Conservative activist Charlie Kirk has died after being shot at an event at Utah Valley University, President Donald Trump announced on social media.

"The Great, and even Legendary, Charlie Kirk, is dead," the president wrote on Truth Social. "No one understood or had the Heart of the Youth in the United States of America better than Charlie."

Kirk, a fervent supporter of Trump, was the founder of Turning Point USA, a group that seeks to spread conservative ideas to students on US campuses.

Officials say he had just begun speaking when a single gunshot rang out. Videos verified by BBC show him jolting backwards in his chair as students scatter in panic.

A spokeswoman for Utah Valley University, Ellen Treanor, said the gunfire came from the Losee Center, a building about 200 yards away.

Another spokesman, Scott Trotter, told the BBC: "A single shot rang out in the quad near the food court on the Utah Valley University Orem Campus as Mr Charlie Kirk began speaking at his planned rally."

"We can confirm that Mr Kirk was shot, but we don't know his condition," he said.

• Follow live: Charlie Kirk shot at Utah campus

BBC Verify has confirmed the authenticity of several videos of the shooting which have been posted online.

One video shows students crowded around a white tent emblasoned with the words, "THE AMERICAN COMEBACK" and "PROVE ME WRONG".

Charlie Kirk can be seen sitting alone under the tent with several others standing nearby.

In another video verified by the BBC, Mr Kirk is seen speaking at the rally for around four seconds, before a single gunshot is heard.

He then appears to jolt backwards in his chair, before the camera pans away and the crowd begins to run in panic.

According to CBS, the BBC's US partner, Mr Kirk was heard discussing gun violence in the US in the moments before he was shot.

"Do you know how many mass shooters there have been in America over the last ten years?" one audience member asks him.

"Counting or not counting gang violence," he responds, before the shot rings out.

As the news broke, politicians from across the political spectrum, as well as right-wing influencers, condemned the attack.

"FBI and ATF agents are on the way. PRAY FOR CHARLIE," wrote Attorney General Pam Bondi, the highest-ranking US law enforcement official.

Health Secretary Robert Kennedy wrote: "We love you Charlie Kirk. Praying for you."

California Governor Gavin Newsom, a Democrat and one of Trump's top political rivals, called the attack "disgusting, vile, and reprehensible.

"In the United States of America, we must reject political violence in EVERY form."

A former Utah congressman who witnessed the attack described to Fox News how "everyone hit the deck" and "scattered" after the gunshot was heard.

"The shot came straight at him," Jason Chaffetz said, adding he had talked to Kirk just before the event started.

At the White House, several of Trump's press office staff reacted with visible shock.

One aide exclaimed, "Oh my god, Charlie Kirk has been shot!" - drawing gasps from colleagues.

Israel has ordered the entire population of Gaza City to leave, as its forces prepare to capture the north of the Gaza Strip.

Israeli airstrikes have continued to destroy tower blocks, and the army says it now has operational control of 40% of the city, as ground forces prepare to fight what prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu has called the "last important stronghold" of Hamas.

Netanyahu this week said 100,000 people had left the city, but up to a million people are still living there – many in tents or shelters. Many of them say they will not – or cannot – leave.

After a strike hit a tower block near his home today, Ammar Sukkar called on Hamas negotiators to come and negotiate from a tent, not from air-conditioned rooms in Qatar – and insisted he would stay in the city.

"Whether you like it or not, Netanyahu, we're not leaving," he told a local freelancer working for the BBC. "Go and deal with Hamas, go and kill them. We're not to blame. And even if we're buried here, we're not leaving. This is my land."

Wael Shaban, also living near the tower that was targeted today, said they had been given 15 minutes to flee before the strike.

"When we came back, the tents, the flour, everything has gone. Nothing is left. It's all to pressure us to go south, but we don't have the money to go. We can't even afford flour to eat. Transport to the south costs 1,500 shekels."

Israel's army is telling Gaza City residents that there is plenty of shelter, food and water in so-called humanitarian zones further south.

But aid organisations say the areas they are being sent to are already vastly overcrowded, and lack food and medical resources. The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has said nowhere in Gaza can currently absorb such a large movement of people, describing the mass evacuation plan as "unfeasible" and "incomprehensible".

Israel's army is currently building a new aid distribution site near Rafah, 30km (18 miles) to the south. It says it's also providing thousands of extra tents, and laying a new water pipeline from Egypt.

The BBC travelled to the area, as part of a military embed, to see the new site. It's the first time the BBC has been allowed to enter Gaza at all since December 2023.

Military embeds are offered at Israel's discretion, are highly controlled and offer no access to Palestinians or areas not under Israeli military control – but they are currently the only way for BBC journalists to enter Gaza at all.

Israel does not allow news organisations, including the BBC, into Gaza to report independently.

Rafah is a reminder of what happened the last time Israel's prime minister sent his forces into a city to crush "the last stronghold" of Hamas.

Driving down the newly paved military road along Gaza's border with Egypt, we pass the shattered remains of the old Rafah border crossing, the roof of one building cracked and pancaked on the ground.

Further along the road, known as the Philadelphi Corridor, discrete piles of masonry and splintered metal mapped where each house or farm building once stood.

The city of Rafah itself, close to the new aid site, has been all but flattened into the desert. Still and silent, its life erased; only a few pock-marked structures stick up from the sea of rubble strewn for kilometres across the sand.

It was easy to spot the new earth mounds and concrete blast blocks rising out of the rubble-filled landscape beyond it, near Tel el-Sultan.

A short drive from the main Kerem Shalom crossing point, the corner of the al-Mawasi humanitarian zone, where many displaced people are sheltering, is just visible up the coast.

"The whole idea is a safe, quick route," said Israeli military spokesman, Lt Col Nadav Shoshani. "As short a distance as possible for the trucks and for the people coming in. We can guarantee 0% looting."

We were shown two separate areas, each around 100m (328ft) wide, where Israeli forces said unloading and distribution could be carried out in a continuous loop.

Inside one perimeter wall, two US trucks were already parked on the sand.

Israel says the new aid distribution sites will be handed over to the Israeli-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) in the coming days, and security here - as at other GHF sites – will be provided by private US security forces, with Israeli troops securing the area around.

But the UN says more than 1,100 people have been killed trying to access aid from GHF sites since they began operating in May.

Lt Col Shoshani said many lessons had been learned in how the sites were set up.

"You can see the sandbars, concrete walls, making it very clear where you're supposed to go, and making sure people don't approach troops and engage in a dangerous situation," he said. "What's [also] important is how close they are - just a very short walking distance to where the people are. That makes it easier, but also more safe."

But some of those now being told to leave Gaza City say it won't be any safer elsewhere, after repeated Israeli strikes on targets in shelters, tents and designated humanitarian zones.

"This is Hamas's MO (Mode of Operation)," said Lt Col Shoshani. "It's saying: no, don't go, you're our shields! Don't move south!"

"A year ago, we carried out a similar operation [in Rafah] that was successful," he said. "Civilians were able to get out of the line of fire, maximum Hamas terrorists dead, that is what we want to achieve in Gaza City."

Rafah's residents were evacuated before the ground operation there in May 2024 – "temporarily" the army said – to displacement zones set up along the coast. The area they left behind is still under full military control.

But evacuating Gaza City – and fighting Hamas in its tunnels and streets – will be a more difficult, and more dangerous, task.

Hamas fighters are increasingly turning to insurgency tactics and guerrilla attacks. Earlier this week, four Israeli soldiers were killed in an attack on the outskirts of Gaza City.

Israel's leaders, meanwhile, are under intense pressure at home from hostage families, who say plans to take the city are a death sentence for living relatives being held there.

Benjamin Netanyahu – unmoved by the criticism at home – has previously boasted of his determination in staring down international opposition, and pressing ahead with his offensive in Rafah.

Now, with prospects of a ceasefire deal dead, and up to a million exhausted Gazans in the line of fire, he's telling his critics that one more offensive stands between him and victory over Hamas.

Wednesday morning's incursion of Russian drones into Polish airspace led to jets being scrambled, an emergency government meeting being called - and concerns that Europe and Nato's resolve against Moscow may not be up to the test.

Poland's Prime Minister Donald Tusk said Polish airspace was violated 19 times and at least three drones were shot down by Warsaw's jets, aided by Dutch F-35s and an Italian early warning aircraft.

Russia has pushed back against accusations that the incursion was deliberate – though it also stopped short of denying its drones had trespassed sovereign Polish airspace.

"No objects on Polish territory were planned to be targeted," Moscow said.

But European officials have forcefully batted off suggestions the act may have been unintentional.

"There is no evidence whatsoever that this amount of drones flew over this route over... Polish territory by accident," Germany's Defence Minister Boris Pistorius said, while his Italian counterpart Guido Crosetto called the overnight events in Poland a "deliberate attack" with the double aim of "provoking and testing".

Although Poland has experienced several violations of its airspace since neighbouring Ukraine was attacked by Russia in February 2022, this latest incursion - sizeable, and deep into Polish territory - sparked real nervousness in Warsaw.

Tusk warned that Poland was at its closest to open conflict since World War Two. He also requested invoking Article 4 of the Nato treaty, which allows member countries to start a discussion with allies about threats to their security.

Some experts and analysts are divided over Russia's motivations.

To some, the drones – some of which flew in the direction of Rzeszow airport, a major logistical hub for defence supplies and humanitarian aid bound for Ukraine – may have had reconnaissance purposes, with poor guidance leading to accidental airspace trespass.

"There is an issue with proving intention," said Dr Marina Miron, a defence researcher at Kings College London.

She believes GPS spoofing may have been responsible for the drones crossing into Polish airspace and cautioned against drawing conclusions based on snippets of information. "It can lead [the incident] to appear as something it is not," Dr Miron added.

Many others believe, however, the relatively high number of drones flown into Polish airspace clearly demonstrates that the attack was deliberate.

"Previous incursions were single or very small numbers that were more easily explained by guidance system malfunctions," Justin Bronk of the defence think tank Rusi told the BBC.

Justin Crump, CEO of the risk and intelligence company Sibylline, agreed. He said the drones in question appear to be Russian-made cheap, long-range drone Gerberas which can be used as decoys to distract defences as part of Russia's increasing "grey zone actions against Nato".

The lack of warheads on the Gerberas drones employed on Wednesday make them appear less threatening and allow Russia to play down the action, Mr Crump added.

Poland will now need to review the incident and share the findings with its allies.

Whether deliberate or not, the unprecedented incident will provide valuable information to Moscow on the type of response it can expect from the West should it ever decide to launch an attack on Nato countries, as many European leaders have said they expect it to do in the near future.

"It is a test for Europe and for Nato regardless of Russia's intent", said Keir Giles, a senior fellow in the Russia and Eurasia program at Chatham House.

"Russia will learn from European resolve and specifically Poland's capacity to withstand attacks of this kind."

Expressions of condemnation rather than a robust response will be just as encouraging to Russia if it was an accident as if it were a deliberate provocation, Mr Giles added.

He said a sky shield to protect airspace over Ukraine would prove to Russia the West is serious about ensuring air threats are intercepted.

But such a plan - which would involve European countries deploying fighter jets and pilots - has led to fears of accidental confrontation with the Russians and has not come to pass despite first being floated since 2023.

The US's reaction to the incident in Poland will also be awaited – and closely followed.

Some US lawmakers in both the Democrat and Republican camps condemned the attack soon after it occurred.

However, as of Wednesday evening US President Donald Trump had only acknowledged the events in Poland through a post on social media. "What's with Russia violating Poland's airspace with drones? Here we go!", he wrote without elaborating further.

The cryptic post was in line with his ambiguous relationship with Russia and its President Vladimir Putin.

Over the course of the last month Trump both rolled out the red carpet for the Russian president and threatened sanctions against Moscow if it failed to reach peace with Kyiv.

These threats have not yet materialised, and even warnings of unspecified "consequences" for Russia's aggression in Ukraine appear to have fallen by the wayside.

As its leaders scramble to put together a show of unity and strength, Europe – which has been concerned about the American commitment to the security of the continent since the start of Trump's second term – will be watching the US's next move just as closely as Russia.

"A sign of weakness and failure to impose costs and consequences will confirm for Moscow that they can continue to escalate without fear of the outcome," Mr Giles said.

Additional reporting by Matt Murphy and Paul Brown

Weleda, the natural cosmetics company, has launched a study into its links to a Nazi concentration camp following claims an anti-freeze cream it produced was tested on prisoners.

A report by historian Anne Sudrow alleges that the Swiss company ordered raw materials from a garden in the Dachau camp. It also made a cream to protect against hypothermia which an SS doctor allegedly used in human experiments.

Weleda said a separate report in 2023 found no evidence Dr Sigmund Rascher tested the cream on prisoners kept in freezing conditions for hours.

The firm said it condemned the Nazi regime's "atrocities" and acknowledged the new findings "may not have been fully explored in previous research".

Dachau, near Munich, was the first concentration camp set up by the Nazis in 1933.

It is thought about 200,000 people have been imprisoned there and more than 40,000 died there before its liberation in 1945. Some of those deaths have been attributed to medical experiments.

In her book, commissioned by the Dachau Concentration Camp Memorial Site, Ms Sudrow outlines the relationship between Weleda and the SS - the Nazi Party's elite force founded by Adolf Hitler.

The claims include Weleda's cream was used on up to 300 concentration camp prisoners for experiments between August 1942 and May 1943, according to German magazine Der Spiegel.

It was intended to treat hypothermia in German soldiers and Dr Rascher wanted to know whether the product could delay the medical condition in freezing temperatures.

During his tests up to 90 prisoners had died when they were forced into pools of water and ice blocks.

The 104-year-old company, which is known for its Skin Food range of skincare products, said it was committed to" transparently researching our history".

It expects the results of its new investigation, conducted by German body Society for Corporate History (GuG), to be published in early 2027.

Charlie Kirk was one of the most high-profile conservative activists and media personalities in the US and a trusted ally of President Donald Trump.

Kirk, 31, who the president said died after a shooting at a Utah college on Wednesday, was known for holding open-air debates on campuses across the country.

In 2012, at the age of 18, he co-founded Turning Point USA (TPUSA), a student organisation that aims to spread conservative ideals at liberal-leaning US colleges.

His social media and eponymous daily podcast often shared clips of him debating with students about issues such as transgender identity, climate change, faith and family values.

The son of an architect who grew up in the well-to-do Chicago suburb of Prospect Heights, Kirk attended a community college near Chicago before dropping out to devote himself to political activism. He applied unsuccessfully for West Point, the elite US military academy.

Kirk often referred tongue-in-cheek to his lack of a college degree when engaging in debates with students and academics on esoteric topics such as post-modernism.

• Follow live updates

His role in TPUSA took off after President Barack Obama was re-elected in 2012.

Kirk toured the country speaking at Republican events, many popular with members of the ultra-conservative Tea Party movement. TPUSA now has chapters in more than 850 colleges.

An avid public speaker, Kirk addressed the Oxford Union earlier this year, and wrote a 2020 best-seller The Maga Doctrine.

TPUSA played a key role in the get-out-the-vote effort for Trump and other Republican candidates in last year's election. The millennial was widely credited with helping to register tens of thousands of new voters and flipping Arizona for Trump.

Kirk attended Trump's inauguration in January in Washington DC, and has been a regular visitor at the White House during both Trump terms in office.

The president and his aides valued Kirk's political antenna for the grassroots of the Make America Great Again movement.

He's spoken at Republican conventions and last year Donald Trump repaid the favour by giving a big speech at a Turning Point conference in Arizona.

Earlier this year, he travelled with Trump's son, Donald Trump Jr, to Greenland, as the then-incoming president was arguing that the US should own the Arctic territory.

Kirk's evangelical Christian religion and family - he married a former Miss Arizona, with whom he had two children - were front and centre in his politics, and he was seen as both the future of conservative activism and a highly polarising figure.

Perhaps the biggest tribute to his contribution to Republican politics came from Trump himself in a clip played at the beginning of Kirk's podcast.

The president says: "I want to thank Charlie, he's an incredible guy, his spirit, his love of this country, he's done an amazing job building one of the most powerful youth organisations ever created."

Kirk discussed numerous political and social at his events and on his podcasts, gun control is one of them.

Nato scrambled fighter jets early on Wednesday as Russia launched a massive attack on Ukraine with drones and missiles.

"Polish and allied aircraft are operating in our airspace, while ground-based air defence and radar reconnaissance systems have been brought to the highest state of readiness," the operational command of the Polish armed forces said in a post on

X.

Four airports in Poland, including the country's largest Chopin Airport in Warsaw, were closed due to "unplanned military activity related to ensuring state security," according to notices posted to the US Federal Aviation Administration's website.

The barrage appeared to target several Ukrainian regions including areas close to the Polish border.

In addition to Chopin Airport, the other three closed airports were the Rzeszów–Jasionka Airport, the Warsaw Modlin Airport, and the Lublin airport, the FAA notices showed.

Earlier, Ukraine's air force reported that Russian drones had entered Nato-member Poland's airspace, posing a threat to the city of Zamosc, but the air force has since removed that statement from the Telegram messaging app, Reuters reported.

As of 0100 BST, most of Ukraine, including western regions of Volyn and Lviv, which border Poland, were under air raid alerts for several hours, according to Ukraine's air force data.

Ukrainian media reported that several Russian drones crossed into Poland's air space. The BBC could not independently verify the reports, and there was no official confirmation from Poland that Russian drones were in Poland's airspace overnight.

Seven Chinese nationals who smuggled Malawians to South Africa and subjected them to forced labour have been handed 20-year prison terms each.

The four men and three women were found guilty of human trafficking and kidnapping earlier this year by a South African court.

Their sentence comes nearly six years after they were arrested when local authorities raided a factory in Johannesburg and found 91 Malawian nationals, 37 of them children, working in appalling conditions.

Human trafficking is a major concern in South Africa, with the country regarded as a "source, transit and destination", according to the government.

The group - Kevin Tsao, Chen Hui, Qin Li, Jiaqing Zhou, Ma Biao, Dai Junying, and Zhang Zhilian - were found guilty on 158 of the 160 counts for which they were charged.

These include helping illegal immigrants remain in South Africa and violating the country's labour laws by failing to register their operations and and keep a record of their earnings among others.

The factory raid came after authorities received a tip-off from a worker who had managed to escape.

It later emerged that employees were forced to work 11-hour shifts, seven days a week, without proper training or safety equipment.

They were also paid far below South Africa's minimum wage of $1.64 (£1.22) per hour and had their pay docked if they wanted time off.

According to South Africa's labour laws, employees cannot work more than nine hours a day and are generally entitled to a "weekly rest period of at least 36 consecutive hours" that includes Sunday, unless a different agreement is reached.

One man testified that workers were not allowed to leave the heavily guarded factory premises, even to buy food, which he described as dirty and unsuitable for human beings.

According to authorities, the victims had been smuggled into the country in shipping containers.

Mr Tsao worked as a manager at the factory, named Beautiful City, while his co-accused were supervisors, according to local news site News24. The factory made inner cottons for blankets using recycled material.

South Africa's prosecuting authority welcomed the sentence, saying it would help "bolstering our fight against human trafficking".

"Human trafficking has become a scourge in our country, we have become a destination as South Africa for human trafficking [due to] various reasons, including our porous borders," spokesperson Phindi Mjonondwane said.

The department of labour, which was part of the raid in 2019, also welcomed the sentence handed down as it urged for greater collaboration between government departments to "root out all these issues".

More South Africa from the BBC:

• Survivors of South Africa's horrific building fire now live in fear of guns
• South African women warned about viral Russian job videos
• Top cop shakes South Africa with explosive allegations about his boss
• Caught in the crossfire - the victims of Cape Town's gang warfare
• On the hunt for fugitive linked to illegal South African gold mine where 78 died

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

France is seeing a day of protests led by a grassroots movement named Bloquons Tout ("Let's Block Everything") in a show of anger against the political class and proposed budget cuts.

The demonstrations are taking place on the same day new Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu was sworn in following the toppling of his predecessor, François Bayrou, in a no-confidence vote earlier this week.

Demonstrators blocked streets, set bins on fire, and disrupted access to infrastructure and schools across the country.

Around 250 people had been arrested by mid-morning, outgoing Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau said.

A bus was torched in Rennes and electric cables near Toulouse were sabotaged, he added.

Several thousand people gathered in Paris, Marseille, Bordeaux and Montpellier.

However, the disruption has remained fairly small-scale. Most of the arrests were made in or around Paris, where about 1,000 protesters - many masked or wearing balaclavas - clashed with police outside Gare du Nord train station.

Some tried to enter the station but were thwarted by agents who fired tear gas, French media report.

Many protesters chanted political slogans against President Emmanuel Macron and Lecornu. Several carried placards against the war in Gaza.

The nebulous movement Let's Block Everything appears to have been born on social media some months ago and gained momentum over the summer, when it encouraged people to protest against Bayrou's €44bn (£38bn) budget cuts.

The movement has a distinct left-wing character. Its demands include more investment in public services, taxation for high income brackets, rent freezes and Macron's resignation.

In the lead-up to Wednesday's protests, Let's Block Everything urged people to take part in acts of civil disobedience against "austerity, contempt and humiliation".

A group of young protesters outside Gare du Nord told the BBC they were taking to the streets in "solidarity" with people in precarious situations across France.

"We are here because we are very tired of how Macron has been handling the situation" of France's spiralling debt, said Alex, 25, adding he had no faith in the new prime minister not to "repeat the cycle".

Lecornu is a Macron loyalist and the country's fifth prime minister in under two years.

His appointment has already been criticised by both the far right and left-wing parties.

He will first need to come up with a budget palatable to a majority of MPs in France's hung parliament - the same challenging endeavour which brought down his two predecessors.

France's deficit reached 5.8% of GDP in 2024 but the three distinct ideological groups in the deeply divided Assembly disagree on how to tackle the crisis.

The radical-left France Unbowed party has already said it will table a no confidence motion in Lecornu as soon as possible.

However, that motion would need support by other parties to pass. As it stands, the largest parliamentary party - the far-right National Rally - said it would "listen to what Lecornu had to say" albeit "without many illusions".

In a brief speech following the handover of power at the prime minister's residence, Lecornu thanked Bayrou for his work and promised French people: "We'll get there."

"The instability and the political crisis we are going through demand sobriety and humility," Lecornu said.

"We will have to be more creative, more serious, in the way we work with the opposition," he added, before announcing he would start holding talks with political parties and trade unions immediately.

Nearly 130 people have been "summarily executed" by Islamist insurgents in Niger in separate attacks since March, a report by Human Rights Watch (HRW) says.

The rights group says gunmen carried out a series of brutal attacks, including a mass murder at a mosque in the western Tillabéri region in June, where more than 70 worshippers were shot dead during prayers.

"There were bodies everywhere, one on top of the other," a local woman, who lost three of her sons in the attack was quoted by HRW as saying.

The spate of attacks is a major blow to the credibility of Niger's military junta, as it promised to cub the insurgency when it took power after deposing President Mohamed Bazoum in 2023.

About 1,600 civilians have been killed by Islamic State (IS) group fighters in Niger since the coup, HRW says, citing figures collected by the conflict monitoring group Acled.

• The region with more 'terror deaths' than rest of world combined
• Niger military leaders to nationalise uranium firm

The jihadist groups have also destroyed schools and religious sites, and have imposed severe restrictions on the freedoms of people based on their interpretation of Islam, HRW said.

"Islamist armed groups are targeting the civilian population in western Niger and committing horrific abuses," said Ilaria Allegrozzi, a senior researcher at HRW.

"Nigerien authorities need to do more to protect people living in the Tillabéri region," she added.

The army has not yet commented on the HRW report.

Five men and two boys were killed in May when fighters attacked Dani Fari area and burned at least a dozen homes, the report said.

"The bodies were scattered … riddled with bullets. There wasn't a single body out there that had fewer than three bullet holes. The bullets had hit people in the back, arms, head," a herder told HRW.

"We found the bodies of the two children lying on their backs," the herder added.

Witnesses said the army "did not adequately respond to warnings of attacks, ignoring villagers' requests for protection", HRW reported.

No group has claimed responsibility for the five attacks documented by the rights group, but eyewitnesses blamed IS fighters, who, HRW says, are identifiable by the red-banded turbans they wear.

The Tillabéri region borders Burkina Faso and Mali, and has been a focal point of the insurgency for the past decade.

Niger - along with its two neighbours, which are also ruled by the military - have formed an alliance to fight the jihadists and have scaled back ties with the West, turning to Russia and Turkey instead for their security needs.

But the violence has continued, putting them under pressure to come up with more effective strategies to tackle the violence.

You may also be interested in:

• WATCH: How has Niger changed since the coup?
• Three military-run states leave West African bloc - what will change?
• 'I thought I would die' - freed captive tells BBC of life in West African jihadist base
• PODCAST: The Sahel's coup contagion

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

Tunisian authorities have denied claims that one of the Gaza-bound vessels carrying aid and pro-Palestinian activists including Greta Thunberg was attacked by a drone.

The organisers of the flotilla, Global Sumud Flotilla (GSF), said that the Portuguese-flagged vessel had been struck by a drone while anchored outside the port of Sidi Bou Said in Tunisia. All six passengers and crew were safe, they added.

A spokesperson for Tunisia's national guard told the Agence France-Presse news agency that "no drone" had been detected and the investigation was ongoing.

The humanitarian aid flotilla set sail from Barcelona last week, and arrived in Tunisia on Sunday.

The GSF said their "Family boat" was struck in Tunisian waters, and fire had damaged the main deck.

In a series of videos published to their Instagram, spokespeople for the GSF said an "incendiary device" caused a fire onboard the vessel, which the crew was able to extinguish.

Tunisia's National Guard spokesman told Mosaique FM radio that reports of a drone attack on the flotilla "have no basis in truth", Reuters reported.

He added that an initial inspection indicated the explosion originated inside the vessel.

UN Human Rights Council special rapporteur and Tunisian resident Francesca Albanese, who was also featured in videos shared by the GSF, said that if an attack could be verified it would be an "assault and aggression against Tunisia, and Tunisian sovereignty".

In a post to 'X', she said she was at Sidi Bou Said port and "trying to figure out the facts with local authorities".

Albanese has been a prominent critic of Israel's military offensive in Gaza, and has been subject to sanctions imposed by the US in July - a decision welcomed by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu who called them a "firm measure against the mendacious smear campaign" against Israel.

Flotilla organisers have said that the aim of their mission is to "break Israel's illegal siege on Gaza", but have faced several setbacks.

In June, Israeli forces boarded a boat carrying humanitarian aid to Gaza and detained the 12 activists onboard, including Swedish activist Thunberg.

Israeli authorities escorted the activists to the port of Ashdod before deporting them from the country.

Israeli authorities have characterised the attempts to sail aid to Gaza as publicity stunts that offered no real humanitarian assistance.

There have also been prior allegations of drone attacks on aid ships bound for Gaza; the Freedom Flotilla alleged that its ship The Conscience was struck by a drone in May off the coast of Malta.

The BBC was sent a recording of the distress call from the flotilla ship, recorded by a crew member on a nearby oil tanker. The captain of the flotilla ship can be heard reporting drone strikes and a fire onboard.

The Maltese government said everyone aboard the ship was "confirmed safe" and that a fire onboard the ship was "brought under control overnight".

Last month a UN-backed body confirmed that there was famine in Gaza and the UN's humanitarian chief said it was the direct result of Israel's "systematic obstruction" of aid entering Gaza.

The report was labelled an "outright lie" by Israel, which has denied there is starvation in the territory.

In March, it introduced a nearly three-month total blockade on supplies entering the Strip, claiming the aid was being taken by Hamas.

It started allowing a limited amount of aid back into the territory after increasing international pressure.

Israel has since tried to impose its own distribution system through the controversial Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, which has been criticised by aid agencies.

In 2010, Israeli commandos killed 10 people when they boarded Turkish ship Mavi Marmara which was leading an aid flotilla towards Gaza.

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

At least 64,522 people have been killed in Israeli attacks in Gaza since then, according to the territory's Hamas-run health ministry.

Nepal's Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli has resigned in the wake of public outrage over the killing of 21 people in police clashes with anti-corruption protesters.

His office said he had stepped down to pave the way for a constitutional solution to the massive youth-led protests over widespread allegations of corruption and sparked by a social media ban, which has since been withdrawn.

The protests turned violent as thousands – many identifying themselves as Gen Z on placards and banners – took to the streets of Kathmandu on Monday.

Almost 200 people are believed to have been injured in clashes with police, who used tear gas, water cannons and live bullets as protesters scaled the walls of the parliament and other official buildings.

The protests continued on Tuesday, with demonstrators setting fire to the headquarters of the Nepali Congress Party and the home of former prime minister Sher Bahadur Deuba. The homes of several other politicians have also been vandalised.

Here's what we know about the protests.

What was the social media ban?

Social media is a big part of Nepali life. Indeed, the country has one of South Asia's highest user rates per capita.

The demonstrations were triggered by the government's decision last week to ban 26 social media platforms, including WhatsApp, Instagram and Facebook, for failing to meet a deadline to register.

Critics accused the government of seeking to stifle an anti-corruption campaign with the ban, which was repealed on Monday night.

While the ban was a catalyst for the current unrest, protesters are also channelling a more deep-rooted dissatisfaction with the country's authorities.

What is happening across Nepal?

The ensuing demonstrations turned violent in Kathmandu and some other cities in Nepal.

On Monday, Nepal's Minister for Communication Prithvi Subba told the BBC police had had to use force - which included water cannons, batons and firing rubber bullets.

Some protesters managed to breach the perimeter of the parliament building in Kathmandu, prompting police to impose a curfew around key government buildings and tighten security.

On Tuesday, the BBC received reports of vandalism and arson against the homes of several high-ranking politicians.

Videos posted on social media showed damage to the home of Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli in Balakot, Bhaktapur, who resigned on Tuesday.

Protesters were also reported to have targeted the residences of the Nepali Congress president and former prime minister Sher Bahadur Deuba in Budhanilkantha.

At least two people were reported to have been killed on Tuesday, bringing the total to 21 since the unrest began.

Many of the injured have been taken to local hospitals where crowds have gathered. BBC Nepali spoke to doctors who said they had treated gunshot wounds and injuries from rubber bullets.

Police have said several officers were also wounded, with casualty figures expected to increase.

Who is protesting?

Roused on social media and led by the nation's young people, this protest is unlike any seen before in Nepal.

The demonstrators identify as Gen Z, and the term has become a rallying symbol throughout the movement.

Although there has been no central point of leadership, a number of youth collectives have emerged as a mobilising force, issuing calls to action and sharing updates online.

Students from colleges and universities across Nepal's major cities - Kathmandu, Pokhara and Itahari - have been invited to join in uniform, books in hand, while videos circulating on social media show even schoolchildren participating in the marches.

What are the protesters' demands?

In Kathmandu, the number of protesters has been growing. Many carry banners and chant slogans demanding change.

Their two main demands have been clear: the government lifting the ban on social media, which has now happened, and officials putting an end to what they call "corrupt practices".

Protesters, many of them college students, have linked the social media blockade with curtailing freedom of speech, and widespread allegations of corruption among politicians.

"We want to see an end to corruption in Nepal," Binu KC, a 19-year-old college student, told BBC Nepali. "Leaders promise one thing during elections but never deliver. They are the cause of so many problems." She added the social media ban had disrupted her education, limiting access to online classes and study resources.

Subhana Budhathoki, a content creator, echoed the frustration: "Gen Z will not stop now. This protest is about more than just social media - it's about silencing our voices, and we won't let that happen."

What is the 'NepoKids' trend and how is it related to these protests?

A defining feature of the protest has been the widespread use of two slogans -#Nepo Baby and #Nepo Kids.

These two terms have gained popularity on social media in the past few weeks after a number of videos showing the lavish lifestyles of politicians and their families went viral in Nepal.

Protesters argue these individuals enjoy success and luxury without merit, living off public money while ordinary Nepalis struggle.

Viral videos on TikTok and Instagram have contrasted the lavish lifestyles of political families — involving designer clothes, foreign travel and luxury cars — with the harsh realities faced by young people, including unemployment and forced migration.

The slogans have become symbolic of a deeper frustration with inequality, as protesters compare the lives of the elite with those of everyday citizens.

What could happen next?

The protesters are showing no sign of backing down, and have largely defied an indefinite curfew in Kathmandu and beyond.

On Tuesday, Prime Minister Oli resigned, after three other high-ranking politicians announced they were also stepping down.

Oli took over in July 2024, his fourth time in office, with the backing of the Nepali Congress Party.

Protesters are calling for accountability and reforms in governance. However, if the government fails to engage meaningfully, analysts warn the unrest could escalate further, especially as students and civil society groups join in.

Lawmakers in Hong Kong have rejected a controversial bill that would have granted limited rights to same-sex couples, in a blow to the city's gay rights movement.

The law, which would have recognised some rights for couples who were married overseas, was opposed by 71 of the city's 89-member Legislative Council (LegCo).

It was proposed by the government to comply with a 2023 court ruling, following the rejection of an attempt to legalise same-sex marriage.

While the city has in recent years been perceived as becoming gay-friendly, it has limited rights for the estimated 6% of the adult population who identify as LGBTQ. Recent polls suggest there is rising support towards the community.

Human rights group Amnesty International criticised the rejection of the bill, saying that it showed an "alarming disdain" for LGBTQ rights, and urged Hong Kong authorities to introduce a new and revised bill.

Hong Kong LGBTQ rights activist Jimmy Sham said it was "deeply regrettable" that the bill did not pass and that the government's inability to protect same-sex couples rights "would remain an open wound".

He added that he believed the government would not "turn a blind eye to the current illegal and unconstitutional situation".

The bill stemmed from a long-running legal challenge to legalise same-sex marriage initiated by Sham, who had wanted official recognition of his marriage to his husband. The pair were married in New York in 2013.

The Hong Kong's top court shot this down in 2023, but in a partial victory for activists, the Court of Final Appeal said at the time that the Hong Kong government had to formulate an alternative framework within two years to recognise unions between members of the same sex.

The judge said it was necessary as the lack of legal recognition could "disrupt and demean" the private lives of same-sex couples "in ways that constitute arbitrary interference".

This year's bill was an attempt by the Hong Kong government to fulfil this legal obligation.

It proposed a registration system for same-sex couples who were married or had civil unions overseas, and that these couples would have some rights - including the right to hospital visits and to make medical decisions for a spouse.

The city's chief executive John Lee had backed this bill and urged LegCo to pass it, warning that a rejection would violate Hong Kong's rule of law and bring about "serious consequences".

But the bill had been criticised by both LGBTQ activists - who viewed it as insufficient in creating an alternative framework - and by members of the LegCo - who said the proposal went against traditional family values and paved the way for the legalisation of same-sex marriage.

Wednesday's rejection means the government will have to go back to the drawing board, with little time to meet its 27 October deadline.

It also marked a rare split between the legislature and the Hong Kong government. Both institutions have been working in political lockstep, particularly since Beijing tightened control over the city in recent years.

Many in the LegCo are known to be pro-Beijing since China passed a law that only "patriots" can be part of the legislature, while the Hong Kong government's chief executive is essentially hand-picked by Beijing.

Polls suggest that there is rising support for same-sex marriages among the Hong Kong public. A survey in 2023 found 60% were in favour of same-sex marriage, compared to 38% a decade ago.

That same year the territory hosted the Gay Games, marking the first time the competition was held in Asia.

Kenya has been left in shock after the killing of a senior lawyer in a drive-by shooting on a busy street in the capital Nairobi.

Mathew Kyalo Mbobu, a respected lawyer and former head of a political parties' dispute tribunal, was driving home on Tuesday evening when a gunman on a motorcycle pulled alongside his vehicle and opened fire. Witnesses on the Lang'ata/Magadi road reported hearing multiple gunshots.

The motive for the attack, which resembles the shocking killing of a lawmaker earlier this year, is unknown. Investigations are under way.

The Law Society of Kenya has described the killing as "abhorrent" and said the crime must be "dealt with swiftly and conclusively".

It expressed concern over threats faced by lawyers, adding that the killing had "all markings of a predetermined assassination".

"Too often, advocates have been victimised and targeted for the work that they do," LSK president Faith Odhiambo said in a statement.

A gruesome video shared online shows a car's shattered window with the bloodied, lifeless body of the lawyer slouched over the steering wheel.

Senate Speaker Amason Kingi said the "cold-blooded killing" of Mr Mbobu had "left us all devastated and in deep shock".

"We expect the police to carry out speedy and thorough investigations to unearth the reason and culprits behind this heinous crime and ensure justice is served," he said.

In April, Charles Ong'ondo Were, a member of parliament, was shot dead in similar circumstances in a busy road in the capital in a suspected assassination.

Police then said several suspects had been arrested following what appeared to be a "targeted and predetermined" assassination.

Some of the suspects have since been charged.

More about Kenya from the BBC:

• Kenyan MP shot dead in 'targeted' attack in Nairobi
• 'We live in fear' - forced expulsions taint Kenya's safe haven image
• Kenyan minister alleges intelligence agency behind his son's abduction

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

Nepal's army has deployed patrols on the streets of Kathmandu, as the Himalayan nation reels from the worst unrest it has seen in decades.

Fierce protests against corruption and nepotism spiralled further on Tuesday into arson and violence. The prime minister resigned as politicians' homes were vandalised, government buildings were set ablaze and parliament was stormed and torched.

But the "Gen Z" groups spearheading the protests have distanced themselves from the destruction, saying the movement has been "hijacked by "opportunist" infiltrators.

On Wednesday the streets of the capital Kathmandu appeared calm, but smoke was still rising from burning buildings and charred vehicles lay on roads.

Nationwide curfews are in place until Thursday morning, the army has said, warning of punishment for anyone involved in violence and vandalism.

Twenty seven people have been arrested for their involvement in violence and lootings and 31 firearms have been found, it added.

The military is attempting to control a volatile situation, with PM KP Sharma Oli's resignation leaving a leadership vacuum.

His government's abortive attempt to ban social media triggered the demonstrations that saw 19 protesters killed in clashes with police on Monday.

Those deaths - which have since risen to more than 20 - only fuelled the unrest on Tuesday. Scenes of violence and vandalism have come to illustrate the visceral intensity of the anti-government demonstrations.

But many protesters are worried that the movement has been co-opted by "infiltrators".

Tuesday's protest "organised by Nepal's Generation Z, was conducted with a clear vision: to demand accountability, transparency, and an end to corruption," read a statement issued by protesters.

"Our movement was and remains non-violent and rooted in the principles of peaceful civic engagement."

The authors of the statement said they were actively volunteering on the ground to "responsibly manage" the situation, safeguard citizens and protect public property.

They also said no further protests were scheduled from Wednesday onwards, and called on the military and police to implement curfews as necessary.

"Our intent has never been to disrupt daily life or to allow others to misuse our peaceful initiative," the statement said.

The army too has alleged that various "individuals and anarchist groups" had infiltrated the protests and were damaging private and public property.

"We are mainly in the process of controlling elements who are taking advantage of the situation to loot, set fires and cause various incidents," military spokesman Rajaram Basnet told the BBC.

What led to the protests?

The demonstrations were ostensibly triggered by the government's decision last week to ban 26 social media platforms, including WhatsApp, Instagram and Facebook - but they have since grown to embody much deeper discontent with Nepal's political elite.

In the weeks before the ban, a "nepo kid" campaign, spotlighting the lavish lifestyles of politicians' children and allegations of corruption, had taken off on social media.

And while the social media ban was hastily lifted on Monday night, the protests had by that stage gained unstoppable momentum, plunging the nation into chaos.

On Tuesday, protests continued unabated. A crowd in Kathmandu torched the headquarters of the Nepali Congress Party, which is part of the governing coalition, and the house of its leader, Sher Bahadur Deuba, a former PM.

In the capital Kathmandu, several locations have been targeted by anti-corruption protesters since Monday.

Hundreds of protesters broke into and torched the country's parliament building, smashing windows and spray-painting graffiti and anti-corruption messages on the walls.

The Singha Durbar, a large complex in the city that houses Nepal's government offices, was also stormed, and the Supreme Court on Wednesday announced that it had postponed all hearings of pending cases indefinitely due to severe damage.

"Since the case files, servers, and the courtroom were severely damaged in the fire, the hearings scheduled for today have been postponed," said a notice issued by the Supreme Court's chief registrar.

"The hearings scheduled for tomorrow are also postponed until further notice."

On Tuesday afternoon, in a self-proclaimed bid to pave the way for a constitutional solution, Prime Minister Oli stepped down.

"In view of the adverse situation in the country, I have resigned effective today to facilitate the solution to the problem and to help resolve it politically in accordance with the constitution," Oli wrote in his letter to President Ramchandra Paudel.

But it's not clear who will replace him - or what happens next, with seemingly no-one in charge.

"Looking ahead, we believe Nepal's future leadership must be free from entrenched political party affiliations, fully independent, and selected on the basis of competence, integrity, and qualifications," the Gen Z protesters said in their statement on Tuesday.

"We demand a transparent and stable government that works in the interest of the people and not for the benefit of corrupt individuals or political elites," they added.

"Our goal remains firm: a proper government with qualified, non-corrupt leaders."

A South Korean woman has been acquitted after a court revisited her decades-old conviction for biting off the tongue of a man during an alleged sexual attack.

Choi Mal-ja was 18 when she was convicted of grievous bodily harm and sentenced to 10 months in jail. Her aggressor, who was 21, received a lighter sentence of six months.

After a years-long campaign to clear her name, a retrial began in the southern city of Busan in July. In its first hearing, prosecutors apologised to her and, in an unusual move, asked the court to quash the conviction.

"I could not let this case go unanswered... I [wanted] to stand up for other victims who share the same fate as mine," Ms Choi said after the acquittal.

As a teenager back then, the incident changed her fate by "turning [me] from a victim to an accused".

"People around me warned me that it would be like throwing eggs at a rock, but I could not let this case go," said Ms Choi, now 79.

She thanked her supporters, and called out those in power whom she said "abused their authority to trample the weak and manipulate the law".

Ms Choi's case has been cited in legal textbooks in South Korea as a classic example of a court failing to recognise self-defence during sexual violence.

According to court records, the attacker had pinned Ms Choi to the ground somewhere in the southern town of Gimhae. She only managed to break free after biting off about 1.5cm (0.59in) of his tongue.

The man continually demanded compensation for his injury and even broke into Ms Choi's home with a knife on one occasion, South Korean media reported.

In one of South Korea's most contentious rulings on sexual violence, the man was given a six-month suspended sentence, for trespassing and intimidation. He was never charged for attempted rape.

Ms Choi received the harsher sentence for causing him grievous bodily harm, with the court saying at the time that her actions exceeded the "reasonable bounds" of self-defence.

She was detained for six months during the investigation, and was later given a ten-month sentence, which was suspended for two years.

In 2018, inspired by the global #MeToo movement, which has also taken hold in South Korea, Ms Choi reached out to advocacy groups and spent about two years gathering evidence before filing a petition for a retrial.

Her path to exoneration has been challenging. Lower courts rejected her petition saying there is no evidence to support her claims of self-defence.

Ms Choi fought on, saying she did not want to see other victims of sexual violence go through what she did. "[They] should not have to bear the pain alone," she told The Korea Herald in an earlier interview.

Finally, in December 2024, the Supreme Court granted her application to reopen the case.

Outside the court on Wednesday, Ms Choi and her supporters were all smiles, with some of them holding placards that said, "Choi Mal-ja did it!" and "Choi Mal-ja succeeded".

Ms Choi's lawyer, Kim Soo-jung, described the earlier conviction as a "misjudgement due to gender bias and societal perceptions".

"Thanks to Choi Mal-ja's relentless fight without ever giving up, the prosecution and judiciary had the opportunity to correct that error today," said Ms Kim.

She added that Ms Choi plans to file a civil lawsuit against the state to seek compensation.

The Korea Women's Hotline, one of the groups that had supported Ms Choi in her campaign, believes Wednesday's verdict will pave the way to justice for victims of sexual violence.

"Going forward, women's defensive acts will be understood as legitimate. I expect this will mean fewer women will face unjust suffering," says Song Ran-hee, who leads the group.

"At the very least, it will send a message to victims. Even if the process you are going through now is painful and unjust, it says: 'Your voice matters. Speak out,'" Ms Song tells the BBC.

There have been at least two other cases in South Korea of women biting off the tongues of sexual assailants – one in 1988 in the city of Andong, and another in 2020 in Busan. In both cases, the courts ruled recognised what the women did as legitimate acts of self-defence, and ruled in favour of them.

Israel has carried out a strike targeting the senior leadership of Hamas in Qatar's capital, Doha.

A Hamas official told the BBC that members of the Palestinian armed group's negotiating team were targeted during a meeting. It was not clear whether any of them were killed, but photos showed a badly damaged building in the northern Katara district.

The Israeli military accused the Hamas leaders of being directly responsible for the 7 October 2023 attack on Israel and of orchestrating the ensuing war in Gaza.

Qatar strongly condemned what it called the "cowardly Israeli attack that targeted residential buildings housing several members of the political bureau of Hamas".

"This criminal assault constitutes a blatant violation of all international laws and norms, and poses a serious threat to the security and safety of Qataris and residents in Qatar," a foreign ministry statement said.

The Gulf state - a key US ally in the region that is the location of a major American air base - has hosted the Hamas political bureau since 2012 and has served as a mediator in indirect negotiations between the group and Israel.

• Latest updates on Doha strike
• Israeli military orders all Gaza City residents to evacuate ahead of ground assault
• Hamas discussing US 'ideas' for Gaza ceasefire after Trump's 'last warning'

UN Secretary General António Guterres also condemned the strike, saying it was a "flagrant violation" of Qatar's sovereignty.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office stressed that what it called the "action against the top terrorist chiefs" of Hamas was a "a wholly independent Israeli operation".

"Israel initiated it, Israel conducted it, and Israel takes full responsibility," a statement said.

A senior Israeli official told Israeli media that the Hamas members targeted included Khalil al-Hayya, the chief negotiator and exiled Gaza leader, and Zaher Jabarin, the exiled West Bank leader.

"We are awaiting the results of the strike. There is a consensus among the political and security leadership," the official added.

On Monday, Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz had warned Hamas leaders living abroad that they faced "annihilation" and Gaza would be destroyed if the group did not release its hostages and lay down its arms.

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 64,605 people have been killed in Israeli attacks in Gaza since then, according to the territory's Hamas-run health ministry.

The first of five Supreme Court justices who will decide the fate of the former Brazilian president, Jair Bolsonaro, has found the ex-leader guilty of plotting a coup.

But Bolsonaro will only be convicted if at least three out of the five justices find him guilty.

Justice Alexandre de Moraes said there was "no doubt" that there had been a coup attempt after Bolsonaro lost the 2022 presidential election to his left-wing rival, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.

Moraes also said that Bolsonaro had led the "criminal organisation" which he alleged was behind the attempted coup. Bolsonaro has denied all the charges.

If convicted, Bolsonaro - who governed Brazil from January 2019 to December 2022 - could face a lengthy sentence of more than 40 years in prison.

Read: What you need to know about Bolsonaro's coup plot trial

The charges against Bolsonaro are extremely serious and Justice Moraes - who had been widely expected to convict Bolsonaro - did not hold back in the summary of his decision.

The former president and his seven co-defendants - some of whom are top military officers - stand accused of trying to prevent President-elect Lula from taking up office.

The seven co-defendants have also denied the charges.

Speaking in court on Tuesday, Justice Moraes said there was plenty of evidence of a plot to kill Lula, his vice-presidential running mate, and Justice Moraes himself.

Moraes showed a document detailing the plan, codenamed Operation Green and Yellow Dagger, with key sections highlighted.

"This was written in the Brazilian government headquarters, at the same time that President Jair Bolsonaro was there," he said. He added that part of the plan had been printed out in the presidential palace.

According to investigators, the defendants failed to enlist enough support from the military for the plan to go ahead.

But Moraes argued that the defendants' efforts culminated in the storming of Congress, the Supreme Court and the presidential palace by thousands of Bolsonaro supporters on 8 January 2023 - one week after Lula was sworn into office.

Order was quickly restored and more than 1,500 people were arrested.

But, according to Moraes, Brazil had come close to descending into authoritarianism: "We are slowly forgetting that Brazil almost returned to its 20-year dictatorship because a criminal organisation, comprised of a political group, doesn't know how to lose elections."

"There is no doubt that the defendant, Jair Bolsonaro, held meetings with Armed Forces commanders to discuss the breach of constitutional norms," Moraes said.

The ex-president was not in court when Justice Moraes announced his guilty vote.

Bolsonaro's lawyers said their client was suffering from health problems. The 70-year-old was stabbed in the stomach while on the campaign trail in 2018 and has been having recurrent health issues resulting from the incident ever since.

His lawyers said that he followed the proceedings from his home in Brasília, where he is being kept under house arrest.

Because he is currently banned from using social media, we have not heard from him during the verdict stage of this trial but he has in the past said that the trial was politically motivated.

The former president alleges that it is designed to prevent him from standing in the 2026 presidential election.

However, he is already banned from running for public office until 2030 for spreading unfounded rumours about Brazil's voting system.

The trial has deepened divisions in Brazil, with supporters of Bolsonaro alleging that the five-member panel tasked with the case is biased.

They point to the fact that one of the justices was President Lula's personal lawyer while another served as Lula's justice minister.

Critics of Bolsonaro, on the other hand, say that Brazil's institutions need to act decisively when under attack. They point to the fact that democracy was only restored in 1985 after two decades of military rule to underpin their argument.

An Israeli-Russian researcher has been released after "being tortured for many months" by her Iraqi militia abductors, US President Donald Trump has announced.

In a post on Truth Social, Trump said: "I am pleased to report that Elizabeth Tsurkov, a Princeton student, whose sister is an American citizen, was just released by Kataib Hezbollah, and is now safely in the American embassy in Iraq".

Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani confirmed Ms Tsurkov's release shortly afterwards.

She had gone missing in Iraq during a research trip in March 2023 - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said several months later that she was being held by the Iran-backed Kataib Hezbollah.

In a post on X, Sudani said Ms Tsurkov's release was "a culmination of extensive efforts exerted by our security services over the course of many months".

He added that the security services on Tuesday were able to "uncover" the place the student had been held, before handing her over to the US embassy.

Ms Tsurkov entered Iraq on her Russian passport, Netanyahu's office said at the time.

According to Ms Tsurkov's website, her research focuses on the Levant - a historical term that refers to a large geographical region including present-day Israel, Syria and other areas - and "the Syrian uprising and civil war".

Kataib Hezbollah (Brigades of the Party of God) is a powerful Iraqi Shia militia that gets financial and military support from Iran. It was designated by the US as a terrorist organisation in 2009.

In Tuesday's post on Truth Social, Trump also said: "I will always fight for justice and never give up.

"Hamas, release the hostages, now!" he added, in a reference to those people seized by the Palestinian group during its deadly attack on Israel on 7 October 2023.

Israel has carried out a strike targeting the senior leadership of Hamas in Qatar's capital, Doha.

A Hamas official told the BBC that members of the Palestinian armed group's negotiating team were targeted during a meeting. It was not clear whether any of them were killed, but photos showed a badly damaged building in the northern Katara district.

The Israeli military accused the Hamas leaders of being directly responsible for the 7 October 2023 attack on Israel and of orchestrating the ensuing war in Gaza.

Qatar strongly condemned what it called the "cowardly Israeli attack that targeted residential buildings housing several members of the political bureau of Hamas".

"This criminal assault constitutes a blatant violation of all international laws and norms, and poses a serious threat to the security and safety of Qataris and residents in Qatar," a foreign ministry statement said.

The Gulf state - a key US ally in the region that is the location of a major American air base - has hosted the Hamas political bureau since 2012 and has served as a mediator in indirect negotiations between the group and Israel.

• Latest updates on Doha strike
• Israeli military orders all Gaza City residents to evacuate ahead of ground assault
• Hamas discussing US 'ideas' for Gaza ceasefire after Trump's 'last warning'

UN Secretary General António Guterres also condemned the strike, saying it was a "flagrant violation" of Qatar's sovereignty.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office stressed that what it called the "action against the top terrorist chiefs" of Hamas was a "a wholly independent Israeli operation".

"Israel initiated it, Israel conducted it, and Israel takes full responsibility," a statement said.

A senior Israeli official told Israeli media that the Hamas members targeted included Khalil al-Hayya, the chief negotiator and exiled Gaza leader, and Zaher Jabarin, the exiled West Bank leader.

"We are awaiting the results of the strike. There is a consensus among the political and security leadership," the official added.

On Monday, Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz had warned Hamas leaders living abroad that they faced "annihilation" and Gaza would be destroyed if the group did not release its hostages and lay down its arms.

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 64,605 people have been killed in Israeli attacks in Gaza since then, according to the territory's Hamas-run health ministry.

Almost exactly a year ago I interviewed the Hamas leader and chief negotiator Khalil al-Hayya in Doha. I met him in a house not far from the building that Israel attacked on Tuesday afternoon.

From the beginning of the war in Gaza, al-Hayya had been the chief Hamas negotiator, sending and receiving messages to the Israelis and Americans via Qatari and Egyptian intermediaries.

At moments where ceasefires were thought likely, al-Hayya, along with the men who were also targeted this afternoon, were only a short distance from the Israeli and American delegations. When they were attacked, al-Hayya and the other top Hamas leaders were discussing the latest American diplomatic proposals to end the war in Gaza and free the remaining Israeli hostages.

Israel's swift declaration of what it had done immediately fuelled speculation on social media that the latest American proposals were simply a ruse to get the Hamas leadership in one place where they could be targeted.

• Follow live: Israel strikes Qatar's capital
• What do we know about Israel's attack in Doha?

On 3rd October last year, as Khalil al-Hayya walked into the venue for our meeting in a modest, low-rise villa, I was surprised that he had so little security. We had to give up our phones, and a couple of bodyguards came with him into the house.

Outside plain clothes Qatari police sat smoking in an SUV. That was it. A hundred bodyguards could not have stopped an air strike, but al-Hayya and his people were relaxed and confident.

The point was that Qatar was supposed to be safe, and they felt secure enough to move around relatively openly.

A few months earlier, on 31 July 2024, Israel had assassinated Ismail Haniyeh, the Hamas political leader in Tehran, where he was attending the inauguration of President Masoud Pezeshkian.

With the war in Gaza raging, I had wondered whether it might be dangerous to sit in the same room as Khalil al-Hayya. But like him, I thought Qatar was off limits.

In the last few decades Qatar has tried to carve itself a position as the Switzerland of the Middle East, a place where even enemies could make deals.

The Americans negotiated with the Afghan Taliban in Doha. And in the almost two years since the attacks on 7th October 2023, Qatar has been the centre of the diplomatic efforts to negotiate ceasefires and perhaps even an end to the war.

The peace efforts, driven by President Trump's envoy Steve Witkoff, were faltering badly. But now they are in ruins. In the words of one senior western diplomat "there is no diplomacy."

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has told Israelis that their enemies will never be able to sleep easy and are paying the price for ordering the 7th October attacks.

The Israeli offensive in Gaza is gathering pace. A few hours before the attack on Doha, the Israeli military, the IDF, told all Palestinians in Gaza City to leave and move south. It's thought something like one million civilians could be affected.

In his televised comments Netanyahu told Palestinians in Gaza "don't be derailed by these killers. Stand up for your rights and your future. Make peace with us. Accept President Trump's proposal. Don't worry, you can do it, and we can promise you a different future, but you've got to take these people out of the way. If you do, there is no limit to our common future."

If Palestinians in Gaza are able to hear his words, they will ring very hollow. Israel has destroyed the homes of hundreds of thousands of them, as well as hospitals, universities and schools.

With Gaza already gripped by starvation, famine in Gaza City itself and a humanitarian catastrophe across the territory the forced movement of many more people will only increase Israel's lethal pressure on civilians.

Israel has already killed more than 60,000 Palestinians in Gaza, the majority of whom were civilians. Netanyahu himself faces an arrest warrant from the International Criminal Court for war crimes, and Israel is being investigated by the International Court of Justice for genocide.

The attack in Doha is a sign that Netanyahu and his government will press forward as hard as they can all fronts, not just Gaza. They are confident that with American support, their military can enforce their will.

The Doha attack earned a rare rebuke from the White House. Qatar is a valuable ally, that hosts a huge US military base and is a major investor in the US.

But Netanyahu appears to be calculating that Donald Trump, the only leader he feels he must listen to, will content himself with the diplomatic equivalent of a rap over the knuckles.

Israel's offensive in Gaza continues. And as the planned recognition of Palestinian independence at the UN later this month by the UK, France, Canada, Australia and other western countries approaches, Netanyahu's ultra nationalist cabinet allies will redouble calls to respond with the annexation of occupied Palestinian territory in the West Bank.

Ukraine has shown reporters fragments of the missile it says hit a key government building in Kyiv this weekend, identifying it as a Russian Iskander cruise missile.

Officials here now believe the building was struck deliberately in the early hours of Sunday morning.

Vladimir Putin's response to Donald Trump's peace efforts has been a clear escalation in Russian attacks.

But they don't only target the Ukrainian capital.

In the eastern Donbas region, more than 20 civilians were killed by a Russian glide bomb on Tuesday as they queued to collect their pensions.

Volodymyr Zelensky condemned the strike on the village of Yarova as "savage" and called once again on Ukraine's allies to increase the pressure on Moscow through sanctions.

His office said some US and European weapons components are still reaching Russia, including for the Iskander missile. Moscow has already substituted the rest with its own production.

"Strong actions are needed to make Russia stop bringing death," Ukraine's president wrote.

Our team was filming on Sunday morning during the air raid on central Kyiv and captured the moment the cabinet of ministers was hit. The images appear to show a direct strike: a missile suddenly arcs downwards, right before the explosion.

There is no indication of it being intercepted by air defences.

When we were allowed into the vast, Soviet-era building to see the damage, the smell of burning intensified as we climbed towards the top floor.

The roof and part of the walls in the damaged area have been blown apart and there's a gaping hole in the floor.

All around, severed cables dangle from what remains of any ceiling.

The missile - packed with more than 100kg (220lb) of explosives - did not detonate, so the damage is limited to three floors. But it's still significant.

We saw fragments of that missile, now being collected as evidence: mangled metal pieces, some with Cyrillic lettering on them, gathered in a heap.

Weapons experts we've consulted agree that it looks like a Russian cruise missile and say the damage is consistent with an Iskander striking but not exploding.

"Sometimes fuses do not work and missiles just don't detonate. [It] can happen with a lot of different systems," Fabian Hinz, a missile and drone expert at the International Institute for Strategic Studies in Berlin, told me.

"I think it hit the building," military analyst Oleksandr Musiienko confirmed here in Kyiv.

"This missile has a high speed and low altitude. It's really hard to see on the radar. And of course, we do not have still enough air defence systems like the [American] Patriots, for example, which we can use to shoot them down."

In Kyiv, the increase in early morning attacks is obvious: they've grown more frequent - but most importantly they're bigger in scale. Russia now launches hundreds of drones at a time, deliberately draining Ukraine's resources.

That's why Zelensky is constantly calling for more missiles: to someone far from Kyiv it might sound like he's stuck on repeat. But for people here it might be the difference between life and death.

Russia's strikes are not only symbolic, on empty government buildings. They regularly hit people's homes, too, as we saw again this week.

"Sometimes a lot of these drones are decoys - without explosives - just to weaken our air defence systems," Mr Musiienko explained.

"We have never seen such attacks ever in our history. Of course, it's a threat."

Closer to the front line, the tactics are different: deadly glide bombs arrive almost without warning.

In Yarova, those killed this time were elderly. They're the people who are most reluctant or least able to leave their homes, even as the fighting moves close again. The village was occupied by the Russians at the start of the full-scale invasion in 2022, then liberated later by Ukrainian troops.

At least 24 people who survived all that are now dead.

Images from the scene show their bodies sprawled on the ground and a smashed-up post office van that had been delivering the pensions. It parked under a tree for cover, hoping not to be seen - but the bomb hit anyway.

Ukraine's Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha called it a "barbaric" strike by Russia and a "heinous crime" against the very people and region Putin claimed needed saving when he ordered the invasion.

"We urge the world to speak out and act immediately," Sybiha said.

But Ukraine wants more than condemnation. It's still calling for action against the Russian economy and the defence sector there.

Vladyslav Vlasiuk, Zelensky's adviser, told me the sanctions imposed so far were making a difference.

Ukrainian teams have been examining the remains of the missiles and drones launched by Russia since 2022, he said, and the percentage of Western-made components has shrunk.

But it still hasn't been eliminated.

"There are less Western parts, that is good," Mr Vlasiuk explained. "But the bad thing is that the number of Russian parts has increased which means Russia is producing things they couldn't do before, including microchips."

Increased co-operation with China in producing the drones was also making them far harder to jam, he said.

That may be what enabled Russia to hit the main government building in Kyiv for the first time - in the most tightly-guarded quarter of this city.

"It's scary that they're hitting the centre," Alyona said on Tuesday, pushing her baby in a pram not far from the cabinet of ministers.

"There have always been drones here," her husband added. "It's just they used to fly overhead, and now they can hit."

Ivory Coast's former First Lady Simone Gbagbo, 76, is the surprise inclusion in a list of five candidates who have been officially cleared to contest next month's presidential election.

She will run against President Alassane Ouattara, 83, who took power after she and her former husband, Laurent Gbagbo, were captured in a presidential bunker during the conflict that hit the country after the 2010 election.

But the ex-president has been barred from contesting the poll, along with ex-Prime Minister Pascal Affi N'Guessan and ex-Credit Suisse bank CEO Tidjane Thiam.

Their disqualification has raised concerns about the legitimacy of the 25 October vote and has sparked fears of instability.

Thiam, who was disqualified by the Constitutional Council due to his previous French citizenship, called the decision "an act of democratic vandalism" and accused the Ouattara administration of orchestrating a "sham election" to cling to power.

Ouattara assumed the presidency in 2011, following Laurent Gbagbo's arrest after his refusal to accept defeat in the 2010 election.

Ouattara was originally restricted to serving two terms, but a 2016 constitutional overhaul allowed him to seek re-election in 2020, in a vote that was boycotted by the opposition.

He won that election in a landslide, with at least 85 people killed in ensuing unrest. He later declared that he would run for a fourth term.

Laurent Gbagbo has been barred by the Constitutional Council from running for president because of a 2018 criminal conviction.

He was sentenced in absentia for looting the central bank during the political crisis that hit Ivory Coast after the 2010 election.

Although he received a presidential pardon in 2020, it did not restore his right to vote or run for office.

He also faced separate charges of crimes against humanity at the International Criminal Court (ICC), but he was acquitted.

For Simone Gbagbo, her candidacy is not only politically significant but symbolically powerful in a country where women remain largely underrepresented in national leadership.

Only 30% of Ivorian parliamentarians are women, and few have held senior roles in government.

Once nicknamed "The Iron Lady", Simone Gbagbo is now poised to become the strongest female contender for the presidency in Ivory Coast's history.

She and ex-minister Henriette Lagou Adjoua, representing the Political Partners for Peace coalition, are the two women whose candidacy was approved by the Constitutional Council.

Simone Gbagbo has had a long and active career in Ivorian politics, including as an MP - which was later overshadowed by her role in the violence that followed the 2010 elections in which more than 3,000 people died.

It led to her being sentenced to 20 years in prison in 2015 by a court in Ivory Coast.

She was however granted amnesty three years later by President Ouattara to foster reconciliation. Unlike her former husband, the conviction did not lead to her removal from the voter register.

The ICC had also pursued charges against her in 2012, but they were dropped about nine years later.

Since then, she has been quietly and methodically rebuilding her political base, following her break from the Ivorian Popular Front (FPI) - the party she co-founded with her former husband, ex-President Gbagbo.

Her campaign slogan is a call to "build a new nation" within "a sovereign, dignified, and prosperous Africa."

"Her approval legitimises the idea that Ivorian women can aspire to the highest office, regardless of their past, age, or gender. She's not just a candidate - she's a symbol," said local political analyst Severin Yao Kouamés.

It is unclear if Laurent Gbagbo, now disqualified from the election, will support his ex-wife.

The two were married for more than 30 years, sharing a life of political militancy, imprisonment, and governance. They divorced in 2023.

The official election campaign begins on 10 October.

The country has 8.7 million registered voters and there are fears that the exclusion of some of the other candidates could erode public trust and trigger renewed unrest.

Still all eyes will be on whether Simone Gbagbo can reshape the leadership narrative, and become the president.

You may also be interested in:

• Ivory Coast president, 83, says he will run for fourth term
• Is Ivory Coast's red card politics an own goal for democracy?
• 'I was born Ivorian' - bank boss barred from running for president tells BBC
• A love letter to attiéké, Ivory Coast's timeless culinary treasure

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

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

Israel has carried out a strike targeting the senior leadership of Hamas in Qatar's capital, Doha.

A Hamas official told the BBC that members of the Palestinian armed group's negotiating team were targeted during a meeting. It was not clear whether any of them were killed, but photos showed a badly damaged building in the northern Katara district.

The Israeli military accused the Hamas leaders of being directly responsible for the 7 October 2023 attack on Israel and of orchestrating the ensuing war in Gaza.

Qatar strongly condemned what it called the "cowardly Israeli attack that targeted residential buildings housing several members of the political bureau of Hamas".

"This criminal assault constitutes a blatant violation of all international laws and norms, and poses a serious threat to the security and safety of Qataris and residents in Qatar," a foreign ministry statement said.

The Gulf state - a key US ally in the region that is the location of a major American air base - has hosted the Hamas political bureau since 2012 and has served as a mediator in indirect negotiations between the group and Israel.

• Latest updates on Doha strike
• Israeli military orders all Gaza City residents to evacuate ahead of ground assault
• Hamas discussing US 'ideas' for Gaza ceasefire after Trump's 'last warning'

UN Secretary General António Guterres also condemned the strike, saying it was a "flagrant violation" of Qatar's sovereignty.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office stressed that what it called the "action against the top terrorist chiefs" of Hamas was a "a wholly independent Israeli operation".

"Israel initiated it, Israel conducted it, and Israel takes full responsibility," a statement said.

A senior Israeli official told Israeli media that the Hamas members targeted included Khalil al-Hayya, the chief negotiator and exiled Gaza leader, and Zaher Jabarin, the exiled West Bank leader.

"We are awaiting the results of the strike. There is a consensus among the political and security leadership," the official added.

On Monday, Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz had warned Hamas leaders living abroad that they faced "annihilation" and Gaza would be destroyed if the group did not release its hostages and lay down its arms.

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 64,605 people have been killed in Israeli attacks in Gaza since then, according to the territory's Hamas-run health ministry.

Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli has resigned amid Nepal's worst unrest in decades, as public anger mounts over the deaths of 19 anti-corruption protesters in clashes with police on Monday.

On Tuesday, crowds set fire to parliament in the capital Kathmandu, sending thick black smoke billowing into the sky. Government buildings and the houses of political leaders were attacked around the country.

Three more deaths were reported on Tuesday. Amid the chaos, jail officials said 900 inmates managed to escape from two prisons in Nepal's western districts.

The demonstrations were triggered by a ban on social media platforms. It was lifted on Monday - but by then protests had swelled into a mass movement.

Nepal's army chief issued a statement late on Tuesday accusing demonstrators of taking advantage of the current crisis by damaging, looting and setting fire to public and private property.

It said if unrest continued, "all security institutions, including the Nepal Army, are committed to taking control of the situation," effective from 22:00 local time (16:15 GMT; 17:15 BST), without detailing what this might entail.

While the prime minister has stepped down, it's not clear who will replace him - or what happens next, with seemingly no-one in charge. Some leaders, including ministers, have reportedly taken refuge with the security forces.

So far, the protesters have not spelt out their demands apart from rallying under the broader anti-corruption call. The protests appear spontaneous, with no organised leadership.

Inside parliament, there were jubilant scenes as hundreds of protesters danced and chanted slogans around a fire at the entrance to the building, many holding Nepal's flag.

Some entered inside the building, where all the windows have been smashed. Graffiti and anti-government messages have been spray painted on the exterior.

Kathmandu resident Muna Shreshta, 20, was among the large crowd outside parliament.

Corruption has been a long-term issue, she told the BBC, adding that it is "high time our nation, our prime minister, and anyone in power changes, because we need to change".

"It has happened now and we are more than happy to witness this and fight for this. I hope this change will bring something that is positive to us."

Ms Shreshta thinks taxes paid by working people need to be used in ways that will help the country grow.

Last week, Nepal's government ordered authorities to block 26 social media platforms for not complying with a deadline to register.

Platforms such as Instagram and Facebook have millions of users in Nepal, who rely on them for entertainment, news and business.

The government justified its ban in the name of tackling fake news, hate speech and online fraud.

But young people criticised the move as an attack on free speech.

Although the ban was hastily lifted on Monday night, the protests had already gained unstoppable momentum, targeting the political elite and plunging the nation into chaos.

A government minister said they lifted the ban after an emergency meeting late on Monday night to "address the demands of Gen Z".

In the weeks before the ban, a "nepo kid" campaign, spotlighting the lavish lifestyles of politicians' children and allegations of corruption, had taken off on social media.

Thousands of young people first attempted to storm the parliament building on Monday. Several districts were put under curfew. Most of the deaths occurred around parliament and government buildings on that day.

On Tuesday, protests continued unabated. A crowd in Kathmandu torched the headquarters of the Nepali Congress Party, which is part of the governing coalition, and the house of its leader, Sher Bahadur Deuba.

The house of KP Oli - a 73-year-old four-time prime minister who leads the Communist Party - was also set on fire.

He said he had resigned to pave the way for a constitutional solution to the current crisis.

"In view of the adverse situation in the country, I have resigned effective today to facilitate the solution to the problem and to help resolve it politically in accordance with the constitution," Oli wrote in his letter to President Ramchandra Paudel.

An aide to Paudel told Reuters news agency the president had accepted the resignation and begun the "process and discussions for a new leader".

President Emmanuel Macron has named close ally Sébastien Lecornu as new French prime minister, 24 hours after a vote of confidence ousted François Bayrou as head of his government.

Lecornu was among the favourites to take over the job, and in a statement the Elysée Palace said he had been given the task of consulting political parties with the aim of adopting France's next budget.

Bayrou had visited the president hours earlier to hand in his resignation, paving the way for Lecornu to become the fifth prime minister of Macron's second term as president.

Lecornu will face the same challenges as his predecessor, including getting a cost-cutting budget past parliament without a majority.

France has a spiralling public debt, which hit €3.3tn (£2.8tn) earlier this year and represents 114% of the country's economic output or GDP.

Bayrou had proposed €44bn in budget cuts, and his decision to put his plans to a vote of confidence was always going to fail. In the end France's National Assembly decided to oust his government by 364 votes to 194.

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.

Democrats in Congress have released a note they say US President Donald Trump sent to Jeffrey Epstein for his 50th birthday.

Lawyers for Epstein's estate sent documents to the House Oversight Committee after they were subpoenaed last month.

Democratic members of the committee then posted the letter on X on Monday.

It comes after the Wall Street Journal published details of the note in July. Trump said it was "a fake thing" and denied writing it.

"These are not my words, not the way I talk. Also, I don't draw pictures," he said at the time.

The signed note says: "Happy Birthday - and may every day be another wonderful secret."

The committee last month issued a legal summons for the executors of Epstein's estate to produce a number of documents, including a birthday book which contains the note purportedly from Trump.

Trump filed a lawsuit against the Wall Street Journal's reporters, publisher and executives, including News Corp's owner Rupert Murdoch, after the newspaper published its story in the summer.

The newspaper's publisher Dow Jones said at the time it had "full confidence in the rigour and accuracy of our reporting".

The BBC has reached out to the White House for comment, as well as Trump's personal attorneys.

On X, White House deputy chief of staff Taylor Budowich posted several images of Trump's signature on Monday.

"Time for @newscorp to open that checkbook, it's not his signature. DEFAMATION!" Budowich wrote.

The Wall Street Journal reported in July that Epstein accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell created the birthday book for the financier in 2003.

It contained submissions from various Epstein acquaintances, including a note allegedly bearing the name of Trump, who was then his friend.

Trump and Epstein were friendly for years, but the president has said he fell out with him in the early 2000s after the financier poached employees from his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida.

Epstein was first criminally indicted in 2006 in Florida on a state felony charge of solicitation of prostitution.

Israel has warned all residents of Gaza City to leave immediately in anticipation of a huge ground offensive.

The military's Arabic spokesman told as many as one million Palestinians living in Gaza's biggest urban centre to evacuate southwards. "Remaining in the area is extremely dangerous," he said.

On Monday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said air strikes that had destroyed high-rise buildings in Gaza City in recent days were "only the beginning of the main, intensive operation" to capture what he has described as Hamas's last important stronghold.

Hamas said his remarks amounted to a "public demonstration of a fully-fledged crime of forced displacement".

Israel's plan to conquer Gaza City has also brought international criticism.

The UN has warned an intensification of the offensive on an area where a famine has already been declared will push civilians into an "even deeper catastrophe".

The message from the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) - both in leaflets dropped over Gaza City, and posted on social media by its Arabic spokesman Col Avichay Adraee - was unequivocal.

"To all residents and those present in Gaza City and all its areas, from the Old City and the Tuffah area in the east to the sea in the west: The IDF is determined to defeat Hamas and will operate in Gaza City with great determination, as it has throughout the Gaza Strip," it said.

"For your safety, evacuate immediately," it added.

Israel's security cabinet approved a plan to conquer all of Gaza after indirect talks with Hamas on a ceasefire and hostage release deal broke down in July.

The IDF has been told to defeat Hamas after 23 months of war and return the 48 hostages still held by the armed group, of whom 20 are still believed to be alive.

In recent weeks, Israeli air and ground attacks on Gaza City have been intensifying.

Overnight, there were further air strikes on buildings the IDF said were being used by Hamas to launch attacks against its troops.

Netanyahu said in a video on Monday afternoon that 50 high-rises had been destroyed in Gaza over the previous two days.

"Now, all of this is only the introduction, only the beginning of the main intensive operation - the ground incursion of our forces," he added.

"Therefore, I am taking this opportunity to say to the residents of Gaza, listen to me carefully: You have been warned: get out of there!"

Hamas said Netanyahu's remarks were "a public demonstration of a fully-fledged crime of forced displacement, carried out under the weight of bombing, massacres, starvation, and death threats".

Photographs showed a stream of people moving south along the coastal road from Gaza City on foot, on donkey carts and in vehicles on Tuesday, but there was no sign of a mass exodus.

Hanaa, a mother of three, told the BBC she did not know where to take her family so she was holding out until they were in "real danger".

"If I knew [somewhere to go], I would have left [by now] and taken my family and my children," she said.

Hanaa lost her own home in Israeli bombing at the beginning of the war and has since been displaced with relatives.

She said "nothing can describe" how she and her loved ones were feeling now.

Razan Salha, a student, said she had fled Gaza City two days ago due to the bombardment and was now sharing a room with about 20 relatives in the central city of Deir al-Balah.

"We moved by car at a price of $375 (£276). Not everyone was displaced - there are still people in Gaza City because they haven't got any place to go or there is no transportation at a suitable price," she told the BBC in a voice note.

Razan said the "instability and homelessness" had left her "very, very tired", adding: "I've lost my hope."

Last week, UN agencies and their humanitarian partners said the announcement of intensified Israeli military operations in Gaza City on 7 August was "having horrific humanitarian consequences for people in displacement sites".

They warned many households were unable to move due to high costs and logistical challenges, as well as a lack of safe space. And they said ordering hundreds of thousands to move south could amount to forcible transfer under international law.

On Sunday, they reported that more than 97,000 people had been newly displaced since 14 August. But only 50,000 had been observed crossing from northern to southern Gaza, as the Israeli military has instructed.

The IDF has told them to go to a newly designated "humanitarian area" in al-Mawasi.

It has said the area includes essential infrastructure, including field hospitals and water pipelines, and that supplies of food, tents and medicines will be delivered there in co-ordination with international organisations.

However, al-Mawasi has been repeatedly bombed by Israeli forces during the war and the UN says nowhere in Gaza can be considered "safe".

The UN has also warned that the tent camps there are already overcrowded and local hospitals are operating at several times their capacity.

It has said a limited number of tents have been delivered in recent weeks, but many more are needed for the hundreds of thousands of displaced people.

The UN has said Israel - which controls Gaza's border crossings - must also allow in enough food and other supplies to halt the spread of famine.

On Sunday, UN humanitarian chief Tom Fletcher warned there was a narrow window until the end of September to prevent famine from expanding to the central city or Deir al-Balah and southern city of Khan Younis, and the window was "closing fast".

Since UN-backed global food security experts confirmed a famine in Gaza City on 22 August, Gaza's Hamas-run health ministry has reported that at least 121 people have died from starvation and malnutrition across the territory.

Israel has said it is expanding its efforts to facilitate aid deliveries and has disputed the health ministry's figures on malnutrition-related deaths.

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 64,605 people have been killed in Israeli attacks in Gaza since then, according to the territory's health ministry.

At least 21 have been killed in a Russian air strike on a village in eastern Ukraine, say local Ukrainian officials.

The victims were ordinary people collecting their pensions in the Donetsk settlement of Yarova, said President Volodymr Zelensky. Donetsk regional leader Vadym Filkashkin said emergency services were at the scene, and that as many people wounded as killed.

Yarova is to the north of Sloviansk, one of the big cities in the region, and not far from the front line as Russian forces advance slowly in the east.

If confirmed, the death toll would be among the heaviest attacks on Ukrainian civilians in recent weeks, 42 months into Russia's full-scale invasion.

At least 23 people were killed in overnight air strikes on Ukraine's capital Kyiv at the end of August.

At the weekend Russia launched its biggest air assault of the war on Kyiv so far, hitting the main government building in the capital, in what Zelensky said was a "ruthless" attack aimed at prolonging the war.

Posting graphic footage of the attack on Yarova online, Zelensky said there were "no words" to describe the latest Russian strikes. There was no immediate response from Russia's military.

Vadym Filashkin said the attack took place at 12:30 on Tuesday as pensions were being handed out.

Yarova sites on a key railway line in Donetsk, between Lyman and Izium. It is also only 6km (3.6 miles) away from the next village of Novoselivka, where Russian forces are closing in on the outskirts.

Ukraine's state emergency service said another three people had died in earlier Russian shelling of settlements in Donetsk.

"The world must not remain silent," Zelensky said, calling for a response from both the US, Europe and the G20 group of nations.

The first of five Supreme Court justices who will decide the fate of the former Brazilian president, Jair Bolsonaro, has found the ex-leader guilty of plotting a coup.

But Bolsonaro will only be convicted if at least three out of the five justices find him guilty.

Justice Alexandre de Moraes said there was "no doubt" that there had been a coup attempt after Bolsonaro lost the 2022 presidential election to his left-wing rival, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.

Moraes also said that Bolsonaro had led the "criminal organisation" which he alleged was behind the attempted coup. Bolsonaro has denied all the charges.

If convicted, Bolsonaro - who governed Brazil from January 2019 to December 2022 - could face a lengthy sentence of more than 40 years in prison.

Read: What you need to know about Bolsonaro's coup plot trial

The charges against Bolsonaro are extremely serious and Justice Moraes - who had been widely expected to convict Bolsonaro - did not hold back in the summary of his decision.

The former president and his seven co-defendants - some of whom are top military officers - stand accused of trying to prevent President-elect Lula from taking up office.

The seven co-defendants have also denied the charges.

Speaking in court on Tuesday, Justice Moraes said there was plenty of evidence of a plot to kill Lula, his vice-presidential running mate, and Justice Moraes himself.

Moraes showed a document detailing the plan, codenamed Operation Green and Yellow Dagger, with key sections highlighted.

"This was written in the Brazilian government headquarters, at the same time that President Jair Bolsonaro was there," he said. He added that part of the plan had been printed out in the presidential palace.

According to investigators, the defendants failed to enlist enough support from the military for the plan to go ahead.

But Moraes argued that the defendants' efforts culminated in the storming of Congress, the Supreme Court and the presidential palace by thousands of Bolsonaro supporters on 8 January 2023 - one week after Lula was sworn into office.

Order was quickly restored and more than 1,500 people were arrested.

But, according to Moraes, Brazil had come close to descending into authoritarianism: "We are slowly forgetting that Brazil almost returned to its 20-year dictatorship because a criminal organisation, comprised of a political group, doesn't know how to lose elections."

"There is no doubt that the defendant, Jair Bolsonaro, held meetings with Armed Forces commanders to discuss the breach of constitutional norms," Moraes said.

The ex-president was not in court when Justice Moraes announced his guilty vote.

Bolsonaro's lawyers said their client was suffering from health problems. The 70-year-old was stabbed in the stomach while on the campaign trail in 2018 and has been having recurrent health issues resulting from the incident ever since.

His lawyers said that he followed the proceedings from his home in Brasília, where he is being kept under house arrest.

Because he is currently banned from using social media, we have not heard from him during the verdict stage of this trial but he has in the past said that the trial was politically motivated.

The former president alleges that it is designed to prevent him from standing in the 2026 presidential election.

However, he is already banned from running for public office until 2030 for spreading unfounded rumours about Brazil's voting system.

The trial has deepened divisions in Brazil, with supporters of Bolsonaro alleging that the five-member panel tasked with the case is biased.

They point to the fact that one of the justices was President Lula's personal lawyer while another served as Lula's justice minister.

Critics of Bolsonaro, on the other hand, say that Brazil's institutions need to act decisively when under attack. They point to the fact that democracy was only restored in 1985 after two decades of military rule to underpin their argument.