Trump officials are expected to link the use of pain reliever Tylenol in pregnant women to autism, according to US media reports.

At an Oval Office event on Monday, the US president will reportedly advise pregnant women in the US to only take Tylenol, known as paracetamol elsewhere, to relieve high fevers.

At the Charlie Kirk memorial service on Sunday, Trump said he had an "amazing" announcement coming on autism, saying it was "out of control" but they might now have a reason why.

Some studies have shown a link between pregnant women taking Tylenol and autism, but these findings are inconsistent and do not prove the drug causes autism.

Tylenol is a popular brand of pain relief medication sold in the United States, Canada and some other countries. Its active ingredient is acetaminophen, which is called paracetamol outside North America.

Tylenol maker Kenvue has defended the use of the drug in pregnant women.

In a statement to the BBC, it said: "We believe independent, sound science clearly shows that taking acetaminophen does not cause autism. We strongly disagree with any suggestion otherwise and are deeply concerned with the health risk this poses for expecting mothers."

Acetaminophen is the safest pain reliever option for pregnant women, it added, and without it, women face a dangerous choice between suffering through conditions like fever or use riskier alternatives.

The BBC has contacted the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) for comment.

In April, the leader of HHS, Robert F Kennedy Jr, pledged "a massive testing and research effort" to determine the cause of autism in five months.

But experts have cautioned that finding the causes of autism - a complex syndrome that has been researched for decades - would not be simple.

The widely held view of researchers is that there is no single cause of autism, which is thought to be the result of a complex mix of genetic and environmental factors.

• Tylenol-maker shares hit after report of autism link

The American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology said doctors across the country have consistently identified Tylenol as one of the only safe pain relievers for pregnant women.

"[S]tudies that have been conducted in the past, show no clear evidence that proves a direct relationship between the prudent use of acetaminophen during any trimester and fetal developmental issues," the group has said.

The drug is recommended by other major medical groups as well as other governments around the world.

In August, a review of research led by the dean of Harvard University's Chan School of Public Health found that children may be more likely to develop autism and other neurodevelopmental disorders when exposed to Tylenol during pregnancy.

The researchers argued some steps should be taken to limit use of the drug, but said the pain reliever was still important for treating maternal fever and pain, which can also have negative effects for children.

But another study, published in 2024, found no relationship between exposure to Tylenol and autism.

"There is no robust evidence or convincing studies to suggest there is any causal relationship," said Monique Botha, a professor in social and developmental psychology at Durham University.

Dr Botha added that pain relief for pregnant women was "woefully lacking", with Tylenol being one of the only safe options for the population.

Autism diagnoses have increased sharply since 2000, and by 2020 the rate among 8-year-olds reached 2.77%, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Scientists attribute at least part of the rise to increased awareness of autism and an expanding definition of the disorder. Researchers have also been investigating environmental factors.

In the past, Kennedy has offered debunked theories about the rising rates of autism, blaming vaccines despite a lack of evidence.

All flights to and from Denmark's largest airport have been suspended after drone sightings, police have said.

Between two to three large drones were seen flying in the area around Copenhagen Airport, according to authorities.

Take-offs and landings at the airport have been suspended since around 20:30 local time (19:30 BST).

"[The airport] is currently closed for take-off and landing, as 2-3 large drones have been seen flying in the area. The time horizon is currently unknown," police said in a statement 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.

France has formally recognised a Palestinian state, becoming the latest in a wave of countries to take the step.

Speaking at the UN in New York, President Emmanuel Macron said "the time for peace has come" and that "nothing justifies the ongoing war in Gaza".

France and Saudi Arabia are hosting a one-day summit at the UN General Assembly focused on plans for a two-state solution to the conflict. G7 states Germany, Italy, and the US did not attend.

Macron confirmed that Belgium, Luxembourg, Malta, Andorra and San Marino would also recognise a Palestinian state, after the UK, Canada, Australia and Portugal announced recognition on Sunday.

International pressure is ramping up on Israel over the unfolding humanitarian crisis in Gaza and settlement building in the West Bank.

Israel has said recognition would reward Hamas for the Palestinian armed group's 7 October 2023 attack on southern Israel that killed about 1,200 people and 251 people were taken hostage.

More than 65,000 Palestinians have been killed by Israel since, according to Gaza's Hamas-run health ministry. Israeli forces are currently carrying out a ground offensive aimed at taking control of Gaza City, where a million people were living and a famine was confirmed last month.

The French leader told the conference that the time had come to stop the war and free the remaining Israeli hostages held by Hamas. He warned against the "peril of endless wars" and said "right must always prevail over might".

The international community had failed to build a just and lasting peace n the Middle East, he said, adding that "we must do everything in our power to preserve the possibility of a two-state solution" that would see "Israel and Palestine side by side in peace and security".

Saudi Arabia's Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud also addressed the UN, on behalf of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

He reiterated that a two-state solution was the only way to achieve lasting peace in the region.

UN secretary general Antonio Guterres referred to the situation in Gaza as "morally, legally and politically intolerable" and said a two-state solution was the "only credible path" for peace between Israelis and Palestinians.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas - who was blocked from attending the UN General Assembly in person after the US revoked his and other Palestinian officials' visas - addressed the conference via videolink.

He called for a permanent ceasefire and said Hamas could have no role in governing Gaza, calling for the group to "surrender their weapons" to the Palestinian Authority (PA).

"What we want is one unified state without weapons," he said.

Abbas also condemned Hamas's 7 October 2023 attack on southern Israel and addressed Israelis saying: "Our future and yours depends on peace. Enough violence and war."

Macron said France was ready to contribute to a "stabilisation mission" in Gaza and called for a transitional administration involving the PA that would oversee the dismantling of Hamas.

He said France would only open an embassy to a Palestinian state when all the hostages being held by Hamas are released and a ceasefire had been agreed.

Israel's ambassador to the UN Danny Dannon spoke to reporters shortly before Macron's announcement.

Dannon said a two-state solution was taken "off the table" after the 7 October attack and called this week's talks at the UN a "charade". He also refused to rule out Israel annexing the occupied West Bank.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has insisted there will be no Palestinian state to the west of the River Jordan, and President Isaac Herzog said recognising one would only "embolden the forces of darkness".

Ahead of Macron's announcement, the Palestinian and Israeli flags were displayed on the Eiffel Tower on Sunday night. A number of town halls in France also flew Palestinian flags on Monday, despite a government order to local prefects to maintain neutrality.

Pro-Palestinian protests also took place in some 80 towns and cities across Italy, where Giorgia Meloni's government said recently it could be "counter-productive" to recognise a state that did not exist.

In Germany, the government has said Palestinian statehood is not currently up for debate, and Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul explained as he left for New York on Monday that "for Germany, recognition of a Palestinian state comes more at the end of the process. But this process must begin now".

Trump officials are expected to link the use of pain reliever Tylenol in pregnant women to autism, according to US media reports.

At an Oval Office event on Monday, the US president will reportedly advise pregnant women in the US to only take Tylenol, known as paracetamol elsewhere, to relieve high fevers.

At the Charlie Kirk memorial service on Sunday, Trump said he had an "amazing" announcement coming on autism, saying it was "out of control" but they might now have a reason why.

Some studies have shown a link between pregnant women taking Tylenol and autism, but these findings are inconsistent and do not prove the drug causes autism.

Tylenol is a popular brand of pain relief medication sold in the United States, Canada and some other countries. Its active ingredient is acetaminophen, which is called paracetamol outside North America.

Tylenol maker Kenvue has defended the use of the drug in pregnant women.

In a statement to the BBC, it said: "We believe independent, sound science clearly shows that taking acetaminophen does not cause autism. We strongly disagree with any suggestion otherwise and are deeply concerned with the health risk this poses for expecting mothers."

Acetaminophen is the safest pain reliever option for pregnant women, it added, and without it, women face a dangerous choice between suffering through conditions like fever or use riskier alternatives.

The BBC has contacted the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) for comment.

In April, the leader of HHS, Robert F Kennedy Jr, pledged "a massive testing and research effort" to determine the cause of autism in five months.

But experts have cautioned that finding the causes of autism - a complex syndrome that has been researched for decades - would not be simple.

The widely held view of researchers is that there is no single cause of autism, which is thought to be the result of a complex mix of genetic and environmental factors.

• Tylenol-maker shares hit after report of autism link

The American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology said doctors across the country have consistently identified Tylenol as one of the only safe pain relievers for pregnant women.

"[S]tudies that have been conducted in the past, show no clear evidence that proves a direct relationship between the prudent use of acetaminophen during any trimester and fetal developmental issues," the group has said.

The drug is recommended by other major medical groups as well as other governments around the world.

In August, a review of research led by the dean of Harvard University's Chan School of Public Health found that children may be more likely to develop autism and other neurodevelopmental disorders when exposed to Tylenol during pregnancy.

The researchers argued some steps should be taken to limit use of the drug, but said the pain reliever was still important for treating maternal fever and pain, which can also have negative effects for children.

But another study, published in 2024, found no relationship between exposure to Tylenol and autism.

"There is no robust evidence or convincing studies to suggest there is any causal relationship," said Monique Botha, a professor in social and developmental psychology at Durham University.

Dr Botha added that pain relief for pregnant women was "woefully lacking", with Tylenol being one of the only safe options for the population.

Autism diagnoses have increased sharply since 2000, and by 2020 the rate among 8-year-olds reached 2.77%, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Scientists attribute at least part of the rise to increased awareness of autism and an expanding definition of the disorder. Researchers have also been investigating environmental factors.

In the past, Kennedy has offered debunked theories about the rising rates of autism, blaming vaccines despite a lack of evidence.

Footage has emerged showing the public executions of three men accused of being Israeli collaborators in Gaza City.

BBC Verify has verified that the location of the executions was a street outside Shifa hospital in the centre of the city, which is the focus of a major Israeli ground offensive.

Videos circulating on Sunday evening showed at least five armed and masked men, three blindfolded Palestinian men kneeling on the ground and a large crowd.

One of the armed men is heard saying: "The death sentence has been decided for all collaborators".

There are cheers before the three men are pushed to the ground and shot several times in the back of the head. The crowd then praises Hamas's armed wing, the Qassam Brigades.

A Palestinian security official from the Hamas-run Gaza government told Reuters that the executions were carried out by the "Joint Operations Room of the Palestinian resistance".

This is a rare instance in which a public execution in Gaza has been captured on video. There have been previous reports of Hamas using violence on those who dissent. In May, Hamas-led groups reportedly executed four Palestinians for looting aid trucks.

In Sunday's footage, one armed man singles out Yasser Abu Shabab as a "major collaborator" who they seek to kill.

Abu Shabab is major figurehead of a clan which has reportedly been armed by the Israeli government. It has been operating in Rafah, in an area under Israeli military control. The group has presented itself as an opposition force to Hamas.

In July Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu confirmed that Israel was arming clans in Gaza that he said were opposed to Hamas. However, Yasser Abu Shabab posted online to "categorically reject" that Israel had supplied his group's weapons.

That same month, a senior officer in Hamas's security forces told the BBC that the Palestinian armed group had lost much of its control over the Gaza Strip and that armed clans were filling the void.

Abu Shabab's armed group has been advertising for recruits on social media, Reuters reported. The news agency quoted residents and sources close to Hamas as saying that other groups opposed to Hamas had also emerged in parts of northern Gaza and near Khan Younis in southern Gaza.

Israeli troops meanwhile have continued to operate in Gaza City. The Israeli military said troops had "dismantled military infrastructure used by Hamas" and killed a Hamas cell that had attacked Israeli soldiers, wounding an officer.

It has said its objectives are to free the hostages still held by Hamas and defeat up to 3,000 fighters in what it has described as the group's "main stronghold".

However, the offensive on Gaza's biggest urban area, where one million people were living and a famine was confirmed last month, has drawn widespread international condemnation.

Last week a spokeswoman for the UN's humanitarian office said she had seen a constant stream of Palestinians heading south during a recent visit to the city, but that hundreds of thousands remained in the city. She described the situation in the city as "cataclysmic".

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

At least 65,344 people have been killed in Israeli attacks in Gaza since then, according to the territory's Hamas-run health ministry.

Former Philippine president Rodrigo Duterte has been charged with crimes against humanity by the International Criminal Court (ICC).

The 80-year-old is accused of being criminally responsible for dozens of murders that allegedly took place as part of his so-called war on drugs, during which thousands of small-time drug dealers, users and others were killed without trial.

The ICC's charge sheet, which includes several redactions, dates from July but was only made public on Monday.

ICC deputy prosecutor Mame Mandiaye Niang said Duterte was an "indirect co-perpetrator" in the killings, which the court alleges were carried out by others, including police.

The first count laid against Mr Duterte concerns his alleged involvement in the killings of 19 people in Davao City between 2013 and 2016 while he was mayor there.

The other two charges relate to times when he was serving as president of the Philippines, between 2016 and 2022, and launched his so-called war on drugs.

The second count relates to the murders of 14 "high-value targets" across the country, while the third relates to the murder and attempted murder of 45 people in village clearance operations.

Prosecutors referred to how Mr Duterte and his alleged co-perpetrators "shared a common plan or agreement to 'neutralise' alleged criminals in the Philippines (including those perceived or alleged to be associated with drug use, sale or production) through violent crimes including murder".

He has offered no apologies for his brutal anti-drugs crackdown, which saw more than 6,000 people killed - although activists believe the real figure could run into the tens of thousands.

Mr Duterte said he cracked down on drug dealers to rid the country of street crimes.

Rodrigo Duterte is the first Asian former head of state to be indicted by the ICC - and the first suspect to be flown to The Hague in Netherlands - where the court is based - in over three years. He has been in custody there since March.

His lawyer has said Mr Duterte is not able to stand trial due to poor health.

In May, the former president was again elected mayor of Davao, despite being in prison. His son Sebastian (who had been serving as mayor since 2022), has continued on as acting mayor in his father's stead.

Mr Duterte's supporters alleged the ICC was being used as a political tool by the country's current president Ferdinand Marcos, who had publicly fallen out with the powerful Duterte family.

The ICC effectively has no power to arrest people without the co-operation of the countries they are in, which is most often refused - and Marcos had previously dismissed the idea of co-operating with the ICC.

All flights to and from Denmark's largest airport have been suspended after drone sightings, police have said.

Between two to three large drones were seen flying in the area around Copenhagen Airport, according to authorities.

Take-offs and landings at the airport have been suspended since around 20:30 local time (19:30 BST).

"[The airport] is currently closed for take-off and landing, as 2-3 large drones have been seen flying in the area. The time horizon is currently unknown," police said in a statement 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.

The event honouring conservative activist Charlie Kirk at a stadium in Arizona was a swirling mix of memorial service, big-church Christian religious revival and conservative political rally.

It also provided a glimpse of a Republican Party at a fork in the road, weighing a choice between forgiveness and retribution; reconciliation and conflict.

The leading lights of President Donald Trump's Make America Great Again coalition gathered for an hours-long celebration of Kirk's life, which included music and plenty of speeches.

The event provided a glimpse at the potential direction of travel for Trump's Maga movement, more than a decade after it emerged and upended US politics.

Erika Kirk a possible future star

Despite the string of prominent politicians speaking on Sunday night, the defining moment came when Erika Kirk, Charlie's widow, took the stage. The 36-year-old former beauty contestant, podcaster and businesswoman took the opportunity to preach unity - including forgiveness for her husband's killer.

"The answer to hate is not hate," she said, her voice cracking. "The answer, we know from the Gospel, is love and always love. Love for our enemies, and love for those who persecute us."

It was a powerful speech from a woman who has quickly found her footing in the harshest of spotlights. Last week, Turning Point USA named her the head of the conservative youth organization that her late husband founded, a group that is flush with new energy and determination in the aftermath of Kirk's murder.

Sunday night proved Erika Kirk has the strength and character to be an effective public face for the Turning Point USA.

She eventually could become a formidable candidate for public office in her home of Arizona, a key political battleground state. Her words also offered a contrast to the bombast and confrontation that has typified most of modern American politics.

Trump's call to arms

If Erika Kirk offered a glimpse of a possible kinder, gentler future for the conservative movement, Donald Trump, who spoke immediately after her, provided a quick reminder that the Republican Party of today may have very different priorities.

"I hate my opponents, and I don't want what's best for them," Trump said with a chuckle. "Now Erika can talk to me and the whole group and maybe they can convince me that's not right, but I can't stand my opponent."

Trump's remarks come just a day after a Truth Social Post in which the president demanded that his Justice Department prosecute his political enemies – including California Senator Adam Schiff, former FBI Director James Comey and New York Attorney General Letitia James.

• Trump hails Kirk as martyr at memorial service

The president also announced that he had fired a federal prosecutor who had recently announced that there was not enough evidence to charge James with a crime, replacing him with one of his former defence attorneys.

Trump's remarks at the memorial service were jarring for the occasion, but he was not the only speaker to use the moment to promise action against "enemies".

"We are the storm," said senior White House adviser Stephen Miller. "Our enemies cannot comprehend our strength, our determination, our resolve, our passion."

He went on to say that conservatives would fight for Western culture and traditions and that their opponents have nothing but wickedness and jealousy.

"You have no idea the dragon you have awakened," he said.

Hints of a religious revival

While the event had its discordant notes, the overall theme was akin to a religious revival – reminiscent of Billy Graham's tent crusades of the 1930 and 1940s or the "great awakenings" of the 19th Century.

The memorial service celebrated Charlie Kirk's Christianity and promised a new enthusiasm among young Americans for traditional values with an evangelical fervour.

Tens of thousands of supporters packed the stadium and millions more watched online. Those numbers are sure to be encouraging for conservative leaders who want to see Christianity play a more central role in American public and political life – a view that Kirk himself repeatedly expressed.

"The body politic of America was so Christian and was so Protestant that our form and structure of government was built for the people that believed in Christ our Lord," Kirk said in 2024. "You cannot have liberty if you do not have a Christian population."

While Christianity has declined in the US in recent years, it is still the majority faith. Most surveys show that younger Americans are less religious than their elders, however, indicating that further shifts could be in store.

Kirk's death may prompt a religious awakening among American youth. If it doesn't, however, Sunday night's evangelical rhetoric could exclude as much as it unites – further exacerbating cultural and political divides in the nation.

Presidential ambitions on display

We're only nine months into Trump's second term, but Sunday night also may have been an opening skirmish in the 2028 Republican presidential nomination contest.

Three potential contenders – Vice-President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Health Secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr – had prominent speaking slots.

All three talked of the importance of their relationship with Kirk and their personal religion – providing more focused, traditional eulogies that contrasted sharply with Trump's speech. But there was still a forward-looking political edge to them.

"For Charlie, we will rebuild this United States of America to greatness," Vance said. "For Charlie, we will never shrink, we will never cower, and we will never falter, even when we are staring down the barrel of a gun."

Kennedy described of how Kirk "changed the trajectory of history" – and the risks of challenging "entrenched interests". Rubio praised Kirk for inspiring Americans to "live a productive life, get married, start a family, love your country."

Trump, of course, was a prominent speaker at the rally, but the president of the United States was not the dominant force the way he often is at political events.

Conservatives on Sunday began to get a taste of those who might become key players on the national stage once Trump leaves the scene.

An unexpected Musk reconciliation

Speaking of key players, Sunday night saw the return of one of the most prominent figures in the early days of Trump's second term.

Tech multi-billionaire Elon Musk, who was a close confidante of Trump's before a dramatic public falling out in June, visited the president's box at the Phoenix event and had what appeared to be a friendly chat.

"I thought it was nice," Trump told reporters afterwards. "He came over; we had a conversation."

Musk, who headed Trump's "Department of Government Efficiency" earlier this year, oversaw sweeping federal layoffs and attempted budget cuts.

He broke with the president over a $3.4bn congressional spending bill, however, and later promised to start his own political party.

A Trump-Musk reconciliation was certainly not the most significant development from the memorial service, but it may be one of the most unexpected - and who knows where it may lead.

President Emmanuel Macron will formally recognise a Palestinian state in New York on Monday, backed by several other European countries, describing France's move as a "necessity".

Coming hard on the heels of a decision by the UK, Canada and Australia, Macron said his move would be the "beginning of a political process and a peace and security plan for everybody".

France, like the UK, carries considerable diplomatic weight as both a permanent member of the UN Security Council and the G7, and is co-ordinating the push with Saudi Arabia on the sidelines of this week's UN General Assembly.

Paris will not be joined by two of the other big European states in the G7, Germany and Italy, and not by the US either.

Israel has denounced the move as a reward for Hamas, and its UN ambassador has called Monday's event a circus.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has insisted there will be no Palestinian state to the west of the River Jordan, and President Isaac Herzog said recognising one would only "embolden the forces of darkness".

French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot was adamant that his country's move was a "categorical rejection" of Hamas but said it was "symbolic, immediate, and political, demonstrating France's commitment to the two-state solution".

He spoke of Macron's declaration as a "great diplomatic victory for our country". Paris has said Belgium, Luxembourg and Malta are also set to announce formal recognition, along with the tiny states of Andorra and San Marino. Portugal made its own declaration late on Sunday.

A number of other European countries have already recognised a Palestinian state, including Spain and Norway last year, but Macron's move is seen as a gamble by some domestic commentators which might make little difference on the ground.

Ahead of Macron's announcement, the Palestinian and Israeli flags were displayed on the Eiffel Tower on Sunday night. A number of town halls in France also flew Palestinian flags on Monday, despite a government order to local prefects to maintain neutrality.

Pro-Palestinian protests also took place in Italy, in some 80 towns and cities in Italy, where Giorgia Meloni's government said recently it could be "counter-productive" to recognise a state that did not exist.

Public transport and ports were disrupted in a day of action organised by some trade unions. A key metro line in Milan was shut down, while university students in Turin and Bologna blocked access top lecture halls.

In Germany, the government says Palestinian statehood is not currently up for debate, and Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul explained as he left for New York on Monday that "for Germany, recognition of a Palestinian state comes more at the end of the process. But this process must begin now".

Although Germany is one of Israel's closest allies in Europe, its chancellor, Friedrich Merz, has become increasingly critical of Israel's military response in Gaza.

European Union officials have also toughened their language against Israel in recent weeks. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen called for an end last week to "the horrific events taking place in Gaza on a daily basis".

In a CBS News interview late on Sunday, President Macron spoke of a phased plan that would be geared towards isolating Hamas.

The first stage would involve a ceasefire, a release of all hostages and then the stabilisation of Gaza, he explained. The second would involve governance and reconstruction of Gaza, and the "third package, the perspective of two states".

Opening a French embassy would be conditional on the release of hostages still held by Hamas, he stressed.

But Macron's high-profile move in United Nations has met with criticism from some of his political opponents.

Jordan Bardella, of the far-right National Rally, said it was a "mistake, while Hamas still holds Israeli hostages", and he pointed out that it amounted to "rewarding the atrocities committed on 7 October [2023], during the deadliest attack ever known by the state of Israel".

The Duchess of York has been removed as patron of a children's charity, in the wake of an email in which she called sex offender Jeffrey Epstein her "supreme friend".

Julia's House, a children's hospice charity serving families in Dorset and Wiltshire, has removed Sarah Ferguson from her role as patron.

"Following the information shared this weekend on the Duchess of York's correspondence with Jeffrey Epstein, Julia's House has taken the decision that it would be inappropriate for her to continue as a patron of the charity," said a Julia's House spokesperson.

"We have advised the Duchess of York of this decision and thank her for her past support," said the statement.

The decision to end the link with the duchess follows the publication of an email from her to Epstein in 2011, which appears to have been sent after she had publicly broken off contact with him.

The email appeared to privately apologise for her public rejection of Epstein, saying: "You have always been a steadfast, generous and supreme friend to me and my family."

A spokesperson for the duchess - the former wife of the Prince Andrew, the Duke of York - said the email was to counter a threat Epstein had made to sue her for defamation.

Sign up here to get the latest royal stories and analysis every week with our Royal Watch newsletter. Those outside the UK can sign up here.

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.

TikTok's algorithm - the technology that determines what users see in their feed - will be copied and retrained using US user data as part of a deal to secure the app's future in the US.

A White House official said on Monday that TikTok's recommendation system will be audited by tech giant Oracle, and operated by a new joint venture involving US investors in order to meet requirements for the app's sale.

It comes after President Donald Trump said a deal to prevent the app's ban in the US, unless sold by its Chinese parent company ByteDance, had been reached with China's approval.

The BBC has approached ByteDance and TikTok for comment.

White House officials claim the deal will be a win for the app's US users and citizens.

President Trump is expected to sign an executive order later this week on the proposed deal, which will set out how it will comply with US national security demands.

The order will also outline a 120-day pause to the enforcement deadline to allow the deal to close.

It is unclear whether the Chinese government has approved this agreement, or begun to take regulatory steps required to deliver it.

Data belonging to the 170m users TikTok says it has in the US is already held on Oracle servers, under an existing arrangement called Project Texas.

It saw US user data siphoned off under concerns it could fall into the hands of the Chinese government.

A senior White House official said that under President Trump's deal, the company would take on a comprehensive role in securing the entirety of the app for American users.

They said this would include auditing and inspecting the source code and recommendation system underpinning the app, and rebuilding it for US users using only US user data.

Oracle, which provides cloud computing infrastructure for a growing number of companies including ChatGPT-maker OpenAI, has been long rumoured to play a role in President Trump's deal.

It recently reported a surge in demand among AI companies for its data centres, which helped push its stock dramatically higher and briefly made its co-founder and chairman Larry Ellison the world's richest person.

Earlier this year, President Trump said he would like to see Mr Ellison buy TikTok.

Private equity firm Silver Lake, which has investments in companies including Manchester City football club owners City Football Group, was revealed to also be involved in the deal.

White House officials also said that the new joint venture controlling the app would be seeking "patriotic investors" and board members experienced in cybersecurity to oversee its operations.

They believe the value of the deal would likely amount to billions of dollars.

Sign up for our Tech Decoded newsletter to follow the world's top tech stories and trends. Outside the UK? Sign up here.

US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has said the US is "ready to do what is needed" to help stabilise Argentina's escalating financial turmoil.

"All options for stabilization are on the table," Bessent wrote on social media, calling Argentina a "systematically important US ally in Latin America".

The message helped to calm financial markets, which have been rattled as recent election losses raise doubts about the future of Javier Milei's cost-cutting, free-market agenda.

The value of the peso has been plunging, while investors dump Argentine stocks and bonds.

Milei, a libertarian economist and ally of US President Donald Trump, was elected president of Argentina in 2023 as an outsider candidate who promised to control soaring inflation through radical government spending cuts and other reforms.

Bessent said the US government was considering intervening in Argentina's current fiscal turmoil with purchases of Argentine pesos and dollar-denominated government debt among other forms of support.

More details will be announced after President Donald Trump meets with Milei in New York on Tuesday, he added.

"We remain confident that [President Milei's] support for fiscal discipline and pro-growth reforms are necessary to break Argentina's long history of decline," he wrote.

Milei expressed "enormous gratitude" for the US's pledge of support, which helped lift Argentine stocks and prices for the country's dollar-denominated debt in financial markets.

"Those of us who defend the ideas of freedom must work together for the welfare of our peoples," he wrote on social media.

Milei was the first foreign leader to meet with Trump after his victory in the November 2024 US presidential election and his economic policies have won him admiration among many conservatives in the US, including Elon Musk.

But he has been on the defensive at home, especially in recent weeks, as his government has been grappling with losses in recent local elections and a bribery scandal involving his sister, who is accused of taking kickbacks from drug companies seeking government contracts.

Argentina will host national mid-term elections in October, which are expected to serve as a referendum on his controversial policies, which include cuts to social programmes such as subsidies for transportation.

In April, Bessent also provided key backing to help Argentina secure a new $20bn (£14.8bn) four-year loan from the the International Monetary Fund.

A wandering elk spotted at dozens of locations across Central Europe this summer has been captured by authorities in Austria and released close to the Czech border.

The elk, nicknamed Emil, was tranquilised by Austrian wildlife officials on Monday after straying dangerously close to a motorway near the village of Sattledt, Upper Austria.

He was fitted with a GPS tag and released on the Czech-Austrian border, on the edge of the Sumava forest of South Bohemia.

It was unclear whether the operation was carried out in co-ordination with the Czech authorities.

The Sumava is home to an estimated population of 10-20 elk, and it is hoped Emil will join them, rather than continue his perambulations.

The young male's journey has taken in large swathes of Central Europe since he was first spotted near the village of Ludgerovice, in the northeastern corner of the Czech Republic, on 2 June. He was believed to have entered the country from Poland.

Since then, Emil has become a social media sensation, with hundreds of photos and videos posted online. There are at least three Facebook groups devoted to him, with a combined total approaching 50,000 members.

According to Czech Radio's online news portal iRozhlas, he has wandered through 60 towns and villages in four countries – Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Austria – in a journey approaching 500 kilometres.

He has picked his way across roads and railways, forded local streams and swum across the River Danube. He has been spotted on the fringes of two cultural events, including a heavy metal festival in South Moravia.

Elk were once native to Czech forests but were hunted to extinction in the Middle Ages. There have been several attempts to reintroduce them over the centuries, but they remained unsuccessful until the 1970s.

The Czech Republic's elk population is believed to be around fifty animals, far fewer than Emil's presumed homeland of Poland, which has tens of thousands.

The Duchess of York has been removed as patron of a children's charity, in the wake of an email in which she called sex offender Jeffrey Epstein her "supreme friend".

Julia's House, a children's hospice charity serving families in Dorset and Wiltshire, has removed Sarah Ferguson from her role as patron.

"Following the information shared this weekend on the Duchess of York's correspondence with Jeffrey Epstein, Julia's House has taken the decision that it would be inappropriate for her to continue as a patron of the charity," said a Julia's House spokesperson.

"We have advised the Duchess of York of this decision and thank her for her past support," said the statement.

The decision to end the link with the duchess follows the publication of an email from her to Epstein in 2011, which appears to have been sent after she had publicly broken off contact with him.

The email appeared to privately apologise for her public rejection of Epstein, saying: "You have always been a steadfast, generous and supreme friend to me and my family."

A spokesperson for the duchess - the former wife of the Prince Andrew, the Duke of York - said the email was to counter a threat Epstein had made to sue her for defamation.

Sign up here to get the latest royal stories and analysis every week with our Royal Watch newsletter. Those outside the UK can sign up here.

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.

Egypt's president has pardoned prominent British-Egyptian activist Alaa Abdel Fattah, who has been imprisoned for six years, state media and his lawyer say.

Abdel Fattah is one of six people whose sentences President Abdul Fattah al-Sisi commuted following a request from the National Council for Human Rights, according to Al-Qahera News. His lawyer confirmed the news and wrote on X: "Praise be to God."

The 43-year-old blogger and pro-democracy activist is one of Egypt's best known political prisoners.

He was arrested in 2019, months after finishing a previous five-year sentence, and convicted in 2021 of "spreading false news" for sharing a Facebook post about torture in Egypt.

He should have been released in September 2024. However, Egyptian authorities refused to count the more than two years he spent in pre-trial detention towards his time served.

He and his mother, Laila Soueif, staged hunger strikes to protest against his imprisonment.

A French murder trial that opened Monday has transfixed the public because of the mystery at its core: where is the victim's body?

Cédric Jubillar, a 38 year-old painter-decorator, is accused of killing his wife Delphine nearly five years ago in a fit of jealous rage.

He has always denied the charges and, other than circumstantial evidence, investigators have struggled to build a case. There is no body, no blood, no confession, and no witness.

With its unexplained central fact and its cast of characters from small-town southern France, the affair has become a social media sensation.

Self-declared investigators have set up countless chat groups where they swap theories and share testimony – much to the irritation of police and families.

"These groups are the equivalent of the bistro counter – but with more people," said psychoanalyst Patrick Avrane, author of a book on attitudes to crime.

"Everyone constructs the theory that suits him or her the best."

The Jubillar mystery began at the height of Covid lockdown when – in the early hours on 16 December 2020 – Cédric Jubillar contacted the gendarmes to report that his wife had gone missing.

Delphine, who was 33 at the time, was a night nurse in a clinic not far from their home in Cagnac-les-Mines in the south-western Occitania region. The couple had two children, aged six and 18 months.

Police came to understand that the Jubillars did not have a happy relationship.

Cédric Jubillar was a habitual cannabis user and barely held down a job. Delphine was in a relationship with a man she had met over the Internet. She and Cédric were talking about divorce.

Police and locals conducted extensive searches in the surrounding countryside – with potholers descending into some of the disused mineshafts with which the area is dotted.

Delphine's body was never found, but a case was gradually built against her husband and in mid-2021 he was placed under investigation and detained.

The prosecution at the trial in the town of Albi will tell the court that Cédric Jubillar had a clear motivation to kill his wife, because of their impending split.

Lawyers will raise other points: certain odd actions by Cédric on the night of the disappearance; signs of a fight, including a pair of broken glasses; a neighbour who heard a woman screaming.

Cédric Jubillar's own character will be brought under the spotlight, with witnesses expected who will speak of his threatening language to Delphine before she disappeared, and his apparent lack of concern after.

Two of his acquaintances – a former cellmate and a former girlfriend – will also repeat what they told police: that Cédric confessed to the murder and told them where her body was.

But after more digging no body has been found, and the defence is expected to raise doubts about the veracity of the pair's accounts.

Indeed the heart of Cédric Jubillar's case is that there is nothing – beyond the popular view that he is the ideal culprit – to prove that he did away with his wife. He himself has always protested his innocence.

The trial is expected to last four weeks, with 65 witnesses called and 11 experts. More than 16,000 pages of evidence have been compiled.

Explaining the case's grip on the public mind, writer Thibault de Montaigu said in Le Figaro newspaper it was like "a novel by Georges Simenon" – creator of the fictional detective Inspector Maigret.

In a long analysis of the case, he said that for all the circumstantial evidence against Cédric Jubillar, the central question was this: how a "red-eyed, fuzzy-brained guy who smoked ten joints a day could have carried out the perfect crime?

"Killing his wife without leaving the slightest trace; secretly transporting her body, burying her in an unfindable location, then coming back to tell the police – all while his two children slept quietly in their bedrooms.

"And this was a guy who greeted the cops in panda pyjamas and then played Game of Thrones on his phone the very morning of the disappearance.

"So: genius bluffer; lucky fool; or poor innocent?"

The court will decide.

A British couple released by the Taliban in Afghanistan last week say they were detained in 10 different prisons and at one point thought they would be executed.

Peter, 80, and wife Barbie Reynolds, 76, said it was never explained to them why they were being held, nor why they were released.

The couple, who have run a charity programme in Afghanistan for almost two decades, arrived back in the UK on Saturday after seven and a half months in detention.

"Good, old-fashioned diplomacy" ended their ordeal, Hamish Falconer, minister for the Middle East, told the BBC, and again thanked the government of Qatar, which helped mediate their release.

• British couple reunited with daughter after months held by Taliban
• Hugs on tarmac as family reunite after Afghan ordeal

Both suffered health problems while in prison, including severe anaemia. Taliban officials maintained they received adequate medical care during their detention and that their human rights were respected.

They were arrested on 1 February this year after taking a chartered flight from Kabul to Bamiyan province, along with friend Faye Hall and their translator who were later released.

A spokesperson for the Taliban foreign ministry, speaking after their release, said they had "served their time" but did not reveal the reasons for their detention.

"We have a lot to process," Peter Reynolds said in written remarks sent to the BBC. "We are leaving behind quality people, our home, and all our possessions."

The couple have a deep love of Afghanistan, and were married there in 1970.

Since 2009, the couple have been running training projects in Kabul and Bamiyan.

One of their education projects involved training women and children, and had apparently been approved by local authorities, despite a Taliban ban on women working and education for girls over 12-years-old.

One of the prisons Peter and Barbie were held in was Pul-e-Charkhi, a notorious maximum security prison outside Kabul that is home to some of the most dangerous criminals.

At one point they were held in basement cells with no windows for two months. For the final weeks of their detention they were moved above ground, where they say they had access to better food and were treated with kindness.

Peter and Barbie were taken to court around four times, each time there was no charge.

"When I was taken to court, I had my ankles and hands cuffed together with murderers and rapists," Peter said via email.

They also say they are "mystified" by their detention, with Mr Reynolds adding that they were both mostly treated with respect but felt "a huge powerlessness".

He adds: "We were told we were guests. However, when I was taken to court, I had my ankles and hands cuffed together with murderers and rapists."

For his wife Barbara, the toughest time of her captivity was "seeing my 80-year old husband struggling to get into the back of a police truck with his hands and ankles chained."

"The worst moment was being led away and being separated as a couple after 55 years of marriage to my best friend," Mr Reynolds recalls.

Back in the UK, after nearly eight months of "oily and salty" prison food, Barbie told the Sunday Times she would like to have some salad and marmite, while Peter was hankering for baked beans.

Peter and Barbie said they won't be returning to Afghanistan for now.

"We are confident in the many wonderful Afghans we know to bring about a positive future for their country without us," they said.

The UK no longer has an embassy in Afghanistan and warns against all travel to the country, saying it is "extremely dangerous."

According to the Foreign Office: "There is a heightened risk of British nationals being detained in Afghanistan. If you are a British national and you are detained in Afghanistan, you could face months or years of imprisonment."

Police say 13 inmates and one prison guard have been killed and another 14 people injured in clashes between rival gangs in a jail in Ecuador.

People living near the prison in the southwestern city of Machala reported hearing explosions and shots in the early hours of Monday local time.

Police chief William Calle said an unknown number of prisoners had escaped during the incident but 13 have so far been recaptured.

Deadly prison clashes and riots are not uncommon in Ecuador, with gangs often targeting members of rival groups.

Police blamed members of a criminal gang calling itself Los Lobos Box for Monday's violence. The gang has not commented on the incident.

Preliminary reports suggest security personnel rushed to one of the wings of the prison after having received an alarm call from those housed there.

When they arrived, the inmates took them hostage and killed one of the guards.

According to the reports, members of Los Lobos Box then stormed into a wing where their rivals were locked up and attacked them.

Some inmates managed to escape through a hole in the perimeter wall caused by an explosive device they had set off.

It is not clear yet how the explosives were smuggled into the jail.

Among the 14 injured are two police officers, Cdr Calle said.

He added that the security forces had regained control of the prison after deploying 200 police and soldiers.

According to Ecuadorean TV station Ecuavisa, residents of Machala have long demanded that the prison, which is located in the centre of the city, be relocated.

Ecuador has been struggling to contain a wave of gang violence that has seen it transformed from one of the safest nations in Latin America to one of the deadliest.

Prison gangs have played a key role in running criminal enterprises from behind bars and have struck alliances with Mexican drug cartels to control the flow of cocaine from neighbouring producer countries through Ecuador's ports to the US and beyond.

Earlier this month, the United States designated two Ecuadorean gangs - Los Lobos and Los Choneros - as Foreign Terrorist Organizations (FTOs).

The US State Department said at the time that the gangs' "ultimate goal is to control drug trafficking routes through Ecuador by terrorising and inflicting brutal violence on the Ecuadorian people".

The highest court in India has strongly criticised the country's aviation authorities for their handling of the aftermath of the Air India plane crash that killed 261 people in June.

Leaving only one survivor, the flight bound for Gatwick airport from Ahmedabad crashed shortly after taking off, killing 242 passengers on board and 19 others on the ground.

The court said it was "irresponsible" for the aviation authority to suggest through leaks to the media that pilot error had caused the disaster.

It called on Indian prime minister Narendra Modi for the government's response before it rules on a case filed by activists demanding an independent investigation.

The court said the way the aviation body released its preliminary report in to the Boeing Dreamliner's crash was "selective and piecemeal".

The report, published on 12 July, said that just seconds after take-off fuel supply to the engines was cut off.

The report also said that one of the pilots is heard asking the other "why did he cut off" in a cockpit voice recording, with another pilot responding that he did not do so.

The recording doesn't clarify who said what. At the time of take-off, the co-pilot was flying the aircraft while the captain was monitoring.

One of India's Supreme Court judges said in court that suggestions that the pilots deliberately shut off fuel supply were "very unfortunate and irresponsible".

The crash has left many questioning the safety of India's airspace.

The chief of India's aviation authority, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), has defended the safety record of the country, telling the BBC in July that "India's skies have always been safe".

That same month, the DGCA uncovered 51 safety violations at Air India in the preceding year, as part of its annual audit of the country's airlines.

The families of four passengers who died on the plane filed a lawsuit in the US against planemaker Boeing and aircraft parts maker Honeywell, accusing the companies of negligence.

The lawsuit accused the companies of doing "nothing" despite being aware of the risks of the aircraft's design.

US President Donald Trump hailed the conservative activist Charlie Kirk as a "great American hero" and "martyr" during a speech to tens of thousands of mourners at a memorial service in Arizona.

Trump was the headline speaker at the packed event on Sunday, which saw top officials from his administration, including Vice-President JD Vance, praise Kirk's political legacy after he was shot dead on 10 September.

"He was assassinated because he lived bravely, he lived boldly and he argued brilliantly," Trump told the crowd at the State Farm Stadium near Phoenix.

Kirk's wife, Erika, also delivered a tearful speech in which she said she had forgiven her husband's alleged killer.

"My husband, Charlie, he wanted to save young men, just like the one who took his life," she said, adding: "I forgive him because it is what Christ did. The answer to hate is not hate."

Tens of thousands of people queued for hours outside the stadium before the event, with some even camping out the night before to secure their spot. Many wore Make America Great Again (MAGA) hats, other Trump-branded items and red, white and blue outfits.

Inside the stadium, the mood and atmosphere resembled a raucous political rally with music beforehand from Christian bands who prompted standing singalongs from the crowd of almost 100,000.

The list of speakers included members of Kirk's organisation, Turning Point USA, which focuses on conservative activism on college campuses, well-known figures in the conservative movement, Trump administration officials and those who said they had been shaped by Kirk's work and right-wing Christian worldview.

They stressed the need to continue the 31-year-old's activism and emphasised his deep faith throughout the five-hour service. Kirk, who was debating students at a university in Utah when he was shot dead from a nearby rooftop, was repeatedly described as a martyr.

Other speakers said they believed his death would further revitalise the conservative moment in America, which is already in a powerful position given Trump's hold of the White House and the Republican control of Congress.

"The day that Charlie died, angels wept, but those tears have been turned into fire in our hearts," said Stephen Miller, the White House deputy chief of staff. "Our enemies cannot comprehend our strength."

• WATCH: Prayer, tears and a Trump-Musk handshake at memorial
• PROFILE: Conservative influencer who became the voice of Maga youth
• ANALYSIS: America is at a dangerous crossroads

Within the stands of State Farm Stadium, Kirk was revered as an activist for free speech and a mobiliser of the youth vote for Trump. "Charlie didn't just help, he made the winning difference, I promise you that," White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles said.

"We wouldn't be here without him," Vice-President JD Vance told the crowd, who at times erupted into an extended chant of "U-S-A, U-S-A".

"We've got it from here," he added, while discussing Kirk's political legacy.

Vance was one of several key figures from the Trump administration who spoke on stage, with others including Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Secretary of War Pete Hegseth and Heath Secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr.

'I forgive him'

They were followed by Kirk's wife, Erika, who was tearful at times as she described her relationship and vowed to continue her husband's work. She was named the new CEO of Turning Point USA after his death.

"I saw the wound that ended his life," she said. "I felt everything he would expect to feel. I felt shock. I felt horror, and a level of heartache that I didn't even know existed.

"These past 10 days after Charlie's assassination, we didn't see violence. We didn't see rioting. We didn't see revolution. Instead, we saw what my husband always prayed he would see in this country, we saw revival," Kirk told the crowd.

She then said she had forgiven her husband's alleged killer, 22-year-old Tyler Robinson. "That man, that young man, I forgive him. I forgive him because it was what Christ did and it is what Charlie would do," Kirk said.

There was a raucous reception when President Trump took the stage after Erika Kirk. He repeatedly praised Charlie Kirk, while at times turning to his usual political talking points including crime in American cities and mocking his predecessor Joe Biden.

"He's a martyr now for America's freedom," Trump said of Kirk. "I know I speak for everyone here today when I say that none of us will ever forget Charlie. And neither now will history."

The president then said he disagreed with Kirk on one thing. "He did not hate his opponents, he wanted the best for them," he said, prompting some laughs. "That's where I disagree with Charlie. I hate my opponents and I don't want what's best for them."

Trump also attacked what he called the "radical left" and blamed the left for violence in the country.

At the end of his address, in which he described Kirk as a "great of his generation", Trump was joined on stage by Erika Kirk and the pair hugged as the crowd applauded.

The deeply partisan event was reflective of how Kirk's death has laid bare the extreme political divisions in America, with many on the right casting blame on the left for stoking political violence.

The Trump administration is seeking a crackdown on what it calls the "radical left", which in turn has prompted accusations of government overreach and claims Kirk's death is being used as a pretext to intrude on civil liberties.

Robinson, who has been charged with Kirk's murder, is facing the death penalty but a motive for the killing is yet to be revealed by officials.

Kirk was 18 when he co-founded Turning Point USA, a student organisation focused on spreading conservative ideas on college campuses.

He would hold debates on campuses and became known for his combative style, inviting students to step up to the microphone and challenge his right-wing Christian worldview in front of a baying audience.

Clips of these exchanges built him a huge following - more than 5m followers on X and 7m on TikTok - that helped him mobilise the youth vote for President Trump.

While he energised young conservatives, his remarks on issues such as race and crime also routinely prompted an angry liberal backlash. He was a strong supporter of gun rights, vehemently opposed abortion, was critical of transgender rights and promoted false claims about Covid-19.

The Duchess of York has been removed as patron of a children's charity, in the wake of an email in which she called sex offender Jeffrey Epstein her "supreme friend".

Julia's House, a children's hospice charity serving families in Dorset and Wiltshire, has removed Sarah Ferguson from her role as patron.

"Following the information shared this weekend on the Duchess of York's correspondence with Jeffrey Epstein, Julia's House has taken the decision that it would be inappropriate for her to continue as a patron of the charity," said a Julia's House spokesperson.

"We have advised the Duchess of York of this decision and thank her for her past support," said the statement.

The decision to end the link with the duchess follows the publication of an email from her to Epstein in 2011, which appears to have been sent after she had publicly broken off contact with him.

The email appeared to privately apologise for her public rejection of Epstein, saying: "You have always been a steadfast, generous and supreme friend to me and my family."

A spokesperson for the duchess - the former wife of the Prince Andrew, the Duke of York - said the email was to counter a threat Epstein had made to sue her for defamation.

Sign up here to get the latest royal stories and analysis every week with our Royal Watch newsletter. Those outside the UK can sign up here.

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.

Trump officials are expected to link the use of pain reliever Tylenol in pregnant women to autism, according to US media reports.

At an Oval Office event on Monday, the US president will reportedly advise pregnant women in the US to only take Tylenol, known as paracetamol elsewhere, to relieve high fevers.

At the Charlie Kirk memorial service on Sunday, Trump said he had an "amazing" announcement coming on autism, saying it was "out of control" but they might now have a reason why.

Some studies have shown a link between pregnant women taking Tylenol and autism, but these findings are inconsistent and do not prove the drug causes autism.

Tylenol is a popular brand of pain relief medication sold in the United States, Canada and some other countries. Its active ingredient is acetaminophen, which is called paracetamol outside North America.

Tylenol maker Kenvue has defended the use of the drug in pregnant women.

In a statement to the BBC, it said: "We believe independent, sound science clearly shows that taking acetaminophen does not cause autism. We strongly disagree with any suggestion otherwise and are deeply concerned with the health risk this poses for expecting mothers."

Acetaminophen is the safest pain reliever option for pregnant women, it added, and without it, women face a dangerous choice between suffering through conditions like fever or use riskier alternatives.

The BBC has contacted the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) for comment.

In April, the leader of HHS, Robert F Kennedy Jr, pledged "a massive testing and research effort" to determine the cause of autism in five months.

But experts have cautioned that finding the causes of autism - a complex syndrome that has been researched for decades - would not be simple.

The widely held view of researchers is that there is no single cause of autism, which is thought to be the result of a complex mix of genetic and environmental factors.

• Tylenol-maker shares hit after report of autism link

The American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology said doctors across the country have consistently identified Tylenol as one of the only safe pain relievers for pregnant women.

"[S]tudies that have been conducted in the past, show no clear evidence that proves a direct relationship between the prudent use of acetaminophen during any trimester and fetal developmental issues," the group has said.

The drug is recommended by other major medical groups as well as other governments around the world.

In August, a review of research led by the dean of Harvard University's Chan School of Public Health found that children may be more likely to develop autism and other neurodevelopmental disorders when exposed to Tylenol during pregnancy.

The researchers argued some steps should be taken to limit use of the drug, but said the pain reliever was still important for treating maternal fever and pain, which can also have negative effects for children.

But another study, published in 2024, found no relationship between exposure to Tylenol and autism.

"There is no robust evidence or convincing studies to suggest there is any causal relationship," said Monique Botha, a professor in social and developmental psychology at Durham University.

Dr Botha added that pain relief for pregnant women was "woefully lacking", with Tylenol being one of the only safe options for the population.

Autism diagnoses have increased sharply since 2000, and by 2020 the rate among 8-year-olds reached 2.77%, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Scientists attribute at least part of the rise to increased awareness of autism and an expanding definition of the disorder. Researchers have also been investigating environmental factors.

In the past, Kennedy has offered debunked theories about the rising rates of autism, blaming vaccines despite a lack of evidence.

Egypt's president has pardoned prominent British-Egyptian activist Alaa Abdel Fattah, who has been imprisoned for six years, state media and his lawyer say.

Abdel Fattah is one of six people whose sentences President Abdul Fattah al-Sisi commuted following a request from the National Council for Human Rights, according to Al-Qahera News. His lawyer confirmed the news and wrote on X: "Praise be to God."

The 43-year-old blogger and pro-democracy activist is one of Egypt's best known political prisoners.

He was arrested in 2019, months after finishing a previous five-year sentence, and convicted in 2021 of "spreading false news" for sharing a Facebook post about torture in Egypt.

He should have been released in September 2024. However, Egyptian authorities refused to count the more than two years he spent in pre-trial detention towards his time served.

He and his mother, Laila Soueif, staged hunger strikes to protest against his imprisonment.

US President Donald Trump hailed the conservative activist Charlie Kirk as a "great American hero" and "martyr" during a speech to tens of thousands of mourners at a memorial service in Arizona.

Trump was the headline speaker at the packed event on Sunday, which saw top officials from his administration, including Vice-President JD Vance, praise Kirk's political legacy after he was shot dead on 10 September.

"He was assassinated because he lived bravely, he lived boldly and he argued brilliantly," Trump told the crowd at the State Farm Stadium near Phoenix.

Kirk's wife, Erika, also delivered a tearful speech in which she said she had forgiven her husband's alleged killer.

"My husband, Charlie, he wanted to save young men, just like the one who took his life," she said, adding: "I forgive him because it is what Christ did. The answer to hate is not hate."

Tens of thousands of people queued for hours outside the stadium before the event, with some even camping out the night before to secure their spot. Many wore Make America Great Again (MAGA) hats, other Trump-branded items and red, white and blue outfits.

Inside the stadium, the mood and atmosphere resembled a raucous political rally with music beforehand from Christian bands who prompted standing singalongs from the crowd of almost 100,000.

The list of speakers included members of Kirk's organisation, Turning Point USA, which focuses on conservative activism on college campuses, well-known figures in the conservative movement, Trump administration officials and those who said they had been shaped by Kirk's work and right-wing Christian worldview.

They stressed the need to continue the 31-year-old's activism and emphasised his deep faith throughout the five-hour service. Kirk, who was debating students at a university in Utah when he was shot dead from a nearby rooftop, was repeatedly described as a martyr.

Other speakers said they believed his death would further revitalise the conservative moment in America, which is already in a powerful position given Trump's hold of the White House and the Republican control of Congress.

"The day that Charlie died, angels wept, but those tears have been turned into fire in our hearts," said Stephen Miller, the White House deputy chief of staff. "Our enemies cannot comprehend our strength."

• WATCH: Prayer, tears and a Trump-Musk handshake at memorial
• PROFILE: Conservative influencer who became the voice of Maga youth
• ANALYSIS: America is at a dangerous crossroads

Within the stands of State Farm Stadium, Kirk was revered as an activist for free speech and a mobiliser of the youth vote for Trump. "Charlie didn't just help, he made the winning difference, I promise you that," White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles said.

"We wouldn't be here without him," Vice-President JD Vance told the crowd, who at times erupted into an extended chant of "U-S-A, U-S-A".

"We've got it from here," he added, while discussing Kirk's political legacy.

Vance was one of several key figures from the Trump administration who spoke on stage, with others including Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Secretary of War Pete Hegseth and Heath Secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr.

'I forgive him'

They were followed by Kirk's wife, Erika, who was tearful at times as she described her relationship and vowed to continue her husband's work. She was named the new CEO of Turning Point USA after his death.

"I saw the wound that ended his life," she said. "I felt everything he would expect to feel. I felt shock. I felt horror, and a level of heartache that I didn't even know existed.

"These past 10 days after Charlie's assassination, we didn't see violence. We didn't see rioting. We didn't see revolution. Instead, we saw what my husband always prayed he would see in this country, we saw revival," Kirk told the crowd.

She then said she had forgiven her husband's alleged killer, 22-year-old Tyler Robinson. "That man, that young man, I forgive him. I forgive him because it was what Christ did and it is what Charlie would do," Kirk said.

There was a raucous reception when President Trump took the stage after Erika Kirk. He repeatedly praised Charlie Kirk, while at times turning to his usual political talking points including crime in American cities and mocking his predecessor Joe Biden.

"He's a martyr now for America's freedom," Trump said of Kirk. "I know I speak for everyone here today when I say that none of us will ever forget Charlie. And neither now will history."

The president then said he disagreed with Kirk on one thing. "He did not hate his opponents, he wanted the best for them," he said, prompting some laughs. "That's where I disagree with Charlie. I hate my opponents and I don't want what's best for them."

Trump also attacked what he called the "radical left" and blamed the left for violence in the country.

At the end of his address, in which he described Kirk as a "great of his generation", Trump was joined on stage by Erika Kirk and the pair hugged as the crowd applauded.

The deeply partisan event was reflective of how Kirk's death has laid bare the extreme political divisions in America, with many on the right casting blame on the left for stoking political violence.

The Trump administration is seeking a crackdown on what it calls the "radical left", which in turn has prompted accusations of government overreach and claims Kirk's death is being used as a pretext to intrude on civil liberties.

Robinson, who has been charged with Kirk's murder, is facing the death penalty but a motive for the killing is yet to be revealed by officials.

Kirk was 18 when he co-founded Turning Point USA, a student organisation focused on spreading conservative ideas on college campuses.

He would hold debates on campuses and became known for his combative style, inviting students to step up to the microphone and challenge his right-wing Christian worldview in front of a baying audience.

Clips of these exchanges built him a huge following - more than 5m followers on X and 7m on TikTok - that helped him mobilise the youth vote for President Trump.

While he energised young conservatives, his remarks on issues such as race and crime also routinely prompted an angry liberal backlash. He was a strong supporter of gun rights, vehemently opposed abortion, was critical of transgender rights and promoted false claims about Covid-19.

Trump officials are expected to link the use of pain reliever Tylenol in pregnant women to autism, according to US media reports.

At an Oval Office event on Monday, the US president will reportedly advise pregnant women in the US to only take Tylenol, known as paracetamol elsewhere, to relieve high fevers.

At the Charlie Kirk memorial service on Sunday, Trump said he had an "amazing" announcement coming on autism, saying it was "out of control" but they might now have a reason why.

Some studies have shown a link between pregnant women taking Tylenol and autism, but these findings are inconsistent and do not prove the drug causes autism.

Tylenol is a popular brand of pain relief medication sold in the United States, Canada and some other countries. Its active ingredient is acetaminophen, which is called paracetamol outside North America.

Tylenol maker Kenvue has defended the use of the drug in pregnant women.

In a statement to the BBC, it said: "We believe independent, sound science clearly shows that taking acetaminophen does not cause autism. We strongly disagree with any suggestion otherwise and are deeply concerned with the health risk this poses for expecting mothers."

Acetaminophen is the safest pain reliever option for pregnant women, it added, and without it, women face a dangerous choice between suffering through conditions like fever or use riskier alternatives.

The BBC has contacted the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) for comment.

In April, the leader of HHS, Robert F Kennedy Jr, pledged "a massive testing and research effort" to determine the cause of autism in five months.

But experts have cautioned that finding the causes of autism - a complex syndrome that has been researched for decades - would not be simple.

The widely held view of researchers is that there is no single cause of autism, which is thought to be the result of a complex mix of genetic and environmental factors.

• Tylenol-maker shares hit after report of autism link

The American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology said doctors across the country have consistently identified Tylenol as one of the only safe pain relievers for pregnant women.

"[S]tudies that have been conducted in the past, show no clear evidence that proves a direct relationship between the prudent use of acetaminophen during any trimester and fetal developmental issues," the group has said.

The drug is recommended by other major medical groups as well as other governments around the world.

In August, a review of research led by the dean of Harvard University's Chan School of Public Health found that children may be more likely to develop autism and other neurodevelopmental disorders when exposed to Tylenol during pregnancy.

The researchers argued some steps should be taken to limit use of the drug, but said the pain reliever was still important for treating maternal fever and pain, which can also have negative effects for children.

But another study, published in 2024, found no relationship between exposure to Tylenol and autism.

"There is no robust evidence or convincing studies to suggest there is any causal relationship," said Monique Botha, a professor in social and developmental psychology at Durham University.

Dr Botha added that pain relief for pregnant women was "woefully lacking", with Tylenol being one of the only safe options for the population.

Autism diagnoses have increased sharply since 2000, and by 2020 the rate among 8-year-olds reached 2.77%, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Scientists attribute at least part of the rise to increased awareness of autism and an expanding definition of the disorder. Researchers have also been investigating environmental factors.

In the past, Kennedy has offered debunked theories about the rising rates of autism, blaming vaccines despite a lack of evidence.

Tens of thousands of Brazilians joined protests in cities across the country on Sunday to protest against a bill which could result in ex-President Jair Bolsonaro being granted amnesty.

Bolsonaro was found guilty of plotting a coup earlier this month and has been sentenced to 27 years in prison. He will remain under house arrest until his lawyers have exhausted all appeals.

But the ex-leader's allies in the Chamber of Deputies have fast-tracked a bill which could see Bolsonaro and his co-defendants spared jail.

The demonstrators also expressed their anger at the lower house's passing of a constitutional amendment which would make it harder to launch criminal proceedings against lawmakers.

Under the proposal, members of Congress would have to give their approval - in a secret ballot - before a lawmaker could be charged or arrested.

Critics have dubbed it the "Banditry Bill" but members of Congress who supported it said it was necessary to shield them from what they said was "judicial overreach".

The proposed constitutional amendment will now go to the Senate.

Sunday's protests had the backing of trade unions, social groups and left-wing political parties and drew tens of thousands of attendees in several major cities.

Many chanted "no amnesty" and held up placards calling Congress "shameless".

At the event in Rio de Janeiro, veteran singers Chico Buarque, Gilberto Gil and Caetano Veloso entertained the crowds.

The demonstrations also drew the support of President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, who wrote on X: "I stand with the Brazilian people. Today's demonstrations show that the population does not want impunity or amnesty."

President Lula has also said that he would veto the amnesty bill were it to be passed by the Senate.

The anti-amnesty protests came two weeks after supporters of ex-President Bolsonaro took to the streets to denounce the legal proceedings against him.

The rival marches are a sign of how divided Brazilians remain over the Bolsonaro trial.

A majority of Supreme Court justices found that Bolsonaro and his seven co-defendants had conspired to try to cling to power after he lost the election to Lula in 2022.

The court said that while their efforts to launch a coup had failed because of lack of support from top military leaders, it had culminated in the storming of Congress, the Supreme Court and the presidential palace on 8 January 2023 by thousands of Bolsonaro supporters.

Order was quickly restored and more than 1,500 people were arrested, with some received lengthy sentences.

Bolsonaro's Liberal Party has been advocating for an amnesty for them and for the ex-president ever since.

But those who gathered on Sunday at the protests shouted "prison for Bolsonaro" and many told local reporters that they were "fighting for Brazil's democracy".

A survey published by pollster Datafolha on 16 September suggested that 50% of respondents thought Bolsonaro should go to prison, while 43% of the 2,005 people polled said he should not be jailed.

President Emmanuel Macron will formally recognise a Palestinian state in New York on Monday, backed by several other European countries, describing France's move as a "necessity".

Coming hard on the heels of a decision by the UK, Canada and Australia, Macron said his move would be the "beginning of a political process and a peace and security plan for everybody".

France, like the UK, carries considerable diplomatic weight as both a permanent member of the UN Security Council and the G7, and is co-ordinating the push with Saudi Arabia on the sidelines of this week's UN General Assembly.

Paris will not be joined by two of the other big European states in the G7, Germany and Italy, and not by the US either.

Israel has denounced the move as a reward for Hamas, and its UN ambassador has called Monday's event a circus.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has insisted there will be no Palestinian state to the west of the River Jordan, and President Isaac Herzog said recognising one would only "embolden the forces of darkness".

French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot was adamant that his country's move was a "categorical rejection" of Hamas but said it was "symbolic, immediate, and political, demonstrating France's commitment to the two-state solution".

He spoke of Macron's declaration as a "great diplomatic victory for our country". Paris has said Belgium, Luxembourg and Malta are also set to announce formal recognition, along with the tiny states of Andorra and San Marino. Portugal made its own declaration late on Sunday.

A number of other European countries have already recognised a Palestinian state, including Spain and Norway last year, but Macron's move is seen as a gamble by some domestic commentators which might make little difference on the ground.

Ahead of Macron's announcement, the Palestinian and Israeli flags were displayed on the Eiffel Tower on Sunday night. A number of town halls in France also flew Palestinian flags on Monday, despite a government order to local prefects to maintain neutrality.

Pro-Palestinian protests also took place in Italy, in some 80 towns and cities in Italy, where Giorgia Meloni's government said recently it could be "counter-productive" to recognise a state that did not exist.

Public transport and ports were disrupted in a day of action organised by some trade unions. A key metro line in Milan was shut down, while university students in Turin and Bologna blocked access top lecture halls.

In Germany, the government says Palestinian statehood is not currently up for debate, and Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul explained as he left for New York on Monday that "for Germany, recognition of a Palestinian state comes more at the end of the process. But this process must begin now".

Although Germany is one of Israel's closest allies in Europe, its chancellor, Friedrich Merz, has become increasingly critical of Israel's military response in Gaza.

European Union officials have also toughened their language against Israel in recent weeks. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen called for an end last week to "the horrific events taking place in Gaza on a daily basis".

In a CBS News interview late on Sunday, President Macron spoke of a phased plan that would be geared towards isolating Hamas.

The first stage would involve a ceasefire, a release of all hostages and then the stabilisation of Gaza, he explained. The second would involve governance and reconstruction of Gaza, and the "third package, the perspective of two states".

Opening a French embassy would be conditional on the release of hostages still held by Hamas, he stressed.

But Macron's high-profile move in United Nations has met with criticism from some of his political opponents.

Jordan Bardella, of the far-right National Rally, said it was a "mistake, while Hamas still holds Israeli hostages", and he pointed out that it amounted to "rewarding the atrocities committed on 7 October [2023], during the deadliest attack ever known by the state of Israel".

Thousands have been evacuated in the Philippines as the nation braces for a super typhoon that has been described by regional authorities as potentially "catastrophic".

Super typhoon Ragasa, packing 230km/h (143mph) wind gusts, is forecast to make landfall over sparsely populated northern islands on Monday, before barrelling west towards southern China.

Ragasa brings a "high risk of life-threatening storm surge" with peak heights exceeding 3m (10ft), the Philippine weather bureau said.

Schools and government offices in large parts of the country, including the capital Manila, have been shut and authorities have warned of widespread flooding and landslides and damage to homes and infrastructure.

The remote Batanes or Babuyan islands, where Ragasa is forecast to make landfall, are home to about 20,000 people, many of whom live in poverty.

The islands lie about 740km (460 miles) of Taiwan, where nearly 300 people have been evacuated from Hualien, a county in the east.

Ragasa is not expected to hit Taiwan directly but is set to drench the island's east coast with heavy rains.

Forest areas and nature trails across southern and eastern Taiwan have been closed since early Monday, while some ferry services have also been suspended.

A super typhoon in the equivalent to a Category 5 hurricane.

Authorities in China's Guangdong province have advised residents to prepare for "catastrophic" and "large-scale disaster". Heavy rains and strong winds will be felt as early as Tuesday, two days before the storm is forecast to make landfall.

In Hong Kong, authorities say the weather will "deteriorate rapidly" on Tuesday, while the education bureau said it is deliberating over school arrangements.

Ragasa, known locally in the Philippines as Nando, comes as the South East Asian nation reels from weeks of widespread flooding caused by an unusually fierce monsoon.

Tens of thousands protested across the country on Sunday against corruption in government that has been blamed for a severe lack in flood control infrastructure.

Flight disruption across Europe is set to continue, with Brussels airport in Belgium asking airlines to cancel nearly half of their flights on Monday.

Several of Europe's busiest airports have spent the past few days trying to restore normal operations, after a cyber-attack on Friday disrupted their automatic check-in and boarding software.

Disruption had eased significantly in Berlin and London Heathrow by Sunday, but delays and flight cancellations remained.

In a statement on Monday morning, software provider Collins Aerospace said it was in the final stages of completing necessary software updates.

Brussels Airport said the "service provider is actively working on the issue" but it was still "unclear" when the issue would be resolved.

They have asked airlines to cancel nearly 140 of their 276 scheduled outbound flights for Monday, according to the AP news agency.

Heathrow said on Sunday that efforts to resolve the issue were ongoing, and apologised to customers who had faced delayed travel.

It stressed "the vast majority of flights have continued to operate" and urged passengers to check their flight status before travelling to the airport.

The BBC understands about half of the airlines flying from Heathrow were back online in some form by Sunday - including British Airways, which has been using a back-up system since Saturday.

A Berlin Airport spokesperson told the BBC some airlines were still boarding passengers manually and it had no indication on how long the electronic outage would last.

A spokesperson for the UK's National Cyber Security Centre said on Saturday it was working with Collins Aerospace, affected UK airports, the Department for Transport and law enforcement to fully understand the impact of the incident.

UK Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander also said she was aware of the incident and was "getting regular updates and monitoring the situation".

The European Commission, which plays a role in managing airspace across Europe, said it was "closely monitoring the cyber-attack", but that there was no indication it had been "widespread or severe".

Cyberattacks in the aviation sector have increased by 600% over the past year, according to a recent report by French aerospace company Thales.