Hong Kong has shut schools and some businesses, while the airport will ground most flights from Tuesday evening as the city braces for a super typhoon - the strongest storm of the year so far.

Fresh food and bread were wiped off supermarket shelves as residents prepared to hunker down, while shop owners piled sandbags in front of their stores.

Super typhoon Ragasa, which killed at least one as it lashed through a remote island in the Philippines on Monday, is due to hit the Asian financial hub later on Tuesday.

Millions could be impacted by the storm, which is expected to move towards northern Vietnam and China's Guangdong, where authorities have said to prepare for a "catastrophic" situation.

Hong Kong International Airport says it expects "significant disruption to flight operations" from 18:00 local time Tuesday until the next day.

More than 500 Cathay Pacific flights are expected to be cancelled, while Hong Kong Airlines said it would stop all departures from the city.

Many cities in Guangdong province have shut schools and some workplaces, as well as suspended public transportation.

The Chinese city of Shenzhen, which neighbours Hong Kong, has seen 400,000 people evacuated.

In the Philippines, where the storm is referred to as super typhoon Nando, at least one person was killed by a landslide in the country's nothern Luzon island and hundreds of families were displaced as a result.

More than 10,000 people were evacuated in the Philippines before the storm made landfall on Monday afternoon. Schools and government offices were shut in large parts of the country, including in the capital Manila.

Super typhoon Ragasa - equivalent to a Category 5 hurricane - packed wind gusts of up to 285km/h (177mph) at its highest point on Monday.

Ragasa will "pose a serious threat" to Hong Kong, says Eric Chan, its Chief Secretary for Administration, comparing it to two other typhoons which left behind trails of severe destruction.

Super typhoon Mangkhut in 2018 - to date the most intense typhoon to strike the city - injured 200 people, sunk ships and wrecked infrastructure, with the weather agency estimating economic losses of HK$4.6bn ($592m).

In 2017, typhoon Hato unleashed serious flooding and smashed and injured more than 100 people in the city.

British-Egyptian activist Alaa Abdel Fattah has been freed and reunited with his family after almost six years of imprisonment in Egypt.

One of the country's most prominent political prisoners, he was pardoned by President Abdul Fattah al-Sisi on Monday, reportedly after a request from the National Council for Human Rights.

Video of the blogger and pro-democracy activist, 43, at home after his release shows him grinning widely and jumping up and down as he celebrates with his sister and mother.

Laila Soueif, who went on extensive hunger strike during her son's imprisonment, said on his release: "Despite our great joy, the biggest joy is when there are no [political] prisoners."

Abdel Fattah was released from Wadi al-Natrun prison late on Monday and celebrated reuniting with his family at his mother's apartment in Giza.

"I cannot yet comprehend that this is real," his sister Sanaa Seif said.

The activist was arrested in 2019 during a crackdown on dissent and sentenced to five years in prison after being convicted of "spreading false news" for sharing a post about a prisoner dying of torture.

Two weeks ago, Sisi ordered the authorities to study the NCHR's petitions for the release of Abdel Fattah and six others, which the institution said it had submitted "in light of the humanitarian and health conditions experienced by [their] families".

His family said he should have been released in September 2024 but the two years he spent in pre-trial detention were not counted as time served by Egyptian authorities.

When Abdel Fattah was not released at the end of his five-year sentence, his mother Laila Soueif started an extensive hunger strike to call for his release.

She was hospitalised at St Thomas' Hospital in London and came close to death twice during the 287-day strike, which ended on 14 July after then-Foreign Secretary David Lammy told Parliament he "expected [Abdel Fattah] to be released" on 25 June.

Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer had previously said he would secure Abdel Fattah's freedom and there has been widespread cross-parliamentary support for his release.

It is unclear if Abdel Fattah will be able to travel to the UK to be with his son, though his sister said on his release that his release would "feel more real" when "his son arrives here from travelling".

The activist first rose to prominence during the 2011 uprising in Egypt that forced long-time President Hosni Mubarak to resign.

He has spent most of his time in prison since 2014, the year after Sisi led the military's overthrow of Egypt's first democratically elected president, Muslim Brotherhood leader Mohammed Morsi.

Sisi has overseen what human rights groups say is an unprecedented crackdown on dissent that has led to the detention of tens of thousands of people.

Although Abdel Fattah acquired British citizenship in 2021, Egypt has never allowed him a consular visit by British diplomats.

In May, the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention - a panel of independent human rights experts – found that Abdel Fattah had been arbitrarily arrested for exercising his right to freedom of expression, had not been given a fair trial and had remained in detention for his political opinions.

According to the panel, the Egyptian government said he had been afforded "all fair trial rights" and that his sentence would be completed in January 2027.

A 61-year-old man has pleaded guilty to multiple sexual assaults on women in Sydney during the early 1990s after police made a breakthrough in a three-decade-old cold case.

Glenn Gary Cameron was arrested at Sydney International Airport last February after detectives reviewed the unsolved cases using modern DNA and fingerprint technologies.

Cameron has now admitted to more than a dozen charges, including 11 counts of aggravated sexual assault using a weapon as a threat, for attacks on eight women between 1991 and 1993.

Dubbed Sydney's "Night Stalker" and the "Moore Park Rapist" in news reports at the time, Cameron is due to be sentenced next month.

After his arrest at the airport last year, Cameron's identity was suppressed due to a reporting ban. It was lifted three months later.

Of the 36 offences he has been charged with, he pleaded guilty to 13 on Tuesday, when he appeared in Downing Centre Local Court in Sydney via a video link.

Nine charges were withdrawn and the remaining 14 charges will be taken into account when he is sentenced, according to the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC).

The latter include multiple charges of indecent assault, aggravated sexual assault and detaining a person for advantage.

One of the women attacked by Cameron decades ago dialled into court proceedings, the ABC reported.

A 1993 article in the Sydney Morning Herald (SMH) newspaper, which closely covered the spate of attacks, reported that the victims were mainly Asian women, aged 17 to 45.

The article alleged that the attacker - who knew simple phrases in Cantonese - targeted many of his victims near train stations and tricked them with the offer of fake jobs. He would then reportedly attack them at knifepoint, usually at night.

The first attack was in April 1991, the SMH reported, in the inner-west suburb of Strathfield, with other attacks in Moore Park in the eastern suburbs.

The drone incursion that stopped flights at Copenhagen airport on Monday night was "the most severe attack on Danish infrastructure so far", Denmark's Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said.

Kastrup airport in Copenhagen was forced to shut for several hours from around 20:30 (18:30 GMT) on Monday following the sighting of a number of drones.

"It says something about the times we live in and what we as a society must be prepared to deal with," Frederiksen told reporters.

Russian involvement could not be ruled out, Frederiksen added - although Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov called the allegations "unfounded".

The Danish PM made a link between last night's events in Denmark and the recent Russian drone incursions in Poland and Romania, as well as the violation of Estonian airspace by Russian fighter jets.

Frederiksen said that the motive for the incursion in Copenhagen had likely been to "disrupt, create unrest... to see how far you can go and test the limits."

Danish intelligence mirrored this assessment, saying the country was facing a "high threat of sabotage".

"Someone may not necessarily want to attack us, but rather stress us out and see how we react," said Flemming Drejer, director of operations at Denmark's intelligence service PET.

In nearby Norway, Oslo airport too was closed for a period after possible drone sightings.

Around 20,000 passengers were impacted by the closure of Copenhagen airport, which resumed operations after midnight local time.

Earlier on Tuesday Danish police stated they did not know who was behind the drones, but that evidence suggested it was a "capable actor."

A number of large drones which had come from different directions "quite a long way away" had been observed at Copenhagen airport, said police Inspector Jens Jespersen.

He added the drones, which turned their lights on and off as they approached the airport, had been operated by someone who had the "will and tools to show off... perhaps also to practice."

Police did not shoot down the drones because the airport is located in a densely built-up area and because there were planes in the air, Insp Jespersen told reporters.

In a post on social media Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky referenced "Russia's violation" of Nato airspace in Copenhagen on 22 September.

Insp Jespersen refused to comment on Zelensky's allegations.

"It's not because I don't want to, it's because I simply don't know," he said.

The Norwegian Police Security Service said it was working to clarify whether the unconfirmed drone sighting at Oslo airport could be related to the drones observed in Denmark.

Oslo airport was closed between 00:30 and 03:30 and fourteen flights had to be diverted.

Norway's government said Russia has violated Norwegian airspace three times in 2025 - in April, July and August - adding that it was unclear if this was deliberate or the result of navigation errors.

"Regardless of the cause, this is not acceptable," Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store said.

Tensions have been escalating recently after Russian drones and aircraft ventured into central and eastern European airspace, three and a half years after Moscow launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

Earlier in September at least three Russian drones were shot down by Polish and other Nato aircraft in Poland's airspace. Moscow denied it had been trying to target facilities on Polish soil.

A similar incident occurred in Romania only a few days later when a drone flew into Romanian airspace before disappearing from the radar.

And on Saturday three Russian MiG-31 fighter jets entered Estonian skies and remained there for 12 minutes, leading Nato jets to be scrambled. The incursions were part of a "wider pattern of increasingly irresponsible Russian behaviour," Nato said in a statement on Tuesday.

In recent days Poland stated it would shoot down any objects that violated its airspace, while Sweden promised to do the same if it spotted any Russian aircraft in its skies.

In response to Russia's incursions into Poland and Romania, Nato has pledged to move troops and fighter jets eastwards.

Planes from the UK, France, Germany and Denmark are taking part in air defence missions over Poland in a bid to bolster the alliance's eastern flank.

Malawi's former President Peter Mutharika has taken a comfortable lead in the country's presidential race, with two-thirds of districts having reported provisional results.

The 85-year old has received around 66% of the valid votes counted so far, with his closest rival, the incumbent Lazarus Chakwera, 70, trailing on around 24%.

Results declared so far indicate that Mutharika has won in areas known to be Chakwera strongholds, including the capital, Lilongwe, and Nkhotakota.

But Chakwera's camp has not given up, saying that once results are declared from other areas, his vote will increase and he could force a run-off.

A candidate needs more than 50% of the vote to be declared the winner, with Malawians eagerly awaiting the final result from last Tuesday's election.

The Malawi Electoral Commission has until the end of Wednesday to announce it.

At least two of the 12 districts still to declare results have a large number of registered voters, and Chakwera's camp believes he will do well there. These includes rural areas around Lilongwe and Dedza.

Two other districts, where Mutharika is expected to do well, have had their results withheld by the electoral commission as it checks whether they are accurate.

The commission said it was committed to transparency, accuracy and credibility.

It added that it was carefully checking every tally sheet, after the constitutional court annulled Mutharika's victory in 2019 because of irregularities.

Chakwera won the re-run by a wide margin, but during his presidency Malawi's economic crisis has deepened, with high inflation, food and fuel shortages and constant power cuts.

On Friday, Chakwera's party said it had discovered "irregularities" and "serious anomalies", and had asked the electoral commission to conduct a "physical audit" of results. The party did not specify the irregularities.

Police said eight data entry clerks had been arrested on accusations of trying to manipulate results.

You may also be interested in:

• What is at stake in Malawi's elections as cost-of-living bites?
• Malawi police arrest eight for alleged election fraud
• How brave judges rejected a 'second-rate election'
• 'I tell my children not to play so we save money on soap'

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

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.

Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger have announced they will immediately withdraw from the International Criminal Court (ICC), labelling it an "instrument of neo-colonialist repression".

The three military-led countries issued a joint statement, saying they would not recognise the authority of the United Nations' top court, based in The Hague.

"The ICC has proven itself incapable of handling and prosecuting proven war crimes, crimes against humanity, crimes of genocide, and crimes of aggression," the three leaders said.

The court has not yet responded to the decision by the three countries, all of which with close ties to Russia whose leader Vladimir Putin has been subject to an ICC arrest warrant.

The three states said they wanted to set up "indigenous mechanisms for the consolidation of peace and justice".

They accused the ICC of targeting less privileged countries, echoing criticism from Rwanda's President Paul Kagame who has previously accused the ICC of holding an anti-African bias.

The ICC was set up in 2002 to legally pursue cases of genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes and aggression.

Out of 33 cases launched since its inception, all but one involved an African country.

A country's withdrawal from the ICC officially takes effect one year after the UN is notified.

Military junta forces are in control of Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger, following coups in the Sahel countries between 2020 and 2023. They make up the only three members of the Confederation of Sahel States.

Their armies have faced accusations of crimes against civilians, as violence has escalated in the region against jihadist groups linked to al-Qaeda and the Islamic State.

In another coordinated move earlier this year, all three countries simulatenously withdrew from the regional bloc, the Economic Community of West African States (Ecowas).

They had rejected Ecowas' demands for them to restore democratic rule.

Russia has strengthened its ties with the three Sahel countries over recent years, which have all become increasingly isolated from the West, notably the former regional colonial power France.

In 2023, the ICC issued an arrest warrant for Russia's President Vladimir Putin over alleged war crimes in Ukraine.

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".

US comedian Jimmy Kimmel will return to his late-night talk show on Tuesday after he was suspended for making jokes relating to the death of conservative influencer Charlie Kirk.

Disney, which owns the US broadcast network that airs Jimmy Kimmel Live, said on Monday that it suspended the show because it "felt some of the comments were ill-timed and thus insensitive".

"We have spent the last days having thoughtful conversations with Jimmy, and after those conversations, we reached the decision to return the show on Tuesday," Disney said.

The comic's abrupt suspension came after threats by the federal tv regulator to revoke ABC's broadcast licence, sparking nationwide debates over free speech.

US President Donald Trump had welcomed Kimmel's suspension and suggested that some TV networks should have their licences "taken away" for negative coverage of the president.

Trump did not address Kimmel's reinstatement when a reporter asked about it during a White House event on Monday.

Critics and First Amendment advocates have railed against the decision as censorship and a violation of free speech.

Kimmel has not yet publicly addressed the suspension or the fallout.

The row started after Kimmel said in his monologue on 15 September that the "Maga gang" were "desperately trying to characterise this kid who murdered Charlie Kirk as anything other than one of them" and trying to "score political points from it".

He also made fun of Trump's reaction to the influencer's murder, showing a clip of the president responding to a quesiton about how he was mourning the death by changing the subject to construction of a new White House ballroom.

Kimmel compared the response to "how a four-year-old mourns a goldfish".

Brendan Carr, the Trump-appointed chair of broadcast regulator the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), threatened to act against ABC and its parent company Disney over Kimmel's remarks.

The spat comes as Vice President JD Vance and other White House allies have been pushing a national campaign to punish anyone who has criticised Kirk in the wake of his death.

Hours after Mr Carr made his initial remarks about Kimmel's monologue, Nexstar Media, one of the biggest owners of TV stations in the US, said it would not air Kimmel's show "for the foreseeable future".

Sinclair, the largest ABC affiliate group in the US, followed suit and ABC announced that it would "indefinitely" suspend the programme.

Mr Carr thanked Nexstar "for doing the right thing" and said he hoped other broadcasters would follow its lead. Nexstar is currently seeking FCC approval for its planned $6.2bn (£4.5bn) merger with Tegna.

Nexstar and Sinclair did not immediately respond on Monday to the BBC's requests for comment.

ABC's decision was met with protests in California and lambasted by the writers and actors guilds, lawmakers and the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) alike, who argued that the suspension violates free speech rights and spurs a chilling effect.

Kimmel's late-night colleagues, including Jon Stewart, John Oliver and outgoing CBS host Stephen Colbert, rallied behind him and hundreds of celebrities and Hollywood creatives signed on to a letter backing Kimmel.

Ben Stiller, Jennifer Aniston, Meryl Streep and Robert DeNiro are among those who called Kimmel's suspension a "dark moment for freedom of speech in our nation".

Brazil's chief prosecutor has charged the son of former President Jair Bolsonaro with coercion, according to an official statement on Monday.

The attorney general's office has alleged Eduardo Bolsonaro, a congressman, repeatedly acted to subject the interests of the republic to personal and family agendas, subjecting Brazil to threats of sanctions from foreign governments.

The congressman called these charges "bogus" in a post on social media X, saying it was "absurd" to accuse him of obstruction of justice.

The latest move comes weeks after the ex-president, who governed Brazil from January 2019 to December 2022, was sentenced to 27 years in jail after he was found guilty of plotting a coup.

Eduardo Bolsonaro, who resides in the US, claimed he received news of the charges through the press, and the timing of the announcement highlighted his "ongoing political persecution".

In addition to a conviction, prosecutors will also seek "compensation for damages resulting from the criminal actions".

Businessman Paulo Figueiredo, grandson of former dictator João Batista Figueiredo, has also been named in the charges.

Eduardo Bolsonaro relocated to the US earlier this year, and told the BBC he was living in "exile" out of fear of arrest should he return to Brazil.

He has publicly lobbied for support for his father from the Trump administration, which likened the case against the former Brazilian president to a "witch hunt".

US President Donald Trump, who sees Bolsonaro as an ally, imposed a 50% tariff on Brazil in July, a move that current Brazilian president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva called "not only misguided but illogical".

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has vowed further action to pressure Brazil over the ex-president's conviction, and on Monday announced sanctions on the wife of Brazil's Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes, who presided over the former president's trial.

The justice said the sanctions against his wife were "illegal and regrettable".

Jair Bolsonaro was found guilty of plotting a coup earlier this month and has been sentenced to 27 years in prison.

Tens of thousands of Brazilians joined protests in cities across the country on Sunday to protest against a bill which could result in amnesty for the former president.

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".

President Lula wrote on X: "I stand with the Brazilian people. Today's demonstrations show that the population does not want impunity or amnesty."

He has also vowed to veto the amnesty bill were it to be passed by the Senate.

Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger have announced they will immediately withdraw from the International Criminal Court (ICC), labelling it an "instrument of neo-colonialist repression".

The three military-led countries issued a joint statement, saying they would not recognise the authority of the United Nations' top court, based in The Hague.

"The ICC has proven itself incapable of handling and prosecuting proven war crimes, crimes against humanity, crimes of genocide, and crimes of aggression," the three leaders said.

The court has not yet responded to the decision by the three countries, all of which with close ties to Russia whose leader Vladimir Putin has been subject to an ICC arrest warrant.

The three states said they wanted to set up "indigenous mechanisms for the consolidation of peace and justice".

They accused the ICC of targeting less privileged countries, echoing criticism from Rwanda's President Paul Kagame who has previously accused the ICC of holding an anti-African bias.

The ICC was set up in 2002 to legally pursue cases of genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes and aggression.

Out of 33 cases launched since its inception, all but one involved an African country.

A country's withdrawal from the ICC officially takes effect one year after the UN is notified.

Military junta forces are in control of Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger, following coups in the Sahel countries between 2020 and 2023. They make up the only three members of the Confederation of Sahel States.

Their armies have faced accusations of crimes against civilians, as violence has escalated in the region against jihadist groups linked to al-Qaeda and the Islamic State.

In another coordinated move earlier this year, all three countries simulatenously withdrew from the regional bloc, the Economic Community of West African States (Ecowas).

They had rejected Ecowas' demands for them to restore democratic rule.

Russia has strengthened its ties with the three Sahel countries over recent years, which have all become increasingly isolated from the West, notably the former regional colonial power France.

In 2023, the ICC issued an arrest warrant for Russia's President Vladimir Putin over alleged war crimes in Ukraine.

South Korea has arrested the leader of the controversial Unification Church over allegations the organisation bribed South Korea's former first lady in exchange for business and political favours.

Han Hak-ja's church is accused of giving Kim Keon Hee, the wife of ousted President Yoon Suk Yeol, two Chanel bags and a diamond necklace, together worth 80 million won ($57,900; £42,500).

Han, the 82-year-old widow of the church's founder Sun Myung Moon, has repeatedly denied the allegations, calling them "false".

The church said Tuesday it would "faithfully engage" with authoritiesand "do [its] best to use this as an occasion to restore trust in our church".

It also apologised for "causing concern to the people".

Prosecutors had sought an arrest warrant for Han on four charges including improper solicitation and graft, and occupational embezzlement.

In court on Monday, Han rejected the charges, insisting that she has neither interest in nor knowledge about politics. Her lawyers argued against the arrest, citing her age and worsening health.

Han is also accused of colluding with a former church official, surnamed Yun, to offer 100 million won in bribes to conservative lawmaker Kweon Seong-dong ahead of the 2022 presidential election, in exchange for favours for the church in the event that Yoon won the election - which he did.

Kweon, once seen as a close confidante of Yoon, was arrested last Wednesday. He denies accepting bribes.

The Unification Church had pinned the blame for both sets of allegations - involving Kim and Kweon - on the former church official, saying he acted alone in offering those gifts. The official has since been arrested.

Kim, the former first lady, was indicted last month for various charges, including bribery and stock manipulation, which she denies. Her trial started this week.

Her arrest marked the first time that both a former president and former first lady have been jailed in South Korea.

Yoon was detained in January and is facing a separate trial over a failed martial law bid last year that plunged the country into chaos and led to his impeachment.

The Unification Church, known formally as The Family Federation for World Peace and Unification, was founded in South Korea in the 1950s by Moon Sun-myung, who proclaimed himself the messiah.

The church is best known for holding mass weddings involving thousands of couples, some of whom would have only recently been matched by the church.

Critics have described the group as "cult -like". Lawyers have accused it of coercing devotees, known colloquially as "Moonies" after its founder, to donate large sums of money.

The Unification Church had come under the spotlight in Japan after the assassination of the country's former leader Shinzo Abe. The alleged assassin blamed the group for bankrupting his family and held a grievance against Abe for allegedly promoting it.

The group is banned in parts of the world, including Singapore. In Japan, it has been ordered to dissolve.

A mother in New Zealand has been found guilty of killing her two children and hiding their bodies in suitcases, in a high-profile case that shocked the country.

Hakyung Lee, 44, was convicted of murder at the Auckland High Court on Tuesday, after a trial that lasted about two weeks. She had pleaded not guilty.

Lee's lawyers argued that she was insane at the time of the killing, which happened months after her husband died of cancer. But prosecutors argued that her actions were calculated.

The remains of her children were discovered in 2022 by a family who had purchased the contents of an abandoned storage unit at an auction in Auckland.

The bodies were believed to have been stored there for several years.

Lee was arrested in Ulsan, South Korea, in September 2022 and extradited to New Zealand later that year.

During the trial, the court heard that the children's bodies had no sign of trauma, though it was clear they had been killed by someone.

A pathologist found they had died by homicide by unspecified means, including the use of Nortriptyline, an antidepressant, the prosecution said.

The court heard that Lee picked up her prescription for the drug from a pharmacy in August 2017 – five months after her husband, Ian Jo, was diagnosed with cancer.

The defence claimed Lee's mental health deteriorated after her husband's death and came to believe it was best if they all died together.

This led her to try to kill herself and her children with the antidepressant, but she got the dose wrong - when she woke up, her children were dead. While she did kill her children, she was "not guilty of murder by reason of insanity," her lawyer said.

But the prosecution argued that Lee had demonstrated rational thought by hiding the children's remains, changing her name and moving back to South Korea, the prosecution said.

The killings were a "selfish act to free herself from the burden of parenting alone", the prosecution said.

On Tuesday, Lee had her head down and gave no reaction when the jury delivered the verdict, which came after around three hours of deliberation.

Lee is set to be sentenced in November. She faces a maximum sentence of life in prison, AFP reported.

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.

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.