in northern Gaza to Gaza City with his children and grandchildren.

"We got so tired of displacement, we got tired of thirst and hunger, from living in tents. When it comes to life's necessities, we have zero."

On Saturday evening, large rallies took place urging Israel's government to seal a deal to return some 50 hostages from Gaza, up to 20 of whom are believed to be alive.

Some relatives questioned why the framework deal would not free all captives immediately.

"How does one survive under such conditions? I'm waiting for Evyatar to return and tell me himself," said Ilay David, whose younger brother, a musician, was filmed by Hamas in torment as he watched fellow hostages being released earlier this year during the last, two-month-long ceasefire.

"This is the time to save lives. This is the time to rescue the bodies from the threat of disappearance," Ilay told a crowd in Jerusalem.

"In the rapidly changing reality of the Middle East, this is the moment to sign a comprehensive agreement that will lead to the release of all the hostages, every single one, without exception."

Netanyahu is visiting the White House for the third time since Trump returned to power nearly six months ago.

But the leaders will be meeting for the first time since the US joined Israeli attacks on Iranian nuclear sites and then brokered a ceasefire between Israel and Iran.

There is a strong sense that the recent 12-day war has created more favourable circumstances to end the Gaza war.

After months of low popularity ratings, the Israeli PM has been bolstered by broad public support for the Iran offensive and analysts suggest he now has more leverage to agree to a peace deal over the strong objections of his far-right coalition partners, who want Israel to remain in control of Gaza.

Hamas is seen to have been further weakened by the strikes on Iran - a key regional patron - meaning it could also be more amenable to making concessions needed to reach an agreement.

Meanwhile, Trump is keen to move on to other priorities in the Middle East.

These include brokering border talks between Israel and Syria, returning to efforts to normalise relations between Israel and Saudi Arabia, and completing unfinished business with Iran, involving possible negotiations on a new nuclear deal.

For months, ceasefire talks between Israel and Hamas have been deadlocked over one fundamental difference.

Israel has been ready to commit to a temporary truce to return hostages but not an end to the war. Hamas has demanded a permanent cessation of hostilities in Gaza and a full pullout of Israeli troops.

The latest proposal put to Hamas is said to include guarantees of Washington's commitment to the deal and to continued talks to reach a lasting ceasefire and the release of all the hostages.

Nothing has been officially announced, but according to media reports the framework would see Hamas hand over 28 hostages - 10 alive and 18 dead - in five stages over 60 days without the troubling handover ceremonies it staged in the last ceasefire.

There would be a large surge in humanitarian aid entering Gaza.

After the return of the first eight living hostages on the first day of the agreement, Israeli forces would withdraw from parts of the north. After one week, the army would leave parts of the south.

On Day 10, Hamas would outline which hostages remain alive and their condition, while Israel would give details about more than 2,000 Gazans arrested during the war who remain in "administrative detention" - a practice which allows the Israeli authorities to hold them without charge or trial.

As seen before, large numbers of Palestinians would be released from Israeli jails in exchange for hostages.

President Trump has described this as the "final" truce proposal and said last week that Israel had accepted "the necessary conditions" to finalise it.

On Friday, Hamas said it had responded in a "positive spirit" but expressed some reservations.

A Palestinian official said sticking points remained over humanitarian aid - with Hamas demanding an immediate end to operations by the controversial Israeli and American-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) and a return to the UN and its partners overseeing all relief efforts.

Hamas is also said to be questioning the timetable for Israeli troop withdrawals and operations of the Rafah crossing between southern Gaza and Egypt.

Netanyahu's office stated on Saturday that the changes wanted by Hamas were "not acceptable" to Israel.

The prime minister has repeatedly said that Hamas must be disarmed, a demand the Islamist group has so far refused to discuss.

In Israel, there is growing opposition to the war in Gaza, with more than 20 soldiers killed in the past month, according to the military.

The Israeli military's chief of staff, Lt Gen Eyal Zamir, said last week that it was nearing the completion of its war goals and signalled that the government must decide whether to move ahead with a deal to bring home hostages or prepare for Israeli forces to re-establish military rule in Gaza.

Polls indicate that two-thirds of Israelis support a ceasefire deal to bring home the hostages.

In Gaza, some residents express fears that the current wave of positivity is being manufactured to ease tensions during Netanyahu's US trip - rationalising that this happened in May as Trump prepared to visit Arab Gulf states.

The coming days will be critical politically and in humanitarian terms.

The situation in Gaza has continued to deteriorate, with medical staff reporting acute malnutrition among children.

The UN says that with no fuel having entered in over four months, stockpiles are now virtually gone, threatening vital medical care, water supplies and telecommunications.

Israel launched its war in Gaza in retaliation for the Hamas-led attacks on 7 October 2023, which killed about 1,200 people and led to 251 others being taken hostage.

Israeli attacks have since killed more than 57,000 people in Gaza, according to the Hamas-run health ministry. The ministry's figures are quoted by the UN and others as the most reliable source of statistics available on casualties.

Police in Pakistan have arrested the owners of a pet lion that attacked a woman and her three young children after it escaped.

Dramatic CCTV footage from the eastern city of Lahore showed how the big cat leapt over a concrete wall and chased the woman down as terrified onlookers ran for safety.

The woman and her children, aged five and seven, sustained injuries to their arms and faces but are now in stable condition, authorities said.

Police have accused the lion's owners of keeping a wild animal without a licence and negligence leading to its escape. The lion was captured and moved to a wildlife park.

Big cats as pets are a status symbol in Pakistan, where it is legal to keep lions, cheetahs, tigers, pumas and jaguars after registering them and paying a one-time fee of 50,000 rupees ($176; £129) per animal.

However, such cast must be housed outside city limits. Lahore, located in Punjab province, is Pakistan's second-largest city.

The children's father claimed that the lion's owners stood by and watched as their pet clawed at his family on Wednesday. He said they did not do anything to restrain it.

The video showed the woman picking herself up then running back to seek help from onlookers, some of whom were seen running in panic.

Days after the incident, authorities in Punjab launched a crackdown on illegal wildlife possession. They have arrested five people and recovered 13 lions since.

In January, a Pakistani YouTube star was ordered to create animal welfare videos as punishment for illegally owning a lion cub.

Rajab Butt, who has 5.6 million subscribers, was presented the cub as a wedding gift.

Al-Qaeda affiliate Jama'at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM) is the main group behind a surge in militant jihadist attacks sweeping across several West African nations, especially Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger.

On 1 July, the group said it had carried out a major coordinated attack on seven military locations in western Mali, including near the borders with Senegal and Mauritania.

There is growing concern about the impact JNIM could have on the stability of the region.

Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger have struggled to contain the violence – and this is one of the factors that contributed to several military coups in the three Sahel countries over the last five years.

But like the civilian governments they replaced, the juntas are seemingly unable to stem the growing jihadist threat, especially from JNIM.

What is JNIM?

JNIM has become one of Africa's deadliest jihadist groups within the space of just a few years.

It was formed in Mali in 2017, as a coalition of five jihadist militant groups:

• Ansar Dine
• Katibat Macina
• Al-Mourabitoun
• Ansar al-Islam
• The Sahara branch of al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb

These groups started collaborating after the French military pushed back several jihadist and separatist organisations that were operating in northern Mali in 2012. Eventually, the leaders of the groups came together to create JNIM.

In recent years, they have expanded geographically, establishing new areas of operation.

JNIM is led by Iyad Ag Ghali, a former Malian diplomat who belongs to the Tuareg ethnic group. He was at the helm of the Tuareg uprising against the Malian government in 2012 which sought to establish an independent state for the Tuareg people called Azawad. Deputy leader Amadou Koufa is from the Fulani community.

Analysts believe the central leadership helps guide local branches which operate across the Sahel region of West Africa.

While it is difficult to know exactly how many fighters there are in JNIM's ranks, or how many have recently been recruited, experts suggest it could be several thousand - mostly young men and boys who lack other economic opportunities in one of the poorest regions in the world.

What does JNIM want?

The group rejects the authority of the Sahel governments, seeking to impose its strict interpretation of Islam and Sharia in the areas where it operates.

Analysts say that in some areas, JNIM has been known to impose strict dress codes, implement bans against music and smoking, order men to grow beards and prevent women from being in public spaces alone.

This version of Islam can be at odds with the religion as practised by local communities, says Yvan Guichaoua, a senior researcher at the Bonn International Centre for Conflict Studies.

"These practices are clearly breaking from established practices and certainly not very popular," he says.

"But whether it's attractive or not, also depends on what the state is able to deliver, and there has been a lot of disappointment in what the state has been doing for the past years."

Disillusionment with the secular justice system can make the introduction of Sharia courts appealing to some.

Where does JNIM operate?

After its beginnings in central and northern Mali, JNIM rapidly expanded its reach. While its strongholds are in Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger, JNIM has also carried out attacks in Benin, Togo and at one point Ivory Coast.

It is now operational throughout Mali and 11 of Burkina Faso's 13 regions, according to the Global Initiative against Transnational Organised Crime (Gi-Toc), a civil society organisation.

In the last year, Burkina Faso has become the epicentre of the group's activities – predominately the northern and eastern border regions. This is, in part, because of divisions and defections in the country's military as well as how deeply embedded the militants are in the local communities, according to Beverly Ochieng, a senior analyst for security consultancy firm Control Risk.

"JNIM have an ability to embed in local communities or to be able to use local grievances as a means of recruiting or winning sympathy towards their cause," she told the BBC.

Are JNIM attacks increasing in scale?

In recent months violent incidents have spiked in Burkina Faso to previously unseen levels, according to analysis from BBC Monitoring's jihadist media team. Major attacks have also recently been carried out in Mali, Niger and Benin.

In the first half of 2025, JNIM said it carried out over 280 attacks in Burkina Faso – double the number for the same period in 2024, according to data verified by the BBC.

The group has claimed to have killed almost 1,000 people across the Sahel since April, most of them members of the security force or militias fighting alongside government forces, according to BBC Monitoring data.

Almost 800 of these have been in Burkina Faso alone. Casualties in Mali were the next highest (117) and Benin (74).

"The frequency of attacks in June is just unheard of so far," says Mr Guichaoua. "They have really stepped up their activities in the past weeks."

The militants use a variety of tactics designed to cause maximum disruption, Ms Ochieng explains.

"They plant IEDs [improvised explosive devices] on key roads, and have long-range capabilities.

"They [also] target security forces in military bases, so a lot of their weapons come from that. They have also attacked civilians - in instances where communities are perceived to be cooperating with the government."

Starlink - a company owned by Elon Musk which provides internet via satellites - has also been exploited by groups like JNIM to enhance their capabilities, according to a recent report by Gi-Toc.

The company provides high-speed internet where regular mobile networks are unavailable or unreliable.

Militant groups smuggle Starlink devices into the country along well-established contraband routes, G-toch says.

"Starlink has made it much easier for [militant groups] to plan and execute attacks, share intelligence, recruit members, carry out financial transactions and maintain contacts with their commanders even during active conflict," an analyst from Gi-Toc told the BBC's Focus on Africa podcast.

The BBC has contacted Starlink for comment.

How is JNIM funded?

The group has multiple sources of income.

At one time in Mali, funds were raised through kidnapping foreigners for ransom but few remain in the country because of the deteriorating security situation.

Cattle-rustling has now become a major source of income, according to an analyst from Gi-Toc. They did not want to be named as it could risk their safety in Mali.

"Mali is a big exporter of cattle so it's easy for them to steal animals and sell them," the analyst said.

Research by Gi-Toc shows that in one year in just one district of Mali, JNIM made $770,000 (£570,000) from livestock. Based on this figure, JNIM could be earning millions of dollars from cattle theft.

JNIM also imposes various taxes, according to experts.

"They tax the gold, but basically tax anything that goes through their territory, whether that's listed goods or illicit goods," Gi-Toc says.

"There can be an extortion type of tax, where JNIM tell citizens they need to pay in return for protection."

The militants have also been known to set up blockades, at which people must pay to leave and enter the area, according to Ms Ochieng.

What about efforts to fight them?

France's armed forces were on the ground supporting the government in Mali for almost a decade - with over 4,000 troops stationed across the Sahel region fighting groups that went on to form JNIM, as well as Islamic State in the Greater Sahara.

While they had some initial success in 2013 and 2014, reclaiming territory from the militants and killing several senior commanders, this did not stop JNIM's growth after it was formed.

"Counterinsurgency efforts have failed so far because of this idea that JNIM can be beaten militarily, but it is only through negotiation that the group will end," Gi-Toc's analyst suggested.

In 2014, Sahelian countries banded together to form the G5 Sahel Task Force, a 5,000-strong group of international troops. However, over the past couple of years, Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger have withdrawn, undermining the task force's ability to tackle the insurgency.

Minusma, the UN peacekeeping force – while not a counter-insurgency effort – was also in Mali for a decade to support efforts, however it left the country at the end of 2024.

What impact have military coups had on JNIM?

Military coups took place in Mali in 2020 and 2021, Burkina Faso in 2022 and Niger in 2023.

Poor governance under the military juntas in Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger subsequently has allowed militant groups like JNIM to flourish, according to analysts.

These juntas were swift to tell French troops to leave, replacing them with Russian support and a joint force formed by the three Sahelian countries.

Though Russian paramilitary group Wagner has withdrawn its troops from Mali entirely, Africa Corps, a Kremlin-controlled paramilitary group, will remain in place.

In Burkina Faso, a so-called "volunteer" army, launched in 2020 before the military takeover, is one strategy being used to fight militants. Junta leader Ibrahim Traoré has said he wants to recruit 50,000 fighters.

But experts say many of these volunteers are conscripted by force. Inadequate training means they often suffer heavy casualties. They are also often a target for JNIM attacks.

The military juntas in Burkina Faso and Mali have also been accused by human rights organisations of committing atrocities against civilians, particularly ethnic Fulanis. Human rights group say the government often conflates the Fulani community with Islamist armed groups, which has furthered hampered peace efforts.

Between January 2024 and March 2025, the military government and their Russian allies were responsible for 1,486 civilian casualties in Mali, according to Gi-Toc.

This extreme violence against civilians has generated anger towards the government, fuelling further recruitment for JNIM.

You may also be interested in:

• How 'blood gold' is fuelling conflict in West Africa
• 'I thought I would die' - freed captive tells BBC of life in jihadist base
• Why Burkina Faso's junta leader has captured hearts and minds
• The region with more 'terror deaths' than rest of world combined

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

"He's more obedient than a dog... If only more of these dumb ones come along," boasts a woman in a new video game that has fuelled a debate on sexism in China.

The players in the live-action Revenge on Gold Diggers are male protagonists lured into relationships by manipulative women who are after their money - how the man responds shapes the rest of the story.

It topped the gaming platform Steam's sales list within hours of its release in June but controversy quickly followed. Some slammed it for reinforcing insulting gender stereotypes, while supporters say the game cautions people about love scams.

So heated was the criticism that the game's creators quietly renamed it Emotional Anti-Fraud Simulator the next day.

But that wasn't enough to undo the damage. The game's lead director, Hong Kong filmmaker Mark Hu, has now been banned on several Chinese social media platforms.

The game's creators insist they never intended to "target women" - rather they wanted to facilitate "open dialogue about emotional boundaries and the grey zones in modern dating".

Xu Yikun, an artist who tried the game and found it deeply offensive, rejects that rationale. She accuses them of "a classic business model that thrives on generating content that sparks debate and divisions".

Critics like her say the very term "gold digger" reeks of misogyny.

"It's a label that's used, all too often, on women," Ms Xu says. "Sexist jokes and derogatory terms like these have found their way into our everyday language."

"If you have a rich boyfriend, you are called a gold digger. If you try to make yourself look pretty, you are called a gold digger... Sometimes the label is used on you merely for accepting a drink from someone," she adds.

Some players, however, find the criticism overblown.

"The game isn't trying to say that all women are gold diggers... I don't find it targeting either gender," says 31-year-old Zhuang Mengsheng, who used a pseudonym to speak to the BBC. "Both women and men can be gold diggers."

And yet, in the game all the "gold diggers" are women. From a fresh-faced online influencer to a go-getting entrepreneur they are all shown scheming to get the men to lavish money and gifts on them.

"Want to know if a man loves you? See how much he spends," one of them says.

The game has divided even local media. A newspaper from the central Hubei province said the game was "labelling an entire gender as fraudsters".

But Beijing Youth Daily praised it for its "creativity", citing the financial impact of love scams: around 2bn yuan ($279m; £204m) in 2023, according to data from the National Anti-Fraud Centre.

"We need to put a stop to emotional fraud without delay," it said in an editorial.

Controversy aside, sales of the game have continued to soar. It is now among China's top ten titles for the PC platform, surpassing even Black Myth: Wukong which is reportedly the most successful Chinese game of all time.

"I don't get why people are upset about this. If you aren't a gold digger yourself, why should you feel attacked by this game?" says a 28-year-old man.

"I actually thought the game's creators are very bold. These issues [like emotional fraud] aren't widely discussed enough in China."

Some people online have suggested the game is inspired by the real-life story of a Chinese man, known as Fat Cat on the internet, who jumped to his death last year after a breakup.

His death sparked an intense discussion online, where the term "gold digger" was liberally used, with some accusing his ex-girlfriend of exploiting him, leading him to take his life. Police have dismissed these allegations.

Women who spoke to the BBC worry that the video game perpetuates problematic gender norms in China, where society believes women belong at home, while seeing men as the primary breadwinners.

So for women, marrying well has traditionally been perceived as more important than professional success.

Official rhetoric from the male-dominated Chinese Communist Party endorses this - President Xi Jinping has repeatedly called on women to embrace their roles as "good wives and mothers".

The government has also cracked down on a growing pool of activists demanding gender equality.

"I feel a game like that merely fans hostility between men and women," says one woman who did not want to be named, fearing hostility online.

"It casts women, once again, as the inferior gender who have to somehow find ways to please men to earn their livelihoods."

At least 78 people have been confirmed dead in central Texas and another 41 are missing following flash floods on Friday.

Sixty-eight of the fatalities, including 28 children, occurred in Kerr County, where a riverside Christian girls' camp was deluged. Ten girls and a counsellor from Camp Mystic are still missing.

Officials say the death toll is certain to rise. More storms are expected in the next 24-48 hours in the region, which could hamper rescue teams who are already facing venomous snakes as they sift through mud and debris.

Three days after the inundation, one of the largest search-and-rescue efforts in recent Texas history was shifting towards a recovery operation.

Of those recovered in Kerr County, 18 adults and 10 children have yet to be formally identified.

Texas Governor Greg Abbott said on Sunday that authorities would "stop at nothing" to ensure every missing person is found.

"It was nothing short of horrific to see what those young children went through," said Abbott, a day after he toured the area.

A major focus of the search has been Camp Mystic, a popular summer camp for girls perched on the banks of the Guadalupe River, which suffered significant damage.

The catastrophe unfolded before daybreak on Friday as the river rose 26ft (8m) in the span of just 45 minutes while most campers were asleep.

Several young campers and the camp's longtime director, Richard "Dick" Eastland, are among the dead.

Greg Froelick, a former Navy Seal and volunteer with the rescue group 300 Justice, is helping the effort to find survivors.

Speaking to the BBC, he said he had heard of victims being found up to eight miles downriver from where Camp Mystic once stood.

He said he has seen "clothing and items from the camp dressers scattered everywhere, up and down the river".

There is also uncertainty about how many other people were camping in the area for the Fourth of July weekend - and how many may have been swept away in the floods.

A two-lane highway that skirts the Guadalupe River and connects the city of Kerrville to Camp Mystic is a scene of devastation.

Ravaged homes are surrounded by fallen trees and furniture on lawns. Fences are toppled and utility lines down in some areas.

President Donald Trump signed a major disaster declaration on Sunday for Kerr County, activating the Federal Emergency Management Agency to Texas. He also said he would probably visit the state on Friday.

"We're working very closely with representatives from Texas, and it's a horrible thing that took place, absolutely horrible," Trump said on Sunday in New Jersey.

On the ground, local residents are stepping up to support relief efforts - collecting supplies, offering shelter, and doing what they can to help neighbours displaced by the storm.

Alma Garcia drove in from the city of San Antonio to deliver home-cooked meals to residents and volunteers helping with the clean-up effort.

The BBC saw her pull over on the side of the road and take off a top layer T-shirt to give to a resident.

"She was all wet, I told her she's going to need it," Ms Garcia told the BBC.

Local resident Perla started collecting clothes and shoes on Friday after she finished her shift at Walmart. She dropped them off at a shelter the next morning.

"I've never seen something like this before," she told the BBC.

Meanwhile, well wishes poured in from around the world.

In Rome, Pope Leo XIV offered special prayers on Sunday for the bereaved in Texas.

"I would like to express sincere condolences to all the families who have lost loved ones, in particular their daughters who were in summer camp, in the disaster caused by the flooding of the Guadalupe River in Texas in the United States," the pontiff said.

"We pray for them."

Angélica Casas and Alex Lederman contributed to this report

Camp Mystic, a Christian girls' camp perched on the banks of the Guadalupe River in Texas, was a place of laughter, prayer, and adventure just days ago.

Among the girls at the camp was eight-year-old Renee Smajstrla, smiling ear-to-ear in a picture taken on one of those days - "having the time of her life" with her friends.

But the next day, the camp she, and so many other young girls loved, turned into the site of one of the deadliest flood disasters in recent Texas history.

Smajstrla was among those killed.

"She will forever be living her best life at Camp Mystic," her uncle Shawn Salta wrote on Facebook.

Photos show the eerie aftermath: the bunk beds are still there - mud-caked and toppled over, the detritus of a summer camp cut tragically short.

Destroyed personal belongings are scattered across soaked interiors where children once gathered for Bible study and campfire songs.

At least 59 people - among them camp's longtime director, Richard "Dick" Eastland, and several young campers - have been confirmed dead.

Eleven of its campers and one camp counsellor remain missing. Many of the girls who remain missing were sleeping in low-lying cabins less than 500ft (150m) from the riverbank, US media report.

Camp Mystic has been operated by the same family for generations, offering girls a chance to grow "spiritually" in a "wholesome" Christian atmosphere, according to its website.

Families from all across Texas and the US send their daughters each summer to swim, canoe, ride horses, and form lifelong friendships.

But the beauty of the Guadalupe River, which draws so many to the area, also proved deadly.

The floodwaters arrived with little warning, ripping through the picturesque riverfront area that is home to nearly 20 youth camps.

Though Camp Mystic suffered the greatest losses, officials say the scale of the disaster is far-reaching.

Nearby, the all-girls camp Heart O' the Hills also faced flooding.

Its co-owner and director, Jane Ragsdale, was among the dead. Fortunately, the camp was out of session at the time.

A statement from the camp said, "Most of those who were on camp at the time have been accounted for and are on high ground… We are mourning the loss of a woman who influenced countless lives and was the definition of strong and powerful."

Questions are now mounting over why so many camps were situated so close to the river, and why more was not done to evacuate the children in time.

Congressman Chip Roy, who represents the area, acknowledged the devastation while urging caution against premature blame.

"The response is going to be, 'We've gotta move all these camps - why would you have camps down here by the water?'" Roy said.

"Well, you have camps by the water because it's by the water. You have camps near the river because it's a beautiful and wonderful place to be."

As recovery efforts continue, families wait anxiously for news of the missing. Search and rescue teams - some navigating by boat, others combing through debris - are working around the clock.

Kerr County Sheriff Larry Leitha said on Sunday the search for survivors continued.

"Until we can get them reunited families, we are not going to stop," City Manager Dalton Rice said.

Governor Greg Abbott has declared a state of emergency, and officials warn the final toll may rise in the days to come.

Delegations from Israel and Hamas have begun an indirect round of ceasefire talks in Qatar, as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu heads to Washington to meet Donald Trump.

Netanyahu said he thinks his meeting with the US president on Monday should help progress efforts to reach a deal for the release of more hostages and a ceasefire in Gaza.

He said he had given his negotiators clear instructions to achieve a ceasefire agreement under conditions Israel has accepted.

Hamas has said it has responded to the latest ceasefire proposal in a positive spirit, but it seems clear there are still gaps between the two sides that need to be bridged if any deal is to be agreed.

• Israel sends negotiators to Gaza talks despite 'unacceptable' Hamas demands, PM says

For now, Hamas still seems to be holding out for essentially the same conditions it has previously insisted on - including a guarantee of an end to all hostilities at the end of any truce and the withdrawal of Israeli troops.

Netanyahu's government has rejected this before.

The Israeli position may also not have shifted to any major degree. As he was leaving Israel for the US, Netanyahu said he was still committed to what he described as three missions: "The release and return of all the hostages, the living and the fallen; the destruction of Hamas's capabilities - to kick it out of there, and to ensure that Gaza will no longer constitute a threat to Israel."

Qatari and Egyptian mediators will have their work cut out during the indirect talks between Israel and Hamas in trying to overcome these sticking points, which have have derailed other initiatives since the previous ceasefire ended in March.

Israel has since resumed its offensive against Hamas with great intensity, as well as imposing an eleven-week blockade on aid entering Gaza, which was partially lifted several weeks ago.

The Israeli government says these measures have been aimed at further weakening Hamas and forcing it to negotiate and free the hostages.

Just in the past 24 hours, the Israeli military says it struck 130 Hamas targets and killed a number of militants.

But the cost in civilian lives in Gaza continues to grow as well. Hospital officials in Gaza said more than 30 people were killed on Sunday.

The question now is not only whether the talks in Qatar can achieve a compromise acceptable to both sides - but also whether Trump can persuade Netanyahu that the war must come to an end at their meeting on Monday.

Many in Israel already believe that is a price worth paying to save the remaining hostages.

Once again, they came out on to the streets on Saturday evening, calling on Netanyahu to reach a deal so the hostages can finally be freed.

But there are hardline voices in Netanyahu's cabinet, including the national security minister Itamar Ben Gvir and the finance minister Bezalel Smotrich, who have once again expressed their fierce opposition to ending the war in Gaza before Hamas has been completely eliminated.

Once again, there is the appearance of real momentum towards a ceasefire deal, but uncertainty over whether either the Israeli government or Hamas is ready to reach an agreement that might fall short of the key conditions they have so far set.

And once again, Palestinians in Gaza and the families of Israeli hostages still held there are fervently hoping this will not be another false dawn.

The Israeli military launched a campaign in Gaza in response to Hamas's 7 October 2023 attacks, in which about 1,200 people were killed and 251 others were taken hostage.

At least 57,338 people have been killed in Gaza since then, according to the territory's Hamas-run health ministry.

A senior officer in Hamas's security forces has told the BBC the Palestinian armed group has lost about 80% of its control over the Gaza Strip and that armed clans are filling the void.

The lieutenant colonel said Hamas's command and control system had collapsed due to months of Israeli strikes that have devastated the group's political, military and security leadership.

The officer was wounded in the first week of the war, which began after the Hamas-led attack on Israel on 7 October 2023, and has since stepped away from his duties for health reasons.

He shared several voice messages with the BBC on condition of anonymity.

In the messages, the officer painted a picture of Hamas's internal disintegration and the near-total collapse of security across Gaza, which the group governed before the conflict.

"Let's be realistic here - there's barely anything left of the security structure. Most of the leadership, about 95%, are now dead... The active figures have all been killed," he said. "So really, what's stopping Israel from continuing this war?"

"Logically, it has to continue until the end. All the conditions are aligned: Israel has the upper hand, the world is silent, the Arab regimes are silent, criminal gangs are everywhere, society is collapsing."

Last September, Israel's then-defence minister declared that "Hamas as a military formation no longer exists" and that it was engaged in guerrilla warfare.

According to the officer, Hamas attempted to regroup during the 57-day ceasefire with Israel earlier this year, reorganizing its political, military, and security councils.

But since Israel ended the truce in March, it has targeted Hamas's remaining command structures, leaving the group in disarray.

"About the security situation, let me be clear: it has completely collapsed. Totally gone. There's no control anywhere," he said.

"People looted the most powerful Hamas security apparatus (Ansar), the complex which Hamas used to rule Gaza.

"They looted everything, the offices - mattresses, even zinc panels - and no-one intervened. No police, no security."

The officer said a consequence of the security vacuum was gangs or armed clans were "everywhere".

"They could stop you, kill you. No one would intervene. Anyone who tried to act on their own, like organising resistance against thieves, was bombed by Israel within half an hour.

"So, the security situation is zero. Hamas's control is zero. There's no leadership, no command, no communication. Salaries are delayed, and when they do arrive, they're barely usable. Some die just trying to collect them. It's total collapse."

On 26 June, at least 18 people were killed when an Israeli drone strike targeted a plainclothes Hamas police unit attempting to assert control over a market in Deir al-Balah, accusing vendors of price gouging and selling looted aid, witnesses and medics said.

The Israeli military said it struck "several armed terrorists" belonging to Hamas's Internal Security Forces.

In this vacuum, six armed groups affiliated with powerful local clans have emerged as serious contenders to fill the void, according to the officer.

These groups have access to money, weapons and men, and are active across all of Gaza, but mostly in the south.

One of them is led by Yasser Abu Shabab, a figure who has attracted attention from the Palestinian Authority, which is based in the occupied West Bank and is a rival to Hamas, as well as regional players - particularly after Israel confirmed last month that it was supplying him with weapons.

The officer confirmed that Hamas had placed a large bounty on Abu Shabab's head, fearing he could become a unifying figure for its many enemies.

"Hamas would ignore ordinary thieves. People are hungry and [the fighters] don't want to provoke more chaos. But this guy? If the Hamas fighters find him, they might go after him instead of Israeli tanks."

Sources in Gaza told the BBC that Abu Shabab was working to co-ordinate with other armed groups to form a joint council aimed at toppling Hamas.

A retired Palestinian security official, who was part of the force that cracked down on Hamas's military wing in 1996 following a wave of bombings in Israel, said Abu Shabab's network was gaining traction.

"Abu Shabab's group is like an orphaned child who everyone will want to adopt if he succeeds in undermining Hamas rule," said the official, who now lives in Cairo.

"Publicly, all sides deny links to the armed groups in Gaza. But Abu Shabab has met a senior Palestinian intelligence officer three times and sent messages of assurance to the Egyptians through relatives in Sinai," he claimed.

He also said Abu Shabab "maintains good ties with Mohammad Dahlan's camp". Dahlan is a former Gaza security chief who has lived in exile since he fell out with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas 15 years ago.

The Hamas security officer warned the group was "willing to do anything" to eliminate Abu Shabab not because of his current military strength, but out of fear he could become a symbol around which all of Hamas's adversaries rally.

"For 17 years, Hamas made enemies everywhere. If someone like Abu Shabab can rally those forces, that could be the beginning of the end for us."

As Gaza is plunged further into lawlessness, with entire neighbourhoods descending into gang rule, Hamas finds itself not just under Israeli fire but increasingly surrounded by rivals from within.

US President Donald Trump has hit out at former close ally Elon Musk over the multi-billionaire's plan to launch a new political party.

"I am saddened to watch Elon Musk go completely 'off the rails,' essentially becoming a train wreck over the past five weeks," Trump posted on his Truth Social platform on Sunday.

After teasing the idea for weeks, Musk posted on X over the weekend that he had set up the America Party to compete against the Republican and Democratic parties.

The Tesla boss's announcement comes weeks after a dramatic falling out with Trump, who appointed Musk to lead the Department of Government Efficiency (Doge), which is tasked with identifying areas to cut federal spending.

Trump said third political parties "have never succeeded in the United States" as the system was "seems not designed for them".

"The one thing Third Parties are good for is the creation of complete and total disruption and chaos."

Trump also took aim at Musk's push for an "Electric Vehicle (EV) Mandate", saying it would have "forced everyone to buy an electric car in a short period of time."

The president's tax and spending plan, which he signed into law on 4 July, ended tax breaks for electric vehicles.

He added that he had opposed Musk's proposal for an EV mandate from the beginning, explaining the reasons for omitting such vehicles in the legislation.

"People are now allowed to buy whatever they want - Gasoline Powered, Hybrids (which are doing very well), or New Technologies as they come about - No more EV Mandate."

The legislation includes increased spending for border security, defence and energy production, offset by controversial cuts to healthcare and food-support programmes.

Musk floated the idea of a new political party online during his public spat with Trump as he repeatedly criticised his spending plans.

Israel says it has launched strikes on Houthi targets in three Yemeni ports, including the western port of Hodeidah, Ras Isa and Saif.

The attacks come shortly after the Israeli military issued evacuation orders for civilians in the areas, warning of imminent air strikes.

Israeli defence minister Israel Katz confirmed on social media the strikes on the Houthi-controlled sites including a power station and ship that was hijacked by the group two years ago.

Houthi-run media in Yemen said the strikes hit the port of Hodeidah, but no further details were provided on damage or casualties.

Katz said the strikes were part of "Operation Black Flag" and warned that the Houthis "will continue to pay a heavy price for their actions".

"The fate of Yemen is the same as the fate of Tehran. Anyone who tries to harm Israel will be harmed, and anyone who raises a hand against Israel will have their hand cut off," he said in a post on X.

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